"De law sakes, chile, didn't I see him a-lookin' at us?"

"Did you feel scared, Uncle Dan'l?” "No, sah! When a man is 'gaged in prah, he ain't 'fraid o' nuffin-dey can't nuffin tetch him."

"Well, what did you run for?"

"Well, I-I-Mars Clay, when a man is under de influence ob de sperit, he dono what he's 'bout-no sah; dat man do-no what he's 'bout. You mout take an' tah de head off'n dat man an' he wouldn't scasely fine it out. Dah's de Hebrew chil'en dat went frough de fiah; dey was burnt considable-ob coase dey was; but dey didn't know nuffin 'bout it -heal right up agin; if dey'd been gals, dey'd missed dey long haah (hair,) maybe, but dey wouldn't felt de burn."

"I don't know but what they were girls. I think they were."

"Now, Mars Clay, you knows better'n that. Sometimes a body can't tell whedder you's a sayin' what you means or whedder you's a sayin what you don't mean, 'case you says 'em bofe de same

wav.

"But how should I know whether they were boys or girls?"

"Goodness sakes, Mars Clay, don't de good book say? 'Sides, don't it call 'em de He-brew chil'en? If dey was gals wouldn't dey be de she-brew chil'en? Some people dat kin read don't 'pear to take no notice when dey do read."

Well, Uncle Dan'l, I think thatMy! here comes another one up the river! There can't be two!"

"We gone dis time-we done gone dis time, sho'! Dey ain't two, Mars Claydat's de same one. De Lord kin 'pear eberywhah in a second. Goodness, how de fiah an' de smoke do belch up! Dat mean business, honey. He comin' now like he fo'got sumfin. Come 'long, chil'en, time you's gwine to roos'. Go 'long wid you-Ole Uncle Dan'l gwine out in de woods to rastle in prah-de old niggah gwine to do what he kin to sabe you agin."

He did go to the woods and pray; but he went so far that he doubted, himself, if the Lord heard him when He went by.

HOW MANY FINS HAS A COD?

BY JUDGE T. C. HALIBURTON.

About forty years ago I attended the Western Circuit of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia at Annapolis, and remained behind for a few days for the purpose of examining that most interesting place, which is the scene of the first effective settlement in North America.

While engaged in these investigations, a person called upon me and told me he had ridden express from Plymouth to obtain my assistance in a cause which was to be tried in a day or two in the county court at that place. The judges were at that period not professional men, but magistrates, and equally unable to administer law or to preserve order; and the verdicts generally depended more upon the declamatory powers of the lawyers than on the merits of the causes.

The distance was great-a journey had to be performed on horseback-the roads were bad, the accommodation worse. I had a great repugnance to attend these courts under any circumstances; and, besides, had pressing engagements at home. I therefore declined accepting his retainer, which was the largest that at that time had ever been tendered to me, and begged to be excused. If the fee, he said, was too small to render it worth my while to go, he would cheerfully double it, for money was no object. The cause was one of great importance to his friend, Mr. John Barkins, and of deep interest to the whole community; and, as the few lawyers that resided within a hundred iniles of the place were engaged on the other side, if I did not go, his unfortunate friend would fall a victim to the intrigues and injustice of his opponents.

In short, he was so urgent that at last I was prevailed upon to consent, and we set off together to prosecute our journey on horseback. The agent, Mr. William Robins (who had the most accurate and capacious memory of any man I ever met), proved a most entertaining and agreeable companion. He had read a great deal, and retained it all; and, having resided many years near Plymouth, knew everybody, every place and every tradition. Withal he was somewhat of a humorist. Finding him a person of this description,

my curiosity was excited to know who he was, and I put the question to him.

"I am of the same profession you are, sir," he said. I immediately reined up. "If that be the case," I replied, "my good friend, you must try the cause yourself. I cannot consent to go on. The only thing that induced me to set out with you was your assertion that every lawyer within a hundred miles of Plymouth was retained on the other side."

"Excuse me, sir," he said, "I did not say I was a lawyer."

No," I observed "you did not; but you stated that you were of the same profession as myself, which is the same thing."

