Commodore Barney's Young Spies Page 13

  CHAPTER XII.

  SUSPENSE.

  It is now in my mind to set down what may be dry reading for some whochance to see this labor of love on which I am engaged, and yet if anyone desires to know exactly why it was the Britishers could destroythe capital of our country, and come off very nearly scot-free, it isabsolutely necessary to become familiar with all our means of defenseat this time.

  Therefore it is that I shall copy that which was published many yearslater, by Mr. Lossing in his "War of 1812," and in so doing the readerwill ask how it is that I am writing this poor apology for a tale inthe year of grace 1814, and yet putting into it facts which were madepublic many years later?

  The answer to the riddle is not as puzzling as it would seem. I am nowman grown, with children of my own. Many years ago I put together thisstory, and to-day, desiring that my own boys may read it, I am runningover the leaves to add here or there that which may make plain whatI, a lad of seventeen years, overlooked at the time, or believed to beof little importance. How strange it is that the same thing appearsentirely different when viewed from the standpoints of a man and alad!

  This is what Mr. Lossing says concerning the time of which I wrotewhen everything was fresh in my mind, and the sense of a wrong donethis country by England still rankling deep in my heart:

  "On the 6th of August (1814) the small British squadron in the Chesapeake was reinforced by a fleet of twenty-one vessels under Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane, the senior commander on the American station. These were soon joined by another under Commodore Sir Charles Malcolm. These vessels bore several thousand land troops commanded by General Ross, an Irish officer, and one of Wellington's most active leaders. Washington and Baltimore appear to have been chosen objects of attack simultaneously. A part of the British naval force, under Sir Peter Parker, went up the Chesapeake toward Baltimore, and another portion, under Captain Gordon, went up the Potomac.

  "At that time Commodore Barney, with a flotilla of thirteen armed barges and the schooner Scorpion, with an aggregate of about five hundred men, was in the Patuxent river. His vessels had been chased out of the Chesapeake, and blockaded in St. Leonard's Bay. Of this confinement they were relieved by some artillery under Colonel Henry Carbery, with which he drove away the Loire, the blockading frigate, when the released flotilla went up the Patuxent, first to Benedict, and then to Nottingham, that it might be within co-operating distance of both Washington and Baltimore.

  "Seeing this, the British determined to capture or destroy it, and on the 18th of August a force of a little more than five thousand men, composed of regulars, marines, and negroes went up the Patuxent, and landed at Benedict with three cannon, under cover of an armed brig. Most of the other large British vessels were below, some of them aground, and all too heavy to ascend the comparatively shallow stream.

  "Barney, then at Nottingham, promptly informed the Navy Department of the movement, and of a boast of the British admiral that he would destroy the American flotilla, and dine in Washington on the following Sunday. General Winder, by direction of the War Department, immediately ordered General Samuel Smith's division (the Third) of the Maryland militia into actual service. He also called upon General John P. Van Ness, commander of the militia of the District of Columbia, for two brigades, to be encamped near Alexandria; and he sent a circular letter to all the brigadiers of the Maryland militia, asking for volunteers to the amount of one-half their respective commands.

  "By his orders, his adjutant-general, Hite, issued a stirring appeal to the citizens to come forward, 'without regard to sacrifices and privation,' in defense of the national capital. Winder also asked General Stricker, of Baltimore, to send to Washington his volunteer regiments of infantry and his rifle battalion.

  "The veteran patriot, General Smith, promptly responded to the call of the government. He at once issued a division order, in which he gave notice of the invasion, and directed the whole of General Stansbury's brigade to be held in readiness for active service, adding, 'the third brigade is now under the pay of the United States, in its service, and subject to the Articles of War.' That corps General Smith declared to be 'the finest set of men he ever saw.' They paraded at four o'clock the same day, and on the following morning General Stansbury left Baltimore for Washington with thirteen hundred of his corps. Another force, under Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph Sterett, consisting of the Fifth Regiment of Baltimore Volunteers, Major Pinkney's rifle battalion, and the artillery companies of Captains Myers and Magruder, left Baltimore on the evening of the 20th, and joined Stansbury on the evening of the 23d.

