“I wonder how large a body of redcoats there is, Dick?” Mr. Williams
enquired after a few moments.
“There are about twenty of them, sir,” replied Dick promptly.
“And there are fifteen of us, counting you three young men. I guess we
will be able to stand them off.”
“I should think so, sir.”
“Yes. We will leave the women and children in this sheltered spot. We
will go over to near the point where the path connects with the island,
and will await the coming of the enemy.”
This was done, and the settlers, rifles in hands, and Dick, Tom and Ben,
who had each two pistols, were soon stationed at a vantage point near
the end of the path.
Here they crouched, watching the light as it slowly approached, and
presently they could make out the forms of the redcoats. They were
strung out almost in single file, and were making their way very slowly,
for the ground was new to them. But doubtless they had seen swamps
before, and knew that it would be bad for them if they were to get off
the path and into the quagmire on either side.
Closer and closer they came, and when they were within perhaps twenty
yards of the point where the path joined the island, Mr. Williams called
out loudly:
“Halt! Stop where you are!”
The man in the lead, carrying the torch, stopped instantly and the other
redcoats followed suit. There was a brief period of silence, and then
the man with the torch cried:
“So you’re there, eh?”
“Yes, we’re here,” was the reply.
“Well, we’re coming there to have a talk with you, and--”
“You will advance another step at your peril!” interrupted Mr. Williams.
“Eh?” in an amazed voice. “You don’t mean that you will show fight!”
“We certainly will show fight,” was the reply. “The best thing that you
can do is to turn around and go back to the mainland.”
“Oh, but we won’t do that.”
“You will be sorry if you don’t.”
“Bosh. What can a little party of you farmers do against a force of the
king’s soldiers?”
“We are almost as many as your force, we are all armed, and we know how
to shoot.”
“Humph. How many are there of you?”
“There are fifteen of us.”
“Well, there are fifty in our party, so what show do you stand of
fighting against us successfully.”
“I have information to the effect that there are only twenty in your
party.”
This seemed to surprise the redcoats, and there was silence for a few
moments, and then the leader said: “Who informed you to that effect, if
I may ask?”
“That is my affair.”
“Well, your informant was mistaken. There are fifty of us, and if you
try to show fight, we will kill the whole gang of you.”
“You are only twenty, and we will fight you, and will easily drive you
away, too, for the reason that the path is so narrow only a few of you
can approach at a time. We can shoot you down as fast as you appear at
the edge of the island.”
Again there was a brief period of silence, and then the leader walked
back a few paces and held a low conversation with a number of the
soldiers. Then he turned and advanced to within about twenty-five yards
of the edge of the island, and called out sternly:
“Will you surrender?”
“No,” was the reply.
“You had better.”
“No, you had better go back to the mainland and let us alone.”
“We are coming onto the island, and if you fire upon us, it will go hard
with you.”
“We will certainly fire,” was the determined reply.
“Very well. Your blood be upon your own heads, then.”
Then the leader called to the soldiers, saying: “Follow me, men. And be
ready to fire the instant I give the word.”
Perhaps he thought that this command would have the effect of
frightening the patriot settlers into not firing, but if so, he was
mistaken, for when the first of the party of soldiers was almost to the
island, Mr. Williams cried sternly:
“Halt and turn back. If you don’t do so at once, we will fire.”
The soldiers continued to advance, and seeing they did not intend to
stop, the patriot settler gave the command:
“Fire!”
Instantly the sound of a volley from the dozen rifles and the three
pistols sounded on the night air, and it was evident that two or three
of the British were at least wounded, for cries of pain and rage went
up. One was seen to have fallen, and another was being held up by a
couple of his comrades.
“Fire at the rebels, men!” roared the leader of the redcoats, and the
British soldiers fired a volley, the bullets rattling above the
patriots’ heads, but not doing any damage, as the members of the party
had dropped flat on the ground.
Then Mr. Williams called out: “You can’t hurt us, no matter how much you
shoot, and we can pick you off quickly. If you will return to the
mainland and go about your business, we will not fire upon you again,
but if you refuse to go, we will open fire on you, and will kill and
wound a number of you.”
Evidently the leader of the party of redcoats realized that, owing to
the narrowness of the path, and their inability to rush forward in a
body, they could not get at the settlers to do them damage, and that it
would be the part of wisdom to do as the settler said, for he called
out:
“All right, we will return to the mainland. Don’t fire.”
“Very well,” replied Mr. Williams.
Then the British soldiers slowly made their way back along the path,
carrying one of their comrades, and one or two assisting another. When
they were out of rifle-shot distance, the leader of the party paused and
yelled loudly:
“We will set up a siege at the point where the path reaches the
mainland, and you will not be able to come off the island, and as soon
as your provisions are exhausted, you will have to surrender.”
Then the redcoats continued their progress toward the mainland.
“If they set up a siege, it will be bad for us,” said Mr. Williams,
soberly. “We have only enough food to last say two or three days.” Then
they stationed a couple of their number at the end of the path, to give
warning in case the redcoats should return during the night, and the
others went back and rejoined the women and children and their situation
was discussed with considerable seriousness.
“I don’t like the situation,” said Mr. Williams, and the others said the
same.