by the minds of ingenious Turks,
to accomplish the destruction of the tobacco crop. The members of the
Elephant Club placed themselves on the divans, and after they had
arranged themselves to their satisfaction, their oriental friend
approached them, and gave to each a "programme" of Turkish delicacies.
Mr. Spout inquired what a _nargille_ was, and was informed that it was a
water-pipe. Mr. Spout insisted that he preferred a pipe wherein fire,
rather than water, was the element used. Mr. Boggs said he would take a
_chibouk_ on trial. Mr. Spout coincided, and called also for a
_chibouk_. But Van Dam ordered three _nargilles_, one for himself,
another for Dropper, and a third for Quackenbush. The _chibouks_ were
produced, and Boggs and Spout commenced smoking in earnest.

In the mean time, the _nargilles_ were produced for the other members of
the club. Van Dam backed down at their first appearance. The glass vase,
having in it water below and fire above, looked suspicious, and added to
that was a mysterious length of hose, which was wound about in all
directions, commencing at the fire, and running around the vase, about
the table legs, over the chair, back through the rounds, about his
legs, around his body, and finally came up over his shoulder, and
terminated in a mouth-piece. Mr. Van Dam's first sensations, after these
preliminaries had been arranged, were that he was in imminent danger of
his life, and acting upon this impulse, he obstinately refused to go the
_nargille_, remarking, that they might be harmless enough in the hands
of the Turks, who knew how to use such fire-arms, but he thought
prudence dictated that he should keep clear of such diabolical
inventions.

[Illustration:]

Dropper and Quackenbush, however, had no fears, but their drafts on the
fire, through the hose, were not honored with smoke. They exhausted the
atmosphere in their mouths, but get a taste of smoke they could not,
and, in despair, Mr. Quackenbush called in the proprietor for an
explanation of the mysteries of fumigating _a la Turque_. In compliance
with the request, the gentleman informed the amateur Turks that they
must inhale the smoke. Dropper protested that he wouldn't make his lungs
a stove-pipe to oblige anybody--even the sultan and his sultanas--and he
accordingly dropped the hose, and ordered a _chibouk_. Quackenbush,
however, made the effort, but a spasmodic coughing put an end to further
attempts, and the result was that an