"Creep in there, lad, and hold your peace! If you raise your voice above a whisper, I swear that it shall be the last moment of your life! You can well fancy we would not flinch at killing such as you when it might be to save ourselves. To hold you secretly, and yet securely, is our hope, therefore bear well in mind to what lengths we are bound to go rather than allow you to give us the slip!"

The Tory crawled head foremost into one of the casks, which was so large that he could readily turn around in it, and in the gloom of the shed I could see that his face was as white as my mother's table linen. He shook like one in an ague fit, as well he might, for the threats Pierre made carried with them such a ring of truth that he would have been dull indeed had he failed to understand how far we would go in order to save our own skins.

Pierre followed him into this snug hiding place, and I stood helplessly by, awaiting some word from little Frenchie, ready to obey whatever commands he might give, while Saul, shamefaced because of his indiscretion, came up to my side.

"It is like this," Pierre said as if he had asked a question. "So long as we can hold this Tory sneak secretly, so long are we at liberty to remain in York Town to compa.s.s the business which brought us here; but on the instant he gives us the slip, we may count on coming before a military court charged with being rebels, if not with being spies."

"How long do you think he can remain in this shed without being discovered?" Saul asked stupidly, and then it was that Pierre explained his plan, so far as he had formed it.

"One of us, and you should be that one inasmuch as it was through you that all this trouble came about," he said, looking at Saul, "must remain here until midnight, or thereabouts, on the alert all the while lest he give an alarm, while Fitz and I move about the village as we were intending when we left old Mary's cabin. When night has come, and if we find it possible, this Tory must be carried across the town and stowed safely in that loft above the room in which Uncle 'Rasmus is living. There, one or the other of us must act as jailor all the while, until--I cannot guess when our duties may be ended. If, perchance, the American forces give Lord Cornwallis battle, and are victorious, then may we come out of the snarl with whole skins; but if so be the British are the conquerors, we can look to have the tables turned on us, when Horry Sims will get all the revenge he may desire."

A pretty pickle we were in because of what Saul had done! The most we could hope for would be to hold Horry day after day in that loft of old Mary's cabin, with but one show of getting out of the box, which would be such a victory by the Americans that they might take possession of the town of York.

It was a slim chance, though I doubted not that General Lafayette's army, if reinforced as it should be, would whip the Britishers; but again and again the so-called rebels had been worsted by the king's soldiers, and why might they not get a drubbing here? It was well within the range of possibilities that the British army would be reinforced by vessels sent down from New York, in which case we stood to suffer.

Even though the Britishers allowed us to go here or there at will, we were held as close prisoners, because of having Horry Sims in custody, as though they put us under a strong guard. If at that moment when we stood by the casks in the shed speculating upon the situation, I had known that the town of York was to be besieged and sh.e.l.led by our people, I would not have reckoned that my life was worth the turn of a hand.

Fortunate indeed was it for us that we could not look into the future.

Fortunate we had no inkling of all that was to take place between the rivers of York and James within the next few days, else had our courage failed us entirely. As it was, however, I had great faith Pierre would pull through his scheme successfully, and trusted that the future would show us some way out of this snarl into which we had been so suddenly plunged.

"Come in here, and stretch yourself out beside this lad, with your hand closing on his throat so that at the lightest sign of his counting on giving an alarm you can choke him to death," Pierre said to Saul, who was crouching that he might look into the cask, and my cousin did meekly as he was bidden, for by this time he had come fully to understand that he alone was responsible for all this trouble which had come upon us.

Not until Saul was within the cask, and had taken position close by the side of the prisoner, did little Frenchie venture to come out. Then, halting and leaning over so his voice would carry to the prisoner and his jailor without being heard by any who might be in the vicinity of the shed, he said, still speaking in a tone of command which, had I been less excited and anxious, would have sounded comical from one so small:

"Remember, Saul, that your life, mayhap, and ours, depends upon your holding that Tory scoundrel safe. Fitz and I will learn what we may toward aiding us in getting him to the cabin."

"How long am I to stay here?" Saul asked, and I fancied that he was growing sulky again, whereupon I said soothingly, laying my hand on his leg in friendly fashion:

"Do not let your temper get the best of you again, Saul, else are we all undone past mending. We have fallen into a hobble, and each must do his best to come out alive."

"I am ready to do what I may, and understand, without its being roughed into me, that I am the one who is responsible for it all; but yet I ask how long am I to stay here?"

"Until we come again," little Frenchie said decidedly. "There is no probability we shall dare risk a visit here 'twixt now and the time when we have made ready to carry him to old Mary's cabin, therefore you can count that your duties as jailor will hold you inside that cask until midnight."

I would have added somewhat to that which Pierre had said, counting thereby to soothe my cousin; but little Frenchie dragged me back, motioning with his finger on his lips that I hold my peace. I understood that again was the lad right, for if we did what we might toward coaxing Saul into a better humor, we were possibly giving him an opportunity to fly off in a rage again, and that would have been fatal to all the faint hopes in which we then indulged.

Pierre clambered softly down across the rubbish, motioning for me to follow his example, and then set about pulling away from the ramshackle door the short lengths of logs which barred it; but he was careful to remove only sufficient of the barrier for us to creep out.

When we were in the open air, with the shed so nearly closed that no one, unless having special business there, would be likely to enter, he said to me in a whisper as he led the way up into the village once more:

"Now we will set about our work, and before Saul sees us again he will have had plenty of time in which to repent having given way to his temper."

"Our work?" I repeated dully. "Isn't it enough that we must hold Horry Sims prisoner, without thinking of aught else?"

"We came here to find Saul's mare and your Silver Heels, and, even though it be necessary to stand guard over the Tory, I am counting that we shall continue the work even as was at first proposed."

