At the especial invitation of Captain Molineux Gerald Grantham dined at
the garrison mess, on the evening of the day when the circumstances
detailed in our last chapter took place. During dinner the extraordinary
adventure of the morning formed the chief topic of conversation, for it
had become one of general interest, not only throughout the military
circles, but in the town of Amherstburgh itself, in which the father of
the Granthams had been held in an esteem amounting almost to veneration.
Horrible as had been the announcement made by the detected and
discomfited settler to him who now, for the first time, learnt that his
parent had fallen a victim to ruffian vindictiveness, too many years had
elapsed since that event, to produce more than the ordinary emotion
which might be supposed to be awakened by a knowledge rather of the
manner than the fact of his death. Whatever therefore might have been
the pain inflicted on the hearts of the brothers, by this cruel
re-opening of a partially closed wound, there was no other evidence of
suffering than the suddenly compressed lip and glistening eye, whenever
allusion was made to the villain with whom each felt he had a fearful
account to settle.
Much indeed of the interest of the hour was derived from the animated
account, given by Gerald, of the circumstances which had led to his
lying in ambuscade for the American on the preceding day; and as his
narrative embraces not only the reasons for Captain Molineux's strange
conduct, but other hitherto unexplained facts, we cannot do better than
follow him in his detail:
"I think it must have been about half past eleven o'clock, on the night
preceding the capture," commenced Gerald, "that, as my gun-boat was at
anchor close under the American shore, at rather more than half a mile
below the farther extremity of Bois Blanc, my faithful old Sambo
silently approached me, while I lay wrapped in my watch-cloak on deck,
calculating the chances of falling in with some spirited bark of the
enemy which would afford me an opportunity of proving the mettle of my
crew.
"'Massa Geral,' he said, in a mysterious whisper--for old age and long
services in my family have given him privileges which I have neither the
power nor the inclination to check--'Massa Geral,' pulling me by the
collar, 'I dam ib he no go sleep when him ought to hab all him eyes
about him--him pretty fellow to keep watch when Yankee pass him in e
channel.'
"'A Yankee pass me in the channel!' I would have exclaimed aloud,
starting to my feet with surprise; but Sambo, with ready thought, put
his hand upon my mouth, in time to prevent more than the first word from
being uttered.
"'Hush! dam him, Massa Geral, ib you make a noise, you no catch him.'
"'What do you mean, then--what have you seen?' I asked, in the same low
whisper, the policy of which his action had enjoined on me.
"'Lookee dare, Massa Geral, lookee dare!'
"Following the direction in which he pointed, I now saw, but very
indistinctly, a canoe in which was a solitary individual stealing across
the lake to the impulsion of an apparently muffled paddle; for her
course, notwithstanding the stillness of the night, was utterly
noiseless. The moon, which is in her first quarter, had long since
disappeared; yet the heavens, although not particularly bright, were
sufficiently dotted with stars to enable me, with the aid of a night
telescope, to discover that the figure, which guided the cautiously
moving bark, had nothing Indian in its outline. The crew of the gun-boat
(the watch only excepted) had long since turned in; and even the latter
lay reposing on the forecastle, the sentinels only keeping the ordinary
lookout. So closely, moreover, did we lay in shore, that but for the
caution of the paddler, it might have been assumed she was too nearly
identified with the dark forest against which her hull and spars
reposed, to be visible. Curious to ascertain her object, I watched the
canoe in silence, as, whether accidentally or with design, I know not,
she made the half circuit of the gun-boat and then bore away in a direct
line for the Canadian shore. A suspicion of the truth now flashed across
my mind, and I resolved without delay to satisfy myself. My first care
was to hasten to the forecastle, and enjoin on the sentinels, who I
feared might see and hail the stranger, the strictest silence. Then
desiring Sambo to prepare the light boat, which I dare say most of you
have remarked to form a part of my Lilliputian command, I proceeded to
arm myself with cutlass and pistols. Thus equipped, I sprang lightly in;
and having again caught sight of the chase, on which I had moreover
directed one of the sentinels to keep a steady eye as long as she was in
sight, desired Sambo to steer as noiselessly as possible in pursuit. For
some time we kept the stranger in view, but whether, owing to his
superior paddling or lighter weight, we eventually lost sight of him.
