rowned in trying to cross on horseback
where, perhaps, he went over with dry feet a few days before," said
Larry.

"That's after the snow melts," observed Sam.

"Snow! man alive! It's a small matter of snow comes down from the sky
in this beautiful country, except, now and then, on the top of the Blue
Mountains out there; though, as for frosts, it's cold enough on the high
ground in July and August, when the south wind blows, to make a fellow
blow his fingers to keep them warm, and to think a blazing fire and a
blanket pleasant companions."

Sam thought that Larry was quizzing him, but still he did not like to
accuse him directly. "It's a strange country this, then, muster, I'm
thinking," he remarked cautiously.

"Strange! It is a strange country, faith!" answered Larry. "It is
summer here when, by all dacent rules, it should be winter; the south
wind is cold, and the north blazing hot. There are creatures with four
legs which have ducks' heads; and birds, with long legs and no wings, as
tall as horses; while some of the animals stow their young away in a bag
in front of them, instead of letting them follow properly at their
heels, as pigs and ducks and hens do in the old country. The trees shed
their bark instead of their leaves; and it's only just surprising to me
that the people walk on their feet instead of their heads, and that the
sun thinks fit to rise in the east instead of the west; and it's often
when I wake in the mornin' that I look out expecting to see that he's
grown tired of his old ways, and changed to suit the other things in the
land."

Sam, who could appreciate an English style of joke, was unable to make
out whether or not the Irishman was in earnest; but he thought it wise
to wait till he could learn the truth from his young friends, when they
camped in the evening.

"It's only just come out, ye are?" asked Larry.

Sam told him all about himself, as he had told Sykes, expecting an equal
amount of communicativeness in return. "You've been some time in the
country, master, I'm thinking? How did you come out?"

Larry looked at him with a twinkle in his eye. "Faith, that's just a
sacret between myself and them who knows all about it," he answered,
with a laugh. "It's my belief that the big-wigs across the fish-pond
had just an idea of the mighty great value I'd be to the country, and
sent me out free of all charge to myself and family intirely."

The scenery improved as the travelle