CHAPTER XX
There was no lack of volunteers to convey Colonel Clark's dispatches toVirginia. More than half of the men it appeared were anxious to returnto their homes at the expiration of their term of enlistment. In thatcase, but a handful of us would be left, after October, to hold thethree forts, and keep down the Indians. Colonel Clark resorted toentreaties and promises, and at last induced about three hundred of themen to consent to reenlist for six months more. Thirty-five weredetermined to go, and even the prospect of being rewarded, by thegratitude of Virginia, with royal land grants in the new territory,could not keep them longer.
"If Virginia did not choose to send recruits to hold the territory, wehad won for her," they argued, "she deserved to lose it. Meantime theirown families might be suffering privation or danger, and their own landsbe lapsing again into the state of wilderness from which they had solately rescued them. They could risk no more, sacrifice no further--noteven for Virginia." One was forced to admit there was reason in theirexcuses.
Thomas, to my small surprise, was one of those who could not bepersuaded to remain. Clark asked me to remonstrate with him, and I didso but without success.
"I've nothing to stay for," he answered; "Ellen rejects my love, and itis only what I deserve for my stubborn following of my own will, and mydisrespect to my mother. Since neither Ellen's death nor her misery liesat our door; since she has reached a safe and pleasant harborage amongpeople of her own religion, and can take her choice between a nunnery inQuebec, or a husband--who may be either military hero, or FrenchCatholic as she will--I feel that my responsibility is ended. I shall gohome, Donald, beg my parents' pardon, renew my vows, and resume the workto which I was called, and upon which I wickedly turned my back topursue a foolish course."
"I cannot understand your feelings, Thomas," I replied, out of patiencewith what sounded to me like spiteful cant; "you joined our expeditionwith two specific objects in view:--to regain your lost health, andpossibly find trace of Ellen. You have accomplished both objects;besides, have done your share toward our fortunate achievement. Toabandon us now, before our success is permanently assured, and Ellensafely settled, seems to me to be an act of childishness."
"Yours, Donald, is the soldier's point of view, and I cannot complain ofyour disapproval. I see it all differently, however. It was wrong of meto come, in the first place, with the motives that brought me; the onlyreparation I can make is to go back as soon as possible, confess humbly,and reconsecrate to God and duty all my future life."
I said no more, for I saw Thomas' will was set; his present state ofmind was as unreasonable as that I had found him in eight months before.There are men to whom a medium course is not possible--they are bornfanatics; Thomas was one of these, but, in justice to him, I must addhere, that he grew saner as he grew older, and that, with the coming ofmaturity, what fanaticism was left took the form of humble service inGod's name, to his fellow men.
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Colonel Clark's force now numbered barely a hundred men, includingofficers. A score were left at Cahokia; the rest were with him atKaskaskia. It seemed wise to preserve a show of strength at both places,since Indian deputations were coming to one or the other of the twoforts, all through the fall, to tender to Colonel Clark the allegianceor submission of their tribes. Being but half a day's march apart, ourforce could quickly be massed at either of these points.
Captain Helm, backed chiefly by his high sounding title of"Governor-general of Indian Affairs on the Wabash," with a garrison offive, held Vincennes! Should an English force march against it therewould be no chance for defense; for that reason, that Vincennes might bestrongly garrisoned, it seemed imperative for us to have speedyreenforcements from Virginia. It was from Vincennes that Colonel Clarkwas planning to advance on Detroit, but I had never any hope ofsufficient reenforcements to make such advance feasible, even in Clark'sdaring estimation, so gave myself no anxiety as to that rash project.
A rumor that Vincennes had been taken by the British reached us aboutthe middle of December, but a few weeks after the thirty-six haddeparted for Virginia. The rumor lacked confirmation, however, andColonel Clark eagerly awaited the confidently expected reenforcements.
After the cold autumn rains set in, visits from the Indian tribes wereless frequent, and presently with the coming of winter they ceased. Thearrival on Christmas eve, therefore, of a large deputation of muchbefeathered warriors, and their chief, caused some excitement,--the moreso as they were reported to be Miamis from Lake Michigan. This tribe sofar had held aloof from us, and was said to be faithful to the English.They demanded an interview with the white chief, Long-Knife, and askedthat he bring only his most trusted warriors to the council chamber,since they had secret matters of weight and importance to discuss.