The suspicion which had at first induced my following, however, served
as a clue to guide me in the direction I should take. I was aware that
the scoundrel Desborough was an object of distrust--I knew that the
strictness of my father, during his magistracy, in compelling him to
choose between taking the oaths of allegiance and quitting the country,
had inspired him with deep hatred to himself and disaffection to the
Government; and I felt that if the spirit of his vengeance had not
earlier developed itself, it was solely because the opportunity and the
power had hitherto been wanting; but that now, when hostilities between
his natural and adopted countries had been declared, there would be
ample room for the exercise of his treason. It was the strong assurance
I felt that he was the solitary voyager on the face of the waters, which
induced me to pursue him; for I had a presentiment that, could I but
track him in his course, I should discover some proof of his guilt,
which would suffice to rid us for ever of the presence of so dangerous a
subject. The adventure was moreover one that pleased me, although
perhaps I was not strictly justified in quitting my gun-boat, especially
as in the urgency of the moment, I had not even thought of leaving
orders with my boatswain, in the event of anything unexpected occurring
during my absence. The sentinels alone were aware of my departure.
"The course we pursued was in the direction of Hartley's point, and so
correct had been the steering and paddling of the keen-sighted negro,
that when we made the beach, we found ourselves immediately opposite to
Desborough's hut.
"'How is this, Sambo?' I asked in a low tone, as our canoe grated on the
sand within a few paces of several others that lay where I expected to
find but one--'are all these Desborough's?'
"'No, Massa Geral--'less him teal him toders, Desborough only got
one--dis a public landin' place.'
"'Can you tell which is his?' I inquired.
"'To be sure--dis a one,' and he pointed to one nearly twice the
dimensions of its fellows.
"'Has it been lately used, Sambo--can you tell?'
"'I soon find out, Massa Geral.'
"His device was the most simple and natural in the world, and yet I
confess it was one which I never should have dreamt of. Stooping on the
sands, he passed his hand under the bottom of the canoe, and then
whispered:
"'Him not touch a water to-night, Massa Geral--him dry as a chip.'
"Here I was at fault. I began to apprehend that I had been baffled in my
pursuit, and deceived in my supposition. I knew that Desborough had had
for years, one large canoe only in his possession, and it was evident
that this had not been used for the night. I was about to order Sambo to
shove off again, when it suddenly occurred to me, that, instead of
returning from a visit, the suspected settler might have received a
visiter, and I accordingly desired my _fides Achates_ to submit the
remainder of the canoes to the same inspection.
"After having passed his hand ineffectually over several, he at length
announced, as he stooped over one which I recognised, from a peculiar
elevation of the bow and stern, to be same we had passed.
"'Dis a one all drippin' wet, Massa Geral. May I nebber see a Hebben ib
he not a same we follow.'
"A low tapping against the door of the hut, which, although evidently
intended to be subdued, was now, in the silence of night, distinctly
audible, while our whispers on the contrary, mingled as they were with
the crisping sound of the waves rippling on the sands were, at that
distance, undistinguishable. It was evident that I had erred in my
original conjecture. Had it been Desborough himself, living alone as he
did, he would not have knocked for admission where there was no one to
afford it, but would have quietly let himself in. It could then be no
other than a visiter, perhaps a spy from the enemy--and the same to whom
we had given chase.
"From the moment that the tapping commenced, Sambo and I stood
motionless on the shore, and without trusting our voices again, even to
a whisper. In a little time we heard the door open, and the low voice of
Desborough in conversation with another. Presently the door was shut,
and soon afterwards, through an imperfectly closed shutter on the only
floor of the hut, we could perceive a streak of light reflected on the
clearing in front, as if from a candle or lamp that was stationary.
