of thunder as he shook hands with each of us in turn, beginning
with me, and ending with Dody Wardwell.

"What there is left of her might be found at the bottom of the
Patuxent, if you hunted long enough," I replied, feeling a bit
saddened by the loss of the pungy, and not having had time before to
think very much about her fate.

"The whole fleet went up, eh? Tell me about it," and Bill seated
himself on the edge of a bunk as if expecting to hear a long yarn.

There wasn't much to be told, as is known by any one who has had the
patience to read what has been set down here; but I gave him a full
account of all we had done, and wound up by complaining of the long
march we had been forced to take.

"Don't let a little thing like that distress you, matey, for unless
the Britishers whip us out of our boots here in Washington, I'm
thinkin' we'll have to scratch gravel a good many times before this
'ere war is ended. Where's Darius?"

We could give him no information concerning the old man, save to say
that he was with us when we went to sleep the night previous,
whereupon Bill said with a laugh:

"I reckon he's tellin' the commodore how this little business should
be carried on, though he claims that the man never lived who could
give Joshua Barney points."

I had no particular desire to hear about the commodore or Darius,
therefore I asked if he knew anything concerning Elias Macomber, and
as I mentioned the name Bill burst into a hearty laugh.

"Know anythin' about him, lad? I reckon I do, seein's I helped lodge
him in jail, an' how the hound whined for a chance to escape! He
promised me more dollars than I could carry in my hat, if I'd give him
five minutes the start; but so long's he didn't let on where he'd get
the coin, or how it might be passed over to me, I couldn't make any
dicker."

"Then there's no need to worry any more about his getting away," I
said to myself, whereat Bill Jepson looked grave, and I made haste to
say:

"One might think from the look on your face that you believed his
chances for escape were good?"

"He'll stay where he is while we hold possession of the city, an' of
that you may be certain, lad; but in case the British----"

"You are not thinking that the enemy can take Washington?" Jerry cried
in amazement.

"Ay, lad, an' if the truth was known, I'm not the only one who is
believin' much the same thing."

"But all the people in this country would come here to defend the
cit