"But none of them have broken their fast this day, and those fellows in the loft have had nothing whatsoever of drink."
"Well, what then?" I asked irritably. "Neither have we lads had anything to eat, and, save that it is possible for us to drink our fill, I see not that we are any better off than they."
"But we must not have ever on our consciences the knowledge that we doomed two human beings to starvation."
"Surely there is no danger of their dying 'twixt now and to-morrow, and by that time our people will be here."
"As to that you cannot say, Fitz Hamilton. True it is the enemy is retreating; but the night is half spent, and it may be that the last of the troops will not have gone over much before daylight. Then our army is like to set out in pursuit, and I am minded to go with it, whereas matters be arranged properly at the cabin, we are confined here in the village with no opportunity of showing ourselves as Minute Boys among real soldiers."
I had almost forgotten that we decided to call ourselves Minute Boys. There had been so much of pain, fear and hope during the past four and twenty hours that all else had gone from my mind, save the fact that the Britishers were much the same as whipped, and that it might be possible for me to regain possession of Silver Heels.
When, however, Pierre thus reminded me that we might, even at this eleventh hour, do something toward showing ourselves worthy of being called Minute Boys, although we really accomplished nothing more, then was I fired with the same desire that was in his mind.
Although as I have said many times, I had little knowledge of military matters, it appeared to me that as soon as it was learned the red-coats had crossed over to Gloucester our people would, by using the boats and vessels which were lying in the stream 'twixt York and Williamsburg, cross directly over to the other shore without coming down through the village, for thus they might circle around the advance of the retreating foe.
In the meanwhile both encampments would be in the hands of such Tories as had remained throughout the siege, and, most like, a certain number of camp followers would linger behind.
"What can be done with Uncle 'Rasmus?" I asked anxiously, fearing lest it might be necessary we take him with us and thus have a drag on our movements, for the old man could not travel very swiftly; but little Frenchie had the matter already mapped out in his mind as I might have understood, and replied: