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THE LOG CABIN LIBRARY.
26
your orderly, and the rest of the boys. It’s good to get acquaint-
ed with the men you're tojine.”
Elderkin now made an awkward bow, and left; when Sturges
turned tu his companions and cried: ‘ ,
“That's what is fetchin’ them to us. These Sons of Liberty are
ugh on all that won’t join them; and the rougher they are the
tter- for us.”
*That’s so. Confusion to the Sons of Liberty,” cried a stal-
wart Tory, as he emptied his glass for about the ‘twentieth time.
» While the orgies thus went on, the name of Jonas Elderkin
é was\ duly enrolled; and Jonas showed around. He was very in-
quisitive in regard to the arms, wanted to see what kind they
were, wanted to know where they kept their powder and all
that,\and the good-natured orderly took great pains to show
him, for curiosity betokened zeal in the service; or at least he
thouglit ‘so.
Coming events, soon to be narrated, will show what a fool he
jo: was. o, : .
“T'll be sure to be back before daylight, and I promised the
-eolonel in there I'll bring a lot more just like me,” said Jonas,
when he mounted the horse that he had brought him, and rode
( ’
off. . ‘ .
a “That chap rides as if he had been on a horse all his life!” said
the orderly, as he saw Jonas touch his horse’s flank and gallop
off. :
‘ “He acts green, but he doesn’t ride so,” said another of the
band, whose eyes also followed the new recruit. ‘Ill bet he
knows more of a soldier life than either of us!”
“Sho! No. he is only a mule trader. How the officers do
keep it up. They'll be blind-drunk before morning if they keep
it up this way.” -
ne “Why don’t you get a barrel or two out of the colonel ‘for we
~ "uns??”? "
\ “P try! Darn it; Pi try"
VG —_— \
. CHAPTER XXXIV.
ww WEATHERING THE GALE.
\“We’re safe now! Hurrah! for northern waters and more
prizes!” cried Ned Pemberton, as his vessel, fairly in the Gulf
Stream, was headed away north, north-east.
“Cap'n, don’t crow till-you’re out of the wilderness!” cried
Josi Hopkins, who had just come down from aloft, where he had
been sitting for half an hour, with a spy-glass in his hand, at the
topmast cross-trees. ‘There’s three of them cussed Britishers on
our track yet, sure as you’re born.”
, :~ . .* What are they—heavy vessels?”
“Square-rigged—can’t make out—but one of ’em looms up as
if she was a frigate or a ’74.” ‘
| “Well, we'll risk keeping out of their way with all this start.
. What is the matter, Jack?”
s “The last question was addressed to Clewline, who was scan-
} ning the horizon to the eastward. :
: “I don’t like the rough cross sea we’ve got here,” said Clew-
line. ‘‘Nor yet that clear, cold streak you seo off the north-east.
“If we don’t have a heavy gale from that quarter upon us before
midnight, call me a false prophet and a lubber.”.
“T would rather see it come from anywhere else!” said Ned.
“It will head us off our course.” wo
“Ay. and if it has much easting, blow us toward a lee-shore. I
don’t like it a bit, cap.” - :
“There's one comfort, if it blows wrong
‘ same for those who follow us.”
“That's true, sir; but we'll be the first to catch it, and while
for'us, it will do the
wo are reefed down and maybe laying to, they'll have more} _
chance to gain on us—maybe get very close.”
» «True, but we must run our risks as we’ve done before. We'll
erowd sail as long as we can carry it.” \ *
And they did. .
It was in the first hour of the mid-watch, when they knew they
must take reefs in their lower sails that Clewline suggested as
- soon as the reefs were taken, that they had better get the top-
_ masts down on deck and rig in the jib-boom, for the schooner
‘". pitched heavily into a fearful head sea,
It was nearly an hour with sharp work before all this was done,
and then, while every sea almost deluged the decks, Ned felt
that Hopkins made a suggestion when he said: .
“Tf we were inside or outside o’ this tarnal gulf current which
-makes such a sea running head to wind, we'd have a smoother
time. and make more headway.” :
“We'll try that too,” said Pemberton, :
And he gave orders to ease off tho sheets, and head in west,
north-west. . .
The schooner now almost flew through the water. She had
> : tho wind abaft the beam, and though no one tried to “throw the
oa
log,” the pilot said if she didn’t run every inch of fifteen knots, ’
e would eat his shoes, pegs and all.