  "With wise precaution, General Smith ordered the Eleventh brigade and Colonel Moore's cavalry to hold themselves in readiness to march to Baltimore at a moment's warning, for it seemed probable that the enemy would strike at both cities simultaneously.

  "The British in the meantime had moved up the Patuxent from Benedict, the land troops being accompanied by a flotilla of launches and barges that kept abreast of them. The naval forces were under the command of the notorious marauder, Cockburn. They reached Lower Marlborough on the 21st, when Barney's flotilla, then in charge of Lieutenant Frazier and a sufficient number of men to destroy it if necessary, moved up to Pig Point, where some of the vessels grounded in the shallow water.

  "For the defense of Washington the whole force was about seven thousand strong, of whom nine hundred were enlisted men. The cavalry did not exceed four hundred in number. The little army had twenty-six pieces of cannon, of which twenty were only six-pounders. This force, if concentrated, would have been competent to roll back the invasion had the commanding officer been untrammeled by the interference of the President and his Cabinet."

  All that was written when the facts of the case were well known, andnow the story shall be taken up as I wrote it when a boy.

  * * * * *

  It was not all plain sailing from Nottingham to Pig Point, for thewater was shallow, and there were many places where it was necessaryto handle even a pungy very tenderly in order to avoid taking theground.

  While Darius was not well acquainted with the stream, he had asailorly eye for bad places, and never made the mistake of trying tojump the little vessel where she was likely to be held hard and fast.

  Many times were we forced to take to the canoe in order to pull theAvenger's nose around more sharply than could be done by the helm, andwhen it came to such labor of pulling and hauling the commodore lent ahand as if we had been his equal in station.

  And we did work lively, for a fact, hoping to have our anchor downbefore any other craft could arrive, therefore no one complained whenDarius called on us for labor which might have been saved at theexpense of three or four minutes in time.

  The commander was even more eager than were we, to arrive at theappointed rendezvous speedily, and we could readily guess that somebig change was to be made in the general plans, although what it mightbe we came far from guessing, since all of us, save Darius Thorpe,believed he was simply running away from the enemy.

  Well, we succeeded in doing as we wished in regard to beating out theremainder of the fleet, for when we came to anchor off the point andsnugged everything down Bristol fashion, there were no signs that asingle craft was following.

  Commodore Barney was chafing because of the delay, as could be seen bythe way in which he paced the deck, rubbing his hands from time totime as he gazed down stream in vain for some token of the laggards.

  "It's only a deep water sailor who obeys smartly, Darius," thecommander said, halting in his nervous walk to face the old man, andJerry and I, who were seated on the main-hatch, pricked up our ears,for it seemed positive we were to learn somewhat of future doin
gs.

  "These younger men know too bloomin' much, that's what's the matterwith them," Darius said in reply. "I'll go bail that half the crowd weleft at Nottingham believed they knew better'n you when the startshould be made, an' stopped to curl their hair before makin' sail."

  Commodore Barney laughed heartily at the old man's growling, and thensaid suddenly:

  "I count on leaving you second in command under Frazier, and it may beas well for you to understand matters in case I don't get a chance tospeak with you at any length after the Lieutenant arrives."

  "You count on _leavin'_ me, sir? Does that mean you're goin' awayright soon?"

  "Ay, when my force comes up. There is no question but that the enemyis making the attack on our flotilla to cover his designs onWashington. He can have the fleet if he comes thus far. I hope bydaylight to be on the march for the Wood Yard, where Winder isencamped, and count to take with me all the men that can be spared,for force enough will be left behind to destroy the fleet in case theenemy appears. Lieutenant Frazier is to be in charge of those whoremain here, and you will act as his second in command. This is myplan: You shall have seventy men or more, and as soon as we leave youwill make every craft ready for the torch; see to it that there arecombustibles on board in sufficient quantity to insure a clean jobwhen fire is applied. After that has been done, you will wait for theBritish. Once it becomes certain that you cannot save the fleet, startyour fires, and put out for the American army, which will likely benear Washington by that time."

