known here, send a portion of
your crew back with the boat, and do the remainder of your work
ashore. In case I am not here when you get back, report to Lieutenant
Frazier, and take his orders as you would mine."

All this the commander had said hurriedly, as if the moments were
precious, and, having come to an end, he began writing at the table,
giving no more heed to us than if we never had an existence.

We left the cabin without delay, and while Darius went forward to have
speech with the commodore's cook, Jerry and I clambered on board the
pungy to let Jim and his friends know of the new duty to which we had
been assigned.

"Its a case of keeping on as spies," I said, after repeating the
commander's words. "You're to be ready at once; but who's to look
after the Avenger is something that hasn't been told us."

There was no time to say anything more, for at that point the
guard-boat came alongside, having in tow a long canoe which looked as
if a single stroke of the paddle might send her on a long voyage.

"Here is the swiftest craft on the river, and her owner's heart will
be broken if you allow the Britishers to get hold of her," the officer
in charge of the boat said as he passed me the painter of the canoe.

"Do you know what we are to do with the pungy?" I asked.

"My orders are to anchor her further up stream after you have gone.
Don't leave anything valuable aboard, for there's a good chance you'll
never see her again."

"We don't own anything valuable, except the pungy herself, and I fancy
she wouldn't be very precious save to two lads like Jerry and me who
may never own one again if anything happens to her," I said with a
laugh, for, strange to say now, when we were about to set off on the
most dangerous portion of our work, I failed to feel the slightest
fear.

At this moment Darius and the commodore's cook came on deck, each
bearing in his arms a certain amount of cooked food, and this the old
sailor threw without care into the bottom of the new canoe, himself
following with the utmost haste.

"Come on, lads, if you count on gettin' any sleep this night," he
cried impatiently as he took up one of the paddles.

"Are we to go without weapons?" I asked.

"We shan't need them. If we meet the Britishers it will be in such
force that half a dozen of the best rifles ever made would do us no
good, and there will be none others on the river with whom we shall
want to interfere."

"But we might run