"What were the yarn, now?" asked Bill.

"I says 'tis no yarn. 'Tis what happened t' me," asserted Ed, assuming
a much injured air. "As I were sayin', 'twere a frosty evenin' twelve
year ago. I were comin' t' my lower tilt, an' when I gets handy t' un
what does I see but a big band o' mountaineers around th' tilt. Th'
mountaineers was not always friendly in those times as they be now,
an' I makes up my mind for trouble. I comes up t' un an' speaks t' un
pleasant, an' goes right in th' tilt t' see if un be takin' things. I
finds a whole barrel o' flour missin' an' comes out at un. They owns
up t' eatin' th' flour, an' they had eat th' hull barrel t' _one_
meal--now ye mind, _one_ meal. When un eats a _barrel_ o' flour t'
_one_ meal there be a big band o' un. They was so many o' un I never
counted. They was like t' be ugly at first, but I looks fierce like,
an' tells un they must gi' me fur t' pay for un. I was so fierce like
I scares un--scares un bad. I were _one_ man alone, an' wi' a bold
face I had th' whole band so scared they each gives me a marten, an' I
has a flat sled load o' martens from un--handy t' a hundred an'
fifty--an' if I hadn't 'a' been bold an' scared un I'd 'a' had none.
Injuns be easy scared if un knows how t' go about it."

Bill laughed and remarked,

"'Tis sure a fine yarn, Ed. How does un look t' be fierce an' scare
folk?"

"A fine yarn! An' I tells un 'tis a gospel truth, an' no yarn,"
asserted Ed, apparently very indignant at the insinuation.

"Bob's late comin'," remarked Dick. "'Tis gettin' dark."