The Minute Boys of Boston

by James Otis

  CHAPTER XIII

  GRAVE DOUBTS

  Master Lord was evidently of the opinion that we could do no better thanremain where we were until it should become possible for him to show uswhereby we might aid Silas, and I wondered much that he spoke in such astrain, after having declared that the force of lobster backs at theBridewell was so large that we had no hope of getting at the lad even togive him a cheering word.

  This much I ventured to remark, glancing meanwhile at Hiram in order tolearn, if possible, what he might think of the matter, for it was cometo my mind that our comrade, who was ever eager to be up and doing, hadturned about strangely, as if content to spend any number of days inthat underground hiding-place.

  "There is such a thing as a fortunate accident," Master Lord repliedgravely, "and in this struggle against the king we of the colonies whoare weak in numbers as compared with the force he can bring against us,must ever be on the alert for some turn in affairs which will work toour advantage. It is true that at present there are so many lobsterbacks on duty at the Bridewell that you cannot hope to come at yourcomrade; but who shall say how soon the number of sentinels there may belessened?"

  "Have you enough influence among the lovers of the king to succeed ingetting inside the Bridewell?" Hiram asked in a placid tone, as if thematter was of but little importance to him, and I fancied Master Lordreplied to the question eagerly, as if anxious we should have full faithin him, when if he had been a true man, so it seemed to me, there wouldhave been no question in his mind as to the possibility of our doubtinghis intentions:

  "I believe before many days have passed, aye, perhaps by to-morrow, Imay be able to drop a hint to the lad that you are here in search ofhim."

  "On what pretext could you get inside that portion of the Bridewellwhere the prisoners who were taken at Breed's hill are confined?" Hiramasked in the same quiet, indifferent tone.

  "There are many people in Boston, and especially among the Tories, whoare curious to see these so-called rebels; some in order to learn ifperchance they may have acquaintances among them, and others to jeer atthe unfortunates, reminding them how useless it is to struggle againstthe king's power. I can be of one party or the other; but the time mustbe ripe before it may be done. In other words, matters must have movedfortunately for me, when there are on guard those of the lobster backswith whom I am acquainted," and Master Lord spoke as if most eager toconvince us of his loyalty. "In order to make myself of service to theCause, it has been necessary to be friendly with these red-coated gentrywho rule the town."

  "Yes, I can well understand that," Hiram replied in a tone of content."We know you will do for us all that lays in your power, and are readyto take your advice in the matter," Hiram went on as if the work we hadset ourselves was of no especial importance, and my heart burned withanger against him because of his seeming indifference. "In turning thematter over, I can see that from the standpoint of one who would do thegreatest good to the greatest number, you cannot well afford to havethis secret hiding-place of yours discovered, and we are not so selfishas to ask that you do other than seems to you wise. Go as far as youprudently can in our behalf, and then leave us to take our own way."

  "You may be certain I shall not abandon the enterprise upon which youhave come, so long as there appears any likelihood of success; but whenone hits upon a stone wall it is wiser to go around, than to beat hishead against the rocks. Therefore when it is shown that I can effectnothing, we will come to a stop; but until then trust in me."

  "Indeed we do, Master Lord, thanking you not only for the willingness toaid us, but for the work in behalf of the Cause which you have alreadydone."

  I was so angry at hearing Hiram thus lay himself down at the feet of theman whom it surely seemed we had every reason to distrust, that I couldhave risen up against him, crying out all which was in my mind; but,fortunately, I checked the words which were on the tip of my tongue, andthrew myself sulkily upon one of the beds, vowing mentally that neveragain would I put faith in any human being howsoever fair might be hisspeech.

  Then it was that Master Lord set about discussing plans for the futureas if we were like to remain in that underground hiding-place many along day, while Archie and Harvey listened to the conversation inseeming bewilderment, failing to understand, even as did I, thiscomplete change in him whom we had come to look upon as the leader inour hazardous venture.

