CHAPTER IV.
At the garrison mess-table that evening the occurrences of the daynaturally formed a chief topic of conversation; and a variety ofconjectures, more or less probable, regarding the American lady, werehazarded by the officers to some of whom she had become an object ofcuriosity, as she had to others of interest. This conversation,necessarily _parenthesed_ with much extraneous matter, in the nature ofrapid demands for solids and liquids, during the interesting perioddevoted to the process of mastication, finally assumed a more regularcharacter when the cloth had been removed, and the attendants retired.
"Apropos," remarked Captain Granville, who filled the president's chair."We ought to have toasted your brother's gallant exploit, Henry;gentlemen, fill your glasses--all full? Then I will give you the healthof Lieutenant Grantham, of the squadron."
The toast was responded to by all but Captain Molineux. His glass hadbeen filled and raised, but its contents remained untasted.
The omission was too marked not to be noticed by more than one of theparty; Henry Grantham, whose eye had been fixed on Captain Molineux atthe time, of course detected the slight. He sat for some minutesconversing with an unusual and evidently forced animation; then,excusing his early departure under the plea of an engagement with hisbrother, rose and quitted the mess-room.
"What have you done with the ugly lout you took charge of, De Courcy?"inquired Captain Cranstoun, interrupting the short and meaning pausewhich had succeeded to Grantham's departure.
"Why, I calculate, captain," returned the lively aid-de-camp, imitatingthe nasal drawl and language which had called up so much mirth, even inpresence of the general--"I calculate as how I have introduced EnsignPaul, Emilius, Theophilus Arnoldi, of the United States MichiganMilitia, into pretty considerable snug quarters--I have billeted him atthe inn, in which he had scarcely set foot, when his first demand wasfor a glass of 'gin sling,' wherewith to moisten his partick'lar damn'dhot, baked clay."
"What a vulgar and uncouth animal," observed St. Clair, a Captain ofEngineers--"I am not at all surprised at Major Montgomerie'sdisinclination to acknowledge him as a personal acquaintance."
"It is to be hoped," said De Courcy, "we shall not encounter many suchduring the approaching struggle, for, since we have been driven intothis war, it will be a satisfaction to find ourselves opposed to anenemy rather more chivalrous than this specimen seems to promise."
"Nay, nay, De Courcy," remarked Captain Granville, "you must not judgeof the American officers of the line by that standard; as, for example,Major Montgomerie and the person just alluded to. Last winter," hecontinued, "there was a continued interchange of hospitalities betweenthe two posts, and, had you been here to participate in them, you wouldhave admitted that among the officers of Detroit, there were many verysuperior men indeed."
"Pleasant ball, that last they gave," said Lieutenant Villiers, with amalicious laugh, and fixing his eyes on the Captain of Grenadiers.
"The devil take the ball," impatiently retorted Cranstoun, who did notseem to relish the allusion; "don't talk about it now, man."
"What was it, Villiers? do pray tell us. Something good, I am sure fromCranstoun's manner," eagerly asked the aid-de-camp, his curiosityexcited by the general titter that followed the remark.
"Shall I tell him, Cranstoun?" asked Villiers, in the same banteringtone.
"Don't bother me," petulantly returned the other, as, thrusting his longlegs under the table and turning his back upon the questioner, hejoined, or affected to join, in a conversation that was passing, in alow tone, at his end of the room.
"I must premise," began Villiers, addressing himself to the attentivelylistening De Courcy, "that such is the mania for dancing in this countryscarcely any obstacle is sufficient to deter a Canadian lady,particularly a French Canadian, from indulging in her favoriteamusement. It is, therefore, by no means unusual to see women drawn insleighs over drifting masses of ice, with chasms occasionally occurringof from fifteen to twenty feet--and that at a moment when, driven bywind and current, the huge fragments are impelled over each other with aroar that can only be likened to continuous thunder, forming, in variousdirections, hillocks from which the sun's rays are reflected in athousand fantastic shades and shapes. On these occasions the sleighs, orcarioles, are drawn, not as otherwise customary, by the fast-trottinglittle horses of the country, but by expert natives whose mode oftransportation is as follows: A strong rope is fastened to the extremityof the shafts, and into this the French Canadian, buried to the chin inhis blanket coat, and provided with a long pole terminating in an ironhook, harnesses himself, by first drawing the loop of the cord over theback of his neck, and then passing it under his arms. In this mannerdoes he traverse the floating ice, stepping from mass to mass with arapidity that affords no time for the detached fragment to sink underthe weight with which it is temporarily laden. As the iron-shod runnersobey the slightest impulsion, the draught is light; and the only fatigueencountered is in the act of bringing the detached bodies together.Wherever an opening intervenes, the Canadian throws forward his pole,and, securing the pointed hook in some projection of the floating ice,drags it towards that on the extreme verge of which he stands. In likemanner he passes on to the next, when the same operation remains to beperformed, until the passage is fully effected. Sometimes it happensthat a chasm of more than ordinary extent occurs, in which case the poleis unavailable, and then his only alternative is to wait patiently untilsome distant mass, moving in a direction to fill up the interstice,arrives within his reach. In the meanwhile the ice on which he standssinks slowly and gradually, until sometimes it quite disappears beneaththe surface of the water."
