oung squire
squirrel comin' tumblin' down head over heels lumpus', to see whether
the ground was as hard as dead squirrels said it was. Paint me nateral,
I besech you; for I tell you now, as I told you before, and ever shall
say, there is nothin' worth havin' or knowin', or hearin', or readin',
or seein', or tastin', or smellin', or feelin' and above all and more
than all, nothin' worth affectionin' but _Natur_.

CHAPTER XIV. THE SOCDOLAGER.

As soon as I found my friend Mr. Hopewell comfortably settled in his
lodgings, I went to the office of the Belgian Consul and other persons
to obtain the necessary passports for visiting Germany, where I had a
son at school. Mr. Slick proceeded at the same time to the residence of
his Excellency Abednego Layman, who had been sent to this country by the
United States on a special mission, relative to the Tariff.

On my return from the city in the afternoon, he told me he had presented
his credentials to "the Socdolager," and was most graciously and
cordially received; but still, I could not fail to observe that there
was an evident air of disappointment about him.

"Pray, what is the meaning of the Socdolager?" I asked. "I never heard
of the term before."

"Possible!" said he, "never heerd tell of 'the Socdolager,' why you
don't say so! The Socdolager is the President of the lakes--he is the
whale of the intarnal seas--the Indgians worshipped him once on a time,
as the king of fishes. He lives in great state in the deep waters, does
the old boy, and he don't often shew himself. I never see'd him myself,
nor any one that ever had sot eyes on him; but the old Indgians have
see'd him and know him well. He won't take no bait, will the Socdolager;
he can't be caught, no how you can fix, he is so 'tarnal knowin', and he
can't be speared nother, for the moment he sees aim taken, he ryles the
water and is out of sight in no tune. _He_ can take in whole shoals of
others hisself, tho' at a mouthful. He's a whapper, that's a fact. I
call our Minister here 'the Socdolager,' for our _di_plomaters were
never known to be hooked once yet, and actilly beat all natur' for
knowin' the soundin's, smellin' the bait, givin' the dodge, or rylin'
the water; so no soul can see thro' it but themselves. Yes, he is 'a
Socdolager,' or a whale among _di_plomaters.

"Well, I rigs up this morning, full fig, calls a cab, and proceeds
in state to our embassy, gives what Cooper calls a lord's beat of six