“We made up to the woods without raising a sign; and, my lands, wasn’t it dark inside the woods!  I worked forward, trying to keep straight from tree to tree; but I stumbled and tore my clothes and sprained my wrist, and blacked one eye the prettiest you’d want to see—­mighty near being a blubberhead myself, I was—­it not being my kids, you understand.  Oh, I kept to it though!  I’d have gone straight up the grand old state of New York into Lake Erie if something hadn’t stopped me.

“It was a light off through the pine and oak trees, and down in a kind of little draw—­not a lamplight but a fire blazing up.  I yelled to both sides toward the others.  I can yell good when I’m put to it.  Then I started for the light.  I could make out figures round the fire.  Mebbe it’s a Blackhanders’ camp, I think; so I didn’t yell any more.  I cat-footed.  And in a minute I was up close and seen ’em—­there in the dripping rain.

“Rupert, Junior, was asleep, leaned setting up against a tree, with a messenger boy’s cap on.  And Margery was asleep on a pile of leaves, with her cheek on one hand and something over her.  And a fat man was asleep on his back, with his mouth open, making an awful fuss about it.  And the only one that wasn’t asleep was a funny little old man setting against another tree.  He had on the scout’s campaign hat and he held the gun across his chest in the crook of his arm.  He hadn’t any coat on.  Then I see his coat was what was over Margery; and I looked closer and it was a messenger boy’s coat.

“I was more floored than ever when I took that in.  I made a little move, and this funny old man must have heard me—­he looked like one of them silly little critters that play hob with Rip Van Winkle out on the mountain before he goes to sleep.  And he cocks his ears this way and that; then he jumped to his feet, and I come forward where he could see me.  And darned if he didn’t up with this here air gun of Rupert’s, like a flash, and plunk me with a buckshot it carried—­right on my sprained wrist, too!

“Say, I let out a yell, and I had him by the neck of his shirt in one grab.  I was still shaking him when the others come to.  The fat man set up and rubbed his eyes and blinked.  That’s all he done.  Rupert woke up the same minute and begun to cry like a baby; and Margery woke up, but she didn’t cry.  She took a good look at me and she says:  ’You let him alone!  He’s my knight—­he slays all the dragons.  He’s a good knight!’

“There I was, still shaking the little old man—­I’d forgot all about him.  So I dropped him on the ground and reached for Margery; and I was so afraid I was going to blubber like Rupert, the scout, that I let out some words to keep from it.  Yes, sir; I admit it.

“‘Oh!  Oh!  Oh!  Swearing!’ says Rupert.  I shall tell mother and Aunt Hilda just what you said!’

“Mebby you can get Rupert’s number from that.  I did anyway.  I stood up from Margery and cuffed him.  He went on sobbing, but not without reason.