nd sordid. Yet for the moment the extreme roughness of their manners
half inclines one to forget their heroic qualities. Most of them seem
without the least perception of delicacy or propriety, though among them
individuals may be found in whose manners there is a plain courtesy,
while their features bespeak a gallant spirit equal to any enterprise.

No one was more relieved than Delorier by the departure of the
volunteers; for dinner was getting colder every moment. He spread a
well-whitened buffalo hide upon the grass, placed in the middle the
juicy hump of a fat cow, ranged around it the tin plates and cups,
and then acquainted us that all was ready. Tete Rouge, with his usual
alacrity on such occasions, was the first to take his seat. In his
former capacity of steamboat clerk, he had learned to prefix the
honorary MISTER to everybody's name, whether of high or low degree; so
Jim Gurney was Mr. Gurney, Henry was Mr. Henry, and even Delorier, for
the first time in his life, heard himself addressed as Mr. Delorier.
This did not prevent his conceiving a violent enmity against Tete Rouge,
who, in his futile though praiseworthy attempts to make himself
useful used always to intermeddle with cooking the dinners. Delorier's
disposition knew no medium between smiles and sunshine and a downright
tornado of wrath; he said nothing to Tete Rouge, but his wrongs rankled
in his breast. Tete Rouge had taken his place at dinner; it was his
happiest moment; he sat enveloped in the old buffalo coat, sleeves
turned up in preparation for the work, and his short legs crossed on the
grass before him; he had a cup of coffee by his side and his knife ready
in his hand and while he looked upon the fat hump ribs, his eyes dilated
with anticipation. Delorier sat just opposite to him, and the rest of us
by this time had taken our seats.

"How is this, Delorier? You haven't given us bread enough."

At this Delorier's placid face flew instantly into a paroxysm of
contortions. He grinned with wrath, chattered, gesticulated, and hurled
forth a volley of incoherent words in broken English at the astonished
Tete Rouge. It was just possible to make out that he was accusing him
of having stolen and eaten four large cakes which had been laid by for
dinner. Tete Rouge, utterly confounded at this sudden attack, stared at
Delorier for a moment in dumb amazement, with mouth and eyes wide open.
At last he found speech, and protested that the accusation was