The Boy Scouts at the Battle of Saratoga: The Story of General Burgoyne's Defeat

by Herbert Carter

  CHAPTER IV. THE DAM ACROSS THE CREEK.

  Ira did not stop to debate the question there on the mountain top. Hehad a more difficult problem, which was, how to descend in safety to theplain below.

  Down the slanting shelf to the face of the cliff, he slowly groped hisway; and then lowered himself inch by inch down the rocks. Sometimes hewas forced to cling with his hands to a bush or sapling while he swungto and fro in search of a footing. Often he was forced to guess what wasbelow him, and, at a venture, drop himself down where he believed hewould find a crevice large enough for his feet. It was many minutes, andto him it must have seemed hours, before he gained a place from which hecould descend without danger.

  Once at the foot of the hill he ran quickly through the woods, to theplace where he had left his horse. The farmer answered his summonsquickly, and the lad was astonished when once within the house, to learnthat it was only a few minutes past midnight.

  "I will sleep until three o'clock, Master Lewis, if you don't mindcalling me at that time."

  "I can do that much for one who has been through what you have," thefarmer replied with a significant glance at his guest's clothing.

  Ira smiled. "My garments are a bit soiled and torn," he admitted, "but Ihope they will look a little better before I go back to camp."

  Then a woman's voice could be heard from the next room. "Let him go intothe front chamber, pa, and send his clothes here by you. I will cleanand mend them while he sleeps."

  "Thank you, good mistress," the lad cried. "It is a case where a woman'shands can help me out of an awkward fix. Under your skilful fingers Ishall be able to return to the British encampment without a trace of thework I have done this night for the Cause."

  Nor was he disappointed. It would have required sharp eyes, indeed, tohave discovered any evidences of mountain climbing upon his clothingwhen he dressed himself a little before dawn.

  A sharp ride down the road brought him to the place where he had leftthe Hessian. He found the fellow fast asleep in a thicket, his horsehitched to a near-by tree. Waking him, he asked in well-feigned anger:

  "Hey, there, Hans, how long has this been going on?"

  The trooper arose, rubbed his eyes sleepily, and stammered:

  "I--I had only just laid down, sir. I knew it was most morning, when theYankees wouldn't be likely to come now, and I was so tired."

  "How many times did I ride back here during the night, then?" Irademanded sternly.

  The man looked puzzled for a moment, and then answered boldly:

  "Three times, sir. I saw you every time."

  The young scout laughed heartily. "There is an old saying in ourlanguage, Hans, to the effect that 'a lie well stuck to is as good asthe truth.' It may prove so in your case. Mount, and we'll ride back tocamp."

  The sun was rising when they passed the pickets, and the first personthey saw beyond the guards was the captain of the engineer corps. He wasviewing his work of the previous day. Seeing the horsemen, he crossedthe enclosure to meet them. Understanding his purpose, and eager for theinterview, Ira reined his horse down to a walk. They soon met, and theofficer was the first to speak.

  "You have taken an early ride this morning, Master Le Geyt," he said.

  "It was an all-night job," the scout replied in a friendly tone. "Hansand I have been five or six miles out into the country doing specialwork for the king. I am on my way now to report to the general," and,putting spurs to his horse, he, followed by his attendant, rode to thetent of the commander.

  There he gave his steed over to the care of the trooper, who went off tohis own quarters. Watching him, while he stood waiting to be admitted tothe presence of General Burgoyne, Ira saw that the engineer halted andheld quite an extended conversation with him.

  "It is certain he thought he saw me on the hill," the lad muttered; "buthe won't be so sure of it after talking with the Hessian. On findingthat the guns have been spiked, he'll be in such a muddle that there'llbe nothing said about our meeting."

  This prophecy was not quite correct. There was a single exception. Theengineer did mention the affair to Ira himself. Calling on him thatevening, after the second battery had been hoisted up on the mountain,he first enjoined the utmost secrecy, and then said:

  "I had a peculiar experience last night in connection with that firstbattery. About ten o'clock I was enjoying a smoke, when I heard amuffled click, click, up the mountain side. Wondering what was going on,I climbed up, and found a fellow of about your size standing by thecannon. When I asked his business, he said he was guarding the guns;that the general had sent him there. I was certain then that it was you,and felt quite sore because I had failed to post a guard. Hoping to putmyself right with the commander, I said that he should tell the generalI was up there to see that the cannon were safe. He promised to do so,and I returned to the camp. The first inkling I had that it wasn't you,came when I saw you and the Hessian riding into the lines. I never oncesuspected it might be some blasted Yankee, until my men reported thatthe guns had been spiked. To think that I talked with the rascal, andyet he was sharp enough to hoodwink me, fairly makes me boil. Why, I onetime had my sword drawn, and could have run him through, but yet let himgo. Don't tell any one that I have been such a fool."

