C O P Y RIG H T , 1 890 , BY

C H A R L E S SC R IB N ER S ’
SO N S
.

P r es s of J J L ittl e
. . Cc .
,

A s to r P l ac e, N ew Y o r k.
 CON T EN T S .

C H AP T E R I .

T HE F RE N C H ARE I N T H E V ALLEY

C H AP TE R I I .

S ETT IN G FO RT H H O W T HE G IRL C HILD WA S B R O U GHT T O U S

C HA P TE R III .

MASTE R PH I LIP M AK E S H I S B ow—A N D B EH A VE S B A D LY

C H A P T ER IV .

IN WH I C H I B EC OM E T HE S O N O F THE H O U S E

C HA P TER V .

H OW A S TATE LY NAM E WA S S H O RTE N ED A ND SW EET E N ED .

C H AP TE R VI .

W IT H I N S OUND O F T H E S H O U TING WATER S

C H AP TE R
V II .

T HRO U GH H APPY Y OU TH T O MAN S E STATE

’

C HAP TE R V I II .

E NTER MY LADY B E REN ICIA C R OSS

 Con ten ts .

C H AP TE R IX .

I S E E MY S WEET S I STER D RE SS ED IN S TR A NGE ATTIRE

C H AP T E R X .

T H E M A SQ U ERAD E B RING S ME N O THING BU T P AI N .

C H AP TE R X I .

A S I M A KE MY ADIEU X M R PHILI P C O ME S IN
. .

C H AP TE R X II .

O LD T IME PO LITI C S PO NDERED U NDER THE FO RE S T

-
S TA R

C H AP TE R X III .

To T HE FA R L A KE CO U NTRY A ND H O ME A GAIN

C H AP TE R X I V .

H O W I S EEM T O F EEL A W A NTING N O TE IN THE C H O R U S O F

WEL C O ME

C H AP TE R XV .

T HE R U DE AW AKENING F R O M MY D RE AM

C H AP TE R XV I .

T ULP GET S A B R O KEN H EAD T O M ATC H M Y H EART

C H AP TE R XV II .

I PER FOR C E S AY FA REWELL T O MY O LD H O ME

C H A P TER XV III .

T HE F AIR B E GINNI N G O F A N EW L I F E IN AN C IENT A LB ANY .

 Con ten ts
°

. 1x

C HA P TE R XIX .

P A GE

I GO T O A F AM O U S G ATHERING A T THE PATR OO N S ’

M ANO R

C HA P T E R XX .

A FOO LI S H AND V EX ATI O U S Q U AR REL I S T HR U S T U P O N ME .

C H AP TE R XX I .

C O NT AINING O THER N EW S B E S IDE S TH A T F R O M B U NKER H IL L . 2 22

C HA P TE R XX II .

T HE M A S TER A ND M I S TRE SS O F CAIRN C R OSS

C H AP T E R XX III .

H OW PHI L I P IN W RATH D AI S Y IN AN GU I S H F LY THEIR

, ,

C HA P TE R XX I V .

T HE N IGHT A TT AC K U P O N Q U E B E C—A ND MY SH A RE IN IT .

C H A P T E R XXV .

A C RE STFALLEN R ETU RN T O ALBANY

C H AP T E R XXV I .

I S EE D AI SY AND THE O LD H O ME O N C E M O RE

C H AP T E R XX VII .

T HE A RRE S T O F POO R L ADY J O HN SO N

C H AP TE R XXV III .

AN O LD AC Q UAI NTAN CE TURN S U P IN M AN AC LE S .

x Con ten ts .

C HA P TE R XX IX .

TH E M ESSAGE SENT AH EA D F ROM T HE I NVADI N G ARMY

C H AP TE R XX X .

F R O M T H E SC YTH E AN D R E APER T O THE M USKET .

C HA P T ER XXX I .

T HE R E ND E! VOUS O F FIGHTIN G M EN AT FO RT DAYTO N .

C H AP TER XXX II .

TH E B LO O D BE ON YOU R H EAD S

C HA P TE R XXX III .

T HE F E AR SOME D E A TH S TR U GGLE IN THE FO RE S T

-

C HA P TE R XXX I V .

A L O N E A T L A ST WIT H MY E N E MY

C H AP TER xxxv .

T HE S TR AN GE U S ES TD W HI C H R EVENGE MAY B E P UT

C HA P T E R XX XV I .

A F IN AL S C EN E IN TH E G U L F WHIC H MY EYES A RE M ER C I
F UL LY SPARE D

C HA P T ER XXXV II .

THE P EACEF UL E ND I N G O F I T AL L
 L IST O F IL L UST RA T IO N S .

Fr om gin a l dr a win gs by H
of i owa r d P yle .

PA G E

TH E NE GR O BO Y ARM S WHIRLING WIDE IN AIR S H O T O VE R

, ,

THE S IDE O F THE C LI FF Fr on tispiece

F IVE RE D C OATED SO LDIER S O N H O R S E BA C K W ITH A N O THER

- -
,

C L OAKED T O T H E EYE S ; C LU STERING ABO U T THE S E

A M O TLEY S C O RE O F P OO R PE O P LE Y O U NG A N D O L D , .

WITHIN SO U ND OF T H E S H O U TING WATER S .

WE MEN F O LK TH OU GHT THE M U S I C

-
As S WEET As TH AT O F
THE C HER U B IM .

T HI S Is ENOCH WADE GENTLEMEN

, ,
SAID THE BAR O NET . 88

GO O D -
BY , B IG B R O THER , S HE SA ID SO F TLY
, .

H E T O LD THEM WHEN WE C H AN C ED T O S IT A R OU ND THE F IRE

,

O F A N EVENING M OS T REM ARK AB LE S T O RIE S O F F IELD A N D

,

F O RE S T

TH E B LO W—T H E WH O LE C R U S HING S ERIE S OF B LO W S—H AD

T HE DIGNI F IED SOB ER F IGU RE O F AB R AHAM

, T EN B R O E C K
APP EA RED IN O U R W AT C H FU L C IR C LE .
 L is t of Il l us tr a tion s .

PA G E

WH ILE HI S EY ES S TI LL GL O WED F IERY W RAT H T HE T REM ,

B LING LI P S B E CAM E P ITE O U S IN THEIR IN AB ILITY T O F O RM

WHO A RE Y O U ? AN D O FF WITH Y O U R H AT , I SA ID T O THE

“
IS Y O U R HA NGING PA RTY RE AD Y ? HE

I TU RNED T H E S HEET O VER A N D O VER IN MY H AND S , RE

RE ADING LINE S HERE A N D THERE

I WI S H T O GO D WE WERE WELL O U T O F THI S A LL , HE

SA ID , A L MO ST

T HERE HAL F STRETC HED O N THE WET B OO D ST AINED G RA SS

, , L -

LAY PHILI P C R OSS

MY H ATRED O F H IM S EEMED S U DDENLY TO HA VE TAKEN TO

 IN T H E VA LLEY .

C HA PT E R I .

“
TH E FR EN C H A RE IN TH E V A LL E Y
I T m ay ea s il y be th a t d u ring th e many year s
,

w h ic h h ave com e and gon e since th e even tfu l tim e

o f my childhood M em ory has played t ricks u po n
,

m e t o th e p rej u dice O f Tru th I am i nd eed ad m on .

i sh o d of th is by stu dy o f my s o n fo r W h ose ch ild re n ,

i n t u rn th is tale is ind ited an d W ho i s n ow abl e t o

,

r emember m any incid en ts O f h is you th — c h ie fl y beat

ings an d l ike paren tal cru elti es—wh ich I kn ow ve ry

well n ever happen ed at all H e i s good eno ugh t o .

forgive m e thes e myth i cal stripes an d b u ffetings ,

bu t h e n u rses thei r mem o ry W ith osten tat io u s an d

increasingly su c cin ct recollect ion W h ereas for my ,
'
o w n part an d for h is m other s
,
o u r en d u rin g fear ,

wa s lest w e had spo iled h im th ro u gh weak fondn ess .

By good fortu n e th e reverse h as b een t ru e H e is .

grown int o a man o f W hom any p a rent s m ight b e

—
prou d tall well featu red strong t olerably l earn ed
,
-
, , ,

h onorabl e an d o f i nfl u en ce am ong h i s fellows H i s

,
.

a ffectio n fo r u s t o o i s very great Yet in th e fash ion

, ,
.

of th is new gen eration wh ich speaks with ou t wait

,
 she d oes
s c rupl e to i nstru ct
n ot
‘

6d 5 11 h e will have i t th at h e
—
feared m e wh en a lad and with cau se ! If fan cy
c an s o d ist ort impressions wi thi n su ch sh ort span i t ,

d oes n o t becom e m e t o b e t oo set abo u t even ts

wh ich com e back sl owly th rou gh th e m ist an d dark
n ess O f n early th reescor e years .

Yet th ey ret u rn t o m e s o fu ll o f color an d cu t i n ,

su ch p reci si on an d ke enn ess o f o u tl in e that at n o ,

point c an I b ring mysel f t o s ay Perhap s I am i n ,

“
e rror con ce rn in g this or t o as k ,
”
H a s th i s p er
,

chan ce been con fu sed with othe r m att ers ? M ore

ove r th ere are few n ow remai n in g wh o o f th ei r o wn
,

m em o ry cou ld controvert o r correct m e A n d i f they .

essay t o d o SO wh y sh o u ld n o t my wo rd b e at l eas t
,

as weighty as thei rs ? A n d SO t o th e story

I w a s i n my eighth year an d the re wa s sn ow on

,

th e gro u n d .

Th e d ay i s recorded i n hi story as N ovem be r 1 3 ,

A D 1 7 57 bu t I am afraid that I d id n o t kn ow m u ch
. .
,

abou t years then and certainly th e m on th seem s

,

n ow t o h ave been o n e O f m idwin te r Th e M ohawk .

,

a large r stream th en by fa L th an i n th ese d ays was ,

n o t yet frozen over bu t it s frothy fl ood ran very

,

dark and C h ill between th e wh it e banks an d th e ,

m u skrat s an d th e beavers were all snu g i n th eir wi n

t er h ol es : A lth ou gh n o big fragm ents o f i ce fl oat ed
o n th e cu rrent there had al ready be en a p rod igi ou s
,

Scatterin g o f th e bateau x an d canoes wh i ch th ro ugh

al l th e op e n season m ad e a th rivin g th o rough fare o f
th e rive r ( Th i s m ean t th a fl th e trad i n g was over
. ,
4 In Me V al l ey .

th em A l l my d evi ces o f h ors e hai r an d d ee r h id e

.
- -

snare s were fool ish ness in thei r sharp eyes Th e .

water fowl t oo— th e geese du cks cran es poke s

-
, , , , ,

- —
fish hawks an d oth ers had fl own som etim es d ark
, ,

o n ing th e sky ove r o u r clearin g by th e d en sity o f

thei r fl ocks an d fill in g the ai r with clam or Th e

, .

owls ind eed remain ed b u t I hat ed th em

, , , .

The ve ry n ight b e fore th e day o f wh i ch I s p eak I ,

wa s awakened by on e o f th ese st u p id pe rverse bi rds , ,

which m u st h ave been i n th e cedars o n th e kn oll

close beh in d th e h o u se and whi ch d i stu rbed my ve ry
,

sou l by hi s ceasel ess and m elan ch oly h o ot ing Fo r .

som e reason i t affected m e m ore than com m on ly ,

and I lay for a lon g ti m e n early on th e p oin t O f t ears

with vexati on — and i t i s l i kely som e o f that t error
, ,

with which u ncanny n oises i nsp i re ch il d ren in th e

darkness I was warm en ou gh u nd e r my fox robe
.
-
,

sn u ggl ed int o th e h u sks b u t I was ve r y wretch ed ,

.

’
I cou ld h ear b etwe en th e i nte rvals o f th e owl s s in
.
,

i st er cri es th e di stant yelp ing O f th e t i mbe r wolves

,

fi rst from th e S ch ohari e sid e O f the rive r and th e n ,

from o u r o w n woods O n ce th ere rose awf u lly n ear

.
,
’
the l og wall again st wh ich I n estled a panth e r s ,

shril l scream foll owed by a l on g sil en ce as i f th e

, ,

lesser wil d thin gs ou t sid e shared fo r th e t im e my

fright I rem embe r that I held my breath
. .

I t was d u ri ng th is h u sh an d wh il e I lay strivi ng ,

p oor littl e fell ow to d ispel my alarm by fi xin g my

,

th ou ghts resol u t ely on a rabbit trap I had s e t u nd er -

som e ru nn ing h eml ock ou t on th e sid e h ill th at th ere ,

rose the n oise o f a h orse being ridd en swi ftly d own

the fro sty highway ou tside The h oo f beats cam e .
-
 l e Fr en ek ar e in tke Va l l ey 5

p ou nding u p close t o o u r gate A m om en t l ater .

there was a great hamm ering o n th e o ak d oor as ,

with a C u dgel or p istol handle an d I heard a voice ,

call o u t in Germ an ( its ech oes ring still i n my o l d

ears)
“
T h e French are i n the V all ey I
I d rew my h ead d own u nd e r the fox skin as i f i t -

h ad been smitten sh arply an d qu aked i n solit u d e I ,

.

d esired to h ear n o mo re .

A lth o ugh so ve ry you ng a boy I kn ew qu ite wel l ,

’

wh o th e French were an d what their v is ita tio n s p o r

,

tended Eve n at that age on e has recollecti on s I

. .

cou ld recall my fath er p eace fu l man o f Go d th o u gh

,

h e was taking d own h is gu n som e years be fore at

,

the ru m o r o f a Fren ch app roach and my m othe r ,

clinging to hi s coat as he stoo d i n the d oorway s u c ,

c es s fu l l y plead ing with h im n ot t o go forth I had .

m ore than once seen M rs M arkell of M in den with .

,

h er bla ck kn it c ap worn t o con ceal th e absen ce o f

her scalp which had b een take n only th e p revi o u s
,

su mm e r by th e I nd ian s wh o sold i t t o the Fren ch ,

for ten l ivres al ong with the scalp s o f her m u rd e red

,

hu sban d an d bab e SO it seem ed that ad ult s som e

.

times parted with th is p ort io n o f th ei r h eads with o u t

losing also th ei r l ives I won dere d i f sm all boys
.

were ever equ ally fort u nate I fel t s o ftly o f my hai r .

and wept .

H ow th e crowd ing thou ghts O f th at d ismal h ou r

ret u rn t o m e ! I recall considerin g i n my m in d th e
i dea o f bequ eathing my tam e squ i rrel to H end rick
Getman and the works o f an Old clock with th ei r
, ,

d el ight fu l myst ery o fwood en cogs an d t u rn ed wh eel s ,

6 In tke Va l l ey .

wh ich was my ch ief treasu re t o my n egro f ri en d

T u lp—and t h en refl e ct ing that t h ey to o wou ld share
,

my fat e an d wo u ld thu s be precl u d ed from enj oy

,

i ng my legaci es Th e wh im sical asp ect o f th e task

.

’
o f gett ing hold u pon T u l p s close woolly s calp was ,

m om en tarily apparen t t o m e bu t I did n ot l au gh,

.

I n s t ead th e ve ry su ggestion of h u m or converted my

,

t ears i nto veh em en t sobbings .

When at last I ven t u red t o l i ft my head an d

l isten again i t was t o h ear an oth e r voi ce an E n g
, ,

l ish sp eaking voice wh i ch I kn ew ve ry well sayi ng

-
,

gravely from wi thi n th e d oor :

“
I t i s well t o warn b u t n o t t o terri fy There are
,
.

m any l eag u es between u s an d danger and m any ,

good fi ght in g m en When you have t old yo u r t id

.

i ngs t o Si r Wi lliam ad d that I h ave h eard it all an d

,

have gon e back t o bed .

Th en th e d oor was C losed and barred an d th e ,

h oof beats d ied away d own th e V alley

-
.

Th ese few words h ad su ffi ced t o sh am e m e h eart

ily o f my coward ice I o u gh t to have rem embere d
.

that we were alm ost with in hail o f Fo rt J ohnson an d

its great owner th e Gen eral ; t hat th ere was a l on g
l ine o f forts between u s and th e u su al p o int o f inva
—
sion wi th many soldi ers ; and m ost imp ortan t O f
,

—
al l that I was i n the h o u se o f M r Stewart . .

I f th ese seem over m at u re refl ecti on s fo r o n e o f

-

f
my age it sh ould b e expl ain ed that wh il e a veritabl e
, ,

ch ild in m att ers o f h eart and imp ulse I wa s i n ed u ,

cat ion and associat ion m u ch advanced beyon d my

years T h e m aste r O f th e h o u se M r Th om as S tew
.
, .

art wh ose kin d favor had p rovid ed m e with a h om e

,
 T be Fr en e/i ar e in tke Va l l ey

’
after my fath er s s a d d em ise had d iverted h i s leisu re
,

with my i nstru ction and given m e th e great a dv a n

,

tage o f daily co nversati on both in En gl i sh and

D utch with him I was kn own t o S ir W illiam and
.

t o M r Bu tler and othe r gentl em en an d wa s o ft en

.
,

p rivileged to l ist e n wh en th ey con versed wi th M r .

Stewart Th u s I had grown wi se i n certain respects

.
,

wh ile rem ain in g ext rem ely childish i n o th e rHJ T h u s

it was that I trembled fi rst at th e comm on h oot in g
of an owl an d then cried as i f t o d i e at h ear i ng th e
,

French were co m ing and l astly recove red all m y ofl j

,
f "

'
spirits at th e reassu ring sou nd o fM r Stewart 5 vo ice .
,

and th e kn owl ed ge that h e was con ten t t o ret u rn t o

h is sl eep .

I wen t sou n dly to sl eep mysel f p resently and , ,

c an n ot rem ember to h ave d ream ed at all .

 C HA PT E R II .

S E TT I NG F O RTH H OW TH E G I R L C H I L D W A S
B RO U G H T T O U S .

W H E N I cam e o ut o f
my n est n ext m o r n in g m y m -

b ed was o n th e fl oor o f a smal l recess back of th e

great fi replace m ad e I su spect b ecau se th e original
, , ,

bu ild ers l acked eith er th e skill o r th e in cl in ati on ,

wh i cheve r i t m igh t b e t o m ore n eatly ski rt th e ch i m

,

—
n ey with th e logs it was qu it e l at e S om e m eat .

and corn bread were laid fo r m e o n th e tabl e i n M r

-
.

’
Stewart s room wh ich was th e ch ie f ch amber o f th e
,

h ou se . D esp it e th e bi g fi re roarin g o n th e h earth ,

i t w as s o col d that the grease h ad h ard en ed white

abo u t th e m eat i n th e pan an d i t had t o b e warm ed ,

again before I cou ld s o p my bread .

D u ri ng th e solita r y m eal i t o ccu rred t o m e to qu e s

t i on my au nt th e h o u sekeeper as t o th e alarm o f
, ,

th e n ight which lay h eavily on ce m ore u pon my

,

m in d Bu t I c ou ld h ear her h u mm ing t o h ersel f i n

.

th e back room wh ich did n o t i nd i cate acqu ai ntanc e

,

with any dan ger M o reover i t m igh t as well b e

.
,

stat ed h ere that my au nt good sou l th ou gh s h e was, ,

d id n ot com m an d e special ad m i rati on fo r th e cl ear

n ess o f h er wits h aving b e en cru elly stri cken with
,

th e small po x m any years be fore and owin g h er em

-
,

ploymen t be it co n fessed m u ch m ore t o M r Stew

, , .
 H ow tke G ir l Clzil d wa s B r o ug lzt to us .
9

’
art s excellence o f heart than t o h er own abilities .

She was p robably th e l ast p erson i n th e V alley wh ose

j u dgm ent u pon th e qu esti on of a French i nvasi o n ,

o r i ndeed any oth er large m atter I wou l d h ave ,

valu ed .

H aving d on n ed my coon skin cap and d rawn o n -

,

my th ick p el isse over my apron I p u t an other beech ,

kn ot o n the fi re an d wen t ou tsid e Th e stin gin g ai r .

b it my n ostrils an d d rove my han d s i nt o my p ockets .

M r St ewart wa s at th e work whi ch had occ u pi e d

.

—
him for som e weeks p revi ou sly hewin g o u t l ogs o n
the side hill H i s axe strokes rang th rou gh th e
.

frosty atmosph ere now with a sharp reverberatio n

wh ich m ad e i t s eem m u ch cold er and ye t m ore ,

che erfu l Winter had com e i nd eed b u t I began t o

.
, ,

feel that I l iked it I alm ost skipp ed as I went alon g

.

th e h ard narrow p ath t o j oi n h im

, .

H e wa s u p am ong th e cedars u nder a close woven ,

-

n e t o f b o u ghs wh ich them selves h eavily capp ed

, ,

with snow had kep t th e grou n d free H e n odd ed

, .

pl easantly t o m e when I wish ed h im good m ornin g -

,

th en ret u rn ed t o hi s labor A lth ou gh I placed .

mysel f i n fron t o f h im i n th e hop e that h e wou ld

,

sp eak and th u s p ossibly pu t m e i n th e w ay t o l earn

,

som eth ing abo u t th i s Fren ch b u si ness h e said n oth ,

ing b u t contin u ed whackin g at th e d eeply n otch ed

,

tru nk The temp tat ion t o be giiI th e talk mysel f

.

cam e n ear mast ering m e so opp ressed with cu ri osity

,
’

was I ; an d fi nally t o resist i t th e be tt e r I walked

, ,

away an d stood on th e brow of the kn oll whence ,

on e cou ld look u p an d d own th e V alley .

v I t was the only world I kn ew — th is expanse of

10 [ n tko Va l l ey .

fl ats broken by wed ge s o f fo rest stre t ch ing d own

,
’
from t h e h ills o n the horizo n t o th e ve ry water s
edge Straight glisten ing lin es o f th i n ice ran o u t
.
,

h ere and th ere from th e banks o f th e st ream thi s

m orn in g form ed o n th e b reast O f th e fl o o d th rou gh
,

th e cold ni ght
T O th e left in th e d irect ion o f th e s u n l ay at th e
, , ,

d i stance o f a m ile or s o M o u nt J oh n son o r Fort , ,

J ohn son as o n e chose to call it I t cou ld n o t b e

,
.

seen for the int ervenin g hills b u t s o imp o rtan t was ,

th e fact o f it s presen ce t o m e th at I n ever l ooked

eastward witho u t s eem ing to beh ol d i ts gray ston e
walls with thei r win dows and l ooph oles i t s stockad e ,

o f logs its two l ittle h o u ses o n e ithe r sid e it s bar

, ,

racks fo r th e gu ard up on the ridge back o f th e grist

m ill and its accu stom ed gro u p s o f gri nn in g black
,

slaves all eyeballs and white teeth o f sat u rn in e

, ,

I nd ians in blan kets and o f bold faced fu r t rad ers

,
- -
.

B eyon d th is place I had n ever b een b u t I kn ew ,

vagu ely that Sch en ectady was i n th at d irection ,

wh ere the French on ce wrou ght su ch m ise ry and ,

b eyond that A lbany th e great t own O f ou r part s

, ,

and th en the b ig ocean whi ch separated u s from

Englan d an d H olland C ivi li zati on l ay that way .
,

a n d all th e lu xu rio u s th ings wh ich be in g sh own o r ,

t alked o f by t ravellers m ad e o u r o wn rou gh l i fe,

s eem ru d er still by co nt rast .

Tu rn ing t o th e right I l ooked o n th e ski rts of

savage ry Som e few advent u rou s villages o f p oor
.

Palat in e Germ an farm e rs and t rad ers there were u p

-

along the s t r eam C I knew)h idd e n i n th e e mbrace of

,
,

th e wild ern ess an d with t h em were fo rts and sold i ers

, .
1 2 [ n t/ze Va l l ey .

atti t u de of deep atten tion Th en my slow ears

—
.

cau ght th e n oise h e had already h eard a m ixed

babel of groan s cu rses an d cri es o f fear o n th e
, , ,

road t o the westward O f u s and growin g l ou d e r ,

m o m en tari ly .

A fte r a m in u t e o r two o f l isten in g h e sa i d t o m e ,

I t is n othing The cri es are Germ an b u t th e oath s

.
,

are all English—as they gen erally are .

”

A l l th e sam e h e p u t his gu n over h i s arm as h e

walked d own t o th e stockad e an d ou t th rou gh th e ,

gate u pon th e road t o discover th e cau se of th e

,

comm oti on .

Five red coated sold i ers on h orseback with an other

-
, ,

cl oaked to th e eyes an d bearing h im sel f p rou dly ,

riding at thei r h eels ; a negro foll owing o n also ,

mo u nted with a hu ge b u ndle i n h is arm s befo re

,

h im an d a sh ivering yellow haired lad of ab ou t my

, ,
-

o wn age o n a p ill ion beh in d h im ; cl u st ering abou t

th ese a m otl ey score O f poor p eopl e you n g and old

, , ,

som e b earing h ou seh old goods and all frighten ed ,

o u t of thei r fi ve s enses —this i s what we s aw on th e

h ighway “, v)“
What we h eard it wou ld b e beyon d my p owe r t o
recou nt From th e chaos O f te rrifi ed exclam at i on s
.

i n German and angry cu rsing i n Engl ish I gath ered

, ,

gen erally that the scared m ob of Pal atin es w ere all

for flyin g the V all ey or at the l east crowd ing i nto
,

Fort J ohnson and that th e t roopers were som ewhat

,

vi gorou sly end eavori ng t o reassu re and d issu ade

th em .

M r St ewart st epped forward —I foll owi ng close i n

.

—
his rear an d began phrasing in German t o th ese
 H ow tko G ir l Ck il d wa s B r o ug lzt to us .

poor sou ls th e word s o f th e sold i ers leaving o u t the

,

blasph e m i es with wh i ch th ey were lad en H o w .

M u ch he had known before I can n ot gu ess b u t the ,

SOn fide n c e wi th wh ich h e told th em that th e Fren ch

and I n d ian marau ders had com e n o farther than th e

Palati n e V illage above Fort K o u a r ie that they were ,

bu t a sm all force and that H o n iko l H erkim er had

,

already started o u t t o d rive th em back seem e d t o ,

h is simpl e au dito rs b orn o f kn owl edge Th ey at all .

events l istened to h im which th ey had n o t d on e to

,

th e sold ie rs and pli ed hi m with anxi ou s qu eri es

, ,

wh ich he in t u rn re ferred t o the m o u n te d m en an d

th en t ran slated the ir su lky answers Thi s was d on e
.

t o su ch good p u rp ose that before long the wi ser

o f th e Palati nes were agre ed to retu rn t o th eir
h om es u p th e V alley and the oth ers had becom e
,

calm .

A s the clam o r ceased the sold ier whom I took to

,

be an o ffi cer rem oved h is cloak a l itt le from h is face

and called o u t gr u ffl y
Tell thi s fellow t o fetch m e som e brandy o r ,

whateve r cord ial i s t o b e had in thi s God forgotte n -

co u nt ry and st ir h i s b on es abo u t i t t oo
, ,

T O speak t o M r Tho mas St ewart i n this fashi on !

.

I looked at my protector i n pai n ed wrath an d a p p r e

h e n s io n knowing h is fi e ry temp er
, .

With a sw ift movem en t h e p u sh ed h is way b e

tween th e sleepy sold i ers st raigh t t o th e o fli c e r I .

tremble d i n eve ry j o int expecting to s e e h i m cu t

,

down o d h e re i n fron t o f h is o wn hou se !

,
’
o ffi cer s cl oak down from hi s face
h is h and s on h i s h ip s h i s ,
1 4 [ n t/ze Va ll ey .

gu n u nd e r hi s arm looked the other squ are in the

,

face an d l au gh ed agai n
,
.

A ll this was d o ne s o qu ickly that the sold i e rs be ,

in g d rowsy with thei r all n igh t rid e scarcely u nd e r -

,

stood what was going forward Th e O ffi cer h i msel f .

strove t o u nwrap the m u ffl ed cloak that h e m igh t

grasp h is sword p u fli n g o u t h is ch eeks wi th am aze
,

m en t an d i nd ign ati on m eanwh ile an d staring d own ,

fi ercely a t M r S tewart The fair h aired boy o n th e

. .
-

horse with th e n egro was alm ost as greatly excited ,

and cried o u t “
Kill h im som e on e ! Strike h im
, ,

down i n a st o u t vo ice A t th is som e O f th e s o l

.

di ers whe el ed abo u t prepared to take part in th e

,

t roubl e when they shou l d comprehe nd it wh il e their ,

horses pl u n ged and reared i nto th e oth ers .

The only cool on e was M r St ewart wh o still stood .

,

at h i s ease sm il in g at th e red faced bl u stering o ffi

,
-
,

cer t o wh om h e n ow said
,
.

“
When yo u are free of yo u r cl o ak To ny Cross , ,
"
d ism ou n t and l et u s em brace .

The gentlem an thu s add ressed p eered at th e

speake r gave an exclam ation o r two O f im pat ience
, ,

then l ooked agai n still m ore cl osely A ll at on ce h i s .

face brighten ed an d h e slapp ed h is rou n d tight thigh

, ,

wit h a n oise l ike th e rend i ng o f an i ce gorge -

.

“ ’
T o m Lyn ch ! h; s h o u ted Sai nts breech es ! .

’
tis h e ! and o ff h is h orse cam e th e o ffi cer an d i nt o
”

,
’
M r S tewart s arm s b e fo re I co u ld catch my b reath
.
, .

\
l I t seem ed that the twai n were Old com rad es an d ,

had been like broth ers i n fo reign wars n o w l o n g ,

past Th ey walked a ffe ction ately h and in h and t o

.
, ,

the h o u se Th e n egro foll owed bring ing t he two

.
,
 H ow tke G ir l C/zil d wa s B r o ug/zt to us .

h orses i nto the sto ckad e an d then com i ng in sid e ,

with the bu ndle an d th e b oy the sold i ers be ing de ,

s p a t c h e d onward t o the l it
“

Whil e my au n t D am e Kronk bu sied he rsel f i n , ,

bringin g b ottle s and glasses an d swin ging the kett l e ,

ove r th e fi re th e two gentlem en co uld n ot keep eyes

,

of f each other an d had m o re to s a y than th ere were

,

word s for I t was eleven years si n ce th ey had m et

.
,

and alth ou gh M r Stewart had l earn e d ( from Si r

,
.

’
William )o f th e oth er s presence i n th e V all ey M aj o r ,

Cross had l ong since supp osed hi s fri end t o b e d ead .

Conceive then the warmth of the i r gre et i ng th e

, , ,

fon d n ess o f thei r glances the fervo r O f th e r e m in is ,

cences i nto which they straigh tway l au nch ed sitting ,

wid e kn eed by th e roari n g h earth st eam in g gl as s i n

-
,

h and .

The M aj or sat m assively u p righ t o n th e ben ch ,

l ettin g h is thick cloak fall backward from h is broad

shou lders t o the fl oo r for th ou gh the h eat o f th e , ,
’
flames m igh t well n igh sin ge on e s eyebrows i t wo u ld
-
,

be cold beh ind I looke d u pon hi s great gi r th o f

.

chest u p on h is st ron g hands wh ich yet showe d d el i

, ,

c at e l y fai r when th ey were u ngl oved an d u pon hi s ,

rou nd full colored am iabl e face with m u ch s at is fa c

,
-
,

tion I seem ed t o swell with p ri d e wh en h e u n

.

b u ckled h i s sword belt and all an d handed i t t o m e

, , ,

I being n earest to p u t asid e for h im I t was a p o n

, .

de r o u s severe l o oking weapon an d I bore i t t o th e

,
-
,

bed with awe asking mysel f h ow m any p e opl e i t was

,

l ikely t o have killed in its day I h ad before th i s

—
.

— ’
handled other swords i ncl u d ing Si r Wi lliam s bu t
neve r su ch a o n e as th is N or had I eve r before seen .
1 6 [ n tko V a l l ey .

a sold ier wh o seem ed to my b oyish eyes s o l ike what

a warri or sho u ld be .

V I t was n ot o u r h ab it to exp en d m u ch liking u p on

English o ffi cers o r t roop ers wh o were in d eed qu it e ,

conten t t o go on wi tho u t o u r frie ndsh ip an d treated ,

u s D u tch and Palati nes i n t u rn with con tu m acy an d

rou gh n ess as b ein g n o b ett er than th eir i n ferio rs
, .

B u t n o o n e co u ld help l ikin g M aj or A n th ony Cross

—at le as t when th ey s aw h im u nd e r h i s Old fri en d s ’

roof t ree expand i ng with gen ial pl easu re

-
, .

’
Fo r th e yellow haired boy w h o was th e M aj or s
-
,

son ,
I care d m u ch less I b el i eve t ruly that I di s .

l iked h i m from th e very fi rst m om e n t o u t o n th e

frosty road and that wh e n I saw h im sh ivering th ere
,

with th e cold I was n ot a wh it sorry Th i s m ay b e

, .

i maginat i on b u t i t i s certain that h e d id n ot get i nto

,

my favo r after we cam e i n sid e .

’
Un der this M aste r Ph il ip s com m and s th e n egro
squ at ted on h is h au n ch e s and u n roll ed th e blankets
from the bu ndl e I had seen h im carryin g O u t o f .

thi s bu ndle to my consid erable am azem ent was

, ,

revealed a littl e ch ild p erhap s b etween th re e an d ,

fou r y ears o f age .

Th is tiny girl bl inked in th e ligh t th u s s u d d enly

su rro u nd ing h er and looked ab ou t th e ro om p ite
,

o u s l y with h er l ittl e lips t rembl in g and

,
h er eyes
filled with t e ars Sh e was very sm all fo r h er years
.
,

an d had l on g t u mbl ed h air H e r d ress was a h om e

, .

sp u n frock i n a singl e p iece and h er feet were ,

wrapped for w armth in wool stockings o f a grown

’
wom an s m easu re She looked abou t t h e ro om I .
,

say u n til Sh e s aw me N o d o u bt my D u tch face

,
.
1 8 [ n t/ze Va l l ey .

Th e two m en b roke o u t in lou d l au gh t er a t th is ,

s o lon g su s t ain ed that Philip h im sel f j oi n ed i t an d ,

grinn ed rel u ctantly I was too angry t o even feel

.

rel ieved that th e altercati on was t o h ave n o se ri o u s

consequ ences fo r m e—m u ch l ess t o laugh mysel f .

I op en ed th e shawl that th e l ittl e o n e m igh t feel th e

,

h eat an d said n oth ing

, .

Well th e lad i s right i n away fin ally ch u ckled

, , ,

“ ’
th e M aj or I t s as m u ch h is ch ild as i t i s any
.

’
body s th is sid e o f heaven .

Th e ph rase ch ecked h is m irth and h e wen t o n ,

m ore seriou sly

She i s th e ch ild o f a you ng cou pl e wh o had com e
t o the Palat in e V ill age only a few we eks be fore .

Th e m an was a coop er o r wh eelwrigh t o n e o r th e ,

oth er an d h is n am e was Pe et o r Peek o r som e su ch

, ,

D u tch nam e Wh en B e ll é t r e fel l u p on th e t own at

.

n ight the man was kill ed in th e fi rst at tack Th e

,
.

woman with h er child ran with th e oth ers t o th e

ford Th ere i n th e darkn ess and pani c s h e was
.

c ru sh ed u n d er and d ro wned bu t st ran ge en ou gh

wh o c a n tell h ow these m att ers are ord ered ?—th e
i n fan t was i n som e way got across th e river safe an d ,

fetch ed t o th e Fort Bu t th ere s o great i s th e

.
,

th rong b oth O f th o s e who escap ed an d th ose wh o

,

n ow al arm ed for th ei r l ives fl ock i n from th e farm s

, ,

rou n d abo u t that n o on e had t im e t o care for a m ere

,

in fant H e r paren ts were n ew com ers an d h ad n o

.
-
,

fri ends Besid es every on e up th ere i s d istracted

.
,

with m ou rn ing o r fran tic with p reparat i on for th e

m orrow Th e C h ild stood abou t am on g th e cattl e
.
,

t rying to get warm in th e st raw whe n we cam e o u t ,

"
 H ow tl ze G ir l Ckil d was B r oug kt to us . 1 9

last night to start Sh e lo oked so beseech ingly at

.

u s an d so l ike my own l ittle Cord el ia by God ! I

, ,

co u ldn t bear it ! I cu rse d a tri fle abo u t th ei r bru

’

’
tality an d o n e O f em O ffered at that to take her
,
’
i n ; b u t my boy h ere said Let s b ring h er with ,
‘

’ ’
u s fath er an d u p s h e cam e on t o Bob s saddle
, , ,
’
an d O ff w e started A t H erkim er s I fou n d blan .

ket s for her and o n e O f th e girls gave u s som e

,

hose big en ough fo r Bob wh ich w e b u ndled her

, ,

1 11

There ! said I n ot tru ly sh e was m i n e ? b roke

i n th e boy sh aking h is yell ow hai r pro u dly and
, ,

l ooking M r Stewart con fi d en tly i n th e eye

. .

R ightly en ou gh repl ied M r Stewart k indly ,

.
, .

’
A n d so yo u are my Old f i end A n th ony Cross s s o n r
,

eh ? A good hearty lad seeing th e world yo u n g

, , .

Can you real iz e easily M aster Ph il ip lo oking at u s , ,

two O l d pe ople that we were on ce as sma ll as yo u

, ,

and played togeth er then o n th e Galway h ills ,

n ever kn owing t here cou ld b e su ch a place as

A m erica ? A n d that lat er we sl ep t togeth er in th e
same t ent and thanked o u r stars for n ot being
,

bu ndled t ogether into the sam e t ren ch years u pon ,

years ?
’
“
Yes an d I know wh o you are wh at s m ore !
, ,

said th e pert bo y u n abashed , .

“ ’
Why that s wisdom itsel f said M r S tewart
, , .
,

pleasantly .

You are Tom Lynch and yo u r grand fath er w a s ,

a kin g
“
N o m ore interposed M r Stewart frown ing
, .
,

and l i ftin g h i s fi nger “

T hat folly is d ead and in it s .
20 In Va l l ey
.

grave N ot even so fai r a you th as yo u m u s t give i t

.

”
resu rrecti on .

H e re B o b said th e M aj or with su d d e n alac

, , ,

“
ri ty. G O o u t sid e with th ese ch ild ren an d h elp
,
u
th em t o som e gam es .
 C HA PT E R I I I .

MA STER P H I LI P MA K ES H IS B OW —A N D B E H A V E S
BA D LY .

M Y p rotecto r an d ch ief friend was at th is tim e as ,

n ear as m ay be fi fty years o f age ye t h e bore these

,

years s o st u rdily that i f o n e sh o u ld s e e h im sid e by

,

sid e with h is gossip and n eighbo r S ir Will ia m J ohn ,

son ,
there wou ld be great do u bt which was th e el d e r
— an d th e Baro n et wa s n ot above forty two M r -
. .

Stewart was n ot tall and seem ed o f som ewhat sl igh t

,

frame yet h e had n ot only grace o f m ove ment b u t

, ,

p rodigio u s strength O f wri st and sho u l d ers Fo r .

walking h e wa s n ot m u ch b u t lh e rod e l ike a kn ight \, .

H e was o f strict est n eatn ess an d m ethod con cern in g

hi s cloth es ; n ot s o m u ch l et m e explain as t o th ei r
, ,

original t ext u re for th ey were always plain ordi nary

, ,

garm e nts b u t regard ing the i r cleanl iness an d ord er

,
.

H e had a swi ft and ready tempe r and cou l d n ot ,

brook to be d isp u ted by h i s equ als m u ch l ess by hi s ,

inferiors yet had a m ost p erfect an d win nin g p olit e

,

n ess when agreed wi th .

A l l these I had come t o kno w were traits o f a

, ,

soldier ye t h e had many oth er qu aliti es which pu z

,

z l e d m e n ot being observable in oth er t roopers

, He .

swore very rarely h e w a s abst em iou s with wi n es

,

and spi rit s and he loved books bette r than food

,
22 In tko Va l l ey .

itsel f O f n ot even Si r William great warrior an d

.
,

excelle nt scholar th ou gh h e wa s cou ld all these ,

th ings b e said M r St ewart had Often related t o

. .

m e d u ring th e lon g wi nter d ays an d even ings sp en t

,

o f n ecessity by the fi re st ories d raw n from his c a m ,

p ga i n s i n th e N etherland s an d Fran ce an d S cotland ,

speaking freely and m ost instru ct ively B u t h e had .

n ever h elped m e t o u n ravel th e myst ery wh y h e s o ,

u n like other sold iers i n habits an d tastes S hou ld ,

h ave chose n th e pro fessi on o f arm s .

A ray o f ligh t was th rown u po n th e qu est io n thi s

ve ry d ay by th e forward prattl e o f th e b oy Philip .

I n aft er years th e fu ll ill u m in ati on cam e an d I u nde r ,

stood it all I t i s as well p erhaps t o o u tl in e th e

.
, ,

story h ere altho u gh at th e tim e I was i n ign o ran ce

,

o f it .

I n I reland n early eighty years be fore that i s to

, ,

s a y i n 1 67 9 there had been b orn a boy to wh om was

,

given th e n am e O f J am es Lyn ch H is m oth er wa s .

th e s mooth faced light h eart ed dau ght er of a b roken

-
,
-

I rish gentl em an wh o l oved her boy aft e r a gu sty

,

fash i on an d b ore a fi erce li fe o f scorn an d sn eers o n

,

—
h i s b ehalf H i s fath e r wa s wh o ? There were n o
.

p roo fs i n co u rt o f c o u rse bu t it seem s n eve r t o have

, ,

been d o u bted by any one that th e fath e r was n o

oth er than th e sam e worthl ess princ e t o wear wh ose
title s th e two chie f t own s o f my State were d esp oiled
—
o f th ei r h on est D u tch n am es I m ean th e D u ke of
York and A lbany .

L ittle J ames Lyn ch u nl ike s o m any o f h is l u cki er ,

brothers and co u sins got n eith er a peerage n o r a ,

gentl e breed in g I n stead h e was reared m eagrely

.
,
 Ma s t er P /zil zp m akes lt is B o w . 23

if not harshly u nder th e mate rnal roof a nd name

, ,

u n til h e grew Old en ou gh t o realiz e that h e was o n

an islan d where bad b irth i s n ot forgiven even i f th e ,

taint be royal Th en h e ran away reach ed th e coast

.
,

o f France and mad e h is w ay t o the Fren ch co u rt

, ,

whe re h i s fathe r was n ow an d p ro perly e nou gh an , ,

exile H e was a fi ne you th with a p romp t tongu e

.
,

an d cl eve r h ead an d som e attenti on was fi nally shown

,

h im They gave h i m a swo rd an d a c omp any and

’
.
,

b e went with th e French th ro u gh all th e wars o f

M arlborou gh gai ning d ist i n cti on and what i s m o re
, , , ,

a fat p u rse .

With h is m on ey he ret u rn ed t o I reland we dded a ,

m aid of wh om he had d ream ed d u ring all hi s exile ,

an d settled down the re to beggar h i msel f in a l i fe o f

bibu lo u s ease gam ing fox h u nt in g and waste fu l n ess
, ,
-
,

gen e rally A fte r som e years th e wi fe d ied and

.
,

J am e s Lynch d rifted nat u rally in to the con sp i racy

whi ch l ed t o th e fi rst risin g fo r th e P retend er in vo l v ,

i ng h i msel f as d eeply as possibl e and at its collapse ,

flying once m ore to France never to retu rn ,

.

H e b o re with h im this tim e a s o n o f eigh t y ears

— m y Mr Stewart . Th is boy called Thom as was
.
, ,

reared o n the skir t s of th e vici o u s Fre nch co u r t n o w ,

i n a J esu it sch ool n o w a p oor relati on i n a palace

, ,

al ways refl ectin g i n th e vicissit u des o f h is con d it ion

’
th e ph ases o f h is sire s vagran t e x i st ence So me .

t im es this father wo uld be m on eyed and p rod igal ,

anon destitu t e an d m ean b u t always s el fi sh to t he ,

core and m errily regardless alike o f ca n on s an d o f

,

co nsequ ences H e d ied d id th i s advent u ro u s gen

.
,

t l e m an in th e ve r y year wh i c h t o o k O f
, f th e fi rst
24 In tke Va l l ey .

George i n H anover an d l eft h is s o n a ve ry l ittl e

,

m on ey a m o u n tain o f d ebts an d an inj u n ction o f

, ,

l oyalty t o th e St ewarts .

You ng Thom as then n early twen ty th o u gh t m u ch

, ,

fo r a ti m e o f becom ing a pri est an d was always a ,

favo ri t e with th e British J esu its ab ou t V ersailles ,

bu t th is i n th e end cam e t o n oth ing H e aband oned .

’
th e rel i gi ou s vocati on th ou gh n o t th e sch olar s ,

t astes an d becam e a sold i er for th e sake o f a b eau

, ,

t i fu l face wh i ch h e s aw on ce wh e n o n a secret visi t

t o En gland H e f ell greatly i n l ove an d ventu red
.
,

t o b el ieve that th e em oti o n was re cip ro cat ed As .

I saac served Laban for h i s d au gh t er s o di d T o m ,

’
L yn ch serve the Pret en der s cau se for th e h op e o f
som e day ret u rn in g h on ored an d p owerfu l t o ask
, ,

th e h an d o f th at sweet d au gh te r o f th e J acob it e
gentlem an
O n e d ay th ere cam e t o h im at Paris t o O ffer h i s ,

sword t o th e Stewarts a yo u n g I rish gen tleman wh o

,
’
—
h ad b een T om s playm at e i n ch ildh ood A n thony
Cross Th i s gallant fresh faced han ds om e you th
.
,
-
,

wa s all ablaz e with ardor ; h e b u rn ed t o ach i eve im

p ossibl e d eed s t o attai n glo r y at a stroke H e con
, .

fessed t o T o m ove r th ei r din n er o r th e wi n e after ,

ward p erhaps that h i s n eeds were great be cau s e

,

L ove d rove H e was partly b etroth ed t o th e

.

d au ghter o f an En glish J acobi te —yet s h e wo u l d

m arry n on e b u t o n e wh o had gai n ed h i s sp u rs u nd e r
h is right fu l king T hey d rank t o th e h ealth o f thi s
.

exacti ng l oyal m aid en and Cro ss gave h er n am e

, , .

Then T o m Lynch rose from th e table si ck at h eart , ,

and went away in silen ce .

26 In t/ze Va l l ey .

’
This was my patron s story as I gathere d it i n ,

later years and wh ich perhaps I h ave erred in b ri ng

,

ing forward here am o n g l m y ch ild ish recollecti on s ) .

Bu t it seem s to belong i n tru th m u ch m ore t o th i s

d ay o n wh ich fo r the fi rst an d last t im e I b eheld
, ,

M aj or Cross th an t o th e su cceed ing p eri od wh en hi s

,

s o n becam e an actor in th e d ram a o f my li fe .

Th e s u n was n ow well u p in th e sky an d th e sn ow ,

was m elt ing Whil e I still m ood ily eyed my you ng

.

e nemy an d wondered h ow I sh ou l d go ab ou t t o
acqu it mysel f o f th e task laid u p on m e —t o play with
,

—
h im h e solved th e qu esti on by kickin g i nto th e
m oist sn ow wi th h is bo ots an d call ing o u t
“
A h a ! we c a n b u ild a fort with this an d h ave a ,

fi ne attack Bob make ’ . m e a fort !

,

Seeing that he bore n o m al ice my t emp er soften ed ,

toward him a little an d I se t t o h elp ing th e n egro

,

in h is work There was a great p ile o f logs i n th e

.

clearing cl ose t o th e h ou se and on th e su n ny sid e

, ,

near th is th e little girl was pl aced i n a warm d ry , ,

spot ; and h ere w e two with st icks an d b all s of snow

, ,

soo n reared a m ock block h o u se Th e E n gl ish boy -

.

d id n o work b u t stood by an d d i rected u s wi th e n

,

t h u s ias m Whe n th e stru c tu re w a s to h is m in d h e

.
,

said
N ow we will m ake up som e sn owballs and have ,

an attack I will be the English man and d e fend th e

.

fort ; yo u m u st b e th e Frenchm an an d com e t o d rive

m e o u t Yo u can have B o b with yo u fo r a savage
.
,

i f you l ike only h e m u st th row n o balls b u t stop ,

back i n th e woo d s and wh oop Bu t fi rst we m u st .

 M a s ter P k il zp m a kes l zis H ow . 27

ha v e som e hard balls m ade s o that I may h it yo u ,

good when yo u com e u p Bob help th is boy m ake .

-

som e balls for m e !

”

Thu s o u tli ned th e gam e did n ot attract m e I

,
.

d id n ot s o m u ch m ind doi n g h i s work for h im si nce ,

h e was company s o to speak b u t i t d i d go against

, ,

my grai n to have t o man u fact u re th e m issiles for

m y own h u rt .

Why sh o u ld I be th e Fren ch man ? I said ,

gru mblingly “
.I am n o m ore a Frenchm an than
you are you rsel f .

“ ’ ’
Yo u re a D u tch man t hen and i t s qu it e t h e , ,
”
sam e h e repl ied
,
A l l foreign ers are th e sam e
. .

”
I t is yo u who are th e foreign er I ret ort ed with ,

h eat . H ow can I be a foreign er i n my own cou n

t ry here wh e re I was born P
,

H e di d n ot take u mbrage at th i s bu t replied with ,

’
argu m ent Why o f cou rse you re a foreigne r
, .

You wear an apron and yo u are n ot abl e t o even

,
”
speak E ngl ish properly .

Thi s refl ecti on up on my sp e ech p ained even m ore

than it n ettl ed m e M r Stewart had been at great
. .

pains t o t each m e English and I had b egu n t o hop e ,

that h e felt rewarded by my p ro fi c ien cy Years .

afte rward h e was wont to lau ghingly t ell m e that I

n ever wou l d l ive long eno u gh t o u s e E nglish c o r
r e c tl and that as a boy I spoke i t abom in ably whi ch
y , ,

I dare say was tru e e nou gh Bu t j u st then my .

’
ch ild ish prid e was grievo u sly p iqu ed by Philip s
criticism .

“ ’
V e ry well I ll be o n th e ou tsid e th en
, I sai d , ,
.

’ ’
I won t be a Fren ch m an bu t I ll com e al l th e sam e , ,
28 In tl ze Va l l ey .

and d o you l ook o u t for you rsel f when I do com e ,

o r word s t o that p u rp ort .

We had a good long c o nt es t over th e Sh ow wall

, .

I seem t o rem embe r i t all bett er than I rem ember

any oth er stru ggl e O f my l i fe alth o u gh th ere were ,

som e t o com e i n wh ich exi st ence it sel f was at stake ,

’
bu t boys m im ic fi ghts are n ot subj ect s u p o n wh i ch
a writ er may p ro fi tably dwell I t is en ou gh t o s ay .

that h e d efend e d h im sel f very st ou tly h u rling th e ,

balls wh i ch Bob had m ad e fo r h im w i th great swift

n ess an d accu racy s o that my h ead was sore for a
,

week Bu t my bloo d wa s u p an d at last over th e

.
,

wall I force d my way p u sh in g a good d eal o f i t d own

,

as I went and grappling h im by th e waist wrestled

, , ,

with an d fi nally th rew h im We were both d own .

,

with o u r faces i n th e snow an d I h eld h im tigh t I

, .

exp ected that h e wou l d b e angry and h ot t o t u rn ,

th e play i nt o a real fi gh t ; b u t h e said i n st ead m u m ,

bl in g with h is m ou th fu l l O f sn ow
N ow yo u m u st p retend t o s calp m e you kn ow , .

M y au n t call ed u s at th is an d we all t roop ed i nt o

,

th e h ou se again The l ittl e girl had crowed an d

.

cl app ed h e r hand s d u rin g ou r stru ggle all u n c o n ,

scio u s o f th e d read fu l even t o f whi ch i t was a j uve

n ile t ravesty We two boys adm i red h er as sh e
.

’
w as born e i n o n th e n egro s sh o u ld er an d Ph ilip ,

sa i d
“
I am goin g t o take h er to Englan d fo r a play ,

m ate Papa has said I may

. My broth er D igby .

h as n o sp ort i n hi m and h e i s m u ch bi gge r than m e

, ,

besides SO I S h all have h e r al l for m y o wn

. O n ly .

’ ”
I wish sh e weren t D u tch .
 Mas ter P k il ip m a kes kis B w
o . 29

When we entered th e h ou se th e two gent l em en

were seat e d at th e t able eat i ng thei r di n ner and my , ,

au nt had sp read for u s in th e ch i m n ey corn er a like,

-
,

repast Sh e t oo k th e l ittl e gi rl o ff t o he r o wn room

.
,

th e kit ch en and we fell l ike fam i sh ed wolve s u pon

,

th e sm okin g veni son an d on i on s .

Th e talk o f o u r eld ers was mainly abou t a p erson

age o f wh om I co ul d n ot kn ow anyth ing then b u t ,

wh om I n o w see to have been th e Yo u ng Pretender .

”
They spoke O f h im as h e an d as l eadin g a pain ,

fully worthl ess and disrep u tabl e l ife This M r . .

’
St ewart wh o was twelve years th e Ch evalier s senior
, ,

and as I l earn ed lat er had been greatly attached t o

, ,

h is p erson d eplore d with a ffect i on at e regret B u t

, .

M aj o r Cross wh o related i n cid ents o f d ebau ch ery

,

an d sel fi sh n ess wh ich bein g i n Eu rop e had com e t o

, ,

hi s kn owledge abo u t th e p rin ce d id n ot seem par ,

t ic u l a r l y cast d own .

“ ’
I t s b u t what m igh t have be en l ooked for h e ,

said l ightly in answer t o som e s a d word s of my

, ,
’
patron s “
.Five gen erati on s of honest m en have
tru ste d t o thei r sorrow i n th e breed an d give n thei r ,

h ead s o r thei r estates o r th ei r peace for n o t s o m u ch

as a single prom i se kept or a si ngl e smil e with o u t ,

specu lat ion in it L et th em rot o u t I s ay and b e

.
, ,

damn ed to them !
Bu t h e was su ch a goodly lad Tony Th i n k o f , .

—
h im as we kne w h im and n ow
’
N o I ll n ot th ink T o m broke in th e O ffi cer
”

, , , ,

for wh en I do then I too get soft hearted A n d

, ,
-
.

’ ’
I ll wast e n o m o re feel i ng o r faith on any o f em
’
on any o f em save the only tru e man of th e lot
, ,
3 0 In tko Va l l ey .

’’ ’
wh o s h ad the wit to p u t th e ocean twixt h i m an d
’
th em A n d yo u re con t e n t h ere Tom ?
.
,
”

“
O h ay l Why n o t ? said M r Stewart “ ”

, It is . .

’
a ru d e li fe i n som e ways n o d ou bt b u t i t s free an d , ,
’
it s hon est I h ave my o w n roo f su ch as it i s an d
.
, ,

n o o n e to gai nsay m e u n d er it I h u nt I fi sh I .
, ,

wo rk I stu dy I d ream —p reci sely what pleases m e

, ,
”
b est .

A y b u t th e lon el iness o f it
,

Why n o ! I see m u ch O f J oh nson an d th ere are

, ,
’
oth ers ro u n d abou t t o t alk with wh en I m d riven t o ,

i t A n d th e n th ere s my yo u ng D u tchm an — D o u w
’
.
,

yond er— who bears m e company an d fi ts m e s o well ,

’ ”
that h e s like a secon d s elf .

Th e M aj or lo oked over to ward my co rn er wi t h a

benevol ent glan ce bu t wi th o u t c omm ent P resen tly
,
.

h e sai d wh il e h e t ook m o re m eat u p on hi s plate

,
’
“
Yo u ve n o th ou ght o f m arryin g I su pp ose ? ,
”

N on e ! said my patron gravely an d wi th em ,

phasi s .

Th e M aj or n odd ed h is h an d som e h ead m ed ita

“ ’
t iv e l y Well th ere s a d eal t o be sai d o n that
.
,

sid e h e rem arked

,
Still ch ildren abou t th e h earth
.
,

h elp o n e t o grow o l d p leasantly A n d yo u always .

”
h ad a weakn ess fo r brats .

M r S tewart said agai n

. I h ave my yo u ng
”
D u tch man .

’
O n c e m ore th e sold ie r lo oked at m e and I ll b e , ,

bo u nd s aw m e bl u sh in g fu ri o u sly H e sm il ed an d
, .

said
H e seem s an hon est ch ap H e has som eth in g .

”
Of yo u r m o u th m eth inks , .
 M a s t er
'

P /zil zp m a kes lzis B ow .

3 1

My p atron p u shed h is d ish back with a gestu re o f -

vexat ion .

’
N o ! h e sai d sharply T here s n on e o f th at
”
. .
,

H is father was a d omin ie over th e rive r ; h i s m oth er ,

a good ha nd working lady l eft a wid ow st ru ggles t o

,
-
, ,

p u t bread i n a d ozen m o u ths by t eaching a l ittle

home sch ool for in fants I h ave th e boy h ere b e
-
.

cau se I l ike h im —becau se I want him We shall l ive .

t ogeth er— h e and I A s h e gets Old er th i s h u t wil l.

d oubtl e ss grow i nt o a h ou se fi t for gen tl em e n I n .

d eed already I h ave th e l ogs c u t ou t i n part for an

,

add iti on on th e other sid e of th e ch imn ey

, .

Th e M aj or rose at this smiling again and frankly , ,

p u t o u t h i s han d .

“
I m eant n o harm you kn ow Tom by my bar , , ,

racks j est Faith ! I envy th e lad th e pri vil ege O f

.

l ivin g h ere with you Th e happi est days O f my l ife .

,

d ear fri en d were those we sp en t t ogeth er wh il e I

,
”
wa s waiting for my brid e .

M r Stewart ret u rne d h i s sm il e rathe r sadly and

.
,

t ook h is h and .

Th e t im e for parting had com e The two m en .

stood hand i n hand with m oistened eyes and sl ow ,

com ing word s m eet ing for perhaps the last ti m e i n

,

th is li fe ; for th e M aj or was t o stop bu t an h ou r at

Fort J oh nson an d thence hast en on to N ew York
,

an d t o En gland bearin g with h im we i gh ty d e ,

s p at c h e s .

Whil e th ey still st ood an d the n egro was tying ,

’
Mast er Ph ilip s h at ove r h is ears my au nt en tered th e ,

room bearing in h er arms th e p oor l ittl e wai f from

,

th e m assacre Th e ch ild had been washed a n d

.
3 2 In t/i e Va l l ey .

warm ed an d wore over h er d ress and feet a sort of

,

m antl e wh ich the goo d wom an had hastily and

,

som ewhat ru d ely fash i o ned m ean tim e .

O h we cam e n ear forgetting h er ! cri ed Ph ilip

, .

Wrap her snu g and warm Bob for th e jo u rn ey , , .

”

Th e M aj or l ooke d blank at sight o f th e ch i ld wh o ,

’
n estl ed i n my au nt s arms What am I t o d o with .

he r ? h e sai d t o my pat ron

”
.

“
Why papa yo u kn ow s h e i s going t o England
, ,
”
wi th u s sai d th e boy ,
.

Tu t lad sp oke th e M aj or p eremptorily ;

, ,

then t o M r Stewart :
,
Cou l d S i r Will iam p lace
.

he r think yo u o r d oes that hal f b reed swa rm o f h i s

, ,
-

fi ll th e h o u se ? I t se em ed righ t e n o u gh t o bring h er
’
o u t from th e Palatin e cou nt ry b u t n o w that sh e s ,

o ut ,
d am m e ! I alm ost w i sh s h e was back again .

’
What a fool n ot t o l eave h er a t H erkim er s !
I d o n ot kn ow i f I h ad any clear i d ea o f what was
’
sp ringi ng u p i n M r St ewart s m ind b u t i t s eem s
.
,

to m e that I m u st h ave l ooked at h im pl eadingly

and with great hop e i n my eyes d u ring th e m om en t ,

o f silen ce whi ch foll owed M r St ewart i n tu rn . .

regard ed th e ch ild atten tively .

“
Wou ld it please you t o keep he r h e re D am e ,

Kronk h e asked at l ast .

A s my au n t m ad e glad a s s e n t I cou ld scarcely ,

re frain from dan cing I walked ove r t o th e little .

gi rl and took her han d i n m in e fi ll ed wi th d eep ,

j oy .

Y o u rend er m e very gratefu l T o m sai d M aj or

I t s a load O ff my m in d —Com e
, ,

“ ’
Cross h eart ily ,
.
,

Ph ilip m ake yo u r farewells We m u st b e O ff

,
. .
34 In tko Va l l ey .

’
him before h e s d on e with t h e worl d A n d s o T o m .
, ,

dear dear Old com rad e a last good by God bless

, ,
-
.

yo u T o m ! Farewell ”

—
, .

G o d bless you an d you rs m o n fr er e / ,

k
We sto od M r Stewart and I at th e o u ter gat e
, .
, ,

and watched th em down th e rive r road u nt il th e ,

j u tt in g h eadlan d interven ed A s we walked slowly .

back t oward th e h ou se my gu ardi an said as i f talk , ,

in g partly t o h im sel f
Th ere i s n oth ing cl eare r in n atu ral l aw th an that
son s i nh eri t fro m th ei r m oth ers I kn ow o f only two .

case s i n all h isto ry wh ere an abl e m an had a fathe r

su p eri or i n b rain an d e n ergy t o th e m oth er— M arti n
L u th er an d th e p resen t K ing o f P ru ssia P erhap s .

”
i t wa s all for th e b est .

T o thi s I o f co u rs e o ffered n o an swer b u t t ru dged ,

al on g th ro u gh th e m el ti ng sn ow by h is side .

Presen tly as w e reached th e h o u se h e st opp ed

, ,

and l ooked th e log st ru ct u re c ri ti cally over .

Yo u h eard what I said D o u w u po n you r bel on g , ,

in g h en ce fo rth t o th i s h ou se— to m e ?
”

Yes M r St ewart
,
. .

A n d n ow 10 an d b eh old I have a dau gh t er as

, ,

well ! T o m o rrow we m u st plan o u t still an oth e r

-

room fo r o u r ab od e .
”

Th u s en ded th e day o n wh ich my st o ry p rop erly

an d p roph et ically begins —the d ay wh en I fi rst m et
‘

M a ste r Ph ilip Cross .

 C H A P T E R IV .

IN WH ICH I BECO M E TH E SO N OF T H E HOUSE .

T H E Fren ch fo r som e reason o r other d id not

, ,

follow up their advantage and d escen d u pon th e

l ower V alley ; bu t had they d one s o there cou ld
scarcely have been a greate r pan i c am ong the Pala
t in es A l l d u ring the year there had b een seen at
.

times d arkly fl itting th ro u gh th e wo ods n ear th e

,

sparse settlem ents l ittl e bands o f h os tile I nd ian s

, .

I t was said that thei r p u rpose w a s to seiz e and ab

d u ct S i r William ; failing i n th is they d id wh at othe r
,

m isch ief they cou ld s o that th e whol e V alley was

,

kept i n cons tan t alarm N O ho u seh old knew o n.

,

going t o bed that they wo u ld n o t b e ro u sed be fore

,

m orn ing by savage wa r cries N o man vent u red ou t

-
.

of sigh t o f h is hom e witho u t entertain in g th e idea

that he m igh t n eve r get bac k alive H ence whe n .
,

the long expected blow was really st ru ck an d th e

-
,

t own o n th e German Fl atts d evastated everybody ,

was i n an agony o f fear T O make m att ers wo rse

.
,

Si r Will iam was at his h om e ill i n bed and the re ,

w as som e trouble between h im and the Engli sh

com m and ers wh ich stood i n th e way o f tro op s being
,

sent to o u r aid .

Those few days followin g th e d read fu l news o f the

3 6 In tko Va l l ey .

attack above u s seem still l ike a nightm are Th e .

settle rs u p th e river began send i ng th ei r h ou sehold

good s d own t o A lbany ; wom en an d ch il dren too , ,

p assed u s i n great part ies t o take re fu ge i n Fort ,

H u nte r o r at S chen ectady The river su ddenly .

b ecam e covered with b oats on ce m o re b u t th is tim e ,

represen ting th e a ffrigh ted fl igh t o f wh ol e c o m m u

n it ie s i nst ead o f a p eacefu l comm erce .

D u rin g th i s season o f t erro r I wa s as m ay b e c o n ,

c e iv e d i ndeed u nhappy
, I had n o st o m ach even for
.

play wi th th e n ew add itio n t o o u r h o u seh old ye t ,

scarcely dare d t o sh ow my n ose o u tsid e th e stock

ade M r Stewart spen t h i s d ays abroad eith er with
. .
,

S ir William or u p at Cau ghn awaga concerti ng m ean s

,

o f d e fen ce wi th o u r fri end s th e Fo n da s a/ H e d id ,

h owever fi n d t i m e t o cross th e ri ver an d reassu re

,

my m other wh o trembl ed wi th app rehen sio n for h er

,

great brood O f yo u ng b u t was brave as a l io n fo r

,

h ersel f Weeks afte rward wh en I V isited h e r on ce

.
,

m ore I s a w baskets O f l im e i n the att i c which th is

, .

d evoted woman had st ore d the re to throw with ,

wat er o n th e I n d ian s whe n they cam e Th i s d evi ce .

s h e had l earned from the fam ily trad iti on s O f h er

’
an cest ors d oi ngs when th e Span iards were I n H ol
,

l an d .

I Grad u al ly t h e alarm wore away Th e Fren ch an d .

I n d ian s after kill ing fi fty Palati nes an d taking th rice

,

that n u mber p rison ers t u rn ed tail an d m arch ed

,

back t o th e Lake again with som e o f H o n iko l H e r

,
’
kim e r s l ead in th ei r m iserable bodi es The V all ey .

w a s rarely to b e cu rsed with th ei r p resen ce again .

I t w as as i f a l on g fever had com e to its cl imax i n

 In w/zie/z I becom e tke Son f tko IIouse
o .
37

a trem e nd ou s convu lsion and then gon e o ff alto ,

gether We regained con fi d ence an d faced the long

.
,
’ ’ ’
winter o f 57 with c o n te n t v l g f
Before th e n ext snowfall su cceeded to that fi rst
N ovembe r fl u rry an d the season closed i n in earnest
, ,

M r Stewart was abl e by the aid o f a nu mbe r O f

.
,

n eighbors t o bu ild and roof over two additi on s t o

,

h is h ouse Th e stru ct u re wa s still all o f logs b u t

.
,

with its n ew wings b ecam e alm ost as large i f n ot as ,

imposing as any fram e h ou se rou n d abo u t O n e o f

,
-
.

these wings was s e t asid e fo r D am e Kron k an d th e

little girl T h e other m u ch t o my su rpri se was
.
, ,

g i ve n to m e A t th e sam e t im e my ben efacto r for

.

m ally p resen ted m e with my l ittle black playm ate ,

Tu lp . H e had heret o fore bee n my friend ; h en ce

forth h e was my sl ave yet let m e add n on e th e l ess, , ,

m y fri end .

A l l thi s wa s equ ivalent t o my formal ad option as

’
M r St ewart s s o n
. I t was the cu stom i n those days
.
,

when a slave chil d cam e o f a certain age to p resen t ,

i t t o th e ch ild o f th e fam ily wh o sho u ld be o f the

sam e age an d s ex T h e p resentatio n was mad e a t
.

’
N ew Year s ord inarily an d th e wh ite ch ild ac kn o wl
, ,

edged it by givi ng th e l ittl e black a p iece o f m o n ey

an d a pai r o f shoes M y m other rathe r illogically
.

S hed som e t ears at th is token that I was t o belon g

hence forth t o M r S tewart bu t s h e gave m e a b righ t
.

Spanish d ollar o u t o f h er small h oard fo r T u lp and , ,

s h e h ad Old William D ietz th e it in eran t c obbler o f ,

Schohari e constru ct fo r h im a ve ry n otable pai r

,

o f sh oes which d id h im n o goo d sin ce h is fathe r

,

p romptly sold them over a t For t H u n t e r fo r ru m .

38 In tke Va l l ey

Th e o l d rascal wou ld have m ad e away with the coin

as well n o d o ubt bu t that M r Stewart th reatened
, , .

hi m with a h id ing and so Tulp wore it o n a leather

,

strin g ab ou t h is n eck .

I d id n o t chan ge my n am e b u t cont in u ed t o b e ,

D ou w Ma u v e r en s e n Th is wa s at th e w ish O f b oth
.

M r Stewart an d my m other for th e n am e I bore

.
,

w a s an h on orabl e o n e My fath er had been fo r years

.

a cl ergym an in th e V alley preach ing n ow i n D u tch , ,

n ow i n Germ an accord in g t o th e nat i onal ity o f th e

,

p eopl e an d l ead i n g a l i fe o f m u ch hard sh ip travel

, ,

l ing u p an d d own am on g th em I t i s n ot my bu si .

n ess t o in sist that h e was a great m an b u t i t i s ,

certai n that thro ugh all my yo u n ger years I rece ived

kin dn esses from m any peopl e becau se I wa s my
’
fath er s s o n Fo r my o wn part I b u t faintly remem
.

b er h im h e having b een killed by a fracti o u s h orse

,

when I wa s a very small boy .

A s h e had h ad n o fi xed charge d u ring l ife b u t h ad ,

m in iste red t o h al f a d ozen com m u n iti es s o i t was ,

’
n obody s b u si ness in part icu lar t o care for h i s fam ily
aft e r h is d eath Th e own e r o f th e h orse d id send
.

m y m othe r a b u sh el o f apples an d th e congregat ion ,

at Ston e A rabia t ook u p a l itt l e m on ey for h er Bu t .

th ey we re all p oor people i n th ose days wrestin g a ,

scanty l ivelih ood from th e wild ern ess an d besides I , ,

have neve r n ot iced that t o be fre e with thei r m o n ey

i s in th e n atu re O f e ith er th e D u tch or th e Palati nes .

The n ew d om in ie t o o wh o cam e u p from A lbany

, ,
’
t o take my father s place was O f th e op in ion that ,

there was qu i t e l ittl e en ou gh com ing i n for th e

l iving past or with ou t sheari ng i t as h e said t o
, , ,
 In wkie/i I becom e t/ze Son f
o tke H o use .
39

’
k eep al ive d ead folk s m em ories Th u s sadly a .

p rospect O f great d est it u tion op ened before my

m other .

B u t s h e was i f I s ay i t mysel f a su p erio r wo man

, ,
.

H er father Captai n Balt u s V a n H oorn had been a

, ,

bu rgh er o f su bstan ce i n o l d D orp u ntil the kn avery ,

o f a s ea captain w h o tu rn ed pirat e with a sh ip owned

-

by my gran d father d rove th e o l d gen tleman into

p overty an d idlen ess Fo r ye ars h is you nger da u gh
.

ter my m oth e r kept watch over h im con trived by

, , ,

b o o k o r by cro ok t o collect h is old credits o utstand

i ng an d m aintain ed at least en o u gh o f h is b u sin ess
,

t o ward th e wolf from the d oor I t was only aft er .

h is d eath and aft er he r Old er sister M argaret h ad

,

on e t o Co eym ans with he r h u s b a n d K r o n k that my

g , ,

m oth er m arried th e eld erly D om ini e Ma u v e r e n s en .

When h e was s o u ntowardly killed fi ft een years ,

late r s h e was l eft with eigh t ch ild ren o f wh om I

, , ,

a toddling u rchin was am on g th e you ngest Sh e , .

had n o m on ey save th e p ittan ce from Ston e A rab ia ,

n o m ean s of l ivel ihood n o r even a roo f o f h er o wn,

over h er h ead since th e n ew d om in i e m ad e hars h

,

remarks abo u t her keep ing h im o u t o f h is o wn eve r y

t im e h e V isited o u r village T o add t o th e wretched .

n ess o f h er pligh t at th i s ve ry ti m e h e r sister M ar

,

garet cam e back i n d estit u t ion and weakn ess t o h er ,

having been both widowed an d so rely shaken i n wits

by the small pox -
.

I t was th en th at M r St ewart wh o h ad kn own my .

,

fathe r cam e t o o u r rel ief H e fi rst lent my m ot her

, .

a s m al l su m o f m oney—s h e wo uld take n o m ore and ,

wa s afterward very p rou d t o repay h im p en ny for

40 In tke Va l l ey .

p enny H e fu rthe r int erest ed S i r Will iam J oh nson

.
,

M r D o u w Fonda M r J oh n Bu tl er an d othe rs i n th e
.
, .
,

p roj ect o f aidin g h er t o est abli sh a sm all sch o ol at

Fort H u nter wh ere lit tl e ch ild re n m ight b e tau ght
,

p u re D u tch .

T hi s l angu age wh ich I hav e l ived t o se e alm ost

,

enti rely fad e from u se was even th en tho u gh t t o ,

b e m ost p robably th e tongu e o f th e fu t u re i n th e

col ony an d th ere w a s th e m ore ne ed t o t each i t
,

correctly si nce by the barbarou s com m inglin g o f

, ,

R h en ish p easan t d iale ct s I ri sh an d S cotch p erve r ,

si on s o f Engl ish I ndian phras es th e l ingo o f th e

, ,

slaves an d th e cu ri o u s expre ssi ons o f th e Yankee s

,

fro m th e East th e m ost villan o u s j argon ever heard

,

w as com m only sp oken i n o u r V alley M y m o the r .

kn ew th e n obl e lan gu age o f h e r fath ers i n all i ts

strength an d sweetn ess an d he r teach in g was s o ,

h ighly priz ed that soon th e sch ool becam e a sou rc e

o f steady su pp ort t o u s all O ld Un cl e Con rad .

o r Co on ro d as we u sed to call h im — th e h igh sh ou l -

d ered Old pedagogu e wh o was at on ce t each er t it h

i ng man h erb—
,

-
d octor an d fi d dler fo r o u r secti on
, , ,

gru mbl ed a l ittl e at th e start ; bu t either h e had n ot

th e h eart t o take th e bread from o u r m ou th s o r h i s ,

o wn l ip s were soon S il en ced by the p ersu asi o n o f

o u r p atron s .

I t wa s o u t o f resp ect fo r o n e o f t hese goo d o l d ,

D o u w Fon da wh o cam e from Sch enectady to l ive at

,

Cau gh n awaga wh en I was t wo years o l d that I had ,

b een n am ed B u t even m ore we all owed t o th e

.

qu iet l on ely m an wh o had bu ilt th e l o g h ou se Opp o

,

site A ri es C reek and wh o u sed so O ften t o com e ,

42 In t/ze Va l l ey .

Yet when I had got my coat and wo re it along , ,

with breech es o f th e sam e p earl gray colo r dark -

,

woollen stockings copp e r b u ckles o n my sho es an d

, ,

p lain lace at my wrists an d n eck an d o n my n ew h at ,

I som eh ow d id n o t feel any m ore l ike th e oth er b oys

than b efo re .

I t w a s my bri nging up I fan cy wh i ch m ad e m e a

, ,

sol itary lad . Conti n u al co ntact wi th M r St ewart .

h ad m ad e m e old er than my years I kn ew th e h is .

t ory o f H ollan d alm ost as well I imagi n e as any , ,

grown man i n the n eighborh o od an d I h ad read ,

m any val u able books on th e h istory o f o th er co u n

t ri es an d th e l ives o f fam o u s m en wh ich we re in M r
, .

’
Stewart s p ossession S i r William also l oaned m e
.

n u m ero u s bo oks in cl u d in g th e Gen tl em a n s Mag a

’
,

z in e which I st u d i e d w i th d eligh t
,
I h ad also from .

h im Roder ic k Ra n dom which I d id n ot at all enj oy

, ,

n o r d o I even n ow u n d erstan d h ow i t o r fo r that ,

m atter any o f i ts rowdy fell ows fo u n d favo r w ith ,

sen sibl e p eople .

My read ing w as al l ve ry serio u s —stran gely s o no ,

d o ubt for a l ittl e b oy— b u t i n tru th read ing o f an y

,

sort wo u ld have served to m ake m e an O dd sh eep

among my com rad es I won d er st ill at th e u nlet
.

t e r e d con diti on o f th e boys ab ou t m e J oh n J oh n .

son tho u gh seve n years m y sen ior was s o ign o ran t

, ,

as scarcely t o b e able t o t ell the d i ffe renc e between

th e D utch and th e Germ a n s and wh en ce th ey r e
,

s p ec t iv e l y came H e told m e o nce som e years afte r

.
,

th i s when I was b ringing an arm fu l o f vol u m es from

,
’
h is father s m ansio n th at a b oy was a fool t o p ore
,

ove r b ooks wh e n h e co u ld rid e an d fi sh and h u n t in

 In wkick I becom e t/ze Son f
o tko H ous e .
43

stead Yo u n g Bu tler was o f a bette r sort m entally

.
,

b ut h e too n ever cared t o read m u ch Both he and .

the Groats th e N el l is es the C o s s e l m an s yo u ng Wo r

, , ,

—
m u th in fact all th e boys O f go od fam ilies I knew
,

i n th e V all ey— d erided ed u cati on and p re ferred in

,

stead t o go i nto the woods with a n egro an d h u n t ,

squ irrel s wh ile h e chopped o r to pl ay with their

,

t raps.

Perhaps th ey were n ot to b e blam ed m u ch for th e ,

attracti on s o f the rou gh o u t O f d oo r li fe wh ich th ey

- -

s aw m en leading all abo u t them m ight very easily

ou tweigh th e qu iet pl easu res o f a b ook B u t it was.

a m isfo rt u n e n on e th e less i n aft er years t o som e o f

-

them wh en th ey all owed u n i n form ed p rej u d ices t o

,

lead th e m i nt o a t erribl e cou rse o f cri m e against

th eir co u ntry an d thei r n eighb ors an d paid thei r
,

estates o r th ei r l ives as th e penalty fo r th eir ign o

ran ce and folly .

Fort u nately th ings are

,
for the
you th o f th e lan d in these d ays .
 C HA PT E R V .

H OW A S T A T E LY N A M E WAS S H O R T EN E D AN D
SW E E T EN E D .

I T was o n t h e m orrow after my birthd ay th at we

b ecam e fi nally convin ce d o f th e Fren ch retreat .

Mr St ewart had retu rn ed from h is j o u r n eys con

.
,

t ented an d s at n o w aft er h is h ot supper sm oking

, , ,

by th e fi re I lay at hi s feet on a bear skin I

.
-
,

rem ember readin g by th e l ight o f th e fl am es wh en

, ,

my au n t bro u gh t t h e baby girl i n -

.

D u rin g th e we ek th at s h e had b een with u s I h ad ,

b een t o o m u ch t e rri fi ed by th e m en ace o f i nvasion

t o take m u ch i nt erest i n h e r an d M r S t e wart h ad ,
.

scarcely see n h e r H e sm iled n ow and h eld o u t h i s

.
,

h and s to h e r Sh e wen t t o h im ve r y freely an d

.
,

l o o ked hi m ove r wi th a wi se wond eri ng exp re ssi on ,

when h e took he r o n his knee I t co u ld b e seen that .

s h e was ve ry p retty H er l ittl e wh it e rows O f t eeth

.

were as regular an d p early as th e u pp er kern els o n an

ear o f fresh sweet co rn Sh e had a ribbo n i n h e r .

l ong glossy hai r an d her face shon e pl easan tly w i th

, ,

soap My au n t h ad m ad e h er som e sh oe s o u t o f
.

d eer hi d e wh ich M r Stewart ch u ckled over

-
, . .

What a pe ople th e D u t ch are ! h e said wi th a ”

“
sm il e Th e child i s p oli sh ed like th e barrel o f a
.

’
gun What s yo u r nam e l ittl e o n e ?
.
,

T h e girl made n o an swer fro m t im id ity I su ppose , .

 H ow a Sta tely N ame w a s Skor ten ed .
45

H as s h e n o nam e ? I sh ou ld thin k s h e wou ld

have o n e said I I t wa s the fi rst tim e I had eve r
,
.

spoken t o M r Stewart with ou t h avin g been a d

.

d ressed Bu t my n ew p ositi on i n the h ou se seemed

.

t o entitle m e t o thi s m u ch liberty f or on ce , .

”
N o h e repl ied you r au nt i s n ot abl e to d i s
cover that s h e has a n am e —excep t that s h e calls
, ,

h e rsel f P u l key o r som e th ing l ik e that

,
.

“
That i s n ot a good n am e t o the ear I said i n , ,

comm ent .

N o ; d ou btless it i s a n ickn am e I have thou ght .

,
”
he add ed m u singly O f callin g h er D esid eria
, ,
.

I s at bolt u pright at th is I t d id n o t becom e m e .

to protest bu t I cou ld n ot ke ep th e d ismay from

,

my face evidently for M r Stewart l au ghed alou d

, , . .

What i s it D o uw ? I s i t n o t t o yo u r l iking ?
”

Y e s s ir — bu t s h e is su ch a very littl e girl !

- -
,
’
A n d th e nam e is s o great eh ? Sh e l l grow t o ,
’
it lad sh e ll grow to it A n d wh at kin d o f a D u tch
, , .

man are you s ir wh o are u nwill in g t o d o h on or to

, ,

th e greatest o f all D u tchm en ? The D r Erasm u s .

upon whose l etters yo u are to try yo u r Lati n thi s

—
winter his nam e was D esid eri u s Can yo u tell what .

’ ’
i t m ean s ? I t signi fi es d esired as o f a m other s ‘
,

h eart and h e took a form o f th e Greek verb er a o

, ,
’
m ean ing abou t th e sam e th i n g instead I t s a go odly , .

famou s nam e yo u see We m ean t o m ake o u r l ittl e

, .

girl th e t ru e st lady and love h e r th e b est o f al l th e

, ,
’
women i n the V alley A n d s o we ll give her a .

nam e— a fai r so u nd ing graci ou s C lassi cal nam e

-
, ,

which n o othe r woman bears and on e that shal l ,

always su ggest hom e l ove— eh boy ? ,

”
 In tae Va l l ey .

Bu t i f it be so good a n am e si r I said gingerly , , , ,

b eing consciou s o f p res u m pt ion wh y d id D r , .

Erasm u s n ot keep i t h imsel f i n stead O f t u rn in g i t

i nt o Greek ?
M y pat ro n lau ghed h eart ily at th is A D u tch .

m an for obstin acy h e said an d l ean ed ove r t o ru b

,

t h e top o f my h ead wh ich h e d id wh en I spe cially

,

pl eased h im .

