The Minute Boys of Boston

CHAPTER XIII

GRAVE DOUBTS

Master Lord was evidently of the opinion that we could do no better than remain where we were until it should become possible for him to show us whereby we might aid Silas, and I wondered much that he spoke in such a strain, after having declared that the force of lobster backs at the Bridewell was so large that we had no hope of getting at the lad even to give him a cheering word.

This much I ventured to remark, glancing meanwhile at Hiram in order to learn, if possible, what he might think of the matter, for it was come to my mind that our comrade, who was ever eager to be up and doing, had turned about strangely, as if content to spend any number of days in that underground hiding-place.

"There is such a thing as a fortunate accident," Master Lord replied gravely, "and in this struggle against the king we of the colonies who are weak in numbers as compared with the force he can bring against us, must ever be on the alert for some turn in affairs which will work to our advantage. It is true that at present there are so many lobster backs on duty at the Bridewell that you cannot hope to come at your comrade; but who shall say how soon the number of sentinels there may be lessened?"

"Have you enough influence among the lovers of the king to succeed in getting inside the Bridewell?" Hiram asked in a placid tone, as if the matter was of but little importance to him, and I fancied Master Lord replied to the question eagerly, as if anxious we should have full faith in him, when if he had been a true man, so it seemed to me, there would have been no question in his mind as to the possibility of our doubting his intentions:

"I believe before many days have passed, aye, perhaps by to-morrow, I may be able to drop a hint to the lad that you are here in search of him."

"On what pretext could you get inside that portion of the Bridewell where the prisoners who were taken at Breed's hill are confined?" Hiram asked in the same quiet, indifferent tone.

"There are many people in Boston, and especially among the Tories, who are curious to see these so-called rebels; some in order to learn if perchance they may have acquaintances among them, and others to jeer at the unfortunates, reminding them how useless it is to struggle against the king's power. I can be of one party or the other; but the time must be ripe before it may be done. In other words, matters must have moved fortunately for me, when there are on guard those of the lobster backs with whom I am acquainted," and Master Lord spoke as if most eager to convince us of his loyalty. "In order to make myself of service to the Cause, it has been necessary to be friendly with these red-coated gentry who rule the town."

"Yes, I can well understand that," Hiram replied in a tone of content. "We know you will do for us all that lays in your power, and are ready to take your advice in the matter," Hiram went on as if the work we had set ourselves was of no especial importance, and my heart burned with anger against him because of his seeming indifference. "In turning the matter over, I can see that from the standpoint of one who would do the greatest good to the greatest number, you cannot well afford to have this secret hiding-place of yours discovered, and we are not so selfish as to ask that you do other than seems to you wise. Go as far as you prudently can in our behalf, and then leave us to take our own way."

"You may be certain I shall not abandon the enterprise upon which you have come, so long as there appears any likelihood of success; but when one hits upon a stone wall it is wiser to go around, than to beat his head against the rocks. Therefore when it is shown that I can effect nothing, we will come to a stop; but until then trust in me."

"Indeed we do, Master Lord, thanking you not only for the willingness to aid us, but for the work in behalf of the Cause which you have already done."

I was so angry at hearing Hiram thus lay himself down at the feet of the man whom it surely seemed we had every reason to distrust, that I could have risen up against him, crying out all which was in my mind; but, fortunately, I checked the words which were on the tip of my tongue, and threw myself sulkily upon one of the beds, vowing mentally that never again would I put faith in any human being howsoever fair might be his speech.

Then it was that Master Lord set about discussing plans for the future as if we were like to remain in that underground hiding-place many a long day, while Archie and Harvey listened to the conversation in seeming bewilderment, failing to understand, even as did I, this complete change in him whom we had come to look upon as the leader in our hazardous venture.

I cannot set down all these two said, for the very good reason that I failed to charge myself with taking in the purport of the conversation; but this I do know, that when they had come apparently to understand each other, and were grown to be as thick as two thieves, Master Lord explained that in order we might remain more securely hidden from suspicion, and that none of the neighbors should come to fancy he had visitors in the building, we must prepare our own food, cooking it in the fire-place of the cellar.

By such a course the house would remain open to whosoever might visit it, and unless the secret of our hiding-place was revealed by our haste, we were as safe in Boston town as in any other place, meaning, of course, in event of Job Lord's proving to be a true man as he claimed to be.

To all of this Hiram agreed as if satisfied in every particular, and then claimed to be prodigiously hungry, which was another surprise on his part, for we had even then with us enough of provision to satisfy all our desires during the next four and twenty hours.

However, Hiram clung to the assertion that he was nigh to being famished, and Master Lord went without delay to the floor above, as if to procure that which might be needed.

No sooner had he ascended the ladder than I stole softly to Hiram's side, asking in an angry whisper:

"What has come upon you so suddenly, that you fail to see anything suspicious in our being thus asked to lay here content with what that man may be able to do, never ourselves raising a hand in behalf of Silas?"

"Yes, it seems as if I had not broken my fast for four and twenty hours," Hiram replied in a loud tone, at the same time motioning toward the floor above, as if to say that he would not converse with me however guardedly, while Master Lord was where he might come to believe we were holding secret council.

