THE BOYS OF 1745 
 
 AT THE CAPTURE OF LOUISBOURG
 
 THE BOYS OF 1745 
 
 AT THE 
 
 CAPTURE OF LOU1SBOURG 
 
 JAMES OTIS 
 
 AUTHOR OF "TOBY TYLER," "THE BOYS' REVOLT," "JENNY WREN'S 
 
 BOARDING-HOUSK," "JERRY'S FAMILY," ETC. 
 
 EUustratEti 
 
 BOSTON 
 
 ESTES AND LAURIAT 
 1895
 
 Copyright, 1893, 
 
 BY ESTES AND LAUKIAT 
 
 All rights resfrved 
 
 Typography and Printing by 
 
 C. H. Simonds &* Co. 
 
 Electrotyping by Geo. C. Scott dr Sons 
 
 Boston, U. S. A.
 
 CONTENTS, 
 
 PAGE 
 
 PREFACE 7 
 
 CHAPTER I. VOLUNTEER SOLDIERS n 
 
 CHAPTER II. AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR 27 
 
 CHAPTER III. A CHANCE SHOT 38 
 
 CHAPTER IV. A CONFESSION 55 
 
 CHAPTER V. A NIGHT ATTACK 68 
 
 CHAPTER VI. AN APPEAL 80
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 DESTROYING STORES Frontispiece 
 
 PAGE 
 
 MAJOR STORER RECEIVES THE RECRUITS 14 
 
 PHIL GUARDING DICK 
 
 "TWICE DID COLONEL VAUGHAN CALL HIM INTO THK CABIN" 
 
 DICK'S VISIT 31 
 
 " NOT A MAN COULD BE SEEN " 39 
 
 "You BRING BRAVE NEWS" 43 
 
 COLONEL VAUGHAN HIT 49 
 
 "KEEi' THE FLAMES DOWN" 51 
 
 " IT WAS You WHO TRIED TO SHOOT COLONEL VAUGHAN" . 59 
 
 "So IT WAS You" 63 
 
 "HE'LL BE HANGED" 69 
 
 PHIL is WOUNDED 73 
 
 " DICK WAS BENT, LIKE AN OLD MAN" 83 
 
 'THE SENTINEL STOOD IRRESOLUTELY" . . . . . 87 
 
 "THF. TOWN \VAS ABLAZE" 91
 
 THE BOYS OF 174? 
 
 AT THE CAPTURE OF LOUISBOURG. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 VOLUNTEER SOLDIERS. 
 
 | ^ROM the middle of February until the 24th of 
 *- March (on the day when the fleet of ninety trans- 
 ports and thirteen vessels of war sailed from Nantasket 
 Roads, in Boston Harbour, bound on an expedition of 
 war to Nova Scotia), the town of Portsmouth, in the 
 colony of New Hampshire, was in a ferment of excite- 
 ment. 
 
 That the colonies were sufficiently strong to assist the 
 mother country in war surprised the thoughtless to the 
 verge of bewilderment, and many of the better-informed 
 citizens gravely questioned whether it was not a fool- 
 hardy piece of bravado to make an attack upon a place so 
 strongly fortified as was the French port of Louisbourg 
 in Nova Scotia. 
 
 Groups of people might have been seen conversing on 
 the streets at all hours of the day, and even late in the 
 evening, without fear of reprimand from those in author-
 
 12 THE BOYS OF 1745. 
 
 ity, and it was an unusual occurrence when men or boys 
 passed each other without at least referring to the daring 
 campaign about to be begun by the colonies of Massa- 
 chusetts, Connecticut and New Hampshire. 
 
 Therefore it was that when Philip Towle and Richard 
 Sanbourne met in front of Master Leavitt's store on a 
 certain morning in March, instead of discussing the possi- 
 bility of trapping musquash or mink before the ice had 
 left the stream, they spoke of the proposed expedition, 
 and Philip startled his companion not a little by announc- 
 ing, boldly, 
 
 " I rowed across to Master Pepperrell's last evening." 
 
 " Master Pepperrell ? I should think you might call 
 him general, since he has been commissioned by the 
 Governors of three colonies." 
 
 ''Then it was to General Pepperrell's that I went," 
 Philip replied, with a smile. 
 
 " What had you to find there ? " 
 
 " I wanted to see Major John Storer, who is seeking 
 recruits." 
 
 " Have you taken it into your head to go to war, Phil 
 Towle ? " 
 
 " Why not ? I was sixteen years old last January, and 
 already have arms as the law requires. As for the 
 uniform, I can do without one, or get mother to change 
 these clothes over. Sam Lowrey has already signed the 
 rolls, and does n't intend to trouble himself about a 
 soldier's coat." 
 
 " But what made you think of such a thing ? "
 
 I'OLUA'TEKK SOLD/KKS. 13 
 
 " The need of money, Dick. You know how hard it is 
 to earn as much as may be needed for taxes, and the furs 
 I have taken this season won't sell for enough to pay 
 them. Mother does all she can, and a hard time she has 
 of it, poor thing, since father was killed." 
 
 " It is not much you can earn as a soldier. I am told 
 that the wages are only twenty-five shillings a month, 
 which means but fourteen sterling, not quite a six- 
 pence a day." 
 
 " It will be better than nothing ; and there should be 
 prize-money, so Major Storer says. Even without it, two 
 months' pay would be a great aid to mother just now." 
 
 " Then you have decided ?" 
 
 " Yes, it amounts to that ; for unless something happens 
 I shall enlist this evening." 
 
 " And the major told you there would be prize-money 
 for the soldiers ? " 
 
 " He said there should be, in case the town was cap- 
 tured." 
 
 " I suppose the soldiers will be allowed to loot it?" 
 Dick said, thoughtfully. 
 
 " It is usually considered their privilege, I am told." 
 
 " Phil, I have a mind to go with you." 
 
 " I wish you might, but there is no necessity in your 
 case, as in mine." 
 
 "That makes no difference. I don't believe father 
 would object, particularly after I tell him about the prize- 
 money." 
 
 Philip made no reply. He did not wish to influence
 
 '4 
 
 THE BOYS OF 1745. 
 
 his companion in any way, much as he would be pleased 
 to have him for a comrade. To him, the enlistment was 
 a means by which he might assist his widowed mother, 
 while Dick had no such inducement ; his father was 
 believed to be blest with a goodly share of the world's 
 goods, having been called a " miser " by more than one 
 
 reputable citizen, therefore it seemed as if his son might 
 well keep out of danger, unless his patriotism was at 
 boiling point, which was not at all probable. 
 
 With Phil, enlistment appeared to be the only way by 
 which he could earn the money his mother needed ; he 
 did not choose to become a soldier because of a love for
 
 VOLUNTEER SOLDIERS. I 5 
 
 glory, or the thought that his country needed him. An 
 invasion of Nova Scotia, whose inhabitants had never 
 done any wrong to the colony of New Hampshire, was a 
 matter which failed to arouse his enthusiasm. 
 
 Neither was Dick enthusiastic over the assault upon 
 the fortified town, save as it might give him booty; and 
 where anything of value was concerned, he could be 
 almost as "close-fisted" as his father. 
 
 When these two boys presented themselves as recruits 
 that evening, Major Storer did not question their 
 motives, but received them as gladly as he would have 
 received any other able-bodied candidates for military 
 honours who might be between the prescribed ages of 
 "sixteen and sixty." 
 
 After having been accepted as volunteer soldiers, whose 
 services were to be paid for by the colony, the new 
 recruits were allowed to spend the greater portion of their 
 time as best pleased them. There was no question of 
 living in barracks, because none were provided by the 
 Government ; it was necessary to spend two hours each 
 day in drill, and then the embryo heroes were at liberty to 
 go where they wished, save on four especial occasions, 
 when Parson Moody preached even longer sermons than 
 usual, to the supposed improvement of their military edu- 
 cation, as well as the salvation of their souls. 
 
 Dick never lost sight of the idea that it might be pos- 
 sible for him to suddenly become rich, in case the town 
 was captured and sacked ; but Phil's mind was constantly 
 dwelling upon the coming separation from his mother.
 
 1 6 THE BOYS OF 1745. 
 
 There was never a fellow in Portsmouth who could truth- 
 fully have called him a "sissy;" but he had not been 
 absent from home a single night since he was able to re- 
 member, and it was not pleasant to think of the time 
 when it would be impossible to kiss his mother good-night. 
 
 The day of parting came all too soon,, and on the morn- 
 ing of the twentieth of March, with thirty others of his 
 company, among whom was Dick Sanbourne, he went on 
 board the twelve-gun sloop "Vigilant," to be carried to 
 Nantasket Roads, the rendezvous of the squadron. 
 
 This particular squad thought they were very fortunate 
 in being drafted to one of the war-vessels, instead of 
 being quartered on board an over-crowded transport, and 
 the majority of them were in the highest spirits, believing 
 it would be but a comparatively short time before they 
 returned, crowned with wreaths of victory. Perhaps they 
 did not count on coming back wearing veritable wreaths, 
 but they certainly expected to be greeted as conquerors. 
 
 Phil was far from being in a jolly mood. He had 
 parted with his mother shortly before daybreak, and the 
 tears were not yet dried on his cheeks when the sloop's 
 mooring-lines were cast off. 
 
 It was but a short journey to the rendezvous, thanks to 
 the favouring breeze, and the ocean did not treat them 
 roughly, therefore the amateur soldiers were in good 
 bodily condition when they arrived, and Phil found an 
 antidote for homesickness in the stirring and wonderful 
 scenes around him. 
 
 The entire fleet lay at anchor in the Roads, and it was
 
 VOLUNTEER SOLDIEKS. \"J 
 
 such a spectacle as the soldiers from Portsmouth had never 
 \vitnessed before. 
 
 A hundred and three vessels, thirteen of them armed, 
 with red-coated men on every deck, and from the mast- 
 head of the frigate " Massachusetts " floating the flag 
 which bore the motto, "Nil despcrandnm. Cltristo 
 tlncc" which had been suggested by Parson George 
 Whitefield. 
 
 One day was allowed the recruits for sight-seeing, when 
 Phil and Dick visited Boston for the first time, and then 
 came the departure, when there was such an accompani- 
 ment of noisy enthusiasm that Phil had no opportunity to 
 indulge in tears. Besides, if he had felt like crying he 
 would have forced the tears back at whatever pang, for he 
 was a soldier, and as such should be too manly to whimper 
 like a baby. 
 
 Three hours later a great change came over the red- 
 coated portion of the "Vigilant's " crew. The ocean was 
 no longer in a placid mood ; the wind blew with more 
 violence than seemed necessary, and between decks lay 
 twenty-four of the thirty soldiers fast in the clutches of 
 the malady of the sea. 
 
 Phil felt confident he was beset with an illness from 
 which he would never recover, and Dick, who shared his 
 bunk, said, mournfully, 
 
 " If there were forty towns to be sacked, and I had 
 known we would be delivered up to such an attack as this, 
 not even General Pepperrell himself could have induced 
 me to come."
 
 1 8 THE BOYS OF 1745. 
 
 " It is terrible ! " Phil moaned, thinking of his mother 
 and home. 
 