Lat e th at n ight as I l ay awake i n my n ew ro om

, ,

l isten in g t o the wh istl in g o f the w i nd i n th e sn ow

lad en bran ches ou tsid e an idea cam e to m e wh i ch I
,

d eterm i ned t o p u t i nt o act ion SO n ext even ing .

,

wh en th e l ittl e gi rl was b ro u gh t i n aft e r o u r su pp er ,

I begged that sh e m ight be p u t d own o n th e fu r

before th e fi re to play with m e an d I watched my
, ,

opportu nity Mr Stewart was readi ng by th e candles

. .

o n th e tabl e. S ave for th e S i n gi ng o f th e ke ttl e o n

th e cran e— fo r th e m ixin g o f h i s n igh t d ri n k l ate r -

o n —an d
’
th e click o f my au n t s knittin g n eedles -
,

there was p erfect silence I m u st e red my b ravery .

,
”
an d called my we e playmate D ai sy .

I d ared not l ook at th e master and co u ld n o t t ell ,

i f h e had heard o r n o t Presently I sp oke th e n am e

.

again an d th is t im e ven t u re d t o st eal an app r eh e n

,

l s iv e glance at h im and fan ci ed I saw th e workings

,

o f a sm il e repressed i n th e d eep li n es abo u t hi s

’
“ ”
m ou th . A D u tchman fo r obst in acy t ru ly since ,

two days afterward M r St ewart h im sel f called th e .

girl D aisy —an d there was an end o f i t Until

“ ”
.

con fi rm ati on t im e wh en s h e played a q u eenly p art

,
’
at th e h ead o f th e little class o f farm ers an d villa
’
ge rs dau ghters whom D om i n i e R om eyn bap t iz ed
 H o w a Sta tely N ame wa s Skor ten ed .

into fu ll comm u n i on the po nde rou s Lati n nam e

,

was n ever heard o f again Th en it i nd ee d emerged.

for bu t a single day t o d igni fy a state occasion

, ,

an d disappeared forever Except al on e o n th e con

.

fir m a t io n register o f th e Ston e Ch u rch at C a u gh n a

waga s h e was D aisy th en ceforth for all tim e an d to
,

all m en .

V The win ter o f 1 7 5 7 —58 i s still spoken o f by u s Old

p eopl e as a season of great severity an d con sequ en t
’
p r ivat io n
q The sn ow was d ri fted over th e road s u p
t o th e fi rst branche s o f th e t re es yet rarely formed ,

a good cru st u pon wh i ch on e cou ld m ove with sn ow

sh oes H en ce the ou tlyin g settl ement s l ike Ch erry
.
,

V alley and Tribes H ill had hard work t o get ,

food .

I d o n ot rem ember that ou r h ou sehol d stood i n

any su ch n eed h u h /o c c as io n all y som e I ndian wh o
,

had been across the hills carryin g venison wou ld

com e i n and rest begging fo r a drink o f raw ru m and
, ,

givi ng forth a strong sm ell like that of a tam e bear

as he toasted him sel f by th e fi re M r St ewart was . .

ofte n am u sed by th ese fellows and d elighted t o talk ,

with them as far as thei r kn owledge o f langu age

and in clination to u se it went b u t I n ever cou ld ,

abide them .

I t has becom e the fashi on n ow t o be sentimental

abou t th e red man an d you n g people wh o never
,

knew what h e really was like fi nd it easy to extol

h is virt u es an d to create fo r h im a ch ivalrou s
,

character N o dou bt th ere were som e h on est crea

.

tu r es am on g them ; even i n Sodom and Gom orrah

a few j u s t people were fou nd I t is t ru e tha t i n .
4 8 In tko Va l l ey .

l at er l ife I once had occasi on to d ep end greatly

u p on th e fi d el ity o f two O n eidas and they d id n o t ,

fai l m e B u t as a wh ol e th e race was a bad o n e— fu ll

.

O f la z in ess and li es an d cowardly fe rocity From .

e ar l ies t c h il dh o o d I s aw a go od d eal o f th em an d I
,
,

kn ow what I s ay .

P robably there was n o place o n th e wh ol e cont i

n en t W h ere th ese I nd ian s co u ld b e better st u di ed
’
th an i n th e M oh awk V alley n ear t o Si r William s ,

place They cam e t o h im i n great n u mbers n o t

.
,

only from th e S ix N ati on s b u t o ften from far d istan t

,
-

t ribes l ivi ng beyon d th e Lakes and n orth o f th e S t .

Lawrence They were o n th ei r best b ehavi or with

.

h im an d n o d o u bt had an a ffecti on for h im i n th ei r

,

w ay bu t it was b ecau se h e fl at tered th ei r egregiou s

,

vanity by act ing an d d ressing i n I ndi an fashi on an d ,

m ad e i t worth thei r wh il e by con stantly giving them

p resents an d ru m Thei r l ikin g seem ed always t o
.

m e t o be that O f th e selfi sh tre ach ero u s cat rathe r , ,

than o f th e hon est d og Th ei r t eeth an d claws were

.

always ready for yo u r fl esh i f yo u did n o t g i ve th e m

,

en o u gh an d i f th ey dared to st rike A n d th ey were

,
.

cowards t o o for al l th ei r boasting N o t even S i r Wil

, ,
.

l iam cou ld ge t them t o face any en emy i n th e open .

T hei r n otion o f wa r was m idn ight sku lking an d

shootin g from beh in d safe c over Eve n i n battl e .

t h ey were m u rd erers n o t warriors ,

.

I n peace th ey were n ext t o u sel ess Th e re was a .

l ittle col ony o f th em in o u r orchard o n e su mm er

wh ich I watch ed with m u ch interes t T h e m en .

n ever d id one st roke o f h on est work all th e seaso n

l ong e x cept to t rot o n errand s wh en th ey fel t l ike

,
50 In tlze Va l l ey .

I n dian s—a n d they seem ed also reason s w h y I sho ul d

like th em as I always d id
, .

There were other reason s wh y I sh ou ld b e very

fon d of Tulp H e wa s a qu ee r droll l ittle darky as
.
,

a boy fu ll o f cu ri ou s fan cie s and com ical sayings

, ,

and I n ever can rem embe r a tim e wh en h e wo ul d

n ot I veritably bel i eve h ave lai d d own h is l ife fo r
, ,

m e We were always togeth e r ind oo rs o r o u t H e

.
,
.

w a s exceed ingly p rou d o f h i s n am e wh ich wa s i n a ,

way a badge o f an ci en t d escent —h avi ng b een b orn e

by a l ong l in e o f slaves h i s an cest ors sin ce that far
, ,

back t i m e wh en th e D u tch went cra z y over collect

ing t u l ip b u lbs -
.

H i s fath er had started i n l i fe wi th th is n am e to o , ,

b u t passin g i nt o th e p ossessi o n o f an u nrom anti c

Yanke e at A lbany had been r e christ ened Eli—a
,

-
,

n am e whi ch h e l o ath e d yet p erfo rce retain ed wh e n

M r S tewart b o u gh t h i m
. H e was a d ru nken lar .
,

c en o u s O ld rascal bu t as swe et temp ered as th e d ay

,
-

’ ’
i s l on g and m any s the tim e I ve h eard h im vow
, ,

with m au dl i n t ears in h i s eyes that all h i s evil habits ,

cam e u pon him as th e resu lt o f ch angin g h i s n am e .

I f h e had contin u ed t o be Tu lp h e argu ed h e wo u ld , ,

h ave had som e i n centive to an h on orabl e l i fe ; b u t

what sel f re spect i n g n igger co u l d have s o low d own
- -

a nam e as El i an d b e good for anyth in g ? A l l thi s

,

warranted my boy i n bein g p rou d o f h is n am e and , ,

s o t o speak living u p to it
, .

I h ave gossipe d alon g with o u t telli ng m u ch o f th e

l ong winte r o f 1 7 5 7 I n tru th th ere i s littl e t o t ell
.
, .

I happen t o rem embe r that i t was a season o f cru el

hard ship t o m any o f o u r n eighbors Bu t i t was a .
 H o w a Sta tely N ame wa s S/zor ten ed .

happy tim e for m e What m attered i t that th e .

sn ow was p iled o u tsid e h igh ab ove my head ; that

food i n th e forest was so scarce that th e wolves crep t
yelping clo se to o u r st ockad e ; that we had t o ea t
cranberri es to keep O ff the scu rvy u ntil I grew for ,

all tim e t o hat e the ir ve ry colo r ; o r that for five

l ong m onths I n ever s aw my m oth er and sisters or ,

went to chu rch ? I t was very pl easan t i nsid e .

I s e e m still t o s e e th e squ are h om e like cen tral ,

-

’
room O f th e o l d ho u se with M r Stewart s bed i n o n e
, .

corner covere d with a great rob e o f p ie ced panth er

,

skins The sm oky rafters above were h u ng with

.

strings o f onions red peppers an d long ears O f I nd ian

,
-
,

corn the gold o f which shon e th ro u gh p al e parted

,

h u sks an d glowed in th e fir e l igh t Th e ru d e h om e .

m ad e table chairs an d stool s stood i n those d ays

, ,

upon a rough fl o or o f hewn planks o n proj ect in g ,

corners o f wh ich an u n lu cky t oe was o fte n st u bb ed .

There were variou s S kin s sp read on th i s fl oo r and ,

others o n th e log walls h u n g u p t o d ry O ver th e , .

’
great s ton e m antel were su spend ed M r Stewart s .

gu ns along with h is sword an d p i stols Back i n th e

, .

corn ers o f th e fi replace were h u ng t raps n et s an d , ,

the l ike while o n th e opposite sid e o f th e room was

,
’
th e m aster s bookcase well fi lled wi th volu m e s i n ,

English Latin and oth er tong u es Th ree d oors

, , .
,

l o w and u npanelled open ed fro m thi s room t o th e

,

other chambers o f —
th e h ou se l ead ing respect ively
to the kitchen t o my room and to th e room n o w
, ,

s e t apart f o r my au nt an d l ittl e D aisy .

N O doub t it was a p o o r abod e and scant ily en ou gh ,

fu rn ished j u dged by present standards b u t we wer e

, ,
52 In tke Va l l ey .

ve ry com fo rtabl e i n it n on e th e l ess I wo rked , .

pretty hard that win ter o n my Lat i n co n n ing C ae sar ,

for labo r an d D r Erasm u s for play and kept u p my .

,

othe r st u d ies as well read in g fo r th e fi rst t im e I , ,

rem ember th e advent u res O f R ob inson C ru soe Fo r

, .

th e r e s t I b u sied mysel f l earn in g t o m ake snow

,

sh o es t o twist cords o u t o f fl ax t o m o u ld b ullets

, , ,

and to writ e legibly o r el se played with D aisy an d ,

T u lp.

To confess h ow si mply we am u sed o u rselves we ,

th re e li ttl e on es w o u l d b e t o sp eak i n an u nkn own

,

tongu e l fear t o m o d ern ch ild ren O u r stock o f

, ,
.

playth i ngs was ve ry lim it ed We had as th e basis .

,

o f everyth in g th e woo den works O f th e Ol d cl ock

, ,

which se rved n o w fo r a gristm ill l ike that o f th e

Groats n ow fo r a fort again fo r a C h u rch Th en
, , .

there were th e spin dl es O f a d iscard ed spi n n in g

whe el an d a small arm y o f spool s wh ich my au n t
,

u sed for wind i ng l in en th read These we d ressed i n .

—
Odd rags for d olls sold i ers I nd ians an d fi n e lad ies , , ,

an d knight s o f o l d T o o u r contented fan cy .

,

there was en dl ess i nt ere st in th e l ives an d d oings o f

th ese poor p u ppets I m ad e them illu st rat e th e .

th ings I read and th e slave boy an d t iny o rph an girl

,

assisted and followed o n with equ al en th u siasm ,

whether the play w a s of A lexan d er o f M aced on o r ,

Cap tain Kidd o r only a war co u n ci l of D elaware

,
-

’
I ndians b ased u p on M r C old en s b ook
,
. .

S om etim es when i t was warm en o u gh t o l eave th e

,

h earth and M r Stewart d esired n ot t o b e d ist u rbed

,
.
,

we wo ul d transport o u rselves an d ou r gam es to my

’
a u n t s room Thi s wo uld b e a d in gy en o ugh place
. ,
 H ow a Sta tely N ame was Skor ten ed
.
53

I supp ose even t o my eyes n o w bu t it had a grea t

, ,

charm then H ere from th e rafters h u ng th e d ri ed

.
,

—
odori fero u s herbs sage su mm er savo ry an d m oth e r
,
-
,

wort ; b ottles of c u cu mber ointm ent and of a lin im ent

m ad e from angl e worm s—fam ou s for cu ts an d bru ises ;
-

stri ngs o f d ri ed appl es and p u mpki ns ; blac k bean s

i n thei r withered p od s ; swee t clover for th e lin en
and I kn o w n ot what else besid es O n th e wall we re
.

t wo D u tch engravings o f th e kill ing o f J an and C or

n eli s d e Wi t by th e citiz ens O f Th e H agu e whi ch , ,

despite th ei r h id eou s fi delity t o details had a grea t

,

fascinatio n for m e .

My ch ildho od com es back vividly ind eed to m e as

I recall the good old woman i n her wh it e cap an d
,

sh ort gow n ( wh ich sh e h ad t o l i ft t o get at t h e p ocke t

t ied ove r h er p etti coat by a string t o h er wais t) ,

walking u p and down with th e yarn tau t from th e

h u ge b u zzi ng wh eel croon in g D u tch hym n s t o h er
, ,

sel f th e wh ile and thinkin g abou t o u r d inner

, .
 C HA PT E R V I .

WI T H I N S O U ND O F T H E S H O U TING WA T E R S .

I F I rel ied u p on my m em o r y I cou ld n ot tell when

,

t h e French wa r en d ed I t had p racti cally t erm i

.

h ated s o far as o u r V alley was con cern ed with th e

, ,

ep isod e already related S ir Willi am J ohn so n was

.

away m u ch o f the t im e with th e army and seve ral

o f th e boys older than mysel f—J ohn J oh nson J o h n
,

Frey and A d am Fon da am ong th em went with h im

,
-
.

We h eard vagu e n ews o f battl es a t d istan t places at ,

N iagara at Q u ebec an d elsewh ere O n ce i nd eed a

, ,
.
, ,

band o f R oman Cathol i c I nd ian s app eared at Fort

H erkim e r and d i d bl o ody work b efore th ey were
d riven O ff b u t th is t im e there was n o pan i c i n th e
,

l owe r settlem en ts .

Large t roop s o f soldiers cont in u ally p assed u p and

d own o n th e river in th e op e n season s som e O f t h e m ,

i n very h an d som e cloth es .

I remembe r o n e body o f H ighland ers i n parti c u l ar

wh ose d ress an d m ien imp ressed m e greatly M r . .

Stewart t oo was m u ch excit ed by th e m em o ri es

, ,

thi s n oble u n i form evoked and had th e o ffi ce rs i n t o

,

th e h o u se t o eat and dri nk with h im I wat c h e d .

and l istened t o these t all fi erce bare kn eed warriors

, ,
-

i n awe from a d istance H e b rou gh t o u t b ottl es

,
.

f rom h is rare st o ck o f M ad ei ra an d th ey d ra n k it ,
Wit h n so nd
i u of th e s h o ti n g w
u at e rs
 56 In tke Va l l ey .

c roo ke d as R i chard th e Th i rd I fear th at D aisy .

n ever altogeth er liked h im aft er th is T O m e h e was .

d earer than ever n ot b ecau se my h eart was ten ,

d erer th an h ers o f co u rse bu t becau se wom en are

, ,

m o re d eli cately m ad e and m u st p erforce sh u dd er at ,

u gl i n ess .

H o w happ ily th e years wen t by ! Th e p ict u res i n

m em o ry save th ose o f t he sn u g wi nt er room s
{ my ,

al ready referred t o are all o f a beau t ifu l V al l ey em

b owered i n green rad ian t with su nsh in e—each d ay
, ,

l ive long wi th d elight

-
.

There w a s fi rst o f all i n th e sprin g wh e n th e c h o ,

r u s o f ret u rn in g song b i rd s began th e gath erin g o f -

,

m apl e s ap still sacred t o b oyh ood Th e sh eep were

-
,
.

t o b e wash ed an d sh eared t oo and th e awkward , , ,

weak kn eed calves t o b e fed Wh il e th e sprin g fl ood s

- .

ran h igh d u cks an d geese covered th e wat er an d

, ,

m u sk rat s cam e o u t d riven from th ei r h ol es Th en

-
, .

app eared great fl ocks o f pigeon s well fatt en ed from ,

’
their wi nter s soj ou rn i n th e Sou th an d eve ryb ody , ,

you n g an d Old gave h im sel f u p t o th eir slau ghter ;

,

wh ile thi s lasted th e crack crack ! O f gu n s wa s h eard

,

all th e foren oon l ong part icu larly i f th e d ay was ,

—
clou dy an d th e bird s were flyin g l ow and ah ! th e
bu ttered p igeon p i es my au n t m ad e t oo , .

A s th e fl ood s went d own and th e sn ow water d is ,

-

app eared the fi sh ing b egan fi rst with th e big silly

, , ,

su ckers th en with wiser an d m ore val u ed fi sh Th e

,
.

wood s b ecam e d ry and th en i n l ong j oyou s ram ble s

, ,

we s et t raps and snares h u nted for n ests am ong th e ,

l ow b ran ch es an d i n the m arsh grass sm oked wood -

,

ch u cks o u t o f th e i r h oles gathe re d wild fl owe rs win ;

‘

, ,
 Wit/zin Sou n d f
o tke S/to utin g I
/V ater s .
57

ter green and dye pla n t s o r b u ilt great fi res of th e

-
,
-
,

d ead l eaves and pi thless scatte red b ranch es as boys , ,

to the en d o f t i m e will d el ight t o d o .

Wh en au t u m n cam e there were m u shroom s an d , ,

beech n u ts bu tte r n u ts h ickory n u ts wild grapes

-
,
-
,
-
, ,

p u cker b erri es n o t to speak o f load s O f eld er berries

-
,
-

for making win e A n d the p ige ons flying sou th

.
,

ward darken ed th e s ky on ce m ore ; an d then th e

,

h orse s were u n sh od fo r t read in g o u t th e wheat and ,

we child ren fanned away the cha ff with big p alm

l eave s ; an d th e combs o f honey were gathered and
shelved ; an d th e O ctobe r h u sking began by o u r
havi ng th e fi rst kettle fu l o f wh ite corn swollen and ,

h u lled by being boiled in lye o f wood ashes sp oon ed ,

steam ing int o o u r p orringers o f m ilk by my au nt .

A h they were happy t imes i nd eed !

,

Eve ry o th e r S u nd ay gran ted t ol erabl e weath er I

, ,

crossed th e river early i n th e m orn ing t o attend

ch u rch with my moth e r an d si sters I t i s n o r e fl e c .

t ion upon my fi lial re sp ect I h ope t o con fess th at , ,

these are wearisom e m em ories We we nt i n solemn .

p rocessi on the fam ily be ing invari ably ready an d

,

waiting whe n I arrived We s at i n a l ong row i n a .

e w qu it e in fron t o f the slat e col ored p u lp it —m y

p
-

m oth e r si t t i n g sternly u prigh t at th e o u t e r en d my ,

t allest si ster next and s o o n i n regu lar p rogression

, , ,

d own to wre t ched baby Gertru d e an d m e Th e very .

colo r o f th e p ew a d ul l Span i sh brown was en ough

, ,

t o sen d o n e t o sleep and its h igh u ncomprom ising

, ,

back mad e all my bone s ache .

Yet I was forced to keep awake an d m ore t o l o ok , ,

’
d eeply i nterested I was a clergyman s s o n and th e
.
,
.
5 8 In tke Va l l ey .

war d o f an imp ortant m an ; I wa s th e best d ressed -

yo u ngste r i n th e congregat ion and b rou gh t a slave ,

o f my o w n t o ch u rch with m e SO D om i n i e R om eyn.

always fi x ed h is lack l u stre eye o n m e and seem ed t o

-
,

d evel op all his long prosy argu m ents o n e by o n e t o

,

m e p erso nally Even when h e t u rn ed th e h o u r glass

.
-

i n fron t O f h im h e seem ed t o i nd icat e that i t Was

,

qu ite as m u ch my a ffai r as h i s I d are d n ot twist .

clear aro u nd t o s ee T u lp sitt ing am on g th e n egroes

,

and I nd ian s o n o n e o f th e backl ess b ench es u nd er

,

th e en d gall ery ; i t was scarcely p ossibl e even to steal

glances u p t o th e sid e galleri es wh ere th e b oys o f ,

l o we r d egree were at th ei r m isch ie f an d wh ere fi ts of ,

gigglin g an d h o rse play rose and spread fro m tim e to

-

t im e u nt il th e t i th ing m an o l d C on rad t o wi t b u rst

-
, ,

in an d lai d h i s h icko ry gad ove r th e ir irreveren t

heads .

Wh en at last I co ul d escap e wi th o u t d iscred it an d ,

ge t across th e river again it was with th e con soling ,

th ou gh t th at th e n ext Su n day wo ul d b e M r Stew .

’
art s S u nday .

Th is m ean t a good l ong walk with my patron .

S om etim es we wo u ld go d own to M o u n t J oh nson i f ,

’
S i r Wi ll iam was at h om e o r t o M r B u tle r s o r s om e
,
.
,

oth e r En glish sp eakin g h ou se wh ere I wo u l d h ear

-
,

m u ch p ro fi tabl e co nversati on an d th en b e e n c o u r ,

aged t o talk ab o u t i t d u ring o u r l ei su rely h om eward

stroll Bu t m ore O ften i f t h e d ay we re fi n e w e
.
, ,

wou ld l eave roads and civil iz at ion beh i nd u s an d ,

cl imb th e grad ual elevat i on t o th e n orth O f th e

hou se th rou gh th e woodlan d t o an o l d I n dian t rail
—
,

wh ich l ed t o o u r favo rit e h au n t a wond erfu l ravin e .

 Witkin Soun d f
o tko Skout in g Wa ter s .
59

Th e place has still a lo cal fam e and p icn i c parties ,

go there t o play at forestry b u t it gives scarcely a ,

suggest io n n ow o f its/ an c ie n t wild ness ) A s L E Wboy .

ish eyes s aw it}it was nothing sh ort o ffawe insp i ri ng )

1 -
.

Th e creek th en a p owerfu l stream h ad cu t a d eep

, ,

gorge i n its<ex u l t an tl leap over th e l im e s to n e ba r r ie r fl

.

O n the cl i ffs above gian t h emlo cks s e e m e d/g

,
t o bru sh
the ve ry s kyVWith thei r black t u fted bo u ghs A way , .

bel ow o n th e shad owed bottomland which co ul d b e

, ,

( reach ed only by feet t rain ed t o d i ffi cu l t d escents ,

st range plants gre w rank i n th e m oi st u re of th e

waterfall an d m isshape n rocks wrapped th eir naked
,

n ess in heavy folds of u nkn own m osses an d nam eless

fern growths ) A bove all was th e ceasel ess sh ou t o f
-
.

t he tu mbling wat ers wh ich had i n my ears eve r a

,

barbari c m essage from the Spiri t o f th e Wildern ess .

T h e old er M oh awks tol d M r St ewart that i n th ei r .

c h ildhoo d th i s weird spo t wa s held t o b e sacred to

the Great Wol f th e totem o f thei r t ribe H ere for
, .
,

m ore gen erati on s th an any co u ld c ou n t the i r wise ,

men had gath ered abo u t th e mysti c birch fl am e in ,

grave co u n cil O f wa r H e re th e tribe had assembled

.

t o seek strengt h o f arm hard ness o f h ear t cu nn in g

, ,

o f brain f o r its warriors i n sol em n i n cantations an d

'

, ,

o fferings t o th e Unkn own H e re h ostil e p ris o ners

.

had been to rtu red an d bu rn ed S om e m ishap o r .

om en o r sh i ft o f su p erst itiou s feeling had led to t h e

abandon ment o f th is cou n cil place Even th e t rail .
,

wi nd ing its to rt u o u s way from the V alley over th e

h il ls t oward the A dirondack fastn esses had been
desert ed fo r ano t h er long before —s o l ong i n fact
,

, ,

t ha t th e y o u ng brave wh o c han ced t o f o llo w t h e

60 In tae Va l l ey .

l o u n ging tracks o fth e black bear d own th e creek t o

th e gorge o r wh o tu rned asid e from th e stealthy
,
’
p u rs u i t O f t h e eagl e s fl ight t o l earn what th is m u f
fl e d roar m ight signi fy lo oked u p on th e remai ns o f,
’
t h e co u n cil fi re s circl e o f st on e seat s above th e cata
r act an d d own i n to the chasm o f m ist an d foam
,

u n d ern eath with n o kn owl edge that t hey were a p art

,

o f h is an cest ral h ist ory .

M r S t ewart t old m e that wh e n h e fi rs t settle d i n

.

th e V all ey a d isapp oi nt ed an d angry m an th is gu lf

, ,

h ad m u ch th e satisfact ion fo r h i m that m en i n great

gri ef o r wrath fi nd i n br eas t in g a s h a r p st orm T h ere .

w as so m ething congen ial t o h i s u gly u n rest i n th i s

p lace with its vi olen t clam or i t s swi ft d ash i ng O f
, ,

waters it s d ismal shad ows an d damp ch illi n ess o f

, ,

d epths .

Bu t w e were fallen n ow u p on cal m e r b righte r ,

d ays H e was n o l onger th e disc o u raged su ll en

.
,

m isanth ropi s t b u t had com e t o b e i nst ead a pacifi c

, ,

cont ented even happy gentl em an,

A n d 1 0 ! th e
,
.

m ean in g of th e wil d gorge chan ged t o refl ect h i s

m ood There wa s n o stain o f savage ry u p o n th e
.

d el igh t we h ad i n com in g t o th is spot A s h e said .

,

on ce li sten ed rightly t o th e m u sic o f th e fallin g ,

waters gave su ggesti ons wh ich i f they we re sober ,

in g were still n ot s a d
,
.

Th i s p lace was all o u r o wn an d h ith er we m ost

'

frequ en tly ben t o u step s

r o n )
S u ndays afte r th e
sn ow water had l eft th e creek and t he danger o f
-
,

l u rkin g cold s had been coaxed from th e earth by

th e M ay su n H ere h e wo u ld sit for h o u rs o n o n e
.

o f th e ston e s in th e gr e at iD r u id l ik e \ c ir c l e which -
 Wit/t in Soun d o f tke Sko ut in g Wa ter s? 61

som e dead gen era t ion o f savages had toil ed to c o n

‘

struct S om eti m e s I wo u ld sco u r th e steep sid es of

.

the ravin e an d th e m oist bott om for c u rio u s plan ts

to fetch t o h im and h e wo u ld t ell m e o f th ei r s t r u c
,

t u re an d d esign M ore O ften I wou ld s it at h i s feet

.
,

and he between wh i ffs at h i s p ip e wo u ld d isco u rse

, ,

t o m e o f th e d i fferen ces between h i s O l d Worl d and

( thi s n ew o n e hin t o which I p rg viden tiall y had been
born H e talked o f h i s past o f Thy fu t u re and
-“

.
, ,

t ogethe r with th is was p u t forth an indescribabl e

wealth o f rem in iscen ce refl ect i on and h elp fu l , ,

anecd ote .

O n th i s spot with th e gau n t o u tlin es o f m am

,

moth prim eval t ru nks and twi st ed bou gh s above u s ,

with the sacred m em orials of extin ct rites abo u t

u s and with th e wat ers crash in g d own th rou gh th e
,

sol itu d e ben eath u s o n their way to t u rn Si r Wil

’
l iam s m ill wheel on e cou ld get broad c o m p r eh e n
-
, ,

sive ideas o f wh at t h in gs really m eana O n e cou ld

b
,

s ee wh erein th e age o f P itt diffe r eE l from and

advan ced u pon th e age of Colbert o n thi s n ew ,

cont i nent an d cou ld as i n p rophecy d ream of th e

,
’

age o f J e fferson yet t o com e D i d I as a lad feel .

these th ings ? Truly it seem s t o m e that I d id .

’
H al f a cent u ry before th e m ed i ci n e m an s fi re had
,
-

blazed in this circle its sm oky i ncense crackling ,

upward i n O ffering to the god s o f th e pagan tribe .

H e re t oo upo n th is c h a r r e d barren spot h ad bee n

, , , , ,

heaped th e blazing fagot s abo u t th e l imbs o f th e

captive brave and the vi ctim b o u nd to th e stake
,

had nerved himsel f t o show the enci rcl ing bru tes
that not even th e horrors O f this d eath cou l d shake
62 In Me Va l l ey .

h is will o r wring a groan from h is h eavin g b reast

, .

H ere too ab ove the u n en ding d in of th e waterfall

, ,

an d t h e whisper O f these hemlocks overhead had ,

often risen som e su ch sh rill voi ced d efi ant d eath -

,

son g f rom the s m oke an d angu ish o f th e stake a s

, ,

t hat chant o f th e A lgon qu i n s o n o f A l kn o m u k

which my grandchild ren sti ll sing at the ir sch ool .

This d ead and h orri bl e past o f h eathen d om I s aw as

i n a m i rro r looking u p on these cou n cil stones
,
-
.

’
T h e ch ild ren s ch ildren O f these savages wer e
still i n th e V all ey Their cou n cil fi res were still .

l ighted n o fu rther d istan t than th e Salt Springs

,
.

I n th ei r h earts b u rn ed all the o l d l u st for t ort ure

and m assacre an d th e awfu l j oys o f rend in g e nem i es
,

l imb by l imb Bu t th e sp ell o f Eu rope wa s u pon

.

th em an d i n good part o r oth e rwi se t h ey b owed

, , ,

u n d er it SO m u ch h ad been gained an d two p eace

.
,

fu l wh it e p eopl e cou ld com e an d talk i n perfe ct safety

on th e anci en t sit e o f thei r sacri fi ces an d cru el
t i es .

Yet this spell o f Eu rop e accom pl ish in g so m u ch , ,

l eft m u ch t o b e d es ired I t w a s still p ossibl e to .

b u rn a slave t o d eath by l egal process h ere i n ,

o u r V alley ; an d i t wa s still with i n th e p ower of

careless greedy n oblem en i n L ond o n wh o d i d n ot

, ,

know th e M ohawk from th e M ississipp i t o sign ,

away great p atents o f ou r land robbing h on est ,

settlers o f th ei r all {Th ere was t o com e th e sp ell o f

.

A m erica which sh ou ld rem edy th e se things ) I can

,

n ot ge t i t ou t o f my h ead tha t I l earn ed to forese e

t his t o feel an d t o look for its com in g th ere i n the
, ,

gorge as a boy .
 C H A P T E R V II .

’
TH R O U G H H APP Y Y O U TH TO MAN S E S T A TE .

A S we two children becam e slowly t ransfo rm ed

i nt o you ths the V all ey with n o l ess stead in ess
,

d evel op ed i n act ivity p op u lat ion an d we alth

, , .

Go od roads were b u ilt ; n ew settlem en ts spran g

u p ; th e sen se o f bein g i n th e h ollow o f th e han d
o f savagery wore O f f P rim itive cond ition s lapsed
.
,

d isapp eared o n e by o n e We cam e t o sm il e at th e

.

“
u n co u th dress an d u nshave n faces o f th e bu sh
—
bau er Palati n es once s o fam il iar n ow well n igh ,

o u tlan d ish . Fam ilies fro m Con necti cu t and t h e

Provi d en ce Plantat ion s began to com e i n n u mbers ,

an d th eir English t ongu e grew m ore an d m ore t o be

th e c om m on l angu age Pe opl e sp oke n o w O f th e
.

Wi nch est er b u sh el i n st ead o f th e S ch ohari e sp i ri t

,
’
an d skippl e Th e b o u n ty o n wolves h eads wen t
.

u p t o a po u n d sterl ing The n u mber o f gentlem en

.

wh o shaved every day wore ru ffl es an d even wigs

, ,

o r p owd er o n great o ccasi on s an d m ain tain ed h u n t

,

i ng with h o u nds and h orse racing i ncreased yearly -

,

— so m u ch s o that som e i nn ocen t p eopl e th ou ght

Englan d itsel f cou l d n ot O ffer m ore att racti ons .

The re w as m u ch envy wh en J oh n J ohn son n o w ,

twenty th ree years o l d was sen t o n a V isi t to En g

-
,

l and t o l earn h o w s t ill better t o play the gen tle

,
 T kr ougk H ppy
a Yo utlz to M ’
an s E s ta te . 65

m an —an d even more wh en h e cam e bac k a kn igh t ,

with spl en did L ondon clothes an d stories o f wha t ,

the King and th e p rinces had said t o him .

The J oh nsons were a great family n ow receiving ,

visits from n otable p eopl e all over the colony at

thei r n ew hall wh ich Sir Will iam had b u ilt o n the
,

h ills back o f h is n ew S cotch settl em en t N oth i ng .

c ou ld have b etter sh own h o w p owerfu l S i r William

had becom e and h ow m u ch h is favor was t o be
,

cou rted than th e fact th at lad ies o f qu al ity an d

,

strict p rop ri ety wh o fan cied them selves ve ry fi n e

,

folk i n deed th e D e Lanc eys an d Phillipse s and th e

,

l ike woul d com e vis iting th e wid ower baronet i n

,
'

h is hall and close th eir eyes t o th e p rese nce there

,

o f M iss M olly and h er h al f breed ch ild ren Si r Wil -

.

’
l iam s n eighbo rs indeed overl ooked th is from the i r
, ,
'

love for the m an an d th ei r relian ce i n h is sense and

,
1

stren gth B u t th e oth ers th e aristocrats hel d thei r

.
, ,

tongu es from fear o f h is wrath and o f h is i nfl u enc e ,

i n London .

They n eve r l iked h i m e ntirely ; he i n t u rn h ad so

l ittl e regard for them and thei r p reten sion s that ,

wh en th ey cam e h e wou ld su ffer n on e o f them t o

,

markedly avoid or a fIr o n t the Brant squ aw whom ,

ind eed th ey had often t o m ee t as an a sso ci ate and

equ al Yet th i s bold ind ep en dent really great
.
, ,

m an so shrewdly strong i n h i s o wn att i tu d e toward

,

th ese gild ed water fl ie s w a s weak en ou gh t o rear -

,

h is o wn s o n t o b e o n e o f them t o val u e th e bauble s ,

they val u ed {t o V iew m en and th ings th ro u gh th eir

,

pai nted sp e cta cles —and th u s t o com e t o grief .

Two years after J ohnson H all was bu ilt M r , .

5
66 In tke Va l l ey .

S t ewar t all a t once decided tha t h e to o w o u ld h av e

a n e w h ou se : and before sn ow fl ew th e handsom e ,
”
spaci o u s Cedars as i t was called pro u dly fron ted
, ,

th e V all ey h ighway O f co u rse i t wa s n ot i n siz e

.
, ,

a rival O f th e H all at J ohn s town b u t i t n on e th e ,

l ess was am o n g th e hal f dozen best h ou ses i n th e -

M oh awk V all ey an d contin u ed s o t o b e u ntil J oh n

,

J ohnson bu rned i t t o the grou n d fi fteen years l at er .

I t st ood i n front o f o u r o l d log stru ctu re n o w ,

t u rn ed o ver t o th e slaves I t was o f two stori es .

,

with l ofty an d spacio u s ro om s and from th e road it ,

presen ted a nobl e app earan ce n o w that the o l d ,

stockade h ad given place to a wall o f l o w regu lar ,

mason ry .

With th i s n ew resid ence cam e a prod igio u s change

in ou r w a y of l i fe D ai sy was barely twelve years
.

o l d bu t we already th ou ght O f her as th e lady o f th e

,

hou se for whom n oth ing was too good Th e wall s

,
.

were plastered and stiff pape r from A n twerp wi th

,

great sprawl i ng arab esqu es and fi gu res o f nymph s ,

an d fau n s ch asi ng on e an oth e r u p an d d own with

ceaseless fru itless p ersi st en cy was h u ng u po n th em
, , ,

at l east i n the large r room s Th e fl o ors were lai d .

sm oothly each board l appin g i nto the n ext by a

,
’
then n ovel j oin er s trick .

’
O n th e fl oor i n D aisy s room the re was a carp et ,

t o o a rare and rem arkabl e th in g i n th ose days and

, ,

also from th e N eth erlands I n thi s sam e chamber .

,

as well were s e t u p a bed o f m ah ogany cu n n in gly

, ,

carved an d decorat ed an d a tall foreign cab in e t o f,

som e rich dark wood for l in en frocks an d th e like

, , ,
.

H e re likewi se were two gilt cage s fro m Paris i n

, , ,
 T kr o ug/t H a ppy Y ou tlz to M ’
an s E s ta te . 67 ‘

which a h eart b reaking su ccessio n o f native bi rds

-

d rooped and di ed u nt il fou r D u bl i n fi n ch es were at

,
’
l ast im porte d for D aisy s sp ecial del ight an d a case
with glass d oors and a l ock m ad e in Bost on wh erei n
, ,

t o store h e r books ; and best o f all a pian o —o r

, ,

was i t a harpsich ord — stand in g o n its o wn legs ,

which M r St ewart h eard o f as for sal e i n N ew York

.

an d bo ugh t at a p retty h igh fi gu re Th i s last was .

indeed a rickety j angl in g o l d box bu t D ai sy l earn ed

, ,

i n a way t o play u po n it an d we m en folk sitt ing i n

,
-
,

her ro om i n the candle l igh t an d l isten ing t o h er

-
,

voice co oin g t o its shri ll t inkl e o f accompan im ent ,

thou gh t the m u sic as sweet as that o f th e Ch e r u bim .

f

M r Stewart an d I lived i n far l ess sp lend or Th e re

. .

was n o foreign fu rn itu re t o speak o f i n o u r porti on s

O f th e hou se ; w e sl ept on bed s th e cord s o f wh ich
creaked thro u gh hon est A m eri can m apl e p ost s we
walked o n fl oors whi ch o ffered gritty sand t o th e
tread instead o f carpet st u ffs Bu t th ere we re two
-
.

great stands lad en with good b ooks i n o u r l iving

room ; we had servants n o w with in so u nd O f a bell ;
we habitu ally wore garm ents b efitti ng m en o f r e fin e
m ent an d substance ; we rod e o u r own horses an d ,

we co u ld have given D aisy a chaise h ad th e cond iti on

o f o u r roads mad e i t d esi rable .

“ ”
I say we becau se I had com e to be a responsible
factor i n th e cont rol of t h e p rop erty M r Stewart . .

h ad n ever been p oor ; h e was n o w close u pon being

wealthy . Up on m e l ittl e by l ittle had d evolved
the sup erintendence o f a ffairs I d i rected th e bu rn .

’
ing ove r an d cl earing O f land wh ich every year added ,

scores o f t illable acre s to o u r credit ; s aw to the

68 In tke Va l l ey
'

"

p lan ti ng care and h arvest ing o f c rops bo u ght bred

, , , ,

an d sol d th e Stock ; wat ch ed p ri ces d ickered with ,

,
—
t ravell ing trad e rs p rovisi on ed th e h ou se in a word ,

grew t o b e th e m ana ger o f all an d thi s wh en I was ,

barely twen ty .

M r Stewart b ore h i s years with great stren gth

.
,

physically b li t h e read il y gave over t o m e as fast as

, ,

I cou ld assu m e th em th e d etails o f o u t d o or work ,

-
.

Th e tast e fo r sitti n g in d oo rs o r i n th e gard en an d -

,

read ing o r talking with D ai sy— th e charm o f simply

,

l iving i n a h om e m ad e b eau t iful by a go o d an d cleve r

you ng gi rl—gain ed yearly u p on h im .

S i de by sid e with th i s sed en t ary h ab it cu ri ou sly ,

eno u gh cam e u p a se con d growth O f ol d world m e

,
-
,

d ias V a l n ot io ns — a s Or t o f ari st ocrati c aftermath It .

wa s nat u ral n o dou bt ,

H i s i nb orn feu dal i d eas h ad
.

n ot been killed by i ngratitu d e exile o r h i s rou gh , ,

and ready existen ce o n t h e edge O f th e wild e rness

-
,

b u t only ch ill ed t o d orm an cy they warm ed n o w i nto

l i fe u nd er th e geni al radi ance o f a civili z ed h om e .

Bu t i t i s n ot m y p u rp ose t o dwel l u p o n thi s ch ange ,

or rath e r u pon its resu lts at t h is s t age O f th e ,

story .

Social p osit ion was n ow a m atte r for con sid era

t i on With im proved m ean s o f i nt erco u rse an d t raf
.

fic each year f ou n d som e fam i ly th ri fty e n ou gh t o

,
’
thru st i ts h ead above the ru de l evel o f s ettl ers
eq ual ity an d take o n th e ai rs o f su pe ri ori ty Twen ty
,
.

years before it had b een Col on e l J ohn son fi rst and

, ,

n obody else second N ow th e Baron et Gen eral was .

-

st ill p re emi nen tly fi rs t ; b u t ev e r y l ittl e com m u n ity

'

i n the V alley chain had its t wo o r three fam ili es

7 0 In tlze Va l l ey .

na t ional it y Grad u ally h e cam e t o be in t im a t e with

.

only th e J oh ns o n s an d B u tlers o n th e th eory that ,

th ey were alon e well b orn H o u rs u p on h ou rs h e

.

talked with th em o f th e Warren s an d th e O r m u n d

Bu tl ers i n I reland from whom th ey claim ed d escen t
, ,

and o f th e assu rance o f D u t ch and Germ an cobbl ers

and t inkers i n sett ing u p fo r gentlem en
, .

S ir William in t ru th had t o o m u ch sen se t o o ften

, ,

j oi n o r sympath iz e wi th th ese n oti ons Bu t you ng .

S i r J oh n an d th e Bu tl ers fath e r an d s o n adopted

, ,

th em with enth u siasm an d I am sorry to s ay th ere

,

we re both D u tch an d Germ an resi den ts h ere and ,

th ere m ean spi rited en ou gh t o accep t these r efl ec

,
-

t ion s u po n their ancestry and strive t o aton e fo r

,

th ei r assu m ed lack o f bi rth by ap in g th e m an n ers ,

an d fawni ng fo r th e fri en dsh ip o f thei r critics , .

B u t l et m e d efe r th ese pai n f u l m at ters as lon g as

p o ss ibl e There are still th e j oys O f yo u th t o recall
. .

I h ad grown n ow i nto a tall stron g you ng m an , ,

and I wa s in th e way o f m e eti ng n o o n e wh o d id n o t

t reat m e as an equ al I t seem s to m e n ow that I was
.

n ot p arti cu larly p opu lar am on g my fellows b u t I was ,

con sciou s O f n o l on el in ess th en I had m any th ings .

t o occ u py my m i nd b esi d es my regu lar tasks Both

, .

nat u ral h istory an d b otany i nt erested m e greatly ,

’
and I was p rivi leged al so t o assist Si r Will i am s in
v e s t igat io n s i n th e n obl e p ath s o f ast ron omy He .

h ad both large i n fo rm ati on an d m any fi n e th ou ght s

o n th e su bj ect and u sed lau gh i ngly t o say th at i f h e
-

were n ot t oo lazy h e wo u l d write a b o ok th ereon .

This was h i s way O f saying that h e h ad m ore lab or

t o ge t th rou gh than any other m an in the Colony .
 T kr oug/z H appy Y out/z to M ’
an s E s ta te
.
7
1

I t was h is i dea that som e tim e I sh o ul d write the

work in stead ; u p on th e Sa c o n daga hills h e sai d we , ,

s aw an d read the h eavens with ou t O ld Worl d d u st i n -

o u r eyes and o u r bo ok that wa s t o b e sho u l d teach

,

the E u rop ean m ol es the ve ry a ab et o f planets .

A las ! I also wa s t oo ind olent ru ly n o t figu r a ,

>
t iv el y ; th e b ook wa s neve r wri tten .

I n those days th ere was royal sp ort for r o d an d

gu n b u t bo oks al so had a soli d wo rth We d i d n o t
,
.

visit oth er h ou ses m u ch— D aisy an d I—bu t h eld

o u rsel ves t o a d egree apart Th e British p e opl e .

were as a wh ol e n earer o u r stati o n than th e others

, , ,

an d had m ore ideas i n comm on with u s ; b u t th ey

were n ot o fo u r bl ood an d we were n o t d rawn t oward
,

m any o f th em A s th ey looked d own up on th e

.

D u tch so t h e D u tch i n tu rn we re sup ercil i ou s to

, , ,

ward th e Germ ans I was D u tch D aisy wa s Ger

.
,

m an ; b u t by a sort of tacit con sen t we id en ti fi ed

o u rselves wi th n eith er race an d th i s aid ed o u r i so
,

lati on .

The re was also th e qu esti on o f rel igion M r . .

Stewart had been b red a Papi st an d at the t im e o f ,

wh i ch I wr it e after th e Fren ch war J esu i t pri est s

, ,

o f that nat io n several times visited him t o ren ew O l d

E u ropean frien d ships Bu t h e n eve r went t o m ass

.
,

an d n ever al l owed them o r anybody else t o speak

wi th h im on th e subj ect n o m atter how d eftly th ey
,

approach ed it This w as p ru d en t from a worldly

.
,

point of view b ecau se th e V alley an d for that mat

, ,

t er the wh ol e u pper Col ony was b itterly opposed to ,

R om ish preten sions and th e fi rst S cotch H ighlanders

,

wh o brou ght the m ass into th e V all ey above J ohn s

7 2 In tko Va l l ey .

t own were op enly den o u n ced as idola t ers Bu t i t .

w as certainly n o t cau t i on wh ich i nd u ced M r Stew .

’
art s backsli din g H e wa s n ot th e m an t o defer i n
.

that way t o th e p rej u di ces o f oth ers Th e t ru th was .

that h e had n o rel igi o u s bel iefs or faith whatever .

Bu t h i s scepti cism was th at o f th e Fren ch n obl e o f

t h e tim e that o f V oltai re an d M i rab eau rath er than
, ,

O f th e E n gli sh pl eb eian and d em ocrat Th omas Pain e , .

N at u rally D aisy an d I were n ot reared as theo

l o gian s We n om i nally bel onged t o th e Calvin isti c
.

ch u rch b u t n ot b eing obliged t o atte nd its servi ces

, ,

rarely di d s o Th i s ten ded to fu rthe r sep arat e u s

.

f rom o u r n eighb ors wh o were m ainly p rod igi ou s

,

ch u rch goers -
.

Bu t m ore t han all else we live d by o u rselves be

, ,

c au se by constan t cont act with refi ned asso ciati ons

, ,

we h ad grown t o shrin k from th e coarsen ess wh ich

rul ed o u tsi de A ll abo u t u s marri ages w ere m ad e
.

b etwe en m ere chil dren each boy setting u p fo r him

,

sel f an d taking a wi fe as so on as h e had m ad e a

v oyage t o th e Lakes an d Obt ain ed a start i n fu r
/
t rad ing There was p reci o u s l itt l e s en t im e n t o r d el i
.

cacy i n th ese early cou rt sh ip s an d m atch es o r i n th e ,

stat e o f soci ety wh ich th ey r e fl e c te d— u n cu ltu red ,

sordid rou gh u n sym path et ic with all its el em entary

, , ,

i nstin ct s blu ntly e x posed an d expressed; This was

O f cou rse a su bj ec t n o t t o b e d iscu ssed by u s Up .

t o t h e spring o f 1 7 7 2 wh en I was twen ty th ree years

,
-

o f age an d D ai sy w as eigh teen n o word o f all th e ,

c o u ntl ess words wh ich you n g m en an d wom en have

from the dawn o f lan gu age spoken o n t hi s great e m
grossing t opi c had eve r been exchan ged be t ween u s .
 T kr o ugk H a ppy Y o u t/i to M ’
an s E s ta te
.
73

I n earl ier years when we were on the th resh old of

,

o u r teen s M r Stewart had m ore than onc e th ou gh t

,
.

alou d i n o u r h earin g upon the tim e when we sh oul d

i nherit h is h om e an d fort u n e as a married co u ple .

N oth in g o f that talk th ou gh had b een h eard fo r a

, ,

l on g wh ile .

I had not entirely forgotten it bu t I carri ed th e

i dea al on g i n th e atti c o f my m ind as a th in g n ot ,

t o b e thrown away yet o f n o presen t u s e or valu e o r

,

i nt erest
.

O ccasi onally i ndeed I did recall it fo r the m om ent

, , ,

an d cas t a diffide n t conj ectu re as t o wh ethe r D ai sy

?
al so rem embered Wh o shall s ay . I h ave been
yo u n g an d n ow am old yet have I n ot learned th e ,
’
tri ck o f read in g a woman s m ind V e ry far i ndeed .

was I from it i n those callow d ays .

A n d now after what I fear h as been a tiresom e

,

en ou gh p rol ogu e my st o r y awaits

, .
 C HA PTER V I I I .

EN T E R MY LA D Y B E R E N IC IA CR O S S .

I T is averred that all th e evils an d m ise ries o f o u r

existen ce were entailed u pon u s by th e m ed dl esom e
an d altogeth er grat u ito u s p erversen ess o f o n e weak
h ead ed wom an .A lth ou gh faith in th e p ersonal
i nfl u ence o f Eve upo n t h e ages i s vi sibly wan ing
i n th ese incred u lo u s icon oclasti c tim es th ere still
, ,

remai n s en ou gh resp ect for the p ossib il ities for m is

ch ief inheren t with i n a singl e silly wom an t o ren der
L ady B er e n ic ia Cross an d h e r works i ntell igibl e even ,

t o th e fi fth an d sixth gen erat i ons .

I kn ew that sh e wa s a fo ol t h e m om en t I fi rst laid

eyes o n h er—as sh e sto od cou rtesyi ng an d simp ering
’
t o u s on th e la wn in fro nt o f J oh n son H all h er ,

p atched and raddl ed cheeks m ocking th e h on est

m orn i ng su nl ight I take n o c red it that my eyes
.

had a cleare r vision than those o f my c ompan ion s ,

b u t gri eve i nst ead that it was n ot ord ered oth erwise .

We had ri dd en u p t o th e hall th i s b right warm

, ,

M ay foren oon o n ou r fi rst visit o f th e sp ring t o th e

,

J oh n son s There i s a radian t p ict u re o f th is m orn ing

.

ri de st ill fresh i n my m emo ry D ai sy I rem ember

.
, ,

sat o n a p illio n b eh in d M r S tewart h old ing h im by

.
,

t h e sh ou l der an d j ogging pl easantly al on g wi th th e

,

m oti on O f th e o l d h o rse O u r p atron lo oked o l d i n

.
 E n ter my L a dy B er en ic ia Cr oss .
75

this fu ll b road l igh t ; th e winter had Obvi ou sly a ged

,

h im H is wh ite qu e u ed hai r n o l onge r n eed ed p o w

.
,

d er ; h is l ight bl u e eyes seem ed larger than ever u n

d er the bristling b rows st ill dark i n colo r ; th e p ro
,

fi l e o f hi s lean face whi ch h ad always been s o n obly

,

command ing in o u tl in e had grown sh arp e r O f lat e ; 5

,

and ben ded n ose and po inted ch in were closer t o

gethe r from th e sh rinking o f th e l ips Bu t h e s a t
,
.

erect as o f Old pro u d O f h imsel f an d O f th e b eau ti

,

ful girl b eh in d h im .

A n d s h e wa s beau ti ful wa s o u r D aisy ! Her ,

P

rou nded innocen t face beam ed with pleasu re from

,

i ts camlet h ood as swee t and su ggestive o f fragrance N

,

as a dam ask rose against the bl u e sky I t wa s a l .

m ost a child ish face i n its simpl i city and frankn ess ,
’
yet already begin n in g t o take o n a wom an s th ou ght
’
fu ln ess an d a woman s charm of t int and text u re .

We Often th ou gh t that her parents m u st h ave had

”
other than Palatin e p easan t blood so d el icat e and \ C
,

refi ne d were h er feat u res n ot real i z i ng that b ooks ,

!

and thou ght s help far m ore t oward m aking face s than 1
d oes an cest ry J u s t th e edge o f h er wavy light
.

b rown hai r co u ld b e seen u n d er th e frill o f th e h ood ,

with l ines o f gold u p on it pain ted by th e s u n Q .

She lau ghed and talked gayly as o u r h orses climbed

th e h ills I th ou ght as I rod e by thei r side h o w
.
, ,

happy we all were and h ow b eau t ifu l was s h e— th is

,

fl owe r plu cked from th e rap in e an d m assacre o f th e

O l d War ! A n d I fancy th e n oti on th at we were n o
longe r child ren began d an cing i n my h ead a l ittl e ,

too .

I t wou ld have be en strange othe rwi se for the d ay ,

 7 6 In tae Va l l ey .

an d th e scen e m u s t have stirred th e c oldes t p ulse .

We m oved throu gh a pal e velvety pan oram a o f green

-
woodlan d an d road si d e an d rive r refl ecti on s an d
sh adows all O f l ivi ng yet yo u ng and soften in g gre en
,

th e bi rds all ab ou t u s fi lled the warm a i r W i th song ;

th e t app ing o f th e woodpeckers and th e sh rill ch at ,

t er o f squ irrel s cam e from every th icket ; th ere was

n othin g wh ich d id not refl ect o u r j oyo u s b u oyan t ,

l d elight that spri ng had com e again A n d I rod e by.

’ ’
D aisy s side an d th ou ght m ore o f h er I m b ou n d
, , ,

than I d id O f th e fl o o d d ism antl ed d ike o n t h e river

ben d at h om e wh ich I had l eft u n restored f or th e
day .

O ve r th e h eads o f th e n egroes w h o spyin g u s , , ,

cam e h eadlong to take o u r h orses we s aw Si r Wil ,

liam stand ing i n th e gard en with an u nkn own l ady .

Th e baro net h imsel f walking a l i ttl e h eavily with

,

his can e app roach ed u s with h earty sal u tati ons

, ,

h elp ed D aisy t o u n m o u nt and p resen ted u s t o thi s

,

st ran ger— L ady B e r e n ic ia Cross .

I am n ot s o su re that p eopl e c a n fall i n love at fi rst

sight Bu t never d ou b t th eir ability t o d islike fr om
.

th e beginn in g ! I kn ow that I felt in dign antly in

t ol erant o f this woman even b efore hat i n han d I , ,

had fi n ish ed my bow t o her .

Ye t i t m ight well h ave been that I was over h arsh -

i n my j u dgm ent Sh e h ad been a pretty woman i n

.

h er t im e an d still m igh t b e th o u ght well favored

,
-
.

A t l east s /ze m u st have th ou ght s o for sh e wore m ore

,

pain t and ribbon s and fal lals gen erally than eve r I
,
-
,

s aw o n an oth er wom an be fore o r sin ce

, H er face was .

h igh n arrow an d ve ry regular ; oddly en ou gh i t was

, , ,
78 In t/ze Va l l ey .

scen e) T h e English lady was p in chbeck by con trast

,

with all abo u t her .

“
Will yo u give the ladies an arm D ou w ? said ,

“
Si r William We were walking t o s e e th e lilacs I
.

planted a year ago We o l d fell ows wi th so m u ch .

,
”
to s ay t o each oth er will l ead th e way ,
.

N oth in g occu rred to m e to s ay t o th e n ew a c

qu ain tan ce wh o fu rth er ann oyed m e by clinging
,

t o my arm with a zeal u npl easantly d i fferen t from

’
D aisy s soft to u ch on th e oth er sid e I walked s i .

l ent an d m ore o r less su lky between th em down th e

, ,

gravelled path Lady B e r e n ic ia chatte red steadily

. .

“
A n d s o th i s i s th e d ear l ittle M istre ss D aisy o f
wh om Si r William talks s o m u ch H o w happy o n e .

m u st be t o b e su ch a favori t e eve rywh ere A n d yo u

content t o live h ere t oo lead ing th is si mple pas , , ,

toral l i fe ! H ow swe et ! A n d yo u n ever weary o f

it— n ever sigh wh en i t i s tim e t o ret u rn t o it from
N ew York ? ”

“
I n ever have been t o N ew York n or A lbany ,
”
eith er D ai sy m ad e an swer
, .

Lady B e r e n ic ia h eld u p h er fan i n pret en d ed as

t o n is h m en t .

“
N ever t o N ew York n or eve n t o A lbany ! Un e
vr a ie bel l e s a u vag e ’ H o w yo u amaz e m e p oor .
,

child
“
O h I crave n o p ity m adam o u r d e ar girl a n
, , ,

s w er e d ch ee rily
, My father and b roth er are so
.

—
good t o m e j u st like a tru e fath er an d broth er
that i f I bu t hi nt ed a wish t o vi si t th e m oon th ey ,

wou l d at on ce s e t abo u t to arran ge th e voyage I .

d o n ot always stay at h om e T wice I have been o n .

 E n ter my L a dy B er en ic ia Cr oss .
79

a visi t to M r Campbell at Cherry V alley over th e

.
, ,

h ills yonder A n d th en once we m ad e a grand ex

.

c u r s io n u p the river way t o Fort H erkim er and , ,

beyond to th e place where m y p oo r paren ts lost thei r

l ives .

A s we stoo d regarding th e l ilac bu shes planted i n ,

a ci rcl e on the slop e and I was congrat u lating m y

,

sel f that m y elbows were free again two gentl emen ,

app roached u s from th e direction o f th e H all .

’
D aisy was t ellin g th e st o ry of her paren ts d eath ,

wh ich rel ation Lady B e r e n ic ia had u rgently pressed ,

“
b u t n o w i nterru pted by saying : The re that i s my ,

h u sband with you ng M r Bu tler

,
. .

M r J on ath an Cross seem ed a very h onest an d

.

sensibl e gentl em an when we cam e t o converse with

h im som ewhat au stere i n the presence o f his rattle ,

headed spo u se at least b u t p olit e an d well in form ed

,
-
.

H e spoke pleasan tly with m e sayin g that h e was on ,

h i s way t o th e farther Lake cou n t ry o n bu sin ess ,

and that his wi fe w a s t o re main u ntil h i s ret u rn at , ,

J ohn son H all .

H i s compan i on wa s Walter Bu tler an d o f h im I ,

o u ght to sp eak m o re closely si n ce l on g gen erat ion s ,

after th i s tale i s fo rgotten h i s nam e will rem ai n writ

’
t en bl ood red i n the V alley s ch roni cles I walked
,
-
, .

away from th e l ilacs with h im I recall d iscu ssing , ,

som e u nrem emb ered s ubj ect I always liked Walter : .

even n ow d espite eve ryth ing th ere cont in u es a so ft

, ,

sp o t i n my m e m ory fo r h iI n .

H e was abo u t my o wn age and o h ! su ch a hand , ,

som e yo u th with featu re s cu t l as i n a cam eo ,}and

,

pale brown smo oth sk i n an d l arge deep ‘eyes tha t

-
,
‘
x
,
80 In t/ze Va l l ey .

l oo k u pon m e still som etim es i n d ream s with in e f

fabl e m elan choly H e was s om ewhat ben eath my
.

statu re bu t form ed with p erfect deli cacy

, .

I n th ose Old d ays o f b reeches and long h ose a ,

’
m an s l eg wen t fo r a good d eal I have O ften thou ght .

that there m u st be a m u ch cl oser con n e ction b e

tween t ro u sers an d d em ocracy than has ever been
p u bli cly t raced A m an like mysel f with h ea vy
.
,

kn ee j oints and a th ick an kl e was alm ost always a

-
,

Wh ig in the R evol u t ionary tim e— as i f by n at u ral

p rej u d i ce against th e wo u ld b e arist ocrat s wh o l iked -
,

t o sp ort a straigh t si nkin g kn ee cap an d dapp er calf

- -
.

When th e Whigs afte r the peace becam e m asters

, ,

O f th e ir o wn co u n t ry an d d ivi d ed i nt o p art i es again

,

o n th ei r o w n accou n t i t w a s still largely a m atte r o f

,

l ower l imbs The faction wh ich stood n earest O ld

.

W orl d ideas an d m onarch i cal tastes are sai d t o have

’
h ad great d elight i n th e sym m et ry o f M r A dam s s .

u nd erp inn ing s o dain t ily d isplayed i n sat i n and silk

, .

A n d wh en th e plain er m aj ority fi n ally tri u mph ed

with the i nd u ctio n o f M r J e fferson s om e fi ftee n .
,

years sin ce wa s it not t ru ly a vi ctory o f rep u bl ican

,

—
t rou sers a pop u lar d ecree that h en cefo rth all m en
sho u ld be equ al as t o l egs ?
To ret u rn Walt er Bu tl er was m ost p erfectly
.

b u ilt —a l ivin g p ict u re O ffgr a c e s H e d ressed t o o , ,

with rem arkabl e tast e con triving always t o app ear ,

th e gentlem an yet n o t o u t o f place i n th e wild ern ess

,
.

H e wore hi s o wn black hair carelessly t ied o r fl ow ,

ing an d with n o th o u gh t of p owd er

,
.

We had always l iked each oth e r d ou btl ess i n that ,

we we re b o t h o f a sol em n an d m ed itat ive n at u re .

82 In th e Va l l ey .

p osed t o t h in k h er r ath er a fi n e w om an fo r h er years ,

wh ich h e t ook t o b e abou t twoscore .

We st rolled back again t o th e l ilacs wh ere th e ,

two wom e n were seated o n a bench with M r Cros s , .

an d C ol on el Clau s—th e bright er and b etter o f S i r

’
—
Will iam s two son s i n law stan d in g over th em
- -
.

L ady B e r en ic ia beckon ed t o my compan io n wi th

her fan .

P ray com e an d am u se u s M r Bu tl er s h e said ,

.
, ,

i n h er h igh m i ncin g tones

,
Were it n ot for th e fear
o f m in ist erin g t o yo u r van ity I m igh t con fess we two
,

h ave been lan gu ish ing for an h ou r for you r com

pany M i st ress D ai sy an d I ven erate th ese cavali ers
.

o f ou rs vastly — w e h ol d th eir grave wisd om i n h igh

regard — bu t o u r frivolou s palat es n eed l ighte r things
than East I n d ia Com pan i es a nd p olit i cal qu arrel s i n
Boston I com m and yo u to d isco u rse n onsen se M r
B u tler—p u re giddy n o nsense
. .
,
”
.
,

Walter b owed an d wi th a t inge o f i rony a ck n o wl

,

ed ged th e comp l im ent b u t all pleasan tly e no u gh I

, .

glan ced at o u r D aisy exp ect in g t o d iscove r my o wn

,

d istaste for th i s silly sp eech m irro red o n h e r face .

I t vexed m e a l ittl e t o s e e that s h e seem e d i nstead

to be pleased with th e Lo n d on l ady .

What shall i t be my l ady ? sm il ed Walter

,

what sh all b e th e sh u ttle cock— th e M ay races th e ,

ball th e Kl o ck scan dal th e

, ,

I f i t was ru de it i s t oo lat e to be h elp ed n o w

, .

I i nterru pt ed the fool ish talk by asking Colon el

Clau s W hat th e n ews from Bost o n was fo r th e p ost ,

bo y had b rou ght pape rs t o th e H all that m orn ing .

 E n ter my L a dy B er en icia Cr os s .

The ann iversary speech i s rep orted S om e .

ap othe cary named Warren h eld forth t his year an d

, , ,

his se em s th e bold est t ongu e yet I f h is talk sti nks .

n ot o f treason in eve ry lin e wh y th en I have n o ,

sm elling sense They are talkin g o f it i n th e lib rary

.

n ow ; bu t I am n o stat esman an d i t su its m e better ,

”
o u t h ere i n th e s u n .

“
B u t I repl i ed
,
”
I h ave h eard o f this D r War
,
.

ren an d h e i s n ot repu t ed t o b e a rash o r tho u ghtless

,

speaker .

You ng B u tle r b u rst into the Conversati on with

eager bitt erness
Thou ghtl ess ! R ash ! N O —th e dogs kn ow be t
’
ter ! There 11 b e n o word that can be laid h old u p on
i all c ircu m spe ct ou tsid e with h ell i tself u nd er,

n eath ) D o we n ot kn ow th e canters ? O h bu t I d
’
,

smash th rou gh letter an d seal o f th e law al ike t o get

’
at them were I i n p ower ! There ll b e n o peace till
,
”
som e stron g h an d d oes do it .

’
Walter s deep eyes fl ashed and glowed as h e
spoke and h is face was sh ad owed with grave in t en
,

s ity o f fe el ing .

’
There was a m om en t s silen ce broken by th e thin -

“
voice o f th e Lond on lady : B r a vo I adm i rabl e !
A lways b e in a rage M r Bu tler i t su its yo u s o , .
,

m u ch — I sn t h e h an d som e D aisy with h is feath ers

’
.
, ,

all o n end ?
While o u r girl u n u sed t o su ch bold t alk l ooked
, ,

bl ush ingly at th e you ng grass M r Cross spoke , .

“
D o ubtless you gent ry o f N ew York have you r
o wn go od reason s f o r d isl iking Bost on m en as Ifin d ,

y o u d o .Bu t wh y rasp you r nerves an d spoil y o u r

 '

84 In t/ze Va l l ey .

d iges t io n by so fu m ing ove r th ei r p ol i t ics ? I am an

‘

Englishm an : if I can keep calm o n th e su bj e c t you ,

who are on ly collaterally aggri eved as i t were sh ou l d , ,

su rely be abl e t o do s o M y word fo r it yo u ng m en .

, ,
’
l ife b ri ngs vexati on s en ou gh t o on e s ve ry d o or ,
”
with ou t sett in g o u t i n qu est O f them .

“ ”
P ray M r C ross langu i dly sn ee red my l ady
, .
, ,

what i s th ere in th e h eav ens o r o n t h e earth o r i n ,

the wat ers u n de r th e earth wh i ch c o u l d sti r you r ,

bl ood by o n e add ed beat an h ou r save i nd igo an d ,

sp ices ?
T h ere wa s s o d i stin ct a m en ace O f d om esti c d i s
c ord i n th i s iced qu ery that B u tl er hasten ed t o t ake
u p th e talk
A h yes yo u c a n ke ep co ol ! T here are th ou
, ,

sands O f m il es o f water between yo u Engl ish and

’
the n est wh ere this treason i s hat ched I t s cl ose t o .

u s fD o you th ink yo u c an fence i n a sentim ent as

.

you can cattle ?) N o ; i t w i

l l sp
r
e ad S oon what i s .

sho u ted i n Boston will Be Spok en i n A lbany wh is

/
,

p ered i n Ph ilad elph ia winked and n odd ed in Wil ,

l iam s b u r g th ou ght i n Charl esto n

,
A n d h ow will i t .

be h ere with u s ? Let m e t ell yo u M r C ross we

, , .
,

are really in an al ien co u n try h ere Th e h igh Ger .

m ans ab ove u s l ike that H erkim e r yo u s aw h ere

,

Tu esday d o you think they care a p istareen for th e

,

Ki ng ? A n d th ese d am n ed sou r faced D utch traders -

b el ow have they forgott en that thi s p rovin ce was

,
’
th ei r gr a n dfath ers ? The m om en t it b ecomes cl ear
-

’
t o their n iggard sou ls th at t here s n o m on ey to be
l ost by treason will they n o t d el ight t o h elp o n any
,

t ro uble the Yanke es c on t rive to m ake fo r Englan d ?

 C H A PT E R I X .

I S EE MY SW EET SIST E R D R E SS ED IN S T RA N GE
A TT I R E .

IN th e l ibrary ro om o f th e H all across from th e ,

d i n ing chamber and at th e foot o f th e great stair

-
,

case on th e ban n ister o f wh ich you m ay still s e e

,
’
th e m arks of J oseph Brant s hatch et we m en h ad a ,

long talk in th e aft ern oon I recall b u t in diffe r .

e n tly th e lesser top ics o f conversat i on There was .

,

o f co u rse som e p oli t ical d ebat e in wh i ch Si r Wil

, ,

l iam an d I w ere al on e o n th e sid e o f th e Colon is t

feeli ng an d M r Stewart the two B u tlers an d S i r
,
.
, ,

J oh n J ohn son we re all for ch oki ng d iscon ten t with

th e rop e N oth ing ve ry m u ch t o th e p oi nt was
.

said o n o u r part at l east ; fo r th e growin g d iscord

,

pai ned S i r Willi am t oo d eeply t o allow h i m pl easu re

i n its d iscu ssi on and I sh ran k fro m app earing t o
,

opp ose M r St ewart hat e fu l as h is n oti ons see m ed

.
, .

Yo u ng S ir J oh n sto od by th e wi n d ow I rem em ,

ber su lkily d ru m m i ng o n th e d iap ered pan es and

, ,

p u rposely makin g h is in terj e ctions as d isagre eabl e

t o m e as h e cou ld ; at least I th o u ght s o So , .
,

appare ntly d id hi s fathe r th i nk fo r several tim es I

, ,

cau ght th e wise o l d baron et gl an cing at h i s s o n i n

reproo f with a l ook in h i s grave gray eye s as o f
,

d awn ing d o u bt ab ou t the fu tu re o f h i s h eir .

 I s ee my Sis ter in St r a n ge A tt ir e . 87

You ng J oh n son was n ow a man o f th i rty blond , ,

i

aqu ilin e faced with cold bl u e eyes an d th in t igh t

‘

-
, ,

lip s wh ich po u ted m ore readily than th ey sm il ed

,
.

H is h air wa s th e pale color o f bleached hay a ,

l egacy from h is low bo rn German m oth er an d hi s ,

c o mp lexio n w as growing evenly fl orid from t o o

m u ch M adei ra wine We we re n ot fri en ds and w e
.
,

both kn ew it .

—
Th ere w s other talk abo u t th e recent creation
a

o f o u r part int o a co u nty by it self t o b e nam ed after

the Governor ; abou t the beh avior o f the French

trad ers at O swego and D etroit and a rep ort from ,
”
Eu rop e in the latest gazett es that th e You ng
Pret en der n ow a broken old rake was at last to
, ,

b e m arri ed Thi s last wa s a su bj ect u po n which M r

. .

Stewart spoke most entertai n ingly bu t with m ore ,

willingn ess t o let it b e known that h e h ad a kin s

’
man s interest in the m atter th an h e wou ld form erly
h ave sh own H e was gett ing o l d in fact and an
.
, ,

alm ost ch il d ish p rid e in his equ ivocal an cest ry was

growin g u po n h im St ill h is talk and rem in iscen ces
.

were extremely interesting .

They fade in m y recoll ection h oweve r be fore th e , ,

fact that it was at this lit tle gathe ring t his aft er ,

n oo n th at m y caree r wa s settled fo r m e T here had

,
.

been som e talk abou t m e wh ile I rem ai ned alon e o u t

’
sid e t o con fer with S ir Will iam s h ead farm er and ,

M r Cross had agreed with M r S tewart and S ir Wil

. .

l iam that I was to accomp any h im o n h is trip t o th e

far West ern region the following week M y patron .

had explained th at I n eed ed som e add ed kn owled ge

o f t h e wo rld and its a ffai rs ye t was o f t o o serio u s a
,
88 In tlze Va l l ey .

t u r n t o gath er th is i n th e gu is e o f am u sem en t as M r
“
‘

, .

J oh n B u tl er advised I s h o u l d by being sen t o n a ,

h oliday t o N ew Yo rk M r Cross had b een goo d . .

en o u gh t o s ay that h e l iked wh at h e had seen o f m e ,

an d sh o ul d be glad o f my comp any .

O f all th is I kn ew n othing whe n I en te red th e

l ibrary Th e ai r was h eavy with t obacco sm oke an d
.
-
,

th e tabl e bore m ore b ottles an d glasses th an b ooks .

Fin d a chai r D ou w ; said S i r Willi am

, I h ave .

sen t for my man En och Wad e wh o i s t o go west , ,

ward with Mr Cross n ext we ek I f h e s d ru n k en ou gh

’
. .

’ ”
th ere ll b e som e sp ort .

Th ere en tered th e room a m iddl e aged m an tall -

, ,

erect wel l kn it in fram e with a th in Y an ke e is h face

,
-
, , ,

deeply brown ed an d sh rewd h azel eyes H e b owed

, .

t o n ob ody b u t sto od straight l ooking l ike an I n d ian

, ,

in hi s cl oth es o f d eer h id e -
.

“
Th is i s En och Wad e gen tl em en said th e baro , ,

n et i nd i cat in g th e n ew com er with a wave o f h is

,
-

glass an d st re tch in g o u t h i s l egs t o enj oy th e scen e

,

th e m o re H e i s my l and sail or Between h i s l ast

.
-
.

sal e at A lbany an d h i s fi rst foot westward from h ere

, ,

h e p rofesses all the vi ces an d draws n ever a sobe r

breath Yet wh en h e 1 5 i n th e wood s h e IS ab s t e m i
.

o u s am iable wise resou rcefu l vi rt u o u s as a statu e

, , , ,

—a p aragon of trapp ers Y o u can s ee h i m for you r .

selves Yet I warn you app earan ces are d eceit fu l

.
, ,

h e is always d ru nke r th an h e l ooks H e w as I kn ow .

, ,
”
m ost sin fu lly tipsy last n ight .

“
I t was i n e x cellen t good company Gen e ral , ,

said th e h u n t e r drawl ing his words and n o wh i t

,

aba s h ed .
 I my Sis ter in Str a n ge A ttir e 8
s ee .

H e has n o mann ers to sp eak o f contin u ed th e ,

baron et evid ently with m u ch satisfacti on t o him

,

sel f ; h e c an ou tl i e a Front enac half breed h e is -

,

m ore greed y o f gain than a Kind erhook D u tchm an ,

h e can d rink all th e M oh awks o f both castles u nd er

the b en ch and my n i ggers are ve ritabl e J oseph s i n
,

—
comp arison with hi m wait a m om en t Enoch ,

th is i s wh il e h e i s i n c ontac t with c ivil i z ation Yet .

on ce o n th e t rail s o t o speak h e is ip r o bity person i ll

'

, ,

fl ed) I kn ow th is s in ce h e h as twice accompan i ed ,

"
m e t o D etroit .

“
O h i n the wo ods yo u kn ow som e o n e o f the
, , ,
”
party m u st remain sober sai d En och read ily still , , ,

sti ffly ere ct bu t with a fain t gri n twitching o n the

,

sat u rn i n e corners o f h is m o u th .

Th i s t im e Si r Willi am l au ghed aloud and p oi nted ,

t o a d ecanter an d glass from which th e trapper ,

h elp ed h im sel f with d ign ity .

“ “
Look you rog u e said th e host
,
th ere i s a
, ,

yo u n g gentl eman t o be add ed t o you r party n ext

week and do u btless he wil l of n eed s have a ni gge r
,

with h im S ee t o it that the boat and provi si on

.

arrangem ents are alt ered t o m ee t th is an d toim o r ,

r o w be sobe r en ou gh t o advise h im as t o h i s o u t fi t .

Fo r t o n i ght soak as d eep as yo u l ike

-
, .
”

En och pou red o u t for h imsel f a s e c o n d t u mble r o f

ru m bu t no t sh owin g the fi rs t sign s o f u nstead in ess
,

i n gai t o r gest u re
This yo u ng gentleman —
.

h e said gravely sm ack

—
,
“
i n g h i s l ip s abou t h im is h e a t emp erat e p erson ,

o n e o f th e sort wh o can t u rn a st ead fast back u pon

th e bottle ? ”
9 0 In th e Va l l ey .

’
A b u rs t o f H o m eri c lau ghte r was S i r William s
rep ly —lau gh t er i n wh i ch all were fain t o j oin .

’ ”
It s all righ t Gen eral said En och as h e t u rn ed
, , ,

“ ’
t o go don t m in d my asking O n e n eve r can t ell
.
,

y o u kn ow what
,
kin d o f company h e i s l ike t o p ick
u p wi t h h ere a t the H all .

My su rp ri se an d d el igh t wh en I l earn ed that I was

th e you ng gentlem an in qu estion an d th at I was ,

really t o go t o th e Lakes and b eyon d m ay b e im ag ,

in e d. I seem ed t o walk o n ai r s o grea t w as my ,

elatio n Y o u will n ot m arvel n ow that I fail t o recal l

.

ve ry d isti n ctly th e gen eral talk whi ch foll owed .

C o nversat ion fi nally l agged as th e p romp ti ngs o f

,

h u n ger n ot l ess th an t h e Eth i op ian sh o u ting and

,

s cold ing from th e kitch e n b elow warn ed u s o f ap ,

r o a c h in d inn er
p g .

Th e d ri nkin g m od era t ed som ewhat an d th e pip es ,

were o n e by on e laid asid e i n t aci t p reparati on fo r

,

th e m eal Th e Bu tl ers rose t o go an d were p er

.
,

s u a de d t o remain Mr S tewart wh o h ad an O ld
. .
,

Worl d p rej u d ice against t ipp lin g d u ri ng th e d ay wa s ,

i nd u ced by th e baron et t o tast e a thi mbl e o fh ollan d s ,

’
fo r app et it e s sake So we waited with on ly a
.
,

d ecen t pret en ce o f i nteres t i n t h e fit fu l talk .

Th ere cam e a sharp d o u bl e kn ock o n th e d oor ,

wh ich a secon d later was p u sh ed par t ly Op en S om e .

o f u s rose p u ll ing o u r ru f
, fl es i n to place and ready ,

t o start at once for th ere were fam o u s app eti t es i n

,

th e wil d V all ey o f th ose d ays B u t th e voi ce from

.

’
b ehi nd th e d oor was n o t a servan t s n o r d id i t co n ,

vey th e i nt ell igen ce we all awaited I t was i n st ead .

, ,
9 2 [ n th e Va l l ey .

L ady B er e n ic ia,
f rom th e weal th o f fi n ery i n th ose
b u lky ch ests wh i ch h on est M r Cross i n vain had pro .

t est ed again s t b ringing o ver th e ocean and u p t o th is

savage o u tp os t h ad t ri cked o u t th e gi rl in won drou s
,

fash io n H er gown was n o t sat in l ike th e oth er b u t

.
, ,

o f a so ft l u strel ess st u ff wh ose d el i cat e l aven d er

, ,

fold s fell i n t o th e swe et est o f vi ol et shadows I was .

g lad t o s e that h e r n e c k an d arm s were p rop e rly

‘

c overed T h e laces o n th e sleeves were t awny with

.

age th e ribbo n by whi ch th e l i ttl e wh ite sh awl w as

d ecoro u sly gath ered a t th e b osom carri ed th e fain t
su ggest i on o f yell ow t o a d isti n ct t on e repeated and ,
’
d eepen ed above by th e color o f th e m aid en s hai r .

’
Th is h air too was a m arvel o f th e d resser s art
, ,

reare d st raight an d tight fro m th e foreh ead ove r a

h igh arch ed roll and l osin g stri ctn ess o f form b eh in d
-
,

i n i ngen i ou s wavy cu rls wh i ch seem ed th e ve ry t ri

,

u mph o f artl es sn ess ; it was l ess W h o lly p owd ere d

’
than L ady B er e n ic ia s so that th e warm gol d sh on e
,

th rou gh th e wh i t e d u s t in soft gradati on s o f h al f

t int s a t th e side well u p was a sin gl e sal m on t ea;
, ,

rose that served t o m ake eve ryth ing else m o re

,

beau t i fu l .

—
Pi ct u re t o you rsel f t h i s d eli cio u s figu e th i s fac e
r

wh i ch h ad seem ed l ovely be fore and n ow with d eft , ,

c osm eti cs and a solitary t iny patch an d th e gl ow o f

, ,

exqu i sit e enj oym en t in th e sweet h azel eye s wa s ,

’
—
n oth ing l ess than a G e z e s d ream pi ct u re o u r
r u

D aisy t o you rsel f I say and yo u m ay gu ess i n part

, ,

h o w fl at t erin g was he r reception h o w h igh an d fast ,

rose the gallan t congratu lat ions t ha t th e V all ey

b oas t ed su ch a beau te ou s dau ghter Si r Will iam .
 s ee my Sis ter in Str a ng e A ttir e
.
93

h im sel f gave her his arm j ovi ally p rot esting t h at t h i s

,

was n ot th e M ohawk cou nt r y bu t France n ot

,

J ohnson H all bu t V ersaill es

,
.

I came o n at th e tail o f the d inn e r p rocessi on n o t

,

qu i t e easy i n my mi nd abou t all th is .

 C H A PT E R X .

TH E M A S Q U E RA D E B R I NGS ME N O T H I N G B UT
P A IN
.

T H E R E were i n all t en o f u s a t th e tabl e Sir

, ,
.

Will iam b eam e d u p on u s from th e en d n earest th e

win d ows with D aisy on hi s left han d an d th e L on
,

do n d am e on th e oth er— i—in th e place o f d istinct io n

t o wh i ch s h e was I su p pose e nti tled Bel ow Lady
, , .

B e r e n ic ia sat M r Stewart Si r J oh n an d Walter Bu t

.
, ,

l er I was o n th e left sid e b elow M r Cross Th ese

. . .

de t a il s c o m e back t o m e as i f th ey were o f yester

d ay wh en I th ink o f th at d in ne r
, .

I c o u l d n ot s ee D aisy fro m wh ere I s a t bu t all ,

th ro u gh th e m eal I watch ed t h gg ffe c t sh e was p ro

du c in g u po n th ose opp osit e u s To do h er j u st ic e
.
,

Lady B er e n ic ia s e em ed t o h ave n o alloy o f j ealou sy

i n th e d eligh t with wh i ch s h e regard ed th e resu l t o f
h er hand iwork M r St ewart co u l d n ot keep h i s fon d
. .

eyes o ff th e girl ; th ey fai rly gl owed with sat is fi ed

p ri d e an d a ffe ct i on Both Si r J ohn an d Wal ter gave
.

m o re atten t i on t o o u r b eau ti fu l m aid en th an th ey

d i d t o th ei r plates a n d(bo th faces t old an op en tal e
,

o f adm irat i on each aft e r its kind

,

Th ere was plenty o f gay t alk at th e h ead o f th e

—
tabl e m e rry chatt e r o f wh i ch I recall n oth in g save ,

vagu ely that i t was abo u t th e t ri u mph o f é r t ove r

u nad orn ed nat u re at wh ich we were assi stin g .
9 6 In tae Va l l ey .

h er woollen gown an d h e r p u tt ical kerch ief Sh e will .

n ever get th e tast e o f th i s tri u mph o u t o f h e r

m ou th Y o u d o n o t kn ow wom en you n g m an
.
, ,

as I d o I have st u d ied th e s ex in a ve r y cel e

.

b r a t e d and costly sch o ol M ark my wo rd s i d eas .

