Though neither of the boys knew it some of the glow of the burning match had been visible in the darkness out on the water, and this boat was coming in answer to a fancied signal.
"I"m going to watch that boat a bit," whispered Hal in his chum"s ear.
"Why?"
"Well, I don"t believe it has any right to land here at night. Any boatman here on honest business ought to go around to the dock, I think."
"Pooh!" breathed Noll.
"Don"t make any noise, anyway."
It was very dark, but the rookies could see a small rowboat head into the beach just a little way below them. There was one man in the boat, and he promptly sounded a low, cautious whistle. It was answered from behind the young recruits, somewhere. Then the sound of steps.
Some one was approaching, and the boatman, standing up in his craft, listened, then called in a low voice:
"That you, Sim?"
"Yep."
"Good!" answered the boatman. "I got your word, "phoned from New York.
I"ve got cit clothes for you in the boat, also a weight to sink your uniform with, when you make the change."
Now the newcomer trod down straight past the place of concealment of the boys. Something in his figure was wholly familiar.
"Why, that"s Corporal Shrimp!" called Hal, springing up and running down toward the sh.o.r.e. Noll followed his chum on the instant, both arriving at once.
"Well, what do you rookies want here?" demanded Shrimp, turning upon them with an oath.
"I guess we"re here on duty," clicked Hal resolutely. "You"re supposed to be in arrest, Corporal, and here you are leaving the post on the sly!"
"I"m out of arrest, and on duty. Stand aside!" snarled Shrimp, his look becoming very ugly.
"Is it a kind of duty that calls for you to sneak away in this fashion, put on citizen"s clothes, and sink your uniform in the bay?" demanded Private Overton mockingly. "If you tell me that, Corporal, I don"t believe you."
Corporal Shrimp uttered another ugly oath. Then, with a flashing movement, he drew a service revolver from under his blouse and thrust the muzzle almost in Private Overton"s face.
CHAPTER VII
WHEN THE GUARD CAME
"LOOK out, Sim Shrimp!" called the boatman quickly, warningly.
For, while Hal had stood looking gamely at the revolver, Noll Terry had side-stepped, and now leaped at the corporal.
Whack! Noll struck up the glinting barrel of the weapon.
Private Overton, seeming to move in the same instant, leaped forward in front.
Bang! The revolver was discharged, but harmlessly into the air, as both rookies tackled the corporal and bore him to the ground.
"Help, here, Bill!" cried Shrimp, as he found himself going over backward.
The boatman leaned over to s.n.a.t.c.h up an oar. As he rose with it he saw Private Hal Overton rise with the corporal"s revolver in his hand.
"Stay where you are, Corporal, and don"t make any fuss," advised Hal grimly. "Your friend had better stay where he is if he doesn"t want to know what it feels like to have a bullet going through him."
"Drop that gun, and let me up! Get out of my way," ordered Shrimp.
"You"re interfering with me in the discharge of my duty, and I"ll put you both in a lot of trouble."
"Don"t you try to get up," ordered Noll, who had thrown himself across the corporal and was holding him down.
"Sentry!" yelled Hal. "Sentry."
He should have called, "Corporal of the guard!" but he didn"t know that.
Another shot at some distance was heard, followed by a l.u.s.ty shout from a sentry of:
"Corporal of the guard, post number seven!"
"Let me up out of this, and I"ll let you both off," proposed Corporal Simeon Shrimp.
"You"ll stay just where you are," ordered Hal, "and I give you my word that, if I see any signs of your trying to escape, I"ll drill you through with all the bullets this revolver carries."
Running feet were now coming rapidly their way.
"Lemme go--boys, do," pleaded the corporal brokenly, terror ringing in his voice. "Boys, you don"t know what fearful trouble you"ll get me into."
"That"s a different song," retorted Private Hal Overton dryly. "But it wouldn"t do any good to let you go now. Your friend has shoved off, and is rowing like mad."
The steps of running men now came nearer.
[Ill.u.s.tration: Both Rookies Tackled the Corporal.]
"This way, Corporal of the guard!" called Private Overton.
In another moment the corporal and two men of the guard raced to the spot.
"This is Corporal Shrimp. He was under arrest, and trying to escape,"
announced Hal. "There was a friend of his here with a boat, and he"s out yonder now, Corporal, trying to get away."
"Load with ball cartridge, hail that boat, and fire if the man doesn"t come about promptly and row in," ordered the corporal, turning to one of the members of the guard.
The soldier so directed loaded his rifle like lightning.