"You will take your arms with you, I suppose. You can lend them to those who fight, though you make no use of them yourself."
"Yes--I never go without arms in travelling, but I shall not lend them.
A man should no more lend his arms than he should lend his coat. Every man should have his own weapons."
"Yes; but, "squire, if you go along with us, you may be brought into the sc.r.a.pe. The other party may choose to consider you one of us."
"It is for this reason, not less than others, that I would carry and not lend my arms."
"Well, "squire, you might lend them to some of us, and I would answer for them. It"s true, as you say, that every man should have his own weapons; but some among us, you see, ha"n"t got "em, and it"s for that we"ve been waiting. But come, it"s time to start; the boys are beginning to be in motion; and here come Munro and that skunk Rivers. I reckon Munro will have the command, for he"s thought to be the most cunning among us."
The party was now ready for departure, when a new interruption was experienced. The duties of the pastor were yet to begin, and, accordingly, sallying forth at the head of his remaining congregation, Parson Witter placed himself in front of the seceders. It is unnecessary that we should state his purpose; it is as little necessary that we should say that it was unavailing. Men of the kind of whom we speak, though perhaps not insensible to some of the bolder virtues, have no sympathy or love for a faith which teaches forbearance under wrong and insult, and meekness under blows. If they did not utterly laugh in his face, therefore, at his exhortations, it was because, at the very first, they had to a man turned their backs upon him, and were now generally mounted. Following the common lead, Ralph approached the group where stood his fair friend of the morning; and acknowledged, in an under-tone, to herself, the correctness of her opinion in regard to the merits of the sermon. She did not reply to the observation, but seeing his hand upon the bridle, asked hurriedly--
"Do you, sir--does Mr. Colleton go with this party?"
"I do; the circ.u.mstance are all so novel, and I am curious to see as much of manners and events foreign to those to which I have been accustomed, as may be practicable."
"I fear, sir, that those which you may behold on occasions such as these, and in this country, though they may enlighten you, will do little toward your gratification. You have friends, sir, who might not be willing that you should indulge in unnecessary exposure, for the satisfaction of a curiosity so unpromising."
Her manner was dignified, and though as she spoke a something of rebuke came mingled with the caution which her language conveyed, yet there was evidently such an interest in his fortunes embodied in what she said, that the listener whom she addressed could not feel hurt at the words themselves, or the accompanying expression.
"I shall be a mere looker-on, Miss Munro, and dare to disregard the caution which you bestow, though duly sensible of the kindness which gives it utterance. Perhaps, too, I may be of service in the way of peace-making. I have neither interest nor wish which could prompt me to any other course."
"There is every need for caution among young travellers, sir; and though no astrologer, it seems to me your planet is full of unfavorable auguries. If you will be headstrong, see that you have your eyes about you. You have need of them both."
This was all in by-play. The group had pa.s.sed on, and a single nod of the head and a doubtful smile, on her part, concluded the brief dialogue we have just narrated. The youth was puzzled to understand the significant warnings, which, from time to time, she had given him. He felt unconscious of any foe in particular, and though at that time sojourning with a people in whom he could repose but little confidence, he yet saw no reason to apprehend any danger. If her manner and words had reference simply to the general lawlessness of the settlement, the precaution evidently conveyed no compliment to his own capacities for observation. Whatever might have been her motive, the youth felt its kindness; and she rose not a little in his esteem, when he reflected with how much dignity and ladylike propriety she had given, to a comparative stranger, the counsel which she evidently thought necessary to his well-being. With a free rein he soon overtook Forrester, and with him took his place in the rear of the now rapidly advancing cavalcade.
As Forrester had conjectured, the command of the party, such as it was, was a.s.signed to the landlord. There might have been something like forty or fifty men in all, the better portion of them mounted and well armed--some few on foot struggling to keep pace with the riders--all in high spirits, and indignant at the invasion of what they considered their own. These, however, were not all hunters of the precious metal, and many of them, indeed, as the reader has by this time readily conjectured, carried on a business of very mixed complexion. The whole village--blacksmith, grocer, baker, and clothier included, turned out _en ma.s.se_, upon the occasion; for, with an indisputable position in political economy, deriving their gains directly or indirectly from this pursuit, the cause was, in fact, a cause in common.
The scene of operations, in view of which they had now come, had to the eye all the appearance of a moderate encampment. The intruding force had done the business completely. They had made a full transfer, from their old to their new quarters, of bag and baggage; and had possessed themselves of all the log-houses in and about the disputed region. Their fires were in full heat, to use the frontier phrase, and the water was hissing in their kettles, and the dry thorns crackling under the pot.
Never had usurpers made themselves more perfectly at home; and the rage of the old inc.u.mbents was, of course, duly heightened at a prospect of so much ease and felicity enjoyed at their expense.
