mering
of the Don's meaning, and, looking towards, but not quite at him, said:--

"I be up to 'ee, sir!" and the Don laughed, and asked whether his
description wasn't right?

"That be right enough. Zounds! it be right enough. Haw! haw! haw!"

"You never want a second dose," said the Don, "do you?"

"No, sir--never wants moore 'an one dose; but 'ow comes it, if you
please, sir, that these 'ere Chancery chaps have changed their tack; be
it they've tried 'onest men so long that they be gwine to 'ave a slap at
the thieves for a change?"

"Look 'ere," said the worthy O'Rapley, "you will certainly see the inside
of a jail before you set eyes on the outside of a haystack, if you go on
like that. It's contempt of court to speak of Her Majesty's Judges as
'chaps'."

"Beg pardon, sir," said Bumpkin, "but we must all 'ave a larnin'. I
didn't mane no disruspect to the Lord Judge; but I wur only a axin' jist
the same as you might ax me about anythink on my farm."

And I saw that they proceeded thus in edifying conversation until they
came to the Thames embankment. It was somewhat difficult to preserve his
presence of mind as Mr. Bumpkin descended the gangway and stepped on
board the boat, which was belching forth its volumes of black smoke and
rocking under the influence of the wash of a steamer that had just left
the pier.

"I doant much like these 'ere booats," said he. "Doant mind my old punt,
but dang these 'ere ships."

"There's no danger," said the O'Rapley, springing on board as though he
had been a pilot: and then making a motion with his arm as if he was
delivering a regular "length ball," his fist unfortunately came down on
Mr. Bumpkin's white hat, in consequence of a sudden jerk of the vessel; a
rocking boat not being the best of places for the delivery of length
balls.

Mr. Bumpkin looked round quite in the wrong direction for ascertaining
what was the cause of the sudden shock to his nervous system and his hat.

"Zounds!" said he, "what were thic?"

"What was what?" asked O'Rapley.

"Summut gie me a crack o' the top o' my 'ead like a thunderbolt."

"I didn't see anything fall," said the Don.

"Noa; but I felt un, which I allows wur more'n seein'--lookee 'ere."

And taking off his huge beaver he showed the dent of Mr. O'Rapley's fist.

"Bless me," said the roundhand bowler, "it's like a crack with a cricket
ball."

But there was no time for further examination of the extraordinary
circumstanc