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or up into the clouds, as if he wondered who the deuce made those noises. I suspected him of being Orpheus, who, it will be remembered, was in the cold water line, and had a fancy for playing airs to rocks, fishes, and other dumb

creatures.

They told us at Graefenberg of a Mexican, who came there a year or two before us for the sake of trying the cure on his dyspepsia. He went through his first packing with great indignation, and was then taken down-stairs into that horrible abyss of plunge-baths. Priessnitz pointed to the cistern and bade him get into it. "Never!" he thundered; and, marching up-stairs, he dressed himself, and went straight back to Mexico. Another man in the same situation is Isaid to have fallen on his knees before Priessnitz, exclaiming: "Oh, sir, remember that I have a wife and children!"

Directly opposite us at table sat an excellent old gentleman, a wealthy merchant from Hamburg. Naturally thin and grizzly, in addition dilapidated like our whole company, he had a ludicrously astonished way of looking over his spectacles whenever any one addressed him, if it were only to say goodmorning. He seemed to be lost in some chaos far away from outer life; wandering, perhaps, through the interior glooms of his own invalidism. At the sound of a voice, he raised his head slowly; the round eyes and round spectacles settled upon the speaker, one above another, like the ports of a two-decker about to open fire; and then, collecting his vagrant faculties, he would smile and utter a few words of overflowing grave good-nature. He spoke English pretty well, and, like all Germans, was willing to put his linguistic knowledge in practice on every possible occasion. He took an especial fancy to Burroughs, inviting him, if he went to Hamburg, to visit his family. Indeed, this Georgian comrade of mine-young, gay, full of mirth and conversation, insinuating in manners—had rapidly become a pet among our congress of invalids, and was on terms of intimate companionship with men, even, between whom and himself there was no bond of common language. I doubt not but many of them still remember him with occasional kindly laughter. For my part, I cannot speak of him with sufficient gentleness; for he is

already numbered in the sacred company of the dead, a victim to the yellow fever of Savannah.

Next to our Hamburg friend sat a tolerably pretty and intolerably haughty Prussian lady, the wife of some government official, and, therefore, according to German etiquette, always addressed by the title of her august husband. She sometimes made use of our grave neighbor as an interpreter between herself and our Georgian; and once she signified, in a jesting way, that when she came to America she should pay him a visit.

"Tell her," replied Burroughs, with oriental magnificence, "that, if she will come and see me, I will give her five hundred negroes to wait on her."

The old Hamburgher, incapable of suspecting a joke, opened his eyes to an unaccustomed extent at such an extravagance of hospitality. "I think," said he, after a moment's reflection, "that five would be better than five hundred."

He translated the splendid proffer, which was received with a hearty laugh, and went the rounds of the lady's acquaintance with great success. From that time forward, Burroughs's consequence, and indeed that of our whole party, was considerably increased in the eyes of the Graefenberghers. A man, who could be courteous to the amount of five hundred negro waiters, was worth smiling upon.

Several members of our invalid regiment were veterans in point of service. A tall, gray-headed Swedish count, who occupied a little cottage by himself, and cultivated its diminutive garden with his own hands, had been under cure eleven years. A rosy German baron, of about sixty-five, was three years his senior in hydropathic experiences. "I am very well," he used to say in explanation; "very well as long as I stay here; but as soon as I go away I get sick again. The regular doctors can do nothing for me. I have tried them all, and taken every one of their drugs, with no result except spoiling my stomach. Accordingly, every time that I have left Graefenberg, I have been obliged to return to it. At last, I have resolved to settle here for life. Why not? I have plenty of respectable society. I live at Friewaldau, where I can have good food and lodging. I am incurable; our honest Priessnitz tells me so himself; but

as long as I remain here I do not suffer. Why not remain? Of course!"

Still another noticeable hydropath, was a bald, fat-headed, capacious Parisian, of about forty, round as a puncheon and very similar to one in other respects. In plain words, he was an occasional drunkard, who had been coaxed to Graefenberg by his friends in a hope that the cure might rid him of his unfortunate appetite. Priessnitz had done his utmost in the way of cold water and warm expostulations; had even ordered the hotel-keepers of Freiwaldau, under penalty of his very powerful displeasure, not to furnish Monsieur Cognac with any spirituous drinks; but all to no purpose. By all sorts of invisible ways, and underground railroads, the forbidden thing would find its passage to the unfortunate man's stomach and brain. As he held a respectable position in society and visited nice people, he sometimes produced considerable scandal by the contrast between his conduct and his company. During one of his staggery moments he happened in on a nervous American lady, and quite alarmed her by what she considered his very eccentric behavior. The next day he came again, full of dim, regretful recollections, and voluble with apologetical explanations. He had had a crisis, he said: some kind of nervous crisis: in fact, he had such turns frequently; they were the symptoms of his peculiar malady. He hoped he had said nothing disagreeable to madame; sometimes his attacks were so violent that he hardly knew what he said; he prayed that she would excuse him, and believe that he was her most respectful though unworthy servant.

