Such an ancient mariner would, however, be indeed sorry if he supposed that anybody suspected him of a very common and very odious kind of remark, against which he kindly warns all the throngs of travellers of whom mention has been made. The remark in question may be called the capping remark. Thus one traveller says to another--as Marco Polo to George Sandys-- "You went to Jerusalem?" "Yes." "And to Jericho?" "Yes." "And to the Jordan?" "Yes." "Did you see the white stone on the bottom near where the river flows into the Dead Sea?" "Well--let me see! I don't exactly seem to remember that I did precisely see that." "Ah!" replies Marco Polo. It is a very brief sound, but being interpreted it means, "Then, my dear George Sandys, you might just as well not have seen the Jordan at all." Not that the white stone was famous or worth seeing, but that Marco Polo wished to "rub in" upon George Sandys's mind the conviction that he, Polo, had seen more than he, Sandys, in the same direction. This capping process sometimes leads to very droll results. Young Green heard Gray and Brown comparing their notes of travel. Each was naturally anxious to have seen and done rather more than the other; but it appeared that each had been in about the same places, and had had very much the same experience. "Lago Maggiore is a lovely sheet of water," remarked Gray. "Truly exquisite," replied Brown. "And Isola Bella is most beautiful," suggested Gray. "Dear me! dear me!" approvingly assented Brown. "How high is the statue of San Carlo Borromeo?" asked Gray. "About sixty feet," answered Brown. "It's a wonderful prospect from his eye," said Gray. "Whose eye?" asked Brown. "San Carlo Borromeo's," replied Gray, whose mind instantly suspected that he had caught the adversary, and who followed up his advantage vigorously and suddenly. "Of course you went up San Carlo?" "Up San Carlo? You mean the church at--" "Oh no! the statue on Lago Maggiore." "Went up the statue! what do you mean?" snapped Brown, foreseeing discomfiture. "Oh! I thought you probably knew," retorted the triumphant Gray, "that the statue is hollow." "Oh! ah! yes!" returned Brown, indifferently. "And you didn't go up?" pressed Gray. "Not exactly," feebly rejoined Brown. "Nor sit in his nose?" continued Gray. "Not exactly," muttered Brown. "Nor look out of his eyes?" said Gray. "I thought I wouldn't," murmured Brown, in full retreat. "Oh!" smiled Gray, with the air of David holding the head of Goliath by the hair, and displaying it to mankind--"oh!"