THE SPUR OF DANGER
 
 I can see her now, her fine eyes wide open in surprise, her beautiful hair 
 streaming over her shoulders
 
 THE 
 
 SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 BY 
 
 C. C. HOTCHKISS 
 
 AUTHOR OF 
 
 THE RED PAPER, ETC 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS BY 
 
 WILL GREFE 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 GROS5ET & DUNLAP 
 
 PUBLISHERS
 
 COPYRIGHT, 1915, BY 
 W. J. WATT & COMPANY
 
 STACK 
 ANNEX 
 
 fs 
 
 his 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 PART ONE 
 
 PAGE 
 
 JUDGE EVERS ...... . : ; . : . i 
 
 THE OPENING ..... ... 13 
 
 AT THE WHITE HORSE . . ., . . 22 
 
 JACOB MOON ...... . . 33 
 
 DEVIL DARCY ..... , -., w . 40 
 
 A REVELATION ..... . . .53 
 
 SQUIRE DENCH ....... 67 
 
 EAVESDROPPING ....... 81 
 
 AT CLOSE RANGE ....... go 
 
 IMMURED ....... 96 
 
 " TwixT DEVIL AND DEEP " . . 109 
 THE BLACK WATER . . . . . .125 
 
 UNCERTAINTY ..... , .., . . 139 
 
 ON BUNKER HILL ... .,: -. ; . 147 
 
 AT CLOSE RANGE . , 160 
 
 PART TWO 
 
 XVI THE HOUND . . . . 
 
 XVII THE PASSING OF O HARA 
 
 XVIII JUDGE EVERS REDIVIVUS . 
 
 173 
 186 
 198
 
 CHAPTER 
 XIX 
 
 XX 
 
 XXI 
 
 XXII 
 
 XXIII 
 
 XXIV 
 
 XXV 
 
 XXVI 
 
 XXVII 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 THE SECRET ROOM . ,. ,.i i ; : . : . 206 
 
 ALIAS CAPTAIN BUSSEL . ..- M ; . .215 
 
 THIN ICE . . . ., c. ,.; ; , ... ,. 237 
 
 MOON EMERGES -. . : . ,.. ,. ; ., . 250 
 
 A GREEN HAND 
 THE MILL 
 FIRE . . . 
 CAPTAIN HICKS 
 THE CLIMAX . 
 
 262 
 271 
 287 
 296 
 303
 
 THE SPUR OF DANGER
 
 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 PART I 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 JUDGE EVERS 
 
 "1 TATS off to his honor, the judge of the 
 I I king s assize! " So rang out the call 
 -*- -* of the bailiff, and at the same time I 
 heard the rustle of the judge s silken robe as he 
 entered the court-room through the side door. 
 But among the entire assembly I doubt if half a 
 dozen hats came off. Those of us who were aware 
 of what was in the wind remained covered, though 
 it took more than common courage to thus fly into 
 the face of an honorable custom. 
 
 It was a tense moment to me, ringleader as I 
 was, but being sure of my backing and the temper 
 of my fellow townsmen, I did not abate an atom of 
 determination. With the bailiff s words my cue 
 was given me. I looked around for my father, but 
 he was not present, being wise, and having an ink 
 ling of what was toward, and so I carried out the
 
 2 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 program allotted me. Raising my voice so that 
 it might not be unheard throughout the room, I 
 shouted: 
 
 " Any man who takes off his hat in this court 
 will be considered an enemy to the colonies ! " 
 
 Of course Justice Evers heard this as plainly 
 as any one else, but without a hitch to his dignity 
 he went on his way to the bench as if he had heard 
 nothing, though his thin lips were twitching as he 
 took his seat with grave deliberation. A porten 
 tous silence fell on the gathering, and for a moment 
 nothing could be heard save a slight shuffling of 
 feet on the bare floor, hardly noise enough to 
 drown the tick of the great clock over the dais. 
 No court of law within his majesty s realm had 
 ever been thus flouted. 
 
 But something of it must have been foreseen by 
 Judge Evers, unless he was wholly a fool. It had 
 been a cold welcome that had met him when he 
 drove up to the tavern the day before, he and his 
 clerk, the high chaise lurching in the frozen ruts 
 of the road. Not a cold welcome because only 
 the weather was bitter and there was none to mark 
 his arrival; for a goodly gathering was about the 
 tavern waiting for him, though when his clerk 
 descended from the vehicle and assisted my lord of 
 the king s assize to the ground, where he stood 
 looking at the crowd in distant, high-nosed pride, 
 not a hand was held out to him, not a voice was 
 lifted, not a forward step taken by one of the
 
 JUDGE EVERS 3 
 
 waiting townsmen, and we are a substantial 
 people. 
 
 Now, let it be known that we of Harrington, 
 like others of the towns about us, were a law- 
 abiding community, fearing God and strictly 
 attending to our own affairs, the right having been 
 granted by charter long before George III. had 
 been either born or thought of, and for that mat 
 ter, neither had his father before him. But when 
 his majesty took from us our ancient privileges 
 and through the governor removed our duly 
 elected judges for creatures of his own to be paid 
 from his own purse, the blood of every self- 
 respecting colonist began to riot, and that heat, 
 heightened by other causes, had grown and spread 
 until the whole political pot was nigh to boiling 
 over. And so, no emissary of his majesty s might 
 look for a public welcome throughout the length 
 and breadth of Massachusetts. 
 
 Judge Evers stood in the biting March wind for 
 a moment, one hand drawing his flapping cloak 
 about him, the other holding on his cocked hat; 
 but no man offering to assist him, and neither mine 
 host, Bailing, nor even the hostler, appearing, his 
 honor let go something I thought was an oath, 
 and, his horse being finally hitched, he set his thin, 
 blue lips and marched up the tavern steps, the 
 silent crowd opening to let him and his clerk go 
 through. Had not the man been a fatuous ass he 
 would have scented the brewing storm and climbed
 
 4 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 back into his chaise to be driven elsewhere, for in 
 any other town he were safer than in Barrington, 
 the home of my father, Judge Darcy, the late 
 occupant of the bench who had been deposed by 
 Gage, though he had been the choice of the people 
 for term after term. 
 
 I stood by the tavern door as the obsequious 
 clerk opened it for his high and mightiness, and in 
 the hall the judge came face to face with my father, 
 who as his predecessor was properly waiting for 
 him, but who would not advance one step over the 
 threshold to greet him. I can see the whole 
 group now: my father In his snowy wig, his long 
 coat, his small-clothes of plum-colored plush, and 
 his cloak over one arm, standing tall and dignified 
 as he waited, hat in hand ; and Judge Evers, look 
 ing like a child beside him, all in black save for his 
 powdered wig, his temper showing in his sharp 
 nose and snapping black eyes. Behind him stood 
 his clerk with a portmantle and a black bag, and 
 the half-dozen men who had crowded after me 
 into the wide hall. My father took one step for 
 ward and held out his hand. 
 
 This is Mr. Justice Evers?" he said, pleas 
 antly enough, but I noticed his face was very 
 serious, though for that matter he had not laughed 
 since the death of my mother, ten years before. 
 
 " I am Justice Evers, sir," returned the smaller 
 man, with a snap to each word. " And I take it, 
 you are Judge Darcy." He said this loftily and
 
 JUDGE EVERS 5 
 
 after a perfunctory shake of my father s hand, but 
 without removing his hat. My father immedi 
 ately covered his head, and was followed suit by 
 every man in the hall save the clerk, for we had 
 uncovered as we entered. The newcomer was 
 not blind to the act. He swelled visibly. " I. 
 wish to protest at this deliberate show of dis 
 respect toward a king s justice ! " he said, in a 
 voice that trembled. " I wish to protest against 
 this damnable reception! I come here to admin 
 ister the law and am treated like an insolvent 
 farmer; I, a judge of the king s bench! Not 
 even the landlord appears to welcome me, nor a 
 hostler to do me service ! What is behind this, 
 sir?" 
 
 " Did you not receive my letter of warning, 
 Judge Evers?" asked my father, looking down 
 at the man before him, his mild blue eyes taking 
 on an expression at which, as a boy, I had often 
 trembled. 
 
 " I did, sir I did. And had it not been well 
 intended I would cite the writer before me and 
 commit him at once for contempt for con 
 tempt, sir." 
 
 My father did not move, but something passed 
 over his face the like of which I had never seen. 
 I looked for an explosion, but no such thing was 
 forthcoming from him; instead, with his glance 
 still fixed on the pompous little man, he returned 
 very quietly:
 
 6 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 " Sir, if you will follow my present advice, also 
 well intended, you will not attempt to hold court 
 in this town to-morrow. You must be aware that 
 in all directions the royal power is denied, and 
 that your decrees would not be respected, even if 
 nothing worse befall. Were you wise you would 
 leave Harrington to-night." 
 
 I thought that Evers clerk, who stood behind 
 his master, was about to fall to the floor, for he 
 dropped the portmantle and fairly staggered back. 
 
 "By the glory of the king, sir, this is construc 
 tive treason ! " exclaimed Evers. " Not hold 
 court ! Neglect my duty through fear I By God, 
 sir, you forget that as a king s justice I have the 
 king s forces behind me ! Let me but scent vio 
 lence and Gage shall know of it! " 
 
 My father smiled. It made the little man 
 bristle. 
 
 " I mean it, sir! With a couple of regiments 
 Gage could sweep Massachusetts from end to end 
 and punish its inhabitants without the loss of a 
 man ! Who is there in this town dare lift a hand 
 against an appointed judge?" 
 
 " You are beside yourself, Judge Evers," re 
 turned my father, " and, moreover, here is no 
 place for a discussion of this nature." 
 
 "You are right!" was the irascible reply, as 
 the little judge wheeled on his cowering clerk. 
 " Dilly, search out the landlord of this tavern and 
 demand proper quarters. We have found our-
 
 JUDGE EVERS 7 
 
 self in an uncivilized community in a swarming 
 nest of open rebels that might out-treason those of 
 Boston! Gage shall be informed by gad, he 
 shall!" 
 
 My father made no reply, but with an expres 
 sion of infinite contempt threw his cloak over his 
 shoulders and, with a surprised glance at seeing 
 me present, left the house. I followed him. 
 How well Judge Evers slept that night I know not, 
 being deeply engaged with a number of my towns 
 men at the house of one of them and not getting 
 home until late; but if he did sleep it was because 
 he was proof against the hootings that came from 
 beneath his window, and against the noise of un 
 usual revelry which swelled from the bar of the 
 tavern. So, though he was plucky enough, surely 
 the man, puffed up though he was, could not have 
 been unprepared for the scene in court. 
 
 But we of the town or most of us were 
 prepared. 
 
 For all my confidence I felt the enormity of the 
 thing I had done as well as the thing I yet had to 
 do; and there was a catch in my throat as I real 
 ized the stubbornness, or perhaps spirit, of the 
 man who had taken his seat and now leaned for 
 ward on his desk and quietly flashed his black eyes 
 over the defiant crowd beneath him. The hand 
 ful of bewigged lawyers, all of whom were 
 strangers in town, had been arranging their papers 
 before the judge entered, but at my call they drew
 
 8 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 together as if they were suddenly alive to a dan 
 ger. His honor waited as if weighing his words, 
 then he spoke, and there was suppression in his 
 voice as he said: 
 
 This court is not deaf. It heard the remark 
 the defiance of some one representing the re 
 bellious part of this community; and he seems 
 prepared to defy the king through his justice. It 
 shall not be tolerated, but before proceeding 
 further in this matter I demand that every hat be 
 removed in honor of his majesty s court of law." 
 
 I noticed one or two hands lift, but they came 
 down again without uncovering all but one 
 the hand of Ike Manners, the town fool, who took 
 off the hat he wore and gave vent to a sudden 
 hysterical laugh that sounded loudly through the 
 silent room. 
 
 Judge Evers pale face pale save for his 
 thin, blue jaw, turned livid. If he had then and 
 there adjourned court and formally deprived us 
 of process of law during his circuit he would have 
 been within his rights and done much to spike our 
 guns; but instead, being a man of more bravery 
 than sense, he shot out his hand and pointing to 
 Ike, who in his lack of wit would laugh at a 
 funeral sooner than at a joke, he thundered: 
 
 "Bailiff, bring that man before me! These 
 people need an example ! " 
 
 And the bailiff, with his staff of office in his 
 hand, got command of his legs, and taking the
 
 JUDGE EVERS 9 
 
 unresisting Ike by the shoulder pushed him to the 
 bar, and no man interfered to stop him. Man 
 ners, with his knees trembling, stood looking 
 vacantly around, his feeble mouth half-open in a 
 semi-idiotic smile. I knew that now something 
 was expected of me; but I waited, meanwhile 
 getting a grip on myself. 
 
 " Fellow," said Evers, wagging a menacing 
 forefinger at the thoroughly frightened Ike, " you 
 have chosen, abetted by some of your kind, to 
 insult your king through me, his officer. For that 
 I commit you to the common jail for thirty days." 
 Then his honor stood up and drew his slim figure 
 to its full height. " And each and every man in 
 this room who does not instantly remove his hat 
 I will commit for contempt of court for the same 
 period. Bailiff, lock the doors of this room." 
 
 By then my time had come and I knew that nigh 
 every eye in the townhall was looking at me ex 
 pectantly. If ever a man was urged it was I, and 
 I usually need no urging in any matter I undertake. 
 Detaching myself from the crowd, I stepped into 
 the space before the bench and by the side of the 
 scared Ike. 
 
 " Judge Evers, you may begin on me, if you 
 like," I said, lifting my hand and settling my hat 
 firmly on my head. " Here I stand covered. 
 Commit me, as you will, and then get your sentence 
 carried out; ay, even show the commitment 
 paper. We care nothing for your words. You
 
 io THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 are no judge of ours. You were warned that you 
 would be resisted in Barrington, and now we say 
 that no court shall be here held save by a justice 
 selected by our people. Such an one may com 
 mand our respect." 
 
 I said this quietly enough, having the night be 
 fore rehearsed the substance of it when I had been 
 selected to deliver this valedictory (perhaps be 
 cause of my bigness of body) and open the ball. 
 
 And the ball was now open. The bailiff, who 
 was on his way to the door, stopped short and 
 listened open-mouthed; the little clerk turned 
 pale; Judge Evers looked at me from head to 
 foot, and I think that then he for the first time 
 realized the depth to which the thing had gone. 
 
 " What is your name, you son of Anak? " he 
 demanded, and I could not help thinking of Judge 
 Jeffries, of the " bloody assize " as I looked at 
 his gleaming eyes. 
 
 " Allen Darcy, sir." 
 
 " Ha ! The son of Judge Darcy, late of the 
 kings bench? " 
 
 " I am." 
 
 " By God, I might have surmised it and all 
 the rest. The animus of this rebellious proceed 
 ing is now plain. My predecessor resents the loss 
 of his seat and thinks that the size of his son may 
 intimidate us. Ay, I saw something of it in his 
 attitude yesterday. This shall be probed and he 
 be made to suffer with you. I shall order him
 
 JUDGE EVERS n 
 
 brought before us and shall commit him, also, sir. 
 I shall teach him that jealousy " 
 
 He got no farther, for his reference to my 
 parent (who had but a small idea of what was 
 toward) maddened me. He would commit my 
 father, would he! I took a stride forward and 
 reaching over the desk seized the man by the front 
 of his silk robe. 
 
 " Come from the bench, thou unjust judge ! " I 
 cried, and without great exertion I dragged him 
 from the dais and on to the floor in front of the 
 bar. At the same moment hands were laid on the 
 bailiff, the clerk s pen was torn from him and his 
 papers dashed to the floor. All was confusion in 
 an instant. Court attendants, scenting more 
 trouble, dug into the crowd and were lost to sight, 
 and a babel of noise took the place of the recent 
 quiet. Through the muss and excitement I stood 
 holding fast to Justice Evers. At last I saw that 
 things were getting beyond me. I bent my mouth 
 to the ear of my prisoner. 
 
 " Sir," said I, " this, to you, smacks of unseemly 
 conduct, and so it is. But you now know the tem 
 per of these people for whom I was selected to 
 act. As for yourself, beyond your office, I have^- 
 no feeling, and so will go so far as to say that if 
 you dare ascend the bench in Harrington or put 
 into writing any degree or commitment, you will 
 forever regret it. And more, sir. If you and 
 your followers are not beyond the town limits by
 
 12 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 sunset this day I fear me a coat of tar-and-feathers 
 will take the place of other covering, and you will 
 take your departure astride a rail. My father, 
 whom you would commit, knows nothing of what 
 was intended. He warned you once, having heard 
 mutterings, and now you are warned by his son. 
 Go." 
 
 So saying I pushed him into the hall and loos 
 ened my hold on him, motioning back those who 
 crowded around. Never a word of threat or 
 anything else did the little man return, now being 
 really frightened; but he gathered up his torn 
 gown, and giving me a fiery glance I shall not soon 
 forget, fled from the building. We let him go. 
 
 He went from town by noon that day, bound 
 for I know not where, and little did I dream I 
 would ever see him again; but when I did, God 
 wot things were very different than upon that 
 windy day in March.
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 THE OPENING 
 
 SPRING came with a rush in the year of 
 grace, 1775; but I thought little of the 
 weather, the time being agog with the prom 
 ise of great events. Affairs in Barrington moved 
 quietly, even sluggishly, and without much form 
 of law. Our ears were trimmed for news from 
 the east, though what we heard from Boston 
 drifted to us like a faint echo and hardly disturbed 
 us slumbering among the Berkshire hills. If the 
 Governor-General, Gage, was awake to what we 
 had done to Judge Evers he had taken no action, 
 neither had we heard of or from the doughty little 
 justice since the day I dragged him from the bench. 
 And now it was past mid-April. The land was 
 big with its promise of early spring and the woods, 
 usually bleak and bare until after May has come, 
 were filled with the odor of the earth and the ten 
 derness of swelling buds, and the scent of arbutus. 
 Something in the softening air stirred me to be 
 up and doing instead of taking the days as they 
 came and lolling in the growing heat of the noon 
 sun, 
 
 13
 
 I 4 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 But I had no taste for my father s profession, 
 caring less for Law than for Justice and consider 
 ing it strange that the two were not always found 
 hand in hand. Nor did I know exactly what I 
 wished save to get from the town in which I 
 seemed wasting my life and the education I had 
 received at Harvard. 
 
 Not that I felt superior to my fellows, save, 
 perhaps, in brawn, but that my blood was all for 
 action and my eyes for a wider horizon than that 
 of hill-encompassed Harrington, home though it 
 was. It was the discontent of a young man, the 
 longing of a dreamer; and yet I was no dreamer. 
 
 Now, I had taken stock of myself and knew at 
 least what I did not wish to become. First, I am 
 no patient plodder. As I have said, the Law 
 held no attraction for me, and as for the Ministry 
 I fear me that my breadth of opinion would for 
 ever bar me from the pulpit. The Army? What 
 army could I join save that of England? and I 
 hated England and things English although an 
 English subject. A pedagogue? God forbid! 
 I lacked the essential of patience with stupidity. 
 
 And so, there was nothing left for me but medi 
 cine, and, as I thought of it, it seemed that nothing 
 could be nobler than its profession, tinctured, as 
 it is, by all the other professions. My bent lay 
 there if anywhere, and I had spoken of it to my 
 father though he had said little to encourage me. 
 No way was clear in any line ; I felt I was rusting
 
 THE OPENING 15 
 
 out; and though my father was a wealthy man, as 
 men go, and I was his sole heir, it galled me to be 
 eating his bread at my age and making no return 
 therefor. 
 
 But my hour struck at last; for one day after he 
 had been closeted with a stranger, whom I did not 
 even see, my father called me to his study, a*nd I 
 knew by the expression of his face that something 
 had happened or was about to happen. When I 
 went into the book-lined room the first things I 
 saw were two letters lying on the table two 
 letters sealed and both were addressed to 
 Samuel Adams, Esq., of Boston. I seated my 
 self and waited for what was coming. 
 
 " Allen," said my father, " I have long seen 
 your dissatisfaction at your present mode of life; 
 until now I have been unable to secure a substitute 
 for it that would meet with your wishes or mine. 
 But matters are now ripe for action. I am going 
 to send you to Boston at once. I have made ar 
 rangements with Doctor Joseph Warren for you 
 to call upon him and if possible make arrange 
 ments to enter his office and learn his profession. 
 Only this morning the post brought his definite con 
 sent to my proposal. I know you will second me 
 in this." 
 
 I caught my breath sharply. " Ay," I re 
 turned; then something, perhaps of the future, 
 suddenly oppressed me and I got no farther. 
 
 " It seems that Doctor Warren is well ac-
 
 1 6 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 quainted with your desperate exploit," continued 
 my parent, " and commends you for it; it has 
 influenced him in your favor. But the times are 
 askew, Allen. The embargo on Boston has about 
 ruined the city, and I fear that the doctor can give 
 you as little attention as he does his practice; he 
 has just been commissioned a general by congress. 
 However, you are to see him and make arrange 
 ments for the future." 
 
 "Thank Heaven!" I ejaculated, for I had 
 never dared to look as high as Doctor Warren. 
 " And does he say anything of affairs in Boston? " 
 
 " It is quiet enough on the surface, the doctor 
 writes; but he says that while all may seem stag 
 nant there is a violent undercurrent. He fears 
 that Gage, knowing the activity of the committee 
 of safety, will make an armed raid into the coun 
 try, and he dreads the result. It would mean 
 open war." 
 
 " Let it so be ! " I cried, in my enthusiasm. 
 " Two enemies will never be friends until they 
 come to blows ! " 
 
 " War is the last desperate act of the unthink 
 ing," returned my father. " Only rarely is it 
 fought for a principle or by those who know what 
 they are fighting for. My son, patriotism is an 
 abused word; to most it means only a rifle and the 
 excitement of the man-hunt; but this war, if it 
 comes, is surely justified as self-defense and free 
 dom are justified even though obtained by violence.
 
 THE OPENING 17 
 
 However, this brings me to another matter and in 
 line with your trip to Boston." 
 
 My father picked up the two letters from the 
 table and balanced them in his hand as if weighing 
 their contents. " These are for Mr. Samuel 
 Adams," he said. " They were left by a courier 
 this day, being sent to me under cover as one of 
 the committee of correspondence. They are 
 from Doctor Benjamin Franklin and are very im 
 portant. I have been made responsible for their 
 rapid delivery, and so, Allen, my son, you are to 
 be their bearer. I wish to admonish you to let 
 no soul know you have these letters in your pos 
 session, and they are to be desperately defended 
 in case of discovery. Such are my instructions. 
 You must start by to-morrow noon, deliver the 
 letters as soon as may be, see Doctor Warren, 
 make such arrangements as you can, then do what 
 you list and the times allow. In my opinion Bos 
 ton is a slumbering volcano and liable to sudden 
 eruption. Beware of broils, boy; I know your 
 temper. Before attempting to see Doctor War 
 ren you must find Mr. Adams ; and it is likely you 
 will have trouble since he has been proscribed 
 along with John Hancock. Were I you I would 
 go straight to Lawyer Dench. You know 
 Dench?" 
 
 " Thaddeus Dench? That old skinflint? 
 Ay, I used to know him. But why go to him? " 
 I asked.
 
 1 8 
 
 " Because, though I have no personal liking for 
 the man, he is, or was, chairman of the commit 
 tee of correspondence for his district, and better 
 than any one I know can direct you to Mr. Adams. 
 Moreover, he is a sharp lawyer and a good one to 
 consult in time of trouble. I believe some of his 
 relatives are royalists, but he is stanch." 
 
 " To me he has the foxy look of Voltaire," I 
 said. 
 
 " Voltaire s value lays not in his looks," re 
 turned my father. " You may trust Dench; and 
 he can advance you money, if necessary. And 
 you had better take the roan as it were a pity to 
 put your weight on the bay for the length of 
 Massachusetts. You may sell her in Boston, if 
 you stay; it will eke out your funds. Do not be 
 disappointed if Doctor Warren postpones matters 
 until midsummer or autumn. Your journey is 
 warranted by the letters. And now, good-night." 
 
 The old gentleman always dismissed me very 
 abruptly, as if he had much to think of, and he 
 usually had, while I being an obedient son and 
 my father s will in any matter unquestioned law, 
 at once retired to my room, slightly dazed by the 
 thought of Boston and the future expanded before 
 me. I was but twenty-six, healthy, big in body 
 and with a strength fitting its bigness. I had 
 lived a life of bodily activity, without sorrow, or 
 great joy either, for that matter. As for the 
 rest, you who have started on this history may
 
 THE OPENING 19 
 
 already have discovered that I possessed a love 
 of adventure and excitement, and I add that in 
 college and out this love had gotten me into many 
 a scrape, as it was destined to get me into many 
 another and, perhaps, out of them, as well. 
 
 And so, behold me on the afternoon of the fol 
 lowing day on my way over the wall of hills lying 
 east of Harrington, with saddle-bag well stuffed 
 with necessities, and twenty pounds of gold in a 
 money-belt around my waist. The letters to Mr. 
 Adams I carried in my coat pocket and I could con 
 ceive of no man getting them from me; neither 
 could I conceive of any man wishing to do me 
 harm, save, perhaps, Judge Evers; but my memory 
 went a trifle short in this last. 
 
 However, it did seem strange that my father s 
 final words to me were about the judge. " While 
 you are safe enough in your own bailiwick, Allen," 
 he said, standing by me when I was already in the 
 saddle, " while I was beyond it I would say 
 nothing of being from Harrington or having had 
 a hand in the Evers matter. Things are too un 
 settled to admit of brag, and, my boy, you are 
 prone to run wild when your blood is up. Un 
 doubtedly news of the assault has reached head 
 quarters; so, were I you, I would sing small about 
 Judge Evers." 
 
 I remember to have laughed at the warning, 
 which really I did not need, not being quite a fool, 
 and with another shake of the old gentleman s
 
 20 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 hand, a wave to black Rod sowing early peas in 
 the garden and another to his wife in the kitchen 
 door, I galloped away. At the top of the hill that 
 would soon hide the town I stopped and looked 
 back. The Housatonic lay like a silver ribbon 
 athwart the softening land; Mount Washington, 
 with Everett beyond, looked solemn in its loneli 
 ness, and far away to the west lay Sleeping Indian, 
 the colossal outline of the distant Catskills. Over 
 all the sun shone sparkling on that clear April day. 
 I turned my back on the old familiar scene, which 
 never again looked as it did, and it is only lately 
 that I have come to know that it was I and not the 
 land that had changed. It has a different beauty 
 now, yet in itself it is the same. So does indi 
 vidual experience and development alter individual 
 conception. At that time I had yet to learn the 
 alchemy of the two most powerful passions known 
 to man Love and Hate. 
 
 In round numbers it is one hundred and ten 
 miles from Harrington to Boston, and, not being 
 anxious to kill my horse, I calculated on making 
 the journey in four days. And nothing of the 
 slightest moment happened until the fourth day 
 though as I drew nearer to Boston the more I 
 heard of what was toward in that forlorn city 
 stricken down, as she was, by the hellish embargo 
 act of the English parliament. Every one was 
 looking for Gage to strike, but none knew in what 
 direction his blow would be sent.
 
 THE OPENING 21 
 
 I met many people at the different taverns at 
 which I stopped, but I kept my own counsel and 
 let others do most of the talking, bearing in mind 
 that I was to trust no man with the fact that I was 
 the bearer of correspondence betwixt such political 
 giants as Doctor Franklin and Mr. Samuel Adams. 
 The letters were well wrapped in oilskin and ap 
 peared harmless enough to look at, but I did not 
 dream that I was carrying matter that would go 
 far toward ruining me. And yet, perhaps, it had 
 the opposite effect, for God knows the letters were 
 cause of trouble enough, especially when it is 
 known, as it will be, that Mr. Adams never saw 
 either of them.
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 AT THE WHITE HORSE 
 
 I MIND me that it was the evening of Tues 
 day, the eighteenth day of April, 1775, when 
 I drew near to Boston, being then at Meno- 
 tomy l and about five good miles from the city. 
 It was fine weather, very warm for the season, and 
 I was astonished at the advance of all growing 
 things which were so much more forward than 
 among the hills of Berkshire. Here the woods 
 were misty with young leaves, grain was well up 
 and grass rich in its color and length. 
 
 I was now on familiar ground again, being close 
 to my Alma Mater at Cambridge, from which I 
 had graduated but two years before. I figured on 
 stopping at the White Horse for the night, seeing 
 my old friend, Simon Able, host of the same, and 
 jogging into town early the following morning, 
 steering straight for Lawyer Bench s that I might 
 find Mr. Adams and get the letters off my hands. 
 I might easily have gone on and perhaps have seen 
 Dench that night, but I wished for daylight and a 
 look at the works I had heard Gage had stretched 
 across Boston Neck and which had done more to 
 
 a Now West Cambridge. 
 
 22
 
 AT THE WHITE HORSE 23 
 
 arouse the people than any other one of his pieces 
 of fine impudence. 
 
 There was no hint of coming trouble around 
 Menotomy. The road was quiet and there were 
 but few abroad at that hour, for it was just past 
 sunset. As I rode along I met an English officer 
 on horseback, he going west, but as his majesty s 
 uniform was no novelty to me, I having been 
 familiar with it in my college days, I paid him no 
 attention. The man went on, hardly glancing at 
 me, and presently, on looking back, I saw him 
 standing on a hill-top, his horse finely silhouetted 
 against the glow from the western sky. It was 
 as though he had stopped and was waiting for 
 some one, as, indeed, he was, as I afterward knew. 
 
 So now, being within less than a mile of the 
 White Horse, and thinking of Able and supper, I 
 was mightily surprised to mark a young lad awk 
 wardly climbing the fence by the roadside and 
 making as if to speak to me. Where he had come 
 from I had no idea for there had been no sign of 
 any one on the broad field, and the moon, almost 
 at its full, had just wheeled above the woods and 
 gave plenty of light. 
 
 " What is it, younker? " I asked, bringing my 
 horse to a halt. 
 
 Will you please tell me, sir, how far it is to 
 Boston?" His voice was like one fairly fright 
 ened or exhausted, and he looked to be no more 
 than seventeen. Despite the cloak he wore, and
 
 24 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 which was shabby, he showed the slightness of 
 his figure. 
 
 " It is better than five miles, lad," I returned, 
 looking down at him. " An you are tired I think 
 your weight will not kill my horse if you care to 
 throw a leg up behind me." 
 
 "Are you going to Boston, sir?" he asked, I 
 thought a bit eagerly. 
 
 " Nay not so far. Give me your hand, son, 
 and I ll lift you." 
 
 But he shook his head, backing beyond my 
 reach, then thanked me and said he was not very 
 tired. And so I left him trudging along without 
 even a stick to help him, and I figured that he was 
 a runaway prentice bound for his home, and was 
 a peg above the average of his kind in that he was 
 well mannered and failed to murder the king s 
 English. 
 
 In the course of fifteen minutes I came abreast 
 of the White Horse and there I saw a British 
 soldier lolling on a bench in the moonlight, his 
 musket against the weather-boards of the house. 
 As I halted he got up and took a good look at me, 
 a stare I returned, and without saying a word 
 reseated himself on the bench though it was grow 
 ing over-chilly for a perch outside. 
 
 I considered his being there at such an hour, 
 armed as he was, a little unusual, and unusual it 
 was, too, that no hostler ran out to take my horse, 
 nor did Able appear at the door though the light
 
 AT THE WHITE HORSE 25 
 
 showing through the bar window, and a dancing 
 glow, told of a fire being on the hearth within. 
 After a moment of waiting I took my horse to the 
 stable with my own hands, being familiar with the 
 outbuildings, and there, more to my surprise, was 
 another soldier, with his coat off, grooming a 
 horse that looked to have recently been driven 
 hard. I then saw how evil had progressed, since 
 the land hereabout seemed to be sprouting red 
 coats, while in my day one was rarely seen so far 
 afield. 
 
 I said nothing to the man, but carefully attended 
 to my own tired animal, blanketing him and feed 
 ing him well, then made tracks for the tavern and 
 entered the bar, hoping to be met by the jolly Able. 
 
 But there was no Able there and at first sight I 
 thought the room was empty, but a second or two 
 later discovered a man on the settle. He was 
 stretched out at full length and fast asleep. I 
 could not see his face, his back being toward me, 
 but I took him to be a tipsy farmer whose house 
 might be uncomfortable until he had slept off the 
 fumes of his liquor, and that he was past middle 
 life was plain in the mass of unqueued white hair 
 that was tumbled around his hatless head. 
 
 Believing it best to let sleeping dogs lie, I did 
 not disturb him to inquire after Able, nor did I 
 put my head from the window and ask of the 
 soldier seated under it, because, as I have said, I 
 hated the breed of red-coats, one and all. So I
 
 26 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 dropped into a chair and waited for Simon, be 
 guiling the time with a pipe of tobacco and count 
 ing the pewters over the bar, my mind being well- 
 nigh vacuous at the moment. God knows it was 
 the last of vacuity my brain indulged in for many 
 moons. In the meantime my companion on the 
 settle made no move nor sound to show he was 
 alive. 
 
 But presently I heard the soldier under the win 
 dow get quickly to his feet; then there was a call, 
 and in a few moments I caught the bleat of a 
 boyish voice, the rattle of shoes in the entry, and 
 there entered the soldier, who I now saw was a 
 sergeant, and the lad I had left behind on the 
 road. He was pale enough in the light of the 
 candles, and his big, dark eyes held a frightened 
 look. The soldier had gripped him by one arm. 
 
 To Boston, is it! " he was saying, in a rough 
 voice. "Ay, I think it is; but here you ll stay 
 until I turn you over to one that s coming." 
 
 I became interested. 
 
 You have no right to stop me," said the boy, 
 feebly attempting to free his arm from the ser 
 geant s hold. 
 
 " Have I not? Little ye know the rules, son! 
 Ye ll not escape me this time ! Your coming is a 
 flight o luck!" 
 
 " I know not what you mean," said the youth, 
 and I thought he was about to cry instead of blast 
 ing the sergeant between the eyes, as he should
 
 AT THE WHITE HORSE 27 
 
 have done; but he was a milksop more a girl 
 than a boy, as I now saw by his face, and I knew 
 he had not the spirit. 
 
 Tis a thing you ll soon find out," said the 
 man. " Ye thought to trick us, did ye ? Sit ye 
 down at the table, sir." This with an exaggerated 
 bow to his captive. " No harm will come to you 
 if ye behave yerself, my fine young man ! " With 
 that the soldier placed his musket against the wall 
 and seated himself in a chair placed opposite to 
 that into which he had thrust the lad. 
 
 Now, I could have sworn the boy was no 
 criminal, civil or military, and so could not under 
 stand what right, save that of might, the ser 
 geant had to arrest him on the open road; and 
 feeling as I did toward any one wearing the uni 
 form of the king all my sympathies went out to 
 the young fellow, as much for his very helpless 
 ness as for aught else. The sergeant may have 
 subdued him, but the sight of the scarlet of his 
 coat had the contrary effect on me. 
 
 "What is the matter between you two?" I 
 asked, rising and standing with my back to the 
 small fire. 
 
 " I know not," said the youth, with an appeal 
 in his voice as he threw back his camlet cloak and 
 half held out his arms as if he looked for me to 
 rescue him, much as a girl might have done. 
 This man stopped me on the road as I was pass 
 ing, and said I was bound to the king s forces."
 
 28 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 " And are you not? " I asked, flashing a glance 
 at the now grinning soldier who was taking a 
 leather-bound book from his pocket. 
 
 " Nay, I am not." 
 
 "Ay," put in the sergeant, " but he is. I ve 
 been lookin for him an have my orders about 
 him. He thought to sneak by in the dark, an " 
 
 " Tis a lie!" interrupted the other. "I am 
 no sneak! I never saw this man before in my 
 life!" 
 
 " What in the devil s name is the meaning of 
 this?" I put in, perplexed, but scenting a great 
 wrong somewhere. And, being young and it my 
 nature, I determined to right the wrong, if possible. 
 
 " See here, my young buck," said the sergeant, 
 suddenly sobering, as he slammed his book to the 
 table and turned on me, " ye d best not interfere 
 in matters that concern only yer betters. If ye 
 know what s good for ye ye ll breathe slow an 
 talk low." This last with a scowl at me. 
 
 Now, had it not been for the sergeant s covert 
 threat I probably would not have acted as I did; 
 but not being of a breed that tamely bears dicta 
 tion, I resented both the man s half-insulting man 
 ner and his tone, and took the step that makes my 
 story worth the telling; ay, the step that led me 
 at once into a life different from that planned ; one 
 of which I had so far only dreamed, as young men 
 dream, of great adventure, and glory, and of love, 
 perchance.
 
 AT THE WHITE HORSE 29 
 
 Therefore, instead of being abashed by the man 
 my ire was aroused, and advancing to the table, I 
 struck it sharply with my knuckles. " I ll hear 
 the truth of this before I decide," I returned 
 firmly. u Think not to frighten me because you 
 wear the king s livery ! " 
 
 " A fine, clodhoppin interloper ye be ! " ex 
 claimed the sergeant, flushing with anger, yet 
 plainly uncomfortable. " An were it not for yer 
 bigness I d manhandle ye, as I may yet do. Did 
 ye not hear me say that this party belonged to the 
 king?" 
 
 " Did you sign your name? " I asked quietly, 
 turning to the youth. 
 
 " No, sir. He asked my name and I told him 
 one but but it was not my real name." 
 
 " Not your own? " 
 
 "No, sir, not really my own; but he said he 
 would hold me until a certain person, I know not 
 who, had seen me." 
 
 " That will do," I returned, disgusted at the 
 youth s callowness and ignorance. " By your own 
 showing, you have not been many days born 
 or have been living in the woods, which last does 
 not fit your appearance. Did this man tell you 
 aught of the army you were to join? " 
 
 " Not a word, sir. He " 
 
 " He lies," interrupted the sergeant. 
 
 " Does he so? " said I. " I might think it, did 
 I not know the ways of your ilk and the necessities
 
 30 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 of Gage. Your method savors of the press-gang. 
 The boy did not sign his name. Dost think to 
 make him fight against his own countrymen? 
 That is what you want him for." 
 
 " What is it to ye what I want him for? I am 
 obeying orders. Twill be but a little an I ll 
 have ye, too, ye " 
 
 " Peace, friend," I interrupted. " Your words 
 are big. An that you are so anxious to have me 
 in your clutches pencil another name in your book. 
 I will show you an argument. Put down John 
 Smith." 
 
 Now, whether the man, being blinded by anger 
 and so a fool for the time, really thought to have 
 a better hold on me by getting me committed even 
 to a slight extent, I know not; but instead of leap 
 ing on me, as I at first thought he would, he only 
 pulled out his book and wrote rapidly. 
 
 " Now make yer mark here," he said, pointing 
 at the name. 
 
 And myself being blinded by my suddenly con 
 ceived plan of helping the youth, besides being 
 reckless to a degree, bent over and put a cross to 
 the name, though I had sense enough to realize I 
 was treading on ticklish ground, though God 
 knows that such knowledge has never stood in my 
 way nor made me abate a determination. 
 
 At the completion of my mark, the sergeant 
 pulled out a silver shilling and tossed it to me. 
 There, my buck, I have ye! " he exclaimed,
 
 AT THE WHITE HORSE 31 
 
 as I picked up the silver. " I have yer name, an 
 ye handled the king s shilling. It runs with my 
 commission that " 
 
 " Damn the king s shilling and your commission 
 -and you, too, for the matter of that! " I ex 
 claimed, hurling the coin across the room. " Get 
 John Smith if you want him. I am not he. Nor 
 have you asked me to join the army. May not a 
 man make a cross-mark without finding himself a 
 prisoner? 
 
 " Now then, my lad," I said, turning to the 
 trembling boy, " we have reason on our side, if we 
 have nothing else. As for force he beats you, 
 if not myself, and therefore I advise you to cut and 
 run for it, and I ll see that this lobster-back does 
 not follow far." 
 
 At that I pointed to the door. The soldier 
 made as if to jump to his feet; but I reached for 
 him and, grasping him by the collar, forced him 
 back into his chair and there held him with one 
 hand, while with the other I snatched up the 
 leather-covered book and flung it into the fire. 
 But for a moment the youth was too frightened to 
 obey, and hung in the wind with his great eyes 
 staring into mine. 
 
 " Go ! " I shouted, and as if my voice lifted him, 
 he jumped to his feet and ran from the room with 
 the lightness of a deer, banging the door behind 
 him. 
 
 And then I knew I had my hands full; for,
 
 32 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 though I might make a shift to defend myself 
 against any unarmed man, I could not hold the 
 Stocky sergeant into his chair for an indefinite 
 time, and his musket stood handy to his grasp, and 
 l had small doubt it was loaded.
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 JACOB MOON 
 
 EVEN now I have the memory of the red 
 blood as it leaped to the soldier s thick 
 neck and his face on the realization that 
 he had been outdone. With a round oath he 
 whirled out of my grasp, while I sprang away, 
 placing myself betwixt him and his weapon, and 
 being intrenched by the table. 
 
 There I braced myself for assault, well assured 
 that when he grappled with me I would have him 
 at a disadvantage, for few men between Essex and 
 Berkshire might best me in boxing or the wrestle. 
 I never saw rage so akin to insanity as in the 
 sergeant as he caught sight of his book already 
 curling in the heat of the bed of coals into which 
 it had fallen. With something like a scream he 
 leaped for it and dragged it forth, stamping out 
 the fire that crimped the edges of the paper. 
 Then he gave me his attention, though instead of 
 at once assaulting me, he seized the chair in which 
 he had been sitting and hurled it at my head, the 
 piece of furniture passing over me and out through 
 the open window at my back. This he was about 
 to follow up in person, and there was plain murder 
 in his eye as he crouched by the end of the fireplace. 
 
 33
 
 34 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 Now I had given no more attention to the 
 farmer on the settle than I had to the smoldering 
 back-log; indeed, I had not considered his pres 
 ence, one way or another; but as the soldier sprang 
 to pass him in his dash for me, with the quickness 
 of a cat the recumbent man interposed himself, 
 between us. 
 
 I could only see his broad back as he faced the 
 infuriated soldier; but I marked the squareness of 
 his almost squat body and the weight of his un- 
 queued hair as it streamed in disorder over his 
 shoulders. He wasted no time in parley, but 
 drawing back his right arm, shot out his fist. 
 
 The blow took the redcoat on the point of his 
 chin, and if it did not at once stun, it completely 
 demoralized him, for he whirled around on his 
 heel, and clutching at the table, fell, carrying it 
 over with him, and with a crash both went to the 
 floor, the man lying still. 
 
 As a sequel to this rumpus I looked to see the 
 door burst open and the landlord, or some one else, 
 rush in; but nothing of the kind happened. In 
 stead, the farmer turned to me and held out his 
 hand. 
 
 And then I wondered that I had taken him for 
 a farmer, since if he were not a sailor I had no 
 right attempting to fix a calling for him. His 
 broad, clean-shaven face was benign, his gray eye 
 clear, his set jaw strong, and though he must have 
 been well past fifty years, his teeth were even and
 
 JACOB MOON 35 
 
 sound. It was the deep tan on his face and his 
 hooked fingers, together with his dress, that gave 
 him the sea flavor. 
 
 " And now, lad," he said easily, and with a slow 
 smile that bespoke a sense of self-reliance, " it is 
 full time for ye to get into a safe harbor, seein 
 that henceforth ye will be a marked man. What 
 might be your name? " 
 
 " Allen Darcy, of Harrington," I replied, at 
 once attracted to him and forgetting the policy of 
 not mentioning my home town, even then feeling 
 that I could trust him with anything, so completely 
 and so instantly had he subjugated me. 
 
 " Oh-ho! " he exclaimed, throwing up both his 
 great hands. " Of Harrington, ha ! An by all 
 that s dead I ll lay a wager that a lad o your size 
 an grit is akin to Judge Darcy, o Berkshire." 
 
 " He is my father," said I. 
 
 " Ah-ha ! Then I know ye. Ye were of those 
 who pulled his honor from the bench, scarce a 
 month agone! " 
 
 " Ay," I returned, astonished that the news 
 had gone so far abroad and so soon. 
 
 " An so I struck better than I knew ! I was in 
 your father s house scarce a week since, being a 
 messenger bearing letters." 
 
 " For Samuel Adams? " I asked. 
 
 That same," he returned, lowering his voice. 
 " An had I known what was toward I might have 
 carried the matter myself without troubling Judge
 
 36 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 Darcy. But I did not then think to come this 
 way." 
 
 " Which is no matter, I being the bearer of 
 them," I replied, foolishly confiding the fact, 
 though this foolishness bore no evil consequences. 
 
 " I think likely," he returned. " An so, all 
 the more ye should not be caught ! Those letters 
 would be found on ye, an the British authorities 
 would doubtless give much to come by their con 
 tents, I take it, though I know nothing of their 
 wording. I love the spirit ye show, lad, but this 
 is no place for ye. Get hence an after the 
 youngster ye saved." 
 
 " I m obliged to you," I returned; " but it seems 
 that your own case is more desperate than mine, 
 since it was you who struck the soldier. Do not 
 think I fear him. What shall I call you, friend? " 
 
 " Moon, Jacob Moon. An my offense is not 
 as rank as yours, for all the seeming, since you 
 have defied the British authorities, while I have 
 but struck down an individual who would break 
 the peace. 
 
 " Look you, son; I am not altogether what I 
 seem, an I know this fellow was expecting the 
 arrival of others of his ilk. That is why I warn 
 ye. And surely you know the flavor of the times 
 an* what is toward this night." 
 
 " I know that there has been trouble, and that 
 more is at hand." 
 
 " And close at hand," returned the old man.
 
 37 
 
 " Scarce an hour agone a rider went in haste to 
 Lexington, taking with him a word o warning; 
 an I am on the watch for his return. I tell ye, 
 son, that this place will be full o red-coats ere 
 morning, an I would not have ye caught here." 
 
 " You are very kind," I said, " but how about 
 yourself? This fellow will soon recover and de 
 nounce you." 
 
 " Fret not for me, my son," he replied. " I 
 struck with a warrant an an eye to my own safety. 
 But mayhap the rascal would be better in the cellar 
 than a witness here." 
 
 And so saying Moon bent and took the uncon 
 scious man by the collar, and without further 
 words dragged him from the room, while I 
 straightened the overturned furniture. For I had 
 no mind to run, both because I had no fear of the 
 sergeant and did not feel like leaving the old man 
 to bear the brunt of coming difficulty. Nor do I 
 happen to be of the kidney of those who flee from 
 danger while duty places me in it. I had the 
 name of but let that rest, as an explanation 
 might sound boastful; only, just then I felt that my 
 line of duty lay where I was. Trouble? Un 
 fortunately I do not always stop to weigh it. 
 
 So I stayed where I was instead of running after 
 an inconsequential boy, and had barely straight 
 ened the table and chairs, when the outer door 
 opened and admitted, not Able, for whom I 
 looked, but a soldier a British soldier, but it
 
 3 8 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 was not the sergeant, being only the man I had 
 seen in the stable. With an air of surprise he 
 stood a moment looking about the room, then he 
 addressed me. 
 
 " How long have ye been here, fellow? " 
 
 "What s that to you?" I returned, nettled at 
 his voice and manner, as well as at the color of his 
 coat. 
 
 " It matters much," he said, drawing in his 
 horns. " Has there been a sergeant here? Did 
 you see him? " 
 
 " Ay, I saw him." 
 
 "Where is he?" The man advanced a step 
 toward me. 
 
 " Gone out," I answered, enjoying his evident 
 discomfort. 
 
 "Where, you lout?" he demanded with a 
 scowl, as he recognized my attitude toward him 
 or perhaps it was because I, a civilian, dared cross 
 words with one of the military. 
 
 " As to that, I am no more his keeper than I 
 am a servant to answer the questions of a shrimp- 
 backed hireling," I returned warmly, foolishly giv 
 ing scope to my spleen. 
 
