gh, natural or artificial, that was at all fit for a person of my
stature. This was vexatious; and I was in a brown study, calling up all
my resources for the occasion, when Mr. Poke entered the inn, carrying
in his hand two as formidable ox-tails as I remember ever to have seen.
Throwing one towards me, he said the lord high admiral of Leaphigh
had acquainted him that there was an invitation out for the prince and
himself, as well as for the governor of the former, to be present at
court within an hour. He had hurried off from what he called a very
good dinner, considering there was nothing solid (the captain was
particularly fond of pickled pork), to let me know the honor that was
intended us; and on the way home, he had fallen in with Dr. Reasono,
who, on being acquainted with his errand, had not failed to point out
the necessity of the whole party coming en habit de cour. Here was a
dilemma, with a vengeance; for the first idea that struck the captain
was, "the utter impossibility of finding anything in this way, in all
Leaphigh, befitting a lord high admiral of his length of keel; for,
as to going in an ordinary monikin queue, why, he should look like a
three-decked ship, with a brig's spar stepped for a lower mast!" Dr.
Reasono, however, had kindly removed the embarrassment, by conducting
him to the cabinet of natural history, where three suitable appendages
had been found, viz., two fine relics of oxen, [Footnote: Cauda
Bovum.--BUF.] and another, a capital specimen, that had formerly been
the mental lever, or, as the captain expressed it, "the steering oar"
of a kangaroo. The latter had been sent off, express, with a kind
consideration for the honor of Great Britain, to Prince Bob, who was at
a villa of one of the royal family, in the neighborhood of Aggregation.

I was greatly indebted to Noah, for his dexterity in helping me to a
good fit with my court-dress. There was not time for much particularity,
for we were in momentary expectation of Judge People's Friend's return.
All we could do, therefore, was to make a belt of canvas (the captain
being always provided with needles, palm, etc., in his bag), and to
introduce the smaller end of the tail through a hole in the belt,
drawing its base tight up to the cloth, which, in its turn, was stitched
round our bodies. This was but an indifferent substitute for the natural
appendage, it is true; and the hide had got to be so dry and unyielding,
that it was impossible fo