"'I tink him dam rascal dat man, Massa Geral,' at length ventured my
companion. 'I 'member long time ago,' and he sighed, 'when Sambo was no
bigger nor dat paddle, one berry much like him. But, Massa Geral, Massa
always tell me nebber talk o' dat.'
"'A villain he is, I believe, Sambo, but let us advance cautiously and
discover what he is about.'
"We now stole along the skirt of the forest, until we managed to
approach the window, through which the light was still thrown in one
long, fixed, but solitary ray. It was however impossible to see who were
within, for although the voices of men were distinguishable, their forms
were so placed as not to be visible through the partial opening.
"The conversation had evidently been some moments commenced. The first
words I heard uttered were by Desborough.
"'A Commissary boat, and filled with bags of goold eagles, and a
fiftieth part our'n, if we get her clean slick through to Detroit. Well,
drot me, if that ain't worth the trial. Why didn't they try it by land,
boy?'
"'I reckon, father, that cock wouldn't fight. The Injuns are outlyin'
everywhere to cut off our mails, and the ready is too much wanted to be
thrown away. No, no: the river work's the safest, I take it, for there
they little expect it to come.'
"The voice of the last speaker excited in me a strong desire to see the
face of Desborough's visiter. Unable, where I stood, to catch the
slightest view of either, I fancied that I might be more successful in
rear of the hut. I therefore moved forward, followed by Sambo, but not
so cautiously as to prevent my feet from crushing a fragment of decayed
wood that lay in my path.
"A bustle within, and the sudden opening of the door announced that the
noise had been overheard. I held up my finger impressively to Sambo, and
we both remained motionless.
"'Who the hell's there?' shouted Desborough, and the voice rang like the
blast of a speaking trumpet along the skirt of the forest.
"'Some raccoon looking out for Hartley's chickens, I expect,' said his
companion, after a short pause. 'There's nothin' human, I reckon, to be
seen movin' at this hour of the night.'
"'Who the hell's there?' repeated Desborough--still no answer.
"Again the door was closed, and under cover of the slight noise made by
the settler in doing this, and resuming his seat, Sambo and I
accomplished the circuit of the hut. Here we had an unobstructed view of
the persons of both. A small store room or pantry communicated with that
in which they were sitting at a table, on which was a large flagon, we
knew to contain whiskey, and a couple of japanned drinking cups, from
which, ever and anon, they 'wetted their whistles,' as they termed it,
and whetted their discourse. As they sat each with his back to the inner
wall, or more correctly, the logs of the hut, and facing the door
communicating with the store-room, left wide open, and in a direct line
with the back window at which we had taken our stand, we could
distinctly trace every movement of their features, while, thrown into
the shade by the gloom with which we were enveloped, we ran no risk of
detection ourselves. It is almost unnecessary to observe, after what has
occurred this morning, that the companion of Desborough was no other
than the _soi-disant_ Ensign Paul Emilius Theophilus Arnoldi; or, more
properly, the scoundrel son of a yet more scoundrel father. He wore the
dress in which you yesterday beheld him, but beneath a Canadian blanket
coat, which, when I first saw him in the hut, was buttoned up to the
chin so closely as to conceal everything American about the dress.
"'Well now, I reckon we must lay our heads to do this job;' said the
son, as he tossed off a portion of the liquid he had poured into his
can. 'There's only that one gun-boat I expect in t'other channel.'
"'Only one, Phil--do you know who commands it?'
"'One of them curst Granthams, to be sure. I say, old boy,' and his eye
lighted up significantly as he pointed to the opposite wall. 'I see
you've got the small bore still.'
"A knowing wink marked the father's sense of the allusion. 'The devil's
in it,' he rejoined, 'if we can't come over that smooth-faced chap some
how or other. Did you see anythin' of him as you come along?'
