CROSSING THE BAR.
If we lads had expected to be greeted with enthusiastic praises when we
pulled alongside the _Caledonia_, near that portion of the deck where
my father was standing, we were doomed to disappointment.
“Who have you there?” he asked sharply, not for the moment recognizing
his old neighbor and professed friend.
“A spy whom we found on the lake front, having just come over, or about
to put across,” Alec replied, and I would have added more but that my
father asked sternly:--
“How do you know he is a spy?”
“First, because of his suspicious movements when we hove in sight,”
Alec replied, still continuing to act as spokesman. “Dicky Dobbins and
I went along the shore for a stroll, and, having come near to a clump
of bushes grown close by the water’s edge, saw a boat half concealed
therein; also this man in hiding. When we came up he greeted us with
two pistol bullets, and but for my comrade I would have been killed.
Then, when we had him bound fast, he tried to bribe us into giving
him his liberty. If all this be no token of his guilt, then am I much
mistaken.”
“It is Nathaniel Hubbard,” I interrupted, understanding that as yet my
father had not recognized the man.
“Nathaniel Hubbard!” he repeated. “And you have taken him for a spy?”
“If he was an honest citizen, sir, there would have been no such scene
as I described,” Alec said stoutly.
Perhaps if Master Hubbard had made any loud claim of innocence at this
moment he might have been believed, so great was my father’s confidence
in the man. But, as I have already said, it was as if he collapsed
entirely when we had gotten the best of him, and now could not utter a
lie in his own defence.
Instead of giving us orders concerning the prisoner, my father wheeled
abruptly around, disappearing almost immediately down the companionway,
and I knew he had gone to acquaint Captain Perry with the painful
intelligence that one of Presque Isle’s most trusted citizens had
proven himself a traitor.
We waited in the boat, Alec and I, until perhaps ten minutes had
passed, and then one of the guards came to the rail and said:--
“The captain commands that the prisoner be taken on shore by a force of
men from the brig, and you boys are to remain here.”
Now it was that Nathaniel Hubbard found his tongue. He who should have
welcomed death as a means of hiding him from view of those who had
trusted him, begged piteously for life, knowing full well the people of
Presque Isle would take the law in their own hands once his perfidy was
known.
“Pray to Captain Dobbins that I be confined on board this ship!” he
cried to the soldier who had brought us the command. “Entreat him by
the friendship of former days not to deliver me into the keeping of
those who would shed my blood!”
Tears stood in the traitor’s eyes, so great was his fear, and I turned
my head away, not caring to look at that which was so disagreeable, for
there was no pity in my heart toward one who would sell his countrymen.
“Go, and repeat what he has said to Captain Dobbins,” Alec commanded
the soldier, and the latter obeyed, returning a few moments later with
the word:
“He is to be confined on board this vessel. You lads are to go into the
cabin.”
We obeyed right willingly, for neither of us cared to remain while our
prisoner was being taken on board, and having gone below into Captain
Perry’s cabin, we were called upon to give a detailed account of our
forenoon’s work.
When the story was finished my father sent us on deck again, neither he
nor Alec’s brother making any comment, and once there we saw that the
traitor’s boat was empty. He had been disposed of in some fashion which
did not concern us, so that there was no possibility of his being able
to carry further information to the enemy.
Old Silas, the gunner, met us near the companionway, clasping each by
the hand as he said, with more feeling than I had believed it possible
for him to display:--
“You have done good work this day, lads, but unwittingly caused sorrow
to many in Presque Isle; for there be no honest man who will feel other
than deepest distress because of findin’ a trusted neighbor to be a
villain.”
“Would it have pleased you better, Master Boyd, if we had let him go
free?” Alec asked.
“Heaven forbid, lad! While one may be distressed because of the
unmaskin’, there’ll be great relief at knowin’ that information of our
movements is no longer bein’ sold to the enemy. I have no question
but you have saved the fleet from destruction, unless it so be he has
already carried word of our intention to take the vessels over the bar.
Once the Britishers know that we count on leavin’ the bay, you may be
certain Captain Finnis’s squadron will lay off an’ on waitin’ a chance
to pounce upon us.”
“What will they do with him?” I asked.
“That is more than I can say. He deserves the death of a traitor; but
whether there be sufficient proof against him is another matter.”
