The new British strategy was to capture New York, where many Loyalists lived, and use it as a base to conquer the middle colonies. In 1776, the British launched the largest sea and land offensive before the Allied invasion of North Africa in 1942, and nearly trapped Washington's army in Brooklyn.
The characters don't say or act suspicious during the interaction,so we can rule out B,and the information they give is just enough to intrigue the reader and give the island a sense of mystery.
