which is their chief characteristic and which seems
never to desert them, withal they were cursing the
country with lurid metaphors quite refreshing after
a month of unimaginative, monotonous Cockney
swearing. The Cockney has one oath, and one
oath only, the most indecent in the language, which
he uses on any and every occasion. Far different
is the luminous and varied Western swearing, which
runs to blasphemy rather than indecency. And
after all, since men will swear, I think I prefer
blasphejiiy to indecency; there is an audacity about
it, an adventurousness and defiance that is far finer
than sheer filthiness.

There was one American tramp royal whom I
found particularly enjoyable. I first noticed him
on the street, asleep in a doorway, his head on his
knees, but a hat on his head that one does not
meet this side of the Western Ocean. When the
policeman routed him out, he got up slowly and
deliberately, looked at the policeman, yawned and
stretched himself, looked at the policeman again
as much as to say he didn t know whether he
would or wouldn t, and then sauntered leisurely
down the sidewalk. At the outset I was sure of
the hat, but this made me sure of the wearer of
the hat.

In the jam inside I found myself alongside of
him, and we had quite a chat. He had been

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v?