“I don’t like this business of runnin’ off women, nohow you can fix it.  It allers looked mean and cowardly, somehow, and I despise meanness and cowardice above all things.”

“Well, that is a pretty speech to come from you, anyhow! as if you had not been engaged in mean acts half your life, for which you would have to swing, if the law should once get his clutches upon you.”

“I know I have done some bad things; of mean acts I have performed but few, and the meanest of these was helping to carry off this very gal to the cave; and it was by far the most cowardly.  Two men to one woman!  It’s actually a disgrace, and I never think of it without feelin’ little!”

“I am willing you should think as you please about the matter, so you give me a little help in the affair.”

“I don’t know about that; I am tee-totally opposed to meddlin’ with women, and I don’t think it’s manly.”

“Yes, but in this instance we are compelled, as it were, to take the girl with us.  That changes the case, you know, very materially.”

“I’m not so sure as we need to take her.  I believe she’d keep our secret ef we’d let her go.”

“Well, I don’t; and so we differ.  But that is not the question.  Go she must—­go she shall!  Will you assist me?”

“Why, I reckon I’ll have to; it wouldn’t hardly be fair to refuse a friend after helpin’ an enemy.  I’ll stand by you.”

“That’s a good fellow!  Well, so much is settled.  To-morrow Duffel will be away, and I will take the impression for the key.  By Jove, won’t it be rich when he finds that he has been robbed and the bird is flown!”

“I think he’ll conclude this partic’lar part of God’s footstool is likely to become a leetle too hot for him.”

“Yes; and about the time he begins to prepare for leaving, he’ll find himself taken care of in a way he doesn’t dream of.”

“And there will be one coward less at large in the world.”

“And he will be paid for his treason to his friends.”

“But how are we to manage him till the time for action comes?”

“Oh, we must be friendly as ever; he is not quite done with us yet, and we must seem to enter into his plans as fully as ever we have done, and, above all, give him no cause to suspect anything is wrong, or that we have any idea of his intentions toward us.”

“Then we must go after them horses to-night?”

“Certainly; I would not miss the opportunity, because, if we succeed in taking the horses, they will be under our care, and we can use them for our own purpose.”

“Sure enough.  But if we don’t get them, what then are we to do?”

“Why, we will take some from the stable.”

“I don’t like that much.  Ef it is found out, as it will be when we are missed, we shall have the enmity of the Order.”

“I know, and have prepared for such an emergency.”