CHAPTER XV--A FAMOUS SPOT
Unknown to his friends Grant had made some inquiries concerning a spotin Newburgh which he long had been desirous of seeing. Withoutexplaining to his companions what he had in mind he quickly led the wayup another hill until they arrived at a large enclosed yard. In themidst of it stood a low old stone house. In front of the house, on theextensive lawn, were several piles of cannon balls, and cannon werelooking out over the peaceful waters of the Hudson. The flag of theUnited States was floating from the high flagpole and added much to thebeauty of the scene.
"What's all this?" demanded John.
"Every young American is supposed to know that this is Washington'sheadquarters. Didn't you ever hear of it?"
"He had so many," laughed John, "I can't keep track of them. It issomething like the beds he slept in that we were talking about the otherday."
"Well, this is where he had his headquarters," said Grant, "when hisarmy was in this part of the country. This is a beautiful spot, isn'tit?"
"It's wonderful!" said Fred in a low voice. The impulsive lad was deeplyimpressed by the associations connected with the place where they thenwere standing as well as by the marvelous scene of the Hudson windingits way in and out through the midst of the towering hills.
"Over yonder," said Grant, pointing across the river as he spoke, "isBeacon and right across the river is Fishkill."
"Good name," said John in a low voice.
"Of course it is," said Grant. "We're in the Empire State. That's theState I live in and there isn't another one like it in the Union."
"That's right," said George, who felt that he was now called upon todefend his own State. "New York has a choice collection. I don't saythat there aren't some good people here, but you don't have to go veryfar to come to Ossining. Do you know who lives there?"
"Yes, some undesirable citizens," said Grant.
"Yes, and you go on a little farther up the river and you come toAlbany. If you want to know what New York State is like you want to findout how much the capitol building there cost."
"Never mind about those things," broke in John. "What I want to know isabout this part of the country where we are now. I have read a good manystories about the American army when it was in camp at Peekskill."
"Of course you have," said Grant; "there were a lot of things doingthere. I have a book at home that my great-grandfather used to read whenhe was a boy. It tells about a young fellow only seventeen years of agewho was one of Washington's couriers. He used to ride between Morristownand Lake Champlain. At least he did in the year when Burgoyne was tryingto bring his Hessians and redcoats from Montreal to New York."
"He didn't bring them, though," spoke up Fred quickly.
"Only as far as Saratoga," laughed Grant. "If it hadn't been for certainobstacles I guess he would have brought them all the way down theriver."
"I guess he would too," laughed Fred scornfully, "but his 'obstacles,'as you call them, were General Gates, Philip Schuyler, Benedict Arnoldand a few other continental soldiers that did not seem to beenthusiastic over allowing Johnnie Burgoyne to come any farther."
"I was reading the other day," said Grant, "that the Baroness deReidesel was with her husband when the Hessians were captured. She hadher children with her and to show them due honor Mrs. General Schuylertook the Baroness and her children into her own home. The Hessian ladydid not know that Mrs. Schuyler understood German and she rudely carriedon some conversation with her children in that language when Mrs.Schuyler was present. One time one of the children piped up and askedhis mother, 'Isn't this the place that we are to have when our father ismade a duke after he has whipped the Yankees?' As the Baroness glancedup she was aware that Mrs. Schuyler had understood what the boy wassaying. She tried to apologize but Mrs. Schuyler was a perfect lady andat once smoothed things out. They say she was a brave woman. There's onestory about her though that I never believed."
"What was that?" asked John.
"Why they say that thirteen was a magical number for the Americans. TheBritish reported that Martha Washington had a big cat with thirteenstripes around its tail and that she wouldn't have any other kind. Therewere just thirteen of the colonies, you know, and that made it worse.And it was reported that General Phil. Schuyler had just thirteen hairsleft in his bald pate and that Mrs. Catherine Schuyler very carefullyoiled and brushed them every night for fear that the magic number mightbe changed."
"She had better brush his hair than pull it," suggested George.
"I can remember the time," said John, "when my mother used to brush andpull my hair at the same time."
"So can I," said every one of the boys together.
"Well, the main thing is," said Fred philosophically, "that GeorgeWashington had some headquarters and that it's a good thing for theUnited States of America that he did. I wish we had some men now asgreat as he was."
"We have," said John quickly.
"We have?" retorted Fred scornfully. "Where are they?"
"Eight here," said John solemnly. "Here are four of them. They haven'tall arrived yet, but they are on their way."
"Fine lot too," broke in Grant. "Scared so that they run like deer whenthey hear sounds in the old Meeker House and there isn't one of themthat has shown that he has the nerve to stay there long enough to findout just what those strange sounds mean."
"We're not afraid of anything we can see, but it is the things that youcan't see that scare us," explained Fred.
"Never mind the Meeker House," said Grant, "I want to take in what thisplace means. The old cannon balls, the old guns, and the relics we sawinside the house," for the boys had entered the old building andinspected the various relics of revolutionary times that were onexhibition, "to say nothing about the old Hudson River itself, and thehills, ought to satisfy every one of us for a while, anyway."
"It's a great sight," said George. "I'm glad you brought us up here. Iknew Washington's headquarters were here, but it had slipped my mindwhen we first came. I'm getting hungry. Come on back to the hotel andwe'll have our dinner."
The following morning was unusually warm. The boys were early awake, buteven then the heat was oppressive.
"Whew," said Fred when they left the dining room, "if it's as hot asthis before we start what will it be afterward?"
"That's just like some people," declared John. "They aren't satisfiedwith the good or the bad they have, but they are always looking aheadfor more. There's one thing we don't have to do."
"What's that?" inquired Fred.
"We don't have to swelter before the sun beats down upon us. It will beplenty of time to see what we have to do if we find it so warm on theroad that we don't want to go on."
Soon after breakfast the boys started on their homeward ride.
True to its promise the heat steadily increased and a glare that wasexceedingly trying to the eyes beat down upon the roadway.
George increased the speed at which he was driving, but the air whichfanned their faces was almost like that which comes from a heated oven.
Already the cattle in the nearby fields had sought the shade of thetrees in the pastures. The hens in the farmyards also were lying in theshade, their wings partly extended as if they were trying to cool theirheated bodies.
"Hens in hot weather," said George, "always make me think they arelaughing at us."
"What do you mean?" demanded John. "Who ever heard a hen laugh."
"I didn't say I had heard them laugh, but they have their mouths open."
"Hens don't have mouths, my friend."
"They don't?" demanded George. "Then how do they eat?"
"They have throats and bills and beaks, but they don't have mouths."
"What is a mouth anyway?" said George scornfully. "Isn't it the openingin the head through which one takes food into his stomach?"
"I suppose it is."
"Well, doesn't a hen swallow corn?"
"She does."
"Then she has a mouth, hasn't she?"
&nb
sp; "Wait a minute and I'll tell you. It's this way, you see--"
At that moment there was a loud report directly beneath the car which atthat time was passing under a stone bridge.
George instantly stopped the car, but another driver directly in frontof him was so startled by the unexpected sound that he lost control ofhis automobile and swung into the ditch, nearly overturning his car ashe did so. Instantly rising from his seat he turned and glared at the GoAhead boys as if he was tempted to visit some merited punishment uponthem.
The boys, however, were so busy with their own troubles that theyignored the anger of the driver before them. Instantly leaping fromtheir seats they began their investigations.
Only a brief time, however, was required to disclose the cause of thetrouble. "A blowout," said George disgustedly. "It's torn that tube allinto shreds."
"You blew it up too tight," suggested Grant.
"Thank you," said George as he took off his coat, "you're so wellinformed about these matters that I think I'll let you help me put a newtire on."