CHAPTER IX.
A few days longer the "Dolphin" kept on her eastward course, then washeaded for the shore of Massachusetts, bound for Boston, where Mr.Keith must leave her, his furlough having now nearly expired. He andhis cousins would be sorry to part; but there was no help for it, asUncle Sam's orders must be obeyed.
The young folks of the party had particularly enjoyed the little tripout to sea, but expected to find a sail along the coast of the NewEngland States quite as much to their taste, particularly as it wouldgive them an opportunity to look upon some of the scenes of incidentsin the two wars with England.
They had come in sight of the coast and were all gathered upon the deck.
"That is Scituate, is it not, Captain?" asked Grandma Elsie, indicatinga town that had just come into view.
"Yes," he replied, "and I presume you remember the story of the lastwar with England, connected with it?"
"I do," she answered; "but I presume it would be new to some at leastof these young people."
Then entreaties for the story poured in upon her and the Captain fromboth boys and girls.
"It is but a short one; and I would prefer to have the Captain tellit," Mrs. Travilla replied.
"Oh, Papa, please do!" exclaimed Lulu; and he complied.
"It was, as I have said, during the last war with England that theoccurrence I am about to tell of took place. At that time there was alight-house in the harbour kept by a man named Reuben Bates, who had afamily of grown-up sons and daughters.
"He and his sons were members of a militia company of the town, and oneday during the war they were all absent from home on that business,leaving the light-house in charge of the daughters, Abigail and Rebecca.
"The girls, who were no doubt keeping a vigilant watch for the approachof the enemy, saw a British ship entering the harbour, and conjecturedthat it was the design of those on board of her to destroy thefishing-boats in the harbour and perhaps burn the town, or at least robits inhabitants.
"They must have been brave girls, for at once they began to considerwhat they could do to drive away the would-be invaders.
"I presume Abigail exclaimed, 'Oh, if we could only make them thinkthere were troops ready to defend the town, and so frighten themaway!' And very likely Rebecca replied, 'Perhaps we can. If you canplay the fife, I'll beat the drum; and if we are hidden from sight theymay think there are troops ready to receive them if they come ashore,and so be afraid to land.'
"So they went around behind some sand-hills and played 'Yankee Doodle'in a lively way that had exactly the desired effect.
"The British ship had sent out boats filled with armed men who werepulling for the shore; but on hearing the music of the drum and fife,they evidently concluded that there might be a large force of Americansoldiers ready to receive them, and thinking 'discretion the betterpart of valour,' turned about and pulled back to their ship againwithout attempting to land."
"Oh, wasn't that good?" exclaimed Lulu; "I think the fathers andbrothers of those girls must have been proud of them."
"Yes, I dare say they were," said Max.
"I wonder what became of them--those girls--afterward?" said Rosie. "Ofcourse they must have been dead and gone long before this."
"No," replied the Captain, "Abigail died only recently at the advancedage of eighty-nine."
"Papa, won't you stay awhile in Boston and take us to see some ofthe places connected with Revolutionary times,--Bunker Hill and itsmonument, and maybe some others?" asked Max.
"I shall be pleased to do so, my son, if nothing happens to prevent,"was the pleasant-toned reply. "It is my strong desire to have mychildren well-informed in regard to the history of their own country."
"And ardent patriots too, Papa, ready to defend her to the utmost oftheir ability should she be attacked by any other power?" queried Max,looking smilingly up into his father's face.
"Yes, my son; particularly the boys," replied the Captain, smiling inhis turn at the lad's enthusiasm.
"Well, there's one of your girls that I am sure would find a wayto help, Papa,--nursing the wounded soldiers perhaps, or carryingdespatches or something," said Lulu; "perhaps giving information of anintended attack by the enemy, as Lydia Darrah did."
"I have no doubt you would do all you could, daughter, and mightperhaps be of more assistance than many a man," her father answeredkindly.
