Revolutionary War on Wednesday - Mary Pope Osborne [5]
“Yes, sir,” said Jack.
“You must only send it if you hear that we have failed in our mission and many patriots were lost,” said the captain.
“Yes, sir,” said Jack.
The captain handed his letter to Jack.
“I copied the general’s speech for my children,” the captain said. “If anything bad happens to me, I hope those words will give them courage.”
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,