"'I reckon I did. Pretty chick he is to employ for a look-out. Why I
paddled two or three times round his gun-boat as it lay 'gin the shore,
without so much as a single livin' soul being on deck to see me.'
"It is proverbial," continued Grantham, "that listeners never hear any
good of themselves. I paid the common penalty. But if I continued calm,
my companion did not. Partly incensed at what had related to me--but
more infuriated at the declaration made by the son, that he had paddled
several times round the gun-boat, without a soul being on deck to see
him, he drew near to me, his white teeth displaying themselves in the
gloom, as he whispered, but in a tone that betrayed extreme irritation.
"'What a dam liar rascal, Massa Geral. He nebber go round: I see him
come a down a ribber long afore he see a boat at all.'
"'Hush, Sambo! hush--not a word,' I returned in the same low whisper.
'The villains are at some treason, and if we stir, we shall lose all
chance of discovering it.'
"'Me no peak, Massa Geral; but dam him lyin' teef,' he continued to
mutter, 'I wish I had him board a gun-boat.'
"'A dozen fellers well armed might take the d----d British craft,'
observed Desborough. 'How many men may there be aboard the Commissary?'
"'About forty, I reckon, under some d----d old rig'lar major. I've got a
letter for him here to desire him to come on, if so be as we gets the
craft out of the way.'
"'Drot me if I know a better way than to jump slick aboard her,'
returned Desborough, musingly, 'forty genu_ine_ Kaintucks ought to
swallow her up crew and all.'
"'I guess they would,' returned his companion, 'but they are not
Kaintucks, but only rig'lars; and then agin if they are discovered, one
spry cannon might sink her; and if the eagles go to the bottom we shall
lose our fiftieth. You don't reckon that.'
"'What the hell's to be done then?' exclaimed Desborough, resorting to
his favorite oath when in doubt.
"'My plan's already cut and dried by a wiser head nor yours nor mine, as
you shall larn; but first let a feller wet his whistle.' Here they both
drained off another portion of the poison that stood before them.
"Not to tire you," pursued Grantham, "with a repetition of the oaths and
vulgar and interjectional chucklings that passed between the
well-assorted pair during the disclosure of the plan, I will briefly
state that it was one of the most stupid that could have been conceived,
and reflected but little credit on the stratagetic powers of whoever
originated it.
"The younger scoundrel, who since his desertion from our service, claims
to be a naturalized citizen of the United States, (his name of
Desborough being changed for that of Arnoldi, and his rank of full
private for that of Ensign of Militia,) had been selected, from his
knowledge of the Canadian shore and his connexion with the disaffected
settler, as a proper person to entrust with a stratagem, having for its
object the safe convoy of a boat with specie, of which the American
garrison, it appears, stands much in need. The renegade had been
instructed to see his father, to whom he was to promise a fiftieth of
the value of the freight, provided he should by any means contrive to
draw the gun-boat from her station. The most plausible plan suggested
was, that he should intimate to me that a prize of value was lying
between Turkey Island and our own shore, which it required but my sudden
appearance to ensure, without even striking a blow. Here a number of
armed boats were to be stationed in concealment in order to take me at a
disadvantage, and even if I avoided being captured, the great aim would
be accomplished--namely, that of getting me out of the way until the
important boat should have cleared the channel running between Bois
Blanc and the American shore, and secreted herself in one of the several
deep creeks which empty themselves into the river. Here she was to have
remained until I had returned to my station, when her passage upward
might be pursued, if not without observation, at least without risk. As
Desborough was known to be suspected by us, it was further suggested
that he should appear to have been influenced in the information
conveyed to me, not by any motives of patriotism, which would have been
in the highest degree misplaced, but by the mere principle of
self-interest. He was to require of me a pledge that, out of the
proceeds of the proposed capture a twentieth share should be his, or, if
I would not undertake to guarantee this from the Government or my own
authority, that I should promise my own eventual share should be divided
with him. This stratagem successful, the younger Desborough was to
repair to the boat which had been lying concealed for the last day or
two, a few miles below me, with an order for her to make the best of her
way during the night if possible. If failing on the other hand, she was
to return to the port whence she had sailed, until a more fitting
opportunity should present itself.
