“Surely I did,” Farley replied coolly.
The soldiers burst into roars of laughter. Ross’s face flushed angrily. But Farley continued naïvely:
“You see, it was jest like this. You had to have somethin’ to eat—an’ you needed it quick. Well, our suppers was over—no chance fer you there. I could ’ave gone to the commissary an’ got some raw grub, but it would ’ave took time to cook it. In the meantime you was starvin’. So thinks I, ‘I’ll jest go to Ol’ Tippecanoe—I’m purty well acquainted with him by this time, an’ he’s probably at supper—an’ ask him to divide his supper with Ross Douglas.’ So that’s what I done. An’ here’s y’r grub—steamin’ hot an’ calkerlated to make you feel like a fightin’ cock.”
And with the words, Farley triumphantly spread the food upon the ground before his exhausted friend.
“There’s hot coffee,” he said, “an’ hot pone, an’ hot meat. They’ll warm up y’r in’ards an’ limber up y’r tongue. Fall to now—’fore the things gits cold.”
Douglas required no urging. He was trembling with hunger and fatigue; he felt as though he should faint, if he fasted much longer. With evident satisfaction, Farley and Bright Wing silently watched him as he ate. Duke rested his nose upon his master’s knee and, heaving a sigh of content, drowsily closed his great eyes. The soldiers knocked the ashes from their pipes and, one by one, curled up in their blankets and fell asleep. When Ross had finished, he stretched his feet to the fire and, turning to Farley, asked smilingly:
“What did General Harrison say when you made a demand upon him, for a share of his supper for me?”
“Said it ’forded him great pleasure to do so—a pleasure ’xceeded only by the pleasure he felt in knowin’ you was still alive an’ able to eat. Then he told me to say to you to call at his quarters, in the mornin’; that he wanted to meet you ag’in, an’ that ther’ was a subject demandin’ your attention—’r words to that effect.”
A pleased expression rested upon Douglas’s powder-stained face, as he said:
“And I shall be delighted to meet my old commander again. He’s one of nature’s gentlemen.”