Part 25 (1/2)
”I don't believe you do,” said the officer. ”You don't look it, anyhow.
But of course we mustn't take any risk of being caught in a trap. So I'll send a squad of my men with you to inspect. Here, Sergeant Malby; take a detail of four men and go with this young man to the camp yonder.
In the meantime, my boy, I'll detain that magazine rifle of yours, if you please, till I satisfy myself.”
Tom handed over his gun and led the sergeant and his squad into Camp Venture. As daylight had now fully come, the soldiers had little trouble in satisfying themselves that there was no still there, and that the company consisted only of five boys and the Doctor. The sergeant so reported to the lieutenant and that officer was disposed to be satisfied. Not so the three revenue agents, however.
”It's a fishy story these fellows tell,” said the chief of them, ”and I for one don't intend to be drawn into a trap. There may be no still and only a small company of boys in that cabin, but who knows how many stills there may be hidden around here, or how many moons.h.i.+ners may be hiding about us, ready to ma.s.sacre us?”
”All right,” said the lieutenant, in some disgust at the revenue officer's timidity. ”I'll settle all that. Stay here, men, and wait for orders.”
With that he strode off alone to the cabin and entered it. He there explained the situation to the boys and said:
”I'm afraid I shall have to ask you fellows to go out there and stack your arms, considering yourselves under arrest till our timid friends of revenue officers can make a tour of inspection all about your camp under the armed escort of my men. They were so sure that they had surprised a still here that they can't get over the notion. So we must humor them.”
The boys readily consented to the plan. They marched out to a point designated by the lieutenant and there stacked their arms, over which the lieutenant summoned two of his men to stand guard. Then he bade the revenue officers come on, and under escort of his file of soldiers they minutely scrutinized the entire camp. The felled trees not yet chopped into shape for sending down the mountain; the large quant.i.ty of ties and cordwood that were piled near the chute; the mult.i.tude of stumps from which timber had been recently cut; the great piles of brush left over from the chopping; and finally the chute itself, now nearly worn out with use--all these attested the character of the camp and indicated an industry on the part of its occupants, such as no company of moons.h.i.+ners ever displayed.
At last the Lieutenant said to the chief revenue officer, with some show of impatience:
”Aren't you satisfied, yet? Why don't you look under these boys' finger nails? How do you know they haven't some stills secreted there?”
”Yes, I'm satisfied with all but one thing,” answered the agent of the excise.
”What's that?” asked Jack. ”Whatever it is, I'll try to satisfy you concerning it.”
”Why, I don't understand, if you aren't engaged in any crooked business, what you built that fortification for. If you didn't feel the need of resisting the government agents, what need had you for a barrier like that to shoot behind?”
”We built that to protect ourselves against moons.h.i.+ners,” answered Jack.
”But why should moons.h.i.+ners disturb you?” asked the still incredulous revenue agent.
”Because they believed when we first came up here that we were spies of the internal revenue and most of them still believe it. They began by ordering us to quit the mountains and when we wouldn't they sent men to shoot at us. One of our party is still suffering from a bullet wound received at their hands. When we found that we must defend ourselves we erected that barrier to help us. Now that you have come up here we'll need it you may be sure.”
”Why?” asked the revenue officer.
”Because they'll never believe now that we didn't send for you and bring you here. They'll make ceaseless war on us now.”
Meanwhile the Lieutenant was examining the fortification. Presently he turned to Jack and said:
”Will you allow me to suggest an improvement in your defensive work?”
”Certainly,” answered Jack. ”We shall be very glad.”
”Well the top of your parapet is level. Whenever you shoot over it you must expose your head, neck and shoulders above it. Now if you raise it by ten or twelve inches and then cut embrasures or notches in the top of it to shoot through you can put up a fight with far less exposure of your persons.”
The suggestion was so obviously a good one that Jack determined on the instant to adopt it.
”I'll do that, Lieutenant, as soon as you release us from arrest and let us have our guns again.”
”Oh, I forgot that,” answered the Lieutenant. ”Here sentinel,” to the man who had been posted outside, ”tell Sergeant Malby to send those guns back to the house, and to withdraw you from duty here. Young men, you are released from arrest.”