Marching on Niagara; Or, The Soldier Boys of the Old Frontier
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CHAPTER I
IN THE FOREST
"Do you think we'll bag a deer to-day, Henry?"
"I'll tell you better about that when we are on our way home, Dave. Icertainly saw the hoof-prints down by the salt lick this morning. Thatproves they can't be far off. My idea is that at least three deer arejust beyond the lower creek, although I may be mistaken."
"I'd like to get a shot at 'em. I haven't brought down a deer since weleft the army."
"Well, I reckon we had shooting enough in the army to last us for awhile," returned Henry Morris, grimly. "I know I got all I wanted, andyou got a good deal more."
"But it wasn't the right kind of shooting, Henry. I always hated tothink of firing on another human being, didn't you?"
"Oh, I didn't mind shooting at the Indians--some of 'em don't seem to bemore than half human anyway. But I must say it was different when itcame to bringing down a Frenchman with his spick and span uniform. Butthe Frenchmen hadn't any right to molest us and drive your father out ofhis trading post."
"I'm afraid General Braddock's defeat will cause us lots of trouble inthe future. Mr. Risley was telling me that he had heard the Indians overat Plum Valley were as impudent as they could be. He said half a dozenof 'em made a settler named Hochstein give 'em all they wanted to eatand drink, and when the German found fault they flourished theirtomahawks and told him all the settlers but the French were squaws andthat he had better shut up or they'd scalp him and burn down his cabin."
"Yes, Sam Barringford was telling something about that, too, and he saidhe wouldn't be surprised to hear of an Indian uprising at any time. Yousee, the French are backing the redskins up in everything and that makesthem bold. If I had my way, I'd get Colonel Washington to raise an armyof three or four thousand men--the best frontiersmen to be found--andI'd chase every impudent Frenchman out of the country. We won't havepeace till that is done, mark my words on it," concluded Henry Morris,emphatically.
David and Henry Morris were cousins, living with their folks on aclearing not far from what was then known as Will's Creek, now the townof Cumberland, Virginia. The two families consisted of Dave and hisfather, Mr. James Morris, who was a widower, and Mr. Joseph Morris, hiswife Lucy, and three children, Rodney, the oldest, who was something ofa cripple, Henry, who has just been introduced, and little Nell, thesunshine of the whole home.
In a former volume of this series, entitled "With Washington in theWest," I related the particulars of how the two Morris families settledat Will's Creek, and how James Morris, after the loss of his wife,wandered westward, and established a trading-post on the Kinotah, one ofthe numerous branches of the Ohio River. In the meantime Dave, his son,fell in with George Washington, when the future President was asurveyor, and the youth helped to survey many tracts of land in thebeautiful Shenandoah valley.
At this time the colonies of England and of France in America werehaving a great deal of trouble between themselves and with the Indians.Briefly stated, both England and France claimed all the territorydrained by the Ohio and other nearby rivers, and the French sought inevery possible way to drive out English traders who pushed westward.
The driving out of the English traders soon brought trouble to JamesMorris, and after being attacked by a band of Indians he was servedwith a notice from the French to quit his trading-post in three months'time or less. Unwilling to give up a profitable business, and halfsuspecting that the notice was the concoction of a rascally Frenchtrader named Jean Bevoir, and not an official document, Mr. Morris sentDave back to Winchester, that they might get the advice of ColonelWashington and other officials as to what was best to do.
When Dave arrived home he found that there was practically a state ofwar between the French and English. Washington was preparing to marchagainst the enemy, and to get back to the trading post unaided was forthe youth out of the question. Such being the case, Dave joined theVirginia Rangers under Washington, and with him went his cousin Henry,and both fought bravely at the defense of Fort Necessity, where Henrywas badly wounded.
The defeat of the English at Fort Necessity was followed by bitter newsfor the Morrises. Sam Barringford, a well-known old trapper of thatlocality, and a great friend to the boys, came in one day badly used upand with the information that the trading-post had fallen under thecombined attack of some French led by Jean Bevoir and some Indians ledby a rascal named Fox Head, who was Bevoir's tool. James Morris hadbeen taken prisoner and what had become of the trader Barringford couldnot tell.
