had seen in ordinary hurricanes, when the river had been lashed into
a fury by the wind, and the ablest boatmen along the shore dare not put
out, for I venture to say there is no other body of water in this
country so quickly changed to a boiling flood, or so dangerous to cross,
as that portion of the York river which turns around Gloucester Point.

While I stood there in painful indecision, tears of disappointment
rolling down my cheeks because at the very moment our time of triumph
was apparently come it was turned aside by the elements themselves, I
saw as the electric flashes lighted up the sky even more brilliantly
than before, two forms come out of old Mary's cabin and set off in the
direction of Governor Nelson's house, where my Lord Cornwallis made his
headquarters.

"There go Abel Hunt and Horry Sims!" I cried bitterly. "The tempest is
as nothing to them so that they may lodge a charge against us as being
spies, to the end that we may come to the gallows here in this village
of York."

"Hab dey done gone out ob de cabin, honey?" Uncle 'Rasmus cried, and
when I repeated again that which I had seen the old man said as he held
my head down to his mouth that no word might be swept aside by the
furious blast:

"You'se boun' to go back, honey, boun' to go back inter de house, kase
when de mornin' comes you'se gwine to be in a pickle wid Abel Hunt an'
Horry Sims gallivantin' 'roun' tryin' to lay you by de heels. Go back in
dar 'fore dey comes dis yere way!"

"But why should we go there, Uncle 'Rasmus?" I cried angrily. "Why shut
ourselves up in a trap where the Britishers may lay hands on us whenever
they may be so disposed?"

"You'se gwine back dar, honey, kase dere ain' any odder place in dis
yere village. Dere's no show ob gettin' trou de lines now, chile, an'
what you'se needin' is dem yere guns what we done hid under de floor."

"You're crazy, Uncle 'Rasmus! You're crazy to think we three lads may
stand up against all these Britishers!" and now indeed did I lose my
temper; but Uncle 'Rasmus, still holding my head where he could make
certain every word he spoke might be heard by me, said earnestly:

"Tell me whar's you gwine to go, honey, ef you don' hide yoursef in ole
Mary's cabin? Does you count on bein' run 'roun' dis yere village when
de sun comes up, like a fox wid a houn' at his tail? Ef de Britishers
hab begun to get across to Gloucester Point, dere's a chance dey'll keep
at it when de riber quiet