said to him."

"I certainly hope he will, for I don't want to see any more of his
buildings destroyed. I suppose you had reason to connect Colonel Shelby
with Beardsley's schemes?"

"You're right, we did. He was knowing to them and didn't try to stop
them, and so we thought we'd best tell him not to go too far. They
thought, if they left home for a spell, we would not blame them, but we
were onto them all the same. They can't make a move or do a thing that
we don't know it."

Marcy wanted much to ask what means Aleck and his friends used to keep
themselves so well informed; who those friends were and how many there
were of them; but on second thought he decided that the best thing he
could do would be to listen and say nothing. He would have been glad to
know what had been done with the four prisoners the rescuing party
carried away with them; but as Aleck did not once refer to them, Marcy
contented himself with asking about the wounded one.

"Was the man who was knocked down very much hurt?" said he.

"Oh, no. He came around all right in a few minutes," answered Aleck; and
then, as if to show Marcy that he did not intend to say more on that
subject, he hastened to add, "My object in stopping you was to inquire
if you are satisfied with the way I have kept the promise I made Mr.
Jack. I told him I would always stand his friend, and yours. You don't
often get letters from him, I suppose?"

"Not often," replied Marcy, with a smile. "The mail does not run
regularly between our house and the Yankee fleet."

"No, I reckon not; but if you get a chance to write to him, tell him
what I have told you."

"Look here, Aleck," said Marcy suddenly. "Do the members of your band
ever hang about the post-office? I know I have seen you there a few
times."

"Of course; and you will, no doubt, see me there again. We have to go
among people to keep suspicion away from us."

"That's what I thought," continued Marcy. "Now, are you not afraid that
some one will bring soldiers there to make prisoners of you?"

"No, I don't think they will," said Aleck indifferently. "If the
soldiers should come, there are men in that town who would run so fast
to meet and send them back, that you couldn't see them for the mud they
would kick up in the road."

"You mean that they would not permit the soldiers to molest you?"

"They wouldn't, if they could help it, for they know their town would be
destroyed if they did," replied Aleck; and Marcy