Cutler drove Jessie in another, and the doctor
and I walked.
"We can travel as fast as they can," he said, "for part of the road is
full of stumps, and very rough, and I like the arrangement, and want
to have a talk with you about all sorts of things."
After travelling about two miles, we struck off the main highway into
a wood-road, in which stones, hillocks, and roots of trees so impeded
the waggons, that we passed them, and took the lead.
"Are you charged?" said the Doctor, "if not, I think we may as well do
so now."
"Perhaps it would be advisable," said I. "But where is your gun?"
"I generally am so well loaded," he replied, "when I go to the woods,
I find it an encumbrance. In addition to my other traps, I find forty
weight of pemican as much as I can carry."
"Pemican,"1 sais I, "what in natur is that?" I knew as well as he did
what it was, for a man that don't understand how to make that, don't
know the very abeselfa of wood-craft. But I tell you what, Squire,
unless you want to be hated, don't let on you know all that a feller
can tell you. The more you do know, the more folks are afeared to be
able to tell you something new. It flatters their vanity, and it's a
harmless piece of politeness, as well as good policy to listen; for
who the plague will attend to you if you won't condescend to hear
them? Conversation is a barter, in which one thing is swapped for
another, and you must abide by the laws of trade.
Pages:
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194