Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1871-11-30
THE SETTLERS TALE.

" on don't DelleNe IL, lAell e"lu lllc
old settler, strolimg his beard and spread
ing the long crisp curls over his waistcoat,
where they lay like tangle of cocoa-fibre'
He flcked away, too, now and then, the
powdery cgar-ash that had fallen as he
smoked, as though he pettcd his manly
adornmcnt, or aimed strongly at wearing
n patriarchal guise. You don't believe
it, then 2" he said.
:" Travellers see strange things" said a
thin man sitting opposite to him; and he
INDUCED in q low, sneering Singer, de-
spicablc kind of cachinnqtion that it would
be insulting the hearty, mirthtul, loy-be,
gotten shake of sides and shoulders, and
extending of facial muscles, to call laugh.
"What is 2" said; for had at that
moment entered tue room.
"Why," sniggered the thin man, "Ee
wants to make me believe"
"No, no, no." chorussed several voices.
"Let him tell it himself; secondhand
stories are poor. Tell it out for the COM
pany sir"
But the owner of the beard looked very
dignihcd, and kept on smoking, till he sat
like a very Jupiter amongst his clouds.
Then he referred to the ambrosia brought
to him by the white-neckclothcd Gany-
mede Of the hotel, set down his brandy
and-watcr, and looked very rcticent.
"It's all true enough" said an Austria
Ian captain who sat near the thin man,
and had evidently heard what bad pre-
vously been said. give often seen them
take flying leaps that looked tremendous,
and such as | should have doubted if had
not seen; while, as to the tale our friend
here has Just told about kangaroos carry
ing their young in pouch, and also about
their being able to destroy a dog with
kick, why, they are facts that almost any
national schoolboy will endorse. | mean no
insult to our sceptical friend here, but Pm
afraid he studied politics more than natu-
raj history"
Good things, .too," said the thin man
yiciously; and then he looked round him
for the applause he did not get.
"You see" said the old captain, not
taking any notice Of the interruption,
"there are some people like the sailors
mother-more ready to believe in Pha-
raohs chariot wheel On the anchor-ilue
than in iying-fsh. Australy's curious
place, can tell you; and if you saw some
of the bones Of the great Moa they would
make you scratch your head, and think OF
the ostrichcs seven feet high as so many
chickens"
cha, ha, la, ia, HAP laughed the thin
man, in perfect crescendo. $50 on, sir {;
don. be afraid. Wen listen, and then
believe as much as we like"
"And we've got little animals there,
gentlemen" said the old captain, that
swim about in the water with their fiat
webbed feet, and they've got bill like a
duck, and lay eggs"
eco on, Sir go on, sir" laughed the
thin man; and he bestowed the wink CT
wisdom upon all the company present.
''Yes, yes; see! Wink away" said
the captaii. "but I'm no romancer, gem
tlcmen. only said what did to supper
nv friend here. There are some people
who will not believe the truth when it's
iold them"
"Why don't you tell it ?" said the thin
man.
81 always do, sir" said the captain
simply, and with some dignity. " As
said before, Australia's a place that would
startle some people here with its ways
What would our friend over the way there
say to five thousand sheep being boiled, OF
rather steamed down, in one day, just FOL
the sake of their tallow ?"
"Ha, ha, hap laughed the thin mar
again. 'Better stillm and then seeing
that no one else laughed, he snorted, anC
looked defiant at every one in tuln, from
out pair of twinkling dark eyes, the more
striking from being unsbaded by lashe3
while his eyebrows had evidently disap
peared at the same season when his coun
tenance had been scanned and pitted witt
the smallpox.
But few people noticed him, for it wa
evident that, after retiring in displeasuI'
within himself for few minutes, thC
owner o. the beard was once more coming
out. lie smoked furiously for few min
utes longer in utter silence, till his cigar
end was so short that it singed the grca
beard, when he threw it away, drew out ;
case, carefully selected another, rolled i
upon his tongue, and then sat balancing i
upon his finger.
Sour friend here is right, gentlemen,
he said, that there are some people whit
doubt almost everything You say; but
for my part, think that the traveller VIII,
plays upon the credulity of the untravele'
friends is creature beneath contempt.
can vouch for the truth of all my seatarini
friend here has said for ! have seen tn
things, and many more too, quite as won
derful; and | think that you, gentlemen
who SIT from years end to years end il
your shops, might acknowledge that me,
who make journeys four-and-twenty thou
sand miles long must, in the foreign part
they pass through, see some strange things
I don't want to inilict my stories upo
anybody"
HGo on, sir; 60 on" from two or three
but the thin man was totally unabashed
and snorted before telling his neighbors, il
an undertone, that you couldn't edo" hin
81 wasn't talking about wallabics gen
tlemen. which arc only small kind {
kangaroo, but of what we call out there
up the country, old men the great kan
garoos that the settlers hunt-thc curiou
leaning animals that Sir Joseph Bank
brought home from his voyage with CAY
tain Cook, and used to keep in his park
Revesby, in Lincolnshire; beasts that
dare say you might see for yourselves
the Regents Park Gardens in Londol
though can't say I'm sure, Atall event
I've seen them often enough, and hunte
them often too"
The thin man snorted and winked agai
at everybody in turn, as much as to sa!
"Now it's coming"
u Yop must believe what N going