Pierre and Saul must have understood that they could do no less than enter this place of shelter, for it was the only one open to them in the town of York, even though we were led by an enemy, and so thrust Horry Sims forward on my heels until Uncle 'Rasmus closed the door behind us. I stood there enveloped in a darkness so dense that one might, as is said, almost feel it, wondering what strange turn of affairs had come, and why it was that this British soldier should be so harmless--why he should have allowed us to come into the cabin when most like he counted on taking us to the nearest guard-house. We remained there in silence, and, so far as I was concerned, in most abject terror, while one might have counted ten, and then the stranger, throwing himself down on the floor at one side of the fireplace in which a few half-dead coals yet glimmered faintly, as if he was a welcome visitor, said in a low whisper, yet in a tone which carried distinctly through the room: "You lads are from the Hamilton plantation?" No one made reply. I was yet too much confused to have answered such a simple question, and, as Pierre afterward told me, he refrained from speaking because of not understanding whether it would be safe to admit the truth. "You need have no fear in speaking plainly before me," the man continued. "I am wearing a British uniform, and mayhap am putting my life in jeopardy and doing a grievous injury to the Cause by interfering in this matter while you have a prisoner who may be able later to carry to headquarters information of what you have done this night. I beg you to trust me for the time being, and tell me who is this lad that you have brought from yonder hiding place gagged lest he make an outcry?" I was yet too thoroughly bewildered to make an intelligent reply; but fortunately little Frenchie had begun to get his wits together, and most like to suspect at least a portion of the truth, for he answered promptly, not only giving the young Tory's name, but explaining why we thus held him. To my alarm he went so far as to tell the whole story, even though more than once I clutched him by the arm to prevent his laying bare all our secrets; but he threw me off with friendly violence, and continued until the red-coated man who lay by the fireplace had full knowledge, not only of what we had done, but of what we would do. Then Pierre was come to an end of his story, and so seemingly eager was he to give all the details to this stranger, who by his costume was an enemy and by the tones of his voice a friend, that he spent no little time in the telling of it, while I was nearly beside myself with grief and rage because we had thus put ourselves wholly within the man's power.