tion were quartered, showing them to
me as if it caused him great pain in the heart because such an injury
had been done a neighbor."

"What did he say about it?" Saul demanded.

"He told me that he was walking along bent only on coming into that town
of York in order to see the British encampment, when a squad of Rangers
rode past him leading your mare and Fitzroy's Silver Heels. Then I asked
if he had no suspicion such a thing might have been thought upon by the
Britishers, and he replied that until he was come this time to York Town
he had never seen the Rangers. In fact, had not believed they were with
my Lord Cornwallis's army, all of which went to prove that he, the
snakey Tory, told the red-coated soldiers where they might find the
largest and best supply of saddle beasts."

"Did he explain how it chanced he could wander at will inside the
encampment, and also take with him a companion?" I asked.

"He told me he had come upon a lieutenant of Tarleton's Legion, who,
when Cornwallis was in James Town, had been quartered at the Sims
plantation, and that this officer had made the way plain for him, saying
he might visit the encampment at will."

If there had been any question in our minds up to this time as to the
guilt of Horry Sims, no doubt now remained. We knew, because of having
seen the scoundrel, that he had had speech with Simcoe's Rangers before
the horses were seized, and his story that one of Tarleton's officers
had been quartered at the Sims plantation during Cornwallis's short stay
in James Town I knew to be absolutely false. He had played the traitor
deliberately, and as the price of his treachery gained admission to the
encampment, most like vouched for by the officer who had met him on the
road that morning.

"The hope is," Pierre said after a short pause and with that
indescribable gesture, "that the Tory Horry will not suspect I took the
trail to York river for any other purpose than that of gaining the
Hamilton plantation as quickly as might be."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because it is not well he should know I have been in your company this
day, else he might suspect that we know of his treachery. It is in my
mind that we must keep him to the belief that we know nothing whatsoever
concerning his misdeeds of this day."

"But how can we come at the scoundrel save he does know that same
thing?" Saul cried, he ever being hot-headed and not inclined to listen
to any plans or arguments when he was b