And the other men laughed and repeated:
"Here, Stub."
"Hello, Stub!"
"You're the boy, Stub."
"What is 'Stub'?" he asked, of the medicine-man, Doctor Robinson.
"It is 'short,' 'cut off,' coupé," carefully explained the medicine-man. "They like you. It is a good name, because you are small."
"American?"
"Yes."
"Sure, an' we mane no harm, doctor, sir," called "Tom," whose other name was Dougherty. "If sawed-off he is, a rale little man he is, too."
And while Scar Head (whose other name was now "Stub," in American language) did not understand all those words, he knew that they were kindly spoken. So his name pleased him.
John Brown was the man who rode with him to look for Sparks. They took the back trail and rode for a long time. Everything was wet from the rains. Sparks must have spent a miserable night, alone on the prairie, without food or fire. Finally they saw him, far ahead, hobbling slowly, trying to catch up with the march.
He grinned when they met him, and shouted cheerfully, although he made faces.
