“Do you think it best to stop here?”

“Why not?  ’Tain’t likely them devils will be back agin.  Thar sure must be somethin’ fer us ter eat in the place, an’ the Lord kno’s we can’t go on as we are.  Them gurls be mighty nigh ready ter drop, an’ two o’ the hosses has plum giv’ out.  I’m fer liftin’ this body out’r yere, an’ settlin’ down fer a few hours enyhow—­say till it gits middling dark.”

Undoubtedly this was the sensible view.  We would be in far less danger remaining there under cover than in any attempt to continue our journey by daylight.  Together we carried Slosser’s body out, and deposited it in a thicket behind the cabin, awaiting burial; and then dragged the dead dog also out of sight.  The disorder within was easily remedied, and, after this had been attended to, the girls were permitted to enter.  Little was said to them, for they had seen enough with their own eyes to render the situation sufficiently clear, although in truth both were so wearied with the night ride, and the strain of those hours of night, as to be practically incapable of feeling any occurrence deeply.  Horror after horror had followed us, until all sense of such things had become seared and deadened.  The mind had reached the limit of endurance, and refused longer to respond.  Even as I repeated briefly what it was we had discovered, and the conclusions drawn, their faces expressed only a dull comprehension, and they seemed rather to be struggling to even keep an appearance of interest.  Eloise sank back on the bench, her head supported against the wall, the lashes of her half-closed eyes showing dark against the whiteness of her cheeks.  She looked so pitifully tired, the very heart choked in my throat.

The rest of us found a small stock of provisions, and Elsie, with Tim to aid her, built a fire and prepared breakfast.  A half-filled bottle of whisky discovered in the cupboard, helped to revive all of us slightly, and gave Asa sufficient courage to seek outside for a spring.  Tim, comparatively unwearied himself, and restless, located a trapdoor in the floor, rather ingeniously concealed, which disclosed the existence of a small cellar below.  Candle in hand he explored this, returning with two guns, together with a quantity of powder and ball, and information that there remained a half-keg of the explosive hidden below.

“Must a bin aiming ter blow up stumps, I reckon,” he commented, exhibiting a sample.  “Coarsest I ever saw; cudn’t hardly use thet in no gun, but it’s powder all right,” and he crumbled the particles between his fingers, flinging the stuff into the fire.

To remove the debris out of our way, I was gathering up the straw tick and slit blankets, and piled them all together back on the bed.  Clinging to one of the blankets, caught and held by its pin, was a peculiar emblem, and I stood for a moment with it in my hand, curiously examining the odd design.  Eloise unclosed her eyes, and started to her feet.