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Title: Elsie on the Hudson

Author: Martha Finley

Release Date: April 28, 2010 [EBook #32163]

Language: English

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                         ELSIE ON THE HUDSON
                           _AND ELSEWHERE_

                                  BY

                            MARTHA FINLEY

            AUTHOR OF THE ELSIE BOOKS, THE MILDRED BOOKS,
                      "WANTED, A PEDIGREE," ETC.


                               NEW YORK
                        DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY
                              PUBLISHERS


                           COPYRIGHT, 1898,
                         DODD, MEAD & COMPANY.

                        _All rights reserved._

                      THE MERSHON COMPANY PRESS,
                             RAHWAY, N. J.




                                NOTE.


      For information in regard to the events of our two wars
      with England, the author is largely indebted to Lossing's
      historical works--The Field Books of the Revolution and
      of the War of 1812.

                                                       M. F.




                         ELSIE ON THE HUDSON




                              CHAPTER I.


Crag Cottage was almost overflowingly full the first night after the
arrival of its young mistress and her friends, but with a little
contrivance all were comfortably accommodated. Most of them, weary
with their journey, slept rather late in the morning, but Captain
Raymond and his eldest daughter were as usual out of doors--out in the
grounds--early enough to enjoy the beautiful sight of the rising of
the sun over the eastern mountains. They met upon the front porch just
in time to walk down together to Evelyn's favorite summer house on the
edge of the cliff, before the king of day showed his bright face
peeping above those eastern heights.

"Oh, what a lovely sight!" exclaimed Lucilla. "I am so glad, papa,
that we are out in time to see it."

"Yes," he said, "it is worth the giving up of an extra hour of sleep.
Especially as we can take that during the day if we feel the need of
it. I would never have you do without needed sleep, daughter. There is
nothing gained by it in the end."

"No, papa, but I think I do not need so much as do some
others,--Gracie, for instance,--and I do so enjoy these early walks
and talks with you--the dearest father that ever any girl had, I am
sure," she added, giving him a look of ardent affection.

"Ah, but you must remember there are some fathers you haven't tried,"
he returned with a slight laugh of amusement, but accompanied by a
fond pressure of the pretty white hand she had slipped into his.

"Yet I am just as sure as if I had tried them all, father," she
laughed. "There may perhaps be some few nearly as good, but I know
they can't be any better. Oh, see! yonder is a yacht coming up the
river. I wish it was ours."

"Possibly it may be. Look again," her father said.

"Oh, is it, papa?" she asked eagerly. "Did you order it brought here?"

"I did; and thought it might arrive some time to-day."

"And it is--it is the _Dolphin_! I'm so glad! How nice in you, papa,
to have it come to us so soon; for now we can supplement Eva's
sleeping accommodations and take delightful little trips up and down
the river."

"Yes; that was my idea in having the vessel brought here. There are a
number of historical scenes along the Hudson's banks which I have no
doubt you and the others would like to visit."

"Oh, yes, indeed, papa! and the very pleasantest way to do it will be
in our own yacht--with Captain Raymond to take charge of us and it,"
she added with a bright smile up into his face. "Oh, the yacht seems
to be heading for the little landing down at the foot of the hill!
Can't we run down and get aboard of her just to take a peep, here and
there, and see that all is right for us to move into the staterooms
whenever we will?"

"Yes, come along, daughter. I think we can go and come back again
before the summons to breakfast," he replied, leading the way as he
spoke. They reached the landing just as the _Dolphin_ had anchored and
thrown out a plank to the shore.

"Oh, how bright and fresh she looks!" exclaimed Lulu.

"Yes--outside," laughed her father. "We will go aboard and see whether
the same can be said of the inside," he added, leading her carefully
onward till they reached the deck.

"Lovely!" she exclaimed as they stepped upon it; "everything is as
spick-and-span as possible."

"I am glad indeed that it pleases you, Miss Raymond," said the man in
charge, coming hastily forward to greet and welcome them. "I hope you
too are satisfied, sir?"

"Perfectly, so far as I have yet examined," returned Captain Raymond
in a cheery tone. "You had good weather for your trip up the coast.
Mr. Bailey?"

"Yes, sir, yes; indeed, couldn't have asked finer. Hope you all
arrived safely and well?"

"Yes, thank you, and I expect to make pretty constant and good use of
the yacht. There could hardly be a better place for it than this
river."

"No, sir; I think not."

With Lucilla by his side, the captain went here and there, satisfying
himself that everything was in perfect order, exchanging kindly
greetings with the sailors, and bestowing words of praise upon their
care of the vessel.

"She seems in excellent condition," he said, "and I perceive no dirt
or disorder. I should not blush to show her to the highest dignitary
in the land."

"I hope not, sir," returned Mr. Bailey with a gratified smile; "and I
think if anything were wrong no eyes would detect it sooner than those
of her owner."

"Now let us go below, papa," said Lucilla. "I quite want to take a
peep into my own cosey stateroom."

"Yes, so you shall," he returned, leading the way.

"Oh!" cried Lulu as they stepped into the saloon; "I see you have been
making some changes here, father; and they are all improvements. What
lovely carpets and curtains!"

"I am glad you like them," he said with a smile, as she turned toward
him with a look of surprise and delight. "The old ones were looking
considerably the worse for the wear, and the good parts I knew would
be acceptable and useful in another place."

"Oh, yes, I am sure of that," she said in reply, as she hastened to
the door of her own little bedroom and threw it open. "Oh, this looks
as neat, sweet, and pretty as possible!" she exclaimed joyously.
"Can't Gracie and I occupy it to-night, papa? Won't you let us?"

"Probably; if matters are so arranged that your mamma and I, with the
younger ones, can be here also. Now," consulting his watch, "we will
take a hasty look at the other staterooms and then hurry back to the
cottage on the crag; lest we keep Evelyn's breakfast waiting."

"I am so glad the yacht is here, papa," Lucilla said as they walked up
the winding path that led to Crag Cottage. "I felt last night as if it
were an imposition for so many of us to crowd into Evelyn's small
house--even though we were there by her own invitation; and yet I was
afraid she might feel hurt if we should go off very speedily to some
house of entertainment."

"Yes," returned her father; "but it will be all right now, I think. If
I had known you were so troubled about the matter, I should have told
you I was expecting the _Dolphin_."

"But you didn't because you wanted to give me and all the rest a
pleasant surprise?" she said questioningly, and with a loving look up
into his eyes.

"Yes, that was it. You are as good at guessing as a Yankee."

"But I am a Yankee, am I not?" she laughed.

"Yes; you certainly belong to the universal Yankee nation; as did your
ancestors for several generations. Both mine and your mother's were
here long before the Revolution."

"A fact which I think is something to rejoice over," she said in
joyous tones.

"Therefore something to be thankful for," he said in a tone between
assertion and inquiry.

"Oh, yes, sir; yes, indeed! I am very glad and thankful that you are
my father and I am your child."

"And I that you are my own dearly loved daughter," he said in
response.

"Ah," as a turn in the walk brought the house into full view, "I see
we are no longer the only ones up and about"--for nearly all the
guests were now gathered upon the porch or wandering to and fro under
the trees or among the flower beds near at hand.

"Oh, yonder come papa and Lu!" shouted Ned at the same moment,
starting on a run toward them, quickly followed by his cousins, the
Leland boys.

"Good-morning, papa and Lu," "Good-morning, uncle and Lu," cried the
three as they drew near. Eric adding: "Have you been down by the
river? and is there a walk along down by the waters edge?"

"In some places," his uncle answered, "but you can go down and see for
yourselves after breakfast."

"Oh, yes; I presume we can get permission; especially if papa or you
will go with us, Uncle Levis."

"It would be still pleasanter to go up and down the river in a boat
though," remarked Ned, taking possession of his father's hand as they
all moved on toward the house. "Papa, can't you have our yacht brought
here for us to go in?"

"I suppose that might be possible," was the smiling rejoinder.

"Oh, that would be splendid, uncle," exclaimed the two Leland boys in
a breath.

"Yes," said Ned; "for then we could go every day, and all day, if we
wanted to. I mean, if papa and the rest of the grown folks thought
best."

But now they had reached the house, and morning greetings were the
order of the moment. Everyone was well, in good spirits, and ready to
answer with alacrity the summons of the breakfast bell which presently
sounded out.

Naturally, their talk turned principally upon the plans for the best
manner of spending the next few weeks, in order to gain all possible
pleasure and information from their brief sojourn in that part of the
country.

"Papa," said Grace, "I should like to see every place along this
river that can boast of any Revolutionary incident occurring there. I
wish we had our yacht here to travel up and down in. Won't you please
send for it?"

"No, daughter," he said gravely; "I have a particular reason for not
doing so; though I should like to gratify you."

"Yes, I know you would, father, and so I am quite satisfied with your
decision," she returned pleasantly, though with a little sigh of
regret.

Violet gave her husband a look of surprise, but made no remark, and
the talk went on.

"I think we would all enjoy visiting any and every place occupied by,
or visited by, our Washington," remarked Mrs. Leland.

"Yes," said her husband; "Newburgh, for one, and it is not so very far
away."

"No," said the captain, "that is quite true."

"And there are boats passing up and down every day, I suppose?"
remarked Sydney Dinsmore inquiringly.

"Oh, yes, indeed," said Evelyn; "so we won't have any difficulty in
getting there; though we can't have the _Dolphin_ to go in."

"Papa, why can't we have our yacht come here so that we can go up and
down in it?" asked Neddie.

"Have I said we couldn't?" was his father's smiling rejoinder.

"No, sir; at least, I didn't hear you say it--but she isn't here."

"It is really quite wonderful how much some little boys know," laughed
Lucilla. "However, I don't believe it would require a great deal of
coaxing to induce papa to send for her."

"But he just refused," said Grace.

"You could telegraph, couldn't you, papa?" asked Lucilla. "But perhaps
the repairs you said she needed are not finished yet?"

"I think they must be," returned the captain pleasantly. "Perhaps we
may get some news in regard to her to-day."

"And if the repairs are finished, will you send for her?" asked
Violet.

"In case they are, I see no reason why we should not have the use of
her," was the rather non-committal reply.




                             CHAPTER II.


A half-hour later nearly the whole company returned to the front porch
as the most attractive spot, since from it was a very fine view of the
broad river and its opposite shore.

"Oh," shouted several young voices, "there's our flag! There's Old
Glory!"

"And it must be on a boat down close to the landing," added Edward
Leland. "May I run down and see, papa?"

"I think you could see quite as well from the summer-house out yonder
on the edge of the cliff," replied Mr. Leland, starting for that place
himself, followed by most of the others.

"Why it's the _Dolphin_, the _Dolphin_!" exclaimed several voices
simultaneously, as they reached the arbor and caught sight of the
pretty craft in the river below.

The young people were at once seized with an eager desire to get
aboard of her, and, as the captain seemed entirely willing, the
parents did not withhold their consent.

"Ah, papa," laughed Grace Raymond, "I understand now why you refused
my request to send for our yacht; she was already here, and you wanted
to give me a pleasant surprise."

"Yes, daughter, that was just it," he returned; "for I know you like
pleasant surprises. And I hope to give you and the rest of our party
some pleasant trips up and down the river in her."

"Which I am sure we shall all find extremely enjoyable, captain,"
remarked Grandma Elsie.

The whole company were wending their way down to the river and the
yacht as they talked, and presently they were all on board, viewing
and commenting admiringly upon the refurnishing and other
improvements.

"Are you all too tired of travel to enjoy a sail--perhaps only a short
one--up or down the river?" asked the captain.

"Oh, no--not we, indeed!" was the simultaneous exclamation of many
voices, older and younger; and not one was raised against it.

"I see you are all willing," said Captain Raymond, glancing about from
one to another of the bright, eager faces. "Suppose I take you to
Newburgh, which is not very far away, and let you see the Hasbrouck
House, Washington's old headquarters? How many would like that?"

"Oh, all of us! all of us!" cried several voices with enthusiasm.

"Then we will get up steam and go at once," he said. "Will that suit
you, my dear?" turning to Violet.

"Perfectly--if we may have a few minutes to go up to the house and
make some slight preparation. You see, I have come down without hat or
bonnet," she added with merry look and tone.

"Oh, yes, anyone who wishes may do that," he replied pleasantly. "And
I must give orders to my cook."

"Oh, no, captain," exclaimed Evelyn, overhearing him; "I have arranged
for dinner at the house, and----"

"Then, my dear girl, hurry up and rescind your orders; for we will not
be back in season to take that meal here; and the _Dolphin_ is well
supplied with provisions," was his smiling rejoinder. And with a hasty
"Oh, thank you, sir! You are very, very kind and thoughtful,"
accompanied by a pleased and grateful look, she hurried away after the
others, who were already making rapid progress toward Crag Cottage.

It did not take long to gather up the few articles wanted and return
to the yacht, which immediately started for Newburgh.

The weather was all that could be desired--a gentle breeze blowing
from the north, and light, fleecy white clouds tempering the heat of
the sun.

"How far from New York is Newburgh, papa?" asked Grace.

"Sixty miles," he replied. "It is on the western bank of the river and
in the midst of some of the finest scenery in the world, Lossing says,
and I entirely agree with him. Are you not of the same opinion,
mother?" turning to Grandma Elsie.

"Yes," she said heartily; "and we will have a fine view of it from the
piazza of the Hasbrouck House."

"Is that where we are going?" asked Little Elsie.

"Yes; that is the house where Washington had his headquarters at the
close of the Revolution."

"Oh, I'm glad!" exclaimed the little girl. "I'd like to see every
place where Washington used to be."

"Yes," said her mother; "I think we all would. But, now, let us not
miss the beautiful scenery we are passing through on our way to
Newburgh."

"Oh, yes, mamma, it is lovely! and I am proud of it as being part of
my country--my own dear native land."

"As we all are," said Grace. "I think my native land the best and
loveliest the sun shines upon."

Her father, standing near, smiled his approval of the sentiment, and
Grandma Elsie remarked pleasantly: "That is a good frame of mind to be
in when visiting Revolutionary scenes."

"This will not be your first visit to Newburgh and the Hasbrouck
House, mother?" said the captain in a tone of inquiry.

"No," she answered, "I was there some years ago, but am well pleased
to repeat my visit."

"When was it that Washington was there?" asked Elsie. "I know that
some of the time he was in Massachusetts and at other times in New
Jersey and Pennsylvania."

"Yes," said her father, "but he was here on the Hudson, holding his
headquarters at Newburgh, at the close of the Revolution. It was in
April, 1782, he took possession of his quarters there, and there he
continued most of the time until November, 1783, when the Continental
Army was disbanded."

"Because the war was over?" asked Eric Leland.

"Yes; and the brave men who had done and suffered so much together had
to bid each other farewell, separate, and go to their homes. Of course
they were very glad and thankful that liberty was gained and the
dreadful struggle over, yet it was sad to part; especially from their
beloved chief."

"Wasn't it there, father, that some of them had proposed to make him
king?" asked Grace.

"Yes; but he received the proposal with abhorrence. Washington had
fought to win freedom for his country, not to win power and glory for
himself. He had no hunger for them, but a great love of liberty for
his country and himself."

"Do you think he was as great a man as Napoleon, captain?" asked
Sydney.

"Greater, much greater! Napoleon undoubtedly had genius, but he was
utterly selfish, utterly unscrupulous in the means he took to gain
power and satisfy his own ambition--even sacrificing the wife he
probably really loved (after his own selfish fashion) in order to get
an heir to the throne he had usurped."

"And his fortunes began to wane from the time that he divorced poor
Josephine," remarked Mr. Leland.

"Yes; and the son and heir to gain which he had done such wickedness
never succeeded to the crown or throne," remarked Grandma Elsie. "'The
triumphing of the wicked is short.'"

"I never thought of it before," remarked Sydney; "but isn't it odd
that each of those great men married a widow with children, and had
none of his own by her?"

"And of our Washington it has been said, 'Providence left him
childless that his country might call him father,'" said Mrs. Leland.
"I have always thought that a very pretty idea."

"A true one too, I do believe," said Evelyn; "he was so true a
patriot--so wise, so unselfish, so true and good."

"A countryman to be very, very proud of, and very thankful to God for
giving us," said Grandma Elsie; "especially at that time, when he was
so much needed."

"Are there not a good many places in this neighborhood where something
happened during the Revolution, papa?" asked Grace.

"Yes, a good many. Orange County was one of the first settled portions
of this State, named in honor of William, Prince of Orange, afterward
King of England. The first settlers in what is now the town of
Newburgh were Germans. They remained for only a time, however. They
grew dissatisfied, sold out, and left; some going to Pennsylvania.
Their places were filled by English, Irish, New Englanders, and a few
Huguenots; and a number of settlements were soon planted along the
river and in the rich bottom lands bordering the smaller streams. Many
stirring tales could be told of their privations, alarms, and
sufferings from the attacks of the Indians, both before and during the
Revolution."

"Papa," said Little Elsie earnestly, "don't you think we ought to
thank our Heavenly Father very often that we didn't live then and here
instead of now and where we do?"

"Yes, indeed, daughter," he replied; "we have great reason to thank
God for the liberty and security that are ours, and I think we should
ever remember with love and gratitude the brave men who fought and
bled to secure these liberties for us."

"Indeed we should!" said Mrs. Travilla earnestly. "How it would have
cheered and helped them in their toils and privations and struggles if
they could have foreseen the great results visible in these days!"

It was not yet noon when they reached Newburgh, pausing in the
southern suburbs, where, on a hill overlooking the river, stood a gray
old building which the captain pointed out as the Hasbrouck House.
They had soon climbed the hill and were standing on the porch,
thinking with a thrill of feeling, as they glanced about them and
down at the river, that here Washington had stood in days long gone by
and gazed upon the same scenes, probably but little changed since
then.

Grandma Elsie, the captain, and Mr. Leland had all been there before,
and presently pointed out to the others various historic
places--Pollopel's Island, Fishkill, New Windsor, Plumb Point, and the
Beacon Hills; also, through the gateway in the Highlands formed by
Breakneck and Butter hills, glimpse of distant West Point and the
mountains that surround it.

Then they went inside the dwelling, passing first into a large square
room which they were told was used by Washington as a dining hall and
for his public audiences.

"Notice the doors and windows, children," said the captain.

"Windows, papa! why, there is only one!" exclaimed Elsie.

"Ah! and how many doors?" he asked.

"Why, seven!" cried Neddie; "I've counted them."

"Yes, you are right," said his father. "That"--pointing to one on the
left--"opens into what was Washington's sitting room; the other, on
the same side, into his bedroom."

"There is no plaster on this ceiling," remarked Edward Leland, looking
up. "But those great, heavy beams make it look very strong as well as
old-fashioned."

"Yes," said Captain Raymond; "they are nine inches wide and fourteen
deep. This part of the house is nearly one hundred and fifty years
old."

"How much of it, papa?" asked Lucilla.

"This large room and the two bedrooms there on the north side. That
part was built in 1750, was it not?" he asked, turning to the woman
who had admitted them.

"Yes, sir," she replied. "Some time after the kitchen; that is on the
south side. In 1770 they added to the west side. The dates are cut in
the stone of the walls."

"What a very big fireplace that is!" remarked Little Elsie--"the
largest I ever saw."

"Almost big enough to roast an ox in, I should say," said Edward
Leland.

"A small bullock probably," said his father.

"Who owns this house now?" asked the boy, turning to the woman.

"The State of New York," she answered. "It used to belong to the
Hasbrouck family, but the State bought it to keep as a relic of the
Revolution."

"I am glad they did," said Lucilla. "I think everything that
Washington ever used should be kept in memory of him."

"Yes, indeed," assented the woman. Then, leading the way, "And we have
a cabinet here of relics of the Revolution which I am sure will
interest you."

All were much interested in what she showed them, especially in some
muskets, of which she said, "They are some of those bought in France
by Lafayette, with his own money, and presented to his own favorite
corps of light infantry."

"Oh, that makes them very interesting!" exclaimed Lucilla, her cheeks
flushing and her eyes sparkling.

Sydney said inquiringly, "Lady Washington was here with her husband,
was she not?"

"Oh, yes," was the reply; "in the summer of 1783; and as she was fond
of gardening she had some flower beds out in the grounds."

"That was about at the end of the war," said Sydney.

"Yes," said the captain, "and it was in this old house that Washington
wrote his address to the officers of whom we were speaking a while
ago, and a circular letter addressed to the Governors of all the
States on disbanding the army. They were admirable documents.

"A good many of the troops went home on furlough, and then Washington,
having leisure for it, went up the Hudson with Governor Clinton to
visit the principal battlefields of the North--Stillwater,
Ticonderoga, and Crown Point; also to Fort Schuyler, on the Mohawk.

"He returned here, after an absence of nineteen days, to find a letter
from the President of Congress asking him to attend upon that body,
then in session at Princeton, N. J. He did so, after waiting a little
for the recovery of his wife, who was not well. And while waiting he
had, out yonder upon the lawn, an affecting final parting with many of
his subalterns and soldiers. That took place upon the day he left to
answer the call of Congress."

"Did he return here, captain?" asked Evelyn.

"No; he made his headquarters at West Point for a few days in
November, and from there went down to New York City and took
possession of it on its evacuation by the British."

Our party passed out upon the porch again, feasted their eyes upon the
beauties of the landscape for a few moments; then, having generously
remunerated the woman for her services, returned to the yacht.

Again seated upon the deck, they chatted among themselves, their talk
running for the most part upon the scenes through which they were
passing and the Revolutionary events connected with them.

The captain pointed out New Windsor, as they passed it, with the
remark that it was where Washington established his headquarters on
the 23d of June, 1779, and again near the close of 1780, remaining
till the summer of 1781.

"Oh, can you paint out the house, father?" exclaimed Lucilla.

"No," he replied; "it was a plain Dutch building, long since decayed
and demolished."

"Did not Washington go from New Windsor to Peekskill?" asked Grandma
Elsie.

"Yes," said the captain. "Oh, yonder is Plum Point also, and of that I
have a little story to tell. There, at the foot of that steep bank,
there was, in the times we have been talking of, a redoubt with a
battery of fourteen guns designed to cover strong _chevaux-de-frise_
and other obstructions placed in the river. A little above that
battery, and long before it was made, a loghouse used to stand. It
belonged to a Scotchman named M'Evers. When thinking of emigrating to
America, he asked his servant Mike if he would go with him. Mike,
being much attached to him, replied, 'Indeed, gude mon, I'll follow ye
to the gates o' hell if ye gang there yersel.' So they came over. The
ocean could not be crossed so rapidly in those days as in ours, and
their voyage was long and tempestuous. Then the vessel, instead of
entering New York Harbor by the Narrows, sailed through Long Island
Sound and the East River. At the whirlpool called Hellgate the ship
struck upon the Hog's Back with a terrible crash. The frightened
passengers--none of them more frightened than Mike--rushed upon the
deck. 'What place is it?' he asked. 'Hellgate,' answered a sailor.
'God ha' mercy on me!' groaned Mike; 'I promised my master I'd follow
him to the gates o' hell, but I didna say I'd gang through with him.'
However, the vessel floated off with the tide, carried its passengers
safely into the city, and Mike lived to be a gardener on Plum Point."

"Is that a real, true story, papa?" asked Elsie.

"I think so," he said.

"I suppose," said Grandma Elsie, "some--perhaps all--of you have heard
an anecdote in connection with that dining room of the Hasbrouck
House--published in the New York _Mirror_ for 1834?"

Several voices answered in the negative and urged her to go on and
tell it, which she did. "During the Revolution," she said, "a
Frenchman named Marbois was secretary of that legation here. Shortly
before Lafayette's death he, with the American minister and several of
his countrymen, was invited to dine at the house of Marbois. At the
supper hour the guests were shown into a room which presented a
strange contrast to the elegance of the apartments in which they had
spent the evening. There were numerous small doors; one uncurtained
small window; a low boarded, painted ceiling with large beams; all
together giving it very much the appearance of the kitchen of a Dutch
or Belgian farmhouse; and on the table was a repast quite in keeping
with the appearance of the room. There was a large dish of meat,
uncouth-looking pastry, and wine in bottles and decanters, accompanied
by glasses and silver mugs such as seemed but ill-suited to the habits
and tastes of modern Paris. 'Do you know where we now are?' the host
asked, addressing Lafayette and the other guests. They were too much
surprised to answer for a moment. They knew they had somewhere seen
something like it before--but where? 'Ah! the seven doors and one
window!' Lafayette exclaimed presently; 'and the silver camp-goblets,
such as the marshals of France used in my youth. We are at
Washington's headquarters on the Hudson, fifty years ago.'"

"A great deal must have happened in this region during the
Revolution," remarked Mrs. Leland. "Haven't you another little story
for us, mother?"

"Yes; I was just thinking that the taking of a spy occurred not far
from here. At the time that Washington's headquarters were at
Newburgh, Generals Greene and Knox had theirs in a house on the New
Windsor Road about three miles west from Plum Point; and about a mile
farther west was the house of Mrs. Falls. There Governor Clinton had
his headquarters. He and his brother were in command of Forts Clinton
and Montgomery, among the Hudson Highlands, when the British succeeded
in taking them in spite of the desperate defence of the American
patriots. It was then General Clinton established his headquarters at
the house of Mrs. Falls and collected his dispersed troops preparatory
to marching to the defence of Kingston. About noon on the 10th of
October a horseman came riding up into the camp in great haste. The
sentinel challenged him.

"He replied, 'I am a friend and wish to see General Clinton.'

"The man was a Tory, bearing a message from Sir Henry Clinton to
Burgoyne, who was at that time hedged up in Saratoga. This messenger
supposed the American forces on the Hudson to be utterly broken and
destroyed; and, as the British never gave our officers their titles in
speaking of or to them, he thought General Clinton must belong to the
British Army, so believed himself among his friends.

"He was taken to Clinton's quarters, and when he was ushered into that
officer's presence he perceived his mistake. 'I am lost!' he exclaimed
to himself in a low but audible tone, and hastily taking something
from his pocket, swallowed it, evidently with some difficulty. This
aroused the suspicions of those about him; a physician was summoned,
and gave the prisoner a powerful dose of tartar emetic."

"Why, grandma, what a foolish fellow he was to take it!" exclaimed
Eric Leland.

"I think it was administered surreptitiously," she replied, "in a
glass of wine or beer probably, without letting him know their
suspicions or intentions. I have been giving you Lossing's version of
the affair, but years ago I read another, going rather more into
detail. It said the patriots did not let the Tory know their
suspicions of him, but, acting as if they thought him all right,
invited him to eat with them, and secretly put the tartar emetic in
the drink furnished him at the meal; that he grew very sick after
drinking it, left the table, and went out of doors. They watched him
secretly and saw that after getting rid of what he had eaten he
covered it with some chips. When he had gone back to his companions at
the table some of them went out, scraped away the chips, and found the
silver bullet. Lossing says he (the Tory) succeeded in swallowing it a
second time and refused to take another emetic until Governor Clinton
threatened to hang him upon a tree and have his stomach searched with
a surgeon's knife. At that he yielded, and the bullet presently again
appeared.

"It was a curiously wrought, hollow sphere, with a compound screw in
the centre; inside of it was a note from Sir Henry Clinton to General
Burgoyne, written from Fort Montgomery, telling of their success, and
expressing the hope that it might facilitate his (Burgoyne's)
operations.

"This made the guilt of the prisoner very clear. He was not allowed to
escape, and when, soon afterward, Governor Clinton marched with his
troops to the help of the people of Esopus, or Kingston, he took the
spy with him; and at Hurley, a few miles from Kingston, they tried,
condemned the spy, and hung him on an apple tree near the old church.
The British had reached Kingston first, and it was then in flames."

"Oh, what a dreadful thing war is!" sighed Grace. "So many people are
killed, and so many others robbed of everything but life."

"It is, indeed, an awful thing," assented Grandma Elsie. "May we of
this land never again know anything of its horrors by experience."




                             CHAPTER III.


The next day was Sunday. There were several churches within easy
walking distance, and Evelyn and her guests all attended the morning
services. Toward evening they held a little Bible service of their own
on the porch, overlooking the beautiful river. Captain Raymond was, as
usual, the leader, being the oldest gentleman and the unanimous choice
of those who were to take part.

He selected the third chapter of Proverbs, and had them read it verse
about; then made a few remarks.

"'In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.'
That is a precious promise," he said; "one to plead and to rest
joyfully upon in time of doubt and perplexity such as come to all of
us. Thus leaning upon God and his promises, we may be free from care
and anxiety; content with our lot in life, because he appoints it.
'Godliness with contentment is great gain.' Lucilla, can you tell us
of a Bible saint who had learned this lesson?"

"Yes, sir," she replied, turning over the leaves of her Bible as she
spoke. "Here in Phillipians, fourth chapter and eleventh verse, Paul
says, 'I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be
content.'"

"Yes; and he teaches the same to those he addresses in his other
epistles. I see you have a passage ready, mother. Will you please read
it to us?"

"Yes," Grandma Elsie said in reply; "here in Hebrews thirteenth
chapter and fifth verse, he says, 'Let your conversation be without
covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath
said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.'"

Then Violet read, "'But godliness with contentment is great gain; for
we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry
nothing out. And having food and raiment, let us be therewith
content.'"

"A Christian may well be content and joyful, even though he have but
the bare necessaries of life," remarked Grandma Elsie, "for he may
boldly say, 'The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall
do unto me.'"

"No," said Mr. Leland, "those who belong to Jesus need fear nothing;
for he will never forsake his own, and he has all power in heaven and
in earth."

"How can we know if we belong to him, papa?" asked Eric.

"If we give ourselves to him--truly, honestly, and with purpose of
heart to serve him while we have any being--he will accept us for his
own; for he says, 'Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast
out.'"

"'Then will we be Christians and follow Christ--so living, acting,
speaking that those who know us will take knowledge of us that we have
been with Jesus and learned of him,'" the captain said. "But one who
does not walk in the footsteps of Christ--striving to follow his
example and do his will--to be like him in temper and spirit, is none
of his. But if we have of his spirit, then we become with him sons of
God. He is our Brother and God the Father, both his Father and ours.
He tells us that he came to save souls. 'For the son of man is come
not to destroy men's lives, but to save them.' We must make it our
chief business to do his will and win souls for him. That is the
commission he gives to each one who professes to love him. He bids
them, 'Let your light shine,' 'Go ye into all the world and preach the
Gospel to every creature.' 'He that winneth souls is wise,' is another
Bible text. Each one of us must feel that this is his or her own work.
We are none of us to live for self, but to glorify God and save the
souls of our fellow creatures--by bringing them to Christ."

"Yes," said Grandma Elsie, "and we are guilty if we neglect to obey
our Father's commands. If we truly love him we will be very earnest
and persevering in our efforts to obey. The prophet Daniel tells us,
'They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and
they that turn many to righteousness, as the stars for ever and
ever.'"

"Grandma," said little Ned Raymond, coming to her side, later in the
evening, and looking up at the star-spangled sky, "I'd like to shine
like those beautiful stars for ever and ever. I wish I knew how to
turn many to righteousness. What's the way to do it?"

"To tell them the sweet story of Jesus and his love," she answered in
low, moved tones. "Tell them how he suffered and died that we might
live. But first you must give your own self to him."

"I think I have, grandma," he said in low, earnest tones. "I've tried
to do it, asking him to take me for his very own, and I think he has;
because, you know, he says, 'Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise
cast out.'"

"Yes, dear child, that is his own word and you need have no fear that
he will not keep it."

"But when and where and how should I tell about Jesus to others?"

"Ask him to show you when and where--to teach you what to say and do,
and help you never to be ashamed to own yourself one of his
disciples."

"Like my father," he said. "I am sure he is never ashamed or afraid to
let anybody know that he loves and serves God. I don't often hear him
tell them, but he acts it out always and everywhere."

"Yes, I think he does," said Grandma Elsie, "and it is what we all
should do. Remember Jesus' words, 'Whosoever, therefore, shall be
ashamed of me and of my words, in this adulterous and sinful
generation, of him also shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when he
cometh in the glory of the Father with the holy angels.'"

There was a moment of silence; then Neddie asked:

"Grandma, do you think it was right for our soldiers in the Revolution
to hang that man for just having that silver bullet in his pocket?"

"Yes; because success in carrying such messages from one British
officer to another would probably have cost the lives of very many of
our people, and helped the British to take away our liberties."

"Oh, yes! So he was as bad as a murderer; wasn't he?"

"Very much like one, I think. War is a dreadful, dreadful thing! I
hope we may never have another."

"It's always wicked on one side, but sometimes right on the other;
isn't it, grandma?"

"Yes; when life and liberty are in peril it is right to fight for
their preservation. Especially when it is not for ourselves only, but
for our children and future generations. If our fathers had weakly
given up to the tyranny of the British Government, we would not be the
free people we are to-day."

"And it was a dreadfully hard fight for them; wasn't it, grandma?"
remarked little Elsie, who had drawn near enough to hear the latter
part of the conversation.

"It was, indeed; and our poor soldiers went through terrible
sufferings, from lack of prompt pay and proper food and clothing, as
well as from wounds and exposure to the inclement weather."

"Yes, grandma, I remember it was terribly cold when they crossed the
Delaware River and fought the battles of Trenton and Princeton; and,
oh, so hot when the Battle of Monmouth was fought!"

"I'm glad our papa and Brother Max didn't have to help fight those
battles," said Ned; "and I hope we'll never have any more wars. Don't
you, grandma?"

"I do, indeed, Neddie," grandma answered; "and I hope it may not be
long till we come to the time the Bible speaks of where it says, 'And
many nations shall come, and say, Come and let us go up to the
mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he
will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law
shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And
he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off;
and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears
into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up a sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man
under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid
for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it.'"

"What a good time that will be," said the little girl thoughtfully. "I
wish it might come soon. Don't you, grandma?"

"Yes, dear; I do, indeed!" was the sweet-toned reply.




                             CHAPTER IV.


It was Monday morning, the sun not an hour high, when Captain Raymond,
sitting on the _Dolphin's_ deck, reading, heard a light footstep
approaching, then a sweet-toned voice saying, "Good-morning, my dear
father," and, looking up, found Lucilla standing at his knee, her
bright eyes gazing lovingly down into his.

"Good-morning, daughter," he returned, taking her hand and drawing her
down to a seat by his side, then passing an arm about her waist and
giving her the accustomed morning caress. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, indeed, papa; from the minute I laid my head upon the pillow
till I woke to find it broad daylight."

"I am glad to hear it. It is something that both you and I should be
very thankful for."

"And you, papa? did you sleep well?"

