Chapter X.
Ho! Princes of Jacob! the strength and the stay Of the daughters of Zion;--now up, and away; Lo, the hunters have struck her, and bleeding alone Like a pard in the desert she maketh her moan: Up with war-horse and banner, with spear and with sword, On the spoiler go down in the might of the Lord!
Lunt.
The succeeding fortnight, or three weeks, brought no material changes, beyond those connected with the progress of the season. Vegetation was out in its richest luxuriance, the rows of corn and potatoes, freshly hoed, were ornamenting the flats, the wheat and other grains were throwing up their heads, and the meadows were beginning to exchange their flowers for the seed. As for the forest, it had now veiled its mysteries beneath broad curtains of a green so bright and lively, that one can only meet it, beneath a generous sun, tempered by genial rains, and a mountain air. The chain-bearers, and other companions of Beekman, quitted the valley the day after the wedding, leaving no one of their party behind but its princ.i.p.al.
The absence of the major was not noted by Joel and his set, in the excitement of receiving so many guests, and in the movement of the wedding. But, as soon as the fact was ascertained, the overseer and miller made the pretence of a "slack-time" in their work, and obtained permission to go to the Mohawk, on private concerns of their own. Such journeys were sufficiently common to obviate suspicion; and, the leave had, the two conspirators started off, in company, the morning of the second day, or forty-eight hours after the major and Nick had disappeared. As the latter was known to have come in by the Fort Stanwix route, it was naturally enough supposed that he had returned by the same; and Joel determined to head him on the Mohawk, at some point near Schenectady, where he might make a merit of his own patriotism, by betraying the son of his master. The reader is not to suppose Joel intended to do all this openly; so far from it, his plan was to keep himself in the back-ground, while he attracted attention to the supposed toryism of the captain, and ill.u.s.trated his own attachment to the colonies.
It is scarcely necessary to say that this plan failed, in consequence of the new path taken by Nick. At the very moment when Joel and the miller were lounging about a Dutch inn, some fifteen or twenty miles above Schenectady, in waiting for the travellers to descend the valley of the Mohawk, Robert Willoughby and his guide were actually crossing the Hudson, in momentary security at least. After remaining at his post until satisfied his intended prey had escaped him, Joel, with his friend, returned to the settlement. Still, the opportunity had been improved, to make himself better acquainted with the real state of the country; to open communications with certain patriots of a moral calibre about equal to his own, but of greater influence; to throw out divers injurious hints, and secret insinuations concerning the captain; and to speculate on the propriety of leaving so important a person to work his will, at a time so critical. But the pear was not yet ripe, and all that could now be done was to clear the way a little for something important in future.
In the meantime, Evert Beekman having secured his gentle and true- hearted wife, began, though with a heavy heart, to bethink him of his great political duties. It was well understood that he was to have a regiment of the new levies, and Beulah had schooled her affectionate heart to a degree that permitted her to part with him, in such a cause, with seeming resignation. It was, sooth to say, a curious spectacle, to see how these two sisters bent all their thoughts and wishes, in matters of a public nature, to favour the engrossing sentiments of their s.e.x and natures; Maud being strongly disposed to sustain the royal cause, and the bride to support that in which her husband had enlisted, heart and hand.
As for captain Willoughby, he said little on the subject of politics; but the marriage of Beulah had a powerful influence in confirming his mind in the direction it had taken after the memorable argument with the chaplain. Colonel Beekman was a man of strong good sense, though without the least brilliancy; and his arguments were all so clear and practical, as to carry with them far more weight than was usual in the violent partisan discussions of the period. Beulah fancied him a Solon in sagacity, and a Bacon in wisdom. Her father, without proceeding quite as far as this, was well pleased with his cool discriminating judgment, and much disposed to defer to his opinions. The chaplain was left out of the discussions as incorrigible.
The middle of June was pa.s.sed, at the time colonel Beekman began to think of tearing himself from his wife, in order to return into the active scenes of preparation he had quitted, to make this visit. As usual, the family frequented the lawn, at the close of the day, the circ.u.mstance of most of the windows of the Hut looking on the court, rendering this resort to the open air more agreeable than might otherwise have been the case. Evert was undecided whether to go the following morning, or to remain a day longer, when the lawn was thus occupied, on the evening of the 25th of the month, Mrs. Willoughby making the tea, as usual, her daughters sitting near her, sewing, and the gentlemen at hand, discussing the virtues of different sorts of seed-corn.
"There is a stranger!" suddenly exclaimed the chaplain, looking towards the rocks near the mill, the point at which all arrivals in the valley were first seen from the Hut. "He comes, too, like a man in haste, whatever may be his errand."
"G.o.d be praised," returned the captain rising; "it is Nick, on his usual trot, and this is about the time he should be back, the bearer of good news. A week earlier might have augured better; but this will do.
The fellow moves over the ground as if he really had something to communicate!"
