Matilda Montgomerie; Or, The Prophecy Fulfilled

by Major Richardson

  CHAPTER IX.

  At the especial invitation of Captain Molineux Gerald Grantham dined atthe garrison mess, on the evening of the day when the circumstancesdetailed in our last chapter took place. During dinner the extraordinaryadventure of the morning formed the chief topic of conversation, for ithad become one of general interest, not only throughout the militarycircles, but in the town of Amherstburgh itself, in which the father ofthe Granthams had been held in an esteem amounting almost to veneration.Horrible as had been the announcement made by the detected anddiscomfited settler to him who now, for the first time, learnt that hisparent had fallen a victim to ruffian vindictiveness, too many years hadelapsed since that event, to produce more than the ordinary emotionwhich might be supposed to be awakened by a knowledge rather of themanner than the fact of his death. Whatever therefore might have beenthe pain inflicted on the hearts of the brothers, by this cruelre-opening of a partially closed wound, there was no other evidence ofsuffering than the suddenly compressed lip and glistening eye, wheneverallusion was made to the villain with whom each felt he had a fearfulaccount to settle.

  Much indeed of the interest of the hour was derived from the animatedaccount, given by Gerald, of the circumstances which had led to hislying in ambuscade for the American on the preceding day; and as hisnarrative embraces not only the reasons for Captain Molineux's strangeconduct, but other hitherto unexplained facts, we cannot do better thanfollow him in his detail:

  "I think it must have been about half past eleven o'clock, on the nightpreceding the capture," commenced Gerald, "that, as my gun-boat was atanchor close under the American shore, at rather more than half a milebelow the farther extremity of Bois Blanc, my faithful old Sambosilently approached me, while I lay wrapped in my watch-cloak on deck,calculating the chances of falling in with some spirited bark of theenemy which would afford me an opportunity of proving the mettle of mycrew.

  "'Massa Geral,' he said, in a mysterious whisper--for old age and longservices in my family have given him privileges which I have neither thepower nor the inclination to check--'Massa Geral,' pulling me by thecollar, 'I dam ib he no go sleep when him ought to hab all him eyesabout him--him pretty fellow to keep watch when Yankee pass him in echannel.'

  "'A Yankee pass me in the channel!' I would have exclaimed aloud,starting to my feet with surprise; but Sambo, with ready thought, puthis hand upon my mouth, in time to prevent more than the first word frombeing uttered.

  "'Hush! dam him, Massa Geral, ib you make a noise, you no catch him.'

  "'What do you mean, then--what have you seen?' I asked, in the same lowwhisper, the policy of which his action had enjoined on me.

  "'Lookee dare, Massa Geral, lookee dare!'

