THE

CHAPTER III.

THE SCOUTING PARTY.

HE more Guert thought about the bad tidings concerning Skipper Avery and the Noank, the less he felt like telling them to Up-na-tan and Co-co.

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"There are such lots of things that may have happened," he said to himself. Maybe they didn't buy any guns. Maybe they bought some and didn't have them on board. Perhaps they sent them here on another ship." At all events, he knew that a great deal of news came which turned out untrue, and he could afford to wait until there was some kind of certainty. Still, he had a dream one night of seeing the Noank armed with more and bigger brass cannon than a craft of her size would think of carrying except as heavy freight.

The next tidings from the American army in Canada was very sad, for it told of General Montgomery's defeat and death at Quebec. There was, at first, no certainty who else had been killed, and Guert and Maud and all the rest were left in doubt as to whether they were ever again to see their friends.

It was doubt, doubt, about all manner of things until one fine spring morning, when Rachel Tarns came hurrying through the gate of the Ten Eyck place, followed closely by Mrs. Murray and Maud.

"Mother!" shouted Guert, as he darted out to meet them, "come out here, right away! Something's happened!"

"News?" she exclaimed, and the spinningwheel was left to whirl itself to a rest, while the cat chased a ball of yarn away into the kitchen.

"Anneke," asked Rachel, "how is thee?" "I'm well enough," replied Mrs. Ten Eyck. "Tell me what it is."

"Aaron wasn't killed," said Maud.

"The British have been driven out of Boston," said Mrs. Murray.

"Alexander has been commissioned captain of one of the New York artillery companies," said Rachel proudly. "But Aaron did not lose the gray mare. He did not take her with him to Canada at all. He had to run away on foot."

"Guert," said Maud, "they say all the British fleet and army are coming to New York, and that all our army, and General Washington, are coming to keep them from capturing us. There's going to be more fighting here than ever there was at Boston."

"Hurrah for Aleck Hamilton!" shouted Guert. "I was sure he'd get it. His men are all ready, too. It's real good about Aaron". and then there was a general jumble of all that was known, as yet, concerning the triumph at Boston and all the other movements of armies, at the south as well as at the north.

Boy as he was, Alexander had indeed been given his commission, but only after a sharp examination by officers of experience, who discovered what good use he had made of the military books bought for him by Rachel Tarns. Perhaps one point in his favor was that his company was already in very good condition for him to command.

Guert was the pride of Rachel, but Guert's first exultation changed shortly into almost a moody state of mind, for regiment after regiment came marching into New York, and he did not belong to any of them.

It was a tremendous army, it seemed to him, and it was growing larger every day, and there was no end to the forts and batteries that were building. Even over on the high ground, across the East River, beyond the village of Brooklyn, there was already a line of strong earthworks, and Guert went over to see them more than

His own satisfaction, however, was as nothing to Up-na-tan's approval of the manner in which the "colony men" were preparing to defend his island. He seemed to own it more than ever, although he sharply criticised all the works because of their lack of "heap long gun."

More and more of the people moved out as the soldiers marched in, and all the ordinary society affairs of the city were entirely broken up. Commerce did not altogether cease, for ships could come and go by way of Long Island Sound. Out in that direction, indeed, there was a fleet of American cruisers forming, that was not at all like the British fleet in the Lower Bay, but that promised to be of good service. It consisted of coasting schooners, sloops, rowgalleys and whale-boats, manned by daring fellows who were ready to capture anything smaller than a man-of-war, or even that, if they could catch it napping. Whenever Guert got a good look into one of those crafts he thought of the Noank and felt badly, and halfwished he could be a sailor.

The weeks went by like a dream, and one day was like another, there was so much excitement. Mrs. Ten Eyck herself was hardly surprised when, one April afternoon, the Murray carriage came to her gate, and Rachel marched in to say:

"Anneke, thee must come with us. Israel Putnam came yesterday, to command thy king's troops that are protecting his colonies against their enemies. We are going to visit his wife and daughters, and thee must go with us. Guert, thee may get up and ride with Sarah's driver."

Mrs. Ten Eyck was quickly ready, and all the way down town Guert was busily explaining to Maud, rather than to the older ladies, the distribution of the American forces. They seemed to be camped everywhere.

General Putnam's headquarters were at the old Kennedy mansion, at the very lower end of Broadway, and when the carriage pulled up in front of it, Maud exclaimed:

"Why, the house is full of soldiers. Does Mrs. Putnam really live here?"

