"Only two nephews, Sandy and Malcolm, in the 'Land of Cakes,'" was the reply.
"What a good uncle you must be to them!"
"Thank you, laddie. I hope the bairns are as fine boys as you and your brother."
"You are very kind to say so, sir. May I ask you a question?"
"A dozen, laddie, if you choose."
"When you overtook us on the desert you said it was not far to Tyson's Wells, and that we should soon be there?"
"Ah!—then you thought it a long way, Sergeant?"
"Perhaps my terrible thirst had something to do with it, but I thought you had a queer notion of distances."
"Only a little deception to keep up your hearts. I saw you were in sorry need of water, and I rode hard to send it to you; but I wanted you to do your best to meet it. You would have found the distance longer without it."
"I think I should, sir. The last twenty miles were just nothing after we found your barrels."