  "You may be sure I shan't mention the incident to a single soul," wasthe truthful promise.

  Elated as Ira was at his own escape from detection, he rejoiced evenmore because General St. Clair had gained the delay in the movements ofthe enemy which he had so much desired. General Burgoyne, when he foundhe could not command the fort until a second battery had been placed onthe hill, countermanded the order given General Fraser to advance hisdivision to the rear of the Continentals.

  It was not until a Tory, living on the Hubbardtown road, came into thecamp in the small hours of July fifth, with the startling tidings thatthe Yankees were running off bag and baggage past his house, that a neworder was issued for the waiting forces to move. As the bearer of thenews offered to act as guide, the young scout was not disturbed, and,therefore, it was not until after sunrise that he knew pursuit had beenmade. He waited in much anxiety for the outcome, and was filled withdismay when at noon a report came that General Fraser had overtaken anddefeated the retreating Yankees, capturing enormous quantities ofammunition and stores.

  He learned the real facts about the battle, however, a little later, andfrom the lips of Dan Cushing. He had gone to meet his aids in a deepcave on a rocky hill a mile or two below the British encampment, andarrived there just in time to meet Dan, who had come from where theengagement took place.

  "Don't you worry, Ira, 'bout the braggin' those red-coats are doin' inthe camp," the boy began. "They'll make a mole-hill look like a mountainany time, 'specially if it's in their favor. Now, the facts are these,an' I have them from some of the fellers who were in the fight: GeneralSt. Clair left Colonel Seth Warren's regiment in the rear to look outfor the British if they came chasin' down after him. He was on theHubbardtown and Castleton road when General Fraser overtook him. To givethe main portion of the forces a chance to escape, the Colonel turnedand pitched into the red-coats. What's more, he would have whipped them,had not a reserved force of Hessians come up in the nick of time. Thatturned the tide in the British favor, and our men had to run, but theygot away as did the others ahead of them. Our people are tearin' up thebridges, an' droppin' great trees 'cross the road as they go, an' I'mthinkin' General Burgoyne will go mighty slow 'tween here an' FortEdward."

  "I have a scheme in mind that will do more to hinder him than destroyingbridges or felling trees," the leader said when the story was finished;"but we can't carry it out until we are several miles below here, nearour next meeting-place. When you move down to it, provide yourselveswith pick-axes, shovels, and iron bars. I'll get a day off in some way,and though we will have as hard and as big a job as we ever undertook, Idoubt if we'll ever do another turn that will mean more for the Cause,"and with this mystifying st
atement he hurried away.

  A week passed. During that time General Burgoyne garrisoned theabandoned fort at Ticonderoga, and moved his main force down theHubbardtown road. His progress was necessarily slow, since he wascompelled to clear the way, and rebuild bridges before he could make anyheadway. At length he arrived at a passage between two hills, so narrowand so completely blocked with logs and bowlders, that it was evidenthis engineering corps had at least a two-days task to remove theobstruction. Here his patience became exhausted, and he sent for Ira.

  "Master Le Geyt," he said when the young scout was in his presence, "Iam tired of this snail's pace at which I am obliged to crawl. Is therenot some other route I could follow, and so get rid of these obstaclesthe rebels have thrown in my way?"

  The guide shook his head. "Not without a long detour which would consumemore time than clearing the way," he declared. "There is a big swamp onahead, and the only hope of getting through it is to keep along thisroad."

  "Is there not at least some way we can get around these hills?"continued the exasperated commander. "Even if we are twenty-four hoursdoing it we shall save time. Captain Howell of my engineering corpsdeclares it will take two days, if not longer, to remove these latestobstructions we have encountered."

  It suddenly occurred to Ira that here might be his opportunity to get afew hours to himself, as he had been hoping to do, therefore he repliedquickly:

  "I might take a tramp around the hills and see. It's worth looking into,sir."

  "I wish you would, and take Captain Howell with you. He can readilyreckon the length of time required to clear the way."

  This was something on which the lad had not counted; but if disturbed byit, he gave no sign.

  "Very well, sir," he replied. "I will see the captain at once, and getaway as soon as I can."

  "It is odd," he said to himself while searching for the officer, "that Ishould for the second time be forced to fool that man. But I must do it,if I'm to accomplish the job on hand, and it's time it was attended to."

  He had formed no definite plan of action when he found the captain, andthey began their tramp together through the forest. It was just afternoon, and they went to the eastward, as the hill on that side of theroad seemed more likely, from its shape, to have a pass through it.

