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+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 41050 ***
+
+_In Hostile Red_
+
+
+
+
+CROWNED MASTERPIECES OF MODERN FICTION
+
+_SPECIAL SUBSCRIPTION EDITION_
+
+In Hostile Red
+
+BY
+
+J. A. Altsheler
+
+Author of "In Circling Camps," "The Sun of Saratoga," "Before the Dawn,"
+Etc.
+
+_NEW YORK_ DOUBLEDAY
+PAGE & COMPANY 1904
+
+
+_Copyright, 1897, by_ J. B. LIPPINCOTT CO
+_Copyright, 1900, by_ DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & CO
+
+
+
+
+_Prefatory Note_
+
+
+_The author published three years ago, in Lippincott's Magazine, a short
+romance, called "A Knight of Philadelphia," which forms the basis of the
+present story._
+
+
+
+
+_Contents_
+
+
+CHAPTER                                                    PAGE
+
+I. IN HOSTILE RED                                            11
+
+II. FEELING THE WAY                                          27
+
+III. SIR WILLIAM'S REVEL                                     42
+
+IV. ON A NEW SERVICE                                         59
+
+V. THE WORK OF WILDFOOT                                      73
+
+VI. A COUSIN FROM ENGLAND                                    82
+
+VII. THE QUARREL                                             94
+
+VIII. A FILE OF PRISONERS                                   101
+
+IX. WITH THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF                             115
+
+X. THE FINE FINISH OF A PLAY                                123
+
+XI. A MAN HUNT                                              134
+
+XII. A DELICATE SEARCH                                      142
+
+XIII. HESSIAN WRATH                                         153
+
+XIV. ACCORDING TO PROMISE                                   166
+
+XV. THE PURSUIT OF WILDFOOT                                 179
+
+XVI. A REBUKE FOR WATERS                                    187
+
+XVII. GREAT NEWS                                            191
+
+XVIII. THE SILENT SENTINEL                                  202
+
+XIX. A RIDE FOR THE CAUSE                                   219
+
+XX. THE NIGHT COMBAT                                        232
+
+XXI. KEEPING UP APPEARANCES                                 245
+
+XXII. A FULL CONFESSION                                     254
+
+XXIII. GEORGE WASHINGTON'S MERCY                            261
+
+XXIV. IN THE CITY AGAIN                                     274
+
+XXV. THE WIDOW'S MIGHT                                      281
+
+XXVI. AN AVERAGE NIGHT WITH WILDFOOT                        299
+
+XXVII. PURE GOLD                                            307
+
+XXVIII. AT THE COUNCIL FIRE                                 313
+
+XXIX. UNDER THE APPLE-TREES                                 318
+
+XXX. THE DEFENCE OF THE GUN                                 321
+
+XXXI. A BATTLE AND AN ANSWERED QUESTION                     334
+
+
+
+
+_In Hostile Red_
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER ONE--_In Hostile Red_
+
+
+"Captain the Honorable Charles Montague, eldest son and heir to Lord
+George Montague, of Bridgewater Hall, Yorkshire, England," said Marcel,
+reading the letters, "and Lieutenant Arthur Melville, son to Sir
+Frederick William Melville, of Newton-on-the-Hill, Staffordshire,
+England. Those names sound well, don't they, eh, Chester? They roll like
+the Delaware."
+
+I could not restrain a smile at the prim and choppy way in which Marcel
+pronounced the names and titles, just as if he were calling the roll of
+our company. Nevertheless, I wished to hide it, feeling some sympathy
+for the two young Englishmen because of the grievous state into which
+they had fallen. As they stood a bit apart from us, they preserved the
+seeming of dignity, but in truth it was apparent that beneath this cloak
+they were sore troubled in mind; and well they had a right to be. It was
+a hard fate to come all the way across the ocean with letters of high
+recommendation to one's commander-in-chief, only to fall into the hands
+of the enemy, letters and all, with the place of destination almost in
+sight.
+
+"They should have stood very high in the graces of Sir William Howe had
+they reached Philadelphia," said Marcel, "for here are letters from some
+of the greatest men in England, descanting upon their military merits.
+Perhaps, Chester, we have saved the Thirteen Colonies with this little
+achievement, you and I. Because, if everything in these letters be
+true--and it is not for me to criticise the veracity of the
+writers,--one of our prisoners must be an Alexander at the very least,
+and the other a Hannibal."
+
+Marcel had a sprightly humor, and one could never tell how it was going
+to show itself. But he was not given to malice, and he spoke the latter
+words in a tone that the Englishmen could not hear.
+
+"Chester," he resumed, drawing me a little farther to one side, "these
+young gentlemen, barring their mischance of falling into our hands, seem
+to be veritable pets of fortune. They are rich, of high station, and
+they come to join a powerful army which has all the resources of war at
+its command. And look at their raiment, Chester; look at their raiment,
+I say!"
+
+In good truth, they were apparelled in most comfortable and seemly
+fashion. There is always a brave dash of color and adornment about the
+uniform of the British officer, and our prisoners had omitted nothing.
+
+"Now look at our own attire," said Marcel, in tones of the utmost
+melancholy.
+
+Of a verity, there was cause for his melancholy; the contrast was most
+piteous. Time and hard wear had played sad tricks with our regimentals,
+and, what was worse, we knew not when or how we were to replace them.
+
+"I see not why we should grieve over it," I said. "The matter cannot be
+helped, and we must make the best of it we can."
+
+"Perhaps," replied Marcel, fingering the letters meditatively. Then he
+turned and said with much politeness to Captain Montague,--
+
+"I believe you stated that you and your friend are complete strangers to
+Sir William and his army?"
+
+"Yes," replied Captain Montague; "we have no acquaintance with them at
+all, and we fear that the unlucky capture of us you have effected will
+prevent us from making any very soon."
+
+"It was mere chance, and no fault of yours, that threw you into our
+hands," said Marcel, very courteously; "and it may save you from being
+killed on the battle-field, which fate I would take to be somewhat
+unpleasant."
+
+Then he drew me aside again.
+
+"Chester," he said, assuming his most weighty manner, "sit down on this
+tree-trunk. I wish to hold converse with you for a moment or two."
+
+I occupied the designated seat and waited for him to speak, knowing that
+he would take his own good time about it.
+
+"Chester," he said, the solemnity of his tone unchanged, "you know what
+I am."
+
+"Yes," I replied; "by descent three parts French and one part Irish, by
+birth South Carolinian; therefore wholly irresponsible."
+
+"Quite true," he replied; "and you are by descent three parts English
+and one part Scotch, and by birth Pennsylvanian; therefore if you were
+to die the world would come to an end. Now, Bob Chester, still your
+Quakerish soul and listen. Behold those officers! Their brave clothes
+and well-rounded figures, which indicate a fine and abundant diet,
+arouse much envy in my soul, and because of it I have taken a
+resolution. Now having listened, look!"
+
+He rose and bowed low.
+
+"Lieutenant Melville," he said, addressing himself to me, "pardon this
+somewhat formal and abrupt introduction, but I have heard often of your
+family, and I know of its ancient and honorable extraction. Perhaps my
+own may fairly make pretensions of a similar character. Lieutenant
+Melville, permit me to introduce myself. I am Captain the Honorable
+Charles Montague, eldest son to Lord George Montague, of Bridgewater
+Hall, Yorkshire. I am delighted to meet you, Lieutenant Melville, and
+doubly delighted to know that you also have letters to our illustrious
+commander-in-chief, and that we shall be comrades in arms and in glory."
+
+"Marcel," said I, after a moment's pause, for he had taken the breath
+from me, "this is impossible. It would mean the halter for both of us
+before to-morrow night."
+
+"Not so," he replied. "Neither of those men has a personal acquaintance
+in the British army. What I propose is easy enough, if we only preserve
+a little coolness and tact. I am tired of skulking about like a
+half-starved hound, and I want an adventure. It's only for a day or two.
+Moreover, think what valuable information we might be able to acquire in
+Philadelphia, and what a great service we might render to our
+commander-in-chief. But of course, if you are afraid to go with me, I
+will go alone."
+
+So speaking, he looked at me in the most provoking manner.
+
+Now, I hold that I am a prudent man, but the Highland fourth in my blood
+will get the mastery of the English three-fourths now and then, and I
+never would take a dare from Marcel. Besides, I had a sudden vision and
+I dreamed of a great service to a desperate cause, to be followed
+perhaps by high promotion.
+
+"A good idea," I said. "We will go to our colonel and propose it at
+once."
+
+Marcel laughed, and his manner became more provoking than ever.
+
+"And be called a fool for your trouble," he said. "Now is your chance or
+not at all. Come, Bob! Our success will bring our pardon. At this moment
+the way of a true patriot lies there."
+
+He pointed toward Philadelphia, and his words were most tempting.
+
+"Very well," I said; "if you go alone you will surely be detected and
+hanged as a spy. Since it is necessary for me to go with you to save
+you, I'll have to do it."
+
+"It is most kind of you," said Marcel; "and then if we must hang it will
+be pleasanter for us to hang together."
+
+We beckoned to Sergeant Pritchard and told him our plan. He was full of
+astonishment and protestations. But, as he was under our command, he
+could do naught but obey.
+
+The two young Englishmen were compelled to retire behind some trees and
+divest themselves of their fine clothes, which we donned, giving them
+our rags in return. All the letters and other documents that we found in
+their possession we put in our pockets. Then we mounted their sleek, fat
+horses and turned our heads towards Philadelphia.
+
+"Sergeant Pritchard," I said, "look well to the prisoners, and see that
+they do not escape ere we return."
+
+"Then they will never escape," he said. "Lieutenant Chester, you and
+Lieutenant Marcel could find better ways to die. I beg you to come
+back."
+
+"Sergeant Pritchard," said Marcel, "we will do you the honor of dining
+with you, at your expense, one month from to-day. Meanwhile report to
+our colonel the nature of the errand upon which we are now going."
+
+Then we bowed low to the gentlemen whose clothes we wore, and galloped
+off towards Philadelphia.
+
+One can become intoxicated without drinking, and the air was so
+brilliant and buoyant that I think it got into our heads and created in
+us an unusual measure of high spirits. Moreover, we were so nobly clad
+and had such good horses under us that we felt like gentlemen of quality
+for the first time in many long and weary months. We galloped at a great
+rate for a half-hour, and then when we pulled our horses down to a walk
+Marcel turned a satisfied smile upon me.
+
+"Lieutenant Melville, allow me to congratulate you upon the make and set
+of your uniform," he said with extreme politeness. "It is in truth most
+becoming to you, and I dare say there is no officer in the service of
+our gracious Majesty King George who could present a finer appearance or
+prove himself more worthy of his commission."
+
+"A thousand thanks, Captain Montague," I replied. "Such a compliment
+from an officer of your critical discernment and vast experience is in
+truth most grateful. Permit me to add, without attempting to flatter
+you, that you yourself make a most imposing and military figure. May
+these perverse rebels soon give us both a chance to prove our valor and
+worth!"
+
+"The warlike words of a warrior," said Marcel. "And it seemeth to me,
+Lieutenant Melville, that the warrior is worthy of his wage. The country
+about us is fair. There are hills and dales and running streams and
+woodland and pasture. I doubt not that when all the rebels are hanged
+and their goods confiscated, the king will allot brave estates to us for
+our most faithful services. It will be very pleasant to each of us,
+Lieutenant Melville, to have fair acres in this country to add to what
+we may have some day in England. See that tall hill afar to the right. I
+think I will rear my mansion upon its crest. That curtain of wood on the
+slope there will make a lordly pad, while my lands will roll back for
+miles."
+
+"And I trust that I shall be your neighbor, Captain Montague," I
+replied, "for, behold, to the left is another hill, upon which a noble
+building shall rise, the home of the famous soldier General Melville,
+Duke of Pennsylvania."
+
+Then we threw our heads back and laughed like two boys out for a frolic.
+
+"There is one thing that both of us must bear in mind, Lieutenant
+Melville," said Marcel, presently.
+
+"What is that?" I asked.
+
+"We must not forget the tragic end of two young American officers whom
+we knew, Lieutenant Robert Chester, of Pennsylvania, and Lieutenant
+Philip Marcel, of South Carolina."
+
+"Ah! their fate was sad, very sad," I said.
+
+Marcel put his face in his hands and appeared to weep.
+
+"They departed this life very suddenly," he said, "about ten o'clock of
+a fine morning, on the 8th of May, 1778, in his Britannic Majesty's
+province of Pennsylvania, about fifteen miles east of his most loyal
+city of Philadelphia. The witnesses of their sudden and sorrowful demise
+were Sergeant Pritchard, four privates in the rebel service, and two
+young British officers who had just been captured by the aforesaid
+rebels. But such, alas, are the chances of war; we must even weep their
+fate, for they were so young and so ingenuous! Lieutenant Melville, will
+you weep with me?"
+
+We bowed our heads and wept.
+
+"Suppose the English officers should ask us about England and our homes
+and kin?" I said to Marcel. "How could we answer them without at once
+convicting ourselves?"
+
+"That will be easy enough," replied Marcel, gayly. "We have brains,
+haven't we? And if any impertinent fellow becomes too inquisitive we can
+do as the Connecticut man does: we can answer a question with a
+question of our own. Besides, there is plenty of information in these
+letters that we have captured, and we can study them."
+
+We were now approaching the British lines, but were still in a region
+that might be called doubtful ground, since parties from either army
+scouted and foraged over it.
+
+I suggested that we halt in the shade of a convenient grove and examine
+the letters again with minute care, rehearsing them in order that we
+might be perfectly familiar with their contents. This we did, and then
+each tested the knowledge of the other, like a pedagogue questioning his
+pupil.
+
+"I think we'll do," said Marcel. "Even if we were to lose the letters,
+we can remember everything that is in them."
+
+"That being granted," I replied, "I propose that we push on at once for
+Philadelphia. I am amazingly hungry, and I have heard that the rations
+of the British officers are a delight to the stomach."
+
+We mounted our horses and rode leisurely on. As we were drawing near to
+the city we expected to meet scouting or skirmishing parties, and we
+were not subjected to disappointment.
+
+Presently, as our road wound around a hill we heard a clanking of spurs
+and the jabber of voices. Through some trees we could see bits of
+sunshine reflected from the metal of guns.
+
+"A British scouting or foraging party," said Marcel. "Now, Bob, remember
+that we are to carry it off like two young lords, and are to be as
+weighty of manner as if we equalled Sir William Howe himself in rank."
+
+We shook up our horses, and they trotted forward, Marcel and I assuming
+an air of ease and indifference. A dozen troopers came into our view.
+They were rather a begrimed and soiled lot, and it was quite evident to
+us that they had been on a foraging expedition, for one of them carried
+chickens and turkeys, and another had a newly slain pig resting
+comfortably across his saddle-bow. The leader seemed to be a large swart
+man who rode in front and clutched a squawking hen in his left hand.
+
+"They're Americans! They're of our own side, by Jupiter!" exclaimed
+Marcel. "We'll warn them that this is dangerous ground and that they may
+meet the enemy at any moment."
+
+So we whipped up our horses and galloped forward with this benevolent
+purpose in view.
+
+But, to our great amazement and to our equal indignation, the large man
+drew a horse-pistol of a bigness proportioned to his own, and fired
+point-blank at us. I heard three or four slugs whizzing in a most
+uncomfortable manner past my head, and, thinking it was time to stop,
+drew back my horse with a jerk.
+
+"The confounded whipper-snapper dandies!" exclaimed the big man with the
+pistol. "Would they dare to ride us down! At them, lads, and knock them
+off their horses!"
+
+"Stop! stop!" shouted Marcel. "What do you mean by attacking your own
+countrymen and comrades?"
+
+But his only answer was a shout of derision and the cocking of pistols.
+Then I remembered that we were clad in the British uniform. The
+Americans might well believe that our protestations of friendship were
+but a sham. In truth, they could scarce be expected to believe aught
+else. With a quick and powerful jerk of the rein I wheeled my horse
+about. Marcel did likewise, and away we galloped, our countrymen hot at
+our heels and their bullets whistling about us.
+
+It was lucky for us that the foragers were well loaded up with spoil and
+their movements and aim thus impeded. Otherwise I think we should have
+been slain. But, as it was, none of their bullets struck us, and the
+suddenness of our flight gave us a good start. We bent down upon our
+horses' necks, in order to present as small a target as possible.
+
+"I think we ought to stop and explain," I said to Marcel when we had
+galloped a few hundred yards.
+
+"But there is no time to explain," he replied. "If we were to check our
+speed we would be overtaken by bullets before we could make explanation.
+Our uniforms, though very fine and becoming, are much against us, and
+even if we should escape without wounds we would be taken back as
+prisoners to the American army."
+
+"Then, Captain Montague," I said, "there is naught for us to do but
+continue our flight to Philadelphia and escape within the lines of his
+Britannic Majesty's most devoted army."
+
+"It is even so, Lieutenant Melville," returned Marcel. "How does his
+Grace the Duke of Pennsylvania like to be pursued thus over his own
+domain by these wicked rebels?"
+
+"He likes it not at all," I replied.
+
+"But he must even endure it," said Marcel, grinning in spite of our
+predicament.
+
+We had gained somewhat upon our pursuers, but we could hear the big man
+encouraging the others and urging them to greater speed. It was our good
+fortune that the country was not obstructed by hedges or fences, and it
+seemed that we might escape, for our horses evidently were the fresher.
+
+I looked back and saw the big man fifteen or twenty feet ahead of his
+companions. He was making great efforts to reload his pistol, but was
+keeping a watchful eye upon us at the same time. It was plain to me that
+he was filled with the ardor of the chase and would not relinquish it as
+long as it seemed possible to overtake us. Presently he adjusted the
+charge in his pistol and raised the weapon. I saw that it was aimed at
+me, and just as he pulled the trigger I made my horse swerve.
+Nevertheless I felt a smart in my left arm and uttered a short cry.
+
+"Are you hurt?" asked Marcel, apprehensively.
+
+"No," I replied, "not much. I think his bullet took a piece of my skin,
+but no more."
+
+For all that, a fine trickle of blood that came down my left sleeve and
+stained my hand made me feel uneasy.
+
+We urged our horses to greater efforts, and the spirited animals
+responded. We had curved about considerably in the course of our flight,
+but I had a good idea of the country, and I knew that we were now
+galloping directly towards Philadelphia. I trusted that if our pursuers
+were aware of this fact they would abandon the chase, which threatened
+soon to take them inside the British lines. But many minutes passed, and
+they showed no signs of stopping.
+
+"We have our pistols," said Marcel. "We might use them."
+
+"We cannot fire on our own countrymen," I replied.
+
+"No," he replied, "but we can fire over their heads, and it may reduce
+the infernal eagerness they show in their pursuit. A bullet properly
+directed discourages overmuch enthusiasm."
+
+We twisted about in our saddles and discharged our weapons as Marcel had
+suggested. But, unfortunately for us, our countrymen were brave and not
+at all afraid of our pistols. They came on as fast as ever, while our
+movement had checked our flight somewhat and caused us to lose ground
+perceptibly. We began to grow discouraged.
+
+But in this moment of depression we saw a smudge of red across a valley,
+and Marcel uttered a little shout of joy.
+
+"A rescue! A rescue, most noble duke!" he cried. "See, the British
+troops are coming!"
+
+Through the valley a body of British cavalry were galloping. There were
+at least fifty men in the party, and evidently they had seen us before
+we saw them, for many of them held their sabres in their hands, and
+presently they raised a great shout.
+
+Our American pursuers, seeing that they were out-numbered, turned about
+and took to their heels with considerable precipitation. The next moment
+we galloped into the middle of the British troop, and then, a curious
+faintness overcoming me, I slid to the ground.
+
+Marcel, having thrown himself from his horse, was beside me in a moment,
+and lifted me to my feet.
+
+"A little water, please, as soon as you can," he said to a fine stalwart
+officer who had also dismounted and come to my aid. "The lieutenant was
+wounded in a brush we had with those confounded rebels, and I fear his
+strength is exhausted."
+
+"Then here is something much better for him than water," said the
+officer, sympathetically.
+
+He held a canteen to my mouth, and I took a draught of as fine whiskey
+as I have ever tasted. It put life back into me and I was able to stand
+upon my feet without assistance.
+
+A half-dozen of the British had remained with the officer who gave me
+the whiskey, but the others had continued the pursuit. This man, who
+wore the uniform of a captain, was apparently about thirty-five, and of
+prepossessing appearance. He looked at us inquiringly, and Marcel, who
+guessed the nature of his unspoken question, said,--
+
+"My friend here, who is so unfortunate as to be wounded, is Lieutenant
+Arthur Melville, and I am Captain Charles Montague. We landed but lately
+in New York, and we undertook to come across the country to
+Philadelphia, for we have letters to Sir William Howe, and we wished to
+see active service as soon as possible."
+
+"You seem to have had an adventure, at any rate," said the officer.
+
+"Why, it was nothing much, only a trifle," replied Marcel, airily. "If
+the fellows had not been so numerous, I think we could have given a
+handsome account of them. Melville here, before he got his wound, popped
+one of them off his horse with a bullet through his head, and I think I
+gave another a reminder in the shoulder which he will not forget very
+soon. But it was lucky you came when you did, gentlemen, for they were
+most persistent scoundrels, and I verily believe they would have
+overtaken us."
+
+"It is a pleasure to have been in time to render you assistance," said
+the officer. "My name is Blake, Geoffrey Blake, and I am a captain in
+the Guards. I am something of a surgeon, and if Lieutenant Melville will
+permit me I will examine his arm and discover the nature of his wound."
+
+The hurt proved to be very slight, but I readily saw how much the manner
+of our entry into the British lines was in favor of our plan. We had
+come up full tilt, pursued by the Americans, and an American bullet had
+grazed my arm. The chase, after all, was a fortunate accident, for it
+created a vast prepossession in favor of our assumed identity.
+
+"It was an early and rather rude welcome that the rebels gave us," said
+Marcel, as we were examining the wounded arm, "but I fancy that we will
+yet find an opportunity for revenge."
+
+"No doubt of it! No doubt of it!" said Captain Blake. "We have not been
+able to bring on a general battle for some time, but their skirmishers
+swarm like flies around us, and nothing is safe beyond the sight of our
+army. It was very bold of you, gentlemen, to undertake a journey from
+New York to Philadelphia across a rebel-infested country."
+
+"We thought we might have a skirmish with the rebels," said Marcel,
+lightly, "and we had no great objection to such an encounter: did we,
+eh, Melville?"
+
+"Oh, no, not at all, so long as Captain Blake and his gallant men were
+at hand to rescue us," I replied.
+
+Captain Blake bowed and regarded us with a look of great favor. I saw
+that we were fast establishing our reputation with our new British
+friends as men of dashing courage and good nature. Presently the
+troopers who had pursued the Americans returned and reported that they
+had been unable to catch them.
+
+"They disappeared in the woods over there," said a lieutenant, "and we
+can discover no further traces of them. And they carried all their spoil
+with them, too; not a chicken, not a turkey, could we retake."
+
+"Let them go," replied Captain Blake. "At least we have saved our
+friends here from capture."
+
+"Which the aforesaid friends consider to be not the least among your
+achievements," said Marcel.
+
+Captain Blake laughed good-humoredly, and then we rode into
+Philadelphia, Marcel and I bearing ourselves like conquering heroes and
+guests of honor.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWO--_Feeling the Way_
+
+
+We made a fine cavalcade when we rode through the streets of
+Philadelphia. As we had stopped at the outposts in order to comply with
+the usual formalities, a rumor of our adventures preceded us, and, since
+it is not the habit of rumor to diminish the importance of things, it
+made notable heroes of Marcel and me. Some part of it came to our ears
+as we proceeded, and we found that between us we had slain at least
+eight rebels and had pursued a hundred others a matter of not less than
+ten miles.
+
+"I fear, captain," said Marcel to Blake, "that we have achieved such a
+reputation for valorous conduct that we will never be able to prove the
+tenth part of it."
+
+"Trust me, gentlemen, for thinking better of you than that," replied
+Captain Blake, who seemed to have taken a fine fancy for us. "I doubt
+not that both of you will be winning honors on bloody battlefields."
+
+"If so," said Marcel, "we trust that General Blake will be there to see
+it."
+
+Captain Blake, who, like most men, was not inaccessible to flattery,
+seemed charmed at the high promotion Marcel had conferred so readily
+upon him, and certain was I that we would have a fast friend in him.
+
+"I am going to take you immediately to Sir William himself," said the
+captain, "as you have letters of introduction to him, and I doubt not
+that he will place you on his own personal staff, where you will secure
+fine opportunities for conspicuous service."
+
+"I would like to see service first at a well-loaded table," whispered
+Marcel to me. "I was hungry before I reached Philadelphia, and the sight
+of all these smug and comfortable people in the streets sharpens the
+pangs of famine."
+
+And in truth the people we saw were a well-fed lot, with fat cheeks and
+double chins, very unlike our own lean and hungry fellows, who had to
+fight on empty stomachs.
+
+We arrived in a short time at the quarters of Sir William Howe, a
+two-story brick house that had once been a private residence, and I was
+somewhat astonished at the luxury and display I witnessed there. There
+were as many articles for ease and adornment as ever I had seen in the
+mansions of our most wealthy citizens, and seeing it all I did not
+wonder why this general should have been called "The Sluggard." It
+contrasted strongly with the simplicity of our own commander-in-chief's
+hut, and I, who had not slept under a roof in a year, felt oppressed, as
+if the air were too heavy for my lungs. But it was not so with Marcel,
+who loved his ease and basked in rich colors.
+
+"We have made a happy change, Chester," he said to me as we waited for
+Sir William. "This in truth looks to be a most comfortable place, and if
+we do not find much enjoyment here it will be because we are men of
+small resources."
+
+I was thinking of the great risks we were incurring, and made no answer.
+He did not notice it. He sighed in the most contented fashion, and said
+it was the first moment of real enjoyment he had experienced in six
+months. But his lazy pleasure was soon interrupted by the entrance of
+Sir William Howe himself. The British commander was a swart, thick man,
+whose plump face and figure indicated a love of good eating. His
+expression was indolent, and on the whole good-natured. He received us
+with kindness. It was evident that some one had blown our trumpet for us
+already: I guessed that it was Blake.
+
+"I am delighted to see you, gentlemen," he said. "It was in truth a
+daring deed to ride from New York to Philadelphia, as the rebels infest
+the country between. It is fortunate that Lieutenant Melville escaped
+with so slight a wound. I should like to hear more about your
+adventures, gentlemen."
+
+Then Marcel with an air of great modesty told a most remarkable story of
+our encounter, how we had driven the rebels back once, and had knocked
+two of them off their horses, but at last under stress of numbers were
+compelled to retreat. I took careful note of everything he said, because
+if the time came for me to tell the tale alone, as most like it would,
+mine must not vary from Marcel's in any particular. Sir William seemed
+to be much pleased with the story.
+
+"That will bear retelling," he said. "I must have you two, Captain
+Montague and Lieutenant Melville, at our dinner to-morrow. I am to have
+a company here composed of my most distinguished officers and of some of
+our loyal friends of Philadelphia. I shall be glad for you to come,
+gentlemen; and do you look your best, for there will be beauty at the
+banquet."
+
+Of course we accepted the invitation with great alacrity, but a shade
+came over Marcel's face. The general observed it with keen eye.
+
+"What is it that you find displeasing, Captain Montague?" he asked.
+
+Marcel hesitated, and seemed to be in a state of perplexity.
+
+"I fear it would anger you, general, if I were to name the cause," he
+replied.
+
+"Speak out! Tell me what it is. Would you rather not come? If so, have
+no hesitation in declaring it," said Sir William.
+
+But the general did not appear at all pleased at the possibility of his
+invitation to dinner being declined by a junior officer. At which I did
+not wonder, for it would have savored much of disparagement, not to say
+impertinence.
+
+"It is not that, general," replied Marcel, making a most graceful
+genuflection. "We have already derived acute pleasure in anticipation
+from the banquet to which you have so graciously invited us. But,
+general, it is the truth that we have great need of one now. General, it
+pains me to have to say it in your presence, but we are starving. We
+have not eaten for a day. Perhaps we could have contained ourselves, if
+you had not spoken of a feast, but that was too much for our endurance."
+
+The general burst into a fit of great and hearty laughter. Marcel's sly
+impertinence, for such it was, seemed to please him.
+
+"Starving, eh?" he exclaimed. "Then I must see that my heroes who fought
+the rebels so well do not perish of hunger. Britain has not yet come to
+such a pass that she must deny food to her soldiers. Vivian will care
+for you."
+
+He called an aide of about our own age and bade him take us to the
+officers' mess and give us the best that was to be found. This Vivian
+was a talkative and agreeable young personage. We had to tell our entire
+story again to him, which perhaps was not a bad thing, as it was a kind
+of rehearsal and served to fasten the matter in our minds. I was
+narrator this time, and I am confident that I followed Marcel's story so
+well that if the two tales had been written out a reader could have
+found no difference in them. It is so easy to lie sometimes.
+
+"You are caught between luncheon and dinner," said Vivian, "but I think
+the cook can knock up enough for you to stay the pangs of starvation."
+
+"I trust he may," said Marcel, devoutly, "or else he will be responsible
+for our deaths, and that would be too heavy a weight for a regimental
+cook to bear."
+
+It was evident that the cook had faced such emergencies before, as he
+was nobly equal to it, and we did not restrain the expression of our
+gratitude when we were seated at a table in the mess-room, with an
+imposing meat pie, an abundance of bread and vegetables, and a flagon of
+wine before us.
+
+"We can do better than this when we are warned," said Vivian.
+
+"This is ample and most comforting," I replied; and that was about the
+first true thing said by either Marcel or me since we had entered
+Philadelphia.
+
+There was in this mess-room the same touch of luxury and adornment,
+though more restrained, that we had noticed at the headquarters of the
+general. It was evident that his Britannic Majesty's officers lived well
+in the good city of Philadelphia.
+
+"Oh, why did we not come sooner?" exclaimed Marcel, with a double
+meaning that I alone understood.
+
+"The rebels seem to have hurried you along fast enough," said Vivian,
+with a laugh.
+
+"We hope to reverse the case soon," replied Marcel, "and become the
+pursuers ourselves. Meanwhile I take great comfort in demolishing this
+pie."
+
+The news of our adventure had been spread very generally about
+headquarters, as several officers came in while we ate. They were rather
+a friendly lot, and some of them I liked. Blake, our first British
+friend, was among them.
+
+"I wonder the rebels had the courage to pursue you," said a very callow
+youth named Graves.
+
+"Don't the rebels fight well?" asked Marcel.
+
+"Oh, no, not at all," returned Graves, superciliously. "They take to
+flight at the first glimpse of a British uniform."
+
+"Then why don't you go out and show yourself, Graves?" asked Vivian;
+"for they say that bands of the rebels do come alarmingly close to
+Philadelphia."
+
+There was a general laugh, and Graves turned almost as red as his coat.
+
+"There is no doubt," said an older officer, named Catron, "as to our
+ability to crush these rebels if we could get them into a corner. But
+they are most cursedly sly."
+
+"However," said I, for I was determined to defend my countrymen despite
+our situation, "the rebels are the weaker, and it is the business of the
+weaker party to avoid being pushed into a corner. And according to all
+the accounts that have come to England, they seem to show much skill in
+this particular."
+
+"It is true," replied Catron, "but I must persist in calling it most
+unhandsome behavior on their part. They don't give us a chance to win
+any laurels, and they won't let us go home. We are kept in a condition
+of waiting and uncertainty which is the most unpleasant of all things."
+
+"Well, all that will speedily come to an end," said Marcel, "for my
+friend Melville has arrived, and I tell you in strict confidence,
+gentlemen, that Melville is the fiercest warrior since Marlborough. I
+doubt not that the rebels, having heard of his arrival, are even now
+fleeing into the wilderness across the Alleghany Mountains, that they
+may forever be beyond the reach of his mighty arm."
+
+The laugh went around again, and this time at my expense.
+
+"Perhaps, if the discourteous rebels had known that I was one of the
+gentlemen whom they were pursuing," I said, "it might have saved my
+friend Captain Montague much exasperation of spirit and the loss of a
+most elegant military cloak that he brought from England with him. I
+assure you, gentlemen, that when we were compelled to take to flight the
+captain's beautiful cloak trailed out behind him like a streamer, and
+finally, a puff of wind catching it, left his shoulders entirely. I
+doubt not that some ragged rebel is now wearing it as a trophy. Ah,
+captain, it was a most beautiful cloak to lose, was it not?"
+
+"And it was with that very cloak upon my shoulders," said Marcel,
+falling into the spirit of the matter, "that I expected to make conquest
+of some of these provincial maidens of whom report speaks in such
+glowing terms. Alas, what shall I do?"
+
+"Oh, it will be easy enough to get it back," said a young officer, whose
+name, as I afterwards learned, was Reginald Belfort. "These rebels are a
+poor lot. They cannot stand before us."
+
+Belfort was young and handsome, but his face expressed arrogance and
+superciliousness. I liked him but little.
+
+"I know not much of the rebels from personal observation," I replied,
+not relishing his sneer, "but General Burgoyne would hardly have said
+that at Saratoga."
+
+"No," commented Vivian, "for it would be somewhat severe upon General
+Burgoyne to be captured with all his veterans by such a poor lot of men
+as Belfort says the rebels are."
+
+"You must not forget," said Catron, good-humoredly, "that Belfort thinks
+the rebels are inferior in blood. Belfort, as you know, gentlemen, has a
+lineage that dates back to the Conquest. He claims that these rebels are
+the descendants of peasants and out-casts, and therefore should admit
+their inborn and permanent inferiority."
+
+"And such they are," said Belfort, still sneering. "They should be ruled
+by the gentlemen of England, and ruled by them they will be."
+
+"What were the Normans themselves in the beginning," I asked, "but
+Scandinavian pirates and peasants? The ancestors of these rebels may
+have been peasants, but at any rate they were not pirates."
+
+Belfort flushed, and for a moment could not answer. He knew that I had
+spoken the truth, as any one who reads history knows also.
+
+"We have come to a fine pass," he said at length, "when a man who has
+just escaped by the speed of his horse from the rebels sets himself up
+as their defender."
+
+"That may be," I replied, for I was still somewhat angry; "but I do not
+think it worth our while to depreciate men who have already taken an
+entire army of ours, and keep all our other forces cooped up in two or
+three large towns."
+
+"Melville does not want to diminish the glory of the victories that we
+are to achieve," said Marcel, lightly. "The more valiant and the more
+worthy the foe, the greater one's glory to triumph over him."
+
+"That is a very just observation," said Vivian, who seemed anxious to
+avoid a quarrel, "and I propose that the quality of the rebels and the
+amount of resistance they will offer to our conquering armies be left to
+the future. Such warlike questions will keep. Milder subjects better
+become the present."
+
+"Then would not the dinner that the general is to give to-morrow be a
+fit topic?" asked young Graves.
+
+"Our new friends are to be there," said Vivian. "You are lucky chaps,
+Montague, you and Melville, to be invited, so soon after your arrival,
+to one of Sir William's entertainments. There is not a better diner in
+America, or Europe either, than the commander-in-chief."
+
+"The banquet is to be blessed by beauty too," said Graves. "Our fair
+ally and her renegade father are to be there. Oh, but Sir William keeps
+a sharp eye on the old scoundrel, and well he deserves to be watched
+thus."
+
+"I beg to avow ignorance of whom you mean," I said, my curiosity
+aroused. "You must remember that Montague and I have arrived but within
+the day and know not the great personages of Philadelphia."
+
+"By 'old renegade' we mean John Desmond, merchant and money-lender of
+this city, who it is said has more wealth than any other man in all this
+rich colony, ay, even enough to set up a mighty estate in England, if he
+so chose," replied Vivian; "and by 'our fair ally' we mean his daughter
+Mary, as fine and fair a woman as these two eyes ever gazed upon. The
+old Desmond leans to the rebels, and 'tis said would help them with his
+money if he dared, while the daughter is all for us, as she should be,
+being a born subject of our liege King George, God bless him. And 'tis
+reported that it might go hard with the old rebel, but some of his sins
+are forgiven him for the sake of his loyal and lovely daughter."
+
+I had not heard of the daughter before, but the name of the father was
+known to me. Secret assistance of money had reached our camp sometimes,
+and it was said that this John Desmond had sent it. Repute had it that
+he was a man of great mind and brain, who would have come in person to
+join us had not his rich properties in Philadelphia demanded his care
+and attention; and I could well believe that his situation was of a very
+precarious nature, despite his daughter's fidelity to the king.
+
+"I am curious to see both the rebel and his loyal daughter," said
+Marcel, unconsciously speaking my own thoughts also.
+
+"You may yield to the charms of the daughter," replied Vivian, "but I
+warn you that if you seek to retort her conquests upon her you will have
+antagonists, and our friend Belfort here would not be the least among
+them."
+
+Belfort frowned as if he did not relish the allusion, but it was a jolly
+young company of officers, and his frowns did not prevent them from
+having but small mercy upon him.
+
+"I am told," said Catron, "that the young lady looks very high, and it
+will not be an easy task to win her. I think, Belfort, that the uniform
+of a colonel would be an exceeding betterment to your chances. And even
+if you should achieve success with the lady, I know not how the
+glowering old Desmond will look upon you."
+
+"It seems to me, gentlemen," said Belfort, a trifle warmly, "that you
+are over personal in your discussions."
+
+"Then in truth it is a most serious matter with you, eh, Belfort?"
+exclaimed Vivian.
+
+"Nevertheless the field is open to any of us who choose to enter, and I
+suspect that some of us do choose," said Catron. "Belfort must not
+expect to win a battle unopposed."
+
+I saw that Belfort liked the discussion less and less, and that he did
+not fancy rivalry. Many of the British officers in America, with worldly
+wisdom, were already seeking alliances with our Colonial heiresses. I
+had no doubt that Belfort had such designs in his mind, and I took a
+dislike to him for it.
+
+Our appetites had now been dulled, and Vivian, seeing it, suggested that
+perhaps we might like to seek repose, adding that we would not be
+assigned to any regular service for a day or two. We accepted the
+invitation to rest, as we were in truth tired. Evening was at hand and
+it had been a long day, filled with many adventures. The officers wished
+us a hearty good-night and slumber undisturbed by dreams of pursuing
+rebels, and then left us.
+
+"I must return to Sir William," said Vivian, as he left, "but Waters
+will take you to your quarters.--Here, Waters, see that Captain Montague
+and Lieutenant Melville are made comfortable."
+
+Waters, a large, red-headed man in the dress of a British orderly, who
+had just entered, stepped forward.
+
+"Waters is American," said Vivian, "but no Englishman is more loyal to
+the king than he. He is a good soldier and a good fellow. In fact, he
+has been so useful to us in various ways that he is in some sort a
+privileged character, and often comes and goes pretty nearly according
+to his own liking. So you may know that he is esteemed by us all."
+
+When Vivian had gone, Waters led the way to our quarters. Presently this
+red-headed man said to us, "The rebels are very numerous about the city,
+are they not, and make travelling a matter of much danger?"
+
+"Why should you think them numerous?" haughtily asked Marcel, who was a
+great stickler for the formalities, and thought the man presumptuous in
+speaking unbidden to his superiors.
+
+"I meant no harm, sir," replied Waters, humbly. "I heard that they
+pursued you and your friend there almost into the city itself."
+
+"Well, at any rate," said Marcel, shortly, "they did not overtake us;
+and if you will kindly conduct us to our quarters we will undertake to
+get along without any further questions from you about the rebels."
+
+"Of a certainty, sir," replied Waters. "I see that your honor pays small
+heed to the rebels."
+
+This savored of fresh impertinence, but neither Marcel nor I replied.
+When we had reached the room and Waters was adjusting it for us, I saw
+him regarding Marcel with a pair of remarkably keen and intelligent
+eyes. It was a more comprehensive gaze than that of an ordinary
+attendant prompted by curiosity, and there was something in it that
+struck me with alarm. Presently his gaze shifted from Marcel and fell
+upon me, but the eyes, meeting mine, passed on. A moment or two later,
+Waters, having finished his task, bowed to us and left the room, walking
+with a light, noiseless step, although he was a large, heavy man.
+
+Sometimes little things stir one overmuch, and it was so with this
+incident. The man had aroused my apprehensions to a strange degree, and
+I showed my alarm in my face, for Marcel, turning to me, exclaimed,--
+
+"Why, what ails you? What are you scared about?"
+
+Then I explained how I had noticed the suspicious and inquiring gaze of
+the man Waters. This made Marcel look serious also.
+
+"Of a truth the man was over-bold in his manner," he said, "and it may
+be he believes I am no more Captain Montague than you are Lieutenant
+Melville. He is an American, I believe Vivian said?"
+
+"Yes, one of the Tories."
+
+"They are the worst of all."
+
+But presently we took a more cheerful view of the matter. We reasoned
+that, situated as we were, the slightest sort of an incident was likely
+to breed suspicion in our minds.
+
+"At any rate," said Marcel, "I shall not be unhappy just after having
+eaten the first substantial and plentiful meal that I have had in a
+year. That red-headed Tory shall not rest upon my mind."
+
+"Nor upon mine," I said.
+
+"That being the case," continued Marcel, "we'd better go to sleep."
+
+Which we did.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER THREE--_Sir William's Revel_
+
+
+I had heard that Sir William Howe was of sybaritic temperament. What we
+had seen on the occasion of our first interview with him indicated the
+truth of this report, and the sight that burst upon us when we entered
+the apartments where his banquet of state was served was indubitable
+confirmation. There was such a confusion of soft carpets and silken
+hangings and glittering glass and other adornments of luxury that for a
+few moments both Marcel and I were quite dazzled and overpowered.
+
+"I would like to turn about twenty of our starving soldiers loose here
+with liberty to do their will for a half-hour," Marcel whispered to me.
+
+I smiled at the thought of the mighty wreckage and despoiling that would
+ensue. But Vivian and Blake were coming to greet us, and soon we were
+strolling about with them. We rendered our respects again to Sir
+William, who received us with kindly courtesy. He was in the full blaze
+of his most splendid and brilliant uniform, with a gold-hilted sword
+hanging by his side, and I have rarely seen a more bravely adorned
+figure.
+
+"Suppose we get a glass of wine," said Blake, after we had performed our
+duty to our host and commander-in-chief.
+
+We made assent, and he led the way to a smaller room, where there was
+spread a fine array of bottles and glasses. An attendant hastened to
+fill the glasses for us, and when he handed mine to me I recognized the
+face of the man Waters. Perhaps it was my imagination again, but his
+eyes seemed to dwell upon me for a moment with a look of suspicion or
+knowledge. But it was only for a moment, and then his face became as
+blank and stupid as that of a well-trained attendant ought to be. But
+the feeling of alarm was aroused in me as it had been aroused the night
+before, and I drank off the wine at a draught to steady my nerves and to
+still my fears. It had the effect desired: my blood grew warm in my
+veins again. Then I saw how foolish I had been. The imagination loves to
+trick us, and if ever we give it any vantage it will treat us in
+precisely the same way again.
+
+Waters was asking me in the most respectful tone for the privilege of
+refilling my glass, but I declined, and passed on with my friends. I
+determined to say nothing to Marcel about this second alarm that Waters
+had given me, for I knew that his volatile Southern temperament had long
+since thrown off the effects of what he might have felt the previous
+night, and he would only laugh at me.
+
+Marcel and the two Englishmen said by and by that they wanted another
+glass of wine, and decided to return to the room in search of it. I
+wished to keep my head cool, and declined to go with them.
+
+"Very well," said Vivian. "Take care of yourself, and we will rejoin you
+presently."
+
+So they left me; and I was not ill content to be alone,--that is, in so
+far as one can be alone in the midst of a crowd,--as I wished to look on
+and to note well, since I apprehended that in the course of our
+adventure we would need a great store of knowledge as well as tact. I
+was thinking such thoughts, and meanwhile failing to look about me with
+the acuteness that I had intended, when I turned an angle of the hall
+and barely saved myself from a collision with the most beautiful young
+woman I had ever seen. Startled by my absence of mind and awkwardness,
+she stepped back with a little cry, while I stammered out some sort of
+an apology, though all the while I kept my eyes upon her face, which was
+of that clear, fine, and expressive type that I so much admire. The
+slight look of annoyance appearing at first in her eyes passed away. I
+suppose it was my look of admiration that placated her, for I have heard
+old men who know much of women say that no one of them is so good or so
+indifferent as not to be pleased by evident admiration. A half-dozen
+brilliantly uniformed officers were around her, and one of them--Catron
+it was--stepped forward.
+
+"Miss Desmond," he said with easy grace, "permit me to introduce to you
+the valiant Lieutenant Melville, who is one of the heroes of yesterday's
+encounter with the rebel band, of which you perhaps have
+heard.--Lieutenant Melville, make obeisance to Miss Desmond, our fairest
+and most faithful ally."
+
+So this was the woman. As traitorous as she was fair! The apostate
+daughter of a patriot father! Not all her beauty--and I was fain to
+confess to myself that it was great--could prevent the anger from
+rising within me.
+
+But I concealed my feelings and made a most lowly obeisance.
+
+"You are just from England, I hear, Lieutenant Melville," she said. "Ah,
+that is a happy land! There the king's subjects are loyal and devoted to
+his welfare, while this wretched country is rent by treason and war."
+
+Her words increased my anger.
+
+"Miss Desmond," I said, "I am a soldier of his Majesty King George, and
+hope to serve him well, but I can condemn the rebels as rebels only and
+not as men also. I hear that Mr. Washington and many of his officers
+are, aside from their lack of loyalty, most worthy persons."
+
+These words had a bold sound, but I had determined to adopt such a
+course, as I believed it would come nearer to allaying suspicion than
+any over-warm espousal of Britain's cause. This in truth seemed to be
+the case, for two or three of the officers murmured approval of my
+words.
+
+"You seem to be as frank as you are bold," said Miss Desmond, coldly.
+"But perhaps it would be wise for you to keep these opinions from Sir
+William Howe."
+
+"He has not yet asked me for my opinions," I replied; then adding as an
+apology for the rudeness, "but if any one could convert me by argument
+to the belief that the morals of the rebels are as bad as their
+politics, it would be Miss Desmond."
+
+"Then," she said, somewhat irrelevantly, "you do not believe that all
+these men should be hanged when the rebellion is crushed?"
+
+"Miss Desmond," I replied, "you cannot hang an entire nation."
+
+"Fie! fie!" broke in Catron, "to talk of such a gruesome subject at such
+a time! Melville, acknowledge yourself one of Miss Desmond's subjects,
+and come with us."
+
+"I yield willingly to such overwhelming odds," I said.
+
+"You are just in time," said Catron, "for here comes Belfort, who is
+even more fierce against the rebels than Miss Desmond."
+
+Belfort saluted Miss Desmond in his most courtly manner, but was chary
+of politeness to the remainder of us. It was evident that he wished to
+assume a certain proprietorship over Miss Desmond, but the gay crowd
+around her was not willing to submit to that, and Miss Desmond herself
+would not have allowed such cool appropriation. So among us we made
+Belfort fight for his ground, and, though it is wrong, perhaps, to
+confess it, I extracted much enjoyment from his scarce-concealed spleen.
+In this pleasant exercise we were presently aided by Marcel, who saw how
+matters stood as soon as he joined us, and turned all the shafts of his
+sharp wit upon Belfort.
+
+But these passages at arms were soon broken up, as the time for the
+banquet arrived. The largest room in the house was set apart for the
+feasting, and the great table which ran almost its full length supported
+an array of gold and silver plate of a splendor and quality that I had
+never seen before. In the adjoining chambers were stationed two of the
+regimental bands, the one to play while the other rested. Scores of wax
+candles in magnificent candelabra shed a brilliant light over gold and
+silver plate and the gorgeous uniforms of the gathering guests. Of a
+truth the British army lived well. How could we blame our ragged and
+starving men for leaving us sometimes?
+
+Sir William, as a matter of course, presided, with the general officers
+on either side of him. But a seat or two away from him was a large man
+in civilian's dress. This man was of a noble but worn countenance, and I
+guessed at once that he was John Desmond. I soon found that I was right,
+and I wondered why Sir William had brought him to the banquet, but
+supposed it was for his daughter's sake.
+
+Miss Desmond was near the upper end of the table, with Belfort by her
+side. Nor was she the only beauty at the banquet, as the wives and
+daughters of our rich Philadelphians were very partial to the British,
+whose triumph in America they considered certain. This fact was not a
+matter of pleasure and encouragement to good patriots.
+
+I would have liked to be near Miss Desmond, as I wished to draw her out
+further in regard to her political principles. I did not understand why
+an American woman could be so bitter against the best of her countrymen,
+and moreover there is a certain pleasure in opposition. We soon grow
+tired of people who always agree with us. But it was not my fortune to
+be near enough to converse with her. Nevertheless I could watch the
+changing expression of her brilliant countenance.
+
+The viands and the liquors were of surpassing quality, and under their
+satisfying influence the dinner proceeded smoothly. There was much talk,
+mostly of the war and its progress, and everybody was in fine feather.
+Despite the late successes of the Americans in the North, there seemed
+to be no one present who did not anticipate the speedy and complete
+triumph of the British arms.
+
+"Sir William expects to be made a marquis at least," said Blake, who was
+one of my neighbors, to me, "and if he should take Mr. Washington he
+would deserve it."
+
+"Of a certainty he would deserve it if he should do that," I said.
+
+Miss Desmond was talking with great animation to some officers of high
+rank, but my attention presently wandered from her to her father, and
+was held there by his square, strong, Quakerish face and moody look.
+This man wore the appearance of a prisoner rather than that of a guest,
+and replied but curtly to the questions addressed to him, even when Sir
+William himself was the questioner. I was near enough to hear some of
+these questions and replies.
+
+"It is a gay and festal scene, is it not, Mr. Desmond?" said Sir
+William. "It seems to me that the pinched condition of the rebels, of
+which we hear so much, would contrast greatly with this."
