Dunmore failed to appear the next day, and Harrison came over to the
Hall and had the pleasure of the company of both Mary and his cousin to
beguile him.
Will and I, accompanied by Barron, whom we persuaded to join us as a
sort of spirit raiser, took our fowling pieces, a pair of good dogs and
Sam, and sought distraction in the covers below the bend. It is
astonishing how sympathetic young men of good antecedents will become
under certain circumstances. I always liked my cousin Will, and it
seemed to me now that my sister was cruel, and he a much abused friend,
since Miss Carter and I had had a sort of understanding between us. But
no matter, Will and I had always been drawn together, and our silent
companionship was very soothing and restful in spite of Barron's
incessant story telling and irrational humor.
The old soldier had followed around all day without so much as firing
his piece, which he insisted on having Sam carry with the flints at full
cock--much to my boy's disgust. I had always taught Sam to be careful
with weapons, but Barron insisted on readiness above all things, and
would not allow the flints down. We had bagged several brace of fine
birds while he was engaged in other matters, and after seeing that Will
and I were having all the sport he wished to have his weapon ready but
still refused to carry it. Twice there had been premature explosions,
the last of which tore off the rim of the old soldier's hat, but, after
each discharge, he made Sam reload and proceeded on his way, tranquilly
spinning story after story in high good humor, and avoiding anything
that might ruffle the feelings of young men in--well, say in an uneasy,
or perhaps diseased state of mind.
We tramped along all day, and late in the afternoon we were to the
eastward of the bend and making our way slowly through the heavy timber
towards the river in the lower reach. Will was slightly in advance of
the rest of us, and as he broke through the thick fringe of cover near
the river bank, he gave a sudden cry of astonishment and stopped. Sam
promptly caught the lock of Barron's gun in some undergrowth and
instantly exploded it, much to our annoyance, as it peppered my favorite
setter severely and sent him howling down the river shore with a dozen
or more small shot sunk deep in his hide.
In a moment we cleared the pines, and the first thing that met our gaze
was the _Fowey_, frigate, close to the beach and standing up the river
with all her working canvas set and her guns run out ready for action.
Behind her came several smaller craft, apparently crowded with men and
guns. One glance at the ship told plainly who she was, and upon her high
poop strode a man fore and aft whom we had no difficulty in recognizing
as Lord Dunmore, His Majesty's Governor of Virginia.
We were less than half a mile distant, but the shadow of the pines made
it much more difficult for those on board to see us, half concealed as
we were in the long grass and low bushes, than for us to see them. The
poor dog, however, howled dismally, and the report of the gun was
evidently mistaken for the discharge of a hostile rifle, for in a moment
a great cloud of white smoke burst from the frigate's broadside, and the
same instant the air seemed alive with grape-shot, while the jarring
report of a twenty pounder echoed along the shore. The balls tore with
a loud, ripping, rush through the pine tops and crashed through the
undergrowth. One of them striking the butt of Will's gun smashed it to
bits and knocked him endways into the woods.
To say we were a little surprised at this reception would hardly
describe our feelings. I made a spring for cover and hugged a large tree
trunk as though a storm were breaking over me, and as I did so I heard
Sam give a yell and disappear as if the earth had swallowed him up.
It was over in less time than it takes to tell of it, and I stepped out
to see Barron laughing heartily as he dragged Will to his feet.
"They do make a most valuable noise," he laughed, "but there's little
harm in them. The devil! You were lucky in not getting that into
you--mere chance though." And he picked up Will's shattered gun.
"If that's the reception Dunmore is going to give us, I think we might
as well keep on to Williamsburg and join Mr. Henry's men," said Will,
looking somewhat disturbed in mind. "I never had a high opinion of his
lordship's manners, but this is going it a little too far. I wish I had
my rifle, I would see if he would do a little jumping at the crack of
it. Here, Sam! Give me the Captain's gun and I will load with ball and
have a try at him."
"Is it over, Marse Dick?" asked Sam's voice coolly from somewhere in
the thick bushes.
"Come out, you black rascal!" cried Barron, and presently Sam emerged
from cover rapidly reloading Barron's weapon, at the same time keeping
an eye on the vessels as if expecting an attack.
"Don't do anything foolish, Will," I said, as I saw his temper rising,
"It is a serious matter to fire on His Majesty's Governor. Besides, here
comes a boat from the first schooner to inquire into our affairs."
While I spoke, the vessel close in the frigate's wake luffed sharply,
and as her headway slackened, a gig full of soldiers, pulled by four
stout niggers, shot away from her side and came rapidly towards us.
Then the vessel tacked ship and stood slowly in after the boat, her
head sheets slacked off to stop her headway and the black muzzle of a
long twelve pounder sticking half a fathom clear of her forecastle rail.
We stood in a group on the sand and awaited developments, supposing, of
course, that as soon as we were recognized the vessel would proceed on
her course in the wake of the frigate.
Dunmore we all knew quite well, for he had been several times to the
Hall and had often visited Will Byrd's cousin at the magnificent estate
at Westover.
As the boat load of soldiers neared the shore the schooner luffed again
within easy hailing distance, and a man standing by the forecastle gun
hailed us.
"Throw down your arms, you dogs, or I'll blow you off the ground!" he
roared.
"The devil!" exclaimed Barron, "I wonder if he means that for us? But
our dogs are not armed."
