As soon as my feet got well I went to a werry sillybrated
Phizzygonomist, I thinks they calls 'em, to have my fortun told. He
werry kindly sed that my large mouth and chin, and my furm nose, and
my large neck, was all most faverable sines; but added, as he was
sorry to have to say, that as my eyes was not long ones, and had no
large pewpils, I must most suttenly have a grate natteral taste for
picking and stealing! Whether sich a rewelation was worth fifteen
sents, or 7-1/2_d._, I must leave you, Sir, to determine; all I can
say is, that I thort it dear at the munny.
[Illustration]
I bort wun day a most bewtifool Chineese rapper, and I used offen to
go and sit on the steps leading to wun of their little tempels, with
my air werry nicely drest by a air-dresser, and there, with TOBY by
my side, I used to sit and receeve the respecfool atenshuns of the
estonished parsers-by.
One of the prinsiple emusements of the hupper nobillerty is the flying
of most bewtifool kites! I have heard of the same thing being dun in
the great City of London, but I never seed it. I bleeves in both cases
the kites is made of paper. Everybody smokes in China, Men and Women
and Boys and Gals. Sum of the men has baccy-pipes so long that they
uses them as Warking-Sticks!
I was rayther surprised to find as they warships the Griffin, jest
such a wun as we has on the top of Tempel Bar, but which our peepel,
as you kno, don't warship, not by no means. But the Chineese in their
dense hignerence calls it a Draggon!
In short, Sir, I arives at the conclushun that the Chineese is about
the rummest lot of peeple in the hole world, and anyboddy as wants
plenty of fun had better cum here at wunce, but not stay long, and
don't heat dogs or cats, or wisit Mandereen's Wives.
* * *
"Thank you, very much," said _Mr. Punch_, when ROBERT had finished
speaking, "but I am afraid I can stay with you no longer. I wish to
pay a flying visit to the Colonies. But first I must show Mr. STANLEY
that, great Discoverer though he may be, I can yet over-explore him!"
Then, accompanied by his faithful TOBY, he wished that they should be
in Central Africa. Urged by his companion, in this instance, he took
some copious notes. He preserved them, and they are thus able to be
embodied in this veracious chronicle.
* * * * *
MR. PUNCH AND TOBY IN CENTRAL AFRICA.
[Illustration]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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