+
+"You speak truly, Sir William," said Mr. Desmond, "but you do not say in
+whose favor the contrast would be."
+
+I inwardly rejoiced at the bold and blunt reply, but Sir William only
+smiled. In truth I soon saw that he and some of the high officers around
+him had set out to badger the old Philadelphian, which I deemed to be a
+most ungallant thing, as he was wholly in their power.
+
+"Mr. Desmond still feels some lingering sympathy for his misguided
+countrymen," said a general. "But perhaps it is as well that he does, is
+it not, Sir William? they will need it."
+
+"It is a characteristic of my countrymen to show patience and endurance
+in adversity," said Mr. Desmond, proudly.
+
+"Let us attribute that to their British blood," said Sir William.
+
+"And the bad qualities that they show," added a colonel, "we will
+attribute to their American birth."
+
+"If you will pardon me for making the observation, gentlemen," said Mr.
+Desmond, with great dignity, "it was such attempts at discrimination,
+such reflections upon the American birth of British subjects, that were
+among the many causes of this present unfortunate war."
+
+I would have applauded the stanch old merchant had I dared, and I
+listened without any reproach of my conscience for more, but Sir
+William's reply was lost amid a jangle of talk and the clinking of
+glasses. Moreover, at that precise moment an insinuating voice at my
+elbow asked me if I would have my wineglass filled again. There was a
+familiar tone in the voice, and, turning my head slightly, I beheld the
+leering visage of Waters. At least there seemed to me to be a leer upon
+his face, though I am willing to admit that imagination may have played
+a trick upon me.
+
+Either this man was dogging me, or it was a curious chance that put him
+so often at my elbow. But I preserved my equanimity and curtly ordered
+him to fill my glass again. This he did, and then passed on about his
+business, leaving me much vexed, and all the more so because I had lost
+the thread of the most interesting dialogue between Mr. Desmond and the
+British officers. Mr. Desmond's face was flushed, and there was a
+sparkle in his eye that told of much anger.
+
+"They're worrying the old rebel," said Blake to me, "but he has a stern
+spirit, and, as he is aware that his opinions are known, it is not
+likely that he will try to curry favor."
+
+"It seems to me to be scarce fair to treat him thus," I said.
+
+"Perhaps not," he replied, "but it is not so bad as it would appear, for
+by my faith the old man has a sharp tongue and the spirit to use it."
+
+"Do you have many such events as this in Philadelphia?" I asked, meaning
+the banquet.
+
+"We do not suffer from a lack of food and drink," replied Blake, with a
+laugh, "and on the whole we manage to while away the hours in a
+pleasurable manner. But we have a bit of the real military life now and
+then also. For instance, the day we rescued you and Montague from the
+rebels, we were out looking for that troublesome fellow Wildfoot and
+his band. A loyal farmer brought us word that he was lying in the woods
+within a few miles of the city."
+
+"Did you find him?" I asked.
+
+"No," said Blake, with an expression of disappointment, "but we found
+where he had been, for every horse and cow of the aforesaid loyal farmer
+had been carried off in his absence."
+
+"It was not very far from serving him right," I said.
+
+"From the standpoint of an American it was extremely even-handed
+justice," said Blake.
+
+Now, this Wildfoot was a most noted partisan or ranger who had come up
+from Virginia, and, though I had not seen him yet, our army--and the
+British army also, I doubt not--was filled with the tale of his deeds,
+such as the cutting off of British scouting and skirmishing parties and
+the taking of wagons loaded with provisions, which last were worth much
+more to us than the taking of prisoners; for we could not eat the
+prisoners, though I have seen the time when I was sorely tempted to do
+so.
+
+In consequence of these things, all patriotic Americans regarded
+Wildfoot with pride and gratitude. But, as the tale went, I had been so
+short a time in America it was not meet that I should know much about
+him; so I requested Blake to enlighten my understanding on the point,
+which he proceeded to do, and to my great delight, gave a most
+marvellous account of the pestiferous fellow's misdeeds.
+
+"He is here, there, and everywhere, chiefly everywhere," said Blake;
+"and I must admit that so far his ways are past finding out. He is doing
+more harm to us than a big battle lost. What is most annoying is the
+fellow's impertinence. One afternoon he and his band rode up to the
+river within full sight of the city and stopped a barge loaded with
+soldiers. They could not carry off the men, but they took their muskets
+and bayonets and all their ammunition, and, what is more, they got away
+without a scratch."
+
+I had heard of the deed. In truth, some of the muskets taken on that
+occasion by Wildfoot and his men found their way to our regiment, where
+they proved a most welcome and serviceable addition, for, as I have said
+before, the British always arm and equip their soldiers well.
+
+Blake was going into some further account of Wildfoot's exploits, when
+he was interrupted by the toast. Very heavy inroads had been made upon
+the wine supplied by his Majesty to his officers in America, and though
+the guests were not so far advanced into a state of hilarity as to
+render the absence of the ladies necessary, yet it was manifest that
+their spirits were rising. It was in truth fit that the toast-making
+should not be put off much longer, for, though the capacity of the
+British stomach is one of the wonders of the world, there is a limit to
+all things.
+
+Sir William rose in a very stately manner, considering his deep
+potations, and called for a toast to his Britannic Majesty.
+
+"And may he soon triumph over his rebellious subjects here and wherever
+else they choose to raise their heads!" said Sir William.
+
+My glass had been filled before this toast by the ready Waters, as those
+of all the others had been filled for them, and I was even compelled to
+drink it. I looked across at Marcel and caught his eye. It twinkled with
+humor. It was easy to see that he did not look at the matter in the same
+serious light as I, and that reconciled me to it somewhat. But as I
+swallowed the wine I changed the toast and said to myself,--
+
+"Here is to the long life and success of General Washington and his
+patriot army!"
+
+This eased my conscience still further. Then there was another toast to
+the "speedy destruction of Mr. Washington and his rebels."
+
+I drank to this also, as drink I must, but again I said to myself,--
+
+"I drink to the speedy destruction of the army of Sir William Howe and
+of all the other armies of the oppressor in America, even as the army of
+Burgoyne was destroyed."
+
+These and other toasts were accompanied by great applause; and when
+there was some subsidence of the noise, Sir William, whose face, through
+overmuch drinking, was now a fine mottle of red and purple, turned
+towards Mr. Desmond and exclaimed,--
+
+"We have had loyal and heartfelt expressions for our king and country,
+but they have all come from Britain. His Majesty has other subjects who
+owe him allegiance. I call upon my guest, the loyal Mr. Desmond of the
+good city of Philadelphia, to propound a toast for us. Fill up your
+glasses, gentlemen. We await your sentiments, Mr. Desmond."
+
+The noise of the talk ceased at once, for I think all were surprised at
+this request from Sir William, knowing as they did that Mr. Desmond
+thought not much of their cause. I wondered how the old merchant would
+evade the matter, and looked at his daughter, who was watching his face
+with evident anxiety. But Mr. Desmond, though the traces of anger were
+still visible on his countenance, seemed to be in no state of
+perplexity. He rose promptly to his feet with a full glass in his hand,
+and said, in a voice that was very firm and clear,--
+
+"Yes, gentlemen, you shall have a toast from a loyal American, loyal to
+what is right. I drink to the health of General Washington, the best and
+the greatest of men, and likewise to the health of his gallant and
+devoted soldiers."
+
+So saying, and before a hand could be lifted to stop him, he raised the
+glass to his lips and emptied it at a draught, I and many others doing
+likewise, I because it was a toast that I liked, and the others because
+it was the wine that they liked, and they seized the opportunity to
+drink it before their dazed brains comprehended the nature of the toast.
+Replacing the glass upon the table, Mr. Desmond looked defiantly about
+him. For a moment there was the heavy hush which so often succeeds
+impressive events, and then the company burst into a confused and angry
+clamor. One officer, who had been performing most notably at the
+wine-cup, leaned over, his face quite gray with passion, and would have
+struck at the daring speaker, but another less heated seized him and
+threw him not lightly back into his seat. Sir William turned furiously
+upon the old man and exclaimed,--
+
+"How dare you, sir, how dare you speak thus in my presence and in the
+presence of all these gentlemen, loyal subjects of the king?"
+
+"Sir William," said a clear voice, "you must not forget that you asked
+him for a toast. I say it with all due respect; but you knew his
+principles, and perhaps you could not have expected anything else. Let
+his daughter plead for his forgiveness, Sir William."
+
+Miss Desmond was standing. One hand rested upon the table in front of
+her, the other was slightly raised. Her eyes were aflame, her attitude
+was that of fearlessness. Above her white brow shone the black masses of
+her hair like a coronet, and a ruby placed there gathered the light and
+flashed it back in a thousand rays. Tory and traitor though she was, she
+seemed to me then as noble as she was beautiful.
+
+"I need no defence," said Mr. Desmond, rising; "at least not from my own
+daughter."
+
+She flushed deeply at the rebuke, but she went on nevertheless.
+
+"Sir William," she said, "remember that this was said at a banquet where
+much wine has been drunk, and under provocation."
+
+"Sir William must yield to her," said Blake to me.
+
+"Why?" I asked.
+
+"Because it is as she says," he replied. "Bear in mind the place and
+the incitement. Sir William brought the retort upon himself. If he
+punishes the old rebel, the report of this is sure to get back to
+England, and see what a reflection it would be upon the dignity and duty
+of the commander-in-chief. High though his favor be, the king and the
+ministers are but ill pleased with Sir William's conduct of the war, and
+the tale of such an incident as this would do him much hurt in their
+esteem."
+
+It was even as Blake said. Sir William hesitated. Moreover, I am not
+loath to relate that many of the British officers were ruled by a spirit
+of gallantry and fair play. They crowded around Sir William and told him
+to let the matter pass as a jest. I suspect he was glad of their
+interference, because he soon yielded.
+
+"Since the daughter pleads for the father's forgiveness, it shall even
+be awarded to her," he said. "To beauty and loyalty we could forgive
+greater sins."
+
+Miss Desmond bowed, but the frown gathered more deeply on the old
+patriot's face.
+
+"I admire his spirit," said Blake, "but I would that it were displayed
+on the right side. It is such stubborn men as he that make this country
+so hard to conquer."
+
+"There are many such," I said, and I spoke with more knowledge than
+Blake suspected.
+
+"I doubt it not," he replied.
+
+The banquet proceeded, but all the spirit and zest had gone out of it,
+and very soon it ended, as in truth it was time it should. When we
+withdrew from the apartment, I came near to Miss Desmond. She had
+thrown a rich cloak over her shoulders in preparation for her departure,
+and some traces of excitement or other emotion were still visible on her
+face. Belfort was standing near. The man was always hovering about her.
+
+"Lieutenant Melville," said Miss Desmond, "you are only a short time in
+this country, but you find that strange things happen here."
+
+"Not so strange, perhaps, as interesting," I replied. "However much I
+may condemn your father's sentiments, Miss Desmond, I would be a churl
+in truth to refuse admiration for the boldness and spirit with which
+they have been expressed to-night."
+
+I spoke my opinion thus, knowing that she had the events of the evening
+in mind. But she turned upon me sharply.
+
+"If it is unwise in my father to speak such sentiments so openly, it is
+still more unwise in you to commend him for them, as he is an American
+and may have some excuse, while you are an Englishman and can have
+none," she said.
+
+Then she turned away with Belfort, who took her triumphantly to her
+father.
+
+"Chester," said Marcel, when we were back in our quarters and were
+sleepily going to bed, "the old Desmond hath a temper of which I
+approve, and his daughter is fair, very fair."
+
+"But she has the tongue of a shrew," I said.
+
+"I am not sorry for that," he replied, "for she may exercise it on that
+fellow Belfort when she is Madame Belfort."
+
+"Marcel," said I, after a silence of some minutes, "do you not think our
+position is growing more dangerous every hour? Suppose Sir William
+detects us."
+
+"Sir William," said Marcel, half asleep, "is not a great general, but
+his wine is good, very good, and there was a noble supply of it."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER FOUR--_On a New Service_
+
+
+When we awoke the next morning we found that the man who had put our
+uniforms in order and attended to the other duties about the quarters
+was Waters. There he was, grinning at us in the familiar way that made
+my anger rise. Again I became suspicious of the fellow, although there
+was nothing particular upon which I could rest my apprehensions, unless
+it was the air of secret knowledge and importance I fancied I saw so
+often on his face. But I reflected that such looks were as much the
+characteristic of fools as of sages, and with this reflection I turned
+very cheerfully to receive the morning draught which Waters handed to
+me. The taste of it left no doubt that he was a noble compounder of
+beverages, and when I had drunk it all I readily forgave him his wise
+looks, for, as everybody knows, a cool draught in the morning is a
+necessity after a revel of the night before. Moreover, in a talkative
+way he volunteered us much information concerning the army and its
+prospects. Suspecting that this would be useful to us, we had no
+hesitancy in listening to him.
+
+I knew that the attendants about the quarters of the officers often came
+into possession of valuable information, so I asked him, though I
+pretended a very careless and indifferent manner, if anything weighty
+were afoot.
+
+"A company of mounted dragoons are looking for Wildfoot, the American
+ranger," he said, "and a wagon-train loaded with provisions gathered
+from the farmers is expected in the afternoon. The general thinks the
+train may draw Wildfoot and his robbers, and then the dragoons will come
+down on him and put an end to him and his band."
+
+That Waters spoke the truth we soon had good proof, for somewhat later
+both Marcel and I were ordered to join a troop commanded by Blake, which
+was intended to co-operate with the body of dragoons already in search
+of Wildfoot. Good horses had been secured for us, and we had no choice
+but to go and serve against our own countrymen.
+
+"Let us trust to the luck which has never deserted us yet," said Marcel.
+"We may be of service to this Wildfoot without betraying ourselves."
+
+That was a very reasonable and consoling way of putting the matter, and
+I mounted my horse with a feeling of relief at the prospect of being out
+in the country again. At least the hangman's noose was not drawn so
+tightly around our necks there. We attracted attention from the populace
+as we rode through the city, and in truth a fine body of men were we,
+well mounted, well clothed, and well armed. Some of the people cheered
+us, but I could see other faces glowering, and I liked them the better.
+Though this Philadelphia, our finest city, lay under the heel of the
+enemy, I knew it yet contained many faithful friends of the good cause.
+
+A light rain had fallen in the morning, and the beads of water still lay
+on bush and blade of grass. Forest and field glowed in living green, and
+the south wind, which had the odor of flowers in its breath, was fresh
+as the dew upon our faces.
+
+"It makes one think of the mountains and lakes, and of sleep under the
+trees," said Vivian, who was of our company.
+
+"I warn you that you will not have a chance, Vivian, to go to sleep
+under a tree or anywhere else," said Blake. "We have more important
+business than day-dreaming in hand. This fellow Wildfoot, who is worse
+than a plague, must be trapped to-day."
+
+"I trust that we shall have him hanging from a strong oak bough before
+nightfall," said Belfort, who also had been sent on the service.
+
+"I can scarce say that," continued Blake, who was a gallant fellow. "I
+would rather fight these people with the sword than with the cord."
+
+The country seemed to be the abiding-place of peace. The district
+through which we rode had not been harried, and we saw some farmers
+going about their business.
+
+They noticed us but little; doubtless soldiers had ceased long since to
+be an unaccustomed sight to them. The fresh air and the beauty of the
+country acted like a tonic upon us. We broke into a gallop, our sabres
+clanking at our sides. I forgot for the moment that I was with
+enemies,--official enemies.
+
+"We should meet Barton somewhere near here," said Blake.
+
+Barton was the commander of the first troop that had been sent out to
+trap Wildfoot. Blake had been sent along later, for fear Barton's squad
+would not be strong enough for its task. Blake was to command both
+detachments when they united.
+
+"Barton may not like to be superseded thus," said Blake, "but it is the
+general's orders. He did not wish to take unnecessary risks."
+
+"Anyway, we will make sure of the rebels," said Belfort, "and a bit of
+service like this does not come amiss, after so many weeks of feasting
+and dancing in Philadelphia."
+
+"Those must be our friends on that distant hill-side yonder," broke in
+Marcel, "for against the green of the grass there is a blur of red,
+which I take to be British coats."
+
+Marcel was right, and the two parties soon formed a junction. Barton, a
+middle-aged officer, did not seem so displeased as Blake thought he
+would be at the coming of the reinforcements and his own supersession in
+the command.
+
+"What news?" asked Blake eagerly of him. "Have you seen anything of the
+rebels yet?"
+
+"No," replied Barton; "but if you will ride with me to the crest of this
+hill, I will show you the wagon-train."
+
+Blake beckoned to several of us to accompany him, and we ascended the
+hill, which was crowned with oak-trees.
+
+"See, there they are," said Barton, pointing into the valley beyond,
+"and I think those wagons carry enough food to tempt the starving
+rebels to almost any desperate deed."
+
+About thirty large Conestoga wagons, each drawn by four stout bullocks,
+were moving along slowly and in single file. From where we stood we
+could hear the creaking of the wagon wheels and the cracking whips of
+the drivers.
+
+"You are right about the temptation," said Blake, "and if Wildfoot and
+his men mean to make the dash upon them according to our advices, this
+is the place for it. It would be a matter of great ease for them to
+surround the wagons in that valley. You have been careful to leave no
+evidence of your presence, Barton?"
+
+"Yes; this is the nearest that we have been to the wagons," replied
+Barton. "If the rebels are about, they cannot suspect that the train has
+other guard than the soldiers you see riding with it."
+
+"I think it would be wise to keep watch as long as we can from this
+summit," said Blake. "It is well wooded, and will serve to conceal us
+from the rebels."
+
+"Captain," said a soldier who had ridden up hastily, "Lieutenant Vivian
+wishes your presence immediately."
+
+Vivian had been left in charge for the moment of the soldiers down the
+hill-side; and Blake, saying to us, "Come on, gentlemen," galloped back
+to him. We found the entire troop drawn up as we had left them, but all
+were gazing towards the north. We looked that way too, and at once saw
+the cause of this concentrated vision. Just out of musket-range and
+under the boughs of a large oak-tree were three or four horsemen. Their
+reins hung loose, and their attitudes were negligent and easy, but all
+wore the uniforms of Continental soldiers. Their coats were ragged and
+faded, as in truth were all the uniforms in our army, but enough of the
+color was left to allow no room for doubt.
+
+"By heavens, this savors much of impertinence!" said Blake. "How came
+they there?"
+
+"We do not know," responded Vivian. "One of the men called my attention,
+and we saw them sitting there just as they are now."
+
+I had been examining the men with great attention. The one who was
+nearest to us was large, dark, and apparently very powerful. His figure
+did not appear altogether strange to me. I was vexing my brain in an
+endeavor to account for the recollection, when Marcel leaned over and
+whispered to me,--
+
+"Behold him, Chester. It is the lively gentleman who chased us so hotly
+when we fled into the arms of our friends the British."
+
+"What is that you say?" asked Blake, who saw Marcel whispering to me.
+
+"I was reminding Lieutenant Melville," replied Marcel, "that we had
+unexpectedly renewed an acquaintance. The large man who sits nearest to
+us is the leader of the band who chased us into the midst of your troop
+the other day."
+
+"We failed to take him then," responded Blake, quickly, "but I do not
+think he can escape us now."
+
+"It would be a pity to use arms on such skulkers," said Belfort. "They
+should be lashed into submission with whips."
+
+A hot reply was rising to my lips, but Blake said lightly: "Then we will
+even delegate the task of lashing them to you, Belfort. We will look on
+while you ride forward and perform your duty. But wait! what does that
+fellow mean?"
+
+The large man had taken notice of us apparently for the first time. With
+deliberate action he hoisted a piece of white cloth on the muzzle of his
+gun-barrel, and then began to ride slowly towards us.
+
+"Does he mean that they surrender?" asked Blake.
+
+"I think not," said Marcel. "That is a flag of truce. He wishes to
+confer with you."
+
+"I would hold no conference with him," said Belfort. "He is a rebel and
+not worthy of it. Let us ride forward and shoot them down."
+
+"Not so," said Blake; "we must recognize a certain degree of
+belligerency in them, rebels though they be, and we will hear what he
+may have to say. Let no one raise a weapon against him while he bears
+that white flag. The honor of England forbids it."
+
+Belfort was silent under the rebuke, but I could see that it stung him.
+The American continued to approach, but when he was midway between us
+and his companions he stopped.
+
+"Come," said Blake, "we will meet him." Accompanied by a party of
+officers--Marcel, Belfort, Vivian, and myself among the number--he rode
+forward. We stopped within speaking-distance of the man, who waited
+very composedly. Then Blake hailed him and demanded his name and his
+errand.
+
+"I am Captain William Wildfoot, of the American army," said the man,
+"and I have somewhat to say to you that may be to your profit, if you
+take heed of it."
+
+There were some murmurs in our group when the famous ranger so boldly
+announced himself, and Blake said, in an undertone, "It would in truth
+be a great mischance if the fellow escaped us now."
+
+Then he said to Wildfoot: "We have heard of you, and I may say have been
+looking for you, but did not expect that you would come to meet us. What
+is your message?"
+
+"I demand the surrender of your command," replied the ranger. "I would
+spare bloodshed, which is distasteful to me, and I pledge you my word
+that I will treat you well, all of you, officers and men."
+
+At this marvellous effrontery Blake swore a deep oath, and a murmur
+arose from the soldiers behind us, who heard the demand, as the ranger
+probably intended they should.
+
+"You may be witty, but you are not wise, Sir Rebel," returned Blake.
+"Yield yourself at once, and perhaps you may secure the pardon of Sir
+William, our commander-in-chief, though your misdeeds are many."
+
+"Not so fast, my friend," returned Wildfoot. "What you call my misdeeds
+are deeds of which I am proud. At least they have been of some service
+to our cause and of some disservice to yours, and that, I take it, is
+the purpose of war. My demand for your surrender you may receive in
+jocular vein, but I make it again."
+
+The man spoke with dignity, but it made no impression upon the English
+officers, some of whom angrily exclaimed, "Ride the insolent rebel
+down!" But Blake again restrained them, calling their attention to the
+flag of truce.
+
+"Rejoin your companions," he said to Wildfoot "To that much grace you
+are entitled, but no more, since you choose to boast of your treason and
+other misdeeds."
+
+"It shall be as you wish," rejoined Wildfoot, "but I will find means to
+let Sir William Howe know that I gave you fair warning. He cannot say
+that I took advantage of you."
+
+He turned his horse and rode placidly back to his companions, while
+Blake sat all a-tremble with rage. The moment Wildfoot reached his
+comrades, who had been waiting for him in apparent listlessness, he
+pulled off his wide-brimmed hat, which had shaded his face during the
+interview, waved it to us, and galloped away through the forest, while
+we, with a wild shout, galloped after him.
+
+"He will soon bitterly rue his theatrical display," said Blake, "for I
+doubt not that Sir William will show little mercy to such a marauder as
+he. So ho, my lads! Yonder goes the chase! Lose not sight of them!"
+
+The little American band had disappeared from our view for a moment, but
+as we came into an opening we saw them again galloping ahead of us just
+out of range.
+
+"Give them a hunting call!" said Blake to a trumpeter who galloped by
+his side. "We will show these fellows what we think of them."
+
+The man raised the trumpet to his lips, and the clear and inspiriting
+strains of a hunting catch rang through the forest. It was a note of
+derision, a summons for the hunter to pursue the game, and in
+recognition of its meaning the troopers burst into a cheer.
+
+"It will be a fine hunt,--ay, finer than to pursue the fox or the deer,"
+said Belfort.
+
+The fugitives were well horsed, for the distance between them and the
+pursuers did not diminish. Some scattering shots were fired at them, but
+all fell short, and Blake commanded the firing to cease until the
+opportunities for execution grew better.
+
+The flight of the Americans led us gradually towards the foot of the
+slope, and we came to a broad sweep of country which was free from trees
+or undergrowth. Here the British pushed their horses to the utmost, and
+Blake commanded his men to spread out fan-like, in the hope of enclosing
+the fugitives if they sought to turn or double like foxes. There seemed
+to be wisdom in this plan, for beyond the open the stretch of ground
+practicable for horsemen narrowed rapidly. The country farther on was
+broken by hillocks and curtained with scrubby woods.
+
+"We have them now," exclaimed Blake, joyously. "So ho! So ho! my lads!"
+
+The trumpeter again merrily blew his hunting catch, and the men cheered
+its inspiring notes. I could easily understand why Blake was so eager to
+overtake Wildfoot, who in himself would be a very important capture,
+while his conduct on this occasion had been most irritating. It was his
+wish to get within firing range of the fugitives before they crossed the
+open stretch, but it was soon evident that such effort would be in vain.
+The long easy stride of the horses that Wildfoot and his men rode showed
+that they had strength in reserve.
+
+"There is a ravine in front of that wood," exclaimed Belfort, who rode
+at my left hand. "Mr. Fox and his friends have trapped themselves."
+
+So it seemed. But, though Wildfoot must have seen the ravine, he and his
+men galloped towards it without hesitation.
+
+"Forward, my men," cried Blake; "we'll take them now."
+
+Wildfoot and his men were at the edge of the gully, which we could now
+see was wide and lined with bushes. They checked their horses, spoke to
+them soothingly, and the next moment the gallant animals, gathering
+themselves up, leaped over the bushes into the ravine, horses and men
+alike disappearing from our view.
+
+"'Tis but a last desperate trick to delude us," cried Blake. "On, my
+lads!"
+
+In a wide but converging line we swept down upon the gully. We were
+scarce fifty feet from it when I heard a sharp, brief cry like a
+command, and from the dense wood that lined its farther bank there burst
+forth a flash of flame like the gleaming edge of a sword, only many
+times longer and brighter, and the next moment we went down as if
+smitten by a thunderbolt.
+
+In war there is nothing that strikes fear to the heart like a surprise.
+While the front ranks of the British force crumbled away like a wrecked
+ship before the beat of the sea, cries of terror burst from those
+behind, and, mingling with the groans and the terrified neighing of the
+horses, produced a din that bewildered me. From this stupor I was
+aroused by the plunging of my horse, which had been wounded in the neck.
+I seized the reins, dropped from my hands in the first shock, and was
+endeavoring to draw back the frightened animal, so that he might not
+trample upon the fallen, when Marcel's face appeared through the dense
+smoke, and he shouted to me,--
+
+"Shelter yourself behind your horse as much as you can. It is time for
+them to give us another volley!"
+
+I took his advice not a whit too soon, for almost as he spoke, the
+withering flame flashed from the wood a second time, and once again our
+command cried out under the force of it.
+
+But the British--I will give them credit for bravery and all soldierly
+qualities--began to recover from their surprise. Blake shouted and
+cursed, and the officers, with a fine display of gallantry, helped him
+to restore order in the command. Thus was the column beaten at length
+into some sort of shape and the fire of the ambushers returned, though
+no one could see whether the counter-fire did any execution.
+
+After a few moments of this fusillade the British began to retreat,
+which was the wisest thing to do, for one who falls into a trap must
+needs try to get out of it the best he can. But we heard a loud shout
+on the slope above us, and a party of horsemen led by Wildfoot himself
+burst from the covert and charged down upon us.
+
+"Here are enemies whom we can see!" shouted Blake. "At them, my lads!"
+
+The whole troop turned to meet the charge, but they were ill fitted to
+endure it, for their flanks were still quivering beneath the fire from
+beyond the gully. The two bodies of horsemen met with a crash, and the
+British line staggered back. The next moment Wildfoot and his men were
+among us.
+
+"By all the saints, I will do for him!" exclaimed Belfort, who had a
+ready pistol in his hand. Wildfoot and Blake were crossing swords in so
+fierce a combat that the ring of their blades was like the beat of the
+hammer upon the anvil.
+
+Belfort levelled his pistol point-blank at the partisan, and would have
+slain him then and there, but at that moment, why I need not say, my
+horse stumbled and fell almost with his full weight against Belfort's.
+His pistol was knocked from his hand, and he barely kept his seat in his
+saddle.
+
+"Damnation!" he roared. "What are--" and the rest of his words were lost
+in the din.
+
+Just then the duel between the two leaders ended. Blake was unable to
+cope with his larger and more powerful antagonist, and his blade was
+dashed from his hand. Wildfoot might have shorn his head from his
+shoulders with one blow of his great sabre. Instead, he thrust the
+weapon into his belt, seized Blake by both shoulders, and hurled him to
+the earth, where the stricken man lay, prone and still.
+
+Daunted by the fall of their leader, the British line bent and broke,
+and the men fled towards the cover of the forest. My heart sickened at
+the plight of Blake, enemy though he was.
+
+The Americans, much to the surprise of the British, did not pursue, but
+drew off towards cover. Blake lay between the two detachments, his face
+almost concealed in the grass. I could not leave him there while life
+might still be in his body, to be trampled to pieces in the next charge
+of the horsemen, and driven by a sudden impulse, I sprang from my
+saddle, ran forward, and seized him by the shoulders, just as the great
+ranger whirled his horse and galloped by me. He had his sabre in his
+hand again, and I thought he was going to cut me down, as he might
+easily have done, but, to my unutterable surprise and relief, he made no
+motion to strike. Instead he said to me, as he galloped by,--
+
+"You are a brave man, but you are a fool, a most wondrous fool!"
+
+I stayed not to reflect wherein I was a most wondrous fool, but, with a
+strength which was a creation of the emergency and the excitement, I ran
+back towards the British lines, dragging poor Blake after me. Every
+moment I expected to feel an American bullet in my back, but none came,
+nor did I hear the sound of shots.
+
+Then, after a space of time which it seemed to me would never come to an
+end, I reached the trees, and strong hands seized both Blake and me,
+dragging us under cover.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER FIVE--_The Work of Wildfoot_
+
+
+I remained for a minute or two in a stupor, superinduced by the
+excitement of the fight and my great physical exertions. From this I was
+aroused by Barton, who was now in command, Blake being disabled.
+
+"It was gallantly done, Lieutenant Melville," he said. "You have saved
+our captain's life."
+
+"Are you sure he is still living?" I asked.
+
+"He is stunned by the shock he received when that great rebel hurled him
+to the ground," said Barton, "but he will be well enough in time."
+
+"You have saved more lives than Blake's," whispered Marcel, as Barton
+turned. "You have saved yours and mine, for that villain Belfort
+suspected that you threw your horse purposely against his. In face of
+this he dare not declare his suspicions."
+
+"By the way," resumed Marcel, a moment later, "you might ask our haughty
+Norman noble over there if the rebel dogs can fight."
+
+I did not ask the question, though, had time and place been otherwise,
+it would have pleased me much to do so.
+
+All the troopers had dismounted and were putting themselves in posture
+of defence behind the rocks, hillocks, and trees. Barton expected
+another attack upon the instant, but it was not made. In fact, when he
+examined with his field-glass the wood into which Wildfoot and his men
+had withdrawn, he announced that he could see naught of them.
+
+"I see nothing among those trees over there," he said; "not a horse, not
+a man. Verily the fellows have learned to perfection the art of hiding
+themselves. By St. George, they need it in their dealings with us!"
+
+It was sometimes the temper of the British in our country to boast and
+to show arrogance even when sore outwitted and outfought by us, and then
+to wonder why we did not love them. Perhaps this fault was not theirs,
+exclusively.
+
+"Likely enough this silence is some new trick," said Belfort, "some
+scheme to draw us into another ambush."
+
+"I suspect that you speak the truth," replied Barton. "Stand close, men.
+We have suffered too much already to risk another trap."
+
+The men were quite willing to obey his order and stand close. Thus we
+waited. Blake revived by and by, and a careful examination showed that
+he had no bones broken, though he was sore in every muscle and still
+somewhat dazed in mind. But he was urgent in entreating his officers not
+to take excessive risks.
+
+"I fancy that we have nothing to do but to wait here," said Barton to
+him, "for the rebels will of a surety attack us again very soon."
+
+But in this Barton was mistaken, for the Americans seemed to have gone
+away. We waited a full hour, and then, as they gave no evidence of
+being anywhere near us, a small scouting-party was sent out, which
+presently returned with word that they were in truth gone, and that the
+woods were empty.
+
+"They feared to attack us when we were on our guard," said Barton,
+triumphantly. "There is naught for us to do now but to go and escort the
+wagon-train back to the city."
+
+We gathered up the wounded and rode over the ridge in search of the
+wagon-train. We found with ease the tracks of the wheels and followed
+them towards the city, expecting to overtake the wagons. Presently, as
+we turned around a hill, we rode almost full tilt into three or four of
+them lying upon the ground, too much shattered and broken ever to be of
+use again.
+
+In his surprise Barton reined back his horse against mine, for I rode
+just behind him.
+
+"What is this?" he exclaimed.
+
+"It seems that we have the wagon-train, or what is left of it," said
+Marcel. "There is a placard; it may inform us."
+
+A pine board was stuck in a conspicuous place upon one of the wagons,
+and some words had been written upon it with a piece of charcoal. We
+rode forward and read,--
+
+      "To Sir William Howe or His Representative.
+      For the Wagons and their Contents
+      We Are Much Indebted
+      As we were Hungry
+      And You Have Fed Us.
+      We Give You Leave to Take Repayment
+      At Such Time and Place
+      As You May Choose.
+
+                    "WILLIAM WILDFOOT."
+
+Barton swore in his rage. It was easy enough to see now why the patriots
+had withdrawn after the first attack. The provision-train was more
+valuable than arms or prisoners to the American army, and, barring the
+broken wagons, Wildfoot and his men had carried off everything. Nor were
+the British in any trim to pursue, a business at which, most like, they
+would have had their faces slapped.
+
+Barton swore with a force and fluency that I have seldom heard
+surpassed, and Blake said with a melancholy smile,--
+
+"It is well that I have this broken head to offer as some sort of an
+excuse, or I think it would go hard with me."
+
+He spoke truly, for, though his expedition had been a most dire failure,
+his own condition was proof that he had done valiant duty.
+
+The British gathered up their wounded again and began their march to the
+city. The country glowed in the brilliant sunshine of a summer
+afternoon, but I was in no mood to enjoy its beauty now. Our column
+marched mournfully along, as sad as a funeral procession. Even though
+the victory had gone where I wished it to go, yet there were others
+before my eyes, and I felt sorrow for them in their wounds and defeat.
+
+When we approached Philadelphia, some people on horseback turned and
+galloped towards us. As they came nearer, I saw that two of them were
+women, one of whom I recognized as Miss Desmond. They were accompanied
+by two British officers whom I had seen at the banquet, Colonel Ingram
+and Major Parsons. The other young woman I learned afterwards was the
+daughter of a rich Tory of Philadelphia.
+
+Belfort rode forward to meet them, and Marcel and I followed, though at
+a somewhat slacker pace. We could take this privilege, as we were now
+within the lines. I judged that the officers and the ladies had been
+taking a ride for the sake of the air and the exercise, and such proved
+to be the case.
+
+"Here comes Blake's expedition," exclaimed Ingram, as they rode up, "and
+I see wounded men. Verily I believe we have taken the rebel Wildfoot at
+last."
+
+"Is it true, Lieutenant Belfort?" asked Miss Desmond. "Has the robber
+Wildfoot been taken?"
+
+Belfort was thrown into a state of embarrassment by this question, to
+which he knew he must return an unwelcome answer; and he hesitated,
+pulling uneasily at his bridle-rein. But Marcel, the readiness of whose
+wit was equalled only by his lack of a sense of responsibility, spoke
+up.
+
+"I fear, Miss Desmond," he said, "that we have but sad news. The wounded
+men you see are not rebels, but our own. As for Mr. Wildfoot the robber,
+we suspect that he has had fine entertainment at our expense. Of a
+certainty he gave us all the sport we wanted."
+
+"It was a trick, a dastard American trick!" exclaimed Belfort. "They
+gave us no chance."
+
+"Then you have not captured this Wildfoot?" asked Miss Desmond.
+
+"No," replied Marcel. "He came much nearer to capturing us, and in
+addition he has taken off our wagon-train, provisions, bullocks,
+drivers, and all, which I dare say will be welcome food to the
+Americans, drivers included, for we hear that they are starving."
+
+"They did not stay to fight us to the end," broke in Belfort, "but ran
+away with the spoil."
+
+"No doubt they had obtained all they wanted," said Miss Desmond, dryly.
+"Do not forget, Lieutenant Belfort, that, however misguided my
+countrymen may be, they are able to meet anybody in battle, Englishmen
+not excepted."
+
+"For you to say anything makes it true," said Belfort.
+
+"You should also take note," said Marcel, "that Miss Desmond is more
+chivalrous than some other opponents of the Americans."
+
+"I do not take your full meaning," said Belfort.
+
+"It is easy enough to understand it," said Marcel. "Miss Desmond gives
+to our enemies the credit for the bravery and skill which they have
+shown so plainly that they possess."
+
+"I think you have taken a very long journey for strange purposes," said
+Belfort, "if you have come all the way from England to defend the rebels
+and to insult the officers of the king."
+
+A fierce quarrel between them might have occurred then, for it was
+breeding fast, but Miss Desmond interfered.
+
+"If you say any more upon this subject, gentlemen," she said, "I shall
+not speak to either of you again."
+
+"Where no other penalty might prevent us, Miss Desmond," said Marcel,
+with a low bow, "that of a surety will."
+
+Marcel was a graceless scamp, but I always envied his skill at saying
+things which fitted the matter in hand.
+
+Our shot-riddled party had now come up, and while the colonel and the
+major were receiving the full story from Barton, I found myself for a
+few moments the only attendant upon Miss Desmond.
+
+"Since I can now do it without risk of sudden death, our friend
+Lieutenant Belfort being absent, I assure you again that your countrymen
+showed great bravery and military skill in our action with them," I
+said.
+
+"The appearance of your column," she replied, looking pityingly at the
+wounded soldiers, "is proof that you came off none too well."
+
+"It would be better," I said, "to avow the full truth, that we were
+sadly beaten."
+
+"Lieutenant Melville," she said, "why are you so quick in the defence
+and even the praise of the rebels? Such is not the custom of most of the
+British officers. It seems strange to me."
+
+"Does it seem more strange," I asked, "than the fact that you, an
+American, espouse the cause of the British?"
+
+The question appeared to cause her some embarrassment. Her lip
+quivered, and an unusual though very becoming redness came into her
+face. But in a moment she recovered her self-possession.
+
+"If you had been born an American, Lieutenant Melville," she asked,
+"would you have fought with the Americans?"
+
+"The question is unfair," I answered hastily.
+
+"Then let the subject be changed," she said; and changed it was. In a
+few more minutes we entered the city, where the news we brought, and the
+abundant evidence of its truth that we likewise brought with us, carried
+much disturbance, and I may also add joy too, for there were many good
+and loyal patriots among the civilians of Philadelphia, and some who
+feared not to show their feelings in the face of the whole British army.
+
+My rescue of Blake, more the result of impulse than of resolution, came
+in for much praise, which I would rather not have had, and of which I
+was in secret not a little ashamed. But there was naught for me to do
+but to receive it with a good grace, in which effort I was much aided by
+the knowledge that the incident formed a coat of armor against any
+suspicions that Belfort might have formed.
+
+"Well, Lieutenant Melville," said Marcel, as we were returning to our
+quarters, "you have distinguished yourself to-day and established
+yourself in the esteem of your fellow-Britons."
+
+"And you," I said, "have almost quarrelled with one of these same
+Britons, who hates us both already and would be glad to see us hanged."
+
+"My chief regret," replied Marcel, "is that it was not a quarrel in
+fact. It would be the pleasantest task of my life to teach our haughty
+Norman nobleman a lesson in manners."
+
+"Such lessons might prove to be very dangerous to us just now," I
+remarked.
+
+"This one would be worth all the risk," replied he.
+
+I saw that he was obstinate upon the point, and so I said no more about
+it.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER SIX--_A Cousin from England_
+
+
+By the time we regained our quarters that afternoon I was feeling
+decidedly serious. In adopting the wild suggestion of Marcel and riding
+into Philadelphia in British red, I had never expected such a
+complication as this. We were to do our work quickly, ride away and be
+with our own again, in true colors. But the inch had become a yard, and
+here we were, involved already in a perfect network of circumstances.
+Some one who knew the real Melville and Montague might arrive at any
+moment, and then what would become of us? Walking on bayonet points may
+be well enough as a novelty, for a moment or two, but as a regular thing
+I prefer solid ground.
+
+I know that I looked exceedingly glum, but Marcel's face was careless
+and gay. In truth the situation seemed to delight him.
+
+"Marcel!" I exclaimed, "why did the Lord create such a rattle-brained,
+South-Carolina, Irish-French American as you?"
+
+"Probably he did it to ease his mind after creating you," he replied,
+and continued humming a dance air. His carelessness and apparent
+disregard of consequences annoyed me, but I remained silent.
+
+"If I were you, Bob," he said presently, "I'd leave to old man Atlas the
+task of carrying the earth on his back. He's been doing it a long time
+and knows his business. A beginner like you might miscalculate the
+weight, and think what a terrible smash up we'd have then! Moreover, I
+don't see what we have to worry about!"
+
+"I don't see what we don't have to worry about!" I replied.
+
+"I'm sure that I have nothing," he continued calmly. "I know of no young
+man who is better placed than my own humble self. Behold me, the
+Honorable Charles Montague, heir to the noble estate of Bridgewater Hall
+in England, a captain in the finest army on the planet, comfortably
+quartered in the good city of Philadelphia, which is full of gallant men
+and handsome women. I already have friends here in abundance, and a
+reputation, too, that is not so bad. I am satisfied, and I recommend
+you, Lieutenant Melville, who are equally well situated, to accept your
+blessings and cease these untimely laments.
+
+      'The lovely Thais sits beside thee.
+      Take the goods the Gods provide thee!'"
+
+He looked at me with such an air of satisfaction and conceit that I was
+compelled to laugh. Of course that was an end of all attempts to argue
+with Phil Marcel, and nothing was left to me but resignation.
+
+"You don't complain of your company, do you?" he asked.
+
+"I do not," I replied; "the English officers are a jolly lot,--a fine
+set, I will say,--if they are our enemies; and it's a pity we have to
+fight them,--all except Belfort, who I know does not like us and who I
+believe suspects us."
+
+Marcel looked grave for a moment.
+
+"Yes, Belfort's the possible thorn in our side," he said; "but your
+saving Blake as I have told you once before has been a great
+advertisement for us. You did that well, Bob, very well for you, though
+not as gracefully as I would have done it if the chance had been mine.
+Can you tell why it is, Bob, that I always have the merit and you always
+have the luck?"
+
+"Perhaps it's because, if you had both, your conceit would set the
+Delaware on fire."
+
+Catron and Vivian came in, a half-hour later, and urged us to spend the
+evening at the former's quarters, where we would meet all the men whom
+we knew, for a good time. They would accept no excuse. Marcel's
+spontaneous wit and gayety made him a favorite wherever he went, and I
+was a temporary hero through that happy chance of the Blake affair, and
+so we were in demand. Secretly I was not unwilling, and Marcel certainly
+was not. This lively, luxurious, and careless life, this companionship
+of young men who knew all the ways and gossip and pleasant manners of
+the great world, took instant hold of me, and I felt its charm
+powerfully. Having gone so far, it seemed to me the best thing we could
+now do was to do as those around us did, until our own opportunity came.
+
+I do not speak of the luxurious and unmilitary life of the British in
+Philadelphia that season in any spirit of criticism, or with a desire to
+call special attention to it as something extraordinary. If the case
+had been reversed, the American army probably would have done the same
+thing. Nearly all the English generals regarded the rebellion as dead or
+dying, and many Americans were of the same opinion. Then why not let it
+die without being helped on by slaughter? Moreover, many of the British
+officers had no feeling of personal hostility whatever towards us, and
+all of us know, or ought to know, and remember with gratitude, that a
+powerful party in England defended us to the end.
+
+Marcel looked at me with his suggestive smile and drooping of the eyelid
+when Catron and Vivian had gone.
+
+"It seems to me that we have found favor at court," he said, "and must
+do as the king and courtiers do. Come, Bob, let's float with the
+stream."
+
+Vivian, a young officer named Conant, and Vincent Moore, an Irish
+lieutenant, came for us about eight o'clock in the evening, and on the
+way to Catron's quarters we stopped a few moments to enjoy the fresh
+air. The day had been hot, and all of us had felt it.
+
+"I don't think the Lord treated this country fairly in the matter of
+climate," said Vivian. "He gave it too much cold in winter and too much
+heat in summer."
+
+"Oh, that's nothing," said Marcel; "you'll soon grow used to these hot
+summers."
+
+"Why, what do you know about them?" asked Moore, quick as lightning,
+"when you've been here less than a week."
+
+I almost groaned at my comrade's thoughtless remark, and my heart paused
+for a long time over its next beat. But Marcel was as calm as the
+sphinx.
+
+"Why shouldn't I know a great deal about the heat here?" he replied.
+"Did I not make my entry into Philadelphia at the rifle muzzles of a lot
+of American rascals? Did they not make it warm enough for me then to
+become an expert on the subject of heat? Don't you think that I can
+endure any temperature after that?"
+
+"You certainly came in a hurry," said Moore, "but you have redeemed
+yourselves as quickly as if you were Irishmen, and, after all, what a
+pity you were not born Irishmen!"
+
+"Ireland is always unfortunate; she misses everything good," said
+Marcel, briefly.
+
+The next instant we met Belfort, and I was devoutly thankful that he had
+not been present when Marcel made his remark about our hot summers. Its
+suggestive nature would not have been swept so quickly from his mind as
+it had been swept from the minds of the others.
+
+But Belfort was in a good humor and was courteous, even cordial, to us.
+He complimented us on our share in the skirmish, and to me especially he
+hoped that further honors would soon come. Just as we reached Catron's
+door he turned to Marcel and said,--
+
+"I've a pleasant bit of news for you, Captain Montague. Your cousin
+Harding--Sir John Harding's son, you know--arrived to-day on a frigate
+that came up the Delaware, and no doubt he will be as glad to see you
+as you will be to see him."
+
+I was thankful for the darkness, as I know I turned pale. Already I felt
+piercing me those bayonet points on which we had been dancing so
+recklessly. Of course, this cousin arriving in such untimely fashion
+would expose us. Confound him! Why had not a merciful Providence wrecked
+his ship?
+
+"I hope that I shall meet him soon, to-morrow or perhaps the next day,
+when he has fully recovered from the long journey," said Marcel.
+
+"There will be no such wait as that," replied Belfort, cheerfully. "He
+will be here to-night, to meet all of us. Catron invited him, and he was
+glad to come. I saw him this afternoon, and as he is a good sailor, he
+needed no rest."
+
+"So much the better," said Marcel, with unbroken calm. "We can initiate
+him to-night into the mysteries of Philadelphia. But all of our family
+take readily to new countries."
+
+We were in the anteroom now, and I thought it best to imitate Marcel's
+seeming unconcern. It was impossible to withdraw, and it was more
+dignified to preserve a bold manner to the last.
+
+A servant opened the door for us, and we passed into the rooms where the
+others were gathered. I was blinded for a moment by the lights, but when
+my eyes cleared I looked eagerly about me. I knew every man present, and
+curiously enough the knowledge gave me a sense of relief.
+
+"I do not see my cousin," said Marcel, as we returned our greetings.
+"Belfort told us that he would be here."
+
+"He will come in half an hour," replied Catron. "Remember that he landed
+from the ship only this afternoon, and we are not usually in a
+break-neck hurry to see cousins, unless they be of the other sex, and
+very fair."
+
+We drank wine, and then began to play cards,--whist, picquet, and vingt
+et un. Belfort was at our table, and apparently he sought to make
+himself most agreeable. As it was unusual in one of his haughty and
+arrogant temper, it deceived completely all except Marcel and myself.
+But we understood him. We knew that he was expecting some great blow to
+fall upon us, and that his good humor arose wholly from the hope and
+expectation. What he suspected of us--whether he believed us to be in
+false attire, or merely considered us enemies because I had been so bold
+as to admire Miss Desmond, the lady of his choice--I could not say. Yet
+he undoubtedly expected us to be knocked over by the arrival of this
+unexpected and unknown cousin of Marcel's, and it was equally sure that
+he hated us both.
+
+He began to talk presently of Harding,--Rupert Harding he called him;
+and though he pretended to have eyes only for his cards, I believed that
+he was covertly watching our faces. Marcel thought to lead him to a
+pleasanter subject, but he would not follow, and the life, career, and
+ambitions of Rupert Harding seemed to have become a weight upon his
+mind, of which he must talk. Chills, each colder than its predecessor,
+raced up and down my backbone, but my face looked calm, and I was proud
+that I could keep it so.
+
+Marcel, unable to draw Belfort away from Rupert Harding, began by and by
+to show an interest in the subject and to talk of it as volubly as
+Belfort himself. But I noticed that nearly everything he said was an
+indirect question, and I noticed, too, that he was steadily drawing from
+Belfort a full history of this troublesome young man, for the arrival of
+whom we were now looking every moment.
+
+Marcel dropped a card presently, and when he leaned over to pick it up,
+he whispered,--
+
+"You are keeping a splendid face, old comrade. Let it never be said that
+we flinched."
+
+A certain spirit of recklessness now took possession of me. We were past
+all helping, we had suffered the torments of anticipated detection, and
+having paid the penalty, we might endure the short shrift that was left
+to us. I laughed with the loudest and grew reckless with the cards. Luck
+having deserted me at all other points, now, as an atonement, made me a
+favorite at the gaming-table, and I won rapidly. The arrival of Harding
+was long delayed, and I hoped it would be further postponed, at least
+long enough for me to win ten more pounds. Then my ambition would be
+satisfied.
+
+"It has been a long time since you have seen Harding, has it not?" asked
+Belfort of Marcel.
+
+By pure chance all the players happened to be quiet then, but it seemed
+as if they were silent merely to hear his answer.
