The Dare Boys of 1776
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Stephen Angus Cox >> The Dare Boys of 1776
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"I'll look out for them, sir," with a smile. "Good-bye, and thank you,
General Putnam."
"That's all right. You are welcome. Good-bye and good luck."
Tom took his departure, and as soon as he was out of the patriot
encampment, he hastened away in the direction that he had been told
Dick had undoubtedly gone.
"Perhaps by hurrying I may be able to overtake Dick," was his thought.
He walked swiftly, at times running, and came to the wooded hills much
quicker than Dick had done. He climbed the hill quickly, and was soon
making his way down the other side. He had gone only a few steps when
he heard the report of the musket-shot, sounding close at hand and
almost in front of him.
Instantly Tom was greatly excited. The thought came to him at once
that a redcoat had fired that shot and that it had been fired at Dick,
and with wildly-beating heart he ran forward, at the same time drawing
a pistol from his belt. Tom was excited, but not at all frightened.
His only fear was that perhaps Dick had been wounded or killed by the
bullet from the musket, and he was eager to get a shot at the person
who had just done the shooting.
Suddenly he heard voices, and paused, listening intently.
"I wonder if I got the rebel?" he heard one say.
"Likely you did," replied another voice. "I don't hear the sound of
running feet any more."
"Served the rascal right if I put a bullet through him," said the
first voice.
"Yes. That is what ought to happen to all rebels."
Tom heard these words, and his heart sank, and then a feeling of anger
blazed up in his heart. What if Dick was killed, as these soldiers
surmised. It was terrible to contemplate, and acting on the spur of
the moment, Tom leveled his pistol, pointing in the direction from
which the voices sounded, and pulled the trigger.
Crack! went the pistol, and a howl of pain, rage and surprise
commingled went up on the night air.
"Oh--ow!--ouch! I'm shot!" cried one of the voices. "There are other
rebels at hand, comrade! Perhaps we're surrounded!"
This gave Tom an idea, and he at once acted upon it. If he could make
the redcoats think there were a number of patriot soldiers around,
they might be put to flight, and then he could look for Dick, and
learn whether he were injured.
"Come on, boys!" he yelled loudly. "Charge the scoundrelly redcoats!
Kill them! At them, I say!" And then, drawing his other pistol, he
fired another shot.
He had no way of knowing whether this bullet hit either of the
redcoats, but he had evidence that it was effective in one way, for he
heard the British soldiers going tearing down the slope, through the
underbrush at a great rate. They had undoubtedly been seized with a
panic and taken to their heels.
Tom waited till he could no longer hear any sounds of the fleeing
redcoats, and then he called out:
"Dick! Oh, Dick!"
Chapter IX
The Brothers Together
Almost at once came the reply:
"Tom! Oh, Tom, is that you?"
"Yes, Dick. I'll be right with you."
He hastened in the direction from which Dick's voice sounded, and a
few minutes later was at his side.
"What in the world brought you here, Tom?" queried Dick. "I was never
so surprised in my life as when I heard your voice."
"I'll tell you why I come, Dick. After you left your quarters in New
York, I got to thinking, and I remembered what I had told mother-that
I would go to war with you and fight side by side with you, you know,
and I thought of how I had let you go away on a dangerous spying
expedition alone, and I decided to follow you. I went and asked
permission of General Washington to come over here, and he gave it."
"He was willing for you to come, then, was he?"
"Yes. He held back a little at first, but when I told him about having
promised mother I would stick by you, he then said I might come."
"Well, it has been all right, so far. You got here just in time to
frighten those redcoats away, but I don't believe that two can do
spy-work successfully."
"We don't need to both actually do the spy-work, Dick. You can do
that, and I'll stay back and wait and watch, and then if anything
should happen to you, I would perhaps be able to render you some
assistance."
"True. Well, now that you are here, you may as well stay with me.
We'll go on down in the neighborhood of the British encampment
together, and then you can hunt at hiding-place and I will go ahead
and see what I can do in the way of spying."
