Corporal 'Lige's Recruit: A Story of Crown Point and Ticonderoga

by James Otis

  CHAPTER X.

  CROWN POINT.

  Never since the moment when Corporal 'Lige had promised to make asoldier of him, had Isaac Rice been as happy as now.

  He had atoned for the mistake made when they first set out on thejourney, although it was really none of his, and, in addition to havingprevented the news of what had been done at Ticonderoga from beingcarried to Crown Point, had as prisoners three who could have made noslight amount of trouble for the colonists.

  Surely the old corporal would praise Nathan and himself, and he glowedwith pride as he thought of the report he could make on his return tothe fort.

  "Of course Nathan Beman has as big a share in this work as I, and it ishis right; but I know it was not me who grew faint-hearted when we werein the power of the enemy, an' there's a deal of satisfaction in thatthought."

  On arriving at Sudbury, half an hour after having left his comrade,Isaac made inquiries for Captain Baker's dwelling, and learned that hadNathan's proposition been carried out, they would have been forced toparade the prisoners through the entire settlement before coming uponthe house.

  The captain was within sound of his wife's voice when Isaac finallystood before the good woman asking to see her husband, and came upquickly; but with a look of disappointment on his face when he saw hisvisitor was only a boy.

  "Is this Captain Remember Baker?" Corporal 'Lige's recruit asked, for hewas not minded any mistake should be made now that his work was sonearly accomplished.

  "Yes; what do you want?"

  "I am come from Colonel Allen----"

  "Where is he?" the captain asked eagerly.

  "That I may not tell you until we are alone."

  "Come into the house! Come in and refresh yourself, and you shall tellme that with which you are charged while partaking of such food as mywife can prepare quickly."

  "It is not well for me to spend time in eating until after Nathan Bemanis relieved from his charge."

  "What have you to do with that young Tory, if it is true that you comefrom Ethan Allen?" and now the captain began to show signs of beingsuspicious.

  "I will tell the whole story, beginning with the capture ofTiconderoga----"

  "So the fort has been taken by our people!" Captain Baker cried joyouslyas he clasped the messenger by the hand with such force as to make theboy wince. "Tell me quickly! When was the work done?"

  More than once before he had come to the story of his and Nathan'sadventures was Isaac interrupted by the eager soldier; but after acertain time he succeeded in imparting all the information, and wasrewarded by hearing the captain say:

  "You showed rare good sense in leaving the prisoners outside thesettlement, for while we in Sudbury are with the colonists in their taskof teaching the king a much-needed lesson, there are some who might havetried to work mischief had you applied to them asking the location of mydwelling. Wait here until I can summon a few of the Green Mountain Boys,who have been awaiting word from Ethan Allen, and we'll soon relieve youof the Tories."

  Captain Baker ran out, not stopping for a reply, and while he was absenthis wife insisted on Isaac's eating such food as she had alreadyprepared, until it seemed to the boy that he would not need anythingmore for twenty-four hours.

  Then six men, each armed with a musket, arrived, and were ushered intothe house, and Isaac was called upon to tell once more of howTiconderoga had been captured, after which the party set out to find theprisoners.

  Corporal 'Lige's recruit acted the part of guide, and in less than anhour the three Tories, having been given a liberal supply of cornbread,were being marched back on the trail toward the captured fort.

  Both Isaac and Nathan believed it was their duty to accompany theprisoners; but Captain Baker insisted that they remain at his home inorder to gain the repose which was needed, promising that they shouldarrive at Ticonderoga nearly as soon as if they had gone with thecompany escorting the Tories.

  Therefore it was the boys remained, well content with the work they hadperformed, and not until the morning of the twelfth of May was thereturn journey begun.

  Then the wind was blowing gently from the southward, and Nathan saidmournfully:

  "We have of a surety lost the chance of going to Crown Point, for thehunter will be up and doing this morning, and is likely well on his wayby this time."

  Overhearing his words the captain added:

  "Ay, lad if he didn't get there yesterday, which I misdoubt, you maycount that he started before daybreak this morning; but you can have thesatisfaction of knowing that save for your work, his task might not beso easy."