"And the women, all this time?" demanded De Courcy, with something ofthe nervousness which might be attributed to such a situation.
"Sit as quietly and as unconcernedly, wrapped in their furs, as if theywere merely taking their customary drive on terra firma," continuedVilliers; "nay, I am persuaded that if they ever entertain an anxiety onthose occasions, it is either lest the absence of one of theseformidable masses should compel them to abandon an enterprise, the bareidea of entering upon which would give an European woman an attack ofnerves, or that the delayed aid should be a means of depriving them ofone half minute of their anticipated pleasure."
"Why," interrupted Middlemore, despite of a dozen ohs and ahs--"why, Isay, is Villiers like a man of domestic habits? Do you give it up?Because he is fond of dwelling on his own premises."
"Middlemore, when will you renounce that vile habit of punning?" said DeCourcy, with an earnestness of adjuration that excited a general laughat his end of the table. "Come, Villiers, never mind his nonsense, foryour premises, although a little long, are not without deepinterest--but what has all this to do with our good friend above?"
"You shall hear. After a succession of balls last winter, to which theladies of either shore were invariably invited, the concluding one wasgiven by the officers in garrison at Detroit. This was at the very closeof the season, and it chanced that, on the preceding night, the riverhad broken up, so that the roar and fracas of crashing ice might havebeen likened, during forty-eight hours afterwards, to some terribledisorganization of nature. Nothing daunted, however, by thecircumstance, many of the Canadian ladies made the usual preparations,and among others the Miss D'Egvilles."
Here Villiers paused a moment, and with a significant "hem," sought toarouse the attention of the grenadier; but Cranstoun, insensible to theappeal, and perhaps unwilling to listen to a story that occasioned somuch mirth whenever it was repeated, continued with his back immovablyturned towards the speaker.
"All very well," pursued Villiers; "but we know the adage--'none so deafas those who will not hear.' I have said," again turning to De Courcy,while those who were near listened not without interest to the story,familiar even as it was to them all, "that the Miss D'Egvilles were ofthe party. At that time our friend was doing the amiable to the livelyJulia, although we never could persuade him to confess his penchant;and, on
this occasion, he had attached himself to their immediatesleigh. Provided, like the Canadians, with poles terminated by an ironhook at one end and a spike at the other, we made our way after theirfashion, but in quicker time than they possibly could, harnessed as theywere in the sledges. With the aid of these poles, we cleared, withfacility, chasms of from ten to twelve feet, and alighting on ourmoccasined feet, seldom incurred much risk of losing our hold. Our balldresses were taken in charge by the ladies, so that our chief care wasthe safe passage of our own persons. We all arrived without accident,and passed a delightful evening, the American officers exertingthemselves to give the _coup d'eclat_ to the last ball of the season."
"Yes," interrupted the incorrigible Middlemore, as he cracked a peccannut, "and the balls reserved for us this season will also carry withthem the _coup de grass_."
"The night," pursued Villiers, no one noticing the interruption save byan impatient 'pish,' "gave every indication of a speedy break up. Theice yet floated along in disjoined masses, but with even greaterrapidity than on the preceding day. Two alternatives remained--either toattempt the crossing before further obstacle should be interposed, or toremain in Detroit until the river had been so far cleared of the ice asto admit of a passage in canoes. With our leaping poles, we were not somuch at a loss, but the fear entertained was principally for the safetyof the sleighs. Nothing dismayed, however, by the dangerous appearanceof the river, the ladies, after due deliberation, courageously resolvedon returning without delay, and we accordingly set out on our somewhathazardous expedition.
"Notwithstanding it was, as I have already remarked, the close ofwinter, the cold was intense, and we were warmly clad. I do not know ifyou have ever seen Cranstoun's huge bear skin coat, (an affirmative nodwas given by De Courcy), well: in this formidable covering had heencased himself, so that when he quitted the town, surmounted as hishead was moreover with a fur cap, he presented more of the appearance ofa dancing bear than of a human creature. In this guise he attachedhimself to the sleigh of the D'Egvilles, which, in crossing, happened tobe the furthest down the river, of the group."
"What a damn'd long time you are telling that stupid story, Villiers,"at length noticed Cranstoun, wheeling round and regarding the narratorwith a look of ill assumed indifference, "I could have told it myself inhalf the time."
"I am afraid you would not tell it so faithfully," replied LieutenantVilliers, amid the loud laugh which was now raised at Cranstoun'sexpense. "You see it is so good a thing, I like to make the most of it."
