'A TRAVELLER'S TALES' 



179 



these and escape their pursuers for a while, and 

 then set a dog to hunt them. The only objection 

 to them was that their teeth were very liable to be 

 poisonous, like the teeth of the kennel-rats, about 

 whom I told you in a previous chapter. 



Apart from the inevitable accident of getting 

 trapped, the life of the sewers seems to be a merry 

 one. Needless to say, there are no owls about or 

 hawks or weasels to bother you. You have a whole 

 underground world to yourselves — a world of dark 

 and gloomy tunnels, it is true, but, still, a merry 

 one, where races may be run, and where an agile 

 climber can take his fill of that fascinating amuse- 

 ment. My friend tried hard to persuade me to 

 make trial of it, and assured me that I should 

 never abandon it when once I had fallen a victim 

 to its mysterious fascination. He even painted 

 for my benefit pictures of grim battles fought out 

 underground for the possession of some especially 

 charming wife, and for a moment I confess that I 

 was tempted ; I always hanker after a good fight, 

 and I had not then so deep an experience of the 

 trials and troubles of married life as have since 

 fallen to my lot. But when I began to think it 

 over I came to the conclusion that no pleasures of 

 town society could compensate me for the loss of 



12—2 



