236 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 



stopped there. "Waal, I allers stops here to have a 

 good liquor up afore I goes down that hill, in case we 

 should'nt pan out all right at the bottom, and I^m ray ther 

 skeared of one of my wheels this morning ! '' The 

 nervous passenger elected to walk the rest of the 

 journey. However, we did '' pan out '' all right at the 

 bottom, and arrived safe at the Springs. I can^t say 

 much for the place. It had a hotel of course, several 

 rum shops^ a pistol gallery, shuffle board, two or three 

 quack doctors^ and the water — which I drank for some 

 time without knowing it was only meant to bathe in — 

 tasted like flat soda water with a dash of Jameses powder 

 in it. I wasn^t well for some time ; but after taking to 

 rum and milk, beefsteaks, and ordinary soap and water, 

 I felt as fit as several fiddles. 



I looked round the place for a day or two while 

 undergoing this regimen, and saw plenty" of game about 

 in the shape of snipe, quail, ground squirrels, &c. I had 

 brought a shooting iron with me, and made up my mind 

 to have a day or two in the woods, or rather hills. The 

 landlord of the hotel, who was a first-rate fellow, had a 

 son, who did nothing particular except loaf and walk 

 round with a large single-barrel gun of a very ancient 

 type indeed. On the strength of this weapon he was the 

 mighty Nimrod of the place, and he did know a good 

 deal about the country, I may say that. More than this, 

 he had the most extraordinary fund of yarns I ever did 

 or shall hear; but of that presently. We hired two very 

 old and sedate horses, which Master Jake observed we 

 might eat in case of necessity, as they were pretty well 

 played out; packed up our cofiee, sugar, matches, &c., 

 in our blankets, and, shouldering our muskets, turned 

 our faces hill-wards — I in front, and Jake in the rear. 



