ROMEOSTIA. 153 



which is a very tough wood, and rounded at both 

 ends, like the ends of a pestle used in a pestle and 

 mortar in a kitchen, with a pretty long and rather 

 elastic handle, gave them a blow on the forehead 

 which invariably knocked them down ; he then, with 

 the block and tackle used for tying their heads up 

 to a proper height for striking them, let their heads 

 down over a large sort of gutter or open drain with 

 running water in it, and over this he cut their throats. 

 This was all very neat and clever and expeditious, 

 and so unlike the barbarous poleaxe used by our 

 butchers, that I was quite struck with it. 



Having Ciceroica's pony and caratina at my 

 command, I used often to go down to Ostia to shoot. 

 It was a long way off and the road was execrably 

 bad ; I think it was from twelve to fourteen miles, 

 and to go in the daytime was almost out of the 

 question, for then you could see the road and the 

 badness of it, and the perils you had to encounter ; 

 at night-time you could not see your danger, and it 

 was only a wonder how, in the little conveyance with 

 the little black pony, one ever managed to get down 

 there at all. My great object was to be at a certain 

 bridge, between two vast swamps full of tall reeds, 

 at daybreak, as the ducks and teal, which frequented 



