“You Minute Boys have begun well, and I doubt not but that you will keep up the work; the best troopers in our ‘ragged regiment’ could not have done better, as it now seems.” Then he turned to take charge of our prisoners, who looked as if they might drop from the saddles with fatigue but for the bonds which held them firmly in place, and Gabriel said, as he followed his brother: “Kindly have especial care of Seth Hastings, captain! We have been a long while in bringing him to book, and it would be a grievous disappointment if he should give us the slip now.” “You need have no fear,” the captain replied with a laugh. “I’ll answer for it that never one of them leaves this swamp until it is our good pleasure to have him go.” I delayed until seeing the Tories and our traitor led away by three men whom, the captain had summoned with a gesture, and then I joined my comrades, who had already begun to eat of the food before them as if on the verge of starvation. How happy we were then! How much of praise did we receive as the story was told, thus showing that we had brought into camp every person found on our journey against whom suspicions might be entertained! Before we had finished breakfast the scouts who were to go out in our stead made ready for the work, and their comrades bade them look well to the laurels of the “ragged regiment,” for if they returned without as much to show for the time spent as we Minute Boys had brought in, then would it be no more than right we lads take charge of the entire troop because of having shown ourselves better soldiers. After this time of story-telling and jesting had passed, and certain it is we of the Carolinas had little opportunity in those days to display gay spirits, we lads--meaning all the Minute Boys--went to the outer edge of the encampment that we might make certain our prisoners had been safely confined. Surely we had little reason to complain that Captain Horry had not attended to his portion of the work in proper fashion. The captives were each secured to a tree by the same bond which confined his elbows, and while he might change his position somewhat when his limbs were cramped, certain it was that no one could free himself unaided. Seth Hastings looked up at us from under his eyebrows as we approached, and if his look could have killed, then had we been stricken dead on the instant. I never saw a more deadly expression of hatred on any person’s face than darkened his, and yet we had not attempted to do him a wrong--we had been his friends up to the very moment when he tried to compass our undoing. Some such thought as this was in my mind as I came up to where the young traitor was held by his bonds, and asked, with more of curiosity than malice in my voice: “Why did you set yourself so suddenly against us, Seth Hastings? Why did you try to work our ruin at the very moment when we were proving our friendliness by proposing that you be our comrade?”