re's sweet
restorer" held him so fast, that for three hours he lay precisely as he
fell, without the slightest motion, save the slow and regular heaving of
his broad chest.

At the end of that time he was rudely shaken by a strong hand. The
guilty are always easily startled. Springing from his couch he had
seized Bevan by the throat before he was quite awake.

"Hist! man, not quite so fast" gasped his host shaking him off. "Come,
they've turned up sooner than I expected."

"What--who?" said Brixton, looking round.

"My enemy, of coorse, an' a gang of redskins to help him. They expect
to catch us asleep, but they'll find out their mistake soon enough.
That lad there brought me the news, and, you see, he an' Betty are
getting things ready."

Tom glanced through the slightly opened doorway, as he tightened his
belt, and saw Betty and a boy of about fourteen years of age standing at
a table, busily engaged loading several old-fashioned horse-pistols with
buckshot.

"Who's the boy?" asked Tom.

"They call him Tolly. I saved the little chap once from a grizzly b'ar,
an' he's a grateful feller, you see--has run a long way to give me
warnin' in time. Come, here's a shot-gun for you, charged wi' slugs.
I'm not allowed to use ball, you must know, 'cause Betty thinks that
balls kill an' slugs only wound! I humour the little gal, you see, for
she's a good darter to me. We've both on us bin lookin' forward to this
day, for we knowed it must come sooner or later, an' I made her a
promise that, when it did come, I'd only defend the hut wi' slugs. But
slugs ain't bad shots at a close range, when aimed low."

The man gave a sly chuckle and a huge wink as he said this, and entered
the large room of the hut.

Betty was very pale and silent. She did not even look up from the
pistol she was loading when Tom entered. The boy Tolly, however, looked
at his tall, strong figure with evident satisfaction.

"Ha!" he exclaimed, ramming down a charge of slugs with great energy;
"we'll be able to make a good fight without your services, Betty. Won't
we, old man?"

The pertly-put question was addressed to Paul Bevan, between whom and
the boy there was evidently strong affection.

"Yes, Tolly," replied Bevan, with a pleasant nod, "three men are quite
enough for the defence of this here castle."

"But, I say, old man," continued the boy, shaking a powder-horn before
his face, "the powder's all done. Where'll I git more?"