I just sold him in Japan for six thousand obangs-gold obangs-and what became of him after is more than I can tell.

"This is not the only time that I have met with mer-folk. Once, when I was captain of the Great Eastern, and on my way to New York, I gave an evening party to all the mermen and mermaids that I could find off Cape Race; they sang beautiful songs, and were indeed very happy, until I happened to insult them by asking them to join in a quadrille, when they all jumped overboard in a great rage at having been asked to dance out of water.

"But, however, one mermaid took a great fancy to me, although I really don't know what she could see in me to admire, and on our voyage home, as I was swimming back to take a message to Abe Lincoln, which I had somehow forgotten, I felt quite worn out, lost my senses, went down like a stone and was as near drowning as ever was skipper before or since, but who should turn up but my pretty mermaid; she, after stealing a few kisses, called her father and brothers to her assistance, and together they lifted me gently on to the back of a fine young dolphin, who carried me back to my ship, leaving the president to wait until the next mail.

THE MERMAID'S
LOVE.

"I have often seen my dear mermaid since; the last time, she taught me to dive, and showed me how easy it was, after a little practice, to live as her people do, without breath. I was under water once for four days; I could have stopped longer, but I wanted food. However, even in that short space of time, I rescued no end of treasure. It was I that laid the foundations of Westminster Bridge of course my name was kept a profound secret. I do not wish to disgrace the name I bear; nor did I accept any pay.

THE ART OF DIVING.

"By the by, talking of disgrace to the name of Munchausen, I am reminded of a trick that I am almost ashamed to recall. We were out in the South-Sea Islands when, making for shore, a whole tribe of savages attacked us, swarmed the decks, overpowered the crew; in fact, rendered us helpless: worst of all, they took from us our sack of glass beads and our bag of old nails, and posted the chief's favourite squaw by herself in the chief cabin with them, to keep watch and ward. Now beads and nails were the things of all others that the savages wanted; could we give them more beads and nails we might be off and welcome.

A MEAN TRICK.

"Aggery pikkeri wak chik,' cried their chief, a man of honour; which, I am sorry to say, on this occasion I was not. The speech translated meant, More nails, more beads; let you go.' I knew what

he wanted: I saw my way. Down the hatchway I sprang, into the chief cabin, brained the favourite squaw with the iron heel of my jackboot; and, while she lay insensible from the effects of this unexpected blow, I presented the chief with the sack of beads and the bag of nails. which she had been watching so earnestly, and which the chief took for a second instalment. The savages sheered off at once. We were free.

A GOOD RIDDANCE.

"Perhaps you will be glad to hear that the owners never rewarded me for this dishonourable artifice; nay, even dismissed me from my command. They said they could no longer have confidence in one who would dare to deceive the artless chief of a savage tribe. This same ship was infested by rats, and I can assure you we were in great straits from the effect of their depredations; they ate up all our stores,-they devoured the cat. What did I do? Being an R.A. as well as a captain, I painted another cat so awfully like life that the first time it cried 'Merow-w!' it was in such a terrible voice that the whole community of rats jumped out of their skins into the sea, and were drowned. I sold the rat-skins to a furrier in Regent Street on my return, and by that means reimbursed myself for the loss of my commission. It was a wonder that I got them safely home, for we were nearly run ashore in a fog; which reminds me that when first I went to sea I was mastheaded in a fog. I forget my offence, but I remember the punishment, because it was the means of saving the ship.

"I could not

ACUTE SENSE OF
SMELL.

see a yard before me; we were driving on in the fog : suddenly I smelt fresh meat roasting, and at the same moment heard the tumultuous boiling of a pudding. I was on deck in half a minute, kicking the man at the wheel down the main hatchway. I then steered the vessel away from the smell of roast beef; and when the fog lifted we put in to shore in safety, and in time to help eat the fortunate roast beef and plum-pudding for our Christmas dinner.

"I remember a time though when we longed for beef, and no beef came. We were wrecked out of sight of land. We lashed together a raft, and were on it without food for fifty-four days. At last, unable any longer to resist the cravings of hunger

we

STARVATION.

-

"I dare not tell the rest my feelings overpower me. Here let me finish my dangers of the deep; else could I tell how, after these doleful days, we discovered an island of roast beef, where horseradish hung ready scraped in neat festoons, where mustard ran ready mixed, and plum-puddings were dug up like potatoes.

RELIEF.

WHA

SLIDING.

