By the middle of the afternoon Grandma Elsie, Grace, and the little ones
were all weary enough to be glad to return to the _Dolphin_ for a rest.
After a refreshing nap Grace and the children gathered about Mrs. Travilla
and begged for the fulfilment of her promise to tell the story of "Long
Tom," and she kindly complied.
"The _General Armstrong_ was a privateer, and the fight I am now going to
tell about was one of the most famous of the war of 1812-14," she said.
"The vessel was commanded by Captain Samuel C. Reid, a native of
Connecticut. He went to sea when only eleven years old and was a
midshipman with Commodore Truxton. He was still a young man--only
thirty--when the event of which we are talking occurred. That was on the
26th of September, 1814, in the harbor of Fayal, one of the Azores islands
belonging to Portugal.
"While lying there at anchor the _Armstrong_ was attacked by a large
British squadron. That was in flagrant violation of the laws of
neutrality. Commodore Lloyd was the commander of the squadron. At eight
o'clock in the evening he sent four large well-armed launches, each manned
by about forty men, to attack the American vessel.
"The moon shone brightly, and Captain Reid, who had noticed the movements
of the British and suspecting that their design was to attack him, was
getting his vessel under the guns of the castle. Those guns and his own
opened fire at almost the same instant and drove off the launches with
heavy loss."
"That means a great many men killed, grandma?" queried little Elsie.
"Yes, dear, a great many of the British; on our side there was one man
killed, and a lieutenant was wounded. But that was not the end of the
affair. At midnight another attack was made with fourteen launches and
about five hundred men.
"A terrible fight ensued, but at length the British were driven off with a
hundred and twenty killed and one hundred and eighty wounded."
"That was a great many," commented the little girl. "Did they give it up
then, grandma?"
"No; at daybreak one of the British vessels, the _Carnation_, made another
attempt. She began with a heavy fire, but the gunners of the _Armstrong_
fired shots at her so rapidly and so well directed that she was soon so
badly cut up that she hastened to get out of their range.
"In all this fighting the British had lost over three hundred in killed
and wounded, while only two Americans were killed and seven wounded. But
the _Armstrong_ was a good deal damaged and Captain Reid saw that he could
not stand another fight such as she had just gone through, so he directed
her to be scuttled to prevent her from falling into the hands of the
enemy."
"Scuttled? What's that, grandma?" asked little Ned.
"Making holes in the bottom or sides of a vessel, so that the water can
get in and sink her, is called scuttling. It was done to prevent the
British from taking possession of her. After our men had left her,
however, they boarded, and set her on fire."
"Grandma Elsie," said Grace, "I think I remember reading that that victory
of Reid's--or perhaps I should say successful resistance--had much to do
with the saving of New Orleans."
"Yes; that British squadron was on its way to Jamaica, where the British
vessels were gathering for the expedition to move against and take New
Orleans, and their object in attacking the _Armstrong_ was to secure her
for themselves and make her useful in that work. Had they succeeded in
taking her they would have reached New Orleans while it was utterly
defenceless, General Jackson having not yet arrived there. But Reid, in
his splendid defence of his vessel, so crippled those of the enemy that
they did not reach Jamaica until fully ten days later than the time when
the expedition was expected to sail from there; Lloyd was waited for and
the expedition thus delayed until Jackson had reached the city and was
making haste with arrangements for its defence."
"Yes, grandma, I've heard the story about that," said little Elsie; "how
the British tried to take that city and General Jackson and his soldiers
killed so very many of them, and drove the rest away."
Neddie was looking very grave and thoughtful. "Isn't it wicked to kill
folks, grandma?" he asked.
"Yes, dear, unless it is necessary to prevent them from killing or badly
injuring us or someone else. The British were terribly abusing our poor
sailors and it was right for our government to fight them, because they
would not stop it until they were forced to do so."
"But you haven't told about 'Long Tom' yet, grandma," said Elsie; "that
big gun, you know, that we saw to-day."
"Yes; it was one of those on the _Armstrong_ with which Captain Reid
defended his ship."
"Weren't the Americans glad when they heard about it, grandma? and didn't
they praise Captain Reid?"
"Indeed they did! and also made him many handsome presents. The State of
New York thanked him and gave him a sword."
"Hadn't he afterward something to do with a change in our flag, Grandma
Elsie?" asked Grace.
"Yes; our flag at first bore thirteen stars and thirteen stripes, and as
new States were admitted another star and stripe were added for each one.
But it was soon found that that was making the flag very large unless the
stripes became narrower and narrower, while there was nothing to show what
had been the original number of States. Captain Reid suggested the plan of
retaining the thirteen stripes to indicate that, and the adding of a new
star every time a new State was admitted, and Congress adopted that plan.
He was certainly a talented man. He invented and erected the signal
telegraphs at the Battery and the Narrows."
"I'm proud of him, Grandma Elsie!" said Grace, her face lighting up with
enthusiasm. "His defence at Fayal against such overwhelming numbers was
wonderful. And so was Jackson's at New Orleans. England was a great and
powerful nation while ours was but small and weak, but we were in the
right--fighting against dreadful wrongs done to our sailors--and God
helped us to drive away our haughty, powerful foe, and deliver our brave
tars from her unendurable oppression."
"Yes, dear; and to Him let us ever give all the glory and the praise. Oh,
may our nation always serve God and trust in him! then no foe shall ever
prevail against her."
"I hope we do, grandma," said little Elsie, "for on a quarter papa gave me
the other day, I saw the words, 'In God we trust.'"
"Oh!" cried Ned at that moment, "the folks are coming! I see them there on
the Peristyle--papa and mamma, Grandpa and Grandma Dinsmore, Lu and the
others."
