Wyandotte - James Fenimore Cooper
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"This being the case," returned the captain, a good deal relieved at
finding that the savages had not been the agents in this milking
affair, since it left the probability of their remaining
stationary--"This being the case, Joel, you had better find the pail,
and go in. As soon as day dawns, however, I recommend that all the cows
be called up to the stockade and milked generally. They are feeding in
the lanes, just now, and will come readily, if properly invited. Go,
then, but say nothing of having met me, and--"
"Who else did the captain say?" inquired Joel, curiously, observing
that the other paused.
"Say nothing of having met us at all, I tell you. It is very important
that my movements should be secret."
The two gentlemen now moved on, intending to pass in front of the
cabins which lined this part of the valley, by a lane which would bring
them out at the general highway which led from the Knoll to the mill.
The captain marched in front, while his son brought up the rear, at a
distance of two or three paces. Each walked slowly and with caution,
carrying his rifle in the hollow of his arm, in perfect readiness for
service. In this manner both had proceeded a few yards, when Robert
Willoughby felt his elbow touched, and saw Joel's face, within eighteen
inches of his own, as the fellow peered under his hat. It was an action
so sudden and unexpected, that the major saw, at once, nothing but
perfect coolness could avert his discovery.
"Is't you, Dan'el"--so was the miller named. "What in natur' has
brought the old man on this tramp, with the valley filled with Injins?"
whispered Joel, prolonging the speech in order to get a better view of
a face and form that still baffled his conjectures. "Let's know all
about it."
"You'll get me into trouble," answered he major, shaking off his
unwelcome neighbour, moving a step further from him, and speaking also
in a whisper. "The captain's bent on a scout, and you know he'll not
bear contradiction. Off with you, then, and don't forget the milk."
As the major moved away, and seemed determined to baffle him, Joel had
no choice between complying and exposing his disobedience of orders to
the captain. He disliked doing the last, for his cue was to seem
respectful and attached, and he was fain to submit. Never before,
however, did Joel Strides suffer a man to slip through his fingers with
so much reluctance. He saw that the captain's companion was not the
miller, while the disguise was too complete to enable him to
distinguish the person or face. In that day, the different classes of
society were strongly distinguished from each other, by their ordinary
attire; and, accustomed to see major Willoughby only in the dress that
belonged to his station, he would not be likely to recognise him in his
present guise, had he even known of or suspected his visit. As it was,
he was completely at fault; satisfied it was not his friend Daniel,
while unable to say who it was.
In this doubting state of mind, Joel actually forgot the savages, and
the risks he might run from their proximity. He walked, as it might be
mechanically, to the place where he had left the pail, and then
proceeded slowly towards the Knoll, pondering at every step on what he
had just seen. He and the miller had secret communications with certain
active agents of the revolutionists, that put them in possession of
facts, notwithstanding their isolated position, with which even their
employer was totally unacquainted. It is true, these agents were of
that low caste that never fail to attach themselves to all great
political enterprises, with a sole view to their own benefit; still, as
they were active, cunning and bold, and had the sagacity to make
themselves useful, they passed in the throng of patriots created by the
times, and were enabled to impart to men of similar spirits much
available information.
It was through means like these, that Joel knew of the all-important
measure of the declaration of independence, while it still remained a
secret to captain Willoughby. The hope of confiscations was now active
in the bosoms of all this set, and many of them had even selected the
portions of property that they intended should be the reward of their
own love of freedom and patriotism. It has been said that the English
ministry precipitated the American revolution, with a view to share,
among their favourites, the estates that it was thought it would bring
within the gift of the crown, a motive so heinous as almost to defy
credulity, and which may certainly admit of rational doubts. On the
other hand, however, it is certain that individuals, who will go down
to posterity in company with the many justly illustrious names that the
events of 1776 have committed to history, were actuated by the most
selfish inducements, and, in divers instances, enriched themselves with
the wrecks of estates that formerly belonged to their kinsmen or
friends. Joel Strides was of too low a class to get his name enrolled
very high on the list of heroes, nor was he at all ambitious of any
such distinction; but he was not so low that he could not and did not
aspire to become the owner of the property of the Hutted Knoll. In an
ordinary state of society, so high a flight would seem irrational in so
low an aspirant; but Joel came of a people who seldom measure their
pretensions by their merits, and who imagine that to boldly aspire,
more especially in the way of money, is the first great step to
success. The much talked of and little understood doctrine of political
equality has this error to answer for, in thousands of cases; for
nothing can be more hopeless, in the nature of things, than to convince
a man of the necessity of possessing qualities of whose existence he
has not even a faint perception, ere he may justly pretend to be put on
a level with the high-minded, the just, the educated, and the good.
