"Where are we goin'?" Jim Freeman asked, impatient to know more regarding our purpose.
"That's what I can't say, lad. We'll run down till we see somethin' of the Britishers, even though we come off the Tangiers again; but I'm thinkin' we'll do well if we make Hog Point this trip."
Jim would have asked more questions; but that Darius cut him short by saying gruffly:
"There's a decently good reason for believin' that the enemy may show himself any minute now, an' if we don't want to get into trouble it'll be safe to hold our peace. There'll be plenty of time for tongue-waggin' later."
It can be fancied that we remained silent after such a remark and the old man kept four of us at the paddles constantly, himself doing twice as much work as any other, while the helmsman occupied that post only in order to rest himself, the steering blade being shifted from one to the other accordingly as we grew tired.
For the fourth time we passed Benedict without making a stop, but on this occasion I made no protest, and when we had run a mile further down the river we came upon a pungy belonging to our village, the master of which was evidently doing his best to get all the speed possible out of the craft.
"Better put back!" he shouted nervously, and Darius gave the word to cease paddling as he asked:
"What's the news?"
"The Britishers are comin' this way thicker'n spatter, an' I made up my mind it was time to get under cover."
"Where were the foremost ships when you saw them?"