This is the story of Corporal Darius Olin, touching his adventure
in the Temple of the Avengers, at some unknown place in Upper
Canada, on the night of August 12, 1813, and particularly the
ordeals of the sword, the slide, and the bayonet to which Captain
Ramon Bell was subjected that night, as told to Adjutant Asarius
Church, at Sackett's Harbor, New York:--
"Soon es I see whut wus up, I gin a powerful lift on thet air
shackle-chain. I felt 'er give 'n' bust. A couple o' men clim'
int' the seat front uv us, 'n' the hosses started hell bent. I sot
up with my hands 'hind uv me 'n the wagin. I kep' 'em there tight
'n' stiff, es ef the iron wus holdin' uv 'em. Could n't git no
chance t' say nuthin' t' Ray. Hustled us upstairs, 'n' when we
come in t' thet air big room they tuk him one way an' me 'nother.
"Didn't hev no idee where I wus. Felt 'em run a chain through my
arms, careful, efter they sot me down. I sot still fer mebbe five
minutes. Seemed so ev'rybody'd gone out o' the place. Could n't
hear nuthin' nowhere. I le' down the chain jest es ca-areful es I
could, 'n' tuk off the blindfold. 'Twas all dark; could n't see my
hand afore me. Crep' 'long the floor. See 't was covered with
sawdust. Tuk off m' boots, 'n' got up on m' feet, 'n' walked
careful. Did n' dast holler t' Ray. Cal'lated when the squabble
come I 'd be ready t' dew business. All t' once I felt a slant 'n
the floor. 'T was kind o' slip'ry, 'n' I begun t' slide. Feet
went out from under me 'n' sot me down quick. Tried t' ketch holt
o' suthin'. Could n't hang on; kep' goin' faster. Fust I knew I
'd slid int' some kind uv a box. Let me down quicker 'n scat over
thet air grease a little ways. I out with my tew hands 'n' bore
ag'in' the sides o' th' box powerful 'n' stopped myself. Then I up
with these here feet o' mine. See the top o' the box wa'n't much
more 'n a foot above me. Tried t' crawl up ag'in. Couldn't mek
it. Dum thing slanted luk Tup's Hill. Hung on awhile, cipherin'
es hard es I knew how. Hearn suthin' go kerslap. Seem so the hull
place trembled. Raised up my head, 'n' peeked over my stumick down
the box. A bar o' light stuck in away down. Let myself go careful
till I c'u'd see my nose in it. Then I got over on my shoulder 'n'
braced on the sides o' the box, back 'g'in' one side 'n' knees
'g'in' t'other. See 't was a knot-hole where the light come in,
'bout es big es a man's wrist. Peeked through, 'n' see a lot o'
lights 'n' folks, 'n' hearn 'em talkin'. Ray he stud on a platform
facin' a big, powerful-lookin' cuss. Hed their coats 'n' vests
off, 'n' sleeves rolled up, 'n' swords ready. See there wus goin'
t' be a fight. Hed t' snicker--wa'n' no way I c'u'd help it, fer,
Judas Priest! I knew dum well they wa'n't a single one of them air
Britishers c'u'd stan' 'fore 'im. Thet air mis'able spindlin'
devil I tol' ye 'bout--feller et hed the women--he stud back o'
Ray. Hed his hand up luk thet. 'Fight!' he says, 'n' they got t'
work, 'n' the crowd begun t' jam up 'n' holler. The big feller he
come et Ray es ef he wus goin' t' cut him in tew. Ray he tuk it
easy 'n' rassled the sword of the big chap round 'n' round es ef it
wus tied t' hisn. Fust I knew he med a quick lunge 'n' pricked 'im
'n the arm. Big chap wus a leetle shy then. Did n't come up t'
the scratch es smart 'n' sassy es he'd orter. Ray he went efter
'im hammer 'n' tongs. Thet air long slim waist o' hisn swayed 'n'
bent luk a stalk o' barley. He did luk joemightyful han'some--wish
't ye c'u'd 'a' seen 'im thet air night. Hair wus jest es shiny es
gold 'n the light o' them candles. He 'd feint, an' t' other 'd
dodge. Judas Priest! seemed so he put the p'int o' the sword all
over thet air big cuss. C'u'd 'a' killed 'im a dozen times, but I
see he did n't want t' dew it. Kep' prickin' 'im ev'ry lunge 'n'
druv 'im off the boards--tumbled 'im head over heels int' the
crowd. Them air devils threw up their hats 'n' stomped 'n'
hollered powerful, es ef 't were mighty fun t' see a man cut t'
pieces. Wall, they tuk up another man, quicker 'n the fust, but he
wa'n' nowhere near s' big 'n' cordy. Wa'n't only one crack o' the
swords in thet air fight. Could n't hardly say Jack Robinson 'fore
the cuss hed fell. Ray hurt him bad, I guess, for they hed t' pick
'im up 'n' carry 'im off luk a baby. Guess the boy see 't he hed a
good many to lick, 'n' hed n't better waste no power a-foolin'.
All t' once thet air low-lived, spindlin', mis'able devil he come
t' the edge o' the platform 'n' helt up his hand. Soon 's they
stopped yellin' he says; 'Gentlemen,' he says, 'sorry t' tell ye
thet the man fer the next bout hes got away. We left him securely
fastened up 'n the fust chamber. Have hed the building searched,
but ain't able t' find him. He must hev gone down the slide. I am
sorry to say we hev no more Yankees. If this man fights any more
it will hev t' be a Britisher thet goes ag'in' 'im. Is there a
volunteer?'
