nd although she could not understand all they said, she was well
aware that they were asking for her and the rum. From this she knew
that Dave had told them of her presence in the house, and she wondered
whether they would try to force their way into her room. She glanced
in the direction of the muskets, and although she could not see them,
the thought that they were there gave her some comfort.

Standing where she was it was impossible to hear plainly, so stepping
to the door, she put her ear down close to a crack through which the
light was streaming. She listened intently to all that was taking
place, although at first it was difficult to make out any sense from
the babel of voices. Occasionally she could hear Norman's voice urging
the men to be quiet or to leave the house. That the visitors had found
the rum was quite evident, for she could hear them dipping the mug into
the liquor, followed by expressions of satisfaction.

"Dat's good rum, chief," she heard one say. "Where you get it, eh?"

"Where it all comes from, of course," Norman sternly replied. "You
must not drink too much of it."

"Oh, it'll take more'n dat to knock me out."

"Don't be too sure of that. The mast-cutters are no babies, and you'll
need to be in good condition when you meet them."

"I don't care for no damn mast-cutters. Rum's my best friend when I
fight dem."

"Hear, hear!" another shouted. "Good fer you, Jerry! We're with you
on that. Rum puts hell into us, an' makes us fight like the devil."

"But the mast-cutters can fight, too," Norman reminded. "They are well
armed, remember."

"'Spose they are, what of it? They won't have time to use their guns.
They'll all be asleep when we arrive."

"But what about the rangers?"

"They'll never touch us. We'll have the job done, an' the camp wiped
out before they get there. We're no fools."

"They rounded up Flazeet and his men last fall, though. How did they
hear about that attack?"

"How did they hear? Flazeet talked too much; that was the trouble.
But we're different. We'll not get caught."

"But Davidson has his men everywhere. Perhaps he has already warned
the mast-cutters, so they may be waiting for you."

"Well, let them wait. We'll have that bunch with us from the
Washademoak, an' you know what devils they are to fight."

"When do you expect to meet them?"

"To-morrow sometime. Then at night we'll drop in to see our friends,
the mast-cutters, an' sett