ld, perhaps, come upon Silas by being ourselves made
prisoners.

So far as ministering to our wants was concerned, Master Lord showed
himself most generous. After ascending and descending half a dozen
times, he had on the table before us an ample supply of corn meal, salt
pork, and, what was indeed a rarity, a leg of freshly-killed lamb, and
this at a time when our people in Cambridge believed the rank and file
of the king's army were living upon salt food, because of our having
shut off their supplies from the country roundabout.

In addition, Master Lord brought a jar of whale oil, which I myself knew
had been hard to come upon in Boston, even before the butchery at
Lexington; but he must have been plentifully supplied, for he insisted
we use it freely, saying it was not well for us to remain in darkness,
and that we should strive to make our gloomy quarters as comfortable as
possible.

"There is no good reason why you should not enjoy yourselves so far as
may be," he said in the most friendly of tones when he had laid before
us the last of the supplies. "Until the time for action comes, you can
do no less than remain here, and it is well to be content in mind,
trusting that I will give the signal at the first moment anything may be
done to aid your comrade."

Then, looking about him scrutinizingly as if to make certain he had
forgotten nothing, he turned and went up the ladder, halting when nigh
to the top, and saying:

"You can understand that every precaution against discovery of this
place must be taken, therefore it is that I bolt the trap down, covering
it afterward with such things as can most handily be come at in my
kitchen, so that one may not see where the timbers are sawn apart."

He was striving to explain why we were kept close prisoners, and again
my anger rose, for I failed to understand if the trap-door was covered
and screened from view of any who might enter the room above, why it
should be bolted so that we might not raise it in case of an emergency.

After we had been thus closely confined beyond all hope of leaving the
place, and could hear Master Lord moving about the room above, I strove
once more to have an explanation with Hiram; but again he motioned
toward the ceiling, although this time, clutching me by the shoulders,
he drew my ear close to his lips as he whispered:

"Take station just beneath where the side door which leads into the room
above is located, and there do your best