234 HILLS AND LAKES. 



down on paper all about the wild beasts, and birds, 

 and such things, while the missionary was writin' 

 about the heathenish and savage Ingens. I'd give 

 half a dozen bearskins for such a book, afore I'd give 

 one for all the red cusses between the St. Lawrence 

 and the Kocky Mountains." 



" The ruling passion, Tucker," said I. 



" I don't know precisely what you mean by the 

 rulin' passion, Squire," he replied, "but at this day, 

 when the world knows the nater of an Ingen, and just 

 what they're worth, it's no great things to read about 

 'em, as they were two hundred years ago. But to my 

 notion, as the country grows old, it's an interestin' study 

 to look into things as they were so long back, and see 

 what wild animals, birds, fishes, and such things, then 

 existed ; to know what of them have been pushed en- 

 tirely out of the world, and what of 'em have been 

 left, and to understand what changes white men, and 

 tame life all around 'em, have worked on 'em. Now 

 these things is a sealed book to us, jist because people 

 that travelled in them days, didn't think what wonder- 

 ful changes would be made in this great country, or 

 were contrivin' how to make Christians and civilized 

 people of the Ingens. It's always been my opinion, 



