 
 <prompt> Chapter XXIV.

"March--march--march! Making sounds as they tread, Ho-ho! how they step, Going down to the dead."

Coxe.

Di time wey Maud spend for her meditations over di box and im contents, don dey used by di captain for preparations for im enterprise. Joyce, young Blodget, Jamie and Mike, wey dey led by their commander personally, go make up di whole force for di occasion; and every man don dey busy to get im arms, ammunition and provisions ready, for di last half-hour. When captain Willoughby, therefore, don take leave of im family, e find di party for condition to move.

Di first great desideratum na to waka comot from di Hut without being seen. Joel and im followers still dey work for distant fields; but dem all dey carefully avoid dat side of di Knoll wey go bring dem within reach of di musket, and dis one leave all behind di cliff unseen, unless Indians dey for di woods for dat direction. As Mike don recently pass through dat route, however, di probability na say di whole party still dey for di neighbourhood of di mills, where all reports agree say dem mainly dey. Na di intention of di captain, therefore, to sally through di rivulet and di back of di house, and to gain di woods under cover of di bushes for di banks of di former, as e don already happen by so many since di inroad.

Di great difficulty na to comot from di house, and reach di bed of di stream, unseen. Dis step, however, don dey facilitated well by means of Joel's sally-port, di overseer don take, himself, all di precautions against detection wey di case well admit. Nevertheless, di distance between di palisades and di base of di rocks, some forty or fifty yards, wey dey entirely uncovered, and e get to be passed under di notice of any wandering eyes wey fit happen to dey turned for dat quarter. After much reflection, di captain and serjeant come to di conclusion to adopt di following mode of proceeding. <response>: 1. Joel and im followers
2. for farmland wey dey far
3. no
4. di side of di Knoll
5. e for don bring dem close to di musket
6. di bush
7. under di cover of di bushes
8. Maud
9. Five
10. Joyce, young Blodget, Jamie, Mike and their commander
11. di last half-hour
12. arms, ammunition and provisions ready
13. captain Willoughby
14. yes
15. no
16. forty or fifty yards
17. di palisades and di base of di rocks
18. yes
19. two
20. di captain and serjeant 