ed the next moment when a horse neighed
shrilly.

"That ain't my beastis, Amos, nor yit your'n!" he cried, starting up.

"It air the traveler's, ye sodden idjit!" said Brierwood, lifting his
uncouth foot and giving him a jocose kick.

But the short man was not satisfied. He rose, went outside, and Jim
could hear him beating about among the bushes. Presently he came in
again. "'Twar the traveler's critter, I reckon; an' that critter an'
saddle oughter be counted in my sheer."

Then they fell to disputing and quarreling,--once they almost
fought,--but at length the division was made and they rose to go. As
Brierwood swung his lantern round, his malicious eyes fell upon the poor
little plaid bat sticking against the wall.

He stood in the door staring, dumfounded for a moment. Then he clenched
his fist, and shook it fiercely. "How did ye happen ter be hyar this
time o' the night, ye limb o' Satan?" he cried.

"Dunno," faltered poor Jim.

The other man had returned too. "Waal, sir, ef that thar boy hed been a
copper-head now, he'd hev bit us, sure!"

"_He mought do that yit_," said Amos Brierwood, with grim significance.
"He hev been thar all this time,--'kase he air tied thar, don't ye see?
An' he hev _eyes_, an' he hev _ears_. What air ter hender?"

The other man's face turned pale, and Jim thought that they were afraid
he would tell all he had seen and heard. The manner of both had changed,
too. They had a skulking, nervous way with them now in place of the
coarse bravado that had characterized them hitherto.

Amos Brierwood pondered for a few minutes. Then he sullenly demanded,--

"What's yer name?"

"It air Jeemes Coggin," quavered the little boy.

"Coggin, hey?" exclaimed Brierwood, with a new idea bringing back the
malicious twinkle to his eyes. He laughed as though mightily relieved,
and threw up his left hand and shook it exultingly.

The shadow on the dark wall of that maimed hand with only the stump of a
thumb was a weird, a horrible thing to the child. He had no idea that
his constant notice of it would stamp it in his memory, and that
something would come of this fact. He was glad when the shadow ceased to
writhe and twist upon the wall, and the man dropped his arm to his side
again.

"What's a-brewin', Amos?" asked the other, who had been watching
Brierwood curiously.

They whispered aside for a few moments, at first anxiously and then with
wild guffaws of satisfaction. When they approached