True to the Old Flag: A Tale of the American War of Independence

by G. A. Henty

  CHAPTER XVII.

  THE SCOUT'S STORY.

  "Luckily enough there was a canoe lying close at our feet. 'Shove itout, Jack,' says I, 'and then keep along the bank.' We gave it ashove with all our strength and sent it dancing out into the river.Then we dived in and swum down close under the bank. There was bushesgrowing all along, and we came up each time under 'em. The redskinswas some little distance behind us as we reached the river, and incourse thought we had throwed ourselves flat in the canoe. In aminute or two they got another and paddled off to it, and we soonheard the shout they raised when they found it was empty. By thistime we was a hundred yards below the spot where we had taken to thewater, and knowing as they would be off along the bank and would findus in no time, we scrambled straight up and made for the trees.

  "We was within fifty yards of the edge of the forest, and none of theredskins was near us, as the hull body had clustered down at the spotwhere we had jumped in. We hadn't fairly set foot on the bank aforethey saw us and, with a whoop--which sometimes wakes me even now inmy sleep and makes me sit up with the sweat on my forehead--theystarted. I could run faster then than I can now, and ye may guess Iwent my best. We plunged into the trees and went as hard as we couldfoot it, the redskins being fifty or sixty yards behind.

  "Our hope was to find a place with a thickish underwood. It wasdarker a deal under the trees than in the clearing, still it was notdark enough to hide us from redskin eyes. We run straight, for weknew they could see us, and arter about four hundred yards we comeupon a place where the undergrowth grew thick. Here we began to dodge'em, turning now one way and now another, keeping always low in thebushes. They had lost us by sight now, but there was so many of 'emthat we pretty nigh despaired of getting through. Some of 'em hadtried to follow us, but the best part had run straight on for a bit,and then, when sure they had headed us, scattered right and left, sothat they were ahead of us now as well as on our traces, and we couldhear 'em shouting all round us, so we did the only thing there was tobe done and made the best of our way back to the clearing, keepinglow and taking good care not to cross any patch where the moonlightthrough the trees fell on the ground.

  "It were lucky for us that it was a camp of braves. Had it been anordinary redskin encampment there would have been squaws, and boys,and wuss still, dogs, who would have seed us the moment we got back;but being all braves on the war-path the hull gang had started arterus, and not a soul had remained in the clearing. We did not restthere long, you may be sure, but made straight down to the water.There we picked out a canoe, crossed the river, and got into theshade of the trees the other side. Then we kept along down it till wegot close to the fort of Detroit.

  "We could see a good many smoldering fires out afore it, and guessedthat a strong body of redskins, pretending to be friends, had campedthere. We made round 'em and reached the gate of the fort safe. Thesentries wouldn't let us in, but when a sergeant was fetched itturned out as he knew us, seeing that we had been scouting out fromthar in the summer. Pretty thankful we was when the gate closed arterus. Our news would keep, so we waited till morning afore we saw themajor, and then told him the whole history of the matter, and howPontiac had raised all the tribes east of the Mississippi against us.

  "We found that Pontiac had been into the camp with fifty of hiswarriors three days afore, professing great friendship, and had saidthat in two or three days he would call again and pay a formal visit.

  "Detroit then was but a trading post, defended by a stockade twentyfeet high and twelve hundred yards in circumference. About fiftyhouses of traders and storekeepers stood within it. The garrison wascomposed of 120 men of the Eighteenth Regiment and 8 officers. Theyhad three guns--two six-pounders, and a three-pounder--and threemortars, but their carriages was so old and rotten that they was ofno real service. Two vessels, mounting some small guns, lay in theriver off the fort. The governor was a good soldier, but he wasnaturally startled at hearing that there was something like athousand redskins in the woods round; but he said that now he hadwarning he was not afraid of 'em. A messenger was sent off in a canoeto carry the tidings east and to ask for re-enforcements, and thetraders was all told to get their arms ready.

