commence pulling on their boots; then there was a terrible swearing and pitching, ripping and tearing. Of course, such a dignified set as I was with, never would be suspected.
On one occasion I traveled with the same party on a canal boat; when night drew on, this same young lady said, "Iangy, we must have some fun as the people's faces are too long. Two hundred passengers, and nothing going on, this will never do." All my readers who have traveled on a canal boat know, that only a curtain separates the ladies from the gentlemen. The berths were generally swinging. The young lady having a sharp pen-knife for her own use, secured her brother's before he retired, and gave it to me. We moved the curtain a little bit, and sawed and cut the rope of the upper berth till it was almost cut through. A very portly old gentleman took possession of the berth, and he had just turned himself over, when down he came with a most terrible crash, berth and all falling on a very small man, who was in the berth below him, and away they rolled into the ladies' cabin.
Most of the ladies there had been asleep; being awakened by the noise, they were terribly frightened, and screamed dreadfully; this young lady screamed as loud or even louder than the rest, as if just awaking; while the little man called out he was killed, and the portly old gentleman was trying to make apologies to the ladies for frightening them.
It was altogether a laughable scene. At last the captain and chambermaid came, and the gentlemen rated them soundly for having such insecure ropes. The captain said, since he had been a captain, there
