The Boy Spies with the Regulators

by Juliana Horatia Gatty Ewing

  CHAPTER VIII.

  SANDY WELLS.

  As early as sunrise on the morning of September twenty-first,twenty-eight hours or more before the time set for the trial of ourfriends, the people from the country roundabout began to gather, everyman, woman and child eager to learn at the earliest possible momentwhat might be the outcome of this first attempt to check the course ofthe king's minions.

  Before nightfall it was said that there were not less than threethousand people in and around Hillsborough. On every hand as far asthe eye could reach, the visitors were camped; some brought two orthree bed-quilts, which they put up on crotched sticks and a longsapling as a ridge-pole, a tent that was made to accommodate as manyas could crawl beneath it. Others utilized their carts as sleepingquarters, the body of the vehicle serving as the upper story of thedwelling, and the ground immediately beneath it as the ground floor;to the wheels were tethered the horses or oxen, and he who slept inthe "chamber" of such a lodging was in danger of being awakened manytimes while the cattle munched at the hay which served as a bed.

  Now a few of the visitors reckoned on sleeping upon the groundwherever darkness overtook them, and many there were who had believedit would be possible to get a shelter in the town, never dreaming thatnearly every man, woman and child in upper Carolina would come to thetrial, during which was to be settled the question of their individualrights.

  Some of the visitors had brought with them a goodly supply ofprovisions, while others, more improvident, came with nothing save ahearty appetite, and these last went from party to party asking foodas of right, until all appeared to be supplied.

  Every house in the town was filled to overflowing, so I was told, atnine o'clock on the morning of the day before the trial was to takeplace. Every tree which could be seen from our camp had one or morebeneath the shelter of its branches, and in order to prevent ourencampment from being literally over-run, it was necessary to stationfifty men as guards to keep back our friends.

  Take it all in all it was such a sight as I had never seen before, anddo not expect to witness again. I had not believed there were so manypeople in the upper Carolina as were now gathered here, and every oneappeared to be feverishly eager to make certain Masters Husband andHunter would receive a fair trial.

  Sidney and I had come off from sentinel duty at sunrise, when thecrowd began to pour in, and we stood literally fascinated by thescene, never so much as thinking of breakfast, until the forenoon wasnearly half spent, by which time the valley between us and the townwas densely packed with human beings.

  "I wonder what Tryon thinks of this scene?" my comrade said musinglyas he looked across the sea of heads from which came a perfect Babelof noise. "He must realize by this time that his imitation army couldnot make much progress against such a gathering."

  "Aye, and yet it is to his advantage, if he counts on playing usfalse," I replied, seized by a sudden thought. "The Regulators couldnot enter the town whatever might be the necessity for their so doing,save at the expense of trampling hundreds beneath the feet of theirhorses."

  "That is a danger which I had not considered," my comrade said with along indrawing of the breath as when one brings himself to face asudden and immediate danger. "Governor Tryon is guarded by hisenemies, and yet if they turned upon him he would be swept from offthe face of the earth like so much chaff before the wind."

  "The disaster would be appalling if these people should take it intotheir heads to rise against him!" I cried, shuddering as if the workof slaughter was about to begin. "The soldiers could mow great swathsthrough the crowd at every discharge of their muskets, and hundredswould be killed before the remainder found space in which to move."

  "He will not dare work an injustice upon the prisoners!" Sidney criedafter a long pause, and I, sickening as I realized what might happenif a sudden panic arose, or in case an act of violence was committed,drew my comrade away from contemplation of the scene, as I said:

  "Why speculate as to possibilities? No disaster can come upon themduring this day at least, and there is time enough in which to cross abridge when we have arrived at it. Let us go in search of something toeat."

  It was not necessary to spend very much time in this last quest; eachvisitor who had relatives among the Regulators brought something inthe way of provisions as a treat, with the result that our larder wasfilled to running over, and it was almost impossible to take a dozensteps in either direction without receiving a hearty invitation "tohave something from home."

  Up to this time none of Sidney's relatives or mine had put in anappearance, and I was feeling decidedly disappointed, although I hadno good reason for believing that my mother would come all the wayfrom Alamance simply to learn what might be the result of GovernorTryon's investigations.