  "At eight o'clock in the morning Pontiac was seen a-coming with threehundred warriors. There had been no declaration of war, and theredskins was supposed to be friendly, so the major didn't like to bethe first to commence hostilities, as folks who knew nothing of itmight likely enough have raised an outcry about massacring the poorInjuns. Howsumever, he called all the troops under arms and disposed'em behind the houses. The traders, too, with their rifles, weredrawn up ready. The gates was opened when Pontiac arrived, and he andhis warriors entered. They had left their rifles behind them, as theypretended that their mission was a peaceful one, but they had all gottheir tomahawks and knives under their blankets. They advanced in abody toward where Major Gladwin and his officers was standing infront of his quarters.

  "Jack and me and two or three scouts who happened to be in the fortstood just behind, careless like, with our rifles, so that, in caseof any sudden attack, we could keep them back for a moment or two. Inoticed that Pontiac carried in his hand a wampum belt. I noticed itbecause it was green on one side and white on the other, and itturned out arterward that when he twisted that belt with two hands itwas to be the signal for an attack.

  "Pontiac spoke soft for a time. He was a fine redskin; that can't bedenied. He was a Catawba by birth, but had been adopted into thetribe of Ottawas and had risen to be their chief. He were a greatbrave and one of the best speakers I ever heard. He was a wise chief,as you may guess by the way he got all the tribes to lay aside theirprivate quarrels and make common cause against us. I watched himclose. He kept his eyes on the major and spoke as cool and as calm asif he had nothing on his mind; but I could see the warrior glancingabout, wondering, no doubt, what had become of the soldiers.Presently the chief changed his tone and began to pretend as he wasin a rage at some grievance or other.

  "The major jest put his whistle to his lips, and in a moment frombehind the houses the soldiers and traders marched out, rifle inhand. You never saw a more disgusted crew than them redskins. I'll doPontiac justice to say that he never so much as moved, but jest wenton talking as if he hadn't noticed the troops at all. The majoranswered him in the same way, and after half an hour's talk theredskins went out again without so much as a knife having been shown.Major Gladwin gave Jack and me papers testifying as how we had savedDetroit from destruction, and sent an account of it to GovernorAmherst, and to this day Jack and me draws special pensions for that'ere business, besides what we earned as British scouts."

  "That was an adventure, Peter!" Harold said. "They did not takeDetroit after all, did they?"

  "No; we beat 'em off handsome whenthey tried it. Then they laid siege to Fort Pitt and tried very hardthere, too, but the place held out till some troops who had come upmarched out from here and raised the siege. At some of the littleplaces they succeeded. Lots of settlers was massacred. At FortSandusky Ensign Paulli and the garrison was massacred by a party ofHurons and Ottawas who come in as friends. This was on the same dayas they had intended to do for us at Detroit.

  "At St. Joseph's an English ensign with fourteen soldiers was killedby the Pottawatomies, but nowhere did Pontiac obtain any realsuccesses. The French in Illinois were preparing to leave, and hecouldn't git no assistance from them. After the siege of Fort Pittwas raised peace was patched up again. Pontiac's confederacy, findingas they hadn't got none of the successes he promised 'em, wasbeginning to break up, and the English saw no chance of doing anygood by hunting the redskins among the forests, so both parties waswilling for peace.

  "Pontiac never gave any more trouble, and some years arterward,coming into one of the towns, he was killed by an Injun who had aprivate grudge agin' him. And now I'm longing for a quiet pipe, andyou'd better turn in. There's no saying whether we'll have a quietnight of it."

  A fortnight passed without further incident. Then the sky
becameovercast, and Peter and the Indians agreed that snow would soon fall.All hands were at once set to work to make up their stores intopackages. The deerskins and blankets were tied in bundles; besidesthese there were only two kegs of powder and about two hundred poundsof frozen fish.

