"My word, that's Dick Slater himself! Seize him, there is a big reward offered for him."
Dick knocked down two of the crowd and pushed another into the water from the wharf. There was a great outcry, and now men and boys began coming from all quarters to see the fight. The watch and the redcoats saw Dick and hurried forward to arrest him as a rebel and for creating a disturbance. The people, fearing to be apprehended by the watch, hurried away by this and that way of escape, and Dick had a clear coast. Then he gave a signal which told the boys to get away as quickly as possible. They had already seized the two boats and filled them rapidly.
"Take in Dick, boys," said Bob, heading one of the boats, "while I go ahead to clear the way."
Harry, Ben, Sam, Phil and others were in the other boat, which lay alongside the wharf, ready to take Dick on board. Meanwhile the alarm was spreading that Dick Slater, the captain of the Liberty Boys, was in the city and that whoever would seize him would receive a large reward. Dick, close pressed, sounded a signal to the boys to get away at once for fear of being caught. It were better that he were taken, he reasoned, than that all the boys should be made prisoners. Bob, in his boat, thinking that Dick was all right, went on out upon the river. Redcoats, nightwatch, sailors and populace joined in the pursuit, pressing the young patriot sorely. He had to dodge and take a longer course to the boat in order to reach it at all and then signalled to the boys to go on. Harry and his boys, supposing that Dick had in some way reached the other boat, took up their oars and began to pull. Then Dick found a way suddenly to dart between two of the redcoats and run rapidly toward the water. There was a great outcry and the chase waxed hotter than ever. The redcoats and the nightwatch pursued Dick to the very edge of the wharf.
The boat containing the Liberty Boys was just putting out. Dick jumped and was caught by Harry. The redcoats were too late. A furious captain, in his haste to seize Dick rushed forward with drawn sword, and in a moment went pitching headlong, and was speedily seen floundering in the water, his wig floating in one direction and his hat in another, his sword sinking to the bottom, as he was suddenly forced to swim for it or go down. The nightwatch lost his lantern in the scuffle, and there was great confusion and hubbub. In the dark, men behind pushing forward to see what was going on crowded redcoats and others into the river, and the confusion and hubbub grew worse and worse every moment.
"Hallo, keep back there, you are throwing us all into the river!"
"Good thing, too, to get rid of all the redcoats!"
"Push a few more in and give them a good soaking."
"Shove in a few rebels to even things up."
"What's all the trouble about, anyhow?"