"The rale fact is, I've a long gun hid, as I said, near
the swamp, but my small bore I always carry with me--only
think, jist as I and Hartley's help left the hut, I pit
my rifle against the outside wall, not being able to
carry it down with the other things, and when I went back
a minute or two ater, drot me if some tarnation rascal
hadn't stole it."

"And if you had the British rascal on t'other shore, you
wouldn't be long in tucking a knife into his gizzard,
would you?" asked Middlemore, in a nearly verbatim
repetition of the horrid oath originally uttered by
Desborough, "I see nothing to warrant our interfering
with him," he continued in an under tone to his companion.

Not a little surprised to hear his words repeated, the
Yankee lost somewhat of his confidence as he replied,
"well now sure-LY, you officers didn't think nothin' o'
that--I expect I was in a mighty rage to find my small
bore gone, and I did curse a little hearty, to be sure."

"The small bore multiplied in your absence," observed
Grantham; "when I looked at the hut there were two."

"Then maybe you can tell who was the particular d----d
rascal that stole them," said the settler eagerly.

Middlemore laughed heartily at his companion, who observed:

"The particular d----d rascal who removed, not stole them