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he was struck in mistake by his own friend, and he has a right to inflict a wound of exactly the same sort in the same place upon the other, if he choses. I am anxious to know whether he will do it. This is the lex talionis in perfection.
I wish there was some great railroad between this and you, Oh! that the tedious horrible gap of four or five months voyage could be condensed, or compressed, or done away with in some way! Eight or ten months clipped out of a man's life at any time of life is unendurable to think of. You see how the leaven works, but I think it is in vain for me to long to visit you.
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October 11th.—The Fox, by which I sent my last, only sailed on Tuesday. On Monday (the day before) I had been up at Ellen's Brook getting my flock there washed, and drawing off and marking those belonging to me and to the tenants. In washing them, they managed among them to let three fine sheep of mine be smothered, having been forced into a small fold and trodden under foot. There were several others also trampled down, but they recovered. The plain fact of the matter was—there was too much rum going, and, when men stand in the water sheep-washing, it affects them more readily.
I have advertised a second farm to be let there, and have had an application already. No wonder, for no rent is demanded for some years, and they have their proportion of the sheep which they keep besides. Think of having to give 4000 or 5000 acres for nothing, and to have to coax people to take it on the terms. I was looking this evening also at a snug little farm on my grant here, which I shall let to somebody in the nature of a cottier tenant, who will agree to work for me when I want him. There may be from six to ten acres of arable ground on it—I mean rich alluvial meadow ground. I have just had a fence put on between that and the next neighbour, who has purchased a small piece from