"I'm afraid I shouldn't be brave enough to do such things as that,"remarked Grace, with a look that seemed to say she felt herself quiteinferior to her braver sister; "but I could pray for my country, andI know that God hears and answers prayer,--so that would be helping,wouldn't it, Papa?"
"Yes, my dear child; the Bible tells us a great deal about the power ofprayer; 'Call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, andthou shalt glorify Me,' is one of its promises."
"Yes," said Grandma Elsie, "a cry to God, the Ruler of the universe,for help, may accomplish more than any effort on the part of man to dofor himself."
"But people must help themselves too, Mamma?" Walter said, half inassertion, half inquiringly.
"Yes, my son, if they can; 'Faith without works is dead,' the Apostlesays. The right way is to do all we can to help ourselves, at the sametime asking God's blessing upon our efforts."
"As General Washington did," remarked Mr. Keith. "He was a man of bothworks and prayer,--a blessing to his country, and to the world; in myestimation the greatest mere man that ever lived. 'First in peace,first in war, first in the hearts of his countrymen.'"
"Yes," assented Grandma Elsie, "I like the toast given by some one,--Ihave forgotten who it was,--'Washington: Providence left him childlessthat his country might call him father.' He seems to me to have been asnearly perfect as one of the sinful race of man could be!"
"Yes," responded Captain Raymond; "thoroughly unselfish, just,generous, modest, self-denying and self-sacrificing, charitable to thepoor, forgiving, fearless and heroic; a God-fearing man who soughtnothing for himself, but was ready to do or die for his country;true to her, to his friends, to his God; a sincere and earnestChristian,--where can a more noble character be found?"
"I think," said Mrs. Travilla, "he was an instrument raised up andprepared of God for the work that he did in securing to our belovedcountry the liberties she now enjoys."
"I very much like what Lord Brougham says of him," remarked Violet.
"Oh, can you repeat it, Mamma Vi?" queried Lulu, eagerly.
"Yes, I think I can," returned Violet, who was blessed with anexcellent memory.
"'It will be the duty of the historian and sage in all ages to letno occasion pass of commemorating this illustrious man; and untiltime shall be no more, will a test of the progress which our race hasmade in wisdom and virtue be derived from the veneration paid to theimmortal name of Washington!'"
"I like that," said Rosie, her eyes sparkling with pleasure andenthusiasm, "and it's none the worse for having come from anEnglishman."
"Not a bit," assented Keith.
"Mamma, was Washington commander at the battle of Bunker Hill?" askedWalter. "I ought to know; but I can't remember just now."
"No, my son," she answered, "it was fought before he reachedBoston,--in fact, the very day, June 17, that Congress agreed tohis commission as commander-in-chief of all the Continental forcesraised, or to be raised; and on the 21st he set out on horseback fromPhiladelphia for Boston to take command of the American army encampedthere,--or rather around it, the British being in possession of thetown itself. News did not fly then as it does in these days, by anymeans; and it was not till he arrived in New York, on the 25th, thatthe tidings reached him.
"The next day he was in the saddle again, pushing on toward the sceneof conflict. He reached Cambridge on the 2d of July, and the next daytook command of the army, drawing his sword under an ancient elm."
"Why, just think!" exclaimed Walter, "it took him nearly two weeks totravel from Philadelphia to Boston, while now we could do it in lessthan two days. No wonder it took
so long to fight the British and drivethem out of our country!"
"I think we'd do it in less than half that time now," said Max. "Wecould move so much faster, besides raising a great deal bigger army;to say nothing of the navy, that I believe has done better in everyone of our wars than the land forces. I remember to have read thatthe army Washington took command of then consisted of only seventeenthousand men, only fourteen thousand five hundred of them fit for duty;that they were without needed supplies of tents or clothing or as muchas nine cartridges to a man."
"Yes; it's a wonder Washington wasn't completely discouraged," remarkedEvelyn. "I think he surely would have been if he had not put his trustin God and the righteousness of our country's cause."
