A SPORTING TRIP TO FRANCE. 169 



of some of these gents. Ban^uo," he bawled 

 out, and again he swept a pile of gold towards 

 him. " I calkerlate," he continued, " I'm in 

 pretty tarnation tall luck to-night. I jist cal- 

 kerlate I am. You would not see me to-day. 

 I could not git anist you. But when I saw you 

 bringing your 'osses down the track at such a 

 tarnation pace, and a winning easy, I shies my 

 hat up, and bawls out, ' Go it, my cockeys ; you 

 air a winning like greased lightning. I knows 

 them air Britishers/ says I, 'and though they 

 can't squirt, they can ride like great guns. 

 They're a caution to snakes, they air, by h 1." 



Our appearance had the effect of making him 

 leave the table, which he did, to the evident 

 dissatisfaction of the others. 



" I guess I ain't a going to play any more, 

 strangers. There air a lot of chaps from Paris, 

 and thought they wur a going to clean this old 

 coon out ; but I guess I've wiped them off 

 pretty slick this board. Let's go to the grocery 

 and hev a cobler. And now I think of it, jist 

 you let me whisper a word in your ears afore 

 you starts for that steeple-chase to-morrow. 

 Keep your mouths shut, and take a spare set 



