"The fellows are all there, except Jim White," returned d.i.c.k, "and there he comes, puffing like a steam-engine."
"Then we"re safe. Have you got the rope all ready, Billy?"
"Yes, slip-knot and all."
"Then come on, fellows."
And the boys cast one lingering glance at the crackling flames, the fire-engine, and the crowd, then turned round and started heroically in the opposite direction. They knew well where the cannon was, for had not the victorious party jeered at them from the top of the shed, when they went to reconnoitre early in the morning? They looked cautiously over the gate of Davis"s barn-yard. All was quiet. They opened the gate, and walked softly in. Yes, there stood the bone of contention, alone, unguarded, its mouth pointed towards the barn.
"Hurry up, Bert; you understand about putting on the rope," said the nervous Sergeant, as he watched the smoke against the sky growing perceptibly less.
"They"ll suspect us, sure," replied Joe, "when they find we"re not there."
"Think of missing a fire!" groaned Bert; "and such a beauty too!"
By the time the boys were ready to start the smoke had almost died away, and the shouts had entirely subsided.
"We must fight to-day, fellows, or break up the company," said Tommy, as they toiled up the field dragging the gun after them over the rough ground.
"Does Pat Kinney know we"re coming?" asked d.i.c.k.
"Yes; and he"s going to bring Dom Pedro to back us up," answered "Fatty," straining away on the rope.
"Lucky for us," said Billy, his spirits rising.
Just as they reached the end of the field where the cannon always stood, a shout from the fence made them grasp their arms and fall quickly in line with bayonets fixed.
"Steady!" cried the Sergeant, his knees beginning to shake--"steady, fellows; don"t run."
On the big boys came. Six or seven of them, headed by Davis, bearing down on the trembling squad with yells like wild Indians.
"Steady," said the Sergeant again, and immovable as the Inchcape Rock the line received the charge.
"Get out of here or we"ll break your necks!" cried White, as the squad closed in round the cannon.
"Throw a pack of big crackers at them," said a rough-looking boy; "that will break their ranks," and a shower of fire-crackers followed these words.
Still the squad stood firm.
"All right, then," said Harvey, solemnly; "if you don"t surrender we"ll have to wade in and do you up. Won"t we, Davis?"
"Yield!" shouted Davis, flourishing a big stick; "the cannon or your life!"
"Come on," cried the undaunted little Sergeant, as a twenty-five-cent cracker went off under his nose. "We"ll never surrender!"
"We"ll never surrender!" echoed the rest of the squad, spurred on to resistance by their leader. "Come on!"
And the next moment the bayonets were shattered by the charge, the guns wrenched from the boys" hands, and down they went on the ground a wriggling ma.s.s of arms and legs.
It began to look very bad for the Raleigh Reds, when, to their great relief, the reserve force came up on a full gallop, urged on by the command of, "At "em, Pedro, at "em!"
This time Dom Pedro discriminated between his allies and the foe, for he dashed at Davis with a growl that struck terror to the stoutest heart.
"Here comes Mr. Scott, boys!" cried White, scrambling up from d.i.c.k"s prostrate form; "we"d better skip;" and leaving the still unconquered squad fighting manfully on their backs, the big boys made for the fence, with Dom Pedro in hot pursuit.
The Reds picked themselves up, and looked ruefully for their scattered arms. They were pretty well battered and broken, but the cannon was safe.
"Fall in," commanded the Sergeant, as Mr. Scott walked up, holding Pedro by the collar.
"Good for you, boys," he said, smiling; "you held your own well. I watched from behind the fence, and was delighted with the way you stood up to those big fellows."
Tommy blushed with pride and pleasure. "They would have whipped us," he replied, modestly, "if Dom Pedro hadn"t scared them off."
"At any rate you brought the field-gun back, and you deserve great credit for the way you stuck to your colors. But what is this that Kinney tells me about setting a barn on fire?"
"It belonged to Tommy," said the others. "It was an old tool-house which his father gave him to keep our things in. It made a beautiful fire."
Regretfully.
"And you burnt it up just so as to decoy the boys?" Incredulously.
"It was the only way to get the cannon," Tommy answered. "And the roof leaked, anyway."
"It certainly was a clever scheme, though rather a risky one," said Mr.
Scott.
"I asked my father," Tommy hastened to explain. "And first he said no, we mustn"t do it, but when I told him that it was military tactics, and how we wanted to prove to you that we were not such miserable cowards, he gave in and said to go ahead."
"Well, you certainly have proved it, and fulfilled your part of the contract with honor, so now I want to do my part. So you may invite everybody you want--the whole town, if you wish--in my name, to a grand exhibition of fireworks in honor of the Raleigh Reds."
The little Sergeant beamed from ear to ear. "Guy!" he e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed, fervently, "what a slick old time we"ll have!" Then, turning to the smiling and embarra.s.sed line, he cried, "Squad, _salute_!" and every hand went up while the demoralized fife and drum favored Mr. Scott with their wildest and most discordant tones.
Then down the field they marched triumphantly, with torn banner flying, and Dom Pedro stalking gravely on ahead.
THE LITTLE MINUTE-MAN.
BY H. G. PAINE.
All during the winter Brinton had been saying what he would do if the redcoats came, and grieving because his age, which was eight, prevented him from going with his father to fight under General Washington.
Every night, when his mother tucked him in his bed and kissed him good-night, he told her not to be afraid, that he had promised his father to protect her, and he proposed to do it.
His plan of action, in event of the sudden appearance of the enemy, varied somewhat from day to day, but in general outline it consisted of a bold show of force at the front gate and a flank attack by Towser, the dog. Should these tactics fail to discourage the British, he intended to retire behind a stone fort he had built on the lawn, between the two tall elms, and to fire stones at the invaders until they fell back in confusion, while his mother would look on and encourage him from the front porch.
When the redcoats unexpectedly appeared in the distance, one afternoon in May, what Brinton really did was to run helter-skelter down the road, up the broad path to the house, through the front hall into the library, close the door, and then peep out of the window to watch them go by.