"Sacre Dieu!" replied the nettled count, starting and gaping as though he would have swallowed a young alligator -- "de Briteesh fight like de diable! Jaun foutre de Briteesh! when they been known for fight like de diable? Ess, ess, dat true enough; dey fight de Americans like de diable -- but by gar dey no fight de French-a-mans so -- no no, by gar dey no make one mouthful for my French-a-mans -- Morbleu! my French-a-mans eat dem up like vun leetle grenoulle." "Green Owl!" exclaimed one of general Lincoln's aids -- "Oh my God! who ever heard of a `green owl' before?" Here Laurens, smiling at the officer's mistake, replied, "not `green owl', sir, but `grenouille', grenouille, sir, is the French for frog." "Aye, sure enough, sure enough, frog," continued the count, "frog; grenouille is frog. By gar, Monsieur le colonel, you be vun dam good interpret, I set dat well enough. Well den, now, Monsieur le colonel, you hear-a me speak -- my French-a-mans eat dem Jack Engleesh all same like vun leetle frog." "Oh to be sure! -- no doubt of all that, Monsieur le count -- but before we eat them up, they may kill a great many of our soldiers." "Dey kill-a de soldier!" replied the passionate count -- "well what den if dey do kill-a de soldier! Jaun foutre de soldier! what dey good for but for be kill? dat deir trade. You give-a vun poor dog soldier, two, three, four penny a day, he go fight -- he get kill. Well den, what dat? By gar he only get what he HIRE for." "But pardon me, Monsieur le count, we can't spare them." "Vat! no spare de soldier! de GRAND MONARQUE no spare de soldier? O mon Dieu! Vy, Monsieur le colonel -- for why you talk-a so? Well den, hear-a me speak now, Monsieur le colonel -- you see de star in de sky; de leaf on de tree; de sand on de shore -- you no see all dat, heh? Well den, by gar, Monsieur le colonel, de GRAND MONARQUE got soldier more an-a all dat -- ess, sacra Dieu! more an-a all dat, by gar." "Well but, Monsieur le count, is it not CRUEL to kill the poor fellows notwithstanding?"