THE PINE TREE BRIDGE.

Jed had arrived with his sharp axe. He had also brought with him a bill-hook, to clear away the underbrush on the verge of the chasm, so that it need not impede our movements when the decisive moment arrived. Jed and one of the large fellows soon cut the bushes down, but we did not remove them. They were piled up so as to form a screen to hide the operations on our side from the view of those on the bluff. They were so arranged that the fall of the pine tree would tumble them into the abyss, and leave everything clear, so that we could rush over before the enemy could gather on the other side to oppose our passage.

The occupants of High Bluff did not seem to be in the best of spirits. They had doubtless discovered the loss of our share of the muskets, and of the bridge materials. The boat by which Hacker had left the bluff was no longer available, and they could not help understanding that they were prisoners. In fact the tables were already turned. But we were confident that the election would not be neglected. If Major Tommy was convinced that his command were prisoners, he was equally well assured that our party could not disturb him without first laying down the bridge. Probably he thought it easy enough to prevent us from putting the timbers across the gully, as, indeed, it was.

Jed was already at work on the pine tree. It was exceedingly important to prevent the garrison on the bluff from knowing what was going on at this point; but the sound of the woodman’s axe in that locality was not a strange one. It need excite no suspicion. But we saw several of Tommy’s adherents making a critical examination to ascertain what our party were doing. The bushes effectually concealed the work from their gaze.

“Come, Skotchley, we must not take it too easily,” said Briscoe. “If those fellows should snuff what we are doing, they might spoil everything. You must make a demonstration where the bridge was.”

“I intended to do that at the right time,” I replied, looking at my watch. “It is about time now--half past eleven.”

“You are the engineer, captain. What do you intend to do?”

“I am going to commence laying that bridge just before twelve o’clock. I want about half the fellows. The other half will stand by the tree, and go over as soon as it falls. When they have crossed, we will all rush up and join you on the other side.”

“Jed has cut the tree more than half through, and a few clips on the other side will drop it.”

“All right.”

I took half the force, and marched down to the road. Half a dozen sentinels guarded the bluff on the other side at this point. It was evident that Tommy and Haven did not expect an attempt would be made to cross the chasm at any other place. I did not wonder at their conclusion, for it seemed quite impracticable for a party of boys to span the arm of the lake, where it varied from thirty to a hundred feet in width. Our entire force had taken their muskets, and so far we now stood upon an equality. Each could oppose bayonet to bayonet.

I halted my detail on the verge of the gully where the bridge had been removed. As soon as we appeared, Haven marched his portion of Company A down to the threatened quarter, and halted on the other side. I was not quite satisfied with this movement, for I wished Tommy to send his whole force to oppose my operation. I walked up to the edge of the chasm, and looked into it.

“What are you going to do now?” shouted Haven.

“You shall see pretty soon,” I replied, good-naturedly.

“Do you think of coming over here?”

“Well, I had thought of it.”

“All right. The major has informed you in regard to the terms upon which you can return to your duty--a general amnesty to all except commissioned officers.”

“He is very generous.”

“I think that he is fair. We are going to have the election over here at twelve o’clock precisely,” continued Haven, in taunting tones.

“I’m glad to hear it.”

“But are you not coming over to vote?”

“Perhaps we shall.”

“I guess not--unless you should come under arrest,” replied Haven, glancing into the ravine which yawned between us.

“Probably we shall be over to help you vote.”

“I don’t see it.”

“You forget that we have the bridge stuff on this side.”

“I should like to see you lay it down!”

“Should you? I don’t believe you are quite sincere, Haven. But we shall have a bridge in season to vote.”

“You must be in a hurry, then.”

“Then I think I won’t stop to talk any longer.”

“I think you had better not waste any more time, if you are coming over to vote. The polls will be closed at twenty minutes past twelve.”

“I suppose I can vote if I go over.”

“O, certainly!”

