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Longtram, especially, had become uproarious beyond all bounds, and, getting up from his chair, he took a short run of a step or two, and sprang right over the table, whereby he smashed the epergne full of fruit and flowers, scattering the contents all about like hail, and driving a volley of preserved limes like grapeshot, in all their syrup and stickiness, slap into my face a stray one spinning with a sloppy whit into Jacob Bumble's open mouth as he sang, like a musket ball into a winter turnip; while a fine preserved pineapple flew bash on Isaac Shingle's sharp snout, like the bursting of a shrapnel shell.

"I'll, trouble you for that leg, Julius," said Longtram, at this juncture, to a servant, who whipped away the plate from under Bumble's arm, before he could prevent him, who looked after it as if it had been a pound of his own flesh.

It seemed that Longtram, who had arrived rather early, had found a fishing tackle in the piazza, and knowing the localities of Bumble's premises, as well as his peculiarities, he, by way of adding his quota to the entertainment, baited two hooks with pieces of raw potatoes, and throwing them over the wall, had, in conjunction with Julius the black, hooked up the two ducklings out of the pen, to the amazement of Squire Bumble.

I carried him back to his couch again; and, thinking it was high time to be off, as I saw that Smoothpate, and Steady, and Nicodemus, and the more composed part of the company, had already absconded, I seized my hat, and made sail in the direction of the former's house, where I was to sleep, when that devil Longtram made up to me. "Hillo, my little man of war heave to a bit, and take me with you.

Here we found the table set out with devilled turkey, and a variety of high spiced dishes; and, to make a long story short, we had another set to, during which, as an interlude, Longtram capsized Shingle out of the sofa he had again lain down on, in an attempt to jump over it, and broke his arm; and, being the soberest man of the company, I started off, guided by a negro servant, for Doctor Greyfriars.

By and by, as the evening wore on, I saw the Longtram lad making demonstrations to bring on a general drink, in which he was nobly seconded by Rubiochico; and, I grieve to say it, I was no ways loath, nor indeed were any of the company.

"Why, Mr Longtram," I replied, "this is our friend Mr Smoothpate, or I mistake greatly." "Let me see," said Longtram, "if it be him, he used to have a head somewhere, I know. Let me see. Oh, it is him; you are right, my boy; and here is his head after all, and a devil of a size it has grown to since dinner time to be sure. But I know his features bald pate high forehead and cheekbones."

The thief had stripped himself as naked as he was born, and soaped his woolly scull, and smeared his whole corpus with palm oil, so that in the struggle I was charmingly lubricated." Nicodemus here lay back on his chair, evidently desirous of our considering this the whole of the story, but he was not to be let off so easily, for presently Longtram, with a wicked twinkle of his eye, chimed in.

"Old Gelid, Longtram, Steady, and myself, had been eating ratoons, at the Fortner's domicile, and it was about nine in the evening when I got home.

After a hearty laugh we relieved him, and being now joined by Percales, who came up in his gig, with Mr Smoothpate's following in his wake, we embarked for an airing at half past one in the morning Smoothpate and Percales, Longtram and Tom Cringle.