  I cannot set down all these two said, for the very good reason that Ifailed to charge myself with taking in the purport of the conversation;but this I do know, that when they had come apparently to understandeach other, and were grown to be as thick as two thieves, Master Lordexplained that in order we might remain more securely hidden fromsuspicion, and that none of the neighbors should come to fancy he hadvisitors in the building, we must prepare our own food, cooking it inthe fire-place of the cellar.

  By such a course the house would remain open to whosoever might visitit, and unless the secret of our hiding-place was revealed by our haste,we were as safe in Boston town as in any other place, meaning, ofcourse, in event of Job Lord's proving to be a true man as he claimed tobe.

  To all of this Hiram agreed as if satisfied in every particular, andthen claimed to be prodigiously hungry, which was another surprise onhis part, for we had even then with us enough of provision to satisfyall our desires during the next four and twenty hours.

  However, Hiram clung to the assertion that he was nigh to beingfamished, and Master Lord went without delay to the floor above, as ifto procure that which might be needed.

  No sooner had he ascended the ladder than I stole softly to Hiram'sside, asking in an angry whisper:

  "What has come upon you so suddenly, that you fail to see anythingsuspicious in our being thus asked to lay here content with what thatman may be able to do, never ourselves raising a hand in behalf ofSilas?"

  "Yes, it seems as if I had not broken my fast for four and twentyhours," Hiram replied in a loud tone, at the same time motioning towardthe floor above, as if to say that he would not converse with me howeverguardedly, while Master Lord was where he might come to believe we wereholding secret council.

  This gesture of our comrade's soothed me somewhat, for I began to fancyhe had a plan in his mind to thwart our host if so be he gave token oftreachery, and yet I failed to understand how it might be done while weremained there much the same as prisoners. In my stupidity I lost sightof the fact that we were absolutely powerless. If this Job Lord wasindeed double-faced, then at the moment we ventured out despite hisadvice, it was only necessary for him to give word to the lobster backs,when we would, perhaps, come upon Silas by being ourselves madeprisoners.

  So far as ministering to our wants was concerned, Master Lord showedhimself most generous. After ascending and descending half a dozentimes, he had on the table before us an ample supply of corn meal, saltpork, and, what was indeed a rarity, a leg of freshly-killed lamb, andthis at a time when our people in Cambridge believed the rank and fileof the king's army were living upon salt food, because of our havingshut off their supplies from the country roundabout.

  In addition, Master Lord brought a jar of whale oil, which I myself knewhad been hard to come upon in Boston, even before the butchery atLexington; but he must have been plentifully supplied, for he insistedwe use it freely, saying it was not well for us to remain in darkness,and that we should strive to make our gloomy quarters as comfortable aspossible.

  "There is no good reason why you should not enjoy yourselves so far asmay be," he said in the most friendly of tones when he had laid beforeus the last of the supplies. "Until the time for action comes, you cando no less than remain here, and it is well to be content in mind,trusting that I will give the signal at the first moment anything may bedone to aid your comrade."

  Then, looking about him scrutinizingly as if to make certain he hadforgotten nothing, he turned and went up the ladder, halting when nighto the top, and saying:

  "You can understand that every precaution against discov
ery of thisplace must be taken, therefore it is that I bolt the trap down, coveringit afterward with such things as can most handily be come at in mykitchen, so that one may not see where the timbers are sawn apart."

  He was striving to explain why we were kept close prisoners, and againmy anger rose, for I failed to understand if the trap-door was coveredand screened from view of any who might enter the room above, why itshould be bolted so that we might not raise it in case of an emergency.

  After we had been thus closely confined beyond all hope of leaving theplace, and could hear Master Lord moving about the room above, I stroveonce more to have an explanation with Hiram; but again he motionedtoward the ceiling, although this time, clutching me by the shoulders,he drew my ear close to his lips as he whispered:

  "Take station just beneath where the side door which leads into the roomabove is located, and there do your best to learn whether any come in,or if our exceedingly good friend goes out."

