y would do once the enemy gave them
an opportunity, until I asked petulantly:

"Is everybody in Benedict as eager to shed blood as are you?"

"Not much," Jim cried with a laugh. "There's Elias Macomber, for
example--he's an Englishman, you know, an' hasn't been in this country
more'n four years. He's makin' a lot of wild talk 'bout what he'll do
to us folks when the Britishers come up the river."

"What reason has he to make any fuss?" I asked, rather for the sake of
saying something, than because I desired information.

"Well, I suppose all hands have roughed into him pretty bad, on
account of things he's said, an' now he counts on showin' what his
countrymen can do."

Now it was that I began to feel glad because of having said nothing in
opposition to joining Commodore Barney's fleet. By hanging back while
all the others were taking up arms, I would be ranging myself on the
side of Elias Macomber, which would have caused me to be ashamed of
myself, for he was by no means a reputable citizen.

However glad I might be because I had refrained, or been prevented,
from saying that which would have made it appear as if I took sides
with the British, I was in nowise reconciled to the idea of going
where the bullets were like to be flying, and, after putting Jim and
his friend aboard the Avenger, I pulled back to the shore in anything
rather than a cheerful frame of mind.

Darius was waiting for me, and he must have run every step of the way
from the river to my father's home. He had with him a small bundle
wrapped in one of mother's blankets, and said as he pulled the bow of
the canoe up on the mud:

"I reckon it is jest as well that I went after your dunnage, lad, for
your mother was ready to have a cryin' fit, which she couldn't
perlitely let come on while I was there; but I'll warrant the water
would have run had you been alone with her."

"She can't be feeling terribly bad, otherwise she wouldn't have been
so anxious to have me go," I said sulkily.

"I don't know about that, my boy. It stands to reason she had rather
anything else happened, than that you should stay at home when this
part of the country needs every hand that can be raised in defense.
She feels sore because you are goin'; but I'll go bail she'd have felt
ten times worse had you said you'd stay back with such as Elias
Macomber."

I wasn't in a proper frame of mind to appreciate all that the old man
said, and continued to consider myself as be