Of course Sam had no real military authority, and he did not for a moment suppose that his little band of boys would be recognized as a company or he as a captain, on their arrival at Camp Jackson; but they had agreed to march under Sam's command, and he knew how to exercise authority, even when it was held by so loose a tenure as that of mere agreement among a lot of boys.
We now come back to the drift-pile.

When Jake had carefully hidden Sam's boots, as he supposed, deep within the recesses of the great pile of logs and brush and roots, he began groping his way back toward the entrance.

It was pitch dark of course, but by walking slowly and feeling his way carefully, he managed to follow the passage way.

Just as he began to think that he must be pretty nearly out of the den, however, he came suddenly upon an obstruction.

Feeling about carefully he found that the passage in which he stood had come to an abrupt termination.