My uniform would be no protection, and, without a horse, my early apprehension was almost a certainty.

My sole apparent chance lay in the Jerseys, and I must reach the opposite shore, and attain cover before daylight.

To my mind there was no reason why this could not be accomplished.

The swimming of the river was not beyond my power; I could float down under water for a hundred yards, and then, concealed by the night, strike out for the eastern shore.

The current might sweep me down stream another hundred yards before my feet touched bottom.