The Boy Spies with the Regulators

CHAPTER X

THE LONG NIGHT

The excitement of the people appeared to increase rather than diminish as the night approached.

The appearance of the king's soldiers had disturbed them in their merry-making, and brought to their minds the possibilities of the morrow. A view of the two armed bodies, drawn up one against the other, told more clearly of the danger which threatened than words could have done, and the cautious began to ask if it would not be well to send the women and children away.

Dull-witted though I am, I could not fail to observe the people casting furtive glances toward the town, as if fearing to see issuing from it those who would work some injury in the name of the king.

The sounds of laughter were replaced by deep mutterings, and instead of lounging here or there with their families, the men and boys moved restlessly from one point to another, watching jealously every motion of the Regulators.

It was much as if we were all walking to and fro in a magazine of powder, each with a lighted match in his hand, and that the explosion was a foregone conclusion, the only question being as to exactly when it would occur.

I understood that others besides myself took much the same view of the situation, when the officers of the Regulation gave orders concerning that which should be done during the night.

All the company were ordered to go on duty at sunset, remaining under arms until morning, ready for any sudden emergency. The men were especially commanded not to stray away from the limits of the encampment, and forty were told off to do guard duty when ten could have patrolled the camp thoroughly under ordinary circumstances.

All these preparations told that our leaders were anxious regarding the possibility of treachery on the part of the royalists, which was not to be wondered at in view of all that had happened.

When it was reported in Hillsborough that Sandy Wells had been murdered, Tryon and Fanning saw an opportunity of setting us down before the world at large as murderers and knaves who should, in justice to a law-abiding community, be committed to jail.

When they learned that we had kept our hands clean, that we had done our best to preserve the peace, it might well be expected some other plan to ruin us would be tried, and General Hamilton was far too wise a man to neglect any opportunity for additional defense.

It was also evident that the people generally were of the belief that the royalists would attempt to do us a mischief, and, as I have said, they moved around restlessly, watching keenly all that was taking place on the opposite side of the river.

Had the king's troops come toward the ford a second time, I believe of a verity that trouble would have ensued even though the soldiers advanced with peaceful intent.

Sidney and I were stationed as sentinels at that part of the line which overlooked the town, with orders to observe closely all that might be taking place on the opposite side of the river, and to report immediately at headquarters any unusual movement, either on the part of the royalists or visitors.

Every inch of the line which marked the bounds of the encampment was constantly traversed that night. The guards were stationed twenty feet apart, and it was expressly commanded that each man should advance until he met the sentinel on his right, when he was to wheel about and proceed in the opposite direction until meeting the Regulators on his left, continuing this throughout the hours of darkness.

The numerous fires kindled by the visitors with which to cook supper, or keep off the insects, served to illumine the scene, and on the opposite side of the river one could see the streets closely packed with human beings, who counted to spend the night in the open air.

It was eight o'clock in the evening, and I was yet doing guard duty, when a sudden outburst of noise from near about the court-house startled us, for it seemed to be the signal of that uprising or outbreak which we had been fearing might occur before morning.

At first it was no more than angry cries and yelps of pain; but these increased steadily until it seemed as if a riot was well under way.

There was no need of carrying any information to the headquarters' shanty. General Hamilton was on the guard line very near to my post, within two minutes after the first cries were heard, and he remained there in a listening attitude, turning his head this way and that like the dog who seeks to find a lost trail.

A dozen or more of the chief men were with him, and I heard one of them ask anxiously:

"Can you guess why trouble should have begun at this time? I believed all the hot heads among our friends were on this side of the river."

"So they are, else would the brawl have been fanned into a battle long before this. Master Hunter," he cried sharply to the deputy, "form your men into line at the river bank to prevent any from leaving the encampment, and lose no time in doing so."

At the call for the guards to advance into line I stepped forward; but stopped very suddenly as the general seized me by the collar of my shirt.

"You and the comrade who aided in saving Sandy Wells' life are to wait here that I may have a moment's speech with you." Then, raising his voice, he cried, "Hunter, give the word as soon as you have a force at the riverbank sufficient to hold this throng in check!"

"The entire Regulation will be none too many for such service as that."

"Station the guards first, and then call out the remainder of the force. It stands us in hand to hold all on this side the river, and also keep peace among them."

I was at some little trouble to find Sidney, he having gone to the further end of the line when the word was given to "fall in"; but I succeeded in withdrawing him from the ranks just as the men went forward into position at the river bank.

When we two lads stood before him, the general said in a low tone as if to prevent any other from hearing the discourse:

"It is in my mind that yonder riot has been begun by orders of Tryon or Fanning, that they may have some excuse for filling the jail before morning, as well as to cast discredit upon the Regulation. You lads have shown yourselves quick-witted, and I have no doubt that you will be able to hold your own in case Tryon and his crew are provoking a brawl. Cross the river at once; mingle with those who are taking part in the disturbance, and learn all you can regarding the beginning of the trouble."

"Our lines are in position!" Master Hunter cried, and the general replied:

"Very well. Hold the people here, and allow none to cross save the two who may speedily come with my permission to do as they please."

We lads waited twenty seconds or more to learn if Master Hamilton had any further commands for us, and since he did not speak, Sidney plucked me by the sleeve as a signal that we should set out.

The general was looking at us when we moved off, therefore did I know that we had received all the orders he had to give.

On coming to the water's edge we walked up the stream until finding Master Hunter, and then, in a low tone, explained what we had been ordered to do.

He immediately directed the men to give us passage, and hurriedly we forded the stream, bending our steps toward the court-house after having gained the opposite bank.