 I know not how this petty quarrel might have 
 ended, but as each of us took something of a 
 belligerent attitude again the door opened, and 
 again there entered one of his majesty s soldiers. 
 But this time it was an officer. That something 
 was in the wind was very evident.
 
 JACOB MOON 39 
 
 " What s this? What s this? " demanded the 
 newcomer, as his eye caught the situation. The 
 soldier drew himself to " attention " and saluted. 
 
 " O Hara has deserted his post, sir, and yon 
 yokel insulted me when I inquired about him. I 
 was about to chastise him, sir, when " 
 
 " He was about to try," I put in, " and I would 
 not have your presence interfere if he is still of the 
 same mind. I am ready to give him a lesson in 
 civility to citizens, and one he will not readily 
 forget." 
 
 I was working myself into a red heat as I spoke. 
 
 The officer s face grew darkly flushed at my 
 words, and in some way he looked familiar, but I 
 could not place him, though I thought I might have 
 met him in or about Boston during my college 
 days. Instead of replying to me he turned to the 
 soldier. 
 
 " You may stable my horse. I shall remain 
 here until- No matter; stable the animal and 
 remain outside until I call." 
 
 Without answering the soldier again saluted, 
 and with a malignant look at me left the room. 
 The officer, with an indolent ease, plainly affected, 
 walked to the settle and seated himself on it. 
 
 I remained standing as I looked at him, puzzled 
 by his face which I thought I had seen before. 
 However, I could not place him.
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 DEVIL DARCY 
 
 FOR a few moments silence reigned between 
 us, not a sound being heard save the loud 
 tick of the Dutch clock on the wall, and the 
 occasional snap of the dying fire. 
 
 It appeared that the officer was for ignoring 
 my presence, for he abstractedly tapped his booted 
 leg with his sword-scabbard as he gazed into the 
 failing flame, while I stood looking at him and 
 wondered what had become of old Moon, what 
 disposition he had made of the unconscious ser 
 geant, and began to think that the old man was 
 wiser than I, and that I had better take horse and 
 get elsewhere. It would have altered my life had 
 I acted to that end, but I did not. 
 
 Presently the officer s eye caught sight of the 
 sergeant s book where it lay on the broad hearth, 
 its edges yet smoking. With sudden interest the 
 man leaned forward, and with his scabbard pulled 
 it toward him, shook out the few remaining sparks, 
 and opened it. 
 
 Then he started and looked up at me. 
 
 "How came this book here?" he demanded. 
 
 I made no answer. Consulting the book again, 
 he said: 
 
 40
 
 DEVIL DARCY 41 
 
 " Say, fellow, are you John Smith? " 
 
 " I am neither a fellow nor John Smith," I re 
 turned, seating myself on the end of the table. 
 
 " Dost know how the book came to the fire? " 
 
 " Ay, I do. But there be others who know as 
 much. You may question them." 
 
 " Now, by the hot foot of Lucifer, I ll see you 
 trimmed into respect for your betters ! " he burst 
 out, rising, and whipping out his sword in anger. 
 I slipped from the table and placed it between us, 
 my eyes suddenly opened to his temper. 
 
 " Be a little careful with the knife, sir," I re 
 turned. " I would not have you do your trimming 
 with that." 
 
 " Who are you ? and where do you belong, you 
 insolent rebel, for a rebel you undoubtedly are? " 
 he asked, sinking back on the settle as he saw I was 
 fairly well intrenched. 
 
 " I am from Berkshire," I answered, not caring 
 to be more explicit. 
 
 u A nest of treason, second only to Boston I " 
 he exclaimed. " Answer me and save your skin. 
 Was a sergeant in here? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " Any one else? " 
 
 I thought of Moon and of the young fellow who 
 had escaped, but I am no informer. 
 
 You will have to find the sergeant and ques 
 tion him," I returned carelessly. 
 
 " By the hot foot of Lucifer 1 " he began again,
 
 42 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 but checked himself as he turned over the burnt 
 leaves of the book still in his hands. 
 
 And then I knew the man. The odd and half- 
 familiar expletive had stirred me when I first heard 
 it, and his second use of it rolled back the curtain 
 that clouded my memory. Ay, I knew him then, 
 and I wondered that I had not known him before, 
 despite his uniform, for his face was unchanged. 
 
 He was Lawrence Brussel, in the old days nick 
 named Hotfoot Brussel. He had been a college- 
 mate, and my ancient dislike for him leaped to the 
 surface as I became sure of his identity. 
 
 He had called himself a full-blooded English 
 man, though I knew him to be colonial born, and 
 as a youth he had lived with an uncle in Boston. 
 We had entered Harvard in the same year, but 
 Brussel had been a failure from the first, even as a 
 freshman. 
 
 He had been arrogant, and unpopular through 
 his excessive stinginess, while he held himself aloof 
 from his classmates and openly derided us of the 
 colonies as being beneath him. As for his rela 
 tions with women let me say as little as possible, 
 only he was a conceited ass withal. His abilities 
 as a student had been well-nigh nil, he having been 
 forever behind the rest of us. In his second year 
 he had thrown up his college rights to prevent the 
 disgrace of rustication, and I had heard he had 
 gone to England, where he had purchased a com 
 mission in the army.
 
 DEVIL DARCY 43 
 
 Undoubtedly he had come back by way of Hali 
 fax, and was now under Gage, and again treading 
 the land of his birth, but as an enemy to his coun 
 trymen. 
 
 Though never openly at war, there had always 
 been bad blood between us, quite as much because 
 I excelled him in studies as that I always resented 
 his patronizing airs, ridiculed his references to the 
 aristocracy from which he claimed descent, and 
 openly cursed him for his lack of principle and 
 ambition. 
 
 I knew the man for a consummate liar a liar 
 from both habit and cowardice and, save physi 
 cally, had not the least respect for him. As for 
 that, he was about my height and build, though 
 somewhat heavier, bore a rather handsome face, 
 and was my senior by two years. 
 
 It was fate that brought us together that night, 
 but I did not then suspect it. All I knew was that 
 here was Hotfoot, otherwise Larry Brussel, and 
 he had not recognized me. Nor did I care to 
 have him. When he met the sergeant, as he was 
 bound to sooner or later do, there would be a 
 means of identification which might become more 
 than annoying to me in the future. 
 
 As he sat there looking at me, his eyes narrow 
 ing as if he were puzzled, my old dislike for him 
 grew apace. Had he appeared as a civilian, it 
 would have been bad enough; but to see this mass 
 of ignorance, prejudice, and pride, tricked out in
 
 44 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 his majesty s uniform, and hear him threaten me, 
 was almost more than I could bear. 
 
 " I shall not chastise you as you deserve," he 
 finally said. " There be others who will take that 
 from my hands." 
 
 " You have Falstaff s wisdom in recognizing dis 
 cretion as the better part of valor," I said mock 
 ingly, coming from behind the table and reseating 
 myself on it, carelessly swinging one leg. He did 
 not rise to the taunt, having suddenly fallen into 
 thought, and again silence settled between us. 
 Presently Brussel looked up and spoke, and now 
 his voice had the wheedling softness I well re 
 membered he used in the days when he tried to 
 borrow money or curry favor with his fellows. 
 You say you have traveled from the west?" 
 he asked, as if there had been nothing but smooth 
 ness betwixt us. 
 
 " Ay, and but just off the road," I returned, 
 also peaceably. 
 
 " Alone? " The question was carelessly put. 
 
 " Alone," I answered. 
 
 " By way of Concord and Lexington? " 
 
 " Ay," I replied, thinking he was mighty 
 curious. 
 
 " And did you see aught of a damsel ? " 
 
 " Ay, many a damsel," I said, knowing his 
 weakness, and wondering what he was getting at. 
 
 " I mean not those of the towns, sir. I mean, 
 didst see a woman traveling riding a worn
 
 DEVIL DARCY 45 
 
 horse a bay and without attendance a 
 a damsel, in short? Have you seen such? " 
 
 Here was Hotfoot, the ladykiller, all over 
 again. I thought I saw his drift and it made 
 me mad. 
 
 " No," I said sharply. " Nor would I look to 
 see a damsel being long without so-called protec 
 tion while Gage has his spawn scattered over 
 the land." 
 
 He looked hard at me at that. " An you had," 
 he said warmly, and with a sneer, " you would un 
 doubtedly have offered yourself that no harm save 
 that of your own making might come to her." 
 
 The insult was personal and gratuitous. The 
 blood leaped to my head, and ere I was aware I 
 had uncovered that which I had meant to conceal. 
 
 " Still at your old ways ! Have a care have 
 a care, Hotfoot," I said. " You be out of bounds, 
 and college laws will not save you as they have 
 done many times in the past." 
 
 He swung round as if I had struck him, and 
 stared at me in open wonder. 
 
 " What the deuce ! " he exclaimed. 
 You are getting warm at guessing, Larry," I 
 said. " If your wits were as alert as your tongue 
 you would have been in no hurry to tell of ambush 
 ing a damsel without protection, an affair of no 
 honor, if you are concerned in it, and to insult an 
 old classmate, who happens to know you too well." 
 
 He looked at me stupidly for an instant, and
 
 4 6 
 
 then burst out: "By the hot foot of Lucifer! 
 You are Devil Darcy! " 
 
 " I am Allen Darcy," I said, parrying the nick 
 name acquired in the desperate fool-hardiness of 
 youth. " But you will please not to Devil me, 
 else you raise the devil in me. And how dost 
 enjoy being a renegrade in these times? " 
 
 " By Lucifer, my lad! " he said, rising in heat. 
 " I might have known you by your gross impu 
 dence! Look to yourself, Allen Darcy, and do 
 not think I will allow the king s uniform to be in 
 sulted by a low-born clodhopper." 
 
 " And think not that your scarlet coat gives you 
 license. Nay, Hotfoot, your play of dignity is 
 lost on me; I know you inside and out." 
 
 I confess that I enjoyed baiting him as he stood 
 there; beside him, for interest, the sergeant fell 
 into insignificance. For a moment my old college- 
 mate stood glowering at me, seemingly taking my 
 measure, his countenance growing black. Finally 
 he appeared to come to some decision, and draw 
 ing himself up with an air of superiority, he said, 
 and quickly, too: 
 
 " Allen Darcy, I no longer know you as a class 
 mate. You wish to provoke me into a broil, but 
 as a British officer I may not at present soil my 
 hand or sword in a personal quarrel and with such 
 as you, though it comes to me as a duty to see you 
 arrested." With that he stepped toward the 
 door.
 
 DEVIL DARCY 47 
 
 Now, it was plain to rne that he meant to sum 
 mon the soldier from the barn and have me put 
 under restraint; and whether right or wrong to 
 me it was hardly a problem what the result of such 
 an attempt would be. To be sure, there was the 
 sergeant s musket against the wall. I might take 
 it and defend myself thereby perhaps killing one 
 or both of the men. The idea showed its im 
 possibility though had I lifted the piece and shot 
 Hotfoot through the head I think I would have 
 suffered less than I did, in the long run. 
 
 And as killing was out of the question then so 
 was my arrest, and Brussel had not taken two steps 
 toward the door ere I made up my mind to thwart 
 him. Before he had gotten more than half way 
 across the spacious room I had interposed myself 
 betwixt him and the entrance. 
 
 " What do you mean to do, Hotfoot? " I asked, 
 backing against the panels, and smiling at him. 
 
 "Do?" he suddenly thundered, stopping and 
 drawing his sword again, a weapon I am not the 
 least afraid of when on guard. " Do? I am 
 going to arrest you for interfering with the king s 
 justice." 
 
 So it was as I had feared, though just what he 
 meant by " the king s justice " I did not know. 
 Had he, too, wind of my exploit in Harrington? 
 Or did he consider that my attitude toward him 
 self warranted the charge? It was a rather tick 
 lish situation for me.
 
 48 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 " Hotfoot," said I, pointing at him, " have you 
 aught but mud in your composition? We have 
 never been friends, nor even pretended friendship, 
 yet have crossed nothing worse than our tongues. 
 Now has come the time that between us it must 
 be seen which is the better man. 
 
 " I know not the woman you intended to insult; 
 but you did insult me, a matter I resented. Now 
 you would sneak out and get help to punish me ! 
 Dost think I am blind, Larry? Nay, man. Put 
 off that sword and meet me foot to foot, and 
 should I fail to throw you through yonder window 
 in the space of three minutes I will yield myself to 
 you. Is it fair? If not, set your terms, for from 
 this room you shall not go until I am ready to 
 let you." 
 
 Brussel had halted and now looked at me, his 
 face paling and reddening alternately. You 
 you will attempt to prevent my leaving this 
 room? " he gasped. 
 
 " No less," I returned, stiffening my jaw. 
 
 " Now, by the hot foot of Lucifer ! " And 
 with no more than that he suddenly whirled his 
 sword from its scabbard and made as if to cut me 
 down. But little does one need care for sword or 
 bayonet if on the watch and alert, for they are 
 weapons easily made harmless; but they make fine 
 threats, and his was enough for me, my blood 
 being up, and in truth I was only too glad to close 
 with him. Ere his steel could descend I had my
 
 DEVIL DARCY 49 
 
 arms around him, and, the sword then being use 
 less, he dropped it and grappled with me, probably 
 hoping that with his greater weight he could 
 master me. 
 
 Now there are two things I could do well, 
 though I say it in all modesty, one being to wrestle 
 in any fashion, the other to use my fists in the art 
 they call " boxing," and of the two I was the more 
 skilful in the former. 
 
 So when Brussel cast aside his steel and made 
 to throw me in a hand-to-hand encounter, the devil, 
 after whom I had been nicknamed for my short 
 temper and a spirit of daring, rose in me like a 
 wave, and I felt that I was about to teach my old 
 classmate a lesson in humility. To that end I 
 made shift to give him what is known as the " un- 
 der-hold," or advantage, though it is an advantage 
 only to those who know how to use it. And he 
 did not. 
 
 I felt his body turn rigid as he strained to throw 
 me, he catching his breath in short gasps as to 
 gether we staggered over the floor, upsetting chairs 
 and tables, while I bided my time and felt slowly 
 for the grip I aimed at. 
 
 Two minutes must have passed in this voiceless 
 struggle, yet not a soul entered to interrupt us, nor 
 did Brussel lift his voice above a grunt as his pent 
 breath left his body. But in the third minute, 
 when I finally got where I could reach over his 
 back and gathered a bunch of his scarlet coat in
 
 50 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 my grasp, he evidently knew what was coming, for 
 the coward in him leaped out in a great yell for 
 help. 
 
 But by then I was ready, and, suddenly straight 
 ening myself, in one supreme effort I carried him 
 clean from the floor, flinging him over my shoulder 
 in a swing that brought his boot-heels against the 
 ceiling with a bang; then, loosening my hold, tore 
 away from him. 
 
 He came to the floor with a crash, and before 
 he could gather his scattered wits I lifted him as 
 one might lift a sack of grain, and was about to 
 shoot him through the open window when I heard 
 the shout of some one in the passage and the noise 
 of running feet. It was too late for me to execute 
 my threat in full, and, conceiving I would have 
 scant justice from any redcoat who might now catch 
 me, I dropped the officer and vaulted through the 
 window. This latter was no great feat, the sill 
 being not above the level of a man s head from 
 outside. 
 
 And I was but just in time, for as I looked back 
 into the room I saw the soldier who had come in 
 after the sergeant, and the sergeant himself, dash 
 through the door and into the disordered apart 
 ment. 
 
 The sergeant was in a towering rage; his face 
 was aflame, his coat torn and covered with cob 
 webs, and, as I ducked below the sill that I might 
 not be seen, I heard him say:
 
 DEVIL DARCY 51 
 
 " Whate r his name he s naught but a black 
 desarter now, an I ll have him or his life ! He 
 can t have gone far! What! There s been hell 
 to pay here ! By the Lord, there s Captain Brus- 
 sel!" 
 
 That was enough for me. With two men rag 
 ing against me, and a third who would obey the 
 orders of either, it behooved me to get out of that 
 vicinity, even without horse and baggage; these I 
 might get later from Able. For now I was indeed 
 a marked man, and it did not take much thought 
 to see what a mess I had allowed my loss of temper 
 to make for me. My duty was plain. I must 
 lose myself, and where better than in Boston? 
 And I must deliver my letters to Mr. Adams at 
 once, and then get to a more friendly territory. 
 Certainly eastern Massachusetts was no place for 
 me; for the ground seemed to breed British sol 
 diers, and the hue of his majesty s hated uniform 
 colored all things. 
 
 So, with a quiet step that was very like sneaking, 
 I stole away from the window, and not until I was 
 well among the shadows did I lose the fear that 
 a musket-ball would follow me. I little dreamed 
 how soon musket-balls would be whistling through 
 that very air, or that the first blood of the Revo 
 lution was to be shed in less than seven hours. 
 For it was about midnight when I came out upon 
 the main road and footed it quickly toward Bos 
 ton. As I have said, it was a fine moonlit night
 
 52 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 after a warm day, but now there was a chill in the 
 air that made motion agreeable. I was in fine 
 fettle as I strode briskly along the lonely and 
 dusty road, and the only thing that then puzzled 
 me was what had become of Moon? I had 
 looked to see him return to the coffee-room, and 
 wondered if he could have met with mishap, feel 
 ing as if I were deserting a friend in trouble. 
 
 But I need not have worried. 
 
 I did not then know the resourcefulness of the 
 old man, but I learned something of it later; nor 
 did I know that my actions had been marked by 
 him and had won a passport to his friendship.
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 A REVELATION 
 
 I HAD not trudged far along the deserted 
 highway when it occurred to me that it 
 would be the height of folly to attempt to 
 enter Boston by way of the " Neck," which I had 
 heard was fortified. 
 
 It is true that at that time Gage had not quite 
 dared to interfere with the coming and going of 
 citizens from the city, but I was shrewd enough to 
 guess that an excuse would be made to hold me if 
 I attempted to pass at that hour. I considered it 
 wiser to enter Boston from another direction 
 that is, I would go to Charlestown that night, and 
 cross the Charles by the penny ferry in the early 
 morning. 
 
 I walked due east, humming a tune and nursing 
 a feeling of warm satisfaction at having bested 
 my old collegemate, and had gone less than a mile 
 on my way, and there was no sound of pursuit 
 behind me, when ahead, by the side of the white 
 and moonlit road, I saw a man sitting on a 
 bowlder. Having nothing to fear from any one 
 in front, I continued on, mighty curious until, com 
 ing opposite the figure, I stopped short. For 
 there, wan-faced, sat the youth I had rescued, his 
 
 53
 
 54 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 cloak drawn tightly about him, looking at me with 
 frightened eyes. 
 
 "Why, hello, youngster!" I exclaimed in as 
 tonishment, for I had not thought of ever seeing 
 him again. 
 
 "Oh! Is it you?" he returned, and in both 
 looks and voice he showed relief. 
 
 " I fancy I am not to be mistaken for many," 
 I answered, good naturedly; " I thought you were 
 farther along on your journey. Whither bound, 
 my lad?" 
 
 To Boston," he returned, a note of weariness 
 in his voice, " but I am very tired, having walked 
 a long way." 
 
 " Ay? And from where do you hail? " 
 
 " From the Hampshire Grants, sir." 
 
 " And a good walk indeed for a youngster of 
 your stripe ! Well, we beat yon lobster-back, did 
 we not? " 
 
 " I can hardly say that we did," he answered, 
 emphasizing the " we." " But I am very glad 
 you have overtaken me, sir, for I have yet to thank 
 you for your kindness and bravery." With that, 
 and without offering to rise, he made room for 
 me on the great bowlder, and I, willing to rest a 
 moment, dropped beside him, and pulling out my 
 pipe, filled and lighted it, my ears always open for 
 a sound on the road from the west. 
 
 " So you are bound for Boston, are you, 
 younker ? " I said. " Well, you be off the way un-
 
 A REVELATION 55 
 
 less you mean to go In at the back door. A fine 
 muss I am in, and on your account, though I am 
 not finding fault with you." 
 
 And then I gave him a hurried sketch of what I 
 had been through and how I had been obliged to 
 run away without my horse. 
 
 " I am very sorry," he said simply. And he 
 looked sorry. 
 
 Now he was only a boy, and a weak-spirited one 
 at that; but to me tears carry no respect with them, 
 and to see this stripling looking as if ready to weep 
 over an adventure that had but stirred my blood 
 put me out of patience. 
 
 " My lad," said I, " it comes to me that no 
 mortal is more out of place than are you. Tell 
 me what brings you here. You are no more than 
 a baby, and not fit to leave home." 
 
 With that he drew himself up with an air of 
 being offended, as weak folks are apt to do, but 
 he made no retort. Presently, thinking that I 
 had taken so much interest in him that I might as 
 well know more, I began to question him gently 
 and soon got his story. It was short, and tame 
 enough. He was seventeen, he said, and had 
 never been away from home before. His father 
 had but just died, and he had been left alone in 
 the world. But there was a lawyer in Boston who 
 had known his father well and who had his affairs 
 in charge, and this stripling was on his way to 
 see the man of law, and expected to get his
 
 5 6 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 father s estate, or at least money enough to keep 
 body and soul together. 
 
 For lack of present funds he had slowly and 
 painfully traveled afoot for two days, and was 
 well tired out. 
 
 "And who is the man you hope to see?" I 
 asked, not really caring. 
 
 " One Squire Dench," he said. 
 
 I almost leaped to my feet at the name. 
 
 "Squire Dench?" I cried. 
 
 " And why not ? " he asked. " It is to his house 
 I am traveling." 
 
 " He is a sound man and a patriot," I returned. 
 " One of the committee of correspondence." 
 
 " Then why did you start at the name? " asked 
 the youth. 
 
 " Well, my lad," I answered, " because this 
 same Squire Dench happens to be the uncle of the 
 impudent officer whom I came close to throwing 
 from the, window from which I was compelled to 
 leap myself. Tis a strange coincidence, but can 
 mean nothing." 
 
 " And you know him? What manner of man 
 is Squire Dench? " asked the boy. " I confess I 
 have no knowledge of him, and, as my father s 
 death was sudden, he could not advise me." 
 
 " Well," said I, " Dench is a close-fisted miser 
 when it comes to matters of money. He is old 
 enough to be my father, and is a man of sterling 
 sense in most things. I have heard whispers
 
 A REVELATION 57 
 
 about him, but who is not whispered about? 
 However, things be at a fine pass when matters 
 fall in this fashion. For I, myself, am bound for 
 Bench s house, albeit I have no love for him or his 
 ilk. And so, he has your money ! My lad, yours 
 is an errand for a man, and not for the like of 
 you, for the lawyer is a hard one from whom to 
 twist a shilling." 
 
 " Where does he live? " came from the youth. 
 
 " On Milk Street or he used to. And now 
 if you will pick up your legs we will get on." 
 
 I rose to my feet, knocking the ashes from my 
 pipe. 
 
 But the boy did not stir. 
 
 " I do not know your name, sir," he said. 
 
 " Tis Darcy, of Harrington," I replied. 
 u What s yours, younker? " 
 
 "Mine is Selden Louis Selden. And now, 
 Mr. Darcy, I cannot go with you until I have told 
 you more. Indeed, I must trust some one, and I 
 know of none more worthy than the man who 
 saved me. You are a brave spirit, and, like a 
 brave spirit, an honorable one. Indeed, I must 
 tell you." 
 
 What now? " said I, struck by the boy s ele 
 gance of language, and wondering what was com 
 ing. 
 
 " It is this " he said, drawing his cloak tight 
 about his slight figure. 
 
 But he got no further, for as the last word
 
 5 8 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 left his mouth there came to my ear a sound that 
 made me lift my hand to silence him. I had heard 
 it faintly before; but now it was louder and grow 
 ing, being the sound of metal against metal and 
 borne clearly on the windless air, and with it there 
 was the tramp of many feet falling in unison. It 
 did not come from the west, from which direction 
 I was half expecting trouble, but as the youth 
 stopped short and I listened, there drifted down 
 from eastward the clear, ringing neigh of a horse, 
 and almost the next instant, on the moonlit road 
 where it curves south toward Charlestown, I saw 
 a body of men swing into sight, and the moonlight 
 glinted from a line of polished steel. 
 
 Now, save through intuition, I had no knowl 
 edge of what was in the wind; but that sixth sense 
 was alert, and the few words Moon had dropped 
 helped me to fathom the mystery of a body of 
 armed men on the road at midnight, and the pres 
 ence of the officer and soldiers at the White Horse 
 was accounted for. 
 
 Brussel had been sent forward for a purpose, 
 and to me the whole matter was as clear as it be 
 came later. Gage had decided to make his threat 
 ened move, his object undoubtedly being a raid on 
 Concord, where I and all men knew that many 
 stores had been gathered by the committee of 
 safety against the breaking of the brewing politi 
 cal storm. Young though I was, I was no fool, 
 and the tremendous nature of the move and its
 
 A REVELATION 59 
 
 possible consequences stirred me, and for the mo 
 ment made me forget all else. 
 
 But I did not stand wool-gathering for many 
 seconds, for the road was bright as need be, and 
 I knew what it would mean to be picked up by that 
 silent column. We had been seated nearly under 
 a tree, Selden and I, and probably the dark back 
 ground saved us from immediate observation; but 
 as the realization of our danger came to me I 
 turned to him and spoke in a hurried whisper: 
 " Lad, you will have to elect to go with me or be 
 arrested by those coming yonder. If with me, 
 you must hurry; but if not, do not tell them you 
 had a companion." 
 
 "What is it?" he asked, clasping his hands 
 like a woman and turning pale, though he had 
 color enough the moment before. 
 
 " What is it ! Good God ! Are you just from 
 your mother s breast? Gage s regulars are on a 
 mission into the country ! Yonder they come ! 
 And there is going to be hell to pay ! " 
 
 With that I left him, there being no time to 
 lose, and bending low, ran alongside of the stone 
 wall fencing the road until I came to a pair of 
 bars. Squeezing between them I threw my 
 self on the dew-laden grass, placing my head 
 where I could command a view of the highway. I 
 hardly looked for the boy to follow me, and, in 
 deed, so excited had I suddenly become that for 
 the moment I thought nothing about him. But he
 
 60 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 was hard behind me, it appeared, slipping his lithe 
 figure betwixt the bars, but instead of lying by my 
 side he went some distance away and hid even 
 from my eye. 
 
 It had been a narrow escape for us or I 
 thought it narrow, but, God wot, it had perhaps 
 been better for us both had the vanguard of the 
 little army captured us there and then, though in 
 that event I probably would have had no story to 
 tell. 
 
 On came the advancing column, a cloud of dust 
 marking its wake, for the weather was dry, a body 
 of men four abreast, and at their head rode an 
 officer on a bay horse. 
 
 There was something mighty sinister in that 
 silent host, for I heard not a word as they passed. 
 There were about eight hundred, I guessed, each 
 man in light marching order, and the color of their 
 coats lay like a splash of blood on the highway. 
 Not a scout was out, not a skirmisher in advance, 
 not a flanker beat the fields on either side of the 
 road. It was like a force depending for its safety 
 more on secrecy of movement than on military 
 tactics. Undoubtedly it was meant for surprise. 
 
 For some minutes after the rear of the column 
 had passed I remained still, fearing to be seen by 
 a possible straggler, then I rose to my feet and 
 looked at the distant column now fogged by the 
 dust they had raised. At that instant I heard a 
 church-bell far away, the sound coming down the
 
 A REVELATION 61 
 
 still night air with strange effect; it was at once 
 followed by another, fainter in the distance and 
 being rung violently. Then came the far-off 
 barking of a dog, and, as I listened, my nerves 
 quivering, I heard the muffled report of a dis 
 tant gun an alarm gun. 
 
 " Thank God, the quarry is awake and afoot! " 
 I exclaimed, half-aloud. " And I wonder if 
 Adams or Hancock, or perchance Warren, knows 
 of this! " And then I decided to get to Doctor 
 Warren as quickly as possible, not knowing that 
 his eyes were never closed to the very thing that 
 was then happening. As I stood there thinking 
 how to act, Selden appeared from somewhere, and 
 he was shaking from either fright or a chill. I 
 had mighty little respect for this weakling, but I 
 could not abandon him there. 
 
 "Why were you so frightened?" he asked, 
 though his own fear stood out on him as plainly 
 as the nose on his face. I did not trouble myself 
 to answer the question, being more than anxious 
 to get on. 
 
 " I am going straight to Boston this night, and 
 by way of the Neck," I said. " I must see Dench, 
 he being of the committee, and let him transmit 
 the news of this night s work. If you care to go 
 with me I will guide you to the lawyer s house. 
 Younker, those men mean war, a game you have 
 little to do with; but I cannot dawdle over it. 
 .You must move fast if with me."
 
 62 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 At that he lifted his face toward me with a 
 quick turn that should have told me more than 
 it did, looking squarely at me as we stood in the 
 open meadow. 
 
 " Mr. Darcy," he said, " I will go with you, 
 and as fast as I can; but I am not what I seem, 
 and it is your due to know it. I am a girl and not 
 a boy and my name is Louise Selden." 
 
 Had she struck me I could not have been more 
 surprised, which shows I am sometimes stupid; 
 and I stood staring at her, at which she gave a 
 low, scared laugh. 
 
 " I little wonder that you are astonished," she 
 went on hurriedly, " and I did not look to de 
 ceive you for so long. Think not that I have 
 unsexed myself without good reason or for aught 
 but necessity. I travel thus for self-protection. 
 Place me before Lawyer Dench s house and I 
 will ask no more, and be deeply in your debt." 
 
 "Well, by Heaven, Mistress Selden!" I ex 
 claimed as I realized what a blind fool I had been, 
 for now her sex stood out in voice and manner 
 plainly enough. " You have hit me hard, and 
 mayhap I have been over-rough with you; but I 
 see you are in trouble, and I will not desert you. 
 However, it bothers me to know why you ap 
 pealed to me in the tavern when you had but to 
 discover yourself to the sergeant, and he would 
 have been powerless to " 
 
 " And would I have fared better than I have? "
 
 A REVELATION 63 
 
 she interrupted, her face turning scarlet in the 
 moonlight. 
 
 u I know not," I said. 
 
 " Nay, but I do ; for he knew I was no boy, 
 though he made as if he took me for one." 
 
 " He knew! " I exclaimed, rather than asked. 
 
 " Ay, since it is now plain that he was on the 
 watch for me. I had just passed but never 
 mind I now know he was looking for a maiden 
 traveling alone, and and he knew me for 
 one even in the half-light." 
 
 As she spoke, standing there in the wet grass, 
 my mind reverted to Brussel and his question anent 
 a damsel a question precipitating hostilities be 
 tween us. My wits, never too brisk I fear, be 
 gan to work. 
 
 " Well, the sergeant was not the only one in 
 terested in a maiden traveling alone," I said. 
 " For the officer I upset after you left probed me 
 on the same matter." 
 
 "Who was he?" she asked, her dark eyes 
 growing wide. 
 
 " None less than a colonial renegade named 
 Larry Brussel And by the Lord!" I ex 
 claimed, as the matter suddenly cleared in my 
 brain, " I have eyes to see through a ladder ! 
 What know you of my old acquaintance, Brussel? 
 Lawyer Dench is his uncle, and it is to Bench s 
 house that we are both going! " 
 
 I thought the girl was about to faint for she
 
 64 THE SPUR OE DANGER 
 
 fell up against the stone wall; but she pulled 
 herself together in a moment. "Brussel?" 
 she finally faltered. " Is is he a nephew of 
 Squire Dench? Oh, I cannot go there! I am 
 ? undone! " 
 
 She shed no tears, at which I wondered, con 
 sidering she was a woman; but her eyes were like 
 stones, and her face in the moonlight was as white 
 as marble. 
 
 "What have you against Larry Brussel?" I 
 asked. 
 
 " Enough to wish never to see him," she re 
 turned. " My horse broke down soon after I 
 left the Hampshire Grants, and I abandoned it. 
 After that I would meet no officer, fearing it 
 might be he, and when I first saw you it was as 
 I came from hiding in a field to let an officer pass 
 along the road." 
 
 "Ay? And that one was like to be Larry 
 himself. He later came back to the White 
 Horse." 
 
 " I fear it was," she said, helplessly. " And 
 now what can I do? " 
 
 " Do as you intended," I returned, thinking I 
 saw matters clearly. " Doubtless Brussel and the 
 old man are at swords points, the one being a 
 royalist, the other a true patriot, albeit a stingy 
 one. Moreover, the officer is of the barracks, 
 and would no longer make his home with his uncle. 
 You would there be in little danger of meeting
 
 " T am a girl and not a boy and my name is Louise Sheldon
 
 A REVELATION 65 
 
 him; moreover, your guardian, for so I under 
 stand him to be, would protect you." 
 
 " Heaven grant that you are right ! " she said. 
 " For I know of no other place to go." 
 
 " And why do you fear that coward? " I asked, 
 wholly without tact, for it was none of my busi 
 ness. 
 
 "I I cannot tell you now," she said. " I 
 will only say that I hate, I detest him, and I fear 
 him." 
 
 " I beg a thousand pardons," I returned. 
 " Keep your secrets." 
 
 " There really is little to tell," she said, in a 
 desire to conciliate me, " but if you wish " 
 
 " I do not wish," I replied, a trifle roughly. 
 " My present desire is to get to Boston, and if 
 you will have faith in a man about whom you 
 know nothing I will see that you land safely in 
 Dench s house. And this as much for my hatred 
 for Brussel as consideration for yourself." 
 
 " Oh, I will go, I will go ! " she exclaimed, 
 clasping me by the arm. " You are an honorable 
 man and a brave one " 
 
 " Let that rest," I said, withdrawing my arm 
 and stepping into the road. " I take it that no 
 man is entitled to praise for being honorable, 
 while as for his bravery that must be proved." 
 
 And so I walked along, the maiden at my side, 
 and I confess that I felt ashamed of myself for 
 having been ill-humored with her; and stole many
 
 66 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 a look at her face, comely enough under the plain 
 cocked hat she wore; comely? ay, and more, for 
 I saw that she would go to being well-nigh hand 
 some were she properly dressed. But I had very 
 little to say to her as we walked back in the wake 
 of the British force, she hurrying her steps to keep 
 up with my stride, a stride I would have moder 
 ated only that speed was, to my mind, of the ut 
 most importance. And not a word of complaint 
 did she make as she half ran beside me, her 
 sweet lips apart as she panted. And I, with my 
 great body swinging easily, had little but con 
 tempt for such weakness. 
 
 How I have since hated myself for my un 
 thinking cruelty that night for not being able 
 to realize that a frail body may be the home of 
 an indomitable spirit, of bravery, of honor and 
 of devotion. Thank God my eyes were opened 
 in time.
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 SQUIRE DENCH 
 
 IT was close to sunrise ere we crossed the Neck 
 and entered the town of Boston through the 
 barrier-gates erected by Gage and of which 
 I had heard so much. To my astonishment the 
 " works," over which there had been so much 
 ado, at that time amounted to little more than 
 two ditches with banks of earth, there being a 
 wide passage where the road ran betwixt them. 
 There was no excitement about, and only a couple 
 of sleepy-looking sentinels stood in our way. 
 They let us pass freely enough, though had we 
 been going out instead of In it would have been 
 different, as I now know. 
 
 I was glad enough that there was no interrup 
 tion to our progress, having been in some doubt 
 about it. It is true that both guards woke up and 
 looked sharply at us, but two countrymen going 
 into town at that hour was not a suspicious cir 
 cumstance at that time. That there were plenty 
 of soldiers in the small barrack by the gate was 
 plain, for the place was lighted, but there was no 
 cannon in sight, nor was there anything aggres 
 sive looking save the start of a fortification. 
 
 67
 
 68 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 Had it not been for the cloak that enveloped 
 her figure I might never have brought the girl 
 through without question; for now she was a weak 
 and dependent woman, in all but appearance, and 
 for the last two miles I had been obliged to assist 
 her, and she hung on me like lead, being com- - 
 pletely exhausted from excitement, worry, and un 
 wonted exercise; but verily, had I then been able 
 to glimpse the future I think I would have stag 
 gered at it, and been even weaker than the girl 
 then at my side. 
 
 Over the old corduroy road we walked until 
 we struck the thickly inhabited town, and at last 
 I halted on Milk Street and opposite the door of 
 Squire Thaddeus Dench, his name on the dingy 
 brass plate appearing in exactly the same stage 
 of neglect as when I had last seen it. 
 
 By then the girl was almost fainting from weari 
 ness, and dropped on the marble horse-block while 
 I ran up the low step and rapped with the knocker. 
 
 Though the sun was barely above the horizon 
 and the hour early the door was opened by Dench 
 himself, and he was fully dressed. This did not 
 occur to me as unusual, though I might have 
 known it was, but I was too glad to reach my * 
 journey s end to note the alacrity with which he 
 appeared when another man would have had scant 
 time to get his legs out of bed. 
 
 He was no stranger to me, nor I to him. I 
 had met him in years gone by and had often seen
 
 SQUIRE DENCH 69 
 
 him striding along the street, his tall, thin figure 
 slightly bent, his hands clasped behind him. He 
 had always looked poorly groomed, always seemed 
 needing a shave, and always showed grains of 
 snuff on the none too immaculate ruffles of his 
 shirt. And now he was in all unchanged, even to 
 the three days stubble on his protruding chin and 
 the snuff on his shirt-front. His gray hair was 
 queued with a gray ribbon, and his gray clothing, 
 his pale face, and the aforesaid gray stubble gave 
 him an exceedingly flat appearance. 
 
 But his eyes made amends for the rest, light 
 blue though they were. Like sparks from grind 
 ing steel they seemed, and one might have known 
 the man was a lawyer, and a shrewd one, by the 
 quick, sharp voice that went with his sharper 
 glance. 
 
 I confess, patriot though he was, I never liked 
 the man. I could not abide the soft rubbing to 
 gether of his bony hands as he listened when be 
 ing talked to ; I did not like the stoop to his slight 
 figure, nor the furtive expression of his too light 
 eyes; I never liked his forever pleading poverty 
 himself, and probing others for funds for the 
 " cause." But he was a man whose sense was 
 sound, or I thought so, and whose honor I consid 
 ered above question, and he was just the man to 
 give me advice in my present dilemma. 
 
 So I was glad to see him stick his head from the 
 door, mightily, too, as though he was expecting
 
 70 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 some one, for when he saw what he thought were 
 two strangers he pursed his thin lips and brought 
 his forehead into a scowl. 
 
 " What s wanted? " he snapped. 
 
 " You are," I snapped back. 
 
 "And who are you? Tis the wrong house 
 you have come to, I make no doubt." 
 
 " Not if you are Lawyer Dench," I said. " I 
 am Allen Darcy, of Berkshire, and have come to 
 shift a burden in the shape of Mistress Louise 
 Selden, who has been traveling to see you." 
 
 At that his manner altered in a twinkling, and 
 I think he recoiled a step or so, but quickly re 
 covered himself. 
 
 " You are Allen Darcy, son of Judge Darcy, of 
 Berkshire?" 
 
 " Just that same." 
 
 " And where You said something of 
 Louise Selden." 
 
 " She is here, and nigh dead from fatigue." 
 And I pointed to the drooping figure on the horse 
 block. The man made some kind of a noise in 
 his throat, but he did not appear surprised at the 
 girl s costume. He had us both into the house 
 at once, closing the door behind him, and I saw 
 I had made no mistake in bringing the maiden 
 there; one might have thought that Dench had 
 found a long-lost daughter instead of having had 
 thrust upon him a girl I knew he had never seen. 
 For he hung over like a superannuated lover, even
 
 SQUIRE DENCH 71 
 
 kissing her drawn cheek, at which last, somehow 
 or other, I felt a quick resentment. 
 
 But the young lady was now so far gone in 
 fatigue that I think any man might have kissed 
 her without her caring, and when at last the old 
 man put his arm around her and led her away, 
 first locking the front door, she only held out her 
 hand to me as if in thanks for what I had done 
 for her, for never a word did she speak, though 
 she smiled at me over her shoulder as she dragged 
 herself up the broad stairway. 
 
 I thought it strange that Dench did not summon 
 his housekeeper, for he had no wife, or some do 
 mestic to take charge of the girl; but he escorted 
 her alone, and it was many a day ere I saw Miss 
 Louise Selden again, though I then hoped to see 
 her on the morrow. As for me, apparently 
 ignored by the man, I walked into the first open 
 room I saw, which happened to be the lawyer s 
 office at the end of the great hall, and waited for 
 him to appear. This room was a fair-sized one, 
 and being an attorney s, was well lined with books, 
 while its furniture bespoke the owner to be well- 
 to-do if not wealthy. 
 
 The apartment was close and hot, as if a lamp 
 had burned there all night, and being warm and 
 tired myself, I took off my hat and sat down while 
 I looked round, wondering at the closed windows 
 and the meaning of so many doors in so unpreten 
 tious a room.
 
 72 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 Presently Dench came in and it was easy to see 
 that he was pleased about something, for his face 
 was wrinkled into what was meant to be a smile 
 as he seated himself before me, his back to the 
 light. 
 
 " And now, son of my old friend," he said, 
 scraping the stubble on his chin with his clawlike 
 fingers, " I know you wish to see me. Your 
 young charge is well taken care of and will rest. 
 She has inferred that you needed my assistance. 
 I will hear your story, sir." 
 
 Now, being practically at my journey s end, 
 and having had no restrictions as to Dench put 
 upon me by my father, I felt warranted in at last 
 speaking freely and so I retailed the story of the 
 night s work, from my rescue of the girl to our 
 arrival in front of his house. 
 
 I left out nothing, though I touched modestly 
 on my bout with his nephew, and was ready to 
 justify myself if he caviled at it. But he did not, 
 only softly rubbing his hands and nodding his 
 head, his sharp eyes boring me the while except 
 when he shifted them to the tall clock in the cor 
 ner, which was often enough to have me remember 
 it. When I had done he said : 
 
 " You need have no compunctions regarding 
 your treatment of my nephew. He and I have 
 drawn apart. You acted as a man should as 
 I would have done with him had I been able. As
 
 SQUIRE DENCH 73 
 
 for the rest, I will stand behind you with the law, 
 though you will understand that my political sym 
 pathies have put me out of favor with the author 
 ities, even as it has you. My son, I heard about 
 and honor you for your patriotic act in putting 
 down Judge Evers." 
 
 " And you knew of it? " I exclaimed. 
 
 "Yes, my son; and who does not? And I 
 er understand that an important errand brings 
 you to Boston. Am I not right?" 
 
 " You are right, sir," I said, " though it both 
 ers me to guess how you knew unless my father 
 wrote you unknown to me." 
 
 The lawyer brought his eyelids close together 
 and smiled. " I think you may trust your father s 
 discretion as well as my ability to keep a secret, 
 my son. Perhaps I can help you." 
 
 " Hardly," I said, " seeing that it is a personal 
 matter betwixt myself and Doctor Joseph War 
 ren under whom I hope to learn to be a leech." 
 
 "And is that all?" he asked, with an air of 
 quick disappointment. 
 
 " Nay," said I. " My father told me it was 
 likely that you could locate Mr. Adams for me, 
 as I have important matter to deliver as soon as 
 may be." 
 
 " Ah of what nature ? " 
 
 " In the way of letters from Doctor Benjamin 
 Franklin."
 
 74 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 The man did not turn a hair as he heard this; 
 and after a moment of delay in which I thought he 
 was trying to locate Mr. Adams, he said : 
 
 " I have reason to believe that Mr. Adams is 
 out of town, the warrant signed against him and 
 Hancock having made him a fugitive. But, sir, 
 as a friend of the cause I think I can direct you to 
 him. Of course you could not trust those letters 
 to me?" 
 
 The last was a question, pure and simple. 
 
 " Nor to any other man," I returned. " They 
 are of the utmost importance, and I was strictly 
 enjoined to " 
 
 "Of course of course," he interrupted. 
 You are wiser than most men of your age. 
 But come you must be tired out from your 
 night s work. Come with me come with me ; 
 by sunset I may be able to point out Mr. Adams 
 to you." 
 
 And he fully expected to, the double-faced vil 
 lain, undoubtedly believing that both Hancock and 
 Adams had been seized : n the raid of which he was 
 perfectly aware. I the., had no suspicion of the 
 man s duplicity, though I was not long in ignorance 
 of it, and followed him up-stairs and into a small 
 back room, where he left me, telling me I need not 
 rise for breakfast that he would send it to me. 
 And so he went out after wishing me a good rest. 
 
 Now when I think of this old wretch my blood 
 boils; but then I had not the first suspicion that he
 
 SQUIRE DENCH 75 
 
 was not all he appeared to be, and congratulated 
 myself on the easy termination of my trip and my 
 y/isdom in going to Dench for advice. 
 
 Though tired I was not sleepy, and after taking 
 off my shoes to ease my feet, and throwing my coat 
 on the bed, I went to the single window of the 
 room and looked out. 
 
 Close to the house I could see little because of 
 the extension roof beneath my window ; but beyond 
 it the view was broad enough. Some twenty feet 
 from the extension, and toward a corner of the 
 house, was a well, while from it and running 
 toward the house was a ditch recently opened, the 
 flag-stones that had covered it lying strewn along 
 its side. I did not know that the well was a run 
 ning one, and the ditch intended for a pipe to con 
 duct the water to the house; but the lack of knowl 
 edge mattered nothing then, though later the ditch 
 mattered everything to me. I glanced at it casu 
 ally, then looked beyond it to where many trees 
 were standing over toward the next street; but the 
 abutting garden was divided from the lawyer s 
 property by a high fence in which was a gate. As 
 I stood there in the growing day, it now being close 
 to seven o clock, I saw a negress, a woman of 
 immense figure, go from the extension and draw 
 water from the well, and when she disappeared 
 there was no sign of life in any direction, and the 
 embargoed city seemed like a deserted one, it was 
 so quiet.
 
 76 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 I turned from the window wondering in what 
 part of the house lay the girl who had been my 
 companion, when my ear caught the ruffle of hoofs 
 going at speed on the street beyond. I again 
 turned to the window just as the sound stopped, 
 but my curiosity was more than satisfied, for as I 
 wondered what could make one ride so fast so 
 early, the door, or gate, in the board fence opened 
 to admit a man, a British officer, as I knew by his 
 uniform, and I staggered back as I recognized him 
 as no less a person than Lawrence Brussel, the 
 same whom I had laid on the broad of his back 
 hardly eight hours before. 
 
 What in the devil was he doing here ? 
 
 He did not go in at the rear entrance, for I had 
 not fairly recovered from my surprise at seeing 
 him before he was hammering at the front door 
 and making as great an ado as if his case was a 
 matter of life and death. 
 
 That something was up I had not the least 
 doubt, and to me that " something " was that 
 Brussel had tracked me to his uncle s house, and 
 despite the fact that the two had drawn apart, he 
 had followed from a desire for vengeance. 
 
 I could then conceive no other possible reason 
 for his coming, and his hurried manner warranted 
 the conclusion; anyway, instead of running down 
 to meet the man I quietly stepped into the hall, 
 and protected by the gloom from being seen from 
 below, leaned over the balustrade. Even then I
 
 SQUIRE DENCH 77 
 
 could not see the front door, but my ears served 
 me where my eyes failed. 
 
 I had hardly arrived at my post when I heard 
 Dench shuffle through the hall and open the door, 
 and his cry of surprise was unfeigned as he saw his 
 nephew. But there was no indication of enmity 
 or even estrangement between the two. The first 
 words were by Brussel: 
 
 " What a time I ve had getting here ! " 
 
 " I looked for you hours ago, and have been 
 waiting well-nigh all night," was the old man s 
 response, and at that moment the devil of sus 
 picion against him flew to me, lit on my shoulder 
 and whispered in my ear. 
 
 ; Well, it is cursed lucky that I am here at all," 
 said Brussel, stepping into the hall. " I am un 
 done in every way." 
 