"Very; as I hope and believe all on board did. I suppose you left
Grace still asleep?"

"Yes, sir; sleeping so sweetly that I took particular pains to move
quietly and not wake her."

"That was right," he said. "I want her--my feeble little girl--to take
all the sleep she can."

"So do I, father; and I think she has gained a good deal in health and
strength since she has had you at home almost all the time to take
care of her."

"That's what fathers are for--to take care of the children," he
returned with a smile.

"Well, daughter, what would you like to do to-day?"

"Whatever my father bids me," she said with a happy laugh.

"Ah! isn't that a rash choice?" he asked, passing his hand caressingly
over her hair and smiling down at her as he spoke.

"No, sir; I think not--considering how wise, kind, and loving my
father is."

"What would you think of a trip up to Kingston--to view it as one of
the scenes of Revolutionary occurrences?"

"Oh, I should like it very much!" she exclaimed with eager delight.
"Do you think of going there to-day, papa?"

"I have been thinking it would answer very well as a sequel to our
Saturday's visit to Washington's old quarters at Newburgh. We will
make the suggestion at the breakfast table, and see what the rest of
our company think of it."

"Oh, I don't believe anyone will think of objecting. I shall be
astonished if they do."

"But there are other places some may prefer visiting first, and it
will be only polite and kind to let each one express his or her
preference."

"And the majority decide, I suppose?"

"That is my idea," he said pleasantly.

"Your ideas are always kind ones, father dear," she responded with a
loving look up into his eyes.

"Though occasionally not altogether agreeable to my eldest daughter,
eh?" he returned with a smile, and playfully patting the hand which he
held.

"Ah, papa, I do not often object by word or look to your decisions
nowadays, do I?" she said half-imploringly.

"No, it has been a very rare thing for a very long while now," he
said with a tenderly affectionate look--"so rare that I really believe
my dear eldest daughter has come to have full faith in her father's
wisdom and love for her."

"Indeed, papa, I don't doubt either in the very least," she exclaimed
with an energy that brought an amused smile to her father's lips and
eyes.

"Good-morning, papa!" cried a sweet child voice at that moment; "here
we come, and mamma will follow in a very few minutes." And with that
Elsie and Ned came bounding across the deck to their father's side. He
welcomed both with kind greetings and fatherly caresses.

"Is your sister Grace up yet?" he asked, and Elsie answered: "Yes,
sir; and almost dressed. She opened her door as I was going by, and
gave me a kiss, and told me to tell papa she would be ready to go up
to breakfast in a very few minutes!"

"Ah," he said; "I fear she may hurry too much for her feeble strength.
Neddie, boy, go down to the cabin, knock at your sister's door, and
tell her papa says it is so early yet that she need not hurry with
her dressing. We will wait till she and mamma are quite ready to go up
to the house."

"I will, papa," was the ready and cheerful response, as the little
fellow turned to obey, but then he paused with the exclamation, "Oh,
here they come--both of them!"

The captain rose to exchange morning greetings with his wife and
daughter, then all set out for the cottage on the hill.

They found the other guests gathered on the front porch, and when
morning salutations had been exchanged they fell into conversation,
breakfast being not quite ready. The question was at once proposed how
and where they should spend the day, and when the captain told of his
plan in regard to that, it was hailed with delight. No one could think
of anything better, and it was decided that they would start very
shortly after finishing their morning meal.

"Will it be a long voyage, captain?" asked Sydney in a jesting tone.

"Something less than crossing the Atlantic," he returned with becoming
gravity.

"It certainly is, captain," Evelyn said with a smile. Then turning to
Sydney, "Kingston is ninety-three miles north of New York."

"Oh, well then, one will not need to burden one's self with much
luggage," laughed Sydney.

"So there will be no time consumed in packing trunks," remarked
Lucilla.

"I never have any trouble about that. Papa always does it for me,"
said Grace, giving him a loving look and smile.

"Will we go on shore at Kingston, papa?" asked Elsie.

"Probably," he replied.

"And see the tree the silver bullet man was hung on?" asked Neddie.

"I do not know whether it is still standing or not, my son," replied
his father; "and, if so, it probably looks much like other apple
trees. It was not at Kingston he was hanged, however, but at Hurley--a
few miles from there."

"Kingston is a very old place, is it not?" asked Violet.

"Yes," said her mother; "it was settled by the Dutch as early as 1663,
Lossing tells us, and at first called Wiltwyck--which means wild witch
or Indian Witch--on account of the troubles between the settlers and
the Indians. A redoubt was built by the Dutch on the bank of the creek
near the old landing place, and they called the creek Redoubt Kill, or
Creek. Now it is called Rondout--a corruption of Redoubt. Years later,
near the close of the century, the population of the town was
increased by a valuable addition from Europe--a colony of French
Huguenots, who fled from that dreadful persecution begun in 1685 by
Louis XIV.'s revocation of the Edict of Nantes."

"What does that mean, grandma?" asked Neddie.

"I will tell you sometime; perhaps while we are going up the river
to-day," she answered in kindly tones. "I cannot do it now, for there
is the breakfast bell."

They were all seated upon the _Dolphin's_ deck very shortly after
leaving the table, and in a few moments the yacht was steaming rapidly
up the river. Then Neddie, going to his grandmother's side, claimed
her promise to explain to him what was meant by an edict--particularly
the one of which she had spoken.

"An edict," she said, "is a public decree that things shall be so and
so. The Edict of Nantes said that the persecution of the Protestants
must stop and they be allowed to worship God as they deemed right; the
revocation of that edict gave permission to the Romanists to begin
persecution again. Therefore, to save their lives, the Protestants had
to flee to other lands."

"Where did they go, grandma?" asked Eric, who was listening with as
keen an interest as Neddie himself.

"A great many to England and Germany and some to this country. It was
really a great loss to France, for they were industrious and skilful
artisans--manufacturers of silk, jewelry, and glass."

"I'm glad some of them did come here," said Eric. "The massacre of St.
Bartholomew was before that, wasn't it, grandma?"

"Yes; on the 26th of August, 1572; in that seventy thousand
Protestants were butchered by the Papists in France, by the authority
of the Pope and the king. From that time on, until 1598, there were
terrible persecutions, stopped in that year by Henry IV.'s issue of
the Edict of Nantes, allowing, as I have told you, Protestants to
worship God according to the dictates of their consciences. That edict
remained in force for nearly a century, but was revoked in 1685 by
Louis XIV."

"Then the Protestants moved away to escape being killed?" asked Eric.

"Yes," replied Grandma Elsie, "and some of them came up this river and
settled on its shores. They found it less hazardous to dwell beside
the savage Indians than among the persecuting Papists."

"So they came across the ocean and up this river and settled near
Kingston, did they, grandma?" queried Eric.

"They settled in the valley of Ulster and Orange counties," she
answered.

"And then they had good times, I hope," said Neddie.

"Not for some time," she answered, "because the Indians were fierce
and jealous of the palefaces, as they called the whites. It was not
until after the Revolution that they ceased to give trouble to the
white settlers, both Huguenots and others. But it was borne with
patience and perseverance; and many of their descendants helped in
the hard struggle for our independence."

"Fighting the British in the Revolutionary War, do you mean, grandma?"
asked Neddie.

"Yes; fighting for freedom. That was the war that made us the great
and growing nation that we are to-day. It was a fearful struggle, but
God helped us, and we should never forget to give him thanks for our
liberties."

"I hope we won't," said Eric. "Papa says we have more to be thankful
for than any other people; and I think so myself."

"As I do," said his grandma; "and my little grandsons are much better
off than very many other children, even in this good land."

"Yes, grandma, I know that; papa and mamma often remind me of it; and
I do feel thankful for my many blessings; for none of them more than
for my dear, sweet grandma," he added with a loving look into her
eyes.

"As I do for my dear grandchildren," she returned, giving him a loving
smile and softly patting the hand he had laid on her knee.

"Indeed, we all love you dearly, grandma," exclaimed Ned. "But, now,
please won't you go on and tell us some more? Tell about the Indians,
and what they and the white folks did to each other."

"I could not tell all that was done, nor would it be a pleasant story
if I could," replied Grandma Elsie. "The Esopus Indians lived on the
flats extending northward from the creek for some distance. They did
not fancy their white neighbors, and determined to kill them. They
fell upon the settlement one day while the able-bodied men were in the
field and slew sixty-five persons. The others fled to the redoubt, and
the Indians began to build a stockade near it. But a call for help was
sent to New York, and the Governor sent troops, who drove the Indians
back to the mountains. Not long afterward the Dutch followed the
Indians into their fastnesses, destroyed their forts and villages,
laid waste their fields, burned their stores of maize, killed many of
their warriors, captured eleven of them, and released twenty-two of
the Dutch whom they were holding captives. All that led to a truce the
next December and a treaty of peace the following May."

"Were the Huguenots there when all that happened, grandma?" asked
Eric.

"No; as I have told you, it was the revocation of the Edict of Nantes
which drove them from their native land to this foreign shore, and
that did not take place until 1685--more than twenty years later."

"Were the Indians all gone from about Kingston by that time, grandma?"
asked Eric.

"Oh, no!" she said. "They as well as the Tories gave a great deal of
trouble to the Patriots during the Revolutionary War--that hard
struggle for freedom. At the time of the Revolution the New York
Legislature, then called 'Convention of the Representatives of the
State of New York,' migrated from place to place, being compelled to
do so by the movements of the enemy, and finally, in February, 1777,
took up their quarters in Kingston until May of that year. They were
making a Constitution for the State. It proved a very excellent one,
and was adopted. And the first session of the legislature of the State
was appointed to meet at Kingston in July. So Kingston was the capital
of the State when Sir Henry Clinton took the forts in the Hudson
Highlands; and because it was the capital he marked it out for special
vengeance.

"The British fleet, under Sir James Wallace, came up the river with
3600 men under the command of General Vaughan. The order given them
was to scatter desolation in their track; and they obeyed--destroying
all vessels on the river and firing from the ships upon the houses of
known Patriots. Also small parties landed and desolated whole
neighborhoods with fire and sword. They landed near Kingston on the
13th of October in two divisions, each taking a different road to the
town, and burning and destroying as they went. They joined upon a
gentle eminence and marched into the town,--then but a small
village,--began setting the houses on fire, and soon had almost every
one laid in ashes."

"Was Kingston only a very little place then, grandma?" asked Eric.

"A town of only three or four thousand inhabitants," she replied.
"Some of the people--warned of the approach of the British--had
succeeded in hiding their most valuable effects, but others lost all
they had. A large quantity of provisions and stores was destroyed.
After doing all that mischief, the British--fearing the American
people would gather together and come upon and punish them for all
this wanton cruelty--hastily retreated."

"Did it do them any good to burn down the town, grandma?" asked Eric
hotly.

"No; there was nothing gained by it."

"And as they burned the town, there are no Revolutionary houses to be
seen there now, I suppose?"

"A few houses escaped the fire," she said. "One is the 'Constitution
House'--called so because it was there the Convention met which framed
the Constitution for the government of the State. I think we will
visit it to-day. Perhaps, too, the old graveyard where many of the
Huguenots lie buried. Will we not, captain?" addressing him as he drew
near their little group, as if interested to learn what was the topic
of her discourse.

"We will visit any spot that you wish us to, mother," he answered in
his pleasant tones.

"Were you giving the boys a history of Kingston?"

"A slight sketch," she said; "and they want to see the Constitution
House; perhaps the old graveyard too."

"Ah! I think we will visit both; certainly, if all our party wish it."

At that, several of the others gathered about them, asking of what
places they were speaking; and, on being told, they one and all
expressed themselves as desirous to see everything connected with the
history of the town to which they were going. So that was what they
did on their arrival at Kingston. They remained there for some hours;
then returned to their yacht, and greatly enjoyed the trip back to
Evelyn's pretty cottage, which they reached in time for tea.




                              CHAPTER V.


"How many would like to take another trip up or down the river
to-morrow?" asked Captain Raymond, as they sat together on the front
porch after leaving the tea table.

"Every one of us, I presume, captain," said Grandma Elsie, with a
smiling glance from one to another of the eager, interested faces
about them.

"Oh, yes; yes, indeed, we would!" exclaimed several voices, Mrs.
Leland adding, "We could hardly contrive a more delightful way of
spending the time; there are a number of historic spots which would be
interesting ones to visit."

"Tarrytown and the other places connected with Arnold's treachery,"
suggested Violet.

"Fishkill, too, is a historically interesting place," said her mother.

"West Point also," remarked Lucilla. "Papa took Max and me there once,
but I should not at all object to going again."

"I think we can visit all the places mentioned within the next few
days," said her father; "and we need not decide until to-morrow
morning which we will take first."

"In the meantime we may talk the matter over, I suppose, and see what
the majority is in favor of?" remarked Lucilla inquiringly.

"I think that would be a good plan," said her father. "Let everyone
feel at perfect liberty to give his or her opinion."

"I think we could hardly find a more interesting locality to visit
than Fishkill," said Grandma Elsie. "Though perhaps a longer sail may
be thought desirable."

"We could supplement it with as long a one as we might find agreeable,
by passing on either up or down the river, upon returning from the
shore to the yacht," said the captain.

"Why, yes, so we could," said Violet; "and I think it would be very
enjoyable."

"Papa, what is there to see at Fishkill? and what happened there in
the Revolution?" asked Elsie Raymond.

"Quite a good deal," replied the captain. "Fishkill village lies five
miles eastward from the landing of that name, on a plain near the
foot of the mountains. Those high mountains sheltered it from invasion
in the time of the Revolution, and it was chosen as a place of safe
deposit for military stores. Also for the confinement of Tory
prisoners and others captured by strategy or in skirmishes upon the
neutral ground in West Chester. For a while too a portion of the
Continental Army was encamped there; also the State Legislature met
there at one time."

"Was the camp in the town, papa?" asked Grace.

"No; the barracks were about half a mile south of the village. The
officers had their quarters at the house of a Mr. Wharton, and the
barracks extended along the road from there to the foot of the
mountains."

"Is not that vicinity the scene of many of the incidents given in
Cooper's 'Spy'?" asked Mr. Leland.

"Yes," replied the captain. "Enoch Crosby was a spy who did good
service to his country in that capacity, and is supposed to have been
the original of Cooper's spy--Harvey Birch. In the Wharton House,
Crosby at one time went through a mock trial by the Committee of
Safety, and was then confined in irons in the old Dutch church in the
village. It was in the autumn of 1776 he began his career as spy in
the service of his country by learning the plans and purposes of the
Tories and revealing them to his Whig friends. In that neighborhood,
at that time, secret foes were more to be feared than open enemies,
but for a long time Crosby mingled with the Tories, learning their
plans and purposes, without being suspected by them; they thought him
as much an enemy to his and their country as they were themselves.
Lossing tells us that while on one of his excursions he asked lodging
for the night of a woman who proved to be a Tory; and that from her he
learned that a company of Tories was being formed in the neighborhood
with the intention of marching to New York and joining the British
Army. He seemed delighted with the idea and most anxious to join the
company. He gained the confidence of its captain and learned all his
plans. It seems that after their talk they retired to bed; but Crosby
did not immediately fall asleep. When all had grown quiet, so that
there was reason to suppose everyone else was asleep, he rose and
stealthily left the house, hastened to White Plains, where lived the
Committee of Safety, and told them what he had just learned of the
plans of the Tories. He also suggested that they should hold a meeting
the following evening and send a band of Whigs to arrest the Tories
and himself as though believing him to be one of them. That plan was
carried out; they were all made prisoners, taken to Fishkill, and
confined in the old stone church. I believe that church is one of the
relics of the Revolution which yet remain.

"When the arrested men were taken there the Committee of Safety was
already at the Wharton House prepared to try them. They held an
examination of the prisoners after which they--Crosby among the
rest--were sent back to their prison. Seemingly by accident, he was
left alone with the Committee for a few minutes and the plan was
concerted by which he might escape.

"At the northwest corner of the church was a window hidden by a
willow. He reached the ground through that, got rid of his loose
manacles, sprang out of his concealment, and rushed away past the
sentinels with the speed of a deer. The sentinels fired a few shots
after him, but missed him in the gloom; and he escaped unhurt to a
swamp."

"Oh, that was good!" cried Eric. "Did he have any more such escapes,
uncle?"

"Yes; twice after that he was made a prisoner with Tories, but managed
to escape each time. At one time Colonel Van Cortlandt was stationed
with a detachment of troops on the east side of the Hudson, to watch
what was going on upon the Neutral Ground. One day Crosby was with a
part of that detachment near Teller's Point and the mouth of the
Croton River, when they saw a British sloop of war come sailing up the
stream. It cast anchor in the channel opposite. Crosby and six others
then went to the Point, where all but one concealed themselves in the
bushes, while the other, dressed in infantry uniform, paraded the
beach. Of course the officers on the sloop soon saw and determined to
capture him. They promptly sent a boat with eleven men to take him.
But as the British landed the American ran. They pursued, not thinking
of any danger. Then Crosby and his companions began making a noise in
the bushes that made it seem as though they were half a regiment; then
they rushed out and called on the enemy to surrender--which they did
without firing a shot. The next day the stone church at Fishkill held
them as prisoners."

"I suppose Crosby was a born American, uncle?" Eric said inquiringly.

"Yes; born in Massachusetts early in January, 1750."

"That would make him twenty-five a few months before the war began.
But he did not live in Massachusetts?"

"No; his parents moved to New York while he was still an infant. When
he grew up he learned the trade of a shoemaker; but when the war broke
out he gave up his trade and shouldered a musket. He was living at
Danbury then, and was one of the hundred men who in 1775 marched to
Lake Champlain and fought battles in that quarter until Quebec was
stormed. It was after his return from that expedition that he engaged
in the secret service."

"Being a spy?" queried Neddie.

"Yes; but at length finding that his many escapes after being taken
prisoner by the Whigs had excited the suspicions of the Tories, he
gave up that work and joined a detachment of the Continental Army then
stationed in the Highlands."

"I hope he didn't get killed, papa?" said Little Elsie.

"No; he lived through the war, and for many years afterward. In 1827
he was in New York City as witness at a trial in court, and an old
gentleman who knew him introduced him to the audience as the original
of Harvey Birch--Cooper's spy. That story had been turned into a play,
and was then being performed at one of the theatres. Notice was given
that Crosby had accepted an invitation to attend the play, and the
house was crowded with an audience who warmly greeted the old
soldier."

"I'm glad they did," said Elsie. "It must have been pleasant for him,
and I'm sure he deserved it; for he had helped a great deal to get us
all free. Papa, haven't we just the very best country in all the
world?"

"So I think," her father answered with a smile; adding, "and that
being the case we ought to be the best people in all the world. Don't
you think so, daughter?"

"Yes, indeed, papa; and I mean to try."

"Why not go to Fishkill to-morrow?" asked Sydney.

"All in favor of so doing may say aye," said the captain, glancing
around upon the small crowd of hearers, big and little.

"Aye!" exclaimed every voice, and that was followed by a ripple of
laughter. As that died down, "We seem to be of one mind," remarked the
captain pleasantly. "Well, the yacht will be ready to start
immediately after breakfast, if the weather is pleasant. We would
hardly wish to go in a storm."

"Oh, no!" exclaimed several voices; "especially as we have plenty of
time to wait for a pleasant day."

"Yes," the captain said; "but there is every indication that we will
not have to do so--that to-morrow will prove as fine a day as we
could wish; and I suggest that our young people--and all older ones
who desire plenty of sleep--should retire pretty soon; for we will
need to rise early if we want abundance of time for our expedition.
The trip on the river will be short, but we will probably want to
spend at least half the day on shore."

Everyone followed the captain's good advice; they were all up early
next morning and ready to start on their proposed trip in good season.

The weather proved pleasant, no accident befell any of them, and all
enjoyed very thoroughly their visit to Fishkill and its vicinity. They
visited the Verplanck House--interesting as having been the
headquarters of Baron Steuben when the American Army was encamped near
Newburgh, and also as the place where the celebrated Society of the
Cincinnati was organized in 1783.

"Won't you please tell us something about Baron Steuben, papa?" asked
Elsie Raymond as they were returning from their visit to the Verplanck
House.

"Yes," replied the captain. "He was a German soldier, born in
Magdeburg, Prussia. His full name was Frederick William Augustus Henry
Ferdinand von Steuben. His father was a captain in the army, and he
became a soldier when a mere lad. He saw and took part in a great deal
of fighting, and in 1762 was made aide to Frederick the Great. He took
part in the siege of Schweidnitz, and that closed his military career
in his own land. He retired from the army, and was living most
comfortably on a salary, while we were struggling for our freedom. In
December, 1777, he went to Paris, on his way to visit some English
noblemen who were friends of his. In Paris he met the French minister
of war, who seems to have been a good friend to America, for, knowing
that the great weakness of our army lay in the fact that the men
lacked discipline and knew little or nothing of military tactics, he
tried to persuade Steuben to come to this country and teach them.

"But very naturally the baron was not willing to sacrifice his income
and his honors in order to help a cause that seemed so desperate. Yet
at length he yielded to Germain's solicitation and promises, and
decided to come to the help of the struggling Colonies. He came over
on a French gunboat; having a long stormy passage of fifty-five days,
the vessel taking fire three times--a very hazardous thing, as there
were 1700 pounds of powder on board. Also there was an attempt to
mutiny. However, he finally arrived safely at Portsmouth, N. H. He had
a warm welcome there, the whole population going out to receive him."

"And did he go right into our army, papa?" asked Elsie.

"He wrote at once to Congress offering his services to the Colonies,
saying he had come to this country because he would serve a nation
engaged in the noble work of defending its rights and liberties,
adding that although he had given up an honorable title and lucrative
rank, he asked neither riches nor honors. He called upon Congress, and
told them he would enter the army as a volunteer; if his services were
not satisfactory, or if the Colonies failed to establish their
independence, he was to receive nothing; but if they were successful,
and he remained in the army, he expected to be refunded the income he
had given up, and remunerated for his services."

"That was a good offer," remarked Eric. "I suppose they accepted it?"

"They did," replied his uncle; "and Steuben went to Valley Forge,
where Washington and his army were encamped at that time. When he saw
our half-starved, poorly clad soldiers come creeping out of their huts
he was astounded, and said 'No European army could be kept together a
week in such a state.' But he began his work at once. He did a great
work; probably we could never have won our independence without the
help he gave us in training our soldiers for the hard struggle
necessary to win it. The fine effect of that discipline was seen in
the Battle of Monmouth, when Baron Steuben rallied the retreating and
disordered troops of Charles Lee like veterans."

"Did he stay in this country till the war was over, papa?" asked
Elsie.

"Yes; and as long as he lived. He made New York City his home for
several years. I am ashamed to say that Congress refused to fulfil its
contract with him to pay him for his services, but he was given
grants of land in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. The first he
declined to take when he learned that it was the estate of an old Tory
who would be left destitute, and in the kindness of his heart he
interceded for him. Steuben was very kind-hearted and generous.
Lossing gives us some anecdotes illustrative of that. He says that in
Newburgh, at the time of the disbanding of the army, Colonel Cochran
was standing in the street penniless, when Steuben tried to comfort
him by saying that better times would come.

"'For myself,' replied the brave officer, 'I can stand it; but my wife
and daughters are in the garret of that wretched tavern; and I have
nowhere to carry them, nor even money to remove them.' As Lossing
says, 'The baron's generous heart was touched, and, though poor
himself, he hastened to the family of Cochran, poured the whole
contents of his purse upon the table, and left as suddenly as he had
entered.'

"As he was walking toward the wharf a wounded negro soldier came up to
him bitterly lamenting that he had no means with which to get to New
York. The baron borrowed a dollar, handed it to the negro, hailed a
sloop, and put him on board. 'God Almighty bless you, baron!' said the
negro as Steuben walked away. Many such stories could be told of the
kind-hearted baron."

"What a shame that Congress did not keep the promise it made him when
he first came over here!" exclaimed Lucilla.

"Yes; it was a great shame," acknowledged her father; "however, after
seven years of delay they allowed him a pension of $2400. Then he
retired to his land; he had a whole township near Utica, N. Y. He
cleared sixty acres of that, built a loghouse upon it, and made his
home there for the rest of his life; though he went to New York every
winter. On the 22d of November, 1795, he was making preparation for
that yearly visit, when he was stricken with paralysis. Three days
afterward he died. In accordance with directions which he had given,
he was buried near his house, with his military cloak around him and
the star of honor that he always wore on his breast."

"Ah, the dear, good man! I hope he is reaping a great reward in the
other world," said Sydney.

"A wish which I think we can all echo from our hearts," responded
Grandma Elsie.




                             CHAPTER VI.


"We have had a nice day--a very nice one, I think," remarked Elsie
Raymond, as they sat on the deck of the _Dolphin_ pursuing their
homeward way.

"Where are you going to take us to-morrow, papa?"

"That is a question for the majority of the older people to decide,"
replied the captain, softly stroking her curls--for she was seated
upon his knee--and smiling down affectionately into her eyes.

"That means grandma and mamma, and uncle and aunt, I suppose," said
the little girl, looking round inquiringly upon them. "Please, dear,
good folks, won't you all say what you want?"

"I think we would all be satisfied to go to any one of the many
interesting spots on the banks of this beautiful river," replied
Grandma Elsie.

"As I do," said Mrs. Leland, "but, since a choice has to be made, I
propose that--if no one prefers any other place--we go to West Point
to-morrow."

That motion was put to vote, and the decision given in its favor was
unanimous.

"Thinking of going there reminds me of Arnold and his treachery,"
remarked Lucilla. "Can't we go and see the Robinson House, on the
other side of the river, papa?"

"I don't know that visitors are admitted to the mansion now, but we
can drive past and view the outside and the grounds," replied the
captain. "The house is now called Beverly, the dock from which Arnold
made his escape Beverly Dock."

"He got into a boat, papa?" asked Neddie.

"Yes; into his barge, which conveyed him to the British ship
_Vulture_."

"Oh, can't you tell us the whole story of it now, papa, and let us go
to the place to-morrow?"

"That might be possible," returned the captain, "if no one objects to
hearing a rehearsal of the old story."

No one had any objection, and the captain proceeded with the
narrative.

"Arnold was a brave, daring, and successful soldier in the
Revolutionary War; one who did and suffered a great deal to win his
country's freedom, and perhaps if he had been treated with perfect
justice he might never have turned traitor. He was badly treated by
Congress and by Gates. After that he got into serious trouble through
his own reckless extravagance. He was deeply in debt and ready to do
almost anything for money. He had married into a Tory family, too, and
perhaps they had an influence in lessening his love for the cause of
freedom and making him willing to betray his country for the money he
coveted--for filthy lucre. He learned that Sir Henry Clinton so
coveted West Point that almost any sum of money and any honors would
be given the man who should enable the British to get possession of
that post. He pondered the matter, and resolved to do the dastardly
deed if possible. He had been declining active service on the plea
that his wounds rendered him unfit for riding on horseback. But now
his wounds healed rapidly, his patriotism was freshly aroused, and he
was eager to again serve his bleeding country.

"It was in that way he talked to his friends in Congress,--General
Schuyler and others,--men who, he knew, had influence with Washington.
He also prevailed upon Robert R. Livingston--a member of Congress--to
write to Washington and suggest the giving of the command of West
Point to Arnold.

"Then, under the pretence of having private business in Connecticut,
he went there, passing through the camp and paying his respects to
Washington on the way. But he said nothing about his wish to be
appointed to the command at West Point until he again called on his
return; then he suggested to Washington that on rejoining the army he
would like that post, as suited to his feelings and the state of his
health.

"Washington was surprised, but his suspicions were not aroused. So
Arnold got command of that post with all its dependencies; that is,
including everything from Peekskill to Kings Ferry. His instructions
were dated at Peekskill on the 3d of August, 1780. He went at once to
the Highlands and established his quarters at Colonel Robinson's
house.

"At this time Arnold had been in correspondence with Sir Henry Clinton
for eighteen months. Both wrote over fictitious names, and Clinton did
not know who his correspondent was; at least, for a great part of the
time he was ignorant of his name and character, the letters passing
through the hands of Major Andre. During the previous winter Arnold
had had some connection with a British spy--Lieutenant Hele--in
Philadelphia, where he had been sent with a pretended flag of truce in
a vessel afterward wrecked in the Delaware, when he--Hele--was made
prisoner by Congress."

"I think there was something known of Arnold's plot in England at that
time; was there not, captain?" asked Mr. Leland.

"Yes," replied Captain Raymond; "and great hopes were built upon it
long before it was to take place. Some of the officers who returned to
England in 1780 were often heard to declare that it was all over with
the rebels; that they were about to receive an irreparable blow the
news of which would soon arrive. But they had no more to say on the
subject after the account was received of the plot and the discovery
of the traitor. To resume: Arnold wrote his letters in a disguised
hand and ambiguous style, affixing to them the feigned signature of
'Gustavus.' Andre signed his 'John Anderson.'"

"He wasn't so bad a man as Arnold, was he, uncle?" asked Eric.

"I think not, by any means," replied Captain Raymond. "He was a fine
young man who enjoyed the unbounded confidence of Sir Henry Clinton.
He had been an aide-de-camp of the commander-in-chief, and was now
adjutant-general of the British Army.

"Before Arnold's trial by a court-martial Clinton had come to the
belief that he was his correspondent. That trial made him seem of less
value; but when he got command of West Point his traitorous advances
to his country's foes assumed increased importance. So their plans
were made. Clinton was to send a strong force up the Hudson at the
moment when the combined American and French forces should make an
expected movement against New York. That last was one of Washington's
plans which Arnold had revealed to the British general. It was
thought that West Point would be the repository of the ammunition and
other stores of the allied armies. It was reported that the French
were to land on Long Island, and from there march against New York,
while Washington would approach it from the north with the main army
of the Americans; and the plan of the enemy was to send up the river
at that precise time a flotilla bearing a strong land force. When they
reached West Point, Arnold was to surrender to them under pretence of
a weak garrison.

"With the view of carrying out that plan, the British troops were so
posted that they could be put in motion on very short notice, while
vessels, properly manned, were kept in readiness on the Hudson.

"But now Clinton felt it necessary to make certain of the identity of
his correspondent; so he proposed a personal conference, and Arnold
insisted that Major Andre should be the one sent. Clinton had already
fixed upon Andre as the most suitable person to whom to intrust that
important mission, and so sent him. I do not know that Andre went
unwillingly, but he did not seek the service, though once engaged in
it he did his best.

"The love of money seems to have been Arnold's greatest temptation to
the treachery of which he was guilty. His first plan was to have the
interview with Andre at his own quarters in the Highlands, Andre to be
represented as a person entirely devoted to the American cause and
possessing ample means for gaining intelligence from the enemy. As
secret agents were frequently employed to procure intelligence, this
was safe ground to go upon. He sent a letter to Andre telling him of
this arrangement, and assuring him that if he could make his way
safely to the American outpost above White Plains, he would find no
difficulty after that.

"On the east side of the Hudson at that time was a detachment of
cavalry under the command of Colonel Sheldon, who had his
headquarters, with a part of his detachment, at Salem. Arnold gave him
notice that he was expecting a person from New York whom he was to
meet at his quarters for the purpose of making important arrangements
for obtaining early intelligence from the enemy. Also he asked
Sheldon to send him word to the Robinson House when this stranger
arrived.

"But the arrangement was distasteful to Andre, who had no disposition
to act as a spy. He therefore wrote a letter to Colonel Sheldon,
knowing that it would be put into Arnold's hands. He proposed a
meeting with Arnold at Dobbs Ferry, upon the Neutral Ground, on the
next Monday, the 11th instant.

"That letter puzzled Colonel Sheldon, because he had never before
heard the name of John Anderson, or anything from Arnold about
expecting an escort. But he supposed it was from the person expected
by the general, therefore enclosed it to him, writing at the same time
that he himself was not well enough to go to Dobbs Ferry, and hoped
that he would meet Anderson there himself. It was somewhat difficult
for Arnold to explain matters to Sheldon so that his suspicions should
not be excited, but he seems to have been skilful in deception, and
managed to do so. He left his quarters on the 10th, went down the
river in his barge to King's Ferry, and passed the night at the house
of Joshua Hett Smith, near Haverstraw."

"That Smith was a traitor too, was he not, captain?" asked Evelyn.

"Probably; though there is a difference of opinion on that point; he
acted a part in the work of treason, but was perhaps only Arnold's
dupe. Early the next morning Arnold proceeded toward Dobbs Ferry,
where Andre and Colonel Robinson were waiting to meet him, but as he
drew near he was fired upon and closely pursued by the British
gunboats. That, of course, made it necessary to defer the conference.

"Having gone down the river openly, Arnold thought it necessary to
make some explanation to Washington, so wrote him a letter in which he
mentioned several important matters connected with his command at West
Point and incidentally referred to having come down the river to
establish signals as near the enemy's lines as possible, that he might
receive prompt notice of any fleet or troops coming up the Hudson.

"This letter was dated at Dobbs Ferry, September 11th, and that night
he returned to his quarters at the Robinson House. He desired to have
his interview with Andre as speedily as possible, because he knew that
Washington was going to Hartford to hold a conference with the newly
arrived French officers, and that the best time to carry out his plans
for betraying his country would be in the absence of the
commander-in-chief. And as Washington would cross the Hudson at King's
Ferry, it was very necessary that until his departure no movement
should be made that might excite his suspicion.

"Two days after Arnold had returned to his quarters he wrote again to
Andre telling him that a person would meet him on the west side of
Dobbs Ferry on Wednesday, the 20th inst., and conduct him to a place
of safety where the writer would meet him. 'It will be necessary,' he
added, 'for you to be in disguise. I cannot be more explicit at
present. Meet me if possible. You may rest assured that if there is no
danger in passing your lines, you will be perfectly safe where I
propose a meeting.'

"Arnold also wrote to Major Tallmadge, at North Castle, instructing
him that if a person named John Anderson should arrive at his station,
to send him on without delay to headquarters under the escort of two
dragoons.

"The house in which Arnold was living at that time had been the
property of Colonel Robinson, but was confiscated because he had
become a Tory. The two had been corresponding for some time under the
pretence that Robinson was trying to recover the property through
Arnold. Sir Henry Clinton had sent Robinson up the river on board the
_Vulture_ with orders to proceed as high as Teller's Point. It is
probable that Robinson knew all about Arnold's treasonable plans and
purposes. He now wrote a letter to General Putnam asking for an
interview with him on the subject of his property, and, pretending
that he did not know where Putnam was, he enclosed his letter to him
in one addressed to Arnold, requesting him to hand the enclosed to
Putnam, or, if that officer had gone away, to return it by the bearer,
adding 'In case General Putnam should be absent, I am persuaded, from
the humane and generous character you bear, that you will grant me
the favor asked.'

