CHAPTER XXVIII
_The Capture of Camp Venture_
Tom had miscalculated the weather, misled as every body is apt to be bythe calendar. As he had not at all anticipated, the softness of earlyMarch presently gave way to a severe cold wave, which not only put anend to the spring rains, but stopped the melting of the snow upon themountains and dried up those torrents that had alone blocked the waydown the mountain since the great snowdrift barriers had disappeared.
"I take it all back, fellows," he said, one night. "I didn't look forsuch weather as this in March. But any how any fellow in the party cango down the mountain now. Whether he ever gets back again or not is aquestion not easily determined. A very little thaw would make thatimpossible."
"My view," said the Doctor, "is that we'd better not risk it. This coldweather simply cannot last long at this season of the year, and we can'tspare any boy from our company. We have two bags of meal incamp--enough to last us three or four weeks--and of course Tom's gunwill provide us with meat. It seems to me it would be exceedingly unwiseto send any one of our number down the mountain and not only unwise butwholly unnecessary. What do you think, boys?"
Every boy in the party shared the Doctor's opinion, and so it wasdecided not to send one of the company down the mountain at this time,although the weather conditions were especially favorable for the momentat least. They proved also to be favorable to something else.
Just before daylight the next morning Jim, who was on guard, quitted hispost and came hurriedly into the house. He waked his comrades, saying:
"Get up quickly, boys, and get your guns. The moonshiners havecompletely surrounded Camp Venture."
Ten seconds later all the boys were out on the platform, fully armed. Itwas still too dark to see men even at a short distance, but low voicescould be heard in every direction round the camp. The boys themselvesconsulted only in whispers.
Jack took command, of course.
"Don't shoot, boys, even if they shoot at us," he said. "They can dolittle damage that way, as we have this wooden barrier to stop theirbullets. What we've got to look out for is a rush, and we must reserveour fire to repel that with."
"Hadn't some of us better go to the rear of the house?" asked Harry."They may rush us from that direction."
"No," answered Jack. "There's no opening to the house on that side; andwe have no barrier there to fight behind. If they attack from thatdirection we must fight from inside the house. Suppose you go in Harryand knock out three or four pieces of chinking about breast high, so asto give us a port hole to fire through. Keep a keen look out through thecrack, and if they advance from that direction call us at once. Butdon't any of you shoot, front or rear, till they make a rush."
As he spoke, two or three shots came from the enemy in front, thebullets burying themselves harmlessly in the wooden barrier well belowthe feet of the boys, as they stood on the platform, for the barriercould not be seen in the darkness, and the men shooting aimed at aboutwhere they thought a man's breast would be if he stood upon the ground.
The temptation to return the fire was almost irresistible, particularlyto Tom, who had his magazine rifle in hand. But Jack resolutelyinsisted upon reserving fire in order to be ready to repel a chargewhenever it should come.
The light was now growing stronger and here and there it was possible tomake out one of the enemy, crouching behind a rock or in some littledepression of the ground. Enough of them could be seen by this time toshow clearly that they outnumbered the garrison of Camp Venture morethan four or five to one. Somebody remarked upon this fact, whereuponJack replied, still speaking in a whisper:
"That's true! But if they make the rush that I'm expecting they won'toutnumber us much by the time they get here."
As the light grew still stronger, Tom set his gun down, ejaculating"Well, well, well."
"What is it, Tom?" asked the Doctor.
"Why, those aren't moonshiners, but revenue officers and soldiers!"
A little further scrutiny convinced the boys that Tom's keen eyes hadseen aright. The bullets were still pattering now and then against thewooden parapet, but evidently the enemy was not yet ready to make thecharge which alone could give him possession of the fortress.
Tom felt in his pocket, drew out a handkerchief and tied it to the endof his gun. Then he descended the little ladder to the ground.
"What are you going to do Tom?" asked Jack.
"Why, I'm going out under a flag of truce to explain to those fellowswhat a stupid blunder they've made. They've mistaken Camp Venture for anillicit distillery, as if anybody would set up a still in such an openplace as this."
