AN UNEXPECTED MEETING.
It was as if the elements favored us in the race to Nottingham and
indeed I counted it a race in which were pitted against us the British
fleet and Elias Macomber.
The wind held strong, the day was cloudless, and the canoe, clumsy
craft as I had always looked upon her, sailed like a bird. Bill Jepson
insisted on holding the steering paddle, and we were well content to
have him at the helm, for he held her so nearly to the course that our
wake stretched out behind us straight as an arrow.
Under almost any other circumstances we would have made at least a
short stop at Benedict; but now it was out of the question, and we
sailed by at full speed, being hailed by several of our acquaintances
who urged that we come to for a moment, but we resisted all such
entreaties.
I knew that my mother, on being told we had refused even to so much as
have speech with our friends as we passed, would understand we were
on urgent business, and have no thought that I had slighted her.
When, in due course of time, we passed the mill from which had been
taken the prisoners, it bore the appearance of being deserted,
therefore we had good reason for believing that Macomber was the only
one of our capturing who succeeded in making his escape.
It was late in the night before we came upon the fleet, and were
brought to by a hail from the guard-boat.
The commodore was yet with the flotilla on board the Scorpion, so the
sentinels told us; but they were minded to prevent our having speech
with him at that unseemly hour.
Had Jerry and I been alone I believe of a verity we would have been
forced to wait until morning before seeing Joshua Barney; but Bill
Jepson could not be put aside as easily as two lads, and he roared out
as if he had been an admiral of the blue at the very least:
"Tell him that Darius Thorpe has sent word from the lower bay, an' it
must be delivered straight away."
[Illustration: "I remember your face, my man;" said the Commodore.
"Come aboard at once." Page 153.]
In the darkness, when it was impossible to see him, no one could say
that Bill was not a person of the greatest importance, and the
sentinels, judging from his voice, must have concluded that he, or the
man whose name he gave, was some one high in authority, therefore they
not only allowed us to approach the schooner, but went before to
announce our arrival.
The commodore was not the kind of an officer to keep any one in
waiting simply that due respect might be shown to his station; but
came on deck half-dressed, bidding one of the sailors to hold a
lantern that he might see who we were.
"So you lads have come back in haste, eh?" he said, on recognizing
Jerry and me. "Have you by chance lost the pungy?"
"No, sir; she is in the lower bay oysterin', with Darius in charge," I
made haste to say.
"And who is this you have with you?"
"Bill Jepson, sir, who has served under you twice; but is now a
deserter from his majesty's ship, Severn, having been pressed into the
British service nigh to three years ago," the sailor replied, rising
to his feet at imminent risk of overturning the canoe.
"I remember your face, my man. Come aboard at once, all hands of you."
We clamored over the rail, having made the canoe fast, and entered the
commodore's cabin.
"When did you desert from the Severn?" Joshua Barney asked, showing
more of excitement than I had ever seen him display.
"Last night, sir, an' it may be by so doin' I've upset some of your
plans; but when I asked for help it never struck me that Darius might
be there on special business."
"Tell me all the story," the commodore said, motioning toward me, and
without delay I gave him a full account of what we had done, save that
then I said nothing regarding Elias Macomber.
Then he questioned Bill Jepson regarding what he knew, and, if I am
any judge of such matters, he got considerable valuable information.
The sailor was able to give him the names of nearly all the vessels in
the two fleets, together with their probable weight of metal, and
repeated the gossip which had leaked from the Severn's cabin through
the marines on guard.
The commodore listened intently, making many notes as Bill spun his
yarn, and when it was come to an end he said:
"You did well to steer for here at once; but I am inclined to believe
that the enemy will move very soon. Is there anything else to be
said?"
"I would like to speak about Elias Macomber, sir?" I made bold to say.
"That was the prisoner who escaped? One of them got away, and there is
good reason to suspect that he received aid from some of our men. We
have no time to look into the matter now; but it shall be thoroughly
sifted later, and if there be a British sympathizer among us, it will
go hard with him."
