jake golcher and habakkuk mcewen were evidently old acquaintances, and the tory seemed to be trying to identify him through the paint that was daubed over his countenance in such a loose fashion.
suddenly the tory broke into a laugh and exclaimed:
"it's him, as sure as creation! i thought it when i first set eyes on you. where did you come from, and why are you got up in that flowery style?"
"sh! sh! sh!" exclaimed mcewen, contracting his brows and shaking his head; "i don't want these folks to know who i am. don't speak my name."
"and why not?" asked the other, with another laugh, as he came closer to the captive.
"they think i'm a friend to 'em; they don't know i'm a tory that come into the valley to raise partic'lar mischief with the settlers."
jake golcher immediately became very sober and drew still closer to mcewen, still gazing sharply into his face. then he asked in a low voice, which, however, was distinctly heard by the whites, so perfect was the stillness at that moment.
"do you expect me to believe that?"
"you kin do as you please about it, but i've been with colonel john butler's forces for three days."
"where was you during the battle this afternoon?"
"i was there," was the unblushing response; "i was out yesterday with a scouting party under ke-fi-ke-fa, the son of queen esther, who was shot by a party of settlers."
whether habakkuk spoke all truth or not, the tory knew he uttered it so far as concerned the son of katharine montour, queen of the senecas. her son was killed on the day preceding, as declared by the prisoner, and it was that cause, as i have already intimated, which served to excite her to such a pitch of fury during the battle and massacre.
jake golcher looked at him again with the same searching gaze, as though he was partly convinced and sought to make sure by reading his countenance.
"what made you paint yourself up in this fashion?"
"so as to be took for an injin."
"what did you want to be took for an injin for?"
"wouldn't i have more chance to do hot work?"
"i don't see why," was the response.
"wal, if you had been near me you would have seen. i scared these folks half to death, but, when they found out who i was, they was dreadful sweet onto me. that give me the chance i wanted with them, and then when the senecas and our own boys seen me, they didn't interfere, so i had a free path to travel."
"how comes it you're in this scrape?"
"i got in among these folks so as to turn 'em over to you, and if it hadn't been for me you'd never got 'em neither."
"how do you make that out?"
"i knowed they meant to fight hard in the cavern, as they showed by picking off a couple of your warriors, but i got 'em to come out and move off up the ravine, knowing sartin sure they would walk into the trap that you had sot for 'em."
jake golcher seemed to be astounded at this statement, and his manner showed he was half persuaded there was some truth in it. if the fellow was really a tory like himself he had no wish to harm him, but he was not fully persuaded, and he turned to mr. brainerd.
"you heard what he said, didn't you?"
"not being deaf, i did."
"do you know whether he speaks the truth or not?"
"i don't know, and what's more i don't care; i know one thing, he didn't render us the slightest help, and in my opinion there is only one bigger coward and scoundrel in the country, and that's yourself."
mr. brainerd looked the tory straight in the eye as he uttered these defiant words, and the latter winced under the indignation of an honest man.
golcher stood for a moment irresolute, his eye wandering up and down the line, until it happened to rest on aunt peggy.
"oh, don't you wink at me that way, you scand'lous villain," she exclaimed, shaking her head; "if you say a word to me, or come any nearer, i'll scratch your eyes out!"
the tory moved a little farther off.
