Arrived at his tent, Matlack found Bill Hammond, a young man in Sadler’s service, who informed him that that burly individual had sent Martin away in the stage-coach, and had ordered him to come and take his place.
“All right,” said Matlack. “I guess you’re as good as he was, and so you can settle down to work. By-the-way, do you know that we are all hermits here?”
“Hermits?” said the other. “What’s that?”
“Why, hermits,” said Matlack, “is individ’als who get up early in the mornin’ and attend to their own business just as hard as they can, without lookin’ to the right or left, until it’s time to go to bed.”
The young man looked at him in some surprise. “There’s nothing so very uncommon in that,” said he.
“No,” replied the guide, “perhaps there ain’t. But as you might hear them talkin’ about hermits here, I thought I’d tell you just what sort of things they are.”