ity chaps make their boast how easy they kin 'mash' such gals. Anything
like that would count agin' you-uns."

Frank was holding himself in check with an effort.

"It is plain you do not know us, and you have greatly misjudged us. We
are not in the mountains to make 'mashes,' and we are not the kind to
boast of our conquests."

"Thot's right, me jool!" growled Barney, whose temper was started a bit.
"An' it's mesilf thot loikes to be suspected av such a thing. It shtirs
me foighting blud."

The Irish lad clinched his fist, and felt of his muscle, moving his
forearm up and down, and scowling blackly at the cool chief of
moonshiners, as if longing to thump the fellow.

This seemed to amuse Muriel, but still he persisted in further arousing
the lads by saying, insinuatingly:

"I war led ter b'lieve that Kate war ruther interested in you-uns by her
manner. Thar don't no maounting gal take so much trouble over strangers
fer nothin'!"

Frank bit his lip, and Barney looked blacker than ever. It seemed that
Muriel was trying to draw them into a trap of some sort, and they were
growing suspicious. Had this young leader of mountain ruffians rescued
them that he might find just cause or good excuse to put them out of the
way?

The boys were silent, and Muriel forced a laugh.

"Wal, ye won't talk about that, an' so we'll go onter somethin' else. I
judge you-uns know yo're in a po'erful bad scrape?"

"We have good reasons to think so."

"Begorra! we have thot!" exclaimed Barney, feeling of his neck, and
making a wry face, as if troubled by an unpleasant recollection.

"It is a scrape that you-uns may not be able ter git out of easy,"
Muriel said. "I war able ter save yer from bein' hung 'thout any show at
all, but ye're not much better off now."

"If you were powerful enough to save us in the first place, you should
be able to get us out of the scrape entirely."

"You-uns don't know all about it. Moonshiners have laws an' regulations,
an' even ther leader must stan' by them."

Frank was still troubled by the unpleasant suspicion that Muriel was
their enemy, after all that had happened. He felt that they must guard
their tongues, for there was no telling what expression the fellow might
distort and turn against them.

Seeing neither of the lads was going to speak, Muriel went on:

"Yes, moonshiners have laws and regulations. Ther boys came nigh
breakin' one o' ther laws by hangin' you-uns ter-night 'thout givin'