"You did, but I had other things to attend to." "Never mind, you have grossly deceived me, and I consider your joke an insult, sir." "Do you?" said Jack, coldly. "Yes, sir, I do. Look at my hair! it will take a month to grow. I shall leave this country at once." "If you do, the country won't miss you. I don't think there will be a general mourning, or that the nation will go into bankruptcy." Mr. Twinkle put on his hat with a savage air. "I shall go, too," he said. "By all means. Go to--Hong Kong or Halifax, if you like." Captain Cannon put his arm in that of Mr. Twinkle. "Mr. Van Hoosen," exclaimed Mr. Twinkle, "we are disappointed in you." "Sorry for that. I generally pan out pretty good," replied Alfred. "We are going, sir." "So I heard you say before." "We will not stay to partake of your hospitality, sir." "Nobody asked you. I gave you a shot at my uncle's old tame buffalo bull, but you had only blank cartridges, and having done that, I have no inclination to do anything further for you." "Blank cartridges!" ejaculated the captain. "The deuce," said Mr. Twinkle. "That was lucky for you, Cannon, when I fired round the corner; I might have settled you, altogether." "Come!" replied the captain, grandly. "One word before you go, gentlemen," exclaimed Alfred Van Hoosen. "You, as educated men, ought not to have been such idiots as to suppose you would find buffaloes and Indians in New York State or Jersey, and you can't blame me, as a playful American, for having a joke with you, especially as your better-informed friend, Mr. Harkaway, assisted me." "I have nothing to say," replied Captain Cannon. "Nor I," replied Mr. Twinkle. "For my part, I don't like the country, and the people are--" Alfred Van Hoosen stared at him, fixedly. "Are what?" he asked. Mr. Twinkle made just the least little nervous start. "Oh! perfect gentlemen, of course," he added. "Come!" again said the captain. "The gentlemen shall hear from us." "By cable, I guess," laughed Alfred. "Do you join us, Mr. Mole?" asked the captain, not noticing the remark of Van Hoosen. "Well--no," answered the professor. "I knew it was a lark all through, and as I never bite off my nose to spite my face, I will forgive Jack this time, and stay to lunch with my very good friend, Mr. Van Hoosen." He held out his hand. "No animosity, Al?" he added. "Not the slightest in the world, my dear fellow," replied Van Hoosen. Captain Cannon and Mr. Twinkle walked out of the room together, fully determined to return to England by the next steamer. As they went, Alfred sung, the others joining in the chorus: "We'll settle on the banks Of the lovely Ohio, Through the wild woods we'll wend As we hunt the buffalo" And the refrain rung in their ears all the way to the depot: "As we hunt the buff-a-lo." CHAPTER XIV. MASTER AND SLAVE.