Home-Making Begun
The treaty was not made a day too soon. Next morning I was awakened
very early by loud shouting around the fort.
'The rebel vessels--the Machias men--the American pirates who were here
before and plundered us, have come again,' I heard some one say to
Colonel Francklin in the next room.
I sprang up, and ran to the single window that overlooked the harbour.
Sweeping in on the flood tide I saw three New England schooners. From
the mast of each flew flags similar to that we had received from the
Indians. The decks were black with men.
I dressed hurriedly, and presented myself in Colonel Francklin's
quarters. Mr. Simonds had entered before me, and was speaking.
'This,' he said, pointing to the schooners which had now come to
anchor, 'is another part of a plan to seize the fort. One of our men
heard that the Indians were to come down the river, and be met here by
the schooners: we were then to be subjected to a double attack.'
Outside I could hear the quick, sharp commands of the captains and the
tramp of the garrison preparing for action. In less than ten minutes I
was at a loophole in the wall of the fort with a rifle, waiting the
order to fire. Not far from me, similarly armed, was Duncan Hale. I
noticed a look of triumphant glee upon his face, as he said to a
soldier beside him--
'Now we'll pay them in their own coin for trying to stir up the
Indians: then I've a score against these rebels on another account.
They'd have hanged me once.'
'Hanged you? Where?'
'Just out of Boston--two days after the war began. They'd a rope round
my neck.' The whole scene came back upon me vividly.
'What had you done?' the soldier asked.
'Done! I'd exposed some of their smuggling and treasonable actions.
That was all.'
At that moment the movements of some on the schooners attracted my
attention. 'They are getting their boats in shape,' I heard Colonel
Francklin, who was looking through a glass, say to Lieutenant-Governor
Hughs, who stood beside him, 'and appear to be preparing to come
ashore.'
There was a brief consultation among the officers. Then the Major in
command said: 'Every man ready to fire at them as they come over the
sides.'
From that time onward moments seemed hours. Finally the painful strain
was broken by the single word--
'Fire!'
There was a thunder of cannon and a sharp crash of musketry. When the
smoke blew to one side, we could see the boats pulling back to the
vessels. Looking through his glass, Colonel Francklin reported that a
number of shots had taken effect.
As we reloaded the sound of quick-working anchor windlasses came in
over the water and up the hill slope. The rebels who had been playing
havoc on the river for so long had this time met a reception quite
different from that which they had planned. The fort, well hidden by
trees, had been built and garrisoned since their last trip, so their
surprise could not have been much more complete.
When the ebb began to make they hoisted sail and drew off down the bay.
On looking seaward at noon, nothing could be seen but the line of the
Nova Scotia coast, pencilled low and irregular on the base of the sky.
It is probably not to be wondered at that, during the afternoon, we
were somewhat high-spirited. All through the war the St. John settlers
had been harassed, plundered, imprisoned or shot, by cruel and
unscrupulous marauders from New England, who had never before been
resisted, much less repulsed.
'Things are moving finely,' I heard Mr. Simonds tell Duncan Hale that
evening. 'With the Indians quiet, and the pirates scared out, we can
go on with our trade as usual. Till the war began we did well here.
Since that we have had dreadful times--no business possible--but now
I'm in hopes we can go on with the fishing, the lime-burning, and
"masting" as usual.'
'Masting, Mr. Simonds,' I said. 'What is masting?'
'Were you not up the river? Did you not see the magnificent forests of
pine and spruce? These make the best masts in the world. There is
nothing in New England like them; and in places they positively
overhang the rivers. Then there are thousands of trees. Masting on
this river must become a great industry. The King's whole navy may be
supplied from here. All we want is quiet Indians--and peace.'
'I understand,' I said.
'And what of the land?' Duncan Hale asked. 'Is it fit for farming?'
'As good as any in the world. The crops raised on this river before
the war were wonderful. This is the richest part of the province.'
'And how may the land be obtained?' I said. 'To whom should one apply
for a grant?' Mr. Simonds laughed heartily.
'Thinking of settling, young man?' he said.
'Yes,' I replied, a little resentment showing in my tone; 'my mother
and two sisters are in Halifax. I mean to settle on this river and
make a home for them.'
Duncan Hale joined Mr. Simonds in his laugh.
'You think I can't?' I said.
'Of course you can,' Mr. Simonds said in a moment; 'and I shall do my
best to help you in any way I can. It's young fellows with push and
spirit we want here now.' He looked at me more critically than he had
done before. 'If things keep on improving, especially if the war ends,
we shall be going into masting strong here next winter, and we'll be
wanting a smart young fellow to look after accounts and act as clerk.
