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^TM

—ov—

FRANK D. ROGERS.

IS97
THOUSAND ISLANDS PUBLISHING CO.,
CLAYTON. N. Y.

PlIBMSHED BV

FRANK O.ROGERS

CLAYTON, N, V.

FOLK-STORIES.

FULLY ILLUSTRATED

FROM DRAWINGS BY
ROBERT H. ROCERS, UNION '99.

•^g^^^

m
m

To the memory of
EDWARD C. ROGERS,
Whose untimely taking off by the very elements
he so much loved removes a brother and a
critic upon whose practical knowl-
edge of practical subjects the
author was wont to draw,
This work is affectionately dedicated.

CONTENTS.

Autobiography,

Preface,

Burial of Harry Millikin,
I'erry's Victory, (Old Song) -
The Dance at Johnny Beaver's, -
A Cannon Shotted With Gold Coin,
The Legend of Calumet Island,
Daniel Millikin, American, -
Wind and Weather Permitting,
Wars and Rumors of Wars,
Up the St. Lawrence, ITOG, -
Down the St. Lawrence, 1818,
Captivity of Mrs. Howe,
A Pioneer's Hardships, -
Folk-Storit^s, . . . -

Tliree 1 inks, -
A Bit of Topography, -
The French Settlers, -
Two Old-Fashioned Bovs,
The Last Haul,

- 11
14

- 17

- 23
25
31

- 42
54

- 63
71

- 132

- 138
■ 143

154
- 105

203

21G
218
22!)
260

FRANK D. ROGERS.

m^mi

&^.mm^.

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mmmm^mmmmmmmmmmmmm-^-

AUTOBIOGRAPHY.

TIk' sponsor for this little voliiiiii' has loiiff been a coii-
trihiitor to the leading- pci'iodicals alon^^ the lines of roiimnee
as well as dei'p thou«>hl. lUit his eontrihutioiis have been al-
most iiivarial)ly returned, when the return jtostafj^e was pre-
paid, aeeompaniod hy a printed note indieative of a wliolesale
business in declinations, "on the grounds that our eolunins
are not adapted to its publication, Imt as early as a meeting-
of the directors can be held the policy of our magazine will be
changed to meet the re(iuirenieiits of your pi-oduction. "

('level', but positively deceitful managing editors ! Thus
ever has budding genius been st'lled i)y sordid directors Avhose
interest in the uplifting of humanity is conlined to the office
elevator.

The author was born on the North i'rairie in the city of
Chicago. True, he lirst opened liis eyes a lunidred miles
westward from Lincoln Park, but the cor|toration lines have
been so often extended that it is believed the place of his birth
is at i)re,sent within the city limits. lie had barely attained
the age of live years than immediately the civil war broke out
with nil its atti'iulant carnage. Kven rd that tender age ho

AirToniOOUAl'HY,

was (letcrmined to enlist in hi.s country's causo, and in fact
was enrolled by a recruitinf; otticer. but was recalled by j aren-
tal restrictions. At six be was a successful pilot of runaway
slaves on the I'nderground Railway, much to the discomfiture
of the larfi;est slave-holders, who had i)Ut a price on his head.
At the age of ten years be removed to New York state bring-
ing with him his parents, whom he succeeded in giving a
good common school echication the following sunnner. At
fourteen he was yet undecided whether to i)ractice medicine,
be a blacksmith, join a circus, i>r run for congress. IIaj)ly the
la.st rash choice was averted by his choosing a mercantile ca-
reer, which he abandoned after l>reaking the linn by which he
was employed in a little less than si.v months. lie then
adopted journalism, Ixtught a newspaper which, however, an-
other sold, but not until he ha<l outdon(! Dr. 'I\;nii;'r's fast by
eleven days, not exactly as an exMci'inient but rather as a mat-
ter of necessity to which many editors uncomjtlainingly sub-
mit, the while writing menus for each day of the week. Later
he went on the road, but iinding expenses greater than the com-
bined sales and collections, he concluded to develop new tields,
and so took up life insurance. With his usu;;l a])tue.ss for
the new and noVL'l, be succeede I in writing one risk, extra
hazardous, uj)on himself and never caught another. Then he
started a magazine which a subscriber stoiiped becau.se he was
appointed receiver. Then and not till then did this great
government of jxditicians, by the lawyers, and for the spoils,
demand of our hero his immediate and undivided attention at
Washington. Thither he went to bolster uj) a frail and tottei'-
ing dynasty, lie had no sooner thrown himself into the
breach than congress convened ami laid out work for a suc-
ceeding congress by enacting new laws to be unmade at the
next session. After deciphering the hieroglyjdiics which con-

AlTOniOfJRArHV.

grcssinen aro pleased to call " writiu', " correcting their had
s[>ellinj^ and worse {jrainmar, he paralyzed the whole govern-
inental fabric hy resigning. " Not dead, but resigned, " they
said of him, and he was sought by many and pointed out as
(•ne who had the nerve to cut loose from governmental dugs
and face a blank and uncertain future upon his own resources.
After having been connected with so many defunct enter-
pris.'s it was but natural that he should give his attention to
an apprenticeship with an undertaker, one who laugh.s when
others are in dead earnest, and straightens out a patient after
the doctors give him up.

■ .fi..

PREFACE.

The niakiiifi; of a Ixtok is ai.'('(»iii|)lislu'(l in many ways.
In this ])arti('ular instance the last chapter was written tirst.
Tlien at odd times other cha|)t(Ms were written, and as the
work progressed it received something like systematic atten-
tion. The suhject- matter is one in which the writer has ever
taken a delightful intesest. It is a i)leasure to write of the
triumphs and ivc ord the trials constantly recurring in the sim-
ple atfairs of our forefathers wliose heroic endurance made and
saved our nation. They it was who made po.ssihle the as-
tounding progress of this nineteenth century.

The foundation of these stories of every day heroism is
mainly from the lii)s of a paternal grand-mother whoso simple
though impressive language kindled an atlmiration for a jieo-
ple who.se oftimes most heroic acts the historian has j)assed as
unworthy of record in the face of warlike deeds. That tho
privation and suti'ering, toil and condMt ])atiently home hy
the struggling pioneers, who in their unj)retentious ways si-
lently, and yet with irresistihle energy, [)aved the way to pros-
j)erity for successive generations, shall he the more keenly
realized may he after all th(> ]»uriK)se of putting a dress on these
Unpuhlished Folk-Stories of the Northern Border

To make the stories appear continuous the same charac-
ters have heen employed, and that Avith a care to their indi-
viduality in the incidents narrated. Inconsistencies of time
will he discovered hy keen readers who, noting the customs
portrayed, may discover the generation in which the matei'ial
facts sprang into existence.

Tho world is ^s}\\ to recognize the every -day heroism, on

PHKIACi:.

the lanu, in t!ic kitclK'ii or at tlic desk. Ncvortlielcss it is
there, iuul often the saeriliees ina<Ie in the daily (Hseharjje of
simple duty amounts to a heroism worthy tlie {leii of a lian-
eroft.

lUirns s;i\v poetry in a frij^htened mouse and a l)roken
daisy. A limping- hare altraeted liis sympathetic jten. Shak-
speare writ.'s of sheep-shearing- and frreenwood shades. Scott,
Myron and I'ope turn the l>iillianey of their genius upon the
tiaily all'airs of men and there is a revehitiou as of the electric
search-light. The Bible itself abounds in the daily heroism of
peoples of humble calling. Longfellow, iiryant, Whittier,
I'inierson, iiowell, and the whole galaxy of American stars are
not above the heroism f»f the humble walks of life. Ian Mae-
larcn has immortalized Logiealniond, the " Drumtoehy " of
his ski'tches, by his depictions of the homely Scotch life that
existed in that community years ago, and our own New Eng-
land life has latterly ri'ceived some attention on that line. Not
an old town in existence l)Ut would furnish abundant material
for tilt story writer after the historian, .scorning the preciou.s
dust and ore rich with pleasing memories, has departed witli
the nuggets.

Pictures of home life I I'aintings of the true-lien rted, hon-
est poor I (io read " Heside the Uonny Brier Bush :" go se<>
and hear Deiiman Thompson in "The Old Homestead, "' and
isay whether it is author and actor, or the |)ortrayal of the un-
sullied lives of a true people, unknown to deceit and guile,
that reaches the heart and starts the tear unbidden.

l'\)lk-Stories had their existence in fact. They are not
imagination or romance, but have a real existence in the un-
rei'orded annals of the American settlers of the St. l.,awrenee
Hiver and Lake Ontario regions, once popularly known as the
Hhiek Hiver eountrv.

Burial of Harry Millikin.

W'luMi the iippoiiitcd liour tor the fuiioral arrived tlic
lu'ijilihors and friends had ,uatlu'iv<l from the Nortli and South
shores, from the isUmds and points, antl from tlie settlement
recently founded at the hoad of tiie creek. The men were
grouped ahout the little clearing- in front of the cahin, and in-
side the womenfolk husied themselves at nothing, or sat list-
lessly holding their hands in their laps. In subdued tones
they discussed the incidents of the very few funerals they had
attended "hack east," and many an eye moistened and many
a hrcath .shorteneil as the thought of friends and associations
s?vcred hy death and separation was hrought the more vividly
to mind l>y the mournful surroundings. The minister, a good
old Presbyterian man, arrived on horseback a full hour late,
but the delay caused neither surprise nor vexatious comment,
for funerals were not conducted in a hurry nor with military
precision in those days. The cabin was about 12 feet l\v IB
inside, with front and rear doors opening into the principal
room on opposite sides. To the right of the front entrance
stood abed in a recess, its white valance of l>leached cotton at-
tracting much attention fur the richnes;^ of the decoration. Hlue

r.lUlAI. or lIAKIiY MII.r.IKIN.

caiiihi'if curtains, parted in the ('enter and tied l)aek with re<l
hraid eoni|)leto<l the arrangement, except a linen ctiverlid, out
of which tlie hedpdsts urew to th(> ceilin,u', and endin.u in a
cherry knoh. Next Ix'vond the recess was a narrow stairway,
and beyond that and takinji up the corner was tlie tiiorn in
the side of less favored housewives, a rejiular pantry with
shelves. The remainder of the house hi'low was at ont'c kitchen,
diniufs room and i)arlor, the lireplace and oven formin}^ a re-
spectahle aiuiex, and openinjj: conveniently into the side to the
left.

On a i)ine tahU' covered with an luilinished pieceof linen
lay the coftin, a crude alfair made hy old Hank Tuhbs, the
cooper. It was fashioned out (tf jiine hoards, rtith hut one an-
gle in the sides, and stained a dirty l)lack. 'i'he lid was cham-
fered with a plane so as to leave a streak of ii;.tural wood
around its edo-e. The handles oiui- were h]a( k, l»ut having
seen loni«- service on a tool chest thev could lav no claim to
the merit of newness. A few shavings had heeii strev.-n on the
bottom, by requ-st, a-; even that sli )\v of c jmfo-t was not cus-
tomary. The rough interior was not ivlieved I)y so much as
a bit of luce for it was believed thiit such " lixin's" wer(> not
only a waste of material but a downright sin :;s well. The
emaciated form of JIarry lay Hid ui)onhis br.ck, mouth open,
eyes stai'ing at the bare joist overhead, and h.sarms and hands
laid straight down his sides with the lingers spread in a con-
vulsive grasp. That the sight was one that would teri'ify the
most strong can not be denied, but it must be remembered
that the undertaker's art had not reached the ideal at that day.

The minister took a position at the head of tlu- colrin
whence ho issued orders earnestly and with the sternness of a
newly appointed brigadier-general. The few relatives, besides
the parents, tiled down from the garret and were seated about

lillMAI, or I1AI!I!Y MIl.r.IKIN.

the ooHin on planks supijortcd hy hlot-ks of wood. A rigid oh-
sci'Niincc of tlic order of rclationsliip was maintained, the
eonsins coiiiinj>' in last. indeed no little fr)niinotion and a
slifi'lit delay was eaiised hy a tliii'd cousin who unwittingly
seated herself in front of a .seeond eousin of her father.

The gr)f)d man read the most of Deuteronomy, then turned
hack to (lenesis and read and expounded foi' a good lialf hour.
'I'hen he started oil' on a long prayer which was of the most
liheral character, geographically speaking. He had pa.s.sed
Kurope, Asia, and the other continents, the government olH-
cinls, who were not nearly so much in nee<l of it as in later
years, and was excusing the failures of the Whigs, when a
clock, half as tall as a man, set up a most frightful striking.
At lir.st it .started oil' soherly to do hu.sine.ss in the regulation
manner, hut no sooner had it discharged tluit duty than it was
.seized with a frenzy for striking. It j)ouuded olf fifty and was
merrily hurrying along toward the hundred mark when the
good dominie, who had gradually raised his voice so as to l)e
heard ahove the whir and (datter of the j)resumptuous, not to
say irreligious timepiece, peremptorily shouted in sheer des-
peration :

"Stop the clock !'■

And then appealingly —

" Will some one stop the clock, please".'"

For a moment no movement was made in compliance.
Then Tim l"'agan sprang up, overturning a stool in his haste,
and .seizing the clock hy weights, hands and pendulum, as if
to choke it to death. rcstore<l (|uiet and the gocd man resume<l.
After till' man at the clock had kept his grip on the offender
f(»r what seemed to him almost an entire day. he gradually re-
leased his hold, hacked carefully away and sat down — on the
ll(M)r where his stool had been. The fall startled evervhodv,

IMtJlAI. or IIAIIKY MII.I.IKIN.

1111(1 all Itut stopjicl tlic i»n'ii('luT. The shock was transmitted
to the wall, tlienci' to tlic clock, which, with an oiniiious jii-owl
lu'<>an to announce the tli<i,ht <tftiiiie on the twenty-tour hour
system, and iinished the liiindredth stroke just as the exasper-
ated Tim wrenched it from its moorinji's and tlunj^ it hijihout
on the wood ])ile.

The prayer was followed hy some remarks, after which
tlie march to the \o}X schoolhouso was taken up. The coffin lid
which had heeu standing; apiinst the wall, a horrid silhouette
aji;ainst the wliitewashed sheathinu', was now fastened to its
place hy nails driven part way down so as to afi'ord easy with-
drawal. Then the liurdeii was raised to the shoulders of four
as badly frightened hoys as ever saw a corpsi' for the tirst time,
and home to a cart to which was attached a pair of oxen. Slow-
ly the procession wound over the irregular course to the l(»g
ItiiiMing where the master held school in winter. There the
coffin was deposited upon a table in the center of the room, the
men taking one side and the women the other. For two mor-
tal hours the j)reaclier dwelt upon the moral impossibility of
young Ifarry's attaining a home with the blest, and empha-
sized the discourse with such lurid word-)»ictures of hissatanic
majesty's domain that the two Collins boys ran out screaming
when a dog crawled from an obscure corner. They believed
the evil one himself had come to verify the awful utterances
which had wrought up the oiitiro congregation. Women sobbed,
children cried aloud, and men controlled their feelings by grim
efforts that were more painful than outright expression.

'' You will never see your little Harry again,'' consolingly
shouted the divine, " You will i)ut away his boots, his cap, his
skates and his sled — "

The father groaned alou<l.

" You will have a vacant place at the table, and you will

lUKIAI, <>l' IIAI{I{^ MIl.MKIN. 21

ever tliink of tlw one tliiit is «i(»ii(' wlicii ymi iissfiiihlc fur cacli
meal as the cold \vm<l ami snow — "

'llw inolhcr shiickcd.

" His youiifi' coiupanioiis will miss liiiii iVoiii the Itoyish
;ianH's, from skatin.i'-. swimmin.ii'. tisliinjf, liuntinu — "

Tho doji' lioulcd.

'■ I say ajfaiii you will never see him in yoiif midst for he
will soon he laid away, food for worms and eventuate in dust. "

A shudder passed ovei- his hearers, hut eml>oldone<l hy
his success the heartless man sought to hind u|> their achin.u
wounds l)y a peroration on the doctrine of election.

" If poor little Harry is amonji the elect let us rejoice; init
if he is not then an' we ajiain admonished of the awful fate in
.store for most all (jf us. "

" Let the chorister line the hymn while 1 rest my throat
hefore proceeding- to that "narrow house, a hou.se of (day' to
hold the Ihial of these, to me, impressive services. "

A choir of six voices with flute and hass viol accompania-
ment rendered Duke Street frotn music printed with •' huck-
wheat notes." The con<>re,mation was commanded to " view
the corpse. " This done, each one felt in duty hound to re-
mark, " How natteral he looks ! "' The procession was re-formed
and slowly wound its way hack to the Millikin clearing where
a grave had heen made. The colHu was lowered with ropes
which sawed and rasped jiainfully as they were withdrawn, all
hut overturning it, .so tenacious was the clay into which they
were imbeihled. There was no outside box, but in this in-
stance a board was laid on the cottin to afford a slight jirotec-
tiou from animals of the burrowing kind. Then each of the
bearers in turn seized a spade and threw in a clod of earth
which fell upon the cotHii with an echoing thump that nearly
broke the remaining heurti^trings of the now thgroughly pros'

22 I'.rjMAI. nl- IIAIiUY MII.I.IKIN.

trail' paiciits. 'Plic iiiouniors niul IVii-nds sliook liiinds with
thcpivaclicr, and as tlicy turned away iviuarkcd in a distiiirt-
ly audihli' aside, " How well the elder d<tne !"

That worthy was heard to remark, after the ordeul, that
he felt that ho had "heeii of fjreat coiufortto them. heeau«e they
we|)t eopiously throushoiit the whole diseourse. "

(Irceii grows the turf ahove Harry's grave, with not so
much as a sod to mark his resting plaee. The held has hecn
alternated with the crops of the farm, lo, these many years,
and my informant, an old man, hent and gray, to( k me as
near the spot as a memory faded hy the caiis of sixty and
more years would direct.

" It was about here, or mayhap a lectle furder down, but
the woods are gone and the fields so big 1 may be far astray
from the spot. I was the next youngest of the bearers, and .«o
long was I afeered to come anigh the spot I may have mis-
calculated. "

Miscalculated ! Koader it may not be so long until ono
may search in vain for your resting place and mine.

Perry's Victory.

Yo sons of ('oluml)ia givo oar to my story

Who foufrht with bravo I'orry whoro cannons flid ronr;
llis valor lias jrninod yon an immortal fjlory,

Which will last till Father Time shall bo no more,

Tho tenth of Soptombor, 1 pray lot's rcmombor,
As lonj; as tho j^lobo on it's axis rolls round,

Our tars an<l nuirino n{»on Lake Krie wore seen

To make tho proud ilajr of (ireat Britain come down

The van of our fleet the bold British did moot —
Commanded by I'orry the Lawrence bore down.

Our guns they did roar with such terrific j)owor
The savage Britons did tremble at the great sound.

The Lawrence sustained a most terrible tire;

She fought throe to one for two glasses or more,
(ndlant Perry, undaunted, firmly stood by lier

While the proud foe heavy broadsides did pour.

Her masts are all shattered, her rigging all tattered,
Her yards and her booms being all shot away ;

JJut few loft on the deck to manage the wreck,
()ur \mQ on bonrd her iw longer could stav.

IM'.HHY S VK'TOHY.

Savs rcrry, "TIidsc villiiiiis, tlicy iiu'iin tor to drown us,
I'uslion my Imivc lioys. you m'vd never have fear. "

'IMien lie otV with liis coal an.l plu^i-^e*! up the boat
And away throu;j,h tire and smoke lie (\'u\ steer.

'IMu' famous Niauara, now proud of her Terry.

Disphiyed all her haiiiiers in gallant array,
'rwenty-live ^uns on her decks she <lid cari-y

Wliieh soon put an end to this l.loody alfray.

r.rave Klliott. whose valor must now he reeounled,
( )ii hoard tlie Niaj;ara he well played his pait.

His gallant assistanee to Terry allorded

Well placed liim the second on Take Trie's eliart.

Hurrah for our lla}- ! (leiieral Harrison, too!

Tor Terry's hold tleet loud praised hy all powers.
Hurrah for his message, may it over prove true: ^^

" We have met the enemy — and they are ours. "

The Dance at Johnny Beaver's.

" My iiMim', hits .loliii I?ii]itist(' lUvvci-. Aliin I'uiii otl'
MoiitraliiiU (111 rail", iiK'. Aliin ciiiii liiic for Iccsli wid yuus.
(lot for iiic <im! job? "

Yes. (olliiis would ^ivc liiiii a liand-sliart'.

•• What dat you call handsln-i'i'? "'

It was fXplaiiu'd.

