VI
We had been four months in Ogdensburg, waiting vainly for someprovocation to fight. Our own drilling was the only sign of war wecould see on either side of the river. At first many moved out ofthe village, but the mill was kept running, and after a little theybegan to come back. The farms on each side of the river looked aspeaceful as they had ever looked. The command had grown rapidly.Thurst Miles of my own neighborhood had come to enlist shortlyafter D'ri and I enlisted, and was now in my company.
In September, General Brown was ordered to the Western frontier,and Captain Forsyth came to command us. Early in the morning ofOctober 2, a man came galloping up the shore with a warning, sayingthat the river was black with boats a little way down. Some of usclimbed to the barracks roof, from which we could see and countthem. There were forty, with two gunboats. Cannonading beganbefore the town was fairly awake. First a big ball went over thehouse-tops, hitting a cupola on a church roof and sending bell andtimbers with a crash into somebody's dooryard. Then all over thevillage hens began to cackle and children to wail. People camerunning out of doors half dressed. A woman, gathering chips in herdooryard, dropped them, lifted her dress above her head, and ranfor the house. Unable to see her way, she went around in a widecircle for a minute or two, while the soldiers were laughing.Another ball hit a big water-tank on top of the lead-works. Ithurled broken staves and a big slop of water upon the housetops,and rolled a great iron hoop over roofs into the street below,where it rolled on, chasing a group of men, who ran for their livesbefore it. The attack was an odd sort of comedy all through, fornobody was hurt, and all were frightened save those of us who wereamused. Our cannon gave quick reply, and soon the British stoppedfiring and drew near. We knew that they would try to force alanding, and were ready for them. We drove them back, when theyput off, and that was the end of it.
Next came the fight on the ice in February--a thing not highlycreditable to us, albeit we were then but a handful and they weremany. But D'ri and I had no cause for shame of our part in it. Wewallowed to our waists in the snow, and it was red enough in frontof us. But the others gave way there on the edge of the river, andwe had to follow. We knew when it was time to run; we were neverin the rear rank even then. We made off with the others, althougha sabre's point had raked me in the temple, and the blood hadfrozen on me, and I was a sight to scare a trooper. Everybody ranthat day, and the British took the village, holding it onlytwenty-four hours. For our part in it D'ri got the rank ofcorporal and I was raised from lieutenant to captain. We made ourway to Sackett's Harbor, where I went into hospital for a month.
Then came a galling time of idleness. In June we went with GeneralBrown--D'ri and I and Thurst Miles and Seth Alexander and half adozen others--down the river to the scene of our first fighting atOgdensburg, camping well back in the woods. It was the evening ofthe 27th of June that the general sent for me. He was at themansion of Mr. Parish, where he had been dining. He was sitting inhis dress-suit. His dark side-whiskers and hair were brushedcarefully forward. His handsome face turned toward me with akindly look.
"Bell," said he, "I wish to send you on very important business.You have all the qualities of a good scout. You know the woods.You have courage and skill and tact. I wish you to startimmediately, go along the river to Morristown, then cut over intothe Black River country and deliver this letter to the Comte deChaumont, at the Chateau Le Ray, in Leraysville. If you see anysigns of the enemy, send a report to me at once. I shall be herethree days. Take Alexander, Olin, and Miles with you; they are allgood men. When your letter is delivered, report at the Harbor assoon as possible."
I was on the road with my party in half an hour. We were all goodhorsemen. D'ri knew the shortest way out of the woods in any partof the north country. Thurst had travelled the forest from Albanyto Sackett's Harbor, and was the best hunter that ever trod a trailin my time. The night was dark, but we rode at a gallop until wehad left the town far behind us. We were at Morristown beforemidnight, pounding on the door of the Red Tavern. The landlordstuck his head out of an upper window, peering down at us by thelight of a candle.
"Everything quiet?" I asked.
"Everything quiet," said he. "Crossed the river yesterday. Folksgo back 'n' forth 'bout the same as ever. Wife's in Elizabethtownnow, visiting."
We asked about the west roads and went on our way. Long beforedaylight we were climbing the steep road at Rossie to the inn ofthe Travellers' Rest--a tavern famous in its time, that stood halfup the hill, with a store, a smithy, and a few houses grouped aboutit, We came up at a silent walk on a road cushioned with sawdust.D'ri rapped on the door until I thought he had roused the wholevillage. At last a man came to the upper window. He, too,inspected us with a candle. Then he opened the door and gave us ahearty welcome. We put up our horses for a bite, and came into thebar.