  "Following the direction in which he pointed, I now saw, but veryindistinctly, a canoe in which was a solitary individual stealing acrossthe lake to the impulsion of an apparently muffled paddle; for hercourse, notwithstanding the stillness of the night, was utterlynoiseless. The moon, which is in her first quarter, had long sincedisappeared; yet the heavens, although not particularly bright, weresufficiently dotted with stars to enable me, with the aid of a nighttelescope, to discover that the figure, which guided the cautiouslymoving bark, had nothing Indian in its outline. The crew of the gun-boat(the watch only excepted) had long since turned in; and even the latterlay reposing on the forecastle, the sentinels only keeping the ordinarylookout. So closely, moreover, did we lay in shore, that but for thecaution of the paddler, it might have been assumed she was too nearlyidentified with the dark forest against which her hull and sparsreposed, to be visible. Curious to ascertain her object, I watched thecanoe in silence, as, whether accidentally or with design, I know not,she made the half circuit of the gun-boat and then bore away in a directline for the Canadian shore. A suspicion of the truth now flashed acrossmy mind, and I resolved without delay to satisfy myself. My first carewas to hasten to the forecastle, and enjoin on the sentinels, who Ifeared might see and hail the stranger, the strictest silence. Thendesiring Sambo to prepare the light boat, which I dare say most of youhave remarked to form a part of my Lilliputian command, I proceeded toarm myself with cutlass and pistols. Thus equipped, I sprang lightly in;and having again caught sight of the chase, on which I had moreoverdirected one of the sentinels to keep a steady eye as long as she was insight, desired Sambo to steer as noiselessly as possible in pursuit. Forsome time we kept the stranger in view, but whether, owing to hissuperior paddling or lighter weight, we eventually lost sight of him.The suspicion which had at first induced my following, however, servedas a clue to guide me in the direction I should take. I was aware thatthe scoundrel Desborough was an object of distrust--I knew that thestrictness of my father, during his magistracy, in compelling him tochoose between taking the oaths of allegiance and quitting the country,had inspired him with deep hatred to himself and disaffection to theGovernment; and I felt that if the spirit of his vengeance had notearlier developed itself, it was solely because the opportunity and thepower had hitherto been wanting; but that now, when hostilities betweenhis natural and adopted countries had been declared, there would beample room for the exercise of his treason. It was the strong assuranceI felt that he was the solitary voyager on the face of the waters, whichinduced me to pursue him; for I had a presentiment that, could I buttrack him in his course, I should discover some proof of his guilt,which would suffice to rid us for ever of the presence of so dangerous asubject. The adventure was moreover one that pleased me, althoughperhaps I was not strictly justified in quitting my gun-boat, especiallyas in the urgency of the moment, I had not even thought of leavingorders with my boatswain, in the event of anything unexpected occurringduring my absence. The sentinels alone were aware of my departure.

  "The course we pursued was in the direction of Hartley's point, and socorrect had been the steering and paddling of the keen-sighted negro,that when we made the beach, we found ourselves immediately opposite toDesborough's hut.

  "'How is this, Sambo?' I asked in a low tone, as our canoe grated on thesand within a few paces of several others that lay where I expected tofind but one--'are all these Desborough's?'

  "'No, Massa Geral--'less him teal him toders, Desborough only gotone--dis a public landin' place.'

  "'Can you tell which is his?' I inquired.

  "'To be sure--dis a one,' and he pointed to one nearly twice thedimensions of its fellows.

  "'Has it been lately used, Sambo--can you tell?'

  "'I soon find out, Massa Geral.'

  "His device was the most simple and natural in the world, and yet Iconfess it was one which I never should have dreamt of. Stooping on thesands, he passed his hand under the bottom of the canoe, and thenwhispered:

  "'Him not touch a water to-night, Massa Geral--him dry as a chip.'

  "Here I was at fault. I began to apprehend that I had been baffled in mypursuit, and deceived in my supposition. I knew that Desborough had hadfor years, one large canoe only in his possession, and it was evidentthat this had not been used for the night. I was about to order Sambo toshove off again, when it suddenly occurred to me, that, instead ofreturning from a visit, the suspected settler might have received avisiter, and I accordingly desired my _fides Achates_ to submit theremainder of the canoes to the same inspection.

  "After having passed his hand ineffectually over several, he at lengthannounced, as he stooped over one which I recognised, from a peculiarelevation of the bow and stern, to be same we had passed.

  "'Dis a one all drippin' wet, Massa Geral. May I nebber see a Hebben ibhe not a same we follow.'

  "A low tapping against the door of the hut, which, although evidentlyintended to be subdued, was now, in the silence of night, distinctlyaudible, while our whispers on the contrary, mingled as they were withthe crisping sound of the waves rippling on the sands were, at thatdistance, undistinguishable. It was evident that I had erred in myoriginal conjecture. Had it been Desborough himself, living alone as hedid, he would not have knocked for admission where there w
as no one toafford it, but would have quietly let himself in. It could then be noother than a visiter, perhaps a spy from the enemy--and the same to whomwe had given chase.

