"Because I don't intend it shall be within your power to work us harm."
"Why should I work you harm?" the half-drunken soldier asked as he lay on his belly in the aperture looking up at the small lad.
"You are a British soldier who has come here to work the king's will on us of Virginia, and we are minded to make our escape before you can atone for your misdeeds by making us prisoners," Pierre cried hotly.
"I have no mind to take anybody prisoner, be he rebel or whatsoe'er you will, for now the fight is going on, and by joining my troop this little slip of mine which landed me in the guard-house is like to be forgiven if not forgotten."
"Stay where you are until we get well away, for we have been taught not to put overly much faith in what you men who wear red coats may say," Pierre cried, and at the same time he motioned for Saul and me to go our way, which we did without delay, knowing the lad would follow close at our heels.
Saul had kept a tight grip on my hand from the moment he came into the open air, and we two ran side by side, thus yoked together by token of friendship, on the alert for the first show of a red coat in our path.
It seemed to me that we might have raced around and around that village until we were spent with the exertion, and never have come upon one of the king's men, for they rushed into the outer works at the first alarm, officers, soldiers, camp-followers, and even the sentries, all of them most like believing it would only be necessary for them to give token of being ready for battle in order to make the Americans turn tail in terror.
Surely this time they were making a grievous mistake, for the fire from the front was continued with vigor as I understood full well before we were a dozen yards from the guard-house, for then a cannon ball came so near to me that I could feel the wind of it, and I started back in surprise as if having supposed that our people had been firing blank cartridges.
Saul laughed at my show of fear, and asked as though he found something comical in the situation:
"Did you think that amid all this noise there were no shots flying?"