" Wi'll, I ff('t mchho nothi^^^ iiicbhc four tousaiid, nii'.
Ainu hu'ky iJivvfr. Cum on ,uo j)idl(>iu seine rat oil" for niake
^ood cotch (luitc plain. " (Kasy.)

lie was told it was too windy to east out the nets.

" Yaas? liiinel)y she blow some more. What-a-matter
now? Me no 'fraid watter, Ahm eum off Moutrahall, nie.
Ahui no j)eesou|) I'^reneher. Ahm trajtpe vurry gross feesh by
Montrahall. "

" My faniljly on dock. You got some shanty 1 live in
for while? "

One end of the cooper shop was provided for him, and in
the Ibregoing scraps of conversation he was formally installe(l
factotum on the Collins lishing grounds.

Heaver was short, broad-shouldered and heavy-chested,
active, and had a happy temperament. His cheek bones were
high, eyes l)lack. beard thin and in patches, arms short. Cor-

•2<)

ii.\N( I-: A'l' .luiiNNV I!i;avi;i; s.

(luroys, iiKK'CMsiiis. ji pcii jiickrt. m vclvt t IccjUc on ciio sido
of his iK'iul, Mild !i siisli that once was red, ^nw him a rather
jaunty appearance. His wife was a fiiIld)l(HMU'<l \vhite^nrl.
superior to the life slie must lead with him. She 'uul mar-
ried for hetter hut eoiild hardly have done worse had >lie
looked heyoml a hare living and the rearinjidf a larj^e family.

I.a l"'aiiiine made nnieh of .lohniiy Heaver, while in turn
he found much to almost reach the superlative in Montreal,
the city to which he likened all events, all nature and all su-
perstitious in the comparative degree.

IJeaver dearly loveil music and dancing. Hearing a fid-
dle in the hands of a lisherman he was seized with a desire to
give a l»all. and forthwith set ahout inviting all whom he met
to come to his dance. A pack-peddler, a lish-peddler, who
counted out tish as " forty-si.\, fifty-seven. "' tiius gaining ten,
and (he new handsharcrs were alike hidden to coiiu' in his
([uaint vocahulary :

" Ahiu goin' mek one donee on my house. Yoiis all
cum. "r won't he le graiide hal masipie like 1 mek on ^^)ll-
trahall, hut all mans and womans round cum on. 1 tek de
lied down, turn stove "roun' ! Den yam|)ytampy, yani|)y-
tampy, " and Johnny, a full grown man, hiirsting with exuher-
ancc, improvises a partner out of a hroomstick, and executes
the French four with iiior(> vigor than grace.

The stove, one of the elevated oven pattern, had heeii
" turned aroun<l, " and heated red. At the farther end of the
shop a j)otash kettle was filled with live coals and set upon
Itricks. The remainder of the scant furniture was tossed out
doors to make more room.

Johnny's guests hegan to arrive early, hut many that
were invited remained away. The host was in no wise grieved
jit the apparent slight for the rva.son that the ahsenti'cs werv

Tin; I ii>i)i,i:u was skatkk ()n a shavino iiohsk.

DANCK AT .loIINXY IlKA VKI! S.

fully replaced liy tli(> iiri'ival oi' an e(|ual nuiiilni' who came
M'itliout invitation. Aiiionj>; the latter wei'e some youn«>' nieii
who came Just to s(>e the fun, hut foriiTit their purpose and
joined merrily in the festive dance.

The tiddler was seated upon a shavin;;-horse, and that in
turn was i-aised u]»on a c()U])le of fish harrels. Thi'ee sets
''formed on" and after alternately .<awinj;>- the strinji's and
twistiuii' tlie ])e,iis, the tiddler settle(l hack and jioured hody,
soul and arms into "The Lancers," the while thuni])in.ii- with
the sole of liis ri^ht ho(»t to the time of his music.

'■ .line liai.ds and circle I ''

Men in heavy hoots, rt'd shirts, and coatless, nnide the
plank tloor tremhle at the woi'd, and the human rini!,' made a
complete turn thi'ce hars r.head of the music, and had time to
hreathe hefore the next move was promittod.

" I'lrst four for'ard and hack — ahimaud-di'-left I "
Jvitiht hands elevated and with left arm akimho, palm out-
ward, the liiiure is cut in a lively dance — no walking- allowed
— ami the couples return to place once niori' to catch hreatli
as the tardy music vigorously brings up the rear.

" IJalanci' pard-ners — urand riyht and left I"

A n'cneral ui'ahhinu' of hands, ri^ht hand, left hand, any-
hody's hand, and retui'ii to ])lace with amjih^ time for tho.so
who have lost ])artners to make the proper exchanjit'of posi-
tions. 'I'wo changes and a " hrt'akdown " is t!ie I'ule of the llooi-,
and ])antin<j,', laujihing, chatterinu', the three sets vacate the
door which is (piickly taken hy those who did not ••<i-et into"
tlie lirst sets.

Johnny is called '• Mr. Ueaver " so freipiently as to cau>e
him to imagine himself a mendxn of parliament. lie l)eams
ri,i!;ht ami left upon his guests, and after much coaxing con-
sents to do a clog which makes him indeed a hero. This done

i>.\N(i-; AT .iniiNNV i;i;.\vi:i! s

lie aiiiuniiiccs su|>|n'i' ill the i'ollnwiii^- spcccli dclivcrnl tVdin
the sliaviiig-liorst' ti'iiijionirily vaoati'd for tlic purpose l»y llie
strinji ordu'stra ol' (iiic pirco :

'• Ni)\v, ymi'U nifk vcr' small racket while Aliiuuoiir liax
yous fur sui>]»er. Tain' ver' iiiee l)Ut hits de lies" what we
(li'ln't met ami de siuoko stur<>i'()ii is de bess meat dat swims
except the crane I never tass it. Ahm smoke it mysell' where
J learn donu Montraliall Heat 'cm all u]v and I ver' mooch
tank yous for ten cent (juite plain. Hats hall. "

'• IJunii' jour, " he added hy way of a jioliti' linish to his
remarks, and jumping' to the tloor he walked on his hands to
the end of the room and came to his feet hy turninii' a liand-
sprinji'. The clappinji' of hands and remarks of approval
tilled the simj)le-mintled half-hreed with joy unspeak;d»le. and
Avliile pre})arations were made for lunch he ^avean exhihition
successively of the snake, ti'i'cen corn and canoe <huu-es much
to the disii'ust of his white wife who had never seen him make
such an exhihition of sava<;i' customs. ller protests made
him the merrier, and the encoui'an-ement ^iven him hy his
ji'uests led him to another praid-:. SeizinjLi' ii hatchet he per-
formed the scalp dance over tlu^ tiddler and raised that woi'-
thy's scalp a do/en limes, endinu,' the performance with a
whoop and throwing the hatchet with sucii skill that it stuck
fast in a ]>ine post forniiuii,- u part of the frame. Some of his
UUests wi're sliyhtly alai'nied at this feature of the entei'tain-
nieut, l)Ut it was forn'otten when the music auain started.

.\fter luncii the ilancin^ heyan in earnest. ''Opera Keel, "
" .Moneyniusk. " and " M(d)onald's Keel, "" were followed l>y
an eiyhtdiand reel.

Truthful c(»mpliments were exchanu'ed, the nuisic pro-
nounced the Itesl, and tlu> lunch a feast, on this felicitous occa-
sion, The only waltzer.s iu tho party wevo Nancy Ahirccaii

DANCl': AT .lOIINNV I'.IIA V KK S. Z-'

jiiid .)ol)y Collins wlio liiid lu'cn swccthcjirls since iiilinicy. it
was (loclaml. They had tlic ilnor i<. llicnisclvcs t'oi' the tliii'd
tinuMvlicu a ,uriilV voice called IVoiu outsi<le the partly oi>eii
door :

" Xan ! "

Xaiicv tunii'd al»oiit and lace(l her father wlio had hnrrieil
across lots when his danehter was missed. ('iiokin,u- with
v.vj^v lio hoarsely urowled :

"Xan, yon drop that cur and come st r.ii.uht lionie I ""

Tlu; ('xcitenient was (."vidont, hut sur[iresse;i. Thi' tiddler
rested, and Xancy plead :

'•Oil, now, pa! Come in and wait/, just once witii me.
Do come I -lust once!" And the saucy ,uirl walt/.e(l alone to
the door and lieM out a hand invitingly to the man whom no
other, man or woman, <lared cross when he was in anucr.

'' Don't ho a fool. Nan, " he said, half pleadingly, " come
away and don't have nothiidc to say to a ri'lative of old Hank
Collins. You know who cut my seine, Xamiy, 'twere old
Hank and I never forgets. "

'• ( )]i ! dam the seine, pa, if 1 must say it. ^'o^I will hold a
g-rudii'e the lonjiost of any man ! Come in now, daddy, and
teach the hoys to wait/,. ( 'ome I

The old linn was tamed as usual when h(> shook his mani'
at his favorite (diild, and Xancy letl him to the mid-lie of
the iloov where they elicited ticneral admiration in the <j,i'ace-
ful wait/ to an old tune whi(di the fiddler had amended hy
foi'ovttin^ the last strain and improvisin.u' oue of his own
creation.

Xancy with her usual tact proposed to her lather to .ii,-o
homo and the old yoldicr and sailor, now lisherman, de[)artcd

DANCl': AT JOHNNY I'.IOAVKU

with his hands five fn.m tlio blood of .lohy roUins. contrary
to his threat made at the outset.

.lust at dayH«ilit tlie eandk's were snull'cd out and a live-
ly breakdown was daneed as a iinishiiif-- touch to the nioht's
enjoyment. As they (lejuirtcd, one after anotiier in the <lawn,
.lohnny shook hands heartily and w;:s heard to exclaim more

than once ;

"Ahm ver' mooch tanks for yous I Cum on my beej-'
house down Montrahall nex' summer, we .lonce tree day, tree
ni,uht and have mans to blow de horn and mek de bi.u' lid" ,uo
'bum, bum,' an Ahm makeyous ac([uaint' de mayor, and de
counsel, and tie halderman, an<l all de recches' mans in de
worr. Yaas, on .Montrahall. Don" y(.u foruet. Alim no

peesou]), me I "

There be tiiose livin,u- who swear by J leaven, ai'ter havinjr
been entertained by ])riiKH'sand potentates, they nevt'r realized
so nmeh unsullied joy at a l)all, tliou.uh led by the (lUeen, as
thev ditl at .lohnnv leaver's dance, " years a_uo. "

A Cannon Shotted With Gold Coin.

At some period (lurinii' tlic French ami I'Jimlisli war a de-
tacliniont of the I'ornier in bateaux propdhMl hy oar and sail.
I'an into La i''ainine, pai'tly lor shelter an<l pai'tly to lose itself
from an iinrelentinu' enemy. Sn closely wei'e they pursued hy
the I"]n<ilisli in Durham hoats that capture seemed iiu'vitahle,
and a lla^' of truce was run up. While neiiotiations wi're pend-
ing' the connnander of the i'^rench fleet hethouiiht himself of
the nuuH'i'ous hays of n'old coin stowetl away in the llaj^ship,
and which would all too soon fall into the possession of the
victors uidess secrete(l immediately.

lie counseled with his ofHcers with the result that a can-
non was unlimhercd and the coin poured into its rafiacious
mouth, .\fter the pri'cious charge hail Keen rammi'd home
the mouth of thei'annon was scv'urely plu,L;',iied and it was then
thrown overltoard.

In the excitement of the moment no ranti'es were taken,
and nothing hut the depth of the water was known for a cer-
tainty. I'iight fathoms deep, tradition hath it, and somewhere
hetween the Masswood trei' and (Scpiaw Island, .somewliere be-
tween the (iap an<l W'hitelish, and, it might he well said,

;?-2

A CANNON SIIo'l'Ti:!) WI'I'II (iol.D COIN.

suiiK'wlicrc lictwi'cii ciirlli nml sl<y. so indi'liiiitc wcfc the tra-
ditional coiijc'ctiircs.

At any I'atc tlic clciiicnts intcrfcri'd in the Krcnclinian's
Itclialt" and at'tci' lousing his anchors the Mn;ilishnian was l)lo\vn
Ix'Vond the |)ossiiiiiity of victory jnst as terms liad l)ccn ncjio-
liatcd. With the tii'st sliit't of wind the Frencii tleet saileil
leadiny- tiicir late adversaries Ky a full day with a fair wind.

!.on«r years after, a piratical appearing craft cruised the
land-locked shores of La I'^aniinc for some weeks. Not one of
the crew could speak Knulish. hut enoujih of their lanuiiau'c
was understood to convey the idea with certainty that they
were seai'chin^' for treasure.

Inuneiliately the trailition related aliovc was revived and
many s[)cculations were ha<l concerning' it. Hank Collins and
Jim Lane — old Jim. thought, talked and dreamed of the old
smooth hore and its piecious charge.

" 'Sp(»se they i\vv\\ the charge before I'amminj;' the coin
down. " (|Uerie<l Lane.

■■ I'rohahly they ilid and prohahly they didn't. They
mount as well a tired lici' ai'ter she was loaded, considerin'
how scatterin' the article is nowailays, " |)hilosophically an-
swci'cil Collins.

Lane had the lie.-t |iead, and he had studied the i)r(J)a1)il-
ities and the possiltilitics attendant upon these iiici<lents. an<l
liually persuaded Collins to ^o out upon the water antl guess
at the prohahle coiu'se a storm-driven Meet with no knowledge
of the waters they W( re sailing would naturally take in the
si'arch for anchorage and shelter.

"'Pile wind mostly hlows sou'west in these parts, and that
is most likelv the wav it was hlowin' when the Frenchman

was scud<lin' for casiei- weathei', "' re

isone(

1 L

me witli Jns

lartner. " Now ohsarve the range of the iJasswood ayin tlu

A CANNON SIIOT'IKD WITH (lol.h coIN. :>•'>

j>i„t — s\vin<i' lior dil' n (•(luplc ycrl<s — now keep the I'iiit clciir
(.!' the tree iiliouMlic width of vcr liniid — steady — iiiid mind
that tall laiiiarack |iluinl> ahead. Now we"re dead in the wake
of the ilect ailriviii" — "

•• Which l)oat had the coin, "' hroke in Collins.

"Dan.u' it. eiiny on "cui, no matter which. Just siipposin'
— voiir tree lias slid into the I'int a.uin — open out and ,uin yei'
attention to the ranges. .lust sup|iosin' the hull licet was
l)Owlin' aloii.u', wind hlowiu" a ,ij,a,L;,u-ei-. where now would any
sauc skippei' pint t'ur".'' Tell ]\w that Hank Collins. "

•' Well, if he ware nattcrally a sailor man he'd luiji' the
shore same's we're a<loin', and when the soundin's showeil t'a-
vorahle 1 'low he'd jam her nose well up t(nvard the long hay
iiport. "

" Kufi'sakly I " shouted Lane with as much emphasis as
thoufi'li he had found the precise resting place of the French
treasure.

The wind was increasing!; and Lane shii)])cd a i)air of
mismated oars, and after weltin.ii' the thole jiins, caught stroke
and kept his eyes steadily on the Uasswood Uvv and the
'• Pint."

'i'he men lahored at the oars in silence, for some time, and
a.s tlio wind was with them they did not much mind the in-
creasinjj; waves as they tliR'W the he;ivy old seine boat rij^ht
and left. It was not lorifi' before the men realized that they
were in a ,aale, and one had to hail a share of the time to keep
the boat managealjli'.

" I say, Hank, '' sui;s;ested l.ane. " lt>ts make nj) into Lonji"
r>ay and wait for this s([UaH to blow over. Uesides, avc \\\\\
see about where the Frenchman dropiied his mud-hooks in
seventeen liundred and what-was-it ? '"

" (iad, zounds ! Man, but you're lonjji; headed ! The very

A <'ANV(>N SlIoTTKl) WITH (iOI.I» ((UN,

thill-; — left ]i!iii(l licsl — the vciv tliiii.u l'"rciK'liy must liavc
iloiK — Icfi liaiid — \i' \\v knew luiicii jilxiiit (lint kind ol' sailtu-
iii,U' — Ici't liiiiid — wliicli was iiioslly like Scdtdi iiaviuatidU —
main strrnutli and iii'iuirancc. .lini, main strciiiith and ijiiioi-
aiic(.'.

'•Say, Mister ('(dlin^, it strikes me there is a (h'al nt'iiiain
strength in this iiere iiavi.uatidii. See I We're drift in" out of
tile moiitii of tlie hay and will do smiie tall pulliii" it' we ddii't
make leeway that will hlow us clean liy the I'int to say no-
think ol'iicttinu' mi into the hay. '

Collins made no reply. He pulliMl at the heavy oars
with hiseyes shut, and opeiieil tlieiii when swin^injj, hack for
a new hold. The wind hail heeii steadily drawing to west-
ward, thus fairly dis|iutiii,ii' the rii^lit of way with the treasure
hunters, '['he two men saw the point slip past them and real-
ized that it was useless to attem|>t to .ti'el under the lee of the
friendly shore not a half mile tlistaiit.

Lane was a reasoiier and so far had led the " expedition
as he facetiously termed it. Collins was an imitator and not
so thouiihtful. An idea occurred to him and he called to
Lane, pourin,:; the words into his hroad hack ami far too lee-
ward :

" Tlic Freucliman anchored, you say?"

" So I've heeii told. "

'• In course — he had to. i-et's heave (dd Ueii (a pet liaiiio
for his anchor) over and see if he'll hold us, and if he does \\v
can take ohsarvations. pick up the lost ranges and niehhe lish
up the old cannon — ' fools for luck. " they say. ""

"All ri,ii,ht, " Iieartily res[)ond(Ml Lane. " hut lirst heiid
on that war])in,u' hue. "

"Show! 'i'her's fifty feet of line without it, and four
fathom's all you'll get here. '"

^^%IX

J"i- &. -"-iS ■■'/\

' THE OARSMAN WAS HEAHLESS

A CANVON SKOTTKI) WITH COI.D coIV, 3;")

'• llcttcr l.ciid (111 the .,tli,.f, II;iiil<, you will want l(.t< ..I'
Ik'Hi]. Iujuiii|. ill ill this sea. let iiic tell yon. ""

Tlir i'(.|n's were iiiiilcil wi I li a •• lislicniia ii's Lciid, " and
'111' iiiiclii)!' was |M.isci| iHi the uuiiwalc, lluki's|.(iiiitiii-- ii|.war:I
ami downward, and alter a sccMiid look lo -cc ijial tlicro|K'
was all clear, i( was dropi.e.l ovei'. Ilie l.oat liltiny' on Leiiiy r<-
lieveil of (lie weiHht.

•' 'I'lieiv, ■■ said Collins, inlying oiit tlie rope. "I eileiilate
tliel tliar's al.oiu the way them riimiways <li.| it_!,,,ti:,iii IMI
"Ut?— wh..n they tried to .lo.lue the Kll-iish— holtom— ;iiid
lost their "

IJotli men stareil. each at the other.

The knot just a|.|.eared almvethe water iind <!i(,we(i—

" Ki.iiht fathom I ■"

" Ih'ury, ■■ s.iid !,aiie solemnly, •• we're within a hundrdl
'•■'I "'' "'<• <"inno!i I (let ranees, ,|, lick, wr'u' dra-einji' old
'•''" '"'""' 't'-^ l.rovideiiee. liaiik, nolhin- sh(,rt 'iif |a'ovi-
'l«'nee. and I promise now I'm -oiiT to le:id a hetler life. "

" ^'•'' '""• -'iiii. I feel niiiihty tivmidy ahoiil this spot.
I'i'l s .mve it up. Xo use anyway, a humlivd feetora hundred
mild's all the same to me and you. ( 'oine I

"'l\'II the truth and shame the devil. Naiik. I don't feel

tlnit tli<' water hereahout is just as solid and sure to llo.at us as

It mi,uht he. So uin us ;, hand nnd we'll -vt the lines in, j'.nl

tin's mueh I'm williii' to chaiist. We'll h'ave .a hu.y to mark

the raii,ues and try it a couple of months later in cam weather. '"

(icttiny- theaiiclK.r in. the men headed tlieii' l.oat towai'd

T-a Famine and as they pulled away hefoiv the wind each

watched the speck of a l.U(.y. which .sivnied, like the rainhow.

to have a p(.t of ^„ld at its end. Utile wassaid hetweeii them

t'-vcepton laiidin--- to exact a |)romi.se from each to make no

revelations, Ihouuh all they had to reveal was that an eitiht-

A CANNON Sll()TTi:i> WITH COM) (OIN.

fatlioin sduudiiin- liiul hceii iniidc !it a sj.ot wlicrc tlicy woultl
stiiket'vcrvtliiiifi- they luul lU'Vcr iouiid to cxia'cd four. Thiit
ni}>lit two HsliiTiiifii drt'.iiiu'd of inhulous wealth which, fast
as recovered tVoin a rustv old eaiiiion, would flv hack to its

lornier restiu<

place,

l^arly next uiornint!,' the misty tijiures of two men could
have Iteeii dimly seen in a heavy fo^- a|)|troachiiit;- each other

on a W(

■W

Worn j)atli.

hey were the treasure liuiiters of ve>

terday. and were met hy chance. Morning- salutations were
not in oi'der in this New Kn<>land descended, cold nei_nhhor-
hood. That formality was a deference strictly resei'ved fur
stranp'i's who ha])i>encd in their midst. Hoth men looked a
littU' surprised, h"wevei'. and Collins broke the silence of the
wood by asking- :

W
T

ler ye gom
voui' house.

