“Listen, Stevie!” Cap leaned forward to drop a confidential hand on Nason’s shoulder. “I’ll ’splain everything to Arnold. Arnold don’t listen to many men, but one of the things people look up to me for is how I talk to him. ‘Listen, Arnold,’ I say, because I’m an outspoken man; and he always says, ‘What you want?’ he says. I never see him yet, I couldn’t go right up to him and have him ask me what I wanted. He ast me that once on the trip to Albany, juss on account of the way I was looking at him; and he says if I didn’t want nothing, to quit looking at him that way. Thass how I stand with Arnold—juss like that!”

He interlaced the fingers of his two hands: then looked at them interestedly and inquired, “How you unfasten your hands after you get ’em fixed that way? Anyhow, it shows you the friendship between I an’ Arnold.”

Upon that his hands seemed to separate of themselves; for he looked surprised. “There!” he said. “They’ve quit! If it’s a sign me ’n’ Arnold can’t agree about this matter, don’t worry! Juss disregard his orders, an’ le’s get back to Eel Ox Nox, where it’s all nice, and close enough to the Bri’sh to borrow from ’em. I wouldn’t ask for more obliging neighbors than them Bri’sh when you want something.”

A fresh thought seemed to strike him. “Stevie,” he said thickly, “all we’ll do is g’w’up to Eel Ox Nox, and then us club members’ll cross over to the Bri’sh and steal us some of their gerranals—–”

“How’s that?” Nason asked. “Steal their what?”

“Some of their gerranals,” Cap said, frowning. “We could tell the Bri’sh we juss wanted to borrow ’em. We could steal Gerranal Burgloyd and dress nice afterward, because he’s got fourteen suits of clothes they’re carrying through the woods for him, along with what goes with ’em. Some of their other gerranals only got six or seven suits of clothes, and only use two or three soldiers apiece to carry ’em. But le’s don’t hurt feelings by juss borrerin’ Gerranal Burgloyd—Burgoyle—alone. Le’s borrer all their gerranals.”

Doc Means looked troubled and cupped a hand about an ear. “I never heard the term. What are these articles you’re talking about? Did you say journals?”