It was on the night of Sunday the 27th of May, 1866, that Barry and his
comrades were to attempt their escape from the Fort; and, as already
seen, it was on the same night that the deserter was conveyed in a cab
to The Harp, by Greaves. Two o’clock in the morning was the time decided
upon, and a rendezvous having been appointed, our hero, who was on
guard, saw, without challenging them, six figures steal by him into
the darkness and immediately disappear. No sooner had the last of them
vanished, than he placed his musket bolt upright in his sentry box,
and the next moment was lost also in the gloom, and in the direction in
which the figures had melted from his vision. Soon he reached the side
of the river, where he found Tom with a boat, beside which stood his
six companions. On recognizing him, they all leaped into the boat, and,
although the moon was in the heavens, sheltered by the dark overhanging
clouds that fortunately filled the sky, they dropped down the river, and
landing Tom at a point previously decided upon, they all wrung his hand
in silence, and once more put forth into the gloom, heading their craft
towards the American shore, under the guidance of a pilot who knew every
island and turn in the channel, and who joined them at the spot where
O’Brien bid them farewell. With muffled oars and in the most profound
silence, they moved along until they arrived at a turn in the channel,
where they were instructed to bend to their work by the stranger who
held the tiller; when, taking heart from their good fortune, for so far,
they made their willing craft almost leap out of the water, as they gave
a long pull, a strong pull, and a pull altogether.
As day was beginning to shape the world around them, they found
themselves nearing the American shore, and now perceiving themselves
beyond the reach of danger and out of the jurisdiction of the flag they
had so long and so cordially detested, they rested on their oars, and
giving three hearty cheers for the land they were fast approaching,
again set to with a will, and soon found themselves beneath the Stars
and Stripes of the glorious Republic before which all the nations of the
earth now bow, however reluctantly. On leaping ashore, they discovered
a short distance from the water a small village to which, on securing
their boat, they all posted; and having gained a neat little tavern, the
shutters of which were just being opened, they explained their situation
to the proprietor, and ordered breakfast, determined to rest themselves
for a period, and deliberate upon their future movements, although the
destination of Barry had, of course, long been decided upon.
On hearing that they were deserters from the British army, and that,
without an exception, they were all Irishmen, who had come to the United
States with a view to aiding in any project that had for its object the
humiliation of England, and the freedom of Ireland, the landlord, who
was a six-footer from Tipperary--one of the Cummingses--gave “a yell
out of him” that brought his wife and children in _deshabille_ to the
bar-room door, proceeded by a boy of all work, who evidently shared
their alarm and surprise to the fullest extent; but when, instead of a
bar-room disturbance, they perceived the master of the premises shaking
hands over and over again with the new arrivals, and bidding them
welcome to the land of the free, they soon disappeared from the hall
and regained their chambers, from which they had been so unceremoniously
summoned. Cummings was literally in his glory, and instantly had his
counter be-littered with glasses, bottles and decanters; while, with
genuine hospitality, he made the fugitives partake more than once of
some one of the beverages that he had placed before them. Ere long
a smoking, hot breakfast was in readiness for them, prepared by the
mistress of the house,--herself a comely Irishwoman, with a set of teeth
that you’d almost let bite you, they were so white and sunny, and a
handsome, fair face, with a _cead mille failte_ in every line and dimple
of it. Already the poor adventurers began to feel the exhilarating
effects of freedom, and, as soon as they had satisfied their appetites,
each set about changing his soldier’s coat for a rough, plain one,
which had been provided by O’Brien and his friends, and which they found
awaiting them when they first entered the boat.
As Barry, who was regarded as chief of the little party, avowed his
intention of pushing on direct for Buffalo, the others, who had no fixed
point in view, determined to join him; so, when they had taken a few
hours repose, they parted from their kind host and hostess, who would
not permit them to pay a single shilling for anything they had drank or
eaten since they entered the friendly hostel. During the time they were
waiting at the railway station, they heard various rumors as to the
intended invasion of the Province they had but just left; and from
numerous significant hints which they had received, they were fully
convinced that some important movement was on foot, which would soon
develope itself in bolder outline. On entering the cars that were to
take them west, they found the subject of Fenianism freely discussed,
and in many cases with a friendliness that showed there was, in some
instances at least, a feeling hostile to England among the American
people. As they pursued their journey and received other accessions
to their numbers as travellers, they found that this aversion was both
widely spread and deeply rooted, so that by the time they reached their
destination, they were fully satisfied that the people of America, and
those of the adjoining English Colony, could never become true friends
so long as the latter adheared to the standard of Great Britain, or
remained part and parcel of the British empire. The antagonism of
institutions, the infamous conduct of England during the late civil war,
and the fixed impression of every true American, that the Canadas
belong of right to the great people who now rule the continent, made it
strikingly apparant that England had but a precarious foot-hold upon the
shores of the New World.