  Then he set about making ready the meal, in which work everyconvenience, including a spit, was to be found near the fire-place, andmeanwhile talking so loudly regarding his hunger and our good fortune infinding so secure a hiding-place, that Master Lord himself must havebeen able to hear distinctly some of his words.

  Because he gave no warning that we should remain silent, were mysuspicions regarding his loyalty increased, for if peradventure ourpresence there must be kept a profound secret from everybody, thenshould he have checked Hiram, since in event of a Tory or a lobster backentering the building, our comrade's voice would be heard.

  However, I went to that part of the room as nearly under the door of thebuilding as I could judge, and there took my station as Hiram directed,feeling certain now that he had in mind some plan for the discovery ofMaster Lord's real intention.

  I had not been thus endeavoring to play the eavesdropper above half anhour, and the leg of lamb on the spit was sending forth a mostappetizing odor, when I distinctly heard the door above open, and thencame to my ears the footfalls of at least two, whom I judged to be menbecause of the heaviness with which they stepped.

  Immediately afterward, and while we could hear the subdued hum of voicesabove, Hiram whispered to Archie that he and Harvey should attend to thecooking of the meat, then tapping me on the shoulder with a gesturewhich I understood meant for me to follow.

  Moving cautiously, in marked contrast to the loud tones in which he hadspoken a few moments previous, Hiram began at the end of the cellarwhich was nearest the street, making a careful examination of the wallsas if seeking some means of outlet, I copying his every movement.

  Heavy logs, laid up with as much care as one would bestow in buildingthe sides of a house, formed this refuge of ours, and I was saying tomyself that if my comrade had any hope of finding a means of leaving theplace without knowledge of Master Lord, then was he doomed todisappointment, when we were come to the fire-place, on one side ofwhich stood mayhap half a dozen casks, as if carelessly stacked thereout of the way.

  Hiram motioned for me to bear a hand, and one by one we moved the casks.Setting each down upon the beaten earth which formed the floor so thatnot the slightest noise would be made, we cleared all away until whathad the appearance of a rubbish hole was brought to view. One might haveguessed that this had originally been made as an entrance to the cellarfrom the outside, and afterward closed up carelessly with rocks andearth, the casks having been set before the place as a screen.

  There was a look of triumph on Hiram's face as he wriggled amid therubbish, pushing aside a rock here and scraping away the earth thereuntil his body was almost hidden from view.

  Then, while I stood with bated breath believing we had found what wouldserve us in time of need, he appeared to have come to an end of hisexploration, for backing out, he straightway began brushing up thelitter which had been pulled upon the floor, as carefully as ahouse-wife might have done, save that he used his hands instead of abroom.

  More than once I made as if to ask what he had found further than Icould see; but he gave me to understand that we must make no attempt atholding a conversation, and whispered that I go back to where it mightbe possible to learn when those who were above had left the building.

  I did as he thus commanded; but my heart was lighter than at any timesince we entered this prison-like hiding-place, for the belief wasstrong in my mind that if worse came to worse, and Master Lord wasindeed the treacherous villain I believed him, we might be able toescape, so far as leaving the cellar was concerned.

  While I remained by the wall, straining my ears to catch the lightestsound from above, Hiram continued his work as cook, and before the humof conversation had ceased in the room over my head, the leg of lamb wasdone to a turn, while Griffin had ready for eating a tempting loaf ofcorn bread.

  Then, somewhat to my surprise, after the food had been placed upon thetable Hiram took my station by the wall, insisting that we three ladsshould partake of the meal, and because I was beginning now to have fullfaith that he was not allowing himself to be hood-winked by Master Lord,I did as commanded, although there was in my mind the idea that we mightgive over listening, at least during such time as would be necessary tosatisfy our hunger.

  Before we had come to an end of our eating it was possible to hear theouter door swung to with no little force, and there was a look ofsatisfaction upon Griffin's face as he joined us at the table.