"The _Vulture_ was then lying six miles below Verplanck's Point, and
the letters were sent to the Point under a flag of truce. Arnold went
down to that point some hours before Washington was to arrive there on
his way to Hartford, and received and read Colonel Robinson's letter.
Arnold took Washington and his suite across the river in his barge and
accompanied them to Peekskill. He laid Robinson's letter before
Washington and asked his advice. Washington replied that the civil
authority alone could act in the matter, and he did not approve of a
personal interview with Robinson. Arnold's frankness in all this
effectually prevented any suspicion of his integrity as commandant of
West Point.

"After receiving Washington's opinion in regard to the matter Arnold
dared not meet Robinson; but he wrote to him, and in that letter told
him that on the night of the 20th he should send a person on board of
the _Vulture_ who would be furnished with a boat and a flag of truce,
and in the postscript he added, 'I expect General Washington to lodge
here on Sunday next, and I will lay before him any matter you may wish
to communicate.' It was an ingenious and safe way of informing the
enemy just when the commander-in-chief would return from Hartford."

"That looked as though he wanted to put Washington in peril," said
Lucilla.

"I think it did," said her father. "That letter was sent to Sir Henry
Clinton, and the next morning Andre went to Dobbs Ferry. Clinton had
given him positive instructions not to change his dress, not to go
into the American lines, not to receive papers, or in any other way
act the character of a spy.

"It was expected that Arnold would visit the _Vulture_ and there hold
his interview with Andre. But Arnold had arranged a plan which would
be safer for himself, though a greater risk for Andre.

"About two miles below Stony Point lived a man named Joshua Hett
Smith, who had been employed by General Robert Howe, when in command
of West Point, to procure intelligence from New York. Which--as Howe
was a loyal American officer--would seem to be good reason for
supposing that Smith was esteemed a patriotic citizen. Lossing tells
us that Smith occupied a respectable station in society, and could
command more valuable aid in the business in question than any other
person. Arnold went to him and told him he wanted his services in
bringing within the American lines a person of consequence with
valuable intelligence from New York. It would seem that Arnold had
resolved not to adventure himself on the British ship, but to have
Andre take the risk of coming on shore that they might hold their
contemplated interview. Arnold seems to have expected it to prove a
protracted interview, and arranged with Smith to have it take place
partly in his house. Therefore Smith took his family to Fishkill to
visit friends, and on his return trip stopped at the Robinson house
and with Arnold arranged the plan for getting Andre on shore for the
desired interview.

"Arnold gave Smith the usual pass for a flag of truce, and an order on
Major Kierse at Stony Point to furnish him with a boat whenever he
should want one, and he directed Smith to go to the _Vulture_ the next
night and bring ashore the person who was expected to be there.

"Smith did not succeed in getting such assistance as he needed in
boatmen, so failed to visit the _Vulture_ at the appointed time. He
sent a messenger to Arnold with a letter telling of his failure. The
messenger rode all night and reached the Robinson House at dawn.

"Having received the message, Arnold went down the river to
Verplanck's Point and from there to Smith's.

"At the Point, Colonel Livingston handed him a letter just received
from Captain Sutherland of the _Vulture_. It was a complaint that some
one of the Americans had violated the rules of war--showing a flag of
truce on Teller's Point, and when in response a boat with another flag
was sent off, as soon as it neared the shore it was fired upon by some
armed men who were concealed in the bushes.

"The letter was signed by Sutherland, but was in the handwriting of
Andre. Arnold at once understood that the sight of that handwriting
was meant to inform him that Andre was on board of the vessel, and,
perceiving that, he set to work making arrangements to bring him
ashore. He ordered a skiff to be sent to a certain place in Haverstraw
Creek, then went to Smith's house. They soon had everything ready
except the boatmen to row the skiff. Samuel and Joseph Colquhon were
asked to serve, but refused until Arnold threatened them with
punishment, when they yielded.

"It was near midnight when at last they pushed off from the shore, and
so still that not a leaf stirred in the forests, and there was not a
ripple on the water. When they neared the ship they were hailed by the
sentinel on its deck. Smith gave some explanation of their errand, and
after some rough words was allowed to go on board. He found Captain
Sutherland and Beverly Robinson in the cabin. He had a missive for the
latter from Arnold, but though addressed to Robinson its contents were
evidently meant for Andre--inviting him to come ashore and assuring
him of safety in so doing. Robinson understood it and, I presume,
explained it to Andre. Two passes signed by Arnold, which Smith
brought, made still plainer Arnold's wish that Andre should come
ashore. Andre yielded and went with Smith, who landed him at the foot
of a great hill called Long Clove Mountain, about two miles below
Haverstraw, on the western side of the river.

"This was the place Arnold had set for the meeting with Andre, and he
was there hidden in the bushes. Smith took Andre to him, then left
them alone together, and for the first time they heard each the
other's voice. They were plotting the utter ruin of this land, and the
darkness and gloom of the place seemed to suit the nature of the
wicked work. They had not finished their conference when Smith
returned to give warning that dawn approached and it would be
dangerous for them to linger longer. Smith's house was four miles
away. Arnold proposed that they should go there to finish their talk,
offering Andre a horse which he called his servant's, though it is
altogether probable it had been brought there for this purpose. Andre
reluctantly complied with the request. He did not know that he was
within the American lines until he heard the voice of a sentinel near
the village of Haverstraw. His uniform was concealed by a long blue
surtout, but he knew that he was in real danger because he was within
the enemy's lines without a flag or pass. At dawn they reached Smith's
house, and at the same moment heard the sound of a cannonade on the
river. It was in the direction of the _Vulture_."

"Fired by the Americans, papa, or by the British?" asked Elsie.

"The Americans," replied her father. "It was an attack upon the
British ship _Vulture_. Colonel Livingston had heard that she lay so
near the shore as to be within cannon shot and had conceived the idea
of destroying her, and during the night had sent a party with cannon
from Verplanck's Point; and at dawn, from Teller's Point, they opened
fire upon the _Vulture_; so severe a one that the vessel's crew raised
her anchor and moved down the river.

"Colonel Livingston had asked Arnold for two pieces of heavy cannon
for the purpose of destroying the _Vulture_, but on some slight
pretence Arnold refused, and Livingston's detachment could bring only
one four-pounder to bear upon her.

"Colonel Lamb of West Point furnished the ammunition--but grudgingly,
saying that firing at a ship with a four-pounder was, in his opinion,
a waste of powder. As Lossing remarks, he little thought what an
important bearing that cannonade was to have upon the destinies of
America. It drove the _Vulture_ from her moorings, and was one of the
causes of the fatal detention of Andre at Smith's house. The _Vulture_
was so seriously damaged that had she not got off with the flood tide
she would have had to surrender to the Americans. Andre was anxious
and troubled at sight of her retreat, but when the firing ceased his
spirits revived. He and Arnold went on arranging their plot, and
settled upon the day when it should be consummated.

"Andre was to go back to New York; the British vessels, carrying
troops, were to be ready to come up the river at a moment's notice,
and Arnold was to weaken the post at West Point by sending out
detachments among the mountain gorges under the pretence of meeting
the enemy, as they advanced, at a distance from the works; and that
the river might be left free for the passage of the British vessels a
link from the great chain at Constitution Island was to be removed. So
the enemy could take possession with very little resistance.

"Also Arnold supplied Andre with papers explaining the military
condition of West Point and its dependencies, asking him to place them
between his stockings and his feet, and in case of accident to destroy
them. He also gave him a pass; then bade him adieu and went up the
river in his barge; probably feeling greatly satisfied with the
thought that he had at last fully succeeded in carrying out his wicked
scheme to betray his country.

"Andre remained where he was until evening, then asked Smith to take
him back to the _Vulture_. Smith refused, saying he was not well--had
the ague. Probably, though, it had been caused by the firing upon the
_Vulture_, as he was willing to go with Andre if he would take the
land route.

"To that Andre finally consented, as he had no other means of reaching
the vessel. Arnold had persuaded him that in case of taking a land
route he would better exchange his military coat for a citizen's
dress, and that he did. Both that and the receiving of papers were
contrary to the orders of Sir Henry Clinton; but Andre felt obliged to
be governed by the unforeseen circumstances in which he was now
placed. He and Smith started on the short journey together, Smith
promising to conduct him as far as the lower outposts of the American
line.

"A little before sunset, on the evening of September 22d, they crossed
King's Ferry, accompanied by a negro servant, and at dusk passed
through the works at Verplanck's Point and turned toward White Plains.
They had gone as far as Crompond, a little village about eight miles
from Verplanck's Point, when they were hailed by a sentinel who
belonged to a party under Captain Boyd. That officer asked the
travellers many searching questions, and would not be satisfied that
all was right until they showed him Arnold's pass. He had a light
brought and examined the pass, and, seeing that it was genuine, he
gave them permission to go on, after he had apologized for his doubts
of them and given them a friendly warning of danger from the Cowboys
in the neighborhood. He advised them on that account to travel no
farther till morning; but Smith said their business was urgent and
they must make haste to reach White Plains.

"At that the captain went on to speak very strongly of the dangers of
the way, till he so aroused the fears of Smith that he was disposed to
tarry where they were for the rest of the night. Andre was not so
inclined, and it was some time before Smith could induce him to stay
and take lodging in a near-by cottage.

"They occupied the same bed, and Smith afterward told that it was a
weary and restless night for Andre. They left their bed at dawn and
again started upon their journey. As they neared Pine's Bridge, Smith
assured Andre that they were beyond patrolling parties, and Andre at
once shook off his depression and talked gaily, discoursing upon arts,
literature, poetry, and the common topics of the day. Near Pine's
Bridge they separated; Smith went to Fishkill, stopping at the
Robinson House on his way to tell Arnold the particulars of his little
journey with Andre and where he had left him.

"Smith and others had advised Andre not to take the Tarrytown road
because of the many Cowboys in that neighborhood, but Andre,
considering them his friends, disregarded the advice, and, in
consequence, met his sad fate."

"It was a pity for him, but a good thing for our country," remarked
Lucilla.

"Yes," her father said. "On that very morning a little band of seven
volunteers went out near Tarrytown to prevent cattle from being driven
to New York, and to arrest any suspicious characters who might be
travelling that way. A man named John Yerks proposed the expedition
the day before, and enlisted several others to take part in the
enterprise. They reached Tarrytown early on the day Andre did. Four of
them agreed to watch the road from a hill above, while Paulding, Van
Wart, and David Williams were to conceal themselves in the bushes
beside the stream and near the post road.

"Eleven days after that, at the trial of Smith, Paulding and Williams
told the story of their capture of Andre. Paulding testified that he,
Isaac Van Wart, and David Williams were lying by the side of the road
about half a mile above Tarrytown and fifteen miles above Kingsbridge,
between nine and ten o'clock on Saturday morning, the 23d of
September. That they had lain there about an hour and a half, as
nearly as he could recollect, and had seen several persons with whom
they were acquainted and whom they let pass. Presently one of the
young men with him said, 'There comes a gentlemanlike-looking man who
appears to be well dressed and has boots on. You'd better step out and
stop him, if you don't know him.'

"Paulding went on to say that on that he got up, presented his
firelock at the breast of the traveler, told him to stand, and then
asked him which way he was going. 'Gentlemen,' said Andre, 'I hope you
belong to our party.' Paulding asked him what party. He answered, 'The
lower party.' Paulding said he did; then Andre said, 'I am a British
officer, out in the country on particular business, and I hope you
will not detain me a minute.' Then, to show that he was a British
officer, he drew out his watch. Upon that Paulding told him to
dismount. 'I must do anything to get along,' he said, and made a kind
of laugh of it, and pulled out General Arnold's pass, which was to
John Anderson, to pass all guards to White Plains and below. Upon that
he dismounted, and said, 'Gentlemen, you had best let me go, or you
will bring yourselves into trouble, for your stopping me will detain
the general's business'; and he said he was going to Dobbs Ferry to
meet a person there and get intelligence for General Arnold.

"'Upon that,' continued Paulding, 'I told him I hoped he would not be
offended; that we did not mean to take anything from him; and I told
him there were many bad people on the road, and I did not know but
perhaps he might be one,' Paulding also said that he asked the person
his name, and was told that it was John Anderson. He added that if
Anderson had not already told that he was a British officer, he would
have let him go on seeing Arnold's pass. He also said that he
understood the pulling out of the watch to mean to show that he was a
British officer; not that he was offering it to his captors.

"Williams too gave his testimony in regard to the occurrences. 'We
took him into the bushes,' he said, 'and ordered him to pull off his
clothes, which he did; but on searching him narrowly we could not find
any sort of writing. We told him to pull off his boots, which he
seemed to be indifferent about; but we got one boot off and searched
in it, but could find nothing. But we found that there were some
papers in the bottom of his stocking next to his foot; on which we
made him pull his stocking off, and found three papers wrapped up. Mr.
Paulding looked at the contents, and said that he was a spy. We then
made him pull off his other boot, and there we found three more papers
at the bottom of his foot, within his stocking. Upon this we made him
dress himself, and I asked him what he would give us to let him go. He
said he would give us any sum of money. I asked him whether he would
give us his horse, saddle, bridle, watch, and one hundred guineas. He
said Yes, and told us he would direct them to any place, even if it
was that very spot, so that we could get them. I asked him whether he
would not give us more. He said he would give us any quantity of dry
goods, or any sum of money, and bring it to any place that we might
pitch upon, so that we might get it. Mr. Paulding answered, "No; if
you would give us ten thousand guineas, you should not stir one step."
I then asked the person who had called himself John Anderson if he
would not get away if it lay in his power. He answered, "Yes, I
would." I told him I did not intend he should. While taking him along
we asked him a few questions, and we stopped under a shade. He begged
us not to ask him questions, and said that when he came to any
commander he would reveal all.

"'He was dressed in a blue overcoat,' Williams went on to say, 'and a
tight bodycoat that was a kind of claret color, though a rather deeper
red than claret. The buttonholes were laced with gold tinsel, and the
buttons drawn over with the same kind of lace. He had on a round hat,
and nankeen waistcoat and breeches, with a flannel waistcoat and
drawers, boots and thread stockings.'

"North Castle was the nearest military post, and there they took Andre
and delivered both the man and the papers they had found upon him to
Lieutenant Colonel Jameson, the officer in command.

"It seems hard to understand how Jameson could be so foolish as to
decide as he did, to send the prisoner immediately to Arnold. He knew
that some of the papers were in Arnold's undisguised handwriting, and
it seems unaccountable that the circumstances under which they had
come into his hands should not have opened his eyes to the treachery
of that officer. He wrote a letter to Arnold saying that he sent a
certain Mr. Anderson forward under the charge of Lieutenant Allen and
a guard, Anderson having been taken while on his way to New York;
adding, 'He had a passport signed in your name, and a parcel of papers
taken from under his stockings which I think of a very dangerous
tendency.' He went on to describe the papers and to say that he had
sent them to Washington.

"Major Tallmadge, who was next in command to Jameson, was that day on
duty farther down the river. When he returned in the evening and heard
of the circumstances, he was filled with astonishment at Jameson's
folly, and boldly expressed his doubts of Arnold's fidelity. He
offered to take upon himself the entire responsibility of acting on
the belief of his guilt, if Jameson would consent. But Jameson refused
to allow anything that would seem to imply distrust of Arnold.

"Then Tallmadge earnestly begged of him to have the prisoner brought
back. Jameson gave an unwilling consent to that, but insisted on
forwarding his letter and informing the general why the prisoner was
not sent on. That was the letter Arnold received in time to enable him
to make his escape to the _Vulture_.

"Jameson at once sent an express after Lieutenant Allen, who had Andre
in charge, directing him to take his prisoner back to headquarters at
North Castle.

"When Major Tallmadge saw Andre, and noticed his manner and gait as he
paced the room, he felt convinced that he was a military man and more
than ever certain that Arnold was indeed a traitor. He talked the
matter over with Jameson and partly convinced him. The result was the
removal of Andre to Colonel Sheldon's quarters at North Salem, as a
more secure place.

"There Andre wrote a letter to Washington, giving his name and rank
and a brief account of the occurrences which had brought him into his
present situation. This he handed to Major Tallmadge, who learned with
astonishment that his prisoner was the adjutant-general of the British
Army.

"The letter was sealed and sent to General Washington, and the
prisoner seemed to feel relieved. In obedience to an order from
Washington, Andre was taken to West Point and kept there until the
morning of the 28th, when he was conducted to Stony Point and from
there, under a strong escort, to Tappan. Major Tallmadge commanded the
escort and rode by Andre's side all the way. He and Andre were about
the same age and held the same rank in their respective armies. They
talked on the way as familiarly as possible. Andre told Tallmadge that
he was to have taken part in the attack on West Point if Arnold's
plans had succeeded; that he had asked no reward but the military
glory to be won by such service to his king, though he had been
promised the rank and pay of a brigadier-general if he had succeeded.
He inquired earnestly of Tallmadge what would probably be the result
of his capture. In reply Tallmadge reminded him of the fate of the
unfortunate Captain Hale.

"'But you surely do not consider his case and mine alike?' said Andre.

"'Yes, precisely similar, and similar will be your fate,' replied
Tallmadge.

"The prospect of that--the being branded as a spy--greatly distressed
poor Andre; he seemed to feel it the very worst part of his sad fate."

"To be called a spy, papa?" asked Ned.

"Yes; it is an odious name, and in his case would not have the excuse
that it was work undertaken for the salvation of his country, as it
was in that of Nathan Hale."

"Nathan Hale? Who was he, papa? and what did he do?"

"I must go on with this story now, and you shall learn that of Captain
Hale at another time," replied his father.

"Washington now made arrangements for the security of West Point,
then went to the army at Tappan. There he called together a board of
general officers and directed them to inquire into the case of Andre
and report to him, stating in what light they thought the prisoner
should be regarded and what his punishment should be. That court was
convened at Tappan on the 29th of September, and Major Andre arraigned
before it. He made a plain statement of the facts, acknowledged and
confirmed the account he had given in his letter to Washington,
confessed that he came ashore in the night and without a flag, and
answered the question whether he had anything further to say in regard
to the charges against him by the remark, 'I leave them to operate
with the board, persuaded that you will do me justice.'

"He was sent back to prison while the board deliberated long and
carefully over the question of his guilt. Their final verdict was that
'Major Andre, adjutant-general of the British Army, ought to be
considered as a spy from the enemy, and that agreeably to the law and
usage of nations, it is their opinion that he ought to suffer death.'

"The next day Washington's approval of the decision was given,
accompanied by the order that the execution should take place on the
following day at five o'clock P. M."

"What a pity!" exclaimed Grace. "I think I have read that our officers
felt sorry for him and would have been glad to spare his life. Was it
not so, papa?"

"Yes," the captain said. "There was a general desire on the part of
the Americans to save his life, and I think no one desired it more
earnestly than Washington, if it could have been done in a manner
consistent with his public duty. The only way to accomplish that was
by exchanging him for Arnold, and holding the latter responsible for
the acts of his victim. A formal proposition of the kind would not
answer,--Washington could not make, nor Clinton accept it,--but a plan
to attempt such an arrangement was decided upon. A trusty officer of
the New Jersey line, Captain Aaron Ogden, was given a packet of papers
by Washington containing an official account of Andre's trial, the
decision of the board of inquiry, and Andre's letter to his general.
Ogden was told to choose his escort of men known for their fidelity,
then go to Lafayette for further instructions.

"Lafayette was in command of the light infantry and stationed nearest
to the British. He instructed Ogden to travel so slowly that he would
not reach Paulus Hotel till near night, and he would be invited to
stay there till morning. He was then to get into talk with the
commandant of the post about this affair of Andre, and suggest that it
would be well to exchange him for Arnold if it could be done.

"It all occurred just as planned: the commandant received Ogden
courteously, sent the package across the river, invited him to stay
all night, and in the course of conversation Andre's case was
introduced.

"'Is there no way to spare his life?' asked the commandant.

"'If Sir Henry Clinton would give up Arnold, Andre might be saved,'
replied Ogden. 'I have no assurance to that effect from General
Washington, but I have reason to know that such an arrangement might
be effected.'

"'On hearing that the commandant left the company immediately,
crossed the river, and had an interview with Sir Henry Clinton. It
availed nothing, however. Sir Henry at once refused compliance; honor,
he said, would not allow the surrender of Arnold--a man who had
deserted from the Americans and openly espoused the cause of the king.

"When Ogden mustered his men at dawn the next morning a sergeant was
missing. He had deserted to the enemy during the night. There was no
time to search for him, and they returned to Tappan without him."

"Did he go over to the British, papa? Oh, what a naughty man!" cried
Ned.

"That was what his fellow-soldiers thought," returned the captain with
a smile. "But he was really obeying Washington, who wanted him to
obtain in that way some very important information. A paper had been
intercepted in which was the name of General St. Clair, mentioned in
such a way as to excite suspicion that he was connected with Arnold's
treason. The sergeant, who was an intelligent man, soon discovered
that there was no ground for such suspicion, and that the paper which
had excited it was designed by the enemy to fall into Washington's
hands and excite jealousy and ill-feeling among the American officers.
The papers were traced to a British emissary named Brown.

"Sir Henry Clinton was much distressed on reading Washington's
despatch and the letter of Andre. He summoned a council of officers
and it was at once resolved to send a deputation of three persons to
the nearest American outpost to open communication with Washington,
present proofs of Andre's innocence, and try to procure his release.
General Robertson, Andrew Elliott, and William Smith were the men
chosen as the committee, and Beverly Robinson went with them as a
witness in the case. Toward noon, on the last of October, they arrived
at Dobbs Ferry, in the _Greyhound_ schooner, with a flag of truce.

"General Greene had been appointed by Washington to act in his behalf,
and was already at the ferry when the _Greyhound_ came to anchor.
General Robertson opened the conference with great courtesy of manner
and flattering words, and was going on to discuss the subject of
conference, when General Greene politely interrupted him by saying,
'Let us understand our position. I meet you only as a private
gentleman, not as an officer, for the case of an acknowledged spy
admits of no discussion.'

"With that understanding the conference was carried on, the British
saying what they could in Andre's favor, but bringing forward nothing
that affected the justice of his sentence. Then a letter from Arnold
to Washington was produced. It was impudent, malignant, and
hypocritical; menaced Washington with dreadful retaliation if Andre
should be executed, prophesying that it would cause torrents of blood
to flow, and the guilt of that would be upon Washington. Such a letter
could not reasonably be expected to produce any good effect.

"The conference ended at sunset. Robertson expressed his confidence
that Greene would be candid in reporting to Washington the substance
of what had passed between them, adding that he should remain on board
the _Greyhound_ all night, and that he hoped that in the morning he
might take Major Andre back with him, or at least hear that his life
was safe.

"Robertson was overwhelmed with astonishment and grief when early the
next morning he received a note from Greene stating that Washington's
opinion and decision were unchanged, and the prisoner would be
executed that day.

"Sir Henry Clinton wrote to Washington, offering some important
prisoners in exchange; but it was too late.

"Andre showed no fear of death, but was very solicitous to be shot
rather than hanged. He pleaded for that with touching but manly
earnestness, importuning Washington in a letter written the day before
his death. It was, however, contrary to the customs of war, and
Washington, kind-hearted as he was, could not grant his request.

"Major Andre was executed at Tappan on the 2d of October, 1780, at
twelve o'clock. A large detachment of troops was paraded; there was an
immense concourse of people present; excepting Washington and his
staff, almost all the field officers were there on horseback. There
was a strong feeling of pity for the young man, and the whole scene
was very affecting. I suppose the general feeling was that he was
suffering the punishment that ought, if possible, to have been meted
out to Arnold--the traitor."

"I think history says that Andre went through it all very bravely;
does it not, captain?" asked Sydney.

"Yes; there was a smile on his countenance as he walked from the
stone-house where he had been confined, to the place of execution, and
he bowed politely to several officers whom he knew, they returning it
respectfully. He had hoped to be shot rather than hanged, and when he
suddenly came in view of the gallows he started backward and made a
pause. An officer by his side asked, 'Why this emotion, sir?' Andre
instantly recovered his composure, and answered, 'I am reconciled to
my death, but I detest the mode,' Tears came into the eyes of many of
the spectators as they saw him take off his hat and stock, and bandage
his own eyes. He slipped the noose over his head, and adjusted it to
his neck with perfect firmness. He was then told that he had an
opportunity to speak if he wished to do so. At that he raised the
handkerchief from his eyes, and said, 'I pray you to bear me witness
that I meet my fate like a brave man.' He had said of the manner of
his death, 'It will be but a momentary pang,' and so it proved, as, on
the removal of the wagon on which he stood, he expired almost
instantly. The body was placed in an ordinary coffin, and buried at
the foot of the gallows. And the spot was consecrated by the tears of
thousands."

"But it doesn't lie there now?" Sydney said half in assertion, half
inquiringly.

"No; in 1831 it was taken up, carried to England, and buried near his
monument in Westminster Abbey. But here we are at our temporary home
again, and further talk on these interesting historical themes must be
deferred until our usual gathering together on the porch for an
evening chat," said the captain as the boat rounded to at the wharf
below Evelyn's cottage.




                             CHAPTER VII.


The trip on the _Dolphin_ had been restful rather than fatiguing, and
all were ready when tea was over for further chat upon the interesting
historical themes which had engaged their attention through the day.

"Congress rewarded the men who took Andre prisoner, did it not, papa?"
asked Grace.

"Yes; each of them was given a medal and a pension of two hundred
dollars a year. Washington wrote of them to Congress in terms of high
praise, proposing that they should receive a handsome gratuity for
having saved the country from one of the severest strokes that could
have been meditated against it. Lossing tells the whole story in his
'Field-Book of the Revolution,' and gives a picture of the medal."

"Oh, that was good!" exclaimed Little Elsie, adding, "Now, papa, I
hope you are going to tell us the rest about the traitor Arnold."

"If all wish to hear it," replied her father; and receiving the
assurance that such was the case, he proceeded with the story.

"When Arnold left Andre at Smith's house he went up the river in his
barge and directly to the Robinson House; on arriving there spent a
little time with his wife and child, then had a talk with his two
aides, Majors Varick and Franks, telling them he was expecting
important information from New York through a distinguished channel
which he had just opened. This was on the 22d; the day fixed upon for
the ascent of the river by the British ships was the 24th, and West
Point was to be surrendered to them on their arrival there."

"And they listened to it all and never suspected him?" exclaimed
Sydney.

"Yes," said the captain; "he told it all as calmly as if there were no
guilt on his soul, and so he appeared on the very day that his treason
was to be consummated.

"Washington returned from Hartford two days sooner than Arnold had
expected. He passed the night at Fishkill, and he and his suite were
in the saddle before dawn, as he was anxious to reach Arnold's
quarters before breakfast time, and they had eighteen miles to ride.
Men were sent ahead with the baggage and a notice of Washington's
intention of breakfasting there; but when the general and his party
came opposite West Point, he turned his horse down a lane toward the
river.

"Lafayette said, 'General, you are going in a wrong direction; you
know Mrs. Arnold is waiting breakfast for us; and that road will take
us out of the way.'

"Washington answered good-naturedly: 'Ah, I know you young men are all
in love with Mrs. Arnold, and wish to get where she is as soon as
possible. You may go and take your breakfast with her, and tell her
not to wait for me; for I must ride down and examine the redoubts on
this side of the river, and will be there in a short time.'

"But the officers did not leave him, except two aides-de-camp who rode
on ahead to explain the cause of the delay. Breakfast was waiting when
they arrived, and they all sat down to their meal.

"Arnold seemed moody. Washington had come back too soon to suit his
plans, and the British had not come up the river at the appointed
time. He did not understand it, for he had not yet heard that Andre
was a prisoner. But before the meal was over Lieutenant Allen came
with a letter for him. Arnold broke the seal hastily, for he
recognized Colonel Jameson's handwriting in the address. Doubtless
Arnold expected it would inform him that the enemy was moving up the
river; but instead it told that Major Andre of the British Army was a
prisoner in his custody. It must have been like a thunderbolt to
Arnold, but his self-control was such that he showed but slight
disturbance; he told the aides-de-camp that he found he must go
immediately to West Point, and asked them to say to General
Washington, when he came, that he had been unexpectedly called over
the river and would soon return.

"He ordered a horse to be made ready, then left the table and went
upstairs to his wife. He told her that he must flee for his life, and
might never see her again. She fainted, but not venturing to call for
assistance, or to delay his flight, he gave a farewell kiss to their
sleeping baby, ran from the room, mounted a horse belonging to one of
Washington's aides, and hastened toward the river--not by the winding
road that led to the Beverly Dock, but along a by-way that led down a
steep hill which is yet called Arnold's Path. He got into his barge,
and told the six oarsmen to push out into the middle of the stream and
pull for Teller's Point, promising them two gallons of rum if they
would row rapidly. He told them he was going on board the _Vulture_
with a flag of truce, and was obliged to make all possible haste, as
he wanted to return in time to meet General Washington at his
quarters.

"When they passed Verplanck's Point he showed a white handkerchief,
which served as a flag of truce to both Captain Livingston at the
Point and Captain Sutherland of the _Vulture_--lying in sight a few
miles below. No one followed or tried to intercept them, and they
reached the _Vulture_ without difficulty. Arnold introduced himself to
the captain, then told his oarsmen that they were prisoners. They
answered indignantly that they had come aboard under a flag of truce
and had a right to be allowed to go back free. Arnold coolly told
them they must remain on board. Captain Sutherland did not interfere;
but, despising Arnold's meanness, he gave the coxswain a parole to go
on shore and get such things as he wanted, and when they arrived at
New York Sir Henry Clinton set them all at liberty."

"Arnold was one mean wretch! I am sorry to have to own him as an
American!" exclaimed Lucilla.

"Didn't the British despise him, papa?" asked Elsie.

"Yes, many of them did--regarding him with scorn as a reptile unworthy
of that esteem which a high-souled traitor, a traitor because of great
personal wrong, might claim.

"You remember Arnold had said when he left the breakfast table at the
Robinson House that he was going to West Point. Shortly after his
departure Washington came in. On being told that Arnold had gone
across the river to West Point, he took a hasty breakfast, then said
he would go over again and meet Arnold there. Hamilton did not go with
the others, and it was arranged that the general and his suite should
return and all take dinner there.

"As they were crossing the river Washington remarked that they would
be greeted with a salute, as General Arnold was at the Point; but to
their surprise all was silent when they drew near the landing. Colonel
Lamb, the commanding officer, came strolling down a winding path, and
was quite confused when he saw the barge touch the shore. He
apologized to Washington for his seeming neglect of courtesy, saying
that he was entirely ignorant of his intended visit. 'Sir, is not
General Arnold here?' asked Washington in surprise.

"'No, sir,' replied Colonel Lamb, 'he has not been here these two
days, nor have I heard from him within that time.'

"That aroused Washington's suspicions, but he went around examining
the works at West Point, and about noon returned to the Beverly Dock,
from which he had departed.

"As he was going up from the river to the house, Hamilton was seen
coming toward the party with a hurried step and an anxious, troubled
countenance. He said something to Washington in a low tone; they went
into the house together, and Hamilton laid before the chief several
papers which furnished conclusive evidence of Arnold's guilt. They
were the documents which Arnold had put in Andre's hands. With them
was a letter from Colonel Jameson and one from Andre himself.

"Jameson, thinking Washington was still in Hartford, had sent a
messenger there with these papers. While on the way the messenger
heard of the return of Washington, and, hurrying back, took the
nearest route to West Point through Lower Salem, where Andre was in
custody. So he became the bearer of Andre's letter to Washington. He
reached the Robinson House four hours after Arnold had left it, and
placed the papers in Hamilton's hands.

"Washington called in Knox and Lafayette to give their counsel. He was
calm, but full of grief. 'Whom can we trust now?' he said. As soon as
the papers had been examined, Washington despatched Hamilton on
horseback to Verplanck's Point, that an effort might be made there to
stop the traitor.

"But it was too late; Arnold had got nearly six hours the start of
him. When Hamilton reached the Point a flag of truce was approaching
from the _Vulture_ to that post. The bearer brought a letter from
Arnold to Washington. Hamilton forwarded it at once to the
commander-in-chief, then wrote to Greene, who was at Tappan, advising
him to take measures to prevent any attempt the British might make to
carry out the traitor's plans.

"But the plot had failed; and when Sir Henry Clinton heard of it the
next morning, on the arrival of the _Vulture_ at New York, knowing
that the Americans must now be wide awake to their danger, he gave up
all thought of carrying out his scheme for getting possession of West
Point."

The captain paused in his narrative, and Eric asked, "What did Arnold
write to Washington about, uncle?"

"To ask protection for his wife and child, and to say that love for
his country had actuated him in this thing."

"Humph! a queer kind of love I should say," sneered the boy.

"Yes; a love that led him to do all in his power for the utter
destruction of her liberties."

"And was Washington good to his wife and child?"

"Yes, very kind and sympathizing; and she was soon able to rejoin her
husband--going down the river to New York with her babe.

"Washington promptly sent orders to General Greene to march with his
portion of the army toward King's Ferry. Greene did not get the order
before midnight, but by dawn his whole division was on the march.
Washington sent a letter to Colonel Jameson also, telling him to send
Andre to Robinson's house under a strong guard. That order also was
received at midnight; Andre was aroused; and, though the night was
very dark and rain falling fast, a guard under Major Tallmadge set off
with the prisoner. They rode the rest of the night, and reached their
destination at dawn of the 26th. On the evening of that day Andre was
taken over to West Point, and on the morning of the 28th to Tappan.
But we have already finished his story."

"I wish our folks could have got Arnold and punished him!" exclaimed
Eric.

"Didn't they even try at all, uncle?"

"Yes, and came very near succeeding," said the captain. "You will find
an interesting story about it in Lossing's 'Field Book of the
Revolution.'"

"Oh, please tell it to us now!" cried several young voices; and the
captain kindly complied.

"There was a very strong feeling of sympathy for Andre, both in the
army and among the people outside of it," he said, "and, along with
that, anger and disgust toward Arnold--the arch-traitor--and a strong
desire to punish him as his wickedness deserved. There were various
plans made to capture him--some of them secret, some open. It was
while the army was still at Tappan that the one I just spoke of was
undertaken. There were only three persons--Washington, Major Henry
Lee, and Sergeant Champe--who knew of it.