  "Think you he can surprise the garrison?" Isaac asked.

  "I see no reason why it should not be done, especially after yourcapture of the Tories, for thus far Colonel Allen has succeeded inkeeping his movements a secret, at least from the people in this sectionof the country, and why may you not say the same of Crown Point?"

  To the surprise of the boys no less than twenty men were assembled infront of Captain Baker's house by the time breakfast had been eaten, andon making inquiry Isaac learned that these were all of the GreenMountain Boys who had been ordered by their leader to rendezvous atSudbury until summoned elsewhere.

  The company, under command of Captain Baker, took up the line of marchover an old trail through the woods, marching to a point on the shore ofthe lake nearly two miles further down from where the boys had landed,when they came from the fort.

  There, snugly hidden in the thicket ready for just such an emergency ashad already come, were found four stout boats, each capable of carryingnot less than a dozen men, and after all were embarked and the littlefleet pushed off from the shore, it appeared quite formidable.

  Each craft boasted of a sail, and with the wind from the southward therewas no need of labor at the oars, therefore this portion of the journeypromised to be most pleasant.

  "This is different from what we expected when Master Wentworth marchedus in front of his musket," Isaac said in a tone of content, and hiscomrade replied:

  "We got out of a small hole in fine style."

  It was when they were midway from the point of embarkation to FortTiconderoga that young Beman cried excitedly, pointing toward that shorewhich they had just quitted, where could be seen two small boats ladenwith men who were pulling into a cove as if seeking shelter:

  "It looks to me as if those fellows are wearing red coats!"

  It was the first intimation Captain Baker had that there were others inthe immediate vicinity, and instantly he gave word for the boats to behauled around for the purpose of learning who these strangers were.

  Hardly had this maneuver been executed when one of the men announcedpositively that young Beman was right in his conjecture.

  "They are most likely Britishers, who escaped from Ticonderoga, or havecome from Crown Point on their way to St. John in search ofreinforcements," Captain Baker cried excitedly, and orders were givenfor the men to take to the oars.

  Then ensued a chase which was quickly ended, owing to the precautiontaken by the Britishers themselves.

  They had put into the cove hoping to escape detection, and it proved tobe a trap for them.

  No sooner were the boats arrived off this place of refuge than CaptainBaker gave orders for them to be strung out in line, thus cutting offall hope of escape by water, and in his own craft pulled near to wherethe two boats, manned by seven soldiers, were drawn up as if prepared todo battle.

  It was soon evident they understood well the truth of the old adage that"discretion is the better part of valor," for immediately Captain Bakercalled upon them to surrender, they threw their arms into the bottom ofthe boat in token of submission.

  Nathan was most grievously disappointed. He had fancied there might be askirmish, or at least an exchange of shots, for until the morning whenTiconderoga was taken so readily he had believed the king's soldiers tobe invincible, and even now he was not prepared to see them surrender toa force little more than four times their number.

>   The prisoners readily answered the questions put by the captain.

  They were from Crown Point, and having learned of the surrender ofTiconderoga had been dispatched by the sergeant in command of thegarrison, for reinforcements.

  They stated, in addition, that it was not believed those who had takenTiconderoga would push on to Crown Point immediately, consequentlyplenty of time remained in which that post might be reinforced.Therefore it was the sergeant in command had not hesitated to weaken hissmall garrison by thus sending seven men on a mission which might morereadily have been accomplished by one.

  "There is yet time for us to do Seth Warner a good turn," Captain Bakercried sufficiently loud for all his men to hear. "It is more than likelythe garrison at Crown Point will hold out when the Green Mountain Boysdemand its surrender, believing reinforcements are, or speedily will be,on the way. Now, instead of stopping at Ticonderoga, our plan is to pushdirectly on to the fort, and when it is known that we have captured themessengers I reckon the fortification will be surrendered with butlittle parley."

  Although the captain had thus spoken as if making a suggestion, his menunderstood that his words were little short of a command, and aftertransferring the prisoners the fleet was gotten under way.

  Thanks to the freshening wind the boats were soon making good time inthe race to overtake the force led by Seth Warner.