  When we had satisfied our hunger, however, and were about to visitGeneral Hamilton's headquarters in order to learn whether we would becalled upon for further guard duty that day, I was rejoiced beyondwords to see my mother, in company with Sidney's parents, looking hereand there anxiously, disappointed at not readily finding father ormyself.

  It is not necessary to say that within a very few seconds I wasclasped in her dear arms, and for the time being I almost forgot thatsuch a tyrant as Tryon ever had an existence.

  When I had spent an hour in her company, my father joined us, and atthe same moment Sidney shouted for me to come with him--where, I didnot at the instant understand.

  "It is my intention to stay very near my mother this day," I saidpetulantly, as he went toward the river even while I was advancing."She will be setting out for home immediately after the trials havebeen brought to a close, and I have no idea of wasting even a momentwhich might be spent in her company."

  "Give her a chance to talk with your father," Sidney said laughingly."It appears to me as if the visitors were in some mischief down thisway, and I cannot find any of the Regulators who are willing to lookinto the matter."

  "If it was of consequence there would be no lack of men to attend toit," I said petulantly, and then I became interested immediately as Isaw a throng of an hundred or more, who appeared to be deeply intentupon something in their midst.

  "Most likely they are having some kind of a game," Sidney said when Icame alongside; "but just before you showed yourself I fancied I heardcries for help, and it seems as if we should know the reason for thegathering. Unless we of the association have our eyes about us thisday there will be rough play which may develop into a fight, as Iheard General Hamilton say."

  By this time we were among those of the throng who were in the outerring, and I heard such cries as: "Drown the scoundrel!" "Be sure hedon't get away till we from Chatham have put our mark on him!" "He'sneeded a lesson this many a day, and now is the time to give it tohim!"

  The crowd was so dense as each member of it pressed toward the center,that Sidney and I were forced to literally fight our way forward, andno less than ten minutes were spent in such task, during which time weplainly heard cries for help in a voice which sounded strangelyfamiliar to me.

  Then, finally, we were in the very midst of the gathering, and hadbefore us what promised to be a tragedy which might bring shame andreproach upon us all, unless it was speedily checked.

  As many men as could seize upon him, held in their grasp Sandy Wells,whose legs and arms were tied securely, and whose clothing had beentorn to tatters by the rough usage he had received.

  His captors were industriously engaged in kicking him when we gained aplace by his side, and at every blow they called aloud the name ofsome citizen of the Carolinas who had been ill-treated at his hands.

  "We're going to square accounts for all our neighbors, and then dumpyou in the river," one of the men cried vindictively, and I could seea huge rock, around which was a rope, lying near at hand to fasten onhis body when the tormentors were ready to put an end to their victim.

  Now it cannot be supposed that either Sidney or I had any affectionfor the sheriff's officer; but yet we could not stand idly by while
hewas being murdered.

  In addition to such pity as common humanity dictated, it suddenlyoccurred to me that if the mob killed an officer of the law theRegulation would be accused by Governor Tryon of having committed thedeed, and then would be good reason why the entire upper portion ofthe colony should be put under strict martial rule. If this murder wasdone the Sons of Liberty would be branded as assassins, and with somereason, therefore I whispered to Sidney, although without theslightest idea as to how we two might prevent the enraged men fromworking their will:

  "We must put an end to this, and that right quickly, else will the manbe killed before our eyes."

  There was in his mind the same thought as had come into mine, and heturned to look me full in the face as he said, almost shouting inorder that I might hear the words above the uproar:

  "It may cost us our lives to interfere! I do not recognize any ofthese men, and they will refuse to listen."

  At this moment Sandy Wells caught sight of us, and, stretching out hisbound hands, cried imploringly:

  "Save me, lads! For God's sake don't allow me to be murdered!"

  "That we won't!" I cried, suddenly forgetting that I was running mynose into very serious danger until we could make that maddeneddesperate mob understand who we were, which last would require sometime while the tumult was so great.

  Forcing myself with a rush between two of those who had a hold uponSandy, I seized the prisoner by the arm as I cried with the full forceof my lungs:

  "You are ruining the cause of freedom when you lay violent hands uponthis man! Have a care, or there'll be mischief done to more than him!"

