A roar of laughter went up from every ship within sound of his voice, and we were not ordered alongside another vessel until after getting well down into the lower bay. Owing to the fact of our moving so slowly, it was possible to take careful note of every craft, and I had recovered somewhat from my timorousness on seeing that the transports and store-ships outnumbered the armed vessels as six to one. But the number of red-coats we saw! I dare venture to say we passed thousands before going half the distance to the Hook, and yet there were more transports ahead of us. “It’s only a question of their takin’ New York when they get ready,” I said in a whisper to Abel Grant, for I had so far mastered my fears by this time that it was possible to face the situation with some degree of calmness, and he replied in the same cautious tone: “There’ll be a deal of blood shed before that’s done, lad, else General Putnam never’d sent us down here spyin’. I wish we had a couple more hours of daylight.” “Why?” “So we could run past the whole fleet before sendin’ word back.” “Do you allow that we have information enough yet?” “It ain’t so much our news, as the fact that somebody must get away mighty soon, else the general stands a chance of never hearin’ from his spies!” “What do you mean?” I asked in surprise, for Abel had spoken in so grave a tone that I knew he had some very serious matter in his mind. “The bad luck came for us when that whipper-snapper of a Britisher took it inter his head to seize our clams--” “But we can easily get more when the tide turns,” I interrupted. “Ay, lad, I ain’t distressin’ myself over that part of it; but the mischief was done when we ran alongside the frigate. Now I’m allowin’ that Luther Stedman an’ his fat friend will make it their business to find out whether we went home after clammin’ in Gowanus creek, an’ by this time they’re makin’ up their minds to bring word down here that we’re a crew of the hottest kind of Whigs. In case I’m right, what craft would they be likely to board first?” “Why the frigate, of course, for she’s at the head of the line, an’ nearest the town.” “Right you are, lad, an’ havin’ had speech with that clam-lovin’ Britisher, it won’t work his brain very hard to guess all about us. Then you can make up your mind that a boat or two will be sent out to round us up as prisoners, consequently I’m allowin’ that one of this ’ere party best try to work back while there’s time.” “An’ are you countin’ that we shall all be taken prisoners?” I asked, my voice trembling despite every effort to render it steady.