They passed the main encampment of the British, as they went to the
beach, and the patriot youth thought that the British would be hard to
defeat, with such a strong army.

"There must be fifteen or twenty thousand soldiers there" was his
estimate.

Soon the little party was at the beach, and getting into the old
row-boat, the soldiers rowed out to the hulk furthest north, and
assisted Tom to the deck. Here they found a British soldier on guard.

"What have you got there, comrades?" this soldier asked, looking at
Tom in surprise.

"Another prisoner, Hawkins. He is only a boy, but the general is of
the opinion that he is a rebel spy, so down he goes into the hold with
the rest of the rebels."

"All right; down with him. But I wouldn't think the rebels would send
out such a young one to do spy-work."

"Well, the general thinks he's a spy, and that settles it."

"It certainly does so far as I am concerned. Down with him."

The hatch was opened, and Tom was assisted down the ladder to the
bottom of the hold, and then leaving him there, with his hands still
tied together behind his back, the soldiers mounted the ladder and put
the hatch in place, leaving Tom in complete darkness.