"The idea was Washington's. He had learned that Arnold's quarters in
New York were next door to those of Sir Henry Clinton, and that the
traitor seemed to feel so safe that he was not very cautious and
watchful. Major Henry Lee was the commandant of a brave legion of
cavalry, a man in whose prudence, patriotism, and judgment Washington
knew he could confide; for he had already intrusted to him the
delicate service of ascertaining the truth of flying rumors that other
officers of high rank were likely to follow Arnold's wicked example.

"'I have sent for you, Major Lee,' Washington said to him, 'in the
expectation that you have in your corps individuals capable and
willing to undertake an indispensable, delicate, and hazardous
project. Whoever comes forward on this occasion will lay me under
great obligations personally, and in behalf of the United States I
will reward him amply. No time is to be lost; he must proceed, if
possible, to-night.'

"He then went on to explain what he wanted, and Lee promptly replied
that he had no doubt his legion contained many men daring enough to
undertake any enterprise, however perilous; but for the service
required there was needed a combination of talent rarely found in the
same individual. He then suggested a plan which was highly approved
by Washington. He said that Champe, the sergeant-major of his cavalry,
was one very well qualified for the service, but he feared that his
sense of personal honor would not allow him to take the first step in
the perilous expedition,--desertion,--for he was anxiously awaiting a
vacancy in the corps to receive a promised commission.

"John Champe was a Virginian, a native of Loudon County; he was
twenty-three or twenty-four years of age; he had enlisted in 1776; he
was a grave, thoughtful man and as unlikely as anyone to consent to do
anything ignominious. Lee sent for him at once, told him what
Washington wanted, and used all the eloquence of which he was master
to persuade him to undertake the perilous work. Champe listened with
the closest attention and evident excitement, and, when Lee had
concluded, said that he was charmed with the plan and the proposed
results; then went on to say that he was ready to attempt anything for
his country's good, no matter how dangerous, that did not involve his
honor; but the idea of desertion to the enemy and hypocritically
espousing the king's cause was an obstacle in his way too grave to be
disregarded; so he must ask to be excused.

"Lee earnestly replied to these arguments; told him that desertion at
the request of his beloved commander, and for such reasons, carried
with it no dishonor; it was a laudable purpose; success would bring
him personal honor, and the stain upon his character would last only
till prudence would allow the publication of the facts.

"A great deal of persuasion was necessary, but at last Lee succeeded;
Champe consented to undertake the perilous task, and they at once set
about the necessary preparations.

"Washington had his instructions already drawn up. They were read to
Champe, he taking note of them in such a way that no one else could
understand their true meaning. He was to deliver letters to two
persons in New York, unknown to each other, but who had both been long
in Washington's confidence. He was to procure such aid in bringing
Arnold away as he deemed best, but was strictly enjoined to forbear
killing the traitor under any circumstances.

"All these matters having been settled, they next considered the
difficulties that lay in Champe's way between the camp and the enemy's
outposts at Paulus Hook. There were many pickets and patrols in the
way, and often parties of American irregulars in search of booty or
adventure. Major Lee could not offer Champe any aid against these
dangers lest he should be charged with favoring his desertion; so the
sergeant was left to manage his flight as well as he could without
help, Lee only doing what he could to delay pursuit as long as
possible after it should become known that the sergeant-major had
deserted.

"It was eleven o'clock at night when Champe took his orderly book, his
cloak, and valise, and, with three guineas in his pocket,--given him
by Lee,--mounted his horse secretly and started on his perilous
expedition. Lee went at once to his bed, but not to sleep. He was
doubtless much too anxious and excited for that. Within an hour the
officer of the day, Captain Carnes, came hurrying in to tell him that
one of the patrols had fallen in with a dragoon, who, on being
challenged, put spurs to his horse and escaped.

"Lee was slow in replying; pretended to be very weary and drowsy--only
half awake. In this way he detained the captain for some little time
before he seemed fairly to understand what was wanted. Then he
ridiculed the idea that one of his dragoons had deserted; for such a
thing had occurred only once during the whole war.

"But the captain would not be convinced by any such arguments, and by
Lee's reluctant orders immediately mustered a squadron of horse,
satisfied himself and Lee that one had deserted, and that it was no
less a personage than Champe, the sergeant-major, who had decamped
with his arms, baggage, and orderly book.

"Captain Carnes ordered an immediate pursuit. Lee delayed the
preparations as much as possible, and, when all was ready, ordered a
change in the command, giving it to Lieutenant Middleton, a young man
of so tender a disposition that he would no doubt treat Champe
leniently should he catch him.

"Champe, however, was not caught. These delays had given him an hour's
start of his pursuers. It was a bright starry night and past twelve
o'clock when Middleton and his men mounted their horses and spurred
after him.

"Lossing tells us that the horses of Lee's regiment were all shod by a
farrier attached to the corps, and every shoe, alike in form, had a
private mark put upon it; so the footprints of Champe's horse were
easily recognized; for a fall of rain at sunset had effaced other
tracks, and often before it was light enough to see them readily, a
trooper would dismount and examine them. Ascending a hill near the
village of Bergen, they saw from its summit their deserting sergeant
not more than half a mile away. Champe saw them at the same moment,
and both he and they spurred on as rapidly as possible. They were all
well acquainted with the roads in that part of the country. There was
a short cut through the woods to the bridge below Bergen. Middleton
divided his party, sending a detachment by the short road to secure
the bridge, while he and the others pursued Champe to Bergen. As
Paulus Hook could not be reached without crossing the bridge, he now
felt sure of capturing the deserter.

"The two divisions met at the bridge and were much astonished to find
that nothing was to be seen of Champe. He knew of the short cut,
thought his pursuers would take it, and therefore decided to give up
the plan of joining the British at the Hook and take refuge on board
of one of two of the king's galleys that were lying in the bay about a
mile from Bergen.

"Middleton hurried from the bridge to Bergen, and asked if a dragoon
had been seen there that morning. He was told that there had been one
there, but nobody could say which way he went from the bridge. They
could no longer see the print of his horse's shoes, and for a moment
were at a standstill. But presently a trail was discovered leading to
Bergen; they hurried on, and in a few moments caught sight of Champe
near the water's edge, making signals to the British galley. He had
his valise containing his clothes and his orderly book lashed to his
back. When Middleton was within a few hundred yards of him he leaped
from his horse, threw away the scabbard of his sword, and, with the
naked blade in his hand, sped across the marsh, plunged into the deep
waters of the bay, and called to the galley for help. In response to
that a boat with strong oarsmen was quickly sent to his help, and
directly he was in the galley with all the evidences of his desertion.

"Before night he was safely quartered in New York, having arrived
there with a letter from the captain of the galley to Sir Henry
Clinton in which the scene of his escape from the American troopers
was described.

"Middleton's men picked up Champe's cloak and the scabbard of his
sword, then caught his horse and returned with it to Tappan. As Lee
caught sight of the articles he took them to be evidence that Champe
had been killed, and was grieved at the thought; but his grief was
turned into great joy when he learned from Middleton that the sergeant
had escaped safely on board one of the enemy's galleys.

"Four days later a letter in a disguised hand, and without signature,
came to Lee. It told of the occurrences of Champe's escape, and Lee
knew it was from him.

"The British were much pleased with the desertion of Champe, as they
knew that Lee's legion was considered very faithful and that
therefore this desertion was an evidence of increasing defection among
the American troops. Champe did what he could to increase the idea by
adroit answers to questions asked of him, giving the impression that
he had a strong desire to serve the king. Clinton gave him a couple of
guineas, and advised him to call upon Arnold, who was engaged in
raising an American legion to be composed of loyalists and deserters.
Arnold received him politely, gave him quarters among his recruiting
sergeants, and invited him to join his legion. Champe begged to be
excused from that, saying that if caught by the rebels he would surely
be hanged; but added that if he changed his mind he would surely join
his legion.

"Champe soon found means to deliver the letters Washington had
entrusted to him, made arrangements with one of the correspondents to
aid him in his designs upon Arnold; then communicated with Major Lee,
telling him that he had made inquiries in regard to those who were
suspected of beginning to favor the enemy, and learned that there was
no foundation for the report. Soon he enlisted in the traitor's
legion that he might have free intercourse with him and learn his
night habits and pursuits. He soon discovered that it was Arnold's
custom to return to his quarters about midnight and then to visit a
garden at the back of his house which extended down to the edge of the
river. Adjoining the garden was a dark alley leading to the street.
All this seemed favorable to Champe's design. He arranged with two
accomplices a plan which seemed feasible: a boat was to be in
readiness on the river; they were to seize and gag Arnold, carry him
through the alley, and from there through the most unfrequented
streets to the river; and should anyone attempt to interfere with them
on the way they were to represent him as a drunken soldier whom they
were taking to the guardhouse. When once they had reached the boat
there would be no further difficulty.

"Champe was to remove some of the palings in the garden fence and
replace them so slightly that they could be easily, quietly, and
quickly taken out when desired. When all was arranged he wrote to Lee
and appointed the third subsequent night for the delivery of the
traitor on the Jersey shore.

"No doubt Lee was well pleased, and on that evening he and a small
party left the camp with three accoutred horses--one for Arnold, one
for Champe, and one for the man who was assisting him--and concealed
themselves at a place agreed upon in the woods at Hoboken. There they
remained hour after hour until dawn, but no Champe and no prisoner
appeared. They were much disappointed, but a few days later Lee
received a letter from Champe telling how their plan had failed, and
assuring him that nothing could be done in the matter at present.

"He said that on the very day when his plan was to have been carried
out Arnold changed his quarters in order to superintend the
embarkation of troops for an expedition southward to be commanded by
himself. In this expedition the legion in which Champe had enlisted in
order to carry out his plans was to take part, and the poor fellow was
in a sad dilemma. Instead of crossing the Hudson that night with the
traitor as his prisoner, he had been obliged to go on board a
transport with that traitor as his commander; and that to fight
against, instead of for, his country."

"Oh, papa, did he go and fight against his country?" asked Elsie,
drawing a long breath of surprise and sympathy.

"He had to allow himself to be carried to Virginia along with the
troops of the enemy, and, I suppose, to go into battle with them,"
replied the captain; "but I dare say he was careful not to shoot any
of the Americans. He watched his opportunity to desert, and after a
time succeeded in so doing. He went up into the mountains of North
Carolina, and when Lee and his legion were pursuing Lord Rawdon, he
joined them. His old comrades were greatly astonished to see him--a
deserter, as they supposed--and that Major Lee gave him a most cordial
reception. But the truth was soon told, and then his old corps showed
the greatest love and admiration for him. They were very proud of him,
but he was discharged from service because it was very certain that
the British, if they could get hold of him, would hang him."

"Is he alive now, papa?" asked Ned.

"Oh, no, my son; he died in 1798--a hundred years ago. At that time we
were threatened with a war with France, and Washington, appointed to
the chief command of our armies, sent to Colonel Lee to inquire for
Champe, intending to make him a captain of infantry. But it was too
late; the brave and gallant soldier had gone to another world."

"Dear man! I hope he went to heaven!" exclaimed Little Elsie in
quivering tones.

"I hope so," responded her father.

There was a moment of silence, presently broken by Ned. "Papa, you
know you promised to tell about Nathan Hale; please won't you do it
now?"

"I will," replied the captain. "He was a fine, brave, good young man;
described as very handsome--six feet tall, perfectly proportioned,
light-blue eyes beaming with intelligence, roseate complexion, and
soft light-brown hair. He was overflowing with good humor, and always
ready to help anyone in distress. He received a good education, his
father wishing him to enter the ministry; but he was teaching school
in New London when the news of the Battle of Lexington came. A town
meeting was at once held, and Hale was one of the speakers. He urged
prompt action, saying, 'Let us march immediately, and never lay down
our arms until we have obtained our independence.'

"He took part in the siege of Boston, and was made a captain in
January, 1776. He went to New York and did good service there. Early
in the fall, in response to a call from General Washington, he
volunteered to enter the British lines and procure intelligence.
Disguised as a schoolmaster and loyalist, he visited all of the
British camps on Long Island and in New York, openly making
observations, drawings, and memoranda of fortifications. When he had
about finished his work, he was seized by the British and taken before
Sir William Howe. On the evidence of papers found in his shoes, he was
condemned as a spy, and Sir William ordered him to be hanged. He asked
for a Bible, but it was refused him, nor would they let him see a
minister. He had written letters to his sisters and to his betrothed,
but his cruel captors destroyed them before his eyes. That last was
done by William Cunningham--one of the most notoriously cruel Tories
of the war. He afterward gave as his reason for that act of cruelty
that he meant the rebels should never know they had a man who could
die with such firmness.

"As Hale mounted the scaffold he said,'You are shedding the blood of
the innocent; if I had a thousand lives I would lay them down in the
defence of my injured, bleeding country'; and his last words were, 'I
only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.'

"A country that may well remember him with love and pride," said
Grandma Elsie.

"Oh, what wicked, wicked things they do in war times!" sighed Little
Elsie.

"Yes," said her grandma; "war is itself a wicked thing: wholesale
murder--sometimes on both sides, always on one."

"When the folks on one side are fighting for freedom, that's right,
isn't it?" asked Eric.

"Yes; everyone not a criminal has a right to life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness."

"Is it right to hang a man just for being a spy?" asked Ned.

"Not always, I'm sure," exclaimed Eric. "It wasn't right to hang
Nathan Hale, I'm sure, for he was a good man, and only doing what he
could to save his country."

"Very true," said his father; "and he is now one whose memory is
cherished and honored, while that of Cunningham--his cruel
executioner--is abhorred."

"I'd rather be entirely forgotten than remembered as a cruel, wicked
wretch!" exclaimed Eric.

"Yes; as any right-minded person would," said his father.




                            CHAPTER VIII.


Shortly after breakfast the next morning the whole party were on the
yacht, and it was speeding down the river. West Point was their first
halting-place. Some hours were spent there; they were just in time for
the battery drill; after that they climbed to the top of Mount
Independence, enjoyed the view, and visited the ruins of "Old Fort
Put"; came down, and then went back to their yacht, promising
themselves another and longer visit to West Point some days later.

The captain pointed out the sites of forts Montgomery and Clinton as
they passed, and told of their building by the Americans during the
War of the Revolution and their destruction by the British in 1777.

"As Lossing tells us," said Captain Raymond, "'They fell beneath one
heavy blow suddenly and artfully dealt by a British force from New
York, and the smitten garrison were scattered like frightened sheep
upon the mountains.'"

"Oh, papa, surely they didn't surrender without fighting at all?"
exclaimed Lulu.

"No indeed, daughter; they fought long and desperately. General James
Clinton and his brother George were their commanders. As I have told
you before, I think, General Clinton established his headquarters at a
place called Washington Square, about four miles west of the village
of New Windsor, and there collected his dispersed troops preparatory
to marching to the relief of Kingston, then threatened by the enemy."

"But they didn't get there in time to save it from being burned by the
British," said Edward Leland. "What dreadful times those were!"

"Yes," said Grandma Elsie; "we may be very thankful that we live in
these better days. And in the best and freest country in the world;
which it wouldn't have been, if God had not been for us in those days
of trial."

It was a pleasant morning, and all sat under an awning on the deck,
preferring it as the breeziest spot and affording the best view of
the beautiful country on either side with its many historical
associations. Captain Raymond drew attention to Verplanck's and Stony
points as they passed them.

"Yonder is Verplanck's Point," he said; "and there, overlooking the
river, stood, in Revolutionary times, Fort Fayette; and yonder, on the
other side, is Stony Point, where was another small fort. They were
captured by Sir Henry Clinton on the 1st of June, 1779. The garrison
of Stony Point consisted of only forty men, and that at Verplanck's of
seventy, commanded by Captain Armstrong. The British flotilla was
commanded by Admiral Collier. The troops landed in two divisions on
the morning of May 31--the one, under Vaughan, on the east side eight
miles below Verplanck's; the other, under Clinton, on the west side a
little above Haverstraw. There was no fight at Stony Point, as the
garrison retired to the Highlands, knowing that the forces of the
enemy were too overwhelming to be successfully resisted. The British
took possession; dragged up cannon and mortars during the night;
pointed them and the guns found in the fortress toward Fort Fayette,
and in the morning began a heavy cannonade upon it. At the same time
the fort was attacked in the rear by Vaughan and his troops, and the
little garrison surrendered themselves prisoners of war.

"The loss of these forts was a grief to Washington, and he determined
to make an effort to recover them, for their loss endangered West
Point. He soon ordered an attack upon them by the Americans under the
command of Generals Wayne and Howe. Wayne had his quarters at Sandy
Beach, fourteen miles from Stony Point, and on the morning of July 15
all the Massachusetts light infantry was marched to that place. It was
an exceedingly sultry day, and the march--begun at noon, taking them
through narrow defiles, over rough crags, and across deep
morasses--must have been hard indeed; they moved in single file and at
eight in the evening rendezvoused a mile and a half below Stony Point.
They rested there while Wayne and several other officers reconnoitred
the enemy's works. Then they formed into column, and moved silently
forward under the guidance of a negro slave belonging to a Captain
Lamb living in the neighborhood."

"New York was a slave State at that time?" exclaimed Sydney
inquiringly.

"Yes," replied Captain Raymond; "England had forced slavery upon her
Colonies here, and it was not yet abolished. Captain Lamb was a warm
Whig, and Pompey seems to have been one also. Soon after the British
took possession of the fort, he ventured to carry strawberries there
for sale; the men of the garrison were glad to get them, and Pompey
became quite a favorite with the officers, who had no suspicion that
he was regularly reporting everything to his master.

"At length Pompey told them that his master would not allow him to
come with his fruit in the daytime, because it was now hoeing-corn
season. The officers, unwilling to lose their supply of luxuries, then
gave him their countersign regularly so that he could pass the
sentries in the evening. He had it on the night of the attack, and
gave it to the Americans, who used it as their watchword when they
scaled the ramparts. It was 'The fort's our own.'"

"And they could say it with truth," laughed Lucilla; "for the fort was
really theirs--stolen from them by the British."

"The fortress seemed almost impregnable," resumed her father; "built
upon a huge rocky bluff, an island at high water, and always
inaccessible dryshod,--except across a narrow causeway in the
rear,--it was strongly defended by outworks and a double row of
abatis. There was a deep and dangerous morass on one side, and on the
other three were the waters of the Hudson."

"And was the rock too high and steep to climb, papa?" asked Ned.

"Yes, indeed! But our men were brave and persevering fellows; Wayne,
their leader, believed in the old saying 'Where there's a will there's
a way.' He practiced upon that, and in consequence was very
successful. He was so rapid and earnest in what he did that people
took to calling him 'Mad Anthony Wayne.'

"Now, he resolved to storm this fort at all hazards, as Lossing says,
and only waited for the ebbing of the tide and the deep first slumber
of the garrison.

"At half-past eleven o'clock that night the Americans began a silent
march toward the fort. Two strong men disguised as farmers, and the
negro Pompey, went first. There was no barking of dogs to arouse the
garrison, for they had all been killed--all in that neighborhood--the
day before. Pompey gave the countersign to the first sentinel on the
high ground west of the morass, then the two disguised men suddenly
seized and gagged him. The same thing was done with the sentinel at
the causeway. Then, as soon as the tide ebbed sufficiently, the
greater part of Wayne's little army crossed the morass at the foot of
the western declivity of the promontory, no one among the enemy
observing them. Three hundred men under General Muhlenburg remained as
a reserve in the rear. The troops were divided into two columns--all
with unloaded muskets and fixed bayonets. At a little past midnight
the advance parties moved silently to the charge, one on the northern
and the other on the southern part of the height. The two main
divisions followed them, one led by Wayne himself. The Americans were
not discovered by the British until they were within pistol shot of
the pickets on the heights, when a skirmish took place between the
advance guards and the sentinels.

"The Americans used only their bayonets, as they had been ordered, but
the pickets fired several shots; and those sounds of strife waked the
garrison, and the silence of the night was broken by the loud cry 'To
arms! to arms!' the roll of the drum, the rattle of musketry from the
ramparts and the abatis, and the roar of the cannon, charged with
deadly grapeshot, from the embrasures. It was a terrible storm, but
our brave fellows forced their way through it--through every
obstacle--until the vans of all the columns met in the centre of the
works, where they arrived at the same time. Each of our men had a
white paper in his hat which, as it could be seen in the dim light,
enabled him to distinguish friend from foe."

"I think Wayne was wounded in the fight, wasn't he?" asked Mr. Leland.

"Yes," replied the captain; "at the inner abatis he was struck on the
head by a musket ball, the blow causing him to fall to his knees. His
aides, Fishbow and Archer, raised him to his feet and carried him
gallantly through the works. He believed himself mortally wounded, and
exclaimed as he arose, 'March on, carry me into the fort, for I will
die at the head of my column!' But, fortunately, he was not so badly
wounded as he supposed, and was able to join in the loud huzzas which
arose when the two victorious columns met within the fort.

"The garrison surrendered as prisoners of war, and I am glad and proud
to say were treated with clemency by the victors. Not a life was taken
after the flag was struck and quarter asked for."

"Was anybody killed before that, papa?" asked Little Elsie in anxious
tones.

"Yes, daughter," he replied; "15 Americans lost their lives and 83
were wounded; 63 of the British were killed and their commander and
543 officers and men taken prisoners. Down in the river below were
some British vessels. They slipped their cables and moved down to a
place of security.

"So prompt was Wayne that he did not wait for daylight to send in his
report to Washington. 'Dear General: The fort and garrison with
Colonel Johnson are ours. Our officers and men behaved like men who
are determined to be free,' was what he wrote."

"Oh, I like that! It reminds me of Perry's despatch to Harrison after
his victory on Lake Erie," exclaimed Lucilla.

"Did our people get back the other fort, uncle?" asked Eric.

"No; the guns of the Stony Point fort were turned upon it at dawn the
next morning and a desultory firing kept up during the day, but delays
and misunderstandings prevented an intended attack from being made in
time to dislodge the garrison; Sir Henry Clinton getting news of their
danger in time to send them help.

"Washington saw that we could not retain Stony Point, because he could
not spare enough troops to hold it; so he ordered the stores and
ordnance to be removed, the fortress to be evacuated, and the works
destroyed; all of which was accordingly done on the night of the
18th."

"And did the British find out what was going on and attack our
fellows?" asked Eric.

"Yes; the heavy ordnance was placed upon a galley to be conveyed to
West Point; but as soon as it moved a cannonade began from Verplanck's
and the British shipping near by. A heavy shot from the _Vulture_
struck the galley below water mark, and she went down near Caldwell's
Landing. The British again took possession of Stony Point, but little
of value was left them there except the eligible site for a
fortification."

"Wayne was very much praised for the taking of Stony Point, wasn't he,
papa?" asked Grace.

"Yes; the storming and capture of Stony Point was esteemed one of the
most brilliant exploits of the war,--an exhibition of skill and
indomitable courage,--and General Wayne, the leader of the enterprise,
was everywhere greeted with rapturous applause. Congress gave him a
vote of thanks. It also resolved that a gold medal, emblematic of that
action, be struck and presented to General Wayne. Also, rewards were
given to the other officers and to the men."

"Papa, wasn't the home of Captain Molly somewhere in this
neighborhood?" asked Grace.

"Yes; Lossing tells us that she lived, at the close of the war,
between Fort Montgomery and Buttermilk Falls, and was generally
dressed in a woman's petticoats with an artilleryman's coat over
them--perhaps an old one of her husband's, for he was a cannonier.
They were both in Fort Clinton when it was taken by the British. When
the Americans retreated and the British scaled the ramparts, her
husband dropped his match and fled. Molly picked it up, touched off
the piece, then scampered after him and the others. As you probably
remember, she was again with her husband in the Battle of Monmouth,
and when he was shot down took his place at the cannon and worked it
through the rest of the engagement. For that act of bravery Washington
rewarded her with a sergeant's commission."

"I think she deserved it," said Grace. "I admire her bravery, but I
don't know what would tempt me to go into a battle."

"I should be sorry indeed to have you go into one," returned her
father, regarding her with a fond smile.

The yacht was now moving rapidly down the river, all on board greatly
enjoying the beautiful scenery. They landed at Tarrytown and visited
the historical spots in its vicinity, among them the scene of Andre's
capture and the monument to his captors.

"Why did they name this place Tarrytown, uncle?" asked Eric.

"Probably from the fact that a great deal of wheat was raised in the
vicinity. 'Tarwe Town'--meaning wheat town--was what the early Dutch
settlers called it.

"Those living here in Revolutionary days saw stormy scenes. There were
lawless hands of marauders called Cowboys and Skinners infesting the
Neutral Ground, which extended for thirty miles along the river and
was plundered by both bands of outlaws without much, if any, regard to
their victims' loyalty or disloyalty to the country."

"Those were bad times to live in," remarked Little Elsie. "I'd a great
deal rather live in these; though I should like to have seen
Washington and Wayne and Lafayette and--oh, all the rest of the good,
brave men who did so much to save our country!"

"Yes," said Grandma Elsie, "but though we cannot see them here, we may
hope to meet at least some of them in another and a better world."




                             CHAPTER IX.


A pleasant surprise awaited our party on their return to Crag Cottage
that evening, the bride and groom--Rosie and her husband--having
arrived during their absence. Everybody was glad to see them; and,
with the accommodations of the yacht to supplement those of the house,
there was room and to spare.

Finding such to be the case, and that it was very pleasant to be
together, all remained Evelyn's guests for another week, in which a
great deal of time was passed upon the river taking repeated views of
beautiful historic scenes.

But at length they separated for a time--some remaining where they
were; some going to the seashore; while Grandma Elsie and the
Raymonds, leaving the yacht at New York City, crossed the mountains
into Pennsylvania, visited some historical scenes in that State, then
traveled on through Ohio from south to north, spent a few weeks among
the islands of Lake Erie; then, the yacht having come to them again by
the northern route, returned home in it by way of the Welland Canal,
the St. Lawrence River, and the Atlantic Ocean. On their route through
Pennsylvania they spent a few days at Pocono, visiting the points of
interest about there. Wilkesbarre was their next stopping place, for
they all wanted to see the beautiful Valley of Wyoming.

"Is Wyoming an English name?" asked Elsie Raymond, as they drove
through the valley.

"No," said her father; "it comes from the language of the Delawares,
and means 'large plains.' It is probable that the Delawares were the
first tribe which lived there."

"And is Wilkesbarre an Indian name too?" she asked.

"No; it is a compound of the names of two Englishmen who were good
friends to America in the times of the Revolution--John Wilkes and
Colonel Barre.

"The first European to visit the valley was Count Zinzendorf,"
continued the captain. "He was of an ancient Austrian family. He was
a Christian man and very earnest in trying to do good. He travelled
through Germany, Denmark, and England, and in 1741 came to America and
preached at Bethlehem and Germantown. He was very desirous to do the
poor Indians good, so travelled about among them, though he had no
companions except an interpreter. In one of these excursions he
crossed the Pocono, and came into this Valley of Wyoming. At this time
he had with him a missionary named Mack and his wife. They pitched
their tent upon the western bank of the Susquehanna, at the foot of a
high hill and near a place in the river known as Toby's Eddy.

"Not very far away was a Shawnee village. The Indians held a council
there to hear what these missionaries had to say, but could not
believe that they had come all the way across the Atlantic just to
teach religious truth to them. The conclusion they came to was that
these strangers had come to spy out their country and rob them of
their lands. Thinking thus, they made up their minds to murder the
count. But they feared the English, therefore instructed those
appointed to do the deed to be very secret about it.

"On a cool September night two stout Indians went stealthily from the
town to the missionary's temporary dwelling--a tent with a blanket
hung across the doorway. They drew the blanket stealthily aside and
peeped in. They made no noise, and he was not aware of their presence,
as he reclined on a bundle of weeds engaged in writing or in devout
meditation.

"As Lossing says: 'The benignity of his countenance filled them with
awe, but an incident (strikingly providential), more than his
appearance, changed the current of their feelings. The tent cloth was
suspended from the branches of a huge sycamore in such a manner that
the hollow trunk of the tree was within its folds. At its foot the
count had built a fire, the warmth of which had aroused a rattlesnake
in its den; and at the moment when the savages looked into the tent
the venomous reptile was gliding harmlessly across the legs of their
intended victim, who did not see either the serpent or the lurking
murderers. At that sight they at once entirely changed their opinion
of him and regarded him as under the special protection of the Great
Spirit.' They were filled with profound reverence for him, and went
back to their tribe with such an account of his holiness that their
enmity was changed to veneration."

"And I think history says a successful mission was established there,"
remarked Grandma Elsie, as the captain paused, as if at the end of his
story.

"Yes," he replied, "and it was continued until a war between the
Shawnees and the Delawares destroyed the peace of the valley."

"What was that war about, papa?" asked Ned.

"Like many others it was about a very foolish thing," replied the
captain. "The Shawnees were a not very powerful tribe, and lived by
permission of the Delawares on the western bank of the Susquehanna.
One day the warriors of both tribes were hunting upon the mountains
when a party of women and children of the Shawnees crossed to the
Delaware side to gather fruit, and were joined by some of the
Delaware squaws and children. After a while two of the children--a
Shawnee and a Delaware--got into a quarrel over a grasshopper. Then
the mothers took part,--the Shawnees on one side, the Delawares on the
other,--and the Delawares, who were the more numerous, drove the
Shawnees home, killing several on the way. When the Shawnee hunters
came home, saw their dead women, and heard the sad story, they were
very angry, crossed the river, and attacked the Delawares. A bloody
battle followed; the Shawnees were beaten, and retreated to the banks
of the Ohio, where lived a larger portion of their tribe."

"There are not many more historic scenes in this State that we will
care to visit at this time, are there, papa?" asked Grace.

"I think not," he said; "we are going west, and most of them are
already east of us."

"But, father," said Lucilla, "we have hardly touched upon the history
of Wyoming."

"True," he returned; "but it is so very sad that I fear its recital
would rather detract from the enjoyment of this lovely scenery.
However, I will give you a brief account of what took place here
during the Revolutionary War.

"Early in the summer of 1778 the movements of Brant and his warriors,
the Johnsons and Butlers and their Tory legions, upon the upper waters
of the Susquehanna, and the actions of the Tories in the Wyoming
Valley, greatly alarmed the people. Nearly all their able-bodied men
were away in the Continental Army; none was left to defend the valley
but old men, boys, and women. Afraid of the savages, they were
building six forts, going through all the labor required in that work
without payment except the hope of self-defence.

"Such was their condition when in June, 1778, an expedition of Tories
and Indians was ready to come down upon them. All this was told to
Congress. Wyoming men in the army besought protection for their wives
and little ones, and General Schuyler wrote a touching letter in their
behalf. But all Congress did was to pass resolutions to let the people
take measures for self-defence by raising troops among themselves, and
finding their own arms, accoutrements, and blankets.

"The people--poor creatures!--did their best; but, attacked by
overwhelming numbers of the most savage foes, they went through
terrible scenes and sufferings. I will not dwell further upon the
horrors of that dreadful time. The Tories and Indians acted like
fiends. Lossing, speaking of what occurred after the fight and
surrender, says: 'The terms of capitulation were respected by the
invaders, particularly the Indians, for a few hours only. Before night
they spread through the valley, plundering and burning.'"

"Did the women and children run away, papa?" asked Ned.

"Yes; they fled to the mountains, and many of them perished in the
Pocono Mountain swamp, known as the Shades of Death, and along the
wilderness paths by the way of the Wind Gap and Water Gap. They were
flying to the settlements on the Lehigh and Delaware. They were not
travelling like ourselves--in an easy carriage, with abundance of food
and clothing; and many died from hunger and exhaustion."

"Some of their clothes had been taken by the Indians," remarked
Violet. "I remember reading that many squaws had on from four to six
dresses of silk or chintz, one over the other; and some four or five
bonnets, one over another."

"Papa, are we going to visit any more places in this State where they
had fights?" asked Ned.

"Where there were battles fought, son? No, I think not at this time.
We will probably go on into Ohio now without any more delays."

"There were some fights there--weren't there, papa?" asked Elsie.

"Yes; between the whites and the Indians, and between the Americans
and the British and Indians, in the war of 1812-14."

"Yes, children," said Lucilla; "don't you remember papa's telling us
about some of the fights near Lake Erie, and Perry's victory on the
lake?"

"Oh, yes!" exclaimed both the little ones; "and his letter to General
Harrison--'We have met the enemy and they are ours.' And you'll tell
us about the land fights, won't you, papa?"

"Yes," he said; "one of these days; probably while we are in Ohio."

"Are we going right on now to the islands in Lake Erie, papa?" asked
Grace.

"Unless some one or more of us should desire to stop by the way,"
returned the captain pleasantly.

"Perhaps it would be more restful to pass a night at Pittsburg or
Cincinnati," suggested Grandma Elsie; and that was what was decided
upon, after a little discussion of the question.

They rested in Cleveland for another night; then, on a bright morning,
passed over to the islands in a steamer. A pleasant surprise awaited
them on landing; their cousin Ronald Lilburn was there with his wife
Annis and her grandnephew, Percy Landreth. The last-named was one whom
Captain Raymond would have preferred not to have in the company,--but
merely on Lucilla's account,--and he greeted him with cordial
kindness.

"We have given you a surprise, haven't we?" asked Mrs. Lilburn of her
cousin Elsie.

"Yes; a most pleasant one," replied Mrs. Travilla. "I can truly say I
think your presence here will double our enjoyment. How long since you
arrived?"

"Only about twenty-four hours. We came straight from home, where we
left all your dear ones well."

"Ah, that is good news! It is a new thing for me to be so far away
from my dear father; and he is growing old; so I have been feeling a
little anxious about him."

"He evidently misses you, but is glad that you are enjoying yourself,"
said Annis.

"Yes! so unselfish as he is--my dear father! Ah, how lovely it is
here!" glancing about as she spoke. "No doubt we can pass some days or
weeks here very delightfully."

"I am quite sure of it, mother," said the captain, who had overheard
the remark, made as they all were on their way from the landing to the
hotel. "We will have the yacht here in a day or two, I think; and it
will afford us some pleasant trips here and there on the lake."

"And carry us to some historical scenes, won't it, papa?" asked Grace
in a tone of satisfaction.

"Yes," he replied; "and we will live on it, unless the majority of our
company should prefer the hotel."

"No danger of that, I think," said Grandma Elsie; "we all feel so much
at home and find ourselves so comfortable on the yacht."

"I don't wonder that you prefer it," said Annis; "but I was hoping you
would all be at the hotel with us."

"Are you not willing to be on the _Dolphin_ with us?" asked the
captain, giving her a cordial look and smile.

