oys in his neighborhood were very careful not to provoke
him; but he was a great coward through it all, and when he first came
in collision with Sam Hardwicke his cowardice showed itself too
plainly to be mistaken. Now there is a curious thing about cowards of
this sort. When they are once found out they lose the little
appearance of courage that they have taken such pains to maintain, and
become at once the most abject and shameless dastards imaginable. That
was what happened to Jake Elliott. When Sam conquered him so
effectually on the occasion of the boot stealing, he lost all the
pride he had and all his meanness seemed to come to the surface. If he
had had a spark of manliness in him, he would have recognized Sam's
generosity in sparing him at that time, and would have behaved himself
better afterward. As it was he simply cherished his malice and
resolved to do Sam all the injury he could in secret.

When Sam organized his expedition at Camp Jackson, Jake had two
motives in joining it. In the first place things around the camp
looked too much like genuine preparation for a hard fight with the
enemy, and Jake thought that if he should enlist he would be forced to
fight, which was precisely what he did not mean to do if he could
help it. By joining Sam's party, however, he would escape the
necessity of enlisting, and he thought that the little band was going
away from danger instead of going into it. He thought, too, that if
any real danger should come, under Sam's leadership, he could run away
from it, or sneak out in some way, and as he would not be a regularly
enlisted soldier, no punishment could follow.

This was his first reason for joining. His second one was still more
unworthy. He was bent upon doing Sam all the secret injury he could,
and he thought that by going with him he would have opportunities to
wreak his vengeance, which he would otherwise lose.

When he learned, as we have seen, whither Sam was leading his party,
and on what errand, he was really frightened, and Sam's sharp rebuke
made him still bitterer in his feelings toward his young commander. A
coward with a grudge which he is afraid to avenge openly, is a very
dangerous foe. He will do anything against his adversary which he
thinks he can do safely, by sneaking, and when Jake Elliott threw
himself down on his pile of moss he did not mean to go to sleep. He
meant to revenge himself on Sam before morning, and at the same time
to make it impo