erville.

"'Deed an' I specks I kin, Marse Frank; dis chile is able to stan' a
heap o' knockin' 'round on 'casion. S'long as I keeps my shins safe, I
don't seem to keer 'bout much else. Say de word, sah, an' I'se ready to
hit um up ag'in right peart," was the reply from the old, gray-headed
Toby, who had worked for Frank's father many years--indeed, he was fond
of saying he had been a slave in the Virginia branch of the Langdon
family "befo' de wah."

The horses had not had a very hard pull up to this time, and were,
therefore, in pretty fair condition to attempt the last quarter of
the journey.

And they needed all their strength to drag that heavily-laden wagon over
the half-broken road, where so many obstacles stuck up to jolt the poor
driver until he almost lost his grip on the seat, though the boys had
been able to avoid most of these because they could steer aside with the
single line of wheels.

But the vehicle had been well made, and the horses were full of vim,
while the venerable black man who gripped the reins was a "sticker," as
he expressed it, after being once tossed out upon the back of the near
horse by the sudden stoppage of the wagon.

After rather a trying experience they finally sighted a column of smoke,
and, calling Toby's attention to this, Frank said:

"That's as far as we go this time, Toby."

Toby shut his eyes for a brief moment and doubtless gave thanks, for his
poor old body must have been pretty well bruised by this time.

Will and Bluff had spied the wagon by now, and they shouted a
noisy welcome.

"Now we're prepared for a siege, with the grub at hand," cried Bluff,
dancing around with his gun held on high.

"Say, be careful with that contraption, will you? If ever it started
going off not one of us would live to tell the ghastly tale," called
Will, as if really and truly alarmed, which, of course, he was not.

Bluff gave him an indignant look, for it pained him to have his pet
gun insulted after this rude fashion; but he was too much delighted
over the coming of the supply wagon to cherish any animosity; and
besides, as Frank said, he never could keep on being angry over a few
minutes at a time.

Such fun they had getting that vehicle unloaded.

Then the tents had to go up, which was an operation that consumed
considerable time, for Frank proved to be very exact in his way of
arranging things, and would not accept any poor work.

When finally both tents had been erected