urning for revenge, or excited by
the desire for pleasure.

"I have in mind," Pierre said, waving his hands in that odd fashion,
"that which I believe will give the Tory lad into our keeping, where we
may do by him without fear of interference--"

"What is it?" I asked eagerly, for all that time we had been awaiting
the lad's return from the town of York I had turned over and over in my
mind without avail, plans for laying the Tory villain by the heels.

"It may not be that I shall explain everything now," little Frenchie
said as he shrugged his shoulders, "and for the very reason that it is
not as yet plain in my own mind. I have a plan which, if it can be
worked out, will not only give him to our hands; but also gain
possession of at least the mare and Silver Heels despite the fact that
they are within the British encampment."

CHAPTER III

UNCLE 'RASMUS'S ADVICE

Plead though I might, little Frenchie would give us no hint as to the
plan of which he had spoken; but when we were on our homeward way,
walking well within the cover of the foliage lest we inadvertently come
upon Horry Sims, he turned the conversation upon such of the
fortifications of the town of York as he had seen, and both by his tone
and by his manner did I understand that he would give us no inkling
whatsoever of that which he had in mind concerning Silver Heels and
Saul's mare.

The lad must have seen more of military movements than we had fancied,
for he knew full well all the names of the different kinds of
fortification, and could explain their construction, speaking at times
almost as a veteran soldier might have spoken.

Although Saul and I knew nothing whatsoever concerning such matters, we
understood from Pierre's speech that he had not only taken note of each
half-completed redoubt or bastion; but knew full well what part each
might be called to play in the defences of the town, if so be our
American army made an attack.

He told us that the British line extended on an irregular course from
the river to the sloping grounds in the rear of the village near what is
known as the Pigeon Quarter, and was seemingly intended, when completed,
to entirely surround York Town. Across the peninsula of Gloucester and
just in the rear of that settlement, he said that another line of
entrenchments was being thrown up.

From what he had seen of the completed work, as well as that which was
half finished, or but just begun, he announced th