The First Capture; or, Hauling Down the Flag of England

by Harry Castlemon

  CHAPTER XI.

  A PLAN THAT DID NOT WORK.

  "Good riddance to bad rubbish," soliloquized the jailer, as he stood inhis door and saw Enoch and Zeke cross the way and place his horsepistols close against the fence. "I kinder reckoned on seeing Caleb hereto-night, but I am glad he didn't come. That magistrate has arrested himfor not paying his fine, but where is he? Go your way," he added,shaking his fist at Zeke, who was hurrying down the street engaged in anearnest conversation with his young friend. "It won't be long before Iwill have you here, too."

  "Now, Enoch, where is he?" said Zeke, after he had placed the horsepistols where their owner could easily find them. "He is not in jail; weknow that for a fact."

  "No, but he is shut up all the same," replied Enoch. "If we don't findhim to-morrow the next thing we shall hear of him he will be safe in NewYork."

  "Bussin' on it, what do you mean?" inquired Zeke, profoundly astonished."Who is going to take him to New York?"

  "The Margaretta."

  "Whoop!" yelled Zeke. "I can't make head nor tail of what you aresaying."

  "The magistrate and Mr. Howard have gone to work and had him arrested,"said Enoch, confidently. "They know he would be rescued if he was put injail, and so they have taken him aboard that schooner."

  Zeke stopped in his walk and held the lantern up and looked searchinglyinto Enoch's face. He saw nothing there but an expression of pain, andhe knew that Enoch was in earnest in all that he said.

  "And when they get him to New York are they going to put him in jailuntil that fine is paid?" asked Zeke.

  "I believe that is what they mean to do. I wonder why they don't takehim to Boston; but then I suppose the schooner is not going that way."

  Zeke lowered his lantern and resumed his walk with his eyes fastened onthe ground. Enoch did not interrupt him, for he knew that he wasmeditating on something.

  "Well, then, there is not anything more that we can do to-night," saidhe. "I believe you have hit the truth on the head. Now you go home andlet your mother see that you did not run into any traps while you weregone. I'll go and see Mrs. Young, and tell her that her boy will be allright to-morrow. You will be on hand when you hear that cheer?"

  "Yes, and I will be on hand no matter whether I hear it or not. If Calebgoes to New York I am going to go, too. I will be around when you takethose men out of their seats in church."

  Zeke did not say anything in reply. He was thinking too busily. Heraised and lowered his lantern three times in succession, just as aman-of-war does when she meets one of our vessels at sea, and hurriedoff. Enoch watched him until he saw him go into Mrs. Young's gate, andthen turned toward his home.

  "It come onto me all of a sudden and so I spoke it out," said he, tohimself. "It is the neatest thing I ever heard of. If he had been injail we would have had him sure, for I never saw Zeke so mad as he waswhen he held that club over that jailer's head. I wish I could get justone word to Caleb. He would know that folks were suffering here onaccount of his long absence."

  It did not take long for Enoch to explain the situation to his motherwhen he got home. Mrs. Young had gone away before he came, for she keptthinking that Caleb would get away somehow and that he would come homeand find her gone.

  "She need not have worried on that score," said Enoch, when his motherexplained this to him. "He is in the brig on board that schooner, and hewill stay there until we capture the officers to-morrow. Good night,mother, I guess I will go to bed."

  This was all an excuse on Enoch's part. He went to bed, but not tosleep. He felt as many an old soldier feels on the night preceding aheavy battle. He knew that he had to take chances of coming outuninjured, and the thought of what those dear to him might say and feelif he should fall, effectually banished sleep from his eyes. Not oncedid he close his eyes in slumber, but he was up at the first peep of dayand engaged in building a fire. It might be the last fire that he wouldever set to cook his own breakfast with, but his mother did not see anytraces of misgiving on his part. He greeted her with his regular morningkiss, and went about his duties as he always did; but his ears weresharply tuned to catch that cheer which he knew would be sounded beforenight.

  "Now, mother," said Enoch, when nine o'clock was drawing near and thedishes had all been washed and put away, "I guess I will go down to thewharf and see what is going on there. If Caleb is aboard that boat hehas got to come off. What would I do if that fellow was in a New Yorkjail? The magistrate fined him that much on purpose. It is more moneythan Caleb ever saw."

  "Be careful, my son, that you don't get into trouble yourself," said hismother.

  This was all the parting that took place between them. Enoch wentwithout his gun, for he did not want to attract attention, as he wouldhave done if he had had the piece on his shoulder. More than that, Zekehad not told him to bring anything with him, and he concluded thatthere would be enough men on hand to arrest all the officers who cameashore to church. Before he had left his home fairly out of sight hefound Zeke loafing about on a corner. It was not often that Zeke spenthis time in that way. He was generally going ahead as if he had somebusiness to attend to.

  "Good morning," said Enoch, as soon as he came within speaking distance."You see I have not brought my gun with me."

  "That's all right," said Zeke. "Are you going to help take those fellowsout of the church? All right again. Now I am here, and O'Brien andWheaton are on the other corners, to stop everybody that is on our sideand tell them not to show themselves about the church until after theofficers get safely in. Then when you see us three moving up, you cancome too."

  "Have you heard anything about Caleb?"

  "No, sir, not a thing. You hit it right last night the first timetrying. He is aboard that boat."

