chance came.
Besides the young captain, William Gray, there was a lieutenant named
Taylor, who had been in the battle at Wyoming, but who had escaped the
massacre. The five had not met him there, but the common share in so
great a tragedy proved a tie between them. Taylor's name was Robert,
but all the other officers, and some of the men for that matter, who
had known him in childhood called him Bob. He was but little older than
Henry, and his earlier youth, before removal to Wyoming, had been passed
in Connecticut, a country that was to the colonials thickly populated
and containing great towns, such as Hartford and New Haven.

A third close friend whom they soon found was a man unlike any other
that they had ever seen. His name was Cornelius Heemskerk. Holland was
his birthplace, but America was his nation. He was short and extremely
fat, but he had an agility that amazed the five when they first saw it
displayed. He talked much, and his words sounded like grumbles, but
the unctuous tone and the smile that accompanied them indicated to the
contrary. He formed for Shif'less Sol an inexhaustible and entertaining
study in character.

"I ain't quite seen his like afore," said the shiftless one to Paul.
"First time I run acrost him I thought he would tumble down among the
first bushes he met. 'Stead o' that, he sailed right through 'em, makin'
never a trip an' no noise at all, same ez Long Jim's teeth sinkin' into
a juicy venison steak."

"I've heard tell," said Long Jim, who also contemplated the prodigy,
"that big, chunky, awkward-lookin' things are sometimes ez spry ez you.
They say that the Hipperpotamus kin outrun the giraffe across the sands
uv Afriky, an' I know from pussonal experience that the bigger an'
clumsier a b'ar is the faster he kin make you scoot fur your life. But
he's the real Dutch, ain't he, Paul, one uv them fellers that licked the
Spanish under the Duke uv Alivy an' Belisarry?"

"Undoubtedly," replied Paul, who did not consider it necessary to
correct Long Jim's history, "and I'm willing to predict to you, Jim
Hart, that Heemskerk will be a mighty good man in any fight that we may
have."

Heemskerk rolled up to them. He seemed to have a sort of circular
motion like that of a revolving tube, but he kept pace with the others,
nevertheless, and he showed no signs of exertion.

"Don't you think it a funny thing that I, Cornelius Heemskerk, am here?"
he said to Paul.

"Why so, Mr. Heemskerk?"