120 The Hunting Grounds 



pinch produced a blue, a third a red, and so on, every 

 pinch producing a different colour. He then told the 

 girl to close her hand, which he again touched with 

 his wand, and the sand was turned into a small live 

 snake, which the little woman threw down with a loud 

 cry, which awoke the Doctor, who had fallen asleep 

 on his chair near me, and caused him to stretch 

 his legs and arms, and rub his eyes for some time 

 before he knew where he was. " Ugh ! ugh ! ugh ! " 

 he exclaimed, starting to his feet with a grunt of 

 amazement, " I must surely ha' been dreaming, for 

 I thought that auld vixen of a bear was after me, 

 and, ugh ! but she was no just a cannie customer, 

 coming tearing and rampaging after a puir body wi' 

 her lug in th' air, an' her jaws open like a bluid- 

 thirsty cannibal, looking for a' the world as if she 

 thought no more o' swallowing ane o' the faculty 

 than a blue pill. Och, the varmint! but what can 

 you expect when one o' the profession goes black- 

 guarding about the country wi' a real gun in the 

 company of the likes o s ye Irregulars ? Ugh ! ugh ! 

 ugh!" " 



The juggler then caught the snake, and tapping it 

 with his wand appeared to turn it into a stone again, 

 which, after having passed round for examination, he 

 swallowed. Then, stroking his stomach, he made us 

 understand that this hard living did not agree with 

 his constitution, but that, with the proceeds of the ge- 



