CHAPTER XIX.
WITHIN THE TOWER.
Inside they found themselves in a circular room. The floor was bare, but fairly clean. Facing the door was a rusty stove, with an iron pot and a kettle smoking and steaming on it, in a way that gave promise of a speedy meal. For the rest, there was a rough table and several chairs set about in disorder. In one corner was a tall cupboard.
Their host approached this receptacle after he had set down his gun, and produced three tin cups, three tin plates and the accompanying knives and forks. Likewise, he set out bread, and salt and pepper casters. This done, he took off the pot from the stove, and with a ladle, dished out upon each dish a fairly generous portion of a kind of stew.
"There's water in that bucket in the corner," he volunteered, sitting down and beginning to shovel in his food with scant courtesy.
The lads filled their tin cups at the receptacle mentioned, and then fell to on the food, with what appetites may be imagined. Whatever their hardships had been, they had not interfered with their abilities as trenchermen.
While they ate, the man eyed them curiously, but he said nothing. In fact, once or twice, when Jack looked up and caught the fellow furtively eying them, the other looked hastily away, as if he had been caught in some mean act. In this manner the meal was eaten, and when it had been despatched the man spoke.
"You said something about paying," he grunted in his mumbling tones.
"Certainly," rejoined Jack; "how much do we owe you?"
"Well, now, considering that I have to use powder and shot for everything I get, and that you two lads have made a terrible hole in my larder, I don't think a dollar apiece is too much."
The man looked up, as if he half-expected the lads to refuse to pay this exorbitant sum. But Jack readily paid him, only remarking that they felt so much better that he would willingly have paid even more.