\\'

■r YOU headin' for

']'" see you. " frankly answered Collins.
I drt'amed — " 'I'hey began in one voic(>
Well, ti'll vours. " suggested Lane.

I di

I'eamed your hiamed old cannon, he was gettnig
interested, now, but he diil not wish to show too nuich excite-
ment tner a di'cam, " 1 dreamed your blamed old cannon lay
eight fathom deep in a siid<-hole eight fathom across, and on

le other side of the hole from our buov, eiuht fathom-

" My dream exactly!" interruptt'd Lane. wIkj had been
paling as Collins progressed.

" We bettei' not wait 'till the summer cams come on, had

we .Innmv

o. su'-re

Lets be off' now I 'IMie fo<i"ll lift before wo

can get ovi'r there, and besides, if it don't none will suspect
what we ai'e dragging for. " and as Lane linished lie cuta
small fork from a plum live and taking the extremities in

A CANNON SIIOTTKI) WITH (iol.D COIN. .>l

fitlRT liaiid, the point of union upward, he proj.oscd to take it
alon<i- as he hail located hundreds of wells l»y (lo\vsin^^ hesides
niakin.u- wonderful use of the same as a divinin.^- rod when
jtrospecting for buried treasure at i-'reiich Creek — a stoiy that
niav he narrated sometime in" l.i:(ii:Ni)Ai!Y Stoimks ok tmk
Tiioi SAND Islands. "

The two men stole silently down-shore to tlieir hoat. and
a moment later were lost in the dense fo}>: of a cold sprinj^'s
morning-. An hour's labor at the oars brinj-injr them near the
spot of yesterday's iind. they beoan to penetrate the Urj; in
search of the buoy.

•• 1 cauji'ht a jilimpse of the IJasswood and I dunno but
we're too fur to luard. "■ su<i>;i'sted l.ane.

" Lor" amiu-hty ! Uack her I Hacker ! A sloop to star-
board I"' roaivd Collins. Then F.ane took commaml.

'• Pull I Ui.uht hand, right — he'll run us down shor' as
preachin" ! The loonatick's a follerin' us at every move!
Steadv, now Dhmt vour oars readv to j)ull or push for life the
minit he gets nigh to us. "

The men sat rigid as statues, their oars pointing straight
out from the boat, ready to back water or jiidl away as the
exigencies of the api)roaching crisis might decree. The fog
lifted a little and both men drojtped their oars in astonishment
as the big, looming sloop suddeidy colla})siil into the Imoy
they had |iut out with their own hands to mark the anchor-
age.

" What in natnr I " began Collins, " was that arc phantom
some o' vour spookery with the wati'r witch of a plum sprout. "

" It's a good omen, Henry, i mind some such e.\peri( iico
before. Now. say ! Not a word of talk after we get within
eight fathom of the buoy. Mind, n.)W. So nmch as a word
would spoil all. Why, I helped «lig up Captain Kidd's treas-

cox slI()TTi:i) WITH OOLI) (OIN*.

nvv chest on I'i.n's l''(i(it Isiiiiid. an«l stood with one toot on the
clicst ini(i a luhhcr sai(K '(lininu' tlic si>a(h'. ' That chi'st sliot
out from under me au'' I dropped down three feet into a hole
where it hdd. • ( -imme the spadi'. ' said he. and a million in
n-old cdiu went into the bowels of the earth with a ihssh and
then' ware a smell of hrimslone to ehokt' ye. N(tw we'll lake

soundin's. ""

iMiur fathoms I Five, six — ei,u,ht 1 Seven, live, foui', and
Lane motione(| to ColUns to fall away. More soundin.us were
rapidly taken, and in a short time the hounds of tlie pot-liole
were fairlv loeate(l. They disco\ered that it di'opped oil' ]»n-
cipitously four fathoms, was ei;^ht fathoms wide, as many in
(h'pth. and the leail showeil hard hottom. They then set about
a systematic dra,L;-.Liin,u' of andior and grapnel in the hojie. if
ixissihle. of <j,cttin,i; Ibul of the l"'rt'nch j;un and l)rin,nin<i,- it,
cliar^v and all. to the surface. Time and a.Liain they rowed

)Ver the ciiarmeil spot only

to lind their labor vain

Collins pointed siiiiulieantly to the plum sprout. Lane
1 it bv th<' ends, held it out from his bodv,

nervous! V uraspei

palms upward, and .^I'ipped the br.inches whiidi converged in

his f

u^lv knot at

11 li'Vcl with his e\-e

l>ers|

)iration tell from

ice

as the witch p'

Milted astern.

Collins backeil water.

Down, ilown turned tiie idum sprout, wriii.uin^- the bark
as the boat moved slowly ovei' the " hole." Then it turned up-
ward a< they iia.-^ed beyond its rim. 'Idle experiment was
ti'ied bv a|pproac!iin,u- the point of stroii.u'est attraction from
dill'erent direcli(pns until it was well located, 'idieii the an-
chor and urajinel were aiiain brouuht into st'i'vice and the
course drauued over and a^aiii.

Collins" line brought up solid and he o|iened his lips (o
speak, but a warning look from Lane leminded him of the

A CANNON SII(»TTi;i> Willi Cdl.D (lUN.

«)

lii'

cainoin, and tlicu l)v si.;>;i!!i

cousiMjueiioe. .hisl tlicii Lane's line fonlcd on sonictliii
('({nally solid. 'I'lic linos were straincil taut and the hoat
lirou^ht to a position directly over the object. Attain tlio]ilnin
sjU'out was trieil, and tiiey wei'e not surprised when it turned
straight do\viiwar(l and sto|t)»e(l at a jxTpetidicuiar.

Collins drew hreath as if ahout to speak, hut Lane was
watelnnii- him and cut oil" the words fatal to success hefore
they were uttered.

The treasure-seekers were hy this time nearly heside tluMii-
selvos with e.xcitt'inent in which tear ])layeil not a small ])art.
They liove tlie sid(> of the hoal "down until the water almost
d then hv s'l.'ppina' over to the opposite side rocke(l
it. i\w while takiii,u' in the slack of the nijies as tluy pive to
the strain. Ai'tei' ri'peateil efl'orts tiie oliject upon whicli the
anchors had fouled yielded, and was hrouiiht slowly and la-
boriously to the surface, its advance heralded by bubbles of
gas.

Covered with rust, mud and black ooZ(> the {•'renchman's
jiun lay at the sui'l'aee. 'i'he ]iri/e was at tlu'ir tinticrs' (>nds.
Tremblingly they pulled on the ropes which had fallen into
notches alreaily worn in the wale. S(» interested were tlu'V
that they did not hear the approach of another boatman.
Clank, clank !

'riie clatter and stpieak of a ]iair of heavy oars cauj;ht
their attention, and they faced about as one man.

A lar.i:e boat. ]»ropelled by oars, was approachinu'. the sin-
gle occupant pullin^u' a lonu'. steady sti'oke in time with the
louti'. lazy swells that seemed at each rise ready to uive up the
etl'ort to li'o farther. \vi tiny ceased not. but I'an ahead of
the lon,L!; sweej) of the oars as if ieasing' the (H'cupant to I'ace,
Clank, clank I

A CANNON SIIOTTi:i> WITH (iOLI) COIN.

Slindc of ( 'liaroii ! The Wood of the fislu'rmon stood still,
and tlioir amazoniciit was unboundt'd.

The oarsman was headless I

Straiji'ht toward the treasure lie pointed his boat, sij>htless
as he was, and his severed neck showinff a ghastly wound as
he bent to his oars. Steadily he forjie<l ahead so close now
that the ripple around the stem came to their ears. The boat
was l)attere(l and scarred, built upon strange lines, and a hole
had been broken into her bow as though she had been raked
by a six-pounder. Long weeds trailed in her wake which aj)-
I)eared as a stream of tire, and mosses flourished on her run-
boards.

All this and more the treasure-seekers saw in less time
than isre(|uire<l to relate it. Nearer anti })lainer, now, sounded
the chilling

('lank, chads !

And the men were aroused by the instinct of .self-preser-
vation. Kach seized an oar in one hand, with the other
holding to the rope by which the cannon was suspended. They
were now thoroughly alarmed at this uncanny visitor who oc-
casionally turiu'd to I'ight ;in<l left in his seat as if looking over
his lieadless shoulders to take his bearings, or perhai)S more
properly, dead reckonings.

" Now ! " shoutr<l Lane.
" Strike I " echoecl Collins.

fatal words ! The charm was broken, tor no sooner had
th.e men spoken as with one voice than

Boom ! Ha-r-r-gn I

'I'he cannon was lired at the first vocal sound and Iturst
into a thousand fragments while its ]>reci<)us charge! was scat-
ti'red over the waste of waters toward the rising sun. Both

A CANNON SIIOTTIM) WITH (iULD COIN.

men dropped in the boat and tor a minnte ncitlu'r conld

^pe

ak.

When they liad sutticiently rccovc'rcd tlicir senses to rise,
the apparatiou liad gone ai)[)arently as swil'tly as the ti'easurt>
whieh they liad just as good as secured. Tlie ro])es l)urne(l ott'
the nioineut the disehai'jie occurred and down went tlie anchors
if in(U'ed they were not l)h)wn to atoms.

Silently, ruefully, sadly the lishei'nien ship[)ed their oars
and pulled away for home as stoutly as their shattered nerves
and di.sap})ointed hopes would permit. lOach desired to ])ut
the blame of failui'e uj)on the other, and an ari>ument as to
who spoke first and tliu<^ dispelled the charm, ended in a sol-
emn agreement never to reveal a word. lUit each told his
wife, "she"' told her sister, and so the connnunity was soon
reveling in the doubtful story. Year after yi'ar the exact spot
is shown the summer guest, an<l to the incredulous ])roof is
forthcoming when with lead and line the outlines of the rim
to the pot-hole are located by taking soundings, and then there
is the Uasswood tree, the Point and the Hay to confirm the
rest of the storv.

The Legend of Calumet Island.

'riicri' is aliuiHlaiict' of (nidcncc which ,ti<)(.'s to jn'ovi- tliat
liad tlie scene of ovi'uts in Loniil'ellow's inimortal Iliawatlia
l)een located at the 'IMiousand Islands, tlie Manatoana, or " har-
den of the (Ireat S[)irit,"' of the li'o(|Uois an<l Al<:on(|uins, the
jxH-ni would have heen true to the lejicndary orijiin of Hiawa-
tha. Ivead with that idea in mind, one will he sui'i)rised at
the many strikinjj; jtassa.ui-s which a]i|dy to the St. Lawrence
with more force than to the F^ake Supeiiov re«iion in which
the i)oet has depicted the |trinci[)al events oi' the leucnd.

in ISl:'). Ossaliinta and l)(>hatkaloiis. two ()non<li;jia
chiefs related the le.u'end of the ti'od of hshin^' and rivers to Mr.
Clark who cai'efuUy wrote out the story and tiled it in the
archives of the New York Historical Society. Jlo thus trans-
lates the narration of the two chiefs :

Hundreds of years afio. 'I'a-oun-ya-wat-ha, the Deity who
)»resides over tisherics and streams, came down from hisdwell-
in<>- place in the clouds to visit the inhal)itants of the earth.
He had l)i'<'U dejiuted by the (Jreat and (lood Spirit, Ha-wa-
ne-u, to visit the streams and clear the channels from all oh-
structions, to seek out the <iood thinf>s of the country throuf>li
which he intended to pass, that they mi<iht ])e mor(> licnerally
disseminated among all the good people of the earth — e.spe-

A I.KdKM) OK CAMMICT IS1,ANI>.

4:^

cinlly t(» point out to tlioiu the most rxci'llcnt tisliinK ^roviiids,
iiiid to bestow 11)1011 tliciii otlicr jic('c])tnl»l(' jiit'ts. Al)out this
time, two yoiiiiji- iiicii of tlic OiioiHJiiga Niitioii were listlessly
^iiziiig over tlie ciiliii blue waters of the Lake of a Tliousand
Jsles. During- their reverie they espied, as tliey thoufiht, far
ill the distaiiee, a sinule wliite speei<, Ijeaiitifully daiiciny over
the hrifi'lit blue waters, and whih' they wateiied the objeet
with the most intense anxiety, it seemed to inerease in niafjni-
tiide, and moved as if ai»i)roaehin,u- the place where they were
eoiieealed, most anxiously awaiting the event of the visitation
of so sin}>ular an objeet — for at this time no eanoos had ever
made their appearance in the (lirection from whence this was
a[)i>roaeliiii<>-. As the object neared the shore, it jiroved in
semltlance to l)e a venerable looking man, calmly seated in a
canoe of pure white, very curiously constructed, and much
more ingeniously wrought than those in use among the tribes
of the country. Like a cygnet upon the wide blue sea, so sat
the canoe of To-oun-ya-wat-ha. u|)on the Lake of a 'riiousand
isles.

As a fraii l)ranch drifts towards the ru.'^hing cataract, so
cour.sed the white canoe ov(>r the rippling waters, propelled by
the strong arm of the god of the river. Deep thought sat on
tlie brow of the gray headed marinei' ; ix'iietration marked his
eye, and deej) dark mystery pervadi-d his countenance. With
a singh' oar he sili-ntly paddled his light trimmed bark along
the shore, as if seeking a commodious haven of rest. lie .^oon
turned the }>row of his fragiU' vi'ssel into the estuary of the
"double river, " and made fast to the western shore. Jle nia-
jestieallv a.scended the steep l)ank. nor stopped till he had
gained the loftiest summit of the western hill. Then silently
gazing around as if to examine the country, he became en-
chanted with the view, and <lrawing his statelv form to its

A l,K<iKM) oi' CALIMi;'!' IS1.ANI».

utmost lieif^lit, Im I'XcliiiiiKMl in iuct'iits of the wildest ciitliu-
siasni, Osli-wali-kcc, Osli-Wiili-kci'.

He approached the two youiij'- hunters, recounts I)r.
Ilougli, gained their conlicU'Uce, and having (h'awn fronitlieni
a knowk'dye of the (Htticulties un(h'r which tliev laliored, dis-
closed to them tiic spirituality of his character, and the oljject
of Ills mission. He invited them to attend him in his passage
U|) tlie river, and tlu'V \vitnesse<l many things which coidd
only be accounted for as mirachs. oi- he <lescrihed Init in tho
wonders of Indian mythol(gv. He ascended to the lesser
lakes, placed all things in jiroper order for the comfort and
sustenance of man, taught them how to cultivate corn and
beans, which had not before l>een giown liy thein, made the
fishing ground free. an<l o|)ened to all the uinnterru])tcd pur-
suit of game. Jle distribut 'd among mankind the fruits of
the earth, and i-enioved all obstructions from the navigable
streams. Heing pleased with his success, he assumed the
character and habits of a man, and ]'eceivc(l the name Hi-a-
wat-lia, (signifying " very wise man,"' )and fixed his residence
on the beautiful shores of Cross Lake. After a time, the coun-
try became alarmed by a hostile invasion, when he calle<l a
council of all tlie tribes from the east and the wt'st, and in a
long harangue urged upon them the importance of uniting
them.selves in a league for their common deten.se and mutual
hai)piness. They deliberated u])on his advice, and the next
day adoi)ted and ratiiied tlu' league of union which he recom-
mended. Jli-a-wat-ba, having brought this council to a
close, and as the assend)led tribi's were about to separate, on
(heir return home, arose in a dignilied manner, and thus ad-
dressed them :

" Friends and J>rothers : — 1 bav(Miow hillille(lmy ini.ssiou
upon earth ; 1 have done everything which can be done tit

A I.KdIOM) OK CAI.IMKT ISLAND.

|»r('st'Mt for tlic u,<to(l of tliis lircat people. .\jic, iiilii'mity jind
(listre.^.s, sit lieavily U|toii me. Duriiiji' my sojourn !mioiif>' you
I liiive removed all olistruetioiis from your sticiims. Canoes
caii now ])ass evei'ywlieic. I have <iiven you y'ood iisliin^'
waters and good hunting grounds, I liave taught you how to
eultivate corn and l)eans, and have U'arned you tlie art of
making (•al)ins. Ahiiiy hlessings I liave liherally he.stowed
upon you.

Lastly, I have now assistecl ycai to form an everlasting
league and covenant of strength and frien<lship, for your f
ture safety and protection. If you pi'i'scrve it without tl

ulmission ot other people, y(»u will always

he t

ree, i

and mijihtv. If other nations are admitted to vuur

ill

lev will sow jealousies among you, and you wi

1)0

lum

counc

conu

■ous
■ils,
on-

slaved, few and feehle. Kemomlier these words: tlioy aro the
last you will hear from the lips of Ili-a-wat-lia. Listen, my
friends, the (iront-Master-of-Iirt'ath calls me to go. I have
j>ationtly waih'd his summons. I am ready : Farewell. '"

As the wi.^^e man closed his speech, there hurst ui)on the
ears of the asseinhled multitude, the cheerful sounds of the
most delightful singing voices. The whole sky seemed tillo(l
with tlu> sweetest nu'lody of celestial music; and lloaven's
high arch echoed and iv-echoed the touching strains, till the
whole vast assemhly was completely ahsorhed in rapturous
ecstasy. Amidst the general confusion which now prevailed,
and while all eyes wi're turned towards the etherial regions,
Ili-a-wat-ha was s(>en majestically st-ated in his canoe, graccr
fully rising higher and higher ahove their heads through the
air. until he hocanie entirely lost from the view of the assein-
hled throng, who witnes.xed his wonderful ascent in mute and
admiring astf)iiishment — while the fascinating music grad-
Uiiliy bocamo juurc plaintive and low, and luially swcotly ox-

A i,i:<ii;\i> or cai.imkt islam*.

pirc'd in tlii' softest tones upon their ears, as the wise mail

la-Wi

it-lia, tlie jrod-likc Ta-omi-ya-wat-ha, i-etired IVoin tlieir

sight, as inysteriously as he first appeared from The Lake of a
Thousand Isles, and, eonelinU's I)r. nou<:ii, (inietly entered
the ref^ions inhabited only hy the favorites of the i^reat and
fi'ood spirit Ila-wah-ne-u.

Tiiat tlie reader may thi' hetter luiderstand the h'^end of
wliieh these paj^es treat, a portion of Loniifeliow's " Sonj>- of
Jliawatha " is here re])rodueed ;

TIIK I'KACK I'll'K.

On the .\rountains of tlie l'rairi(.
On the yreat Ri-d ripe-stone (Quarry,
(Jitelie Maiiito, the mighty,
He the Master of Life, deseendiny".

On tl

le red era^'s of the (|Uarry

Stood ereet, and ealled the nations.
Called the trihes of men toji'ether.

From his footprints* Howi'd a river, j
Leaj)ed into the light of morning,
O'er the preei])iee plunging downward
({learned like Jshhoodah, the eoniel.
And the sj»irit, stooping earthward,
With his (inger on the meadow
Traced a winding pathway for it.
Saying to it, '• Hun in this way ! "

From the rod stone of the (juarry
With his hand he hroke a fragment,
Moulded it into a i)ij)e-liead.
Shaped and fashioned it with liguri's ;

rrom the margin ot tlie iivei
Took a long reed for a pipe-stei

♦ The Oreat Lakes. + The St. Lawrence.

A i,i:(ii;M) or cammkt island.

With its (liirk ^ixwu Iciivcs u|i()n it ;
Mllcd tlic |»i|>c with liark of wilhiw,
With th«' luirk of the red willow:
Hroathcd upon the lu'ijihhoi'iu^' loicst,
^hl(k' its ^rcat l)oujihs ('halV to^cllu'i-,
Till '\n llaino they hurst and kindled ;
AikI erect upon the iiiouiitaiiis,
(iitelie >hiiiito, the niijility,
Smoked tlie ('Ai,rMKT. tiik I'KACK-rii'K
As a signal to the nations.

