undergone the same experience, and as Otto had descried him when he
emerged from the river, it was easy to locate quite closely the
point where he entered Louisiana.

"It ish below vere we don't stands not dis moment," he said, when
they were ready to move off.

"My gracious, Otto," exclaimed Jack, "can't you handle English a
little better than that? I thought your father was the crookedest
of speech of any person I ever heard, but he can't be any worse than
you."

"Yaw-don't it?" grinned Otto.

"Try to improve yourself! You ain't much of a fool on other
matters, and you may as well learn to talk like a civilized being.
I have seen Deerfoot shocked more than once at the horrible style in
which you mangle the king's English. I want you to promise to make
an effort to do better; will you?"

"Yaw; I dinks not efery dimes dot I does much better as nefer vos;
vot doesn't you dinks not apout it, eh-don't it? Yaw!"

Deerfoot had taken a couple of steps along the bank with the purpose
of hunting the hoof-prints of the missing horse, but he paused and
half turned about, looking with an amused expression at his friends
who were holding their characteristic conversation.

There was something noteworthy in the fact that while Otto had heard
the English tongue spoken quite correctly, from the hour he was able