,

h ave been p u t i nt o h er h ead tha t will n eve r com e

”
o ut .

tried t o bel i eve th at th is was n ot s o

I Ah I .
,

said “
t o kn o w oth er wom en is n ot t o kn o w o u r
,

D aisy Wh y s h e i s good sense it s el f7 s o pru d ent

.
"
,
l

an d m od est and th o u gh t fu l th at s h e m akes th e oth er

girls ro un d ab ou t seem all h oyd en s o r simpl et on s .

Sh e has re th e m ost serio u s b ooks— n eve r any

th ing else er h eart i s as goo d as h er m i n d i s ri c h )
.

N ever fear r Cross ! n ot all th e si lks i n Chi n a o r

, .

v el vets i n G en oa co u ld t u rn h e r d ear h ead .

H e sm ile d som ewh at com p assi on ately I th ou gh t

, ,

and m ad e n o an swer .

Was I s o fi rm i n my faith after all ? Th e d o ubt ,

rose i n my th ou gh ts and wo u l d n ot d own as th e , ,

gallan t talk fl owed and b u bbl ed aro u n d m e Won l a .

'

th i s D aisy b e qu i te th e sam e n ext d ay o r n ext week , ,

sin gi ng t o u s at th e o l d h arp si ch ord i n th e twi ligh t ,

w ith the glare o f th e blaz e o n the h earth m aking red

gol d o f that hair plai t e d on ce m ore in simpl e braid s ?
,

I tried with all my m igh t t o call u p th i s sweet fam il

i ar fi gu re be fore my m ental visi o n : i t wou ld n o t
freely com e .

She was lau gh ing n ow with a cl ear rippl e o f j oy ,

o u s n es s at som e passin g qu ip b etween o u r h ost and

,

sharp t ongu ed L ady B er en ic ia both o f whom em

-
,

ployed pre t ty liberally t heir I rish kna c k o f saying

 T l ze Ma s quer a de br ings m e P a in .

witty biting th ings The sou nd cam e strangely to

,
.

my ears as i f i t were som e other than D aisy laugh

,

ing .

I wa s stil l in thi s brown stu dy wh en S i r Will iam

c alled the health o f the lad ies with s om e j ocose ,

word s o f compl im en t t o them congrat u lat ion t o ,

o u rselves
(
I rose m e c h a n ic a l lyfi afte r the othe r MG -
" ?
.

gentlem en glass i n h and t o h ear M r Stewart m ak e

, ,
.

pleasan t and co u rtly acknowl edgm ent an d t o s ee ,

the t wo wom e n pass ou t i n a great ru stling o f

d raperies and h oops with Walte r B u tl er h ol d i ng
,

open th e d o or and b owing p ro fo u n dly Th e faint .

scent o f p owder l eft o n the ai r an n oye d m e as ,

s om eth ing st i fl ing those tho ught s o f th e goo d l ittle

ad opted sister wh om I had bro u gh t t o th e H all an d
,

l ost there wh ich I wo u ld fai n dwell u pon

, .

We s at over o u r M adei ra an d pipe s l onge r than

’
u su al Candl es were brou ght in by Si r William s
.

you ng b ody se rvan t Pontiac ; fo r there was a full

-

m oon an d we m i ght th u s p rol on g o u r stay afte r

,

n igh tfall Th e talk was ch iefly abo u t o u r com ing

.

—
trip a very seri o u s u n de rtaking Si r William an d .

M r B u tler had adven tu res o f th ei r o wn ea rly t rad

.

ing d ays t o recall and th ey gave u s great st ore s o f

,

advice d rawn from experien ce an d rangin g from ,

c h oice o f sh irts an d spi rit s t o n eed fu l d ipl om acy

wi th th e A lgo nqu i n s an d Sakis .

Then th e company d ran k th e h ealth o f M r Cross .

,

and were good enou gh t o couple m in e with it A .

com i cal little yellow boy d an ce d for u s b efore the

—
h earth a n adm iring wall o f black faces and roll ing
whit e eyeball s fillin g u p the open d oor m eanwhile .
98 In Me Va l l ey .

Wal ter B u tler sang a pretty song—everybody n e ,

groes an d all swelling the choru s R u m w as brou gh t

, .

in an d m ixed i n h ot glasse s with sp ice m olasses

, , , ,

an d scald in g water fro m th e kettl e o n th e cran e .

S o even i n g d eepen ed t o n ight ; bu t I n ever f o r a

m om en t n ot even wh e n they d ran k my h ealth
, ,
’
sh ook o ff th e sense o f u n rest born o f D aisy s m as
u r a de
q e .

I t was M olly Bran t h ersel f n obly e rect an d h and ,

som e in her dark sin ister way wh o cam e t o u s with

, ,

word that the m oon was u p over th e p in e ridge d -

h ills an d that M istress D ai sy wa s att i red for th e

,

h om eward rid e an d waiting , .

’
O f all th e p ict u res in M e m ory s p ort fol i o n o n e i s ,

m ore d istin ct th an th i s o f th e d epart u re th at even

ing from th e H all A d oz en n egroes were ab ou t th e
.

s t eps two o r th ree m ou nted ready t o escort u s h om e

, ,

others beari ng h or n lantern s wh i ch th e m oonligh t

d arken ed i nto i n u til ity still oth ers p u llin g th e res t ive
,

h orses abou t o n th e gravel M r Ste wart swu ng h i m . .

sel f i nt o th e saddl e an d D aisy stepp ed o u t t o m o u n t

,

b eh in d h im Sh e wo re h e r o wn garm ent s onc e

.

m ore b u t th ere was j u st a t race o f p owde r o n th e

,

h ai r u nd er the h ood an d th e p a t ch was still o n h er

,

ch i n I m ove d fo rward t o l ift h er t o th e pi lli on as

.

I had don e h u nd red s o f t im es before b u t s h e d i d ,

n ot s e e m e I n st ead I was alm o st p u sh e d away by

.
,

the ru sh o f Sir J oh n and yo u ng Bu tl er t o h er s id e ,

b oth eage r t o assi st I t was th e kn ight fl u sh ed an d

.
,

a l ittl e u n steady w ith wi n e wh o wo n th e p rivil ege , ,

’
an d hel d D ai sy s foot I cl imbed i nto m y sadd le .

m o odily gett in g o ffenc e o u t o f even th is

,
.
 1 00 In t/ze Va l l ey .

t h ou gh t o f i t a t all an d I wa s n o t h appy Th e
, .

m oon t h rew a j au n d ice d l igh t over m y m i nd an d i n ,

its d iscol ore d glare I s aw th in gs wro ngly an d wi th ,

grat u i t o u s p ai n t o mysel f .

I n fact my bro odi ng was th e creat u re o f th e l as t

,

f ew h o u rs b orn o f a ch ild ish p iqu e

,
B u t as I rod e .

glo om ily sil en t beh in d my compan i on s i t seem ed as ,

i f I h ad l ong s u ffered a growi ng separa t ion fro m

“ ”
th em . Thre e i s a clu m sy n u mb er I said t o m y ,

“
sel f i n fam ily a ffecti o n not l ess th an i n l ove ; t h ere
,

wa s n eve r any t riad o f fri ends sin ce th e wo rld b egan ,

n o m at t er h ow fon d t h ei r t i es i n wh i ch two d id n o t ,

b u ild a l ittle interior c o u rt o f tho u ghts and s ym

a t h ies from wh i ch th e th ird was sh u t o u t Th ese
p .

two p eopl e wh o m I h ol d d earer than eve ryth ing else

o n earth — th i s good gen tlem an t o wh o m I o we all ,

th i s swe et girl wh o h as grown u p fro m b abyh ood i n

—
my heart wou ld sco u t th e i d ea that there wa s any
l in e o f d ivisi on ru n n ing thro u gh o u r h o u seh old .

i —
They d o n ot s ee t cann o t s ee it Yet th ey .

h ave a wh ol e world o f i d eas and fie n t im e n ts i n

comm on a wh ol e wo rld
,
I
”
m ay n ever e nter .

Thi s wa s what i n su lky i nch oat e fash ion I sai d

, , ,

t o mysel f u nd e r th e Cs p u f o f th e j ealo u s spi ri ts

,
x

»
wh ich som e tim es get lre in o v e r th e tho u gh ts o f th e
.
/

best o f u s A n d i t was all becau s e th e Lo nd o n

.

wom an had t ri cked o u t o u r D aisy fo r b u t a l ittl e ,

h o u r o r two i n th e present ment o f a cou rt lady !

,

C onve rsati on wen t briskly forward m eanwh ile , ,

from th e sto u t back o f th e gray h orse .

“
D id yo u n o t e p apa h o w wh it e and soft her
, ,
 T be Ma s quer a de br ings m e P a in . 1 01

“
hands were P said D aisy M in e were s o r edbeLs ide
.

them ! I t i s working in the gar d e n 1 bel ieve ,

.
,

’
althou gh M ary J ohnson always wo re glgq ves sh e , ,

was o u t among th e fl owers h er

»

hands were red to o A n d Lady B e r en ic ia was s o

, .

su rprised t o l earn that I had n ever read any o f th e

rom an ces w h i ch th ey write n ow i n E nglan d ! Sh e
s ays ladies in Lond on and i n th e p rovi n ces too d o
, ,

n o t deem th emselves fi t t o converse u nl ess they

keep abreast o f al l th ese Sh e has som e o f th em i n
.

h er chests and there are others in t h e H all she has

, ,
”
fou nd and I am t o read the m and welcom e
, , .

”
“
Y o u are o l d en ou gh n ow my girl repl i ed M r , , .

“
S tewart . Th ey see m t o m e t o be t rivial en ou gh
th ings b u t n o d o ubt they h ave th ei r u se I wo ul d
,
.

n o t h ave yo u seem as i n ferio r t o oth er lad ies I n

knowl edge o f the matters th ey t alk o f as they are ,
”
i n ferio r t o yo u i n hon es t i n form at ion .

H ow i nterested s h e was wh en I t old her o f the

seri o u s bo oks I read an d o f my d aily occupat i ons
,

m ou ld ing th e can dles brewi ng th e b eer card ing

, ,

wool m aking b u tter and th en caring for th e gard en

, ,

She had n ever seen celery in tren ches s h e said and , ,

wou l d n ot know bean s from gou rd s i f sh e s aw th em

growin g I t seems t hat i n Englan d ladi es h ave
.

n oth ing to d o with th ei r gard en s —when indeed

—
, ,

t h ey h ave any at all save t o pl u ck a rose n ow an d

then o r give tea t o t hei r gentlem en u n d er the
,

shrubb e ry wh en i t is fi n e A n d I tol d h er o f o u r .

qu iltin g and sp in ning bees an d th e coast ing o n clear ,

winte r even ings an d o f watch ing th e blacks o n

,

? Pinkst er n ight an d the picn i c s i n th e woods an d

, ,
1 02 In t/ze Va l l ey .

he wed h ad n o pl easu res l ike th e m

'

s
s v
c
o
‘
n .
.

Sh e v
vas j es I th ink O h shall we ever
‘
.
,

s c
i
fs éfilfndglfl : zp ap af?
(
d ’
c

By al f
go ch u ckled M r Stewart , . .

Y o u wo u ld se e som eth ing th ere sh e n ever s aw

m y gri z zled o l d h ead up on Templ e Bar S h al l we .

b e o ff t o m orrow ? My n eck t in gl es with ant icip a

-
.

t ion .

O ld tease laughed D aisy pat tin g h is sh o u ld er , .

Y o u k n ow there h ave been n o heads p u t there

sin ce long before I was b orn N ever fl att er you r .

sel f that th ey wo u ld b egin agai n n ow with you rs .

’
They ve fo rgott en th ere was ever su ch a body as you .

’
Faith th e wo rl d d oesn t go rou n d s o fast as yo u
you ng p eopl e th ink O nly to day I read in th e L on
.
-

d on m ail that two m onth s ago o n e o f th e p olls that

’
had b een there sinc e 4 6 fell d own ; b u t i f it was
Fl etch er s o r Town l ey s n o o n e can t ell —like en ou gh
’ ’

’
n ot even th ey them selves by th is ti m e S o th e re s .

—
a vacan t spike n ow for m in e N o ch il d I d ou bt .
,

these ol d b on es will eve r get across th e s e a again .

Bu t wh o kn ows it may be yo u r fort u n e t o go

-

”
som e t im e .

“
Lady B e r e n ic ia says I m u st com e t o th e H all
”
o ften papa whil e s h e i s th ere said th e girl ret u rn
, , , ,

ing t o th e s u bj ect whi ch bewi tched h er ; an d you

m u st fetch m e o f cou rse Sh e adm i res yo u greatly ;
,
.

s h e says gen tlem en in L ond on have qu it e l ost th e

fi n e m an n er that yo u keep u p h ere with you r b ow ,

and yo u r compl im en ts Yo u m u st p racti se th e m o n .

m e n ow We are t o keep each oth er co mpany as

.

m u ch as p ossibl e sh e and I wh il e h e r h u sban d an d

, ,
 T be Mas quer a de br in gs m e P a in .

D o uw go o ff"togeth er Y ou sho u ld h av e seen .

her m imi c t hem —th e two solem n l ong faced m e n ,

-

boring each oth er i n th e d ep th s o f the wi ld er

”
n ess .

Th e talk had at l as t got aro u n d to m e Daisy .

’
lau gh ed gayly a t recoll ect io n o f th e L ondon wom an s
j est ing S u rely never a mo re i n nocent less m ali
’

.
,
.

’
c io u s laugh cam e from a m aid e n s m erry l ips b u t it ,

fell so u rly on my ea rs .

I t i s easy for peopl e to be clev er who do n o t

”
scruple t o b e di sagre eable I s aid witho u t m u ch rel , ,

e v an c y .

What 1 5 th is D o uw ? M r St ewart t u rn e d h al f
, .

way in h is saddl e an d glanced inqu i ry back at m e .

“
What i s wrong with yo u ? Y o u were as gl u m all
’
th e even ing l on g as a T u scaro ra I sn t th e t rip with .

M r Cross t o yo u r l iking ?
.

O h ay ! I shall b e gl ad t o go
'

.
,

I t Was o n my pe rverse tongu e s en d to ad d th e

’

p eevish tho u ght that n obody wo ul d sp ecially m iss

m e bu t I h eld i t back
,
.

H e h as had a p erfect D u tch fi t o n t o d ay said -

,

“
D aisy with good nat u red sisterly frankn ess ; for all
,
~

t h e worl d su ch as o ld H o n Y o s t P olh em u s has when ‘

h is yeast go es bi tter When eve r I l ooked d own th e .

tabl e t o h im at d in ner h e w a s scowl ing across at

, ,

p oor Walter B u tle r o r Sir J ohn as i f h e wo u ld pres , ,

ently eat the m both H e was th e only o n e wh o .

failed to t ell m e I looked well in the —the c it ifie d c 0 5«

t um e .

“
R ath er s ay I was t h e only o n e wh ose op ini on
you d id n o t c are fo r .
1 04 In tbe Va l l ey .

S he was to o sweet t emp ered t o t ake u mb rage at -

my m o rose rej oi nd er an d wen t o n with h er m ock ,

/
s e r io u s c a t al o u eJo f my crim es
g
“
A n d wha t d o yo u th ink p apa ? Wh o sho u ld it ,

b e bu t o u r p ati ent equ abl e M aste r D o u w that was

,

n ear qu arrell ing with Walter B u tler o u t by th e l ilacs , ,

t h is ve ry m orni ng—and i n th e p resen ce o f l ad i es ,

”
to o .

N o o n e ever saw m e qu arrel lad i es o r anyb ody ,

‘

e lse I replied
, .

“
Faith ! th en I d id mysel f M r St ewart l au gh , .

“
in gl y called o u t A n d i t w a s before a lady t o o
.

o r th e sm all b eginn ings o f o n e I saw h i m with my .

o wn eyes D ai sy get knocked i nt o th e ash e s by a

, ,

you ng man an d j u m p u p and ru n at h i m wi th b oth

,

fi st s o u t—an d all o n you r accou nt t o o my lady ; , ,

and th en
O h I am rem in d ed !
,

I t was D aisy wh o c ri ed o u t an d w ith visibl e ex ,

c it e m en t The n s h e clapp ed h er h an d t o h er m o u th
.

with a pretty gest u re ; th en s h e said

“
O r n o ! I will n ot t ell yo u yet I t i s s o fam o u s .

a secret i t m u s t com e o u t l ittle by l ittl e

,
Tell m e .
,

papa d id yo u kn ow th at t h i s Mr Cr o ss u p at th e .

— —
,
’
H all L ady B er en ic ia s h u sband i s a c o u si n t o th e
o l d M aj o r wh o brou gh t m e t o yo u o u t o f t h e ro u t ,

a t K o u ar ie ?
‘

“
I s t/za t yo u r secre t m iss ? I kn ew it ho u rs ,
97

wi se ! A n d p erh aps yo u kn ew th a t th e
H ow

Maj or b ecam e a C olon el an d th en a Gen eral an d , ,

”
d ied las t win t e r p o o r m an ,
.
1 06 In Me Va l l ey .

I h op e h is t emper is be ttere d since las t h e

h ere was th e c ivil l es t com m en t I cou ld screw my
,
”

t o n gu e t o .

Clo u ds d im m ed th e rad ian ce o f t h e m o o n t h reat

,

e n in g d arkn ess an d we q u i cken ed o u r pace

, . Th ere
was n o fu r t h er t alk o n th e h om eward r id e.
 C H A PT E R X I .

AS I M A KE MY A D I E U X MR . P H IL IP CO M ES IN .

W HE N th e eventfu l d ay o f departu re c am e what ,

with the last packing th e searches t o se e that n oth

,

in g sh oul d b e forgott en th e awkward ness an d slow

,

n ess o f h and s u n n erved by the excitement o f a great

occasion i t was h igh no on before I was ready t o
,

start I sto od idly i n th e hall whil e my au n t pu t

.
,

fi nal to u ches to my traps ( my m in d swingi ng l ike a

,

p J
e n du l u m b e t w e e n fear that M r Cross wh om I wa s .
,

to j oi n at Cau ghnawaga wou ld be vexed at my de

,

lay and gen u in e pain at l eavin g my d ear h om e and

,

it s inm ates n ow that th e ho u r had arrived

,
.

’
I h ad m ade my fare well s over at m y m other s h ou se
th e p reviou s day du tifu lly kissing h er and all the sis
ters wh o happ en ed t o b e at home b u t w
,

ith ou t m u ch ,

emot ion o n either sid e Bloo d 1 5 thicke r than w ater

.
,

th e adage ru ns Perhap s that i s why it fl owed so

.

calmly i n all ou r D u tch veins wh il e we said good by -

.

B ut h ere in my adopt ed h om e —m y t ru e h om e—m y

heart qu ivered and sank at thou gh t of d epart u re .

“
I co u ld n ot have chosen a better o r safer man
for yo u to t ravel with than J onath an C ross M r ,
.

Stewart was saying t o me H e does n ot l ook on

.

all th ings as I d o p erhaps fo r o u r bre ed ing was as

, ,
1 08 In zbe Va l l ey .

d ifferen t as th e d esk is d i fferent fro m th e dru m B u t .

h e is h on est and co u rte ou s well inform ed afte r h i s ,

way an d as l ike wh at yo u will be later o n as two

,

peas i n a p od You were b orn fo r a trad er a m er

.
,

chant a m an o f a ffairs ; an d yo u will be a t a good

,
”
sch o ol with h im .

H e wen t o n i n h is grave a ffectionat e mann er t ell , ,

ing m e i n a h u ndred ind i rec t ways that I belonged

t o th e u sefu l rath er than t o th e o rn am en tal o rd e r o f
m ankind with n eve r a th ou ght i n h is good h eart o f
,

wo u n d i ng my feeli ngs o r o f lett i ng m e kn ow that ,

i n hi s in m ost so u l h e wo u ld have p referre d m e t o b e

a sold ier o r an idler with race h orses an d a velve t -

coat N o r d i d h e wo u n d m e fo r I h ad t oo great a
.
,

l ove fo r h i m an d ye t fel t t oo thorou gh a kn owl edge

,

o f myself t o allow th e t wo t o clash I l isten ed s i .

l e n t ly with t ears alm ost ready at my eyes bu t wi th

, ,

t h ou ghts vagrantly strayi ng from h is word s t o th e

gard en o u tsi d e .

Tu lp w as t o go with m e and hi s p aren t s an d ki n ,

were fi ll ing th e air with advice and lam en tat i on s i n

ab o u t equ al m easu re an d all in th e m aj or key Th eir
, .

sho u t s an d wail ing—th ey co u ld n ot h ave m ad e m ore

ado i f h e had j u st been sol d to J am aica cam e —
th ro u gh th e Open doo r I t was n o t o f th is d i n I .

tho u ght thou gh n o r o f th e cart wh ich th e n egroes

, , ,

wh il e th ey wept were p ilin g high with my go od s , ,

and which I co u ld see i n th e h ighway beyon d .

I was th inking o f D aisy my sweet sister wh o had , ,

gon e into th e garden t o gather a n osegay fo r m e .

Throu gh th e door I cou ld see he r am on g th e

bu sh e s h er l ith e form ben din g i n th e qu est o f
,
 In t/ze Va l l ey .

h im sel f up an d t u rn ed t o ward u s Y o u m ay b e s u re .

I l ooked h im over attentively .

I h ave seen few handsom er yo u ng m en I n a .

w ay s o far as light hai r bl u e eyes ru ddy an d regu

, , ,

l ar face went h e was n ot u nl ike S i r J ohn Bu t h e

, .

was m u ch taller an d h i s n eck an d sh ou ld ers were

,

squ ared p ro u dly— a t rick J oh nso n n ever l earn ed .

Th e fi n e e ffect o f h is fi gu re was enh an ced by a

fawn colored t op coat with a gracefu l l ittle cap e
- -
,

fall in g over th e sh o u ld e rs H i s cloth es b en eath .

,

from th e garn et coat with m oth e r o fp earl b u tton s - -

d own to h is sh in ing H essian s all fi tted h i m as i f ,

h e h ad b een ru n i nt o them as i nt o a m o u ld H e .

h eld h is hat a gl ossy s u gar l oaf beaver i n o n e hand

,
-
, ,

alon g with whip an d gloves T h e oth er han d wh ite .

,

and shapely i n its ru ffl es h e stret ch ed o u t n o w t o ,

ward Mr Stewart with a free pleasan t gest u re

.
, .

“ ’ “ ”
Wi th my father s old est fri end h e said I , ,

m u st no t wai t for cerem ony I am Ph il ip Cross .

,

from Englan d and I h op e you wi ll b e my fri end

, ,
”
s ir n ow th at my fath e r is gon e
,
.

That this spe ech fou n d i nstan t favo r n e ed n ot b e

d o u bted M r Stewart sh ook h im again an d agai n
. .

by the hand an d warm ly bade h im wel com e t o th e

,

V all ey an d th e C ed ars a d oz e n ti m es i n as m any

b reath s Yo un g Cross m anaged t o explai n betwee n
.

these cord ial ej acu lati on s that h e h ad j o u rn eyed u p ,

from N ew York with the you th fu l S tephen Watt s

—to wh ose siste r Si r J oh n was already b etrothed ;
-

th at they had reached Gu y Park th e previ o u s even

i ng ; t h at Watt s was t oo weari ed th is m orn ing t o
th ink o f sti rring o u t b u t that hardly illn ess itsel f
,
 A s I m a ke my A dieux Mr . P bil zj
o co m es in . 1 1 1

could have p revented h im Cross from p rom ptly , ,

’
p ayin g h is resp ects to h is fath er s an cient c o m
rade .

The you ng man spoke easily an d fl u ently l o ok ,

ing M r Stewart frankly i n th e eye w ith sm il in g s in

.
,

c e r ity i n glan ce an d ton e H e wen t o n .

H ow chan ged eve rything is ro u n dabo u t — all

save you wh o lo ok scarcely old e r o r l ess st rong
,
.

Wh en I was here as a boy i t was wi nt e r col d an d ,

bl eak There was a stockad e su rro u n ded by wild er

.

n ess then I rem ember and a l o g h o u s e hard ly big

, ,
z

ger than th e fi replace insid e it Where we stan d .

n ow the gro u nd was cove red with b ru sh and chip s ,

h al f h idd en by sn ow —
N ow p r es to ! th ere i s a
.

man sion i n th e m idst of fi elds and a gard en n eatly ,

m ad e an d,
— tu rn ing with a bo w t o D aisy “
a fai r -

m istress for them all wh o wo u ld ad orn any palace

,

o r park i n Eu rop e an d whom I rem ember as a

,

frigh tene d littl e baby wit h st ocki ngs either on e o f

,
”
which wou ld have held h er en t i re .

“
I s aw th e cart laden ou tsid e p u t in Si r J ohn , ,

and fan ci ed perhap s we sh o u ld m i ss you .

“
Why n o said Mr Stewart ; I had forgott e n
, ,
“
.

fo r the m o m ent that th is was a h ou se o f m o u rn ing .

D ou w i s starting t o the Lake cou nt ry th i s very day .

M r Cross yo u m u st rem embe r my boy my D o u w

.
, ,

Th e yo u n g Engli shm an tu rn ed toward m e as I ,

’
w a s ind icated by M r Stewart s gest u re . H e looked .

m e ove r b riefly with a hal f sm ile abou t hi s eyes

,
-
,

n odd ed t o m e and said ,

’
Yo u were th e D u tch boy with th e apron weren t ,

you ? ”
I1 2 In tbe Va l l ey .

I assen t ed by a sign o f the head as sligh t as I ,

co u ld p ol i t ely m ake it .

O h yes I recall you qu ite d i s t i n c t ly I u sed to

, , .

m ake my brother D igby lau gh by telli ng abo u t yo u r

aprons H e m ade qu ite a g o od p i ct u re o f yo u i n
.

o n e o f th em d rawn from my d escrip t ions

, W e h ad .

a fort o f sn ow t oo di d we n o t ? an d I beat you o r

, , ,

y o u m e I forget wh ich,
I go t sn ow d own th e back .

o f my n eck I kn ow and sh i vered all th e way t o th e

, ,
”
fort .

H e t u rned l ightly at thi s t o M r Stewart an d .

,

b egan conversati o n again I went over to wh ere .

D aisy s t ood by th e edge o f th e fl o we r bed

,
-
.

”
I m u st go n ow d ear sister I said The words , , .

were ch oki ng m e .

We walked sl owly t o t h e h o u se s h e and I Whe n ,

.

I had said go od by t o my au nt and gathered t ogether

-
,

my hat coats and th e l ike I st ood spe echl ess l o ok

, , , ,

i ng at D aisy Th e m om en t was h ere an d I h ad n o

.
,

word for i t which d id n ot see m a m o ckery .

Sh e raised hersel f o n t iptoe t o b e kissed Good .

”
by big b rother s h e said softly
,
Com e back t o u s
, , .

’
wel l an d strong an d altogether hom esick won t yo u ?
, ,

I t will n o t b e l ike h om e with o u t you t o eith er o f , ,

H
us.

A n d so th e farewells were all m ade an d I st ood ,

in the road p repared t o m o u nt T u lp was al ready .

o n th e cart alon g wi th an oth er n egro wh o was t o

,

b ring back my h ors e an d th e vehicl e afte r we had

em barked i n th e b oats Th ere was n oth ing m ore .

— —
t o s ay t im e pressed yet I linge red du mb and i rre s
ol u te A t the m om ent I seemed t o b e e x changing
.
CCC C
C C CCC C
 A s I m a ke my A dieux M r . P /zi/zj
o com es in . 1 1 3

e ve ryth ing for n oth ing {com m ittin g d om esti c su i —

cide ) I looked at them both th e girl and the old
.
,

man with th e gloomy th ou gh t that I m ight n eve r

,

l ay eyes o n them again I dare s ay I wo re my .

gri ef u pon my face for M r Stewart t rie d ch eerily , .

“
t o hearten m e with Co u rage l ad ! We sh all all , ,

be waiting for yo u rej o iced t o wel co m e yo u back ,

safe an d so u nd .

D aisy cam e t o m e n ow again as I p u t my han d ,

o n th e p o m m el and p in ned u pon my lapel som e o f

,

the pal e bl u e bl ossoms sh e had gath ered .

’ ’
There s rosemary fo r rememb rance sh e m u r ,

m u red Poor O ph eli a co u ld scarce have be en sad

.

”
d er than we feel D o uw at yo u r goi ng , , .

A n d m ay I be decorate d t o o — for remembrance

“ ’

sake ? asked handsom e yo u ng Phil ip Cross gayly , .

S u rely s ir th e m ai den answered with a sm il e

,
’
, ,

o f sweet sor rowfu ln ess

“
Yo u h ave a right fu l p art
—
.

i n the o d m emor es 1 n a sense p erhap s th e great

l 1 , ,
”
e st p art o f all .

A y you two were fri ends before eve r yo u cam e

,
”
t o u s d ear said M r Stewart
, , . .

S o as I rode away with sm arting eyes and a heart ,

weigh ing l ike l ead my last p ict u re o f th e go od o l d

,

hom e wa s o f D aisy fasten ing fl owers o n the yo u ng

’
Englishm an s breas t j u s t as s h e had p u t thes e o f ,

m in e i n thei r place .

8
 C H A PT E R X I I .

O LD T I M E PO L I T I C S PON D E R ED UN D E R
-
T HE
F O R E S T S T AR L I GHT
“
.

A M ON G th e n u m ero u s books wh ich at o n e tim e or

an oth er I had resolve d t o writ e an d which th e even
,

ing twilight o f my life fi nd s sti ll u nwritten w as o n e ,

on Fu r trad i ng
-
. Thi s vol u m e i nd eed cam e som e
, ,

what n eare r t o a stat e o f act u al exi sten ce th an an y

o f it s u nb orn breth ren since I h ave yet a great store
,

o f n otes an d m em o ran da gath ered fo r i ts co n s t r u c

ti on i n earl i er years My oth e r works su ch as th e

great treat i se o n A stron o m ical D el u sion s —wh i ch
.
,

H ersch el an d L a Place afterward ren dere d u n n ec e s

—
sary an d the H isto ry o f th e D utch i n A m e ri ca ,
”

n ever even p rogressed t o th is p o in t o f p rep arat ion .

I m en tion th is to show that I resist a gen u in e t em p

t a t io n n ow i n d ec iding n ot t o p u t i nt o this n arrative
a great d eal abo u t my exp eri en ces i n an d i n form a ,

ti on con c ern ing th e alm ost t rackl es s West o f m y

,

you th My diary o f th is fi rst an d m om entou s j o u r

.

n ey with M r J o nathan C ross yell ow w ith age an d

.
,

staine d by damp an d m ild ew l i es h ere b efore m e ;

,

al ong with i t are m any o dd and cu r i o u s i nc i d en ts an d

r e fl e c t io n s\jo tt e d do w n {fn ir
,
r o r in
g\t h a t st ran ge ru d e , ,

perilo u s past which seem s s o far away t o t h e gen e ra

1 1 6 In Me Va l l ey .

for I wa s n o t a l ittle su rprised when M r C ross said .

t o m e that n ight : O u r h ost i s o n e of th e strongest

and m ost sagacio u s m en I have ever en cou nt ered i n
th e Col on i es ; h e i s worth a th ou san d o f you r B u t
”
lers o r Si r J ohn s .

I t becam e cl ear i n lat er years th at my fri en d was

right I rem ember that I regard ed the h osp i tabl e
.

Colon el at breakfast n ext m orn in g w ith a cl ose r and

, ,

m ore respect fu l atten ti on than eve r be fo re b u t i t ,

was n ot easy t o d iscern any n ew el em en ts o f great

n ess in h is tal k .

H erkim er was th en a m iddle aged u n dersiz ed m an -

, ,

very swart an d sh arp eyed an d with a qu i ck alm ost

-
, ,

vehem ent way o f sp eaking I t t ook n o t i m e at all .

t o d iscover that he wat ch ed th e cou rse o f p ol iti cs i n

th e Col on ies p retty cl osely an d was h eart and sou l ,

o n the anti En gl ish si d e

-
O n e thing which h e said
.
,

i n h is e ffort t o make my frien d u nderstan d th e d i ffe r

ence between h is p osit ion an d th e m ore abstract an d
edu cat ed d iscontent of N ew Englan d an d V i rgin ia ,

sticks i n my m em ory .

“ “ ”
We German s h e said are n o t like th e rest
, , .

O u r fath e rs an d m oth ers re m embe r th ei r su fferings

i n the old co u nt ry kept ragged an d h u ngry an d
,

wretched in su ch way as my n egro es d o n ot d ream

,

of all that som e sco u nd rel baron m igh t h ave gild in g

,

on h is carriage an d that th e Elector m ight enj oy

,

h im sel f i n his p alace Th ey were b eat en hanged

.
, ,

robbed o f th ei r d au ght ers worked t o d eath froz en , ,

by th e cold in thei r n akedn ess d ragged o ff i nt o th e ,

armies t o b e sold t o any p rin c e wh o cou ld pay for

t heir blood an d b roke n b on es The Fren ch wh o .
 Q

P ol itics P on der ed un der t/ze Sta r izg/zt .

overran the Palatinate were bad en o u gh ; th e n ative

ru lers were even m ore t o be hated Th e exile s o f .

o u r race h ave n ot forgotten this ; th ey h ave tol d i t

al l to u s their ch ild ren and grandch ild ren born here

,

i n th i s V all ey We have mad e a n ew hom e for o u r

.

selves over h ere an d we o we n o on e b u t God any

,

th ing for it I f th ey t ry t o m ake here anothe r aris

.

t o ér a c y over u s th en we will d ie fi rst b efo re w e will

,
”
su bm it.

’
Th e case for th e M ohawk V alley s part in the
great revolt has n ever been m ore truly stated I th ink , ,

than i t was thu s by th e rou gh u ned u cated l ittl e

, , ,

fronti er trad er i n h i s b roken En glish on that M ay

, ,

m orn in g years before th e storm broke .

We rod e away westward i n th e fu ll su nsh in e that

m o rning i n h igh spirits Th e s ky was p u re bl u e
,
.

overh ead ; th e b ird s carolled fro m eve ry cl u mp o f

foliage abo u t u s ; th e scen e ry t o which M r C ross,
.

paid m u ch delighted attent io n fi rst grew n obly wild

,

an d i mpressive wh en we ski rt ed th e Littl e Falls —as

gran d and gloomy i n its e ffect o f t owering j agge d
cl i ffs and foam ing cataracts as o n e of J acob R uys
dael s p ict u res—an d then soften e d int o a d ream o f
’

beau ty as it spread o u t be fore u s th e sm il ing em ,

bowered expan ses of th e German Flatt s Ti m e an d .

t i m e again my companio n and I re ined u p o u r h orses

t o contemplat e th e charm s o f th is l ovely scen e .

We had forded th e river n ear Fort H erki mer ,

wh ere o l d H on Yost H erkim er the fath er o f th e ,

C ol on el lived an d were n ow on ce m ore o n th e north

, ,

side From an op en kn oll I p o int ed o u t t o my fri en d

.
,

by th e appl e and pear b lossom s wh iten in g th e d e

1 1 8 In tne Va l l ey .

’
s er t e d orch ards th e sit e o f th e Palatin e s village
,
’
wh ere D aisy s father had been killed fi fteen years ,

a go in th e m idnight rou t an d m assacre

, .

I t was over those h ill s that th e Fren ch stol e in

darkness Back yond er at th e very ford we crossed
.
, ,

h er p oor m oth er was t rample d u nd er foo t an d

d rown ed in th e frigh ten ed th rong I t wa s at the .

fo rt th ere where we had th e b u tterm ilk an d K itch en

, ,

that you r cou sin M aj or Cross fo u n d th e l ittle

, ,

gi rl I wond er i f h e ever knew how d eeply grateful

.

t o h im we were— an d are .

This brou ght o n ce m ore t o my m ind—wh ere in

d eed it h ad often en ou gh b efore i n tru d ed itself—th e
’
recollecti o n o f yo u ng P h il ip s arrival at th e C edars .

Fo r som e reason I had d isl ike d t o sp eak o f i t b efore ,

b u t n ow I tol d M r C ross o f i t as we walked o u r

.

h orses al ong over th e ro u gh m u d dy road u n der t h e , ,

arch ing roof o f th i cket .

“ ’
I ll be b o u nd M r Stewart welcom ed h im with .

op e n arms sai d my compan i on ,

.

A y i nd eed !
,
N o s o n co u ld have asked a fo nd er
”
greetin g .

Yes th e lad i s ve ry l ike h is m o th er ; that o f it

,
’
sel f wo uld su ffice t o warm th e o l d gentlem an s h eart .

Yo u kn ew h e was a su it or fo r h er h an d l ong be fo re
Tony Cross ever s aw h er ?
’
I did n t kn ow th is b u t I n odd ed silently , .

Cu rio u s c reat u re s h e was m u sed h e as i f t o , ,

“
h imsel f . Sel fi sh su sp icio u s swift t o o ffen ce jeal
, , ,

o u s o f eve ryth ing an d everyb ody ab ou t h er — yet

with m o o ds when s h e s eem ed t o all s h e m e t th e m os t
am iabl e and d el igh t fu l o f women Sh e h ad h er fin e .
1 20 In tbe Va l l ey.

p ower o f angry fl ash in g i n h i s stead fas t wi d e apart ,

-
,

gray eyes Bu t h is t on gu e cou ld cu t d eep o n

.

o ccasi on .

We were n ow well b eyon d th e last civil iz ed hab

it atio n i n th e V alley o f th e Mo hawk an d we e n ,

camped th at n ight above th e ban k o f a l ittl e rivu l e t

tha t crossed the h ighway som e fou r m iles t o th e east
o f Fo rt Stanwi x Tu lp and th e D u t ch m an Baren t
.
,

C o p p er n o l wh om M r Cross had brou gh t alon g par

,
.
,

t iall y u npacke d th e cart and s e t t o with th ei r axes

, .

S oon th ere had bee n co nst ru cted a sh elter for u s ,

h al f canvas h al f l ogs an d b ru sh u nd e r a big beech

, ,

t ree wh i ch stood hal f way u p th e west ern in clin e from

-

th e b rook and can op i ed with i ts low bou ghs a

,

sm o oth su rface o f cl ear grou nd We had s upp e r .

h ere and then fou r h u ge n ight fir es we re bu il t as an

,
-

ou ter wall o f de fen ce an d Baren t wen t t o s l eep wh ile

, ,

y o u ng T u lp crou ch ing and cro on in g by th e blaz e

, ,

b egan h i s p orti on o f th e d reary wat ch t o keep u p th e

fi res .

We lay awake fo r a long tim e o n o u r b ed o f hem

l o c k twigs an d brake well wrapp ed u p o u r h ead s, ,

cl ose t o th e b eech tru nk o u r kn ees raised t o keep

-
,

th e fi erce h eat o f th e fl am es from o u r faces From .

t im e t o tim e we heard th e barki ng o f th e wolves ,

n o w d istant n ow u n com fortably n ear Wh en the

,
.

m oon c am e u p m u ch lat er th e wood s seem ed alive

, ,

with strange vocal n o ises and om in o u s ru stl ings i n

the leaves and b rakes I t was my Lon d on c o m p an
.

’
io n s fi rst n igh t i n the op en wild ern ess ; b u t wh il e h e
was ve ry acu t e to n ote n ew sou nd s an d i nqu ire thei r
origin h e seeme d to be in n o degre e n ervou s
,
.
 We talked o f m any th ings more p artic ul arly I , ,

rem ember o f what H er kim e r had said at breakfast

,
.

A n d it is a very remarkable th ing that as we talked ,

thu s o f the Germ an m erchant farm er and h is poli -

tics we we re lyin g o n the very spot wh ere fi ve years

,
-
,

later I was t o b ehold h im sitt ing wo u nd ed b u t im

, ,

pert u rbable sm oking his pipe and givin g o rd ers o f

,

battl e u n de r th e m ost hell ish rain o f b u llets fro m

,

which man ever sh rank a ffrighted A n d the t ranqu il .

m oon ab ove u s was to look d own agai n u po n th i s

l ittl e vale and t u rn l ivid t o s ee i t s m arsh an d swal e
,

choked with fresh corp ses and its b rook rippl ing red
,

with blood A n d the very wolves we heard sn ap

.

p in g and baying i n the thicke t were to raise a

ghastly hall oo , h ere among th ese sam e e ch oes as ,

they feasted o n th e flesh o f my friend s an d c o m

rad es .

n o t gu ess thi s fearsom e fu t u r e )

(We d id b u t in stead ,

lay p eace fu lly cont entedly u nde r th e l eave s with

, ,

th e balmy softn ess o f the fi rs i n th e air w e breathed ,

and th e fl am in g fir el igh t in o u r eyes P erhap s lank .

,

u n cou th Baren t C 0 p p e r n o l m ay h ave d ream ed of it ,

as h e sn ore d by th e ou ter h eap o f blazin g l ogs I f .

so d id h e as i n proph ecy se e h is o wn form with

, , , ,

cleft sku ll stret ched o n th e h ill sid e ?

,
-

’ ’
I sp oke abou t Ph il ip s havin g som e o f h i s fath er s
”
adopted I ri sh traits said M r Cross aft er a l onger
, .
,

interval o f silence than u su al O n e o f them i s the

.

d esire t o have su bo rd in at es d ep en d ents abou t him , ,

.

There i s n o I rishman s o p oor o r lowly that h e will

n ot i f possi bl e en cou rage som e still poorer l owl ie r
, , ,

I rishman to han g t o hi s skirts I t i s a refl ecti on o f .

1 22 In th e Va l l ey .

th eir o l d Gael i c t ribal system I su pp ose wh ich be , , ,

tween it s ch iefs above and i ts clan sm en b el ow l eft ,

n o place for a free yeom an ry I n ote thi s sam e thin g .

i n the V alley with th e J oh nsons an d th e B u tl ers

, .

S o far as S ir Will i am is con cern ed th e qu ali ty I ,

sp eak o f has been of servi c e t o th e Col ony for h e ,

has u sed h is fond n ess an d facu lty fo r att racting r e

t a in e r s an d d om ineeri ng over s u bord i nat es t o p u bl i c
advantage Bu t th en h e is an except ional an d n ote
.

worthy m an —on e am ong ten th o u san d Bu t h is s o n .

S ir J oh n an d h is s o n in law Gu y J oh nson and th e

,
- -
,

B u tl ers father and s o n and n ow t o them adde d o u r

, ,

m asterfu l yo u ng M aster Ph il ip —th ese o wn n o su ch

steadying balan ce wh eel o f comm on sense
-
Th ey -
.

have n o rest rain ing n ot i on o f pu bl i c int erest Thei r .

sole i dea i s t o play th e aristocrat t o su rro u nd the m ,

selves with m en ial s t o m ake th ei r n eighbors con ced e

,

t o them subm issi on and reve rence I t was o f th em .

that H erkim er sp oke plai nly en o u gh th o u gh h e gave

, ,

n o n am es Mark my words th ey will c om e t o gri e f

.
,

with th at m an i f t h e qu esti on b e eve r p u t t o th e

,

t est .

I h ad n ot seen enou gh o f Engl i sh m en t o u n d er

stan d very clearly th e d i fferences between them an d
th e I ri sh and I said so Th e convers ati o n d ri ft ed
,
.

u p on race qu est ion s an d d istin c t ions as th ey were ,

p resented by th e cu ri o u sly m ixed p op u la t i on o f N ew

York p rovince .

M y compan i on was o f th e imp ression that th e d is

t in c t l y British settlem ents l ike those o f Ma s s a c h u ,

setts and V irgi n ia were far m ore powerfu l and

,

p rom i sing than my o w n polyglot p rovi nce No .

1 24 In th e Va l l ey .

i '

i mb ibed al l t h ey kn ew o f c l e m en c y an d libe rty d u r

i n g th ei r stay i n H olland .

I fear th at M r Cross i nwardly sm il ed m ore o r le ss

.

at my enth u siasm an d ext ravagan ce b u t h i s c o m ,

m ents R ivere all seri o u s an d ki ndly H e conced ed th e .

j u st ice o f m u ch that I said parti cu larly as t o th e a d ,

m i rable resol u t ion tenacity an d breadth o f ch aract er

, ,
'

th e D u tch h ad displayed always i n E u rop e B u t .

th en h e wen t o n t o d eclare that th e D u tch co u l d n ot

h op e t o h old th ei r o wn i n strange land s agai n st th e
extraord i nary conqu ering an d colon i z in g p owe r o f
th e m ore n u mero u s Engl ish wh o by sh ee r fo rce o f , ,

will an d en ergy were d est in ed i n th e en d t o d om i

,

n at e everyth in g they t ou ch ed N ot e h ow Cl ive an d .

th e Engl ish had grad u al ly u n derm i n ed or over

thrown Fren ch Portu gu ese an d D u tch alike i n th e
, ,

I n d ie s h e said th e sam e th in g has h app e n ed h ere

, ,

eith er by bl o odsh ed o r bart er N o n at i on co u ld r e .

sist th e En glish i n wa r ; n o peopl e cou ld m ain tai n

th emsel ve s i n t rad e o r th e p eace fu l arts agai nst th e
Engl i sh .

“
Bu t yo u y ou rsel f pred icted n ot an h ou r ago , ,

th at th e you n g gen t ry d own th e V alley wou l d com e

t o grief i n th eir e ffort t o lord it ove r th e D u t ch an d
”
Palatin es .

“
O h th at ind eed
,
my friend repl ied They
, .

are silly sprou ts grown u p weak and sp indl ing ,

u nd er th e shad ow o f Si r William ; when h e i s cu t

d own th e s u n will shrivel th em n o d ou bt Bu t ,
.

th e h ard ie r h ealthi e r plan ts which fi nally take thei r

,

place will be o f En glish stock n o t D u tch o r -

”
Germ an .
 P ol itics P on der ed u n der tl ze Sta r l zg/zt . 1 25

I h op e devo u tly that th is len gthen ed d igressi o n

i nt o p olit ics has n ot p roved wearisom e I have .

t o u ch ed u p on b u t o n e o f a hu nd red l ike conversa

t ion s wh ich we two had together o n o u r slow
j ou rn ey and this becau se I wanted t o s et forth th e
,

m ann e r o f things we discu ssed and the vi ews we ,

severally h ad Events p roved that we both we re

.

partially right Th e Un it ed S tat es o f th e N eth er

.

l and s was the real paren t o f the Un i ted Stat es o f

A m erica and th e constit u t i o n wh i ch th e D u tch
,

m ad e for th e in fant State o f N ew Yo rk served as

the m odel i n b readth and in freedom for ou r presen t
n obl e Fed eral Constitu ti on I n that m u ch my faith
.

was j u sti fi ed Bu t i t is also tru e t hat my Stat e i s

.

n o longe r D utch b u t English and that the language

, ,

o f my m other has d ied o u t from am ong u s .

Be fore n oon n ext day we reached Fo rt S tanwix ,

the forest girdled block ho us e com m andin g th e Great

- -

Carryin g Place H ere we waite d on e day fo r th e

.

boats to com e u p an d hal f of an oth er t o get th em

,

th ro u gh th e sl u ices int o Wood C reek Then as th e .

,

h orses an d cart s retu rn ed we embarked and s et o u r

,

faces t oward th e L akes .

 C HA PT ER X I I I .

TO T H E FA R L A K E C O U N T RY AN D HOME A G A IN .

W E h ad left what it pleases u s t o call civil ization

beh ind Unt il ou r ret u rn we were scarcely agai n
.

t o see th e blacken ed fi eld s of stu mps su rro u nd ing

cl eari ngs or p otash kettles or gi rdl ed trees o r
, , ,

ch im n eys .

N o t that o u r c o u r s el ay wh olly throu gh u nb roken

sol it u de ; b u t th e m en we for th e m ost part e n c o u n
t e r e d were o f th e strange sort w h o h ad p u sh ed west
ward farth er an d farther t o be alon e— to get away
from th eir fell ows The axe t o them d id n ot sign ify
.

th e pearl ash of com m erce bu t fi rewood an d h on ey

,

an d co on skins for th ei r own p ersonal wa nts They

-
.

t rad ed a l ittl e i n a carele ss d esu ltory fash ion with

, , ,

th e p roceed s O f th ei r traps an d rifl es B u t th ei r .

—
d esi res were few a pan an d kettl e a case o f ,

n eedles an d cord som e ru m or b ran dy from cid er

,

o r wil d grap es tobacco l ead and p owd er— ch ie fl y

, , ,

th e last th ree Th ey fed them selves add ing t o

.
,

th eir o wn fi sh and gam e only a littl e p ou n ded m aiz e

which th ey got m ostly from th e I nd i an s an d cooked ,

in m u sh o r o n a bakin g ston e I n th e in frequ en t .

case s wh ere the re we re wom en wi th them we som e ,

t i m es s aw can dles eith er d ips o r o f th e wax o f

,
1 28 In tbe Va l l ey .

they s h o we d n o frien dl i ne ss toward my poor Tu lp

'

f
‘

an d exhib it ed only scan t frigid cou rt esy t o M r Cro ss

, .

an d m e .

Th e fact that my comp an ion was a p ower i n th e

East I nd ia Company an d a d irecto r i n th e n ew ,

N o rthwest ern Fu r Company di d n o t i n terest th em , ,

at least favorably I t was i nd eed n ot u ntil aft er we

.

had got b eyon d th e Sand u sky that En och O ften v o l

u n t e e r e d th i s in fo rm at ion fo r th e trapp ers O f th e ,

East had l ittl e love fo r compan i es o r organ iz ed c o m ,

m erce an d p rop e rty o f any s o rt .

I l ike b etter t o recall th e p u rely physi cal sid e o f

o u r j o u rn ey N ow o u r l ittl e fl otilla wou ld m ove fo r
.

h ou rs on b road placid st ill waters fl anked o n each

, , ,

sid e by expanses o f sedge an d fl ag s— in wh ich great

—
b roods O f water fowl l ived an d b eyon d by m aj es
- -

t ic aven u es form ed of pi n es t owerin g m ast like ,

-

sh eer si x ty feet b efore they b u rst i nt o i ntertwin ing

b ranch es A gain we wo u ld pass th rou gh d arken ed
.
, ,

narrow chann els wh ere adverse wat ers sp ed swi ftly

, ,

an d where w e ( batt l e d n o t o nly w ith d e ep c u rrents ) ,

b u t had O ften t o ( chop o u r way th ro u gh bar r ier s o f

)
green tree tru nks h i ckory as h an d b irch wh ich th e
-
, , , ,

soft soil o n th e ba nks had b een u n abl e t o longer

h old erec t N o w we fl ew m errily along u n d er sail
.

o r en ergeti c oars ; n ow we toiled lab orio u sly against

strong t ides by poles o r by d i ffi cu l t t owin g

,
.

B u t it was all h ealth fu l h eart en ing work and we , ,

en joyed it t o th e fu ll T oward su n down we wo uld .

b egi n t o look fo r a b ro o k u p on wh ich t o p itch o u r

camp When o n e was fou nd wh ich d id n ot ru n
.

bl a ck [s h o win g its o rigi n i n a t am arack s wa m p a

,
b
1 3 0 In tbe Va l l ey .

govern e d an d pl u nd ered o u r provin c e grant ing away ,

o u r lands t o c o u rt favorites and pimp s sh ippin g t o ,

u s th e wors t and m ost d egrade d o f O ld Worl d crim i -

n al s qu artering u pon u s soldiers wh ose ru d e vi ces

,

m ad e th em even m ore obn oxiou s than th e convict s ,

an d d e stroying o u r comm erce by selfi sh an d sen se

l ess l aws .

From the Strait s wes t I saw th e Fren chm an for

th e fi rst tim e and read the reason s for h i s fail u re t o
,

stan d agai nst th e Engl ish Even wh ile we s u sp ected .

grou nd s fo r feari ng h i s h ostility we fo u n d h im a ,

m ore c ou rt eou s an d affabl e m an than th e Engli sh

m an O r Yanke e T o be pl easan t with u s seem ed a
.

genu in e con cern th ou gh i t m ay real ly h ave b een

,

oth e rwise Th e I n d ians ab ou t him t o o were a

.
, ,

far m ore satisfactory l ot than [ had known in th e

V all ey A l th ou gh m any O f o u r M ohawks coul d
.

read an d som e few write an d alth o u gh th e p ain s

, ,

an d d evotion o f my frien d Sam u el Ki rkl an d had

d on e m u ch fo r th e O n eidas st ill th ese Fren ch ,

spoken J esu i t tau ght I n d ian s seem ed a m u ch better

,
-

and sobere r class th an my n eighbors o f th e I roqu oi s .

The y d rank l ittl e o r n o ru m save as Engl ish trad ers ,

fu rtively pli ed th em with it for th e Fren ch laws ,

were again st its sal e Th ey l ive d m ost am i cably .

with th e French t oo ne ith e r h at ing n o r feari ng

, ,

th em ; an d th is was in agreeabl e con trast t o th e

wearisom e bi cke rin g et ernally goin g o n i n N ew
York between the I n dian s strivi n g t o keep thei r
l an d an d th e Engl ish an d D u tch foreve r plann ing
,

t o t ri ck them ou t o f it SO m u ch for t h e good sid e . .

r
Th e m edal h ad a T h e Fren chm an con
 T o tbe Fa r L a ke Cou n try an d H o m e A ga in . 1 3 1

get on with th e I nd ian by d eferring t o

t r iv e d t o
hi m cu lt ivat ing h is better an d m ore gen erou s sid e
, ,

an d treat ing h im as an eq u al This had the e ffect .

o f i m p roving an d soften ing th e savage b u t i t i nevi ,

tably t e nded t o weaken an d l ower the Fren chman

a t least j udged by the stan dard o f fi tness t o m ain
,

tain h imsel f in a w a r o f race s N O d ou bt th e Fren ch .

an d I ndi an s l ived together m u ch m ore qu ietly an d

civilly than di d the Engl ish an d I ndian s Bu t when .

these two system s c am e to b e t este d by resu lt s i t ,

’
wa s sh own that th e Fren chm an s p olicy an d kind
l in es s h ad only enervated an d emascu lated h im ,
’
wh ile th e Engl ish man s rou gh d om in eerin g and rule
‘

O f force had hard en ed h is m u scles an d fi red hi s reso

l u t io n T o b e su re m easu red by th e received l aws
.
,

o f h u m an ity th e Fren chm an w as righ t an d th e othe r

,

wrong Bu t i s i t s o certain after all tha t th e right

.
, ,

invariably win s ?

I t was well along i n S ep t embe r wh e n s ta n din g ,

.

o n th e emin ence t o th e east o f Fort Stanwix I fi rst ,

l ooked agai n o n my beloved M oh aw k .

The trip h ad been a highly su ccessful o n e En och .

wa s bringing back fou r bateau x well p acked u n d er

thi n o ilski n covers with rare peltri es i nclu d in g s om e ,

choi ce black beave r skin s and sea otte r fu rs from th e

- -

remot e West wh ich wou ld fetch e x t ravagan t p ri ces

, .

O n th e best est im at e o f h is ou tward cargo O f tea ,

spi rits p owd er traps cal ico du ffl e an d silver ear

, , , , ,

bobs breast bu ckles and crosses h e had m ul tiplied

,
-
, ,

its val u e twen ty fold -

.

O f cou rse th i s was o f secondary im portance Th e

, .
1 3 2 In t/te Va l l ey .

t ru e Obj ect o f the j o u rn ey h ad been t o en abl e M r .

J onath an C ross t o s ee for h im sel f th e p rosp ects o f

—
th e n ew N orthwe st ern Comp any t o l o ok ove r th e
t e rrit o ry embraced i n its gran ts esti m at e its p rob ,

abl e t rad e m ark p oin t s for th e establ i shm en t o f i ts

,

forts an d posts an d secu re th e i n form at i on n ecessary

,

t o gu ard th e company from th e frau d s o r fail ings o f

agents H e p ro fessed h im sel f vastly grati fi e d at th e
.

results physi cal as well as fi n an cial o f h i s e x p e r i

, ,

ence and that was th e great th in g

,
.

Or no —p erhap s fo r th e p u rp oses of th is st o ry
there was som eth ing m ore i mp ortan t still It is .

even n ow ve ry pl easan t t o m e t o recall th at h e l iked

m e well eno u gh aft e r thi s l ong en fo rced in ti m acy
, , ,

t o p ro ffer m e th e resp o nsible an d exacting p ost o f

’
the comp any s agen t at A lbany .

To s ay t hat the O ffe r m ad e m e p ro u d and glad

wo u ld be t o feebly u nd erstat e my em oti on s I .

co u ld n ot b e expect ed t o d ec id e all at on ce I nd e .

p en d en t Q f th e n ecessity o f subm itting th e p rop osi

t ion t o M r Stewart th ere was a very d eep d istast e
.
,

—
with in m e for fu r tradi ng at A lbany o f th e m ean
-

n ess and frau d u l en cy o f wh ich I h ad heard from

boyh ood A good many hard st ories are t old o f
.

th e A lban ians wh ich asid e fro m all p ossibl e bias

, ,

o f race I take th e l iberty o f d o u bt ing

,
I d o n ot .
,

for in stance beli eve all th e Yanke e t al es that th e

,

A lbany D u tch m en b ou ght from th e I nd ian s th e

silve r plat e wh ich th e latter seized i n N ew Engl and
o n th e occasion s o f the French an d I nd ian in cu rsion s

—if for n o othe r reason than th e absen ce o f p ro of

’

th at t h ey ever had any plat e in N ew Engl an d Bu t .

1 34 In tbe Va ll ey .

t ec t or I gazed u pon it n o w wit h an al t ogether

‘

-
.

varian t emo ti on —as of o n e c om ing t o t ake p osse s

s io n h A h th e calm elati on o f that o n e m omen t
, ,

th ere al on e o n th e kn oll with th e sinkin g S ep tember

,

s u n beh in d m e an d i n fron t b u t th e t ri fl e O f sixty

,

m iles o f river rou t e—wh en I real iz ed tha t I was a

m an !
Perhaps i t wa s at th is m om ent th at I fi rst kn ew
I loved D aisy ; p e rhap s i t had bee n th e t ru ly d om i
n ant t h o u gh t in my m in d for m on ths gath erin g ,

vigor an d fo rm fro m every t en de r l ongin g m em ory ,

o f th e Cedars I cann ot d ecid e n o r i s i t n eed fu l

.
,

t h at I sh o u ld A t least n ow my h ead was full o f

.

th e tri u m phant th ou ght s that I retu rn ed su cce s s

fu l an d i n h igh favor with my compan ion th at I ,

h ad a fl att eri n g care er Open ed for m e th at th e ,

p eople at h om e wo u l d b e pleased with m e —an d

that I sh o u ld m arry D aisy .

These rem ai n ing twen ty l eagu es grew really ve ry

t ed io u s be fo re th ey were d on e with W e wen t d own .

w ith th e b o ats th i s t im e I fear that M r Cross

. .

fou nd m e b u t p oo r co mpany th ese l ast th re e d ays ,

for I sat m u t e in th e bo w m ost of th e t im e twisted ,

aro u n d t o l ook forward d own th e wi n di ng cou rse ,

as if th is wo u ld bri ng th e C edars n earer I had n o t .

“
th e h eart t o talk N o w s h e i s win ding th e yarn
.

” “
for my au nt I wo u ld th ink ; n o w sh e i s scatt erin g
,
’
oats for th e pigeon s o r fi ll in g M r Stewart s pip e
, .
,

o r ru nning th e can dl es i nto th e m o u ld s D ear girl .

,

do es s h e wond er wh en I am com ing ? I f sh e cou ld

kn ow that I was h ere — h ere on the river sp eed in g to
h er—wh a t wou ld s h e th i nk ?
”
 T o t/ze Fa r L a ke Co un try an d H om e A ga in . 1 35
.

A nI pictu red to mysel f the p retty glan ce o f

d
su rpri se mantling into a fl u sh O f j oyo u s welcom e
, . ,

w hich wou ld greet m e on her face as s h e ran gladly ,

t o my arm s Good o l d M r Stewart my m o re than

. .
,

father wou ld stare at m e then sm il e with pleasu re

, , ,

and take both my hand s i n h is with warm h onest , ,

words st raight from h is great heart What an even .

ing i t wo u ld b e wh en seated sn u gly aro u n d th e

h u ge blaz e— Mr St ewart i n h is arm ch ai r t o the
.
-

right D aisy n estlin g o n th e stool at h is kn ee an d

,

l ookin g u p in to my face an d D am e Kron k kn itt ing

,

—
i n th e chim n ey shad ow t o th e l e ft I sh o ul d tell o f
-

my advent u res ! H ow good ly a recital I co uld make

o f them th ou gh they had been even tam e r than they
,

were with su ch an au di en ce
,
A n d h ow happy h ow ,

grati fi ed they wo u ld be wh en I cam e t o th e climax ,

’
[artfully p Q
o s t p o n e d O f M r Cro ss s o ffe r to m e of
. th e
A lbany agen cy
A n d then h ow nat u ral h ow easy wh il e th ese d ear
, ,

p eople were st ill sm iling with prid e and sat is factio n

a t my good fort u n e to s ay calmly—yes cal mly i n
, ,

t on e th ough my heart sh ou ld be b eati ng its way

,

thro ugh my b reast

Even m ore s ir I p riz e th e hop e that D aisy will
, ,

—
share it with m e as my wi fe ! ”

What with th e d elay at Cau gh nawaga wh ere ,

M r Cross d ebarked and M aj or Fo nda wou ld have

.
,

u s eat and d rink while he t old u s th e n ews and ,

’
T u l p s crazy rowin g lat er th rou gh excite m ent at ,

nearing h om e it was twilight before th e b oat was

,

ru n up int o ou r l ittle cove and I set my foot o n ,

land The Cedars stood before u s as yet lightles s

.
 In tke Va l l ey .

agai n s t t h e n orthern s ky T h e gat e was op en

. .

Th e swee t vo ice o f a n egro singin g arose from th e

cabin s o n th e d u sky hill sid e Tears cam e t o m y
-
.

eyes as I t u rn ed t o T u lp wh o was g ath ering u p th e

,

th ings in th e b oa t an d said
,
’ —
D O yo u se e boy ? We re h om e h om e at l ast
,
 In tbc Va l l ey .

scattered through t h e ro om s as well A Sp an ish .

gu itar wh ich I had n ever se en be fore sto od b esid e

th e Old p ian o Th ere were several elegan tly bou n d
.

b ooks n e w to m e o n th e tabl e ; o n th e m an tel sh el f

, ,
-

were thre e m i n iat u res d elicately pai nt ed depict in g, ,

a fl orid O ffi cer in scarl et a han d som e p ro u d l ookin g , ,

-

lady with t owering p owd ered co i ffu re and a fair ,

hai red p rou d l ookin g yo u th T h is l ast I kn ew i n an

,
-
.

in stan t to b e th e l iken ess O f M aste r Ph il ip Cross ,

tho ugh i t seem ingly p o rtrayed h i m a t an age hal f

w ay b etween th e two t i m es I had s een h im as b oy
and m an H is resembl an ce to th e lady and th en
.
,
’
m y o wn recu rring recoll ect i o n o f th e o ffi cer s feat
u res h elp ed m e to place th em as h i s p arents
, .

I called o u t D aisy ! My voi ce had a falt e ri ng ”

m o u rn fu l sou n d an d t h ere was n o answe r

, .

I cam e d own th e stai rs agai n {b u rd en e d}w ith a ,

f
s u dd en sen se O f m en t al d iscom fort ) A l ready th e
‘
.

vision s I had h ad o f an en th u siasti c welcom e were

b u t vagu e o u tl in es o f d ream s The re had sp ru n g u p .

i n my m i nd i nstead a su dd en n ovel d o u b t o f m y ,

p osit i on in thi s h o u se —a cru el i d ea that p erh aps th e

a ffecti on wh ich had so swel led an d b u oyed my h eart
w a s n ot recip ro cat ed I p u t th i s n oti o n away as
.

fooli sh an d base less b u t all th e sam e th e sil en t h all

,

room down stai rs seem ed n o w l arger an d col d er and

-
,

th e fl am es cu rl ed an d wri th ed toward th e fl u e w ith a

ch ill m etall i c asp ect inst ead O f th e b righ t h on est
, , ,

glow O f greeting .

Whil e I st ood before th e fir e place st ill h old in g th e -

,

candle i n my h and m y au nt ent ered th e room from

,

the kitch en doo r A t sigh t o f m e t h e goo d so u l gave

.
 A Wa n ting N ote in tke Ckor us o f Wel com e . 1 39

a gu tt u ral exclamation dropped flat an ap ron fu l o f

,

chips s h e was bringing in and stared at m e op en ,

m o u thed When sh e was at last p ers u ad ed that I

.

w as i n p roper p erson an d n ot th e sp irit sh e su bm it ,

—
t ed to be kissed by m e it w as n ot a fervent pro
c e e din g I am b o u n d to add
,
— bu t i t wa s evid en t th e
shock had sen t h er wits wool gath erin g H e r hand s -
.

were a bright brown from th e b u tt ern u t dye and the ,

p u ngent acri d Odo r s h e brou ght i n with h er gar

,

m ent s m ade u nn ecessary h er h alting exp lanati on

that s h e h ad been o u t in th e smoke h o u se -
.

“
Ph ilip sent down two hau nches yesterday by
M arin u s Folts s h e said ap ol ogeti cally an d thi s
, , ,
’
m u ggy weather I was afraid they wo u ldn t keep .

“
Th is i s th e D u tch concep tion o f a wel com e after
fi ve m onth s ! I cou l d n ot help th inking t o mysel f ,
’
u ncharitably forgettin g for t h e m om en t my au nt s ,

in fir m it ie s A lou d I said
.

H ow are th ey all— Mr Stewart and D ai sy ? .

A n d where are th ey ? A n d how have th e farm s

b een d oing ? ”

“ ”
Well answered D am e Kronk u p on refl ecti on
, , ,

I m aintai n that th e wool i s th e worst we eve r

clipped Was th e sh earing afte r yo u went ? Yes
.
,
’
o f cou rse i t was Well h ow I m goin g t o get ou t
.
,

en ough fi n e for the stockings alone i s m ore than I ,

’
can s ee I t s d ownright p oor
. .
”

“
B u t M r Stewart and D aisy—are th ey well ?
.

Where are th ey ?
B u t th e n iggers have gath ered fi ve t imes as m u ch
ginseng as th ey ever d id before The pigs are fat .

’
t ening fi t to ea t al ive El i s been d ru nk som e b u t
.
,
1 40 In t/ze Va l l ey .

h is girls are re ally a good d eal O f h elp Th ere are .

going t o b e m ore eld er b erri es this fall than yo u can -

’
shake a sti ck at ; th ey re j u st breaking the bran ch es .

A n d th e
O h au n t I b roke in
, d o tell m e ! A r e D ai sy
, ,

an d M r St ewart well ? .
”

Why o f cou rse th ey are sh e an swered ; that

, ,

is th ey were wh en th ey left h ere a week c om e

,
’
Th u rsday A n d M arin u s Folts d idn t s ay anyth ing
.

’
t o th e contrary yesterday Why sh ou l dn t th ey b e .

’
well ? They d on t d o anyth ing b u t gad ab o u t th ese ,
’
days D aisy hasn t d o ne a stitch o f work all s u m
.

m e r b u t kn it a co u pl e o f com forters —an d th e t im e

’
sh e s been abou t it ! Whe n I was h er age I co u l d
h ave kn it th e wh ole sid e o f a h o u se i n l ess ti m e .

”
O ne o f th em i s for you .

D ear girl I h ad wronged h er th en Sh e had been

w
.
, ,

th inking o f m e — orkin g for m e M y h eart felt .

l ighter .

Bu t wh ere a r e th ey ? I repeated .

’
O h wh ere are th ey ? Up at S ir Wi ll iam s n ew
,
’ ’
su m m er h ou se that h e s j u st b u ilt I d on t kno w
-
.

’
j u st wh ere it is bu t it s fou rtee n m il es from th e ,

H all up som ewh ere o n th e Sac o n daga V l aie wh ere

, ,
’
t wo creeks j oi n H e s m ad e a cord u roy road o u t t o
.

’ ’
it an d h e s p ai nt ed it wh it e an d gre e n an d h e s b een
, ,

u —
h aving a sort O f fan dan go o t th ere a h o u se warm -

ing I take it M arin u s Folts says h e n eve r s aw s o

,
.

’
m u ch d rinkin g i n h is born days H e d had h i s fu ll .

’
sh are h im sel f I sh ou ld j u dge Th ey re coming back
,
.

”
t o n igh t
-
.

I s at d own at th is an d stare d int o th e fi re I t was ,

.
1 4 2 In tko Va l l ey .

and h is This slave o f m in e had kin and fri en d s wh o

.

ru sh ed to fall up on hi s neck an d mad e th e n igh t ,

e ch o es rin g again with th eir sh ou ts O f welcom e I .

co u ld hear that Ol d El i h ad got d own h is fi ddle an d ,

between th e fain t squ eaking strain s I cou ld distin

gu i sh ch oru ses o f h appy gu ffaws an d b u rsts O f ch ild
’
l ike m errim ent T u l p s ret u rn cau sed jo y wh il e
.
,

m in e
Th en I grew vexed at m y p eevi sh inj u st ice i n com
plaini ng becau se my d ear ones n ot b ein g gi fted with ,

second sight had failed to exactly anticipat e my

-
,

com i ng an d i n blam ing my poo r au n t fo r beh avin g

j u st as the dear o l d sl ow wi tte d creat u re had always -

beh aved sin ce s h e wa s stri cken with small p ox -

,

twenty years be fore Ye t th i s co u rse O f cand id self

.

rep roach up on wh ich I e nt ered b rou ght m e small

reli ef I was u nh appy an d whether i t was my o w n
.
,

fa u lt or that O f som eb ody else d id n ot at all h elp th e

m atter A n d I had tho u ght t o be s o exalt edly
.

h appy o n th i s o f all the n i gh ts o f my l ife !

,

A t l en gth I h eard th e so u n d o f h oo fs clatte ri ng

d own th e road an d o f vo ices li fted i n l au ghin g con
,
’
verse El i s fi ddle ceased its d roni ng and o n goin g
.
,

t o th e wi nd ow I s aw lantern s scu dding along t o th e

’
gate from th e slaves cab ins l ike fi refl i es i n a gal e ,
.

I open ed the wi nd o w so ftly eno u gh t o h ear N o t ,

.

m u ch was t o be seen fo r the n igh t had s e t i n dark,

bu t the re were e v ide n t l y a n u mbe r O f h o rs em en o u t

side the gate an d j u dgi n g fro m th e n oi se all we re
, , ,

talking t ogeth e r Th e b u lk o f th e p arty I u nd er

.
,

sto od a t once were going on d own th e ri ve r road to

, ,
’
m ake a n igh t o f it at Si r J oh n s bachel or qu arters i n
 A Wa n tin g N ote in tbc Ckor us f
o Wel co m e . 1 43

o ld Fort J ohns on or at on e the h o u se s o f h is two

,
of

brothers in law I wa s relieved t o h ear these roi ste r

- -
.

ers severally d ecline the invitati on s t o en ter th e

Cedars for a t ime and presently o u t O f th e gloom ,

becam e d istingu ishable the form s O f th e two for

whom I had been waiting Both were m u ffl ed t o th e .

eyes for <th e ai r had t u rn ed col d)bu t i t seem ed as

,

i f I s h o u l d h av e recogniz ed th em i n any d isgu ise

‘
,

I h eard Tu lp and El i j ointly shou ting ou t th e

n ews o f my arrival— for wh ich pre matu re d isclos u re
I co u l d h ave kn ocked th ei r woolly h ead s togethe r
b u t i t seem ed that th e t id ings had reach ed th em b e
fore I n fact they had m et M r Cross an d En och
.
, .

on th e road down from J ohn st own as I learn ed ,

afte rward .

A ll my d o ubts vanished i n the warm e fl u s io n o f

'

thei r welcom e to m e as sincere and h onest as it w a s ,

a ffecti on ate I had p ict u red i t to mysel f alm ost

.

aright M r Stewart did com e to m e with o u t

. .

stretched arm s an d wrin g my h and s an d pat my , ,

sho u lder an d well n igh weep fo r j oy at see in g m e

,
-

retu rned safe an d hale Daisy d id n ot i ndeed th row

, . .

hersel f up on my breast b u t sh e ran to m e an d took ,

my hands and li fted h er face to be kissed with a

,

sm il e O f pl eas u re in wh i ch there wa s n o reservati on .

A n d it was a m erry su pper tabl e aro u n d which -

w e sat t o o hal f an h o u r later and gossiped gayly

, , , ,

whil e th e wind rose ou tside and th e sparks fl ew th e ,

swi fte r and h igh er for it Th ere was s o m u ch t o .

l
tel l o n both sides .

Som eh ow d oubtless becau se o f my slown ess Of

,

t on gu e my sid e did n ot seem very big compared

,
wi th th e i rs O n e day had been ve ry m u ch l ike a n
.

oth er wi th m e and besides the scenes th ro u gh whi ch

, , ,

I h ad p assed d id n ot p ossess th e novelty fo r th ese

fron ti er folk that th ey wou l d h ave for p eopl e n owa
d ays .

Bu t th eir b u dget o f n ews was fai rly p rodigi ou s ,

al ike i n ran ge an d qu an t ity Th e cream o f th i s s o .

,

t o sp eak had been t aken o ff by h o sp i tabl e J ell es

,

Fond a at Cau ghn awaga yet still a p ort ent ou s su b ,

stan ce rem ain ed S om e o f m y fri en d s were d ead

.
,

others were m arri ed George Klock wa s i n fresh

t rou bl e th ro u gh h i s evi l t ricks w
.

ith th e Ind ian s A .

you ng hal f b re ed h ad com e d own fro m th e S eneca

-

n ati on and claim ed J oh n A beel as h is fath er D an iel .

Clau s h ad s e t u p a pack o f ho u nd s equ al i n b ree d ,

’
t o S ir Will iam s I t was really t r u e that S i r J oh n
.

w a s t o m arry M i ss Polly Watts O f N ew York an d ,

soon t oo Walter B u tl er h ad be en crossed i n l o ve

.
,

an d w a s very m elan ch oly an d m o ody s o m u ch s o ,

that h e had re fu sed t o j oi n th e h o u se warm ing p arty -

at th e n ew s u mm er h ou se o n Sa c o n da ga V l a ie wh ich
-
,

Si r William had ch ri sten ed M ou n t J oy Pl easu re H all

— an amb it i o u s eno u gh n am e su rely for a fo rest , ,

fis h in g cottage
-
.

N atu rally a great d eal was t ol d m e con cern in g th is

festival from wh ich they h ad j ust retu rn ed I t seem s .

th at Lady B e r en ic ia C ross an d D aisy were th e only

ladies th ere They were gi ven o n e O f th e two sl eep
.

in g ro oms wh il e S ir William and M r St ewart shared

-
, .

t h e other Th e you n ger m en had ridd en over to

.

Fi sh H o u s e each n igh t ret u rn in g n ext d ay

\
, With, .

o u t its being said in s o m any words I cou ld se e that ,

1 46 In tae Va ll ey .

tact w it h t ha t L ady B e r en ic ia wh ic h h ad wr o ugh t

thi s c hange i n h im o r rath er had brou gh t f o rth i n
, , ,

h is Old age a devel op m ent of h is early associati on s ,

that b u t fo r h er wo u ld to th e end h ave lain hidd en

, , ,

u n su sp ecte d u n de r th e m anly cover o f h is simp le

m id dl e l ife .

I f th ere were alt erations o f a sim ilar s ort in D aisy ,

I c ou ld n ot s e e them this n ight I had regard only .

fo r th e beau t y o f th e fir e glow o n h er fair ch eek fo r -

,

t h e sweet m ai d enly l ight i n h er h azel eyes for t h e

, ,

soft sm ile wh ich m elted over her fac e whe n s h e

l ooked u po n m e I f s h e was qu ieter and m ore r e
.

se rved i n h er m an n er than o f Old d ou btless th e sam e ,

was t ru e o f m e fo r I d i d n o t n otic e it
,
.

’
I had learn ed at Fond a s th at yo u n g Philip C ros s
w a s cu ttin g a great swath socially i n th e V all ey , , ,

and th at h e was b u ild in g a grand m ansion fu lly as ,

l arge as J oh n son H all n early at th e su mm i t O f th e

,

em in en ce wh ich crowne d h i s paten t M aj or Fond a .

wa s i nd e ed con tract in g t o fu rn ish th e b ricks fo r

, ,

“ ”
wh a t h e call ed th e s h im l ies an d th e h ou se was , ,

by al l acco u nts t o b e a wo n de r fu l a ffai r I heard

,
.

m u ch m o re ab o u t it in d etail th i s even ing ch iefly

, , ,

from M r St ewart N ay I m igh t s ay ent irely fo r

. .
, ,
’
D aisy n eve r on ce m en tion ed Philip s n am e i f i t c oul d
be avoid ed M r St ewart was evi dently m u ch c ap
. .

’
t iv a t e d by th e yo u n g m an s spiri t an d social qu al i
t ies an d d em ean or gen erally .

’ ’
H e is h is fath er s o wn b oy ay an d h is m oth er s , ,
”
to o ,
said th e o l d m an wi th sparklin g eyes ,N ot .

m u ch fo r b ooks pe rh aps th ou gh n o d u llard B u t

, ,
.

he ca n b reak a wild co lt o r t u rn a b ottl e insid e o u t, .

 A Wa n ting N ote in tke Cko r us f
o Wel c om e . 1 47

or bore a pencilled h ol e with a p istol b ullet at th irty -

paces o r tell a sto ry or sing a song o r rid e dan c e

, , , , ,

box cross swo rds with any gen tleman i n th e C ol ony

, ,
.

Yo u sho u ld have seen hi m stand Walrath th e black

sm ith o n his h ead at the races a fortnight ago ! I
”
n ever s aw i t b ett er d on e i n th e Tweed co u nt ry .

”
A h ighly accomplished gentlem an t ru ly I said , , ,

with as l ittl e Obvi ou s satire as p ossible .

A h bu t h e has m in d as well as m u scl e

,
put in ,

M r Stewart
. H e i s a very Bol in gbroke wi th th e
.

l ad ies I t carri es m e back t o my days at the play

.
,

I swear to hear h i m an d Lady B er en ic ia clash ing

,

rap iers i n bad inage Yo u shall h ear them my boy .

, ,
’
and j u dge A n d th ere s a sweet sid e t o h is ton gu e
.
,

too o r many a p retty blu sh ing ch eek bel ies the l ittl e
, ,
”
ear beh in d it .

Th e Old gentl eman ch u ckl ed am iably to h im s el f as

h e spoke an d pou red m ore M ad ei ra i nto my glass
,

and his Daisy som ewhat h u rri edly rose bade u s

.
,

“ ”
good n ight and le ft u s t o o u rselves
-
, .

O h i f I had only spoken t he word t hat n igh t !

,
 C H A PT E R X V .

TH E R U D E AW A KE NIN G FR O M MY D R EA M .

I L OO K back n o w u p on th e week wh ich foll owe d

t hi s hom e c om i ng as a season o f m u ch d ej ect ion and
-

u nh appin ess P erhaps at th e t im e i t was n ot all

.

u nm i x ed tribu lat i on Th e re was a great d eal t o do

.
,

n at u ral ly and occu pat i on t o a h ealth fu l an d vigor

,

o u s yo u ng m an i s o f it s
>
sovereign b a r r ie r again s t
’

u n d u e gl oom Yet I t o f i t n ow as a ll s a dn e s s
. .

M r Stewart h ad really grown aged an d feebl e

. .

Fo r th e fi rst t im e t oo th ere w a s a p etu lant vei n i n

, ,

h is att it u d e t oward m e H ereto fore h e h a d treat ed

.

my fail u re to grow u p i nt o h is p recise i d eal O f a

gen tleman with a ffect ion at e ph ilosophy b ein g a t ,

pain s t o con ceal from m e wh at ever d isappo intm en t

h e felt and i nd eed I th ink h on estly t rying t o p er
, , , ,

s u ad e h im sel f that i t w as all fo r th e best .

Bu t t hese fi ve m onth s h ad created a certain ch a n ge

i n th e social co nd it ion s o f th e V all ey Fo r years .

( o u r n oses between th e workers an d th e i dlers d u r

th e gul f had been in sensibly wid en ing }h ere u nd er
, ;
i ng my absen ce the re had com e as it were a land , ,

sl ide an d th e ch asm was n ow m an i fest t o u s all

,
.

Som eth ing O f th is wa s t ru e all over th e C oloni es : n o

d ou b t wh at I n oticed was b u t a ph ase o f the gen eral
m ovem ent part social part rel igiou s part politi cal
, , , ,
1 50 In tke Va l l ey .

What th e n eed is f or yo u r goin g O ff and m ixin g

you rsel f u p with th ese p eopl e I fail for th e li fe O f ,

m e to see I s u ppose i t i s i n th e blood A n y oth er

. .

yo u ng m an b u t a D u tchman reared and ed u cat ed as ,

yo u have been given the society and fri end sh ip O f

,

gentlefolk from boyhood an d placed by H eaven ! , ,

as you are h ere with a h om e an d an estate t o ,

inherit and p eopl e ab ou t yo u t o respect an d l ove

,

—I say n oth ing O f ob eying them— wo u ld h ave ap

p r e c iat e d h is fortu n e an d asked n o m ore Bu t
,
no ! .

Y o u m u st forso oth p ine and l an gu ish t o b e O ff

, ,

t ri cking dru nken I n dian s o u t of th ei r p elt ry an d ,

ch arging s om e oth er D u tchm an a sh ill in g for fo u r

pen ce worth O f good s !
What cou ld I s ay ? What c o u ld I d o b u t go away
sorrowfu lly and with a h eavy h eart t ake up farm
,

a ffairs where I had l eft th em ? I t wa s very hard

t o realiz e that th ese rou gh words s t ill rasping my
ears had i ssu ed from M r St ewart 5 l ip s I said t o
,
. .

mysel f tha t h e m u st have h ad cau ses for i rri tation

o f wh i ch I knew noth i ng and that h e m u st u n c o n ,

s c io u s l yh av e visited u p on m e th e p eevi sh n e ss wh ich

‘

th e acti ons O f oth ers h ad engendered A ll th e sam e .

,

i t wa s n o t easy t o b ear .