"This," continued Grantham, after a slight pause, during which the
bottle was again circulated, "was delightful intelligence. Distrustful
as I was of Desborough, I could not have been deceived by this advice,
even had I not thus fortunately become acquainted with the whole of the
design; but now that I knew my man, and could see my way, I at once
resolved to appear the dupe they proposed to make me. Specie, too, for
the payment of the garrison! This was no contemptible prize with which
to commence my career. Besides, the boat was well manned; and although
without cannon, still, in point of military equipment, quite able to
cope with my crew, which did not exceed thirty men.
"With your knowledge of Desborough's character, it will not surprise you
to learn, although I confess I boiled with indignation at the moment to
hear, that the object of the scoundrels was, with a view to the
gratification of their own private vengeance, not merely to raise a
doubt of my fidelity, but to prefer against me a direct charge of
treason. Thus, in their vulgar language, they argued. If misled by their
representations, I quitted my station on the channel, and fell into the
ambuscade prepared for me near Turkey Island, I raised a suspicion of
the cause of my absence, which might be confirmed by an anonymous
communication; and if, on the other hand, I escaped that ambuscade, the
suspicion would be even stronger, as care would be taken to announce to
the English garrison the fact of my having been bribed to leave the
channel free for the passage of a boat, filled with money and
necessaries for Detroit. My return to my post immediately afterwards
would confirm the assertion; and so perfectly had they, in their wise
conceit, arranged their plans, that a paper was prepared by the son and
handed to his father, for the purpose of being dropped in the way of one
of the officers--the purport of which was an accusation against me, of
holding a secret understanding with the enemy, in proof whereof it was
stated that at an important moment, I should be found absent from my
post. I think I am correct, Captain Molineux."
"Perfectly," returned that officer--"such indeed were the contents of
the paper which I picked up in my rounds about daylight yesterday
morning, and which I have only again to express my regret that I should
have allowed to make on me even a momentary impression. Indeed,
Grantham, I am sure you will do me the justice to believe, that until we
actually saw the American boat passing, while you were nowhere to be
seen, I never for one moment doubted its being, what it has proved to
be--the falsest and most atrocious of calumnies."
"Your after doubt was but natural," replied the sailor, "although I
confess I could not help wincing under the thought of its being
entertained. I knew that, on my return, I should be enabled to explain
everything, but yet felt nettled that even my short absence should, as I
knew it must, give rise to any strictures on my conduct. It was that
soreness of feeling which induced my impatient allusion to the subject,
even after my good fortune of yesterday, for I at once detected that the
slanderous paper had been received and commented on; and from the
peculiar glance, I saw Henry direct to you, I was at no loss to discover
into whose hands it had fallen. But to resume.
"Their plan of action being finally settled, the traitors began to give
indication of separating--the one to hasten and announce to the American
boat the removal of all impediment to her passage upwards--the other to
my gun-boat, in order to play off the falsehood devised for the success
of their stratagem.
"'Here's damnation to the curst race of Granthams,' said the son, as
raising his tall and lanky body, he lifted the rude goblet to his lips.
"'Amen,' responded the father, rising also and drinking to the pledge
'and, what's more, here's to the goold eagles that'll repay us for our
job. And now Phil, let's be movin'.'
"The heavy tread of their feet within the hut as they moved to and fro,
to collect the several articles belonging to the equipment of
Desborough's canoe, promising fair to cover the sound of our footsteps,
I now whispered to Sambo, and we hastily made good our retreat to the
point where we left our skiff. In a few minutes, we were again on the
lake, paddling swiftly but cautiously towards my gun-boat. I had
instructed the sentinels not to hail me on my return, therefore when I
gained the deck, it was without challenge or observation of any kind,
which could denote to those from whom I had so recently parted, that any
one had been absent.
