“Why not make it a bit more easy for the lobster-back?” I asked, suddenly realizing that our prisoner must be absolutely suffering, bound and gagged as he was. “Would he do the same for us?” and now Abraham’s expression was one of sternness. “As to that we need not speculate,” I replied sternly. “When there is no need to cause suffering, he who permits it is much the same as a brute.” “I reckon Ephraim is in the right,” Abel Grant said decidedly. “We can well afford to ease up on the fellow a bit, so s’posen you take out the gag, Eph? We’ll leave him trussed as he is a spell longer; but it is well to give his jaws a rest.” I lost no time in acting upon the permission, for it was nothing less since we looked upon Abel as the leader, and when the gag had been removed, I said to the fellow: “We had to do this, else you would have given an alarm; but we don’t count on puttin’ you to any more pain than is absolutely necessary.” “I suppose you are well clear of the fleet?” he asked as soon as his jaws were limbered sufficiently to admit of his speaking. “Ay, there seems to be no doubt as to that.” “I’d like to know how it was done, an’ there can be no harm in tellin’ that much now.” “Not a bit of it,” and in a few words I gave him the key to the whole scheme. “It was a bloomin’ good trick,” he said as if it pleased him to know that we had succeeded. “I’ve heard it said that you Yankees wasn’t overly quick-witted; but if this gang can hoodwink his majesty’s crack officers, I reckon you’ll get along all right. What’s to be done now?” “That is somethin’ to be decided on later,” I replied with a laugh, and running on deck I put the same question to Abel Grant, who, with the aid of Abraham, was making sail. Instead of replying, he in turn put a question: “Is this ’ere sloop a good sea-boat? Meanin’ by that, would you trust her in heavy weather outside?” “Ay, she’ll stand up where many another craft would be smothered,” I replied proudly, for I had every confidence in the sailorly qualities of the Swiftsure. “But what has that to do with it?” “How would you like to go back to New York an’ report at headquarters with a prisoner in tow?” he asked with a grin, and, failing of understanding what he was driving at, I said with somewhat of impatience: “If you’ve somethin’ in mind of moment, don’t beat about the bush like a simple; but when you talk of takin’ prisoners to New York, it’s a waste of time. I’m not minded to make any try at crossin’ Long Island with the lobster-back, for I reckon that’s what you mean. There isn’t a Tory whom we’d meet, an’ you well know how thick they are thereabouts, who wouldn’t raise a hue and cry once it was seen what we were up to. Even as it is, I’m thinkin’ we shall have to say good-bye to the sloop, an’ take the poor chances of followin’ in Sam’s footsteps.”