kept watch by turns on the front of the house. Soon
a voice was heard at the gate calling for Colonel Morton. The colonel
answered the summons in person. It was Maguffin dismounted, and behind
him came two men, honest farmers apparently, one of whom led the
coloured man's horse, while the other held his fowling piece at the
port, ready for action in Maguffin's rear.

"Maguffin," said the colonel, sternly, "consideh youhself undeh ahhest,
suh."

"I doan need ter hab ter, sah; that's jess wot I is this bressid minit."

"Good evening!" said the two farmers, amiably, and the colonel returned
the salutation. "Good evening, gentlemen! but I feah you have made a
mistake in ahhesting my sehvant."

"When a naygur on a fine beast gallops down on two quiet folk, and
orders them to go back, disperse, and surrinder, and them coming to see
after the safety of their children and friends, the only one thing to
do, if you have your guns along, is to arrest the naygur."

"Do I undehstand, Maguffin, that you ordehed these wohthy people to go
back, dispehse, and suhhendah without any wahhant?"

"And presinted his pistil, too," continued the tall man, who had already
spoken, and who was the coloured man's guard.

"Have you no answah, Maguffin?"

"I fought, Cunnell, I was ter patterole this heah road and repawt all
the folkses I see on or off'n it."

"Yes, repoht to me, as youh officeh, suh."

"Oh, I fought yoh meant to repawt em wif a revolvah, sah."

"I suppose, gentlemen, you will let my sehvant go, when I say I deplohe
his foolish mistake, and apologize foh his insolence?

"To be shure, sir," replied the guard; "give the man his horse,
Annerew."

Maguffin remounted, and, receiving more minute instructions from his
master, returned to his patrol duty.

"We're just coming in to help the Squire, and me to look after my
childer, Tryphena and Tryphosa and Baby Rufus. When the Baby didn't come
back this mornin', I said to his mother, 'Persis' says I, 'I must go and
see the boy.' So here I am. My name is Hill, sir, Henry Cooke Hill, and
this is my neighbour, and some day, perhaps, Rufus's father-in law,
Annerew Hislop"--then in an undertone--"a very dacent man, sir, though a
Sesayder."

"Is that the case?" asked the colonel with eagerness, advancing towards
Andrew. "Were you on ouah side, suh, in the wahah?"

"Naw, naw, surr, I'm no sodjer, but a humble maimber o' the pure gospel
Secession kirk. As the fufty-fufth parryphra