get; but nobody appeared to hear
him.

"And pray, are there any turnips hereabout?" asked the chemist,
impatiently.

Now, the fact was that Dr. Smelfungus had never seen a turnip; he had
only read in books that turnips were round, watery vegetables, yellow
outside and full of juice; for he was so interested in finding out all
about flowers and plants that came from Australia, and other out of the
way places, that he never troubled his head with common, homemade
turnips--those were too vulgar; but as he wished to appear informed on
all subjects, he pointed hap-hazard to a field beside the road saying,
carelessly, "Certainly; there are some."

Now, what do you think Dr. Smelfungus had really pointed out? Why, a
musk-melon patch! and as his companions knew no more than himself, Dr.
Skihi scrambled through the hedge without more ado, cut with his
penknife as many as he could carry, and returned to his friends. You may
believe how they enjoyed the feast, sitting on the soft moss, in the
cool shade of the trees; and after they were through, Dr. Smelfungus
gravely wrote down, "Turnip--a large, round vegetable growing on vines,
with a rough, yellow outside, ever so many seeds in the middle, and
tastes of nutmegs!"

After these exploits, the philosophers continued on their way, and Drs.
Smelfungus and Sheepshanks felt more proud of their learning than ever.
Meanwhile Dr. Mumbudget said nothing; so they gave him credit either for
thinking a great deal, or being too big a donkey to admire such
splendid experiments.

The sun had now mounted high, and our travellers began to feel its rays
inconveniently warm. Dr. Van Noostile, however, laughed them all to
scorn.

"Too warm! fiddlestick's end!" he cried. "This feeling warm and cold is
all humbug. Dr. Skihi can tell you that I went to the top of the house
with him every night for a week, last winter, to look at a comet, in
nothing but a night gown and an umbrella, and I never was better in my
life! Other people might have felt cold, or caught cold; but I--I
enjoyed the science of the thing! If you feel too warm, follow my plan;
make up your minds you _won't_ feel so, and the thing's done!" and Dr.
Van Noostile marched proudly along in the hottest part of the road, with
his nose in the air, though the sun blistered the end most abominably!
while the others, not to be behindhand in wisdom, followed his example;
all but Mumbudget, who kept in the shade of the trees growing beside