In some way, and I hoped it might be made clear before many days had passed, the delivery of a prisoner to Job Lord was, together with the holding of us, a trap for more important ends; but what those ends might be my mind failed totally in the grasping.
Hiram, like me, no longer had any interest in Master Lord's belongings. We had found sufficient to brand him the vilest of traitors, and, what was more to our purpose, had obtained at the very moment when we despaired of being able to aid our comrade in any way, that which would effect his release, unless it so chanced that the worthy Master Lord was particularly well known at the Bridewell. This last thought came into my mind, darkening all hope, at the moment Hiram turned to go into the cellar that he might acquaint the other lads with our good fortune, and, clutching him nervously by the arm, I reminded him of the disagreeable fact that whosoever presented himself with that order from Governor Gage, might speedily find himself a prisoner with the tables turned completely in favor of Job Lord.
"Aye, lad, I have already reckoned on that, yet at the same time when night has come it is my purpose to go to the Bridewell as boldly as that double-faced villain would have done, trusting I can get my nose out of the scrape if so be the officer on duty chances to know the scoundrel we have got tied up below."
"It is a desperate chance," I said with an inward tremor that was much like faint-heartedness, and he replied laughingly:
"Tell me, Luke Wright, how much more desperate is it to go out armed with a safeguard from the king's governor, and due authority to take charge of a prisoner, than was your act in capturing Seth Jepson at the very time when we ourselves were captives?"
"I did that because there was nothing else to be done," I cried.
"And so shall I go to the Bridewell, because there is nothing else to be done if we would aid Silas Brownrigg."
It was not my intention to say aught which might discourage him from taking advantage of the document so strangely come into our possession. As a matter of course I burned to have him do it; but I could not for the life of me refrain from considering all the chances against us.
Snuffing out the tallow dip, we two went into the cellar, Hiram holding 'twixt his thumb and finger the precious order from Governor Gage, and when we were come to where Job Lord lay, Griffin took up the lantern that the scoundrel might see what we had found.
There was no change of expression on his face. The villain knew full well that we would come upon evidence against him after ever so careless a search of his belongings, and therefore counted on our having this paper through which he hoped to work some wild scheme.