The interruption was very annoying; for no man I ever met, so thoroughly understands the subject of colonial government as Mr. Hopewell. His experience is greater than that of any man now living, and his views more enlarged and more philosophical.
“Go on, Sam,” said he with great good humour. “Let us hear what the Prince’s horse said.”
“Well,” said Mr. Slick, “I don’t jist exactly mean to say he spoke, as Balaam’s donkey did, in good English or French nother; but he did that that spoke a whole book, with a handsum wood-cut to the fore, and that’s a fact.
“About two years ago, one mortal brilin’ hot day, as I was a pokin’ along the road from Halifax to Windsor, with Old Clay in the waggon, with my coat off, a ridin’ in my shirt-sleeves, and a thinkin’ how slick a mint-julep would travel down red-lane, if I had it, I heard such a chatterin’, and laughin’, and screamin’ as I never a’most heerd afore, since I was raised.
“‘What in natur’ is this,’ sais I, as I gave Old Clay a crack of the whip, to push on. ‘There is some critters here, I guess, that have found a haw haw’s nest, with a tee hee’s egg in it. What’s in the wind now?’ Well, a sudden turn of the road brought me to where they was, and who should they be but French officers from the Prince’s ship, travellin’ incog. in plain clothes. But, Lord bless you, cook a Frenchman any way you please, and you can’t disguise him. Natur’ will out, in spite of all, and the name of a Frencher is written as plain as any thing in his whiskers, and his hair, and his skin, and his coat, and his boots, and his air, and his gait, and in everythin’, but only let him open his mouth, and the cat’s out of the bag in no time, ain’t it? They are droll boys, is the French, that’s a fact.
“Well, there was four on ‘em dismounted, a holdin’ of their hosses by the bridle, and a standin’ near a spring of nice cool water; and there was a fifth, and he was a layin’ down belly flounder on the ground, a tryin’ to drink out of the runnin’ spring.
“‘Parley vous French,’ sais I, ‘Mountsheer?’ At that, they sot to, and larfed again more than ever, I thought they would have gone into the high strikes, they hee-hawed so.
“Well, one on ‘em, that was a Duke, as I found out afterwards, said ‘O yees, Saar, we spoked English too.’
“‘Lawful heart!’ sais I, ‘what’s the joke?’
“‘Why,’ sais he, ‘look there, Sare.’ And then they larfed agin, ready to split; and sore enough, no sooner had the Leftenant layed down to drink, than the Prince’s hoss kneeled down, and put his head jist over his neck, and began to drink too. Well, the officer couldn’t get up for the hoss, and he couldn’t keep his face out of the water for the hoss, and he couldn’t drink for the hoss, and he was almost choked to death, and as black in the face as your hat. And the Prince and the officers larfed so, they couldn’t help him, if they was to die for it.