  "Unless my ears have played me false, the room above is empty. I heardat least three go out, and if only two entered when you were on duty,Luke, then we are alone in the building; but in order that we may takeno chances, my advice is that none of us speak above a whisper."

  "You think we have need of taking council together?" Archie asked,whereupon Hiram replied grimly:

  "Aye, lad, if ever the time was that we needed to thrash out a matter inorder to come upon the best road, surely it is now."

  "Then you have come to believe that Master Lord is not such a friend tothe Cause as he professes, even though the lieutenant at the batterydeclared he would trust the man with his life?" I asked.

  "The lieutenant's eyes may have been shut just as Job Lord would shutours," Hiram said with a smile, much as if it pleased him to have thussettled the matter in his own mind. "It must be that this man has donegood service among our people, otherwise he would not have such areputation for loyalty to the colony. But whatever he may have done inthe past, it seems certain to me he is ready to play us false now."

  "I fail to see why he need take any roundabout lane to get at such aknavish result," Harvey suggested. "If he counts to give us up to thelobster backs, it only needs that he call in the first squad whichcomes past the building, for here we are like rats in a trap, ready tobe taken whenever it is the pleasure of those who have caught us."

  "I wish it might be possible for me to make that part of it plain in mymind," Hiram said thoughtfully. "I can figure out all else; but why itshould be his purpose to keep us here any length of time, instead ofdelivering us up at once, is more than I can come at. Certain it is he'splaying a game, and it remains for us to learn what it may be."

  "And in the meanwhile what about Silas?" Archie asked, whereupon Hiramreplied sharply, as if it vexed him because the lad would carry theconversation so far afield:

  "He is no more a prisoner than we are, and until it is possible for usto get out of this place, at the same time finding some means ofpreventing Job Lord from giving the lobster backs warning of ourwhereabouts, we need not trouble our heads concerning him. I have nomind to arouse your fears, lad, and surely you can understand thesituation as well as I; but to my thinking we would be safer shut up inthe Bridewell, as prisoners of war, than here in the power of this manwho claims to be devoted heart and soul to the Cause."

  Such words silenced me. I had come to believe that Hiram could seetreachery in Master Lord's course; but until this moment had no idea hebelieved the situation to be so desperate. It must have been that he sawwhat was very like to fear written on my face, for he added after
ashort pause:

  "Nay, nay, lad, do not let me persuade you into making mountains out ofmole hills; but let us not fall into the mistake of failing to see themole hills. You stood up bravely when we were on Breed's hill withthree or four thousand lobster backs striving to kill us, and I saw nosign of fear on your face. Now we have but one man against us, and itwill go hard indeed if we four cannot outwit the scoundrel, if scoundrelhe be, providing he gives us time."

  "But why should he give us time?" Harvey persisted, and again Hiramsaid:

  "That's what puzzles me lad; but I am hoping to find out before manyhours have passed. In the meanwhile, when he comes here it is for us tomake him believe we are not only willing, but pleased to remain as hewould have us. Do not let it appear that we have any suspicions of himwhatsoever, but fall in with all he suggests, for indeed we can do noless while shut up here."

  "If that rubbish hole leads outside, why may we not escape by means ofit?" I asked, and the reply came promptly:

  "Because we would be jumping from the frying pan into the fire. It isevidently not Master Lord's intention to deliver us over to the lobsterbacks yet a while, providing we remain quietly here as he desires; butlet us once take to flight, as he would discover within an hour or moreafter we had gone, and our liberty is not worth a day's purchase. Youcan see plainly that if he is the traitor we are beginning to believehim, it would be impossible for us to find another hiding-place in thistown which the Britishers could not discover."

  "We are setting it down as a fact that this Job Lord, who has probablymade many of our people believe him true to the Cause, is a traitor,"Archie said thoughtfully, as if he had been turning the matter over andover in his mind. "It seems to me that we should, until knowing to thecontrary, at least put it in our reckoning that the chances are even hemay be doing according to his professions. If that be the case, then weare making as much progress toward giving Silas aid as if we were on theoutside; perhaps more, because Master Lord can succeed where we wouldfail."

