Commodore Barney's Young Spies Part 36

"That's a fool trick!" Darius cried angrily when no other sign of attack could be seen or heard. "A crazy man must have fired that shot, which can do no other good than to make the enemy hot to inflict some punishment!"

We saw a score or more of the escort rush to the a.s.sistance of the officer, while the remainder of the soldiers were wheeled about to face the dwelling.

I was confident that they would fire a volley into the house, and, indeed, I could well have excused such a course, considering the provocation; but instead of this a squad of men were told off to enter the building, as we saw when the force ran forward on the double-quick with fixed bayonets.

By this time, as may well be imagined, all our party, with the exception of my father, were clinging to the timbers of the building that a view might be had of what was going on outside, and Darius, ever mindful of others, took it upon himself to keep our invalid informed of what was being done.

"They've sent a squad of men to clean out the house, I reckon," the old sailor said for father's benefit. "The officer ain't hurt so but that he can mount a spare horse which a colonel has just brought him.

Now the two in command are pointin' out the different buildin's; looks as if they were pickin' out their quarters. There's one thing certain, fine birds like them won't want to sleep in a smoke-house, so we ain't likely to be turned out right away."

I interrupted the report by exclaiming aloud in my excitement, for I saw smoke issuing from the dwelling, which I afterward learned was the home of Mr. Robert Sewall, and then it was I understood for what purpose the squad had been sent.

"They've fired the house," Darius continued to my father, "an' without givin' them who may be livin' there a chance to carry anythin' out.

Soldiers are stationed to prevent the people from tryin' to fight the flames, an' it wouldn't surprise me if we saw a pretty hot time in this town."

At this moment a squad of men was sent to the rope-walk, another to the tavern hard by our place of refuge, and a third to the next building, which from the sign on its front I knew to be the National Intelligencer newspaper.

After what we had seen it was not difficult to guess the purpose of these soldiers, and Darius said to my father:

"They're firin' the rope-walk now, an' it looks as if the whole city might go."

"Surely the British wouldn't do so barbarous a deed!" my father exclaimed. "War isn't carried on in that way these days."

"It seems to be goin' so now. There comes the smoke from the tavern, an' men are stationed to prevent the people from savin' anything. How about it, lads? If we had spent our last cent hirin' a room there, the smoke would be forcin' us out by this time, an' we'd soon find ourselves prisoners in the hands of such as stand ready to burn a city where are mostly women an' children!"

"It's not certain but that we'll be forced out as it is!" I exclaimed.

"When the tavern barns get afire this smoke-house stands a good chance of burning."

"It may be, lad; but the wind draws in on the other side, an' I'm allowin' that this shanty, small as it is, won't come to harm, though if it does go, we'll try to keep our upper lips stiff so the villainous red-coats shan't have a chance to crow over us very much."

We saw the men comprising the escort now break ranks, each going, apparently, where he pleased, and Darius cried in anger:

"It is to be a reg'lar sack of the city, such as we're told they had in the old times, when men were reckoned as bein' little better than brutes! Work like this will count big for the Britishers before the other nations of the world! There goes a crowd of soldiers into the little shop beyond the tavern; they're plunderin' it in piratical style! See 'em throw the goods out into the street! The red-coats from the encampment, scentin' booty, are comin' up by the hundreds!"

From where we were perched it was possible to see three shops, and by the time the tavern was well afire no less than five hundred men had robbed these, tramping into the dirt such goods as they did not want to carry away, and then the buildings were set on fire.

Verily it was a barbarous sack of the city!

Then it was, when the flames from the buildings of which I have spoken were mounting high in the sky, that I observed the commander order up a full company of soldiers. It was possible to see, for although night had come the fire lighted up surrounding objects as at noonday, that he gave them orders at great length, after which they started off toward the Capitol at full speed.

"They're goin' to burn the government buildin's!" Darius cried for my father's benefit. "A hundred or more have been detailed to do the work, an' the commanders are watchin' proceedin's like that chap, I forget his name, who played on the fiddle while Rome was burnin'. An'

all this is bein' done by the high an' lofty Britishers, who count on settin' the pace for the whole world!"

Jim Freeman and Dody Wardwell, who could not find perches near the window that they might look out, now opened the door regardless of consequences, and stood gazing at as cruel a scene as can well be imagined.

Women and children, driven back by the red-coats, stood tearfully watching the destruction of their homes, forced to see every cherished article destroyed, and, more than that! I saw a soldier tear from the hands of an old lady a small box which he opened, took some things therefrom which I judged were pieces of jewelry, and threw the remainder into the flames.