The enemy were about equal in point of number with those whom they had so rudely dispossessed. They had, however, in addition to their disposable force, their entire a.s.semblage of wives, children, slaves, and dependants, cattle and horses, enough, as Forrester bitterly remarked, "to breed a famine in the land." They had evidently settled themselves _for life_, and the ousted party, conscious of the fact, prepared for the _dernier_ resort. Everything on the part of the usurpers indicated a perfect state of preparedness for an issue which they never doubted would be made; and all the useless baggage, interspersed freely with rocks and fallen trees, had been well-employed in increasing the strength of a position for which, such an object considered, nature had already done much. The defences, as they now stood, precluded all chance of success from an attack by mounted men, unless the force so employed were overwhelming. The defenders stood ready at their posts, partly under cover, and so arrayed as easily to put themselves so, and were armed in very nearly the same manner with the a.s.sailing party. In this guise of formidable defence, they waited patiently the onset.
There was a brief pause after their arrival, on the part of the invading force, which was employed princ.i.p.ally in consultation as to the proper mode of procedure, and in examination of the ground. Their plan of attack, depending altogether upon the nature of circ.u.mstances yet to be seen, had not been deliberated upon before. The consultation lasted not long, however, and no man"s patience was too severely tried. Having deputed the command to the landlord, they left the matter pretty much to that person; nor was their choice unhappy.
Munro had been a partisan well-taught in Indian warfare, and it was said of him, that he knew quite as well how to practise all their subtleties as themselves. The first object with him, therefore, in accordance with his reputation, was to devise some plot, by which not only to destroy the inequality of chances between the party a.s.sailing and that defending a post now almost impregnable, but to draw the latter entirely out of their defences. Still, it was deemed but courteous, or prudent at least, to see what could be done in the way of negotiation; and their leader, with a white handkerchief attached to a young sapling, hewn down for the purpose, by way of apology for a flag, approached the besieged, and in front of his men demanded a conference with the usurping chief.
The demand was readily and at once answered by the appearance of the already named George Dexter; a man who, with little sagacity and but moderate cunning, had yet acquired a lead and notoriety among his fellows, even in that wild region, simply from the reckless boldness and fierce impetuosity of his character. It is useless to describe such a person. He was a ruffian--in look and manner, ruffianly--huge of frame, strong and agile of limb, and steeled against all fear, simply from a brute unconsciousness of all danger. There was little of preliminary matter in this conference. Each knew his man, and the business in hand.
All was direct, therefore, and to the point. Words were not to be wasted without corresponding fruits, though the colloquy began, on the part of Munro, in terms of the most accredited courtesy.
"Well, George Dexter, a pleasant morning to you in your new accommodations. I see you have learned to make yourself perfectly at home when you visit your neighbors."
"Why, thank you, Wat--I generally do, I reckon, as you know of old. It"s not now, I"m inclined to think, that you"re to learn the ways of George Dexter. He"s a man, you see, Wat, that never has two ways about him."
"That"s true, friend George, I must say that for you, were I to have to put it on your tombstone."
"It"s a long ride to the Atlantic, Wat; and the time is something off yet, I reckon, when my friends will be after measuring me for a six-foot accommodation. But, look you, Wat, why are all your family here?--I did think, when I first saw them on the trail, some with their twisted and some with smooth bores, tomahawks, and scalping-knives, that they took us for Indians. If you hadn"t come forward now, civilly, I should have been for giving your boys some mutton-chops, by way of a cold cut."
"Well, George, you may do that yet, old fellow, for here we have all come to take our Sunday dinner. You are not in the notion that we shall let you take possession here so easily, without even sending us word, and paying us no rent--no compensation?"
"Why, no, Wat--I knew you and your boys too well for that. I did look, you see, to have a bit of a brush, and have made some few preparations to receive you with warmth and open arms," was the response of Dexter, pointing as he spoke to the well-guarded condition of his intrenchments, and to his armed men, who were now thickly cl.u.s.tering about him.
Munro saw plainly that this was no idle boast, and that the disposition of his enemy"s force, without some stratagem, set at defiance any attack under present circ.u.mstances. Still he did not despair, and taught in Indian warfare, such a position was the very one to bring out his energies and abilities. Falling back for a moment, he uttered a few words in the ear of one of his party, who withdrew un.o.bserved from his companions, while he returned to the parley.
"Well, George, I see, as you have said, that you have made some preparations to receive us, but they are not the preparations that I like exactly, nor such as I think we altogether deserve."
"That may be, Wat--and I can"t help it. If you will invite yourselves to dinner, you must be content with what I put before you."
"It is not a smart speech, Dexter, that will give you free walk on the high road; and something is to be said about this proceeding of yours, which, you must allow, is clearly in the teeth of all the practices prevailing among the people of the frontier. At the beginning, and before any of us knew the value of this or that spot, you chose your ground, and we chose ours. If you leave yours or we ours, then either of us may take possession--not without. Is not this the custom?"
"I tell you what, Munro, I have not lived so long in the woods to listen to wind-guns, and if such is the kind of argument you bring us, your dumpy lawyer--what do you call him?--little Pippin, ought to have been head of your party. He will do it all day long--I"ve heard him myself, at the sessions, from mid-day till clean dark, and after all he said nothing."