"Anything new?" I inquired.
"They say the British are camped this side of the river, north ofus," said he, "with a big tribe of Injuns. Some of their cavalrycame within three miles of us to-day. Everybody scairt t' death."
He began to set out a row of glasses.
"What 'll ye hev?" he inquired.
"Guess I 'll tip a little blue ruin int' me," said D'ri, with ashiver; "'s a col' night."
Seth and I called for the same.
"An' you?" said the landlord, turning to Thurst.
"Wal," said the latter, as he stroked his thin beard, "when I tukthe pledge I swore et I hoped t' drop dead 'fore I see myself tekanother drink. I 'm jest goin' t' shet my eyes 'n' hold out myglass. I don' care what ye gi' me s' long es it's somethin'powerful."
We ate crackers and cheese while the landlord was telling of thewest roads and the probable location of the British. He stoppedsuddenly, peered over my shoulder, and blew out the candle. Wecould hear a horse neighing in the yard.
"Some one et the window," he whispered. Then he ran to the doorand drew the bolt. "Ain' much idee who 't is," he added, peeringout of the window. "By gosh! more 'n a dozen folks out here,soldiers tew, most uv 'em on horseback. Come quick."
We followed him upstairs, in the dark, as they began to pound thedoor. From the yard a light flashed up. They were evidentlybuilding a fire so that they would have better shooting if we cameout.
"May set the house afire," said the landlord.
He quickly unwound a big hose that ran up to a tank in the peakabove us.
"Plenty o' water?" D'ri whispered.
"Rivers uv it," said the landlord. "Tank's connected with thereservoir o' the lead-works on the hill up there. Big wooden pipecomes in the gable-end."
"Turn 'er on," said D'ri, quickly, "an' let me hev thet air hose."
The landlord ran up a ladder. D'ri stuck the hose out of thewindow. The stream shot away with a loud hiss. I stood by and sawthe jet of water leap forth as big as a pikestaff. A man went offhis horse, sprawling as if he had been hit with a club. The jetleaped quickly from one to another, roaring on man and beast.There was a mighty scurry. Horses went headlong down the hill,some dragging their riders. In the silence of the night, bedlamhad broken loose. The shouting men, the plunging horses, thestream of water roaring on rock and road, woke the village. Mencame running from behind the house to see what had happened, thenrushed after their horses. Some fell cursing as the water hitthem. The landlord put his mouth to my ear.
"Mek fer yer hosses," he hissed.
We were below-stairs and out of the door in a jiffy. Two men fledbefore us at the stable, scrambled over the fence, and wenttumbling downhill. We bridled our horses with all speed, leapedupon them, and went rushing down the steep road, our swords inhand, like an avalanche. They tried to stop us at the foot of thehill, but fell away as we came near. I could hear the snap oftheir triggers in passing. Only one pistol-shot came after us, andthat went high.
"Guess their ammunition 's a leetle wet," said D'ri, with a shoutthat turned into laughter as we left the British behind us.
A party of four or five mounted and gave chase; but our powder wasa bit drier than theirs, and for a time we raked the road with ourbullets. What befell them I know not, I only know that they heldup and fell out of hearing.
Crossing a small river at daylight, we took the bed of it, makingour way slowly for half a mile or so into the woods. There webuilt a fire, and gave the horses half the feed in our saddle-bags,and ate our mess on a flat rock.
"Never hed no sech joemightyful time es thet afore," said D'ri, ashe sat down, laughing, and shook his head. "Jerushy Jane! Did n'twe come down thet air hill! Luk slidin' on a greased pole."
"Comin' so luk the devil they did n't dast git 'n er way," saidThurst.
"We wus all rippin' th' air 'ith them air joemightyful big sabres,tew," D'ri went on. "Hed a purty middlin' sharp edge on us. Stuckout luk a haystack right 'n' left."
He began bringing wood as he sang the chorus of his favoriteballad:--
Li toorul I oorul I oorul I ay, etc.
Thurst knew a trail that crossed the river near by and met theCaraway Pike a few miles beyond. Having eaten, I wrote a despatchto be taken back by Thurst as soon as we reached the pike. Pastten o'clock we turned into a rough road, where the three of us wentone way and Thurst another.
