CHAPTER XX
THE FLEET OF BARGES
THE present visit was by no means the first which Little Peter had madeto Barnegat Bay and the vicinity of Tom's River. Before the outbreakingof the war he had occasionally gone there with Webberly West, the mostnoted hunter of deer and wolves in all the region. Great had been thepride of Little Peter when he had returned home with his first deer,some four or five years before this time; and, as he lay in his hammockthat night, again and again his thoughts wandered from his presentdifficulties to the days when he had tramped through the region with thevenerable hunter Webberly.
The old man had died just before the war began, but many of his quaintexpressions and kindly acts remained in Little Peter's memory. He it waswho had taught him how to dig the pits and cover them over with brush,and place the tempting pieces of meat as a decoy for the prowlingwolves. Little Peter could never forget the first time success hadcrowned his efforts, and he had looked down upon the eyes of the wolfwhich had fallen into the pit. He could feel the thrill of thatexcitement even now.
And Webberly had taught him also how to catch the great snapping turtleswhich abounded in the streams. Sometimes turtles were taken whichweighed fully thirty pounds each. What savage creatures they were! andyet the old hunter had handled them as if he had known no fear. Aconstant war was waged upon these creatures by the settlers for tworeasons, one of which was that they were highly valued as an article offood. The captive would be thrown into a barrel and for a few days fedupon the refuse from the tables, to which perhaps at times moresubstantial food would be added, and then when the turtles had gainedthe proper degree of plumpness, a feast would be made to which friendsand neighbors were not infrequently invited. The eggs of the turtlesalso were highly valued; and so plentiful were they in the warm sandalong the shore that a bushel-basket was frequently filled with themafter a brief search. It was true the foxes were as eager as the men todig out and devour the turtles' eggs, but the supply appeared to bealmost inexhaustible and there were more than enough for all.
Another reason which prompted the settlers to prey upon the huge turtleswas the fact that their ducks suffered from the savage creatures. Aturtle would seize a duck in his claws and tear and devour the bird inan incredibly short time. Naturally, the owners of the ducks objected tothe methods of the turtles, and a constant warfare was the result.
Peter had occasionally gone down to Barnegat with Indian John also. TheIndian always seemed to know just where the clams could be found ingreatest abundance, and he knew as well just how they ought to becooked. He would dig a hole in the sand and then fill it with wood, towhich he would set fire. Then the clams would be poured into the placeand covered over with seaweed and brush. When a sufficient time hadpassed, the brush and seaweed would be raked out, and the cooked clamswere considered as a great luxury. This custom of the Indians wasbequeathed to the whites, and their method of cooking the clams remainsin some portions of the land until this day.
Between the thoughts of his own troubles and his recollections of formervisits to the place in which he then was, not much sleep came to LittlePeter that night. The knowledge that his father had been sent to NewYork--for the troubled lad did not think of doubting Benzeor'swords--and the prospect of an attack upon the Washington on thefollowing morning were both sources of deep anxiety to the sadlytroubled boy. Only four men were on board when the whaleboat hadreturned; and while the addition of the ten men she brought, or elevenif Benzeor was to be included in the list of the Washington's defenders,materially increased her strength, still, the prospect of a strongdefense was not very bright, and if the truth was known Little Peter wasnot the only one on board who passed a sleepless night.
In addition to all this, the lad was sorely troubled as to his ownfuture movements. With his father a prisoner in New York and thechildren quartered for the present at Benzeor's, Little Peter could notdetermine what was best for him to do. To go to the city and seek to aidhis father there would be worse than useless now; nor was he able toprovide for his younger brothers and sisters. The problem had not beensolved when at last he fell into a troubled sleep, from which he wasawakened by the sound of men moving about on deck.
Hastily arising, and noting that Benzeor already was astir, he soon madehis way up to his companions. The sun was well up in the eastern sky,and the men were preparing for such a defense as might be made againstany attempt to retake the boat.
Little Peter found that the most of the men did not believe that anysuch attempt would be made; and the suspicion with which they regardedBenzeor increased the feeling of sympathy which the lad felt for him,for to him it seemed as if his neighbor had been most unjustly treated,not only by the powerful Ted, but by the men of the whaleboat as well.He thought he had abundant cause for believing in Benzeor's honesty, forhad he not received his own little brothers and sisters into his home?Surely, a man who would do that could not be bad, and his indignationagainst his recent companions increased as he noticed theirill-concealed dislike for his neighbor.
The men all had breakfast on board; and while a constant watch wasmaintained, nothing as yet had been seen to arouse their suspicion thatan attack was likely to be made. Even Little Peter was beginning tothink that either Benzeor had been mistaken or that the British hadchanged their plans, and that nothing would be done that morning. He wasabout to approach the leader and explain to him the necessity for hisown departure, when he was startled by a cry from the watch.
Looking out over the bay, Little Peter could see a number of bargesapproaching. Startled by the sight, he counted the boats until he coulddistinctly make out eight of them. Doubtless there were eight or ten menin each boat, and altogether there must be at least seventy in theapproaching party.
The excitement on board the Washington at once became intense. The menstood together on the deck watching the little fleet on the bay. Theonly means by which they could defend themselves were their muskets, andit was soon discovered that these would not avail much against theenemy, for with the aid of a glass it was discovered that in the bow ofone of the approaching boats a small cannon had been mounted.
A hurried consultation was held by the men on board, to which neitherLittle Peter nor Benzeor was invited; the former because he wasconsidered too young to be of much account, and the latter because noone trusted him.