  "And it is to be Crown Point for us, after all!" Nathan criedexultantly, whereat, hearing the words, Captain Baker asked:

  "What is your name, lad?"

  "Nathan Beman from Shoreham."

  "So? I knew your father was on the right side; but understood that youand your mother were hardly to be trusted."

  "I cannot say anything for mother; but since I have seen the king'ssoldiers surrender so readily I am with the Green Mountain Boys andthose who share their opinions."

  "When you are so nearly with them as to enlist, come to me, lad, and Iwill give you a musket in the best company that can be found this sideof Cambridge."

  Isaac looked at his new friend reproachfully, and the latter said with alaugh:

  "I know all you are thinking; but when I enlist, and it ain't certainbut that I shall do so soon if the people continue to hold out againstthe king, I propose to set my name down for that company to which youbelong."

  "Do so when we go back to the fort," Isaac cried gleefully, "and side byside you and I will see many a brave adventure."

  "But the trouble is we may see more than will be pleasing, though Itruly believe I shall enlist."

  "And Corporal 'Lige shall teach us both a soldier's duty."

  This proposition apparently did not meet with favor, for Nathan at oncechanged the subject of the conversation by inquiring regarding theprobable condition of affairs at Crown Point, after which the boyslistened to the conversation of their companions as they spoke ofLexington and Concord, and of what should be done to avenge the murderscommitted there.

  And now it came to pass that these two lads were most grievouslydisappointed in their anticipations concerning the capture of the fort.

  Probably each had in his mind the thought that he was to see somewhat ofwar, more at least than had been witnessed at Ticonderoga; but it wasnot to be.

  As the little fleet approached the point, Warner and his men were justdisembarking.

  Although Captain Baker's party was but a mile away at that time, whenthey gained the shore the garrison had been surrendered without thefiring of a gun, and the booming of the cannon told that again were the"imitation soldiers" successful in their efforts to teach his majesty alesson.

  One hundred and fourteen cannon, of which sixty-one were fit forservice, were among the spoils on this morning, and after having made upa list of such goods as were found in the fort, Seth Warner did the twolads the great favor of sending them to Colonel Allen with the news ofthe bloodless victory.

  "Go you on ahead, lads," Captain Baker said when the boys had beenintrusted with the message. "I won't spoil a good fortune by seeming toaccompany you; but will linger here until you are well on the way, andafter having given Ethan Allen the best news he could possibly receiveat such a critical time, I very much question whether you may not askwhatsoever you will from him."

  Hurriedly the messengers departed in order that they might arrive wellin advance of Captain Baker's company, and when they were pulling downthe lake, Isaac said thoughtfully:

  "You heard what Captain Baker said, that Colonel Allen might grantanything we asked?"

  "Yes, and I know what is in your mind this minute."

  "Name it then."

  "You think I am counting on asking him for money."

  Isaac's face flushed and he made no reply.

  "I might have done so a few days ago, but now I am coming around on thesame track with father, and say that the colonists do right in resistingthe king. If it so be he permits, I will enlist this day."

  And Nathan Beman kept his promise, even going so far as to desireCorporal 'Lige should stand sponsor for him when, the message havingbeen delivered, Colonel Allen thanked them again and again for thecheering intelligence and asked what they would choose as their reward.

  "Only the permission to enlist," Nathan said, and the colonel stared athim in open-mouthed astonishment for several seconds, after which heasked with a laugh:

  "Are you not the same lad who so thirsted for money that he refused toshow the way into the fort unless first paid for his services?"

  "Ay, sir; but I have come to think differently since then, and now I'mgoing for a soldier, because it looks to me as if the colonists wouldspeedily worst the king."

  "Whereas a few days ago it appeared to you that the boot was on theother foot?"

  "I did not think farmers could be turned into soldiers, sir."

  "You may readily believe it now, lad, more especially since you haveseen how easy it is for one who was almost a royalist to become a goodAmerican, and now I am speaking of yourself. Enlist wherever you will,and I will take it upon myself to see that both you lads rise in theservice as rapidly as you shall deserve."

  THE END.