The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1877-12-13
The Prire.rsn. at wlmDledon.

In leaving the festarEant we passed
down what Seemed to- he the CONNER
cial Thoroughbred the camp; the tents
were shops, -pitched there by enterpris-
ing London FSlesmen, and stocked
with all thinGtba a campaigner, or,
indeed, any reakonSbleS person what
ever, co~uldsdesire. Md there was a
misrepresentation, where the camp
might go and read twenty versions of
what The outside world thought of it
from Gg.to day. NGt the most popu-
lar feature in nhs quarter was the
prize-tent, where were exhibited the
prizes which the best marksmen were
destined to take. home with them
at the end ofthe fortnight. Very cost
ly some of those great pieces of plate
must haXe BON; but the design which
pleasedTfe<ha s was not that in which
a silver sGsiislpan, of the best English
type, aydh volunteer uniform, stands
in a modest aftttude, with his cap off
and his rifle leaning against his shout
der-his ~good-breeding preventing
him from betHRFing surprise at the
close proxim4 Sofa Roman centurion
in full armQfg, with one sandaled foot
resting s9@a dismounted cannon; or
from attempting to dodge the impend-
ing descent upon his shoulders of a
well-fed and strongly-built goddess of
victory. j liked better a vast silver urn
from Cf almost big enough to take
a bath in, though intended only to
hold punch; itwas climbed over by a
number a horrfbly grotesque and i'm
possible monsters, who incidentally
served as hapqles, and was further COW
cred with a maze of indescribable and
so far as l know-meaningless figures
in low-relief. That punchbowl was
too good for kings or emperors to drink
out of; but it might tittingly have been
placed before a select party of such
enen as Anacreon, Hafz, Quintus Ho-
Iratius Flaccus, Ben JonsOn, Heine, and
eCharles Lamb. If those c~ongenial
spirits could be gotten together for a
ight, and Hebeb be recalladf from Olym-
to fill the goblets, | know who
Aild like to lean behind the silken
Artain, in the marble shadow of the
krway, and gaze and give ear! But
hr no periodical outside Of Paris
could be found indiscreet enough to
publish d fun report oftheir converse
ton.
No matter-since there is no such
symposium to describe. But the Chi
nese punch-bowl, although l quafed
no drop of wine from it, so went to my
head, filing it with all sorts of fantas-
tic and futile notions, that l scarcely
again tok note of outward things until
| found myself walking within the
"Victoria" encampment. This is, l
believe, a crack corps, as it is certainly
an %aristocratic one--if that be a recon-
mendation. Around the flagstaff in
the centre of the little enclosure were
flower-beds full of overpoweringly
brilliant geraniuVs; half a dozen big
cooking stoves we're planted in a dip of
the ground y few rods to the south
and, as If to complete the round of sem
suous qualifications, an horizontal and
a pair of parallel bars were set up near
at hand, and a couple of young athletes
were going through rival eyolutions
upon them. AS we passed along the
front of the tents, and glanced through
the open door-flaps, glimpses of coy
interiors were revealed-the greatest
amount Of comfort packed into the
smallest possible space. All the resour-
ces of civilization, developed during
the course of ages, have not succeeded
in evolving anything in the way of q
dwelling which can compare for COM
Portable snugness with aOsSell-pitched
tent. In the first place, 1t is delightful
to feel that you are so near being in
the open air, while yet you are com
pletely protected from It. You hear
the rain patter on the canvas an inch
from your head, Fbut it does not wet
you; sunshine and SHADOW pass visi-