  Harold was in high glee at the thought that their imprisonment was tocome to an end, although there was no doubt that the attempt would bea hazardous one, as the backwoodsmen were sure that the instant thesnow began to fall the Indians would be out in great numbers roundthe island, to prevent the defenders taking advantage of the storm.

  Several times Harold observed the two backwoodsmen talking with theSeneca chief and looking at the sky, and he thought that theircountenances expressed some anxiety.

  "What is it, Peter?" he asked at length. "Don't you think we shallhave a snowstorm?"

  "We may have snow," Peter said, "but I think it's more than asnowstorm that's coming. The clouds are flying past very fast, and itseems to me as ef we're in for a big gale of wind."

  "But that will drift the snow and cover our footsteps almost as wellas a snowstorm," Harold said.

  "Yes, it 'll do all that," the scout answered.

  "What is the objection to it, Peter?"

  "In the first place, lad, ef it don't snow we may stop where we are,for there'd be no chance of getting through the Injuns unless itsnowed so thick you couldn't see five feet away. It'll be difficultenough, anyhow. There'll be four or five hundred of the varmints out,for they'll bring even their boys with 'em, so as to form a prettyclose line round the island. Our only chance'll be for the Senecas togo first, and to silence, afore they can give the alarm, any theymight meet on our line. That might be done in a heavy snowstorm, butwithout snow it would be impossible. In the next place, even if wegot through 'em, we'd have to carry our canoe."

  "Why?" Harold asked, surprised. "What good could the canoe be to us,with the lake frozen hard?"

  "You see, the wind is on the shore here, lad, and when it does blowon these lakes it blows fit to take the har off your head. It's asmuch as a man can do to make way agin' it, and I doubt whether thegals could face it, even with our help. As to carrying a canoe in itsteeth, it couldn't be done."

  "But why carry the canoe at all, Peter? That's what I cannotunderstand."

  "Waal, you see, lad, the force of the wind acting on sech a big sheetof ice will move it, and like enough you'd see it piled up in a bankforty feet high on this side of the lake, and there'll be a strip ofclear water half a mile wide on the other. That's why we must takethe canoe."

  Harold was silent. In the face of such a probability it was clearthat they must encumber themselves with the canoe.

  The prevision of the scout proved well founded. Before evening thewind was blowing with tremendous force. Small flakes of snow weredriven before it, inflicting stinging blows on the face and eyes ofthose who ventured out of shelter. As it became dark the lookoutannounced that he could, see large numbers of Indians starting fromthe shore at some distance to the right and left of them, showingthat the redskins were fully alive to the possibility of the garrisonof the island taking advantage of the storm, which would hide theirtrail, to effect their escape.

  Every hour the fury of the gale increased, and it was unanimouslyagreed that until it diminished it would be impossible for the girls,and for men carrying a canoe, to face it.

  Two men were placed on watch at the mouth of the cove, where minessimilar to the first had been sunk in the ice in a semicircle somelittle distance outside that before exploded. This precaution hadbeen taken on the day succeeding the great repulse of the enemy,although the scouts felt assured that the attempt would not berepeated. But it was thought possible that the Indians might towardmorning, if they found the whites did not attempt to pass them, takeadvantage of the storm to attempt a surprise.

  After it became dark Cameron and Harold, as was their custom, wentinto the girls' hut to chat until it was time to turn in. Thedeerskin and blankets had again been unrolled, and the covering ofsnow kept the interior warm in spite of the storm without.

  "What is that noise?" Nelly asked in a pause of the conversation.

  "I don't know," Harold answered. "I have heard it for some time."

  All were silent, intent upon listening. Even above the fury of thegale a dull grinding sound, with occasional crashes, could be heard.

  "I think it must be the ice," Harold said. "I will go out and see."

