CHAPTER XX
AT FORT PITT--RETURN HOME
Dave could do but little to comfort his cousin and if the truth be toldhe felt almost as sad as Henry, for little Nell, with her bright waysand sweet disposition, seemed more dear to his heart now than ever.
"It's certainly too bad, Henry," he said, after the interview with theIndian had come to an end. "We might follow down the Ohio, but if theyhave three days' start there is small hope of our catching up. They'llthink the English soldiers are after them and they'll push ahead just ashard as possible."
"Do you think General Forbes or Colonel Washington will go after them?"
Dave shook his head.
"No, General Forbes is too sick and winter is now at hand. He is certainto rest on his laurels."
So it proved. A small detachment was sent down the Ohio, and with thiswent our young soldiers and Sam Barringford. But this detachmentreturned to the fort three days later, having captured but threeIndians and one French trader, all of whom were found in a canoe toointoxicated to make good their escape.
The trader thus taken was named Varlette. He had once been attached toJean Bevoir's trading post. Dave knew the man, having met him when outgunning with Barringford.
From Varlette they gained the information that Jean Bevoir had been atFort Duquesne, having come in after the raid upon the homes of theMorrises, Uriah Risley and others. Some of Bevoir's bloodthirsty actshad been discountenanced by the French general in authority, and insomething of a rage Bevoir had taken himself off, with his Indianfollowers and their prisoners.
"Now it ees for him to become von vite chief of de Indians," saidVarlette. "Dat will suit heem, and will bring heem in von pot of money,for he vill make de vite peoples pay heem big money for de prisoners."
"The contemptible rascal!" cried Barringford. "Ef the rangers git holto' him they'll hang him higher nor the tail o' a kite, hear me!"
"He'll deserve hanging, if he misuses little Nell and the others,"returned Henry.
As soon as it was possible to do so, the fort was put in thoroughrepair, and the name was changed to Fort Pitt, in honor of the primeminister of England. To-day this ground is covered by the city ofPittsburg, with its gigantic iron and steel works. What a mighty changefrom the lonely forest lands of less than a hundred and fifty years ago!Then called the West, or the Western Country, Pittsburg is nowconsidered in the East. So has our country grown.
The fall of Fort Duquesne brought to a close the campaigns of 1758. Thetaking of this stronghold was hailed with delight by all the settlers inthis section of the colonies, and they hastened to re-possess themselvesof the homesteads which they had been forced to abandon during the twoor three years previous.
As soon as the victory at Fort Duquesne assured peace upon the frontierfor some time to come, Washington retired from the colonial troops andreturned to Mount Vernon, to the large estate left by his brother, andwhich now demanded his attention. It may be added here that soon afterthis he married Mrs. Custis, afterward known to all as the gentle andloving Martha Washington. This was Washington's last appearance on thescene of battle during the French and English War. When next he took upthe sword it was for American Independence.
It was not until early spring that Dave and Henry were released fromduty and marched with a number of the militia back to Winchester. Theircoming was hailed with delight by Mrs. Morris and the others, althoughall were downcast at the news that little Nell was still missing.
It was found that Joseph Morris was doing nicely and that Rodney wasfeeling better than ever. James Morris had been out to the homestead andhad already cut the timber for another cabin, to take the place of thatburned down.
"I also rounded up the most of our cattle and have all our horses and anew lot of chickens and pigs," said he. "So, although we have lost agood deal, we are not as bad off as we might be. The worst loss is thefurniture we brought here when we came, years ago. That came fromEngland and Germany and can't be replaced. But I'm reckoning on gettinga few fancy pieces for sister Lucy from Annapolis, so things will lookkind of homelike after awhile."
"Oh, James, you are very good!" cried Mrs. Morris. "But it won't be homeuntil Nell comes back to it."
A few weeks later found all the Morrises at the homestead, if such thespot can be called. The burned place had been carefully cleaned off byJames Morris, and a temporary shelter had been made of a new cattleshed. Here the family went to live while the men and the boys began theconstruction of the new cabin. Rodney could not do such hard work butkept himself busy with the cattle and the poultry; and thus severalweeks passed swiftly away.
Carpenter work pleased Dave and he was set at work making doors andwindow frames, and also several benches and a table or two, while theothers attended to the raising of the cabin frame and the roofing andside boarding. Soon the cabin was fit for use and they moved in, andthen Mr. James Morris made several trips to Winchester and one toAnnapolis, taking Henry along, to buy the hundred and one things whichwere needed and which had either been burnt up or carried off by theIndians and their French allies. In the meantime Mrs. Morris busiedherself in weaving a new rag carpet and toweling, and in making somenecessary clothing, for to buy many of these things was, in those days,out of the question. Then Dave and Henry went hunting and brought downseveral deer and a number of rabbits and foxes, and once, when out withSam Barringford, all three brought down a bear, and these skins were allproperly tanned and then used for bed coverings and rugs.
On his return from Annapolis James Morris brought news of a new campaignagainst the French.