D aily contact wi th D aisy sh owed ch anges t o o i n , ,

h er whi ch d ist u rbed m e Littl e shad es O f form al ism .

h ad crept h ere an d th ere i nto h er m an n er even ,

t oward m e She was m ore d istan t I fan ci ed an d

.
, ,

m istre ss l ike t oward my poo r Old au n t Sh e rose

-
,
.

l ater and sp en t m ore o f h er l eisu re t im e u p stairs i n

,
-

h e r rooms alo ne H er d ress was n otably m ore care

.

f ‘
fu l and el egan t n ow and s h e h a b it u ally wo r e h er
'

, ,
 T ke R u de A wa ken in g f r om my D r ea m . 1 5 1

hai r twist ed u p on th e crown o f h er h ead in stead o f ,

in a simple braid as o f o l d .

I f s h e was n ot th e D aisy I had s o learn ed to love

in my m onths o f absen ce it seem ed that my heart
,

wen t ou t i n even greate r m easu re to this n ew D aisy .

She w a s m ore beau ti fu l than ever and she was ve ry ,

gentle and soft with m e A sense of t ender p ity

.

( vagu ely col ored ! my d evot ion fo r th e d ear gi rl

,

seem ed t o my watch fu l sol icit u d e t o b e secretly

u nhappy . O nce o r twice I strove t o s o shape o u r
conve rsat i on that s h e wo u ld be impelled t o con fi d e
—
i n m e to throw he rsel f up on my Old broth erly
fondn ess i f s h e su sp ected n o d eepe r passion Bu t
,
.

s h e e i th er s a w throu gh my cl u m sy d evi ces o r else ,

i n he r in n ocence evaded them fo r s h e h u gged the

sorro w closer to h er h eart and w a s only p ensively
,

pleasan t with me .

I m ay expl ain n o w i n advance o f my s tory what

, ,

I cam e t o l earn l ong afte rward ; n am ely that th e ,

po or l ittle m aide n was truly in so re distress at th i s

tim e— to rn by the confl ict between {IIe r inclinat ion
/

and h e r j udgme nt betwee n h er heart an d h er h ead

, .

Sh e w a s i n fact hesitating between th e glam o u r

, ,

which th e yo un g Engl ish m an and Lady B e r e n ic ia ,

with (thei r p olish ed ways their glist en ing su rfaces

, ,
’
and thei r att ractive i dlers views o f existence h ad
, ,

thrown over her an d her o wn inn ate wom anly

, ,

repu gnance to th e shallown ess an d ind u lgence n o t ,

t o say l ice nse ben eath it all ) I t was th is battl e the

, .

p rogress o f wh i ch I u nwittingly watch ed H ad I .

’
b u t known what em ot ion s were fighting fo r mastery
beh ind those sweetly grave h azel eye s— —
j had I but
 In tke Va l l ey
‘

1 52 .

rea l iz ed h o wslight a p ressu re m igh t h av e t ip p ed

'

—
t h e scal e s my w y h ow m u ch wo u ld h ave been
a

d i fferen t !
Bu t I slow Frisian that I w a s com p reh end ed
, ,

n othing o f it all and s o w a s by t u rn s fu t ilely compas

,

s io n a t e— and su lky .

Fo r again at i nte rv als s h e wo uld be as gay an d

, ,

bright a s a J u n e r ose t rippin g u p an d d own th roug h

,

t h e h ous e with a song o n he r l ips an d th e o l d l au gh ,

‘

ri
pp l in
gjl ik e s u n b e a m s Ja b o u t her Then s h e wou ld
’
.

d eftly perch h ersel f o n the arm O f M r St ewart s .

chair an d d azzl e u s b oth with th e j oyou s m errim en t

,

o f h er talk and th e sparkl e i n h er eyes

,
— 4o r sing fo r
’

u s o f an even in g u p stairs playi ng t h e wh il e u pon

,
-
,

th e l u te ( wh i ch yo u ng Cross h ad given h er)i nstead

o f th e d iscard ed pian o Th en s h e wou ld wear a
.

b u n ch o f fl o w e r s —I n eve r su sp ectin g wh en ce th ey
cam e—u pon h er breast an d an ext ra ribb o n i n h e r ,

h air . A n d th en I wou ld b e wretch ed an d glo om ily ,

say t o mysel f that I p re fe rred h e r u nh appy and ,

n ext m orn ing wh en th e cl ou d h ad gath ered afresh

,

u pon h er face wou ld l o n g agai n to s e e h e r ch eerfu l

,

On ce m ore .

A n d s o th e we ek went by m i se rably an d I d id ,

n o t tell my l ove .

O n e m orn ing after breakfast M r St ewart asked

, ,
.

D aisy t o what con cl u sion s h e had com e abou t o u r

’
ac ceptin g Ph ilip Cross s i nvitati on t o j oi n a l u n ch eon
party o n h is estate that d ay I had h eard th is gath er .

i ng m ent ion ed several ti m es be fore as a forth com ing ,

even t o f great prom ise an d I d id n o t qu ite u nder

~
,
I54 In tko Va l l ey .

t or t u o u s way app roa c hed h al f cl earings we cau gh t -

,

glimpses o f th e ro u n d s u n Opaqu ely re d th rou gh th e ,

sm oky h a z e .

O u r road wa s th e o l d fam iliar t rail n o rthward over

wh ich M r Stewart an d I i n th e h appy d ays had s o
.
, ,

O ften walked t o reach o u r favorit e h au n t the gu lf .

Th e path was wid er an d m ore worn n ow—alm ost a

th oro u gh fare i n fact I t cam e to th e creek at th e
, .

very head o f th e chasm ski rt i ng th e myst eriou s ,

circl e o f sacred ston es then crossing th e swi ft wate r ,

o n a n ew bridge o f logs th en climbin g th e farther ,

si de o f th e ravi n e by a st eep z igzag cou rse wh ich

h u ng dangero u sly close to th e p re cip itou s wall O f
d ark rocks I re m arked at th e tim e as we m ad e o u r
.
,

way u p that the re ou ght t o b e a chain o r o u ter

, ,

gu ard o f som e sort fo r safety M r St ewart said h e

, . .

wou ld speak to Ph il ip ab ou t i t an d add ed th e in fo r ,

’
m at io n t hat th i s sid e o f t h e gu l f wa s Ph il ip s p rop
e r ty .

“
I t i s rou gh en o u gh land h e wen t o n t o s ay , ,

and wo u ld n ever b e worth clearing H e h as som e .

plan o f keep ing i t in all its wild ness an d b u ild ing ,

a l ittle su m m er h ou se d own bel ow by th e b ridge

-
,

w ith in full so u nd O f th e wat erfall N O d ou bt we .

shall arrange t o share the en terp rise t ogether Yo u .

know I have bo u gh t o n th e other side st raigh t t o

”
t he creek .

O nce th e road at t h e t o p was gain ed Cairn cross ,

was b u t a pl easan t walkin g m easu re over paths well ,

sm ooth ed and m ad e O f th e m an sio n i n p ro cess o f

.

erectio n wh i ch l ike J oh nson H all was t o be o f

, , ,

wood n ot m u ch e x cept th e skeleton fram ework m et

,
 Tke R ude A wa ken in g fr om my D r ea m . 1 55

th e eye b u t this prom ised a massive and im posing

,

e difi ce A host of m asons carp en te rs and laborers

. , , ,

s u fli c ie n t to h ave qu it e d epop u lated J oh n stown d u r

‘

i ng th e daylight h ou rs we re hamm ering hewi ng , , ,

o r cl inkin g the chim n ey bricks with th ei r t ro wels -

,

with in and abou t th e st ru ctu re .

A t a s u fli c ie n t d istance fro m thi s t u m u l t o f c o n

stru ct ion an d o n a l evel h igh plot o f l awn w as a
, , ,

p retty m arqu e e t ent H e re th e gu ests were assem .

bled and th ithe r we b ent o u r s t eps

,
.

Yo u ng Cross cam e forth eagerly t o greet u s o r — ,

rath er my compan i ons —wi th ou tst retched hand s

,

and a gl owing face H e wa s barehead ed an d very .

,

beau tifully th ou gh n ot gari shly clad I n th e fr e d .

d ish d imm ed su nl ight with h is yel low hair a n dh i s

,

, ,

fre sh beam ing face h e certainly was handsom e

, , .

H e bowed cerem on io u sly t o M r S tewart and t hen .

,

t ook h im warmly by th e hand Th en with a frank .

gestu re as i f t o gayly con fe ss that t h e real d el igh t

,

was at hand h e b ent l ow b e fore D aisy and t ou ch ed

,

h er fi ngers with h is l ips .

Y o u m ake m e yo u r sl ave yo u r ve ry h appy slave , ,

”
d ear lady by com ing h e m u rm u red l ou d en ou gh
, , ,

for m e to h ear She blu sh ed an d sm il ed with pleas

.
,

u re at h im .

T o m e o u r you n g h os t was civi l en ou gh He .

“ ”
called m e M orrison it i s t ru e with ou t any “
, ,

b u t h e sh ook hand s with m e and sai d a ffably that ,

h e was gl ad to see m e back safe and sou nd There .

after h e paid n o attenti on whatsoever to m e b u t ,

’
hu ng by D ai sy s side in t h e c h eerfu l c i rcl e o u tsid e
t h e t ent .
 In t/ze Va l l ey .

S ir Willi am was there an d Lad y B e r en ic ia o f , ,

cou rse an d a doz en oth ers By all I was welcom ed

, .

h om e with cord ial ity by all save th e L ady wh o was -

,

d istant n ot t o s ay su p ercil i ou s in h er m an n er and

, ,

S i r J oh n J oh n son wh o t o ok t h e t ro u bl e only t o n o d
,

at m e .

I n qu iring aft e r M r J onath an C r o s s I l earn ed that

.
,
'

my l at e com pan i on wa s con fi n ed t o th e H all i f n o t ,

t o h i s room by a sprain ed ankle

, T here b eing .

n oth in g t o attract m e at th e gath erin g save i nd eed , , ,

t h e gi rl wh o wa s m on opol i z e d by my h o st an d th e ,

sp ectacle o f thi s a fford in g m e m o re d i scom fort than

s a t is fa c t 1 o n th e con d i ti o n o f my fri en d at th e H al l
,

occu rred t o m e as a pretext for absen t in g mysel f I .

m ent ion ed i t t o M r Stewart wh o had been th i s h ou r

.
,

o r s o i n great s p 1 r 1 t s an d wh o n ow was ch u ckl in g

,

with th e Lady an d on e o r two oth ers over som e tale

sh e was t ell in g .

Q u it e right h e said ,
wi th o u t t u rn i,
ng h i s h ead ;
an d s o beckon in g t o Tu lp t o foll ow m e I started
, , .

’
I t was a brisk h ou r s walk t o th e H all an d I st rod e ,

alon g at a pace wh ich forced my com pan i on n ow an d

again i nt o a t rot I t ook rath er a savage c om fo rt i n
.

th is as o n e l ikes t o bit e hard o n an a ch in g t ooth ;

,

for I h ad a p ro f o u n d fri en d ship for th i s p oor black

b oy a n d t o p u t a h ard sh ip u p o n h i m was t o s u ffer
,

mysel f even m ore than h e d id Tu lp had com e u p .

m issh ape n and u n d ersi zed from h i s l on g si ege with

the small pox and with very rickety and u n stabl e
-
,

l egs. I cou l d scarcely h ave sold h im fo r a h u n d re d

d ollars an d wo u ld n ot h ave parted wit h h im fo r ten
"

th ou sand i f for n o oth er reason than h is d eep an d

,
 In th e Val l ey .

to kn ow Phil ip Cro ss asked h er t o be his w if e a

.

fortn ight a go She gave n o de ci d ed an swer From

. .

what Phil ip an d L ady B e r e n ic ia h ave said t o each

oth er h ere sin ce I kn o w it was u nd ersto od that i f
, ,
’
s h e went t o hi m to d ay it m eant y e s .

Thi s t im e I kno w I kep t sil en c e for a l ong t im e .

I fou n d mysel f fi nally h old ing th e han d h e had

ext end ed to m e an d saying i n a vo ice wh i c h
, ,
’
so u nd ed like a stranger s
I will go to A lbany wh en ever yo u like .

I l e ft th e H all som eh ow ki ckin g t h e d ru n ken

,

Enoch Wad e fi ercely ou t o f my path I rem ember , ,

and walkin g straight ah ead as i f bl i nd fold ed )

 C H A P T E R XV I .

T U L P GET S A B R O KE N H E A D
- T O MA T C H MY
H E ART .

W I TH O U T heed as t o the d irecti on I started at a ,

fu ri o u s pace u p the road whi ch I fo u n d mysel f up on

—Tq at my heels I f h e had n ot from u tt er weari
.
,

n ess cried o u t after a t ime

,
I sho ul d have foll owed
,

th e t rack straight u nceasing over the fo u r leagu es

, ,

and m ore to th e Sa c o n daga A s i t w a s I had pres .

,

ently t o stop and retrace my steps to where h e sat

o n a waysid e stu mp d ead beat , .

“ ’ ’ ’
D on t yo u wait fo r m e M ass D ou w i f you re , ,
”
bo u n d t o get th ere q u ick he said gasp in g fo r
, ,

“ ’ ’
breath D on t m in d m e
. I ll follow along th e
.

best I c an .

The phrase get there —it was alm ost th e only

English wh ich p oor T ulp had p u t into the p olyglot
senten ce h e really u ttered —arrested my attent ion .

“
Get where ?
”
I had been h ead ed for th e m ou nt
—
ain s for the black wate r wh i ch dash ed foam in g down
thei r de fil es and eddi ed i n sinister d epths at thei r
,

bases I could see th e fai n t bl u e p eaks o n th e ho ri

.

zon from where I stood by the sid e o f th e t ire d

,

slave The sight sobered m e T o th is day I can

. .

n ot t ruly say wh eth er I had kn own wh ere I was

goin g and i f th ere had n ot been in my bu rn ing
,

b r ain t he la t en t imp ulse to th row myself i nto the

1 60 In Me Va l l ey .

Sa c o n daga Bu t I cou ld st ill fi nd th e sp o t—alt ered

.

beyo nd rec o l lec t ion as t h e f ace O f th e co u n t r y is

’
where T ul p s fa t igu e comp e lled m e t o stop an d ,

wh ere I s t o od gaz ing o ut o f n e w eyes a s i t were a

s
, ,

u p on th e pal e A d irond ac k o u tli nes ) .

A S I l ooked the asp e ct O f th e day h ad changed

'

, .

Th e soft som n o lent haz e h ad van ish ed from th e air

, .

D a r k c l o u ds were lift ing t h em selves i n th e e ast and

_

n orth b ey o n d the m o u ntain s and a chill bre ez e was ,

blowing fro m th em u p on my b row I t ook O ff my .

hat and h eld u p my face to get all i ts cool ing to u ch

, .

T u lp b etween h eavy b reaths still begged that h i s

, ,

in fi rm ity m ight n o t be allowed to d el ay m e .

Why b oy I l augh ed b itterly at h im

, , I h ave
n o place t o go t o N ob o dy is wait ing fo r m e —n o
,

body wants m e .

Th e black looked h op el ess b ewild erm en t at m e and ,

o ff ered n o com m en t L ong afterward I learn ed that .

h e at th e m om ent reached th e rel u ctan t con cl u sion

that I had taken t o o m u ch d ri nk i n th e H all .

“
O r n o ! I went On a th ou gh t com ing t o t h e
”

“
s u rface i n the h u rly b u rly O f my m in d We are
- .

’ ’ ”
going t o A lbany That s wh ere we re going . .

’
T ul p s sooty f a c e took o n a m ore d ubi o u s l ook ,

i f tha t were p ossible H e h u mbly su ggested that

I had ch osen a rou n d ab o u t ro u t e ; p erhap s I w
.

as

go ing by th e way o f t h e H ealing Springs B u t i t .

m u st be a l ong l on esom e road an d th e rai n was

, ,

com ing o n .

S u re eno u gh t he sky was d arken ing : a storm was

in th e air and al ready the d i stant m o u n t ain top s
,
-

were hid den f r o m view by th e ram m ist -

.
 1 62 In Me Va l l ey .

wrestling bo u t ) I t wa s a s in —a d esecrat ion Where

-
.

’
were th ei r eyes t hat they d i d n o t read this fellow s
,

worthlessn ess an d bid him stand back when h e

,

sou ght t o lay h is coarse hand s u pon her ?

Yet wh o were th ese that sh o u l d h ave saved h e r ?
A h ! were th ey n ot all O f h i s cl ass o r o f h is p retence ,

t o class
Som e o f th em had been my l ife lon g friends T o -
.

—
M r Stewart an d I cou ld n o t feel bitterly toward
.

h i m even n ow— I owed h ome ed u cati on rearing , , ,

eve ryth ing ; Si r Will iam had b een the earli est an d
kind est o f my oth er f rien ds eage r and glad always ,

t o assist i nstru ct enco u rage m e ; J oh n B u tl er had

, ,

given m e my fi rst gu n an d had p etted m e i n h is ,

rou gh way from b oyh ood Yet n ow at a to u c h .

,

“
O f th at h atefu l impalpabl e th in g class th ese al l
, ,

vanish ed away from my su pp ort an d were t o m e ,

as i f th ey had n ever b een I s aw th em over o n th e .

other sid e / across th e abys s l fr o m m e gro up ed sm il ,

ing abou t th is n ew com er praisi ng h i s bru te abil ity

-
,

t o d rin k an d race and wrestl e comp lim en t in g h i m ,

—
u p on his p ositio n am ong th e gent ry save th e m ark !
o f Tryon C ou nty
-
and p rou d that th ey had by
,

n ever s o li ttl e ai ded h i m t o secu re for a wi fe thi s p oo r

t rembl ing t imid fascinated gi rl
, ,
D ou btl ess th ey .

fel t that a great h ono r had been d on e her ; i t m igh t

b e that even s h e d ream ed this too as s h e h eard , ,

th ei r con grat u latio n s .

A n d th ese m en honest fai r m i nd ed gentl em e n as

, ,
-

fi
“ x they were in oth er a ffai rs wou ld t oss m e asid e (l ike ,

a bro ken pip e i f I vent u red t o chall enge th ei r sympa

,

thy as again s t th i s empty h eaded sati n ed and p o w

’

-
, ,
 T u ly g ets a B r oken H ea d .

d ered stranger ! They had kn own and watch ed m e

all my life M y small es t acti on my m o st trivial
.
,

habit was fam iliar to them They had seen m e

w
.
,

rO
—
'

g before the i r eyes d u t iful obedi en t d iligent , , ,

h onest sober tru th fu l I n thei r hearts th ey kn ew

, ,
.

that I deserved all these epith ets Th ey them .

selves t im e o u t O f m ind h ad applied th em to m e .

I s t o o d n ow at my early age an d o n my own a c

, ,

cou nt o n the thresh old o f a caree r o f h onorabl e

,

trade su rely as worthy n ow as it was whe n S ir

,

William began at i t far m ore h u mbly Yet with .

all these cred itable th ings kn own to th em I cou ld ,

n ot stand for a m om ent in their est im at io n against

th i s characterless n ew com er ! -

“
Why ? H e was a gen tleman and I was ,

n ot .

—
N ot that h e was b etter b orn a th o u san d tim e s
no ! Bu t I had drawn from ( t he sel f sacri fi cing ,

modest d evoted m an of God my fathe r an d th e

, , ,

resol u te ti reless hard working sternly hon est h o u se

, , ,

wife my m other th e fatal n oti on that i t was not

,
) ,

beneath th e d ignity o f a Ma u v e r e n s en o r a V an
H oorn to b e o f u se in the wo rld M y ancestors .

had fou ght fo r their l ittl e cou nt ry nobly an d ,

th ro u gh whole gen erations t o free it from the ac ,

c u rsed ru le of that nes t o f aristocrats Spain ; b u t ,

they had not b een ash am e d also t o work i n e ither ,

t h e O l d World o r th e N ew Thi s othe r th is E n gl is h .

m an —I fo u n d mysel f calling h im t hat as th e m os t

, _

com preh en sive e x pl et iv djl co u ld u se —th e s o n of a

p ro fessional b u tcher and o f an intrigu in g woman ,

wa s my su perior here in t ru th wh ere I had live d, ,

1 64 In tbc Va l l ey .

all my l i fe an d h e had b u t sh own h is n ose becau se ,

h e p referred idlen ess t o employm en t !

I t wa s a m i stake then was it t o be temperat e
, , ,

and i n d u stri ou s ? I t w as m ore hon orabl e to ride at

races t o play h igh stakes and d rai n thre e bottles at
, ,
’
d inner than to st u dy and t o do on e s d u ty ? To
,

b e a gentle m an wa s a m att e r o f silk b reeches an d

p erukes and lat e h o u rs ? O u t u po n th e bl u nd erin g
playwright wh o m ad e Bassan io w in with the l ead e n
casket ! Po rt ia was a wom an and wo ul d have ,

— —
wrapp e d h e r p ict u re nay h erself in t in sel gilt , ,

th e gau d ie r th e b ette r !
Bu t why strive t o t race fu rther my wrath fu l m ed i
t a t io n s ? Th ere i s n o th i ng pl easan t o r p ro fi tabl e i n
t h e contemplatio n o f anger even wh en reason ru n s ,

abreast o f it A n d I esp ecially have n o prid e i n

.

’
thi s three h o u rs wil d fu ry Th ere were m om en t s .

in it I fear wh en my rage was well n igh m u rd erou s

, ,
-

i n its fie r c en e s s .

Th e storm cam e a cold thin d rivi ng rain with , , ,

fain t m u tterings o f thu n d er far beh ind I d i d n ot .

c are t o qu icken my pace o r fast en my coat Th e .

i n clem ency fi tted an d echoed my m o od .

O n the road we cam e s u dd en ly u p on th e H al l

party ret u rn ing i n hast e from th e in terrupted p ic
,
’
n ic The b aron et s carr iage with the h ood d rawn
.
, ,

ru mbled past wi th o u t a sign o f recogn iti on from

d rive r o r inmates A h alf d ozen h o rsem en cantered
.
-

behi nd th ei r ch in s bu ri ed i n thei r collars and thei r

, ,

h ats p u lled d o wn ove r th ei r eye s O n e o f th e last .

o f th ese
—it w s Bryan
a L e f
f e r t y
— re in e d u p long
e n o u gh t o i n form m e that M r Stewart and D aisy .
 1 66 In tlze Va l l ey .

stood o n this sl igh t ly wid en ed overhanging plat

, ,

form face t o face !

,

H e seem ed t o Observe an u n u su al som eth ing o n

my face bu t i t d id n ot interest h im en o u gh t o affect
,

h i s c u stom ary cool O ff han d civility t oward m e ,

-
.

“
O h M orri son is that you ? h e said n o n c h a
”

, , ,

’
l an tl y Yo u re d ren ched I s e e like th e rest O f u s
.
, , .

( —
O d d that s o fi n e a day sh ou ld end l ike th is l an d
”

m ad e as i f t o pass m e o n th e i nn e r sid e .

I block ed h is way an d s aid w ith an i nvol u ntary ,

shake i n my voice wh i ch I co u ld only h op e h e fail ed

to n o te :
“
Yo u h ave m iscalled m e twi ce t o day I will -
.

t each yo u my t ru e n am e i f you like—h ere ! n ow ! ,

H e looked at m e cu rio u sly for an in stan t—th en

with a frown You are d ru nk h e cri ed angrily
.
, , .

O u t O f my w ay !
”
“

N O yo u are agai n wrong

,
I said keep ing my , ,

vo ice down an d looking h im squ are in the eye

, .

“ ’
I m n ot o f th e d ru nken set i n th e V all ey N o m an .

w a s ever sobe rer B u t I am goi ng t o sp ell my n am e

.

o u t for yo u in su ch m an n er that yo u wi ll b e i n n o
,

dan ger O f fo rgett ing i t t o you r dying d ay .

Th e yo u n g Engl ish m an threw a swi ft glanc e ab o u t

h im t o m easu re h is su rro u n d ings
,
Th en h e laid .

d own h is c u dgel an d p roceed ed t o u nb u tton h is

,

great coat wh ich by som e st range freak o f irony

-
,

h appen ed to b e o n e o f m in e that they had len t

h im at th e Cedars fo r h is h om eward j ou rn ey .

I f th e word s m ay be cou pled I wat ch ed h im with ,

an e nraged ad m i rati on Th e re w as n o sign o f fear .

m an i fest in h is face o r bearing Wi th all h is kn owl .

 T u lp g ets a B r oken H ea d. 1 67

edge o f wrestl ing h e co u ld n ot bu t h ave fel t that

, ,

again st my s u p e r IO r s 1 z e an d weight and long fam il

,

ia r ity with woodlan d footing th ere were n ot m any

,

chan ces o f h is escap ing with h is l i fe : i f I wen t ove r ,

—
h e ce rtainly would go too and h e might go alo n e .
‘

Yet h e u n fasten ed h is coats with a fi n e ai r O f u n c o n

cern an d t u rn ed b ack h is r u ffl es carefu lly I cou ld
,
.

n ot m aintai n th e sam e calm i n throwing o ff my hat

a n d co at an d w a s vexed with mysel f fo r it
,
.

We faced each othe r th u s in ou r waistcoat s I n th e

d rizzl in g rain for a fi nal m oment exch anging a cross
,

fi re sweep o f glan ces wh ich took in not only an t a g

o n is t ,
b u t every varying foot o f th e t reacherou s
gro u nd we stood u p on and God knows what else
,

b eside —wh en I was consci o u s o f a swi ft m ovem ent

p ast m e fro m beh ind .

’
I had s o compl etely forgotte n T u l p s p resen ce that
fo r th e se con d that followed I scarcely real iz ed what
w a s happ en ing Probably th e faith fu l slave had n o
.

othe r tho u gh t as h e gl ided i n front o f m e than t o

, ,

th u s place h im sel f betwe en m e and what h e bel ieved

t o b e certain d eath .

T o th e En gl ish m an the s u dden m ovem ent m ay

e asily h ave seem ed an attack .

’
There w as an instant s waving t o an d fro o f a l igh t
an d a d ark b ody close before my startled eyes Then .
,

with a scream wh ich froz e th e very m arrow in my

bones the negro b oy arm s wh i rl in g wid e i n ai r shot
, , ,

o ve r th e sid e O f th e cl i ff !
Frien ds O f m in e in lat er years when they h eard,

th is sto ry from my l ips ove r a p ipe and bowl u sed ,

to exp ress su rprise that I d id n ot th at ve ry m om en t

1 68 In tke Va l l ey .

throw mysel f upon Cross and fi ercely b ri ng th e ,

qu arrel to an end o n e way o r th e o th er I rem em

, .

ber that when Gen e ral A rn ol d cam e u p th e V alley ,

fi ve years after an d I recou nt ed t o h i m th i s in c id ent

, ,

wh ich recen t even ts had recall ed h e d i d n ot conceal ,

h is op in i o n that I had ch osen th e t im i d part By .

Go d! h e c ri ed stri king th e c amp tabl e t ill th e can

,
-

“
dl e s t ic k s rattl ed I wo u ld h ave kill ed h im or h e
,

woul d h ave killed m e b efore th e n igger stru ck b o t

,

t om V ery l ikely h e wou ld h ave d on e as h e said .

I h ave n ever s een a man with a swi fte r t empe r an d

resol u tio n than p oo r b rave chol eri c h an dsom e A r
, , ,

n ol d h a d ; an d int o a h ideo u sly h o p el ess m o rass o f

in famy th ey l an ded h im t oo N O do ubt it wi l l seem

,

t o my read ers as well that i n n at u re I O u gh t u p o n

, ,

th e i n stant t o h ave grappled th e En glishm an .

Th e fact wa s h owever that th is u n foreseen even t

, ,

t ook every atom o f fi gh t o u t o f b oth O f u s as com

l e t e l y as i f w e had b een stru ck by lightn ing
p .

With a c ry o f horror I kn elt an d h u ng over th e

sh elving edge as far as p ossibl e striving t o discover ,

som e trace O f my b oy throu gh th e m isty m asses O f

fol iage b elow I c ou l d se e n othing— co u l d h ear n oth
.

ing b u t th e far o ff dash in g o f th e wate rs wh ich had

-
,

n o w i n my ears an u nsp eakably sin ist er so u n d It .

w a s only wh en I rose t o my feet again that I ca u ght

sight o f T u lp slowly m aki n g h i s w ay up the other
,

sid e o f th e ravi n e l imp ing an d h olding o n e han d to

,

h is h ead H e had evi den tly b een h u rt b u t it was a

.
,

great d eal t o kn ow th at h e wa s alive I tu rn ed to .

my an t agon ist— it seem ed th at a l ong t im e had passed

sin ce I l ast l ooked at h im .
 C H A PT E R X V I I .

I P E R FO R C E SA Y F AR E W ELL To MY OLD HO ME .

T H E slave s at u p on o n e o f the b owld ers i n th e

Old I nd ian c ir c l é flh o l din g h is j aw with h is h and and ,

rocking h im sel f l ike a child with the c oli c .

H e cou ld give m e n o accou nt what eve r o f the m ar

v e l l o u s escap e h e h ad had fro m i nstant d eath an d I ,

was forced t o con cl u d e tha t h is fall had been m ore

than o nc e broken by the i nterp ositi on O f bran ch es
o r cl u mp s o f vi nes H e seem ed t o have fort u nately
.

land ed o n h is h ead H is j aw was b roken and som e

.
,

o f h is t eeth loos en ed b u t n on e o f h is l imbs were

,

fract u red th ou gh all were bru ised I b o u n d u p h i s

, .

ch i n with my handkerch ie f an d p u t my n eckclo th ,

ove r o n e O f h i s eyes wh i ch wa s scratch e d and s wo l

,

l en s h u t f a s by som e po ison ou s th ing

, ) T h u s ban d .

aged h e h obbl ed along b eh in d m e over th e sho rt r e

,

m ain i ng d istan ce Th e rain an d c old i n creased as

.

n ight fall cam e o n and n o longe r su stai n ed by m y

, ,

anger I fou n d the walk a ve ry wet an d m iserabl e

,

a ffai r .

Wh en I reached the Cedars and had sent Tu lp t o ,

h i s p aren ts with a p rom is e t o look i n u po n hi m later ,

I w a s still with ou t any d efi n it e plan o f what t o s ay

o r do u pon entering Th e i m m en sity o f th e cri s is
.

which had o vertaken m e had n o t sh u t my m ind t o

 I Say Fa r ewel l to my Ol d H om e . 1 7 1

the fact that the o thers s o far from being sim ilarly
,

ove rwhel m ed d id not even s u sp ect any reason o n

,

my part for revolt o r sorrow I had given n eithe r .

o f th em any cau se by word o r sign t o regard m e as

, ,

a rival t o Cross—at l east o f lat e years S o far as

,
.

they we re concern ed I had n o grou nd t o stan d u pon

,

in maki ng a p rotes t Ye t wh en d id thi s considera

.

t ion restrain an angry l ove r ? I h ad a savage feeling

’
they they ou ght t o h ave kn own i f they d idn t A n d , .

refl ection u pon th e late scen e on th e gul f side

u pon th e altercati on u pon th e abo rt ive way i n which
,

I had all owed m aste ry o f th e sit u at i on t o slip th rou gh

m y fi ngers an d upo n poor T u l p s su fferi ngs —only
’
,

served t o swell my m o r t ific a t io n and rage

When I e n t er e d—after a m om entary t emptat ion
.

t o m ake a strange r o f mysel f by kn o cking at the

—
door D aisy was si tt in g by the fi re beside M r .

Stewart ; both were l ooking m edi tat ively into the

fi re which gave the only light i n th e room an d she
, ,

wa s hold in g h is hand My heart m elted fo r a second

.

as thi s p retty hom e like pictu re m et my eyes and a

,
-
,

s o b cam e i nt o my throat at th e tho u ght that I was

n o l onger a part o f this d ear h ome circle Then -

.

su lkin ess rose t o the top aga i n I m u tte re d some .

th ing abo u t th e weather ligh ted a candle at th e fi re

, ,

an d m oved past them t o th e d oor o f my room .

Why D ou w, asked D aisy hal f ri sing as s h e

, ,

’
spoke what h as happened ? There s blood o n
,

yo u r ru ffl es ! Where i s you r n eckcloth

I m ad e an swer stand ing with my h an d u pon the
,

latch and glowerin g at her

,

“ ’
The bl ood comes from my T u l p s b roken h ead ;
1 7 2 In tke Va l l ey .

I u sed my n eckcl oth t o tie i t up H e wa s thrown .

over th e side O f K ay a de r o s s e r o s g u l f an h ou r ago , ,

by the gentl eman wh om it i s ann o u n ced you are

going t o marry
With ou t waiting to note the e ffect o f th ese
w o r ds I w ent i nto my ro om closing th e d o o r b e
, ,

h ind m e sharply I spent a wretched h ou r o r s o

.
,

sorting over my cl oth es and p ossessi on s t rinket s ,

and th e l ike and packing them for a j ou rn ey N oth

, .

ing was very clear i n my m in d between b itte r rep in ,

i ng at th e m isery wh i ch had com e u p on m e an d th e

growin g rep u lsion I felt fo r m akin g th ese two u n
h appy bu t i t was at l east Obvi o u s that I m u st as
,

soon as p ossibl e l eave th e C edars .

When at last I re entered the ou ter room th e ,

table w a s spread fo r supp er O nly M r St ewart . .

w as i n th e room an d h e stood i n h is favo ri t e atti

,

t u de with h i s back to the fire an d his h an ds b eh i n d

,

him H e p reserved a compl et e silen ce n ot even

.
,

l ooking at m e u ntil my au nt had bro u ght i n th e

,

simple even i ng m eal To he r h e sai d b ri efly that

.

M istress D aisy had gon e t o her room weary an d ,

with a h eadach e and wo u l d take n o su pp er I fel t

, .

th e smart o f rep roo f t o m e i n every word h e u ttered ,

an d even m ore in h is cu rt ton e I stood at th e .

window with my back t o h im looking thro u gh th e ,

d ripp ing l ittle pan es at th e scattered l ights across

th e river and n ot ceasing for an in stant t o th ink
,

fo reb od ingly O f th e scen e wh ich was imp endent .

D am e Kronk had been o ut o f th e room som e

m om ents wh en h e said t estily ,

Well si r ! will yo u d o m e th e hon or t o com e to

,
1 74 In t/ze Va l l ey .

“
d el ib erately i t was n o t held t o be a safe o r small
,

m a tt e r t o o ffer m e a ffron t O th e r tim es other m an .

,

n ers T h e t reatm ent wh ich then I wo u ld n o t have

.

brooked from Card inal York h i msel f I fi n d mysel f ,

forced t o subm i t t o u nd e r my o wn ro of at th e , ,

han ds o f a p erson wh o t o stat e i t m ost l ightly , ,

’
sh ou ld fo r de cen cy s sake p u t o n t h e app earan ce o f
respect fo r my gray h ai rs .

H e pau sed h ere an d I wou ld have sp oken b u t h e

, ,

h el d u p h is sle nd e r ru ffl ed hand with a p eremp t ory

,

Pray allow m e ! an d presen tly went o n

,
”

I n sp eaking t o yo u as I o u gh t t o speak I am a t ,

th e d i sadvan tage of bein g wh olly u nabl e t o co mp re

h en d th e stran ge an d m al evolen t change wh ich has
com e over you Th ro ugh n early twen ty years o f close
.

and even daily Observati on ren d ered at on ce keen ,

and kin dly by an a ffection t o wh ich I will n ot n ow

refer yo u had p rod u ced upon m e th e i mp ression
,

o f a d u ti fu l resp ectfu l h on o rabl e an d p oli t e yo u ng

, , ,

m an I f as was th e case yo u d evelop ed som e o f

.
, ,

th e t o m e less att ract ive and l ess gen e rou s vi rtu es

o f you r race I st ill d id n ot fail t o s e e that they
,

were i n thei r way vi rt u es an d that th ey i n u red

, , ,

b oth t o m y m at erial pro fi t and t o yo u r c red it am on g

\

yo u r n eighbo rs I had sai d to mysel f aft er m u ch

.
,

con sid eration that i f y o u had n ot com e u p wh olly

,

th e sort o f gentleman I had l ooke d for still yo u ,

were a gentleman and h ad qu al it i es wh i ch take n

, ,

altogeth er wou l d m ake you a cred itable su ccessor

,
‘

t o m e o n th e p ort ion s of my estat e wh i ch i t was my

”
p u rp ose t o entail u po n you an d y o u rs .

Bel ieve m e M r S t ewart I in terp osed here

,
.
, ,
 I Say Fa r ewel l to my Old H om e .

“
with a broken vo ice as h e pau sed agai n ,
I am ,

d eeply—ve ry d eeply grate fu l t o yo u

”
.

H e wen t on as i f I had n ot spoken

“
J u dge then my am a zem en t and grie f t o fi n d
, ,

yo u retu rn ing fro m you r voyage t o th e West inten t

up on leavin g m e u po n cast in g asid e th e p osition
,

and d u ti es fo r wh ich I had train ed yo u an d u p on ,

going down t o A lbany t o d icker fo r p en ce an d

’
h a p e n c e wi th th e oth er D u tchm en there I did .

n ot forbi d you r goi ng I con ten t ed mysel f by m ak .

ing kn own t o yo u my d isapp ointm en t at you r selec

t ion o f a care er s o m u ch in ferio r t o yo u r ed u catio n
an d p osition i n l i fe Wh ere u p on you have n o better
.

concept i on o f what i s d u e t o m e and to yo u rsel f

than t o begi n a season o f s u lky p o u ting and su ll en
n ess cu l m i nat ing i n th e i n cred ibl e ru d en ess o f open
,

insults to m e and what i s worse to my dau gh te r i n

, , ,

my presence Sh e has gon e t o h er chamber (si ck

.

i n h ead an d h ear tJa like from yo u r boorish beha vi o r .

I wou l d fai n h ave reti red also i n equ al sorrow an d ,

d isgust h ad i t n ot seemed my d u ty t o d em and an

,
”
explan ati o n from yo u be fore the n ight passed .

The blow— th e wh ol e c ru sh ing serie s o f blows

h ad fallen H ow I su ffere d u nd er th em h ow each
.
,

separat e lash t ore savagely th ro u gh h eart an d so u l

and fl esh i t wou ld be vain t o attemp t t o t ell
, .

Yet with the angu i sh th ere cam e n o weaken ing .

I had b e e n wron g and fool ish an d clearly en o ugh I ,

s aw i t bu t th is w a s n o t th e w a t o correct or chas
, y
t ise m e A sol it ary s ad wo rd wou ld have u nm anne d
.
1
,

m e ; th is l on g s tately sat i rical sp eech th is i ron ically

, , ,

elaborat e t ravesty o f my ac t i o ns and m o t ives had ,

1 7 6 In tke Va l l ey .

an opp osite e ffect I su ffe red b u t I stu bbornly

.
,

stood my gro u nd .

“
I f I h ave d isappo i n ted you sir I am m ore , ,
”
“
gri eved than yo u c a n p ossibly b e I replied If , .

what I sai d wa s i n fact an a ffro n t t o yo u an d t o

—
,

h er then I wo u ld t ear ou t my t ongu e t o recall th e

wo rds Bu t h ow c an th e simpl e t ru th a ff ro nt ?
.

What was thi s yo u called o u t s o ru d ely ab o u t th e

gul f—ab ou t T u l p s b eing t hrown over by—by th e
’

gentl eman my dau gh te r i s t o m arry ? sin ce you

choose t o d escribe h i m th u s .

I sp oke th e l ite ral t ru th s ir I t was fairly by a , .

”
m i racl e that th e p oo r d evil escap ed wi th h i s l ife .

H o w d id i t happen ? What was th e p rovo cation ?

’
Eve n i n Cal igu la s d ays slaves were n ot thrown over
”
cli ffs witho u t som e reason .

T u lp s u ffere d f o r t he folly o f b e ing faith fu l t o

m e— for not u n de rstan d ing that it was th e f ash io n t o
”
d eser t m e I repl ied wi th risin g tem eri ty
, ,
He .

t h rew h im sel f b etwe en m e an d th is Cross o f you rs

as we faced each oth er o n th e ledge—wh ere we s p oke
,

th is m orn in g o f th e n eed fo r a chai n —an d t h e En g

”
l ishm an fl u ng h i m o ff .

Threw h imsel f b et wee n you ! We re yo u qu ar

r el lin g yo u two th en ?
, ,

“
I d are s ay i t wou ld be d e scribed as a qu arrel .

I th ink I sh o u ld have kill ed h im o r h e kill ed m e i f , ,

’
t h e calam i ty of p oor T u l p s t u mbl e had n o t p u t
”
other th ings i n o u r h ead s .

’
My faith ! was M r Stewart s only co m m en t
”
. .

H e stared at m e fo r a tim e the n s eated h imself ,

before t he fi re and looked at the blaz e and smok e

,
0 C O C
0 O

C C C C
 I Say Fa r ewel l to my Ol d H om e .

i n apparen t m ed i tation Finally h e said in a som e

. ,

what m ild e r vo ice than be fore D raw a chair u p

h ere an d sit down D o u btless there i s m ore i n th i s
.

than I tho u ght Explain it t o m e

. .

I felt less at my ease seated n ow fo r a m o re o r

,

less m o derat e con ference than I had b een on my

,

feet bearin g m y part i n a qu arrel

,
.

What am I t o e x plain ? I asked

”
“
.

Why were yo u qu arrellin g with P hil ip

Becau se I felt l ik e it— becau s e I hat e h im !
’
T u t t u t ! That is a ch ild s an swer What i s
,
.

the t ro u ble b etween yo u two ? I d emand t o

kn ow
I f yo u will h ave i t — and all my resentm ent an d
sense o f l oss b u rst fo rth i n th e explan at io n — “
be
cau se h e h as d estroyed my h om e fo r m e ; becau se h e
h as o u ste d m e from the pl ac e I u sed t o have and ,

strove s o hard t o b e worthy o f i n yo u r a ffe ct ion s ; ,

becau se after a few m on ths h ere w ith h is fi n e

, ,

cl oth es an d h i s d ash ing wastefu l ways h e is m ore

, ,

regard ed by you and you r fri end s than I am wh o ,

h ave tried faithfu lly all my l i fe t o d eserve yo u r r e

gard ; b ecau se h e has taken Bu t I b roke d own
h ere My throat choked th e sou nd i n sobs and I
.
,

tu rned my face away tha t h e m ight n ot s e e th e t ears

whi ch I felt scald in g my eyes .

My companion kept silent b u t h e p oked the ,

cl amp sm u dging st icks abou t in th e fir e pl ac e vigor

,
-

o u sl
y} took hi s spectacle s o ut o f th ei r case ru bbed ,

them an d p u t th em back i n h is pocket an d i n othe r

, ,

ways lon g since fam il iar t o m e betrayed h is u neasy

interest T h es e s l igh t s ign s jo f growing sympathy
.

12
C
1 78 In tlze Va l l ey .

— or, a t leas t c o mp reh en sio n —en c o u r aged m e to

,

p roceed an d my voi ce cam e back t o m e

, .

”
“
I f yo u co uld kno w I wen t m o u rn fu lly o n th e
, ,

jyo I felt wh en I fi rst l ooke d o n the V alley— o ur

V all ey— again at Fo rt Stanwix ; i f yo u cou ld only

realiz e h ow I cou n te d th e h o u rs an d m in u t es whi c h
separated m e fro m thi s h ome from yo u an d her , ,

an d h o w I cri ed o u t at thei r sl own ess ; i f yo u coul d

gu e ss lfo w my h eart beat wh en I walked u p the p at h
o u t there th at even in g an d op en e d that d oor ,
an d ,

—
l ooked t o see yo u t wo welco m e m e ah then yo u ,

cou ld feel th e b ittern e ss I have fel t sin ce ! I cam e

h om e b u rn in g with eagern ess h om esi ckn ess t o b e , ,

i n my Ol d p lace again n ear yo u an d h er—an d th e

place was fi ll ed by an othe r ! I f I have seem ed ru d e
an d su ll en tka t i s th e reason I f I h ad s e t l ess stor e
,
.

— —
u p on yo u r l ove an d u p o n h er h er l iki ng fo r m e
, ,

the n d ou btless I sh o u ld h ave b orn e th e d isplac e ,

m ent with better grace Bu t i t p u t m e o n th e rack

“
. .

Bel i eve m e i f I h ave b ehaved t o you r d ispl easu re

, ,

an d h ers i t has be en from ve ry excess o f ten d ern es s

,

”
t rampled u nd erfo ot .

A t l east th e m isu nd erstan d in g had b een cl eare d

up an d fo r a tim e at all even ts the h eart o f my l i fe
, , ,

l on g fri en d h ad warm ed again to m e as O f old H e .

p u t h is h and paternally up on my kn ee an d patted ,

it softly .

My p o or boy h e sai d with a symp atheti c h al f

, ,

sm il e an d in h i s Old tim e gravely gentl e voi ce

,
-

even i n you r t rib u lati on yo u m u st b e D u t ch Why

—
n ot have said thi s t o m e o r what th en occu rred
—
t o yo u o f it at th e o u tset th e fi rst day afte r yo u ,
1 80 In t/ze Va l l ey .

som su dd enly l u xu rian tly i n to th e fervo r o f a

in g , ,
’
l over s d evotion wh ile I was far away i n th e wilds ,

with n o c ivi li z ing presen ce ( save always

‘

M r Cross ) n ear m e except th e d ear

. o f h er

which I carried i n my h eart o f h eart s : I t ol d h im ,

t oo o f th e d el i ci o u s ex ci t em ent with wh i ch day by

, ,

d ay I d rew n eare r t o th e h om e th at h eld h e r t rem

, ,

bling n ow with n e rvo u sn ess at my slow p rogress ,

n o w with t i m id ity l est grasp in g th i s vast hap pin ess

,

too swi ftly I sh o u ld cru sh i t f ro m ve ry ecstasy O f

,

p o ssession I m ad e cl ear t o h im m o reover that I

.
, ,

had com e w ith o u t ever d ream in g o f th e p ossibil ity

o f a rival — as innocen tly se ren ely con fi d en t O f right
, ,

as wo ul d b e a l ittl e chil d app roach ing to ki ss i ts

m other .

Fancy th is ch ild st ru ck vi ol ent ly i n th e face by

thi s m oth e r from wh om i t had n ever b efo re received
,

“
s o m u ch as a frown I c oncl u ded ; th en yo u wil l
,

u nd erstand som eth in g of th e bl ow wh ich h as sen t

”
m e reel ing .

H is an swering wo rd s when fi nally h e sp oke were, ,

sympath eti c an d fri endly en o u gh bu t n ot ve ry m u ch ,

to th e p oint Th is was d o u btless d u e t o n o faul t

.
, ,

o f h is ; con solat i on at s u ch t im es is n ot wi th i n th e

p owe r o f th e very wi sest t o best ow .

H e po in ted o u t t o m e that th ese were a class o f

d isappo int m en ts exceed ingly com m on t o the l ot o f
yo u ng m en ; i t was th e way o f th e worl d I n th e .

p rocess O f pai ring o ff a gen erati on p robably n in ety ,

n ine ou t o f every h u n d red cou pl es wou ld secretly

h ave p re ferred som e oth er d ist ribu t ion ; yet th ey

m ad e th e bes t o f it an d th e worl d wagged o n j u st
,
 I Say Fa r ewel l to my Ol d H om e
. 1 81

the sam e as before With al l th ese and many oth er

.

j arrin g comm onplaces h e essayed t o sooth e m e t o —

the in evitable i ncre ase o f my bitte r d iscont en t H e .

add ed I rem embe r a p ersonal parallel

, ,

I have n ever spoken o f it t o yo u o r t o any other , ,

bu t I too had my grievo us d isapp ointm en t I was .

i n l ove with th e m oth er o f th is you ng Ph ilip Cross .

I worshipp ed her reveren tly fro m afar ; I had n o

other th ought or aim i n li fe b u t to wi n he r favo r to ,

gain a p ositio n worthy of her ; I wo u ld have crossed

’
the Chann el an d m arch ed int o St J am es s an d
,
.
,
’
hacked O ff th e H an overian s h eavy h ead with my
’
father s broad swo rd I verily beli eve t o h av e h ad
, ,

o n e sm ile from her lips Yet I h ad to p ocket this

.

all an d stan d sm il i ngly by an d s ee h e r wed d ed to

,

my tent m at e Tony Cro ss I thou gh t th e world

-

h ad com e t o an en d—b u t it had n t Wom en are

.
,
’
.

kittl e cattle my bo y
, T h ey m u st h ave t h eir h ead
.
,

o r thei r blood t u rn s sou r Com e ! wh ere i s t h e gen

.

u in e n e s s o f yo u r a ffection for o u r girl i f you wou ld ,

d eny h er th e gallan t O f h er ch oi ce ?
“ ”
I f I bel ieved I bl u rted o u t that it wa s h e r
, ,

o w n free ch o ice

Wh ose else th en p ray ?

, ,

I f I felt that sh e tru ly d el ibe rately p re ferred ,

—
h im that s h e had n o t been d ecoyed and m isled by
t h at Lady Ber
“
Fie up on su ch talk ! said th e O ld gentleman ,

with a shad e o f ret u rning testin ess i n h i s t on e DO .

y o u comp reh e nd ou r D aisy so sl ightly afte r all th ese ,

years ? I s s h e a girl n ot to know h er o wn m ind ?

Tu t ! sh e loves th e you ngst er ; s h e has ch osen h i m .
1 82 In tke Va l l ey .

I f yo u had stopp ed at h om e i f yo u h ad sp o ken ,

earli e r i nstead o f m oo ning D u tch fash ion i n yo u r , ,

o wn m ind it m igh t have b een d i fferen t

, Wh o can .

s ay ? B u t i t m ay n ot b e al t ered n ow W e wh o are .

left m u st st ill plan t o p romot e h er h app in ess A .

h u ndred bridegroom s cou ld n o t m ake h er less o u r

D ai sy than sh e was Th ere m u st b e n o m ore qu ar
.

rel s between yo u b oys rem emb e r ! I forbid i t

, ,

yo u r o wn j u d gm en t will forb id it H e will m ake a .

good h u sban d t o th e girl and I m i st ake m u ch i f h e ,

d oes n ot m ake a great m an o f h im self i n th e C ol ony .

—
Perhaps wh o kn ows — h e m ay b ri ng h er a titl e o r ,

even a coron et som e o f these d ays Th e C rown will

, .

h ave n eed o f all i ts l oyal gentl e m e n h ere soon ,

en o u gh t oo as th e c u rrent ru n s n ow an d reward s
, , ,

an d h on ors will fl ow freely Philip will lose n o .

chan ce t o t u rn th e s t ream Cairn cross way .

M y au nt cam e i n t o take away the u n tou ch ed

d ish es— Mr Stewar t co u l d n eve r abid e n egroes i n
thei r capacity as d om es t ics—an d so on th ereafter we
.

went t o b ed ; I for o n e t o l ie sl eepl ess an d d i scon

, ,

solat e t ill twi light cam e .

Th e n ex t m orni ng we two again had th e tabl e t o

o u rselves for D aisy sent d own word that h er h ead
,

was stil l ach ing an d we m u st n o t wait th e m eal for

,

h er I t was a sil ent an d con strain ed affai r th i s b reak

.
,

fast and we h u rri ed t h ro u gh i t as o n e sp eeds a d is

,

t astefu l task .

It was aft erward as w e walke d fo rth t ogeth er in t o

,

t h e garden wh ere th e wet earth already steam ed u n

,

der t h e warm d ownp o u r o f s u nligh t that I t old M r ,

.
1 84 In tke Va l l ey .

se em ed t o qu i etly avoi d b ein g al on e i n t h e room with

m e A t th e fi n al p art in g t oo s h e p ro ffe red m e only
.
, ,

h er cheek t o t ou ch with m y lip s Ye t I co u l d n ot .

h o n estly s ay that deep in h e r h eart s h e was n o t

, ,

sorry for m e an d t end er t oward m e an d gri eved t o ,

h ave m e go .

I t was o n th e m orn ing o f t h e last d ay o f S eptem

be r 1 77 2 that I began li fe al on e fo r mysel f by start
, , , ,

in g o n th e j ou rn ey t o A lbany I f I carri ed wi th m e
.

a s ad h eart th ere yet were al ready visi bl e t h e d awn

,

ings o f c o m p en s at iO n A t least I had n o t qu ar

.
,

r e l l e d with th e d ear twain o f th e C edars .

A s fo r Ph ilip Cross I st rove n ot t o t hi nk o f h im

,

at all .
 C H A PT E R X V I I I .

TH E FA I R B EG INNIN G O F A N E W L I F E IN
A N C I E N T A LB AN Y .

T H E l ife i n A lbany was to m e as i f I had be co m c

\
a citiz en O f s o m e n ew world
/ I had seen th e O lb
bu rgh once o r tw i ce be fore fl ee t in gly an d with bu t
,
’
a stranger s eyes ; n o w it was my h om e A s I th ink .

u pon it at this d istance i t seem s as i f I grew accu s

,

t o m e d to th e n ovel envi ronm ent alm ost at th e ou t

set. A t l east I d id n o t pi n e overm u ch fo r th e
,

V alley I had l eft beh ind .

Fo r o n e th ing th ere was pl enty o f h ard wo r k to

,

keep my m in d from m op ing ( I had enti rely t o create

.

both my p ositi on an d my b u sin ess ?) Thi s latter was ,

in som e regard s as broad a s th e c o nti nen t in oth ers

,

it wa s piti fu lly circu mscribed and narrow I t is hard .

fo r u s n ow with o u r eage r n at i onal pass io n fo r open

,

ing u p th e wildern ess an d p eopl ing wast e places t o ,

real ize that th e great t rad ing compan i es o f Colon ial

days h ad exactly th e co nt rary d esire I t wa s th e .

chie f an x iety o f th e fu r compan ies t o p reve nt im

m igrati on —t o preserve th e forests i n as savage a
state as p ossible O ne c an s e e n ow that i t w as a
.

’
fatal e rror i n England s p ol icy t o e nco u rage th ese
vast cons ervators o f barbari sm in st ead of wh ole
,

—
som e settlemen t by fam il ies a p ol icy wh ich was
avowedly adopted becau se it was easie r to sell
 I86
( In tke Va l l ey .

fi o n o p o fies
a few compan i es than t o collect
to
1t aX from ca t tered com m u n it i es I d o n ot kn ow
»

i' CS s .

i"
h at I th o u gh t m u ch u pon this then h owever
c , I , .

i was t o o b u sy ih fi tting mysel f t o A lbany

I

w w
.

O t h e r s wh o s aw t

h
fou nd m u c i n
’
i nhab itantit and its
s t o
c
d sco ff a t l T o my m in d it was a m ost
f

d el ightfu l pl ace I ts Yankee critics assail a h ost o f

.

5 e a t u r es wh i ch were t o m e so u rces O f great sat is

‘

1
suct ion — d ou btl ess becau se th ey an d I we re equ ally
D u tch I loved its n arrow gabl ed h ou ses with the ir
.
-
,

yellow p ressed bri ck an d i ron gird e rs an d h igh h o s

, , ,

it a b l e stoops an d p roj ect i n g water sp ou t s —wh ich

p
-
,

all sp oke to m e O f the d ear b rave good Old H ollan d , ,

I had n ever seen I t i s t ru e that the se eaves tro ughs

.
-
,

wh ich i n th e N etherland s d ischarged th e rain fall i nt o

th e canal i n front o f th e h ou ses h ere p o u red the i r ,

cont ents u pon th e m id dl e o f th e sid ewalks an d N ew ,

En glan d carp ers h ave m ad e m u ch o f th is Bu t t o .

m e th ere was always a p retty path os i n th i s reso

l u t io n t o rep rod u ce h ere i n th e wildern ess th e con
, ,

dit io n s o f th e d ear o l d h om e even i f o n e go t d renched

,

for i t .

A n d A lbany was th en alm o st as m u ch i n th e w il

d ern ess as Cau ghn awaga Th e re were a fu ll score .

O f good o il lamp s s e t u p i n th e st reets ; som e Scotch

-

m en had establ ish ed a n ewsp aper th e year b efore ,

w h ich p rint was t o be h ad we ekly ; th e city had h ad

an d pe ople st ill told o f
the theat ri cal ban d wh o h ad com e an d p erform ed
fo r a m on th at th e h osp ital and o f th e fi erce s e r ,

m o n again st th em wh ich D om in i e Fr eyl in gh u ys en

~

1 88 In tke V a l l ey.

t own in th e colon ies compared with A lbany We .

d id th is bu siness i n o u r o wn way t o be su re with , ,

o u t b u stle o r boasting an d so were acco u nted slow ,

by o u r n oisi er n eighbors t o the east and sou th .

Th ere were n u m ero u s h ol idays i n th i s h on est ,

happy O l d tim e alth ou gh th e fi ring o f gu n s o n ,

’
N ew Year s was rath e r ch u rl ishly forbid d en by th e
A ssembly th e year afte r my arrival I t gives m e .

n o pl easu re n ow i n my O l d age to see P i nkster , ,

forgotten an d V r o u w e n dagh an d Easter p ass u n

,
-

n oticed u n d er th e growi ng sway O f th e N ew Eng

,

lan d i nvade rs wh o kn ow h ow n either t o rest n or t o

,

play .

B u t my ch ief enj oym en t l ay I thi nk in th e p e opl e , ,

I cam e t o kn ow Up i n th e V alley i f excep ti on

.
,

were m ade o f fou r o r five fam ilies al ready sketched

i n thi s tale th ere we re n o associates for m e wh o
,

kn e w au gh t o f b ooks o r p olit e m at ters in gen e ral .

O f l at e ind e ed I had felt mysel f alm ost wh olly

, ,

al on e sin ce my few ed u cat ed compan ion s o r ac

,

q (
u a in t a n c e s were o n th e To ry sid e O f t h e wid en ing

d ivisi on ) and I m u ch as I was rep ell ed by thei r

,

p ol itics cou ld fi nd smal l i nt ell ect u al equ ival ent fo r

,

them am ong the D u tch an d Germ an Whigs wh ose

cau se an d p oliti cal sym path ies we re m in e .

l B u t h ere in A lbany I cou l d hat e th e English and

d en ou n ce their ru le and ru lers i n excellen t an d p ro f
itabl e company I w as fort u nate en ou gh at th e o u t
.

s e t t o p rod u ce a favorabl e imp ressi on u p on A brah am

T e n Broeck th e u ncle an d gu ardian O f th e boy

,

Patroon and i n some respects th e forem ost citi zen

,

o f th e town Th rou gh h im I spe ed ily becam e ac

.
 A N ew L ife in A n c ien t A l ba ny .

q u a in with others n o t l ess worthy o f frie ndsh ip

te d
— Colonel Philip Schuyler whom I had seen before ,

an d spoken with i n th e V alley once or twice b u t ,

now cam e u pon term s o f intimacy with ; J ohn Tay

ler an d J erem iah V a n R en sselaer yo u nger m en and , ,

t ru sted friends o f h is ; Pet er Gan sevoort wh o was ,

o f my own age an d whom I grew t o l ove l ike a

,

broth er— and s o o n th ro u gh a l ong l ist ,

.

These an d th ei r associate s were ed u cated an d

refi ned gentlem en n ot in fe ri or i n any w ay t o th e
,

J oh nso ns and Bu tlers I had left behi nd m e or t o ,

the D e Lanceys Phill ip ses Wa t t s es an d other Tory

, , ,

gentry whom I had seen I f they d id n ot drink as .

deep th ey read a good d eal m ore an d were m asters

, ,

o f as co u rteo u s an d d ist ingu ished a m ann er H ere .

t ofo re I had su ffered n ot a l ittl e from th e n ot i on

en forced u pon m e by all my su rro u nd ings that gen —
t il ity and good breedin g went h and i n han d with loy
-

alty t o everyth in g Englan d d id an d that d isa ffecti on ,

wa s bu t an other n am e fo r vu lgarity an d ign orance .

D esp ite th is n ot ion I had still chosen d isa ffect ion

, ,

b u t I cann ot say that I wa s alt ogeth er pl eased with

the ostracism fro m c on gen ial compan i on sh ip wh ich
th i s seem ed t o involve H en ce th e charm o f my
.

d iscovery in A lbany that th e best an d wi sest o f its

citizen s th e n atu ral l ead ers o f i ts social com m ercial
, , ,

an d pol it ical l i fe were o f my way o f th inking

, .

M ore than t h is I soon cam e t o realize that th is qu es

,

t i on for and again st England was a deep e r an d graver

m atter than I had d ream ed it t o b e Up i n ou r .

as t o r a l fu n in fo r m e d V alley th e d ivisi on was o f

j
growth and as I have t rie d t o show was eve n
, , ,
now m ore an a ffair o f race and social a ffi lia t ion s than
o f polit i cs. Th e trial Of ! enger th e Stamp A c t ,

crisis th e Bo sto n M assacre— all th e great events

,

which were s o bitt erly d iscu ssed i n th e o u ter Col o

n ial world —had creat e d scarcely a rippl e i n o u r i so
lated chain o f fron tier settlem ents We ru sti cs had .

been co n sci o u s o f d ist u rban ces an d chang e s i n th e

atm osph e re s o t o sp eak b u t h ad lacked th e skill an d
,

in formation —p erhaps th e i nt e rest as well —t o i nter

,

p ret th ese sign s of i mpen d ing st orm aright H ere .

i n A lbany I su d d enly fo u n d mysel f amo ng abl e an d

' ’
fl

p ru d en t m en who had as d i sti nct id eas o f th e evils

o f English c ontrol an d as deep seate d a resol u t ion
,
-

t o p u t an en d to i t as o u r c om m on an cest ors had

,

h el d i n H ollan d toward th e d et ested Span iards .

N ee d I s ay that I d ran k i n all th i s with en th u siasti c

relish an d b ecam e th e m ost ard en t o f Wh igs ?
,

O f my b u si n ess i t i s n ot n eed fu l t o sp eak at length .

O n ce est abli sh ed there was n oth in g sp ecially lab o

,

r io u s or n otabl e abou t it Th e wh ole cu rren t o f th e

.

’
company s t raffic t o an d fro passed u n d er my eye .

There were m any separate acc o u nts t o keep an d a ,

sm all army o f agent s t o govern t o su pply t o pay , , ,

—
and t o restrai n fro m frau d for wh i ch they had a con
s ide r a b l e t alent and even m or e I n cli nati on
,
There .

were cargoes o f p rovisi on s an d m erchan d ise t o r e

’
c e iv e from o u r comp any s ves s els at A lbany and pre ,

pare for tran sportat ion across co u n try t o th e West ;

an d th ere were ret u rn cargoes o f p el tri es an d oth er
-

p rodu ct s t o b e shipp ed h en ce t o Englan d O f all .

this I had charge an d oversight b u t with n o Obl iga ,

t ion u po n m e t o d o m o re O f the labor than was fi t ,

1 9 2 In t/ze Va l l ey .

las t word s to m e were : D o a s m u ch b u si ness pu sh ,

t rad e as sharply as yo u c an Th ere is n o t ell in g h ow

, .

’
l ong Engli sh charters o r t h e Kin g s writ fo r that
,
”
m atter will contin u e t o ru n over h ere
, .

SO th ey s et sail an d I n eve r s aw eith e r O f th em

,

again .

I t was a sou rce o f m u ch satisfac ti on an d gain t o

m e that my p osit i on h el d m e far ab ove the bar
t ering an d d i ckeri ng o f the sm all trad ers I t i s t ru e .

that I wen t th ro u gh th e form o f p u rchasin g a l i cense

t o t rad e i n th e city for wh ich I p aid fou r p o u nd s
,

st erl ing— a restricti on wh ich has always seem ed to

m e as u n in telligen t as it was h arm fu l t o t h e inte r ‘

ests o f th e t own —b u t i t wa s p u rely a f orm We .

n e it h e r b o u gh t n or sol d i n A lb any
'
Th is m ad e i t .

th e e asier for m e t o m ee t good p eopl e o n equ al

t erm s— n ot that I am s illy e n o ugh t o h ol d t rad e i n
d isresp ect b u t becau se th e m erch an ts wh o cam e i n
,

d i rect cont act with th e I nd ian s an d t rappe rs su ffered

i n estim ati o n from th e cl ou d o f evil rep u t e wh ich
h u n g over th ei r b u sin ess .

I l ived qu ietly and with o u t o sten tati on p u tting

, ,

asid e som e m on ey each q u arte r an d ad ven t u ri ng my ,

’
savings t o consi d erable p ro fi t i n th e company s b u si
—
n ess a m atter wh ich M r Cross had arran ged for m e . .

I went to m any o f th e best h o u ses o f th e Wh ig so rt .

I n som e Ways p erhaps my p rogress i n k no wl edge

, ,

and fam iliarity with worldly th in gs were p u rchased

at th e e x p ense o f an in n ocen ce wh ich m igh t b etter
h ave b ee n retained B u t th at i s th e m an n e r o f all
.

fl esh an d I was n o worse I l ike t o h op e than th e

, , ,

b e st behaved o f m y fell o ws
-
I certainly lau gh ed .
 A N ew L ife in A n c ien t A l ba ny .

m ore n o w in a year than I had don e i n all my l ife

befo re ; i n tru th I m ay be said to have learn ed t o
,

l au gh h ere in A lbany fo r there were m erry wight s

,

am on g my comp an i ons O n e in part icu l ar sh o uld

.

b e spoken o f—a secon d co u sin o f m in e nam ed Te n n i s

-
,

V a n H oorn a yo u ng physician wh o had st u d ied at

,

Leyden and who m ad e j est s wh ich were o fte n worthy

,

t o be written d own .

S o two years wen t by I had grown som ewhat .

i n fl esh being n o w d ecently ro u nded o u t an d solid

, .

M any o f my t imid and morose ways h ad bee n

d ro ppe d m eant ime I cou ld talk n ow t o lad ies and
.

t o my eld ers with ou t feeling tongu e tied at my -

yo u th fu l presu mpt ion I was a m an o f a ffairs

.
,

twenty fiv e years O f age with som e m on ey o f my

-
,

o wn an excellent positi on and as good a circle O f

, ,

frien d s as fortu n e ever gave to m ortal m an .

O n ce each m o nth M r S tewart and I exchanged let

.

ters Throu gh th is corresp o n d e nc e I was in form ed

.
,

i n th e wi n ter following my depart u re o f t h e mar ,

r ia ge o f D aisy and Philip Cross .

I3
 C H A PT E R X I X .

I Go T O A FA M O US G A TH E R IN G A T T H E PA
’
T RO O N s M A NO R H O U S E .

W E com e t o a soft cl ear n ight i n th e I nd ian s u m

,

m er ti m e o f 1 774—a n igh t n ot t o b e forgotten wh il e

-

m e mo ry rem ai ns t o m e .

There was a gran d gath ering and ball at th e M ano r

H o u se o f th e Patroons an d t o i t I was invi ted Cad
, .

w al l a der Cold en th e o ct ogenarian lie u t enan t gover

,
-

n or and ch ief rep resen tative o f th e C rown n ow that

,

T ryon was away i n Engl an d had com e u p t o A lbany

,

i n stat e u pon som e b u si n ess which I n ow forget a n d

, ,

h e w as t o b e entertain ed at th e V a n R ensselaer m an
sion an d wi th h i m th e rank beau ty an d worth o f
, , ,

all th e co u ntry ro u n dab o u t I had h eard th at a con

.

s ide r ab l e n u m ber o f i nvi tati on s had been d espatche d

t o t h e T o ry fam ilies I n my O ld n eighb orh ood an d ,

that d espit e th e gre at d i stan ce su nd ry o f th em h a d

, ,

been accepted S i r Will iam J oh nson had n ow b ee n

.

d ead som e m onth s an d i t was fi tting th at h is su c

,

cessor Si r J ohn n ewly m ast e r O f all th e vast estat es

, , ,

sho uld emb race th is opp ortu n ity t o m ak e h is fi rst

appearan ce as baron et i n p u bl i c I n fact h e h ad .
,

arrived i n t own with Lady Jo h n s dn an d i t was sai d ,

that th ey cam e i n company with oth ers I cou l d .

n o t h elp won d e ri ng as I att i red mysel f with m o re

, ,

than o rd inary care in my best maroon coat an d

,
1 9 6 In tae Va l l ey .

cau gh t i n the spaci ou s h all wi th in b eyon d th e fig ,

u res o f th e wid owed h ostess an d h e r s o n th e eigh t ,

year O ld Patroon w ho stood forth to greet th ei r

-
,

gu ests N o ! the scen e belongs to i ts o wn d ead cen

.

t u ry an d fad in g gen erati on Yo u sh all strive i n vai n .

t o rep rod u ce it even i n fancy , .

Th e fu ll harvest m oo n wh ich h u ng i n th e lamben t

-
,

h eaven s above all pi ct u res itsel f t o my m em ory ,

as far fai rer and m ore l u m in ou s than i s th e best o f

n owad ay m o ons A las ! my Old eye s read n o roman ce
.

i n th e silvery b eam s n ow b u t su spect rheu matism ,

i nstead .

This rou nd l u stro u s o r b p endant over th e H u d

, ,

son wa s n ot plain er to every sigh t th at even i ng than

,

was t o every conscio u sness th e fact that th i s gath

reing was a sort o f cerem on ial sal u t e b efore a d u el .

Th e st orm w as soon t o break ; we all felt i t i n th e

air Th ere was a su b d u ed alm ost sti ff p ol iten ess i n
.
, ,

th e t on e an d m an n er wh en D u tch man m et Engli sh

m an when Whig m et To ry wh ich spoke m ore el o
, ,

qu ently than words Ben eath th e form al cou rtesy .

,

an d carefu l avoidan ce o f d ebat abl e topi cs o n e cou l d ,

s e e sid elong glan ces cast an d hear m u ttered sn eers ,

.

We bowed low t o o n e an oth er b u t with anxio u s ,

faces kn owing that w e st oo d up on th e th in cru st

,

over th e crater likely at an y m omen t t o crash

,

throu gh i t .

I t was my fort u n e to be well kn own t o M adam e

V an R e nsselaer o u r h ostess She was a L ivingston
,
.
,

and a patriot and s h e kn ew m e for on e as well

,
The .

s h e wh ispered t o
”
T ories are h ere i n great m u st er ,

m e whe n I bowed be fore her ; I d ou bt n ot it i s th e

,
 ’
A C a t/ter ing at tke P a tr oon s H o use .

last tim e yo u will ever s ee them u nd er my roof Th e .

Colonel has news from Philad elph ia t o d ay There -

.

”
i s t ro ubl e brewing .

I cou ld s ee Colon el S ch uyl er stand ing besid e on e

o f th e d oors to th e left b u t to reach h im was n ot ,

easy First I m u st pau se t o exchange a few word s

.

with D om in i e Wes t e r l o fth e l earn ed and goo d; pastor

o f th e D u tch ch u rch o f wh ose i nt end ed m arriage ,

with th e wid ow o u r ho stess th ere we re even th en

, ,

ru m ors A n d afterward the re was th e m ayor A b ra

.
,

ham C uyl er wh om we al l liked p e rson ally d esp it e

, ,

h is weak l ean i ng t oward th e Engl ish an d it would ,

n ot d o t o p ass h im by u nh e eded .

Wh ile I still st oo d with h im talkin g o f I kn ow ,

n ot what th e arrival o f th e l ie u tenan t govern or was

,
-

an no u n ced A bu zz o f wh isp e ring ran rou n d th e

.

h all
. I n th e su cceed ing silence that dign itary walked
t oward u s a space clearing abo u t h im as he d id so
, .

T h e m ayor advan ced t o m eet h i m an d I p erforce ,

followed .

I knew m u ch abo u t this rem arkabl e M r C o lden . .

A lm ost my fi rst English bo ok had been h is accou n t

o f t h e I nd ian tribes and in late r years I h ad been
,

equ ally i nstru cted by his writ ings o n ast ro n omy an d

sci entifi c su bj ects Even in my boyhood I had h eard
.

o f h im as a very o ld m an and h ere h e w a s n ow , ,

eighty six years o f age th e h igh est representat ive i n

-
,

the Co l ony o f English au thori ty I co u ld feel n on e .

o f th e h ostility I ou ght from h i s O ffi ce t o h ave felt ,

when I p resently m ad e my obeisance and he o ffered ,

m e h is hand .

I t was a p l easant face and a k indly eye wh i ch

 8 In tlze Va l l ey
‘

1 9 .

m et my loo k D espit e h is great age h e seem ed

.
,

scarcely old er i n cou nt en an c e an d bearin g than had

M r Stewart wh en last I s aw h im H e was simply
. .

clad an d I saw from h is l ong waving u ntied h ai r

, , ,

“
wh y h e was call ed
”
O ld Silve r L ocks H is few .

word s t o m e we re am iable com m onplaces an d I ,

p assed to m ake ro om fo r oth ers and fo i1 n d my way ,

n ow t o wh ere Sch uyl er st o od .

Th e Old fox ! h e said sm ilin gly n odd in g t oward ,

“
C old en O n e m ay n ot b u t l ike h im for all h i s ,

t ricks I f En glan d had had th e wit t o keep th at

.

ru de boor o f a Tryon at h o m e an d m ake C old e n ,

govern or and l ist en t o h im m att ers wo u l d h ave

, ,

gone b etter Wh o i s that beh ind h im ? O h ye s D e

.
, ,

L ancey .

O l iver d e Lan cey wa s chi efly n otable o n a ccou n t

o f h is late broth er J am es wh o had been chi e f ,

j u stice and l ieu ten an t gover n o r an d th e m ost b ri l

-
,
’

l iant u nscru p ul ou s masterfu l p olit i cian o f h i s tim e

, , .

O l ive r was h im sel f a man o f m u ch en ergy and ambi

t i on I ob served h i m cu ri ou sly for h is m oth er had
.
,

been a V an C o r tl an dt an d I h ad s om e o f that bloo d

,

i n my vein s as well SO far as i t had cont rib u ted t o

.

shap e h i s face I was n o t p ro u d o f i t fo r h e had a

, ,

sel fi sh and arrogan t m ien .

I t was m ore sat isfacto ry t o watch my com p an ion ,

as h e told m e th e n am es o f th e T o ri es wh o foll owed

’
in C old en s wake and c om m en ted o n th ei r ch arac
,

t ers I d o n o t recall th em b u t I rememb er every

.
,
’
l in e o f Ph il ip Sch uyler s face an d eve ry infl ecti on o f ,

h is voice H e was th en n ot q u i t e forty years o f age

. ,

an d alm ost o f my statu re — th at i s t o s ay a tall m an ,

.
2 00 In tae Va l l ey .

’
M assach u setts s c a u s e a s o u r o wn A fter V i rgin ia
'

’
l ed th e way with Patrick H en ry s speech t h ere wa s ,

n o oth er c ou rse p ossibl e for even J ay an d D u an e .

I sh o u ld l ike t o h ear that m an H en ry H e m u st b e .

won d erfu l .

Th e space abo u t M r C ol d en had sh i fted across .

th e room so that w e were n ow u p on it s edge an d

, ,

Sch uyler wen t t o h i m with ou tst retch ed hand Th e .

two m e n exch an ged a glance an d each kn ew wh at ,

t h e oth er was th inking o f .

“
Yo u r excell en cy h as h eard from Ph iladelph ia ,

sai d th e C ol on el m ore as a stat e m ent o f fact than as

,

an in qu iry .

S ad sad ! exclaim ed the aged p ol it i ci an i n a

, ,

l ow t on e . I t is a gri ef i nst ead o f a j oy t o h ave

l ived s o l on g i f my li fe m u st en d am i d cont ention
,

”
an d st ri fe .

H e i s really since re i n depl o ri ng th e t roubl e ,

said Sc h uyl er wh en h e had rej oin ed m e

,
“
He .

kn ows i n hi s h eart that th e M i n i st ry are p i g h ead -

e dl y wrong an d that we are i n th e right

,
H e wou l d .

d o j u sti ce i f h e co u ld bu t h e i s as p owerl ess as I am

,

s o far as i n fl u e n cin g Lond on goes and h ere h e i s i n ,

th e hands o f th e D e Lan ceys T o give th e d evil h i s .

d u e I bel ieve Si r Wi lliam J ohn son wa s on o u r sid e

, ,
”
t o o at h eart
, .

We h ad t alked o f th i s b efore an d ou t o f d efer ,

en ce to my sent im ents o f l iki n g an d gratit u d e t o

S i r William h e always tri ed to say am iabl e th ings
,

ab ou t th e l ate baron et t o m e Bu t th ey d id n ot .

com e easily for th ere w a s an O l d t i m e feu d b etween

,
-

th e t wo fami li es The d islike dated bac k t o th e

.
“
 ’
A C a t/ter ing at tbc P a tr oon s H o us e .

’
beginni ng o f you ng J oh nson s career wh en by tak , ,

in g sid es sh rewdly i n a p ol itical stru ggle between

Cli n ton and D e Lancey h e had ou ste d J ohn Sc h u y ,
’
l er Philip s grand fath er from th e I n dian comm is
, ,

s io n e r s h ip an d secu red it f o r h i msel f I n later years .

,

sin ce the Col onel had c om e t o m anh ood h e had been ,

forced i nt o rival ry alm ost am ou nt ing to antagon ism

,

at t im es with th e baron et i n Col oni al an d I nd ian

, ,
’
a ffairs ; an d even n ow after th e baron et s d eath i t
, ,

wa s hard fo r h im t o acknowledge th e e x isten ce o f al l

the virtu e s whi ch my b oyi sh l iking had fou nd i n Si r
William B u t still h e d id t ry i f only t o pl ease
.
,

me .

A s w e spoke S i r J oh n J ohnson passed u s i n com

, ,

pany with several yo u nge r m en p u sh ing t oward ,

th e ro o m t o th e right whe re th e p u n ch bowl was ,

-

placed .

A t l east be is n o friend o f yo u rs ?
,
said Sch u y
l er ind ica t ing th e red faced yo u ng baron et
,
-
.

”
N O m an less s o Ir e p l ie d p rom ptly Two years
, , .

ago I d ou bt I sh ou ld h ave been s o certai n o f my

entire en m ity t oward S i r J oh n Bu t in th e i nterim .

all my accu m u lat ing p ol iti cal fervo r h ad u n c o n

s c io u s l y stretched back t o i ncl u d e th e J ohn st own

Tories ; I fou nd mysel f n ow h onestly h at in g th em

all al ike for thei r fo rmer coolness t o m e and th ei r
present odiou s attit u d e toward my people A n d i t ! .

wa s n ot d i ffi cu lt recalling all my boyi sh d islike for

,

J oh n J ohnson and his stead ily contem ptu o u s t reat

m en t o f m e t o m ake hi m the ch ief Obj ect o f my
,

aversion .

We talked of h im n o w and O f h i s wi fe a beau ti ful

‘

, , ,
20 2 In Me Va ll ey .

sweet faced girl of twen ty w h o h ad be en P olly Watt s

-
,

o f N ew York My com pan io n p ointe d h e r o u t t o

.

m e as o n e o f a ci rcle b eyon d th e fir e place H e had

,
-
.

—
o nly soft wo rd s and p ity fo r h er as i f foreseeing th e
angu ish an d travail soon t o b e brou gh t u p on h er by
’
—
h e r h u sban d s m isd eed s b u t h e sp oke very slight
’
in gl y an d angrily o f S i r J oh n T o Schuyl er s m i nd .

th ere was n o good in h im .

“
I h ave kn own h im m ore o r less sin ce he was a
b oy and followed h is fath er i n th e Lake Geo rge
campaign Th e O ffi c ers then co u ld n o t ab id e h im
.
,

th o u gh som e were subm issive t o h im becau se o f h i s

’
fath er s p osit ion S o n ow fi fteen years afte rward
.
, ,

alth ou gh h e h as m any t oad ie s an d fl a tt e r er s I d o ub t ,

h is h avi ng any real fri ends T hro u gh all th ese score .

o f years I have yet t o l earn o f any graci o u s o r m anly

,

th ing h e h as d on e .

“
A t least h e d id gallop fr Om th e Fort t o th e H all
’
at n ews of h is fath er s d eath an d kill h i s h orse by ,
”
th e pace I said ,
.

H ei rs c a n a fford to rid e swi ftly repl ied th e ,

C olon el i n a d ry tone
,
N o : h e has n eith e r th e
.

h on esty t o respect th e rights o f oth ers n or th e wi t ,

t o en force th ose wh i ch h e arrogates t o h imsel f .

L ook at h i s m an agem en t i n th e M ohawk V all ey .

’
S carce two m onths after th e Old baron et s d eath
’
be fo re h e was barely warm i n h is fath e r s b ed all —
th e D u tch an d Palat in es an d Che rry V all ey Scotch
were u p i n arm s against h im an d h is frien d s I cal l .

that th e work o f a fool Why T ryon Co u nty o u ght .

, ,
’
by all th e rul es to b e th e Tori es stron gest citadel
,
.

The re o f all oth e r places they s h o u ld be able t o

, ,
 2 04 In t/ze Va l l ey .

t u rn back with you b u t th e p u nch will all b e gon e ,

"

m ark my words I s aw J ohn so n an d Watts an d

.

thei r party head ed for th e bowl five and twenty m i n - -

u tes ago We shall get n ot s o m u ch as a l em on seed

.
-
.

B u t t I sacri fi ce mysel f )
”

We en t ered th e room an d my eyes we re d rawn , ,

7 as by th e force o f a m illi on m agn ets t o th e place ,

where D ai sy s at .

Fo r th e m om en t s h e was u natt end ed Sh e was .

ve ry b eau t i fu lly atti red and j ewel s gli st en ed from ,

h er hai r and th roa t H er eye s we re d own cast .

l ooking u p o n th e waxed fl oo r as i f i n m ed itati on .

Even t o thi s su dden m ome ntary glan ce h e r fai r , ,

face l ooked thi n n er and paler than I re m embe red i t

-
an d ah h ow wel l d i d I rem emb er it ! Wi th som e
,

m u ttered word o f explan at i on I br dk e away from

my compan ion and wen t st raight t o h er ,
.

Sh e h ad n o t n ot ed my p resen ce or app roach an d ,

o nly l ooked u p wh en I stood b e fore h er There was .

n ot in h er face th e l ook o f su rpri se wh i ch I had ex

p e c t e d Sh e sm il ed
. i n a w a n way and gave m e he r ,

h and .

“
I kn ew you were h ere s h e said i n a so ft voi c e , ,

whi ch I s carcely recogn iz ed s o changed I m igh t s ay , ,

sad d en ed was i t by th e i n t rod u ct i on o f som e pl ai n t

,

ive m in or elem en t
,
Ph ilip t ol d m e I thou gh t
. .

