Sentence:  "That's about the size of it," I said. "Now, if it is a fair question, what was your side proposing to shed?" / I had him, there. He saw he had made a blunder, so he hastened to explain it away. He said he had spoken jestingly. Then he added that he and his principal would enjoy axes, and indeed prefer them, but such weapons were barred by the French code, and so I must change my <WSD>proposal</WSD>. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  The terms or conditions proposed