Mrs. Willoughby and her daughters suspended their avocations, and the gentlemen stood, in silent expectation, watching the long, loping strides of the Tuscarora, as he came rapidly across the plain. In a few minutes the Indian came upon the lawn, perfectly in wind, moving with deliberation and gravity, as he drew nearer to the party. Captain Willoughby, knowing his man, waited quite another minute, after the red-man was leaning against an apple-tree, before he questioned him.
"Welcome back, Nick," he then said. "Where did you leave my son?"
"He tell dere," answered the Indian, presenting a note, which the captain read.
"This is all right, Nick; and it shows you have been a true man. Your wages shall be paid to-night. But, this letter has been written on the eastern bank of the Hudson, and is quite three weeks old--why have we not seen you, sooner?"
"Can"t see, when he don"t come."
"That is plain enough; but why have you not come back sooner? That is my question."
"Want to look at country--went to sh.o.r.e of Great Salt Lake."
"Oh!--Curiosity, then, has been at the bottom of your absence?"
"Nick warrior--no squaw--got no cur"osity."
"No, no--I beg your pardon, Nick; I did not mean to accuse you of so womanish a feeling. Far from it; I know you are a man. Tell us, however, how far, and whither you went?"
"Bos"on," answered Nick, sententiously.
"Boston! That has been a journey, indeed. Surely my son did not allow you to travel in his company through Ma.s.sachusetts?"
"Nick go alone. Two path; one for major; one for Tuscarora. Nick got dere first."
"That I can believe, if you were in earnest. Were you not questioned by the way?"
"Yes. Tell "em I"m Stockbridge--pale-face know no better. T"ink he fox; more like wood-chuck."
"Thank you, Nick, for the compliment. Had my son reached Boston before you came away?"
"Here he be"--answered the Indian, producing another missive, from the folds of his calico shirt.
The captain received the note which he read with extreme gravity, and some surprise.
"This is in Bob"s handwriting," he said, "and is dated "Boston, June 18th, 1775;" but it is without signature, and is not only Bob, but Bob Short."
"Read, dear Willoughby," exclaimed the anxious mother. "News from _him_, concerns us all."
"News, Wilhelmina!--They may call this news in Boston, but one is very little the better for it at the Hutted Knoll. However, such as it is, there is no reason for keeping it a secret, while there is _one_ reason, at least, why it should be known. This is all. "My dearest sir--Thank G.o.d I am unharmed; but we have had much to make us reflect; you know what duty requires--my best and endless love to my mother, and Beulah--and dear, laughing, capricious, _pretty_ Maud. Nick was present, and can tell you all. I do not think he will extenuate, or aught set down in malice."" And this without direction, or signature; with nothing, in fact, but place and date. What say _you_ to all this, Nick?"
"He very good--major dere; he know. Nick dere--hot time--a t"ousand scalp--coat red as blood."
"There has been another battle!" exclaimed the captain; "that is too plain to admit of dispute. Speak out at once, Nick--which gained the day; the British or the Americans?"
"Hard to tell--one fight, t"other fight. Red-coat take de ground; Yankee kill. If Yankee could take scalp of all he kill, he whip. But, poor warriors at takin" scalp. No know how."
"Upon my word, Woods, there does seem to be something in all this! It can hardly be possible that the Americans would dare to attack Boston, defended as it is, by a strong army of British regulars."
"That would they not," cried the chaplain, with emphasis. "This has been only another skirmish."
"What you call skirmge?" asked Nick, pointedly. "It skirmge to take t"ousand scalp, ha?"
"Tell us what _has_ happened, Tuscarora?" said the captain, motioning his friend to be silent.
"Soon tell--soon done. Yankee on hill; reg"lar in canoe. Hundred, t"ousand, fifty canoe--full of red-coat. Great chief, dere!--ten--six-- two--all go togeder. Come ash.o.r.e--parade, pale-face manner--march-- booh--booh--dem cannon; pop, pop--dem gun. Wah! how he run!"
"Run!--who ran, Nick?--Though I suppose it must have been the poor Americans, of course."
"Red-coat run," answered the Indian, quietly.
This reply produced a general sensation, even the ladies starting, and gazing at each other.
"Red-coat run"--repeated the captain, slowly. "Go on with your history, Nick--where was this battle fought?"
"T"other Bos"on--over river--go in canoe to fight, like Injin from Canada."
"That must have been in Charlestown, Woods--you may remember Boston is on one peninsula, and Charlestown on another. Still, I do not recollect that the Americans were in the latter, Beekman--you told me nothing of that?"
"They were not so near the royal forces, certainly, when I left Albany, sir," returned the colonel. "A few direct questions to the Indian, however, would bring out the whole truth."
"We must proceed more methodically. How many Yankees were in this fight, Nick?--Calculate as we used to, in the French war."
"Reach from here to mill--t"ree, two deep, cap"in. All farmer; no sodger. Carry gun, but no carry baggonet; no carry knapsack. No wear red-coat. _Look_ like town-meetin"; _fight_ like devils."
"A line as long as from this to the mill, three deep, would contain about two thousand men, Beekman. Is that what you wish to say, Nick?"