ADVENTURES IN LOUISIANA. 195 



" Upon this Asa called to us, and we stepped out 

 from amongst the cotton-trees, behind which we had 

 been standing all the while ; and when the Creoles 

 saw us, each with his rifle on his arm, they seemed 

 rather confused, and drew back a little. 



" ' Here are my comrades,' said Asa, ' who will all 

 bear witness that the horses were sold at the prices 

 of twenty dollars for the one and fifteen for the other. 

 And if any one says the contrary, he says that which 

 is not true.' 



"'Larifarif roared Croupier. 'You shan't stop 

 here to call us liars, and spoil our hunting-ground, 

 and build houses on our land. His excellency the 

 governor shall be told of it, and the commandant at 

 Katchitoches, and you shall be driven away.' And 

 the other Creoles, who, while Asa was speaking, ap- 

 peared to be getting more quiet and reasonable, now 

 became madder than ever, and shrieked, and swore, 

 and galloped backwards and forwards, brandishing 

 their fowling-pieces like wild Injuns, and screaming 

 out that we should leave the country, the game wasn't 

 too plenty for them, and suchlike. At length Asa 

 and the rest of us got angry, and called out to them 

 to take themselves off or they would be sorry for it ; 

 and when they saw us bringing our rifles to our 

 shoulders, they put spurs to their horses, and galloped 

 away to a distance of some five hundred yards. 

 There they halted, and set up such a screeching as 

 almost deafened us, fired off some of their old rusty 



