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"One evening, in the depth of winter, Nick, who had been a long distance above White Plains, hastened back to the lake in order to intercept a body of Skinners, on their way from Connecticut to the city, with considerable booty taken from the inhabitants in the vicinity of the Sound. They numbered about eighty, under the control of a petty Scotch officer named McPherson.
The world has not an oversupply of expert jerkline skinners, and the plucky girl's chances for success depended in great part on obtaining good men to handle her teams. She was able to trace some of the men, and her offer to pay their expenses to Palada brought replies favorable to the project in each case.
On a quiet day there'd be only one runaway, one wagon fetched to the shop in sections, like a puzzle. Then another day all hands would seem to be quite mad about the sport, and nothing but the skinners and the mules would get back to camp that night with the new outfit of harness and the hoodlum wagon going back next morning to see what could be salvaged.
Still, she had confidence in the farming possibilities of Paloma Rancho but she bought no more equipment, principally, perhaps, because she could not get desirable jerkline skinners, and because extra equipment would mean more work for her, more time taken from her studies. She was content with a good thing so far as financial success was concerned her great ambition was for an education.
The door was opened, and the Skinners entered, dragging in the peddler, bending beneath the load of his pack. "Which is Captain Lawton?" said the leader of the gang, gazing around him in some little astonishment. "He waits your pleasure," said the trooper dryly. "Then here I deliver to your hands a condemned traitor. This is Harvey Birch, the peddler spy."
The public buildings in this ward are Tallow-chandlers' Hall, Skinners' Hall, Innholders' Hall, Plumbers' Hall, Joiners' Hall, Watermen's Hall, and the church of Allhallows the Great. Thomas Apostles. The public buildings in this ward are Vintners' Hall, Cutlers' Hall, the churches of St. Michael Royal and St. James, Garlick Hill.
Tweet recrowned himself with his new Stetson, turned, and strolled impressively toward his tent, disappearing between its lazily flapping portals. With the exception of Hiram Hooker, Jo's skinners shouted with laughter. Jo and Hiram merely exchanged bewildered looks. "We'll go over now, Wild Cat," she said. "There's lots of time to unload. We can't make it out of here to-day, anyway."
"We begin work in the morning. Abe is in charge." "Hurroo!" exclaimed the delighted Irishman. "An' ut's men ye'll be wantin' av course; wan to handle the greasers, which is cake to me, an' wan to boss the mule skinners, which is pie for Tex. I'm thinkin' the Company will be short handed at Number Three in the mornin'." "I have been holding these places open for you," Abe laughed.
"He's got his chance," said Dade. "It's up to him." Young McCrae launched a string of epithets at him, the cream of the vocabularies of certain mule skinners of his acquaintance. Meanwhile his finger itched on the trigger. "You're a durn poor persuader," said McHale. "The kid will stick. Far's I'm concerned, if you want me, come and get me. Don't show your hide no more.
Of this class of freebooters Irving writes: "In a little while the debatable ground became infested by roving bands, claiming from either side, and all pretending to redress wrongs and punish political offenses; but all prone, in the exercise of their high functions, to sack hen roosts, drive off cattle and lay farm houses under contributions; such was the origin of two great orders of border chivalry, the Skinners and the Cowboys, famous in Revolutionary story.
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