 " We have been cheated ! " and Dick endeavoured to as- 
 sume a sitting posture, but desisted after striking his head 
 painfully hard against the deck-timbers. "Is this the 
 pleasure excursion that was pictured ? Major Storer said 
 men ought to pay for such a privilege, instead of expect- 
 ing to be paid ! I wonder how much he thinks would be 
 a fair price for me to pay for my enjoyment just now ? " 
 
 Phil made no reply. He was conscious only of the sen- 
 sations of faintness and nausea, and did not dare to speak. 
 
 A sailor, who came below on some errand, announced 
 that a northeast storm had sprung up, and the two boys 
 were quite convinced it could be nothing less than a 
 hurricane. 
 
 Whether it was a storm or hurricane, the foul weather 
 continued until the " Vigilant " entered the harbour of 
 Canseau, the fifth day of April, and Phil and Dick crept 
 on deck, looking like boys who had just arisen from a 
 fever. 
 
 And it was not surprising that they did look haggard 
 and worn. During the entire passage neither had been 
 able to partake of anything more nourishing than tea or 
 small fragments of ship's bread ; but hunger or weakness 
 was alike forgotten in the happy relief of being able to 
 walk about. 
 
 Dick's countenance fell as he saw the small village of 
 Canseau, which the French lately took from the English, 
 but which had changed masters once more when- the fleet 
 arrived.
 
 VOLUNTEER SOLDIERS. 19 
 
 " If Louisbourg looks anything like this settlement, we 
 shan't be benefited by looting the town," he said, ruefully. 
 " Except fish, there is nothing here worth carrying away. 
 We were fools for coming." 
 
 "That may be true in your case, but not in mine," Phil 
 replied, with a feeble attempt at a smile. " Each night I 
 have said to myself that another sixpence has been earned 
 for mother, and if the money could not be gotten in any 
 other way, I would endure the suffering over again for her 
 sake." 
 
 "Sixpences don't count with me," Dick replied, loftily. 
 " Let 's go on shore ; I want to feel the solid earth under 
 my feet once more." 
 
 "Will it be allowed?" 
 
 " Who is here to stop us ? " 
 
 " Major Storer should give us permission first." 
 
 " I don't intend to ask him. When there is any fight- 
 gin to be done he can come to me about it ; but he has no 
 authority while we are lying here idle." 
 
 Phil's idea of a soldier's duty was different, and he re- 
 fused to leave the sloop, ardently though he desired to 
 be on shore. 
 
 A boat lay at the gangway ; there was no guard near at 
 hand, and Richard Sanbourne, the son of his father, took 
 possession of her as boldly as if he was in sole command 
 of the expedition. 
 
 By a singular fortune no one in authority observed Dick 
 when he left the sloop ; but the boat was soon missed, and 
 in a short time not only the captain, but Lieutenant-
 
 20 THE BO YS OF 1745. 
 
 Colonel William Vaughan, of the New Hampshire forces, 
 who chanced to be on board at the time, knew what had 
 been done by a private soldier. 
 
 The officer was particularly angry because such a breach 
 of discipline had been committed by one of his own com- 
 mand, and a squad of men were sent at once in search of 
 Dick. 
 
 Phil was not called upon to aid in capturing the auda- 
 cious soldier, and congratulated himself on being spared 
 the disagreeable duty of assisting in making a prisoner 
 of his friend ; but before nightfall he found himself in a 
 much more unpleasant position than if he had been de- 
 tailed as one of the searchers. 
 
 Dick was on board again within an hour from the time 
 he had left so unceremoniously, and conducted at once 
 to the cabin, where he remained ten or fifteen minutes. 
 Then he was escorted on deck by two soldiers, who 
 guarded him closely until word had been brought to Phil 
 that he was to stand watch over the prisoner until further 
 orders. 
 
 For an instant there was a wild idea in the boy's mind 
 of refusing to do such duty ; but, fortunately, he realized 
 that by such a course he would not be aiding his friend, 
 and would get himself into very serious difficulties. 
 
 " There is no need of remaining below," the sergeant 
 said, as he led the way forward. " You can keep him here 
 without trouble, and as soon as we get some handcuffs 
 from the frigate you will be relieved. The orders are to 
 shoot him if he attempts to escape, so see to it that your 
 snin is loaded and ready for use."

 
 VOLUNTEER SOLDIERS. 23 
 
 Dick had not spoken since he came from the cabin, but 
 when he was left comparatively alone with Phil, he said in 
 a low, angry tone, 
 
 " If these fellows think they can treat me in this 
 manner because I am to be paid a sixpence a day, they '11 
 soon discover their mistake." 
 
 " But you are a soldier, Dick, and as such must obey 
 orders, one of which is not to absent yourself from 
 quarters without permission." 
 
 "Does Bill Vaughan fancy he can make me come at his 
 beck and call? It isn't six months since he wanted to 
 borrow money of my father, and here he is trying to make 
 out I 'm his prisoner ! " 
 
 "But you arc his prisoner, and he has the power to 
 make matters very uncomfortable for you, Dick, being an 
 officer of such high rank. Don't rage, when it will only 
 end in injury to yourself; but beg pardon for what has 
 been done, and most likely nothing more will come of your 
 little excursion." 
 
 " You must think I 'm a fool to beg Bill Vaughan's 
 pardon ! " 
 
 "I shall surely think you one if you don't." 
 
 Dick did not take kindly to such advice, and moved a 
 few paces from his friend, remaining silent several mo- 
 ments, when he turned suddenly as he said, 
 
 "Of course you don't count on carrying out the orders 
 given by the sergeant." 
 
 "What else can I do?" 
 
 "Turn your back when I want to slip over the bow."
 
 24 THE BO YS OF 1745. 
 
 "You wouldn't think of trying to swim ashore?" 
 
 "Why not ?" 
 
 " The gravest reason is, that the harbour is filled with 
 ice, and you would be chilled to the bone before swimming 
 a dozen strokes. Then, again, you might be out of the 
 frying-pan into the fire ashore, where it would be an easy 
 matter to recapture you." 
 
 "I 'm not so certain about that. Say, Phil, it will be 
 dark in half an hour. When I say the word will you look 
 aft five minutes or so ?" 
 
 " I don't dare to disobey orders, Dick." 
 
 " You 're a sneak, that 's what you are ! I shall go 
 over, whether you help me or not, and once we 're back in 
 Portsmouth, I '11 have a long score to settle with you ! "
 
 VOLUNTEER SOLDIERS. 2$ 
 
 Phil was too deeply hurt to make any reply, and Dick 
 leaned over the rail, as if no longer desirous of talking. 
 
 The sentinel felt quite certain his friend would not 
 attempt to carry into execution the threat made, and 
 walked slowly to and fro, wishing most earnestly that some 
 other soldier had been selected for the disagreeable duty. 
 
 The moments passed until the sun disappeared in the 
 western sky; the gloom of evening hung heavily over the 
 fleet, shutting out from view the shore, although so close 
 at hand, and Phil turned to reason with the prisoner just 
 as the latter leaped into the icy water. 
 
 For an instant the boy was too much alarmed and 
 surprised to make the least outcry. Even though his 
 own life had depended upon the act, he could not have 
 discharged a weapon at Dick. 
 
 While one might have counted twenty he remained 
 silent and motionless, and then cried at the full strength 
 of his lungs, 
 
 " Man overboard ! Man overboard ! " 
 
 A dozen sailors and soldiers were by his side almost as 
 soon as the words had been uttered, but even then nothing 
 could be seen of the escaping prisoner. 
 
 Two hours later the boats returned from searching the 
 harbour and shore, and the report was that the labour had 
 been in vain. 
 
 " He must have sunk almost as soon as he struck the 
 icy water, sir," the sergeant reported to the captain. "It 
 don't stand to reason a boy could swim a dozen yards 
 while it is so cold."
 
 26 THE BOYS OF 1745. 
 
 Next morning, on the books of the company was the 
 following entry : 
 
 "April 5th, 1745. Richard Sanbourne, while under 
 guard for disobedience of orders, leaped overboard, and 
 was drowned."
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR. 
 
 T)HIL'S grief because of the untimely fate of Dick 
 *- Sanbourne was most intense. He reproached him- 
 self with being responsible for the sad affair, although he 
 could not explain why he was at fault. 
 
 Dick's chances for escape would not have been bet- 
 tered had the sentinel offered him every assistance in his 
 power, while there could be no question but that matters 
 might have been readily adjusted had the prisoner fol- 
 lowed his friend's advice. 
 
 The young recruit had been guilty of insubordination ; 
 but on this expedition that was not a very serious matter, 
 for the officers and men were friends or acquaintances, and 
 there was no very decided attempt to exact strict military 
 obedience. 
 
 Phil's comrades, on learning that he reproached him- 
 self as having contributed in some degree to his friend's 
 probable death, used every effort to disabuse his mind of 
 such an idea, and the result was that he soon found him- 
 self the object of so much attention as to cause positive 
 embarrassment. Twice did Colonel Vaughan call him into 
 the cabin of the sloop to consider the matter carefully, 
 and on each occasion did his best to convince the young 
 
 27
 
 28 THE BOYS OF 1745. 
 
 soldier that he was in no wise responsible for the deplor- 
 able event ; but without success. 
 
 On the following Sunday Phil asked permission to 
 attend the services held by Parson Moody, and listened 
 to the unusually long sermon intently, although there was 
 much which would ordinarily have distracted his atten- 
 tion. Save for the words of the clergyman, the Sabbath 
 presented nothing of that sanctity so marked at home ; 
 on every hand were troops being drilled, workmen mov- 
 ing rapidly to and fro, or little knots of men discussing 
 secular matters with so much vehemence as to almost 
 drown the preacher's trumpet-like tones. 
 
 To Phil's disappointment, the good man made no ref- 
 erence to anything which might give his troubled heart 
 relief. The text, " Thy people shall be willing in the day 
 of Thy power," was used with reference to the probable 
 capture of the fortified town, and the proposed destruc- 
 tion of such places of worship as did not meet with 
 Parson Moody's approbation. 
 
 He returned to his quarters more depressed than ever, 
 and the three weeks of inactivity which elapsed before 
 the expedition could proceed, because of the ice which yet 
 blocked the entrance to the harbour of Louisbourg, only 
 aided in increasing his melancholy. 
 
 Then came the day when anticipations of immediate 
 battle drove from his mind all thoughts not connected 
 with a soldier's duties. The fleet set sail for Gabarus 
 Bay, and, twenty-four hours later, the troups were dis- 
 embarked before the town which was to be captured.
 
 AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR. 2Q 
 
 It had not been possible to surprise the enemy, there- 
 fore those who had anticipated a sudden victory were 
 forced to prepare for a regular siege, in which raw 
 recruits were to try their metal against the strongest 
 fortifications in the New World, defended by veterans. 
 
 There was a slight resistance to the landing ; but Phil 
 saw nothing of this first violence. The " Vigilant " had 
 not yet arrived inside the bay when it occurred, and, owing 
 to the wind, the rattle of musketry could not be heard 
 from her decks. 
 
 During the twenty-four hours which followed, Phil was 
 wretched, both in body and mind. The troops were 
 stationed near the shore, with no shelter save such as 
 could be found amid the stunted bushes, and the wind, 
 damp from its long journey over the sea, seemed as cold 
 as in winter. 
 
 On the morning after the embarkation word was 
 brought to Phil that Colonel Vaughan wished to speak 
 with him, and the boy went at once to the small cluster 
 of fishermen's shanties where the officers of the expedi- 
 tion were quartered. 
 
