“A little court-plaster and a box of salve might be of some service to me,” said Hale. “In fact, I guess we all need repairing but Jack.”
“I’m right side up and round as a Mexican dollar,” said the lanky stableman. “Trot out your medicine chest, and I’ll doctor the party.”
Charley procured the medicine-chest for him, and Jack immediately set to work upon his friends.
“By George, that was just about as lively a little affair as I can remember having been in,” said Hale. “The air seemed full of knives.”
“And cuss-words,” said Charley, as Jack put some salve on a wound in the boy’s leg.
“Well, this winds up your services in the capacity of stableman,” said Hale to his follower. “Jack, I must congratulate you on the success with which you’ve carried out your ideas. We now know, or rather you know and can soon tell us, every portion of the enemy’s camp, and are also fully satisfied that the counterfeiting is carried on down-stairs. Just as soon as I can collect my boys together we’ll raid on the gang, and either capture them or burn the building over their heads. Here, put some ointment in this cut on my shoulder.”
“Look,” said Barry Brown, pointing up towards the sky.
A few miles away, so it appeared to their eyes, a brilliant rocket, composed of some material far exceeding powder in intensity of light, was winding up gracefully in the air, making snake like motions as it shot towards the sky.
“Hurrah! eureka! bully!” roared Charley Gorse.
“What’s the matter?” cried Hale.