His face fell in astonishment. He looked for all the world as though he had received a blow.
“It’s the only life for a man to live,” he replied. “Ah, if you were to tell the truth, I think you enjoyed the little fight tonight as well as I.”
“I’m glad we won,” I said. Then I fell to thinking. After a while I drawled out, “Listen, master scrivener, haven’t I seen you some time before?”
He waved me aside and pointed to the two on the floor.
“We’ll have to fix them for the night so they’ll do no harm,” he said. “Come, we’ll carry them outside and tie them to the trees.”
We took them one by one and dragged them out of the house. We bound them hand and foot and lashed them each to a single tree. When we had finished the scrivener started to whistle a tune.
“You’re good at that, master scrivener,” I began again.
“Good at what?” he demanded.
“—at tying men to trees,” I suggested slyly.
“I’m good at everything I touch,” he replied. “Never yet has any man got the better of me.”