“Joseph Hall.”
“Are you the young man who owns The Swallow?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I’ve heard of you, then. You are famous all along the frontier. Were you on The Swallow when you came in here?”
“Yes,” replied Joseph, much pleased by the captain’s remarks. “There stands The Swallow right now.” And he pointed to a corner of the fort where the horses were tethered.
“I must go and see him, when this fight is over. That is, if we win.”
“Of course we’ll win,” exclaimed Joseph. “Don’t you think so?”
“Unless they set fire to us.”
“You don’t think they’ll do that, do you? Why, they couldn’t get close enough to us at any rate.”
“After dark they might. Still, I don’t believe they will,” Captain Stone continued. “The blaze could be seen for miles and would bring a swarm of troops down upon them in a very short time.”