"Bress de Lawd, honey; bress de Lawd dat you'se come back! Whar's de odder chillun?"

I speedily made the old man acquainted with all that was going on; but did not tell him what it was proposed he and I should do, for luckily I realized that Abel Hunt's ears were open, and if I should advertise all our proposed movements there might possibly be a chance of his overtaking us to wreak revenge before our task could be finished.

Therefore it was I told the old man only that the British army was retreating, and made an overly long story because he could not refrain from crying out in his joy now and again, and insisted on hearing all the little details concerning the movements of the soldiers.

But the story was told finally, however, and then I led the old man out of the cabin, he following me obediently, never asking where we were going, and when we had come to a ruined building mayhap fifty yards distant from old Mary's cabin, I halted, explained what we would do, saying that he should stay there while I went back and released the prisoners.

For the first time in my life Uncle 'Rasmus set his face against that which I would do. He declared that Pierre was in the wrong when he would handle the Tories so tenderly; that our first and only thought should be of our own safety, and no heed be given to the sufferings of those who would have sent us to the gallows.

I was not able to argue successfully with the old negro because there was in my mind much the same thought as in his, yet did I know that the fellows must be set free since it was a portion of Pierre's plan. I had promised him it should be done, and if I failed in my part of the work then might all the rest go awry. It was to my mind a question of doing exactly as the little lad had planned, or else let him understand that I was set against a certain portion of it.

All this I said to Uncle 'Rasmus, striving to make him understand clearly why I must go on even though it was against my inclination, and when I was finally come to an end the old man said in a tone of resignation:

"Well, honey, I'se 'lowin' you'se gwine to do jes' as dat yere little French boy says; but I'se tellin' you, chile, dat de only way to treat dese yere Tories is de way you treat a rattlesnake, an' dat is to get 'em on de end ob a split stick an' leabe 'em dere, widout worryin' yo'

head ef dey's habin' it comfortable or not."

"I'll go back and do as I've promised, Uncle 'Rasmus. You stay here, and in five minutes I shall return unless something unfortunate happens."

"Keep your eye mighty sharp on dat Abel Hunt, chile. Don' let him get de best ob you no how, kase he's slippery, an' like de rattler, he's gwine to strike when you ain' lookin' for it."

"I'm not counting on having any trouble whatsoever with Abel, Uncle 'Rasmus. Horry Sims is to do that part of it, as I have told you."

Then I went hurriedly away, feeling ill at ease on this errand of mercy because of the old negro's insistence that it was dangerous and bordered on folly to set loose such as Abel Hunt, when we had him trussed up where it was not possible for him to do any mischief.

I hastened back to old Mary's cabin, and, halting not on the floor below, went directly into the loft, where, cutting the bonds that held Horry Sims's feet, I ordered him to follow me down the ladder. At that moment I would, had it not been for Uncle 'Rasmus's warning, have taken the gag from Abel Hunt's mouth that he might be saved just so many more moments of suffering; but having in mind all the old negro had advanced as an argument against showing such mercy, I withheld my hand, and Horry Sims followed me in surprise and bewilderment at this sudden change in affairs, as obediently as a well whipped cur would have done.

It had been Pierre's command that I bring the Tory lad down to the floor below, there set him free, and then make my escape; but, because of the doubts in my heart, I exceeded little Frenchie's instructions by leading him some distance, say an hundred feet, from the cabin before telling him what were my intentions.

"You are to go back now and release Abel Hunt," I said, after having explained to him as much as I thought necessary, although I took care to have the lad understand that his British friends were retreating.

"And after that has been done?" Horry asked as if counting that he must continue to obey me however the circ.u.mstances might be changed.

"When you have released Abel you may go whithersoever you please."

"And do you count that the time will never come, Fitzroy Hamilton, when I can repay you, Saul Ogden and that French boy for what you have done?"

the young Tory cried as soon as I had removed the bonds from his hands, his courage reviving immediately he was free of limb, and the anger which he had been bottling up while he was helpless, pouring from his mouth in a torrent of words as he threatened this, that and the other, which should come to me and mine.

"I have no care as to what you can do, Horry Sims," I said, holding him by the shoulder so he should not be able to leave until I had given him due warning. "Remember you this, that the next time you come across my path with any intent of evil, or with any token that you would raise your hand against me, from that moment what you have already suffered as a prisoner will be as nothing compared with the punishment we lads will deal out. Now that your friends the Britishers are being driven from the soil of Virginia your fangs are gone. If you have any commonsense in that Tory head of yours you will keep a still tongue, and never raise your hand against any of the people in this colony."

Then I released the cur, and watched for an instant to see that he went straight back toward the cabin, after which I turned about to rejoin Uncle 'Rasmus, and at that instant it was as if all nature had suddenly been convulsed.

Because of my excitement, and owing to the fact that I was so intent upon that which was to be done, I had given no heed to the tokens in the sky, and the clouds may have been gathering half an hour or more without my knowledge. Certain it is, however, that on the instant, and suddenly as the lightning's flash, came the roar of a tempest that shook the half-ruined houses nearabout until the last timbers were overthrown, and I was forced to exert all my strength in order to stand against that furious blast. Then came peal upon peal of thunder, which drowned the roaring of the guns, for our people were yet firing upon the doomed village in order to show the Britishers that they were on the alert.

The vibration of the thunder had hardly died away when the lightning flashed great sheets of flame across the eastern sky, illumining the river whereon boats were plying to and fro, and showing clear as in a mirror the red-coats ma.s.sed upon the banks awaiting their turn to go across to Gloucester Point.