  "We've got some good boats with us, sir," Darius said thoughtfully.

  "Ay, my old shell-back, and that is why I am determined that theyshall not be of service to the enemy. You who remain behind will havemore danger to face than those who move in advance, and because ofthat it is necessary you keep the force well in hand. See to it thatevery order, however trifling, is obeyed on the instant, and in eventof any disposition to shirk a command, or to loiter after the word hasbeen given, deal with the culprit as you would on shipboard. Quickwork is the only thing which will save you from being killed or madeprisoners."

  When the commander spoke this last word the thought came to me that Ihad, for the moment, entirely forgotten Elias Macomber, and I waspuzzled to know what could be done with him while we were destroyingthe fleet, if it so chanced we were forced to such an extremity.

  I spoke with Jerry about it; but he had no suggestion to offer, savethat I had better refer the matter to Joshua Barney.

  "He's forgotten all about Macomber, as we did, an' now is the time tofind out what we shall do with him. It would hurt me mighty bad to letthe cur join his British friends simply because we couldn't take careof him."

  This last idea nerved me to do that which I would have shrunk from atany other time, and, approaching the commander, I asked:

  "What is to be done with our prisoner, sir? Jerry and I couldn't helphearing what you said to Darius, and we don't want to let such as himhave a free foot after capturing him twice."

  "Don't fear for that, lad," the commodore said with a kindly smile."Give your man breakfast now, so that he may be in condition to march,and when you see that we are ready to set off, bring him to me. Iwill see to it that he has a care-taker who won't wink at an escape."

  Then the commander fell to pacing the deck again, and I called JimFreeman and Dody Wardwell into the cuddy that they might cookbreakfast for all hands, including Elias Macomber.

  Jerry insisted that the cur ought to be sent on his way with an emptystomach; but to that I would not have agreed even though the commodorehad failed to give especial orders to the effect that he be fed.

  By the time our cooking operations were well under way, the foremostof the fleet began to heave in sight, and from that moment JoshuaBarney had something more to do than pace the Avenger's deck.

  We learned very soon that the Scorpion had run aground, which factdelayed several of the smaller boats, since Lieutenant Frazier calledupon many of the men for assistance; but all reports ran to the effectthat the fleet would unquestionably be at the rendezvous by earlydawn.

  We drew lots to see who should feed the prisoner, and Josiah Coburnselected the unlucky slip, which was a great relief to me, for Iquestion if I could have put food into the villain's mouth with anyvery good grace.

  We were yet at work on the breakfast when my father came aboard, thebarge to which he was drafted having been the third to arrive, and itmade me feel mighty good when he complimented us on our smartness inhandling the Avenger.

  We two went well forward where we might converse privately, and I didnot think I was betraying any confidences when I told him of thecommodore's plans. He was in nowise surprised, and said as one wouldif talking to a particular friend:

  "I guessed that something of the kind might be in the wind when theword was given to get under way. It would have pleased me better,Amos, if you had been detailed to go with the advance."

  "Why so, sir?" I asked, secretly rejoicing because he was treating meas if I had been of his own age.

  "Because those who remain to destroy the fleet will be in greatdanger. You cannot begin the work until the enemy is close upon you,otherwise it might be said that valuable property had been sacrificedneedlessly, and your risk will be greater than mine."

  "That is as it should be, sir," I replied, forgetting that I had everbeen weak-kneed or lukewarm in the cause. "For mother's sake youshould be the one to go home, if both cannot."

  "You have ever been a good boy, and a dutiful son, Amos. I shall praythat God will spare your life, whatever He may will shall become ofme."

  Then my father kissed me, and I never remember of his having done sucha thing before, after which he went over the rail hurriedly, as if notcaring to look me in the face.

