THE GALLIC WAR 33 



rewarded. They indeed have the true secret of 

 happiness. Enough to eat, enough to wear, 

 health, the fresh air laden with balsamic fra- 

 grance, never a thought of money. Jolly, happy 

 fellows, they are to be envied." 



And so, intent on such thought, I sprang 

 lightly from our sled, donned my leather mittens, 

 and vied with Pat in loading cord-wood. True, 

 I did not successfully vie with him, because that 

 seasoned veteran loaded by far the greater part of 

 it ; but I, in a measure, superintended the job and 

 occasionally landed a stick on the sled. 



We took good measure, Pat saw to that, and 

 when we started we were obliged to pry the run- 

 ners out of the ruts where they had frozen. Lady 

 M. pulled grandly, and we were smoothly sailing 

 across the lot on the down-grade, when we heard 

 loud shouting in our rear, and turned to see a 

 picturesque figure in blanket-coat, moccasins, 

 and toque, wildly weaving its hands and shouting 

 a jumbled and somewhat incoherent mixture of 

 French and English, from which we gathered 

 that he had some suspicions of the honesty of our 

 intentions. 



"Voleur, arretez-vous, you have ma hwood 

 vole; par la Sainte Vierge, you have steal ma 

 hwood, 'ere Bapteme, bagosh, seh!" 



Rushing frantically to the horse's head, he 

 grasped the reins, as if to prevent our escape, 