"Indeed, sir, I should like nothing better--except for the fear of
crowding you."

"I think that is beyond your ability," laughed the captain. "Even
joined by all three of you, we should have more room than we have had
in some of our trips which we found very enjoyable."

"Then we accept your kind invitation with the greatest pleasure," said
Mr. Lilburn; and there the conversation ended, as they were already at
the entrance to the hotel.

They spent a pleasant day in and about there, but early in the evening
the _Dolphin_ made her appearance, and they all went aboard of her--a
blithe and happy company.

The morning found them all in good health and good spirits, and as
they sat about the breakfast table the captain asked: "Where shall we
go to-day? I think it would be well to take the little trips we
contemplate while the weather is so favorable. Then when a storm comes
we can shut ourselves in and enjoy books, work, and each other's
company."

"I think that is a good suggestion, captain," said Grandma Elsie.
"Suppose you take us to-day to Fremont, to view the ground where Fort
Stephenson stood."

Everyone present seemed pleased with the proposition, and it was
decided to make the little excursion that morning. They could go
nearly all the way in their yacht, by lake and river, and shortly
after breakfast found themselves in motion--the _Dolphin_ having lain
quietly at anchor during the night.

"I, for one, should like to refresh my memory in regard to Fort
Stephenson: when it was built, by whom attacked, and how defended,"
remarked Annis, as they sat together on the deck while sailing toward
Sandusky Bay. "Captain Raymond, you are usually the story teller, I
believe."

"Ah, Cousin Annis, that is a fine character you give me," he returned
with a smile. "But perhaps I deserve it. Do all the company feel the
same desire that Mrs. Lilburn has just expressed?"

"I do," said Grandma Elsie; "and from the expression of the faces of
the others present I am quite sure that they do also."

"Yes, indeed, papa; I am sure we do!" cried Lucilla and Grace in a
breath, Percy Landreth, Elsie, and Ned joining eagerly in the request;
and the captain at once began.

"Fort Stephenson was built in 1812; the garrison consisted of 160 men
under the command of Major George Croghan, then but twenty-one years
of age. It was on the 31st of July, 1813, that it was invested by a
large force of British and Indians under the command of Proctor. The
fort was not a strong one; its chief defences were three block houses,
circumvallating pickets from fourteen to sixteen feet high, and a
ditch about eight feet wide and as many feet deep; they had one iron
six-pounder cannon. Of course, swords and rifles were not lacking, and
the men were Kentucky sharpshooters.

"General Harrison heard that the British were moving against Fort
Stephenson. He had visited the fort, and felt convinced that it could
not be held against an attack with heavy artillery, so had said to
Major Croghan: 'Should the British approach you in force with cannon,
and you can discover them in time to effect a retreat, you will do so
immediately, destroying all the public stores. You must be aware that
to attempt a retreat in the face of an Indian force would be vain.
Against such an enemy your garrison would be safe, however great the
number.'

"On learning of the intended descent of the British upon Fort
Stephenson, Harrison held a consultation with his officers--McArthur,
Holmes, Graham, Paul, Hukill, Wood, and Ball. They were unanimously of
the opinion that Fort Stephenson could not be successfully defended
against an enemy approaching in such force, and that Major Croghan
ought immediately to comply with his general's standing order to
evacuate."

"Moving order, I should think, father," laughed Lucilla.

"Yes," returned the captain with a smile; "but knowing Croghan's
innate bravery, Harrison feared he would not move promptly, so sent
him another order to abandon the fort. It was carried by a white man
named Connor and two Indians. They started at midnight and lost their
way in the dark. So they did not reach the fort until the next day
about eleven o'clock, and by that time the woods were swarming with
Indians.

"Major Croghan called his officers together and consulted them in
regard to a retreat. A majority were of his opinion--that such a step
would be disastrous, now that the Indians swarmed in the woods, and
that the post might be maintained.

"Croghan immediately sent a reply to Harrison's order, saying it had
come too late to be carried into execution, that they had determined
to maintain the place--that they could and would do so. It was a
disobedience of orders, but not so intended. The gallant young major
thought that the previous order, which spoke of the danger of a
retreat in the face of an Indian force, justified him in remaining, as
that force was already there when this second order reached him.

"But the general considered it disobedience, which could not be
permitted. He at once sent Colonel Wells to Fort Stephenson to
supersede Croghan, and ordered Croghan to headquarters at Seneca Town.
Colonel Wells was escorted by Colonel Ball with his corps of dragoons.
On the way they were attacked by about twenty Indians, and quite a
severe skirmish ensued. Seventeen of the Indians were killed."

"Papa, did Major Croghan go to the general? and was he very cross to
him?" asked Ned.

"He went promptly, made a full and satisfactory explanation to General
Harrison, and was directed to go back to his command the next morning;
which he did, feeling more than ever determined to maintain his post
in spite of British and Indians. General Harrison kept scouts out in
all directions to watch the movements of the enemy. On the evening of
Saturday, the 31st of July, one of those parties, lingering on the
shore of Sandusky Bay, about twenty miles from Fort Stephenson, saw
that Proctor was approaching by water. They made haste to return to
headquarters with their information, stopping on the way at Fort
Stephenson and making it known there.

"Croghan was watchful, wide awake to the dangers that surrounded them.
A good many Indians had been seen upon the high ground on the eastern
side of the Sandusky River, but had scampered away on being fired at
from the six-pounder in the fort.

"At four o'clock in the afternoon the British gunboats, bringing
Proctor and his men, were seen at a turn in the river more than a mile
distant. They were greeted by shots from the six-pounder, but they
came on; and at a cove somewhat nearer the fort, opposite a small
island in the stream, they landed with a five-and-a-half-inch
howitzer.

"At the same time the Indians showed themselves in the woods on all
sides. In this attacking force there were four hundred British and
several hundred Indians. And Tecumseh was stationed upon the roads
leading from Fort Meigs and Seneca Town with almost two thousand more.
These were intended to intercept any re-enforcements that might be
coming to Croghan's assistance. Having thus, as he thought, cut off
Croghan's retreat, Proctor sent Colonel Elliott and Captain Chambers
to demand the instant surrender of the fort. With them was Captain
Dixon of the Royal Engineers, who was in command of the Indians.

"They came with a flag of truce, and Croghan sent out
Second-Lieutenant Shipp, as his representative, to meet the flag.

"The usual salutations were exchanged, then Colonel Elliott said, 'I
am instructed to demand the instant surrender of the fort, to spare
the effusion of blood, which we cannot do should we be under the
necessity of reducing it by our powerful force of regulars, Indians,
and artillery.'

"'My commandant and the garrison,' replied Shipp, 'are determined to
defend the post to the last extremity, and bury themselves in its
ruins rather than surrender it to any force whatever.'

"'Look at our immense body of Indians,' interposed Dixon. 'They cannot
be restrained from massacring the whole garrison, in the event of our
undoubted success.'

"'Our success is certain,' eagerly added Chambers.

"'It is a great pity,' said Dixon, in a beseeching tone, 'that so fine
a young man as you and as your commander is represented to be, should
fall into the hands of the savages. Sir, for God's sake surrender, and
prevent the dreadful massacre that will be caused by your resistance!'

"'When the fort shall be taken there will be none to massacre,' Shipp
coolly replied, for it was not long since, at Fort Meigs, he had had
dealings with the same foe. 'It will not be given up while a man shall
be able to resist.'

"He was just turning to go back to the fort, when an Indian sprang
from a bushy ravine near at hand and tried to snatch his sword from
him. The indignant Shipp was about to despatch the Indian, when Dixon
interfered. Then Croghan, who was standing on the ramparts watching
the conference, called out, 'Shipp, come in, and we'll blow them all
to ----!' At that, Shipp hurried into the fort, the flag was returned,
and the British immediately opened fire from their gunboat and the
five-and-a-half-inch howitzer which they had landed, beginning the
attack before proper arrangements could be made.

"It seems the Indians had had an alarm and let the British know of it.
A Mr. Aaron North, knowing nothing of the proximity of British or
Indians, was riding through the wood, drawing near the fort on the
other side of the Sandusky, when he discovered a large body of Indians
scattered along the river bank and half concealed by the bushes. He
wheeled his horse and fled in the direction of Seneca. The startled
Indians fired several shots after him, but without hitting him. The
Indians doubtless told the British of all this, and Proctor thought
the horseman a messenger to Harrison to inform him of the attack upon
Fort Stephenson, and that the result would probably be that
re-enforcements would be sent to Croghan, would beat back Tecumseh,
and fall upon him at Sandusky.

"All night long the five six-pounders which had been landed from the
British gunboats, and the howitzer, played upon the stockade without
doing any serious damage. Occasionally the besieged answered with
their one cannon, which they moved from one blockhouse to another, to
give the impression that the garrison had several heavy guns. But
their supply of ammunition was small, and Croghan was too wise to
waste it. He determined not to use any more in firing at random in the
dark; so ordered Captain Hunter, his second in command, to place it in
the blockhouse at the middle of the north side of the fort, so as to
rake the ditch in the direction of the northwest angle--the point
where the enemy would be most likely to make the assault, because it
was the weakest part.

"That was done before daylight, and the gun, loaded with a half-charge
of powder and a double charge of slugs and grapeshot, was completely
masked.

"During the night the British had dragged three of their six-pounders
to a place in the woods where the ground was higher than the fort and
about 250 yards from it. Early in the morning they began a brisk fire
upon the blockade from those and the howitzer."

"Oh, papa, how dreadful!" exclaimed Elsie. "Did all of our men get
shot?"

"No; the cannonade produced very little effect, and Proctor grew very
impatient. The long hot day was nearly done, and the Indians were
becoming restless. At four o'clock in the afternoon he ordered all his
guns to fire upon that weak northwest angle.

"Then Croghan and his men set to work to strengthen it as much as
possible. They piled bags of sand and sacks of flour against the
pickets there, which materially broke the force of the cannonade. At
five o'clock a dark thunder cloud was seen in the west and the thunder
seemed like the echo of the enemy's cannon. Then the British came on
in two close columns, led by Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Short and
Lieutenant Gordon. At the same time a party of grenadiers, about 200
strong, under Lieutenant-Colonel Warburton, took a wide circuit
through the woods to make a feigned attack upon the southern front of
the fort, where Captain Hunter and his party were stationed.

"There was in the fort at the time a man named Brown, a private of the
Petersburgh volunteers, with a half-dozen of his corps and Pittsburgh
Blues. To them was entrusted the management of the six-pounder in the
fort, for Brown was skilled in gunnery.

"The British artillery played incessantly upon the northwestern angle
of the fort, causing a dense smoke, and under cover of that a storming
party under Lieutenant-Colonel Short advanced to within fifteen or
twenty paces of the outworks before they were discovered by the
garrison. But they were Kentucky sharpshooters, and every man of them
was at his post. Instantly they poured upon the assailants a shower of
rifle balls sent with such deadly aim that the British were thrown
into confusion. But they quickly rallied. The axemen pushed bravely
forward over the glacis, and leaped into the ditch to assail the
pickets. Short was at their head, and when a sufficient number were in
the ditch behind him, he shouted, 'Cut away the pickets, my brave
boys, and show the d----d Yankees no quarter!'

"Now the time had come for the six-pounder to make itself heard. The
masked port flew open instantly, and the gun spoke with terrible
effect. Slug and grapeshot streamed along that ditch overflowing with
human life, and spread awful havoc there. Few of those British
soldiers escaped. The second column of the storming party made a
similar attempt, but was met by another discharge from the six-pounder
and another destructive volley of rifle-balls."

"Was anybody killed, papa?" asked Ned.

"Yes, a good many were," replied his father. "Colonel Short,
Lieutenant Gordon, Laussaussie of the Indian Department, and 25
privates were left dead in the ditch, and 26 of the wounded were made
prisoners. Three other officers were slightly wounded, but escaped.
The rest of the attacking party retreated in haste and disorder.

"It was not until after that disaster that Warburton and his
grenadiers reached the south front of the fort. When they did,
Hunter's corps assailed them with a destructive volley, and they fled
for shelter to the adjacent woods. It is said that Lieutenant-Colonel
Short, when he fell, twisted a white handkerchief on the end of his
sword, asking the mercy he had exhorted his men not to show to the
Americans."

"Oh, I hope they did show it to him, papa," said Elsie.

"I think they would have done so had opportunity offered," said the
captain; "but he was found dead in the ditch."

"And were any of our people killed?" she asked.

"One man was killed and 7 were slightly wounded; while, according to
the most careful estimates, the loss of the British in killed and
wounded was 120. They behaved most gallantly, getting no assistance
from the cowardly Indians, who kept themselves out of harm's way in a
ravine near by.

"The assault had lasted only about half an hour. Lossing tells us,
'The dark storm cloud in the west passed northward, the setting sun
beamed out with peculiar splendor, a gentle freeze from the southwest
bore the smoke of battle far away over the forest toward Lake Erie,
and in the lovely twilight of that memorable Sabbath evening the brave
young Croghan addressed his gallant little band with eloquent words of
praise and grateful thanksgiving. As the night and the silence
deepened, and the groans of the wounded in the ditch fell upon their
ears, his generous heart beat with sympathy. Buckets filled with water
were let down by ropes from the outside of the pickets; and as the
gates of the fort could not be opened with safety during the night, he
made a communication with the ditch by means of a trench, through
which the wounded were borne into the fort and their necessities
supplied.'"

"Oh, how good and kind he was!" exclaimed Grace. "I am proud of him as
one of my countrymen. Is he still living, papa?"

"No, daughter; he died in New Orleans on January 8, 1849."

"The anniversary of the great victory there in the War of 1812! Was he
not rewarded for his gallant defence of Fort Stephenson?"

"Yes; he was brevetted lieutenant-colonel for his gallantry, and some
twenty years later Congress voted him a gold medal in acknowledgment
of it. In 1846 he joined Taylor's army in Mexico and served with
credit at the Battle of Monterey."

"You have given us an interesting tale, captain," remarked Cousin
Ronald as the story seemed to have come to an end--"one that was
really new to me; for I have read but little about that war--which I
hope we can always refer to as the last between the mother country and
this, my adopted one--the native land of my bonny young wife," he
added with a loving and admiring look at Annis.

"Ah, my dear, how true it is that love is blind," said Annis softly,
giving him a look of fond appreciation.

"Ha, ha! A pair of old lovers!" laughed a voice that seemed to come
from somewhere in the rear of the little party.

"Yes, that's what we are," said Annis with mirthful look and tone.

"And who are you that dares to say such saucy things to our company?"
asked Ned, looking sharply round toward the spot from which the voice
had seemed to come.

"Somebody that has a tongue of his own and a right to use it,"
returned the voice, but the speaker was still invisible.

"Well, whoever you are you've no business here on my father's yacht
without an invitation," cried Ned, hurrying toward the spot from which
the strange voice seemed to come.

"You silly, impudent youngster! I'm not here without an invitation,"
said the voice, seeming to come from a greater distance than before.

"Not?" exclaimed Ned; "then who invited you?"

"The captain and owner of the vessel."

Ned turned to his father. "Did you invite him, papa, and who is he?"
Then, perceiving a look of amusement on every face, "Oh, I know! Why
didn't I think before? It's just Cousin Ronald playing he's somebody
else."

"Yes, laddie, and he's rather an auld mon to be playing at anything,"
returned the old gentleman pleasantly. "Dinna ye think so?"

"No, sir; and it's good of you to make a little fun for us
youngsters."

"As well as for us older folks," added his mother in a sprightly tone.

"I thought it was a fellow who had no business here," said Ned, "but
you are as welcome as anything, Cousin Ronald."

"Aye, laddie, I dinna doubt it or I wadna be here," laughed the old
gentleman; "but I know there are no more hospitable folk to be found
anywhere then these American cousins o' mine."

"I should think not, sir," said Neddie with a smiling glance from one
parent to the other; "and I believe there's nobody they like better to
entertain than you."

"Is Fort Stephenson still standing, papa?" asked Grace.

"No," was the reply, "but we can see the site, which is in the bosom
of the village of Fremont, and covers about two-thirds of a square. We
will no doubt find someone who can and will point it out to us and
show us the ravine where the Indians fled after the first discharge of
the rifle-balls by the garrison; and the iron six-pounder cannon that
did such great execution in defence of the fort; also the landing
place of the British. By the way, the garrison named that cannon the
'Good Bess.'"

"Oh, I hope we will see it," said Ned. "I'd like to."

They reached their destination in time to see the cannon and all the
interesting places and things made memorable by their connection with
the struggle at Fort Stephenson, then returned to the yacht, sailed
out into the bay again, and anchored for the night.




                              CHAPTER X.


The next morning Lucilla woke early--as was usual with her--and
presently joined her father upon the deck. He greeted her, as was his
custom, with a smile and a tender caress, asking if she were quite
well and had passed a comfortable night.

"Yes, papa," she said; "I slept as soundly as possible, and feel
perfectly well this morning; as I hope you do."

"I do, for I also enjoyed a good night's rest and sleep."

The yacht was moving, and Lucilla remarked it with some surprise.

"I thought we were lying at anchor," she said.

"So we were through the night," replied her father, "but now we are
travelling toward Fort Meigs--or perhaps I should rather say its
ruins."

"Oh, that will be an interesting spot to visit!" exclaimed Lucilla.
"Just where is it, papa?"

"On the Maumee River, opposite Maumee City, situated at the head of
river navigation, eight miles from Toledo."

"Wasn't it somewhere in that region that Wayne fought one or more of
his battles with the Indians?"

"Yes; he took possession of and fortified the place where St. Clair
was defeated, and called it Fort Recovery. That was in 1794. On the
30th of June he was attacked by about a thousand Indians with some
British soldiers and Canadian volunteers, who assailed the garrison
several times. Fifty-seven Americans were killed, wounded, and
missing; also 221 horses. The Indians said they lost more than in
their battle with St. Clair.

"A few weeks later Wayne was joined by Major-General Scott with 1600
mounted volunteers from Kentucky, and two days later he moved forward
with his whole force toward the Maumee. Remembering the sad fate of
St. Clair and his men, Wayne moved very cautiously; so slowly and
stealthily that the Indians called him the 'Black Snake.' He had
faithful, competent scouts and guides, and he moved by unfrequented
ways, with perplexing feints. Twenty-five miles beyond Fort Recovery
he built Fort Adams. Again he moved forward for four days, then
encamped on a beautiful plain at the confluence of the Maumee and
Auglaize rivers, on the site of the present town of Defiance; I
presume from the fort Wayne built there, and which he called Fort
Defiance. He found there a deserted Indian town with at least a
thousand acres of corn growing around it. Wayne was now in full
possession of power to subjugate and destroy the Indians, but,
unwilling to shed blood unnecessarily, he sent them a message with
kind words. 'Be no longer deceived or led astray by false promises and
language of bad white men at the foot of the rapids; they have neither
the power nor the inclination to protect you.'

"He offered them peace and tranquillity, and invited them to send
deputies to meet him in council without delay.

"But they rejected his overtures, and said in reply, 'Stay where you
are for ten days, and we will treat with you; but if you advance we
will give you battle.'

"Wayne was, however, too wise and wary to be deceived by them. He saw
that nothing but a severe blow would break the spirit of the tribes
and end the war, and, as Lossing says, he resolved to inflict it
mercilessly.

"On the 15th of August his legion moved forward, and on the 18th took
post at the head of the rapids, near the present town of Waterville,
where they established a magazine of supplies and baggage, protected
by military works, and named it Fort Deposit. There, on the 19th,
Wayne called a council of war and adopted a plan of march and battle
proposed by Lieutenant Harrison."

"Afterward general, papa?"

"Yes, nineteen years later he had become general-in-chief, and
performed gallant exploits in this same valley of the Maumee.

"The next morning after that council, at eight o'clock, Wayne advanced
according to that plan. They had gone forward about five miles when
the advance corps, under Major Price, was terribly smitten by heavy
volleys from the concealed foe and compelled to fall back. The enemy
was full 2000 strong--composed of Indians and Canadian volunteers,
and they were arranged in three lines within supporting distance of
each other.

"Wayne's legion was immediately formed in two lines, principally in a
dense wood on the borders of a wet prairie, where a large number of
trees had been prostrated by a tornado, which made the movements of
cavalry very difficult, besides affording a fine covert for the enemy.
But Wayne's troops fell upon them with fearful energy, soon making
them flee, like a herd of frightened deer, toward Fort Miami."

"The fort the British had built upon our ground without so much as
saying by your leave?"

"The very same. They reached it by a hasty flight of two miles through
the thick woods, leaving forty of their number dead on the way, by the
side of each of whom lay a musket and bayonet from British armories.

"Three days and three nights Wayne and his army remained below the
rapids, making such desolation as seemed necessary for the subjugation
of the hostile Indians and the treacherous Britains and Canadians; all
that in defiance of the threats of the commandant of Fort Miami,
though his guns were within view of the American tents. He--Colonel
McKee--was the chief instigator of the war with the Indians, with whom
he was carrying on a most lucrative trade, and he had there extensive
storehouses and dwellings. These our troops set fire to and destroyed,
as they did all the products of the fields and gardens."

"That seems a pity, papa, but I suppose it was necessary."

"Yes; as no doubt those British men well knew. Wayne's men sometimes
were within pistol-shot of Fort Miami, but its guns kept silence. The
commander did a good deal of scolding and threatening; Wayne coolly
defied him and retorted with vigor. But neither went any farther.

"Wayne and his troops remained there until the middle of September,
when they went to the head of the Maumee; and at the bend of the
river, just below the confluence of the St. Mary's and St. Joseph's,
which form it, they built a strong fortification and called it Fort
Wayne. By the latter part of October it was finished and garrisoned
with infantry and artillery, under Colonel Hamtramck.

"The rest of the troops then left, some for Fort Washington, to be
discharged from the service, and others for Fort Greenville, where
Wayne made his headquarters for the winter. There the various tribes
with whom he had been at war came to him--by deputations--and agreed
upon preliminary terms of peace. They remembered that he had assured
them that the British had neither the power nor the inclination to
help them--and how that assurance had been verified by the silence of
the guns of Fort Miami.

"They promised to meet him in council early the next summer, and did
so. Early in June chiefs and sachems began to reach Fort Greenville,
and on the 16th of that month a grand council was opened there. Almost
1100 Indians were present, and the council continued until the 10th of
August. On the 3d of that month a satisfactory treaty was signed by
all parties. And by a special treaty between the United States and
Great Britain the western military posts were soon evacuated by the
British, and for fifteen years the most remote frontier settlements
were safe from any annoyance by the Indians."

"And that encouraged emigration to the Northwestern Territory, did it
not, papa?" asked Lucilla.

"Yes," he said, "and in consequence the country grew rapidly in
population of a hardy kind."

"Until the War of 1812."

"Yes; and it was in that war that Harrison did so much to distinguish
himself as a patriot and a brave and skilful officer."

"And it was then he built the Fort Meigs you are taking us to, papa?"

"Yes; at the Maumee Rapids in February, 1813. It was named for Return
Jonathan Meigs, who was then Governor of Ohio."

"Return Jonathan! what an odd name!"

"Yes, and there is an odd story connected with it. Years before the
Revolution a bright-eyed coquette was courted by Jonathan Meigs. On
one occasion he pressed his suit with great earnestness and asked for
a positive answer. She would not give it, but feigned coolness, and
he--growing discouraged--resolved to be trifled with no longer, so
bade her farewell forever. He took his departure, but had not gone far
down the lane when she ran after him and at the gate called out,
'Return Jonathan; return Jonathan!'

"He did go back to her; they afterward married, and were very happy
together; and when the first son was born they named him Return
Jonathan.

"He was born in 1740; was the heroic Colonel Meigs who did such
valiant service in the Revolutionary War, and was one of the early
settlers of Ohio, going there in 1788. His son Return Jonathan was
elected Governor of Ohio in 1810 and held that office until 1814.

"Harrison arrived at Fort Meigs on the 12th of April, 1813, and was
glad to find there 200 Pennsylvanians, patriotic men, who, though
anxious to go home to put in their spring seeds, assured him that they
would never leave him until he thought their services could be spared
without danger to the cause. He discharged them on the arrival of
three Kentucky companies.

"While on his way Harrison had been told of frequent appearances of
Indian scouts in the neighborhood of the rapids, and of little
skirmishes with what he supposed to be the advance of a more powerful
foe. That alarmed him, and he despatched a messenger to Governor
Shelby of Kentucky asking him to send to the Maumee the whole of the
3000 men who had been drafted in that State. He brought with him about
300 men in all, but was agreeably surprised to find, on his arrival,
that there were no signs of the enemy being near in great force.

"But that enemy was at that very time preparing to strike a
destructive blow at Fort Meigs. Tecumseh was even then at Fort Malden
with almost 1500 Indians. Proctor had fired his zeal and that of his
brother, who was called the Prophet, by promises of future success in
their schemes for confederating the tribes, and boasting of his ample
power to place Fort Meigs with its garrison and immense stores in the
hands of his Indian allies.

"Proctor was delighted with this response of the savages to his call,
and had fine visions of the victory he was going to gain, and the
glory and promotion it would bring him. He was more boastful than
ever, and treated the Americans at Detroit in a supercilious manner.
He ordered the Canadians to assemble at Sandwich on the 7th of April
and told them the campaign would be short, decisive, successful, and
profitable."

"How did he know!" exclaimed Lucilla scornfully.

"He did not," said her father; "events shortly following showed it to
have been but idle boasting. That boast was made on the 7th of April.
On the 23d his army and his savage allies embarked on a brig and
several smaller vessels, accompanied by two gunboats and some
artillery. On the 26th they were at the mouth of the Maumee, about
twelve miles below Fort Meigs, and two days later they landed on the
left bank of the river near old Fort Miami, and established their main
camp there.

"Captain Hamilton of the Ohio troops was reconnoitring down the river
with a small force on the 28th, when he discovered the enemy there in
force. They were first seen by Peter Navarre, one of Harrison's most
trusty scouts. Hamilton sent him in haste to Fort Meigs with the news,
and Harrison at once despatched him with three letters--one for
Governor Meigs at Urbana, one for Upper Sandusky, and one for Lower
Sandusky. Fort Meigs was quite strong--had intrenchments, pickets,
several blockhouses, and a good supply of field-pieces; but from the
account he had had of the character and strength of the enemy,
Harrison considered it in imminent peril. He knew that General Clay
was on his march with his Kentuckians, and immediately after
despatching Navarre with his letters, he sent Captain William Oliver,
the commissary of the fort, and a brave, judicious, and intelligent
officer, with a verbal message to Clay urging him to press forward by
forced marches.

"Oliver found General Clay at Defiance with 1200 Kentuckians. At St.
Mary's blockhouse Clay divided his brigade. He descended the St. Mary
himself with Colonel Boswell's corps, while Dudley went down the
Auglaize.

"The two divisions were to meet at Defiance. But before Dudley had
reached that point he heard of Harrison's perilous position at Fort
Meigs. A council of officers was called, and it was resolved to send
Harrison word that succor was at hand. It was a very dangerous errand
and required someone who was well acquainted with the country. Leslie
Combs, a brave, patriotic young man, whom Clay had commissioned
captain of a company of riflemen as spies or scouts, volunteered to
go.

"'When we reach Fort Defiance,' he said, 'if you will furnish me a
good canoe, I will carry your despatches to General Harrison, and
return with his orders. I shall only require four or five volunteers
from my own company.' His offer was joyfully accepted by Dudley. The
next morning, May 1, they reached Defiance, and as soon as a canoe
could be procured, Combs and his companions--Paxton, Johnson, and two
brothers named Walker--started on their perilous errand. They had with
them also a Shawnee warrior named Black Fish. He took the helm, the
other four the oars, while Combs was at the bow in charge of the
rifles and ammunition.

"As they pushed off from Fort Defiance there were cheers and sad
adieus, for few thought they would ever see them again. It was a
dangerous voyage; rain was falling fast and the night was intensely
dark. Combs was determined to reach Fort Meigs before daylight the
next morning. They passed the rapids in safety, but not till quite
late in the morning, and then heard heavy cannonading in the direction
of the fort. That told them that the siege had begun, which made an
attempt to reach the fort far more perilous than it would otherwise
have been.

"Combs had now a hard choice to make. It would be prudent to go back,
but would not seem courageous, while to stay where they were till the
next night, or to go on at once, seemed equally hazardous. But he was
very brave and soon came to a decision. 'We must go on, boys,' he
said; 'and if you expect the honor of taking coffee with General
Harrison this morning, you must work hard for it.'

"He knew the weakness of the garrison and feared it could not hold out
long. Therefore great was his joy when, on sweeping round Turkey
Point, at the last bend in the river, he saw the Stripes and Stars
waving over the beleaguered camp. His little company evinced their
delight by a suppressed shout. That was a sad mistake, for, suddenly,
a solitary Indian appeared in the edge of the woods, and in another
moment a large body of them could be seen in the gray shadows of the
forest, running eagerly to a point below to cut off Combs and his
party from the fort.

"He attempted to dart by them, when a volley of bullets wounded Paxton
and Johnson--the latter mortally. The fire was returned with effect,
then the Shawnee turned the prow to the opposite shore, and the
voyagers left the canoe and fled toward Defiance. They tried to take
Johnson and Paxton with them, but found it impossible, so were
compelled to leave them to become captives.

"At the end of two days and two nights Combs and Black Fish reached
Defiance, where they found Clay and his troops just arrived. The
Walkers were there also, having fled more swiftly than Combs and the
Indian had been able to because of their efforts to aid the flight of
the two wounded men. They had suffered terribly in their flight, and
for a time Combs was unable to take command of his company, but he
went down the river with the re-enforcements and took an active part
in the fight at Fort Meigs.

"But, ah, here come others of our party, and I must leave the rest of
my story to be told later in the day," added the captain, turning to
greet Violet and his younger children, who at that moment appeared
upon the deck.




                             CHAPTER XI.


Shortly after breakfast, when the whole of their little company had
gathered beneath the awning upon the deck, the captain resumed his
story, as all had expressed a desire to hear it.

"On the morning of the 30th of April, 1813," he said, "the British had
completed two batteries nearly opposite Fort Meigs and mounted their
ordnance. On one there were two twenty-four pounders, on the other
three howitzers. Well-directed round-shot from the fort had struck
some of their men while at work, but neither that nor the drenching
rain stopped them.

"Harrison had been busy too. He addressed his soldiers eloquently in a
general order.

"'Can the citizens of a free country, who have taken arms to defend
its rights,' he said, 'think of submitting to an army composed of
mercenary soldiers, reluctant Canadians goaded to the field by the
bayonet, and of wretched, naked savages? Can the breast of an American
soldier, when he casts his eye to the opposite shore, the scene of his
country's triumphs over the same foe, be influenced by any other
feeling than the hope of glory? Is not this army composed of the same
materials as that which fought and conquered under the immortal Wayne?
Yes, fellow soldiers, your general sees your countenances beam with
the same fire that he witnessed on that glorious occasion; and
although it would be the height of presumption to compare himself with
that hero, he boasts of being that hero's pupil. To your posts then,
fellow citizens, and remember that the eyes of your country are upon
you.'

"That general order was given on the morning that the British made
their appearance, and when he saw that they were erecting batteries on
the opposite shore that would command his works, he directed his men
to make a traverse, or wall of earth, on the highest ground through
the middle of his camp. It had a base of twenty feet, was three
hundred yards long and twelve feet high. While they were at the work
it was concealed by the tents, which when it was finished were
suddenly removed to its rear.

"Then the British engineer perceived, to his great mortification, that
his labor had been almost in vain. Instead of an exposed camp from
which Proctor had boasted that he would soon smoke out the
Yankees,--meaning quickly destroy it with shot and shell,--he saw only
an immense shield of earth which hid the Americans and thoroughly
sheltered them.

"Proctor then changed his plans somewhat and sent a considerable force
of white men under Captain Muir, and Indians under Tecumseh, to the
eastern side of the river, under cover of the gunboats, to attack the
fort in the rear.

"The British batteries were silent through the night, but a gunboat,
towed up the river near the fort under cover of darkness, fired thirty
shots. The only effect, however, was an increase of the vigilance of
the Americans. The next morning, though it was raining heavily, the
British opened a severe cannonade and bombardment upon Fort Meigs,
which they continued with slight intermissions for about five days;
but without doing much injury to the fort or garrison.

"Occasionally our men returned the fire by eighteen-pounders. But
their supply of shot for these and the twelve-pounders was very small,
and as they did not know how long the siege might last, it was thought
best to use them very sparingly.

"The British seemed to have powder, balls, and shells in great
abundance, and they poured a perfect storm of missiles--not less than
five hundred--upon the fort the first day and until eleven o'clock at
night."

"And was nobody hurt, papa?" asked Elsie.

"One or two of the garrison were killed," replied her father, "and
Major Stoddard of the First Regiment, a soldier of the Revolution, was
so badly wounded by a shell that he died ten days later of lockjaw.

"The British were building a third battery on the other side of the
river; they finished it that night, and all the next day kept up a
brisk cannonade.

"Within the next twenty-four hours a fourth battery was opened. The
British had been making mounds in the thickets near the angles of the
fort, and that night a detachment of artillerists and engineers
crossed the river and mounted guns and mortars upon them. One was a
mortar battery, the other a three-gun gun battery. The Americans had
expected something of the kind, and had raised traverses in time to
foil their enemy; and when toward noon of the 3d the three cannon and
the howitzers suddenly began firing upon the rear angles of the fort,
they did scarcely any damage.

"A few shots by our men from their eighteen-pounders soon silenced the
gun battery, and the British hastily moved the cannon and placed them
near the ravine. During the 3d they hurled shot and shell steadily
upon the fort, but with so little effect that the besiegers grew
discouraged, and on the 4th the fire was not nearly so constant.

"Then Proctor sent Major Chambers with a demand for the surrender of
the fort, and Harrison promptly responded, 'Tell General Proctor that
if he shall take the fort it will be under circumstances that will do
him more honor than a thousand surrenders.'

"The cannonade from the fort was feeble because of the scarcity of
ammunition, but the guns were admirably managed, and did good
execution at every discharge. Captain Wood wrote, 'With plenty of it
we should have blown John Bull from the Miami.'

"The Americans showed their ability to keep their foe at bay by
frequently mounting the ramparts, swinging their hats, and shouting
defiance at their besiegers. They were well supplied with food and
water and could afford to spend time and weary their assailants by
merely defensive warfare.