  It was not a particularly cheerful conversation which we had had, andyet I was wondrously heartened because of it. The possible danger wasvery far from my mind as I dwelt upon father's words and his good-bye.It was as if I had suddenly come to know him in a different fashionthan ever before.

  Commodore Barney used the Avenger as his flag-ship while we werewaiting for the Scorpion, and our deck was literally crowded with menwho had been summoned to receive orders. He even ate breakfast withus, doing the greater portion of the eating holding converse with oneor another, and it can well be fancied that we were proud because ofhaving made possible such an honor for our pungy.

  The day was just breaking when the Scorpion, attended by all the otherlaggards, came up the stream. The schooner was anchored alongside ourpungy, and the commodore and Lieutenant Frazier had a privateinterview in the cabin of the larger vessel, after which word wasgiven for the men to disembark.

  The captain of each vessel had received orders to go ashore with somany men, therefore we saw no confusion when the final moment arrived.

  Jerry and I made ready the canoe in order to take Elias Macomber outof the vessel, and, seeing us thus engaged, Lieutenant Frazier said asif in surprise:

  "I thought all you lads had been ordered to remain behind?"

  "So we have, sir," I replied, and then I explained what we would do,whereupon he called for a couple of men from the Blushing Susan toattend the prisoner, we going with the party to make certain he wasdelivered up in good order.

  Commodore Barney had not forgotten the matter, as could be seen whenhe came forward with the cur, and he handed Elias to a man fromNottingham, with this injunction:

  "You are answerable for him until we arrive at General Winder's camp.If he attempts to escape, shoot him without compunction; but give himfair treatment so long as he obeys orders."

  Then the commander nodded to us, as if we were old acquaintances, andthe march was begun, every man stepping out briskly, as if it pleasedhim to aid in the defense of the national capital.

  It really gave me a sensation as of homesickness, to be thus leftbehind. Although sixty or seventy men yet remained, they were soscattered among the fleet that it seemed as if we of the Avenger werethe only ones left to watch the ene
my.

  "You may as well take up your quarters on the schooner," LieutenantFrazier said to Darius when the detachment was lost to view in thedistance. "All of her crew are gone, therefore we shall have plenty ofroom."

  "I shipped with the boys, an' I reckon I'd best stay with 'em, sir,though I thank you kindly for the offer," Darius replied, and theLieutenant added quickly:

  "I meant the invitation for the entire crew of the pungy. Some of themcan do the cooking while we stay here, which won't be very long I'mthinking."

  And thus it was we made a change of quarters, which neither pleasednor displeased me even though the cabin was decidedly finer than ourcuddy, because I had come to have a certain affection for the shabbypungy which cost us so much labor in the buying.

  According to Lieutenant Frazier's laying out of the work, there wasnothing for us of the Avenger to do save care for the schooner, andprepare the meals.

  Six men were sent down the river in canoes, to watch and report themovements of the enemy, that we might have timely warning of theirnear approach, and the remainder of the party which had been leftbehind were set about getting ready for the destruction of the fleet,if that should become necessary.

  One may think that Jerry and I had no reason to feel badly if ourpungy should be burned, since we had the guarantee from CommodoreBarney which would insure our receiving much more money than she costus, and yet we did feel badly, because it then seemed to us as if wecould never get another craft quite so much to our liking. A fellowcannot live on board a vessel many months, sailing her in all kinds ofweather, and depending upon her for a livelihood, without having acertain sentimental attachment for the fabric different from that feltfor all others of its kind.

  However, I had quite persuaded myself that the British would not comeso far up stream simply in order to destroy the flotilla, for it didnot seem as if the outlay would be repaid by the result, whichever wayit might be viewed. I had it in mind that when they learned howshallow the river was above Nottingham, the plan would be abandoned,therefore I felt comparatively secure from harm as we idled away thehours.