"Again I had thrown myself upon the deck, and was ruminating on the
singular events of the evening, associating the rich prize, which I now
already looked upon as my own, with the rascality of those who,
imagining me to be their dupe, were so soon to become mine; and moreover
meditating such measures as I fancied most likely to secure a result so
opposite to that which they anticipated, when the loud quick sharp hail
of the sentinels announced that a craft of some kind was approaching.
"'Want to see the officer,' shouted a voice which I knew to be
Desborough's. 'Somethin' very partick'lar to tell him, I guess.'
"Permission having been granted, the canoe came rapidly up to the side,
and in the next minute, the tall heavy form of the settler stood
distinctly defined against the lake, as he stepped on the gun-wale of
the boat.
"It must be needless here to repeat the information of which he was the
bearer," pursued Grantham. "Its purport was, in every sense, what I had
so recently overheard in the hut.
"'And how am I to know that this tale of yours is correct,' I demanded
when he had concluded, yet in a tone that seemed to admit, I was as much
his dupe as he could reasonably desire. 'You are aware, Desborough, that
your character for loyalty does not stand very high, and this may prove
but a trick to get me out of the way. What good motive can you give for
my believing you?'
"'The best I calculate as can be,' he unhesitatingly answered, 'and that
is my own interest. I don't make no boast of my loyalty, as you say, to
be sure, Mr. Grantham, but I've an eye like a hawk for the rhino, and I
han't giv' you this piece of news without expectin' a promise that I
shall git a purty considerable sum in eagles, if so be as you succeeds
in wallopin' the prize.'
"'Walloping--what do you call walloping, man?'
"'What do I call wallopin'? why licking her slick and clean out, and
gettin' hold of the dust to be sure.'
"I could have knocked the scoundrel to the deck, for the familiarity of
the grin which accompanied his reply, and as for Sambo, I had more than
once to look him peremptorily into patience.
"I knew from what had passed between father and son, that, until the
former had communicated with, and impressed a conviction of the accuracy
of his report, upon me, nothing was to be attempted by the boat, the
capture of which was now, for a variety of reasons, an object of weighty
consideration. Whatever violence I did to myself therefore, in
abstaining from a castigation of the traitor. I felt that I could not
hope for success, unless, by appearing implicitly to believe all he had
stated. I thus set suspicion at rest.
"'A more satisfactory motive for your information you could not have
given me, Desborough,' I at length replied, with a sarcasm which was
however lost upon him, 'and I certainly do you the justice to believe
that to the self-interest you have avowed, we shall be indebted for the
capture of the prize in question. She lies, you say, between Turkey
Island and our own shores.'
"'I guess as how she does,' replied the settler, with an eagerness that
betrayed his conviction that the bait had taken; 'but Mr.
Grantham.'--and I could detect a lurking sneer, 'I expect at least that
when you have lick'd the prize you will make my loyalty stand a little
higher than it seems to be at this moment, for I guess, puttin' the
dollars out of the question, it's a right loyal act I am guilty of now.'
"'You may rely upon it, Desborough, you shall have all the credit you
deserve for your conduct on the occasion--that it shall be faithfully
reported on my return, you may take for granted.' Here I summoned all
hands up to weigh anchor and make sail for Turkey Island. 'Now then,
Desborough, unless you wish to be a sharer in our enterprise, the sooner
you leave us the better, for we shall be off immediately.'
