WHEN THE GUARD CAME
"LOOK out, Sim Shrimp!" called the boatman quickly, warningly.
For, while Hal had stood looking gamely at the revolver, Noll Terry had
side-stepped, and now leaped at the corporal.
Whack! Noll struck up the glinting barrel of the weapon.
Private Overton, seeming to move in the same instant, leaped forward in
front.
Bang! The revolver was discharged, but harmlessly into the air, as both
rookies tackled the corporal and bore him to the ground.
"Help, here, Bill!" cried Shrimp, as he found himself going over
backward.
The boatman leaned over to snatch up an oar. As he rose with it he saw
Private Hal Overton rise with the corporal's revolver in his hand.
"Stay where you are, Corporal, and don't make any fuss," advised Hal
grimly. "Your friend had better stay where he is if he doesn't want to
know what it feels like to have a bullet going through him."
"Drop that gun, and let me up! Get out of my way," ordered Shrimp.
"You're interfering with me in the discharge of my duty, and I'll put
you both in a lot of trouble."
"Don't you try to get up," ordered Noll, who had thrown himself across
the corporal and was holding him down.
"Sentry!" yelled Hal. "Sentry."
He should have called, "Corporal of the guard!" but he didn't know that.
Another shot at some distance was heard, followed by a lusty shout from
a sentry of:
"Corporal of the guard, post number seven!"
"Let me up out of this, and I'll let you both off," proposed Corporal
Simeon Shrimp.
"You'll stay just where you are," ordered Hal, "and I give you my word
that, if I see any signs of your trying to escape, I'll drill you
through with all the bullets this revolver carries."
Running feet were now coming rapidly their way.
"Lemme go--boys, do," pleaded the corporal brokenly, terror ringing in
his voice. "Boys, you don't know what fearful trouble you'll get me
into."
"That's a different song," retorted Private Hal Overton dryly. "But it
wouldn't do any good to let you go now. Your friend has shoved off, and
is rowing like mad."
The steps of running men now came nearer.
[Illustration: Both Rookies Tackled the Corporal.]
"This way, Corporal of the guard!" called Private Overton.
In another moment the corporal and two men of the guard raced to the
spot.
"This is Corporal Shrimp. He was under arrest, and trying to escape,"
announced Hal. "There was a friend of his here with a boat, and he's out
yonder now, Corporal, trying to get away."
"Load with ball cartridge, hail that boat, and fire if the man doesn't
come about promptly and row in," ordered the corporal, turning to one of
the members of the guard.
The soldier so directed loaded his rifle like lightning.
"Boat ahoy, turn about and come back!" shouted the soldier.
There was no answer from the water.
"Turn about and come back," repeated the soldier.
Still no answer. Then, after a third hail, the soldier raised his rifle
to his shoulder, sighting as best he could in the darkness.
Bang! The rifle spat forth a jet of fire and sent a bullet whistling
over the water.
"Send a couple of more shots after him," ordered the corporal.
Still no answer from out on the water. And, by this time, the boat was
so far away in the darkness that it was impossible to judge in which
direction to aim.
"Cease firing. The rascal has escaped," said the corporal of the guard.
"You are recruits, aren't you?" turning to Hal and Noll.
"Yes, Corporal."
"You're right about Corporal Shrimp being in arrest. Corporal, you've
taken a long chance in breaking your arrest like this."
Shrimp said not a word. He was cunning enough to know that nothing he
could say now would help his case any.
Suddenly one of the two members of the guard stepped forward, bringing
his rifle to port.
"Halt!" he called. "Who goes there?"
"Sergeant of the guard," replied another voice out of the darkness.
"Advance, Sergeant of the guard, to be recognized."
Not only the sergeant came forward, but four other members of the guard
with him.
"Corporal Shrimp, breaking arrest and attempting to desert, Sergeant,"
reported the corporal of the guard.
"Shrimp, what a fool you've been to-day!" muttered Sergeant Collins.
"Let him up, men. Hold out your hands, Corporal Shrimp. I've got to do
it."
His face sallow with dread and humiliation, Shrimp held out his hands,
while the sergeant snapped a pair of handcuffs into place over his
wrists.
"March the prisoner to the guard-house, Corporal," directed the sergeant
of the guard. Then he turned to Private Hal, who still held the
revolver.
"You two are recruits?"
"Yes, Sergeant."