 " But they got Hancock and Adams? " 
 
 " No curse it no ! The whole thing is a 
 mistake! Gage has been fooled! The rebels 
 were out in force, and when I came away they were 
 driving Pitcairn s regiment like sheep ! Good 
 God! Think of a horde of farmers driving a 
 king s regiment. Pitcairn will never hold up his 
 head again. He sent a wild call for help, and I 
 met Lord Percy hurrying to his relief, but as I am 
 on leave and not detailed to take part in the muss 
 I came right here. For you and me there is worse 
 news. The girl has escaped." 
 
 The man s voice was unguarded.
 
 78 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 "Hush hush!" said Bench, evidently clap 
 ping a hand over his nephew s mouth. 
 
 " Damn it! Don t do that! I am no child! 
 What do you mean? " asked Brussel, in a high- 
 pitched and impatient voice. 
 
 You ought to be gagged," returned the old 
 man. " You are giving me stale news. Nothing 
 has been lost. Get into the office; I want to talk 
 to you." 
 
 Here was " Matter for a May morning " ; here 
 was food for thought and for rapid thought. 
 To my mind the girl who had " escaped " could be 
 none but the girl I had rescued from the sergeant 
 and who had spoken of Hotfoot Brussel in terms 
 of execration. It was no time for me to consider 
 the ethics of my position in Thaddeus Dench s 
 house. Something unusual was in the air and I 
 felt that it behooved me to learn the nature of it, 
 if possible, and that for the sake of the young lady 
 for whom, in a measure, I felt responsible. That 
 I might learn anything regarding my own interests 
 I did not dream. 
 
 Therefore, with hardly a moment of hesitation 
 I determined to let the finer points of honor blow 
 to where they might; so, without returning to my 
 room I went softly down the stairs in my unshod 
 feet, and within the space of ten seconds my ear 
 was against the panel of the office-door. 
 
 It is fair adage that listeners hear no good of
 
 SQUIRE BENCH 79 
 
 themselves, and I was no exception to the rule, for, 
 hardly had I glued my ear to the door than as 
 distinct as if I were in the room came the words 
 from Dench: 
 
 " Sit down and listen to me, Larry. The fat is 
 not in the fire. Tell me your story quietly." I 
 heard a chair rasp on the polished floor; then came 
 Brussel s voice: 
 
 " There s little to tell, but there is much I wish 
 to know. The girl got by me in disguise, an old 
 enemy of mine helping her, though he little 
 dreamed of who she is. I met the fellow later." 
 
 " Ay, I know; and he manhandled you." 
 
 Brussel gave an exclamation of genuine astonish 
 ment. " And how could you know?" he asked. 
 
 " Because he told me of it himself. There are 
 two fools up-stairs, one the biggest fool for one of 
 his years I ever beheld. You may soon ease your 
 spleen on him, but not until I have from him cer 
 tain letters. This will be your business. Do you 
 follow me? " 
 
 " Are you speaking of " 
 
 " I am speaking of Allen Darcy," interrupted 
 the old man. " He is now up-stairs and probably 
 asleep. You " 
 
 Brussel evidently bounded from his seat. 
 
 " Do you mean to tell me that Allen Darcy is 
 under this roof? By Heaven, I ll have his life. 
 Where does he lie? "
 
 8o THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 As he spoke, or rather shouted, he evidently 
 sprang for the door, for his hand turned the knob, 
 and then I started back determined to close with 
 him the instant he appeared.
 
 CHAPTER yill 
 
 EAVESDROPPING 
 
 BUT the door did not open then, and Heaven 
 only knows whether this was fortunate or 
 otherwise, but as the knob turned I was 
 aware that Brussel s hand was jerked from it by 
 the old man, who had jumped forward, for his 
 high-pitched voice was now close to the panels. 
 
 "Have you gone crazy, you young idiot?" 
 demanded Dench. " Are you going to spoil 
 everything, like a mad boy? Do as you wish 
 later, but if you go up to him now you will ruin 
 me, if not yourself ! Sit down ; sit down and listen 
 to reason. Darcy is safe enough; and when I 
 have told you more, it is likely you will forget the 
 fellow. I have the cake of the two about baked; 
 would you make dough of it? " 
 
 I heard them retreat from the door, and lost no 
 time in again getting my ear to it, though at each 
 moment I expected to be discovered by some 
 domestic. However, I soon lost thought of any 
 risk from that direction. 
 
 What the deuce do you mean by two of 
 them?" asked Brussel, evidently seating himself. 
 
 81
 
 82 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 " You ll know in time," returned Dench, lower 
 ing his voice, which, though still distinct, quivered 
 from past excitement. " Let me tell you, in the 
 first place, that Darcy thinks I am yet of the rebel 
 committee of correspondence, and, therefore, he 
 has abounding faith in me. 
 
 " If he should know, or suspect, that I had been 
 but spying, his confidence would be lost and I 
 would be in danger from him, for he is a reckless 
 young devil, as was shown by his treatment of 
 Judge Evers. The judge told me of it himself. 
 He could hang Darcy with a good grace." 
 
 " He always was a reckless devil," interposed 
 Brussel. " He gained the name of Devil years 
 ago when " 
 
 " I care nothing how he gained his name," inter 
 rupted the old man, " but at this present moment 
 he has letters on his person which, could I present 
 to Gage, would be the making of me and intrench 
 me against another matter going wrong. And 
 they probably contain information which would 
 compromise many who are yet unsuspected." 
 
 " And I promise you shall have them when I 
 again lay hands on the villain." 
 
 " Then, there is the matter of more importance 
 to both of us." 
 
 "What can be more important?" sneered 
 Brussel. 
 
 " What great matter is interesting you and me 
 at present?" snapped back Dench. "Is Louise
 
 EAVESDROPPING 83 
 
 Selden no great matter? You know how we 
 stand." 
 
 " I can cursed well guess how I stand with her ! " 
 was the surly reply. " Somehow, she learned I 
 was going to her, and so she took immediate occa 
 sion to run away, dressed as a boy. I got leave, 
 as you know, and traveled up to the Hampshire 
 Grants, only to find her just gone. She left a note 
 with her fool of a sister, who, however she wishes 
 me as a brother-in-law, hasn t wit enough to in 
 fluence the girl. No one knew in what direction 
 she escaped, though I learned later. Like an ass 
 I went to please you, and like an ass came back. 
 I had but just reached barracks and reported when 
 Colonel Dalrymple ordered me out to Cambridge 
 with a picked squad to intercept any information 
 of the raid going abroad. I was to be considered 
 relieved on the passing of Pitcairn. 
 
 " Well, at the White Horse I met with Darcy, 
 not knowing him at first. It matters nothing how 
 it came about, but he always hated me, from envy, 
 likely ; anyway, he took me by surprise foully 
 and treacherously by surprise and threw me, 
 then, fearing my vengeance, he ran away at once. 
 Later, Pitcairn went by, though in the meantime 
 I had learned enough from the sergeant there to 
 believe that Louise had appeared at the White 
 Horse under the name of Louis Selden. I had 
 told him to be on the watch for a disguised woman, 
 and he suspected her and held her for my coming.
 
 84 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 However, she appealed to this Darcy, who was in 
 the coffee-room at the time, and he assisted her to 
 run away, to that end assaulting the sergeant. 
 You may imagine how I feel to be twice flouted by 
 the same man on the same night to say nothing 
 of the girl. It would have been easy to catch 
 either had I the hound with me, but " 
 
 " Ay ! " interrupted Dench with an impatient 
 sneer in his voice. " More s the pity if you think 
 that the brute, having caught and mangled them, 
 would settle everything! Why was he not trail 
 ing at your heels as usual? " 
 
 " Because he came nigh to killing a soldier last 
 week. He has turned ugly, and I, myself, have 
 grown afraid of him. I gave him to my sergeant 
 to care for for a time. Let that pass. I came 
 here to give you the facts, thinking the girl might 
 point toward you, as would be natural." 
 
 " You are right, my lad," said Dench. " She 
 did point toward me; and at this moment she is 
 under my roof. The two came together." 
 
 " The devil! " The exclamation from Brussel 
 was forcible. 
 
 "There there; sit down," said the old man 
 as his nephew again sprang to his feet. " All is 
 not plain sailing by any means ! I wish she were 
 elsewhere, though I appeared to be glad at her 
 coming! She is here, of course, for her rights 
 under her father s will. Her sister has the home 
 stead; Louise has cash and the proceeds of Selden s
 
 EAVESDROPPING 85 
 
 investments. What shall I say to her when she 
 demands her patrimony, already due? Shall I tell 
 her I have lost it? Shall I tell her that, as her 
 guardian, I have been false to my trust false to 
 her father and all on account of my worthless 
 nephew, for the love of whom and whom to satisfy 
 I supplied with funds not my own that he might 
 cancel his so-called debts of honor? If she should 
 get the ear of Gage, who is mighty punctilious in 
 these matters, and not at all like Hutchinson, and 
 tell him the Lawyer Dench had defaulted, where 
 would I be? And where would you be were the 
 facts known? It would come out that you were 
 aware of the defalcation, that you gambled away 
 another s money. You would be cashiered, or, 
 if not, placed in a position where you would be 
 compelled to resign; and then you would be a 
 beggar." 
 
 "A beggar?" 
 
 "Ay, Larry, a beggar; for I am as near ruin 
 as a man can be and on your account. I could 
 not give the girl ten pounds of the thousand I owe 
 her. You drained me so low with your infernal 
 scheme of riches a scheme that went wrong 
 that I took speculative chances to make good my 
 losses, and I failed! " 
 
 "Failed! You failed?" There was now no 
 truculence in Brussel s voice ; it showed undisguised 
 consternation. 
 
 " Ay, I failed to be fortunate because at the
 
 86 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 time my venture was hanging in air his majesty 
 embargoed the port of Boston. You know the 
 effect of that. All business ceased, and has since 
 lain dead. But my condition is not known not 
 even suspected. Lawyer Bench is yet a man of 
 integrity and fair fortune." 
 
 "I see I see," was Brussel s slow reply. 
 " And this rather eases my hand. Why should I 
 now marry the girl? The motive appears to be 
 lost." 
 
 " I think not, my son," said the old man with a 
 touch of irony in his voice. u Louise Selden, as a 
 woman, is a prize to be proud of, and by marrying 
 her you can save me and yourself." 
 
 " As if I were in danger! " said Brussel. " But 
 how save you? " 
 
 " Because, as her husband, her property is yours, 
 and then the affair is between you and me alone. 
 You will, of course, give me time, and as soon as 
 the port reopens, as it will when the king has 
 punished this rebel rabble, all will turn out well, 
 and my ventures will realize more than enough to 
 recoup my losses. Do you follow me? " 
 
 " Oh, I follow you readily enough," was the re 
 turn, the speaker s tones warming. You would 
 make a cat s-paw of me to save yourself! I ll be 
 damned if I marry her now; and she would rather 
 be cursed than marry me. I tell you she hates 
 me."
 
 EAVESDROPPING 87 
 
 " But have you not a way with women? You 
 used to boast of it. You can convince her." 
 
 u Curse me if I try," was the quick return. " It 
 means to fetter myself." 
 
 " Then perhaps yon gentle Devil, now up-stairs, 
 will try," returned Dench, in a smooth, sarcastic 
 voice. The two must have been together for 
 hours, and young women have long tongues. He 
 may know something of her affairs." 
 
 " Let him know. I have him yet to deal with," 
 interrupted Brussel. " I won t marry her 
 that s flat." 
 
 "Flat, is it? Is it so?" returned Dench, an 
 ugly note in his voice. " Forget not this, my self- 
 sufficient nephew. You have driven me to the 
 wall, and now you compel me to tell you that if you 
 go against my wishes in the least I will bring out a 
 certain note you think was destroyed long since. 
 Do you take your uncle for a fool, sir? I ll ruin 
 you, if you persist in ruining me." 
 
 I was being rapidly informed, and a fine batch 
 of family history was opened to me in the last 
 threat of the old man. Nor were my thoughts 
 interrupted, as for some time silence followed 
 Dench s words. Presently Brussel spoke. 
 
 Well, sir, you have the whip-hand of me, and 
 hold me by the throat. I might have known you 
 lied about having burned Colonel Dalrymple s 
 note."
 
 88 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 " I have mentioned no names," said Dench, 
 speaking quickly. 
 
 " And what if I fail with the girl after honestly 
 trying to get her? " asked Brussel. 
 
 ; We will remove her," answered the lawyer. 
 
 " My Lord ! Would you kill " 
 
 " Don t be an ass, Larry. Who spoke of kill 
 ing a woman? You might knife a man, he being 
 an enemy, but a woman, no. I mean we would 
 place her where she could not talk or where her 
 talk would be harmless to us." 
 
 " Ah, yes a prisoner somewhere until 
 times mend." 
 
 " Precisely; and they will mend shortly. Gage 
 will have those arch-rebels in limbo and then the 
 movement will fall. The port will reopen. In 
 the meantime you will ingratiate yourself with 
 Louise, and I will feed her with delays and 
 promises." 
 
 "And that fellow up-stairs? " 
 
 " Possibly he will be a little difficult, but as he 
 is a rebel " 
 
 " He is more than that. In a spirit of brag he 
 enlisted under a false name. He s a deserter from 
 his majesty s forces." 
 
 "Ay? Is it so? Then we have him. Go 
 you for a file of men and arrest him; a search will 
 discover the letters, and then he can pass to his 
 deserts."
 
 EAVESDROPPING 89 
 
 " By the hot foot of Lucifer! I ll arrest him 
 myself," said Brussel. 
 
 " Nay, but it is too great a risk," interposed 
 Dench. " Suppose Louise has told him her his 
 tory and what she fears; suppose he should talk 
 at his trial and " 
 
 " Mark me well, Uncle Dench," interrupted 
 Brussel, evidently getting to his feet, " I agree to 
 all you ask save this. I will marry the girl if I 
 can, and compound your villainy afterward, but 
 I am to have my own way with Darcy; and rest 
 assured that when I am done with him, he will talk 
 no more. Dost comprehend? I am a king s offi 
 cer and have the right to kill a deserter. I have 
 been outraged, and by Heaven, I ll be revenged." 
 
 I heard the man striding up and down the floor 
 as he spoke excitedly. It was full time for me to 
 be going, and as I reached that conclusion, I real 
 ized that the precious letters were in my coat which 
 I had thrown on the bed up-stairs. 
 
 Also, it would not be feasible to leave the house 
 unshod, and I straightened myself for the purpose 
 of returning to my room and obtaining my coat and 
 foot-gear, when, to my consternation, for I had 
 heard no indication of it, the office-door opened 
 and Brussel, with the old man just behind him, 
 stood within three feet of me.
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 AT CLOSE RANGE 
 
 UNDER the circumstances I had little time 
 to think, nor did I think, but I was moved 
 through intuition which same sixth sense 
 has stood me in good stead more than once in my 
 life. The matter evidently dominating my brain 
 at that moment was that I must get possession of 
 the letters that without them I would be weak. 
 
 Brussel had his drawn sword in his hand, and 
 the reason he did not at once use it was because my 
 presence took him more by surprise than his did 
 me, and as he hung in the wind at sight of me, 
 and that for the space of perhaps ten seconds, I 
 acted in a totally different way than I would have 
 done had he appeared when he first approached 
 the door. 
 
 At all events, instead of throwing myself on him 
 I did the very opposite, for, turning, I ran at full 
 speed along the hall and up the stairs, gaining my 
 room and getting into my coat, as if the latter act 
 were to settle the whole business. 
 
 Undoubtedly Brussel thought my flight was de 
 termined through fear of him, though why he 
 should have thought so after what had passed 
 
 90
 
 AT CLOSE RANGE 91 
 
 between us is still a puzzle. It is likely that he 
 would have put after me at once, but it took time 
 for him to pull his wits together and realize that 
 the secret between himself and his uncle was in the 
 hands of a third party. At all events there must 
 two or three minutes have passed ere I heard his 
 feet on the stairs. By then I was into my coat and 
 had slipped my feet into my shoes; all my late 
 fatigue had vanished, and I had about determined 
 to go out of the window to the roof beneath it and 
 there make my escape by dropping from the leads; 
 indeed, I was half-across the room when Brussel 
 dashed open the door. 
 
 I marked the fire in his eyes as plainly as I did 
 the sword in his hand, and was well aware that his 
 present desperation made him infinitely more dan 
 gerous to me than he had been when he menaced 
 me in the coffee-room of the White Horse. 
 
 Behind him came Bench, panting from un 
 wonted exertion, but I only had a glance at him, 
 for with his entry Brussel seemed to divine my 
 object. As I halted he leaped between me and 
 the window. 
 
 " Surrender, you deserter! " he shouted, lifting, 
 his sword above his head. 
 
 At that juncture I might have turned toward the 
 door, knocked down the old man who stood in the 
 way and fled to the hall below; but I could not see 
 how I would be benefited by the move, as long 
 before I could unfasten the front door I would be
 
 92 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 cut down from behind, and I was ignorant of the 
 passage leading to the rear. My way appeared 
 to be blocked in every direction. 
 
 But I was in no mood to surrender to Brussel, 
 whom I now hated as the devil is supposed to hate 
 holy-water. I had forced issues with him once 
 and might again, only I could no longer use my 
 former tactics of running under his sword. 
 
 Having been made wise by experience, he now 
 lowered his weapon until only its point threatened 
 me, and, of necessity, I backed away from him to 
 avoid his vicious thrust, making my way slowly 
 toward the bed. I was perfectly aware that I need 
 expect no mercy from this man; and if by chance 
 he got me into his power and turned me over to 
 the authorities, my case would be quite as des 
 perate. There would be three counts against me : 
 my exploit with the royal judge, my bearing trea 
 sonable correspondence, and my being a technical 
 deserter from the British army, the last being solely 
 due to my own crass foolishness. 
 
 However, I did not think my offenses would 
 ever come to trial, and for reasons I had over 
 heard, Brussel expected to make an end to me then 
 and there; it was in the blackness of his face, in 
 his compressed lips; in the very glare of his eyes, 
 and I knew that if I did not tamely submit and 
 make him a cold-blooded murderer, I must fight as 
 I had never fought before. My every instinct 
 moved me to die fighting.
 
 AT CLOSE RANGE 93 
 
 It is a well-worn axiom that while there is life 
 there is hope, and I was not yet dead; as for hope 
 what man of my age is for long without it? 
 Therefore, as I have said, I backed slowly toward 
 the bed, my eyes in the meantime playing round 
 the unfamiliar room, hoping to catch sight of some 
 thing that might stand me as a weapon. But there 
 was nothing of the kind about; the fireplace was 
 empty of its usual furniture, and there was not even 
 a stick of wood with which I could defend myself; 
 as for the chairs, they were either too unwieldy 
 or too distant. I was certainly at bay. 
 
 As I reached the bed, followed step by step by 
 the still thrusting, but now silent officer, I became 
 aware that a third party had appeared on the 
 scene. It was Louise Selden, who, roused by the 
 noise of three men tearing up-stairs, had left her 
 room. 
 
 I can see her now, her fine eyes wide-open in 
 surprise or consternation, her beautiful hair, loose 
 from its confining wig, streaming over her shoul 
 ders. She stood by the door, one hand on her 
 heart, while Bench stood in the opening, his arm 
 across it to bar her from entering the room. 
 
 I noticed these things in a flash and without los 
 ing sight of my advancing enemy. At last I 
 reached the bed, a ponderous, four-posted affair, 
 and when I laid my hand on it I knew I had at 
 tained the limits of my ability to retreat. 
 
 But not the limits of my resources. For as my
 
 94 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 hand fell on the spread, my fingers instinctively 
 clutched the fluffy stuff, and without the least calcu 
 lation, but in a spirit of desperation, I suddenly 
 pulled the great quilt from the bed and swung it 
 toward Brussel. 
 
 It did not envelop him, as perhaps I had hoped 
 it would, but the mass of material caught the point 
 of his advancing sword, bearing it down and be 
 coming entangled with the weapon. Here was my 
 chance, and I took immediate advantage of it. 
 With a bound I was on the officer, but as my own 
 feet caught in the cloth I did not get an effective 
 hold on him, though my propelled weight caused 
 him to stagger back and lose his balance, and in 
 an instant we were struggling on the floor, both 
 of us enmeshed in the folds of the spread. 
 
 At that moment, and later, when we were claw 
 ing at each other like two frenzied cats, I did not 
 have a doubt of the result. It took me some time 
 to get my legs free of the trammeling cloth, but 
 when at last I was free, I managed to get a clutch 
 on his throat and the next instant I was astride his 
 body, my fingers sinking into his flesh, but not be 
 fore he had again let out a cry for help, as he had 
 done at the White Horse. Little feeling did I 
 have for him as I marked his eyes bulge in his 
 distress, and his body writhe under me. My way 
 was now plain. I would choke him into complete 
 submission, dispose of the old man with a blow, 
 take a short leave of the girl, and go from the
 
 AT CLOSE RANGE 95 
 
 house; but these plans, like many another, failed 
 to materialize, for as I rode his heaving body and 
 marked his tongue protrude, I heard a scream from 
 the girl, and at the same instant I received a sicken 
 ing blow on the head. 
 
 The room leaped in a sea of whirling flame and 
 blood, then all became pitch-black, and I was 
 swinging helpless in endless space.
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 IMMURED 
 
 WHEN finally I came to my senses I was 
 far too bewildered to know more than 
 that I was not dead and hurtling 
 through space, but my surroundings did not en 
 lighten me as to where I was. 
 
 Deep darkness still encumbered me, for, though 
 I opened my eyes, not a ray of light greeted them; 
 and I was beset with a general and profound feel 
 ing of discomfort. Then it suddenly came to me 
 that I was blind, and the shock of horror pulled my 
 poor wits together as nothing else would have 
 done. 
 
 I lay perfectly still while my brain steadied, and 
 from the dead silence about me I concluded that I 
 was alone. 
 
 I say I lay still, but it was because I was unable 
 to move; and yet I felt nothing of the compression 
 of bonds. I did not think of bonds. I only kne\V 
 that I was blind and miserable, but did not attempt 
 to fathom the cause. I now know that I was 
 bound only by physical exhaustion. 
 
 Like an owl I lay with my eyes wide open, my 
 brain dancing from terror ; but I gave my thoughts 
 
 96
 
 IMMURED 97 
 
 no voice. I could not; I was dumb as well as 
 motionless. 
 
 I presume that nature at length asserted itself 
 and I slept, for when I again opened my eyes it 
 was to behold a square of dim light above my head, 
 and it came to me with a rush that I was looking 
 at a narrow window. 
 
 Heaven knows my joy at discovering I was not 
 blind; and that, with the sleep I had, did much to 
 pull me together. And now I could move, though 
 the act of stretching out my hand gave me a sense 
 of pain. And well it might. 
 
 I found I was lying on bare stone, and without 
 more covering that the clothes I had on. I was 
 stiffened by cold and dampness. 
 
 Then something of the past asserted itself, and 
 I began to put two and two together until at last 
 much of the matter bewildering me began to clear. 
 I rolled over, every bone and muscle in my body 
 protesting at the movement; but finally I managed 
 to get to my knees and look about me. 
 
 That I was in a prison-cell was my first thought; 
 the floor and walls were of stone, the roof of 
 rough-hewn timbers, while the feeble light that 
 brought out the general features of the place came 
 through a very small window close to the rafters. 
 
 The window was not barred, which I thought 
 strange; but it was too small to pass such a body 
 as mine. However, it took me but a few minutes 
 to determine I was in no regular prison, but in an
 
 98 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 underground apartment which was, or had been, a 
 storeroom; for against the wall were two empty 
 barrels, while a row of hooks along a rafter, and 
 a hanging shelf, now empty, gave an inkling of the 
 nature of the place. I was undoubtedly in a cellar, 
 but where and under what conditions were matters 
 to be guessed at. 
 
 My reasonable supposition was that after I had 
 become unconscious I had been transferred from 
 Dench s house and was in the hands of the authori 
 ties, who, owing to the ticklish nature of the times 
 and the peculiar character of my offense, were 
 keeping me apart from common criminals. 
 
 Doubtless, thought I, I am in no less a place 
 than the cellar of Provence House, where in good 
 time I will be visited by Gage or his inquisitor. 
 
 But I was too weak to more than surmise. My 
 head pained me, and, bringing my hand to it, I 
 discovered that my hair was matted; and then 
 there came the full recollection of how I had 
 fought and fallen. 
 
 I now saw that I was bloody from head to foot, 
 but the flow had ceased and the blood was dry. 
 How long could I have lain in this cell? And why 
 had I been thrown there without even a truss of 
 straw under me? I could not tell, but by the 
 gnawing in my stomach I thought it must have been 
 many hours. I was becoming ravenously hungry 
 and correspondingly thirsty. 
 
 I crawled under the window, raised myself by
 
 IMMURED 99 
 
 means of the rough stones, and attempted to call 
 through the opening some two feet above my head; 
 but my voice was only a feeble croak. Then on 
 my hands and knees I explored the cell inch by 
 inch. 
 
 The window, set in a pit a foot or two below the 
 surface of the ground, showed but a strip of sky, 
 and by the gradual brightening of the blue I 
 guessed I had been a prisoner all that night and 
 most of the previous day. 
 
 And that there was no means of escape from this 
 hole I saw at once. The door was of heavy oak, 
 fastened securely, and without lock, latch, or knob 
 on my side of it. A shallow transom was above 
 it, but the opening was only a narrow slit intended 
 for ventilation, and would not have permitted the 
 passage of a small dog. 
 
 With infinite pains I rolled an empty barrel to 
 the door, climbed to its top, and peered through the 
 transom. Only the sight of deep darkness beyond 
 rewarded me for my exertion. In a frenzy I beat 
 the door with fists and feet, calling as loud as my 
 strength would permit; but this only served to 
 exhaust me, and I fell to the floor in a state of com 
 plete collapse. 
 
 I do not know how long I crouched there with 
 my eyes on the window ; all day, probably, for the 
 light faded until it was pitch-dark, and then I knew 
 that night had fallen again. That night was filled 
 with fevered visions, and betwixt hunger, thirst,
 
 ioo THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 and the pain in my head I felt as ready to die as 
 ever did a man of twenty-six. 
 
 I could no longer think clearly, and the oppres 
 sive silence became like a veritable menace; but I 
 recollect wondering, if I was thrown into this 
 hole to die, why was it that some one did not come 
 and investigate my case? As a dead man I would 
 not be long tolerated in any building, and I surely 
 must have been close to death when I was cast into 
 this dungeon. 
 
 It was all a puzzle. 
 
 I slept after a time, and woke clear-headed and 
 stronger, though still in a pitiable state and still 
 crouched in the spot where I had fallen. I was 
 cold, hungry, and wildly thirsty, but too listless to 
 move. The day had come again, and as my eyes 
 roved aimlessly they caught sight of an object close 
 to me, and it had not been there before. I drew 
 it toward me. It was a package nearly a foot 
 long, wrapped in what might have been an old 
 towel, and it was tied with a bit of string. 
 
 My curiosity was at once roused, but it was with 
 difficulty that I finally managed to break the cord, 
 first discovering that my pockets had been rifled, 
 as when I felt for my knife I found it gone, also, 
 that my money-belt had been stripped from me. 
 My letters ! They, too, were missing, though in 
 my lowered state the fact hardly troubled me; 
 indeed, the letters were forgotten in my interest in 
 the bundle. Slowly I unrolled the cloth, hoping
 
 IMMURED 101 
 
 for nothing, expecting nothing; but when I opened 
 the last fold my eyes suddenly blazed. 
 
 There was bread a whole loaf and a 
 leather bottle, which from its dampness I knew 
 contained water. As I clutched at them something 
 white fell to the floor, but little I heeded it. Like 
 a panther athirst for blood, I tore the cork from 
 the mouth of the flask and drank without waiting 
 to taste the bottle s contents; it might have been 
 poison sent to hurry me off instead of being pure 
 water, but pure water it was. 
 
 The edge taken from my thirst, I set my teeth 
 in the loaf and tore it apart. I must have made a 
 pitiful sight as, bloody and disheveled, I crammed 
 my mouth full of bread while tears of weakness 
 and thankfulness were coursing down my cheeks. 
 I do not apologize for my unheroic aspect and my 
 fiendish appetite for food and drink. I was then 
 but an animal, deprived of its rights, and my 
 spiritual sense was dulled. 
 
 A few moments later, having disposed of the 
 last drop and crumb, and with something akin to 
 the feeling of a normal man, though not a high- 
 tempered one, I wondered who had cast the food 
 to me, for it had undoubtedly been pushed through 
 the transom. And then my eyes fell on the neg 
 lected white square which had dropped from the 
 bundle, and reaching for it with a new interest in 
 life, I saw it was a paper ay, a note. It con 
 tained but few words.
 
 102 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 If you are alive, throw cloth and bottle back to the cel 
 lar passage. Make no outcry. 
 
 That was all. There was nothing said as to 
 who was standing my friend; nothing of the con 
 dition of things outside. With my brain steadied 
 by food and drink, albeit they were but bread and 
 water, I began to reason connectedly concerning 
 my plight. 
 
 So I was, as I had thought, in a cellar compart 
 ment. But where ? The question appeared to be 
 of easy solution now. I had but one friend who 
 could have known of the treacherous blow which 
 had struck me down, and she, Louise Selden. She 
 would hardly be in any house but Bench s, seeing 
 it was his interest to keep her there for a time, and, 
 therefore, in Dench s cellar I must be, and the girl, 
 guessing at my state, had found some way to 
 smuggle food to me. Of that I was certain and 
 equally certain that if I gave the required signal 
 it would not go unnoticed by her or her con 
 federate. 
 
 Now clearly enough I remembered that she was 
 marked for ruin, and within me there surged a 
 desire to warn her against the plot. But I was in 
 no position to do it, for my sense told me to im 
 plicitly obey instructions, and, moreover, I had no 
 means of communicating with her. 
 
 Nor could I even write an answer to her note, 
 if indeed it was from her. However, I lost no 
 time in throwing bottle and towel through the
 
 IMMURED 103 
 
 transom; their presence in the passage would mean 
 nothing to one not in the secret. 
 
 The day passed in monotonous silence. If any 
 one came near me, and events proved that there 
 did, I was not aware of it, though I kept my ears 
 trained for the slightest noise in the passage. 
 Ay, I did more. I armed myself with a barrel 
 stave, hoping and fearing that Brussel or his uncle 
 would come to learn of my state. But neither dis 
 turbed me. As evening came on apace my hope 
 fell with the return of keen hunger. The light 
 waned until the outline of the window was lost, 
 and just as I felt hopeless I heard a thud on the 
 floor of my cell and then knew I had not been for 
 gotten. 
 
 This time the package contained meat as well as 
 bread and water, but the note I felt for and found 
 could not be read until morning; so after eating I 
 curled myself up on the cursed stone floor and 
 slept. And possibly slept with one eye open, for 
 I was up and crowding close to the window at the 
 crack of dawn. As soon as it was light enough I 
 read the note : 
 
 Heaven be praised for your being alive. If you are 
 sick and helpless, throw the towel as before, but if you 
 can work for escape, tear it in two before throwing it out. 
 
 I cannot liberate you, as D has the key and sits so that 
 
 no one can go to the cellar unseen during the day. 
 
 The city is in a state of siege. The royal forces were 
 nearly ruined on their retreat from Concord. No one 
 can leave or enter Boston, and the excitement is awful.
 
 104 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 B has not been here since the disaster to Gage. In 
 
 the growing confusion there may be a chance for you. 
 More to-night. L. 
 
 With this my pulse began to bound, and strange 
 to say it was the information anent the king s 
 forces which most appealed to me. There had 
 plainly been a clash between the troops and the 
 people in which the latter had won. The first 
 blow had been struck, and the war, which had long 
 been anticipated, was now on. Boston was be 
 leaguered! It was wonderful, and here I was 
 mewed up like a monk in a cell, without the ability 
 to take a hand in the glorious stir. 
 
 But by the grace of Heaven and the faithfulness 
 of Louise Selden, I soon would have my freedom; 
 for of course, it was my late companion who was 
 standing by me. The poor weakling, for whom I 
 had held little respect while I thought her a boy, 
 was now supporting me and holding me from the 
 great abyss; and she evidently had confidence in 
 her own wit. Mentally I groveled before her. I 
 did not then know that a woman s weakness is her 
 strength, but I knew I owed my life to Louise Sel 
 den, and then and there I swore I would recipro 
 cate her faithfulness to me. If only I were free ! 
 
 I tore the towel in two with a vigor that told of 
 returning spirits, and at once cast the pieces 
 through the transom. Would I work for escape? 
 Ay, that I would. Only show me the chance ! 
 
 How that day dragged may be guessed, and
 
 IMMURED 105 
 
 with what a zest I seized upon the bundle when it 
 came to me that night may easily be imagined. 
 But I could get no clew as to who was my direct 
 benefactor. I was certain it was not Louise, for 
 the shuffling steps that went down the stone cor 
 ridor were not those of a young person, nor of 
 one who was in a great hurry. 
 
 The bundle I unrolled was very much heavier 
 than any I had received, and that not altogether 
 from the generous supply of provisions. For be 
 sides food, it contained an old cold-chisel, a couple 
 of candles and a flint and steel. 
 
 The feel of the candles told me their nature, and 
 after a long struggle with the flint and steel, I 
 managed to get one lighted and turned to the letter 
 accompanying the package. It stimulated me as 
 nothing else would have done nothing save 
 actual liberty. 
 
 My dear friend: 
 
 This, like the others, will be conveyed to you by Letty, 
 the negress servant of the house, and without whom I 
 fear we would both be undone. You will find the means 
 of working for your escape, and I see no other way than 
 to remove the stones of the foundation. 
 
 There is an uncovered ditch running from the well to 
 the house, which ends four feet under the surface of the 
 ground and against the foundation or the wall of the 
 room you are in. That is a corner compartment, and the 
 ditch strikes it exactly six feet from the angle, if Letty 
 has measured right, and four feet below the top course of 
 stone. 
 
 If you can remove a portion of the wall at that point,
 
 io6 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 you can easily break a way out, as the workmen have 
 loosened the outside facing. They were about to repair 
 a break in the pipe that runs from the well to the kitchen 
 above you, but the general confusion has put a stop to 
 the work. 
 
 D appears troubled, and told me, who am acting a 
 
 part, that you are yet alive and being taken care of; that 
 you are an escaped criminal, and on the morning of our 
 arrival had been discovered robbing the house. He tells 
 me you are being held by him pending the settlement of 
 the confusion. I know this to be a lie. He is not harsh 
 to me; quite the contrary. 
 
 Political situation more acute. There have been sev 
 eral skirmishes round Boston Neck, but nothing decisive. 
 No one can move without a pass from Gage. I should 
 return home, but cannot go until I see you safe. Have 
 not seen B for several days. 
 
 When you have made an opening large enough to pass 
 through, tie a knot in the cloth you throw out and await 
 instructions. L. 
 
 Though I was at that time far from being in love 
 with the writer, I pressed this missive to my lips; 
 it was my only means of thanking her. And so 
 she was acting a part ! Why, unless she had dis 
 covered the character of the man from whom she 
 had expected protection? That might be as it 
 happened; I would soon enlighten her; in the 
 meantime I had work to do. 
 
 With candle in one hand and chisel in the other, 
 I went to the point the note indicated, and then saw 
 what I had not before noticed. I would not be 
 obliged to calculate where to begin my labor, for 
 there, leading from above and turning into the
 
 IMMURED 107, 
 
 foundation below the frost-line was the pipe itself, 
 so in the shadow, so rusty and cobweb-covered that 
 I had not marked it. 
 
 I remembered having seen the ditch from the 
 window of my room; I remembered having seen 
 the big negress at the well, but never imagined that 
 either would ever serve me. Here, then, was the 
 point to begin work, and that work was to remove 
 the mortar-set foundation-stones one by one. It 
 bade fair to be an endless job a heart-rending 
 job but it was with liberty for its object. I set 
 down the candle and went feverishly at the busi 
 ness. 
 
 As the blows of a hammer, had I possessed one, 
 would have betrayed me, I was obliged to pick and 
 scratch at the mortar, removing it bit by bit. I 
 attacked the smallest stone first, one the size of my 
 hand, a mere filling stone, but it was midnight 
 before I had it out. Then I slept. 
 
 The next day I worked desperately, and at night 
 received my usual supply of food, but no note. By 
 then I had removed two more stones, one a large 
 one. Day and night alternated, but with scant rest 
 for me. As I progressed, the work became easier, 
 and on the fifth day I rested, for early that morn- 11 
 ing I discovered that a push would send down the 
 last few stones, making an opening large enough 
 to crawl through. 
 
 And each night I received my food, though no 
 word came with it. When at length all was ready
 
 :io8 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 I knotted the cloth in which my food always came, 
 and threw it through the transom. 
 
 That day seemed a year long; I thought the 
 night would never come. And when at last it did 
 come there came that which I had long looked for. 
 It must have been near nine o clock when I heard 
 the bundle fall, and I lighted the remains of the 
 second candle, for I had saved it by working much 
 in the dark, and found a note which I seized upon 
 as more than food and drink. As I read it, it 
 became evident that I had completed my work 
 none too soon. 
 
 I have been impatiently awaiting your signal. It 
 comes in the nick of time. Much has happened, but can 
 not go into detail. Know something of the perfidy of 
 
 B and D and the cause of their enmity toward 
 
 you. I have your letters to Mr. A sewn in my cloth 
 ing and will give them to you at first opportunity. 
 
 I must leave this house, and at once. Have made ar 
 rangements to escape, and hope to take you with me. 
 When you have read this, make your way to the ditch 
 and thence to the next street in the rear, and await my 
 coming with Letty. 
 
 I can no longer disguise myself, yet I think you will 
 know me. Follow, without coming too near, until I 
 stop; then join me. If you are halted and questioned, as 
 you may be, the city being under martial law, use your 
 wits, as I see no way to help you. If by chance we can 
 not meet, accept my thanks for what you have done for 
 me, and may we meet in happier days. 
 
 In an hour from now I shall start, as D is to go 
 
 out early. 
 
 May Heaven protect us both. L.
 
 TWIXT DEVIL AND DEEP 
 
 SHE to thank me for what I had done for her ! 
 It sounded almost like irony, though I 
 knew then, as well as later, that she was not 
 given to flippancy. My hands fairly shook as I 
 read this letter. What had happened to distress 
 her? Yet I could easily imagine. 
 
 Brussel had been persecuting her, and in all 
 probability Bench had unfurled his flag and now 
 sailed under his true colors as a villain. I would 
 soon know all, for I was about to be free. 
 
 The impending movement so tested my weak 
 ened nerves that for a time I was incapable of 
 rapid action, but when I had eaten and the shock 
 of the letter had passed I was a new man and ready 
 for whatever offered. Hurriedly I picked out the 
 stones I had put back into their places, and in less 
 than half an hour from the time I had read the 
 letter I was pushing against the frail obstruction 
 that yet barred me from freedom. 
 
 The wall went down with a clatter as the stones 
 fell into the ditch, and I feared the noise would 
 betray me, though I did not wait for an alarm. 
 Squeezing my body through the opening, I found 
 
 109
 
 no THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 myself under the stars. It was a mild night, al 
 most windless, and the silence was profound. It 
 was hard to realize that I was in a storm-center of 
 passion and hate. 
 
 For a moment I crouched without moving, 
 clutching a stone in either hand with the full inten 
 tion of becoming aggressive if discovered. But as 
 there was no indication that I had been either heard 
 or seen, I crawled from the ditch, and, bent like an 
 Indian, went silently and swiftly over the ground 
 to where the back fence loomed through the dark 
 ness. I felt along the boards until I came to the 
 gate. It was unlocked, and I was about to pass 
 through when I thought it safer to scale the fence 
 some distance away. 
 
 An eight-foot fence was nothing to a man of my 
 activity, and though I was yet far below par physi 
 cally I had no trouble in scaling it and dropping 
 noiselessly to the grass on its farther side. 
 
 From there I slid like a shadow from tree to 
 tree until I came to the edge of the road. This I 
 crossed, and hid in the bushes on the other side. 
 There were a number of houses in sight, the resi 
 dences of the better class, but not in one did I see 
 a light. I had hardly settled myself, certain that 
 I had not been seen, when I heard the hour strike. 
 It was ten o clock. The street I was on was 
 deserted of foot passers, but this was not remark 
 able, considering the hour and the rule of military 
 law. But presently I heard footsteps coming
 
 "TWIXT DEVIL AND DEEP" in 
 
 along the pavement leisurely footsteps and 
 as I crouched behind the lilac-bush I used as a 
 concealment, I saw a soldier with shouldered 
 musket. 
 
 He was part of the patrol, I thought, and I was 
 right; no soldier off duty would be lounging about 
 with a musket. But he put a period to my hopes 
 of following Louise, who was now due at any 
 minute, for instead of proceeding on his way, the 
 scarlet-coated man halted directly in front of the 
 spot where I was hidden, and dropping the stock 
 of his musket to the ground, pulled out a plug of 
 tobacco and gnawed on it. 
 
 Here was a predicament for me, and it might 
 prove one to the girl, as doubtless she would be 
 stopped and be obliged to explain why she was on 
 the street after dark without a pass. I quickly 
 made up my mind to brain the sentry with the stone 
 I still held rather than be caught, but it hardly 
 came to that, for, as the soldier was pocketing his 
 plug, he evidently heard some one coming. 
 Quickly shouldering his musket, he stepped for 
 ward a pace, came to a stop, and brought his piece 
 down to charge as he challenged : 
 
 " Halt ! Who are you and where your pass ? " 
 
 And then I heard a voice that made me crouch 
 lower. 
 
 " My name is Dench," said the newcomer. " I 
 am a lawyer. That is my house yonder; I am 
 going in at the back way."
 
 H2, THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 " You ll go in no way save you show your right 
 to be here," was the soldier s answer. " Where s 
 your pass? " 
 
 " Right here right here," said the lawyer 
 nervously as he fumbled through his pockets, but 
 he failed to bring out the required paper. " I had 
 it, sentry. I ll swear it is all right. I m Lawyer 
 Dench, Squire Thaddeus Dench, and " 
 
 " I don t care who you are," was the soldier s 
 return. " I want the bit o paper or else you go 
 with me to the provost." 
 
 " But I tell you " 
 
 " You need tell me nothing, sir. I have my 
 orders. Have you a pass? " 
 
 " I thought I had it. I procured it this morning 
 from the city major." 
 
 That may or may not be, but ye are a poor 
 zany to be movin around without it ! In short, ye 
 have no pass to show! Right about face, sir, and 
 march. If you play any tricks with me you ll get 
 badly pricked. Off with you." 
 
 You ll pay for this outrage ! " sputtered 
 Dench. " I was given a pass for myself and 
 servant. And I am in a desperate hurry. There 
 is a man dying at my house, and " 
 
 " No more palaver about it, old man," was the 
 crisp return. " March on or I ll put the spur 
 into ye." 
 
 There was nothing compromising about the tone 
 of the soldier, and Dench, seeing protests were use-
 
 "TWIXT DEVIL AND DEEP" 113 
 
 less, turned, and went the way he came, the other, 
 with his bayonet between the lawyer s shoulders, 
 pressing him onward. 
 
 And thus, by a streak of vivid luck, was the way 
 cleared of both sentry and an enemy. And hardly 
 had soldier and prisoner gone fairly from sight, 
 when I saw Louise. That the great figure by her 
 side was Letty I had no doubt. 
 
 They came through the gate, reached the road, 
 and after a moment of hesitation, took up their 
 course southward. Had they been five minutes 
 earlier, the sentry must have seen them. I was 
 not then aware that so far as the sentry was con 
 cerned the girl cared nothing, her wit having pro 
 vided for him. 
 
 I let the figures get fifty feet ahead of me before 
 I followed; nor did I have to follow far before 
 they stopped and waited. Her plan had not 
 failed. In a moment I was at the girl s side, pour 
 ing out my thanks to her. It was the first time I 
 had seen her in anything but man s attire, and in 
 her present appearance I could by no means realize 
 that here was the youth whom I had treated almost 
 . with contempt; that I had rescued one who had 
 ^more than requited the slight service by saving my 
 life. 
 
 Even in the gloom of the night I could make out 
 the grace of her figure, and even then, too, I was 
 alive to its charm to the very charm of her 
 presence, a thing I once cared nothing about. At
 
 n 4 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 this time she was far less excited than was the 
 black, who appeared to be on pins and needles 
 far less excited than was I, and she greeted me 
 with a low word and a quiet hand-shake. I was 
 glad it was too dark for her to take note of my 
 appearance. 
 
 u I hardly think I have done you a favor by at 
 taching myself to you at this time," she said. 
 " But we may both be safer together than apart. 
 As you have come, Letty will go no further, as my 
 pass provides for only two. You are to be my 
 servant, and hark! " 
 
 There was hardly need of the exclamation. 
 Clear from the west came the rattle of musketry, 
 but the nature of the sound showed the firing was 
 at some distance beyond the Neck. 
 
 The rattling fusillade was followed by the boom 
 of a single cannon. 
 
 " It is an attack! " I exclaimed. 
 
 " The better for us, as it will draw attention 
 from the water-front. We are going there if we 
 can, and I think there will be little danger. Letty 
 has made arrangements. She has made our escape 
 possible, having fixed matters with her brother, 
 who will be waiting for us. It would have been 
 a desperate undertaking for us only that at the last 
 moment I stole Squire Bench s pass. It is he who 
 may have trouble." 
 
 " Ay," I returned. " He has struck it on his 
 own threshold." And then I told her what I had
 
 "TWIXT DEVIL AND DEEP" 115 
 
 seen and heard. " And doubtless I was the dying 
 man he referred to," I concluded. 
 
 " I know not," she said, " but I have an awful 
 story to tell you as soon as I have the opportunity. 
 Do you wish your letters now? They are sewn 
 in my skirt, but " 
 
 " Nay, they are safer where they are. Let us 
 get on, and do not be shocked when a light shows 
 my appearance. I will follow behind, as a servant 
 should." 
 
 Our leave-taking from Letty was short on my 
 part, though I was in no way lacking in apprecia 
 tion for what she had done; on Louise s it was 
 fervid. She kissed the black woman, then tore 
 herself away. The next moment the girl and I 
 were alone on the street. 
 
 As we went along, she explained how she had 
 gone from her room on that disastrous morning 
 in time to see Brussel and Dench enter mine, and 
 the drawn sword of the former had frightened her. 
 She had witnessed the scuffle between the officer 
 and myself, and just as I was conquering him, had 
 seen Dench strike me down from behind, using a 
 brass candlestick he had seized from the mantel. 
 
 The old man s explanation for this act of vio 
 lence had been too improbable for her to believe, 
 though she knew next to nothing about me; and 
 when the two men carried me down-stairs, I look 
 ing like one dead, I was lost to her until on ques 
 tioning Letty she learned of my whereabouts.
 
 n6 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 Neither woman knew whether I was alive or 
 dead, and it was Letty who made a guess at my 
 condition, and took the risk of feeding me after 
 finding out. It was she, too, who had planned our 
 escape, and later made it possible. Well might 
 the girl have kissed her, and yet I knew that it 
 was her own winning personality that had captured 
 the black. I expected to hear something regard 
 ing her own affairs, when we were stopped by a 
 guard who demanded a pass. 
 
 I remained in the background, while Louise at 
 once produced the paper with a fine air of im 
 patience at having her progress interrupted. The 
 man read the paper aloud: 
 
 "Permit Miss Dench and servant to pass through the 
 streets of the city between the hours of sunset and sunrise" 
 
 I do not know who it was signed by, but the sol 
 dier folded up and returned it with a bow and a 
 salute, which was lucky for him, as had he caviled 
 at it, I would have felled him with the stone I still 
 held to as a weapon, though I think my fist would 
 have been enough. 
 
 Now whether the firing in the distance had any 
 thing to do with the matter, or whether it had not, 
 I cannot say, but that was the only time we were 
 stopped. Louise no longer talked, hurrying along, 
 but at last she halted and turned to me. " I fear 
 I have lost my way," she said. " Where is
 
 "TWIXT DEVIL AND DEEP" 117 
 
 Griffith s Wharf where the tea was thrown into 
 the water? " 
 
 " Down the next street," I whispered. 
 
