CHAPTER XI
AN UNEQUAL BATTLE
A masterful spirit had entered into Enoch Harding during the past fewmonths. He was no longer a child; he thought and acted as a man in manythings. Now, with this danger threatening them all, he did not shrinkfrom the ordeal, and none might know his inmost feelings from theexpression of his face. He did not speak to his mother, nor did she seekto advise him. Long before they had talked this emergency over, and ithad been agreed that the homestead must and should be defended even tothe point of firing on the Yorkers who might come to dispossess them.The legal authority claimed by Simon Halpen was not recognized in theGrants and did the Hardings put themselves in Halpen's power by agreeingto let the New York authorities arbitrate the matter, they would loseall that they had toiled and suffered for during the past ten years.
The widow saw that the windows of the cabin were shuttered and thatBryce had both powder and bullets beside him in the loft. Then she wentinto her own chamber and falling upon her knees prayed as only a mothercan whose children are in bodily and imminent danger. How far theYorkers would dare go--to what lengths Halpen might force the fight forthe ox-bow farm--it was impossible even to imagine. He was a cruel andunscrupulous man, but he had already had a taste of the temper of theBennington settlers and perhaps the remembrance of the beech-sealingwhich had been dealt out to him two years and more before, would makehim chary of coming to blows.
Soon the six Yorkers appeared around the corner of the log fence whichenclosed the cattleyard. Four of them, including Halpen, were armed withguns. The surveyor and his assistant carried their tools only, andwalked in the rear of the more warlike quartette. Their leader, hislean, black face clouded by a threatening scowl, strode across the homelot and approached the cabin door. His beady eyes glittered and when hewas enraged his hooked nose seemed to glow a dull red beneath the duskyskin, like a half-heated iron.
Simon Halpen was much better dressed than the citizens of Benningtonwere apt to be, and he carried himself haughtily. His hair was donecarefully and the queue tied with a silk ribbon. His rifle wassilver-mounted and his powder-horn was partly of silver filagree work.In every way--dress, accoutrements and manner--he bore out the accountthe Hardings had received of him, that he was a wealthy and proud man.The three other armed men were fellows of the baser sort, hired atAlbany for the purpose of driving the widow and her children from theirhome.
THE BOY STOOD LIKE A STATUE]
Enoch Harding thought this as he saw the party approach, and his heartbeat faster while his cheeks were dyed with crimson. Should these menmarch up and deprive his mother and brothers and sisters of their home?Not as long as he held a gun and had powder and shot with which to loadit! The fearful thought of shooting down one or more of these men incold blood did not shock him now. The bitterness which filled his heartagainst Simon Halpen overbore any other emotion. He raised his riflethreateningly and cried aloud: "Halt there--halt I say! What d'ye wanton our land?"
The three retainers of Halpen, as well as the surveyor and his'prentice, halted instantly, but Simon strode on, his eyes blazing andhis great nose growing ruddier as his rage increased. "Your land--yourland, forsooth!" he exclaimed. "I'll teach ye better than that, ye youngviper!"
Instantly Enoch had his rifle to his shoulder and had drawn bead uponthe Yorker. The muzzle of the weapon covered Halpen's heart. The boystood like a statue--there was no trembling to his young arms. "Back! Ifyou come a yard nearer I will fire!" he cried. He did not recognize hisown voice, but Halpen heard him plainly and was impressed with hisearnestness. He stopped suddenly, half raising his own gun. "Don't dothat!" cried Enoch, instantly. "Keep your gun down. Why, I have but topress this trigger and you will drop where you are! Be warned."
"Hi, captain," growled one of his supporters, "the little varmint meansit. Have a care."
"You--you----" Halpen only sputtered for a moment. He could not findwords to properly express his rage. "I believe on my life, he wouldshoot me."
"I certainly will, Master Simon Halpen, if you come nearer. You arequite near enough. You have come here for no good purpose. We own thisland--my father paid for it and has improved it. He may be dead, but wewill show you how we can defend the place from you Yorkers."
