A MUTINOUS SCOUNDREL. 127 



pleasing to them ; for, although they said nothing, 

 their conduct was sufficiently eloquent. Having 

 ordered the fachees (barrels for carrying water) to be 

 filled, I retired to my wagon to put things in order 

 for the trek. This occupied me for quite half-an- 

 hour, after which I thought I would visit the boys* 

 fire, and see if my orders had been attended to. Just 

 as I suspected, the fachees had not been unhooked 

 even from their fastenings, and had not, therefore, 

 received a drop of water. Calling up the drivers, 

 I repeated to each my former instructions, informing 

 them that I would return in thirty minutes to see 

 that I had been obeyed ; but as I was leaving them, 

 that fat, greasy beast of a cook made a remark far 

 from complimentary to white men generally, and 

 myself in particular. I had long known this fellow to 

 be a soldier lawyer, and a very artful and dangerous 

 one, too, so had made up my mind, when cir- 

 cumstances justified me, to fetch him up with a round 

 turn. Therefore, when Master Cookey made his 

 observation, I turned to him and told him that I 

 should not only expect, when I returned, to see that 

 my orders in regard to the water were obeyed, but 

 that he had all the cooking apparatus clean and packed 