"No doubt it was that which strengthened him for the long and arduousstruggle," said Mrs. Travilla. "Washington was, as I said a momentsince, a man of prayer; he looked to God for help in the hour of hiscountry's sorest need, and surely his prayers were heard and answered."
"Yes, Mamma," said Rosie; "I remember reading that he would go intothe woods to pray privately for his bleeding country and his sufferingsoldiers; that some one happened to see him alone there in prayer withthe tears coursing down his cheeks. Oh, it's no wonder that with such aleader and in so righteous a cause, our arms were victorious in spiteof the fearful odds against us!"
"And it was God who gave us such a leader," responded her mother, "andgave him wisdom and courage for his work, and final success in carryingit on to the desired end."
"Wasn't he a member of the Continental Congress before his election ascommander-in-chief of the armies?" asked Rosie.
"Yes," replied her mother. "So was Patrick Henry; and he, when askedwhom he considered the greatest man in that body, replied, 'If youspeak of eloquence, Mr. Rutledge, of South Carolina, is by far thegreatest orator; but if you speak of solid information and soundjudgment, Colonel Washington is unquestionably the greatest man on thatfloor.'"
"How long did Washington stay there close to Boston, Papa?" askedGracie.
"He carried on the siege for eight months, then on the 17th of March,1776, succeeded in driving the British away."
"Then did he take possession of the town and stay there awhile?"
"He stayed until April, then went to New York, reaching there on the13th. Soon after he went to Philadelphia to confer with Congress, thenback to New York.
"While he was there anxiously awaiting an attack from the British, theDeclaration of Independence, just passed by Congress, was sent him.The troops were quickly paraded, and the Declaration read at the headof the army.
"In the orders of the day Washington said to the troops, 'The Generalhopes that this important event will serve as a fresh incentive toevery officer and soldier to act with fidelity and courage, as knowingthat the peace and safety of his country depend, under God, solely onthe success of our arms.'
"But I cannot tell you now the whole story of Washington's services tohis country in the war for independence, to say nothing of all that hedid for her afterward."
"I think we will read about it after we go home to Woodburn," theCaptain said.
"Frederick the Great was a great admirer of Washington," remarked Mr.Keith. "He is said to have pronounced Washington's masterly movementson the Delaware the most brilliant achievements recorded in militaryannals. And Lossing tells us of a portrait of himself which Fredericksent to Washington accompanied by the very gratifying words, 'From theoldest general in Europe to the greatest general in the world.' As formyself, I must say that I think Washington's success, in spite of allthe difficulties and discouragements he had to encounter, was somethingmost wonderful, and was given him in answer to prayer, and because heput his trust in God and looked to Him for wisdom and for help."
"He was certainly one of the most unselfish of men," remarked Violet."What other man would have refused with scorn and indignation, as hedid, the suggestion that his army would like to make him a king?"
"Oh, did they want to make him king, and tell him so?" asked Gracie.
"Yes; didn't you know that?" returned Lulu.
"Papa, won't you tell about it?" Grace asked, turning to her father.
"I will, daughter," he answered in a kindly, affectionate tone, andtaking in his the hand she had laid upon his knee.
"The battle of Yorktown, which practically secured the independence ofour country, was fought in October, 1781, but the treaty of peace wasnot signed till Jan. 20, 1783; so our armies were not disbanded, andofficers and soldiers were sorely tried by their pay being delayed,and feared, not without reason, that they might be disbanded withoutCongress making proper provision for meeting their just claims.
"Some of the officers began to doubt the efficiency of the Government,and of all republican institutions, and talked among themselves as towhether it might not be better to establish a monarchy instead; andat length one of them was deputed to confer with Washington on thesubject.
"He did so,--it seems in writing,--and even ventured to suggest for himthe title of king.