  "From the moment that the tapping commenced, Sambo and I stoodmotionless on the shore, and without trusting our voices again, even toa whisper. In a little time we heard the door open, and the low voice ofDesborough in conversation with another. Presently the door was shut,and soon afterwards, through an imperfectly closed shutter on the onlyfloor of the hut, we could perceive a streak of light reflected on theclearing in front, as if from a candle or lamp that was stationary.

  "'I tink him dam rascal dat man, Massa Geral,' at length ventured mycompanion. 'I 'member long time ago,' and he sighed, 'when Sambo was nobigger nor dat paddle, one berry much like him. But, Massa Geral, Massaalways tell me nebber talk o' dat.'

  "'A villain he is, I believe, Sambo, but let us advance cautiously anddiscover what he is about.'

  "We now stole along the skirt of the forest, until we managed toapproach the window, through which the light was still thrown in onelong, fixed, but solitary ray. It was however impossible to see who werewithin, for although the voices of men were distinguishable, their formswere so placed as not to be visible through the partial opening.

  "The conversation had evidently been some moments commenced. The firstwords I heard uttered were by Desborough.

  "'A Commissary boat, and filled with bags of goold eagles, and afiftieth part our'n, if we get her clean slick through to Detroit. Well,drot me, if that ain't worth the trial. Why didn't they try it by land,boy?'

  "'I reckon, father, that cock wouldn't fight. The Injuns are outlyin'everywhere to cut off our mails, and the ready is too much wanted to bethrown away. No, no: the river work's the safest, I take it, for therethey little expect it to come.'

  "The voice of the last speaker excited in me a strong desire to see theface of Desborough's visiter. Unable, where I stood, to catch theslightest view of either, I fancied that I might be more successful inrear of the hut. I therefore moved forward, followed by Sambo, but notso cautiously as to prevent my feet from crushing a fragment of decayedwood that lay in my path.

  "A bustle within, and the sudden opening of the door announced that thenoise had been overheard. I held up my finger impressively to Sambo, andwe both remained motionless.

  "'Who the hell's there?' shouted Desborough, and the voice rang like theblast of a speaking trumpet along the skirt of the forest.

  "'Some raccoon looking out for Hartley's chickens, I expect,' said hiscompanion, after a short pause. 'There's nothin' human, I reckon, to beseen movin' at this hour of the night.'

  "'Who the hell's there?' repeated Desborough--still no answer.

  "Again the door was closed, and under cover of the slight noise made bythe settler in doing this, and resuming his seat, Sambo and Iaccomplished the circuit of the hut. Here we had an unobstructed view ofthe persons of both. A small store room or pantry communicated with thatin which they were sitting at a table, on which was a large flagon, weknew to contain whiskey, and a couple of japanned drinking cups, fromwhich, ever and anon, they 'wetted their whistles,' as they termed it,and whetted their discourse. As they sat each with his back to the innerwall, or more correctly, the logs of the hut, and facing the doorcommunicating with the store-room, left wide open, and in a direct linewith the back window at which we had taken our stand, we coulddistinctly trace every movement of their features, while, thrown intothe shade by the gloom with which we were enveloped, we ran no risk ofdetection ourselves. It is almost unnecessary to observe, after what hasoccurred this morning, that the companion of Desborough was no otherthan the _soi-disant_ Ensign Paul Emilius Theophilus Arnoldi; or, moreproperly, the scoundrel son of a yet more scoundrel father. He wore thedress in which you yesterday beheld him, but beneath a Canadian blanketcoat, which, when I first saw him in the hut, was buttoned up to thechin so closely as to conceal everything American about the dress.

  "'Well now, I reckon we must lay our heads to do this job;' said theson, as he tossed off a portion of the liquid he had poured into hiscan. 'There's only that one gun-boat I expect in t'other channel.'

  "'Only one, Phil--do you know who commands it?'

  "'One of them curst Granthams, to be sure. I say, old boy,' and his eyelighted up significantly as he pointed to the opposite wall. 'I seeyou've got the small bore still.'

