there I'll give
some of you a chance for tongue-waggin'."

Within two miles of the village we passed the pungy we had met while
going down stream, going by her as if she was standing still, and
Darius shouted:

"Keep right on up the river! The Britishers won't stop this side of
Benedict, an' you can only save your vessel by joinin' Barney's
fleet."

"If all I've heard be true I'm as like to lose her where he is as in
most any other place," the captain cried, looking here and there
anxiously as if believing it possible he might find a few puffs of
wind lying around loose.

I was in good shape when we arrived finally at the village, because of
having remained at the steering paddle; but the other fellows were
well-nigh exhausted, and when we ran the bow of the canoe up on the
shore, not one of them made a move toward changing his position.

"Get your wind, lads, as soon as may be, for we'll pull half a mile or
more up-stream before settlin' down here for any length of time," the
old man said, leaping ashore smartly as if he had just awakened from
the most refreshing slumber, and while hurrying up the bank he added
sharply, "Stay where you are, all hands, until we finish this
business."

What it was he counted on finishing I could not so much as guess, and
my companions were too weary to speculate upon the matter just at that
moment.

We saw him speak with this or that person who came out of the shops or
buildings as he appeared, and immediately it was as if he had
disturbed a colony of ants. Men and women began running hither and
thither in terror, and not a few carried with them household goods of
such small value that it was a sheer waste of time to lug them around.
In a twinkling the entire village was in a commotion, and no one
appeared to have time to spend on us who had brought the disagreeable
news.

Darius remained beyond our range of vision perhaps ten minutes, and
then he appeared with the four Byard brothers trailing behind him,
whereupon Jerry, who had no particular love for these lads, asked
fretfully:

"What do you reckon he counts on doin' with that trash? If he needed
more of a crew, it strikes me he might have found better material."

We soon learned what purpose the old man had in mind, for on nearing
the place where our canoe was drawn up, the Byard family went a short
distance down stream in which direction their own craft was moored,
and began making her ready for a voyage.

"One of y