ard of the steamer made his appearance upon
the field of Mr Bundle's operations, escorted by half a dozen of the
backwoodsmen, and stepping into the torchlight, held up the very
coffee-pot which the shameless Yankee had sold to the leather-jacketed
man of Missouri. The pot had been filled with boiling water, which was
now oozing out comfortably and deliberately at every side and corner of
the vessel. For one moment the spectators stared in mute astonishment;
but then the discovery of the Yankee's cheatery drew from them a peal of
laughter which seemed likely to be inextinguishable.

"Jared Bundle! What do you say to that? Jared Bundle's teapots! A hurra
for Jared Bundle and the Yankee teapots!"

The immovable pedlar was by no means put out of countenance by this
discovery. While the backwoodsmen were having their laugh out, he took
hold of the teapot, examined it deliberately on all sides, at front and
back, inside and out, and then shook his head gravely. When the laughers
had exhausted their uproariousness, he cleared his throat, and resumed.

"Ah, gentlemen! or rather ladies and gentlemen! in our happy land of
freedom and enlightenment, the most enlightened country in the world, no
one, I am sure, will refuse to hear the poor pedlar's explanation of
this singular circumstance. I know you are all most desirous of havin'
it explained, and explain it I can and will. I am sorry to say there are
gentlemen who sell teapots for the southern states which are only meant
for the northern ones, and others who sell for the north what is meant
for the south. That's how I've been deceived in these teapots, which
come from the store of the highly respectable Messrs Knockdown. They are
for northern consumption, gentlemen, without the smallest doubt, and
you know that many teapots will support the cold of the north, but are
worth nothin' when they git into a southern climate. It's oncommon hot,
you see, down hereaway on the Mississippi, and I reckon that's the
reason that you southern gentlemen _are_ sich an almighty b'ilin' up
people, who take a gougin' to your breakfast as we should a mackerel.
I'm a'most inclined to think, too, that you bile your water a deal too
hot, which our northern tea and coffee pots ain't used to, and can't
stand nohow."

"Humbug!" growled a score of backwoodsmen, some of whom began to close
round the Yankee, as if to make sure of him and his worthless wares.

"Boe! Boe!" howled Sambo, who had been quit