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And me with these tackers tied to my apron strings, the way they be!" Mrs. Trent rose and left the room and Jessica slowly followed. Neither of them could quite understand Aunt Sally's present behavior, nor why she should wish to bother herself with two such hindrances to the labor which must be accomplished. But Ephraim lingered.
Poor little tackers! they've lost their pride and spirit, and I love them. Come to sister, darlings, and get your morning hugs!" cried Jessica, as they appeared. Ephraim, close at hand, winked at them solemnly and held up behind Mrs. Benton's back two most alluring marbles.
Ninian said no more but kept his suspicions revolving in his own mind; yet was far more absorbed in the possibility that "Forty-niner" had suggested, of the copper vein in the canyon, than by anything else he had heard. They had ridden on again, each silent, till the lights of Sobrante came into view; then Ephraim remarked: "Reckon the little tackers ain't much better.
But if they were asham'd of being call'd Tackers before, they were doubly mortify'd at this now, nay the Country resented it so exceedingly, that some of them began to consider whether they should venture to go Home or no; Printed Lists of their Names were Publish'd, tho' we do not say they were true Lists, for it was a hard thing to know which were true Lists, and which were not, nor indeed could a true List be made, no Man being able to retain the exact Account of who were the Men in his Memory.
Ned said they reminded him of a couple of burnt holes in a horse blanket, "Any game about here, Mr. Tackers?" asked Ned after the old mountaineer had been introduced to them. "For them as can see, there's things to be seen," answered Ben enigmatically. "What do you reckon on shooting?" "Anything we can find to shoot at," answered Ned.
Nothing had been seen of Ben Tackers, so their hopes for going hunting that day were shattered. Yet they were given no opportunity to brood over their disappointment. Professor Zepplin and Lige Thomas still had a few surprises in store for them. Very cleverly, they had pieced these surprises along instead of giving them all to the lads at the beginning.
The Professor having been assisted to his tent and a lotion prepared for his aching head, Jose was hurried off to the cabin of Ben Tackers with an urgent demand for his presence. When Ben responded, and had listened to the full account of Professor Zepplin's mishap, he sat grave and thoughtful. "Bad lot," he growled.
Far be it from him to use Billingsgate language to the Tackers, but "the effect of their action, which, and not their motive, he had to consider, would undoubtedly be to let in the French, depose the Queen, bring in the Prince of Wales, abdicate the Protestant religion, restore Popery, repeal the Toleration, and persecute the Dissenters." Still it was probable that the Tackers meant no harm.
Tad, who had rushed out, followed by his companions, explained to the posse that the Professor and Jose were missing. He believed now that they were prisoners in the cave. And there they found them Professor Zepplin, Ben Tackers and Jose, bound hand and foot. All of them bad been taken captive by the mountaineers when they visited the cave the night before. Ab Durkin was fuming with rage.
We're going to wait on you now, and don't you believe we haven't put by the pick of the pies for you all! The captain is fetchin' the tackers, and Pasqual's fetchin' the food. But what about old Pedro and the coyote?" "John, don't call names, 'specially hard ones. They always come home to roost.
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