 " We are about to make a reconnoissance, lad, and it is 
 my fancy to have you with me. You will be exposed to 
 less danger by remaining in the ranks, therefore it is a 
 request rather than a command." 
 
 " I shall be very glad to accompany you, sir," Phil 
 replied, modestly. " I expected to be confronted by 
 danger when I enlisted as a soldier." 
 
 " Well said, lad. See to it that you carry all your 
 blankets, and return here immediately."
 
 30 THE BOYS OF 1745. 
 
 Phil's heart was beating violently when he reported for 
 duty. One glance at the apparently impregnable fortifi- 
 cations had been sufficient to convince him there would be 
 plenty of blood spilled before victory could be won by 
 either party, and he was about to begin his portion of the 
 struggle. 
 
 Four hundred men had been drawn up in line, and 
 when Colonel Vaughan emerged from the huts, this body 
 of troops was marched directly toward the hills which 
 overlooked the town. 
 
 Phil was not burdened with arduous duties. He re- 
 mained near the commander, and from time to time per- 
 formed certain trifling services. It appeared very much as 
 if the colonel had attached the boy to his staff as an act 
 of kindness, rather than from the idea that he could be 
 of especial benefit. The troops marched as near the town 
 as was deemed safe, and there were ordered to salute the 
 enemy with three cheers, rather an odd proceeding, as 
 Phil thought. Then, without further demonstrations, the 
 command made a detour behind the hills in the rear of 
 Grand Battery, which was situated in such a position as to 
 command the entrance to the harbour, near " extensive 
 magazines of naval stores." 
 
 The men understood why they had been called out, 
 when orders were given to destroy all the property not 
 protected by the guns of the battery, and during the 
 remainder of the day Phil witnessed such deeds as he had 
 believed could never be enacted. Valuable stores were 
 given to the flames ; buildings sacked of such ammunition
 
 AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR. 31 
 
 as could readily be carried away, and then sacrificed, and 
 a spirit of wanton destruction seemed to have taken pos- 
 session of all. 
 
 It was a picture of war enlivened by no acts of heroism. 
 
 Not until an hour after nightfall was the work finished, 
 and then Colonel Vaughan believed it imprudent to return 
 
 to the main army, four miles distant, lest he fall into an 
 ambush. 
 
 The soldiers bivouacked near the ruins of the buildings, 
 where the heat from the glowing embers tempered the 
 wind to the blanketless men, and, when a portion of the 
 rations brought with them had been eaten, each one dis- 
 posed of himself for the night as best suited his fancy. 
 
 Sentinels were stationed, as a matter of course, yet 
 they were not so numerous but that a large body of the 
 enemy might have approached unobserved ; and had the 
 occupants of the battery made a sortie at any time from
 
 32 THE BOYS OF 1746. 
 
 midnight until morning, the surprise must have been 
 complete. 
 
 Colonel Vaughan was not lodged more comfortably 
 than his men. He laid down between two half-burned 
 timbers, at a point nearest the enemy, and a dozen yards 
 from him was Phil. 
 
 It was a long while before the boy's eyes closed in 
 slumber, and then it seemed as if he had but just fallen 
 into unconsciousness when a pressure upon his arm 
 aroused him. 
 
 The fires were burning so low that but little light 
 illumined the darkness, and Phil felt, rather than saw, 
 that some one had crawled under his blanket beside 
 him. 
 
 The first thought was that a comrade, less generously 
 provided with coverings against the cold, was taking 
 advantage of his belongings, and he settled down for 
 another nap, regardless of the intruder, when a voice 
 whispered in his ear, 
 
 " Don't you know me ? " 
 
 Phil sprang up in alarm, for he recognized the voice of 
 Dick, Dick whom he had firmly believed was dead ; but 
 the intruder pulled him roughly down as he whispered 
 fiercely, 
 
 " Keep quiet, or some of the sentinels will see me ; I 
 don't intend to give Bill Vaughan a chance to make me 
 prisoner again." 
 
 "But where have you come from? How did you get 
 here ? I thought you
 
 AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR. 33 
 
 "Believed I was dead, eh?" And, despite his danger, 
 Dick gave vent to an audible chuckle. 
 
 " Every one supposed you drowned within a few mo- 
 ments after leaping into the water." 
 
 "Then every one must be a fool. So long as I kept 
 well under the surface, I did n't suffer from the cold. It 
 was when I crawled out that trouble began. . I thought I 
 should freeze to death " 
 
 "How did you avoid it ? " 
 
 "Kept in motion. Ran the best I knew how till I got 
 rid of the numbness, and you can fancy I did n't remain 
 near the shore. About a mile away I struck a small hut 
 where a fisherman lived, and there I got thawed out. It 
 cost me two shillings to prevent him from taking me 
 back, but I would n't have begrudged twice the amount." 
 
 " But you were then at Canseau, and now we are near 
 Louisbourg." 
 
 " You seem to have a fairly good idea of affairs, even 
 though you are serving under such a chuckle-head as Bill 
 Vaughan. We arc near Louisbourg." 
 
 " But how did you get here ?" 
 
 "The fisherman is a Frenchman. He didn't care to 
 remain at Canseau after the English took possession, and 
 made all haste to reach Louisbourg. By the expenditure 
 of two shillings more I was allowed to come with him. 
 The price was much too high, for I did my full share of 
 work in running the boat, and without my assistance he 
 never would have arrived." 
 
 "We were told the harbour was blocked with ice."
 
 34 THE BOYS OF 1745. 
 
 " So it was ; but we could land almost anywhere from 
 our dory, and once ashore on this island, I turned French- 
 man. I have been stationed at the Grand Battery, which 
 you passed yesterday." 
 
 " Then how does it happen you are here with me." 
 
 " I'll tell you a big secret, Phil, and if you are sharp 
 you can turn it to your advantage. The battery is to be 
 abandoned ; already the men are marching out. They are 
 cowards, for half their number could hold it against the 
 crowd Bill Vaughan has brought here ; but they won't 
 listen to me, and to-morrow you people can take posses- 
 sion." 
 
 "How will it be of benefit to me ? " 
 
 "Wait until that money-borrowing Vaughan leaves 
 this place, and then take possession yourself. General 
 Pepperrell will hear what you have done, and cannot fail 
 to give a handsome reward, one-half of which you must 
 turn over to me. That is why I run the risk to pay you 
 a visit to-night. If you work this matter properly there 
 will be more in it for us than we could get by sacking 
 Louisbourg, even though we entered the town in the 
 front ranks." 
 
 Phil remained silent. He failed to understand the 
 matter as Dick apparently did. In case the battery was 
 to be abandoned, he was not the one who should reap the 
 benefit of the discovery, and just at that moment it seemed 
 his duty to tell Colonel Vaughan all he had heard. 
 
 Dick suspected the thoughts which were in his com- 
 rade's mind, and said, threateningly,
 
 AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR. 35 
 
 " Don't think you can get the credit and all the reward 
 at the same time. I have put myself in your power, so far 
 as Bill Vaughan may be able to do me an injury, but 
 pledge my word that you '11 never live to see Portsmouth 
 again if you try to play me false." 
 
 "I haven't any idea of trying to play you or any one 
 false," Phil replied, indignantly. " I did n't ask you to 
 come with the story of the abandonment of the battery, 
 and most likely the men will discover what has been done 
 as soon as daybreak. My getting a reward for reporting 
 what another could see as well as I is nonsense." 
 
 " It 's sound common sense if you have courage enough 
 to carry it out properly. Manage to loiter behind when 
 the troops leave, and then go boldly into the works ; I '11 
 see to it that a messenger is at hand to carry the joyful 
 tidings, and you can hold the place alone until men are 
 sent from headquarters to take possession. You will 
 make your name famous ; I shall be revenged on Bill 
 Vaughan, for of course he will be reprimanded for not 
 discovering such a valuable piece of news, and both of us 
 will make money out of the transaction." 
 
 " Look here, Dick," Phil said, suddenly, as a plan for 
 changing the subject of the conversation occurred to him ; 
 " do you know what risks you have taken in coming here 
 with a scheme to make a few shillings ? " 
 
 " You mean that Vaughan may get hold of me ? " 
 
 " That is also possible ; but it may be a very serious 
 matter so far as your new friends are concerned. If they 
 should learn that you have been here, visiting the enemy,
 
 36 THE BOYS OF 1745. 
 
 can't you see what would happen ? You would be con- 
 sidered a spy, and hanged at the shortest notice. This is 
 war, instead of a pleasure excursion, as we were led to 
 believe, and when a man or a boy either, for that matter, 
 is suspected of giving information to the enemy, the end 
 comes cruelly quick." 
 
 "I have n't given any information," Dick replied, with 
 an effort to speak calmly, but his friend understood that 
 he was thoroughly frightened. 
 
 " That is true ; but if the French should learn of this 
 visit, could you persuade them that such was the fact ? " 
 
 "They've got more sense than the men you are 
 serving." 
 
 " That would n't prevent them from dealing in the usual 
 manner with a spy. As the matter now stands, you are 
 liable to be arrested and shot by the English for having de- 
 serted in the face of the enemy, or hung by the French." 
 
 " As you figure it, I might as well consider myself dead 
 already," Dick replied, grimly, but his voice trembled per- 
 pcetibly, despite his attempts to render it steady. 
 
 " I believe you will soon come to some violent end 
 unless you take a sharp turn at once. Why not give 
 yourself up to Colonel Vaughan now ? I am certain 
 everything can be made right, more especially since you 
 bring such good news, and it will be plain sailing in the 
 future." 
 
 " Do you think I would let him get hold of me again ? " 
 
 " You must forget that he is a townsman whom you 
 have known well, and look upon him only as an officer in 
 the colonial forces."
 
 AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR. 37 
 
 " I '11 look upon him for just what he is, and nothing 
 more. It is easy to see that you are trying to curry favour 
 with the villain, and I may as well go back. Remember 
 this, Phil Towle, if you do not come into my scheme 
 for getting a reward out of General Pepperrell, you 
 are to hold your tongue regarding what I have told you." 
 
 " I don't know what I ought to do," Phil replied, in a 
 tone of perplexity. 
 
 " I do, and if you try to get the best of me there '11 be 
 more trouble for you than there is in this whole business 
 of attempting to capture Louisbourg. Don't dare so 
 much as dream of what I have said unless you are will- 
 ing to do exactly as I direct. I am going now, but it will 
 be a simple matter to get at you if there is any necessity 
 for so doing." 
 
 Dick began to crawl out of the blankets without rising, 
 and Phil, paying no attention to the threat, said, implor- 
 ingly, 
 
 " Don't run such a risk, Dick ! Stay here, and I will do 
 my best to get you out of the scrape in which you placed 
 yourself by going on shore without permission." 
 
 " You '11 do nothing unless I say the word, remember 
 that ! If you give the slightest hint to Bill Vaughan of 
 what I told you 
 
 Dick did not conclude the threat, probably believing it 
 would be more terrifying if incomplete, and almost before 
 Phil was aware that he had started, the visitor was lost to 
 view in the darkness.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 A CHANCE SHOT. 
 
 THERE was no possibility that Philip Towle, private, 
 in the colonial forces from New Hampshire, would 
 be able to sleep very much on this night after the destruc- 
 tion of the enemy's naval stores. 
 