Then I gave him all the information we had concerning the traitor, and
wound up by asking if there was any reason why we should not go back
and re-take the cur.
"You may as well make the attempt, although I question if he can tell
the enemy anything which is not already known. The utmost he could say
would be that our force is small, and so much the British learned at
St. Leonard's bay. However, I would like to have the fellow; but am
not willing you should run into any danger for the purpose of
effecting the capture."
"I believe that Jerry and I will be able to get hold of him, and we
will go back at once, unless you have other work for us."
"There is nothing especial that you can do here. Warn Darius Thorpe to
be ready for an immediate move on the part of the enemy, and tell him
to make sail for the Patuxent at the first signs of activity. You lads
had better get some sleep before setting off again. Go forward, and
see that you have a hearty meal at once. Jepson, you will remain
aboard the schooner."
Bill thanked the commodore, and the three of us went into a sort of
forecastle which had been rigged up in the forward part of the vessel,
where, after considerable arguing, we succeeded in getting so much
food as satisfied our hunger, which was no small amount.
Then we turned in by lying down on deck, which was preferable to
getting into a bunk on such a hot night.
As a matter of course we were aroused right early, even before any
signs of a new day could be seen; but the three hours of sleep
refreshed us wonderfully, and we were ready to set off down the river.
We managed, at the expense of considerable argument, to get a supply
of provisions from the cook without awakening Commodore Barney, and,
after a warm parting with Bill Jepson, cast off the canoe.
Because the wind was blowing straight up the river it was impossible
to use a sail, save at the cost of considerable time, and we took to
the paddles, which seemed like mighty hard work after our experience
with the rag of a sail.
Don't let it be thought that we begrudged our labor; I would have
paddled till the skin was worn from both hands for the sake of
re-taking Elias Macomber, and looked pleasant all the while; but when
a fellow has been flying over the water with no effort of his own save
to keep the little craft on her course, he cannot but contrast that
pleasure with the dreary work of shoving her ahead with an ashen
blade.
Again we felt obliged to pass our homes without stopping. It would
have taken a full hour, hurry as we might, to go ashore and speak ever
so briefly with those who would greet us, and in that length of time
Elias Macomber could, possibly, join his friends the Britishers.
"We'll keep well over on the eastern shore, where there is less chance
of bein' seen, an' do our best at the paddles," Jerry said as we
discussed the matter just before coming within sight of the village.
"I'd give a good deal to see mother an' the children; but it seems as
if we had no right to loiter."
I was of his mind, and we hugged the opposite bank of the river,
keeping under the screen of foliage as much as possible, until there
was no danger of being recognized.
During all that day and far into the night we paddled. Now and then
one would stop to rest his arms; but the other continued the labor,
therefore the canoe did not come to a stop from the time we left the
fleet until we were arrived at Hog Point.
There we run her bow on the shore while we ate a hearty meal, and
discussed the question as to whether it would be better to approach
the house from the northerly or the southerly side.
I was in favor of going ashore where we then were; but Jerry won the
day by suggesting that if we ran around on the other side, it would be
possible to see if the British came up the bay, and this last was
quite important to us in case we were forced to spend much time
waiting for a fitting opportunity to catch our game.
After refreshing ourselves with food, we paddled around the point
without danger of being seen, because it was so late in the night,
and landed at the same place as before, knowing that from there we
would have no difficulty in finding the dwelling.
After pulling the canoe up amid the bushes, and hiding her as well as
was possible in the darkness, we laid down on the ground, falling
asleep almost immediately we had stretched ourselves out at full
length, and not until the first beams of the rising sun shone across
our faces did we awaken.
It was but natural that we should look down the bay before doing
anything else; but we saw nothing to disturb us. A small craft was
coming slowly up, for the breeze was light; but to her we gave little
or no heed.
