“It’s only us—Larry and me,� piped Tony, frightened almost out of his wits by his uncle’s fury. “We wanted to find out what was going on. And won’t you please take Larry with you? He is so brave and wants to fight so much.�
“Go home, boys, and to bed, both of you!� ordered Larry’s uncle. “I’ll settle with you for this to-morrow. Do not look so disturbed, Captain Sullivan—I’ll answer for their secrecy.�
“Oh, uncle! Oh, Captain Sullivan!� begged Larry in an eager, excited tone, “do let me go. I know I can help in some way. I want to be of some use, and I’m not afraid any more than you are.�
Sullivan was touched by the boy’s earnestness. “We cannot take you, my boy. It would not be prudent—but you can help if you really wish it—there is a way.� He turned and whispered with some of the men. “We may need a pair of oxen to cart the powder. We ought not to bury it all in one place.�
“If the lad will have the oxen and some straw ready for us in yonder barn, I’ll cart the powder wherever you say,� said John Demeritt. “I’ll bury it in my own cellar if you can think of no better place.�
Sullivan noted the disappointment in Larry’s answer. “We are trusting much to you, my boy,� he said gravely; “and remember, Larry, if you want to be a soldier you must first learn to obey. Now go take your little brother home, and then have the team ready for us by the time yonder bright star reaches that line of woods by the Block House.�
When the boys left, the men quickened their pace almost to a run in order to keep up with the Captain as he strode down-hill to the “gondola.�
“Gondola� was the name given by the colonists to the broad, flat-bottomed scows used on the Piscataqua in the transportation of stone and other heavy material.
The members of the little party quietly took the places assigned them, and the scow swung off into the middle of the river and moved slowly down-stream. The only sounds to be heard were the moaning of the wind through the bare forests and the measured dip of oars. The trip was made for the most part in silence, the men bending eagerly over the oars too much engrossed with their thoughts to indulge in idle chat. As the scow approached Portsmouth and the lights of the town glimmered in the distance, Sullivan ordered the men to row slowly.
“If discovered now,� said he, “all is lost.