WHAT can be jollier or more enjoyable than sliding for an hour upon a crisp wintery morning, when the snow is lying three inches deep on the ground? You may say what you please about the pleasures of skating, but if you talk for an hour you'll never convince me that there's more fun in it than in sliding. I confess I gaze with admiration at a man twisting about on the ice like a teetotum on a ricketty tea-tray, and that when, like a crab, he goes backwards or waltzes round on one foot, while the other is gracefully poised in the air, I feel a pleasure in looking at him; but then, after watching a party of skaters for a short time, I begin to wonder how it is that they all look so solemn, as if each man were engaged on such an important task that he could not speak a word to his neighbour, and then I come to the conclusion that there is more display than real jolly pleasure in skating, and that the highly-trained skater goes through his evolutions rather in the hope of affording satisfaction to the spectators than of deriving enjoyment himself, for I defy any jolly-tempered fellow to feel jovial on a winter morning in company without laughing and shouting with glee at any person he comes across.

Therefore, when on turning from the mystic movements of a troup of skaters to a party of sliders, I hear them laugh and shout at each other, "now, then, keep the pot boiling," and other choice sentences, and when I see a broad grin of pleasure plainly depicted on their rosy faces, I cannot but think that the enjoyment of sliding shows itself in a far more demonstrative manner than skating, and that more pleasure is derived from looking at a crowd of merry urchins going gaily down a slide than in seeing quadrilles danced, or names cut on the ice, by a band of skilled pâtineurs.

I also like sliding on account of its simplicity. All that its devotees require is a good sharp frost. What care they for ice? The hobuails in London boys' boots soon produce a shiny slippery surface, and in a short time a respectable slide is made out of the drippings from a watercan, which a servant may have filled at the pump the day before.

There are, I am sure, few English lads who do not know how to slide. It seems to come as a matter of course to most boys; but still, lest

there be some benighted youth to whom the pleasures of the slide are still unknown, I must insert a few hints on the subject.

Take a sharp run of about ten yards, and as soon as you feel that you are upon the slide, push the sole of the left foot as far along as you can, making the weight of the body rest almost upon it. You will then slide away, the right foot following without any effort on your part. I say advisedly do not push your foot until you feel well upon the slide, for if you are not very careful about this point you will endeavour to slide on that part of the earth which is not slippery, and although the momentum may impel you as far as the slippery portion, yet your progress will not be very great, as the force which was required to carry you along the whole length of the slide is partly wasted by the resistance which, at the start off, the hard earth offers to your foot. Then, I have seen many boys in their first attempts to slide, place the heel upon the slide before the toe. The consequence is that they either fall over, or else only slip along a few yards, for a moment's reflection will show that much greater force can be exerted by pushing the sole along than is exerted when the heel takes its place, and in the latter case, instead of the weight of the body assisting one's progress, it probably causes the youthful tyro to fall backwards upon Mother Earth, and to wonder how it happens that he does not get on so well at first as other boys.

And now surmising that the slider is proficient in the first rudiments of the art, let me enumerate a few of the feats which a slider may perform while on the glassy track.

Foremost amongst these stands the postman's knock, in which a boy slides upon one foot only, while with the other he gives double taps quickly upon the ice, in imitation of the noise made by the red-coated messenger at our street doors. This, however, should not be attempted until the performer is well on the slide, or the result will probably be that he'll measure his length upon the ground. This is also known as "knocking at the cobbler's door."

Then comes the "carambole," which consists in the slider sinking down two or three times during his journey, and rising as he reaches its termination; unless, however, he is very careful the weight of his body will drag him down altogether, and he will continue his journey on another portion of his frame, rather than on his feet; but the best accomplishment to be performed on a slide is the game known as "turnpikes." Two stones or bricks are placed on the slide, with sufficient distance between them for a boy's foot to pass through. turnpike, thus roughly made, is to be kept by one of the party. Off start the sliders, taking care to pass through the pike, without displacing

The

or even touching its walls. Woe betide the unlucky wight whose foot infringes this rule! He is instantly turned off the slide, and has to wait until some other incautious player commits a like offence, and is thus compelled to take his place.

Such are a few of the feats performed by adepts in this graceful art. Most lads, however, will be able to invent many more for themselves, and numerous are the sports that can be indulged in. I recollect a capital game, which was a great favourite at our school. The boy who first fell down upon the slide was compelled to go over the course by himself, whilst the others, standing at a convenient distance, ruthlessly pelted snow balls at the "poor pigeon," as we used to call him.

At my school there was a funny boy, a jolly good-tempered lad, very much addicted to such practical jokes as had no harm in them, or were unproductive of pain to his comrades. This lad would often, when the other schoolboys and he were keeping the pot boiling, suddenly fall across the slide. In an instant, before they could help themselves, the rest fell down too, and lay for a short time in an inglorious heap, spread in all directions. The author of this mischief vowed that it was unintentional, and as nobody could reasonably deny his statement, that accidents would happen in the best regulated families, the victims contented themselves with laughing merrily at the mishap. After rubbing the snow off their clothes, down the slide they went again as happy and as merry as any boys could wish to be. The fun we boys enjoyed in the sliding season, is one of the most agreeable reminiscences of my school life, and as each winter returns, I watch with pleasure the movements of a group of sliders, and regret that my old bones are too stiff to allow me to indulge now in such a delightful recreation.