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 fac