so--`one down, another come on,'--that's your motto, ain't
it?" said Captain Wopper, who invariably, during the meal, delivered his
remarks from a cavern filled with a compound of mutton, bread, and ham.
"But I say, Professor, are you spliced?"

"Spliced?" echoed the man of science.

"Ay; married, I mean."

"Yes, I am wed," he replied, with enthusiasm. "I have a beautiful wife
in Russia, and she is good as beautiful."

"In Roosia--eh! Well, it's a longish way off, but I'd advise you, as a
friend, not to let her know that you pay such wallopin' compliments to
young English ladies. It might disagree with her, d'ye see?"

At this point the conversation and festivities were interrupted by
Slingsby, who, having gone off to sketch, had seated himself on a mound
within sight of his friends, in a position so doubled up and ridiculous
as to call forth the remark from Lawrence, that few traits of character
were more admirable and interesting than those which illustrated the
utter disregard of personal appearance in true and enthusiastic devotees
of art. To which Captain Wopper added that "he was a rum lot an' no
mistake."

The devotee was seen by the revellers to start once or twice and clap
his hands to various pockets, as though he had forgotten his
india-rubber or pen-knife. Then he was observed to drop his
sketching-book and hastily slap all his pockets, as if he had forgotten
fifty pieces of india-rubber and innumerable pen-knives. Finally, he
sprang up and slapped himself all over wildly, yelling at the same time
as if he had been a maniac.

He had inadvertently selected an ant-hill as his seat, that was all; but
that was sufficient to check his devotion to art, and necessitate his
retirement to a rocky defile, where he devoted himself to the study of
"the nude" in his own person, and whence he returned looking imbecile
and hot.

Such _contretemps_, however, do not materially affect the health or
spirits of the young and strong. Ere long Slingsby was following his
companions with his wonted enthusiasm and devotee-like admiration of
Nature in all her varying aspects.

His enthusiasm was, however, diverted from the study of vegetable and
mineral, if we may so put it, to that of animal nature, for one of the
porters, who had a tendency to go poking his staff into holes and
crannies of the rocks, suddenly touched a marmot. He dropped his pack
and began at once to dig up earth and stones as fast as possible,