+
+"It has been such a while since I have held a good hand of cards,"
+replied Marcel, with a comic gesture of despair, "that my mind can hold
+no other measurements of time."
+
+"Don't be downcast, Montague," said Catron, laughing; "your luck will
+change if you only play long enough."
+
+"Unless the bottom of my pocket is reached first," said Marcel, with
+another rueful face.
+
+Only he and I knew how little was in that pocket.
+
+"Why is that cousin of mine such a laggard?" asked Marcel, presently.
+"We have been at the cards nearly an hour and he has not come."
+
+"He will be here," said Belfort. "Does he play a good game?"
+
+"If he doesn't play better than I do," replied Marcel, "he ought to be
+banished forever from such good company as this."
+
+"Come, come, Montague!" said Catron, "a soldier like you, who can look
+into the angry face of an enemy, should show more courage before the
+painted face of a card."
+
+I saw that no suspicion had entered the mind of any save Belfort, and he
+pressed his lips together a little in his anger at the way in which his
+questions were turned aside. But he was too wise to make a direct
+accusation, for all the others would have taken it as absurd, and would
+have credited his feelings immediately to the jealousy which he had
+shown of me.
+
+The door opened, and a tall young man of our own age in the uniform of a
+British officer entered, and stood for a moment looking at us. His face
+was unknown to me, and this I felt sure must be Marcel's cursed cousin
+Rupert. I saw Marcel's lip moving as if he would greet the stranger but
+he remained silent, and I, resolving to keep a bold face throughout,
+played the card that I held in my hand.
+
+"You are late, Richmond," said Catron, "but your welcome is the greater.
+There are some present whom you do not know. Come, let me introduce you.
+This is Lieutenant Moore, and this is Captain Montague, and this,
+Lieutenant Melville; the last two just arrived from England, and of
+whose adventures you perhaps have heard. Gentlemen, Lieutenant Henry
+Richmond of Pennsylvania, one of his Majesty's most loyal and gallant
+officers."
+
+So it was not the cousin after all, but a Tory, and my heart sprang up
+with a strange sense of relief. A place was made for him at one of the
+tables, and the game, or rather games, went on.
+
+"It is warm to-night," said Belfort to me. He called one of the
+servants, who opened another window. With Marcel's blunder fresh before
+me, I was not likely to repeat it, and I continued to play the cards in
+silence.
+
+"Do you not regard the insurrection as dead?" he asked.
+
+"I have been too short a time in America," I replied in a judicial tone,
+"to be an authority, but I should say no."
+
+"What do they think at home?" he asked.
+
+"Some one way and some another," I replied. "Fox and Burke and their
+followers think, or pretend to think, that the rebels will yet win, and
+the loyal servants of the king, who are in the great majority, God bless
+him! think that if the insurrection is not dead it soon will be. But why
+speak of politics to-night, Lieutenant Belfort, when we are here for
+pleasure?"
+
+I was afraid that he would lead me into treacherous fields. He listened,
+and then turned back to the subject of Harding.
+
+"He is unusually late," he said, "but I suppose that Captain Montague
+can stand it."
+
+"Undoubtedly," I replied. "Cousins are usually superfluous, any way."
+
+I had made up my mind that we would maintain the illusion until the
+actual exposure and my nerves had become steady.
+
+The door opened once more, and another young man entered. His features
+were unmistakably English. He looked around with the air of a stranger,
+and Marcel and I again were silent, just waiting.
+
+"Harding!" exclaimed Catron. "You have found us at last. I was afraid
+that you had lost your way."
+
+"So I did," said Harding, "but some one was kind enough to set me on the
+right road."
+
+His eyes went from one to another of us, lingered for a moment on
+Marcel, and passed on without the slightest sign of recognition. Then I
+noticed that the card I held was wet with the sweat of my hand. Catron
+began to introduce us, beginning with Vivian. I believed that Belfort
+was watching Marcel and me, but I did not dare to look at him and see.
+
+"I have a cousin here, have I not?" broke in Harding,--"Charlie Montague
+of Yorkshire? At least I was told that I would find him here, and as we
+have never seen each other, I am curious to meet him. Strange, isn't it,
+that one should have to come to America to meet one's English kin who
+live in the next county."
+
+He laughed a hearty resonant laugh, and a painful weight rolled off my
+brain. He had never seen his cousin Montague before! Then he might look
+upon his cousin Marcel with safety,--safety to us. My own face remained
+impassive, but I saw Belfort's fall a little, and as for Marcel, the
+volatile and daring Marcel, he was already metaphorically falling into
+his cousin's arms and weeping with joy at the sight of him. Moreover I
+knew Marcel well enough to be sure that he could take care of the
+conversation and guide it into far-away channels, if Cousin Rupert
+wished to lead it upon the subject of their mutual interests and ties in
+England.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER SEVEN--_The Quarrel_
+
+
+Harding was the last arrival, and in his honor the card games were
+discontinued for a little, while we talked about home. Marcel justified
+my confidence in him; he discoursed so brilliantly upon England that one
+would have fancied he knew more about the old country than all the
+remainder of us combined. But Marcel has at times a large, generous way,
+and he talked wholly of extensive generalities, never condescending to
+particulars. This period of conversation was brought to a successful end
+by glasses of wine all around, and then we settled again to the more
+serious business of cards. Belfort had been very quiet after his failure
+with Harding, and he looked both mortified and thoughtful. I was
+inclined to the belief that his suspicions about our identity had been
+dissipated, and that he would seek a quarrel with at least one of us on
+other grounds.
+
+The game proceeded, and I won steadily. My luck was remarkable. If I
+ever succeeded in escaping from Philadelphia with a sound neck, my stay
+there was likely to prove of profit.
+
+The night advanced, but we played on, although it was far past twelve
+o'clock, and probably we would have played with equal zest had the
+daylight been coming in at the windows. The room was hot and close; but
+we paid no attention to such trifles, having eyes only for the cards and
+the money, and the shifting chances of the game. My luck held, and the
+little heap of shining gold coins gathered at my elbow was growing fast.
+
+"Evidently the Goddess, fickle to others, favors you," said Belfort, at
+last. He regarded me with no pleasant eye. Much of his money had gone to
+swell my yellow hoard. Doubtless it seemed to the man that I was
+destined always to come in his way, to be to him a sort of evil genius.
+I was in an exultant mood, my winnings and my release from the great
+fear that had fallen upon me lifting me up, and I had no wish to soothe
+him.
+
+"If the Goddess favors me, it is not for me to criticise her taste," I
+replied.
+
+"No; that can safely be left to others," said Belfort.
+
+He had been drinking much wine, and while all of us were hot and
+flushed, he seemed to have felt the effects of the night, the gaming,
+and the liquors more than anybody else. But despite our condition, his
+remark created surprise.
+
+"Pshaw, Belfort, you jest badly!" said Vivian.
+
+Belfort flushed a deeper red, but did not reply. Neither did I say
+anything. I have heard that the card-table is more prolific in quarrels
+than any other place in the world, and I saw the need of prudence. I had
+concluded that it would be very unwise to quarrel with Belfort, and my
+reckless mood abating, I determined not to lead him on. But a chance
+remark of Moore's set flame to the fuel again.
+
+"I would pursue my luck, if I were you, Melville," he said. "Any
+Irishman would, and an Englishman ought not to be slack."
+
+"How?" I asked.
+
+"In the two accompaniments of cards, war and love. You have shown what
+you can do in cards and in a measure in war. Now, to be the complete
+gentleman, you must be successful in love."
+
+"Melville has proved already that he has a correct eye for beauty," said
+Vivian.
+
+"You mean Miss Desmond," said Catron, "but his eye has been neither
+quicker nor surer than those of others. There are enough officers at her
+feet to make a regiment."
+
+I was sorry that they had brought up Miss Desmond's name, yet these
+young officers meant no disrespect to her. In our time all beautiful
+women were discussed by the men over cards and wine, and it was
+considered no familiarity, but a compliment.
+
+"I wish you would not speak so often and with such little excuse of Miss
+Desmond," exclaimed Belfort, angrily.
+
+"Why not?" I asked, replying for Vivian. His manner of appropriating
+Miss Desmond, a manner that I had noticed before, was excessively
+haughty and presumptuous, and it irritated every nerve in me.
+
+"If you speak for yourself," he replied, turning a hot face upon me, "it
+is because you have known her only a few days and you have assumed an
+air which impresses me particularly as being impertinent."
+
+It seemed as if there could be no end to his arrogance. He even made
+himself the sole judge of my manners, dismissing all the others as
+incompetent. Yet I was able to control my temper in face of such an
+insult in a way that surprised me.
+
+"Your opinion of impertinence, Mr. Belfort, appears to differ from that
+of other people, and I fear you are not an authority on the subject," I
+replied, and I think there was no break in my voice, "yet I am willing
+to discuss the subject in any fashion you wish until we shall have
+reached some sort of a conclusion."
+
+I knew he was bent upon forcing a quarrel upon me, and I did not see how
+I could honorably make further attempts to avoid it.
+
+"Nonsense!" exclaimed Catron. "You shall not quarrel. I am your host,
+and I forbid it. You have both taken too much wine, and the code does
+not demand that hot words spoken at three o'clock in the morning shall
+breed sparks the next day."
+
+Now, I had drank very little wine, and Catron knew it, but he included
+me in his indictment in order to ease Belfort, and I did not object. I
+waited, willing, even after what had been said, that peace should be
+made between us, but Belfort shook his head.
+
+"Lieutenant Melville's words amounted to a challenge," he said, "and I
+would deem myself but the small part of a man if I refused it."
+
+"I have nothing to withdraw," I interrupted. It seemed best to me to
+have it out with Belfort. I had been willing to smooth over all
+differences with him until he made Mary Desmond the issue between us.
+Somehow I could not pass that by, although she might never be anything
+to either him or me. Even in that moment when the quarrel was hot upon
+me, I wondered at the hold this Tory girl had taken upon my mind,--a
+girl whom I had seen but two or three times, and from whom I had
+received nothing but haughtiness.
+
+"So be it, then," said Catron, impatiently, "but I trust that both of
+you will permit me to say what I think of you."
+
+"Certainly! Tell us!" I said.
+
+"Then I think you are both confounded fools to push a quarrel and cut
+each other up with pistol bullets or sword blades when you might dwell
+together in peace and friendship. Moreover, you have disturbed the
+game."
+
+"We can go on with the cards," I suggested, "and Lieutenant Belfort and
+I will settle our affairs later."
+
+"Of course," replied Catron. "You cannot fight at night, and we will
+meet here to-morrow in the afternoon to arrange for this business that
+you and Belfort seem bent on transacting. Meanwhile we will make the
+most of the night's remainder."
+
+A few moments later we were absorbed in the cards, and the subject of
+the duel seemed to be banished from the minds of all, save those most
+concerned.
+
+"What do you think of it?" I asked Marcel, when I was first able to
+speak to him, unheard by others.
+
+"It is unfortunate, on the whole, though you are not to blame," he
+replied, pursing up his lips. "If you were to run him through with your
+sword, his inquisitive tongue would be silenced and his suspicious eyes
+shut forever. And yet I would not wish you to do that."
+
+"Nor I," I said with deep conviction.
+
+The gray in the east soon grew, and the world slid into the daylight. I
+looked at my comrades, and they were all haggard, their features drawn
+and great black streaks showing under their eyes. I shoved my gold into
+my pockets and said that we must go.
+
+"And all the rest of us, too," said Moore. "Heavens! suppose that Sir
+William should have some active duty for us to-day! What would he think
+that we had been doing?"
+
+His query was certainly pertinent, and the little gathering hastily
+dissolved, Marcel bidding his new-found cousin an affectionate
+good-night or rather good-morning.
+
+As Marcel and I were about to pass out of the room, Waters appeared
+before us with a hot glass of mixed spirits in either hand.
+
+"Better drink these before you go," he said. "They will freshen you."
+
+The presence of this man with his evil eyes and significant glance
+coming upon us like an apparition was startling and decidedly
+unpleasant. I disliked him almost as much as I did Belfort, and in my
+soul I feared him more. I saw that self-same look of smirking
+satisfaction on his face, and I trembled not only with anger, but
+because I feared that the man possessed our secret and was playing with
+us for his own malicious sport. However we accepted his invitation and
+drank.
+
+"When do you fight Lieutenant Belfort?" he asked, looking me straight in
+the eye as I handed back to him the empty glass.
+
+"Is it any business of yours?" I said, flushing with anger.
+
+"No, but I wondered why you and Lieutenant Belfort were so eager to
+quarrel," he replied, his eyes showing no fear of me.
+
+"What damned impertinence is this!" broke out Marcel. "How dare you, a
+servant, speak in such a manner?"
+
+"I beg your pardon, sir, I spoke hastily, I meant no harm," said the
+man, suddenly becoming humble, as if frightened by Marcel's heat.
+
+"Then see that hereafter your actions conform better with your
+intentions," continued Marcel, as we passed out.
+
+"That man is more to be feared than Belfort," I said a little later,
+speaking the thought that was in my mind.
+
+"Yes, I think so, too," replied Marcel. "Confound him! Those eyes of his
+look me through, and I have the fancy that he is all the time laughing
+at us."
+
+But Marcel's ill humor and suspicion lasted less than half a hour, and
+he was cheerfully humming a love song when he finally jumped into bed.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER EIGHT--_A File of Prisoners_
+
+
+We rose at noon the next day, and after the fashion of those times
+strolled toward the centre of the city to meet our friends and hear
+whatever news might chance to be going. Twenty-four hours earlier I
+would have escaped from Philadelphia if possible, but now I felt that my
+engagement with Belfort held me there. It was singular how circumstances
+combined to prevent our flight. "_Our_ flight," I said, and yet I did
+not know that Marcel would go with me even if I fled. "_My_ flight," I
+should say, and that, too, was impossible until I met Belfort. Then?
+Suppose I should slay him!
+
+We met Vivian and Moore looking as fresh as if they had slept all the
+preceding night instead of playing cards, which, though perhaps not
+surprising in an Irishman, is somewhat beyond the power of most other
+people. A few moments later we met Belfort also, and he and I saluted
+gravely as became men who were to meet in another fashion soon.
+
+"Come and see the American prisoners," said Moore. "The light cavalry
+took more than twenty yesterday, and they are just passing down the
+street to the prison, where I suspect that they will get better fare,
+bad as it is, than they have had for a long time."
+
+The prisoners filed past, a lean and ragged band, and my heart was
+filled with sympathy.
+
+"What a deuced shame that we should have to fight them!" said Moore.
+"Why couldn't they go back to their farms like peaceable men and obey
+King George like the loyal subjects they ought to be? That would end the
+trouble at once, and how simple! What a logician I am!"
+
+"But the Irish don't obey King George," I said, "and they are his
+subjects too."
+
+"That's different," rejoined Moore, quickly. "The Irish don't obey
+anybody, and never will."
+
+Marcel suddenly pulled my arm, and when I looked around at him his face
+was pale. The fourth man in the line of prisoners was gazing intently at
+us, and his eyes expressed two emotions,--first recognition and then
+deep, bitter hatred. All soldiers detest traitors, and this man was one
+of the four whom Sergeant Pritchard had commanded. He knew us well, as
+we stood there in the gay uniforms of the enemy, and while he could not
+divine what we intended when we rode away in our borrowed plumage, he
+could believe but one thing now. His lips moved as if he were about to
+speak and denounce us; but I shook my head, gave him the most
+significant look I could, and then putting my hand on Marcel's shoulder
+to indicate clearly that I was speaking to him, said in a loud voice,--
+
+"Captain Montague, look at the fourth man in the line; does he not look
+wonderfully like one of the villains who chased us into the city?"
+
+Thank heaven the man--Alloway was his name--was as quick as a flash. He
+heard me call Marcel Montague, and everything else may have been obscure
+to him, but he knew that we were not there under our right names, and
+that that probably meant something else other than treason. He dropped
+his head, looked no more at us, and walked on as impassive as the rest.
+
+Two others had seen and taken notice, the two whom we dreaded most. They
+were Belfort and the scoundrel Waters, whom I now for the first time saw
+standing behind us, his red head towering above those around him. He
+seemed to have made it his special business to follow Marcel and me and
+to spy upon our doings. That hateful look of cunning was in his eyes,
+while Belfort's blazed with triumph. But both quickly dismissed all
+unusual expression, and Belfort was silent until the last man in the
+file had passed. Then he said,--
+
+"I propose that we go to the prison and talk to those men. They are
+broken down and starving, and would gladly tell their woes to those who
+bring them food. We may acquire wonderful information concerning Mr.
+Washington and his army."
+
+"It would be but a useless annoyance of prisoners," I said, seeing the
+drift of his mind.
+
+"Not so," he replied. "It is a worthy object and is in the service of
+the king. I can easily get the necessary permission from the commandant
+of the prison."
+
+Unluckily enough, Moore was greatly taken with the idea, and Vivian too
+liked it. They were all for talking with the prisoners, and Marcel and I
+were compelled to yield. We could have refused to go, but that, I felt
+sure, would be our undoing. I preferred that the questions Belfort
+wished to ask should be asked in our presence.
+
+Belfort called Waters and sent him to the commandant with a request for
+the necessary permission, and we proceeded with our stroll until his
+return.
+
+"This man Belfort is bound to catch us, if not by one method then by
+another," whispered Marcel to me. "You should not have looked with such
+admiring eyes upon the lady whom he has chosen for his own."
+
+"But she has not chosen him, so far as you know," I replied, "and Mr.
+Belfort is not to be the master of my inclinations."
+
+"Oh, well, don't pick a quarrel with me about it," he replied, with a
+wry face and then a smile. He did not seem to feel any apprehension, and
+I wondered if fear for the future was ever a quality that entered into
+his mental constitution. I had begun to believe that it did not, and
+that he was not to be held accountable for it.
+
+Belfort burst suddenly into smiles and began to bow with great energy.
+Miss Desmond was approaching, and with her was Miss Rankin, a Tory's
+daughter. Miss Desmond was very simply dressed in light gray, and wore a
+single pink rose in her corsage. Her bearing was full of dignity, and
+she looked very beautiful, but, as always, cold and distant. We began to
+speak of the usual topics, for in our little pent-up city news soon
+became common; but at that moment Waters arrived with the necessary
+permission.
+
+"The prisoners are sulky, sir," said Waters, with a respectful bow to
+Belfort, "and are not disposed to talk to anybody, but the commandant
+says that you may try."
+
+I wondered if he had some sort of an understanding with Belfort. It did
+not seem wholly unlikely.
+
+"At any rate it will be a novelty to talk to them," said Belfort, "and
+to see the inside of a prison, knowing that you can leave it whenever
+you wish. But I think that at least one of them will talk."
+
+It was impossible for Marcel or me to mistake the significance of his
+last sentence or his intentions. Nothing else could account for this
+sudden desire to visit the prisoners, which looked to an ordinary
+observer like the freak of some one who had more time than occupation.
+Yet I could see purpose, determined purpose, in it.
+
+"We are going to ask some American prisoners, just taken, why they are
+so foolish and wicked as to fight against the king," said Belfort,
+looking at Miss Desmond. "Will you not, Miss Desmond, and you, Miss
+Rankin, go with us and hear what they have to say? I assure you that it
+will be both interesting and instructive."
+
+The man's effrontery amazed me, but I fathomed the depth of his malice
+and his proposed method. His defeat the night before had lulled his
+suspicions, but the look and manner of the prisoners had caused them to
+flame afresh. Now he hoped to expose us in the presence of our friends,
+and above all in the presence of Miss Desmond. Fortune seemed at last to
+have put all the chances in his favor.
+
+"Oh, do let's go!" spoke up Miss Rankin, a young woman whose mind was
+not too important. "I have never been in a prison, and I should like to
+see how they live there."
+
+"Believe me it is not a joyous sight, Miss Rankin," I said, hoping to
+keep the ladies away.
+
+"Are you fully acquainted with it?" asked Belfort, in a low voice.
+
+"Not as well, perhaps, as some others ought to be," I said in the same
+tone.
+
+"Come, Miss Desmond, will you not go?" repeated Belfort. "It will be a
+valuable experience, one worth remembering."
+
+Her eyes wandered over us, but I could not read the expression in them.
+They dwelt for a moment on Waters, as if wondering why a man of his
+condition was with us; and then she said that she would go, a flush of
+interest showing in her face. So we walked together toward the city
+prison, Belfort and Vivian escorting Miss Desmond, while the others
+devoted themselves to Miss Rankin. Marcel and I dropped a little behind.
+
+"Phil," I said, "the gauntlet is nicely prepared for us."
+
+"But we may run it," he replied cheerfully. "There's always a chance."
+
+We were soon at the prison, and the commandant made no difficulties. In
+truth, Belfort seemed to have much influence with him, and five minutes
+later we were in the presence of the new prisoners, all of whom sat in
+one room where the dirt and cobwebs had gathered against the low
+ceiling, and where the light came dimly in at the narrow and
+iron-barred window. It was a gloomy place and its influence was visible
+at once upon us all. Even Miss Rankin ceased her chatter. The prisoners
+had just taken their food, and were making themselves as comfortable as
+they could, some upon two old wooden benches against the stone wall and
+some upon the floor. It suddenly occurred to me that they would send us
+here before they hung us, and the idea was not cheerful.
+
+I wondered what the prisoners thought of us and our presence there, but
+they showed no curiosity. The man Alloway was sitting on the floor in a
+slouching attitude and took no notice.
+
+"Here sit up, you!" exclaimed Waters, taking him roughly by the
+shoulders and jerking him up. "Do you not see that there are ladies
+present?"
+
+"I can't imagine that they have come to this place for bright company,"
+said Alloway, grimly.
+
+Then Belfort began to talk to one of the men, purposely delaying his
+examination of Alloway as if he would linger over a choice morsel. I
+paid little attention to his questions, which seemed to elicit no
+satisfactory answer, but kept my eyes on Miss Desmond. Could a woman,
+young and beautiful, a Tory even, be without sympathy in the presence of
+her unfortunate countrymen, locked thus in a prison for no crime save
+fighting in defence of their own land, if that can be called a crime?
+Could she have so little heart? I did not believe it. In spite of her
+coldness and pride there was some charm about her which had drawn me to
+her, and I would not believe that a woman without heart could influence
+me so. Therefore I watched her closely, and at last I saw the light
+appear in the impassive eyes. When the others were not looking, she bent
+over the youngest of the prisoners and slipped something in his hand. I
+saw the flash of the golden guinea and the look of deep human feeling,
+and I knew that my lady had a heart. But she said nothing either to the
+prisoners or to us, and I believed that in her Tory soul she still
+condemned while for the moment she pitied.
+
+I wished to speak to the man Alloway, to give him some hint, while
+Belfort was examining the others but I could find no opportunity. Always
+Belfort was watching me out of the corner of his eye, and Waters had the
+gaze of both eyes, full and square, upon me and Marcel. It was
+impossible for either of us to speak to Alloway without being seen or
+heard.
+
+"Suppose we try this hulking fellow here, colonel," said Belfort to the
+commandant, pointing to Alloway.
+
+"Would you like to ask him some questions, Captain Montague?" said
+Belfort, politely, to Marcel.
+
+"No," replied Marcel, "it is no part of a British officer's duty."
+
+Belfort flushed at the reply, and so did the commandant, who was an
+accessory to this proceeding. I saw that Marcel had made a new enemy.
+
+"Come, my man, won't you give us some information?" said Belfort to
+Alloway.
+
+Alloway's face settled into a defiant frown, but his eyes met mine once,
+and the swift look he gave me was full of curiosity. Nor did I read any
+threat there.
+
+"We are all friends of yours; that is, all of us want to be your
+friends," said Belfort.
+
+"Is that so? Then do your people have a habit of locking up in prison
+those of whom you think most?" returned Alloway, ironically.
+
+"While we are all friends," resumed Belfort, "some of us are perhaps
+better friends than others, or better acquaintances. Are you sure there
+are not several of us whom you knew before to-day?"
+
+"Why, what a strange examination, Lieutenant Belfort!" exclaimed Miss
+Desmond. Others, too, were looking at him in surprise. Belfort reddened,
+but it was not in him to be daunted.
+
+"I asked for an excellent reason," he said politely to the commandant.
+"When these prisoners were passing through the street, this man seemed
+to recognize one of us and I wished to know which it was."
+
+"What of that?" asked the commandant.
+
+"It may lead to something else that I have in mind," replied Belfort,
+with tenacity.
+
+"Proceed then," said the commandant, wonderingly.
+
+"Do you not know some one of us?" asked Belfort of Alloway. His face
+showed the eagerness with which he put the question.
+
+"Yes," replied Alloway.
+
+Perhaps I had no right to expect anything else, but the answer came like
+a thunderbolt, and my heart fell. Alloway would betray us, and after all
+there was no reason why he should not.
+
+Belfort's eyes flashed with triumph, and his hopes overran his caution.
+
+"Who is it? who is it?" he cried. "Is it not he?" and he pointed his
+finger straight at me.
+
+Alloway examined me critically, and then said, "No, I never saw him
+before in my life. There's the man I meant!" He pointed at Moore and
+continued: "He was a prisoner with us for a while after White Plains,
+and I was one of the escort that took him to the British lines when we
+exchanged him and others."
+
+"It's true! It's true!" said Moore. "I remember you very well since you
+have spoken of it; and polite you were to me, for which I thank you.
+Right sorry am I to see you here."
+
+It was another release from the hangman's rope, and Belfort was defeated
+for the second time. He recognized the fact and fell back, looking at me
+in a puzzled and mortified way. I believe he was convinced then that his
+suspicions were wrong. Why Alloway denied me I could not guess, for
+surely the look from me in the street was not sufficient to disclose
+such a complicated situation as ours. But it had happened so, and it was
+not for Marcel or me to complain.
+
+"Have you finished, Lieutenant Belfort?" asked the commandant. "I
+understood that something important was to follow these questions or I
+would not have consented to such an irregularity."
+
+"It is a mistake! I was upon the wrong path! I will explain another
+time!" said Belfort, hurriedly.
+
+Marcel tapped his forehead suggestively, and all looked curiously at
+Belfort. They seemed to think that there was something in Marcel's idea.
+Of course, Belfort might have accused us openly, but he had no proof
+whatever, and the chances seemed at least a hundred to one that he would
+make himself ridiculous by such a declaration. No, I was not afraid of
+that, unless something else to arouse his smouldering suspicions should
+occur.
+
+As we left the prison, Miss Desmond said to me, "I wish to ask
+Lieutenant Melville about Staffordshire."
+
+"Ah, Miss Desmond," spoke up Moore, "if you want to know the truth about
+any part of England, you should ask an Irishman."
+
+So saying, he placed his hand upon his heart and bowed.
+
+"An Irishman always talks best about the thing of which he knows least,"
+said Vivian.
+
+But all walked on, and Miss Desmond and I were the last of the company.
+I wondered why she had chosen me thus. There was very little that I
+could tell her about Staffordshire, and in truth, it seemed a poor
+subject for conversation just then.
+
+"Lieutenant Melville," she said, "why are you and Lieutenant Belfort to
+fight a duel?"
+
+Her question was so sudden and direct that it startled me. I had not
+suspected that she knew of our quarrel.
+
+"It is because we could not agree upon a point of honor," I said.
+
+"Do you think that it is a proper business for two of the king's
+officers?" she asked.
+
+"Since you wish me to be frank, I do not," I replied, "but it was
+impossible for me to avoid it, and perhaps my antagonist will say the
+same concerning himself."
+
+"Why do you fight?" she asked. Then I knew that she had not heard the
+full tale, the cause of our quarrel, and I reflected for a moment while
+she looked at me with bright eyes. I felt like a little boy called up
+for punishment and seeking excuse.
+
+"It was over the cards," I said. "There was some talk about the measures
+that should be taken against the rebels. Lieutenant Belfort advocated
+more severity, I more mildness. I do not think the opinion of either
+would have had any influence on the policy of the Government, but that
+did not restrain our heat. We quarrelled like cabinet ministers at odds.
+There was a blow, I think, a demand for an apology, which was refused;
+and what followed is to be left to the seconds, who have not yet been
+named."
+
+"I do not believe you," she said, still holding me with her calm, bright
+eyes.
+
+I felt the hot blood flushing my face, but neither in her tone nor
+manner did she condemn me or speak as one who despised a man caught in a
+falsehood. Rather she was reproachful.
+
+"There is some other reason," she said, "and you will not tell it to me,
+but I shall not ask you again."
+
+I was silent, and she resumed,--
+
+"Promise me that you will not fight this duel, Lieutenant Melville."
+
+I was as much surprised at the request as I had been when she asked me
+why Belfort and I were to meet. It was my first thought that she was in
+fear for him, and I asked with a little malice,--
+
+"Do you make the same request of Lieutenant Belfort?"
+
+When I saw the faint flush of color rising in her face, I was sorry that
+I had asked the question.
+
+"No," she replied, "I would not make such a request of him, although I
+have known him longer than I have you."
+
+I was pleased, greatly pleased; but she reminded me that I had not
+answered her question.
+
+"The challenge has been issued," I said, "and if I withdraw at so late a
+moment I should be called a coward. Would you have me bear such a name
+in Philadelphia?"
+
+"No; but is there no other way?"
+
+"None that I know of."
+
+A look of sadness replaced the flush on her face.
+
+"It is a barbarous custom, I think," she said, "and belongs to a
+barbarous age. It is merely the better swordsman or marksman who wins,
+and not of necessity the better man. It decides no more than the hot
+ploughshare of the Middle Ages, and of the two customs I think the trial
+by hot iron was the saner."
+
+I was silent, again not knowing what to answer, and she too said no
+more. I believe that at the last, and after weighing my evasions, she
+began to guess why Belfort and I had quarrelled. In a few moments we
+joined the others, and we bore the ladies company to their houses.
+Belfort was silent and moody over his failure, and bade us a brief
+adieu. It was ten o'clock then, and soon we were due at Catron's rooms
+to arrange for the duel. But before the time had elapsed the man Waters
+came to our quarters, his evil eyes peering under his shock of red hair.
+
+"Confound it," I cried, "your company is an honor that I can well do
+without!"
+
+"I would not intrude," he said, "but I am sent by the
+commander-in-chief, Sir William Howe, himself, who wishes you to come at
+once to his headquarters."
+
+I was startled. The detection of our identity, or punishment for
+preparing to fight a duel were the ideas that sprang up in my head. But
+the first disappeared quickly. If Sir William had discovered who we
+were, he would have sent a file of soldiers for both of us, and not an
+order to me alone to come to his headquarters.
+
+"You have no choice but to go," said Marcel, "and if you do not return
+in time I will report to Catron what has happened. I will see that
+Belfort does not make any charges against you."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER NINE--_With the Commander-in-Chief_
+
+
+I knew that my honor was safe in Marcel's hands, and I followed Waters
+to Sir William Howe, whom I found dictating to his secretary. He gave me
+a little nod and said,--
+
+"I have sent my aide, Vivian, away on other duty and I wish you to take
+his place. You will find a chair there and you can wait."
+
+I sat down, and he paid no further attention to me for a long time. Then
+he relieved the secretary, who looked worn out, and put me in his place.
+I write a fair round hand with a goose quill, and Sir William seemed
+pleased with my work. The letters were on official business, mostly to
+cabinet ministers in London, and to this day I often wonder if the
+British archives still contain documents written by that most disloyal
+rebel Robert Chester.
+
+Evidently it was a busy day with Sir William Howe, as we wrote on hour
+after hour, long past four o'clock, the time for arranging the duel,
+though my work did not keep me from noticing more than once the luxury
+of Sir William's quarters, and the abundant proof that this man was made
+for a life of easy good-nature and not for stern war. How well the
+British served us with most of their generals! I inferred that busy days
+such as this were rare with Sir William Howe.
+
+Orderlies came in with reports and went directly out again. The night
+darkened through the windows at last, and supper was brought to us,
+which I had the honor of sharing with Sir William.
+
+It was full ten o'clock when he sat down in a chair and ceased to
+dictate, while I opened and shut my cramped fingers to be sure that I
+still had over them the power of motion.
+
+"You are tired, Melville," said Sir William, "and you have honestly
+earned your weariness."
+
+"I hope that I have served you well, Sir William," I replied. I was
+thoroughly sincere when I said this. God knows that I had cause only to
+like Sir William Howe, and in truth I did like him. I thought of him as
+a good man in the wrong place.
+
+"Yes, you have done well," he said, "but I did not send for you merely
+to help me in this work. I wished to break up the plans for that silly
+duel that you and Lieutenant Belfort are trying to arrange. Do not
+flush; none of your friends have betrayed you. I heard of it through a
+proper channel. I could have arrested and punished you both, but I
+preferred a milder method. I liked you from the first, Lieutenant
+Melville, and I do not wish my young officers to kill one another. You
+cannot serve either the king, me, or one another by sharpening your
+swords on the bones of your comrades. No protestations, but understand
+that I forbid this! Do I wish either you or Lieutenant Belfort to come
+to me with British blood on his hands? Is it not bad enough when the
+Englishmen of the Old World and the New are cutting one another's
+throats?"
+
+It was a time when silence became me, and in truth no answer was needed.
+Sir William seemed to be excited. He walked hurriedly back and forth,
+and apparently forgot the lowness of my rank when he continued,--
+
+"I have been blamed by a numerous and powerful party in England because
+I have not pushed the campaign more vigorously, because I have not used
+more severity. I say this to you, a young man, because every one knows
+it. A wasted country, burning towns, and slaughtered people do not look
+so bad when they are thousands of miles away. But put yourself in my
+place, in the place of the general-in-chief. Did I wish to kill the sons
+and grandsons of Englishmen? Did I wish to waste this English domain,
+greater than England herself? I hoped, when leaving England, that the
+quarrel would be made up, that all Englishmen would remain brethren. My
+brother and I made offers, and I still hoped, even after the battle of
+Long Island and our capture of New York, that the rebels would come back
+to us. But they have not, and those who remain loyal, like the rich of
+this city and New York, do not seem to know the temper and resources of
+their own countrymen who oppose us. How could I fight well with the
+torch of peace in one hand and the torch of war in the other? There must
+be either peace or war. A country cannot have both at the same time."
+
+"It is certain," I said, "that if any other country possessed these
+colonies it would not have treated them as well as England has done."
+
+In making that assertion I was thoroughly sincere. While convinced that
+we had ample cause for rebellion, I had always felt that the cause would
+have been much greater had our mother nation been any other than
+England. She ruled us mildly or rather let us rule ourselves until we
+grew strong and proud, and then suddenly and against the wishes of many
+of her best, sought to give us a master when we had never known one.
+
+"It is true, or at least I hope so," said Sir William, "but that does
+not end the war. How are we to achieve the conquest of a country six or
+seven times as large as England, and inhabited by a people of our own
+race and spirit? If we beat an army in one place, another appears
+elsewhere; if we hold a city, it is merely an island in a sea of rebels,
+and we cannot convert the whole thirteen colonies into one huge camp!"
+
+As I have said before, Sir William seemed much agitated. I noticed a
+letter with the royal seal lying upon the table, to which his eyes
+frequently turned and which he took in his hand several times, though he
+did not reopen it in my presence. I judged that its contents were
+unpleasant to him, though I could not guess their nature. That and his
+agitation would account for the extraordinary freedom with which he
+spoke to me, a comparative stranger. And I was sincerely sorry for him,
+knowing his unfitness for the task in which he had failed, and believing
+too that he bore my countrymen no ill will. He continued his uneasy walk
+for a few minutes, and then sitting down endeavoured to compose
+himself.
+
+"Do not repeat any of the things that I have said to you, Melville; see
+that you do not," he said to me; but he added in a lower tone, as if to
+himself, "But I know of no good reason why my opinions should not be
+heard."
+
+I assured him that nothing he had said would be repeated by me, and in
+truth I had no thought of doing so, even before he gave his caution.
+
+"Melville," he said, "you are tired and sleepy, and so am I. I shall not
+send you to your quarters, but there is a lounge in the anteroom upon
+which Vivian sleeps. You may take his place there to-night, and consider
+yourself the commander of my guard. Merely see that the sentinels are on
+duty at the door and have received proper instructions. Then you may go
+to sleep."
+
+I bade him good-night, found that all was right with the sentinels, and
+lay down in my clothes on the lounge. I was worn out with the long work,
+but I did not go to sleep. I was compelled to reflect upon the extreme
+singularity of my position. I, Robert Chester, a lieutenant in the rebel
+army and most loyal to the Congress, was on watch at the door of Sir
+William Howe, the British commander-in-chief, as commander of his guard.
+And moreover I meant to be faithful to my trust. Upon these points my
+conscience gave me no twinge, but it urged with increasing force the
+necessity of our speedy flight from Philadelphia. Our errand had been a
+fruitless one. Honor called us away and danger hurried us on. Only the
+duel with Belfort stood in the way of an attempt to escape. It is true
+that Sir William Howe had forbidden the meeting, but I did not feel
+that I could withdraw from it despite his command. I was too deeply
+involved.
+
+Shortly after I lay down I heard loud voices, and two men who gave the
+countersign passed the sentinel and entered the room where I lay. I had
+not put out the light, and I saw their faces distinctly. They were
+Hessians, and colonels, as I judged by their uniform. Now I always hated
+the sight of a Hessian, and when they told me that they wished to see
+Sir William Howe on important business, I examined them long and
+critically, from their flushed faces down to their great jackboots,
+before I condescended to answer.
+
+"Don't you hear us?" exclaimed the younger with an oath and in bad
+English. "We wish to see Sir William Howe!"
+
+"Yes, I hear you," I said, "but I do not know that Sir William wishes to
+see you."
+
+"He himself is to be the judge of that," replied the elder, "and do you
+tell him that we are here."
+
+Their faces were sure proof that both men had been drinking, but
+evidently the potations of the younger had been the deeper. Otherwise
+even a Hessian would scarcely have dared to be so violent in manner. I
+told them that Sir William probably had retired, and on no account could
+they disturb him. They insisted in angry tones, but I would have stood
+by my refusal had not Sir William himself, who had heard the
+altercation, appeared, fully dressed, at the door, and bade them enter.
+I was about to retire, but Sir William signed to me to stay, and I sat
+down in a chair near the window.
+
+It was merely a matter concerning the Hessian troops,--a claim of the
+colonels that they had received an over-share of danger and an
+under-share of rations, while the British had been petted; and I would
+not put down the narration of it here had it not produced an event that
+advanced me still further in the good graces of Sir William.
+
+Hessian soldiers in those days even ordinarily had but few manners, but
+when in liquor none at all. They seemed to presume, too, upon the widely
+reported fact that Sir William Howe was fast losing credit with his
+government and might be supplanted at any time. They were accusing, even
+violent in their claims; and the red flush appeared more than once upon
+the swarthy skin of Sir William's face. I wondered how he could restrain
+his anger, but he was essentially self-restrained, and though he was
+their commander he did not reply to them in kind. At last the younger
+man, Schwarzfelder was his name, denied outright and in an insulting
+manner some statement made by Sir William, and I rose at once. Sir
+William's eye met mine, and his look was in the affirmative. I took the
+Hessian colonel, who in truth was staggering with drink, dragged him
+through the anteroom, and threw him into the street. This brought his
+comrade to his senses, and he apologized hastily both for himself and
+Colonel Schwarzfelder.
+
+"Deem yourself fortunate," said Sir William, sternly and with much
+dignity, "that you and Colonel Schwarzfelder do not hear more of this.
+I am yet the commander-in-chief of his Majesty's forces in America, and
+I am not to be insulted by any of my subordinates, either here or
+elsewhere. Go back, sir, to your quarters at once and take your drunken
+comrade with you. Lieutenant Melville, I thank you again for your
+services."
+
+The officer retired in great confusion, and Sir William sent me back to
+the anteroom. I left him sitting at his table, looking thoughtful and
+gloomy.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TEN--_The Fine Finish of a Play_
+
+
+When I reached our room the next morning, I found Marcel just rising,
+though there were black lines under his eyes, from which I judged that
+his sleep had not been adequate to the demands of nature. Yet he seemed
+happy and contented. There was upon his face no shadow, either of
+troubles past, present, or to come.
+
+"Ah, Philadelphia is a pleasant place, Robert my bold knight!" he said.
+"I would that I could stay here long enough to exhaust its pleasures. It
+is seldom that I have met fellows of such wit, fancy and resource as
+Moore, Vivian, and the others. They have an abundance to eat here, cards
+without limit, beautiful women to look upon and admire and dance with; a
+theatre where they say the plays are not bad, and upon the stage of
+which the beautiful Mary Desmond herself is to appear with honor and
+distinction, for she could not appear otherwise. Now tell me, out of the
+truth that is in your soul, Robert Chester, can life at Valley Forge
+compare with life in Philadelphia?"
+
+The mention of Mary Desmond's name in such a connection of course caught
+my attention, but I deferred all question about it until I could draw
+from Marcel the narration of what had occurred at Catron's room when I
+did not come to arrange the duel.
+
+"We had a game, a most beautiful game," said Marcel, in reply. "Vincent
+Moore and I were partners, and we won everything that the others could
+transfer from their pockets to the table. Upon my soul, Bob, I love that
+Irishman almost as much as I do you!"
+
+"But the duel?" I said; "what explanation did you make for me?"
+
+"By my faith," he cried, "Vivian and Belfort and Catron wanted us to
+explain how we could win so handsomely and so continuously. They said
+that Old Nick was surely at our elbow, and if you consider the invisible
+character of the gentleman aforesaid, I cannot deny that he was or
+wasn't."
+
+"But the duel, the duel?" I said. "Marcel, be serious for two
+consecutive minutes!"
+
+"Oh, that little affair of yours and Belfort's! I had forgotten about it
+in the midst of more important subjects. Why do you bother so much over
+trifles, Chester? It's that confounded Quakerish sense of responsibility
+you have. Get rid of it. It will never do you any good in this world or
+the next, and will spoil many otherwise pleasant moments. But your
+little affair? I see that you are growing red in the face with
+impatience or annoyance, and are not to be satisfied without a
+narration. Well, I arrived at Catron's room on time, and explained that
+you had been summoned by Sir William Howe, and would communicate with us
+as soon as you could escape from the honor conferred upon you by the
+commander-in-chief. All of which I spoke in most stately and proper
+fashion, and the result seemed extremely satisfactory to every gentleman
+present, saving his High Mightiness, Lieutenant Reginald Belfort, who
+was disposed to impugn your courage or at least your zeal for a trial at
+arms, whereupon I offered to fight him myself, without delay, in that
+very room and at that very minute. Moore was eager for it, saying that
+the proposition was most becoming to a gentleman like myself (I gave him
+my best bow) and was in the highest interest of true sport, but the
+others lacked his fine perceptions and just appreciation of a situation
+and would not allow it. Then Moore proposed cards, and we sat down to
+the game at exactly ten minutes past four o'clock by my watch, and we
+did not rise until ten minutes past four o'clock this morning by the
+same watch, rounding out the twelve hours most handsomely. At some point
+in those twelve hours,--I do not remember just when, for I held a most
+beautiful hand at that moment,--Sir William's secretary came in with a
+report that you had been installed for the night in his place, which, of
+course, checked any further aspersion on your honor that Belfort might
+have had in store for you."
+
+Then I told him that Sir William Howe knew of the projected duel and had
+forbidden it.
+
+"What do you say now, Marcel?" I asked.
+
+"Why, it was a pretty affair before," he exclaimed, and his face
+expressed supreme satisfaction, "but it is famous now. A duel is a duel
+at any time, but a forbidden duel is best of all. You and Belfort are
+bound to fight since the commander-in-chief has forbidden it. I can
+conceive of no possible set of circumstances able to drive us away from
+Philadelphia until the edges of your swords shall have met."
+
+"But how?" I asked helplessly.
+
+"Don't worry," he said with confidence. "Moore and I will arrange it.
+With that man to help me, I would agree to arrange anything. Now, Bob,
+you just be calm and trust me. Don't bother yourself at all about this
+duel until you get your sword in your hand and Belfort before you; then
+do your best."
+
+It is the truth that I had no wish to fight a duel, but I did not intend
+that I alone should appear unwilling; so I left the affair in Marcel's
+hands, meanwhile seeming to look forward to the meeting as a man does to
+his wedding. Then I asked Marcel what he meant by the appearance of Miss
+Desmond in the play.
+
+"I was going to tell you of that," he said. "You know the little theatre
+in South Street. It has been the scene of some famous plays during the
+past winter. They have officers here who write them and act them too.
+There's 'The Mock Doctor,' and 'The Devil is in it,' and 'The
+Wonder,'--the wonder of which last is a woman who kept a secret,--and
+maybe a dozen more. Well, they are going to give one to-night that has
+in it many parts for gallant knights and beautiful ladies. The British
+officers are, of course, the gallant knights, and our Tory maidens are
+the beautiful ladies. They asked Miss Desmond to take a leading part.
+She objected to appearing on the stage, and her father, the crusty old
+merchant, sustained her in the refusal. But they tacked about and poured
+in a broadside from another quarter,--it was a naval officer who told me
+about it. They said that she was the most conspicuous of the Tory young
+ladies in Philadelphia, and she would seem lacking in zeal if she
+refused to share in an affair devised, given, and patronized by the most
+loyal. Whereupon she withdrew her refusal, and I suppose has prevailed
+upon her father to withdraw his also,--at least he has made no further
+objection. You will go, of course, Robert, and see her act."
+
+Yes, I would go, but I was conscious in my heart of a secret dislike to
+the appearance of Mary Desmond upon the stage. It was an affair for
+ladies and gentlemen, and but few of the general public would be
+present; still it was not a time when play acting was regarded with very
+favorable eyes, especially in America. Yet I was conscious that my
+objection was not founded upon that feeling. I did not wish to see Mary
+Desmond, to whom I was naught, seeking the applause of a crowd, and
+above all, I was not willing to hear these men from England discussing
+her as they would discuss some stage queen of their own London.
+
+Belfort, who was a fine actor, so Marcel told me, was to have the hero's
+part, and he was to make love to Miss Desmond.
+
+"But I promise you it's all in the play, Bob," said Phil, looking at me
+from under his eyebrows.
+
+I was not so sure of that, but this additional news increased my
+distaste for the play, and I would have changed my mind and stayed away
+if Marcel had not assured me that it could not be done.
+
+"You are to go with us behind the scenes, Bob," he said. "We have
+already arranged for that. Moore is one of the managers, and he has made
+me his assistant. Behold, how invaluable I have become to the British
+army in the few days that we have been in Philadelphia! We may need your
+help, too. You are to be held in reserve, and Moore will never forgive
+you if you do not come."
+
+I was a little surprised at his eagerness on the point, but at the
+appointed time I went with him to the theatre. It had never lacked for
+attendance when the plays were given in the course of the winter, and
+to-night, as usual, it was crowded with British and Hessian officers,
+and Philadelphia Tories with their wives and daughters. I peeped at the
+audience from my place behind the curtain, and it had been a longtime
+since I had seen so much white powder and rose-pink and silk ribbon and
+golden epaulet.
+
+I do not remember much about the play or even its name, only that it had
+in it a large proportion of love-making, and fighting with swords, all
+after the approved fashion. I might have taken more careful note, had
+not Reginald Belfort and Mary Desmond filled the principal parts, and my
+eyes and ears were for them in particular rather than for the play in
+general. There was a great chorus of "Bravos," and a mighty clapping of
+hands when she appeared upon the stage as the oppressed and distressed
+daughter of a mediæval English Lord whom the brave knight, Lieutenant
+Reginald Belfort, was to win, sword in hand, and to whom he was to make
+the most ardent love. Belfort did his part well. I give him full credit
+for that. He did not miss a sigh or vow of passion, and his voice, his
+looks, his gestures were so true, so earnest, that the audience
+thundered its applause.
+
+"Doesn't he play it splendidly?" said Marcel, in an ecstasy to me.
+
+"Yes, damn him!" I growled.
+
+And she! she merely walked through the part for a long time, but she
+gradually caught the spirit of the lines--perhaps in spite of herself, I
+hoped--and became the persecuted and distressed maiden that the play
+would have her. Then her acting was real and sincere, and, with her
+wondrous beauty to aid her, the audience gave her an applause even
+exceeding that they had yielded to Belfort.
+
+"It's a dazzling success!" said Marcel to me, with continued enthusiasm
+at the end of the second act.
+
+I was bound to own that it was.
+
+"But the best scene is to come yet," said Marcel, as he hurried away.
+"It will close the play."
+
+The curtain soon fell on the last act and the distressed maiden and the
+gallant knight who had rescued her, drawn sword yet in hand, had been
+united forever amid the applause of all. This I supposed was the best
+scene, though I could not see why Marcel should say so, and I was about
+to leave, when he reappeared again and seemed to be in great haste.
+
+"Come this way, Bob!" he said, putting his hand on my shoulder. "If you
+go in that direction, you will lose yourself among the scenes and stage
+trappings."
+
+I let him lead me as he wished, and in a few moments we came out, not
+into the street as I had expected, but in an open space at the rear of
+the theatre, where the moonlight was shining upon five men who were
+standing there. They were Vivian, Catron, Moore, Harding, and two others
+in plain dress who looked like surgeons. Marcel put a sword in my hand.
+
+"This is to be that last, the best scene, of which I told you," he said
+gleefully.
+
+At that moment Belfort appeared escorted by Moore. Belfort still held in
+his hand the sword that he had carried on the stage.
+
+There was no time for either of us to take thought; perhaps we would not
+have taken it if there had been. The love-making scenes of the play were
+fresh in my memory, and as for Belfort he hated me with sincerity and
+persistency. We faced each other, sword in hand.
+
+"Isn't it glorious?" I heard Marcel say behind me. "Moore and I arranged
+it. Could we have conceived of a prettier situation? And as the
+finishing act, the last perfect touch to the play!"
+
+Belfort's eye was upon mine, and it was full of malice. He seemed glad
+that this opportunity had come. I was only a fair swordsman, but I was
+cool and felt confident. We raised our swords and the blades clashed
+together.