 That which the visitor had told him was sufficient to 
 drive from his mind all thoughts of everything save the 
 proper course to be pursued. 
 
 It appeared as if his duty as a soldier demanded that 
 he give the startling information to Colonel Vaughan at 
 once ; but he was deterred by the thought that it would 
 also be necessary to explain how he learned the news, in 
 which case Dick's position would become more serious 
 than it already was. 
 
 Had it been a secret, the keeping of which might have 
 involved possible loss of life, he would not have hesitated ; 
 but it was only a question of taking possession of the bat- 
 tery a few hours sooner or later, and he finally decided 
 there could be no harm in allowing matters to remain as 
 they were. 
 
 Never for an instant did he entertain the idea of trying 
 to gain a reward, as Dick had suggested. 
 
 Not once did he close his eyes in sleep, and when the 
 
 38
 
 A CHANCE SHOT. 41 
 
 sun rose he was the first member of the party ready for 
 the duties of the day. 
 
 Eagerly he gazed toward that splendid fortification 
 known as the Grand Battery instantly it was sufficiently 
 light to see surrounding objects, and there was certainly 
 good reason to believe Dick had told nothing more than 
 the truth. 
 
 Not a man could be seen in or about the works, while 
 on the previous afternoon it had been possible to distin- 
 guish the sentinels as they paced to and fro. 
 
 Colonel Vaughan's first act after awakening was to send 
 all the troops, save a dozen men, back to the shore, since 
 there was apparently nothing more to be done in that 
 vicinity. 
 
 With the small squad the colonel ate breakfast, chat- 
 ting cheerily with Phil, meanwhile, on indifferent topics, 
 and not until fully half an hour had elapsed did he show 
 any inclination to retrace his steps. 
 
 It seemed strange to Phil that not a single member of 
 the party took notice of the fact that the enemy's senti- 
 nels could no longer be seen, and in the hope that some 
 one might note the works more particularly, he asked 
 several questions concerning them. 
 
 "That battery will do us a power of harm before we 
 succeed in reducing it," the colonel replied, without so 
 much as glancing in the direction Phil most desired. " It 
 is exceptionally strong, and the loss of life must neces- 
 sarily be great when we finally assault it, as we shall be 
 forced to do before the main works can be captured."
 
 42 THE BO YS OF 1745. 
 
 Then Vaughan talked with some of the elder members 
 of the party as to the route they would take in returning 
 to the shore, and Phil realized he must speak more plainly 
 if the evacuation was to be discovered. 
 
 " Colonel," he cried, suddenly, as if his attention had 
 but just been attracted to the subject, "isn't it strange 
 that we can't see any sentinels this morning? They were 
 in full view last night." 
 
 This proved sufficient. 
 
 All gazed intently at the frowning works, and after 
 some discussion, the little party moved yet nearer. 
 
 " Their flag is no longer flying ! " Colonel Vaughan 
 exclaimed. " It does n't seem possible such a strong post 
 could be abandoned, and yet it surely has that appear- 
 ance." 
 
 It was possible there might be in this apparent evac- 
 uation an ambush planned, and instead of venturing 
 boldly inside, the colonel hired an Indian from Cape Cod, 
 who had accompanied the troop as guide, to make an 
 examination. 
 
 In less than five minutes after the Indian had crept 
 through one of the embrasures, the gate was thrown open, 
 and the small force took possession of the place which it 
 had been supposed would cost many lives in the taking. 
 
 " Can you make your way back to General Pepperrell's 
 headquarters ? " Colonel Vaughan asked Phil, shortly after 
 they were inside the works. 
 
 " I do not think I should have any difficulty in doing 
 so, sir."
 
 A CHANCE SHOT. 45 
 
 " Then carry him a message, and I venture to say he 
 will receive no visitor to-day who brings better news." 
 
 He wrote hurriedly the following v/ords : 
 
 " May it please your honour to be informed that by the 
 grace of God, and the courage of thirteen men, I entered 
 the royal battery about nine o'clock, and am waiting for 
 reinforcement and a flag." 
 
 Phil started off at full speed, giving no heed to the 
 brambles which tore his clothes and scratched his face as 
 he pressed through the tangled underbrush. His only 
 thought was to reach headquarters as soon as possible, 
 that a sufficient number of men to hold the battery might 
 be sent before the enemy could discover how needlessly 
 they had been alarmed. 
 
 He arrived in good season, and when admitted to 
 General Pepperrell's presence was breathing heavily from 
 the fatigue of the rapid and painful journey. 
 
 " You bring brave news, young sir," the general said, 
 in a tone of glad surprise, after reading the brief note. 
 " I judge you have lost no time on the way." 
 
 " It was necessary I should get here quickly, sir, for 
 men are needed to hold the works." 
 
 " They shall be sent without delay, and here is some- 
 thing which will keep you in remembrance of this day's 
 fortunate happenings." 
 
 The general handed Phil two gold coins, a greater 
 amount of money than the boy had ever seen at one time 
 before, and was about to make some further remark 
 when Colonel Messerve entered, looking thoroughly mys- 
 tified, as he cried,
 
 46 THE BOYS OF 1745. 
 
 "Four boats loaded with men have left the town, 
 evidently bound in the direction of the Grand Battery! 
 Vaughan must be in that vicinity ! " 
 
 Instantly all was confusion ; orders were given hur- 
 riedly, rapidly executed, and it seemed to Phil he had not 
 been in camp five minutes when two hundred men were 
 on the double-quick to reenforce their comrades. 
 
 From where he stood, the boy could see Vaughan and 
 his small troop drawn up in line on the beach to oppose 
 the intended landing, and he had the satisfaction of watch- 
 ing the brave fellows hold the enemy in check until those 
 who had been sent in support arrived. 
 
 Colonel Vaughan returned to headquarters after Brig- 
 adier Waldo and his regiment were in peaceful possession 
 of the battery, and Phil presented himself for duty. 
 
 "It will be a long while, now the city is invested, 
 before we shall see any more fighting, so set about put- 
 ting up something which will serve you as a camp. It 
 has been ordered that all the spare sails in the fleet be 
 sent ashore, with which to make tents ; but I fancy a boy 
 like you can soon build a better shelter than they will 
 form. You may report to your captain that you are on 
 detached duty under me, and after the hut is built, let me 
 know." 
 
 By this means Phil escaped the heavy work of aiding in 
 the landing of the guns and stores, which was most ar- 
 duous as well as dangerous, and before nightfall he had 
 constructed a shanty which would protect him from the 
 wind, if not the rain.
 
 A CHANCE SHOT. 47 
 
 It was built of spruce boughs, with turf laid around the 
 sides, and was by no means the poorest of the many rude 
 substitutes for camps to be seen on either side of the 
 brook running from the hills a couple of miles southwest 
 of the town. 
 
 After the transports had been unladen came the labour 
 of dragging cannon to the spot selected for the first 
 battery, on Green Hill, two miles from where the stores 
 were landed, and this labour was excessive, as Phil had 
 ample opportunity to learn. 
 
 While there was nothing to be done save to make prep- 
 arations for bombarding the town, it was not reasonable 
 that Colonel Vaughan would keep the boy on detached 
 duty very long, therefore he was forced to do his share of 
 the fatiguing work. 
 
 During two weeks he aided in dragging the heavy 
 pieces of ordnance across marshy ground, so soft that it 
 was necessary to place them on sledges lest they should 
 sink beyond recovery, and to each of these rude vehicles 
 two hundred soldiers were harnessed with breast-straps 
 and rope traces. 
 
 More than once did it seem to Phil as if he could no 
 longer perform his share of the task, so nearly was he 
 exhausted ; but the thought that the gold presented by 
 General Pepperrell was sufficient in amount to relieve his 
 mother of her most pressing wants served to animate 
 him, despite the monotony and brutish nature of the 
 labour. 
 
 Then, when Phil was thoroughly weary with this kind
 
 48 THE BOYS OF 1745. 
 
 of a soldier's life, came the welcome summons to present 
 himself at headquarters, where he found a squad of men 
 drawn up preparatory to making a reconnoissance under 
 the lead of Colonel Vaughan, and he soon learned he was 
 to accompany the party. 
 
 The purpose of the movement was to ascertain the 
 most advantageous spot at which an assault could be 
 made. 
 
 From the manner in which the leader set about the 
 work, it could be understood that he hoped something 
 more might be done than simply surveying the land, for 
 no man "enjoyed" a battle better than did the Lieutenant 
 Colonel of the New Hampshire forces, and a skirmish did 
 not come amiss, to his mind, when nothing more serious 
 was possible. 
 
 Instead of proceeding directly to the spot where Gen- 
 eral Pepperrell believed artillery could be used to the best 
 advantage, a long dttour was made, which brought the 
 squad on the high land north of the city, where was a 
 heavy growth of timber to screen them from view. 
 
 Once in this place, scrutinizing the town he hoped 
 would soon be captured, Colonel Vaughan gave little 
 heed to his men, so intent was he in gaining all the 
 information possible relative to the movements of the 
 enemy, and the soldiers were allowed to ramble here and 
 there at will, the only restriction being that they keep 
 within hailing distance of each other. 
 
 Phil and the colonel were in a dense clump of spruce 
 trees, and the latter was hewing off some of the branches
 
 A CHANCE SHOT. 
 
 49 
 
 with his sword, in order to gain a better view of the 
 beleaguered town, when a single report rang out, sharp 
 and distinct, as a bullet cut the skin on the officer's face. 
 
 For an instant both the colonel and Phil thought the 
 former was seriously wounded, but when the trifling 
 nature of the hurt was discovered, anger succeeded fear. 
 
 "Whoever discharged that musket intended to kill 
 me ! " Colonel Vaughan exclaimed, sharply. " Hello ! 
 Where are you, men ? " 
 
 The soldiers, having 
 heard the report and fancy- 
 ing an attack was being 
 made, were already com- 
 ing at full speed toward 
 their commander, and the 
 words had hardly been 
 spoken before all the squad 
 were within the thicket. 
 
 "Did any of you dis- 
 charge a musket just now?" Each denied in turn hav- 
 ing done anything of the kind, and showed his loaded 
 gun in proof of the statement. 
 
 " It isn't possible one of the enemy can be outside the 
 city, for this portion of the island has been traversed 
 many times by our soldiers since we landed," the officer 
 said, in a low tone, to Phil. "There 's mischief afoot, and 
 we must know what it is. You are to stay here with the 
 men, to make certain they do not leave the place, and I 
 will do a little reconnoitring on my own account."
 
 5O THE BOYS OF 1745. 
 
 "You surely don't intend to go alone!" Phil cried, in 
 alarm. 
 
 "I shall be safer than with companions. Do as I have 
 bidden, and take good care to keep a sharp watch on all 
 the men." 
 
 The colonel disappeared amid the underbrush as he 
 ceased speaking, and Phil tried in vain to fancy who could 
 have any cause of enmity against so kind an officer. 
 
 Just once did his thoughts wander to Dick Sanbourne, 
 but he dismissed the subject immediately, for he had good 
 reason to believe that young gentleman was secure behind 
 the walls of the city. 
 
 Colonel Vaughan was absent half an hour, and when he 
 returned, the men were ordered back to headquarters, 
 although the purpose for which they came out had not 
 been accomplished. 
 
