prisoners, I could not have said.

"When you struck the first blow against the chimney of the house, I knew
as well as if I had seen your dear faces, that you, Fitz, and you,
Pierre, were there, taking advantage of the cannonading to rescue me.
But even as I rejoiced I mourned because of believing you would speedily
be made prisoners like myself. It never came into my mind that the
red-coats would leave even the prisons without a guard in order to man
the entrenchments. There is no more to be said, for you know the rest,
and now I am asking what about Abel Hunt?"

The question which Saul asked was in Pierre's mind as well as mine, for
now did it seem as if our end was near at hand. There was no probability
he could effect anything now while the Britishers were striving to beat
back our people; but as soon as the firing ceased, and by this time we
had come to understand that it was not a battle which was being fought,
but an attempt on the part of the Britishers to prevent our forces from
gaining a foothold near the town--I say, when the firing ceased, and the
officers were at liberty to take heed to their own affairs in the
encampment, what might it not be possible for Abel Hunt to accomplish?

He knew that Saul was here; that he was my cousin, and most like that
the horses on the Hamilton plantation had been seized, therefore would
have been even more dull than I fancied, if he failed to put together
the story in such a manner as to convince himself that both Pierre and
I were in York for some purpose other than that of curiosity.

In fact, if he should tell no more than he already knew, without
attempting to add to the story in any way, that officer who listened to
him could, and with good reason, have set it down as a fact that we had
remained in the village to act the part of spies, after which
straightway every building in the village would be searched.

"All of us, even if we take Horry Sims, might make our escape by the
river while the cannonading continues," I cried eagerly, having but the
one idea of making our escape without loss of time. "We had no
difficulty either in coming here or tearing away the chimney of the
guard-house, therefore does it stand to reason we can get to the river
bank without being seen. The skiff still remains where we left her, I
have no doubt, and by moving quickly we may be out of this trap and at
our home in James Town within two hours."

"Why are you so eager to leave York?"