The Dare Boys Of 1776 Part 14

d.i.c.k was on the alert for information all the rest of that day. He did not learn much more, for he found that there was no intention of attacking the patriot force on Brooklyn Heights very soon, exactly the point on which General Washington wished to be informed. He became convinced that it would be useless to remain longer in the hope of securing further information, as no date for an attack had been decided upon.

He turned his attention therefore to the problem of how if possible to rescue the patriot spies and soldiers that were in the old hulk used for a prison.

"I must rescue them!" was his thought. "I will rescue them!" he decided, and he began figuring on the matter in earnest and laying his plans.

About half-past one o'clock in the afternoon, however, he was given a shock: He saw half a dozen British soldiers approaching the encampment from the north, and in their midst was-his brother Tom!

"They've captured Tom!" he exclaimed mentally, in dismay. "Goodness, that is bad! I wonder how it happened?"

This was a simple matter. The half dozen redcoats had been up in the hills nearby the Heights, where d.i.c.k and Tom had had the adventure the night before, when in pa.s.sing the clump of trees, some one of them happened to catch a glimpse of Tom, who was seated under a tree, eating some food that he had procured t a farmhouse early that morning. The soldiers had advanced, and their sudden appearance had startled Tom to such an extent that when they asked who he was and what he was doing there, he stammered and was unable to make a satisfactory reply offhand, with the result that the redcoats seized him and made him a prisoner, their idea being that even though he were a boy he might be a "rebel" spy.

As may well be supposed, when d.i.c.k saw the redcoats approaching with his brother a prisoner in their midst, his heart sank. He had been figuring on getting his brother to help him in rescuing the patriot spies and soldiers, and here was Tom in the enemy's hands, a prisoner.

"I'll have to begin by rescuing Tom, I guess," was d.i.c.k's thought.

The soldiers entered the encampment, with the youth in their midst, and conducted him to where in front of his tent the general was sitting on a camp-stool. The officer looked up as the party approached, and he eyed the prisoner in some surprise.

d.i.c.k had drawn near as the soldiers entered the camp, and had managed to catch Tom's eye and give him a warning look. He hoped that his brother would be very careful, and not let it be seen that they were known to each other.

"Whom have you there?" queried General Percy, as the party came to a halt in front of him.

"We found this youngster over yonder in that bit of woods, General Percy," said one of the soldiers. "He was sitting there, eating a lunch, and when we appeared and asked him who he was and where he came from, he seemed frightened and could make no satisfactory answer."

"I wasn't frightened, any such thing!" said Tom, his eyes flashing. "I am not frightened even now, sir. I was surprised, for they came upon me so suddenly, and the leaped at me as if I were a desperado, and naturally I may have seemed a bit confused in my answers to their questions. But I wasn't frightened, sir."

Something like a grim smile appeared for an instant on the general's face, as he looked at the bright face of the boy.

"So you were not afraid, eh?" he remarked. "Well, if you are not a rebel spy or an enemy to the king, there is no reason that you should be afraid. What is your name?"

"Tom Dare, sir." Tom had given his real name to the soldiers, but had wished afterward that he had given a fict.i.tious one. Now he could do nothing other than give his own name.

"Tom Dare, eh? Well, Master Tom Dare, where do you live?"

The boy hesitated an instant, and then said: "I live over in New Jersey."

"Ah, in New Jersey? Well, what are you doing over here on Long Island?"

"I wanted to see the British army, sir, and so I came over here."

"Ah, indeed? Why did you wish to see the British army?"

"Just out of curiosity, sir. I have never before seen an army, and I wanted to see one."

General Percy eyed the boy searchingly for a few moments, and then said:

"It seems to me you have come good ways to satisfy a feeling of curiosity. Your action is a little bit unusual. You appear to have an inquiring mind." There was something in his tone that Tom did not just like. It had a threatening sound. However, he kept a bold face, and said as calmly as possible:

"Yes, sir."

"I suppose," said the general after a few moments, "that you have so much curiosity, you would like to see all that you possibly can."

Tom still did not fancy the general's tone and air, but he answered:

"True, sir. So I would."

"Very well. Such being the case, I have no doubt that you would like to see the interior of one of the old hulks down at the bay, that we use as prisons for rebel spies and other prisoners. I am going to send you down there, my boy, and I hope you will like the looks of things there, for you will probably be there some time."

Tom started and turned slightly pale.

"Surely you are not going to make me a prisoner there, sir!" he exclaimed in dismay.

"That is just what I am going to do, Master Tom Dare!" was the reply in a stern tone. "The fact is, I believe you are a rebel spy. Your explanation of your presence here, when your home is over in New Jersey is not satisfactory at all. I am certain that you have an ulterior motive in coming, and the only motive that I can think of is that you came to engage in spy-work. Take him to the prison at once, men," this last to the soldiers.

Poor Tom! He knew it would be hopeless to expostulate. He felt that he was doomed to become an inmate of one of the prison-ships, and as he thought it would be useless he said not a word, but accompanied the soldiers without making any show of resistance.

"Take him past the other encampments and let him see the whole army,"

called General Percy after them. "When one has as much curiosity as he seems to be possessed of, it should be satisfied." This was sarcasm and intended to hurt Tom's feelings and humiliate him, but instead it only aroused a feeling of resentment in his breast, and almost before he realized what he was saying, he exclaimed aloud:

"I'd like to kick him!"

"Who, the general?" queried one of the soldiers.

"Yes," said Tom, boldly.

"You'd better not let him hear you say anything like that, sonny!"

"Say, comrades," remarked another, maliciously, "let's go back and tell the general what he said."

"No, let's not," said another. "The general would whip out his sword and cut the boy's head off. Come on; it will be punishment sufficient to be incarcerated in the old prison-ship, even if he is a spy."

"I guess you're right about that, comrade."

"If it was me," spoke up another, "I believe I'd rather have my head cut off and be done with it, than to be imprisoned in that old hulk."

"I guess you're about right," agreed the first speaker. "I certainly would hate to have to change places with you, my boy."

Tom decided that the prison-ship must be a terrible place, and he was destined to soon find that such was really the case.

They pa.s.sed the main encampment of the British, as they went to the beach, and the patriot youth thought that the British would be hard to defeat, with such a strong army.

"There must be fifteen or twenty thousand soldiers there" was his estimate.

Soon the little party was at the beach, and getting into the old row-boat, the soldiers rowed out to the hulk furthest north, and a.s.sisted Tom to the deck. Here they found a British soldier on guard.

"What have you got there, comrades?" this soldier asked, looking at Tom in surprise.

"Another prisoner, Hawkins. He is only a boy, but the general is of the opinion that he is a rebel spy, so down he goes into the hold with the rest of the rebels."