l that crowd of
evil-doers will be set at liberty, and I reckon they'll be the only
Americans who can rejoice because of the English victory at
Bladensburg.

"Then in that case," Jerry said grimly, "we can set it down as a fact
that Elias Macomber is paradin' the streets with his good friends the
British, boastin' of his suffering at the hand of the Americans."

I started up in very unpleasant surprise. Until this moment I had
given no heed to the cur whom we had captured twice, since we left the
burning fleet at Pig Point; but now I realized that my partner was
right. There could be no question but that Elias Macomber was a free
man once more, and all our efforts to bring him to justice had only
resulted in giving him an opportunity to pose as a martyr!

"Well, he's got a chance to pay off old scores now, if he only knew
it," Jim Freeman suggested. "How happy the villain would be if he knew
where he could find us in hidin'!"

"Don't talk about him," I said petulantly. "It makes me heartsick to
think that after all our work he is in fine feather, strutting around
the city as one of the best friends the British had in this section.
Speak of something else. What of Bill Jepson? Does any one know if he
came out of the battle alive?"

"I saw him not more than five minutes before the order was given to
retreat," my father said. "He had been sent back to the wagons for
ammunition, and appeared to be having a royal time."

"We'll hope he got away at the last, for if he's taken they'll hang
him as a deserter," I said, and then, finding it impossible to prevent
my thoughts from straying to our missing comrade, I added, "Darius
wouldn't have stayed away so long unless something serious had
happened. We ought to go in search of him."

"Where would you look first?" Jerry asked. "If the Britishers got
their hands on him we stand little chance of seein' the poor fellow,
for they'll keep him a close prisoner."

"It doesn't seem possible that we can accomplish very much," I said
with a long drawn sigh; "but we must do as he would if one of us was
missing."

"And what would that be?" my father asked.

"I wish I knew, sir. He surely would search for us, as we must for
him; but I am all at sea as to how the work should be begun."

Every member of the party was eager to be doing something, but so far
as having any plan in mind, they were all like me, and we sat there
staring at each other like a lot of frightened rabbits unti