I rode slowly, for the horses were nearly fagged. I gave them anhour's rest when we put up for dinner. Then we pushed on, comingin sight of the Chateau Le Ray at sundown. A splendid place itwas, the castle of gray stone fronting a fair stretch of woodedlawn, cut by a brook that went splashing over rocks near by, andsent its velvet voice through wood and field. A road of finegravel led through groves of beech and oak and pine to a grassyterrace under the castle walls. A servant in livery came to meetus at the door, and went to call his master. Presently a tall,handsome man, with black eyes and iron-gray hair and mustache, camedown a path, clapping his hands.
"Welcome, gentlemen! It is the Captain Bell?" said he, with amarked accent, as he came to me, his hand extended. "You come fromMonsieur the General Brown, do you not?"
"I do," said I, handing him my message.
He broke the seal and read it carefully.
"I am glad to see you--ver' glad to see you!" said he, laying hishands upon my shoulders and giving me a little shake.
Two servants went away with D'ri and Seth and the horses.
"Come, captain," said my host, as he led the way. "You are in goodtime for dinner."
We entered a great triangular hall, lighted by wide windows abovethe door, and candelabra of shining brass that hung from its highceiling. There were sliding doors of polished wood on each side ofit. A great stairway filled the point of the triangle. I wasshown to my room, which was as big as a ball-room, it seemed to me,and grandly furnished; no castle of my dreams had been quite sofine. The valet of the count looked after me, with offers of newlinen and more things than I could see use for. He could not speakEnglish, I remember, and I addressed him in the good French mymother had taught me.
The kind of life I saw in this grand home was not wholly new to me,for both my mother and father had known good living in their youth,and I had heard much of it. I should have been glad of a newuniform; but after I had had my bath and put on the new shirt andcollar the valet had brought me, I stood before the long pier-glassand saw no poor figure of a man.
The great dining-hall of the count was lighted with many candleswhen we came in to dinner. It had a big fireplace, where logs wereblazing, for the night had turned cool, and a long table with a bigepergne of wrought silver, filled with roses, in its centre. Agreat silken rug lay under the table, on a polished floor, and thewalls were hung with tapestry. I sat beside the count, andopposite me was the daughter of the Sieur Louis Francois deSaint-Michel, king's forester under Louis XVI. Therese, thehandsome daughter of the count, sat facing him at the farther endof the table, and beside her was the young Marquis de Gonvello. M.Pidgeon, the celebrated French astronomer, Moss Kent, brother ofthe since famous chancellor, the Sieur Michel, and the Baroness deFerre, with her two wards, the Misses Louise and Louison deLambert, were also at dinner. These young ladies were the mostremarkable of the company; their beauty was so brilliant, sofascinating, it kindled a great fire in me the moment I saw it.They said little, but seemed to have much interest in all the talkof the table. I looked at them more than was polite, I am sure,but they looked at me quite as often. They had big, beautifulbrown eyes, and dark hair fastened high with jewelled pins, andprofiles like those of the fair ladies of Sir Peter Lely, so finelywere they cut. One had a form a bit fuller and stronger than theother's, but they were both as tall and trim as a young beech, withlips cherry-red and cheeks where one could see faintly the glow oftheir young blood. Their gowns were cut low, showing the gracefullines of neck and shoulder and full bosom. I had seen prettygirls, many of them, but few high-bred, beautiful young women.The moment I saw these two some new and mighty force came into me.There were wine and wit a-plenty at the count's table, and otherthings that were also new to me, and for which I retained perhapstoo great a fondness.
The count asked me to tell of our journey, and I told the storywith all the spirit I could put into my words. I am happy to sayit did seem to hit the mark, for I was no sooner done with ouradventure than the ladies began to clap their hands, and the Missesde Lambert had much delight in their faces when the baroness retoldmy story in French.
Dinner over, the count invited me to the smoking-room, where, in acorner by ourselves, I had some talk with him. He told me of hisfather--that he had been a friend of Franklin, that he had given aship and a cargo of gunpowder to our navy in '76. Like others Ihad met under his roof, the count had seen the coming of the Reignof Terror in France, and had fled with his great fortune. He hadinvested much of it there in the wild country. He loved America,and had given freely to equip the army for war. He was, therefore,a man of much influence in the campaign of the North, and no doubtthose in authority there were instructed, while the war was on, totake special care of his property.
