'Come up,' expostulated Cymon Tuggs
again. 'Hi--hi--hi,' repeated the boys. And whether it was that the
animal felt indignant at the tone of Mr. Tuggs's command, or felt alarmed
by the noise of the deputy proprietor's boots running behind him; or
whether he burned with a noble emulation to outstrip the other donkeys;
certain it is that he no sooner heard the second series of 'hi--hi's,'
than he started away, with a celerity of pace which jerked Mr. Cymon's
hat off, instantaneously, and carried him to the Pegwell Bay hotel in no
time, where he deposited his rider without giving him the trouble of
dismounting, by sagaciously pitching him over his head, into the very
doorway of the tavern.

Great was the confusion of Mr. Cymon Tuggs, when he was put right end
uppermost, by two waiters; considerable was the alarm of Mrs. Tuggs in
behalf of her son; agonizing were the apprehensions of Mrs. Captain
Waters on his account. It was speedily discovered, however, that he had
not sustained much more injury than the donkey--he was grazed, and the
animal was grazing--and then it _was_ a delightful party to be sure! Mr.
and Mrs. Tuggs, and the captain, had ordered lunch in the little garden
behind:--small saucers of large shrimps, dabs of butter, crusty loaves,
and bottled ale. The sky was without a cloud; there were flower-pots and
turf before them; the sea, from the foot of the cliff, stretching away as
far as the eye could discern anything at all; vessels in the distance
with sails as white, and as small, as nicely-got-up cambric
handkerchiefs. The shrimps were delightful, the ale better, and the
captain even more pleasant than either. Mrs. Captain Waters was in
_such_ spirits after lunch!--chasing, first the captain across the turf,
and among the flower-pots; and then Mr. Cymon Tuggs; and then Miss Tuggs;
and laughing, too, quite boisterously. But as the captain said, it
didn't matter; who knew what they were, there? For all the people of the
house knew, they might be common people. To which Mr. Joseph Tuggs
responded, 'To be sure.' And then they went down the steep wooden steps
a little further on, which led to the bottom of the cliff; and looked at
the crabs, and the seaweed, and the eels, till it was more than fully
time to go back to Ramsgate again. Finally, Mr. Cymon Tuggs ascended the
steps last, and Mrs. Captain Waters last but one; and Mr. Cymon Tuggs
discovered that the foot and ankle of Mrs. Captain Waters, we