“Surely you do not believe there is any question of his purpose in
being on the lake front where we found him?”
“Not a bit of it, lad; but what we believe is one thing, and legal
proof quite another. Howsomever, there is no reason why we should spend
our time talkin’ of him, for it’s a subject that gives one a bitter
taste in the mouth. There is much work to be done on shore, an’ we’d
best take our share of it. While you lads were ferretin’ out traitors,
an hundred and five men arrived; therefore, as I have heard it said
this mornin’, Captain Perry has about three hundred officers an’ men
fit to do duty. A scanty number with which to man two twenty-gun brigs
an’ eight other crafts; but they are to be distributed around in the
most economical fashion possible, an’ we shall put to sea as soon as
the fleet can be got over the bar.”
“How long will that take?” Alec asked.
“I cannot say; but certain it is that we are to move down to the
entrance of the harbor to-morrow mornin.’”
This was Saturday, the last day of July, and with the thought in my
mind as to the breaking of one of the commandments, I asked old Silas
if he believed it would be right that we should put to sea on Sunday.
“We are to make a move in the mornin’, lad. War is a wicked thing at
the best, an’ those who engage in it give little heed to God’s day, so
that an advantage may be gained. Our commanders have the idea, from
some information brought by General Mead, that no time is to be lost,
and orders have already been given for the fleet to make ready. Even
the small craft must be lightened in order to get them over the bar,
and I understand that there is much doubt in Captain Perry’s mind, as
there is in my own, whether the _Lawrence_ and _Niagara_ can get out at
all. It won’t be a short job at the best, and I’m allowin’ a week will
be well nigh spent before the cruise is begun.”
By the time the old man had finished speaking we were in the traitor’s
boat, pulling toward the shipyard where the “camels,” having been
completed, were being tested.
It was dull work here for Alec and I, since there was little we could
do to aid in the task, and I proposed that we spend the remainder of
the day with my mother, for it might be many weeks before such another
opportunity would be ours.
Therefore it was that until daybreak on Sunday morning, the first of
August, we remained quietly at home, and then set out with my father,
who had come ashore about midnight, to take our places on board the
_Lawrence_ as members of her crew.
Old Silas was there, ready for duty, as might have been expected, and
when the brig, under the influence of the early morning breeze, passed
the town toward that neck of sand which threatened to deprive us of the
opportunity to take part in the battle we believed to be near at hand,
every woman and child in the settlement stood on the shore to witness
what they probably believed was a departure.
The cruise came to a speedy ending.
The _Lawrence_ dropped anchor with her bow just resting on the
sand-bar, and orders were given for the gunboat _Trippe_,[3] which
was the smallest vessel in the fleet, to go ahead for the purpose of
ascertaining the depth of water.
When she grounded, not more than fifty yards from where the flag-ship
lay, it seemed certain we would not be able to get a single craft out,
and Alec Perry said despondently to me:--
“It seems as if we were fated to remain idle while the Britishers hold
control of the lake. It were better my brother had remained at Newport,
than to come here only to be balked of his purpose.”
I could say nothing cheering, for the same thought was in my own mind;
but Captain Perry and my father were not men who could be so quickly
disheartened. An obstacle in their way only served to arouse them to
greater effort, and one would have said that this apparent disaster had
long been foreseen and provided for.
The entire fleet had come to anchor when the gunboat grounded, and, as
if by previous arrangement, every small boat near the shipyard and the
shore round about put off to take part in the arduous labor which must
be performed before our squadron could be gotten into deep water.
Now came five days of excessive and exhaustive labor, during which
time I do not believe Captain Perry was below more than two hours on
a stretch, although Dr. Parsons had declared that he was dangerously
ill, and then the work had been performed.
It is not seemly that such a task should be passed over in few words,
and yet my story has run so long already that what these brave men did
must be described in the smallest possible space.
The gunboat _Trippe_, in command of Lieutenant Smith, was the first
craft over the bar, and the work of lightening had not been excessive.
All which was taken from her could be cared for in small boats,
therefore once she was in deep water her armament and stores were
quickly on board again.
The _Porcupine_, commanded by Midshipman Senat, and the _Ohio_,
captained by my father, went over at about the same time, that is to
say, during Sunday night.
