Dunmore turned with a look of inquiry. The Emperor urged his lazy tongue.
"Master w-wants t' go t' Albany an' f-fight them air cussed ballhooters. W-wisht you'd g-go out to caucus."
A "ballhooter" was a man who rolled logs, and Strong used the word in a metaphorical sense.
"I don't vote," said Dunmore, and in half a moment he added just what the Emperor had hoped for:
"What do you know about him?"
"He's a g-gentleman—an' his f-father's a gentleman."
A moment of silence followed.
"He's the b-best chap that ever c-come to my camp," Strong added.
Dunmore came close to the Emperor and spoke in a low tone.
"Tell him," said he, "that I send apologies for my rudeness—he will understand you. Tell him to let us alone awhile. I have been foolish, but I am changing. Tell him if marriage is in his mind I cannot now bear to think of it. But I will try—"