ies, therefore must
expect to fare according to your deserts."

"That's about the size of it, Amos," Darius said as he went from one
to another of the prisoners to make certain they were secured
properly, and in condition to travel. "I reckon, lad, that we might as
well be gettin' the crowd down to the shore, for unless the wind has
died away entirely Josiah Coburn should be here mighty soon."

"How would it do to take along a supply of meal?" Jerry asked. "If it
so be that we don't come up with the fleet by noon to-morrow, we'd be
short of provisions, with so many to feed."

"Right you are, lad. We'll take from Essek Harland's meal-chest as
much as may be needed, an' surely he can't make any complaint when he
gets his share."

While Jerry was rummaging around to discover the miller's store, we
got the prisoners down-stairs, finding it no slight task because two
of the sailors, in a spirit of pure mischief, refused to walk, and we
were forced to tote them like so many barrels of flour. By the time
they were at the foot of the stairs, however, both were willing to
provide their own means of transportation, for we did not handle them
with any too much care.

Essek Harland whimpered and whined like the cur that he was, until we
came to suspect he might be making a noise in order to give an alarm
to somebody in the vicinity, when Darius reduced him to silence by
threatening to put a gag in his mouth.

We had no more than got in fairly good marching shape when Josiah came
up with the Avenger, the wind being strong enough to push her along
about as fast as a man could walk.

Then well on to an hour was spent before the prisoners and the meal
were stowed in the hold of the pungy, and I counted that it was near
daybreak when we started up the river toward where Commodore Barney's
fleet was supposed to be.

It struck me that we should meet with a warm reception from the
commander, when we delivered up to him the Britishers and the
traitors, for by capturing the spies we had delayed the coming of the
enemy for a few hours at least.

And in thinking of this I came to ask myself how we were to present
ourselves? Whether as lads who wanted to make a bargain to supply the
fleet with fish, or as recruits? Ponder over it as I might, it was
impossible to come to any satisfactory conclusion, and I decided that
before committing myself in any way I would ask the advice of my
father, whom I was likely to find on some of the ves