“But he did not use it?”
“No; I suppose calmer thought told him that it would not look well to leave the army in the face of the enemy, so he remained, though his command was given to General Lincoln. For two weeks he fretted and fumed, and for two weeks Gates preened himself like an empty-headed dandy. And when the second battle was raging, Arnold, burning to show his zeal and display the wrongs that had been done him, suddenly emerged from his tent, leaped upon a horse and dashed toward the place where the roar of the guns told him the engagement was the most desperate.”
Here Johnson Quinsey grimaced and laughed.
“They say,” he proceeded, “that Gates, as before, taking his ease in camp while others did the fighting, saw Arnold dash away, and filled with alarm, sent an aide speeding after him to forbid his taking part in the battle.”
“But the aide did not overtake him, I’ll warrant you,” said George Prentiss, his eyes shining.
“He might as well have pursued the wind; Arnold rode his great brown horse ‘Warren,’ and in a little while was careering through a sleet of bullets from friend and foe to reach his old command. In quiet times in camp General Arnold is no gentle officer; but in the fight his men think him unbeatable. So when they saw him, though he had no right to command them, they shouted for joy; he threw himself at their head and led them like a band of demons at the enemy. Nothing could stand before him; he raged up and down the field like a madman, the British and Hessians flying before his plunging brigade as though its very aspect struck terror to their hearts. Rushing up to the very muzzles of the Hessians’ muskets at a stockade, he drove them out, but fell with a shattered leg. And,” here Johnson Quinsey laughed grimly, “General Gates’ messenger came up to him, as his men were bearing him to the rear in a litter. But it was too late to do any harm. Arnold had already won the battle.”
For quite some time the boys sat discussing the surrender of Burgoyne; then a trooper came up, calling:
“Cooper! Cooper! To report to headquarters at once!”
Ben arose.
“It’ll be a cold night for the saddle,” smiled he, “but then, we can’t choose our weather.”