clamor.

The scenes of the morning had made a disagreeable impression upon the
feelings of Butler and his comrade. The changed tone and the ruffian
manners of the band, the pause, and the doubts which seemed to agitate
them, boded mischief. The two prisoners, however, almost instinctively
adopted the course of conduct which their circumstances required. They
concealed all apprehension of harm, and patiently awaited the end. Horse
Shoe even took advantage of the rising mirth of the company when drink
began to exhilarate them, and affected an easy tone of companionship
which was calculated to throw them off their guard. He circulated freely
amongst the men, and by private conference with some of the individuals
around him, who, attracted by his air of confiding gaiety, seemed
inclined to favor his approaches of familiarity, he soon discovered that
the gang were divided in sentiment in regard to some important subject
touching the proposed treatment of himself and his friend. A party, at
least, he was thus made aware, were disposed to take his side in the
secret disputes which had been in agitation. He was determined to profit
by this dissension, and accordingly applied himself still more
assiduously to cultivate the favorable sentiment he found in existence.

Whilst breakfast was in preparation, and Habershaw and Curry were
occupied with the wounded man in an adjoining apartment, the sergeant,
playing the part of a boon companion, laughed with the rioters, and,
uninvited, made himself free of their cups.

"I should like to know," he said to one of the troopers, "why you are
giving yourselves all this trouble about a couple of simple travellers
that happened to be jogging along the road? If you wanted to make a
pitched battle you ought to have sent us word; but if it was only upon a
drinking bout you had set your hearts, there was no occasion to be
breaking heads for the honor of getting a good fellow in your company,
when he would have come of his own accord at the first axing. There was
no use in making such a mighty secret about it; for, as we were
travelling the same road with you, you had only to show a man the
civility of saying you wanted our escort, and you should have had it at
a word. Here's to our better acquaintance, friend!"

"You mightn't be so jolly, Horse Shoe Robinson," said Shad Green--or,
according to his nickname, Red Mug, in a whisper; "if some of them that
took the trouble to find you, should have