”
that soon er or l ate r I sh ou ld s e e yo u .

“
A n d I have th o u gh t o f l ittl e else b u t th e chance
O f seei ng yo u I repl i ed sp eaking what wa s in my
,
”

h eart with n o refl ection save th at th is was o u r

,

D ai sy c om e into my l i fe again
,
.

She was silent fo r a m om ent h er eyes seekin g th e ,

 ’
A Ga tker in g at tke P a tr oon s H ouse
.

fl oor an d a fain t glow com ing u pon her cheeks .

Then s h e raised th em to my face with som ething ,

o f the o l d sparkl e i n th ei r glance .

Well th en sh e said d rawing asid e h er skirt s

, , , ,

s it here and s e e m e
”
.
,
 C H A PT E R XX .

A F OO L IS H A N D V E X A T IO U S Q U ARR EL IS T H R US T
U PON M E .
’

I S A T b esid e D aisy an d we talked I t was a t th e

, .

/ "
begin n i ng a h igh l y s u p e r fic ia l c o n ver s at io n as I r e ,

m emb e r it d u rin g wh ich n e ith er l ooked at th e othe r

, ,

and each m ad e h ast e t o fi ll u p any th reaten e d lapse

i nt o silence by wo rds o f so m e sort it m attered n ot ,

m u ch wh at .

’
Sh e t old m e a great d eal abo u t M r Stewart s .

h ealth wh ich I l earn ed was far l ess sati s factory than

,

h i s l etters had given reason t o su sp ect I n reply t o .

qu est i ons I t old h er of my bu si n ess an d m y daily

,
'

l ife h ere i n A lbany I d i d n ot ask h er i n retu rn

.

abo u t h e rself Sh e seem ed eager t o forestal l any

.

p ossibl e in qu i ry on th is p oi nt an d hasten ed t o in
,

form m e as to my o l d acqu aintanc es i n t h e V alley

From h er words I fi rst real iz ed how grave th e
sit u ati on there had su ddenly b ecom e I t was n o t .

only th at oppo siti on to th e J ohn son s had been

op enly form u lated b u t fe u d s o f ch aracte ristic bitter
,

n ess h ad sp ru ng u p with in fam il i es an d b etwee n ,

o l d t im e frien d s
-
i n consequ ence
, Colon el H enry
.

Frey wh o own ed the u pp er Canaj oh ari e m ills t ook

, ,

sid es with th e To ri es and h ad fi ercely qu arrell ed

,

with h is b rothe r J oh n wh o was o n e o f th e Whig

,

C om m itte e There was an equ ally m ar kedldivis io n

.
208 In tbc Va l l ey .

t h is I fo u n d
I n all but — fis in g agai n
o n e r e fl e c t io n e

and agai n as s h e sp o ke—and th is was that sh e wa s

t elli n g m e by in fe rence th e st o ry o f her own u n
, ,

happ in ess .

D aisy wo u ld n ever have done this con sci o u sly— O f

t h a t I am p osit ive Bu t i t was bet rayed in eve ry
.

l in e o f he r face and my anxi ou s ear cau ght i t i n

,

every wo rd s h e u ttered as to the d oings o f th e

J ohnson party D oubtl ess sh e d id n ot realiz e h o w
.

nat u rally an d closely I wou ld associat e h er h u sban d

with that party .

Un d e rn eath all o u r talk th ere had been o n b oth ,

sides I d are s ay a sen se o f awkward con strain t

, , .

T h ere were s o m any th ings wh ich w e m u st n ot

speak o f—th i ngs wh ich threat en ed incessantly t o
fo rce th e i r way to th e s u rface .

I th o u ght o f th em all an d won d ered h ow m u ch

,

s h e kn ew o f th e even ts that p reced ed my d ep art u re

how m u ch s h e gu essed o f th e h eart breaking gri ef -

with whi ch I had seen h er go t o anothe r I t cam e .

back t o m e n o w ve ry vividly as Ito u ched th e sati n

, ,

fold of h e r gown with my sh oe an d said t o mysel f , ,

”
“
This i s really she .

Th e two years had n ot passed s o u n com fortably ,

i t is tru e ; wo rk and p re o ccup atio n and th e change

-

o f su rro u nd ings had b ro u ght m e back my peace o f

m in d an d t aken th e keen edge from my d espair

wh ich was t o h ave b een l i fe long an d had faded i n
-
,

a m onth Yet n ow h er si m ple p resen ce —with th e

.

—
vagu e added feel ing that sh e was u nhappy s u ffic e d
t o wip e o u t th e whole ep isod e o f A lbany and t ran s ,

port m e b o dily ba c k to t h e o l d V alley days I fel t .

 A Fool is k an d Vex a t io us Q ua r r el .

again all th e angu ish a t losi ng her all t h e bitte r ,

—
wrath at the t riu mph o f my rival emphasized an d
i ntensifi ed n ow by th e implied con fessio n that he
h ad p roved u nworthy .

To this gl o om there presen tly su cceeded by som e ,

soft subtl e transiti on the consci o u sn ess that it was

, ,

ve ry sweet t o s it th u s bes id e h er The ai r ab ou t .

u s seemed su ddenly fi lled with som e d eli cat ely be

n u mb ing i nfl u en ce The chattering sm ili n g m ov
.
, ,

ing throng was h ere close u pon u s envelop ing u s i n

, ,

its folds Yet we we re d eli cio u sly i solated D id s h e

. .

feel it as I d id ?
I looked u p i n to h er fac e She had been silent .

fo r I know n ot h o w lon g following her th ou ghts as ,

I had followed m in e I t was al m ost a shock t o m e

.

t o fi n d that th e talk had di ed away and I fanci ed ,

that I read a kin d red embarrassm ent i n her eyes .

I seized up on the fi rst su bj ect wh i ch en tered my

h ead .

T u lp wo u ld be glad to s e e you I said foolishly , ,

e nou gh .

She col ored slightly an d op en ed an d sh u t her fan ,

“ ’
i n a n ervou s way P oor T u lp
. s h e said I do n t ,

th ink h e ever l iked m e as h e d id you Is h e well ? .

H e h as n ever b een qu it e th e sam e sin ce — si n ce

h e cam e t o A lbany H e is a faith fu l body servan t
.
-

n ow—noth in g m ore .

“ ”
Yes s h e said so ftly with a sigh ; then afte r
, , , ,

a pau se Philip sp oke o f o ffering t o make goo d

,

t o you yo u r m oney loss i n T u lp b u t I t old h im h e ,

wou l d bet te r n ot .

“
I t wa s better not I an swered , .

1 4
2 10 In t/ze Va l l ey

S ilen ce m en aced u s agai n I d id n o t fi nd mysel f .

’
i n d ignan t at t h is i n solen t id ea o f th e En glishm an s .

I nstead my m in d seem ed t o d istin ctly cl ose i ts d oors

,

agai nst th e ad m issi on o f hi s p erson ality I wa s n ear .

D aisy an d th at wa s en ou gh let th ere be n o t h ou ghts

,

o f h im whatsoever .

“
Y o u d o T u lp a wron g I said P o or l ittl e fel
, .

l o w ! D o you rem embe r and s o we d ri fted int o

th e happy su nlit past with i ts ch il d ish m em orie s
, ,

fo r b oth o f gam es an d forest ram bles an d i n n ocen t ,

pl easu res making every day a littl e bli ssfu l l i fetim e

by it self an d all th e years beh in d o u r p arting o n e
,

sweet p rol onged d elight .

Words cam e freely n ow ; w e l o oke d i nto each

’
oth er s faces wi th o u t con st raint an d lau gh ed at th e ,

pastim e s w e re call ed I t was s o pl e asan t t o b e to

.

gether again an d th ere w a s s o m u ch o f charm fo r

,

u s both i n th e t im e wh i ch we rem em bered t ogeth er .

Si r J oh n J oh nson an d h i s p arty had l eft th e p u n ch

—o r what rem ain ed o f it an d cam e su dd enly u p to -

u s Beh in d th e baron et I s aw yo u n g Watts you n g

.
,

D e Lan cey o n e o r two oth ers wh om I d id n ot know

, ,

and yes
,
— —
it was h e Ph ilip Cross .

H e h ad alt ered i n app earan ce greatly Th e t wo .

years had added m u ch fl esh t o h is fi gu re wh ich w as ,

n o w b u rly an d seem ed t o h a v e d im in ish ed h i s

,

stat u re i n con se qu en ce H i s face wh i ch even I had

.
,

on ce regard ed as handsom e wa s h ard en ed n ow i n ,

expressi on and bore an u nh ealthy redd ish hu e Fo r

, ,
.

th at m att er all th ese you ng m en were fl u sh ed wi th

,

d rink an d had en tere d rath er boisterou sly attract

, ,

ing atten t ion as they progressed This attenti on .

2 12 In tke Va l l ey .

“
I gr ew angry H e wen t th ere t o bu ry Gen eral
.

B radst reet That also i s well kn own I n forma

.
, , .

t ion seem s t o reach th e V all ey b u t in d i fferen tly S i r ,

J ohn Everywh ere el se p e opl e u n d erstan d an d ap

.

p r e c iate th e imp erat ive n at u re o f th e su m m ons

wh ich call ed Col onel Sch uyl er t o N ew York Th e .

friendsh ip o f th e two m en has b een a fam iliar m at t e r

O f knowl edge th is fi fte en years I kn ow n ot you r .

’
n oti on s o f fri en dsh ip s d u t i es ; b u t for a gen tleman
l ike Sch uyl er scarcely a m ortal ill n ess itsel f cou ld
,

serve t o keep h i m fro m paying th e last resp ect t o a

fri en d whose d eath was su ch an a ffl i ction to him .
”

J oh n son had be gu n som e resp on se t ru c ulent i n ,

t on e wh en an i n te rru pti on cam e fro m a m ost u n ex

,

p e c t e d so u rce
. Ph ilip Cross w h o had l o oked,
at m e
closely with o u t b e trayi ng any sign o f re cogn i ti on ,
’
p u t h is h an d n ow o n S ir J ohn s sh o ul d er .

“
“
Brad street ? h e said D id I n ot kn ow h im ?
’
S u rely h e i s th e man wh o fo u n d h is fri en d s wi fe
s o charm in g th at h e sen t th at fri en d t o d istan t p osts

to England t o Q u ebec t o O swego an d D etroit

, , ,

and am u sed h im sel f h ere at h om e d u rin g th e h u s .

’
ban d s absen ce I am t old h e even b u ilt a m ansion
.

for h er wh il e th e s pou se was i n L on d on on bus in ess .

S o h e is d ead eh ?
,

I h ad felt th e bi tt er p u rp ort o f h is wo rds alm ost

‘

b efore they were ou t I t was a fam il iar scand al i n

—
.

t h e m ou th s o f th e J oh n son cot eri e th i s fou l a sser

ti on that M rs Sch uyl er o n e of th e best an d m ost
.
,

fai th fu l O f helpm ates as witty as s h e was beau t i

,

ful as good as s h e was d iligent i n t ru th an ideal

, , ,

wi fe had p u rsu ed throu gh m any years a cou rs e o f

,
 A Fool is /z and Vex a tious Qua r r el .

d eceit an d dishonor and that her h u sband t he , ,

n obl est son o f o u r Colony had been base en ou gh t o ,

p ro fi t by i t O f all th e cru el and m alignan t th ings

.

t o which the Tori es laid thei r m ean tongu es th is ,

wa s th e lowest and m ost fa l s e I co uld n ot r e .

frain from p u tti ng my h and o n my sword h il t as I -

answered :
“
S u ch i n fam ou s word s as th ese are an insu lt t o
‘

every gentlem an the world over wh o has ever p re

, ,

sented a friend t o h is family !

”

D o ubtless there was apparent i n my face as in th e ,

exaggerat ed formali ty o f my b ow t o C ross a plain ,

invitation to fi ght I f there had n ot been the n my

.
,

m an ner wou ld have wofully b el ied my i nten t I t .

w a s i n fact s o plai n th at D ai sy wh o s at close by

, , ,

my sid e and l ike som e oth ers n ear at hand had

, , ,

heard eve ry word that had p assed hal f started t o ,

-

h er feet an d cl u tched my sleeve as w ith an appeal ,

against my passionate p u rp ose .

H e r h u sban d had n ot sti rred from his erect and

’
arrogant post u re u ntil h e s aw h is wi fe s frigh tened
act ion I could see that h e n oted th i s an d that i t
.
,

fu rther angered h im H e also l ai d hi s h an d o n h is

.

swo rd n ow an d frigidly i ncl in ed hi s wigged head

,

toward m e .

I had not th e h ono r o f ad d ressing yo u s ir h e , ,

said i n a l ow voice very m u ch at vari an ce with th e

, ,

expression i n h is eyes I had n o wi sh to e x change .

word s with you o r with any o f you r sou r faced tribe

,
-
.

Bu t i f you desire a conversation —a l engthy and m ore

private conversation —I am at you r d isposition Let .

m e s ay here h oweve r and h e glan ced with fi erce

, ,
214 In tlze Va l l ey .

m eani ng a t D aisy as h e sp o ke — “
I am n ot a Sch uy
’
l er ; I d o n ot enco u rage friend s .

Ev en Si r J ohn s aw t h at th i s wa s to o m u ch .

Com e co m e C ross, h e said go in g to h i s friend

, , .

You r t ongu e ru n s away with yo u Then in a .

,

“ ’
m u rm u r h e ad ded : D am n it m an ! D on t d rag
, ,

you r wi fe i nto th e th ing Skewer th e D u tchman .

o u tsid e i f yo u l ike an d i f you are st eady en o ugh

, , ,
”
bu t rem ember what you are abo u t .

I cou ld h ear th is m u ttered exh ortati on as d i s

’
t in c t l y as I h ad h eard C ross s o u trageo u s i n su lt Sir .

’
J oh n s wo rds app eal ed t o m e even m ore th an th ey (

d i d t o h is c omp an ion I was already asham ed t o .

h ave b een l ed i nto a d isplay o f t emp er and a threat

o f qu arrelling h ere i n the c ompany o f lad i es
,
an d ,

o n su ch an o ccasion We were attractin g atten t ion

.
,

m oreover an d T e u n is and som e o f h i s D u tch fri end s

,

h ad d rawn n earer evid ently u n d erstan ding that a

,
’
d isp u te was at hand Th e baro net s h in t abo u t .

D aisy co mpl eted my m o r t ific a t io n I sh o u ld h ave .

b een th e o n e t o th ink o f h er t o be restrain ed by h er ,

p resen ce an d t o prevent at any c ost h er nam e b e

, , ,

in g associ ated with th e qu arrel by so m u ch as th e

rem ot est i n feren ce .

S o I sto od i rres ol u te with my h an d still o n ,

my sword and black rage still t earing at my

,

h eart bu t with a m ist o f sel f reproach and i nd e

,
-

c is io n b efore my eyes i n wh ich l i ghts costu m es , , ,

p owdere d wigs gay fi gu res abo u t m e all swam

, ,

d izz ily .

St eph en Watts a m an i n man n er th o u gh a m ere

, ,

stripl ing i n years had approached m e from th e ,

 Y o u d o n ot kn ow h i m H e wou l d have h i s
.

t on gu e t orn o u t befo re h e wou ld adm it h i s wron g ,

”
o r any sorrow fo r it .

T o th i s I coul d fi n d n o reply I t wa s o n my .

’
t ongu e s en d t o s ay that m en wh o had a p rid e i n
com bi n ing obst inacy with i n sol en ce m u st reap what
they s o w b u t I wi sely kept silen ce
, .

Sh e wen t o n
P rom i se m e D o u w that yo u will n ot fi ght
, , It .

ch ill s my h eart even th e thou ght o f i t L e t it

—
, .

pass Go away n ow anyth in g b u t a qu arrel ! I

.

b eseech you
“ ’
Ti s m o re easily said th an d one I m u tt ered ,

back t o h er .
“
M en cann o t slip o u t o f du—o u t o f
”
qu arrels as th ey m ay o u t o f coats .

Fo r my sake ! cam e th e wh i sp er wi th a plead

”
“
,

i ng q u aver i n i t fro m beh i nd th e feath ers

, .

”
I t i s all o n o n e sid e D aisy I protest ed
,
I , .
“

m u st b e ridd en over i nsu lted scorn ed fl ou t ed t o

, , ,

— ’
my face an d p ocket it all ! T h at i s a n i gger s p or
f

’
t ion n ot a gentl eman s , You d o n ot kn ow what I
,
”
h ave b orn e al ready .

D O I n o t ? A h too well , Fo r my sake D ou w , ,

for th e sake o f o u r m em ori es o f th e d ear O l d h om e ,

I i mpl ore yo u t o avoi d an enco u nter Will yo u n ot .

—fo r m e
I t m akes a coward o u t o f m e Eve ry To ry i n
th e two cou nti es will cackl e over th e st ory that a
D u t chm an a Wh ig was a ffron ted h ere u nd er th e
, ,

’ ”
Patroon s ve ry roo f an d d ared n ot resen t it
, .

H o w m u ch d o you val u e th ei r word s M u st a

th in g be t ru e for the m t o s ay i t ? Th e real m an
 A Fool is /z an d Vexa tious Qua r r el . 21 7

h o od i s sh own i n th e st rength of
re straint n o t th e ,

weakness o f yield i n g t o th e impu lse o f th e mom ent .

A n d you can b e st rong it yo u choose D o uw ,

Wh il e I still p on d ered th ese word s T e u n is V an

H oorn retu rned t o m e havin g fi n i sh e d h i s con su lta
,

t ion with Watt s wh om I n ow saw wh i sp ering t o Si r

,

J ohn an d th e others wh o clu stered abo u t C ross .

Th e docto r was i n good sp i rits H e sidl ed up t o .

m e u tte rin g alou d som e m erry com m onplace an d

, ,

th en ad di ng i n a l ow ton e
,

I wa s a m atch for h im H e in si ste d that th ey

.

were th e aggri eved party and ch ose swords I st u ck

,
.

t o it th at we occu p ied that positi on and had th e ,

righ t t o cho ose p ist ol s Yo u are n o Frenchm an t o

.
,
’
spit fl esh with a wire b u t you ca n sh o ot can t yo u ? ,
”
I f we stand t o o u r point they m u st yield , .

I cast a swi ft gl an ce toward th e sweet pleading ,

face at my sid e an d m ad e an swer

,

“
I will n ot fi ght !
My ki n sman l ooked at m e with s u rpri se an d vexa
t i on .

N o I wen t on
, it i s n ot ou r w ay h ere Y o u
,
.

have l ived s o l on g abroad that d u ell ing seem s a nat u

ral an d prop er th in g B u t we stay at h om es n o m ore
.
- -

recogn iz e the right of these Engl ish fops t o force

th ei r fi ght ing cu stom s u p on u s than we ru sh t o t ie
o u r h ai r in qu eu es b ecau se i t i s th ei r fash ion .

I will n ot pret en d that I was m u ch i n love wi th

th e l i n e o f acti on th u s lam ely d efend ed To th e .

contrary i t seem ed t o m e th en a cowardly an d u n

,

worthy cou rse ; bu t I h ad ch osen it an d I cou ld ,

n ot retreat .
21 8 In tlze Va l l ey .

Th ere wa s u p o n th e m om ent o ffered te m ptati on

en ou gh t o t est my resol u tion s orely .

M any o f the l adies had i n th e m eanti m e left th e

room n o t fail ing t o l e t it be seen th at th ey resen ted
,
'

th e wranglin g scen e wh ich had been th ru st u p on

them Mi st ress D aisy h ad crossed th e fl oo r t o
.

wh ere Lady J oh nson stood with o the rs an d thi s , ,

frigh t en e d gro u p were n o w alm ost o u r sol e Oh

servers .

Philip Cro ss sh o ok h i mself l oose fro m th e r e

strain in g circle o f friend s an d st rod e t oward m e , ,

h is face glowi ng d arkly with passi on an d h is hand s ,

c h n ch ed .

Y ru n away d o yo u
ou h e said ,
I h ave a .

m i nd then t o th rash yo u wh ere yo u stan d you

D o you h ear m e —h ere wh ere
, , ,

can ting p olt ro on ,

you stan d
“
I h ear yo u I m ad e an swe r strivi n g h ard t o
, ,

keep my voice d own and my resol u ti on u p O thers .

h ear yo u t o o There are lad ies i n th e room I f

,
. .

yo u have any righ t t o be am on g gen tlem en i t i s ,

h igh t im e fo r yo u t o sho w it Y o u are actin g l ike .

a blackgu ard .

H ear th e p reach ing D u t ch m an h e called o u t ,

with a h arsh scorn fu l lau gh t o th ose b eh ind h im

, , .

H e will t each m e m an n ers from his h id ing place ,

-

—
b eh in d the p ett icoat s Com e o u t yo u sku nk skin.
,
-

’
p edler an d I ll break th at swo rd o f yo u rs over you r
,

back !
”

Where th is all wo uld have e nd ed I cann ot t ell .

M y fri e nds gath ere d aro u n d besid e m e and at my ,

back C ross advan ced a step o r two n eare r t o m e h is

.
,
2 20 In tae Va ll ey
‘

P e r h ap s I am
altogeth er an o u t sid er yo un g n ot
'

,
”
s ir, h e replied calm ly I t m igh t be thou gh t that
, .

”
I wo u ld have a righ t t o civi l an swers h ere .

Wh o i s h e ? asked Cro ss contem pt u ou sly t u rn ,

in g hi s h ead t oward S ir J oh n .

M r T en Broeck to ok th e reply u pon h i m sel f

. I .

”
am th e u ncl e an d gu ard ian o f you r b oy h o st h e said -
, ,

“
qu ietly I n a certain sen se I am mysel f you r h ost
.

— th ou gh i t m ay b e an h on or wh i ch I sh all n ot enj oy
”
again .

Th ere wa s a stateli n ess an d sol id ity ab ou t th i s r e

b u ke wh i ch seem ed t o i mp ress even m y h eadstro n g
antagon ist H e d id n ot retort u p on th e i n stan t an d
.
,

all wh o l isten e d felt th e t ension u p on th ei r em o

t ion s rel axed Som e o n th e o u tsk i rts began talking
.

o f other th in gs an d at l east o n e o f th e p ri ncipals ,

changed h i s p o s t u r e w ith a sense o f rel i ef

'

Ph il ip Cross p resen tly wen t over t o wh ere th e

l ad ies stood e x changed a few word s with th em an d
, ,

then with h i s m al e fri ends l eft th e room a ffectin g ,

great comp osu re an d in di fferen ce I t was d eparting .

t im e ; the o u ter hall was b egin n in g t o d isplay cloaks

'

h ood s an d t ippets an d f rom wi th o u t cou ld be h eard

, ,

th e vo ices o f th e n egro es b awl in g o u t d emand s fo r ,

carriages .

I had only a m om en tary ch an ce o f saying fa r evV ell

t o D aisy D o ubtl ess I ou gh t t o h ave h eld aloof
.

from her alt ogeth er b u t I felt that t o b e im p o s s i ,

"

bl e She gave m e h er hand l ookin g st ill very p ale

.
,

and d i strait an d m u rm u red only I t was brave of

'

y o u,
"
D o i1 w .

I d id n ot entirely agree with h er I said i n

'

,
so
 C H A P T E R XX I .

C ON T A ININ G O TH E R N E WS B E SI D E S T HAT FR OM
B U N KE R H I LL .

T O p ass from O c t obe r 1 7 74 t o m id J u n e o f 1 7 7 5 -

—fro m th e m oo nli t st reets of sleep in g A lbany t o

, ,

the broad n oon day o f op en revolt i n th e Mohawk

—
V all ey i s for th e reade r b u t th e t u rn in g o f a page
wi th h is fi n gers T o u s i n th ose t ryin g t im e s th es e
.
, ,

eight m on th s were a pai n fu lly l ong d rawn o ut p eri o d - -

o f an x i ety and growin g excit em ent .

War was c om in g su rely u p on u s —an d wa r u n de r

st range and sin iste r c o n d iti on s D u ll h orse racing
’
.
,
-
,

do g figh t in g n obl em en we re co m fort in g th em selves

-

i n Parli am en t at L on d on by d eclarin g that th e

, ,

A m eri can s we re cowards an d wo u ld n o t fi ght We .

boast ed l ittl e b u t we kn ew o u rselves bette r Th ere

,
.

wa s as yet sm all talk o f in d ep en d en ce o f sep arat i on , .

‘

’
A n o th e r year was to elap se be fore Th om as Pain e s
Com m on Sen s e sh o u l d fl ash a fl ood o f l igh t as from
’
som e n ew s u n u p on m e n s m in d s an d sh ow u s both ,

o u r real goal and th e way t o attain i t B u t abou t .

fi ghtin g we had resol ved o u r p u rp ose

, .

We sh o u ld h ave b ee n slaves oth erwise .

T u rn an d t u rn ab ou t t i tled i mbecil e had s u c

,

c e e de d distin gu i shed i n cap able at Lon d on i n th e

task of hu m il iat ing an d b u llyin g u s in to su bj ec t ion .

N o w i t was G ranvill e n ow T o wn sh end n o w Bed

, ,
 O tker N ews B es ides tka t fr om B u n ker H il l . 22 3

ford n ow N orth —all ted iou sly al ike i n the ir refu sal
,

t o u nd erstand u s and th ei r sl ow ob stinacy o f deter

,

m inati o n to ru le u s i n th ei r way n o t i n o u rs To ,
.

get j u sti ce o r even an i nt elligent heari ng from these

, ,

p eopl e was hop eless Th ey l i sten ed to thei r o w n

.

l ittl e cl iqu e i n th e col on i es—a coteri e o f o ffi cials

,

land own ers dep endents o f th e C rown often m en o f

-
, ,

to o worthless a character t o b e t ol erate d lon ge r i n

England—wh o l ied u s i mp u d en tly and u nbl u sh ingly
o u t o f cou rt T o p l ease th ese gentry th e m u sty
.
,

statu tes o f T u d o r d espoti sm were ran sacked fo r a

law by which we were t o b e h aled over th e seas for
t rial by an Engl ish j u ry fo r se d iti on ; th e p ort o f
Bost on was close d t o tra ffi c an d troop s crowd ed ,

i nto the town t o overawe and cru sh i ts cit izen s ; a

fl eet o f war sh ips wa s d espatched u n der Lord H owe
-

to e n force by broadsides it n e eds be th e wicked

, ,

and stupid t rade and impost laws wh ich we resented ;

everywhere th e C rown au th o ri ti es e x i sted t o harass
o u r local gove rnm ent a f fron t s u ch h on est m en as
,

we selected to h on or fett e r o r d estroy o u r b u siness

, ,

and eat u p o u r su bstan ce i n want on taxati on .

The re had bee n a ch an ce that the n ew Parl iam ent ,

m eet ing for th e fi rst t im e i n the J an u ary o f th is

1 77 5 wou l d sh ow m ore sense an d strive t o h one stly
, ,

s e t m att ers right We had app ealed from Crown

.

an d C omm ons t o th e English people ; fo r a little we

fan cie d th e resu l t m igh t be favorable Bu t th e .

h op e sp eed ily fell t o t h e grou nd Th e English .

,

with that s t range ru sh ing o f blood to th e h ead

wh ich from age t o age o n occasi o n bl ind s thei r
, ,

vision c o n fu ses t hei r j udgm e nt and impels them t o

, ,
2 24 In tke Va l l ey .

ru de and b ru tal co u rses de cre ed i n th ei r choler tha t

,

we sh o u ld b e fl ogged at th e car t t ail -

.

To this we said n o !
I n A lbany o n th is day i n t h e la tt er par t o f J u n e
, ,

wh en th e thread o f th e sto ry i s again resu m ed th e re ,

were n otabl e b u t d istressingly vagu e t id ings FO l

, , .

l owing u po n the bl ow stru ck at Con co rd i n A p ri l a ,

h os t o f arm ed patri o t s ro u ghly organ iz ed into som e

,

t h ing l ike m ilit ary form were i nvestin g Boston an d

, ,

day by day closi ng in th e cordo n arou n d th e b el e ag

u e r e d Brit i sh Ge n eral Gage A great b attl e h ad
.

h —
b een fo Ug t n ear th e t own th i s only we kn ew an d ,

n ot it s resu lt o r ch aracter B ut i t m ean t War and

.
,

th e qu iet b u rgh for t h e n on ce b u zzed wi th th e h u m

o f excit ed com m ent .

The w in do izvs o f my u p per room were op en an d ,

alon g with th e st ream in g su nligh t cam e sn at ches o f

e ch oing word s fro m th e stre et b el ow M en had .

gon e across th e rive r an d horses were t o be p oste d

,

farth er o n u p on the Berksh i re t u rnp ike to catch th e ,

earl iest wh i sp e r from across th e m o u n tain s o f h ow

th e fi ght h ad gon e N o on e t al ked o f anyth ing else
. .

A ssu redly I t o o wo u l d h ave been o n th e street o u t

sid e eag e r t o l earn an d d iscu ss th e n ews from Bos
,

t o n b u t th at my Old friend M aj or J elles Fon da had

,

c o m e d own from Cau gh n a waga bearin g to m e alm ost ,

as grave int elligen ce from th e M ohawk V alley .

H ow well I rem ember h im st ill th e good squ are , ,

s e t solid m erchan t sold ie r with h i s bold b road face

,
-
, ,

resol u te m o u th and calm resou rce fu l m aste rfu l air !

, , ,

H e s at i n h is woollen sh irt sleeves f or th e d ay was

-
,

h o t an d slowly u n folded to m e h is story b etween

,
2 26 In t/ze Va l l ey .

To tell th e tru th h e an swered regretfu lly , , ,

they m os tly walke d away O nly a few Of u s .

h eld o u r plac e O u r m en we re u n arm ed for on e

.
,

thing Moreover they are i n awe o f th e p ower o f

.
,

th e H all Th e m agistrates th e sh eri ff th e con

.
, ,

stables th e assessors — eve rybody i n fact wh o has

, , ,

—
o ffi ce i n T ryo n C ou n ty take o rders from th e H all .

’
Y o u can t get p eopl e t o forget th at Besid es i f th ey .
,

h ad resisted th ey wo u ld h ave b een sh ot d own

,
.

M ajor J elle s went o n t o t el l m e that d espit e thi s , ,

p rep ond eran ce o f arm ed fo rce o n th e sid e o f th e

J oh nson s th ey were vi si bly alarm ed at th e t empe r
,

o f th e pe opl e an d were m akin g p rep arat ion s t o act

o n th e de fensive Si r J ohn had s e t u p cann on on

.

t h e emi n en c e crown ed by th e H all an d h i s R oman ,

C athol ic H ighlanders we re d rill in g n ight an d day t o

p erfe ct them selves as a m ilitary b ody A l l sorts o f .

st ori es cam e d own from J oh n st own and u p from

Guy Park as t o th e desp erat e i ntenti on s o f the
,

ari stocrats an d th ei r retain ers Pecu li arly c o n s p ic

‘
.

u o u s i n th e ban dyin g o f th ese th reats were Philip

C ross and Walter Bu tl er wh o h a d e age r l y i dent i fi ed , ,

th em selves with th e m ost violen t party o f th e Tori es .

T O th em ind e ed wa s d irectly traceabl e th e t erribl e

, ,

ru mo r that i f th e V alley t ribes p roved t o h ave been

, ,

t o o m u ch sp oiled by th e m i ssionari es the wild er ,

I n dian s were t o be call ed d own from th e h ead

wat ers O f th e Three R ivers and from th e Lake ,

plain s b eyon d t o coerce th e settlem ent s i n thei r

,

well kn ow n fash ion i f reb ell i on was p e rsist e d i n

-
,
.

Bu t they woul d n ever dare d o th at ! I cri ed

”
“
,

risi ng t o m y fee t .
 Otker N ews B es ides tka t fr om B u n ker H il l . 2 27

Why not ? asked J ell es i mp ertu rbably su cking ,

at h is p ipe A fte r all that i s thei r chie f strength

.
,
.

M ake n o m istake ! They are at work with th e red

skins p oisoning them again st u s Guy J oh n son i s
,
.

savage at th e m ealy m ou th e d way i n wh ich they

-

talked at h is last co u ncil at Gu y Park an d h e has , ,

al ready p rocu red orders from Lond on t o rem ove

D om in ie Kirkland the m issionary wh o h as kep t th e
,

O n eid as h eret o fore fri endly t o u s Th at m eans .

Y o u c a n s e e as well as th e rest o f u s what i t

”
m ean s .

“ —
I t m ean s wa r in th e V alley figh t in g fo r yo u r
l ives .

Well let it ! My cu stom ers o we m e three tho u

,

san d pou nd s an d m o re I will give eve ry pen ny o f.

that an d as m u ch besi des a n d fight with my gu n

, ,

from the wind ows of my h ou se soone r than tolerate ,

thi s J ohnso n n onsense any longer A n d my old .

fathe r and my brothers say i t with m e M y brothe r .

A dam h e thinks o f n o th ing b u t war thes e days he

,

c a n hardly atten d t o his wo rk hi s head i s s o fu ll o f ,

storing p owder an d colle ct ing cherry and red m apl e

,

fo r gu n stocks and maki ng b ullets That rem inds

-
, .

—
m e Gu y J ohnson took all th e l ead weight s o u t o f
the wi ndows at G u y Park an d h id them to keep , ,

them from o ur b u llet m ou lds before h e ran away

-
, .
”

Before h e ran away ? Who ran away ? ”

Why Guy of cou rse was the cal m reply

, , , .

I stared at th e m an in open m o u thed astonish -

“
m en t .Yo u n ever m ent ioned this ! I managed ”

t o say at last .

“ ’
I h adn t got t o it yet the D u tchman an swered , ,
 In tae Va l l ey .

“
fi ll in g h i s pip e slowly . Yo u yo u n g pe opl e h u rry
”
o n e so .

By d egrees I obtain ed th e wh ol e st ory from h im

-
th e sto ry wh ich h e h ad p u rp o sely com e d own I ,

beli eve t o t ell m e A s h e p rogressed my fan cy ran

,
.
,

before him and p i ct u red th e con clave o f d esp erate

,

pl ott ers i n th e great H all o n th e h ill wh i ch I kn ew

s o well .

I n eed ed n ot h i s assu ran ces t o believe that M olly

Brant wh o h ad com e d own from th e u pp er M ohawk
,

Castl e t o att en d th is cons u ltati on led an d sp u rred o n ,

all th e re st int o m al evol en t resolves .

I co ul d con ceive h er tall swart severely beau ti , , ,

’
f ul still seated at th e tabl e wh ere i n Si r William s
,

t im e s h e h ad been m i st ress an d n ow was b u t a ,

vi sitor yet n ow as then eve ry i n ch a qu een

,
I .

c o u ld s e e her wat ch in g with sil en t in ten tness — fir s t

th e wigged and p owd ered gentlem en Si r J ohn C o l , ,

o n e l Guy th e B u tlers Cross an d Clau s an d th en

, , , ,

h er own broth er J o seph t all l ike h ersel f and d arkly , ,

hand som e b u t u nl ike h er engrafting u p on hi s full

, , ,

wol f t otem M oh awk bl ood th e re st rain t s o f t ongu e

-

and o f th ou ght l earn ed i n th e sch ool s o fwh it e you th .

N o o n e o f th e mal e s Cau ca sian o r ab o rigin al sp oke

, ,

o u t cl early what w a s i n th ei r m i nds Each in tu rn .

b efogged h i s su ggesti on s by de feren ce t o what th e

wOr ldl w h ic h t o th em m ean t Lond on — wo ul d th ink
o fth ei r acts N O on e n o t eve n J oseph Brant u ttered
.
, ,

blu ntly th e o n e id ea wh ich lay covert in th ei r h earts

-
t o wit : tha t th e reca l citran t V alley sh o u l d be
swept as with a besom o f fi re an d steel i n th e han d s
o f the savage h ord e at their com mand Th i s when .
,
2 30 In tbc Va l l ey;

My b ro t h e r A d am wen t t o l ook fo r t h e lead i n

th e wind ows , h on est J elles Fon d a concl u d ed bu t
“
,

it was all gon e S o t h ei r t h o u ghts were o n bu llet s

.

as well as h is H e h as h is eye n ow o n th e ch u rch

.

roof at h om e .

H ere was n ews i nd ee d Th ere cou ld b e n o p re

t ence that th e cland estin e fl igh t o f th ese m en was
from fear for th ei r personal safety T o th e c o n .

t r a r y Col on el Gu y as I n d ian su perin ten d ent had

, , ,

fully fi ve h u ndred fi ghti ng m en I nd ian and oth e r ,

wi se ab ou t h is fort i fi ed resi d ence Th ey had c l early

, .

gon e t o enl ist fu rth e r aid t o b rin g d own fresh force s

,

t o assist S i r J oh n Sh eri ff Wh it e and th ei r To ry

, ,

m in i on s t o h ol d T ryon C o u nty i n t error and i f , ,

n eed b e t o fl ood i t wi th o u r bl o od
, .

We sat silen t for a t im e as b e fitt e d m en con ,

frontin g s o grave a situ ati o n A t l ast I said .

“
Can I d o anything ? Y o u all m u s t kn ow u p
th ere that I am with yo u h eart an d so ul ,
.

M aj or J elles l ooked m ed itat ively at m e th rou gh ,

h is fog o f sm oke .

“
Yes we n ever d ou bted that B u t w e are n ot
, .

agreed h ow yo u c an bes t s erve u s Y o u are o u r .

best sch o oled you ng m an ; yo u kn ow h ow t o writ e

-

well an d t o sp eak En gli sh l ike an Engl ishm an

,
.

S om e th i nk yo u can b e o f m ost u se h ere stan din g ,

between u s and th e A lbany com m ittee oth ers s ay

that th ings wo u ld go better i f we had yo u am on g
u s M atte rs are very bad J ohn J ohn son i s stop
. .

p in g travell ers o n th e highways and search i n g th em ;

we are t rying t o watch th e river as closely as h e
d oes t h e roads b u t h e h as the cou rts and th e sh eri ff
, ,
 Otker N ews B es ides tka t fr om B u n ker H il l . 23 1

’
and that m akes it hard fo r u s I d on t kn ow wh at .

t o advise yo u What d o yo u th ink ?

.

Whil e we we re still d ebati n g th e qu esti on th u s

raised by M aj or Fonda— alth ou gh I h ave writte n it
i n an Engl i sh whi ch th e worthy sou l n eve r attained
— m y co u si n Te n n is V a n H o orn b u rst i nto th e
room with t idings from Bosto n wh ich had j u st
arr i ved by co u ri er A lm ost b efo re h e cou ld sp eak
.
,

th e so u n d o f cheerin g i n th e street s t ol d m e th e
b u rd en o f h is st o ry I t was th e tale o f B u nker H ill
.

wh ich h e sh o u ted o u t to u s —that st o ry still s o ’

splend i d i n o u r ears bu t th en with all it s fresh ness

, ,

o f vigo r and m ean i ng u pon u s n oth ing less than

,

soul thrilling
-

A n h o u r l at er M aj o r J elles rose p u t o n h i s coat

‘

, ,

and sai d h e m u st be O ff .

’
H e wou ld sl eep that n ight at M ab ie s so as t o ,

h ave all th e Tryon Co u nty part o f h is rid e by d ay

l ight n ext day wh en th e road s wo u ld be safer
, .

I t was only wh en we were shaking hand s with

h im at the d oo r that I fou n d h ow th e secret ive
D ut ch m an h ad kep t hi s great est t o m e m ost vital , ,

t id ings for th e l ast .

“
O h yes !
”

, h e said as h e stood i n th e door

,

way ; p erhap s I d id n ot m ent ion i t Yo u n g Cro ss .

h as l eft h is h om e an d gon e to j oin Guy J ohnson

and th e B utlers They s ay h e had angry word s with
.

—
h is wife ryo u r D ais y} be fo r e h e d eserted h er Sh e
L
.

h as com e back to the Ced ars again t o l ive

 C H A PT E R X X I I .

TH E M A S TE R AN D M IS T R E SS OF C A I R N C R OSS .

T HE R E is th e l ess n eed t o ap ol ogiz e fo r n ow

essaying t o p ortray su nd ry scen es o f wh i ch I was
n ot an actu al witn ess in that th e read e r m u st by
,

this tim e b e h eartily d i sp osed t o welcom e an escap e

from my wearisom e ego at any exp en se wh at so ever
,

o f h istori cal accu racy N o r is i t essent ial t o s e t

.

forth i n th is place th e m ean s by wh i ch I l ater cam e

t o b e fam iliar wi th th e events n o w t o b e d escrib ed
— m ean s wh ich will b e apparen t en o u gh as th e tal e
u n folds .

D u sk i s gath ering i n th e great room t o th e righ t

an d rear of th e wi d e hall at Cai rn cross and a black ,

s ervan t h as j u st b rou ght in candl es to b e p l aced o n

,

th e broad m arble m antel and on th e oaken tabl e i n

th e cen tre o f th e room Th e soft l igh t m ell ows th e
.

shad ows creepi n g over t h e wh it e an d gold pan elling

o f th e walls an d twi nkles faintly i n refl ecti on back
,

from th e gil t th read s i n th e h eevy cu rtai n s ; b u t i t

can n ot d isp el th e gl oom wh ich ( like an atm osph er e ?
,

p ervad es th e ch amb er A lth ou gh i t i s J u n e an d

.
,

warm of m id days a fi re b u rn s o n the h earth slowly

-
, ,

an d spi ritl essly as i f th e task of impartin g ch eerfu l

,

n ess t o th e room were b eyon d its stren gth .

Close by t h e fi replace h old in g over it i n fact h i s

, , ,
23 4 In tae~

Va l l ey .

’
sh i ver wh ich shakes t h e O l d m an s b en t sh o u l der s :
I f we h eaped t h e fi repl ace t o th e t op i t co uld n ot ,
”
make them se em h om elike .

The last wo rd s si nk wi th a sigh int o th e S ilence o f

th e great room an d n o m ore are sp oken Both
, .

feel perhaps that i f m ore w ere sp oken th ere m u st

, ,

b e tears as well O nly th e p oo r girl p resses her

.

han d u p on h is arm w ith a m u t e caress and d raws ,

closer t o his sid e Th ere is n oth ing o f n ovelty t o

.

them i n th is tacitly (Sh a r edfsen se o f gloom Thi s .

Thu rsday i s as M ond ay was as any d ay last year ,

w a s as seem ingly all d ays t o com e will b e

, .

The m isery o f th i s ma rri age has n ever b een d i s

cu ssed between th ese t w o Th e gi rl is t o o fond t o .

imp u te blam e t h e o l d gen tl em an t oo p rou d t o

,

accep t i t ; i n both m ind s th ere i s th e S ilen t c o n

s c io u s n e s s th at i nt o th i s calam ity th ey walked with

eyes op en an d m u st n eed s bear th e resu lts withou t

,

rep in ing A n d m ore th ou gh the re i s t ru e sym

.
,

p athy b etween the two u p t o a certai n p o int even ,

D aisy a n d M r Stewart h ave d ri fted apart beyon d it

. .

Both vi ew Ph il ip withi n th e h o u se wi th th e sam e

—
eyes ; th e Phil ip o f th e o u ter world th e l ittl e
V alley wo rl d o f h ot passions stron g ambiti ons
-

fi e rce intol eran ces growing stri fe an d rancor—they

, ,

s ee d i f feren tly A n d this was th e sad d est th in g o f

.

all.

Ph ilip Cross entered ab ru ptly h i s sp u rs clanking ,

with a S harp ring at h is b o ot h eels an d n odd ed with -

,

l ittl e en o u gh gr ag o u s n es s o f m an n e r t o t h e t wo
before th e fi re .

“
I have n ot ord ered su pper t o b e laid said ,
 T /ze Ma s ter an d Mis tr es s of Ca ir n cr oss . 23 5

D aisy ; yo u r com ing wa s SO u nce rtain Shall I .

ring for i t n ow ?
“
I have eaten at th e H all said th e yo u ng man , ,

u nlo cking an escritoire at th e farth er en d o f th e

room as h e sp oke and takin g fro m i t som e papers
,
.

H e p resen t ly advan ced t oward th e fi re holdi ng ,

th ese in his hand H e walked st ead ily en ou gh bu t

.
,

th ere was th e ( ev il fl u sh up on h is tem pl es an d n eck

"

a deep su ffu si on o f co l or against wh ich h is fl ax en

p owd ered hair showed al m ost wh it e —wh ich both
, ,

kn ew t o o well
Who is at th e H all ? asked M r Stewart
There were goo d m en th ere t o day—an d a
. .

woman t o o wh o topped th em all in spirit and

, ,

worth We call the I nd ian s an i n fe rior race b u t

.
, ,

by God ! they at least h ave n ot l ost the tri ck o f

breed ing wo m en wh o d o n ot whin e —wh o wou l d
rather show u s blood than t ears ! ”

Th u s you n g M r Cross spoke with a sulky i n fer

.
,

ence i n h is t on e as h e held u p his p ap ers t o th e

,

cand le an d scan n ed th e writin gs by i ts l ight

, .

“
Ah M r Stewart mad e an swer (d issembling )
,
”
.
,

wh at piqu e h e m ight h ave felt an d p u ttin g real in ,

t e r e s t into h is wo rd s I s M olly Brant th en com e

.
, ,

down from th e Castl e ? What doe s sh e at th e H all ?

I thou ght Lady J oh nso n wou l d have n on e o f h er .

Yes sh e is at th e H all o r was wh en I left Sh e

, , .

wa s sorely n eed ed t o o to p u t som eth i n g like reso

, ,

l u t io n i nto th e ch i cken hearts th ere Thin gs will

m ove n o w—nay are movin g ! A s fo r Lady J ohn
-
.

s o n s h e i s t o o d u tifu l an d wi se a woman t o have any

,

’
wi shes that are n o t h er h u sband s I wou ld t o Go d .
2 36 In tae Va l l ey .

th ere were O th ers hal f so obed ie nt an d l oyal as Polly

Watts ! ”

A gain th ere wa s ft h e Obviou s d o ubl e m ean ing)i n

hi s sullen ton e A swi ft glan ce fl ash ed back and
.

forth between M r Stewart and th e pal e faced yo u n g

.
-

wi fe an d agai n M r Stewart avoid ed th e subj ect at

,
.

wh i ch Cross h i nted I n stead h e t u rn ed h is chair

.

t oward th e you ng m an an d said : ,

Th in gs are m oving yo u s ay What is n ew ? , .

Why th is is n ew answered Cross lowe rin g th e

, , ,

pap ers for th e m om ent an d lo okin g d own u pon h is

,

q u est i on er : blood ru n s n ow at l ast inst ead o f m ilk

’
i n th e ve in s o f th e kin g s m en We will know .

wh ere w e st and We will m ast er an d p u n ish di s

.

l oyalty ; w e will b ro ok n ot an othe r syllable o f rebel

l i on !
“
Yes i t has been l et t o ru n overlo n g s aid M r
, , .

“
Stewart .O ft en en ou gh since Si r William d i ed
, ,

h ave I wi shed that I were a score o f years yo u nger .

P erhaps I m igh t have served in u n ravell in g th i s

u nhappy tangle o f m i su n d erstand in gs Th e n ew .

fi ngers that are p icking at th e knot are h on est

”
en o u gh b u t th ey have sm all cu nn ing
,
.

“
That as yo u will ; bu t there is t o b e n o m ore
fu mbling at th e kn ot We will c u t i t n o w at a blow
.

-
cu t it cl ean an d sharp with th e t omahawk
A n alm ost splend i d an im at i on glowed in the
’
yo u n g m an s eyes as h e sp oke an d for th e n on ce l it ,

u p th e d ogged h ardn ess o f h i s face S o m igh t th e .

st olid p u rpl e visage o f som e an cestral Cross have

b ecom e illu m in ed over h is h eavy beef and t ubs of
,

ale at the stray th ou ght o f sp earing a boar at b ay

, ,
23 8 In tke Va l l ey .

said Ph ilip with a perfu n ct ory re t u rn to th e u sage s

,

“
o f p ol it en ess Y o u are ever welcom e here
”
. .

“ ”
Y e s I kn ow
, repli ed M r St ewart n o t i n a t on e
, .
,

“
o f compl et e conviction Bu t o l d bon e s are best .

”
cou ch ed at h om e .

There was anoth er pau se th e o l d ge ntl em an stil l ,

resting h i s hand a ffection ately al most dep recatingly , ,

’
o n th e oth e r s sl eeve .

I wo u l d sp eak plainly to yo u befo re I go Ph ilip , ,

h e said at l ast
,
I p ray yo u l isten t o th e h onest
.
,

advi ce o f an ol d m an wh o speaks to yo u Go d knows , , ,

from th e ve ry fu ln ess o f h i s h eart I m islike thi s .

adven tu re at wh ich yo u h in t I t h as an evil sou rce .

o f insp irati on ! I t i s a gl oomy d ay for u s h ere an d ,

for th e C ol ony an d fo r the cau se o f ord er wh en th e

, ,

co u n sel s o f com m on sen se an d civilizati o n are t osse d

-

asi d e and th e word s o f that red s h e d evil regard ed

,
-

i nstead N o good will c om e o u t o f it— n o good

.
,

beli eve m e Be warn ed i n t i m e ! I d ou bt yo u were

.

born wh en I fi rst cam e i nt o thi s V alley I h ave .

kn own i t fo r d ecad es alm ost wh ere yo u have kn own , ,

i t for years I have watch ed its settl em en ts grow

.
,

i ts fi eld s p u sh st ead ily season after s eason u p on , ,

th e he el s o f th e forest I u n d erstan d i ts p eople as .

you can n ot p ossibly do M u ch th ere i s that I d o .

n ot like M any th in gs I wo ul d ch ange as yo u wou l d

.
,

chan ge them Bu t th ose e rr cru elly cri m i nally wh o

.
, ,
”
wou ld work th is change by th e u s e o f th e savages .

A l l oth er m ean s h ave been t ri ed S h ort o f crawl ,

ing o n o u r b elli es to th ese D u tch h i nd s m u tt ered

th e you ng m an .

Y o u d o n ot know what th e c om ing o f th e tribes

 T be M s ter a an d Mis tr ess of Ca ir n cr oss . 2 39

i n h ost ility m eans conti n u ed M r Stewart wi th

,
.
,

“
i ncreasing sol em nity o f earn est n ess Y o u were .

t oo yo u ng t o real iz e what l ittle yo u saw as a ch ild ,

’
h ere i n th e V alley o f B ell é t r e s raid Si r J oh n and
,
.

Guy kn ow scarcely m ore o f i t than yo u Twenty .

years alm ost have p assed sin ce th e V alley last

, ,

h eard th e M ohawk yell ri se th rou gh th e n igh t ai r -

’
ab ove th e r ifl e s crack an d woke in terro r to s e e ,

the s ky red with th e b laz e o f roof t rees A l l ove r -

.

th e world m e n sh u dder still at h e ar m g o f th e thing s

d on e th en Will yo u be a willin g party t o bringing
.

th ese h orro rs again upon u s ? Thi nk what it i s that

y o u w o u l d d o
“
I t i s n ot I alon e Philip replied i n su llen de
, ,

“ ’
fence . I b u t cast my lot o n th e king s sid e as ,

you yo u rsel f do O nly yo u are not call ed upon t o

.

fi t yo u r acti on t o yo u r words ; I am ! Besides h e ,

“
wen t o n su lkily I have al ready chosen n ot t o go
, ,

with Guy and th e Bu tlers D o u btless they d eem .

m e a coward fo r my res olu t ion That o u ght to .

”
pl ease you .

G O with th em ? Wh ere are th ey goin g ?

Up th e river ; p erhap s only t o th e Upper Cas
tle ; perhaps to O swego ; p erhap s to M on treal —a t
all events t o get th e tribes well i n hand an d hold
, ,
”
them ready t o strike That is h e add ed as an .
, ,

“
afterth ou ght i f it really becomes n ecessary t o
,

strike at all I t m ay not com e t o th at yo u kn o w

.
, .
”

A n d this fl ight is actu ally resolved u p on ?

”

I f yo u call it a fl ight yes ! Th e I nd ian su p er ,

in t e n de n t goe s t o s e e th e I nd ian s ; som e fri end s go

with h im —t h a t is all What m ore nat u ral ? The y
.
2 40 In tke V a l l ey .

h ave i n tru th starte d by th i s ti me well on th ei r wa y , .

I was sorely p resse d t o accompany th em ; fo r h o u rs

Walt e r B u tl er u rged all th e pl eas a t h i s com m an d t o
”
sh ake my wi ll .

“
O f co u rse yo u co u ld n ot go ; t hat wou l d h ave
been m ad n ess ! sa id M r Stewart t estily
”
Both .
, .

m en looked t oward th e yo u ng wi fe with i nst in ct ive ,

concert o f th ou ght .

She sat by th e fi re with h er fai r h ead ben t fo rward ,

i n m ed itat i on ; i f S h e had h eard th e conversat io n o r ,

kn ew n ow th at th ey were th inking o f h er s h e Sign i ,

fie d it n ot by glan ce o r gest u re .

”
N O o f cou rse
,
said Ph il ip with a faltering d is
, ,

“
cl aim er . Ye t th ey u rged m e stren u o u sly Even .

’
now th ey are t o wait two d ays at T hompson s o n
’
—
C osby s M an o r fo r my fi nal wo rd th ey cho osing
,

still to regard my com in g as p ossibl e .

Fools ! broke i n th e o l d gen tleman It is n ot .

e n o u gh t o force war u p on th ei r n eighbors b u t th ey ,

m u st strive t o d est roy what l ittl e happ in ess I have

re main ing t o m e ! ”
H is ton e so ften ed t o o n e o f
sad n ess an d again h e glan ced toward D ai sy
,
A las .
,

“
Philip h e said m ou rn fu lly th at it s kou l d b e s o
,
”

, ,

l ittl e !
The yo u n g m an sh i fted h is att it u d e im patient ly ,

an d began scan n ing h is p ap ers on ce m ore A m o .

m ent later h e rem arked from behin d th e m an u ,

scripts
“
I t i s n o t we wh o b egin th i s t ro u ble Th ese .

com m itte es o f th e reb el sco u nd rel s h ave bee n active

for m onth s al l ab ou t u s Lyin g acco u n t s to o u r
,
.

p rej u d ice are ceaselessly sen t d own t o th e com m it

2 42 In fil e Va l l ey .

s iISp 1 c 1 o n s . Mn a
b eginn in g to recall tha t yo u
e re ,
'

Were I n arm s agains t H is M aj esty Kin g George th e

S econd an d t o h i nt th at p erhaps yo u are n ot pre
,

c is el y overfl ow ing with l oyalty to h is gran dson ,

th o u gh you give h i m l ip servi ce read ily enou gh .

A s yo u were pleased t o s ay t o m e a few m in u tes

'
‘

’
ago B e warn ed i n t im e M r St ewart
, , .

Th e Ol d gentleman h ad started back as i f stru ck

by a whip a t th e fi rst h au gh ty w
’
v
'

o rd s in fl ect i on .

Grad u ally as t h e impertin ent sent en ce s followed

, ,
‘

h e had d rawn u p h i s ben t sl end er fram e u ntil h e ,

sto od n ow erect h i s h ooked n ose i n the ai r an d h i s

, ,

bl u e eyes fl ash in g O nly th e shru nke n l ip s qu ivered

.

wi th th e weakn ess of years a s he l ooke d tal l ,

.

yo un g M r Cros s fu ll i n th e face
'

. .

“
D eath Of my l i fe ! h e stam m ered ”
Y ou are .
‘

’
say i ng th ese th in gs t o m e I t i s Tony C ross s son
wh om I l isten t o — 4an d ker s o n —th e yo u ng m an t o
’
wh om I gave my s o u l s treasu re
Then h e st opp ed and wh il e h is eyes still gl owed
,

fi e ry wrath t h e t rembli ng l ips becam e pit eou s i n

th ei r i nability t o form words Fo r a fu ll m in u t e .

th e fi n e old soldier st ood squ ared and q u ivering ,

with i n dign ati on What h e w ou ld h ave said h ad

.
,

h e sp oken we can o nly gu ess B u t n o u tteran ce

, .

cam e H e h al f rai sed h is h an d t o h i s h ead wi t h

.
-

a startled m ovem ent ; th en seem in g t o recover ,

h im sel f walked ove r t o where D ai sy s a t é er em o n i

, , .

o u s l yt
ls t o o p e d t o kiss h er foreh ead and W i th a pain , ,

f ully obvi ou s e ffort t o keep h is gait from tottering ,

moved p rou dly o u t o f th e room .

Whe n Ph il ip wh o h ad d u mbly watch ed th e e ffect

,
W h l le h is y s s il low
e e t l g e d fi e ry w r t h t h t r m b l i n g
a e e ll pS b am
ec e p ite o s in h ir
u t e

i n b i l t y t fo r m w o r ds
,

a i o .
L IL
 C H A PT E R X X I I I .

H OW P H I L IP IN W RA TH D A IS Y IN A N G U IS H , ,
F LY
TH E I R H O ME .

Y O U are then n ot even a gentlem an

, ,

Th e u ngracip u s words cam e al m ost u nbidden from

’
D ai sy s p all id lip s as h u sband an d wi fe fo r th e fi rst
,

t im e faced each oth er in anger She cou ld n ot h elp .

it Passi ve pat ien t l ong su fferi ng sh e h ad b een th e

.
, ,
-

whil e th e m o r t ific a tio n s an d sligh ts were fo r h ersel f .

B u t it was beyon d th e st rength o f he r control to s it

qu ietly by wh e n M r Stewart w as also a ffronted
. .

Thro u gh all th e years o f h er l i fe s h e had been

e ith er s o happy i n h er fi rst h om e o r s o sil en tly l oyal ,

t o d u ty i n h e r second th at n o o n e had d i scovered

,

i n D ai sy th e exi sten ce o f a stron g sp irit Sweet .

t emp e red acqu iesc en t gentl e every on e had kn own

, , ,

h e r alike in j oy o r u nder th e b u rd en o f dis ap

“
A s d ocil e as D ai sy
”
p oin t m en t an d d isill u sion .

m ight h ave b een a p rove rb in th e n eighb orh o od s o ,

gen eral wa s th i s view o f h er n at u re L east o f all .

d id th e selfi sh su rly t em pered wil fu l yo u ng Eng

,
-
,

l ish m an wh o wa s her h u sband and wh o had ridden ,

ro ugh sh o d over h e r t en de r tho u ghts an d dream s

-

these two years su sp ect that sh e had i n h er th e

,

capab ilit i es o f fl am in g wrath f u l resi stan ce

,
.

H e stared at h er n ow at fi rst i n u tte r b ewild er,

m en t t h en with the i nst in ct o f combat in hi s scowl

,
.
 H ow P kil ip an d D a isy Fly t/zeir H om e . 24 5

Be caref u l what yo u say ! he answered S harply ,

.

I am i n n o m ood for folly .

N ay m ood o r n o m o od I shall speak T O O lon g

, ,
.

h ave I h eld my p eace Yo u sh ou ld be asham ed i n

.

eve ry recess o f yo u r h eart for what you have sai d

and d on e th is d ay ! She sp oke with a vibran t fer
v e n c y o f feeling which for th e m om en t p ie rced even

hi s th ick skin .

“
H e was over hasty h e m u ttered in hal f apol
-
, ,
-

o gy. What I said was for h is interest I in ten de d .

”
n o O ffen ce .

“
Will you foll ow h im and s ay so ? ,

Certainly n ot ! I f h e ch ooses t o take u mbrage ,

’ ”
let h im I t s n o a ffai r o f m in e
. .

Then I will gO —an d n ot retu rn u n til h e com es

with m e invited by yo u
,
’
Th e wom an s fi gu re scorn fully erect t rembled , ,

with the excitem en t o f th e p osition S h e had o n th e

m om en t assu m ed ; bu t he r beau t i fu l face re fi n ed ,

an d spirit u al iz ed o f l at e by th e imp rin t o f woman 1

’
h ood s sadd en in g wisdom was coldly resol u te By , .

contrast with th e b u rly form an d red rou gh c o u n t e ,

n an ce o f th e m an sh e con front ed s h e seem ed m ad e ,

o f anoth er clay .

“
Yes I will go ! S h e went on h u rriedly
,
“
Thi s ,
.

last i s to o m u ch I t i s n ot fi t that I S houl d keep

u p th e p ret en ce longe r .

The h u sban d bu rst o u t with a ru d e an d som ewhat

h ollow lau gh Preten ce you say ! Nay m adam
.
, , ,

you m iscall i t A p ret en ce is a th in g th at d eceives

.
,

and I h ave n ever been d eceived D o n ot fl atter .

you rself I have read you l ike a page o f large prin t

.
,
2 46 In tlze Va ll ey .

these twenty m onths Like th e old ga ffer wh ose .

feath ers I ru ffl ed h ere a while ago with a few word s

o f tru th yo u r tongu e has b een here b u t you r
, ,

th o u ght s have been with the D u tchm an in A lbany !

Th e po or girl fl u sh ed and recoil ed u nder the
coarse in su lt an d the words d id n ot com e readily
,

with wh ich t o rep el it .

“
I know n ot h ow t o answe r i nsolence o f th i s
“
kin d s h e said at last
,
I h ave been b adly reared
,
.

fo r su ch p u rposes .

She felt he r cal mn ess d esertin g h er as s h e sp oke ;

h er eyes began t o b u rn with the st arti ng t ears .

Th is crisis i n h er l ife had spru ng into being with

su ch terribl e swiftness an d yawn ed before h er n ow ,
’
,

as refl ecti o n cam e with s u ch bl ackn e s s o f u nkn own

‘

,
’
consequ en ces that her wom e n s st rength q uake d
,

and wavered Th e tears fo u n d th ei r way t o h er

.

cheeks now and throu gh them s h e saw n ot th e

, ,

h eavy hal f d ru nken you ng h u sban d b u t th e hand

,
-
,

som e S l en d er s oft voice d yo u n ger l ove r o f th re e

, ,
-

years ago A n d then th e so ftn ess cam e t o h er vo ice

.

t oo .

H ow ca n yo u b e so cru el an d c oarse Ph il ip s o , ,

u nworthy o f yo u r real self ? Sh e sp oke d espai r

in gl y n ot able wh olly to b el ieve that th e o l d sel f
,

w a s th e tru e sel f yet cl i nging woman like to th e , ,

-
,

h op e th at sh e wa s m istaken .

H a ! S o my l ady has thou gh t better o f going ,

h as sh e ?
“
Why S ho u ld yo u fi n d pleasu re in seekin g t o
m ake this hom e imp ossibl e fo r m e Philip ? s h e
”

asked i n grave gentlen ess o f app eal

,
.
 In tke Va l l ey .

approach ed h i m an d sto od at th e back O f h i s

,

chair .

“
Yo u are n o happi e r th an I am Philip s h e said , , .

S u rely th ere m u st b e som e b ett er way t o l ive

than th is Can we n ot fi n d it an d spare o u rselves al l
.
,

th is m i sery
“
What m isery ? h e growl ed
”
There is n on e .

that I kn ow save the m i sery o f h avin g a wi fe wh o

,

hates eve ryth ing h er h u sban d d oes Th e weath er .

cock on th e ro of h as m o re sym pathy with my p u r

p ose s and aim s than you h ave A t l east once i n a .

”
whil e h e p oi nts m y way .

“
Wherein h ave I fail ed ? When h ave yo u eve r
t emp erat ely t ri ed t o s et m e aright \ seeing my ,

e rrors ? ”

—
Th ere it is th e pl au sibl e t ongu e always Wh en .

’
h ave I d on e th i s o r that o r th e oth er ?
, ,
I t i s n ot
on e thin g that has been d on e m ad am b u t t en , ,

th o u san d l eft u n d on e ! What d id I n eed h av —

, ,
—
ing lan ds m on ey p ositi on t o m ake m e th e ch ie f
gentleman of Tryon Cou nty and th i s h o u se o f ,

m i n e th e forem ost m an si on west o f A l bany o nce ,

S ir William was d ead ? N au ght b u t a wi fe wh o

sh ou ld S hare my ambiti ons ent e r in t o my plan s , ,

gladly h elp t o fu rthe r my ends ! I ch oos e for th i s

a wife with a p retty face a p retty m an n er a tidy , ,

fi gu re wh ich carri es borrowed satin s gr acefully

—
en ou gh as I fan cy a wi fe wh o will bring sympathy
,

an d d istin cti on as well as b eau ty Well I wa s a .

,

fool Th is p recio u s wi fe of m in e is a P u ri tan gh ost

wh o ga z es gloom ily at m e when we are al on e an d ,

ch ills my friend s to the m arrow wh en they are ill

 H ow P kil zj
b an d D a isy Fly tkeir H om e . 249

advised enou gh to visit m e Sh e looks at th e win e .

I li ft t o my l ips and it sou rs in th e glass Sh e l ooks

,
.

into my kennels an d it is as i f tu rpent in e had bee n

,
’
rubbed o n the hou nd s sn ou ts Thi s great h ou se o f .

m in e which ou ght o f righ t t o be th e gallan t cen tre

,

o f V alley li fe and gayety stands u p h ere by God

!
, ,

l ike a d eserted ch u rchyard ) M en avoid i t as i f a .

regicid e had d ied here I m ight have been Si r Ph il ip

.

’
before th i s and had h is M aj esty s com m ission i n my
,

p ocket bu t for th i s p e tt icoat ed skel eton which warn s

,

Of f pleasu re an d prom otion A n d th en s h e whin es .

,
’
What h ave I don e ?
Yo u are clever eno u gh Philip to have been any , ,

th in g you wanted to be i f only you h ad started with

,

m ore heart an d l ess appeti te fo r pl easu re ) I t i s n ot .

you r wi fe bu t you r win e that yo u S h ould blam e

, , .
”

“
A y th ere it com es ! A n d even i f it we re t ru e
as it i s not for I am as temperate as an oth er—1 t
,

wou ld be you w h o h ad d riven m e t o it .

”

What folly ! ”

Folly madam ? By H eaven I will n ot

, ,

Nay li sten to m e Ph ilip for the on ce We m ay

, , , .

not speak th u s frankly again ; it wou ld have been

bette r had we freed ou r m inds i n th i s plai n fash io n
l on g ago I t is n ot poo r m e b u t som eth in g else
.
, ,

that i n two years has chan ged y o u u tte rly T O .

day you cou ld n o m ore get yo u r m i n d in t o th e sam e

h on est cou rse o f th ou ghts yo u u sed t o h old than you
cou ld you r bod y int o you r wedd in g waistcoat Yo u .

talk n ow o f amb itions ; for th e m om en t yo u really

think you had ambiti on s an d becau se th ey are only ,

m em ori es yo u accu se m e Tell m e t ru ly what were

, .
,
yo u r amb i t ion s ? To do n othi ng b u t pl ease yo u rsel f
— to rid e h u nt gambl e scatter m oney d rink ti ll yo u
, , , ,

co u ld dri nk n o m ore N oble a s p 1 a t io n s these fo r

. r —
whi ch t o wi n th e sympathy of a wi fe ! ”

Philip had t u rn ed h im self aro u nd i n h is chai r an d ,

-

was lookin g stead ily at h e r Sh e fou nd th e co u rage .

t o stan d resol u t e u nd er th e gaz e an d ret u rn i t .

Th ere is on e p o int o n which I a gre e with you ,

h e said S lowly : I am not l ike ever again to hear

,

t alk o f th i s k in d u nd er my roo f Bu t wh il e w e are .

th u s ami ably layin g o u r h earts bare t o each oth er ,

th ere i s anoth e r th ing t o be said Eve rywhere i t i s .

u npleasan tly remarked th at I am n ot m aste r i n my

o w n h ou se — th at h ere th ere are two kind s o f p ol i

t ics that I am loyal and my wi fe i s a rebel

-
.

O h that i s u n fai r ! Tru ly Ph ilip I have given n o

, , ,

cau se for s u ch sp eech N ot a word h ave I spoken

.
,

e ve r t o warran t this
,
I t wou ld be n ot only wrong
.

b u t presu m i ng t o d o s o sin c e I am bu t a woman , ,

’
and h ave n o m ore than a wo man s partial kn owl edge
o f th ese th ings I f yo u had eve r asked m e I wo uld
.

h ave told yo u frankly that as against th e J ohnson s

, ,
’

and Bu tlers an d Whites my feeli ngs w e r e with th e

,

p eople o f my o wn fl e sh and blood ; b u t as t o my

h aving ever spoken
Yes I know what yo u wo u ld say h e b roke i n
, , ,

with cold m e asu red wo rd s I can p u t i t for yo u

i n a breath—I am an Engl ish gentl em an ; you are a
.
,

D utch fo u n dl ing
She lo oked at h im sp eechless and m entally stag
,

g e r ed. I n all her li fe i t had n ever occu rred t o h er

that this th in g co u ld b e tho u ght o r said T hat i t .
2 52 In tke Va l l ey .

well I rid e t o n ight D O you gath er th e th in gs

.
-
.

I n eed cloth es m o n ey trinkets an d what n ot —t o

— , , ,

be t aken with m e H ave th e pl ate th e ch in a th e

.
, ,

cu rtain s pi ct u res pe ltri es an d su ch l ike p rop erly

, , , ,

packed to be sen t over t o th e H all with th e h orses

,

and d ogs i n th e early m o rni ng I shall ri d e all .

n igh t an d all to m orrow i f n eed s be When yo u

,
-
.

have seen th e good s safely at th e H all d el iver ce r ,

tain l ette r swh ich I shall p resen tly w rit e an d retu rn ,

h ere I l eave yo u i n charge o f th e estat e ; you will

.

— —
b e m aster su prem e an d will acco u n t o nly t o m e ,
’
wh en th e k i ng s m en com e back I shall t ake C ae sar .

an d Sam with m e H ave th em sad d le th e roan for

.

m e an d th ey m ay take t h e ch est n u t p air an d l ead

,

Fi refly Lo ok t o th e saddle bags an d p acks you rsel f

.
-
.

Let eve rything b e ready for my start at el even th e

”
m oon will b e u p by th en .

The creat u re wait ed for a m om en t a f t er Ph i l ip

h ad tu rn ed t o h is pap ers .

’
Will yo u take my lady s j ewels h e asked .

D am nati on ! N o growled Philip .

If yo u do n ot , tkey s ba l l be tkr o wn a fter y o u

I t was D aisy wh o spoke —D aisy wh o l ean ed h eav ,

’

ily u p on th e ch air back t o keep erect i n th e wh i rl in g

-

d ream o f bewild erm ent wh i ch envel op ed her Th e .

word s wh en th ey h ad been u tt ere d seem ed from

som e oth er lips th an h ers Th ere was n o th ough t .

i n h er m ind wh ich th ey refl ected Sh e was t o o n ear .

u p o n S woon in g t o th in k at all .

O nly dimly cou l d sh e afterward recall h avin g le ft

th e room an d th e m em o ry was solely o f the wi cked
,

gleam in th e s erpen t eyes o f h e r en emy R ab and o f ,

 H o w P kil ip an d D a isy Fly tkeir H o m e. 2 53

th e s ou n d o f pap ers being t orn by her h u sband as ,

S he daz ed and fainti ng m an aged t o creep away an d

, ,

reach he r ch amber .

Th e wakefu l J u n e s u n had been up for an h o u r

l
o r so i ntent up on th e sel f app oi nt ed an d grat u it o u s
,
-

task o f heating st ill m o re th e su ltry m ot ion less ,

m orn ing air whe n con sci ou sn ess ret u rn ed t o D aisy

, .

A ll abo u t he r th e sil ence was profo und A s sh e .

rose th e fact that s h e w as al ready d ressed scarcely

,

i nt erest ed h e r She n oted that th e l ace and velvet

.

h angings were go ne and th at th e apartm en t had ,

been desp o iled o f m u ch el se besides an d gave th i s ,

h ard ly a passing thou ght .

i Me ch an ic a l l l s h e t ook from th e ward robe a

y
h ooded cloak p u t i t abou t h er an d l eft th e room
, , .

Th e hal lways were st rewn with straw an d th e l itter

o f packing D oors o f h alf d en u d ed roo m s h u n g
.
-

Open I n th e corrid or bel ow two n egroes lay asl eep

.
,

snoring grotesq u ely besid e som e ch est s at wh ich,

they h ad worked Th ere wa s n o o n e t o speak t o

.

he r o r bar h er p assage Th e do or w as u nb olted . .

She passed l istlessly o u t an d d own th e path toward ! ,

th e gu lf .

I t was m ore l ike sl e ep walking than wakin g c o n -

,

—
sci ou s progress th is m el an ch o l y jo u r n ey The d ry .
,

p arche d grass t h e leaves d ependi ng wil ted and sap

,

less the leaden air th e h ot red gl ob e o f d u ll l ight

, ,
9 1 V “
,

h anging before h er in the eastern heaven s — all

seemed a part o f the l i feless hop eless pall wh ic h l , ,

weighed from eve ry poi nt u pon h er d eaden in g ,

tho u ght and sen ses Th e d i ffi cu l t d es cent o f th e

.
 In tke Va l l ey .

steep wes t ern h ill t he passage a c r o ss t h e d am p

,

bottom and over th e t u m bl i n g sh o u t ing wat ers th e , ,

'

m ild er ascent th e cooler sm ooth er forest w a

, ,
lk t o
, ward the Cedars beyond — th ese vagu ely reflected
them selves as stages of th e c risis th ro u gh wh ich s h e
h ad p assed th e h eart ach ing q u arrel th e separati on
-
, ,

th e swoon an d n o w th e approach ing rest

, .

Thu s at l ast s h e stood befo re h er o l d h om e an d ,

Op ened th e fam ili ar gat e Th e p erfu m e o f th e

.

fl owers h eavily su rchargin g th e d ewl ess air seem ed

, ,

t o awaken and imp ress her There was l ess o rd e r .

in th e gard en than before b u t th e plant s an d sh rub s

,

we re o f h er o wn sett i ng A b reath o f risin g z ephyr

.

stirred th ei r blossom s as S he regard ed them i n

p assin g .

They n od t o m e i n wel come h er d ry l ip s m u r ,

m u red
.

A low reverberat ing m u tter O f d istan t th u n d e r

,

cam e as an echo and a swi fter bre ez e l i ft ed th e

,

fl owers again an d b ro u ght a whispe red greetin g

,

from th e l ilac l eaves cl ustered th ick abou t h er

-
.

The d oor op en ed at h er app roach an d s h e s aw ,

M r Stewart stand ing there on th e thresh old await

.
,

i ng h er I t seem ed n atu ral enou gh tha t he sh ou l d

.

b e u p at thi s hou r and exp ecting h er Sh e d id n o t

,
.

n ote th e u ncom m on wh iten ess o f h is face o r the ,

ceaseless twitching o f h is fallen l ips .

“
I h ave com e h om e to you father s h e said , , ,

cal mly wearily

, .

H e gazed at h er with o u t seemin g t o apprehen d

her m ean ing .

I have n o l onger any othe r h om e s h e added ,

.
 C H A PT E R X X I V

THE NI GHT A TT A C K U PON Q U E B E C — A N D MY

S H AR E IN I T .

O F th ese s ad o c c u r r e n c e s i t was my fort u n e n o t

t o b e in form ed fo r m any m onth s I n som e senses .

th is was a b en e fic e n t i gnorance H ad I kn own .

that u nd er the d ear ol d roof wh ich s o lon g shel

,

t er e d m e M r S t ewart w a s h elpl essly st ri cke n with

, .

paralysis an d p oo r D aisy lay ill u nt o d eath with a

,

b rai n m alady th e knowledge m u st have gon e far

,

t o u nfi t m e for th e work wh ich was n ow given i n to

my han ds A n d i t was work o f great m agn it u d e
.

an d imp ortan ce .

Clo se u p on th e h eels o f th e Bu nker H il l in t el l i

gen ce cam e th e n ews that a Cont inen tal army had
b een organ ized that Colonel Wash ingto n o f V ir
'

gin i a had been d esignated by Congress as i ts ch ie f ,

an d had st arte d t o assu m e com man d at Cam bri dge

an d that o u r own Phil ip S ch uyle r was o n e o f th e
fo u r o ffi cers nam ed at th e sam e t im e as m aj o r
gen erals There was great pleasu re i n A lbany ove r
.

th e t id ings ; th e patri ot com m ittee began to p re

p are for earn est acti on an d o u r T ory m ayo r A bra
, ,

ham C u yler sagacio u sly betook h im sel f O ff ascend

, ,

ing th e Mohawk i n a can oe and making h is way ,

t o Canada .
 T /ze N g
a/ct A t ta ck p
u on Q uebec .

A m ong th e fi rst wi sh es expressed by Gene ral

S ch uyle r was o n e that I sh o u ld assis t and acc o m
pany him and this fl att ering en ough i n itsel f wa s
, , ,

mad e delightfu l by the facts that my fri en d Pete r

Gansevoo rt was named as an othe r aid e and that ,

my kinsm an D r T e u n is was give n a p ro fession al

.

’ ’

place i n the gen e r al s c am p fam ily We th ree we nt .

with hi m t o the h ead qu arters at Camb ridge very

s hortly after and then ceforward were t o o stead ily
,

engrossed with o u r n ovel d u ti es t o give m u ch

thought to hom e affai rs .

I t was in deed a full seven m onths onward from

, ,

th e J u n e o f wh i ch I have written that my fi rst in fo r

m at ion con cern ing th e C edars an d the cl ear folk ,

with in it s walls cam e t o m e i n a letter from my

,

m oth er Th is lette r fou n d m e o f all u nlike ly places

.
,

i n th e world lying in garrison o n th e froz en bank o f

,

th e St Lawren ce —b eh in d u s th e st range u nn at u ral

.
,

silen ce o f th e n orthern waste o f snow b efore u s the ,

black citadel crown ed fir e sp ittin g rock o f Q u ebec

,
-
,
-
.

A gain there presses u pon m e th e t emptation t o p u t

i nto this b ook th e sto ry o f what I s aw there w h ile
w e were gathering o u r strength and resol u ti on fo r
t h e fatal assau lt I f I am n ot altogether proo f
.

against its wiles at l east n o m ore shall b e t ol d of i t

,

than properly belongs h ere i nsom u ch as this i s the ,

’
relation o f my l i fe s romance .

We had started i n S eptemb e r with th e exp edition

again st Canada wh ile i t was u n de r th e p ersonal com
,

m an d o f o u r general ; an d when h is old sickn ess

cam e u nl u ckily u pon h im an d forc ed his retu rn i t ,

wa s at his requ est that we still kept on u nd er h is ,

I7
2 58 In tke Va l l ey .

su ccess o r Gen e ral R i chard M ontgom ery

, I t was .

the p leasant er co u rse fo r u s both b ecau se we wanted ,

to s e e fi ght i n g an d becau se M on tgom e ry as th e

, ,

s o n in law o f M r L ivin gston was kn own to u s an d

- -
.
,

w a s o u r fri end A n d s o with h i m w e s aw the long

.

’
siege o f St J oh n s end ed an d Chambly an d then
.
, ,

M on treal S orel an d Th ree R ivers o n e by o n e s u b

, , ,

m it an d th e ka bita n ts acclaim u s their d eliverers

,

as w e swept th e cou ntry clean t o the gates o f

Q u ebec .

T o thi s place we cam e i n the fi rst we ek o f D ecem

b er an d fou n d bol d A rn old and h is seven h u nd red
,

scarecrows awaitin g u s Th ese m en had be en h ere .

fo r a m onth yet h ad scarcely regain ed th ei r strength

,

from th e h orribl e su fferin gs th ey en co u ntere d

throu gh o u t th ei r wi ldern ess m arch We were by .

th is t im e n ot enam ou red o f cam paign in g i n any

large d egree from ou r own exp eri en ce o f i t Ye t
, .

wh en we s aw th e m e n wh om A rn old an d M organ
h ad l ed th ro ugh th e t rackless Ken n ebe c forest an d ,

h eard th em m od estly tell th e st ory o f that great

—
ach i eveme nt o f thei r dread fu l su stain ed battl e with
cold exh au sti on fam in e with wh irl ing rap ids rivers
, , , ,

ch oked wi th i ce an d d angero u s m o u n tain p recipices

—
,

w e felt asham ed at having s u pposed w e kn ew

what sold i erin g was .

Th re e weeks w e lay waiting I n sid e clever Carl e .

,

t on wa s strai n in g h eaven an d earth i n h is en d eavor

t o st ren gth en h i s p osition withou t w e cou ld only ,

wait Th ose o f u s wh o were from th e A lbany and

.

M oh awk cou nt ry cam e t o l earn th at som e of ou r

o l d Tory n eighb ors were with in th e walls and the ,
2 60 In t/ze Va l l ey .

cl oth e o r arm them Bu t o f th i s Con gress had taken

.

n o th ou ght O u r ordnan ce was ridi c ul ou sly in a de

.

qu at e for a S iege ; o u r cloth es were ragged an d fou l ,

o u r gu n s bad o u r p owd er scan ty an d o u r food

, ,

scarce Ye t w e were d el iberately facing in t h i s

.
,

wretch ed pligh t th e m ost d e sp erat e as sau lt o fkn own

,

warfare .

Th e weeks wen t by swiftly en ou gh M u ch o f th e .

t im e I was wi th th e com m an d er at ou r h eadqu art ers

i n H olland H o u se an d I grew vastly attach ed t o ,

th e hand som e graci o us d evot ed youn g sold ie r

, , .

Brigad i e r Gen eral M ont gom ery h ad n ot p erh ap s th e

-
, ,

breadth o f ch aracte r that m ad e Sch uyler s o n otabl e ;

which o n e o f all hi s c onte mp o raries save Wash in g ,

ton fo r that m atte r had ? Bu t h e was ve ry single

, ,

m in ded an d h on orabl e and had m u ch charm o f ,

m an n er O ften d u rin g th ose weeks h e t ol d m e o f

.
, ,

h i s beau ti fu l yo u ng wi fe waiti ng fo r h i s ret u rn at ,

th ei r n ew hom e on th e H u d son and o f h is h ope ,

soon t o b e abl e t o abando n th e stri fe an d u n rest o f

war an d settl e th ere in p eace A las ! it was n ot t o
,
.

b e so .

A n d then again w e wo u ld advent u re forth at

, ,

n ight when th ere wa s n o m oon t o n ot e wh at d egre e

, ,

o f vigi lan ce w a s observed by th e bel eagu ered force .

