208 THE DAILY LIFE OF OUR FARM. 



the proper mode of using the engine. Possibly my 

 demeanour was puzzled, as my progress was slow, when 

 the man, who lived at the lodge, and whose wife and 

 babe were possibly frying all this time said, " Please, 

 sir, I'd better go." " Very well ; " and go he did. Then 

 in a few moments, I had mastered the full purport of 

 the directions, and had artistically emptied in the 

 charges from the tin boxes, and filled the barrel itself 

 with water. The number of cans it took to fill it quite 

 astounded me, as much, perhaps, as you remember the 

 boy mentioned in "Tom Brown's School Days " was at 

 the endless profusion of feathers which were plucked 

 from the duck he had appropriated and was preparing 

 to roast. Then I put it upside down ; then violently 

 reversed it ; then played it see-saw on the edge of the 

 bath, until I became suddenly aware of a most 

 diabolical savour pervading the apartment, and which 

 I was assured must proceed from some orifice in this 

 engine, although I was too prudent to apply Nature's 

 investigator to ascertain the fact. So I simply screwed 

 down the stopper several turns more, beyond the point 

 of endurance I almost feared with each wrench of the 

 key, and then, after some few moments more of aggra- 

 vated agitation (strictly speaking, the preparation 

 should have been compounded some hours), I hurried 

 on my boating dress, and by dint of extraordinary 

 efforts, managed to struggle down stairs with it (to the 

 great delight of my youthful pickles, who came out 

 half-rigged to the top of the stairs to look on, and who 

 saw more of fun than seriousness in the matter) and 

 had it conveyed to the lodge. Exaggeration, I was glad 

 to find. It was only the chimney that was on fire, after 

 all, but that might still be a serious matter. There 