"But wait, Tom! It is still so dark that they may not see your flag oftruce. They may all fire at you at once. Wait till broad daylightcomes."
"Yes," answered Tom, "and in the meantime those fellows may make theircharge,--they're forming for it now,--and in that case we'll have toshoot half of them. No, I'm going out with my flag of truce now, andI'll simply have to take the chances of getting shot."
With that he passed around the end of the barrier and sallied forth,holding his flag of truce above him and calling as he went "Truce!Truce! A flag of truce! I bear a flag of truce! Don't shoot!"
Nevertheless several bullets from improved army rifles passeduncomfortably close to him--one of them cutting a hole through the topof one of his boots--before the officer in command of the assailingparty could be made to understand the nature of Tom's mission. At lasthe understood it and calling to Tom to halt where he stood, which wasabout midway between the two forces--the lieutenant who commanded thetroops, hoisted another white handkerchief and went out to meet the boy.
To him Tom explained the nature and purpose of Camp Venture and invitedhim and his party to come in and inspect the place for themselves.
The lieutenant looked at him incredulously at first, and then laughed.
"That's a good one on us!" he said presently, "if what you say is true."
"I never tell lies!" said Tom, in resentment.
"I don't believe you do," said the officer. "You don't look it, anyhow.But of course we mustn't take any risk of being caught in a trap. SoI'll send a squad of my men with you to inspect. Here, Sergeant Malby;take a detail of four men and go with this young man to the camp yonder.In the meantime, my boy, I'll detain that magazine rifle of yours, ifyou please, till I satisfy myself."
Tom handed over his gun and led the sergeant and his squad into CampVenture. As daylight had now fully come, the soldiers had little troublein satisfying themselves that there was no still there, and that thecompany consisted only of five boys and the Doctor. The sergeant soreported to the lieutenant and that officer was disposed to besatisfied. Not so the three revenue agents, however.
"It's a fishy story these fellows tell," said the chief of them, "and Ifor one don't intend to be drawn into a trap. There may be no still andonly a small company of boys in that cabin, but who knows how manystills there may be hidden around here, or how many moonshiners may behiding about us, ready to massacre us?"
"All right," said the lieutenant, in some disgust at the revenueofficer's timidity. "I'll settle all that. Stay here, men, and wait fororders."
With that he strode off alone to the cabin and entered it. He thereexplained the situation to the boys and said:
"I'm afraid I shall have to ask you fellows to go out there and stackyour arms, considering yourselves under arrest till our timid friends ofrevenue officers can make a tour of inspection all about your camp underthe armed escort of my men. They were so sure that they had surprised astill here that they can't get over the notion. So we must humor them."
The boys readily consented to the plan. They marched out to a pointdesignated by the lieutenant and there stacked their arms, over whichthe lieutenant summoned two of his men to stand guard. Then he bade therevenue officers come on, and under escort of his file of soldiers theyminutely scrutinized the entire camp. The felled trees not yet choppedinto shape for sending down the mountain; t
he large quantity of ties andcordwood that were piled near the chute; the multitude of stumps fromwhich timber had been recently cut; the great piles of brush left overfrom the chopping; and finally the chute itself, now nearly worn outwith use--all these attested the character of the camp and indicated anindustry on the part of its occupants, such as no company of moonshinersever displayed.
At last the Lieutenant said to the chief revenue officer, with some showof impatience:
"Aren't you satisfied, yet? Why don't you look under these boys' fingernails? How do you know they haven't some stills secreted there?"
"Yes, I'm satisfied with all but one thing," answered the agent of theexcise.
"What's that?" asked Jack. "Whatever it is, I'll try to satisfy youconcerning it."
"Why, I don't understand, if you aren't engaged in any crooked business,what you built that fortification for. If you didn't feel the need ofresisting the government agents, what need had you for a barrier likethat to shoot behind?"
"We built that to protect ourselves against moonshiners," answered Jack.
"But why should moonshiners disturb you?" asked the still incredulousrevenue agent.
