a pity; I have a most splendid warm coat as are a gentleman in these here woods, let him be who he will; but I got no socks to my feet, and have to sit for everlastingly a suckin of my paws to keep ’em warm; if it warn’t for that, I guess, I’d make some o’ them chaps that have hoofs to their feet and horns to their heads, look about them pretty sharp, I know.”  It’s dismal now, aint it?  If I had the framin of the Governor’s message, if I would’nt shew ’em how to put timber together you may depend, I’d make them scratch their heads and stare, I know.  I went down to Matanzas in the Fulton Steam Boat once—­well, it was the first of the kind they ever see’d, and proper scared they were to see a vessel, without sails or oars, goin right straight ahead, nine knots an hour, in the very wind’s eye, and a great streak of smoke arter her as long as the tail of a Comet.  I believe they thought it was old Nick alive, a treatin him self to a swim.  You could see the niggers a clippin it away from the shore, for dear life, and the soldiers a movin about as if they thought that we were a goin to take the whole country.  Presently a little half starved orange-coloured looking Spanish officer, all dressed off in his livery, as fine as a fiddle, came off with two men in a boat to board us.  Well, we yawed once or twice, and motioned to him to keep off for fear he should get hurt; but be came right on afore the wheel, and I hope I may be shot if the paddle did’nt strike the bow of the boat with that force, it knocked up the starn like a plank tilt, when one of the boys playing on it is heavier than t’other; and chucked him right atop of the wheel house—­you never see’d a feller in such a dunderment in your life.  He had picked up a little English from seein our folks there so much, and when he got up, the first thing he said was,’ Damn all sheenery, I say, where’s my boat?’ and he looked round as if he thought it had jumped on board too.  Your boat, said the Captain, why I expect it’s gone to the bottom, and your men have gone down to look arter it, for we never see’d or heerd tell of one or t’other of them arter the boat was struck.  Yes, I’d make ’em stare like that are Spanish officer, as if they had see’d out of their eyes for the first time.  Governor Campbell did’nt expect to see such a country as this, when he came here, I reckon; I know he did’nt.  When I was a little boy, about knee high or so, and lived down Connecticut river, mother used to say, Sam, if you don’t give over acting so like old Scratch, I’ll send you off to Nova-Scotia as sure as you are born; I will, I vow.  Well, Lord, how that are used to frighten me; it made my hair stand right up an eend, like a cat’s back when she is wrathy; it made me drop it as quick as wink—­like a tin night cap put on a dipt candle agoin to bed, it put the fun right out.  Neighbour Dearborn’s darter married a gentleman to Yarmouth, that speculates in the smugglin line; well, when she went on board to sail down to Nova-Scotia, all her folks took on