  "A knowing wink marked the father's sense of the allusion. 'The devil'sin it,' he rejoined, 'if we can't come over that smooth-faced chap somehow or other. Did you see anythin' of him as you come along?'

  "'I reckon I did. Pretty chick he is to employ for a look-out. Why Ipaddled two or three times round his gun-boat as it lay 'gin the shore,without so much as a single livin' soul being on deck to see me.'

  "It is proverbial," continued Grantham, "that listeners never hear anygood of themselves. I paid the common penalty. But if I continued calm,my companion did not. Partly incensed at what had related to me--butmore infuriated at the declaration made by the son, that he had paddledseveral times round the gun-boat, without a soul being on deck to seehim, he drew near to me, his white teeth displaying themselves in thegloom, as he whispered, but in a tone that betrayed extreme irritation.

  "'What a dam liar rascal, Massa Geral. He nebber go round: I see himcome a down a ribber long afore he see a boat at all.'

  "'Hush, Sambo! hush--not a word,' I returned in the same low whisper.'The villains are at some treason, and if we stir, we shall lose allchance of discovering it.'

  "'Me no peak, Massa Geral; but dam him lyin' teef,' he continued tomutter, 'I wish I had him board a gun-boat.'

  "'A dozen fellers well armed might take the d----d British craft,'observed Desborough. 'How many men may there be aboard the Commissary?'

  "'About forty, I reckon, under some d----d old rig'lar major. I've got aletter for him here to desire him to come on, if so be as we gets thecraft out of the way.'

  "'Drot me if I know a better way than to jump slick aboard her,'returned Desborough, musingly, 'forty genu_ine_ Kaintucks ought toswallow her up crew and all.'

  "'I guess they would,' returned his companion, 'but they are notKaintucks, but only rig'lars; and then agin if they are discovered, onespry cannon might sink her; and if the eagles go to the bottom we shalllose our fiftieth. You don't reckon that.'

  "'What the hell's to be done then?' exclaimed Desborough, resorting tohis favorite oath when in doubt.

  "'My plan's already cut and dried by a wiser head nor yours nor mine, asyou shall larn; but first let a feller wet his whistle.' Here they bothdrained off another portion of the poison that stood before them.

  "Not to tire you," pursued Grantham, "with a repetition of the oaths andvulgar and interjectional chucklings that passed between thewell-assorted pair during the disclosure of the plan, I will brieflystate that it was one of the most stupid that could have been conceived,and reflected but little credit on the stratagetic powers of whoeveroriginated it.

  "The younger scoundrel, who since his desertion from our service, claimsto be a naturalized citizen of the United States, (his name ofDesborough being changed for that of Arnoldi, and his rank of fullprivate for that of Ensign of Militia,) had been selected, from hisknowledge of the Canadian shore and his connexion with the disaffectedsettler, as a proper person to entrust with a stratagem, having for itsobject the safe convoy of a boat with specie, of which the Americangarrison, it appears, stands much in need. The renegade had beeninstructed to see his father, to whom he was to promise a fiftieth ofthe value of the freight, provided he should by any means contrive todraw the gun-boat from her station. The most plausible plan suggestedwas, that he should intimate to me that a prize of value was lyingbetween Turkey Island and our own shore, which it required but my suddenappearance to ensure, without even striking a blow. Here a number ofarmed boats were to be stationed in concealment in order to take me at adisadvantage, and even if I avoided being captured, the great aim wouldbe accomplished--namely, tha
t of getting me out of the way until theimportant boat should have cleared the channel running between BoisBlanc and the American shore, and secreted herself in one of the severaldeep creeks which empty themselves into the river. Here she was to haveremained until I had returned to my station, when her passage upwardmight be pursued, if not without observation, at least without risk. AsDesborough was known to be suspected by us, it was further suggestedthat he should appear to have been influenced in the informationconveyed to me, not by any motives of patriotism, which would have beenin the highest degree misplaced, but by the mere principle ofself-interest. He was to require of me a pledge that, out of theproceeds of the proposed capture a twentieth share should be his, or, ifI would not undertake to guarantee this from the Government or my ownauthority, that I should promise my own eventual share should be dividedwith him. This stratagem successful, the younger Desborough was torepair to the boat which had been lying concealed for the last day ortwo, a few miles below me, with an order for her to make the best of herway during the night if possible. If failing on the other hand, she wasto return to the port whence she had sailed, until a more fittingopportunity should present itself.