Thi s was dan gerou s for th e in gen i o u s d efen d ers ,

h u n g o u t at th e en d s o f poles from th e b astion s o

eith e r l ighted lantern s o r i ron p ot s fi lled with blaz

in g balsam wh ich ill u m ina t ed th e ditch even b etter
,

than th e m oon wou ld h ave d on e O ften we were .

thu s d i scovered an d fi red u po n and once th e General ,

had h is h orse killed u n de r h im .

 k A k Q uebec 26 1
Ike N g
z t t ta c u onp .

I Sh oul d s ay tha t h e Was hardly hopefu l o f the

resu lt o f th e attack already d eterm ined u pon Bu t .

i t was th e only th ing possibl e t o be don e and with ,

all his so u l and m in d h e was resolved to as n early do

i t as m ight be .

Th e n ight ca me th e last n ight b u t on e o f that

,

eventfu l m om ento u s year 1 7 7 5

,
M en had passed .

each day for a week between o u r qu arters an d

’
Col on el A rnold s at St R och con cert in g arrange .
,

m en ts Th ere were Fren chm en insid e the town

.

fro m whom we were prom ised aid What we did .

n ot kn ow wa s that there were oth er Fren chm en in ,

o u r camp wh o advi sed Carl eton o f all ou r pl ans

,
.

The day an d even ing were sp en t in silent prepara

t ion s fo r th e su rprise and assau lt — if so be it the
sn ow st orm cam e whi ch was agreed u pon as the s ig
-

n al
. Last word s o f cou n sel and instru ction were
sp oken S uppressed excitemen t re igned every
.

wh ere .

Th e skies were cl ear and m o onlit i n the even ing ;

n ow abou t m id n ight a damp heavy snowfall began
, , ,

and a fi erc e wind arose So m u ch th e better for u s

.

and o u r ent erprise we thou ght ,

.

We left H ollan d H ou se som e h o u rs after m i dn ight ,

with ou t lights and on foot and placed ou rselves at ,

the h ead o f th e th ree hu nd red and fi fty m en whom

Colonel Campbell ( not th e Cherry V alley man bu t ,

a vain an d cowardly creat u re from d own th e H u d so n ,

recently retired from the Brit ish army)h eld in wait

i ng for u s N o iselessly we descended from th e
.

’
h eights passed Wol fe s Cove and gained the n arrow
, ,

road o n the ledge u nder th e m o u ntai n .

2 62 In tke Va l l ey .

Th e Gen eral and h is aide Mc P h er s o n t ru dge d , ,

th rou gh th e d eep snow ah ead o f all with Gansevoort ,

and m e keeping up t o th em as well as we could .

Wh at with the very d i ffi cu lt walking the wild ness ,

of th e gal e and the n ecessity fo r silen c e I d o n ot

, ,

rem emb er th at anyth in g was said We p anted .

h eavily I know and m ore than on ce h ad t o stop

, ,

wh il e th e S lend er an d l ess eager carp enters wh o

form ed th e van cam e u p .

I t wa s cl ose upo n th e ten ce o f wooden p ickets

which stretch ed across th e c au seway at Cape D ia
m ond that th e last o f these halts was mad e Throu gh .

the darkn ess rend e red d ou bly d ense by th e whi rlin g

,

snowflakes with wh i ch th e wi n d lashed o u r faces we ,

cou l d only vagu ely d iscern th e barri er an d th e o u t

l in es O f th e littl e block h o u se b eyon d it -

H ere i s o u r work ! wh isp ered th e Gen eral t o ”

th e hal f doz en n earest h im an d p oin t in g ah ead with

-
,

h is gau n tl eted h an d O nce ove r th i s an d i nto th e

.

gu ard h ou se a n d we can n ever be fl anked whatever

-
, ,
”
else betid e .

We tore fu ri o u sly at th e p o sts even wh il e h e spoke ,

—w e fou r with o u r h ands th e carp e nt ers with th eir ,

t ools I t was th e work of a m om ent t o l ay a d ozen

.

o f th ese an oth e r m om en t and th e fi rst sco re o f u s

were knee deep i n th e sn ow p iled t o o n e sid e o f th e
-

gu ard h o u se d oor There was a m u rm u r from behin d

-
.

which cau sed u s to glan c e aro u n d Th e body of .

’
Ca m pbell s t ro ops in stead o f p ressin g u s clo sely had
, ,

lin gered t o take d own m o re p icket s S om ebody .

it m ay have been I S aid — Cowards ! Som e one ,

”

el se d ou btless the Gen eral said

,
Fo rward , ,
 In tke Va l l ey .

D o ubtl ess som e remi n isce nc e in that voice cau sed

my m in d t o carry o n th e stru ggl e i n th e secon d after
sen se h ad fl ed for I th ou ght w e still were i n th e
,

snow w re stl ing only i t was in sid e a m im i c fort i n

,
’
th e clearin g aro u n d M r Stewart s Old l o gfih o u s e an d
.
,

I wa s a littl e boy i n an ap ron an d m y antagon ist was

,

a yellow hai red lad with hard fi sts with wh i ch h e

-
,

—
beat m e cru elly i n th e face an d s o o ff into u tt er
blackn ess an d vo id o f obl ivi on .

O n e m orn ing i n th e latter h al f o f J an u ary n early ,

th ree weeks after I woke t o consci o u sn ess again

, .

Wh olly in nocen t o f th e lapse o f t im e I seem ed t o ,

b e j u st awakenin g from th e d ream o f th e sn ow fo rt ,

an d o f my b oyish fight wi th l ittl e Philip Cross I .

smiled t o mysel f as I th ou ght o f it b u t even wh il e I ,

sm il ed th e vagu e shad ows o f later h app en ings cam e

over my m ind L ittl e by l ittl e th e o u t lin es o f tha t
.

rough D e cemb er n ight t ook shap e i n my p u zzled

wits .

I h ad b een wou n d ed evid ently an d h ad b een

, ,

b orn e back t o H ollan d H ou se for I recogn iz ed th e ,

room i n wh i ch I lay M y right arm was i n sti ff

.

spl in ts ; wi th th e oth er h and I felt o f m y h ead an d

'

d iscovered that my hair had be en c u t clos e an d ,

that my skull an d face were fairly thatched with

crossin g strips o f ban dage My chest t o o was
.
, ,

girdled by sim ilar m ed icated bands M y m en tal .

facu lties m oved ve ry sedat ely it seem ed an d I h ad , ,

b een pond erin g th ese ph en om en a for a l ong tim e

wh en my cou sin D r T e u n is V an H o orn cam e t i p
.

t oeing i nt o th e room .
 k A k Q uebec 2 65
T be N i g t tta c p
u on .

Thi s worthy you ng man w a s s i ncerely delighted

to fi n d m e com e by my senses on ce m ore I n his .

j oy he allowed m e t o talk an d t o listen more than

was for my good p robably for I had som e bad days
, ,

i mm ed iat ely followin g ; bu t th e relapse d id n ot

com e b efore I had learn ed m u ch that was gravely
interesti ng .

I t i s a st o ry o f su ffi ci ent sorrow and sham e t o

A m eri can ears even n ow— thi s tal e of how we failed
t o carry Q u ebec J u dge h ow gri evo u sly th e recital
.

fel l u pon my ears then in th e l ittle barrack chambe r

,
-

o f H ollan d H ou se withi n h earing of th e cann onad e

,

by wh ich th e farce of a siege wa s still m aintaine d

from d ay t o day ! T e u n is t old m e h ow by that fi rst ,

volley o f grape at the gu ard hou se th e brave and -

,

n obl e M ontgome ry had been instantly kil l ed h ow

A rn old forcing h is wa y from the other d irecti on at
,

th e head o f h i s m en an d being early shot i n th e l eg

, ,

had fo ugh t and storm ed like a wo u nd ed lion i n th e

n arrow Sau lt a u M atelot ; h ow h e an d th e gallan t
- -

M organ had don e m ore than th ei r share in th e

t emerari ou s advent u re an d had held th e t own and
,

citadel at thei r m ercy i f only th e m iserable Camp

bell had p u sh ed forward aft er p oor M ontgom ery
fell an d gon e o n t o m eet th ose battl ing heroes i n
,

the L owe r Town Bu t I h ave n ot th e patien ce

.
,

even at thi s l ate d ay t o writ e ab ou t this m elan choly

,

and m orti fyin g failu re .

—
Som e o f o u r best m en M ontgom ery H end ricks , ,

H u mphreys Captai n C h e s e m a n an d othe r O ffi cers

, , ,

and n early two h un d red m en —had been killed o u t

right an d the host o f wo u nd ed m ad e ve ri tabl e h os
,
2 66 In tke Va ll ey .

p it al s of both the h ead q u arters N early hal f Of .

o u r total original fo rce had b een taken prisoners .

With the S hatt ered rem nant s o f o u r li ttl e a rmy we

were still keep ing u p the p ret e n ce o f a S iege b u t ,

th ere was n o h eart i n o u r op erati o ns sin ce reverse ,

had b roken th e last h op e o f raisin g assistan ce am on g

th e Fren ch p op u lati on We were to o few i n n u m .

bers t o b e abl e n ow t o prevent suppl i es reach ing th e

t own and eve rybody gloom ily fo resaw that wh en
,

th e river becam e fre e o f ice and O pe n for the Bri t ,

i sh fl eet t o th row in m u n iti on s an d r e en forcem ents -

,

the gam e wo u l d b e u p .

A l l this D r T e u n is told m e an d O fte n d u ri n g th e

.
,

narrati on i t see m ed as i f my i n d ign an t bl oo d wo u ld

b u rst O ff the h ealing bandages SO angrily d id i t boil ,

at th e th o u ght o f what p oltro on e ry h ad l ost t o u s .

I t was a relie f t o t u rn t o th e qu est io n o f m y o wn

advent u re I t app eared t h a t I had bee n wo u nded
.

by th e fi rst an d o nl y d ischarge o f th e can n o n at th e

gu ard h ou s e fo r th e re was d i scove r ed e mb e dd ed i n
-
, ,

th e m u scl e s over my ribs a small i ron b olt wh ich , ,

wou ld have com e from n o lesse r fi rearm They .

m oreover had th e h ono r o f fi nd in g a b u ll e t i n my

righ t fo rearm whi ch wa s evid en tly a p i stol b all
,
-
.

A n d lastly my featu res had be en beate n i nto an

, ,

alm ost u nrecogn iz abl e m ass o f b r u ise d fl esh by

eith er a he avy rin ged fi st o r a p istol b u tt
- -
.

Pet e Gan sevoo rt d ragged you o ff o n h i s back ,

my kinsman co n cl u d ed Som e o f o u r m en wanted

.

t o go back fo r th e poor Gen eral and fo r C h e s e m an ,

and Mc P h e r s o n b u t that Campbell creatu re wo u l d

,

n o t su ffer them I nstead h e and h is cowards ran

.
,
2 68 In tke Va l l ey .

it was Ph ilip Cross w h o b roke my h ead wi th h i s

p istol b u tt ?
-

N on sen se
Yes i t su rely was— and h e kn ew m e too !
, ,

A n d I explain ed th e gro u n d s for my con fi den ce .

”
“
Well yo u ng m an sai d D r T e u n is at last
, ,
.
, if ,

yo u d o n ot fi n d th at gentl em an o u t som ewh ere ,

som etim e an d ch oke h im an d t ear h im u p into

, ,
’
fiddl e strings yo u ve n ot a d rop of V an H oo rn blood
-
,

in you r wh ol e carcass !
”
 C H A PT E R X X V .

A C R E S T F A LLE N R ET U R N To A LBA N Y .

’
FO R a m an wh o had h is physi cian s p erso n al
assu ran ce that there wa s n othing seri o u s i n h is case ,

I recovered my strength with vexati o us slown ess .

T here was a very pain fu l and wearin g week ind eed , ,

before i t b ecam e clear to m e that I was even c o n

v al e s c e n t an d th ereafter my p rogress was wo fu lly
,

halt ing and i nterm ittent Perh ap s health wou l d

.

have com e m ore rap idly i f with eve ry so u n d o f th e

gu ns from th e plat form s and every rattle o f t h e
,

d ru ms ou tside I had n ot wrath fu lly asked mysel f

, ,

O f what u se i s all th is n ow alas ! ,

T hese bad d ays were n eari n g thei r en d wh en D r .

T e u n is o n e aftern oon cam e i n with tid ings from

h om e A n express had arrived from A lbany bring
.
,

ing th e i nt elli ge nce that Gen eral Wooster was sh ortly

t o com e with r e en forcem ents to take over ou r h ead
-
,

l ess com mand There were many letters for th e

.

o ffi cers as wel l and among these were two for m e

, .

The physician m ade som e S how o f keeping these

back from m e b u t th e co u sin relented an d I was
, .
,

bolstered u p i n bed t o read them .

O n e was a bu siness ep istl e from A lbany en closing ,

a brief m em orand u m of th e d isp ositi on o f certai n

m oneys and goods belo n ging t o the En glish t rad in g
2 70 In tke Va l l ey .

company wh ose age nt I had been an d se tt in g my ,

m in d at ease con cern ing what rem ain ed o f it s in

ter es ts .

The oth e r was a m u ch l on ger m issive written i n ,

’
my m other s n eat p ainstakin g han d an d i n my , ,
’
m oth er s langu age My story can b e advan ced i n n o .

bette r way than by tran slat ing freely fro m th e o rigi

n al D u tch d ocu m en t wh ich I still have an d wh ich , ,

sh ows i f n oth in g else t h a t D a m e Ma u v e r e n s en had

, ,
‘

powers o f direct n ess and brevity o f stat em en t n ot

inheri ted by her s o n .

j a n ua ry 9, A . D . 1 7 76 .

D E A RL Y T h is I wri te bei g we ll a d c te ted

B E L O V E D SON ,
n n on n

fo r th e m o st p art an d tr us tin g th t yo u a e th e sam e It is s o l o n g

—
a r

—
. .

s i ce I h av e s ee
n n
y o u w n a rl y f o u r y r th at y o u r w ay s
no re e ea s a

be y o n d m e d I Of fer yo u n o advi c e Peo pl e h er e bo u t fl ect m uc h '

,
an . a a

s ti s f c tio
a ain y o ur pr m o ti o to be
n o ff c e r
o I do o t c o c al m y n an i . n n e

pr fere c e th a t yo u h ould h ve been Go d f ri g m th o ugh yo u

e n s a a -
ea n an .

w e r e o f h u m bl e r s t t i o H wever th at I s u rr e dered y o ur k eep i n g

a n . o , n

t a p p isti c l i fid el is m y o wn bl a m
o a a n a d I d t r e pro a h yo u e, n o n o c .

“
The igg er T u lp wh o m yo u s t t m e u p o y ur dep rtur
n , en o n o a e

f th e war s was m o r e tr ubl e th

or ,
h e w s wo r th to say n th i g o f
o an a , o n

h is k eep H e was bo th l m e
. d f o li s h g tti g f r eve r in my way
a an o , e n o ,

a d c ryi g by th e h o u r w i th f a r s fo r y o u r s fe ty
n n I th er fo re s en t e a . e

him to h is O ld h o m e th e C ed rs wh er e s o bo d y n ow do e an y
,
a , ,
a n s

m n er o f wo rk ( yo u r u t b ei g de d d n i c p abl e s l o v n
an a n n a ,
an a n a e

h v i n g tak e h er p lac e) h e will o t get in th e w y d whe r e o th er s

a n , n a , an

c a h l p him to we p
n e e .

W h en M i s tres s C r s cam e do wn to th e C edar s l as t summ er

“
os ,

h vi g been deser te d by h er wo rth l ess h us b d a d fo u d M r

a n an , n n .

S tew r t stri cken wi th p r l y i I w s m o ved to O ffer m y s s i t c e

a a a s s, a a s an

whil e th ey bo th l y il l T h e bu rd en o f th eir il l n ess was s o gr at th t

a . e a

o ur u n t br o k e d wn u der it bu t Sh e did o t die u ti l

a o n f te r M i tr s n n a s e s
y ,

C r o s s h ad r ec o v r ed f r m h er fever
e d M r S tew r t h d r g a i ed
o , an a a e n

h i spe c h n d
s e m ll p r ti o f h i wi t M i s tre s C r oss w s in a
a a s a o n o s s. s a

f ir w y t be de po il ed o f ll h righ tf ul b l o gi g s f Sh e br o ugh t
a a o s a er e n n , or
272 In tbc Va l l ey .

A S I l ook at th i s an cien t fad ed lett er wh ich , ,

brou gh t t o m e in b el at e d an d ro u n d ab ou t fo rm th e
’
t i d ings o f M r Ste wart s h elpl ess con d ition a n d of
.

’
D aisy s illn ess an d gri e f I can recall that my fi rst
,

imp u lse was t o l au gh Th ere was som eth in g s o

.

droll yet s o thorou ghly characteri st i c o f my h on est

, ,

b u stling resol u t e d om in eeri ng m oth er i n th e th ing

, , ,

that its h u m o r fo r th e m om en t overbalance d th e

gravity o f th e n ew s There was n o m o re h elp fu l
.
,

val u abl e o r good h earted wom an al ive th an s h e

,
-
,

p rovid e d always i t wa s p erm itte d h er t o m anage

an d d ictate eve ryth in g for everybody There was .

n o l im it t o th e tro u bl e S h e wo uld u nd ertake n oth ,

i ng in the world s h e wo u ld n o t d o for p eop l e w h o

wou ld con sen t t o b e d on e for an d wo u ld allo wh er
,

t o d om inat e all thei r th ou ghts an d d e ed s B u t th e .

m om en t th ey revol ted o r S h owed th e weakest in

,

c l in a t io n to d o th in gs th e i r o w n w ay s h e blaz ed u p ,

an d was o ff l ike a rocket H er tast e fo r govern in g .

w a s l ittl e S hort o f a m an ia an d I cou ld s e e i n my, ,

’
m i nd s eye j u st h o w s h e h ad essayed t o ru l e D ai sy
, ,

and how in her fa il u re s h e h ad writte n t o m e u n c o n ,

s c io u s l y revealing h er piqu e .

P oo r D aisy ! M y th ou ghts had swu ng qu ickly

en ou gh from my m oth er t o h er and on ce th e re , , ,

p ersistently l ingered Sh e had then been at th e

.
, ,

Ced ars si nce J u n e S h e had b een ve ry ill b u t n ow ,

was i n h eal th agai n ; s h e wa s a fu giti ve from h er

righ t fu l h om e an d st o od i n fear o f h er fo rm e r se r
,

vants ; sh e had u pon h e r h an ds a b roken o l d i nval id ,

and t o all h is freaks and foibles was a willing S l ave

s h e was th e sad den e d sol it a ry m i stress o f a large
,
 A Cr es tfa l l en Retur n to A l ba ny . 273

e stat e with all it s anxieties m u ltipli ed a h u nd red

,

fold by the fact t hat these were war tim es that pas -
,

sion s ran p ecu liarly h igh an d fi e rce all abo u t h er ,

’
and that h er h u sband s remaini ng fri ends n ow he r ,

bitter foes perhap s were i n a desperat e stat e o f ,

temper and daring .

From this grewsom e reve ry I rou sed mysel f t o

“
exclaim T e u n is every day co u nt s n ow Th e ,
.

so o ner I get h om e th e better .

“
“
Q u ite so said h e wit h ready sarcasm,
We , .

”
will go on sn ow sh oes to S orel to m orrow m orn in g - -
.

N o : yo u kn ow what I mean I wan t to .

O h yes entirely so We m ight in fact start

, ,
.
, ,

this even ing Th e wolve s are a trifl e trou bleso m e

.

j u st n ow b u t with a stron g and active compan ion

, ,
”
l ike yo u I sh ou ld fear n othing
,
.

“
Will vo u cease j esting T e u n is ! What I wan t ,

n ow i s t o exhau st all m eans o f gain ing st rength

t o m ake every ho u r t ell u pon the work of my resto
ration There i s u rgen t n eed o f m e at h om e Se e
. .

’
for yo u rsel f A n d I gave h i m my m othe r s lette r .

M y cou si n had had from m e d u ri ng o u r long ,

camp interc o u rse su ffi cient details of my early li fe ,

’
t o enable h im t o u nderstand all my m other s all u
sions H e read the letter thro u gh carefu lly an d
.
,

sm iled Then he went ove r i t again and tu rned

.
,

grave an d began t o l ook o u t o f th e windo w and

,

wh istl e softly .

“ ”
“
Well I aske d impatiently
,
what i s you r , ,

j u dgm en t ?
My j u dgm ent i s that yo u r m other was with ,

o u t d oubt th e dau ghter o f my great u ncl e Balt u s

,
-
.

1 8
2 74 In tke Va l l ey .

Whe n I was fo u rteen years o l d my f a t h e r p u t m e

o u t o f h is h ou se becau se I sai d th at cocoa n u ts grew -

on t rees h e h avin g b een cred ibly i n form ed by a

,

sail or that th ey were d u g from t h e grou n d l ike

p otatoes Everybody said o f m y fath e r when they
.
,

l earn ed o f th is : H ow m u ch h e is l ike h i s u n cl e
‘
,
’
Captain Balt u s Sh e has th e t ru e fam ily pi ety t o o :
.
,

Th e sayin g i n Sch en ectady u se d t o be : Th e V a n

H o o r n s are a G od feari ng peopl e— an d th ey h ave -

’
reason t o b e .

I cou l d n ot b u t lau gh at th is th e wh il e I pro ,

t est ed tha t it was h i s vi ews u p on th e tidin gs i n th e

lett er that I wi sh ed .

I agre e with yo u th at th e soone r yo u get h om e

”“
th e bette r h e sai d seri o u sly ,
Th e trou bl es i n , .

th e V all ey will be rip e ere l ong Th e lett e rs from .

A lbany j u st arriv ed are fill ed th ey tell m e with

,
‘
, , ,

ru m ors o f th e d o in gs o f J ohn son Gen eral Sch uyl er .

h ad at last acco u nt s gon e u p toward J ohn st own

, ,

’
with a regim ent to d iscover th e baron et s in t en ,

t i on s S o get wel l as fast as yo u l ike an d we will

.
,

b e O ff .

Thi s was easy eno u gh t o say b u t n early t wo ,

m on th s wen t by b efore I w a s j u dged able to travel .

We i nd eed d id n ot make a start u n ti l afte r Gen eral

Wo oster arrived with m ore t ro ops an d assu m ed com ,

m and O u r ret u rn was accompl ish ed i n th e company

.

of th e exp ress h e sen t back with n ews o f hi s arrival ,

an d h i s report o f th e stat e o f a ffairs i n front o f Q u e

b ec From o u r own kn owl edge th is was very bad
.
,

wh at wi th th e m u tin ou s ch aract er o f m any O f the

m en the total absen ce o f su bo rd inat ion an d the bi t
, ,
2 76 In i ke Va l l ey .

anxi ety to b e am ong my own p eopl e again Th e .

Gen eral was so p reoccu p ied an d bu rd en ed with the

stress o f p u bl ic an d martial b u sin ess always in h is ,

case carri ed on for th e m ost part u nde r th e embar

r a s s m e n t of recu rring illn ess that I sh rank from
,

q u esti on i ng h im and th e fear hau nte d m e that i t

,

was h i s int en tion t o sen d m e away again with o u t a

vi sit t o my old h om e I t i s t ru e th at I m i ght have
.

’
plead ed an i nval id s p rivileges b u t I was really well
,

eno u gh t o wo rk with p ru d en ce and I co u l d n ot ,

o ffer t o shi rk d u ty at su ch a t i m e .

Bu t i n h is own good t i m e the Gen eral rel i eved my

m ind and m ad e m e asham ed that I had ever d ou bted
h i s con sid erat en ess A fte r b reakfast o n e m o rn ing
.

—it was th e fi rst I rem emb er up on whi ch I wore

, ,

the n ew u n iform with wh ich I had been forced t o

replace th e rags bro u ght from Q u ebec— h e call ed m e
t o h im i n h is l ibrary and u n fold ed t o m e h is plans
,

“
J oh n J ohn so n l ied to m e last J an u ary when I ,

went u p there disarm ed h i s Scot chm e n and took

, ,

his parol e . H e l ied t o m e he re i n M a rch wh en h e ,

cam e d own and d en ied that h e wa s receivin g and

d espatch ing sp ies th ro ugh th e wo od s t o and from
C anada The tru th i s n o t in h im D u ring th e past
. .

m onth m u ch proof has com e to my han d s of h i s

h idin g arm s and p owder an d l ead n ear th e H all an d ,
’
o f h is d evi l s work am ong the M ohawks wh o m h e ,

pl ots day and n ight to t u rn against u s A l l this .

tim e he keeps a sm ooth tongu e for u s b u t i s con ,

spiri ng with his To ry n eighbors and with those wh o

,

followed Guy t o Canada t o d o u s a m i sch ief N ow

,
.

that Gen eral Wash ingto n is m aste r at Boston and ,

 A Cr es tfa ll en Retur n to A l ba ny . 277

a ffai rs are moving well elsewh ere th ere is n o reason ,

fo r fu rther m in cing O f m atters in Tryon Co u nty .

I t i s my p u rp ose to send Colon e l D ayton t o J ohns

town with part o f his regim ent t o settle the thing ,
’
on c e for all H e will have the ai d O f H erkim er s
.

m il itia i f h e n eeds th em and will arrest S ir J ohn

, ,

the lead ers o f h i s S cotch followe rs and all others , ,

tenants and gentlem en alike wh ose freedo m is a ,

threat t o the neighborhood I n S hort h e will stamp

.
,

o u t the wh ol e wasp s n est .

Y o u kn ow th e V alley well and you r people are,

the re I t i s th e place for yo u j u st n ow H ere i s

. .

you r com m ission as maj or Bu t yo u are still at .

t a ch e d to my sta ff I lend you m erely t o th e Tryon

.

Co u nty com m i tte e Yo u will go with D ayton as

.

far as yo u l ike— eith er to Cau gh n a waga o r som e

—
n ear place p erhaps you r Old h o m e wo u ld su i t yo u
best Please you rself Y o u n eed n ot assist i n th e
. .

arrests at J ohnstown that m ight b e pai n fu l t o you .

’
B u t after D ayton s ret u rn with h is p rison ers yo u will
b e my repre sentative in that d ist rict You h ave .

fou r days in which to m ake ready I s ee th e p ros .

p e c t pleases you Good . ! TO m orrow w e will d is

-

c u ss it fu rth er .
”

When I go t ou tsid e I fairly leap ed for jo y .

 C H A PT E R X X V I .

1 SE E D A IS Y AN D TH E OLD H O M E ON C E M ORE .

I R O D E besid e Colonel El ias D ayt on o n e fore

n oon som e t en days later u p the V all ey road m y , ,

p u lses b eating fast at th e growin g fam iliarity o f th e

scen e be fo re u s We had crossed the C h u c te n u n da
.

Creek an d were with i n S ight o f th e gray walls of

,

Gu y Park Beyond rose th e h ill s b eh in d wh ich l ay

.

Fort J oh nson I was on the very thresh old of my

.

’ — ’
b oyh ood s p l ayfie l d withi n a short h o u r s walk o f
’
my b oyh ood s hom e .

Th e ai r was fu ll o f so u nds Bird s sang with m erry .

d iscord an ce all th ro u gh th e thicket to o u r ri ght ,

’
fl itt in g am ong th e pal e green tan gl e o f sprin g s
foli age Th e M ay su n sh in e had l u red forth som e
.

p i oneer l ocu sts wh ose sh rill cri es cam e from wh o

,

co u ld t ell wh ere— the tal l swal e grass o n th e rive r -

edge e re ct n ow agai n after th e A pril fl oods o r th e

, ,

b rown b room corn n earer th e road o r from th e s ky

-
,

’
above ? We cou ld h ear the squ irrels m ockin g ch at
t er i n th e t re e top s the wh ir o f th e kin gfis h er s al ong
-
,

th e willow fri nged water— th e in de fin abl e ch oru s o f

-

’
N at u re s myriad S mall ch ild ren all glad that spring ,

was c om e Bu t above these o u r ears t ook i n th e

.

ceasel ess clang o f th e d ru m s and th e so u n d O f h u n ,

’
d red s o f arm ed m en s feet t ramp ing i n u n ison u pon ,

th e road be fore u s beh ind u s at o u r s id e , , .

 In tke Va l l ey .

h im an d d espit efu lly d escribin g th e oth er ch ief

,

Tori es o f th e d ist rict H e sai d i n reply I rem em .

,

b er :
“
Yo u seem t o m iss th e s ad ph ase o f all th i s my ,

fri end You r yo u ng blood feel s only th e partisan

.

p rompt ings O f d isl ike S om e day so on p erhaps .

-

yo u will all at on ce fi nd this yo u th fu l h eat gon e ;

y o u will begi n to walk arou n d m en an d th ings s o t o ,

speak an d st u dy them from all si d es Th i s stage

, .

com es t o every sober m i n d ; i t wil l com e t o yo u .

Then yo u will realiz e that th is barone t u p yon d e r

i s from h is o wn stan d p o int a ch ivalrou s gallan t
,
-
, , ,

loyal gen tl eman wh o i mp erils estat es p ower p eac e

, , , ,

almost l ife itself rath er than do what h e h old s t o

,

be weak o r wron g Why take even thi s en emy o f

.
,

you rs th i s Cross H e was o n e o f th e n otabl es o f

, .

—
th ese p arts ri ch pop ular i nfl u ent ial ; h e l ed a l i fe
, ,

o f u tm ost l u x u ry an d pleasu re A ll th i s h e has .

exch an ged for th e rou gh work o f a sol d ie r wi th its ,

privati on s col d fat igu e an d th e ri sk o f d eath A s k

, , , .

”
you rsel f why h e d id i t .

“ “
I se e what yo u wou l d en force I said You r , .

m ean in g is th at th ese m en as well as o u r sid e th ink , ,

”
th e ri gh t 1 3 t h eir s .

“
P reci sely T h ey h ave i nh erit ed cer t ai n i d eas )
.
s .

We d isagre e with th em we d e em i t o u r d u ty t o ,

sil ence them fi ght th em d rive them o u t o f th e

, ,
’
co u nt ry an d with God s h elp we will d o it B u t let
, , ,
.

u s d o this with o u r eyes op en an d with th e u nd er ,

standing th at th ey are n ot n ecessarily sco u n drels

and heathen becau se they fail t o s e e th ings as we
s e e th em
 I s ee D a isy and tke Ol d H om e .

Bu t you wou ld n o t d efend su rely t hei r pl ot t ing

—
, ,

to u se th e savages agai nst the ir neighbors again st

h elpless women and ch ild ren That m u s t be hea .

t h e n is h t o any m i nd .

“
D efend it ? N o ! I d o n ot defen d any acts o f
theirs R id you r m in d of the id ea that b ecau se a
.

man tries to u n d erstand a th ing h e therefore defend s

it Bu t I can see h ow they wou ld d efen d it to th ei r
—
.

ow n consciences j u st as th ese th rifty Whig farm ers

h ereab ou t explain i n thei r o wn m in ds as patri oti c
an d p ubl ic sp irit ed their it ch in g t o get h ol d of J ohn
-

’
son s M an o r T ry an d l ook at th ings i n th is light
. .

Go od and bad are relat ive t erm s ; n oth ing is

t iv e l y an d u n changeably evil Each grou p o f m e n .

h as its o wn li ttle world of reason s an d m otives its ,

o wn atm osph ere i ts o wn stan dard o f right and

,

wron g I f yo u shu t you r eyes an d con d em n o rl

.
,

praise these wholly with ou t fi rst st riving to c o m

,

p reh end them yo u may o r m ay n ot d o m isch ief to

,

them ; you assu redly i nj u re you rsel f .

Th u s an d at great length spoke th e ph ilosophical

, ,

col on el I cou ld n ot h elp su specting t hat h e had

.

too op en a m i n d t o be a very val u abl e fi ghter and , ,

indeed th is proved t o b e tru e H e su bsequ e ntly

, .

b u ilt som e go od and s erviceabl e fort s along th e

M oh awk on e of wh i ch t o th i s day b ears h is nam e
, ,

b u t h e attained n o d istin ct ion as a sold ie r in th e

fi eld.

B u t n on e th e less h is words imp ressed me greatly

, , .

Wha t h e said had n ever been p u t t o m e i n cl ear form l

’
before an d at twen ty seven a m an s m ind i s i n that
m
-
,
v
receptive fram e trem bling u pon th e ve rge o f th e
,
‘
2 82 In tke Va l l ey .

m edita t ive stage wh e n the presen tat io n o f n ew id eas

,

l ike th ese O ften m arks a d isti n ct t u rn i n th e p rogress

an d d irec t io n o f h is thou ghts I t seem s strange t o .

con fes s it bu t I still look bac k t o that M ay d ay o f

,

1 7 7 6 as th e dat e of my fi rst n ot i on that th ere cou ld

b e anyth ing adm i rable in m y en em ies - .

A t th e t im e th ese n e w vi ews an d th e ton e o f o u r

,

talk h elp ed t o d isqu iet m e Th e swingi n g l in es o f

.

S h o u ld e rs th e t ram p ! t ramp ! i n th e m u d th e sigh t

, ,

o f th e gu ns and sword s ab ou t m e were al l d epress ,

ing They see m ed t o give a sini ster sign i fi can ce t o

.

my ret u rn I t was my h om e th e d earest sp ot o n

.
,

earth — th is sm il ing p eacefu l su nli t M ohawk V alley

, ,

— an d I was ente rin g i t with sold iers wh ose m ission

’
wa s t o seize and d espoil th e s o n o f m y b oyh ood s
fri end S i r W ill iam M ore than o n e o f my o l d p lay
,
.

’
m ates n ow grown t o m an s estat e wou ld n ot e with
, ,

d espair o u r app roach an d c u rse m e fo r being o f it

, .

Th e l ady o f J oh nson H all t o wh om al l th is wou l d

,

be h o rrible n igh u n to d eath was a cl ose warm fri en d, ,

’
o f D ai sy s SO m y thou ght s ran glo om i ly an d I had
.
,

n o j oy i n any o f th e now fam il iar sights aro u n d m e .

Th e m arch u p from Schen ectady h ad been a m ost

wearisom e o n e fo r the m en owin g t o the m iserabl e ,

condit ion o f th e road n ever ove r sm ooth an d n ow

,
-

rend ered d o ubly bad an d d i ffi c u lt by th e sp rin g

fre shets and th e oozing frost Wh en we reached .

th e pl easant l ittle h ollow i n wh ich Fort J oh n son

n estles a halt w a s accord ingly ord ered an d th e t i red
, ,

sold i ers p repared to refresh th em selves with food by

th e banks o f th e creek I t was n ow aft ern oon ; we
.

were d istan t bu t a S h o rt m il e from th e C edars an d ,

 2 84 In tke Va l l ey .

n ow n o t
m erely th e pleasu re o f regul ari ty bu t th e ,

subtler charm o f sensitive th o u ght fu l character , .

Th e eyes an d h air seem ed a deeper hazel a d arke r ,

b rown than th ey had been The l ip s h ad lost som e

, .

th ing O f th eir ch ild ish cu rve an d m e t each oth er i n

,

—
a st raigh t lin e fai rer than eve r I th o u gh t b ecau se , ,

m ore fi rm .

r I am striving n ow you s ee again

,
st grea t odds
, t o ,

revive i n wo rds th e impressi on s o f d i ffe ren ce wh ic h

cam e t o m e i n th ose fi rst h o u rs as I scann ed h er face, .

T hey fu rn ish forth n o real p o rtrai t o f th e d ear l ady °

h ow co u l d I h op e they sh o uld ? Bu t th ey h elp t o

ide fin e even i f d i mly th e chan ges t oward strength
, ,
f
i an d sel f cont rol I fo u n d in h er
-
.

L I was ind eed all u np repared fo r what awaited m e

, ,

h ere at th e Cedars My h eart h ad b een t orn by all

.

m ann er O f anxi eties and con cern I h ad hasten ed .

fo rward convinced that my aid an d p rot ect i on were

,

d irely n eeded I sat n ow alm ost em barrassed

.
, ,

d igest ing th e fact that th e fort u n e s o f th e Cedars

were i n su ffi cien t an d capable han ds .

’
M r Stewart s con d it ion was i n tru th s a d en ou gh
. .

H e h ad greeted m e with su ch cord ial ity an d cl ear

wit ted n ess o f u tterance and m an ner that at fi rst I
fan cied h is m i sfort u n es t o have been e x aggerated i n
’
my m other s letter H is conversati on for a m om en t
.

o r two was also coh erent and t im ely B u t h is m in d .

w as p ron e to wan d er mysteriou sly H e presen tly .

said : A ssu redly I tau gh t you t o shave with both

“

”
hands I kn ew I cou ld n ot b e m istaken
. I stole .

a glan ce t oward D aisy at this and h er an swerin g ,

n o d sh owed m e the wh ol e case I t w as afte r Ol d .

 I see D a isy and tke Ol d H om e .

Eli had com e i n and wh eeled M r S te war t i n h is .

big chai r o ut into t h e garden that I sp oke to D ai sy ,

o f the d i fferen ces tim e had wrou ght .

” “
Ay s h e said
,
i t m u st b e sadly apparen t t o
,

—
you th e ch i nge i n eve ryth ing
-

.
”

H ow sh ould I app roach the subj ect th e o n e —

thing O f wh ich I kn e w we were both th inking}
( u naffectedly glad t o s e e m e had for the i nstant I
There seem ed a wall b etween US She had bee n
“

; , ,

fanci ed thou gh t t o O ffer m e h er ch eek t o kiss yet

,
-

was with i t all so sel f p ossessed and reserved that I

, ,
-

shrank from t ou ch in g up on h er trouble .

”
Perhaps n o t everyth ing i s s a d I mad e answe r , ,

falt eringly “ —
P o or M r Stewart th at i s ind eed
. .

m o u rn ful ; bu t o n the other hand ,

I b roke o ff
abruptly .

“
O n th e oth er hand s h e took u p my word s ,

calmly you are th inkin g that I am advantaged by

,
’
Ph ilip s d epart u re .

My face m u st h ave showed that I cou ld n ot

d eny i t .

“
I n som e resp ects s h e went o n yes ; i n others
, , ,

n o I am glad t o b e abl e t o speak freely to you

.
,

D ou w for yo u are n earest t o m e of all that are left

, .

I d o not altogeth er kn ow my o wn m ind ; for that

m atter does any one ? The Ph il ip t o wh om I gave
,

my h eart and wh om I m arri e d i s on e pe rson ; th e

Philip wh o t rampled o n the h eart and fl ed h i s h om e
seem s qu it e an other and a d i fferent m an I h esitat e .

between the two som et imes I c a n n o t always s ay .

to myself : Th e fi rst was all fancy ; th e secon d i s

‘

’
t h e reali ty R ath e r they blend th em selves i n my
.
,
2 86 In tbc Va l l ey .

m ind ,a n d I seem t o s e e th e fon d l ove r re main ing

still th e good h u sband i f only I had had th e kn owl
,

edge and t en dern ess t o keep h im s o !

I n what are yo u t o be rep roached D aisy ? I ,

said thi s som ewhat t estily for the sel f acc u sati on
,
-

n ettled m e .

I t m ay easily b e that I was n ot wise D ou w , .

”
I n deed I showed small wisdom fro m th e begi nn in g
, .

I t was all the d oing of that old c a t Lady Bere ,

ni cia I said with m el an ch oly convi ct i on

,
.

N ay blam e n ot her al on e I was th e S illy girl

,
.

t o b e th u s befool ed My h eart wo u ld h ave se rved

.

m e better i f it had b een all good Th e longing for .

fi ne ry an d l u xu ry was my o wn I yearn ed t o b e set

.

’
above th e rest I d ream ed to be cal l ed M y lady
.
,

too in good t im e I fo rgot that I cam e from th e

, .

p oor p eople an d that I belon ged t o th em SO well

, .

and t ru ly did I forget th is that th e fact st ru ck m e

—
l ike a wh ip wh en when i t was bro u ght t o m y
n ot ice.

H e tau nt ed yo u with it then ! I bu rst forth ,

”

my m i n d working qu ickly for once .

She m ad e n o answer for th e tim e b u t r ose from ,

h er chair and l ooke d o u t upo n th e gro u p in the

garden From the open d oor sh e s a w th e van o f
.

’
D ayton s sold i ers tru dging u p th e V all ey road I .

h ad p revi ou sly t ol d h e r o f th ei r m issi on an d my ,

b u si n ess .

P oor Lady J oh nson s h e said rest ing h er h ead

, ,

against h er h and o n the d o or f r am e an d l ooking -

,

u pon th e advan cin g troops with a weary expression

o f face
“
.
—
H e r t rouble i s c om ing m in e i s past .
 C H A PT E R X X V I I .

TH E A RR E S T OF POO R LA DY JO H NSON .

E A R LY th e n ext day wh ich was M ay 2 0th we

-

, ,

h eard t o o u r su rp rise and con sternat ion th at o n

th e p reced ing aftern o on alm ost as C ol on el D ayton
,

an d his sold iers were e nte rin g J oh n stown S i r J oh n ,

and the b ulk o f h i s H ighlan d ers an d sympath i zers ,

t o th e n u mber o f o n e h u nd red and thirty had pri ,

v a t e l y taken t o the woods at th e n orth o f th e H all ,

an d st ru ck ou t for C anada .

O ver s ix weeks elapsed before w e l earned de fi

n it el y that the baron et and h is compan i on s had
t raversed th e wh ol e wild ern ess i n safety an d reach ed
M ontreal wh ich n ow was on ce m ore i n B ritish
,

hands —o u r ill st arred Q u eb ec exp ed iti on havin g

-

fi n ally qu itted Canad a earl ier i n th e m on th We .

’
coul d u n d erstan d th e stori es o f Si r J oh n s t ravai l
an d p rivat i ons for th e sn ow was n ot yet o u t o f th e
,

A dirond ack trails an d few O f h i s company were

,
’
skilled i n w o o dm en s craft Bu t they d id ac c o m .

p l is h th e j o u rn ey an d th at i n nin ete en days

,
.

I for o n e was n ot very m u ch grieved at J ohn

,

son 5 escap e fo r h is imp risonm en t wo uld h ave been

,

an embarrassm ent rath er th an a servi ce t o u s Bu t .

Colon el D ayton was d eeply ch agrined at fi nd ing th e

bi rd fl o wn an d I f ear that in the fi rst h o u rs o f hi s
,
 Ike A r r es t ]
0 P oor L a dy j okn s o n . 2 89

dis co m fit u r e h e may have forgot t en som e o f h is

ph il osoph ical tolerati on fo r Tories i n gen eral H e .

had m oreover the d elicate qu esti on o n his hand s o f

, ,

what to d o with Lady J ohn son N either J u dge .

D u er nor I cou ld advise h im and s o eve ryth ing was ,

h eld i n su spense for the better part o f a week u ntil ,

’
Gen eral Sch uyler s decision cou ld b e had .

M eanwh il e my tim e was fairly occu pi ed i n the fu l

fil m e n t o f m atters i ntru sted t o m e by th e Gen eral .

I had to visit Colonel H erkim er at h is hom e bel ow

Little Falls and talk with h im abo u t th e d isagree
,

abl e fact that h i s brother H on Yost H erkim er had ,

-
,

d eserted th e m iliti a comman d given h im by the

Whigs an d fl ed t o Can ada The stou t o l d Germ an .

wa s fre e t o d en o u n ce h is broth er h owever an d I , ,

li ked th e l ooks and bl u n t speech O f Peter Bellin ger ,

who had b een m ad e colon el o f th e d eserted battalion

o f German Flatts There we re also conversati on s
.

t o be had with C ol on el Klock and Eben ezer C o x , ,

and the Fond as at th ei r several h om es an d a d ay

, ,

to spend with my fri en d J o h n Frey n ow sh eri ff i n ,

place o f the To ry Wh ite I t th u s happen ed that I.

s aw ve ry littl e o f th e p eopl e at th e Cedars and had ,

n o real talk again with D aisy u nt i l a full week had ,

passed .

I t was a cool ove rcast foreno on wh en I alight ed

,

n ext at the fam iliar gat e and gave my h orse into ,

’
T u l p s charge The boy thou gh greatly rej o iced to
.
,

s ee m e back again had developed a cu ri ou s tacit u rn

,

ity in th ese latter years—sin ce h is accid ent i n fact

—an d n o longer sh ou ted o ut th e n ews t o m e at
,

sight . H en ce I had to ask h im as I n eared the ,

1 9
2 90 In tke Va ll ey .

d oo r wha t s t range c arriage was tha t i n t h e yard

,

beyon d an d wh y it was th ere A s I s p o ke a co upl e

, .
,

o fm en l o un d i n v i w fr o m th e r ear f th e h ou se
ge e o
'
'

,
’
and I r e c o gn ii e d them as o f D ayt on s c omman d .

Tu lp e xplained that Lady J oh n son was bein g taken

,

awayy an d that s h e h ad tarried h ere t o rest o n h er ,

j ou rn ey .

It I h ad kn own th i s at th e gate I do u b t I sh ou l d ,
.

h ave stopp ed at all b u t I had b een seen from th e

wi nd ow and it was t o o lat e n ow t o tu rn abo u t S o
, .

I entere d , mu ch wish in g th at I had l eft o ff my u n i

for m o r still b ett er that I had staye d away alt o
, , ,
-s

Th ere were presen t i n th e great ro om D aisy L ady ,

J oh nson , a you n g l ady wh o was he r si st er t wo ch il ,

d ren —and a m an i n civil ian s g arb with som e few

’
,

m il itary to u ch es su ch as a belt an d sword and a

,

cockade wh o s a t by th e win d ow h is kn ees im p u

, ,

de n tl y sp read apart an d h i s h at on h i s h ead I .

l ooked at th i s fell ow i n i nd i g n an t i n qu i ry .

’
D aisy cam e eagerly to m e wi th an explanati on o n
.

h er l ip s :
I t i s th e O ffi cer wh o i s t o take Lady J ohnson t o
A lbany H e i n sists u p on forcing h i s p resen ce upo n
.

u s an d will n ot su ffer u s t o b e alon e t ogeth er i n

,

an y r o o m i n th e h o u se
’

Wh o are you —an d o ff with you r hat ! I said ”

t o th e m an sh arply ,
.

My u n iform wa s of service after all H e looked

.

,
.

me over , an d evi den tly rem em bered having seen m e

with h is colon el ; fo r h e stood u p and took o ff h i s
”
“
hat . I am a l ieu ten an t o f th e Con necti cu t l ine
‘

,
 Ike A r r es t o f P oor L a dy j okn s on . 29 1

“
h e s aid i n a Yankee snarl
,
and I am doing my ,
”
d u ty
.

“
I am a maj or in th e Continental l in e an d I ,

shou ld b e d oing my d u ty i f I sent you back in i ron s

“
t o you r colonel I answered ,
Get ou t o f h ere .
,

wh at t im e Lady J ohn son is t o remain and l eave ,

”
these lad ies t o th em selves !
H e was clearly i n two m ind s ab ou t obeyi n g m e ,

and I fancy it wa s my sup eri or siz e rather than my

rank that ind u ced h i m t o go wh ich h e d id i n as d is ,

agreeabl e a fash ion as possibl e I made my bow t o .

Lady J oh nson an d said som eth ing abou t bei ng glad

,

th at I had com e i f I h ad been o f u se

, .

She poor you ng wom an was in a sad stat e o f

, ,

n ervo u s excite m ent what with h er d elicat e cond i

,

tion an d th e d istressi ng ci rcu mstan ces O f th e pas t

week Sh e was m ore ove r a ve ry beau ti fu l creat u re
.
, , ,

nat u ral ly o f soft and refi n ed m an ners an d thi s m ad e ,

m e th e read ier t o overl ook th e way in wh ich s h e

m et my kin dly m ean t ph rases .

I m arvel that yo u are n ot asham ed M r M au ver , .

”
ensen s h e said h eatedly t o belong t o an army
, , ,

mad e u p o f su ch r u ffian s Eve ry rag o f raim ent .

’
th at m an has on h e stole from my h u sband s ward
robe at the H all To think o f calling su ch low
.

fellows O ffi cers o r consort ing with th em !

,
”

I an swered as gently as I cou ld that u n fo r t u ,

n a t el y th ere were m any su ch ill cond iti oned m en i n

,
-

every service and pointed o u t that the man by hi s

, ,

speech was a N ew Englan der

, .

“
A n d wh o fetch ed them int o this provi nce I ,

sh ou ld like t o know !
29 2 In tbc Va l l ey .

N othing was f u rther from my t h ou ghts than t o

h old a p ol iti cal d iscu ssion with th is poor t rou bled
’
wi fe wh o s aw h er h u sban d s p eril h er o wn plight
,
.
, ,

and th e p rosp ect ive bi rth O f h e r fi rs t ch ild i n c ap

t iv ity constantly b efore h er eyes ! So I strove t o
bring th e talk u pon oth er gro u nd s b u t n o t with ,

m u ch su ccess Sh e grew calm er an d wi th th e r e

.
,

t u rnin g calm n ess cam e a fi n e cool d ign ity o f m an ne r

,

an d ton e wh ich cu ri o u sly rem in ded m e o f Lady Ber

e n ic ia Cro ss ; b u t s h e c ou l d t alk o f n othin g save h e r

wrongs o r rath er th ose o f her h u sban d Sh e seem ed

, .

n ot t o h ave ve ry clear n oti on s O f what t h e t ro ubl e

was all abo u t b u t ascribed it l oo sely I gath ered t o
, , ,

th e j eal ou sy o f Phil ip Livi ngston wh o was vexed ,

that th e Scotch d id n o t settl e u p on h i s patent in

’
stead O i o n Si r J ohn s l and an d t o th e m al ice o f
,

General Sch uyl er wh ose fe u d with th e J oh nson s

,

wa s n otoriou s .

“ “
A n d to t hink too , S h e added
, that M r , .

’ ’
Sch uyl er s m oth er and my m other s m oth er were
sisters A very pleasan t and valu abl e co u si n h e is ,

t o b e su re D riving my h u sban d o ff i n t o th e forest

to p erhap s d i e o f h u n ger an d d ragging m e d own t o
,

A lbany in my cond it ion an d th ru stin g a l ow Con

, ,

n e c t ic u t cobbler into my carriage with m e ! I f my

sickn ess overtakes m e o n th e road an d I d i e my , ,
”
bl ood will be o n the h ead o f Philip Sch uyl er .

’
I read i n D aisy s eyes a way o u t o f this pain
fu l conversat ion and s o said,
Lad y J ohnson ,

it will p erhaps ren der you r j o u rn ey l ess h arrowing

i f I h ave some tal k wi th th i s o ffi cer wh o i s you r
escor t L et m e leave you women folk together h ere
.
-
294 In tke Va l l ey .

cam e t o u s with h i s Conn ec t i cu t t ro op s an d t h ese ,

s e t th em selves u p t o b e i nd epen d ent o f all o u r plans

o r ru les refu sin g even t o m ess with th e others o r

,

t o t o u ch Co ntin en tal p rovisions and m u n iti ons —that

C ongre ss h ad t o int erfere and p u t them S harply back
i nto th ei r p roper places J e r s e m en
.
y P e n n s yl v a ,

n ia n s V i rgin ian s an d m en from

, ,
th e Carolin as will
b ear m e o u t i n saying th ese th ings ab ou t th e N ew
En glan d soldi ery I speak n ot i n blam e o r bitte rn ess
. .

Th e t ru th is th at th ey were t o o m u ch aki n i n bl ood

and con ceit to th e Engl ish n ot t o h ave i n them
selves m any O f th e d isagre eabl e qu al i t ies which had
i mp elled u s all to revolt again st British ru le .

Wh en th e l i eu t en an t h ad o rd ered th e h o rses to
b e b ro u gh t o u t for a start I wen t back in to th e
,

h ou se Th e wom en had b een weep ing I co u ld s e e

.
,
.

L ady J oh n son h ad so ften ed i n h er m o od t oward m e ,

an d sp oke n ow som e gentl e word s o f thanks fo r th e

l ittl e I h ad d on e Whe n I t old h er i n t u rn that
.
, ,

h er escort wou ld h en ceforth b e m ore c onsid e rat e

i n h is cond u ct t oward h er s h e was for a m om e n t
,

pleased b u t th en t ears fi lled her eyes at th e th o u gh t s

,

O f th e j o u rn ey be fore h er .

Wh en I am o u t o f S ight of th i s h o u se s h e said , ,

“
sadly ,
i t will seem as i f my last fri en d had b een
l eft b eh ind Why cou ld th ey n ot have l eft m e at
.

th e H all ? I gave th em th e keys I yi elded u p

eve ryth ing ! What harm co u ld I have d on e th em
—rem ain ing there ? I h ad n o wish t o visi t m y rela
t iv es in A lbany ! —
I t i s a tri ck a d evice ! I d o ubt
I shall ever l ay eyes o n my d ear h om e again .

A n d p oor lady Sh e n ever d id

, , .
 Ike A r r es t o f P oor L a dy j okn s on . 29 5

We strove to speak wo rds o f com fort t o her bu t ,

t hey cam e b u t feebly an d cou l d n ot have consoled ,

h er m u ch Wh en th e l ie u tenan t Op en e d th e d oor
.
,

th e wom en m ade a tearfu l adi eu with sobs an d ,

kisses up o n wh ich I cou ld n ot bear t o lo ok Lady .

J ohnson sh ook han ds with m e still with a path etic ,

qu iverin g o f th e l ip s Bu t th en i n an in stan t s h e .

straigh tened herself t o h er f u ll h eight b it h er lip s ,

t ight and walked prou dly past the obn o xi ou s escort

,

d own th e p ath t o the carriage foll owed by her ,

weep ing sister an d th e two big eyed won dering -

child ren .

“
Will sh e ever com e back ? said D aisy hal f i n ,

i nqu i ry hal f i n despairing exclam at ion as we s aw

, ,

th e last o f th e carriage an d its gu ard H ow will .

it all end D ou w ,

“
Who can forese e ? I an swered I t i s war .

n o w at last war open and d esp erate

, ,
I can s e e n o .

p eace ful way o u t o f it These ari stocrat i c landlords .

,

these J ohn son s Bu tl ers Ph ill ipses D e Lan ceys and

, , , ,

t h e rest will n o t give up th ei r estates witho u t a

,

h ard fight for them O f tha t you may b e s u re . .

Ikey will com e back i f thei r wives d o n ot and al l

, ,

that they can d o backed by En gland t o regain thei r

, ,

p ositions will b e d one Th ey m ay win an d i f they

, .
,

do it will b e o u r n ecks that will be p u t int o the yoke

—
,

o r th e halter A t all events it has gon e t oo far t o

.
,

b e patch ed over n ow We can only stan d u p an d .

fi ght as sto u tly as we m ay an d l eave th e rest t o ,

fate .

A n d i t really was n ecessary to figh t—I su pp ose

i t cou ld n ot have been i n reason avoided ?
29 6 In tke Va l l ey .

Th ey wou l d h ave i t s o Th ey cl u n g t o t h e faith .

t ha t th ey were by right th e masters here an d we ,

th e slaves an d s o i n fat u ated were th ey th at th ey

,

b rou gh t i n Engl ish troops an d force to back th em

up Th ere was no altern at ive b u t t o fi gh t W ou l d
you h ave h ad m e o n th e other sid e—o n th e En g
. .

l ish S id e D aisy ?
,
”

O h n o D o u w S h e answe red i n a cl ear voice

, , , , .

I f wa r th ere m u st b e wh y o f co u rse th e sid e O f , , ,

”
my p eopl e is my sid e .

Iw a s not su rprised at th is b u t I said Y o u sp eak , ,

o f you r p eopl e D ai sy— b u t su rely m e re b i rth d oe s

,
’
n ot co u nt for m o re th an o n e s wh ol e trai ni ng aft er
ward an d yo u h ave been bred am on g an oth er class
,

alt ogeth er Why I sh ou l d th i nk n i n e o u t o f eve ry

.
,

t en o f yo u r fri end s h ere i n th e M ohawk d istri ct m u st

”
b e Tori es .

N ot s o great a prop ortion as that s h e went o n , ,

with a faint sm ile u p on h er l ips bu t d eep gravity ,

i n h er eyes Yo u d o n ot kn ow th e val u e o f these

.

’
‘
fri ends as you call th em as cl os ely as I d o N ever
, , .

h ave they forgott en o n th eir sid e even if I d id o n ,

m in e that my parents were Palat in e peasan t s A n d

,
.

u sp eak of my b ein g bred am ong t hem ! I n what

y o

w ay m ore than yo u were ? Was I n o t brou ght u p

sid e by sid e with yo u ? Was th ere any d i fferen ce in
o u r rearing
—
i n o u r daily l i fe u ntil u nt il yo u l e ft
,

u s ? Why sh o u ld I n ot b e a patri ot s ir as well as , ,

yo u

Sh e ended with a l ittl e l au gh b u t th e voi ce q u iv ,

ered ben eath it We both were thinki n g I felt o f

.
, ,

th e d ear o l d days gone by and o f th e m elan ch oly ,

298 In tke Va l l ey .

pleasan t c h ange cam e over hi s wan f a c e and h e ,

sm iled up o n u s with a cu ri ou s refl ect ion o f th e Old

fo n d l o o k .

Yo u are good ch ild ren h e said ; yo u shall b e

,

m arri ed i n d u e t im e and com e aft er m e wh en I am

,

gone The re will be n o handso mer happ ier twai n

.
,
”
i n th e provin ce .

D aisy fl u sh ed crim son and looked pain ed at th e

’
Ol d gentl eman s child ish babbl ing and I mad e haste ,

t o get away .
 C H A PT E R X X V I I I .

AN OLD A C Q U A IN T A N C E T U R NS UP IN M A N A C LE S .

’
A T R U LY m i serabl e fou rteen m onth s p eriod of
th ankless labo r and of u n en d ing yet aimless anxiety
, ,

follows here i n my story .I t was my b u sin ess t o

remai n i n th e V alley watch its su sp ect ed fi gu res
, ,

i nvigorat e an d encou rage it s m ilitia and combat th e

,

secret sland er an d op en coward ic e whi ch th ere m en

aced th e cau se o f l ib erty Fo rtu nately I had from
.
,

t im e t o t im e assu ran ce that my work wa s o f act u al

,

advantage t o Gen eral S ch uyler an d o cc as io n al l y I

,

h ad leisu re h ou rs t o spen d at th e Cedars I f these .

pleasu rabl e th ings had been d en ied m e th ere wou l d ,

h ave been i n th e wh ol e Contin ental servi ce n o m ore

u nenviabl e post than m in e .

I h ave n ever preten d ed l east O f all t o mysel f t o

, ,

b e m u ch e nam o u red o f fi ghting ; n o r h ave I ever

been regardl ess o f p ersonal com fort and o f th e sat ,

is fa c t io n o f h av m g warm clothes su ffi ci ent food

, ,

and a good b ed in wh i ch t o S leep Yet I wo u ld

.

gladly have exchan ged my state fo r that o f the m ost

wretched p rivate sold ier barefooted an d fam ished
, ,

o n th e frozen D elaware o r at M o rristown War i s a .

hatefu l an d repellen t en ou gh thing ; b u t it i s at least

better t o be i n th e thick o f i t to sm ell b u rn in g
,

p owder and see and feel th e e nemy even i f h e be at ,

yo u r h eels than t o be post ed far away from th e

,
3 00 In tke Va l l ey .

th ea t re o f confl ict spying u p on an o u twardly peace

,

fu l com m u n ity for S igns o f treason and d isa ffection .

I sh o u ld n o t l ike t o p u t d own i n black and wh ite ,

h ere i n my Old age all th e harsh an d m alignan t

,

things wh i ch I tho u gh t o f my M ohawk V all ey n eigh

b ors o r som e o fthem d u ring th ose fou rteen m on th s
, , .

I am abl e t o s e e n ow that they were n ot altogeth er

witho u t excu se .

Th e a ffai rs O f th e revolted Colon i es were i n t ru th , ,

going ve ry badly N O soon er h ad Congress su m

.

m o n e d th e resol u ti on t o d ecree Conti n ental i nd e

n de n ce than th e fates seem ed t o con sp i re t o S h ow
p e

that th e d eclarat io n was a m istake O u r su ccesses .

in th e fi el d cam e t o a su dde n h alt ; then d isasters

fol l owed i n th ei r place P u bl i c con fi d en ce wh ich
.
,

h ad been to o l ightly rai sed fi rst wavered then c o l , ,

lapsed A gain st t h e magn ifi cent army o f En glish

.

an d H essian regu lars wh ich H owe m u stered i n N ew

York Gen eral Wash ington cou ld n ot h old h is own
, ,

and Congress l ost the n e rve t o st an d at h i s back .

O u r m il it ia th rew u p th e service d ish eart en ed O u r , .

comm issariat fad ed o u t o f existen ce Th e p atri ot .

force becam e the m ere skel et on o f an army ragged , ,

i ll fed d iscou raged and alm ost h opeless I n bat

-
, ,
.

—
tle after battl e the Brit ish won by overwh elm ing
n u mbers or su peri or fortu ne i t m attered n ot wh i ch ;,

th e resu lt was equ ally lam entable .

Th ere had been indeed a n otabl e week at Chri st

, ,

m as tim e when t h e swi ft strong bl ows stru ck at

-
,

Trenton and Prin cet on li fted for a m om en t th e clou d

wh ich h u ng over u s B u t i t settl ed down again
.
,

black and th reaten in g be fore sp rin g cam e,

.
3 0 2 In tke Va l l ey .

cation s wi th the re fu gees in Canada T h ese t alked .

’
Op enly o f the tim e soo n to arrive wh en th e Kin g s
troops wo u ld p u rge th e V alley o fdisloyalty and loyal ,

is t s sh o u l d com e by m ore than th eir o wn There was .

a som ewhat larger Wh ig party wh ich by word an d ,

d eed su pp orted Congress Between these two o r .

,

rath er becau se o f th ei r large n u mber su rro u n d in g

, ,

th em was th e great n eu tral p arty wh o were ch iefly

, ,

con cern ed t o so t ri m th eir sails that th ey shou l d sh ip

n o water wh ich eve r way th e win d blew .

Up t o th e tim e o f th e D ecl arati on o f I n d ep endence

th ese p eacefu l p eopl e had lean ed rath e r t oward th e
Whigs Bu t wh en Gen eral Wash ingt on evacu ated
;

Long I sland and th e Contin en tal prospects seem ed

,

t o dwin dle it was won derfu l t o n ot e h o w th ese sam e

,

trim m ers began again fi rst fu rti vely th en with less , ,

’
con cealm ent t o d rink the King s h ealth
, .

R o u ghly speaking the m aj o rity o f th e avowed,

Tories were i n th e l ower d istrict o f T ryon Cou nty ,

that calle d th e M oh awk d istrict embracing all east ,

’
O f A nthony s N ose incl u din g J ohnstown Trib es, ,

H ill an d Cau ghn awaga

,
Th ey had i n deed o u t .
, ,

n u mbered th e Wh igs by fi ve t o o n e befo re th e fl igh ts

t o Canada began ; an d even now en ou gh rem ai ned
t o give a st rong British col or t o th e feel ing o f th e
district I n th e western d istri cts o f th e cou nty
.
,

wh ere the p op u lati on was m o re p u rely D u tch an d

Palatine th e Wh ig sent im ent was very m u ch
,

stronger Bu t h ere t o o th ere were Tories con fessed

.
, , ,

and d efi ant ; an d eve rywhere as tim e passed th e , ,

d ry rot o f d oubt spread am ong th ose wh o were o f

-

neither party I t cam e at last that n early every

.
 A n Ol d A cqua in ta n ce tu r n s p
u in Ma n a cl es .
3 03

’
week bro u ght n ews o f som e yo u ng m an s di sappear
ance from h om e—wh ich m ean t an oth er recru i t for
th e host ile Canadian force ; and scarcely a day wen t
by witho u t the gloomy tidings th at th is m an o r th e
othe r h ereto fore l ukewarm n ow spoke i n favo r o f
, ,

su bm ission to th e Kin g .

I t was my fu nction t o wat ch thi s shi fting p ubli c

Opini on t o sway it wh ere I co uld bu t t o watch i t
, ,

always N o m ore pai n fu l task co u ld h ave been c o n

.

c e iv e d .I l ived i n an atm osphere o f treach e ry and

su sp icion Wh erever I t u rn ed I s aw h u ma n ity at its
.

worst M en d ou bted thei r b roth ers th eir son s even

.
, ,

th eir wi ves Th e very grou n d u ndern eath u s was

.

h on eycombed wi th intrigu es an d consp iracies In .

t e ll ige n c e from Canada with its b u rd en o f prom ises

,

to speed ily gl u t the passion s o f war circu lated ,

st ealth ily all ab ou t u s H ow i t cam e h ow it was

.
,

passed from h earth t o hearth d efi ed ou r pen etration , .

We cou ld o nly feel that i t was in th e air aro u n d u s ,

an d st r ive t o locate it— m ai nly i n vain —an d sh u dd er

at its sin ister om ens .

Fo r all felt a blow to b e impend ing an d only ,

m arvelled at its be ing s o l on g withh eld I t was .

two years n ow sin ce Col on el Guy J ohn son with th e ,

Butlers an d Ph ilip Cross h ad gon e westward t o ,

rai se th e I nd i ans I t wa s m ore than a year since

.

Si r J oh n an d h is retain ers had j oi n ed them S om e .

o f these had been t o England in the in teri m an d ,

w e vagu ely h eard o f oth ers fl ittin g n ow I n Q u ebec , ,

n o w at N iagara or D etroit yet n on e d o u bt ed th at

th e cl earest p u rpose of all o f them was t o retu rn
with troop s and savages t o reconq u e r the V alley .
3 04 In tke Va l l ey

Thi s was th e sword wh i ch h u ng d aily n ightly over , ,

o u r h eads .

A n d as t h e wait ing ti m e length en ed o u t i t grew

t erribl e t o weak an d sel fi sh m in ds M ore and m ore .

m en sou ght t o l earn h ow they m igh t so ften and t u rn

i ts wrath asid e n o t h ow they m igh t m ee t an d rep el
,

its st roke .

C on gress wou ld n o t b el ieve i n o u r danger—p e r

h ap s cou ld n o t h ave h elped u s i f it wou ld A n d .

th en o u r o wn fri en ds at th is lost he art Th e fl ight s .

t o Canada m u lt ipl ied ; o u r vol u nte er m il it iam en fell

away from th e d ri ll s an d p atrols St o rie s an d r u .

m ors grew th icker o f Bri t ish preparati on s o f I nd ian ,

’
app roaches o f i nvasion s red track bei ng cl eared
,

u p to th e ve ry gat es o f th e V alley A n d n o m an .

s aw h ow th e ru i n was t o be averted .

I t wa s i n th e secon d week o f J u ly at alm ost ,

th e darkest h o u r i n tha t gl o omy fi rst part o f 1 7 7 7 ,

that a S i ngu lar l ink i n th e chain o f my st o ry was

forged .

A ffairs were at thei r worst abroad and a t home , .

’
Gen eral Wash ington s call fo r m ore troops had fall en
o n deaf ears an d it seemed imp ossibl e tha t hi s p oor
,

force coul d withstan d the grand army an d fl eet

’
m u steri n g at N ew York Th e n ews o f St Clair s
. .

wret ch ed evac u at i on o f T icond eroga had com e in ,

an d we scarcely dared l ook o n e an oth er in th e face

wh en it was t old A pparently m att ers we re n earing
.

a clim ax s o far at least as we i n N ew York Stat e

,

were involved Fo r Bu rgoyn e was m oving down

.

th rou gh the Champl ain co u nt ry u pon A lbany with ,

n on e to stay h is progress and an auxiliary fo rce was

,
3 06 In tke Va ll ey .

ter wh ic h w o u ld n ot wai t for th e m orr o w T hi s .

m u ch I gath ered from th e m essenger as we rod e ,

t ogeth er i n th e starligh t b u t h e co u ld tell m e l ittl e

,

m ore save that an e m issary from th e T ori es i n Can

,

ada h ad been capt u red n ear th e Sa co n daga an d i t ,

was n eedfu l that I sh ou l d s ee h im I wondered .

som ewhat at thi s as a reason for ro u ting m e o u t o f

my sl eep b u t cantered sil en t ly along t o o drowsy t o
, ,

b e qu eru l ou s .

D aylight b roke befo re w e crossed th e river an d ,

th e su n ri se gu n so u n ded as we rod e u p i nt o th e
cou rt h ou se squ are at J oh n stown S oldiers were
-
.

already t o b e seen m oving abo u t o u t sid e th e bl ock

h o u ses at th e corn ers o f th e pali sad e wh i ch sin ce ,
’
Si r J ohn s fl ight had b een b u ilt arou n d th e j ail O u r
,
.

com in g seem ed t o b e exp ected fo r o n e o f th e s o l ,

d iers t old u s t o wai t wh il e h e wen t i nsi de an d after ,

a few m in u t es J oh n Frey cam e o u t rubb ing h i s ,

eyes A s I d ism ou n ted h e bri efly expl ained m a t

.
,

t ers t o m e .

I t seem ed th a t a To ry s py h ad m ad e h i s way i n
from th e woods h ad d elivered lett ers both at Cai rn
,

cross an d at th e Ced ars and had th en start ed t o

,

retu rn bu t by th e vigilan ce o f o n e o f th e V ro oman

,

b oys had been h ead ed o ff an d taken .

H e i s as cl ose as th e bark o n a b eech t ree con -

,

cl u ded th e sh eri ff We co u l d get n oth in g ou t o f

.

h im Even wh en I t old h im h e w o u l d b e hanged

.

th is m orn in g after b re akfast h e d i d n ot change ,

color H e only said th at i f th i s was th e case h e

.

wou ld l ike fi rst t o see yo u it seem s h e kn o w s you ,

—
and has so me i n form at i o n for yo u p robably abo u t
 A n Ol d A cqua in ta n ce tur n s up in Ma n a cl es .
3 7
0

’
Ph il ip Cross s wi fe Perh ap s h e will t ell yo u what
.

wa s in th e lett er h e brou ght to her .

I t occ u rred to m e o n th e i nstan t th at th is was th e

real reaso n for my being su m m on ed These were .

days o f u n iversal su spici on an d th e worthy sheri ff ,

had his d ou bts even o f D ai sy .

A l l right ! Let m e s ee th e m an I said an d we , ,

entered th e jail .

When the soldi er i n charge h ad open ed th e cell

d oor th e obj ect o f o u r i nteres t was d iscovered t o b e
,

asleep Frey S h ook h im vigoro u sly by th e sho ulder

. .

H e s at bolt u pright o n the i ns t an t squ in ting h is ,

eyes t o accu sto m th em t o th e light bu t evin cin g n o ,

special c on cern at o u r p resen ce .

IS yo u r hanging party ready ? h e said an d

-
,

yawn ed stretch ing h is arms as freely as th e m ana

,

cles wou ld ad m it .

l k —
I o o e d cu ri ou sly at h im a lon g sl en d er wiry , ,

figu re with th in cord ed neck an d twisted m u scle s

, , ,

sh owing o n s o m u ch o f h is h ai ry b reast as th e open

b u ckski n sh irt exposed Th e face w a s p o inted an d .

bony and b rown as leath er Fo r th e m om ent I

, .

could n ot place h im ; then h is ident ity dawned o n

m e I stepp ed forward and said
.
,
”
I s that you En och Wad e ?
,

H e l ooked u p at m e and n odd ed recogn ition with

, ,

n o sh ow of e m ot i on .

“ ’
I t m ight h ave be en my gh ost cap n h e said , , ,
’
i f you hadn t h u rried right al ong These fri ends of .

yo u rs were bent o n spoilin g a good man t o m ake bad

’
m eat They wou ldn t liste n t o any kind o f reason
.
.

Can I have a palaver with you all by you rsel f ? ,

3 08 In tke Va l l ey .

’
Wha t d oes h e m ean by a palave r ? asked ‘

th e hon est Swi ss sheri ff .

I explain ed tha t i t was a com m on en ou gh P ort u

”

g u es e word sign i fyi n g , t alk wh i ch En och i n h is ,

wan derings h ad p icked u p Fu rth erm ore I tol d .

,

Frey that I kn ew th e m an and wi sh ed t o sp eak »

,

wi th h i m ap art wh ereu p on th e sh eri ff an d th e s o l

,

d ie r l eft u s .

“
I t is all i n my eye —th ei r h angi ng m e began ,

E n och wi th a sard on i c sm i l e sl owly relaxin g h is

,
’ ”
th i n lips I wasn t foole d a m in u t e by th at .

“
P erh ap s yo u are m i stake n there my m an I , ,

said as sternly as I co u ld
, .

’ ’
O h n o n ot a bit ! What s m ore th ey wou ld n t
, , ,
’
h ave cau gh t m e i f I hadn t wan ted t o b e cau ght .

You kn ow m e Y o u have t ravell ed with m e H o n

. .

e s t I nj u n n ow d o yo u take m e fo r th e kin d o f a
, ,

m an to b e tre ed by a yo u ng D u t ch m u skrat t rapp er -

i f I have a m in d n ot t o b e ?
I had t o adm it th at m y kn owl edge o f h i s reso u rce
fu l natu re had n ot p repared m e for su ch an ign oble
catastrophe b u t I adde d that all the m ore h is c o n
,

d u ct mysti fi ed m e .

Q u ite s o ! h e remarked with an other gri m ,

sm il e o f complacenc y S it d own here o n th i s bed

. ,

’ ”
i f you can fi nd room and I ll t ell yo u all abo u t i t
,
.

The tal e to wh i ch I l ist en ed d u ring th e n ext hal f

ho u r fu ll o f deep i nterest as it was for m e wou ld
, ,

n ot bear rep eat ing here at l ength I ts essen tial .

points were these

’
A fte r S ir Willia m s d eath En och h ad remained o n
at the H all n o t feel ing part i c u l arly b ou nd to th e
,
C
(
 A n Ol d A cqua in ta n ce tu r n s up in Ma n a cl es .
3 9
0

’
ne w barone t bu t h aving a ca t s at t achm en t t o the
,

H al l itsel f When S i r J oh n fi n ally res olved t o

.

avoid arrest by fl ight En och had been in two m ind s ,

abou t accompanyi ng h im bu t had fi nally yield ed t o ,

th e flattering relian ce placed by all u p on th e val u e

and th orou ghness o f h i s kn owledge as a wo odsm an .

I t was largely d u e t o h is skill that the party go t

safely th rou gh th e great wil d ern ess an d reach e d ,

M ontreal s o soon Si nce h is arrival i n Can ada

.
,

h owever things had n ot been at all to h is liking

,
.

The re wa s bu t o n e thou ght am ong a ll h i s refu gee

companions whi ch was t o retu rn t o th e M oh awk
,

V alley and p u t thei r o l d neighb ors t o fi re and S word

— and for this En och had n o i nclinat ion whatever .

H e had accordingly resisted al l o ffers t o e nrol h im

in t h e T o ry regiment whi ch Si r J oh n was rai sing i n
Canada an d had l ooked for an opportu n ity to get
,

away qu i etly an d with ou t rep roach Th is chance .

h ad only com e t o h im a week o r so ago whe n Ph ilip ,

C ross O ffered t o pay h im wel l t o take two l etters

d own th e V alley —o n e t o hi s se rvan t R ab th e oth er ,

to M rs Cross H e had accept ed thi s erran d and

. .
,

had d el ivered th e l ett ers as in d u ty b ou n d There .

h is resp on sibili ty end ed H e had n o i nt enti on t o .

ret u rn an d had allowed h im sel f t o b e arrest ed by a

,

sl ow and u n i nvent ive yo u n g man solely b ecau se it ,

se em ed th e best way o f achi eving h is p u rp ose .

What i s yo u r pu rp ose E noch ,

Well t o b egin with it i s t o make yo u r hai r stan d

, ,
’
o n end I start ed from Bu ck s I slan d o n th e St
. .
,

Lawrence o n t h e 9 th o f th i s m onth D o yo u kn ow
, .

wh o I lef t t here ? Seven h u nd red u n i form ed sold iers ,

3 10 In tko Va l l ey .

Engli sh and Tory with eight can n on s com m and ed

, ,

by a British colonel —Sil l in ge r they called him — and

S ir J oh n J oh nson They are com in g t o O swego
.
,

where they will m eet th e Bu tlers with m ore Tories ,

and D an Clau s with fi ve h u nd red I n dian s Then .

th e whol e force i s t o m arch o n Fort Stan wix c ap ,

t u re it and com e d o wn th e V alley !

”

Yo u m ay gu ess h ow eagerly I l isten ed t o th e

d etails which En och gave —details o f th e gravest
i mp ortance which I m u st h asten t o sen d west t o
,

H erkim er an d eas t t o S ch uyler When th is vital .

talk was e nd ed I retu rn ed t o th e p ersonal side o f

,

the m atte r with a fi n al qu ery

“
Bu t why get yo u rsel f arrested ?
’
Be cau se I wan ted t o see yo u My erran d wasn t
.

’
fi n ishe d till I had given yo u Phil ip Cross s m essage .

’
Tell that D u t chman h e sa id i f yo u can con trive
, ,
‘

t o do it with ou t p eril t o yo u rsel f th at wh en I com e

,

i nto th e V alley I will cu t o u t h i s h eart and feed i t ,

t o a Miss is agu e d og !
’
 In tke Va ll ey .

u s som e even h old ing com m i ssions i n o u r m ilitia

, .

O ld Sam m on s cou ld n ot restrain a sn ort o f rage

wh en th e nam e o f H o n Yost H erkim er w as m en -

’
t io n e d i n th i s list o f m en wh o wore n ow th e t raitor s
“
R oyal Green u n i form and carri ed com m i ssi on s,

from Kin g George t o fi ght again st thei r o wn bl ood .

“ ’
Yo u saw n o Samm ons i n that d am n ed snake s
’
n est I l l b e bo u nd ! h e sh ou ted fi ercely at En och
,
”
.

N o r any Fond a either

”
said M aj or J elles as
, , , .

fi rm ly .

B u t th en b oth betho u ght th em that th ese were

cru el word s t o s ay in th e h earing o f th e s t alwar t
J oh n Frey wh o cou l d n ot help i t that h is b roth er
, ,

C olon el H en drick was o n parol e as a su sp ec t ed

,

T o r y and that an other brothe r Bernard an d a

, , ,
’
n eph ew you n g Ph il ip Frey H end rick s s o n were
, , ,

wi th J oh nson in Can ada So th e fam ily su bj ect was .

d ropp ed .

M ore o r l ess m i nu t e rep o rts o f all that E n och r e

veal ed accord ing t o th e p osition o f those fo r wh o m
,

th ey were i ntend ed were writt en o u t by m e and , ,

d espat ched by m essen ger to G en eral S ch uyl e r at

A lbany ; to Bri gad ier Gen eral H erkim er n ear th e -

Little Falls ; t o Colon el Campbell at Ch erry V all ey ;

and t o my Old com rade Peter Gansevoort n o w a ,

fu ll col onel and si nce A pril th e com mandan t at

,

Fort Stanwix Upon h im th e fi rst b ru n t o f th e c o m

.

ing i nvasion woul d fall H e had u nd er h im only .

fi ve h u ndred m en —the Th ird N ew York C onti

n en ta l s —an d I t ook it u pon m ysel f t o u rge n ow
u pon Gen eral Sch uyler that m ore S hou ld b e sp eed e d
t o h im .
 Ike Mess age s en t fr om tke A r my .
3 3
1

T his work fi nally cleared away an d all don e that ,

was p rop er u ntil th e military head o f T ryon Cou nty ,

B rigad ier H erkim er sh ould t ake acti on there was

, ,

t im e t o rem ember my o wn a ffai rs I t had b ee n r e .

solved t h at n o word o f what we had learn ed sh ou l d

be mad e p u blic Th e hayi ng had begu n an d a pan i c
.
,

n o w wou ld work only d isast er by i nt erferin g with

th is m ost imp ort ant harvest a day sooner t han need

be T here was n o longe r any qu estio n o f keep ing
.

Enoch i n p rison b u t th ere was a real fear tha t i f h e

,

w ere s et at large h e m ight reveal hi s secret H ence .

J ohn Frey su ggested that I keep hi m u nd er my eye ,

an d th i s j u mped with my in cli nat ion .

A ccordingly when th e noon day heat was some

,
-

w hat abated w e s e t o u t d own th e V alley road to

,

w ard th e C edars There was n o h orse fo r h im b u t

.
,

h e walked with th e spring an d tirelessn ess o f a grey

ho u nd hi s hand o n th e p ommel o f my saddle Th e
, .

fou r sold iers wh o had com e d own from J ohn stown

followed i n o u r rear keepin g u n d er th e shad e where
,

they co u ld an d p ickin g berri es by th e w ay

, .

Th e mysteri o u s lett er from Phil ip t o h i s d e serted

wi fe lay heavi ly upon my th ou ghts I cou ld n o t .

ask En och i f h e kn ew it s cont en ts—wh ich it t u rn ed

o u t h e d id n o t—bu t I w as u nabl e t o keep my m in d

from spe cu lating u pon them .

D u ring all these fou rteen m onth s D aisy an d I had

rarely spoke n o f h er recrean t r u ffian o f a h u sban d
o r fo r that m att er
,
o f any other phase o f her s a d
,

m arri ed l ife Th ere h ad been som e littl e con straint

.

’
between u s for a tim e after M r Stewart s ch ild i sh
, .

babbli ng abou t u s as still you th and m aid en He .

3 14 In tke Va l l ey .

n ever happ en ed t o repea t it and t h e emba r r assmen t

,

grad u ally wo re away Bu t we had both bee n warn ed

by it—if indeed I o u ght to sp eak o f h er as p ossibly
.

n eedi n g su ch a warn ing— and by tacit con sent th e

whol e s ubj ect o f h e r S itu atio n was avoid ed I d i d .

n o t even t ell h er that I owed th e wo rst an d m o st

last in g o f my wou nds t o Phil ip I t wou ld only .

h ave add ed t o her gri ef and imp eded th e freed om

,

o f my arm wh en the ch anc e fo r revenge S h ou ld

com e .

That my h eart had b een all thi s wh i l e d eeply

t ender t oward th e poo r girl I n eed h ardly s ay I , .

tried t o bel ieve that I th ou gh t o f h er only as th e

dear sist er o f m y childhood and that I lo oked u pon
,

h er when we m et with n o m ore than th e fondn ess

’
whi ch m ay p rop erly gl ow i n a broth er s eyes Fo r .

th e m ost part I su cceed ed i n b eli eving i t b u t it i s ,

j u st t o add that th e n eighb orh o od did n ot More .

than once my m oth er had angered m e by rep ort in g

that p eopl e talked of my frequ ent visits t o th e
Cedars an d faint ech oes O f this gossip had reached
,

my ears from o th e r sou rces .

