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

by Harry Castlemon

  CHAPTER XVIII.

  WHAT TO DO WITH THE SCHOONER.

  Enoch might have gone further and said that the Tories not only refusedto believe the evidence of their ears, but that they went to a greaterdistance and declined to believe the evidence of their eyes when theystood on the wharf and saw the dead and wounded taken off the twovessels and laid carefully away, the former with sheets spread overthem. These were promptly taken care of by their friends, and in a shorttime there was no one around the wharf except the provincials and a fewTories who wanted to hear more about the fight.

  "They did not pull down their flag, did they?" said one who made thisinquiry of Zeke.

  "No, sir. We pulled it down for them. The only man who had the power tostrike it has just been carried away in that wagon," said Zeke. "Thereis the man who pulled it down," he added, pointing to Wheaton. "We aregoing to get a flag of our own to take its place when we haul the Crossof England down."

  "Some of you will go up by the neck before that happens," said the man,turning away and whispering the words to a Tory who stood at his side."And I will wager that Zeke will go up for one."

  "I just wish I knew something about history," continued Zeke, who, ofcourse, did not hear this whispered conversation on the part of theTories. "They say that that flag has never been hauled down by anynation; but a 'flock of Yankees' was too much for them. Now, captain,what are we going to do with these vessels? We don't want to leave themalongside the wharf all night."

  Captain O'Brien had been thinking about this, and had already made uphis mind what to do. Of course the "rebels" had captured threeboats--the schooner and the two sloops that were engaged in takinglumber on board for the New York market. He did not want to leave themalongside the wharf for the simple reason that, if the Tories got upcourage enough, it would be easy work for them to come down there witha party of men after it became dark, and recapture them. It would not beso easy a matter if they were moored a little way from shore. Of courseEnoch and Caleb were there waiting to see what further work there was tobe done, and this time Caleb had his flint-lock on his shoulder. Theyhad remained at home until they had eaten a late dinner, and had thencome down to their prize to do whatever else there was to be done. Enochhad kept a good lookout for James, but when he saw him coming he wentinto the house. He did not want to hear another story of that victory.

  "Enoch," said the captain, after thinking a moment, "have you hadanything to eat?"

  "Yes, sir, and Caleb and I are out here for all night, if our servicesare needed that long," replied Enoch.

  "All right. I will detail you two as guard to that schooner. You haveyour flint-locks with you, and, Enoch, I know that you can shoottolerably straight," said the captain, patting the boy on the shoulder."Don't you let anybody, even if they are 'rebels,' come aboard thatboat. After the rest of us have had supper, I will appoint a commanderfor her, and then you can take some of these small boats and tow her outto her anchorage."

  The boys waited for Captain O'Brien to go on and tell them what else hehad to say, but he had evidently gotten through and turned on his heel;whereupon the newly-appointed guards went on board the schooner and tooktheir place by the side of the gangplank which led up to it. They leanedtheir guns against the rail, rested their elbows on the bulkhead beforethem and proceeded to watch what was going on on the wharf as well as towait until some Tory took it into his head that he would like to comeaboard the boat. But no one came near them, and Caleb finally fell toexamining the bullet holes made by the rifles during the fight. While hewas walking about the vessel he happened to cast his eyes toward theshore and saw two persons whom he had wished to see for a long time.Enoch discovered them at the same moment, and when Caleb, after pushingback his sleeves and settling his hat firmly on his head, was about tostep upon the gangplank, he found Enoch in his way.

  "What's to do here?" demanded Enoch.

  "Don't you see James Howard over there?" asked Caleb, in reply. "I havea fine chance to punish him now. I will give him two black eyes, butthey will not make him suffer as I did while being shut up in that brigwaiting to be carried to New York. Stand out of the way here."

  "You have not been relieved yet," said Enoch. "You must get somebody totake your place before you go ashore."

  "Well, I can easily do that. Oh, Captain!" he shouted to O'Brien, whowas but a little distance off. "I want to go ashore for just about twominutes."

  "Go on," said the captain. "I don't know as I am hindering you."

  "Captain," said Enoch, pointing up the wharf toward the two persons whowere coming along, entirely ignorant of what was transpiring on boardthe schooner. "He has not been relieved yet. I do not want to stay herealone."

  The captain looked, and when he saw James coming toward the schooner heknew why Enoch was standing in the way of Caleb. He knew that those twoboys must be kept apart or else there would be a fight; so he addedhastily:

  "That's so. You have not been relieved yet. You stay there until I cansend some one to take your place."

  "Yes; and that will never be," said Enoch, to himself.

  "Enoch, I didn't think this of you," said Caleb, leaving the gangplankand settling back against the rail. "You are a friend of James Howard."

  "No, I am not, and nobody knows it better than you," said Enoch. "Why doyou not let him go until a proper time comes?"

  "A proper time!" repeated Caleb. "The proper time is whenever I cancatch him."

  "I don't believe you could catch him any way," said Enoch, pointing toJames and Emerson, who had stopped suddenly on discovering the boys, anddid not seem inclined to come any closer. "They are going back again."

  Once more Caleb rested his arms upon the rail and watched the twoTories, who had stopped and were regarding them with eyes ofapprehension. They waited there for some minutes and not seeing any moveon Caleb's part they mustered up courage enough to come a little closer,until they were talking with some of the provincials who were in thefight.

