ck shews fight--and the man comes and tells us all
about it; so we are going to try him for a misdemeanor, and he can't
help himself no how whatsomedever."

Tom was alive to the story, and in a few minutes the culprit was
conducted to a neighbouring public-house, tried before a whole bench of
the society, cast, and condemned to undergo the usual sentence in
such cases made and provided, entitled, "Burning Shame," and active
preparations were making by those of the fraternity without, to carry
into immediate execution the sentence pronounced by those within.

~~254~~~ The offender was decorated with a bunch of Christmas in his
hat, and two large carrots in the front, to represent horns. In this
manner he was mounted on the brawny shoulders of four of his companions,
preceded by the crier of the court, another dustman, with a bell, which
he rung lustily, and at intervals proclaimed the crime of which the
culprit had been found guilty. After the crier, followed eight more
of the brotherhood, two and two, their hats ornamented with bunches
of holly, and a burning candle in the front of each hat. Then came the
culprit, carried as already described, with a pot of heavy wet in one
hand, and a pipe of tobacco in the other, which he occasionally smoaked,
stooping forward to light it at one of the candles in the fantail hats
of his two front supporters. The rear of this ludicrous procession was
brought up by several other dustmen and coalheavers, and their ladies.
The procession set out from Charles-street, down Drury-lane, Great
Queen-street, Wild-street, and round Clare Market, followed by an
immense crowd, which kept increasing as they went, and nearly rendered
the streets impassable. Two collectors were appointed, one on each side
of the street, and were very active in levying contributions among
the spectators to defray the expenses. They stopped at several
public-houses, where they quaffed off oceans of heavy wet, and numerous
streamlets of old Jamaica, and then returned to headquarters in
Charles-street, where the offence was drowned in drink, and they and
their ladies passed the remainder of the evening, as happy as beer and
gin, rum and tobacco, could make them.

Having witnessed a considerable part of this ceremonious proceeding,
and been informed of the intended finale, our friends, who began to
feel somewhat uncomfortable for want of refreshment and rest, proposed
returning home; and having thrown themselves into a