Defending the Island: A story of Bar Harbor in 1758

by James Otis

  Produced by Zechariah Stover (ZechariahStover.com)

  Defending the Island.

  [Frontispiece: Friend or enemy? (see Chapter III.)]

  DEFENDING THE ISLAND A STORY OF BAR HARBOR IN 1758 BY JAMES OTIS

  Boston DANA ESTES & COMPANY PUBLISHERS

  _Copyright, 1904_ BY DANA ESTES & COMPANY _All rights reserved_

  CONTENTS I. THE ISLAND II. THE FIRST ASSAULT III. A DAY OF SUSPENSE IV. AN ATTACK V. FIRE VI. THE WRECK

  LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

  Friend or enemy? (See Chapter III.) _Frontispiece_ "'Indians skulking on the harbor island!'" "The stout-hearted girl set about the task" "Susan stood guard at the gateway" "The children had improvised platforms" "Mark saw a canoe put off from the Harbor Island" "'You shall not have the smallest chicken inside this stockade!'" "'Look! Look! A vessel!'" "He returned with a heavy log" "'Do you refuse to surrender?'" "An instant later the entire party was in retreat" "Susan's arm was being rebandaged" "He reentered the house with a bucket two-thirds full of muddy water" "Again the crash of thunder drowned all sounds" "The next knowledge was that the women were trying to nurse him back to life" "He gazed at the struggling wretches on the bottom of the wreck"

  Defending the island.

  CHAPTER I

  THE ISLAND

  In the year of grace 1758 there were two families living on thatisland which we of to-day call Mount Desert; but Champlain namedMons Deserts, because its thirteen high, rugged mountains could beseen from the seaward a distance of twenty leagues, making it thefirst landmark of the coast for seamen.

  It is said, by those gentlemen who write down historical facts forus young people to study, that the "savages were much attached tothe island; for in the mountains they hunted bears, wildcats,raccoons, foxes, and fowls; in the marshes and natural meadows,beaver, otter and musquash; and in the waters they took fin andshellfish."

  Now in the proper kind of a story there should be nothing whichsavors of school-book study, and yet, before telling how thechildren of these two families defended the island in 1758, it seemsmuch as if the reader would have a better idea of all that was done,if he or she knew just a few facts concerning those who lived onMount Desert before Stephen Pemberton and Silas Harding took theretheir wives and children to build for themselves homes.

  It is said, by those who busy themselves with finding out about suchthings, that in the year 1605 Champlain stopped at the island andnamed it; but not until four years later did any white people visitthe place. Then two Jesuit missionaries, who had been living at PortRoyal, under the protection of Monsieur Biencourt, went to MountDesert with the hope of converting the Indians to Christianity.

  How long these good men lived there, no one seems to know; but it iscertain that they went back to Port Royal quite soon, because, inthe year 1613, a Frenchman, by the name of La Suassaye, the agent ofMadame de Guercheville, a very rich and religious lady, visited PortRoyal, and persuaded the missionaries to return to Mount Desert, incompany with several French colonists.

  An Englishman by the name of Argall, who had come across the oceanto drive away the French people from North America, in order to takepossession of the country in the name of his king, found thesettlers while they were yet living in tents, not having had time tobuild houses. He robbed them of all their goods, afterward sendingthem adrift in an open boat, to make certain they wouldn't encroachon the land to which he believed they had no claim.

  The French people, after suffering severely, contrived to gain themainland, however, and before many months had passed returned toMount Desert, where they formed a settlement, which did not survivethe encroachments of the Indians, as is known from the fact thatwhen, in 1704, the great Indian fighter from Massachusetts, MajorBenjamin Church, rendezvoused at Mount Desert, before attacking theBaron de Castine on Penobscot Bay, he found no person living there.

  In 1746 Stephen Pemberton and Silas Harding, with their wives, whowere sisters, and their children, emigrated from England to Acadia,in Nova Scotia, hoping there to make better homes for themselves andtheir little ones than could be had in their native land. Then camethe quarrels between the French and English, until Acadia was not avery pleasant land in which to live, and these two settlersdetermined to find an abiding-place where they might not beliterally overrun by the soldiers of two armies.

