“I’ll sign it, sir, with a hearty good will!”

“It further obligates us to aid each other to the utmost of our ability in recovering stolen property, in case any of us should meet with such a misfortune.”

“All right, that’s a good feature, I’m one of you, heart and hand!”

“Then you may sign, understanding, however, that all which passes between us, as members of this body, is to be kept an inviolable secret.  We administer no oath, depending solely upon the honor of our members, all of whom are expected to be honorable and honest men, whose word will be better than the most terrible oath of a criminal.”

The document was signed, and the ’Squire continued: 

“Now, I wish you to consider all that has or may pass between us this evening as strictly confidential.  At the last meeting of our body it was made the duty of every member to protect his property, and to shoot down all thieves who were caught in the act of stealing horses.  Some, however, were for first warning the depredators, and if they did not then desist, to fire upon them.”

“Indeed! is it supposed that the rascals are so bold?”

“Certainly they are!  Why, it was but two or three nights ago that two thieves went into the pasture to take old Marshall’s horses, supposing he was too aged and infirm to thwart them, even if he should learn their designs; they went early in the evening, before people usually retired to rest; they caused a disturbance among the horses, which called out a couple of neighbors who chanced to be there, who went to the pasture and demanded of the thieves what they wanted; when they had the insolence to reply, that they came after the horses and were going to have them.  With this the men fired upon them, but only with the intention of frightening them away; but they were not so easily scared, and continued to follow up after the horses, which were not easily caught, especially by strangers.  Seeing this, the men reloaded their rifles, and, taking the best aim the darkness would allow, fired again; this time with the desired effect, as it was believed one of the villains was wounded.”

“I had no idea they were getting so bold!”

“No doubt they are numerous, and numbers beget confidence, you know.  But we must teach them a lesson or two they will not soon forget.”

“By the way, George Gordon came home from a hunt a day or two ago, with a wound in his arm.  Do you think it possible he could have been one of the thieves that night?”

“The truth is, I don’t know who to trust nor who to suspect.  I have no doubt there are numbers of seemingly honest people who belong to the secret gang of thieves.  I should hardly have believed it of Gordon; but there is no telling.  How does he account for the wound?”

“He says his gun accidentally went off while he was leaning upon it with his arm over the muzzle.”

“Guns are not apt to play such scaly tricks as that; and we had better watch him.”