“I have agreed with myself that I will have done no real wrong if I admit that the parole shall hold good until such time as pleases you. The greatest fear that has been in my mind is as to whether the day may not come when, if you meet with disaster, I shall be credited with havin’ brought it about. And so it is that I am askin’ you to say solemnly if it is certain you can trust me? If you do, then I’m also puttin’ it as a favor that you won’t talk military secrets before me; not that there’s any fear on my part of bein’ tempted to betray you, but so you may feel more sure I can’t do you a wrong.” “That part of it is all right, matey,” Abel Grant replied quickly, as if he was the only member of the party who had the right to be considered. “We haven’t lived with you these five days without gettin’ a mighty good idee of the stuff you’re made of. I’m allowin’ that what I say is in the minds of the military end of this ’ere force?” and he looked at me as if waiting for an answer. “I am well content,” was my reply, and Abraham nodded his head vigorously to show that he was of the same mind. “All right,” and Abel Grant spoke as if some great mental burden had suddenly been rolled away. “Now that is settled, an’ seein’s how we’ll soon be in New York, if we ain’t sich simples as to run the sloop aground, the question comes as to what’s to be done when we do get there?” “We’ll go to headquarters without delay, as a matter of course,” I said promptly, “and, our report having been made to General Putnam, we must set off on foot to find Sam, for it stands to reason that we can’t use the sloop in our search while the king’s ships are so thick in the lower bay.” “It wasn’t that which I had in mind,” he said with a laugh. “I was askin’ what we’d do ’bout reportin’ our prisoner?” “As to that you must tell the whole truth,” Seth said emphatically. “Put it to your general as to whether you’ll be warranted in keepin’ me, an’ if he don’t believe it safe, I’ll be content to take my turn of prison duty.” “It don’t strike me there’s any need of goin’ quite so far as that,” Abel said doubtfully, and the Britisher replied, speaking more sharply than I had ever before known him to do: “It’s the only thing to be done, else I’ll insist on your deliverin’ me over to the officers of your army. We’ll have the whole business fair an’ above-board, or drop it.” This pleased me not a little, for it seemed the only true way to arrange matters. Also, we would still get the benefit of having captured one of the enemy while being ourselves prisoners, and I was exceedingly eager the Minute Boys should have the credit of such a feat. It was decided, however, that Seth should remain aboard the sloop while Abraham and I went to headquarters to make a report, for the reason that his uniform would not only attract attention; but might bring about trouble from some of the idle hot-heads on the streets.