"You stopped the prisoner from escaping?"
"Yes, Sergeant."
"Where did you get that revolver?"
"It is the one that Corporal Shrimp drew on us when we attempted to
prevent him from escaping."
"You took it away from him in a scuffle?"
"Yes, Sergeant."
"Mighty fine work for a pair of young recruits," declared Sergeant
Collins promptly. "Your names?"
Hal and Noll informed the sergeant of the guard on this point as the
sergeant turned on his way back to the guard-house.
"You'll come with me, Overton and Terry. The officer of the day will
need to hear your statements."
"We'll not be censured, Sergeant, for being late at the squad room?"
"Hardly," came the dry retort. "You're now under orders from the guard.
Don't worry, men."
Shrimp's voice was audible once more. He was swearing volubly over the
trick that fate had played him.
"Stop that prisoner's swearing," ordered Sergeant Collins sharply.
In a short time the guard party reached the post guard-house.
Lieutenant Mayberry, officer of the day, stood just outside of the door.
"What have you there, Corporal?" asked Lieutenant Mayberry curiously.
"Corporal Shrimp, sir, for breaking arrest and attempting to desert,
sir," replied the corporal of the guard, bringing his hand to his piece
in a rifle salute, which the officer of the day acknowledge by bringing
his right hand up to the visor of his cap.
"Where did you catch him?"
"At the shore, sir, over there," replied the corporal of the guard,
pointing.
"There's no sentry post over there, Corporal."
"No, sir; the prisoner was caught by two rook--recruits, sir."
"Two recruits?"
"Yes, sir."
"Where are they?"
"Coming, sir, with the sergeant of the guard."
At this moment Sergeant Collins stepped forward into the light.
"These are the two recruits, sir, who caught the prisoner," announced
Sergeant Collins, making the rifle salute.
"Your names and company, men?" asked Lieutenant Mayberry.
"Private Overton, A Company, sir," replied Hal, saluting.
"Private Terry, A Company, sir," from Noll.
"How long have you men been on post?" asked the officer of the guard.
"Since about noon, to-day, sir." Hal was spokesman this time.
"And you've already started your Army career by catching a man in the
act of desertion?" cried the lieutenant. "Men, you're beginning well.
Corporal, lock the prisoner in a cell. Then report to me at my desk.
Sergeant, bring Privates Overton and Terry inside with you."
Hal and Noll, the sergeant and the corporal soon stood grouped before
the desk of the officer of the day. Sergeant Collins had turned over the
revolver that Private Hal had taken from Shrimp.
Lieutenant Mayberry listened with very evident interest as the story of
the capture was unfolded to him.
"Corporal, did you see the boat in question?" asked the officer of the
day, at last.
"Yes, sir, though very indistinctly, in the distance. It was out of
sight in the darkness, an instant after, sir."
"But there can be no doubt that the boat was there, Corporal?"
"I am absolutely certain of it, sir," replied the corporal.
"That is all, now," finished Lieutenant Mayberry. "Overton and Terry, I
am going to commend you, in an off-hand way, now, for your judgment and
intelligence to-night. You have made an excellent beginning. You may
very likely hear from the commanding officer later."
At that moment a bugle call was heard.
"That's taps, isn't it?" asked Hal, realizing for the first time how
time had passed at the guard-house.
"Yes," replied Sergeant Collins. "Tattoo went some time ago."
"You won't find yourselves in any trouble, men," broke in Lieutenant
Mayberry, with a slight smile. "Report to the non-commissioned officer
in charge of your squad room that you have been at the guard-house under
orders."
As soon as dismissed Hal and Noll made a swift spurt for barracks.
"Too bad, the first night, men," said Sergeant Brimmer quietly, meeting
them just inside the door of the squad room.
Hal promptly accounted for both himself and his chum.
"Whew!" whistled the startled sergeant softly. "You caught Corporal
Shrimp in the act of deserting? Men, your time to get square came around
soon, didn't it?"
"We didn't do it to get square, Sergeant," replied Hal. "We did it as a
matter of military duty."
"Well, go softly to your beds, men. I'll go with you, to see that you
make 'em up according to rule."
As Sergeant Brimmer went back to his own iron cot he muttered to
himself:
"Caught Shrimp, and turned him over to the guard! Those lads are going
to make good soldiers. And it won't pay any comrade to make enemies of
them needlessly."