  "This," continued Grantham, after a slight pause, during which thebottle was again circulated, "was delightful intelligence. Distrustfulas I was of Desborough, I could not have been deceived by this advice,even had I not thus fortunately become acquainted with the whole of thedesign; but now that I knew my man, and could see my way, I at onceresolved to appear the dupe they proposed to make me. Specie, too, forthe payment of the garrison! This was no contemptible prize with whichto commence my career. Besides, the boat was well manned; and althoughwithout cannon, still, in point of military equipment, quite able tocope with my crew, which did not exceed thirty men.

  "With your knowledge of Desborough's character, it will not surprise youto learn, although I confess I boiled with indignation at the moment tohear, that the object of the scoundrels was, with a view to thegratification of their own private vengeance, not merely to raise adoubt of my fidelity, but to prefer against me a direct charge oftreason. Thus, in their vulgar language, they argued. If misled by theirrepresentations, I quitted my station on the channel, and fell into theambuscade prepared for me near Turkey Island, I raised a suspicion ofthe cause of my absence, which might be confirmed by an anonymouscommunication; and if, on the other hand, I escaped that ambuscade, thesuspicion would be even stronger, as care would be taken to announce tothe English garrison the fact of my having been bribed to leave thechannel free for the passage of a boat, filled with money andnecessaries for Detroit. My return to my post immediately afterwardswould confirm the assertion; and so perfectly had they, in their wiseconceit, arranged their plans, that a paper was prepared by the son andhanded to his father, for the purpose of being dropped in the way of oneof the officers--the purport of which was an accusation against me, ofholding a secret understanding with the enemy, in proof whereof it wasstated that at an important moment, I should be found absent from mypost. I think I am correct, Captain Molineux."

  "Perfectly," returned that officer--"such indeed were the contents ofthe paper which I picked up in my rounds about daylight yesterdaymorning, and which I have only again to express my regret that I shouldhave allowed to make on me even a momentary impression. Indeed,Grantham, I am sure you will do me the justice to believe, that until weactually saw the American boat passing, while you were nowhere to beseen, I never for one moment doubted its being, what it has proved tobe--the falsest and most atrocious of calumnies."

  "Your after doubt was but natural," replied the sailor, "although Iconfess I could not help wincing under the thought of its beingentertained. I knew that, on my return, I should be enabled to explaineverything, but yet felt nettled that even my short absence should, as Iknew it must, give rise to any strictures on my conduct. It was thatsoreness of feeling which induced my impatient allusion to the subject,even after my good fortune of yesterday, for I at once detected that theslanderous paper had been received and commented on; and from thepeculiar glance, I saw Henry direct to you, I was at no loss to discoverinto whose hands it had fallen. But to resume.

  "Their plan of action being finally settled, the traitors began to giveindication of separating--the one to hasten and announce to the Americanboat the removal of all impediment to her passage upwards--the other tomy gun-boat, in order to play off the falsehood devised for the successof their stratagem.

  "'Here's damnation to the curst race of Granthams,' said the son, asraising his tall and lanky body, he lifted the rude goblet to his lips.

  "'Amen,' responded the father, rising also and drinking to the pledge'and, what's more, here's to the goold eagles that'll repay us for ourjob. And now Phil, let's be movin'.'

  "The heavy tread of their feet within the hut as they moved to and fro,to collect the several articles belonging to the equipment ofDesborough's canoe, promising fair to cover the sound of our footsteps,I now whispered to Sambo, and we hastily made good our retreat to thepoint where we left our skiff. In a few minutes, we were again on thelake, paddling swiftly but cautiously towards my gun-boat. I hadinstructed the sentinels not to hail me on my return, therefore when Igained the deck, it was without challenge or observation of any kind,which could denote to those from whom I had so recently parted, that anyone had been absent.