And tlie smoke rose sh)\vly, slowly,
'Phroujih the trancfuil air of morning',
I'^'irst a single line of darkness,
Then a denst>r, hhier vajjor.
Then a snow-white cloud unfoldinfi,
Like the tree-tops of the forest,
ICver risinf;, risin}>', risinj>-.
Till it touched the top of heaven.
Till it hroke against the heaven.
And rolled outward all around it.

From the \'ale of Tawasentha,
I'Vom the N'alley of Wyoming,
From the (Jroves of Tuscaloosa,
From the fai"-otf Rocky Mountains,
From the Northern laki^s and rivers
All the trilies Ix^held the signal.
Saw the distant sinokc ascending.
The i'ukwana of the I'eace-Pipe.

And the Prophets of the nations
Said : " Behold it, the Pukwana !
By this signal from afar off,
}}e»tiing likQ a wautl of willow,

•IS

A i,r.<ii;Ni> ••

I' ( AI.'MI'T ISI,AM>.

Wiiviuu like a Imin

I tlml lurkoii?

(litclii- Mnnito. the mi^lity.
Calls the trilx's of nu'ii tojivtlicr,

Calls the wi

irridi's to Ills coiim'il

l)o\vii

the rivers, o'er the i)nnn('

Caiuc the warriors o
Caiuc tlu' Ih'lawarcs an

t the llatioH^

Caiiic

il Mohawks,
the Choctaws and < 'ainaiiclics,

Came llio Shoslioncs a

11(1 r.lacki'cct.

Canu" the Pawnees and Onialias,
the .Nhmdans and Daeotah

Came

Came the llnroiis and Ojihways.
All the warriors drawn to<iether
1 of tlu) IVaee-lMi.e.
,f the Prairie,

r,y the sijiiia

'!'(. the Monntains «

t Red Pii)e-stone (Quarry

'To the grea

An<l they stood there on the meadow
With their weai»ons and thi-ir war-gear,
I'aintod like the leaves of Autumn,
Painted like the sky of uu)rninK,
Wildly glaring at eaeh other ;
In their faees stern deiianee.
In their hearts the feuds of ages.
The hereditary hatred.

The anee

stral thirst of vengeancn-

(litehe Manito, the mighty
The ereator of the nations.

Looked upon

them with eompassion,

With i)aterual love an

d pity

rath and wranghn

Looked ui)OU their w

P>ut as ([uam

lUrt as feuds and tights of children

Is among chi

Idreu,

A i,i:(ii:ni> (ii- cammki' isi.anii.

4i)

Over tlii'lii lie sti'clclicd Ilis ri<ilit ilillltl,
To siiImIui' tlicir stuMidni iinlnrcs,
Toiillny tlicii' tliifst and rcv<'r.
Ily tlic slmiinw dl' Ilis ri«ilil liiiml :
Spake {<> tliciii with voice iiiiiji'stic
As the souiid of llir-oir waters.
I'^alliiiji' iiitu d('('|» a!)ysses.
W'anniiiLi'. ehidini;. spake in this w\sv : —

" () my children I my |iooi' cliildren !
Listen to

Word

if wisdom

Listen to tile words of warninii.
l'"inm the lips of the (i-'cat Spirit,
I'^rom the Master of l-ile. who made you
have j^ixi'n you lands to htnit in,
'iven von streams to lisli in.

I I
I I

la vc

1 1)

lave.uiven you hear and nison,
I liave jiiiven you roe and i'einde(M'.
1 liavejiiven you l)rant an<l heaver.
Filled the marshes full of wild-fowl,
Filled till' rivers full of lishes ;
Why then are you not (•(tntentecl?
Why then will you hunt each other?

■• 1 am weary of your (puu'rels.
Weary of your wars and iiloodshed.
Weary of y(Hir prayers for venjicance,
Of your wraufi'linus ami dissensions;
All youi' strcnu'th is in your uuion.
All your danger is in discord :
'riiei'cfore hi' at peaci' IieiiceforwanL
And as brothers livi' toficthcr.

" 1 will send a prophet to you,
A Delivei'i'r of tlie nations,

A I.KdKNI) Ol' CAl.rMKT ISLAND.

lo shilll I'll

idc vou iind shall U'iu-li yon,
til

Who ^h:\]\ toil and suticr with yoii
If you listen to his counsels,
You will niulti[)ly ;ni(l prosper ;
]f his warnings. pass unheeded.
You will fade away and iierish !

" Mathe now in the stream hefore you,
Wash the wav-])aint from your faces,
Wash the blood-stains from your finj>ers,
Bury your war-eluhs and your weapons,
lireak the red stone from this (puirry,
Mould and make it into ]'eaee-ri])es,
Take the reeds that j>row beside you.
Deck them with your brif>htest feathers,
Smoke the calumet to,i>ether,
And as brothers live henceforw^ird I "
Tiieu upon the ground the warrioi's
Threw their cloaks and shirts of deerskin.
Threw their wea])ons and their war-gear.
Leaped into the rushing rivei-,
Washed the war-paint from tiieir faces.
Clear above them Howed the water,
Clear and limjjid from the footprints
Of the Master of Life descending ;
Dark below them dowed the water,
Soihd and stained witii streaks of crimson,
As if hlood were mingled with it I

l''i'oni tlu' river came the warriors.
Clean and washed froni all their war-[)aint
On the banks their clubs they buried.
Buried all their warlike weapons.
Gitcho Muuito, the mighty,

A l,K(ii:NI) OK (AI.IMKT ISLAM).

Tlio (iirat S|»irit, the creator,

Smiled ui)on liis liel[)less cliildi-cii I
And in silence all tiie warritH's

I?roke the red stone of the (luany.

Snu)othe(l and formed it into l'eacc-l'ii»es.

Hroke the lonf>- reeds 1)y the river,

Decked them with their hri^litest feathers,

And dei»arted oaoh one liomewanl.

While the Master of J^ife, ascendinji,

Througli the opening of eloud-curtains,

Tiiroujih the doorways of the heaven,

\'anished from hefore their faces.

In the smoke tliat rolled around him,

The Pukwana of the Peaee-I'ipe.
Tlie Indian name for French creek, in the village of
Clayton, was Weteringhra-(Juentere. the "Fallen Fort, " or
ju'rhaps more literally, "the ])lace where the hills fell down. "
An, ancient and rude fortification at the mouth of French
Creek was the traditional boundary line between the Irotjuois
and Al}>()n<|uin nations whom the first white navigator of the
St. Lawrence found engaged in a war which began before
time was fixed even by uncertain tra(liti(»n.

The war was said to have originated with a Inniting par-
ty composed of a half dozen young men of each nation. One
party followed an elk ntany leagues and returned without
ganu' whatsoever. The other i)arty then set out and meeting

with inunefliate success the lately van<|ui

died

party was con

lied t

o <lo s(|uaw worl

"kinni

ng, dres-uig an

(I coo

kin

Til e jealousy of the latter was now aggravated by humilijition,
and a feud was (Migendered which their few living descendants
secretly cherish to this day.

Jl|is feiul was precipitated h)Up uftei' the ntlvent of liift-

• vl

A i.i;(;i:ni> <)|- cAi.rMKT isla.nI).

\v:it!iii, tlic river ii(i(l. iiiid in violation of his admonitions. Af-
ter this niurth'rous war had Itreii cai'ried on Juany yeai's the
laml was t iken from the .Mississ,i,u,nas l»y the (ireat Spirit wlio
was more tlian ever <lis]iU'ase(l with his elioseii wliom he liad
|»hieed in the .Xhinatoana. tiiis (iar<h'n of Ivh'n, oidy to have
the coiiiiiaet of |ieaee rudely viohitech

An ishmd in the St. Lawrence, opposite ''hiylon, presents
in the contour of its siioi'es. and <;i'nei'ai to|)o^'raphy, .i won-
(h'l'ful resemldance to an Imhan pipe, and for thisi-ea.son h)n«''
ayo it was called ('AMMK'r. This island it is claimed is no
other than the Calumet, the iiiuantic I'eace-I'ipe. smoked by
(Jitche Manito. the miyhty, "as a signal to the nations." the
ascending smoke from whi(di attracted the attention t)f tlic
I'rophets of the nations upon whose interpretation the tribes
of men were immediately calletl touctlu'r at .\hinatoana. the
(Janh'U of the (ireat Spirit, the Mille lies of the French voy-
a^eurs, the Thousand Islands of toilay.

(Jitche .\hniito sent niessenuers to hear away tlie countiy
of the Mississaji'uas and they came with a ureat skin blanket
wiiich was let down by the four corners. into this blanket
,M;inat:iana. tin- (Jarden of the (Jreai Sjiirit. with its I'ivers,
lakes ami mountains, was carefully |)laced. the ureal ( 'ahnnet
in the center. Thi' blanket with its bui'den was borne away
skyward, but as the wondei'iuL!,' .Mississaiiuas ^azeil upward
they were terrified at discovering,' that the. niessennors liad
broken their hold. The uai'den and the yreat blanket came
tuinlilinji- down and was bi'oken into a thousand lVa<iMients —
ami thus orin'inateil tin' Thousand Islamls. The ( 'aluniet wr.s
fairly pulverized, a token that the covenant between theOreat
S]»irit and the nations was no more. The .Mississaj>uas wei'e
no lonji'er the chosen jieople They had broken the pledtiv to
keej) peace amon<i' themselves and (iitche Manito had made

M:(iKNI) OK CAI.IMKT ISLAND.

Ins iUlSiCl- lllil

tlu' ])i])e of iH'iico,

nilV'st !)>• the si^nificiint l)r(>!ikin}i- <'f the Ciiluim't,

Jlcncc, WetcTiiifihriMJurntciv. " the place wlicrc the liil

fell down.

PIHIiiil

Daniel nillikin, American.

Your graiKlfathor mid \ settled in this neighborhood in
1S(M), niakino- the louj;' journey from Conneeticut Avitli one
liorse and a pair of oxen, eanipinj;- by the way wherever nif>;ht
overtook us. We were married l)Ut a few tlays before settinji-

out, and vou mav

•iure it was no

t a 1

uxurious wcMldinii'

journey, but stout hearts and bright hopes kept us uood con

panv

Our new home overlook(>d l.ake Ontario, wliieh seemed

to me

broa

eoi

(I as

)e seen.

le oeea

n, for no trace of tlie fartlier sliore

Full live years we worked from daylight to
dark, and then had reallv less than we brought with us. Your

father, no, grandfather, was a tanner a

nd currier and had

»ften talked of returning to his trade, but he could not read-
ily gel such employment I'veii in this new country. One day
he came from \a\ Famine, and turning the liorse loose at
the door, came in and sat by the Hreplace ip silence a long
time. My heart sank when hi> did speak. We were to leave
our home and my ]tarents, who had followed us, and go to
('ynu<la, wherv lit' hud contriU't^4 t" work as forenum iw A

DANIKI. MlI.l.lKIN, AM KUKA X.

;>;>

tannery, and was to riH-eive oiglit dollars in j^old overv week
for his sorviccs. it was a bold stroke wliieli to our minds
foretold j>;reat wealth, and yet we were reluetant to leave our
little clearinj>- and i^o anionf>- a strange jieople in a foreign land.
Besides, the thought of living within the king's domains was
not pU'asant.

Rumors of trouble between the young republic and(rreat
Britain had reached us from time to time, Imtthe single news-
paper that came fortnightly said Kngiand dare not light again,
besides should there be war, Canada would side witli us and
it. too, become fret'. At length our fears were put aside and

ere no sti'amers then, and two davs

left

l)V

il. tl

lere w

later landed far uj) the Canadian shore at a little village con-
taining a church, a few htg houses and the tannery store.

For a while we saved money, but with the ugly war news
the times grew harder and hai'der until we were compelled to
take stoi'c pay entirely. When war was actually declari'd your
grandfather, and the foui' Americans lu' had brought with
him, divided to return home since in the heat of argument
they had already gotten into trouble with the tannery hands.
They were good workmiMi ami had ol)tained such favor with
tilt' contractors that, to induce them to stay, the pay in gold
was resumed and they were assured that should they remain
they would be exempt from militai'y duty. Then came the
repoi-t that the British had burned Boston. That decided our
jieople that they must go back and defend their homes, but
they tarried a few days in the hope that it was a falre r(>port
made to encourage lovaltv in the Canadas.

One morning we

heard the booming of cannon at York,

now Toronto, and our men made no etl'ort to conceal theirjoy
at (ieneral Bike's bold attack and subse(|Uent capture of the
citv. All Canada was in high dudgeon, and our little colony

5(J

DANIKI. MIM.IKIN, AM KHICAX.

siittiTcd its share of abuse, and wo weic given to understand
that we must roj)ress our feelin}>s or sutler the eonsequences.
Although tlio season was advancing and hike navigation dan-
gerous, the Americans l)egan at once the secret construction of
a hirge bateau in which we were all to return. Every man in
the village was ordered to arm and i'e])ort at tlu' church whence
they were to march to the recapture of York You may be
sure haste was made in the construction of tlie boat, thebuiM-
ors paying no heed to the warning to ecpiip for war. It was
completed two days after the militia had departed, and our
hopes ran high while loading it with stores for the return to
home, friends and country.

While tlius engaged six mounted redcoats npi>eared upon
the rise above us and demanded a surrender. Our men were
armed and had agreed to tight if the officers came to i)ress
them into the service, but your grandtather was the only one
to stand his ground and fire. Jlis shot was returned with a
volley, and he fell with a bullet in his arm. Springing to his
feet be began to reload, and as the soldiers wi'rc pre|)aring to
lire another volley I ran in tVont of him and dai'ctl them to
shoot a Woman. Blood trickled from his hand, and as 1 ti'ied
to bandage his wound the brutal soldiers closi'd about us and
your grandfather was bound to a saddle before I could dress
his arm which hung limp at his side. They started away and
I attempted to follow, but the soldiers threatenecl to shoot me
also if 1 made further ado. .My husband bade me return to
the housi' and mind the children, and as diey gallojjed away
I saw a pistol held to his head for shouting to me that he
would be Ijack that very night.

I watched them out of sight, and then with a breaking
lieart eidcred the cabin. There 1 found Ruth Sctphronia and
Tluuikful AmaiiUu armed with table knives in emulation of

DANIKI. MII.I.IKIN, AM KlilCA N.

.■)7

the spirit of Anicricii. wliilc little Asa lOhcnc/or was poiiriiij;'
))0\V(U'r from the lioi'ii into liis milk.

The vision of tlicii' poui- wounded father. l)oiMie away to

an unknown fate was before me day an<l nijiht. ami 1 nearly

worried myself into insanity. Week after week wore away

and yet no word can ■• to relieve my ilistress or eontirm my

fear.s. Fre(|Uent stories of hntehei-ies Ity Indians em))loyed in

the British serviee kept me in constant alarm lest sucii a fate

overtake nu' and my helpless ehildren. Often I took them

into til." woods when Indians were in the n(>i«ihhorhoo(l, and

came back only wlien eompelleil l)y c(ild and hunj>-er. There

weri' few neij.;hbors left, and lire I dare n(,t trust for there

were among them those whom 1 believe<l had informe<l the

officers of our intended departure. As the winter came on a

sense of my utter loneliness bore me down, and to return to

my parents became the whole subject of my thought. It

would soon be a i>hvsical lu'cessitv sinc(> the i)rovisions were

low and the monev red

need

to a siuiile iiold coin, in the feai'

of beiufi' massacred the few pt'ople in the villajic were pre-
paring; to leave, and at this 1 was detei'mined to face any dan-
ger than remain entirely alont'.

To reero.ss the lake at this season was next to impossil)le,
even for experienced sailors. 1 knew the St. Lawrence river

must be fro/en over at Kini'stnn w

liicl

1 was strouiilv garri-

soned by the Ih'itish. A woundeil soldiei' brouaht me word
that your grandfather had lieen taken to that post for trial,
and that settled a pui'pose to return that way in the hope of
seeing my husband, if but for a moment. \ farmer was en-
gaged to carry us to Kingston, and after nearly a week's trav-
el in deep snow we I'eaehed the barracks. The farnu-r made
inquiry for my husband and was told that he had been taken
to Montreal and shot for treason.

DANIKI. MII.I.IKIN. A M Kl! ICA N.

1 (lid not t'iiiiit — wdiiicii dill not liiivc the lial)it tluMi — •
noitluT was I greatly sur|iiis('d. lor I iiad ali'i'a<ly Icariu'd
soiiutlniifi' of the scvciity of martial law. 'riicrc was no time
to slic'd hitter tears ovei' our ut'erl;. forlorn condition, and to
iiki' the situation completely dismal, the river at this point,

a of lloatinu' ice

onio

where I had hopi'il to ci'oss. was a
si-emed as far away as at the outset.

We were kindly cared foi' at a h)<x tavern hy the Ian<lla(ly,
hei'self American horn, until the lii'st fair day, when I reso-
lutely sit out with my three children to lind n cro.w.xinjr fartiler
down the River. It was said there

s firm ice from shore to
shore at ih'ockville. fifty miles distant, hut the task did not
appall nie for the hope of ni.ttin^ my children to tlu'ii' <;rand-
l)arents ^ave me couraue. iJravely. then, we traveled a coun-
try tilled with hostile Indians and soldiers, to my mind one
fully as wicked as the otln'r. remaining' over niyht with the
settlers except once when the distance hetween neighhoi's was
too far to he c(»vered in a day. W'c passed that nijiht hy
the remains of a lii'c not thri'c houi's deserted, and ate a little
dried venison which a farmer's wife had ])ut in the hand of
one of the children as we left. One morning a j>reat huUaha-
loo was raised aiiout the house of some kind people who cared
for us hy makiiifi- a hed on the floor in fr(»nt of the fireplace.
A loud ra]i at the iloor. then a <irulf voice shoute<l :

" Open and surremf.'r or we will fire the house I "
In alarm the dcxtr was thrown opi'U an<l twenty diMf>()ons
were discovered aliout the little hut. .\n olllcer looked ahout
the liou.'^e sharply and said information had reached him that
a fennile spy was harhoi'ed within and must yo with him to
the harracks. as well as the farmer whose loyalty he said they
now had reason to suspect. I presented my.self and ehihiren
and told the story of my travels. Our pitiful couflition must

ft.

HX MOVNTEK lU'.DCO.VrS Al'l'F.ARED. "

liANlKI, MII.I.IKIN. .\Mi;i;liAN. •>•'

liiivc slijiiiii'd liiiii. fni' jil'tcr (•(.usiiltiii.u willi iiin.llicf dllircr
iiiid asking' iiic a .ureal many (lucstions. lie threw a silver pieee
iiili) the <l<)i)r and they rode away.

Tlie <h'ar Lord only knows what we siill'ered the next day.
faeinii a stinjiin<i' mn'ther wliieli came ii|> alter tlie I'ain (if tlie
niy-ht Itetnre. On. on, 1 went, earryinu lirst one eliild and
then the other, and sometimes two. .\n occasional liiimpse of
the .\merican shore had kept u|. my conra.ue all aloii^ th*'
weai-y miles, hut fields of moving ice |irevented my crossing-.
Home almost in sinhi, yet far, far away, and I was so weary.
The trial was telling ui)on tiie children too. and 1 prayed that
they mij-ht he ^iven strength from ahove until we crossed the
liiH's and came anion^' niy own countrymen.

1 cut the villau'e of lii'ockville short, tea rin<i anotiiei' or-
deal of hein.u- mistaken for a spy. .\nother hour's travel
hroujiht us to a point where the ice seemed iirm all the way
across to .\h)rristown, where were stationed American troops.

.\s we struck out on the ice the chililreii wel'e knee deep
in the water, and ahout us were whirlpools caused hy the wa-
ter drawing down thronuh nirholes in the ice. I shuddered
at tlie.su dark vorti'xes, in si/e suiiicient to swallow us at a
o-uln, and it was oulv hv winding and turnin«i; that we avoided
these new dangers. Would either of my three halx's survive
such unnatural exposure? Would the frail hridge support
us-.' We would face still greater dangers rather tluui turn
hack. The water fro/.e to our skirts, the weary little feet
dragged heavily at my side, and I felt the hold on my dress
weaki'uing as the frost-hitton lingers i)ecanie numh. ami — •
heavens, was my hahy hoy freezing in my arms. I strove
blindly on willing to die if 1 could hut get my p(«risliiug chil-
dren to friends.