"And will you please tell me," I said at length, "who are theMisses de Lambert?"
"Daughters of a friend in Paris," said the count. "He is a greatphysician. He wishes not for them to marry until they aretwenty-one. Mon Dieu! it was a matter of some difficulty. Theywere beautiful."
"Very beautiful!" I echoed.
"They were admired," he went on. "The young men they began to maketrouble. My friend he send them here, with the baroness, tostudy--to finish their education. It is healthy, it is quiet,and--well, there are no young gentlemen. They go to bed early;they are up at daylight; they have the horse; they have boats; theyamuse themselves ver' much. But they are impatient; they long forParis--the salon, the theatre, the opera. They are like prisoners:they cannot make themselves to be contented. The baroness she hasher villa on a lake back in the woods, and, mon ame! it isbeautiful there--so still, so cool, so delightful! At present theyhave a great fear of the British. They lie awake; they listen;they expect to be carried off; they hear a sound in the night, and,mon Dieu! it is the soldiers coming."
The count laughed, lifting his shoulders with a gesture of bothhands. Then he puffed thoughtfully at his cigarette.
"Indeed," he went on presently, "I think the invasion is not faraway. They tell me the woods in the north are alive with Britishcavalry. I am not able to tell how many, but, Dieu! it is enough.The army should inform itself immediately. I think it is betterthat you penetrate to the river to-morrow, if you are not afraid,to see what is between, and to return by the woods. I shalltrouble you to take a letter to the General Brown. It will beready at any hour."
"At six?" I inquired.
"At six, certainly, if you desire to start then," he replied.
He rose and took my arm affectionately and conducted me to the bigdrawing-room. Two of the ladies were singing as one played theguitar. I looked in vain for the Misses de Lambert. The otherswere all there, but they had gone. I felt a singular depression
attheir absence and went to my room shortly to get my rest, for I hadto be off early in the morning. Before going to bed, however, Isat down to think and do some writing. But I could not for thelife of me put away the thought of the young ladies. They lookedalike, and yet I felt sure they were very different. Somehow Icould not recall in what particular they differed. I sat a timethinking over it. Suddenly I heard low voices, those of womenspeaking in French; I could not tell from where they came.
"I do wish she would die, the hateful thing!" said one. (It mustbe understood these words are more violent in English than theyseem in French.)
"The colonel is severe to-night," said another.
"The colonel--a fine baroness indeed--vieille tyran! I cannot loveher. Lord! I once tried to love a monkey and had better luck.The colonel keeps all the men to herself. Whom have I seen for ayear? Dieu! women, grandpapas, greasy guides! Not a young mansince we left Paris."
"My dear Louison!" said the other, "there are many things betterthan men."
"Au nom de Dieu! But I should like to know what they are. I havenever seen them."
"But often men are false and evil," said the other, in a sweet, lowvoice.
"Nonsense!" said the first, impatiently. "I had rather elope witha one-legged hostler than always live in these woods."
"Louison! You ought to cross yourself and repeat a Hail Mary."
"Thanks! I have tried prayer. It is n't what I need. I am no nunlike you. My dear sister, don't you ever long for the love of aman--a big, handsome, hearty fellow who could take you up in hisarms and squeeze the life out of you?"
"Eh bien," said the other, with a sigh, "I suppose it is very nice.I do not dare to think of it."
"Nice! It is heaven, Louise! And to see a man like that and notbe permitted to--to speak to him! Think of it! A young andhandsome man--the first I have seen for a year! Honestly I couldpoison the colonel."
"My dear, it is the count as much as the colonel. She is under hisorders, and he has an eagle eye."
"The old monkey! He enrages me! I could rend him limb from limb!"
I could not help hearing what they said, but I did not think itquite fair to share their confidence any further, so I went to oneof the windows and closed a shutter noisily. The voices must havecome from a little balcony just under my room.
"My dear sister, you are very terrible," said one of them, and thenthe shutter came to, and I heard no more.
A full moon lighted the darkness. A little lake gleamed likesilver between the tree-tops. Worn out with hard travel, I fellinto bed shortly, and lay a long time thinking of those youngladies, of the past, of to-morrow and its perils, and of thefarther future. A new life had begun for me.