  This proved to be a fact. After walking two miles they arrived at anarrow valley, through which ran a small brook. Following this they cameinto some lowlands, over which they made their way to the road at apoint where it wound into a swamp heavily wooded.

  "We are beyond the great barricade," the captain announced as theystepped out upon the road.

  "Yes," his companion admitted. "Do you think the route we have come overis feasible for the army?"

  "It can be made so with less trouble than is possible on the other road.But let us go into the swamp a short distance; so far as I can see theway is open."

  "But you can't see very far," Ira replied. "Two rods away the roadtwists entirely out of sight. To my mind, it is just the place where theYankees would be likely to put in their obstructions thick and fast."

  "We can at least look at it."

  They were soon at the turn, and found, just beyond, was a huge pile offallen trees. Over these they clambered and continued on to the nextbend, where was a second collection of fallen timber.

  "I wonder if it is like this throughout the entire swamp?" the officergrowled as he and his comrade made their way with difficulty over thesecond pile of hewn trees to the clear road beyond.

  "I believe so," the young scout answered.

  This surmise proved correct; over more than a score of such stacks oftimber they were forced to crawl before arriving at the lower edge ofthe swamp. By this time the sun had set, and with a shrug of hisshoulders the captain said:

  "I'm too tired to go back over those barricades to-night. Isn't theresome place on this side where we can find shelter?"

  His guide was silent a moment as though thinking, and then replied:"Yes. Come on!"

  Instead of continuing on the road as the officer had expected, the ladstruck into the woods on the left, where the ground was still of aswampy nature. But, leaping from log to log, he led the way with arapidity that made it difficult for the Britisher to keep pace with him,and impossible to carry on any conversation.

  After traveling for a few rods they lost sight of the road, and then,instead of decaying logs, they found trees which had been felled so thatthey lay end to end, clearly to furnish a firm footing for any whowished to go deeper into the forest. If the engineer noted thesingularity of this circumstance, he had no chance to comment upon it,for Ira was still a rod or more in the lead. At length, however, hestopped and allowed the captain to come up with him. They were then onthe edge of a sluggish creek of considerable width and depth.

  "What does this mean?" the captain demanded. "What have you come herefor, jumping from log to log like a frog? We cannot ford this stream."

  "We don't need to," his guide replied. "We'll go down a bit," and as hespoke the lad bent over, searching with his hands until he found a rope.Pulling on this, he drew out from under the overhanging bushes, a smallcanoe.

  "Get in," he said, holding it steady for his companion to embark.

  "You have been here before," Captain Howells remarked as he sat down inthe light craft.

  "Certainly, or I should not have known the way."

  As he stepped in, cast off the rope, and took up the paddle, the youngscout added:

  "Of course I wasn't sure of finding the boat here. Some one else mighthave used it, or a freshet carried it away. There was a risk in coming;but this course will take us to the nearest house where we can pass thenight, so I concluded to run the chances."

  He was already paddling down the stream, which soon turned sharply tothe eastward, and a little farther on plunged into a narrow gorge with alow, hollow sound that could now be plainly heard.

  "There are falls ahead," the engineer cried in some alarm.

  "Yes; but we shall not go over them. Look on the right side, and youwill see a log cabin at the foot of the south cliff. We shall stopthere."

  In another moment he dexterously swung the canoe into a little basinjust below the hut, exclaiming:

  "Here we are!"

  Springing out, he steadied the craft while his comrade leaped ashore.Securing the boat he led the way into the building, saying:

  "This was built a few years ago by a half-crazy old fellow who gained alivelihood by hunting and fishing. Since he died it has been publicproperty for those who know of it. I have been here now and then withothers on 'coon hunts. We'll gather some fir boughs for a bed, and itwon't be a bad place in which to pass the night."

  From their knapsacks they carried they first satisfied their hunger, andthen collected the material for beds. In doing this it was necessary toapproach near the place where the creek made its downward plunge, andIra said carelessly:

  "How easy it would be to dam the stream here."

  "Yes; but if you did that it would flood the whole swamp."

  "How deep?"

  "That would depend on your dam. As the water is now standing on thesurface nearly everywhere, you would get nearly a foot of water for eachtwelve inches dam."

  "Four feet here then, would give the same depth through the forest?"

  "Practically, unless there is some other place where the water can runoff."

  "You are up in all these things," the young scout continued with alaugh. "I fancy you can tell to an hour, how long it would take for thewater to rise until it overflowed the dam again."

  "Not exactly," the engineer confessed, "since I do not know the exactdimensions of the swamp. But the stream is deep, and the land low. Itwould fill fast, and in a few days be impassable."

  "There isn't much stuff here with which to make a dam," Ira said in acareless tone.