+
+But the duel was not destined to be. The fine erection of circumstance
+which Marcel and Moore--fit spirits well matched--had raised with so
+much care and of which they were so proud, crumbled at a stroke to the
+ground.
+
+Mary Desmond, still in her costume of the play, but changed from the
+distressed maiden to an indignant goddess, rushed amongst us.
+
+"For shame!" she cried. "How dare you fight when Sir William Howe has
+forbidden this duel! Are you so eager to kill each other that you must
+slip from a stage at midnight to do it?"
+
+I have always remembered the look of comic dismay on the faces of Marcel
+and Moore at this unhappy interference with their plans, but Marcel
+spoke up promptly.
+
+"So far as time and place are concerned, Miss Desmond," he said,
+"Lieutenant Melville and Lieutenant Belfort are not to blame. Moore and
+I arranged it." (Moore bowed in assent.)
+
+She paid no attention to them, but reminded Belfort and me of our
+obligations to obey the orders of the commander-in-chief. She looked
+very beautiful in her indignation, the high color rising in her cheeks,
+and, even with a fear of the charge that I dreaded the combat, I was
+inclined to promise her that I would not fight Lieutenant Belfort.
+
+"Lieutenant Melville, will you not escort me back to the dressing-room
+in the theatre?" she asked suddenly of me.
+
+I bowed, handed my sword to Marcel, and went with her, happy that she
+had chosen me, though hardly knowing why.
+
+"I have no wish to hurt Lieutenant Belfort, and certainly none to be
+hurt by him," I said, as we passed between stage scenery. "If it grieves
+you to think that perchance he should be wounded by me, I will not fight
+him at all."
+
+Perhaps I was not wholly sincere in that, but I said it.
+
+"I saw him to-night in the play," I continued, "and he was most earnest
+and successful."
+
+"But it was a play, and a play only. Do not forget that," she said, and
+was gone.
+
+When I returned to the court, I found no one there, save Waters, who had
+helped that night in moving the scenery.
+
+"You are disappointed, Lieutenant Melville," he said, leering at me with
+his cunning eyes. "You cannot have your duel. I came up just as you left
+with Miss Desmond; there was an alarm that the provost guard was at
+hand, and they all ran away, carrying Lieutenant Belfort with them. It
+may have been part of Miss Desmond's plan."
+
+I did not even thank the man for his information, so much did I resent
+his familiarity, and I resented, too, the fear which I felt of him and
+which I could not dismiss despite myself. I went to my room, and found
+Marcel waiting for me.
+
+"We have concluded to abandon the duel, Bob," he said. "Fate is
+apparently against it. But 'tis a great pity that 'tis so. The finest
+situation that I ever knew spoiled when it seemed to be most successful.
+But don't think, Bob, that I wanted the life of you, my best friend, put
+in risk merely for sport. Since I could not get the chance, I hoped
+that you would give the insolent fellow some punishment, and I can tell
+you in confidence, too, that Moore and the others had the same wish."
+
+I needed no apology from Marcel, as I knew that if necessary he would go
+through fire for me; and I told him so.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER ELEVEN--_A Man Hunt_
+
+
+The next day was dull, and the night began the same way, but it was not
+destined to remain so. Great results accrue from small causes, and it
+seemed that the arrival of Marcel and myself had given a fillip to the
+quiet city and the lazy army reposing there. At least it flattered our
+vanity to think so.
+
+Having nothing to do in the evening, our footsteps inevitably took us
+toward Catron's quarters. I had not intended to go there, but the way of
+amusement and luxury is easy, and I went. Moreover it was policy, I
+persuaded myself, for us in our situation to live this rapid life, as it
+would divert suspicion, and I found my conscience somewhat eased by the
+thought.
+
+Catron had most comfortable quarters, and he was rarely troubled with
+useless messages about military duty. So it had become a habit with the
+others to gather there, and when we arrived we found Moore, Blake, who
+was now quite well, and several others already present. Vivian was on
+duty at Sir William's headquarters and could not come. They received us
+warmly. Moore and Marcel indulged in some laments over their upset plans
+of the night before, told each other how much better the affair would
+have terminated had they been the principals instead of the seconds, and
+then forgot it. Belfort came in promptly, and nodded to us in a manner
+that indicated neither friendship nor hostility. I believed that he had
+given up, unwilling to risk more failures, or perhaps convinced that we
+were really what we claimed to be, but I decided to remain wary and
+watch him.
+
+The night was dark, the clouds making threats of rain, and we felt it
+was a good time to be indoors. Taking advantage of this feeling, Catron
+and Moore began to urge cards. I feared the fascination of gaming, and
+would have avoided the challenge, but I knew that I should have thought
+of that before coming. Being there, it was not permitted me to escape,
+and I sat down to picquet with the others. About the beginning of the
+second hour of the play we heard a musket-shot, and in a moment or so,
+several others, fired in a scattering volley.
+
+We threw down the cards and ran to the door. The night had darkened
+further, and rain had begun to fall in a fine drizzle. Just as we
+reached the door, we saw the flash of another musket-shot and the dim
+forms of men running.
+
+"What is it?" we cried, stirred by the flash and the report and the beat
+of flying feet.
+
+"The American prisoners have broken from the jail and the guards are
+pursuing them!" some one replied.
+
+"A chase! a chase!" cried Moore and Catron, at once. "Come, lads, and
+help the guards!"
+
+Hastily buckling on our swords, we rushed into the street and joined in
+the pursuit. It was far from the thoughts of either Marcel or me to aid
+in the seizure of any countrymen of ours who might be in the way of
+escape, but in truth we were compelled to take up the chase with the
+others. It was our duty as British officers, and I reflected with some
+degree of pleasure that it was easy to pretend zeal and have it not.
+
+Brief as was my stay in Philadelphia, I had often looked at the gloomy
+building on Washington Square, the Walnut Street jail, where so many of
+my countrymen were confined and where so many of them suffered so
+grievously. Once, in truth, I had been inside of it, at the harrying of
+Alloway, and that visit did not increase my love for the place. It was
+of such strength, and guarded with such care, that the report of all the
+prisoners breaking from it seemed past belief. In truth, we soon found
+that only a score had escaped, the score the next minute became a dozen,
+then three or four, and, at last, only one.
+
+We rushed through the square brandishing our swords, firing two or three
+shots from our pistols, and showing great enthusiasm. Belfort suddenly
+caught sight of a fugitive form, fired a shot at it, and gave chase,
+shouting that it was the escaped prisoner. He was right, for as we
+followed, the man turned suddenly, discharged a pistol at his pursuers,
+the bullet breaking a private's leg, and then ran toward the encampment
+of the Hessian grenadiers between Fifth and Seventh Streets.
+
+On we sped through the dim light after him, and I began to revolve in
+my mind some plan for helping the desperate fugitive. The very numbers
+of the pursuers were an advantage, as we got in one another's way, and
+moreover, a pursuer was sometimes mistaken for the prisoners, the
+mistake not being discerned until he was overtaken with great violence.
+Some of the people joined in the hunt, and I was heartily ashamed of
+them. Presently a spacious citizen and myself collided with excessive
+force. He sank to the ground, gasping, but I, who had some expectation
+of the event, ran on, sure that I had done a good deed. Yet, in spite of
+myself, I felt the enthusiasm of the chase rising in me. I suppose that
+it does not matter what a man hunts so long as he hunts. But the
+fugitive winding among streets and alleys led us a long chase and proved
+himself to be noble game. Presently I heard Moore panting at my elbow.
+
+"The fellow runs well!" he exclaimed to me. "I'd like to capture him,
+but I hope he'll escape!"
+
+Moore, it is to be remembered, was an Irishman.
+
+We lost sight of the fugitive a little later, but in a few moments saw
+him again, his figure wavering as if he were approaching exhaustion. I
+felt deep pity for him, and anger for myself because I had found no way
+to help him in his desperate plight. He had succeeded in shaking off,
+for the time being, all except our own party, which I now noticed had
+been reinforced by Waters. Where he came from, I do not know, but he
+seemed to be watching Marcel and me more than the fugitive.
+
+It was now hare and hounds, and the hare suddenly dashed into an alley,
+which cut the middle of a city square. The others followed at once, but,
+unnoticed, I left them and took a different direction, intending to
+curve about the square and meet the fugitive on the other side, as I
+thought it likely that he would turn when we came out of the alley and
+run toward the north, which presented the best side for escape. It was a
+chance, but I was determined to take it and it served me well.
+
+The rain was whipped into my face by the wind, and it half blinded me at
+times, but I ran on, and presently the sounds of the pursuit up the
+alley died. I was much bent upon helping the fugitive, and great was my
+pleasure when I reached the parallel street to see a dim figure running
+towards me. Even at a distance the figure showed great signs of
+weariness, and I was sure that it was our man.
+
+I do not think that he saw me until he was very near, and then he threw
+up his hands as if in despair. But he recovered himself in a moment, and
+coming on quite fiercely struck at me with his unloaded pistol. Then I
+saw, to my infinite surprise, that it was Alloway. I held my sword in my
+hand, but I did not raise it against him or make any hostile movement,
+and the fact made him look at me more closely. Then he saw my face and
+knew me.
+
+"What are you going to do?" he asked.
+
+"Don't you hear the shouts of men before you?" I said. "The way is
+closed there, and you know that others are hot behind you! You must
+hide, and escape when the pursuit dies! See that house, the one with the
+lawn in front and the gardens behind! Run! hide yourself there! It's
+the house of John Desmond, a friend!"
+
+Without my noticing it until then, the windings of the chase had brought
+us before John Desmond's home, and I saw no chance for Alloway unless he
+could hide for the time in the house or gardens.
+
+"Quick," I cried, "over the fence! See, there is a light appearing in
+the house now! It may be John Desmond himself! If it is an old man of
+noble appearance, trust him, but put yourself in the hands of no woman,
+and say nothing of me!"
+
+He obeyed, leaped the fence, and disappeared instantly in the shrubbery
+just as the hue and cry emerged from the alley and swept up the street
+towards me.
+
+I was in the shadow of the buildings, and I ran forward with great
+energy, plunging violently into the arms of somebody who went down under
+the shock of the collision. But he held tightly to me and shouted,--
+
+"I have him! I have him! It's my capture!"
+
+I displayed a similar fierce zeal, and clung to him, exclaiming,--
+
+"I thought that I would cut you off, and I have done it! Yield
+yourself!"
+
+I reinforced my victory by sundry sound blows on the side of my
+antagonist's head, but in a few moments the crowd surrounded and then
+separated us, disclosing the bedraggled features of Moore, my captive.
+
+"Thunder and lightning!" exclaimed the Irishman, a broad smile
+overspreading his face. "I thought you were a fool as you came straight
+towards me, and you must have thought I was a fool coming straight
+towards you; and sure both of us were right!"
+
+"Didn't you see him?" I cried, affecting the greatest impatience. "He
+turned and ran back this way! He must have passed, as one of the crowd!"
+
+"Aye, yonder he goes, that must be he!" cried Moore, pointing in a
+direction that led far away from Mr. Desmond's house. I think that Moore
+saw double through the violence of his meeting with me, or perhaps he
+mistook the dim figure of some one else for the fugitive. But as it was,
+we followed the wrong trail at good speed. Belfort in the lead and I
+last, wondering at the escape of Alloway and its singular timeliness,
+for however well disposed he might be toward us, he might let slip at
+any time, and without intending it, a word or two that would betray us.
+
+I knew that Belfort had no suspicions of my intervention in this case,
+but the man Waters was there, and I believed that he was watching me
+always. He dropped back presently to my side and said,--
+
+"Do you think that the man will escape, lieutenant?"
+
+"I have no thoughts upon the subject," I said roughly, "and if I had I
+certainly would not confide them to you."
+
+"I meant no harm, sir," he replied, "but one sometimes feels a little
+sympathy for such poor hunted fellows."
+
+But I was not to be betrayed by such dangerous admissions. I would not
+allow a man of his humble rank to question me, and I did not answer
+him.
+
+The chase died presently. You cannot keep a fire going without fuel, and
+since there was no longer a fugitive, we were no longer able to maintain
+a pursuit. At last we gave up entirely and returned slowly and wearily
+to Catron's quarters. I was sure that Alloway had been concealed by John
+Desmond, and later on would slip out of the city. On the whole I felt
+extreme satisfaction with the evening's work. My old wonder about the
+timeliness of Alloway's escape returned, but there was no solution. What
+Belfort thought of it he did not care to say, being silent like myself.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWELVE--_A Delicate Search_
+
+
+I was aroused early the next morning by Marcel, who stood at my bedside
+shaking me vigorously.
+
+"Get up, Bob," he said, "there is work for you to do."
+
+He was dressed already, and regarding me curiously, his gaze containing
+a faint suggestion of humor.
+
+"What is it?" I asked, sitting up and rubbing my eyes sleepily.
+
+"Your particular friend, Mr. Waters, is here with orders," he replied,
+stepping to the door and giving a signal.
+
+The big, red-headed orderly entered and handed me a letter, gazing the
+while respectfully at the wall, although I was sure that in his inmost
+heart he suspected us and enjoyed our danger. I took the paper and held
+it a moment between thumb and finger, fearing to read its contents, but
+in a moment I dismissed my alarm as unworthy of a man and broke the
+seal.
+
+      Lieutenant Melville is ordered to take a file of men at
+      once and search the house of John Desmond for one Alloway,
+      an American soldier who escaped from the prison last night
+      and is believed to have hidden himself there. The search is
+      to be conducted with all the courtesy consistent with
+      thoroughness.
+
+                     HOWE, Commander-in-chief.
+
+I felt a rush of blood from the heart to the head when I read this
+order. Who had betrayed Alloway? Marcel's fate and mine were in a way
+bound up with his, and whoever had seen him entering the Desmond house
+might too have seen me advising him to hide there. I looked fixedly at
+Waters, but he was still gazing at the same spot on the wall and his
+face was without expression. I studied his profile, the heavy
+cheek-bones, the massive projecting jaw, and the steady black eyes, the
+whole forming a countenance of unusual strength and boldness, and I felt
+that he would dare anything. This was a man who could use his power over
+Marcel and me merely for his own sport, torturing us until he chose to
+crush us.
+
+And then another thought, even more unpleasant, came into my mind.
+Perhaps it was Mary Desmond herself who had betrayed Alloway! It was
+altogether likely that she would discover him in her father's house. But
+I rejected the thought the next instant, since, Tory though she was, she
+could not have stooped to such an act.
+
+"You can go," I said to Waters; and he left, first saluting both Marcel
+and me, his face remaining a complete mask.
+
+Then I showed the order to Marcel.
+
+"I trust that you will find nothing," he said significantly, "but you
+know, Lieutenant Arthur Melville of Newton-on-the-hill, Staffordshire,
+England, that there is naught for you to do but go and do it."
+
+"I know it," I replied, "and I shall not hesitate."
+
+"Take care that you search properly," said Marcel, looking me straight
+in the eye. I believed that he understood, but he said no more now, and
+I went forth to do my distasteful duty. I took ten men and proceeded
+towards the Desmond house. We attracted no attention in the street, as
+soldiers had long since grown to be a common sight in Philadelphia, but
+on the way we met Belfort and the Hessian Colonel Schwarzfelder, whom I
+had thrown out of General Howe's room. They seemed to be acquainted and
+on good terms, and I did not like this alliance of two men whom I knew
+to be my enemies. I liked still less the question that Belfort asked me.
+
+"On duty, eh, Melville?" he said jauntily, as if he knew what I was
+about, but preferred that I should tell it.
+
+I glanced at Schwarzfelder too, and noticed a sneering look on his face
+as if he were prepared to enjoy a triumph over me. Perhaps it was
+Belfort, after all, who was the cause of the proposed search. But I did
+not hesitate to tell them the truth.
+
+"I am going to search John Desmond's house for the man who escaped from
+the prison last night," I replied calmly. "It is the order of General
+Howe."
+
+"And the beautiful Miss Desmond such a good Royalist!" said Belfort. "I
+do not envy you."
+
+"I do not envy myself," I replied frankly, and walked on with my men,
+arriving presently at Mr. Desmond's house, which looked as if all its
+occupants were yet asleep. And in truth they might well be, since the
+sun was just showing his red rim above the eastern hills, and in the
+west the mists of early dawn yet lingered.
+
+I ordered my men to stand ready, and then I struck the door a
+resounding blow with the great brass knocker. I listened a minute or
+two, but no one answered, nor could I hear anything within the house to
+indicate life and movement. I knocked a second and a third time, and
+presently there was a sound on the inside as of some one moving a bar
+from the door, which was opened the next moment by John Desmond himself.
+He was fully dressed in sober Quaker gray, and regarded us with the
+greatest sternness. I own that I was much embarrassed and felt extremely
+uncomfortable. John Desmond was a man of imposing appearance and severe
+countenance, and when he was angry, such being his present state of
+mind, as any one could easily see, not even the most brazen subaltern
+could be flippant in his presence.
+
+"What is it?" he asked; "why am I summoned at such an hour by an armed
+guard? May I ask if his Majesty's officers have begun a systematic
+persecution of all those who are friendly to the Congress?"
+
+"I am ordered to search your house, Mr. Desmond, for an American soldier
+who escaped from the prison last night," I replied, "and who may have
+hidden here. It is the order of General Howe."
+
+The old man's eyes flashed with anger.
+
+"I know nothing of this soldier," he said, "and there is nobody
+concealed in my house, nor has there been."
+
+I said to myself that he was a good actor, but I also saw Belfort and
+Schwarzfelder standing on the other side of the street and I knew they
+were watching me. Every consideration demanded that I do my duty
+promptly.
+
+"My orders are to search your house, Mr. Desmond," I said respectfully,
+but in decided tones, "and surely you have seen enough of armies
+recently to know what orders are. I shall have to enter and perform my
+task."
+
+"He speaks the truth, father, and we should not resist," said a voice
+that I knew behind him, and Miss Desmond appeared in the hall, composed
+and as beautiful as ever. My suspicion returned. Could it be possible
+that this girl in her zeal for Britain would give up Alloway, and
+thereby destroy both Marcel and me? But she could know nothing of our
+false attire, and I quickly absolved her of that intention.
+
+"Conduct your search," said Mr. Desmond; and placing six of my men about
+the house as guards, I took the remaining four and entered. One,
+Sergeant Blathwayt, an especially zealous man in the British cause, I
+kept beside me in order that he might see how well I performed my trust,
+as I knew not what consequences might arise from the incident.
+
+Mr. Desmond, haughtily indignant, withdrew to his own room, saying that
+the search was an outrage upon the rights of a peaceable citizen, and if
+the British could find no better way of making war, they should not make
+it at all. I took his rebuke in silence, feeling the truth of his words
+and my own inability to resent them. Miss Desmond, too, was silent until
+her father disappeared, and I watched her, wondering at the strength,
+calmness, and courage that this young girl always showed. Did she ever
+feel fear? In truth she must feel it, but never before had I seen a
+woman who could so well conceal all emotion.
+
+"Kindly continue the search, Lieutenant Melville," she said, in even
+cold tones, "but I assure you in advance that my father tells you the
+exact truth."
+
+She added the last sentence proudly and with another uplift of her high
+head.
+
+"I trust, Miss Desmond, that for your father's sake the search will
+prove fruitless," I said; "no one could wish a vain result of my task
+more than I."
+
+She did not acknowledge my courtesy, and I proceeded with the work.
+Blathwayt, in his eagerness, was already poking among the rooms, looking
+behind curtains, opening the clothes-closets, and seeking in all manner
+of possible and impossible places for the hidden man. I did not rebuke
+his zeal, but began to pretend also to a similar enthusiasm, although I
+remained in constant fear lest we should discover Alloway. I was sure
+that he was in the house somewhere, and I did not see how we could avoid
+finding him, to the consequent ruin of Marcel and myself. Mine was a
+most peculiar position, and the chills coursed down my spine. Yet Mary
+Desmond's cold eye was upon me, and I would rather have died than shown
+apprehension while she looked so at me. The strange mingling of motives
+in her character and conduct, her loyalty to the Royal cause and her
+equal loyalty to her father, impressed me even then in that moment of
+danger.
+
+We continued the search with vigor, going through all the rooms on the
+lower floors, and then into the cellars. It was a large and fine house,
+with spacious rooms, well stocked with furniture of mahogany and brass,
+and we saw in the cellars so many bottles of Madeira and port and old
+Spanish wines that the eyes of my English comrades began to glitter.
+"'Ow I would like to 'elp loot this 'ouse," said a good-natured private
+to me. I did not doubt the sincerity of his statement, but I saw no
+chance for him.
+
+Miss Desmond accompanied us into the cellars, and as far as she showed
+any feeling at all, apparently wished to facilitate my task. The cellars
+were so extensive, and contained so many dark recesses, that the search
+there lasted a full half-hour. We were about to return to the upper
+floors, when I noticed a small door painted the color of the stone wall,
+and fitting into it so neatly that we might well have passed over it at
+a first look. Blathwayt himself had not seen it, but my eyes lingered
+there, and when I looked up Miss Desmond was gazing at me. My heart
+began to beat more rapidly. Alloway was behind that little gray door. I
+divined it at once. But what were Miss Desmond's feelings? What would
+she wish me to do? Was her loyalty to her father overcoming her loyalty
+to the king? And then another question intervened. I alone had passed it
+by; would she call attention to it?
+
+I hesitated a little, and then walked unnoticing past the door, but I
+could not refrain from giving her a look of understanding, to tell her
+that I had seen it but would save her father. Her eye glittered, whether
+with scorn I could not say.
+
+"You are overlooking the alcove, Lieutenant Melville," she said.
+
+I paused, astounded, and I looked reproachfully at her, but her
+expression did not change. Then I walked a little farther, as if I had
+not heard, and she repeated,--
+
+"You are overlooking the alcove, Lieutenant Melville."
+
+The others were at the far end of the cellar and could not hear her.
+
+"Miss Desmond," I said, "I have more regard than you for your father's
+safety."
+
+Her eyes flashed.
+
+"Lieutenant Melville," she said, "I demand that you search the alcove."
+
+I hesitated, murmuring that I did not think it worth while; no one could
+lie concealed in such a small, close place.
+
+"I shall report you to the commander-in-chief himself unless you search
+it," she said, looking at me steadily.
+
+There could be no mistake; her manner and her tone alike indicated
+decision, and that I must obey. Yet I did not withhold these words,--
+
+"I know that you are a Tory, Miss Desmond, but I did not think that you
+would go to such extremes."
+
+She made no reply, and surrendering all hope for Marcel and myself, I
+turned the bolt and threw open the little door of the alcove.
+
+It was empty!
+
+I stood still, too much surprised to speak; relief, at that moment, not
+having any part in my emotions, although it came later.
+
+"You know now, Lieutenant Melville, that your belief is as false as it
+was unjust," said Miss Desmond, proudly. "You have wronged my father."
+
+"It is true," I confessed; and I confessed too, though not aloud, that
+perhaps I had wronged some one else yet more. Then I called to Blathwayt
+and censured him for overlooking the alcove.
+
+"The fugitive might have lain there safely hidden from all of us," I
+said, "but I saw the place, and perhaps we may find others like it."
+
+He admitted his error humbly, and we passed to the other floors. Here
+the feeling of relief disappeared from my mind, as we would surely find
+Alloway near the roof since he was not in the cellar. We searched three
+rooms, and then I put my hand upon the bolt fastening the door of the
+third.
+
+"It is my bedroom," said Miss Desmond.
+
+"I regret to say that I am compelled to search it too," I replied.
+
+She bowed, making no further opposition, and, turning the key, I
+entered. It was a large, light apartment. In a corner the high bed stood
+within its white curtains, there were heavy rugs on the floor, a little
+round table of ebony, and at the far end of the room, tongs and shovel
+of brass hung beside the grate, in which two brazen fire dogs upheld
+haughty heads. It was a handsome room, worthy of its mistress, and yet I
+could not spare it. I looked everywhere,--behind the curtains, under
+the bed, and in the clothes-closets,--but I did not find Alloway.
+
+When I finished Miss Desmond said to me,--
+
+"I hope you believe that no man is concealed in my room."
+
+The color had risen in her cheeks, and I replied in great haste,--
+
+"I have not believed it any time, Miss Desmond, and only my duty
+compelled me to look here."
+
+What a consoling word those four little letters, "d-u-t-y," sometimes
+spell! Blathwayt came to me the next moment, and reported that he had
+searched the upper rooms and the garret without finding the lost
+soldier. "But what a house it would be to loot!" he added in a whisper
+to me, showing, like his comrade, those predatory instincts which the
+British soldier often loves to indulge.
+
+I pretended to a belief that he had not searched well the top of the
+house, and to show my zeal insisted upon conducting a hunt in those
+regions myself. But I thought, as I ascended the last stairway, that it
+would be rather a grim joke on me, if I found Alloway there after
+Blathwayt had failed to do so. But no such bad luck happened, and ten
+minutes later I announced with great but secret joy that his Britannic
+Majesty's army in Philadelphia had done Mr. Desmond an injustice; no
+soldier was concealed in his house, and I was sure that none ever had
+been. But while I said this I was wondering what had become of Alloway;
+he had entered the Desmond house, I knew beyond a doubt, and he must be
+in it yet, hidden in some secret recess. Well, at any rate, the luck
+which Marcel claimed was watching over us was still on guard.
+
+"I shall be pleased to tell your father how vain our search has been," I
+said to Miss Desmond. But Mr. Desmond was yet in his own room and would
+not come forth. The haughty old Quaker, as was evident to us all,
+considered this search of his house a piece of gross insolence.
+
+"I trust that I shall never again be sent on such an errand," I said to
+Miss Desmond as we prepared to go.
+
+She made the formal reply that she hoped so too, and I could read
+nothing in her eyes. I was sure now that she had never known of
+Alloway's presence in the house. Then I took my soldiers and went into
+the street.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER THIRTEEN--_Hessian Wrath_
+
+
+There was a narrow lawn in front of Mr. Desmond's house, and between
+that and the street an ornate iron fence. As I opened the gate that
+permitted egress, I saw Belfort and Schwarzfelder leaning upon the
+fence, while Waters hovered near. The two officers were twirling their
+mustaches after the most approved style of Old World dandies, and were
+looking at me in a manner that I could interpret only as insolent. I
+inferred at once that they and the Frenchman Waters were responsible for
+the search, and had gone there to enjoy a triumph containing the
+sweetest of flavor, my exposure and disgrace compelled by my own act. I
+became sure of it when I saw the look of triumph on the faces of Belfort
+and Schwarzfelder give way to one of surprise and disappointment.
+
+"Where is your prisoner, Lieutenant Melville?" exclaimed Belfort, unable
+to control himself.
+
+I gave him a stare as haughty as I knew how to make it.
+
+"Did I understand you to ask where my prisoner was, Lieutenant Belfort?"
+I asked.
+
+Both he and Schwarzfelder nodded.
+
+"Permit me to remark that this is very extraordinary," I said,
+continuing my haughty manner, which suited my state of mind. "I am sent
+on a secret errand of great importance by Sir William Howe, and before I
+can report to him I am called to account concerning it in the streets of
+Philadelphia by one of his Majesty's sub-lieutenants. Or perhaps I have
+made a mistake, and General Howe has resigned in your favor. Do I have
+the pleasure of addressing General Belfort, and not Lieutenant Belfort?"
+
+I gave him an extremely polite bow as I added the last sentence, and my
+tone grew most humble. But he did not seem to appreciate my homage. His
+face turned red.
+
+"Lieutenant Melville," he said, "I shall have satisfaction for this
+insolence."
+
+"Don't make a fuss about it," I said lightly. "I was merely speaking for
+your good, because if I had reported to you earlier than to Sir William
+he might have resented it. Still, I don't mind telling you, lieutenant,
+that we did not find the man, although we searched the house most
+thoroughly."
+
+I was now happy, feeling my triumph somewhat, which may account for my
+levity; but the mention of the prisoner again set Belfort on fire.
+
+"Did you look everywhere?" he asked eagerly. "It is certain that he took
+refuge there."
+
+"Oh yes, sir!" interrupted Blathwayt, touching his cap, "we searched
+every square inch of the house, and it was impossible for a man to be
+hid there, and us not find him."
+
+It was disrespectful of Blathwayt to interrupt when his superiors were
+talking, but for obvious reasons I did not correct him.
+
+"He must have been there! he must have been there!" repeated Belfort, in
+disappointed tones. "Schwarzfelder says that he saw him dart among the
+shrubbery around the house, and he did not come out of it again last
+night."
+
+So it was Schwarzfelder who had played the spy! But even so, he had not
+seen me give Alloway the warning or he would have betrayed me at once. I
+began to bear towards Schwarzfelder a feeling akin to that I felt for
+Belfort.
+
+"I think that Colonel Schwarzfelder must have been mistaken," I said.
+"It is well known that our valiant Hessian officers often see double,
+especially when it is so late at night. Forward, march, men!"
+
+I gave the order in a loud, peremptory tone, and my soldiers marched at
+once in their stiffest and most precise manner. Schwarzfelder was
+standing in the middle of the pavement, and they would have walked into
+him had he not skipped to one side in the most undignified way. I think
+that they would have been glad to do it, as generally the English
+soldiers hated the Hessians.
+
+Schwarzfelder glowered at me, first because I had taunted him with his
+German drunkenness and the memory of his ejection from Sir William's
+headquarters, and secondly because in a metaphorical sense I had thrown
+him off the sidewalk. But he said nothing. He was choking too badly over
+his German wrath to enunciate words. I marched on with my men, leaving
+him and Belfort to concoct whatever mischief they would.
+
+The man Waters, whom in truth I dreaded more than either Belfort or
+Schwarzfelder, had drawn somewhat nearer and was gazing steadily at me.
+
+"Are you too looking for this American soldier, Waters?" I asked. "It
+seems that the commander-in-chief is receiving a great deal of voluntary
+assistance."
+
+"Your pardon, sir," said Waters, with respect, or the assumption of it,
+"but I could not help hearing what the search was about, and I was
+merely wondering if that old rebel John Desmond was caught at last."
+
+"Mr. Desmond may be a rebel," I replied angrily, "but it is not for you
+to speak of him in such a manner."
+
+"I beg your pardon, sir, if I was presumptuous," he said meekly,
+dropping his eyes. Yet I was sure that he was deriding me, and I walked
+off, feeling an unpleasant chill again. I reported duly to Sir William
+that the search had brought forth nothing, and he expressed
+disappointment.
+
+"I cannot understand how the man escaped," he said thoughtfully. "It was
+told to me that he was in the Desmond house, and I should have been glad
+to find him there, because it would give me a power over this rebellious
+old Quaker which I should be glad to use. I chose you for the task
+because I felt sure of your loyalty and devotion to the king, and also I
+know that you are a good friend of mine. There might have been promotion
+in it for you."
+
+I thanked him humbly for his consideration, and I began to feel that the
+well-meant friendship of Sir William Howe would prove troublesome. Yet I
+was able to preserve a thankful countenance. Then he excused me, saying,
+as I departed, that I might look for further rewards at his hands, even
+in the short time left to him. Again I gave him thanks, and went out
+into the street, where I knew that I should find some of my new comrades
+ogling the pretty Philadelphia maids. The first that I beheld were
+Marcel and Vincent Moore, walking arm in arm. Marcel was in a splendid
+new uniform that fairly glittered with gold lace,--where he got it he
+has never told me, although I suppose that promptly after its arrival
+from England he won it at cards from some brother officer, perhaps from
+Harding, the new cousin, as they were about of a size and the uniform
+fitted Marcel beautifully. Moore also had achieved his utmost splendor,
+looking almost as fine as Marcel, and I saw clearly that the two were
+out to "kill" whatever beauty came their way.
+
+"And you did not find the man, Melville?" exclaimed Marcel, seizing me
+by the arm; I was sure that he had heard the vain result of the search.
+
+"If the bird was ever there, it had flown before our arrival," I
+replied, putting as much regret into my tones as I could.
+
+"Then let war go! Come with us and look for the smiles of beauty," said
+Marcel, in his high flown manner. In truth, after inviting me, they gave
+me no choice, for Marcel took me by one arm and Moore by the other, and
+I could not escape swaggering on with them. I felt such relief from the
+situation of the morning, and the sunshine was so brilliant and
+inspiring, that I began to share their exultant views of life. We
+presently met Miss Rankin and another girl whom we knew, and, turning in
+our course, we walked beside them, exchanging the courtesies of the day,
+pouring out extravagant compliments, and otherwise behaving in a manner
+not unusual to masculine youth on such occasions.
+
+Marcel, with incredible effrontery, began to tell some of the latest
+news about people of fashion in London, speaking as if he knew them
+intimately. I supposed that he had picked up the gossip, like the
+uniform, from Harding. This lasted a full ten minutes, and then we met
+Miss Desmond and her father, also walking in the sunshine. We gave them
+most ornate salutations, but their reply was not in kind. Miss Desmond's
+slight bow was accompanied by a look of surprise and disdain directed
+towards me. I know that I reddened under the glance, for, in truth, I
+became suddenly ashamed of myself, being fully aware that I had been
+behaving like a Jack o' dandy with more youth than brains. But there was
+no escape for me, and I walked on with my chattering companions,
+suddenly become silent, although they did not notice it, since they were
+making so much noise themselves. The ladies left us in another ten
+minutes, and then I would have excused myself from Marcel and Moore, but
+they would not hear of it.
+
+"If we don't keep you, you will get into mischief," said Marcel, with a
+significance that Moore did not see, and they retained hold of my arms.
+Shortly after, our party was increased by Vivian and Catron, and we
+filled the sidewalk from edge to edge, all talking in lively fashion
+except myself, Marcel being in his element. In truth, there was no need
+that I should talk, since Marcel and Moore were doing enough and to
+spare for us all. They continued to twirl their mustaches and look for
+the pretty maids, but our next acquaintances who approached us were men
+not maids, being, in truth, Belfort, Schwarzfelder, and Graves, arm in
+arm, with the German in the centre. They walked straight towards us, and
+I saw that unless either they or we turned aside, a most unpleasant
+collision would occur, as the sidewalk was narrow. I observed no
+evidence of an intent on the part of either my comrades or Belfort and
+his friends to change their course, and I was annoyed excessively at the
+prospect of a collision and a quarrel. In fact, I have never felt any
+desire to be a swaggerer, and I began to wonder how I could get out of
+the difficulty. If the others insisted upon trouble for themselves, they
+might have it.
+
+I saw no solution of the difficulty; but, to my great amazement, my
+friends suddenly stepped to one side when we were within a half-dozen
+paces of our antagonists, forming a line at the edge of the sidewalk, as
+if we were a guard of honor stationed there to give distinction to the
+passage of Belfort and his companions; furthermore, they strengthened
+the idea by taking off their caps and giving the others a bow of
+astonishing sweep and depth, which Graves returned in kind, Belfort
+slightly, and Schwarzfelder not at all. Not a word was said, the three
+stalking solemnly past us, and then disappearing down the street, while
+we returned to our natural place on the sidewalk, and walked on in the
+way that we had been going.
+
+"Gentlemen," I said gravely, when we had gone about twenty yards, "I did
+not think this of you."
+
+"And why not?" replied Marcel. "Could we have done otherwise after the
+delicate attentions that you have received from Colonel Schwarzfelder.
+We were the larger party, and therefore it was our duty, under the
+circumstances, to give way to the smaller. Is that not so, Moore?"
+
+"Certainly," replied Moore. "We did our duty."
+
+I looked at them questioningly, and Marcel's eye began to twinkle.
+
+"Oh, you have not heard of the billet-doux that Schwarzfelder has
+written you?" he asked.
+
+"What are you talking about?" I replied.
+
+"It was done in the most perfect manner," said Moore; "I wish that it
+had come for me."
+
+"I refuse to go a step farther unless you tell me what you are talking
+about," I said, and I stopped short. They could have carried me on only
+by dragging me, and that would have looked undignified.
+
+"Suppose we let him have the letter,--Schwarzfelder's masterly
+production," said Marcel.
+
+"Yes, let him see it," said Vivian.
+
+Marcel accordingly took from his waistcoat pocket, an envelope with a
+broken seal, superscribed in a large heavy hand, "To Captain, the
+Honorable Charles Montague." I put it to my nose, and it smelled of both
+tobacco and wine.
+
+"But think of its contents," said Marcel.
+
+I opened it, and stared at the writing, of which I could not read a
+word. It was in German. The others burst into laughter.
+
+"That billet-doux," said Marcel, "is a challenge from your dear friend,
+Schwarzfelder. It seems that you did him a wrong this morning, or at
+least he thinks so, and off he rushed to his headquarters so blindingly
+angry that he must challenge you at once. He thinks of me as your best
+friend, and, still mad with anger, he forgets himself so far as to write
+the body of the letter in German, and also to ignore the use of a second
+for himself. But Belfort has set all of that right. Now it seems that
+fate won't let you fight Belfort; but I don't see how you can keep from
+meeting Schwarzfelder. Lieutenant Melville, if I had your quarrelsome
+disposition, I certainly should expect to die on the field of honor
+before I was turned twenty-five."
+
+Then they laughed again, enjoying my plight and vexation.
+
+"Belfort is at any rate a gentleman," I said; "but Schwarzfelder is at
+least three-fourths ruffian, and I think that it would be a disgrace to
+meet him."
+
+"But you cannot refuse on that account," said Catron, gravely, "these
+men seem bent upon persecuting you, Melville, and you will have to put a
+stop to it with either sword or pistol. Suppose that we go to your
+quarters and discuss it."
+
+I was willing, and ten minutes later we were around a table in our room,
+talking over the situation. Marcel had ordered wine from the
+commissariat, and the glasses were filled by the orderly, Waters, who
+was silent, and, as usual, apparently respectful.
+
+"It is obvious that our friend Melville must meet Schwarzfelder," said
+Marcel, at length. "This Hessian is a drunkard and a bravo; but he is an
+officer of rank, even of much higher rank than Melville. Our man,
+therefore, must teach him a lesson. Do you say so, gentlemen?"
+
+"We do say so," replied Catron, Moore, and Vivian together.
+
+I saw that they were right, according to the code of the day, and I
+began, in spite of myself, to feel a willingness for the combat. Catron
+said that they were persecuting me, and that word "Persecute" began to
+inflame my anger. I would show them that persecuting had its risks.
+
+"I am not much of a swordsman," I said; "but I am a good shot, and so I
+choose pistols at twenty paces."
+
+"Then pistols it is," said Catron; "and now for a letter to Belfort, who
+is to be Schwarzfelder's second, which will show that we know how to
+manage such an affair as this in the most courteous manner."
+
+Then we set ourselves to the task of writing the letter,--a labor that
+was by no means small,--and while we were hard-set at it, Waters came
+into the room again and saluted.
+
+"Well?" said Catron, impatiently.
+
+"Your honor," said Waters, apologetically, "there is some news of
+interest in the city, and I thought that you would pardon me for telling
+it to you."
+
+"Wait! Do you not see that we are busy? You should not interrupt!"
+replied Marcel.
+
+"But this is a most extraordinary affair, and the whole town is ringing
+with it," rejoined the man.
+
+I saw now that his eyes were sparkling after the manner of one who has a
+budget of good gossip to tell and is anxious to tell it. The others
+noticed it too, and our own curiosity began to rise.
+
+"What is it, Waters?" I asked.
+
+He opened his hands, showing a piece of white paper about a foot long
+and perhaps half as wide.
+
+"There is writing upon it; I ask your honor to read it," he said.
+
+I took it and read:
+
+      To SIR WILLIAM HOWE, _Commander-in-chief of His Britannic
+      Majesty's forces in Philadelphia_:--
+
+      I beg to present to you my compliments, and to notify you
+      that I shall pay a visit to the City of Philadelphia one
+      night this week, in order that you may prepare a reception
+      worthy of yourself and me.
+
+                         Yours faithfully,
+
+                               WILLIAM WILDFOOT,
+                _Captain in the Continental Army_.
+
+"It is said that over twenty of these have been found in the city
+to-day," said Waters, "all exactly alike, and written in the same hand."
+
+The penmanship was large, rough, and angular, evidently that of a man
+more accustomed to grasping the sword than the goose quill.
+
+Catron swore a tremendous oath.
+
+"Well, of all unmitigated impertinences this is the greatest!" he
+exclaimed.
+
+"It's mere bravado," said Vivian. "Of course the man will not think of
+venturing into Philadelphia."
+
+"They say that he surely will come," said Waters; "it is the gossip of
+the city."
+
+"If he does," added Vivian, scornfully, "he will come only to be
+hanged."
+
+I was not so sure, but I said nothing. I remembered our former encounter
+with Wildfoot, and the singular words that he shouted to me as he dashed
+past. The others discussed the insolent placards with some degree of
+heat.
+
+"Have you heard what Sir William says about this piece of presumption?"
+asked Vivian of Waters, letting his curiosity overcome his dignity.
+
+"I have heard only, sir, that he was extremely angry," replied Waters.
+
+"An entirely natural emotion under the circumstances," added Marcel.
+
+Then we returned to the discussion of my own affair, and shortly after
+the important letter was finished, notifying Belfort that I accepted
+Schwarzfelder's challenge, naming pistols as the weapons, and stating
+that Captain Montague would call upon him as soon as possible to make
+arrangements as to time and place.
+
+"There," said Marcel, his face flushing with satisfaction, as he looked
+at the completed letter, "I think that's as pretty a piece of work as
+any one of us has done in many a day. I don't want you to kill that
+Hessian fellow, Melville; but if you could let a lot of blood from him
+with a bullet, say in his shoulder, it would improve both his appearance
+and his manners."
+
+Waters was deputed to bear the letter to Belfort, and then we went out
+to enjoy the small portion of the day and the sunshine that was left to
+us. This was Tuesday, and Marcel and Moore began to calculate when they
+could have the duel, the two undertaking to manage it, just as they had
+managed my abortive affair with Belfort. Marcel was of the opinion that
+the meeting could be held within two or three days, the time to be just
+at dawn, and the place to be a spot in the Northern suburbs, barely
+within the line of the British pickets, but where they could not see us.
+
+We were not permitted to think long of the proposed duel. Wildfoot's
+placard was making a great buzz in the city, and many of the British
+officers who believed that he would keep his promise thought that the
+time to catch him had come.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER FOURTEEN--_According to Promise_
+
+
+I was at mess when an orderly arrived from Sir William, bidding my
+immediate presence at his quarters, a command that I could not think of
+disobeying, however reluctant I might be to go. It was in truth somewhat
+unpleasant to leave the brilliantly lighted room with its glittering
+china and silver, its abundant wines, and the talk and laughter of the
+good comrades who were there, for the loneliness and work of the
+commander-in-chief's house. I like to be popular with my superior
+officers, but now and then popularity is burdensome, and I leave it to
+anybody if Sir William's favor was not extremely embarrassing to one in
+my position. So I rose and apologized with reluctance for my departure,
+which I said I must take at once, and at the same time naming the cause.
+
+"Farewell, Melville," they shouted with mock solemnity. "He goes to sure
+promotion, and this is another good man lost to those who love him."
+
+I found Sir William at the table in his workroom, and the heap of papers
+that lay before him was larger than the one which had been there the
+first night that I had helped him. These were the closing days of his
+command, and much remained to be done. He was, as I have said before,
+and as all the world knows, an easy, sluggish, good-natured man, fond of
+pleasure, and his work always came last. Vivian was there helping him,
+and not looking over-happy. I was sure that he, like myself, was
+thinking longingly of the mess and its lights and the good company. But
+his face brightened a bit when he saw me, knowing now that he would have
+a companion in misery.
+
+Sir William turned to me a face upon which annoyance was plainly
+written, and I saw in his hand a placard like that which Waters had
+shown to us.
+
+"Melville, have you heard of this?" he asked, holding up the placard.
+
+"Yes, sir, I have heard of it."
+
+"This placard, or paper, or whatever it may be, is the most unexampled
+impertinence," he said, the red flushing into his swarthy face. "I think
+that it is intended as a personal insult to me. This outlaw Wildfoot
+must know of my forthcoming departure for England, and he is seeking to
+taunt me. But he shall not do it! I tell you, he shall not do it!"
+
+He struck his fist upon the table to give emphasis to his statement that
+he would not allow a rebel partisan to upset his dignity, but it was
+entirely obvious that it _was_ very much upset.
+
+"If the man is so foolish and reckless as to enter Philadelphia,"
+continued Sir William, "he will never get out again. I shall at least
+have the satisfaction of disposing of this troublesome fellow before I
+go to England."
+
+The thought gave him consolation, and he began to dictate to us orders
+about the watch for Wildfoot, doubling the sentries, cautioning them to
+increase their vigilance, and making new dispositions of the pickets
+which he thought would guard the city better. Many of these movements
+could not be executed before the next morning; but Sir William did not
+look for Wildfoot for two or three nights, provided he came at all, and
+his countenance and voice began, by and by, to express satisfaction.
+
+"We shall have our trap set," he said, "and the outlaw will walk into it
+just as we wish."
+
+The time passed slowly, and we were reinforced presently by another
+secretary, who proved to be young Graves, a man who was the friend of
+Belfort and Schwarzfelder, and more or less hostile to me. But he was in
+a good humor, thinking of the prospective duel, in which he was to have
+a part as one of the managers,--a circumstance which flattered his
+pride, and he was very courteous to me. He exchanged a word occasionally
+with me about it in a whisper, and informed me, by and by, that he was
+not sure Schwarzfelder would win.
+
+In a short while, Graves was sent to the anteroom to copy some documents
+there. He sat at a table near the wall, and once, when I went to take
+him some papers, I saw the sentinel, loaded gun on shoulder, walking
+back and forth in front of the door. I heard the sound of footsteps
+outside and, looking through the window, beheld a company of troops
+marching past. It was evident that Sir William's anger over Wildfoot's
+impertinence was producing activity. Then I went back to the
+commander-in-chief's table and resumed my work there.
+
+I think it was about 10 o'clock when Sir William told me to go and help
+Graves, who seemed to be falling behind in his task. I drew up a chair
+and sat down at the table facing Graves, and with my back to the door.
+He, feeling his importance, wanted to exchange with me more whispered
+comments on the duel; but I wished to avoid the subject, and worked so
+industriously that he gave up the attempt.
+
+We heard nothing during the next quarter of an hour but the scratching
+of our goose quills and the occasional words of Sir William in the next
+room as he gave an order. Then, chancing to look up, I beheld a most
+extraordinary expression on the face of Graves. His eyes were distended
+to a great width, and the white in them was shot with little specks of
+red, the muscles of his face were drawn, and his whole look was that of
+a man suffering from the most alarmed surprise.
+
+"Why, what under the sun is the matter, Graves?" I exclaimed.
+
+He did not say a word, but pointed behind me. I wheeled around to see;
+but powerful hands grasped me by the throat, while other hands thrust
+the muzzle of a pistol into my face. It was not necessary for anybody to
+say to me: "Move a foot, or say a word, and you shall be a dead man!" I
+knew it perfectly well without the telling, and I neither moved nor
+spoke. Graves, who at the same instant had been served as I was, showed
+a similar wisdom. Something soft, but very filling, was thrust into my
+mouth, and, with an expedition as unpleasant as it was astonishing, I
+was bound tightly to the table. Then the strong hands slipped off me,
+and I was at liberty to gaze as much as I wished into the eyes of
+Graves, who sat opposite me just as he had sat when we were at work, and
+who was as securely bound and gagged as I. I always fancy that we made a
+pretty pair, trussed up there like two turkeys ready for the spit. I
+would have given much for a few words to express my feelings, but my
+mouth was too full. I merely read the various looks in the eyes of
+Graves, all of which expressed anger.
+
+The men, four in number, who had performed this impolite deed, brushed
+past me, and I saw only their backs, which were large and powerful. The
+door between our room and Sir William's was shut; but they opened it,
+leaving it so, and entered. I faced the apartment, and I saw distinctly
+all that passed. Thus it was my fortune, while listening to the most
+amazing conversation that I ever heard, to see also those who talked,
+though only the back of one of the most important.
+
+Sir William and Vivian were writing busily at the large table in the
+centre of the room, when the intruders entered. Sir William sat at the
+side of the table facing us, and Vivian was at the end. I saw the faces
+of both clearly by the light of wax candles. Sir William had begun to
+wear his usual placid look. I inferred that he was pleased at what he
+was writing just then, and I think that it was instructions which he
+felt soon would cause the capture of Wildfoot. The largest man of the
+four put his hand on a chair, and drawing it up to the table sat down
+opposite to Sir William and with his back to me. Neither Sir William nor
+Vivian noticed their entrance until then, as they had walked with
+extreme lightness. But when Sir William looked up and beheld the
+stranger sitting uninvited and so calmly before him, his face flamed
+into anger. I could see the rush of blood to his head.
+
+"Who are you, and how dare you come here?" he cried, springing to his
+feet.
+
+"Be seated, Sir William, be seated," replied the man, in a strong,
+clear, and soothing voice. "There is no occasion for surprise or wrath.
+I am not an intruder. I sent you word in writing that I would call."
+
+I saw Sir William's face turn quite black, and he began to choke.
+
+"You are--you are--" he gasped.
+
+"You have divined it, Sir William," replied the man. "I am Captain
+William Wildfoot, captain of rangers in the Continental service. Your
+guest, if you please, and I must warn you and your assistant not to
+shout for help, or my men will shoot you instantly. The young
+lieutenants in the front room, as you can see for yourself, will keep
+very quiet."
+
+What I wished most of all at that moment was to see the man's face. His
+effrontery, his astonishing recklessness, inspired me with the deepest
+curiosity. I thought that Marcel and I had shown considerable
+presumption, but we were children, raw beginners, compared with this
+man.
+
+"What do you want?" asked Sir William, at last.
+
+"First, that you and your assistant put your hands upon the table, or
+else I shall have to bind you," replied Wildfoot.
+
+Sir William frowned and choked again; but there was no recourse, and he
+and Vivian both laid their empty hands upon the table.
