‘Waal, I ain’t denyin’ it,’ said Ephraim coolly. ‘Reckon I kin master thet fact ’thout ye drivin’ it inter me with them nasty spikes. Take ’em away.’
The men laughed, and most of them dropped the points of their weapons; but an officer, who just then came up, demanded roughly: ‘Who are you? How and why do you come here?’
Ephraim considered the speaker earnestly before replying, and in that moment took his measure accurately. ‘He’s a hard un,’ thought Grizzly. ‘He’ll make things hum fer us ef he gits his way.’ Aloud he said, pointing to the balloon: ‘Ye see how we came; and ez fer why we came, it war because we couldn’t help it.’
‘None of your insolence,’ said the officer threateningly. ‘What do you mean by you couldn’t help it?’
‘Jest what I sez,’ returned Ephraim, ‘and I hadn’t no idee of bein’ insolent nuther. Ye don’t ’magine we came fer the pleasure er bein’ took prisoner.—I won’t rile him willin’,’ he added within himself.
‘Will we haul down this yer balloon, cunnel, and see if she carries anything?’ asked a sergeant at this stage.
The colonel nodded. ‘Now then, you fellow,’ he said to Ephraim in a bullying tone, ‘tell me instantly what brought you here?’
‘The balloon,’ replied Ephraim without a pause.
‘Don’t humbug me,’ foamed the colonel; ‘I see your dodge plainly enough. You are trying to gain time in order to invent a lie of some sort. But I’d have you know I’m master here, and I’ll have the truth out of you before I’m done with you.’
‘Ez fur ez that goes,’ began Ephraim, when a voice at his elbow said in clear, distinct tones: ‘It is you who are insolent. Southern gentlemen do not lie.’
Ephraim started. He had taken all the colonel’s remarks as addressed to himself, supposing that Lucius was still lying on the ground behind him. But, unknown to his friend, the younger boy had risen on the approach of the colonel, and taken his stand at Grizzly’s side. To give way when surrounded by dangers of such a novel and unimagined order as those from which he had just escaped was one thing; but with his feet once more on _terra firma_, Luce’s courage returned, and, if he felt any uneasiness at the predicament they were in, he certainly did not intend to betray it before the enemies he had been taught to despise as well as to detest. Therefore, in a very emphatic manner he delivered himself of the remark just quoted.