God forgive me! it was the first time I had dwelt seriously upon the fate of our comrades. My own sufferings had occupied my mind to the exclusion of everything else, save when I listened listlessly to the stories of adventure which the old man told; but now I questioned, as a fever of fear crept over me, whether we three might not be the only survivors of the fight at that stockade, which we had hoped to hold until the valley could be saved from the horde which were bent on overrunning it. “Don’t conjure up that which will disturb you,” Master Bartlett said, when I gave words to the thoughts which were in my mind. “It is enough if we make our way to the fort, and then will come the time when we can settle all doubts.” Well, an hour after sunset perhaps, we waded down into the water, Giles March and I, with Master Bartlett between us, and struck out strong in the belief that the way was open before us. In fact, so secure did we feel that, while swimming leisurely, we talked among ourselves, regardless of the fact, which all three knew full well, that water is a rare conductor of sound, and thus like simples did we run our necks into danger when, by holding our peace we might, perchance, have accomplished what was so ardently desired. It was hardly more than ten minutes after leaving Monocasy Island when, almost directly in front of us, there shot out from the western bank a boat in which were five men, and, at the same instant we saw it, the river in its vicinity was illumined by the flashes of guns, while the bullets actually splashed the water in our faces, so near to us did the missiles strike the surface. Like a couple of loons, Giles March and I dove, carrying Master Bartlett down with us, swimming under water so long as we could hold our breath, and coming to the surface perhaps twenty yards down-stream. Again the reports of muskets; again the zip-zip-zipping of bullets near by, and again we escaped unharmed, to dive once more. Even as I went beneath the surface did I call myself doubly a fool for not having suspected that those bloodthirsty wolves, knowing some of us had escaped by the river, would have gone down-stream to lay in wait for our coming, on the chance that we failed to gain the shore beyond them. Once more on the surface; but this time we were so far within the shadow of the eastern bank as not to be seen, yet it was possible to hear the splash of paddles, which told that the enemy were searching for us. Now, when it was too late, I understood the danger of speaking aloud to my comrades, but motioned for Giles to swim across toward the nearest shore, for it was not within the bounds of reason that we could hope to pass the boat while remaining in the river.