The _Scorpion_, with Sailing-Master Champlin in command, did not
succeed in crossing until Monday noon, and it was late on that night
before such goods as had been taken from her could be put on board
again, since it became necessary to carry a goodly portion of them
ashore.
The _Tigress_, with Master’s Mate McDonald acting as captain, and the
_Somers_, under Sailing-Master Almy, were gotten over before Tuesday
noon.
Then came the _Caledonia_, with Purser McGrath in command; and the
_Ariel_, captained by Lieutenant Packet, crossing on the evening of the
third day.
There were left inside only the _Lawrence_, which Captain Perry himself
commanded; and the _Niagara_, under Captain Elliott, to be carried over.
But these last were, as old Silas put it, “the tough nuts of the lot;”
for if it was necessary to take so much from the smaller craft before
they were sufficiently lightened, it did not seem possible that the two
brigs could, even by aid of the camels, be forced into the waters of
the lake.
All this while, as may be imagined, the strictest watch was kept, for
we knew full well Commodore Barclay was somewhere in the vicinity with
his squadron, and it stood to reason that he expected we would attempt
such a manœuvre as was then in progress.
Immediately the smaller vessels had been forced into deep water their
guns were put in position and loaded; everything was made ready as
completely as if we knew an attack would be made within the next hour,
and had the Britishers appeared while the brigs were comparatively
helpless, I doubt not but that they would have met with a warm
reception, although it is not reasonable to suppose we might have
succeeded in beating them off.
When, on the morning of the fourth day, work was begun upon the
_Lawrence_ and _Niagara_, every man and boy among us was in a state
of the greatest possible excitement. We understood full well how
deplorable would be our plight if the enemy should appear just after
the guns had been taken from the brigs, for then the two vessels on
which we placed the greatest reliance could have had no part in the
battle that must have ensued.
Right here let me set down what, as a matter of course, we could not
know at the time; but which explains why we were allowed to perform
this long task unmolested.
I have seen a letter which Mr. Ryason wrote to my father, and from it
comes this extract:--
“The citizens of Port Dover, a small village on Ryason’s Creek, a
little below Long Point, offered Commodore Barclay and his officers a
public dinner. While that dinner was being attended, Perry was getting
his vessels over the bar, and thereby acquired power to skilfully
dispute the supremacy of Lake Erie with the British. At the dinner
Commodore Barclay remarked, in response to a complimentary toast, ‘I
expect to find the Yankee brigs hard and fast on the bar when I return,
in which predicament it will be but a small job to destroy them.’ Had
Barclay been more mindful of duty, his expectations might have been
realized.”
If we of Presque Isle had had this information at the time, it would
have saved us great distress of mind, for there was not among all our
forces one who thought otherwise than did old Silas.
He said to me despondently, when the order was given to load into small
boats the guns from the _Lawrence_:--
“Now has come the time, lad, when I believe of a verity that our ruin
is near at hand. It does not stand to reason that the British commodore
can hold off longer, for he knows full well we would set about crossing
the bar at the earliest moment, and if he sights us at this work while
the two brigs are dismantled, we are undone.”
During the earlier portion of the task the men had labored with now and
then a jest or a cheery word; some speculated as to what would be done
once the ships were afloat, and all seemed in a certain degree happy,
although excited. But now, when we were doing that which would compass
our own destruction should the enemy’s squadron heave in sight, every
face wore an expression of deepest gravity; men spoke in whispers, as
if fearing the lightest sound of their voices might be token of what we
were about, and I saw no smile, nor heard an idle word during all that
while.
To get the camels into position under the brig was a difficult matter,
but finally accomplished, and on the morning of the 4th of August
Captain Perry’s flag-ship, with every small boat towing ahead, was
hauled across the barrier of sand into the waters of Lake Erie.
Then, while a portion of the force labored at dismantling and making
ready the _Niagara_ for the same passage, the remainder set about
replacing the guns, reloading the ammunition and the stores, and by two
o’clock of that day every man and boy among us breathed more freely,
for one of our ships was in condition to give battle to whosoever might
attempt to work us a mischief.
By thus dividing the laboring force in order to arm the _Lawrence_ as
speedily as possible, the work on the _Niagara_ required much more time
than it had on the flag-ship, and not until noon of the 5th did the
last vessel of the squadron move out over the bar.
Just at that moment, when our work was so well-nigh completed that we
need have little fear, the enemy’s squadron appeared in sight.
