single-handed.

When all the story had been told the officer asked:

"Can you give us a place on the river where we may lay by during the
day? I am minded to have a look at the boats before going back to make
report."

I bent forward eagerly to hear the reply:

"At a mill, five miles above here, you will find a friend by name of
Essek Harland. He can give you all that may be needed."

"You shall go with us to make certain he takes us in."

"Very well, sir; but in that case I cannot get back home before
morning."

"You should be able to pull eight miles with a current in a few hours,
and I will pay for the hire of a boat."

"Very well, sir," Macomber replied in a tone of content, and I laughed
inwardly with joy, for he would be our prisoner to a certainty if he
came down the river alone.

Then the word was given for the oarsmen to resume their work, and we
heard the light splashing of water as the boat was pulled up-stream.

After that all was silent once more, and Jerry came tip-toeing aft to
whisper in my ear:

"Do you think Darius managed to give them the slip, or did they
capture him?"

"It seems to me that the officer would have told Elias if he had taken
a prisoner," I replied, and such fact gave me great satisfaction. "At
all events he must be here soon if nothing has happened to his
disadvantage."

Even as I spoke the canoe came out of the shadow, gliding lightly and
noiselessly as thistledown, and we knew that Darius was safe, for the
time being at least.

"Did you run across the boat when you went down?" I asked in a whisper
as he came over the rail, and he stood silent as if with surprise.

"Didn't you see a boat?" Jerry asked impatiently, and the old man
replied:

"I met with nothing either goin' or comin' an' I've brought back two
muskets with a mighty small lot of powder an' ball; but it's better'n
nothin'. What do you mean by a boat?"

Then we told him what we had heard, and when I mentioned the name of
the traitor, he brought his hand down on his leg with a resounding
thwack that might have been heard some distance away, as he said
incautiously loud:

"We'll have that snake, lads, if we don't do anythin' more, an' he
shall have a chance to see how the commodore looks when the Britishers
come up the river!"

"Then it is for you to take command of the Avenger, Darius. The boat
has not been gone from here above ten minutes, therefore it is likely
to be some time before the traitor