 Phil asked no questions relative to what might have 
 been discovered ; but before the march had come to an 
 end, the colonel said, in a low tone, as if fearful his words 
 would be overheard by those in the rear, 
 
 " Do you want to know what I saw a short distance 
 from where we were standing when that shot was fired ? " 
 
 " I do, unless you wish to keep it a secret." 
 
 " Not from you, lad ; for I expect you will aid me in 
 solving the mystery. The footprints of a man were plain 
 upon the turf, and I even saw where he rested his gun to 
 take aim. That would n't have been so very surprising, 
 since we know perfectly well some one was there, but I 
 believe it was a member of our own regiment ! "

 
 A CHANCE SHOT. 53 
 
 " Why do you think so, sir ? " Phil asked, in astonishment. 
 
 " Because of the footprints. I could almost swear the 
 boots which made them came from old Tyson's shop. 
 There is n't a cobbler in the colonies, and it goes without 
 saying that there are none in France who cuts such a 
 peculiar sole ; the toe is the widest part of it." 
 
 " But who among our men would try to kill you, sir ? " 
 
 " That is exactly what I propose to find out, if possible. 
 When we arrive at headquarters you are to go directly to 
 your shanty, and wait until I come, which will probably 
 not be till late in the evening." 
 
 After giving this order the colonel relapsed into a silence 
 which was not broken until the command was dismissed 
 in front of the hut occupied by General Pepperrell. 
 
 Phil did as he had been bidden, and there remained, 
 listening to the roaring of the guns from the advanced 
 battery, wishing he was at liberty to go where he could 
 see what execution was being done. 
 
 At sunset no word had been received from the colonel, 
 and the boy built a small fire in front of the hut with 
 which to cook the meal that made up his portion of the 
 day's rations. 
 
 The cannon were still being worked, and from time to 
 time squads of men passed him on their way to watch the 
 gunners. More than one invited Phil to follow, but he 
 shook his head. The order was to remain in his camp, 
 and he did not intend to disobey, whatever might be the 
 attraction at the front. 
 
 The evening passed, and yet no word from the colonel.
 
 54 THE BOYS OF 1745. 
 
 One by one the men off duty sought the shelter of their 
 poor apologies for tents, until not a person was to be seen 
 within Phil's range of vision. 
 
 He piled his camp-fire high with wood, and laid down in 
 front of it. The earth no longer trembled under the de- 
 tonations of the cannon ; the sighing of the wind could 
 be heard from among the trees, and the monotonous mur- 
 mur of the surf wooed the tired boy to slumber. 
 
 Then came a time when he fancied he heard in a dream 
 his own name called softly, but not until it had been re- 
 peated several times did he realize that it was a reality, 
 and not the result of a vision. 
 
 Once he understood this fact, he sprang to his feet, 
 rubbing his eyes to free them from the mist of slumber, 
 but there was no person to be seen. 
 
 " It must have been a dream after all, and yet it sounded 
 wonderfully distinct," he muttered to himself; and then, 
 observing that the fire was burning low, he began collect- 
 ing fuel with which to replenish it, when from his hut came 
 a hoarse whisper : 
 
 " Keep the flame down ! Can't you understand that I 
 don't want to be seen here ? " 
 
 Phil's surprise was so great as to amount almost to be 
 wilderment, for he recognized Dick Sanbourne's voice. 
 
 " Come in, can't you ? " the invisible speaker added, in a 
 tone of irritation. " I don't propose to lay around here 
 all night while your wits are wool-gathering." 
 
 Phil entered the shanty, by no means pleased to meet 
 his old friend again.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 A CONFESSION. 
 
 T~\ICK acted as if he had good cause for complaint 
 *--' because Phil did not give him a hearty greeting, 
 and said in an injured tone, 
 
 "You don't seem very glad to see me! " 
 
 " I am not." 
 
 " You 're getting stuck up because Bill Vaughan has 
 taken you under his wing; that 's what 's the matter." 
 
 " I did n't know he had < taken me under his wing,' as 
 you call it. I have tried to do my duty 
 
 " For which you are to get nearly a sixpence a day, if 
 the colony can raise money enough to pay the men who 
 have enlisted," Dick interrupted, with a sneer. 
 
 " Yes, that was the amount agreed upon, and we have 
 no right to find fault. There has been no change in the 
 price since the day on which we enlisted, and then it 
 seemed sufficient." 
 
 " So it would have been had Storer's stories turned out 
 true ; we were to come on a pleasure excursion, and be 
 paid for it. Instead, we were sent down here to be 
 killed." 
 
 "There hasn't been any very great slaughter thus far." 
 
 " Wait till the city is assaulted, and then you will see 
 the blood run. Louisbourg is fortified so strongly that ten 
 
 55
 
 56 THE BOYS OF 1745. 
 
 times the number of men at Pepperrell's command couldn't 
 force an entrance." 
 
 " I admit there is good reason for you to speak so 
 positively ; but tell me why you are not behind the walls 
 now ? Did the French suspect you ? " 
 
 " I never went back to find out. You said so much 
 about what might be done, I concluded it wasn't safe." 
 
 " And it would have been very dangerous, I firmly 
 believe. If suspicion had arisen that you had visited our 
 men just before the battery was abandoned, it would have 
 been a short shrift for you." 
 
 " Most likely I should have pulled through all right ; but 
 I am willing to confess you frightened^ me, and I steered 
 clear of both parties until hunger has driven me here." 
 
 "Where have you been staying ?" 
 
 " In the woods." 
 
 " You might have been taken by some of our men." 
 
 " It 's easy to keep clear of them. I got along all 
 right while my ammunition held out ; but now that is 
 gone I am on precious short allowance. Instead of ask- 
 ing so many questions, why not give me something to 
 eat? I am nearly starved." 
 
 Phil believed, from the visitor's tone, that he was 
 speaking the truth, and his sympathies were aroused. 
 
 The only food he had was a portion of the hasty- 
 pudding made that evening; but he set it before Dick, 
 who ate as if he was indeed nearly famished. 
 
 " If I had known there was a chance you would come, 
 I 'd saved more ; but, supposing you safe inside Louis-
 
 A CONFESSION. 57 
 
 bourg, the possibility that others might need my rations 
 never occurred to me. Say, Dick, do you realize that 
 each day makes your case worse?" 
 
 "In what way ?" the visitor asked, speaking indistinctly, 
 because his mouth was so full of pudding. 
 
 " After it is known you have been hanging around so 
 long in the enemy's service, there will be less sympathy 
 felt when you ask for pardon." 
 
 " Do you think I 'm going to do anything of that kind, 
 especially to Bill Vaughan?" 
 
 " But you must, otherwise how will you get home ? " 
 " I can work that part of it all right," was the confident 
 reply. 
 
 " How ? " 
 
 " There '11 soon be a vessel sailing for Boston, and I shall 
 smuggle myself on board. The voyage won't be so long 
 but that I can remain stowed away until she arrives." 
 " But even then you won't dare go to Portsmouth." 
 "Wouldn't I? Just give me the chance, that's all!" 
 " But don't you fear being arrested as a deserter ? " 
 " Bill Vaughan won't talk so loud when we are home 
 again. My father can fix everything, once I am there." 
 
 Phil believed the crime of desertion would not be 
 passed over so readily, even though Dick's father was 
 reputed to be a wealthy man ; but he forbore from press- 
 ing the matter further. It could easily be seen that the 
 visitor fancied anything he might do could be atoned for 
 with money, and it would be useless to make an attempt 
 to convince him to the contrary.
 
 58 THE BOYS OF 1745. 
 
 Dick ate that which had been set before him, and then 
 looked around hungrily for more. 
 
 " That was all I had," Phil said, interpreting the look. 
 " If you will wait, perhaps I can borrow something from 
 the man who is encamped close at hand." 
 
 "Don't try it!" Dick said, sharply, when Phil made a 
 motion to leave the shanty. " I have n't got any too 
 much confidence in you, and don't propose that word shall 
 be sent to Bill Vaughan." 
 
 " I didn't betray you before, therefore why should I do 
 so now ? " 
 
 " I won't give you a chance ; there 's no knowing what 
 you might do for the sake of a poured or two out of my 
 capture." 
 
 " I am not so fond of money as that. If it was really 
 my duty to tell of your being on the island, I should do it 
 at all hazards." 
 
 "You're a canting hypocrite Dick checked him- 
 self suddenly, as if he had spoken more plainly than was 
 his intention, and added, in a coaxing tone, "Look here, 
 Phil, we 've always been friends, and you know I 'm willing 
 to do you a good turn at any time, so now do one for 
 me when I am in such trouble." 
 
 " What do you want ? " 
 
 " Powder and ball. With plenty of ammunition, I can 
 shoot game enough to keep me alive until a vessel sails 
 for Boston." 
 
 " I have n't got very much," and Phil shook his powder- 
 horn.
 
 A CONFESSION. 59 
 
 " It '11 do till I come again," Dick said, as he stretched 
 out his hand for the horn. " If I had n't wasted that shot 
 this afternoon I need n't have come to-night, and, perhaps, 
 by a lucky turn, might have found a chance to leave this 
 place without your knowing anything about it." 
 
 Fhil was on the point of handing the powder to his 
 companion when the latter spoke ; but suddenly he drew 
 
 it back as he looked intently at Dick, his face paling be- 
 cause of his newly-aroused suspicions. 
 
 " What is the matter ? " the visitor asked, sharply, 
 alarmed at the change which had come over his friend. 
 " What is the matter ? Why don't you speak, instead of 
 staring in that way ? " 
 
 " Dick Sanbourne," Phil said, in a low, accusing tone, 
 "it was you who tried to shoot Colonel Vaughan this 
 afternoon ! " 
 
 For an instant Dick acted as if about to deny the accu- 
 sation, and then spoke angrily :
 
 60 THE BOYS OF 1745. 
 
 " Well, what if it was ? Is that any business of yours ? " 
 
 " It certainly is. My duty is to protect, or assist in 
 doing so, our officers, and 
 
 " I suppose you 're running this whole war, aint you ? 
 You protect the officers ! You 'd better go back to your 
 mother, where you belong, and not play at being a soldier 
 any longer. I shall settle my score with Bill Vaughan 
 before I leave here, and you can't prevent me, mighty as 
 you act now." 
 
 "I shall do my best," Phil replied, gravely, as he at- 
 tempted to rise to his feet. 
 
 Dick, who had been seated between Phil and the en- 
 trance to the shanty, sprang to his feet before the latter 
 could change his position, and, pushing him back with one 
 hand, twisted the powder-horn from his grasp with the 
 other. 
 
 Then, raising his musket as a club, he said in a guarded 
 tone, 
 
 " Make one attempt to give an alarm, and I will strike 
 you down ! I don't intend to be drawn over the coals 
 when a blow will settle it all ! Give me that ! " 
 
 Before Phil had fairly recovered from the surprise 
 caused by the sudden change in his former friend, the 
 latter made a clutch at the pouch containing bullets, 
 which was on the ground near the bed of pine boughs. 
 
 " Now I 've got all I need, and can take care of myself. 
 I know this island better than any of these make-believe 
 soldiers, for I 've been all over it, so it won't make any 
 difference if you do raise an alarm. None of your crowd 
 can catch me, especially after dark."
 
