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

by Harry Castlemon

  CHAPTER XVI.

  AFTER THE BATTLE.

  "There, sir," said Captain O'Brien, drawing a long breath of relief andpatting with his hand the British flag which Wheaton carried under hisarm, "the Yankees have done the work. But there will be mourning when weget back to Machias. Who would have thought that those Britishers wouldhave fought so desperately."

  "Captain, they had guns, you know, and we had nothing heavier thanflint-locks. Who would have thought that our men would have fought sodesperately to accomplish an object? I tell you that each man deservesthree hearty cheers to pay him for what he has done."

  The fight was over, but now the dead and wounded had to be taken careof. After a short consultation with Wheaton and Zeke the captain decidedthat all the wounded men should be taken on board the schooner wherethere was a doctor and his assistant to take care of them, and all theprisoners were to go on board the sloop.

  "You will have to stay aboard here with me and let the doctor look afteryour wound, Zeke," said the captain. "It is bleeding fearfully."

  "Bussin' on it, I won't do it," said Zeke, earnestly. "As soon as I getsome water to wash this blood off I will be all right. I stood at thehelm of that sloop when she overhauled the schooner, and I am going tostand at her wheel when she goes into the harbor. That's a word with abark on it."

  Zeke turned away to hunt up a bucket to aid him in washing out hiswound. Zeb Short was there with a club in his hand, and it was coveredwith blood, too. He had been listening to the words that passed betweenthe captain and Zeke, and was evidently waiting for a chance to put in aword for himself.

  "Were you hit?" asked Wheaton.

  "Nary time," said Zeb, and his words and actions showed that it wouldtake a better man than was to be found in the schooner's company to layhim up with a wound. "I don't believe in fighting, and for saying themwords Zeke came pretty near punching me; but when you are in for it,why, you have got to do the best you can. How many men will you want toguard the sloop on the way in?"

  "Let all the men who have flint-locks go aboard of her," answered thecaptain, "and let them stay around the wheel with Zeke. But first youmust put all the unwounded prisoners in irons. Do you know where to findthem?"

  Zeb knew and dove down the hatchway out of sight. When he came back hehad but six pairs of irons in his hand--"not enough to go all the wayround," as he said. The prisoners who were still in a group on theforecastle, were ordered aft, and obediently held out their hands forthe irons. Enoch and Caleb were close by watching the operation, andwhen the latter came to run his eye over the men he found that there wasone of whom he had promised himself that he would say a good word ifchance ever threw it in his way. It was the man who had given him theonly bite to eat while he was in the brig.

  "There is one fellow that must not be put in irons if I can help it,"said he, making his way toward the captain. "He belongs on our side ofthe house and I know it."

  Captain O'Brien listened with an amused expression on his face whileCaleb told his story, and presently beckoned to the man to come over towhere he was.

  "What business have you got to serve under the British flag?" saidCaptain O'Brien.

  "I haven't got any business at all, sir," said the sailor. "I shipped onboard of that schooner because I wanted something to do. I belong on theHudson River a little ways from New York."

  "You are sure your sympathies are not with her?"

  "No, sir. When I saw that flag come down it was all I could do to keepfrom cheering."

  "Well, you don't want any irons on you. Stand up here beside me and youwill be safe."

  Caleb and Enoch were overjoyed to hear this decision on the part oftheir captain. When the sailor drew up a little behind O'Brien the boystipped him a wink to let him know that he was among friends. GivingCaleb that mouthful of food was the best thing he ever did.

  When the prisoners had been ironed they were ordered aboard the sloopand into the captain's cabin, where it was known they would be safe. Tomake assurance doubly sure Enoch was stationed at the head of thecompanion-way with his flint-lock for company, and Caleb stayed withhim. The wounded were then transferred on board the schooner, and hernew crew, without waiting orders to that effect, seized buckets andbrooms and went to work to clear the deck of the battle-stains. Ofcourse Caleb was anxious to know what had passed in the village duringhis absence, and his friend took this opportunity to enlighten him.

  "I knew in a minute as soon as I found that tin bucket of yours alljammed in, that you had been captured and taken aboard the schooner,"said Enoch. "Zeke knew it too, for I went and got him as soon as Imissed you."

  "Did you know that I was going off to New York?" asked Caleb.

  "Well, we suspected as much, but we was not sure of it until JamesHoward told me of it. I wonder if there is not some way by which we canget even with that fellow."

  "We will keep an eye on him when we get back," said Caleb, who somehowgrew angry every time James' name was mentioned in his hearing. "If heconducts himself as any other boy would, we can't do anything with him.They will think right away that we are down on him and anxious to berevenged; but if he goes to cutting up those shines of his, why, then,it will put a different look on the case."

  "Are you all ready, Zeke?" shouted Captain O'Brien, as he cast off therope with which the vessels were lashed together.

  "All ready, Cap," replied Zeke, hurrying aft and placing his hand uponthe wheel.

  "Then fill away in my wake. Zeb, go to the wheel. I am going as straightinto Machias as I can go."

  "I won't be far behind you. Fill away as soon as you please."