Joel, therefore, saw no other reason than the law, against his becoming
the great landlord, as well as captain Willoughby; and could the law be
so moulded as to answer his purposes, he had discreetly resolved to
care for no other considerations. The thought of the consequences to
Mrs. Willoughby and her daughters gave him no concern whatever; they
had already possessed the advantages of their situation so long, as to
give Phoebe and the miller's wife a sort of moral claim to succeed
them. In a word, Joel, in his yearnings after wealth, had only faintly
shadowed forth the modern favourite doctrine of "rotation in office."
The appearance of a stranger in company with captain Willoughby could
not fail, therefore, to give rise to many conjectures in the mind of a
man whose daily and hourly thoughts were running on these important
changes. "Who _can_ it be," thought Joel, as he crawled along the
lane, bearing the milk, and lifting one leg after the other, as if lead
were fastened to his feet. "Dan'el it is not--nor is it any one that I
can consait on, about the Hut. The captain is mightily strengthened by
this marriage of his da'ter with colonel Beekman, that's sartain. The
colonel stands wonderful well with our folks, and he 'll not let all
this first-rate land, with such capital betterments, go out of the
family without an iffort, I conclude--but then I calcilate on _his_
being killed--there must be a disperate lot on 'em shot, afore
the war's over, and _he_ is as likely to be among 'em as another.
Dan'el thinks the colonel has the look of a short-lived man. Waal; to-
morrow will bring about a knowledge of the name of the captain's
companion, and then a body may calcilate with greater sartainty!"
This is but an outline of what passed through Joel's mind as he moved
onward. It will serve, however, to let the reader into the secret of
his thoughts, as well as into their ordinary train, and is essentially
connected with some of the succeeding events of our legend. As the
overseer approached the stockade, his ideas were so abstracted that he
forgot the risk he ran; but walking carelessly towards the palisades,
the dogs barked, and then he was saluted by a shot. This effectually
aroused Joel, who called out in his natural voice, and probably saved
his life by so doing. The report of the rifle, however, produced an
alarm, and by the time the astounded overseer had staggered up to the
gate, the men were pouring out from the court, armed, and expecting an
assault. In the midst of this scene of confusion, the chaplain admitted
Joel, as much astonished as the man himself, at the whole of the
unexpected occurrence.
It is unnecessary to say that many questions were asked. Joel got rid
of them, by simply stating that he had gone out to milk a cow, by the
captain's private orders, and that he had forgotten to arrange any
signal, by which his return might be known. He ventured to name his
employer, because he knew he was not there to contradict him; and Mr.
Woods, being anxious to ascertain if his two friends had been seen,
sent the men back to their lairs, without delay, detaining the overseer
at the gate for a minute's private discourse. As the miller obeyed,
with the rest, he asked for the pail with an eye to his own children's
comfort; but, on receiving it, he found it empty! The bullet had passed
through it, and the contents had escaped.
"Did you see any _thing, or person_, Strides?" demanded the
chaplain, as soon as the two were alone.
"Lord, Mr. Woods, I met the captain!--The sight on him came over me
a'most as cruelly as the shot from the rifle; for I no more expected it
than I do to see you rise up to heaven, in your clothes, like Elijah of
old. Sure enough, _there_ was the captain, himself, and--and--"
Here Joel sneezed, repeating the word "and" several times, in hopes the
chaplain would supply the name he so much wished to hear.
"But you saw no savages?--I know the captain is out, and you will be
careful not to mention it, lest it get to Mrs. Willoughby's ears, and
make her uneasy. You saw nothing of the savages?"
"Not a bit--the critturs lie cluss enough, if they haven't actually
tramped. _Who_ did you say was with the captain, Mr. Woods?"
