ld snell with 'em, and gaff, and squid. What do
you spoze?"

"How do you do it?" sez I. "How do you snell?"

And then he had to own up that he didn't know how it wuz done.

Truly it has been said that three questions will floor the biggest
philosopher. But it only took two to take the pride and vainglory out of
Josiah Allen.

Wall, the information gathered together here from all parts of the
world, and disseminated out to individuals of the collected world, will
probable make a great difference in the enjoyment and practical benefit
of the fisherman, and tell hard on the fishes of 1894.

Wall, we stayed round here a-lookin' at 'em different buildin's till
dark, and then we didn't see a thousandth nor a millionth part of what
wuz to be seen there.

And I hain't half described its wonders and glories as I'd ort to, and
one reason is, nobody can describe any of the buildin's--no, not if they
had the tongue of men and angels.

No, they are too stupendous to describe.

And then, agin, I have had a kind of a feelin' of delicacy that has kind
of held me back--I have been hampered.

For I have kep such a tight grip holt of my principle all the while I've
been describin' it, that it has weakened the grasp of my good right
hand on my steel pen.

I knew well how hard, how almost impossible it wuz to talk about fishin'
for any length of time without lyin'.

But I know I have told Josiah time and agin that it wuz possible to do
it, if you kep a firm holt of the hellum, and leaned heavy on principle.

I have done it, and I am proud and happy in the thought.

Unless, mebby, I have lied the other way. Good land! I didn't think of
that; I wuz so determined to keep within bounds, that I am actually
afraid that I've lied that way; in order not to tell the fish story too
big, I hain't told it big enough.

Good land! I guess I won't boast any more.

Wall, seein' that I am in sunthin' of a hurry, I will let it go, and
mebby if I should go over it agin I should lie the other way.

Good land! good land! what a world this is, and with all your care and
watchfulness, how hard it is to keep walkin' right along, in Injun file,
along the narrer rope walk of megumness and exact truth.

But I am a-eppisodin', and to resoom.

Wall, as I said, we didn't git home till pitch dark, and then I drempt
of fish all night, and eels, and alligators, and such. It wuz tegus.

[Illustration: I drempt of fish all night.]

The next mornin' J