+
+"That is better," said Wildfoot, in a pleased tone; "I know that it is
+undignified in you, but the good of our service demands it. And now for
+serious talk. I came to show you, Sir William, the insecurity of your
+position, and the great resources of the patriots."
+
+"I must say," replied Sir William, "that I never before saw a man so
+anxious to give his side of the argument."
+
+"Yes," replied Wildfoot, "I have been at some trouble and risk to do
+so."
+
+I saw a faint gleam of humor appear in the eyes of Sir William, and I
+inferred that the quality of geniality or good fellowship in him, which
+perhaps made him such a poor soldier, was rising to the surface. He
+seemed to appreciate, to a slight degree at least, the humor of the
+situation. His eye suddenly sought mine, and then I distinctly saw a
+trace of amusement mingling with his perplexed and annoyed expression.
+
+"You seem to have made sure of the attention of Lieutenant Melville and
+Lieutenant Graves," he said.
+
+"I have no doubt that they can maintain their interest," replied
+Wildfoot, "and their present position is only temporary."
+
+"You say that you came to show me the strength and resources of the
+colonists. Will you tell me how this is so?" asked Sir William.
+
+"That I am here is the proof of it."
+
+"It is true that you are here, but I have an idea, Captain Wildfoot,
+that you will not go away again."
+
+"Why not?"
+
+"I am hospitable. We need you. Philadelphia needs you."
+
+"I know it, and so I shall come back again."
+
+"No, we wish you to stay with us now."
+
+I should have laughed at this point had not the gag been in my mouth,
+not at the conversation of Sir William and Wildfoot, but at the funny
+look on the face of Graves. He had a great sense of dignity and
+aristocratic importance, and it was hurt by the sudden intrusion of
+Wildfoot. I said: "Never mind, Graves, it will soon be over," but the
+words stopped short against that gag, and he did not hear them. I did
+not even hear them myself. Vivian, on the contrary, was bearing himself
+like a gentleman. He sat perfectly still, with his eyes either on Sir
+William or Wildfoot, and so far as I could see, his face was without
+expression. The three men who accompanied Wildfoot remained standing,
+but motionless, each with a cocked pistol in his hand. One stood with
+his face turned towards me, but every feature was hidden by a thick,
+bushy, black beard.
+
+"So I take it, that you have done this thing merely in a spirit of
+bravado," said Sir William, "and I wish you to understand, Captain
+Wildfoot, that I thoroughly appreciate your daring. I could wish that
+you were one of us; in the king's service you would be a colonel at
+least, and not a mere rebel captain; moreover, your neck would be in no
+danger."
+
+"But I would be colonel in a losing cause," replied Wildfoot, "and to
+tell the truth, Sir William, I enjoy my captaincy among the rebels, as
+you call them, much more than any man enjoys his colonelcy among the
+king's men. No, Sir William, I am happy where I am; then why seek
+unhappiness elsewhere?"
+
+"Are you quite sure that you are happy where you are?"
+
+"Quite sure."
+
+"Then it is not worth while to attempt persuasion; but to return to
+another point, Captain Wildfoot, we value men of your spirit and daring
+too much to give them up when they come once among us. We must even
+detain you by other means than persuasion."
+
+"I thank you for the honor, Sir William," said Wildfoot, with a grateful
+inflection, "but I had formed another plan, somewhat different in manner
+but similar in the result that you mention."
+
+"May I ask just what you mean?"
+
+"It is not necessary for us to be separated under my plan."
+
+"I do not understand yet."
+
+"I had thought, Sir William, of taking you with me when I left
+Philadelphia."
+
+The deep red flushed Sir William's swarthy face again. My amazement at
+Wildfoot's presumption increased, but I remembered the case of the
+English general Prescott, who had been kidnapped in Rhode Island by the
+daring American captain, Barton.
+
+"Do you mean that you would carry me off as a prisoner?" asked Sir
+William.
+
+"Such was my intention, if you will pardon the rudeness," replied
+Wildfoot, humbly. "And if you will excuse me again, Sir William, we must
+hurry."
+
+I saw Vivian suddenly lean over in his chair, throw out his arms, and
+sweep from the table the candles, extinguishing them instantly, while
+Graves, with a single strong puff of his breath, blew out the one in
+front of us. The rooms were plunged into darkness, and what had seemed
+comedy before, became tragedy, especially for Graves and me, bound as we
+were to the table and powerless to cry out. I heard the quick, heavy
+tread of feet, and the crack of a pistol shot, the flash of the powder
+casting for a moment a fantastic light by which I saw rapidly moving
+figures, and then the sound of shattering glass and another shot.
+
+I do not think that I breathed for a minute or two. The next room, with
+the darkness, the pistol shots, the occasional flashes of light and the
+trampling feet, furnished every evidence of a deadly struggle, and at
+any moment a pistol ball might take me in the breast, while I sat there
+bound to the table, powerless to help myself, and unable even to make
+myself heard.
+
+A man brushed suddenly past me, threw open the outer door, and shouted
+to the guards, who were already crowding into the room. But the sounds
+in the inner chamber ceased with great suddenness, and in a moment, a
+flame flared up. It was Vivian relighting a candle. He was very pale,
+and the blood was dripping from his left arm, which was limp by his
+side. Save for himself, the room was empty. Broken glass from both
+windows lay on the floor. Near the table was a large spot of blood.
+
+"They escaped through the windows, Sir William," said Vivian, "but I
+think that one has carried with him the mark of my bullet."
+
+"And you have the mark of his," replied Sir William, who was at the
+outer door. "One of you men run for a surgeon at once. I owe too much to
+you, Vivian, to forget this."
+
+Then he began to give hasty orders for the pursuit of Wildfoot and his
+men. All the anger and chagrin which he had concealed so well in their
+presence surged up.
+
+"They shall be caught! They shall be caught!" he cried. "I will give a
+hundred guineas myself to the man who first lays hands on this Wildfoot.
+Send the alarm to all the pickets, and permit nobody to leave
+Philadelphia on any pretext whatever!"
+
+He continued his orders, and messengers rushed with them to the
+outposts, impressed by the anger and emphasis of the commander-in-chief
+which would permit no delay. Two or three minutes passed thus, and the
+fierce mental exertion seemed to calm Sir William. More candles had been
+lighted, and looking about the room, he saw Graves and me still
+motionless and confronting each other across the table, as silent as
+sphinxes.
+
+"What, are you bound?" he exclaimed. "Why didn't you call for help?"
+
+And we were yet silent.
+
+He stared at us in surprise, and then he burst into laughter. I think it
+was partly relief from the nervous strain that made him laugh.
+
+"I have heard often," he said, "that silence is a virtue, but this seems
+to me to be carrying it to an extreme point."
+
+He promptly gave orders to have the gags and thongs removed, and I
+stretched my muscles with a feeling of deep relief. Wildfoot might be a
+great partisan commander, but there was such a thing as pernicious
+activity. I was a good American, and it was a grievous insult to be
+bound and gagged by another good American.
+
+"How did this happen?" asked Sir William.
+
+"I do not know," I replied, glad to be able to speak again. "We were
+bent over the table, busy with our writing, when we were seized from
+behind. I cannot understand how they passed the sentinel unnoticed."
+
+Sir William swore a frightful oath.
+
+"The sentinel has disappeared," he said. "Undoubtedly he was in league
+with them, perhaps an American whom we took to be a faithful Tory. We
+will capture this Wildfoot before morning, and you shall help."
+
+I exchanged a word or two with Vivian, and found that he was not badly
+hurt. A small bone in his left arm was broken by the bullet, but it
+would heal perfectly in a week or two. Then I hurried out with Sir
+William and Graves.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER FIFTEEN--_The Pursuit of Wildfoot_
+
+
+The general was so eager that Graves and I were several yards behind him
+when we emerged from the house into the midst of a great tumult,
+orderlies galloping from the door with despatches, and others returning
+for more, while lights were increasing rapidly in the city, and soldiers
+were gathering for duty. It was evident that Sir William was thoroughly
+aroused, and intended to capture Wildfoot if it were possible to do such
+a thing. My first feeling of anger against the ranger because of his
+treatment of me passed, as I reflected that he naturally took me for a
+British officer, and could not have done otherwise, even had he known
+the difference. Now I began to fear for him. I did not wish this bold
+man, so valuable to our cause, to be captured, possibly to be hanged
+upon some pretext or other. But Sir William did not give me much time to
+think.
+
+"Be sure you follow me, Melville," he said.
+
+He was already on horseback, and, mounting a horse that an orderly held
+for me, I galloped after him. He had gathered several other aides in his
+rapid pursuit, and we made quite a cavalcade, the hoofs of our horses
+thundering upon the hard street. The whole city was awake now;
+night-capped heads were thrust from windows, and trembling voices asked
+what was the matter. But we paid no heed, galloping on.
+
+Catron was among the officers who had joined us, and pointing towards
+Germantown, he said:--
+
+"They ran this way; I saw four men with pistols in their hands dash down
+the street. One was very large."
+
+"That was Wildfoot! It was he! Sound the call!" Sir William shouted
+joyfully to a trumpeter.
+
+The man put the instrument to his lips and blew the hunting call.
+Merrily rose the notes, and Sir William's spirits rose with them. He
+felt sure that already he held Wildfoot in the hollow of his hand.
+
+Our rapid ride was bringing us near the outskirts of the city, where the
+British intrenchments and fortifications lay, and I imagined that it was
+Sir William's plan to establish first a thorough picket line, and then
+to search every house in Philadelphia for Wildfoot and his comrades.
+But, turning my eyes to the southward, I saw a sudden rosy glow under
+the dark horizon which deepened in a moment into pink and then into red,
+rising in a lofty pyramid. Sparks shot from it. I pointed it out to Sir
+William at once. He paused, perplexed.
+
+"It is a fire, clearly enough," he said; "but I wonder what it can be!"
+
+His doubt lasted only a moment. An aide, much excited, galloped up and
+informed us that the cantonments of the troops to the southward had been
+set on fire, and were now burning fiercely.
+
+"An accident?" asked Sir William, deeply annoyed.
+
+"The men are sure that it was caused by the rebels," replied the aide.
+
+"There is nothing to be done but to put it out as best you can," replied
+Sir William, and he began to give instructions; but even as he spoke the
+report of rifle-shots came from a point a little farther to the north,
+distant yet distinct, sounding so far away like the popping of a hickory
+log under the flames. There were red sparks too, no bigger than
+fire-flies, and both the cracking noises and the sparks increased. Sir
+William stopped his horse and gazed anxiously at the little red flashes.
+
+"An attack by the rebels, and at this of all times," he said in tones of
+great annoyance, but to himself rather than to us. It was not likely
+that our ragged little army could storm fortified Philadelphia and
+defeat the powerful and far more numerous force that defended it; but
+Sir William was so much engrossed with the pursuit of Wildfoot that he
+resented any interference demanding his attention. He swore again in his
+wrath.
+
+"Catron," he said, "you must go at once to that point. If the force
+there is not sufficient, hurry forward these."
+
+He began to name regiments that would be available.
+
+Catron galloped away, and before the sound of his horse's hoofs had
+died, more rifle-shots were heard still farther to the northward, coming
+from a point entirely new. The fire quickly blazed up there like a
+flame in a tinder dry forest, indicating another attack, heavier perhaps
+than the first. We paused, uncertain which way to go; and while we
+hesitated, the attack developed at a fourth point far to the southward,
+some of the ships in the river replying, the deep boom of the cannon
+rising like the notes of a funeral bell above the crackle of the
+musketry. A hum sprang up too from Philadelphia, the alarm of the people
+deepening as the firing seemed to spread and ring them around. They
+feared another battle fought almost at their doors, like that of
+Germantown. The cantonments, mostly light wooden structures, burned
+brightly, adding to the alarm, and casting a glow over the hurrying
+regiments. I confess, American as I was, and much as I should have
+enjoyed the doubts of the British, that I, too, was in a daze. My own
+peculiar position was assuming most perplexing phases.
+
+"If I only knew what this meant!" exclaimed Sir William. "Perhaps, after
+all, I can leave my men to brush off those rebels while I continue my
+search for Wildfoot."
+
+His eagerness to capture the partisan seemed to increase, and I did not
+wonder at it. I should have felt the same way in his place. We were
+joined at this moment by more officers, among whom I saw Belfort and
+Schwarzfelder. The German's face was inflamed by drink, and his talk was
+full of warlike fury. It died, however, when Sir William looked towards
+him, although it was Belfort's hand on his arm that warned him to make
+less noise.
+
+Another light flamed up at the central point of attack, and one of the
+officers stated that it was a farmhouse occupied as quarters by the
+troops, evidently set on fire, like the other cantonments, by the
+rebels. The rapid br-r-r of the rifle-shots there indicated that it was
+the heaviest point of attack.
+
+This seemed to decide Sir William, and he rode towards the farmhouse,
+ordering us to follow. I looked back and saw the lights of the city
+twinkling behind us, and I felt sure that Wildfoot and his comrades lay
+hidden there, perhaps in the houses of trusty patriots. The attack at
+this particular time was either a lucky chance, or part of a clever
+scheme, and my admiration of the man, always great, increased. We
+approached the scene of the combat, and the volume of the firing swelled
+rapidly, the shouts of the combatants coming to our ears; yet we could
+see but little of the battle. The night was dark, and the assailing
+force which had driven back the pickets was sheltered by a rail fence
+standing within the original British lines. The little jets of flame ran
+along the fence for some hundreds of yards, but the Americans remained
+invisible. None could even make a guess at their numbers.
+
+"Stop, Sir William!" exclaimed Belfort, suddenly. "Let us dispose of
+these skirmishers before you advance."
+
+Belfort never lacked courage, and his remark was well-timed. I heard the
+br-r-r of a bullet over our heads, and then another, and then many
+others. Two men were struck the next instant, and a horse was killed. It
+was obviously not the place of the commander-in-chief to ride into such
+a hornet's nest, and he drew off a bit. An unusually heavy volley burst
+from the fence, and the British pickets were driven back. The officers
+with us gathered up the fugitives, and led them in a charge.
+
+"Stay with me, Melville," said Sir William to me. "I shall want you for
+despatches."
+
+I was devoutly thankful for his order, not being willing to join in a
+charge against my own countrymen, and I sat willingly on my horse beside
+him. I was of the opinion that the attack of the British would fail, as
+they were in too small force, and should have waited for the regiments
+which were coming up rapidly.
+
+All the officers were on horseback save the one whose mount had been
+shot from beneath him, and a bulky figure which I recognized even in the
+dark as Schwarzfelder's led the van. The German, for all I knew, was a
+brave man; but the wine that he had been drinking was now more potent in
+bringing him on and putting him in the foremost place.
+
+The attacking force of English numbered about a hundred, and, despite
+their scanty numbers, they rushed forward with the greatest gallantry,
+shouting to each other and uttering a hearty cheer. The top of the fence
+burst into a long streak of flame, and the crack of many rifles together
+made a heavy crash, followed by an irregular crackle, as more rifles
+were fired. All but a few in the front ranks of the attacking column
+were cut down, and those in the rear still pushing on, dropped fast
+before the deliberate fire of the concealed sharpshooters.
+
+"It's a trap," I said to Sir William; "the English are sure to be
+beaten."
+
+We heard a rapid drum behind us, and the footsteps of an advancing
+regiment; but they would be too late to save the forlorn hope charging
+the fence. The crackling fire swelled again into a volley, and the red
+blur made by the uniforms of the advancing English became dimmer. I
+heard a groan beside me. It was Vivian, pale and weak, with a limply
+hanging arm, who had ridden up.
+
+"They will all be killed," he said.
+
+The charging force was now approaching the fence, and always in the van
+was the bulky figure of Schwarzfelder, bestriding his horse, man and
+beast apparently alike untouched, the German brandishing a huge sword,
+and shouting as if he were possessed by a demon.
+
+"Certainly Schwarzfelder is brave," muttered Sir William, who perhaps
+remembered the night that I had cast the German out of his quarters. The
+forlorn hope was almost at the fence, and then the fire of the riflemen
+increased rapidly. Many of the English fell, and the few who were left,
+unable to stand such a leaden sleet, turned and ran, as they should have
+done long before, all except Schwarzfelder, who rode straight at the
+fence.
+
+Then I saw an unusual thing. Two men, evidently large and powerful, and
+at the distance the first looked to me remarkably like Wildfoot, sprang
+over the fence and seized Schwarzfelder from either side. Then, while
+one tore the sword from his hand, the other, the one who looked like
+Wildfoot, sprang up behind him, and, holding him around the waist,
+jumped the horse over the low fence. Then we heard the distant thud of
+hoofs as they disappeared in the darkness.
+
+"What an insult to Hessian dignity!" said Vivian beside me. Then he
+added in a low voice, that Sir William might not hear: "There's an end
+to your duel, Melville. The gods are surely unwilling for you to fight."
+
+When the regiment advancing to the relief reached the fence, the
+Americans were gone and no one could discover where. The attack at the
+other points ceased almost simultaneously, and the fires burned out
+slowly. The search for Wildfoot in the city was continued, but no trace
+of him could be found, and, eating his heart out in his anger, Sir
+William returned to his quarters.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER SIXTEEN--_A Rebuke for Waters_
+
+
+The next day was a gloomy one in Philadelphia, which was then largely a
+British town, not only because of the army of occupation, but because
+most of the patriot population had gone away, leaving the Tories in
+possession. The feelings of all were hurt by Wildfoot's extraordinary
+daring, his easy disappearance with his men, and the utter lack of
+respect he had shown for the commander-in-chief. Men said: "What if he
+had really carried off Sir William! What an irregular mode of warfare!"
+They repeated that they did not fear the American armies, but that they
+did object to an antagonist who appeared at such unexpected moments and
+in such an unexpected manner; the irregularity of the thing was what
+they especially disliked.
+
+A number of us visited Vivian at his quarters as soon as we could obtain
+leave, and condoled with him over his wound. But he was suffering little
+pain, and reckoned the bandage upon his arm a badge of distinction. So
+we gave him our congratulations instead of our condolences.
+
+"I should have been glad to have had the other arm broken, if thereby we
+could have captured Wildfoot," he said. The words were spoken without
+affectation, and we knew that he meant them.
+
+Belfort was there too, and he was gloomy, despite the fact that he had
+been commended by Sir William for gallantry in action. Vivian rallied
+him on his looks.
+
+"It is because our luck is bad," replied Belfort. "That prisoner who
+might have told things of importance has disappeared completely, and
+Wildfoot seems to be able to enter the city, do what he pleases, and
+then disappear with impunity. I am of the opinion that there are
+traitors in Philadelphia."
+
+"If you mean rebels, of course there are," said Vivian; "all of us know
+that, but they are in a great minority."
+
+"I don't mean rebels precisely, at least not self-confessed rebels,"
+replied Belfort.
+
+"Then whom do you mean?" said the sprightly Marcel; "if you mean Sir
+William, or Vivian there, who has a rebel bullet through his arm, or my
+chum Melville and myself, who arrived in Philadelphia amidst a leaden
+shower, or our lamented friend Schwarzfelder, who rode his own horse
+among the rebels, and a truly gallant sight he was--why speak out in the
+name of justice and the king."
+
+Belfort flushed with vexation. There was no adequate reply that he could
+make, whatever his thoughts might be. But after some hesitation he
+said,--
+
+"I am glad that you mentioned Schwarzfelder. Why should he disappear at
+such a time, literally kidnapped, as that bandit wished to kidnap Sir
+William?"
+
+"It seems to me that Schwarzfelder is irrelevant," interrupted Vivian.
+"At least he has no connection with these rebel disappearances. He was
+to fight a duel with Melville, and scarcely can you charge that Melville
+bribed Wildfoot to come here and carry him off, in order to escape the
+duel, especially when Wildfoot treated Melville with excessive
+discourtesy, binding him to a table and thrusting an unfeeling gag into
+his mouth."
+
+"I don't mean to impeach Melville's courage," said Belfort, hastily. "I
+spoke merely of the singularity of these events."
+
+Our little party was broken up presently by orders from Sir William
+which gave us all work to do. It seemed that he was seized with another
+spasm of energy, and he resumed the search of the city for both Wildfoot
+and Alloway. He was not at all sure that Wildfoot had succeeded in
+joining the rebels who made the attack the night before, and fancied he
+might still be hidden in the city. So there was a great hunt for him,
+and my part of it was of an exceedingly unpleasant nature. I was to go
+to the Desmond house, search it again, and address various penetrating
+interrogations to the owner thereof.
+
+I acquitted myself in the best style of which I was capable. I found
+both John Desmond and his daughter in the house, and, much to my
+surprise, he answered all my questions quite readily and politely. I
+thought that his courtesy was due, perhaps, to the presence of his
+daughter at his elbow, but both search and examination, as before,
+revealed nothing.
+
+As I was returning to Sir William's quarters to report the fruitless
+task, I met Waters. I would have passed him without notice, but he
+said,--
+
+"I take it that it was again a fruitless search at Mr. Desmond's house,
+was it not, sir?"
+
+This savored most strongly of impertinence in one of his rank, and I
+felt anger. I disliked his incessant watch of Marcel and me, and in
+spite of my belief that he either knew or suspected us, caution was
+swallowed up in wrath.
+
+"Waters," I said, "your question was impertinent and your tone
+insolent."
+
+He did not apologize as he had done before, but held up his head and his
+bold eyes looked steadily into mine.
+
+"All the city, sir, is talking of this Wildfoot, and every loyal man
+wants him captured. The wish is as strong among us of a lower rank as it
+is among those of a higher."
+
+I thought that I saw a peculiar significance in his words, and I would
+have given much to keep down the flush that reddened my face.
+
+"What do you mean to intimate, Waters?" I asked.
+
+"Nothing," he replied. "You are pleased, sir, to dislike me, although I
+do not know why, and to become angry because I ask you about the search
+of Mr. Desmond's house, a task which I felt sure was most unwelcome to
+you."
+
+His eyes did not flinch as he said these bold words, and manner and
+words alike confirmed my long felt fear that he knew me to be an
+impostor. I hesitated a little, uncertain what course to take, and then,
+turning scornfully from him, marched on with my men.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER SEVENTEEN--_Great News_
+
+
+As neither Marcel nor I was assigned to any duty for the remainder of
+the day, we thought to while away a portion of the time by strolling
+about Philadelphia.
+
+"We need not make spies of ourselves," said Marcel; "but I know no
+military law against the gratification of our own personal curiosity."
+
+Guided by such worthy motives, we spent some time that was to our
+amusement and perhaps to our profit also. Barring the presence of the
+soldiery, Philadelphia showed few evidences that war was encamped upon
+its threshold. I have seldom witnessed a scene of such bustle and
+animation, and even of gayety too, as the good Quaker City presented. A
+stranger would have thought there was no war, and that this was merely a
+great garrison town.
+
+The presence of fifteen or twenty thousand soldiers was good for trade,
+and gold clinked with much freedom and merriment. Though wagon-trains of
+provisions were taken sometimes by the Americans, yet many others came
+safely into Philadelphia, and the profits were so large that the worthy
+Pennsylvania farmers could not resist the temptation to take the risks,
+though most of them would have preferred to sell to the patriots, had
+the latter possessed something better than Continental paper to offer
+them.
+
+"The British boast much of their bayonets," said Marcel; "but they fight
+better with their gold."
+
+"And we have neither," said I.
+
+"Which merely means," said Marcel, "not that we shall not win, but that
+we will be longer in the winning."
+
+Our conversation was diverted from this topic by my observance of a
+peculiar circumstance. Often I would see four or five men, gathered at a
+street corner or in front of a doorway, talking with an appearance of
+great earnestness. Whenever Marcel and I, who were in full uniform, and
+thus were known to be British officers as far as we could be seen,
+approached, they would lower their tone or cease to talk. This had not
+happened on any day before, and was not what we would have expected from
+citizens who had grown used to the presence of the British army. I asked
+Marcel to take note of it.
+
+"Something unusual that they do not wish to tell us of has happened," he
+said. "I propose that we find out what it is."
+
+"How?" I said.
+
+"I know no better way than to ask," he replied. "Suppose we seize the
+very next opportunity, and interrogate our Quaker friends concerning the
+cause of their strange and mysterious behavior."
+
+Presently we saw four men engaged in one of these discussions. Three
+appeared to be citizens of Philadelphia, or at least we so judged from
+the smartness of their dress; the fourth had the heavy, unkempt look of
+a countryman. We approached; on the instant they became silent, and
+there was a look of embarrassment upon their faces.
+
+"Friends," said Marcel, in his courtly manner, "we wish not to interrupt
+your most pleasant discourse, but we would ask what news of importance
+you have, if there be no harm in the telling of it."
+
+"It rained last night," said the countryman, "and it is good for the
+spring planting."
+
+"Yet one might have news more interesting, though not perhaps more
+important, than that," replied Marcel; "for it has rained before, and
+the crops have been planted and reaped likewise before."
+
+"Even so," said the countryman, "but its importance increases when there
+are twenty thousand red-coats in Philadelphia to be fed."
+
+"But is that the whole burden of your news?" asked Marcel. "We have seen
+others talk together as you four talk together, and we do not think it
+accords with nature for all Philadelphia to be agog because it rained
+the night before."
+
+"Some heads hold strange opinions," said the countryman, curtly; "but
+why should I be held to account for them?"
+
+So saying, he walked off with his companions.
+
+"You can't draw blood from a turnip," said Marcel, "nor the truth from a
+man who has decided not to tell it."
+
+"Not since the torture-chamber was abolished," I said, "and I would even
+guess that this countryman is no very warm friend to the British, from
+the insolent tone that he adopted towards us."
+
+"And I would guess also that his news, whatever it may be, is something
+that will not be to the taste of the British, or he would tell it to
+us," said Marcel.
+
+But we were not daunted by one repulse, and we decided to try elsewhere.
+From another little group to which we addressed ourselves we received
+treatment perhaps not quite so discourteous, but as unproductive of the
+desired result. All this we took as further proof that there was in
+reality something of importance afoot. At last we went into a little
+eating-house where strong liquors also were sold.
+
+"Perhaps if we moisten their throats for them," said Marcel, "they may
+become less secretive. It is a cure I have rarely known to fail."
+
+There were eight or ten men in this place, some citizens of the town and
+some countrymen.
+
+"What news?" I asked of one who leaned against the counter. "There seems
+to be a stir about the town, and we ask its cause."
+
+"You are British officers," he replied. "The British hold this town. You
+should know more than we."
+
+"But this town has a population of such high intelligence," I said,
+thinking to flatter him, "that it learns many things before we do."
+
+"If you admit that," he said, "then I can tell you something."
+
+"Ah! what is it?" I asked, showing eagerness.
+
+"Perhaps you may not like to hear it," he said, "but Sir William Howe
+was nearly carried off last night by Wildfoot."
+
+Then all of them laughed in sneering fashion.
+
+"I was afraid you would not like my news," said the man, pretending of a
+sudden to be very humble; "but you would not be satisfied until I told
+it, and so I had to tell it."
+
+"We must even try elsewhere," said Marcel.
+
+Marcel was a jester, but, like most other jesters, he did not like a
+jest put upon himself. So we left the eating-house, and as we went out
+we saw the man Waters coming towards us. As I have often said, I did not
+like this fellow, and moreover I feared we had reason to dread him, but
+I thought he could tell us what we wished to know, as he had such a
+prying temper.
+
+He saluted us with much politeness, and stopped when I beckoned to him.
+The men in the eating-house had all come to the door.
+
+"Good-morning, Waters," I said. "Can you tell us what interests the
+people of this city so much, the news that we have been seeking in vain
+to learn? Here are gentlemen who have something that they would cherish
+and keep to themselves like a lady's favor."
+
+"It would scarce be proper for me, who am but an orderly, to announce
+weighty matters to your honors," said the man, with a most aggravating
+look of humility. The loungers who had come to the door laughed.
+
+"We will overlook that," said Marcel, who kept his temper marvellously
+well. "But tell us, is not the town really in a stir as it seems to be?"
+
+"It is, your honors," said Waters, "and it has cause for it."
+
+The loungers laughed again; but I did not mind it now, as I was eager to
+hear what Waters had to say.
+
+"Let us have this mighty secret," I said.
+
+"I fear your honors will not like it," replied Waters.
+
+"Never mind about that," I said, impatiently. "I do not believe that it
+amounts to anything at all."
+
+"It is only that the King of France has joined the Americans and
+declared war on the English," said Waters.
+
+For a moment I could scarce restrain a shout of joy. There had been talk
+for some time about a French alliance, but we had been disappointed so
+often that we had given up hope of it. Now the news had come with the
+suddenness of a thunder-clap. I believe that Marcel felt as I did, but
+it was of high importance that we should keep our countenances.
+
+"Whence did you get such a report as that?" I asked, affecting to treat
+it with contempt and unbelief.
+
+"From the people of the city," replied Waters.
+
+"Where did they get it?" asked Marcel.
+
+"I think it was brought in from the American army," replied the man,
+"and if your honor will pardon me for saying it, there is no doubt
+whatever about its truth."
+
+"King George will now have two enemies to fight instead of one, and he
+has not whipped the first," said one of the loungers.
+
+"Fear not that his armies will not be equal to the emergency," said I,
+thinking it needful to preserve my character as a British officer.
+
+"Then they will have to do something more than feast and dance in this
+city," said the bold fellow. The others murmured their approval and
+applause, and Marcel and I, bidding them to beware how they talked
+treason, strolled on.
+
+"I'm sorry to be the bearer of such bad news," said Waters, humbly.
+
+"King Louis and the Americans are responsible for the news, not you,"
+said Marcel. "Still, we thank you for narrating it to us."
+
+His tone was that of curt dismissal, and Waters, accepting it, left us.
+Marcel and I looked at each other, and Marcel said:--
+
+"If we were able, half-armed, untrained, and unaided, to take one
+British army at Saratoga, what ought we not to do now with King Louis's
+regulars to help us, and King Louis's arsenals to arm us?"
+
+"The alliance suggests many things," I said, "and one in particular to
+you and me."
+
+"What is that?" asked Marcel.
+
+"That we leave Philadelphia at once, or at least as soon as we can find
+an opportunity," I replied, "and rejoin our army. This should portend
+great events, perhaps a decisive campaign, and if that be true we ought
+to share it with our comrades."
+
+"Without denying the truth of what you say," replied Marcel, "we
+nevertheless cannot leave the city to-day, so we might as well enjoy the
+leisure the gods have allotted to us. The counting-house of our rich
+patriot, old John Desmond, is on this street. Perhaps he has not heard
+the news, and if we were the first to tell it to him he might forgive
+our apparent British character, though I fear it would be but small
+recommendation to his handsome Tory daughter."
+
+We entered the counting-house, where Mr. Desmond still contrived to earn
+fair profits despite the British occupation. Our British uniforms
+procured for us a certain amount of respect and deference from the
+clerks and attendants, but the stern old man, who would not bend to Sir
+William Howe himself, only glowered at us when we came into his
+presence.
+
+"I fear I can give you but little time to-day, gentlemen," he said, with
+asperity, "though I acknowledge the honor of your visit."
+
+"We are not in search of a loan," said Marcel, lightly, "but came merely
+to ask you if you had any further particulars of the great news which
+must be so pleasing to you, though I admit that it is less welcome to
+us."
+
+"The news? the great news? I have no news, either great or small," said
+Mr. Desmond, not departing from his curt and stiff manner.
+
+"Haven't you heard it?" said Marcel, with affected surprise. "All the
+people in the city are talking about it, and we poor Britons expect to
+begin hard service again immediately."
+
+"Your meaning is still strange to me," said Mr. Desmond.
+
+"It's the French alliance that I mean," said Marcel. "We have received
+positive news this morning that King Louis of France and Mr. Washington
+of America, in virtue of a formal treaty to that effect, propose to
+chastise our master, poor King George."
+
+I had watched Mr. Desmond's face closely, that I might see how he took
+the news. But not a feature changed. Perhaps he was sorry that he had
+yielded to his feelings at the recent banquet, and was now undergoing
+penance. But, whatever the cause, he asked merely, in a quiet voice,--
+
+"Then you know that the King of France has espoused the American cause
+and will help General Washington with his armies and fleets?"
+
+"Undoubtedly," replied Marcel.
+
+"Then this will be interesting news for my daughter, though she will not
+like it," he said. He opened the door of an inner room, called, and Miss
+Desmond came forth.
+
+She looked inquiringly at us, and then spoke with much courtesy. We
+returned the compliments of the day in a manner that we thought
+befitting highborn Britons and conquerors in the presence of sympathetic
+beauty. I took pride to myself too, because my affair with Belfort had
+ended as she wished. It seemed to give me a claim upon her. But I
+observed with some chagrin that neither our manners nor our appearance
+seemed to make much impression upon Miss Desmond.
+
+"Daughter," said Mr. Desmond, in the same expressionless tone that he
+had used throughout the interview, "these young gentlemen have been
+kind enough to bring us the news that France and the colonies have
+signed a formal treaty of alliance for offensive and defensive purposes.
+The information reached Philadelphia but this morning. I thought it
+would interest you."
+
+I watched her face closely, as I had watched that of her father,
+expecting to see joy on the father's, sorrow on the daughter's. But they
+could not have been freer from the appearance of emotion if they had
+planned it all before.
+
+"This will complicate the struggle, I should think," she said, dryly,
+"and it will increase your chances, Captain Montague and Lieutenant
+Melville, to win the epaulets of a colonel."
+
+"We had expected," I said, "that Miss Desmond, a sincere friend of our
+cause, would express sorrow at this coalition which is like to prove so
+dangerous to us."
+
+"My respect to my father, who does not believe as I do, forbids it," she
+said. "But I think the king's troops and his officers, all of them, will
+be equal to every emergency."
+
+We bowed to the compliment, and, there being no further excuse for
+lingering, departed, patriot father and Tory daughter alike thanking us
+for our consideration in bringing them the news.
+
+"The lady is very beautiful," said Marcel, when we had left the
+counting-house, "but she sits in the shadow of the North Pole."
+
+"Self-restraint," I said, "is a good quality in woman as well as in
+man."
+
+"I see," said Marcel. "It is not very hard to forgive treason when the
+traitor is a woman and beautiful."
+
+"I do not know what you mean," I said, with frigidity.
+
+"It does not matter," he replied. "I know."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER EIGHTEEN--_The Silent Sentinel_
+
+
+I doubted not that the news of the French alliance would incite Sir
+William Howe to activity, for any fool could see that, with his splendid
+army, splendidly equipped, he had allowed his chances to go to ruin.
+There was increasing talk, and of a very definite nature too, about his
+removal from the chief command. So far as the subalterns knew, his
+successor might have been appointed already, and this would be an
+additional inducement to Sir William to attempt some sudden blow which
+would shed glory over the close of his career in America, and leave
+about him the odor of success and not of failure.
+
+My surmise was correct in all particulars, for both Marcel and I were
+ordered to report for immediate duty, and though this cut off all chance
+of escape for that day, we had no choice but to obey. We found an
+unusually large detachment gathered under the command of a general
+officer. Belfort, Barton, Moore, and others whom we knew were there;
+but, inquire as we would, we could not ascertain the nature of the
+service for which we were designed. In truth, no one seemed to know
+except the general himself, and he was in no communicative mood. But
+there was a great overhauling of arms and a very careful examination of
+the ammunition supply. So I foresaw that the expedition was to be of
+much importance.
+
+"Perhaps it will be another such as the attempt to capture our
+brother-in-arms Mr. Wildfoot," said Marcel.
+
+"If we come out of this as well as we did out of that," I replied, "we
+will have a right to think that Fortune has us in her especial keeping."
+
+"Dame Fortune is kindest to those who woo her with assiduity," said
+Marcel, "and she cannot complain of us on that point."
+
+But I knew how fickle the lady is, even towards those who woo her
+without ceasing, and I was uneasy.
+
+The detachment had gathered in the suburbs, and we were subjected to a
+long period of waiting there. I also learned that no one was to be
+allowed to pass from the city during the day, and from this circumstance
+I inferred that Sir William was building great hopes upon the matter
+which he had in hand, and which he had placed under the direction of one
+of his ablest generals. I would have given much to know what it was, but
+I was as ignorant as the drummer-boy who stood near me. It was not until
+dusk that we marched, and then we started forth, a fine body, four
+thousand strong,--a thousand horse and three thousand foot.
+
+"If there is a time for it to-night," I said to Marcel, when the
+opportunity came for us to speak together in secrecy, "I shall leave
+these people with whom we have no business, and return to those to whom
+we belong."
+
+"And I," said Marcel, with one of his provoking grins, "shall watch over
+you with paternal care, come what may."
+
+The night was half day. A full silver moon turned the earth--forests,
+fields, and houses--into that peculiar shimmering gray color which makes
+one feel as if one were dwelling in a ghost-world that may dissolve into
+mist at any moment. Our long column was colored the same ghostly gray by
+the moon. There were no sounds, save the steady tramp of the men and the
+horses, and the occasional clank of the bayonets together.
+
+I did not like this preternatural silence, this evidence of supreme
+caution. It warned me of danger to my countrymen, and again I wished in
+my soul that I knew what business we were about. But there was naught to
+do save to keep my mouth shut and my eyes open.
+
+We followed one of the main roads out of Philadelphia for some distance,
+and then turned into a narrower path, along which the detachment had
+much difficulty in preserving its formation. This part of the country
+was strange to me, and I did not believe that we were proceeding in the
+direction of the American encampment. Still, it was obvious that a heavy
+blow against the Americans was intended.
+
+As the hours passed, clouds came before the moon, and the light waned.
+The long line of men ahead of me sank into the night so gradually that I
+could not tell where life ended and darkness began, and still there was
+no sound but the regular tread of man and beast and the clanking of
+arms. My sense of foreboding increased. How heartily I wished that I had
+never come into Philadelphia! I silently cursed Marcel for leading me
+into the adventure. Then I cursed myself for attempting to throw all the
+blame on Marcel.
+
+The night was advancing, when we came to a long, narrow valley, thickly
+wooded at one end. We halted there, and the general selected about three
+hundred men and posted them in the woods at the head of the valley. I
+was among the number, but I observed with regret that Marcel was not. A
+colonel was placed in command. Then the main army followed a curving
+road up the hill-side and went out of sight over the heights. I watched
+them for some time before they disappeared, horse and foot, steadily
+tramping on, blended into a long, continuous, swaying mass by the gray
+moonlight; sometimes a moonbeam would tip the end of a bayonet with
+silver and gleam for a moment like a falling star. At last the column
+wound over the slope and left the night to us.
+
+About one-third of our little force were cavalrymen; but, under the
+instructions of our colonel, we dismounted and gave our horses into the
+care of a few troopers; then all of us moved into the thick woods at the
+head of the pass, and sat down there, with orders to keep as quiet as
+possible.
+
+I soon saw that the rising ground and the woods which crowned it merely
+formed a break between the valley which we had entered at first and
+another valley beyond it. The latter we were now facing. I had not been
+a soldier for two years and more for nothing, and I guessed readily that
+we were to keep this pass clear, while the main force was to perform the
+more important operation, which I now doubted not was to be the
+entrapping of some large body of Americans. Perhaps in this number was
+to be included the general-in-chief himself, the heart and soul of our
+cause. I shuddered at the thought, and again cursed the reckless spirit
+that had placed me in such a position.
+
+At first we had the second valley in view; but our colonel, fearing that
+we might expose ourselves, drew us farther back into the woods, and then
+we could see nothing but the trees and the dim forms of each other.
+
+I looked up at the moon, and hoped to see the clouds gathering more
+thickly before her face. I had confirmed my resolution. If the chance
+came to me, I would steal away from the English and enter the valley
+beyond. I doubted not that I would find my own people there. I would
+warn them of the danger, and remain with them in the future, unless fate
+should decree that I become a prisoner.
+
+But Dame Fortune was in no such willing humor. The clouds did not gather
+in quantities, and, besides, the English were numerous around me.
+Belfort himself sat on the grass only a few feet from me, and, with more
+friendliness than he had shown hitherto, undertook to talk to me in
+whispers.
+
+"Do you know what we are going to do to-night, Melville?" he asked.
+
+"It seems," I said, "that we are to sit here in the woods until morning,
+and then to be too hoarse with cold to talk."
+
+Then I added, having the after-thought that I might secure some
+information from him,--
+
+"I suppose we are after important game to-night. The size of our force
+and the care and secrecy of our movements indicate it, do they not?"
+
+"There is no doubt of it," he replied, "and I hope we shall secure a
+royal revenge upon the rebels for that Wildfoot affair."
+
+Our conversation was interrupted here by an order from the colonel for
+me to move farther towards the front, from which point I was to report
+to him at once anything unusual that I might see or hear. The men near
+me were common soldiers. They squatted against the trees with their
+muskets between their knees, and waited in what seemed to me to be a
+fair degree of content.
+
+An hour, a very long hour, of such waiting passed, and the colonel
+approached me, asking if all was quiet. I supplemented my affirmative
+reply with some apparently innocent questions which I thought would draw
+from him the nature of his expectations. But he said nothing that
+satisfied me. As he was about to turn away, I thought I heard a movement
+in the woods in front of us. It was faint, but it resembled a footfall.
+
+"Colonel," I said, in a hurried whisper, "there is some movement out
+there."
+
+At the same moment one of the soldiers sprang to his feet and
+exclaimed,--
+
+"There is somebody coming down on us!"
+
+"Be quiet, men," said the colonel. "Whoever it is, he stops here."
+
+Scarce had he spoken the words when we heard the rush of many feet. The
+woods leaped into flame; the bullets whistled like hailstones around our
+ears. By the flash I saw the head of one of the soldiers who was still
+sitting down fall over against a tree, and a red streak appear upon his
+forehead. He uttered no cry, and I knew that he was dead.
+
+For a few moments I stood quite still, as cold and stiff as if I had
+turned to ice. There is nothing, as I have said before, that chills the
+heart and stops its flow like a sudden surprise. That is why veterans
+when fired upon in the dark will turn and run sometimes as if pursued by
+ghosts.
+
+Then my faculties returned, and I shouted,--
+
+"Back on the main body! Fall back for help!"
+
+The colonel and the men, who like me had been seized by surprise, sprang
+back. Almost in a breath I had formed my resolution, and I ran, neither
+forward nor back, but to one side. When I had taken a dozen quick steps,
+I flung myself upon my face. As I did so, the second volley crashed over
+my head, and was succeeded by yells of wrath and pain.
+
+"At them, boys! At them!" shouted a loud voice that was not the English
+colonel's. "Drive the bloody scoundrels off the earth!"
+
+I doubted not that the voice belonged to the leader of the attacking
+party. I arose and continued my flight. Behind me I heard the British
+replying to the fire of the assailants, and the other noises of the
+struggle. The shots and the shouts rose high. I knew that I was
+following no noble course just then, that I was flying alike from the
+force to which I pretended to belong, and from the force to which I
+belonged in reality; but I saw nothing else to do, and I ran, while the
+combat raged behind. I was in constant fear lest some sharpshooter of
+either party should pick me off, but my luck was better than my hopes,
+and no bullet pursued me in my flight.
+
+When I thought myself well beyond the vortex of the combat, I dropped
+among the bushes for breath and to see what was going on behind me. I
+could not hear the cries so well now, but the rapid flashing of the guns
+was proof enough that the attack was fierce and the resistance the same.
+
+As I watched, my sense of shame increased. I ought to be there with the
+Americans who were fighting so bravely. For a moment I was tempted to
+steal around and endeavor to join them. But how could I fire upon the
+men with whom I had been so friendly and who had looked upon me as one
+of their own but ten minutes ago? I was no crawling spy. Then, again, I
+was in full British uniform, and of course the patriots would shoot me
+the moment they caught sight of me. Richly, too, would I deserve the
+bullet. Again there was naught for me to do but to resort to that
+patient waiting which I sometimes think is more effective in this world
+than the hardest kind of work. And well it may be, too, for it is a more
+trying task.
+
+I could not tell how the battle was going. So far as the firing was
+concerned, neither side seemed to advance or retreat. The flashes and
+the shots increased in rapidity, and then both seemed to converge
+rapidly towards a common centre. Of a sudden, at the very core of the
+combat there was a tremendous burst of sound, a great stream of light
+leaped up and then sank. The firing died away in a feeble crackle, and
+then I knew that the battle was over. But which side had won was a
+question made all the more perplexing to me by my inability to decide
+upon a course of conduct until I could learn just what had happened.
+
+As I listened, I heard a single shot off in the direction from which the
+Americans had come. Then they had been beaten, after all. But at the
+very moment my mind formed the conclusion, I heard another shot in the
+neck of the valley up which the British had marched. Then the British
+had been beaten. But my mind again corrected itself. The two shots
+offset each other, and I returned to my original state of ignorance and
+uncertainty.
+
+My covert seemed secure, and, resorting again to patience, I determined
+to lie there for a while and await the course of events. Perhaps I would
+hear more shots, which would serve as a guide to me. But another
+half-hour passed away, and I heard nothing. All the clouds had fled from
+the face of the moon, and the night grew brighter. The world turned from
+gray to silver, and the light slanted through the leaves. A lizard
+rattled over a fallen trunk near me, and, saving his light motion, the
+big earth seemed to be asleep. Readily could I have imagined that I was
+some lone hunter in the peaceful woods, and that no sound of anger or
+strife had ever been heard there. The silence and the silver light of
+the moon falling over the forest, and even throwing streaks across my
+own hands overpowered me. Though knowing full well that it was the
+truth, I had to make an effort of the will to convince myself that the
+attack, my flight, and the battle were facts. Then the rustling of the
+lizard, though I could not see him, was company to me, and I hoped he
+would not go away and leave me alone in that vast and heavy silence.
+
+At last I fell to reasoning with myself. I called myself a coward, a
+child, to be frightened thus of the dark, when I had faced guns; and by
+and by this logic brought courage back. I knew I must take action of
+some kind, and not die there until the day found me cowering like a fox
+in the shelter of the woods. I had my sword at my side, and a loaded
+pistol was thrust in my belt. In the hands of a brave man they should be
+potent for defence.
+
+Without further ado, I began my cautious journey. It was my purpose to
+proceed through the pass into the second valley and find the Americans,
+if still they were there. Then, if not too late, I would warn them of
+the plan against them, that this was not merely the raid of a few
+skirmishers, but a final attempt. Success looked doubtful. It depended
+upon the fulfilment of two conditions: first, that the Americans had not
+been entrapped already, and, second, that I should find them. Still, I
+would try. I stopped and listened intently for the booming of guns and
+other noises of conflict in the valley below, but no sound assailed my
+ears. I renewed my advance, and practised a precaution which was of the
+utmost necessity. For the present I scarce knew whether to consider
+myself English or American, and in the event of falling in with either I
+felt that I would like to make explanations before any action was taken
+concerning me. I stood up under the shadow of the big trees and looked
+around me. But there was naught that I could see. Englishmen and
+Americans alike seemed to have vanished like a wisp of smoke before the
+wind. Then with my hand on my pistol, I passed on from tree to tree,
+stopping ofttimes to listen and to search the wood with my eyes for
+sight of a skulking sharpshooter. Thus I proceeded towards the highest
+point of the gorge. The crest once reached, I expected that I would
+obtain a good view of the valley beyond, and thus be able to gather
+knowledge for my journey.
+
+As I advanced, my opinion that the wood was now wholly deserted was
+confirmed. Victor and vanquished alike had vanished, I felt sure,
+carrying with them the wounded and the dead too. After a bit, and when
+almost at the crest, I came to an open space. I walked boldly across it,
+although the moon's light fell in a flood upon it, and as I entered the
+belt of trees on the farther side I saw the peak of a fur cap peeping
+over a log not forty feet before me. It was a most unpleasant surprise,
+this glimpse of the hidden sharpshooter; and, with the fear of his
+bullet hot upon me, I sprang for the nearest tree and threw myself
+behind it.
+
+I was too quick for him, for the report of no rifle lent speed to my
+flying heels, and I sank, empty of breath, but full of thanks, behind
+the sheltering tree. Brief as had been my glimpse of that fur cap, I
+knew it, or rather its kind. It was the distinguishing mark of Morgan's
+Virginia Rangers, the deadliest sharpshooters in the world. I had seen
+their fell work at Saratoga when we beleaguered the doomed British army,
+where not a red-coat dared put his foot over the lines, for he knew it
+would be the signal for the Virginia rifle to speak from tree or bush. I
+do not like such work myself, but I acknowledge its great use.
+
+Again I gave thanks for my presence of mind and agility of foot, for I
+had no wish to be killed, and least of all by one of our own men.
+
+I lay quite still until my pulses went down and my breath became longer.
+I was fearful that the sentinel would attempt some movement, but a
+cautious look reassured me. He could not leave his covert behind the log
+for other shelter without my seeing him. It was true that I could not
+leave the tree, but I did not feel much trouble because of that. I had
+no desire to shoot him, while he, without doubt, would fire at me, if
+the chance came to him, thinking me to be a British officer.
+
+The tree grew on ground that was lower than the spot from which I had
+seen the sentinel. In my present crouching position he was invisible to
+me, and I raised myself carefully to my full height in order that I
+might see him again. But even by standing on my toes I could see only
+the fur tip of his cap. I could assure myself that he was still there,
+but what he was preparing I knew not, nor could I ascertain. Yet I
+doubted not that his muscles were ready strung to throw his rifle to the
+shoulder and send a bullet into me the moment I stepped from behind the
+tree. The unhappy part of my situation lay in the fact that he would
+fire before I could make explanations, which would be a most
+uncomfortable thing for me, and in all likelihood would make
+explanations unnecessary, considering the deadly precision of these
+Virginia sharpshooters. Confound them! why should they be so vigilant
+concerning me, when there was a British army near by that stood in much
+greater need of their watching? But it was not worth while to work
+myself into a stew because I had got into a fix. The thing to do was to
+get out of it.
