ested in his
investigations. Suddenly the owner appeared and, pouncing
furiously upon him, asked if he knew what he was doing.
"Peeling a most extraordinary onion," replied the
philosopher. "Hundert tousant tuyvel!" shouted the Dutchman,
"it's an Admiral Van der Eyk!" "Thank you," replied the
traveler, immediately writing the name in his notebook.
"Pray, are these very common in your country?" "Death and
the tuyvel!" screamed the Dutchman, "come before the Syndic
and you shall see!" In spite of his struggles the poor
investigator, followed by an indignant mob, was taken
through the streets to a magistrate. Soon he learned to his
dismay that he had destroyed a bulb worth 4,000 florins
($1,600). He was lodged in prison until securities could be
procured for the payment of the sum.}

"Ha! ha! that's true, unless you are over two hundred years old. Well,
I tell you, sir, there never was anything like it before nor since. Why,
persons were so crazy after tulip bulbs in those days that they paid
their weight in gold for them."

"What, the weight of a man!" cried Ben, showing such astonishment in his
eyes that Ludwig fairly capered.

"No, no, the weight of a BULB. The first tulip was sent here from
Constantinople about the year 1560. It was so much admired that the rich
people of Amsterdam sent to Turkey for more. From that time they grew to
be the rage, and it lasted for years. Single roots brought from one
to four thousand florins; and one bulb, the Semper Augustus, brought
fifty-five hundred."

"That's more than four hundred guineas of our money," interposed Ben.

"Yes, and I know I'm right, for I read it in a translation from Beckman,
only day before yesterday. Well, sir, it was great. Everyone speculated
in tulips, even bargemen and rag women and chimney sweeps. The richest
merchants were not ashamed to share the excitement. People bought bulbs
and sold them again at a tremendous profit without ever seeing them. It
grew into a kind of gambling. Some became rich by it in a few days, and
some lost everything they had. Land, houses, cattle, and even clothing
went for tulips when people had no ready money. Ladies sold their jewels
and finery to enable them to join in the fun. Nothing else was thought
of. At last the States-General interfered. People began to see what
dunces they were making of themselves, and down went the price of
tulips. Old tuli