A loud shout startled mv heart into feverish aeliuu at the

(10

ItASTKI, MII.I.Ik'IN". AMKliK AS'.

tlioiiuht <»(■ li('l|i. (iiily til nil liiit sli»|i ill till' fear of iiiKitlicr cii-
coiiiitcr with tlic fcdciials. Uiit the Loid is^nod. I rccoiiiii/.cil
tlic Miiiiurni III' the Aiiicriciiii iiiilitiii. iiinl tli(> next iiKiiiicnt
sti'diiH' ni'iiis iiiirr ii< all acmss tlic trcaclicnuis clianiicl Id linucr
ice wlici'c tlic (li'ayiiniis were waitiliy' In make a s|K'('(ly llijilit
with us til the harrarks at Miiri'istnwii.

ic rliililrcii, scarce

IV a

1.1c t

II siicak. were riilleil in lilankets liv the siifuenii's wile

who liai'eil not lirin<.',' Iliein In tlie lire, ami in a

lew

ilav;

reciivercil their wiiiitcil activity. When my story waste'.il I
lieard many threats aiiiunn' the rnuuh tr(i(i|icrs. (iiie actually
projiiisino- til eriiss ami Imrii IJrnck villc that very iii^iht.

Alter reiiiainiim a lew ilavs we were sullicieiitl v reciivercil

tn resiiine lUir iuurnev, hut we

liiil

mi imire walKint

Our

new IViemls jirnviilcil a way t'nr us nearly hall' the ilistanec
ami the reinaimlcr we ciivei'ed hy slmrf rides with iieiuhhurs.
It was with a heavy heart that I a|i|iriiacheil the scene iil' nur
lirst hiiu.sekee|iin,ii'. hesides the time had imw cnme when my
children must learn the truth nl' their ralhei's alisenci. Mv

rents Were iiverjiivcd at iHir return and received us ;;s

was lie ii'i ' ni;m ' (

I'riiin the dead. I Imuiiht ci/iht yards uf hlack calicnaml made

it iutd a dress I'nr Sundays. 'I'lie winter |iasseil slowly emiu^h

iind when the liirds came with s|iriiiii' I

disheartened as each iiiitc seemed to re all uiiis

we had made for convert inii' our Ion diif>'

lield.

One Sundav 1 had a call rroin N' lilmr I -liaeli. whose

I oor. weak wil'i- had died of the fever-

Well,

von ueedn I a thoU!>Iit I was iii ad

hl'ol'

ke III

ji;raiidfiith(?r a little snaiijiishly. and to our surprise he told
the remainder of the story himself in these words :

When the dragoons cajitured ine 1 was in ;^reat pain from
niv wound, hut the otiiceis made no offer to hamlan'c mvarm,

hANIKI. MIl.I.Ik'IN'. AM'MMCAN.

(!1

not cvcii iil'tcr rcjicliiiiu \*\vk. In tlic jiiirrison tlic only nt-
ti-ntion I liiid Wfis to lie cliiiincil t» ;i jxisi like n slnvc, iiml
luivc ii ('(till nicnl ln'nntilit inicc n d.iy. l\>y a week lliis ncj^'lccl
continued, sind then twcniv of us wci'i' lastcncd in tlic hold ol'

■ichoonci' and taUcn to Kinyston.

Al'tci' a lew days" luisci'alilc trc.itnicnt there we were
started for Montreal in bateaux, the ollicer conipellinji' me to
labor at the oars altlioujih all luit dead with |»ain from my
wounds. .\t the rapids so closely did we [ass to the islands
that at tinu's Ihe branches of trees biushe<l the boat as wo
I»asse(l, l)ut escape was impossible in my disabled condition,
altiiou;;h 1 was sorely tempted to jum|t over ami swim, trust-
ing that tlu'ir slow lliiddocl<s would <;ive me tinu- to reach tlie
shoi'e. At Montreal we were penned in a umird house and
not only sull'ered ne<ilecl but were torlnreil with false reports
A fiirnnd charge of treason was read to

Brit

isli success.

me,and what 1 suppose was the de.ath jienalty was delivered in
i'^rench. I was still in total darkness as to my fate.

One afternoon the .\mericau ]>risoners were roughly or-
dereil out of the log prison, and undera strong guard mar(died
out of the gai'i'ison as we vei'ily bclieveil to oui' death. i''or
two (lavs we were mandieil westward in ignorance of our i\v>i-
timitioii, or the |)urpost' in removing us. Then from a hill we
saw a Hag of truce and sitldii'rs in the American uniform.
There we were told they had l)rought us out to light our coun-
trymen, but Ix'fore we were armed our enemies surrendered
and we were free.

After the lirst e.Ncitement was oviM' I determined to go to
my fannly, if indeed they had not met the fate of a liundvcd
deaths wliich 1 fancied they liad met at the hands of tlie
Indians, tU' fron\ starvation, exposure or wolves. Hack we

Il '

ItANllM. MII.l.lKlN, AMi:i;l<AN.

iiiiiirlu'd iis rapidly as i)i)ssil)lc t-
nut hciiiy; in tlu' rciiul:;r service

[ clioso the ("aiiadiau
at iiijilit fearing- to incct

, Fert 'ricoiidcni.ua, wiiciicc I,
was i»cniiitt('d to depart.

tliorou

li'litan

ant

I traveled I'lostly

tlie British soldiery. I crossed

tl<.e

St. Lawri'iiee to Morn
old home am

town for the purpose of f>-oint>- to my

I erossin.y- the lake in search ef wife and child

ri'n.

\t the barracks the account ..f my capture recalled the rescue
,f the mother and ciiil.lren from their perilous trip across the
I knew from thai moment they were safi'. I came
later found your ,urandmother in
widow's weeds i>lant'n}i- .some hollyhocks in the yard.

"Let nu" help you. mother. " 1 said. She just turned

lee. an<i

awav at once and a week

around, fell into my arm^

nd— had a t>-oo<l (-ry. Her parent.

j>avo nie a woik

honor of niv return, hut sum^

lerful welcome and ji'ot up a .uri'at dmner

■how no one had nnich of an

appe

tite.

le companions w

ho tied at my capture joined (leneral
Pike's forces and with them retreated when York was letaken.
andafterwar.len-atie.l in the battle at Sackets Harbor, and.
1 iiear vou sav another word al>out joining Can-

ever

ada to the states, vou will n^

)t <-et the bav colt. Hemend)er

Wind and Weather Permitting.

'I'lic La l''aiiiiiU' lislicniu'i' an'aii.t:c<l a huat I'acc that is
Well rfMiu'iiilicrcd l)y tlic oldci' settlers, leastwise those who saw
it with the fevefisli imatiiiiatioii (li'vinith. Far ami wide the
event was heralded on (|uafter-sheet |)osti'i's in this style :

CKAM) Ki:<IATTA.

'urse. >*;.")( ».<)(!. iVe

Spring lishin,ii'. attended liy ^ood hiek. was over, -o those

WIND AND WKATIIKI! I'Kli.M ITTIN<i

now resting' from their hihors made jfoncral ]>i'('))arati(»iis lor
the race. July l'\)urlli tliere wen- '12 entries of tisliiiiji' craft,
many of tlien; titled with suspieiously new sails, others with a
•' cloth " recently added to the liccli, and at least two with ill-
lit ting borrowed sails of larger dimensions than the ordinary
business rig. Otf the shore cami' a snunt bree/e which had
freshened not a little when the conu-stants anchored in line
across a narrow reach from the lake, jil)s furled, booms aswing,
mainsail tilling and backing at the caprice of the wind, and
])icke<l crews all alert. On the shore a crowd is waiting for a
signal for the start, the while somewhat jealously discussing
the rig of a yacht with tlying jib and a string of flags, manned
by a crew of boys in duck })ants, and steered with a wheel.

Hang I A pistol shot from the hands of the referee, a jus-
tice of the peace so everlastingly dignified as to compel his
own boys an<l girls to call him " "Sipiire. "

Hang I 'i'wenty-two jibs shoot up the ibrestav, iWenty-two
cables are slipped, twenty-two tillers hard up, twenty-two prows
fall away, ami twenty-two lishing boats, clean as a cabined
steam yacht, cleave the bine waters ami churn up a wave of
foam in a gi'and charge for the lee shore not thirty ro(ls dis-
tant.

Ilanl alee!

The sailing i.iaster of the boat having the favored position
c(»nies into the wind and then with his starboard tacks aboard
claims the I'ight of way, compelling the first comer to go in
stays so (piickly that the gravel bags fall overboard, others to
ware and some to gyiie. lie takes the bowsprit from one loo
venturesome, and runs his iiorn through the leech of another
who had gone about in llie vain hope of laying to windward
of the licet. Another boat with broken I'uddei' is run out high
and dry on the bench ; another i.s turned completely over, tlio

WIND AND \V1:ATI1I:1! l'i:HMriTIN(i

r..")

crew pcrcliinji- aloiifj,' the kvv\ unliccdiMl ))y i\\v more rortmiiito
'• (li'fcndcrs. "

^\'llil(' tiu' boats arc (l(i<l,<iiii^' each otiicr in a cdiit'usion «if
llappiiifi' sails, loud orders, and clicois iVoiii llic sliore, a hiti,'
fellow is setting a j>atl-to])sail, "just ier to put on style. " as
P>one Mareeau expressed it. I)Ut ])ride ^oetli before a fall, Mr.
Bifi- One, and ere the e.xtra sail is fairly set the halyards foul
and the sail (laps away with taek adrift and elewline spinninjj,'
out ".ntil it reaehes a kink, when the topsail suddenly hlls. l)el-
lies away to leeward, and the boat within an inch of capsiz-
iiifj,-, ships so much water as to make her all but unmanajicable,
and she is withdrawn frcm the race. Si'ventccu boats over-
strained with a crowd of canvas thrash the narrow waters into
a choppy sea. The lUuebird breaks her mast off close to tlie
jaws, and is towed into a friendly covo.

Interest in the contest nai'rows down to the three or fonr
in the lead. Nancy Marceau has already observed in the con-
fusion of sails what others luivc not. She has seen the Fancy,
with tho F chan,L!,(Ml by somt- miscreant with a little coal tar
intoan apolo,tiy for an N, stand straiuht thi'ou,i;h the reach
without once tackin,<i-.

" Is .h)b sailing- the Nancy-er-Fancy ? " asked young i.ane,
looking at Nancy as though she ought to know.

" Dunno, ■' she i-urtly i-c]tlied with llnshing chet'k and a

look that gave the lie to the words. " It's none of my

bnsi-

ness and less o

f vonrs. .Mm Lane

'• That might be and then agin it mightn't, " ami .lim
niatle a telescope of his Jiands to cnt oil the snliject.

Out of the reach into the bi'oad bay speil tiie boats ni'ged
by a stiii'ening hree/e, their 'wimiwanl runboards lined with
'hags of gravel whicdi (piickly shifted for the other tack, keeps
them right Hide up and in sailing trim. The Fancy rounds

IK)

WIND AND WKA'I'IIi:!! I'KKM ll Tl N( I

tlic uuttT mark lollowcd hy the Saiicv .lane and ( 'ra/,y Jack
«'l(isi' U])(iii lici'. No sooner is each hoat i'airly aruuinl tlic Imoy
and het'orc the wind on tlic ii'tnrn tlian a \n^ lugsail isrnn up
tlu' mast, a Ixiom sliot out and as tlu- sails lill the boats fairly
Hy over the course, eaeli carrying a hone in her tooth which is
l)lainly discerned by the i)articipants, in s]>irit, at least, on tlu'

shore,

"Job is ragjU'ing it to her for first prize, sr.re. " remarked
a young iicigbboi' lad who hail maile one trip on the U|)per
lakes and returneil with a lot of knowledge, and a blue flannel
shirt ornauienteil with crossed anchors in white brai;!.

•• lie can't steer a raft across the canawl ami fetch the
f'lirdcr side, "" sneci'ingly remai'keil old Marceau.

•• He'll rag the stick outen her if he don't take in his
washing afore ten minutes, " 1

e coniinueif, antf t'Vcn as lie

spoke the spectators discovered the whiteciijis ••basing each
otliei' in the wake of the flying racer.-. The ('ra/.y .hick was
farthest astern and caught the stpiall almost unawai'es. She
lifted and plunged, then an onnno'.is cracking forwai^d proved

trouble from an nnlooked-tbi' sian'ce. The forefoot twisted oi

the slei) and the mast alreadv 1

lending forwarcf, pitciiecf into

the boiling waters under hei' bows, tearing out the deck and
snapping backstays like threads. The hardy crew, wet to the
skin. \c ((uickly cleared up the wreck and with the jibboom
lasheil to .he s|iliii1ered deck and a bit of sail bagging from it_
they scudded pa<t the inner buoy, ami by (lint of vigorous
biiijiiig succeeded ill making a landing, without further dam-
ai:e. ()fthe fleet which started in the race one after a iiol licr
had ilropped out until only the fancy and the Saucy .lane re-
mained. .\tter the disaster to the < 'ra/.y -lack, which was high,
ly appreciated by the crowd on shore, tlii' two remaining ap-
proache<l the inner buoy which they wer,' to t'.irii and then

\V1NI) AND WKATIIKI! I'KltM ITTIN( I

(57

ilmaiii cover the coursf. Tlic I"'imcv caiuc on and just wlicii
abreast the mark i'urliMl her lu^' sail aiul as the sheet was
hauU'd in by ii run forward she swung arouiul to the wind
and heeled over until her keel showed elear of the waves,
and she seemed drifting to wintlward tV.mi th? niDmentuin ae"
erued in cirelin,u,' the mark.

Craekl

The onlookers are treated to another lonfi-hojx'd-for hit of
excitement. The I"\uicy's tnpmast had lirokcn ott at the truck
and her peak was daniilin,ii' in the lifts. A liunrc is goinj;'
aloft, hand over haiul. on the windward stays. 'ilie wind
St ren,iitlicns and the liiiure shrinks closer to the stump of the

ma^

llai'd luck : I'm soi-i'v, " saiil -lini Lane, ai

1(1 Wv ca

Uiiht

Nancy .^h^rceau watching the iiiiure with an intensity that al
most hctrayed her recognition of the nimlde sailoi'.

'• .lim, do yon think he will f;
an<l yet almost tearfully.

•• it's none o" mv business, nni

Nancv bdldlv

cli less \iiurn. mockinj'lv

repli<'d the nngallant .lim. smiling at his own eleven

less

Old Marceau watched the i'e|)airs with a sailor's admira-

tion for a disolav of skill ii

I close

iiuarteis. !>ut his shade

eyes failed to recogni/' young Collins els • h ■ wouM not have
complimented the good seamanship which (piickly resulled in

secui'ing a block to the stump of tl
a lialyai'd into it the peak was set up

e mast, and alter reeving
<;nule wr\' liavinjj,' been

put in the mainsail and Jib in the meantime. Then the l'\in-
cy. far in the reai', began the batth' afre-h amid the clieeis of
tli( sailors and lishermen who had gatlierecl down the shore
the better to sei' the contest for the supremacy of the lishing
lleet.

" Now. " said .lohy as he resumed a position on the i|Uar-

(iS

WIND AM) WKATllKI! I'KliM ITTINfi

tcr Mild stciidicd tlic tilUT hy the round turn (if a voyv licliiycil
to wind wii I'd, " \\v shall overhaul the Saiicv if that stick

lU)

ld>

^■

C'S,

id tl

ic man tcndiiiu |ii> sheet, " she is carrvnu

too much sail now. See her heel down and lulf. 1 tell you
these h,eas deaden the headway and throw lu'r too much to lee-
ward when her lutt is slappiiiii' like that. "

Ti'.ckins"' to the outer mark was not makiiiL!,' rapid liead-
M'ay. and the piin counted upon for the l''ancy"s li'ettinu,- down
to steady work was not so much as her ^aliant crew had ho])cd.
A plank was run out to windward and a man, .lohnny Hea-
ver, clambered out toward the end as tin- boat careene<l. and
quickly slid down a<iain as slu' straifihtenecl up. It was truly
a comical sight, this man dangling in mid-air at an elevation
of nearly forty-tive degrees as the hoat yielded toajjuffand
lay down. Successively rising and falling he more than once
took a ducking from a liig comher that reached up and hit
him all over when he was a tritle slow alioiit sli<liiig hack,
laughingly remarking : " Never toocli me. "'

he Saucv Jane a mile to windward was ncariiu

mark, every joint .siiueaking with the strain of canvas. She was
shipping water like a canal hoat crossing the lak(> when

Zip!

'Pile ch'wline tackle stranded, then broke, and her sail

4 id (1

own the

oin almost to (he mast. The iie.xt instant sh

bore away before the wiml ami was running like a wildcat
away iVoin the coveted mark with her helpless crew, the
helm hard down and the rudder s(iua re across her stern, plow-
ing up the water like an exposed ]»ropeller blade. ()nlythe
most skillful seamanship such as is developed in the lishing
craft of the (ireat J.akes, ])revented a disaster before she cotUd
be brought to the wind and her sails reefed. This Inst acei-

WIND AMI \\i;.\'nii;i!

;i!MITTIN(i

(lent l)i'ouglit tlu' l)(>iits vci'v close tnuctlicr iiiul as tlicy stdcd
out for till' mark ill! cyrs wci'c cciitcrtMl ii|i()ii the scciic and
many were the s|)('ciilali()iis as to the oiitcoiiic.

There she "oe

a dozen voices shouted as one hoat,

not half the crowd knew which, rounded the mark and s([U:u'ctl
away for the homo huoy. The next instant the otlior maneu-
vered in the same manner and the two boats threaten to cap-
size, first on one side and th<>n on the other, ^o heavv is the
roll,
the iiome lj;)at is recoonized in the rear l)Ut now fast overhaul-

A hrijrlit, new lu,u-.sail is sent up, and a cheer u-oes up a."

\ug her competitor wi'.h t!:e crew in white duck. Tln' Fancy,
startled at the strain of another :ail, lca])e(l forward like a
(leer, and the rolling- suhsidini-- in a measure hy the balancing
of the new sail, she steadied down j'or the six-mile run with

less foam and froth in

1 a verv husiness-like wav,

A starn chase is a lonu' clu

commented old Mar-

eeau, as he recooiuzed the advantage to the hoat of the son of
liis dead enemy.

" Why don't th(>m dandy marines stick out a lugger, the
lubbers, " he continued.

A voice cried "Shame." but it was drowned in the loud
huzzas as the {''ancy passeil the other, one of the crew holding-
out a rope as if otfei'ing a low.

The already vamiuished foreigner ran up his lugsail, peak
down, not dai'ing to set the whole sail, but he was yet slow
and the Fancy had already neai' a miiuite the lead. In a W'W
minutes the contest was over and ;i hundred hands met the
i"'ancy and lifted her clear of the watei' high and dry on the
beach the moment she i-(«ache(l the shore. The stranger jiicked
up his anchoi', dipped his (Misign, lired a lirass gun .Mnd ac-
knowledged defeat in a very naval-like manner which quickly

•INI) ASM) WKATIIKI! I'KKM ITTINd

(•IT

atiMl i\ fci'liim- ofi\(lniiniti()U lor the crfW

(Ircssfd "ui wliitc

(liu'k.

Old Maivi'iUi wont lioim
Ho woul

1 huvo quickly rotuniod had ho oUsorvod u drip-

])inj;' sailor,

lor wiio bad considerable resemblance to the tnin

lookin- chap who went out as the skipper f.f the Fancy, watcli

him well away a

nd then stroll over

to a vounji' lady in white

under a wide hat.

-.lohy, I'm j-lad." siii.l tlie white li^un
'• I'm "lad vou'r jilad. "

ou Won

t r:ice aiiain. will you

'• Onless 1 sec the skipper in

vou.

1 didn't,
lie did. '
( )li vou o

white <hu'k talkin' soft to

Id Jealous; that was j.a's plasterer, 1 im i-a-

lian.

Bv miiL!,-

htv, I dunno hut you'r ri^

ht.

And thev

■itrollet

pi^' am
.)ol)V turne(

1 down the street to see the wheelbarrow races, ^u ^
1 what the po.^ters denominated .^mailer sports. 15

1 his face and softly whispere<l to himsi

Uv the horn spoon

If I'd a kn.)wn thit was I im m

his plaster over

lis. I'd a lost the race sure as -uib

Wars and Rumors of Wars.

