vert him to another and lead him on to pour
out his heaps of treasure in succession.

"What has that fellow been saying to you?" said Shaw, as I returned to
the tent. "I have heard nothing but his talking for the last half-hour."

R. had none of the peculiar traits of the ordinary "British snob";
his absurdities were all his own, belonging to no particular nation or
clime. He was possessed with an active devil that had driven him over
land and sea, to no great purpose, as it seemed; for although he had the
usual complement of eyes and ears, the avenues between these organs and
his brain appeared remarkably narrow and untrodden. His energy was much
more conspicuous than his wisdom; but his predominant characteristic was
a magnanimous ambition to exercise on all occasions an awful rule and
supremacy, and this propensity equally displayed itself, as the reader
will have observed, whether the matter in question was the baking of a
hoe-cake or a point of international law. When such diverse elements
as he and the easy-tempered captain came in contact, no wonder some
commotion ensued; R. rode roughshod, from morning till night, over his
military ally.

At noon the sky was clear and we set out, trailing through mud and slime
six inches deep. That night we were spared the customary infliction of
the shower bath.

On the next afternoon we were moving slowly along, not far from a patch
of woods which lay on the right. Jack C. rode a little in advance;

The livelong day he had not spoke;

when suddenly he faced about, pointed to the woods, and roared out to
his brother:

"O Bill! here's a cow!"

The captain instantly galloped forward, and he and Jack made a vain
attempt to capture the prize; but the cow, with a well-grounded distrust
of their intentions, took refuge among the trees. R. joined them, and
they soon drove her out. We watched their evolutions as they galloped
around here, trying in vain to noose her with their trail-ropes, which
they had converted into lariettes for the occasion. At length they
resorted to milder measures, and the cow was driven along with the
party. Soon after the usual thunderstorm came up, the wind blowing with
such fury that the streams of rain flew almost horizontally along the
prairie, roaring like a cataract. The horses turned tail to the storm,
and stood hanging their heads, bearing the infliction with an air of
meekness and resignation; while we drew our heads between our shoulder