a man of talent and learning, an uncommon man, but he don't know common things at all. He can cut out a garment, but he can't stitch a button hole."

CHAPTER IX.

THE PLURAL OF MOOSE.

THE room in which we breakfasted was about eighteen feet square, having a large old-fashioned fire-place opposite to the front door, which opened directly on the lawn. The walls were fancifully ornamented with moose and deer horns, fowling-pieces, fishing-rods, landing nets and baskets, bows and arrows of every description, and Indian relics, such as stone hatchets, bowls, rude mortars, images, war clubs, wampum, and implements not unlike broad swords made of black birch, the edges of which were inlaid with the teeth of animals, or the shells of fish, ground sharp. Besides these, were skulls of great size and in good preservation, stone pipes, pouches, and so on, also some enormous teeth

and bones of an antediluvian animal, found in the Bras Dor lake in Cape Breton. It was, take it altogether, the most complete collection of relics of this interesting race, the Micmacs, and of natur's products to be found in this province. Some of the larger moose horns were ingeniously managed, so as to form supports for polished slabs of hardwood for tables. The Doctor informed me that this department of his museum was under the sole direction of the Sergeant, who called it his armoury, and to whose experience in the arrangement of arms he was indebted for the good effect they produced. The only objection he said he had to it, was, that classification had been sacrificed to appearance, and things were very much intermixed; but his collection was too small to make this a matter of any impor

tance.

Jackson, as soon as the Doctor was similarly engaged in showing them to the Captain and the Miss McDonalds, for whom they seemed to have a peculiar interest, mounted guard over

me.

"You see, Sir," said he, "the moose horns are the only thing of any size here, and that's because the moose is half English, you know.

VOL. I.

N

Everything is small in this country, and degenerates, Sir. The fox ain't near as big as an Lord, Sir, the ounds would run

English one. down one o' these fellows in ten minutes. They haven't got no strength. The rabbit, too, is a mere nothink; he is more of a cat, and looks like one too, when he is hanged in a snare. It's so cold nothin comes to a right size here. The trees is mere shrubbery compared to our hoaxes. The pine is tall, but then it has no sap. It's all tar and turpentine, and that keeps the frost out of its heart. The fish that live under the ice in the winter are all iley, in a general way, like the whales, porpoises, dog-fish, and cod. The liver of the cod is all ile, and women take to drinkin it now in cold weather, to keep their blood warm. Depend upon it, Sir, in two or three generations, they will shine in the sun like niggers. Porter would be better for 'em to drink than ile, and far more pleasanter too, Sir, wouldn't it? It would fill 'em out, Saving your presence, Sir, you never see a girl here with--"

"Hush! the ladies will hear you,” I said.

"I ax your honor's pardon; perhaps I am making too bold, but it's nateral for a man that

has seed so much of the world as I have to talk a bit, especially as my tongue is absent on furlough more nor half the year, and then the old 'ooman's goes on duty, and never fear, Sir, her'n don't sleep at its post. She has seen too much sarvice for that. It don't indeed.

It

hails every one that passes the sentry-box, and makes 'em advance and give the countersign. A man that has seed so much, Sir, in course has a good deal to talk about. Now, Sir, I don't want to undervaly the orns at no rate, but Lord bless you, Sir, I have seen the orns of a wild sheep, when I was in the Medeteranion, so large, I could hardly lift them with one hand. They say young foxes sleep in them sometimes. Oh, Sir, if they would only get a few of them, and let them loose here, there would be some fun in unting of them. They are covered over with air in summer, and they are so wild you can't take them no other way than by shooting of them. Then, Sir, there is the orns of—”

"But how is the moose half English?" sais I.

Why, Sir, I heard our colour-sergeant M'Clure say so when we was in Halifax. He was a great reader and a great arguer, Sir, as