  "All of which means what?" I asked impatiently.

  "That since we are powerless to do otherwise, but must remain here, letus say that perhaps matters are going as they should, which won'tprevent keeping our eyes open to take advantage of any turn that maycome in our favor."

  It seemed as if all these words irritated Hiram, for, after havingpartaken sparingly of the appetizing food, he sprang to his feet withthe air of one who has much work to perform.

  "Give me your pocket-knife, Archie, and do you three lads remain at thetable until it is impossible to eat more, for we who serve the Cause donot come upon such food often."

  Archie did as was desired, and we all watched Hiram curiously as hebegan cutting cautiously at one of the crevices between the planks aboveour heads.

  Not until he had been at work several moments did I come to understandwhat he would do, and then it flashed upon me that it was his purpose tomake an aperture through which we might the better hear what was goingon in the room above.

  It was not reasonable to suppose he could cut away the planks to anyextent without danger of his work being seen from above, and in fact,when he stepped aside as if the task had been performed, it appeared tome that he had enlarged the crevice no more than an eighth of an inch,and that for a distance, mayhap, of half a finger's length.

  Wetting his hand, he took from the fire-place a small quantity of ashes,making them into a paste, and this he rubbed over the freshly cut spaceuntil it had been darkened to a shade like unto the remainder of theflooring, while I, eager to aid in whatsoever of work was being done,picked up carefully each tiny shaving of wood, throwing them on theembers that they might be consumed.

  Then Hiram went through the same operation at a place directly above thetable, and within half an hour he had thus opened slight communicationwith the room above. There was not much reason for hoping these tinyapertures would serve the purpose for which they had been made; but yetthere was a possibility we could hear better what was said or done byMaster Lord's visitors, and to people in our situation every chance,however slight, must be caught at.

  "Why not learn what we can about yonder rubbish hole?" I asked whenHiram seated himself at the table once more, as if there was nothingelse which demanded attention.

  "It is not well to make a try at going too far at one time," he repliedwith a certain air of content.

  It was well I had not been looked upon as the leader of our littlecompany, otherwise we might have come to grief even before we had wellmade a start toward arming ourselves against the possible treachery ofMaster Lord.

  I would have continued the work which was begun by making theapertures, in the rubbish hole, regarding not the possibility of aninterruption; but should have hardly more than have commenced before ourhost returned, when most-like everything might have been discovered.

  As it was, thanks to Hiram's precaution, we four were seated at thetable in a most comfortable manner, as if having nothing on our mindssave pleasure, when Job Lord, who must have come into the house with theutmost caution in order to learn what we might be about, raised thetrap-door suddenly, peering down before venturing to descend.

  There was no question after this but that he was minded to make certainwe followed his advice, and thus sneaking into the house like a spy tocatch us unawares was further proof that he meditated mischief.

  For the life of me I could not have greeted the scoundrel in a friendlytone; but Hiram hailed him as if believing he was our best friend, andasked in a jovial tone that he come down and partake of the sumptuousdinner.

  Master Lord looked well content with himself, which meant that he wassatisfied we were minded to do as he bade us, when he descended theladder and took seat in a most affable manner at the table.

  "I have been out on your business," he said, helping himself to a sliceof roasted lamb.

  "And I dare venture to say you have done more in an hour than we fourcould have accomplished in a full week," Hiram added genially.

  "Well, I may say we have got along famously this day," Master Lordreplied in a jolly tone. "Thanks to my acquaintance among the lobsterbacks, and their belief that I am devoted heart and soul to the king, ithas been possible for me to enter that part of the Bridewell where theprisoners taken at Breed's hill are confined."

  "Did you see Silas?" Harvey asked eagerly.

  "There was but one boy in the place, and if so be your comrade isprisoner here, then have I seen him. It would have been ill advised hadI attempted to get speech with him, because I was there professedly outof motives of curiosity, and took good care not to arouse suspicion bytalking with any of the so-called rebels."

