CHAPTER XVIII
A RARE BEAST
IT is necessary now for us to turn and follow some of the movements ofthat army which Tom Coward was so eager to join.
Sir Henry Clinton fully understood that he had little to gain from anengagement with Washington's army at this time. The Americans were notholding any position which he desired to gain, their stores andequipments were of slight value, and if Washington should be defeated,the result would be that his men would simply be scattered in thesurrounding region, where they would still be free to carry on theirstraggling methods of warfare, and harass the British by falling upontheir baggage trains and shooting at the men as they marched along thecountry roads.
On the other hand, Clinton's stores were numerous and of no littlevalue. The loss of them would be a serious blow to the redcoats, whilethe possession of them by the Continentals would put new life into thecause of the poorly equipped patriots. And above all of these things,the danger which now threatened from the approach of a French fleet ledthe British commander to hasten forward to the defense of New York,which he feared was likely to be the first place to be attacked by theallies of the colonies.
The very motives which caused Sir Henry to wish to avoid an engagementwere those which appealed most strongly to Washington to enter into one.He had but little to lose and much to gain. A defeat for the Britishwould mean a weakening of the defense of New York, and the long train ofbaggage wagons was a most tempting prize. The possession of those storeswould replenish the scanty supplies of the Americans; and, as we know,Washington had eagerly pushed his army forward, hoping to gain aposition in advance of the British and fall upon them in someadvantageous position which he himself could select.
The main body had advanced as far as Hopewell, as we have alreadylearned in the course of this story, but there had halted for a brieftime. The weather had been unusually trying, and as a consequence themen were suffering intensely. Even the "oldest inhabitants" had neverknown such a summer. The thermometer had climbed well up into thenineties and then had stayed there. The frequent thunder showersapparently did not cool the air and afforded no relief, as thesultriness seemed to be increased by each one. The roads had becomeheavy and well-nigh impassable in places, and when at last the men hadmarched to the plains of Hopewell, Washington wisely halted to give themtheir much needed rest.
Another matter led the great commander to remain there for a time. Hehad now gained a position which offered him a considerable advantage,and he wished to call a council of his officers to consult concerninghis further movements.
Accordingly, the second of the councils since the army had departed fromPhiladelphia was then called, and the one question in the mind of thecommander was this: "Will it be advisable to hazard a generalengagement?"
General Charles Lee, who was second in command, and was by some eventhen suspected of being in secret league with Howe, was present, and hisvoice was soon heard. Lee was a Welshman, brilliant in certain ways,and had seen much service in the armies of Europe. Many had preferredhim to Washington as the commander-in-chief of the American armies, andLee himself was not averse to the idea. He affected to regard Washingtonwith contempt, looking upon him as a man who lacked military trainingand of but little ability. His jealousy already had been the cause ofmany serious troubles, and at the present time, in spite of the factthat he had been exchanged for the British general Prescott, captured ina manner not unlike that in which Lee himself had been taken in aprevious winter at Morristown, he apparently was unmindful of all theregard bestowed upon him, and was not unwilling to see Washington makesome mistakes which would bring upon the leader the anger of hisfellows, and perhaps open the way for Lee to gain his position. Thisview of the case is certainly to be preferred to that which marked himsimply as a traitor and in league with the enemy, although in alllikelihood both, in a measure, were correct. Probably Washingtonunderstood the man thoroughly at the time, and we may be certain thathis troubles were not decreased by his knowledge.
Lee was possessed of a strikingly ugly face, and his plain features werethe cause of many rude jests among the soldiers who were opposed to him.But whatever his lacks in personal beauty or moral character may havebeen, he at least had a most persuasive tongue. His eager and impulsivemanner, his commonly accredited ability, and his foreign training, whichhad great influence among many of his ruder and unpolished companions,caused some of the men about him to become ready listeners to what hehad to say.
In the council which Washington called at Hopewell, Lee exerted himselfto the utmost to oppose the proposition to enter into an engagement withthe advancing British. So persuasive were his words that the majority ofthe officers voted with him that it would not be advisable to detachmore than fifteen hundred men from the main body to harass the enemy ontheir flank and rear, while the remainder of the army should preservetheir present position relative to the British, and be governed bycircumstances.
Just what Lee's motive was is not fully apparent. Whether he wished toavoid a battle or simply desired to cause Washington to fail in takingadvantage of the favorable opportunity, which Lee himself must have seenhad presented itself, is not clearly known. It may have been acombination of both wishes.
General Wayne bitterly opposed the proposition of Lee, and generals suchas Greene, Lafayette, Steuben, and others, expressed themselves as beingdecidedly of the opinion that, at the very least, twenty-five hundredmen should be detached from the main body and sent forward to carry outWashington's plan.
Lee's motion, however, prevailed; but while Washington seeminglyconsented to the decision of the council, we can now see, as we lookbackward, that his own purpose was not changed. Perhaps he wasstrengthened in his opinion by the words of General Wayne and GeneralGreene, spoken after the breaking up of the assembly, for we know thatthey then expressed themselves very freely to their leader.
Apparently yielding to the expressed wishes of the majority, Washingtondispatched General Scott with fifteen hundred men "to gall the enemy'sleft flank and rear," as he expressed it in the letters he wrote thatday to General Dickinson and the president of the Continental Congress;and on the following day advanced with his army to Kingston, and haltedthere on the very day when Tom Coward arrived at the house of FriendNathan Brown in Cranberry.
As Tom came down the stairs and entered the room below, his surprise wasgreat when he saw young Lieutenant Gordon standing before him."Where--where did you come from?" said the astonished boy. "I thoughtthey chased you out into the woods!"