"Very well, Dick. That will suit me."
"Come, then."
"You were not hit by the bullet from the redcoat's musket, Dick?"
somewhat anxiously.
"No, Tom. At the very moment he fired I tripped over a vine and fell
headlong to the ground. I was still lying there when I heard you fire
your pistol, and then I heard you yell, `Come on, boys', and
recognized your voice; but I was sorely puzzled. I didn't know what to
think. I almost thought I must have dreamed it."
Tom laughed.
"I hit one of the rascals, Dick," he chuckled. "I'll warrant you he
did not think it was a dream."
"Likely no," with an answering chuckle. "Well, let's move."
They set out down the slope, moving at a fair pace, pausing
occasionally to listen. All was quiet, however. The redcoat pickets
had evidently retreated to the British encampment.
When Dick and Tom emerged from the timber, at the foot of the slope,
they were able to go at a faster pace, and they set out in the
direction in which they believed the enemy's camp to be. They walked
onward about half an hour, and then came upon a little clump of trees.
Feeling certain that they must be in the vicinity of the British
encampment, they went in among the trees and stopped.
"Wait here a few minutes, Tom" said Dick. "I'm going to climb a tree
and see if I can see the campfires of the enemy."
"All right."
Dick climbed a tree on the south side of the clump, and looked toward
the south. He was rewarded by seeing the twinkling lights of the
campfires, seemingly at no very great distance.
"There is the encampment, sure enough," he murmured. "Well, now, the
question is, How am I to get into the camp and secure information
regarding the plans of the British?"
This was a poser. It certainly seemed like a hopeless task, but Dick
Dare was not a youth to be easily discouraged. He had come here to spy
on the British and learn their plans, and he would do so, if such a
thing were possible.
He climbed down and told his brother that he had seen the campfires of
the British.
"Good," said Tom. "But, what are you going to do next, Dick? How are
you going to get into their encampment?"
"I decided on my course, Tom," he said, "before I started out."
"What are you going to do?" eagerly.
"I'm going to enter the British encampment boldly and tell them that I
want to join the army."
"Goodness! That will be dangerous, brother!"
"Yes, but one can't do spy-work without encountering danger."
"I know that. Do you think that you can succeed, Dick?"
"I'm going to try."
"Will they take you into the army-a boy like you?"
"General Washington did."
"But the British army may be different. They may think that they don't
need help badly enough for them to accept boys as recruits."
"Well, even if that is the case, I will succeed in entering the
British encampment, Tom."
"That's so. That part will be all right."
"Yes."
"When are you going to approach the encampment? Now?"
"Yes, I don't see any use of waiting."
"What shall I do?"
"You had better stay right here or in this vicinity."
"All right. When do you think you will be back?"
"I don't know. Possibly to-morrow night."
"I'm to wait till you come?"
"Yes."
"But, I'll get hungry before to-morrow night."
"Go to a farmhouse in the morning and get some food. There must be
farmhouses near."
"That's so. I can do that."
"Well, I may as well be going. Good-bye, Tom."
"Good-bye, Dick; and-be careful, brother! If anything should happen to
you, it would break mother's heart."
"I'll be careful, Tom. You had better keep your eyes open, too, for
the redcoats may come prowling around here to-morrow, and you must not
let them capture you."
"I'll not let them get me, brother."
Then Dick took his departure. He had some time since decided upon his
course, and as soon as he was a short distance away from the clump of
trees, he set out at a brisk walk, and made no effort at concealment.
He did not care, now, if he were halted by a British picket or
sentinel.
He walked swiftly onward, and about twenty minutes later was hailed:
"Halt! Who comes there?"
Dick's heart leaped, and he felt that he was soon to be submitted to
an ordeal, but he did not hesitate, and answered firmly and promptly:
"A friend."
"Advance, friend, and give the countersign," was the command.
Dick advanced till within a few yards of the sentinel, whose form he
could make out, it being outlined against the light background made by
the campfires.
