and
its surroundings were quickly left out of sight. Then Marcy threw open
his coat and drew his holsters in front of him, so that he could easily
lay hold of the revolvers that were in them. He did not think he would
have any trouble with his prisoner, or that he would be called upon to
defend himself against the Home Guards; but he was prepared for an
emergency.

It was a long and tedious journey that Marcy had undertaken, for there
was no one to talk to, and nothing to see that he had not seen a hundred
times before; but it was brought to an end about three in the afternoon,
when the strong current in the Roanoke River carried his boat within
sight of a Union sentry on the bank. The latter faced them promptly,
brought his piece to "arms port," and called out:

"_Who_ comes there?"

"Two friends with a rebel prisoner," replied Marcy; and, to his intense
amazement, Hanson twisted himself around on his seat, and flatly
contradicted him by saying:

"Taint so, Mister Soldier. It's two rebels with a Union prisoner. I'm so
strong for the old flag that the rebels won't let me----"

"Halt, two friends with a rebel prisoner!" shouted the sentry, who was
not the proper person to decide any difference of opinion there might be
between the boy who sat in the stern-sheets, with a steering-oar in his
hand, and the man who sat in the bow with his arms tied behind his back.
"Corporal of the guard number eight!"

The only way to halt in that current was to bring the boat ashore, and
this Marcy and Julius proceeded to do. They were all on the bank when
the corporal came up, and Hanson would have given Marcy a very black
character indeed if the non-commissioned officer had been disposed to
listen to him; but he said he didn't want to hear a word of it, and
ordered Marcy to take off his revolvers. When this had been done, and
the corporal had the belt in his hand, he demanded:

"Now, then, what do you want?"

"Of course I shall have to tell my story to the officer of the day, but
I should like much to see Captain Burrows," replied Marcy.

"Captain Burrows happens to be officer of the day," said the corporal,
who no doubt wondered how Marcy came to be acquainted with him. "Come
on, and I will take you to him."

"It might be well to release this man," suggested Marcy. "He has been
confined a good while."

"No, I guess I will turn him over just as I got him," said the soldier.
"Then the captain can't find any fault with me."