"You crow loud, my young cock-o'-th'-walk!" exclaimed Simon Halpen, yetseeking to come no nearer the boy. "But you cannot hope to stand beforehis Majesty's officers--though some of you vagabond Whigs have becomebold of late. Know ye that I bear authority from the loyal governor ofhis Majesty's Colony of New York, to turn you off this land, which ismine and has been mine for these six years."
"And I have told you that you cannot come here and drive us off, for weshall fight ye!" declared Enoch, his anger rising. "And what be more,Master Halpen, though ye might succeed in driving us off, ye could nothold this land. It is too near Bennington, and ye know well what sort ofmen Bennington folk are, and what they would do to you."
At this reminder of his former embarrassment, when caught by theneighbors and "viewed," Simon Halpen flew into a towering rage. He shookhis rifle in the air as he berated the fearless youth. "Have a care withthat gun, Master Halpen," said Enoch, "for it might go off by accident.And if such a thing should happen I would shoot you down--'deed and Iwould!"
This warning cooled the man's ardor somewhat. For a full minute he stoodsilent eyeing Enoch from under his shaggy brows. "Would you dare floutme to my face?" he demanded.
"I dare keep my rights here, Master Halpen, as my father did before me,"said Enoch, his voice trembling for the first time. And at the mentionof the dead and gone Jonas Harding more than Enoch were moved. Halpen'smanner changed; his face paled perceptibly; the fire died out of hiseyes and his nose no longer glowed. He dropped his head and half turnedas though to leave the spot.
But suddenly one of his retainers stepped forward and whispered in hisear. The whisper brought the leader to his old mind. His head came upand he flashed a look of bitter hatred at Enoch. He nodded to the manwho had spoken and instantly the three armed retainers began to quietlyspread out as though to surround the house. "I'll parley no longer withyou, my lad," Halpen said, shortly. "This land is mine and you arenaught but squatters on it. And as such you shall be put off, or my nameis not Simon Halpen!"
Quick as thought Enoch darted backward to the house, for he had notedthe action of the three men. "It is fighting you want, then, MasterHalpen?" cried the boy, shrilly. "And you will get bullets instead offair words if you press us--now I tell ye that! This is our home and weshall fight for it."
"Stop the young rascal!" roared Halpen, raising his gun now in earnest,when he saw that Enoch no longer had him "covered." But the boy dodgedinto the house and slammed to the heavy door. As he did so a bulletburied itself in the door frame. Halpen had actually fired.
The widow herself dropped the bars into place, for she had come out ofher chamber and heard the conversation between her son and the Yorker.Now Enoch ran to one of the loopholes from which he could observe themovements of the man who had shot at him in so cowardly a manner. He sawthat the surveyor, who had thus far kept in the background, wasexpostulating with the angry man. He could not hear what they said, butit was evident that the surveyor was a man of some conscience and couldnot see such murderous actions without striving to put Halpen in bettermind. But the latter shook him off in rage and loaded his gun again. Thehouse was now surrounded by the four armed men and the threeunderstrappers were only waiting Halpen's command to fire.
"Shall I shoot him? shall I shoot him?" cried Bryce, from the loft.
"Hold your fire!" commanded Enoch. "You may have blood on your handsyet, if you be not careful."
"But he fired at you."
"And a poor job he made of it. We will not fire unless we are forcedto."
His mother said never a word. She went into her chamber again and withthe girls and little Harry crouched upon the bed. But she glancedfrequently from the loophole to observe the movements of the Yorker uponthat side of the clearing.
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br /> By and by Halpen raised his voice and addressed the besieged. "Open thedoor and come out, or we will batter it down. And it will go hard withyou then, I warrant! If you give up the place peaceably you may cartaway your household stuff and the cattle and hogs. I'll not be too hardon you."
"If you come near this door I will send a bullet through your blackheart!" was Enoch's reply, poking the muzzle of his rifle through theloophole beside which he stood.