On the arrival of the train at Black Rock, Barry, who had been
previously informed as to the precise locality in which the relatives of
Kate were to be found, stepped off the cars, informing his comrades
that he would join them in the city during the day. With but little
difficulty he found the dwelling of his friends, and entering it, was
received with open arms, and was instantly asked as to where he left
Kate. For a moment he did not comprehend the question, but when by
degrees he heard the fearful disclosure, that she had secretly left the
house, by night, about a week previously, he fell into a chair, almost
fainting, while the greatest consternation seized all those about him.
Slowly, and with their hearts sinking within them, they recounted the
circumstance of the note that had been written and left for them on
her bedroom table, and the fact of her having taken some of her wearing
apparel with her, but as to where she had gone, or with whom, they
were in the most profound darkness. No one had called at the house,--no
previous intimation had been given them by her as to her intentions;
and, in so far as they were concerned, all was darkness. Lauder, they
knew, had been in the vicinity of the Rock, but then, of course, he
could have had no hand in the strange transaction, as her detestation
of him precluded, as they thought, the possibility of his exercising the
slightest influence over any of her actions. However, she was gone, and
now, as it appeared, was the victim of some horrible plot or mistake
beyond the reach of any elucidation, for the present at least.
Never was a strong man so bowed to the dust as the poor young fellow who
now found all his hopes so rudely and unexpectedly dashed to the earth.
With a face pale as death he shook throughout every limb in a manner
fearful to behold. In vain he looked from one face to another for some
explanation of the dreadful calamity that had befallen him--all was
dark and blank and silent around him. Even conjecture was paralysed, so
completely was the disappearance of his betrothed enveloped in mystery.
As a preliminary step, to gain even the feeblest information of her,
he did not know how, or when or where to move. Could he get even
the slightest glimpse of any link in the chain, he could set about
unravelling the tangled and gloomy skein; but as it was, he was as
helpless as a child. Secure in her fidelity, however, and trusting to
Providence, crushed as he was, his young heart, after the first blow,
began to rise within him, and collecting himself, he set about making
such enquiries in the neighborhood as he thought were likely to throw
some light upon the subject. In this he was warmly aided by the alarmed
wife of his friend, who learned that on the very evening of the night of
her disappearance, after having given her last music lesson in the
house of one of her pupils, she was seen in company with a man, who
was recognized as no very respectable character, by one of the hands
employed in the rolling mills, who happened to catch a glimpse of them
in conversation as he was returning from his work. The name of this
latter individual having been ascertained, Barry at once visited the
mills and heard, to his consternation, that the suspicious person seen
in company with Kate on the evening referred to, was neither more nor
less than the Kid, previously introduced to the reader, as one of the
keepers of the low gambling house already mentioned, where we first met
him and his partner of the blue shirt, alluded to also as a burglar and
robber.
This much ascertained, Nicholas prevailed upon the workman to accompany
him to the den in question, into which they accidentally dropped as it
were. The person they sought was, as usual, about the premises; but from
him Barry could gain no information whatever, beyond the circumstance,
that he did remember, about a week ago, accosting a lady near Black
Bock, having taken the liberty of enquiring of her, whether a certain
person whom he was anxious to find resided in the neighborhood.
“I know that’s a lie,” said the workman, when he and Nicholas had gained
the street once more, “for as I happened to come upon them just as they
were separating, I heard the lady say, before she perceived me, and as I
was turning a corner of the road, ‘I’ll not fail to be there,’ or words
to that effect.”
To Nicholas this was more perplexing than ever; although he now arrived
at the conclusion, that Kate was the victim of some infamous and
deep-laid plot, and that Lauder was at the bottom of it. But here again
he was embarrassed by the circumstance, that he had never, so far as he
knew, seen her rejected suitor, nor was he known to any of his friends
at the Rock; from the fact that they had left Toronto before his arrival
there, and that, notwithstanding his visits to Buffalo, he had never
crossed their path. All, then, that Nicholas had to stand upon was the
circumstance that she had actually been seen in conversation with the
Kid, and that that worthy had evidently misrepresented the tenor of that
conversation, whatever it might have been.
