CHARLES WATERTON, ESQ. XXXV 



Towards the close of the year 1850, I had 

 reared a ladder, full seven yards long, against a 

 standard pear tree, and I mounted nearly to the 

 top of this ladder with a pruning knife in 

 hand, in order that I might correct an over-grown 

 luxuriance in the tree. Suddenly the ladder 

 swerved in a lateral direction. | I adhered to it 

 manfully ; myself and the ladder coming simulta- 

 neously to the ground with astounding velocity. 

 In our fall, I had just had time to move my head 

 in a direction that it did not come in contact with 

 the ground. Still, as it afterwards turned out, 

 there was a partial concussion of the brain. And 

 add to this, my whole side, from foot to shoulder, 

 felt as though it had been pounded in a mill. 



In the course of the afternoon, I took blood 

 from my arm to the amount of thirty ounces, and 

 followed the affair up the next day with a strong- 

 aperient. I believe, that by these necessary pre- 

 cautions, all would have gone right again, (saving 

 the arm), had not a second misadventure followed 

 bhortly on the heels of the first , and it was of 

 so alarming a nature, as to induce me to take thirty 

 ounces more of blood by the lancet. 



♦ In order to accommodate the position of my 

 disabled arm, I had put on a Scotch plaid in lieu 

 of my coat, and in it I came to dinner. One day 



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