+
+After some deliberation, I concluded that I would hail my friend who was
+yet an enemy, or at least in the position of one. I was afraid to shout
+to him, for most likely, with his forest cunning, he would think it a
+mere device to entrap him into an unwary action that would cost his
+life. These wilderness men are not to be deluded in that manner.
+However, there might be others lurking near, perhaps British and
+Americans both, and either one or the other would take me for an enemy
+and shoot me.
+
+But at last I called in a loud whisper to the sentinel. I said that I
+was a friend, though I came in the guise of an enemy. The whisper was
+shrill and penetrating, and I was confident that it reached him, for the
+distance was not great. But he made no sign. If he heard me he trusted
+me not. I think there are times when we can become too cunning, too
+suspicious. This I felt with a great conviction to be one of such times.
+
+As a second experiment, I decided that I would expose my hat or a
+portion of my uniform, in the hope that it would draw his fire. Then I
+could rush upon him and shout my explanations at him before he could
+reload his gun and shoot a second bullet at me. But this attempt was as
+dire a failure as the whispering. He was too wary to be caught by such a
+trick, with which he had doubtless been familiar for years.
+
+I almost swore in my vexation at being stopped in such a manner. But
+vexation soon gave way to deepening alarm. I could not retreat from the
+tree without exposing myself to his fire, and there I was, a prisoner.
+As I lay against the tree-trunk, sheltering myself from the
+sharpshooter, a bullet fired by some one else might cut my life short at
+any moment. I waited some minutes, and again I raised myself up and took
+a peep. There he was, crouched behind his log, and still waiting for me.
+He seemed scarce to have moved. I knew the illimitable patience of these
+forest-bred men, the hours that they could spend waiting for their prey,
+immovable like wooden images. I repeat that I had seen them at work at
+Saratoga, and I knew their capabilities. I liked not the prospect, and I
+had good reason for it.
+
+The old chill, the old depression, which was born part of the night and
+part of my situation, came upon me. I could do naught while my grim
+sentinel lay in the path. I knew of no device that would tempt him to
+action, to movement. I wearied my brain in the endeavor to think of some
+way to form a treaty with him or to tell him who and what I was. At last
+another plan suggested itself, I tore off a piece of the white facing of
+my uniform, and, putting it on the end of my gun-barrel, thrust it out
+as a sign of amity. I waved it about for full five minutes, but the
+watcher heeded not; perchance he thought this too was a trick to draw
+him from cover, and he would have none of it. Again I cursed excessive
+caution and suspicion, but that did me no good, save to serve as some
+slight relief to my feelings.
+
+A strong wind sprang up, and the woods moved with it. The clouds came
+again before the moon, and the color of trees and earth faded to an
+ashen gray. The light became dimmer, and I felt cold, to the bones. Fear
+resumed sway over me, and dry-lipped, I cursed my folly with bitter
+curses.
+
+But the shadows before the moon suggested one last plan to me, a plan
+full of danger in the presence of the watchful sentinel, but like to
+bring matters to a head. I unbuckled my sword and laid it upon the
+ground behind the tree. I also removed everything else of my equipment
+or uniform that might make a noise as I moved, and then crept from
+behind the tree. I had heard how Indians could steal through the grass
+with less noise than a lizard would make, and I had a belief that I
+could imitate them, at least to some extent.
+
+I felt in front of me with my hands, lest I should place the weight of
+my body upon some stick that would snap with a sharp report. But there
+was only the soft grass, and the faint rustle it made could not reach
+the ears of the sentinel, no matter how keen of hearing or attentive he
+might be. All the time I kept my eyes upon the log behind which he lay.
+Each moment I trembled lest I should see a gun-barrel thrust over the
+log and pointed at me. Then it was my purpose to spring quickly aside,
+rush upon him, and cry out who I was.
+
+But the threatening muzzle did not appear. I grew proud of my skill in
+being able thus to steal upon one of these rangers, who know the forest
+and all its tricks as the merchant knows his wares. Perchance I could
+learn to equal them or to surpass them at their own chosen pursuits. I
+even stopped to laugh inwardly at the surprise and chagrin this man
+would show when I sprang over the log and dropped down beside him, and
+he never suspecting, until then, that I was near. Of a truth, I thought,
+and this time with a better grace, there could be an excess of caution
+and suspicion.
+
+When I had traversed about half the intervening space, I lay flat upon
+my face and listened, but without taking my eyes off the particular
+portion of the log over which I feared the gun-muzzle would appear. But
+the watcher made no movement, nor could I hear a sound, save that of the
+rising wind playing its dirge through the woods. Clearly I was doing my
+work well. Bringing my muscles and nerves back to the acutest tension, I
+crept on.
+
+I must have been aided by luck as much as by skill, perhaps more, and I
+made acknowledgment of it to myself, for never once did I make a false
+movement with hand or foot. No twigs, no dry sticks, the breaking of
+which would serve as an alarm, came in my way. All was as smooth and
+easy as a silk-covered couch. Fortune seemed to look kindly upon me.
+
+In two more minutes I had reached the log, and only its foot or two of
+diameter lay between me and the sentinel. Complete success had attended
+my efforts so far. It only remained for me to do one thing now, but that
+was the most dangerous of all. I lay quite still for a moment or two,
+drawing easy breaths. Then I drew in a long one, inhaling all the air my
+lungs would hold. Stretching every muscle to its utmost tension, and
+crying out, "I'm a friend! I'm a friend!" I sprang in one quick bound
+over the log.
+
+I alighted almost upon the ranger as he crouched against the fallen
+trunk, the green of his hunting-shirt blending with the grass, and the
+gray of his fur cap showing but faintly against the bark of the tree. As
+I alighted by his side he moved not. His rifle, which was clutched in
+both his hands, remained unraised. His head still rested against the
+tree-trunk, though his eyes were wide open.
+
+I put my hand upon him, and sprang back with a cry of affright that I
+could not check.
+
+The sentinel was dead and cold.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER NINETEEN--_A Ride for the Cause_
+
+
+When I discovered that I had stalked a dead man as the hunter stalks the
+living deer, I was seized with a cold chill, and an icy sweat formed
+upon my brow. My muscles, after so much tension, relaxed as if I had
+received some sudden and mortal blow, and I fell into a great tremble.
+
+But this did not last long. I trust that I am not a coward, and I
+quickly regained possession of my limbs and my faculties. Then I turned
+to the examination of the dead man. He had been shot through the head,
+and I judged that he had been dead a good two hours. A stray ball must
+have found him as he lay there watching for the enemy and with his rifle
+ready. I thought I could still trace the look of the watcher, the eager
+attention upon his features.
+
+I left him as he was, on duty in death as well as in life, and hurried
+through the grass, still hoping to reach the Americans in the valley
+beyond, in time.
+
+A second thought caused me to stop. I knew that in the rush and hurry of
+the fight our horses must have broken from the men, and perchance might
+yet be wandering about the woods. If I could secure one, it would save
+much strength and time. I began to look through the woods, for I had
+little fear of interruptions now, as I believed that everybody except
+the dead and myself had left the pass. My forethought and perseverance
+were not without reward, for presently I found one of the horses,
+saddled and bridled, and grazing peacefully among the trees. He must
+have been lonely, for he whinnied when he saw me, and made no effort to
+escape.
+
+I sprang into the saddle, and was soon riding rapidly into the farther
+valley. The slope was not so steep as that up which I had come with the
+British, and the woods and the underbrush grew more scantily. There was
+sufficient light for me to see that I would soon be on cleared ground,
+where I could make good speed and perchance find the object of my search
+quickly.
+
+There was increase to my joy when my horse's foot rang loud and clear,
+and, looking down, I saw that I had blundered into a good road. It led
+straight away down the valley, and, with a quickening gait, we followed
+it, my good horse and I.
+
+The night brightened somewhat, as if to keep pace with the improvement
+of my fortune. I could see fields around me, and sometimes caught
+glimpses of houses surrounded by their shade-trees. From one of these
+houses a dog came forth and howled at me in most melancholy tune, but I
+heeded him not. I rode gayly on, and was even in high enough mood to
+break forth into a jovial song, had I thought it wise. Such was my glee
+at the thought that I had left the British, had cast off my false
+character, and was now about to reassume my old self, the only self that
+was natural to me, and take my place among the men with whom I
+belonged.
+
+It was shortly after this that my horse neighed and halted, and, had not
+my hand been firm on the reins, he would have turned and looked behind
+him. I urged him forward again, but in a few moments he repeated the
+same suspicious movement. This caused me to reflect, and I came to the
+conclusion that some one was behind us, or my horse would not have acted
+in such fashion. I pulled him to a stand-still, and, bending back, heard
+with much distinctness the sound of hoof-beats. Nor was it that only;
+the hoof-beats were rapid, and could be made only by a horse approaching
+with great speed. Even in the brief space that I listened, the
+hoof-beats of the galloping horse became much more distinct, and it was
+evident to me that if I did not put my horse to his own best speed, or
+turn aside into the fields, I would be overtaken. But I had no mind
+either to follow the difficult route through the fields or to flee from
+a single horseman. My loaded pistol and my sword were in my belt; and,
+while I did not wish to slay or wound any one, it did not seem becoming
+in me to take to flight.
+
+I eased my grasp on the bridle-rein and took my pistol in my hand. Then,
+twisting myself round in my saddle, and watching for the appearance of
+my pursuer, if pursuer it were, I allowed my horse to fall into a walk.
+
+I knew I would not have long to wait, for in the still night the
+hoof-beats were now ringing on the road. Whoever it was, he rode fast
+and upon a matter of moment. Presently the figure of the flying horse
+and rider appeared dimly. Then they grew more distinct. The rider was
+leaning upon his horse's neck, and as they rushed down upon us I saw
+that it was a woman. Great was my surprise at the sight.
+
+My first impulse was to rein aside, but when the woman came within
+twenty feet of me she raised her face a little, and then I saw that it
+was Mary Desmond, the Tory. Even in that faint light I could see that
+her face was strained and anxious, and I was struck with a great
+wonderment.
+
+I turned my horse into the middle of the road, and she was compelled to
+rein her own back so suddenly that he nearly fell upon his haunches.
+
+"Out of my way!" she cried. "Why do you stop me?"
+
+"I think you will admit, Miss Desmond," I said, "that the meeting is
+rather unusual, and that surprise, if nothing else, might justify my
+stopping you."
+
+"Why is it strange that I am here?" she demanded, in a high tone. "Why
+is it more strange than your presence here at this time?"
+
+"I am riding forward to join a detachment of the American army which I
+believe is encamped not much farther on," I said.
+
+In reassuming my proper American character I had forgotten that I still
+wore the British garb.
+
+"Why are you doing that?" she asked, quickly and keenly.
+
+"I wish to take them a message," I replied.
+
+"Who are you, and what are you?" she asked, abruptly, turning upon me a
+look before which my eyes fell,--"you whose garb is English and speech
+American."
+
+"Whatever I am at other times," I replied, "to-night I am your servant
+only."
+
+"Then," she replied, in a voice that thrilled me, "come with me. I ride
+to warn the Americans that they are threatened with destruction."
+
+"_You!_" I exclaimed, my surprise growing. "_You_ warn them! _You_, the
+most bitter of Tories, as bitter as only a woman can be!"
+
+She laughed a laugh that was half of triumph, half of scorn.
+
+"I have deceived you too, as I have deceived all the others," she said.
+"But I should not boast. The part was not difficult, and I despised it.
+Come! we will waste no more time. Ride with me to the American army, if
+you are what you have just boasted yourself to be."
+
+Her voice was that of command, and I had no mind to disobey it.
+
+"Come," I cried, "I will prove my words."
+
+"I know the way," she replied. "I will be the guide."
+
+We galloped away side by side. Many thoughts were flying through my
+head. I understood the whole story at once, or thought I did, which
+yielded not less of satisfaction to me. She was not the Tory she had
+seemed to be, any more than I was the Briton whose uniform I had taken.
+Why she had assumed such a _rôle_ it was not hard to guess. Well, I was
+glad of it. My spirits mounted to a wonderful degree, past my ability to
+account for such a flight. But I bothered myself little about it.
+Another time would serve better for such matters.
+
+The hoof-beats rang on the flinty road, and our horses stretched out
+their necks as our pace grew swifter and we fled on through the night.
+
+"How far do we ride?" I asked.
+
+"The American encampment is four miles beyond," she said. "The British
+force is coming down on the right. Pray God we may get there in time!"
+
+"Amen!" said I. "But, if we do not, it will not be for lack of haste."
+
+We passed a cottage close by the roadside. The clatter of our horses'
+hoofs aroused its owner, for in those troublous times men slept lightly.
+A night-capped head was thrust out of a window, and I even noted the
+look of wonderment on the man's face; but we swept by, and the man and
+his cottage were soon lost in the darkness behind us.
+
+"It will take something more than that to stop us to-night," I cried, in
+the exuberance of my spirits.
+
+Miss Desmond's face was bent low over her horses neck, and she answered
+me not; but she raised her head and gave me a look that showed the
+courage a true woman sometimes has.
+
+We were upon level ground now, and I thought it wise to check our speed,
+for Miss Desmond had ridden far and fast, and her horse was panting.
+
+"We will not spare the horse," she said. "The lives of the patriots are
+more precious."
+
+"But by sparing the former we have more chance of saving the latter," I
+said; and to that argument only would she yield. The advantage of it
+was soon seen, for when we increased our speed again the horses
+lengthened their stride and their breath came easier.
+
+"Have you heard the sound of arms?" she asked. "Surely if any attack had
+been made we could hear it, even as far as this, in the night."
+
+"I have heard nothing," I replied, "save the noise made by the galloping
+of our own horses. We are not yet too late."
+
+"No, and we will not be too late at any time," she said, with sudden
+energy. "We cannot--we must not be too late!"
+
+"How strong is the American force?" I asked.
+
+"Strong enough to save itself, if only warned in time," she replied.
+
+We came to a shallow brook which trickled peacefully across the road.
+Our horses dashed into it, and their flying hoofs sent the water up in
+showers. But almost before the drops could fall back into their native
+element we were gone, and our horses' hoofs were again ringing over the
+stony road.
+
+Before us stretched a strip of forest, through the centre of which the
+road ran. In a few moments we were among the trees. The boughs overhung
+the way and shut out half of the moon's light. Beyond, we could see the
+open country again, but before we reached it a horseman spurred from the
+wood and cried to us to halt, flourishing his naked sword before him.
+
+We were almost upon him, but on the instant I knew Belfort, and he knew
+me.
+
+"Out of the way!" I cried. "On your life, out of the way!"
+
+"You traitor! You damned traitor!" he shouted, and rode directly at me.
+
+He made a furious sweep at my head with his sabre, but I bent low, and
+the blade circled over me, whistling as it passed. The next moment, with
+full weight and at full speed, my horse struck his, and Belfort's went
+down, the shriek from the man and the terrified neigh from the horse,
+mingling as they fell.
+
+With a snort of triumph, my horse leaped clear of the fallen and
+struggling mass, and then we were out of the forest, Mary Desmond still
+riding by my side, her head bent over her horse's neck as if she were
+straining her eyes for a sight of the patriots who were still two miles
+and more away.
+
+"You do not ask me who it was," I said.
+
+"I know," she replied; "and I heard also what he called you."
+
+"'Tis true, he called me that," I replied. "But he is in the dust now,
+and I still ride!"
+
+We heard musket-shots behind us, and a bullet whizzed uncomfortably
+near. So Belfort had not been alone. In the shock of our rapid collision
+I had not had the time to see; but these shots admitted of no doubt.
+
+"We will be pursued," I said.
+
+"Then the greater the need of haste," she replied. "We cannot spare our
+horses now. There is a straight road before us."
+
+No more shots were fired at us just then. Our pursuers must have emptied
+their muskets; but the clatter of the horses' hoofs told us that they
+were hot on the chase. Our own horses were not fresh, but they were of
+high mettle, and responded nobly to our renewed calls upon them. Once I
+took an anxious look behind me, and saw that our pursuers numbered a
+dozen or so. They were riding hard, belaboring their mounts, with hands
+and feet, and I rejoiced at the sight, for I knew the great rush at the
+start would tell quickly upon them.
+
+"Will they overtake us?" asked Mary Desmond.
+
+"It is a matter of luck and speed," I replied, "and I will answer your
+question in a quarter of an hour. But remember that, come what may, I
+keep my word to you. I am your servant to-night."
+
+"Even if your self-sought slavery takes you into the American lines?"
+she asked.
+
+"Even so," I replied. "I told you my mission, though you seemed to
+believe it not."
+
+With this the time for conversation passed, and I put my whole attention
+upon our flight. My loaded pistol was still in my belt, and if our
+pursuers came too near, a bullet whistling among them might retard their
+speed. But I held that for the last resort.
+
+So far as I could see, the men were making no attempt to reload their
+muskets, evidently expecting to overtake us without the aid of bullets.
+I inferred from this circumstance that Belfort, whom I had disabled, had
+been the only officer among them. Otherwise they would have taken better
+measures to stop us. Nevertheless they pursued with patience and
+seemingly without fear. By and by they fell to shouting. They called
+upon us to stop and yield ourselves prisoners. Then I heard one of them
+say very distinctly that he did not want to shoot a woman. Mary Desmond
+heard it too, for she said,--
+
+"I ask no favor because I am a woman. If they should shoot me, ride on
+with my message."
+
+I did not think it wise to reply to this, but spoke encouragingly to her
+horse. He was panting again, and his stride was shortening, but his
+courage was still high. He was a good horse and true, and deserved to
+bear so noble a burden.
+
+Presently the girl's head fell lower upon the horse's neck, and I called
+hastily to her, for I feared that she was fainting.
+
+"'Twas only a passing weakness," she said, raising her head again. "I
+have ridden far to-night; but I can ride farther."
+
+The road again led through woods, and for a moment I thought of turning
+aside into the forest; but reflection showed me that in all likelihood
+we would become entangled among the trees, and then our capture would be
+easy. So we galloped straight ahead, and soon passed the strip of wood,
+which was but narrow. Then I looked back again, and saw that our
+pursuers had gained. They were within easy musket-range now, and one of
+the men, who had shown more forethought than the others and reloaded his
+piece, fired at us. But the bullet touched neither horse nor rider, and
+I laughed at the wildness of his aim. A little farther on a second shot
+was fired at us, but, like the other, it failed of its mission.
+
+Now I noted that the road was beginning to ascend slightly and that
+farther on rose greater heights. This was matter of discouragement; but
+Miss Desmond said briefly that beyond the hill-top the American
+encampment lay. If we could keep our distance but a little while now,
+her message would be delivered. Even in the hurry of our flight I
+rejoiced that the sound of no fire-arms save those of our pursuers had
+yet been heard, which was proof that the attack upon the Americans had
+not yet been made.
+
+The road curved a little now and became much steeper. Our pursuers set
+up a cry of triumph. They were near enough now for us to hear them
+encouraging each other, I could measure the distance very well, and I
+saw that they were gaining faster than before. The crest of the hill was
+still far ahead. These men must be reminded not to come too near, and I
+drew my pistol from my belt.
+
+As the men came into better view around the curve, I fired at the
+leader. It chanced that my bullet missed him, but, what was a better
+thing for us, struck his horse full in the head and killed him. The
+stricken animal plunged forward, throwing his rider over his head. Two
+or three other horsemen stumbled against him, and the entire troop was
+thrown into confusion. I struck Miss Desmond's horse across the flank
+with my empty pistol, and then treated my own in like fashion. If we
+were wise, we would profit by the momentary check of our enemies, and I
+wished to neglect no opportunity. Our good steeds answered to the call
+as well as their failing strength would permit. The crest of the hill
+lay not far before us now, and I felt sure that if we could but reach
+it, the British would pursue us no farther.
+
+But when I thought that triumph was almost achieved, Miss Desmond's
+horse began to reel from side to side. He seemed about to fall from
+weakness, for, of a truth, he had galloped far that night, and had done
+his duty as well as the best horse that ever lived, be it Alexander's
+Bucephalus or any other. Even now he strove painfully, and looked up the
+hill with distended eyes, as if he knew where the goal lay. His rider
+seemed smitten with an equal weakness, but she summoned up a little
+remaining strength against it, and raised herself up for the final
+struggle.
+
+"Remember," she said again to me, "if I fail, as most like I will, you
+are to ride on with my message."
+
+"I have been called a traitor to-night," I said, "but I will not be
+called the name I would deserve if I were to do that."
+
+"It is for the cause," she said. "Ride and leave me."
+
+"I will not leave you," I cried, thrilling with enthusiasm. "We will yet
+deliver the message together."
+
+She said no more, but sought to encourage her horse. The troopers had
+recovered from their confusion, and, with their fresher mounts, were
+gaining upon us in the most alarming manner. I turned and threatened
+them with my empty pistol, and they drew back a little; but second
+thought must have assured them that the weapon was not loaded, for they
+laughed derisively and again pressed their horses to the utmost.
+
+"Do as I say," cried Miss Desmond, her eyes flashing upon me. "Leave me
+and ride on. There is naught else to do."
+
+But my thought was to turn my horse in the path and lay about me with
+the sword. I could hold the troopers while she made her escape with the
+message that she had borne so far already. I drew the blade from the
+scabbard and put a restraining hand upon my horse's rein.
+
+"What would you do?" cried Miss Desmond.
+
+"The only thing that is left for me to do," I replied.
+
+"Not that!" she cried; "not that!" and made as if she would stop me.
+But, even while her voice was yet ringing in my ears, a dozen rifles
+flashed from the hill-top, a loud voice was heard encouraging men to
+speedy action, and a troop came galloping forward to meet us. In an
+instant the Englishmen who were not down had turned and were fleeing in
+a panic of terror down the hill and over the plain.
+
+"You are just in time, captain," cried Miss Desmond, as the leader of
+the rescuing band, a large, dark man, came up. Then she reeled, and
+would have fallen from her horse to the ground had not I sprung down and
+caught her.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWENTY--_The Night Combat_
+
+
+But Miss Desmond was the victim only of a passing weakness, and I was
+permitted to hold her in my arms but for a moment. Then she demanded to
+be placed upon the ground, saying that her strength had returned. I
+complied of necessity; and turning to the American captain, who was
+looking curiously at us, she inquired,--
+
+"Captain, the American force, is it safe?" "Yes, Miss Desmond," he
+replied; and I wondered how he knew her. "It is just over the hill
+there. The night had been quiet until you came galloping up the hill
+with the Englishmen after you."
+
+"Then we are in time!" she cried, in a voice of exultation. "Lose not a
+moment, captain. A British force much exceeding our own in strength is
+even now stealing upon you."
+
+The message caused much perturbation, as well it might, and a half-dozen
+messengers were sent galloping over the hill. Then the captain said,--
+
+"Miss Desmond, you have done much for the cause, but more to-night than
+ever before."
+
+But she did not hear him, for she fell over in a faint.
+
+"Water!" I cried. "Some water! She may be dying!"
+
+"Never mind about water," said the captain, dryly. "Here is something
+that is much better for woman, as well as for man, in such cases."
+
+He produced a flask, and, raising Miss Desmond's head, poured some fiery
+liquid in her mouth. It made her cough, and presently she revived and
+sat up. She was very pale, but there was much animation in her eye.
+
+"You have sent the warning, captain, have you not?" she asked, her mind
+still dwelling upon the object for which she had come.
+
+"Do not fear, Miss Desmond," said the leader, gravely. "Our people know
+now, and they will be ready for the enemy when they come, thanks to your
+courage and endurance."
+
+Then he beckoned to me, and we walked a bit up the hill-side, leaving
+Miss Desmond sitting on the turf and leaning against a tree.
+
+"A noble woman," said the captain, looking back at her.
+
+"Yes," said I, fervently.
+
+"It was a lucky fortune that gave you such companionship to-night," he
+continued.
+
+"Yes," replied I, still with fervor.
+
+"Lieutenant Chester," he said, "that is not the only particular in which
+fortune has been kind to you to-night."
+
+"No," I replied, with much astonishment at the patness with which he
+spoke my true name.
+
+"I have said," he continued, with the utmost gravity, "that fortune has
+been very kind to-night to Lieutenant Robert Chester, of the American
+army. I may add that it has been of equal kindness to Lieutenant
+Melville, of the British army."
+
+"Who are you, and what are you?" I cried, facing about, "and why do you
+speak in such strange fashion?"
+
+"I do not think it is strange at all," he said, a light smile breaking
+over his face. "So far as I am concerned, it is a matter of
+indifference, Lieutenant Chester or Lieutenant Melville: which shall it
+be?"
+
+I saw that it was useless for me to pretend more. He knew me, and was
+not to be persuaded that he did not. So I said,--
+
+"Let it be Lieutenant Robert Chester, of the American army. The name and
+the title belong to me, and I feel easier with them than with the
+others. I have not denied myself. Now, who are you, and why do you know
+so much about me?"
+
+"Nor will I deny myself, either," he said, a quiet smile dwelling upon
+his face. "I am William Wildfoot, captain of rangers in the American
+army."
+
+"What! are you the man who has been incessantly buzzing like a wasp
+around the British?" I cried.
+
+"I have done my humble best," he said, modestly; "I even chased you and
+your friend Lieutenant Marcel into Philadelphia. For which I must crave
+your forgiveness. Your uniforms deceived me; but since then we have
+become better acquainted with each other."
+
+"How? I do not understand," I said, still in a maze.
+
+"Perhaps you would know me better if I were to put on a red wig," he
+said. "Do not think, Lieutenant Chester, that you and Lieutenant Marcel
+are the only personages endowed with a double identity."
+
+I looked at him closely, and I began to have some glimmering of the
+truth.
+
+"Yes," he said, when he saw the light of recognition beginning to appear
+upon my face, "I am Waters. Strange what a difference a red wig makes in
+one's appearance. But I have tried to serve you and your friend well,
+and I hope I have atoned for my rudeness in putting you and Lieutenant
+Marcel to such hurry when I first saw you. It is true that I have had a
+little sport with you. I thought that you deserved it for your rashness,
+but I have not neglected your interests. I warned Alloway in the jail
+not to know you, and I helped him to escape. I learned about you from
+Pritchard, but no one else knows. I bound you, too, in Sir William
+Howe's room, but I leave it to you yourself that it was necessary."
+
+His quiet laugh was full of good nature, though there was in it a slight
+tinge of pardonable vanity. Evidently this was a man much superior to
+the ordinary partisan chieftain.
+
+"Then you too have placed your neck in the noose?" I said.
+
+"Often," he replied. "And I have never yet failed to withdraw it with
+ease."
+
+"I have withdrawn mine," I said, "and it shall remain withdrawn."
+
+"Not so," he replied. "Miss Desmond must return to her father and
+Philadelphia. It is not fit that she should go alone, and no one but you
+can accompany her."
+
+I had believed that nothing could induce me to take up the character of
+Lieutenant Melville of the British army again, but I had not thought of
+this. I could _not_ leave Miss Desmond to return alone through such
+dangers to the city.
+
+"Very well," I said, "I will go back."
+
+"I thought so," returned Wildfoot, with a quick glance at me that
+brought the red blood to my face. "But I would advise you to bring Miss
+Desmond to the crest of the hill and wait for a while. I must hurry
+away, for my presence is needed elsewhere."
+
+The partisan was like a war-horse sniffing the battle; and, leaving Miss
+Desmond, myself, and two good, fresh horses on the hill-top, he hastened
+away. I was not averse to waiting, for I expected that a sharp skirmish
+would occur. I had little fear for the Americans now, for in a night
+battle, where the assaulted are on their guard, an assailing force is
+seldom successful, even though its superiority in arms and numbers be
+great.
+
+From the hill-top we saw a landscape of alternate wood and field, amid
+which many lights twinkled. A hum and murmur came up to us and told me
+that the Americans were profiting by their warning and would be ready
+for the enemy.
+
+"You can now behold the result of your ride," I said to Miss Desmond,
+who stood by my side, gazing with intent eyes upon the scene below,
+which was but half hidden by the night. She was completely recovered, or
+at least seemed to be so, for she stood up, straight, tall, and
+self-reliant.
+
+"We were just in time," she said.
+
+"But in good time," I added.
+
+"I suppose we shall see a battle," she said. "I confess it has a strange
+attraction for me. Perhaps it is because I am not near enough to mark
+its repellent phases."
+
+She made no comment upon my British uniform and my apparent British
+character. She did not appear to remark anything incongruous in my
+appearance there, and it was not a subject that I cared to raise.
+
+"See, the fighting must have begun," she said, pointing to a strip of
+wood barely visible in the night.
+
+Some streaks of flame had leaped up, and we heard a distant rattle which
+I knew must be the small arms at work. Then there was a lull for a
+moment, followed by a louder and a longer crackle, and a line of fire,
+flaming up and then sinking in part, ran along the edge of the woods and
+across the fields. Through this crackle came a steady rub-a-dub,
+rub-a-dub.
+
+"That is the beat of the drums," I said to Miss Desmond, who turned an
+inquiring face to me. "The drum is the soldier's conscience, I suppose,
+for it is always calling upon him to go forward and fight."
+
+I spoke my thoughts truly, for the drum has always seemed to me to be a
+more remorseless war-god than the cannon. With its steady and tireless
+thump, thump, it calls upon you, with a voice that will not be hushed,
+to devote yourself to death. "Come on! Come on! Up to the cannon! Up to
+the cannon!" it says. It taunts you and reviles you. Give this drum to a
+ragamuffin of a little boy, and he catches its spirit, and he goes
+straight forward with it and commands you to follow him. It was so at
+Long Island when the Maryland brigade sacrificed itself and held back
+the immense numbers of the enemy until our own army could escape. A
+scrap of a boy stood on a hillock and beat a drum as tall as himself,
+calling upon the Maryland men to stand firm and die, until a British
+cannon-ball smashed his drum, and a British grenadier hoisted him over
+his shoulder with one hand and carried him away. There is a league
+between the drum and the cannon. The drum lures the men up to the
+cannon, and then the monster devours them.
+
+Above the crackle rose the louder notes of the field-pieces, and then I
+thought I heard the sound of cheering, but I was not sure. We could see
+naught of this dim and distant battle but the flame of its gunpowder.
+The night was too heavy for any human figure to appear in its just
+outline; and I saw that I would have to judge of its progress by the
+shifting of the line of fire. The British attack was delivered from the
+left, and the blaze of the musketry extended along a line about a
+half-mile in length. Though while the light was leaping high at one
+place it might be sinking low at another, yet this line was always
+clearly defined, and we could follow its movements well enough.
+
+The line was stationary for full fifteen minutes, and from that
+circumstance we could tell that the Americans had profited well by the
+warning and were ready to receive the attack. Still, the action was
+sharper and contested with more vigor than I had expected. Having made
+the attack, the British seemed disposed to persist in it for a while at
+least. But presently the line of fire began to bend back towards the
+west at the far end.
+
+"The British are retreating!" exclaimed Miss Desmond.
+
+"At one point, so it would seem," I said.
+
+"Yes, and at other points too," she cried. "See, the centre of the fiery
+line bends back also."
+
+This was true, for the centre soon bent back so far that the whole line
+was curved like a bow. Then the eastern end yielded also, and soon was
+almost hidden in some woods, where it made but a faint quivering among
+the trees. In truth, along the whole line the fire was dying. The
+sputter of the musketry was but feeble and scarce heard, and even the
+drum seemed to lose spirit and call but languidly for slaughter.
+
+"The battle is nearly over, is it not?" asked Miss Desmond.
+
+"Yes," I replied, "though we could scarce call it a battle. Skirmish is
+a better name. I think that line of fire across there will soon fade out
+altogether."
+
+I chanced to be a good prophet in this instance, for in five minutes the
+last flash had gone out and there was naught left but a few echoes. It
+was clear that the British had suffered repulse and had withdrawn, and
+it was not likely that the Americans would follow far, for such an
+undertaking would expose them to destruction.
+
+I now suggested to Miss Desmond that it would be the part of wisdom for
+us to begin our return to Philadelphia, and we were preparing for
+departure, when we heard the approach of horsemen, and in a moment or
+two Wildfoot and three of his men approached. "It was not a long
+affair," said the leader, "though there was some smart skirmishing for a
+while. When they found that we were ready, and rather more than willing,
+they soon drew off, and they are now on the march for Philadelphia. I
+tell you again, Miss Desmond, that you have ridden bravely to-night, and
+this portion of the American army owes its salvation to you."
+
+"My ride was nothing more than every American woman owes to her
+country," replied Miss Desmond.
+
+"True," replied Wildfoot, "though few would have had the courage to pay
+the debt. But I have come back mainly to say that some of my scouts have
+brought in Lieutenant Belfort, sorely bruised, but not grievously hurt,
+and that he will have no opportunity to tell the English of your ride
+to-night, Miss Desmond, at least not until he is exchanged."
+
+I had forgotten all about Belfort, and his capture was a lucky chance
+for both of us. As for the other Englishmen who had pursued us, I had no
+fear that they would recognize me, even if they saw me in the daylight,
+and they had seen me but dimly in a hot and flurried pursuit.
+
+Captain Wildfoot raised his hat to us with all the courtesy of a
+European nobleman and rode away with his men, while we turned our horses
+towards Philadelphia, and were soon far from the hill on which we had
+stood and witnessed the battle's flare. Miss Desmond knew the way much
+better than I did, and I followed her guidance, though we rode side by
+side.
+
+"You do not ask me to keep this matter a secret," I said, at length,
+when we had ridden a mile or more in silence.
+
+"Is not your own safety as much concerned as mine?" she asked, looking
+with much meaning at my gay British uniform.
+
+"Is that the only reason you do not ask me to speak of it?" I said,
+still bent upon going deeper into the matter.
+
+"Will you speak of it when I ask you not to do so?" she said.
+
+I did not expect such a question, but I replied in the negative with
+much haste. But presently I said, thinking to compliment her, that,
+however my own sympathies might be placed, I must admit that she had
+done a very brave deed, and that I could not withhold my admiration. But
+she replied with some curtness that Captain Wildfoot had said that
+first,--which was true enough, though I had thought it as early as he.
+Had it been any other woman, I would have inferred from her reply that
+her vanity was offended. But it was not possible to think such a thing
+of Mary Desmond on that night.
+
+"Have you any heart for this task?" she asked me, with much suddenness,
+a few minutes later.
+
+"What task?" I replied, surprised.
+
+"The task that the king has set for his army,--the attempt to crush the
+Colonies," she replied.
+
+There was much embarrassment in the question for me, and I sought to
+take refuge in compliment.
+
+"That you are enlisted upon the other side, Miss Desmond," I replied,
+"is enough to weaken the attachment of any one to the king's service."
+
+"This is not a drawing-room," she replied, looking at me with clear
+eyes, "nor has the business which we have been about to-night any savor
+of the drawing-room. Let us then drop such manner of speech."
+
+She was holding me at arm's length, but I made some rambling, ambiguous
+reply, to the effect that a soldier should have no opinions, but should
+do what he is told to do,--which, though a very good argument, does not
+always appease one's conscience. But she did not press the question
+further,--which was a relief to me.
+
+When we became silent again, my thoughts turned back to our successful
+ride. On the whole, I had cause for lightness of feeling. Aided by
+chance or luck, I had come out of difficulties wondrous well. Within a
+very short space I had seen our people twice triumph over the British,
+and I exulted much because of it.
+
+I think I had good reason for my exultation aside from the gain to our
+cause from these two encounters. While accusing us of being boasters,
+the British had quite equalled us at anything of that kind. I think it
+was their constant assumption of superiority, rather more than the tea
+at the bottom of Boston Harbor, that caused the war. Then they came over
+and said we could not fight. They are much better informed on that point
+now, though I will admit that they showed their own courage and
+endurance too.
+
+Our return journey was not prolific of events. The night seemed to have
+exhausted its fruitfulness before that time. When we were within a short
+distance of the British lines, Miss Desmond pointed to a low farmhouse
+almost hidden by some trees.
+
+"That is my retreat for the present," she said. "It was from that house
+I started, and I will return to it. For many reasons, I cannot be seen
+riding into Philadelphia with you at this hour."
+
+"But are the inhabitants of that house friends of yours?" I asked, in
+some protest.
+
+"They can be trusted to the uttermost," she replied briefly. "They have
+proved it. You must not come any farther with me. I have a pass and I
+can come into the city when I wish without troublesome explanations."
+
+"Then I will leave you," I replied, "since I leave you in safety; but I
+hope you will not forget that we have been friends and allies on this
+expedition."
+
+"I will not forget it," she said. Then she thanked me and rode away, as
+strong and upright and brave as ever. I watched her until she entered
+the trees around the house and disappeared. Then, although I might have
+fled to the American camp, I turned towards Philadelphia, a much wiser
+man than I was earlier in the night.
+
+Some of the stragglers were coming into the city already, and it was not
+difficult for me, with my recent practice in lying, to make satisfactory
+explanation concerning myself. I told a brave tale about being captured
+by the rebels in the rush, my escape afterwards, and my futile attempts
+to rejoin the army. Then I passed on to my quarters.
+
+In the course of the day the entire detachment, save those who had been
+killed or wounded in the skirmish, returned, and I learned that Sir
+William was much mortified at the complete failure of the expedition. He
+could not understand why the rebels were in such a state of readiness. I
+was very uneasy about Marcel, but he rejoined me unharmed, although he
+admitted that he had been in much trepidation several times in the
+course of the night.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE--_Keeping up Appearances_
+
+
+I wished to hold further conversation with Marcel that morning on a
+matter of high interest to both of us, but I did not find the
+opportunity, for we were sent on immediate duty into different parts of
+the suburbs. Mine was soon finished, and I returned to the heart of the
+city. I noticed at once that the invading army had suffered a further
+relaxation of discipline. Evidently, after his failure of the preceding
+night, Sir William took no further interest in the war, and but little
+in the army, for that matter, except where his personal friends were
+concerned. But most afflicting was the condition of mind into which the
+Tories had fallen. Philadelphia, like New York, abounded in these
+gentry, and a right royal time they had been having, basking in the
+sunshine of British favor, and tickling themselves with visions of
+honors and titles, and even expecting shares in the confiscated estates
+of their patriot brethren.
+
+Now they were in sore distress, and but little of my pity had they.
+Among the rumors was one, and most persistent it was too, that a
+consequence of the French alliance would be the speedy evacuation of
+Philadelphia by the British, who would in all probability seek to
+concentrate their strength at New York. This was a misfortune that the
+wretched Tories had never foreseen. What! the British ever give up
+anything they had once laid their hands upon! The descendants of the
+conquerors of Crecy, Poitiers, and Agincourt, the grandsons of the men
+who had humbled Louis the Great at Blenheim and Malplaquet, to be beaten
+by untrained, half-armed, and starving farmers! The thing was
+impossible. And Tory and Briton vied with each other in crying to all
+the winds of heaven that it could not be. The British were most arrogant
+towards us in those days, for which reason we always took much
+satisfaction in beating them, admitting at the same time that they were
+brave men, and we never cared much about our victories over the
+Hessians, who, to tell the truth, were very fierce in the pursuit of a
+beaten enemy, but not quite so enduring in the main contention as the
+British.
+
+But I had ever had more animosity against the Tories than the British,
+and I felt much secret delight at their manifest and troublous state of
+mind. Some, who had their affairs well in hand, were preparing to depart
+with their beloved British, who little wanted such burdens. Others were
+mourning for their houses and goods which they had expected to see
+wrenched from them as they would have wrenched theirs from the patriots.
+All seemed to expect that the American army would be upon them
+immediately, such were their agitation and terror. Curses, too, were now
+heard against King George for deserting his faithful servants after
+making so many great promises to them. Well, it is not for those who
+shake the dice and lose, to complain. We, too, had had our sufferings.
+
+Nevertheless, the British, as is their wont, put a good face upon the
+matter. That very night, many of the officers were at a reception given
+with great splendor at the house of a rich Tory, and they talked of past
+triumphs and of others soon to be won. I also was there, for I had
+contrived to secure an invitation, having special reasons for going.
+
+As I had expected, Miss Desmond was present. She seemed to neglect none
+of the fashionable gayeties of the city, and to me she looked handsomer
+and statelier than ever. I wished for some look, some suggestion that we
+had been companions in danger, and that we were rather better friends
+than the others present; but she was cold and proud, and there was
+nothing in her manner to show that we had ever met, save in the formal
+atmosphere of the drawing-room.
+
+"I hear, Lieutenant Melville," she said, "that you were in the
+unfortunate attack last night and fell into the hands of the rebels."
+
+"Yes, Miss Desmond," I replied, "but good fortune succeeded bad fortune.
+I escaped from them in the darkness and the confusion, and am back in
+Philadelphia to lay my sword at your feet."
+
+Such was the polite language of the time; but she received it with small
+relish, for she replied, with asperity,--
+
+"You have barely escaped laying your sword at the feet of the rebels. Is
+not that enough of such exercise?"
+
+Then some British officers, who heard her, laughed as if the gibe had no
+point for them.
+
+I had no further opportunity for conversation with her until much later
+in the evening. The rooms were buzzing with the gossip of great events
+soon to occur; and though I sought not the part of a spy, and had no
+intent to put myself in such a position, I listened eagerly to the
+fragments of news that were sent about. This was not a matter of
+difficulty, for all were willing, even eager, to talk, and one could not
+but listen, without drawing comment and giving offence.
+
+"'Tis reported," said Symington, a colonel, to me, "that the French king
+will despatch an army in great haste to America. But we shall not care
+for that--shall we, Melville? I, for one, am tired of playing
+hide-and-seek with the old fox, Mr. Washington, and should like to meet
+our ancient foes the French regulars in the open field. Then the
+fighting would be according to the rules as practised by the experts in
+Europe for many generations."
+
+I thought to throw cold water upon him, and said I feared the Americans
+and the French allied might prove too strong for us; and as for the
+ancient rules of war, campaigns must be adapted to their circumstances
+and the nature of the country in which they are conducted. If the
+Americans alone, and that too when at least one-third of them were loyal
+to our cause, had been able to confine us to two or three cities
+practically in a state of besiegement, what were we to expect when the
+full might of the King of France arrived to help them?
+
+But he would have naught of my argument. He was full of the idea that
+glory was to be found fighting the French regulars in the open field
+according to the rules of Luxembourg and Marlborough. But I have no
+right to complain, for it was such folly as his that was of great help
+to us throughout the war, and contributed to the final victory over the
+greatest power and the best soldiers of Europe.
+
+Although much interested in such talk as it was continued by one or
+another through the evening, I watched Miss Desmond. Now, since I knew
+her so well, or at least thought I did, she had for me a most marvellous
+attraction. At no time did she betray any weakness in the part she
+played, and though more than once she found my eyes resting upon her,
+there was no answering gleam. But I was patient, and a time when I could
+speak to her alone again came at last. She had gone for air into the
+small flower-garden which adjoined the house after the fashion of the
+English places, and I, noting that no one else had observed her,
+followed. She sat in a rustic chair, and, seeing me coming, waited for
+me calmly, and in such manner that I could not tell whether I came as
+one welcome or repugnant. But I stood by her side nevertheless.
+
+"You have heard all the talk to-night, Lieutenant Melville, have you
+not?" she asked.
+
+"I suppose that you have in mind the new alliance with the French that
+the rebels have made?" I said.
+
+"Yes," she said. "That has been the burden of our talk."
+
+"I could not escape it," I replied. "It is a very promising matter for
+the rebels, and for that reason a very unpromising one for us."
+
+"The French," she said, "would consider it a glorious revenge upon us
+for our many victories at their expense, if they could help the rebels
+to certain triumph over us. It would shear off the right arm of
+England."
+
+I looked with wonder at this woman who could thus preserve her false
+part with me when she knew I knew so well that it was false. I thought
+she might never again refer to our night ride, our companionship in
+danger. It was not anything that I wished to forget. In truth, I did not
+wish to forget any part of it. Yet if I had reflected, I should have
+seen that she had reason to forget that night's ride, since she must
+distrust me. Evidently Wildfoot had not told her who I was, and while I
+must be a friend in some way or the ranger would not have let me go, she
+could not guess the whole truth.
+
+"Do you think, Lieutenant Melville," she asked, turning a very
+thoughtful face towards me, "that this alliance will crush the English,
+or will the French intervention incite them to more strenuous efforts?"
+
+"I think, Miss Desmond," I replied, piqued and suddenly determining to
+play my part as well as she, "that we will defeat Americans and French
+combined. You know we are accustomed to victory over the French."
+
+"It is as you say," she said; "but when one reads French histories one
+finds French victories over the English also."
+
+Which is very true, for it is a great gain to the glory of any country
+to have expert historians.
+
+"We will underrate the French," I said, "for that would depreciate such
+triumphs as we have achieved in conflict with them."
+
+"You make very little of Americans," she said. "Do you not think that
+you will also have to reckon with my misguided countrymen?"
+
+"Mere louts," I said, thinking that at last I had found away to provoke
+her into an expression of her real opinions. "Perchance they might do
+something if they were trained and properly armed. But, as they are,
+they cannot withstand the British bayonet."
+
+She looked at me with some curiosity, at which I was gratified, but, in
+imitation of her own previous example, I had discharged expression from
+my face.
+
+"I had thought sometimes, Lieutenant Melville," she said, "that you had
+been moved to sympathy for these people, these rebels."
+
+"Then you are much mistaken, Miss Desmond," I said, "although I hope I
+am not hard of heart. I am most loyal to the king, and hope for his
+complete triumph. How could I be otherwise, when you, who are
+American-born, set me such a noble example?"
+
+"That is but the language of compliment, Lieutenant Melville," she said,
+"the courtly speech that you have learned in London drawing-rooms,
+and--pardon me for saying it--means nothing."
+
+"It might mean nothing with other men," I said, losing somewhat of my
+self-possession, "but it does mean something with me."
+
+"I do not understand you, Lieutenant Melville," she said, turning upon
+me an inquiring look. "You seem to speak in metaphors to-night."
+
+"If so," I replied, "I may again plead your noble example. I do not
+understand you at all to-night, Miss Desmond."
+
+"Our conversation has been of a military character," she replied,
+smiling for the first time. "So gallant an officer as you, Lieutenant
+Melville, should understand that, while all of it may well be a puzzle
+to me, a woman, whom the sound of a trumpet frightens, it is easy enough
+for you to comprehend it."
+
+"It is this time I who ask the pardon, Miss Desmond," I replied, "if I
+say that is the language of compliment, of the drawing-room."
+
+She made no reply, but bent forward to inhale the odor of a flower that
+blossomed near her. I too was silent, for I knew not whether she wished
+me to go or stay, or cared naught for either. From the drawing-room came
+the sound of music, but she made no movement to go.
+
+"I have had thoughts about you, too, Miss Desmond," I said, at length,
+after some minutes of embarrassment, for me at least.
+
+"I trust that such thoughts have been of a pleasant nature, Lieutenant
+Melville," she said, turning her deep eyes upon me again.
+
+"I have thought," I continued, "that you too felt a certain sympathy for
+the rebels, your misguided countrymen."
+
+"What reasons have I furnished for such a supposition?" she replied,
+coldly. "Are you in the habit, Lieutenant Melville, of attributing
+treasonable thoughts to the best friends of the king's cause."
+
+This I thought was carrying the matter to a very extreme point, but it
+was not for me, who called myself a gentleman, to say so aloud.
+
+"I would not speak of it as treason," I said; "it seems to me to be in
+accord with nature that you, who are an American, should feel sympathy
+for the Americans."
+
+"Then," she replied, "it is you who have treasonable thoughts, and not
+I."
+
+"I trust I may never falter in doing my duty," I said.
+
+"I trust I may not do so either," she said.
+
+"Then," I exclaimed, flinging away reserve and caution, "why play this
+part any longer?"
+
+"What part?" she asked, her eyes still unfathomable.
+
+"This pretence of Toryism," I cried. "This pretence which we both know
+to be so unreal. Do I not know that you are a patriot, the noblest of
+patriots? Do I not honor you for it? Do I not remember every second of
+our desperate ride together, and glory in the remembrance?"
+
+I paused, for I am not accustomed to making high speeches, even when
+under the influence of strong emotion.
+
+Her eyes wavered, for the first time, and the red flush swept over her
+face. But she recovered herself quickly.
+
+"Then say nothing about it, if you would serve me," she said, and rising
+abruptly she went into the house.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO--_A Full Confession_
+
+
+Marcel and I had some leisure the next morning at our quarters.
+
+"Marcel," said I, "I wish to talk to you on a matter of serious import."
+
+"It must be of very high import, in truth," said Marcel, "if I may judge
+of its nature from the solemn look that clothes your face like a
+shroud."
+
+"It is no matter of jest," I replied, "and it is of close concern to us
+both."
+
+"Very well," replied Marcel, carelessly, flinging himself into a chair.
+"Then let it be kept a secret no longer."
+
+"It is this, Marcel," I replied, and I was in deep earnest. "I am tired
+of the false characters we have taken upon ourselves. The parts are
+awkward. We do not fit in them. We have been required to serve against
+our own people. Only luck, undeserved luck, has saved us from the rope.
+I want to reassume my own character and my own name, to be myself
+again."
+
+I spoke with some heat and volubility. I was about to add that I was
+sorry ever to have gone into such a foolish enterprise, but the thought
+of a fair woman's face recalled the words. And this brought me another
+thought--that I was unwilling to continue this false _rôle_ with Mary
+Desmond's eyes upon me.
+
+"Is that all?" asked Marcel, beginning to whistle a gay dancing-tune
+which some newly arrived officers had brought over from London.
+
+"No, it is not," I replied. "I said I wished to be myself again, and
+that I mean to be."
+
+"I think I shall do likewise," said Marcel, cutting off his tune in the
+beginning. "I am tired of this piece of stage-play myself, but I wanted
+you to say so first."
+
+"It is time to leave it off," I added, "and go back to our duty."
+
+"You speak truly," said Marcel. "It would not be pleasant to be killed
+by American bullets, or be forced to fire upon our old comrades. And yet
+the adventure has not been without interest. Moreover, let it not be
+forgotten that we have had plenty to eat, a good luck which we knew not
+for two years before."
