I speedily made the old man acquainted with all that was going on; but did not tell him what it was proposed he and I should do, for luckily I realized that Abel Hunt's ears were open, and if I should advertise all our proposed movements there might possibly be a chance of his overtaking us to wreak revenge before our task could be finished. Therefore it was I told the old man only that the British army was retreating, and made an overly long story because he could not refrain from crying out in his joy now and again, and insisted on hearing all the little details concerning the movements of the soldiers. But the story was told finally, however, and then I led the old man out of the cabin, he following me obediently, never asking where we were going, and when we had come to a ruined building mayhap fifty yards distant from old Mary's cabin, I halted, explained what we would do, saying that he should stay there while I went back and released the prisoners. For the first time in my life Uncle 'Rasmus set his face against that which I would do. He declared that Pierre was in the wrong when he would handle the Tories so tenderly; that our first and only thought should be of our own safety, and no heed be given to the sufferings of those who would have sent us to the gallows. I was not able to argue successfully with the old negro because there was in my mind much the same thought as in his, yet did I know that the fellows must be set free since it was a portion of Pierre's plan. I had promised him it should be done, and if I failed in my part of the work then might all the rest go awry. It was to my mind a question of doing exactly as the little lad had planned, or else let him understand that I was set against a certain portion of it. All this I said to Uncle 'Rasmus, striving to make him understand clearly why I must go on even though it was against my inclination, and when I was finally come to an end the old man said in a tone of resignation: "Well, honey, I'se 'lowin' you'se gwine to do jes' as dat yere little French boy says; but I'se tellin' you, chile, dat de only way to treat dese yere Tories is de way you treat a rattlesnake, an' dat is to get 'em on de end ob a split stick an' leabe 'em dere, widout worryin' yo' head ef dey's habin' it comfortable or not." "I'll go back and do as I've promised, Uncle 'Rasmus. You stay here, and in five minutes I shall return unless something unfortunate happens." "Keep your eye mighty sharp on dat Abel Hunt, chile. Don' let him get de best ob you no how, kase he's slippery, an' like de rattler, he's gwine to strike when you ain' lookin' for it." "I'm not counting on having any trouble whatsoever with Abel, Uncle 'Rasmus. Horry Sims is to do that part of it, as I have told you."