during the rest of the
voyage. The time went terribly slow, and my patience was clean
expended when we got to Louisville. We stopped at the Lafayette Hotel,
and I was in my room before dinner, when the waiter brought me a
letter from Mister Lambton. The old gentleman had the honour to inform
me, in accordance with his daughter's wishes, that there did not exist
sufficient harmony between my character and that of Miss Emily to
render a union between us desirable. And, under these circumstances,
he took leave to request of me that I would consider the projected
marriage as entirely broken off; and, with his and his daughter's best
wishes for my happiness, he had the honour to be my very humble
servant. There was a deal more of it, but that was the pith. When I
had read it, I burst out of my room like mad, either to throttle old
Lambton or to throw myself at his daughter's feet, I didn't rightly
know which. But the Yankee had been too cunning for me. He had left
the hotel with his daughter, and gone off by the Cincinnati steamer. I
went on board the next that was going, and got to Cincinnati three
hours after him, but missed him again. He had taken a chaise and
started for his estate at Dayton, near Yellow Springs. And all I have
done since is no use. She won't hear of me, and I'm the most unhappy
fellow alive."

And so saying, he threw his feet upon the table, crossed his arms,
and remained in this position for a couple of minutes, staring
earnestly at the ceiling. Suddenly he brought his legs down again,
started up, and gazed through the cabin window.

"Hallo!" cried he, "here are your Red River bottoms. Will have a look
at them--will go on deck? You may take away, steward. Come, Monshur
Tonson, come with me, come, my dear little Frenchman! Nous parlons
hansamble le Fransch."

And thereupon he struck up the favourite western ditty, "Let's go to
Old Kentuck," seized young De Vergennes by the arm, and dragged him
through the folding-doors and out upon deck.

"He's not the man to break his heart about a woman," said I to
Richards.

"Hardly," replied my friend.

CHAPTER III

THE STAG HUNT.

We had sat for some time talking over Doughby's mishaps, when we were
interrupted by a noise upon deck. Hurras and hellos were resounding
off on every side and corner of the steamer. We hurried out to see
what was the matter, and found the cause of the tumult to be a fallow
deer, that had taken the water some two hundred ya