The Purple Land

I felt less inclined to break loose from it, and sometimes I even thought seriously of settling down there myself. This crazy idea, however

it was to vary the entertainment of drinking rum and smoking at the "Colony," by drinking rum and smoking at Tolosa. The bibulous battle raged till bedtime, when the only sober member of our party was myself; for I had spent the greater part of the afternoon walking about talking to the townspeople, in the hope of picking up some information useful to me in my search for occupation. But the women and old men I met gave me little encouragement. They seemed to be a rather listless set in Tolosa, and when I asked them what they were doing to make a livelihood, they said they were waiting. My fell

and toggery as best he could. The experience was nothing new to me, so I soon made myself a comfortable nest on the floor, and, pulling off my boots, coiled myself up like an opossum that knows nothing better and is friendly with fleas. My friends, however, were

ccasionally throwing out his arms to balance himself, he managed to main

the prospect of listening to his friend's eloquence, discharged his revolver at the roof, scatteri

t they assured me that they all fired off their revolvers in that room

we are, don't you know, far from our homes and country and all that sort of thing. What says the poet? I daresay some of you fellows remember the passage. But what for, I ask! What, gentlemen, is the object of our

s encouraged by a

confounded ass of myself, don't you know. But what I want you fellows to tell me is this: Are we to go on all our lives making beasts of ourselves, guzzling rum-I-I beg your pardon, gentlemen. I didn't mean to say that, really. Rum is about the only decent thing in this place. Rum keeps us alive. If any man says a word against rum, I'll call him an infernal ass. I meant to say the country, gentlemen-this rotten old country, don't you know. No cricket, no society, no Bass, no anything. Supposing we had gone to Canada with our-our capital and energies, wouldn't they have received us wit

suddenly on the floor. Then followed "Rule Britannia," everyone

to spread some rugs to lie on, but, becoming hopelessly entangled in his bridle-reins, surcingle

t's wake old Cloud by firing at the wall over him and knocki

who, after delivering his speech, had crept away on all fours into a c

ad, scattering dust and bits of plaster over his purple face. I jumped up in alarm and rushed amongst them, t

was lying in a most uncomfortable position, woke, and, struggling into a sitting posture

A'right; only thing to do in this country. Only don't ask me to be pres'dent. Nor

of all this. He says we're drunk-that's the way Lamb repays our ho

assented the Ca

him, old Cloud, whether you're afraid of your f

s my opinion of him? It wasn't right of you fellows, was it, now? He couldn't be one of us, you know, could he now? I'll leave it to you, gentlemen; didn't

egs refused to assist him, and, tumbling back against the w

m with a hearty curse on Captain Cloudesley Wriothesley, the evil genius, drunk or sober, of the colony of English gentlemen. I was no sooner outside

night-watchman under her window, puts out her arms to feel me, and sighs to find my place still vacant. What must I say to her? That I must change my name to Ernandes or Fernandes, or Blas or Chas, or Sandariaga, Gorostiaga, Madariaga, or any other 'aga,' and conspire to overthrow the existing order of things. There is nothing else for me to do, since this Oriental world is indeed an oyster only a sharp sword will serve to open. As for arms and armie

fewer, and had almost ceased when I sank to sleep, lulled

o-home til