“Ay, that I am,” Abel Grant said decidedly. “Supposin’ a Britisher, havin’ suspicions that we are sneakin’ around the fleet for some other purpose than that of sellin’ fish, should take it into his head to see what we had in the cabin, an’ find all this? Do you allow it would be possible to make him believe we was tryin’ to get an honest livin’ sellin’ fish? Did you ever see a fisherman’s cuddy stacked as full of good things as an alderman’s cellar?” I began to see that there was sound commonsense in the “admiral’s” protest, for had we been fishermen, as it was intended we should claim to be, the cuddy of the Swiftsure would have had in it no more of provisions than might serve perhaps for two or three meals. But the goods were there, and we could not waste them. The matter began to present itself to my comrades as it had to me, and we who a few moments before had been so joyous because of the plenty in the larder, now gazed at each other ruefully, until Sam asked: “Well, how are we to help ourselves? We can’t throw good food overboard?” “Never!” Abel Grant replied with a sudden brightening of the face as he saw a way out of the difficulty. “We needn’t waste the stuff; but carry it ashore before going through the Narrows. I allow to know of a place where it can be stowed near the shore, an’ we may draw from it as seems necessary.” This seemed to dispose of the possible difficulty, and, there being nothing to prevent our getting under way, for Jethro had promised to send word to our parents, I suggested that the “admiral” take charge of his end of the expedition. Five minutes later the sloop was under way, heading with a light wind down the stream on a cruise which would admit of our passing between Governor’s Island and the Brooklyn shore. The Minute Boys were at last in service, acting directly under orders of the commander, and I promised myself as we sailed slowly down past Bowling Green, that if aught happened to prevent our carrying out the instructions received, it should not be through fault of mine. “I’ll weigh carefully every word before speakin’, and think of all the possibilities before decidin’ on any course of action,” I said to myself, and the words were no more than formed in my mind when, looking seaward, I saw a skiff, in which were two men, that had evidently just set off from New York. There was in such a sight nothing out of the ordinary, because small craft were continually plying to and fro between New York and Brooklyn; but in this case it seemed ominous that at the very moment when we lads were attempting to play the part of Minute Boys, Luther Stedman and the big Tory whom we had taken prisoner, should cross our path. At the instant this thought came into my mind, Abraham said sharply, motioning with his thumb in the direction of the skiff: