It would plague him more than a dozen
whippings."
"That's so!" exclaimed another of the Rangers. "If we could only go up
there, some dark night, and steal his scow, and run her out into the
river, and burn her, wouldn't he be mad?"
"Yes," chimed in another, "but it wouldn't pay even to attempt that.
He always keeps his boats chained up, and the noise we would make in
getting them loose would be sure to start that dog of his, and then we
should have a dusty time, I reckon."
"I guess so, too," said William Gage. "Whatever we do, we must be
careful not to start that dog, for he would go through fire and water
to catch us; and, if he ever got hold of one of us--"
And William shrugged his shoulders, significantly.
"Hasn't he got an orchard or melon-patch that we could visit?"
inquired Charles.
"No," answered one of the Rangers; "but he's got as nice a
strawberry-patch as ever laid out-doors. But it's a little too early
for strawberries."
"Who cares for that?" said Charles. "We don't go to get the fruit; we
only want to pay him for defending the Hiller--meddling with other
people's business.
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