"It is to my mind that we have enough on our hands, without taking more," I said, and mayhap there was in my voice that same sulky tone which I had heard in Saul's a few seconds before.

"Surely one of us is enough to hold that Tory quiet, unless the Britishers get an inkling that we have him in our hands, and, besides, Uncle 'Rasmus should be able to help us in no small degree. Do you remember that we counted to call ourselves Minute Boys, and to do the work of Minute Boys?"

"Ay, that is what we reckoned on when we were foot-free--when we had not fettered ourselves with a Tory prisoner; but now it is all impossible."

"Why impossible?" and for the first time since we had come upon Horry Sims did Pierre indulge in that indescribable shrug and wave of the hands which was peculiar to him. "It would seem to me that now is the time, if ever, when we can do somewhat for the Cause--when we can prove that although our company of Minute Boys numbers but three, we are of importance, and may make our names known to those who are staking their lives for the liberty of this country."

I looked at the little lad in amazement. The idea that we three boys, who were in as bad a hobble as lads ever could be--we three who stood, one might almost say, face to face with death, should think of aught else, was to me most astonishing, and yet this small fellow from New Orleans was all afire with great plans.

Surely if our company of Minute Boys ever did anything in behalf of the Cause, it would be wholly due to him, for I had come to consider, half an hour since, that his was the only brain among us.

"My countryman, with an army of Americans, is near at hand, holding this English lord here as if he was in a prison, and do you not believe that it may be possible for us to carry to General Lafayette such information concerning what is being done here in this town of York as would be of importance?" Pierre asked, his eyes flashing and his cheeks flushing.

"Ay, if so be we were free to act we might, one or another of us, creep out through the lines and get speech with our people; but hampered as we are, how will it be possible? We are prisoners here, ourselves holding a prisoner."

"Look upon it in that way if you please," and again Pierre shrugged his shoulders. "I count on having one try for the horses, and, failing that, of having speech with General Lafayette himself after we have been through this town of York and set down in our minds all the work on which the Britishers are now engaged."

"I hope most sincerely you may succeed, lad; but yet I doubt it sorely.

In the meanwhile, what about Uncle 'Rasmus?"

"We will go to his cabin now, explain what has happened, and then lounge around the stable quarters of the Rangers, where you shall have a glimpse of your beloved Silver Heels."

I believe the lad reminded me of the horse I loved so well, with the purpose of holding my courage straight, and he could have used no other bait that would have lured me so quickly from out the Slough of Despond into which I had fallen.

There was no hope in my heart, however sanguine he appeared, that I could regain possession of my horse. The most I dared look forward to was that events might so shape themselves as to make it possible for us to escape from this town into which we had voluntarily come, and yet I was such a simple that I failed of understanding it was Pierre Laurens who would get us out of the hobble, if indeed we ever did get out; but I followed him meekly as he led the way toward the Pigeon Quarter.

Uncle 'Rasmus was seated by the window; we could see his wrinkled black face through the dirty gla.s.s, and surely he had every appearance of being near to death as he sat there huddled up in a little ball, so to speak, wrapped in his blanket although the day was unusually warm.

"Are you really sick, Uncle?" I asked, hurrying into the hovel with the fear that I should find there additional trouble.

"I'se mighty bad, honey, mighty bad," the old man replied with an odd twinkle in his eyes. "I 'spects I'se 'bleeged ter stay right here, wid neber a chance ob gettin' back to de ole plantation, kase I'se got de misery in my back, my head, an' my legs till I'se des de same as a wuffless ole cripple."

"That's right, Uncle 'Rasmus," Pierre said cheerily. "You are a promising looking old invalid, and I guarantee that if any of these red-coated gentry have a suspicion you may be playing a part, one glimpse of that face of yours will convince them you are nigh to death."

"I'se bin reckonin' on des dat same ting, an' while de ole n.i.g.g.e.r am so po'ly dese yere gen'men who's in de army carn' grudge my seein' you chillun now an' den."

"You are likely to see a good deal of us, Uncle 'Rasmus," I said grimly, now understanding that the old negro was simply playing his part as had been agreed upon. "We had the ill luck to come across Horry Sims; Saul lost his temper, and let the fellow know we were acquainted with what he had been about."

"Lan' ob ma.s.sy, chillun, lan' ob ma.s.sy! Hab you bin rubbin' up agin dat Tory sneak?"

"It's worse than that, Uncle 'Rasmus," Pierre said with a smile. "In order to save our own skins we have been forced to make him a prisoner, and can stay in York Town only so long as it is possible to keep him out of sight. We count on bringing him here, if there's a living show for it, 'twixt now and midnight."

"Chilluns, chilluns, I 'low to goodness you'se done gone crazy! Whar's Saul? Wha's become ob de chile?"

I explained to Uncle 'Rasmus where my cousin was, and what he was doing, after which Pierre gave him a brief outline of his plans, and when both of us had come to an end of our speech, there was no need for the old man to exert himself very strenuously in order to play the part of invalid.

His wrinkled face went ashy pale as the facts of the situation were borne in upon him, and he sank back in the chair with both hands uplifted as if in supplication.

"You chilluns hab done gone crazy! Gone crazy!" he repeated again and again, and I stood helplessly by not knowing what to do; but little Frenchie set about soothing the old man's fears by explaining how it might be possible for us to do this, or do that, and declaring we could keep Horry a prisoner in the loft so long as one of us stood close by to insure his silence, until Uncle 'Rasmus recovered a goodly measure of his former serenity.

"I 'clar for it, chillun, it beats de snakes how much trubble you'se got us all into; but I reckon we'se boun' to hol' our backs stiff agin it, else dese yere Britishers am gwine ter make mighty short work ob us."