  "Again I had thrown myself upon the deck, and was ruminating on thesingular events of the evening, associating the rich prize, which I nowalready looked upon as my own, with the rascality of those who,imagining me to be their dupe, were so soon to become mine; and moreovermeditating such measures as I fancied most likely to secure a result soopposite to that which they anticipated, when the loud quick sharp hailof the sentinels announced that a craft of some kind was approaching.

  "'Want to see the officer,' shouted a voice which I knew to beDesborough's. 'Somethin' very partick'lar to tell him, I guess.'

  "Permission having been granted, the canoe came rapidly up to the side,and in the next minute, the tall heavy form of the settler stooddistinctly defined against the lake, as he stepped on the gun-wale ofthe boat.

  "It must be needless here to repeat the information of which he was thebearer," pursued Grantham. "Its purport was, in every sense, what I hadso recently overheard in the hut.

  "'And how am I to know that this tale of yours is correct,' I demandedwhen he had concluded, yet in a tone that seemed to admit, I was as muchhis dupe as he could reasonably desire. 'You are aware, Desborough, thatyour character for loyalty does not stand very high, and this may provebut a trick to get me out of the way. What good motive can you give formy believing you?'

  "'The best I calculate as can be,' he unhesitatingly answered, 'and thatis my own interest. I don't make no boast of my loyalty, as you say, tobe sure, Mr. Grantham, but I've an eye like a hawk for the rhino, and Ihan't giv' you this piece of news without expectin' a promise that Ishall git a purty considerable sum in eagles, if so be as you succeedsin wallopin' the prize.'

  "'Walloping--what do you call walloping, man?'

  "'What do I call wallopin'? why licking her slick and clean out, andgettin' hold of the dust to be sure.'

  "I could have knocked the scoundrel to the deck, for the familiarity ofthe grin which accompanied his reply, and as for Sambo, I had more thanonce to look him peremptorily into patience.

  "I knew from what had passed between father and son, that, until theformer had communicated with, and impressed a conviction of the accuracyof his report, upon me, nothing was to be attempted by the boat, thecapture of which was now, for a variety of reasons, an object of weightyconsideration. Whatever violence I did to myself therefore, inabstaining from a castigation of the traitor. I felt that I could nothope for success, unless, by appearing implicitly to believe all he hadstated. I thus set suspicion at rest.

  "'A more satisfactory motive for your information you could not havegiven me, Desborough,' I at length replied, with a sarcasm which washowever lost upon him, 'and I certa
inly do you the justice to believethat to the self-interest you have avowed, we shall be indebted for thecapture of the prize in question. She lies, you say, between TurkeyIsland and our own shores.'

  "'I guess as how she does,' replied the settler, with an eagerness thatbetrayed his conviction that the bait had taken; 'but Mr.Grantham.'--and I could detect a lurking sneer, 'I expect at least thatwhen you have lick'd the prize you will make my loyalty stand a littlehigher than it seems to be at this moment, for I guess, puttin' thedollars out of the question, it's a right loyal act I am guilty of now.'

  "'You may rely upon it, Desborough, you shall have all the credit youdeserve for your conduct on the occasion--that it shall be faithfullyreported on my return, you may take for granted.' Here I summoned allhands up to weigh anchor and make sail for Turkey Island. 'Now then,Desborough, unless you wish to be a sharer in our enterprise, the sooneryou leave us the better, for we shall be off immediately.'

