The sudden taking off of so many men directly before our eyes, and the knowledge that if the cannon ball had inclined ever so slightly toward the east, we, instead of them, would have gone out from this world forever, served not to dampen our joy and triumph, but to cast a veil over it, as you might say, so that we spoke in whispers, and did not indulge in mirth; but carried ourselves much as people do in the presence of the dead. There was no good reason why all of us lads should linger in the cabin, and every cause for us to go forth to keep an eye over the enemy, therefore when I said that it stood us in hand to know what was going on, even at the expense of losing our breakfast which was not yet cooked, Pierre, seemingly having grown careless, insisted that Saul should come with us. "While our people are working their guns so lively there is no danger those fellows in the loft can make themselves heard, and even though they did cry for help, I do not believe any of the king's troops would spend time to go to their assistance, therefore we will leave them as they are." This did not seem to me consistent with little Pierre's caution when he gathered up the muskets, insisting on taking twice as many as we could use; but I held my peace, because, as I have already set down again and again, he had shown himself so much the better lad than I under such circumstances, that it was not for me to say him yea or nay. CHAPTER XVII OUR BLUNDER When we went out of old Mary's cabin, leaving the two prisoners unguarded in the loft, and Uncle 'Rasmus, who could not be depended upon in case either of the fellows should succeed in working himself free, on the floor below, it came into my mind just for an instant that we had no warrant for being so careless. Yet while the booming of the American cannon was roaring in my ears and the Britishers moving to and fro like ants whose nests have been disturbed, giving little or no heed to the defense, then did I comfort myself with the belief that nothing of harm could come to us. It was in my mind that the hour of our danger had passed, and now it was only a question of a short time before our troubles would be over and we in the midst of our friends.