Before morning Zeke Garvan and his hopeful son, Zeb, were prisoners at the camp of the Mountain Boys.
Zeke expected to be shot, and whimpered like a child.
His son, Zeb, was brave, and showed that death had no terrors for him.
There was a sort of bulldog courage about him which won the admiration of even his enemies. He faced the Mountain Boys with a defiance which seemed to mean:
"What are you going to do about it?"
When Allen asked him why he had been so treacherous, he laughed as though the question was a good joke.
"I worsted the enemy, didn't I?"
"What do you mean?"
Zeb screwed up his mouth as though about to whistle, then suddenly changed and burst into another laugh.
"Come, my boy, we do not make war on boys, so tell me your motive."