fare badly when the
bloomin' Englishmen get where they can make mischief."

"I'll stay here and keep ship, while the rest of you walk across lots
to Benedict," my father suggested; but Darius refused to hear any such
proposition, declaring as he had when we were in the canoe, that our
party should hang together to the last.

"So far as bodily harm is concerned, we're safe here till the cows
come home," the old man said thoughtfully, "an' that oughter make us
feel reasonably good, seein's how, one spell, it looked a deal like
bein' killed, or stayin' in a British prison-ship. We're a mighty poor
crowd if we can't manage to lay still a week or two."

It did really seem as if we had reason to be ashamed of grumbling when
matters had been so much worse, and I mentally resolved that I would
make the best of the situation, even though we were forced to remain
in hiding a full month.

My father did his best at cheering us by saying, and with a deal of
reason in his speech, that the enemy would not dare remain shut up in
the river very long, lest the American fleet come to the mouth of the
river and blockade him, or with a superior force, force him to
surrender.

"It's Captain Gordon of the Sea Horse, who is in command," Bill Jepson
said, "an' you can count that he won't be caught nappin'."

"Then we can reckon on bein' free to leave this creek within three or
four days at the outside, and after that it'll be a question of
dodging the Britishers into Chesapeake bay, which shouldn't be a hard
task."

Taking this view of the matter, and knowing we had provisions in
plenty, all hands began to look at affairs in a more cheerful light,
with the result that ours was soon a jolly party, with but one aim,
which was to make the time pass as pleasantly as possible.

During the remainder of that day we talked of all that had occurred
since Commodore Barney left Pig Point, and speculated upon the result
of an attack upon Baltimore.

That night we turned in without standing watch, and next morning came
a light, drizzling rain which forced us to keep under cover unless we
were willing to toddle around on the wet decks, which was not
particularly cheerful amusement.

By three o'clock in the afternoon we had talked until our tongues were
tired, and every topic of conversation was exhausted. Then we fell
silent, with none too pleasing thoughts for company, until Darius
sprang to his feet with an exclamation that aroused us all.