Colonel Clark summoned his officers, and five others, and the conferencebegan in the large room of the fort--where Clark and I had indulged inour sword play some days before. The chief was, I thought, not pastmiddle age, though it is difficult to guess the age of a redskin. He hada countenance of unusual cruelty and subtlety. His tall frame waspowerfully built, and his tongue was both eloquent and cunning.
"Long-Knife and his warriors had come," he said, "as strangers to theland of the Algonquins; they had come to bid the great tribes of the redmen, whose fathers had owned the plains washed by the fresh seas, andthe great Father-of-Waters, from the beginning, to declare war againsttheir powerful English father, who had given them their guns, and hadprotected them against their hereditary enemies, the Hurons and theIroquois. It was said that the warriors of the white chief, Big-Knife,were about to conquer the warriors of the great English father, but werewilling to protect the Miamis, and to leave them in peaceful possessionof their lands. He and his braves had come to ask if these things weretrue, and if the Big-Knives sought peace and friendship with the tribesof the Miami."
Colonel Clark responded in his usual way, mixing adroitly with hisparade of cool arrogance, and entire indifference, a tone of graciouscondescension. "The Miamis might choose for themselves; he had noquarrel with the red man--did they wish the redoubtable warriors ofLong-Knife, and the great and war-like nation they came from, on theshore of the eastern ocean, for their friends and brothers--did theywish, as so many of their brethren had done, to make alliance with us,it would be well with them, but we were used to war and liked it--if theMiamis preferred war--good; it was theirs to choose. But they mustdecide once for all, and war once begun the Long-Knives would not be thefirst to sue for peace."
A long silence followed Clark's speech, during which the Indians gazedfixedly before them, while the air grew dense with the strong tobaccosmoke they exhaled, in great deliberate puffs. We also smoked stolidlyon; and the chief's face was not more a mask than Clark's. In the midstof this silent ring of grim smokers--as an angelic apparition floatsinto the vision of a dream--glided Ellen. She came to my side withsmiling countenance, on which was no other expression than that of idlecuriosity, gazed calmly into the hideous faces of the savages, andpointing to the crimson aigrette among the head feathers of one, and theblack heron quills worn by another asked me in English to buy them forher. Then without changing her expression, or looking again at me, shelowered her tones to a whisper, and scarcely moved her lips in saying,
"When I go out--wait--then follow," and even while she spoke thus, shewas making gestures of admiration over the Indian's ornaments,continuing to do so, and to comment upon them to us, as a child might.
Presently the chief began again to speak. Ellen listened gravely for afew moments, shook her head, smiled, and passed out. In doing so shewalked behind Clark, and uttered a whisper like a sigh. "Beware! Be onyour guard!"
Clark gave no sign to indicate that she had spoken, and after lingeringat the door for a moment, Ellen went out, and we heard her singinggayly, on her way back to the town.
But for her words to me, I should have thought, as evidently the Indiansdid, that she had wandered into the cou
ncil chamber, prompted by idlecuriosity alone, and finding small amusement there, had wandered outagain. The free customs among their own squaws, in regard to theircomings and goings, made the incident seem natural to the Indians.
A meaning look from Clark, the barest glance of significance, made knownto me that he too had been spoken to, and was on the watch for somethingunusual. Ellen was not found until I had gone all the way to her house,where she was walking the floor in the greatest excitement, awaiting myarrival.
"Cousin Donald," she whispered, as if the walls had really ears,--"thefort is surrounded by armed savages, they are lurking in the bushes andin the chimney corners, crouching under the steps, and behindtrees--they are everywhere. Without doubt they await the signal for anattack; meantime the soldiers are scattered about the village, and tenwent this morning, as you know, to carry the powder to Cahokia."
"We must take measures at once to collect the men. You have alreadywarned Colonel Clark?"
"Yes; and I have sent Angelique to seek every soldier she can findloitering about the village, and to bid them all come here."
"Well done, Ellen! I shall muster them as quietly as possible and leadthem to the fort. Have you thought of anything else that should bedone?"
"M. Legere, who was walking on the bluff with me when I saw the Indians,with Colonel Clark's spy glass, has already started to Cahokia, mountedon the fleetest horse in the village. If only you can, by some strategy,delay the signal until the men from Cahokia can get here."
"They will, I imagine, wait for twilight. The savages seem to rely muchupon the aid of surprise and confusion. If Legere's horse is fleet, andthey have boats in readiness at Cahokia, reenforcements should reach usby midnight; but that will be too late, I fear. It will hardly bepossible to divert the Indians from their purpose so long. But, now thatwe are warned, we may find a way to outwit them."