  On issuing from the hut he was for a time blinded by the force of thewind and the flying particles of snow. The din was tremendous. Hemade his way with difficulty in the teeth of the storm to the edge ofthe rocks. Then he started in surprise. A great bank of cakes andfragments of ice was heaped up against the wall of the rock, crashingand grinding against each other as they were pressed onward by freshadditions from beyond. Already the bank was nearly level with the topof the rock, and some of the vast blocks, two feet in thickness, hadbeen thrust on to it. The surface of the lake beyond was no longer abrilliant white. Every particle of snow had been swept away and thedull gray of the rough ice lay unbroken.

  He made his way at once to the hut of the men, and just as he reachedthe entrance Peter (who had also been out to reconnoiter) came up,and before Harold had turned to speak he put his head into the hut.

  "Turn out!" he said. "I tell ye we're in a fix. This aint no commongale. I don't know as ever I've been in a worse one."

  "What's the use of turning out?" Pearson asked. "We can't do nothing,and it's warmer here a sight than it is outside."

  "I tell ye ye've got to go. The ice is breaking up fast and it'slevel with the top of the island already. Unless I'm mistakenthere'll be forty foot of ice piled over this island afore an hour."

  This was, indeed, alarming news. And in a minute the occupants of thehut were all in the open air.

  "You can call in your scouts, Seneca. There aint no fear of an attackto-night. No mortal soul--not even an Injun--could stand the force ofthe wind out on the lake."

  A very short examination sufficed to show the truth of Peter'santicipations.

  Already the upper part of the bank was sliding over the rock, and itwas clear that in a very short time the whole would be covered.

  "What is to be done, Peter?" Harold shouted.

  "We must take to the canoe. There's clear water on the other side."

  Harold crossed the island and saw that what Peter said was correct. Abroad strip of black water stretched away in the darkness toward theshore. The whole ice-sheet was moving bodily before the wind, and asthe island stood up in its course the ice to windward of it wasforced up over it, while under its lee the lake was clear. Not amoment was lost. The canoe was got out, carried over the rocks, andcarefully lowered into the water under shelter of the island. All thestores and provisions were lowered into it. A deerskin was spread onthe bottom, and the girls, having been helped down into the boat,were told to lie down and were then covered with blankets. The menwrapped themselves up in skins and blankets and took their places inthe canoe, the four Indians taking paddles.

  Quickly as the preparations had been made, there were but a few feetof the island uncovered by the ice, as the last man descended intothe boat and they pushed off and, after a couple of strokes, lay withthe boat's head facing toward the island at a distance of fifty yardsfrom it. Although somewhat sheltered from the wind, the Indians wereobliged to paddle hard to maintain their position. Harold wondered atfirst that they had not kept closer to the island, but he soonunderstood their reason for keeping at a distance. The massive blocksof ice, pressed forward by, the irresistible force behind, began toshoot from the top of the island into the water, gliding far onbeneath the surface with the impetus of the fall, and then shootingup again with a force which would have destroyed the canoe at oncehad they touched it.

  Soon a perfect cataract of ice was falling. Peter and Pearson tooktheir places on each side of the bow of the canoe, with poles to pushoff the pieces as they drifted before the gale toward the shore. Thew
ork required the utmost strength and care. One touch from thesharp-edged blocks would have ripped open the side of the bark canoelike a knife, and in the icy cold water, encumbered by floatingfragments of ice, even the best swimmer could not have gained thesolid ice. The peril was great, and it needed all the strength andactivity of the white men and the skill of the paddlers to avoid thedanger which momentarily threatened them. So quickly did the blocksfloat down upon them that Pearson thought it might be impossible toavoid them all. The skins, therefore, were hung round the boat,dropping some inches into the water, and these, although they couldnot have prevented the boat from being stove in, by the largerfragments, yet protected its sides from the contact of the smallerones.

  For upward of an hour the struggle continued, and Harold feltsomething like despair at the thought of a long night passed in sucha struggle. Presently sounds like the booming of cannon were heardabove the gale.

  "What is that?" he shouted to the Seneca chief, next to whom he wassitting.

  "Ice break up," the chief replied. "Break up altogether."

