Here several voices exclaimed that the
bet was lost. Some said there must be a
confederacy between the challenger and
the challenged, and others asked whether
any money had been deposited? The fire-
king called a Mr. White forward, who
deposed that he held the stakes, which had
been regularly placed in his hands, by both
parties, before twelve o'clock that morning.

The fire-king here turned round with
great exultation to the company, and pulling
a bottle out of his pocket, exclaimed,
``I did never see this gentleman before this
morning, and I did not know but that he
might be bold enough to venture to take
this quantity of poison. I was determined
not to let him lose his life by his foolish
wager, and therefore I did bring an
antidote in my pocket, which would have
prevented him from suffering any harm.''
Mr. Smith said his object was answered by
seeing twenty grains of genuine phosphorus
swallowed. He had conceived it
impossible, as three grains were quite
sufficient to destroy life. The fire-king then
withdrew into another room for the
professed purpose of putting on his usual
dress for entering the oven, but in all