 A CONFESSION. 6 1 
 
 Phil was not disposed to let the boy go to his own de- 
 struction without making one more effort to prevent it 
 and he said, in a kindly tone, 
 
 " Stop, Dick, and think of what you are doing ! It is 
 a mistake to believe your father can smooth matters over, 
 and by defying the whole colonial army in that way, you 
 cannot fail to make an outlaw of yourself. There is time 
 even now to take a different course." 
 
 " Yes, after you know I shot at Bill Vaughan ! " 
 
 " Suppose I promise never to tell what you have said ? " 
 
 " It won't be safe to repeat the least word, remember 
 that ! " 
 
 " It is my duty, and I must tell everything to-night, 
 unless you are willing to give yourself up. I feel certain 
 matters may be arranged now, if nothing is known of the 
 shooting, and you can take your proper place with us once 
 more." 
 
 " I suppose you think you 're precious good, eh ? Try- 
 ing to play the mighty over me because you 've got on the 
 right side of that Vaughan ! I '11 attend to my own af- 
 fairs, and yours, too, if you dare tell a single person that 
 I 've been here ! " 
 
 Then, standing over Phil to prevent him from rising, 
 Dick coolly loaded his musket, hung the horn and pouch 
 about his person, and moved slightly toward the door. 
 
 " If you show yourself outside this shanty for the next 
 hour, I '11 shoot you down," he said, threateningly. " I can 
 hide among the trees, and there 's yet light enough from 
 your fire for me to see if you sneak out. Keep a close
 
 62 THE BOYS OF 1745. 
 
 tongue in your head about me and my affairs, or you '11 
 never reach Portsmouth again." 
 
 Phil was too deeply engaged in thought to make any 
 reply to these threats. He knew it was his duty to raise 
 an alarm, regardless of whatever danger might threaten 
 him ; but if he should do so, and Dick was taken prisoner, 
 there could be but one end to it all. To give his old 
 friend up would be condemning him to death without a 
 shadow of doubt, and that he shrank from doing. 
 
 Dick waited a few moments at the door of the shanty, 
 as if to assure himself he could gain the shelter of the 
 woods without being seen by the sentinels near the water's 
 edge, and then, with a mocking "good-by," disappeared. 
 
 " What shall I do ? " Phil cried when he was alone. " If 
 I tell that he is on the island, the men will soon catch him, 
 and even though I 'm not very much of a soldier, I know 
 full well what will be the result." 
 
 Then came the thought that he would confide in Colonel 
 Vaughan, keeping back the fact that it was Dick who 
 fired the shot which grazed the officer's cheek, and plead 
 with him to use his influence in having the deserter 
 punished only by being sent home in disgrace. 
 
 This seemed the best way out of the difficulty which 
 Dick had brought upon himself, an'd Phil had but just 
 decided he would try the experiment when a commanding 
 voice was heard, apparently but a short distance from the 
 shanty. 
 
 "Halt, or I'll fire!" 
 
 Then came a noise as of scuffling and the words in the 
 same voice :

 
 A 'CONFESSION. 6$ 
 
 " Don't make the mistake of trying that game ! So, it 
 was you ? I had just a suspicion this afternoon when I 
 saw your footprints. Now march ahead of me, and turn 
 ever so slightly to the right or the left if you wish to 
 die!" 
 
 It was Colonel Vaughan who had spoken, and Phil 
 understood Dick was a prisoner. The officer knew him 
 as the would-be assassin, and, such being the case, the 
 deserter's doom was indeed sealed. 
 
 Phil sat silent and motionless, sick with apprehension 
 regarding the boy whom he had called a friend, when 
 Dick and his captor entered, the former pale as death, 
 and the latter holding a pistol close to his head. 
 
 " I had an idea my trap would work," Colonel Vaughan 
 said to Phil, and the boy repeated, in amazement, 
 
 " Your trap, sir ? " 
 
 " Yes ; I ordered you to remain here, believing this 
 deserter would pay you a visit if there were not too many 
 around." 
 
 "How did you know he was alive?" Phil asked, in a 
 tremulous voice. 
 
 " I had no suspicion of it until I saw the prints of 
 Tyson's shoes, and they could be explained in no other 
 way. Sanbourne was the only member of our regiment 
 missing, and I concluded, without being able to explain 
 how it happened, that he had contrived to save his life. 
 Now call some of the men, and we '11 have him taken care 
 of for the night." 
 
 Phil obeyed by going to the nearest huts, and in a few
 
 66 THE BOYS OF 1745. 
 
 moments Dick was marched away, his hands tied behind 
 his back to prevent the possibility of an escape. 
 
 Colonel Vaughan remained behind, and when they were 
 alone Phil asked, falteringly, 
 
 "Did you know Did you hear 
 
 " I saw him when he came, and waited where I could 
 overhear all that was said, for I wanted his own version of 
 the story. You should have told me he was here." 
 
 " It would have been the same as condemning him to 
 death, sir, and I could n't have done that, for he and I 
 have always been good friends." 
 
 " He acted particularly friendly toward you, I should 
 judge, from what I heard." 
 
 " He is desperate. This soldiering is different from 
 what he expected it would be, and 
 
 " There is no reason why you should try to find excuses 
 for him, lad," the officer said, as Phil hesitated. "Tell 
 me when you have seen him before." 
 
 Phil related in detail the story of Dick's visit on the 
 night the battery was abandoned, and concluded by 
 saying, - 
 
 " If he could be made to understand how serious his 
 offence is, I am sure he would act differently." 
 
 " He will probably find out when he is brought up for 
 trial." 
 
 " Then you are to send him home ? " 
 
 " There is no necessity for that. A court-martial will 
 soon settle the matter, and while we are in the field there 
 will be little chance for interference in his behalf."
 
 ./ COM&SS/O.Y. 67 
 
 "But, Colonel!" Phil cried, in an agony of fear, "you 
 will not suffer any harm to come I mean that you will 
 not allow him to be shot for deserting ? " 
 
 " It is not probable I shall have any voice in the 
 matter. A certain important movement will be made 
 soon, and I am to have charge of it. Remain here until I 
 send for you, and try not to distress yourself over such a 
 worthless character as Sanbourne has shown himself to 
 be." 
 
 With this advice Colonel Vaughan left the shanty, and 
 Phil threw himself face downward upon the bed in bitter- 
 est distress of mind.
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 A NIGHT ATTACK. 
 
 IT was little sleep Phil had on the night Dick was 
 captured. He could not drive away the fear that he 
 had been instrumental in bringing about the present con- 
 dition of affairs, although it was impossible to explain 
 even to himself how that could be. 
 
 Horrible visions of his friend on the scaffold rose con- 
 stantly before his eyes, and more than one wild scheme 
 for saving the misguided boy came into his mind, only to 
 be dismissed as impracticable. 
 
 " I would do anything, regardless of my duty as a 
 soldier, to save him from a shameful death," he said, over 
 and over again ; " but there is no way by which I can aid 
 him, except through the kindness of Colonel Vaughan, 
 whom he tried to kill." 
 
 Until late on the following afternoon he was left to his 
 own painful reflections, and then came a messenger with 
 word that he was wanted at headquarters. 
 
 Almost any kind of action was preferable to remaining 
 idle, with no companion but the terrible thoughts which 
 would not be banished, and Phil hastened to obey the 
 summons. 
 
 It was necessary to remain outside General Pepperrell's 
 quarters some time before Colonel Vaughan was ready to 
 
 68
 
 A NIGHT ATTACK. 
 
 6 9 
 
 receive him, and the boy had ample opportunity to ques- 
 tion the sentinel on duty. 
 
 " Do you know what was done with the prisoner taken 
 last night ?" he asked, and such discipline as was enforced 
 in the encampment did not prevent the soldier from halt- 
 ing in front of Phil as he replied by another question : 
 
 " Did you know the young scoundrel ? " 
 
 " We both live in Portsmouth, and he has always been 
 my friend." 
 
 " He won't play the friend to any one much longer." 
 "What do you mean?" Phil asked, the words coming 
 with difficulty from his trembling lips, because he knew 
 full well what the answer would be. 
 
 "He'll be hanged, as he deserves, of course." 
 "But he's only a boy, a few months more than six- 
 teen years old." 
 
 " If he was n't half that age the punishment would n't
 
 7O THE BOYS OF 17 4. 
 
 be any too severe. I hear he 's been over to the enemy, 
 and most likely has told them all he knows. Then, again, 
 he tried to kill Colonel Vaughan, which is good reason for 
 the sentence that will surely be pronounced." 
 
 Phil remained silent several moments, during which the 
 soldier resumed his leisurely pacing to and fro. 
 
 Then the boy asked timidly, as he walked by the side of 
 the man, 
 
 " Don't you think General Fepperrell will pardon him ? 
 It can't be he would allow the son of one he has always 
 been friendly with to be hanged." 
 
 "If I believed there was any danger the young fiend 
 would escape death I'd shoot him down this minute!" 
 the soldier cried, angrily, and Phil turned away in despair. 
 
 This man's opinion was probably shared by many, if 
 not all, of his comrades, and the deserter's friend began 
 to understand that perhaps he was the only person in the 
 encampment who sympathized with the prisoner. 
 
 At this moment Colonel Vaughan appeared, and leading 
 the boy a few paces aside, said in a low tone, 
 
 " It had been promised that I should lead an attack this 
 night ; but the men have stipulated for Captain Brooks 
 to command them, and I am forced to lose the sport or 
 follow as a private, therefore I cannot take you with 
 me." 
 
 " Shall you volunteer ?" 
 
 " Certainly. The plan is all my own, and I want to see 
 how it is carried out." 
 
 " Then what prevents me from doing the same thing ? "
 
 A NIGHT ATTACK. 7 1 
 
 " You can if you choose, and I '11 be glad to have you. 
 Brooks is not the kind of a man who will take advice from 
 me, and we shall be obliged to follow his instructions, 
 whether they be wise or not ; but there will be plenty of 
 fighting, which is what all of us need just now." 
 
 " In what way shall I volunteer ? " Phil asked, thinking 
 he would rather be engaged in any dangerous service than 
 remain in camp dwelling upon Dick's terrible fate. 
 
 "I will attend to that part of it. We should go now, 
 for the expedition starts from the Grand Battery, and 
 there is no time to lose, if we would join the party." 
 
 Phil was ready as soon as he replenished his supply of 
 ammunition, and the two set out in silence. Colonel 
 Vaughan was in no mood for conversation, because of his 
 disappointment at not being allowed to lead the assaulting 
 party, while Phil could think only of his former friend. 
 
 On arriving at their destination Colonel Vaughan .went 
 directly to Brigadier Waldo, who still remained in charge of 
 the battery abandoned by the French, and then it was that 
 Phil began to realize the danger which might be en- 
 countered. 
 
 " As the matter is being arranged," Waldo said to his 
 friend, " it is a foolhardy piece of business, and can only 
 result in disaster. I have written to the general that I 
 doubt most seriously whether straggling fellows, three, 
 four, or seven out of a company, ought to go on such a 
 service, for there will be no concert of action among them. 
 What makes it the more foolish, is that many of them are 
 under the influence of liquor, and should be under guard,
 
 72 THE BOYS OF 1745. 
 
 instead of trying to surprise a detachment of regulars 
 within particularly strong works." 
 
 Then the brigadier was summoned by one of his officers 
 who was superintending the making ready of the boats, 
 and Phil asked,- 
 
 "What is the service we are going on ? " 
 
 " I have proposed that an assault be made upon the 
 Island Battery, which commands the harbour, and pre- 
 vents our ships from entering. I believe the works could 
 be carried, but not in such a way as is to be tried." 
 