 She hurried on faster than ever, and presently 
 we stepped on the deserted and decaying structure 
 that has become historical. On the wharf itself 
 there was not a soul in sight. To the left, out in 
 the bay, I could see the riding lights of the British 
 fleet, and even make out the huge forms of two of 
 the nearest ships. But they did not concern me. 
 I was not so near absolute freedom that I could 
 afford to look around and admire the beauty of the 
 night and the harbor I knew so well. 
 
 It was now evident that the girl had been 
 thorough in her planning, for as if she were aware 
 of what she would find and where she would find it, 
 she hurried over the quay until, at a point half-way 
 to its end a man stepped from behind a mooring 
 post and confronted her. I prepared to defend 
 her, but she held up her hand and uttered one word 
 in a low voice, at which the man I now saw he 
 was a negro without a syllable in return, made 
 off down the quay, with a motion for us to follow. 
 Like a black shadow he moved, his bare feet mak 
 ing no noise on the planking. 
 
 I then knew that he had been looking for us, 
 that he was Letty s brother, and that Louise had 
 given him an agreed-upon signal. I recognized 
 the risk to him to all of us if some bulkhead
 
 1 1 81 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 watchman or the patrol should blunder down the 
 quay; but since the embargo, which had paralyzed 
 commerce, there had been little need of watchmen 
 along the warehouse-front. 
 
 However, it was a moment of stress. Not an 
 other word passed between any of us as we came 
 together at the head of a ladder leading straight 
 down and at the bottom of which was a dingey, or 
 schooner s boat, swinging on the black water. 
 
 It may be wondered why there was no guard at 
 this point, but the reason is plain. The immense 
 gathering of men pressing close to Boston was 
 thus far only menacing the Neck, and, as an army, 
 was not recognized by Gage. At that time the 
 doughty British general did not conceive of an or 
 ganized war with the colonies as possible, and the 
 martial law he imposed on the city was not to guard 
 Boston from the effects of force, but to keep down 
 the patriotic mob, and overawe citizens generally. 
 The east- and south-side water-front was not men 
 aced, nor was a menace thought of at that period, 
 and as the British force was none too great, nearly 
 every man had been drawn to the batteries or to 
 the fortifications on the Neck. 
 
 There was no delay in getting into the boat, save 
 for the awkwardness of descending the ladder for 
 the girl, who, in skirts, made difficult work of it; 
 but in a few minutes we were settled and the boat 
 was away from the already tottering mass of decay 
 ing spiles, and out upon that pocket of water which,
 
 TWIXT DEVIL AND DEEP" 119 
 
 with the Charles River on the north, pinches in 
 the land and makes Boston the peninsula it is. I 
 took a long breath then. " At last ! " I said, bend 
 ing to speak into the girl s ear. 
 
 " Thank Heaven! " she whispered. " I could 
 never go through such an ordeal again. I thought 
 I should die when the sentry stopped us." 
 
 "But how about Miss Dench?" I asked. 
 "Who is she?" 
 
 " I am, for the nonce," she answered. " The 
 pass was written for Mr. Dench. It was but the 
 work of a moment to change the Mr. to Miss, 
 but I was afraid of the trick being discovered." 
 
 " And seven days ago I had a contempt for what 
 I called your weakness," I said. 
 
 " Ah, but you thought me a boy then! " she re 
 plied, and lapsed into silence. It certainly was 
 no time nor place for conversation. 
 
 The muffled oars of the boat made little or no 
 sound, and as the water between the shores is very 
 shallow, there were no ships anchored near us. 
 To the mainland of Dorchester it is perhaps three 
 quarters of a mile, and when we had gone about 
 half that distance my gratitude overflowed. I 
 leaned forward toward the negro, who was tug 
 ging at the oars. 
 
 " My man, this night s work will be the mak 
 ing of a fortune for you and your sister. As 
 soon as this trouble is over I will " 
 
 " Hush, sah! " came his quick return. " Looks
 
 120 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 like the trouble only just begun. I was afraid of 
 this." 
 
 I was about to ask his meaning when my arm 
 was caught by Louise, who sat at my side in the 
 stern-sheets. At that moment I saw a boat shoot 
 out from the shadow and make toward us, and 
 at the same instant a hoarse voice came across the 
 water : 
 
 "Boat ahoy! Cease way at once or I ll fire 
 into you ! " 
 
 I did not have to be told the situation. We had 
 been discovered by a cursed patrol-boat, and mat 
 ters bore a serious look, for the pass which was 
 good on the street would be of no earthly use here. 
 
 Something like a groan came from the negro 
 and he at once ceased rowing, though instead of 
 sitting quietly and allowing us to bear the brunt 
 of the coming interview, he looked at the fast-ap 
 proaching guard-boat as if calculating its distance, 
 then leaned toward me and spoke rapidly: 
 
 " If you have any regard fo a service, sah, you 
 will not say a word about me to them that s comin . 
 I have done mah best fo you. Heaven give you 
 luck, sah." 
 
 With this he slid himself over the gunwale and 
 lowered himself into the water. A moment later 
 I saw his black head disappear in the direction of 
 Dorchester, he swimming easily and silently. 
 
 I was too astonished to speak to him, indeed I
 
 ; TWIXT DEVIL AND DEEP" 121 
 
 had little to say. To Louise the negro s action 
 came as a stimulant. She grasped my hand. 
 
 " Do as he did," she whispered. " They will 
 not harm me. Quick, take this. I would not 
 have it found on me. It is the pass." 
 
 As she spoke she thrust the paper into my hand, 
 but I was too dumfounded to act, and the idea of 
 deserting the girl was repugnant. I could not do 
 it. 
 
 Nor, indeed, would I have had time to get away 
 unnoticed, for the patrol was coming hand over 
 fist, and I could now count the men in her four 
 at the oars and three sitting astern. In a moment 
 they were alongside and a boat-hook fastened on to 
 our gunwale, while a lantern which had been cov 
 ered by a tarpaulin was held aloft by the officer 
 in charge. 
 
 "What are you doing here?" he demanded, 
 his eyes playing between the girl and myself. 
 
 " Going across," I returned. 
 
 "That s obvious! Have you a pass?" 
 
 " I have," I said, though I knew the paper 
 would be worthless in our present case. Instead 
 of demanding it, the officer peered closely at me. 
 
 "By Heaven, sir!" he exclaimed, "you look 
 as if just from the shambles! Who are you?" 
 
 " That is nothing to the case," I answered, 
 now absolutely hopeless. " Take us where you 
 wish, but I trust you will consider the lady. She
 
 122 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 is the victim of private persecution, as am I, and 
 I was helping her to escape. That is why we are 
 here." 
 
 " Rather a romantic explanation," returned the 
 officer, not ill-naturedly. " But I will take you 
 in charge and look into your credentials later. 
 Are you armed? " 
 
 " Not even with a penknife," I returned. 
 
 "Ay? Well, a man of your bulk would 
 hardly need a weapon! From whom are you 
 running? " 
 
 " It matters nothing now," I returned, thor 
 oughly cast down. " I will explain later." 
 
 "Very good, my man!" he returned, and it 
 was evident that the presence of the lady, who had 
 not spoken a word, made him a trifle lenient 
 toward me. At all events, despite my desperate 
 appearance he seemed to consider me as harmless. 
 He gave no order to search either of us, know 
 ing we were at his mercy, and lowering the lantern, 
 he spoke sharply to the bowman : 
 
 " Sentor, jump aboard and make her fast to 
 our stern. I ll tow them in." 
 
 The order was quickly obeyed, and then came 
 the command to " give way," and in the wake of 
 the patrol-cutter we moved out toward the Brit 
 ish fleet, the man, Sentor, still in our boat. It 
 was at this juncture of affairs that I very quietly 
 dropped overboard the stone I had carried. 
 
 And now, with the certainty of destruction be-
 
 TWIXT DEVIL AND DEEP" 123 
 
 fore me it occurred to me that I had been over- 
 heroic, and something of a fool as well, not to 
 have at once followed the negro. By remaining 
 I had done the girl no service, and, indeed, when 
 it should be discovered that her companion was 
 Devil Darcy, her case would be rather prejudiced 
 than otherwise. Now that she was out of the 
 hands of Dench and in care of the authorities, 
 she would be better conditioned, while I would be 
 in a greater predicament than when in Dench s 
 cellar. They hanged deserters. 
 
 These things went through my mind as we 
 forged along, though I said nothing of them to 
 the girl, whose hand I was now holding. I saw 
 that her face looked white in the gloom, and her 
 bosom rose and fell rapidly; but not a word did 
 she say, not a sound did she make. Was she 
 afraid for herself? I thought not. Nothing 
 very serious could happen to her, and she might 
 easily explain to her captors what she had not ex 
 plained to me the reason of her flight. 
 
 But as for myself, why should I trammel her 
 by my unnecessary presence? She could tell 
 enough of my story to justify herself. And each 
 instant was carrying me nearer to destruction. 
 
 I made up my mind then to do a desperate 
 thing, and with the sudden resolve came a quick 
 tightening at my heart as I bent toward Louise 
 and whispered: 
 
 " I am going to leave you. The risk is but
 
 i2 4 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 from a bullet fired in the dark. God bless you. 
 May we meet again." 
 
 She turned her white face toward me, but I gave 
 her no time to answer. In my sudden ecstasy I 
 thrust the folded pass into my mouth, jumped to 
 my feet, and cast myself into the water.
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 THE BLACK WATER 
 
 THOUGH there was no moon, the night 
 was starlit and the darkness over the bay 
 not profound. As there was but little 
 breeze to roughen the water, I knew that my head 
 against the comparatively smooth surface would 
 present a fair mark for a musket until I should 
 get some distance from the boats, and therefore 
 I was not foolish enough to rise and strike out 
 for the Dorchester shore, which was now within 
 easy swimming distance. That being the natural 
 direction, I did not take it, though I had thrown 
 myself into the water on that side, and knew that 
 the patrol would look for me to make toward 
 the nearest land. 
 
 I shall never forget the chill of the black water 
 as I struck it, nor my sense of the narrow hold I 
 had on life. I was like a gambler, desperate from 
 his losses, taking a wild chance on a final throw 
 of the dice though with tremendous odds against 
 him. And yet, I knew that the single chance must 
 be taken, and taken then, if at all. But my act 
 had not been born of a blind impulse, and I had 
 not left out of consideration the undoubted fact 
 
 125
 
 126 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 that the officer would look upon it as the act of 
 a man intent on self-destruction. 
 
 As my plan, seemingly due to no wit of mine, 
 unfolded itself in a flash, as though sent from 
 above, I saw its feasibility; and it was this that 
 made me keep my brain steady as I went beneath 
 the water. 
 
 Now, instead of making straight for the Dor 
 chester shore, the heights of which had loomed 
 black against the starlit sky, and which were to 
 play such a decisive part in the future, I dived far 
 below the surface, and turning, struck out under 
 the boat, coming up, as I had hoped to do, close 
 beneath her starboard quarter, easing myself to 
 the surface without a splash. 
 
 God, how good was the first breath of air to 
 my strained lungs! And now, instead of swim 
 ming away, I brought my head close beside the 
 craft s flaring stern, and steadying myself by a 
 hand on an empty pintle-ring, awaited events. 
 In whichever direction the patrol went I would 
 go the opposite one. 
 
 Even by the time I reached the surface the 
 painter holding the wherry had been cast off, and 
 the shouts and confusion in the forward boat told 
 me how unexpected had been my move. I heard 
 the officer order his men to " cease way," and for 
 a moment there was profound silence. 
 
 "What was that, Sentor? " finally sang out 
 the officer.
 
 THE BLACK WATER 127 
 
 " The man went overboard, sir," answered the 
 fellow. 
 
 "Fell or jumped?" 
 
 " Jumped, sir, I take it." 
 
 " Fore God, he must have been a parlous vil 
 lain! Whereaway is he?" 
 
 " Nowheres in sight, sir. He went over an 
 down, an gave no warnin ." 
 
 " What, man ! Not see him ! Where are 
 your blasted eyes? You ll sweat for this ! Look 
 alive, boys ! Half a crown for the first man 
 marking him ! Make ready to fire. I must have 
 him dead or alive ! Starboard, give way. Lar 
 board, back water." 
 
 I heard the ominous clicking of two musket- 
 locks, and knew by the order that the patrol-boat 
 would swing off toward the Dorchester shore; in 
 deed, I soon saw its shadowy bulk moving through 
 the segment of a circle, the light from the now 
 uncovered lantern glinting across the water. It 
 was evident that the officer intended to be on the 
 safe side and cut me off from the nearest land. 
 
 In a moment or two the patrol lay still on the 
 water, every eye aboard her being strained to find 
 me, but as I hung close against the black stern of 
 the wherry, and was two hundred feet away, I 
 could not be distinguished in the more than semi- 
 darkness. 
 
 And now I saw that I had reasoned without tak 
 ing into consideration a very important factor
 
 128 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 and that, the man called Sentor. Had it not 
 been for him I would have struck out for the mid 
 dle of the bay, as the matter of merely keeping 
 afloat for an hour or two troubled me not the least, 
 ?even in my comparatively weakened state. But 
 I knew that such a move would be at once discov 
 ered by the sailor, and the alarm once given, I 
 would be in a desperate situation, even were I not 
 shot off-hand. 
 
 The girl was acting admirably. She had not 
 screamed, nor did she break down; from her si 
 lence and the steadiness of the boat I gathered 
 that she did not stir, and was far from guessing 
 that she had fainted. 
 
 How long I hung in the stern of the wherry 
 I do not know; it seemed for hours, though it 
 was probably less than five minutes. The situa 
 tion could not be indefinitely prolonged; and even 
 if prudence told me to remain as I was my nerves 
 forbade it. 
 
 I could stand the tension no longer; my busi 
 ness was to escape, and not hang there like a pickle 
 in brine until the cold of the water rendered me 
 helpless. And if the patrol-boat came back and 
 rounded the stern of the wherry I was bound to 
 be discovered. 
 
 I made up my mind to move before I became 
 too numbed to do so; I would take a long breath, 
 sink myself and swim under water as far as pos 
 sible, trusting that the gloom would protect me
 
 THE BLACK WATER 129 
 
 when I came to the surface, and I was already 
 expanding my chest in a deep suspiration, when 
 the man called Sentor brought matters to a sud 
 den climax by clambering astern. 
 
 Before I fully realized in which direction he 
 was moving, his head appeared over the gunwale. 
 As he saw me, he let out a wild yell: 
 
 "I have him I have him! Boat ahoy!" 
 and with that he made a lunge for me and fast 
 ened firmly to my hair. 
 
 It was now or never with me, and there was 
 but one thing to do. Drawing myself upward 
 with one hand on the gunwale, with the other I 
 grasped the man s shirt, and then throwing my 
 self backward, put all my weight on him. The 
 move was unexpected. 
 
 In the unsteady craft the fellow lost his bal 
 ance, and after wildly clawing at the gunwale in 
 an effort to save himself, he plunged head first 
 into the bay, but still with a grip on my hair. 
 
 Under ordinary circumstances, the sailor would 
 have been a plaything for me, as in two seconds 
 I was aware that he was unable to swim, but as it 
 was the situation was a mighty serious one; for 
 the fellow s deathlike clutch on my hair dragged 
 me with him, and together we went toward the 
 bottom until my pent breath seemed about to 
 burst my body. If ever a man was desperate I 
 was then, and acting from pure instinct I planted 
 my foot on the sailor s stomach, and with a vio-
 
 i 3 o THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 lent kick tore myself from his hold, leaving a 
 bunch of hair in his hand with the feeling that I 
 had been scalped. Ere the patrol-boat was fairly 
 under way in response to his call I had come up 
 again, this time on the starboard side of the 
 dingey. 
 
 And now I knew that the game of hide-and- 
 seek was up, and that inaction would no longer 
 serve me; so, after taking two or three deep 
 breaths, I struck out ere my head came within the 
 radius of the lantern, and as quietly as possible 
 made my way toward the black land. So, as God 
 willed it, by the time the guard had rescued the 
 half-dead Sentor I was well beyond easy ken. 
 from the cutter, and, having no desire to attract 
 attention, I swam slowly, well aware that I would 
 be pursued, and equally well aware that the chance 
 of the cutter taking the right direction was fairly 
 remote. 
 
 And so it was, for Fate held me in a kindly hand 
 that night. 
 
 I saw the boat start again, but it went straight 
 toward the shore, and as I was approaching land 
 obliquely I was some distance from it. I changed 
 my course then, turning and following the patrol s 
 wake, and when finally it went east and along the 
 edge of the land, I turned west. And so, after 
 being some half an hour or more in water, which 
 was none too warm at that season, I pulled myself 
 up over the rocks of the steep, and stood panting
 
 THE BLACK WATER 131 
 
 like a racer. Later I marked both boats take up 
 their original course, but they were so far as to 
 be but moving shadows. I breathed a blessing 
 on Louise Selden, and turned toward the heights 
 above me. 
 
 Now, at that moment, I had no idea whether 
 or not I was on friendly soil. In my almost total 
 ignorance of events I was only aware of the fact 
 that the people had risen against the troops, and 
 that Boston was besieged, though by what num 
 bers and on what lines I had not the faintest con 
 ception. 
 
 But that Dorchester Heights should be guarded 
 by my countrymen I felt certain, knowing what a 
 vantage ground it was, and how it commanded 
 the city. Hoping that at the top I would find 
 myself among friends, I climbed the acclivity. At 
 that time my only feeling of satisfaction rose from 
 the fact that I had escaped the malignity of Dench, 
 and had outwitted the equally dangerous arm of 
 the British. 
 
 But my mission had been a dead failure; my 
 letters were undelivered; indeed, it was now out 
 of my power to deliver them, as, according to 
 Louise, they were sewn in her garments. How 
 she had learned of their importance was a pro 
 found mystery to me, for she had not found time 
 to tell her story. I knew that Brussel must figure 
 largely in the matter, and I cursed the man who 
 had caused all my trouble, swearing between the
 
 132 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 chills that now beset me that if ever I could again 
 get within close range of the villain I would make 
 him suffer as he had never suffered before. 
 
 Once on the heights I looked about in wonder. 
 Not a guard not a soul was in sight, not a sign 
 of camp or fortification, and so, with a strange, * 
 uncertain twist in my head which I had never 
 known before, and flashes of heat that drove off 
 the chills only that they might gather strength, 
 I went westward, as I afterward discovered, for 
 I had lost the sense of direction and it was God s 
 mercy alone that kept me from stumbling east 
 and into the bay. 
 
 An hour later I knew but only foggily 
 that I was a sick man. The wound on my head, 
 captivity, insufficient food, sleeping in a damp cell, 
 and at last, intense nervous strain and my long 
 immersion in cold water, had been too much for 
 even my strength. I was half-conscious of walk 
 ing along a deserted highway, and for a while I 
 thought that Louise Selden, dressed as a boy, was 
 just ahead of me and ever beckoning me on. 
 Later my weakened wits took flight entirely; the 
 girl suddenly disappeared and there stood Dench, 
 who also fled when I approached him. I met * 
 strange shapes in the dark and fought with 
 strange enemies, with demons, with men, striking 
 out right and left with my bared fists, hearing 
 horrid sounds, and finally went whirling away 
 through space, falling, falling, much as I had
 
 THE BLACK WATER 133 
 
 seemed to fall when struck down in the lawyer s 
 house. Then I remembered nothing. When 
 I recovered consciousness it was to find myself in 
 a room into which the sunshine streamed through 
 a low window, and I was in a bed that was drawn 
 close to the open sash. 
 
 Outside a small fire burned on the ground, a 
 man with a gun on his shoulder passed and re- 
 passed at regular intervals, and there drifted 
 through the sound of pickaxes and shovels work 
 ing in the earth. I turned in bed and looked 
 around in childish wonder, letting out a groan 
 equally childish. At my movement a man came 
 from somewhere in the room, bending over me, 
 and despite my weariness I recognized him at 
 once. 
 
 It was Jacob Moon, whom I had last seen 
 while he was dragging the unconscious sergeant 
 from the coffee-room of the White Horse. His 
 fine old face broadened as he saw my open eyes, 
 and his voice was as gentle as a woman s as he 
 said: 
 
 " Well, lad, it looks like ye had got safely 
 through this neck o the woods. Nay, nay, son," 
 he continued, lifting his hand in protest as he saw 
 I tried to speak, " I ll do the talkin yet a whiles, 
 an I sense what ye would ask. First, ye be with 
 friends; second, ye have been like a hen with a 
 stroke in the head these ten days; an third " 
 
 He suddenly ceased speaking, and throwing
 
 i 3 4 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 back his heavy gray hair, drew himself up in the 
 attitude of " attention." I turned my head and 
 saw that a man as square-set and powerful look 
 ing as Moon himself had come to the window and 
 was looking in. I mind me he was dressed in a 
 faded uniform with soiled yellow facings, and for 
 a moment I thought him Moon s twin brother, the 
 two looked so alike. Resting his folded arms 
 comfortably on the sill, the stranger scanned my 
 face for a moment, his sharp blue eyes roving 
 quickly from point to point, then his face broke 
 into a rugged smile as he said: "Ha! By the 
 Mighty, but I m glad to see ye be in the land o 
 the livin ! Likely to get on, Jacob ? " 
 
 " I m fain to think he ll now pull through, sir," 
 said Moon, raising his knuckles to his forehead. 
 
 " Ay," was the return, " an if I don t hang 
 him for a spy or have him in the stocks for bowl 
 ing over my picket, I may need his sarvices. He s 
 too sizable to be wasted ! Get the lad to his feet 
 as soon as may be, then bring him to me." 
 
 Then he pulled himself up and with a grim 
 smile left the window as abruptly as he had ap 
 peared at it. I shifted my eyes to Moon s, and 
 that astute person read my question, answering 
 it in a subdued voice. 
 
 " It was Gineral Israel Putnam, lad; an I take 
 it that by the way he berated ye that ye be in 
 luck." 
 
 I had heard of Putnam, " Old Put " of the
 
 THE BLACK WATER 135 
 
 French War, as who had not, and was about to 
 frame a question when Moon nipped it. " Not 
 a word, son; not a word. I have my instruc 
 tions. Later ye may palaver, but now sleep, if ye 
 
 can." 
 
 And sleep I did, to wake and find a strange 
 man in Moon s place, and it was many a day ere 
 I saw the kindly old face again; for I was up and 
 had gathered a measure of strength by the time he 
 reappeared on my horizon. 
 
 And in the meantime I was held a prisoner. 
 Not a close one; but as my full story was as yet 
 unknown, and no one demanding it, I was still 
 looked upon with a measure of suspicion, and was 
 not allowed to leave the camp, which I learned 
 was in Roxbury, its works facing Boston Neck 
 and the fortifications through which I had passed 
 with Louise Selden. 
 
 This state of things endured until the last of 
 May, and then Moon, as suddenly as he had gone, 
 put in his reappearance. Mighty glad was I to 
 meet the old man again, and mighty surprised I 
 was to learn from him that portion of my life un 
 known to myself. It seems that while in a state 
 of delirium I had wandered along the Dorchester 
 road until I struck the American picket-line. In 
 the madness and strength of my fever I had at 
 tacked the single sentry, disarming him and 
 nearly killing him before help arrived, and then I 
 incontinently attacked the whole guard, which, tak-
 
 136 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 ing me to be a lunatic at large, were about tum 
 bling me into the bight of the bay when old Moon 
 happened along and recognized me. 
 
 " And," said he, " I saw ye had been through 
 sore travail, sensing ye were a sick man an no bed 
 lamite. So ye were brought into the lines, an I 
 went to Old Put with as much of yer story as I 
 knew. That saved ye from the lock-up, son, an 
 the general ordered ye to be cared for like a Chris 
 tian. There ye have it all at one b ilin . What 
 be you goin to do? " 
 
 " Go back home as a failure, likely," I returned, 
 being low enough. " It is about all that is now 
 left for me, as Doctor Warren is out of the ques 
 tion at present." And so I opened my heart to 
 the old man, telling him of the girl, of Brussel and 
 my fight with him, of my imprisonment and escape, 
 and of my final adventure. He listened in won 
 der, and when I was through he brought his great 
 hand down on his buckskined thigh with a sound 
 like a pistol-shot. 
 
 " Ye a failure ! Heaven save us ! An what 
 might success be like? As for the letters we 
 were both blind; what they contain matters little 
 at this stage, I take it, the fat bein in the fire 
 an blazin . As for Warren an studying for a 
 leech, I opine it will be a fair long time ere he 
 can give ye his attention." 
 
 " Tis that I fear," I returned. " The thing 
 has come strangely about. And I would like to
 
 THE BLACK WATER 1331 
 
 inquire what became of you the night we first 
 met." 
 
 Moon smiled grimly. " When I left the bar 
 of the White Horse," he said, " I meant to be 
 back in a jiffy; but after draggin that lump of 
 a soldier to the cellar, where I dropped him to the 
 floor, I heard others go into the bar an so got 
 myself into the kitchen, where I could see with 
 out bein seen. I saw the neat way in which ye 
 took the officer down, an saw, too, ye needed no 
 help o mine. An the sergeant found his way 
 from below and came on the ground. When ye 
 went I knew it was time for me to be off also, but 
 I waited long enongh to hear about the comin 
 of the troops, an as that was what I was there 
 for, I sailed off to give Adams an Hancock proper 
 warning. It was them I stood guard for, so to 
 speak; an when Pitcairn looked for them in Lex 
 ington, I bein head of him, they had gotten clean 
 away. Twas a pity I thought nought about the 
 letters." 
 
 "It was strange misfortune about them," I said. 
 " And now they are sewn in a woman s clothing, 
 and I know not her condition. I would I knew 
 she was not suffering." 
 
 Moon clapped his hands. " A brave lady, that, 
 lad; and one worthy of a man s mettle! Will ye 
 now rest easy on the chance she is in no trouble? " 
 asked the old man, sharply scanning my face. 
 
 " What do you mean? "
 
 i 3 8 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 " I mean that you are not needed here, my son, 
 while yonder ye may be. Had I your years, an 
 was there a woman who considered me as you have 
 been considered, I would raise Heaven an Hell to 
 get to her and fetch her from the coil she is doubt 
 less in. Look now! There be twenty thousand 
 men around Boston, an Gage is trembling in his 
 boots for fear they will break in on him. An 
 tis likely they will as soon as the mob is organized 
 an has a proper leader. What then? Why, the 
 infernal regions would be a dead calm as com 
 pared with the state of the city then; and think of 
 a helpless lady being there alone. Ye be young 
 and strong, and by the piper ye go before 
 Putnam this day. I had clean forgot my errand."
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 UNCERTAINTY 
 
 I THINK I failed to at once completely 
 grasp old Moon s meaning; and its drift 
 was left unconsidered just then, for with 
 out delay we started for Putnam s headquarters. 
 That doughty personage remembered me well 
 enough, but there was little cordiality shown me 
 even after he heard my story, he sitting in muddy 
 boots and with little of a military air about him. 
 All I gained from him was a joke regarding my 
 size and present weakness, and a relief from even 
 technical arrest. He even refused to consider 
 me in the light of a recruit until I was more fit 
 for service. I did not press the matter. 
 
 So I was in no shape to join the forces besieg 
 ing Boston a matter I had small taste for, be 
 ing too impatient for duty in ranks. I had plenty 
 of time to digest Jacob s words regarding the pos 
 sible peril of Louise Selden, and it only increased 
 my general discontent. 
 
 I was in sore straits at this time. I was with 
 out money, and without the strength to ride home 
 ward, even had I a horse. My clothing was in a 
 terrible state of shabbiness, and at last, to make 
 matters worse, I was deprived of my only friend 
 
 139
 
 140 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 in camp, as it was at this juncture that Moon was 
 again ordered away somewhere, leaving me with 
 out a soul on whom to lean, though first he emp 
 tied his purse and divided his small store of coin 
 with me. Then I bethought me of Able of the 
 White Horse, and between short walks and vari 
 ous lifts, I managed to get to Menotomy; but the 
 landlord could only promise me food and shelter 
 until such time as I could pay him. As for my 
 horse, that had been long gone. 
 
 So, after writing to my father, and sending the 
 letter by way of Hartford, I settled down to wait 
 for cash and returning strength, and was about as 
 unhappy a non-combatant as existed within the 
 lines. 
 
 Right here I pass over nearly a month of bodily 
 inactivity and low spirits, though all the time my 
 health was improving and my strength growing 
 to its normal force. But I seemed to have no ob 
 ject in life, and felt like a coward as I lounged 
 through the busy camps, holding little converse 
 with any one. And these camps had grown 
 smaller, for many of the besieging force had lost 
 the spur of excitement and novelty and had gone 
 to their homes. Had Gage known of the condi 
 tions he might have swept over the then feeble 
 earthworks and scattered the but half-organized 
 band that held him closely to Boston. But his 
 late experience had evidently given him a whole 
 some fear of what he had called " the rabble,"
 
 UNCERTAINTY 141 
 
 and he was further deceived by that old fox, Put 
 nam, who, for his enemy s edification, would often 
 take a single battalion of half-armed rustics, 
 marching and countermarching them around a hill 
 that was in full view from the Neck, until it ap 
 peared as if five thousand men were menacing that 
 one point. 
 
 I might write reams of the existing demoraliza 
 tion of the American camp; of the shortage of 
 powder; of the scarcity of arms; of the incipient 
 mutinies, and the lack of dicipline; but I will not, 
 these matters not being germane to my story, 
 though they might make interesting reading. 
 
 As for myself, despite the activity about me I 
 grew to be morose. Though surrounded by a 
 host I was alone, my soul grinding upon itself. 
 I thought much of the girl I had left, and always 
 with a restless feeling born of the fact that I was 
 not doing my duty, nor could I exactly see in 
 what direction my duty lay. I wondered where 
 she was, and what her state. I wondered if I, 
 for whom she had risked so much, had not been 
 the cause of a great deal of suffering on her part, 
 and for the simple reason that I had been in her 
 company. I felt like an ingrate as I thought of 
 her, knowing that save for her I would now prob 
 ably be dead or in a military dungeon awaiting 
 execution as a deserter. 
 
 At this time I would have gone into Boston, 
 had it been possible, and would have willingly
 
 1 42 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 undergone great risk after getting there, but Bos 
 ton was sealed against me and every one. I lost 
 much time, too, thinking of Brussel, and the hatred 
 for him that grew in me was an unholy thing. As 
 for Dench well, I hoped to have an interview 
 with him some day. 
 
 And so, in useless repining together with 
 equally useless wondering, and not having heard 
 a word from home, the time passed. 
 
 It was the i6th day of June, and I was sitting 
 under a tree in the yard of the White Horse, when 
 a man rode in through the gate, and I saw he was 
 Jacob Moon. Save for my father, I know not 
 whom I had rather have seen. My spirits were 
 at a low ebb, there then being little about me to 
 justify my name of " Devil," and I was wonder 
 ing how I could down my cursed melancholy, when 
 I recognized the old man. He leaped from his 
 horse as if he were a man of but thirty instead of 
 being nigh twice that, and came toward me, his 
 hands outstretched, his broad face aglow. 
 
 " An I heard ye were hereabouts," he said 
 heartily, wringing my hand. " An I heard too, 
 that ye were in the dumps, likely wi homesickness. 
 God bless me! Tis a thing I know nothing of, 
 having no home nor kith nor kin, for that mat 
 ter. Tis a fair shame for such a lump o flesh 
 an blood as ye to be low in spirit! Well, I can 
 wake ye, I fancy ! I have great news ! " 
 
 " From my father? " I asked eagerly.
 
 UNCERTAINTY 143 
 
 " Nay, lad, I have not been in the direction of 
 your father. But first, what be ye doin these 
 days?" 
 
 " Playing the part of a woman," I answered. 
 " Twiddling my thumbs in weariness. I cannot 
 see that it is my duty to join yonder mob. I can 
 not stand like a stake in a fence and go through 
 the manual of arms. I want work I want life, 
 I want action. I have a mission in Boston, but 
 know not how to get there." 
 
 "Not bein a bird to fly to it? Ay, so! 
 Well, a mole may go where a bird may not! 
 However, son, I think I can put ye into the way 
 of action ere long; an mayhap the way to Boston 
 will open up for ye." 
 
 " How? " I asked, for the man s manner told 
 me more than his words. 
 
 " I know not that I should speak of it, seeing 
 the powers that be are keepin it quiet the while; 
 but I will to thee, for ye can be trusted. And, 
 moreover, I would like your company. Listen, 
 son, but breathe no word of it. This night Pres- 
 cott is ordered to Charlestown peninsula, and will 
 there throw up a battery on the heights above the 
 town on Bunker s Hill. Such be the orders. 
 
 " Ye may know what that will mean when Gage 
 catches sight o the works. I shall happen there 
 by accident, like and as a free-lance, son, as 
 a free-lance. Be ye ripe to go with me? Who 
 knows what may come of it? "
 
 i 4 4 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 I became wide awake then. Here was a pos 
 sible opening; in any event, it would be an adven 
 ture. But I would not appear to leap at the 
 chance until I knew more. 
 
 Jacob," said I, " you go here and there on 
 short notice, and seem to know things that are be 
 yond common guessing. Who and what are you? 
 Is it a fair question? " 
 
 " Well, son," he said, with a slow smile, " ye 
 might call me a sailor, or a soldier, or a farmer. 
 I have been all three, for the last having seen 
 sarvice with Braddock. Now, I am on the road, 
 as twere." 
 
 " A messenger? " 
 
 " Ye might so call it. I am at the orders of 
 but a few, an , like the mole I spoke of, I do my 
 work out of sight. Lad, I am like to enter Bos 
 ton ere Gage gets out, an that, too, without pass 
 or word. D ye see?" 
 
 "A spy! You a spy?" I exclaimed. 
 
 " Plush, lad! " he said, his face turning severe. 
 u I am a man willing to sarve his country in any 
 way he can. Names count for nothing. Will ye 
 go with me this night? " 
 
 " Ay, that I will," I assented, holding out my 
 hand, while my spirits lightened at the prospect. 
 " Must I join the ranks? " 
 
 " Nay, if with me ye go as a free-lance." 
 
 " But I am unarmed! " 
 
 " An without patience, too. I think that ye
 
 UNCERTAINTY 145 
 
 will lack nothing of arms when the trouble be 
 gins. At first ye can dig, an that s what will be 
 wanted of us both. The rest remains to chance." 
 
 " Then command me." 
 
 " In only this. Be at the meeting of the Med- 
 ford an Charlestown roads this night by nine 
 o clock. I would cross the Neck ahead of Pres- 
 cott an his force. I cannot say what will happen 
 to ye, but ye will be nearer the city there than 
 here. You will not fail? " 
 
 " I will not fail." 
 
 " The Heaven be with ye. If ye have aught 
 to say to your father leave the written word with 
 Able, for it may chance that neither of us comes 
 back." He climbed to his saddle as he spoke. 
 
 " Is it so desperate? " I asked. 
 
 He turned and pointed in the direction of 
 Charlestown, his fine face becoming impressive 
 in its expression. " Son," he said; "yonder is a 
 bare hill cut with a few rail-fences an marked by 
 a few trees. Tis hot there to-day, under the sun, 
 but if it be not hotter to-morrow, an if the drone 
 o bees give not place to the hum o bullets, never 
 again trust Jacob Moon for a soothsayer. Des 
 perate ! Ay, twill be desperate. Does the idea 
 balk ye from meetin me? " 
 
 " It will not," I promptly answered. " I shall 
 not shrink from where you are willing to go." 
 
 " I thought as much," he returned, with his 
 close-lipped smile; and so, with a wave of his hand
 
 146 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 he rode off. Surely, thought I, if I am called a 
 devil on account of some college pranks and a fool 
 ish dependence on my strength, what might be 
 a proper name for that old man? 
 
 I stood looking after him and I cannot say how 
 my heart went out to him how it still goes out 
 to his memory.
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 ON BUNKER HILL 
 
 NOW, at that time I had no notion of ac 
 complishing more than breaking what 
 was fast becoming a settled melancholy. 
 Certainly I was far from guessing that my inor 
 dinate appetite for adventure would be satisfied, 
 and that I would soon meet those with whom I 
 wished to reckon. I know from experience that 
 it is well that the future is hidden, for had I been 
 aware of what lay before me I would have quailed 
 at it though always the right was on my side. 
 
 Up to that time, save for the clash on the ipth 
 of June, there had been no fighting betwixt the 
 troops and the people, unless some small skir 
 mishing on the outlying islands over the cattle 
 there could be called fighting. 
 
 But now a large, aggressive movement was to 
 take place, and my common sense told me it was 
 likely to result in a serious collision. And in my 
 crazy spirit of adventure this fact lightened my 
 heart. I did not think of danger to myself, or 
 so little that I did not consider Moon s last words, 
 and proceeded to the rendezvous without a line 
 to my father or even telling Able where I was 
 going. 
 
 147
 
 148 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 To the army at large there had been given no 
 hint of what was in the wind, nor did those below 
 the highest officers know of what was toward 
 when a body of over one thousand men, mostly of 
 Connecticut, were ordered to parade on Cam 
 bridge Common that evening at six o clock. By 
 then I had walked into Cambridge on my way to 
 meet Moon, and I guessed what was meant by 
 the unusual array; ay, I was certain of it when, 
 halting for a moment, I saw my old " prex," 
 Langdon, of Harvard, stand up before them and 
 lift his voice in prayer, his long white hair stream 
 ing in the wind. And it was with something of a 
 feeling that a period had come to my useless days 
 ti at I, with my hat off and head bowed, though I 
 make no profession of being religious, echoed the 
 old gentleman s fervent " Amen." I went my 
 way with a lighter heart than I had known for 
 many weeks. 
 
 It was striking nine in Charlestown when I 
 came to the crossroads, the sound of bells drift 
 ing clear on the light breeze. From there I could 
 see the causeway to the south, and beyond it the 
 quiet British gunboats drawn so as to command 
 the neck of land which, like Boston Neck, binds 
 the Charlestown peninsula to the mainland. 
 
 There was nothing to alarm them; the land was 
 still as night fell; nothing seemed to threaten; the 
 vessels lay in the distance a dumb menace only, 
 the soft purple of the sky bending over the scene.
 
 ON BUNKER HILL 149 
 
 I well remember that night; it was warm and fine, 
 and the stars were very clear and seemed to have 
 drawn close to the world perhaps to witness 
 the horrors of the coming day. 
 
 Jacob was before me at the rendezvous, though 
 on foot, and was pacing restlessly back and forth. 
 He appeared to have much on his mind, and wasted 
 few words on me as we started for the heights, 
 only explaining in a low voice that we were ahead 
 of the digging force. We walked across the then 
 unguarded Neck, going by the main road and not 
 meeting a soul, but we soon left the highway and 
 climbed the first hill looming before us. The 
 long grass was ready to cut, and the dew lay 
 heavy on it. By then it was deep darkness. At 
 the top of the hill Moon stopped and looked 
 around him. 
 
 " I do not fancy it," he said. " We would 
 make a better showin of our teeth if we cast up 
 our works yonder instead of here on Bunker s 
 meadow. And he pointed to a lower lift of land 
 a hill closer to Boston the lights of which were 
 plain from where we stood. " Ay," he contin 
 ued. "Why was it not considered? Breed s is 
 some hundreds of feet nigher the land s end." 
 
 I saw that much myself, and was about to ask 
 him a question when he caught me by the arm. 
 
 "Hist, lad! we were none too soon! Here 
 they come, an without having waked the lion ! " 
 
 I turned and saw a body of men toiling up the
 
 1 50 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 slope, and I marveled at the little sound they 
 made ; it was like a phalanx of ghosts, they moved 
 so quietly. Ahead came two men, each with a 
 dark lantern. We stood still until they were upon 
 us, and then, as a light was flashed into my face, 
 I heard an exclamation and a low alarm. The 
 next moment we were pounced upon. 
 
 Well it was for me that Putnam would always 
 push himself to the front of every movement 
 whether ordered or not. He had no command 
 on Bunker Hill that night, but he was there, as 
 was Prescott, whom I now knew by sight. When 
 we were brought before him Putnam recognized 
 us both and had us set free. 
 
 I know little beyond that because I at once 
 became identified with the force on the hill, and 
 worked like a common soldier, though unattached 
 to any organization. Nor can I tell how that 
 night passed. I know that I found a spade in 
 my hand and that I dug and dug, the perspiration 
 pouring from me like rain. I had lost track of 
 Moon and worked among strangers, but every 
 man was a friend in those hours; and it was upon 
 Breed s Hill instead of Bunker s that we toiled, 
 though whether Moon s influence had aught to 
 do with the change I cannot say. History gives 
 the reasons; one may read it elsewhere than here; 
 I am writing of that which concerned few save 
 myself.
 
 ON BUNKER HILL 151 
 
 I think no body of men ever skinned the face 
 of mother earth with more vigor and in greater 
 silence than we did. It was astonishing how the 
 bank of soil seemed to leap forward, and with 
 what accuracy the lines were followed. Not a 
 lantern was shown until the ditch was deep enough 
 to shield the light. It was a time of suppressed 
 excitement; the wind blew softly from the west, 
 and the clear stars twinkled from a bed of dark- 
 blue velvet. 
 
 The only sounds were an occasional low-spoken 
 word of command, the click of stones, the plunge 
 of picks and the dull thud of falling soil. Men 
 spat on their hands, but spat quietly. Not a 
 curse did I hear, nor was there more than a whis 
 per among us. Once I straightened up to ease 
 my back and looked at the sleeping city across the 
 harbor and the town beneath us. In Charlestown 
 not a light could be seen; in Boston a watch-fire 
 burned on Copp s Hill, but that was all. 
 
 Was Louise in the town? Was she again in 
 the power of Brussel? Very likely, as her iden 
 tity was now doubtless known. And Dench? 
 
 " Curse Dench! " I exclaimed under my breath, 
 and my hands clenched the spade. I could 
 scarcely make out the ships in the bay, though the 
 anchor lights showed their localities; but plainly 
 through the silence I caught the words of the 
 sentry on the one nearest, and his " All s well,"
 
 152 , THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 came like music as it drifted upward. It made 
 me laugh, and I fell to work with a vigor which 
 now saddens me to think is lost forever. 
 
 I know not what time it was when I first saw 
 Dr. Warren. I had met him many times while 
 I was a student in Harvard, but I did not press 
 my business on him at this time. He stood on 
 the fast-growing embankment talking to Prescott, 
 and he waved his arm toward Boston. I saw him 
 later shot down by 
 
 But wait. It makes my blood boil when I 
 recall that sight. 
 
 I think the Almighty blinded the British that 
 night. It was long after I could plainly distin 
 guish my companions faces in the growing light 
 before the enemy comprehended the fact that they 
 had been outgeneraled by what they called an in 
 consequential mob. 
 
 The iyth of June is nigh the longest day of the 
 year, and it was broad dawn when I first knew we 
 were discovered. At about four o clock there 
 came the clapping report of a cannon, and as 
 plainly as ever I heard a lark sing I heard the 
 whistle of a round shot as it passed above us. 
 The ball had been opened by H. M. sloop Lively. 
 
 I think every man stopped work for a moment, 
 and many a face paled. But almost at once the 
 tension of silence was broken by a long-drawn 
 and defiant yell as a second shot tore through the 
 air, screeching its threat as it flew.
 
 ON BUNKER HILL 153 
 
 An instant later Prescott had leaped to the top 
 of the earthwork and was running along the para 
 pet, shouting encouragement to those who hesi 
 tated in the face of the enemy s fire. So we fell 
 to work again, though I noticed a few weak spirits 
 throw down their tools and sneak away as soon 
 as the officer was out of sight. 
 
 Of that morning I can tell but little, for the rea 
 son that memory does not serve me. I know that 
 I wielded pickax and spade as if my life depended 
 on it, as it doubtless did. I know that through all 
 that hot forenoon the heavens rang with the crash 
 of cannon, and later I became dimly conscious 
 that Charlestown had been fired and was burning 
 fiercely. 
 
 Hurrying men were all round me, and once I 
 saw a dead body being carried by. The hill be 
 hind me was dotted with running figures, some 
 going, some coming, and there, too, I again saw 
 the ubiquitous Putnam, now on horseback, tear 
 ing hither and yon, careless of the flying round- 
 shot, his voice bellowing orders above the crash 
 of cannon. Around me laughter and curses 
 mingled with the stroke of pick and roar of guns; 
 but through it all we dug and dug, and not a shot 
 was returned from the pile of raw, brown earth 
 that protected us. 
 
 By noon I was worn out. Why I was where I 
 was I hardly knew; but by subsequent events I 
 have reason to believe that the hand of Fate had
 
 i 5 4 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 led me to Breed s Hill, and kept me there until 
 my hour should strike. And, unguessed by me, 
 it was about striking. 
 
 I remember eating something at some time, 
 but what it was and who gave it I have no idea. 
 I think I was somewhere near the breaking-point, 
 for the surrounding excitement made no impres 
 sion on me. I must have worked in a waking 
 dream, but I clearly remember the turning-point 
 when I heard the order: 
 
 " Man the parapets ! Throw down your tools 
 and take up arms ! Attention ! Attention ! " 
 
 Then, indeed, I came to my senses and looked 
 about me with an eye of comprehension and won 
 der that so much had been accomplished in so 
 short a time. The embankment was six feet high, 
 and now it was lined with men peering over its 
 top; they no longer held tools; each man held a 
 firearm of some kind; all but myself. I remem 
 bered then that I was only a free-lance. If I fell 
 in the coming muss not even my name would ap 
 pear on any roll. 
 
 In the field back of the works and on Bunker 
 Hill I saw a number gathered, and a body of men 
 was hurrying to a long line of what I thought 
 were earthworks to the east of us, though I after 
 ward knew it was but a hay-stuffed fence. 
 
 Now I realized that the thunder of cannon had 
 ceased, and in the comparative silence I plainly 
 heard the crack and snap of the houses burning
 
 ON BUNKER HILL 155. 
 
 in Charlestown. Those round me no longer 
 cursed or laughed; a grim silence seemed to have 
 fallen over the surging body which was lately so 
 busy. It was like the lull that heralds a convul 
 sion of nature. 
 
 I stepped on the banquette of the fort and 
 brought my head above the parapet. On one side 
 of me was an elderly man coolly pouring powder 
 into his rifle s pan; on the other was a boy with a 
 long fowling-piece, his eyes snapping from excite 
 ment, his red lips wet, and his cheeks were like 
 roses. 
 
 Little wonder that he was fascinated by what 
 he saw, for the sight might have stirred the blood 
 of a dying man. 
 
 The British were coming. Already they had 
 reached the first fence, over which they clambered, 
 breaking their regular line. In front, to the right 
 and to the left they were coming, a magnificent 
 array of crimson, gold lace, flashing bayonets and 
 waving banners. 
 
 This was war! I felt my pulses leap, and so 
 engrossed in the spectacle was I that I forgot for 
 the moment that I was in extreme danger and that 
 I could not lift a finger to defend the fort from 
 the oncoming enemy. 
 
 It was a great moment when they reformed and 
 began to fire, still advancing as they loaded. In 
 the enclosure I did not see a man fall, nor did I 
 hear an answering shot. To all .appearances the
 
 156 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 British were having their own way, but they did 
 not have it for long. 
 
 Down our line came the order : " Do not fire 
 before the word," and it quelled the most nervous; 
 but there grew a restlessness that was hard to curb. 
 
 Between the belligerents all was the picture of 
 peace. On the deserted slope in front of us, up 
 which the waving red line was toiling, the tall 
 grass bent and sprung in the breeze and a few 
 birds fluttered fearlessly. On Boston Heights a 
 fine haze of smoke told of where the battery lay, 
 and every ship in the bay had its veil. There was 
 a wonderful attraction in the outlook, an attrac 
 tion that grew to be fascination even to me as the 
 serried lines swung forward. I had no business 
 to be where I was, but I could not have left the 
 spot. 
 
