Instantly came back a response in his own words, as a bo’sun repeats the orders of the mate, ‘Let her go!’
But the balloon remained stationary, and at last, after waiting for a moment or two, Ephraim cast prudence to the winds and shouted at the top of his voice: ‘Let her go, ye durned fools. Why don’t ye let her go?’
‘Ye durned fools, why don’t ye let her go?’ was hurled back at him with savage emphasis.
‘By time!’ began Ephraim—when Lucius interrupted with, ‘That was echo, Grizzly.’
‘Echo in this yer field!’ retorted Ephraim. ‘Thar ain’t any echo. If thar war, why didn’t she up ’n answer when I gave the boys good-bye and ye hollered out yer message?’
‘Well, it sounded like it,’ persisted Lucius. ‘Try again and make sure.’
‘Let her go, can’t ye?’ howled Ephraim, unable, in his anxiety to be quit of mother earth, to think of any other test. But this time there was no reply.
‘What’d I tell ye?’ cried Ephraim excitedly. ‘Thar warn’t no echo. The or’nery skunks hev been playin’ it back on us, and now they’ve skedaddled and left us anchored hyar.’
‘Perhaps some one came along and scared them,’ suggested Lucius.
‘I’ll scare ’em wanst I git down agen,’ grumbled Ephraim. ‘However, it don’t amount ter a cob er corn. I’ll soon cut her loose, though sutt’nly I didn’t want ter lose that extry bit er rope.’