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It was quite dark before Captain Dunbar reached the cottage
of Frederick Sabb, and he did so in no good humor. Disappointed
of his prey, he now suspected the simple ruse by which
he had been deluded, and his first salutation of Frederica Sabb,
as he entered the cottage, was in no friendly humor.

“There are certain birds, Miss Sabb,” said he, “who fly far
from their young ones at the approach of the hunter, yet make
such a fuss and outcry, as if the nest were close at hand and in
danger. I see you have learned to practise after their lessons.”

The girl involuntarily replied: “But, indeed, Captain Dunbar,
I heard the horse go below.”

“I see you understand me,” was the answer. I feel assured
that you told me only the truth, but you had first put me in the
humor not to believe it. Another time I shall know how to
understand you.”

Frederica smiled, but did not seek to excuse herself, proceeding
all the while in the preparations for supper. This had been
got in readiness especially for the arrival of Dunbar and his
party. He, with Clymes, his first officer, had become inmates
of the dwelling; but his troopers had encamped without, under
instructions of particular vigilance. Meanwhile, supper proceeded,
Sabb and his vrow being very heedful of all the expressed
or conjectured wants of their arbitrary guests. It was
while the repast was in progress that Dunbar fancied that he
beheld a considerable degree of uneasiness in the manner and
countenance of Frederica. She ate nothing, and her mind and
eyes seemed equally to wander. He suddenly addressed her,
and she started as from a dream, at the sound of her own name,
and answered confusedly.

“Something's going wrong,” said Dunbar, in a whisper, to
Clymes; “we can put all right, however, if we try.”

A significant look accompanied the whisper, and made the
second officer observant. When supper was concluded, the
captain of the loyalists showed signs of great weariness. He
yawned and stretched himself amazingly, and without much
regard to propriety. A like weariness soon after exhibited itself

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in the second offieer. At length Dunbar said to Old Sabb, using
a style of address to which the old man was familiar, “Well,
Uncle Fred, whenever my bed's ready, say the word. I'm
monstrous like sleep. I've ridden a matter of fifty miles to-day.
In the saddle since four o'clock — and a hard saddle at that.
I'm for sleep after supper.”

The old man, anxious to please his guest, whom he now
began rather to fear than favor, gave him soon the intimation
which he desired, and he was conducted to the small chamber, in
a shed-room adjoining the main hall, which had been assigned
him on all previous occasions. Old Sabb himself attended his
guest, while Lieutenant Clymes remained, for a while longer,
the companion of the old lady and her daughter. Dunbar soon
released his host from further attendance by closing the door
upon him, after bowing him out with thanks. He had scarcely
done so, before he approached one of the two windows in the
chamber. He knew the secrets of the room, and his plan of
operations had been already determined upon. Concealing his
light, so that his shadow might not appear against the window,
he quietly unclosed the shutter so as to rouse no attention by
the sound. A great fig-tree grew near it, the branches, in some
degree, preventing the shutter from going quite back against
the wall. This afforded him additional cover to his proceedings,
and he cautiously passed through the opening, and lightly descended
to the ground. The height was inconsiderable, and he
was enabled, with a small stick, to close the window after him.
In another moment he passed under the house, which stood on
logs four or five feet high, after the manner of the country, and
took a crouching attitude immediately behind the steps in the
rear of the building. From these steps to the kitchen was an
interval of fifteen or eighteen yards, while the barn and other
outhouses lay at convenient distances beyond. Shade-trees
were scattered about, and fruit-trees, chiefly peach, rendering
the space between something like a covered way. We need
not inquire how long our captain of loyalists continued his watch
in this unpleasant position. Patience, however, is quite as natural
as necessary a quality to a temper at once passionate and
vindictive. While he waited here, his lieutenant had left the
house, scattered his men privily about the grounds, and had

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himself stolen to a perch, which enabled him to command the
front entrance to the cottage. The only two means of egress
were thus effectually guarded.

In a little time the household was completely quiet. Dunbar
had heard the mutterings, from above, of the family prayers, in
which it was no part of his profession to partake; and had
heard the footsteps of the old couple as they passed through
the passage-way to the chamber opposite the dining-hall. A
chamber adjoining theirs was occupied by Frederica Sabb; but
he listened in vain for her footsteps in that quarter. His watch
was one calculated to try his patience, but it was finally rewarded.
He heard the movement of a light foot over head,
and soon the door opened in the rear of the dwelling, and he
distinguished Frederica as she descended, step by step, to the
ground. She paused, looked up and around her, and then, darting
from tree to tree, she made her way to the kitchen, which
opened at her touch. Here, in a whisper, she summoned to her
side a negro — an old African who, we may at the same time
mention, had been her frequent emissary before, on missions such
as she now designed. Brough, as he was called, was a faithful
Ebo, who loved his young mistress, and had shown himself particularly
friendly to her affaires de cœur. She put a paper into
his hands, and her directions employed few words.

“Brough, you must set off for Mass Richard, and give him
this. You must keep close, or the soldiers will catch you. I
don't know where they've gone, but no doubt they're scattered
in the woods. I have told him, in this paper, not to come, as
he promised; but should you lose the paper —”

“I no guine lose'em,” said Brough seemingly rather displeased
at the doubt, tacitly conveyed, of his carefulness.

“Such a thing might happen, Brough; nay, if you were to
see any of the tories, you ought to destroy it. Hide it, tear it
up, or swallow it, so that they won't be able to read it.”

“I yerry, misses.”

“Very good! And now, when you see Mass Richard, tell
him not to come. Tell him better go farther off, across the fork,
and across the other river; for that Mat Dunbar means to push
after him to-morrow, and has sworn to hunt him up before he
stops. Tell him, I beg him, for my sake, though he may not

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be afraid of that bad man, to keep out of his way, at least until
he gathers men enough to meet him on his own ground.”

The startling voice of Dunbar himself broke in upon the whispered
conference. “Mat Dunbar is exceedingly obliged to you,
Miss Sabb.”

“Ah!” shrieked the damsel — “Brough — fly, fly, Brough.”
But Brough had no chance for flight.

“His wings are not sufficiently grown,” cried the loyalist, with
a brutal yell, as he grappled the old negro by the throat, and
hurled him to the ground. In the next moment he possessed
himself of the paper, which he read with evident disappointment.
By this time the sound of his bugle had summoned his
lieutenant, with half a dozen of his followers, and the kitchen
was completely surrounded.

“Miss Sabb, you had best retire to the dwelling. I owe you
no favors, and will remember your avowed opinion, this night, of
Mat Dunbar. You have spoken. It will be for me yet to speak.
Lieutenant Clymes, see the young lady home.”

“But, sir, you will not maltreat the negro?”

“Oh! no! I mean only that he shall obey your commands.
He shall carry this note to your favorite, just as you designed,
with this difference only, that I shall furnish him with an escort.”

“Ah!”

Poor Frederica could say no more. Clymes was about to
hurry her away, when a sense of her lover's danger gave her
strength.

“Brough,” she cried to the negro; “you won't show where
Mass Richard keeps?”

“Never show dem tory not'in', missis.”

The close gripe of Dunbar's finger upon the throat of the negro
stifled his further speech. But Frederica was permitted to
see no more. The hand of Clymes was laid upon her arm, and
she went forward promptly to save herself from indignity. She
little knew the scene that was to follow.

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