 On came the British, fence after fence melting 
 away as they advanced, and as they drew near I 
 could plainly hear the commands of the officers 
 and file-closers. 
 
 Would the fort s defenders never fire? Would 
 the command never come? In the peculiar state 
 of things it appeared to me that our leaders had 
 become paralyzed. 
 
 But there came no word at this time, and yet I 
 could now hear the tread of the body of advanc 
 ing men; I could also hear the band playing where 
 it was stationed at Mulford s Point, and could al 
 most catch the sound of metal against metal as
 
 ON BUNKER HILL 157 
 
 the last boats discharged the reserved corps on 
 the beach. 
 
 On they came. Would the tension never end? 
 
 I dug my fingers into the earth. Oh, had I 
 but possessed a gun! I could now plainly see 
 each face, they were so near; and scanned the line, 
 hoping for a sight of Brussel. Was he among the 
 advancing lines ? I hoped so, but why I could not 
 have told. 
 
 Would the word never come ? 
 
 They would be scaling the parapet in another 
 moment. 
 
 I was ready to scream from sheer nervousness, 
 and I might have done something foolish, only 
 at that instant there came a single word that rang 
 clear through the air: 
 
 "FM" 
 
 My ears sang under the crash of the explosion 
 that followed. The red line ceased its regular 
 movement and seemed to pitch forward like a 
 falling wall. The front rank was nearly annihi 
 lated by the opening blast that broke from the 
 crest of the hill, and ran along the line of the fence 
 like a train of powder. Where there had been an 
 orderly array of crimson ranks there was now 
 dire confusion. 
 
 For volley followed volley, and, though for 
 some minutes there was a return fire by the enemy, 
 nothing made of flesh and blood could have long 
 withstood the rain of lead pouring from the earth-
 
 i 5 8 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 works. I was driven to the point of frenzy; and 
 in the madness of excitement I cast a two pound 
 stone at the enemy, and perhaps not without re 
 sult, for they were within easy range of a strong 
 arm. I forgot all danger to myself, being car 
 ried away by the lust of combat, and was picking 
 up another stone to throw, when the youth at my 
 side gave a sidelong lurch against me, nearly 
 throwing me from my narrow foothold on the 
 banquette. 
 
 I caught him in my arms, and saw by the dark 
 spot in the center of his young forehead that he 
 was past all help ; he was dead ere he fell. Carry 
 ing him from the banquette, I laid him under the 
 single tree in the enclosure, first stripping from 
 him his powder-horn and bullet-pouch. The gun 
 was still gripped in his stiffened fingers, and, 
 loosening his grasp, I loaded the empty weapon 
 and hurried back to the point I had left. 
 
 But before I arrived there there came a wild 
 yell, and a slackening of fire told a story. When 
 I looked over the parapet the enemy were in full 
 retreat, some parts of the line being on a dead run 
 down the hill. All was in disorder, the retreat 
 ing body becoming a fleeing mob. Had we pur 
 sued then the battle of Bunker Hill might have 
 been definitely settled at once. 
 
 Behind the retreating men the earth seemed 
 to heave in agony; the ground was thickly covered 
 by the dead and wounded, many of the latter roll-
 
 ON BUNKER HILL 159 
 
 ing in acute pain, and some trying to crawl down 
 the hill. The erstwhile tall grass was flattened, 
 and wherever one looked there was the debris 
 of a defeated army. The loss within the forti 
 fication had been slight, but even now no man 
 knows how many fell on either side in that first 
 attack. 
 
 Behind the embankment men were shaking 
 hands or embracing, while on nearly every face 
 were tears of excitement; for we, the colonists of 
 America, had learned one great lesson, a lesson 
 we had partly known; that the diciplined British 
 army was not invincible. 
 
 I longed to see old Jacob then, but he was no 
 where in sight.
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 AT CLOSE RANGE 
 
 THE respite gained by the first repulse of 
 the enemy was a very short one; for 
 hardly had the redcoats retreated beyond 
 musket-range when the demoralized force was re 
 formed and led to a second attack. 
 
 You know the result. You have read how they 
 were hurled back with fearful loss, this time re 
 treating clear to the beach. 
 
 The battle had got into my brain, and I loaded 
 and fired, Heaven knows how many times, until 
 I suddenly awoke to the fact that I had but one 
 more charge of buckshot and barely enough pow 
 der to drive it fifty yards. 
 
 Neither by begging nor the promise of price 
 could I obtain another grain; for every man I ap 
 plied to told the same tale of shortage of powder 
 and ball. And it struck me with a strange sense 
 of coming disaster when I knew the little fort s 
 defenders were well-nigh out of ammunition. 
 No one had looked for a battle of this propor 
 tion. 
 
 I have no wish to go into the details of the day s 
 160
 
 AT CLOSE RANGE 161 
 
 disaster; it makes unpleasant reading. But I 
 knew disaster was at hand, as I saw the lines, re- 
 enforced by the marines, re-forming on the beach, 
 and I believe we all looked for what happened. 
 One cannot fight without powder, and to make 
 matters worse the ships shifted their positions that 
 they might rake part of the works. 
 
 Again they came, but no longer squarely on our 
 front. I know not how or when it happened, but 
 ere I was aware of it we were beaten. I knew it 
 when I saw the stream of red sweep over the em 
 bankment and leap into the fort; and I know, too, 
 subsequent events proving it, that I had not dis 
 charged the last load in my gun; I probably con 
 sidered it useless. 
 
 In the confusion that followed I saw a British 
 soldier making for me with leveled bayonet, his 
 teeth set, the perspiration streaming down his red 
 face. I do not know what became of him, though 
 a moment later I was aware that my gun s stock 
 was badly broken and that I was as yet unhurt. 
 
 The scrimmage became general, and hopeless 
 for us ; men fought with stones, with clubbed mus 
 kets, with hands and feet and teeth; there was 
 little firing, and little need of it for the enemy. 
 We were already in full retreat those who were 
 free to go. 
 
 Somehow I found myself on the hill behind the 
 fort and well away from it. Running men were 
 all about me, and closing up with us were the vie-
 
 1 62 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 torious enemy, not now in a regular line, but pur 
 suing in groups. 
 
 I was out of breath and was walking, and it 
 was at this time that I found I was near Dr. War 
 ren. He was stepping backward, defending him 
 self with a sword against the bayonet-thrusts of a 
 soldier, and he was almost alone. As I started to 
 run to his rescue I saw an officer come tearing up 
 the incline, the hilt of his broken sword in one 
 hand, a pistol in the other. I saw him stop and 
 deliberately aim at Dr. Warren, but when he 
 pulled the trigger there was but a flash in the pan. 
 And then I recognized the man. 
 
 He was Larry Brussel. 
 
 The sight of him brought me to a halt; not 
 from fear, but from sheer surprise, and at that 
 instant came the final tragedy of Bunker Hill. 
 As Brussel realized his pistol had missed fire he 
 threw down the useless weapon with an oath, and, 
 seizing a musket from the soldier at his side, he 
 fired pointblank at the still retreating physician. 
 Dr. Warren whirled around and fell on his face. 
 
 I seemed to awake from a trance and feel that 
 every drop of blood in my body was in my head. 
 At this inexcusable murder earth and sky turned 
 red and I became irresponsible; though, even in 
 that state, I did the right thing, and knew what I 
 was doing, too. 
 
 As I sprang forward Brussel looked up from 
 his victim, saw me coming, and recognized me. I
 
 AT CLOSE RANGE 163 
 
 knew that by the start he gave. But, without giv 
 ing him a chance to arm himself, I raised my un 
 dercharged weapon and fired at him. 
 
 The recoil of my piece, light though it was, 
 proved sufficient to finish the usefulness of the 
 stock, which had probably been shattered on the 
 head of the redcoat who had attacked me in the 
 fort; for with the discharge the wood broke short 
 off and left me with but little more than the barrel 
 in my hand. 
 
 As for Brussel, he could thank my lack of am 
 munition for his life that day. He did not fall, 
 though that he was hit was plain enough. His 
 left hand dropped the musket he was holding, and 
 with his right he grasped his left shoulder and 
 staggered back; at the same time a gush of blood 
 ran down his face, where one of the buckshot 
 struck, but had not the force to penetrate his fore 
 head. In a second he recovered himself and his 
 fury was like that of a wounded wild beast as he 
 shouted: " Catch that villain. Let him not es 
 cape ! " 
 
 Had there been but one or two to contend with 
 I might have made an effort to fight my way from 
 the field or even attack with the barrel of the 
 fowling-piece I still held; but at that moment a 
 squad of the British came running up, my way of 
 retreat was cut off, and before I was hardly aware 
 of the fact I was surrounded. Casting down the 
 useless iron, I stood still and threw up my hands,
 
 1 64 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 thus making myself an acknowledged prisoner, 
 and to the man whom I knew would show me scant 
 mercy. 
 
 Why he did not kill me then and there is a 
 problem I have never been able to fathom. Per 
 haps it was that the murder of an unarmed and 
 surrendered prisoner would not be tolerated even 
 by his own fellows; but I rather think it is more 
 probable that, having me at his disposal, he looked 
 for a vengeance more satisfying than in leaving 
 me dead on an honorable field. For I am now 
 aware that he had in mind the pleasure of seeing 
 me hanged or shot as a deserter, and of enjoying 
 my presumed mental agony betwixt my sentence 
 and its execution. I do not know his exact motive 
 in then sparing me, but I am now perfectly aware 
 that I played into Brussel s hands when, later in 
 the day, I acknowledged to the provost marshal 
 that I was a free-lance, unattached to any organi 
 zation, and therefore, by military law, a free 
 booter, to be treated on land as a pirate is treated 
 at sea. As a result I could not be looked upon as 
 a prisoner of war subject to exchange. 
 
 All this I knew later; but I have only a hazy 
 recollection of what immediately followed the 
 murder of Dr. Warren, the shooting of Brussel, 
 and my own surrender. I have a dim recollection 
 of listening to a furious tirade from my old col 
 lege-mate, and that it was cut short when he came 
 close to fainting from shock and the drain of
 
 AT CLOSE RANGE 165 
 
 blood. After that I lost sight of him for a time, 
 he being assisted away, and I was marched down 
 the hill to Moulton s Point and placed near 
 though not with a number of other prisoners, not 
 one of whom I knew. As a mark of especial at 
 tention, of which I was not proud, my hands were 
 tied behind me, I being the only man thus treated. 
 
 I remember seeing the row of British dead gath 
 ered from the hill and laid on the beach, and even 
 now I can hear the screams of the wounded as they 
 were carried by me. I will give the devil his due 
 and admit that none of the prisoners was abused 
 at this time, although their hurts were not at once 
 attended to, which was natural enough, the sur 
 geons having their hands full in caring for their 
 own. 
 
 No man wearing a red coat on Charlestown 
 peninsula smiled that golden evening; the victory 
 had been too expensive. Of the gallant band of 
 untrained men who had that day defied England s 
 power there were scarcely two hundred killed and 
 captured; the rest had made good their escape 
 across the Neck after having caused a loss to the 
 enemy of over four to one. Every British soldier 
 had a stunned and wondering look, as if it were 
 already fully realized that the capture of a few 
 more hills at the price paid for Breed s would 
 decimate the British Army. 
 
 We prisoners were at last huddled in a bunch 
 ranged about by a strong guard, and it was sunset
 
 1 66 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 ere a movement was made to take us to Boston. 
 I was then thinking that old Jacob had been right 
 in a roundabout way when he said that I might get 
 into Boston; but I had not looked forward to go 
 ing in this manner. I wondered if the old man 
 had been on the field during the fight, and how he 
 had fared, when, like the crack of a pistol, I heard 
 my name called. 
 
 " Allen Darcy. Step out." 
 
 I looked up and with something of a start rec 
 ognized the soldier calling me. He was none 
 other than O Hara, the sergeant I had defied at 
 the White Horse, and that his call had something 
 to do with his master, Captain Lawrence Brussel, 
 did not take much brain exercise to render certain. 
 Surely he could regard me with little more favor 
 than did Brussel himself. There being nothing 
 else to do I advanced toward him and was greeted 
 much after the manner I looked for. 
 
 "Come with me, ye black-hearted dog!" he 
 said, gripping me by the collar and swinging me in 
 front of him. Had I been unbound I hardly 
 think he would have touched me, but as it was, 
 in my helpless condition he used a free hand 
 and pushed me roughly along the beach until we 
 came to a boat drawn up at a little stone pier. I 
 then knew that matters were coming to a focus, 
 for seated in the stern-sheets, with his hand bound 
 up and his arm in a sling, was Brussel. On the 
 thwarts were a couple of sailors with oars, and
 
 AT CLOSE RANGE 167 
 
 near the officer sat a soldier armed with a musket. 
 I wondered what was about to happen. 
 
 Was I to be thrown overboard in the middle 
 of the bay? Undoubtedly, both Brussel and the 
 sergeant were equal to getting rid of me that way, 
 but for the presence of others it might have been 
 done. However, I felt safer when, after I en 
 tered the boat, the sergeant following, there came 
 another officer a major, I think and seated 
 himself by Brussel. Then the boat put off. 
 
 I knew not what was in store for me in being 
 thus distinguished from my fellows, and I seemed 
 to care little, for I was weak from want of food, 
 and had been without sleep for thirty-six hours; 
 but to show an air of defiant carelessness regard 
 ing the future I commenced whistling a tune, and 
 stuck to it until I was sternly commanded by the 
 sergeant to cease. 
 
 After that for a time a profound silence reigned 
 in the boat. I looked back. In the waning light 
 from the west I could see that the British were 
 already throwing up a work behind the patriot 
 redoubt, or upon Bunker Hill itself. 
 
 It would be a gross lie for me to say that I was 
 without anxiety; for I was really more than anx 
 ious about myself. It was strange this soli 
 tary removal and being turned over to the two 
 men who would have no consideration for me. 
 Perhaps it was because my case was singular, for, 
 without doubt, I was the only man unattached to
 
 1 68 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 any organization who fought upon the hill that 
 awful day. But I might discover my status and 
 something of the future by questioning; anyhow, 
 I would give my chief enemy to understand that 
 I was aware his own skirts were far from being 
 clean. 
 
 " There be plenty of hills between Boston and 
 Cambridge," I said, speaking for but not to Brus- 
 sel; " and to capture a few more like yonder lift 
 of land would cost the king a sight more subjects 
 than he could command." 
 
 The major stared at me; Brussel scowled, but 
 said nothing. Gaining little by this, I changed 
 my tactics. 
 
 " Am I a prisoner of war? " I asked. 
 
 " You are a deserter," burst out Brussel. 
 
 "Ah! Which means" 
 
 " That you will be tried before a proper court 
 and be properly shot," he returned quickly. 
 
 "And when?" I asked, as if it were imma 
 terial to me, though my heart began to beat 
 quickly. 
 
 " None too soon for my pleasure and your de 
 serts. Cease talking," he returned. 
 
 " A drumhead court probably," I said, ignoring 
 his command and finding myself in a position to 
 goad him. " Well, Heaven grant you be there 
 as a witness, and also Colonel Dalrymple. I have 
 some information for him that would be more sur-
 
 AT CLOSE RANGE 169 
 
 prising than welcome, and in about the same meas 
 ure as it will be distasteful to you." 
 
 It was becoming too dark to clearly see the 
 man s face, but I felt the baleful look of his eyes. 
 He whispered a word in the major s ear, and the 
 sergeant bent toward me and hissed: 
 
 " Hold yer jaw, ye rebel, or I ll open ye with 
 this bayonet! " 
 
 I concluded I had said enough. I might make 
 Brussel writhe, but I could not harm the soldier; 
 yet I ventured one more shot. 
 
 " I am a prisoner of war and no deserter," I 
 returned stoutly and for the benefit of the senior 
 officer, who had thus far remained silent, " and 
 if Captain Brussel treats me unfairly before any 
 court it will be to his own undoing." 
 
 Nor did this provoke a return, though I felt 
 that my words had struck home; and if my enemy 
 had before held a doubt of what I had overheard 
 the day he had surprised me listening at his uncle s 
 door, I knew he doubted no longer. 
 
 Somehow I did not feel hopeless, though I did 
 feel helpless, and thereafter held my peace. It 
 was not many more minutes ere we were in Bos 
 ton, landing at Hancock s Pier; and there both 
 Brussel and the major disappeared in the dark, 
 leaving me with the sergeant and the other soldier. 
 
 Then I knew why we had landed where we did. 
 It was because of its nearness to the common jail,
 
 1 70 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 for into it I was unceremoniously thrust. I was 
 alone, and alone I remained for more than ten 
 days, poorly fed, with no companion, and with 
 only that knowledge of the outside world that fil 
 tered through the soldier who served me. He 
 was a garrulous chap, and from him I learned that 
 things were not going well, and that the prisoners 
 were to be shipped over-sea for trial in England 
 as traitors to the king. It was not admitted that 
 war existed, the guard told me; but he gave me 
 a list of those who had fallen, or died from the 
 effects of the hillside fight. I was astonished at 
 the havoc in the ranks of the British. 
 
 I learned, too, that Brussel was absent on sick- 
 leave, but the good-natured private could not say 
 where he had gone. The army had settled down 
 to await reinforcements from abroad before con 
 tinuing operations, he said, and there was a short 
 age of supplies. That was all I learned then. 
 
 On the evening of the eleventh day I was called 
 for, and stepping from my cell, I found myself 
 face to face with my old opponent, Sergeant 
 O Hara. What was coming now? I asked him 
 the question, but without replying he handcuffed 
 me and dragged me from the cell and into the 
 street where he commanded me to walk ahead of 
 him. It was almost dark by then. 
 
 I thought it strange that if I were at last being 
 taken to trial, it should be held at this hour, 
 and I mentally ran over the story I should tell of
 
 AT CLOSE RANGE 171 
 
 Brussel. For myself I had little or no hope, 
 knowing what courts-martial usually meant, but the 
 trial before me was not of the nature I looked for. 
 
 We walked rapidly along the deserted water 
 front until we came to a huge warehouse, which 
 had once been in the center of a business now 
 dead. It was abandoned save for two or three 
 soldiers loitering around what had been the office 
 door. They eyed me with curiosity, nodding at 
 my guard, as we passed in. 
 
 Here had been the counting-room, but now lit 
 tle there was to suggest its past use save the 
 broken and dusty desk against the wall; it was evi 
 dently used for a lounging-place for troops. My 
 idea that I was being taken to a court for trial 
 was soon dissipated, for my guide pushed me 
 through this room and into a passage; and by what 
 I saw as I passed an open door I knew the place, 
 or part of it, had been transformed into a tem 
 porary barracks. 
 
 On through the passage and through several 
 immense rooms, up a flight of stairs, through an 
 other barnlike expanse of empty rooms once filled 
 with goods and up a second flight, and then the 
 sergeant halted in front of a door, took a key 
 from his pocket, unlocked it, freed my wrists of 
 their irons, and, giving me a violent push, sent me 
 sprawling into the black space of the room. At 
 the crash of my body to the floor there came from 
 somewhere the clank of a chain and a long-drawn,
 
 172 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 deep-mouthed sound like the yawn of a wild ani 
 mal. 
 
 The door was at once locked on me, and I could 
 hear the man outside striking a flint and steel. In 
 a moment the door opened and a lighted candle 
 was set on the floor as the sergeant stepped into the 
 room. 
 
 Unslinging the haversack from his shoulder, he 
 threw it at me, but it missed me and went sliding 
 over the boards. 
 
 "Hi, there! Lucifer, ye beast!" said the 
 man. " Watch it watch it, ye fiend! " 
 
 With that he went out again, closing and lock 
 ing the door behind him.
 
 PART TWO 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 THE HOUND 
 
 ALL this happened so suddenly that I had no 
 time to take note of my surroundings until 
 he had gone, and then I got to my feet and 
 looked around. 
 
 As the shaken flame of the candle steadied in 
 the still air of the now quiet room I saw that I 
 was in a perfectly barren apartment, close, un- 
 ventilated, and evil-smelling, a room which might 
 have been ten by fourteen feet, in the far end of 
 which was a closed window thick with dust, this 
 window being set in a rough door let into an arch 
 of brickwork. 
 
 Extending for half the length of the room and 
 stayed to the hewn rafters of the ceiling by iron 
 stirrups was a great beam some eight or ten feet 
 from the floor, and I knew that its outer end ex 
 tended beyond the building; in short, it was a 
 hoisting beam through which with a tackle and 
 fall goods were raised and lowered to and from 
 the different floors of the warehouse. 
 
 But it was neither the size of the room, nor the 
 173
 
 174 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 window, nor yet the beam which first caught my 
 attention and soon brought me to a realization of 
 man s inhumanity to man. Truly, though I saw 
 these things, I saw enough else to wonder at; for 
 stayed by a chain which was fastened to a staple 
 driven into the worn casing of the arch was an im 
 mense hound, gaunt and red-eyed. On the floor 
 round him were a number of cleanly gnawed 
 bones. 
 
 I do not know the animal s breed, but he was 
 short-haired, striped in fine gray, and his immense 
 jowls hung loose under small ears; he must have 
 weighed close to seventy-five pounds, and it did 
 not take me many minutes to discover his temper. 
 Why he was there I might only guess, and my 
 guess was that the brute had been relegated to 
 this out-of-the-way spot because of military regu 
 lations against animals in barracks. Chained as 
 he was I had no fear of him. 
 
 He got slowly to his four feet and looked at 
 me, his eyes winking sleepily; then the scent of 
 something evidently came to him, and he stepped 
 to what I now saw was the haversack the sergeant 
 had thrown at me, and which had fallen within 
 the bounds of the dog s leash. He nosed the 
 heavy canvas bag, turning it over and over; then 
 settled down with it between his paws, the ex 
 tended shoulder-strap laying well away from him 
 and toward me. 
 
 Now, I was not in the least averse to having a
 
 THE HOUND 173 
 
 dog for a companion, but I had no notion of let 
 ting him monopolize food I was greatly in need 
 of; indeed, it was imperative that I should have 
 it; and so, with no feeling of enmity toward the 
 animal, I reached for the strap when like a flash 
 the brute was on his feet, and, letting out a fiend 
 ish howl, he sprang for me. 
 
 It was fortunate for me that he was near the 
 length of his leash as he sprang, for I had barely 
 time to shrink back when his forefeet struck me, 
 knocking me over; the chain then, tightening on 
 the wide leather collar, jerked the animal to his 
 back; but in a twinkling he was on his feet and fac 
 ing me, his eyes now blazing and every smooth 
 white tooth showing in a fiendish grin. 
 
 I was stricken with horror. If the hound was 
 not rabid, he was worse, for a rabid animal has 
 no intelligence to guide him, attacking blindly; 
 here, however, was an open and alert enemy. 
 
 And now I saw the sinister intention of the 
 sergeant in not only housing me with this brute, 
 but in throwing the haversack within the radius 
 of his chain and telling him to watch it. I saw 
 more than this. To me there clearly opened the 
 plot to get rid of me. 
 
 So, I was no deserter to be tried by a court- 
 martial, but a victim of private hate. I might 
 have known that Brussel would not dare have me 
 tried; but how he had obtained permission to re 
 move me to this place I do not know, nor have
 
 176 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 I ever been able to discover. It was probably 
 through an understanding with Loring, the com 
 missioner of prisoners, who had charge of all cap 
 tured men. Betwixt him and Crean Bush the 
 beleagured city of Boston suffered more than it 
 had any need and Gage well knew them both. 
 It were easy for Loring to prick a man on his list 
 as being dead, and then pass him to the tender 
 mercy of any who would pay for the privilege. 
 To me it was now certain that I had been placed 
 where I was for the purpose of being mangled by 
 an uncontrollable fiend in the shape of a hound, 
 and when at last my remains were discovered the 
 whole matter would be looked on as perhaps 
 an accident; and the brain that could conceive such 
 a plot might easily conceive an excuse. 
 
 All this flavored of Brussel; his name was writ 
 ten large, and it was in line with his previous ef 
 fort to dispose of me. The man was a coward 
 a black-hearted coward without nerve enough to 
 strike openly, and the sergeant, undoubtedly one 
 of the officer s own ilk, was ready enough to obey 
 a hint as well as an order. 
 
 Was this the hound I heard referred to while 
 I had listened at Bench s door? I had no doubt 
 of it; its name, "Lucifer," almost identified its 
 owner. 
 
 Now I set myself against the wall and returned 
 the dog s glare by a steady look as I calculated my 
 chances. They appeared slim enough, if I did
 
 THE HOUND 
 
 not obtain the haversack, and as slim if I made any 
 further effort to get it away from the hound; he 
 was held by a chain six or eight feet in length, 
 while the haversack lay within two feet of its 
 limit. 
 
 That haversack I must have. How was I to 
 get it? Certainly the brain of man against that 
 of a brute would be equal to the solution of such a 
 problem. 
 
 The solution came to me as my eye fell on the 
 already guttering candle, which would last barely 
 twenty minutes longer, it being but an end when 
 set on the floor. I acted at once. 
 
 Getting down on all fours, I pushed the candle 
 ahead of me, moving slowly toward the waiting 
 beast, which, at my first stir, bounded from one 
 side of the room to the other, snarling like a 
 demon, then sprang at me only to be brought up 
 short and thrown on his back. 
 
 Instantly he repeated the leap with like result, 
 but as inch by inch I made toward him he no 
 longer sprang, but stood with legs apart and jaws 
 open straining at his chain and giving voice to 
 short, choking barks. 
 
 j As I neared him I felt his equal in brutality. 
 My excitement was intense, the hair on my head 
 seemed to stiffen, and had I his fangs I would 
 have thrown myself on him then and there. The 
 intensity of the game I was playing made me for 
 get all else for the moment all else but its ob-
 
 178 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 ject. I must have food; for food men stake their 
 lives and do murder. 
 
 Lunge after lunge the dog made as very slowly 
 I neared him, and futility changed him to a demon. 
 His great jaws snapped like a steel trap, his hair 
 bristled, his eyes shot fire; he was the incarnation 
 of impotent fury as he let out a bark that grew 
 to a roar. 
 
 At last, as I came close, then not being more 
 than two feet from him. at which distance I could 
 feel his blasting breath, then, I say, he stood still, 
 as I figured on his doing, straining at his chain. 
 This was what I wanted; a knowledge of the exact 
 limit of his leash, and that being now determined, 
 I went on. Bending my face as close to that of 
 the maddened brute as I dared, I filled my lungs 
 and let out an answering roar that must have sur 
 prised him; at the same instant I thrust the lighted 
 candle into his gaping mouth. 
 
 The plan worked. 
 
 Between my voice and the flame the astonished 
 animal leaped back, his roar changed to a quick 
 yelp as the fire bit into his flesh, and before he 
 could recover himself I had reached for and 
 seized the strap of the haversack and regained 
 my position beyond the line of danger. 
 
 But now I was in utter darkness, the candle be 
 ing extinguished; and the din raised by the mad 
 dened animal was bewildering. I felt shaken by 
 the racket on top of my experience, though not to
 
 THE HOUND 179 
 
 the extent that prevented my doing full justice to 
 the ration. It was plain enough and there was 
 none too much of it, but I felt wonderfully 
 strengthened, albeit I was thirsty. 
 
 If the noise made by the hound was heard by 
 others it had no effect of which I was conscious. 
 No one came near me, and I had reason to believe 
 that the sergeant would see to it that no one should 
 come. 
 
 It was not until I had finished eating and lay 
 down on the boards, that the brute ceased to give 
 voice. So long as I remained perfectly quiet he 
 did the same, but at my slightest move there came 
 a deep-throated, menacing growl, and if I sat up, 
 as I once did, the cursed hound roared a protest 
 and tried to get at me. Twice I heard an omi 
 nous crack of the wood to which he was fastened. 
 If it should give way under the continued strain 
 I were a doomed man. 
 
 I lay quiet and finally slept, worn out with 
 fatigue, and when I awoke day was dawning. 
 Now I could see beyond the window, and marked 
 the iron hook on the end of the beam as it stood 
 against the pale blue of the sky. 
 
 I sat up, and with my movement the hound 
 again leaped for me with mighty force; and then, 
 to my consternation, I saw that the unusual strain 
 had loosened the worn casing and part of it had 
 been pulled an inch or two from the brickwork. 
 As I marked it it bulged frightfully, and I saw
 
 i8o THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 that but a little greater force, or the same longer 
 continued, would tear the casing completely away. 
 
 As I realized this the perspiration started from 
 my every pore. It was not death itself I feared, 
 but the threatened manner of it was abhorrent. 
 And it would be a triumph for Brussel. I could 
 see the grin on his face when he learned he had 
 been relieved of me by an accident. 
 
 And the girl? 
 
 The thought of her steadied me, and within me 
 there came a quick longing to see her if only to ex 
 plain my seeming neglect of her. What this 
 thought of her meant to me I was too great a fool 
 to understand, nor was I in an analytical mood at 
 that time. The present absorbed me. 
 
 How could I escape this new peril? In the 
 room there was but one spot beyond the dog s 
 reach, once he was free, and that the beam 
 above my head. I looked up at it. It was well 
 beyond my grasp, even at a jump, though could I 
 but get my fingers over its edge I might soon 
 swarm into the two feet of space between it and 
 the roof. There would be safety for a time. 
 
 The solution of the difficulty came to me as read 
 ily as the way to obtain the haversack, and that 
 was through the haversack itself. It took me but 
 a moment to unbuckle the strap, which was stout 
 and could have held the weight of four men; then 
 I threw it over the beam and rebuckled it. Here, 
 then, was a sling which would serve me, and in a
 
 THE HOUND 181 
 
 moment more I was up and lying along the length 
 of the great stick, it being fourteen or fifteen 
 inches wide, while the infuriated beast roared like 
 a devil in pain as he saw me perched above him. 
 I laughed then, but it was not the laughter of mirth 
 or pleasure. 
 
 Working myself along the beam until I came 
 to the window I looked out. The view opened 
 over a court surrounded by the building in which 
 I was confined. As I had suspected, I was on the 
 top floor, and a single glance told me that even 
 were I free of the menace of the hound I could 
 not escape by way of the window. There was no 
 rope pendent from the hook, and the stone-paved 
 yard was at least forty feet below. 
 
 It was then about half-past four o clock, as I 
 figured. Above the adjoining roofs I caught a 
 glimpse of the far reaches of the bay, pearly in the 
 growing light. The sight set me wild for free 
 dom, and wilder when I considered that not a soul 
 save my enemies knew of my condition or where 
 abouts, and perhaps never would know. 
 
 I was safe for a time, but for how long a time? 
 Must I lie on a narrow beam (for the dog would 
 soon tear himself loose) until hunger compelled 
 me to gnaw the leather of the strap or thirst drive 
 me to delirium? It was a hopeless outlook, and 
 in my despair I brought my hand to my head. 
 
 The movement had dislodged the haversack I 
 had drawn up after me, and it fell from the beam;
 
 182 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 but before it reached the floor I had caught the 
 end of the strap and for an instant the bag hung 
 swinging near the hound. 
 
 As I drew it up the devil flew for it, just missing 
 it, but his projected weight was too much for the 
 weakened woodwork; the length of the casing 
 tore away with a ripping crash, and the hound, 
 now only fettered by the long stick, leaped into the 
 air in frantic efforts to reach me. 
 
 But I soon discovered that by remaining per 
 fectly quiet the beast would be less violent, only 
 sitting on his haunches and eying me with an in 
 flamed look and giving voice to deep-chested 
 growls; and, therefore, to save my nerves I moved 
 no more than was necessary to fill and light my 
 pipe, for of the smoker s outfit I had not 
 been rifled, and tobacco is a solace for the man 
 of clean conscience, be his condition what it 
 may. 
 
 As I smoked I thought, and even thought of 
 escape. Ay, treed though I was, and apparently 
 without a chance, my wits dwelt on possibilities. 
 If the cursed demon of a hound were out of the 
 way I might 
 
 Ha! I had it possibly! It were well worth 
 the experiment, and should it fail I would be none 
 the worse off. If the menacing animal had the 
 temper and tenacity of purpose of the bulldog he 
 resembled in all but size the idea that leaped to 
 my brain might enable me to be rid of the monster.
 
 THE HOUND 183 
 
 After that perhaps the Almighty would further 
 direct me. 
 
 I put the matter to the test at once. Passing 
 one end of the strap of the haversack around the 
 beam I buckled it firmly and in such a way as to 
 permit the heavy brown canvas bag to hang free 
 when I should be ready to drop it. 
 
 With my first move the animal awoke into his 
 old fury, and standing directly beneath me, howled 
 out an invitation to come down, his red throat and 
 open jaws dripping thick froth. I cursed the 
 vicious brute roundly, and when his rage was at its 
 height I dropped the bag. 
 
 As if the canvas were a part of my own body 
 the beast flew at it, his jaws closing on the stout 
 fabric with more than a vicious snap. Its height 
 from the floor brought the animal to his hind legs, 
 but he jerked at the haversack and shook the thing 
 until I feared that the strap would give way. 
 Thank God, it did not. 
 
 I pulled at it, screaming and snarling that I 
 might further madden the brute, and then, when I 
 had wrought his anger to a pitch that made him a 
 fearful object even to look at, I locked my legs 
 fast around the beam and reaching down as far as 
 possible, grasped the strap a foot above the ani 
 mal s gleaming teeth, and fairly lifted him from 
 the floor. 
 
 As his full weight came upon his jaws I feared 
 that he would either loosen his grip or that the can-
 
 1 84 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 vas would tear from his hold; but neither hap 
 pened, the canvas being new and heavy, and as 
 for his jaws, I doubt if they could have been pried 
 apart with an iron bar. He held on. 
 
 I put all my muscle to him then, though in my 
 position it was an awful tug to draw him higher. 
 Inch by inch I hauled him, clamping the slack of 
 the strap round the beam, while the brute, true to 
 his stubborn breed, held his jaws like a vise. 
 Soon I was able to reach down past his fearsome 
 head and grasp the chain. 
 
 Then I knew I would be successful and that the 
 end was at hand. Still holding him with the 
 clamped strap in my left hand I wound the chain 
 around the beam, and when I felt it was secure I 
 let the strap go. 
 
 The result was what I had looked for; the jerk 
 of the heavy body tore the animal s teeth through 
 the haversack, and he was swinging by his stout 
 brass-studded collar. If that did not give way he 
 would soon choke to death. 
 
 His struggles were now fearful. The beam, 
 stout as it was, trembled under his violent con 
 vulsions. I thought something would surely part 
 and free him, but the collar was strong and its grip 
 on the brawny throat shut off the brute s voice and 
 breath, and in a few minutes his frantic struggles 
 began to grow less, though it was probably ten 
 minutes ere he ceased to kick, and hung a limp 
 length, his hind legs almost touching the floor.
 
 THE HOUND 185, 
 
 The fluttering sigh I gave was a prayer, if ever 
 there was one, a prayer of thankfulness, though I 
 did not see how I had advanced myself save to 
 have room in which to move. 
 
 I worked myself again to the window with the 
 intention of kicking out the glass to obtain much- 
 needed ventilation, and had raised my foot when 
 I saw a soldier come from the opposite archway 
 and cross the court toward that portion of the 
 building where I was confined. I did not have to 
 guess at his identity. He was the sergeant, 
 dressed as if for a march, from knapsack to mus 
 ket. He looked up at my window as he walked, 
 but the dirty panes prevented his seeing me, and 
 he passed on as if in a hurry. 
 
 Then the thought came to me that he was com 
 ing to investigate my condition, and I knew, too, 
 what could be the result of his discovery. My 
 heart gave a prodigious bound, and at that mo 
 ment I became more dangerous than an unthinking 
 hound, be its disposition what it might. 
 
 The man was alone, and being alone I knew 
 that the supreme moment of my life was at hand. 
 He would soon be with me, and when he entered 
 that room I would leave it before him or die at 
 tempting it. 
 
 With that determination I dropped to the floor.
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 THE PASSING OF o HARA 
 
 MY plan, though decidedly desperate, was 
 as natural and simple as it was lacking in 
 originality. It was to secure that por 
 tion of the casing which had been torn away by the 
 hound, and was still attached to his chain, and 
 using it as a club, attack the sergeant when he en 
 tered the room. As he believed me to be un 
 armed he would not have provided against sur 
 prise. 
 
 But at the very beginning of my efforts I saw 
 how futile had been my hope of obtaining the stick 
 as a weapon; for, in the first place, I could not free 
 it from the chain; in the second, it was too long to 
 be used effectively; and, in the third, it being either 
 of oak or ash, I could not shorten it by breaking 
 off a sufficient length. 
 
 I know I worked feverishly over it, trying to 
 rend it across my knee; but the tough wood re 
 sisted my every effort, and I was in a desperate 
 state as I heard the heavy-footed soldier ascend 
 ing the stairs. In ten seconds he would be at the 
 door, he would unlock it, and, seeing the situation, 
 
 186
 
 THE PASSING OF O HARA 187 
 
 either proceed to make short work of me with his 
 musket or lock me in until his brain could devise 
 some other scheme to get rid of me. 
 
 But there was no question as to what lay with 
 me to do. Armed or unarmed, when he entered 
 the room I must close with him and take all 
 chances. My fear was that he would open the 
 door but far enough for a tentative look, and see 
 ing me alive would immediately close it. His 
 footsteps were already advancing along the hall 
 while I was still trying to break the stick; ay, 
 before I desisted I heard him place the key in the 
 lock, and with a feeling of something like despair 
 I softly laid down the useless wood and as softly 
 sprang to the door just as the rusty wards grated. 
 
 With the intuitive desire to get a moment in 
 which to think, I placed my foot against the lower 
 panel of the door that it might not open easily. 
 That it swung inward was providential for me. 
 
 My sole idea was to resist pressure from the 
 outside until the sergeant should become impatient 
 or would wonder what had happened within. In 
 either case he would exert himself to push open 
 the door, and when he should have put sufficient 
 weight against it I would suddenly remove my 
 foot. I hoped the result would be that he would 
 bolt into the room with more or less precipitation. 
 
 For the rest my skill as a wrestler would have 
 to serve me. 
 
 When a man is in as precarious a situation as I
 
 1 88 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 was, if he be normal, his every sense is quickened 
 and his brain works with unusual speed. As I 
 placed my heavy shoe against the door I had out 
 lined what I hoped to do, and, if my wits did not 
 become paralyzed, I had reason to think I had a 
 chance to win. 
 
 And, too, I had reason to think that my place 
 of imprisonment was unknown to many, perhaps 
 to any save the sergeant and Brussel, for surely 
 the motive which had resulted in my being placed 
 within reach of a savage dog would not be bruited 
 abroad. 
 
 Therefore, the sergeant would not depend upon 
 the help of another, even though he became sus 
 picious of the condition of things within the room; 
 and it was this certainty which gave me confidence. 
 He would be alone, and I would have but a single 
 man with whom to deal; certainly no one was with 
 him when he crossed the court, and in the hall I 
 heard no step but his. I had been careful to make 
 no noise, and if my silence should cause the man 
 outside to think me dead, so much the better; he 
 would be less guarded in his movements. 
 
 And it was evident that some such matter 
 crossed his brain, as he no sooner tried the door 
 after unlocking it, than, finding his entry blocked 
 by some obstruction, he knocked on the thick panel, 
 at first softly, then louder as he called my name. 
 
 In the meantime I was stripping off my coat and 
 rolling up my ragged shirt-sleeves. My intensity,
 
 THE PASSING OF O HARA 189 
 
 or tension, was great; indeed, at that moment, was 
 so great that the sensation of fear was lost, and 
 later I found I had set my teeth into my lip until 
 it bled. 
 
 As a profound silence was the only answer to 
 his knocking and the call of my name, the sergeant 
 shook the door, then I heard him mutter some 
 thing as he gave it a hard push. The door still 
 resisting, he set his musket against the wall, for as 
 plainly as if it were within the room I heard the 
 bang of the stock on the floor; then the man put 
 his weight against the panels. 
 
 The upper portion of the door sprung under the 
 pressure, but the bottom still hung, held fast by 
 the brace of my foot. To him it was evident that 
 something, probably my dead body, lay against the 
 door, for with an outspoken imprecation the man 
 set his shoulder against it and heaved. 
 
 I could not have held against him if I had 
 wished to, and as I felt my heel slip I knew the 
 decisive moment had arrived. Quickly withdraw 
 ing my foot, I jumped aside. 
 
 The result was all I could have wished. As 
 though shot from a catapult the man plunged into 
 the room, losing his balance and almost going to 
 the floor, the door crashing against the wall, and 
 before he could recover himself I was upon him. 
 Catching him from the side and just beneath his 
 heavy knapsack, I twisted my leg round his and 
 brought him to the floor with a bang that shook
 
 1 90 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 the old beams beneath it; the next moment I was 
 astride of his body as I had once been astride of 
 his master, Brussel, and now there was no one to 
 interfere with me. 
 
 The sergeant had given one quick cry as I 
 wound my arms round him, but that was all; be 
 fore he could have a realizing sense of the con 
 ditions within the room I had him down, had his 
 head bent backward over the roll topping his knap 
 sack, and, with my two hands gripping his throat, 
 had shut off his wind. 
 
 Had he not been handicapped by his knapsack 
 the contest would have been a harder one for me; 
 but the great bulk on his back not only trammeled 
 him, but it made a point over which to bend his 
 thick neck, and, throwing my weight on him, I 
 forced his head back against the floor. 
 
 Heavens, how he struggled ! Despite the treat 
 ment received from him, despite his heartlessness, 
 I had to stifle my own sense of pity for the fellow 
 as he writhed in physical and perhaps mental 
 agony. How he grasped my wrists and tried to 
 tear me from my hold ! His great legs thrashed 
 the floor, his body contorting in his efforts to un 
 seat me, and had I been in less peril he might have 
 freed himself. 
 
 But I was fighting for my life, and was strength 
 ened by the sense of my wrongs. I drove pity 
 from me, sending it to the winds in the curse I gave 
 the fellow under me. My hands were like iron,
 
 THE PASSING OF O HARA 191 
 
 my wrists were steel bolts, and, no matter how he 
 twisted and thrashed, my knees bit into his sides 
 and I held my place astride of him. 
 
 It was not until his light-blue eyes were fairly 
 starting from his head that he gave over strug 
 gling and threw up his hands in token of surren 
 der; but I could not afford to be generous. 
 Though I had no intention of killing him, I did not 
 dare reduce the pressure. What would his sur 
 render mean to me? Nothing but a continuance 
 of my peril. If I locked him in the room ere I 
 had rendered him entirely helpless it would be but 
 a few moments before he would have the window 
 smashed and his voice bellowing an alarm. Nay, 
 I dared not let him go. 
 
 With the falling of his arms his tense muscles 
 relaxed and his face grew dark with settled blood, 
 and then I knew he was too far gone or even to 
 help himself for a time, and so I let go my hold 
 and got from his body. He was not dead, for his 
 chest still heaved; but he was totally unconscious, 
 though how long he would remain so I had no 
 idea, and my ignorance hurried my movements. 
 If he was to recover it was certain that I could not 
 leave the man lying where he was and hope for 
 much time in which to escape. That he would be 
 searched for sooner or later I knew, and that ulti 
 mately he would be discovered I was also aware; 
 but by then I hoped to be in some safer place than 
 the heart of Boston. All I could now do was to
 
 i 9 2 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 delay his rescue, and as I stood looking down on 
 him an easy way presented itself. 
 
 Quickly climbing to the beam, I unwound the 
 chain and lowered the dead hound to the floor, 
 then with the strap of the haversack I bound the 
 unconscious man s hands, after which I dragged 
 the dog close to the sergeant s body and wrapped 
 the chain about hound and man, fastening the 
 links by locking them with the stick. Thus the 
 two were held close together, and when the soldier 
 recovered he would find himself so bound to the 
 dead brute as to be helpless to more than move. 
 For the time taken and the means at hand my work 
 was very complete. 
 
 After that I had no preparations to make. 
 Without a regret for what I had done I went into 
 the hall, locking the door behind me and taking 
 the key, which I afterward threw down a well. 
 
 The sergeant s musket stood where he had 
 placed it, and, though I looked at it envyingly, I 
 knew its possession would be a source of danger; 
 therefore, I only unfixed the bayonet and hid the 
 bright steel in my sleeve, leaving the firearm where 
 it was. Then I went down-stairs. 
 
 While I remained in the upper part of the great 
 building I felt safe enough; for in many of the 
 empty rooms, as I soon discovered, no human be 
 ing had set foot since shortly after the embargo 
 was declared, the dust-covered and untracked 
 floors showing how deserted they were. Every
 
 THE PASSING OF O HARA 193 
 
 bale, barrel and box had long since been removed; 
 the rooms were empty of everything save dust and 
 flies. 
 
 There were several reasons why I could not re 
 main hidden in the old warehouse, be it ever so 
 safe a refuge, and one reason was enough: I must 
 have food and drink, especially the latter, as I 
 was wild with thirst. 
 
 But there was no question with me as to where 
 to go; I knew my destination well enough; it was 
 Dench s house. There I would obtain food and 
 drink, and there I would take command of the 
 man whose treacherous blow had floated me on a 
 sea of trouble. 
 
 Nor was that all, for possibly Louise Selden 
 had been returned to him; and, too, it was even 
 possible that Larry Hotfoot was with his uncle. 
 So I possessed every incentive to go back to the 
 scene of my first misfortune, and was in fair shape 
 to make the passage, for I was desperate from 
 lack of nourishment, desperate from suffering, and 
 desperately intent on what most men would call 
 revenge, but which I called punishment. 
 
 And my way seemed so smooth that it argued 
 good fortune for the future; for by the sheerest 
 accident I stumbled on a flight of stairs which led 
 me to the rear of the building instead of the front, 
 and there I came upon an unlocked door which 
 opened upon a deserted alley, which alley de 
 bouched into a back street. It was eight o clock
 
 i 9 4 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 by then, and I stepped into the early sunshine with 
 that appreciation of freedom which only the lately 
 imprisoned can realize. Hardly more than an 
 hour before I had been well-nigh hopeless; since 
 then I had passed through deep waters, and I did 
 not foresee that even deeper lay before me. 
 
 The night patrol had been withdrawn, and there 
 was no guard to challenge me, while the few citi 
 zens I met gave me but passing attention, and 
 that, probably, owing to my shabbiness. Yet, 
 though I was unkempt enough, I was not in a state 
 to demand interference; no one, not of the mili 
 tary dared go in a rich dress in those times; it 
 would have marked him for destruction by the 
 mob or by the authorities. 
 
 Walking openly, yet with eyes and ears alert, 
 I went through street after street until, after 
 a tiresome trudge, I came to a halt on the highway 
 in the rear of Dench s house. The surroundings 
 were changed, having lost their trim appearance; 
 and I noticed that the near-by houses were closed, 
 and before one the lawn was strewn with debris 
 which spoke of mob-law and loot. 
 
 I did not dare to halt for long nor act in any 
 way to excite suspicion; so, going to the high 
 board fence, I discovered the gate unfastened, 
 and in a moment found myself within the lawyer s 
 yard. 
 
 Here I looked about. The ditch was still open, 
 but the hole in the wall at the end of it the hole
 
 THE PASSING OF O HARA 195 
 
 through which I had escaped some six weeks be 
 fore was closed by a heap of loose stones, no 
 effort having been made to rebuild the founda 
 tion. I did not attempt to conceal myself, being 
 fairly sure I would not be recognized if seen; there 
 fore, I went openly to the well and slaked my con 
 suming thirst, after which I felt like a man, and 
 then went straight to the back door. 
 
 It was not fastened. Pushing it open, I en 
 tered the passage which I guessed would lead to 
 the kitchen, and I was right, for upon opening the 
 door at its end I saw the giant negress, Letty, 
 bending over the fire. 
 
 As she heard the door close behind me she 
 turned and looked, then threw her hands above 
 her head and let out a bubbling cry of horror. 
 
 I was at her side in an instant, and clapped my 
 hand over her open mouth. 
 
