nintentional exaggerations of quantity, &c., in an account given a
month after the event had occurred."

This "appears to me" a beautiful example of critical acumen. My readers
will do well to look at it for a moment; as they may thus learn how to
sift the grain of truth out of the bushel of chaff. _Reverenter
procedamus!_

The main (is it not the only?) objection to the honest sawyer's
statement is that "the fish are very unlike those taken up in whirlwinds
in tropical countries." That is, that, seeing the phenomenon occurs in
Great Britain, it is most unfortunate that the fishes are British
species. Now, in India, when such things occur, it is always _Indian_
species that are taken up; _ergo_, it ought to be Indian species _here_.
But these are "very unlike" the Indian fishes; _ergo_, it is manifestly
a humbug.

Then, does it not strike one as palpably probable, when once one's dull
intellect has been "enlightened" by the brilliant suggestion,--that the
worthy sawyer who had a pail of water soused upon him, thought it was a
heavy shower of rain? _Very_ heavy, no doubt; indeed he says it was
"uncommon wet." To be sure, he thought there were _two_ showers, each
lasting about two minutes, with an interval of ten minutes between them;
but this little error might be easily made, for doubtless a bucket of
water poured on one's head might well be equivalent to two showers of
rain, or even ten, for that matter. To be sure, moreover, there was a
considerable quantity of fish:--"The whole ground was covered with them:
they were jumping all about: they covered the ground in a long strip of
about eighty yards by twelve, _as we measured_ afterwards: the shed was
covered with them, and the shoots were quite full of them.... My mates
and I might have gathered bucketfuls of them: we did gather about a
bucketful." Yes, yes: but all were originally in the pail of water
thrown over you, John. How stupid you were, not to perceive _that_! How
there was room for any water at all in the pail, seeing there were so
many fish, you say you don't know; but that is your stupidity, John!
There _must_ have been room for water, for it was "uncommon wet;" and
the water was in the pail, for the Doctor says so. Uncommon fishy, too,
I should think; but let that pass. Where the mates collected the pail of
live fishes for their pleasant and profitable hoax, and how, and
when,--the sceptic might wonderingly ask; but a hoax it was. _Ipse
dixit._

Howev