r
the king; but I am asking that you do not come to me again with stories
of your hunger, for my larder is not so well filled that I can share it
with any outside my own family, lest we ourselves come to want before it
is settled as to who shall be master in the village."

Pierre thanked the man in a manner which would have been impossible for
me, tongue-tied as I always am at such a time, and then gathering up the
bag and the ham hastily we went with all speed toward old Mary's cabin,
mentally hugging ourselves because we had succeeded so well when there
seemed little possibility aught of good would come from our foraging.

No sooner had we opened the door of the hovel and spoken to Uncle
'Rasmus, when Saul cried impatiently from the scuttle above:

"There is no good reason why you should loiter around the encampment
when I alone am left in charge of the prisoners. Could you not
understand that I ought to be relieved after so long a watch?"

"We understand nothing save that it was necessary we bring back food,"
Pierre said laughingly, giving no further heed to Saul's impatience.

The lad would have set about building a fire that we might cook the
meat; but Uncle 'Rasmus eagerly prevented him from so doing, declaring
that such task belonged to him, and Pierre, with a laugh which had in it
much of content, gave way before the old negro and at once took up the
bucket, running out of the cabin to get a supply of water.

"Heard you aught of the Jerseyman?" Saul cried from above, and I replied
that there was little chance we could have had word concerning him.

If Morgan had been able to slip through the lines, then would there have
come to us no token whatsoever, and if peradventure the enemy shot him
while he was trying to make his escape, then again must we have remained
in ignorance, for at such a time when many thousand men were facing each
other, striving their utmost to kill or wound, the life of one, be he
soldier or spy, would appear of but little importance.

"I'se boun' to believe, honey, dat he got trou all right," Uncle 'Rasmus
said as he busied himself with preparations for the supper which we
needed so sorely. "Dat 'ere Jerseyman is mighty spry, I'se tellin' you,
an' ef he could hang 'roun' here wid de Britishers, keepin' his eye open
ebery time dey jumped, I'se 'lowin' he's gwine to make a small job ob
gettin' out ob dis yere place."

"If it's such a simple matter, why don't we try it ourselves?" Saul