United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- Juvenile fiction
I was for going directly to where the Rangers were quartered, and
therefore felt not a bit hurt that my cousin should start off by himself
without giving heed to our wishes, and, finding it was impossible to
overtake him at any ordinary pace, I quickened to a run. In consequence
I turned the corner of the shop rapidly, coming directly upon, and
almost over-running, a lad who had halted Saul, and was engaged with him
in angry altercation.
While one might have counted ten I was too nearly dazed with having come
into violent contact with the fellow, to fully realize the situation,
and then a cry of mingled surprise and dismay burst from my lips, for I
found myself clutching and being clutched by none other than Horry Sims.
Even then no great harm might have been done had it not been for Saul's
ill temper. Little Frenchie, seeing that we had thus inadvertently come
upon the lad whom we knew to be an enemy to us as well as a traitor to
his country, would have treated the matter as a pleasing incident, and
began by saying with a friendly shrug of his shoulders and a wave of the
hands, that he was glad we had found a friend in the town because we
were feeling like cats in a strange garret, when Saul interrupted him as
he cried angrily:
"There is no reason, Pierre Laurens, why you should put on a false face.
You know full well, after all that happened yesterday when this little
villain sent the Britishers to take Fitzroy's horse and mine, that we
are not pleased at seeing him, and that we count on dealing out to him
the punishment he deserves."
I was well nigh paralyzed at thus hearing my cousin make public that
which we had agreed should be held a secret. It alarmed me more than I
can well say, for I had come to believe it was in the highest degree
necessary, if we would succeed in regaining possession of the horses, to
prevent this Tory scoundrel from suspecting we knew of all his
villainy, and I held up my hand warningly, whereat Saul cried hoarsely,
being unable to keep the slightest check over his temper:
"It is not for you, Fitzroy Hamilton, to play a double part! After what
I saw on the road yester morning, we know all this little scoundrel has
done, and have already agreed that he shall pay the penalty for his
treachery."
There was no longer opportunity to check my cousin. The cat was out of
the bag, so to speak. We had, at the very moment when we were counting
on beginning our work, shown Horry Sims that we knew of his treachery,
and thereby made of him an open enemy, one who would do all he might
against us, which promised to be no little, for after having given
information as to where the best horses in the vicinity could be found,
it was reasonable to suppose he stood on friendly terms with the king's
officers.
"Who says I told where the soldiers could find your horses?" Horry asked
with a pretense of ignorance, and Saul cried fiercely:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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