296 THE GREAT NORTH-WEST 



I agreed with him, as if he lurked about till Tom came 

 home he would " probably have a flea ' clicked off his 

 nose,' " and I would not undertake to promise that the bark 

 would not be raised in the process. The major looked at 

 me askance, but smiled. He still lingered. " Britain's 

 a rich country ? " he inquired. " I beheve so." " Plenty 

 of money there ? " " Yes." " Lend me half-a-dollar for 

 a riionth or two." Such a trifling favour could not of 

 course be refused, but the major insisted on making a 

 note of the transaction with a view to future repayment. 

 Diving into one of his side pockets, he produced a pocket- 

 book nearly as dilapidated as himself, and strongly per- 

 fumed with stale tobacco. As I did not care to give a 

 business address to such a character, I said I had no fixed 

 address at present. " Like me," said he ; " but we shall 

 meet again ; " and, truly enough, we did meet again. 



I have given this sketch of an individual of a race of 

 creatures that are rapidly being stamped out in the modern 

 United States. Like the swagsman of Australia, he cannot 

 long survive when the law against rogues and vagabonds 

 can lay hold of him without over-exerting itself. I hope 

 the sketch will be of some interest as the correctly recorded 

 picture of an incident that gave me much amusement at 

 the time ; though the humour of the major was so very 

 broad, and disfigured by such strange and terrible pro- 

 fanity, that it was only in the wild surroundings of the 

 time and place that it could give amusement, and could 

 not by any means be too minutely recorded on paper 

 without giving disgust. 



As to the man's title to major, reference may be made 

 to what I have said in a former chapter on military titles 

 in America. (See the Index.) But I may add a few words 

 on titles in general among this strange people ; for while 

 they profess such a dislike to titles and distinction that 

 they would not admit the words " master " and " servant " 

 into their daily life, but substituted " boss " (Dutch fore- 

 man) for the former, and " help " for the latter, there are 

 really no greater quality worshippers on earth — not even 



