CHAPTER III.
AN UNPLEASANT SURPRISE.
Surely this camping by themselves was exceedingly pleasant, Isaacthought, as the old soldier took upon himself the duties of cook,leaving his recruit with nothing to do save watch him as he worked.
On the previous night they had slept in the midst of a noisy throng whochattered and made merry until an exceedingly late hour, thus preventingthe more weary from sleeping, and everywhere in the air, hanging likeclouds, was the dust raised by the feet of so many men.
Now these two were in the seclusion of the woods, with a carpet of grassfor a bed; the rippling brook to lull them to slumber, and nothing morenoisy than the insect life everywhere around to disturb their slumbers.
Corporal 'Lige was in a rare good humor. He prepared an appetizing meal,although his materials were none of the best, and when it had beeneaten, seated himself by Isaac's side with pipe in his mouth, ready andwilling to spin yarns of his previous experience as a soldier.
The boy was an eager listener; but after a certain time even the tonesof the old soldier's voice were not sufficient to banish the sleepelves, and his eyes closed in unconsciousness just when his comrade hadarrived at the most exciting portion of his narrative.
"Perhaps I shan't be so willin' the next time you want to hear what I'veseen in this world," Corporal 'Lige said testily when he observed thathis audience was asleep, and then, knocking the ashes carefully from hispipe, he lay down by the side of his small companion.
It seemed to Isaac that he had hardly more than closed his eyes inunconsciousness when he was aroused by the pressure of some heavysubstance upon his hand, and looking up quickly he saw, in the dimlight, three men standing over the corporal.
The foot of one of these strangers was upon the boy's hand, as if he didnot think Isaac of sufficient importance either to warrant his takinghim prisoner, or to so much as step aside that he might be spared pain.
Before hearing a single word, Isaac understood that these late-comerswere no friends of the corporal's, and he endured the pain in silence,hoping that by so doing he might escape observation.
It was hardly probable the strangers failed to see him, for he had beenlying within a few feet of his companion; but that he was not the objectof their regard could be readily understood.
The man who had thus pinned the boy to the earth by his heel woremoccasins rather than boots, otherwise Isaac would have received severeinjury, and as it was, the corporal's recruit suffered considerable painbefore the foot was finally removed; but yet made no sound.
So far as he could judge by the conversation, these strangers must havebeen in camp some time before he was awakened, for when he first openedhis eyes they were in the midst of an unpleasant conversation with theold soldier, such as had evidently been carried on for some moments.
"If he don't choose to tell, string him up to a tree," one of the partycried impatiently at the moment Isaac first became conscious thatmatters were not running smoothly in this private encampment. "A deadrebel is of more good than a live one, and we have no time to lose."
"Hang me, if that's what you're hankerin' for!" Corporal 'Lige cried ina voice that sounded thick and choked as if a heavy pressure was uponhis throat. "Even though I knew more concernin' this 'ere expeditionthan I do, not a word should I speak."
"We'll soon see whether you're so willing to dance on nothing," thefirst speaker cried vindictively, and then came noises as if the man wasmaking ready to carry his threat into execution.
"Give him another chance," one of the Tories suggested. "Let the oldfool tell us all he knows of Allen's plans, an' we'll leave him none theworse for our coming."
"I know nothing!" the corporal cried in a rage. "Do you reckon thecolonel would lay out his campaign before me?"
"It is said he did so before you left Pittsfield."
"Whoever says that is a liar; but even though he had made the fullestexplanations, I would not reveal the plans to you. You must think I'm amighty poor kind of a soldier if I don't know how to die rather thanplay the traitor."
"You'll soon have a chance of proving what you can do!" the third mancried angrily, and then it was he stepped forward, leaving Isaac free todo as he thought best.
That these three Tories were bent on hanging the old soldier, or atleast so nearly doing so as to frighten him into disclosing all he knewregarding Colonel Allen's plans, there could be no question, and youngRice, trembling with fear though he was, had no other thought than as tohow it might be possible for him to aid his comrade.
