“Yes,” said the man, and they saw that he was working with his left hand now, snipping at the stubbly beard with the scissors, while with the other he held his moustache back to keep it from being cut.
“Look here,” said Mark; “was it you who came close up to me in the dark when I was on the watch?”
“Yes,” said the man sadly. “Thought you was asleep.”
“It was lucky for you that I did not shoot you.”
“Yes,” said the man dismally, as he slowly took off his hat and poked one long thin finger through a hole that the boys had not previously noticed, shook his head at it sadly, put his hat on again, and went on snipping as before.
“There, Dean! Now, then, was it a false alarm?”
“Well, no; but I should never have taken this chap for a lion,” replied his cousin. “Here, I say, you, sir, why do you speak as if you were sorry that my cousin did not hit you?”
“Wasn’t,” said the man, mournfully snipping away.
“Well, what do you want?”
“Breakfast,” said the man. “Had none since you come away.”