  I had hardly finished speaking before half a dozen rushed forward, oneseizing me by the throat, despite all Sidney's efforts to hold himback, and crying:

  "Here's another of Tryon's friends! we'll drop him into the stream tobear the tax-collector company!"

  I tried in vain to speak; but the fellow had my throat as if in avise, and it was impossible to so much as whisper.

  As the mob pressed yet further I was forced downward until I layacross Sandy's body, and Sidney strove valiantly to make himself heardas he cried:

  "He whom you have there is Clare Butler, one of the Regulators! I amSidney Hubbard, also a member of the association! Do you hear? We areof the Regulation, and are trying to prevent you from bringing yetgreater wrongs upon the colony!"

  Before it was possible for Sidney to utter many words the men hadbound me hand and foot, after the same fashion as was Sandy, and atthat moment I believed, and feel certain to this day, that death wasvery near me. It was only a question as to whether my comrade couldmake himself heard before I was pitched overboard.

  Already I could hear shouts from those in the rear demanding that I be"finished" before Sandy's score was paid off, and more than onethreatened to take a hand in the business if it was not brought to aspeedy close.

  "Drown the villain! Let Tryon understand that he can't play fast andloose with us!" one of the crowd shouted, and another added:

  "Waste no time over him; but let us pay our dues to the tax-collectorwhile he is drowning."

  Those in the rear were so eager to expedite matters that they flungthemselves forward until the men who held me were forced to turn anddefend themselves lest they be trodden under foot, and this temporarydelay, I firmly believe, was all that saved my life.

  Had the members of the mob not fought with each other to gain a betterplace in which to witness the spectacle, of a verity I would have beenflung into the river.

  "We are two lads who acted as escort to the deputies when they went toBrunswick!" Sidney shouted during a momentary lull in the tumult, andone of those nearest him caught the import of the words.

  "Who are you?" the man cried, and Sidney replied, yelling in thefellow's ear to make certain the words were understood:

  "Regulators! Members of the association! But for the lad you arethreatening to drown, the deputies might not have escaped from thosewhom Tryon sent in pursuit of us!"

  Now it was Sidney had assistance in his efforts to procure for us ahearing, for the man set about making his neighbor acquainted with thefacts, and in a twinkling a third understood that they had beentrying to kill their friends.

  When perhaps five minutes had passed, and time moved slowly to me whowas expecting each instant that some impatient one would pitch me overthe river bank, those in the middle of the throng came to know what wehad been trying to tell them, and in a very few seconds afterward Iwas released from my bonds.

  "It was a close shave for you," he who had been holding me by thethroat said, as I stood before him gasping for breath. "We madecertain you were trying to save the tax-collector."

  "That is exactly what we were doing," I replied, speaking withdifficulty because my windpipe was sore from the pressure so latelyput upon it.

  "Then you must be friendly to Tryon, else you would not speak a goodword for that villain whom we count on killing as we would a rat!"

  "It must not be done!" I cried frantically, raising my voice so thatthose in the immediate vicinity might hear. "If you kill him it willbe said that it was done by orders of the Regulation, and Tryon willhave right on his side when he overruns the country with soldiers. Toraise your hands against an officer of the county is to weave a noosefor those brave men in prison who will look to-morrow for yourassistance! Nothing would please Tryon better than to have areasonable excuse for throwing us all into jail!"

  Then, as my voice failed, Sidney took up the theme:

  "How much do you harm Tryon by killing Sandy Wells? The governor caresnothing about such as he, and would gladly reward the man who, bycommitting murder almost in the encampment of the Regulators, shouldgive the king's minions power over us! Turn the tax-collector over tous. We will take him to General Hamilton, who is bound to see that hebe held a prisoner, and to-morrow, if Tryon and Fanning play us false,we shall have one on whom to retaliate."

  "Keep him till to-morrow!" a voice cried, and straightway I began tohave hope that we might finally succeed in our purpose.

  Some of the mob came to understand that which we would beat intotheir thick skulls, and with the knowledge of what the murder of aking's officer might mean for all in that section, whether innocent orguilty, came the impulse to wash their own hands of any participationin the outrage.

  For the time being they forgot their victim while discussing each withanother the situation as we had shown it, and now was come the timewhen I could cut Sandy's bonds.