How much schooling have you had?' Duncan Hale explained somewhat fully
the work I had done, ending by saying he had considered me almost ready
for Oxford.
'You might do us finely,' Mr. Simonds said, 'and as to you, sir,'
turning to Duncan Hale, 'what think you of founding a school? A
country as rich as this cannot but prosper. We shall yet have a city
here. The war drags now toward a close; and even though England
should, in spite of recent disasters, yet win, many will choose this
country in preference to New England. If I and my partners mistake
not, in five years this river valley will have thousands of inhabitants
no matter what flag waves over it. Think over the question of a
school, sir.' But customers were waiting, and Mr. Simonds left us to
serve them.
For several days I remained about the fort. My duties as secretary to
Colonel Francklin were light, so I roamed about the high, rocky
country, sometimes alone, but oftener in company with Duncan Hale. The
hopeful words of Mr. Simonds, the fine buoyancy of the spring air, the
manner in which we had succeeded in making peace with the Indians, and
in driving off the rebel Americans, all combined to make us
surprisingly happy.
The fishermen in the harbour were making fabulous catches of valuable
mackerel and other fish. The smaller streams near swarmed with salmon
and huge trout. Here and there on our rambles giant moose faced us for
a moment, then went crashing off into the forest. Vegetation was
springing up with marvellous rapidity, while all day long the woods
rang with the song and chatter of nesting birds. An exuberance of wild
beauty and unrestrained life abounded everywhere.
In a little over a month our party, having accomplished the object for
which it had been sent, set off for Halifax, not, however, before I had
engaged to return and accept a position as clerk with Mr. Simonds later
in the season.
We found a spirit of remarkable cheerfulness in Halifax. The soldiers
had all sailed for New York. Many of the Loyalists, both men and
women, had obtained situations. In several places, about the outskirts
of the town, the more resolute ones, to whom lands had been granted,
were boldly hewing their own way into the forest; and here and there,
where the gaps on the slopes were widest in the broken ranks of the
trees, small log houses were being built.
In a few days the matter of my own grant on the St. John had been fully
arranged. Since I was not yet of age, the grant--it consisted of four
hundred acres some miles up the river in what Mr. Simonds had told me
was the most fertile part--was made out in my mother's name. My sister
Caroline, who was still engaged with the Halifax family, was delighted
with the prospect of having a new home of our own.
'Mother, won't it be grand?' she said one evening as we sat and talked
together, 'simply grand. Four hundred acres--all ours--a big river in
front and mountains behind. We'll be far richer than ever we were.
When are we to go, Roger?'
'Not till next spring,' I said. 'David Elton has secured a lot
alongside of ours; he is to do some chopping on both places this
summer, then during the winter we shall prepare for building houses.
Next spring the Government is to give us seed, tools, and a cow.'
A few days later, accompanied by Doctor Canfield and Duncan Hale, now
free from his former duties as secretary, along with David Elton and
several other farmers not yet settled about Halifax, I bade a cheerful
goodbye to my mother and sisters and again set off for the St. John.
It was the middle of August when we arrived.
'The Indians are acting finely up the river,' Mr. Simonds told us on
our arrival, 'and as for the pirates, we have not seen hilt nor hair of
them since they scuttled out of the harbour in the spring. That was a
settler we gave them that day.'
'How's business been since?' I said.
'Fine, fine; looking up wonderfully ever since the peace with the
Indians. Fishing couldn't be better, and as for the lime, it's turning
out first class. We've almost all our plans made, too, for sending up
the largest masting crew this fall we ever put in the woods. You are
to go with them. You'll be quite near your own grant.'
A few days later, and before entering finally on my duties with the
trading firm, with David Elton and some other farmers I went up the
river to my grant secured in Halifax. Though I was little accustomed
to the use of an axe, I felled the first tree myself. Before the
second day had closed my hands were much blistered. However, I
continued to work every day from early in the morning till late at
night for two weeks.
This was the limit of time given me by Mr. Simonds. But before
returning to the mouth of the river, I engaged with David Elton to
spend at least a month in chopping upon my grant.
I then returned to the river's mouth, and a few weeks later found
myself far in the forest with a crew of twenty men. First a camp of
logs was built, then the huge pines were cut, partly hewn, and dragged
to the river by means of oxen. Many spruce trees were cut for yards.
Much of the work was extremely laborious. My duties as clerk were to
see that the masts and yards were properly marked and measured when
cut, to keep a record of the time each man worked, and to record the
number of sticks, large and small, hauled to the river each day. Thus
employed, I spent the winters until one spring, when on my way down the
river, I learned that the war was over, that the rebels had won, that
agents sent to the St. John had reported favourably on the land, and
that five thousand Loyalists were expected from the New England
colonies.