sed to hear."

"But how can I go, when there is a chance of having word with Archie
to-night?"

"I fail to see any reason why you should in every case act as messenger
'twixt here and Cambridge. Send some other of your company. It is true
we lost the boat in which you and I came, because of having left her
where any blundering lobster back might stumble upon the craft; but you
said this morning that it would be possible for us to get two small
skiffs at any time." Then he asked abruptly, "How high from the street
is the window of the room where your comrade is held prisoner?"

"Not more than five or six feet," I replied, failing to understand; but,
making no explanation, he rose quickly to his feet, clapping his hat on
his head as he said:

"I'm off for a stroll. There are many things in this town I haven't seen
as yet, and it would be a pity if I was suddenly called to Cambridge
without having learned all that may be come at."

He went out before I could stop him, and but for the fact that Silas
came in immediately afterward, I might have followed to learn what Hiram
was about.

As a matter of course, my comrade was all afire with the possibility
that we might soon have speech with Archie, and would have explained
exactly how Harvey counted on bringing the matter about, had I not told
him Hiram's opinion as to what should be done in the way of sending
information to the American encampment.

Much to my surprise he pressed eagerly for permission to go as
messenger, saying that above all else he desired to see the encampment
so he might compare our troops with those under the command of General
Gage, and, knowing he could make the journey as well or even better
than I, there was no reason in my mind why he should not undertake the
venture.

I must set down here the fact that from the time of our first meeting as
Minute Boys, which is the same as saying during the past four and twenty
hours, more than one of us had kept constant watch over Seth Jepson
without seeing aught to blame in him. It was possible, as a matter of
course, that he might have had speech with Amos Nelson; but we could not
believe he had told the Tory cur all I had so foolishly divulged else,
as Silas and I reasoned, we would have been brought before General Gage
on some such serious charge as that of treason, unless perchance he
could make of our movements a more serious offence.

Therefore it was that after we had decided Silas should go to