Commodore Barney's Young Spies

"Do you believe it possible that we could save the schooner now?" and I pointed toward the Scorpion, along whose spars the flames were creeping rapidly.

"Two or three hundred men might do it if they set to work this minute, though it would be a tough job," the old man said as he gazed at the flames which were already sending forth heat enough to render our position too warm for comfort, and at that instant a musket ball came humming past the end of his nose, causing him to spring backward very suddenly.

"Growing uneasy, Darius?" I asked, and the old man laughed good-naturedly as I thus passed him some of his own coin.

"It's gettin' warm all around; but I reckon we've come mighty nigh to the limit set by the commander."

Then it was that the man next beside me cried aloud as he held up his right hand from which the blood was beginning to flow from a bullet wound.

I was too angry to be frightened just then, for it seemed as if Lieutenant Frazier was remaining too long under fire, and a moment later came the welcome command.

I dare venture to say that, with the exception of Lieutenant Frazier and Darius, every man moved more readily and quickly than he ever did before, until we were a good mile from the scene of destruction, striking directly across the country for Upper Marlboro.

Now and then it was possible to catch glimpses of the flames, which towered above the tops of the nearby trees; but we heard nothing of the enemy, which seemed to me strange until I mentioned the fact to Darius when he came up, after loitering in the rear with the lieutenant as if to show his contempt for the Britishers.

"I allow there's plenty of sense in their stayin' where the fleet is burnin'," the old man said quietly. "They saw only a few men leave when it had been said that Joshua Barney had five hundred with him. Now what more natural for them to suppose that we are tryin' to lead 'em into an ambush – for the Britishers still believe we fight in Injun fashion? Then again, it ain't likely the foot soldiers are carryin' rations, havin' the boats with 'em, an' it would be poor judgment to send a lot of men into the woods empty-handed, so to speak."

"Then you do not believe we shall be pursued?"

"If we are it'll be a fool trick," the old man replied, and then he fell back to the rear in response to a signal from the lieutenant.

After he had thus given his opinion, which I believe to be shared by Lieutenant Frazier, it was in my mind that we would tramp leisurely across the country until coming up with Commodore Barney's force; but immediately we appeared to be out of danger word was given to quicken the pace.

Now it was that the officer and Darius marched in advance, the former having given the word that we were to keep close at his heels, and during two hours I traveled faster than I ever did before. It seemed as if the musket, which had seemingly been a feather's weight when we started, weighed more than twenty pounds at the end of the second hour, and I was so nearly winded that it was as if I could go no further without first taking some rest.

Jerry was no less fatigued than I, and did not hesitate to say he believed the lieutenant was making us march thus fast simply to gratify some foolish whim.

Then we were come to Upper Marlboro, after fording the stream, and the pleasure I felt at being allowed to sit down that I might rest my aching feet was so great that it cannot properly be described.

While Jerry and I were grumbling because of what seemed to us unseemly haste, Jim Freeman, who had been lying down a short distance away, came over to where we were sitting, his eyes bulging as if he had seen two or three ghosts at the very least.

"What do you suppose?" he said excitedly.

"I heard the lieutenant telling Darius that a big force of Britishers was marchin' up from Nottingham on the west side of the river, bound for Washington!"

"How did he know that?" Jerry asked sharply.

"A man who was sent back by Commodore Barney on a scout, got here about the same time we did, an' he reported to the lieutenant. But that ain't all; some of the folks livin' 'round here say that a small force – near three hundred – landed on the west side of the river after the enemy went into camp last night, an' is mighty near this place now!"

"'Cordin' to that it would seem as if we come pretty close to bein' surrounded!" Jerry exclaimed.

"That's just what Darius said," Jim replied, "an' the lieutenant told him he'd been afraid all along that we'd run into some such kind of a muss. Commodore Barney warned him to be on the watch for what appears to be happenin', an' it begins to look as if we might have trouble mighty quick."

"There can't be a great deal of it for the Britishers, if their smallest force is three hundred, for they'd make short work of us," I said with an inward quaking. "I've been blaming the lieutenant for making us march so swiftly, and now I wish he had pushed us on twice as fast."

I had hardly more than ceased speaking when the command was given to fall into line once more, and the men obeyed eagerly, for the word had been passed around that our small force was in most serious danger.

Every man among us was tired, I venture to say, yet we literally over-ran the lieutenant, who was setting the pace, and pressed forward like a flock of sheep pursued by dogs.

