He pulled up his plodding horses, thus giving Hadley no further opportunity for objection, and the youth leaped up and spoke to Black Molly, who scrambled to her feet at once. She knew what was expected of her, and she squeezed around and stood head to the rear of the big wagon without any command from Hadley. The boy pulled up the curtain, dropped out himself, and then spoke to the intelligent animal. Out she leaped, he caught her bridle, and, while Holdness dropped the end curtain again, the boy mounted the mare and was ready to start. “Take the lower road,” Holdness advised again, “an’ try to git across the river before midnight. When those dragoons find nobody at the ferry they might take it inter their pesky heads s’arch along the river bank. The Alwoods have got a bateau there--” “I don’t believe I could trust them,” Hadley interrupted. “I know. They’re pizen Tories--the hull on ’em. But there’s a long-laiged boy there; what’s his name?” “’Lonzo.” “Ya-as. That’s him. Mebbe you c’d make him pole yer over.” “’Lonzo don’t like me any too well,” Hadley returned, with a laugh. “He wanted to work for Jonas, and Jonas wouldn’t have him, but took me instead.” “An’ good reason for it, too,” Holdness said. “Jonas didn’t want one o’ that nest o’ Tories spyin’ on everything that goes on up to the inn. Wa-al, ye’ll hafter do what seems best ter ye when yeou git there, Had. That’s all I kin tell yer erbout it. Ride quick, an’ find some way of crossing as soon as possible.” Hadley hurried on. Along the road were a few scattered dwellings, mostly inhabited by farmers of more than suspected royalist tendencies. In the house nearest the river lived a family named Alwood, the oldest son of which was in a Tory regiment; the other boy, a youth of about Hadley’s age, was one with whom our hero had come in contact more than once. Hadley and Lon Alwood had attended the same school previous to the breaking out of the war, and for months before the massacre at Lexington, in the Massachusetts colony, feeling had run high here in Jersey. The school itself had finally been closed, owing to the divided opinions of its supporters; and whereas Hadley had been prominent among the boys opposed to King and Parliament, Lon was equally forward among those on the other side. Many of their comrades, boys little older than themselves, were in one or the other army now, and Hadley Morris thought of this with some sadness as he rode on through the night. But his thoughts were soon in another channel. “I only hope I won’t run across Lon,” Hadley muttered, as Black Molly clattered along. “I don’t just see how I am to pole that heavy flatboat across the river alone, but I cannot call upon any of the Alwoods to help me. Ah! there’s Sam.”