His satisfaction at this
distinction was somewhat heightened, at observing a smile on the face of
the captain, which, although it might be thought grim, certainly denoted
satisfaction. This pantomime occupied the time they were passing a
hollow, and concluded as they rose another hill. Here the captain and
his sergeant both dismounted, and ordered the party to halt. The two
partisans each took a pistol from his holster, a movement that excited
no suspicion or alarm, as it was a precaution always observed, and
beckoned to the peddler and the Skinner to follow. A short walk brought
them to a spot where the hill overhung the river, the ground falling
nearly perpendicularly to the shore. On the brow of the eminence stood a
deserted and dilapidated barn. Many boards of its covering were torn
from their places, and its wide doors were lying, the one in front of
the building, and the other halfway down the precipice, whither the wind
had cast it. Entering this desolate spot, the refugee officer very
coolly took from his pocket a short pipe, which, from long use, had
acquired not only the hue but the gloss of ebony, a tobacco box, and a
small roll of leather, that contained steel, flint, and tinder. With
this apparatus, he soon furnished his mouth with a companion that habit
had long rendered necessary to reflection.
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