NapoK'ou I)()!i:i;)!irtc .Marccau ca

nic into tlic

Idji' ca 1)111

just hel'oro the shadow fell iipoii tlic iioon-iiiark on thu window
sill. JIo sft a ])()t ofhcans on the hearth from the hook in
the firephice, and hun^' in its stead an eni])ty rye-and-Indiaii
kettle, threw in some serap lead, oiled the hullet molds and
he^an eleaninji' a ratlun- l)rij>I it-looking- fiintdock made in part
hv his own hands.

dinner

is wife protested apiiiist sueh rude intertei

■eiiee

with

" Bone Marceau I am sick of the smell of v
you needn't go. I'll cook no more of it in this house,

I'liison.

" Cook it outdoor then, " res[)onded Marceau.
Soon he had run a pouch full of l)ullets, which he hur-
riedly trinuiied. and then ran a ].ocket lialf full to make sure
of a f,Mi(.d su[)ply. Scizin,u- a piece of smoked venison and the
half of a corn meal cake which he wrapped in a piece of linen

sliuffiny

I jijun at

oor s'^'iiR the wife this

and shoved into a pocket, he picked uj) the musket,
jtowder horn an<l shot l.aj-- over Jiis neck, and witl
'• slioulder arms " lie strode out the d

admonition which contained the first intimat

ion of his inten-

tions

' Be kccrful of the liros and milk th

c cow reg'lar. The

WAIJS AND IMMoliS Ol" W'AHS.

iJritisli is <i()iii' I'ci' to try tn Inkc the Ilfii-hor miuI wc mI'c ^idn'
to show 'ciii once iiiofc how we lien littcii at ^iuci'iil triiiiiin', ''
jind lie was oil' to tlic wai' witlioiit roiiiiincc. or jioodhy t'oniial-
itirs, ('\cc|)t a (litiiiilictl military sahitc to liis wife at a jioiiit
where the path (lisa|i| (eared ill the woods.

'rii' wile ealie 1 t • iiiiii t;) " t;ike no risks and wateh out for
tlieni pesky Ilessiaie and hire(| Iniicns."

•• Lord ! '" slie exclaimed, " war and Mood at our very
do H's. " Then slu- sat down and cried over her loneliness
and the distress of the e((Uiitry.

The next day in the midst of her s|)iiinin«;' she was star-
tled hy the distant lioom of a cannon, then another and an-
otlier.

" The alarm uuiis ! " she exclaimed.

Mrs. .Marceaii had not seen the maiieiivi'rings of the Brit-
ish fleet on the lake as hi'r hn-liand liad, and the report of the
alarm yuiis was tiie iirst intiniatioii she liad ha<l of real wai'.
Slipping- on a woolen shawl she ran a mile to the neai'est
neij>Iihor, Mrs. Lane. That j^ood woman was mounted on a
wa}i,on lookinji' soutnward as if si^Jit would pierce the liills
and Woods and reveal the scene of the hattle. Her husl)aii(l.
too, had u'one at his country's call, hut less ini'ormally than
had Marceau. Tlu' two women whispered and watched in tlu'
direction of the hattle. A dense cloud of smoke liftecl itself
slowly ahove the liills and treetops on tlu' op])osite shore, and
more certainly locateil the strui^jile in human hlood. Tiie
caiinonadin^' ceasi'(l as suddenly as it heean and the two wo-
rn mi clutched e.u'h other's clothing' as ea(di looked in(|uiringly
at the otiier. 'IMiere was a faint rattle of tlii' di.schai'ge of
small arms and for a moment silence. Then the louder report
of a musket reacheil their ears.

" Bar-r-ny- I " it sai<l. if translated into talk.

WAI

A .VI) l!rMf)|{S OK WAItS.

I i"c!ir llicir powder is i-tuic, " siid the eld,.,- ,,(' t|

incii, ■•Hint \v;is ncitlicr ;i imiskct ii(»r
tlic Inst l)i( of |)()'-(1(.|- ijp,.,! I

IC Wei-

ll <'!iiiii(iii. iinli's^ It Im'

I'tllll il CMllllOll.

'riint WHS iiiv liiisl)!!

ih1"s musket, ■' rc|)li(.d Mrs. .M,.,,..

'•''-■m positively. -'Tliiit W;is my ImsliMlid's -Old I'tica, • iisl
••■•ills it, mid lie siiys it tiikes u l.jdl i, third I

film west (.f All.iiiiy, " she adde.l with n si

K'iivier than aiiv

No si

low (it jtnde.

<H'|. eame to their eyes that iiiuht as tliev revolv(>(l

over a.iid ovei' the jirohaltilitv of sii

(•(•ess

or defeat. Ilopin^^
••iii'l prayiiiu-, over and a^aiii they ima-ined the e.v;|M.rieiiees of
widowhood, and fremhled at the least noise lest it weretl

l)roach of the iJritisli. .Mon

ic ai)-

11111^' came aiK

1 witi

1 It the duti

of the day, hut work was out of the (|uestion. The child
were kept indoors. The clank of oars cau,uht their atfenti
niid to the slioi'e they caiiliouslv made tl

(>s

reii
on

icir 'ivav.

Thank (iod ! we ai'e not widows, " forvcntlv .spoki

rs.

ane,

A hoal was apj)roacliin,ii- and instead of Ifessiniis the 1
lids of the fri,ulite!ie(l women landed

in.'-

iirceau's hand was wrapped in the linen that had served
tlic purpose of a napkin when he had hastily .seized his lunch.

<iot a hall throu-h my hand,'" he half apolooized, •• I

if twan't pizened I shan't he hothei'ed lonn-. I
htin-le .sounded to ' cea.se lirinj.-, ' hut 1 ni„",,,„ „„(. ^,,|

)Ut

tc.ime after tlii'

Old I'tica, ' as they pulled out t(t tl
t ) make "em hail as they lied to for I
starn.

ute Irom

IC ship in their boats. Just
seen a splinter leave her

Vcs, '" s;iid the iieio-hhor, -you made a hiu^vr hole in

the hoat than they did in your hand, J

'oni your venison. Sargeant, " and he .saluted I

cer, who had received a jironiotioii without 1

rolled in tli

warn vou. Show

lis superior oHj-
mviiii>- heeii en-

c service.

le venison was produced and a liok

\VAi;S AMI lilMnKS ul' WAIJS.

11 1 must cIosihI wiis lii'st cxliihitcd iiml llicii Iui'IkmI (i> tlit'(i|i|i(isil('
side, wlicl'c II little of the sllhsliilicc liiid Ik'CII cut ilWiiy sliow-
iii,U the cud ufii |>(tiiitcd l>iill wliicli liiid loilf^cd there wliilc tlic
]»iec;' was still in liis [iDeket.

" 'i'oii^li meat that, or 1 wnuldn't lie here, ' coldly re-
iiiaiked .\hirceau, and the woiiicii sliud(U'red at a reali/.iii;'
scu'^e of the horroi's of war not yet revealed to them hy the in-
jured hand which had not heen uncovered.

In the excitement of the return, a youu""' man drcs.sx'd in
a semi-military uniform was nearly for^dtten.

•• IIc!-c Hill, "' suddeidy called l,ane. " come U|i and ^ct
ac(|uaiuted with the women. This is my wonum. and this
Bone's wife — Lefteiiant X'auiihan. who has c<ime hum with us

to li

irn what the

Mrit

isliei's

do next.

esied.

The young man liowed low, saluted, and the ladies court-
Yv don't look real |iert and wt'll, stranger, " I'emarkcil

rs.

:iiu'.

( "oino in and sit hv. I've some wheat Hour a

I will have some white hi.scuits and honey. |)on"t 'pear tome
as you are any great eater, anyway. "

The young hoatsvvain .said lie " didn't mind. " if the men
were going in. " IJeutenaut " was a tith' facetiously aj)])lied
by Lane to make his introduction mor<' inqiressivc.

'' You see, " liegan Lane as they entered the house, "me
and Marceau got to the hari-acks just afore the Britishers made
Horse lslan<l, and the leftenant here wants to get the lay ot
the land hei'cabouts. Bein's Bone and me si-e the redcoats ]»int-
in' that wav when we ware .scoutin on our own hook"

ivast.

lie re

!rf)wlcd Marceau,

vou r

losm ver

l)C'aiin"s agin, neighbor. The leftenant is a. great angler and
bein' a little otien his feed he's about to take [iot luck with us
and recooporate by way of hmitiu' 'n tishin', "

\VAi;s AM) i;iM(»ii

S Ol' WAIJS.

/-»

"AikI if tliat (l(.||"t Ii(.||, yell jest liv lihr.liir, •" jkLIcI

Laiif Willi II \viiii< tliat rmi IV the ,.(,nls of liis lu-ck U|. into

Ills scfilp. It was a sly dii-at Manvaii wlm needlessly siillere.l
shame al reeeivinii- a wonml.

• lU'tler try a ste..|,in' of plantain leaves and snake-mot

I'll

si. tUMKlly put in Mrs. Mareeati al a pause.

Lords ofcivation I in tlie interest ol' tnul
•stated that the two settlers had

I it nnist l)(>

icen sniiiooiin^' pot and pearl

Mshes nito Canada when they learned of the appi'(.aeli of tl
British fleet. lon,o- hefore the al

irni eniis were sounde(l.

.\n<l the

sickly lieutenant I He was soui

id as a i>ullet,

imd had heen sent out as a seoul to nronnoiter the lake shon
iind find the enemy's vanta.iic p(»ints on the St. Lawrence F{iv-
er. He was an acknowledged marksman with the fowling'
pi<'ce. or a •J4-poun<ler from the deck of the fla,uship. He was
;i studious sailoi'. too, not content with shvrin.ti- liis trick, he
passed his watch helow studyiny- some old piints on tl
of naviiiatioii.

le science

N'auohan passe<l many days coaslin,u' the shores l)et

Ween

(iravelly Point and Stony Point, searchiini' out harhors and

dioah

telling for the enemy, and ri'portin.u' I

presence at the Ifiver into whi(di he vent

lis occasional
ui'eil a i'vw times, al-

ys ui company with his new-found friends. Lane and Mar-

ceau.

When he returned to the j.osl at Sackets Harhor, ( leiieral
Wilkinson had superceded (ieneral Brown and was formula-
tin,!^- a plan to descend the i{iver with an ovei'whelmin.u' force
and capture .Montreal. To this plan N'au.olian. who had l)een
promoted to sailin,u-mastcr, made stivnuous ol.jections wlien
he was called into tlie confeiH'iu'e.

The o}licers slu<lied a rude map which X'aiiuhan had 1

uis-

WARS AND HiMoliS tiF WAI!

tily drawn iVoin ii kiiowlcdii'c uaiiicd wlulc scdiiliii^- on flic
lake sIkh'c.

" What VdU liavc Iktu afcustdUicil lo call an island,
here, "" cxplainc*! tlic scont. " is I'cally a |icninsnla (•(inncctcd
with the main slioic hy a strip of land aliont ten yards wide.
1 puUcil niy l>oat across it oftrn -nd found a most excellent
liarhov inside. Outside in the lake lies an island well toward
(iravelly Point, which contains a line hai'hoi' almost land-
locked. Its torm is that of a basin and we have named it
Hasin Ilarhor. That point would make a vei^' desirahle ren-
dezvous t'oi' the e.\|iedition lo Montreal, if that is the campaign
U])on whii'h you are determined. The liarhor can he reached
from the east side in small hoats. hut not hy those of deep
draft. Tlie a]»]>i'oach tVom the lake side is danu'ci'ous for thos(>
unac(|Uainte(l v.ith these waters. ( )ne mu-l hnii' the north
shore close to lind a deep channel leading' ri^lit iiito the liar-
hor. Not far out lie treachei'ous mckv Icdii-es, hut once clear

of these shoals the harhor will in'otect the wl

lole ne(

Our (leet was ii<seinhle(l ;it Oivn'ulier Island on the 27th.
at least sueh of our hoats as survived a liale which set in dur-
in«i- the iiiu'ht ( )f this expedition hr. Ihinuh wrote:

At this late seascai ofthey<>ii'. when with noother eneni v
hut the weather, it Would seem the extremity of folly to at-
tempt the navipilion of ihe lake in open hoats. fidiii the peiil
arisiuii' from sudden tcmpc-is. it was decided in p;i>s theeiH-
my's llci't and army, and descend upon .Monti'eal. allowing' the
enemy the privileiic of attackinL; on hi> uwn teri'ilorx' in hnth
IVoiil ;iiiil real', with an inliniaJc knowhdLic of ihc counlr\'
and its re>oui'ee>. and e\ci'y ,id\ :inI;iL;e llial a >killl'nl inm-
mander could have desireil. had Hie >e|((ii(in of ciicnmstancM s
heeii left to him. \'ie\\

ei| in 11- oroocr lii.

ihe expedition

piay 1)0 justly cuusidered an ouira,L;(' u[ion ici.Mni and eoiih

WAliS AMI l;lM()i;s dl' W A IIS. , ,

iiKiii -ciisc. iiiid justly ciitillcil to tlif niliuiii wliidi li;i-. Iticii
iltt;ic|ir(| III it.

On ilic "JCitli (if ( )c|iil)i'i'. jit iMiiiii. (inlci-- were i^-iicil Inr
llic lii'iivv, liiilit iiud llyiiiL; ai'tillci-y. i(itiiiiiiiiii|iil l>y < ■niniicis
I'mlcr. ICustis jiinl .Muciniili, jiml the t'lmrlli \>v\[i:i>\<\ lum-
iiijiiiliii Iiy l>riLi,i(lici'-( M'lici'iil Swai'twuiit. <it' tli<- intiiutiy. tu
iiiili;irl<. Mini |if(MM'ci| iiiiiiicdialcly tu IwL-iii llai-li'ij. jn (ii-ciui-
<\\<-v Isliiiid. At six |(. 111. tlic wlidlc ciiiliiirkid. and |iin nil' w iili
a la V'lialilc wind, tlic li'aiis|i(ifN iiKislly cciii^i-tinir nf -(■(.\\>.
|)iii'liaiii liiials, (•(iinnioii lake sail Imal-. anil lialfaii.x. funtain-
iii^' licsidcs nliinis and suldicis, oi-diiaiicr. ainiiiuiiitiun. liii>|ii-
tal stdiTs. liaiiuaur. and twn niuiillis" provisions for the troops.
All inipaidoiialilr iiciiliuriicc \va> cviiircd dnriiiii tln-caiid tli"

tiilliiwinL:- niiivciiii'iits, in llic cn-todv an

I .safe kii-jiiiii; of lli

>npplic>. iiniin'iisc i|nanlili"< of wliirli wiic nltiinalily lo-t

Tlirii' was a dcli(i(iic\ if (■.xpci'irncii! pilots, and tlic in

in till' lioaN wcri' nioslly nnarrn^loinril In tln'ir inanaui'inrnt
citlirr 111 i:iioi| or iiad woallirr. and partii-iilai'ly in a dark
niii'lit. and. in passiiiL;' poiuN of land wlicro ilifv \\cr«- nnar-
i|iiaiiilid willi llir soiindiiiLis and currents, and al a -cn-im
wlicii -uddcii and violent tciiiiicsts arc lialilc lo .-iri-c witlioiit

warm Hi: .

ic Willi! and weather laverci

I until one (("clock a. n

wlidl Hie oil.

lis appeared to lie iniicli ~c,ittered : .^unie had
aiided (111 I'illar I'oiiil. and I'oiiit l'eniii--ula : -dine had eii-
iVfi\ •■|iauiiiniil l>ay. and oilier iiilel<; oilier- hail laialed oii

illlel- -1 1 dtr fdl-

< herrw Sldji V ai

|i| lli>r-e l-lMlKl-. .■UK I I

i\ III

'-lull, wliele iiHe I ii la I . Willi all otiicer ;|||i| Idl lllcll. i-

aii|

td lia\c ;iiii\ed in >afel\. Sc\cr,d lid.ii- |-iii(led dii LmiL;

and. in l)rili>ii lerrildr\-, and -oine -aldv rea( lic(l ilieir

iji -lllialldii :)

I Ita-in llarlidr. \| Icdt' iia-t iwi. tlic wind

d.ifl

eil IK arlv ahead, and liieWire.-h irdin the lake, ov whie

\VAl;s AND IMMoKs OI' WAIIS.

iiijtiiy Ixijits u'lil ill the real, iiiid tliscovcriii^ lij^lits (Hi tlio
slidiT. iittt'iii|)tc(l tt) iViU'li tliciii. ill which smuc siiccccih'd. It
soon hctriiii tn rain, jukI thi' wind iiicrcascd tn a uah'. in which
the Itoat^ and scows which liad hin(h'(h wcnMlriftcd and hcatcii
(111 the sliuic, wliich in sdiiic phiccs was i'(iUij,'h and rocky,
whih' (ithci>. still 1111 the lake, made the hrst point of land
thcv couM disciivcr tu save ihcinsclvcs. The iiioniinii- dis-
<'l()se(l a scene (if de-olation truly distressing'. 'I'he shores ( if
the islamls and main land were strewn with hrokeii and
sunken iioats. and the day was spent in tniioadiii.u' such as
<'(iuld lie reachi'd, and in endeavorinu' to save such perishable
arti(des as cnuld he t'ouiid. the ^ale coiitinuiiiij,' through that
day and tiie lollowinu- iiiuht. < )n tie isth, the wind liaviii,!,-
ahated. sever.:! hoats were iidf oil' from the rocks, and ai'rive(l
at liasiii llarhor. Inn on the ne.\t day the storm increased, iiiid
several hoats th;:l had atleiiipt 'd to };aiii their rendezvous,
were driven hack upon the shores, (hi the 2<ltli the day was
fiivorahle. and many of the sound hoats reacdied Uasiii llarhor.
The hriuades of (leiierals Ih'own. i!'iyd and ( 'oviniiton
whieh had encamped at lieiiderson liaioor. arrived at (Jrena-
di< r Nhuid on the -Jdlh. ( >l t he llotilla that lia<l left Sack ets
iiarho)-. liftieii laruc hoats were entii'cly lost, many othei's,
with several >eow- were much damaL^cd, r.nd a lai;uc (|uantity

if hread was de-t

I iiveil.

he iroop> remained encamped on

the i.-land until tln'

liiM ol N

oxcmlir, eiiua^eu in repau'in

the hoats and makiiiL; preparations to descend the St, Law-
rence. The Weather niejinwhile continued stcrmv. and snow

fell to ll

le depth (i| tell lin-h(

lllV ot the reuuhirs Wi-Vi'

froi

II the -iiUllieMi >Iates. ;ili(l lU iaecU>!omed to the seVel'ltv of

a northern winter, and in thi: expedition, especiallv at a la. 'r
p;'riod, su tiered ext reme|\ iVoiii tlir ri^or of the cliniale. v\ liicli

l>v

(jduced a friuhtful nioiialil\

iii.iiil: tlieiii

\V.\l!S .\N'1> KIMOKS (iK WAl

On lllc -JSlli, I'.Kl ,,f tl

ic >ick wci'c iiut on liiiaril of n

sclioiincr aiiil sent (o Sackd-- llarliMi-. Wilkinson ari'ivcd on
the •27tli. and iindin^ a kai'^^c lively >!ill in the rear, wricked

\vv a sii|)[ily ol'

o r>ai-k('ls 1 lariiur in oi'i

01' stranded. I'ctui'ncd i
winter clolliinu- and sliocs. for llic iroops on llic i-hind, sonic
oi' wlioin were nearly doiitulc. lie oli>er\id luaiiy lires (if
troops alonu,' tlie shore. ImiI the wind was so violent thai he
cDiild not eonununicate with theiii. < )n the lilid. ( 'olonel Cole
arrivecl with "Jdll men, of the rjtii reeiiiieiit. and saileil for the
rendezvous, and the (Ji'owler wa> sent to ( iswe^i' lor Coloncds
Handolpli and Scott, who were c\|iected there, and as many
men as the vessel couM carry, 'i'lie ucneral returned the same
day to (irenailier Island and arrived oil' the island at eiuht in
th" evciiinii-. the weath"r coiitiiniiiii:' hoi-terons diu'inn' this
nijilit and the day followiim, with fre(|nenl rains and heavy
uales, so that a landinu' could not he ejlected until the "Jotli.