"Bang!" went the long twelve pounder in a cloud of smoke, without
another moment's warning, and a shot whistled over the small boat and
struck the beach a few feet in front and to the right of us. A storm of
sand and gravel drove into our midst, staggering and blinding me so that
I fell against Will, who in turn fell to the ground, swearing furiously.
A small particle had struck him with great violence in the eye, and in
his fury at this brutal onslaught he sprang to his feet, grabbed my gun
from my hands, before I had recovered sufficiently to stop him, and
fired a load of small shot slap into the boat full of men just as its
keel touched the sand. A perfect roar of curses followed, as the
soldiers received the scattering charge. Then Barron seized Will, and
just as several men leaped ashore with their guns raised to shoot, all
three of us were struggling on the ground. Sam, left alone to face the
loaded muskets, dropped Barron's gun and instantly disappeared with a
couple of musket balls snipping through the brushwood after him. The
next instant we were surrounded by men and dragged to our feet, while a
short, but big-limbed Irish sergeant stood near and gave orders to his
crew not to bayonet us.
"Who are you, and where's the rest of you?" snapped a grizzled,
lean-faced officer, running up with his sword drawn and looking full at
Barron.
"I am Jameson Barron, Esq., sir," said the Captain, smiling pleasantly,
"and as for the rest of me, I believe it is in Richmond. Dr. McGuire cut
it off the day after Braddock was killed and put it into a small flask
of alcohol." And he held up his left hand from which the last finger was
missing.
"None of your jokes, sir," snapped the officer. "Where's the rest of
your party?"
Barron looked about him.
"Sam!" he called loudly. "Sam!"
"I guess he's taken the track," he continued, quietly, "but must still
be within a mile of us. However, before we go too deeply into the case,
sir, you will oblige us greatly by stating your authority for firing
upon gentlemen who are in no way hostile to His Majesty."
"Yes," I said, "I am Richard Judkins, of Judkins' Hall, sir, and am well
known to Lord Dunmore. By what right do you fire upon us while we are
simply out shooting for sport." Here I looked around for our bag and
ammunition flasks to prove the statement, if necessary; but Sam, who had
been carrying almost everything, had run into the bushes before dropping
his burdens, and they were out of sight.
The ammunition left us was not of a character to corroborate my
statement to any degree of exactness. It consisted now of several musket
balls that Will had put in his pocket for use in case we had met larger
game.
"Sport, eh!" snarled the officer, rubbing his shoulder where a shot had
penetrated the skin. "You'll see sport enough before we get through with
you. You may start on them, sergeant."
He turned away abruptly on saying this, and, with half a dozen men
deployed as skirmishers, proceeded to examine the edges of the forest
for traces of a hidden foe.
"So 'tis sport ye're afther, hey?" said the sergeant. "Give yourself no
oneasiness, ye'll see it fast enough. Rooney, me sowl, lay yer hand
tinderly on yer trigger, while I investigate the handsome old un, an' if
he so much as winks his ears, blow his tripes out, d'ye see?"
Barron made no further comment, except to inquire of private Rooney what
particular part of his anatomy held the "tripes" alluded to by the
sergeant.
"Hold yer tongue, ye handsome old man," said that officer. "My sowl, but
ye have a dacent figure av a soldier, despite the years av yer cocoanut.
Fancy him, boys, squinting wan av thim oies av his at a leddy," and he
ended with a hoarse chuckle, while he carefully went through Barron's
pockets.
We were each examined in turn, but nothing of a hostile nature was
discovered, except Will's half dozen bullets. These, with our tobacco
and snuff boxes, were carefully tied up in a handkerchief and carried by
the sergeant to the boat. Our guns were also appropriated.
The officer in charge returned presently from his search along the
shore, and having found nothing in the shape of a foe, he ordered all
hands into the boat.
I protested with some energy against this high handed proceeding, but
was instantly seized by several soldiers while another stuck his bayonet
point half an inch into my back. Will was treated in the same manner,
and Barron, knowing resistance to be useless, set us the example by
walking quickly to the boat and climbing aboard. In a few minutes we
were on our way to the schooner.
As we drew near, I noticed the vessel's peculiar rig. She appeared light
in the water, with long overhang fore and aft, and her masts raked
backwards to the last degree. Her spars were long and tapering, and new,
while her bulwarks appeared to have been built up to the height of a
frigate's, showing that she was evidently some fast vessel altered and
fitted up for the work Dunmore had planned on the river. Four ports cut
in her broadsides held the black muzzles of her battery of light
twelves, while on the forecastle was the pivot gun of heavier metal,
which had been discharged at us a few minutes before. Men swarmed on
her main deck and about her battery, while small knots stood with the
sheets in hand ready for further orders.
The man who had hailed us from the forecastle, and had fired without
further warning, now stood at the starboard gangway, where a hanging
companionway trailed in the water. He wore a shabby uniform, such as I
had seen some of Dunmore's officers wear when doing their so-called
patrol duty on the river. He was short and stout, with a red face, his
shifty, fishy eyes looking like two little gray dots on either side of a
nose that much resembled a boil.
As we drew alongside he bawled out orders, the men hauled flat the head
sheets, and instantly the schooner began to forge ahead. Some one threw
a line and a man in the boat caught it, making her fast at the
companionway, up which the officer in charge of us scrambled to the main
deck. We were quickly sent aboard, followed by the boat's crew, and were
lined up in the gangway between a file of soldiers, while the small boat
was dropped astern to tow in the vessel's wake.