It did not seem probable the men were ignorant regarding the boy'spresence, and the only explanation which can be made as to why theyfailed to secure him is that he was so nearly a child as to appear ofbut little consequence. They evidently had no thought that he could inany way thwart their purpose, and, therefore, no heed was given to him.
It can readily be imagined that Isaac did not waste much time inspeculations as to why he was allowed to remain at liberty.
Now was come the moment when he might repay some portion of the debt hebelieved he owed Corporal 'Lige, and the only anxiety in his mind waslest he should not do it in proper military fashion.
He could not even so much as guess what a genuine soldier would do underthe same circumstances; but he had a very good idea as to how a boymight extricate himself from such a difficulty, and lost no time inbeginning the work.
The three men were so busily engaged trying to frighten the corporalinto telling them what he might know of Colonel Allen's forces as not toheed the noise Isaac made when he rolled himself toward the bushes inthat direction where the two muskets had been set up against a treeunder the foliage in such manner that they might not be affected by thedew.
It was impossible for him to say exactly what these intruders were doingto Corporal 'Lige, but, from the noises, he judged they had first made aprisoner of the old man by seizing him around the throat, perhaps whilehe was yet asleep, and now there was every indication that they weremaking ready to carry out the threat of hanging.
"Give him another chance to tell what he knows," one of the men cried,and immediately afterward the old soldier replied:
"String me up if you will, for there's no need of waiting any longerwith the idea that I'm goin' to give you any information, even if I haveit."
"Then up with him!" the man who had first spoken shouted, and Isaac,without looking in that direction, heard the confused noises which toldhim the enemy were trying to raise the old man to his feet.
By this time the boy had his hand on one of the muskets, and his firstimpulse was to discharge it full at the intruders; but before he couldact, the thought came that there were two shots at his disposal, and heought to so plan as to make both of them count. He believed it wasnecessary to work with the utmost speed, lest these three Tories shouldhave hung the corporal before he was ready to interfere, and yet acertain number of seconds were absolutely necessary before he couldcarry out that plan which had suddenly come into his mind.
With both muskets under his arm he crept cautiously a few paces onwarduntil screened by the foliage, and then raising one of the weapons, tookdeliberate aim at the nearest enemy.
There was no thought in his mind that he was thus compassing the deathof a human being. He only knew his comrade's life was in danger, andthat a well-directed shot might save him.
The three men had by this time gotten a rope around Corporal 'Lige'sneck, and, finding that it was difficult to raise the old man to hisfeet, were throwing the halter over the limb of the nearest tree as amethod of saving labor.
One of the Tories, he who appeared to be the elder, and who wasdirecting the movements of the others, stood a few paces from hiscomrades, and, taking deliberate aim at him, Isaac shouted:
"Throw down your weapons, and surrender, or you are dead men!"
The words had but just been spoken when he discharged the musket, and ascream of pain from the living target told that the bullet had sped trueto its mark.
The
two men who were as yet unarmed dropped the rope they were holdingand sprang toward their weapons, which had been left on the ground nearby; but before they could reach them, Isaac had emptied a second musket,and another cry of pain rang out.
"Throw down your weapons and surrender, or you are dead men!" he shoutedagain, and at this the third Tory, who must have believed there was morethan one man in the thicket, took to his heels in alarm, while Corporal'Lige, who had received no worse injury than a severe choking, seizedupon the three muskets which were lying close beside him.
Even now, when two of the intruders were wounded and the third runningfor dear life, Isaac was doubtful as to whether he should show himself.
He remained in concealment, while the corporal gazed around him insurprise for a dozen seconds or more, and gave no token of hiswhereabouts until the old man shouted:
"Hello, friends! Show yourselves!"
"Is it all right?" Isaac asked timidly, and in a tone which was littlebetter than a squeak. "Is it all right, corporal?"
"Come in here, Isaac Rice. Can it be it was you who fired those shots?"
The raw recruit came forward almost timidly, and Corporal 'Lige,shifting the three muskets he had taken possession of over on to hisleft arm, seized the boy by the hand.