"I said nothing about it--I merely asked after the Indians, who, as you
say, do keep themselves very close. Well, Joel, go to your wife, who
must be getting anxious about you, and be prudent."
Thus dismissed, the overseer did not dare to hesitate; but he entered
the court, still pondering on the late meeting.
As for the two adventurers, they pursued their march in silence. As a
matter of course, they heard the report of the rifle, and caught some
faint sounds from the alarm that succeeded; but, readily comprehending
the cause, they produced no uneasiness; the stillness which succeeded
soon satisfying them that all was right. By this time they were within
a hundred yards of the flickering fires. The major had kept a strict
watch on the shanties at the report of the rifle; but not a living
thing was seen moving in their vicinity. This induced him to think the
place deserted, and he whispered as much to his father.
"With any other enemy than an Indian", answered the latter, "you might
be right enough, Bob; but with these rascals one is never certain. We
must advance with a good deal of their own caution."
This was done, and the gentlemen approached the fires in the most
guarded manner, keeping the shantees between them and the light. By
this time, however, the flames were nearly out, and there was no great
difficulty in looking into the nearest shantee, without much exposure.
It was deserted, as proved to be the case with all the others, on
further examination. Major Willoughby now moved about on the rock with
greater confidence; for, naturally brave, and accustomed to use his
faculties with self-command in moments of trial, he drew the just
distinctions between real danger and unnecessary alarm; the truest of
all tests of courage.
The captain, feeling a husband's and a father's responsibility, was a
little more guarded; but success soon gave him more confidence, and the
spot was thoroughly explored. The two then descended to the mills,
which, together with the adjacent cabins, they entered also, and found
uninjured and empty. After this, several other suspected points were
looked at, until the captain came to the conclusion that the party had
retired, for the night at least, if not entirely. Making a circuit,
however, he and his son visited the chapel, and one or two dwellings on
that side of the valley, when they bent their steps towards the Knoll.
As the gentlemen approached the stockade, the captain gave a loud hem,
and clapped his hands. At the signal the gate flew open, and they found
themselves in company with their friend the chaplain once more. A few
words of explanation told all they had to say, and then the three
passed into the court, and separated; each taking the direction towards
his own room. The major, fatigued with the toils of a long march, was
soon in a soldier's sleep; but it was hours before his more thoughtful,
and still uneasy father, could obtain the rest which nature so much
requires.
Chapter XV.
----"I could teach you,
How to choose right, but then I am forsworn;
So will I never be; so may you miss me;
But if you do, you'll make me wish a sin
That I had been forsworn."----
_Portia_.
Captain Willoughby knew that the hour which preceded the return of
light, was that in which the soldier had the most to apprehend, when in
the field. This is the moment when it is usual to attempt surprises;
and it was, in particular, the Indian's hour of blood. Orders had been
left, accordingly, to call him at four o'clock, and to see that all the
men of the Hut were afoot, and armed also. Notwithstanding the deserted
appearance of the valley, this experienced frontier warrior distrusted
the signs of the times; and he looked forward to the probability of an
assault, a little before the return of day, with a degree of concern he
would have been sorry to communicate to his wife and daughters.
Every emergency had been foreseen, and such a disposition made of the
forces, as enabled the major to be useful, in the event of an attack,
without exposing himself unnecessarily to the danger of being
discovered. He was to have charge of the defence of the rear of the
Hut, or that part of the buildings where the windows opened outwards;
and Michael and the two Plinys were assigned him as assistants. Nor was
the ward altogether a useless one. Though the cliff afforded a material
safeguard to this portion of the defences, it might be scaled; and, it
will be remembered, there was no stockade at all, on this, the northern
end of the house.
When the men assembled in the court, therefore, about an hour before
the dawn, Robert Willoughby collected his small force in the dining-
room, the outer apartment of the _suite_, where he examined their
arms by lamp-light, inspected their accoutrements, and directed them to
remain until he issued fresh orders. His father, aided by serjeant
Joyce, did the same in the court; issuing out, through the gate of the
buildings, with his whole force, as soon as this duty was performed.
