“Bosh. What can a little party of you farmers do against a force of the king’s soldiers?”
“We are almost as many as your force, we are all armed, and we know how to shoot.”
“Humph. How many are there of you?”
“There are fifteen of us.”
“Well, there are fifty in our party, so what show do you stand of fighting against us successfully.”
“I have information to the effect that there are only twenty in your party.”
This seemed to surprise the redcoats, and there was silence for a few moments, and then the leader said: “Who informed you to that effect, if I may ask?”
“That is my affair.”
“Well, your informant was mistaken. There are fifty of us, and if you try to show fight, we will kill the whole gang of you.”
“You are only twenty, and we will fight you, and will easily drive you away, too, for the reason that the path is so narrow only a few of you can approach at a time. We can shoot you down as fast as you appear at the edge of the island.”