ry
day or two, is helping us along very fast," Saul cried angrily, and
little Frenchie, throwing back his shoulders, laughed heartily, finding
something so comical in Saul's words that it was a full minute before he
could make reply.

Then he said, his voice all atremble with mirth:

"Don't you see that Uncle 'Rasmus is making a reasonable excuse for you
to go into the town of York every day, if so be you're minded? Can't you
understand that once he's in old Mary's cabin there's good reason why we
should spend the night with him now and then? Suppose we carried Uncle
'Rasmus food three days running, it would become necessary to explain
that the old man had been intending to come out to the plantation; but
since we had lost our horses we were forced to feed him as best we
might, because he was too feeble to walk home. Can't you also see,"
Pierre continued eagerly, "why the old man wants to get there in the
night? He counts on sneaking through the lines, instead of meekly lying
down on the ground, as he has said, and intends, if so be it is
possible, to get into old Mary's cabin without making known to the
Britishers that he has just come into the village; but rather counts on
letting it be understood that he has been there ever since they entered
the town."

"It's amazin' how some ob dese yere chillun can pick up an idee what
oder folks am tryin' to hide," Uncle 'Rasmus said as he patted little
Frenchie on the head, and then hobbled toward his cabin as if he was so
feeble that only with the greatest exertion could he drag one foot after
another.

Surely I was thick-headed on that afternoon, for even after Pierre had
made full explanation of Uncle 'Rasmus's intended movements, it was a
good five minutes before the whole scheme came plain in my mind, and
then I realized that this old negro of ours was about to do more toward
regaining possession of Silver Heels, if indeed she ever did come into
my possession again, than all of us lads with our noisy talk.

He would take up his abode in the town of York, sneaking through the
lines, if so be it was possible, to the end that the British might not
know he had just come in from the outside, and once there the way was
open for all three of us lads to wander at least so far through the town
as old Mary's cottage. It would be strange indeed, after the red-coats
were accustomed to seeing us come and go, for there could be no question
but that we would get permission to minist