  The two little vessels were pushed apart, the wind gradually filledtheir sails and they got under way for the harbor. Things lookeddifferent to Enoch from what they did when he came out. Six of his men,whom he had shaken by the hand every day, were dead, and nine were sobadly hurt that he did not know whether or not he was ever going to seethem again. He always thought that war was terrible, but now he was sureof it. But there was one thing about it: He had helped save his friendand if he had got hurt himself he would not have said a word. Every oncein a while he let go of his gun with one hand and placed his arm aroundCaleb's neck as if he never meant to let him go again.

  "Say, Caleb, you don't seem to have much to do but just to stay here andkeep Enoch company," said Wheaton, who had been appointed commander ofthe sloop. "I wish you would take a small rope with you and go up andsee if there is a block in that topmast. I am going to hoist this flagthere, and then our friends on shore can see how we come out."

  "Where's the rope?" said Caleb.

  The rope was passed to him and Caleb made it fast to one of his arms.Then he settled his hat firmly on his head, went to the ratlines and ina few moments more was at the cross-trees. From this upward he had noropes to assist him in climbing--nothing but twelve feet of a slipperytopmast to which he had to cling in much the same manner that a boywould in climbing a tree. But this was no bar to Caleb; he had been senton such expeditions before.

  "On deck, there!" he shouted, when he had got up and placed his hand onthe mast-head. "There is a block here but no rope."

  "All right," shouted Wheaton in return. "Reeve that rope through thatyou have got with you and bring it down here."

  To untie the rope from his arm, pass it through the block, twist itsecurely about his hand and go down to the deck with it was easily done.Then Wheaton began to fasten the flag to it, and presently it began togo aloft.

  "I wish there was a union on it so that we could hoist it union down,"said Wheaton. "But it is nothing but a union jack. Whichever way youhoist it, it is right side up."

  "Some of the people have glasses ashore and they can soon see the flag,and they will notice that it is not on board the schooner but on boardthe sloop," said Enoch. "That will show them that the vessels havechanged hands since we have been inside."

  "But I cannot get over the sorrow that will be occasioned among some ofthe people when they come to hear how many men it
took to make thatchange," said Wheaton, who acted very different from what he did whenthey went out. "I knew the Britishers would fight, but somehow I did notthink they would fight so hard."

  "I knew they would," said Caleb. "If you had been on board that schooneryou would have fought till you dropped before you would have given up."

  A loud cheer coming from the schooner's company interrupted theirconversation, and the three turned to see what was the occasion of it.They were just entering the harbor. Captain O'Brien had taken his standupon the windward rail so that he could have a fair view of the shore,and was waving his hat to the people on the wharf. The boys had no ideathat there was so great a number of folks in Machias as they saw at thatmoment. They stood there, eager to find out which side had whipped, butthey dared not make a demonstration for fear that they might be cheeringthe wrong persons. Even the schooner's flag at the mast-head of thesloop did not fully remove their suspicions. They had heard the firing,the sloop was badly cut up by the shells that had been rained upon her,and they thought they would let the vessels come a little nearer beforethey said anything.

  "You need not tell me anything about it," said James Howard, who hadcome down there to hear all about the schooner's victory. "That sloophad no cannon, and how could she be supposed to go into a fight with anarmed vessel? It is a great wonder to me that she did not sink the sloopwhen she was in pursuit of her."

  "She may have run away from the sloop," said Emerson Miller. "Theschooner did not want to fight, for she knows that war hasn't beendeclared yet. You let Captain Moore alone for keeping out of trouble."

  "Say!" whispered James, as with a pale face he passed his glass over tohis companion. "Just look at that man standing up there on the windwardrail. If that was Captain Moore he would have his uniform on, would henot?"

  Emerson took the glass, and as he looked the expectant expression wentout of his face and it became as pale as death itself. The man standingup there was Captain O'Brien, and as he watched him he took off his hatand waved it over his head.

  "James, we are whipped!" he whispered. "That man is not Captain Moore."

  "That is just what I was afraid of. Let us go home."

  Emerson did not need any urging, but when James left the wharf he kepthim close company. They had made but a few steps when a cheer came fromthe schooner, and James, glancing toward the boat, saw that that man wasstill standing there and swinging his hat violently around his head. Notsatisfied with this, a cheer arose from the sloop, and there was a manstanding on her windward rail who, at that distance, looked exactlylike Wheaton.

  "We are whipped," repeated Emerson. "Now who in the world can accountfor that?" James did not say anything, for he was so nearly overwhelmedthat he could not get his wits together. He hardly knew when he openedthe gate and ascended the stairs to the porch.

  Meanwhile the little vessels came gaily on. The people now weresatisfied while heretofore they had been lost in doubt, and the cheersthat went up were long and loud. The vessels were handled bysailormen,--Zeke took command of the sloop when she approached thewharf--and they rounded to and came up with a force that would not havebroken an egg-shell. Parties on shore caught the lines for them, andshortly the gang-planks were pushed out so that the people could come onboard. And such a rush as there was! Caleb and Enoch wanted to getashore to see their mothers, but for a time there was no chance forthem. Zeke came up in the meantime, smiling and good-natured as usual,and the boys were about to tell him to go ahead and they would followin his wake, when they saw him reach out his arm and stop a man who wasjust coming aboard. It was the storekeeper who had acted so mean aboutgiving Enoch his powder a few nights ago.