There was indeed a garrison look about it, and a strong guard party had just halted at the

Forward, march!" said Hale to his men at that moment, and he only bowed again to the carriage load, as they moved away.

"He is splendid!" exclaimed Maud, but they were all getting down to go into the houseall excepting Guert, who was not expected to call on Mrs. Putnam.

There were no other lady-callers there at that hour, nor was the general's wife ready for any, apparently. All the front rooms on the lower floor were full of busy army officers, but a soldier very politely invited Mrs. Murray and her friends to follow him.

"Hear that?" said Mrs. Ten Eyck. "It's the sound of a loom!" exclaimed Mrs. Murray. "Somebody is weaving."

"Weaving in a fort?" whispered Maud, but on they went into a large room in the rear.

There were several women in it, older and younger, and the loom ceased as one of them left it to welcome the visitors.

"Thee is Israel Putnam's wife?" said Rachel,

with great energy. "Thee is like thy good husband. This is Anneke Ten Eyck, and this is Sarah Murray. Thee knows Maud Wolcott. Thee can talk with them, but thy loom need not waste any time. I can beat thee weaving."

Perhaps she could. At all events she took Mrs. Putnam's place at the loom, and the business of making linen for soldiers did not cease, nor did that of the Putnam girls at their spinning-wheels.

The talk and the work went on together, with the most patriotic cheerfulness, for Mrs. Putnam was all smiles and good humor, and Rachel did not at all lose her part of the conversation.

Out at the door Guert found something to do that he had not expected.

"Glad to see boy," said somebody behind him suddenly. "Up-na-tan want talk with old man Putnam. Co-co, too."

"I can fix it," exclaimed Guert, and a word to the sentry brought out the officer of the guard.

"Information?" said the officer, in reply to Guert's explanation. "Saw General Washington about it once, did he? Bring him and the black fellow right in."

In a moment more they were all standing before General Putnam, to whom Up-na-tan held out a hand as frankly as if he had known him for years.

The old Indian fighter shook it as frankly, and the Manhattan reported at once.

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Colonel," said Putnam sharply, to another officer, "see that these men have a good boat to patrol with. They are the best scouts we could get. The chief may report to me at any time."

Out went the queer squad of scouts, and Guert was suddenly aware that he and his friends had somehow joined the American army and navy, and were to operate against the British fleet.

"It will be one thing more to tell Captain Hale," he thought. "I must go and see him as soon as I can. We can scout all over the bay. Even a boy can steer a boat, and my eyes are as good as Up-na-tan's daytimes; but Co-co and he can see after dark."

Mrs. Murray's party of patriotic women finished their visit with Mrs. Putnam and her daughters, but when they went out there was

no Guert to go with them. When he did get back to his own house, late that evening, he had a great story to tell of the visit he had made at Captain Hale's quarters, with Co-co and Up-na-tan, and of the very fine, swift-running little boat in which the chief and his crew were to watch for spies from the fleet.

'Captain Hale wants to go with us as often as he can," he said. "Up-na-tan has taken the greatest liking to him. Mother, you will let me go?"

"Of course I will," exclaimed Mrs. Ten Eyck. Eyck. "I've been wanting to have you do something. Wouldn't Mrs. Putnam send a boy of hers?"

"She would!" said Guert. "Guess I'm as good an American as any Putnam is. But what on earth do they all mean by saying that we are still under King George, when we are fighting him?"

That was a question that was greatly troubling older heads than his. All the British, and a great many Americans, still insisted that Mr. Washington could not be a "general" without a commission from the king. He was only the leader of an armed mob of rebel colonists, and he and all of them ought to be hung for

treason.

That was one of the words that Maud Wolcott was trying to understand, and Rachel Tarns helped her when she said:

"If thee can hear thyself talk, thee ought to know. Thee talks treason all the while. Thee is as bad a rebel as George Washington."

Mrs. Ten Eyck did not see very much of her son during some weeks after that. He was away from home at night very often, and he would not always tell even Maud where he had been. He did succeed, however, in making her say of him, to Mrs. Murray:

"How Guert is growing. He won't be a boy much longer. I'm glad Captain Hale goes with them so much."

It was only now and then that he could do so, and there came one especial occasion that he had missed. Only the original crew of the scout-boat were tramping wearily along Broad Street when Guert remarked: