Nathaniel was contemptuous. “A horse-jockey and a gymnast! That’s all he was—just a common gymnast. He used to travel around giving exhibitions. Anybody can tell you how he used to give exhibitions jumping over loaded ammunition wagons. That’s all this great general was—nothing but a circus performer!”

“My God!” I cried. “You’re mad! Wherever did you hear such tales for children! Somebody’s been stuffing you with fish-feathers! Who was it?”

“It’s common knowledge. Everybody knows it. You hear it everywhere.”

“I don’t hear it everywhere,” I said. “Is it some of the information you’ve been collecting for your commanding officer?” I took him by the arm, and would have said more; but the sound of a hoarse voice, bellowing from the river road, stayed me. It roared unmelodiously a familiar song about three beautiful ducks and a ball that rolled, rolled, rolled interminably.

A moment later a fat white horse strained into sight from behind the warehouses, dragging a cart piled high with bundles. The cart thumped and bumped on the logs with which the road was paved. On top of the bundles sat two men, one of whom, a Canadian, slumbered deeply, resting precariously against the shoulder of Cap Huff, who swayed as though balancing himself against the thrusts of a heavy sea. He whacked the rump of the white horse with the ends of the reins in time to his singing, and all the while he darted sharp glances at everyone in sight. Seeing us, he bawled a hearty greeting.

When he had drawn up beside us, he eased the body of his companion down among the bundles, descended from the cart, peered solicitously into the brown face of the recumbent figure: then gave it an earnest slap with an open hand. The Canadian sat up with a start, looked around him and reached wildly for the reins.

“Liquor!” Cap said to us, jerking his head toward the Canadian. “You can’t depend on ’em! They keep drinking it. They got just that much sense.” He coughed virtuously, but the virtue was expended in the sound alone of the cough; for its spurting smell made one think a vast quantity of rum had been exploded into a gas too thick to disperse quickly.

He looked from one to the other of us, and finally his gaze focussed on Nathaniel. “Oh yes! I remember! Well, you must ’a’ seen ’em! You must ’a’ seen the King’s troops Sullivan was talking about.”

“King’s troops?” Nathaniel asked. “What King’s troops? I didn’t see any King’s troops!”