270 A MONTH IN THE FORESTS OF FRANCE. 



lowest grade of fish-fags and fishermen, crying out to 

 them for assistance, and calling me the " English 

 God-damn " who had beaten him. The blackguards 

 closed around us, and I soon saw we had also arrived 

 in a sort of procession from the station, two empty 

 cabs following the one we were in, and each de- 

 manding five francs for being called off the stand. 



Seeing that I was in for a row, I said to my 

 young French friend, in remembrance of what had 

 been promised to his father, and to act up to my 

 desire of taking care of him — ^' Get your things out 

 of the cab, take care of yourself, and get on board as 

 fast as you can ; I see I am in for a row, but don't 

 you let that hinder you. The instant you get on 

 board, send the steward of the packet to me, and a 

 policeman or a gendarme, if you see one?" My 

 young friend did so ; and while he was gone, to my 

 intense amusement, — for among it all I was inclined 

 to laugh at what the idiot of a French cabman 

 deemed his fighting attitudes, — the fellow continued 

 his annoyance. In that he reminded me of a Chinese 

 brave, trying with frightful grimaces and contor- 

 tions of limbs to frighten an English soldier — thus, 

 the cabman flung his arms up, about ten yards off, 

 calling on me to come on. I kept myself to my 

 luggage, however, for there was an evident incli- 

 nation among some of the blackguards to handle it. 



