Fish—fish—but no, I will not be angry with you Taber; I dare not, much as you deserve it, for every thing we have in the world is now at stake—everything. I entreat you therefore, my friends—I implore you, instead of laying by your arms, to double your guard this very night; instead of sleeping, to watch more than ever—I feel afraid of this deep tranquility—
Nonsense—double the watch now, when every thing is quiet in the woods, and down by the beach, and not a breath o’ noise to be heard anywhere?
Yea—yea—for that very reason. Look you, David Fisher—I know well what the Indians are, better than you do now, and better than you ever will, I hope. I have now done my duty. Do you yours—I have nothing more to say; but I shall be prepared as I would have you prepare, for the night which is now at hand. Our foes are not on the water, Smith, nor nigh the water now, or they might fish for their food without alarming us. But whether you believe me or no, I say again that they are not far from us, and that we shall find it so, to our sorrow, if you do not keep a better look out for the——there—there—do you see how that partridge flies!—I tell you again and again, there’s something alive in that very wood now.
I dare say there is—haw, haw, haw!
And so I say, Mark Smith, hee, hee, hee—
It may be one o’ the dogs—ha, ha, ha!—And they all sprang up together with a jovial outcry, and began to caper about in the grass, and call to a group that were at work a little way off, to go with them and help scour the wood, where the new Joshua thought there was something alive.
You forget Mark Smith—dogs do not go into the woods—stay, stay, I beseech you—don’t be so foolhardy—try to make one of the dogs go to the top of that hill before you—nay, nay, Carver; nay, nay, and you too, Clark—are you mad Sir?—you a lieutenant of war, and the first of our men to play the fool.
Here you men, said Clark. Here you men, I say!—Whose afeard among the whole boodle of you?
No answer.
Nobody’s afeard—so I thought. Hourra then—hourra for the king!