"Halt!" ordered the sentinel. "Give the countersign before you come
any further."
"I don't know the countersign," replied Dick, quietly. "But I am a
friend, and I wish to see the commander in charge of this army."
"Humph. What do you want to see him for?"
"I want to offer my services to fight for the king."
"Oh, you do, eh?"
"Yes, sir."
"You are a loyal king's man, then, are you?"
"Would I be anxious to join the king's army if I were not?" questioned
Dick. He had decided that there could be no harm in deceiving the
enemy. In spy-work it would be absolutely necessary to use this means.
His conscience did not reproach him in the least, for he felt that he
was making the pretense of being a king's adherent in a good
cause-that of Liberty.
"What is your name?" the soldier asked.
Dick had decided that it would be best to give a fictitious name, so
he gave the first one that came into his mind:
"Harry Fuller," he said.
"Harry Fuller, eh? Well, Harry Fuller, since you are a loyal king's
man and wish to join his army, I will see that you have the
opportunity. I'll summon the officer of the guard and he will conduct
you to the commander of the force."
"This isn't the full army, then?" queried Dick.
"One division of it," was the curt reply. "There's enough of it here
for you to join, I guess, if you really mean business."
The sentinel summoned the officer of the guard, explained matters to
him, and then the officer conducted Dick into the encampment, and to a
tent near its center. This was occupied by General Percy, and the
officer of the guard entered and exchanged a few words with the
general, who was writing at a little, portable desk, by the light of a
candle, and then he emerged and said to Dick:
"The general will see you."
Then he ushered the youth into the tent, at the same time announcing:
"Harry Fuller, General Percy."
The British general looked up, eyed Dick sharply for a few moments,
and then said:
"Well, Harry Fuller, so you wish to join the British army and fight
for the king, eh?"
Dick had met the searching gaze of the officer unflinchingly, and now
he answered promptly and firmly:
"Yes, sir; such is my wish."
"Humph. How old are you?"
"Eighteen, sir."
"Rather young, but no matter. You can hold a musket and shoot as good
as a man, without doubt, so should make a good soldier. I accept your
offer, and will assign you to Colonel Harker's regiment."
Then he scribbled a brief note, handed it to Dick and said: "Give that
to the colonel. He will take care of you." Lifting his voice, he
called out: "Orderly!"
An orderly entered at once, and saluted.
"Conduct this young man to Colonel Harker. That is all. Good-night,
young man."
"Good-night, sir," replied Dick, and followed the orderly from the
tent and to the point where Harker's regiment was stationed, and to
that officer he handed the note from the general.
"Ah, a new recruit," said the colonel, when he had read the note.
"Very well, Harry Fuller, you are a member of Company H. That is it,
yonder. Take your place there." He pointed to the company in question,
and Dick saluted and joined the company, taking a seat with the
soldiers of Company H, some of whom greeted him with nods, and many
looking at him with a slight show of curiosity, but saying nothing.
One or two said: "How are you, comrade?"
"I'm all right, I guess," Dick replied to these, smiling.
The soldiers smoked and talked, and Dick sat quietly there and
listened. He had an eager interest in all that was said, for he wished
to learn all he possibly could. That indeed was what he had come there
for.
Dick felt that he had been fortunate in getting within the British
lines so easily. And, too, he was lucky to have been accepted as a
soldier. He naturally had feared that his youth would be against him,
and that he would be refused on that account. But such had not been
the case, his youth had not counted against him, and he was now in the
British camp, playing the part of a British soldier.
Chapter X
In the Enemy's Camp
Dick Dare had accomplished what had seemed to be the most difficult
part of the task that he had come here to accomplish, viz.: Gotten
within the British lines, had become, in fact, a member of the British
army.
So far so good. Now to secure information that would be of value to
General Washington and a benefit to the great Cause of Liberty.
"What's your name?" asked one of the British soldiers.
