"Three or four days! why your bag contains," and the
officer partly raised a corner of the sail, "provisions
for a week, or, at least, for TWO for half that period."

The manner in which the TWO was emphasised did not escape
the attention of the settler. He was visibly disconcerted,
nor was he at all reassured when the younger officer
proceeded:

"By the bye, Desborough, we saw you leave the hut with
a companion--what has become of him?"

The Yankee, who had now recovered his self-possession,
met the question without the slightest show of hesitation:

"I expect you mean, young man," he said, with insufferable
insolence, "a help as I had from Hartley's farm, to assist
gittin' down the things. He took home along shore when
I went back to the hut for the small bores."

"Oh ho, sir! the rifles ate not then concealed near the
Sandusky swamp, I find."

For once, the wily settler felt his cunning had over-reached
itself. In the first fury of his subdued rage, he muttered
something amounting to a desire that he could produce
them at that moment, as he would well know where to lodge
the bullets--but, recovering himself, he said aloud: