I take my stand with the defenseless, where I know thou and thy friends
will surely be! I am thy man!"

"It is not included in our plans to fight," said Monty.

"Sahib, there is always work for real soldiers!"

"What do you fellows say? Shall we let him come with us?"

"I travel at my own charges, sahib. I am well mounted and well armed."

"Sure, let him come with us!" said Will. "I like the man."

"He has my leave to come along to England afterward," said Fred,
"if he'll guarantee to address me as the 'gift of God' in public!"

I left them talking and returned to see whether the "martyred biped
Measel" needed further help. He was asleep, and as I listened to
his breathing I heard voices in the next room. The German was talking
in English, that being often the only tongue that ten men have in
common. Through the partly opened door I could see that his room
was crammed with men.

"They are spies, every one of them!" I heard him say. "The man I
thrashed is of their party. You yourselves saw how they came to
his rescue, and seduced the Indian by means of threats. This is
the way of the English. ("Curse them!" said a voice.) They write
notes in a book, and when that offense is detected they burn the
book in a corner, as ye saw them do. I saw the book before they
burned it. I thrashed the spy who wrote in the book because he had