This gesture of our comrade's soothed me somewhat, for I began to fancy he had a plan in his mind to thwart our host if so be he gave token of treachery, and yet I failed to understand how it might be done while we remained there much the same as prisoners. In my stupidity I lost sight of the fact that we were absolutely powerless. If this Job Lord was indeed double-faced, then at the moment we ventured out despite his advice, it was only necessary for him to give word to the lobster backs, when we would, perhaps, come upon Silas by being ourselves made prisoners.

So far as ministering to our wants was concerned, Master Lord showed himself most generous. After ascending and descending half a dozen times, he had on the table before us an ample supply of corn meal, salt pork, and, what was indeed a rarity, a leg of freshly-killed lamb, and this at a time when our people in Cambridge believed the rank and file of the king's army were living upon salt food, because of our having shut off their supplies from the country roundabout.

In addition, Master Lord brought a jar of whale oil, which I myself knew had been hard to come upon in Boston, even before the butchery at Lexington; but he must have been plentifully supplied, for he insisted we use it freely, saying it was not well for us to remain in darkness, and that we should strive to make our gloomy quarters as comfortable as possible.

"There is no good reason why you should not enjoy yourselves so far as may be," he said in the most friendly of tones when he had laid before us the last of the supplies. "Until the time for action comes, you can do no less than remain here, and it is well to be content in mind, trusting that I will give the signal at the first moment anything may be done to aid your comrade."

Then, looking about him scrutinizingly as if to make certain he had forgotten nothing, he turned and went up the ladder, halting when nigh to the top, and saying:

"You can understand that every precaution against discovery of this place must be taken, therefore it is that I bolt the trap down, covering it afterward with such things as can most handily be come at in my kitchen, so that one may not see where the timbers are sawn apart."

He was striving to explain why we were kept close prisoners, and again my anger rose, for I failed to understand if the trap-door was covered and screened from view of any who might enter the room above, why it should be bolted so that we might not raise it in case of an emergency.

After we had been thus closely confined beyond all hope of leaving the place, and could hear Master Lord moving about the room above, I strove once more to have an explanation with Hiram; but again he motioned toward the ceiling, although this time, clutching me by the shoulders, he drew my ear close to his lips as he whispered:

"Take station just beneath where the side door which leads into the room above is located, and there do your best to learn whether any come in, or if our exceedingly good friend goes out."

Then he set about making ready the meal, in which work every convenience, including a spit, was to be found near the fire-place, and meanwhile talking so loudly regarding his hunger and our good fortune in finding so secure a hiding-place, that Master Lord himself must have been able to hear distinctly some of his words.

Because he gave no warning that we should remain silent, were my suspicions regarding his loyalty increased, for if peradventure our presence there must be kept a profound secret from everybody, then should he have checked Hiram, since in event of a Tory or a lobster back entering the building, our comrade's voice would be heard.

However, I went to that part of the room as nearly under the door of the building as I could judge, and there took my station as Hiram directed, feeling certain now that he had in mind some plan for the discovery of Master Lord's real intention.

I had not been thus endeavoring to play the eavesdropper above half an hour, and the leg of lamb on the spit was sending forth a most appetizing odor, when I distinctly heard the door above open, and then came to my ears the footfalls of at least two, whom I judged to be men because of the heaviness with which they stepped.

Immediately afterward, and while we could hear the subdued hum of voices above, Hiram whispered to Archie that he and Harvey should attend to the cooking of the meat, then tapping me on the shoulder with a gesture which I understood meant for me to follow.

Moving cautiously, in marked contrast to the loud tones in which he had spoken a few moments previous, Hiram began at the end of the cellar which was nearest the street, making a careful examination of the walls as if seeking some means of outlet, I copying his every movement.

Heavy logs, laid up with as much care as one would bestow in building the sides of a house, formed this refuge of ours, and I was saying to myself that if my comrade had any hope of finding a means of leaving the place without knowledge of Master Lord, then was he doomed to disappointment, when we were come to the fire-place, on one side of which stood mayhap half a dozen casks, as if carelessly stacked there out of the way.

Hiram motioned for me to bear a hand, and one by one we moved the casks. Setting each down upon the beaten earth which formed the floor so that not the slightest noise would be made, we cleared all away until what had the appearance of a rubbish hole was brought to view. One might have guessed that this had originally been made as an entrance to the cellar from the outside, and afterward closed up carelessly with rocks and earth, the casks having been set before the place as a screen.

There was a look of triumph on Hiram's face as he wriggled amid the rubbish, pushing aside a rock here and scraping away the earth there until his body was almost hidden from view.

Then, while I stood with bated breath believing we had found what would serve us in time of need, he appeared to have come to an end of his exploration, for backing out, he straightway began brushing up the litter which had been pulled upon the floor, as carefully as a house-wife might have done, save that he used his hands instead of a broom.

More than once I made as if to ask what he had found further than I could see; but he gave me to understand that we must make no attempt at holding a conversation, and whispered that I go back to where it might be possible to learn when those who were above had left the building.

I did as he thus commanded; but my heart was lighter than at any time since we entered this prison-like hiding-place, for the belief was strong in my mind that if worse came to worse, and Master Lord was indeed the treacherous villain I believed him, we might be able to escape, so far as leaving the cellar was concerned.

While I remained by the wall, straining my ears to catch the lightest sound from above, Hiram continued his work as cook, and before the hum of conversation had ceased in the room over my head, the leg of lamb was done to a turn, while Griffin had ready for eating a tempting loaf of corn bread.