sir," answered the Ensign. "Where do you take us to?"

"You will march back by the road you came," said the sergeant.

Finding the conqueror determined to execute summary martial law upon the
first who should mutiny, the prisoners submitted, and marched in double
file from the hut back towards Ramsay's--Horse Shoe, with Captain
Peter's bridle dangling over his arm, and his gallant young auxiliary
Andrew, laden with double the burden of Robinson Crusoe (having all the
fire-arms packed upon his shoulders), bringing up the rear. In this
order victors and vanquished returned to David Ramsay's.

"Well, I have brought you your ducks and chickens back, mistress," said
the sergeant, as he halted the prisoners at the door; "and, what's more,
I have brought home a young sodger that's worth his weight in gold."

"Heaven bless my child! my brave boy!" cried the mother, seizing the lad
in her arms, and unheeding anything else in the present perturbation of
her feelings. "I feared ill would come of it; but Heaven has preserved
him. Did he behave handsomely, Mr. Robinson? But I am sure he did."

"A little more venturesome, ma'am, than I wanted him to be," replied
Horse Shoe; "but he did excellent service. These are his prisoners,
Mistress Ramsay; I should never have got them if it hadn't been for
Andy. In these drumming and fifing times the babies suck in quarrel with
their mother's milk. Show me another boy in America that's made more
prisoners than there was men to fight them with, that's all!"

CHAPTER XXIII.

SHOWING HOW A GOOD SOLDIER WILL TURN THE ACCIDENTS OF WAR TO
THE BEST ACCOUNT. ENSIGN ST. JERMYN IN A DISAGREEABLE DILEMMA.

Robinson having thus succeeded in his enterprise, now found himself in
circumstances of peculiar perplexity in regard to the disposal of his
prisoners. Here he was, in the neighborhood of the British posts--in a
district of country of which the enemy might be said to have, at this
moment, complete possession--(for Horse Shoe himself was almost the only
belligerent in the field against them)--and, more than that, he was but
a few miles' distant from a camp whose scouts had chased him almost to
his present place of refuge. It was scarcely probable, therefore, that
he could hope to retain his captives long under his control, or prevent
the enemy from receiving intelligence of the capture. He was, however,
notwithstanding these embarrassments, as usual, cheerful, confident, and
self-possesse