"Because they believed when we first came up here that we were spies ofthe internal revenue and most of them still believe it. They began byordering us to quit the mountains and when we wouldn't they sent men toshoot at us. One of our party is still suffering from a bullet woundreceived at their hands. When we found that we must defend ourselves weerected that barrier to help us. Now that you have come up here we'llneed it you may be sure."
"Why?" asked the revenue officer.
"Because they'll never believe now that we didn't send for you and bringyou here. They'll make ceaseless war on us now."
Meanwhile the Lieutenant was examining the fortification. Presently heturned to Jack and said:
"Will you allow me to suggest an improvement in your defensive work?"
"Certainly," answered Jack. "We shall be very glad."
"Well the top of your parapet is level. Whenever you shoot over it youmust expose your head, neck and shoulders above it. Now if you raise itby ten or twelve inches and then cut embrasures or notches in the top ofit to shoot through you can put up a fight with far less exposure ofyour persons."
The suggestion was so obviously a good one that Jack determined on theinstant to adopt it.
"I'll do that, Lieutenant, as soon as you release us from arrest and letus have our guns again."
"Oh, I forgot that," answered the Lieutenant. "Here sentinel," to theman who had been posted outside, "tell Sergeant Malby to send those gunsback to the house, and to withdraw you from duty here. Young men, youare released from arrest."
Then turning to the chief revenue officer, for whose timid lack ofsagacity he had obviously the profoundest contempt, he asked:
"What's your program now?"
"Well I'm going to clear this whole mountain of stills."
"How long do you reckon it will take?" asked the Lieutenant.
"Well a week or two weeks perhaps."
"And what provisions have you made for your commissariat for such alength of time?"
"What do you mean?"
"Why, I have forty men here and I'm under your orders, to do whateveryou say, but every one of my forty men has a mouth to feed, and undermy orders I brought only three days' rations in the haversacks. If youintend to keep us up here for a week or two, ought you not to have madesome provision for a food supply?"
"Why didn't you look after that?" asked the revenue officer.
"Because it was none of my business. I'm a soldier. I obey orders. Myorders were to take three days' cooked rations and march my men up hereto support the revenue officers in whatever they undertook."
"That's always the way," said the revenue man. "The troops always failus at the critical moment. That's why our efforts to break upmoonshining always come to nothing."
"Pardon me, sir," answered the officer rising in his wrath. "I'lltrouble you to take that back. The troops under my command have notfailed you and they will not. We have nothing to do with collecting therevenue. That's your business. Ours is merely to fight anybody thatresists you. That duty we are ready to do just so long as you maydesire. We'll force a way for you to any part of these mountains thatyou may desire to visit and we'll keep it up for a year if you wish. Butin the meantime somebody must provide my men with food!"
"If that's the way you look at the matter," said the revenue officer,"we might as well go down the mountain at once."
"It isn't a question of how I look at the matter," answered thelieutenant, impatiently. "I tell you I'm ready and my men are ready forany service you may assign to us. But I tell you also that we must havesomething to eat, and it is your duty to arrange it."
"But how can I?"
"Would it be impertinent in me to suggest," asked the lieutenant, "thatyou ought to have thought of that before you began your raid? If you hadsaid to the commandant that your expedition was likely to occupy a weekor two he would have ordered the commissary to furnish me with two orthree weeks' provisions and the quarter-master to supply enough stoutpack mules to carry them. As it was, you represented this as a two days'trip and he ordered me to carry three days' rations in the haversacks."
"Well, we'd better retreat at once," answered the revenue officer.
"But why? It isn't even yet too late to repair your blunder. Why can'tyou send one of your men down the mountain at once to bring up a trainof pack mules loaded with provisions? He can be back here in less thantwo days if he hurries."
"But I don't know--" began the man.
"I don't care what you know or don't know," answered the young WestPointer. "I simply tell you that as soon as my men run out of rationsI'll march them down the hill again. It is my duty to see that theydon't starve."
