A perfume of wild flowers mingled with the loved odours of
the "weed," and the tinkle of a tiny rivulet fell sweetly on their
ears. In short, the "Pale-faces" were supremely happy, and disposed to
be thankful for their recent deliverance and their present comforts.
"I wonder what the stars are," said Dick, languidly taking the pipe
out of his mouth.
"Bits o' fire," suggested Joe.
"I tink dey are vorlds," muttered Henri, "an' have peepels in dem. I
have hear men say dat."
A long silence followed, during which, no doubt, the star-gazers were
working out various theories in their own minds.
"Wonder," said Dick again, "how far off they be."
"A mile or two, maybe," said Joe.
Henri was about to laugh sarcastically at this, but on further
consideration he thought it would be more comfortable not to, so he
lay still. In another minute he said,--
"Joe Blunt, you is ver' igrant. Don't you know dat de books say de
stars be hondreds, tousands--oh! milleryons of mile away to here, and
dat dey is more bigger dan dis vorld?"
Joe snored lightly, and his pipe fell out of his mouth at this point,
so the conversation dropped.
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