SHAMUS AT A PREMIUM. 289 



valley, and to anticipate the dinner which we felt was 

 waiting for us. The plains tired us, and so did con- 

 versation, and all instinctively felt that any attempt 

 at a joke, in our hungry, worn out condition, would 

 have caused an all but fiendish state of feeling. Mo- 

 mus himself could not have made that party smile. 

 Most of us had taken part in cutting up the car- 

 casses, and as we now rode home, sitting on the skin- 

 covered quarters, we looked like a party of butchers 

 returning from the slaughter-pens. 



As we drew close to camp, how goodly a sight did 

 Shamus seem, in his white apron, bidding us " Hurry 

 to yer dinner ! " while backing up his invitation 

 were the brown turkeys, the stews and roasts, the 

 white bread and yellow butter, and a clean table- 

 cloth. On the spot, we could have pardoned Shamus 

 all his notions of witchcraft, and I think that Sa- 

 chem's charity just then would even have covered 

 our cook's late weakness in the line of " spooning." 

 The Professor's science, Colon's philanthropy, Sa- 

 chem's wealth of worldly wisdom, and Muggs' 

 British self-complacency, all combined, offered no 

 such consolation, in this hour of sober realities, as 

 the simple Irishman, with his basting-spoon. 



Water from the brook and towels from the chest 

 soon removed blood and dust, and dinner followed. 

 Shamus had many a mark scored against Sachem for 

 attacks on himself and his ancestry, and ventured 

 during dinner to rub out one, by asking Tammany, 

 in ja very respectful manner, and as if it was a mat- 

 ter of our cuisine, whether calves' heads agreed with 

 his stomach. 



