"Well, we must be there if it is next Friday night, and we must finish our
work before we go."

"I'm with you."

"And then, if Duffel don't assist us to fix Duval, or at least, if he don't
let us have our own way in the matter, we will raise Hadley's ghost before
his eyes, and threaten to 'blow' on him."

"He'll do it."

"He shall do it."

"Well, as that's settled, let's go to sleep."

"Yes, for we have a hard day's ride before us to-morrow."

* * * * *

The shades of evening were gathering over the rugged steeps and deep dells
of the Alleghanies, as two horsemen, leaving the summit of the mountains,
descended to a deep, dark valley, shaded and environed by a dense growth
of pine and other wood, on the eastern slope leading to the Atlantic. As
they entered this dismal looking spot, one of them broke the silence by
remarking:

"This is the place."

"Shall we rob him after he is dead?" inquired the other.