  Therefore it was that they built a small vessel, in which they couldcarry all their household belongings, including two cows, three orfour pigs, and a flock of chickens, and started on a voyage that didnot come to an end until they were arrived at the island of MountDesert, near the mouth of what is now known as Duck Brook, within ashort distance of the present town of Bar Harbor.

  There the men built two small houses of logs, enclosed by apalisade, which is a high fence formed by driving stakes into theground, for protection against the Indians, whom they had everyreason to fear.

  Here the two families lived in peace and comparative comfort untilthe year 1758, and then there were children in plenty.

  Stephen Pemberton had in his family Mark, who was fifteen years old;Luke, two years younger; Mary, aged eleven and John, a stout lad ofeight years.

  Silas Harding's children were Susan, who was fourteen years old;Mary, four years younger, and James, who had lived seven years onMount Desert without having seen ten white people, save thosebelonging to his own and Uncle Stephen Pemberton's family.

  Now after so many words which have not been strung together in avery entertaining fashion, it is time to begin the story of what wasdone by these children, with, as a matter of course, some assistancefrom their mothers.

  Each summer, just before the work of harvesting should be begun, thetwo men went out in the boat which had brought them from Acadia, tocatch fish enough for the winter's supply, and on this year they setoff early in September, with never a thought that any danger mightmenace their dear ones after so many years of peace and comparativeprosperity.

  The children had work in plenty to keep them from idleness duringthe week of ten days their fathers might be absent, and no soonerhad the little vessel sailed out of the harbor than they set abouttheir several tasks in order that all the labor might be performedby the time the fishermen returned.

  Mark and Luke were engaged in setting up the flakes, or framework,on which the fish were to be dried, and this labor was performednear the shore of the harbor quite beyond sight of the homesteadswith the high palisade, which last hid from view all save the roofsof the buildings.

  The _Future Hopes_, which was the name of the small vessel belongingto the settlers, had left her moorings when the first gray light ofthe coming day could be seen stealing over the waters, and while shewas yet close in-shore the two lads set about building the flakes,counting on completing the task within three days, and to that endworking so industriously as to give little or no heed to what mightbe passing around them.

  Therefore it was that they failed to see a canoe, in which were fiveIndians, come swiftly up from the southward, past what is now knownas Pulpit Rock, and sail straight for the island at the mouth of theharbor, which the people of to-day call Bar Island.

  Here the frail craft was hidden from view of the boys, and when halfan hour or more had gone by, another canoe, this one carrying sixmen, executed the same maneuver.

  Five minutes later a third craft appeared, but just as she came inview past the rock, Luke stood erect to drive in one of the stakes,and, therefore, saw the strangers as they were evidently trying tosteal by without being seen.

  More than once since Luke could remember had Mount Desert beenvisited by red men of the Abenakis tribe; but the visitors hadalway
s approached boldly, like friends, and this skulking from rockto island seemed much like a show of enmity.

  Certain it is that the lad was alarmed, but he understood, from whathis father had said many times, that it was not wise to let theIndians know of his fear, and, continuing at the labor, he said, ina low tone, to Mark:

  "Don't raise your head, nor look around. A canoe filled withAbenakis has sneaked in behind the harbor island; can it be mischiefis intended?"

  "They may be after rock-cod, and count on coming ashore later," Markreplied, continuing his work in such a fashion that he could lookseaward without seeming to do so.

  At this moment the occupants of the last canoe were moving aroundthe point of the island, as if to gain a position where a full viewof the buildings might be had, for there could be no possibility thevisitors were engaged in fishing, of any other such peaceful pursuit.

  "There's trouble of some kind, and it's for us to find out what,"Mark said, in a whisper. "There must have been other canoes than theone you saw, for I have already counted eleven men on the island,and they could not all have come in a single boat."

  The boys had had no experience, fortunately for them, in Indianwarfare, but they had heard enough from their parents to be fullyalive to the possibilities, and after a few moments, during whichtime fear had held them speechless, Mark said, in a low tone,although there was no chance the enemy could have heard him:

  "We must get over to the house without seeming to be running away.You start first, and when you go through the gate, call out thatmother wants to see me."