+
+He said the last in such a whimsical tone of regret that I laughed
+despite myself.
+
+"There is no need to laugh," said Marcel. "A good dinner is a great item
+to a starving man, and, as you know, I am not without experience in the
+matter of starvation."
+
+Wherein Marcel spoke the truth, for during our long campaigns hunger
+often vexed us more sorely than the battle.
+
+"I shall be glad to see our comrades and to serve with them again. When
+will we have a chance to leave?" he asked.
+
+"I do not know," I said; "and I do not see that it matters. I am not
+going."
+
+"Then will his lordship condescend to explain himself?" said Marcel.
+"You speak in riddles."
+
+"We have come into this town, Marcel," I said, "in the guise of
+Englishmen and as the friends of the English. We have eaten and drank
+with them, and they have treated us as comrades. If I were to steal
+away, I would think that I had played the part of a mere spy."
+
+"What then?" asked Marcel.
+
+"I mean to take what I consider to be the honorable course," I said. "I
+mean to go to Sir William Howe, tell him what I am and what I have done,
+and yield myself his prisoner."
+
+"You need not look so confoundedly virtuous about it," said Marcel. "I
+shall go with you and tell what I am and what I have done, and yield
+myself his prisoner in precisely the same manner that you will. Again I
+wanted you to say the thing first."
+
+I never doubted that Marcel would do what was right, despite his
+habitual levity of manner, and his companionship strengthened me in my
+resolution.
+
+"When shall we go to Sir William?" asked Marcel.
+
+"To-day,--within the hour," I said.
+
+"Do you think he will hang us as spies?" asked Marcel, gruesomely.
+
+"I do not know," I said. "I think there is some chance that he will."
+
+In truth, this was a matter that weighed much upon me. Do not think
+that I was willing to be a martyr, or wanted to die under any
+circumstances. Nothing was further from my desires.
+
+"He is like enough to be in a very bad humor," said Marcel, "over his
+failures and his removal from the chief command. I wish for our sakes he
+felt better."
+
+By representing to an aide that our business was of the most pressing
+importance, we secured admission to Sir William Howe. I think we came
+into the room before he expected us, for when we entered the doorway he
+was standing at the window with the grayest look of melancholy I ever
+saw on any man's face. In that moment I felt both sorrow and pity for
+him, for we had received naught but kindness at his hands. I stumbled
+purposely, that I might warn him of our coming, and he turned to meet
+us, his face assuming a calm aspect.
+
+"You sent word that your business is pressing," he said. "But I hope
+that Lieutenant Melville and Captain Montague are in good health."
+
+"We know not the bodily condition of Lieutenant Melville and Captain
+Montague," I said, "but we trust that both are well."
+
+"What sort of jesting is this?" he said, frowning. "Remember that,
+though my successor has been appointed, I am yet commander-in-chief."
+
+"It is no jest," I replied. "We speak in the utmost respect to you. I am
+not Lieutenant Melville of the British army, nor is my friend Captain
+Montague. Those officers are prisoners in the hands of the Americans."
+
+"Then who are you?" he asked.
+
+"We are American officers," I replied, "who, in a moment of rashness and
+folly, took the places of Captain Montague and Lieutenant Melville."
+
+"Is this truth or insanity?" he asked, sharply.
+
+"I think it is both," I replied, soberly.
+
+He smiled somewhat, and then asked more questions, whereupon I told the
+whole story from first to last, furnishing such proofs that he could not
+doubt what I said. For a while he sat in a kind of maze. Then he said,--
+
+"Are you aware, gentlemen, that the most natural thing for me to do is
+to hang you both as spies?"
+
+We admitted with the greatest reluctance that the laws of war would
+permit it.
+
+"Still, it was but a mad prank," said Sir William, "and you have given
+yourselves up when you might have gone away. I cannot see of what avail
+it would be to the British cause, to me, or to any one to hang you. I
+like you both, and you, Lieutenant Chester, as you call yourself, and as
+I suppose you are, threw that Hessian colonel into the street for me so
+handsomely that I must ever be in your debt, and I don't suppose that
+you had anything to do with the attempt of that villian, Wildfoot;
+moreover, it seems that you are quite capable of hanging yourselves in
+due time. I will spare the gallows. But I wish you were Englishmen, and
+not Americans."
+
+I felt as if the rope were slipping off our necks when Sir William spoke
+these words, and my spirits rose with most astonishing swiftness. I must
+say that Sir William Howe, though a slothful man and a poor general,
+was kind of heart sometimes, and I have never liked to hear people speak
+ill of him.
+
+"Your case," he said, "is likely to be a source of mighty gossip in this
+town; but I shall not leave you here long to enjoy your honors. We
+exchange for Lieutenant Belfort and some prisoners who are in the hands
+of the rebels. You will be included in the exchange, and you will leave
+Philadelphia soon. You need not thank me. In truth, I ought to hang you
+as spies; but I am curious to know what act of folly you will commit
+next."
+
+I am confident that Sir William in reality liked us greatly, for he was
+fond of adventure. Perhaps that was the reason he was not a better
+general.
+
+"I shall have to place you under guard," said Sir William, calling an
+aide, "and if ever this war ends and we are alive then, I should like to
+see you both in England, and show you off as the finest pair of rascals
+that ever deserved to be hanged and were not."
+
+"It appears to me that we came out of that matter easily," said Marcel,
+as we left the room.
+
+We remained for a while in Philadelphia as prisoners of the British,
+and, to our great amazement and equal pleasure, found ourselves heroes
+with the men who had been our comrades there for a brief space. They
+considered it the finest and boldest adventure of which they had heard,
+and Marcel's new cousin, Rupert Harding, was not last in his
+appreciation.
+
+"I think that I shall prefer you to the real cousin, when I see him,"
+said Harding to Marcel, "and I shall always claim the kinship."
+
+We parted from them with sincere regret when Sir Henry Clinton, who,
+succeeding Sir William Howe in the chief command, saw no reason to
+change the latter's plan in this matter, sent us to the American army in
+exchange for Belfort and others.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE--_George Washington's Mercy_
+
+
+"Bob," said Marcel, as we rode under escort towards the American army,
+"the British have dealt handsomely with us,--we have no right to
+complain of Sir William Howe,--but how about the Americans?"
+
+"The Americans are our countrymen."
+
+"Which proves nothing. When I am at fault, I would rather receive the
+sentence of my official enemy than that of my official friend."
+
+"Don't talk of it," I replied. "We have fared so well in the first four
+acts of this play that our luck cannot change consistently in the fifth
+and last."
+
+"Yet I would there were no fifth," he grumbled. I said nothing more,
+wishing to dismiss the subject from my mind. But I had been thinking of
+it before Marcel spoke, and his words chimed so well with my own
+thoughts that my apprehensions grew. The subject would not depart merely
+because I ordered it to do so. We had left our army without leave.
+Practically, we were deserters, and General Washington, as all the world
+knows, was a severe man where a question of military discipline was
+concerned.
+
+"But I am not sorry I went," I said aloud. I was thinking of Mary
+Desmond and that thrilling night ride of ours when the hoof-beats of my
+horse rang side by side with the hoof-beats of hers. I remembered the
+flush on her face and the light in her eye.
+
+"I am not sorry either," said Marcel, aloud. Of what he was thinking I
+do not know. Perhaps that same wild strain in his blood which had led us
+into the adventure was speaking. Yet I should, and shall be, the last
+man in the world to blame him for it.
+
+It was a glorious day. The wind blew, the grass waved, and the sun
+shone. A young man could not remain unhappy long over misfortunes yet
+unfelt. My memories were pleasant and so were my comrades. A half dozen
+other American officers, to be exchanged for an equal number of the
+enemy, accompanied us, and the two British officers in charge of the
+escort, of whom Catron was one, were men of wit, manners, and friendly
+temper. We made a lively party and found one another agreeable. We had
+always possessed the liking of Catron, but in truth we now seemed to
+have his unbounded admiration as well.
+
+"Ta-ra-ra, ta-ra-ra," rang the British bugle through the forest,
+announcing our approach to the American army. The journey had been all
+too fast. I never thought that I would part from an enemy with so much
+reluctance, and I became grave again when the first American sentinel
+stopped us.
+
+Our mission was explained, and an officer came and attended to the
+exchange. We bade our friends the British, good-bye, and then, according
+to orders, walked towards headquarters for instructions. As we passed
+down one of the camp streets we heard a cry of surprise, and looking
+about saw Sergeant Pritchard to whom we had once bade a good-bye that he
+thought would be eternal.
+
+We dropped back a little behind the others.
+
+"Sergeant Pritchard," said Marcel, "you owe me a dinner, but as
+provisions are scarce in the American camp I will not collect it."
+
+This was generous of Marcel, but I suspect that the true cause was his
+unwillingness to dine in state with a sergeant.
+
+"I reported that you had taken the places of the Englishmen and gone to
+Philadelphia," replied the good sergeant. "He made no comment in my
+presence, and I know not what he said to the general about it. Nor do I
+know what will come of the matter."
+
+Then he shook his head gloomily.
+
+"General Washington should behave as handsomely as Sir William Howe,"
+said Marcel, and I was quite sure that it was General Washington's duty
+to do so.
+
+I acted as spokesman, and laid the case before our colonel, concealing
+nothing save my ride with Mary Desmond. He was a middle-aged man,
+amiable, and he liked us. In truth, both us had been fortunate enough to
+receive his praise for good service in action, but he could see no
+mitigating circumstances.
+
+"There is nothing to do but report the case to the commander-in-chief,"
+he said. "I am sorry, for I esteem you two boys, and you have been of
+value."
+
+His solemn, even despondent tone depressed us. We began to feel afraid
+of the future and to wonder what General Washington would say to us. Our
+period of suspense was not long, as within two hours we were summoned to
+appear before the commander-in-chief.
+
+An aide led us to his headquarters, a small square log-house such as
+frontiersmen build for themselves. A sentinel was watching at the door,
+but we passed in and stood before the general, who was alone writing at
+a table.
+
+The aide withdrew to the further end of the room and left us standing
+there, watching the goose quill, held in the large muscular hand, as it
+travelled over the paper, writing perhaps the instructions for our own
+execution as deserters. I shall never forget the few minutes that we
+stood in that room hearing only the scratch of the quill on the paper. I
+have dreamed of them often, and have awakened to hear the rustle of the
+quill in my ears.
+
+No one could feel frivolous or flippant in the presence of General
+Washington. The air was never very warm about him, and I have noticed
+that it is usually so with men of great mental powers and great
+responsibilities.
+
+On went the goose quill. Scratch! Scratch! I hate the sound of a goose
+quill to this day. I looked at the silent aide, but his face gave no
+encouragement. I looked at Marcel, but he was looking at me for the
+same purpose, and neither was able to be a help to the other.
+
+The general wiped the goose quill and put it away. Then he turned to us,
+and his face was as stern as any into which I ever looked. I saw no ray
+of mercy in those severe, blue eyes.
+
+"Lieutenant Robert Chester?" he said to me. I bowed, and then Marcel
+bowed when his name, too, was called.
+
+"You deserted, according to your own confession, to the enemy, and Sir
+William Howe, not thinking you of sufficient value, has sent you back to
+me."
+
+I flushed at both the charge and the irony, and protested that we were
+not deserters, and had never meant to be. Moreover, we had sent word by
+Sergeant Pritchard of our intention. Then I begged him to let me repeat
+the whole story. He bowed slightly, and told me to proceed. I fear that
+I was disturbed somewhat by the steady gaze of those cold, blue eyes,
+which never left me, and I limped more than once in my narrative.
+Whenever I did so, he made me go back and take up the loose thread. It
+was his way to be exact in all things.
+
+"A likely tale! A likely tale!" he said, when I finished, "and does
+credit to your powers of narration. I shall not enter into a discussion
+of its truth or falsity; but even if true, you left without permission,
+the army to which you belonged and masqueraded as officers of the enemy.
+It seems to me that you have succeeded in being false to both Americans
+and British, and I do not see how anything could be more serious, though
+you young gentlemen may choose to call it an adventure or a jest or a
+whim. Sirs, a great war is a deadly matter, and it is not to be won with
+jests!"
+
+The blue eyes grew colder and sterner than ever. I wished to say
+something, but I could think of nothing that would avail, and I was
+silent. I fear that my lips trembled, not from fright, but at the
+rebuke. I know my comrade's did, and Philip Marcel, the gay and
+irrepressible cavalier, was wordless for once in his life.
+
+"Take them to the guard-house, Mordaunt," said the commander-in-chief to
+the aide, "and we will have them disposed of to-morrow. See that they
+have no chance to escape. Nor shall they be permitted to send messages
+to any one."
+
+Then he turned his cold face away, and began to write again. I think
+that the shock of this sudden and terrible sentence was taken from me by
+the flame of indignation that leaped up in my heart. We were no
+deserters, however foolish we had been, and however great the liberty we
+had taken! I felt that we did not deserve such a punishment. Both Marcel
+and I had served our country well, and to put us to death for this
+adventure, although it might come within the military law, was harsh,
+beyond all measure. I considered ourselves martyrs.
+
+"Do not be afraid that we will try to escape," I burst out, "and if this
+is to be the reward of men who serve their country, no wonder that our
+cause is in such straits!"
+
+He did not appear to notice us, but wrote calmly on, and the deadly
+scratching of the goose quill was unbroken. The aide beckoned to us,
+and we followed him from the room.
+
+"I am sorry, very sorry," said Mordaunt, when we were outside, "and, in
+truth, I think that your sentence is far too severe."
+
+His face showed deep concern.
+
+"Don't be afraid that we will repeat your opinion to your hurt in the
+general's good graces," said Marcel, with a laugh that was pathetic. "We
+won't have many opportunities in the next twenty-four hours, and after
+that--well, the best story in the world will not interest us."
+
+We were put in a one-room house of logs, and we sat there in silence for
+many hours watching the day fade. I was still hot with indignation. We
+deserved punishment, it was true, I repeated, but not death, an
+ignominious death such as that decreed for us. What good end could be
+served by such a deed?
+
+But with the fading of the day my anger faded also. Then I thought of
+Mary Desmond, the curve of her check, the blue of her eye, and the
+sunshine in her hair. She did not hate me I knew. "O Mary," I said under
+my breath, "I shall never see you again!" and I covered my face with my
+hands.
+
+"Bob," said Marcel, presently, holding out his hand, "forgive me."
+
+"Forgive you, for what?"
+
+"For leading you into that wild adventure. It was I who dared you to do
+it, who provoked you into joining me."
+
+I could not accept any such assertion, and I told him so, adding that I
+did not wholly regret our excursion into Philadelphia.
+
+"Miss Desmond!" said Marcel, understandingly, "she is worth any man's
+winning, and you might have won her if--if--"
+
+Then he stopped abruptly and stared blankly at me, unwilling to finish
+the sentence. The night came presently, and they brought us food, which
+we scarcely touched. There was no light in our prison, but through the
+single iron window we could see flickering camp-fires outside. The low
+murmur of the army came to us.
+
+We sat on our stools for a long time in silence. I was trying to prepare
+myself for the future, and I suppose that Marcel was occupied with a
+similar task. It must have been past 10 o'clock when the door of the
+prison was opened and our colonel came in. Sincere sorrow was written
+plainly on the good man's face.
+
+"I have heard about you," he said, "and I went to him at once, and
+pleaded with him. I urged your previous good service and your youth, but
+I could not shake him a particle. There have been too many desertions
+lately, and the army is at a low ebb. You are officers, and your fate
+will be an example for all."
+
+"Our case is past mending," said Marcel. "We thank you for your good
+wishes and your efforts, but I don't think that anything can be done."
+
+"That is so," said the colonel. "The next life is what you must now
+consider."
+
+Our colonel was a good man and a good soldier, but he was never noted
+for tact. Somehow he could not get off the subject of our execution, and
+when he left with tears in his eyes, and an expressed hope that he might
+deliver our last messages for us, he took with him our few remaining
+grains of courage, and we felt that death was very, very near.
+
+Bye and bye, two more officers whom we knew well came to bid us
+good-bye. They had obtained permission from the general, they said, and
+they too had interceded for us, but fruitlessly; they could offer us no
+hope whatever. They were frank in condemning the severity of General
+Washington, and this knowledge that our friends regarded our punishment
+as far out of proportion to our crime, made it all the more bitter to
+us.
+
+"General Washington may be a great man and a fine commander," said
+Marcel, after they had gone; "but he will never get forgiveness for
+this."
+
+I pressed my dry lips together and said nothing. In an hour three more
+officers came, and one by one bidding us farewell went out again. Their
+gloomy manner depressed us still further.
+
+"Curse it!" exclaimed Marcel. "I wish they wouldn't come here with their
+solemn faces, and their parting sermons! They make me afraid of death!"
+
+He expressed my state of mind exactly, but there were more farewells. It
+was about midnight when the last of them came, a major who had been a
+minister once, and was never known to laugh. He talked to us so
+dolefully about the future, and the duty of all men to be prepared for
+the worst, that my nerves were jumping, and I could scarce restrain
+myself from insulting him. We were glad to see him go, and if ever I was
+thoroughly unprepared for death it was when the major left us.
+
+The long night dragged wearily on, every minute an hour. Once I laughed
+aloud in my bitterness, when I thought of Mary Desmond hearing the news
+of my death.
+
+We slept by snatches, a few minutes at a time; but we were wide-eyed
+when the day came. I saw black lines under Marcel's eyes, and I knew
+that my own face was haggard too. The sentinel brought us breakfast; but
+did not retire as we ate, and when I looked at him inquiringly, he
+said,--
+
+"Your escort is waiting outside."
+
+The food choked me, and I could eat no more. "Come," I said to Marcel,
+"let's get it over."
+
+We arose, and, walking out at the door, met soldiers who fell in before
+and behind us. The camp, or at least nearly all of it, was yet
+slumbering. Only a few fires were burning. Over the forests and fields
+the new-risen sun shone with a clear light.
+
+They marched us to a little grove, and there General Washington and a
+half-dozen officers, our colonel among them, met us.
+
+"I think that he might have stayed away," said Marcel, when he saw the
+commander-in-chief.
+
+But General Washington, looking closely at us, said: "You do not appear
+to have slept well."
+
+"Our time was so short that I thought we could not afford to waste any
+of it in sleep," I replied, with a sad attempt at a jest.
+
+"General, kindly shoot us at once and have done with it!" exclaimed
+Marcel, who was ever an impatient man and now, expecting death, felt awe
+of nobody.
+
+"Who said that I was going to have you shot?" asked General Washington,
+regarding us intently.
+
+"Did you not tell us so yesterday?" I exclaimed.
+
+"Not at all," he replied, his grim face relaxing. "I merely said that I
+would dispose of you to-day. I said nothing about shooting. That is an
+assumption of your own, although it is what you had a right to expect,
+and perhaps my words indicated such action. At any rate you seem to have
+had a fore-taste of what you expected."
+
+The officers, all high in rank, our colonel among them, laughed aloud.
+At another time I would have been deeply mortified, but not now. I began
+to see. I understood that our punishment was not to be death; but we had
+already paid the price, the night's expectation of it.
+
+"Fortune loves us," whispered Marcel to me.
+
+"What did you say?" asked the commander-in-chief, seeing the motion of
+his lips.
+
+"I was telling Lieutenant Chester how thankful we should be that our
+understanding of your words was a misunderstanding," replied Marcel,
+promptly, and with that smile of his which few people could resist.
+
+"Call it a jest. Do you imagine that you are the only jesters in this
+camp?" said the general, laughing a little. "I thought that you needed
+punishment, and you were too brave and useful to be shot. So I decided
+upon another plan, and I think it has been successful."
+
+This, they say, was the only jest of General Washington's life, but I
+thank God that he made the exception. Marcel joins me.
+
+"Moreover, some pleas have been made in your favor," continued the
+general. "Sir William Howe himself, before leaving, took the trouble to
+write to me and ask that you be treated gently. You are lads whom he
+loves, he said. Certainly I could afford to do so small a favor for the
+man who has made it necessary for his successor to give up to me the
+city of Philadelphia. And there is a young lady, too, who speaks well of
+you."
+
+"A young lady!" I cried, suspecting.
+
+"Yes, a young lady, Miss Mary Desmond, to whom we owe much, and who has
+just added to our debt, because last night when you were preparing so
+well for your future life, she was riding to us with the news that the
+British were about to depart from Philadelphia. She has told too, Mr.
+Chester, how she met you that night you were on the way to warn us of
+the British attack, and how you rode on together. The circumstance was
+much in your favor. Yonder she is. You might speak to her, and then make
+ready for duty, like the valiant and loyal officers that you have been
+always--that is nearly always."
+
+He smiled in kindly fashion, and patted us both on the shoulder. We
+thanked him with deep and fervent sincerity, and then I hurried away to
+Mary Desmond.
+
+She stood under the boughs of one of the trees, holding her horse by the
+bridle.
+
+"I am glad to see you, Lieutenant Chester, in your own proper guise,"
+she said.
+
+I took her warm little hand in mine, as I replied: "And I to see you
+again in yours." Then I added: "You have brought the news that the
+British are leaving Philadelphia?"
+
+"Yes," she replied.
+
+"Then may I come to see you there, still in my own proper guise?"
+
+"If General Washington gives you time," she replied. "But to tell you
+the truth, I don't think you will stay long in Philadelphia. Now,
+good-bye."
+
+I helped her upon her horse, and she gave me her hand again. Perhaps I
+held it a second or two longer than custom demands, but of that I shall
+say nothing more.
+
+I watched her as she rode away, the morning sunshine rippling on her
+hair, a slender figure, yet so strong and brave. There, I knew, beat a
+dauntless heart. Her spirit and courage led me on to love her from the
+first, and then the mystery about her, the strange, magnetic charm had
+drawn me too. She might take my love and tread upon it if she would, but
+it was hers, and no woman could ever dispossess her.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR--_In the City Again_
+
+
+A detachment of our army entered Philadelphia the next day, hot upon the
+heels of the retreating British, and Marcel and I were among the first
+dozen Americans who rode into the city, Wildfoot, the ranger, commanding
+the little band which had the honor of taking the lead. Seldom have
+happier horsemen galloped to the music of triumph.
+
+"See, Lieutenant Chester!" said Wildfoot to me, pointing across the
+fields.
+
+I followed his long forefinger with my eyes, and saw the tips of
+Philadelphia's spires, a most stimulating sight. Philadelphia was then
+our largest, richest, and most important city. The great Declaration had
+been made there, and in a way we considered it our capital. It had been
+a heavy blow to us, when we were forced to yield it to Howe, and now
+when his successor, Clinton, felt himself obliged to give it back to us,
+our spirits, so long depressed, sprang up with a bound.
+
+"Aye, it's Philadelphia," said Wildfoot, "and we've worked and waited
+long to get it back again."
+
+I thought I saw a mist appear in the eyes of the strong backwoodsman,
+and I knew that he was deeply moved. Certainly no one had worked more
+than he, and perhaps none other had taken such great risks. He was
+entitled to the honor of leading the vanguard.
+
+We expected to find skirmishers and bands of the British prepared to
+make our way troublesome; but we met no foe and galloped, unopposed,
+into the city, from which the British had gone but a few hours, and from
+which more than three thousand Tories, too, had fled. The departure of
+the enemy had been so abrupt, and we were so close behind, that several
+British officers, either laggards or late risers, were captured by our
+men, and our little troop, scattering, galloped about the streets,
+hoping to take more such trophies.
+
+Marcel and I turned into one of the cross streets, and saw a hundred
+yards ahead of us two officers in red-coats, riding at a great rate.
+
+"British!" cried Marcel.
+
+"So they are!" I replied, "and they must be ours!" We were wild with
+enthusiasm, and even with General Washington's lesson fresh in our
+memories, we thought little of consequences while in that state of mind.
+
+We shouted to our horses, and followed the Englishmen at full speed,
+eager to make the capture. They heard the clattering of hoofs, and,
+seeing us, fled at a greater speed. We were but two, and no doubt they
+would have turned and fought us; but they knew the American army to be
+at our back, and there was nothing for them to do but gallop.
+
+On they sped, lashing their horses, and after them came Marcel and I,
+also lashing our horses. The dust flew from the street, and pedestrians
+scuttled to safety.
+
+"It will be something for us to talk of if we take them!" said Marcel.
+
+"It must be done!" I replied, as I sought to draw more speed from my
+panting horse. The distance between us was decreasing, slowly it is
+true, but yet at a rate that could be noticed. I called Marcel's
+attention to our gain, and his face flushed with the hope of triumph.
+
+"We shall take them to the general himself," he said, "and it will help
+us in his eyes."
+
+The horses of the fugitives began to stagger, and I noticed it with
+exultation. Obviously, they could not escape us now. We soon gained
+rapidly, and I shouted to them to halt. One of the men whirled about
+quickly and fired a pistol. The bullet whizzed between Marcel and me,
+and its only result was to add anger to the motives that drew us on. We
+gained yet more rapidly, and cried anew to them to halt. A second pistol
+bullet was the reply, but, like its predecessor, it went wide of the
+target. We galloped on, and each of them fired at us again, and missed.
+
+"We have them now!" cried Marcel. "Their pistols are empty, and they
+cannot reload them while going at this pace!"
+
+In truth they were doomed apparently to be our prisoners and that, too,
+speedily. Our horses were the swifter and stronger, and our loaded
+pistols were in our belts. The fugitives seemed helpless.
+
+"Stop or we fire!" we shouted.
+
+They looked back as if studying their chances, and I saw their faces
+clearly. When they had fired their pistols, the glimpse had been too
+fleeting, but I knew them now. They were Vivian and Belfort.
+
+My heart thrilled with various emotions. Vivian was our good friend, a
+man of whom we had the most pleasant memories. We could not fire upon
+him. Belfort was my enemy, yet I believed that I had triumphed over him,
+and surely one can afford to forgive the enemy from whom he has taken
+the victory. I could not fire upon him, in such a situation, any more
+than I could fire upon Vivian.
+
+"Lower your pistol!" I cried to Marcel. "Do you not see who they are?"
+
+"I do see, and you are right," said Marcel, as he replaced his weapon in
+its holster. We gradually checked the speed of our horses, and in a few
+moments the fugitives began to draw away from us. Five minutes later
+they galloped across the fields and to the safety of their own army.
+Whether they recognized us or not, I do not know.
+
+As we turned and rode back through the suburbs, a woman on horseback met
+us. It was Mary Desmond.
+
+"Why did you let them go?" she asked, speaking to me, rather than to
+Marcel.
+
+"They were Vivian and Belfort," I replied. "Surely you would not have
+had us to fire upon either?"
+
+"I should not have forgiven you, if you had," she replied.
+
+She said that she had come out to meet the American force, and she had
+seen part of our pursuit. She, too, bore the flush of triumph upon her
+face, and in truth it was a great day for her as well as for us. She had
+done a man's work, and more than a man's work in the cause of her
+country.
+
+"Yes, I am glad you let them go," she repeated as we rode back together.
+"It is not likely that we shall ever see either again."
+
+We rode with her to her father's house, and then went to quarters. Just
+about sunset a colored man came to us with a note from John Desmond,
+asking us to dinner at his house that night. No excuse would be
+accepted, he said, and as for leave, that had been granted already by
+our colonel. There was no probability that either Marcel or I would seek
+an excuse to stay away from John Desmond's house, and as soon as we
+could put our toilets in proper trim we went to his residence, a great
+square brick building, lighted with many lights. Some carriages stood in
+the street in front, yet we were badly prepared for a company of the
+extent and rank that we found assembled there, with General Washington
+himself at its head. In truth, we were somewhat abashed, thinking
+ourselves out of place with generals and colonels; but the
+commander-in-chief shook our hands, and seemed to be in a gay humor,
+uncommon for him.
+
+"Mr. Desmond and his daughter were bound to have you," he said. "They
+told me that they met you first at a banquet under embarrassing
+circumstances, and it is only fair to have you now at a dinner where
+everybody appears as what he is."
+
+Mary Desmond came in presently, and never before had I seen a woman so
+shine as she did that night. She had dressed herself as for a triumph,
+and jewels glittered on her neck and in her hair. Her face was illumed
+by a great joy, all her reserve was gone, but the charm which had first
+drawn me to her cast a more potent spell than ever. If I had not already
+been deep in love with her, I should have become so then. I wondered why
+every man present was not eager to lay his heart at her feet. Perhaps I
+was not the only one present who was!
+
+Our dinner was brief, for the generals could linger only a little when
+an enemy must be pursued. In truth, the main army was already in
+pursuit, and it was known to only a few that General Washington was at
+John Desmond's house. His was but a flying visit. Yet the dinner was
+joyous. All believed that this return to Philadelphia marked the swift
+rise of our fortunes. Presently wine-glasses were filled, and General
+Washington stood up.
+
+"I have heard of a toast that some drank in the presence of Sir William
+Howe," he said, "and I wish to return it. Let us drink to the health of
+John Desmond, one of our truest and most useful patriots."
+
+We drank, and the old man flushed deep with gratified pride.
+
+"And now," resumed the general, "let us drink to the best patriot of
+all, the daring messenger and horsewoman, Miss Mary Desmond. Happy the
+country that can claim her, and happy the man! To Miss Mary Desmond!"
+
+No toast was ever drunk with a better will.
+
+The commander-in-chief and the generals went away in a few minutes, but
+Marcel and I stayed a little longer.
+
+"We pursue the enemy to-morrow," I said to Mary Desmond as I bade her
+good-night, "and there will soon be a battle."
+
+She looked steadily into my eyes, but in a moment a light flush swept
+over her beautiful face.
+
+"May you come back safely, Lieutenant Chester," she said.
+
+"Will you care?" I asked.
+
+"I do care," she replied. I thought I felt her fingers quiver as she
+gave me her hand, but she withdrew it in an instant, and I came away.
+
+Our vanguard under Wildfoot, with Marcel and me by his side, began the
+pursuit of the British the next day.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE--_The Widow's Might_
+
+
+The troop, led by Wildfoot, numbered not more than fifty horsemen, but
+all were strong and wiry, and bore themselves in the easy alert manner
+that betokens experience, and much of it. Moreover, they were well
+mounted, a point of extreme importance. Marcel and I deemed ourselves
+fortunate to be included in such a band, and that we were high in the
+partisan chief's favor, we had good evidence, because before we started
+he brought us two exceptionally fine horses and bade us exchange our
+mounts for them, temporarily.
+
+"You must do it, as you are likely to need their speed and strength," he
+said, when we showed reluctance, for good cavalry horses were worth
+their weight in silver, at least in those days, and we did not like to
+take the responsibility of their possible loss.
+
+"Then you mean to give us some work, I take it," said Marcel.
+
+"Not much to-day," replied the partisan, "as I operate best in the dark;
+so shall I wait until sun-down, but I hope that we shall then get
+through with a fair night's work."
+
+Wildfoot's men seem to trust him absolutely. They never asked him where
+they were going or what they were expected to do, but followed
+cheerfully wherever he led. The partisan himself continued in the great
+good humor that had marked him when we entered Philadelphia. He sang a
+bit under his breath and smiled frequently. Whether he was happy over
+deeds achieved or others to come, I could not tell. But I saw that our
+duties were to be of a scouting nature, as was indicated clearly by the
+character of the force under his command.
+
+We rode for a while in the track of the British army, a huge trail made
+by the passage of sixteen thousand troops, and a camp train twelve miles
+long. Many Tories, too, not fortunate enough to secure passage on the
+ships down the river, had followed the army, filled with panic and
+dreading retaliation from the triumphant patriots whom some of their
+kind had persecuted cruelly in the days when our fortunes were lower.
+
+It was easy enough for us to overtake the British army, which was
+dragging itself painfully over the hills and across the fields. A body
+of fifteen or twenty thousand men can move but slowly in the best of
+times, and in the terrible heat which had suddenly settled down, the
+British forces merely crept towards New York. Soon we saw their red
+coats and shining arms through the trees, and heard the murmur of the
+thousands. However we bore off to one side, passing out of sight, and
+made a wide curve, apparently for the purpose of examining the country,
+and to see whether the British had sent out skirmishing or foraging
+parties. But we saw neither, and shortly after sunset our curve brought
+us back to the enemy's army, which had gone into camp for the night,
+their fires flaring redly against the background of the darkness. We
+stopped upon the crest of a little hill, from which we could see the
+camp very well and sat there for a few minutes, watching. Being in the
+darkness we were invisible, but many blazing heaps of wood shed their
+light over the hostile army.
+
+"They seem to be taking their ease," said Wildfoot. "It ought not to be
+allowed, but we will not disturb them for the present."
+
+Then he withdrew our men about a mile, and, halting them in a thick
+wood, ordered them to eat of the food in their knapsacks. But Marcel and
+me he summoned to go with him on a little journey that he purposed to
+take.
+
+"We shall not be gone more than an hour or two," he said, "and we will
+find the men waiting for us here when we come back."
+
+We curved again as we rode away. In truth, we had been making so many
+curves that it was hard for me to retain any idea of direction. In a
+half hour we saw a light, and then the house from which it came, a low
+but rather large building of heavy logs, standing in a small clearing in
+the forest.
+
+Wildfoot had not spoken since we left the other men, and as he seemed to
+be in deep thought we did not interrupt him with vain questions, merely
+following him as he rode quietly into the thickest part of the woods
+behind the house. When he slipped from his horse there, we did
+likewise, and waited to see what he would do next.
+
+"We will tie our horses here," he said. "No one will see them, and as
+they are old campaigners, they are too well trained to make a noise."
+
+Again we imitated his example, and tethered our horses to the boughs of
+trees.
+
+"Now," said Wildfoot, when that was done, "we will call on a lady."
+
+The moon was shining a little, and I thought I saw a faint smile on his
+face. I was full of curiosity, and Marcel beside me uttered a little
+exclamation. The name of woman was always potent with this South
+Carolina Frenchman; but we said nothing, content, perforce, to be silent
+and wait.
+
+"She is not so handsome as Miss Mary Desmond," continued Wildfoot,
+smiling again a little, and this time at me. "Few are; but as she finds
+no fault with it herself, none other should."
+
+But Marcel had begun to brush his uniform with his hands, and settle the
+handsome sword, which was his proudest adornment, a little more rakishly
+by his side.
+
+We walked to the door and knocked, and when some one within wished to
+know in a strong voice who was there, Wildfoot responded with a
+question.
+
+"Are you alone?" he asked.
+
+"Yes," said the voice. "Who is it?"
+
+"Wildfoot and two friends."
+
+The door was opened at once, and we entered, beholding a woman who
+seemed to be the sole occupant of the house. At least none other was
+visible.
+
+"I hope you are well, mother," said Wildfoot, and the woman nodded.
+
+But I saw at once that she was no mother of his, although old enough.
+She, too, was large and powerful, almost masculine in build, but there
+was no similarity whatever in the features.
+
+"Lieutenant Chester and Lieutenant Marcel of the American army, good
+friends of mine and trusted comrades," said Wildfoot, "and this,
+gentlemen," he continued to us, "is Mother Melrose, as loyal a patriot
+as you can find in the Thirteen Colonies, and one who has passed many a
+good bit of information from the British army in Philadelphia on to
+those who needed it most. Mother, can't you find us something to eat
+while we talk?"
+
+The woman looked pleased with his praise, and speedily put upon a table
+substantial food, which we attacked with the zest that comes of hard
+riding. Yet from the first I studied the room and the woman with
+curiosity and interest.
+
+The note of Mother Melrose's manner and air was self-reliance. She
+walked like a grenadier, and her look said very plainly that she feared
+few things. She must have been at least sixty, and perhaps was never
+beautiful. I surmised, from the complete understanding so evidently
+existing between her and Wildfoot, that she helped him in his forays,
+warning him of hostile expeditions, sending him news of wagon trains
+that could be cut off, and otherwise serving the cause. There were many
+such brave women who gave us great aid in this war. But I wondered at a
+fortitude that could endure such a lonely and dangerous life.
+
+"Do you know that the British army is encamped near you, mother?" asked
+Wildfoot, as we drank a little wine that she brought from a recess,
+probably captured by Wildfoot himself from some wagon train.
+
+"I know it," she replied, her old eyes lifting up, "and glory be to God,
+they have been forced to run away from Philadelphia at last!"
+
+She passed presently into a rear room which seemed to be a kitchen, and
+Marcel said:--
+
+"A fine patriot, but has she no sons, nobody to help her here and to
+protect her, maybe?"
+
+"She can protect herself well enough," replied Wildfoot, "and there is
+nobody else in this house except a serving lad, who, I suspect, is in
+the kitchen helping himself to a little extra supper. But she has sons,
+three of them. They're in our business, and far away from here."
+
+"Three for the cause," I commented. "That is doing well."
+
+"Two fight for the Congress and one for the king," said Wildfoot. "The
+one who serves the king is her youngest and best beloved. Nothing can
+change that, although, as far as her power goes, the king has no greater
+opponent than she."
+
+"Strange!" said Marcel.
+
+But it did not seem so very strange to me.
+
+The woman was coming back, and I looked at her with deeper respect than
+ever. We talked a little more, and Wildfoot's questions disclosed that
+his object in coming to the house was to see if she had any better
+information than he had been able to pick up. But she could tell him of
+no hostile party that he might cut off.
+
+Our conversation was ended suddenly by a shock of red hair thrust in at
+the door, and a voice, coming from somewhere behind the red hair,
+announcing that some one was coming. It was the serving boy who gave us
+the timely warning.
+
+"It must be the enemy," said Wildfoot. "No Americans except ours are
+near here, and they would not come contrary to my express order. How
+many are they, Timothy?"
+
+"Three men on horseback, and they are British," replied Timothy.
+
+"You can go out the back way and escape into the forest without any
+trouble," said the woman.
+
+"I don't know that we want to escape," replied Wildfoot, "especially as
+we are three to three. Neither are we looking for a skirmish just now;
+so, by your permission, mother, we will step into the next room, and
+wait for your new guests to disclose themselves."
+
+Mother Melrose offered no objection, and we entered a room adjoining the
+one in which we had been eating. It was unlighted, but the house seemed
+to have been a sort of country inn in more peaceful times, and this
+apartment into which we had just come, was the parlor.
+
+"Leave the door ajar an inch or two, that we may see," said Wildfoot,
+and the woman obeyed. A minute later there was a heavy knock, as if
+whoever came, came with confidence. Mother Melrose opened the door in an
+unconcerned manner, as if such knocks were a common occurrence at her
+house, and three British officers entered, that is, two were Englishmen,
+and the third was a Hessian. The faces of the Englishmen were young,
+open, and attractive, but that of the Hessian I did not like. We did not
+dislike the English officers in this war, who were mostly honest men
+serving the cause of their country; but we did hate the Hessians, who
+were mere mercenaries, besides being more cruel than the British, and
+when I say "hate," I use the word with emphasis.
+
+They, too, seemed to have taken the place for a sort of country inn, and
+sat down at the table from which Mother Melrose had hastily cleared the
+dishes of our own supper.
+
+"Can't you give us something to eat, mistress?" asked one of the
+Englishmen. "We are tired of camp fare, and we pay gold."
+
+"Provisions are scarce," replied Mother Melrose; "but I am willing to do
+my best, because you travel in such haste that I may never have another
+chance to serve you."
+
+"She has pricked you very neatly, Osborne," laughed the other
+Englishman, "but I am free to confess that we would travel faster if the
+weather were not so deucedly hot. We don't have such a Tophet of a
+summer in England, and I'm glad of it. Any rebels about, mistress?"
+
+It was the merest chance shot, as we were ahead of the British army
+rather than behind it, and we were not expected in this quarter; but
+Mother Melrose never flinched. "No, you are safe," she replied.
+
+"That's for you, Hunston," said Osborne, laughing in his turn, "but I
+would have you to know, good mistress, that we are giving up
+Philadelphia to your great Mr. Washington out of kindness, pure
+kindness. He starved and froze, out there at Valley Forge, so long that
+we thought he needed a change and city comforts, and as there is plenty
+of room for all of ours in New York, we concluded,--and again I say it
+was out of the kindness of our souls,--to give him Philadelphia."
+
+"Well, the Lord loveth a cheerful giver," said Mother Melrose, with
+unction.
+
+Both Englishmen laughed again, and with great heartiness. Evidently they
+were men who knew that life was worth living, and were not prone to
+grieve over evils unbefallen. I was sorry that I could not laugh with
+them. There was no smile on the face of the ill-favored Hessian. His
+eyes wandered about the room, but he seemed to have no suspicion. I took
+it that his sour temper was the result of chronic discontent.
+
+"What ails you, Steinfeldt?" asked Osborne. "Why don't you look happy?
+Isn't the hospitality of the house all that you wish?"
+
+"Haven't you any wine?" asked Steinfeldt. "I can't drink the cursed
+drinks of this country, cider and such stuff! faugh!"
+
+Mother Melrose produced the same bottle from which she had poured wine
+for us, and filled the glasses.
+
+"That's better," said Steinfeldt. "Fill them again, can't you?" His eyes
+began to sparkle, and his face to flush. It was easy to tell his master
+passion. But Mother Melrose filled the glasses again, and then a third
+time, producing a second bottle. The house was better stocked than I had
+thought it could possibly be. Steinfeldt's temper began to improve under
+the influence of the liquor, and he grew talkative. Evidently Mother
+Melrose's taunt about the British evacuation of Philadelphia rankled in
+his mind, though the two Englishmen themselves had passed it off easily
+enough.
+
+"We will come back," he said. "You don't imagine that we will let Mr.
+Washington keep Philadelphia long?"
+
+"I don't think he will ask you about it," replied Mother Melrose.
+
+"It's too good a country to give up," continued Steinfeldt, "and we must
+keep it. It is rich land, and the women are fair. The men may not want
+us; but the women do."
+
+One of the Englishmen angrily bade him be silent; but the wine was in
+his blood.
+
+"But the women do want us, don't they?" he repeated to Mother Melrose.
+
+She lifted her hand, which was both large and muscular, and slapped him
+in the face. It was no light blow, the crack of it was like that of a
+pistol-shot, and Steinfeldt reeled in his chair, the blood leaping to
+his cheeks.
+
+"Damnation!" he cried, springing to his feet, and snatching his sword
+from its scabbard.
+
+"Steinfeldt, stop!" cried Osborne, "you cannot cut down a woman."
+
+"I wish you were a man," said the Hessian to Mother Melrose, "then you'd
+have to fight for that."
+
+"Don't trouble yourself about my not being a man," said she, coolly.
+"I'll fight you any way."
+
+One of the Englishmen had hung his sword and belt on the back of his
+chair while he ate, and, to my unbounded surprise, Mother Melrose
+stepped forward, took the sword, and putting herself in the attitude of
+a genuine fencing-master, faced the German. I was about to make a
+movement, but Wildfoot put a restraining hand on my shoulder. His other
+hand was on Marcel's shoulder.
+
+"Madame, what do you mean?" asked Osborne.
+
+"The gentleman seems to be angry, and I am the cause of his anger, so I
+offer him satisfaction," she replied. "He need not hesitate. I am
+probably a much better swordsman than he."
+
+Steinfeldt's face flushed. He raised his weapon, and the two swords
+clashed together. But we did not intend that the matter should go
+farther, and we stepped into the room just as the Englishmen also moved
+forward to interfere.
+
+Their surprise was intense, but they drew weapons promptly. Marcel,
+whose blood was hotter than mine or Wildfoot's, raised his hand as a
+signal to be quiet.
+
+"Since the German gentleman wants to have satisfaction, he ought to have
+it," he said, "and since he has insulted the women of our country, we
+also want the satisfaction which we ought to have. If the quarrel is
+not handsomely made up, I never heard of one that was. I'll take Mother
+Melrose's place."
+
+The woman put the sword on the table, and stepped aside, content with
+the way affairs were going. The Englishmen looked dubiously at us.
+
+"Why not?" asked Wildfoot.
+
+His query seemed pertinent to me. According to the military law, all of
+us ought to fight; but since we would make a most unpleasant muss in the
+house it was best that a champion of each side should meet. It was
+proper, too, that Marcel should be our man, since he was a better
+swordsman than I. Wildfoot was our leader, and it was not fitting for
+him to take the risk.
+
+"Why not?" continued Wildfoot. "I may tell you, gentlemen, that I have a
+large party near, and perhaps I could get help in time to make you
+prisoners, but I assure you that the affair would interfere with other
+and more important plans of mine. You would much better let them fight."
+
+The Englishmen whispered together a moment or two.
+
+"Let it be as you propose," said Osborne.
+
+Their eyes began to sparkle, and I saw that the love of sport, inherent
+in all Englishmen, was aroused. Marcel and Steinfeldt faced each other
+and raised their swords. I was astonished at the animosity showing in
+the eyes of these two men who had never seen each other until a few
+minutes ago and who had no real cause of quarrel. Yet they seemed to me
+at that moment to typify their two races which, since then, and in
+these Napoleonic times, have come into such antagonism. Still it would
+not be right to say that I care more for the French than for the
+Germans, although Marcel, who was of French descent, was my fast friend.
+I have no great admiration for the faults of either race.
+
+Steinfeldt was the larger and apparently the stronger of the two; but
+Marcel was more compact and agile, and I felt confident of his success.
+They crossed swords, testing each other's attack and defence, and then
+began to fight in earnest, their eyes gleaming, their faces hot, and
+their breath coming short and hard. A candle on a table cast a dim
+light, and shadows flickered on the floor.
+
+The German was no bad swordsman, and the influence of the wine had
+passed. At first he pressed Marcel back with fierce and rapid thrusts,
+and for a moment I was alarmed for my friend. Then I saw that Marcel's
+face was calm, and his figure seemed to gather strength. My eyes passed
+on to Mother Melrose; but she stood, impassive, against the wall,
+silently watching the swordsmen. A red head appeared at the kitchen
+door, and there was the serving lad following the contest with staring
+eyes. As for myself, I was uneasy. I did not like the situation; it
+seemed to me irregular, and we might be interrupted at any time by a
+force of the enemy. Yet I reasoned with myself that I should not be
+disturbed when Wildfoot, who was a veteran, seemed not to be, and I soon
+forgot my scruples in the ring of steel and the joy of combat that rose
+in my blood, as it had risen in that of the Englishmen.
+
+The Hessian paused a little, seeming to feel that he had been too
+violent in the beginning, and I noticed that his breath had shortened.
+Marcel, whose back was against the wall, feinted, and followed up the
+feint with a thrust, quick as lightning. But the Hessian had no mean
+skill, and he turned aside the blade which flashed by his arm with a
+soft sound like scissors snipping through cloth. His coat-sleeve was
+laid open and the flesh grazed.
+
+"He guards well," said one of the Englishmen, nodding towards
+Steinfeldt.
+
+The Hessian heard the remark, and it seemed to give him new strength.
+His sword became a beam of light, and he thrust so straight at Marcel's
+breast that I held my breath in fear; but my comrade was quick, and the
+blade, caught on his own, flashed harmlessly by.
+
+"Well fought; well fought, by Pollux!" exclaimed the Englishman Osborne.
+"This is worth seeing."
+
+The duellists were now almost in the centre of the room, and they paused
+a moment for breath. I knew, by the compression of their lips, that each
+was preparing for his greatest effort, and we were silent, awaiting the
+issue.
+
+The sword play began again, and the weapons rang across each other. The
+heavy breathing of the combatants sounded distinctly, and the soft beat
+of their footsteps, as they shifted about the room, made a light,
+sliding noise, like the restless tread of wild animals in a cage.
+
+The Hessian's sword passed close to Marcel's side, cutting his coat;
+but when Marcel's blade flashed in return, it came back with blood upon
+it. The keen edge had passed along the Hessian's wrist, leaving a red
+thread.
+
+The cut was not deep, but it had a sting to it, and Steinfeldt shut his
+teeth hard. Marcel's sword was now making lines of light about him, and
+the Hessian's part in the combat soon became a defence only. He was
+pressed back, an inch or two at a time, but without cessation. Then I
+saw the great skill of my comrade. His lips were shut tight, but his
+eyes remained calm and confident, and the sword seemed to have become a
+part of himself, so truly did it obey his will.
+
+The Hessian's face slowly darkened, and the light in his eyes, that had
+been the light of anger and defiance, became the light of fear. And it
+was the fear of death. He read nothing else in the gleaming blade and
+calm look of the man before him. Two or three drops of perspiration
+stood out on his forehead.
+
+"Bad, bad! Steinfeldt has lost!" I heard the Englishman Osborne say
+under his breath.
+
+I studied Marcel's face, but I could not discover his intentions there.
+That he carried the Hessian's life on the point of his sword, everyone
+in the room now knew, and the Hessian himself knew it best of all. But
+Steinfeldt had courage, I give him all credit for that, whatever else he
+may have been. A man must be brave to fight on, in the face of what he
+knows is certain death.
+
+Back went the Hessian, closer and closer to the wall, and always before
+him was the calm, unsmiling face and gleaming sword that whistled so
+near and threatened every moment to strike a mortal blow. The suspense
+became unbearable. I felt like crying out: "Have done and end such a
+game," and I bit my lip to enforce my own silence.
+
+The Hessian's back suddenly touched the wall, and the sword of Marcel
+flashed a second time along his wrist, leaving another red thread beside
+the first. Then it flashed back again, and the weapon of the Hessian,
+drawn from his hand, fell clattering on the floor.
+
+The defenceless man stood as if he expected a stroke; but I knew that
+Marcel would never give it. He thrust his own sword into its scabbard,
+bowed to his opponent with the easy and graceful politeness that he
+loved, and turned to us as if awaiting our will. I have often wondered
+where Marcel got that manner of his, and I have concluded that it came
+from his French blood.
+
+"Take your friend and go," said Wildfoot to the Englishmen. "He is not
+hurt much, and it is time for all of us to rejoin our commands."