"In obedience to my order, all hands were speedily upon deck, and busied
in earnest preparation. In pleasing assurance that I was as completely
his dupe as could be desired, the villain had now the audacity to demand
from me a written promise that, in consideration of the information
given, five hundred dollars should be paid to him on the disposal of the
prize. This demand (aware as he was--or rather as he purposed--that I
was to play the part of the captured instead of that of the captor), was
intended to lull me into even greater reliance on his veracity. I had
difficulty in restraining my indignation, for I felt that the fellow was
laughing at me in his sleeve; however, the reflection that, in less than
twenty-four hours, the tables would be turned upon him, operated as a
check upon my feelings, and I said with a hurried voice and air:
"'Impossible. Desborough, I have no time now to give the paper, for as
you perceive we are getting under way--I however, repeat to you my
promise, that if your claims are not attended to elsewhere, you shall
have my share of the profits, if I take this prize within the next eight
and forty hours within the boundary of Turkey Island. Will that content
you?'
"'I expect as how it must,' returned the secretly delighted, yet
seemingly disappointed settler, as he now prepared to recross the
gun-wale into this canoe; 'but I guess, Mr. Grantham, you might at least
advance a feller a little money out of hand, on the strength of the
prize. Jist say twenty dollars.'
"'No, Desborough, not one. When the Turkey Island prize is mine, then if
the Government refuse to confirm your claims, we will share equally; but
as I said before, I must first capture her, before I consent to part
with a shilling.'
"'Well then, I guess I must wait,' and the scoundrel confidently
believing that he had gulled me to his heart's content, stepped heavily
into his canoe, which he directed along the lake shore, while we with
willing sails, glided up the channel and speedily lost him from our
view."
"A perfect adventure, upon my word!" interrupted De Courcy.
"What a bold and deliberate scoundrel!" added Captain Granville. "I
confess, Grantham, I cannot but admire the coolness and self-possession
you evinced on this occasion. Had I been there in your stead, I should
have tied the rascal up, given him a dozen or two on the spot, and then
tumbled him head-foremost into the lake."
"The remainder is soon told," continued Gerald. "On parting from
Desborough, I continued my course directly up the channel, with a view
of gaining a point, where unseen myself, I could observe the movements
of the American boat, which, from all I had heard, I fully expected
would attempt the passage in the course of the following day. My perfect
knowledge of the country suggested to me, as the safest and most secure
hiding place, the creek whence you saw me issue at a moment when it was
supposed the American had altogether escaped. The chief object of the
enemy was evidently to get me out of the channel. That free, it was of
minor importance whether I fell into the ambuscade or not, so that the
important boat could effect the passage unobserved, or at least in
safety. If my gun-boat should be seen returning unharmed from Turkey
Island, the American was to run into the first creek along the shore,
which she had orders to hug until I had passed, and not until I had
again resumed my station in the channel, was she to renew her course
upwards to Detroit, which post it was assumed she would then gain
without difficulty.
"It was scarcely yet day," continued Grantham, "when I reached and ran
into the creek of which I have just spoken, and which, owing to the
narrowness of the stream and consequent difficulty of waring, I was
obliged to enter stern-foremost. That no time might be lost in getting
her out at the proper moment, I, instead of dropping her anchor, made
the gun-boat fast to a tree; and, desiring the men, with the exception
of the watch, to take their rest as usual, lay quietly awaiting the
advance of the enemy.
"The gun fired from the lower battery on the island, was the first
intimation we had of the approach of the prize which I had given my
gallant fellows to understand was in reserve for us; and presently
afterwards Sambo, whom I had dispatched on the look out, appeared on the
bank, stating that a large boat, which had been fired at ineffectually,
was making the greatest exertions to clear the channel. A second shot,
discharged from a nearer point, soon after announced that the boat had
gained the head of the island, and might therefore be shortly expected.
In the impatience of my curiosity I sprang to the shore, took the
telescope out of the hands of Sambo, and hastened to climb the tree from
which he had so recently descended. I now distinctly saw the boat, and,
availing herself of the rising and partial breeze, she steered more into
the centre of the stream; and I thought I could observe marks of
confusion and impatience among the groups in front of the fort, whom I
had justly imagined to have been assembled there to witness the arrival
of the canoes we had seen descending the river long before the first gun
was fired."