There was a tall, stout grenadier of a Swedish count, in the prime of life, who was also one of our notables. He nursed a curious fancy of stealing away into the woods, dressed in nothing at all, not even a collar, and strolling about, thus attired, with an axe in his hand, to the great confusion, doubtless, of all the undines and tree-nymphs. His idea was, to take a copious air-bath, warming himself at intervals by a few chops at wayside saplings; and he thought that these occasional returns to a primitive state of existence had a most invigorating effect on his physical and moral nature. He used to manage his sylvan escapades from the douchehouses, wretched little huts well retired

within the leafy solitude of the forest.

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Oh, not at all!" said he, in answer to some one who asked him if such promenades à la garden of Eden did not sometimes lead him into embarrassing situations. "I meet no one but strawberry girls; and they only laugh and get out of my way."

The prettiest of all our patients— the only beautiful one, I verily believe, among them-was a little baroness of eighteen or nineteen summers, from Vienna. With a clear brunette complexion flushing on the cheek into roses, the brightest of black eyes, features sufficiently regular, and a plump but graceful form-she would have been attractive in any place, or amid any constellation of fair women; but, feating through our medley of varied ugliness, she was delightful. I never saw her without her mother, who, like all continental mammas, held, that maidenhood demands the watchfulness of little less than giants and dragons. My nearest intimacy with her, unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, was to know several of her acquaintance. One of them, an American, told me that she was a fresh and simple child of nature; another, a French count, laughed at the idea, and affirmed that she was a coquette. I incline to the opinion of tho Frenchman; firstly, because I think he was the best judge of European manners; secondly, because I imagine my countryman to have been a little in love.

This pretty girl came to Graefenberg, a few months before my arrival, so deadly sick with a heart-disease that no one thought she could live. Priessnitz refused to undertake her cure, saying that she was too far gone for any hope, and would probably die under the first baths; but, at the earnest entreaties of her relatives, he revoked his decision and commenced her treatment, washing his hands, however, of all responsibility. At the first envelopment in the wet sheet, her heart beat so violently that its pulsations were distinctly visible through the usual covering of three blankets. She survived this opening struggle, and thenceforward convalesced rapidly. When I saw her she used to climb the steep hills around Graefenberg with such an aspect of health as if she had never been ill, nor would be so forever.

IV..

GRAEFENBURGESSES AND GRAEFEN

BURGIANISMS.

I OUGHT to say one word of the native beauties of Graefenberg. When I speak of them as beauties, it makes me laugh to think how ugly they were; but I ought to be ashamed of myself, for it was no laughing matter to the poor creatures themselves. As there were a number of wealthy families in the borough of Freiwaldau, there were, of course, some young ladies there who dressed well and considered themselves aristocratic. But, however genteel, they were not handsome, and had in particular a dropsical, cadaverous look, as if overbleached in their papas' linenfactories. I never tried to talk to them; common sense forbade it; I spoke no German.

The only damsels of the locality with whom it was easy to come to an understanding were the peasant-girls who collected, every morning, around the House-fountain, to sell us cakes, strawberries, and cherries. Jovial, laughing bodies, all of them, several were rather pretty in a coarse way, by reason of merry blue eyes, mouths full of fine teeth and cheeks full of dimples. One of them, who did me the favor of officiating as my washer-woman, was really handsome, as far as regular features, a clear rosy skin, a small coral mouth, and a nicely-rounded form are sufficient to constitute handsomeness. The advantages of shoes were acknowledged by these nymphs; but they scorned stockings, and wore economical frocks reaching only six inches below the knee; in consequence of which they made a startling display of solid sun-burnt legs, generally well modeled, and not seldom profusely scratched by the thickets and brambles through which they waded to collect their horticultural merchandise. Alas for the romance of sylvan scenes! these daughters of nature were decidedly more frail than fair; the morals of the peasantry for miles around Graefenberg having been lamentably corrupted by its unscrupulous bachelor patients. Much evil, Priessnitz said, had been brought into the district by his establishment, and no good thing besides money.