"Still Harrison was anxious, thinking how strong were the foe, and how
Hull and Winchester had failed and suffered; he was looking hourly and
anxiously up the Maumee for the hoped for re-enforcements. Since
Navarre and Oliver went out he had heard nothing from those whom he
had expected to come to his aid. But near midnight on the 4th, Captain
Oliver, Major Trimble, and 15 men who had come down the river in a
boat, made their way into the fort, bringing the glad tidings that
General Clay and 1100 Kentuckians would probably reach the post before
morning, being but eighteen miles distant.

"The cannonading at Fort Meigs was distinctly heard at Fort
Winchester, where Oliver had found Clay on the 3d, and Clay was
hastening as fast as possible to Harrison's aid, moving down the river
in eighteen flat scows, with sides furnished with shields against the
bullets of the Indians who might be infesting the shores of the river.

"The head of the rapids was eighteen miles from Fort Meigs; it was
late in the evening when the flotilla arrived there; the moon had gone
down, and the sky was overcast with clouds, making a night so
intensely dark that the pilot refused to go on before daylight.
Trimble and the 15 others then immediately offered their services to
go with Oliver to cheer Harrison and his men with the news that
re-enforcements were almost at hand.

"It was joyful news to them. Harrison at once despatched Captain
Hamilton and a subaltern in a canoe with an order to Clay bidding him
detach about 800 men from his brigade and land them at a point about a
mile or a mile and a half above Fort Meigs. The detachment was then to
be conducted to the British batteries on the left bank of the river.
These batteries were to be taken, the cannon spiked, and carriages cut
down. The troops must then return to the boats and cross over to the
fort.

"The rest of his men were to land on the fort side of the river,
opposite the first landing, and fight their way into the fort through
the Indians. Harrison knew that the British force at the batteries was
not large, the main body being still near the old Fort Miami, and that
the bulk of the Indians with Tecumseh were on the eastern side of the
river. His object was to strike effective blows on both sides of the
stream at the same time.

"While these orders of his were being carried out, he intended to make
a sally from the fort, destroy the batteries in the rear, and disperse
or capture the whole British force on that side of the river.

"Clay came down the river early the next morning, and about five miles
above the fort Hamilton met him with Harrison's order. Clay then
directed Dudley to take the twelve front boats and carry out
Harrison's commands in regard to the British batteries, while he
should hasten forward and perform the part assigned to him.

"Colonel Dudley landed his detachment in fine order, and they gained
the plain on which Maumee City now stands, unseen by the enemy, formed
for marching in three parallel columns, one led by Dudley, one by
Major Shelby, the other by Acting-Major Morrison. Captain Combs with
30 riflemen, including 7 friendly Indians, flanked in front fully a
hundred yards distant. Thus they moved through the woods a mile and a
half toward the British batteries, which were still firing upon Fort
Meigs.

"There was a prospect of capturing the whole force, but Dudley had
unfortunately failed to inform his men of his exact plans, and that
was a fatal mistake. Shelby's column, according to his orders, moved
on to a point between the British batteries and their camp below, when
the right column, led by Dudley in person, raised the horrid Indian
yell, rushed forward, charged with vehemence upon the enemy, captured
the heavy guns, and spiked eleven of them without losing a man.

"At the same time the riflemen had been attacked by the Indians, and,
not having been told that they were to fall back upon the main body,
thought it their duty to fight. That was a fatal mistake, as the main
object of the expedition was already fully accomplished, although the
batteries were not destroyed. The British flag was pulled down, and as
it reached the earth loud huzzahs went up from Fort Meigs. Harrison,
who was watching from his chief battery, with intense interest, now
signaled Dudley to fall back to the boats and cross the river
according to his former orders.

"Probably Dudley did not see it, but he did see the Indians in ambush
attacking Combs and his riflemen, and with a quick and generous
impulse ordered them to be re-enforced. In response to that a great
part of the right and centre columns rushed into the woods in
considerable disorder, their colonel with them. It did not matter much
at first, for, though they were undisciplined and disorderly, they
soon put the Indians to flight, thus relieving Combs and his men;
but, forgetting prudence, they pursued the flying savages almost to
the British camp.

"When they started on that pursuit Shelby's men still had possession
of the batteries, but the British artillerists, largely re-enforced,
soon returned and recaptured them, taking some of the Kentuckians
prisoners and driving the others toward their boats. The Indians, too,
were re-enforced, came back, and fiercely attacked Dudley and his men,
who were in such utter confusion that it was impossible to command
them. Shelby had rallied those that were left of his column and
marched them to Dudley's aid; but they only participated in the
confusion and flight. That became a precipitate and disorderly rout,
and the greater part of Dudley's command were killed or captured.
Dudley himself was overtaken, tomahawked, and scalped. Of the 800 who
followed him from the boats, only 170 escaped to Fort Meigs. Captain
Combs and his spies were among those who were taken and marched to
Fort Miami as prisoners of war."

"Oh, how dreadful it all was!" sighed Grace. "I hope the other two
parties had better success."

"Yes," her father said; "while what I have just been telling you was
taking place on the left bank of the river, General Clay had tried to
land the six remaining boats under his command nearly opposite the
spot where Dudley had debarked with his; but the current, swollen by
the heavy rains, was very swift, and drove five of them ashore. The
sixth, in which were General Clay and Captain Peter Dudley, with fifty
men, separated from the rest, kept the stream, and finally landed on
the eastern bank of the river opposite to Hollister's Island. There
they were fired upon by round-shot from the batteries opposite and by
a crowd of Indians on the left flank of the fort.

"Clay and his party returned the attack of the Indians with spirit,
and reached the fort without the loss of a man.

"Colonel Boswell's command landed near Turkey Point. The same Indians
who fired upon Clay and his men now attacked these. Boswell and his
men marched boldly over the low plain, fought the savages on the
slopes and brow of the high plateau most gallantly, and reached the
fort without much loss. He was greeted with shouts of applause and
thanks, and met by a sallying party coming out to join him in a prompt
attack upon that portion of the enemy whom he had just been fighting.
There was only a moment's delay. Then they went out, fell upon the
savages furiously, drove them half a mile into the woods at the point
of the bayonet, and utterly routed them. So zealous were the victors
that they would in all probability have made the same mistake that
poor Dudley did, had not Harrison, watching them through a spyglass,
on one of his batteries, and seeing a body of British and Indians
gliding swiftly along the borders of the wood, sent an aide to recall
them. He--the aide--was a gallant young fellow, and though he had a
horse shot under him, he succeeded in communicating the general's
orders in time to enable the detachment to return without much loss.

"Now General Harrison ordered a sortie from the fort against the
enemy's works on the right, near the deep ravine. Three hundred and
fifty men were engaged in that, and behaved with the greatest bravery.
Lossing says, 'They charged with the fiercest impetuosity upon the
motley foe, 850 strong, drove them from their batteries at the point
of the bayonet, spiked their guns, and scattered them in confusion in
the woods beyond the ravine toward the site of the present village of
Perrysburg.' It was a desperate fight, and Miller lost several of his
brave men. At one time Sebree's company were surrounded by four times
their number of Indians, and their destruction seemed inevitable. But
Gwynne of the Nineteenth, seeing their peril, rushed to their rescue
with a part of Elliot's company, and they were saved. The victors
returned to the fort, having accomplished their object, and bringing
with them 43 prisoners. They were followed by the enemy, who had
rallied in considerable force. After that day's fighting, the siege of
Fort Meigs was virtually abandoned by Proctor. He was much
disheartened, and his Indian allies deserted him; the Canadian militia
did likewise."

"Was Tecumseh one of the deserters, papa?" asked Lucilla.

"No; but probably it was only his commission and pay as a brigadier in
the British Army that kept him from being one. He had hated General
Harrison intensely since the battle of Tippecanoe, in 1811, and was to
have had him at this time as his peculiar trophy. He had been promised
that, and the territory of Michigan had been promised his brother, the
Prophet, as a reward for his services in the capture of Fort Meigs.

"Beside all these discouraging things, news came to Proctor that Fort
George, on the Niagara frontier, was in the hands of the Americans and
that the little army of Fort Meigs was soon to be re-enforced from
Ohio. He saw nothing before him but the capture or dispersion of his
troops should he remain, therefore he resolved to flee. But, to
conceal that intention, and in order that he might move off with
safety, he again sent a demand for the surrender of the fort.

"Harrison regarded it as an intended insult, and requested that it
should not be repeated. Proctor attempted to take away with him his
unharmed cannon, but a few shots from Fort Meigs caused him to desist
and go without them. One of his gunboats, in return, fired, killing
several of our men. Among them was Lieutenant Robert Walker, of the
Pittsburgh Blues, who was buried within the fort, and his grave may
still be seen there, marked by a plain, rough stone with a simple
inscription--'Lieutenant Walker, May 9, 1813.'

"Papa, did the British carry off those of our men they had taken
prisoners?" asked Elsie.

"Yes; and allowed the savages to rob, ill-treat, and butcher them in
the most horrible manner. At Fort Miami they shot, tomahawked and
scalped more than 20, besides having murdered and plundered many on
the way.

"It was Tecumseh who at last stopped the fiendish work, though not
till after more than 40 had fallen. And this horrible work was done in
the presence of General Proctor, Colonel Elliot, and other officers,
as well as the British guard. They made them run the gauntlet for a
distance of forty or fifty feet, killing or maiming them as they went,
with pistols, war-clubs, scalping knives, and tomahawks. In that way
nearly, if not quite, as many were slaughtered as were killed in
battle. When those who still remained alive had got within the fort,
the savages raised the war-whoop, and began reloading their guns with
the evident intention of resuming their horrid onslaught on the
defenceless prisoners, when Tecumseh, being told of what was going on,
hurried to the fort as fast as his horse could carry him. 'Where is
General Proctor?' he demanded; then seeing him near, he asked why he
had not put a stop to the massacre. 'Your Indians cannot be
commanded,' replied Proctor, trembling with fear at the rage he saw in
the chief's countenance. 'Begone!' retorted Tecumseh in disdain. 'You
are not fit to command; go and put on petticoats.'"

"Was Proctor pleased with that answer, papa?" asked Ned, with a look
of amusement.

"I think not greatly," replied the captain. "Tecumseh was much
disappointed over their failure to take Fort Meigs, and urged Proctor
to try again. Proctor did not feel willing, but at length, near the
end of June, he consented, and they began making arrangements to do
so.

"About that time a Frenchman who had been taken prisoner with Dudley's
men escaped from the British, fled to Fort Meigs, and told Clay of the
threatened danger. Clay at once sent word to Harrison, who was at
Franklinton, and to Governor Meigs, at Chillicothe.

"Harrison believed it was the weaker posts of Lower Sandusky, Erie, or
Cleveland, rather than Fort Meigs, they intended to attack. He ordered
troops under Colonel Anderson, then at Upper Sandusky, to go at once
to Lower Sandusky; also Major Croghan, with a part of the Seventeenth,
and Colonel Ball with his squadron of cavalry. He had just held an
important council with the Shawnee, Wyandot, Delaware, and Seneca
Indians at his headquarters at Franklinton. Circumstances had made him
doubt their fidelity, and he required them to take a determined stand
for or against the Americans; to remove their families into the
interior, or the warriors must go with him in the ensuing campaign and
fight for the United States.

"Their spokesman assured the general of their unflinching friendship,
and that the warriors were anxious to take part in the campaign. Then
Harrison told them he would let them know what he wanted of them.
'But,' he said, 'you must conform to our mode of warfare. You are not
to kill defenceless prisoners, old men, women, or children. By your
good conduct I shall be able to tell whether the British can restrain
their Indians when they wish to do so.'

"Then he told them of Proctor's promise to deliver him into the hands
of Tecumseh, and added jestingly, 'Now if I can succeed in taking
Proctor, you shall have him for your prisoner, provided you will treat
him as a squaw, and only put petticoats upon him, for he must be a
coward who would kill a defenceless prisoner.'

"Harrison followed Colonel Anderson and his regiment, and, learning
from scouts that numerous Indians were seen on the lower Maumee, he
selected 300 men to make a forced march to Fort Meigs. He arrived
there himself on the 28th, and sent Colonel Johnson to make a
reconnoisance toward the Raisin to procure intelligence. Johnson went,
and brought back word that there was no immediate danger of the enemy
coming against Fort Meigs in force. Satisfied of that, Harrison left
Fort Meigs to attend to duty at other points.

"That was on the 1st of July. Late in that month the British had fully
2500 Indians collected on the banks of the Detroit. These, with the
motley force he had already there, made an army of fully 5000 men.
Early in July bands of Indians had begun to appear in the vicinity of
Fort Meigs, seizing every opportunity for killing and plundering.
Tecumseh had become very restless and impatient; wanting to go on the
warpath,--especially when he saw so many of his countrymen ready for
it,--and he demanded that another attempt should be made to capture
Fort Meigs. He made a plan for the attack, and proposed it to Proctor.

"It was that the Indians should be landed several miles below the
fort, march through the woods to the road leading from the Maumee to
Lower Sandusky, in the rear of Fort Meigs, and there engage in a sham
fight. That, he thought, would give the troops in the fort the idea
that re-enforcements were coming to them and had been attacked. Then
the garrison would sally forth to aid their friends, and would at
once be attacked in their turn by Indians lying in ambush, while the
other Indians would rush into the fort and take possession before the
gates could be closed.

"Proctor consented, thinking it a good plan. On the 20th of July he
and Tecumseh appeared with their 5000 men at the mouth of the Maumee.
General Clay sent a messenger to Harrison with that news. Harrison was
doubtful whether it was Fort Meigs or Fort Stephenson they meant to
attack, so removed his quarters to Seneca Town, from which he could
co-operate with either. There he commenced fortifying his camp, and
was soon joined by 450 United States troops and several officers,
while another detachment was approaching with 500 regulars from Fort
Massac on the Ohio River.

"On the afternoon of the 25th of July Tecumseh and Proctor tried their
plan. The British concealed themselves in the ravine just below Fort
Meigs; the Indians took their station on the Sandusky road; and at
sunset they began their sham fight. It was so spirited, and
accompanied by such terrific yells, that the garrison thought their
commander-in-chief must be coming with re-enforcements and that he was
attacked by the Indians; and they were very anxious to go out to his
aid.

"But Clay was too wise to be taken in. A messenger who had just
returned from a second errand to Harrison had had hairbreadth escapes
from the Indians swarming in the woods; therefore, though Clay could
not account for the firing, he felt certain that no Americans were
taking part in the fight. Officers of high rank demanded permission to
lead their men to the aid of their friends, and the troops seemed
almost ready to mutiny because they were not permitted to go. But Clay
remained firm; and well it was for them that he did.

"A few cannon shot were hurled from the fort in the direction of the
supposed fight, and a heavy shower of rain came up. That put an end to
the fighting, and all was as quiet as usual about Fort Meigs that
night.

"Tecumseh's stratagem had failed, and as he and Proctor were ignorant
of the strength of the garrison, they thought it best not to try an
assault. They lingered in the neighborhood for some thirty hours, then
withdrew to the old encampment near Fort Miami; and soon afterward the
British embarked with their stores, and sailed for Sandusky Bay with
the intention of attacking Fort Stephenson.

"The Indians were to assist in the attack, and a large number marched
across the country for that purpose.

"Clay quickly despatched a messenger to Harrison with all this
information. But I have already told you of the attack upon Fort
Stephenson, and of its brave defence.

"Yes, papa; and it was very interesting," said Elsie. "Have we far to
go now to get to Fort Meigs? and is it just as it was when Harrison
and his men were there?"

"We may hope to get there soon," replied the captain; "as it is only
eight miles above Toledo, and we are nearing that place now. But we
shall find only ruins."

"Oh, papa, what a pity!" exclaimed Ned.

"Not a very great pity, I think," said his father. "It is not needed
now, and I hope will not be ever again."

"I hope that famous elm tree is there yet," remarked Grandma Elsie.

"I do not know," replied the captain. "But probably it is."

"Oh, what about it, papa?" asked Elsie; and her father answered, "At
the beginning of the siege all the water the garrison needed had to be
taken from the river. The elm tree was on the opposite side of the
river, and the Indians used to climb up and hide themselves in its
thick foliage and from there fire across at the water carriers. In
that way they killed several of our men. Then the Kentucky riflemen
fired at them; and it is said that not less than 6 of them were struck
and fell to the ground out of that tree."

"Why didn't our men dig a well?" asked Ned.

"It seems they did afterward, for the place is spoken of as having had
a well at the time of the political campaign of 1840, when Harrison
was elected President of the United States."

They were now entering the Maumee Bay, and the talk ceased, as all
wished to gaze about upon the new scenes as they passed through the
bay and up the river. They visited the ruins of Fort Meigs, then took
carriages and drove three miles up to Presqu' Isle Hill, alighted
there, and wandered over the battlefield of the Fallen Timber.

By tea-time they were again on board the _Dolphin_, which lay at
anchor through the night in Maumee Bay. It was a delightful evening,
clear and slightly cool on the water, the stars shining, and a gentle
breeze stirring; and they sat upon the deck for an hour or more.

"Where are we going to-morrow, papa?" asked Grace in a pause in the
conversation, which had been running upon the scenes and adventures of
the day.

"To Erie, to view it as the scene of some of Commodore Perry's
doings--if that plan suits the wishes of those present," returned her
father. "What do you say, mother?"

"That I highly approve," answered Mrs. Travilla's sweet voice.

"As no doubt we all do," added Mrs. Lilburn.

"Yes," said her husband--"even to the one who may be suspected of
belonging to the British side. But what doings there have you to tell
of, captain?"

"It was there that Perry's fleet was made ready for the celebrated
Battle of Lake Erie," said Captain Raymond--"Perry's victory was won
September 10, 1813."

"Just a few weeks after the fight at Fort Stephenson," remarked
Lucilla.

"Yes," said her father; "and at that time the fleet was nearly ready.
What we now speak of as Erie was then called Presqu' Isle. The harbor
is a large bay, one of the finest on the lake. A low, sandy peninsula
juts out some five miles into the lake. It has sometimes been an
island, when storms have cleft its neck; and it was a barren sand
bank, though now it has a growth of timber upon it. In Perry's time
the harbor was a difficult one to enter, by reason of having a
tortuous channel, shallow and obstructed by sand bars and shoals."

"Was Erie a city at the time Perry's fleet was built there, papa?"
asked Grace.

"No; only an insignificant village, hardly twenty years old; and there
were many miles of wilderness, or very thinly populated country,
between it and the larger settlements. All the supplies for our men,
except the timber for the vessels, had to be brought from a distance,
with great labor."

"Captain, was it not at Erie that General Wayne died?" asked Grandma
Elsie.

"Yes," he said. "In 1794 General Wayne established a small garrison
there and caused a blockhouse to be built at the lake shore of
Garrison Hill. He returned there after his victory over the Indians in
the Maumee Valley, and occupied a loghouse near the blockhouse, where
he died of gout. At his own request he was buried at the foot of the
flag-staff."

"Is his grave there now, papa?" asked Elsie.

"No," replied the captain; "his remains were removed to Pennsylvania
in 1809. The first building there was a French fort, supposed to have
been erected in 1749. I think some of its remains--ramparts and
ditches--are still to be seen upon a point overlooking the entrance to
the harbor. When Canada became an English possession the fort was
allowed to go to decay."

"Why, papa?" asked Ned.

"Because it was no longer needed, my son. The blockhouse built by
General Wayne fell into decay and was replaced by a new one in the
winter of 1813-14, and a second one was built on the point of the
peninsula of Presqu' Isle. The old one was burned by some mischievous
person in 1853."

"Well, my dear, I highly approve of your expressed intention to take
us to Erie to-morrow," said Violet in a lively tone, as the captain
seemed to have come to the end of his account. "I am sure that I for
one shall be greatly interested in everything there connected with the
past history of our country."

All present seemed to be of the same opinion, and before separating
for the night every arrangement was made for an early start next
morning.

The yacht was again in motion at an early hour--even before any of her
passengers were out of their beds. The sun had not yet appeared above
the horizon when the captain was joined upon the deck by Percy
Landreth.

"Ah, good-morning, Percy," he said in his usual pleasant tones.
"Showing yourself so early a bird makes me fear you have not found
your berth as comfortable a couch as could be desired."

"But it is surely none too early for a perfectly healthy fellow to be
out, and I was anxious to see the sun rise. I never have seen it come
up out of the water."

"Then I advise you to gaze steadily eastward, and you will see it
apparently do that in five minutes or less."

Captain Raymond had a strong suspicion that the beautiful sight they
presently witnessed was not all the young man had joined him for at
that early hour, so he was not surprised when the next moment Percy,
turning a rather flushed, embarrassed face toward him, said
entreatingly, "Captain, I am sure you are a very kind-hearted man;
will you not remove your prohibition of two years ago, and let me tell
Miss Lu how I admire and love her?"

"Better not, my young friend," returned the captain pleasantly.
"Believe me, you would gain nothing by it, even were her father
willing to let her listen to such protestations and engage herself
while she is still so young."

"Then she is still free?" Percy asked, his countenance brightening
somewhat.

"Yes--heart and hand; and I hope will remain so for some years to
come."

"That is some consolation, captain; and it is a great pleasure to be
with her, even in the presence of others, and though prohibited to say
a word in my own behalf."

"Try to have patience, my young friend," returned the captain, still
speaking in a kindly tone; "you are young yet, and though you cannot
believe it possible now, the time may come when you will see some
other maiden who will be even more attractive to you than my little
girl is now."

"I do not know how to believe it, sir," sighed Percy; but at that
moment the approach of a light footstep put a sudden end to their
talk.

"Good-morning, father, and Percy too! Why, you are out unusually
early, are you not?" Lucilla exclaimed, holding out a hand to him. "Is
it haste to catch the first glimpse of Erie--not lake but city--that
has brought you on deck so soon?"

"Not only that, Miss Lu; it is a delightful time for being on
deck--the sunrise was very beautiful," he said, taking the pretty hand
for an instant, and giving it a friendly squeeze; "but you are a
trifle too late for that."

"Yes," she said; "but I have seen it a number of times, and may hope
to see it many times more on the waters of lakes or oceans."

"I hope you may," he returned pleasantly. "I wish with all my heart
that every sort of enjoyment may be yours--now and always."

"Very kind of you," she said with a smile; "but I doubt if it would be
best for me to be always free from every sort of trial and trouble.
Papa," turning to him, "shall we have our usual stroll back and forth
upon the deck--Percy joining us, if he wishes?"

"Yes," her father answered, drawing her hand within his arm; and the
three paced back and forth, chatting pleasantly on the ordinary topics
of the day till joined by the other members of their party and
summoned to the breakfast table.

There was no disappointment in the visit to Erie; it proved quite as
interesting as any one of the party had anticipated; the return
voyage was delightful. They anchored for the night in the near
vicinity of the island where they had landed on first coming to the
neighborhood, and whence they received their daily mail.




                             CHAPTER XII.


"I wonder if Walter won't be joining us soon?" Lucilla remarked to her
father as they walked the deck together the next morning.

"Probably. I should not be surprised to see him at any time," the
captain said in reply. "I have sent in for the early mail, and--why
here comes the boat now; and see who are in it!"

"Walter and Evelyn! Oh, how glad I am! I don't know how often I have
wished she was with us."

"I knew you did, and that you like pleasant surprises, so decided to
let this be one."

The boat was already alongside of the yacht, and the next moment its
passengers were on deck, the two girls hugging and kissing each other
and laughing with delight.

"Now, isn't it my turn, Eva?" queried the captain as they released
each other. "Surely I may claim the privilege, since a year or two
ago you and I agreed to be brother and sister to each other."

"Yes, sir," laughed Evelyn, making no effort to escape the offered
caress.

"And, Lu, as I'm your father's brother I suppose you and I may
exchange the same sort of greeting," laughed Walter, giving it as he
spoke.

"Well, you have helped yourself; but I do not see any exchange about
it," laughed Lucilla; "but, considering your youth, I excuse you for
this once."

"As I do also," said the captain. "It isn't every young man I should
allow to kiss my daughter; but youth and relationship may claim
privileges. Lu, show Eva to her stateroom and see that she has
whatever she wants. Walter, the one you occupied last is vacant, and
you are welcome to take possession of it again."

"Thank you; I shall be glad to do so," returned Walter, following the
girls down the companion-way.

"Quite a mail, I think, this morning, sir," remarked a sailor, handing
the captain the mail bag.

Captain Raymond looked over the contents, and found, besides his own,
one or more letters for each of his passengers. It was nearing the
breakfast hour, and he distributed the letters after all had taken
their places at the table.

They were a bright and cheerful party, everyone rejoicing in the
arrival of Eva and Walter, the latter of whom had been spending some
weeks among the Adirondacks with college-mates, then had joined Evelyn
shortly before the last of the family left Crag Cottage, and
undertaken to see her safely to the _Dolphin_ on Lake Erie.

"As I expected, I am summoned home," said Percy Landreth, looking up
from a letter he was reading; "and I am bidden to bring you all with
me, if I can by any means persuade you to take the trip. I wish you
would all accept the invitation. I can assure you that everything
possible will be done to prove that we esteem you the most welcome and
honored of guests. Cousin Elsie, surely you and Aunt Annis will not
think of refusing to spend with us at least a small portion of the
time you have allotted for your summer vacation?"

"Certainly I must go with you," said Annis; "those relations are too
near and dear to be neglected. My husband will go with me, I know; and
you too, Cousin Elsie, will you not?"

"I feel strongly inclined to do so," returned Mrs. Travilla, "and to
take the children and grandchildren with me. What do you say to it,
captain?"

"It seems to me, mother, that for all of us to go would make a rather
large party for our friends to entertain, hospitable as I know them to
be," he replied. "Also, there are reasons why I think it would be well
for me to remain here on the yacht, keeping Eva, Lu, and Grace for my
companions. I flatter myself that I shall be able to give them a
pleasant time during the week or two that the rest of you may be
absent."

"And you will let me help you in that, sir?" Walter said inquiringly.

"No; my idea was to commit your mother and my wife and children to
your care--yours and Cousin Ronald's. He must not have too much of
that put upon him."

"Seeing he has grown too auld to be trusted wi' wark in that line,
eh, captain?" remarked Mr. Lilburn in a tone of inquiry.

"Old enough to reasonably expect to be allowed to take his ease, and
let women and children be cared for by younger men," returned the
captain pleasantly.

"Such as I, for instance," laughed Walter. "Mother, dear, I hope you
feel willing to trust me; and that Vi does also."

"My dear boy, I am entirely willing to trust you to do anything in
your power for me and any of our dear ones," Grandma Elsie answered
with a loving look and smile into her son's eyes.

"And on the journey to Pleasant Plains I shall certainly do my best
for you all, Cousin Elsie," said Percy. "But, captain, surely the
yacht could do without her owner and his oversight for a fortnight or
so. And we can find room for you all; there are several families of
us, you must remember, and each of our homes has at least one guest
room."

"And you are all very hospitable, I know," returned the captain
pleasantly. "Perhaps at some other time I may put that to the proof,
but there are reasons why it does not seem quite advisable to do so
now." The tone of the last words was so decided that Percy did not
think it advisable to urge the matter any further, and in a few
minutes it was settled that the captain's plan in regard to who should
compose the party to go to Pleasant Plains, and who the one to remain
on the yacht, should be carried out.

Evidently the young girls were well satisfied with the decision. They
had had enough travel by rail for the present, and life on the
_Dolphin_ would be decidedly restful and enjoyable, for they were
delightful companions, the captain was the best and kindest of
protectors and providers, and there was abundance of interesting
reading matter at hand in the shape of books and periodicals.

Percy was much disappointed, but did his best to conceal it, which was
the easier because the others were much taken up with the necessarily
hasty preparations for the little trip.

"I don't want to go without my papa," Ned said stoutly at first.

"But papa thinks he can't go, and it is for only a little while, you
know," reasoned his mother. "We expect to come back to papa and
sisters in a few days."

"But, mamma, why don't you and I stay with him? It's nice here on our
yacht and going about to new places 'most every day."

"So it is, son, but it will be pleasant to see those relatives who
have invited us to their homes, and to refuse to accept their
invitation would not seem kind."

"But papa does refuse."

"Yes; he must have some good reason which he has not told us."

"Papa is going to take care of the yacht, and of Eva and our sisters,"
said Elsie, joining in the talk.

They were in their stateroom, Violet putting together such articles of
clothing as she thought best to take with them on their little trip.

"But who'll take care of us?" demanded Ned.

"Uncle Walter, Cousin Ronald, and Cousin Percy. I'd rather have papa
than all of them put together, but our Heavenly Father will take care
of us, and that is better still."

"Yes, daughter; He will take the best of care of all who put their
trust in him; and without his help no earthly creature can keep you
from harm," said their father's voice close at hand; and, looking
round, they saw him standing in the doorway.

"Yes, papa; and I'm so glad to know it," responded Elsie. "But I do
wish you were going along with us to visit those cousins."

"As I do, my dear," said Violet.

"Thank you. I should like it myself, but for certain reasons it seems
advisable and best for me to stay behind. Vi, my dear, let me do that
packing for you."

The train they had decided to take left early in the afternoon, and
they were busy with their preparations until almost the last moment;
then they bade the young girls a hasty good-by and left them on the
deck, where the captain presently rejoined them, after seeing the
departing ones safely on the train and watching it for a moment as it
sped rapidly on its way.

"And they are off, are they, father? Well, I hope they will all enjoy
themselves greatly, but I am glad we are left here with you," Lucilla
said as he rejoined their little group.

"Yes, I saw them off. I hope their visit will prove very enjoyable to
them all, and that our stay here will be equally enjoyable to us."

"That is what we are all anticipating, captain," said Evelyn. "I don't
know where in the world I should rather pass the next few weeks than
on the _Dolphin_ with you and these dear girls for company."

"That is pleasant news for us," he returned in kindly tones. "And now
what can I do for your entertainment? I am ready to consider
suggestions from each of you."

"Don't you think we should take Eva to visit the different islands in
this group, papa?" queried Grace.

"Certainly; if she would like to go."

"Very much indeed," said Eva; "I know I shall enjoy going any- and
every-where that you may be pleased to take me, or just staying on the
yacht lying in one place, if that suits the rest of you."

"We will try that occasionally by way of variety," the captain said
with a smile. "Shall we not do that for the rest of this day,--as it
is now almost dinner time,--then start off for some other point
shortly after breakfast to-morrow morning?"

"Oh, yes, sir!" they all exclaimed; Grace adding, "And, papa, won't
you take us to Gibraltar? It is so picturesque that I think it is
worth visiting several times."

"Yes, and so are some of the other islands. We will visit any or all
of them as many times as you wish."

"Well," said Lucilla, "with taking those little trips now and then,
and having books, work,--needlework I mean,--games, and music, I think
it will be strange should we find time hang heavy on our hands."

"Yes, indeed," said Evelyn with a sigh of contentment; "I am not in
the least afraid of any such calamity."

They talked on, planning various little excursions to one and another
of the islands and different points of interest upon the mainland,
till summoned to their meal.

"It seems a trifle lonely," Grace remarked as they took their seats
about the table.

"Yes," said her father, "but considering how much our absentees are
probably enjoying themselves, we won't mind that for a few days."

"Indeed," said Lucilla, "though I shall be glad to see them come back,
I think it is really quite delightful to have papa all to ourselves
for a few days."

"And for papa to have these young girls all to himself, eh?" laughed
the captain. "Well, I won't deny it; and I fully expect the girls to
make their companionship quite delightful to me."

"I think we will all do our best in that line," said Evelyn. "It would
be strange indeed if we didn't, when you are so very good and kind to
us."

"No better, I think, than almost any other gentleman would be in my
place," he returned pleasantly. "Now let me help you to some of this
fowl. I hope to see you all do full justice to what is set before
you."

"If we don't, it will not be the fault of the fare, I am sure," said
Evelyn. "Judging by the meals I have taken on board of this vessel,
she must have both a good caterer and an excellent cook."

"We have both," said Lucilla emphatically.

"Yes," said Grace. "I wish we could share this dinner with our dear
folks who left us a while ago; though perhaps they are getting just as
good a meal at Pleasant Plains."

"Yes," said her father, "if all has gone well with them and their
train, they are there by this time; and, from what I have heard of the
housekeeping of the relatives there, I presume they have been, or will
be, set down to as good a meal as this."

"Oh, yes, of course," said Grace; "and that was a very foolish wish of
mine. Papa, how shall we spend this evening?"

"I leave that to the decision of my daughters and their guest," he
replied. "I shall be happy to do my best to entertain you in any way
that may suit your inclinations."

"What may be yours, Eva? Please tell us," said Lucilla.

"I hardly know what to choose," said Evelyn. "Several delightful ways
of passing the time have been already spoken of, and I should enjoy
any one of them. I hope you will give us some of your music; and if
the captain feels inclined to spin us one of his sailor yarns, that
would be enjoyable; and I presume a promenade on the deck would be
good exercise, helping us to sleep well afterward."

"A very good programme," remarked the captain as she concluded. "I
think we will carry it out."

They did so, and, when about to separate for the night, agreed it had
been a success, the time having passed very pleasantly.

The next morning found them all in good health and spirits, and the
day was spent in little excursions among the islands. The evening
brought a mail in which was a letter from Violet to her husband,
telling of the safe arrival of her mother, herself, and the other
members of their party at their destination, the warm welcome they had
received, and the prospect that the few days of their proposed sojourn
among the relatives of Pleasant Plains would be passed most agreeably.
"There is only one drawback to my enjoyment," she added; "I cannot
feel quite content without my husband; and I miss the dear girls too.
So I am glad this visit is to be but a short one."

The captain read the greater part of the letter aloud to Eva and his
daughters.

"I too am glad their visit is to be short," remarked Grace as he
finished, "for I don't like to be without them, though we are having a
very delightful time here with our dear, kind father to take care of
us and find so many pleasant amusements for us."

"Ah!" he said with a smile. "Where would you like to go to-morrow?"

They discussed the question for a while, and at length decided to
visit some of the islands that had been neglected thus far. Then they
went on to plan an outing for each weekday of the time they expected
the rest of their party to be absent. These they carried out
successfully; and each day's mail brought them a graphic report from
Violet's pen of the doings among their friends and relatives in
Pleasant Plains.

Several family parties were gotten up for their entertainment, and at
one of them Cousin Ronald, at Walter's urgent request, exercised his
skill in ventriloquism, to the great surprise and delight of the
younger folk.

They were quite a large company, assembled in the parlors of Dr.
Landreth's house, just after leaving the tea-table. Presently a
buzzing bee seemed to be flying about among them, now circling around
the head of one person and now flying above that of another. They
involuntarily tried to dodge it, and sent searching glances here and
there in the vain effort to see just what and where it was. It could
not be seen. Presently it was no longer heard, and someone said, "We
are rid of it, I think; it seems to have gone out of the window."

