262 A MONTH IN THE FORESTS OF FRANCE. 



was slow, and it arrived at the Havre station ten 

 minutes behind time. It was a dark and rainy- 

 evening, and the moment I got out of the train, I 

 said to two or three railway porters, ^' Secure me a 

 fly to take me to the Havre packet for Southampton; " 

 and in this the young French gentleman participated, 

 so that there could be no mistake in the directions. 

 I then went to get my luggage, and to secure my 

 two terriers. Having a good deal of luggage as 

 well as two dogs, it took me some time to get every- 

 thing together, and when I had done so I came to the 

 platform to look for my fly. Seeing no carriage of 

 the sort at hand, I asked the porters where it was. 

 They shook their heads, and pointed to the yawning 

 door of an omnibus crammed full of women, children, 

 and men ; and a very consequential man wearing a 

 moustache told me " to get in there," pointing at the 

 same time to the omnibus, of which I subsequently 

 found he was the proprietor, on contract with the 

 railway company. Seeing that the omnibus was 

 crammed, I said it was impossible for me to take my 

 dogs among the feet of all those people, and when I 

 said this in French, there was a murmur of approba- 

 tion from the passengers. 



The fact is, old Nipper, as the jolly tar in the 

 packet had remarked, was '^ always ready for love 