  "Oh, yes there is," the captain insisted. "Give me a half-dozen men, andin a day I could build all that would be needed."

  "I'd like t
o know how you would do it," Ira cried.

  "No trouble at all," retorted the officer, warming up to his subject."Do you see this big tree? I'd cut that down so it would fall across thegorge. Then I'd go on the other side, and fell the big hemlock. It couldbe done in such a way that it would interlock with the other, and thetwo trunks, when trimmed, would give you the timbers against which youcould place your barricade. That I would build of posts, driving themside by side across the bed of the stream. It won't take many, and afterstuffing the cracks with leaves and moss from the forest, I would packin dirt and stones from the hillside until it was water-tight. I wish Inever had a harder job than that."

  His comrade shook his head. "It is all in knowing how," he commented."What would be easy for you, would be hard for some one else." And thenthe discussion was dropped for the time. But after they were lying ontheir rude beds, Ira suddenly raised his head to ask:

  "I say, captain, suppose the Yankees should catch on to this thing."

  "What thing?" the officer asked, quickly rising.

  "Why, building a dam across the creek here. It would not only flood theswamp, but the road as well. We couldn't get the army along until thewaters subsided."

  "Bet your life we couldn't," the engineer replied. "It is a greatscheme; but then a Yankee would never think of it," and he settled backon his bed.

  Not so with his comrade. He appeared uneasy about something, and sat up.Then he arose and went to the door, fumbled with the bar that fastenedit, as though making it more secure; in reality to remove it entirely.After this he went to the window and looked out.

  "What's the matter?" the officer asked sleepily.

  "I can't get it out of my head about those Yankees coming here to-nightto build that dam," was the reply. "I was now looking out to see if wecould jump through the window if they should appear."

  "Oh! that is all right. But how about getting up the sides of the gorge.Can we do that?"

  "Yes, after a fashion. It is better than taking to the swamp in thenight-time. I shall go that way, if needs must."

  Ira now returned to his bed and lay down, but tossed restlessly about,which uneasiness his companion soon shared. At length they both dozed,but only to be awakened within a short time by the sound of voices onthe river below them.

  "There is the hut! Be careful, and keep well in to the bank, or we shallgo down the falls!" one voice exclaimed.

  "Hello! there's another canoe. Some one else is here!" another cried.

  "Hush! The red-coats may have a guard here, and we will be able tocapture them," a third said in a lower tone.

  Both sleepers were now awake; but Ira, for reasons of his own, keptquiet, and breathed heavily. The next instant the captain leaped to hisfeet, and came noiselessly over to him. Shaking the lad vigorously, hewhispered:

  "Quick, Master Le Geyt! The Yankees have come, and we must run for it!"

  The young scout arose, and the officer, running to the open window,jumped out, evidently expecting his companion to follow, as he rantoward the hill. At its foot he paused, and looked back. Several darkforms were near the cabin, and in another instant the door was burstopen.

  "There they go," some one shouted, and then two or three guns weredischarged.

  One of the bullets whistled dangerously near the Britisher's head, and,believing he had been seen, he clambered on as stealthily as possible.Gaining the summit, he stopped again and listened. There were shouts tobe heard, and lights at the hut; but no sound of any one following, and,concluding that his comrade had been killed or captured, the engineerplunged on down the other side of the ridge, disappearing in the thicketat its base.

  Could he have looked back, it would have been possible to see Irashaking hands heartily with the six persons who came into the building,three of whom were his own comrades, and the others no less loyal to theCause. Had he remained in hearing he would have heard Dan Cushing'sexplanation:

  "We were at the lower edge of the swamp-road, waitin' for you, Ira, whenwe saw you comin' along with that British officer. We hid until you cameup, an' heered him ask you 'bout a place to stay all night. I caughtyour sign 'fore you took to the swamp, an' followed to the creek,findin' the note you put in the tree 'fore the captain jined ye. Whenthat had been read we knew what to do, an' that red-coat has gone overthe ridge as if the devil was after him!"

  All laughed, and then Ira said:

  "Let him go. He has done us a good turn, for he gave me some ideas aboutdam-building which we'll make use of to-morrow."

  They were at the task early in the morning, following many of thesuggestions of the British engineer. One of the men who had accompaniedthe lads had some practical knowledge of dam-building, however, andneatly hewed two edges of the posts before they were driven into place,thus securing joints that were almost water-tight. Heavy moss from theforest, and gravel brought in baskets from the hill-side, made up thefilling, and before the workers sought their well-earned rest they knewthat the water was rising.

  The dam in the forest, which indirectly was to hinder the advance of theBritish army for days, had become an accomplished fact.