In the intervals of the i;al". oiiiioi-tunitit"^ wcvr wat(die(l
to slip deti(dimcnts of hdats into tin ."-^t. Lawrence, hut so
trea(di<'rous were the lulls of the teinpest, that urcat |peri[ was

encountered ni nassinii from

• irenailier Inland to ( 'ape \'in-

ceiit, a distance of idiie miles. .Manv I m,ii~ were driven

asliore and much nrovisions and clotlnni: were lo

St. (iellcl'al

Brown was ordeicil t

o ta !<(■ com

mand of the advance and post

himself at l'"i'ench ( 'reck, where the ilet nhm 'Ut- were ordereil
to I'enilc/vous, The ( irowler alii ved at (ireiiadicr lslan<l on
the olst. with ■-'■Jit men ol' the -JHih r( uiiucnl. and on the 2d of
No vend pel-, ( 'hainiccy tiok a po-ition in prntcct the -out h chan-
nel, where it was appreheinled thceiiciny would enter and oc-

iiH, repairs, would have

cupv I'o

It ( 'ai'lcton

Wlllcll, WItll -o

'I
•tl'cctnallv coiumaiideil that idianiiel. and compelh'd the

meriean arni\' to winter on Lake < >iilaiio, or run the uaini

.f I

I t under the (ialteric< ol l\ih,i;-ton. Iciiiap-nn pouit on tiie

WAKS ANl) lil'MoliS ()!■ WAI

i'i\('i' is s(i atliiiiriiMy ndiiplcd \'i>v a luilitary post, as the licad
III' ( 'arlctdii Islaiiil. and it has Ikcii justly called tlic ( iiliraltcr
of this passaiic

Si) iiiiich I'oi' pnisy hislnry. (iciici'al ilrownV llrcl was
|iilolcil tVoiii ( ii'ciiadiri' Ishiiid lo T'l'iiich ( 'ni'k hy l-auc .Nhir-
rcaii and (iiowi ('apt lin \'aui:haii. though the hitler liad heeii
so far ill the IJiver mi hnt our oecasiun, and thai in ihe niylit.
.\< ihey passrd I'arlhlt's I'uiiil the general saw in that prom-
oiilory the ad\aiila.iie of |)ositinii. and a hallery of three ei^h-
teen-|ioniiders was handed. di-a\\n up the hilh and hit in eoiii-
iiiand of ( 'apt.iin .Nh-I'hersoii. ('aptaiii \'aiiL:han was ditaih'd
as expert iiiiiiner. and the eoniphnient lo his iiiarksinanship
ph'ased him iiioic llian wmihl a pioiiiolioii to eoinniodore ol
the Heel. llis old friends, tlie sinuiiulers. pihited thelhel inlii
the hay at the iiioiilh of l'"reiieh ('reek. |ia>t Indian roiiil.
wh'Te the West end of the hrid^'e rests today, and up tlie ■•ti'eaiii
In a ]io;nt siiilahh' \'nv a iMiiip of seven thousand leii. Tlie
place mice called W'ilk insmi's I'uiiit, is heller known as the
i Inhhard I louse fariii.

.V sharp lool

111 was kepi iiiiihl and (lav at I'arllett I'oiiil.

now rrospect rai,<. inasmuch as it was known that Ihe enemy
wa> lurkiiiLf amn.iu- these 'Phmisand l<laiids. and his presence
miuht not he di~r,i\-cied until he had reached an uncmiil'oita-

lile iirnxiniil \'

Me twii jiiliils c(ia<tci| aoout in caiinesac-

uaintiiii:' lheni-el\(- il

t' r with the inlrieacics of the

channels. Iiil;- and I iiile. ilccp and -hallow, narmw and wide.
I'" roll! the li.iilrry a wide -weep df \i>i(in wa* had up.uid
dnwn tllr Uiver. The \ieW d I I'ect ly acro'^s wa- lillliled hy 'he
ihiise Liriiwth (if 111-, halsaiii-. piiie< ainl hemlocks which in
place- appe;ire(l rnoled in tin- very i;ranite fmindatidii-. < 'ap-

laiii \'anL;i

ian,<eale(l upon his yuii. drank in tic heautic<of

the <ccne with iiiiire than the aiiiireciatioii ( f an di'dinarv sn|-

■p**

WAKS AND KIMOKS Ol' WAR

ic lire red iiiaiiic

riiiT. Ivirly iVosi- Imil liiitc(l tlir Iciivcs. niid tl
backed by tlir vniicd sluidcs dI' oi'ccu and yi'ay yavc back a
shai'i) rcHi'i'tidii in tlic >till antinmi ilay. I'"i'(iin liis tdcvatcd
position tbc obsciAcr fell l<i mitin^ llic apiiai'dit I'ciiularity
witli whicli tbc dead ]iincs wci'c stationed bkc so nniny silent
st'iitinels. an cllcct tbc more stiikinLi'. tiie Liicalcr tlie (bstance.

Was tliat tlie wine- of a Imec iiiid in a dcjid tamarack '!

('aptain N'anu'lian, stancbnii np. broUiibt a lont;- spyglass
into ran^i' and iza/.ed intently a! a tall tice widcb had lieen
bhistecl by li^btninu-. Tlie air was not in motion, yet lie dis.
tiiictly saw the Ihitterine- as ol" a iiau' in the bi'ee/.c. a lull league
down strt'am. Ibistily ilispattdiinji' a mcsxnuci' for the ])ilots
lie loted the appearance and disappcar:in<'e of the phenomenal
siiiiial which ."s'atnre in hei tVeakiest niooil could not simu-
late.

The pilots ari'ived from the camp at Wilkinson's I'oint
and wei'e .saluted in an unconcerned mannci'. and then drawn
back upon a knoll a little apait fr<im the yun erews.

'The captain pointed noi'tbei'ly toward the ilenil tree whicdi
towi'reil above tln' oaks and maple<.

'• Now, watch. "

.V white llaii' was waved from horizon to horizon, and in
the blaze of sunlieht its outline hecame \'ery di'-tincl.

" < )ue, two. three. " cnuuteil the captain, and ;;ftei' a |iause
the siti'uallinjj,' was resumed. 'Ihi- time the observer^ c(aintid
two. then, after anothei- pau:-e. one.

'idle ea/,. (if the pildt,- i. | in a ha lf-(piizzieal expression.

••('ap'n. we'v ~een that kind of lluttei-in' Ik fore, eh'

Marceau, when we cnoM'd witi

I the la>l load ol iHita-li

•' Shet up. Lane! i )o you want the hull i-e-,eiuie o^silers
arter yer on Worthy >k in '.' The liber up ;i tiee"- i^ot a ]>ard-

\\ ( 'ap'n. Want 1

o -ee mm

Ih II iiroiniM- me an-l l.auc

WAIts AVK ItrNfons oi' WAl;

;i |)riiiii(iti(iii In adiiiiriils (pf this licet mid I'll ~li<)\v ymi tuili

el'

nllc. hcsulc;

•• Ndusciisc. lucii. " iuti'i'rii|il('(l tlic (Miitaiii. " il' ynu know
iiivtliiuu iiioi'i' of this liuttcriiii;- Imsiiicss than I can .uucss.

)nt with it Inr this is no time

tor s|io!'l.

lvi<iht yon are."' saiil Lane, and he s\vc|it the npsti-eani

■iliore witii liis hand as Marcean lironi:]

Ills i^a/c to a -tand

<\\\

There's his jiardiiei', " said the |

illol

a siLinal wa-

.ore

waved from another treetop on the ('aiiadian

" 'Bont six mild apart in these rathoje-, (a >'ii. Lots on
'em iietwecn Kingston and Windmill Lint. '"

Yes, •■olfercd L

iiie. "the smuuulci's nscd to think tin

customs house oftieers elindicil ti'ccs to warn IIh' a|i|ir
Yankee potash peddlers.

■ Well---

oacli oi

it means t her s a liunooat (M' two. or niavhe a Lrii

two or three scliooiiers lietwixt them

air treetoiis. sir. am

if yon want the feller in the tree just ^^ivc the order. .M
Lane'll hriii^ him I "

e an

•• -^'es — no. ■■ I

csponded the captain, still walcliiiiii for

rea|)peai'aiicc of the siL^iuils. ■• It may he we can read as well
as they, after wr ham.

The pilots disaiii'ced as to the exact location of the tree
lii'st ol>ser\cd Ly ('aptun \ aiiLihan. and al'ler olitainiiiL; p( r-
missi.-Ti. paddled olf with the current to make a idoser inspec-
tion of the localit \-. Aficr uoini; ;i mile or more thev located

the tree more accnratclw and then reiiieiiioeii d that mar it

pali-ade ojiciied into a lar^c hay of -hallow water. V
jiaiisailes would ser<'en a tall nia-t fr<ini any hnl an npeii
at eaeli end of the channel.

le>e

\leW

SVAliS AND Ur.MOliS i|' WAIJS.

Su(l<l('iil_v .Miirct'iiu tiiuclifil l-iiiic (111 the slioiildcr iiml
liiitcd sifiiiiliciiiitly lo the main clmiiiicl tn the iiortliwai'il.
I'xitli paddles rotid in the water.

A lirii: llyini:' the Urilisli jack lay iikkh'cmI to a preeipitous
.1 I

clill' wliitliel' -lie liail lieell liellijessl V eari'ied liV tile curi'eilt

when the Wind uave i»u
he seen some masts.

ei'inu ahiive a low island eo

nhl

t. 'I'ow

A sinall hoat. approaeliinu the hri^i'.
seemed lillerl with soldieis.

The pilots Were lor the liioliielit sei/ed with the "lever. '"
'riieir lii-st move was to turn ahiiut and paddle hack under the
tVieiidly shadow of an island, and then e.xcdiaii.uiiiii- ideas by a
mere glance, they set tliiir paddles deep and shot the eanoe
hack toward the I'eiide/vous with loii^. ra[iii' trokes. .\t the
shore they parleil. l-aiie to report to (leneral Wilkinson, the
oilier to ( 'aplain N'aunhan.

'riie latter met .Mareeau in the luiish I'or he had seen the

pilots retuniini; and su.-p(

eteil 'lie el'.eliiv s presence

After

reeeiviii<i' the news he walked hack to his mm. whiidi he patted

iU'eetioiiatidv alter ear

el'ullv no

liiiL;- that evervthii

\iX was ill

reaiiiiie:

This e.\p( (litioii is a tool joo. Mareeau. "' he halt' iiui.-

;e(l

'■ for here are we with the enemy in tVoiit. in the rear and on
the llaiik. This i^ defending: our country imt not saviiiii' it as
I look at it. ■'

husi-

lat as It ma v. ixMuied t lie otiier

ler II In

liess ol

I5e 1

I tlii- liill liefore another sun sets if the wind Mowsanv-

think >liorl ol a hurricane

.\ siLihillli,- ill the pii

ie> sni;.iic>leil wind, lail as v

el tin

water ha! not heeii di^tiirhi'd, 'I'lie ukis<v surface i;ave 1

lac

a smiliii"' relh'clioii <i

Nature's face, and hirds in their lliojit
diot downward at their own shadow-^ cxpeclinu to make the
ici|Uaiiitaiice of another of their kind.

\V.\1!S AND lil'MoliS OK WAI'vS.

■• AiKitlicr uiulil-hrcczi' iVmii llic iinrtli. "" sn^ficstcd Mni'-
ccaii, who liiiil IxTii WiitcliiiiL;- the iiioviiin' liranclics. •• 'I'lic
l)i'i<:' will iii;il<(' our iici|iiiiiiit;iiic(' iirlorc iiuiiiy limii's. cli ! ciip-
taiiiV ■'

Tlic (•;i|il;iili dill not lice;!. lie Wiis s\vc('|)iiin- (lie hav, tlic
short' and the islands willi his ^lass and makin.u' menial cal-
culalions. The haltcrv was masked iichind sunic fallen trees
and a .y > > I h"i'i-^tw irl< of loii-. 'i'h' envniy undouhledlv had
ini'ormati >n nf the enneentration ot the ti'oo|)s in l-'reneh ( 'reek,
hut tliev wiiuld seek in vain I'nr the hattery. even if they sus-
pected its |ii'eseiiee nn the |)rom(iutoiv.

The northerly hree/.e slilleiied and oii(> al'tef another ol"
the heautil'ul relleetioiis wei'e erased h'oni the I'aee of the waters
as a frown swept over them with the inereasinii' ri])ple. l''led
like a smile from a happy face was ihe enehanted isles whi(di
a moment hefnfi' had iieen suspendeil t fees (hiwnwai'd in a
heautiful ndrror set in a frame of i^iieiss. or forminf^' a rich
fringe as from a heantifn.i garment. The hoi'ror of war was
spreading,' over all the landscape as occasional (dnuds ohseured
the sun.

Was Vdudei' ship jj,rowin<i' out of the I'ocks, eonnn^' up out
of the deep, ol' gracefully aliiihtinji- IVom an aerial lli«iht ? An-
othi'r and yet another sti'iind tn launch h'oni the mass of
^reeti and ,nold leaves inln whii-h the descending' sun shot iiis
hri<ihtest rays as a heacon l''_;ht rt'Vi'als an othei'wisi' hidden
danger.

X'auii'han warned the sentinel, he ^ave the alaini, messen-
ii'ei's wci'e dispatched to < M'Uei'al W ilkinson's camp, and then
the drums soumled the hmL; loll. Seemiiiiily out of the rocky
walls the licet of the enemy came in a lii^ht hree/.e. TwohrifiS,
two sehoonei's, ami sevt'ral smalh r hoats loaded with infantry,
he numhered. The pilots wei'e evidently unac(piainled with

WAiis ANi> i;r.\rni!s oi' waus. 8*

llir WMtois tlicy uciv iiiivi.L;;iliii,u'. A hriii led tlic (led mihI it
\V!is cvi.Iriil llial il \\;is III,, pni'poc n. u,, iiitu tlic inoulli of

the creek ,ii|(| -ive the A liieHcn us 1,;||||, slioiv, aiid uikI.t

llle |if(itecli(i|i of ill,. ii;i\-;il '^[l\\<.

rliMivoiil lires were lin||t,.,| ni ih,. halterv, ami wiivs weiv
kept ii..| \\>y rn^jiiu' ij,,. |M.\\<ler wliicli \va< put int.. tlie imi/.zle
oftlie oi,,,s in |,,|^s. Caplaiii ^■all,-llall had made his re)Mita-
tKMi at Sackel-^ llai'l...r when he elleeliiall.v captained a Ihirtv-
t\V(. poiiii.ler loaded with l\\ cnty-idurs. the deli. •ieiiey made lip
I'V wappiiin eai'pets anaiiid llie halls. lie was deteniiiiied
tlial 111., set .>fsiiii sh.aild II. .t s..,. tj,,. hisl.T ..f his prmvess
''iii'i'i.'d ..II this ...•easioii. 'I'h.. Ileet appr.iaeh...! Hii'tl..ti Point
iin.l as ih.. lar.e.'sl hiin h..^,.,,, ),, ware ..11' Captain Mcl'hei'soii
.tiave the oi'.ler to -ivi. haul.— Captain \'annlian to liiv liist.
II<' wait. ..I until (h,. masts app.'are.l as on., and oave the w..nl
<" ''i^ 'I'ii''' I" liiv. .Maiv.'aii ahvady ha. I the red hot wire in
''i'lid and at Ih.' wor.l I'an il d.)\vii th.. venl.

'I'll., uun spoke.

The c..mniander. watehinu' fhr.iuuh the ylass. .saw all
three >h..ts fall sli.irt of the mark.

Th.. iuvad..rs wer.' evidently surpiis..] at a salute (Voni
that .piaiter. lor Ih.. I.rie- lulle.l as il' JK.r mast,.r wished to
make a cl.is.'r ae.piaintane... and lh..n ji.iur. I out a itroadsidc
'1' 'I"' 'li'l- 'rin-ii' aim was ha.l ami th.. halls wliistle.l hij.h
over the halteiy, wliil.. th.. otherwise s;l..nt woo.ls m..ekini:'x-
eclio(.d and r.-ecli....l the r.,ar. I5y this tim.. Captain X'auuhan
was a.uain rea.ly I'or anolh.'r shot. As liet'.H',., h.. lonk eai't.ful
aim ami when ih.' sniok.. .'leare.l away he ha. I the p.ior con.^'o-
latioii .if.-e.'iiiu' ih.. hi'iu's sails l.)i'n and the ri,e.i:iiio- .■videiillv
cut. The other ^unn.'rs now paid th.^ir resjx.ets to the sec.md
\>n>^ and ihe s.'liooiiers. Tli.'\- sh.it awa\- som.. .if th.. ri<>«dni>-
hut no .-;eri.)Us ilama^e was .Ion., until the hriu- whi.di eave the

91^

i™^

H(J

U'AUS .\S|> IM'NlDlis ol- WAI!:-

ill vitalidii Id Imltlr Wiis marly lioxc lo ilic third tiinc tn |)V(-
sent ii hroiidsidc.

•• Ni)\v. " s lid N'auuliiiii til liis inatc •■ <sr\ cvcrvt iiiiiii' I't'iidv
t'lir a (|uick (iir and I will dn .xdiiic ilaiiiaiif il' imwdcr will
'•aiTv a iiall. '"

Tlic hriti Ikii'c ii|i tu llii' wind and Just as the yards swuiiji'
anuiiid ami the masts liail Warcjy pasx'd out of raii^jc, tlu'('ii|i-
tain siylilcd liis |)icc('. Marccaii alnady stdud \>y liiiii with
the red hot wires and at the woi'd |iiisli('(| one down llic vent
and ])i('rf('d the hau oi'|)owdcr which had hccn rainiiic<| down
Itchind two lialls. The siiiulc hai; oi' [lowdcr had iiccii rc-in-
lorccd iiy near iiall'a lia;;' wlii<h Marccaii had (|uictly |KHirc(|
ill, contrary to orders.

'I'he Liiiii roared, the |iroiiioiilory Ireiiililed, tlie smoke hid
the enemy.

"Well done," shoiiteil ('oiiiinaiidcr .M(d'lierson, as the
lihud-; veil lifted. " N'auyhaii y(Ui have hrouiiht down tlie
I'oreiiiast.

'I'his called out a cheer from the entire hattery, as well as
il broadside from the second \)v\<x. The Heel had lu'einlescrih-
iiiii' a circle in tlu' maneuver, as lIu'V wore around and stood
away from the ei'cek, when saluted from the masked hattery.
'Idle small hoals of infantry were iiietlcctual at that raiiye, and
made liut one move to land. That was etl'ectually tdiecke(| liy
the l>att(.'r\'s coiiceiitratiii,u- its lire iijioii the stdiooner that at-
temiiti'd to protect them in landinu. The licet was now close
tojiether and alforded an cNceileiit mark, hut as the halls tore
their sails and n^uiiiu- they realized the superiority of the po-
sition of the Americans and with the small hoats towed the
di,sahle(| hri^' out, and soon the whole ileet dropped down
stream with the current, the wind haviiiLi died away.

I)ui'in,u' this liall-liour"> cnuaiiciiiciit the troops in the

\VAl;> AM> lilMi>l!S (II' \V\1!S.

«/

<'!llll|l lllld lil'Cll ilr.lWII up ill i||V-> |iill';|(lr illlil sldoil jlt I'cst ilS

idle s|K'('t!itnrs. Musi of tliciii liinl lucii umlcr lire. Init 'hiI n

I't'W (it'tllClll \villlT(| Jl-^ lllC lllllls iVillll tllC lllll

t sidi

ic hrin'

wliistlcd fivcr llicir licnds mid fell lianiilcss inln the iiuirsli or

Woods hcNdiid

Old

\- il \'rW of lliclll were tiivorcd witli il view

<»r tilt' liittlf. TllC ciMiiiv \v;is Ic-- rortiiiiiili' lor il is evident
that they did not l<no\v the exnet lo^nlion of Ihe rendezvous ;is
their nini \v;is iiiiich too lii^li. Two men ;il the halterv were

Wounded and one was killed

oiilrinh

I. The liritish loss wa,-

liot iiscertaiiied. and i;i'eat or small the world loses nothinji' hy
lack of infoi'iiiali<;;i I'cL'ardinii' the niiiiicrical slaughter in hu-
man hlood on this or any oil;, r occasion.

Nijilit came.

TllC pickets Were redouhled ahout till' rende/vous. and
every prcpai'ation was made to unard against a sur|)rise hy
land and water. The e.\ultant Aniericaus knew full well the
teinpt'i' of the race with which they had to ileal, and past e.x-

pencuces had taiiuhl llieii

that this foe. thoueli defeated,

was not vaiKpnshei

he iiiiiht was cool, with just wuu

elioujih lilovillU' to lumhle ;;yailist the .-liores a slitiht swell
which fallinu' with a regular cadence lulled the soldiei- into
sleep, or set him tumhliiiii- on his hemlock couch as the
nervous system was tuned to harmony oi' otherwise. ()ften in
the darkness the sentinels were stai'lled liy the mournful cry
of the loon, or the sharp lieatinii' of his winys and feet upon
the water in his clumsy allempts at lliyht.

