Smirker was too completely cowed by the presence of the giant, with whose powers he had more than once been made fully acquainted, to fabricate a falsehood even if he had anything to gain by it. Not daring to disobey, or even to hesitate, he began, and in a faltering voice told the story of Julian’s visit to his cabin just as we have related it. He also described what had taken place after Fred’s arrival, but added that Silas must ask the boy to explain that, for it was something he could not comprehend.
“I can soon make it plain to you,” said White-horse Fred, now taking up the story. “You can’t imagine how surprised I was to find Julian here, and if Smirker had possessed any control over himself I should not have known what to do. But the way he looked and acted gave me a clew, and I saw through the whole thing as clearly as if it had been explained to me in words. Uncle Reginald, you know, happened to ride by old Antoine’s cabin the other day while I was absent, and seeing one of my horses, Snowdrop, there, suddenly conceived a violent passion for her and took possession of her without saying so much as ‘by your leave.’ I wondered what he intended to do with her and now I have found out. He gave her to my brother. Julian this morning thought he would take a ride and look over the country, and not knowing that the horse belonged to a band of robbers, gave her a loose rein and she brought him here. Finding that he had got himself into trouble, he acted upon some hint that Smirker gave him and passed himself off for me; and if I had not arrived just as I did, he would have got away without being suspected. To help him out of the difficulty, I told Smirker that my name was Julian Mortimer, and the blockhead believed it.”
“Thar ain’t nothing so very strange in that,” observed Silas. “No man on airth could tell you two apart if you was dressed alike.”
“But we were not. Smirker has seen me in these clothes a hundred times, I suppose, and I should think he ought to have recognized me. Now that I think of it, I ran something of a risk, didn’t I? Suppose that when I said that my name was Julian Mortimer, my brother had lost his courage and revealed himself? Wouldn’t I have been in a scrape? I depended entirely upon his presence of mind to carry me through, and I didn’t lose by it. But wasn’t he astonished, though? I thought he would tumble out of his saddle. But he behaved pretty well, considering that he is from the States.”
“Why didn’t you want to tell me who he was?” asked Smirker, who had listened attentively to the story.
“I would have been smart to do that, wouldn’t I?” returned White-horse Fred. “Suppose I had told you, and you had succeeded in making an end of me before Silas came, what would you have done? You would have gone straight to Uncle Reginald and told him what had happened, and he would—Well, it’s enough for you to know that he would have made trouble for Julian. Silas, if you had only come a few minutes sooner he would have been with us now. I am uneasy about him. He will get into difficulty when he gets home, now you see if he doesn’t.”
“I couldn’t come no sooner,” replied the trapper; “‘cause I had more trouble than I thought I’d have crawlin’ down that long, dark passage-way that leads from the top of the cliff. What’s the matter with you?”
This question was addressed to Smirker, who suddenly began to exhibit a greater degree of terror than the circumstances seemed to warrant. The show of courage he had maintained ever since he found that Fred was disposed to stand between him and the vengeance of the trapper vanished as quickly as it had appeared; and scarcely able to retain an upright position, he was obliged to lean against the wall for support.
“You needn’t be no ways skeery,” said Silas, who seemed to feel some compassion for the trembling wretch. “We’ve got plenty agin you, but if you behave yourself, nobody’s goin’ to hurt you. All we ask of you is to tell us something we want to know; an’ if you will do that, we’ll turn you loose, an’ you can dig out of this country as soon as you please.”