Having disposed my men in the neighborhood of the fort, in a convenientclump of trees, I told them to wait in absolute silence for the sound ofmy turkey call within the fort and then to surround the council chamberwith a rush, making, as they did so, all the hideous noises possible.
The chief was still speaking when I returned to the council chamber, buthis manner and his words were less conciliatory and his warriors werescowling ominously.
"Let my friend, and brother chief, speak for the great American father,General Washington, since you profess to doubt my word," said ColonelClark, as, a moment later, the chief concluded his second wordy andpointless harangue. "Tell the chief, Captain McElroy, since you werepresent on the day it happened, how the warriors of Chief Washingtondefeated the warriors of the English father, on the great battlefieldwest of the Alleghanies, and how you took prisoners a whole tribe ofthem at Saratoga."
Stepping into the midst of the circle, I told them of the surrender ofSaratoga, vaunting much the courage of my tribe, and the war-like skillof our chiefs, and ending thus: "Before many more moons have waxed andwaned, the English will mount again their white winged birds, theirgreat ships, and sail back across the wide waters to their own land,leaving all this country subject to the great confederation of the whiteAmerican tribes. And when the English are gone, and our great chiefWashington shall march his armies against the still hostile Indians, woeto those who have refused our friendship! They shall be shaken as ripefruit from the boughs; scattered to the four corners of the earth, asfruit blossoms by the wind of an April storm."
The Indians listened to me at first with solemn stolidity, then began toutter low grunts of unbelief, or anger, and at last to exchange blacklooks, and to scowl at me threateningly. Still they smoked on; stillColonel Clark and his councilors smoked silently, paying no sort of heedto the angry demonstrations of the savages.
The sun set, meanwhile, and what with the fast-coming winter's twilightwithout, and the thick fog of smoke within, one could scarcely see thefaces about him well enough to distinguish white face from red, friendfrom foe.
As I sat down, the chief laid aside his pipe, with the utmostdeliberation, and rose to his feet, towering in the midst of hiswarriors, who closely copied all his expressions and actions. We rose,also, and the two half circles faced each other grimly, while the murkyredness of the sun's last rays cast a momentary lurid illumination overthe scene.
With a quick gesture the chief drew from his long robe of white bear'sskin two wampum belts--the peace and war belts--and flung them withhaughty and insulting air upon the table.
"There are two belts of wampum," he said, and the Indians crowded closerabout him; "you know what they mean. Choose which you will!"
There was awesome silence for a moment. For the second time in my life Iknew the feeling of subtle, unreasoning terror, such as must precede apanic; but again with a tremendous effort of will I controlled theimpulse, and looked calmly from one to another of the scowling, cruelfaces--watching, as beasts do, for a chance to spring.
Clark gave each a calm, undaunted stare, then fixed his deliberate,scornful gaze upon the chief, picked up the wampum belts on the point ofhis sword, took them in his right hand, and drawing himself to hisutmost height, flung them full into the face of the chief, as he said intones of contempt:
"Begone, ye dogs! Back to your squaws, and your beaver traps!"
Upon this instant I blew my turkey call, long, and shrilly. From withoutcame the sound as of a rushing multitude, mingled with yells, whoops,and howls. The Indians seemed suddenly cowed and gathered together in ahuddled group.
"We are trapped!" called the chief, and made a leap for the door,followed by the rest. The savages without were fleeing also. Clarkcalled out in loud and positive commands that they should be neitherkilled nor hindered.
"Let them run like the coward dogs they are," he said, "we care neitherto capture their living nor to bury their dead carcasses."
In the midst of the excitement, reenforcements arrived from Cahokia,Legere having met a squad on their way to Kaskaskia. Clark now stationedguards all around the fort and the town, and ordered that the soldiershold themselves in readiness to repulse a night attack. The Indiansloitered all night in the bushes about the fort, and we could hear themarguing hotly. When morning came, they sent in a deputation of three tosue for peace, after which they hastily departed.
I shall not now relate an incident which happened later that night whensome of the loitering Indians attempted to take terrible revenge onEllen, whose warning to Clark they afterwards suspected, and from whichit was my very good fortune to save her. Thus repaying twice over, sinceher life was twice as valuable as mine, the debt I owed her, and provingthat I counted my own naught, as weighed against her safety and herhonor.
Donald McElroy, Scotch Irishman Page 20