Hajason realized his peril. Fighting down his anger, he moistened his lips and apologetically said:
“Hard words always rile me. I come here alone to drive a bargain. Why shouldn’t I have some ambitions as well as ye? Ye don’t own the Tonpits. They come to me without my askin’, an’ I’ve held ’em in camp. Tonpit has money an’ offered me a thousand pounds, gold, for to be free along with the girl. Afore bargainin’ with him I come to see if ye’d outbid him. That’s all.”
For a full minute McGillivray pondered over his frank statement; then he smiled whimsically, replaced his pistol and brusquely admitted:
“Yes; you have a right to take your profit. If you had accepted the major’s thousand pounds he would have come to me. I’ll give the two thousand for the safe delivery of him and the girl here at Little Talassee. Two thousand pounds for the two. McGillivray, Emperor of the Creeks, does not have to haggle over terms. When can you have them here? Time presses.”
Red Hajason combed his beard and turned to stare at Sevier. Pointing to the borderer he said:
“If that man can be kept here, so’s he can’t interfere, I’ll not lose a minute in gittin’ back to my camp. I’ll return here, fetchin’ the Tonpits, as fast as hossflesh can bring us.”
“Mr. Sevier plans to spend the Summer with me,” quietly assured McGillivray. “Should he go away, it will be on a very long journey and in a direction opposite to the one you will take in returning to your camp.”
Polcher smiled. Hajason was slower to catch the point, but when he did he broke into a loud guffaw.
“—— my liver, McGillivray,” he cried, “but ye’re a neat one! ‘Opposite direction!’ To the Twilight Western land, eh? Ha! Ha! An’ takin’ along mighty little skin on that fox body of his, eh? Good! I’ll eat an’ git a fresh hoss from ye an’ start back on the hump.”
“The sooner the better,” insisted McGillivray.