"Not exactly, sir," he said. "I am a wrecker. I am Lloyds' agent, and live on the misfortunes of others; so do you. When a vessel is wrecked, it is my business to get her off, or to save the property. When a man is entangled among the shoals or quicksands of the law, your duty is similar. We are both wreckers, and, therefore, members of the same profession. The only difference is, you are a lawyer, and I am not."

This absurd reply removing all difficul ty, we proceeded on our journey; and the first night, after passing through Digby, reached Shingle Town, or Spaitsville. The next morning we reached Clare, and in the afternoon we arrived at Plymouth. As we entered the village, I observed that the court-house, as usual, was surrounded by a noisy multitude, some detached. groups of which appeared to be discussing the trials of the morning, or anticipating that which was to engross the attention of the public on the succeeding day. On the opposite side of the road was a large tavern, the hospitable door of which stood invitingly open, and permitted the escape of most agreeable and seducing odors of rum and tobacco. The crowd occupied and filled the space between the two buildings, and presented a moving and agitated surface; and yet a strong current was perceptible to a practised eye in this turbid mass, setting steadily out of the court-house, and passing slowly but constantly through the centre of the estuary into the tavern, and returning again in an eddy on either side.

Where every one was talking at the same time, no individual could be heard or understood at a distance, but the united vociferations of the assembled hundreds

blended together and formed the deeptoned but dissonant voice of that hydraheaded monster, the crowd. On a nearer approach, the sounds that composed this unceasing roar became more distinguish- | able. The drunken man might be heard rebuking the profane, and the profane overwhelming the hypocrite with opprobrium for his cant. Neighbors, rendered amiable by liquor, embraced as brothers, and loudly proclaimed their unchangeable friendship; while the memory of past injuries awakened into fury by the liquid poison, placed others in hostile attitude, who hurled defiance and abuse at each other, to the full extent of their lungs or their vocabulary. The slow, measured, nasal talk of the degenerate settler from Puritanical New England, was rendered unintelligible by the ceaseless and rapid utterance of the French fisherman; while poor Pat, bludgeon in hand, uproariously solicited his neighbors to fight or to drink, and generously gave them their option. Even the dogs caught the infection of the place, and far above their master's voices might occasionally be heard the loud, sharp cry of triumph, or the more shrill howl of distress uttered by these animals, who, with as little cause as their senseless owners, had engaged in a stupid conflict. These noises ceased for a moment as we arrived at the spot, and were superseded by a command issued by several persons

at the same time.

"Clear the road there! Make way for the gentlemen!"

We had been anxiously expected all the afternoon, and the command was instantly obeyed, and a passage opened for us by the people falling back on either side of the street. As we passed through, my friend checked his horse into a slow walk, and led me with an air of triumph, such as a jockey displays in bringing out his favorite on the course. Robins was an important man that day. He had succeeded in his mission. He had got his champion, and would be ready for fight in the morning. It was but reasonable, therefore, he thought, to indulge the public with a glimpse at his man. He nodded familiarly to some, winked slyly to others, saluted people at a distance aloud, and shook hands patronizingly with those that were nearest. He would occasionally lag behind a moment, and say in an under, but very audible, tone:

"Precious clever fellow that! Sees it all-says we are all right-sure to win it! I wouldn't be in those fellows', the plaintiffs', skins to-morrow for a trifle! He is a powerful man that!" and so forth.

The first opportunity that occurred, I endeavored to put a stop to this trumpeting.

For heaven's sake," I said, "my good friend, do not talk such nonsense; if you do, you will ruin me. I am at all times a diffident man, but if you raise such expectations, I shall assuredly break down, from the very fear of not fulfilling them. I know too well the doubtful issue of trials ever to say that a man is certain of winning. Pray do not talk of me in this manner."

"You are sure, sir," he said. "What! a man who has just landed from his travels in Europe, and arrived, after a journey of one hundred miles, from the last sitting of the Supreme Court, not to know more than any one else! Fudge, sir! I congratulate you-you have gained the cause! And besides, sir, do you think that if William Robins says he has got the right man (and he wouldn't say so if he didn't think so), that that isn't enough? Why, sir, your leather breeches and top boots are enough to do the business! Nobody ever saw such things here before, and a man in buckskin must know more than a man in homespun. But here is Mrs. Brown's inn; let us dismount. have procured a private sitting-room for you, which on court-days, militia-training, and times of town meetings or elections, is not very easy, I assure you. Come, walk in, and make yourself comfortable."