We began the day by eating breakfast. Then we saw to it the boat was
so nearly concealed by the foliage that she would not be seen save
after careful search, and we set out to reconnoiter the premises.
We advanced cautiously, stopping every half dozen paces to listen lest
we inadvertently stumble upon the owner of the plantation, or his
guest, and after spending half an hour in such slow progress, we came
in view of the place.
Elias Macomber was pacing to and fro in front of the dwelling, as if
weary of his voluntary confinement, and gazing seaward every few
seconds, for from that side of the house it must have been possible
to get a full view of the bay.
"We might get our musket, an' rush up on him now," Jerry whispered,
and I replied as I believed Darius would have done:
"We don't know how well armed Jenkins may be, nor what he will be
willing to do in aid of his friend. My idea is that we should wait
here until the owner goes to his work, leaving the traitor with the
women folks, and even then the task won't be an easy one, for we must
come out in sight of all hands a full three minutes before arriving at
the house, however fast we run."
"We should have brought the musket with us on this trip," Jerry
grumbled, and I soothed him by saying:
"There is really no time lost. The first thing to be done was to make
certain the scoundrel yet remained here; that has now been
ascertained, and I will go for the weapon while you stand watch. We
mustn't be in too much of a hurry, or we may spill the soup."
Jerry was satisfied to act as sentinel, and I walked leisurely back to
the shore, believing that much time must elapse before we would get
the desired opportunity.
Arriving at the shore I spent some minutes searching for the canoe, so
well had we hidden her, and once getting the musket and ammunition in
my possession I strolled down to the beach where I could have a view
of the bay.
Only the single small vessel was in sight, and I was on the point of
turning away, thinking it useless to gaze long at her, when something
in the rig of the craft struck me as being familiar.
I looked again; laid down the weapon and gazed yet more intently,
until finally there was no longer any question in my mind.
The vessel was none other than the Avenger! If Darius was yet on board
why had he left his post of duty? If anything had happened to him, why
had Jim Freeman taken it upon himself to leave the lower bay?
The more I tried to solve the problem the stronger became the
probability, in my own mind, that some serious disaster had overtaken
our comrades, and I ran at full speed, giving little heed as to
whether the advance might be heard by Macomber, until I was come to
where Jerry remained crouching in the grass, his eyes fixed upon the
dwelling.
"You're makin' a terrible row!" he said angrily, never looking around.
"Fortunately the cur has just gone inside, or he might have heard
you."
"Jerry!" I said, speaking with difficulty because of heavy breathing
after having run so fast. "The Avenger is close at hand; she is the
craft we saw! Something must have gone wrong!"
Jerry turned his head very quickly now, forgetting for the instant
his desire to make a prisoner of Elias Macomber.
"What do you think can have happened?" he asked, and I replied
impatiently:
"That we shall only find out by boarding her. Come to the beach at
once!"
"But what about our work here?" and now it was the pungy that went
from his mind, leaving there only the great desire to accomplish the
purpose for which he had come.
"Never mind that now! It may be we won't want to fool around here on
his account! Come quickly, Jerry, for she was close at hand before I
started!"
It was actually necessary to shake the lad before I could arouse him
to a full sense of the situation; but once that had been done, he
followed me readily enough, even urging that I move faster.
The pungy was no more than half a mile away when we reached the shore,
and we launched the canoe without delay, paddling straight out in her
course.
As she came up I could see Darius at the tiller, with Jim beside him,
and the other two fellows lounging forward.
Nothing had happened to the crew, that much seemed certain, and I was
at my wits' end to account for the Avenger being apparently heading
for home.
When we were come within hailing distance I shouted, never thinking
that I might be heard by those on the Jenkins plantation:
"Why are you coming back? What has happened?"
"Where is Bill Jepson?" Darius cried.
"With the fleet."
"When did you leave him?"
"Yesterday. What is the matter?"
"Come aboard an' I'll tell you," the old man replied as he threw the
pungy up into the wind, and we did not waste many seconds in going
over the rail.
