Revolutionary War on Wednesday (4 page)

The captain then turned and disappeared into the crowd.

“Good luck, Captain!” Jack called. He hoped he would never have to send the letter to the man's children.

Suddenly, Jack clutched the letter to his chest.

“
Send!
” he whispered.

This letter was the writing they'd been looking for—
something to send!
He and Annie could go home now! Their mission was over!

Jack shoved the captain's letter into his bag. Now he just had to find Annie.

As he looked around, he shivered.

“Where is she?” he muttered.

Jack started moving through the crowd, looking for Annie.

It was hard to see. The wind was blowing harder. The snow fell faster.

Jack started to panic.

“Annie!” he called.

As he wove quickly in and out of the crowd, he kept calling for her. None of the soldiers noticed him. They were all too busy.

Finally, Jack came to the river.

Through the lamplit mist, he saw soldiers waiting to get into the boats. Some had already climbed aboard.

“Jack!” came a cry.

Jack saw the figure of a small girl. She was sitting in the back of the biggest boat.

“No way,” he whispered.

Jack charged down to the boat. He stood at the edge of the water.

“What are you doing?” Jack shouted.

“This is George Washington's boat,” Annie said. “It's our big chance to spend time with him! We might not get another one.”

Jack looked at the other end of the huge boat. Through the mist and falling snow, he saw the commander-in-chief talking to his crew.

“We can't go with him,” said Jack. “We'll get in the way of his secret mission. Besides, we have
something to send
now!”

“What? How?” said Annie.

“A letter! The captain gave me his letter to take back to Frog Creek!” said Jack. “We're only supposed to send it if something bad happens to the captain. We can go home now!”

“Oh, can't we go a little later?” Annie asked.

Jack climbed into the boat to pull her out.

“No, come on,” he said, taking her hand.

Suddenly, the crew moved to the back of the boat, near Jack and Annie. The men grabbed their oars and started pushing the boat away from the shore.

“We're taking off,” said Annie.

“No! We have to get out!” Jack said to the rowers.

But the men were working too hard to pay attention. They were using their oars to hack up the ice at the edge of the river.

“Excuse me,” Jack said in a loud voice.

Just then, the boat jolted forward. Jack nearly lost his balance.

The boat broke through more ice. Rough waves sloshed against its sides.

“We have to go back!” said Jack.

“Too late,” said Annie.

They were headed across the Delaware River!

The huge boat rocked in the water. Giant chunks of ice smashed against its sides.

“Thanks
a lot
, Annie,” Jack whispered. He shivered in the snowy cold. “We're not supposed to go on their secret mission with them.”

“It's okay,” she whispered. “Maybe we can help George Washington.”

“Are you nuts?” Jack whispered. “We should be on our way home now.”

The boat hit a piece of ice. The boat bounced, then dipped into the river.

Jack clung to the wooden side. He hoped they wouldn't turn over.
Nobody could survive in this icy water
, he thought. It would be like sinking on the
TITANIC
.

The crew fought hard to keep the boat moving forward. They rowed past chunks of ice into a smoother part of the river.

Light from oil lamps shone on the water, making the ice chunks behind them glow like huge, glittering jewels.

Jack looked back. Other boats were following them. They were filled with soldiers, horses, and cannons.

“Where exactly are we going?” Annie whispered.

Jack shrugged. He reached into his bag and pulled out their Revolutionary War book.

By the dim lantern light in the boat, he searched through the book. He found a painting of General Washington crossing the Delaware River.

He showed the painting to Annie. They each read the caption silently:

“Yay! We won't have to send the captain's letter!” Annie exclaimed.

“Shh!” said Jack.

But George Washington turned around and looked back at Jack and Annie.

Oh, no,
Jack thought,
caught again
.

He closed his eyes, as if that would make him invisible.

“He's coming,” said Annie.

Jack looked up.

George Washington was making his way back toward them.

In the next moment, the commander-in-chief loomed above them like a giant shadow.

“Children?” he asked in a quiet, angry voice.

“Sorry,” Jack squeaked.

“Merry Christmas!” said Annie.

But George Washington did not say “Merry Christmas” back.

“What are you doing here?” George Washington asked. The commander-in-chief sounded furious.

“We made a mistake,” Jack said. “We—we didn't mean to come.”

George Washington turned to the rowers.

“Who let these children sneak aboard?” he asked in a stern voice.

The men looked at Jack and Annie with surprise.

“It's not their fault,” Annie said quickly. “They were working too hard to notice us.”

Just then, the boat banged against the ice. The ice cracked. The boat moved on, then bumped against the shore.

Two soldiers jumped out and pulled the boat up on the shore.

George Washington looked at Jack and Annie.

“This boat is returning to get more men,” he said. “When it does, you two will get out and stay on the other shore.”

“Yes, sir,” said Jack. He felt very embarrassed.

George Washington then gave orders to the rowers.

“Make sure these children do
not
board any other boats when you return,” he said.

The general stepped onto the riverbank.

The wind started to pick up. The snow fell harder. As the crew unloaded the boat, neither Jack nor Annie spoke.

Jack was miserable. They had caused trouble for George Washington—just when the general was trying to make America an independent nation.

Jack desperately wished he and Annie had gone home earlier.

They watched more and more boats land on the riverbank. As the soldiers unloaded their weapons and horses, a freezing rain began. Now rain, snow, and sleet fell together.

Jack heard George Washington call to one of his men.

“This storm is getting worse, Major!” the general said.

“Yes, sir!” the major said.

“I think we're in for a blizzard,” said Washington.

“Yes, sir! Our mission may be hopeless, sir,” said the major. “Should we call it off?”

“No, you shouldn't,” Jack whispered. “You're going to win.”

“Should we turn back, sir?” the major said.

“No, no!” said Annie.

She stood up. The boat rocked.

“Don't turn back, George Washington, sir!” she shouted. “You have to march on, sir! You have to attack the Hessians, sir!”

“Shh!” Jack tried to pull Annie back down. “We're not supposed to know about their secret mission!”

“How does she know our plans, Major?” George Washington asked.

“Listen to us, sir!” said Annie. “You're going to win!” She pulled away from Jack and jumped out of the boat.

“Annie!” Jack leaped onto the riverbank. He scrambled after Annie up the steep, icy slope.

“You have to lead your men, General Washington, sir!” Annie said. “The Hessians will be surprised! They think no army will be marching on a night like this!”

“How do you know all this?” the major shouted above the storm. “How do you know what the Hessians are doing and thinking?”

“I—I—” For once, Annie seemed at a loss for words.

“She just guessed!” said Jack.

Just then, the bearded soldier who had yelled at Jack earlier stepped forward.

“I saw this boy earlier,” he said. “He was writing things down.”

“No, I was just … ” Now Jack was at a loss for words.

“Seize them!” the major shouted. “They're spies!”

Jack grabbed Annie's hand.

“We're
not
spies!” he said.

He whirled around to face George Washington.

“General Washington, remember those words you said to your men?” Jack said. “You should believe them yourself, sir!”