"We-ell, thet's the very idee thet kem inter my mind at the time." "Arrah now, is it? An' fwhat did yez do wid the pegs then?" "_Jest sharpened the other eends o' 'em, an' sold 'em for oats_!" The puzzled, half-incredulous stare, on the countenance of the Hibernian, was ridiculous in the extreme. The allegation of the Yankee had deprived him of speech; and for some moments he sat gazing at the latter, evidently in doubt whether to give credence to the story, or reject it as a little bit of a "sell" upon the part of his comrade--with whose eccentricity of character he was well acquainted. Equally ludicrous was the look of gravity on the countenance of the other--which he continued to preserve under the continued gaze of his comrade, with all the solemnity of a judge upon the bench. It was as much as my companion and I could do to restrain our laughter; but we were desirous of witnessing the finale of the affair, and, by an effort, succeeded in holding in. "Och, now, Misther Shure-shat!" gasped the Irishman at length, "an' it's only jokin' ye are?" "Truth I tell ye, Petrick--every word o' 't. Ye see the oats weer jest then sellin' at fifty cents the bushel, an' thet paid us. We made a lettle suthin', too, by the speekolashun." "But how did yez get the other inds pointed at all--at all?" "Oh! thet weer eezy enough. I invented a machine for thet, an' run 'em through in less'n no time. When they kim out at t'other eend o' the machine, _I kednt meself a told 'em from oats_!" "Och! now I comprehend. Arrah! an' wasn't it a quare thrick? Be my sowl, it bates Bannagher all to paces! Ha, ha, haw!" Wingrove and I could hold in no longer, but joining in the loud cachinnation--as if we had been its echoes--sprang forward to the front. Infantry and rifleman bounded to their feet, with a simultaneous shout of "Indians!" and dropping their spits and half-eaten _appolas_ of meat, dashed into the bushes like a pair of frightened rabbits! In an instant, both were out of sight; and their whereabouts was alone indicated by the rattling of the branches as they passed through them. I was apprehensive of losing them altogether; and regretted not having used more caution in approaching them. At that crisis, an idea came to my aid; and giving out an old signal, well-remembered by the _ci-devant_ rangers, I had the gratification of receiving a double response. The utterance of the signal had brought them to an instantaneous halt; and I could hear them exchanging surmises and exclamations of astonishment, as they retraced their steps towards the fire. Presently, a pair of short, snub-nosed faces were seen peering through the leaves; while from the lips of their owners burst simultaneously, "The cyaptin'!" "The capting!" with various other phrases in their respective _patois_, expressive of surprise and recognition.