CHAPTER II--Roughly Handled
About the time that Dick was standing behind the tree, with the tworedcoats approaching, in a little log cabin that was used as a schoolbuilding, at a point about a mile from a Tory settlement consisting ofabout thirty families, sat a rather good-looking young man of perhapstwenty-four years of age. He was to play a rather important part in thelife of Dick Dare and must now be introduced to the reader.
Herbert Miller was his name, and he was the teacher of the school. Asthe children had gone home, he was sitting at his desk, reading.
As has been stated, the schoolhouse stood about a mile from a Torysettlement, and about two miles from the schoolhouse, in the otherdirection, was a patriot settlement, consisting of about a dozenfamilies. The schoolhouse had been placed where it stood, for theconvenience of the children from both settlements, but was closer to theTory settlement because there were more of the Tories than of thepatriots. Of late, however, since the coming into that region of Arnold,with his army of British and Tory soldiers, the Tories of the settlementhad grown rather arrogant. This, being taken up by their children,resulted in lots of trouble at the school, the Tory children abusing thepatriot children in spite of the efforts of the teacher to prevent it,and at the time of which we write only a few patriot children wereattending the school. These few were the larger children, who could holdtheir own successfully against the arrogant and aggressive Torychildren.
Herbert Miller was an intelligent young man, and he was at heart asympathizer with the patriots, and hoped the American people would gaintheir independence, but of course he did not say much about this in thesettlement, where he boarded. He was not a resident of this community,having come from a point more than a hundred miles distant.
Suddenly the sound of voices and the scraping of feet were heard by theteacher, and he rose and walked to the door. He was about to open it,but hesitated, and then placed his eye to a crack and looked through. Hesaw standing in front of the schoolhouse four men, and they were theworst and most rabid Tories in the settlement. Their leader was HankSprowl. He was practically a desperado, who made his living by hunting,and was not liked even by those who professed to be his friends.
Miller stood there gazing through the crack and wondering why the Torieswere there. What did it mean? And why did they not enter, if they hadbusiness with him?
These questions he could not answer, and so after hesitating a fewmoments, he having first thought of opening the door and questioning themen, he turned and walked back to his desk, sat down and began reading."If they have any business with me, they will come in and say so,presently." This he thought was likely.
Suddenly Miller's attention was attracted by a tapping on the window,and he glanced in that direction, and saw the face of Henry Philips, aboy of ten years, and a true friend of his. The boy was indeed a patriotat heart, and for that reason he was not liked by the other pupils atthe school, and Miller had often interfered to keep bigger boys fromabusing Henry, thus earning the boy's regards.
There was a look of excitement on the boy's face, and Miller, guessingthat there was something in the wind, rose and went quietly to thewindow, and raising it, was about to speak, but the boy said, "Sh! Don'tsay anything, Mr. Miller. I've come to warn ye."
"What is the trouble?" the teacher asked in a whisper.
"The Tories are goin' to ketch ye when ye leave the schoolhouse an' giveye a coat uv tar an' feathers!" whispered the boy, glancing warilyaround him.
Miller started. "Why?" he asked.
"Cause ye're a patriot," was the reply. "Hank Sprowl an' two or threemore Tories are aroun' at the front, now, waitin' fur ye to come out."
"I knew they were out there, Henry, but I didn't know, could notimagine, why they were there. So that is what they are up to, is it?"
"Yes, an' ye had better climb out of the winder an' make your escape."
Doubtless that was Miller's first inclination, but he thought a fewmoments, and then shook his head. "I don't think that I'll do that,Henry," he said. "No, I'll go out through the front door, as usual, andI don't believe they'll dare lay hands on me."
"Ye don' know Hank Sprowl ef ye think that," said the boy. "He's a badone, he is."
"I don't doubt that, but I'm not going to climb out at the window andtry to avoid them. I might as well meet them face to face, and I don'tbelieve they'll bother me."
"They're cookin' the tar down here in the gully," said the boy, his facepale. "An' I seen Jim Simmons comin' with a bag of feathers as I leftthe gully."
"Oh, well, I'll not try to avoid them by slipping out of the window,Henry. If they are making their preparations, I might as well meet themand show them that I'm not afraid of them."
"They'll handle ye rough, Mister Miller," said the boy, his face pale."They're mighty mean men, them fellers that Hank Sprowl has helpin'him."
