ON THE BEACH.
The day was just beginning to break in the East when the little
wave-tossed boat bearing the Patriot survivors of the ill-fated
ship, drew in sight of land. The first bright rays of the rising sun
showed the low fringe of shore to the four in the boat, and it was a
very welcome sight indeed. Tom had now recovered his strength, and
was anxious to take his place at the oars, but although his comrades
were tired out with several hours' rowing, they refused to allow him
to exert himself till he had fully recovered from the strain of the
night's battle. Tom's part in that fight had been the hardest, and he
had certainly shown himself to be a true Dare, fearless and strong in
all circumstances.
As the light grew stronger, Tim, who was in the bow, exclaimed, "Faith,
and it seems to me they are cooking our breakfast for us."
Although the rest had no idea who "they" referred to, all looked
towards the distant shore, and it seemed, as Tim had said, that several
thin streams of smoke were rising and joining into a heavier column
above the treetops.
"Looks like signs of an encampment," said Tom. "I wonder whether they
are friends or enemies?"
"Frinds or inimies makes no difference at all," answered Tim. "We'll
not be able to keep on cruising in this little tub much longer, and if
they are inimies sure we'll be after tellin' them we have but just left
a good boat belongin' to the sailors of King George, which will be but
the plain truth, and that of all the grand company that sailed to fight
the inimies of the King, we are the only ones left."
"It might be a wise thing to evade arrest or imprisonment if they are
English troops," said Tom, "but we'll hope they are Patriots till we
know to the contrary. What do you think about it, captain?"
"Well, it's certain that I don't want to be penned up till the end of
this war, and it seems to me that if we all stick to Tim's story, we
may remove any suspicion and be allowed our liberty."
"Sure, and in this game it's only right and proper to keep your
liberty," replied Tim. "And remember, Tom, you have got work ahead of
you before we get to----"
"Where we are going," interposed Tom, quickly, anxious to have
everything regarding his journey kept as secret as possible. He knew
that the mate and the captain were perfectly loyal to the cause, but
his instructions were to keep his destination to himself, and he
intended to do so.
Tim, thus admonished, said no more.
The boat had drawn nearer the shore now, and all four were keenly and
somewhat anxiously watching the beach for signs of the men they knew
must be there.
They had not long to wait, for in a few minutes a whole company tumbled
out of the woods and ran down to the beach for their morning swim. As
they were in the act of undressing, one of them caught sight of a boat
containing the Patriots.
"Hi, there, comrades," he shouted, "we are having early visitors."
Several of the men ran back for their rifles, and so Tom stuck up an
oar with his handkerchief knotted at the end of it, as a signal of
friendship. The mate and Tim pulled straight for the group on the
beach.
"Better make it seem as though we are glad to see them," the mate
suggested. "If they take us for Tories, we will be free to go our own
way, but if they suspect our real feelings we will certainly be in
trouble."
So they rowed steadily shoreward, pointing the nose of their little
craft for the group of British troops.
"Ahoy on shore!" shouted Tim. "We are after comin' from his majesty's
royal fleet, and want to spake with your officers."
Tim grinned as he shouted this, and all the party wondered how his
story would be taken.
"You'll see them quick enough," replied one of the Redcoats. "Plenty
quick enough if you are friends of his majesty's--God bless him--and
too quick if you are not."
Some of the soldiers ran out into the surf and pulled the boat in
when they had about reached the beach, and with many expressions of
thankfulness and apparent joy the Patriots tumbled out and joined the
English.
"We are the last of a strong little crew and a good ship," volunteered
the captain. "The other poor boys went down with the ship."
"And what may you be doing here, when, as far as I can see, a captain
is supposed to stick till the last?"
"We were rowing about, trying to pick up this man who had fallen
overboard," invented the captain, who had been caught in a peculiar
position. In fact, as this instance shows, and as the boys well knew,
it is both unwise and difficult to attempt deception, even in a good
cause.
"A likely thing to my way of thinking," said the soldier. "Captains do
not generally go overboard after sailors when they fall over, do they?"
"Not generally," said Tom. "But the captain and I had been good
friends, and he was anxious to save me quickly."
"Guess this must be a matter for the officers," said one of the men.
"They will pretty soon find out whether these fellows are what they
claim to be or not."
Now, Tom had a great dislike for being seen by the officers, for his
activities with Dick had often thrown him into the enemy's hands,
and he was afraid that some of his former captors might be with this
party. Therefore to gain a little time, he said, "Now, see here, boys,
everything you will find to be all right and satisfactory, and before
we go to see the general or whoever it is that has command, we would
like to take a dip in the surf and get freshened up a bit. Rowing
around all night in an open boat doesn't help your appearance any, and
we'll just join you boys in a swim, if you don't mind. Then we'll all
be ready to go up and straighten things out."
"That's all right, young feller," said the spokesman of the troops, a
corporal, "you can have your swim all right, but don't you be too sure
it will be as easy to straighten things out as you think."
"Good," said Tom. "That's fine. And we'll be able to explain everything
later on."