The widow came running from the chamber. "Enoch! Enoch!" she cried, inhorror. "Would you kill him?"
"He killed my father!" cried the boy, before he thought what explanationof his secret suspicions that remark might necessitate.
"The child is mad!" she murmured, after staring at him a full minute."You do not know what you say, Enoch. Master Halpen had naught to dowith your poor father's death."
But Enoch had not to reply. A cry came from Bryce in the loft. "Look atthat! Look at that!" he shouted, with excitement. "I just will shoothim!"
And then his old musket spoke. There was a yell from without. Enochthought Simon Halpen himself had been shot, but the Yorker only ranaround the end of the cabin to where one of his men stood howling like awolf, and holding on to his swinging arm.
"I've broke his arm!" declared Bryce, proudly, coming to the head of theladder. "He was flinging blazing clods on the roof."
"What shall we do?" gasped the mother. "My boys will be murderers."
"I'll kill them all before they'll harm you, mother," declared youngBryce, very proud indeed that he had hit the mark, but secretlydelighted as well that he had done the villainous Yorker no seriousdamage.
But the moment after, he shrieked aloud and came again to the top of theladder. His face was blanched. "Oh, oh! they've done it--they've doneit!" he cried. "The roof is afire. Don't you smell it?"
Enoch could not believe that this horror was true until he had run up tothe loft. The red flames were already showing at the edge of the housewall, and the crackling without told him that the bark and binders ofthe roof were burning fiercely. "Tear it off!" he shouted, and droppinghis rifle he seized a length of sawed scantling which his father hadbrought from the mill, and began to break up the burning roof and castit off. But as it fell to the ground against the house, soon the logsoutside were afire. The dwelling was indeed imperiled.
"Come out! come out!" shouted Simon Halpen's voice. "The hut will burnto the ground an' ye'll burn with it. Ye'll go to Albany jail for this,every last one of ye!"
"Let me shoot him, mother!" cried Bryce, doubly excited now. "He'llnever take you to jail."
"Come down from the loft, Bryce," the widow commanded, calmly. "Nothingcan save the cabin now."
The children were crying with fear. The red flames began to lick theedges of the shutters and the door frame was afire. If they escaped theymust pass through a wall of flame. The men outside, frightened by theresult of their awful act, were shouting orders and berating each othermadly. Yet none dared come too near, for they feared the guns of thedefenders of the homestead. Enoch for the moment completely lost hishead and stood as one daft.
But his mother was not so. Swiftly did she sweep aside the ashes on thehearth. Then of her own exertions she lifted on its edge the flat stonewhich covered the underground apartment. There was the ladder the boyshad made leading down into the cool depths. "Down with you--all!" shecommanded, seizing little Harry first and thrusting his feet upon theladder.
"Oh, we'll smother down there, mother!" cried Kate.
"Nonsense!" exclaimed the widow, yet with shaking voice. "Do you thinkmother would tell you to do anything that would hurt you?"
But though she encouraged them to descend, in her own mind she wassimply choosing the lesser of two terrible evils. The girls and Harrydescended quickly; but she had to fairly force Bryce down. He wanted tostay and fight, and he clung to the old musket desperately. Although thetears were running down his face, he was made of the stuff which holdsthe soldier, though frightened, to his post.
"Go down yourself, mother," Enoch said, recovering his presence of mindand speaking calmly now. "I will follow you and drop the stone intoplace. But first I want to look out----"
He ran to the loophole, through which the smoke was now pouring. Butafter a moment there was a break in the cloud and he saw the group offrightened Yorkers plainly. They stood not many rods away and poking hisrifle through the hole, he aimed at the villainous Halpen and, pullingthe trigger, ran back to the hearth before the echo of the shot diedaway. Down the ladder he darted, dropping the heavy hearthstone intoplace, and leaving the cabin which for so many years had been theirhome, to be consumed above their heads. But his heart sank when he foundhow closely the six packed the tiny room and realized how little airreached them down here in the earth.
With Ethan Allen at Ticonderoga Page 11