The call being general, the women and children were all up also; many
of the former repairing to the loops, while the least resolute, or the
less experienced of their number, administered to the wants of the
young, or busied themselves with the concerns of the household. In a
word, the Hut, at that early hour, resembled a hive in activity, though
the different pursuits had not much affinity to the collection of
honey.
It is not to be supposed that Mrs. Willoughby and her daughters still
courted their pillows on an occasion like this. They rose with the
others, the grandmother and Beulah bestowing their first care on the
little Evert, as if _his_ life and safety were the considerations
uppermost in their thoughts. This seemed so natural, that Maud wondered
she too could not feel all this absorbing interest in the child, a
being so totally dependent on the affection of its friends and
relatives to provide for its wants and hazards, in an emergency like
the present.
"_We_ will see to the child, Maud," observed her mother, ten or
fifteen minutes after all were up and dressed. "Do you go to your
brother, who will be solitary, alone in his citadel. He may wish, too,
to send some message to his father. Go, then, dear girl, and help to
keep up poor Bob's spirits."
What a service for Maud! Still, she went, without hesitation or delay;
for the habits of her whole infancy were not to be totally overcome by
the natural and more engrossing sentiments of her later years. She
could not feel precisely the reserve and self-distrust with one she had
so long regarded as a brother, as might have been the case with a
stranger youth in whom she had begun to feel the interest she
entertained for Robert Willoughby. But, Maud did not hesitate about
complying. An order from her mother to her was law; and she had no
shame, no reserves on the subject of contributing to Bob's comfort or
happiness.
Her presence was a great relief to the young man himself, whom she
found in the library. His assistants were posted without, as sentinels
to keep off intruders, a disposition that left him quite alone, anxious
and uneasy. The only intercourse he could have with his father was by
means of messages; and the part of the building he occupied was
absolutely without any communication with the court, except by a single
door near the offices, at which he had stationed O'Hearn.
"This is kind, and like yourself, dearest Maud," exclaimed the young
man, taking the hand of his visiter, and pressing it in both his own,
though he strangely neglected to kiss her cheek, as he certainly would
have done had it been Beulah--"This is kind and like yourself; now I
shall learn something of the state of the family. How is my mother?"
It might have been native coyness, or even coquetry, that unconsciously
to herself influenced Maud's answer. She knew not why--and yet she felt
prompted to let it be understood she had not come of her own impulses.
"Mother is well, and not at all alarmed," she said. "She and Beulah are
busy with little Evert, who crows and kicks his heels about as if
_he_ despised danger as becomes a soldier's son, and has much amused
even _me_; though I am accused of insensibility to his perfections.
Believing you might be solitary, or might wish to communicate with
some of us, my mother desired me to come and inquire into your wants."
"Was such a bidding required, Maud! How long has an order been
necessary to bring _you_ to console _me_?"
"That is a calculation I have never entered into, Bob," answered Maud,
slightly blushing, and openly smiling, and that in a way, too, to take
all the sting out of her words--"as young ladies can have more suitable
occupations, one might think. You will admit I guided you faithfully
and skilfully into the Hut last evening, and such a service should
suffice for the present. But, my mother tells me we have proper causes
of complaint against you, for having so thoughtlessly left the place of
safety into which you were brought, and for going strolling about the
valley, after we had retired, in a very heedless and boyish manner!"
"I went with my father; surely I could not have been in better
company."
"At his suggestion, or at your own, Bob?" asked Maud, shaking her head.
"To own the truth, it was, in some degree, at my own. It seemed so very
unmilitary for two old soldiers to allow themselves to be shut up in
ignorance of what their enemies were at, that I could not resist the
desire to make a little _sortie_. You must feel, dear Maud, that
our motive was _your_ safety--the safety, I mean, of my mother,
and Beulah, and nil of you together--and you ought to be the last to
blame us."
The tint on Maud's cheek deepened as Robert Willoughby laid so heavy an
emphasis on "_your_ safety;" but she could not smile on an act
that risked so much more than was prudent.
"This is well enough as to motive," she said, after a pause; "but
frightfully ill-judged, I should think, as to the risks. You do not
remember the importance our dear father is to us all--to my mother--to
Beulah--even to me, Bob."
