THE BALL. 93 



their emphasis was magnificent. But I was tell- 

 ing about Everitt's fiddling. Nature dealt bounti^ 

 fully with my friend in this respect. His capacity 

 and perseverance in drawing a bow border on the 

 marvellous. Indeed, he is a kind of animated mu- 

 sical machine. Set him going, and he will play 

 through the entire list of known tunes before he 

 comes to a halt. His intense activity in this di- 

 rection afforded the only possible solution for the 

 greatest mystery of the camp, — Everitt's appetite 

 while in the woods. I find in my " notes " a math- 

 ematical calculation, made the fifth night in camp. 

 It was the result of the gravest deliberation on 

 the part of the whole company, and is beyond 

 doubt nearly correct. This is the formula : — 



" Exhaustion of muscular fibre through fiddling, 

 two pounds per night. Consumption of venison 

 steak, three and a half pounds. 



" 'Net gain to Everitt, one pound and a haK per 

 night." 



This conclusion contributed materially to relieve 

 the minds of the company from an anxiety con- 

 cerning the possible results of the trip to Everitt. 



Wlien I entered the room, drawn thither, as I 

 have said, by the tones of the violin, the company 

 were in fuU career. The intricacies of the Vir- 

 ginia reel were being threaded out with a rapidity 

 which, with ladies for partners, would have been 

 rather embarrassing. After the quadrille, Spanish 



