foot soldiers are carryin'
rations, havin' the boats with 'em, an' it would be poor judgment to
send a lot of men into the woods empty-handed, so to speak."

"Then you do not believe we shall be pursued?"

"If we are it'll be a fool trick," the old man replied, and then he
fell back to the rear in response to a signal from the lieutenant.

After he had thus given his opinion, which I believe to be shared by
Lieutenant Frazier, it was in my mind that we would tramp leisurely
across the country until coming up with Commodore Barney's force; but
immediately we appeared to be out of danger word was given to quicken
the pace.

Now it was that the officer and Darius marched in advance, the former
having given the word that we were to keep close at his heels, and
during two hours I traveled faster than I ever did before. It seemed
as if the musket, which had seemingly been a feather's weight when we
started, weighed more than twenty pounds at the end of the second
hour, and I was so nearly winded that it was as if I could go no
further without first taking some rest.

Jerry was no less fatigued than I, and did not hesitate to say he
believed the lieutenant was making us march thus fast simply to
gratify some foolish whim.

Then we were come to Upper Marlboro, after fording the stream, and the
pleasure I felt at being allowed to sit down that I might rest my
aching feet was so great that it cannot properly be described.

While Jerry and I were grumbling because of what seemed to us unseemly
haste, Jim Freeman, who had been lying down a short distance away,
came over to where we were sitting, his eyes bulging as if he had
seen two or three ghosts at the very least.

"What do you suppose?" he said excitedly.

"I heard the lieutenant telling Darius that a big force of Britishers
was marchin' up from Nottingham on the west side of the river, bound
for Washington!"

"How did he know that?" Jerry asked sharply.

"A man who was sent back by Commodore Barney on a scout, got here
about the same time we did, an' he reported to the lieutenant. But
that ain't all; some of the folks livin' 'round here say that a small
force--near three hundred--landed on the west side of the river after
the enemy went into camp last night, an' is mighty near this place
now!"

"'Cordin' to that it would seem as if we come pretty close to bein'
surrounded!" Jerry exclaimed.

"That's just what Darius said," Jim replied, "an' the lieutenant to