ys are patriots by inheritance
from two lines of ancestors; you will always stand faithful to your
Mother Land as to me, your mother."

"Have no fear for us, mother," said Tom. "The Morgans and the American
flag stand or fall together."

"Amen!" added the deep voice of the husband and father.

XVII. THE BUSY NOTE OF PREPARATION.

"Peggin' away, all hands, eh? I never heard such a swishing of
handsaws and banging of hammers; you make more noise than ten navy
yards. How you getting along?"

"Not so briskly as I could wish; we are under contract to finish
fifteen of these large batteaux, besides a sixty-foot keelboat by
December."

"Sassyfax! Fifteen? What for?"

"To carry colonists down the Mississippi to the Wachita lands. The big
keelboat is to transport provisions."

"You don't say! Now, how many men will them fifteen boats accommodate,
when they're done? 'Bout thirty to a boat?"

"Yes; thirty or forty; we calculate the whole fleet will carry five
hundred men."

"Five hundred! I'll swan! Do you think they'll ever drum up five
hundred lunatics for such an expedition?"

"You'll have to ask Mr. Blennerhassett about that. My business is to
build the boats, not to man them."

"Right you are, mister; every man ought to mind his own business, and
I'll bet a pewter toothpick you understand flatboats, even if you
don't know anything else. I will speak to my friend Mr. B. in regard
to _his_ end of the business, for I see him coming. That's him walking
this way along the shore; you can know Harman a mile off by his stoop.
'Fore I go, I'll take a squint at the extra-fine ark they tell me you
are fixing up for the family--I mean Blennerhassett's own folks.
Blame my buttons, if I don't always hate to pronounce that larruping
long name Blennerhassett! Byle is a heap shorter and better name. I
s'pose you reco'nize me, don't you? I'm pretty well known in these
parts. Plutarch is my Christian name. Did you ever read Plutarch's
Lives? I didn't write 'em, but I'm living one of 'em. I ought to know
you, you're dadblamed face is familiar, but bejiggered if I haven't
let your last name slip my mind."

The ship-carpenter, to whom these questions and comments were
addressed, had resumed his work, not paying any attention to Mr. Byle,
who, finding his words unheeded, gave no sign of discomfiture, and
went on talking to himself in the friendliest manner.

"Here we are, five miles above the mouth of Muskingum, making ba