  This proved to be the case. As the ice was driven away from thefurther side of the lake the full force of the wind played upon thewater there, and as the streak widened a heavy sea soon got up. Theforce of the swell extended under the ice, aiding the effect of thewind above, and the vast sheet began to break up. The reportsredoubled in strength, and frequently the ice was seen to heave andswell. Then, with a sound like thunder, it broke and great cakes wereforced one on the top of another, and soon, instead of a level plainof ice, a chaos of blocks were tossing about on the waves.

  Harold watched the change with anxiety. No longer was the channel oneither side marked by regular defined lines, but floating piecesencroached upon it, and, looking toward the shore, the channelappeared to be altogether lost. The danger was overwhelming, but theIndians, paddling with increased strength, urged the boat forwarduntil within a few yards of the island.

  A few minutes before such an approach would have assured theimmediate destruction of the boat. But Harold saw with surprise that,almost simultaneously with the breaking up of the ice-sheet, the fallof blocks from the island had ceased. A moment's reflection showedhim the reason of this phenomenon. With the break-up of the ice-fieldthe pressure from behind had suddenly ceased. No longer were theblocks piled on the island pushed forward by the tremendous pressureof the ice-field. The torrent was stayed and they could approach theisland with safety. As soon as they were assured that this was so thecanoe was brought close to the rocks.

  Pearson leaped ashore, climbed the rocks and the ice piled twentyfeet above them, and with his pole convinced himself that at thispoint there were no loose blocks likely to fall. Having satisfiedhimself on this head, he descended again and took his place in theboat. This was moored by a rope a few feet long to a bush growingfrom a fissure in the rock close to the water's edge. He and Peterremained on watch with their poles, to fend off any pieces of icewhich might be brought round by the waves, while the rest of thecrew, wrapping themselves up in their blankets, lay down at thebottom of the boat.

  The next morning the storm still raged, and the lake presented theappearance of an angry sea. Sheltered under the lee of the island,the party were protected from its effects, although the light canoerose and fell on the heavy swell. The ice had wholly disappeared fromthe lake, the pieces having been ground to atoms against each otherin the storm. Along the line of shore there was a great bank of iceas high as the tree-tops.

  "The ways of the Lord are won'erful," Duncan Cameron said. "The stormwhich threatened to be our destruction has proved our salvation. Whenit abates we shall be able to paddle down the lake without fear ofinterruption."

  "Yes," Peter said, "the varmints are not likely to follow us. In thefirst place, unless they thought of taking their canoes into theforest when the storm first began, which aint likely, as they wasa-thinking only of cutting off our escape, they'd 've been smashedinto tinder. In the second place, they couldn't ketch us if they hadcanoes, for, as we've eight paddles, counting them we made out of theseats when we was on shore, we'd be able to laugh at 'em. And lastly,they've had such a taste of the quality of our rifles that, even ifthey had a dozen canoes on hand, I doubt if they'd care to attack us.No, sir; when this storm's over we have nothing to do but paddle downto the settlements at the other end of the lake."

  Toward the afternoon the storm abated, and next morning the sun wasshining brilliantly and the waves had gone down sufficiently toenable the canoe to start on her voyage.

  "Now, boys," Pearson said cheerfully, "ef ye don't want to git frozeup again you'd best be sharp, for I can tell ye about thirty-sixhours of this weather and the lake'll be solid again."

  Five minutes later the canoe with its eight sturdy paddlers startedon its way, speeding like an arrow from the ice-covered island whichhad done them such good service in their greatest need.

  "Now, Jake," Peter said, "the more strength you put into that paddleof yourn the sooner you'll have a piece of meat atween your jaws."

  The negro grinned.

  "Don't talk ob him, Massa Peter; don't say a word about him until Isee him. Fish bery good when dere's noting else to eat, but Jakenever want to see him again. He hab eat quite enough for the rest obhis life."

