"So! He's the lad you believed might have a leaning toward Toryism," Hiram said sharply as he wheeled about to face me, and on the instant I understood that he doubted the truth of Seth Jepson's excuse for leaving the company.
"How long did he stay here?" I asked of Harvey, whom I knew to have been one of the first to arrive at the rendezvous.
"Perhaps a couple of hours. I did not take much heed of the time because we were all speculating as to what duty might be required of us, and therefore the minutes passed swiftly."
"Are all the others here?" and Hiram turned once more to me.
In order to be certain this time I called the names of each lad in turn, and, counting them, found we had thirteen present, which, with Archie and Silas, whom Hiram said were on board one of the sloops, made up our full number.
It could readily be seen that Griffin was sorely disturbed in mind because of Seth's absence, and his uneasiness was speedily shared by Harvey and me as we put our heads together, trying to make out how the lad might do us harm.
Once more I came to believe him an arrant Tory who had joined the company only that he might betray it. This was the first opportunity he had had to play the traitor, and it seemed of a verity he counted to take advantage of it, understanding that now was come the time when the king's men might find us in unlawful assemblage with a member of the American army in our midst.
"He had no chance to betray us before, and has therefore acted as if his desires and ours run in the same channel," I said bitterly to Harvey, striving in vain to hit upon some plan by which we could thwart Seth's purpose. "Now has come the time when he may lay us all by the heels, and he intends to do it as surely as you and I stand here."
"Ay, so it appears to me," Harvey replied. "It is not reasonable to suppose the fellow would have left home knowing he was like to be gone several days, without first having made everything ready for his absence. Thus suddenly remembering something his mother told him to do, is a childish excuse, and shows that he thinks we are a party of idiots to take any stock in him."
"How long think you would it take a lad to go from here to the governor's house, have speech with him, and come back?" Hiram asked, and I knew full well he was trying to figure how many moments of freedom were left to us.