As for the young ladies of our invalid set, and old ladies, too, I had a fair opportunity of seeing them at their best, in the balls which took place twice a

week in the great dining-hall. On Sunday evenings and Thursday evenings the chairs and tables were huddled into one end of the room, so as to give space to dancing and flirtation. Directly over the principal door a small gallery trembled under a riotous mob of fiddles and trumpets, which some laborious Silesian peasants vaiuly tried to reduce to melodious order. The society was as mixed a one as could easily be collected in the Hartz mountains of a Walpurgis-night; all languages, classes, and manners being there represented, from Americans to Russians, and from dukes to dogdoctors.

As Priessnitz insisted that every one should dance who could, it naturally happened that some people tried to dance who could not. I remember one unlucky individual, apparently troubled with the string-halt, who twitched his legs after him in a style that was too much for the gravity of us youths; and who, as he made the circle of the saloon in a waltz or polka, was followed by an epidemic smile shooting from face to face, as if he were some planet of mirthfulness, dispensing a splendor of broad grins upon everything which bordered his orbit. Then there was an indiscreet little man in black, who invariably coupled himself with the tallest woman present, and manoeuvred her about the hall with the helpless jerkings of a jolly-boat trying to tow a frigate. Many of the guests, however, showed themselves natural and experienced dancers, managing their heels with an eloquence of motion which put to shame the inarticulate bleating of the wretched music.

The favorite dance was a wild gallop. much like a steeple-chase in point of reckless rapidity, whirling people around the enchanted circle with the briskness and rumpled confusion of hens blown about like a whirlwind. A very advantageous step it was for those ladies who had pretty ankles; and for this artistic reason it was as popular with the outsiders as with the performers. But the finest thing of all was a thundering Polish mazurka, emphasized with heavy boots, in a style which made one feel as if he were enveloped in a charge of cavalry.

The balls usually commenced at halfpast seven, and continued vehemently until half-past nine, when the patients began to drop off to their chambers.

Priessnitz was almost always present, attended by his family, a pleasant smile playing on his red-oak face, while he talked with the old fellows who had the honor of his intimacy, or gazed approvingly at the higgledy-piggledy whirl of feet and faces. Here, as everywhere, he spoke little; and I presume that he had few ideas except such as were good to put in practice; for I understood that he had never learned to read until he was twenty-five, and that, even now, his lections were limited to an occasional newspaper. Near him usually sat Mrs. Priessnitz, a rather hard-featured, careful-eyed woman, not as kindly in manner as her husband, and, to all appearance, still more taciturn. The eldest daughter I never saw, thanks to an attractive dowry by which she had secured a Hungarian noble for a husband. The second daughter-a pale and rather haughty blonde of eighteen, neither handsome nor homely-was one of the best and most frenetic of the dancers. When nine o'clock came, the old couple quietly walked off, leaving their absence as a hint to the revelers that it was time to wet their bandages and go to bed.

Among such a number of young gallants and people made irritable by indigestions, gouts, and neuralgias, it was natural that insults should sometimes be passed which nothing but blood and gunpowder could expiate. A very interesting squabble took place, on the occasion of an associated ball, given by ten or a dozen leading dandies (or lions, as they say in French) of our savage society. One of the managers was a corpulent Frenchman, named D'Hauteville, a social, civil man, like most of his contrymen, as long as he was well treated, but sufficiently quick on the trigger for all fighting purposes. Among the invited was a long, awkward, tow-headed Austrian lieutenant, a Saxon by birth, quite a young fellow, but so insufferably conceited that you wanted to quarrel with him at first sight. To prevent confusion in the supper-room, it had been agreed that the managers alone should hand refreshments to the ladies. Our Saxon, despising this sumptuary law and its enactors, escorted a couple of damsels to the tables, and proceeded to furnish them liberally with whatever he could lay his sprawling hands on. D'Hauteville softly remonstrated in his long ears, repeating the above-mentioned agreement, and begging him to sub

mit to some little unavoidable delay rather than open a scene of confusion. The lieutenant replied that his ladies had already waited an annoying time for hungry people, who, doubtless, wore wet bandages, and that he should now see to it himself that they received the proper convivial attentions. D'Hauteville retorted, with the spunk of the true Gallic cock, that he should prevent him; and in a moment both parties were ready to disembowel each other with their dessert-spoons; a species of contest in which the Frenchman would have been at a great disadvantage by reason of his superior abdominal development. They were separated for the moment, however, and the evening passed off without further disturbance.

