CHAPTER VII
THE DEFIANCE OF THE TORY
A few weeks later I was up and out, fast gaining strength and couragefor the long ride to the northward to join the gallant fellows of theMaryland Line, who had taken up their line of march soon after theaccident befell me. And though I was eager to be off, the surgeonwould not let me go, and so, until I could gather strength for thelong journey, I served as best I could my country and the commands ofthe Committee of Public Safety sitting at the Head of Elk. Thus it wasI rode one day by the side of Edward Veasey, High Sheriff of thecounty of Cecil, carrying the writ and command of the Committee ofPublic Safety to Charles Gordon of the Braes, now a suspected Toryand a malcontent. And as I rode by the side of the High Sheriff onthis most unpleasant task, I longed to turn back and let the Sheriffride on alone; but duty held me as a point of honour. For as it was, Iwas carrying I knew not what ruin and destruction to the roof of thevery house that once had received me as a guest and that sheltered thefairest eyes that had ever gazed in mine. And now I was to appearbefore that house as the bearer of ill-tidings. Ah, duty often wears agruesome countenance; yet it is a sign of courage to face this dutydown, and I sat more firmly in my saddle and rode nearer to the HighSheriff. He was a stern and determined man; he was short of stature,stout of frame, and sat his powerful horse like the fox-hunter that hewas. But, though it was the height of summer, and the hills and theforests were green, the air laden with the odour of flowers, and thestreams full and rushing, there was anything but a smile on the HighSheriff's face. For though he was no friend to Gordon of the Braes, heliked not the errand on which he rode, and would gladly have turnedhis horse's head with me.
"If they want to fight," said he to me, "why don't they join theMaryland Line and leave men alone who are disposed to be quiet? Theywill have enough to do in repulsing the redcoats, and should not stirup opposition in the rear of our armies, which this persecution ofprivate individuals will certainly do. I wish some other carried thiswrit, and I was with the lads fighting in the North."
"Aye, so do I, but it is the order of the committee," said I grimly.
"True, and as such must be obeyed."
We had come to where the ferry crosses the Elk, and hailing it wewere soon on the south bank and taking up again the road that leads tothe Braes. Over the hills and dales of Cecil, the forest, streams, andrivers, the soft warm sunlight played, and nature blessed with lavishhand the harvest of the year. Seldom had she been more pleasing, theearth bursting with flowers and the very trees welcoming withoutstretched arms the soft breezes wafted from the bay. And then,after some hours' travelling, we came to the Braes and I saw again thelong rambling house amid the trees. I took a firmer grip upon my senseof duty and rode on. The clatter of our horses' hoofs as we rode up tothe door announced us. A moment later Charles Gordon came through theopen doorway on to the porch. Though I had seen him before, it seemedto me, as I saw him standing there, with the memory of the old talein my mind, that I saw not the Tory, but one of those figures ofromance that stepped out from the mystery and the haze of the North,when Prince Charles raised his standard in the Highlands, one of thoseheroic men who drew swords with Wallace and with Bruce, rallied withMontrose, and went to death with a cheer behind Bonnie Dundee atKilliecrankie, of such gallant bearing and bold and open countenancewas he.
"What brings you here, Mr. Sheriff, riding so fast?"
"I come, Charles Gordon of the Braes," replied the Sheriff, "to serveon you the writ and summons of the Committee of Public Safety." Andhere he unfolded the summons and read aloud, sitting on his horse ashe was:
"_Whereas_, Great complaints have this day been made against Charles Gordon of the Braes, for that he has infamously reflected on the membership of this Committee and the deputies of this county who lately attended the Provincial Convention,
"These are therefore requiring the said Charles Gordon of the Braes that he appear before this Committee, at the house of Thomas Savin at the Head of Elk, to-morrow at two o'clock P.M., to answer unto said complaints.
"Hereto fail not on your peril.
"JAMES RODOLPH, Chairman.
"To CHARLES GORDON of the Braes."
Then spoke Charles Gordon:
"Go tell those who sent you, Mr. Sheriff, that if they wish to seeCharles Gordon they will have to come to the Braes to do so; that Iwill give them a right warm welcome, as my plantation is large enoughto hold them all; but that if any of their rascally crew dare toapproach the house, there will be lives lost; for I say to you, Mr.Sheriff, as I have said before and will say again, that James Rodolphand his committee are a set of infamous scoundrels, who have usurpedsuch power and authority in troublous times as the King himself wouldnot dare to claim. Tell them that I am at their defiance, that I donot recognise their authority, and that I have as much contempt forthem as I have for their dogs."
The old gentleman, for he must have been nearly sixty, looked splendidin his wrath, as he denounced the Committee of Public Safety. The ringin his voice told that the ire of the Scot was rising.
For an instant the High Sheriff hesitated, as if he would turn and go,but then he said:
"Charles Gordon, I spoke to you a moment ago as an officer of the law.I speak to you now as one who does not wish you an injury. Obey theorder of the committee, and I will see that you have fair speechbefore it. Refuse and you will be declared a traitor and an outlaw,and the edict will go forth through all the province that no man shallbuy of you, that no man shall sell to you, and he that shows youkindness will become an outlaw like yourself."
Charles Gordon laughed.
"Do you think I care a snap of a finger for their edict? There has notbeen a generation of my family that has not been at the Horn atEdinburgh for high treason. Do you think that I care when my neck hasbeen on the block for the part I took at Preston Pans and Culloden? Gofrighten the children with their edicts, but not an old Scot who hasseen the claymores flash and led the charge for the King who is overthe sea."
"If you fought against the father, why not against the son?"
"A fair question deserves a fair answer. When my head was on theblock my life was saved by the intercession of the Duchess of Gordon,but upon conditions, and those conditions are these: That I shouldnevermore bear arms against the King, that I should leave the realm ofScotland, sail across the sea to the province of Maryland, thereremain and never return. So, though I love not the King nor his race,I will not draw sword against him, for never yet has a Gordon brokenfaith with friend or foe. Yet for all that I will not take up arms forthe King's cause unless I am forced to do so by such rascals ascompose your Committee of Public Safety."
"So be it, then, but I wish it were otherwise," said the Sheriff; and,turning, we rode away, leaving him standing there. As I entered thewoods I looked back again, my eyes searching every window in the oldhouse, but never a sign of the Tory maid did I see.