e that as many legends are current about him as
of Dick Turpin's well-known steed. He attended the marriage, in St.
Matthew's Church, of Miss Isabel Barnes, the daughter of our respected
neighbour, Mr. Jonathan Barnes, when he presented the bride with a
costly and beautiful diamond ring, completing the round of his vagaries
by dining on invitation with the Commissioner at the camp mess, and,
with that high official, honouring our race ball with his presence, and
sunning himself in the smiles of our fairest maidens.

We are afraid that we shall have exhausted the fund of human credulity,
and added a fresh and original chapter to those tales of mystery
and imagination of which the late Edgar Allan Poe was so masterly a
delineator.

More familiarly rendered, it seems that the fascinating Captain
Starlight--"as mild a mannered man" (like Lambre) "as ever scuttled
a ship or cut a throat," presented himself opportunely at one of the
mountain hostelries, to the notice of our good-hearted squires of
Wideview, Messrs. William and John Dawson. One of their wheelers lay at
the point of death--a horse of great value--when the agreeable stranger
suggested a remedy which effected a sudden cure.

With all their generous instincts stirred, the Messrs. Dawson invited
the gentleman to take a seat in their well-appointed drag. He introduced
himself as Mr. Lascelles, holding a commission in an Indian regiment of
Irregular Horse, and now on leave, travelling chiefly for health.

Just sufficiently sunburned, perfect in manner, full of information,
humorous and original in conversation, and with all the "prestige" of
the unknown, small wonder that "The Captain" was regarded as a prize,
socially considered, and introduced right and left. Ha! ha! What a
most excellent jest, albeit rather keen, as far as Sir Ferdinand is
concerned! We shall never, never cease to recall the humorous side of
the whole affair. Why, we ourselves, our august editorial self, actually
had a bet in the stand with the audacious pretender, and won it, too.
Did he pay up? Of course he did. A "pony", to wit, and on the nail. He
does nothing by halves, "notre capitaine". We have been less promptly
reimbursed, indeed, not paid at all, by gentlemen boasting a fairer
record. How graciously he smiled and bowed as, with his primrose kid
gloves, he disengaged the two tenners and a five-pound note from his
well-filled receptacle.

The last time we had seen him was in the dock