“There he is!” exclaimed Bayard, gleefully. “We’re all right now. He hasn’t been to the village at all, and consequently has told no one of our secret.”
“How do you know that?” asked Will, who thought his cousin rather hasty in forming his conclusions.
“Why, he’s here alone, isn’t he? If he had visited any of the settlers and told them what he heard us say yesterday, and what happened last night in Mr. Gaylord’s yard, some of them would have been here with him. I feel greatly encouraged. Let’s surround the house and capture him.”
“And if we come to close quarters with him, be careful to keep out of the way of his fists,” added Will. “He’s as strong as a horse, and he isn’t afraid of anything.”
Bayard waved his hands right and left, and his cousins separated and dismounted on opposite sides of the house. After hitching their horses they entered the hall on tip-toe just as the fugitives had finished their raid on the old Frenchman’s eatables, and were discovered in the manner we have described.
“Fellows,” whispered Bayard, when Wilson had dropped back into the room after holding the short colloquy we have recorded, “there’s some one in there with him, for I can hear them talking. It’s Chase, I’ll bet a dollar.” Then raising his voice he called out: “You were getting ready to leave, were you? It seems we arrived just in time. We’ve got you both right where we want you. We’ll teach you to play eavesdropper before we are done with you.”
Chase and Wilson made no reply to this. The latter, who did not intend to be cheated out of his dinner, even if there were enemies almost within reach of him, once more picked up his bread and meat, and while he was devouring it ran his eyes all around the room as if searching for some avenue of escape.
“You needn’t keep so still in there,” continued Bayard in a louder tone. “We know just how the thing stands.”
“Well, what of it?” demanded Chase. “What do you propose to do about it?”
“Ah! my young boy, I thought you were there,” cried Bayard, recognising Chase’s voice. “We don’t intend to do much. We’ll just keep you in that room till Coulte comes home—that’s all.”
“We’d like to see you do it,” replied Wilson, angrily. “We’re coming out now, and if any of you stand in our way you’ll get hurt. We don’t want anything more to do with you, and you will save yourselves trouble by going off and minding your own business.”