  Luke obeyed leisurely, although his heart was beating so loudly andheavily that it seemed as if it could be heard a long distance away,and, arriving at the palisade, he summoned his brother, as had beenproposed.

  Then it was that Mark was at liberty to leave his work, and heanswered the summons more quickly, perhaps, than ever before in hislife.

  Mistress Pemberton was busily engaged inside the house, and theother two children were in a small garden directly in the rear ofthe building, therefore the boys were able to impart thedisagreeable tidings without alarming those who could be of littleor no assistance.

  "Indians skulking on the harbor island!" the good woman exclaimed,when Mark had hurriedly told his story and her face paled as thelads had never seen it before.

  "And they have chanced to come on the very day our father wentfishing!" Luke cried.

  "It wasn't chance that brought them, my son. Unless coming for someevil purpose, they would have landed boldly, as they have done somany times. It must be that the painted wretches have been watchingto learn when your father and uncle left the island! Ask your auntand Susan to come over her; the other children need not be tolduntil it is no longer possible to hold them in ignorance of what maybe done."

  Luke ran swiftly to the house, which stood hardly more than fiftyfeet away, and in a twinkling Mistress Harding and her daughterSusan were where they could hear what, to settlers in theirsituation, was the worst possible news.

  "Indians skulking on the harbor island!"]

  Women who did their share in conquering the wilderness were notcowardly, even though they might turn pale with apprehension whenthe first note of danger was sounded, and there two, knowing it wasuseless to expect aid from the outside, lost no time in planning adefence.

  The palisade was weak in many places; more than one of the timbershad decayed and fallen, for while the Indians from the near-bymainland were friendly disposed, there seemed to be no good reasonwhy time and labor should be expended upon a means of defence whichmight never be needed, and at this moment both the women bethoughtthemselves of such fact.

  "There may be time in which to strengthen the fence," MistressHarding suggested, and Mark, who considered himself as well-nighbeing a man grown, took the part of leader by saying, stoutly:

  "In can be done, aunt. Luke and I will get the timbers, and theother children shall drag them out of the woods, coming into theenclosure near the spring where the Indians cannot see them."

  "But surely we can do something to help the work along," his mothersaid, quickly.

  "So you shall. We must know what the Indians are about, and you twocan take one of the small boys down near the shore. Stay there as ifbent on pleasuring, and, without seeming to do so, keep a sharpwatch on the harbor island. I will look after the rest."

  Boys who lived on the frontier in 1758 were accustomed to doing thework of men, and very seldom was one found to be a coward.

  Now that danger in its most frightful form menaced, Mark Pembertonunderstood that he must stand in the place of his father and uncle.And there was no disposition on his part to shirk theresponsibility. He knew full well that there was no hope thefishermen would return for at least a full week, therefore he mustwork unaided, save as the women and other children might be able tohelp him.

  The axes were near at hand; Mary Pemberton and Ellen Harding weresummoned from the garden, and the two younger boys sent with theirmothers to the shore.

  As the five young people went into the thicket, which had been leftstanding in the rear of the dwellings that it might serve to breakthe force of the north winds in the winter, the younger girlslearned of the painted peril on the harbor island, and Markexplained his plan of defence, so far as he had formed one.

  The two boys set about their task feverishly, knowing that everymoment was precious, for no one could say when the attack might bemade; the only matter certain in the minds of all was that theIndians had come bent on mischief, otherwise there would have beenno skulking on the island.

  The palisade, as originally built, stood six feet above the surfaceof the land, and the posts were driven a good four feet into theground, therefore large timbers were necessary, and perhaps Mark wasthe only member of the party who realized that when the work ofdriving the logs in place was begun, the enemy would have a verygood idea of what was being done.

  The skulkers on the island must, as a matter of course, know thatthey were discovered, and their purpose suspected, otherwise thedefences would not be in process of strengthening when the boysshould have been making ready for the curing of such fish as thefishermen might bring in.

