whether in spite of himself or not. "There was as many as four exhorters
keepun' her up at once to diff'rent tunes, and prayun' and singun'
everywhere, so you couldn't hear yourself think. Every exhorter had a
mourners' bench in front of him, and I counted as many as eighty mourners
on 'em at one time. The most of 'em was settun' under Elder Grove, and he
was poundun' the kingdom into 'em good and strong. When the Spirit took
him he roared so that he had the Hounds just flaxed out; you couldn't
ketch a yelp from 'em."

"Many Hounds?" Braile asked, in a sort of cold sympathy with the riotous
outlaws known to the religious by that name.

"Mought been 'fore I got there. But by that time I reckon they was most
of 'em on the mourners' benches. They ought to tar and feather some of
them fellers, or ride 'em on a rail anyway, comun' round, and makun'
trouble on the edge of camp-meetun's. I didn't hear but one toot from
their horns, last night, and either because the elder had shamed 'em back
into the shadder of the woods, or brought 'em forwards into the light,
there wasn't a Hound, not to _call_ a Hound, anywheres. I tell you it
was a sight, Squire; you ought to 'a' been there yourself." Reverdy
grinned at his notion. "They had eight camp-fires goun' instead o' four,
on top of the highest stageun's yit, so the whole place was lit up as
bright as day; and when the elder stopped short and sudden, and the other
exhorters held back their tommyhawks, and all the saints and sinners left
off their groanun' and jerkun' to see what was comun', now it was a great
sight, I tell you, Squire. The elder he put up his hand and says he, 'Let
us pray!' and the blaze from all them stageun's seemed to turn itself
right onto him, and the smoke and the leaves hung like a big red cloud
over him, and everybody had their eyes fastened tight on his face, like
they couldn't turn 'em anywhere else if they tried. But he didn't begin