Here Cranstoun again turned his back upon the party, and Villierspursued.
"The main body of the expedition had got nearly half way across theriver, when suddenly our ears were assailed by moanings, resemblingthose of some wild beast, mingled with incessant and ungovernablelaughter. Checking our course, and turning to behold the cause, weobserved, about a hundred yards below us, the sledge of the D'Egvilles,from which the almost convulsive laughter proceeded, and at aconsiderable distance beyond this again, an object the true character ofwhich we were some time in discovering.
"It appeared, on subsequent explanation, that Cranstoun, who had beenwhispering soft nothings in the ear of Julia D'Egville, (here thecaptain was observed to prick his ear without materially altering hisposition) hem! Cranstoun, I say, it appeared had also taken it into hishead to give her a specimen of his agility, by an attempt to clear aspace between two masses of ice of somewhat too great a breadth for aheavy grenadier, buttoned up to the chin in a ponderous bear skin coat.He succeeded in gaining the opposite piece of ice, but had no soonerreached it, than he fell, entangled in such a manner in his coveringthat he found it impossible to extricate himself. To add to hisdisaster, the force of his fall broke off, from the main body, thesection of ice on which he rested. Borne down by the current, in spiteof his vain struggles to free himself, he was unable even to call foraid, his fingers moreover being so benumbed with cold that he found itimpossible to unbutton the straps which confined his mouth. In thisemergency he could only utter the strange and unintelligible moan whichhad reached our ears, and which, mingled with the bursts of laughterfrom Julia D'Egville, formed a most incongruous melange.
"The best of the adventure remains, however, to be told. Numbers of thepeasantry from either shore, provided with poles, guns, and ropes, werenow to be seen rushing towards the half congealed Cranstoun, fullyimagining--nay exclaiming--that it was a wild bear, which, in an attemptto cross the river, had had its retreat cut off, and was now, frominsensibility, rendered harmless. Disputes even arose in the distance asto whom the prize should belong, each pursuer claiming to have seen itfirst. Nay, more than one gun had been levelled with a view ofterminating all doubt by lodging a bullet in the carcase, when,fortunately, for the subject in dispute, this proposal was overruled bythe majority, who were more anxious to capture than to slay the supposedbear. Meanwhile the Canadian, harnessed to the sleigh of the D'Egvilles,roared out with all his lungs for the two parties to hasten to theassistance of the drowning British officer. In the confusion produced bytheir own voices, however, they did not appear to hear or understandhim; yet all pursued the aim they had in view. Cranstoun's body was sodoubled up that it was impossible for any one, who had not witnessed theaccident, to imagine it anything in nature but a bear; and thisimpression, the strange moaning he continued to make, tended toconfirm.
"The party of Canadians, favored by the nature of their floatingice-bridges, were the first to come up to him. A desperate effort of hiscramped muscles had enabled Cranstoun to extend one of his legs, at themoment when they were about to throw a noose round his neck, and thiswas the first intimation the astonished peasantry had of their supposedprize being a human being, instead of the fat bear they had expected.Poor Cranstoun was of course liberated from his 'durance vile,' but sochilled from long immersion, that he could not stand without assistance,and it was not until one of their companions had approached with asleigh that he could be removed. He kept his bed three days, as much Ibelieve from vexation as illness, and has never worn his unlucky bearskin since; neither has he forgiven Julia D'Egville the laugh sheenjoyed at his expense. Cranstoun," he concluded, "you may turn now, thestory is told."
But Cranstoun, apparently heedless of the laugh that followed this--asindeed it did every--narration of the anecdote, was not to be shakenfrom his equanimity. He continued silent and unmoved, as if he had notheard a word of the conclusion.
"Poor Cranstoun," exclaimed the joyous De Courcy, in a strain ofprovoking banter, "what an unfortunate leap that was of yours; and howdelighted you must have felt when you again stepped on terra firma."
"I don't wonder at his leap being unfortunate," observed Middlemore, alleyes fixed upon him in expectation of what was to follow, "for JuliaD'Egville can affirm that, while paying his court to her, he had notchosen a _leap year_."
While all were as usual abusing the far strained pun, a note was broughtin by the head waiter and handed to the punster. The officer read itattentively, and then, with an air of seriousness which in him wasremarkable, tossed it across the table to Captain Molineux, who, sincethe departure of Henry Grantham, had been sitting with his arms folded,apparently buried in profound thought, and taking no part either in theconversation or the laughter which accompanied it. A faint smile passedover his features, as, after having read, he returned it, with anassentient nod to Middlemore. Shortly afterwards, availing himself ofthe opportunity afforded by the introduction of some fresh topic ofconversation, he quitted his seat, and whispering something in the earof Villiers, left the mess room. Soon after, the latter officerdisappeared from the table, and in a few moments his example wasfollowed by Middlemore.