  "In obedience to my order, all hands were speedily upon deck, and busiedin earnest preparation. In pleasing assurance that I was as completelyhis dupe as could be desired, the villain had now the audacity to demandfrom me a written promise that, in consideration of the informationgiven, five hundred dollars should be paid to him on the disposal of theprize. This demand (aware as he was--or rather as he purposed--that Iwas to play the part of the captured instead of that of the captor), wasintended to lull me into even greater reliance on his veracity. I haddifficulty in restraining my indignation, for I felt that the fellow waslaughing at me in his sleeve; however, the reflection that, in less thantwenty-four hours, the tables would be turned upon him, operated as acheck upon my feelings, and I said with a hurried voice and air:

  "'Impossible. Desborough, I have no time now to give the paper, for asyou perceive we are getting under way--I however, repeat to you mypromise, that if your claims are not attended to elsewhere, you shallhave my share of the profits, if I take this prize within the next eightand forty hours within the boundary of Turkey Island. Will that contentyou?'

  "'I expect as how it must,' returned the secretly delighted, yetseemingly disappointed settler, as he now prepared to recross thegun-wale into this canoe; 'but I guess, Mr. Grantham, you might at leastadvance a feller a little money out of hand, on the strength of theprize. Jist say twenty dollars.'

  "'No, Desborough, not one. When the Turkey Island prize is mine, then ifthe Government refuse to confirm your claims, we will share equally; butas I said before, I must first capture her, before I consent to partwith a shilling.'

  "'Well then, I guess I must wait,' and the scoundrel confidentlybelieving that he had gulled me to his heart's content, stepped heavilyinto his canoe, which he directed along the lake shore, while we withwilling sails, glided up the channel and speedily lost him from ourview."

  "A perfect adventure, upon my word!" interrupted De Courcy.

  "What a bold and deliberate scoundrel!" added Captain Granville. "Iconfess, Grantham, I cannot but admire the coolness and self-possessionyou evinced on this occasion. Had I been there in your stead, I shouldhave tied the rascal up, given him a dozen or two on the spot, and thentumbled him head-foremost into the lake."

  "The remainder is soon told," continued Gerald. "On parting fromDesborough, I continued my course directly up the channel, with a viewof gaining a point, where unseen myself, I could observe the movementsof the American boat, which, from all I had heard, I fully expectedwould attempt the passage in the course of the following day. My perfectknowledge of the country suggested to me, as the safest and most securehiding place, the creek whence you saw me issue at a moment when it wassupposed the American had altogether escaped. The chief object of theenemy was evidently to get me out of the channel. That free, it was ofminor importance whether I fell into the ambuscade or not, so that theimportant boat could effect the passage unobserved, or at least insafety. If my gun-boat should be seen returning unharmed from TurkeyIsland, the American was to run into the first creek along the shore,which she had orders to hug until I had passed, and not until I hadagain resumed my station in the channel, was she to renew her courseupwards to Detroit, which post it was assumed she would then gainwithout difficulty.

  "It was scarcely yet day," continued Grantham, "when I reached and raninto the creek of which I have just spoken, and which, owing to thenarrowness of the stream and consequent difficulty of waring, I wasobliged to enter stern-foremost. That no time might be lost in gettingher out at the proper moment, I, instead of dropping her anchor, madethe gun-boat fast to a tree; and, desiring the men, with the exceptionof the watch, to take their rest as usual, lay quietly awaiting theadvance of the enemy.

  "The gun fired from the lower battery on the island, was the firstintimation we had of the approach of the prize which I had given mygallant fellows to understand was in reserve for us; and presentlyafterwards Sambo, whom I had dispatched on the look out, appeared on thebank, stating that a large boat, which had been fired at ineffectually,was making the greatest exertions to clear the channel. A second shot,discharged from a nearer point, soon after announced that the boat hadgained the head of the island, and might therefore be shortly expected.In the impatience of my curiosity I sprang to the shore, took thetelescope out of the hands of Sambo, and hastened to climb the tree fromwhich he had so recently descended. I now distinctly saw the boat, and,availing herself of the rising and partial breeze, she steered more intothe centre of the stream; and I thought I could observe marks ofconfusion and impatience among the groups in front of the fort, whom Ihad justly imagined to have been assembled there to witness the arrivalof the canoes we had seen descending the river long before the first gunwas fired."