 " Do you still intend to accompany the party, sir ? " 
 
 " Most certainly ; but since matters are in the condi- 
 tion described by Waldo, perhaps you had better remain 
 behind." 
 
 " I would prefer to go with you, sir." 
 
 " Very well, then, we '11 say no more about it. Stay 
 here where I can find you without difficulty, and I '11 take 
 a turn around the battery." 
 
 Three hours later Phil saw the colonel again, and the 
 moment had arrived for departure. It was so dark when 
 he stood on the beach that he could not decide how many 
 boats were to be used to transport the soldiers, but in the 
 gloom it appeared as if there must have been at least 
 twenty. 
 
 He followed the colonel into one of them, which already 
 appeared overloaded, and the frail craft was paddled, 
 instead of rowed, out over the wind-swept waters, the 
 boisterous waves dashing over her gunwale every few 
 seconds, obliging the men to bail incessantly in order to 
 keep her afloat.
 
 A NIGHT ATTACK. 75 
 
 Then came the dangerous work of disembarking while 
 the surf was dashing high upon the rocks on either side 
 of the narrow cove, and when about half the force were 
 on shore, they broke the silence by three cheers, regard- 
 less of the fact that they had come for the purpose of 
 surprising the enemy. 
 
 " That settles the fate of this attempt," Colonel Vaughan 
 said, in a low, angry tone to Phil. " I cannot understand 
 what Brooks is thinking of to let the men announce their 
 presence when he is not prepared for the attack ! " 
 
 Before a reply could have been made to this remark a 
 sudden glare illumined the darkness in the immediate 
 vicinity of the battery, and from out of it came a perfect 
 hail of iron missiles. It seemed to Phil as if every living 
 thing on that narrow strip of shore must be mowed down 
 by the shower of balls and bullets, yet he himself re- 
 mained untouched after the deadly fire had continued 
 several seconds. 
 
 Finally, high above the roaring of the heavy guns, could 
 be heard the command of Captain Brooks for his men to 
 advance, and Colonel Vaughan cried to Phil, - 
 
 " It is little less than suicide, lad ; but we must not be 
 the ones to show the white feather. It is simply a 
 slaughter of the men, without possibility of success ; yet 
 we are bound to obey orders." 
 
 After the first flush of fear Phil forgot the danger, and 
 eager to prove to the officer who had shown him so much 
 kindness that he was not a coward, pressed boldly 
 forward, stumbling here over the bodies of the fallen, or
 
 76 THE BOYS OF 1745. 
 
 making a dttour there to avoid a group who were 
 shooting at the stone walls, regardless of their com- 
 mander's orders. 
 
 Phil was at the very foot of the works, where scaling- 
 ladders were being raised, and had already begun to 
 ascend one when a bright flash burst directly in his eyes ; 
 there came a sudden sensation of numbness, and all was a 
 blank. 
 
 When next he was conscious, an intense pain asserted 
 itself in his left shoulder ; it seemed as if his clothing had 
 been glued to that portion of his body, and he was rising 
 and falling as though suspended in n\jd-air. 
 
 " Where am I ? " he asked, feebly, surprised that it was 
 not possible to speak louder. 
 
 " With a dozen or more nearly as badly wounded as 
 yourself, heading for our own side of the harbour," a 
 voice replied. 
 
 " Am I wounded ? " 
 
 " That you are, and badly, so I 'm told. I 've lost part 
 of one foot, but that 's a hurt I shall soon get over." 
 
 Phil fancied the man intended to convey the idea that 
 he might not recover, and he mildly wondered whether 
 death in such a form would be painful. 
 
 "You can thank Colonel Vaughan that you're here, 
 instead of being left on the beach at the mercy of the 
 enemy. He it was who lugged you on his back through 
 the surf, when it was all a man could do to care for 
 himself, much less come off hampered with a burden." 
 
 " Is the colonel safe ?" Phil asked, after a brief silence.
 
 A NIGHT ATTACK. 77 
 
 " Ay, that he is, and in one of the other boats. If he 
 had had command of this expedition, I 'm thinking we 
 would n't be crawling back like disabled crabs, leaving 
 behind half of those who started out with us." 
 
 " Then it has all been a failure ? " 
 
 " Yes, so far as the Island Battery is concerned, and 
 weak leadership killed the only chance we had of taking 
 it ; but the city will fall into our hands some day, please 
 God, and I '11 have given one foot toward the general 
 result, though it seems a wicked waste of flesh and blood 
 to give them up in such a foolish attack as this has 
 proved to be." 
 
 Phil heard the last words but faintly ; the pain of his 
 wounds was rapidly overcoming him, and before the boat 
 with her cargo of suffering humanity gained the land he 
 was unconscious again. 
 
 When he next realized anything, he heard a strange 
 voice say, 
 
 " He may pull through, with youth and strength on his 
 side ; but it will be a narrow squeeze. Do not attempt to 
 move him, and in forty-eight hours we shall know the result." 
 
 Phil was lying on a softer bed than he had enjoyed 
 since leaving home, and without touching those portions 
 of his body which were causing him so much pain, he 
 knew the wounds had been bandaged. 
 
 Once he fancied Colonel Vaughan bent over him, laying 
 a cool hand on his burning head ; but it was impossible to 
 distinguish either word or action very clearly. He was in 
 a stupor not unlike a disagreeable dream.
 
 78 THE BOYS OF 1745. 
 
 At times the pain seemed overpowering, and then he 
 would sink into what might have been a swoon, only to 
 arouse suddenly to the knowledge that he had been se- 
 riously wounded, was, perhaps, dying. 
 
 He was in a log hut, which evidently contained two 
 apartments, and in front of the inner door a soldier stood, 
 as if on guard. 
 
 It was day when he understood this much, and he 
 believed but a few hours after the disastrous attack had 
 been made. 
 
 When next he took note of his surroundings, another 
 night had come. Only he and the sentinel were in the 
 room, and he wondered why a guard should be there. 
 
 He moved slightly, and the soldier stepped quickly to 
 his side. 
 
 " Are you here to take care of me ? " Phil whispered, 
 and the man shook his head. 
 
 " I 'm on duty to make certain that young deserter 
 don't slip through our fingers again," and the sentinel 
 pointed toward the door. 
 
 Instantly he understood it all. Dick was confined in 
 the next room, and since the hut had not been built 
 strongly enough for a prison, a guard was stationed over 
 him. 
 
 " Do you think they will punish him ? " he next asked. 
 
 " That they will ! Bless you, it has all been settled in 
 proper order. When the sun rises again you won't be 
 troubled by having a sentinel here." 
 
 During a moment Phil believed he was on the point of
 
 A MIGHT ATTACK'. 79 
 
 swooning once more. "When the sun rises again!" 
 That was as much as if the man had said when another 
 day dawned Dick Sanbourne would pay the extreme 
 penalty for his misdeeds ! 
 
 The wounded boy struggled desperately to resist the 
 sensation of faintness which was creeping over him. He 
 believed it was absolutely necessary to retain possession 
 of all his faculties, although he had no idea that it might 
 be possible for him to aid the condemned prisoner. 
 
 When the sentinel took up his station by the door 
 again, Phil began to wonder why it was the trial and 
 sentence had followed so quickly. He knew nothing had 
 been done in that way when he left headquarters with 
 Colonel Vaughan, and yet the entire matter seemed to be 
 settled. 
 
 It was a long while before he managed to whisper, 
 
 " When did did Dick have his trial ? " 
 
 " The day before yesterday." 
 
 "Why, it was then we made the attack." 
 
 " You 've lost run of the days, lad, that 's all." 
 
 " How long have I been here ? " 
 
 " You were wounded Monday night, and to-morrow is 
 Saturday."
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 AN APPEAL. 
 
 RIEVOUSLY wounded though he was, Phil forgot 
 his own suffering as he thought of the mental 
 agony which the unhappy prisoner must be enduring. 
 
 It was almost maddening to realize that he was power- 
 less to stay the sentence of the military court, that a 
 boy, who until lately had been his friend, would soon be 
 executed. 
 
 For an instant he resolved to demand an audience with 
 General Pepperrell, in order to beg for pardon ; but a brief 
 time of reflection was sufficient to convince him that the 
 general would not listen to his prayer against the judg- 
 ment of his officers. 
 
 Could Colonel Vaughan effect anything? Phil doubted 
 if that were possible, or, being so, whether he would 
 make an effort to save the life of one who had tried to 
 murder him. 
 
 The sentinel, at a loss to account for his sudden silence, 
 drew nearer the couch to look at the wounded boy. 
 
 " What time is it ? " he asked of the man. 
 
 " It lacks about half an hour of midnight, when I shall 
 be relieved." 
 
 " Would you do me a favour? " 
 
 " Of course I would, lad ! I 'm told you showed true 
 
 80
 
 AN APPEAL. 8 1 
 
 grit at the assault when the odds were all against our 
 side, and I 'm not the only one who is proud of what you 
 have done." 
 
 " I want to speak with the prisoner a moment. He 
 and I are old friends ; we came from the same town ; I 
 cannot bear to think of his being led away to a cruel 
 death before I have had a chance to say good-by." 
 
 "I don't know why you shouldn't go in," the sentinel 
 said, thoughtfully, "though it won't be a very pleasant 
 visit. The doctor might think you oughtn't to move 
 around so much, for he said it wouldn't be safe to 
 carry you to Colonel Vaughan's quarters, and he is 
 lodged but a short distance away." 
 
 " It can do me no harm, surely not as much as lying 
 here eating my heart out with sorrow for the poor fellow," 
 and Phil made one attempt to rise, but fell back utterly 
 exhausted with the faint effort. 
 
 'That young villain isn't worth a thought from you," 
 the soldier said, emphatically, as in his rude way he tried 
 to move the invalid's head to a more comfortable position. 
 
 " You would n't say so if he was an old friend of 
 yours." 
 
 " Perhaps not, lad, perhaps not. It don't stand to 
 reason you're hardened to such things yet; but you soon 
 will be if you continue soldiering." 
 
 " I must go to see him," Phil cried, and again he 
 attempted unsuccessfully to move. 
 
 "Come, come, we can't have anything more like that," 
 the sentinel said, in what he intended should be a sooth-
 
 82 THE BOYS OF 1745. 
 
 ing tone. " Another struggle and you '11 set the blood to 
 flowing. It would be the price of your life to walk from 
 here to where he is." 
 
 " I can't help it ; I 'm determined to go if such a thing 
 be possible. Most likely it's my last chance." 
 
 "But I won't allow you to take the risk," and now the 
 soldier spoke sternly. " That fellow isn't worth the pain 
 you're enduring through him, and I '11 put a stop to it." 
 
 " Do you mean you won't let me go where he is ? " 
 
 "I'll bring him here. I reckon it isn't jest what a 
 sentinel oughter do ; but if you 're bent on seeing him, it 
 shall be done. I 've had no orders agin it, and will be 
 bound there ain't the least show of his getting away while 
 I stand at the door." 
 
 The man did not wait for Phil to reply, but went at 
 once to the inner room, and the invalid trembled with 
 excitement as he waited for his comrade who was so soon 
 to be put to death. 
 
 The interview was not long delayed. 
 