"I know that, Henry. I'm much obliged for your kindness in coming towarn me. Now you had better go, before they see you, and handle youroughly also."
"I'll go. Well, good-by, Mister Miller. I hope they won't put no tar an'feathers onto ye."
"I hardly think they will, Henry. Good-by."
Then the boy dropped to the ground, and disappeared into the brush atthe back of the schoolhouse.
Miller slowly and thoughtfully lowered the window, returned, took a seatat his desk, and sat there, gazing toward the door and evidently doing alot of thinking. He glanced toward the window once or twice, and thenresolutely rose and walked to the door, and opening it, stepped out ofdoors--to be confronted by Hank Sprowl and the three Tories.
"Good evening, gentlemen," greeted Miller, pleasantly. "Fine evening, isit not?"
The men exchanged glances, and it was evident that they were somewhattaken aback by the coolness and _sang froid_ of their intended victim.
"Good evenin'," said Sprowl, gruffly. "Yas, et's a fine evenin'--a fineevenin' to put geese-feathers onto rebel birds like ye! Hey, fellers?"
The others nodded, and one said: "Ye're right, Hank."
"What do you mean?" asked Miller, pretending that he did not graspSprowl's meaning.
"I mean that we're goin' to give ye a coat of tar and feathers, yeblamed rebel!" snarled Sprowl. "That's what I mean."
Miller looked from one to another inquiringly, and then said: "Whyshould you want to do that?"
"I've jest told ye," replied Sprowl, harshly. "Because ye're a rebel,that's why."
"But I'm not a rebel."
"I know better. Ye air a rebel. We've heerd how ye talk in favor of therebels, and how ye hev said as how ye hope ther rebels will win in therwar ag'in ther king. Ye kain't deny that ye hev talked in favor of therrebels, an' so now we're goin' to give ye a coat of tar and feathers an'twenty-four hours to git out of this part of the country. We don't wantno rebel a teachin' our children rebel sentiments."
"I am sorry, my friends," said Miller, calmly, "but I shall not quitteaching here unless told to do so by the men that hired me--and neitherof you had anything to do with that. I will now go on home. Goodevening," and he walked quietly away.
This action on his part so amazed the ruffians that they stood there,staring after him, with mouths agape. But Hank Sprowl presentlyrecovered from his amazement, and said to his companions sharply: "Afterhim, boys! We mustn't let him git away. We'll give him that coat of tarand feathers, that's what we'll do. Come with me."
Then he hastened after Miller, and his three companions hurried tofollowed him. They soon caught up with the young man, and as he heardtheir footsteps, and half-turned, as if to speak to them, they leapedupon him and bore him struggling to the ground.
Miller was a rather strong and athletic young man, and he fought withall his strength. But four to one was too big odds, and he was soonoverpowered. Then, with his hands tied together behind his back, theyhustled Miller to a nearby gully, where a kettle was already suspendedabove a fire, and in the kettle itself was a lot of tar, bubbling at agreat rate. Near at hand was a bag o
f feathers.
"Ther tar's cooked good enuff," said Sprowl. "Take it off and let itcool a little bit. We've got ther bird here, an' we'll soon put therfeathers onto him."
"Gentlemen, I protest against any such proceeding," said Miller, withdignity. "You have no right to do any such thing as that. I demand thatyou set me free and let me go my way."
"Ye kin demand, but that's all ther good et'll do ye," grinned Sprowl.
A couple of the ruffians took the kettle off the fire, and set it at oneside to cool a few minutes. Then one or two of the others took offMiller's coat, vest and shirt, and Sprowl ordered them to get to work,which they did, one applying the tar to the teacher's body with a brush,while others sprinkled on the feathers.
The tar was still too hot for comfort, and Miller writhed and gaveutterance to groans expressive of pain, in spite of his efforts to keepfrom doing so, but the ruffians merely laughed and kept on till they hadfinished. Then they gave Miller a shove, and told him to go.
"And see to it thet ye are gone from this neighborhood in twenty-fourhours!" cried Sprowl. "Ef we ketch ye here, arter that, we'll give yesomethin' worse'n tar and feathers. Now git!"
And Miller, glad to escape from such heartless villains, staggered awaythrough the forest, followed by jeering remarks and coarse laughter fromthe Tories.
The Dare Boys in Virginia Page 2