"Harry Fuller," Dick replied
"Where do you live?"
"Oh, about ten miles from here," replied the youth
"Parents living."
"Yes," replied Dick.
"And so you have joined the king's army and are going to help make it
hot for the rebels, hey" with a chuckle. "Good for you."
"Yes," said Dick, "I am eager to get a chance to strike blows against
the rebels. How soon do you think that will happen? When are we likely
to get into a battle with them?"
"Hard telling, young man. That's for the generals to say. What their
plans may be is more than I can say."
"I have heard it rumored in our part of the country that he British
will make an attack on the rebels soon. That's the reason I came here
to-night. I thought maybe the attack might be made to-morrow, and if I
didn't get here to-night, I would not arrive in time for the fight."
"We might be ordered to move against the rebels to-morrow, for all I
know," was the reply. "And then again we might be left sitting here a
week or a month. I haven't any idea when the move will be made."
"I hope it will be soon," declared Dick, with a view to keeping up the
pretense of being imbued with an intense desire to get at the rebels.
"You'll get a chance to do all the fighting you care for, one of these
days, young fellow," said another soldier. "Don't worry on that
score."
"I'm not worrying about it, sir," said Dick.
"Do you think you will fight when the time comes?" half-sneered
another, rather evil-featured fellow, leering at Dick. "I'd be willing
to wager that you'll do more running than fighting."
"You might lose your money if you wagered it that way," said Dick,
quietly, gazing steadily at the speaker.
"I might, but I don't think I would," with a harsh laugh. "I don't
think much of the bravery of the Americans, whether rebels or king's
men. They are not the kind that make good soldiers."
"I suppose you think that you are," said Dick, calmly.
"I know it, sonny!" fiercely. "I've been tried in the fire, do you
hear? I'm a veteran, and have seen service in the fields of Europe,
India and Africa."
"You seem to be great at blowing your own horn, at any rate," said
Dick, quietly. And several of the other soldiers sitting near
snickered, which seemed to anger the other very much.
"Do you mean to insult me?" he cried, glancing fiercely at Dick.
"Oh, no," coolly. "I was simply stating a fact, that is all."
"Well, you had better be careful, that's all I have got to say!"
snarled the redcoat, viciously. "If you weren't a boy, I would give
you a thumping for what you have already said."
"Don't let my youth hinder you," retorted Dick. "I will say this, that
I think you will find the people of America as brave as those of your
country or any other, and I think, too, that they will make as brave
and effective soldiers."
"That's right, youngster, hold up for your own people," said one of
the soldiers approvingly. "The boy's all right, Coggins," to the
ill-natured soldier. "You had no business talking as you did."
"Bah!" sneered Coggins. "I meant what I said, but as the young fellow
is not yet out of his teens, I'll pay no attention to his words. It
wouldn't look well for me to thrash a boy."
"You might find that you had your hands full if you tried it," said
Dick, coldly. He had taken a dislike to the boastful redcoat, and as
he was a brave youth, and also had always found himself a match for
any man he had ever engaged in a physical struggle with, he had no fear
of this fellow.
"There's good nerve, for you!" remarked a soldier, admiringly. "How do
you like it, Coggins?" It was evident that this particular soldier,
Coggins, was not very well liked by his comrades.
"Do you think I'm a fool, to get myself laughed at for engaging in a
fight with a green country boy?" growled Coggins. "I'll do no such
thing." Rising, he walked away with a swagger, but he gave Dick a look
of hatred as he did so.
A number of the soldiers grinned, and two or three chuckled aloud, and
unless Coggins was deaf, he must have heard them.
"Would you really have fought him?" queried a soldier, looking at Dick
keenly, when Coggins was gone.
"If he attacked me, I should have protected myself," was the reply.
"But you couldn't have done much against him. You're only a boy."
"I don't know about that. I am pretty strong and am also rather
active, and I have wrestled with a number of grown men, and never
found one yet that I couldn't down."