But the words were scarcely spoken when there was a scream from the
porch, "Oh, I'm stung! and the bee's on me yet! Somebody come and take
it off!"

At that the doctor, Walter, and Percy rushed out in response to the
entreaty. But the bee's victim seemed to have vanished with wonderful
celerity. The porch was entirely deserted.

"Gone! gone already! who can she have been?" exclaimed Percy, glancing
about in great surprise.

"I cannot imagine," said the doctor; then catching sight of Walter's
face, which told of suppressed mirthfulness, a sudden recollection
came to him; and he added, "Ah, I think I understand it," turned, and
went back into the parlor.

"Who was it?" asked several voices.

"Nobody, apparently," answered the doctor with a smile; and Percy
added, "She had strangely disappeared."

"Well," said a rough voice, seemingly coming from the hall, "if I was
a doctor, and a poor woman got badly stung right here in my own house,
d'ye think I wouldn't do something fur her?"

"Bring her in here, and I will do what I can for her," replied the
doctor.

"Hello here, Bet!" called the voice; "I say, go right along in thar
and see what he'll do fur ye."

"What'll he do? p'raps hurt me worse than the bee has?" snarled a
sharp, disagreeable voice. "I guess I won't resk it."

"All right then, Bet, let's go," said the other voice; "'taint our way
to stay long where we git nothin' but stings."

A sound as of shuffling footsteps followed, then all was still.

Some of the children and young people ran to the door and windows,
hoping to catch sight of the strange couple, but were surprised that
they could see nothing of them.

But the bee seemed to have come in again and to be buzzing all about
the room--now up near the ceiling, now down about the ears of one and
another of the company. There were dodgings and curious glances here
and there, exclamations of surprise that the creature was not to be
seen as well as heard, till their attention was taken from it by the
furious barking of a dog, seemingly on the porch, and mingled with it
screams of pain and terror in a childish voice; cries of "Oh, take him
off! he's biting me! Oh, oh, he'll kill me! Oh, come quick, somebody,
before he kills me!"

Several of the gentlemen present sprang up and rushed out to the
rescue, but found all quiet on the porch and neither child nor dog in
sight.

For a moment they looked at each other in surprise and perplexity,
then a sudden recollection of Cousin Ronald's powers came to one and
another, a little amused laugh was exchanged, and they returned to the
parlor, looking very grave and as much mystified as even the youngest
present.

"Why, who was it? and where did she go to?" asked one of the little
girls.

"She was not to be found; nor was the dog," replied Percy. "They seem
to have got away very quickly."

"Well, I wish I knew who she was, and whether the dog is after her
yet," said Don, his younger brother. "I think I'll go out to the
street and see if they are anywhere in sight."

"'Tisn't worth while, little chap; you'll not find 'em," said a voice
from the hall which sounded very much like the one that had spoken
first.

"Is it your doing? did you bring that dog here?" asked the lad,
jumping up and going toward the door.

"Yes," said the voice; "but you needn't worry; she wasn't hurt, though
she did do sich tall screamin'. That was jist fer fun and to scare you
folks."

"Who are you, anyhow?" asked Don; "and why don't you show yourself?
You neither act nor talk like a gentleman."

"Don't I?" asked the voice, ending with a coarse laugh.

"I wouldn't go out there if I were you, little boy; that fellow might
do you some harm," said a pleasant voice that seemed to come from a
far corner of the room.

Don turned to see who was the speaker, but there was no stranger to be
seen, and the voice had certainly not been a familiar one.

"Why," exclaimed the little fellow, "who said that? What's the matter
here to-night, that we hear so many folks that we can't see?"

As he spoke, a low whine, that sounded as if made by a young puppy,
seemed to come from his pocket. With a startled jump and exclamation,
"Oh, how did it get in there?" he clapped his hand upon his pocket.
"Why--why, it isn't there! Where is it?" he cried, turning round and
round, looking down at his feet, then farther away under chairs and
tables. "I can't find it," he said presently, looking much bewildered.
"Grandpa, I never saw such things happen in your house before--no,
nor anywhere else. What's the matter with me? am I going blind?"

"No, my boy," said the doctor, "we all seem to be as blind as
yourself--hearing people talk but not able to see them."

"None so blind as those that won't see," remarked the voice that had
spoken last, but this time coming apparently from the doorway. "Here I
am, and you are welcome to look at me as closely as you please."

A sudden fierce bark from their very midst seemed to answer her. It
was so sudden and sharp that everyone started, and some of the
children screamed.

"Nero, be quiet, sir, and walk right out here," said the voice from
the hall, and it was answered by a low growl; then all was silent.

"Why, where did he go? and why couldn't we see him?" asked one of the
little ones.

"Perhaps we might if we knew where to look and what to look for," said
Violet with a smiling glance at Cousin Ronald.

"But where's that little pup that was in my pocket?" cried Don, as if
with sudden recollection, and glancing about the floor. "I can't see
how in the world he got there, nor how he got out again."

Just as he finished his sentence the puppy's whine was heard, seeming
to come from behind the large armchair in which Cousin Ronald was
seated.

"There he is now!" cried Don. "I wish he'd come out of that corner and
let us all see him."

"Perhaps he will if you invite him," said the old gentleman, rising
and pushing his chair a little to one side.

Don made haste to look behind it. "Why, there's nothing there!" he
cried. "What does go with the little scamp?"

"Perhaps he's afraid of you, Don, so gets out of sight as fast as
possible," said Percy.

"Then why did he get in my pocket?" asked Don; then added quickly,
"But maybe he wasn't there, for I couldn't find him, though I clapped
my hand on it the instant I heard his whine." Just then the whine,
followed by a little bark, seemed to come from the farther side of the
room, and the children hurried over there to make a vain search for
the strangely invisible puppy.

"Where did it go to?" they asked. "How could it get away so fast? and
without anybody seeing it?"

"Well, it isn't here, that's certain," said one. "Let's look in the
hall."

They rushed out there, then out to the porch, looking searchingly
about everywhere, but finding nothing.

"Oh, it must have got away into the grounds," cried one. "Let's look
there," and they ran down the path to the gate, off across and around
the grounds--some in one direction, some in another. But it took only
a few minutes to satisfy them that no little dog was there; and they
trooped back to the house to report their inability to find it.

They were all talking at once, discussing their failure in eager,
excited tones, when again that strange, gruff voice was heard in the
hall.

"Say, youngsters, what have you done with my little dog? He's of fine
stock, and if you don't hand him over right away--why, I'll know the
reason why, and it won't be good fur ye, I can tell ye."

"We didn't take him," answered Don; "we've never seen him at all--no,
not one of us; and if we had, we wouldn't have done him a bit of
harm."

Just as Don pronounced the last word, a shrill little bark sounded out
from behind Cousin Ronald's chair.

"Why, there he is now!" exclaimed Don, hurrying to the spot. "Why, no,
he isn't! How does he get away so fast?"

"He seems to be an invisible dog, Don," said his brother Percy; "and,
if I were you, I wouldn't let him trouble me any more."

"No; but I've set out to find him, and I don't mean to give it up,"
replied the little fellow.

"That's right, Don," laughed his father. "I'm pleased to see that you
are not easily discouraged."

"But he might as well be, for there's no dog thar," said the voice
from the hall. "He's a plucky little feller, but he'll not find that
thar dog if he looks all night."

"I guess I'll find you then," said Don, running to the door and
looking searchingly about the hall. "Well, it's the queerest thing!"
he exclaimed. "There's nobody here--nobody at all!"

"Is the boy blind, that he goes right past a body and never sees him?"
asked the voice; and Don turned quickly to see the speaker, who seemed
close behind him. But no one was there, and Don looked really
frightened. Cousin Ronald noticed it, and said in kindly tones, "Don't
be scared, sonny, it was I who spoke; and I wouldn't harm you for all
I am worth."

"You, sir?" said Don, looking utterly astonished. "How could it be
you? for the fellow was over here, and you are over there."

"No; I only made it sound so," Mr. Lilburn said with an amused laugh;
"and I must confess that I have been doing all this screaming,
scolding, and barking just to make a bit of fun for you all."

At that the children crowded around the old gentleman, eagerly asking
how he did it and what else he could do.

"I can hardly tell you how," he said, "but perhaps I can show some
other specimens of my work." He was silent for a moment, seemingly
thinking. Then a loud, rough voice said: "Hello there, youngsters,
what are you bothering with that stupid old fellow for? Why don't you
leave him and go off to your sports? It would be a great deal more
fun."

The children turned toward the place from which the voice seemed to
come, but saw no one. They were surprised at first, laughed, asking,
"Was that you, Uncle Ronald?"

"Nobody else," he said with a smile.

"Oh, hark! there's music!" cried one of the little girls; and all
listened in silence.

"It is a bagpipe, playing a Scotch air," said Percy, who was standing
near their little group.

"What queer music!" said one of the little girls when it had ceased;
"but I like it. Please, Uncle Ronald, make some more."

Several tunes followed, and then the children were told they had
monopolized their Uncle Ronald long enough and must leave him to the
older people for a while.

"But you'll do some more for us some other time, won't you, Uncle
Ronald?" asked one of the little girls as they reluctantly withdrew
from his immediate neighborhood.

"Yes, little dear, I will," he answered kindly.

And he did entertain them in the same way a number of times during his
short stay in their town.




                            CHAPTER XIII.


"Well, papa, where shall we go, or what shall we do, to-day?" asked
Grace one bright September morning as they sat about the breakfast
table on board the _Dolphin_.

"Let me hear the wishes of all three of you in regard to that matter,"
he said in his accustomed pleasant tones. "Evelyn, what have you to
say? Have you any plans you would like carried out?"

"No, sir, thank you," she replied. "I shall be perfectly contented to
stay on the _Dolphin_ or go anywhere you and the girls wish."

"I think we have seen all the points of interest about here," he said.
"However, if you would like to pay a second visit to any one of them
you have only to say so."

Just as the captain spoke a sailor came in with the mail-bag.

"Ah," said Grace, "I hope there is a letter from Mamma Vi saving that
she and the rest will be here to-day or to-morrow."

"Yes, so do I," said Lucilla. "We have had a lovely time while they
have been away, but I shall be delighted to have them back again."

"Yes," said her father, "here is a letter from her to me." Then
opening and glancing over it: "They are coming back to-day, and may be
expected by the train that gets into Cleveland near tea-time. I must
go for them; and you, Lucilla--you and Grace--may see that everything
about the cabin and staterooms is in good order for their comfort and
enjoyment."

"Yes, papa, we will," they answered promptly, Lucilla adding with a
merry look, "We will do the work ourselves if that is your wish."

"Oh, no," he said; "I only meant that you should oversee it, and make
sure that nothing is left undone which would add to their comfort."

"I wish we had some flowers to ornament the rooms with," said Grace.

"You shall have," replied her father. "I have sent for some by the man
who has gone to the city to do the marketing."

"Oh, that's good!" exclaimed Lucilla. "Papa, I believe one may always
trust you to think of everything."

"I am not so sure of that," he said with a smile. "But it is very well
for my daughters to think so."

"I do, papa," said Grace. "Lu can't have any more confidence in you
than I have."

"Nor than I," said Evelyn. "And I am very proud of the privilege
accorded me some time ago of considering you my brother, captain."

"Ah? I think I am the one to feel honored by the relationship," he
returned laughingly.

"We will start for home pretty soon, father, won't we?" asked Grace.

"I presume so; we will consult the others on that subject when they
come. Are you growing homesick?"

"Almost," she answered, but in a cheery tone. "I have enjoyed our
outings on the Hudson and here ever so much, but ours is such a sweet
home that I begin to long to see it again."

"Well, dear child, I hope to be able to gratify that wish before
long," he replied in kindly, affectionate tones. "I am very glad you
love your home."

"It is certainly worthy of her love," said Evelyn. "I don't know a
more delightful place; yet it would not be half so charming without
the dear people who live in it."

"It certainly would not be to me without the wife and children who
share it with me," said the captain.

They had not left the table long when flowers were brought aboard in
variety and abundance, and they had a very enjoyable time arranging
them in vases, and placing those where they could be seen to the best
advantage.

"There," said Lucilla when their labors were completed; "they will do
very well while the _Dolphin_ stands still, but if she takes to
rolling, as I have known her to do at times in the past, we'll have to
empty the water out of the vases or it will empty itself where it is
not wanted at all."

"Yes," said her father, "but I think you may confidently expect her to
remain stationary at least until to-morrow morning. No one is likely
to care to start on the homeward journey before that time."

"I wish they were here now," said Grace; "but we have hours to wait
before we can hope to see them."

"Have patience, daughter," her father said in cheerful tones. "The
time will soon pass; and, to make it go faster, shall we not row over
to one of the islands and have a stroll on the beach?"

The girls all seemed pleased with that proposal; the captain gave the
order to have the boat made ready, and in a few moments they were on
their way. It was just the kind of a day to make such a little
excursion very enjoyable, and in a couple of hours they returned,
feeling in fine health and spirits and ready for either work or play.

Captain Raymond saw them safely on board, presently followed them
himself, and read aloud an entertaining book while they busied
themselves with bits of needlework. Soon dinner was announced; quite
a while was spent at the table, and shortly after they left it, the
boat was again in requisition to take the captain to the city and
bring him and the returned travellers back to the yacht.

The time of his absence seemed rather long to the waiting girls; but
when at last the boat came into sight, and they perceived that it held
all the expected ones, they were overjoyed, and when the deck was
reached the embraces exchanged were warm and loving.

"This seems very like a home-coming," said Violet. "We have had a
delightful time with our Pleasant Plains cousins, yet are glad to be
again on our own floating home."

"Yes," said her mother; "especially as we hope it will soon carry us
to our still dearer ones in the Sunny South."

"I am ready to start for them to-morrow, mother, if you wish it," the
captain said in his pleasant way. "I presume you have all seen enough,
for the present at least, of this part of our country."

He looked inquiringly at Annis as he spoke.

"I am ready to go or stay, as the others wish," she said. "It is now
late in September, and the excessive summer heat will surely be over
by the time we reach our journey's end. What are your opinions and
feelings on the subject, my dear?" turning to her husband.

"I care but little one way or the other, so that I have my wife with
me, and she is satisfied," returned Mr. Lilburn gallantly.

"And that, I presume, is about the way with these younger folk,"
remarked the captain, glancing around in a kindly way upon them.

"Yes, captain," said Evelyn; "we are all ready, I am sure, to go or
stay, as seems best to you."

"One can always find enjoyment wherever you are, father," said
Lucilla.

"Yes, indeed," said Grace. "But now, good folks, please all come down
to the saloon and see our preparations for your arrival." She led the
way, the others following, and on reaching the saloon and seeing its
wealth of adornment, they gave such meed of praise as greatly
gratified the young decorators.

"Ah, it is nearly tea-time," said Grandma Elsie at length, consulting
her watch; "and I at least need to make some preparation in the way
of ridding myself of the dust of travel by rail," and with that all
the returned travellers retired to their staterooms for the few
minutes that remained ere the summons to the tea table.

On leaving the table, all repaired to the deck, where they spent the
evening in pleasant chat, finding much to tell each other of the
doings and happenings of the days of their separation.

They closed their day as usual, with a service of prayer and praise
and the reading of the Scriptures, then all except the captain retired
to their staterooms.

But it was not long before Lucilla, as usual, stole back to the deck
for a good-night bit of chat with her father. She found him walking
the deck and gazing earnestly at the sky.

"Is there a storm coming, father?" she asked.

"I think there is," he answered, "and probably a heavy one. I think it
should make a change in our plans, for it may last several days. In
that case we will be safer over there in Put-in Bay, lying at anchor,
than we would be out in the lake."

"Then you will go over there, won't you, father?" she asked.

"I think I shall," he said. "It really matters but little whether we
get home as speedily as the voyage can be made, or not until a week or
two later."

"I am glad of that," she returned; "and as we have an abundance of
books and games,--plenty of everything to make the time pass quickly
and pleasantly,--I think we need not mind the detention."

"I agree with you in that," he said, "and I am very glad that our dear
absentees got here safely before the coming of the storm."

"Then you don't apprehend any danger?" she said inquiringly.

"No; not if we are at anchor in the bay yonder. Well, you came to say
good-night to your father in the usual way, I suppose?"

"Yes, sir; but mayn't I stay with you for a little while? I am not at
all sleepy, and should enjoy pacing back and forth here with you a few
times."

"Very well, daughter," he returned, taking her hand and drawing it
within his arm.

They walked to and fro for a time in silence. It was broken at length
by Lucilla. "To-morrow is Friday, but you don't think it would be
unlucky to start on a journey for that reason, father?"

"No, child; it is the coming storm, and not the day of the week, that
seemed portentous to me. I have sailed more than once on Friday, and
had quite as prosperous a voyage as when I had started on any other
day of the week."

"It seems to me absurd and superstitious," she said, "and I know
Grandma Elsie considers it so. Papa, isn't that cloud spreading and
growing darker?"

"Yes; and I think I must give orders at once to get up steam, lift the
anchor, and move out into the bay. Say good-night, now, and go to your
berth."

Violet, arrayed in a pretty dressing gown, stepped out of her
stateroom door into the saloon as Lucilla entered it. "Are we about
starting, Lu?" she asked. "I thought I heard your father giving an
order as if preparations for that were going on." Lucilla replied with
an account of what she had seen and heard while on deck. "But don't
be alarmed, Mamma Vi," she concluded; "father thinks there will be no
danger to us lying at anchor in Put-in Bay, and I think we will be
able to pass the time right pleasantly."

"So do I," said Violet; "but it will be sad if he has to expose
himself to the storm. However, I suppose that will hardly be necessary
if we are lying at anchor. Yes, I think we are a large enough and
congenial enough company to be able to pass a few days very pleasantly
together, even though deprived of all communication with the outside
world."

"So we won't fret, but be glad and thankful that we can get into a
harbor before the storm is upon us, and that we have so competent a
captain to attend to all that is needed for our safety and comfort,"
returned Lucilla. "But I must say good-night now, for papa's order to
me was to go to my berth."

The _Dolphin_ was soon in motion, and within an hour lying safely at
anchor in Put-in Bay. When her passengers awoke in the morning, quite
a severe storm was raging, and they were well pleased that it had not
caught them upon the open lake; and though Grandma Elsie had grown
anxious to get home for her father's sake, she did not fret or worry
over a providential hindrance, but was bright and cheerful, and ever
ready to take her part in entertaining the little company.

For three days the ladies and children scarcely ventured upon deck;
but, with books and work and games, time passed swiftly, never hanging
heavy on their hands. Mr. Lilburn, too, caused some amusement by the
exercise of his ventriloquial powers.

It was the second day of the storm, early in the afternoon, and all
were gathered in the saloon, the ladies busy with their needlework,
the gentlemen reading, Elsie and Ned playing a quiet game. Walter had
a daily paper in his hand, but presently threw it down and sat with
his elbow on the table, his head on his hand, apparently in deep
thought. He sighed wearily, and then words seemed to come from his
lips.

"Dear me, but I am tired of this dull place!--nothing to see, nothing
to hear, but the raging of the storm!"

"Why, Walter!" exclaimed his mother, looking at him in astonishment;
but even as she spoke she saw that he was as much astonished as
herself.

"I didn't make that remark, mother," he laughed. "I am thankful to be
here, and enjoying myself right well. Ah, Cousin Ronald, I think you
know who made that ill-sounding speech."

"Ah," said the old gentleman with a sad shake of the head, "there
seems to be never a rude or disagreeable speech that is not laid to my
account."

Then a voice seemed to come from a distant corner: "Can't you let that
poor old man alone? It was I that said the words you accuse him of
uttering."

"Ah," said Walter; "then show yourself, and let us see what you are
like."

"I am not hiding, and don't object to being looked at, though I am not
half so well worth looking at as some of the other people in this
room."

"Well, that acknowledgment shows that you are not vain and conceited,"
said Walter.

"Who would dare call me that?" asked the voice in angry, indignant
tones.

The words were quickly followed by a sharp bark, and then the angry
spitting of a cat, both seeming to come from under the table.

Little Elsie, who was sitting close beside it, sprang up with a
startled cry of "Oh, whose dog and cat are they?"

"Cousin Ronald's," laughed Ned, peeping under the table and seeing
nothing there.

At that instant a bee seemed to fly close to the little boy's ear,
then circle round his head, and he involuntarily dodged and put up his
hand to drive it away. Then he laughed, saying in mirthful tones, "Oh,
that was just Cousin Ronald, I know!"

The older people were looking on and laughing, but Lucilla started and
sprang to her feet with an exclamation of affright as the loud, fierce
bark of a seemingly ferocious big dog sounded close to her ear.
Everybody laughed, she among the rest, but she said pleadingly: "Oh,
don't do that again, Cousin Ronald! I didn't know I had any nerves,
but I believe I have."

"Well, daughter, don't encourage them," her father said in kind and
tender tones, taking her hand in his as he spoke, for she was close at
his side, as she was pretty sure to be whenever she could manage it.

"I am truly sorry if I hurt those nerves, Lu," said the old gentleman
kindly. "I meant but to afford amusement, and shall be more careful in
the future."

"Do some more, Cousin Ronald; oh, please do some more, without scaring
Lu or anybody," pleaded Ned.

"Ned, Ned, it's time to go to bed," said a voice seeming to come from
the door of the stateroom where the little boy usually passed the
night.

"No, sir, you're mistaken," he answered; "it won't be that for two or
three hours yet."

"Captain," called a voice that seemed to come from overhead, "please
come up here, sir, and see if all is going well with the vessel."

Captain Raymond looked up. "I think I can trust matters to you for the
present, my men," he said. "We are in a safe harbor and have little or
nothing to fear."

"Papa, did somebody call you?" asked Ned.

"I rather think Cousin Ronald did," answered the captain; "but I don't
intend to go to the deck to find him, or answer his call to it, while
he sits here."

"No; what business has he to treat you so?" said a voice that sounded
like a woman's. "He ought to be glad to see you sit down and take a
rest occasionally."

"So he is," said Cousin Ronald, speaking in his natural tone and
manner. "He is always glad to have such busy folks take a bit o'
rest."

"But please don't you take a rest yet, Cousin Ronald; we want you to
make some more fun for us first--if you're not too tired," said Ned,
in coaxing tones.

"I am more than willing, laddie," returned the old gentleman
pleasantly, "for fun is oft-times beneficial, particularly to little
chaps such as you."

"I am bigger than I used to be," said Ned, "but I like fun quite as
well as I ever did."

"Very strange," said Lucilla, "very strange that a grave old man such
as you should care for fun."

"Yes, but my sister Lu likes it, and she's older--a great deal older
than I am," returned the little fellow, looking up into her face with
eyes that sparkled with fun.

At that she laughed and gave him a kiss.

"Yes, I am a great deal older than you, and so you ought to treat me
with great respect," she said.

"Ought I, papa?" he asked, turning to their father.

"It would be quite well to do so, if you want the reputation of being
a little gentleman," replied the captain, regarding his little son
with a smile of amusement.

But at that instant there came a sound as of a shrill whistle
overhead, followed by a shout in stentorian tones: "Hello! look out
there! Ship ahoy! Do you mean to run into us? If we get foul of each
other somebody may be sent to Davy Jones' locker."

Everybody started, and the captain rose to his feet, a look of anxiety
coming over his face.

But Cousin Ronald gave him a roguish look.

"I wouldn't mind it, captain," he said. "It's only a false alarm. I
doubt if there is any vessel near us."

The captain reseated himself, while Grace exclaimed with a sigh of
relief, "Oh, I am so glad it was but a false alarm! A collision would
be so dreadful, either to us or to the people on the other vessel, and
maybe to both."

"Oh, it was just you, was it, Cousin Ronald?" laughed Ned. "Please do
some more."

At that instant there was a loud squeak, as of a mouse that seemed to
be on his own shoulder, and he started to his feet with a loud scream:
"Oh, take it off, papa! Quick, quick!"

Everybody laughed; and Lucilla said teasingly, "I'm afraid you are not
fit to be a soldier yet, Neddie boy."

"Maybe I will be by the time I'm tall enough," he returned rather
shamefacedly.

"Yes, son, I believe you will," said his father. "I don't expect a son
of mine to grow up to be a coward."

"I might have known it was Cousin Ronald, and not a real mouse, on my
shoulder," remarked the little fellow with a mortified air; "but I
didn't think just the first minute."

"Cousin Ronald on your shoulder?" laughed Lucilla. "I don't think he
could stand there; and his weight would be quite crushing to you."

"Of course it would. He couldn't stand there at all," laughed Ned.

"No," said Mr. Lilburn, "it would be much more sensible for me to take
you on my shoulder."

"Papa takes me on his sometimes," said Ned, "but not so often now as
he used to when I was a little boy."

"Ha, ha, ha! what are you now, sonny?" asked a voice that seemed to
come from a distance.

Ned colored up. "I'm a good deal bigger now than I was once," he said.

"And hoping to grow a good deal bigger yet," added his father, smiling
down into the little flushed, excited face.

"Yes, papa, I hope to be as big as brother Max, or you, some of these
days," returned the child.

"Don't be in a hurry about growing up," said the voice that had spoken
a moment before.

"Grown folk have troubles and trials the little ones know nothing
about."

"But the grown-ups may hope to do more in the world than the little
ones," said Walter.

"Is that why you are growing up, Uncle Walter?" asked Ned.

"That's why I am glad to grow up," replied Walter.

"Like papa?"

"Yes; and like grandpa and other good men."

"Well, I want to be a man just like my own dear papa," said the little
fellow, looking with loving admiration up into his father's face.

"That's right, bit laddie, follow closely in his footsteps," said the
voice, that seemed to come from that distant corner.

But now came the call to the supper table, and so ended the sport for
that day.




                             CHAPTER XIV.


It was still raining heavily when the Sabbath morning dawned upon Lake
Erie and Put-in Bay. But the faces that gathered about the breakfast
table of the _Dolphin_ were bright and cheery. Everybody was well and
in good spirits.

"This is a long storm, but I think will be over by to-morrow,"
remarked the captain as he filled the plates.

"The time has not seemed long to me," said Annis, "for even though
deprived of the pleasure of being on deck we have been by no means a
dull party."

"No, not by any means, and Mr. Lilburn has made a great deal of fun
for us," said Evelyn.

"And feels well repaid by the evident enjoyment of the little
company," he said, glancing around upon them with a pleasant smile.

"But of course that kind of sport won't do for to-day," said Walter;
"and I presume it is too stormy for anybody to go ashore to attend
church." With the concluding words he turned toward the captain
inquiringly.

"Quite so," was the reply. "We will have to content ourselves with
such a service as can be conducted on board."

"Which will probably be quite as good and acceptable as many a one
conducted on land," said Mr. Lilburn. "I have greatly enjoyed the few
I have been privileged to attend on this vessel in the past."

"And I," said Grandma Elsie; "we are as near the Master here as
anywhere else; and when we cannot reach a church, we can rejoice in
that thought--in the remembrance that he is just as near us here as
anywhere else."

"We will have a sermon, prayers, and hymns this morning, and a Bible
class this afternoon, won't we, papa?" asked Grace.

"Yes," he said; "but our guests must feel entirely free to attend our
services or not as they feel inclined."

"This one will feel inclined to attend," said Walter.

"This one also," added Evelyn; "she will esteem it a privilege to be
allowed to do so."

"As I do," said Lucilla. "Father always makes a Bible lesson, and any
kind of religious services, interesting and profitable."

"I always enjoy them," said Violet, "and I know Grace and the little
folks do. Is not that so, Elsie and Ned?" Both gave a prompt assent,
and Grace said: "There is no kind of service I like better. So I do
not feel tempted to fret over the stormy weather."

"Ah," said the captain with a smile, "I am well content with the views
and feelings expressed by my prospective audience. We will hold our
services in the saloon, beginning at eleven o'clock."

Accordingly, all--including the crew--gathered there at the appointed
hour, listened attentively to the reading of an excellent sermon, and
united in prayer and praise.

In the afternoon they gathered there again, each with a Bible in hand,
and spent an hour in the study of the Scriptures.

As in the morning service, the captain was their leader.

"Let us take the sea for our subject," he said, "and learn some of the
things the Bible says of it. Cousin Ronald, what can you tell us or
read us on the subject?"

"There is a great deal to be said," replied the old gentleman. "It is
spoken of in the very first chapter of the Bible--'the gathering
together of the waters called the seas.' In the twentieth chapter of
Exodus we are told, 'In six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the
sea and all that in them is'; and in the fifth verse of Psalm
ninety-five, 'The sea is his, and he made it.' The Hebrews called all
large collections of waters seas. The Mediterranean was the Great Sea
of the Hebrews.

"In the Temple was a great basin which Solomon had made for the
convenience of the priests; they drew water out of it for washing
their hands or feet, or anything they might wish to cleanse.

"The Orientals sometimes gave the name of sea to great rivers
overflowing their banks--such as the Nile, the Tigris, and the
Euphrates, because by their size, and the extent of their overflowing,
they seemed like small seas or great lakes. The sea is also taken for
a multitude or deluge of enemies. Jeremiah tells us the sea is come
up upon Babylon. But I am taking more than my turn. Let us hear from
someone else."

"From you, Cousin Annis," the captain said, looking at her.

"No, I have not studied the subject sufficiently," she said, "but
doubtless Cousin Elsie has."

"Let me read a verse in the last chapter of Micah," responded Grandma
Elsie, and went on to do so:

"'He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue
our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of
the sea.'

"What a gracious and precious assurance it is!" she said. "What is
cast into the sea is generally supposed to be lost beyond recovery--we
do not expect ever to see it again; so to be told that our sins are
cast there imports that they are to be seen and heard of no more."

"Because Jesus died for us and washed them all away in his precious
blood?" asked Little Elsie softly.

"Yes, dear, that is just what it means," replied her grandmother.

Evelyn's turn had come, and she read: "'And before the throne there
was a sea of glass like unto crystal.' Cruden says," she continued,
"that it probably signified the blood of Christ, whereby our persons
and services are made acceptable to God; and that it was called a sea
in allusion to the molten sea of the Temple. Also that it is
represented as a sea of glass like unto crystal, to denote the
spotless innocence of our Lord Jesus Christ, in his sufferings; that
his was not the blood of a malefactor, but of an innocent person."

"One suffering not for his own sins, but for the sins of others,"
sighed Grandma Elsie. "What wondrous love and condescension; and, oh,
what devoted, loving, faithful servants to him should we ever be!"

"We should, indeed," said the captain, then motioned to Lucilla that
it was her turn.

"'He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto
the ends of the earth,'" she read. Then turning over the leaves, "That
was in the Psalms," she said; "and here in Zachariah the prophecy is
repeated in almost the same words, 'And his dominion shall be from sea
even to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth.' The
dominion of Christ, is it not, father?"

"Certainly; it can be no other," he said. "Now, Grace, it is your
turn."

"Mine is in the New Testament," she said--"the eighth chapter of
Matthew, beginning with the twenty-third verse. 'And when he was
entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. And behold there
arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered
with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him and
awoke him, saying, Lord save us: we perish. And he saith unto them,
Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose and rebuked
the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men
marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and
the sea obey him.'"

"It is such a pretty story," said Little Elsie. "How kind Jesus was
never to get angry, though they waked him out of his sleep when he
must have been so very, very tired. He might have scolded them, and
asked didn't they know they couldn't drown while he was with them in
the ship."

"Yes," her father said; "and let us learn of him to be patient,
unselfish, and forgiving."

It was Walter's turn, and he read: "'And when even was come, the ship
was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land. And he saw them
toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them; and about the
fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea,
and would have passed by them. But when they saw him walking upon the
sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out; for they all
saw him and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and
saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.'"

"This is mine," said Elsie. "'And he went forth again by the seaside:
and all the multitudes resorted unto him, and he taught them.'"

It was Ned's turn, and he read: "And he began again to teach by the
seaside: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that
he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude
was by the sea on the land.'"

"I think this was a very nice lesson," Elsie said as they closed their
books. "I shall think of it often while we are on the sea. This--Lake
Erie--is as much of a sea as the Lake of Tiberias or Sea of Galilee,
isn't it, papa?"

"I think so," he said; "and in a few days we are likely to be on a
real sea--the great Atlantic Ocean."

"And God can take care of us there just as well as anywhere else,
can't he, papa?" asked Ned in a tone that was half inquiry, half
assertion.

"Certainly, my son, he is the creator of all things, the ruler of all
the universe, and 'none can stay his hand or say unto him, What doest
thou?'"

"Papa," said Ned, "mightn't I ask him to stop this storm, so we could
go right on home?"

"You can ask him, son, to do it if he sees best, but you must be
willing that he should not do what you wish if he does not see best.
God knows what is best for us, and we do not, but often desire what
would be very bad for us."

"Well, papa, I'll try to ask that way," said the little boy. "But I'm
very tired of these dark, rainy days, and of staying still in one
place where we don't see anything, and I hope our Heavenly Father will
let us start away to-morrow."

"Neddie, dear," said his grandmother, "don't forget what a blessing it
has been that we had this safe harbor close at hand when the storm was
coming, so that we could run right into it. If we had been away out
upon the lake our vessel might have been wrecked."

"Yes, grandma, I am glad and thankful for that," he said; "I'm afraid
I was grumbling just now, but I don't intend to do so any more."

"I'll be glad when good weather comes again," remarked Elsie, "but I
have really enjoyed myself right well these days that we have had to
spend in the cabin; Cousin Ronald has made a great deal of fun for
us."

"Yes, indeed!" exclaimed Ned earnestly, and laughing as he spoke; "it
was lots of fun to hear people talking and animals barking and
squealing when they weren't really here at all. Now, what are you all
laughing at?" he asked in conclusion.

"At your animals," said Lucilla. "I understood that all the barking
and squealing you talk about was the doing of a very nice old
gentleman."

"Yes," said Ned a trifle shamefacedly; "but please don't be hurt or
affronted, Cousin Ronald; I didn't know how to say it any better."

"No, sonny, and you meant it all right," the old gentleman answered
pleasantly. "I am very glad to be able to furnish amusement for so
good and lovable a bit of a kinsman as yourself."

"Thank you, sir. I like that word--kinsman," said the little boy,
regarding Mr. Lilburn with sparkling eyes. "It means a relation,
doesn't it?"

"Yes, just that, laddie. Your grandmother and mother are of my kin,
and that makes you so too. I hope you are not ill-pleased to own so
auld a cousin?"

