to make report
concerning us," I whispered in Pierre's ear, taking good care meanwhile
not to move my body lest peradventure Hunt might look back and discover
that we were not asleep.

"Well, there is nothing we can do to prevent him if he be so disposed,"
little Frenchie replied indifferently, and I exclaimed in surprise:

"One would suppose that it concerned you very little, whereas I'm not so
certain but that the end of it may be a halter for both of us."

"It really does concern me very little," Pierre said decidedly. "I can
do nothing to prevent it, and cannot afford to spend my time looking for
danger in the future, because we have that task to do which must be
performed even though a dozen like Abel Hunt were standing ready to
accuse us of being spies."

"What do you mean by that?" I cried. "What business have we on hand so
urgent?"

"To carry the message with which the Jerseyman entrusted us."

"But that is impossible now Hunt had found us out."

"Why do you say that? How is it that the meeting with such as Abel Hunt
can prevent us from doing the work of Minute Boys when it lays at our
hand?"

"But how will you leave this town of York? When we go to ask permission
to take a boat for the purpose of fishing, you can depend upon it he
will be near at hand, and if he has not already done so, will then
reveal all he knows concerning me."

"Suppose we don't give him that opportunity?" Pierre said thoughtfully.
"Suppose we neglect to ask permission from any one to go out to get fish
enough to prevent ourselves from starving?"

"How then will you go? Surely you are not so venturesome as to take to
the water on a course to the right of Gloucester Point, when by so doing
we must pass the king's vessels? The _Charon_ is anchored directly on
the course we would need to pursue in order to carry out the
instructions which have been given."

"And she would still be there if we waited until daylight, and then
asked permission from some of these swaggering officers of the king who
have no love for any one save themselves."

I was mystified by Pierre's words, although surely by this time I should
have come to understand that his odd speech betokened the perfecting of
a plan, and I remained silent as if believing he would make sport of me,
until two or three minutes had elapsed when Abel Hunt could no longer be
seen in the gloom.

Then it was that little Frenchie suddenly stood upright, and, pointing
to a skiff ha