  "Now, Zeke, you must capture that boat the first thing you do," saidEnoch, earnestly. "I did not go near his house this morning because Idid not want to see his mother."

  "I have been up there, and she had her book open and was reading it. Sheseems to find a great deal of comfort in that book. Now you slip aroundbehind some of these houses, but be sure that you keep me in sight. Iwill tell you when the proper time comes."

  "And when that time does come remember that you don't stop for anything.My friend is on board that boat."

  Zeke smiled but said nothing. He did not have his club in his hand, buthe felt as confident as though he had it. Enoch obeyed orders andsauntered out on a street which led him away from all sight of thechurch and the Margaretta; but he took care to keep Zeke's figure insight. He found some other men there, too, who were there with the sameobject that he was, and one and all knew that Caleb was a prisoner onboard the Margaretta. They were highly indignant over it, too, and Enochtold himself that if they acted that way when they made the attack onthe vessel, Caleb would not remain a prisoner much longer.

  It seemed hard that, after taking so much pains to have their plans workcorrectly, they should turn out a failure at last. It all happenedthrough the enthusiasm of that man, Zeb Short, who had been taken totask for saying that he did not believe in fighting the schooner'scompany. Zeb was true blue; there was no doubt about that. But he didnot obey the orders he had received and keep out of sight of the church.He sauntered around through the back streets, but he came back to thechurch as soon as possible, and loafed around there, watching all thepeople who went in. Nobody had ever seen him go near a church before,and consequently their curiosity was excited. But Zeb paid no attentionto that. He was going to capture those officers if it lay within hispower to do it, and if it came to a fight, why, he would be there tolend a hand in it.

  At last the captain was seen, with his white knee-breeches, velvet coatall covered with gold lace and his queue neatly done up behind. Thecaptain saw Zeb there, and for a moment stopped as if he wanted to speakto him, but he thought better of it and passed on into the church. Hewas gone but a minute and then looked cautiously out again. Where wasZeb Short? He was some distance up the road going with all the speed hecould command toward the
place where he had left O'Brien a few minutesbefore. At the same time three or four other men, whom the captain knewto be provincials, came toward the church from in front, and they werewalking as though they had business on hand.

  "It has come, and much sooner than I had expected," said the captain."We have got to get out of here now."

  Captain Moore stepped back into the church and closed the door behindhim. He looked in vain for the key, but it was not there, so he wasobliged to let it go unlocked. He went into the body of the church witha quick step, and bending down he whispered some words to each officerhe came to. In an instant the officers arose and followed him. Thecaptain spoke to every man who belonged to his schooner, and when theyhad all gotten upon their feet, he moved down the aisle toward thepreacher's desk. The latter had just gotten up to read a hymn, but hestopped when he saw all those men coming toward him. The captain knewhis man, and forthwith stepped up and said some words to him, while anofficer who belonged to the schooner kept on ahead and hoisted one ofthe windows. Then he stepped out lively, and hanging by his handsdropped to the ground. The other members of the schooner's companyfollowed close behind him, the captain coming last, and the ministerclosed the window after them.

  "Here we are, O'Brien," panted Zeb Short, breathing hard after his rapidrun. "They are all in. I saw the captain go in just now. Hurry up."

  "Where were you?" asked O'Brien.

  "I was down there in front of the church," said Zeb. "I wanted to besure that they all went in and that they did not leave anybody outsideto keep watch."

  "Were you not ordered to keep out of the way of that church?" askedO'Brien hotly.

  "Course I was. Zeke told me to go around the back way, but I did notstay there. We have got seven men to capture, and since Zeke told methat there is fifteen in our party, I conclude that we are going totake them very easily."

  "Well, you have raised a fight by your heedlessness," said O'Brien,starting for the church. "Those men are armed, and of course they willnot give way to us. You have got to fight now whether you want to ornot."

  "I am there," said Zeb, drawing himself up to his full height. "It mightas well be on shore as on the deck of the vessel."

  "There is Zeke now, and he has got Wheaton with him," said O'Brien. "Donot say anything to him about what you have seen, for if you do, youwill have a fight on your hands before you bargained for it."

  "For doing my duty?" exclaimed Zeb.

  "You did not do your duty. It was your place to keep out of the way ofthat church, and you ought to have done it. Here comes Zeke now, and hehas got most of the fellows with him."

  "Are you all ready?" asked Zeke, as he came up.

  "All ready. We had better get into that church as soon as we can. Thereare seven of them."

  Zeke raised his hand as if to intimate that that was his idea exactly,and he started off with the full expectation that in less than fiveminutes' time he and his party would have the most of the officers ofthe schooner's company at their mercy. When he got within hearing of thechurch he would not allow a single man to speak to him, but raised hishand to enforce silence upon every one of them. He cast his eyes aroundto see that they were all present, then with noiseless footfallsascended the steps and opened the door. Or, rather, he laid his handupon the latch and was about to turn and give his whisperedinstructions: "Don't say a word to anybody but go about it quick andstill," when one of his followers happened to glance over his shoulderand saw a sight that filled him with amazement and alarm.

  "Here, here, what's this?" he almost shouted.

  Zeke turned and about two hundred yards away he saw the officers of theschooner, running close together so as to protect each other and goingtheir level best to reach the wharf. They were going at a rapid rate,too. Zeke saw at a glance that pursuit was useless.