.

Scrambling down the shaky ladder as if time was most precious, I made my
way to the room below, where I found Uncle 'Rasmus sitting as when I had
last seen him, with a blanket drawn over his knees and his eyes
fastened upon the moving figures of the soldiers outside.

"Why did you let us sleep, Uncle 'Rasmus?" I demanded. "We should have
remained awake so that you might have an opportunity to rest."

"Ole bones don' need so much ob de bed as young ones does, honey, an'
I'se no good 'cept to set right here an' watch. Don' you fret 'bout your
Uncle 'Rasmus, kase he'll look out for hissef all right."

"But it seems selfish for us to have slept while you remained awake."

"Now you'se frettin' 'bout nuffin, chile, when dere's plenty ob real
trubble to take up your min'."

"What has happened?" I asked anxiously, thinking for the instant that
the old negro had seen tokens of impending danger.

"Dere's sumfin goin' on in dis yere town, honey, as is pas' my
understandin'. Dese yere sogers has been workin' all night, an' dey're
still at it, as ef de ole man from down below was arter 'em."

"I don't see that we need fret very much if the Britishers have grown
frightened," I said with a laugh, and Uncle 'Rasmus replied:

"It looks to me, honey, as if dey counted dere was gwine to be a battle
'roun' here mighty soon, an' ef anyting ob dat kine does happen, I'se
askin' mysef how we'se comin' out ob it. We'se a good deal like Brer
Rabbit, when de fox an' de wil' cat was fightin' to see which one would
hab him for breakfas'. Whicheber way it turned he was boun' to be eat
up, an' it kind'er looks to me as ef we'd be in de same fix ef our folks
an' de Britishers got to shootin' off dere guns while we was in dis yere
cabin."

I stood silent and motionless gazing at the old man with my mouth wide
open like a simple, as this possibility of a new danger came upon me. As
a matter of course I had believed there would be a battle between the
two armies; but that we might be held in the cabin exposed to shot and
bombs from both friend and foe, was something to cause the blood to run
cold in one's veins.

It was well for me that just at the instant came a change in the
situation, else might I have given proof of the timorousness which was
in my heart. I was yet looking stupidly at Uncle 'Rasmus when the door
suddenly opened. As I turned to see who was the intruder an exclamation
of joy and relief burst from my lips, for it was none