Commodore Barclay had at last come to his senses; but it was too late,
so far as capturing the Yankee fleet on the bar was concerned.
Eight-and-forty hours previous, the sight of the British flags hoisted
on vessels carrying forty-four guns would have filled us with dismay,
and well it might, for then our doom was sealed.
Now, however, having successfully combated greater difficulties, we
felt as if the coming of Commodore Barclay was something so trifling as
not to be considered, and many of our people, like old Silas, rejoiced
in the belief that we might even at this moment, when the _Niagara_ was
virtually dismantled, give them battle.
Among those who were eager to meet the British, even though we were
unprepared, was Captain Perry.
It is proper now, perhaps, that I call him by a higher title, since he
was really in command of the fleet, and I noted the fact, as did Alec,
with most intense satisfaction, that once the vessels were in deep
water the men spoke of our commander as “commodore,” when previously it
had been simply “captain.”
We had a taste of what this young commander was ready to do, when he
sent orders to Lieutenant Packet and Sailing-Master Champlin to go out
with their respective vessels, the _Ariel_ and the _Scorpion_, and
boldly engage the squadron for the purpose of detaining them until we
should be able to come up.
This order was so much to the liking of those who were sent to repeat
it to the commanders of the schooners, that they shouted the words
loudly that all might hear, and as we labored with redoubled efforts,
although well nigh on the verge of exhaustion, to refit the _Niagara_,
a shout of satisfaction and triumph went up such as must have been
heard by the tardy Commodore Barclay.
“We are in for hot work now, lads, and plenty of it,” old Silas said in
a tone of satisfaction, as we two lads assisted him in mounting one of
the guns that had just been sent on board, for every able-bodied man
from the _Lawrence_ had been ordered to aid in the work of refitting
this last vessel to cross the bar. “Our commodore isn’t one to
shilly-shally ’round when there’s a chance of burnin’ powder with good
effect, an’ his sendin’ the schooners out in such prompt fashion shows
that he ain’t minded to lose an opportunity for a fight.”
“Think you there will be a battle this night?” Alec asked, so excited
that his voice trembled.
“That is accordin’ to yonder Britisher’s stomach. If it so be he says
the word, I’ll warrant you we’ll go with our three hundred men--hardly
more than enough to work the fleet--and give him such a taste of our
metal as won’t be pleasin’.”
“If Oliver should set out so poorly prepared and be whipped, the
government would blame him as severely as if he had a full force,” Alec
said, half to himself; and I understood from the words that the lad
hoped Barclay was not of the mind to wait until we might come up with
him.
“But he won’t be whipped, lad;” and old Silas spoke in a tone of
confidence, as if he could read the future. “We Yankees have been kept
cooped up in Presque Isle bay so long that each will do the work of
three men when the chance is given him. We’ll not be whipped, lad, as
Barclay shall soon learn to his cost.”
Now it was that as we worked every one of us gazed seaward at brief
intervals, looking with pride upon the little _Ariel_ and _Scorpion_,
while they stood boldly on toward the British squadron that could have
sunk them with a single broadside, the stars and stripes flying proudly
from their mastheads, and all hands doubtless at quarters, hoping it
might be possible to engage in a contest, however unequal.
But the battle was not to be on that day, and well perhaps for our
commodore that his challenge was not accepted, for the odds against us
might have proven too great, despite the eagerness of the men.
Before the two schooners were come within range of the enemy’s ships
the squadron was put about, heading for the North Foreland, crowding
on all sail as if it was feared our tiny schooners might insist upon a
battle.
We cheered, as a matter of course, when the enemy thus fled, and
laughed in derision at his cowardice; but there was beneath it all a
deep disappointment because the time had not come when we might show
our strength and determination.
“Never you mind, lad,” old Silas said, as we stood looking after the
retreating fleet, and doubtless showing in our faces signs of that
which was in our hearts. “Never you mind. Commodore Perry ain’t the one
to hang ’round here while there’s a British vessel afloat on Lake Erie,
and I’m willin’ to wager all my prize-money that if Commodore Barclay
doesn’t come out boldly to meet us, we shall hunt him up, and the
battle won’t be long delayed unless it so chances the gallant redcoats
surrender without firing a gun.”
FOOTNOTES:
[3] Formerly the _Contractor_.