The smoke-house was as hot a place as I care to remain in very long at a time, and as well filled with smoke as when put to the use for which it was originally intended. Even Darius had doubts about the small buildings escaping the flames, and said to my father:

"Keep watch for the first show of fire, Master Grout, an' we'll see that you're posted as to what is bein' done outside. If we have to leave here, it'll be a good idee to draw off toward the rope-walk; there's no one near by that place, an' we may contrive to steer clear of the enemy."

Now it was that long tongues of fire curled above the government building, swaying this way and that in the wind like fiery serpents, until the inflammable portion of the nation's Capitol was ablaze.

It seemed as if our smoke-house was completely surrounded by burning buildings. Had the Britishers given any attention to such an insignificant structure as we were concealed in, Jim and Dody must have been discovered, for they gave no heed to hiding themselves as they stood literally transfixed with horror at the terrible scenes.

Not until all the buildings were so enveloped in flames that there could be no possibility of saving them, did the two officers ride away, and then it was to go in the direction of their encampment.

I gave no further heed to the barbarians; but watched with a sort of fascination the destroying element until Darius cried:

"There's more mischief afoot! See, a full regiment are under marchin'

orders!"

"What can they do now?" I asked helplessly. "Everything around here is in flames; the entire city is ruined!"

"There's the President's house, an' a good many fine dwellin's at the other end of the town," the old sailor replied. "Unless I'm way out of my reckonin', you'll see more fire before there's less."

The barns of the tavern were now burning; but the wind drew in with greater force, a draft having been formed by the flames, I suppose, and while our refuge was as hot as it well could be, the more intense heat was carried in the opposite direction.

"I reckon this 'ere smoke-house will stand while many a better buildin' goes down," Darius announced. "We're gettin' the biggest part of the heat from the stables now, an' I don't see any signs of fire on these logs. You lads stay here with our invalid, an' I'll sneak 'round outside a bit. There may be a chance to get somethin' in the way of rations if the men break into more shops, as is likely."

Then the old man slipped down from his uncomfortable perch, stopped at the door to warn Jim and Dody that they must not stray far away, and disappeared behind the ruins of the tavern.

It gave me a certain sensation of loneliness to have Darius go at that time. Although it was late in the day to make such a discovery, I had come to understand of how much a.s.sistance he was to us lads, and how helpless we would be without him; but, as a matter of course, I could not presume to dictate as to his movements.

The one singular thing to me in this wanton work of destruction, was the fact that not all the buildings in this portion of the city had been given over to the flames. It seemed as if the British commander had singled out certain dwellings to be burned, while the others were unmolested, save in two cases where I saw soldiers bringing out plunder which was valueless to them, and had been taken only in a spirit of cruelty.

Perhaps an hour was spent by the enemy in our immediate vicinity, and then that quarter of the city was deserted by all save the homeless ones, or those who mourned over the loss of property.

The conflagration was still sufficient to light up the streets and fields near by, therefore we could not venture out save at the risk of being seen; but I question if any especial attention would have been given us, except in the case of my father, had we gone boldly forth.

Had he not been with us I should have proposed that the moment was come when we might be able to slip down the river un.o.bserved, for who would give heed to a party of lads when the capital city of the United States was in flames? With my father, however, we were forced to remain in hiding, for his wound was sufficient evidence that he had taken part in the battle of Bladensburg, and this would insure his being seized as a prisoner of war.

Jim and Dody, however, went across to where two shops were in flames, and returned a few moments later with a piece of bacon which had been trampled upon in the street, a bag of dirty flour, and, what was better than all, three loaves of bread, the whole of which had been thrown aside by the Britishers when they plundered the buildings.

It was quite a store for our empty larder, unsavory though the bread and flour looked; but hungry lads, and particularly those who are fugitives, cannot afford to be squeamish in regard to their food.

In less than half an hour after the regiment marched from the encampment toward the upper end of the city, we saw the flames rising in great volume, telling that there was no idea in the minds of the victors to spare anything which could readily be destroyed.

As a matter of course, we did not then know what was being done; but later we learned that the President's mansion, the Treasury buildings, the a.r.s.enal, and the barracks, where three thousand troops could be quartered, were all laid in ashes under the orders of General Ross and Admiral c.o.c.kburn.

Before midnight the conflagration in the portion of the city where we had sought refuge, had so far subsided, because there was nothing left for the flames to feed upon, that only glowing embers, and the blackened walls of the Capitol could be seen; but the night was turned into day because of the fires at the other end of the town.

We lads were weary with watching the wicked work; Jim and Dody had toasted a large piece of bacon over the embers of the tavern; we had partaken of a second meal rather because the food was at hand than owing to hunger, and now all hands felt the need of sleep, even though we were literally surrounded by enemies.

But Darius had not returned, and we could not give ourselves up to slumber while he remained absent.

At first I fancied that he was watching the work of the Britishers; but when my father began to show signs of alarm because the old sailor did not return, my anxiety was great.