"They'll get this craft now," said Benzeor, approaching the place wherethe lad was standing. "Perhaps these fellows will believe me anothertime."
There was a tone of exultation in Benzeor's voice that startled LittlePeter, and turning quickly about he said, "You did speak truly, Benzeor.I wish I were out of this. We stand no chance at all."
"You needn't be alarmed. There won't be any fighting done. You took mypart yesterday, and I'll not see you suffer now. I'll fix you out allright."
"You'll fix me out? I don't see what you can do. We ought to leave theship this minute. I don't see what we're waiting for." Little Peterspoke anxiously and was at no pains to conceal the alarm he felt.
"I hope they won't run," said Benzeor quietly. His air of confidence wasconfusing; but as yet Little Peter was not suspicious of his neighbor.
"They don't act as if they were going to," said the lad quickly, as theassembly of the men broke up and all began to rush about the deck.
"Come, my lad! come!" said the leader. "Lend a hand here! And you, too,"he added to Benzeor; "bestir yourself."
Benzeor's face fell, but he was in no position to refuse to obey. Suchdefenses as the Washington possessed were rolled together behind therail, and it was at once evident that the men were not planning to giveup the ship without a struggle.
The long whaleboat was placed in readiness to receive them, in caseflight became necessary, and then the men waited for the approach of theattacking party.
The boats came steadily on, keeping well together. Little Peter foundhimself sharing in the excitement, but as the outlines of the men becamemore distinct his fears increased. What could be done against so ma
ny,for it was now seen that there were more men in the barges than at firsthad been estimated. The boats were spread out in a semicircle, but theywere all converging toward the Washington, and plainly would begin theattack together. There were more of those small cannon also than atfirst had been seen; and as the boats came nearer and nearer, it wasdiscovered that a man was standing near each and ready to fire at theword of command.
The faces of the men on board the Washington were all pale now, and nota word had been spoken for several minutes. Each man was intent upon themovements of the men in the barges, and did not turn away from the sightbefore him. Benzeor was the sole exception, and Little Peter could notunderstand the meaning of the half exultant smile upon his face. Forhimself, he was too badly frightened to speak, and the evident fearmanifested by his companions did not tend to allay his own.
The waters in the mouth of the river spread out almost as smooth asglass. The rays of the morning sun were reflected from the surface ofthe water and made it sparkle like silver. The occasional call of someseabird or the flight of the low flying gulls were all that broke inupon the silence, but no one heeded them. It was that slow moving butsteadily approaching fleet of barges that held the attention of all.
Little Peter wondered why the command to shoot was not given, for theboats were all within range now. His own hands were trembling in hisexcitement, but he was eager to act. At one moment he longed to leapoverboard and try to swim to the shore, and then again he would feel asif he must do something to check the approach of those men in thebarges.
Not a word had yet been spoken, however. The oars of the approaching mencould now be distinctly seen as they rose and fell together. Steadily onand on came the little fleet, and now could not be more than two hundredyards away. Why did not the men on board do something? He felt that thetime for action had come, but all were standing silent and motionless,apparently fascinated by the sight before them. The smile on Benzeor'sface was almost mocking, and Little Peter saw him look from the fleet tothe men on board, almost as if he were exulting in their predicament.What could it all mean? Why was not something done? Surely the time foraction had come, but still no one spoke.
A hail now came from the approaching fleet, and the man who evidentlywas in command stood up in his place. He was still too far away for hiswords to be heard, and again the barges, which had halted for a moment,resumed their approach and with an increased speed.
"Men," suddenly called the leader of those on board the Washington, in alow voice, "we must get out of this! We're outnumbered seven or eight toone, and it would be just murder for us to stay here. Man the whaleboat,and we'll put out for the shore."
The hopelessness of any defense was so apparent that the men instantlyresponded and made a rush for the whaleboat, which had been made readyfor just such an emergency. In a moment the men were on board and hadgrasped their oars preparatory to starting for the shore, when LittlePeter suddenly noticed that Benzeor was not with them.
"Hold on! Hold on a minute!" he called. "Benzeor isn't here!"
The leader, who had remained on deck to be the last to leave, turnedquickly at the words and discovered Benzeor striving to conceal himselfamong the defenses which had been piled together against the rail.
"Here, you!" he shouted. "Come out of that and get aboard! Be quickabout it! I'll wing you if you don't," he added, raising his gun as hespoke, noticing that his call was not likely to be heeded.
Benzeor quickly responded, and sullenly took his place on board thewhaleboat; but the men were all too intent upon their escape to bestowmuch attention upon him.
In a moment the leader leaped on board and gave the order to give way.The long whaleboat darted swiftly forward as the men began to pulldesperately at their oars. They needed no encouragement now, for, withtheir departure from the Washington, their only hope of safety lay in aquick passage to the shore, which lay about a hundred yards away.
A shout from the men in the barges greeted the appearance of thewhaleboat as it shot out into sight, but the hail was not heeded. One ofthe small cannon was discharged, and from one of the barges came avolley; but only one man was hit, and the whaleboat rapidly increasedits speed.
The shore was near now, and the desperate men were putting forth alltheir strength. The barges did not pursue, for the sailors were intentupon gaining the ship first of all. In a few moments the whaleboatgrounded, and the men leaped out and started quickly for the woods whichgrew close to the shore.
Little Peter was in the rear, and as he turned back to see what would bedone by the other party, he was astonished to see Benzeor turn quicklyand start at full speed for the whaleboat again. In a moment he hadleaped on board, and, seizing one of the oars, with a strong push sentthe boat far out upon the river.