"Of course—of course—I only asked to—that is, I just asked——"
"To find out," put in Pat, with a comical expression, as he looked down and surveyed his clinging garments.
"Do you wish to change your clothes?" asked Waring, who had noticed the furtive glance of the Irishman.
"There bein' ladies in the neighborhood, p'rhaps they might 'bjact, as, be the token that we have no clouthes to put on, our costume would be rather picturesque, as the man said when he came out from the river, and found a cow had ate up his garments."
"We can furnish you with something I think."
"It's entirely unnecessary, entirely unnecessary," said Hezekiah, with a graceful wave of his hand. "The water is not cold at all, and the bathing was quite pleasant. But, I was going to ask whether the Indians had troubled you yet?"
"If you had examined the side of the boat as you came up, you would have seen several bullets imbedded in it. They were fired by Indians."
"Deu tell!" gasped Hezekiah.
"We paid no heed to them at first, in the hopes that they would leave us, when they found we were aware of their motives; but, as they kept following us, Mr. Lander and myself sent several shots among them, that made them howl, and send volley after volley after us in return."
"They didn't kill yer?"