  "Is the guard around the building as large as it was yesterday?" Hiramasked as if deeply interested, and having perfect confidence in what ourhost might tell him.

  "As nearly as could be judged there has been no change; but I heard onthe street that General Gage counts on advancing his outposts at BostonNeck with the idea of pushing our people back from Roxbury, in whichcase he will need all the men at his command, when I doubt not the guardat the Bridewell will be lessened."

  "Then your opinion is the same as when we last talked together?" andHiram urged Master Lord to partake more heartily of his own provisions.

  "Aye, that seems to me wisest. In fact, there is nothing else for you todo, and surely you are comfortable here as any four so-called rebels tobe found in the colony could be."

  "That we are, sir, thanks to you, but for our having found this veryagreeable hiding-place, which is guarded by a man so deeply devoted tothe Cause, most-like we would be keeping our comrade company in theBridewell by this time," and one would have said from Hiram's tone thathe firmly believed Master Lord was the only person in all this world whocould have lent us aid. "We would be unwise as well as ungrateful shouldthere be any thought in our minds of doing other than as you advise."

  There is no need why I repeat all which was said between Job Lord andHiram Griffin, for each was bent on deceiving the other, as
it appearedto me, and the words which were spoken amounted to nothing, so far asour work of releasing Silas was concerned.

  The result of it was, however, as I fancied, that Hiram succeeded inmaking Master Lord believe we had the fullest confidence in him, and atthe same time was firmly convinced our host to be as thorough paced ascoundrel as when we had talked with him previously.

  "It must not be that I spend all my time with you lads, pleasant thoughyour company is," Master Lord said after having made a hearty meal, andat the same time satisfied himself that we were not meditating any moveother than as he directed. "I must pick up all the information I canconcerning General Gage's intentions to advance on the outposts at theNeck, in order that word be sent to Cambridge without delay; thereforeit is necessary I go abroad for a while."

  "Do as you would if we were not here," Hiram replied, "and above all,neglect not the work of the Cause in order to show your kindlydisposition toward us."

  Then after a few more friendly, and, as I believed, false words, MasterLord ascended the ladder; the trap-door was shut and bolted, and whilethis was being done Hiram clambered upon the table softly that he mightapproach his ear to the aperture made in the floor, motioning me to takemy former station, while Archie clambered up on a stool to hear what hemight from the other crevice.

  Between us all we contrived to make out with reasonably certainty whenour host, having moved about the room a few minutes as if searching forsomething, left the building, locking the door behind him, and aftermayhap five minutes had passed in silence, Hiram said in a low tone ashe came down from his perch:

  "I'm allowing the worthy Master Lord will remain abroad, strivingearnestly to aid the Cause, for at least an hour, and during such time,if you lads are so disposed, we will see what may be done with thatrubbish hole, which, as I believe, points out to us the fairest road wecould have for the thwarting of treacherous schemes."

  You can fancy with what eagerness I set about removing the casks,believing we might speedily effect our purpose; but it was not inHiram's mind that we should be rash.

  "Fair and softly, lad, else by too much haste you spoil the whole broth.That which chokes the passage must be disposed of if we would count onopening it, and where do you reckon we may put what is taken out, sothat when our host visits us again he shall see no signs of our labor?"

  I had shown myself thick-headed many a time before; but never so dull asnow when I would have begun pulling out the rubbish without means ofhiding it, and I stepped back in despair, not understanding how we mightat the same time remove and keep it hidden from view.

  It seems that Hiram had already been making plans to such end, for he atonce began taking out some of the larger stones, and stowing them in twoof the casks from which the heads had been removed.

  "We can get rid of considerable in this way, and after that much hasbeen done it may be possible to pack the earth down so closely that wecan drive a tunnel through," he said, working energetically, and wethree lads, understanding what was in his mind, lost no time in bearinga hand.