hose
aspersions, by his intemperate behaviour. But here he comes; I shall
withdraw and leave you together."

Fortunately, Mr. Slick commenced talking upon a topic, which naturally
led to that to which Mr. Hopewell had wished me to direct his attention.

"Well, Squire," said he, "I am glad too, you are a goin' to England
along with me: we will take a rise out of John Bull, won't we?--We've
hit Blue-nose and Brother Jonathan both pretty considerable tarnation
hard, and John has split his sides with larfter. Let's tickle him now,
by feeling his own short ribs, and see how he will like it; we'll
soon see whose hide is the thickest, hisn or ourn, won't we? Let's see
whether he will say chee, chee, chee, when he gets to the t'other eend
of the gun."

"What is the meaning of that saying?" I asked. "I never heard it
before."

"Why," said he, "when I was a considerable of a grown up saplin of a
boy to Slickville, I used to be a gunnin' for everlastinly amost in our
hickory woods, a shootin' of squirrels with a rifle, and I got amazin'
expart at it. I could take the head off of them chatterin' little imps,
when I got a fair shot at 'em with a ball, at any reasonable distance,
a'most in nine cases out of ten.

"Well, one day I was out as usual, and our Irish help Paddy Burke was
along with me, and every time he see'd me a drawin' of the bead fine
on 'em, he used to say, 'Well, you've an excellent gun entirely, Master
Sam. Oh by Jakers! the squirrel has no chance with that gun, it's an
excellent one entirely.'

"At last I got tired a hearin' of him a jawin' so for ever and a day
about the excellent gun entirely; so, sais I, 'You fool you, do you
think it's the gun that does it _entirely_ as you say; ain't there a
little dust of skill in it? Do you think you could fetch one down?'

"'Oh, it's a capital gun entirely,' said he.

"'Well,' said I, 'if it 'tis, try it now, and see what sort of a fist
you'll make of it.'

"So Paddy takes the rifle, lookin' as knowin' all the time as if he
had ever seed one afore. Well, there was a great red squirrel, on the
tip-top of a limb, chatterin' away like any thing, chee, chee, chee,
proper frightened; he know'd it warn't me, that was a parsecutin'
of him, and he expected he'd be hurt. They know'd me, did the little
critters, when they seed me, and they know'd I never had hurt one on
'em, my balls never givin' 'em a chance to feel what was the matter
of them; but Pat they didn't know,