The next day after his arrival, Barry, with a heart sore and dark
enough, went in search of his comrades, informing such of them as he
thought proper to admit to his confidence, of the dreadful condition of
his affairs and mind. While sympathising with him sincerely, however,
and offering him all the assistance in their power, they seemed absorbed
with some new subject of importance which appeared to engross no
ordinary share of their attention. Since their arrival, they had learned
that it was a fact and beyond all doubt, that the Fenians were gathering
along the frontier for the purpose of making a descent upon Canada and
securing a foothold upon its shores, with a view to making it the
basis of operations against England in their attempt to secure the
independence of Ireland. One and all they had determined to join the
expedition as volunteers, and Nicholas, who entertained a lurking
suspicion that Kate had crossed the American frontier under some
mysterious impulse or influence, half made up his mind to make one of
the invading army also. This suspicion was based upon the fact of Kate’s
having no friends or relatives in the States, save those at the Rock,
while she had several in Canada in the direction of which she might
have been attracted by letters or representations now a mystery to him.
However, he felt assured that, under any circumstance, she was not to be
found in Buffalo or its vicinity; so, moved by both love and patriotism,
before the evening had set in, he came to the conclusion to join his
comrades in the approaching struggle.
This resolution once taken, he made instant application to some of the
Fenian authorities of the city, stating the circumstance of his recent
arrival, and quickly found himself surrounded by a host of friends who
were ready to share their last mouthful or dollar with him. During this
juncture, the Irish spirit of Buffalo, strongly impregnated with the
generous national sentiment of America, was discernible upon every side.
The groups of patriots quietly at first arriving from almost every
point of the compass, were received with open arms and the sincerest
hospitality by those who had an interest in the cause of freedom and the
humiliation of the tyrant England. There were, of course, a few British
sympathisers among the people and press who, ignoring their allegiance
to the Union, or the principles for which the heroes of the Revolution
laid down their lives, threw their voice and influence into the scale on
the side of England, but they were in a hopeless minority; as the great
heart of the nation beat steadily in the interests of liberty, and
inspired its sons with all the confidence necessary to the most complete
success.
To decide, with Barry, was to act. Consequently, now that he had made
up his mind to join the expedition, he at once acquainted his friends
at the Rock, and gave them such information and instructions relative to
Kate as he thought desirable; intimating to them, at the same time, that
he was of the fixed impression that she had, by some means or other,
been lured into Canada; although a telegram, in reply to one dispatched
to Toronto, informed his friends that she had not visited that city
since she left it. Upon further inquiry, however, regarding the Kid,
he learned that that respectable personage, together with his worthy
coadjutor, Black Jack, were in the habit of paying frequent visits to
Canada on the sly; it being thought that they were employed by persons
who were engaged in smuggling. This information he gained while
walking near the breakwater with a new acquaintance well versed in city
notorieties, and who, at the moment, happened to espy a boat known to
belong to the doubtful firm of Jack and the Kid, lying drawn up on the
shore.
This craft, of course, engaged the attention of our hero, as belonging,
in part, to the individual who seemed to be mixed up in some mysterious
manner with the fate of his beloved. Consequently, he stepped over to it
and casting a glance of scrutiny at the interior, saw something sparkle
among a little sand, that had accumulated at the bottom near one of the
stretchers. Picking it up, he found that it was a handsome button that
had apparently dropped from the dress of some lady. This he examined
with the most intense eagerness; when the thought struck him that it
was very like some buttons that belonged to a dress occasionally worn by
Kate. Of this, however, he was not sufficiently certain; so, thrusting
it into his pocket, he turned away, more perplexed than ever with the
mystery that surrounded him. Hurrying to the Rock with the waif as
soon as he could, he submitted it to his friends, when it was at once
recognized as being similar to a set of buttons worn by Kate, and which
belonged to a dress that, it was believed, she wore on the night of her
disappearance. Corroborative as this evidence was, it availed him but
little for the time being; although it strengthened his resolve to move
with the army of invasion; being convinced that his betrothed had, by
some foul means, been spirited across the borders, and all through the
machinations of her rejected suitor, Lauder.