"Even to _you_, Maud!--And why not as much to _you_ as to any
of us?"
Maud could speak to Beulah of her want of natural affinity to the
family; but, it far exceeded her self-command to make a direct allusion
to it to Robert Willoughby. Still, it was now rarely absent from her
mind; the love she bore the captain and his wife, and Beulah, and
little Evert, coming to her heart through a more insidious and possibly
tenderer tie, than that of purely filial or sisterly affection. It was,
indeed, this every-day regard, strangely deepened and enlivened by that
collateral feeling we so freely bestow on them who are bound by natural
ties to those who have the strongest holds on our hearts, and which
causes us to see with their eyes, and to feel with their affections.
Accordingly, no reply was made to the question; or, rather, it was
answered by putting another.
"Did you see anything, after all, to compensate for so much risk?"
asked Maud, but not until a pause had betrayed her embarrassment.
"We ascertained that the savages had deserted their fires, and had not
entered any of the cabins. Whether this were done to mislead us, or to
make a retreat as sudden and unexpected as their inroad, we are
altogether in the dark. My father apprehends treachery, however; while,
I confess, to me it seems probable that the arrival and the departure
may be altogether matters of accident. The Indians are in motion
certainly, for it is known that our agents are busy among them; but, it
is by no means so clear that _our_ Indians would molest captain
Willoughby--Sir Hugh Willoughby, as my father is altogether called, at
head-quarters."
"Have not the Americans savages on their side, to do us this ill
office?"
"I think not. It is the interest of the rebels to keep the savages out
of the struggle; they have so much at risk, that this species of
warfare can scarcely be to _their_ liking."
"And ought it to be to the liking of the king's generals, or ministers
either, Bob!"
"Perhaps not, Maud. I do not defend it; but I have seen enough of
politics and war, to know that results are looked to, far more than
principles. Honour, and chivalry, and humanity, and virtue, and right,
are freely used in terms; but seldom do they produce much influence on
facts. Victory is the end aimed at, and the means are made to vary with
the object."
"And where is all we have read together?--Yes, _together_, Bob?
for I owe you a great deal for having directed my studies--where is all
we have read about the glory and truth of the English name and cause?"
"Very much, I fear, Maud, where the glory and truth of the American
name and cause will be, as soon as this new nation shall fairly burst
the shell, and hatch its public morality. There are men among us who
believe in this public honesty, but I do not."
"You are then engaged in a bad cause, major Willoughby, and the sooner
you abandon it, the better."
"I would in a minute, if I knew where to find a better. Rely on it,
dearest Maud, all causes are alike, in this particular; though one side
may employ instruments, as in the case of the savages, that the other
side finds it its interest to decry. Men, as individuals, _may_
be, and sometimes _are_, reasonably upright--but, _bodies_ of
men, I much fear, never. The latter escape responsibility by dividing
it."
"Still, a good cause may elevate even bodies of men," said Maud,
thoughtfully.
"For a time, perhaps; but not in emergencies. You and I think it a good
cause, my good and frowning Maud, to defend the rights of our sovereign
lord the king. Beulah I have given up to the enemy; but on you I have
implicitly replied."
"Beulah follows her heart, perhaps, as they say it is natural to women
to do. As for myself, I am left free to follow my own opinion of my
duties."
"And they lead you to espouse the cause of the king, Maud!"
"They will be very apt to be influenced by the notions of a certain
captain Willoughby, and Wilhelmina, his wife, who have guided me aright
on so many occasions, that I shall not easily distrust their opinions
on this."
The major disliked this answer; and yet, when he came to reflect on it,
as reflect he did a good deal in the course of the day, he was
dissatisfied with himself at being so unreasonable as to expect a girl
of twenty-one not to think with her parents, real or presumed, in most
matters. At the moment, however, he did not wish further to press the
point.
"I am glad to learn, Bob," resumed Maud, looking more cheerful and
smiling, "that you met with no one in your rash sortie--for rash I
shall call it, even though sanctioned by my father."
"I am wrong in saying that. We did meet with one man, and that was no
less a person than your bug-bear, Joel Strides--as innocent, though as
meddling an overseer as one could wish to employ."