"Now what is it?" I asked impatiently when I stood facing Darius.
"The Britishers are gettin' under way, an' it kind'er looked as if the
oyster business wouldn't be any good after they'd left moorin's. If
there'd been any wind, you'd be seein' 'em by this time. What brought
you ashore at Hog Point?"
"Elias Macomber is there, living with Jenkins the planter. We stopped
on our way up thinking to get some provisions, and not only saw the
cur, but heard him say he was waiting for the Britishers, to whom he
could give a lot of information."
While I had been speaking Darius brought the pungy into the wind
again, and she was standing directly away from the man we had been so
eager to capture.
"Here!" Jerry cried sharply. "You must heave to till we get that
villain."
"How many people do you reckon are in the house?" Darius asked as he
twisted off a large piece of tobacco.
"We've only seen Macomber and Jenkins."
"Don't know anythin' more about the situation?"
"We haven't had time to learn anything more; but it don't stand to
reason there are other men."
"They've both of 'em got wives, who'd fight if it come to a pinch. No,
lads, the best you could count on in the way of time would be a full
day, an' we can't afford to waste an hour."
"But it wouldn't be wastin' time if we finally caught him," Jerry
cried hotly.
"That's where I don't agree with you, lad. The son of a sea-cook can't
give the Britishers any very valuable information, whereas we can tell
the commodore that which may be the means of savin' our whole fleet.
I'd like to lay Macomber by the heels as well as you would; but I
don't believe in usin' a salmon to catch a sprat. We'll run across him
some day; but jest now its our duty to get up the river in short
order. We'll try the canoe with a little bigger canvas, an' if she
sails faster than the pungy you shall go ahead, for an hour now is
worth a full day next week."
I was not convinced that the business of catching the traitor before
he could give his information to the Britishers, was less important
than that of carrying to the commodore word of preparation for
departure on the part of the fleet, more particularly since not a
vessel had as yet hove in sight; but when it came to arguing a point
with Darius I generally got the worst of it, therefore I held my
peace, although it went sadly against the grain to do so.
Jerry did not give in so readily; but insisted on heaving to the
vessel, declaring that he and I would do the work alone, while the
Avenger went on up the river.
"You'll do nothin' of the kind, lad," Darius said emphatically.
"There's no tellin' what Joshua Barney will decide on when he hears
the word I have for him, an' I don't count to leave you down here at
Hog Point to be gobbled up by the Britishers, for you're already under
suspicion of havin' had a hand in Bill Jepson's desertion."
"What do you mean?" I asked in surprise.
"Jest what I said. The officer from the Severn declared that you two
lads could tell what had become of Bill."
"I had actually forgotten that we aided a deserter," I cried. "Tell us
what happened after we left the Avenger?"
"Well," Darius said slowly, stopping to twist off a huge piece of
tobacco, and otherwise trying to make his yarn a long one so that we
might round Hog Point in the meanwhile. "We run over to the Delaware
shore, as I counted on doin', tryin' to find a boat; but it was no go.
We didn't see anythin' that would float, an' of course we couldn't
fool 'round there very long after sunrise, else the Britishers would
see us, so I made up my mind that the best plan was to face the music
right soon.
"We ran down for the Narcissus; but was hove to by the Severn, an' a
lieutenant with four marines came aboard. Bless your heart, lad, but
they did search the pungy from stem to stern, even shovelin' the
oysters over as if thinkin' we might have Bill under 'em. Then the
officer went on board, an' that little nincompoop of a midshipman
boarded us. 'Where's your crew?' he squeaked, an' I said innocent
like, 'They're all aboard, sir.' 'You're a liar!' says he, 'when I was
here last there were five lads on deck, an' now I see only three.' 'Oh
the other fellows have gone home,' says I. 'They only came out with us
for a lark.' 'Where's your boat?' says he. 'She belonged to them,'
says I. 'You're a liar,' says he. 'Yes, sir,' says I, which same was
true, an' off he goes madder'n a wet hornet.