"But if I send a man down the mountain," answered the revenue agent,"some moonshiner might shoot him on the way."
"Very probably," answered the lieutenant. "That's a risk that menengaged in the revenue service are bound to take, I suppose. But if yourequest it, I will send a squad of four soldiers to guard your man onthe way down and to protect the pack train on its way back."
Manifestly the revenue officer was anxious to "git down out'n themountings," but he feared the report which in that case the angry anddisgusted lieutenant would probably make, even more than he feared themoonshiners. Still he hesitated to detail one of his men to go down themountain under escort of a corporal and three men.
This matter being still unsettled, the lieutenant said:
"Now, what next?"
"How do you mean?"
"Why, what is your next move?"
"Well, I suppose we must remain here till the provisions come, if wedecide to send for them," answered the man.
The lieutenant shrugged his shoulders, and for the moment remainedsilent. Presently he said:
"Of course that's for you to determine. But for myself I can't see whyyou should deliberately waste two days giving the moonshiners time inwhich to rip out their stills and bury them where even your sagacitywill never find them. I don't see why you shouldn't utilize the time ofwaiting for supplies in finding and capturing stills. However that isnone of my business. Will you tell me where you wish to make yourheadquarters, so that I may pitch my camp accordingly?"
At that moment bullets began pattering in the camp and the lieutenantinstantly leaped to his feet and hurried to the platform of the parapet.Using his field glass he presently located the points from which thefiring came. Then calmly but quickly he descended and called to SergeantMalby:
"Form the men in open order out there under the bluff."
Then he strode away hurriedly to the bluff and hastily examined it,selecting the points at which it was easiest of ascent. With a fewquietly given orders, he mounted to the top of the rock, and in half aminute more his men, crouching down to shield themselves from the fire,were in line of battle by his side.
"I'm going to see that," said
Tom, seizing his rifle and hurrying to theline of troops. "It's better than a game of chess."
By this time, under the lieutenant's calmly uttered instructions--forthere seemed to be no suggestion of excitement in his voice ormanner--two small squads had been thrown forward from the right and leftof the line, and were rapidly creeping up the mountain, with the evidentpurpose of getting to the rear of the moonshiners. Meantime thelieutenant stood up with his glass to his eyes, minutely observing theprogress of his flanking parties. By his orders his men all lay down,taking advantage of every rock and inequality of the ground forprotection, and delivering a steady fire all the time.
Presently the lieutenant lowered his glass and turning, saw little Tomstanding erect by his side.
"This will never do, my boy!" he exclaimed. "Lie down quick or one ofthose mountaineers will pick you off with his rifle."
"LIE DOWN; QUICK!"]
"I can stand up as long as you can, Lieutenant," answered Tom, "even ifI am not a soldier."
"But it is my duty to stand just now," said the lieutenant. "I mustdirect this operation and strike from here the moment my flankingparties reach proper positions."
"And it is my pleasure to stand," answered Tom, "to see how you do it."
The lieutenant again brought his glass to his eyes. Then he lowered itand looked earnestly at Tom, who still stood erect by his side, payingno heed to the rain of bullets about him.
"Why aren't you at West Point?" he asked. "You're the sort we want inthe army."
Then, without waiting for an answer, the lieutenant again looked throughhis glass and seeing that his flanking parties had gained the positionsdesired in rear of the mountaineers, he ordered the whole line toadvance as rapidly as possible. At the same time the flanking partiesclosed in upon the rear of the mountaineers, and five minutes later theaction ended in the surrender of all the moonshiners.
Tom saw it all, but when it was over he discovered a pain in his leftear, and, feeling, found that a small-bore bullet had passed throughwhat he called the flap of it, boring a hole as round as if it had beenpunched with a railroad conductor's instrument.
The captured mountaineers were brought at once to Camp Venture. Two ofthem were dead and three severely wounded. To these last and to two ofthe lieutenant's men who had also received bullets in their bodies, theDoctor ministered assiduously. The unwounded mountaineers were placed ina hastily constructed "guard house," built just under the bluff.