Meanwhile, Tom's mind had been working rapidly, and he saw that they
would easily ferret out the truth of the story as long as there were
four of them to question. He didn't see how Tim and he could be any
worse off by facing the matter out. It was about time for Dick and
Fritz to be along in that part of the country, too, for their trip
overland would take them longer than Tom had taken, being driven
rapidly up the coast by the storm. Therefore, it seemed to him that
if he could manage to get the captain and the mate out of the way, it
would be better all around. So, when the party prepared to remove their
clothes, Tom whispered to the captain:
"Captain, we can't stop to argue matters out to form any detailed plan,
but Tim and I will start some kind of a fuss in the water now, and
while we keep their attention, you and the mate float quietly down the
shore on your backs till you reach those plum bushes--see them?--those
beach plums down there." Tom motioned with his eyes. "It's a great
joke being taken for rebels isn't it?" he said in a louder voice as a
soldier approached. "One would think we looked like desperadoes."
The captain smiled and nodded his head, and Tom saw that he was
answering his instructions.
"Come along, you fellows," shouted the corporal, "we haven't got all
morning for this swim."
"All right. We're ready," answered Tom, and they all trotted down to
the water's edge.
"Gee, it's cold," chattered Tom.
"Faith, and if your lordship will wait a moment, I'll warm it for you,"
replied Tim, giving Tom a vigorous push that sent him floundering out
to his waist.
"I'll fix you for that," shouted Tom, seeing that Tim had unconsciously
started the excitement that he wanted.
Tom ran back and headed Tim up the shore away from the plum bushes.
They raced about fifty yards, and at the shout of the soldiers, who
were all watching their antics with interest, Tim ducked and rushed
out into the water. Tom was on his heels and they began a spirited
water-fight, of which Tim soon had enough, and he turned and dove
through an oncoming wave and struck out lustily to evade Tom.
Things were working out better than Tom had expected, and the soldiers,
amused by the spirited fight the two boys were waging, followed them
up the beach and gave the mate and the captain an excellent chance to
scurry down the water line with their clothes in their hands.
Tom, keeping far enough from Tim to encourage him, and yet near enough
to keep the interest of the troopers, saw the naked figures go out
of sight around a sand dune near the beach plums. If he could only
give them a few more minutes they would be safe, and after some more
running, and a moment's stop to don their clothes, would be out of the
soldier's reach. And Tom didn't imagine that they would ever let the
troops get close enough to catch them, either.
"I've got you now, you Irish villain," he yelled at the sputtering Tim.
Tom reached out and caught the flying foot in front of him, and in a
minute had Tim ducked head-foremost under the water.
The soldiers set up a shout of laughter at this, and letting Tim come
to the surface, Tom renewed the splash-fight, treading meanwhile with
his feet. Tim, however had had quite enough by this time, and was
heading for land as fast as his tired arms and legs would propel him.
He arrived sputtering and breathless, and shouted as best he could with
a mouth full of salt water, "Enough. I've got enough, you old duck.
Just 'cause I give you a friendly pat, up you go and chase me over the
face of the whole earth."
"If that was a friendly pat, I'm glad you didn't push me hard," replied
Tom, laughing.
A bugle rang out in the woods just then, and the men made a hasty dive
for their clothes, some of them not even stopping to dry perfectly.
While they were rushing around, a group of officers appeared at the
edge of the timber on their way to the beach.
"Where are those other two?" suddenly queried the corporal, recalled to
his sense of duty by the appearance of the officers.
"Gone on up to the camp, I suppose," said Tim. "Sure, an' if they were
as hungry as me they would be eating ye out of house and home by now."
Tom felt that by this time the two sailors had gotten a fair start,
and his spirits were rising proportionately, when of a sudden a shot,
followed by several scattering reports, rang out.
"Come along, you two!" shouted the corporal, and the two boys were
hustled unceremoniously up the beach, donning their clothes as best
they could while trotting along. The officers had turned and dashed
back toward the encampment, and when the soldiers with their captives
reached there the whole place was in confusion, with troops rushing in
all directions, shouting and firing their muskets at random into the
woods.
"This cooks our goose," said Tom. "They are evidently disturbed at
something, and I can see where we come in for our share of the trouble."
"It must be the captain and the mate they are blazing at," suggested
Tim. "Sure, and they will never hit a thing at all at the rate they
are firin' and rushin' around."
"I hope they don't," said Tom.
"Come this way, ye rebels!" bellowed the excited corporal.
"Don't pay any attention when he calls us rebels," said Tom. "Don't let
him see that we recognize the name at all."
At their apparent indifference to his commands, the corporal ran up
and grasping them each by an arm, hurried up to the central tent. An
officer in a major's uniform was talking to a young man as they were
brought up, and gave no heed to their presence till he was finished.
The boys listened eagerly, and were greatly astonished to hear what was
going on between the two.
"A piece of rank carelessness on the part of the men," the major
was saying. "They were both securely guarded, and should never have
escaped, but the minute our backs are turned these hired troops forget
their duty, and everything else but themselves, and give those rascals
a chance that they didn't overlook."
"There'll be the dickens to pay when this gets to headquarters," said
the young fellow in civilian's clothes. "We have got to get them
again, or we will have to pay for it. I've followed those two for a
full week or more, and had them almost secure three times, and every
time they slip away when they seem safest. When we get them again
we'll have to let nothing stand in the way of their safe return to
Charleston."
"Don't worry, we'll get them again," returned the major. "With
this force at our disposal, two young fellows like that can never
successfully escape us for long."
"They better not or we might as well stay away too," replied the young
man. "And, besides, I have a little personal matter to settle with one
of them."
"So that's what makes you so anxious to get them, is it?" queried the
officer.
"That makes me doubly anxious," answered the younger man.
"Do you know who they are talking about?" asked Tom, in a whisper.
"Sure, and it must be Dick Dare and Fritz," answered Tim.