"Then the lieutenant comes aboard after I saw a lot of 'em on the
quarter-deck talkin' fit to kill, an' he asks me when you went home. I
told him you lived on the Delaware shore, an' you skipped when the
pungy got near shore. 'You're a liar,' says he, an' I agreed with him
same's I had with the midshipmite. 'The boys have helped a deserter
from the Narcissus,' says he, 'an' have carried him to the mainland.
I've a mind to seize your vessel.' I tell you what it is, lads, 'bout
that time I thought the Avenger was a goner, for Britishers in
American waters are mighty apt to do whatever comes into their minds."
"Well, did that settle it?" I asked as Darius ceased speaking, much as
though his story had come to an end.
"No, we had three or four officers come aboard later, an' I ain't
certain but that we'd lost the pungy if signals hadn't been sent up on
the flag-ship, which I took to be a command to prepare for gettin'
under way. Leastways, them as was botherin' us scuttled over to their
own craft in short order, an' then there was a heap of knockin' about
in gigs an' barges, with nobody givin' any attention to us. We'd been
hove to half a musket shot from the ship, an' when I saw they had
other fish to fry an' plenty of 'em, I run close aboard as I yelled
like a countryman, 'Any orders for us, sir?' It was quite a long spell
before anybody answered, an' I'd sung out two or three times, when
that little midshipman squealed, 'You are to go about your business
with that pungy, an' we'll overhaul you again when we have more time!"
"Then you started for the Patuxent the best you knew how," I said,
thinking I understood just what should have been done under the
circumstances.
"I wasn't such a bloomin' fool," Darius replied. "We run down to the
Narcissus bold as lions, an' I told 'em we'd brought some more
oysters; but they threatened to fire into us if we didn't sheer off,
an' then I coaxed for 'em to take what cargo I had, offerin' to sell
at six cents a bushel, till they must have thought I was a stark
natural fool."
"But why didn't you get away when you had the chance?" Jerry asked in
surprise.
"I didn't want 'em to think I was anxious to go, an' meanwhile I had
my eye on what they was doin', which told plain as the nose on your
face that the signals were as I had thought. I almost cried when I
said I'd have to run all the way to Baltimore to sell the oysters, an'
the best I got from them was more threats. Then we could steer
straight up the bay without givin' rise to suspicion that we was jest
naturally hankerin' to come."
"You played a fine trick on 'em!" I cried, filled with admiration at
the old man's method of getting away from unpleasant neighbors. "It
couldn't have been done better."
"I'm not so certain of that," Darius replied, but I could see that he
was pleased by the praise. "I didn't have time to think up anythin'
different, for the whole business come about so sudden like.
Howsomever, we've got news that Joshua Barney needs to hear, an' our
cruise to the lower bay will pay if we can get to Nottingham half a
dozen hours ahead of the Britishers, which seems to be a settled thing
with this wind."
Then I told him that the commodore felt convinced the enemy would
advance sooner than was generally believed, and he said in a tone of
admiration:
"There's a man for you! He can smell more'n the most of folks can see,
an' when he says it's in his mind that a thing is so or so, you can
set it down as comin' mighty near to bein' a fact."
Then the old man asked concerning our interview with the commodore,
and by the time we had come to an end of our story Hog Point was so
far astern that there was no longer any thought in my mind of
returning.
I was trying to make the best of the situation, when Jerry said
fretfully:
"It was a big shame that we couldn't have taken Elias Macomber when he
was there ready to drop, like a ripe peach. We might have walked right
up to that house when we first saw him, an' the thing could have been
done."
"But we mightn't have walked back again, if there had happened to be
two or three more in the building than we counted on. Never mind,
Jerry, we'll have the traitor before we're many weeks older, and
what's more, we'll take him ourselves, never asking any man for
assistance."