"But, as you have just heard, Washington rebuked the writer severely,saying he was at a loss to conceive what part of his conduct couldhave given encouragement to an address that seemed to him big withthe greatest mischiefs that could befall his country; that if he wasnot deceived in the knowledge of himself, they could not have found aperson to whom their schemes were more disagreeable.
"He also conjured the writer, if he had any regard for his country,concern for himself or posterity, or respect for him, to banish thesethoughts from his mind, and never communicate a sentiment of such anature from himself or any one else."
"Did they give it up then, Papa?" Gracie asked.
"Nothing more was ever said about making Washington king," he answered;"but the next December they sent to Congress a memorial on the subjectof their pay. A resolution was adopted by that body, but such as didnot satisfy the complainants. Then a meeting of officers was arrangedfor; and anonymous addresses, commonly known as the Newburg addresses,were sent out to rouse the army to resentment.
"Washington insisted on attending the meeting, and delivered animpressive address.
"He had written down what he wished to say, and after reading the firstparagraph paused to put on his spectacles, saying most touchingly, ashe did so, that he had grown gray in the service of his country, andnow found himself growing blind.
"He then went on to read a most noble paper which he had prepared forthe occasion. In it he acknowledged the just claims of the army againstthe Government, and assured them that they would not be disregarded;then he entreated them 'to express their utmost horror and detestationof the man who wishes, under any specious pretences, to overturnthe liberties of our country, and who wickedly attempts to open thefloodgates of civil discord and deluge our rising empire in blood.'
"Then, having finished his address, he retired from the meeting; butresolutions were at once offered by General Knox, seconded by GeneralPutnam and adopted by the meeting, agreeing with all he had said andreciprocating his expressions of esteem and affection. They wererelieved of their doubts and fears and restored to their wonted lovefor their country."
"Oh, that was nice, Papa!" exclaimed Gracie, her cheeks flushing andher eyes shining. "How good and great our Washington was! It seems tome we would never have got free from Great Britain if we hadn't had himto help."
"Yes: it does seem very doubtful," her father replied. "As GrandmaElsie has said, God seems to have raised up and prepared him for thatvery work."
"And how soon after that was the war really over, Papa?"
"The treaty of peace was signed in Paris on the 20th of January, 1783,as I remarked a moment since; but as it took a long while in those daysfor people and news to cross the ocean, it was not till the 17th of thefollowing April that Washington received the proclamation of Congressfor the cessation of hostilities. Then on the 19th--which, as you mayremember, was the eighth anniversary of the battle of Lexington, theopening conflict of the war--the cessation was proc
laimed at the headof every regiment."
"What joyful news it must have been to the poor, weary soldiers!" saidViolet. "I trust their hearts were full of gratitude to God, who hadprospered the right in spite of the fearful odds against those who werebattling for it."
"Yes," returned her husband; "and no heart could have been morethankful than that of the commander-in-chief, who said in the generalorders, 'The chaplains of the several brigades will render thanks toAlmighty God for all His mercies, particularly for His overruling thewrath of man to His own glory, and causing the rage of war to ceaseamong the nations.'"
"What a good, good Christian man Washington was, Papa!" exclaimedGracie.
"And yet he had enemies; and there are still some among his owncountrymen who are far from appreciating him,--can even speak evil ofhim. But even our Lord Jesus Christ had enemies and detractors--bitterand implacable foes--among his own countrymen; and 'the servant is notgreater than his Lord,'" was the Captain's reply.
"Yes, Papa, I remember that Washington had enemies,--Gates for one, andthat infamous Conway for another," said Max. "How glad I was to read ofthe Continental Congress accepting the resignation he offered in a fitof anger, so that he had to leave the army for good, though he didn'twant to!"
"I think it was for good, Max," remarked Mr. Keith, with a slightlyamused smile,--"for the good of the country, though perhaps not forhis own. Conway was a man America was well rid of; and the same may beas truly said of Charles Lee. What would have become of our libertieshad that infamous cabal succeeded in getting the command taken fromWashington and given to any one of themselves!"