I

We had scarcely entered into our snuggery, which was evidently the landlady's own apartment, when the door was softly opened a few inches, and a beseeching voice was heard, saying:

"Billy, is that him? If it is, tell him it's me, will you? that's a good soul!"

"Come in-come in, old Blowhard!" said Robins; and, seizing the stranger by the hand, he led him up and introduced him to me.

'Lawyer, this is Captain John Barkins! Captain Barkins, this is Lawyer Sandford! He is our client, lawyer, and I must say one thing for him: he has but two faults, but they are enough to ruin any man in this province; he is an honest man, and speaks the truth. I will leave

you together now, and go and order your dinner for you."

John Barkins was a tall, corpulent, amphibious-looking man, that seemed as if he would be equally at home in either element, land or water. He held in his hand what he called a nor'wester, a large, broad-brimmed, glazed hat, with a peak projecting behind to shed the water from off his club queue, which was nearly as thick as a hawser. He wore a long, narrow-tailed, short-waisted blue coat, with large, white-plated buttons, that resembled Spanish dollars, a red waistcoat, a spotted Bandana silk handkerchief tied loosely about his throat, and a pair of voluminous corduroy trousers of the color of brown soap, over which were drawn a pair of fishermen's boots that reached nearly to his knees. His waistcoat and his trousers were apparently not upon very intimate terms, for though they traveled together, the latter were taught to feel their subjection, but when they lagged too far behind, they were brought to their place by a jerk of impatience that threatened their very existence. He had a thick, matted head of black hair, and a pair of whiskers that disdained the effeminacy of either scissors or razor, and revelled in all the exuberant and wild profusion of nature. His countenance was much weather-beaten from constant exposure to the vicissitudes of heat and cold, but was open, good-natured and manly. Such was my client. He advanced and shook me cordially by the hand.

"Glad to see you, sir," he said; "you are welcome to Plymouth. My name is John Barkins; I dare say you have often heard of me, for everybody knows me about these parts. Any one will tell you what sort of man John Barkins is. That's me-that's my name, do you see? I am a persecuted man, lawyer; but I ain't altogether quite run down yet, neither. I have a case in court; I dare say Mr. Robins has told you of it. He is a very clever man is old Billy, and as smart a chap of his age as you will see anywhere a'most. I suppose you have often heard of him before, for everybody knows William Robins in these parts. It's the most important case, sir, ever tried in this countv. If I lose it, Plymouth is done. There's an end to the fisheries and a great many of us are a-going to sell off and quit the country."

I will not detail his cause to you in his own words, because it will fatigue you as it wearied me in hearing it. It possessed no public interest whatever, though it was of some importance to himself as regarded the result. It appeared that he had fitted out a large vessel for the Labrador fishery, and taken with him a very full crew, who were to share in the profits or loss of the adventure. The agreement, which was a verbal one was, that on the completion of the voyage the cargo should be sold, and the net proceeds be distributed in equal portions, one-half to appertain to the captain and vessel, and the other half to the crew, and to be equally divided among them.

The undertaking was a dangerous one, and on their return the seamen repudiated the bargain, and sued him for wages. It was, therefore, a very simple affair, being a mere question of fact as to the partnership, and that depending wholly on the evidence. Having ascertained these particulars, and inquired into the nature of the proof by which his defence was to be supported, and given him his instructions, I requested him to call upon me again in the morning before Court, and bowed to him in a manner too significant to be misunderstood. He, however, still lingered in the room, and turning his hat round and round several times, examining the rim very carefully, as if at a loss to discover the front from the back part of it, he looked up at last, and said:

Lawyer, I have a favor to ask of you." "What is it?" I inquired.

"There is a man," he replied, "coming agin me to-morrow as a witness, of the name of Lillum. He thinks himself a great judge of the fisheries, and he does know a considerable some, I must say; but d- him! I caught fish afore he was born, and know more about fishing than all the Lillums of Plymouth put together. Will you just ask him one question?"

"Yes, fifty, if you like."

"Well, I only want you to try him with one, and that will choke him. Ask him if he knows how many fins a cod has, at a word?'"

"What has that got to do with the cause?" I said with unfeigned astonishment.

"Everything, sir," he answered; "everything in the world. If he is to come to