"All parts resound with tumults, plaints and fears;
And grisly death in sundry shapes appears."
—Dryden.
There was great excitement in Burgtown. The old tavern keeper had found three horses without his door, standing there jaded, tired, in the early dawn. He recognised them as the animals of the pilot and the two prospectors. Around the tavern's long porch were assembled Professor Bill Banks, the town citizens, and several outside squatters, a motley assemblage, listening to old Burke's recital. The tavern keeper was filled with importance, for once he was the centre of attraction and seemed like a Fourth of July orator, so breathless did all seem to hang upon his words. His round body was swelled to greater proportions as he proceeded, in a roundabout way, to narrate what he knew of the affair.
"It war this way. The pilot, Hugh Lark, he kem a-riding up about dark last night and asked fer the strangers, whether they was to home in the tavern. He seemed powerful anxious to have them right away. 'Going rafting, Hugh?' sez I, social-like. 'No,' sez he; 'air Mr. Ande and Mr. Dick in?' 'Been rafting?' sez I. Then he fired up, mad-like, and talked about the grey mare of hisn being able to pull a oar as good as any raftsman. I had my doubts of that, though the mare has a heap of sense. But I thought he war joking, and I guess he war. About that time I up and asked whether he war a-going a-hunting for the mine. You see the strangers air pros—whatever it is—I mean they war miners, and we uns had the idee that they were a-searching for something of that kind. He up and sez, short-like, that he warn't and that they war just going hunting. 'Bout this time Mr. Ande and Mr. Dick come out, and their hosses were brought around, and they jumped on, and then I thought I would ask Mr. Ande, being as he war allers social-like. 'Air ye going to find thet mine, Mr. Ande?' sez I. Then he up, and in high larndt langwidge, told we uns about their going after some kind of fishes, but I ne'er hearn tell of a man going fishin' without hooks and with a gun and——"
"Come, cut it short," said Professor Bill, impatiently. "At what hour did they go?"
"'Bout seven o'clock last night, and——"
"And when did the horses return?"
"Well, if I do hev to say it——"
"Come," said Bill, with the authority of a leader, "when did they return?"
"Well—I kalkilate 'bout five o'clock in the morning, leastways they were here when we uns got up."