"But the chase, and the firing after you doubled the point?" inquired
Captain Granville. "We saw nothing of this."
"The American, plying his oars with vigor, gave us work enough,"
answered the young sailor, "and had made considerable way up the creek,
before we came up with him. An attempt was then made to escape us by
running ashore, and abandoning the boat, but it was too late. Our bow
was almost touching his stern, and in the desperation of the moment, the
American troops discharged their muskets, but with so uncertain an aim,
in consequence of their being closely crowded upon each other, that only
three of my men were wounded by their fire. Before they could load
again, we were enabled to grapple with them hand to hand. A few of my
men had discharged their pistols, in answer to the American volley,
before I had time to interfere to prevent them; but the majority having
reserved theirs, we had now immeasurably the advantage. Removing the
bayonets from their muskets, which at such close quarters were useless,
they continued their contest a short time with these, but the cutlass
soon overpowered them, and they surrendered."
"And the Major, Grantham; did he behave well on the occasion?"
"Gallantly. It was the Major that cut down the only man I had
dangerously wounded in the affair, and he would have struck another
fatally, had I not disarmed him. While in the act of doing so, I was
treacherously shot (in the arm only, fortunately,) by the younger
scoundrel, Desborough, whom in turn I saved from Sambo's vengeance, in
order that he might receive a more fitting punishment. And now,
gentlemen, you have the whole history."
"Yes, as far as regards the men portion," said De Courcy, with a
malicious smile; "but what became of the lady all this while, my
conquering hero? Did you find her playing a very active part in the
skirmish?"
"Active--no!" replied Gerald, slightly coloring as he remarked all eyes
directed to him at this demand, "but passively courageous she was to a
degree I could not have supposed possible in woman. She sat calm and
collected amid the din of conflict, as if she had been accustomed to the
thing all her life, nor once moved from the seat which she occupied in
the stern, except to make an effort to prevent me from disarming her
uncle. I confess that her coolness astonished me, while it excited my
warmest admiration."
"I hope it may be nothing beyond admiration," observed the captain of
Grenadiers; "I tell you as a friend, Gerald, I do not like this account
you give of her conduct. A woman who could show no agitation in such a
scene must have either a damn'd cold, or a damn'd black heart, and
there's but little claim to admiration there."
"Upon my word, Captain Cranstoun," and the handsome features of Gerald
crimsoned with a feeling not unmixed with serious displeasure, "I do not
quite understand you--you appear to assume something between Miss
Montgomerie and myself that should not be imputed to either--and
certainly, not thus publicly."
"Nonsense, man, there's no use in making a secret of the matter,"
returned the positive grenadier. "The subject was discussed after dinner
yesterday, and there was nobody present who didn't agree, that if you
had won her heart you had given your own in exchange."
"God forbid!" said Henry Grantham with unusual gravity of manner, while
he looked affectionately on the changing and far from satisfied
countenance of his conscious brother, "for I repeat with Captain
Cranstoun, I like her not. Why, I know not; still I like her not, and I
shall be glad, Gerald, when you have consigned her to the place of her
destination."
"Pooh! pooh! nonsense!" interrupted Captain Granville; "never mind,
Gerald," he pursued, good-humoredly, "she is a splendid girl, and one
that you need not be ashamed to own as a conquest. By heaven, she has a
bust to warm the bosom of an anchorite, and depend upon it, all that
Cranstoun has said arises only from pique that he is not the object
preferred. Those black eyes of hers have set his ice blood upon the
boil, and he would willingly exchange places with you, as I honestly
confess I should."
Vexed as Gerald certainly felt at the familiar tone the conversation was
now assuming in regard to Miss Montgomerie, and although satisfied that
mere pleasantry was intended, it was not without a sensation of relief
that he found it interrupted by the entrance of the several
non-commissioned officers with their order-books. Soon after the party
broke up.