The Dare Boys with General Greene

by Stephen Angus Douglas Cox

He made his way to the point in question, and then he began the work of climbing to the top of the wall. This proved to be more difficult than he had expected, and he began to think he would not be able to reach the top, after several unsuccessful attempts, but presently he managed to get high enough up the side of the wall so that he could get hold of the top log, and then he slowly and cautiously pulled himself up till his head was a little above the top of the wall.

Now he exercised great caution, lifting his head slowly, a little at a time, till he was enabled to look into the enclosure. He could see the building constituting the fort, and at the farther side he saw a sentinel pacing slowly back and forth on the platform built against the wall, and about five feet from the top.

The sentinel’s side was toward Ben when he was pacing back and forth, however, and when he paused to look away from the fort, his back was toward the youth, so Ben did much fear being seen by him. But there should have been a sentinel on the side where Ben was, and he wondered where the sentinel could be.

He presently found out, for suddenly the head of a British soldier appeared above the top of the wall, and almost in front of Ben’s face. The sentinel had evidently been down below when Ben first climbed up there, and had just returned to his post. He caught sight of Ben at the same moment the youth caught sight of him, and his exclamation of amazement was not unnatural.

“Who are you?” he cried.

At the same moment he made a grab for the youth’s throat, but Ben was too quick for him, and evaded the grasp by dropping to the ground with all possible dispatch.

“Spies! Rebels!” yelled the sentinel, loudly, and then grabbing up his musket, he leaned over the top of the wall and looked eagerly for the youth who had given him such a surprise.

Ben was running across the open ground at the top of his speed, and the sentinel caught sight of him, leveled his musket, took a quick aim, and fired.

Crack, the shot rang out, and Ben heard the bullet go buzzing past his ear. Had the bullet gone a few inches to the right it would have put an end to his career as a patriot soldier and spy.

Ben ran onward as swiftly as he could, and was soon out of musket-shot range, but he heard sounds of loud and excited voices back at the fort. He realized that he had caused a commotion within its walls, and thought it likely that some of the British soldiers would emerge from the fort and come in pursuit of him.