that danced for our amusement, and their chiefs performed the minuet de la cour to admiration.  And here the most noble Hilaro Frosticos thought proper to ask the Nareskin some intelligence about Wauwau, in quest of whom we had travelled over such a tract of country, and encountered so many dangerous adventures, and also invited the Nareskin Rowskimowmowsky to attend us with all his bears in the expedition.  The Nareskin appeared astonished at the idea; he looked with infinite hauteur and ferocity on Hilaro, and affecting a violent passion asked him, “Did he imagine that the Nareskin Rowskimowmowsky could condescend to take notice of a Wauwau, let her fly what way she would!  Or did he think a chief possessing such blood in his veins could engage in such a foreign pursuit?  By the blood and by the ashes of my great grandmother, I would cut off your head!”

Hilaro Frosticos resented this oration, and in short a general riot commenced.  The bears, together with the hundred knights, took the part of the Nareskin, and Gog and Magog, Don Quixote, the Sphinx, Lord Whittington, the bulls, the crickets, the judges, the matrons, and Hilaro Frosticos, made noble warfare against them.

I drew my sword, and challenged the Nareskin to single combat.  He frowned, while his eyes sparkled fire and indignation, and bracing a buckler on his left arm, he advanced against me.  I made a blow at him with all my force, which he received upon his buckler, and my sword broke short.

Ungenerous Nareskin; seeing me disarmed, he still pushed forward, dealing his blows upon me with the utmost violence, which I parried with my shield and the hilt of my broken sword, and fought like a game-cock.

An enormous bear at the same time attacked me, but I ran my hand still retaining the hilt of my broken sword down his throat, and tore up his tongue by the roots.  I then seized his carcase by the hind-legs, and whirling it over my head, gave the Nareskin such a blow with his own bear as evidently stunned him.  I repeated my blows, knocking the bear’s head against the Nareskin’s head, until, by one happy blow, I got his head into the bear’s jaws, and the creature being still somewhat alive and convulsive, the teeth closed upon him like nutcrackers.  I threw the bear from me, but the Nareskin remained sprawling, unable to extricate his head from the bear’s jaws, imploring for mercy.  I gave the wretch his life:  a lion preys not upon carcases.

At the same time my troop had effectually routed the bears and the rest of their adversaries.  I was merciful, and ordered quarter to be given.

At that moment I perceived Wauwau flying at a great height through the heavens, and we instantly set out in pursuit of her, and never stopped until we arrived at Kamschatka; thence we passed to Otaheite.  I met my old acquaintance Omai, who had been in England with the great navigator, Cook, and I was glad to find he had established Sunday schools over all the islands.  I talked to him of Europe, and his former voyage to England.  “Ah!” said he, most emphatically, “the English, the cruel English, to murder me with goodness, and refine upon my torture—­took me to Europe, and showed me the court of England, the delicacy of exquisite life; they showed me gods, and showed me heaven, as if on purpose to make me feel the loss of them.”