154 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



you got him 1 " is the inquiry of your anxious friends 

 as you deliver yourself, cold, wet, and weary, and 

 late for dinner, at the lodge-door. You reply in the 

 affirmative, and the news is instantly in the dining- 

 room. If you can only add, " and another good one 

 also," the excitement is intense. Instantly "the 

 wires are set in motion " I mean they are removed 

 from the necks of the bottles ; pop ! pop ! go the 

 corks, and "harmony, conviviality, and good-fellow- 

 ship," as in the old days at Jemmy Shaw's "reign 

 supreme." 



A celebrated physician was once on a time troubled 

 with a lady patient who was inordinately fond of 

 cucumber. She ate cucumber by day and cucumber 

 by night made a regular cucumber-frame of herself 

 till a constitution, originally vigorous, began to be 

 seriously impaired. The doctor tried entreaties, then 

 threats it was all of no use. At last an original 

 idea struck him. " If you will only follow my receipt 

 for the preparation of your favourite vegetable or 

 fruit, is it ? " he said to the lady, " you may use as 

 much as ever you like." "If you think it would 

 be better for me," said the patient ; and this is the 

 receipt he gave her : " Cut the cucumber into thin 

 slices, pour some vinegar over it not too much ; put 

 it before the fire till the slices are thoroughly heated 

 through, then open the window and throw it into 

 the area." Now this is not a desperately funny story 

 I admit that and I don't think I laughed over it 



