“No,” Doc said, “I don’t like it much myself. I been trying to figure what I’d say to Sponge-belly, in case the British catch up with us.” He eyed me sideways. The possibility of such a meeting was resting heavily upon him.

“Well,” I said, “I’ll try it again, but I don’t believe it’ll do any good.”

“It won’t do a mite of good,” Doc agreed. “These fellers think the English are always slow, just the way the English think we’re all a lot of iggerommuses, and I ain’t so sure but what they’re right.”

I went back to the quarterdeck once more, and I went reluctantly; for nothing is so hurtful to a soldier’s pride as to appear as a persistent suppliant.

The colonel was in high spirits at the sight of a fat salmon flapping on the deck. Even Captain Kidder’s sourness was less pronounced, now that the trials of the night were over. They gave me a friendly greeting, doubtless because I hadn’t bothered them for some hours. Captain Kidder had just made a suggestion that met with the colonel’s approval. “A fine idea!” the colonel exclaimed. “We’ll have fish for breakfast for all hands as soon as they’ve caught twenty more. Send five men ashore to cook ’em—have ’em row well ahead. We’ll take our time catching up, and by the time we get there, they ought to be done. Salmon for breakfast! We could do worse, Kidder: a lot worse!” He smiled at me, a kind, good gentleman. “Not a Britisher in sight!” he said. “No occasion for all that nervousness of yours, you see. They’ll be two days cutting through that chain and those piles!”

“Yes sir,” I said. “I don’t doubt you know the chain’s capabilities. There’s something I’d like to speak about, though. I know this section of the lake pretty well, as I told you. Last year, when we took the vessels through to General Arnold, I figured out a few things.”

The colonel nodded affably. “Go ahead, Captain. It’ll be a pleasure to hear what you’ve thought up for us.”

He was being jocose, and my heart sank. “Well, sir,” I said, “from here to Skenesboro, the lake narrows to almost nothing. There’s places where a square-rigger can’t go through without scraping.”

“Yes,” the colonel admitted, “it’s narrow, but we’ll have no trouble: not with Captain Kidder at the helm.”

“No sir,” I said. “That isn’t what I mean. What I mean is this: if you’ll let me sink one of our five vessels in the proper spot, the British can’t get by. They’ll be weeks clearing the channel, and you can take your time getting away.”

“Sink a vessel!” Captain Kidder cried. “Which one?”