t very much inclined, to
sleep. A huge fire was usually left upon the hearth, after the "tea
things" were put away, Howard gave them a _choon_ or two, and then the
woodmen lumbered up a rude set of steps--into a capacious loft overhead,
and there, amid the old quilts, robes, skins and straw, enjoyed their
sound and refreshing sleep--with a slight drawback.

Among these men of the woods, was a hard old nut, called and known among
them as--_Old Tantabolus!_ He was a wiry and hardy old rooster; though
his frosty poll spoke of the many, many years he had "been around," his
body was yet firm and his perceptions yet clear. The old man was a grand
spinner of yarns; he had been all around creation, and various other
places not set down in the maps. He had been a soldier and sailor: been
blown up and shot down: had had all the various ills flesh was heir to:
suffered from shipwreck and indigestion: witnessed the frowns and smiles
of fortune--especially the _frowns_; in short, according to old man
Tantabolus's own account of himself, he had seen more ups and downs, and
made more narrow and wonderful escapes, than Robinson Crusoe and
Gulliver both together--with Baron Trenck into the bargain!

For the first season, the old man and his narrations, being fresh and
novel, he was quite a _lion_ among the woodmen, but now that the novelty
had worn off, and they'd got used to his long yarns, they voted him "an
old bore!" The old fellow smoked a tremendous pipe, with tobacco strong
enough to give a Spaniard the "yaller fever." He would eat his supper,
light his pipe--sit down by the fire, and spin yarns, as long as a
listener remained, and longer. In short, Old Tantabolus would _spin_
them all to bed, and then make their heads spin, with the clouds of
_baccy_ smoke with which he'd fill the _ranche_.

Going to bed, at length, on a bunk in a corner, the old chap would
wheeze and snore for an hour or two, and then turning out again, between
daybreak and midnight, Old Tantabolus would pile on a cord or two of
fresh wood--raise a roaring fire--make the _ranche_ hot enough to roast
an ox, then treat all hands to another _stifling_ with his old
_calumet_, and nigger-head tobacco! Then would commence a--

"A-booh! oo-_oo!_" by one of the lodgers, overhead.

"Boo-oo-_ooh!_ Old Tantabolus's got that--booh-oo-oo-_oo_,--pipe of
his'n again,--boo-oo-oo!" chimed another.

"A-a-a-_chee!_ oo-oo-augh-h-h-_ch-chee!_ Cuss that--a-_chee_--pipe.
Tantab