p
of the Braes, I would ride with her through all the armies of the
patriots, and no man would dare say me nay."

A merry twinkle came into her eyes. "Would you wear the red cockade if
she should ask you?"

"Ah, Mistress Jean, would you seduce me from my allegiance to the
cause of the patriots?"

"To the cause of the patriots? What of your allegiance to the King?"

"But the King himself has broken that, and forced us in self-defence
to take up arms in revolt. Would you have me true to my people, or to
the King, who is over the sea?"

"To the King," she answered promptly, "for the King's Ministers may be
bad men to-day and good to-morrow, but if you once strike a blow at
the mother country and win, then the ties of love, of friendship, and
of interest are severed for ever."

"Yes; but she should have thought of that before she forced us to it."

"What spoiled children you are," she cried. "Because the taffy is not
as good as usual you want to pull the house down about our ears."

Thus receiving and parrying thrusts, we rode along the banks of the
Elk, and as we neared the ferry we met numbers of men travelling the
same way with us, all bound for the great mustering, and though they
returned our salutations, seeing the black cockade in our hats, they
scowled on Gordon of the Braes.

"There goes that dog of a Tory," I would hear them growl to one
another as we passed.

But Gordon rode on with a cool, indifferent, almost contemptuous
manner, which made the frowns grow blacker, and the mutterings deeper
and louder. But no man as yet sought to beard him, for his courage and
his daring were well known throughout the shore, and it would have
taken a bold man indeed to cross Gordon of the Braes.

At last we came to the ferry and saw on the hillside, among the forest
trees, the white tents, already taking on the appearance of a
well-regulated camp. The little town amid the trees, busy with the
life of the moving crowd, and bright with the uniforms of the Maryland
Line, which we were soon to don, formed a curious spectacle as we
entered.

Every part of the province was represented. Here was a tall
backwoodsman in his coonskin cap, buckskin shirt and leggings, with
his long and deadly rifle, totally unadorned by the glint of silver or
chasing on the barrel to betray him to his redskin neighbour--and you
knew that one of Cresap's riflemen was before you.

By his side, for the moment, was a young tobacco planter from