"No, indeed, sir," said Neddie earnestly; "and I'll try to behave so
well that you won't ever feel ashamed to own me for your kin."

"It will be a great surprise to me if ever I do feel my relationship
to you and yours a disgrace, laddie," the old gentleman said with a
smile. Then, turning to Violet, "Could not you give us a bit o' sacred
music, cousin?" he asked. "It strikes me 'twould be a fitting
winding-up of our services."

"So I think," said the captain; and Violet at once took her place at
the instrument.

"Mamma," said Grace, "let us have 'Master, the Tempest is Raging.' We
can all sing it, and it is so sweet."

"Yes," said Violet.

The others gathered around her, and together they sang:

  "'Master, the tempest is raging!
    The billows are tossing high!
  The sky is o'ershadowed with blackness!
    No shelter or help is nigh!
  Carest thou not that we perish?
    How canst thou lie asleep,
  When each moment so madly is threatening
    A grave in the angry deep?

                    _Chorus:_
  "'The winds and the waves shall obey thy will,
            Peace, be still!
  Whether the wrath of the storm-tossed sea.
  Or demons, or man, or whatever it be,
  No waters can swallow the ship where lies
  The Master of ocean, and earth, and skies;
    They all so sweetly obey thy will,
      Peace, be still! Peace, be still!
    They all so sweetly obey thy will,
            Peace, peace, be still!

  "'Master, with anguish of spirit
    I bow in my grief to-day;
  The depths of my sad heart are troubled;
    Oh, waken and save, I pray!
  Torrents of sin and of anguish
    Sweep o'er my sinking soul;
  And I perish! I perish, dear Master,
    Oh, hasten and take control!

                    _Chorus:_
  "'The winds and the waves shall obey thy will, etc.

  "'Master, the terror is over,
    The elements sweetly rest;
  Earth's sun in the calm lake is mirrored,
    And heaven's within my breast;
  Linger, O blessed Redeemer!
    Leave me alone no more;
  And with joy I shall make the blest harbor,
    And rest on the blissful shore.

                    _Chorus:_
  "'The winds and the waves shall obey thy will,'" etc.




                             CHAPTER XV.


The _Dolphin's_ passengers retired early to their staterooms on that
stormy Sunday night; that is, all of them except the captain and
Lucilia. He was on the deck, and she sat in the saloon, reading and
waiting for a little chat with her father before seeking her berth for
the night. Presently she heard his approaching footsteps, and, closing
her book, looked up at him with a glad smile.

"Ah, daughter, so you are here waiting for me as usual," he said in
his kind, fatherly tones; and, taking a large easy-chair close at
hand, he drew her to a seat upon his knee. "You haven't sat here for
quite a while," he said, passing his arm about her and pressing his
lips to her cheek.

"No, sir; and I am very glad to be allowed to do it again, big and old
as I am," she returned, with a smile that was full of love and
pleasure. "Oh, I am so glad--so glad every day that God gave me to
you instead of to somebody else. I thank him for it very often."

"As I do," he said; "for I consider my dear eldest daughter one of
God's good gifts to me."

"Whenever I hear you say that, father, I feel ashamed of all my faults
and follies and want--oh, so much--to grow wiser and better."

"I too need to grow better and wiser," he said; "and we must both ask
daily and hourly to be washed from our sins in the precious blood of
Christ--that fountain opened for sin and for uncleanness.

  "'There is a fountain filled with blood,
    Drawn from Immanuel's veins;
  And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,
    Lose all their guilty stains.'"

"Papa, I love that hymn, and am thankful to Cowper for writing it,"
she said.

"And so am I," he returned. "Oh, what gratitude we owe for the opening
of that fountain! for the love of Christ that led him to die that
painful and shameful death of the cross--that we might live. 'The love
of Christ which passeth knowledge.'"

They were silent for a little; then he said, "It is growing late,
daughter; it is quite time time that this one of my birdlings was in
her nest. Give me my good-night kiss and go."

"Can I go to you on the deck in the morning, papa?" she asked as she
prepared to obey.

"That depends upon the weather," he answered. "If it is neither
raining nor blowing hard, you may; otherwise, you may not."

"Yes, sir; I'll be careful to obey," she said: with a loving smile up
into his face.

All seemed quiet within and without when she awoke in the morning, and
dressing speedily she stole out through the cabin, and up the
stairway, till she could look out upon the deck. Her father was there,
caught sight of her at once, and drew quickly near.

"Good-morning, daughter," he said; "you may come out here, for it is
not raining just now, and the wind has fallen."

"Is the storm over, father, do you think?" she asked, hastening to his
side.

"The worst of it certainly is, and I think it will probably clear
before night."

"So that we can start on our homeward journey?"

"Yes," he answered; "but it will not be well to leave this safe harbor
until we are quite certain of at least tolerably good weather."

"No, none of us would want to run any risk of shipwreck," she said;
"and there isn't really anything to hurry us greatly about getting
back to our homes."

"Nothing except the desire to see them and our dear ones there," he
said; "and to delay that will be wiser than running any risk to bring
it about sooner."

As he spoke he drew her hand within his arm, and they paced the deck
to and fro for some time; then it began to rain again, and he bade her
go below.

"Still raining, I believe," remarked Mr. Lilburn as they sat at the
breakfast table.

"Yes," replied the captain; "but I think it will probably clear by
noon."

"And then we will start on our return journey, I suppose?" said
Walter.

"Yes," said the captain, "that seems best, and I believe is according
to the desire of all my passengers. It is your wish, mother, is it
not?" turning to Grandma Elsie.

"I should like to get home soon now," she replied; "but shall not fret
if we are still providentially detained."

The rain had ceased by the time they left the table, so that they were
able to go on deck, take some exercise, and get a view of their
surroundings.

By noon the indications were such that the captain considered it
entirely safe to continue their journey. So steam was gotten up, and
they were presently out of the harbor and making their way across the
lake in the direction of the Welland Canal. Before sunset all the
clouds had cleared away; the evening was beautiful, and so were the
days that followed while they passed down the St. Lawrence River and
out through the Gulf, then along the Atlantic coast, stopping only
once, to let Walter leave them for Princeton.

It was quite a long voyage, and a very pleasant one; but everyone was
glad when at length they reached the harbor of the city near their
homes. They were expected, and found friends and carriages awaiting
their coming.

Mr. Hugh Lilburn had come for his father and Annis, Edward Travilla
for his mother and Evelyn, and the Woodburn carriage was there to take
the captain and his family to their home.

"It is delightful to have you at home again, mother," Edward said as
they drove off; "we have all been looking forward to your coming--from
grandpa down to the babies that can hardly lisp your name."

"It is most pleasant to be so loved," she said with a joyful smile,
"especially by those who are so dear as my father, children, and
grandchildren are to me. Are all well at Fairview?"

"Yes, and looking forward, not to your return only, but to Evelyn's
also. Lester was very busy, so asked me to bring her home to them;
which I was very ready to do."

"And for which I feel very much obliged," said Evelyn. "I shall be
very glad to get home, though I have had a delightful time while
away."

They soon reached Fairview, and her welcome there was all she could
desire. Grandma Elsie was warmly welcomed too, but did not alight.
She felt in much too great haste to see her father and the others at
Ion.

On her arrival she found her daughter Rosie there also, and her
presence added to the joy of the occasion.

Dinner was ready to be served, and Harold and Herbert had just come in
from their professional rounds, so that the family reunion was almost
complete. They missed Walter, but were glad to think of him as well,
happy, and busied with his studies; and Elsie and Violet, though not
just there, were near enough to be seen and conversed with almost any
day. So it was altogether a cheerful and happy reunion, as was that of
the family at Fairview.

Woodburn held no welcoming relatives for the Raymonds, but theirs was
a glad home-coming, nevertheless. The grounds were in beautiful order,
as was the dwelling under Christine's skilful management; and the
dinner that awaited the returned travellers was abundant in quantity
and variety, and the cooking such as might have found favor with an
epicure.

"I think we are most fortunate people," said Violet as they sat at the
table. "I know it isn't every family that can come home after weeks
of absence to find everything in beautiful order and the table
furnished with luxuries as is this one."

"Very true, my dear," said the captain; "we certainly have a great
deal to be thankful for."

"Yes, papa, it is very pleasant to be at home again," said Elsie; "and
when dinner is over mayn't we go all around and look at every one of
the rooms, upstairs and down?"

"If you want to make the circuit of the house, I have no objection,"
he said.

"Yes, I do, papa," she answered. "I feel very much as if the rooms are
old friends that I'm quite fond of."

"The schoolroom as well as the rest?" he asked with a look of
amusement.

"Yes, indeed, papa, for you make lessons so pleasant that I'd be very,
very sorry to be shut out of that room. Wouldn't you, Neddie?"

"Course I would," exclaimed Ned. "I love to be with papa, and I like
the nice lessons. Papa often tells us a great deal that is very
interesting."

"I am glad you think so," said his father. "We will visit the
schoolroom, as well as the others, after we have finished our
dinners."

"Will we have school to-morrow, papa?" asked Elsie.

"No; you may have the rest of the week for play, and we will begin
lessons on Monday if nothing happens to prevent."

"We will take up our studies again, papa, just as the little ones do,
will we not?" asked Lucilla.

"Meaning Grace and yourself, I suppose?" he said inquiringly, and with
a look of amusement.

"Yes, sir; except Evelyn, we are your only other pupils just now."

"You can both begin when the younger ones do, if you like," he
replied; and Grace said, "You may be quite sure we will like to do so,
papa."

"Papa, when will Brother Max come home?" asked Ned.

"I think we may expect him about the last of next January," was the
reply.

"And how soon does January come, papa?"

"This is October: November comes next, then December, and next after
that is January."

"Oh, such a long while!" sighed Ned. "I want to see Max so badly that
I don't know how to wait."

"Pretty much the way papa feels about it," returned his father.

"And as we all do," said Violet. "I wish the dear fellow had chosen
work that could be done at home."

"But somebody must go into the navy, my dear," said his father. "A
good navy is very necessary for the safety of the country."

"That is true," she returned; "and I know of no more honorable
employment."

"And employment of some kind we all should have. I know of nothing
more ignoble than a life of idleness. It is sure to tempt to something
worse. 'Satan finds some mischief still for idle hands to do.'"

"Yes," said Violet, "and the Bible bids us to be 'diligent in
business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.'"

"And in the fourth commandment we are bidden, 'Six days shalt thou
labor and do all thy work.' It makes no exception; recognizes no
privileged class who may take their ease in idleness."

"Yet there are times when one is really weary, that rest is right, are
there not?" said Violet. "I remember that at one time Jesus said to
his disciples, 'Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest
a while.'"

"Yes; there are times when rest is very necessary, and by taking it
one is enabled to do more in the end."

"And we have just had a nice long rest," said Grace; "so ought to be
able to go to work earnestly and make good progress in our studies."

"So I think," said Lucilla; then added laughingly, "and I'm glad
father doesn't turn me out of the schoolroom because I've grown so big
and old."

"You are still small enough, and young enough, to demean yourself as
one under authority," remarked the captain in pleasant tones;
"otherwise you would not be admitted to the schoolroom among my
younger pupils."

Just then a rather discordant voice was heard calling, "Lu, Lu, what
you 'bout? Polly wants a cracker."

"You shall have one presently, Polly," Lucilia answered.

"Oh, let's all go up there and see her," said Ned as they rose and
left the table.

"Yes, we may as well begin there to make our circuit of the house,"
said his father; and they all hastened up the stairway to the
apartments of Lucilla and Grace.

"I think Polly is glad to see us," said Elsie, as they stood for a
moment watching her while she ate.

"A good deal more pleased to see and taste the cracker," said her
father. "I doubt if parrots ever have much affection to bestow on
anyone."

"Well, Polly," said Lulu, "nobody cares particularly for your
affection; but in spite of your coldness and indifference, you shall
have plenty to eat."

"Your rooms are in good order, daughters," said the captain, glancing
about them. "I think Christine is an excellent housekeeper."

"So do I, father," said Lucilla. "We have only to unpack our trunks
and put their contents in their proper places, and all will be as neat
and orderly as before we left home."

"Yes, but we are going to visit the other parts of the house first,"
said Grace; "or we'll have to do it alone, which wouldn't be half so
much fun as going along with papa and the rest."

They finished their inspection quickly, then set to work at their
unpacking and arranging, laughing and chatting merrily as they worked.

Violet, in her rooms, with Elsie and Ned to help or hinder, was busied
in much the same manner. The captain was in the library examining
letters and periodicals which had accumulated during his absence, when
he was interrupted by the announcement that Mr. Dinsmore had called to
see him.

"Mr. Dinsmore?" he said inquiringly.

"Yes, sah; Mr. Chester. Here am his kyard."

"Ah, yes; just show him in here."

The two greeted each other cordially, and Chester was invited to take
a seat, which he did.

"I am making you an early call, captain," he said. "I knew you were
expected to-day, and heard, perhaps an hour ago, that you had actually
arrived. I have, as you requested, kept a lookout for that escaped
convict who threatened your daughter at the time of his trial. He has
not yet been caught, but as I cannot learn that he has been seen
anywhere in this neighborhood, I hope he has given up the idea of
wreaking vengeance upon her."

"I hope so, indeed," returned her father; "but I shall be very careful
never to let her go from home unattended."

"I am glad to hear you say that, sir," said Chester; "and I shall be
very happy if I may sometimes be permitted to act as her escort. You
may not always find it entirely convenient to undertake the duty
yourself."

"Thank you for your offer; I may sometimes be glad to avail myself of
it," was the reply.

They chatted a while longer, then Chester rose as if to take his
leave.

"Don't go yet," said the captain. "My wife and daughters will join us
presently, and feel glad to see you. Stay and take tea with us, and
give us all the news about the family at The Oaks."

"Thank you," returned Chester, sitting down again. "We are all quite
well, Syd busy with her preparations for going South to join Maud and
Dick."

"Ah! she leaves soon?"

"I think before very long; but the exact time is not set yet."

"You will feel lonely--robbed of both your sisters."

"Yes, sir," Chester returned with a slight smile. "I should greatly
prize a sweet young wife, who would much more than fill their places."

"Ah, yes; but this is one of the cases where it is best to make haste
slowly, my young friend," the captain returned in a pleasant tone.

"I am feeling a little uneasy lest Percy Landreth or someone else may
have got ahead of me," Chester said inquiringly, and with an anxious
look.

"No; her father wouldn't allow any such attempt, and it is quite sure
that his daughter is still heart-whole. And as I have told you
before, if either suit is to prosper, I should rather it should be
yours--as in that case she would not be taken far away from me."

"That is some consolation, and she is well worth waiting for," said
Chester in a tone of resignation.

"So her father thinks," said the captain.

Just then there was a sound of wheels on the drive.

"The Roselands carriage," said Chester, glancing from the window; and
both he and the captain rose and hurried out.

They found the whole Roselands family there--Calhoun and his wife and
children; Dr. Arthur, his Marian, and their little Ronald.

Violet and her children, with Lucilla and Grace, had hastened down to
receive them, and warm greetings were exchanged all around.

Chester took particular pains to get possession of a seat near
Lucilla, and had many questions to ask in regard to the manner in
which she had spent the long weeks of her absence from home--for long,
he averred, they had seemed to him.

"Well now, they didn't to me," laughed Lucilla; "on the contrary, I
thought them very short; time fairly flew."

"And was so filled with interesting occurrences that you hardly
thought of your absent friends?"

"Oh, yes; I did think of them, occasionally even of you, Chester," she
said in sportive tone. "Really, I do wish you could have seen and
enjoyed all that we did. Were you moping at home all the time?"

"Not all the time; much of it found me very busy; and for a fortnight
I was away on a boating excursion with some friends."

"I am glad of that, for I am sure you needed some rest. Sometimes I
think you are too hard a worker. Don't forget the old saying that 'All
work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.'"

But there the talk was interrupted by another arrival--the carriage
from The Oaks, bringing all that family, including Chester's sister
Sydney. They were on their way to Ion to welcome Grandma Elsie home,
so made but a short call.

The Roselands people were urged to stay to tea, but declined, and
presently took their leave. But they had scarcely gone, when Violet's
brothers Harold and Herbert came, and they stayed to tea. They were
bright and genial as usual; Chester, too, was gay and lively; and so
altogether they constituted a blithe and merry party.

The evening brought the families from Ashlands, Pinegrove, and The
Laurels, and the next day those from Fairview, Beechwood, and
Riverside. Rosie expressed herself as charmed with her new home, and
insisted upon having them all there to tea with her mother and old Mr.
and Mrs. Dinsmore. The other relatives she had already entertained,
she said; and she was planning to have all at once at no very distant
day.

"Surely we can wait for that, Rosie," said the captain, "and content
ourselves with a call upon you and a sight of your pretty home,
leaving the greater visit to the time you speak of."

"No, Brother Levis, I won't be satisfied with that," she said. "I want
you all to take tea with us to-morrow evening."

"Are you not willing that we should, father?" asked Lucilla.

"Yes, if you wish to do so," he replied; and as all expressed
themselves desirous to accept the invitation, they did so; and they
were so well and hospitably entertained that everyone was delighted.
They returned home rather early in the evening, on account of the
little ones. Violet took them upstairs at once, and Grace went to her
room, so that Lucilla and her father were left alone together, as so
often happened early in the evening. She followed him into the
library, asking, "Haven't you some letters to be answered, father? and
shall I not write them for you on the typewriter?"

"I fear you are too tired, daughter, and had better be getting ready
for bed," he answered, giving her a searching but affectionate look.

"Oh, no, sir," she said; "I am neither tired nor sleepy; and if I can
be of any use to my dear, kind father, nothing would please me
better."

He smiled at that, lifted the cover from the machine, and they worked
busily together for the next half-hour or more. When they had
finished, "Thank you, daughter," he said; "you are such a help and
comfort to me that I hardly know what I should ever do without you."

"Oh, you are so kind to say that, you dear father," she returned, her
eyes shining with joy and filial love. "I often say to myself, 'How
could I ever live without my dear father?' and then I ask God to let
you live as long as I do. And I hope he will."

"He will do what is best for us, daughter," returned the captain in
moved tones; "and if we must part in this world, we may hope to meet
in that better land where death and partings are unknown."

"Yes, papa, the thought of that must be the greatest comfort when
death robs us of our dear ones."

He took her hand, led her to a sofa, and, seating her by his side, put
his arm about her, drawing her close to him. "I have something to say
to you, daughter," he said in low, tender tones.

She gave him a rather startled, inquiring look, asking, "About what,
papa?"

"You remember the bit of news--in regard to the escape of a
convict--which hastened our departure for the North some months ago?"

"Yes, sir; and has he not been caught and returned to his prison?"

"No; and I have reason to think he is somewhere in this neighborhood,
probably bent on evil deeds, perhaps among them some harm to my
daughter, whose testimony helped to send him to prison for the
burglary committed here. I tell you this, my child, as a warning to
you to be very careful how you expose yourself to possible danger from
him."

"Yes, papa, I will; but you know I never go outside the grounds
without a protector, because you long ago forbade my doing so."

"Yes; but now you must not go everywhere even inside of them; avoid
the wood, and keep near the house unless I am with you."

"Yes, sir; I will obey. But, father, he may come into the house in the
night. You know he did before."

"Yes, I remember; and I have arranged to have watchmen--armed
men--patrolling the grounds near at hand; so that if he makes such an
attempt it will be at the risk of his life. It is wise and right for
us to take all possible precautions, then trust calmly and securely in
the protecting care of our Heavenly Father. Try to do so, dear child,
and do not lie awake in fear and trembling."

"I will not, if I can help it, father," she said.

"I will remember the sweet words of the Psalmist, 'The salvation of
the righteous is of the Lord; he is their strength in the time of
trouble. And the Lord shall help them and deliver them: he shall
deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in
him.'"

"Yes," he said, "trust in the Lord and he will deliver you. 'According
to your faith be it unto you.' Have confidence in your earthly father
too. We will have the doors open between our rooms, and if anything
alarms you in the night run right to your father for protection and
help."

"I will, dear papa," she said; "and, oh, with a kind, all-wise and
all-mighty Heavenly Father, and so dear and wise an earthly one, I
can lie down in peace and sleep as sweetly as ever I did."

"I hope so, dear child. And I think I hardly need caution you to keep
all this from our timid, nervous Grace; and the younger ones also."

"They shall not learn it from me, papa," she said; "I will do what I
can to keep them all in ignorance of the danger that seems to
threaten."

She kept her word, and a week slipped by without any further evidence
of the near vicinity of the convict.




                             CHAPTER XVI.


Lucilla and Grace rode out every day on their ponies, always
accompanied by their father, sometimes by Violet also, though the
latter generally preferred a drive in the carriage, taking her
children with her. And Lucilla, being stronger than Grace, would, if
she had occasion, go a second time when it suited her father to go
with her. Chester Dinsmore came often to the house, and sometimes
joined them in their rides; for he was keeping a vigilant watch for
traces of the escaped convict who was known to cherish so great an
enmity to Lucilla.

Chester made no lover-like advances to the girl he so coveted, because
so far he had been unable to win her father's consent, but he was glad
to seize every opportunity to be with her and do his best to make
himself necessary to her happiness. So far she seemed to look upon him
as a pleasant friend, but nothing more; yet he was not altogether
discouraged. He thought her worth long and patiently waiting for and
much effort to win.

One afternoon of a beautiful October day the captain remarked that he
had an errand to the town, and asked who would like to go with him.

"I should like it," said Violet, "but cannot very well, as I am to
have a dress fitted."

"And you, Grace, had so long a ride this morning that you are too
tired for another, I presume?" her father said inquiringly.

"Yes, papa," she said; "though I love to ride with you for my escort,
I believe I am too tired for anything but a rest and nap this
afternoon."

"So, father, I'm afraid you can not secure any better company than
mine," remarked Lucilla with an amused little laugh.

"So it seems," he said. "Well, since I can do no better, I will accept
yours if it be offered me."

"It is, then, sir; and I promise to be ready at any hour you appoint."

"We will start early, shortly after leaving the table, that we may
get home before dark," he said, with a look and smile that seemed to
say her company would be very acceptable.

The roads were good, the horses fresh and lively; and they had a
delightful ride going to Union, and also returning--until near home.

Chester had joined them, and the captain, seeing something in a field
belonging to his estate that he wanted to examine, told the others to
ride on and he would follow very shortly.

They did as he requested, but had not gone more than a hundred yards
when a man suddenly rose from behind a bush, pistol in hand, and
fired, taking aim at Lucilla. But Chester had seized her bridle at the
instant of the rising of the figure, and backed both her horse and his
just in time to escape the shot which whizzed past them over the
horses' heads. Chester instantly snatched a pistol from his pocket,
took aim at the miscreant, and fired at the same instant that the
scoundrel sent a second shot in their direction. Then the wounded
murderer dropped and lay still as death, while Chester dismounted,
reeled, and fell by the roadside--dead, as Lucilla thought in wild
distress. She dismounted and went to him.

"Oh, Chester, Chester, where are you hurt?" she cried in sore
distress.

He seemed to be unconscious, and she did not know whether he was dead
or alive. But the next moment her father was beside her with two or
three of the men employed on the estate.

"Oh, papa, he has died for me!" she cried, hot tears streaming down
her face.

"No, he is not dead, daughter," her father said in tender tones. "But
we will never forget the service he has done us this day."

"No, sah, Mars Chess's alive, sho 'nuff," said one of the men; "an'
we'll git Doctah Arthur or Doctah Harold or Herbert here, and dey'll
cure him up, sho's a gun."

"Yes; go after one of them as fast as you can. Catch Mr. Chester's
horse and ride him; then take him to The Oaks and leave him there. Mr.
Chester must be carried carefully into Woodburn and nursed there--as
long as he needs it. Well, is that fellow living or dead?" he asked
of one of the men who had climbed the fence and was stooping over the
prostrate form of the convict.

"Dead, cap'ain; dead as anything. He won' do no mo' mischief in dis
worl'."

"Poor wretch!" sighed the captain. Then he gave directions to the men
to go to the house and bring from there a cot-bed on which they could
carry the wounded man without increasing his suffering by unnecessary
jolts and jars.

All this time Lucilla was standing by her father's side, trembling and
weeping.

"Oh, papa, I'm afraid he has given his life for mine," she sobbed.

"I hope not, dear child," he said; "he is living, and I hope his wound
will not prove mortal. In saving my daughter's life he has done me a
service that I can never repay, and I hope it is not to cost him his
own life."

At that moment Chester's eyes opened, and Lucilla never forgot the
look of joy and love that he gave her.

"Thank God, you are alive and unhurt," he said, in a low tone and
gasping for breath.

"But, oh, Chester, you are so terribly injured," she sobbed. "I am
afraid you are suffering very much."

"Don't weep. I can bear it," he said.

"My dear fellow, don't try to talk any more now," said the captain. "I
have sent for one or more of our doctors, and here come my men with a
cot-bed to carry you to Woodburn, where you must stay until you are
entirely well."

"You are most kind, captain," murmured the half-fainting young man,
"but----"

"No, no; don't try to talk. I can never repay you for saving my
child," the captain said with emotion.

Chester's only reply was a look at Lucilla that seemed to say that
nothing could be too costly if done for her.

"And, oh, what a debt of gratitude I owe you!" she exclaimed. "I can
never repay it."

"Dearest, I would give my life for yours at any time," he responded.

The words and the look that accompanied them were a revelation to
Lucilla. The look of a moment before had surprised her, and raised a
question in her mind as to just what she was to him; but there was no
mistaking this. He loved her; loved her well enough to die in her
stead.

But the men were at hand with the cot, and under the captain's
direction the wounded man was lifted carefully and tenderly, laid upon
it, and carried to the house, the captain on his horse, and Lucilla on
her pony, following closely.

In the meantime Violet and Christine had made ready a bed in the room
occupied by Captain Raymond at the time of his injury from being
thrown by Thunderer, and there they laid Chester, just as Drs. Arthur
Conly and Harold Travilla arrived, having come with all possible haste
at the summons sent by the captain.

Violet, Lucilla, and Grace, seated on the veranda, anxiously awaited
the doctors' verdict.

It was Harold who brought it at length.

"The wound is a serious one," he said in reply to their looks of
earnest inquiry; "but we have succeeded in removing the ball, and do
not by any means despair of his life."

"Oh, I hope he will recover," sobbed Lucilla; "for if he does not, I
shall always feel that he has given his life for mine."

"But it was through no fault of yours, Lu; you were not in the least
to blame," said Harold soothingly. "And you can pray for his recovery;
we all will. But don't worry and fret; for that will only make you
unhappy and perhaps ill, and do him no good."

"That is good advice, Harold," said her father, who had joined them
just in time to hear it; "worrying about what may happen only unfits
us for present duty, and makes us less able to meet the trouble when
it comes."

"That scoundrel is dead?" Harold said half inquiringly.

"Yes; Chester's shot, fired simultaneously with his, was fatal. He
dropped, and, I think, died almost instantly. Poor wretch! the world
is well rid of him; but what has become of his soul?"

"Oh, I don't believe Chester meant to kill him outright!" exclaimed
Lucilla; "I believe he was only thinking of saving my life."

"And to kill the wretch who was trying to kill you seemed to be the
only way of doing that," said Harold. "But I must go," he added,
rising. "We think we must have a professional nurse for Chester. I
happen to know of one who has just finished an engagement, and I am
going for her at once, if you do not object to having her in the
house, Vi--you or the captain."

Both promptly replied that they would be glad to have her there, and
Harold at once set out upon his errand.

For some days Chester lay half unconscious, and apparently hovering
upon the brink of the grave, while those who loved him watched and
waited in intense anxiety. Then a change came, and the doctors said he
would recover. Lucilla heard it with a burst of weeping that seemed
more like the expression of despair and sorrow than the relief and joy
that really filled her heart.

It was her father who told her the glad news, and they were alone
together in the library. He drew her into his arms and held her close.

"It is altogether glad news, dear child," he said; "Chester is a
Christian and a young man of talent who will lead a useful life, I
think, and it would have been a bitter sorrow to have had him fall a
victim to that worthless, cowardly convict."

"And in my defence," she sobbed. "Oh, papa, it makes my heart ache to
think how he has suffered because of risking his life in the effort to
save mine."

"Yes; I am very grateful to him--so grateful that I feel I can refuse
him nothing that he may ask of me--even though it should be the the
hand of my dear eldest daughter."

She gave him a look of surprise, while her cheek grew hot with
blushes.

"You know that he wants it--that he loves you. He made it very plain
as we stood by him in the road soon after he fell."

"Yes, sir; and I have thought of it very often since. It surprised me
very much, for I had never thought of him as a lover."

"And how is it now?" asked her father, as she paused; "do you care for
him at all? can you give him any return of affection?"

"Papa," she said, hiding her blushing face on his shoulder, and
speaking in so low a tone that he scarcely caught the words, "I seem
to have learned to love him since knowing of his love to me and that
he had almost, if not quite, thrown away his own life to save mine.
But you are not willing that he should tell his love?--not willing to
give me to him, however much he may desire it?"

"I am too grateful to him to refuse him anything he may ask for--even
to the daughter who is so dear to me that I can scarcely bear the
thought of resigning her to another."

"Oh, father, how could I ever endure to be parted from you!" she
cried, clinging more closely to him.

"Dear child," he said, holding her close; "we will make it a condition
that you shall not be taken away to any distance. And, in any event,
you are still too young to leave your father; you must remain single
and live with me for at least a year or two longer."

"Oh, I am glad to hear you say that!" she said. "Papa, has Chester
said anything to you?" she asked.

"Yes; he has several times begged permission to tell you of his love
and try to win yours. I have hitherto refused because of your youth,
but shall now let him have his way."

      *      *      *      *      *

"You are improving fast, and I hope will soon be able to be up and
about again," the captain said to Chester, a few days later.

"Yes," said the young man, "I begin to feel as if I had taken a new
lease of life and--ah, captain, if I could at last find such favor in
your eyes that you would consent to----" His sentence was left
unfinished.

"To letting you tell your tale of love?" Captain Raymond asked with a
smile.

"Just that, sir. I cannot help fearing it may prove useless,
but--anything is better than suspense; which I feel that I have hardly
strength to endure any longer."

"Nor can I any longer ask that of you, since you have freely risked
your life for hers," returned the captain with emotion. "Your nurse
being out just now, this is a good opportunity, and I will bring my
daughter to you and let you have it out," he concluded in a jesting
tone, and left the room as he spoke.

Lucilla happened to be near at hand, and almost immediately her
father had brought her to Chester's bedside. She knew nothing of the
talk that had been going on, yet, remembering her conversation with
her father a few days before, came to the bedside blushing and
slightly embarrassed.

"I am very glad you are better, Chester," she said, laying her hand in
his as he held it out to her. "What a hard, hard time you have had,
and all because you risked your life to save mine."

"I'm not sorry I did, and would do it again without a moment's
hesitation," he said. "Oh, Lu, if I could but tell you how dear you
are to me! Can you not give me a little love in return?"

"Oh, Chester, how could I help it, when you have almost died for me?"
she asked, bursting into tears.

"Don't be distressed over that, dear one," he returned, pressing the
hand he still held in his, then lifting it to his lips. "Will you be
mine?" he asked imploringly.

"If papa consents, and you will never take me far away from him."

"He has consented, and I will never take you anywhere that you do not
want to go. We will live here among our own dear ones as long as the
Lord spares us to each other."

As he finished he drew her down to him, and their lips met.

"We belong to each other now," he said, "and I hope both of us will
always rejoice that it is so."

"I hope you will, my dear children," said the captain. "And now,
Chester, get well as fast as you can. I cannot give Lucilla up
entirely to you for a year or more yet, but you can visit her here
every day if you like."

So the young couple were engaged, and very happy in each other,
Chester making rapid improvement in health from the hour when he was
assured of the prosperity of his suit.

The betrothal was soon made known to all the connection, and seemed to
give satisfaction to everyone. Sydney had gone South before Chester's
encounter with the escaped convict, and she and Maud wrote their
congratulations. Frank was pleased, and came oftener than before to
Woodburn. Lucilla's bosom friend, Evelyn, approved of the match, and
hoped Lu would be a happy wife, but thought she herself would prefer
to live single. Grace was half-pleased, half-sorry because she did not
seem quite so necessary to her sister's happiness as before.

Captain Raymond did not at all enjoy the thought of even a partial
giving up of his daughter to the care of another, but tried to forget
that the time was coming when it must be done. That Max was expected
home in a few weeks made that difficult task somewhat easier. All were
looking joyfully forward to that happy event.


THE END.




          A LIST OF THE ELSIE BOOKS AND OTHER POPULAR BOOKS
                                  BY
                            MARTHA FINLEY

_ELSIE DINSMORE._

  _ELSIE'S HOLIDAYS AT ROSELANDS._
  _ELSIE'S GIRLHOOD._
  _ELSIE'S WOMANHOOD._
  _ELSIE'S MOTHERHOOD._
  _ELSIE'S CHILDREN._
  _ELSIE'S WIDOWHOOD._
  _GRANDMOTHER ELSIE._
  _ELSIE'S NEW RELATIONS._
  _ELSIE AT NANTUCKET._
  _THE TWO ELSIES._
  _ELSIE'S KITH AND KIN._
  _ELSIE'S FRIENDS AT WOODBURN._
  _CHRISTMAS WITH GRANDMA ELSIE._
  _ELSIE AND THE RAYMONDS._
  _ELSIE YACHTING WITH THE RAYMONDS._
  _ELSIE'S VACATION._
  _ELSIE AT VIAMEDE._
  _ELSIE AT ION._
  _ELSIE AT THE WORLD'S FAIR._
  _ELSIE'S JOURNEY ON INLAND WATERS._
  _ELSIE AT HOME._
  _ELSIE ON THE HUDSON._
  _ELSIE IN THE SOUTH._
  _ELSIE'S YOUNG FOLKS._

_MILDRED KEITH._

  _MILDRED AT ROSELANDS._
  _MILDRED'S MARRIED LIFE._
  _MILDRED AND ELSIE._
  _MILDRED AT HOME._
  _MILDRED'S BOYS AND GIRLS._
  _MILDRED'S NEW DAUGHTER._

_CASELLA._

  _SIGNING THE CONTRACT AND WHAT IT COST._
  _THE TRAGEDY OF WILD RIVER VALLEY._
  _OUR FRED._
  _AN OLD-FASHIONED BOY._
  _WANTED, A PEDIGREE._
  _THE THORN IN THE NEST._





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