Y o u did n o t stop t o s ee M i stress C ross open h er

l ett e r th en ? I asked En och
,
”
.

N o : wh y S h ou ld I ? N oth ing wa s sai d ab o u t

”
that H e pai d m e only to del iver i t i nt o h er h and s
. .

“
A n d what was h i s m ood wh en h e gave i t t o
you ? ”

“
Why i t was wh at yo u m igh t call th e M ad ei ra
m ood —h is o l d accu st om ed t emp er H e h ad th e
,

h icco u ghs I recall wh en h e sp oke with m e M ost

, ,
.

gen erally h e d oes h ave them Yet sp eak th e t ru th .

,
316 In tke Va l l ey .

l eft Eno c h an d th e escort witho u t and kn ocked at ,

th e d oor I h ad t o rap a seco nd t im e b e fore M olly

.

Wempl e app eare d t o le t m e in .

“ ”
We were all u p stairs s h e said wipi ng h e r h o t
-
, ,
’
an d d u sty brow with h er ap ron hard at it ! I ll ,

s end her d own t o yo u She n eeds a l ittl e breath in g .

sp ell .

The girl was gon e b efore I cou ld a s k wha t ext ra

n ecess ity fo r labor had falle n u p on th e h ou seh old
thi s su ltry su mm er aft ern oon .

D aisy cam e h u rri edly t o m e a m om ent later and , ,

to ok both my h and s i n hers She also bore sign s o f .

work an d wearin ess .

O h I am s o glad you are com e

, S h e said ,

“
eagerly T wice I have sen t Tu lp fo r yo u acros s
.

’
t o yo u r m other s I t seem ed as i f yo u n ever wou ld
.

”
com e .

Why what is it my girl ? I s it ab ou t th e l etter

, ,

—
from from
Y o u kn ow then ,

O nly t hat a letter c am e t o yo u yes t erd ay from

—
h im Th e m essenger h e i s an Old fri end o f o u rs
.

t o ld m e that m u ch n oth ing mo re , .

D aisy t u rn ed at this and took a chair m oti on ing ,

m e t o an oth er Th e pleased e x citem ent at my

—
.

—
arrival app arently s o m u ch d esi red was su cceed ed
all at once by visibl e embarrassm ent .

N ow that you are h ere I s carcely kn ow wh y I ,

wan ted you o r —o r h o w t o tell yo u what i t i s s h e

”

, ,

said sp eaking sl owly

,
I was full o f the id ea that .

n othing cou ld be d one with ou t you r advi ce an d h elp

—and ye t n ow yo u h av e c o m e i t seem s tha t there
, ,
 Ike Message s en t fr om tke A r my .
3 7
1

i s n oth ing le f t fo r you to say o r d o She pau sed .

fo r a m om ent th en added
,
Y o u kn o w we are going
”
back t o Cairn cross .

I stare d at h er aghast The bes t th ing I cou ld

,
.

s ay was ,
N on sen se
She sm iled wearily So I m ight h ave kn own yo u
.

”
wou ld s ay Bu t i t is th e tru th n on e the less
.
, .

Y o u m u s t b e cra z y !
N O D o uw only ve ry ve ry wretch ed
, , ,
’
The poor girl s voice faltered as s h e spoke and I ,

th ou ght I s aw th e glisten o f tears i n h er eyes Sh e .

h ad born e so brave an d cal m a front th rou gh all her

t rou ble that th is su ggesti on o f a s o b wru n g my
,

heart with th e cru elty o f a n ove l sorrow I dre w .

my chair n earer t o he r
Tell m e abo u t it all D ai sy—if yo u can
.

, .

H er answer was t o i mp u lsively take a l ette r from

h er pocket an d hand i t t o m e Sh e wou ld have .

recalled it an i nstant l ater

N o —give i t m e back
.

“
sh e cried I fo rgot ! , .

There are th ings in i t yo u sh o ul d n ot see .

Bu t even as I h el d i t o u t t o h er s h e changed h er ,

m ind once again .

N o —read it sh e said sinking back i n h er chair

, ,

it can make n o f —
d i ference between us Yo u .

m ight as well know all

T he all cou ld n ot well h ave been m ore hateful .

I smoothed ou t the fold ed sheet over my kn ee and ,

read these words written i n a l oose bold character

, , ,

with no dat e o r designati on o f plac e an d with th e ,

S ignat u re scrawled grandly l ike the s ign m an u al o f a -

j
d uke a t leas t
,
3 8
1 In tke Va l l ey .

M AD A M —It is m y p rp
u ose to r eturn to C airn c r os s for th with ,

th o u gh you ar e n o t to p u bli s h it .

I f I fail to fin d yo u th er e res idi n g as is yo ur d u ty u p o m y, ,

n

a rrival , I sh all be a bl e to c on s true th e r easo n s fo r yo ur absen e an d c ,

s h all a c t a cc o r di n gly .

I am fully i n f o rm ed o f you r beh avio r in q ui tti n g my h ou s e th e

i n s tan t my back was tu rn ed an d in co n so r ti g p u bli c ly wi th m y
, n

en e mi es a n d wi th r uff
,
ian f o es to l aw an d o rd er g en eral l y .

A ll th es e r ebel s an d k n aves wil l s h o r tly be sh o t o r h an ged in ,

cl udi n g wi th o u t fa1 l y o ur D utc h gall an t wh o I am to l d n o w c a ll s

, , ,

him s el f a m ajo r H is daily vi s i ts to yo u h ave all b een fai th full y r e

.

p o rted to m e A f ter h is n eck h as b een pro p erl y twi s ted I m ay be

.
,

in a b etter h u m o r to li s ten to s u c h exc us es a s yo u c an O ffe r in h is

r eg ard al bei t I m ake n o pr o mi s e
, .

I des p atc h by thi s sam e express m y c om m an d s to Rab whi ch ,

will s erve as yo u r f urth er in stru c ti o n s .

P H IL IP .

/
O n e cl early h ad a righ t t o t im e fO n f e fl e c tio n Da ft e r

h aving read su ch a l ett er as thi s I tin n ed th e sh eet .

over an d over i n my hand s r e reading l in es h ere ,

-

an d there u nde r preten ce O f st u dy an d p reserving ,

S il ence u ntil fi nally s h e asked m e what I th ou ght o f

,

i t all Th en I had p erfo rce t o speak my m ind

. .

”
I th ink i f yo u wish t o kn ow I said d el iber
, , ,

ately ,
that th is h u sban d o f you rs i s th e m ost Odi
o u s bru t e God ever all owed t o l ive

There cam e n ow i n h e r reply a cu ri ou s c o n fir m a

t i on o f th e fam iliar sayi ng that n o m an can ever ,
’
compreh en d a wom an A l ong l i fe s exp eri ence h as
.

convin ced m e tha t th e simplest and m ost di rect o f

h e r s ex m u st b e i n th e in n er workings o f h er m ind
, ,

an en igm a t o th e wi sest man that ever existed ; s o

impressed am I with thi s fact that several tim e s i n
t h e co u rse o f th i s narrative I have been at p ain s t o
3 2 0 In tke Va l l ey .

two years—h aving you wat ched m eanwh ile i t seem s

—
,

yet n eve r v o u c h s a fin g yo u s o m u ch as a word o f

m essage ! T hen at l ast when thes e c oward Tories ,

have bo u ght h elp en o u gh i n Germ any and i n th e

I nd ian camps t o em b olden them t o com e d own and
lo ok thei r n eighb ors i n th e face h e i s pl eased t o ,

writ e you th is l et ter abou nd ing i n coarse i nsu lts i n

,

every sen ten ce H e tells you o f h i s com ing as h e

.

m igh t n oti fy a tavern wench H e h ect ors an d ord ers .

y o u as if yo u were h is slave H e pl easantly p rom .

is es th e ignom in i o u s death o f you r ch ief fri en ds

A n d all thi s yo u take kindly—si fting h i s bru tal
.

wo rd s i n search fo r even th e t in iest grai n o f m anli

n ess My faith I am asto n ished at yo u ! I cred ited
.
,
”

y o u with m o re sp irit .

Sh e was n ot angered at th i s ou tb u rst wh ich had ,

i n i t m ore harsh phras es than sh e had heard i n all

h er l ife from m e b efore b u t after a l ittle pau se sai d
, , ,

t o m e qu it e cal mly
“
I kn ow yo u d eem h im all bad Y o u n ever .

”
allowed h im any go od qu ality
—
.

You kn ow h i m better than I a th ou san d tim es

’
b ett er m ore s th e p ity V ery well ! I rest the case
,
.

with yo u Tell m e ou t o f all you r kn owl e dge o f

.
,

th e m an what good qu al ity h e eve r showed h ow

, ,

h e sh owed it an d when !
”

H ave you forgotten th at h e save d my l i fe ?

N o ; b u t h e forgot it—o r rather m ade i t th e s u b
”

j e c t o f tau nts i n place o f soft thou ghts .

— —
,

And h e l oved m e ah h e truly d id for a

l ittle
Yes h e l oved yo u ! So h e d id h is h orses h i s
, ,
 Ike Mes sage s en t fr om tke A r my .
3 2 I

ken nel , h is win e cellar ; and a h u ndred fold more h e -

loved himself and h is cu rsed p ride .

H o w yo u hate hi m
H ate h i m Yes ! H ave I n ot been given cau se ?
H e often said that h e was n ot i n fau l t fo r thro w
ing Tulp over th e gu l f S id e H e kn ew n o reason h e
-
.
,

avowed why yo u sh ou ld h ave so u ght a qu arrel wit h

,

h im that day and forced i t u po n him there i n the

—
, ,

gul f ; and as for T ulp why the fo olish boy ran at ,

h im I s it n o t s o ?
.

“
Wh o sp eaks o f T ulp ? I asked i mpatiently , .

I f h e had t ossed all Ethiop ia ove r th e cl i ff and

l eft m e yo u—I—I
,

Th e words were ou t
I bit my t ongu e i n sham ed regret and dared not ,

let my glance m eet hers O f all things i n the world

.
,

this was precisely what I sho u ld not h ave u t te re d

what I wanted least to say Bu t i t had bee n said .
,

and I was covered with con fu sion Th e n ecessi ty .

o f saying som eth ing to bridge over th is chasm of

insensate i nd iscre t io n tu gged at my sen ses and

fin al l y—after what had seem ed an age o f silen ce
,

I stamm ered o n
What I m ean is we n ever liked each other
, .

Why th e fi rst tim e we ever m et we fou ght Yo u

, , .

canno t rem ember it b u t we d id H e knocked m e

, .

int o th e ashes A n d then th ere was o u r d isp u t e at

.

A lb any— in th e Patro on s m a
’
nsi on yo u will recal l , .

A n d then at Q u ebec I have neve r told yo u o f th is

.
,

I wen t on recklessly b u t we m et that m orn ing in

, ,

the sn ow as M ont gom ery fell H e knew m e dark

, .
,
”
as it still was and we grappled This scar h ere I
, .
,
 In tke Va l l ey .

p oin t ed to a reddish seam across my t empl e an d

”
ch eek ,
thi s was his doing .

I have said that I co u ld n ever m eet D aisy in th ese

days with o u t feeling that m ere c hronol ogy to th e ,

opp osit e n otwithstand in g s h e was m u ch the Older ,

an d m ore comp etent p erson o f th e two Th is sen se .

o f j u ven ility overwh elm ed m e n ow as s h e calmly ,

rose an d p u t h er h and o n my sh ou ld er an d t ook a ,

restfu l as it were m at ernal charge of m e and my m ind

, , .

“
My d ear D o u w s h e said with as fi n e an as
,
”

su mpt ion o f qu i et comp osed su p eri ority as if s h e

,

had n ot u p t o that m om ent been talking th e veriest

n onsen se I u nd erstan d j u st wh at you m ean D o
,
.

n o t think i f I se em so m et i m es th ou ghtl ess or in dif

,

fer e n t that I am n ot aware o f you r feel ings o r that

, ,

I fail t o appreciat e th e fond n ess you h ave always

given m e I kn ow wh at yo u wou l d have said
.

I t was exactly wh at I m ost o f all wo u l d n ot h ave

said I broke i n with i n passin g
, , .

Even s o B u t d o yo u th ink silly b oy that th e

.
, ,

th ou ght wa s n ew t o m e ? O f co u rse we shall n ever

sp eak o f i t ag ain bu t I am n ot altogeth er sorry i t
,

was referred t o I t gives m e th e chan ce t o say t o

—
.

y o u her vo ice soften ed an d wavered h ere as s h e ,

l ooked arou n d (th e d ear o l d room rem in iscent i n ,

every d etail o f o u r yo u th BJ t o s ay t o yo u that -

‘
,

wh erever my d u ty m ay b e my h eart i s here h ere , ,

u n d er this roo f where I was s o happy an d wh ere ,

the two best m en I S hall ever kn o w l ove d m e so

”
t enderly s o t ru ly as dau gh ter and sister
, , .

T here were t ears i n h er eyes at th e end b u t sh e ,

was c al m an d sel f su stain ed en ou gh

-
.
 C H A PT E R X X X .

F R O M T HE S C YTH E A N D R E A P E R T O TH E
M U S KET .

A ND n o w,
with all th e d esp erate e n ergy o f m en
wh o risked eve rything th at m ortal can have i n
j eopardy we p repare d to m eet th e i nvasion
, .

Th e t id ings of th e n ext few days bu t ampl i fi ed

wh at En och had t old u s Thom as Sp encer th e
.
,

h al f breed forwarded full int elligen ce o f th e ap

-
,

p r o a c h in g force ; O neid a ru n n ers b ro u gh t i n stories

o f i ts m agn it u d e with which (th e forest glad es b e
,

gan t o be vo cal Gansevoort workin g n ight ,

{

and day t o p u t i nt o a p roper state o f d efen ce th e

’
d ilapidat ed fort at th e M ohawk s h ead waters sen t ,

d own u rgen t dem and s fo r suppli es for m ore m en , ,

and for m ilitia su pp ort .

A t th e m ost Gene ral S ch uyle r co u ld spare h im

,

b u t t wo h u nd red m en for A lbany was in sore pan i c

,

at th e fall of Ticon d eroga and th e m enace o f Bu r

’
goyn e s d escen t in force th ro u gh th e Champlain
c ou n t ry .We watched this l ittl e t ro op m arch u p
th e river road in a clo u d o f d u st and realiz ed that ,

thi s wa s th e fi nal th ing Congress and th e State could

d o for u s What m ore was t o be do ne we m en o f
.

th e V alley m u st d o fo r ou rs el ves .

/
It was alm ost welcom e th i s gri m blo o d red reality
, ,
-

)
 Fr om Scyt/ze s an d Reaper to Mus ket .

o f peril wh ich n o w s t a r ed
th e face SO goo d an d
~
us , 1 n ,

wholesom e a change d id it wor k mt h s s ph it o f the a

w

V alley . D esp on d en cy van ished ; th e cavill ers wh o

had disparaged Washington an d S ch uyl er sn ee red ,

at sto u t Govern or Cl inton and d o u bted all th ings ,

save that m atters wou ld end badly ceased their ,

grumblin g an d took h eart ; m en wh o had wavered

and been l uke warm o r su sp i ci ou s cam e forward now
-

and th rew i n the ir l ot with th e ir n e i ghbo rs A n d .

i f here and th ere o n th e h illsi d es were S il en t h o u ses

wh ence n o h elp was to com e and wh ere i f th e , ,

en emy once broke th rou gh h e wou ld b e wel com ed ,

the m ore as a fri end i f h is h an ds were spatt ered

—
with o u r blood the consci ou sn ess I s ay that we , ,

had th ese base traitors i n o u r m idst only gave u s

a d eep er resol u ti on n ot to fail .

General H erkim er p resently i ssu ed h is order t o

th e T ryo n m il itia apprising th em o f th e i m m inent
,

danger and su mm on in g all betwe en si x teen an d

,

sixty t o arms There was n o d ou bt n o w where the

.

blow wo u ld fall Cherry V all ey Unad i l la an d th e

.
, ,

Saco n daga settlement s n o lon ger feared raid s from

th e wild ern ess u pon th ei r fl anks The invad ers were .

com i ng forward in a solid m ass t o strike squ are at ,

’
the V alley s h ead There we m u st m eet th em !
.

I t warm s my o l d h eart still to recall the earn est l

n ess and calm co u rage o f th at su m m er fortn igh t o f
p reparat ion A l l u p and d own th e V all ey b ottom
.

l ands the h aying wa s i n progress You ng an d o l d .

,

rich and p oor cam e ou t t o carry forward th i s work

,

i n com m on Th e m ead ows were taken i n th ei r

.

ord er some t oilin g with scyth e an d sickl e oth ers

, ,
3 2 6 In tke Va l l ey .

’
st an din g gu ard at th e Ib r é st bord ers o f th e fi eld
t o p rotec t I t was a go odly yi el d that
year I rem ember and n ever in my kn owledge was
, ,

th e harvest gathered an d h ou sed bett er o r m ore

th orou ghly than in thi s p eriod o f gen u in e d anger ,

wh en n o m an kn ew whose cattl e wo u ld feed up on

h is h ay a m onth h en ce Th e wom en and gi rl s
.

worked b eside th e m en an d b rou ght th em cool ing

,

d ri nks of ginger m olasses and vin egar an d spread

, , ,

tables o f fo od i n th e early even in g shade fo r th e

weary glean ers .Th ese wou l d m arch h om e i n
b od i es a l ittle l ate r those with m u skets b eing at
.
,
’
th e fron t an d rear ; and then after a sh ort n igh t s ,

h on est sleep th e ri sing s u n wou ld fi n d them again

,

at work up on som e othe r farm .

There w as som ething very goo d an d strength en

i ng i n th is band in g t ogether t o get th e hay i n for all .

D u rin g twen ty years o f p eace and secu rity we had ,

grown sel fi sh an d sol itary—each m an fo r h im sel f .

We had fo rgot t en i n th e st ri fe for i nd ivid u al gain

,

an d p referm ent th e tru e m ean ing O f th at fi n e o l d

word n eighb or —th e h u sband m an o r boer wh o i s
,

, ,

nigh an d t o wh om i n n at u re yo u fi rst l o ok fo r h elp

,

and symp athy an d fri end ship I t w as i n th i s fort .

n igh t o f comm on p eril that we s aw h ow t ru ly w e

shared everyth ing even l i fe itsel f an d h ow good
, ,

i t was to work for as well as t o fi ght for o n e an oth er

—each for all and all for each Forty years h ave
,
.

gon e by since that su mm er yet st ill I seem t o d i s

,

cover l n th e M ohawk V alley th e h elp fu l traces o f

’
that fort night s h arvest in g i n comm on Th e p oor .

ba uer s an d squ atters from the b u sh cam e o u t th en

3 2 8 .
In tke Va l l ey .

m il iti a force wh ich we coul d h O p e t o Opp ose t o them .

B u t m ost o f all we th ou gh t of th e h u nd red s o f ou r

o l d T ory n eighbors w h o were b ringin g th i s army
,

d own u p on u s t o aven ge th eir o w n fan ci ed wrongs

an d wh en w e th ou gh t o f them we m oodily rattle d
th e bu ll ets in o u r d eerski n bags an d ben t th e st ee l
,

m ore fi e rcely u pon th e wh i rl in g h i ssi ng st on e

, .

I have read m u ch o f war both an cien t an d m od ern

, .

I d eclare solem nly th at i n n o chron icl e O f warfare i n

any cou nt ry wheth er it b e o f great campaign s l ik e
,

th ose of M arlborou gh an d th e l at e Ki n g o f P ru ssia ,

and that st range B u on apart e hal f god h alf d evil

, , ,

wh o h as n ow been caged at last at St H elen a ; .

o f b ru tal i nvasi on s by a foreign en emy as wh en ,

th e Fren ch overran and d esolated th e Pal at in ate ;

o r of b u ccan eering an d p irat ical ent e rp ri se by th e

Span iards an d Port u gu es e ; o r of th e fi ghtin g o f

savages o r O f th e D on Cossacks—in n on e of th es e
records I aver can you fi n d s o m u ch wan ton bas e
, ,

n ess an d b east like bl ood th irstin ess as th ese native

-

b orn T ori es sh owed t oward u s M anki n d h as n o t

.

b een c apabl e o f m ore u tt er cru elty an d wi cked n ess

than were i n thei r h earts Besid e them th e l owest
.

painted h eathen i n thei r t rain was a Ch ri stian th e ,

m ost ign orant H essian peasant w as a n obl eman .

Ever sin ce my talk with C olon el D ayton I had

been t ryin g t o l ook upon th ese T ori es as m en wh o ,

h owever m istaken w ere actin g from a sen se o f d u ty

, .

Fo r a full year i t seem ed as if I had su cceeded ; in

d eed m ore than on ce s o t emp erately d id I b ring m y
, ,

self in my n ew ph ilosophy t o think of th em I wa s ,

warn ed by my elders tha t it wou l d b e better for m e

 Fr om Scytke an d Reaper to Mus ket .

to k eep m y gen ero u s no t ion s t o mysel f Bu t n o w .

,

when th e stress cam e all this philanth ropy fel l away

,
.

These m en were lead ing d own t o their old h om e an

army o f savages and ali en sold iers they were b oast
ing that we thei r relat i ves o r wh ilom school fellows
,
-
,

n eighbors fri en d s sh ou ld be slau ght ered like rats

, ,

i n a p it thei r com man d er St Leger p u bl ish ed at , .

,

th ei r in sti gation gen eral o rders o fferi ng h is I nd ian s

twenty dollars ap iece for th e scalp s o f o u r m en ,

wom en an d ch ildren
, H ow cou ld o n e p reten d n o t
t o hat e su ch m on ste rs
A t least I d id n ot preten d any l onger b u t worked ,

with an ( e n th u s ias m I had n ever known be fore t O J

I /‘

m arshal o u r yeom an ry t ogeth er .

U nd er th e p elti ng J u ly su n i n t h e saddl e from ,

m orn ing t ill night —t o Ch erry V al ley to Ston e ,

A rabia t o th e obscu re l ittl e grou p s o f cabin s i n th e

,

bu sh to th e remot e settlem ents on th e Unadill a an d

th e East Creek—o rgani z ing su ggest ing pleading
,

, , ,

som etim es I fear also c u rsing a l itt l e my d i ffi cu lt

, , ,

work was at last d one The m en o f th e M ohawk .

d istrict regi m ent wh o cam e m ore d irectly u nd e r

,

my eye were m u stered at Cau ghn awaga an d som e

, ,

o f the compan ies that were best fi ll ed d espatched

forward u nder Captain A dam Fonda wh o was al l ,

i mpat ie n ce t o get fi rst t o Fort D ayt on th e gen eral ,

rendezvou s I n all we were l ikely t o gath er t o

.

geth er i n th is regim ent on e hu n dred an d thi rty m en ,

and th is was better than a fortnigh t ago h ad S eem ed

possible .

They were stu rdy fell o ws fo r th e m ost p art tall , ,

d eep c h ested and hard o f m u scl e Th ey cam e from

-
, .
 In tke Va ll ey .

th e high f orest cl earings o f K ingsl an d an d Tribes

H ill from the l ower V all ey fl a tl a n ds n ear to Sch en
,

e c ta d
y from the bu sh settlem ents scatte red back
,

o n A ri es C reek from th e ri ch farms and villages

,
’
o f J oh n st own an d Cau gh n awaga and Spraker s
, , .

There were am on g them all sorts and condi ti ons

o f m en thri fty and th ri ftl ess cau t i o u s and im p r u
, ,

d ent the own ers o f slaves along with p oor yokels

,
’
o f scarcely h igh er estat e than th e oth ers niggers .

H ere were p osted th ick i n th e roll call su ch n ames -

as Fo nda Stari n Yat es S am m ons G a r de n ie r an d

, , , , ,

Wem ple M any o fth e o ffi cers an d som e few o f th e

.
,

m en had rou gh i mi tat ion s o f u n i form su ch as h ome

, ,

m ad e m aterials and craft co u l d com m and bu t th ese ,

vari ed largel y i n style an d col or Th e great m a .

j y
o r it o f th e p rivates wore simply th ei r farm h om e
spu n gray and patched and so m e had n ot even thei r
, ,

h at brims t u rn ed u p with a cockad e Bu t th ey had

-
.

a look o n the i r su nb u rn ed gnarl ed an d h onest faces , ,

which th e B u tl ers an d J ohnson s m igh t well h ave

shru nk from .

These m en o f the M ohawk d istri ct sp ok e m ore

D u tch than anyth ing else th o u gh th ere we re both ,

English an d H igh Germ an tongu es am ong th em .

They had m ore o l d acqu ai n tances am ong th e Tori es

than had th ei r Palat i n e fri en ds u p th e river fo r ,
’
th is had b een th e J ohnso ns own d i st ri ct H ence .
,

thou gh in n u mbe rs we were small e r than th e regi

m ents that m u stered above at Ston e A rab ia an d
’
! im m e rm an s at Canaj ohari e and Ch erry V all ey
, ,

f
we were rich er i n hate \ .

A t d ayb reak o n A u gu st 2 th e remai n ing c o m ,

33 2 In tite Va l l ey ~
.

’
I t oo k h er hand and d esp ite my m o t h er s p re s;
, ,

en ce con ti n u ed t o h ol d it i n m i ne T his was bold

, .
,

b u t th ere wa s l ittl e en ou gh o f brave ry i n m y word s .

“
Yes we go t o m o rrow ; I want ed t o com e —al l
—
-
,

d ay I have bee n thinking o f l ittl e else yet I feared

—
that my vi si t m ight m i ght
V ery early i n th i s tal e i t was my p rid e t o explain
tha t my m oth er was a sup eri or woman Fau lts o f .

t emp er sh e m ay h ave had an d eke n arrow p r eju ,

d ices o n su n d ry p oints Bu t sh e h ad also great good

.

sen se wh ich s h e sh owed n ow by leavin g th e room

, .

“ ”
I cam e t o yo u in stead yo u s ee my d ear girl , ,

“
said t rying to sm ile ye t with a qu iverin g l ip ; I
, ,

co u ld n o t have slept I co u ld n ot h ave born e t o l ive

,

alm ost it se e m s i f I h ad l et yo u rid e o ff with ou t

, ,
”
a word witho u t a sign,
.

We st ood th u s facing each oth e r for a m om ent

I m u mbling forth som e co m m onplaces o f explana
t i on sh e lo okin g i nt ently i nt o my eyes Th en wit h
, .

a su d den d eep ou tb u rst o f angu ish m oani ng p ite ,

o u s ly
“
Mus t you tr uéy go
,
s h e cam e n ay alm ost , ,

fell into my arm s bu rying h er face o n my sh ould er

,

an d weeping vi olently .

I t i s n ot m eet that I sh o u l d speak m u ch o f the

h o u r that followed I wou ld i n tru th pass over i t
.

—
, ,

wh olly in silen ce as bein g to o sacred a th in g for

au gh t o f disclo su re o r sp ecu lati on —were i t n o t that
som e m ight i n th i s case think lightly o f th e p u re
, ,

an d good woman wh o u nd u ly wrun g by years of ,

gri ef disappointm ent and t rial n ow from very

, , , ,

wearin ess o f so ul sobbed up on my breast,

A nd .

th at wou ld b e intolerable .
 Fr om Soyt/ze and Reaper to Mus ket .
333

We s at sid e by sid e in th e l ittl e m u sty parlor I .

did n ot hold h er h and o r so m u ch as tou ch her gown

,

with my kn ee o r foot .

We talked o f impersonal things—o f th e com ing

i nvasion of the chan ces o f reli evin g Fort St anwix o f
, ,

the j oy i t wou ld be t o m e if Ic o u l d bear a good part

in rescu ing my d ear friend Gan sevoort its brave ,

you n g command ant I t old he r abo u t Pete r an d o f

.
,

how we two had consorted togeth er in A lbany and ,

l ater in Q u ebec A n d th is led u s back—as we had

.

s o often ret u rn ed b efore d u ri ng th ese l att er h ate fu l

m onth s—t o th e sweet c ompan ionship of o u r own

ch ildhoo d an d yo u th Sh e i n t u rn talked of M r
.
, ,
.

S tewart wh o seem ed less strong an d con tent ed in

,

h is new hom e at Cairn cross H e had m u ch enj oy .

m en t n o w s h e said i n cou nt ing over a rosary o f

, ,
’
bead s whi ch had been his m oth er s reit erating a ,

p rayer fo r each o n e in th e R om ish fashion an d he ,

was cu ri ou sly abl e t o rem ember these lon g d isu se d -

form ulas o f h i s boyhood even while h e forgot th e ,

things of yesterd ay I comm ented u pon th is p oi n t

.
,

i ng o u t t o h er that th is i s th e st range qu ality o f th e

R oman faith —th at its form s and cu stom s learned ,

i n yo uth rem ai n i n th e a ffecti on s o f Pap ist s t o thei r

,

dying day even after m any years of n egl ect an d

,

/
u nb elief ; wh ereas l n th e s ev e r eg Sp an is h + dr ab Prot k

es t an t is m t o which I w as reared i f on e once l oses ,

i nterest i n the tenets th em selves there is n othi ng ,

wh ateve r left up on wh ich th e m in d m ay l inger

pleasantly .

Th u s o u r conversation ran —d ecorou s an d harm

l ess en o u gh in all consci ence A n d i f th oft ho u ght s
, .
 3 34 In th e Va l l ey .

mas ke d by t h es e wo rd s were al l o f a f orbid den su b .

e c t ; if the ve r y air abou t u s was laden with sweet

j
i nfl u en ces ; i f when o u r eyes m et each read i n th e
, ,
’
oth er s glan ce a whole worl d of m ean ing evad ed i n
o u r t alk— were w e t o blam e ? )
“ ”
I said n o then in my o wn h eart h on estly I , , .

say i t n ow Why th ink you ! T h is l o v e o f o u rs

.
,
'

was as o l d as o u r i ntelligen ce itself Lo oking b ack .

,

we c ou ld trace its soft t ou ch u p on eve ry littl e

ch ild ish incid ent we had i n com m on m emo ry ; th e
cad en ce o f i t s m u si c bore fo rward t en derly sweetly , , ,

th e s on g o f all that had been happy i n o u r lives .

We were m an and wom an n ow wi se and grave by ,

reas on o f s orrow and pai n an d great tri al s Thes e .

had com e upon u s bo th b ecau se n ei th er o f u s had

frankly said at a t im e wh en t o have sai d i t wo ul d
,

h ave b een t o alter all I love yo u A n d thi s w e

,

m u st n ot s ay t o each oth er even n ow by al l th e ,

b ond s of m u tu al h on or an d self resp e ct Bu t n ot -

.

l any kn own law h u m an o r d ivi n e co u ld h old o u r

, ,

tho u ghts i n leash S o we s at and talked o f c o m

.

m on th ings calmly an d with ou t rest raint an d o u r

, ,

m in ds were leagu e s away i n fi elds o f t hei r o wn ,

ch oosing am id su n sh i n e an d fl owers an d th e l o w
,
’
chantin g o f l ove s ch erubim .

We said farewell inst in ctively before my m oth e r

, ,

retu rn ed I held h er hands in m ine and as i f s h e

.
, ,

had been a girl again gently kissed the whit e fore ,

h ead s h e as gently in cli n ed t o m e .

“
P oor o l d fath er i s t o bu rn candl es fo r yo u r
“
safety s h e said with a s o ft sm il e and I will p ray
,
”
,
:
,

to o . O h d o spare you rself ! Com e back t o u s

,
 C H A PT E R X X X I .

TH E R E N D E! V OU S O F F I GHT IN G M E N A T F O R T
D A YT ON .

I SH A L L n o t easily forget the early brea kfas t ne x t

m orn ing or the calm yet s eriou s ai r wi t h wh ich my
,

m other an d two u nmarri ed sisters went abou t th e

few remai ning d u ti es of preparing for my d ep art u re .

Fo r all th ey said they m ight have b een gettin g m e

,

ready fo r a fi shi ng e x c u rsi on b u t i t wo u l d b e wrong

,

t o assu m e that they d i d n o t think as gravely as i f

they h ad fl oo d ed th e ki tch en wi th t ears .

Littl e h as b een said o f th ese go od wom en i n the

c o u rse o f m y st o ry for th e reaso n that Fat e gave
,

th em very l ittl e t o d o wi th it and th e n arrative i s ,

full l ong as i t is withou t th e b u rd en o f extran eou s

,

p erso nages Bu t I wou ld not h ave i t th o u gh t that

.

w e di d n ot all love o n e anoth er an d stan d u p fo r ,

o n e anoth er b ecau s e we kep t cool ab o u t it

, .

D u ri ng th i s last year i n tru th my m oth e r and I

, ,

h ad see n m ore o f each oth er than for all the tim e

b efore sin ce my in fancy an d i n th e mai n had go t,

o n adm irably together D esp it e th e a ffectation o f

.

i nd i fference i n h er letter sh e d id not lack for p ri d e

,

i n my being a maj o r ; i t i s tru e th at s h e exh ibited

l ittl e o f th is em oti on t o m e fearing its e ffect u p on
,

m y van ity do ub t less b u t her n eighbors an d gossips

, ,
 T h e Ren dez vous at For t D ayton .
337

heard a good deal from i t I fancy I t was i n h er

,
.

nat u re to be p ro u d and s h e had right t o be ; for

,

what other widow i n the V alley left in sore p overty ,

with a ho u sehold of ch ild ren had like he r by i nd ivid

, , ,

u al exertions thrift an d keen managem ent brou ght

, , ,

all that fam ily well u p p u rchased an d p ai d for h er

,

o wn h omest ead an d farm and laid by eno u gh for a

,

com fortabl e old age ? N ot on e ! Sh e the refore was

j u sti fi ed in respectin g herself an d exacting resp e ct
from oth ers and it pleased m e th at s h e sho u ld have
,

satisfaction as well in my advan cem ent B u t s h e .

d id ru ffl e m e sometim es by seeking t o m an age my

b u siness for me —sh e n ever fo r a m om ent do ubtin g
that i t was within h er ability t o m ake a m u ch better
—
m aj or than I was an d by ever an d an on select ing
som e V alley m aiden for m e t o m arry Th is last .

becam e a veritable infl icti on so that I fi nally assu red

,

—
h er I sh o u ld never marry m y heart being ir r e v o c a
bly fixed upo n a h op elessly u n att ain able id eal .

I desired her to s uppose that th is referred t o som e

A lbany woman b u t I was n ever skil fu l i n ind irecti on
, ,

and I d o not believe th at s h e was at all deceived .

Th e tim e cam e soon e n o u gh whe n I m u st s ay

good by
-
. M y care fu lly p acked bags were carried
o u t and fast en ed t o th e saddl e Tall slen de r h igh .
, ,

browed M argaret sadly sewed a n ew cockad e o f her

o wn m ak ing up on m y hat and ro u n d faced red ,
-
,

cheeked Gert ru d e ti ed my sash an d belt abo u t m e

i n silence I kissed th em both with m ore feeling
.

than i n all thei r lives be fo re I had kn own for th em ,

an d wh en my m oth e r followed m e t o the h orse block -

,

and embraced m e again the tears cou l d n ot be kept

,

22
33 8 In t/ze Va l l ey .

bac k . A ft er all I was h er only boy and it wa s t o

, ,

wa r i n its d eadl iest form that I wa s going .

A n d th en th e th ou gh t cam e t o m e— h ow o ften i n
that cru el week i t had com e t o f ath ers h u sbands , ,

b roth ers i n th i s su nny V alley o f ou rs l eaving h omes

th ey sh ou ld n ever s e e agai n —that n oth ing b u t ou r
, ,

righ t arm s co u ld save th ese wom en my own fl esh ,

an d blood from the h atche t and scalp ing kni fe

,
-
.

I swu ng mysel f i nt o th e saddl e st ernly at th i s

th ou ght and gripp ed th e rei n s hard and p u shed my
,

weight u p on the st i rrups By all th e gods I shou ld .

,

n o t take th is ri de for n oth in g !

Be o f good h eart m oth er I said b etween my

—
, , ,

t eeth . We shall d rive th e scou n drels back su ch

as we do n ot feed to th e wolves
”
.

A y l A n d d o yo u you r part said th is fi n e o l d

d au ght er o f the m en wh o throu gh eighty years o f
warfare bro ke th e back o f Spain R em e m ber th a t .

you are a V a n H oorn

I shall n ot fo rget .

—
A n d i s that yo u ng Ph ilip Cros s l eer h u sban d
’
with J oh n son s crew ?
”

“ ”
Yes h e i s
, .

Th en i f h e gets back t o Canada al ive yo u are ,

n ot th e m an yo u r grand fathe r Balt u s was !

Th ese were h er last words an d they rang i n my ,

e ars l on g after I h ad j oin ed Fon da and Sam m ons at

Cau ghnawaga and w e h ad start ed we stward t o over
,

t ake th e regi ment If I cou l d fi n d thi s Philip Cross

. ,

there was n oth ing m o re fixed i n my m in d than th e

resolve t o k ill h im .

We rod e for th e m ost part with o u t c onversati on

3 40 [ n tne Va ll ey .

m en o f o u r regiment wh ich we did n ot far from a

,

p oin t opp osite th e u pp er Canaj ohari e Castle Th e .

m en h ad h alt ed h ere weary aft er th ei r l ong h ot

, ,

march an d were sp rawlin g o n the grass an d i n th e

,

shad e o f th e b u sh es Th e s u n was getting l o w o n

.

th e d istan t hills o f th e Li ttl e Falls an d th ere cam e ,

u p a re fre shing sti r o f air fro m th e ri ver Som e .

were for en camp ing h ere for th e n ight oth ers

favored goi ng on t o th e Falls I t ann oyed m e som e .

wh at t o fi nd that th is qu estion was apparently t o b e

left t o th e m en themselves Col onel V is s ch e r n ot
,

see m ing able o r d isp ose d t o d ecid e fo r h im sel f .

A cross th e stream in th e golden A u gu st haz e we

, ,
’
—
cou l d s ee th e roofs o f th e M ohawks vi llage o r cas .

t l e as th ey called it S om e of th e m en idly prop o sed

.

t o go over an d stam p ed e o r cl ear o u t th is n est o f

red vermin bu t th e idea was n ot seri ou sly taken u p
,
.

Perhaps i f i t had been m u ch m igh t h ave been

,

ch anged for th e bett er N oth i ng i s clearer than

.

that M olly Brant wh o wi th h e r bastard b rood an d

,

oth er M ohawk w om en was then living the re sen t ,

u p an em i ssa r y t o warn h er broth er J oseph o f o u r

com ing an d th at i t was u p on th i s i n formation h e
,

acte d t o su ch fell p u rp ose D ou btless i f we had

.

gon e ove r an d sei z ed th e castl e an d its i n mates th en ,

that m essen ger wou ld n ever have been sent Bu t .

we are all wi se wh en we l ook backward

By th e aftern oon of th e n e x t day A u gu st 3 th e , ,

m u sterin g at Fort D ayton was compl et e N o o n e .

o f th e th irty th ree compan ies o f T ryon Cou nty

-

m iliti a was absent and th ou gh som e sent barely a

,
 T /ze Ren dez vous at For t D ayton .

s core o f m en still n o m ore were to b e expe cted

,
.

S u ch as the l ittl e army was it m u st su ffice There

,
.

were o f m ore o r less t rain ed m il itiam en n early s ix

h u nd red O f artisan vol u nte ers o f farm ers who
.
,

had n o place in th e regu lar company form at i ons ,

an d o f citiz en s wh ose anxiety t o be present was u n

fort u nat ely m u ch i n excess o f th eir u t ili ty th e re ,

were enough t o bring th e ent ire total u p t o pe rh ap s

two score over eight h u ndred O u r real and e ffec
-
.

t ive fight in g force was abou t hal f way between th ese -

two figu r es — I sh ou ld say ab ou t seven h u n d red

st ro ng.

I t was th e fi rst t im e th at th e wh ol e Tryon m ilitia

had been gath ered t ogeth er and we l ooked on e ,

anoth er over with cu rios ity Th o u gh called i nto

.

com mon action by a comm on p eril th e n earn ess o f ,

wh i ch m ad e th e M oh awk V alley seem a ve ry smal l

place and its p eopl e all close n eighbors th e m e n ,

assembled h ere represented th e partial settlem ent of

a cou ntry larger than any on e of several Eu rop ean
m onarch ies .

A s th ere were all s orts and grad es o f d ress ran g ,

i ng from th e spru ce bl u e and bu ff o f som e o f th e

o fficers th rou gh th e gray h om esp u n and li n sey
,

woolsey o f th e farm er p rivates t o th e bu ckskin o f ,

th e trappers and h u ntsm en so th ere were all m ann er

,

o f weapon s all styles of h ead gear an d equ ipm en t

,
-
,

all fash i ons o f faces There were Ge rmans o f h al f

.

a d oz en di fferent types there were D u t ch th ere

, ,

were I rish and S cotch Presbyt erians th ere were st ray ,

French H u gu en ot s an d even Engli shm en and h ere

, ,

and there a Yankee settl er from N ew England .

34 2 In tue Va ll ey .

M any th ere were wh o with d i ffi cul ty u nd erstood

each oth er as wh en th e S co t ch Cam pbells an d
,

Clydes o f Ch erry V alle y fo r ex ampl e essayed t o

, ,

talk with th e bu sh Germ ans from above ! i m m er

-

’
m an s .

N otabl e am ong th e ch i e f m en o f th e co mm u n it ies

h ere s o t o sp eak h u ddled t ogeth er for safety was
, , ,

o l d I saac Pari s th e forem ost m an o f St on e A rabia

,
.

H e sh ou ld n ow b e som eth ing over sixty years o f

age yet h ad child ren at h om e scarce o u t o fth e cradle
, ,

and was s o hal e an d strong i n bearin g that h e seeme d

n o l ess fi t for battle an d hardship than h is strapp ing
son P et er wh o was not yet eight een Th ese t wo lai d
,
.

th ei r l ives d own t ogeth er with in th is d read week o f

wh i ch I writ e I shall n ever fo rget h o w fi n e an d
.

resol u te a man th e o l d col onel l ooked with hi s good ,

cl oth es o f cit iz en m ake as becam e a m emb er o f th e

,

S tat e S en at e and o n e of th e Comm i tte e o f S afety ,

yet with as m artial a bearing as any H e was a .

Fren ch m an from Strasb o u rg b u t sp oke l ike a Ger,

m an ; n o m an o f u s all l o oked forward t o fi gh ti ng

with greater app etit e th ou gh h e had b een always a
,

qu i et m erchant and G o d fearing peace fu l b u rgh er

-
, .

Colon el Eben ezer C o x a som ewhat arrogan t an d

,

sol itary m an for wh om I had small l iking n ow com ,

m a n de d th e Canaj ohari e regim en t i n place o f H er

k im er th e Brigad ier Gen eral there were at th e head
-

o f th e oth er regim ent s sto u t Col on el Pet e r Bellinger ,

th e capabl e and d ete rm in ed Colonel J acob Klock ,

an d o u r o wn Colonel Frede ri ck V is s c h er A lm ost .

all of th e Com m ittee of Safety were h e re —m ost of

th em being also o ffi cers in the m ilit ia ; bu t others ,
3 44 In tne Va l l ey .

Th e scen e a ffe c t ed m e m ost gravely I l oo ked a t .

th e forest clad range o f n orth ern hill s over whi ch th e

-

French and I n d ian h ord e st ol e i n th e n igh t an d ,

t ried t o p ict u re thei r st ealthy app roach i n my m ind ) .

Be l ow u s fl owing t ranqu illy p ast th e willow h edged

,
-

farm s o f th e German Flatts settl ers l ay th e M oh awk , .

Th e wh it e rippl in g overcast o n th e wat er m arke d

th e sh all ow ford throu gh wh i ch th e pan i c st ri cken -

refu gees crowd ed i n affright in th e wintry darkn ess ,

and wh ere in th e cru sh that poor fo rgotten wom an

, , ,

th e wi dow o f an h o u r w as tram pl ed u n der foot , ,

swept away by th e c u rrent drown ed ,

H o w m i racu lo u s it seem ed that h er baby girl

sh ou l d have bee n saved sho u l d h ave been brou gh t t o
,
’
M r Stewart s d oor an d plac ed i n th e ve r y san ct u ary
.
,

o f my l i fe by the wil fu l freak of a l ittl e En glish boy !

,

A n d h ow m arvell ou s tha t th is sel f sam e boy h er -

,

h u sban d n ow sh o ul d b e am ong th e captains o f a n ew

,

an d m ore si ni ster invasion o f o u r V all ey an d that I ,

sh ou ld b e i n arm s wi th my n eigh bors t o stay h i s

p rogress Tru ly h ere was food en ou gh for th ou ght .

Bu t th ere was l ittle tim e for m u sing A ft er .

su pp er wh en m ost o f th e rest were fre e t o pl ease

,

th emselves t o gossip t o s et n igh t li nes i n th e river

, ,
-

against breakfast o r t o carve rough in i tials o n their

,

p owd er h orn s i n em u lati on o f the art work d isplayed

- -

by th e ingen i ou s Petri e b oys I was called t o th e ,

cou n cil h el d by Gen eral H erkim er i n o n e o f th e

room s o f th e fort There were p resent som e o f
.

those al ready m ent ion ed an d I th ink that C ol onel ,

Wesso n th e M assach u setts o fli c e r whose troop s

,
‘

garri son ed th e place was from cou rtesy also i nvited

,
 Tne Ren dez vous at For t D ay ton .
34 5

to t ake p art th ough i f h e was th ere h e said n o t h ing

,
.

Thomas Spen cer the S eneca hal f breed blacksm ith

,
-
,

wh o had throu gho u t been ou r best fri end had com e ,

down an d with h i m was Ske n an do ah th e war ch i e f

, ,
-

o f th e O n eidas wh om D om in ie Ki rkland had kept

,

i n o u r int erest .

Th e th ing m ost talked o f I rem ember was th e , ,

help that these O n eidas co u ld render u s Gen eral .

Sch uyl er had all alo ng sh ru nk from the u se o f

savages o n th e Contin ental s id e an d h ence had ,

requ ired only fri endly n e u t rality of th e O n eidas ,

wh ose chief village s lay b etween u s and the foe .

B u t th ese I ndian s n ow saw clearly that i f the inva , ,

sion su cceeded th ey wo ul d b e exterm inated n ot a

,

wh i t th e l ess ru thlessly by their I roqu oi s b rothers

becau se they had held alo o f I n th e grim cod e o f .

th e savage as i n th e soften e d law o f the Ch ri stian

, ,

those wh o were n ot for him were against h im S o .

th e n obl e o l d O n eida war ch i ef h ad com e t o u s t o

-

s ay that h is p eopl e stan d ing as it were between th e

,

d evil and the deep s ea pre ferred t o at l east di e ,

l ike m en fi ghting for th ei r l ives Sken an do ah was

,
.

rep u t ed even then t o be seve nty years of age bu t ,

he had th e squ are sho u lders fu ll c ord ed n eck an d , , ,

sharp glan ce of a m an o f forty O nly last year h e .

d ied at a great age —said to b e o n e h u ndred and ten

,

years —an d was bu ried o n Cli nton H i ll b esid e h i s

good fri end Kirkland whom for hal f a cent u ry he ,

h ad l oved so well .

Th ere were n o two op in ion s in th e cou n cil : l et

t h e O n eidas j oi n u s with thei r war party by all -
,

m eans .
346 In t/ze Va l l ey .

A fter th is had been agreed u p o n o t h er m a tt ers ,

—
cam e u p th e qu antity o f stores we sho u ld t ake th e ,

p recede n ce o f th e regim ents th e selection o f th e ,

m en t o be sent ah ead t o apprise Gan sevoort o f o u r

approach B u t th ese d o n ot con cern th e story
. .

I t was after th is l ittl e gath ering h ad broken u p ,

and th e can dle s be en blown o u t that Gen eral H er ,

kim er p u t h is han d o n my sh ou ld er an d said i n hi s ,

qu ain t Germ an d ialect

Co m e walk with m e o u tsid e th e fort
,
.

W e wen t t o gether across th e p arad e i n th e grow

ing d u sk f M ost o fthos e wh om we p assed re c ogn ized
.

my compan ion an d greete d h im — m ore o ften I am

, ,

bou n d to s ay with G u t en A b en d H o n iko l ! than

, ,
”

with th e sal u t e d u e t o h is rank Th ere was indeed .

, ,

very l ittle n otion o f d iscipl ine i n th is rou gh simple ,

m ilit ia gath ering .

We walked o u tsid e th e d itch t o a grassy cl earing

t oward th e Flatts where we co u ld pace back and
forth with o u t l isten ers and ye t co u l d s e e the sen,

t ries p osted at t h e corn ers o f th e forest en closu re .

The n th e h on est o l d Brigadie r laid op en h is h eart

to m e .

I wi sh t o God we were well o u t o f th is all h e ,

said almo st glo om ily

,
.

I w as take n ab ack at th is D ej ection was last t o .

b e l o oked fo r i n th i s b rave st o u t h earted o l d fronti er

,
-

“
fi ght e r I asked
. What i s wrong ? feelin g that
,
”

su rely there m u st b e som e c au se for d espon den cy I

knew n ot o f .

I am wrong h e said simply , , .

I d o n o t u n d erstan d you Brigadi er , .

C
 T ne Ren dez vous at For t D ayton 3 47

Say rath er th a t t/tey wh o ou ght t o know m e

"

,
”
better d o n ot u nderstand m e
,
.

Th ey ? Whom d o you m ean ?

u —
A ll th ese m en abo u t s I saac Paris Eben ezer ,

C o x th e colo nel of my ow n regi m ent Fritz V is s c h er , ,

and m any m ore I can see it—they su spect m e

. .

N othin g cou ld b e worse th an th at .

S u spec t you Brigadier ! I t is p u re fan cy ! Y o u

,

are d ream ing

N o I am very m u ch awake you ng man Y o u
, , .

h ave n ot heard them I have — I t has b een as

m u ch as fl u ng i n my face t o d ay that my brother -

- —
H on Yost i s a col onel with J ohn son u p yonder .

Th e littl e man p o inted westward with his h an d t o

wh ere th e l ast red lights of day were p aling over th e
black l i n e o f trees .

H e is with th em h e said bitterly an d I am , , ,

blamed for it Th en too my broth e r H end ri ck

.
, ,

h i des h im sel f away i n Sto n e A rabia an d i s n ot o f u s , ,

—
an d h is s o n is with the Tori es u p yon d er .
”

B u t you r brother George i s h ere with u s as t ru e ,

a man as will m arch to m o rrow -

.

Then I have a si ste r m arri ed t o D om in i e R osen

cran z and h e i s a Tory and an other m arri ed t o H en
,

dr ick Frey and ne i s a T o r y too

,
A ll this i s th rown ,
.

i n my teeth I do not pass two m en with th ei r

.

h ead s t ogeth er bu t I feel they are talking o f th is .

”

Why sho uld th ey ? Yo u have two oth er broth ers

in law h e re in camp —Pet er Bell in ger an d Geo rge
-

Bell Y o u im agin e a vain th ing B rigadier Beli eve

.
, .

m e I have seen o r heard n o h int o f th is

, .
”

Y o u would n o t Y o u a r e an o ffi cer o f th e lin e

.
3 48 In th e Va ll ey .

—th e only o n e h ere Besid es yo u are Sch uyler s .

,
’

”
m an They wo u ld n ot talk before you
. .

Bu t I am V alley born V alley bred as m u ch as , ,

any o f you Wh erei n am I d i fferent fro m th e

.

others ? Why sh ou l d they keep m e i n th e dark ?

—
Th ey are all my friends j u st as if yo u wou ld only ,

b el ieve it— th ey are you rs as well .

”

“ ”
You n g m an said th e Gen eral i n a l ow imp res
, , ,

sive voi ce an d fi llin g an d li ghti ng h is p ip e as h e

,

slowly sp oke i f yo u com e back alive and i f you

, ,

get t o b e o fmy age yo u will kn ow som e th ings that ,

’
you don t kn ow n ow D ange r m akes m en brave ; .

it l ikewi se m akes them sel fi sh and j eal o u s We are .

’
goin g o u t togeth er all of u s t o t ry what with God s , , ,

h elp we can d o Beh ind u s down th e river are

,
.
, ,

o u r wives o r o u r sweeth earts ; som e o f yo u l eave

ch ild ren oth ers l eave m oth ers and sist ers We are
,
.

going forward t o save them from d eath o r worse

than death an d t o ri sk o u r l ives fo r th em an d fo r
,

o u r h o m es Yet I t ell you cand idly th ere are m e n

.
, ,

— —
here back h ere in this fort who wou ld al m ost
rath er see u s fail than s ee m e win my rank i n th e,
”
S tat e l i n e.

“
I can n ot cred it that .

Then — why else sh ou ld they p ro fess to d o u bt

’
m e ? Why sho u l d th ey b ri ng u p my broth ers
n am es t o t au n t m e with th eir treason ?
A las ! I co u ld n ot t ell We walked u p an d d own .
,

I rem emb er u ntil l on g after darkn ess fell fu ll u p on

,

—
u s an d th e stars were all agl ow I t rying my best
,

t o di ssu ad e the h on es t Brigad ie r from his gloomy

c onvi cti on .
350 In t/ze Va l l ey .

We star t ed o n t h e m ar c h westward n ext d ay th e ,

4 th friendly I nd ians brin ging u s n ews that the van

,

o f th e enemy had app eared o n th e evening o f the 2 d

be fo re Fort Stanwi x and had already begu n an in

,

vestment We forded th e rive r at Fort S ch uyler

.
,

j u s t b elow where Ut ica n ow stan ds an d p ushed ,

slowly fo rward throu gh th e forest over th e ru d e an d

,

narrow road t o the O neida village o f O riska some

, ,

thing t o th e east o f the large creek wh ich b ears the

n am e O ri skany .

H ere we halted a secon d tim e en camp in g at o u r

,

leisu re an d d espatch ing o n th e even i ng o f th e sth

, , ,

A d am H elm er an d two oth er sco u ts to p en etrat e t o

th e fort and arrange a sortie by th e garrison sim u l ,

t an e o us wi t h o u r att a c k
.
 C HA PT E R X X X I I .

“
TH E B L OO D BE ON Y OU R H EA D S .

A B R I GHT , h o t sh on e u pon u s th e n e x t m orn

sun

i ng—th e n ever to b e forgotten 6th

- - -
Th ere wou ld .

h ave been sm all n eed for any wakin g rattl e o f th e

d ru m s ; th e su lt ry h eat m ad e all will ing t o rise from
th e h ard d ry gro u nd where sl eep had been d i ffi cu lt
, ,
’
enough e v en i n th e cooler d arkn ess A t s ix o clock .

th e camp su ch as it w as Wa s all asti r

.
, , .

Breakfast was eaten i n littl e gro u p s squ atted

abou t in th e cl eari ng o r in th e shad e o f th e t rees at
,

its edges m embers o f fam il ies o r close neighbors

,

clu stering togeth e r in parties on ce m ore t o share ,

vi ct u als prepared by th e sam e h ou sewives—it may

be from th e sam e oven o r sp it I t m igh t wel l .

happen that fo r m any o f u s this was th e last m eal

o n earth for w e were withi n h eari n g o f the h eavy
,

gu ns o f the fort an d wh en three o f th ese sh o u ld be

,

fi red i n su ccessi on we were t o take u p o u r fi nal s ix

’
m iles m arch Bu t thi s refl ecti on mad e n o o n e s ad
.
,

apparently Eve rywhe re you cou ld h ear m erry c o n

.

verse an d sou nd s of lau ghter Li stening n o o n e .

,

wo u ld h ave d ream ed that thi s body o f m en stood

u pon the thresh old of s o grave an advent u re .

I h ad been up earli er than most o f the o t hers ,

and had gon e o ver t o the sp ot wh ere th e horses

3 5 2 In tae Va l l ey .

were t e t hered O f t h ese an i m als th e re were som e

.

d o z en all t old an d thei r app earance sh owed that

, ,

they had had a bad n ight o f i t with the fl i es A fter .

I had see n the m l ed t o water an d safely bro u gh t

back an d had watch ed that i n the d istrib u tion of
,

t h e scanty store o f o ats my st eed had hi s p rop er

share I cam e back to breakfas t with th e S ton e
,

A rabia m en am on g whom I had m any acqu ai n t

,

a n c es I contrib u ted som e sau sages an d slice s o f

.

b read and m eat I rem emb er t o th e gen eral stock , ,

o f food which was sp read o u t u pon o n e o f I saac

,
’
Paris s blankets We at e with a l igh t h eart half .
,

lying o n th e p arch ed grass arou nd th e extem po rize d

cl oth S om e o f th e yo u ng farmers their m eal
.
,

al ready fi n ished were u p o n thei r feet s c u ffl in g an d

, ,

wrestling i n j est an d high sp irits Th ey lau gh ed s o .

h e artily from t im e t o ti m e that Mr Paris wou ld cal l .

“
o ut : Less n oise th ere you o r we shall n o t hear , ,

th e cann on from th e fort !

”

N o o n e wou ld have th ou ght that t hi s was the

m orn ing before a b attl e .

’
Eight o clock arrived an d still th ere had been n o ,

signal A l l p rep arat i on s had l ong since been m ad e

. .

Th e sad dl e h orses o f th e o ffi cers were ready u nd er

-

th e shade th ei r girth s prop erly t ightened Blankets

,
.

h ad been rolled u p an d strapp ed haversacks an d ,

bags p rop erly repacked a l ast look taken to fl in t s ,

and prim i ng Th e su pply wagon stood b ehin d

.
-

’
where th e Gen eral s t en t had been all lad en for th e ,

start and wi th th e h orses h arn essed to th e p ol e

,
.

Still n o sign al cam e !

T h e m en began t o grow u n easy with the wait in g .
3 54 In t/ze Va l l ey .

eral tal king earn estly with hi m and wi th o n e an

,

othe r an d th e growing crowd ou t sid e th e squ are

,

were visibly an x io u s t o hear what was going o n .

I have sai d before I th ink that I was th e only

, ,

o ffice r o f th e Conti n ental l in e i n th e whol e party .

Thi s fact an d som e t rifl in g d i fferen ces b etween my

,

u ni form an d that o f th e m ilitia colon el s and m aj ors ,

had att racted n oti ce n ot wh olly o f an adm iring

,

so rt I had had th e m isfort u n e m o reover to l earn

.
, ,

i n camp before Q u eb ec to sh ave eve ry day as regu ,

l a r l y as i f at h om e with th e resul t that I was p rob

,

ably th e only m an in th e cleari ng that m orn ing wh o

wo re a clean face Th i s served fu rth e r t o m ake m e
.

a m arked m an am o n g su ch o f th e farm er b oys as

kn ew m e only by sight A s I p u sh ed my way
.

th rou gh th e throng t o get insid e th e squ are I ,

heard vario u s com m ent s by strangers from Canaj o

b ari e o r Ch erry V all ey way .

’
There goes S ch u yler s D ut ch m an said on e , .

'
”
H e has bro u gh t h is fr zs eu r with h im .

I t wou ld have b een m ore t o th e poin t i f h e h ad

brou ght som e soldi ers A lbany wo ul d se e u s h ang
.

”
before sh e wo u l d help u s growl ed an oth er
,
.

”
M ake way for Mynhee r said a ro u gh j oker i n ,

the crowd h al f lau gh ing half scowli ng

,
-
,
Wh at -
.

they need insid e yon d er i s som e m ore D u tch p ru

den ce When th ey h ave h eard h im th ey will vot e t o
.

go int o wint er qu arters an d fi gh t n ext spring !

”

A l l th is was disagre eabl e eno ugh bu t i t was ,

wisest t o pretend n ot t o h ear and I went fo rward ,

t o the grou p s aro u n d th e Brigad ier .

Th e qu esti on u n der d ebate was o f co u rse wh ether , .

 ”
T h e B l ood h e on y our H ea ds .
3 55

we sh ou ld wait l onger for th e signal ; o r rathe r , ,

whether it had n ot been already fi red and th e sou n d ,

failed t o reach u s o n the su l try h eavy ai r Th ere ,

.

were two op ini on s u pon this and fo r a t im e the ,

d i ffe ren ce was di scu sse d i n am iability i f with som e ,

heat The Gen eral fel t posit ive that if th e sh ot s

.

had been fi red we m u st have heard th em .

I se em t o s e e h im n ow th e b rave o l d m an as h e
, ,

s a t th ere o n th e ro u gh stool i mp ert urbably s m o k ,

ing an d m ai ntain ing his o wn against th e dissent ing

,

o ffi cers Even afte r som e o f them grew vexed and

.
,

declared t hat eith er the signal had been fi red o r th e

express had been cap tu red an d that i n eith e r case ,

it wou l d b e wo rse than folly t o l onge r remai n h e re ,

h e held his t emper Perhap s h is keen black eyes

.

sparkl ed th e bright er bu t h e kep t h is t ongu e calm

, ,

and q u ietly reiterat ed h i s argu m ents Th e bel e ag .

u e r in g force o u tside th e fort h e said m u st o u t , ,

n u mber o u rs two to o n e Th ey h ad artille ry an d

.
,

they h ad regu lar Germ an troop s th e b est in Eu ,

rope n ot t o m ent ion m any h u nd reds of I nd ians

, ,

al l well arm ed and m u niti on ed I t would be n ext .

t o imp ossibl e t o s u rprise an army th u s su ppl i ed with

sco u ts ; it would be p ractically h opeless t o attack
them u nl ess w e were backed u p by a sim u ltan eou s
,

sortie i n force from th e fort I n th at th e Brigadier .

,

insist ed lay o u r only chan ce o f su ccess

, .

Bu t I say the sortie w ill b e made ! Th ey are -

waiting for u s only we are too far o ff t o h ear

-

their signal ! cried on e o f the impat i ent col onels

”
.

”
I f th e wind was i n th e east said the Brigad ier , ,

that m ight be the case Bu t in b reathl ess air l ike

.
356 In th e Va l l ey .

th is I have h eard th e g u n s from that fort two m ile s

”
farth er back .

O u r m essengers m ay n ot have got th rou gh th e

l in es last n i gh t p u t i n Thomas Spencer th e half
, ,

“
b reed Th e swamp back o f the fort is di ffi cu l t
.

t ravell ing even to o n e wh o kn ows i t bett er than

,
’
H el m er does and Bu tler s I n di an s are n ot child ren
, ,
”
t o s e e only straight ah ead o f th eir n oses .

“
Wou l d i t n o t b e wise fo r Sp en cer h ere an d ,

som e o f ou r you ng t rapp e rs o r som e o f Ske n a n ,

’
d oab s I nd i an s to go forward an d s py o u t t he l and
,

for u s ? I asked .

These wo u l d do l ittl e go od n ow answered ,

“
H erkim er ; th e ch ie f th i n g is t o know when Gan se
”
voort is ready t o com e o u t an d h elp u s .

“
The ch ief th ing t o kn ow by God broke forth , ,

“
o n e of the col on els with a great o ath i s wh ether
, ,

w e have a pat riot o r a To ry at o u r head

’
H erkim er s tan n ed and swarthy face changed colo r
at thi s t a u nt H e stol e a swi ft glance at m e as i f t o
.
,

say ,
Th i s is what I warned you was to b e lo oked
”
for an d smoked h i s p ipe fo r a m in u t e i n silence
,
.

H is broth er in law Colonel Pete r Bell inge r t ook

- -
, ,

th e in su lt l ess tam ely .

Th e m an wh o says H o n iko l H erkim er i s a To ry

l ies h e said bl u n tly with hi s h an d o n hi s sword
, , ,

h ilt and hon est wrath i n hi s gray eyes

,
.

”
P eace Peter said th e Brigad ier
, ,
Let th em .

th ink wha t th ey like I t i s n ot my a ffair My . .

b u sin ess i s to gu ard th e l ives o f th ese you n g m en

h ere as i f I were thei r fath e r I am a childl ess
,
.

m an yet h ere I am as th e paren t o f all o f them I

,
.
35 8 In th e Va l l ey .

i dlen ess A t least we are n ot coward s broke i n

.
,

an oth er wh o had supported C o x from th e o u t set

,
.

”
Y ou ! cri ed H erki m er all ro u sed at last Y ou
, .

will be th e fi rst t o ru n when yo u see th e Brit ish

Th ere was n o l onger any p ret ence o f keep in g th e
squ are Th e exci ted farm ers p ressed closely abou t
.

u s n ow and th e clam or wa s rising m om entarily A ll

,
.

th ou ght of order o r m il itary grad e was gon e M en .

wh o had n o rank whatever th ru st th ei r lo u d voi ces

i nt o th e cou nc il so th at we co u ld h ear n oth in g
,

cl early .

Th ere was a bri ef i nte rch ange o f fu rth e r h ot word s

b etween th e Brigadier Col on el Bell inger an d J oh n
, ,

Frey on the on e sid e and th e m u ti n o u s colon els

,

and m en o n th e oth er I h eard the bitt er epithet s

.

“ “ ” ”
of Tory an d coward h u rled at th e o l d man ,

wh o st ood with chin de fi ant i n air and dark eyes ,

ablaz e faci n g h is antagon ists The scen e wa s so

, .

sham e fu l that I cou l d scarce bear t o l ook up on i t .

Th ere came a b u rly b u rly o f con fu sion an d t u m u l t

-

as th e sho u ts o f th e crowd grew m o re veh em en t ,

an d o n e o f th e refracto ry col on els imp et u ou sly d rew

h is sword an d half t u rn ed as i f t o give th e comm and
h im self .

T h en I h eard H erki m er to o in censed t o l onger ,

“
control h imsel f cry : I f yo u will h ave it s o th e
, ,

bl ood b e on yo u r h ead s H e sp rang u p on th e

.

st ool at th is waved h is swo rd an d sh ou t ed s o that

, ,

all the eight h u ndred cou ld h ear

V O RwA RT s
The tall p in es them selves sh ook with th e cheer
whi ch th e yeom en raised .
 ”
“
T h e B l ood he on yo u r H ea ds .
3 59

Th ere was a scramble on the instan t for m u skets ,

bags and bel ongings To ru sh was th e ord er We

,
. .

u nd er o ffic e r s cau gh t th e in fection and with n o dig

-
,

mi ty at all h u rried across the clearing to ou r h orses .

We cant e red back i n a troop Baren t C o p p e r n o l ,

’
l eadin g the Brigad ier s whit e m are at a han d gallop -

by o u r sid e Still trembling with ex citem en t yet

.
,

p erh aps somewhat reco n ciled to th e advent u re by

t h e exu ltan t sp i rit o f the scen e be fore h im Gene ral ,

H erkim er got into th e sad d l e and watche d cl osely ,

th e e fforts o fth e colon els n ow on ce m ore all grati fi ed

,

e nt h u siasm to bri ng thei r eager m en i n to form I t

,
.

h ad been arranged that Cox with h i s Canaj oh arie

regi m ent sho u ld have the right of th e lin e an d ,

this b ody was ready an d u n d er w ay i n l ess t im e ,

i t seem ed than I have taken to write of it Th e

, .

Gen e ral s aw th e oth er th re e regi men ts t rooped t old ,

V is s c h e r t o bring th e supply wagon with th e rear -

,

and th en with I saac Paris J elles Fonda an d myself

, , , ,

gall op ed t o th e h ead of th e col u m n wh ere Sp en ce r ,

and Sk e n an do ah with th e O n e id a I n dia n s were .

S o m archi ng swi ftly and with ou t scou t s we

, ,

started forth at abo u t n in e i n the m orn ing .

Th e road over wh ich we h u rri ed was as bad eve n ,

i n those h ot d ry d ays o f A u gust as any still t o be

, ,

fou n d i n th e A d irond acks Th e bott om land s o f

.
-

the M oh awk V alley as is well kn own are o f th e

, ,

best farm ing soil in th e world b u t fo r that very ,

reaso n they m ake bad roads The highway lead ing .

t o th e fort lay fo r th e m ost part o ver low and

sp rin gy land and was cu t th ro ugh th e thick b eech
,

and h emlock forest almos t i n a straight l in e regard ,

3 60 In th e Va l l ey .

l ess o f swales an d marshy p laces Th ese h ad b ee n .

i n som e instan ce s bridged i nd i fferently by cord u roys

o f l ogs laid th e p revi o u s sp rin g when Gan sevoort
,

d ragged u p hi s can n on for th e defen ce o f th e fort ,

an d by th is t im e too o ft en lo o se and o u t o f place .

We on h orseback fou n d th ese rou gh sp ots eve n

m ore t r ym g than d id the footm en b u t for all o f u s
p rogress w as slow en o u gh after th e fi rst excitem en t
,

o f th e start had passed away .

Th ere w as n o ou tl ook at any p oint We were .

h edged in eve rywh ere by walls o f foliage o f m ossy ,

t re e tru nks covered wi th vin es o f tangled u nder

-
,

growth an d bru sh When we h ad gain ed a h ill t o p

.
-
,

n oth ing m ore wa s to be seen than th e dark brown -

ban d of l ogs o n th e gu lly bott om before u s an d th e ,

d im l in e o f road losing itsel f in a m ass o f green

b eyon d .

N eith er H erkim er n or Pari s h ad m u ch t o s ay as ,

w e rod e o n in th e van M aj or Fonda mad e su n d ry

.

e fforts t o engage th em i n talk as i f th ere had been ,

n o recent disp u t e n o h arsh words n o angry r ec r im

, ,

in at io n s b u t with o u t special su ccess

,
Fo r my p art .
,

I said n oth in g wh at ever S u rely there was en o u gh

.

t o th ink o f both as t o th e m iserabl e in s ubord in ati on

,

o f an h ou r back an d as t o wh at th e n e x t h ou r migh t
,

b ring .

We had passed over abo u t th e worst o f th ese

p atch es o f cordu roy road in th e bott om o f a ravin e
,

between two h ills wh ere a l ittl e brook dam m e d i n

, ,

part by th e l ogs spread itsel f o u t over th e swampy

,

soil o n both sid es We in th e van had n early gained

.

th e su m m it o f th e farth e r em in en ce and were rest ,

 C H A PT E R X X XI I I .

TH E F E AR SO M E D E A TH S T R U GGLE IN TH E F O R E S T
-
.

W E R E I H om er and Shakesp eare an d M ilton ,

m erged all in o n e I sh o u l d still n ot kn ow h ow fit l y

,

t o d ep ict th e t erribl e scen e wh i ch fo llowed .

I had see n p oo r h eadstron g wilfu l C ox p itch fo r

,

ward up on th e m an e o f hi s h o rse as i f all at on ce hi s

,

sp in e had been t u rn ed i nto l imp string ; I s aw n ow

a rin g o f fi re ru n o u t i n sp itt ing t ongu es o f fl am e
aro u n d th e gu lf and a ci rcl e o f th in wh iti sh sm oke
,

slowly raise i tsel f thro ugh th e dark leaves o f th e

gi rdling b u sh es I t wa s an appalli ng se con d o f m en
.

t al n u mbn ess d u rin g whi ch I lo oked at th is strange

sight and seem ed n ot at all t o comp reh en d i t
, .

Then H e rkimer cri ed o u t shrilly : M y God ! h ere

,

i t i s ! and wh irl ing h i s m are abo u t dash ed d own

”

, ,

th e hil l sid e again I followed h im keep in g ah ead

-
.
,

o f Paris and p u sh ing my h orse fo rward th ro u gh th e

,

aimlessly swarm ing footm en o f o u r van with a fi e rc e ,

u n intelligen t excitem ent .

—
Th e ai r was fi ll ed n ow with sh ou t s what th ey
were I d id n ot kn ow Th e soli d b ody o f o u r t ro op s
.

o n th e cord u roy b ridge were h u ddl ing t ogeth er l ike

sh eep i n a storm From th e ou t e r edges o f th is m as s

.

m en were sinki n g t o the grou nd T h e tipp in g roll

.
,

i ng logs tossed th ese b od ies o n t h e i r end s o ff i n t o

 T h e Fea r s om e D ea th Str ugg l e in th e For es t
-
. 6
3 3

’
the water o r u nder th e feet o f the othe rs Cox s
, .

horse had j u mped si de long into th e m arsh and n ow

-
, ,

i ts h indqu arters si nking i n th e m ire pl u nged wildly , ,

flinging th e i nert body stil l fasten ed i n th e sti rrup s

from sid e t o si d e S om e o f o u r m en were fi ring
.

thei r gu n s at ran dom i nto th e u nderbru sh .

A ll this I saw in th e swi ft gallop d own th e h ill t o

rej o in the Brigad ier .

A s I j erked u p my h orse besid e him a blood cu rd ,

-

l in g chor u s o f st range barking screams as fro m th e ,

throats o f m an iac wom en rose at th e farth er sid e o f ,

the ravin e drown ing th e sh ou ts o f o u r m en th e

, ,

p ing g g of th e whi stl in g b u llets and even th e sharp

- -
,

crack o f th e m u skets I t wa s the I nd ian war wh oop !

.
-

A swarm o f savages were l eaping from the b u sh i n

all d irectio ns and falling upon o u r m en as they sto od
,

j am med t ogeth er o n th e cau seway I t was a b orri .

ble spectacle—o f naked yell ing d evils dau bed with, ,

vermilion and ghastly yello w ru shing with u pli ft ed ,

hatchets and fl ashi ng knives u p on this hu ddled m ass

o f wh it e m en o u r fri end s an d n eighbors
,
These .
,

after the fi rst bewildering shock m ad e what d efence ,

they co u ld sh ooting right and l eft an d beat ing

, ,

d own th eir assailants with t errifi c sm ash ing blows

from their gu n stocks Bu t th e th rong o n th e sl id
-
.

ing logs m ade th em alm ost p owerl e ss an d into th ei r ,

j u mbled ranks kept po u ring th e p itil ess rain o f b u l

l et s fro m th e bu sh .

’
By God s p roviden c e there were cooler brai n s an d
wiser h eads than m in e h ere i n the ravin e t o face
, ,

and grappl e with this awfu l crisi s .

O ld H erkimer seem ed before my very eyes t o wax

3 64 In th e Va l l ey .

bigger and stronger an d calm er i n th e saddle as th i s ,

’

p an d em on i u m u n f o ld ed i n fron t of u s H i s ord ers

I forget n ow—o r what p a rt I p layed at fi rst i n car
.

ry in g th em o u t — bu t th ey were given swi ftly an d

with cool compreh en sion of all ou r n eeds I sh o u ld .

thi nk that with i n fi ve m i n u t es fro m th e fi rst sh ot o f

th e att ack ou r forces—o r what was le ft o f th em
,

h ad been d rawn o u t o f th e cru el h elplessn ess o f th ei r

p ositi on in th e cent re of th e swamp Th i s cou l d .

n ever h ave b een d on e had n ot H o n iko l H erkim er

kept p erfectly h i s sel f con t rol and bal an ce l ike an
-
,

eagl e i n a t empest .

’
V is s ch e r s regim en t i n th e rear h ad n o t got fai rly
, ,

i nt o the gu l f o win g t o th e d elay i n d ragging th e

,

wagon along when th e amb u shed I nd ian s fi red thei r

,

fi rst voll ey ; and h e an d h is m en fi nding th em selves ,

o u tsid e th e fi e ry ci rcl e p romptly ran away Th ey

,
.

were followed by m any o f th e I n d ian s wh ich weak ,

en ed th e attacking force on th e eastern sid e o f th e

ravi ne Peter Bellinger therefore was abl e to p u sh
.
, ,

h is way back again from th e begin n ing o f th e c o r du

roy bri dge i nto th e woods on both sid es of th e road
b eyond where cover was t o b e h ad I t wa s a n obl e
,
.

sight t o see the stal wart Palati n e farm e rs of h i s regi

m ent—th ese Petri es Weavers H elm ers an d Dygerts
o f th e Germ an Flatts —figh t th ei r path backward
, , ,

th ro u gh th e h ail o f l ead cru sh ing M ohawk sku lls a s

,

tho u gh they had b een egg sh ells with th e m ighty -

fl ail like swin g o f their cl ubbed m u skets and ret u rn

-
,
’
ing fi re only t o kil l every tim e The bu lk o f Cox s .

’
Canaj oharie regim ent and o f Kl ock s Ston e A rabia
yeom en were p ulled fo rward t o th e rising grou nd on
 In th e Va l l ey .

Can we n o t fi nd a safer place for yo u farthe r

back Brigad i er ? I asked
, .

”
N o ; h ere I will s it h e answered st ou tly
,
Th e , .

m en can s e e m e h ere ; I will face th e en emy till I

”
d ie .

A l l th is t i m e the rattle o f m u sket ry th e screech ,

o f flying bu llets th e h oars e d in an d clamo r o f forest

,

warfare h ad n ever fo r an instant abat ed L ookin g

, .

’
down u pon t h e Op en space o f th e gu lly s b ottom ,

we cou l d se e m ore th an t wo score co rpses p iled u p on -

t h e l ogs of th e road or u pon l ittl e m o u nd s o f black

,

soil wh ich sh owed above th e l evel o f th e slou gh ,

half h idd en by th e willows an d tall rank t u fts o f

-
,

swam p grass Save for th e d ead this n at u ral clear

-
.
,

in g was well n igh d esert ed Cap tain J acob S eeber

-
.

was in sight u p on a h il l ock b elow u s t o th e n orth

, ,

with a sc ore o f h i s Canaj ohari e company i n a circle ,

fi ring o u tward at th e en emy A cross th e ravin e .

Captain J acob G a r de n ie r a giganti c farm er arm ed , ,

with a capt u red I ndian spear had c u t l oose with h i s ,

’
m en from V is s c h e r s ret reat an d had fo u ght h i s way ,

back t o h elp u s Farth er t o t h e sou th some o f th e

.
,

Cherry V all ey m en had got tre es and were hold ing ,

th e I nd ians at bay .

Th e h ot A u gu st s u n p o u red its fi ercest rays d own

i u po n th e h eaps o f d ead and wo u nd ed i n this forest
cockpit an d tu rn ed i nto golden haz e th e m ist o f
,

sm oke en ci rcling it Throu gh th is p al e vei l we sa w

.
,

from tim e t o tim e form s stru ggli n g i n th e d u sk o f

,

th e thicket b eyond Beh ind each t ree t ru nk was th e

.
-

s t age wh ereo n a life d ram a w as be in g played with

-

”
p f

x
,

it
/
.
{a S i cken i ng and t r agl c sameness i n th em all Th e .
‘
 T h e Fea r s om e D ea th Str ugg l e in th e For es t
-
. 6
3 7

yeoman from h is cove r wou ld fi re ; i f he m i ssed forth ,

u pon h im wo u ld dart th e savage raised hatch et ,

gl eam in g an d there wou ld be a wid ow th e m o re in

-w

som e o n e o f ou r V all ey h om es .

“
Pu t two m en behind each t ree ord ere d keen ,
’
eyed H erkim er Then when on e fi res th e oth er s
.
, ,

gu n will be l oad ed fo r th e I nd ian o n h is ru nn in g for

ward . A fter th is com man d h ad b een foll owed th e
”

battl e wen t bette r for u s .

There was a h ideo u s fascinatio n i n th is sp ectacl e

stretch ed before u s A n h ou r ago i t had be en s o
.

softly peacef u l with th e l ittl e brook p icking it s clean

,

way in th e su nl igh t th rou gh the m orass an d th e ,

’
kingfi sher fl itt ing am ong th e willows an d t h e bees ,

d ron e laying l ike a spell o f ind olence up on th e heate d

air N o w th e swal e was ch oked wi th corpses
. The '

rivu let ran red with blood and slu ggishly sp read it s ,

cu rrent arou n d barriers o f d ead m en Bu ll et s wh is .

t l e d across the gu l f cu tt ing o ff bou gh s o f t rees as

,

with a kn i fe and scattering t u fts o f l eaves l ike feat h

,

e rs from a h awk stricken in it s fl ight The h eavy .

air grew th ick with sm oke d ash ed by swi ft streaks ,

o f d an cing fl am e Th e d em on like scream s o f th e

.
-

savages th e sh ou t s an d m oan s and cu rses of o u r

,

o wn m en m ad e h eari ng ho rrible
,
Y e s —h orribl e i s .

the right wo rd !
A fright en ed owl I rem ember wa s ro u ted by , ,

th e t u m u lt from its sleepy pe rch an d fl ew sl owly ,

over th e ope n space of the r avin e S o cu riou s a

comp o u nd i s man — we watched th e great brown
winged creat u re fl ap its pu rblin d way across from
wood to wood and specula t ed t here as we s t ood
, ,
3 6 8 In th e Va l l ey .

i n th e j aws o f death i f som e random ball wou ld

,

h it it
I am writ ing o f all th is as i f I d id n oth ing b u t
l ook abou t m e wh il e o t hers fou ght O f cou rse th at .

co u ld n o t h ave b een the case . I recall n o w th ese

fragm entary impressio ns o f th e scen e aro u nd m e
wi th a di stinctness an d with fapl en it u d e o f m in u t im l
wh ich su rp rise m e th e m ore tha t I rem emb er littl e
,

en o u gh o f wha t I myself did . Bu t wh en a m an i s

/

i n a fi gh t for h i s l ife L th e r e are n o det ail s f H e i s .

’
eith er t o com e o u t o f i t or h e isn t and that i s ab o u t
,

all h e th inks o f.

I h ave p u t d own n othi ng abou t what w as n o w th e

—
m ost ser i ou s part o f t h e stru ggle th e c ombat with
the Germ an m ercenari es an d To ry vol u nte ers o n th e
h igh grou n d beyond the ravin e I c onceive i t t o.

h ave b een th e plan o f th e enemy t o let th e I n dians

l ie h idden ro u nd abo u t the gul f u ntil o u r rear guard -

had entered i t Th en they were t o d iscl ose th ei r

.

amb u scad e sweep ing th e cord u roy bridge with fi re

, ,

wh il e th e Germ an s an d Tori es m eetin g o u r van u p

,

o n the crown o f the h ill beyond were t o attack an d

,

d rive it back u p on o u r fl ank i n th e g u l f bottom ,

wh en we sh ou ld have b een wh olly at th e m ercy o f

the en circling fu silad e from th e h ills Fo rt u n ately .

St L eger had gi ven th e I nd ian s a qu art o f ru m

.

ap i ece before they started ; th i s was o u r salvation .

The savages were to o excited t o wait an d closed ,

t o o soon th e fi ery ring wh ich was t o d estroy u s all .