  "But the chase, and the firing after you doubled the point?" inquiredCaptain Granville. "We saw nothing of this."

  "The American, plying his oars with vigor, gave us work enough,"answered the young sailor, "and had made considerable way up the creek,before we came up with him. An attempt was then made to escape us byrunning ashore, and abandoning the boat, but it was too late. Our bowwas almost touching his stern, and in the desperation of the moment, theAmerican troops discharged their muskets, but with so uncertain an aim,in consequence of their being closely crowded upon each other, that onlythree of my men were wounded by their fire. Before they could loadagain, we were enabled to grapple with them hand to hand. A few of mymen had discharged their pistols, in answer to the American volley,before I had time to interfere to prevent them; but the majority havingreserved theirs, we had now immeasurably the advantage. Removing thebayonets from their muskets, which at such close quarters were useless,they continued their contest a short time with these, but the cutlasssoon overpowered them, and they surrendered."

  "And the Major, Grantham; did he behave well on the occasion?"

  "Gallantly. It was the Major that cut down the only man I haddangerously wounded in the affair, and he would have struck anotherfatally, had I not disarmed him. While in the act of doing so, I wastreacherously shot (in the arm only, fortunately,) by the youngerscoundrel, Desborough, whom in turn I saved from Sambo's vengeance, inorder that he might receive a more fitting punishment. And now,gentlemen, you have the whole history."

  "Yes, as far as regards the men portion," said De Courcy, with amalicious smile; "but what became of the lady all this while, myconquering hero? Did you find her playing a very active part in theskirmish?"

  "Active--no!" replied Gerald, slightly coloring as he remarked all eyesdirected to him at this demand, "but passively courageous she was to adegree I could not have supposed possible in woman. She sat calm andcollected amid the din of conflict, as if she had been accustomed to thething all her life, nor once moved from the seat which she occupied inthe stern, except to make an effort to prevent me from disarming heruncle. I confess that her coolness astonished me, while it excited mywarmest admiration."

  "I hope it may be nothing beyond admiration," observed the captain ofGrenadiers; "I tell you as a friend, Gerald, I do not like this accountyou give of her co
nduct. A woman who could show no agitation in such ascene must have either a damn'd cold, or a damn'd black heart, andthere's but little claim to admiration there."

  "Upon my word, Captain Cranstoun," and the handsome features of Geraldcrimsoned with a feeling not unmixed with serious displeasure, "I do notquite understand you--you appear to assume something between MissMontgomerie and myself that should not be imputed to either--andcertainly, not thus publicly."

  "Nonsense, man, there's no use in making a secret of the matter,"returned the positive grenadier. "The subject was discussed after dinneryesterday, and there was nobody present who didn't agree, that if youhad won her heart you had given your own in exchange."

  "God forbid!" said Henry Grantham with unusual gravity of manner, whilehe looked affectionately on the changing and far from satisfiedcountenance of his conscious brother, "for I repeat with CaptainCranstoun, I like her not. Why, I know not; still I like her not, and Ishall be glad, Gerald, when you have consigned her to the place of herdestination."

  "Pooh! pooh! nonsense!" interrupted Captain Granville; "never mind,Gerald," he pursued, good-humoredly, "she is a splendid girl, and onethat you need not be ashamed to own as a conquest. By heaven, she has abust to warm the bosom of an anchorite, and depend upon it, all thatCranstoun has said arises only from pique that he is not the objectpreferred. Those black eyes of hers have set his ice blood upon theboil, and he would willingly exchange places with you, as I honestlyconfess I should."

  Vexed as Gerald certainly felt at the familiar tone the conversation wasnow assuming in regard to Miss Montgomerie, and although satisfied thatmere pleasantry was intended, it was not without a sensation of reliefthat he found it interrupted by the entrance of the severalnon-commissioned officers with their order-books. Soon after the partybroke up.