hecked me with a gesture, and added:

"As Peter Sitz would were he in my place, so will I. He was my friend; I
know if it was a question of savin' the lives of those at Cherry Valley,
or turnin' his back on me, what he would do, an' even so shall I."

"Meanin' what?" Jacob demanded, fiercely.

"Meanin' that while we can do our duty by those who sent us, we will
strain every nerve in his behalf; but if it should so chance that their
safety depended upon us, we would give service to the greatest number."

Jacob stared as if not understanding what the old man had said, and I made
haste to add:

"He means that if, while followin' Brant with the hope of aidin' your
father, we found out that danger threatened the settlement, it would be
our duty to warn them rather than hold on for him."

The old soldier nodded in token that I had but given different words to
his idea, and Jacob replied in a tone of satisfaction:

"I can ask for nothin' more. If it so happens that you must turn back, I
can keep on, for two would aid the settlement as much as three."

"Ay, lad, you shall then do as seems best to you," Sergeant Corney said,
solemnly, and thus it was settled that, while it did not interfere with
our duty as Minute Boys of the Mohawk Valley, all our efforts should be
for the relief of the unfortunate prisoner, although at the time I had
little hope the savages would allow him to live many days.

Having thus pledged himself to Jacob, Sergeant Corney showed no further
disposition to "husband his strength," but led us on the march once more,
and this time at a pace which we lads found difficult to maintain without
actually running.

Now it is not my purpose to set down all we did and said during this long
chase. It would be of no interest to a stranger, since one hour was much
like another until we were come near to the Indian town of Oghkwaga, where
Brant usually made his headquarters while bent on such cruel work as that
of harrying the settlers who favored the rebellion against the king, and
it is not necessary I should write down here the well-known fact that
Thayendanega was in the pay of the British.

It seemed much as if the Indians had no care as to whether they were being
followed, for, instead of sending back scouts along the trail, as Brant
almost always did, the party remained in a body, and even when we were so
close on them as to lie down within view of their camp-fires at night, we
never saw one of the pain