"If you mean to persuade yourself, George, that we shall do no more than _talk_ for our lands and improvements, you are likely to suffer something for your mistake."
"Your "lands and improvements!" Well, now, I like that--that"s very good, and just like you. Now, Wat, not to put you to too much trouble, I"d like to look a little into your t.i.tle to the lands; as to the improvements, they"re at your service whenever you think proper to send for them. There"s the old lumber-house--there"s the squatter"s house--there"s where the cow keeps, and there"s the hogsty, and half a dozen more, all of which you"re quite welcome to. I"m sure none of you want "em, boys--do you?"
A hearty laugh, and cries in the negative, followed this somewhat technical retort and reply of the speaker--since, in trespa.s.s, according to the received forms of law, the first duty of the plaintiff is to establish his own t.i.tle.
"Then, George, you are absolutely bent on having us show our t.i.tle? You won"t deliver up peaceably, and do justice?"
"Can"t think of such a thing--we find the quarters here quite too comfortable, and have come too far to be in a hurry to return. We are tired, too, Wat; and it"s not civil in you to make such a request. When you can say "must" to us, we shall hear you, but not till then; so, my old fellow, if you be not satisfied, why, the sooner we come to short sixes the better," was the response of the desperado.
The indifferent composure with which he uttered a response which was in fact the signal for bloodshed, not less than the savage ferocity of his preparations generally, amply sustained his pretension to this appellative. Munro knew his man too well not to perceive that to this "fashion must they come at last;" and simply a.s.suring Dexter that he would submit his decision to his followers, he retired back upon the anxious and indignant party, who had heard a portion, and now eagerly and angrily listened to the rest of the detail.
Having gone over the matter, he proceeded to his arrangements for the attack with all the coolness, and certainly much of the conduct of a veteran. In many respects he truly deserved the character of one; his courage was unquestionable, and aroused; though he still preserved his coolness, even when coupled with the vindictive ferocity of the savage.
His experience in all the modes of warfare, commonly known to the white man and Indian alike, in the woods, was complete; everything, indeed, eminently fitted and prepared him for the duties which, by common consent, had been devolved upon him. He now called them around him, under a clump of trees and brushwood which concealed them from sight, and thus addressed them, in a style and language graduated to their pursuits and understandings:--
"And now, my fine fellows, you see it is just as I told you all along.
You will have to fight for it, and with no half spirit. You must just use all your strength and skill in it, and a little cunning besides. We have to deal with a man who would just as lief fight as eat; indeed, he prefers it. As he says himself, there"s no two ways about him. He will come to the scratch himself, and make everybody else do so. So, then, you see what"s before you. It"s no child"s play. They count more men than we--not to speak of their entrenchments and shelter. We must dislodge them if we can; and to begin, I have a small contrivance in my head which may do some good. I want two from among you to go upon a nice business. I must have men quick of foot, keen of sight, and cunning as a black-snake; and they mustn"t be afraid of a knock on the head either.
Shall I have my men?"
There was no difficulty in this, and the leader was soon provided. He selected two from among the applicants for this distinction, upon whose capacities he thought he could best rely, and led them away from the party into the recess of the wood, where he gave them their directions, and then returned to the main body. He now proceeded to the division, into small parties, of his whole force--placing them under guides rather than leaders, and reserving to himself the instruction and command of the whole. There was still something to be done, and conceiving this to be a good opportunity for employing a test, already determined upon, he approached Ralph Colleton, who surveyed the whole affair with intense curiosity.
"And now, young "squire, you see what we"re driving at, and as our present business wo"nt permit of neutrality, let us hear on which side you stand. Are you for us or against us?"
The question was one rather of command than solicitation, but the manner of the speaker was sufficiently deferential.
"I see not why you should ask the question, sir. I have no concern in your controversy--I know not its merits, and propose simply to content myself with the position of a spectator. I presume there is nothing offensive in such a station."
"There may be, sir; and you know that when people"s blood"s up, they don"t stand on trifles. They are not quick to discriminate between foes and neutrals; and, to speak the truth, we are apt, in this part of the country, to look upon the two, at such moments, as the same. You will judge, therefore, for yourself, of the risk you run."
"I always do, Mr. Munro," said the youth. "I can not see that the risk is very considerable at this moment, for I am at a loss to perceive the policy of your making an enemy of me, when you have already a sufficient number to contend with in yonder barricade. Should your men, in their folly, determine to do so, I am not unprepared, and I think not unwilling, to defend myself."
"Ay, ay--I forgot, sir, you are from Carolina, where they make nothing of swallowing Uncle Sam for a lunch. It is very well, sir; you take your risk, and will abide the consequences though I look not to find you when the fray begins."
"You shall not provoke me, sir, by your sneer; and may a.s.sure yourself, if it will satisfy you, that though I will not fight for you, I shall have no scruple of putting a bullet through the scull of the first ruffian who gives me the least occasion to do so."
The youth spoke indignantly, but the landlord appeared not to regard the retort. Turning to the troop, which had been decorously attentive, he bade them follow, saying