"And my answer?" snarled the Mormon.
"Tell your wretched Trinity that what Richard Grenville gets, he keeps
with a strong hand, and that the English rifles which have already
decimated the cowardly Mormon nation, will very shortly sweep the Holy
Three themselves from the face of the earth. Go! I have spoken."
The Mormon's face worked convulsively, and his hand made a movement
towards the pistols in his belt, but at that instant he happened to
glance towards the rock, and saw the fervid sun glinting on the browned
barrels of three rifles, whose muzzles were pointed directly at him, and
shaking his fist at Grenville he retreated, hissing out, "Englishman, we
shall meet again--beware!"
To which Grenville answered coolly, "The sooner the better, my friend;
and when we do, look out for yourself--that's all I have to say." He
then coolly retook his way to the rock, which he reached just as the
Mormon regained the forest.
To the male portion of his friends Grenville gave the purport of the
Mormon message, together with his answer, Leigh swearing by all that was
holy that he would never quit the country until the insult from the
Mormon Trinity to Miss Winfield was wiped out in rivers of blood.
Winfield ruminated upon the message for some time, then turning to
Grenville, he said, "Look here, my boy, just let me advise you, in
Yankee parlance, to keep your eyes skinned. That fellow who spoke to
you just now--Radford Custance by name--is one of the hottest-tempered
men I have ever met with in the course of my whole life; he twice kept
his temper with you to-day under intense provocation, and let me tell
you that that's record for him, and I infer from it that the scoundrels
have got a trump card to play; what it can be, Heaven alone knows."
"Look here, Dick," said Leigh, "things have got to such a pass that I
for one should like to see the English flag over us--can't we
manufacture one?" At first the idea seemed rather foolish, but after
consideration, Grenville could not but feel that his cousin was right,
and with the help of the ladies, who produced all sorts of curious and
unexpected odds and ends, as well as needles and thread, and assisted by
the loan of several handkerchiefs, a rude Saint George's ensign was
contrived, and soon floated on the summit of the rock, over the heads of
the little party, who saluted its appearance with three hearty cheers,
and a volley from their rifles, Grenville, as they did so, taking
possession of the country in the Queen's name, with a laughing apology
to the Rose of Sharon. This act was answered almost instantly by a
salvo from the enemy, and a flag was hoisted on the very top of a huge
tree, some six hundred yards away. This ensign was a curious
production--a dead black ground, ornamented with three horrible-looking
eyes, and having also a motto sewn upon it in white letters, which
proved to be their usual legend about the eyes of their unsleeping
Trinity. Taking a careful sight, Leigh sent a shell-bullet from his
Winchester clean through the flag, in which it tore a hole about a foot
long, entirely destroying the effect of the basilisk-looking eyes. Upon
this, the symbol was at once run down, and did not again make its
appearance.