that if knife-play was the
little man's pastime, he was not likely to go short of sport in
that vicinity.
Colonel Zane attracted Jonathan's attention at this moment. The
pioneers had vacated the other table, and Silas and Sheppard now sat
by it. The colonel wanted his brother to join them.
"Here, Johnny, bring drinks," he said to the serving boy. "Tell Metzar
who they're for." Then turning to Sheppard he continued: "He keeps
good whiskey; but few of these poor devils ever see it." At the same
time Colonel Zane pressed his foot upon that of Jonathan's.
The borderman understood that the signal was intended to call
attention to Brandt. The latter had leaned forward, as Jonathan passed
by to take a seat with his brother, and said something in a low tone
to Mordaunt and Case. Jonathan knew by the way the Englishman and his
man quickly glanced up at him, that he had been the subject of
the remark.
Suddenly Williams jumped to his feet with an oath.
"I'm cleaned out," he cried.
"Shall we play alone?" asked Brandt of Mordaunt.
"As you like," replied the Englishman, in a tone which showed he cared
not a whit whether he played or not.
"I've got work to do. Let's have some more drinks, and play another
time," said Brandt.
The liquor was served and drank. Brandt pocketed his pile of Spanish
and English gold, and rose to his feet. He was a trifle unsteady; but
not drunk.
"Will you gentlemen have a glass with me?" Mordaunt asked of Colonel
Zane's party.
"Thank you, some other time, with pleasure. We have our drink now,"
Colonel Zane said courteously.
Meantime Brandt had been whispering in Case's ear. The little man
laughed at something the riverman said. Then he shuffled from behind
the table. He was short, his compact build gave promise of unusual
strength and agility.
"What are you going to do now?" asked Mordaunt, rising also. He looked
hard at Case.
"Shiver my sides, cap'n, if I don't need another drink," replied the
sailor.
"You have had enough. Come upstairs with me," said Mordaunt.
"Easy with your hatch, cap'n," grinned Case. "I want to drink with
that ther' Injun killer. I've had drinks with buccaneers, and bad men
all over the world, and I'm not going to miss this chance."
"Come on; you will get into trouble. You must not annoy these
gentlemen," said Mordaunt.
"Trouble is the name of my ship, and she's a trim, fast craft,"
replied the man.
His loud voice had put an end to the convention. Men began to crowd in
from the bar-room. Metzar himself came to see what had caused the
excitement.
The little man threw up his cap, whooped, and addressed himself to
Jonathan:
"Injun-killer, bad man of the border, will you drink with a jolly old
tar from England?"
Suddenly a silence reigned, like that in the depths of the forest. To
those who knew the borderman, and few did not know him, the invitation
was nothing less than an insult. But it did not appear to them, as to
him, like a pre-arranged plot to provoke a fight.
"Will you drink, redskin-hunter?" bawled the sailor.
"No," said Jonathan in his quiet voice.
"Maybe you mean that against old England?" demanded Case fiercely.
The borderman eyed him steadily, inscrutable as to feeling or intent,
and was silent.
"Go out there and I'll see the color of your insides quicker than I'd
take a drink," hissed the sailor, with his brick-red face distorted
and hideous to look upon. He pointed with a long-bladed knife that no
one had seen him draw, to the green sward beyond the porch.
The borderman neither spoke, nor relaxed a muscle.
"Ho! ho! my brave pirate of the plains!" cried Case, and he leered
with braggart sneer into the faces of Jonathan and his companions.
It so happened that Sheppard sat nearest to him, and got the full
effect of the sailor's hot, rum-soaked breath. He arose with a
pale face.
"Colonel, I can't stand this," he said hastily. "Let's get away from
that drunken ruffian."
"Who's a drunken ruffian?" yelled Case, more angry than ever. "I'm not
drunk; but I'm
little man's pastime, he was not likely to go short of sport in
that vicinity.
Colonel Zane attracted Jonathan's attention at this moment. The
pioneers had vacated the other table, and Silas and Sheppard now sat
by it. The colonel wanted his brother to join them.
"Here, Johnny, bring drinks," he said to the serving boy. "Tell Metzar
who they're for." Then turning to Sheppard he continued: "He keeps
good whiskey; but few of these poor devils ever see it." At the same
time Colonel Zane pressed his foot upon that of Jonathan's.
The borderman understood that the signal was intended to call
attention to Brandt. The latter had leaned forward, as Jonathan passed
by to take a seat with his brother, and said something in a low tone
to Mordaunt and Case. Jonathan knew by the way the Englishman and his
man quickly glanced up at him, that he had been the subject of
the remark.
Suddenly Williams jumped to his feet with an oath.
"I'm cleaned out," he cried.
"Shall we play alone?" asked Brandt of Mordaunt.
"As you like," replied the Englishman, in a tone which showed he cared
not a whit whether he played or not.
"I've got work to do. Let's have some more drinks, and play another
time," said Brandt.
The liquor was served and drank. Brandt pocketed his pile of Spanish
and English gold, and rose to his feet. He was a trifle unsteady; but
not drunk.
"Will you gentlemen have a glass with me?" Mordaunt asked of Colonel
Zane's party.
"Thank you, some other time, with pleasure. We have our drink now,"
Colonel Zane said courteously.
Meantime Brandt had been whispering in Case's ear. The little man
laughed at something the riverman said. Then he shuffled from behind
the table. He was short, his compact build gave promise of unusual
strength and agility.
"What are you going to do now?" asked Mordaunt, rising also. He looked
hard at Case.
"Shiver my sides, cap'n, if I don't need another drink," replied the
sailor.
"You have had enough. Come upstairs with me," said Mordaunt.
"Easy with your hatch, cap'n," grinned Case. "I want to drink with
that ther' Injun killer. I've had drinks with buccaneers, and bad men
all over the world, and I'm not going to miss this chance."
"Come on; you will get into trouble. You must not annoy these
gentlemen," said Mordaunt.
"Trouble is the name of my ship, and she's a trim, fast craft,"
replied the man.
His loud voice had put an end to the convention. Men began to crowd in
from the bar-room. Metzar himself came to see what had caused the
excitement.
The little man threw up his cap, whooped, and addressed himself to
Jonathan:
"Injun-killer, bad man of the border, will you drink with a jolly old
tar from England?"
Suddenly a silence reigned, like that in the depths of the forest. To
those who knew the borderman, and few did not know him, the invitation
was nothing less than an insult. But it did not appear to them, as to
him, like a pre-arranged plot to provoke a fight.
"Will you drink, redskin-hunter?" bawled the sailor.
"No," said Jonathan in his quiet voice.
"Maybe you mean that against old England?" demanded Case fiercely.
The borderman eyed him steadily, inscrutable as to feeling or intent,
and was silent.
"Go out there and I'll see the color of your insides quicker than I'd
take a drink," hissed the sailor, with his brick-red face distorted
and hideous to look upon. He pointed with a long-bladed knife that no
one had seen him draw, to the green sward beyond the porch.
The borderman neither spoke, nor relaxed a muscle.
"Ho! ho! my brave pirate of the plains!" cried Case, and he leered
with braggart sneer into the faces of Jonathan and his companions.
It so happened that Sheppard sat nearest to him, and got the full
effect of the sailor's hot, rum-soaked breath. He arose with a
pale face.
"Colonel, I can't stand this," he said hastily. "Let's get away from
that drunken ruffian."
"Who's a drunken ruffian?" yelled Case, more angry than ever. "I'm not
drunk; but I'm
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