 " For Heaven s sake, hush! Do you wish to 
 ruin me after having saved me?" I cried, in a 
 strident whisper. 
 
 " Fo de Lawd! " she gasped, looking at me in 
 wide-eyed wonder. " Dey tole me yo was 
 daid ! I lows yo was yo ghos ." 
 
 I quieted her fears by assuring her I was no 
 ghost, nor even dead, and when I made sure that 
 her cry had disturbed no one I started in on the 
 business that brought me. 
 
 " Letty," said I, " you saved my life once, now 
 you must help me again. Will you stand by me ? "
 
 196 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 " Ah wants to know about mah brudder 
 George," she answered, as if unwilling to commit 
 herself. 
 
 " He s a hero. He escaped, but I have not 
 seen him. He shall not suffer for his kindness, 
 nor shall you." 
 
 " What yo goin to do? " she asked. 
 
 " Never mind," I returned. " Who is in the 
 house up-stairs? " 
 
 " Mas Dench," she answered, looking at me 
 with more confidence. 
 
 " Where is Captain Brussel? " 
 
 " Fo de Lawd, I dunno, sah!" she said. 
 " He ain t here." 
 
 "Is Dench alone?" 
 
 " No, sah. He got a man wif him. He here 
 all night." 
 
 " Who? a military man a soldier?" 
 
 "No, sah; tain t no sojer; jes a plain little 
 man wif black eyes an a sharp nose. He stay to 
 brekfus." 
 
 I wondered who this could be, but as it was evi 
 dently some civilian it did not much matter to me 
 save that his presence might delay my revenge. I 
 sniffed at the appetizing odor of cooking, and for ~+ 
 a moment forgot my errand. 
 
 " And this is their breakfast, I take it," I said, 
 stepping to the hearth and picking up the frying- 
 pan. " They may wait for it. My need is 
 greater than theirs." And with that I began to
 
 THE PASSING OF O HARA 197 
 
 eat with my fingers, man being demoralized by 
 hunger. The woman ran toward me with a cry 
 of consternation, and attempted to take the pan 
 from me, at which the brute in me leaped to the 
 surface and for the once I was like any other ani 
 mal with its food supply threatened. Drawing 
 my bayonet from my sleeve, I turned the point 
 on the negress. " Letty, I am hungry," I said. 
 " I am even starving, and am going to eat while 
 I may. Do not try to prevent me or I may forget 
 what I owe you." 
 
 " No, sah," she said; " tain t that, but the ole 
 man has knocked fo brekfus , an if he doan get 
 it pretty quick he ll be down an pull mah hair. 
 An he ll see yo , an " 
 
 " He ll be sorry he ever did," I interrupted, con 
 tinuing to punish the contents of the pan. " If 
 he knocks again I will answer his call, and after 
 seeing me he will have no appetite. Now, tell me 
 what has happened since I left." 
 
 " Heaps an heaps, sah." 
 
 " Did Miss Selden return here? " 
 
 At my question of the woman, giantess though 
 she was, she broke down and cried like a baby; 
 and I, who had been ravenously devouring the 
 lawyer s breakfast, stood and looked at her in 
 amazement. 
 
 " What has happened? " I finally asked, and I 
 confess that I was afraid of what her answer 
 might be.
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 JUDGE EVERS REDIVIVUS 
 
 AT length I got her story. 
 Part of it was as I had surmised; the 
 girl had been returned to Dench, but that 
 which followed made my blood boil. There had 
 been a fearful time when my escape and the flight 
 of Louise had been discovered, though at first 
 it was not thought we had gone together. In 
 fear of his life not knowing but I might be hid 
 ing near Dench had barricaded his house, and 
 between nephew and uncle there had been a violent 
 scene. 
 
 However, as later I was pronounced drowned, 
 and Louise was sent back to the care of her 
 guardian by the authorities, matters went on 
 quietly enough for a time, Brussel being away 
 on continuous duty; but after Bunker Hill Brussel 
 returned to the house to remain until his wound 
 should heal. 
 
 The negress never spoke to him, nor was she al 
 lowed to communicate with Louise, who was con 
 fined to her room, a practical prisoner. Then 
 there was much going to and fro of messengers; 
 and only two days before, late in the night, a coach 
 
 198
 
 JUDGE EVERS REDIVIVUS 199 
 
 had been driven to the house, and a soldier it 
 must have been my enemy, the sergeant by Let- 
 ty s description got out of it, went into the 
 house and up-stairs, and Letty heard him talk 
 ing with Brussel. 
 
 The next the negress knew was that Louise 
 screamed, and shortly after the young girl was 
 carried down-stairs in the arms of the soldier and 
 placed in the waiting coach, she being apparently 
 unconscious. When Brussel followed the coach 
 was driven away. Letty had not seen the officer 
 since that night, and knew nothing of the fate of 
 the girl. 
 
 " And was Dench a party to this outrage? " I 
 asked, my teeth gritting as I pictured the helpless 
 lady in the villain s power. 
 
 "No, sah no, sah," answered the woman. 
 " Mas Dench wa n t to home dat night. I hears 
 him an Mas Brussel quoilin bout Miss Louise 
 de night befo an oh, Lawd! " 
 
 The exclamation was drawn from her by a series 
 of heavy thumps on the floor overhead. 
 
 "Is that Dench?" I asked, setting down the 
 now empty pan and wiping my lips. 
 
 "Yes, sah yes, sah! What ll Ah do? 
 He ll jest nachully lam me wif his tongue, an den 
 he fin out what come of " 
 
 " Never mind, Letty," I said, going to the door. 
 " Show me the way up to him, and I ll give you my 
 word he will not hold you accountable."
 
 2OO 
 
 At that moment there came a series of thumps 
 on the floor overhead. " Where are you going? " 
 I demanded as the negress ran past me. 
 
 " Gwine to tell him he s bleeged to wait," she 
 said. 
 
 " You ll stay where you are," I commanded. 
 " Does that door open to the stairs? " 
 Yes, sah," said the negress. 
 Then I will take your place. Busy yourself 
 cooking another breakfast; I will need it very 
 
 soon." 
 
 And so, without further preparation, I went up 
 stairs just as I was. I was not familiar with the 
 lower part of the house, saving the cell; but, be 
 lieving the lawyer was in the dining-room, which 
 was over the kitchen, I made my way to it by 
 instinct. When I came to the dining-room I saw 
 that the door was on a jar, and now, with a knowl 
 edge that the old lawyer had some one with him, 
 I approached cautiously, determined to see the 
 stranger, and if he were not too formidable to get 
 rid of him in some manner. I was not in a mind 
 to wait too long. 
 
 But, to my surprise, Dench was not in the din 
 ing-room. His guest sat at the table with his back 
 toward me, and even before I recognized his face 
 in the mirror on the opposite wall I saw that, 
 physically considered, he would be as nothing in 
 my hands. However, I forgot that fact and only 
 realized that here was one who did not depend
 
 JUDGE EVERS REDIVIVUS 201 
 
 upon physique for personal power; for the face 
 I marked in the glass was the face of a man I had 
 outraged. It was Justice Evers. 
 
 Now, though I had little fear of being recog 
 nized by him, for my clothes were in the last de 
 gree of shabbiness and I had not shaved since the 
 day before I was captured on Bunker Hill, I 
 backed away with the instinctive dread of one who 
 comes suddenly upon a venomous snake. I made 
 no doubt that my recent history had been retailed 
 to the judge, and that, like Bench himself, he 
 thought me either dead or a hopeless prisoner. 
 If he should discover the contrary it might come 
 to my doing violence on him, and I had no desire 
 to injure him though I certainly would not permit 
 him to stand between me and my determination to 
 punish Bench. In any event Judge Evers was a 
 stumbling-block, and one entirely unforeseen. 
 
 I confess to being nonplused as for a mo 
 ment I stood in the hall, undecided how to act, yet 
 knowing action to be imperative. I could not 
 leave the house and wander through the streets 
 until such time as Evers went away; for I knew 
 the sergeant s condition would soon be discovered 
 and I searched for. 
 
 But what prevented me from stealing up-stairs 
 and hiding until Judge Evers had gone? Noth 
 ing. I certainly would not be looked for in that 
 house ; and deeming hiding among the enemy to be 
 the wisest course I went up silently, first slipping
 
 202 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 the shoes from my feet, and entered the room at 
 the head of the stairs the room in which I had 
 been struck down. A glance showed the place 
 had recently been occupied, for the bed was tum 
 bled and a portmantle stood on a chair. Doubt 
 less Evers had occupied it. 
 
 With my late habit of making the most of any 
 thing at hand I locked the door, and seeing my way 
 of retreat open by means of the window, I went 
 through his honor s baggage. But I found noth 
 ing save a few toilet articles, shaving material and 
 papers tied with a string. These last I decided to 
 look over if I had the chance. The judge s night 
 cap and gown were also in the bag, and this sug 
 gested that as they were already packed his high 
 and mightiness expected to get away immediately 
 after breakfast; and that being so, his had not 
 been a visit of sociability he had come to Dench 
 on business and not business of a legal nature, 
 there being no civil law in Boston in those days. 
 
 I searched the room thoroughly. There was 
 nothing else there, even the closet being absolutely 
 empty; and so, unfastening the door and standing 
 it half-open that I might hear any sound from be 
 low, I waited. 
 
 And soon I heard something. I knew that 
 Dench came into the lower hall in a towering rage 
 and roared for Letty. I heard the black come up 
 from the kitchen and explain that an accident I 
 could not make out what had ruined her cook-
 
 JUDGE EVERS REDIVIVUS 203 
 
 ing. I heard Dench, the pious Bench, swear at 
 her as he ordered her to hurry and prepare some 
 thing for his guest that for himself he cared for 
 nothing. And then I heard him call Evers from 
 the dining-room, laughingly apologize for the de 
 lay, and they both went into the office. 
 
 With a feeling of satisfaction I tip-toed from 
 the judge s room, leaving the coast clear for his 
 going, and went into the next chamber. It was a 
 small and perfectly barren apartment an un 
 furnished spare room and there I waited fur 
 ther events, and to me, keyed as I was, I thought 
 the time never ending. But presently I heard the 
 men come up-stairs, go into the judge s room and 
 close the door. Then it suddenly came to me that 
 from where I was there was no path for retreat, 
 and not caring to be trapped I sneaked down the 
 stairs, now taking refuge in the dining-room, 
 knowing that Letty would soon be there and I 
 wished to see her. 
 
 But she did not appear, nor did any one else. 
 After a while I heard Dench and his guest go 
 down-stairs to the front door. They were evi 
 dently very serious and talked in low tones and the 
 only words I caught were the last spoken as the 
 judge shook hands with Dench. Through the 
 crack of the door I could see them both. 
 
 " No, sir, you are mistaken," said Evers. " I 
 have reason to know the temper of those rebels 
 back in the country I This war will not be soon
 
 204 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 over ! I am universally laughed at for expressing 
 such a sentiment, but I believe, sir, that General 
 Gage himself begins to realize it. And I am 
 sorry I can be of no assistance to you, Mr. Dench. 
 I thank you for your hospitality, but not person 
 ally knowing the young man I cannot conscien 
 tiously recommend him to his excellency; and as 
 I leave town this night I will be unable to make 
 his acquaintance." 
 
 You leave town ! " exclaimed Dench, with un 
 feigned surprise. " How? " 
 
 " I am sorry that I may not say," said Evers, 
 with a final handshake. " His excellency admon 
 ished me to keep the matter to myself. If it were 
 generally known he would be overwhelmed with 
 applications for like accommodation. Good-by, 
 sir. I hope to see you again in happier times." 
 
 I was not surprised that Judge Evers had a 
 conscience, and now I was glad we had not met in 
 that house. Undoubtedly Dench had asked him 
 to do something for Brussel, a favor which had 
 been refused through principle, and my respect 
 grew for the justice on whom I had once laid 
 violent hands. And like Dench, I, too, wondered 
 how he was to go from Boston that night. I knew 
 later. 
 
 Now, being rid of Judge Evers I had Dench 
 to dispose of, and it may well be believed that in 
 my heart I had neither softness or respect for him. 
 I both heard and saw him shuffle along the hall to
 
 JUDGE EVERS REDIVIVUS 205 
 
 his office, his head bent so that I could not fairly 
 see his face, his air being one of dejection and dis 
 appointment. He went into the room closing the 
 door behind him, and for a moment I waited that 
 he might become settled, in the meanwhile quietly 
 helping myself from the food remaining on the 
 table. I heard the clock strike half-past ten, and 
 then, knowing it was high time to act, I left the 
 dining-room and started to reckon with my treach 
 erous host.
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 THE SECRET ROOM 
 
 THE office-door was closed, and locked, 
 too, as it did not give under my hand. 
 I knocked softly, and was rewarded by 
 hearing the lawyer s voice as he called: " Who s 
 there?" 
 
 I made no answer, only knocking again, at 
 which I heard him come toward the door and un 
 lock it, evidently unconscious of any danger and 
 probably thinking it was Letty. He threw it 
 open impatiently and stood astonished as he be 
 held a man instead of the black he probably ex 
 pected to see. For the space of perhaps ten 
 seconds he did not recognize me, which was not 
 to be wondered at, nor did he move. I made no 
 effort to help him out, only standing still and with 
 my arms folded, looking at him and with a swift 
 glance taking in the room behind him. 
 
 He was not dressed for the day. On his feet 
 were carpet-slippers, and his thin figure was en 
 cased in an old bed-gown. In his hand was a 
 paper he had evidently been reading when my 
 knock interrupted him. 
 
 206
 
 THE SECRET ROOM 207 
 
 He had changed since I had seen him; he now 
 appeared years older and was bent, and there was 
 that furtive look in his eye which I connected with 
 one of miserly habits. His features were sharp 
 ened, and he had the appearance of one who was 
 always in fear of something. 
 
 My gorge rose at sight of him. His was the 
 treacherous arm that had struck me down. It 
 was he who had consigned me to a living death in 
 the cellar of his own house, and now he was at 
 my mercy. Why should I not slay the hoary 
 villain and rid the world of him? For not only 
 to me had he been treacherous, but to his country. 
 He was but a spy against his fellows. Lord, how 
 I hated him! 
 
 Repressing my instinct to close my grip on his 
 scrawny throat, I stepped past him into the room, 
 and, turning, faced him again, but not yet speak 
 ing. Ah, then he knew me I And I saw he held 
 me in terror, not knowing but that I was a di 
 sheveled ghost. For suddenly the lines in his 
 face seemed to double their depth, and his deep- 
 set eyes widened in abject terror. With a cry 
 he staggered back, then turning, fled to what I at 
 first thought was a common door in the book-lined 
 wall, and tried to close it, though it was only 
 partly shut as I overtook him, and grasping him 
 by his thin neck, whirled him into the center of 
 the room. As he regained his balance and leaned 
 for support on his desk, I said:
 
 208 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 " Well, sir, I am here I What have you to 
 say for yourself? " 
 
 " Good God ! I I How did you " he 
 stammered, and then stopped. 
 
 " It matters little how I came here," I re 
 turned; "but I have arrived to collect something 
 of a rather large debt you owe me. Sir, sit down 
 in that chair." 
 
 He obeyed meekly enough, and, too, as though 
 he were suddenly too weak to stand, for he 
 fairly fell into the leather-covered chair at his 
 desk. His attitude was cringing; his face had 
 turned yellow. 
 
 Kill him? I could no more have killed him 
 than I could have killed anything so helpless and 
 abject. Not that he was harmless had he the 
 chance to be otherwise, but he was so servile, 
 such a palpable coward, that I would not have 
 been much superior to him had I laid murderous 
 hands on him. 
 
 " Are you alone in this house? " I asked. He 
 nodded, then became articulate. " No, Letty 
 is below." 
 
 " Where is Louise Selden? " 
 
 " I don t know." 
 
 "You do not know that she was abducted?" 
 
 " No," he answered, with a sidelong glance 
 at me. 
 
 " You lie ! " I vociferated, moving toward him, 
 at which he threw up his hands and exclaimed:
 
 THE SECRET ROOM 209 
 
 "I mean I did not know until she had gone. I 
 > I really do not know where she is. I would 
 not have harm come to her." 
 
 "You lie again! " I said. "You were ready 
 to sacrifice her to that monster, your nephew. I 
 heard you propose her undoing that you might 
 save yourself from ruin. You are a snake, and 
 unfit to live! Where is Brussel? Do not pre 
 tend ignorance to me." 
 
 As a man of the world Bench was a shrewd 
 one, and undoubtedly he had read me sufficiently 
 to believe that as I had not already killed him I 
 would not do so unless I became blinded by pas 
 sion. I think he tried to conciliate me, but at all 
 events he straightened up in his chair and spoke 
 with a measure of strength in his voice. 
 
 You wounded my nephew, for unfortunately 
 I must call him my nephew, though he runs coun 
 ter to all my wishes. He came here after the 
 battle above Charlestown, and was sick," he 
 answered. 
 
 " His wound was not serious? " 
 
 " No, only severe two buckshot in his shoul 
 der." 
 
 " Tis a pity they did not lodge in his black 
 heart! Well, what has become of him?" 
 
 " A day or so ago he obtained leave and went 
 went down the bay." 
 
 " Where ? " I thundered, taking another threat 
 ening step toward him.
 
 210 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 " Stop stop! I am telling I will tell the 
 truth. He went to stay for a time on Hog 
 Island. We they I mean his majesty s 
 troops have taken it by driving off the reb 
 the colonists. You do not believe me. Here, 
 sir, read this; it corroborates me. It is from 
 him." 
 
 He held out the paper he had when he opened 
 the door, and was yet clutching in his skinny fist. 
 I took it from him and read it. It was dated two 
 days before, and ran thus: 
 
 HOG ISLAND Wednesday. 
 Dear Uncle: 
 
 I have not improved my prospects, military or other 
 wise, by coming here. Have no better accommodation 
 than a room in a windmill, and am pretty generally dis 
 gusted. 
 
 I wish you would prevail on Loring to get me an audi 
 ence with General Gage. That the governor-general has 
 never seen me would not injure my cause, and perhaps he 
 has not learned of what Louise has charged you. He 
 need not know our relations to each other. 
 
 Try to arrange matters at once, and advise me of re 
 sult. My arm still lame, but is improving. 
 
 I always fear that the rebels will come here in force 
 and dispossess us. We should be reenforced at once or 
 the troops transferred to Noddles Island, which would be 
 more important to us. Last night the rebels crossed from 
 main and drove off fifty cattle, going scot-free. 
 
 Send me word by first opportunity. 
 
 I wish I had not come here, and that L. was with the 
 devil who sent her into my life. 
 
 LAWRENCE.
 
 THE SECRET ROOM 211 
 
 I read the note without a change of countenance, 
 but with one eye on the paper and the other on 
 the old man who, I knew, was perfectly capable 
 of stabbing me had he a weapon near. 
 
 So Brussel was out of my reach! Had he been 
 as near as was his uncle I would not have spared 
 him; there would be nothing about him to com 
 mand pity, for even as he was writing this screed 
 he knew of my danger and was banking on my 
 death. I folded the letter and placed it in my 
 pocket, then spoke to the cringing lawyer: 
 
 " I am willing to believe you are telling the 
 truth regarding your nephew. I only wish I 
 might visit him as I am visiting you; I would 
 mighty soon convince him that both his plans and 
 yours have miscarried. And this brings me back 
 to the present. I shall be your guest for a few 
 days, or perhaps but for a few hours. It shall 
 be as urgency demands. As I would no more 
 trust you than I would a rattlesnake, I shall make 
 you a prisoner in your own house." 
 
 Dench made no answer, only staring blankly 
 at me as if he but half comprehended my words. 
 I stepped to the door and locked it that he might 
 not run out while my back was turned, and plac 
 ing the key in my pocket, walked over to the door 
 he had tried to shut when he recognized me. But 
 this latter did not open into another room, as I 
 thought it did, unless, indeed, a large, brick-lined 
 closet may be called a room. The door itself
 
 212 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 was ingeniously contrived to hide what was behind 
 it, for its outer side was lined with shelves and 
 filled with books, and when this was closed there 
 was no evidence of a closet, so accurately did it 
 match the rest of the wall. 
 
 Here, then, was just what I wished a place 
 to confine the man and have him under my eye. 
 Before entering the closet I turned and looked at 
 the lawyer. He was closely watching me, his 
 hands gripping the arms of his chair, his lean 
 knuckles turned white under the pressure; but he 
 said nothing and I went on with my investigation. 
 
 The place was plainly a secret strong-room, 
 secure against fire if not against burglary, for the 
 door, which had only a knob and no lock, was 
 lined with iron plates. Piled on the shelves and 
 on the floor were numerous old books, ledgers, 
 cash-books, and the like, together with packages 
 of musty papers, a cursory examination of which 
 brought forth nothing of value to me. I was now 
 in no hurry, and I kept in view the possibility of 
 coming across something in the way of evidence 
 relating to the remains of the fortune of Louise 
 Selden, but not a paper bearing her name did I 
 see, and I concluded that the wily old fox who sat 
 outside had disposed of or hidden every evidence 
 of his obligations as a guardian. 
 
 While I was browsing among these ancient 
 documents I noticed that against the further wall 
 of the strong-room, and apparently fastened to
 
 THE SECRET ROOM 213 
 
 it, was an unframed oil-painting of a beautiful 
 young woman dressed in the fashion of fifty years 
 before. Though it was covered with dust and 
 showed no signs of care I was struck by the ap 
 pealing melancholy of the face, and that it was 
 a portrait of Bench s late wife, dead for years, I 
 had little doubt. When I had done with the con 
 tents of the little room I went up to the portrait 
 and passed my sleeve over the face to rid it of 
 its fog of grime. 
 
 As I did so, using some pressure, to my as 
 tonishment there came from behind it a sound 
 not at all like bending canvas; it was rather the 
 snap that comes from bending tin; and then I con 
 ceived that behind the picture was something more 
 than a bare wall. And I was right, for on close 
 investigation I discovered that the work of art 
 was but a disguise over the door of another closet, 
 a door which had neither catch nor lock, but which 
 fitted snugly into the brick-work. It was an old 
 device and one that still exists in many houses of 
 that time a secret closet within a secret closet. 
 I began to feel that my search, desultory in the 
 beginning, would bear fruit. 
 
 While exploring in the strong-room I was hid 
 den from Bench s sight, but my ears were trained 
 for his slightest movement. I looked out and 
 found him in the same tense and strained posi 
 tion, his eyes fixed on the book-lined door, and 
 gathering a thing or two from his rapt attention
 
 2i 4 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 I began work on the Inside door. It opened hard, 
 but when at last it did open I forgot Bench for 
 the moment, so absorbed was I in what I saw. 
 For the dim light that penetrated the little closet 
 showed me, beside a tin box covered with dust, 
 several small canvas bags, and that they were 
 bags of coin I knew even before I touched them 
 and tested their weight. And by that test I be 
 came aware that their contents was gold. 
 
 Here was a find, though perhaps one of no ac 
 count to me, I being no thief. Taking up one of 
 the bags I carried it out into the light of the 
 office.
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 
 ALIAS CAPTAIN BRUSSEL 
 
 AS the old man saw what I held he jumped 
 to his feet, threw up his skinny hands and 
 let out a shout of pain. 
 
 " Oh, my God! Not that don t take that! 
 I will give it to her ! I am her guardian ! I am 
 but hiding it from Larry ! " 
 
 " And from her," I said, looking down on the 
 creature. He did not appear to have heard me 
 as he clasped his hands. 
 
 " Nay, giant though you be, you shall not rob 
 an old man! My God, I cannot let it go! " 
 
 His voice was a shriek, and his fingers clutched 
 the bag as I held it, his eyes gleaming with greed. 
 
 His attitude was a revelation to me; the man 
 was money-mad a miser and one whose 
 thirst for the yellow metal had prompted him to 
 rob. Had he forgotten or failed to realize that 
 I had overheard his infamous plot to mulct the 
 girl of her fortune, the size of which I knew noth 
 ing. I thought I saw the whole matter then; he 
 had her money, probably the proceeds of shrewd 
 investment, and was holding it intact, or most of 
 
 215
 
 216 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 it. The loss of his own wealth through the un 
 fortunate venture about which he had told his 
 nephew, together with a natural avariciousness, 
 made it impossible for him to part with cash once 
 in his possession. Gold was a god to one of his 
 nature, its allurement stronger than any principle 
 he possessed. Mentally I could see him running 
 his claw-like fingers through the bulk of cool metal 
 pieces, and gloating over them. I jerked the bag 
 from his feeble grasp. 
 
 "So this is Miss Selden s, ha?" I said. 
 " And between the two of you she has been lied 
 to and outraged that you might take to yourselves 
 that which belongs to her? Why, you whey- 
 faced villain, you have me to account to now! 
 How much is there in the safe? " 
 
 " Two two thousand pounds," he whim 
 pered, stretching out his hands. " For the love 
 of Heaven don t take it! Let me have it just 
 to feel of. Oh, I cannot let it go ! " 
 
 He was trembling like one with the palsy, and 
 to my profound disgust he fell on his knees and 
 clasped mine as he pleaded. " Get up," I said to 
 the groveling man. " Once I thought you 
 strong, but now you are a very dog." 
 
 He got back into his chair, clasping and un 
 clasping his hands, a picture of weakness and 
 avarice, his mania plainly uncovered through my 
 unexpected find. To Louise Selden he had with 
 out doubt lied as he had to his nephew in the in-
 
 ALIAS CAPTAIN BRUSSEL 217 
 
 terview I had overheard. "Feel it?" said I. 
 " Faith, I am like to choke you with it! No one 
 shall be robbed! Doesn t your sweet nephew 
 know of this strong-room? " 
 
 " Nay, nor even suspects," was the almost whis 
 pered answer. 
 
 " That s more than likely the truth," I returned, 
 laying the bag on the table, " for had he guessed 
 at the whereabouts of this he would probably 
 have made an end to his loving uncle long since ! 
 Let us see what is here." 
 
 I untied the leather thong closing the mouth of 
 the canvas, and poured the bag s contents out on 
 the table. It was gold all gold and in sov 
 ereign pieces, and as the coins settled on the wood 
 the old man made a convulsive reach for the pile, 
 running his fingers through it, just as I had pic 
 tured the miser playing with his hoard. The 
 sound of it was music to him. 
 
 " Don t take it away! " he moaned, " I will give 
 it to her. I will give " 
 
 "Is it all Miss Selden s?" I asked. "But 
 never mind, you would lie about it! However, 
 we will have it out of your reach, my friend." 
 
 I gathered up the money, not attempting to 
 count it, only judging there were about five hun 
 dred pounds on the table; and I had hardly re 
 placed the last coin when the old villain sprang 
 at me like a tiger, and yet not at me so much as 
 at the bag I held, and tried to pull it from my
 
 2i8 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 grasp. In the meantime his voice rose in a cat 
 like scream. 
 
 The man was fairly insane. I shook him from 
 me easily enough, and he fell back into his chair 
 whimpering like an abused child. At that mo 
 ment my disgust for him was extreme, and though 
 I knew he could be readily handled, he might be 
 come dangerous if left to himself. His scream 
 ing brought Letty to the door, which I unlocked 
 at her call. 
 
 " Bring the old rascal something to eat," I said, 
 " and when you come back fetch a bed-cord with 
 you." 
 
 " Yo goin to hang him? " asked the negress, 
 her black eyes wide. 
 
 "Nay, though he deserves it; bring the cord 
 and trust me. This is for your protection as 
 well as for mine. He knows your position now, 
 so you and I are in the same boat." 
 
 Hang him? No. But tie him? Yes. For 
 I had made up my mind he was too subtile to be 
 left hand-free, and had determined to bind him. 
 When Letty returned, bringing with her a cord, 
 I told her to go back to the kitchen, and setting 
 my teeth, proceeded to bind the old man hand and 
 foot, tying him into his chair, then lifting both, 
 set them in his own strong-room. It must have 
 been a tremendous experience for the once self- 
 contained and influential lawyer to be handled in 
 that manner, but it was the medicine due him. I
 
 ALIAS CAPTAIN BRUSSEL 219 
 
 did not shut him in, but left the door ajar that he 
 might have air, though threatening to leave him 
 in the dark if he made an outcry. He was com 
 pletely crushed, and I know not if he understood, 
 for he made no reply, but he did not raise his voice 
 after he was placed in the brick closet. 
 
 In the meantime I had removed the rest of 
 the money, five bags of it, together with a mass of 
 books and papers which I hoped to examine at 
 my leisure, for now I felt perfectly secure, Brus- 
 sel being out of the way. As for a possible caller, 
 Letty might dispose of him with any story she 
 wished; surely no client would come, for the civil 
 law was dead in Boston. 
 
 On counting the money I found that it was as 
 Dench had said; there were two thousand pounds; 
 and in a tin box, also from the inside safe, I dis 
 covered a number of papers, each referring to 
 some properties in and beyond the city, and each 
 bore the name of Selden, with Dench as his at 
 torney. I felt that much might be unraveled by 
 competent hands, and resolved to submit the 
 whole matter to my father, if time should ever 
 serve. 
 
 But in the meantime money and papers must 
 be placed beyond the reach and even the ken 
 of the old villain now a prisoner in his own safe, 
 but nothing could be done while daylight lasted. 
 When it was dark I would hide them somewhere 
 outside the walls of that house.
 
 220 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 Now, gold and title-deeds were not the only 
 things I found that day; for on searching the tin 
 box in the interest of the young lady to whom I 
 owed so much, I made one other discovery. By 
 itself, wrapped up carefully in a sheet of blue 
 foolscap, I came across a paper which I recognized 
 as a note-of-hand, otherwise, a regular promis 
 sory note, for fifty pounds, made by one David T. 
 Dalrymple, and drawn in favor of some one whose 
 name I have now forgotten. 
 
 However, as it was indorsed by Lawrence 
 Brussel, my eyes became opened to its nature, 
 especially as it was some two months over-due, and 
 across its face, in red ink, was written the word 
 " Forgery! " in large letters. Then I recollected 
 Dench s reference to a paper he held over his 
 nephew s head, and which had brought the latter 
 party to agree to his uncle s scheme. 
 
 I saw through the matter now. Larry had 
 forged the paper in the name of his own colonel, 
 and having endorsed it himself, had prevailed on 
 his uncle to discount it. The old man had done 
 so, but on the note becoming mature Brussel had 
 been unable to pay, and to prevent it falling into 
 his commander s hands, had confessed to his rel 
 ative. Later he had made good in some way, 
 and thought the paper destroyed, but on the morn 
 ing I stood at the door and listened he learned 
 that he was on the brink of a disgraceful ruin if 
 he ran counter to his uncle s wishes.
 
 ALIAS CAPTAIN BRUSSEL 221 
 
 All this appeared plain enough to me, and see 
 ing what a fine weapon I possessed, I folded it 
 and carefully placed it in my pocket along with 
 the letter from Brussel to his uncle, which I had 
 appropriated after reading. Making neither 
 head nor tail to the rest of the stuff, I bundled docu 
 ments and gold under the hair-cloth sofa and be 
 gan to consider my own future. 
 
 What should I do? for, of course, I could not 
 long remain where I was. I was not safe on the 
 streets at night, and during the day I might be 
 recognized; moreover, I was shabby enough to 
 attract attention anywhere. 
 
 Considering that I might remedy the latter 
 difficulty without going abroad, I started up-stairs 
 in search of clothing. Ignoring the room in 
 which I had been assaulted I went on to the next 
 and at once knew it had been occupied by Larry 
 Brussel himself, for the smell of stale tobacco 
 still hung on the curtains and bed-hangings. 
 There was little in it to serve me save the uniform 
 he had worn on the day of Bunker Hill, and the 
 sword-scabbard with enough of the broken blade 
 to hold sword and scabbard together. The uni 
 form I knew, the ragged holes in the left shoul 
 der, and the dark stain of blood on the cloth speak 
 ing loudly enough. 
 
 I examined the coat with a view of using it, 
 as I had about concluded that if I was to escape 
 from Boston it must be by way of the Neck, and
 
 222 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 to pass that well-guarded point I should have to 
 appear as what? The uniform seemed to 
 point the answer as a British officer, of course, 
 and nothing less. 
 
 But I would need a pass indeed, I would be 
 lame without one, though how I was to come by 
 such a thing I could not imagine. I searched the 
 pockets of coat and small-clothes in the foolish 
 hope that a pass might be found, but though I 
 failed in that, I discovered a paper which the 
 wounded man had placed in the coat, and evi 
 dently overlooked. The thing was dated but five 
 days before, and when I read it I became aware 
 that Louise Selden, like Brussel, was out of my 
 reach; more, she was probably with him, but in 
 what condition I might only guess at. I ground 
 my teeth as I read: 
 
 T June 30. 
 
 Larry : 
 
 I consent to your proposition, but I must not be known 
 in it. I shall be away that night. 
 
 If you paint me black enough you may succeed in con 
 vincing her of your devotion, but I fail to see how you 
 are helping matters toward the desired end. 
 
 It will be well for you, if you bring her back as your 
 wife ; it may be ill for you if you do not. 
 
 Yours, 
 
 This precious document was unsigned, but it 
 needed no signature. It made the blood leap in 
 my veins. Here was villainy, without doubt, and
 
 ALIAS CAPTAIN BRUSSEL 223 
 
 it was equally plain that the old sinner now in his 
 strong-room had been glad to be rid of the girl 
 and had played her into the hands of his worse 
 than worthless nephew at a time when he should 
 have been protecting her. And all to no purpose, 
 so far as he was concerned, since I now held the 
 girl s money and the key to the situation. Dench 
 had pretended to me that he did not know where 
 the girl was. Perhaps he did not; but he might 
 easily have surmised; and I had my strong sus 
 picion. She was with Brussel; kidnaped by him, 
 in short. It was plain to me that she had learned 
 too much for the comfort and safety of uncle and 
 nephew and had, therefore, been abducted. And 
 the attempt was being made to coerce her into 
 marrying the man I now hated as I had never 
 hated him before. My feeling toward him awak 
 ened me to the feeling I had toward her; it came 
 like a sudden revelation; though I scarcely knew 
 her, my debt of gratitude, the peculiar condition 
 of our forced intimacy and her own attractive 
 personality, once my eyes were opened to it, had 
 exerted an influence over me which I had not 
 taken into account. But now I knew how I felt 
 toward the girl; perhaps I idealized her, but cer 
 tain it is that I looked upon her and felt drawn 
 toward her as to no other woman who had ever 
 come into my life. I knew not exactly what love 
 for a woman was, but I did know that if I did not 
 love Louise Selden I was far on the road to it.
 
 224 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 At all events while I lived no such moral leper as 
 Hotfoot Brussel should possess her, save by 
 violence, and even then not for long. 
 
 I had the best of reasons to believe the two 
 to be on Hog Island. That unpoetically named 
 spot, as beautiful as any about Boston, lay well 
 down the bay and just off the Maiden coast, be 
 ing separated from Noddles Island by a narrow 
 arm of the sea. They might as well have been In 
 Palestine, so far as I was concerned, though the 
 island was so small that I might have searched 
 every house and mill on it in a single day. 
 
 How could I get there? I could conceive of 
 no way save to escape by way of the Neck, go 
 round by land, ferry myself to the island in 
 the face of a British detachment. And then? 
 Heaven only knew what would follow. 
 
 But the scheme was wild; it would take me a 
 week to get there, and here I was mewed up in 
 the center of the enemy s stronghold. I was 
 fairly cornered, though not yet at bay. My fin 
 gers itched to get at the skinny throat of the law 
 yer who had been the cause of this coil, but I 
 knew I would do nothing to the helpless villain. 
 My self-respect was not yet dead. 
 
 Bothered as I was, I came finally to a decision. 
 I must get to Hog Island though the heavens fell 
 or it took a month. 
 
 That night I would hide the girl s money, then, 
 disguised as an officer, using Brussel s uniform, I
 
 ALIAS CAPTAIN BRUSSEL 225 
 
 would go boldly to the water-front and try to ob 
 tain a boat. If I could steal one, well and good; 
 if not, I would try some other way, for get to 
 the mainland I must. 
 
 Even the settling of this much put new life 
 into me, and I prepared myself for as desperate 
 a venture as I had ever attempted. The day 
 passed, dragging along without more excitement 
 than that which came from thinking and eating. 
 Of the latter I did my fill, then fed the captive, 
 bringing him out of his close quarters and setting 
 .free his hands. But not a word would he return 
 to my questioning, hardly looking at me, nor did 
 he eat as if he relished his food the last not 
 causing me any wonder. 
 
 I thought him too deep and dangerous to re 
 main loose; therefore, I again fastened him to 
 his chair and set him in his prison. He made no 
 resistance, though he looked like a surly dog who 
 was watching his chance to bite, so I had no pity 
 for him and made him see the price he was pay 
 ing for his treachery. 
 
 As darkness fell I made ready for my attempt 
 to escape. With Bench s own razor I shaved, 
 put my hair in order, then got into Brussel s old 
 uniform which though not a perfect fit served well 
 enough, and to make the stain and tear in the cloth 
 less conspicuous, I improvised a sling in which 
 to lay my left arm, the linen crossing and covering 
 the rents and bloodstains.
 
 226 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 I appeared to lack nothing in the way of equip 
 ment. Even the sword, which no officer would 
 appear without, was provided in the broken one. 
 It was useless as a weapon, but it made a brave 
 enough appearance, and so, wrapping its belt 
 around it, I carried it down-stairs, and looking at 
 myself in the mirror, had a realizing sense of the 
 value of fine feathers; certainly no one would 
 identify me as the ragged fugitive who had 
 sneaked into the house that morning. I doubt if 
 my own father would have known me, rigged as 
 I was. When Dench saw me his eyes lighted, 
 he probably thinking for the moment that I was 
 Brussel come back, but when he discovered his 
 mistake he squirmed in his chair. But he said 
 nothing, not even wasting his breath in cursing 
 me; but he was not a profane man. 
 
 There was but one thing left to be done be 
 fore I started out, and that to dispose of the gold 
 and box of papers. Over them I pondered for a 
 time. The bags might be sunk in the well, but 
 not so the tin box; and not wishing to separate 
 them, and being at my wits end for a way to dis 
 pose of them, I left the house by way of the office 
 window, taking the stuff with me in two trips, and 
 then I buried them by lifting a flagstone of the 
 path to the well, scooping a hole under it suffi 
 ciently large to take in the several packages. The 
 accumulated soil I threw into the ditch, and re 
 placed the stone. It was nine o clock when I
 
 ALIAS CAPTAIN BRUSSEL 227 
 
 started on this, it being fairly dark, and even Letty 
 knew nought of what I had done. Now I con 
 sidered money and papers safe until such time as 
 I could put the proper owner on the right track 
 of them, not thinking it would fall to my lot to 
 uncover the treasure. 
 
 I regained the office without difficulty, reopen 
 ing the door of the old man s prison that he might 
 have air. I well remember the hour; it was strik 
 ing ten by the tall hall-clock, and I was just wip 
 ing the perspiration from my forehead when there 
 came a loud rap at the front entrance. 
 
 Had it been a volley of musketry I would not 
 have been more startled. Quickly closing the 
 disguised door on my prisoner, I slipped into 
 the uniform coat and adjusted the sling, though 
 my left arm was ready for action at any mo 
 ment. 
 
 Taking the candle from the table, I went into 
 the hall, set the light some distance from the en 
 trance, and proceeded to open the door. 
 
 I don t know what I had prepared myself for, 
 but I confess to being almost shocked as I saw a 
 British corporal standing at attention on the top 
 step. As he saw me he raised his hand in salute, 
 and then I noticed he had no musket. 
 
 " Captain Brussel?" he said. 
 
 Now, before answering I had to think quickly. 
 iWho was the fellow? If from Brussel s regi 
 ment he would know that officer and promptly
 
 228 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 smell a rat if I should answer to his name. I 
 therefore decided on being non-committal. 
 
 "Well?" I returned. 
 
 " It was thought that you might be out of town, 
 sir," said the soldier, " but I was told to deliver 
 this letter if you were found." 
 
 Who are you from? " I demanded. 
 
 " From Commissioner Loring, sir." With 
 that he held forth a paper, which I took from 
 him. 
 
 " Any answer? " I asked carelessly. 
 
 " I don t know, captain; but I think so." 
 
 " Step inside, my man," I said, not caring to 
 be seen from the street. He obeyed, and I 
 closed the door. Then, going to the candle, I 
 tore open the letter and read: 
 
 Captain Brussel: 
 
 You have me and yourself in a fine fix. Your orderly 
 sergeant was found dead in an upper room of Whipple s 
 empty warehouse, his body being chained to a dog. The 
 rebel, Darcy, whom I passed to your control, has escaped. 
 
 As he was known to have been confined in that room 
 by your orders, I am required to show how the prisoner 
 passed from my hands without warrant or trial, and while 
 damning myself in the explanation, I shall certainly damn 
 you also unless you come to me and show a possible way 
 out of the dilemma. 
 
 I must answer by ten in the morning unless I am will 
 ing the matter gets to the ears of his excellency, who does 
 not yet know. Come at once. Will receive you at any 
 hour. 
 
 L.
 
 ALIAS CAPTAIN BRUSSEL 229 
 
 Here was a coil for some one, but not for me. 
 
 I confess I was rather taken aback at the death 
 of the sergeant, but it was a thing that caused 
 me no remorse. He was a brute, and deserved 
 all he got. I turned to the waiting soldier. 
 
 You are from Commissioner Loring? " 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 Tell him I will see him before the hour 
 named. Tell him also that there is no cause to 
 worry. That is all, my man." 
 
 I opened the door. 
 
 As I did so I was startled to see another soldier 
 coming up the few steps. He was armed and 
 evidently bent on business, for after a quick salute 
 he said with official abruptness: 
 
 " Captain Brussel is to proceed to headquar 
 ters at once." 
 
 "What s this?" said I, almost forgetting the 
 role I was playing. "By whose orders?" I 
 added, catching myself. 
 
 " Orders of his excellency, sir." 
 
 " General Gage ! " I exclaimed in astonishment. 
 
 * Yes, captain," said the man, " and I am told 
 to escort you as soon as possible." 
 
 " I will wait upon his excellency at once," I 
 returned, ignoring the reference to my being es 
 corted. 
 
 " I shall have to obey orders, captain," said the 
 man, standing stiffly, his musket across his chest 
 in the position of a salute.
 
 230 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 " What! " I exclaimed. " Do you mean I am 
 to be escorted as a prisoner? " 
 
 " I think if arrest was thought of more than 
 one man would have been sent for you, sir," re 
 turned the fellow, the ghost of a smile on his face, 
 " but I was ordered to return with you." 
 
 " Very good," I answered; " remain until I am 
 ready. You may take my answer to Mr. Lor- 
 ing," I said, addressing the first man, and waved 
 him out. He stepped to the porch and I closed 
 the door on both. 
 
 And then I felt as if the weight of the world 
 lay on my shoulders. Right on the verge of my 
 attempt at escaping had come two unexpected mat 
 ters, one of which was of serious and immediate 
 import, and the other threatened me if I escaped 
 the first. I was between Scilla and Charybdis. 
 
 I was not afraid of Loring, for ere he would 
 attempt to hunt up Captain Brussel on the mor 
 row, I hoped to be gone from Boston. But the 
 command to headquarters ! That was a matter 
 to brook no delay. What could be in the wind, 
 and how could I escape? One thing suggested 
 itself, and that, violence. I cared not for one 
 soldier, armed though he was. I might order 
 him into the hall, attack him, bind him, and put 
 him in the cellar. I did not doubt my ability, 
 nerved up as I then was, but there was one great 
 objection to the risk. 
 
 The man from Loring had not gone on his
 
 ALIAS CAPTAIN BRUSSEL 231 
 
 way, but stood talking with the last messenger, as 
 if he were in no hurry. As plain as need be I 
 could hear the voices of the two. And I dared 
 not open the door and order him off that would 
 be unlike an officer and, too, I was supposed to 
 be getting ready to go to headquarters. 
 
 While I was in the depths of my quandary as 
 to what to do to get out of obeying Gage s order, 
 there leaped into my memory the letter I had 
 taken from Dench, written from Hog Island. 
 In it was the statement that the writer was un 
 known to General Gage. This came to me like 
 a rope to a drowning man, and with it came the 
 realization that the matter could have no con 
 nection with the escaped prisoner as Loring s word 
 had just assured me that as yet General Gage 
 knew nothing about it. Later this assurance 
 proved to be false, but it fixed my decision then; 
 for now I conceived that instead of being a 
 menace, a trip to headquarters, where I was not 
 known, might open up a way to escape, the means 
 of which I had not yet been able to settle. 
 
 Risk is part of the play of life, the conservative 
 and cowardly rarely accomplishing anything, and 
 as I saw even this chance loophole I resolved to 
 act up to my name and test its possibilities. Who 
 could tell what might come of it? I was now 
 submerged to the neck in a sea of danger, and I 
 might as well swim out and try to cross the flood. 
 
 There was little I had to do beyond seeing
 
 232 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 Letty and telling her I was going away and might 
 not be back. She was dozing in the kitchen, not 
 having heard the knock on the front door, and 
 when she found a British officer carrying a candle 
 she let out a shriek of dismay, thinking, as she 
 told me, that Brussel had returned, and having 
 made way with me, liberated his uncle and heard 
 how she had assisted me, had come down to take 
 his revenge on her. Though she might have 
 broken Brussel across her knee, had she obtained 
 a good hold on him, the woman was a coward, as 
 are many large-bodied people. I did not tell her 
 where I was going, but I did tell her where to find 
 Dench, and also that she might release him if I 
 was not back by noon the following day. 
 
 But this she stoutly refused to do, saying that 
 as I had imprisoned him I might care for him, 
 and that to let him go would spell ruin for her. 
 I could not blame her, and so I left the house with 
 large doubts of ever entering it again. As for 
 the negress, faithful to me though she had been, 
 I had promised her nothing for the present, but 
 I made her future rich if I escaped and she did 
 her duty to me. The great black had not berated 
 me for the coil she was in, and wished for noth 
 ing but to get from Boston and join her brother. 
 This, however, she could not do, as for her to ob 
 tain a pass without the consent of her employer 
 would be an impossibility. I could give her no 
 hope, but I wrung her hamlike hand and bade her
 
 ALIAS CAPTAIN BRUSSEL 233 
 
 good-by as fervently as if her skin were as white 
 as her worthy soul. 
 
 I went out with my head high though my spirits 
 were not at a like altitude. I strode on, and be 
 hind me at a respectful distance, walked the two 
 red-coated soldiers, the one from Loring seeming 
 to care little how late he was. As for me, I cared 
 less. 
 
 Then it struck me: Would he tell Loring that 
 Captain Brussel had been called to headquarters? 
 If the commissioner sent or went there for me 
 the result would be tragic. My safety lay in not 
 being recognized as a fraud by any one knowing 
 Brussel, and while the risk was a very tangible 
 one it was not pressing at that hour. 
 
 But the facts could not be blinked even though 
 they did not alter my determination. Here was 
 I, an escaped prisoner, not acknowledged as a 
 prisoner of war, but charged with being a de 
 serter from his majesty s forces, dressed in the 
 uniform of a British officer, and upon my head 
 the death of a British sergeant. 
 
 There could be only one result were I discov 
 ered and captured. I would hang by the mor 
 row s sunrise. 
 
 Hang! Never I Not when desperation could 
 invite bullets and bayonets. I knew I was hold 
 ing my life in one hand, but I maintain I held to 
 it without a quaver, though with many doubts. 
 
 It did not seem like a long walk to Provence
 
 234 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 House, though it probably took more than fifteen 
 minutes. Twice I met the patrol, and twice did 
 the guard stiffen to " attention," salute, and let 
 me go by. I then realized the power of an offi 
 cer s uniform as I had never before done, and 
 when passing the Granary burying-ground I saw 
 a couple of armed soldiers standing at the gate, 
 while within, among the tombstones, there moved 
 several lights. Once in a while there was a shout, 
 but I could make nothing of the situation. 
 
