hen went behind some bushes which grew on the right side
of the road, and appeared to be in quest of something, moving behind the
bushes with his head downwards, and occasionally striking their roots
with his foot: at length he exclaimed, 'Here he is!' and forthwith I saw
him dart amongst the bushes. There was a kind of scuffling noise, the
rustling of branches, and the crackling of dry sticks. 'I have him!'
said the man at last; 'I have got him!' and presently he made his
appearance about twenty yards down the road, holding a large viper in his
hand. 'What do you think of that, my boy?' said he, as I went up to
him--'what do you think of catching such a thing as that with the naked
hand?' 'What do I think?' said I. 'Why, that I could do as much
myself.' 'You do,' said the man, 'do you? Lord! how the young people in
these days are given to conceit; it did not use to be so in my time: when
I was a child, childer knew how to behave themselves; but the childer of
these days are full of conceit, full of froth, like the mouth of this
viper'; and with his forefinger and thumb he squeezed a considerable
quantity of foam from the jaws of the viper down upon the road. 'The
childer of these days are a generation of--God forgive me, what was I
about to say?' said the old man; and opening his bag he thrust the
reptile into it, which appeared far from empty. I passed on. As I was
returning, towards the evening, I overtook the old man, who was wending
in the same direction. 'Good evening to you, sir,' said I, taking off a
cap which I wore on my head. 'Good evening,' said the old man; and then,
looking at me, 'How's this?' said he, 'you aren't, sure, the child I met
in the morning?' 'Yes,' said I, 'I am; what makes you doubt it?' 'Why,
you were then all froth and conceit,' said the old man, 'and now you take
off your cap to me.' 'I beg your pardon,' said I, 'if I was frothy and
conceited; it ill becomes a child like me to be so.' 'That's true,
dear,' said the old man; 'well, as you have begged my pardon, I truly
forgive you.' 'Thank you,' said I; 'have you caught any more of those
things?' 'Only four or five,' said the old man; 'they are getting
scarce, though this used to be a great neighbourhood for them.' 'And
what do you do with them?' said I; 'do you carry them home and play with
them?' 'I sometimes play with one or two that I tame,' said the old man;
'but I hunt them mostly for the fat which they contain, out of