HEROES OF THE LONE STAR STATE.

907

" ' You do n't tell me so, captain. Then what in the world shall we do?'

"' Why,' said I, ' the only thing we can do now is to be patient, and wait until the moon rises to-night, and I think then the " havilinas " will leave us.'

"' 0, do n't talk to me about the moon's rising. It won't be up till twelve o'clock, at least, and I can't stand this fifteen minutes longer, no how. Crackey! that fellow gave me a grazer!   He has taken off the heel of my boot on his tusks !'

" ' You see, Mr. Author,' I continued, pretending not to hear what he said, ' it was about six years ago, that Bill Hankins and I were out bear hunting on the head waters of the Leon, when-'

"'Plague take that fellow, he brought blood that time, certain!' said our author.   ' Their teeth are as sharp as razors.'

'"As I was saying,' I went on, 'it was about six years ago that Bill Hankins and I were out bear hunting on the headwaters of the Leon, Avhen we fell in with a large drove of these " havilinas."'

"' They are gnawing my bush down,' said our author in a pitiable tone; 'they will have it down in less than ten minutes.'

'"As I was saying,' I continued, 'it was about six years ago that Bill Hankins and I were out hunting on the headwaters of the Leon, when we fell in with a large drove of " havilinas " and before we were aware of our danger'-

"' Shuh ! you devils,' said our author, flinging his last missile, his memorandum book, at the hogs, as they made a general rush on his bush.

"'Mr. Author,' I said, in an offended tone, 'you are not paying the slightest attention to what I am telling you. You might learn something, even from the Indians, in this respect, for, according to Mr. Cooper, they never interrupt a man when he is talking.

'"As I was saying,' I continued, ' it was about six years