monkey," said Jack.
"Just consider, now: it must have been a terrible trial for yon
gorilla-mamma to hear a bullet pass within an inch of her head, and have
her sweet little darling frightened almost out of its wits. Well, but
just think of the state of satisfaction and rejoicing that she must be
in now at having escaped. Had it not been for that trial she would now
have been in her ordinary humdrum condition. I quite agree with Ralph
that trials are really a blessing to us."

"I declare it is quite refreshing to hear that you `agree' with anybody,
Jack," rejoined Peterkin, in a tone of sarcasm.--"Perhaps Mr Rover will
kindly enlarge on this most interesting subject, and give us the benefit
of his wisdom.--And, Mak, you lump of ebony, do you keep a sharp lookout
for gorillas in the meantime."

The guide, whose appreciation of fun was very considerable, said, "Yis,
massa," grinned from ear to ear, in doing which he displayed a double
row of tremendous white teeth, and pretended to be gazing earnestly
among the bushes on either side in search of game, as he followed us.
The moment we began to talk, however, I observed that he came close up
behind, and listened with all his ears. If eager expansion indicates
anything, I may add that he listened with all his eyes too!

"I shall have much pleasure in obliging you, Peterkin," said I, with a
smile. "And in the first place--"

"O Ralph, I entreat you," interrupted Peterkin, "do not begin with a
`_first place_.' When men begin a discourse with that, however many
intermediate places they may have to roam about in and enlarge on, they
never have a place of any kind to terminate in, but go skimming along
with a couple of dozen `lastlies,' like a stone thrown over the surface
of a pond, which, after the first two or three big and promising bounds,
spends itself in an endless succession of twittering ripples, and
finally sinks, somehow or nohow, into oblivion."

"Ahem! Shakespeare?" said Jack.

"Not at all," retorted Peterkin. "If anybody gave utterance to the
sentiment before, it was Shelley, and he must have been on the sea-shore
at the time with a crotchet, if not a crab, inside of him.--But pray go
on, Ralph."

"Well, then, in the _first place_," I repeated with emphasis, whereat
Peterkin sighed, "trials, when endured in a proper spirit, improve our
moral nature and strengthen our hearts; the result of which is, that we
are incited to more vigorous mental, and, by