I directed a dozen of my working party to bring one of the string-pieces of the bridge to the chasm. We had secured the ropes with which the bridge had been removed, and I deliberately tied one end of it to the timber. The party on the other side watched my movements with intense interest. It was plain that Haven was not quite satisfied, and by no means as confident as he pretended to be. He knew that we had crossed the chasm in the night, and perhaps gave us credit for more skill than we actually possessed. I was pleased to see him send a messenger to the rear of his position; and, in a few moments, the other company, under command of Barnscott, marched down to reënforce him. At the same time Major Tommy appeared upon the ground. The little magnate consulted a few moments with Haven, and then retired. He seemed to be absorbed in another matter, which I concluded was the balloting for officers.

I could hardly conceal my satisfaction when I saw that the idlers in the vicinity of the pine tree had all been called away. Indeed, there was nothing to attract their attention at this time, for Jed had ceased chopping after he had prepared the tree on one side. I afterwards ascertained that none of Tommy’s party suspected the movement in the direction where it was really in progress. It was easier for them to believe that some farmer had come into the woods to get out a stick of timber for a special use than that our fellows intended to cross the gully in any such manner.

I ordered my party to drop one end of the string-piece into the chasm. I was promptly obeyed. This movement created great excitement on the other side. Haven rallied his force in readiness to prevent the stick from being landed on his territory.

“Out of the way, on the other side!” I shouted. “If this string-piece should hit you on the head, it might hurt you.”

“Let it come!” replied Haven. “We will take care of it.”

With the aid of the poles, we threw the upper end of the stick over to the other side of the chasm. The instant it touched the edge, Haven and his men tumbled it down into the abyss, precisely as I supposed he would do.

“Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!” shouted the adherents of Tommy Toppleton, satisfied that they had gained a decided victory.

“Throw us another of them!” called Haven, derisively.

“Don’t cry yet!” I replied. “We will have a bridge over in season to vote.”

“Over with it. I think we can throw the timbers down as fast as you can set them up.”

“Man the rope here, fellows,” I shouted to my party. “Work as though you were in real earnest! Heave ahead!”

Slowly, and with great difficulty, the end of the timber was pulled out of the chasm, and I prepared to make a new attempt. All of Tommy’s army was in front of me. The major was very busy. I saw him place a tin kettle on a rock, and station three sentinels before it. This, I soon ascertained, was the ballot-box, and the three sentinels were the committee to assort, count, and declare the vote. Bowles was one of them, and this fact did something to assure me that fair play would be had. It was our custom to vote for each officer on a separate ballot; and, of course, the first was for major. Tommy came down to the front, and announced that the polls were open.

“Bring in your ballot for major for the ensuing year!” shouted Haven, looking over to our side, as though the remark was addressed to us. “We can vote and fight at the same time.”

“All right! We are going right over,” I replied, as they tumbled the end of the timber into the gully a second time.

“The polls will be closed if you wait to lay this bridge,” retorted Haven, in excellent humor.

“You attend to your voting, and we will take care of the bridge.”

I again heard the vigorous blows of Jed’s axe, and I expected every moment to see the pine tree fall across the gulf. Our party were very much excited, and we worked at the timber with most deceptive zeal. We threw it over upon the other side, as we had done before.

“Stand by here!” shouted Haven. “Tumble it down, quick!”

And down it went into the gully. The party on the other side gave three more rousing cheers, to celebrate the third repulse of the stick.

“Why don’t you throw up your bridge!” screamed Haven, almost beside himself with excitement.

“Keep cool over there,” I replied, as calmly as I could. “There is no such word as fail.”

“I think there is--three such words! And there will be another when you throw that timber over again.”

“Try again! That’s our motto,” I answered, glancing at the top of the tall pine, which was tottering and ready to fall.

It shook a moment, and then came down with a heavy crash. Briscoe, with his drawn sword in his hand, was the first to cross the abyss. He was closely followed by the rest of his party. Before Tommy and his adherents could fairly understand what the matter was, our senior captain had formed his men in line, and presented a wall of bayonets to cover the advance of my party.

“There’s our bridge!” I cried to Haven, as I ordered my men to take their guns and hasten to the pine tree.

We followed Briscoe’s lead, and in a few moments our entire force was on High Bluff.

“Now give them three cheers, Briscoe, in answer to theirs,” I suggested; and they were given with a zeal becoming the victory we had won.