"Ray he runs up 'n' says suthin' right 'n his ear. Could n't hear
whut 'twus. Did n' set well. T' other feller he flew mad, 'n'
Ray he fetched 'im a cuff, luk thet, with the back uv his hand. Ye
see, he did n' know he hed been a-fightin' Yankees, 'n' he did n'
like the idee. 'Gentlemen,' says he, 'I 'll fight anybody, but ef
this chap ain't a coward, he 'll fight me himself.' T'other feller
he off with his coat 'n' vest es quick es a flash 'n' picked up a
sword. 'Fight, then, ye cub!' says he; an' they flew at each other
hell bent fer 'lection. He wa'n' no fool with a sword, nuther, I
can tell ye, thet air spindlin' cuss. I see Ray hed his han's
full. But he wus jest es cool es a green cowcumber, eggzac'ly.
Kep' a-cuffin' t' other sword, 'n' let 'im hit 'n' lunge 'n' feint
es much es he pleased. See he wus jest a-gettin' his measure, 'n'
I knew suthin' wus goin' t' happen purty quick. Fust I knew he
ketched Ray by the shirtsleeve with the p'int uv 'is sword 'n'
ripped it t' the collar. Scairt me so I bit my tongue watchin' uv
'em. They got locked, 'n' both swords came up t' the hilts
t'gether with a swish 'n' a bang luk thet. The blades clung, 'n'
they backed off. Then Ray he begun t' feint 'n' lunge 'n' hustle
'im. Quicker 'n scat he gin 'im an awful prick 'n the shoulder. I
c'u'd see the blood come, but they kep' a-goin' back 'n' forth 'n'
up 'n' down desperit. The red streak on thet air feller's shirt
kep' a-growin'. Purty quick one side uv 'im wus red an' t' other
white. See he wus gettin' weaker 'n' weaker. Ray c'u'd 'a'
split 'im t' the navel ef he'd only hed a min' tew. All t' once he
med a jab at Ray, 'n' threw up 'is han's, 'n' went back a step er
tew, luk a boss with th' blin' staggers, 'n' tumbled head over
heels in thet air open grave. There wus hell t' pay fer a minute.
Lot on 'em clim' over the row o' lights, yellin' luk wildcats, 'n'
hauled thet air mis'able cuss out o' the grave, 'n' stud 'im up,
'n' gin 'im a drink o' liquor. In half a minute he up with his
han'kerchief 'n' waved it over 'is head t' mek 'em keep still.
Soon 's they wus quiet he up 'n' he says: 'Gentlemen,' says he,
'this 'ere chap hes stood the test o' the sword. Are ye
satisfied?' 'We are,' says they--ev'ry British son uv a gun they
wus there up 'n' hollered, 'Then,' says he, 'giv' 'im th' slide.'
"Ray he put down 'is sword 'n' picked up 'is coat 'n' vest. Then
they grabbed th' lights, 'n' thet 's th' last I see on' em there.
Purty quick 'twus all dark. Hearn 'em comin' upstairs 'n goin'
'cross th' floor over my head. 'Gun t' think o' myself a leetle
bit then. Knowed I was in thet air slide, an' hed t' le' go purty
quick. Hed n't no idee where it went tew, but I cal'lated I wus
middlin' sure t' know 'fore long. Knowed when I le' go I wus goin'
t' dew some tall slippin' over thet air greased bottom. See a
light come down th' box 'n a minute. Hearn somebody speakin' there
et the upper end.
"'This 'ere's th' las' test o' yer courage,' says a man, says he;
'few comes here alive 'n' sound es you be. Ye wus a doomed man.
Ye 'd hev been shot at daylight, but we gin ye a chance fer yer
life. So fur ye 've proved yerself wuthy. Ef ye hold yer courage,
ye may yit live. Ef ye flinch, ye 'll land in heaven. Ef yer life
is spared, remember how we honor courage.'
"Then they gin 'im a shove, 'n' I hearn 'im a-comin'. I flopped
over 'n' le' go. Shot away luk a streak o' lightnin'. Dum thing
grew steeper 'n' steeper. Jes' hel' up my ban's 'n' let 'er go
lickitty split. Jerushy Jane Pepper! jes' luk comin' down a
greased pole. Come near tekin' my breath away--did sart'n. Went
out o' thet air thing luk a bullet eggzac'ly. Shot int' the air
feet foremust. Purty fair slidin' up in the air 'most anywheres,
ye know. Alwus come down by the nighest way. 'T was darker 'n
pitch; could n't see a thing, nut a thing. Hearn Ray come out o'
the box 'bove me. Then I come down k'slap in th' water 'n' sunk.
Thought I 'd never stop goin' down. 'Fore I come up I hearn Ray
rip int' th' water nigh me. I come up 'n' shook my head, 'n'
waited. Judas Priest! thought he wus drownded, sart'n. Seemed so
I 'd bust out 'n' cry there 'n th' water waitin' fer thet air boy.
Soon es I hearn a flop I hed my han's on 'im.
"'Who be you?' says he.
"'D'ri,' says I.
"'Tired out,' says he; 'can't swim a stroke. Guess I 'll hev t' go
t' th' bottom.'"