"So they did. So they did," laughed the young officer; "but that doesn'tmean that I was bound to stay there, does it? I had spent the night withFriend Nathan here, and I had such a good time I almost decided to comeback for another. And then, too, I left a lad here whose face hauntedme, he looked so scared and white."
"I was scared," said Tom, "for I thought they'd got you. How in theworld did you ever manage to get away from them?"
"Oh, I've learned by experience," replied the lieutenant, laughing."This was about the closest call I ever had, and once there, when myhorse slipped on the barn floor, I thought I was done for; but it's allcome out right, you see. When I once got into the woods I knew I wasall right, and I didn't have to go very far, either. About noon Ithought I'd venture back and see what had become of Friend Nathan andTom Coward, for I didn't believe those redcoats would stay here verylong after they found out that our army is over here by Kingston."
"Kingston?" said Tom quickly. "Kingston? Why, that's only ten miles fromhere!"
"Correct, my son; correct. They'll be nearer yet, very soon."
Tom was excited in a moment, and eagerly began to ask many questions.The young lieutenant replied to them all, and then said to the Quaker,who had remained silent during the conversation, "And now, FriendNathan, you feel sure that those redcoats will carry the word back toClinton that we've turned out of our way to meet them, do you?"
"Verily, I do," replied Nathan. "It was for the very purpose of learningthe plans
of Washington that they dared to venture as far as this. Iendeavored to learn from the soldier what effect he thought his reportwould have upon the British leader, but he did not speak in many words.Doubtless he considered them valueless to a man of peace. But thysurmise is correct, I doubt not."
"Then the sooner we put out of this the better, Tom; that is, if you'restill of the same mind you were day before yesterday."
"I'm ready to go," replied Tom eagerly.
The thought of the American army being only ten miles away aroused allhis enthusiasm once more. He knew nothing of camp life, and thehardships were not in his thoughts. He knew that he had no place towhich he could go, and now that he had left Benzeor's home he felt likean outcast. Besides, he had dreamed of joining the army, and, now thatat last the longed-for day had arrived, all his curiosity and eagernessreturned in full measure.
"But I haven't any horse and you're mounted," he added. "I don't see howI can go with you. You can't wait for me to trudge along on foot."
"That is something of a poser," replied the lieutenant. "No, it's a factI can't waste much time on the road with such news as I have to carryback to camp. Perhaps my horse will carry double part of the way."
"I have a beast I might let thee have," said Nathan.
"That's the way to talk!" said the lieutenant eagerly. "Where is thishorse of yours?"
"It is out in the back lot in the woods. My heart was filled with fearsof the war men, and I dared not to leave any of my property within theirsight."
As Nathan still hesitated, the lieutenant said quickly, "Hurry up,Nathan! Get your horse and let us start. We've no time to lose."
"Thou knowest that I am a man of peace," said the Quaker slowly. "It isnot for me to waste my property in this wicked war."
"That's the way the wind blows, is it?" laughed the lieutenant. "Well, Idon't know that I can promise you very much, but I'll do what I can foryou after I get back to camp. But I'll tell you what, Nathan, you'll notbe the loser to give up the horse to us, and with a good grace, too.Both of the armies are likely to pass this way, and you won't have muchleft on your place, I can tell you. Now, if you give it up you may getsomething for it, and then, too, you'll have the credit of doingsomething for your country."
"What did the war men give thee, Friend Thomas? Did I not hear thee saythat the war men rewarded thee for thy services?"
"Yes," said Tom quickly, drawing the two half joes forth from his pocketas he spoke. "Here they are. You can have them and welcome."
"The beast is not what would be considered a valuable one, FriendThomas, and yet he is still capable of rendering some service to me. Iwill take one of thy half joes and leave the other with thee. Then thoucanst see that I am suitably repaid after thou hast joined thy comradesin the war."
The young lieutenant slyly winked at Tom as the lad handed the man oneof his half joes, and then said, "Hurry up, Nathan! We've got to startsoon, and ought to be off now. We'll do the best we can for you, as wesaid. You're going to give us something to eat, aren't you, before wego?"
"It shall be according to thy desire. Rachel, if thou hast some milk anda small portion of corn bread, set it before these guests whilst I amgone for my beast."
The old man departed, and his wife carried out his request. Thelieutenant and Tom at once seated themselves at the table and hastilyate the food she set before them, for neither knew when anotheropportunity might be found. In the ten miles which lay between them andthe army of Washington many adventures might be awaiting them, and itwas only the part of wisdom to make the most of the present.
"I have thy beast for thee," said Nathan, soon afterwards entering theroom. "He is not what might be called by thee a swift beast, but he isstill possessed of some excellent qualities. Thou hast promised to seethat I am further rewarded for my gift."
Tom and the lieutenant hastened out of the room to examine Nathan's"gift," and, as they saw the horse which he had tied to the post, theyboth stopped in surprise and the lieutenant broke into a loud laugh.
"Oh, Friend Nathan," said he, adopting the Quaker's style of speech,"thou art a friend indeed! Dost thou call that thing a 'beast'? Thouhast cheated the lad woefully. A good half joe for that scarecrow? Thououghtest to reward Thomas for riding him, for I am of the opinion that Ishall be compelled to carry him into camp in two pieces if he mountsthat 'razorback.' Oh, Nathan, Nathan! Who would have believed it ofthee?"
The horse was old and gaunt. A spavin was apparent in one leg, while onanother was a great ringbone. One eye betrayed its blindness, and,altogether, the poor animal presented a most woe-begone and helplessappearance.
"He hath not beauty, as I told thee," said Nathan soberly. "But he is ofvalue to me, and thou hast promised to see that I am suitably rewarded."
"Oh, Tom! Tom!" laughed the lieutenant. "What a sight you'll be on theback of that bunch of bones! There's no help for it, though. Come on andwe'll see what the poor 'beast' can do!"