He stood up, swayed perilously close to the fire, and sat down again suddenly. “I ought to be getting over to see those ship carpenters,” he said. “I got some dice of my own now.” He leaned over and dropped a hand on Doc Means’s shoulder, adding, “Got a pair for you, too, old Catamount! Me’n’ you, we’ll go over and see those carpenters. I took eighty-six dollars, hard money, off of one Pennsylvania regiment up at Ti, and anybody that can take anything off a Pennsylvanian, he could skin a ship carpenter right down to the belly-button.”

“You can’t go yet,” I said. “You haven’t told us what’s happening!”

“There ain’t a thing happening!” Cap protested. “Not one damned thing! You don’t have no time to do anything, because the second you start doing it, somebody catches you and puts you to work rigging a ship or carrying powder and shot and guns aboard! Arnold’s got ten vessels ready to sail, but they ain’t sailed yet.”

He ticked them off on his fingers: “Royal Savage schooner, Enterprise sloop, Liberty schooner, Revenge schooner, Boston gundelo, New Haven gundelo, Providence gundelo, Connecticut gundelo, Philadelphia gundelo and Spitfire gundelo. Fifty-eight guns, most of ’em small, and four hundred and fifty men, without nothing to sit on except themselves on account of not having enough pants to set down on nothing with.”

Hawley came out of the darkness, piloted by Nathaniel; and at the sight of Nathaniel it occurred to me that here was a heaven-sent opportunity to put him in a safe place by sending him with Hawley, who could use him to good advantage. In Hawley’s company he would have no occasion to see Easton and Brown; and he’d be free of this fever-ridden pest-hole in which we worked.

“What’s all this about the Royal Savage?” Hawley asked.

Cap got to his feet. “Orders from Arnold. I left the letter up at headquarters. Wynkoop, he ain’t Commander of Lake Champlain no more. In fact, he ain’t nothing no more, and you’re wanted to take his place.”

“What happened to him?” I asked. “Did you suggest that Whitcomb drown him?”

Cap was indignant. “I never suggested nothing to Whitcomb! I don’t hardly know the feller! What happened about Wynkoop was that when Arnold was all ready to have Hazen court-martialed, the court was packed with New Hampshire men—friends of Hazen and Bedel. They objected to everything Arnold started to do. Wouldn’t admit his witnesses—wouldn’t listen to Arnold—wouldn’t do a damned thing! When Arnold complained, they got all excited, and said they’d never been so insulted by nobody, not in all their whole lives, and if Arnold didn’t apologize, they’d take their dolls and go home!”