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fectly determined as to which way it wanted to go: 

 it only seemed to have Cymon's reason for wishing 

 to take a walk, and " would rather go any where, 

 than stay with any body." On Wednesday, at 

 twelve o'clock, its vivacity was a little abated, but 

 only a little ; the wound was skinned over, and I 

 was waiting anxiously to know whether it would 

 subsist without its numskull till a good old age, or 

 would put forth an entirely spick and span new 

 head and shoulders ; when, on going to look at the 

 plate on Thursday morning, lo and behold ! the 

 dead head and the living tail had disappeared to- 

 gether. I suppose some of the negro servants had 

 thrown them away through ignorance, but they 

 deny, one and all, having so much as touched the 

 plate, most stoutly ; and as a paper case, pierced 

 in several places, had been substituted for the glass 

 cover, some persons are of opinion that the tail 

 made its escape through one of these air-holes, and 

 carried its head away with it in its forceps. Be 

 this as it may, gone they both are, and I am dis- 

 appointed beyond measure at being deprived of this 

 opportunity of reading the last volume of " The 

 Life and Adventures of a Centipede's Tail." I have 

 proclaimed a reward for the bringing me another, 

 but I am told that these reptiles are only found by 

 accident ; and that, very possibly, one may not be 

 procured previous to my leaving the island. 



