went down the ladder into the cabin, where the odor of the furs
mingled with the smell of the cooking. There was a fricassee steaming on
the crane, some of Zeron's bread, brought from St. Louis, and coffee that
Monsieur Gratiot had provided for our use. We took our bowls and cups on
deck and sat on the edge of the cabin.

"By gad," cried Nick, "it lacks but the one element to make it a
paradise."

"And what is that?" I demanded.

"A woman," said he.

Xavier, who overheard, gave a delighted laugh.

"Parbleu, Michie, you have right," he said, "but Michie Gratiot, he say
no. In Nouvelle Orleans we find some."

Nick got to his feet, and if anything he did could have surprised me, I
should have been surprised when he put his arm coaxingly about Xavier's
neck. Xavier himself was surprised and correspondingly delighted.

"Tell me, Xavier," he said, with a look not to be resisted, "do you think
I shall find some beauties there?"

"Beauties!" exclaimed Xavier, "La Nouvelle Orleans--it is the home of
beauty, Michie. They promenade themselves on the levee, they look down
from ze gallerie, mais--"

"But what, Xavier?"

"But, mon Dieu, Michie, they are vair' difficile. They are not like
Englis' beauties, there is the father and the mother, and--the convent."
And Xavier, who had a wen under his eye, laid his finger on it.

"For shame, Xavier," cried Nick; "and you are balked by such things?"

Xavier thought this an exceedingly good joke, and he took his pipe out of
his mouth to laugh the better.

"Me? Mais non, Michie. And yet ze Alcalde, he mek me afraid. Once he
put me in ze calaboose when I tried to climb ze balcon'."

Nick roared.

"I will show you how, Xavier," he said; "as to climbing the balconies,
there is a convenance in it, as in all else. For instance, one must be
daring, and discreet, and nimble, and ready to give the law a presentable
answer, and lacking that, a piastre. And then the fair one must be a
fair one indeed."

"Diable, Michie," cried Xavier, "you are ze mischief."

"Nay," said Nick, "I learned it all and much more from my cousin, Mr.
Ritchie."

Xavier stared at me for an instant, and considering that he knew nothing
of my character, I thought it extremely impolite of him to laugh.
Indeed, he tried to control himself, for some reason standing in awe of
my appearance, and then he burst out into such loud haw-haws that the
crew poked their heads above the cabin hatch.

"Michie Reetchie,"