CHAPTER IX.

AN UNEXPECTED MEETING.

It was as if the elements favored us in the race to Nottingham and indeed I counted it a race in which were pitted against us the British fleet and Elias Macomber.

The wind held strong, the day was cloudless, and the canoe, clumsy craft as I had always looked upon her, sailed like a bird. Bill Jepson insisted on holding the steering paddle, and we were well content to have him at the helm, for he held her so nearly to the course that our wake stretched out behind us straight as an arrow.

Under almost any other circ.u.mstances we would have made at least a short stop at Benedict; but now it was out of the question, and we sailed by at full speed, being hailed by several of our acquaintances who urged that we come to for a moment, but we resisted all such entreaties.

I knew that my mother, on being told we had refused even to so much as have speech with our friends as we pa.s.sed, would understand we were on urgent business, and have no thought that I had slighted her.

When, in due course of time, we pa.s.sed the mill from which had been taken the prisoners, it bore the appearance of being deserted, therefore we had good reason for believing that Macomber was the only one of our capturing who succeeded in making his escape.

It was late in the night before we came upon the fleet, and were brought to by a hail from the guard-boat.

The commodore was yet with the flotilla on board the Scorpion, so the sentinels told us; but they were minded to prevent our having speech with him at that unseemly hour.

Had Jerry and I been alone I believe of a verity we would have been forced to wait until morning before seeing Joshua Barney; but Bill Jepson could not be put aside as easily as two lads, and he roared out as if he had been an admiral of the blue at the very least:

"Tell him that Darius Thorpe has sent word from the lower bay, an' it must be delivered straight away."

[Ill.u.s.tration: "I remember your face, my man;" said the Commodore.

"Come aboard at once." Page 153.]

In the darkness, when it was impossible to see him, no one could say that Bill was not a person of the greatest importance, and the sentinels, judging from his voice, must have concluded that he, or the man whose name he gave, was some one high in authority, therefore they not only allowed us to approach the schooner, but went before to announce our arrival.

The commodore was not the kind of an officer to keep any one in waiting simply that due respect might be shown to his station; but came on deck half-dressed, bidding one of the sailors to hold a lantern that he might see who we were.

"So you lads have come back in haste, eh?" he said, on recognizing Jerry and me. "Have you by chance lost the pungy?"

"No, sir; she is in the lower bay oysterin', with Darius in charge," I made haste to say.

"And who is this you have with you?"

"Bill Jepson, sir, who has served under you twice; but is now a deserter from his majesty's ship, Severn, having been pressed into the British service nigh to three years ago," the sailor replied, rising to his feet at imminent risk of overturning the canoe.

"I remember your face, my man. Come aboard at once, all hands of you."

We clamored over the rail, having made the canoe fast, and entered the commodore's cabin.

"When did you desert from the Severn?" Joshua Barney asked, showing more of excitement than I had ever seen him display.

"Last night, sir, an' it may be by so doin' I've upset some of your plans; but when I asked for help it never struck me that Darius might be there on special business."

"Tell me all the story," the commodore said, motioning toward me, and without delay I gave him a full account of what we had done, save that then I said nothing regarding Elias Macomber.

Then he questioned Bill Jepson regarding what he knew, and, if I am any judge of such matters, he got considerable valuable information.

The sailor was able to give him the names of nearly all the vessels in the two fleets, together with their probable weight of metal, and repeated the gossip which had leaked from the Severn's cabin through the marines on guard.

The commodore listened intently, making many notes as Bill spun his yarn, and when it was come to an end he said:

"You did well to steer for here at once; but I am inclined to believe that the enemy will move very soon. Is there anything else to be said?"

"I would like to speak about Elias Macomber, sir?" I made bold to say.

"That was the prisoner who escaped? One of them got away, and there is good reason to suspect that he received aid from some of our men. We have no time to look into the matter now; but it shall be thoroughly sifted later, and if there be a British sympathizer among us, it will go hard with him."

Then I gave him all the information we had concerning the traitor, and wound up by asking if there was any reason why we should not go back and re-take the cur.

"You may as well make the attempt, although I question if he can tell the enemy anything which is not already known. The utmost he could say would be that our force is small, and so much the British learned at St. Leonard's bay. However, I would like to have the fellow; but am not willing you should run into any danger for the purpose of effecting the capture."

"I believe that Jerry and I will be able to get hold of him, and we will go back at once, unless you have other work for us."

"There is nothing especial that you can do here. Warn Darius Thorpe to be ready for an immediate move on the part of the enemy, and tell him to make sail for the Patuxent at the first signs of activity. You lads had better get some sleep before setting off again. Go forward, and see that you have a hearty meal at once. Jepson, you will remain aboard the schooner."

Bill thanked the commodore, and the three of us went into a sort of forecastle which had been rigged up in the forward part of the vessel, where, after considerable arguing, we succeeded in getting so much food as satisfied our hunger, which was no small amount.

Then we turned in by lying down on deck, which was preferable to getting into a bunk on such a hot night.

As a matter of course we were aroused right early, even before any signs of a new day could be seen; but the three hours of sleep refreshed us wonderfully, and we were ready to set off down the river.

We managed, at the expense of considerable argument, to get a supply of provisions from the cook without awakening Commodore Barney, and, after a warm parting with Bill Jepson, cast off the canoe.

Because the wind was blowing straight up the river it was impossible to use a sail, save at the cost of considerable time, and we took to the paddles, which seemed like mighty hard work after our experience with the rag of a sail.

Don't let it be thought that we begrudged our labor; I would have paddled till the skin was worn from both hands for the sake of re-taking Elias Macomber, and looked pleasant all the while; but when a fellow has been flying over the water with no effort of his own save to keep the little craft on her course, he cannot but contrast that pleasure with the dreary work of shoving her ahead with an ashen blade.

Again we felt obliged to pa.s.s our homes without stopping. It would have taken a full hour, hurry as we might, to go ash.o.r.e and speak ever so briefly with those who would greet us, and in that length of time Elias Macomber could, possibly, join his friends the Britishers.

"We'll keep well over on the eastern sh.o.r.e, where there is less chance of bein' seen, an' do our best at the paddles," Jerry said as we discussed the matter just before coming within sight of the village.

"I'd give a good deal to see mother an' the children; but it seems as if we had no right to loiter."

I was of his mind, and we hugged the opposite bank of the river, keeping under the screen of foliage as much as possible, until there was no danger of being recognized.

During all that day and far into the night we paddled. Now and then one would stop to rest his arms; but the other continued the labor, therefore the canoe did not come to a stop from the time we left the fleet until we were arrived at Hog Point.

There we run her bow on the sh.o.r.e while we ate a hearty meal, and discussed the question as to whether it would be better to approach the house from the northerly or the southerly side.

I was in favor of going ash.o.r.e where we then were; but Jerry won the day by suggesting that if we ran around on the other side, it would be possible to see if the British came up the bay, and this last was quite important to us in case we were forced to spend much time waiting for a fitting opportunity to catch our game.

After refreshing ourselves with food, we paddled around the point without danger of being seen, because it was so late in the night, and landed at the same place as before, knowing that from there we would have no difficulty in finding the dwelling.

After pulling the canoe up amid the bushes, and hiding her as well as was possible in the darkness, we laid down on the ground, falling asleep almost immediately we had stretched ourselves out at full length, and not until the first beams of the rising sun shone across our faces did we awaken.