+
+The Englishmen hesitated, as if it were not right for official enemies,
+in the height of a hot campaign, to part in such a manner. In truth, it
+was not, but Wildfoot had a set of military rules peculiarly his own,
+and was not called to account for anything that he might do.
+
+Their hesitation ceased quickly, and each taking an arm of Steinfeldt,
+they hurried with him out of the room, not neglecting, however, to give
+us a farewell salute. But they forgot to take Steinfeldt's sword, and
+Marcel, picking it up, said that he would keep it as a remembrance.
+
+"You must admit that Lieutenant Marcel made a good substitute for you,"
+said Wildfoot, turning to Mother Melrose.
+
+"None could have been better, but I might have beaten the Hessian
+myself," she replied sturdily. "My husband was a great swordsman and he
+taught me."
+
+It was now our turn to go, and we bade this remarkable old woman
+good-night. She showed no signs of fear and was already wiping from the
+floor the drops of blood that had fallen from Steinfeldt's wrist.
+
+We secured our horses again, and sprang upon their backs. I heard a
+faint sound like a laugh, and saw a broad smile on the face of Wildfoot.
+
+"I did not expect to see such fine sport when we went to the house," he
+said.
+
+The ranger obviously was enjoying himself. Events like this pleased his
+wild and energetic nature. I saw that he was in truth a man of the
+forests and the night and war, and loved danger.
+
+"Aside from the risk of a fight with them, I did not wish to hold those
+Englishmen," he continued. "Although they are not likely to report the
+full and exact facts of our meeting, they will say, when they rejoin
+their army, that the American forces are in the vicinity, and that is
+what I wish the British to know. Unless you are planning a secret
+attack, it is important to keep the enemy worried, to let him think
+that you are everywhere, and it will exhaust his strength and patience.
+Growing tired, he will do something rash and costly."
+
+I understood Wildfoot's logic; but I wondered what would be his next
+movement, waiting, however, as usual, to let the deed disclose itself.
+We rejoined our men, who were resting in the wood undisturbed, and all
+rode on another circuit.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX--_An Average Night with Wildfoot_
+
+
+The night was bright with the moonlight, and we soon saw the blaze of
+the British camp-fires again. We rode slowly towards them, and at last
+stopped at a distance of several hundred yards.
+
+"They should have a picket near here," said Wildfoot, "and I fancy it is
+over yonder in the shadow."
+
+He pointed towards a clump of trees on our right, and Marcel, whose eyes
+were wonderfully keen, announced that he saw there the color of
+uniforms.
+
+"Six men are in the group," said Wildfoot, a moment later, "and they
+appear to be resting, which is wrong. No British picket should be taking
+its ease in a campaign like this. We will furnish them some excuses for
+being on watch."
+
+He gave word to two of his men, who lifted their rifles and fired
+towards the group under the trees. I heard the bullets cutting through
+the leaves in the few minutes of intense silence that followed. Then a
+great clamor arose, the noise of many voices, a drum beating, and
+scattered shots returning our fire. We saw soldiers leap up in the camp
+and run to arms.
+
+We were far enough away to be hidden from the sight of our enemies, and
+we rode swiftly on, leaving the clamor behind us. It was a huge camp,
+spreading out for miles, and partly surrounded by woods, which always
+make easy the approach of a concealed foe. Yet there was not enough open
+space in the vicinity for the whole British army, and their commanders
+were not to blame.
+
+Wildfoot still led the way, appearing to know the country thoroughly. He
+divided our little force, presently, into three troops, naming a place
+at which we were to reunite some hours later. He placed trusted leaders
+over the first two troops, and took the third himself, Marcel and I
+being included in it. We rode through the deep woods, the twigs whipping
+our faces, but always ahead of us was the large dark figure of Wildfoot,
+horse and man passing on silently, like a ghostly centaur.
+
+In a half-hour we stirred up another picket, which saw us in the
+moonlight and fired their bullets so close to our heads that I felt
+anxious. But they were only four men, and we soon sent them running back
+to their army. Then an entire company came out to beat up the woods for
+us, but we were gone again, flitting on to new mischief. Wildfoot was an
+expert at this business. Anybody could see it at a glance. He knew when
+to do a thing, and when not to do it, which comes very near to being
+supreme wisdom. He knew whether to attack or to wait, whether to ride on
+or to stay, and the entire British right flank was soon in an uproar,
+their musketeers returning the fire of an enemy whom they could not
+see, and cavalry galloping through the forests after the foe whom they
+could not overtake. While Wildfoot led us often into danger, he always
+led us out again, and we continued our circle of the British camp, all
+our horsemen unharmed.
+
+"Isn't this glorious?" said Wildfoot to me presently. "Such nights as
+these a man remembers long."
+
+I gazed at him in wonder, but there was no sign of affectation in his
+voice or eye. I knew that there was none in his heart either. But I
+looked at my torn clothing, felt my bruised face, where the twigs had
+struck like switches, stretched my muscles, sore from so much riding,
+and replied,--
+
+"If I were the British commander, Captain Wildfoot, and I could catch
+you, I would hang you to the top of the tallest tree in this forest."
+
+"I admit that it is somewhat annoying," he replied, smiling broadly at
+what impressed him as a great compliment; "but, as I told you, we must
+not let the enemy dwell in peace. If we can disturb his sleep, impair
+his digestion, and upset his nerves, he won't be enthusiastic when he
+goes into real battle."
+
+A half-hour later we were dashing through the woods pursued by a
+formidable company, entirely too large for us to oppose, but again we
+were unharmed. In truth, the darkness--for the moon had faded
+somewhat--was our protector. The enemy could not see to hit us with the
+musket-bullets, and presently we gathered together again in the friendly
+shadows, with the hostile troop left far behind.
+
+"I wish I knew where General Clinton himself lies," said Wildfoot, who
+was ambitious. "I should like to send a bullet through his tent, not to
+hurt him, but merely to let him know that we are here."
+
+His face was full of longing, but there was no way for us to discover or
+approach General Clinton's tent, and I feared that his desire must go
+unfulfilled. Nevertheless, his zest and energy did not decrease, and he
+seemed bent upon completing the circuit of the British army with his
+irritating methods. I was worn to the bone, but in spite of it I caught
+some of Wildfoot's militant enthusiasm, and aided him to the utmost.
+
+Clouds obscured the moon again, and the added darkness helped us. After
+midnight we found a company camped on a hill-side on the fringe of the
+army, but a little farther from the main body than usual. The tethered
+horses grazed on the grass near by, and I was willing to swear that I
+knew several of them.
+
+"Yes," said Wildfoot, at whom I looked questioningly, "that's the
+company with which you rode the night you and Miss Desmond brought us
+the warning. I have no doubt that your friend Belfort, who was exchanged
+for you, and other friends of yours, too, are there. We will rouse them
+up a bit."
+
+He signalled to his men, and a half-dozen bullets clipped the grass
+among the tents. The return fire came in an instant, and it was much
+fiercer than we had expected. The musket-balls whistled around us, and
+two men and a horse were grazed. We sent back a second volley, and the
+British, rushing to their horses, galloped after us, at least a hundred
+strong. Away we crashed through the woods, expecting to shake them off
+in a few minutes, as we had rid ourselves of the others, but they
+managed to keep us in sight and hung on to the chase.
+
+"We must discourage such enthusiasm," said Wildfoot, and he gave orders
+to our men, who had reloaded their rifles, to fire again, cautioning
+them to take good aim. Two troopers fell to our volley, and others
+seemed to be hurt. The pursuit slackened for a few minutes, but was
+resumed to the accompaniment of scattering rifle-shots that urged us to
+renewed speed. Three of our men were wounded, though slightly, and the
+affair was growing decidedly warm.
+
+But the darkness of night and our knowledge of the country gave us a
+vast advantage, which we used to good purpose. Wildfoot ordered us to
+curve farther away from the British camp, and in five minutes we entered
+the deeper forest. Marcel and I were thankful now that Wildfoot had made
+us take the horses. All the men were specially well mounted, in truth,
+on horses trained for such work, and our pursuers began to diminish in
+number, the slower ones dropping off. They decreased rapidly from a
+hundred to fifty, and then to twenty-five, and then to less. But a small
+group clung persistently to us until at last Wildfoot laid a restraining
+hand on the rein of his horse, and said: "Not more than seven or eight
+men are following us now. We must show them that they are rash."
+
+We stopped and raised our rifles, all except Marcel and I, who had none,
+pistols taking their place. Our pursuers were too eager and too hot
+with the chase to notice instantly that we were no longer fleeing, and
+dashed at us like knights riding down an antagonist at a tournament. The
+man at their head was Belfort,--I saw him plainly,--who never lacked
+bravery and zeal, however unlikable he may have been otherwise. I had
+spared his life once, and I would not fire at him now, but of course I
+was not responsible for what the others might do.
+
+Our weapons flashed, and two of the pursuing horsemen fell. One horse
+also went down. The unhurt, warned by this terrible volley that they had
+come too far, whirled about and fled--all except two.
+
+The two who did not flee were a wounded man who had fallen from his
+saddle and the one whose horse had been killed. Both wore the uniform of
+officers.
+
+The dismounted man might have darted among the trees and eluded us
+easily, but he did not run. Instead he raised up his wounded companion,
+who began to limp away. I saw that the latter was Belfort, but I judged
+that he was not badly hurt, the blood on his coat indicating that the
+bullet had struck him in the shoulder. The moonlight fell on the face of
+the man who led him, and we saw that it was not a man at all, merely a
+fair-haired English boy of seventeen or eighteen years. He put his arm
+under Belfort's shoulder, and the two walked towards one of the horses
+that stood near with empty saddle.
+
+"Surrender!" shouted Wildfoot.
+
+The boy turned towards us, and his face showed defiance. Then he shook
+his fist, and walked on with his comrade towards his horse.
+
+We held the lives of both at our mercy, and the boy probably knew it,
+but he never flinched. We might fire or we might not; but he did not
+intend to desert a comrade or surrender. One of our men raised his
+rifle, but Wildfoot struck it down.
+
+"There is some English mother whom we can spare!" he said.
+
+So we sat there on our horses until the boy helped Belfort into the
+saddle, and climbed up behind him. Then he looked at us intently for a
+moment, and raised his hand. I thought he was going to shake his fist in
+our faces again; but the hand went to his head, and he gave us a
+military salute. Then, with his wounded comrade, he rode away towards
+the British army.
+
+"A fine spirit and fine manners," said Wildfoot.
+
+We, too, rode off in the forest, and I was very glad that the ranger had
+spared the boy. He had given me my life once, but then he knew that I
+was not an Englishman.
+
+There was no cessation of the work for hours, and we continued our
+circuit, stirring up alarm after alarm, Wildfoot, sleepless and
+untiring, at our head. At last when day was bright, and our three bands
+had reunited, he looked at the rising sun and said, with a deep sigh of
+regret:--
+
+"I'm afraid we'll have to quit and go back to General Washington's
+camp."
+
+"Don't you think that we've had rather an active night?" I asked.
+
+"It's been a fair average night," he replied.
+
+Such was the man.
+
+When the sun was well risen, we were riding into camp.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN--_Pure Gold_
+
+
+I was so sleepy and tired that I practically fell from my horse when we
+reached quarters; but I had slept only three or four hours when a
+messenger from General Washington himself came to me, bearing
+instructions for me to go to John Desmond's house in Philadelphia with
+ten armed men and bring what he would give. I was to show Mr. Desmond a
+sealed order which the messenger brought.
+
+The armed men were waiting, and I rode at their head to John Desmond's
+house, wondering what the nature of my errand could be. Yet my ill-humor
+at being awakened so early had vanished when I found where I was to go.
+It was Mr. Desmond's residence, not his counting-house, and I found him
+in the parlor, where I gave him a note. He was not alone. He sat at one
+side of a wide table and on the other side was a man whom I knew to be a
+trusted aide of General Washington. Between them lay a heap of shining
+gold of English and French coinage, and they were counting it. It was a
+fine yellow heap, one of the most luscious sights that I had beheld in a
+long time, and my eyes lingered over it.
+
+"It is this that you are to take," said Mr. Desmond, with a smile, and
+indicating the gold, when he had read my sealed order.
+
+"For what is it?" I could not restrain myself from asking.
+
+"For the cause," he replied. "It is the contribution of some of
+Philadelphia's merchants and bankers to the Continental army. They have
+awaited this opportunity a long time."
+
+I suspected that his own contribution was the largest of all, and such I
+afterwards found to be the truth.
+
+"It is well to be exact," continued Mr. Desmond, "and so we are counting
+it in order that Captain Reade here may give us a receipt for the exact
+amount. It will take us more than a half hour yet to finish the task,
+and you might walk into the garden while you are waiting."
+
+He indicated the way, and going into the garden I found Mary Desmond
+there. She wore June roses on her shoulder, their pink and red gleaming
+against her white dress, and her face was bright. The charm of her eyes
+did not depart in the daylight.
+
+"So you have come back unharmed," she said. "But you have returned
+early."
+
+"We have not fought the battle yet," I replied.
+
+"But you look worn," she said. "Have you not seen service?"
+
+"Yes," I replied, "I have spent a night on duty with Wildfoot."
+
+"I might have known," she replied, as she laughed. "That man never
+sleeps--at least not in the night. He is always seeking to do something
+for our cause, which may have friends more powerful, but never better."
+
+"I know it," I replied earnestly.
+
+We walked on between the flower beds. It was just such another garden as
+that at the Tory's house, in which we had talked at cross-purposes after
+our night's ride, but somehow we seemed to understand each other much
+better here. The atmosphere was different.
+
+I began to tell her of our night with Wildfoot, and first of our visit
+to the lonely house where Mother Melrose challenged the Hessian. Her
+eyes filled and grew tender.
+
+"I know her well," she said, "and she is as loyal and true as Wildfoot
+himself. She has been one of the links in our chain of communication
+with the American army, as perhaps Wildfoot told you. I have left
+messages there myself more than once, and sometimes I have urged her to
+go away to a safer place. But she seems never to be afraid in that
+lonely house!"
+
+I looked with admiration at this young girl who spoke with such praise
+of another's bravery, but was unconscious of her own.
+
+"But if Mrs. Melrose should be afraid there," I said, "should not you be
+afraid to ride alone, at night, in our service through the dangerous
+forests?"
+
+"I never thought of that," she replied simply. "I had ridden all about
+Philadelphia before the war, and I knew the country. It seemed easy for
+me to go, and I was sure that none would ever suspect me, I claimed to
+be such an ardent Tory, and I seemed to be all that I claimed. Then we
+needed friends in Philadelphia."
+
+"In truth we found the best," I replied with earnestness.
+
+She blushed, but did not look wholly displeased.
+
+"You flatter like a courtier, Lieutenant Chester," she said, "and this
+is too grave a time for flattery."
+
+"But were you never afraid?" I persisted.
+
+"Once I was," she said, "when some horsemen, I know not whether they
+were soldiers or robbers, pursued me. They followed me five miles; but
+my horse was too swift, and when they saw the lights of the picket they
+turned back. I had a pass from Sir William Howe, but I know that my hand
+trembled when I showed it to the sentinels. I was too ill to leave our
+house the next day, but I went again a week afterward."
+
+I looked with increasing wonder and admiration at the slender figure
+that could dare so much. If our women even were so brave, surely our
+cause could not fail!
+
+"Why did you talk so strangely to me when we met for the first time
+after that night's ride together?" I asked. "Why did you seem to have
+forgotten it or to pretend that it had never been?"
+
+"I did not know who and what you were as well then as I do now; Captain
+Wildfoot did not tell me," she replied. "One, perforce, had to be
+cautious then, Lieutenant Chester."
+
+"But were you not afraid that I would betray you after that ride we took
+together."
+
+"I was sure you would not do so."
+
+"Why?"
+
+She looked me directly in the eyes for a moment, and then turned her
+face away. But she was not so quick that I did not see the red coming
+into her cheeks.
+
+We walked on among the roses in the golden sunshine, and the time was
+all too short for me.
+
+"Will you not wish me success in the coming battle?" I asked, when they
+called me to take the gold.
+
+"Yes, and you may wear my colors, if they will last long enough," she
+said. She took one of the roses from her shoulder, and pinned it on my
+coat. As she bent her head over the rose, silken strands of her hair
+blew in my face.
+
+I forgot myself then, but I have no excuse for it now. I bent down
+suddenly and kissed her. She sprang away from me, uttering a little cry,
+and her cheeks were flaming red.
+
+"Mary," I said, "I don't ask any forgiveness. I kissed you because I
+could not help myself. You were not afraid that I would betray you after
+that ride to the American army, and it was because you knew that I loved
+you. No, I would not have betrayed you even had I been Lieutenant
+Melville, the British officer that I seemed to be. But much as I loved
+you then, I love you more now. Mary, will you marry me?"
+
+An elusive smile came into her eyes, as she made me a pretty bow, and
+replied: "Lieutenant Melville of Newton-on-the-Hill, Staffordshire,
+England, I thank you for your offer, but I have resolved never to marry
+an Englishman."
+
+Then, before I could stay her, she ran into the house. But she had left
+her rose with me, and I did not despair.
+
+I carried the gold to General Washington, and our main force pressed
+forward a little later in pursuit of the British army.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT--_At the Council Fire_
+
+
+The British, going from Philadelphia to New York, marched on a slightly
+curving route, while we, almost parallel with them, were advancing in a
+straight line; that is, they were the bent bow and we were its cord.
+Therefore we held the advantage, and it was obvious that we would
+overtake them. Great hopes began to rise among us. The British army was
+the larger, composed of regular troops, and far better armed than ours;
+but it had just given up the chief city of the colonies, and was in
+retreat. It was suffering from depression, while we were elated over the
+French alliance and the sudden and favorable turn of our fortunes. Many
+of us believed that a heavy blow, well directed, might now end the war.
+We heard, too, that it was General Washington's own hope, and it was my
+fortune to discover, through personal observation, that this was so.
+
+It was several nights after my return with the gold. Our scouts had been
+engaged in some skirmishing with British outposts, and just as the
+evening fell, Marcel and I returned with a report of it. The weather was
+still intensely hot, and the men, terribly tired by forced marches in
+such a temperature, were lying on the ground with their faces to the
+sky that they might feel the first coolness of the evening. The cooks
+were preparing supper, and fires blazed here and there; but we were too
+languid to show much energy, and the camp was unusually quiet.
+
+We made our report to the colonel; but he considered it of sufficient
+importance to be heard by the general-in-chief himself, and he directed
+me to take it to him.
+
+"You will find him among the trees," he said, pointing to a small wood.
+Under the boughs of the largest tree, a fire was burning and over it
+swung a camp-kettle. Several men, sitting on logs in front of the fire,
+were talking earnestly, and now and then looking at a map. The one who
+held the map was large and straight-shouldered, and I knew the figure to
+be that of the general-in-chief. As I approached, I recognized, too, the
+swarthy face of Charles Lee, the foreigner who came to us with such an
+air of superior wisdom, and whom we put in high place, but whom the real
+soldiers already hated. Then I recognized Wayne, with his trim figure
+and fine frank eyes, Greene, the silent Rhode-Islander who afterward
+became so great, and others.
+
+The council--if council it was--seemed to have developed some heat.
+General Washington's blue eyes plainly showed anger, and Lee was
+whipping his own high cavalry boots with a small switch. I approached
+with much embarrassment and hesitation. My Philadelphia exploits in
+company with Marcel were yet fresh in the memory of men, and to appear
+presumptuous was, of all things, the one that I wished least. I was
+sorry that Marcel had not been chosen to deliver the report. It was a
+situation that would have pleased him.
+
+But General Washington saw me as I came near, and delivered me from
+further embarrassment by calling to me in very kind tones,--
+
+"A report for me, is it not, Lieutenant Chester?" he asked.
+
+I said yes, and stated it briefly, while the others listened with
+attention. Then I stood awaiting the general's further orders.
+
+"It is just as I told you," he said emphatically to Charles Lee, and
+seeming to forget my presence. "Our army will overtake theirs in three
+days at furthest, and we must strike with all our strength. We may be
+able to destroy Clinton's army, and then our cause will be won."
+
+"But Clinton has more men than we," replied Charles Lee, in protesting
+tones, "and his equipment is much superior."
+
+"He retreats, and we pursue," said the general-in-chief.
+
+"That is true," rejoined Lee; "but I think we should be very cautious."
+
+His words and tone did not indicate zeal. How heartily I have since
+cursed the traitor, and how many others have done the same.
+
+"And why so cautious?" burst in the impetuous Wayne. "One cannot win a
+battle unless he fights!"
+
+"You might have found caution a good thing, General Wayne," replied Lee,
+in smooth, soft tones. "Remember how they cut you up at Paoli."
+
+Wayne flushed with anger, but he was too manly to deny his only
+disaster.
+
+"It is true," he said, "but the fault was mine. My troops did not get a
+chance to fight. Here they will have it."
+
+"We shall invite our own rout," said Lee. "The Americans cannot stand
+the British grenadiers."
+
+It was the feeling of an old race towards a new one that spoke in him,
+and this man, who proved himself a traitor to two countries, the old and
+new, was unwise enough to say it.
+
+"You are mistaken," said the commander-in-chief, promptly and
+emphatically. "That is a delusion which the British may cherish, but not
+we. This war has furnished too many instances to the contrary. The
+attack shall be made, General Lee, and you shall lead it. We must end
+this war as soon as possible, and benefit two nations; for I take it
+that Englishmen do not love to kill Americans, any more than Americans
+love to kill Englishmen."
+
+Throughout the talk Greene said nothing, sitting there upon the log,
+looking calm and decided. I like this quality of stanchness in the New
+Englanders. They stick fast, whatever else you may say about them, and
+that I think wins more than anything else.
+
+I received my instructions a moment later and retired. As I walked away,
+I met Marcel.
+
+"Was it a council of war?" he asked.
+
+"I think so."
+
+"I hope that you gave them the proper instructions."
+
+"I did my best," I replied in the same spirit.
+
+"They had no right to expect more," rejoined Marcel; "but it's a great
+pity I was not in your place."
+
+Perhaps he would have given them advice. Marcel had great confidence in
+his judgment.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE--_Under the Apple-Trees_
+
+
+We lay gasping under the apple-trees. The hottest sun that ever I felt
+or saw, was dissolving our muscles and pinning us to the earth, mere
+flaccid lumps. The heat quivered in the air, and the grass turned dry
+blades to the brown soil. I ran my finger along the bare edge of my
+sword, and the skin was scorched. My throat burned.
+
+"What a day to fight!" said Marcel. "The red coats that the British over
+yonder wear blaze like fire, and I dare say are as hot. I wish I were a
+private and not an officer. Then I could strip myself."
+
+He looked longingly at a huge soldier who had taken off coat and shirt,
+and was lying on the grass, naked to the waist, his rifle ready in his
+hands.
+
+"Leave old Father Sun alone," I said: "I believe he will settle the
+business for both armies. At least he seems to be bent upon doing it."
+
+I tried to look up at the sun, but His Majesty met me with so fierce a
+stare that I was glad to turn my eyes again, blinking, to the earth.
+When they recovered from the dimness, I looked along the line of panting
+soldiers, and saw one who had dropped his rifle on the grass and flung
+his arms out at ease.
+
+"Stir up that man, there," I said; "he must keep his rifle in hand and
+ready."
+
+"If you please, sir," said the bare-waisted soldier, "he won't be
+stirred up."
+
+"Won't be stirred up?" I said, with natural impatience; "why won't he?"
+
+"Because he can't be," said the soldier.
+
+"Can't be?" I said, not understanding such obstinacy. "What do you
+mean?"
+
+"He can't be stirred up," replied the soldier; "because he's dead, sir."
+
+I examined the man, and found that it was true. We had marched long and
+hard in the stifling heat before we lay down in the orchard, and the
+man, overpowered by it, had died so gently that his death was not known
+to us. We let him lie there, the dead man in the ranks with the quick.
+
+"Doesn't the concussion of cannon and muskets cause rain sometimes?"
+asked Marcel.
+
+"I have heard so," I replied. "Why?"
+
+"Because, if it does," said Marcel, "I hope the battle will be brought
+on at once, and that it will be a most ferocious contention. Then it may
+cause a shower heavy enough to cool us off."
+
+"Whether it brings rain or not," I said, "I think the battle will soon
+be upon us."
+
+Up went the sun, redder and fiercer than ever. The heavens blazed with
+his light. The men panted like dogs, and their tongues hung out. The red
+coats of the British opposite us looked so bright that they dazzled my
+eyes. The leaves of the apple-trees cracked and twisted up.
+
+"It would be funny," said Marcel, "if the British were to charge upon us
+and find us all lying here in a placid row, dead, killed by the sun."
+
+"Yes," said I, "it would be very funny."
+
+"But not impossible," said the persistent Marcel.
+
+We lay near the little town of Freehold in the Jersey fields, where we
+had overtaken the retreating British, and intended to force a battle,
+although we were much inferior in numbers and equipment.
+
+I can say with truth that the men were eager for the fight. They had
+starved long at Valley Forge, and now with full stomachs they had come
+upon the heels of a flying enemy. Moreover, we had been raised up
+mightily by the French alliance. We did not know then how much the
+French were to disappoint us, and how little aid they were to give us
+until the final glorious campaign.
+
+"Listen!" exclaimed a soldier near me.
+
+"What is it, Alloway?" I asked.
+
+"The battle! It's begun!" he replied.
+
+The sound of a rifle-shot came through the hot air across the fields,
+and then many more sang together. A half mile away, under the low lines
+of trees, a cloud of smoke was rising, and the base of it was red with
+flashes. Presently a cannon boomed its deeper note, and the echo of
+shouts came faintly. At last the battle had begun, and our men, panting
+already in the heat, grew hotter with impatience. It was hard to lie
+there under the burning sun while the battle swelled, without us. But we
+had no choice, and we pulled at the dry grass, while we watched the
+growing combat.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER THIRTY--_The Defence of the Gun_
+
+
+Marcel and I, with some others, were moved presently to the outskirts
+with the skirmishers. We lay among some trees by the roadside, and in
+the road one of our cannon with its complement of men was stationed to
+drive back a large body of the British troops which threatened us on
+that wing. We did not have to wait long for the attack. The heavy red
+squares of the English appeared, pressing down the road. Then the gun, a
+beautiful bronze twelve-pounder, became active, and the men who fought
+it were full of zeal.
+
+They fired for a time, working rapidly, skilfully, and without friction,
+like a perfect machine, only the sergeant in command speaking, his
+short, sharp orders snapping out like the crackling of a whip. The faces
+of all were impassive, save for the occasional flash of an eye when a
+shot beat its fellows. The gun was alive now, pouring a stream of
+missiles from its bronze throat, the British replying with both cannon
+and muskets.
+
+Presently the men fell back a little with the gun, until they came to a
+hillock, and then unlimbered again just beyond the crest, where they
+were somewhat sheltered. They seemed to think that the new position was
+good, and they would fight where they were. Ross, the sergeant in
+command, a tall, thin Jerseyman with an impassive face, gave the order
+to unlimber the cannon, and the six horses dragged the limber to the
+proper distance in the rear. At an almost equal distance in the rear of
+the limber stood the caisson, also with its six horses. The chief of
+caisson, a short, stout man, was behind the limber ready to supply
+ammunition when needed, his face calm, his nerves unmoved by the roar
+and blaze of the combat, which rolled towards him in a flaming curve,
+tipped with steel.
+
+There were thirteen men with the gun and caisson, and the eyes of all
+were on Sergeant Ross, who commanded it, a man worthy of his post and
+fit for battle. The twelve horses stood in the rear. We were still near
+them among the trees by the roadside, firing our rifles, and could hear
+the few words that they said.
+
+"We must stay here," resumed Sergeant Ross to the corporal, his gunner,
+a tall, thin Jerseyman like himself and as calm and impassive. The
+corporal looked at the heavy squares pressing forward as if to crush
+them, listened a moment to the swell of the battle, but said nothing.
+The men were at work already, serving in silence.
+
+There had been no lull in the combat, and the advancing British line
+looked like a red wave of fire. A shell burst over the men around the
+gun, and a fragment struck the lead horse of the limber chest in the
+neck. The animal uttered a single neigh of pain, and then let his head
+drop, while the blood poured from his wound. His eye expressed
+melancholy and resignation precisely like that of a stricken veteran. He
+fell softly in a few moments, and died.
+
+The battle was coming very near, and made many threats. The reserve men
+cut the gear of the dead horse, dragged his body aside, and replaced him
+with one of the six from the caisson. They did this without comment, and
+the sergeant and the gunner took no notice.
+
+"To your posts!" called Sergeant Ross.
+
+His men sprang instantly to position. No. 7 took a charge of shot and
+powder from the limber chest and passed it to No. 5, who handed it to
+No. 2. No. 2 inserted it in the gun, while No. 1 rammed it home. The
+gunner took aim at the black mass of the British army, red at the crest
+with flame. Sergeant Ross gave the command to fire, and No. 4 obeyed.
+The twelve-pound shot rushed through the air, but though watching and
+eager to see, the men could not tell what damage it had done. The
+advancing line was hidden at that moment by the floating smoke and the
+flash of the firing. Those at the gun bent to their work. No. 1 ran his
+sponge into the black muzzle, swabbed out the barrel, and No. 2 inserted
+a fresh charge. These impassive men seemed to show no fear; they loaded
+and fired as if unconscious of the showers of balls and bullets.
+
+The British army pushed on, and its line of battle converged nearer, but
+the men at the gun were still without emotion. This machine, whose parts
+were human beings, worked in a beautiful way, and we admired them.
+Again the cannon was alive, pouring forth its rapid stream of shot.
+
+"We must drive 'em back!" said Sergeant Ross.
+
+"We'll blow 'em to hell with this twelve-pounder," said the corporal.
+
+He patted the gun, a polished piece kept in perfect order. They fired
+again, and the shattered British line crumpled up before the rage of the
+twelve-pounder, which was pouring its fire into it, faster and faster;
+the rows had already become thinner at that point, the bulk of the force
+turning aside against the heavier Continental battalions. The hopes of
+the men with the gun rose.
+
+"We'll mow 'em down," said No. 1, the sponger and rammer, a boy of
+twenty.
+
+They showed feeling at last, and their faces brightened up. They were
+young, in fact, boys rather than men; the oldest of them was under
+twenty-five, and the youngest was not more than seventeen.
+
+The battle veered a little, and thundered to right and left; but the
+thinner line in front of the gun was still advancing, and its muskets
+threatened. A battery, a little distance in its rear, threw shot over
+its head; but the regular and precise work of the men was not disturbed.
+
+"Depress that gun a bit!" said Ross to the corporal, in his sharp,
+snapping voice. It was done. The discharge that followed swept down a
+row of advancing men in red. The gunner smiled, and the captain of the
+gun nodded approvingly. The cannoneers said nothing, but No. 7 passed
+another cartridge.
+
+A shell screamed through the air, took off Sergeant Ross's head and
+passed on. The corporal made no comment, but joined the duties of
+captain of the gun to his own duties as gunner. The regularity and
+precision of the work was not disturbed for a moment. The gun had
+aroused more attention in the British lines, and it became necessary to
+silence it and destroy the men who served it. It was merely a small
+incident in the course of a great battle, but the gun had become an
+obstacle.
+
+"They know we are here," said the corporal to the new gunner, a faint
+smile appearing on his brown face.
+
+"Yes, and they are throwing us bouquets," replied the gunner, as a
+shower of bullets flew over their heads.
+
+There was a crash in their ears, a blaze of light like that struck by
+steel, and the cannon toppled over. The four men nearest it fell to the
+ground, three sprang up quickly; but the fourth, who was No. 5, a
+cannoneer, lay still and dead. A reserve man instantly took his place.
+The others ran anxiously to the cannon. They paid no attention to the
+dead man. The wounded gun was of far more importance than many men.
+
+"The wheel's smashed! No harm beyond that!" said the corporal. Then he
+shouted,--
+
+"Change wheels!"
+
+The rubbish was dragged away, the extra wheel, provided for such cases,
+was brought as by another turn of the perfect machine from its place on
+the caisson, and fitted on the axle. No. 4, a cannoneer, was killed by
+a bullet while they were doing it; but the second reserve man took his
+place, and the battery went on with its work as well as ever.
+
+The gun was fired rapidly again, and the men saw that the effect was
+good; the red line of their enemy had been shattered once more. The
+corporal glanced a little to the left, and said, in an unchanged voice:
+
+"A cavalry charge is coming; stand steady!"
+
+The red line of infantry was suddenly blotted out, and in its place a
+line of horsemen rose out of the smoke. They were riding at a gallop,
+firing from their pistols, their sabres ready for the swinging blow when
+the charge was driven home, a swelling wave, edged with fire and steel.
+It was a glittering and magnificent sight.
+
+The boys about the gun looked anxious at the sight of the cavalry, but
+the corporal was calm.
+
+"Load with grape, triple charges!" he said, and his voice cracked louder
+and sharper than ever.
+
+The grape, triple charges, was rammed into the twelve-pounder, and the
+wonderful machine that handled the gun increased its speed. The British
+cavalry galloped into a stream of fire. The gun was hidden from them by
+the incessant blaze and smoke of its discharges, and the triple loads of
+grape whizzed among them, killing horses and horsemen, destroying the
+precision of their ordered lines, crumpling up those in front, and
+heaping the dead in the way of those behind. But the unslain horsemen
+galloped on, and always before them roared the engine of death, the gun,
+and always about them whistled the showers of grape. Presently they
+were into the flame and the smoke, and before them rose the gun and its
+detachment.
+
+"Stretch prolonge ropes!" shouted the corporal to his men.
+
+The drivers cracked their whips over the horses, and whirled the caisson
+and the limber chest about, bringing them, horses and all, into line
+with the piece, and in a moment, heavy ropes were stretched from the
+cannon to the limber chest, and from the limber chest to the caisson,
+and the fighting men were crouching in their appointed positions between
+the wheels, and around the gun, holding in hand their pistols and
+artillery swords, short, heavy weapons with which they could slash as
+with axes. The cavalry company was charging upon a breastwork held by an
+armed force.
+
+"Let 'em have it with the pistols!" cried the corporal to his men.
+
+The pistols began to crack, and more holes appeared in the charging
+lines of horsemen. When a trooper was hit hard in the breast or
+shoulder, up went his hands, and he fell back from his horse; if struck
+in the limbs, he fell forward and rolled off. Some horses that had lost
+their riders kept place in the charge and galloped on. Two or three
+others turned to one side, and ran about, neighing with fear and alarm,
+but would not leave the field. All sprang aside when they came to a
+wounded or dead man lying on the ground.
+
+The cavalry company was not large, and many saddles were empty before it
+smashed into the gun and its defenders. Then a terrible tumult arose.
+There was a confused mêlée of rearing horses, men leaning in the saddle,
+firing with pistols and slashing with sabres. Other men, brown and wiry,
+reaching over and bending forward among the wheels, striking upward with
+short heavy swords, killing horses and riders, and darting about like
+Indians, evading alike the hoofs of the horses and the slashes of the
+horsemen. There was a sickening whit of steel cutting through flesh, the
+gasp of last and hard-drawn breaths, and the sound of falls. The horses
+became entangled among the ropes, and stumbled over the gun and caisson,
+throwing their riders to the earth. The sinewy forms of their enemies
+slipped in and out like snakes, escaping the blows aimed from above, but
+steadily deepening the stains on their own red swords. Shouts, cries,
+and the stamp of horses' feet came from the whirling ball of fire and
+smoke, which began presently to throw forth men and horses. The
+cavalrymen who still rode, galloped away, and those who were on foot
+now, followed. Many of the horses were riderless, and they joined others
+that ran up and down the field, always keeping the battle in view. Then
+the ball split asunder entirely, and each half began to shred off in
+fragments; the dying combat, and the men, the living and the dead, rose
+out of it. The ground over which they had fought was a soaking red mire,
+and the wheels of cannon, caisson, and limber were sunk deep in it. But
+the cavalry had been beaten; entangled in the breastwork of the gun and
+its equipment and the prolonge ropes, they had been unable to withstand
+the slashing and the thrusting of the short artillery swords, and those
+who lived fled to the main line of their army, knowing their defeat and
+not seeking to hide it. A trumpet sounded the recall, and the riderless
+horses, ceasing their restless race to and fro on the field, fell into
+line like the veterans they were, and followed the bugler back to the
+army which owned them.
+
+The men about the gun may have enjoyed their victory; but they gave no
+sign, and the seven who were left, four having fallen, were reloading as
+if nothing had happened to interrupt the regular firing of their one gun
+battery. No. 1, the sponger and rammer, had been killed by a
+pistol-shot. No. 2 had taken his place, his own place being taken in
+turn by No. 3, and so on, each moving up a step in the promotion of
+death. There was no reserve men now, and the force at the caisson was
+reduced. The corporal was bleeding from a sabre-cut on the head; but he
+took no notice of it, nor did the men comment on the appearance of his
+face, which was dyed red. Such things had grown common.
+
+"We gave 'em hell that time," said the corporal.
+
+"And we can do it again," said he who had been No. 2, but now was No. 1.
+
+The men, though saying nothing, began to feel their victory. They were
+making a great fight and they knew it. Their beloved cannon was
+excelling itself. They patted the barrel and the wheels, and ran their
+hands along the shining bronze, saying, "Good old boy!" and "Well done!"
+The prolonge ropes were taken down, the limber chest and caisson were
+sent back to the rear, and the great one gun battery again went into
+action.
+
+"Aim at that mass of infantry across the hill there," said the corporal,
+and the shot was placed in the appointed spot.
+
+The fires of many British guns was turned upon this cannon which had
+become most annoying, stinging like a wasp. The defeat of the cavalry
+furnished mortification too, and the necessity to silence the gun and
+annihilate its detachment grew more imperative. A sleet of lead and iron
+beat about it. A hot shot struck the limber chest, and a volcano of fire
+and smoke, accompanied by a terrific explosion, gushed up. Pieces of
+iron and steel and oaken wood whizzed through the air, and for a few
+moments both men and horses were blinded by the dazzling burst of flame.
+
+The limber chest was no longer there; but a deep hole appeared in the
+earth where it had been, and the space about it was strewed with old
+iron. It had been blown up by the hot shot, and the corporal, who was
+taking charges from the chest, and three horses were blown up with it.
+The other horses, torn loose from their gear and chest, had run away,
+bleeding. The new driver of the caisson cracked his whip over the heads
+of his horses, and whirled the limber into the place of the limber
+destroyed. The chief of caisson proceeded to supply ammunition to the
+gun, which did not slacken its industry.
+
+The main battle rolled a little further away, and the horses and the gun
+formed a projection of the American line extending into the British. But
+the nature of the ground on either side, and the occupation furnished by
+our army to the bulk of the British troops, protected their flanks. The
+danger lay directly in front of them.
+
+The gun was getting hot, and they were forced to let it cool a little.
+
+The corporal watched the enemy, while his gun rested. He never turned
+his eyes towards his comrades, knowing they would do their duty.
+
+"They advance slowly," he said to the new No. 1.
+
+"They do not like the kisses of old Hammer and Tongs here," replied No.
+1, patting the gun.
+
+"Is that sponge burnt out?" asked the corporal.
+
+No. 1 did not reply.
+
+"Why don't you answer?" asked the corporal, a little impatiently.
+
+"He's quit talking," said Acting No. 2.
+
+The corporal did not ask, as he knew there could be only one reason for
+No. 1's inability. A bullet had passed through the man's heart, and he
+had died gracefully and without noise. All the men moved up another
+step, but both the gun and the caisson were shorthanded. They were too
+few now to have repulsed a second cavalry charge; but, luckily for them,
+the second charge was not forthcoming. Infantry and guns alone were
+before them.
+
+"Begin firing!" said the corporal.
+
+The silent Jerseyman who was chief of caisson passed the charges, and in
+a moment the deep note of the gun blended with the surge and roar of the
+battle. Shot followed shot. The machine was reduced, but no change was
+apparent in the quantity or quality of its work.
+
+"The old gun can still talk good English," said the corporal, with
+intense satisfaction.
+
+A fragment of grape cut him in half. The chief of caisson was promoted
+to the command of the gun, and took his new office without friction or
+delay. Six men with such a willing and experienced cannon could yet hold
+eloquent converse with their enemy. Still there were disadvantages. The
+force at the limber was so small that the charges were handled with
+difficulty, and the firing speed was reduced. The hostile line of battle
+was pressing alarmingly near, and, moreover, it had begun at last to
+converge on the flanks of the gun. Although we with our rifles were
+protecting them as much as we could, one of the reserve men looked
+behind him and spoke of retreat.
+
+"This gun is tired of retreating," said the new captain. "It stays right
+here, and we stay with it."
+
+Fierce and defiant, the rapid note of the twelve-pounder boomed out.
+
+A minute later the new wheel that had been supplied to it from the
+caisson was smashed like its predecessor by a round shot; to fill its
+place, they took off the hinder part of the caisson, leaving it a
+cripple, and put it on the gun, which became again as good as new.
+
+The fire of the twelve-pounder was undiminished.
+
+"We still hold 'em back; we've won our day's pay and perhaps a little
+more," remarked the new captain, rather in a tone of soliloquy than
+address.
+
+The balance of pay was never collected. A whiff of grape exterminated
+him and the man who stood nearest him, and the gun had only four
+assistants in its work. Two of these four men were wounded, and they
+might have thought of retreat; but a shot struck the caisson, blew it
+up, and killed the drivers, and all the horses except two. It was no
+longer possible to carry away the gun, and the three men who were left
+would not abandon it to the enemy.
+
+The surviving horses hovered near, turning about in a small circle.
+
+The man who had been No. 5, a cannoneer, was the senior, and took
+command. He was wounded, but he lost little blood and concealed the
+hurt.
+
+"Shall we run?" asked one of his comrades.
+
+"One more shot for good count!" he replied.
+
+They aimed with deliberation, though the balls and bullets rained around
+them. The cannoneer chose the densest red of the advancing mass, and
+sent the shot straight to the mark. Before the smoke from the discharge
+sank, three British shells burst, almost simultaneously, among the last
+defenders, and when the smoke cleared no one was standing there. The
+gun, blown from its wheels and torn open at the breech, was useless
+forever.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE--_A Battle and An Answered Question_
+
+
+The gun and its defenders were gone, but the heavy British force had
+been held off our flank long enough to suit our purpose. Our line,
+during the interval, had extended itself in such a manner that now it
+could not be surrounded, and we resumed our original place in the
+centre, where the battle was increasing.
+
+The columns of smoke before us rose and broadened, the flashes of fire
+that shot through it, increased and twinkled in thousands. The shouting
+came more distinctly to our ears, and the drifting smoke made the dense
+tremulous heat more oppressive. I knew that Charles Lee commanded our
+engaged division, and, having in mind the talk at the council fire, I
+was uneasy. If only Wayne or Greene were there!
+
+The cloud of fire and smoke suddenly began to move towards us, and the
+shouting grew louder. The battle was shifting its face, and approaching
+us. It had but one meaning, and that was the retreat of the Americans. A
+universal groan arose from our ranks.
+
+"It can't be! It can't be!" shouted Marcel, and he swore.
+
+But it was. Across the fields came our men in full flight, with Charles
+Lee himself, thrice-accursed traitor, at their head. All the world knows
+how he ordered his own men to flee, when they were winning the victory,
+and it need be told to no one what such a movement would mean to an army
+in the height of a battle. I could have wept for despair at this lost
+opportunity, at this useless flight which might mean our own
+destruction. On streamed the fugitives, and suddenly a great man on a
+great horse galloped forward to meet them. Everybody in our company knew
+that the rider was Washington, and we uttered a mighty shout. Then we
+were silent, while Washington rode directly in front of Charles Lee, and
+stopped his horse across his path.
+
+We could not hear the words that were said, the words that must have
+burned into the man's soul; but we saw the red, wrathful face of
+Washington, and the white, scared face of Lee. Never was Washington so
+fiercely angry, and never with better cause. Branding the traitor with
+hot words, he sent him away under arrest, and then, among the stinging
+bullets, he reformed the men, who cheered their great commander, turned
+their faces to the enemy, and began anew the battle that had been all
+but lost.
+
+"Leftenant," said the bare-waisted man, who had been so thirsty, and who
+had accompanied us with the skirmishers, "ain't it about time to let us
+have another drink? The inside of my throat's so dry it's scalin' off."
+
+We had filled our canteens with water before this last march; but I had
+allowed my men to drink but sparingly, knowing how much they would need
+it later. Now I pitied them as well as myself, and I gave the word to
+turn up the canteens; but I ordered that the drink should be a very
+short one.
+
+Up went the canteens as if they had been so many muskets raised to
+command. There was a deep grateful gurgle and cluck along the whole line
+as the water poured into the half-charred throats of the men. But Marcel
+and I had to draw our swords and threaten violence before they would
+take the canteens away from their lips.
+
+"Leftenant," said the bare-waisted man, reproachfully, "I was right in
+heaven then, and you pulled me out by the legs."
+
+"Then you may be sent back to heaven or the other place soon enough," I
+said, "for here come the British. Ready, men!"
+
+"Confound the British!" growled the big man. "I don't mind them, but I
+hate to be baked afore my time."
+
+The British opposite the orchard, who, like ourselves, had been waiting,
+were forming in line for an attack. The trumpets were blowing gayly, and
+the throbbing of the drums betokened the coming conflict. Presently
+across the fields they came, a long line of flashing bayonets and red
+coats, with the cavalry on either wing galloping down upon us. General
+Wayne himself passed along our line, and, like Putnam at Bunker Hill,
+told our men to be steady and hold their fire until the enemy were so
+close that they could not miss.
+
+The British fired a volley at us as they rushed across the fields, and
+then, with many an old score to settle, we rose and poured into them, at
+short range, a fire that swept away their front ranks and staggered the
+column. But they recovered, and charged us with the bayonets, and we met
+them with clubbed rifles, for few of us had bayonets.
+
+In a moment we were in a fierce turmoil of cracking guns, flashing
+swords, and streaming blood and sweat. The grass was trampled into the
+earth; the dust arose and clogged our throats and blinded our eyes. Over
+us the sun, as if rejoicing in the strife and seeking to add to it,
+poured his fiercest rays upon us, and men fell dead without a wound upon
+them. A British sergeant rushed at me with drawn sword when I was
+engaged with another man, and I thought the road to another world was
+opening before me; but when the Englishman raised his sword to strike,
+the weapon dropped from his limp fingers to the ground, and he fell
+over, slain by the sun.
+
+Had the cavalry been lucky enough to get in among us with their sabres,
+they might have broken our lines and thrust us out of the orchard; but
+we had emptied many a saddle before they could come up, and the horses
+that galloped about without riders did as much harm to the enemy as to
+us. The British showed most obstinate courage, and their leader, a fine
+man, Colonel Monckton, I afterwards learned his name to be, encouraged
+them with shouts and the waving of his sword, until a bullet killed him,
+and he fell between the struggling lines.
+
+"Come on!" I shouted, under the impulse of the moment, to the men near
+me. "We will take off his body!"
+
+Then we rushed upon the British column. Some of our men seized the body
+of their fallen leader, and they made a fierce effort to regain it. But
+the British did not have raw militia to deal with this time, and,
+however stern they were in the charge, equally stern were we in
+resisting it. The colonel's body became the prize for which both of us
+fought; and we retained our hold upon it.
+
+The clamor increased, and the reek of blood and sweat thickened. The
+pitiless sun beat upon us, and rejoiced as we slew each other. But,
+however they strove against us, we held fast to the colonel's body; nay,
+more, we gained ground. Twice the British charged us with all their
+strength, and each time we hurled them back. Then they gave up the
+struggle, as well they might, and with honor too, and fell back, leaving
+us our apple orchard and their colonel's body. We had no intent but to
+give suitable burial to the fallen chief, and a guard was formed to
+escort his remains to the rear.
+
+As the broken red line gave ground, some of their men turned and fired a
+few farewell shots at us. I felt a smart blow on my skull, as if some
+one had suddenly tapped me there with a hammer. As I threw up my hands
+with involuntary motion to see what ailed me, black clouds passed of a
+sudden before my eyes, and the earth began to reel beneath me. Marcel,
+who was standing near, turned towards me with a look of alarm upon his
+face. Then the earth slid away from me, and I fell. Ere I touched the
+ground my senses were gone.
+
+When I opened my eyes again, I thought that only a few minutes had
+passed since I fell; for above me waved the boughs of one of the very
+apple-trees beneath which we had fought. Moreover, there were soldiers
+about, and the signs of fierce contention with arms were still visible.
+But when I put one of my hands to my head, which felt heavy and dull, I
+found that it was swathed in many bandages.
+
+"Lie still," said a friendly voice, and the next moment the face of
+Marcel was bending over me. "You should thank your stars that your skull
+is so thick and hard, for that British bullet glanced off it and
+inflicted but a scalp-wound. As it is, you have nothing but good luck.
+The commander-in-chief himself has been to see you, and has called you a
+most gallant youth. Also, you have the best nurse in America, who,
+moreover, takes a special interest in your case."
+
+"But the army! The battle!" I said.
+
+"Disturb not your mighty mind about them," said Marcel. "We failed to
+destroy the enemy, having to leave that for a later day; but we won the
+battle, and the British army is retreating towards New York. I imitate
+it, and now retreat before your nurse."
+
+He went away, and then Mary Desmond stood beside me. But her face was no
+longer haughty and cold.
+
+"You here!" I cried. "How did this happen?"
+
+"When the American army followed the retreating British, we knew there
+would be a battle," she said. "So I came with other women to nurse the
+wounded, and one of them I have watched over a whole night."
+
+She smiled most divinely.
+
+"Then, Mary," I cried, with an energy that no wound could lessen, "will
+you not marry an American?"
+
+Her answer?
+
+It was not in words, but I saw in her eyes the light that shines for
+only one, and I asked no more.
+
+
+THE END
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of In Hostile Red, by Joseph  Altsheler
+
+*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 41050 ***