ed with himself. Now, however, that the
boy was talking in manly fashion, and with sound doctrine, my cousin
gave way before him on the instant, becoming as meek and docile as any
lamb.

"What would you have me do? I had no right to give rein to my temper,
and yet I swear to both of you that I could not have held it in check."

"This is no time for making excuses," Pierre said, still speaking in a
commanding tone. "The wonder of it is that we have had so many minutes
allowed us, and now it stands us in hand to get this fellow out of
sight."

"Out of sight? Where?" and Saul was in as thick a cloud of bewilderment
as I had been, whereupon, pushing Horry Sims forward, with my hand still
pressed over his mouth, I said hurriedly:

"Pierre would have us hide him in the shed. I know not how that may
advantage us; but let me tell you, Saul Ogden, that little Frenchie has
got more sound sense in one side of that head of his than you and I in
both ours put together. Now do as he has said, and we will listen to him
afterwards."

I forced Horry Sims on from behind, still gagging his mouth with my
hand, while Pierre, retaining a firm hold on the Tory's coat-collar,
dragged him along in the direction I indicated, Saul assisting as well
as he could while in such a state of perplexity.

It was little less than a miracle that we could have stood talking there
by Master Bemis's shop and then made our way half around it, without
coming in contact with some of the red-coats. Even at this day, as I sit
here in safety writing down that which we did in the town of York, it
seems to me more than marvelous that we were not taken into custody
before little Frenchie had time to give words to his suddenly conceived
plan.

I set it down to the fact that all those soldiers of the king were
busily engaged throwing up entrenchments, for it was known that not many
miles away lay General Lafayette with his army, and my Lord Cornwallis
must have said to himself that General Washington, finding he had so
many of his majesty's troops in much the same as a trap, would push down
from the North all the men he could spare. Therefore it came about that
every officer was urging the men under his command to the greatest
activity, and, fortunately, this shop of Master Bemis's was at a
considerable distance from any part of the British works, which
explains, at least to myself, why we were not lodged as prisoners in the
British garrison.

I believe that