leaving outside the one with the lantern and the fourth
holding the horse.

The next moment a pig squealed. The vandals were sticking them with
their bayonets.

"Follow me," whispered Zeb, running forward and tilting the cart
tongue in the air, dumping the load of hay into the pen, and burying
human and other hogs in the mire underneath.

"Surrender!" Zeb cried, thrusting the muzzle of his rifle under the
nose of the fellow holding the lantern, while Rodney and Bunster
disarmed the Hessian with the horse. Then Zeb quickly tied their hands
behind their backs, and, telling Rodney to guard them and shoot them
down if they moved hand or foot, he and Bunster turned their
attention to the commotion in the pig pen.

From under the hay there issued grunts and squeals and German oaths.
Sorry looking hirelings were those two Hessians when they crawled out
into the light. Wisps of hay clung to their well greased pigtail
queues and their hated uniforms, blue coats and yellow waistcoats,
were daubed with muck.

"Pass out yer guns, an' take this fork an' pitch out the hay," was
Zeb's order, which the dazed prisoners attempted to obey, when the
farmer, calling out the window, said, "I'll look out fer that."

"Better let him, Zeb," said Rodney. "If we stay here too long we may
have more Hessians than we need."

"Good advice, ye townsman of the immortal Jefferson. Forward march."

-----

[1] See "Marching with Morgan."

[2] The chief incident in "Marching with Morgan," in which Zeb and
young Donald Lovell are the leading characters.

CHAPTER XXIV

THE RANGERS SENT AGAINST BURGOYNE

England proposed to snuff out the rebellion that summer of 1777: so
she sent all the troops she could spare and hire, also bribes to
secure the services of the Indians. England must win, though the
savages kill and torture every man, woman and child on the frontier.

General Burgoyne must leave the writing of plays for a time and lead
an army from Canada down to New York, and then Philadelphia was to be
captured and the Continental Congress sent a-packing.

Howe is said to have thought the Burgoyne plan unwise, for he knew
something about war, though frequently too indolent to put his
knowledge into practice. This beautiful month of June he had his army
down in New Jersey, watching for a chance to outwit Washington and
seize Philadelphia.

After the first failure, he abandoned New Brunswick and marched his
troops back t