  Then was the moment when, possibly, the attack would be made, andall preparations for resistance concluded before the first blow wasstruck on the palisade.

  "There will be a moon to-night," Susan Harding said, quietly, andMark knew she was thinking of what might be expected after the sunhad set, therefore he replied, to encourage her:

  "Ay, Sue, the painted villains can't come across without showingthemselves for some time before gaining the beach, and Luke and Ishould be able to warm their hides a bit."

  "I can shoot as well as you."

  "So you can, Sue and the worst part of it is that you must do yourshare of the work."

  "Will you watch on the shore for them to-night?"

  "I think so. Luke and I can be there, while the rest of you areinside."

  "I shall go with you," and the girl spoke as if demanding a part insome scheme of pleasure.

  "Perhaps you can; we'll see what the plan shall be when night comes.The fence may not be in shape then, and I'm hoping the Indians willhold off for a darker night. That's about the only chance we've gotto save ourselves from being killed, or carried prisoners to Canada."

  "If they had landed on this island, they might have crept up withoutour suspecting anything," Susan suggested, and Mark literallytrembled with fear, for thought came to his mind that possiblyanother body of savages was on Mount Desert, counting on coming upthrough the thicket when the attack was begun.

  However, as he said to himself a moment later, after strugglingmanfully against this new fear which assailed him, that was a matterwhich could not be guarded against, other than as the generaldefences were strengthened, and it stood him in hand to think ofwork rather than all which might happen.

  "Remember, I'm to take my place with you and Luke," Susan insisted,and the lad, knowing she could be depended upon to use a
musketnearly as well as himself, replied:

  "So you shall, Sue; I promise to call on you as I would on Luke.Here is the first timber," he added, as he struck the finishingblows to the sharpened end of the log. "Drag it inside to theweakest place in the fence, and take good care that you don't gowhere any one on the harbor island can see you."

  Aided by Mary and Ellen, the stout-hearted girl set about the taskof carrying the heavy log, since that would be the quickest methodof getting it into place, and the boys plied their axes yet morevigorously in order to have another timber in readiness when thecarriers returned.

  The stout-hearted girl set about the task.]

  "Take nothing smaller than six inches through the butt, and we'lldrive the tapering end into the ground," Mark cried, cheerily, as heselected a second tree, and Luke had but just finished hewing hislog when the girls came for another load.

  "I ran down to talk with mother and aunt," Susan said, speaking withdifficulty because of her heavy breathing. "They have seen only oneIndian, who lies behind the big rock keeping watch, and he isSewattis, who came here for potatoes last winter."

  "And we gave him all he could carry away!" Mark exclaimed bitterly."Now he has come to try and murder us because we have ever been hisgood friends."

  "Is there any war on the mainland?" Susan asked.

  "The captain of the last fishing-vessel father boarded told him thatan attack had been made by the French and Indians on the fort at St.George last month, so I suppose England and France are stillfighting. If the two kings could be in our places just now, I reckonthere'd be an end of the war before nightfall."

  "It isn't three months since Master Peabody and his wife were killedon Arrowsick Island, and the six children carried into Canada,"Luke suggested, grimly, and Mark cried, peremptorily:

  "Don't be digging up every horrible thing you can remember, for itwon't improve our courage, and we're like to need all we've gotbetween now and sunset. Here's another timber, Sue. Before you comeback again, get some idea of how many we're needing to put the fencein shape."

  Luke would have talked of the murders which had been reported to thesettlers of the island by the fishermen, who were spoken from timeto time; but Mark bade him keep at his chopping, and in silence thetwo worked until Susan, after an unusually long absence, returned.

  "There are seventeen logs missing," she reported, "and two morewhich are decayed so badly that they should be replaced. I walkedslowly around the fence, and tried every one, to make certain itstood firm."

  "We should be able to cut that number and get them in place beforethe afternoon is very old," Mark replied, as he swung his axe yetmore vigorously. "Did you go down to the shore?"

  "Yes, and everything there is as it was before. Your mother thinksit is a wicked waste of time for both to stay on guard, when itwould be possible for them to do so much toward helping in gettingout the timbers."

