Once within the shelter of the trees, safety for a time at least might be secured, but in pa.s.sing across the open field, even on the slightly sloping ground, they would be exposed to the fire of the men in the road.
Suddenly Dennis exclaimed, "Look yonder, me boy! Is that a spade, or do me eyes deceive me?"
Glancing quickly at the corner in the fence Noel saw a spade resting upon the ground, where it plainly had been abandoned by some one who had been repairing the fence.
"Be careful, Dennis. You"ll be seen if you try to get that."
"Niver fear, me lad. That spade is worth its weight in gold, and I"m the boy that is goin" to try for it."
Instantly acting upon his own suggestion Dennis crawled slowly through the gra.s.s and stubble and carefully attempted to gain the implement.
Noel meanwhile anxiously watched his friend, fearful every moment that the report of guns in the distance would be heard. His fears, however, were relieved when in a few minutes Dennis returned with the spade.
"There, now!" he exclaimed. "We"ll be ready for the Johnnies in a jiffy.
Just watch me!"
It was marvelous to see what he was able to accomplish with his spade and still without exposing himself to the possible fire of the enemy, who were not moving from the position where they had halted some distance up the road.
As soon as a slight excavation had been made, both Noel and Dennis leaped into it. A few fence rails were also secured and piled upon the fence in front of them.
"You see now," said Dennis, "we"re ready for almost any kind of an attack."
Noel smiled, though he made no reply. The full seriousness of the peril in which he and his companion now found themselves was plain. They were confronted by a band which had seen them scurrying across the road, and though the gray-clad soldiers had halted some distance down the road the young soldier was aware that they knew of the presence of the two boys in blue. Why they had not advanced he did not understand.
He was afraid to make the attempt to gain the woods in his rear, as he believed his enemies were still watchful and that any effort to escape would meet with a quick fire.
Meanwhile Dennis had succeeded in digging a ditch along the two sides of the V-shaped rail fence.
"There," he exclaimed, with a sigh of relief. "That will keep out the Johnnies, I"m thinkin"."
"Not very long," said Noel quickly.
"But they don"t know how many there are of us," declared Dennis. "If they try to attack us there will be a couple of thim what shurely will nade the sarvices of the surgeon."
"We may need the services of the undertaker."
"Not yet, sor!" said Dennis with a laugh.
It was apparently impossible for the young Irish soldier to realize the seriousness of the position in which he and his comrade now found themselves.
"We"ll wait a while, anyway," said Noel, "before we do anything. If they don"t attack us, we"ll not make any trouble for them."
"I"m not so shure o" that," said Dennis.
"We won"t yet, anyway," said Noel quietly, fearful that his impulsive friend, if the attack should be delayed, would become impatient and with difficulty would be held back from firing at the men who were so near.
Glancing again at the band of Confederates, Noel was still more puzzled by their inactivity. Apparently they had broken ranks and were sitting or lying about on the ground near the road, though guards had been stationed in front and rear.
The moments dragged slowly on, and the confidence of Noel that an attack was not to be made upon them gradually became stronger.
The afternoon sun now was not more than a half-hour above the horizon.
If they should be left free for another hour, he was hopeful that they might make their way to the near-by woods and by a wide detour be able to return to the camp at Harper"s Ferry.
"Shure!" said Dennis, after a few more minutes had elapsed, "we can"t lave the Johnnies like this."
"You had better let sleeping dogs alone," warned Noel.
"Shure, an" I will that," said Dennis. "I"m not goin" to harm any one of thim. They seem to me to be aslape and I want to give thim somethin" to wake "em up."
"What are you doing?" demanded Noel, as his companion drew an empty cartridge from his box and filled it with powder from his flask.
"I"m riggin" up somethin" to wake up thim boys," replied Dennis soberly.
Noel said no more and continued to watch his companion, who, after the sh.e.l.l had been filled with powder, adjusted the percussion cap in such a manner that it was placed upon the powder and within the covering.
"There"s one of thim," exclaimed Dennis, looking with pride at his workmanship. "Now I"ll make another one."
A second "shot" like the first was soon made, and then, handing one to Noel, Dennis proceeded very carefully to place his own in the muzzle of his gun.
"What are you going to do?" demanded Noel. "That isn"t much more than a blank cartridge you have got there."
"Niver you mind that," said Dennis confidently. "We"ll start these fellows on the run."
"It depends upon which way they run," again said Noel. "We don"t want them coming in our direction."
"I"m not so shure about that," said Dennis, whose respect for the enemy had fallen because of the long silence which had prevailed after their arrival, "I"m not so shure of that," he repeated. ""Most anything is better than nothing. Now, then, Noel," he explained, "you see that big oak tree just beyond the place where the Johnnies are lyin"?"
"Yes," replied Noel, as he glanced at the huge tree in the distance.
"Do you think you could hit it?"
"A blind man could do that," said Noel.
"Well, then, I"ll fire and then you fire."
"At the tree?" demanded Noel in surprise.
"That"s it. That"s it, exactly."
"What good will that do? It will only expose us and our shots won"t do any damage."
"We"ll see about that in a minute or two," laughed Dennis. "When these strange bullets of ours strike the tree they are goin" to make that percussion cap explode and then the powder will go off and there will be a big noise right behind the Johnnies. They"ll think somebody"s firin"
at thim from the other side."
"That"s no joke, Dennis," said Noel positively. "If we do what you say, they will think they are being attacked on the other side, and if they retreat they will come straight toward this place where we are now."
"Shure, but they won"t retreat," said Dennis. "It"s positive I am that they will be puttin" straight for the place where they think these guns are bein" fired."
"Then that will give us a chance to get away."