“No! no! by no means! I should want to organize a regular expedition, and have the men sworn into regular army service at the fort. Then, when the time came, we could deal with Bevoir and his men in true military style.” “You must have been doing a deal of thinking about this, Joseph?” “And why not? James was my only living brother, and he was very dear to me.” “And he was dear to me too, and I think of Dave as of a son. But I hate to see you leave, just when we thought we might settle down again as of old.” “Poor Dave will never have any peace of mind until he knows the exact truth.” “True! My heart aches for him. Well, Joseph, do as you think best. But, for my sake, do not be rash!” And then Mrs. Morris kissed her husband affectionately. The next day Sam Barringford came back from Fort Cumberland. He too was surprised to see the new arrivals and greatly shocked over the news they had brought. “The skunk! The dirty skunk!” cried the frontiersman, referring to Jean Bevoir. “Oh, just wait till I git my paws on him, thet’s all!” And his big frame shook with emotion. He was willing to start for the post at any time and under any conditions. Barringford had brought in news that interested the Morrises as much, almost, as it did himself. At Fort Cumberland he had met a French-Englishman, who had just arrived from Detroit. This gentleman knew something about Maurice Hamilton, the father of the twins, and said that Mr. Hamilton was not in England but in this country, although exactly where he could not tell. He had started for London by way of New York, but had then changed his mind and gone to Philadelphia. “As soon as I heard thet, I sent a letter to Philadelphia,” said Sam Barringford. “If he’s thar he’ll most likely git it and write back, or come on.” “I hope he does come on,” said Mrs. Morris. “I should like to see what the father of Tom and Artie looks like.” “I don’t want Tom and Artie to go away,” pouted Nell. “I love them and I want them to stay here.” “Well, they are not going away just yet,” said Rodney, to quiet his sister. During the winter a great many trappers and frontiersmen remained close to the forts and settlements, so it was comparatively easy for Joseph Morris and Dave to organize the expedition that was to start for the trading post on the Ohio. The company was organized upon military lines, with Joseph Morris as captain, and Dave and Henry as first and second lieutenants. It was composed of eighteen men, all well versed in shooting and in scouting. As an old army sharpshooter, Sam Barringford was placed in charge of the advance guard. The company took along a pack-train of twelve horses, each animal carrying only such articles as were deemed necessary for the trip. The men were told why the expedition had been formed, and each promised to stand by Mr. Morris to the end.