"'How are you, strangers? Whar are you going, and whar are you from?' said a fellow, who came trotting up with an old straw hat on his head. He was dressed in the coarsest brown homespun cloth. His face was rather sallow, from fever and ague, and his tall figure, although strong and sinewy, was quite thin, and had, besides, an angular look, which, together with his boorish seat on horseback, gave him an appearance anything but graceful. Plenty more of the same stamp were close behind him. Their company was raised in one of the frontier counties, and we soon had abundant evidence of their rustic breeding: dozens of them came crowding round, pushing between our first visitors, and staring at us with unabashed faces. "'Are you the captain?' asked one fellow. "'What's your business out here?' inquired another. "'Whar do you live when you're at home?' said a third. "'I reckon you're traders,' surmised a fourth; and, to crown the whole, one of them came confidently to my side, and inquired, in a low voice, 'What is your partner's name?' "As each new comer repeated the same questions, the nuisance became intolerable. Our military visitors were soon disgusted at the concise nature of our replies, and we could overhear them muttering curses against us. Presently, to our amazement, we saw a large cannon with four horses come lumbering up behind the crowd; and the driver, who was perched on one of the animals, stretching his neck so as to look over the rest of the men, called out,-- "'Whar are you from, and what's your business?' "The captain of one of the companies was amongst our visitors, drawn by the same curiosity that had attracted his men. "'Well, men,' said he at last, lazily rising from the ground where he had been lounging, 'it's getting late; I reckon we had better be moving.' "'I shan't start yet, anyhow,' said one fellow, who lay half asleep, with his head resting on his arm. "'Don't be in a hurry, captain,' added the lieutenant. "'Well, have it your own way, we'll wait awhile longer,' replied the obsequious commander. "At length, however, our visitors went straggling away as they had come, and we, to our great relief, were left alone again."