  "The moment will soon come when she can lend a hand, but just nowshe is doing more good by staying where she is, for while those twoare idle the Indians will not suspect that we are strengthening ourdefences. The other boys might help in dragging the logs down, Sue,for we've got five or six ready."

  "Mary and I, with Ellen to steady them through the bushes, can sooncatch up with you, and the boys would be more bother than good,"Susan replied, as she raised one end of a heavy timber.

  During the next hour the five young people worked as industriouslyas their elders could have done, and then Susan announced that hermother was intending to make ready the noonday meal, for it was inthe highest degree necessary that those who were laboring soenergetically, and who would be called upon, perhaps, to spend thenight in watching, should have an ample supply of food.

  The boys ate dinner as they worked, Ellen bringing it out to them,and, while Mistress Harding cooked for both families, MistressPemberton remained on guard.

  During all that time very little had been learned regarding thesavages. Now and then a painted face had been seen momentarily frombehind one of the rocks on the harbor island; but nothing more, andthe defenders of the stockade had no means of knowing when theattack might be expected.

  It was about two hours past noon when the boys had cut the necessarynumber of timbers, and now was come the time when the enemy wouldget an inkling that the settlers were making ready to defendthemselves.

  "You can't help us very much, Sue, when we are driving the postsinto place," Mark said. "Leave Ellen here, while you overhaul ourmuskets. See to it that each one is loaded, and where we can get atit readily. After that has been done, you had best stand by thegateway to give the work if any move is made by the villains."

  Then the boys began the task of setting the timbers in place,fearing each instant to hear the word that the savages were crossingover from the small island.

  When the third timber had been driven in place, Mark said, grimly,as he raised another stick to fit it into the palisade:

  "If they come now, we shall be in a bad scrape; but in case they arefoolish enough to wait until after dark, I reckon we can give a goodaccount of ourselves."

  In order to drive the logs sufficiently deep into the earth, toprevent the possibility of their being pulled out by the foe, it wasnecessary for one of the boys to stand on an up-ended cask, andwhile in suck position a view of the tiny island at the mouth of theharbor could readily be had.

  It was Mark who swung the heavy wooden maul, or mallet, and hestrove to keep his eyes fixed upon that point of land behind whichhe knew the Indians lurked.

  To his great relief, no change was apparent in the position of theenemy, although those in hiding must have known what was being done,and the boys worked unmolested.

  After she had make ready the muskets for immediate use, Susanstationed herself at the gateway of the palisade, with a weaponleaning against the logs on the inside, watching intently, and afterhalf an hour had passed Mark called to her:

  "There's little chance now that they'll begin the mischief beforedark, if the noise of our pounding hasn't started them. Mother andaunt may come back here and do some more cooking, for once theAbenakis begin work we shall need to have all hands on duty. You cankeep an eye on the island from where you are."

  Susan stood guard at the gateway.]

  This change was welcomed by the women, who came up from the shorequickly, stopping at the palisade to see how the lads were gettingalong, when Mistress Pemberton said to Mark:

  "I have been thinking that we had better gather in one of thebuildings which can be barricaded on the inside, instead of tryingto occupy both."

  "It's a good idea, mother dear, and while you're making the changes,see to it that we have plenty of water in the house."

  "What about the cows?"

  "We can't take the chances of going after them, for no one can saythat there are not more Indians hidden in the woods. If the beastscome home, we'll have a mess of milk to help out on the supplies."

  Now it was that every member of the two families was activelyengaged, while Susan stood guard at the gateway.

  The Harding house was stripped of everything which could be readilymoved, and the rude furniture served admirably as a barricade forthe windows and one door of the Pemberton dwelling.

  The sun had not set when Mark had put the palisade into the bestcondition possible with the materials at his command, and then,after cautioning Susan to keep her eyes open very wide, the two boysbegan making loopholes in the house which was to shelter bothfamilies. This last was being done, as Mark explained to his mother,that they might have a final place of refuge in case the Indianssucceeded in scaling the palisade.