he horses--having stuffed themselves, like greedy
things as they were, with the greenest and tenderest herbage on the rich
plains--returned to the camp fire round which the trappers were lying in
deep slumber, and each selecting his own master, would stand over him
with drooping head and go to sleep, until dawn called them again to
united action.

Thus day and night passed for the space of three weeks after the night
of the surprise of the Indian camp, without anything particular
occurring; and thus quadrupeds and bipeds came to be familiar and well
acquainted with each other--so thoroughly united in sympathetic action--
as almost to become hexapeds, if we may be permitted the expression.

March Marston's quadruped was a beautiful little bay, whose tendency to
bound over every little stick and stone, as if it were a five-barred
gate, and to run away upon all and every occasion, admirably suited the
tastes and inclinations of its mercurial rider.

There was one among the quadrupeds which was striking in appearance--not
to say stunning. No; we won't say stunning, because that is a slang
expression, and many persons object to slang expressions; therefore we
will avoid that word; although we confess to being unable to see why, if
it is allowable (as every one will admit it is) to assert that men may
be mentally "struck," it is not equally proper to say that they may be
stunned. But we bow to prejudice. We won't say that that horse was
"stunning." While on this subject, we think it right to guard ourself,
parenthetically, from the charge of being favourable to _all_ kinds of
slang. We are in favour of speech--yes, we assert that broadly and
fearlessly, without reservation--but we are not in favour of _all_
speech. Coarse speech, for instance, we decidedly object to. So, we
are in favour of slang, but not of _all_ slang. There are some slang
words which are used instead of oaths, and these, besides being wicked,
are exceedingly contemptible. Tempting, however, they are--too apt to
slip from the tongue and from the pen, and to cause regret afterwards.

But to return. Although we won't say that the quadruped in question was
stunning, we will say again that it was striking--so powerfully striking
that the force of the stroke was calculated almost to stun. It was
uncommonly tall, remarkably short in the body, and had a piebald coat.
Moreover, it had no tail--to speak of--as that member had, in some
unguarded moment,