he announced, his voice shaking slightly.
"Who are you?"

"Camden minute men. Do you surrender?"

He took a long breath, glancing about at the dark shadows. Some one held
up a lighted torch, the red flame casting a sudden gleam over the
surrounding faces. It was clear that further resistance was useless, yet
Grant temporized.

"Are you in command?"

"No," said Duval; "but I represent the commander."

"I deal with the one responsible in this affair and demand terms. Who is
your leader?"

Duval smiled, turning his head inquiringly.

"I don't think you have much choice," he commented dryly. "However,
perhaps you are not too proud to talk to a regular who outranks you--I
present Major Lawrence, of the Continental Line."

Surprised as I was by being thus suddenly thrust forward into supreme
authority, I as instantly understood the purpose, and stepped to the
front. Grant stared at my face in the gleam of the smoking torch, almost
as though he looked upon a ghost.

"You!"

"Certainly, Captain. It is a pleasure to meet with you again, especially
under such happy circumstances. But my men are becoming impatient. Do you
surrender?"

"Under what terms?" he parleyed.

"None, but we are not savages. You will be treated as prisoners of war."

His hatred of me made him obstinate, but the utter helplessness of their
position was too apparent to be ignored. A Hessian muttered something in
German, and Grant dropped the point of his sword with an oath.

"Good," I said promptly. "Lieutenant, have your men disarm the
prisoners."

There was no resistance, and the militiamen herded them against the bank,
encircled by a heavy guard. Duval singled out the officers from among the
others, and brought them forward to where I stood. There were but
three--Grant and two Hessians. I looked at them keenly, recalling the
slight figure of the young lieutenant with the boy's voice. Could the lad
have been shot, or what had become of him?

"Are you three all that are left?" I questioned bluntly. "Who commanded
the vanguard?"

The two Hessians looked at each other stupidly, and I asked the question
again before Grant saw fit to reply. His manner was excessively insolent.

"That is more than I know. We joined after dark, and I did not meet
Delavan's officers."

"He vas vat you call maype a volunteer leftentant," added one of the
Germans brokenly. "At Mount Holly we met, yah, and from there he joined."

"Not one of Delavan's men t