"Nearly every vessel is aground," he said when he approached our hiding-place with every evidence of having traveled long and rapidly. "The river is black with 'em from here to the point, an' some are likely to stay quite a spell on the mud unless mighty quick work at lighterin' is done. I allowed the Britishers had better sense than to run ships up here where there's about half water enough to float 'em." "But what is the meaning of their landing so many men?" I asked. "There are twice as many as would be needed to capture the whole of Charles and Calvert counties." "It's Washington they're aimin' at," the old man said confidently, "though why they've stopped here I can't figger out, unless it is that so many of the ships are aground. Whoever is responsible for this end of the Britishers' movement has made a big blunder." "Will they do any harm to the townspeople, think you?" I asked anxiously. "It don't stand to reason they would. There may be some plunderin' by the rank an' file; but that's to be expected. You're thinkin' of your mother an' the children, eh? Well, don't worry; they won't come to harm, an' on that I'll go bail." "There's no tellin' how soon some of that crowd will come over here," Jerry suggested. "There ain't room enough on that side of the river for all hands of 'em, an' they'll begin to spread out pretty quick." "That won't bother us any, for we're goin' to pull up stakes," Darius replied quietly. "Are we to join the fleet?" I asked. "It's the proper thing just now, I reckon, seein's there ain't likely to be anythin' new around here till the enemy pushes on up the river, which will be when he has floated some of his vessels." Even after making this statement Darius appeared to be in no hurry to move on. He sat amid the foliage watching the throngs on the opposite side of the river until half a dozen officers came down close to the water's edge, having in their midst one in civilian's garb. "There's a friend of yours," the old man said quietly as he motioned toward the group, "an' you can eat my head if I don't guess what's up." My face flushed with answer as I looked in the direction indicated, and there saw in earnest converse with the Britishers, Elias Macomber, the traitor. "He has joined his friends without losin' any time. I wish I could get my fingers around his throat for a couple of minutes!" Jerry cried, shaking his fist in impotent rage. "An' I reckon you'll soon have that chance, lad," Darius said, calm and serene as a summer's morning. "Watch out now, an' you'll get an idee of the whole business, which will go to show that you didn't lose anythin' much when you left him at Hog Point. It wouldn't surprise me a little bit if he's had a good share in sendin' the ships aground, for he couldn't have told within ten feet, of the water to be found in the channel."