 Suspecting something of the matter, I stopped 
 by the guard and asked what the trouble was. 
 Both fellows saluted, and one answered promptly: 
 " Scaped prisoner, sir." 
 
 " Ah ! Any one of importance ? " 
 
 " Don t know, sir; only he killed his guard 
 last night, and a dog that was with him. That s 
 all I know, sir." 
 
 "Very good!" I returned; and satisfied that 
 I was being searched for and that the trail was 
 mighty cold when it led to the Granary grave 
 yard, I passed on, my guard coming after me. A 
 few moments later I came to my destination. 
 
 It was quarter of eleven as I went up the long 
 flight of steps leading to the front door of Prov 
 ence House. 
 
 Even at that hour there was plenty of coming 
 and going of officers, but everything was quiet 
 and formal. Save for their swaying one might 
 have thought the sentries on either side of the
 
 ALIAS CAPTAIN BRUSSEL 235 
 
 great doors were carved in wood, but their mus 
 kets rang as a man, a colonel, as I afterward knew, 
 passed out, went by me in the dusk, and flinging 
 himself on a horse, galloped away. At that 
 moment I had no idea of what a narrow escape 
 had been mine. Had I been ten minutes earlier 
 I had probably been ruined. 
 
 My guide followed me into the historic old 
 house, but did not go into the luxurious reception- 
 room into which I was ushered after giving the 
 name of Brussel to the gorgeous flunky who asked 
 for it. 
 
 I sat down, my heart beginning to thump with 
 unusual vigor, and every nerve in my body was 
 singing like an overstrained harp-string. In my 
 present position there was not the excitement I 
 had experienced when on Bunker Hill I saw the 
 enemy approaching. Nay, it was worse, having 
 a menace which the other situation did not possess; 
 it was more like the threat of the bloodthirsty 
 hound from which I had escaped. 
 
 Would I have the same fortune here? Heaven 
 knew, but I know I felt a decided relief when, 
 after five minutes of exquisite agony, the flunky 
 reappeared as suddenly and much more silently 
 than a jack-in-the-box, and clapping his heels to 
 gether, held open the door with one hand, saluted 
 with the other, and announced in a loud voice : 
 
 " His excellency will receive Captain Brussel." 
 
 Now I was in for it, and despite my hopes for
 
 236 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 the immediate future I felt like one who had been 
 called to execution as I arose and followed the 
 man, calm enough as to appearance, no doubt, 
 though by my tingling cheeks I was aware that 
 the blood was leaving them.
 
 CHAPTER XXI 
 
 THIN ICE 
 
 AS I walked along the spacious hall I men 
 tally figured on my chances if I were com 
 pelled to make a break for liberty. They 
 were small. Beside the two sentries at the front 
 entrance there was another at the door I was ap 
 proaching, and, moreover, there was the over 
 dressed flunky, who was a big man. No, I 
 should never be able to escape by running; if dis 
 covered, I was lost. 
 
 The room I entered was a large one, brilliantly 
 lighted and luxuriously furnished; its high ceiling 
 paneled and its walls richly decorated. The 
 impression I received was of grandeur, but my 
 direct attention was given to the man who sat be 
 hind a broad mahogany table placed in the center 
 of the apartment and under a crystal chandelier, 
 the candles of which had been recently renewed. 
 
 The vagaries of the human mind are strange; 
 at that moment, and while my life was at stake, my 
 brain stooped to take cognizance of the two dozen 
 candles being consumed, and I thought of the bill 
 the king must pay for this reckless burning of wax 
 and tallow. 
 
 237
 
 238 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 But my mind did not wander for many seconds. 
 Pulling myself up into a martial stride, I went over 
 the thick carpet to where sat General Gage, Gov 
 ernor of Massachusetts and commander-in-chief of 
 the British forces in America. 
 
 I was impressed by the man, and favorably im 
 pressed, for, though an enemy, a glance showed 
 him to be a gentleman, that is, a gentleman ac 
 cording to the test of the touchstone of aristocracy, 
 which takes account of manners but not of morals. 
 Not that General Gage was a grossly immoral 
 man ; in that respect he was probably no worse than 
 others of his station in life. Undoubtedly he was 
 looked upon as an honorable man else Dench 
 would not have feared him and compared him to 
 Hutchinson. As for his outward refinement, that 
 was clear enough. 
 
 He was in undress uniform, and his sword, with 
 its belt wrapped round it, lay on the end of the 
 table. Near him, but at a separate table, sat his 
 secretary, his back toward me, his body bent far 
 forward. I have an idea that he was asleep, but 
 to the casual observer he might have appeared to 
 be at work. 
 
 No one else was in the room. 
 
 When within a pace or two of Gage, I halted 
 with military precision and saluted. The general 
 looked up, his smooth forehead contracting. 
 
 " This is Captain Lawrence Brussel? " he asked 
 in a low voice.
 
 THIN ICE 239 
 
 11 Yes, Your Excellency." 
 
 " You have been wounded ! " he exclaimed. " I 
 did not know that ! When ? " 
 
 " During the late action at Charlestown," I an 
 swered, the strength of my voice increasing with 
 my confidence. " But, sir, the wound is hardly 
 an inconvenience now, and never was serious." 
 
 " I am glad to hear it," he replied. " It was 
 somewhat uncertain about you having returned! 
 Colonel Dalrymple, who has but just left me, 
 rather thought you had not." 
 
 I started at my narrow escape, a start fortu 
 nately not noticed by Gage, but was now certain 
 that my identity was unsuspected. This gave me 
 confidence. As the general paused I thought he 
 might be expecting something from me, and so 
 spoke. 
 
 " I did not meet Colonel Dalrymple, Your Ex 
 cellency. I returned from Hog Island hardly two 
 hours ago, and was about to report when I re 
 ceived your summons." 
 
 "Hog Island!" exclaimed Gage, sitting up. 
 "Have you been on Hog Island?" 
 
 " Yes, Your Excellency." 
 
 " Why, sir, Colonel Dalrymple thought you 
 were at Castle Island and sent for you there 
 this morning, but the commander knew nothing of 
 you. It was by the way of taking a chance that I 
 sent for you at your uncle s house." 
 
 Here was an unexpected flaw in the wind, but I
 
 2 4 o THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 at once trimmed my sails to it. I am fairly quick 
 witted at a pinch, thank God. 
 
 " Yes, sir," I replied. " I went to Castle Wil 
 liam but did not report, and at once proceeded to 
 Hog Island, as, being on leave, I thought I had a 
 right to do." 
 
 " Ah ! And why to Hog Island ? " 
 
 " Your Excellency, there is a lady there, 
 and" 
 
 " I think I see," he interrupted. 
 
 " I went on her account," I finished, not know 
 ing what else to say. 
 
 " Yes? Well, perhaps it is fortunate you did," 
 was the astonishing reply. " And what are the 
 conditions there? " 
 
 " It is quiet, Your Excellency." 
 
 " We have no force there. Do you think one 
 is necessary? " 
 
 " Not on Hog Island; there is little need. But 
 Noddles Island could be of some use, it having 
 both cattle and grain, whereas Hog Island has 
 but little of either," I replied, having in mind 
 Brussel s letter. 
 
 " Well, Captain Brussel," said Gage, settling 
 himself, " it is upon this very business that I sent 
 for you. I have received your application 
 through Commissioner Loring, but how I will act 
 upon it will be determined by the manner in which 
 you do your duty. Are you willing to cut your 
 leave and return to service? "
 
 THIN ICE 241 
 
 I do not know if my face betrayed my per 
 plexity, but I am sure my voice did not. I was 
 aware that I was skating on extremely thin ice, 
 and at any moment it might break under me. All 
 I knew for a certainty was that up to that minute 
 Gage had no suspicion as to my identity. To his 
 question there was but one answer I dared make, 
 and I promptly gave it. 
 
 " Yes, Your Excellency." 
 
 " It is because I am told that though you ob 
 tained your commission in England you are 
 colonial born and have lived for many years in 
 the vicinity of Boston and are familiar with the 
 surrounding country that I have picked you out. 
 Am I right?" 
 
 " I know the country well, Your Excellency." 
 
 That makes it possible for you to serve his 
 majesty better than most men. Do you know the 
 exact location of Danforth s mill? " 
 
 " On Noddles Island? Yes, Your Excellency, 
 I know it." 
 
 This was no lie, Danforth being on the north 
 ern extremity owner of one of the windmills 
 of which the islands in the bay, as well as the 
 mainland, had not a few. 
 
 "Good!" returned Gage. "I have received 
 word that it is stored with grain intended for the 
 rebels. I wish to secure it, and the cattle on the 
 island as well. Since this rebellion has broken 
 out, I am loath to trust one not in his majesty s
 
 242 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 service; but, sir, you have both the knowledge re 
 quired and the proper uniform." 
 
 He paused and took snuff, brushing the super 
 fluous grains from the lace of his cuff, then con 
 tinued: 
 
 " Sir, will you volunteer to do duty first as a 
 guide?" 
 
 For an instant my heart seemed to cease beat 
 ing. Had the man before me offered me a million 
 pounds I could not have been more surprised and 
 elated. 
 
 Act as a guide ! That meant getting beyond the 
 lines without risk. But what was I expected to 
 guide? A force against my countrymen? 
 
 The thought sobered me; but, with my usual 
 headlong precipitation, and with the hope that my 
 wits might show me a way out of my dilemma, I 
 answered that my duty to my king forebade me 
 to hesitate offering myself for any service he, or 
 those in authority, desired. 
 
 " Very good, Captain! " said Gage. " I trust, 
 and I believe, you will acquit yourself. Your first 
 duty will be one of no danger and requires no dis 
 cretion on your part. I have decided to occupy 
 Noddles Island, and wish you to guide a detach 
 ment there." 
 
 "When, General?" I asked, as he hesitated. 
 
 " This very night, sir. The expedition starts 
 at one o clock from Hancock s wharf. It is short 
 notice, but it becomes necessary. You will de-
 
 THIN ICE 243 
 
 liver your written orders to the officer in charge. 
 He will obey you until you land, at which time you 
 may consider yourself relieved and will proceed to 
 act in another matter one which will make de 
 mands on your courage and judgment. Do you 
 begin to comprehend? " 
 
 " Thus far, entirely, Your Excellency." 
 
 " I am afraid you do not," he returned. " I 
 am asking you to act in the capacity of a spy. 
 Are you willing? " 
 
 As his scheme opened it was all I could do to 
 conceal my satisfaction, but I held myself erect 
 and motionless and, as he looked sharply at me, I 
 hesitated only long enough to give effect to my 
 answer. 
 
 " I will do anything Your Excellency desires," 
 I said. 
 
 " Then, sir, after guiding the force to the mill, 
 you will get to the mainland in any way you can, 
 penetrate the rebel camp, determine their numbers, 
 their disposition, their spirit, and, if possible, their 
 intentions, and return to me as soon as may be. 
 If you are successful, I think, sir, I can guaran 
 tee you the post you desire." 
 
 " I thank Your Excellency," I replied, bowing 
 and hoping he would say no more about a post 
 I certainly did not desire, nor did I know what it 
 might be that Brussel coveted. This was a rock 
 on which I was liable to split. But Gage did not 
 pursue the subject. Without turning in his chair
 
 244 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 he raised his voice and called: " Willoughby," 
 at which the sleepy secretary started as if shot, 
 swinging around and showing a pair of drowsy 
 eyes. 
 
 " Take down," said Gage. The secretary be 
 came very much alive and seized a quill; Gage di 
 rected without a pause : 
 
 Captain Winterburn These will be the credentials 
 of Captain Lawrence Brussel. You will put yourself 
 under his orders until you reach Noddles Island, at which 
 point you will resume command. 
 
 You will then obey verbal instructions as already given 
 and seize the grain in Danforth s mill, also any horses, 
 cattle and sheep as may be found on the island, and such 
 matter as may become necessary to the king s military 
 service. And for so doing this will be your warrant. 
 You will then remain, holding the island for the king until 
 reenforced or relieved. 
 
 The secretary brought the finished paper and 
 laid it before Gage, who signed it with a flourish, 
 folded it, and handed it to me. 
 
 You will find Captain Winterburn at Han 
 cock s wharf," he said, pulling at his lace cuffs. 
 " You may also find there will be a passenger. 
 Of that I am not sure; but you are in no way re 
 sponsible to or for him. You will leave Han 
 cock s wharf at one o clock, and not later. In 
 the meantime you had better report to Colonel 
 Dalrymple." 
 
 I will be likely to, was my mental return, but in 
 voice I answered:
 
 THIN ICE 245, 
 
 "Yes, sir, but" 
 
 " But what, Captain?" 
 
 " In view of my mission to the mainland I 
 would return to my uncle s house and obtain 
 civilian s clothing as a disguise. I will hardly 
 have time to report." 
 
 " True," replied Gage; then, after a moment of 
 musing, he looked up at me. " Captain Brus- 
 sel, that reminds me of a question I would ask. 
 What do you know of the prisoner I understand 
 you captured yonder? " 
 
 He jerked his head in the direction of Charles- 
 town. 
 
 " Colonel Dalrymple has told me something of 
 his having escaped after killing his guard and 
 tying him to your hound. How is it, sir, that you 
 happened to have a hound in barracks? Are you 
 not aware of the regulations? What was the 
 prisoner doing where he was found? Can you 
 tell me?" 
 
 In the face of Loring s letter to the effect that 
 Gage knew nothing of the tragedy this came as a 
 terrific facer; but before I could gather my shat 
 tered wits and frame some kind of an answer, 
 Gage leaned forward and struck a bell on the 
 table. Instantly the door flew open and an or 
 derly appeared. 
 
 " My compliments to Colonel Dalrymple, and 
 tell him I would like to see him at once," said the 
 general to the man; then he again turned to me.
 
 246 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 " Now, Captain, we will clear this matter, and at 
 the same time obviate the necessity of your going 
 out of your way to report." 
 
 Was there to be no end to this? Here was an 
 other thunderclap out of a clear sky. I was fairly 
 staggered at the thought of meeting Colonel Dal- 
 rymple, but now, having gone thus far, it was no 
 time for me to hesitate. I must plunge. The 
 orderly had received his orders, but he had not 
 been formally dismissed on his errand and still 
 stood rigidly by the door. Gage appeared to have 
 forgotten him. I cleared my throat, but for a 
 moment I could not speak. 
 
 "Well, sir?" said Gage, with a trifle of as 
 perity in his voice. Had he seen the picture I 
 drew in my mind he would have had out his fine 
 sword and cut me down then and there. 
 
 " Your Excellency," I replied, getting a hold on 
 myself, " I thought the hound was dead. I in 
 structed my orderly to shoot it, sir. As for the 
 prisoner, regarding him I am mystified; this is the 
 first I have heard of his escape. Commissioner 
 Loring had him in charge." 
 
 I considered this as neat. 
 
 " Very true," replied Gage, and, turning to the 
 orderly, he said: " You will also notify Commis 
 sioner Loring to come at once to Provence House. 
 Go, sir." 
 
 The man saluted and went out; Gage turned to 
 me.
 
 THIN ICE 247 
 
 " I feel that there is a crooked spot in this mat 
 ter, and it is to your advantage to have it cleared, 
 sir. I think you will have time to go to your 
 uncle s and return before proceeding to your 
 rendezvous. Hurry back, Captain." 
 
 It was with inexpressible relief that I heard his 
 last words; but they did not make me safe, though 
 they relieved me of being damned as an impostor 
 on the appearance of Colonel Dalrymple and 
 Commissioner Loring, and though I might ruin 
 the latter by producing his letter to Brussel, it 
 would serve no purpose of mine. 
 
 I must get from Boston, and at once. But how ? 
 The chances were that on my protracted absence 
 search would be made for me, Dench s house thor 
 oughly probed, the old man discovered, my identity 
 made clear, Letty ruined for assisting me, and the 
 dogs of war set on my trail; and all the margin I 
 had was the time it would take for Colonel Dal 
 rymple to arrive and the hour for my reappear 
 ance at Provence House to pass. 
 
 For a moment I was shaken almost panic- 
 stricken, but Gage s voice brought me to myself. 
 There was not the least sign of suspicion in his 
 words, and they opened my way to freedom and 
 safety. 
 
 " By the way, Captain, you may need a pass 
 through our lines when you return, especially if 
 you are hurried; but I am loath to give you one, 
 as such a paper found on you, were you captured
 
 248 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 by the rebels, would be a sentence of death. I 
 hear they have a new commander, a Mr. Wash 
 ington, who once served the king under the la 
 mented Braddock. I understand he is something 
 of a soldier, and a spy is a soldier s bane. Were 
 I he I would have you hanged. But I will give 
 you a pass, if you insist." 
 
 If the man had been the least suspicious he 
 might have questioned my eagerness and caught 
 the double meaning of my words. As if a stone 
 had been rolled from my chest, I replied : 
 
 " General, when the rebels catch me, which 
 they will not do, they will quickly discover that 
 I am a rebel spy, fresh from the British lines." 
 
 I forced a laugh as I spoke. 
 
 " And, sir," I continued, " when I tell them that 
 I was bright enough to hoodwink Your Excel 
 lency and obtain a pass I will have their applause. 
 I shall have my story ready for them. I know 
 that gentry, sir; they are easily gulled. As for 
 Mr. Washington, I know nothing of him, but I 
 would to Heaven, sir, that he and Your Excel 
 lency measure swords in the near future." 
 
 By this time Gage was writing rapidly, but I 
 saw the ghost of a smile of satisfaction at the cor 
 ners of his rather serious mouth. 
 
 " I think I have made a wise choice, and that 
 you are bright enough to carry you through," 
 he said, folding the pass and handing it to me. 
 " It is something of a pity that you are colonial
 
 THIN ICE 249 
 
 born, else I might help you to a better office than 
 the one you ask for. There, sir, make what haste 
 you can. I shall look for your return in an hour." 
 I had no reply to this, nor was a reply neces 
 sary; moreover, I felt that I had said enough. 
 With a feeling of intense relief I bowed low, 
 placed order and pass in my pocket, saluted in 
 form, and pivoting on my heels, fairly ran from the 
 room.
 
 CHAPTER XXII 
 
 AS I went out into the warm, still night I 
 felt like a man recovering from a fit of ill 
 ness. For a few minutes my knees fairly 
 shook, and though I was aware that haste was 
 necessary, I could not hurry. 
 
 But the air soon braced me and brought my 
 frayed nerves into something like normal order, 
 though for a time I was anything but the Devil I 
 had been named. 
 
 My way was now clear to place myself beyond 
 the zone of danger; but as I walked along I 
 thought of Letty. Was I to run and leave the 
 negress to suffer? I could not do it without for 
 ever damning myself as a coward. She had prac 
 tically twice saved my life, and had she wished she 
 could have betrayed me on my return that day 
 and been rewarded. Should I sacrifice her now? 
 Her position would be known as soon as Dench 
 was found and she would be made to suffer certain 
 destruction. Nay, by Heaven, I could not leave 
 her unconsidered and unprotected, and retain my 
 self-respect. I would give her the pass and tell 
 her to get from Boston; as for myself, I might not 
 
 250
 
 MOON EMERGES 251 
 
 need the paper; at all events, I must make a shift 
 to do without it. 
 
 Moreover, if the factor of time would but serve 
 I could do better than run; I might still reach Han 
 cock s wharf before my status was discovered, and 
 I had a mighty reason for wishing to guide Cap 
 tain Winterburn. The thing came to me like a 
 burst of light. 
 
 And now I figured on that item of time, and 
 figured closely. It was then nearly a quarter after 
 eleven, for I had marked the clock in the hall of 
 Provence House as I passed out. Neither Col 
 onel Dalrymple nor Loring would be likely to see 
 Gage before twelve, and then there would be no 
 suspicion of the fraud practiced until some time 
 later. A soldier would eventually be sent to de 
 termine the cause of my delayed return to Prov 
 ence House, and before he could report and action 
 against me could be taken it would be past one 
 and the expedition well on its way under my com 
 mand. I would see to the rest. 
 
 Of course there were chances that something 
 might go wrong; that went without saying; but 
 with my campaign now clear before me, and 
 formed as I walked, I hastened my steps. I had 
 repassed the Granary burying-ground, which was 
 silent now, and the guard withdrawn, and was 
 walking rapidly, when upon turning a corner, I 
 came upon two soldiers, having between them a 
 civilian evidently under arrest, a third soldier, car-
 
 252 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 rying a blazing link, walking ahead. Ordinarily 
 I would not have looked twice at this quartette, 
 but something about the prisoner caught my eye 
 and, as the torch flared up and brought out his 
 features, I halted abruptly. 
 
 For the escorted man was none other than Jacob 
 Moon. 
 
 Had he been my own father I could hardly have 
 been more taken aback. He looked much the 
 same as when I last saw him, though his clothing 
 was disarranged as if from a struggle, and his hat 
 was missing, thus displaying his long, queueless 
 white hair. This last, I believe, was what had 
 attracted my attention. His face was serious, 
 but displayed no fear. He looked at me, but it 
 was plain that, dressed as I was, he did not know 
 me. 
 
 I have said that many times I have been moved 
 by instinct alone, and now it was that I again came 
 under the domination of that sixth sense about 
 which so little is understood. I do not know what 
 possessed me certainly not a hope of being able 
 to help the old man but standing surprised as I 
 was, I spoke out sharply as the soldiers saluted 
 and the party was about to pass. "Halt!" I 
 cried. They came to a dead stop. 
 
 " Who have you there? " I asked, with the su 
 perior and domineering air I had often noticed 
 as the attitude of superior toward inferior. It 
 was the torch-bearer who answered.
 
 MOON EMERGES 253 
 
 " A suspect, sir." 
 
 "Suspected of what, fellow?" I demanded, 
 moving into the light that Moon might recognize 
 me. 
 
 " He was sneakin round the Copps Hill battery, 
 sir, and could give no account of himself. He has 
 a street permit, but we think it not a good one, 
 sir, and we be takin him to the provost that he 
 may be proved." 
 
 " Ha ! " said I, seeing a possible opening; " let 
 me see that pass." 
 
 Now I was to learn what weight an officer s 
 word would bear, and though I took a risk, I could 
 not see old Jacob go to what would be certain 
 death without an attempt to save him. There 
 was no officer among his captors, not even a cor 
 poral, and I guessed they were of the night patrol. 
 To my infinite relief the soldier neither questioned 
 my right to command him nor did he hesitate to 
 obey. Fishing round in his pocket he brought 
 forth a paper and held it out to me. I read it by 
 the light of the link he lowered, and saw it was 
 drawn to one Cyrus Elliot, but I did not attempt 
 to read it through, my mind being made up and 
 there being no time to waste. 
 
 I looked fixedly at Moon and in a moment 
 marked his eyes widen; then I was aware that he 
 knew me. I spoke sharply to the soldier: 
 
 " So this is the way you respect an official pass ! " 
 I said, raising my voice as if in anger. " I hap-
 
 254 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 pened to be in the room when this was issued to 
 Mr. Elliot, and I will vouch for his truth and 
 loyalty. He is out on a mission from headquar 
 ters, and his excellency will not thank you for the 
 blunder you have made. To what regiment do 
 you belong? " 
 
 " Dublin Grays, sir," answered the spokesman, 
 with an air of shrinking. 
 
 " Very well, my man; report that Captain Brus- 
 sel, of Colonel Dalrymple s regiment, has taken 
 charge of your prisoner. Were you on patrol? " 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 " Then off with you, and thank me that I do 
 not make you suffer for your stupidity. March." 
 
 Though I do not believe the men doubted my 
 identity, I do think they were suspicious of the 
 regularity of this high-handed proceeding. How 
 ever, they fell away from Moon, though somewhat 
 reluctantly, and finally marched off; but not in the 
 direction from which they came; without a doubt 
 in my mind, they went on to report on how they 
 had taken and lost their prisoner. 
 
 Here was no place to talk to Moon. Passing 
 him, I said: " Follow me, Jacob; " and went on, 
 he returning no word though I saw he understood, 
 albeit he was a bit dazed by the sudden turn in his 
 fortunes. It would not do to squander a moment, 
 and I hurried along, hearing him behind me. 
 
 On arriving at Dench s house I knocked loudly 
 and thought Letty would never open the door, but
 
 MOON EMERGES 255 
 
 she came at last, dull and sleepy-eyed, having been 
 abed, and I whisked into the house, followed by 
 Jacob, after which I closed and barred the door. 
 
 " Is there anything new? Has the squire made 
 a racket? " I asked the sleep-dulled negress. 
 
 " No, sah, nobody been here an de squire he 
 doan make a soun , she answered. 
 
 " Very good; then get ready to leave here at 
 once; you are in danger." 
 
 " Fo de Lawd!" she began, becoming fully 
 awake; but I stopped her outcry by saying: 
 " Letty, get ready to go to your brother. You 
 must start to-night." 
 
 With that I left her abruptly, taking Moon by 
 the arm and leading him into the office. 
 
 Jacob," I said when we were alone, " I know 
 not that I have done you more of a favor than 
 postpone your hanging, or hang with you if we are 
 caught. I am dancing on a hot griddle at this mo 
 ment. My story is more important than yours. 
 Sit down." 
 
 So, with as few words as possible, I ran through 
 what had happened since I saw him. The old 
 man did not turn a hair at the desperate situation 
 the end of my story showed us to be in; instead 
 he smiled broadly. 
 
 " Well, son, ye have no lack o wits in a delicate 
 muss, an ye be more than quits with me for the 
 little I have done for ye. Ye have no call to take 
 me on yer shoulders from this on, seein ye have
 
 256 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 about all ye can carry, an I be safe enough. But 
 I am fain to quit Boston, having found out all I 
 came for, that being that Gage is more scared of 
 us than we of him." 
 1 " And how did you get that permit? " I asked. 
 
 " By throttling the man who held it. I know 
 naught of him save that his name is Elliot, and 
 that on his sleeve he wore the white band of 
 Ruggles s Pups, being one of the citizen soldiers. 
 I gave him little chance. His body may be found 
 floating somewhere in the bay." 
 
 "When was this?" 
 
 " Three days agone, my lad. I got in by way 
 of a small boat from Lechmere s Point, but had 
 to abandon her; now tis hard to get out of the 
 place. But we have been talkin over long; ye had 
 best be off on yer mission." 
 
 "Ay," said I; "but I ll first have a look at 
 Dench ; he must be in sore need of air." 
 
 So I opened the concealed door, old Jacob 
 widening his eyes as he saw a segment of the 
 bookcase come away from the wall. 
 
 Dench was where I had left him, his head now 
 hanging so that his chin rested on his chest. As 
 he took no notice of the candle I carried I at first 
 thought him asleep, then that he was dead from 
 suffocation, though the air of the apartment was 
 hardly foul enough to kill him, being only hot and 
 close. 
 
 However, I soon discovered him to be alive,
 
 MOON EMERGES 257 
 
 for he breathed, though but faintly. And alive 
 was about all I could say for him, as I quickly 
 saw the cause of his apparent indifference. When 
 I lifted his head I knew him to be totally uncon 
 scious, though his bleared eyes were open, and 
 when I loosened his bonds which I did for hu 
 manity s sake I knew why. I had my suspi 
 cions at once, and on prodding him with the 
 point of a steel paper-file I determined that the 
 old man had fallen a victim to his age and pas 
 sions. 
 
 For he was paralyzed, having been stricken by 
 an apoplexy, and a child might have seen he was 
 past all help, his face being hideously drawn. I 
 looked inquiringly at Jacob as together we lifted 
 him to the haircloth sofa. 
 
 " I think the Lord has been good to ye, my 
 son," he said. " Now, had I been in your shoes, 
 it is like I would have knocked him on the head 
 long since; but ye have escaped the necessity of 
 getting rid of him. And now what? " 
 
 "Now what! Why, Jacob," I exclaimed, 
 " this means the way out for you ! With this old 
 devil s tongue forever tied there is no danger to 
 Letty, so you may take the pass and run for it. 
 I shall go the way I intended; there is yet time, 
 though we have spent much. I can be at Han 
 cock s wharf in less than half an hour; and I am 
 not yet suspected." 
 
 " Why not use the pass yerself an give me the
 
 2 5 8 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 letter of instruction? Tis the safer way for ye, 
 my son an ye have risked enough." 
 
 " Because, Jacob," said I, now giving voice to 
 the matter which had boiled in my brain from the 
 moment I was told to act as a guide to Danforth s 
 mill, " because there is that little lady you wot 
 of ! I am not going to desert her ! Listen to me. 
 She is with that villain Brussel, whose part I am 
 playing " 
 
 " An they be on Hog Island? " 
 
 "Ay, on Hog Island! But, Jacob, if that 
 British captain was at all acquainted with the bay 
 he would need no guide; as he does, by the Lord 
 above me ! if he doesn t find himself on Hog Is 
 land, believing it to be Noddles, it will be because 
 something untoward happens to me. I would face 
 the devil I was named for rather than miss this 
 chance of meeting Larry Brussel! Dost see? " 
 
 The old man clapped his great hands together. 
 " Ay, I see ! " he almost shouted. " I would 
 that I might be with ye ! Could ye not arrange 
 it?" 
 
 I did not answer him, for at that instant there 
 came a knock on the front door. We both started 
 to our feet. 
 
 " Lord, boy! " said Jacob, lowering his raised 
 voice; "they be hot on the trail of one of us! 
 Out of the window with ye I ll attend to the 
 caller." 
 
 " God bless you, Jacob! " I said, squeezing his
 
 MOON EMERGES 259 
 
 hand, after hurriedly thrusting into it Gage s pass. 
 " Explain to Letty that she is now in no danger, 
 but must wait before going to her brother. 
 You " 
 
 Another violent knock interrupted me. I heard 
 the negress tramping up the stairs, and Jacob 
 snatched up the candle and ran from the room to 
 intercept her; then he went to the door and threw 
 off the bar, while I stood in the now dark office 
 ready to run to the window, though for the mo 
 ment having a full view of the hall, and I thought 
 Moon would never open the front door. 
 
 The man who entered was not the soldier I 
 feared and expected, but an officer, nevertheless. 
 He was stout and puffing from hurry, and his red 
 face fairly glowed in the light of the candle Moon 
 held up. 
 
 " Captain Brussel I wish to see Captain 
 Brussel at once ! Get him out of bed, if he s in 
 it. I ve got to see him. I am Commissioner Lor- 
 ing, sir. Do you understand? " 
 
 The words seemed to be blown in explosive puffs 
 from between his thick lips. This was too much 
 for me; I would rather have faced a file of soldiers 
 than the British commissioner of prisoners, and 
 without waiting to hear more, I ran to the window 
 and put out a leg, my eye in its last sweep taking 
 in the few visible details of the room which I never 
 saw again, Bench s house being one of the few 
 fired by a shell from an American battery, and
 
 260 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 totally destroyed. However, I mentally recon 
 structed it when, a year later, I recovered the gold 
 buried under the pavement. 
 
 Very quietly I lowered myself to the ground, 
 but instead of going through the gate I scaled the 
 fence and, as I dropped on its further side, it 
 came to me that I had not obtained my own clothes. 
 I was still dressed as a British officer, and it was 
 too late to return to the house. 
 
 I really cared but little as I hurried off. Twice 
 I met with the provost patrol, but my scarlet coat 
 saved me from challenge. By this I had a good 
 grip on myself, and with returned confidence was 
 really enjoying the tremendous game I was play 
 ing. 
 
 Unlike Griffith s wharf, Hancock s was far from 
 being deserted, as upon it were received stores of 
 all kinds from the fleet. The pier was piled high 
 with supplies, from long, black-bodied cannon to 
 stacked barrels of flour. At the land end there 
 were a number of sentries, but they only saluted me 
 as I hurried past them. At the far end of the pier 
 I came upon the man I was after. He was walk 
 ing up and down, and, in the silence of the hour, 
 the click of his boot-heels sounded loudly. Seated 
 on the string-piece I saw a civilian, but in the dark 
 ness marked only the bulk of his figure. Undoubt 
 edly it was the passenger whom Gage had inti 
 mated as possibly going in a boat and for whom 
 I would not be responsible. Still beyond him I
 
 MOON EMERGES 261 
 
 saw the shadowy outline of a number of soldiers, 
 and I guessed they were of the waiting force. I 
 took a long breath and set my teeth as I walked up 
 to the officer. Would he be acquainted with Brus- 
 sel? I could not tell; but this I knew if he de 
 nounced me as a fraud, he would find himself in 
 the bay, for I would strike, and strike quickly and 
 hard. Just then I was Devil Darcy, and in all 
 modesty I think I justified the name.
 
 CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 A GREEN HAND 
 
 " X^APTAIN WINTERBURN? " I asked, 
 saluting with one hand, the other being 
 
 ^ * hidden in the sling. 
 
 " Ya-as," he drawled, taking his pipe from be 
 tween his teeth. "And you are ?" 
 
 " Captain Brussel, detailed to guide you to Nod 
 dles Island. I have just come from Provence 
 House, and have these orders for you." I held 
 out Gage s letter. The man knocked the ashes 
 from his pipe, and even in that light I could see 
 he was a young fellow. 
 
 " In the name of Heaven! " he exclaimed im 
 patiently. I have been packed with instructions. 
 My dear fellow, let us start at once and begin 
 on this cursed business. I am disgusted with life ! 
 Think of being sent off to an island, and one with 
 such a name as Noddles, to bag cattle and grain; 
 and I in new quarters with my allowance just ar 
 rived." 
 
 " Go to Gage with your plaint," I returned se 
 verely. "Is your command ready?" 
 
 " Ay, and has been for half an hour." 
 262
 
 A GREEN HAND 263 
 
 " Then we will get off at once," I returned. 
 " It will be a long pull. And I was given to un 
 derstand by General Gage that there might be a 
 passenger. Is this he?" And I indicated the 
 figure seated on the string-piece. He arose as I 
 spoke. 
 
 " Ay, he is here," returned Winterburn, as if 
 the matter interested him but little. " Captain 
 Brussel, this is Judge Evers, of the King s Assize." 
 
 That pride goeth before a fall is an old biblical 
 saw, and surely with me its truth was exemplified. 
 For not only did my overweaning self-confidence, 
 which is but a form of pride, go to the ground with 
 a crash, but my body was nigh to going with it so 
 great was the shock caused by the realization that 
 I was almost cheek-by-jowl with a man whom I 
 knew must hate me. But only hate me as Allen 
 Darcy; and my first feeling was one of thankful 
 ness that it was so dark he could by no possibility 
 clearly see my face. As for my voice; he had 
 heard it but once and then it was shaken by excite 
 ment. I had been through a severe school since 
 then. It was the judge who spoke first. 
 
 " I am more than pleased to meet you, Captain," 
 he said, shaking the hand I had automatically 
 thrust out. " I had the pleasure of enjoying your 
 uncle s hospitality last night, and we were speaking 
 of you. It is a surprise that you are in town ! " 
 "Ay?" I managed to ejaculate, swallowing 
 my heart, which had seemingly been in my throat.
 
 264 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 " Yes. And I wish to express my regrets at be 
 ing obliged to speak to him as I did. He will 
 doubtless explain. It was too late. I am going 
 to Maiden, if not interrupted, and hope to be back 
 next month, when I will see you again. However, 
 Captain, perhaps we may become acquainted on 
 this trip." 
 
 " Not if I can help it," was my mental re 
 joinder; but aloud I said something conventional, 
 and leaving him rather abruptly, drew Winterburn 
 aside. 
 
 " Captain Winterburn," I said, " you will please 
 see to it that yon legal lighthouse is not in our 
 boat. You and I are likely to discuss matters 
 which we would not care to have any civilian hear." 
 
 " I agree with you," was his ready response. 
 " I have little use for those gentry; they are for 
 ever making trouble, and live on the trouble they 
 make. Shall we start? " 
 
 " At once," I returned. 
 
 Summoning his sergeant, Winterburn ordered 
 him to get the men embarked in the string of boats 
 I soon knew was trailing alongside the wharf. 
 I stepped away, not wishing to be talked to by 
 Evers, and watched the black forms of the men as 
 they tumbled into the six whaleboats. There were 
 some thirty soldiers and one officer, a lieutenant, 
 besides Winterburn, and it was with decided relief 
 that I saw Judge Evers ordered into the third 
 boat. But I really cared little for him or for the
 
 A GREEN HAND 265 
 
 number of the British; though the latter occupied 
 my eyes my ears were trained upon the land end of 
 the long pier. From there would come the first 
 alarm. 
 
 I thought the men would never finish embark 
 ing, but at length they did, the first boats waiting 
 for the last and looking like great black spiders as 
 they lay on the star-gemmed bay. My nerves had 
 again grown tense, and that I had escaped with but 
 scant leeway was apparent but a few minutes later. 
 I had taken my seat in the last boat, and it was al 
 ready some rods from the wharf when I heard 
 the ruffle of hoofs on the street as a horse came 
 along at a tearing pace. Instinctively I knew, 
 though I could never prove my knowledge, that the 
 rider bore an order to arrest me. I held my 
 breath as I listened. 
 
 The horse I had heard suddenly stopped, its 
 rider evidently halted by the sentries at the pier 
 head, and perhaps the delay saved me; for when 
 I heard the clatter of hoofs on the loose boards of 
 the wharf that structure was already buried in 
 gloom. 
 
 At that moment there came floating from some 
 steeple the sound of a clock striking one ; the horse 
 stopped on the end of the pier, but whoever its 
 rider might have been he did not hail, not seeing 
 us, and in a moment more I heard the horse go 
 back at a great pace. Captain Winterburn, at my 
 side, appeared to notice nothing, only continuing
 
 266 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 his patter over the ill luck that took him from 
 Boston. I returned short answers and urged the 
 necessity of speed, then told him my instructions 
 and that I should leave him soon after landing. 
 The young fellow showed additional respect for 
 me when he learned my errand to the American 
 camp, and wondered how I dared attempt it in the 
 uniform of an officer. I sidled past his pertinent 
 question by telling him I had a disguise awaiting 
 me on the mainland, then gave him to understand 
 I did not care to be questioned on matters con 
 nected with a secret errand. 
 
 And so, miffed as a youngster is apt to be, he 
 left me alone. 
 
 By the route I led this flotilla I knew we would 
 run into the patrol-boats; and we did; but our pas 
 sage was hardly delayed, Winterburn showing his 
 credentials and I forever urging haste. Finally 
 we were beyond the last of the big frigates. 
 
 It was a quiet night, and the swells of the harbor 
 were sluggish, so that our progress was not ham 
 pered. There was no moon, but the stars were 
 fine and the air delightful after the heat of the 
 day. 
 
 In the boats was complete silence, save for the 
 chugging of the oars and the swirl of water as its 
 surface was torn by twenty-four broad blades. 
 When I looked back to my situation at the time 
 the day before I felt as if years had intervened. 
 
 Now, while Noddles Island is hardly a mile
 
 A GREEN HAND 267 
 
 from Boston, Danforth s mill was over three good 
 miles away, by water, being on the eastern ex 
 tremity. 
 
 However, it was not to Danforth s I was going, 
 and so, not to give the young fellow an inkling of 
 where he was or the course I was taking, I led the 
 little fleet as far south as I dared, so that when 
 I turned inward Hog Island would be the first 
 land seen. 
 
 As for the mill there would be small diffi 
 culty in carrying out the deception, for there were 
 two that I knew of on Hog Island; and if I had 
 not known it I would have gathered the fact from 
 Brussel s letter to his uncle, in which he spoke of 
 having quarters in a mill. 
 
 We had been going for something like an hour, 
 and I had changed the course to northward with 
 Hog Island straight ahead, Noddles bearing 
 northwest, the rock called Bird Island behind us. 
 
 I was getting close to my quarry, and was about 
 to speak to the officer at my side when he said: 
 What land is that yonder looming over the 
 bow?" 
 
 Tis Noddles Island, our destination," I an 
 swered, lying glibly enough. " You will be 
 obliged to beach your boats; but as there is little 
 surf it will not be a difficult landing." 
 
 " And then I take charge of affairs? " said Win- 
 terburn. " On my honor," he continued, " I have 
 no business to be sent on this mission! It is
 
 268 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 meant as a punishment to me for being in difficulty 
 with a superior a difficulty not recognized by 
 the military code. My being here is from spite 
 from spite, sir. Do you understand?" 
 
 " I follow you," I said. 
 
 " And I am as green as grass," he went on 
 openly, " and so I am going to ask you to help me 
 out, if you have the time. I hardly know what to 
 do ! Will you go to the mill with me? " 
 
 " And take your orders ? No, sir," I replied. 
 
 " By no means by no means ! " he hastened to 
 say. " Keep the command. To be frank, I have 
 never seen service, and have no doubt I was sent 
 to be made a fool of by no matter who. Lord, 
 Captain! I have been in America for only five 
 days, having arrived on the last ship." His voice 
 was so lowered that the men straining at the near 
 est oar could not have heard his impassioned 
 words. 
 
 I saw his trouble. He was a young fellow, a 
 raw hand with a fire-new commission, and just off a 
 transport, who had never heard a shot other than 
 from a fowling-piece or saluting cannon. In some 
 way he had offended a high and mighty official, 
 who could not or dared not bring him to trial, but 
 who had influence and could command an unrecog 
 nized punishment. I pitied the stripling, and it 
 came to me that by staying by him I might be of 
 service to the miller. Who he was I could only 
 guess, but it would not be Danforth.
 
 A GREEN HAND 269 
 
 Now, I knew Danforth to be a Whig dyed in the 
 wool, and as politics ran pretty evenly through the 
 trades, I judged that the unknown miller who was 
 about to be robbed was also a Whig, and it was 
 my duty to make matters as easy for him as pos 
 sible. This I might do by acceding to Winter- 
 burn s request and retaining command of the force, 
 and therefore I told the officer I would help him, 
 telling him that I had also suffered from jealousy 
 and injustice. 
 
 And so, as we rowed along, I gave him an out 
 line of my plan. 
 
 " It would be wise to be silent," I said, " for 
 it is possible that the rebels have out a party on the 
 same errand as our own. Therefore, I suggest 
 that you and I go to the miller s house alone in 
 stead of at once attacking the mill itself, first post 
 ing the men. If Danforth is loyal to his majesty 
 we will have no trouble; if not however, that 
 will wait until we reach it." 
 
 " I hardly see the point you are making," 
 said Winterburn, " but doubtless you are 
 right." 
 
 Now, I saw the point clearly enough, for it 
 would set me free to look for Brussel without in 
 terference, as on arriving at the miller s house, 
 I would discover that I had made a mistake, hav 
 ing landed on Hog Island instead of Noddles, the 
 two being separated by a narrow channel which 
 might be forded at low tide. Then I would apolo-
 
 270 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 gize and explain, sending the young fellow and his 
 force on their proper way. 
 
 But some plans go wrong in spite of care and 
 foresight.
 
 CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 THE MILL 
 
 HOG ISLAND is made up of two hills, with 
 a margin of swamp and a short stretch of 
 beach. The larger hill is in the center of 
 the island, the smaller on the southeast extremity 
 of it, or on the point we were approaching. 
 
 On the summit of the smaller of these hills is, 
 or was, a windmill, and this was to stand for Dan- 
 forth s until I could conveniently discover my mis 
 take. Against the starlit sky I could see it as we 
 landed, lifting its bony arms of wind-sails against 
 the velvety blue. 
 
 There s your quarry," I said to Winterburn, 
 pointing to the bulk of shape and shadow made by 
 the mill, and glad enough that I had gauged its lo 
 cality correctly. 
 
 " And what is a light doing in it at this hour? " 
 he asked, craning his neck to get a better view. 
 
 " I cannot guess," I said, myself surprised as 
 I caught a gleam from a window. " It may be 
 that the miller has wind of this affair and is remov 
 ing his stock between us and the rebels he is 
 bound to lose it. If that rabble doesn t raid the 
 island ere long it will be strange ! " 
 
 271
 
 272 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 I said this in all sincerity, not knowing that 
 Noddles Island had already been twice raided by 
 both parties, and that a skirmish had resulted in 
 the defeat of the Americans. 
 
 We were now ready for action, but the light in 
 the mill decided me to alter my plans; instead of 
 marching on the miller s house I determined to 
 go directly to the mill and get at what was there 
 going forward. The men being assembled on the 
 sand, instructions were given to the lieutenant, a 
 mere boy, to form them round the mill, permitting 
 no one to leave or enter it. Winterburn and I 
 went up the hill in the wake of the silent 
 force. 
 
 Though the light showed that some one was 
 awake in the somber building, I heard nothing of 
 movement either within or without, and thought 
 it strange. The yeomanry of the colonies was not 
 given to keeping late hours ; and yet here, after two 
 in the morning, was some one with a stationary 
 light, which, in a place like that, was a mystery of 
 itself. I did not think it likely that the miller s 
 apprentice would be burning tallow where it could 
 be seen from his master s house; for a house there 
 was; as we raised the hill I saw it snugged among 
 a bunch of trees some three hundred paces from 
 the mill itself. 
 
 We halted a moment and inspected the gaunt 
 structure of the windmill; something Heaven 
 knows what making me take in its outward
 
 THE MILL 273 
 
 details as far as the gloom would permit. But 
 there was little to see beside the giant wings which 
 almost swept the ground, and the great balancing 
 beam on the opposite side with a cart-wheel at its 
 end to make the shifting into the wind an easy job. 
 The lower, or immovable, part of the mill was like 
 others of that time. The door was approached 
 by a long flight of wooden steps, and there was a 
 small, meal-covered window on one side of it; but 
 one would have had to be an acrobat to get a view 
 through it from outside. 
 
 Over the front door was a wide opening on the 
 level of the second floor, a grain lift, with its beam 
 and hook for a tackle and fall. The whole thing 
 looked ghostly and forbidding in the darkness; the 
 weather had beaten its shingle-covered sides until 
 they were of a silvery gray, and the building must 
 have been very old, for here and there a section of 
 its covering had fallen away, leaving a dark patch. 
 
 I touched Winterburn on the arm and we went 
 on to the front door. There had been no noise, 
 and no alarm had been given, for the light still 
 shone steadily from the little window. The si 
 lence of the place was like a weight. 
 
 I do not believe that Winterburn was fearing 
 anything at that time; it might have been, how 
 ever, that he felt disaster in the air and hung away 
 from it, or that something of a subconscious na 
 ture warned him against entering the building. 
 At all events, instead of moving at my side, he
 
 274 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 fell a pace or so behind me, drawing his sword as 
 he walked. 
 
 I wondered if he were suspicious of me, and 
 stood ready to cut me down. However, I did not 
 alter my pace, but went up the long steps cau 
 tiously, making no sound, as if I were bent on a < 
 crime; and I know, too, that it came sharply to 
 me that I was totally unarmed, the few inches of 
 blade attached to the hilt being useless for either 
 offense or defense. 
 
 As I neared the door I discovered it to be 
 slightly ajar. Turning to Winterburn I drew his 
 attention to it; he nodded, and then I saw that 
 his face looked like chalk in the starlight. But 
 I gave his appearance no further thought as I 
 pushed open the door; nor was I greatly surprised 
 to see a man in his shirt-sleeves and hatless seated 
 at a table on which burned a candle. 
 
 He was facing the door, his head bent low 
 over the table, and he was writing rapidly, being 
 so interested in his work that he had not heard 
 our entry. Thrown across the table was a dusty 
 miller s coat, and close by it was a long pistol, a 
 detail not strange at that time. 
 
 The feeble light of the single candle did not 
 bring out many features of the place which 
 took up the whole of the lower floor of the mill 
 but I caught a glimpse of the stairway of rough 
 steps leading to the floor above, and the trap-door, 
 now open and leaning against the wall.
 
 THE MILL 275 
 
 The heavy beams overhead were festooned 
 with meal-covered cobwebs; there were a few, per 
 haps a dozen, full grain-sacks piled against the 
 wall, and there was the common accumulation of 
 the accessories of such a place; but my quick eye 
 noticed that the floor had been clean swept and 
 there was a semblance of order not usual in a grist 
 mill. I had but just finished taking in the situa 
 tion, and was about to speak, when Winterburn 
 gave a short cough, the sound of which caused the 
 man at the table to lift his head with a nervous 
 start. 
 