"Yes, and the boat is waiting for them," added Elsie "and see, they are
getting in."
"Oh, I am so glad," said Grace, "though they are earlier than usual."
"Yes," said Grandma Elsie, "I suppose because it is Saturday evening and
we are all so tired with going and sight-seeing that we need to get early
to bed and rest that we may not be too weary to enjoy the coming Sabbath
day."
"I 'spect so," said Ned, and running forward as his father and the others
stepped upon the deck, "Papa," he asked, "did you come home soon to get
ready to keep Sunday?"
"Yes," was the reply; "we all need a good rest that we may be able to
enjoy God's holy day and spend it in his service."
"Where have you been since we left you, Lu?" asked Grace, as her sister
took a seat by her side.
"Papa took us to look at the Krupp gun," was the reply. "It is a wonderful
one; weighs two hundred and forty-eight thousand pounds; just think! one
hundred and twenty-four tons! It was certainly a great undertaking to
bring it all the way from Essen, Germany, to Chicago. They told us that at
Hamburg and at Baltimore great cranes were used, one of which could lift a
sixty-five ton locomotive, to lift the gun to the trucks that were to
carry it on the railroad; they had to put eight trucks under it, fastening
two together, then the two pair together, and so on till they had the
eight all well fastened to each other, when they laid the gun on them and
started it off.
"And only think, Gracie, it takes half a ton of powder and costs one
thousand two hundred and fifty dollars to fire that great gun once. We
saw the steel plate, sixteen inches thick, through which a twelve-inch
shot had been fired. It had cracked the plate and thrown the upper corner
half a yard away. I forgot to say the projectile fired from that gun
weighs a ton, and goes sixteen miles."
"Oh," cried Grace, "that's just dreadful! I hope there will never be a war
where such terrible guns will be used--never any more at all; but that
very soon, as the Bible says, the people 'shall beat their swords into
plough-shares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift
up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.'"
"Yes," said Grandma Elsie, overhearing her, "that will be a blessed time."
"Yes, indeed!" said Lucilla.
"Where else did you go?" asked Grace.
"Oh, we have been promenading along the lake shore, sitting down now and
then on the seats to watch the many boats of various sorts and sizes, our
own among the rest; and now, here we are to stay for the night, I suppose.
I must, at least, for papa has said so."
She looked smilingly up into his face as she spoke, for he was now
standing by her side.
"I think that will be best for each of my children, and hope that my dear
eldest daughter does not feel at all rebellious in regard to the matter,"
he said in his pleasant, fatherly way.
"No, indeed, papa!" she responded heartily, "though the beautiful Court of
Honor is so fascinating--especially at night--that if you had given me
permission to go back there after tea I should have been very glad to do
so."
"And I should take pleasure in allowing you that gratification if I
thought it best and right."
"I don't doubt that in the least, papa, and I am very glad to have you to
decide all such questions for me," she replied.
"Will we go over there, to the Court of Honor, to-morrow, papa?" asked
little Elsie.
"No, daughter, we must keep the Sabbath day holy, and if we go anywhere it
will be to church."
"And if we don't, we'll have a meeting here on our own deck as we have on
some other Sundays; won't we, papa?"
"Yes; and the Lord Jesus will be with us; for he has said, 'Where two or
three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.'"
"Oh, papa, I shall like to think of that--that the dear Lord Jesus is here
with us--but I do wish I could see him."
"I too," said little Ned. "Please, papa, sit down now and let your baby
boy sit on your knee a little while. You have been gone so long away from
me."
"So long, papa's dear boy!" the captain repeated with a smile of fatherly
affection into the bright, coaxing little face, then seating himself, he
took the little fellow in his arms, and petted and caressed him to his
heart's content. "Papa missed his dear little boy," he said, "but hoped he
was having a good time here with dear grandma."
"Yes, papa, so I was. Grandma's ever so nice, but I want my papa and
mamma, too."
"That's right, darling! mamma and papa would never know how to do without
their dear baby boy," Violet said, adding her caresses to those of his
father, the captain having taken a seat close at her side.
"Nor me either, mamma?" asked Elsie, drawing near, putting one hand into
that of her mother and laying the other on her father's knee, her look and
tones a trifle wistful, as if she were half fearful that she was less
highly appreciated than her brother.
"No, indeed, dear child!" they replied, speaking together, "we love you
just the same."
"Gracie also," the captain added, turning toward her with a tenderly
appreciative smile. "You were looking very weary, daughter, when you left
us some hours ago. Are you feeling better now?
"Yes, thank you, papa," she replied with a sweet, glad smile. "How kindly
careful of me you always are!"
"Yes," he returned, "one is apt to be careful of his choicest treasures."
"It is so delightful to be one of your treasures, you dear papa," she
said, going to his side in response to an inviting gesture, as Neddie got
down from his knee to run to the side of the vessel to look at a passing
boat.
"And so delightful to have you for one," he said, drawing her to the seat
Neddie had vacated. "Papa feels that he must be very careful to see that
the strength and endurance of his feeble little girl are not overtaxed."
"Mamma too," said Violet. "Dear child, I hope the rest of to-night,
to-morrow, and the following night may entirely relieve your fatigue."
"Thank you, mamma, I hope and believe that it will," responded Grace in
cheerful tones. "We will go to church to-morrow, I suppose, papa?" turning
enquiringly to him.
"Those of us who feel able and wish to," he replied. "I intend moving on
up the lake to Chicago when you have all retired to your state-rooms, and
to lie at anchor there until the Sabbath is past. We will have our Bible
lesson as usual in the afternoon, and service on board in the evening."
"I am glad of that, papa," said Grace, "for I always greatly enjoy a Bible
lesson with you for my teacher."