h as would conceal us
from view of any who might pass either by land or water.

After the skiff was pulled up within the screen of foliage, Hiram spread
out two of the blankets to protect us from the damp earth, and the
others he proposed we should use as a covering of what he was pleased to
call a "field bed."

Then we sat ourselves down to partake of food for the first time since
leaving the encampment, and I noted with no little anxiety that if we
continued to have such appetites during the next four and twenty hours,
our store of food would be sadly diminished.

Despite my forebodings as to the outcome of this hazard, I fell asleep
shortly after stretching myself out at full length between Archie and
Harvey, nor did I awaken until Hiram shook me into consciousness, saying
that the sun would rise in half an hour, and we should be well on our
journey before the heat of the day had grown too great.

CHAPTER XII

IN BOSTON TOWN

It seemed as if Hiram grew bolder the nearer we advanced to the point of
danger, for instead of going up Muddy river and from thence making our
way across to Dorchester through Roxbury, as had been much the same as
agreed upon the night previous, he put straight for Stony brook, and,
hugging the eastern shore of the point, we made our way along until
having come to the American outpost, arriving there about nightfall.

Here we had no difficulty in making ourselves known, owing to the
fortunate circumstance that the captain who was in command at that time
had seen us Minute Boys and Hiram more than once at Cambridge, therefore
was he ready to welcome us in as hearty a manner as possible, sparing
not his stores so that we might husband what little food we had brought
from the encampment.

As a matter of course he was curious to know where we were bound, and
when he asked questions concerning our purpose we lads would have put
him off with evasive replies, believing Hiram desired to keep secret
that which we would do, therefore was our surprise great when Griffin
made a clean breast of the whole scheme, even going into details so far
as lay in his power.

It seemed to me only natural the captain would cry out against such a
hair-brained scheme, and so he did, speaking forcefully to the effect
that while it was possible we might succeed, when all the circumstances
were favorable, in sneaking past the red-coated sentinels, he was
confident we would be made prisoners within four and