at would a governor be apt to say if my
landlord should go with his complaints to the foot of the executive
chair, and tell him that the very covenant which had led his predecessor
into the mistake of thus wasting his means was openly disregarded; that
farms worth many thousands of dollars had now been enjoyed by the
tenants for near a century for mere nominal rents, and that the owner
of the land in fee had occasion for his property, &c. &c. Would the
governor recommend legislative action in that case? Would the _length_
of _such_ leases induce him to recommend that no lease should exceed
five years in duration? Would the landlords who should get up a corps of
Injins to worry their tenants into an abandonment of their farms be the
objects of commiseration?--and would the law slumber for years over
_their_ rebellions and depredations, until two or three murders aroused
public indignation? Let them answer that know. As a landlord, I should
be sorry to incur the ridicule that would attend even a public complaint
of the hardships of such a case. A common sneer would send me to the
courts for my remedy, if I had one, and the whole difference between the
"if and ifs" of the two cases would be that a landlord gives but one
vote, while his tenants may be legion.[6]

"He be d----d," muttered the plain-speaking Injin, as long as I could
hear him. As soon as released from his presence, Streak of Lightning
continued his examination, though a little vexed at the undramatical
character of the interruption.

"Sartain no spy, eh?--sartain gubbernor no send him, eh?--sartain come
to sell watch, eh?"

"I coomes, as I tell ye, to see if vatches might be solt, und not for
der gubbernor; I neffer might see der mans."

As all this was true, my conscience felt pretty easy on the score of
whatever there might be equivocal about it.

"What folks think of Injin down below, eh?--what folks say of anti-rent,
eh?--hear him talk about much?"

"Vell, soome does dink anti-rent ist goot, und soome does dink anti-rent
ist bad. Dey dinks as dey wishes."

Here a low whistle came down the road, or rather down the bushes, when
every Injin started up; each man very fairly gave back the watch he was
examining, and in less than half a minute we were alone on the log. This
movement was so sudden that it left us in a little doubt as to the
proper mode of proceeding. My uncle, however, coolly set about
replacing his treasures in their box, while I went t