his voice was filled with scorn, and one might
have said he was chiding us as an elder chides a child.

"There is little need of telling why we have come," I replied,
impatient because the lad would thus delay us. "Surely we may wander at
will through the town of York."

"In New Orleans I have been among soldiers who were encamped and did not
find it possible to wander at will," Pierre said, again shrugging his
shoulders in that peculiar manner which set my nerves atingling. "It
will be strange indeed if my Lord Cornwallis allows the rabble to enter
his lines at pleasure."

"Rabble?" Saul cried in anger. "Do you call us of Hamilton plantation a
rabble?"

"I am not the one who would thus misname you," and Pierre held out his
hands deprecatingly; "but unless I am much mistaken in these red-coated
followers of the king, they will give even worse names to those who are
suspected of being friendly to the Cause which the colonists have thus
far upheld so nobly. It might be, mayhap, that if you were of the rabble
you would be permitted to enter the enemy's lines simply because of your
curiosity; but I doubt me much whether a Minute Boy would be allowed to
inspect the encampment lest he give information to General Lafayette."

"We are not known as Minute Boys!" Saul cried fiercely, striving to wave
Pierre aside, but the little Frenchie held his ground as he said with a
peculiar laugh:

"Ay, but you are known as worse, my lad; you are known as coming from
the Hamilton plantation--from a place which General Cornwallis and
Colonel Simcoe have set down as a nest of rebels, otherwise they would
not have made such a wholesale seizure of horse-flesh without having
given some notice. Once let you be recognized, and I question whether
you may not have some trouble to return at will."

"Who knows--" Saul began, and then stopped abruptly because, as I
understood full well, he realized that Horry Sims was somewhere
nearabout York Town, perhaps within the British encampment, and he must
have stood fairly well with a certain portion of Simcoe's Rangers after
giving such information as he did concerning the Hamilton plantation.

If we were seen loitering about the works, it was certain Horry would
point us out as having a leaning toward the Cause. As much as this last
did he know for a fact, because many a time since General Cornwallis had
come into Virginia had we lads discussed the situation, when neither
Saul nor I were backward i