e
over much the same course as when we carried General Herkimer's message,
and it was slightly in our favor that we knew fairly well at how great a
distance from the general encampment of the enemy we must keep in order to
avoid running into the Indians.

Then, again, it seemed probable we had a better chance of making our way
around this circle than when we first traversed it, because just at this
time Thayendanega's villains had received such a drubbing at the hands of
the patriots as would most likely prevent them from having any keen desire
to come upon more white men.

It was also probable, as Sergeant Corney had suggested, that they had
taken a number of prisoners during the fight with the garrison of the
fort, as well as at the ravine, and the murderous scoundrels would be so
occupied with making preparations for torturing such poor unfortunates as
to neglect their duties as St. Leger's allies.

When I had thus viewed the situation, it did not appear such a difficult
matter for us to gain a station to the southward of Thayendanega's
encampment; but coming across Jacob was quite a different proposition.
Finding a needle in a hay-stack seemed much more simple than running upon
a lad who was doing his best to remain hidden from view, unless,
perchance, he had already been captured.

"It ain't any easy job, figger as you will," Sergeant Corney said, when I
had put the situation before him from my point of view. "But I'm reckonin'
that we're goin' to come somewhere near succeedin'. We can count on doin'
pretty much as we please from now till to-morrow mornin', providin' we
don't stick our noses into the camps of the Britishers or Tories, for you
can set it down as a fact that every red-faced wretch will have
considerable on hand this night. The only trouble will be that we may have
to keep within cover while they're torturin' some poor fellow under our
very shadows. You'll have to keep in mind that Peter an' Jacob Sitz are
the only white men we're after, an' shut both eyes an' ears to every one
else."

"Suppose Jacob has been made prisoner? Would you risk your life to save
him?"

The old man made no reply until I had repeated the question, and then he
said, slowly:

"If there was any show of bein' able to work the trick, you could count
on me to the end; but if he _has_ fallen into their clutches, unless some
wonderfully big turn of affairs comes in our path, we would be only
throwin' away the lives of both w