tends to move
about the colony, with such high duties?"

"There's one or two white men among 'em, if that's what the captain
means; they pretend to be duly authorised and appointed to act in
behalf of the people."

At each allusion to the people, Joel invariably looked towards his
particular partisans, in order to note the effect the use of the word
might produce. On the present occasion, he even ventured to wink at the
miller.

"If acting on authority, why do they keep aloof?--I have no such
character for resisting the laws, that any who come clothed with its
mantle need fear resistance."

"Why, I s'pose they reason in some such manner as this. There's
_two_ laws in operation at this time; the king's law, and the
people's law. I take it, this party comes in virtue of the people's
law, whereas it is likely the law the captain means is the king's law.
The difference is so great, that one or t'other carries the day, just
as the king's friends or the people's friends happen to be the
strongest. These men don't like to trust to _their_ law, when the
captain may think it safest to trust a little to his'n."

"And all this was told you, Strides, in order to be repeated to me?"

"Not a word on't; it's all my own consait about the matter. Little
passed between us."

"And, now," said the captain, relieving his breast by a long sigh, "I
presume I may inquire about your companion. You probably have
ascertained who he is?"

"Lord, captain Willoughby, I was altogether dumbfounded, when the truth
came upon me of a sudden! I never should have known the major in that
dress, in the world, or out of the world either; but he walks so like
the captain, that as I followed a'ter him, I said to myself, who
_can_ it be?--and then the walk came over me, as it might be; and
then I remembered last night, and the stranger that was out with the
captain, and how he occupied the room next to the library, and them
things; and so, when I come to look in his face, there was the major
sure enough!"

Joel lied famously in this account; but he believed himself safe, as no
one could very well contradict him.

"Now, you have explained the manner in which you recognised my son,
Strides," added the captain, "I will thank you to let me know what has
become of him?"

"He's with the savages. Having come so far to seize the father, it
wasn't in natur' to let the son go free, when he walked right into the
lion's den, like."

"And how could the sava