And now how he cursed the procrastination that had kept him from
applying for his discharge long since, when he might have procured it
without any difficulty, and have placed her he loved beyond the power
of any villain. Again, he was no longer free to search for her in the
Province; for he was under the ban of military law there, and, unless
supported by a sufficient number of bayonets, could not stem the torrent
that should soon overwhelm him if he re-entered the territories of the
Queen and was discovered. Yet, even death were preferable to the state
of mind in which he now found himself; he therefore at once set to work
to prepare himself for the coming contest, in the hope that when once
across the borders, if even amid the din of war, he might gain some clue
to the fate of all that he now cared to live for.
As may be supposed, the service of such men as Nicholas and his comrades
were, at a moment so critical, accepted with alacrity by the military
authorities of the Fenian organization of the city. Amongst the various
sterling patriots in power here, both he and his comrades were instantly
taken by the hand and placed in positions where their knowledge of arms
could be made most serviceable to the grand cause in which they had
resolved to embark. They were all Irish, and of that stamp that never
loses color, how fierce soever the scorching fires to which they might
be subjected. Under a special provision, and at Barry’s request,
they were attached to the same company; while he, from his evident
superiority in education and address, as well as from his thorough
knowledge of drill and military tactics, was presented, upon joining
the organization, with a captain’s commission. In the hurry and bustle
attending the note of preparation, he found some slight relief from
the great and overshadowing trouble that darkened all around him; and
finding how necessary it was to keep both mind and body employed, if he
was to retain either health or energy to aid him in any of the important
projects that now loomed before him, he gave no place to useless
repinings, but busily engaged with the necessities of his new avocation,
found the hours slipping by which intervened between the period when
he swore the true fealty of his soul to the flag of his love, and
that which was to see him a hostile invader upon the shores he had so
recently left.
As the men steadily poured into the city for a short period before the
invasion, and filled the streets and suburbs in groups of various sizes,
it became a matter of general conversation and surprise that, in bodies
so peculiarly situated, and under such seemingly slight restraint, many
of them being far distant from their homes, not a single individual
was to be found who suffered in the slightest degree from even the
appearance of intoxication. Look where you might, there was nothing but
the utmost sobriety and good behaviour. Although the men were, for the
most part, young, and many of them just from the bloodiest fields of the
South, there hung about them an air of serious decorum that argued
well for the mission in which they were about to engage. In addition,
notwithstanding that, in some cases, they were badly housed and
provisioned, a murmur never escaped their lips; nor could the most
bitter of their enemies point to a single act where the law was violated
by any of them, or show that even to the value of one mouthful of bread
had been appropriated to their use without being paid for honestly, or
given to them freely by those who felt for their position. This is so
well known that, even at the period at which we write, upwards of two
years after the occurrence of these scenes, not a solitary fact has come
to light reflecting in any degree upon the honesty, sobriety and good
conduct of these noble patriots, many of whom had left home penniless,
to wage war against a power that had almost every resource at its
command, and which they knew they should meet under circumstances that
could not fail to be disadvantageous to them.
And here we may observe, history does not record a more daring or
chivalrous project than that entertained by the brave fellows who made
the night of Thursday the 31st of May, 1866, memorable in the annals of
this continent, as well as in those of Ireland. Although laboring under
embarrassments from the most fearful mistakes and criminal neglect of an
individual to whom the grand project of the redemption of Ireland
from the yoke of the oppressor was, in its strictly military aspect,
entrusted in this country--although badly provisioned, uniformed
and equipped--although perplexed with mysterious, contradictory and
imperfect orders, and although, at the very moment of their destiny,
left without the leader whom they were led to expect should command
them, they never lost heart for a moment; feeling that heaven would
raise up amongst them a chief not only competent to meet the emergency
of the moment, but one in whom they should be able to place the fullest
and most enthusiastic confidence.
And heaven did not disappoint their noble and confiding aspirations;
for, when all looked dark and dreary to the more uneasy of their
numbers, the gallant O’Neill, crowned with the laurels which he had
so nobly won during the war that had then just closed, and true to the
genius of his ancient name and house, stepped in upon the stage, and
grasping the drooping standard of the Irish Republic, held it aloft;
and, fired with the spirit of the “Red Hand” of yore, raised the war-cry
of his race, before which many a Saxon tyrant and slave had trembled in
the days long past.