It was coming on to be March now, and the weather had greatly moderated.

The snow was melting off the mountains and the spring rains were falling freely.

"Our meal will run out before long," said the Doctor one night, "but the time is near at hand when we can send a boy down the mountain to bring up a pack mule with some supplies."

"Indeed you can't," said Tom.

"But why not?" asked the Doctor.

"Simply because there are some mountain torrents in the way, that no human being could pa.s.s, even if he had one of your big steamships to help him in the crossing."

"But I saw no mountain torrents on our way up," said the Doctor.

"Certainly not," answered Tom, "for they weren't mountain torrents then, but the dry beds of streams. But now it is different. It would be as impossible now for us to 'git down out'n the mountings' as to fly to the moon--unless we went down over the cliffs there, following the chute.

And of course we couldn't bring a pack mule up that way. No, we've got to stick it out and live on what we can get till our work is done, and then--as the spring is coming on and the way is blocked by the torrents of which I spoke,--we've got to make our way over the cliffs down there by the chute, for we simply cannot get down the mountain by the way we came."

"How do you know this, Tom?" asked Harry.

"Why, I've tried it. You see any road down the mountain that furnishes an easy way is sure to be crossed by creeks that are dry in the summer and fall, but raging whirlpools when spring melts the snow and sends millions of gallons of water every minute down the steep inclines. I count myself a strong swimmer. But I could no more swim across one of those sluiceways than I could climb up a sunbeam to the rainbow. I tell you we can get nothing from down below now, and I tell you that we can't ourselves go down the mountain by the way by which we came up, for two or three months to come."

"What are we to do, then, Tom?" asked the Doctor.

"Well, first, we're to feed ourselves as best we can till we've finished our work; and then we're to go down the mountain on its steep side along the chute. That will involve a great deal of toil and some danger. We shall have to let ourselves down over cliffs by hanging on to bushes, with the certainty that if the bushes give way we shall be dashed to pieces on the rocks below. But that's the only way we can get down the mountain unless we are willing to wait for summer."

"Well, the question is not an immediately pressing one," said Jack.

"We've got a lot of work ahead of us yet, and we've got plenty of game and plenty of bread stuffs in camp."

"Plenty of game, yes," said the Doctor. "But as for bread stuffs, I don't think we have more than a peck or so left."

The next morning Tom, in his "prowlings" found two big bags of corn and rye meal lying there under the bluff. "It's a case of bread cast upon the waters returning to us after many days," said Tom.

CHAPTER XXVIII

_The Capture of Camp Venture_

Tom had miscalculated the weather, misled as every body is apt to be by the calendar. As he had not at all antic.i.p.ated, the softness of early March presently gave way to a severe cold wave, which not only put an end to the spring rains, but stopped the melting of the snow upon the mountains and dried up those torrents that had alone blocked the way down the mountain since the great snowdrift barriers had disappeared.

"I take it all back, fellows," he said, one night. "I didn't look for such weather as this in March. But any how any fellow in the party can go down the mountain now. Whether he ever gets back again or not is a question not easily determined. A very little thaw would make that impossible."

"My view," said the Doctor, "is that we'd better not risk it. This cold weather simply cannot last long at this season of the year, and we can't spare any boy from our company. We have two bags of meal in camp--enough to last us three or four weeks--and of course Tom's gun will provide us with meat. It seems to me it would be exceedingly unwise to send any one of our number down the mountain and not only unwise but wholly unnecessary. What do you think, boys?"

Every boy in the party shared the Doctor's opinion, and so it was decided not to send one of the company down the mountain at this time, although the weather conditions were especially favorable for the moment at least. They proved also to be favorable to something else.

Just before daylight the next morning Jim, who was on guard, quitted his post and came hurriedly into the house. He waked his comrades, saying:

"Get up quickly, boys, and get your guns. The moonshiners have completely surrounded Camp Venture."

Ten seconds later all the boys were out on the platform, fully armed. It was still too dark to see men even at a short distance, but low voices could be heard in every direction round the camp. The boys themselves consulted only in whispers.

Jack took command, of course.

"Don't shoot, boys, even if they shoot at us," he said. "They can do little damage that way, as we have this wooden barrier to stop their bullets. What we've got to look out for is a rush, and we must reserve our fire to repel that with."

"Hadn't some of us better go to the rear of the house?" asked Harry.

"They may rush us from that direction."

"No," answered Jack. "There's no opening to the house on that side; and we have no barrier there to fight behind. If they attack from that direction we must fight from inside the house. Suppose you go in Harry and knock out three or four pieces of c.h.i.n.king about breast high, so as to give us a port hole to fire through. Keep a keen look out through the crack, and if they advance from that direction call us at once. But don't any of you shoot, front or rear, till they make a rush."

As he spoke, two or three shots came from the enemy in front, the bullets burying themselves harmlessly in the wooden barrier well below the feet of the boys, as they stood on the platform, for the barrier could not be seen in the darkness, and the men shooting aimed at about where they thought a man's breast would be if he stood upon the ground.

The temptation to return the fire was almost irresistible, particularly to Tom, who had his magazine rifle in hand. But Jack resolutely insisted upon reserving fire in order to be ready to repel a charge whenever it should come.

The light was now growing stronger and here and there it was possible to make out one of the enemy, crouching behind a rock or in some little depression of the ground. Enough of them could be seen by this time to show clearly that they outnumbered the garrison of Camp Venture more than four or five to one. Somebody remarked upon this fact, whereupon Jack replied, still speaking in a whisper:

"That's true! But if they make the rush that I'm expecting they won't outnumber us much by the time they get here."

As the light grew still stronger, Tom set his gun down, e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.n.g. "Well, well, well."

"What is it, Tom?" asked the Doctor.

"Why, those aren't moonshiners, but revenue officers and soldiers!"

A little further scrutiny convinced the boys that Tom's keen eyes had seen aright. The bullets were still pattering now and then against the wooden parapet, but evidently the enemy was not yet ready to make the charge which alone could give him possession of the fortress.

Tom felt in his pocket, drew out a handkerchief and tied it to the end of his gun. Then he descended the little ladder to the ground.

"What are you going to do Tom?" asked Jack.

"Why, I'm going out under a flag of truce to explain to those fellows what a stupid blunder they've made. They've mistaken Camp Venture for an illicit distillery, as if anybody would set up a still in such an open place as this."

"But wait, Tom! It is still so dark that they may not see your flag of truce. They may all fire at you at once. Wait till broad daylight comes."

"Yes," answered Tom, "and in the meantime those fellows may make their charge,--they're forming for it now,--and in that case we'll have to shoot half of them. No, I'm going out with my flag of truce now, and I'll simply have to take the chances of getting shot."

With that he pa.s.sed around the end of the barrier and sallied forth, holding his flag of truce above him and calling as he went "Truce!

Truce! A flag of truce! I bear a flag of truce! Don't shoot!"

Nevertheless several bullets from improved army rifles pa.s.sed uncomfortably close to him--one of them cutting a hole through the top of one of his boots--before the officer in command of the a.s.sailing party could be made to understand the nature of Tom's mission. At last he understood it and calling to Tom to halt where he stood, which was about midway between the two forces--the lieutenant who commanded the troops, hoisted another white handkerchief and went out to meet the boy.

To him Tom explained the nature and purpose of Camp Venture and invited him and his party to come in and inspect the place for themselves.

The lieutenant looked at him incredulously at first, and then laughed.

"That's a good one on us!" he said presently, "if what you say is true."

"I never tell lies!" said Tom, in resentment.