olus, you old hoss-marine, put out that--a-_chee!_--darn'd old
pipe!" bawled another.

"A'_nand_?" was the old fellow's usual reply.

"A-boo-ooh-_ooh!_" hoarse and loud as a boatswain's call, in a gale of
wind, would be issued from the throat of an old "logger," as the
fumigacious odor interfered with his respiratory arrangements, and then
would follow a miscellaneous--

"A-_chee_-o! Ah-_chee!_ boo-ooh-oo-_ooh!_" tapering off with divers
curses and threats, upon Old Tantabolus and his villanous habits of
arousing "the whole community" in "the dead watches and middle of the
night," with heat and smoke, no flesh and blood but his own could
apparently endure.

At length, a private _caucus_ was held, and a diabolical plan set, to
put a summary end to the grievous nuisances engendered by Old
Tantabolus--"_let's blow him up!_"

And this they agreed to do in _this_ wise. Before "retiring to rest," as
we say in civilized _parlance_, the lodging community were in the habit
of laying in a surplus of firewood, alongside of the capacious
fire-place, in order--should a very common occurrence _occur_,--i. e., a
fall of snow six to ten feet deep, and kiver things all up, the insiders
might have wherewith to make themselves comfortable, until they could
work out and provide more. But Old Tantabolus was in the wasteful
practice of turning out and burning up all this extra fuel; so the
caucus agreed to bore an inch and a quarter hole into a solid
stick--pack it with powder--lay it among the wood, and when Old
Tantabolus _riz_ to fire up, he'd be blowed out of the building, and
disappear--_in a blue blaze!_ Well, poor old man, Tantabolus, quite
unconscious of the dire explosion awaiting him, told his yarns, next
evening, with greater _gusto_ than usual, and one after another of his
listeners finally dropped off to _roost_, in the loft above, leaving
the old man to go it alone--finish his pipe, stagnate the air and go to
his bunk, which, as was his wont to do--he did. Stillness reigned
supreme; though Old Tantabolus took his usual snooze in very apparent
confidence, many of his no less weary companions above--watched for the
approaching _tableaux!_ And they were gratified, to their heart's
content, for the tableaux _came!_

"Now, look out, boys!" says one, "Old _Tanty's_ about to wake up!" and
then some dozen of the upper story lodgers, who had kept their peepers
open to enjoy the fun, began to spread around and pull away the loose