THE SIAMESE TWINS. 209 



that they always seemed to prefer each other's society to that of any other per- 

 sons. They nearly always played together; and, so accustomed was their 

 mother to this peculiarity, that, whenever both of them chanced to be lost, she 

 usually only hunted for one of them — satisfied that when she found that one she 

 would find his brother somewhere in the immediate neighborhood. And yet 

 these creatures were ignorant and unlettered — ^barbarians themselves and the 

 offspring of barbarians, who knew not the light of philosophy and science. 

 What a withering rebuke is this to our boasted civilization, with its quarrelings, 

 its wranglings, and its separations of brothers! 



As men, the Twins have not always lived in perfect accord ; but still there 

 has always been a bond between them which made them unwilling to go away 

 from each other and dwell apart. They have even occupied the same house, as a 

 general thing, and it is believed that they have never failed to even sleep together on 

 any night since they were born. How surely do the habits of a lifetime become 

 second nature to us! The Twins always go to bed at the same time ; but Chang 

 usually gets up about an hour before his brother. By an understanding 

 between themselves, Chang does all the in-door work and Eng runs all the 

 errands. This is because Eng likes to go out; Chang's habits are sedentary. 

 However, Chang always goes along. Eng is a Baptist, but Chang is a Roman 

 Catholic ; still, to please his brother, Chang consented to be baptized at the same 

 time that Eng was, on condition that it should not "count." During the War 

 they were strong partizans, and both fought gallantly all through the great strug- 

 gle — Eng on the Union side and Chang on the Confederate. They took each 

 other prisoners at Seven Oaks, but the proofs of capture were so evenly balanced 

 in favor of each, that a general army court had to be assembled to determine 

 which one was properly the captor, and which the captive. The jury was 

 unable to agree for a long time ; but the vexed question was finally decided by 

 agreeing to consider them both prisoners, and then exchanging them. At one 

 time Chang was convicted of disobedience of orders, and sentenced to ten days 

 in the guard-house, but Eng, in spite of all arguments, felt obliged to share his 

 imprisonment, notwithstanding he himself was entirely innocent ; and so, to save 

 the blameless brother from suffering, they had to discharge both from custody— 

 the just reward of faithfulness. 



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