After that came a downpour of water, when the wind drove the rain-drops in solid sheets, as you might say, which stung one's face like thousands of needles. The roaring of thunder, for after the first outburst of the tempest it seemed to be almost continuous, the blinding flashes of light, together with the deluge of water, all served to confuse one, and I believe I stood there struggling against the elements to hold my footing, a full minute before gathering my wits sufficiently to turn about in order to rejoin Uncle 'Rasmus.

"For de Lawd's sake, honey, am de earth turnin' upside down?" the old man cried when I came to where he stood exposed to all the fury of the tempest, for he dared not remain amid the ruins of the building where great timbers were being flung about by the wind like straws. "What's Gin'ral Cornwallis gone done to bring on dis yere ter'ble racket?"

"I have released the Tories, Uncle 'Rasmus," I shouted, forced to speak close in his ear else he could not have heard me. "Why should we not push on even as Pierre has planned for us to do?"

"Was you gwine to tell our people dat de Britishers were takin' to dere heels for Gloucester Point?" Uncle 'Rasmus asked, as if having forgotten all that I had told him.

"Of course that is the story. Why else should it be necessary for us to make such haste?"

"Den stay whar you are, honey. Dere's gwine to be no retreatin' dis yere night."

"What do you mean?" I asked in bewilderment, almost fancying the old man had taken leave of his senses. "We saw a portion of the army go across."

"I'se 'lowin' all dat, honey; but yer Uncle 'Rasmus am tellin' yer dat dere won't any odder Britishers go ober dis yere night. I'se libed right erlong dis riber all my life, an' I knows dere ain' de bigges' skiff eber was built dat could make a landin' on de Gloucester sh.o.r.e sence dis yere storm got up. Gin'ral Cornwallis am boun' to put an end to dat ere fun ob his kase he can't get across, honey, I'se tellin' yer he can't get across, not till dis yere racket done died away, an' den dere's boun' fo' to be a ragin' torrent."

It was not until several moments had pa.s.sed that I realized the truth of all Uncle 'Rasmus had said. Then was borne in upon me the memory of what I had seen in ordinary hurricanes, when the river had been lashed into a fury by the wind, and the ablest boatmen along the sh.o.r.e dare not put out, for I venture to say there is no other body of water in this country so quickly changed to a boiling flood, or so dangerous to cross, as that portion of the York river which turns around Gloucester Point.

While I stood there in painful indecision, tears of disappointment rolling down my cheeks because at the very moment our time of triumph was apparently come it was turned aside by the elements themselves, I saw as the electric flashes lighted up the sky even more brilliantly than before, two forms come out of old Mary's cabin and set off in the direction of Governor Nelson's house, where my Lord Cornwallis made his headquarters.

"There go Abel Hunt and Horry Sims!" I cried bitterly. "The tempest is as nothing to them so that they may lodge a charge against us as being spies, to the end that we may come to the gallows here in this village of York."

"Hab dey done gone out ob de cabin, honey?" Uncle 'Rasmus cried, and when I repeated again that which I had seen the old man said as he held my head down to his mouth that no word might be swept aside by the furious blast:

"You'se boun' to go back, honey, boun' to go back inter de house, kase when de mornin' comes you'se gwine to be in a pickle wid Abel Hunt an'

Horry Sims gallivantin' 'roun' tryin' to lay you by de heels. Go back in dar 'fore dey comes dis yere way!"

"But why should we go there, Uncle 'Rasmus?" I cried angrily. "Why shut ourselves up in a trap where the Britishers may lay hands on us whenever they may be so disposed?"

"You'se gwine back dar, honey, kase dere ain' any odder place in dis yere village. Dere's no show ob gettin' trou de lines now, chile, an'

what you'se needin' is dem yere guns what we done hid under de floor."

"You're crazy, Uncle 'Rasmus! You're crazy to think we three lads may stand up against all these Britishers!" and now indeed did I lose my temper; but Uncle 'Rasmus, still holding my head where he could make certain every word he spoke might be heard by me, said earnestly:

"Tell me whar's you gwine to go, honey, ef you don' hide yoursef in ole Mary's cabin? Does you count on bein' run 'roun' dis yere village when de sun comes up, like a fox wid a houn' at his tail? Ef de Britishers hab begun to get across to Gloucester Point, dere's a chance dey'll keep at it when de riber quiets down, an' all you chillun's needin' to do is keep whar you can hol' your own. Get back inter de cabin, honey!"

Then it was that Uncle 'Rasmus took me by the arm with a strength which I never suspected was in his frail body, and although I struggled not, he literally dragged me through that howling, raging tempest to the hovel which I thought I had left never to return, and we two entered, the water running in streams from our garments as we stood in the middle of the floor silent and motionless, each striving, most like, to decide what should next be done.

CHAPTER XVIII

TRAPPED

Uncle 'Rasmus and I were still standing on the puncheon floor in the darkness of old Mary's cabin when the door was suddenly thrown open, and in came Pierre and Saul, bringing with them such an onrush of water as the rain swept through the opening, that it seemed as if the hovel must soon be flooded.

"Thank heaven you did not start as I counted on!" Pierre cried in a tone of relief as he set about barricading the door to keep out the elements, and I cried bitterly, remembering that if I had heeded Uncle 'Rasmus's advice we would not be in such great peril.

"The storm came in time to prevent us from making an effort to get through the lines; but not sufficiently soon to stop us from setting loose that miserable scoundrel, Abel Hunt, and the sneak Horry Sims."

"What?" Saul cried in a tone of mingled surprise and dismay. "Are they at liberty?"