"Well, you might have held your own with Coggins, but I doubt it a
little."
"Better be a bit careful how you ruffle him, young man," said another
soldier. "He's a vicious chap when his anger is aroused, and he would
not hesitate to do you serious injury. He gave you a look I noticed
that was not exactly friendly, as he left."
"I noticed that, too," smiled Dick. "But I do not fear him. I shall
not try to anger him, but if he annoys me, I will take my own part,
that is certain. I won't let him run over me."
"That's right, of course," approvingly. "But don't get into trouble
with him if you can avoid it without discredit to yourself."
"I won't, sir, and thank you for your friendly words."
"You're welcome. I don't like Coggins myself, and I don't care who
knows it. He knows it, all right, I guess," with a short laugh. The
fact was, though of course Dick knew nothing of it, that this soldier,
whose name was Ferguson, and the other, Coggins, were enemies, having
had an encounter once, in which Ferguson had gotten rather the best of
it, though the fight did not go to a finish, it having been stopped by
order of the colonel.
Soon the soldiers stretching themselves on blankets and going to
sleep. Dick was given a blanket, and he also lay down, being quite
tired by this time, and was soon asleep.
The fact that he was in the encampment of the enemy did not have any
effect on Dick's nerves at all. He was a brave and matter-of-fact
youth, and felt the boldest plan was the safest, and so he was enabled
to act with as much _sang froid_ as if he were really an adherent of
the king and sincere in his desire to fight for him.
Dick ate breakfast with the rest of the soldiers of his company, then
he looked about them, and over the encampment, with interest. It was
very interesting indeed to the boy patriot spy and he was eager to see
all that there was to be seen.
He noted that this was in itself quite an encampment, but realized
that it was only one portion of the whole. He wished to get the other
divisions located, and desired also to learn how many soldiers there
were in the entire British army. He asked questions, carefully, in
such a manner as not to create suspicion, and gradually became
possessed of considerable information that he felt must be reliable,
since there could be no occasion for those who gave him the
information to deceive him, they believing him to be loyal to the king
and a soldier the same as they were.
About nine o'clock Company H. was ordered to proceed to the beach for
the purpose of allowing the soldiers to bathe, and they set out at
once, Dick accompanying them, of course. On the way they passed
another division of the British army, and Dick was informed by a
companion that it was the main body.
When they neared the beach, Dick caught sight of several old hulks of
vessels at anchor near the shore, and he inquired what they were.
"Old hulks of dismantled ships," was the reply. "We use them for
prisons for those of the rebel army that we capture."
"Are there any rebels in there now?" queried Dick, making his tone as
careless as possible, though having his father in mind, his heart was
throbbing with eagerness.
"Yes, there are a number in there-fifteen or twenty, I should judge.
They are in the hulk farthest to the north. Among them are three or
four rebel spies who will likely be shot or hanged sooner or later."
Dick's heart thrilled as he heard this news. Perhaps he might be able
to rescue all those poor, suffering patriot prisoners! He made up his
mind that he would try, at any rate. And again the thought struck him
that his father might be imprisoned there. He at once decided that he
would visit the prison ship and rescue the prisoners, if possible.
Chapter XI
Tom in Trouble
Dick Dare eyed the British fleet with interest. It lay in the
roadstead, just off York Bay, and the sight of the warships was indeed
alluring. He asked questions about the fleet, being careful to inquire
as if actuated merely by curiosity, and he also managed to secure
information as to the number of soldiers in the army on shore. He was
told that the army, as a whole, had about twenty-four thousand men in
its ranks.
"Phew, that outnumbers our army considerably!" thought Dick. "Well, no
matter, when it comes to battle, I'll wager that we will give the
redcoats all they can do."
When Company H. had finished bathing, the soldiers marched back to the
encampment, and other companies were met on their way to the beach to
take their turn in the water.
Dick 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 Dick and Tom had had the adventure the
night before, when in passing 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 Dick 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 Dick'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.
Dick 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."
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