22 THE MONTHLY
Fumigating ’Mixture.—-Two ounces of salt
dried, two ditto of nitre. Mix and put to them
in a stoneware basin or plate, a half-ounce of wa-
ter, and the same quantity of good sulphuric acid.
Remove all polished-metal articles from the room,
as the vapour would rust them, and close all doors
and windows. To procure more advantage, when the
process appears to cease, place the basin on hot sand.
Balancing Accounts.—-At a time not very
distant, it was an established practice through-
out most of the Highlands for the smith to get the
mart’s head in return for keeping the axe in repair
during the year. About half a century ago, the
then minister of Blair-Athole, having killed his
mart, sent the head according to custom to the
smith, but being fond of a delicate bit himself, he
sent it without the tongue. The smith received his
tribute without any remark, but in the course of a
few days the parson's axe having come to be re-
paired, he trimmed the head of it, and sent it back
without meddling with the cutting part. The
minister on seeing this, waxed wroth, and set off
for the smithy in a violent passion. “ What, in
the name of wonder,” said his reverence, “ is the
reason that you only sorted the head of the axe;
you must be very ungrateful for the present I sent
you?” “ What, in the name of wonder,” said the
smith, “is the reason that you took the tongue
from the mart’s head?” “ O!” says the parson,
turning as smooth as oil, “ you must know, smith,
that it is by the tongue I earn my bread.” “ I did
not know before,” says vulcan, drily, “ that it was
by a nowt’s tongue ”
