I didn’t know, and said so. Yet I had no mind to abandon him. The positions reversed, I would have a very cruel opinion of him were he to abandon me. He could not see my face, and he must have had some idea that I was going to desert him. “You won’t leave me, will you?” he asked anxiously. His tone appealed to me, and I assured him very warmly that I would either take him a prisoner into our camp or send him into his own. Then I sat my head to the task, for either way it was a problem. I doubted whether I could carry him to our camp, which was far off comparatively, as he looked like a heavy Briton. I certainly could carry him to his own camp, which was very near, but that would make it uncommonly embarrassing for me. I explained the difficulty to him. “That’s so,” he said thoughtfully. “I don’t want you to get yourself into trouble in order to get me out of it.” “What’s your name?” I asked. “Hume. Ensign William Hume,” he replied. “You’re too young to die, Hume,” I said, “and I promise not to leave you until you are in safety.” “I’ll do the same for you,” he said, “if ever I find you lying on a hillside with a bullet hole through both your thighs.” I sat down on the grass beside him, and gave him something strong out of a little flask that I carried in an inside pocket. He drank it with eagerness and gratitude and grew cheerful. I thought a few moments, and my idea came to me, as good ideas sometimes do. As he could neither walk nor shout, it behooved me to do both for him. Telling him my plan, of which he approved most heartily, as he ought to have done, I lifted him in my arms and walked toward the British camp. He was a heavy load and my breath grew hard. We were almost within reach of the firelight, and yet we were not noticed by any of the British, who, I suppose, were absorbed in their preparations. We came to a newly cut tree, intended probably for use in the British fortifications. I put Ensign Hume upon this tree with his back supported against an upthrust bough. “Now, don’t forget, when they come,” I said. “to tell them you managed to crawl to this tree and shout for help. That will prevent any pursuit of me.” He promised, and shook hands with as strong a grip as he could, for he was yet weak. Then I stepped back a few paces behind him, and shouted: “Help, help, comrades! Help! help!” Figures advanced from the firelight, and I glided away without noise. From my covert in the darkness I could see them lift Hume from the tree and carry him into his own camp. Then I went farther away, feeling glad. It was my intent to rejoin Whitestone and the soldiers, and in truth I went back part of the way, but the British camp had a great attraction for me. I was curious to see, as far as I could, what might be going on in its outskirts. I also encouraged myself with the thought that I might acquire information of value.