"I know that man," said Shif'less Sol. "His name is Standish. I
was there nine or ten hours ago, an' I told him it wuz time to
take his family an' run. But he knowed more'n I did. Said he'd
stay, he wuzn't afraid, an' now he's got to pay the price."
"No, he mustn't do that," said Henry. "It's too much to pay for
just being foolish, when everybody is foolish sometimes. Boys,
we can yet save that man an' his wife and children. Aren't you
willing to do it?"
"Why, course," said Long Jim. "Like ez not Standish will shoot
at us when we knock on his door, but let's try it."
The others nodded assent.
"How far back from the river is the Standish house, Sol?" asked
Henry.
"'Bout three hundred yards, I reckon, and' it ain't more'n a mile
down."
"Then if we pull with all our might, we won't be too late. Tom,
you and Jim give Sol and me the oars now."
Henry and the shiftless one were fresh, and they sent the boat
shooting down stream, until they stopped at a point indicated by
Sol. They leaped ashore, drew the boat down the bank, and
hastened toward a log house that they saw standing in a clump of
trees. The enemy had not yet come, but as they swiftly
approached the house a dog ran barking at them.
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