It was not a simple matter to make our way through the crowded street. By this time nearly all the people who had encamped in the open air were astir, and every man and boy was pressing eagerly forward to that point from whence came the outcries.

By dint of using our elbows sharply, and forcing aside without ceremony those who barred the way, we succeeded, at the risk of embroiling ourselves in private quarrels, in gaining a position near the center of the disturbance, when it was possible to perceive at a glance that General Hamilton was correct in his surmises.

The visitors were not raising their hands against the soldiers save when great provocation was given; but here and there I could see those who were in some way connected with the government, and among them Sandy Wells, making their way from point to point, dealing blows and uttering insults well calculated to raise a disturbance.

Whenever one of the visitors attempted to defend himself, or would have punished the insulter, the minions of Tryon raised a great hue and cry to bring the solders to that point, after which they slipped off to create a disturbance at some other point.

But for the fact that the visitors had been warned against giving the governor an opportunity for complaint, a riot would have been begun within a very few minutes, and with such a degree of violence that it might have increased to a regular battle; but as it was, our people behaved with remarkable moderation.

I believed that we might do much good by advice, and suggested to Sidney that we go hastily around among the throng, explaining what was the evident purpose of the governor's minions, at the same time advising every one to cross the river immediately, lest by their behavior Tryon should have some color of a reason for postponing the cases which had been set down for a hearing next day.

He was of my opinion, and without delay we began our work, hurrying here or there with such good effect that the people began to fall back before the mischief breeders, instead of pressing forward.

This was not at all to the liking of those who desired to provoke a breach of the peace, and they redoubled their efforts, offering yet greater indignities to the unresisting citizens.

Foremost among these was Sandy Wells, and I made it my business to gain a position close by his side, when I said, holding him by the arm until the words had been uttered:

"Sidney Hubbard and I saved your life this day, as you well know. It can readily be seen what you are trying to do, and unless you cease your efforts I will take good care before the sun sets to-morrow, to inflame every man's mind against you. That fate which was escaped this afternoon shall overtake you within the next four and twenty hours, even though Tryon gives you shelter in his own quarters."

Sandy was a rank coward, as I well knew, and when my hold of his sleeve was relaxed he slunk away among the soldiers, nor did I see him again that night.

During more than an hour Sidney and I continued our efforts, sometimes threatened by the soldiers or Tryon's emissaries, and then the throng had so far dispersed that there were not enough hot-heads left to make any very great disturbance, even though they felt disposed to resist the troops.

"Now the enemies of the colony can do no more than foment an ordinary brawl, which is not what Tryon most desires, and I believe our work here is done in accordance with the general's orders," Sidney said to me as we met among the foremost of the small crowd, within a short distance of where the uniformed men were drawn up in line. "If we are recognized you may be certain those fellows will use every effort to lodge us in jail, and it is wise to beat a retreat while we may."

I was of much the same opinion, and, after gathering half a dozen of the wilder spirits in our wake, we set off toward the ford, hooted and jeered at by those who had most signally failed in the task assigned them.

The sudden change in the situation of affairs was truly surprising. When we two lads first crossed the river we found the streets literally choked with men, women and children who counted on remaining there with the hope of gaining admittance to the court-house as soon as the day dawned; but now it was as if the earth had opened and swallowed all these people.

We did not meet with twenty as we went toward the ford; they had wisely crossed the river, and, once on the opposite side, the Regulators would keep them quiet.

We had checked the governor's scheme, not through force of arms, but simply by removing those who might unwittingly have aided him in his unlawful efforts.

Once the visitors were on that side of the river held by the Regulators, they were unable to go back; but all who called themselves Sons of Liberty would be forced to remain on duty during the entire night in order to hold in check those who counted themselves friendly to the cause.

As a matter of course Sidney and I reported to General Hamilton as soon as possible, and when we had concluded our story the old Scotchman said in a tone of satisfaction:

"I knew full well I could depend upon you lads to do whatsoever was wise. By sending the people over here you have accomplished a good work, and once again is Tryon defeated by your unaided efforts. The Regulation has good reason to count you as valuable members, and when the time comes that this colony can reward the services of those who have aided her, as come it will in due season, I hope I may be alive to make certain you are not neglected."

According to my way of thinking we were already rewarded by such words as these, and but for the darkness Master Hamilton would have seen my cheeks crimsoned with shame because he had given us far more than we deserved.

It was but natural that there should be considerable confusion on our side of the river; all who had lately changed their camping places were seeking for new quarters, and already the slope of the hill outside the lines of our encampment was literally covered with human beings.

The late comers were compelled to find a resting-place on the other side of the elevation, and thus were our horsemen literally hemmed in. If it should become necessary to make a quick movement, it would require some time to clear the ground in order to avoid trampling the visitors beneath the hoofs of our horses.

Every member of the Regulation was now doing guard duty, and as soon as Sidney and I had concluded our interview with the general, we joined our comrades, when the weary work of pacing to and fro was resumed.

At the river front remained a line of Regulators who allowed any person to come over; but refused passage to such as would have gone back, and thus we held the key to the situation so far as keeping the peace was concerned.

Until this last move of Governor Tryon's I think the majority of our people believed the king's officers would not dare do other than give the prisoners a fair trial, although perhaps no one was convinced that it was more than a farce to bring Fanning before the bar.

Now, however, when we had good proof as to the lengths Tryon was ready to go, and could see plainly that he was using every effort to place the Regulation in a false light before the world, there was much doubt as to the outcome of the cases in court.