ettin' anywhere, unless you ran
further up the bay than I allow you've any right to go," he said with
a laugh which had in it nothing of mirth.

"What's the sense of stewin' over that part of it now?" Jerry asked.
"Wait till you get aboard the pungy, an' I dare say Darius will have a
plan all worked out."

"He's a good one, is Darius, an' when he settles on a thing it comes
mighty near bein' sound. We'll wait, an' I'll spell one of you lads
with a paddle, if you'll give me a show."

"After swimming so far I reckon you'd better lay still," I replied,
and from that time until we ran alongside the Avenger not a word was
spoken between us.

If I had expected to see anything affecting in the meeting between the
two old shipmates, I was mistaken.

Darius, who was on the lookout for us as may be supposed, said when he
saw that the canoe had three occupants:

"So you got him, eh? Well, Bill Jepson wasn't born to be drowned,
that's certain."

Then the old man passed us a line, and the deserter said as he went
over the rail:

"I knew I could depend on you, Darius."

"You made a mistake this time, Bill, for if the boys hadn't hogged up
agin it, I'd left you to do the best you could, seein's we're down
here on a bit of work for Commodore Joshua Barney, whose fleet is in
the Patuxent river, as perhaps you have heard."

"Well there! I knew you wouldn't be foolin' round here oysterin' while
able seamen are likely in good demand. I'd be well fixed if I could
run across the commodore just now."

"That's what I've been thinking'. Of course it don't stand to reason
you can stay here a great many hours."

"I must be off before daylight, an' am countin' on your tellin' me
where."

"What do you know about the Britishers?"

"Considerable which has been picked up from the marines who've been on
duty aft. There won't be any move made for two or three days, an' then
they're goin' to strike Washington an' Baltimore at the same time. Sir
Peter Parker goes to our home, an' Captain Gordon will run up the
Potomac. Leastways, that's what we of the gun-deck have heard, an' you
know that what leaks through the sentries is most generally to be
counted on."

"Ever been up the Patuxent river?" Darius asked abruptly.

"Only two or three times."

"Well that's where you ought'er be, tellin' the commodore all you
know, an' if the three of you agree, here's a plan we'll try."

Darius looked at Jerry and me as he spoke, therefore I under