"We are going in for the entire conquest of Canada," he said. "MajorGeneral Amherst has been put in command of all the British forces, andthe army is to be divided into three parts, one under Wolfe againstQuebec, another under Amherst himself against Ticonderoga and CrownPoint, and a third under General Prideaux, who is to march against FortNiagara."
"Hurrah!" shouted Henry, "I hope we take Niagara. If we do it will cutthe French entirely off from the Ohio and the Mississippi, and thisground will be safer than ever."
"Is Fort Niagara on the Niagara River?" questioned Mrs. Morris.
"It's located on the eastern bank of the river, just where that streamflows into Lake Ontario," replied her husband. "I understand it's afirst-class stronghold--a good sight better than Fort Duquesne was.General Prideaux will have no fool of a task reducing it."
"I don't see how he's going to get there, unless he starts from FortDuquesne and fights his way through the Indian lands," said Rodney. "Ifhe tries that he'll certainly have his hands full."
"No, he's not to go that way," was James Morris's answer. "He's going upto Albany first and from there through the Mohawk valley to Oswego. AtOswego, if everything is favorable, he will take his way westward toFort Niagara. They didn't say so, but I think he'll go by water fromOswego to Niagara. If he had the boats it would be the safest andquickest route."
"Is he going to take any rangers along?" questioned Dave, eagerly.
"Why, Dave, do you want to become a soldier again?" asked his father,turning to study his son's face.
"Yes, sir," was the prompt response. "I'll tell you why. So long asCanada remains unconquered just so long there is going to be troublehere and elsewhere. But once we show the French we are masters inAmerica we'll have no further fuss, either with them or with theIndians. I go in for settling the matter, and doing it thoroughly andright away, too."
"Gallinippers!" ejaculated Barringford, who stood by, oiling up hisflint-lock musket. "Dave, you're a reg'lar lawyer, hang me ef ye ain't!An' the argyment's right to the p'int, too. The Frenchers won't knowthey're beat until we lick 'em good an' hard, an' I go in fer doin' thelickin' right now. Then, arfter it's done, we kin set out an' plow, an'raise cattle, an' hunt an' trap in peace,--an' the Injun who wants toraise a sculp every ten minits now will sit on a tree stump an' smokehis pipe an' look on," and Barringford shook his head earnestly. "Ain'tno ust to talk," he went on. "It's like damming a stream--you d
am itabout half tight an' the fust lively rain will break the dam to bits;but you dam it good an' hard an' it will stick, no matter how hard itrains and by-an'-by the water will find out it's got to go a newway--an' the French an' Injuns will find they've got to leave theEnglish alone. I ain't much on eddication, but I kin figger thet out,an' so kin any man whose head is level;" and Barringford resumed his gunoiling.
James Morris had much to tell that night--of his many purchases, and ofthe war talk he had heard at Annapolis and other cities he had visited.He, too, was interested in the expedition against Fort Niagara, for hefelt that if the French power was broken in this direction he would beable to return to his trading post on the Kinotah without much fear ofmolestation from either French or Indians.
It was late that night when there came a sudden thumping on the cabindoor. All sprang to their feet in alarm, and each of the men and theboys reached for his firearm, which they were in the habit of havingclose at hand.
"Who is there?" demanded James Morris.
"It is I--Uriah Risley," came in the well-known voice of the Englishman."Let me in. I've good news."
At once the cabin door was unbarred and flung back. All crowded forward,to behold Uriah Risley outside, on horseback. Beside him, also onhorseback, was his wife, pale and thin, a mere shadow of her formerself, but still able to ride alone.
"Well, I declare, Caddy Risley!" screamed Mrs. Morris, and ran out togreet the woman. "Is it really you or your ghost?"
"'Tis really me," was the answer, "although I sometimes feel like aghost, I'm that thin."
"But mercy on us! Where have you been--with the Indians?"
"With them and with the French. I was with the Indians first--for manyweeks--and then some French soldiers rescued me. They turned me over tosome traders just before a battle with the English, and then the Indiansand some French under Jean Bevoir got hold of me. They took me upthrough the Mohawk valley to Lake Ontario, and there I met a lot ofother prisoners, your Nell with them."
"Nell!" the name came from several lips simultaneously.
"Yes, Nell and the Rose twins. They were with some Indians who are underBevoir's thumb."
"And what of Nell now?" asked Mrs. Morris quickly.
"I think she is still with the Indians. A French soldier came along oneday and carried me off in a canoe. He wanted to marry me, but I told himI was already married and then he set me ashore in the wilderness. Itramped for miles and miles, until I was so weary I could scarcely standand I was almost dying of starvation, when I fell in with some Germansettlers. They took me to Fort Stanwix and from there I was taken toAlbany, and finally made my way to Philadelphia, and then came on here.Uriah and I met at Winchester."
"Yes, and I nearly dropped dead from joy," put in the Englishman. "Itwas like getting her back from the grave. I could not at first believemy eyes. But it's really and truly my good wife, and I pray God we maynever be separated again," concluded Uriah Risley, reverently.