“Look at that, look at that,” said Jonathan, glaring at Samuel. “I knew that you would be up to great bizness when you asked that rascal to stop at Ben Andrews’. He may be a reg’lar cut-throat.” “Now, look a’ here, Jonathan, I think that you’re a-pokin’ your nose too far into my way of doin’ things, d’ye hear?” ejaculated Samuel, as he pounded on the floor with his walking-stick, by way of emphasis. Jonathan Hopper glared at Samuel as he strode off indignantly toward the other part of the room, while Segwuna talked to Samuel Whitesides about Barclugh. Segwuna immediately took her departure on the road to Princeton as soon as she learned that Barclugh had left for that direction. The two old cronies agreed that the stranger was more mysterious after they had learned that this Indian girl was following his footsteps. For weeks afterward Uncle Sam and his friend Jonathan had an incident of consequence to discuss in the queer occurrences of that morning at the inn. CHAPTER XIX As Barclugh mounted his steed and cantered through Trenton, he saw happy children and old men, chickens and ducks at every household. Occasionally the housewife came to the side door and gazed with arms akimbo at the strange horse and rider. There was much to occupy Barclugh’s thoughts as he rode over this road. A little over a year previous here the hirelings of George III laid down their arms to the intrepid Washington, and his mission was to overcome by means of money what Britain’s generals had lost at arms. The irony of the situation aroused his red blood. He quickened the pace of his horse as the blood surged through his body at the thoughts of the enormity of his undertaking. Quickly he left the town and turned his direction toward Princeton. He knew that he was travelling on martial ground. He soon came to and had to cross the identical bridge that Washington had so gallantly defended against Cornwallis, whom he had sent to camp; but ere the morning, the thunder of American artillery in the rear at Princeton awoke the British to the fact that they were out-generalled. Also the sleepy town of Princeton presented its scenes of disaster to Barclugh, who was riding along on his solitary journey of intrigue. Here he had to pass in view of Nassau Hall, where Washington’s force surrounded two hundred British and compelled them to surrender. On his way thither he had to pass over the road that Washington’s rear-guard had so successfully blocked to the British advance by chopping down timber across the roadway and by burning the bridges behind him. The British representative gnashed his teeth to actually see how helpless was the situation of Washington’s band of barefooted patriots one day at Trenton, and the next how triumphant under the daring leader as he marched his little force to safety at Morristown Heights.