In a couple of hours the sea was much smoother, and Clewline
.| suggested, as they were evidently out of the Gulf Stream, and i:
would near the land fast on that course, it would be better to
haul up as near their old course as they could.
This again was a very sensible suggestion, and Ned assented
to it, and soon they all learned that the gale had almost doubled
its force, for the schooner lay gunwales under when they flattened
in sheets, and brought her to the wind. Le . +
“Close reefs, boys—close reefs is all she'll béar!” cried the
young captain, and close reefs it was just as soon as they, could
be taken in.
The schooner stood up better under reduced sail, and’ with
bonnets off topsail and jig, and a balanced reefed mainsail, she
didn’t show any canvas hardly above the cat harpins in her’ rig-
ging. ‘
And this saved her, for when day dawned, away to windward,
carrying every bit of sail they dared, in the very track which
the schooner had left so opportunely, ran the three’ British
ships-of-war. They were so far out, that Ned had scarce any
fear they would see him now, yet he quickly took in all sail but .
the balance reefed foresail, so as to make as little show as pos- '
sible on the water. |
“¥on’ve saved me again, Josi,” he said to the pilot. ‘Had wa
overhauled us hand over hand.”
“Shouldu’t wonder,” was the quiet reply of » Hopkins.
“They’re scootin’ along jest abont where we'd have a-been
dippin’. and plungin’ now if we hadn’t run: into smooth
water.” ~™,
‘tAy, and I hope they’ll keep there. A big ship has every ad+
vantage in a heavy blow,” said Clewline. L
“They must have sighted the coarse we took just before dark,” -
said Ned. ‘They hola it exactly.” .
“The Lord grant they keep it,” said Clewline. | ‘They'll risk -
everything now to destroy us if they can only get us under their
uns.”
Shortening sail so much increased the headway of the Rattle
snake, and within an hour more the British ships could only be
seen by going aloft, and then they were mere specks in the norths
eastern board. ~ {
Another hour, and no vestige of them could be seen. :
Pemberton now set his jib and mainsail, still close reefed, for
the gale did not lessen, though there was no perceptible increase, ~ j
The land was in sight to leeward, and a cast of the deep sea
lead brought forty-six fathoms, gray sand, black specks, and a
tinge of mud. . . .
“Off the capes of the Delaware,” said ‘Hopkins, who knew
bottom on every part of the coast.
“Ay, and three or four square-rigged ships in there at an .
anchor—men-of-war Ill wager,” said Clewline, who held q
powerful telescope to his eyes. /
“Don’t get nervous, lieutenant. They'll stay there,” he said,
“The ship that would come out agin the head sea that makes
into that bay, isn’t built. I'll bet a cookie agin a clay: pipe
they’re four anchors ahead, and them backed. All but their
lower yards are housed, aren’t they?” _ :
“Yes,” said Clewline, ‘‘and they look as if they were pitching,
bows under.” .
“Most likely they be,” said Hopkins. ‘‘Cap’n, tain’t for ma
to say, but if you edged upa leetle more, you'll get out o’ this
ground swell, and sail three knots faster.” .
“Thanks, Josi. We'll do it,” said Pemberton,. giving the © «
necessary orders, ~G :
kept out there those large ships, in a heavy sea,,would have }
i
'
x
CHAPTER XXXY. ~ oe
. "STURGES AGAIN IN TROUBLE. - |
Mr. Pemberton was riding toward the Cedars, when: he saw
well-known signal, which sunimoned. the ‘Sons of Liberty t
meeting at one of their places of rendezvous. \ oO,
Though it was near night-fall, he postponed his visit to the
Cedars and hurried to the rendezvous, for he could not neglect
a summons from those who has been so faithful to him.
He was warmly welcomed by the patriots already assembled,
near one hundred in number, who were waiting the return ‘of a
brave and trusty brother who had gone on a scout to ascertain
how many men the Tory, Spence Sturges, had raised, and what
he meant to da, , :
About two hours after night set in the scout came in, the sama
man who had signed the Tory muster-roll as Jonas Elderkin. |
But the Sons of Liberty greeted him under another name, for
he was neither more nor less than young Ned Pemberton’s dear
and trusted friend, Sigismund Taliaferro, :
His report was soon made,
a
a
‘