  The fact that Darius was so uneasy should have convinced me of thefull danger, for the old man was not one who borrowed trouble. Hefretted because he was forced to remain with the boats, instead ofacting as spy, and nothing save the fact that Joshua Barney had placedhim second in command could have kept him at Pig Point when it seemedto him that he might be able to accomplish much elsewhere.

  When the first of those who had been sent down stream returned, I alsobegan to feel uneasy in mind. The report came that the entire force ofBritishers was embarking on barges and small boats, with half a dozen6-pounders and as many mortars, which showed that it was expected wewould make some resistance, and it angered me to hear the men talkingas if we were to do no more than set the flotilla on fire when theenemy hove in sight.

  "It seems to me that we might worry them some," I said to Darius, whenhe had spoken in much the same tone as the others. "Forty or fifty menposted along the shores would make them a little trouble, I reckon."

  "Ay, lad, an' effect about as much as so many wasps. We might shootdown a few men; but could not even delay the advance, an' what wouldbe gained? Their five thousand soldiers would make it mighty warm forour people on the shore, an' when it came to killin', I'm thinkin'they'd be able to do the most execution."

  Before he ceased speaking I understood how foolish had been my words;but I was burning with such a desire to inflict some injury uponthose to whose account could be laid the destruction of our property,that I was not really responsible for the speech.

  It was on the evening of the day when Joshua Barney left us, that Ibegan to be sensible of the suspense in which one would necessarily beat such a time. If the enemy came upon us suddenly, it might bepossible for them to capture all hands of us, as well as carry awaythe boats, and this last would be considered more of a disaster thanthe first.

  Twenty of our men were posted at different points on both sides of thestream to act as sentinels, and the remainder distributed among thefleet in such a manner that the flames could be started in very shortorder.

  Neither Lieutenant Frazier nor Darius proposed to turn in on thisnight. They were to keep on the move from one sentinel to another, inorder to make certain each man was doing his duty, and we lads wereordered to have a meal prepared for them at midnight.

  Shortly after sunset another of our people came up the river with thereport that a portion of the enemy's force had started and it began toseem as if a night attack had been determined upon.

  It can well be fancied that we of the Avenger had very little desirefor slumber, although, had we been so disposed, all of us might havehad a good night's rest, and also had the midnight meal ready when itwould be required.

  We paced to and fro after the lieutenant and Darius had left, speakingonly in whispers, as if it might be possible the enemy could hear us,and each moment expecting that the alarm would ring out.

  The suspense was to me most painful, and I said to Jerry:

  "Almost anything is better than this. I wish we were not so well awareof their coming."

  "If the fleet is to be burned, an' we know the enemy has started tocome up here, I can't see what is to be gained by waitin'," and mypartner spoke in a tone of petulance. "We shall do no good stayin'here, and it may be that some of us could be of service elsewhere."

  "It's no use for you fellows to grumble," Jim Freeman said with alaugh, he having come up just in time to hear the useless words. "Theorders are to wait till the Britishers show themselves, an' I reckonneither Lieutenant Frazier nor Darius would like to take theresponsibility of doin' anythin' else. You two will make a good thingout of this business, in case the Avenger is burned, eh?"

  "We've got a guarantee for more than she cost; but at the same timeI'd rather have her than a better one," Jerry said promptly, and I putmy hand in his, for he had spoken that which was in my heart.

  Then we fell to talking for at least the tenth time of how the work ofdestruction would be accomplished, and while we were thus engagedDarius came alongside.

  "You lads can turn in," he said as he clambered over the rail."Mitchell has just come up the river with the news that the Britishersare makin' camp less'n two miles below. We shan't see 'em to-night;but they're likely to be here mighty early in the mornin'."

  "Some of us must stay up to do the cooking," I replied, thinking ofthe meal the lieutenant had ordered.

  "I'll call you in case Frazier don't change his mind about it, but Ireckon he'll be willin' to wait for breakfast."

  "Are you going to stay on board?"

  "I shall be here off an' on; just now we're goin' to inspect eachcraft, so's to make certain the flames can be started quickly, forthere's no longer any chance but that the fleet must be destroyed."