 Phil could hear a confused sound, which he fancied was 
 caused by the efforts of the soldier to remove the fetters 
 from the prisoner's limbs, and then Dick appeared. 
 
 Had he seen him anywhere else Phil would not have 
 recognized him as the lad who sailed from Portsmouth in 
 the good sloop "Vigilant." 
 
 He no longer walked erect, with head carried well 
 back, as if glorying in his youth and strength, but was 
 bent, like an old man, while on every feature of his face 
 was written the story of most abject terror.
 
 AN APPEAL. 83 
 
 " Oh, Phil ! Phil ! " he cried, coming forward as fast as 
 the soldier would permit, and throwing himself down by 
 the wounded boy's side. " Does it seem possible that they 
 have the right to kill me ! Save me, Phil ! Save me ! 
 I know you can, because every one is telling how brave 
 you have been ! " 
 
 "Poor Dick! Poor Dick!" and Phil laid his hand on 
 
 the boy's head. " It is hard, oh, so hard ! but I can do 
 nothing. No one would listen to me." 
 
 "There is not another person here who will speak for 
 me, and you must do something ! I can't die now ! I 
 cant, Phil, and I have n't a friend left, for every one thinks 
 death is only what I deserve." 
 
 "There's no use in going on that way," the sentinel 
 said, gruffly. " You won't do yourself any good, and I 
 sha'n't allow you to make Phil worse by such outcries.
 
 84 THE BOYS OF 1745. 
 
 You should have thought of all this back there at Can- 
 seau, where you set up in opposition to all hands." 
 
 "I didn't think they would dare to kill me." 
 
 " And because of not thinking, many another person 
 has got himself into trouble. If there 's anything you 
 want to say privately to Phil, go ahead ; I '11 give you one 
 chance, though I 've precious little sympathy for you, by 
 going near the door where I sha'n't overhear what 's said. 
 You must talk fast, though, for the relief will be coming 
 soon." 
 
 The soldier stepped back near the outside door, and, 
 leaning over the wounded boy, Dick continued in whispers 
 to beg him to save his life. 
 
 It was most distressing to Phil. Gladly would he have 
 given anything, everything, simply to soothe the dis- 
 tracted prisoner, yet there was nothing he could say. 
 
 After his first outburst Dick appeared to grow calmer, 
 and whispered, cautiously, 
 
 " Except for the fact that I am tied hand and foot, I 
 could have escaped at almost any time within the last two 
 days. Could n 't you give me one chance, Phil ? Just 
 think how horrible it will be to die in such a way ! Cant 
 you make up your mind to help me ? " 
 
 " What could I do, Dick ? " 
 
 " There must be a chance between now and daylight to 
 untie the ropes I only ask you to untie one ! I can get 
 through the side of the hut, where a couple of logs are 
 loose." 
 
 "But even then what would you do?"
 
 AN APPEAL. 85 
 
 "1 don't know, Phil. Hide in the woods till the troops 
 leave ; it would be better to starve there than be hanged 
 like a dog to-morrow morning." 
 
 " I reckon you two had best be parted now ; there 's no 
 use spending a long time when it must come at last, and 
 the sooner this thing is ended the better for both," the 
 sentinel said, gruffly, as he came toward the bed. 
 
 Phil had just time before the man forced Dick away to 
 whisper in the despairing boy's ear, 
 
 " If there 's the least chance for me to do what you 
 want, I will, and watch as anxiously as you would for the 
 opportunity." 
 
 Then the prisoner was led back ; the ropes fastened 
 once more around his limbs, as Phil fancied from the 
 sound, and the sentinel returned to his post. 
 
 The invalid closed his eyes, that he might the better 
 think of what he had promised, and while he was thus 
 apparently resting comfortably, the sentinel who was to 
 guard the condemned until the last moment arrived. 
 
 The two men spoke together in low tones a few seconds^ 
 and then he who had been so kind took his departure. 
 
 Unless an opportunity to assist Dick should occur 
 within three hours it would be too late, and Phil realized 
 that he must be fully alive to everything around him. A 
 short time previous it had been impossible to so much as 
 raise his head ; but now he was resolved to get into the 
 next room, if he could do so secretly, even though at the, 
 cost of his own life. 
 
 The sentinel looked in at the prisoner; paced to and
 
 86 THE BOYS OF 1745. 
 
 fro from one door to another, and then seated himself near 
 the invalid's bed. 
 
 Watching eagerly from beneath his half-closed lids, Phil 
 saw the man nod from time to time, and it was evident he 
 was doing his best to fight off the inclination to slumber. 
 
 Finally he seemed to realize that it would be impossible 
 to keep his eyes open while in this position, for he leaped 
 suddenly to his feet, and began walking back and forth 
 energetically. 
 
 Ten minutes passed in this exercise, and then the 
 soldier drew from his pocket a pipe and knife. 
 
 " Blest if I 've got so much as a crumb of tobacco," he 
 muttered, after searching his pockets carefully. " I can't 
 stay here all night without a smoke ! " 
 
 Glancing first at the door of the room in which the 
 prisoner was confined, and then toward the wounded boy, 
 the sentinel stood irresolutely in the centre of the apart- 
 ment while one might have counted twenty. 
 
 " There 's no risk in going, for this boy is too weak to 
 help himself, and the other is tied where he can't do 
 more 'n wink. There 's precious little danger of meeting 
 an officer around the encampment at this time of the 
 night ; all hands of 'em like their comfort too well to turn 
 out when there 's no particular reason for so doing." 
 
 Leaving his gun leaning against the wall, he went out 
 into the night, and the opportunity so ardently desired by 
 Phil had come. 
 
 When the sound of the soldier's footsteps died away in 
 the distance, the invalid raised himself slowly, battling
 
 , .'
 
 AN APPEAL. 89 
 
 most desperately against the deathly faintness which 
 threatened to overcome him, and stood swaying from 
 side to side like one who has received a mortal blow. 
 
 Twice did he make the attempt before gaining the 
 door, and then he lurched into the room where Dick lay, 
 unable to guide his own steps. 
 
 How he succeeded in unfastening the ropes he never 
 knew ; but finally, he was dimly conscious of the fact that 
 it had been done, and made a supreme effort to regain the 
 bed. 
 
 He realized, or thought he did, that the prisoner 
 thanked him fervently, and promised sacredly he should 
 never regret having given him a chance for life ; but the 
 words were more like a murmur of the sea, which even 
 then was beating against the rocky coast to give warning 
 of a fast-gathering storm. 
 
 From that instant the thunder of all the guns which 
 had been hurling death and destruction into the doomed 
 city would not have been heard by him. 
 
 When the sentinel returned with the tobacco which had 
 seemed so necessary to his comfort, Phil was lying on the 
 bed with the blood flowing from his mouth, apparently 
 dead. 
 
 More than once had the doctor stated that the invalid 
 might die suddenly of hemorrhage, and the frightened 
 sentinel believed the predictions were fulfilled. 
 
 Without stopping to look in upon the prisoner, he ran 
 with all speed for the physician, and the moment for 
 Dick's escape had arrived.
 
 90 THE BOYS OF 1746. 
 
 When Phil next opened his eyes to the things of this 
 world he was lying on such a bed as he had never 
 dreamed of before, in a room bright with gay hangings, 
 and bearing everywhere the marks of a woman's hand. 
 
 By the side of the bed sat Colonel Vaughan, who was 
 regarding the pale, wasted boy with something very like 
 affection, as he said, triumphantly, 
 
 " I knew, under Madame Pinchon's motherly care, you 
 would recover, even though the doctor did insist you must 
 surely die ! " 
 
 "What has happened?" Phil asked, in a tone so low 
 that it was hardly more than a whisper. 
 
 " Many things, my boy, which it will give you pleasure 
 to hear, the most important being that the city was sur- 
 rendered nearly a week ago, and you are now quartered in 
 the home of a certain Antoine Pinchon, whose lodger I also 
 am. A vessel sailed for Boston shortly before the capitu- 
 lation, and General Pepperrell sent a purse of money to your 
 mother, which will relieve her of all pecuniary troubles 
 for some time to come. Finally, you have been acting 
 the part of a dead boy for nearly three weeks, and it is 
 high time you began to assume the bearing of a live one." 
 
 Phil waited to hear more, but the colonel leaned back 
 in his chair as if his budget of news was exhausted. 
 
 " Do you know anything about, is Dick alive?" 
 
 " Look here, my boy, do you chance to know anything 
 of his escape? " 
 
 " I helped him, and want to make a confession to the 
 general."
 
 AN APPEAL. 91 
 
 " I suspected you had a hand in the matter, and advise 
 you to remain silent on the subject. No good can come 
 of making any confession, and the least said is the 
 soonest mended. It may interest you to know, however, 
 that he has left the island." 
 
 " How did you learn that ? " 
 
 " One of the natives told me he had seen the boy 
 
 skulking in the woods, and I took it upon myself to find 
 an opportunity for him to sail. His death would have 
 done no good ; the soldiers are so undisciplined that the 
 execution would not have been a lesson in the truest 
 sense, and after his painful experience he may mend his 
 ways." 
 
 Then the colonel told the story of the siege and final 
 surrender of the city in all its details, and concluded by
 
 92 THE BO YS OF 1745. 
 
 stating that Phil was to be sent home in the next vessel 
 that sailed after he was sufficiently strong to undertake 
 the journey. 
 
 Parkman writes : 
 
 "The news that Louisbourg was taken reached Boston at one 
 o'clock in the morning of the 3rd of July, by a vessel sent express. 
 A din of bells and cannon proclaimed it to the slumbering 
 townsmen, and before the sun rose, the streets were filled with 
 shouting crowds. At night every window shone with lamps, and 
 the town was ablaze with fireworks and bonfires. The next 
 Thursday was appointed a day of general thanksgiving for a 
 victory believed to be the direct work of Providence. New York 
 and Philadelphia also hailed the great news with illuminations, 
 ringing of bells, and firing of cannon. 
 
 "In England the tidings were received with astonishment and 
 joy that was dashed with reflections on the strength and mettle of 
 colonists supposed already to aspire to independence. Pepperrell 
 was made a baronet, and Warren an admiral. The merchant 
 soldier was commissioned colonel in the British Army; a regiment 
 was given him, to be raised in America and maintained by the king, 
 while a similar recognition was granted to the lawyer, Shirley." 
 
 Goold writes : 
 
 " Beside being honoured with knighthood, General Pepperrell was 
 presented by the Corporation of London with a dinner service and 
 a silver side-table on which to display it. To my knowledge, there 
 is no published description of this numerous table service, or the 
 table which was made to bear it. At the time of its arrival at 
 Kittery Point, there was, probably, no set of plate in New England 
 approaching it in extent or elegance." 
 
 Not until thirty years had elapsed did Phil hear of or 
 see Dick.
 
 CONCL US I ON. 9 3 
 
 Then he was a captain in the Continental Army, on the 
 staff of the commander-in-chief, and visited Cambridge on 
 military business, when he was surprised at being ac- 
 costed familiarly by a private soldier belonging to a regi- 
 ment from Connecticut. It was Richard Sanbourne, 
 who, since his escape from the colonial forces in front of 
 Louisbourg, had lived an upright, honest life, and now, as 
 he explained to Captain Towle, was trying to redeem 
 himself as a soldier. 
 
 THE END.