  "Get to your feet and keep close behind Sidney and me," I whispered."Do as I bid you, and it may be that we three can make our way insidethe lines of the encampment."

  "I'll do whatever you say," Sandy replied in the tone of one whoselife has just been saved, as indeed his had, and I whispered inSidney's ear, for the tumult had so far subsided that it was possibleto speak with some degree of privacy:

  "Work gradually toward the encampment while you talk. If we canattract the attention of the Regulators our point is gained."

  Then I turned to argue with the man nearest me, showing him how muchit would advantage us if we could have the tax-collector as ourprisoner until the trial in the court had come to an end, and all thewhile pressing gently forward, step by step, toward our line ofguards.

  Sandy, knowing that his only chance for life was in keeping close tous lads, for if he had attempted to gain the village an hundred handswould have been laid upon him in anger, obeyed my commands to theletter, pressing me so hard at times that I found it difficult to keepmy footing.

  In this manner we succeeded, after more than an hour had passed, inapproaching within twenty feet of the encampment line, and theremainder of the task was simple.

  We had but to attract the attention of the guard, and in a twinklinghalf a dozen Regulators were on the spot.

  Hurriedly I told our friends of what had been on foot, and Sandy Wellswas marched directly within the lines, while those who would followwere forced by the guards to keep their distance.

/>   The men who had come to our rescue believed it proper the prisonershould be taken to that lean-to known as "headquarters," and soon themiserable wretch was telling his story to our commander.

  "Why did you show yourself such a simpleton as to venture into themidst of those whom you had harassed?" the old general asked with alaugh, for I believe he was secretly pleased at seeing thetax-collector in such a plight.

  "I came across the river to speak with some friends of mine who werecome----" Sandy began, and one of our party interrupted him by saying:

  "I didn't suppose you had a friend outside of Hillsborough, and butprecious few in the town!"

  "This was a family from Chatham whom I have known many years----"

  "I venture to say you never tried to collect illegal taxes from them!"

  "Let the man tell the story," General Hamilton interrupted, and Sandycontinued:

  "They were so near the town that I didn't think any one would darelay hands on me; but before I was comfortably seated under their wagonhalf a dozen men seized me. I was dragged up the stream to that pointwhere the bank is high and steep, and there the life was nearly kickedout of me."

  Sandy concluded the story by explaining how we had chanced to go tohis rescue, and what happened after we arrived at the scene.

  "You two lads have done well!" the old general said emphatically. "Itwould have been a sorry day's work for the people in this section ifyonder rascal had been killed. The one question now in my mind is,what we shall do with him. I don't want such scurvy knaves in camp."

  Hearing this Sandy dropped on his knees, begging the general not tosend him outside the lines of the encampment lest he be killed, and,after waiting a moment without hearing anything by way of suggestionas to what should be done with the fellow, Sidney said:

  "If it please you, Master Hamilton, Clare and I will take charge ofhim until to-morrow. I think he will do as we command, and it's onlya question of keeping him away from the visitors."

  "You may take him and welcome," the general said in a tone of relief."It may not be safe to make too great a display of the rascal even incamp, for we have among us many whom he has wofully distressed."

  "Always acting under orders, sir, always under orders!" Sandy cried,yet on his knees.

  "You would be more of a man if you took your orders from a differentsource," the general said sharply, and then motioned for us to leadhim away.

  "You lads have saved my life," Sandy began when we three were walkingtoward the lean-to Sidney and I had built, "and if I can ever doanything in return, you shall understand that I know how to begrateful."

  "We've done nothing for which we expect to be rewarded," Sidneyreplied with a gesture of impatience. "You can't fancy that we bearyou any very good-will, therefore what we did was for the good of thecolony."

  "Never mind why you did it; I shall never forget what I owe."

  Then we were come to the lean-to, and once there the question arose asto what we should do with our charge. If he was left to wander aroundthe encampment alone, some of the men would undoubtedly ill-treat him,and we were not disposed to waste time which should be spent in thecompany of our dear ones, looking after him.

  It was Sandy himself who solved the question for us, by saying:

  "Leave me here; I can hide beneath the brush which forms your bed, andyou may be certain I shan't be such a fool as to venture out."

  It was a good idea, and after he had burrowed beneath the pinebranches until no trace of him could be seen, I went to seek mymother.