THE TWO OLD CATTLE-DEALERS. 265 



supper was a delight to my liimgiy stomach. Mean- 

 time, I was much diverted by a bargain about cows 

 going on between two old backwoodsmen: but, before 

 discussing this subject, it will be as well to say some- 

 thing of the other inmates of the shed. CoUmar's 

 wife, a stout, strong-built woman of about thirty-four, 

 with two daughters of fourteen and ten, were all that 

 belonged to the fair sex. They were busily employed 

 about the fire with long-handled spoons, turning the 

 meat in the frying-pans, and basting the turkey and 

 opossum; five smaller figures, with a tin pot of milk 

 in one hand and a lump of maize bread in the other, 

 huddled near the fire, stared at the strangers with 

 all their eyes. The hostess soon made room for the 

 company by sending the children to bed. But to return 

 to the bargainers about the cows. Instead of each 

 praising his own cow, they found so much fault with 

 them, that their own calves, if they had heard it, 

 must have felt ashamed of them. After above an hour's 

 discussion on the faults and fiiilings of their horned 

 property, they observed that they could not part with 

 them without giving something into the bargain, as 

 even their hides were worth nothing. These calumnies 

 were put an end to by the announcement, " Supper is 

 ready." Boxes, chairs, and logs were placed round the 

 table for seats. Turkey, venison, pork, opossum, maize 

 bread, and the favorite beverage of the backwoods- 

 man, coifee, disappeared so rapidly that soon nothing 

 was left but the bones of the animals, the remembrance 

 of the bread, and the grounds of the coffee. One after 

 another rose when he had had enough, and then the 

 woman-folk, who had wisely kept something for them- 

 23 



