CHAPTER XXIV--The Rescue
"Good for you, Tom," replied Dick, cautiously. "See if you can get inhere, and free my arms. Then I will be able to help myself. Wait. I canhold apart the boards with my feet." This he proceeded to do.
Tom crawled up through the opening and, drawing a knife from his pocket,cut the rope binding Dick's wrists. Dick stretched his arms, and thenrubbed them vigorously to get the blood to circulating. While soengaged, he asked:
"Are there any soldiers on guard outside?"
"There's a couple around in front," replied Tom.
"Then we can slip out the other way, keeping the building between us andthe guards."
"Yes. Their interest and intention is on the battle, the sounds of whichyou have heard, I guess."
"Yes. Did you take any part in the battle?" inquired Dick.
"No. As soon as the battle began I slipped away and came here, as I knewit would be a good time to try to rescue you, as there would be very fewsoldiers left here."
"Right. Well, let's get out of here quick, now."
"Come on. You are bigger than me, but I guess you can squeeze throughthis opening and crawl along under the floor. There isn't much room,however."
"Go ahead, Tom. I'll be right at your heels." Tom worked his wayfeet-first down through the opening, and then disappeared, and after himwent Dick. As Tom had said, there wasn't much room under the floor, butDick managed to work his way along and finally crawled out fromunderneath the floor, and rose to a standing posture, beside Tom.
"The guards are still around in front, discussing the battle," whisperedTom. "Let's make a dash for the woods."
"Wait a bit. One of them is coming. Give me one of your pistols."
This Tom did and the two crouched closely to the wall, ready to springupon the guard immediately he should appear.
"He is only lighting his pipe," whispered Tom. "I hear him striking theflint."
"Then we can make a break for the woods. Run your fastest, Tom."
"All right."
Then they set out on the run, making as little noise as possible. Theyhad traversed considerably more than half the distance to the edge ofthe forest, when one of the guards who had walked to the corner of thebuilding, happened to glance in their direction, and caught sight of thetwo youths. He was suspicious at once that one of them might be hisprisoner.
"See if the prisoner has escaped!" he cried to the other guard. "And bequick!"
Then finding that Dick was gone, both the guards came rushing around thecorner of the building and started in pursuit of the fugitives.
"Stop!" yelled one. "Stop, or we'll fire!"
Of course, the patriot youths did not stop, or pay the least attentionto the command. They kept right on running and were now at the line ofthe forest.
Into the woods Dick and Tom dashed just as the redcoats drew theirpistols and fired at the fugitives. The bullets zipped into the treetrunks just back of them. Again the redcoats fired, with the sameresult.
"Now we are all right," said Dick. "They have only two pistols apiece,likely, and so will not be able to fire again, unless they stop andreload, in which case we would get so far away from them that they wouldnever get within shooting distance again."
"That's so," said Tom.
Gradually they drew away from the pursuing redcoats, and finally thepursuers gave up the chase and turned back. As soon as they noted this,Dick and Tom slowed their pace to a walk and took it easy.
They continued onward till they came to the bank of a creek. The bankwas high, and they noted that at the point where they stood, a portionof the bank seemed to have caved away recently. They glanced downward,and saw that several tons of earth had fallen into the creek at leastthirty feet below, and at a point about ten or twelve feet down the faceof the bank a ledge that projected three or four feet had caught andheld a ton or so of earth.
It was now almost dark, however, and the youths, after resting a fewmoments, were about to turn and start for the patriot encampment when totheir hearing came a muffled cry for help.
"Listen!" exclaimed Dick.
"Somebody cried 'help,'" said Tom.
"Yes, but where did the voice come from?"
"It sounded to me as if it came from below us, somewhere."
"That's the way it seemed to me."
Dick and Tom dropped down on their knees, and peered downward, and Dickcalled out, loudly:
"Hello, down there! Where are you?"
"In the cave," came back to their ears, in a muffled, faint voice. "Inbehind the earth that has closed up the entrance to the cave."
"Well, that is queer!" exclaimed Tom. "Somebody was in the cave when thebank caved off, and is a prisoner there."
"We must get him out, Tom."
"Yes, but how will we do it?"
"We must get down there on top of the ledge, and dig an opening."
"That's right. I guess we can get down there. Let's try it, anyhow."
They began making their way down the side of the creek-bank. It was nowslightly sloping, and there were projections and indentations sufficientto give them foothold, and presently they stood on the top of the heapof earth that had lodged on the ledge. They looked to see if they couldsee any signs of the entrance, and near the top of the pile of dirt theyfound a small opening, which they judged was near the top wall of thecave itself. Dick placed his mouth close to the little opening andcalled out:
"Hello, in there. Are you all right?"
"Yes," was the reply. And then in an eager voice came the query: "Isthat you, Dick?"
Dick uttered an exclamation of amazement. "Great Guns, Tom," he cried."I believe that is Ben, in there!"
"What!" exclaimed Tom. "Why, I left him at the encampment."
"Is that you, Ben?" called Dick.
"Yes. How did you get here, Dick? I supposed you were a prisoner."
"I was, but Tom rescued me."
"Ah!" eagerly. "Is Tom with you?"
"Yes."
"Good! I was hunting him when I got into this predicament."
"We'll soon have you out of there, Ben. We'll dig from the outside, andyou dig from the inside, and we'll soon have an opening big enough foryou to crawl through."
"I can't dig, Dick. My hands are tied."
"What!" exclaimed Dick. "How did that happen?"
"I was captured by some redcoats, but managed to break away and took tomy heels. They chased me, and I fell over the edge of the creek-bank,and landed on the ledge and rolled into the cave, and just then the bankcaved off and the dirt closed up the opening. I was just wondering how Iwas ever to get out of here. I guess it is lucky for me that you boyshappened along here."
"I judge you are right, for you could not have dug a hole through thedirt with your hands tied. Tom and I will soon have an opening thoughthat you can crawl through, however."
"Good for you."
Dick and Tom went to work, digging, and in fifteen or twenty minutes hadmade a hole through which Ben managed to crawl, with their assistance.They cut the rope binding his arms, and then the three climbed up thebank, to the level ground, where they sat down to rest a few minutes,and Ben told his adventure in detail, and Tom and Dick each told oftheir experiences. A little later, all mightily happy, they were ontheir way again in the direction of the patriot encampment.
The Dare Boys in Virginia Page 24