Poor Dave, cut to the heart, was for looking for his father at once, andhis relatives and Sam Barringford were equally eager. But thetrading-post was miles away--through the dense forest and over the wildmountains--and the territory was now in the hands of the enemy. Undersuch circumstances all had to wait throughout the severe winter andfollowing spring, a time that to the boy seemed an age.
General Braddock had been sent over from England to take charge ofaffairs against the French, and soon an expedition was organized havingfor its object the reduction of Fort Duquesne, which was built where thecity of Pittsburg now stands. The expedition was composed of Englishgrenadiers brought over by Braddock and several hundred VirginiaRangers, under Washington. With the rangers were Dave and Barringford.Henry wished to go, but was still too weak, and it was felt that JosephMorris could not be spared from the homestead.
Braddock's bitter defeat in the vicinity of Fort Duquesne came as agreat shock to all of the English colonies, and it was only by ColonelWashington's tact and gallantry, and the bravery of the rangers underhim, that the retreating army was saved from total annihilation orcapture. During this battle Dave was shot and captured, but his enemiessoon after abandoned him in the woods, and while wandering around, moredead than alive he fell in with White Buffalo, a friendly Indian chief,and, later on, with Barringford and with his father, who had been aprisoner of the French since the fall of the trading post.
The home-coming of Dave and his father was viewed with greatsatisfaction by Joseph Morris and his family, who did all in their powerto make the two sufferers comfortable. From Mr. Morris it was learnedthat the pelts stored at the trading post had been saved through thekindness of another English trader, so that the Frenchman, Jean Bevoir,and his Indian tool, Fox Head, had not gained much by the raid.
"I am certain that the raid was not the work of the French authorities,"said James Morris. "But now the war is on they will of course stand upfor everything Jean Bevoir and his followers have done. Nevertheless, Ihold to it that the trading post, and the land staked out around it, ismine, and some day I shall lay claim to it."
"Right you are, brother," came from Joseph Morris. "And, so far as I amable, I will stand by you in the claim. But I am fearful that matterswill be much worse before they are better."
"Oh, there's no doubt of that. This victory will make the French thinkthey can walk right over us."
"Yes, and it will do more," put in Rodney, who was now a young man inyears. "Many Indians have been wavering between taking sides with us orthe enemy. Now many of these will stake fortunes with thevictors,--that's the usual way." He stretched himself on his chair andgave a sigh. "I wish I was a little stronger, I'd join the army andfight 'em."
"We haven't any army to speak of now," resumed James Morris. "When I waslast down at Winchester Colonel Washington had but a handful ofsoldiers,--all the rest having gone home to attend to their farms andplantations--and over at Will's Creek fort it was no better. The payoffered to the soldiers is so poor nobody cares to stay in the ranks.Patriotism seems to be at a low ebb."
"It's not such a lack of patriotism," said Joseph Morris. "None of ourhome soldiers liked the ways of the troops from England, and it madethem mad to have their officers pushed down and Braddock's underlingspushed up. Even Washington had to remonstrate, although they tell me hewas willing to fight no matter what position they gave him. And mattersare going no better in the North. Either England and our colonies mustwake up, or, ere we know it, all will be lost to the Frenc
h and theirIndian allies."
"What of the Indians?" put in Mrs. Morris. "Have those under WhiteBuffalo gone over to the French?"
"White Buffalo's braves have not," answered her husband. "But the tribeis badly split up, and White Buffalo himself is nearly crazy over thematter. He says some of the old chiefs swear by the French while theyounger warriors all cling to Washington. White Buffalo says that hehimself will never lift a tomahawk against the English--and I feelcertain he means it."
"White Buffalo is a real nice Indian," came from little Nell, who sat onthe door-step playing. "Didn't he make me this doll? If they were all asgood as he is I wouldn't be afraid a bit." And she hugged to her breastthe crude wooden figure, the "heap big pappoose" with which WhiteBuffalo had gained her childish confidence.
"Nor would I be afraid," came from Mrs. Morris. "But all Indians are notas kind and true as White Buffalo, and if they should ever go on thewar-path and move this way--" She did not finish, but shook her headsadly.
"If they should come this way we will do our best to fight them off,"said James Morris. "But let us hope it will never come to that. Thebutchery at the trading post was enough, I should not wish to see suchdoings around our homestead."