"I've done a good bit of soldierin' in my day, lad; seen surprises, an'ambushes, an' attacks of a similar kind without number; but never did Iknow of anything that was done with more neatness an' dispatch than thissame job of yours, which has saved my neck from bein' stretched. I'mproud of you, lad!"
Isaac was overwhelmed by this praise, yet not to such an extent but thatthere was a great fear in his mind lest he had taken a human life, andhe asked anxiously:
"Do you suppose I hurt either of them seriously, Corporal 'Lige?" and hepointed to where the wounded men lay.
"It is to be hoped you killed 'em both, so that we may be spared anyfurther trouble with the vermin," and not until then did the corporalcondescend to give any attention to those enemies who had been so sadlyworsted by a boy.
Just at this moment the wounded Tories suffered more in mind than inbody, for they now understood who had made the attack upon them, and itcan readily be fancied that both were ashamed at having been thusdefeated in their purpose by one whom they had considered of so littleimportance that no effort was made to deprive him of his liberty whenthey surprised the encampment.
It was with the most intense relief that young Rice heard the corporal'sreport, which was to the effect that he who had acted as leader of theparty had a severe but apparently not exceedingly dangerous wound in theshoulder, while his comrade was suffering from a bullet-hole in the leg.
"They're disabled, lad, but not killed, an' the first bit of soldierin'that you have been called on to do is like to give great credit withsuch as Colonel Allen and Colonel Easton. Tell me how you happened tothink of overcoming them in this shape?"
"I didn't think of it," the boy replied. "It seemed to me you were liketo be hanged and I only did what was in my power."
"I came nigher to havin' my neck stretched than ever before, an' as itwas, the villainous Tories pulled mighty hard on that rope, before youeffected the rescue; but, lad, you must have thought! This attack youmade in such a soldierly fashion wasn't the result of chance, an' thatI'll go bail."
It was useless to make any attempt at convincing Corporal 'Lige of whatwas only the truth.
The old man was so determined to look upon the rescue as a soldierly actthat he would not accept any other explanation, and the boy ceased hisfruitless efforts by asking:
"What is to be done with these two Tories?"
"I reckon they must be got back to camp, although it would be no morethan servin' 'em right if we put an end to their miserable lives withoutfurther parley."
"Oh, you wouldn't kill them in cold blood, Corporal 'Lige?" Isaac criedin alarm.
"No; I don't reckon I would, though that's what ought to be done with'em. It's plain you an' I can't lug the two a matter of a mile or more,so one must stand guard over 'em while the other goes back to the camp.I'm leavin' it to you to say which service you'll perform, for afterthis night's work I'm willin' to admit that my recruit has in him themakin's of a better soldier than I can ever hope to be."
The boy gave no heed to this praise at the time, although later heremembered the words with pleasure.
Now there was in his mind a fear lest the corporal should desire him toguard the prisoners, and, the more imminent danger over, he was growingexceedingly timorous.
"I'll go back to the encampment if it so please you, Corporal 'Lige,because I can run faster than you."
"As you will, lad, as you will. Explain to Colonel Ethan Allen what hashappened here and let him say how these venomous snakes are to betreated."
During this conversation neither of the wounded men had spoken; but now,as the boy was about to set out for the encampment, he who had evidentlyacted as the leader cried sharply:
"Hold on a bit! What is the sense of sending us into your camp when weare like to die? Why not give us a show for our lives?"
"In what way?" Corporal 'Lige asked sternly.
"By allowing us to go to our homes."
"That will do," the old soldier said angrily. "After your attempt tokill me I'm not such a simple as to let you go scot free. Get you gone,lad, and make the report to Colonel Allen as soon as may be."
The wounded Tory continued to plead with the corporal; but Isaac did notwait to hear anything more.
He set out at full speed down the road in the direction where the troopswere encamped, running at his best pace, and fearing each instant lestthat Tory who had made his escape should suddenly come upon him.