Tom of the Raiders | Page 4

"I'm sorry about your ankle," Tom said weakly. "With a chance like
that!" He whistled, and leaned back, with his hands clasped around a
knee, gazing steadfastly at the roof of the tent. Bert rested his chin in
his hands and sat silently, looking at him. Tom's eyes narrowed and his
fingers tightened until they were white.
"Bert...." he began, then stopped.

"Yes?"
Their eyes met. Tom leaned forward and clutched his cousin's arm. "Do
you think, Bert, that Captain Moffat would let me go in your place?"
"I don't know," answered Bert. "But we can ask. Asking won't do any
harm."
"Will you ask him? Will you really?"
"Do you want to go? Without knowing any more about it than that?"
"More than anything else in the world. Do you think he will let me go,
Bert? Tell him that I'm not afraid--that I can be trusted to carry out
orders. You know I can do it, don't you, Bert?"
"Yes, I know you can do it. And I thought that you'd probably want to
do it. That's why I disobeyed orders and told you. I wanted to give you
the chance to volunteer."
"I wonder if the Captain'll just laugh and say that I'm a raw recruit."
"The Captain isn't that kind of man," answered Bert. "He doesn't laugh
at a fellow just because he wants to do something. And about being a
raw recruit.... It's my opinion that he'd rather send a recruit, if he's a
good man, than a trained soldier. Trained soldiers are too scarce. He
was willing to let me go because I volunteered months ago for any
expedition that was to be sent out. When the call came for a man from
each company, he called me into his tent, and just told me that I was
going. Of course, a man doesn't have to go. It's for volunteers only.
You know what it might mean if you got caught?"
"That we'd be held as spies. And perhaps...?"
"Yes."
They were silent for a moment.
"Will you ask the Captain now?" demanded Tom.

"You go on up to his tent and ask him if he'll come down here for a
minute," said Bert. "You're absolutely positive that you want to go?
You wouldn't rather have me wait until tomorrow while you think it
over?"
"No! Ask him now, before he decides on someone else!"
Tom clapped his cousin on the shoulder, hurried out of the tent and up
the company street.
CHAPTER TWO
THE RAIDERS START
"Come with me," said Captain Moffat, as he emerged from Bert
Brewster's tent. Tom had been waiting outside, while Bert and the
Captain were talking. He had recognized several men from Cleveland
in the company and had tried to carry on a conversation with them. But
conversation was impossible. His mind was too full of hopes and plans
to recall the news from home. Now, as he walked up the company
street, he wondered what the Captain was thinking. Would he be
allowed to take Bert's place? He hazarded a glance at the Captain's face,
but he could find no answering expression there--always the same stern
mask, from which black eyes flashed. Tom could feel his heart
pounding as they entered the Captain's tent.
"Sit down," said Captain Moffet, pointing to a box. He called his
messenger. "I don't want to be disturbed for a few minutes."
"Very good, sir," answered the messenger. He stationed himself a few
yards in front.
"It strikes me," the Captain said, as he sat in a folding chair directly
before Tom, "that you are entirely too young to be sent out on such an
expedition as this. But I like to know that you volunteer for it. It gives
me a comfortable feeling to have men in my company who are always
ready for anything that comes up, who are perpetual volunteers for the
dangerous jobs."

Tom felt his heart sink. Then he wasn't to be allowed to go! This was
simply a nice way of telling him that he couldn't!
"But, Captain," he said explosively, "I'd rather do this than anything
else on earth. I am young--I'll admit that--but that'll make me all the
more valuable. If it comes to carrying messages, I can run for miles
without stopping. Why, I can move faster and fight harder just because
I am young! Please give me the chance!"
The Captain looked at him narrowly. "You really want to go, don't
you?"
"Yes!" Tom almost shouted.
"All right," said the Captain, rising from his chair. "You are going."
Tom wanted to thank him, but he was speechless. "You will hold
yourself in readiness for orders." The Captain had become the quiet,
stern military man again. "You will let it be known that you are here