The younger Tory was silent for a minute or two, and then he asked:
“Father, what do you make of that?”
“I can hardly believe it,” the old man gasped. “Why didn’t he make himself known?”
“I don’t know,” Brandt answered bluntly, “unless it was a freak, such as you have sometimes shown.”
Instead of being offended, the old Tory laughed.
“Hiram would hate to admit the boy was anything like me,” he said.
“Well,” the captain went on, “Burgoyne speaks in the highest terms of the lad’s services, of his loyalty, his fidelity, and ability. When he returned from Bennington, where the general sent him to spy out the land, he brought with him a list of all the stores, and of every farm in the vicinity where cattle and horses could be found. I saw it myself, and told the general if he had given Ira command of the forces, instead of Baum, he’d have brought everything back with him.”
“What did Baum do?”
“Allowed his force to be crushed, or nearly so. With St. Leger’s retreat Burgoyne will feel that he is left alone.”
“Where is he now?”