 And then I started myself. 
 
 For there, again at close range, sat Larry Brus- 
 sel. 
 
 At sight of us he sprang to his feet, but the 
 light of the candle being in his eyes he did not 
 know me, though I knew him well enough for all 
 that he wore the dress of a miller. 
 
 For an instant we three stood there, I stunned 
 by my discovery, and Brussel too surprised to 
 gather the import of the appearance of two Brit 
 ish officers. In that brief time I noticed his left 
 arm lay in a sling. 
 
 But we did not long remain in a state of in 
 action, and it was I who gave the man before me 
 an inkling of the situation. For I spoke, though 
 to this day I have no idea what I said. I only 
 know that I took a step forward while speaking, 
 Winterburn being behind me.
 
 276 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 The sound of my voice, and my approach, un 
 sealed the mystery to Brussel or unsealed it 
 enough for him to know that he was facing an 
 enemy for with an oath he fell back from the 
 table, then, recovering himself, he leaped to it, 
 seized the pistol, and, without a word of warn 
 ing, leveled it at me, and fired. 
 
 It was well for me that the light was in his 
 eyes, the man surprised, and the apartment a 
 large one. As Brussel shot he was at least twenty 
 feet from me, with the table between us, and the 
 conditions made his aim faulty. 
 
 As it was, the heavy bullet passed between my 
 body and my right arm, tearing the sleeve of the 
 coat I wore, and struck Winterburn, where I 
 never knew. I only know the stunning explosion 
 was followed by a groan, as the young man fell 
 to the floor, his dropped sword clattering over the 
 bare boards. 
 
 And then I awoke to the fact that the condi 
 tions had, for me, suddenly whirled to a reverse, 
 and, unless I acted quickly and accurately, I was 
 lost. The pistol-shot would assuredly bring in 
 the lieutenant; explanations would be in order, 
 my way of escape blocked, and I ruined. This 
 must be prevented. 
 
 Brussel stood as if transfixed, his body veiled in 
 the haze of smoke from his firearm. He did not 
 see the result of his shot, nor is it likely he marked
 
 THE MILL 277 
 
 me as I sprang to the door, closed it with a bang, 
 and dropped the bar into its place. 
 
 For the moment I was safe from interference 
 from without, and if it were decreed that I were 
 to meet my end here, that end would not be before 
 I had settled with the man standing by the table. 
 At that supreme moment I felt I was living but 
 from second to second, and not to lose him, I 
 turned my attention to my ancient enemy. 
 
 I never saw a face look blacker than his as he 
 saw me wheel from the door and strip off my coat. 
 As I have said, I had no weapon, but my passion 
 was such that I thought of none; I wished only 
 to get my bare hands on the man; I had little doubt 
 of the result. 
 
 "What are you doing here?" asked Brussel, 
 finding his voice, but not moving. 
 
 " You hardly need three guesses at it," I an 
 swered, throwing the sling from my neck and roll 
 ing up my shirt-sleeves; then I stripped off the 
 useless sword I wore and sent it clattering into a 
 corner. 
 
 "How did you know I was here?" he de 
 manded. 
 
 " I did not know," I returned. " The Lord 
 guided me here. But I do know the depths that 
 you and Dench have gone, and I am selected as an 
 instrument to punish you, you dog; your uncle is 
 already punished. Where is Louise Selden? "
 
 278 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 " Damn you! " he retorted. " Do you think 
 I am a child to be played with? Mark me well; 
 I have disposed of one of you and will soon settle 
 with the other ! " 
 
 " You have shot an officer of his majesty s," 
 I said, advancing toward the table. " As for me 
 
 get this before I punish you. I escaped. I 
 killed your henchman, the sergeant, though with 
 out meaning to, hanged your familiar, the hound, 
 returned to your uncle s, made him a prisoner in 
 his own strong room, and by a bold stroke suc 
 ceeded in making Gage think I was you. 
 
 " Listen, you villain ! Gage ordered me to 
 guide a force to Noddles Island. I knew you 
 to be on Hog Island, your letter to Dench telling 
 me that much. I knew you kidnaped Louise 
 because you feared her tongue as well you 
 might and you failed to take me into your 
 reckoning. It were an easy thing to gull the boy 
 you shot. I brought him here that I might get 
 you; he thinks he is on Noddles Island. Do you 
 follow me, you villain?" 
 
 " Do I follow you ! Ay, I do ! " shouted 
 Brussel, backing away from me. " Dost think 
 
 nay, then, it is you who have reckoned badly! 
 By the hot foot of Lucifer, I am glad you are 
 come ! I will settle with you at once you rebel 
 
 you spy you " 
 
 " So much the better! " I shouted back, and at 
 that moment the lieutenant, evidently puzzled by
 
 THE MILL 279 
 
 the shot and the closing of the door, came up the 
 steps and called his superior, trying to open the 
 door in the meanwhile. 
 
 " Do you hear that? " said I, pointing at the 
 barred entrance. " Outside are the king s troops 
 and that should explain my hurry! May 
 Heaven forgive me, but I am going to kill thee 
 now." 
 
 By then I had worked myself into a mad pas 
 sion; I was far from being myself, and, as I fin 
 ished speaking, I crouched and again moved 
 toward my man. The wounded officer groaned 
 and tried to rise, but fell back helpless. I had no 
 ill feeling for him, but I could give him no at 
 tention. 
 
 At the door there were now shouts and violent 
 knocking, but I had no fear of immediate inter 
 ruption, the windows front and rear being high 
 from the ground and scarce large enough to ad 
 mit an adult. But if I thought Brussel would re 
 main where he was and submit to being choked to 
 death, I was far out in my reckoning. As he saw 
 me advancing on him, he stood but an instant, then 
 he turned and sprang toward the wall. 
 
 I at first thought he was making for the stairs 
 leading to the floor above, which could he have 
 attained, he might have been safe, as he had only 
 to drop the trap. But I had looked to that and 
 would have had him by the heels ere he was half 
 way up.
 
 280 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 However, his move was entirely different and 
 took me by surprise, for, instead of running up 
 the stairs, he dodged behind them and at once 
 reappeared with a drawn sword which he had 
 evidently placed in the closetlike nook. Swing 
 ing the blade over his head, he laughed in my face 
 and, raising his voice, shouted: 
 
 "For the king for the king! Break down 
 the door! Break down the door!" With that 
 he jumped toward me. 
 
 Here was another reverse. With the dis 
 charge of his pistol I thought the man unarmed, 
 but now saw that he had the whip-hand on me. 
 I could not dodge beneath his guard as I had done 
 at the White Horse, and the odds being against 
 me, I started to get the heavy table between us. 
 
 But at my first step I trod on the sword of the 
 fallen officer, and anything in the way of a weapon 
 being a godsend I stooped and picked it up, recov 
 ering myself just in time to meet Brussel s fero 
 cious assault. His first wild thrust I managed to 
 parry, but I knew I was no match for him in the 
 art of fencing, for though his skill was not great, 
 mine was less, and I was sure that, barring acci 
 dent, his steel would find my vitals within a few 
 minutes, if not seconds. 
 
 Now the clashing of metal was mingled with 
 the shouts of the soldiers banging on the door, 
 and it was when the din was at its height that 
 clear above it all I heard the cry of a woman. It
 
 THE MILL 281 
 
 seemed to come from the upper part of the mill, 
 though muffled as if issuing from a closet, and a 
 moment later, as plainly as I ever heard anything 
 in my life, I heard Louise s voice calling my name. 
 
 The sound stirred me like martial music, though 
 instead of giving me confidence it only made the 
 situation appear more hopeless. There looked 
 to be a double triumph in store for Brussel, for 
 beset within by a man who was my superior in 
 swordsmanship, and without by a howling mob 
 of redcoats, what could I expect? and what the girl 
 look for? 
 
 But for the moment I only considered myself, 
 and to save me from being impaled on the sword 
 of the officer whose white teeth now showed in 
 an evil smile, I was giving ground before him, 
 parrying his attacks with my best efforts. 
 
 It was not until I had been backed against the 
 table that my wits worked to a purpose. With 
 an open curse at him, I jumped round the end of 
 the board, hoping to put the massive thing be 
 tween us; but Brussel seemed to anticipate my 
 move, for he sprang to one side, thus cutting me 
 off. 
 
 It was then that I changed the complexion of 
 matters, for in the second it took him to shift his 
 ground, I reached for the candle with my left 
 hand, grasped the heavy copper stick, and hurled 
 it at his head. Had it hit him, the affair would 
 have been at once settled; but it missed him, fly-
 
 282 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 ing past and striking the wall of the mill behind 
 him. 
 
 At once the interior of the place was in total 
 darkness, and I, taking advantage of the sudden 
 and bewildering gloom, sprang toward the stair 
 way, found it, and ran up to the floor above. 
 
 At the top the darkness was as profound as on 
 the floor below; but I found the door of the trap 
 and, without attempting to conceal my line of 
 flight, I dropped the heavy cover over the hole, 
 the bang of the oak planks sounding like a cannon- 
 shot as they fell into place. 
 
 Then I threw my weight on it, blowing like a 
 spent runner. 
 
 What had I gained? It looked to be but a few 
 moments respite and rest, for as plainly as if I 
 were in the room below, I heard Brussel run to 
 the door and throw off the bar; the next moment 
 the soldiers poured in and the place was filled with 
 a babel of shouting. 
 
 But presently it became more quiet, and I could 
 hear Brussel s raised voice; I also heard the strik 
 ing of flint and steel, as an attempt was made to 
 rekindle the candle; and, at length, this was suc 
 cessful, for I saw the light shining between the 
 cracks of the thick flooring. 
 
 There was no immediate attack made on the 
 trap on which I was sitting, and that for the prob 
 able reason that there was difficulty on Brussel s 
 part in getting the young lieutenant to understand
 
 and believe the true state of affairs. That there 
 could ha two Captain Brussels was rather more 
 than the young fellow s brain could comprehend. 
 One was undoubtedly a fraud but which? I 
 should have thought my flight and Brussel s act 
 of opening the door might have settled the ques 
 tion. 
 
 I had not heard the girl s voice since I reached 
 the upper floor, and now, with regained breath, I 
 was about to call to her when I heard the tramp 
 of a footstep on the stairs, and immediately after 
 there came a knock on the trap. 
 
 " What is it? " said I, without an attempt to 
 conceal my position. 
 
 " I am Lieutenant Bostwick, sir, and ask you 
 to submit to arrest until this matter can be cleared. 
 This is by order of Captain Winterburn, who is 
 badly wounded. We have the man who shot 
 him." 
 
 " Do what you will with him," I returned, for 
 I knew not what else to say. 
 
 " And you will not surrender? " 
 
 " Never. Take your man to Gage and tell him 
 he has a poltroon for an officer." 
 
 " Waste no words with him, Lieutenant," I 
 heard Brussel say. " Force the trap and shoot 
 him on sight. Ten pounds to the man who gets 
 him dead or alive." 
 
 I have small doubt that he did not wish me 
 taken alive. It would have meant a trial, which,
 
 284 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 though it ended my life, would spell ruin for him. 
 The inexperienced lieutenant paid no attention to 
 his words, and on my again defying him proceeded 
 to lose his own temper. 
 
 "All right, you cursed bullheaded zany! " he 
 finally shouted. " I have you boxed. The place 
 is surrounded, and unless you surrender at once 
 I will smoke you out. I now believe you to be 
 a spy." 
 
 "Smoke and be cursed!" I retorted. "But 
 please do not forget that there is a lady imprisoned 
 somewhere up here. I heard her call." 
 
 " Find her and send her down," was the short 
 answer to this. 
 
 " I will, if you will grant a truce," I shouted. 
 
 " He lies," cried Brussel. " There is no 
 woman there." 
 
 But the words did not convince the lieutenant. 
 I heard him command Brussel to be silent, then 
 he again spoke to me. 
 
 " Will you admit you are Allan Darcy of the 
 rebel army? " 
 
 " I am Allan Darcy of no army," I replied. 
 " I came here to punish the villain you have cap 
 tured, and if you will send him up here alone " 
 
 " Enough of that," interrupted the officer. 
 " I am not fighting women. I will give you five 
 minutes in which to find her; after I will show you 
 no mercy." 
 
 With that he went down the stairs.
 
 THE MILL 285; 
 
 I had sufficient faith in him to leave the trap, 
 arid promptly fell over something on the floor. 
 It proved to be a bit of scantling, and I pushed it 
 toward the trap with the idea of using it to fasten 
 the door against assault. But I did not advance 
 in finding the girl. 
 
 Again and again I called her name, but received 
 no answer, and at last concluded that I had either 
 been deceived in thinking I had heard her or else 
 she had fainted and was lying in her prison un 
 conscious. 
 
 The surrounding darkness hampered my search 
 more than anything else. Three feet from the 
 open grain-hoist the dense gloom was more like a 
 thing than a condition. I could not see my hand 
 before my face. I went feeling along the walls, 
 hoping to come upon a door, but only encountered 
 bins, barrels, and machinery. 
 
 And then it was that I came nigh to being the 
 victim of the lieutenant s treachery; for while I 
 was feeling my way around, and while the truce 
 was still on, not having been terminated by either 
 time or word, I saw the trap lift, the light from 
 below first catching my attention; the next mo 
 ment the door was flung back and a soldier jumped 
 to the floor. Behind him was another man bear 
 ing a candle ; both carried muskets. 
 
 There was but one thing I could do. I still 
 hung to the sword I had picked up, and now I 
 leaped forward out of the gloom, before the sol-
 
 286 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 dier could get his bearings, and passed the blade 
 into his body. 
 
 With a yell he fell backward, carrying his com 
 rade with him as he plunged to the floor below, 
 while I slammed down the cover and again stood 
 on it.
 
 CHAPTER XXV 
 
 FIRE 
 
 A STATE of confusion took the place of 
 the silence that had reigned below, and 
 at once a shot was fired into the trap, 
 but its heavy planks held me safe. 
 
 My heart was racing at my narrow escape, but 
 my wits were still alert, and minding me of the 
 scantling, I felt for it, found it, and, placing one 
 end on the trap, jammed the other under a cross 
 brace in the wall; then I felt secure from another 
 attack by way of the stairs. 
 
 At that time I was filled with rage rather than 
 fear, for I could only remain at bay and wait for 
 the enemy to make a move; had I seen a chance 
 to escape, I would have attempted it however 
 desperate it might have been but the only 
 means of egress was through the grain-lift door 
 which was thirty feet above the ground, and, more 
 over, the mill was surrounded. 
 
 I went to the opening and cautiously looked 
 forth ; the gloom was too great to permit the mark 
 ing of details, but I caught the shadowy figures of 
 a number of men close by the mill. In a moment 
 they bent and lifted something, and then I saw 
 
 287
 
 288 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 they were carrying away either the officer Brus- 
 sel had shot or the soldier I had attacked and 
 probably slain. 
 
 But no further assault was made upon my posi 
 tion ; doubtless the conditions were puzzling to the 
 young lieutenant, who had his hands full. I after 
 ward learned that this hopeful young idiot was 
 perplexed as to what his duty was, inasmuch as he 
 was not on Noddles Island, to which the expedi 
 tion had been ordered, and this was not Dan- 
 forth s mill. He had little initiative, and his want 
 of decision was really the cause of my final escape. 
 
 I felt rather than knew that the room below was 
 occupied, though I could not hear a sound from it. 
 Was it possible they thought to lure me into a be 
 lief that my way to escape lay open? No, it was 
 not that, as I was soon made aware. 
 
 In the month of July the sun rises early, and 
 finally pale dawn began to creep over the scene, 
 penetrating the old mill and dissolving the black 
 shadows of the upper room to which I was con 
 fined. I soon began to make out the form of ob 
 jects in the place; gradually there loomed up the 
 machinery of the mill, the great shaft running out 
 to the wind-sails, the little door just above the 
 giant stick, a short ladder leading to it, the coarse, 
 wooden cog-wheels, the giant hopper, and the net 
 work of cross-beams holding the whole together, 
 while over all was the silvery dust of meal. A 
 row of bins was on one side of this loft, and at
 
 FIRE 289 
 
 its end I soon made out a door leading to what 
 appeared to be a small room. Such a door I had 
 looked for in the darkness, and now I hastened 
 to it. 
 
 There was a lock to it a padlock but the 
 key was missing and the door was fast; but though 
 it was of no great strength, it was too much for 
 me to force without aid. I looked round for 
 something to use as a ram, and I caught sight of 
 the scantling over the trap. I was in a hurry now. 
 
 Removing the brace, I rolled some barrels of 
 grist on the trap to take its place, and with the 
 stick attacked the door. I had no doubt that 
 Louise Selden was within that little room. 
 
 It was just as I delivered the first blow with the 
 scantling that I became aware of the nearness to 
 its close of the drama in which I had been a too 
 prominent actor; for as the wood sprung and 
 splintered under the impact of the ram, I smelled 
 a faint odor of smoke, and a moment later I had 
 guessed the truth. 
 
 It turned me cold. The lieutenant had executed 
 his threat; the mill had been fired, and in their 
 eagerness to get the man they had not considered 
 the woman. 
 
 Now, I have no wish to pose as a hero in this 
 bit of history, but as Heaven is my witness, I 
 thought less of myself at that moment than I did 
 of the lady I believed to be behind the door I had 
 attacked. So certain was I that personally I had
 
 290 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 no chance to escape that the pungent odor of burn 
 ing wood threw me into no panic of terror. 
 
 Truly, I dreaded being burned but I would 
 no more burn than I would hang. I would only 
 have to appear in order to invite a bullet and have 
 my career cut short; as for death I had looked 
 upon it as inevitable from the moment I found 
 the tables turned on me. Therefore, this new 
 danger did not cause me to forego my efforts to 
 save the girl it rather increased them; for I 
 knew the old structure would go like paper, once 
 it was well afire, though it must be some minutes 
 ere the heavy timbers would hold the flames, or I 
 be in danger of suffocation from the rapidly in 
 creasing smoke. 
 
 So, with a will born of unselfishness if love 
 is ever unselfish I rammed that door until the 
 fairly demolished woodwork gave me an opening 
 through which I could look. And on thrusting 
 my head into the ragged hole, I was astonished. 
 
 The room was empty, as I could see at a glance. 
 It had probably been built for a mill hand or ap 
 prentice, as under its little window was a shelflike 
 bunk fastened against the wall. There was also 
 a small table with an inch of candle in a tin stick, 
 and a bit of rag carpet lay on the few feet of floor; 
 that was all in the way of furniture. 
 
 Under the table lay a half-open portmantle, and 
 thrown upon the bunk was a uniform coat of scar 
 let. Here, then, were the quarters of Brussel
 
 FIRE 291 
 
 quarters at which he had complained in his let 
 ter to Dench; but there was no sign of Louise 
 Selden ever having been there. 
 
 I was bewildered, but exceedingly thankful that 
 the girl was absent but, not being there, whose 
 voice had I heard calling me? and from where? 
 It was a mystery I could never more than partly 
 explain, and just then did not try. 
 
 For my situation had become tragic and mat 
 ters for me were fast narrowing to a climax. The 
 smoke was issuing from the cracks of the floor 
 and sailing upward in increasing volume to the 
 mass of timbers overhead; but as yet its density 
 was not stifling. Cautiously I went to the open 
 door of the grain-lift, and screening my body from 
 the shot I was not yet ready for, looked out. 
 Broad day was over land and sea, though the sun 
 was not yet above the horizon, and everything was 
 clear when the light wind wafted away the smoke 
 which curled from the door below. 
 
 Now I could see Brussel, and near him stood 
 Judge Evers. Hotfoot was standing under a tree 
 over near the miller s house, and that he was a 
 prisoner was made plain by the two armed soldiers 
 on either side of him. Directly in front of the 
 mill, but fifty feet away, were four soldiers, and to 
 the right I could see two more, all with attention 
 fixed on the burning mill. 
 
 It was plain that the building was surrounded 
 and any escape for me cut off ; it looked to be that
 
 292 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 I must soon show myself and be shot or throw my 
 self to the ground and risk being maimed instead 
 of killed. 
 
 As I stood there, now forced to cough in the in 
 creasing muck, my eyes smarting from the acrid 
 fumes, I rapidly calculated the remaining time I 
 could survive and saw that it had become a mat 
 ter of minutes. And it was when I had about 
 made up my mind to bid for the shot that would 
 end all, when, like a hand from Heaven, there came 
 a new force into the drama. 
 
 For the tables, then full against me, were sud 
 denly turned in my favor, and the joy of living 
 loomed large as I saw that I might be saved. 
 
 I do not pretend to assert that my salvation was 
 in the least due to myself. From the time I had 
 first entered the White Horse I had been through 
 a series of adventures out of which I had pulled 
 unscathed, but my escapes had been due to for 
 tuitous circumstances. I only used the wit Heaven 
 gave me when I took advantage of them. 
 
 But at the moment of which I was speaking I 
 had given over hoping, and my heart was beat 
 ing thickly enough. 
 
 Heaven knows the world looked sweet as it lay 
 before me that July morning, and I groaned when 
 I thought that to those who loved me my fate 
 would never be known. I had become desperate 
 and could stand the smoke but a few moments 
 longer, and, as I have said, I was about to present
 
 FIRE 293 
 
 myself openly at the door, when I heard a shot 
 and a shout, both from a distance, and then from 
 behind the miller s house came a redcoat running. 
 
 The shot was followed by two others. I heard 
 the lieutenant call to his men, and in a moment 
 they came running from all directions, forming in 
 line near where Brussel was standing. 
 
 Between the thickening folds of smoke I saw 
 the villain, deserted by his guard, run into the 
 house, closely followed by Judge Evers, and the 
 two had barely disappeared when from behind the 
 home-lot buildings there came a body of men ad 
 vancing in the ragged formation of a skirmish line. 
 They were followed by a larger force, all armed 
 but ununiformed, and halting just long enough 
 to deliver a volley at the waiting British, they 
 raised a wild cry and charged them. 
 
 I saw all this and quickly guessed at the state 
 of things. The newcomers were Americans, and 
 they outnumbered the British nigh two to one. 
 
 I could make out no more after that, for a 
 great coil of smoke blotted the view, but I heard 
 the shots the redcoats fired in return; I heard 
 shouts, curses, the rattle of metal against metal, 
 and the scuffle of many feet; but I took little heed 
 of these things. The British were fully occupied, 
 and I might possibly escape. 
 
 Dropping on my hands and knees I crawled to 
 the trap, threw off the barrels and lifted the cover. 
 A blast of scorching air and a denser roll of smoke
 
 294 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 nearly prostrated me and showed me the fire had 
 been started beneath the stairs, which were now 
 impassable. 
 
 Dropping the hatch, I staggered back to the 
 open door, but there was no longer an outlook, for 
 the smoke rolled thickly as the fire made rapid 
 headway, its fierce crackling almost drowning other 
 sounds; I could hear an occasional shot, but that 
 was all. 
 
 I screamed for help, but my scream was lost in 
 the roar of the flames, and, in a state of despera 
 tion, I was about to throw myself to the ground 
 below when I thought of the little door leading out 
 over the shaft of the wind-sails. If I could get to 
 and through it I might crawl along the shaft; pos 
 sibly I could reach the ground by means of the lad- 
 derlike wind-sail. 
 
 It was by instinct and the sense of feeling that 
 I came upon the ladder leading to the tiny upper 
 door. I was nearly spent when I reached it, for 
 I held my breath, as does a diver. 
 
 I know not how I got up that ladder, but I did 
 realize that if the door was fastened my end had 
 come, for I was bursting from suppressed breath 
 ing. 
 
 But, thank Heaven, the door fell open at my 
 first kick, and dropping to my knees, I crawled out 
 on the shaft; then, from sudden weakness, was 
 obliged to throw myself along its length and clasp
 
 FIRE 295 
 
 it for fear of falling to the ground, now forty feet 
 below. 
 
 But here the air was pure, the wind being from 
 that side, and I took in great gulps of it, gradually 
 getting back my half-lost consciousness, though 
 still well-nigh helpless from sudden weakness. 
 
 But I was soon forced into action; for the fire 
 had begun to eat its way out through the sides of 
 the mill, and directly beneath me I saw a tongue 
 of flame follow a spout of smoke as the old 
 shingles crumpled and blazed under the heat. I 
 could not remain where I was, and with a reeling 
 head and a nauseated stomach I worked myself out 
 to an arm of the wind-sail, and as a great section 
 of the shingle sheathing fell with a crash and a 
 mass of fire shot through the opening, I swung 
 myself to the wing and clambered down its rung- 
 like bracing. 
 
 I had almost reached the bottom, then being 
 scarce ten feet from the sod, when the earth and 
 sky seemed to come together; I lost footing and 
 grip, and fell. 
 
 I must have been nearly unconscious when I 
 struck the ground, for I did not know when I 
 reached it, though a moment later I felt myself 
 being roughly dragged by the collar, and then I 
 became oblivious of everything.
 
 CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 CAPTAIN HICKS 
 
 I WAS brought to myself by a rough voice: 
 " Get up here, ye cursed red-backed sneak! " 
 it said, and I opened my eyes to find I was ly 
 ing on the ground at some distance from the mill, 
 which was now a mass of flames from top to bot 
 tom, and I was surrounded by a number of men, 
 not one of whom was in uniform. 
 
 And then matters took form in my mind, and I 
 knew the British had been defeated. My stomach 
 was no longer sick, and though weak, my head was 
 steady. I sat up and looked around. 
 
 "Up to your feet and march," said one who ap 
 peared to be the leader. " Did ye think to sneak 
 away an let yer fellows do the fighting? " 
 
 " I am no British soldier," I said. 
 
 " So I might guess by the color of yer cloth," 
 was the reply, followed by a loud guffaw from the 
 listening men; then I saw I was being judged by 
 the remnant of the uniform I wore. 
 
 " Nay, sir," said I, " I take it you are from the 
 American camp. And so am I. I was captured 
 at the fight on the hill and have since been in 
 
 296
 
 CAPTAIN HICKS 297 
 
 Boston. I was penned in the mill and would have 
 perished had you not arrived as you did." 
 
 " A likely story, indeed, an ye wearing the 
 color of the king ! Dost take me for a fool ? " 
 
 " Nay, sir," I said, " unless you are willing to 
 condemn a man without fairness." 
 
 " Fairness! " he thundered. " Who s to prove 
 your yarn? " 
 
 "Take me before General Putnam; he knows 
 me, and " 
 
 " I ought to take ye to the nearest tree an hang 
 ye with the other only I m not so bloodthirsty. 
 If Putnam knows ye I ll give ye the chance to " 
 
 "An I knows him, sah! " put in a voice. " I 
 swar to him ! He ain t no real sojer ! " 
 
 I turned on my knees to which I had arisen, and 
 saw breaking through the group one whom I at 
 once recognized, albeit I had never seen him in 
 broad daylight. It was Letty s brother the 
 negro, George who had jumped from the boat 
 the night I escaped by swimming. 
 
 Yes, sah," he continued, his black eyes snap 
 ping, " he was with me, Cap n, that time I tole you 
 about." 
 
 " Stand up," commanded the officer; "we will 
 look into this." 
 
 " Investigation is all I ask," I returned. 
 "What has become of the British?" 
 
 " All gone save seven past praying for, and two 
 or three we caught. Do you yield yourself? "
 
 298 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 " Willingly," I replied; "but I hope you have 
 not overlooked the greatest villain of the lot. He 
 was not in uniform." 
 
 " The bulk of the force was driven to their 
 boats, and escaped; so I know nothing of the man 
 ye mean," was the answer. " But we have 
 hanged the miller he being a blatant Tory, and 
 he shot one of my men in the back as he drank 
 water at the well. We have also his apprentice, 
 found hiding in the house, though as he was suf 
 fering from a broken arm he was a non-combatant. 
 Still, I am suspicious of him he looks little like a 
 miller." 
 
 " And have you discovered no lady? " I asked, 
 hoping he had found Louise. 
 
 " Ay, the miller s daughter, caught in the gar 
 ret, where she had locked herself; an there was 
 the dead body of an officer in the house, along with 
 a wounded lobsterback." 
 
 The last being my work," I put in. 
 
 " Well," he returned, " I am going to take 
 George s word for ye, if ye will give yer parole. 
 We are in something of a hurry." 
 
 " I will give you my word," I said. " And 
 now, may I ask who you are? " 
 
 " I am Captain Hicks, of Ward s command." 
 
 " And I am Allan Darcy, of Barrington. I " 
 
 : Darcy, of Barrington ! " he exclaimed. " Art 
 the man who made the judge dance from the 
 bench? Faith, I ve heard of ye! "
 
 CAPTAIN HICKS 299; 
 
 " I had a hand in it," I returned. 
 
 "Yes, sah, dat s de name, sah!" put in the 
 negro in unrebuked carelessness of military disci 
 pline. " He s Darcy, shore nuf. You remember 
 me, sah? " 
 
 " I know you well, George, and am heavily in 
 your debt," I replied. " As for that same judge," 
 I continued, " his name is Evers, and by chance he 
 was with this British expedition, and must be some 
 where about unless he escaped to the boats. He 
 did not know me. It all seems like a special 
 providence ! I am yet dazed by it ! " 
 
 Hicks held out his hand. " I ve seen none 
 lookin like a judge; but, by the Lord! I be more 
 than pleased to have done ye a sarvice," he said, 
 with a hearty ring in his voice. " We are but a 
 bushwhackin party," he continued, " an likely on 
 the same errand as the British, an by luck we out 
 numbered them. It was the smoke o the mill 
 that brought us to this spot. Ye certainly look 
 as though ye had seen hard sarvice. Give me an 
 outline o what has happened here." 
 
 And I did so, growing stronger as I noticed the 
 interest of the group that pressed around us as I 
 talked. I made a graphic picture of all that had* 
 happened, going back to where I escaped from the 
 hound, leaving out no detail. When I had fin 
 ished, the captain gave his leather-covered thigh a 
 resounding slap, and exclaimed: 
 
 " By the piper that played before Moses I but
 
 300 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 the apprentice can be none other than this same 
 Brussel. And, mayhap, we may yet find his 
 honor, the judge; for in the panic of retreat the 
 lobsterbacks would hardly tarry to save him. 
 Come with me, sir. Come with me." 
 
 He led the way toward the miller s house, I 
 walking weakly, still suffering from shock, and 
 Hicks s men trailing behind in absolute disorder. 
 As we passed the mill, the roof, from which the 
 flames were now soaring, fell in with a crash. I 
 shuddered to think what my fate would have been 
 had not the American party arrived as it did; ten 
 minutes delay would have cost me my life. 
 
 This was war, and a fuller realization of it was 
 forced on me in a gruesome fashion as we neared 
 the house, for there, hanging to a tree in front of 
 his own door, was the miller, a stout man whom I 
 had not seen, his body slowly turning with the 
 stretch of the rope. 
 
 And on the porch, looking calmly at the swing 
 ing figure, stood Brussel and three British regulars, 
 a number of men guarding them, while on the grass 
 lay a row of dead men, not all in uniform. 
 
 I turned from the last and met the eye of my 
 enemy. He had acted unconcernedly up to then, 
 and had I not appeared, the chances are that he 
 would have been set free; but he lost his air of 
 ease as he saw me. I thought the man would fall 
 backward, he was so staggered at my advent, un 
 doubtedly believing me to have perished. I did
 
 CAPTAIN HICKS 301 
 
 not taunt him, but walking up to him and looking 
 him in the eye, I said: 
 
 " By Heaven s grace, Hotfoot, the tables are 
 turned again! Where is Louise Selden?" 
 
 Instead of answering he stared blankly at me, 
 his lips moving. It was Captain Hicks who 
 brought him to his senses. 
 
 " Speak up, man, or take a place alongside yon 
 swinger. Ye are a British officer and in disguise. 
 Are ye not a spy? " 
 
 " Nay, I am not," cried Brussel, recovering him 
 self. " Neither am I within your lines." 
 
 " Ye are Captain Brussel? " 
 
 " I am Captain Brussel." 
 
 "Where is the girl?" 
 
 " Within the house or was." 
 
 " How long since? " I demanded, in wonder. 
 
 " For three days." 
 
 "Then how did I hear her in the mill?" I 
 queried, speaking more to myself than to him; but 
 he heard me and answered : 
 
 "I know not; I heard nothing of her! You 
 took me by surprise, else we might have compro 
 mised this matter and " 
 
 "Compromise, you villain!" I thundered. 
 " There is but one way to compromise with thee ! " 
 And I turned from him. 
 
 " Are you going to have me hanged offhand and 
 with no trial? " he said, an appeal in his voice. 
 
 " Do you forget the hound? " I retorted.
 
 302 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 " Nay, then," put In Hicks. " The thing is not 
 yet plain to me. I will put ye on your honor not 
 to attempt to escape or do violence while with us, 
 and ye will return with us without trouble. Do 
 ye accept the conditions?" 
 
 " Ay, I am but a prisoner of war." 
 
 " Yer standing will be settled elsewhere," said 
 Hicks. " Mr. Darcy, come inside. I think ye 
 have business up-stairs. She is in the front room, 
 sir, and I hardly believe ye need my company." 
 
 He smiled grimly as he spoke. 
 
 I knew what he meant, and turning my back on 
 Brussel, I hurried into the little building and up 
 the narrow stairway to the front chamber.
 
 CHAPTER XXVII 
 
 THE CLIMAX 
 
 LOUISE was there. She was sitting on the 
 edge of a bed, wan and listless, her hands 
 folded loosely, her long hair streaming 
 over her shoulders, and was far from being like 
 the beauty I had known, though I was well aware 
 then, as I have since proved, that the glory of her 
 sun was but dimmed by the cloud of circumstance. 
 There she sat, the woman who had saved my life, 
 and was yet to rule it, and she was all unconscious 
 of my presence. She turned as she heard some 
 one coming, and when she at first saw me she 
 shrank back, an expression of horror crossing her 
 face. But in a moment she knew, having a 
 woman s instinct, and with a bubbling cry she 
 opened wide her still lovely eyes and held out her 
 arms to me, just as a frightened child might have 
 done. 
 
 I am afraid I took advantage of that moment of 
 weakness. I know that time passed without my 
 noticing it, and I came to a realizing sense of things 
 when Hicks hailed me from the foot of the stairs. 
 " Hi, Darcy! " he cried. " We have the judge, I 
 think. We found him burrowing in the hayloft 
 
 303
 
 3 o 4 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 in the barn. Come down as soon as may be, an 
 put yer mark on him. He s a sorry sight." 
 
 I saw Judge Evers later, and he recognized me 
 when I brought myself to his attention. Indeed 
 he was a sorry sight, and almost a mirth-provoking 
 one, but he abated not a jot of his dignity though 
 he was hatless, wigless and covered with hay, cob 
 webs and dust. For a space he ranted at me in 
 lofty language, assuring me that I would yet 
 weight a gallows, but I had nothing to say to him 
 in return, only identifying him as a king s civil 
 officer. 
 
 "A damned uncivil one, to my mind!" said 
 Hicks. " But he ll make a good exchange for 
 some one, no doubt ! He was with the enemy, an 
 so I ll hold him." 
 
 But in the meantime I had heard part of the 
 girl s story. 
 
 " I was utterly hopeless," she said, as I held 
 her close to me. " I knew he had brought me here 
 to get rid of me even as he once tried to get rid 
 of you for I had told him I was going to Gen 
 eral Gage and state my case. After that he made 
 no pretentions. 
 
 " He told me you were dead that he had seen 
 your body. I don t know why he selected this 
 place, but I do know that he was on leave, and I 
 learned that the miller was an old friend of his 
 and a brute, swearing he would starve me if I did 
 not consent to marry Brussel. And Brussel prom-
 
 She held out her arms to me, just as a frightened child might have done
 
 THE CLIMAX 305 
 
 ised to go from me and not see me again from the 
 moment we were married, if I so wished. He was 
 about to kidnap me once before the time I es 
 caped with you. When the second party came I 
 was taken to the garret and locked in, and " 
 
 " Then how did I hear you calling me in the 
 mill? " I interrupted. 
 
 " I know not but I did call you why, I 
 don t know, believing you dead, but I remember 
 it." She turned crimson as she confessed. 
 
 " It will forever be an inscrutable mystery," I 
 said, and gathered her close. 
 
 It was high noon when Captain Hicks and his 
 force, together with his prisoners, were assembled 
 on the north shore of Hog Island. There is but a 
 channel separating the island from the mainland, 
 and this is no more than a quarter of a mile wide, 
 though through it the tides race like a sluice, and 
 it was now a raging torrent, the last of the flood 
 coming inward with a rush. 
 
 A number of cattle gathered by the raiders were 
 bunched on the shore, waiting for the tide to turn, 
 and the boats which were to guide them were 
 drawn up, their crews ready for the word to move. 
 
 I stood on a rock overhanging the water with 
 Louise at my side. Brussel, being on parole, was 
 not guarded and stood some ten paces from us 
 gazing sulkily at the diminishing rush of water; 
 beyond him and seated in a boat were the British
 
 306 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 prisoners, closely guarded. The dead had been 
 buried. 
 
 For me fortune seemed as high as the sun, and 
 I could conceive of no danger threatening me at 
 that time. Within a few hours I hoped to be on 
 my way to the home of Louise, and later to my 
 own home with her as my wife. 
 
 It was a rosy picture we drew as we stood to 
 gether. For the tenth time I was telling her of 
 my adventures in Boston, adding to each recital 
 some forgotten detail, and was just describing how 
 I obtained and where concealed her money, when 
 I became conscious that Brussel had drawn near 
 and was intently listening to my words. 
 
 I ceased speaking, and he at once stepped up to 
 me, his face white with suppressed rage. 
 
 " You are a thief! " he said, the words hissing 
 from between his set teeth. I laughed in his face 
 I could well afford to. 
 
 " You think you have won over me," he went 
 on in a low, menacing voice. " You are mistaken. 
 This woman is off my hands, thank Heaven! " 
 
 " Be careful, sir," I said meaningly. 
 
 "What have I to fear?" he returned. "I 
 am a prisoner of war. I will be exchanged, and 
 then my uncle s money which you have stolen, 
 buried, and kindly located for me will find its 
 owner. I am my uncle s heir. But mayhap you 
 have lied about his death." 
 
 I was astonished at this outbreak. I had
 
 THE CLIMAX 307 
 
 thought the man thoroughly cowed, but I was mis 
 taken; he was bitterly rancorous, though as a 
 paroled prisoner he was hardly to be considered 
 dangerous for the present. But his allusion to 
 Louise angered me, and I thought I had a way 
 to make him wilt. 
 
 " Hotfoot," I returned, with a careless laugh, 
 "as a prisoner of war you may be exchanged; 
 with that I have nothing to do; but that you will 
 never rejoin your regiment save to be drummed 
 out of it in disgrace, and imprisoned as a forger, 
 you may be certain. You would not care for the 
 reception you would receive in Boston." 
 
 " And why not? " he asked. 
 
 " Because, sir," I said, speaking easily, " when 
 I had the fortune to rifle your uncle s strong box 
 I discovered a note drawn by Colonel Dalrymple, 
 endorsed by you, and marked a forgery across its 
 face. Do you comprehend? 
 
 " As soon as I return to our lines I shall make 
 it my business to transmit that paper to Colonel 
 Dalrymple, with a few words in explanation of 
 how I came by it, also relating the conversation 
 I overheard between Dench and you. 
 
 " Now, you villain," I concluded, having worked 
 myself into something of a heat, " you see how 
 I can and will make an end of you without further 
 soiling my hands. This may teach you not to in 
 sult a lady." 
 
 The man had stood listening, his face set save
 
 3 o8 THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 for his twitching lips, and I knew I was causing 
 him agony. For a moment he stood immovable, 
 then in a quiet voice he asked: 
 
 "Where is that note?" 
 
 I tapped my chest. 
 
 " Right here, Hotfoot." 
 
 For I had that and the other appropriated pa 
 pers in my waistcoat and fortunately in that 
 garment, as the coat I had thrown off in the mill 
 had been destroyed. The words were hardly out 
 of my mouth when Brussel made a grasp for my 
 waistcoat, which was loosened owing to the heat 
 of the day; his hand was fairly in the inside pocket 
 ere I was aware of what he was after, but I caught 
 his wrist and held him before his fingers could 
 close on the papers. 
 
 He was too desperate to let his attempt go as 
 a failure, and instead of breaking away and re 
 treating, he jerked his wrist free of my grasp, and 
 catching me by the throat, put one foot behind 
 rne and forced me over the edge of the rock on 
 which I was standing. 
 
 His move was sudden and unanticipated by me. 
 I felt myself falling, but was too far gone to re 
 cover, though not so far but that I might carry 
 Brussel with me, and as I heard Louise shriek I 
 caught the officer by his wounded arm. The next 
 moment we both toppled into the racing tide 
 sweeping by the rock. 
 
 If ever I was insane from anger I was at the
 
 THE CLIMAX 309 
 
 moment I plunged under water, the air-bubbles 
 carried with us roaring in my ears. Down we 
 went, rolling over and over, and I knew we were 
 being swept along at a rapid rate. And I feared 
 I would drown ere I could shake off the man s 
 hold on my throat, but I managed it at last though 
 I thought his grip would tear it open. Once free 
 of him, I came up gasping for air, but Brussel was 
 nowhere in sight. I had been carried along sev 
 eral rods ere I reached the shore and scrambled 
 up the rocks, where I fell exhausted. 
 
 In a moment Captain Hicks came running to 
 me, and in a few words I told him what had hap 
 pened. 
 
 " The man has broken his parole ! " he shouted. 
 " Look for him to rise," he yelled to the guard. 
 
 At that moment I caught a glimpse of Brussel. 
 He was two hundred feet up the channel and was 
 rapidly being swept along as with one hand he 
 made his slow way toward the opposite shore. I 
 pointed at the swimming man, and Hicks caught 
 sight of him. Turning to one of his company 
 who had run up, he said quietly: 
 
 " Can ye pot him, Simon? " 
 
 The man made no answer, but stepping for 
 ward, dropped on one knee beside me, cocked his 
 long rifle, and took deliberate aim at the small 
 mark made by Brussel s moving head. 
 
 Then he fired. 
 
 I saw my old enemy rise until his waist-line was
 
 3 io THE SPUR OF DANGER 
 
 visible, then he threw both hands above his head 
 and disappeared. 
 
 " You have saved him much future suffering," 
 I said, speaking as if I were not shocked, and then 
 I saw Louise running toward me. 
 
 Her eyes were wide with horror as she came up 
 to me, and before the whole company she threw 
 herself into my wet arms. 
 
 " God s will be done I " said Hicks, " but this 
 is a fair ending to a bit of tragedy. Come, lads; 
 I think we may go." 
 
 Now, to you who have been interested enough 
 to follow my fortunes, and the tribulations which 
 tried my soul, to you, I say: you may read the 
 history of the brave doings of the patriots around 
 Boston in those old days of strife and hatred; and 
 you will see that mine was no uncommon cour 
 age; only that my body being big, I could stand 
 more than most men. You can read of Gage, 
 of Evers, of Putnam, Loring, Crean Bush, the 
 lowest of the low, and others, and learn, too, that 
 all virtue, truth and honesty are not confined to one 
 side. 
 
 And so I take my leave of you, after the fash 
 ion of the town-crier, with 
 
 " GOD BLESS THE COMMONWEALTH." 
 THE END
 
 JOHN FOX, JR S. 
 
 STORIES OF THE KENTUCKY MOUNTAINS 
 
 Hay l had wherever books are sold. Ask for Grosses and Dunlap s list. _; 
 
 THE TRAIL OF THE LONESOME PINE./ 
 Illustrated by F. C. Yohn. 
 
 The "lonesome pine" from -which the 1 
 story takes its name was a tall tree that, 
 stood in solitary splendor on a mountain* 
 top. The fame of the pine lured a young 
 engineer through Kentucky to catch the 
 trail, and when he finally climbed to its 
 shelter he found not only the pine but the 
 foot-prints of a girl. And the girl proved 
 to be lovely, piquant, and the trail of 
 these girlish foot-prints led the young 
 engineer a madder chase than "the trail 
 of the lonesome pine." 
 
 THE LITTLE SHEPHERD OF KINGDOM COME 
 Illustrated by F. C. Yohn. 
 
 This is a story of Kentucky, in a settlement known as "King 
 dom Come." It is a life rude, semi-barbarous; but natural 
 and honest, from which often springs the flower of civilization. 
 
 " Chad." the "little shepherd" did not know who he was nor 
 whence he came he had just wandered from door to door since 
 early childhood, seeking shelter with kindly mountaineers who 
 gladly fathered and mothered this waif about whom there was 
 such a mystery a charming waif, by the way, who could play 
 the banjo better that anyone else in the mountains. 
 
 A KNIGHT OF THE CUMBERLAND. 
 Illustrated by F. C. Yohn. 
 
 The scenes are laid along the waters of the Cumberland* 
 the lair of moonshiner and f eudsman. The knight is a moon 
 shiner s son, and the heroine a beautiful girl perversely chris 
 tened "The Blight." Two impetuous young Southerners fall 
 under the spell of "The Blight s " charms and she learns what 
 a large part jealousy and pistols have in the love making of the 
 mountaineers. 
 
 Included in this volume is " Hell fer-Sartain" and other 
 stories, some of Mr. Fox s most entertaining Cumberland valley 
 narratives. 
 
 Ask for complete fret list of G. & D. Popular Copyrighted Fiction 
 
 GROSSET & DUNLAP, 526 WEST 26th ST., NEW YORK
 
 STORIES OF RARE CHARM BY 
 
 GENE STRATTON-PQRTER 
 
 May be had wherever books are sold. Ask for Grosset and Dunlap s list 
 
 LADDIE. 
 
 Illustrated by Herman Pfeifer. 
 
 This is a bright, cheery tale with the 
 scenes laid in Indiana. The story is told 
 by Little Sister, the youngest member of 
 a large family, but it is concerned not so 
 much with childish doings as with the love 
 affairs of older members of the family. 
 Chief among them is that of Laddie, the 
 older brother whom Little Sister adores, 
 and the Princess, an English girl who has 
 come to live in the neighborhood and about 
 whose family there hangs a mystery. 
 There is a wedding midway in the book 
 and a double wedding at the close. 
 THE HARVESTER. Illustrated by W. L. Jacobs. 
 
 "The Harvester," David Langston, is a man of the woods and 
 fields, who draws his living from the prodigal hand of Mother 
 Nature herself. If the book had nothing in it but the splendid figure 
 of this man it would be notable. But when the Girl comes to his 
 "Medicine Woods," and the Harvester s whole being realizes that 
 this is the highest point of life which has come to him there begins 
 a romance of the rarest idyllic quality. 
 FRECKLES, Decorations by E. Stetson Crawford. 
 
 Freckles is a nameless waif when the tale opens, but the way in 
 which he takes hold of life; the nature friendships he forms in the 
 great Limberlost Swamp; the manner in which everyone who meets 
 him succumbs to the charm of his engaging personality; and his 
 love-story with "The Angel" are full of real sentiment. 
 A GIRL OF THE LIMBERLOST. 
 Illustrated by Wladyslaw T. Brenda. 
 
 The story of a girl of the Michigan woods; a buoyant, lovable 
 type of the self-reliant American. Her philosophy is one of love and 
 kindness towards all things; her hope is never dimmed. And by the 
 sheer beauty of her soul, and the purity of her vision, she wins from 
 barren and unpromising surroundings those rewards of high courage. 
 AT THE FOOT OF THE RAINBOW. 
 Illustrations in colors by Oliver Kemp. 
 
 The scene of this charming love story is laid in Central Indiana. 
 The story is one of devoted friendship, and tender self-sacrificing 
 love. The novel is brimful of the most beautiful word painting of 
 nature, and its pathos and tender sentiment will endear it to all. 
 
 GROSSET & DUNLAP, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK.
 
 A 000138242 3