would travel down red-lane, if I had it, I heard such a
chatterin', and laughin', and screamin' as I never a'most
heerd afore, since I was raised.

"'What in natur' is this,' sais I, as I gave Old Clay a
crack of the whip, to push on. 'There is some critters
here, I guess, that have found a haw haw's nest, with a
tee hee's egg in it. What's in the wind now?' Well, a
sudden turn of the road brought me to where they was,
and who should they be but French officers from the
Prince's ship, travellin' incog. in plain clothes. But,
Lord bless you, cook a Frenchman any way you please, and
you can't disguise him. Natur' will out, in spite of
all, and the name of a Frencher is written as plain as
any thing in his whiskers, and his hair, and his skin,
and his coat, and his boots, and his air, and his gait,
and in everythin', but only let him open his mouth, and
the cat's out of the bag in no time, ain't it? They are
droll boys, is the French, that's a fact.

"Well, there was four on 'em dismounted, a holdin' of
their hosses by the bridle, and a standin' near a spring
of nice cool water; and there was a fifth, and he was a
layin' down belly flounder on the ground, a tryin' to
drink out of the runnin' spring.

"'Parley vous French,' sais I, 'Mountsheer?' At that,
they sot to, and larfed again more than ever, I thought
they would have gone into the high strikes, they hee-hawed
so.