T h is prematu re acti on cu t o ff o u r rear bu t i t also ,

p reven t ed o u r van reach ing t h e p oint where the

white foe l ay watch ing for u s Thu s we were abl e
.
37 0 In th e V a l l ey .

t ion s reach ed o u r ears as th e so u nds o f ba tt l e n o w

,

rece d ed n o w d rew n ear that th e issu e o f th e d ay

, ,

still h u ng i n su spen se Th e war yell s of th e I n dian s

.
-

t o the rear were heard l ess often n ow Th e con fl ict .

seem ed t o be sp reading o u t over a greater area t o ,

j u dge from th e faint n ess o f som e o f th e rifl e repo rts

wh ich cam e to u s Bu t w e cou l d n ot t ell wh ich sid e
.

wa s givi ng way n o r was there m u ch t im e to thin k

,

o f thi s : all o u r vigilan ce and att ent i on were n eede d

from m om ent t o m om en t t o keep o u rselves alive .

A l l at o nce with a t erri fi c swo op th ere b u rst up o n

, ,

th e forest a great st orm with l ou d roll i ng th u nd er ,

-

and a d ren ch ing d own fall of rain We h ad b een .

t oo grimly engrosse d i n th e a ffairs o f th e earth t o

not e th e darken ing s ky Th e t emp est broke up on .

u s u nawares Th e wi n d fairly roared thro u gh th e

.

bran ch es h igh ab ove u s ; bli ndi ng fl ash es o f light

n i ng bl az ed i n th e sh ad ows o f th e wood H u ge .

b ou gh s were wren che d bodily o ff by th e blast .

Streaks o f fl am e ran z ig zag down th e sid es o f th e -

t all straight hem lo cks

,
Th e forest fairly rocked
.

u nd er th e convu lsion o f the elem e nts .

We wrapp ed o u r n eckcloth s o r kerch iefs abo u t o u r

gu n locks an d cro u ch ed u nd er sh elt er from th e pel t
,

ing sh eets o f water as well as m ight be A s fo r th e .

fight it ceased u tterly

,
.

Wh ile we l ay th u s qu i escen t i n th e rain I h eard a ,

low distant rep ort from th e west wh ich seem ed d is

, ,

tinct am on g th e growl in gs o f th e th u nd er ; there fol

l owed an oth er an d a th ird ,
I t was th e b elat ed s ig .

n al from the fort !

I m ade my way back t o th e h ill sid e as best I cou ld -
,
 T h e Fea r s om e D ea th Str ugg l e in th e Fo r es t
-
.
37 1

u nd er th e d ripping brambl es over th e d renched and ,

slippery grou nd vin es u p on th e chan ce th at the,

Brigad ier had not heard th e rep orts .

Th e comm and er still s a t o n h i s saddle u nd er th e

beech tree where I had l eft h i m Som e wat ch coat s
-
.
-

had been stretched over th e l owest bran ch es above

h im form in g a tolerabl e shelter H is h on est b rown
,
.

face seem ed to have grown wa n and aged d u ring

th e day H e p rotested that h e had littl e o r n o pai n
.

from h i s wo u nd bu t th e repressed l ines abou t h is

,

lip s belied the i r assu ran ce H e sm il ed with gentl e .

.

iro ny wh en I told him of what I had h eard and how ,

I had hasten ed t o apprise him o f it .

I m u st indeed be gett ing o l d h e said to h is ,

broth er George Th e you ng m en th ink I can no

.

longer h ear can no n wh en th ey are fi red o ff .

The hal f d oze n o ffi cers wh o sq u at ted o r stood

-

abo u t u nd er the tre e avoidin g th e streams which

,

fell from th e h ol es i n th e imp rovised ro o f told m e a ,

’
t erribl e story o f th e day s slau ghter O f o u r eight .

’
h u nd red nearly hal f were ki lled
, V is s c h e r s regi .

m ent had been ch ased northward t oward th e river ,

whither th e fi ght ing from th e ravin e had also m

l arge p art dri fted H ow the combat was going d own
.

there it was di ffi cu lt t o say There were d ead m en

,
.

behin d every tre e i t seem ed Com m ands were s o

,
.

broken up and troops so scattered by th e stern exi

,

n c ie s o f forest fight ing that i t c ou ld n ot be known

g e ,

who was living an d wh o was dead .

What m ade all this d o ubly tragi c i n my ears was

that th ese o ffi cers wh o recou nted to m e ou r losses
, ,

had to n am e thei r o wn kinsm en am ong th e slain .

37 2 In th e Va l l ey .

Ben eath th e gen eral grie f an d d ism ay i n th e p resence

of this great cat astrophe were th e cru el gn awin gs o f
p e rsonal angu ish .

My so n R ob ert l ies o u t th ere j u st b eyon d th e ,

”
t amarack said Col onel Sam u el Campbell to m e i n
, ,

a h oarse wh i sper .

“
My b roth e r St u fel killed two M ohawks be fore
h e d ied ; h e i s o n th e kn oll th ere with m ost o f h i s
m en sai d C ap tain Fo x
,
”
.

M aj or Will iam Seeber h imsel f wou n d ed bey o n d ,

“
h elp said gravely : God only kn ows wh ether my
,

boy J acob l ives o r not ; b u t A u do l p h i s gon e an d ,

m y broth er Sa ffr en e s s an d h is s o n J am es
”
Th e .

o l d m erchant said thi s with d ry eyes bu t with th e ,

bi ttern ess o f a b roken h eart .

I t ol d them o f th e sh o oti ng an d capt u re o f Paris

and th e death o f E is en l o r d My n ews creat ed n o .

imp ression apparen tly O u r m i nd s were sat u rated

,
.

with horror O f th e n in e S nells wh o cam e with u s

.
,

seve n were said t o b e dead al ready .

Th e storm stopped as abru ptly as i t had com e

up on u s O f a su d den it grew l ight er an d th e rai n
.
,

dwi ndled t o a fi n e m ist Great l u m in ou s m asses o f

.

wh ite app eared i n the s ky p u sh ing asi d e th e l eaden ,

clo u d s Th en all at once th e s u n was sh ining

. .

O n th at instant shots ran g o u t h ere and there

throu gh th e forest Th e fi ght began again. .

The two h o u rs wh ich followed s eem t o m e n ow

bu t th e ind isti n ct space o f a few m i n u tes O u r m en .

had seiz ed u p on th e leisu re of th e l u ll to eat what

food wa s at han d i n their p ockets an d fel t n ow ,

refresh ed i n strength They had had t i me too to

.
, ,
 In th e Va l l ey

were looking down an d hesitating h ow b es t t o go t o

’
h is su ccor o n e o f o l d Sam m ons s son s cam e bou nd
,

ing d own the side hill all excitemen t crying

-
, ,

H elp i s here from th e fort ! ”

S u re eno u gh close behi nd h im were descending

,

som e fo u rscore m en wh ose m u sket barrels and ,

-

cocked hats we could d isti ngu ish swaying above th e

bu sh es as th ey advan ced in regu lar order
, .

I think I s ee h u ge b u rly G a r den ie r still stand ing

, ,

i n h is wo ollen shi rt sle eves begrim ed with powder

-
,

and m u d o n e h an d h old i ng h is sp ear th e oth er

, ,

shad ing h is eyes against th e sinking s u n as h e

scann ed th e n ew com ers -
.

’
Wh o s there ? h e roared at them
”
.

From the fort ! we co u ld h ear th e an swer

”
.

O u r h eart s leaped with j oy at thi s and we began ,

with o n e accord to get t o th e fo ot o f the h i ll t o ,

m eet th ese p reservers D own th e steep s id e we .

clambered thro u gh the d ense secon d growth i n h ot

,
-
,

haste an d all con fi den ce We h ad som e fri endly .

O n eidas wi th u s an d I h ad t o tell th em t o keep

,

back lest G ar de n ie r d eem ing them M ohawks

, , ,

sh o ul d fi re u p on them .

Com ing t o th e e dge o f th e swampy cl eari ng we

s aw a s t range sight .

Captain G ar de n ie r was som e yards i n advan ce o f

h is m en stru ggling l ike a m ad H ercu les wi th hal f a
,

d oz en o f th ese n ew com ers h u rl in g them right and

-
,

l eft th en falling to th e grou nd p inned th rou gh

, ,

each thigh by a b ayon et and p u ll ing d own h i s ,

n earest assailant up on h is breas t t o serve as a

sh ield .
 T h e Fea r s om e D ea th Str uggl e in th e For es t
- .
375

While w e took i n th i s asto u nd ing sp ectacle ,

yo u ng Sam m on s was dan cing wi th excit em en t .

“ ’ “ ”
I n God s n a m e Captain ,
h e shri eked yo u , ,

are kill ing o u r fri en ds !

“
Friends be damn ed ! yelled bac k G a r den ie r ,

still st ru ggling with all h is vast m ight Th ese are .

T ori es Fir e ! you fools ! Fir e !

.

I t was th e tru th Th ey were in deed Tories

.

d o uble traitors t o th eir fo rm er fri ends A s Gard e .

n ier sho u ted ou t h i s comm and th ese r u ffian s raised ,

their gu n s an d th ere sprang u p from th e b u sh es o n

,

e ith er sid e o f th em as m any m ore savages with ,

weap on s l i fting fo r a volley .

H ow i t was I kn ow n ot bu t they n ever fi re d tha t

,

volley O u r m u ske t s seem ed t o p oise and discharge

.

th emselves o f th eir o wn voli ti on and a score o f th e ,

villains wh ite an d red t u mbled b efo re u s Gard e

, , .

’
n ier s m en h ad recovered th eir sen ses as well and , ,

p o u ri ng i n a d eadly fu sillad e dash ed fu riou sly for ,

ward with clu bbed m u skets u p on th e u nmasked foe .

These latt er wou l d n ow h ave retreated u p th e h ill

again when ce they co u ld fi re t o advantage b u t we
, ,

at th i s l eap ed forth u pon th ei r fl ank and they with , ,

a fu tile sh o t o r two tu rn ed an d fl ed i n eve r y dir ec

,

tion w e all i n wild p u rsu it

,
.

A h that ch ase !
, O ver rotten m oss grown l ogs ,
-
,

weaving between gnarled t ree tru nks sl ipp ing o n -

,

t reach erou s twigs th e wet saplings wh ipp ing o u r

,

faces th e bou ghs kn ocki n g against o u r gu n s in

, ,

savage h ea t we tore forward load ing and fi ri ng as ,

we ran .

Th e p u rsu it had a m alignant pl easu re i n it ; we

37 6 In th e Va ll ey .

kn ew the m en we were d rivi ng befo re u s C ri e s .

o f recogn it ion rose th rou gh th e wood s ; n am es o f

renegad es were sh ou ted o u t which had a sin i ster

fam iliarity in all o u r ears .

I cam e u p on you ng Stephen Watts th e b oyish ,

b roth er o f Lady J ohn son lying p iteo u sly p ro n e

,

against s om e roots h is n eck t o rn with a h id eou s

,

wo u nd o f som e sort ; h e d id n ot kn ow m e an d I ,

p assed h i m by wi th a bitter hard en ing o f th e h eart .

What d id h e here m aking war u p on my V all ey ?

,

O n e o f th e Papist Sc ots from J oh nstown A ngu s ,

Mc D o n el l was sh ot kno cked d own an d l eft sense

, , ,

l ess b ehin d u s So far from th ere b ein g any pang

.

o f comp assi on for h im w e ch e ered h is fall an d

, ,

p u sh ed fi ercely o n Th e scent o f blood i n th e

.

m oi st air had m ad e u s wild b east s all .

I fou n d myself at last n ear th e rive r and o n th e ,

e dge o f a m orass where th e s u n was sh in ing up on

,

th e p u rpl e fl owers o f th e sweet fl ag an d tall ru sh es -

,

rose ab ove l ittle m iry p ools I had with m e a

you ng D u tch farm er—J oh n V a n A ntwerp —an d
.

th ree O neida I nd ian s who h ad apparently attach e d

,

th em selves t o m e on accou nt o f my epau lett es .

We h ad foll owed th u s far at som e d istan ce a party

o f fou r or fi ve Tori es and I ndian s ; we cam e t o
a h alt h ere p u zzled as to th e co u rse they had
,

t aken .

Whil e my I nd ians bent d o uble were ru n ning

, ,

abou t scan ning th e soft grou nd fo r a trail I h eard a ,

well kn own voice close b ehi nd m e s ay :

-

“ ’
They re over t o th e right in that cl u mp o f , ,

”
cedars : Better get beh ind a tree .
3 78 In th e Va ll ey .

I h u rri ed t o h is sid e T he r e h al f s t re t ch ed o n
.
,
-

th e wet blood stain ed grass panting with th e e x e r

-
,

t ion o f r al s m g h imsel f o n h i s elbow and look in g m e

,

squ are in th e face with d isten ded eyes lay Phil ip ,

Cross .
T h r h lf s r
e e, a t e tc h d on
e the wet , b l oo d
-
s ta l n e d g r ss l ay P h i l
a , ip C ros s .
3 8 0 In th e Va l l ey .

’
Wha t d o people m ostly d o when t here s sh ooting
’
going o n and they ve got a gu n
,

B u t h ow cam e you h ere at all ? I th ou gh t yo u

were t o stay a t—at th e place wh ere I p u t yo u .

’
“
That was l ikely wasn t it ! M e l o afin g aro u n d
,

th e h o u se l ike a tam e cat am ong the n iggers wh ile

goo d fi ghting was goin g o n u p here !
“
I f yo u wan te d to com e wh y n ot h ave m arch ed ,
”
w ith u s ? I asked yo u .

’
I d on t m arch m u ch mysel f I t su its m e to get .

arou n d o n my o wn l egs i n my o wn way I t old yo u .

’
I wo u ld n t go int o any ranks o r t ot e my gu n o n my ,

sh o u ld er wh en i t was hand ier t o carry i t o n my arm .

’ ’
B u t I d id n t t ell you I wo u ld n t com e u p and s e e th is
”
t h ing o n my o wn h ook .

H ave yo u been h ere all day ?

’
I f you com e t o that i t s n on e o f you r b u sin ess , ,

yo u ng m an I got h ere abou t the right tim e of day

.

’
t o save you r bacon anyway That s eno u gh for ,
.

’
o u ain t it ?
”

y ,

Th e reb u ke was j u st an d I p u t n o fu rther qu es ,

t ions .

A great stillness had fallen u p o n th e forest b eh ind

u s I n th e d i stan ce from th e Scru b o ak thickets o n
.
,
-

th e l owland s by th e river there sou nd ed from tim e ,

t o t im e th e e cho o f a stray shot an d fain t M ohawk ,

cries o f O on ah ! O on ah Th e battl e was over .

They were begin n ing t o ru n away before I cam e

d own said E n och i n comm en t u p on som e o f these
,
”

dying away yells of d efeat which cam e t o u s

-
They .

got handled t oo rou gh I f thei r wh it e o flflc er s had .

sh o wed themselv e s m ore an d t ook bigger ri sks ,

.
,
 A l on e at L as t with my E n emy .

’
t h ey d h ave s t o o d t he ir grou nd Bu t these T o ry .

fi ne gentlem en are a pack o f c o wards They l et .

th e I nj u n s get killed bu t they kept darn ed well ,

h id th em selves .

Th e m an o n th e grou n d b roke sil en ce h ere .

Y o u li e h e said fi ercely ,
.

O h ! you can talk c an you ? said Enoch ,

N o, .

’ ’
I don t l ie M r Cross I m talking gospel tru th
, . . .

’
H erki m er s o fficers cam e o u t l ike m en an d fou gh t ,

like m en and got sh ot by d oz en s bu t till we st ru ck

,

you I n ever lai d eyes o n on e o f yo u fellows all d ay

,
’ ’
lon g an d my eyesight s p retty good t oo D on t you
, , .

think it is ? I nail ed yo u righ t u nd e r th e n ippl e ,

th ere with i n a hair o f the bu tt on I sighted o n

,
I .

’ ”
leave it t o yo u i f that ai n t p retty fai r sh ooting .

Th e cool b ru t ality o f thi s talk revolt ed m e I had .

it o n my t ongu e to i nterpose when the wou nd ed ,

man spoke again with a n ew accent o f gl oom i n h is

,

t on e .

What have I ever d on e t o you he said with ,

h is han d u pon h i s b reast .

“
Why n othing at all M r Cross an swered En och
, . .
, ,
’
am iably There wasn t any feeling ab ou t i t at
.
,
’
l east o n my part I d have p otted yo u j u st as care
.

’
fully i f we d bee n p erfect strangers .

“
Will you l eave u s here together for a littl e wh ile ,

“
En och ? I b r o ke in C om e back in a few m in
.

u tes ; fi n d o u t what th e n ews i s i n th e gu l f—how

th e fi ght has gone I desire som e words with thi s
.

”
th is gentl em an .

Th e t rapper n odded at this and started o ff with ,

h is cat like sp ringing walk l oadi ng h is rifl e as h e

-
, ,
3 8 2 In th e Va l l ey .

’
went . I ll t u rn u p i n abo u t a q uar t er o f an h o u r ,

h e said .

I watched hi s lith e leath er clad fi gu re d isapp ear ,

-

am ong th e t rees an d then wh eeled aro u nd t o my

,

p rost rat e foe .

I d o n o t know wha t to say to yo u I said h es , ,

ita t in gly l o oking d own upon h im

, .

H e had taken h is hand away from h is b reast ,

an d was fu m bling with i t on th e grass b eh in d hi m .

S ud denly h e raised i t with a sharp c ry o f ,

I know what t o s ay t o you

Th ere was a p ist ol i n th e ai r con fron tin g m e and ,

I taken all aback looked full into th e black circl e of

, ,

it s barrel as h e p u ll ed the trigger Th e fl in t stru ck .

o u t a spark of fl am e b u t i t fell u p o n p rim ing damp

,

en ed by th e wet grass .

Th e m om entary gl eam o f eagern ess in th e p alli d

face b efore m e d ied p iteo u sly away wh en n o report
cam e I f h e had h ad the strength h e would have
.

thrown th e u sel ess weapon at m e A s it was i t .

,

d ropp ed from h is n erveless fi ngers H e closed hi s .

eyes u nder the kn it b rows u pon wh ich col d sweat ,

stood o u t an d groan ed alou d

,
.

I d o n o t kn ow wh at t o say to yo u I went o n , ,

th e ep isod e o f th e pistol seem ing strangely en ou gh , ,

t o have cl eared my th ou ghts —

Fo r two years ye s .
,

fo r fi ve years— I h ave b een pi ct u ring t o mysel f som e

su ch scen e as thi s wh ere yo u sh ou l d li e overthrown
,

b efore m e and I sh ou ld cru sh th e l i fe o u t of yo u r

,

h at eful body with my h eel as one d oes wi th snakes ,

.

B u t n ow that i t has com e ab ou t I am at a st range ,

”
loss for words .
 8
3 4 In th e Va l l ey .

Th e t h ru s t wen t hom e Th ere was a world o f s ar

.

d on ic d i sd ain i n h is vo ice as h e sp oke bu t i n t ru th ,

I th ou gh t l ittl e o f h is ton e Th e words th em selves .

seem ed to op en a gul f before my feet Was i t .

’
ind eed t ru e i n welcom ing thi s m an s d eath that I
was thinki ng o f th e wom an i t wo u ld s et fre e —for
, ,

me
I t seem ed a l ong long t i m e b e fore I fou nd tongu e
,

again I walked up an d d own am ong th e smal l

.

ced ars fighting o u t i n my own m in d th e i ssu e o f

,

h onor which h ad bee n with su ch bru tal frankn ess

raised I co u ld n o t make it seem wh olly u ntru e
—th is charge h e s o cont empt u o u sly fl u ng at m e
.

Th ere was n o softening o f my h eart t oward hi m

h e was still th e repell ent evil ru th e n I had fo r years
,

h eld h im t o be I fel t th a t I hat ed h im th e m o re

.

b ecau se h e h ad p u t m e i n th e wrong I went back .

t o h im asham ed for th e sou rce o f t h e in crease o f

,

t emper I tremble d u nd er yet p owerl ess t o dis s e m

,

bl e it.

“
Why sh ou ld I n ot kill yo u wh ere yo u li e ? I
sh o u ted at him .

H e mad e an e ffor t at sh ru gging h is sho uld ers b u t ,

vo u chsafed n o oth er reply .

“
You — I wen t o n i n a wh i rl o f rage a t mysel f
, ,

at h im at th e en ti re u n iverse
, y o u h ave mad e my
wh ol e m anhood bitter I fo u gh t yo u th e fi rst tim e I
.

s aw you wh en we were l ittl e boys

, Even th en yo u .

in su lted inj u red m e I have always hat ed yo u

,
. .

You have always given m e reason t o h ate you I t .

’
was you wh o p oison ed M r St ewart s m i nd against .

m e It was yo u wh o s t ole my sweet sis t er away

.
 A l on e at L a s t w ith my E n emy .

from m e D id th is content yo u ? N o Yo u m u st
. .

d rive the good o ld gentleman i nt o paralysis and

illn ess u nto d eath— o u t o f his m ind—and yo u m u st
overwhelm th e p oor gentl e girl with dru nken ,

bru tality an d cru elty and t o cap all with desertion

A n d this i s n ot eno u gh—m y G o d ! thi nk o f i t !
.
, ,

t h is i s not eno u gh — bu t yo u m u st com e with th e

oth ers t o force I n dian war u p on o u r V alley u pon ,

yo u r o l d n eighbors Th ere are h u n dreds lying

d ead here t o d ay in th ese wo ods — h on est m e n
-

whose wives parents little children are waiting for

, , ,

th em at h om e They will n ever lay eyes o n them

.

again Why ? Becau se o f yo u and yo u r scou nd rel

.

friends Yo u h ave d on e too m u ch m ischi ef already

. .

”
I t i s high t im e t o p u t an en d t o yo u .

Th e wo u nd ed man h ad l isten ed to m e wearily with ,

h is fre e han d cl u tched tigh t over h i s wou nd and th e ,

other t earing spasm od i cally at the grass besid e him .

”
I am bleed ing t o d eath he said with a voice , ,

obvio u sly weaken ed sin ce hi s last p recedi ng words .

S o m u ch the better for you Y o u wou ld like i t .

so. Y o u are n ot b ol d en o u gh t o kn ock m e o n th e

head o r mercifu l en ou gh to go abo u t you r bu si ness
,

an d leave m e i n p eace I o ught t o b e above bandy .

i ng wo rd s with yo u n o r wou ld I i f it d id not take

my m ind from my h u rt Y o u are right —you have .

always been my e nemy Yo u were j ealou s o f m e as .

a l ittle boy Yo u had an apron an d yo u e nvi ed m e

.
,

my coat When like a fool I cam e again t o thi s

.
, ,

cu rsed wilderness you r sou r face ro se u p in front o f

,

m e l ike an u gly d ream I t was my fi rst disagree .

able thi ng Still yo u were j eal ou s o f m e fo r I was

.
,
 In th e Va l l ey .

a gentl eman ; yo u were a skin p edle r I m arried a -

.

m aiden wh o h ad beau t y and wit en ou gh to gra ce my

stati on even tho u gh s h e had n o t been b orn to it
, .

I t was you wh o t u rn ed her m in d against m e an d ,

i ncited h er t o u nhappi n ess i n th e h om e I h ad given

h er I t was yo u wh o m ad e a dam n ed reb el o u t o f
.

h er and drove m e i nt o goi ng t o Can ada

,
She has .

ever been m ore yo u r frien d than m in e You are o f .

her sort A n English gentlem an co ul d rightly h ave

.

h ad n o part o r lo t wi t h eith er o f you Go back t o .

h er n ow—tell h er you l eft m e h ere waiting for th e

wolves—an d th at my dying m essage was
H e foll owed with som e pain fu lly bitter an d m al ig
nant word s wh i ch I h ave n ot th e heart t o s et down
here i n col d bloo d agai nst h im .

”
Let m e s e e you r wou n d I sai d wh en h e h ad
, ,

fi n i sh ed an d sank back exhau sted , .

I kn elt b e sid e h im and open ed h i s green coat an d ,

th e fin e ru ffl ed sh i rt b en eath it B oth were soaked

'

.
,

with blood o n th e wh ole right sid e b u t th e soft ,

camb ri c had i n a m easu re ch ecked the fl ow H e

, , .

m ad e n o resi stan ce an d I sp read over th e u gly ap er

,

t u re som e o f th e plaster with wh i ch my m oth er had

fi tte d m e o u t and bo u nd i t fast with som e di ffi cu lty
, , ,

by passing my sash u n d er his body an d wi nd ing i t

ab ou t h i s chest .

H e kep t h is eyes closed whil e I was d oing th is I .

c ou ld no t tell whethe r h e was consci ou s o r n ot N o r .

co ul d I explain t o mysel f wh y I was con cern ing m y

self with h is wo u n d Was it t o save i f p ossible h is
.
, ,

l i fe ? Was i t t o l engthen ou t h i s t erm o f t o r t u r e ‘

he re i n th e grea t fi nal sol itu d e helplessly facing th e

,
3 8 8 In th e Va l l ey .

h al f th e people you brou gh t h ere are dead to begin

’
with i t don t lo ok m u ch l ike a vi cto ry does ,

it
Bu t t h e British h ave retreated yo u s ay an d , ,

th ere was a so rt i e from the fort

’
Yes it s abou t s ix o f o n e an d hal f d o z en o f
,
-

’
t oth er I sh ou ld s ay th at b oth sides h ad got th ei r
.

’
b ellyfu l o f fi gh ting I gu ess th ey ll both want t o
.

”
rest for a sp ell .

I m ad e n o an swer bein g lo st i n a m az e o f tho u ghts

,

u p on th e h ideou s carnage o f th e day and up on what ,

was l ikely t o com e o f it En och wen t o n .

“
Th ey seem ed t o b e p retty n igh throu gh wi th
th ei r l itt er m aking They m u st b e abou t ready t o
-
.

’
start You d b etter b e sp ry i f yo u wan t t o go along
.

’
wi th em .

D id yo u sp eak t o any o n e o f m e ? D id yo u tell

th em wh ere I was ?
’
I ain t qu ite a fool yo u ng man sai d the t rapp er
, , ,
’
with a gau n t sort o f sm il e I f th ey d cau ght sigh t .

o f m e I wou ldn t have got mu ch chance t o explai n

’
,

abou t myself l et al on e you I t ki nd o f occu rred t o

,
.

m e that strangers fo u n d l o a fin g arou n d i n the wood s

’
wou ld n t get m u ch of an op enin g for p ol i te conversa
t ion j u st n o w—especially i f th ose stran gers were
’
fellows wh o had com e d own from Sil l in ge r s camp
”
with letters on ly a fortn igh t ago .

A l l this t i m e Cross had been s t retched at my

knees with h is eyes cl osed H e op en ed them h ere
,
.
,
’
at En och s last words an d broke in t o o u r conversa ,

t ion with a weak st rangely altered voice ,

I kn ow you n ow—dam n yo u ! I cou ldn t think

’
 A l on e at L a s t w ith my E n emy .
3 89

before .Y o u are the fell ow I gave my let t ers t o ,

’
there on Bu ck s I sland I pai d yo u yo u r o wn price
.

-
in hard gold —an d now you shoot m e in ret u rn .

Y o u are o n the right sid e now Y o u m ake a good .

rebel
N o w look h ere M r Cross p u t i n Enoch with
, .
, ,

j u st a t race o f temp er in his ton e Y o u pai d m e

t o carry those lette rs becau se I was going that way ,

’ ’
and I carried e m straight Y o u d idn t pay m e for .

’
anything else and you cou ldn t n either
,
There ,
.

’
ain t been gold e n ou gh m int ed yet to h ire m e to
fi ght fo r you r King George against Con gress P u t .

that i n yo u r p ipe an d sm oke i t

” “
Com e Enoch I here i nterrup ted enough of
, , ,

that Th e m an is su ffering Yo u m u st n ot vex h im

. .

”
fu rther by words .

S u ffering o r n ot ret u rn ed the trapp er

,
he ,

m ight keep a civi l tongu e i n h is hea d —Why I even ,

’
d id som ething yo u d id n t pay m e for h e wen t on , ,

scowlin g d own at th e prostrat e sold i er I d elivered .

you r m essage h ere t o thi s m an ( in di cati ng m e with

a gestu re o f his th u mb) all that you kn ow ab ou t , ,

c u tting ou t h i s h eart when you m et h im an d feed ing ,

i t t o a Mis s is agu e dog .

’
Enoch s grim feat u res relaxed into a sard o nic sm il e
as h e added Th ere m ay b e m ore o r l ess heart
’
eating ro u nd ab ou t h ere presently b u t it do n t l ook ,
’
m u ch as i f it wou ld be h i s and th e d ogs that ll d o it ,

d on t belong to anybody— n ot even to a Mis s is agu e

’

b u ck .

’
Th e wou nded m an s fram e sh ook u n d er a spasm o f
shu dd e ring and h e gl owered at u s both wildly with
, ,
 In th e Va l l ey
.

a lo o k half wrath hal f p iti fu l plead ing wh ich h elped

-
,
-
,

m e the be t ter t o m ake u p my m ind .

En och had t u rned t o m e on ce m ore

” “
Com e h e said,
we b ette r h u stle along
,
It .

will b e all ri ght with m e so long as I am with yo u ,

an d th ere i s n o tim e t o l ose Th ey m u st b e starting

.

from th e gu l f by th i s tim e I f we step alon g b ri sk

. ,

’
we ll soon catch th em A s for th i s ch ap h ere I
.
,

’ ’
gu ess we d b etter l eave h im H e won t last long .

’
anyway and yo u r fol ks d on t want any wou nded
,
’
p rison ers .Th ey ve go t t o o m any litt ers t o carry
”
already .

N o I m ad e an swer with my resolve cl ear n o w

, ,

b efo re m e We will m ake o u r own litt er an d we

.
,

will carry h im t o h is h om e o u rselves —by the river

”
away from th e oth ers .

“
T h e h ell you say ! sai d En och .
39 2 In th e Va l l ey .

Th e wo u n d ed m an lay sil en t wi t h cl osed eyes , ,

wh il e ou r d iscu ssion wen t o n H e seem ed i n a half .

l eth argic state p robably n ot ing all th at we said yet

, ,

u n d er t oo h eavy a sp ell o f p ai n and weakn ess t o

care t o sp eak I t was n ot u nt il we two h ad woven
.

a ro u gh s ort o f l itt er o u t of h i cko ry saplin gs covered ,

th i ck wi th m oss and h eml ock twigs an d En och had ,

kn elt by h is sid e t o look t o hi s wou nd s again that ,

C ross sp oke
Leave m e alon e ! ”
h e groan ed angrily It , .

makes m e worse t o h ave yo u t o u ch m e A r e yo u .

n o t satisfi ed ? I am dying ; that o u ght to b e en ou gh

fo r you .

’
“
D o h t b e a fo ol M r Cross , said En och imp er
.
, ,

t u r b abl y m oving h is hand al ong th e cou rse o f th e

,

“ ’ ’
ban dage . We re t rying t o save you r l i fe I don t .

’
know j u st why b u t w e are D on t m ake i t extra
,
.

h ard for u s A ll th e h elp we want from yo u i s for

.

you t o hol d you r j aw .

“
Y o u are goin g t o give m e up to you r O n eidas !
crie d th e su fferi ng m an raisi ng h is h ead by a vi olen t
,

e ffort at th e words and staring affri gh t e dly st raigh t

,

ahead of h im .

There i nde ed were th e two fri end ly I nd ian s wh o

, ,

h ad com e wi th m e to th e swamp an d had ru n fo r ,

’
ward i n p u rsu i t o f Cross s c ompan i ons Th ey had .

ret u rn ed with absolu t e n o isel essn ess an d stoo d n o w ,

som e t en feet away from u s gazin g with stol id c o m ,

o s u r e at ou r grou p
p .

A h ideou s bu n ch o f fresh scalp locks dan gl ed -

from the belt of each an d on th e bare legs b en eath

, , ,

stain s o f som eth in g darke r than verm ili on m in gled

 Th e Us es to wh ich Revenge m ay he P u t .
393

with the pale ochre that had been rubbed u pon the
skin . The savages breathed heavily from their
chase an d thei r black eyes were fai rly a fl a m e with
,

excitem en t bu t they held th e m u scles o f thei r faces

,

i n an awesom e rigidity Th ey were yo u ng m en .

whom pio u s Sam u el Kirkland had laboriou sly

covered th ro u gh years o f e ffort with a Ch ri st ian
, ,

veneering I f the go od d om i ni e co ul d have b een

.

there and seen th e glances they b en t u pon th e

wo u n ded en emy at ou r feet I fear m e h e wou ld ,

h ave groan ed i n sp irit .

Keep th em o ff! sh ri eked Cross h is h ead all in

”

a trembl e with th e su stai n ed exerti on o f h old ing

itsel f u p .I will n ot be scalped ! So help m e God ,

I will n ot !
The I ndian s kn ew eno u gh o f Engli sh to u nder
stan d th is franti c cry Th ey l ooked at m e as m u ch .

’
as t o s ay that th is gentlem an s resol u t ion d id n o t
m ateri ally alter the exist ing situ at ion the prob ,

abilities of wh i ch were all o n th e oth er side .

”
Lay yo u r h ead d own M r Cross said Enoch ,
.
, ,

“ ’
alm ost gently J u st keep cool o r yo u ll bu st
.
,
’
you r ban dages o ff Th ey won t h u rt you t ill we
.

’ ”
give em th e word .

Still h e made fitfu l e fforts to ri se an d a fain t p u r ,

p l is h col or cam e i nt o h i s th roat and c h ec k s as h e

strove excitedly I f En och had n o t held his arm he
.

woul d have t orn o ff th e plaster from hi s breast .

“
I t shall n o t be d one ! I will di e n ow ! Yo u
shall n ot save m e t o be to rtu red— scalped —by these
devils
I i nte rven ed h ere Yo u need fear n othing from
.
3 94 In th e V a l l ey .

th ese I ndians I said b en d ing over him

, Li e
, .

back again and calm yo u rsel f We are d i fferent .

from th e bru tes in yo u r camp We pay n o p rice fo r

'

scalps .

Perh aps those are n o t scalps th ey have han gin g

there I t is l ike yo u r can t ing t ongu e t o d eny
.

”
it
.

I t was easy t o keep my temper with th i s h elpless

foe .Th ese savages have th ei r o wn way o f m aking
war I answered calmly
,
They are d efending
, .

their o w n h om es again st invasion as well as we are ,

.

Bu t we d o n ot brib e th em t o take scalp s

Why n ot be h on est —yo u
.

“
h e said d isdain ,
’
fu lly Yo u are going t o give m e u p D on t sicken
. .

m e with p reach i ng into th e bargain .

“
Why b e silly— you I retorted D oes th e .

trouble w e prop ose taking fo r yo u l ook l ike giving

yo u u p ? Wh at wo u ld b e easi er than to l eave yo u
h ere— fo r th e wolves o r th ese I nd ian s h ere ? I n ,

stead o f that w e are going to carry you all th e w ay

t o yo u r h om e We are goin g to h ide yo u at Cairn
.

cross u ntil I can get a parol e fo r you from General

,

S ch uyl er N ow will yo u keep st ill ?

.
”

H e d id relap se int o silen ce at thi s—a silen ce that

w as born alike o f m ys t ific a t io n and u tt er weakn ess .

Eno ch explai n ed t o th e O n eid as m ainly i n thei r ,

o w n strange t ongu e my proj ect o f conveyin g th i s

,

Brit ish pri son er i ntact s o far as hair went d own th e

, ,

V alley I c o u l d follow h im en ou gh to kn ow that

.

h e d escribed m e as a warrior of great p osit i on an d

valor ; i t was l ess fl atterin g to have h im explain that
Cross was al so a leading ch ief and that I wou ld ge t ,
3 96 In th e Va l l ey .

ru sh es i n the swale We cou ld h ear n o so u nd from

.

o u r frien ds at th e h ead of th e ravi ne a full h al f m il e ,

-

away Save for th e h ideou s n oise s o f th e b irds a

.
,

p erfect sil ence rest ed up on th is blo od soaked oasi s -

of th e wildern ess Th e l ittl e bro ok babbl ed softly

.

past u s ; th e strong western l ight fl ash ed up on th e

rain d rops am ong th e leaves
-
O n th e cedar clad .
-

knoll th e two yo u ng I nd ian s stood m ot io nl ess i n th e

su n set rad iance watch ing u s gravely
, .

We passed i nt o th e en fol ding d epth s o f th e woods ,

l eavi ng th e battl e fiel d t o th e fu rred and feath ere d

-

scavengers and scalp ing kn ives o f th e forest pri m eval

-
.

O u r sl ow an d fu rt ive co u rse down th e wind in g

river was o n e lon g m isery I recall n o other equ ally
.

wretched fi ve days i n my l ife .

The can o e whi ch E n och u n earth ed o n o u r fi rst

evenin g wa s a sm all an d fragil e a ffair in whi ch only ,

one beside th e wo u n d ed man co u ld b e accomm odated .

Th e oth er m u st take h is way as best h e cou ld th rou gh

th e sp rawling tangl e o f water ald ers wild artich oke -
, ,

and vin es facing myriads o f fl i es an d an in t ol erabl e

,

h eat i n all th e w et places with th ei r swelterin g l ux

,

u r ia n c e o f rank vegetati on O n e day of th is n early

.

red u ced m e t o th e cond iti on o f ou r weak an d h elp

l ess p risoner I staggered blin dly alon g t oward its
.

close covered t o th e knees with black riv er m u d my

,
-
,

face an d wou nded arm st inging wi th th e scratches

o f p oison ou s ivy an d bram bles m y b rain aching ,

savagely my strength and sp iri t all gon e

,
I could .

h ave wept l ike a ch ild from sh eer exhau s tion wh en

at las t I cam e to th e n ook o n the littl e stream where
 Th e Us es to wh ich Reveng e m ay he P u t .
397

En och had pl anned to halt and fl u ng mysel f on the

,

grou nd u tterly worn o u t .

We were som ewhat below Fort Sch uyler as n ear ,

t o the fi rst settlem ent s o n the Germ an Flatts as we

m ight with safety ven t u re by dayl ight The reafter .

w e m u st h ide d u ring th e days and steal d own the ,

river at n ight Enoch had a small st ore o f sm oke d

.

beef ; for the rest w e ate berries wild grapes and , ,

o n e o r two varieti es o f ed ibl e ro ots wh ich he kn ew

of. We dared n ot b u ild a fi re .

Philip Cross passed m ost o f h is tim e wh il e we lay ,

h id ing u nder cover i n a drowsy restless stu por

, , ,

broken by feverish in tervals o f n ervo u s activity o f

m ind wh ich were o ft en very l ike d eli ri u m Th e heat .
,

th e fl y pest an d the m alaria ! atm osph ere o f th e dank

-
,

recesse s in which we lay all comb in ed to m ake h is

,

days very bad A t night i n th e canoe fl oating n oise

.
,

l essly d own the stream E n och said h e se em e d t o

,

su ffe r less an d to b e calm er in h is mind Bu t at n o .

time fo r th e fi rst three d ays at l east did h e evi nce

, ,

any consciou sness that w e were do ing for hi m m o re

than m ight u nder the ci rcu m stances b e exp ected .

H is glance seem ed som etim es to bespeak p u zzled

th ou ghts Bu t h e accept ed all ou r m in istrati ons and
.

labors with eith er th e li stless ind i fference o f a man

ill u nto death o r th e composu re of an ari st ocrat who
,

t ook personal servi ce and atten ti on fo r granted .

—
A fter we had passed the Little Falls wh ich we
d id o n o u r third n ight o u t—th e ch i ef dange r from
shallows and ri fts was over and Enoch was able to
,

exchan ge places with m e I t was n o great t rou ble

.

t o h im skilful w o od sman that he was t o m ake h is

, ,
398 In th e Val l ey .

'

wa y along th e bank even m the dark wh ile in th e ,

n ow sm ooth an d fairly b road cou rse I cou l d m anage

the can oe well en ou gh .

Th e m o on sh on e fair u p on u s as o u r l ittl e bark ,

glided d own the river We were in th e d eep cu r .

rent wh ich p u she s forcefu lly forward u n der th e n ew

pressu re o f the East Can ad a waters an d save for ,

occasi onal gu idan ce th ere was sm al l n eed o f my

paddle The scen e was very b eau t i fu l t o th e eye
.

the whit e l igh t u p o n the fl ood th e soft calm shadows ,

o f the will owed banks the darker statel ier s ilh o u , ,

e tt e s o f th e fores t trees reared black against th e

'

pal e s ky .

Th ere i s som eth ing in th e restfu l radiance o f

.

moonligh t wh ich m ellows h earts Th e p o ets l earne d .

thi s ages si nce I reali z ed i t n ow as my glance fel l

, ,

up on th e p allid face i n th e bo w be fo r e m e We were

'

lo oking at o n e an other and my h atred o f h im , ,

n u rsed th ro ugh years seem ed su dd enly t o h ave ,

taken t o it sel f wi ngs I had scarcely sp oken t o h im

.

d u ring th e voyage other th an t o ask h im o f h i s

,

wo u nd N ow a th o u sand gentle i mp u lses st i rred

.

wi thi n m e all at once an d m oved my tongu e

, , .

“
A r e yo u o u t o f pain t o n igh t ? I asked h im -
.

The jou rn ey is a hard o n e at best for a wou nd ed

m an I wou ld we co u ld have com man ded a larger
.

”
and m ore com m od i ou s boat .

O h ay ! S o far as b odily su ffering goes I am

, ,

fre e from it h e m ad e an swer langu idly

, Then ,
.
,

after a l ittle pau se h e wen t o n i n a l ow m u sing

'

, , ,

voice H o w d eathly still eve ryth ing i s ! I th ou ght

th at in the wild erness o n e heard always t he n igh t
 Th e Us es to wh ic h Reven g e m ay he P u t .
3 99

yelp ing of the wolves We d id at Cairn cross I .

,

kn o w Yet sin ce we started I have n ot h eard o n e

. .

”
I t is as i f we were goi ng thro ugh a dead co u n t ry .

Enoch had explai ned th e reason for thi s silen ce t o

m e and I th oughtl essly bl u rted i t o u t
,
.

Eve ry wol f for forty m iles ro u nd abou t i s u p at

“ ”
the battle fie l d I said I t is fai rly marvellou s
-
,

h ow su ch intelligen ce spread s am on g th ese bru tes .

They m u st have a lan gu age of the ir o wn H ow .

l ittl e we really u n derstand o f th e an i mal creati on

ab ou t u s with all ou r p rid e o f wi sdom !
, Even
th e shark sail ors ave r kn ows which sh ip to pu r
, ,
”
sue .

H e sh u ddered an d closed h is eyes as I spoke I .

th ou gh t at fi rst that he h ad been seized with a spasm

o f physical angu i sh by the d rawn expressi on o f hi s ,

face ; th en it dawn ed up on m e that his su ffering was

m ental .

“
Yes I dare s ay th ey are all there he said
, , ,

l ifting hi s voi ce som ewhat I c an hear th em —s e e .

them ! D o you kn ow h e wen t o n excitedly all , , ,

day long all n ight l ong I seem to have corp ses all
, ,

ab ou t me They are there j u st th e sam e wh e n I

.

—
[

cl ose my eyes when I sl eep S om e o f them are .

my friends ; others I do not know bu t t h ey all , ,

know m e They look at m e ou t o f d u ll eyes ; th ey

seem to say th ey are waiti ng fo r m e—and then there
.

are the wolve s

H e began sh ivering at th is again and h is voice ,

sank into a p iteou s qu aver .

“
These are bu t fanci es I said gently as o n e , , ,

wou ld speak to a ch ild awakened in terror by a

400 In th e Va l l ey .

n ightm are Y o u will b e rid o f them on ce yo u get

.

where you can have rest and care .

I t seem ed passing strange that I sh ou ld be talk

i ng thu s to a man o f as p owe rfu l fram e as mysel f ,

and even older i n years Yet h e was so wan an d .

weak and th e few d ays o f su ffering h ad s o altered

, ,

I may s ay refi ned h is face and m i en that it wa s

, ,

natu ral en ou gh t o o when o n e th inks o f it , .

H e becam e calm er after th is and l ooked at m e ,

fo r a long tim e as I paddled thro ugh a stret ch o f

still wa ter i n silen ce , .

Y o u m u st have been well bo rn after all he , ,

said fi nally
, .

I d id n ot wh olly u n derstan d h is m ean ing b u t ,

answered :
“
Why yes the V a n H o o r n s are a ve ry good
, ,

fam ily—n oble in som e branches in fact — and my ,

father had h is sh eepskin from Utrech t Bu t what .

o f it ?
What I wou ld s ay is you have acted in all th is ,

l ike a gentlem an .

I co u ld n o t h elp sm iling to mysel f n o w that ,

I s aw what was in h i s m ind Fo r that m at t er I ,

answered l ightly ,
it d oes n ot seem t o m e that
,

e ither th e V a n H o o r n s o r the dead Ma u v er e n s en s

h ave m u ch to do with it I rem emb ered my .

’
m oth er s parting rem ark to m e an d add ed : Th e ,

only V a n H oorn I kn ow of in th e V alley will n ot b e

”
at all pl eased t o l earn I h ave bro u gh t you back .

“ ”
N obody will be pleased he said gloom ily , , .

A fter that i t wa s fi t that silen ce sho u ld again in

t e r v e n e fo r I co uld n o t gain say h im
,
H e cl osed .
4 0 2 In th e Va l l ey .

of man strange t o o u r A m erican id eas a being ,

with i n wh om l ong traditi on and sed ul ou s train ing

h ad creat ed two d isti nct m en —o n e affable h onor ,

able gen ero u s l ikeabl e am ong h i s equ als ; the other

, , ,

cold sel fi sh hau gh ty an d harsh to h is i n feri ors I t

, , ,
.

st ru ck m e n ow that there had always been two

Philips an d th at I had bee n shown only th e ru de
,

and h atefu l o n e becau se my stati on h ad n ot seem ed

t o entitle m e to c onsort with th e other .

O nce start ed u p on this explanati on I began to ,

compreh en d th e wh ol e story T o tell the tru th I

.
,

had never u nd erst ood wh y th is yo u ng m an sh ou ld

have beh aved so badly as h e di d ; th ere had been t o
m e always a certai n wanton ness o f bru t al ity i n his
con d u ct wh olly m ex p l ic a bl e Th e th in g was plainer
.

n ow .I n h is o wn co u ntry h e wou l d d ou btless have

m ade a t ol erable h u sband a fair landlord a wo rthy
, ,

gentl em an i n th e eyes of the only class o f p eople

wh ose con si deration h e cared for Bu t over h ere i n .
,

th e n ew land all th e cond iti ons had been again st

,

h im . H e h ad d rawn d own up on h im self and all

th ose ab ou t h i m overwh elm i ng calam i ty simply b e ,

cau se h e h ad felt h im sel f u nd er th e cu rsed obli ga

”
t i on t o act l ike a gentl em an as h e called it H i s ,
.

contemptu o u s d islike o f m e h i s tyrann i cal t reatm ent

,

o f h is wi fe wh en s h e d id n ot fall i n with hi s ambi

t i ons h is su lky resort t o d issipati on his fi erce es

, ,

o u s a l of th e Tory sid e again st th e comm on h erd

p
—I cou ld t race n ow th e su ccessive steps by wh ich
ob st in acy had l ed h im d own th e fell in cline .

I do n ot kn ow that I h ad m u ch sat isfacti on from

th is analysi s even when I had worked it all o u t I t
,
.
 Th e Us es to wh ich Reven ge m ay he P u t .
40 3

was worth while n o d oubt t o arrive at a kn owled ge

, ,
’
o f P h ilip s tru e natu re and t o s e e that u n der other
,

circu m stances h e m ight have been as good a m an as

an other . Bu t all the sam e my h eart grew h eavy
u nd er the recu rring th ou gh t that th e savin g o f h i s
l i fe m eant th e destru cti on o f all worth havi ng i n
m in e
.

Every noiseless stroke o f my paddl e in th e water ,

bearin g h im toward h om e as it d id seem ed to p u sh

,

m e farther back into a ch ill u nkn own world o f gloom

,

and desolation Yet God help m e I cou ld d o n o

.
, ,

Other !
 C H A PT E R X X X V I .

A F IN A L S C E N E IN TH E G U L F W H I C H MY EY E S
AR E M E R C I F U LLY SPA R ED .

J U S T b efore dayb reak o f t h e fi fth day we stol e

past th e sleep in g hamlet of Cau gh n awaga and as th e ,

su n wa s risin g over th e Schohari e h ills I d rew u p th e

can o e i nto th e o ut l et o f D adan o s c a r a Creek a small ,

brook wh i ch cam e d own th rou gh th e woods from th e

h igh land wh ereon Cairn cross stood O u r j ou rney
.

by wat er was ended .

En och wa s waiting fo r u s and help ed m e li ft

,

Cross from th e can oe H is b ody h u ng inert i n o u r

.

arms ; not even my cl u m sy slipp ing on th e bank o f

the rivu let startled h im from th e d eep sl eep i n wh ich
h e h ad lain for h ou rs in th e boat .

I h ave been fright en ed .Can h e b e dying ? I

asked .

En och knelt beside h im and p u t h i s h and ove r

,
’
th e pati ent s h eart . H e sh o ok h is h ead du bio u s l y /

’
after a m om ent an d sai d I t s teari ng along l ike a
—
raceh orse H e s in a feve r th e wo rst kind This
ai n t sl eep —it s st u p o r
. .

’ ’
.

’
H e felt th e wo u nd ed m an s p ulse and templ es .

’ ” ’
I f yo u re bent o n saving h is l i fe h e add ed you d
, ,

b etter scoot o ff and get som e h elp Before we can

.

m ake an oth er l itte r fo r h im let alo ne taking h im u p

,
40 6 In th e Va l l ey .

delay in get t ing th e wou nd ed man u n der a roo f i n ,

b ed with i n reach o f aid an d n u rsing m ight be fatal

, , .

I t was n o light task t o get th e can oe u pon ou r

sho u lders after we had p u t i n i t o u r gu n s covered
, ,

th ese with fern s an d twigs and u p on th ese lai d ,

’ ’
Philip s b ulky form and a very few m om ents prog
,

ress sh owed that th e work before u s was t o b e n o

’
ch ild s play Th e con form at ion o f th e canoe mad e
.

i t a rath er awkward th ing to carry to b egin with ,

.

To bear i t right sid e u p lad en as i t wa s over eight

, ,

m iles of alm ost contin u ou s ascent throu gh a p er ,

fec t l y u nb roken wildern ess was as labori ou s an

,

u ndertaking as it i s easy to conceive .

We t oiled alo ng s o sl owly an d th e wretched l ittl e

,

b rook wh ose bed we st rove t o foll ow d escribed

, ,

su ch a wand eri ng cou rse and was s o o ften rend ered

,

fairly impassable by rocks d ri ftwood and over , ,

hangi ng th icket that wh e n th e su n h u ng d u e sou th

,

ab o ve u s we h ad covered barely hal f o u r j ou rn ey ,

an d confronted still th e h ard est p orti on of it We .

were so exhau st ed wh en th is n oon h o u r cam e t oo , ,

that I coul d m ake n o obj ecti on wh e n E noch d eclared

h is p u rpose of gettin g som e t ro u t from th e b rook ,

and co oking th em Besid e s we were far en ou gh

.
,

away from the river highway an d from all habita

t ions n ow t o rend er th e th ing p ractically safe A c .

c o r din gl y I l ight ed a small fi re of th e d ri es t wood t o

b e fo u n d wh ile th e trapper st ole u p and down th e

,

brook m oving with in fi ni te stealth and d exterity

, ,

tracking d own fi sh and catch ing th em wi th h is

h and s u nd er th e st on es .

Soon h e had enou gh for a m eal —and my word ! ,

 A Fin a l Scen e in th e G u lf .
40 7

it was a feas t for emp erors or angels We stu ffed .

the p ink d ain ties with m int an d baked them i n balls

,

o f clay I t seem ed as i f I had not eaten before i n

.

years .

We tri ed t o ro u se C ross su ffi ci ently t o enable h im

to eat and i n a small way su cceeded bu t th e e ffect
,

upon h i m was scarcely ben efi cial it appeared to ,

u s H is feve r increased and when we start ed ou t

.
,

on c e m o re u nd er ou r bu rden th e m ot io n inseparable
,

from o u r p rogress a ffected h is head and he began ,

t o talk i ncoh erently t o h im self .

N oth ing can b e i magi n ed m o re wei rd and startling

than wa s t he so u nd o f th is voi ce above u s wh en ,

we fi rst h eard it Both En och and I instinct ively

.

stopped Fo r th e m om ent we c ou ld n o t tell when c e

.

th e sou n d cam e an d I kn ow n ot what wil d not ion s

,

abo u t it fl ash ed th rou gh my m ind Even wh en we .

realiz ed that it was th e fever loosed t ongu e o f o u r-

’
compan io n wh i ch spo ke the e ffect was scarcely less
,

u ncan ny Thou gh I cou ld n o t s e e h im t h e n o ise o f

.
,

h is ceaseless talking cam e f rom a p oint close t o my

head ; h e spoke for t h e m ost par t in a bold high
v o ice—u nnat u rally raised ab ove the p itch o f h is
,

recent faint waking u tteran ces Wh en ever a falle n .

l og o r j u tt ing b owlder gave u s a chan ce t o rest o u r

load witho u t the p rospect o f too m u ch work in
h oisting it again w e wou ld s e t th e can oe d own an d
, ,

that m om ent h i s lip s wo u ld cl ose There seem ed .

t o b e som e occu lt con necti on between th e m ot ion o f

o u r walking an d the acti vity o f h is disordered brain .

Fo r a l ong t im e— o f cou rse in a v ery disconnected

a —
w y h e babbled abo ut; h is m othe r and o f people , ,
40 8 In th e Va l l ey .

p resu mably Engli sh o f wh om I kn ew n oth ing save

, ,

that o n e n ame D igby was that of hi s elder b rothe r

, , .

Then there b egan t o be interwoven with th is talk

’
stray m en ti on of D aisy s nam e an d soon th e wh ol e ,

d i scou rse was o f h er .

Th e freaks o f deli ri u m h ave l ittle sign i fi cance I ,

b el ieve as clews to th e san er cou rses o f th e m i nd

, ,

b u t h e sp oke only gently i n h is i maginary speeches

t o h is wi fe I had to l isten plodd ing wearily al ong
.
,

with ach ing sho u ld ers u nder th e bu rd en of th e b oat ,

t o fond affecti on ate word s add ressed t o h e r in an

,

i ncessant st ri ng Th e th read o f h i s id eas seem ed to

.

b e that h e had arrive d h om e worn o u t and ill an d ,

-
,

th at h e w as restin g h is h ead u pon her bosom O ver .

and ove r again with tiresom e it erati on h e kep t

, ,

“
en t reat ing plain tively : Yo u a r e glad t o s e e m e ?
Y o u d o tr u ly forgive m e and love m e ? ,

N oth ing could h ave been sadde r than t o h ear him .

I reasoned that thi s ceaseless dwelling u pon th e

sweets o f a t ender welcom e d ou btl ess refl ected th e
t rai n of h is th ou ghts d u ring the j ou rn ey d own from
th e battl e fiel d H e had forb orn e t o on ce m ention
-
.

’
D aisy s nam e d u ring th e wh ol e voyage b u t h e m u st ,

h ave th o u gh t d eeply in cessantly o f h er—in all l ike

,

l ih o o d with a great so ften in g o f h eart and yearning

for h er compassi onate n u rsing I t was n ot i n m e t o .

b e u nm oved by th is I declare th at as I wen t pain

.

fully fo rward with th i s strangely path eti c song o f

,

passion repeating itsel f i n my ears I got fai rly away ,

from th e h abit of m in d i n wh ich my own l ove fo r

D aisy existed and felt mysel f only an agent in the
,

workin g o u t o f som e sombre and exalted rom an ce .

4 1 0 In th e Va l l ey .

’
I m ad e an swer . J u st a m om ent s m ore rest an d ,
’
we ll at i t again .

Wh il e we stood hal f recl in i n g against t h e bowld er ,

l ooking with trepidation at th e stiff ascent be fo re u s

o n th e farth er sid e o f the gu l f th e scene o f th e o l d ,

qu arrel o f o u r yo u th su dd enly cam e to my m i nd .

D o yo u s e e that spru ce n ear the top by the path ,

-
the on e hanging over th e edge ? Five years ago
I w a s goi ng to fight th is Ph ilip C ross th ere o n that ,

path My l ittl e n igger Tu lp ran b etween u s an d h e

.
,

th rew h im h ead over heels t o th e bott om The lad .

”
h as n ever b een h im sel f since .

Pretty t olerable fall rem arked En och glan ci ng

, ,

d own th e p recip it ou s bru sh clad wall o f rock

,
-
Bu t .

a n igger lands o n h i s h ead as a cat d oes o n h er feet ,

an d it only scrat ch es h im where i t wo u ld kill any

b ody else .

We resu m ed o u r b u rd en n o w an d m ade o u r way ,

with it d own the wind ing path t o th e bottom H ere .

I was fain t o su rrend er on ce fo r all .

” ’
I t i s no u se En och I said resol u tely
, ,
I can t , .

even t ry to cli mb u p there with th i s l oad Y o u .

m u st wait here ; I will go ah ead t o Cairn cross p re ,

pare them fo r h is com ing and sen d d own som e slaves

,

to fetch h im th e rest o f th e way .

The great squ are m ansi on reared before m e a

closed and i nh osp itable front Th e sh u tters o f all .

th e windows were fastened Si n ce the last rain n o

.

wh eels had passed over th e carriage way Fo r all -

.

the signs o f li fe vi sible Cai rn cross m ight have been

,

u n i nhab ited a twelve m on th

-
.
 A Fin a l Scen e in th e G u lf .

I t was only when I p u sh ed my way aro u n d t o th e

rear of the hou se withi n view o f th e stables an d
,

slave qu arters that I l earn ed th e place had n ot been

,

aban don ed H alf a d oz en n i ggers d ressed in th ei r

.
,

h ol iday ch u rch goi ng raim en t were squ att ing i n a

,
-
,

close ci rcl e o n the grass i nten t up on th e progress o f

,

som e gam e Thei r i nt erest i n this w a s so d eep that

.

I had d rawn near to th em an d called a second t im e , ,

before th ey becam e aware o f my p resen ce .

They l ooked fo r a m in u te at m e in a p erpl exed

—
w ay m y m u d baked clothes u n shaven face an d
-
, ,

gen eral u nkempt cond ition eviden tly ren dering m e a

stranger in th eir eyes Th en on e o f them scream ed :
.

’ ’
Golly ! M ass D o uw s ghost ! and the n imble ”

coward s were o n th ei r feet an d scamperin g l ike

scared rabbi t s t o the orchard o r i nto the basem ent ,

o f the great h ou se .

S o I wa s su pposed t o be d ead ! C u ri ou sly en ou gh ,

i t had n ot occ u rred to m e before that th is wou ld b e

th e n at u ral explanati on o f my fail u re t o retu rn with
th e oth ers Th e id ea n ow gave m e a qu eer qu akin g
.

sensation ab ou t th e h eart an d I st ood stu pidly star

,

in g at th e b ack bal cony o f the h o u se with my m in d ,

i n a wh irl o f con fu sed th ou ghts I t seem ed alm ost .

as i f I h a d com e back from th e grave .

Whil e I still stood fain t and b ewi ldered t rying to

, ,

regain co ntrol o f my ideas th e d oor opened an d a , ,

wh ite faced lady robed all in black cam e swi ftly ou t

-
, ,

u p on th e p orch I t w as D aisy and sh e was gaz in g

.
,

at m e with disten ded eyes and part ed lips an d cling ,

ing t o th e carved balu strade fo r supp ort .

A s i n a d ream I heard he r cry o f recogn it ion and ,

4 1 2 In th e Va l l ey .

kn ew that sh e wa s gl i di ng toward m e Th en I was .

o n my kn e es at her feet b u rying my face i n th e ,

fold s o f h er dress an d m oan ing in coh erent n oth ings

,

from sh e er exh au sti o n an d rapt u re .

Wh en at last I co u l d stan d u p an d felt myself ,

com ing back t o som eth ing l ike sel f p ossessi on a -

,

sco re o f eager qu est i on s and as m any o u tb u rsts o f

d eep th anksgivin g we re i n my ears —all from h er
sweet vo ice A n d I had t on gu e for n on e of th em
.
,

b u t only l ooked int o h er d ear face an d p at t ed h e r ,

h an ds b etween m in e an d trembl ed l ike a l eaf with

,

excitem ent S o m u ch was th ere t o say th e s u m of

.
,

it beggare d langu age .

Wh en fi nally we d id talk I was seated in a great ,

chai r o n e o f th e sl aves had b rou ght u p on th e sward ,

and win e h ad been fetch ed m e an d my d ear girl ,

b ent gently ove r m e from beh in d softly rest ing my ,

h ead agai nst h e r wai st h er hand s u p on my arm s

, .

“ ”
Y o u sh all n ot l ook m e in th e face again sh e ,

said— with ah ! su ch compassi on ate t end er playfu l ,

n ess u ntil I have b ee n told H o w did you escap e ? .

Were you a pri son er ? Were yo u h u rt ? — an d oh ! ”

a h ost o f othe r th ings .

Su dd enly th e s ky seem ed t o b e covered with

blackn ess and th e j oy in my h eart d ied o u t as by
,

t h e stroke o f d eath I h ad rem embered som eth ing

. .

M y parch e d and twitch ing l ips did th eir b est t o

refu se t o form th e word s
“
I have brou ght Phil ip hom e H e is sorely .

wou n ded S end the sl aves t o bring hi m from th e

.

”
gu l f .

’
A ft er a lon g silen ce I h eard D ai sy s voice cl ear
, ,
 In th e Va l l ey .

was plain I w o u ld have been a m u rd erer h ad I left

.

hi m there t o d ie I t wa s very strange ab ou t my

.

feelings Up t o a certain m om ent th ey were al l

.

bitter an d m erciless toward h im S o m any b etter .

m en than h e were d ead ab o u t m e i t seem ed l ittl e ,

eno u gh that h i s l i fe sh ou ld go t o h elp avenge th em .

Ye t when th e m om ent ca me why I cou l d n ot su ffer

— ,

i t N o t that my h eart rel ented —n o ; I was still fu ll of

.

rage against h im Bu t n on e th e less it was my du ty

.

”
t o save h is li fe .

“
A n d t o bring h im h om e to m e Sh e sp ok e .

m u singly completin g my sen ten ce

,
.

“
Why D aisy wo u ld yo u h ave had it oth erwise ?
, ,

C o ul d I have left h im there t o d i e alon e h elp less , ,

i n th e swamp
I h ave n ot said yo u were n ot right D o u w s h e , ,

an swered with sadd en ed sl own ess

,
Bu t I am t ry .

i ng t o th ink I t i s s o hard t o real iz e— com in g l ike

.

th is I was t old yo u were bot h d ead H i s nam e

. .

w a s rep orted i n th eir cam p yo u rs am on g ou r p eopl e , .

A n d n ow yo u are both here — and i t is all s o stran ge ,

s o startl in g—an d what i s right seem s s o m ingl ed an d

bou n d u p with wh at is cru el an d pain fu l ! O h I ,

can not th ink What will com e o f i t ? H o w will i t

all end
“
We m u st n ot ask h o w it will end ! I m ade
an swer with l ofty d ecisi on
,
That i s n o t ou r a ffair
. .

—
We can b u t d o ou r d u ty what seem s clearly right
and b ear resu lts as th ey com e Th ere is n o oth e r .

”
way Y o u o u gh t t o see thi s
. .

“
Yes I ou ght t o s ee it s h e said slowly and in a
, , ,

l o w d is t resse d vo ice
,
.
 A Fin a l Scen e in th e Gu lf .
4 1 5

A sh e sp oke th ere rose in my m in d a su dden

s

consci o u sn ess that p erhaps my wisd om was at fa u lt .

H ow wa s it that I — a coarse fib r e d m ale an imal r e

-
,

t u rned from slau ghter even n ow with th e blood o f

,

fellow creatu res o n my hands— sh ou ld b e di sco u rs

-

ing o f du ty and of good and bad t o th is p u re an d

gen tle an d sweet sou l ed wom an ? What was my
-

t itl e t o d o th is — t o rebu ke h er fo r n ot seein g th e

right ? H ad I been 1 n truth gen erou s ? R athe r had
I n ot in th e pu rely sel fi sh d esire t o win my o wn
,

sel f approbat ion bro ught pain and perpl exity down
-
,

u p on th e head of th is p oor woman I had th ou ght

m u ch o f my o wn good ness— m y own strengt h o f
pu rp ose and sel f s a c r ific e an d fi d el ity to d u ty
-
.

H ad I given s o m u ch as fa m en tal glance ? at the

e ffect o f my acts u pon th e o n e wh om o f all o th ,

er s
,
I sh ou ld have fi rst gu arded from t rou ble an d
grief ?
My t ongu e wa s ti ed Perhaps I had been all .

wrong Perh ap s I sh oul d n ot h ave brou gh t back

.

t o her th e m an whose folly an d obstinacy had s o

well n igh wrecked h er l ife I cou ld n o l o nger be
- .

su re I kept sil ence feeling i ndi rectly n ow that her

.
,
’
wom an s insti n ct wou ld be tru er an d bett er than
my logic Sh e was thinkin g ; s h e wo uld fi n d th e
.

real right an d wrong .

A h n o ! To th is day w e are n ot s ettl ed in o u r

,

m in ds we two o l d p eopl e as to th e exact balance

, ,

between d u ty an d comm on sense i n that stran ge -

qu estion o f o u r far away yo u th -

.

There broke u pon ou r ears o f a sudd en as we , ,

neared th e wood ed cres t o f the gul f a wei rd an d ,

4 1 6 In h
te Va l l ey .

p iercing scream —an u n nat u ral and rep ellen t yell ,

’
l ike a hyen a s ho rri d h oot ing ! I t rose with terrib l e
d i st inctn ess from th e th icket close before u s A s its .

e ch oes retu rn ed we h eard con fu sed sou n d s o f oth e r

,

voices excited and vib ran t

,
.

D ai sy cl u tch ed my arm an d began h u rryin g m e ,

forward imp elled by som e forml ess fear o f s h e kne w

,

n ot what .

I t is T u lp s h e m u rm u red as we went b reath

, ,

l essly o n O h I sho u ld h ave kept hi m back !

.
,

Why d id I n ot th i nk o f i t ?
What ab ou t T u lp ? I asked with d i ffi cu lty ,

keep ing b esid e her i n th e narrow path I h ad n o .

thou gh t o f h im I d i d n o t s e e h i m H e was n ot
. .

among th e oth ers was h e ? ,

H e has gon e mad !

Wh at— T u lp p oor b oy ? O h n ot as bad as
, ,

that su rely ! H e h as b een strange and slow o f wi t

,

for years b u t ,

—
Nay th e tidings of yo u r d eath you know I told
,

y o u we h eard that you w ere d ead — d rove h im i nto

p erfect m adn ess Ido u bt h e kn ew yo u wh en you
.

cam e O nly yesterday we sp oke o f con fi ni ng h im

.
,

b u t poor o l d father pl ead ed n ot When yo u s e e .

T u lp yo u sh all decide O h ! what has happ ened ?

,
.

Wh o i s th is m an ?
”

I n th e path before u s som e yard s away app eared , ,

th e tall gau nt form o f En och advancing sl owly I n

, , .

th e d u sk of th e woode d sh ad es behind h im h u ddled

the grou p of sl aves Th ey b ore n oth in g i n th ei r .

h ands Wh ere wa s th e cano e ? They seem ed

.

a ffrighted o r opp ressed by som eth ing o u t o f th e

 C H A PT E R X X X V I I .

TH E P E A C E FU L E N D IN G O F IT A LL .

I N th e gen eral paralysi s o f su ffering an d d espai r

wh ich re sted n ow u pon th e V alley th e t erribl e ,

d ou bl e t ragedy o f th e gul f passed alm ost u n n oted .

Wom en eve rywh ere were m o u rn in g for th e h u s

b ands sons l overs who wou ld n eve r retu rn Fath ers
, , .

strove in vai n t o l ook d ry eyed at fam iliar places

-

wh i ch sh ou l d kn ow th e b rave lads—tru e boys o f

—
th ei rs n o m ore Th e play an d prattl e o f ch ildren
.

we re h u sh ed in a h u ndred h om es wh ere som e h on est

’
farm er s l i fe stru ck fi ercely at by a savage o r To ry
, ,

still h u ng i n t h e d read balan ce Each day from.

som e h ou se i ssu ed forth th e processio n o f d eath ,

u ntil all o u r l ittl e ch u rchyard s alon g th e wind in g

river had m ore n ew graves th an o l d— n ot t o speak
’
o f th at gri m u ncon se crat ed God s acre i n th e forest
,
-

p ass m ore cru el still t o th ink up on A n d with all

, .

th is to bear th ere was n o assu ran ce that th e m orrow

,

m ight n ot bri ng th e t orch an d t omah awk o f i nvas ion

to o u r very d oors .

S o o u r o wn st range tragedy h ad as I h ave said , ,

scant att ent ion Pe opl e l ist en ed t o th e recit al an d

.
,

m ad e an swer Both d ead at th e fo ot o f th e cl i ff ,

eh ? H ave you h eard h o w William S eeb er i s t o

“ ’
"
d ay ? o r ,
I s it t ru e that H erkim er s l eg m u st b e
cu t o ff
 T h e P ea ceful E n ding o f it al l .
4 1 9

I n th ose fi rst few d ays th ere was l ittle en ou gh

h eart t o m easu re o r boast o f th e gran deu r of th e
fi ght o u r simpl e V alley farm ers h ad waged there in ,

th e ambu shed ravin e o f O ri skany Still l ess w as .

there at han d in format ion by th e l ight o f which th e

res u lts o f that battl e could be est im ated N othing .

was kn own at th e t im e o f wh ich I write save that

, ,

th ere h ad b een h ideou s slau ghter and that th e ,

i nvaders h ad forborn e t o imm ediately follow o u r

sh att ered forces d own the V all ey I t was n o t u ntil .

m u ch later— u ntil d efi n it e n ews cam e n ot only o f

’
St L eger s fl ight back t o Can ada bu t o f the cap tu re
.
,

o f th e wh ole British army at Saratoga — that th e m en

o f th e M oh awk began t o comp rehen d what th ey had

really d on e.

To my way o f th inking th ey h ave ever since been

,

u n du ly m odest ab ou t this tru ly h ist ori c achi eve

m ent A s I wrote lon g ago we o f N ew York have
.
,

ch osen to m ake m on ey and t o allow ou r neighbors

,

t o m ake h istories Thu s it happen s that th e great

.

decisive stru ggl e o f the whole l ong war for I nd e

p e n de n c e— th e con fl ict which i n fact m ade A m, eri ca ,

—
free is su ffered t o pass int o th e record s as a m ere
'

front ier ski rm i sh Yet i f o n e will bu t th ink i t i s

.
, ,

as cl ear as dayl igh t that O riskany was th e t u rning

p oint o f th e war Th e Palati nes wh o had been
.
,

originally coloniz ed o n th e upper M ohawk by th e

English t o serve as a shi eld agai nst savagery for thei r
o wn A tlantic sett lem ents reared a barri er of thei r
,

o wn fl esh and b on es there at O riskany over wh ich

, ,

St Leger and J ohnso n strove in vain t o pass Tha t

. .

failu re settl ed everyth ing The essen tial feat u re o f

.
 2
4 0 In th e Va ll ey .

’
B u rgoyn e s plan had been that th is force wh ich we ,

s o rou ghly stopped an d t u rn ed back i n th e fo rest

d e fil e sh ou ld V ict oriou sly sweep down o u r V alley

, ,

r al s l n g th e Tory gent ry as th ey progressed and j o i n ,

h im at A lbany I f that had been d on e h e wo u ld

.
,

h ave h eld the whol e H u dson separating th e rest of

,

th e col on ies from N ew E ngland an d h avi ng it in ,

h is power t o p u n i sh an d subd u e fi rst th e Yankees , ,

th en th e oth ers at h i s l ei su re .

O riskany p revent ed th is ! Com in g as i t d id at ,

’
th e darkest hou r o f Wash ington s trials and th e
’
C oloni es d espond ency it altered th e face o f th ings
,

as gl ori ou sly as d o es th e sou th ern s u n ri sing swi ftly

’
up on th e h eel s o f n ight Bu rgoyn e s exp ected
.

alli es n eve r reach ed h im ; h e was comp elled i n ,

consequ ence t o su rren d er—an d from that day there

,

was n o dou bt wh o wo uld i n th e l ong ru n tri u mph -

.

Therefore I s ay all h onor an d gl o ry t o th e ru d e

, , ,

u nlett ered great sou led yeom en of th e M ohawk

,

V alley wh o braved d eath in th e wildwood gu l ch at

,

O riskany t hat Co ngre ss an d th e free Colon i es m igh t

l ive .

Bu t in th ese fi rst few d ays b e it repeated nobody

, ,

talked o r th ou ght m u ch of gl o ry Th ere were too .

m any d ead l eft b eh ind— t o o many maim ed and

—
wou n ded brou gh t h om e t o l eave m u ch room for
p atri ot i c m editat io ns aro u n d th e sadd ened h earth
stones A n d personal grief was everywh ere t o o
.

d eep an d gen eral t o m ake it p ossibl e that m en

sh o ul d care m u ch abou t th e strange occu rrence by
wh ich Ph ilip an d Tu lp l ost th eir l ive s t ogeth er in
th e gul f .
4 2 2 In th e Va l l ey .

e ff o r t s t o save Ca ir n cross from con fi sca t ion whe n I ,

was su mm oned t o A lbany t o att en d upon my ch ief .

I t was n on e t o o soon for my o l d wou n ds had

,

b roken o u t again u n der th e exposu re an d travail o f

,

th e t rying battle week an d I was m ore fi t fo r a

,

h osp i tal than fo r th e saddle .

I fou n d th e kin dl i est o f n u rsin g an d care i n my

o l d qu arters i n th e Sch uyler m ansion I t was th ere .
,

o n e m orning i n J an u ary o f th e n ew year 1 7 7 8 th a t ,

a qu i et wedding breakfast was celebrated for D ai sy

and m e ; an d n eith er wo rd s n or wi sh es co uld have
b een m ore t en der had we been tru ly th e ch il d ren o f
the great m an Philip S ch uyle r and h is goo d d am e
, , .

The exact date o f thi s cerem ony d oes n ot m atter ;

l et it be kept sacr ed with i n th e kn owl edge o f u s two
o l d p eopl e wh o look back st ill t o i t as t o th e su n
,

rise o f a n ew long d ay peacefu l s eren e and alm ost

, , ,

cl o u dle ss an d not l ess h appy even n ow becau se th e

,

ash en shad ows o f twili gh t b egi n gently to gathe r

over it .

Th ou gh th e war h ad still the greate r hal f o f i ts

cou rse t o ru n my p art th ereafter i n it was far r e
,

m oved from camp an d fi eld N o oppo rtu n ity cam e

.

t o m e t o see fighting again or to ri se beyon d my,

’
maj or s estate Yet I wa s o f as m u ch servi ce per
.
,

h aps as th ou gh I had b een o u t i n th e th i ck o f th e

,

confl i ct ; certainly D ai sy was happ i er t o have it s o .

Twi ce d u ring th e year 1 7 8 0 did we su ffer gr iev

o u s m aterial l oss at th e h an ds o f th e raidin g parties

wh ich malign an t S ir J oh n J oh nson p ilot ed in to th e

V alley o f h is bi rth I n on e o f th ese th e Cai rncross
.

man si on was rifl ed and bu rn ed and the tenant s ,

 T h e P ea ceful E n din g f
o it all .
4 3
2

d espoiled an d d riven i nto th e woods Thi s m ean t .

a con sid erabl e m onetary dam age t o u s yet o u r

m em ories o f the place were all s o s ad that its d em o
l it io n seemed alm ost a r elief particu larly as Enoch , ,

to wh om we had presented a freeh old o f th e wild e r

p art of th e grant that n earest th e Sa c o n daga
, ,

m irac u lou sly e scaped m olestation .

Bu t it was a gen u i n e a ffl i ction wh en l ater i n th e ,

year Si r J oh n p ersonally su p erintended the b u rn ing

,

d own o f th e dear ol d Cedars th e h om e o f ou r you th , .

I f I were abl e t o forgive h im all oth er harm h e has

wrou ght al ike to m e and t o h i s n eighbors th is wo uld
, ,

still remain obsti nately t o st eel my h eart against

h im fo r h e kn ew that we h a d b een good t o his wi fe
, ,

an d that we loved th e place better than any oth er

o n earth We were very m elan ch oly over this for a
.

l ong tim e and t o the en d of h is placid days of s e c

, ,

o n d childho od passed with u s we n ever allowed M r , .

Stewart t o l earn of it Bu t even h e re there was th e

.

re compen se that the r u ffia n s th ou gh they crossed ,

t he river and frighten ed th e wom en into ru nn ing for

s afety t o th e woods d id n ot p u rsu e them an d thu s
, ,

my m other and s i sters along with Mr s R om eyn and

,
.

oth ers e scap ed A las ! that th e Tory bru tes cou l d

,
.

n ot also h ave forbo rn e t o slay on his own d oorstep

my god fath er h onest o l d D ouw Fon da !
,

Th ere was still anoth er raid u pon th e V alley th e

ensu ing year bu t it tou ched u s only i n that it
,

brough t n ews o f th e vi olent death of Walter Bu tler ,

slain on th e bank o f th e East Canad a Creek by the

O neida chief Ske n a n do a h Both D aisy and I had
.

known him from childhood and had in the old t imes ,

 In th e Va l l ey .

been f ond o f h im Yet th ere h ad been so m u ch in

.

n ocen t blo od u p on those d el icate hand s o fhis before ,

’
they cl u tch ed th e gravel on th e l on ely forest stream s
edge i n th eir death grasp t ha t we cou ld scarcely
-
,

wish h i m al ive again .

O u r fi rst b oy was b orn abou t this t im e—a dark

skin n ed brawny m an ch ild wh om i t seem ed th e m ost
,
-

n at u ral thin g i n th e world to christe n D o uw H e .

b ears th e nam e still an d o n the wh ol e th ou gh h e

, ,

has forgotten all th e D u t ch I tau gh t h im bears i t ,

cred itably .

I n the m id au t u m n of th e n ex t year—it wa s i n fact

-

th e very d ay o n wh ich th e gl ori o u s n ews o f York

—
t own reach ed A lbany a secon d l ittl e b oy was born .

H e was a fair hai red slender creatu re d i fferin g from

-
, ,

th e other as su n shi n e di ffers from thu nder clou ds -

.

’
H e h ad n oth ing l ike th e oth er s breadth o f sh ou ld ers
o r strength o f l u ng and lim b and we petted h im ,

acc ordi ngly as i s th e wont o f parents

,
.

Wh en th e qu estion o f h is nam e cam e u p I s a t I , ,

’
rem emb er by hi s m oth er s b ed side h old ing h er hand
, ,

i n m in e and we b oth l ooked d own u p on th e ti ny

, ,

fair babe n estled u p on h er arm .

O u gh t we n ot t o call h i m fo r th e d ear o l d fath e r

—give h im th e two nam es Th omas and S tew ,
‘ ‘

art I asked .

’
D aisy stroked th e ch ild s hair gently and looked ,

with t en der m elan ch oly i nt o my ey es .

”
I h ave been thinking s h e m u rm u red th i nkin g
o ften o f late—it is all so far b ehin d u s n ow an d tim e
, ,

h as p assed so sweetly an d soften ed so m u ch ou r

—
m em orie s o f past trou bl e and o f th e th e d ead I —
 In th e Va l l ey .

pl e so f t m ann ered child ish p atriarch gravely obey

,
-
,

i ng the wh im s an d freaks o f th e boy and fi nd ing the ,

ch i ef del ight o f h is wan i ng l i fe i n b eing th u s com

m an de d S om etim es to b e su re my heart sm ote
.
, ,

m e with the fear that p oor qu iet M aster D ouw felt

keenly u ndern eath h is calm ext erior th is p reference ,

and o ften too I grew n ervou s les t ou r fondn ess was

, ,

sp oiling the you nger child Bu t i t was not in u s t o

.

resist h im .

Th e l ittl e Ph ilip d ied su dden l y in h is sixth year , ,

an d with in th e m onth M r Stewart followed h im . .

Great an d o verp owerin g as was o u r grie f it seem ed ,

alm ost perfu nctory besid e th e h eart breaking angu ish -

o f th e o l d m an H e literally staggered and d ied

.

u n der th e bl ow .

Th ere i s n o sto ry in th e rest o f my li fe The .

years have fl owed o n as peacefully as free from tem ,

pest o r excitem ent as th e slu ggish waters o f a D el ft

,

canal N o calami ty has sin ce com e u pon u s n o

.

great t rial o r l arge advancem ent has st irred th e cu r

ren t o f o u r pleasant exist ence H aving always a .

su ffi cient h old u p on th e p resent with m eans to l ive ,

i n com fort an d tastes n ot l ead in g i nt o ven tu resom e

,

ways for satisfact i on i t has com e t o be t o u s in ou r

, ,

o l d age a d eep d elight t o look backward t ogeth er

, .

W e seem n ow t o h ave walked from th e ou t set han d

i n h and Th e j oys o f ou r childhood an d yo u th sp ent
.

u n d er o n e —
roof th e d ear smoky raftered roof where , ,
’
h u n g o l d D am e K r o n k s on ion s and corn and p er
—
fu m ed h erbs are very n ear to u s There com es be .

tween this scen e o f su n light and the n ot less peace

 T h e P eaceful E n ding f
o it a ll .

ful radian ce o f o u r later li fe it i s tru e the shad ow

, ,

for a tim e o f a dark cu rtain Yet s o good an d gen

.
,

er o u s a thing is m em ory even th is interru ptio n

,

appears n ow t o h ave been b ut of a m om entary kind

and has for u s n o h arrowing side A s I wrote o u t
.

th e sto ry page by page it seemed to b oth o f u s that

, ,

all these tri als th ese t ears th ese b itter feu d s an d

, ,

fi ghts m u st h ave happened t o othe rs n ot t o u s s o

, ,
-

swallowed u p i n happ in ess are th e grie fs o f th ose

you ng years and so free are o u r h ear t s from scars
, .