It seemed to me like veriest folly to talk of sleeping while our hearts were so heavy with grief, and danger seemingly closing in around us, yet when Pierre acted on Uncle 'Rasmus's advice by throwing himself down on the puncheon planks by the side of Horry Sims, where he could have due warning if that young scoundrel attempted any mischief, I followed his example. With the Tory between us we two lads lay there on the hard bed, both, I doubt not, thinking with tears in our hearts of Saul's possible fate, and both within a short time journeying over into Dreamland despite all there was in the situation to prop our eyes wide open. When next I became conscious of my surroundings it was possible to see the faint grey light of coming dawn through the narrow apertures which served as windows, and I sprang to my feet quickly, almost frightened because I had given myself up to slumber for so long a time. Scrambling down the shaky ladder as if time was most precious, I made my way to the room below, where I found Uncle 'Rasmus sitting as when I had last seen him, with a blanket drawn over his knees and his eyes fastened upon the moving figures of the soldiers outside. "Why did you let us sleep, Uncle 'Rasmus?" I demanded. "We should have remained awake so that you might have an opportunity to rest." "Ole bones don' need so much ob de bed as young ones does, honey, an' I'se no good 'cept to set right here an' watch. Don' you fret 'bout your Uncle 'Rasmus, kase he'll look out for hissef all right." "But it seems selfish for us to have slept while you remained awake." "Now you'se frettin' 'bout nuffin, chile, when dere's plenty ob real trubble to take up your min'." "What has happened?" I asked anxiously, thinking for the instant that the old negro had seen tokens of impending danger. "Dere's sumfin goin' on in dis yere town, honey, as is pas' my understandin'. Dese yere sogers has been workin' all night, an' dey're still at it, as ef de ole man from down below was arter 'em." "I don't see that we need fret very much if the Britishers have grown frightened," I said with a laugh, and Uncle 'Rasmus replied: "It looks to me, honey, as if dey counted dere was gwine to be a battle 'roun' here mighty soon, an' ef anyting ob dat kine does happen, I'se askin' mysef how we'se comin' out ob it. We'se a good deal like Brer Rabbit, when de fox an' de wil' cat was fightin' to see which one would hab him for breakfas'. Whicheber way it turned he was boun' to be eat up, an' it kind'er looks to me as ef we'd be in de same fix ef our folks an' de Britishers got to shootin' off dere guns while we was in dis yere cabin."