  "Enoch, will you let me go ashore?" said Caleb. "I will never have achance like this to get even with him."

  "The captain has not sent anybody to relieve you yet," said Enoch.

  "Don't I know that? He isn't looking for anybody. There they come," headded, when the two resumed their walk and came up to the shore end ofthe gangplank. "Well, what do you think of it? We sent the bulletsaround her pretty lively, did we not?"

  The two boys did not say anything. They had probably come down there touse their eyes and not their tongues, and in that way escaped gettinginto argument with Enoch and Caleb which they were sure would end insomething else. They looked all around the schooner and up at her sails,and finally having seen enough turned to go away; but Caleb who waswatching them told them to wait a minute.

  "James, I want you to remember that you put me in trouble through thattongue of yours, and that I shall bear it in mind," said he. "The onlything that saves you now is my being on guard on board this vessel."

  James waited until he thought Caleb was through, and then hurried awaywithout making any reply, and they blessed their lucky stars that theyhad got off so easily; but there was a threat contained under Caleb'slast words which rankled uneasily in James's mind.

  "I guess my father's way is the best," said the latter. "Will you come,too?"

  "I hope so," replied Emerson. "It is a beautiful thing to give up to therebels, that place of ours, but it won't be forever. They will soon bewhipped and then we can come back."

  The boys waited a long time for the rest of their friends to get throughwith their supper and come back to the wharf, and then they saw thatCaptain O'Brien had something on his mind, for he was going first to oneman and then to another and having a talk with each. They were all infavor of it, too, for each one shook the captain's hand and patted himon the back as if they wanted to go at it right away. Zeke appeared atlast, and he was wild over what the captain said to him. He pulled offhis hat--he had been home and got another one by this time--and swung itaround his head, but
he did not hurrah until he was red in the face ashe usually did. He seemed to take his enthusiasm out in the violence ofhis motions. Then he put his hat on his head and walked briskly towardthe schooner.

  "Now, boys," said he as he came up the gangplank.

  "Say, Zeke, what was it that the captain had to say to you?" askedCaleb. "It must have been something patriotic, for you swung your hatand never hurrahed at all."

  "Enoch, you jump down there and cast off the bow and stern lines," saidZeke, looking all around as if to see what else ought to be done."Caleb, you go round on the wharf and find a small boat that you thinkwill do to pull the boat out to her moorings. I will go to the wheel,and when all that is done I will tell you what the captain said to me."

  Zeke never said a thing like this without meaning to be obeyed, and theboys knew that it was useless to argue the point with him. The soonerthe work he had set for them to do was done, the sooner would they findout the captain's secret; so without hesitation they placed their gunswhere they would not be in anybody's way and went about their duties inearnest. Enoch speedily cast off the lines, Zeke staying on board tohaul them in, Caleb made his appearance sculling a boat that was to pullthe little vessel out to her anchorage, and a line was passed down tohim.

  "Now, Enoch, tumble in there and pull for all you are worth," said Zeke."You see the schooner's buoy over there? Well, when you come up with itmake this line fast to it and come aboard."

  Of course these orders were quickly delivered, but it took longer tocarry them out. The schooner moved but slowly in the water. The boys hadto turn her around and pull her against the tide, which was coming in atabout five miles an hour; but after a long siege they got the line fastand pulled back to the schooner pretty nearly exhausted.

  "That's all right," said Zeke. "The next time the captain wants suchwork done he will have to send more men to do it."

  "Go on now, and tell us what the captain had to say," said Caleb,backing up against the rail and using his hat as a fan. "It did notamount to much, any way."

  "Didn't, hey? Then I guess you don't want to ship aboard this vessel."

  "What is she going to do?" asked Enoch.

  "We lucky fellows will be coming ashore every month or so, and when yousee us spending more money than you ever heard of----"

  "Where are you going to get it?" interrupted Caleb.

  "Prizes, my boy; prizes," replied Zeke, poking Caleb in the ribs withhis long finger. "We are not going to let the Cross of St. George floatout there alone, are we?"

  "No; but when we take the prizes what will we do with them?"

  "Sell them to the highest bidder. You see the captain was thinkingabout this thing while he was eating his supper, and he came to theconclusion that since we have a fine vessel with guns and small arms fora crew of thirty men, we ought to use them. There are plenty of shipsgoing by that are loaded up with stores for the King, and what is thereto hinder our going out and capturing some of them?"

  "Whoop!" yelled Enoch.

  "That is what I thought, although I did not say it out quite so loud,"said Zeke, laughing all over. "We want to keep it as still as we can,for there are a good many Tories around, and we want to keep them inignorance of it. Now you boys stay here and talk it over and I will goashore and bring off the rest of our guard."

  "Do you think your mother will let you go on this vessel?" said Caleb,as he and Enoch leaned upon the rail and watched Zeke as he sculled theboat ashore.

  "Let me go to fight against tyranny? Of course she will."

  "You will be a pirate if you do."

  "No more than I am now."

  "And if they catch you----"

  Here Caleb drew his head on one side and straightened his left arm abovehis head as if he were pulling on a rope.

  "It is a good plan to catch your rabbit before you cook him," saidEnoch.