callatin tew go thar tew see," said Israel, significantly.

"We'll git yer brother aouter jail, fer ye, Perez, an ef thar's any
fightin with the m'lishy, ye kin show us haow, I guess."

Meshech, as before intimated, was partially drunk, and spoke out of
the fullness of his heart. But except for this one outburst, a
stranger, especially one who did not know the New England disposition,
and its preference for innuendo to any other mode of speech, in
referring to the most important and exciting topics, would have failed
entirely to get the idea that these farmers and laborers contemplated
an act of armed rebellion on the morrow. He would, indeed, have heard
frequent allusions to the probability there would be great goings on
at Barrington, next morning, and intimations more or less explicit, on
the part of nearly every man present, that he expected to be on hand
to see what was done. But there was no intimation that they,
themselves, expected to be the doers. Many, indeed, perhaps most, had
very likely no distinct idea, of personally doing anything, nor was it
at all necessary that they should have in order to ensure the expected
outbreak, when the time should come. Given an excited crowd, all
expecting something to be done which they desire to have done, and all
the necessary elements of mob action are present.




CHAPTER SEVENTH

THE FIRST ENCOUNTER