Saul apparently gave no heed to over-cautiousness or impudence; but wandered here and there with his hands in his coat-pockets as if he was an honored guest, and I could well fancy that the lad much the same as forgot all the fears which beset him a short time before. We noted with glee the fact that the Britishers were gathering all the boats that could be come at, and even from Gloucester Point did they send over barges and skiffs until the river front was completely lined with small craft. The afternoon was not yet more than half spent before baggage wagons were being loaded into the larger boats. I saw more than one officer carrying his belongings down to the river to stow them in this or that craft instead of trusting a soldier to perform the labor, as would have been done had matters not been so pressing, and if each man who wore a red coat was not looking forward with somewhat of fear to the possibility that the retreating army might be choked before it had gotten well on its way toward New York. As the day drew nearer to a close I became painfully nervous, fearing lest something even at this last hour should prevent my Lord Cornwallis from carrying out his plans, and seeing the expression of trouble on my face, understanding perhaps from that which was in his own mind, little Frenchie whispered to me in a tone of encouragement: "Don't fret yourself, Fitz Hamilton, fearing lest the red-coats will not carry out the manoeuvre. They only await the coming of night, when it will be possible to steal across the river without being seen by our people, and then you may set it down as a fact that all these valiant soldiers of the king will make every effort to get out of the way of that French boy who, as my Lord Cornwallis has said, is striving to 'play war with a handful of rebels.'" "Then there is in your mind no question but that the retreat is much the same as begun?" I asked, wanting to hear him confirm that which was in my mind. "I can see no evidence of their failing to go on as they have begun," the lad replied cheerily, and added as he dropped his voice to a whisper: "The one chance which may work against us is, that my Lord Cornwallis will take some steps to prevent any of the people in the village from carrying word regarding his movements to the Americans, therefore let us get into some place of hiding, where we may watch all that goes on here about the river bank without presenting ourselves to the eyes of the red-coats."