The next day, everybody concerned wanted satisfaction; and the result was, a resolution to settle the matter by pistols and surgeons. A rendezvous of death was appointed in Prussia, some eight or ten miles from Graefenberg: and a couple of sorry hacks bore to it the proposed combatants, with their train of Job's comforters. On the way, in consequence of the badness of the roads, or the horses, the lieutenant had so much time for reflection, and employed it also to so amiable a purpose, that he resolved, before he would fight, to see all the laws of honor where they came from, that is, in Tophet. Arrived at the ground, he made the explanations that he would not make ten hours before, retracted all his offensive remarks, and, in consequence, spoilt the fun of the seconds. They were as indignant as disappointed people usually areespecially those who are called out of bed for nothing-and they subsequently treated the placable young man's feelings with great inhumanity, insisting that he should resign his commission.

Another duel actually came off between an Austrian officer, whose name I have forgotten, and an English lieutenant called Drummond. The Austrian, having taken a great fancy to Drummond, improved every opportunity of seizing him by the button-hole and inflicting upon him certain lengthened conversations. His love was but ill requited, for Drummond considered him a bore from the first, and liked him all the less as they became more intimate. Such a contrariety of pulling on the chords of friendship could not last long without producing a rupture; and

Drummond, who was nervous by right of dyspepsia, soon grew excessively irritable under the Austrian's familiarities; like a snappish dog who gets indignant at little Bobby's affectionate but awkward attachment to his tail.

Happening to meet one morning when the wind was due east, the Austrian bowed as usual, but his overwearied friend passed on without vouchsafing a look in reply. The forsaken one halted with a martial stare of indignant wonder; but, remembering that Englishmen are eccentric, he resolved to wait for further developments, before he considered himself insulted. A short time afterward, they encountered again, and the Austrian repeated his salute. Drummond turned his back on him, and marched off with a gesture of supreme contempt. The next inorning he received a call from a friend of his late friend, who, after a ceremonious bow, made known that his business was to demand explanation of certain irreverent conduct of Lieutenant Drummond toward Captain Whatshisnamestein of the Austrian army.

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Certainly," said Drummond. "The truth is, that I am tired of your friend's acquaintance, and want to relieve myself of it. I did my best, in a civil way, to make him understand that he bored me. He would not take a hint, and I had to insult him. That is the whole affair."

"Of course, then, you are ready to grant him the only satisfaction that reinains to a gentleman in his circumstances?"

"Of course. All he wants; whenever he pleases."

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next morning, in a high-pitched room in one of the hotels of Freiwaldau.

Drummond had time to take a lesson or two in sabre exercise from the fencing-master of the village, so as not to be delivered up to his adversary's blade unresistingly, like a United States Senator armed with a paper-knife to a United States Representative armed with a cudgel. Fencing lessons, in such pressing cases, always consist of a few simple parries, with two or three only of the most prudent offensive strokes. The novice is strongly counseled to stand as much as possible on guard, and to make very cautious cuts at his vis-àvis, reserving even these until the chance is palpable. As German duels usually end with the first blood drawn, this method of fighting is very favorable to green hands, and the skirmish generally closes with some insignificant scratch, which does not always fall upon the least practiced of the combatants.

Drummond followed out this system of tactics with great coolness and success. Parrying carefully the wrathful storm of blows which fell on his sabre, he at last got a chance to let in a hit of his own, grazing his opponent's arm, and sending a small streak of crimson down the bare white skin. Observing the blood, and supposing that satisfaction had been given, he neglected to recover guard, and received a light tap on the shoulder from the German, who, it seems, was unconscious of being wounded. Drummond brought up his sabre again, and administered another mild slash-for his opponent had, in turn, dropped guard at sight of the bloody shoulder. All this passed like lightning, and before the seconds could interfere to prevent the double mistake, which certainly appears in a most comical light, if the reader will only consider that a couple of heads might have been whipped off by it. It will be observed, also, that the confident, experienced swordsman had received two wounds, and the cautious novice only one. The duel was now over, and honor satisfied; nothing remained but to settle the disagreement. The seconds called on the principals to shake hands and forget their differences. "I will shake hands," said Drummond; "but not forget the difference. It is unreasonable to expect me to take all this trouble to get rid of a man's acquaintance, and then continue as intimate with

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