  Cameron, who was not accustomed to the use of the paddle, sat in thestern with the two girls; but the others were all used to theexercise, and the boat literally bounded along at each stroke fromthe sinewy arms, and by nightfall they had reached the oppositeshore. After some hours' work together two of them had rested, andfrom that time they took it by turns, six paddles being keptconstantly going.

  Without any adventure they arrived safely at the end of the lake. Theclearing where Nelly had lived so long, and where her father andmother had been killed, was passed in the night, much to Harold'ssatisfaction, as he was afraid that she would have been terriblyupset at the many sad memories which the sight of the place could notbut call up. On their way down they had seen many gaps in the forestcaused by the gale, but it was not until they reached their landingplace that the full effect of its destructive force was visible.Several scows and other boats lay wrecks upon the shore, every housein the little village was leveled to the ground, the orchards wereruined, palings and fences torn down, and the whole place strewn withfragments.

  A few people were moving among the ruins. They gazed with a dullapathy upon the new-comers, apparently dazed by the misfortune thathad befallen them. Harold learned, on questioning them, thattwenty-seven persons had been killed and the majority of thesurvivors more or less seriously injured. With the exception of thefew whom they saw, about all the survivors had been taken off to thetown in boats down the river, or in wagons lent by neighbors whosevillages, sheltered in the woods, had escaped the ravages of thegale. After a few hours' halt, having obtained meat and other stores,they proceeded on their way to Detroit.

  Here Nelly had several friends, who had long believed her to havefallen at the massacre at the farm. By them she was gladly received,and she took up her abode in a family with some daughters of her ownage. Harold found that there was a considerable sum of money in thebank in her father's name, and from this, after a consultation withher, a sum of money sufficient to provide the Seneca and hisfollowers with blankets, powder, and Indian finery for years wasdrawn and bestowed upon them.

  A day or two afterward the Indians left for their own country, highlygratified with the success of the expedition and proud of thenumerous scalps which hung from each of their girdles.

  Harold learned that there was but little fighting going on along theCanadian frontier. The winter had set in again with extreme severity;the St. Lawrence would be frozen, and he would have no means ofleaving Canada; he was therefore well content to settle down untilthe spring at Detroit, where he received numerous and heartyinvitations to stay, for any time, from the various friends of hiscousins. Jake, of course, remained with him. Peter went up toMontreal, where he had some relatives residing; Harold promising to
call for him on his way East in the spring. Pearson, after a fewdays' stay in Detroit, started again with a comrade on a huntingexpedition. Cameron and his daughter also spent the winter atDetroit.

  The months passed very pleasantly to Harold. Since the war began hehad had no period of rest or quiet, and he now entered with zest intothe various amusements, sleighing, and dancing, which helped to whileaway the long winter in America. He also joined in many huntingparties, for in those days game abounded up to the very edge of theclearings. Moose were abundant, and the hunt of these grand deer wasfull of excitement. Except when the snow is on the ground theseanimals can defy their pursuers, but the latter with their snowshoesgo lightly over the frozen snow, in which the moose sink heavily.

  There were many discussions as to the future of Nelly. Several of herfriends would gladly have adopted her as a member of their family,but Harold warmly urged that she should go to England and take up herabode with his mother, who was her nearest relative, and Nelly,somewhat to the surprise of her friends, finally agreed to thisproposal. A purchaser was readily found for the farm, which was anexcellent one, and the proceeds of the sale, with the amount ofsavings in the bank, gave her a little fortune of some twenty-fivehundred pounds.

  When the spring came and the navigation of the lake was open, Harold,Nelly, the Camerons, and Jake started in a ship for Montreal. Therethey were joined by Peter and sailed down to Quebec, where Nelly andthe Camerons took passage for England. Very deep was the gratitudewhich Duncan expressed to the friends who had restored his daughterto him. He had had enough of the colonies, and intended to spend therest of his life among his own people in Scotland. Harold, Peter, andJake sailed to join the English army in the South.