It was nearly noon when we arrived at what is known as the Wood Yard, where General Winder had encamped and thrown up some slight entrenchments, and where Commodore Barney was to have joined him; but now the place was deserted, save for one man whom I remembered having seen on our fleet.

As we soon came to know, he had been sent back from Long Old Fields by the commodore to quicken our movements, and both Jerry and I heard that which he said to the lieutenant when we came up.

It seems that the American troops from all quarters were hastening to Washington, and Commodore Barney had given orders that we hurry forward with the least possible delay.

"The commodore told me to say that unless you kept your men moving night and day you would be captured, for no less than three British forces are known to be on the way here from the Patuxent," so the messenger said, and Lieutenant Frazier asked if he knew what body of the enemy was coming up the Potomac.

"A portion of the British fleet under Captain Gordon is already to be seen from High Point," the man replied, and then he withdrew some distance with the lieutenant as if to give him private instructions.

There is no need for me to set down the fact that our small force was in a state of the greatest excitement. From no less than three sources we had learned that the enemy was so near as to make capture seem certain, and our only hope of safety was to press forward at the best possible speed until arriving at Washington, where we were told the commodore had already arrived.

It was a good deal like being out of the frying-pan into the fire, for in case we contrived to elude those who were close in the rear, we must come face to face with a yet larger body of the enemy when we did our feeble best toward defending the city.

I was getting quite a big taste of warfare, and it was by no means to my liking, although I had by this time come to understand that I must not put such ideas into words lest my companions accuse me of showing the white feather.

We had marched eleven miles with only one halt of fifteen minutes, and now, instead of going into camp as had been supposed, we were to press forward, marching night and day, for a distance of at least fourteen miles; but even though it had been twice as far I would have gone on with at least a show of cheerfulness, so great was my fear of being taken prisoner.

We halted at the Wood Yard half an hour, and then were going ahead once more; but at a less rapid pace, for we could not be expected to travel many hours at the same speed which had been kept up since leaving the burning fleet.

We ate as we marched, munching the corn-bread and bacon as best we might, and falling out of line to get a drink of water whenever we came to a brook or spring.

At the end of the first hour we were halted for ten minutes, and then the advance was continued until it seemed to me that I could not put one foot before the other.

"I suppose I shall hold out as long as the rest of you do; but it seems as if I'd got to drop down right here," Jerry said to me as we trudged along side by side on as fatiguing and dispiriting a march as I have ever known since. "It's better for a fellow to kill himself by walkin', than be sent back to a prison on board one of the British ships."

I tried to cheer the dear lad, although I myself was needing encouragement most woefully, and perhaps I succeeded somewhat by saying:

"Our fathers would set us down as cowards and drones, if the men went in with the report that we couldn't travel twenty-five or thirty miles without knocking under."

"You're right, Amos!" and Jerry stepped out briskly. "We should be able to do more of this kind of work than Darius, who has spent all his life aboard ship, an' yet there he is, humpin' along chipper as a sparrow."

I turned to look at the old man, who was in the rear, marching in good order, and acting as if on some pleasure excursion which he hoped would not come to an end too soon. It shamed me to see him so jolly when I was feeling so sore.

From that moment, whenever I felt as if it was impossible to take another step, I looked at Darius, and forced myself to forget weariness or hunger.

It was nearly sunset when we were come to Long Old Fields, where a portion of General Winder's army had encamped the day previous, and here we were met by another messenger from the commodore.

This last man had as large a store of fresh provisions as could be hauled by one mule, and within five minutes after coming up with him we were getting supper, giving no heed to anything save the fact that we had food in plenty for at least one meal.

Later, Darius told me that the second messenger repeated orders for us to press forward without unnecessary delay; but when our hunger was appeased the lieutenant gave the word that we would be allowed to remain in camp a full two hours, and this was no sooner made known than the majority of us stretched our tired bodies on the ground for a time of sleep.

Jerry and I lay side by side, and when we were first in the proper position for sleeping I spoke to my comrade, but he made no reply. The dear lad had actually fallen into slumber at the very instant his head touched the ground.

Perhaps I remained awake while one might have counted twenty; but I am confident it was no longer than that, and then I closed my eyes, not to open them again until conscious of a heavy blow on the soles of my feet.

CHAPTER XIV.

AT WASHINGTON