The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-04-19
ONE OF THE BOYS OF ,7e.

| were more mistaken. DWedT 10 buO"
allegiance to your rightful sovereign or
die for traitor!
The eyes which looked back at him
were as unhinching as the captains
own, For generations the Otis courage
had held its name even in deadly peril,
and this relative and namesake Of James
Otis, the eloquent pleader for indepen-
dence. could meet his end as behooved
one of his race.
am an independent citizen of Con
necticut. and owe no allegiance to ty-
rant, he said proudly.
The captain burst into a laugh in
which his men joined.
This scion of liberty crows loud
small good will be such Haunting, tho.
| for in six months all these independent
citizens will be creeping back to Mother
England's knees like so many whipped
children.
The scornful laugh had brought a
flush to the youths face, and now he
said with heat:
More probably Mother England will
discover that her children have come OF
age beyond dispute, and will go home
with the whipping reversed,
Come, come, enough of pailey. You
shall swing from yonder yard arm in 10
minutes, my young braggart, il you will
not fight under our colOrs, VIII you
fight with Us? Yes or no!
There was no relenting in the cap
tain's voice. no touch of pity on all those
staring faces. Death or life. All small
wonder If in such stress brave hearts
shrink, and yielding to the fear OF doom
are branded by those who never met
like trial as towards and traitors,
Speak, the captain commanded.
And the captains face grew dark
with wrath that this stripping should
stand before him and defy his fate, and
the thought that much might be done II
such pluck was but enlisted for royalty
only roughened his tone as it rang over
the deck:
In the name Of the king l condemn
you as rebel, Up with the rope,
men,
And as the men went off with alacri
ty, he began measured stride up and
down the deck, watching as they exc
cuted his bidding,
James Otis folded his arms and gaze6
over the sparkling wide crested swells tC
where New LOndOn's shore lay fair il
IN the distance. Only a few more mo
ments sight of world which seemed
dOuby beautiful now that he should 81
soon leave it forever. Death! AnC
such an ignOminiUus one! To fall fight
ing for his country-ah, that would b'
noble! But to hang at yard arm lik,
any criminal The purposes of hi
young manhood rose up before him lik
mocking ghosts of what might hav
been, He thought of farm on Con
necticut hillside where his childhood
had been spent, the old red house will
its two guarding buttonwood trees
Perhaps even now his mother was think
ing that her son might soon be home, o
was going down to the office in expecta
ton of "a letter from jamie" The re
calling of his bUyish name brought
blur to his eyes, and weakening TO
one instant of his resolution, But ne
far better that they should never lear
his fate than that he should return t
them a traitor to his country.
He could hear the men laughing an
joking as they knotted the hempe
cord
!, A gritty rebel, that, said one, noddin
d toward him,
| blN4 ANb, RlO"lt
!. another. These Yankees are all alike
e This one, contemptuousIy, has got off s
II slick twice before he probably think
e he'll slip out of this moose.
e Ha! hal it's slip moose, you know
. joked a third. But, by good KIN
! George, wish all the colonists in O
2 sure place,
: The men aloft came down to the decl
= The captain moved toward the prisoner
4 Even then one word could remove tn
r death menace of that swaying core
!, Would that word be spOkenI The cap
a tain's hand dropped heavily down o
!. the prisoners shoulder.
Is But with his grim Times up. Go fol
S ward there! cry OF Ship ahead cam
also. And bearing down upon theI
showed an enemy with guns griml
threatening,
To the guns, men. Not moment /
be lost, swore the captain. And in th
hurried preparation for immediate al
ton the prisoner was forgotten
BoomI boom challenged the brav
little American, who could only sho,
half the guns Of her adversary.
D BOoml boomi answered the Englis
C cruiser.
Spars began to fall and men dro
wounded as the iron mouths below tn
: starry flag kept up telling fire, but tn
e the heavier guns would soon disable th,
5 Yankee Doodle canoe as the captai
n ayerred with a string of blighting ad iec
/. tlves,
y A daring project flashed into the min
!. of James OtIs. At least he would ono
K more serve his country, and die in ii
r dong, rather than SWING from BIRTHS
II yard arm! None noticed as he slippe
Re TO the gangway, and presently in IL
.. dlmness of the hold Hash Of blue Iigl
" 4 revealed a slender snake like thin
ID reaching to the store of powder-the
E the flash was gone and tiny spark {
y fire crept along the coil
ne Unconscious of rapidly approachir
" doom the sturdy English seamen hurlt
X defiance at their foe, One OF the me
n, M rs he ran for more powder to the nea
re est supply saw dark object movir
u through the water away from the ca
n nonadIng cruiser.
a. Harkl above the din OF battle soundt
be an awful boom which seemed to roC
y! the oceans depth and sway the very al
Us Spars and hull fell splintered about Il
lr swimmer; shattered bodies shocked h
p sight, enc Of the massive cannons saI
M before him with hiss as the hot ire
n. cleft the water. And in place OF instal
na death TO which he had looked forwal
r. upon the great ships explosion, life vi
is, still his-he moved unhurt, preserved
ny by miracle.
I'd It was several moments before
-I...,II k.,,.aIF l. Ill 4
" horror OF 1t all was so strong upon hi
,eI When he did look the surprised Anne
re can ship was moving away, unconscio
nnyy that Que whose hand has destroy
q their enemy was still in e8istencei al
where the i'll fated cruiser had been on
a few light substances tiOated upon
ey shimmering water.
IN. Two miles before him rose the sho
,ar He was a good swimmer, and the d
tance rapidly lessened. But the il
strain on his nerves had been so ter
o,, that as he swan the sun seemed glari
by into his brain, and each stroke seem
to take heart beat from his s:reng
But there was only a half mile betwe
him and the shore-nQw only quar-
y, And slowly, more slowly he swan. 4
", glaEe of weakness before his eyes ma
II sky and water seem of a Orszen hl
90 Could he hold oul But here was
shore crowded with people who h
anxiously watched the battle betwe
the ships, wonderingly, thankfully sc
the British cruiser shivered all in a N
ment and the starry emblem of tn
country flutter safely away, Now
eyes were on the swimmer-there W,
surprised cries, questioning shouts.
ock Further up the shore TOwb, ats VI
a rs already rushing off to go to his aid,