Pagina 268 di 788

Thereupon the Seneschal bade place an iron bar between the teeth

of the dogs, and thus open their jaws. With the butts of their

guns they turned the remains of the beast on its back, and again

a triple vivat smote the clouds.

"Well?" cried the Assessor, flourishing the barrel of his musket;

"well? how about my little gun? It aims high, does it! Well? how

about my little gun? It is not a large birdie,85 but what a

showing it made! That is no new thing for it either; it never

wastes a charge upon the air. It was a present to me from Prince

Sanguszko."

Here he showed a musket which, though small, was of marvellous

workmanship, and began to enumerate its virtues.