'Idle morning' came.

Sunrise at the Thousand Islands! The lirsl faint ylow of
lifj;ht in the ea.-l foreshadowed lie oloi'ics of the dawn of a
lieautiful dav. Not so much as a hrealli of air moved, for the
very wind was awed into ^ilell(•e ;is the mellow liiilit turned to
a soft pink and Iheii to a i^lowim:- red which <pread over that

■.%

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

1.0

I.I

12.8

mil

2.0

11.25 i 1.4

— 6"

Photographic

Sciences

Corporation

23 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. 14380

(716) S72-4S03

'<>

ft8

WAliS ANK lilMdIfS <t|" W.*

j)()rtion (»f tlic horizon. In tlic WMtcr the cliaiifiiii^ tints wvro
copied MS npon the jxiintcr's onivjis. I.onj>' slindous crept
iiwjiy from tlie ti'ces crowning- the ritcky l)hiirs whose si(hs tlie
water hizily hipped, just as a fond mother awakens a child witli
a caress h'st it l)e startled at a too sudden awakeninin'. 'I'he air,
huU'n with th" resinons odors oi' cone-hearinn' trees, sei'nie<l to
have fiained volume durinj^' the iii<ilit. and the soldiers from
the far south declared they could fairly taste it. Here and
there a shining maskahmue, the l"'rencliman's " lon<i-face. "
shot out of his nativi' element aii<l fell iiack with a reM)undinji'
splash upon the still surface. A \'-shaped Hock of fjecse. led
hy the refi,ulai' '• (pionk, (juonk, " of a soher oM pilot '•ander,
rou.sed company after company of the slcepinj>' ii'oo|iers who
contentedly fell hack again at the i'esponsiv<' " lada-lunk. "' of
the mother goose as they pressed their (light southward. The
.sentries forgot theii- heats, and looking over the rude ramjtarts
hecome lost in admiration of the miraculous hirth of another
day. The morning stai- fa<le(l. The halo of morn was reiii-
forceil with hright rays shooting ujiward and outward hy com-
])anies like glistening sjiears liehind a golden hattlcment which
a fleecy cloud caught up in hold rellection as if to mirror the
splen<loi-s of a gloi'ioiis sunrise for Nattires own admiration.
Higher and yet higher shot the pinnacles of light. Shorter
and shorter drew the sha<lows. Fainter and fainter hecame
the red glow, and lighter and lighter hecame the leafy caverns
that ii moment ago seemed dark and impenetrahle. 'i'he glis-
tening channels, which lay scattered ahout like silver threads,
shot away into the more intricate and all l>nt inaccessihle
lahvrinths of (his miuhlv cadiedral no( of man's cons(ruc(ion.
A Hock of whistle-wings (acked ups(ream, and a .^ohci'

ci'ane slowlv liea( (he air

as wi

h 1(

<(relched hack like a,

pair of piuhlleSj and neck closely coiled, he s(aigh( hi-' l'avorit\^!

WAliS AND ItlMoliS or WAItS.

Wiulin^ place where fruj>s were jireenest. aiitl little tish most
venturesome. I'pward and upwanl elimhed the streaks ot red
and white and yellow, until as with a myriad of "ioideii wires
the sun's disk was slowly lifted into th(> horizon whence he
was to cut his way across the heavens in the ceaseless pursuit
of ever-lleetm^' dawn.
The reveille I

lUiffle sound and heat of drum recall.s the stern fact that
in the midst of these peaceful solitudes War, red-hande<l,
hiood-thirsty War, stalks abroad in a reij>n of terror.

When the di.'v.hled fleet drifted out of ranuc of the hat-
tery. Commander Mcd'hersou was anxious to follow and ovt'r-
takinjj; them complete the victory. Not for a moment did In^
think that the policy of (Jeiieral Wilkinson would he other-
wise. His an.xiety was the possil)ility that his command would
be ordered to remain, and others he sent <iut in their stead.
No t)rders were issued and the attacking' party departeil as un-
molested as thoujih ,u;oinj>; for an outin<i\

" \'aujihan, " suuiiested the commamler. when it was cer-
tain no orders for the ])ursuit were to issue, " what do you say
to following; the fleet and biin^'iii'' them hack as |)rizes? "

"(Jet thee hehind mi', Satan," (pioted \'auu,han. '" It's a
shame to let tlu-m slip away Just when we had them fairly
caught. lUit its a sampU' of what the ' rejilars" are made of.
^hlrceau and Lane would capture the hull Itilin" on "em with
a canoe I I tell you its a fool expedition, this. "

The men parted ami did not meet until the next forenoon.
N'aughan and the two |»ilots stood upon the crude hreast woi'ks
and ])asse(l a spyglass from eye to eye.

Marceau s]ioke lii'st : '• Thet thare's no dead pine. Dead
pines don't tiavel fur, and that one's opened a hand's width
HIrI whals onusual its got it niat"- f'()llying at prezackly \\\ii

00 W.MtS AND IMMOliS dl" WAKS.

sMiiu' piit! Its a c-oupU' ..ft<.im«Msts M-l.uMuin aluft tlu- island,
jmd we'll licv uunv cclcbnitin' aloiv loiio-. sir. "

Vaujihaii m..tioiu'.l t<. M.-lMuTsnn, wlm t..(.k tlu-las> but
i-Mvd to voritV tlu. pilot's .liscovfry. wlu.-i. in no wise discon-
,rrte<l that worthy, who rather fVlt his supcrionty ov.r the
otlicer.

Lane took a lon^ look and without removing the j-lass
aunounee.1 that then- were '• four dead pines wulkm up^the
eric'k, n(»w. ''

.lust then the howsprit of the iirst sehooner, for there was
MO di.uht about it now, pushed out of a roeky eleft, and ma
tVw moments the lately ues.l up Heet was seen advane.nj.- tc.
renew the combat. MeIMH-rs..n .uave his men a lew words ot
eneoura-ement and then instructed the jiuuners to ho.l their
lire until the enemv attacked. Tlu> fleet was slu.rt one brif."
„u this occasion, a fact which Vau.uhan noted w,th some in-
ward scM-praise. The scho..m.rs led the bri.u by .unshot .lis-
tance, and approaehii.o- b.ddly t.. the step bluffs set a couple
of twelve-pounders to soundin- taps at the clear sky above.
The batterv returned with a concerted volcano of hell-lire and
shot which' cut some of the running ri-jiin-, an<l some of the
s.nls drooped. This evi.lently .lisconcerted the schooners for
thev i.nmediatelv fell ba.k to the protection of the larj-er -uns
of the brifr. ^Hie slijiht breeze was dyin^ out and after tiring
a few ramlom shots the Heet retreated as it had on the m-ht
])ievious.

No attempt was made to follow the enemy <lown the Riv-
er, and camp at Wilkinson's IV.int was not broken until three
days later. The soldiers suffered from want of sliocs and
winter clothing, and besides .-very man <.r them had intcUi.

U'Aks AN'D RUMORS OP WAllg.

^^once to forosce tl,e .lisnster winch subsor,uo.,tIv bofcll the cx-
I'oditioM at (:|irvs|(M-'s Field. '

At the hattio or Martldt Point two An.oricans worn killcl
I ^-.- were wounded. Mc-I'lu.-son was pron.oted to a cun-

su . ^^"\^;'^'^"'/^'"^'"'''''l -^- tl.e schooner Julia, whose

.siMe...ful eruisuii, fonns the suhject of another chapter.

Tin-; sToitv ()!.• T(>.\r (iAnxKr.

Kvor .since that period when man reared on his hind legs

uud walked ronmnce has been si^nallv united with war. Out

ot the nmst touclnng anec<lotes of the second war with Kn^land

s u a tod o. a hero of the Arn,v of the North, as that a^. on

I^akeOntanoan.l the St. Lawn-nce l>order was clesi^nn.ted

Ion, (.arnet was the son of an English farmer livintr
about forty nnles fro.n Liverpool. He ch^se a partner'fo ?
and was .sent not long after n.arriage with an ox cart la n
u.th wheat to Liverpool, to exchange f.r furniture andln^ !

h s e nt.eat es and resistance, was taken on hoard a frig ,te

a 2 ^;-;> *<•.•; c; Kast Indies. Ins cart an.l oxen remait;^^
m the stre-t, and Inmself unahle to relieve anxieties at hon,t
by a sn.gle word of explanation.

During .seven long weary years, he was detained abroad
^^•tl.out an opportunity of exchanging letters with his tamilv
or o know.ng whether those n.ost dear were .lead or alive U
ongth he was paid off and .set on shore at Liverpool. Sun-
burnt by tropical heat, an.l hagganl from hard service he w- s

il->

WA.S ANh KlMOliS oi' WAIJS.

SO , Imiifjcd that his In'st tViciids would luinlly li.'ivc known
liini. He had carefully saved liis caniiii'is, and liaviiifj;
shunned the vices that sailors (<m) often ac(|uire, he had with
Idni a eonsiderahle sum, for a man (tf ids station, with which
lie was fondly hopinj;' to jiladden the hearts of lovt'tl ones at
lionie — if ju'rehanee they were still livin<i-. As nif2,ht a]»-
proaehed, fearinj;- to c:dl at an inn, lest his dress an<l ajtpear-
ance shituld excite suspicion that he nu^ht he a deserter from
the fleet, he crept iido a nook un<ler a stack of suaw, and
s]»ent til" nif>ht. In the mornin<>'. tlu're was a dense foji', and
not knowinu' the course he shouM take, he tell in with another
press ffanji, and was auain cari'ied on hoard a vessel ahout to
sail for the South A.uerican Coast. After some years, lindinjj;
an opjKtrtunity, he <'scaped, crossed the Andes, and at leiifith,
reaching an Atlantic port, he enlisted for a i'vw months in an
American ship, which soon hrought h" n to the Tnited States.

IS crew w

as detaile(l for , ■service on Lake Ontario, and he

arrived at Sackets Ilarhor in the fall of 1S12, and joined the
crew of the hrifi' Oneida under Lieutenant U'oolsey. Huring
twenty years he had heen unai)le to gain the lirst word from
home. He was of a kind, cheerful and ohliging dispositi<»n,
was strictly temperate, u.>^ed no prcd'ane language, and was
made captain of the forecastle, from tlu' entire contideiice that
was placed in his capacity and lidelity. -ii short, 'I'oin (iar-
net was the univer.'^al favorite of the hrig, and hotli othcers
and men hecanie sti'ongly attached to him for his kindness of
lieai't, intelligence jind moral worth.

On the m<»rning hefore the lleet of Commodore Chauncey
sailed to meet the enemy neai' Kingston, Tom related to his
comrades a dream he had the night liefore, in which his wife
appeared to him as a disemhodied spirit in Heaven, with ii
pop, whom ho Imd never seen, jind told him he would soop

WAliS AM) Ifl MOliS Ol' WAK

join tlicni. I lis storv

iind

l:(;:t((l willi Icvitv ; l,ut the cji!

tenons cjTiur.lnoss wiili \v!i:c!i hv rclr.tcd it. .'iiid (I

ic cvi-

ilciil coiiviflif.-a ho liad i)s (■) 'An- pivinuniiion, dKckcd liilarit:
IIo nrofocdnl to divide Ids v,jirdp(.l)c miik.iij^- Ids coinpMidon's,
and iravc instructions iihout tlic disposal of the little property

lie jtossessed, as one aliont to d

vet 111-

•lieeil'nl

and

nlaerity were nnahated ; altlintij.li he evidently I.elieved in tl
presentiment lie liad expressid. lie seenud exhilarated in the
welcome prospect of nieetiiifi the lono-lost and dear partner of
early hopes.

Tlie fleet sailed and eiifj:a,m'd the enemy's hatteries in tl
harhor of Kingston, the (irst slmt from wliicl :■■

1 was a niiu-

j»asse<l

pound hall, which crossed the deck of the Oneida, and ,
through the hody of Tom (iariiet at his post. He fell instant-
ly dead, with the sj:me Mr.ile up( n his c(;untenance which
habit had impres.sed.

KAIM.V SMr(i(l|,IN(i.

A company of infantry, under Captain Hennet. and of

twenty- three artillerymen, under Lieutenant (

tioned at Sackets Ilarhor in ISIIS. and earl

ross, wei'c sta-

V ill March. ISO'.).

ive men), from Colonel i'

two detachments of militia (fortv-l

Slickney's re<iiment, wer(> drawn out. twenty of whom were

stationed on the St. Liiwniice at (Ir/ivelly I'oint, now Cape

X'incent, opposite Kiii«islon. and the i
the ( )swei>atehie road, wliei

•maiiiijer at Antwerp on

c several routes united

e (111-

bargo had the effect of lowering.;' the price of urain. by inter-
Hljjtii)^' iho RonunoitT ^y whjcli it Wiu; (%Nj)ortcd, while IVotii

WAHs ANh m-Mor.s cr wah

the simo cause it eiinrmnnsly iiicreiiscMl flic price of j)()tMsli,
whidi all new 'voody countries ]tro(luc(\ and wliidi the eui-
biivfj^o prcveuied from reaching; Knjilaud. except indirectly by
way of Canada. This attbnk'd a temptation too strong- for the
honesty of j^reat numi)i'n5, who, notwithstandinjjj the vifi'ilance
of the revenue ollieers were very successful. This article I'ose
to ^.'^00 to .S)V2() per ton in Montreal, from whence it coul<l be
exported without obstruction to England ; and as there then
existed in Canada no law against its importation into the
country, the only ditticulty to nu'ct was an evasion or open
defiance of our own laws. I'otash was brou<>ht from the inte-
rior counties, and even from New York to this frontier, and
temporary roads were beaten throuji;h the forest in the winter
time, by those ennaged in this illetfal traflic. Amonff these
was the " endjargo road, " from the Black River, near ih'own-
ville, to near French Creek, which for a season became a great
thoroughfare for smugglers.

Previous tf> the calling out of the militia detachments
above mentioned, Mr. Hart Massey had seized fifty-four bar-
rels of [)ot and pearl ashes, and twenty Ijarrcls of pork near
Cape Vincent, wliich proj)erty was ojieuly rescued and carried
off bv a force of fiftv or sixtv armed men, with manv sleighs
from Kingston.

L'nder date of Ahirch 14, ISOO, the collector at Sackets
Harbor made the following c(jmplaint to the Treasury Depart-
ment :

Nature has furnished the smugglers with the firlne^t ice
that was ever known on this frontier. There is scarcely a
place from the Oswegafchie to Handy Creek, a distance of 1 10
Tniles, but that the ice is good. Sli^iglis jiass at Sackets I lar-
i)or ten miles from shore, and all the force I can raise is not
sufficient to .stop them. They appear determined to evade th')

WAKS AND ISlMOJiS OK \VAI5S.

laws at the risk of their livos. Moi'o piii-ticiilarly at Oswc-
pitcliic, I am infornu'd, tlicy liavc ciitcTcd into a coiubinatittn
not to cntortaiii, nor even suiU'r any other force to he stationo*!
in that vieinity, and their threats are handetl out, tiiat if I, or
any otlier oflieer slioiild eoint' there apiin, they will take a raw
hide to them, which they declare they have prepai'ed for that
jmrpose. Tlu'se threats don't terrify me. 1 only mention
them to let you know their unprincipled determination. The
regular troops, and the inhabitants at that station, hav( a mu-
tual understandinjf. If the troops th:it are there, are not
called away, it will l)e in vain to send any more, without
sendin<f (Mioutjli to overpower them and the inhabitants.

The militia, stationed on the ( )sweji;atchie, are thirty miles
this way from the post, at the jjlace where the roads hrancdi
off to various parts of St. Lawrence County. [.Vntwerp.] The
people in the vicinity of their station are lu-.-'tile and refuse tr»
acconnnodate them witli anvthin<i\ even to admit them into

thei

r iKtuses.

Thev are in a sulferinir conditi(.n, and the snow

is three feet deep. 1 shall <j;o to their assistance soon, and fur-
nish them with such thiuiis as they are in want of, to keep
them from sulferinji;. They are poorly armed, without blan-
kets or cookinff utensils, or even without shelter, except hem-
lock boujihs, but, notwithstandinji' their distressed situation,
they stop the illicit trade on that road. It is with difliculty
that I f>;ot any assistance for the conveyance of property to the
public store. If I havi' not armed men with me, the inhabi-
tants will assemble in the niyht and t:d<e the ])ro|)erty from
me. There are some wlio wish to support the hiws, but they
are .so unpo[»ular that they shrink fnan their duty. My life
and Ihe lives of my dei»uties are threatened daily ; what will
be the fate of us. (Jod only knows.

This open and bold deriance of lav.'s, was n;)t entirelv dun

WAliS ASM) 1!IM<»|!S Ol" UAlJS.

to ii incri'ciiiiry spirit. \n\{ to itnliliciil niiicoi' mid m prncticnl
o|>]Mt.siti(ni t(» !i Inw which they (hcliiicd iiiicoiistitutiomil iiiid
void. .\ii (»|K'M (h'liMiict' to the hiw wms iittcniptcd mI Oswcjijo,
ill the .siniiincr of ISOS. it is s:\id, in part, hy citizens olMcllcr-
si»n County, which wms holdly plnniicd hut pooi'ly cxcciilid.
One niornin;^' nhout ten lionts with sixty iirnicd men, en-

tered that harhor, and tVoni an inlniiation that w

IS ^iven iiy

one ol" their nundier. it was learned that they desij;ned to I'or-
cihly seize ii (|iiantity of Hour that had heen detained hy the
collector. Mr. Hurt, or to use their own lan^ua^ic. •' to clear out
the place oi" burn it. " .\ nu'ssij^c was at once sent to hasten
on a company of ilrajioons at ()nonda;ia, who arrived within
half a dozen miles and encampetl. {.eai'iiiny that the hour of
11 ji. m. was auree(l upon for a "scrape," the detachment was
hastened lorwai'd. an<l arrived a I'vw minutes hefore the signal

was <iiven.

Jit

arinii' the mu>:ic of the approachinji' company

e Woods, leaVHiti"

the insoh'ut maraudeis instantly lle<l to th
theii' hoats in ehar^ic of the collector. The <ireat price to which
ashes arose le(l foi- a shoi't time to extensive clearinji's for this
(thject as labor was fai- better rewarded in this, than in the or-
dinary ptu'suits of husbandry. On the first of .\hirch, 1S(){»,
the end)ai'jio oave place to a uon-inlei'coui'se law, which ex-
pired in May. ISlu. On the fourth of Ajtril. 1.S12, an end)ai'-
^o was a<iain laid, which remlered renewet! vi«iilance neces-
sary ; but this time a more eiiicient sy^•.teI:l of means was at
hand.

In .M:iy, 1S12, tlie Lord Xel.son. a ih-itisli schooner, bound
for Nia<iara. and latieri with II )Ui' and merchandise from
Mini'ston, beinj.^' found in .\merican waters in the lake, was
Citptured by \\\)ol.'^ey, brou^iiit into Sackets Harbor and coii-
deinnetl a.« a lawful ])rize. Amon^ the goods taken and oU'ered
at auction was a <piantity of plate, jewelry, wearirg apparel

\VAI!S ANI» IMMoliS (IK WAIiS. Q^

and liouschold iirticlcs of ridi nuitcriiils, lu'loiifjins to a Indy
on^icoiistowii. ncuiy iiiiirricd. l)ut not on iM.nrd ; find tlicso
tii'ticlcs of yivfit iiitfiiisic value, wciv iiicstimal.lv precious t«»
the owner, as family relies an<l l<ee|.s;ikes. '|'li,.se, ( '(iiuniodorc
Woolsey, with true courtesy, proposed to restore, and (he sn^'-
fH'M'iun was si'conded hy the iiearly acclamation of his pillant
sailors, who (.ll'crcd to reliruiuisli their claim ; hut oth^'rs, from
sordid and illihcral motives, insisted that the sale should «•<)
on, and undertook to compete in the hids. which j>raduallv
arose to three, four and hve hundred dollars. At this moment,
thcfrallant \\'oolsey. deternnned not to he hallled in his de-
sign, suddenly raised his hid to live thousand, which at onco
(■U(h'd the contest, amid the cheers of his men, and to the dis-
disconditof his o]>ponents. The propi-.-ty, he promptly lor-
warded to the owner, and tlie ^'overnm;-nt sanctioned his
course hy discliar^inn- him from the ohliiration.

TMK WAl! SCAHK.

War havino' hoen for years anticipated, was declared Juno
l.S, 1S12, hy a vote of 7!) to V.) in the house, and of 1!) to lo in
the senate; Silas Stow then re|»resented this district and voted
in the ne«;ativc. The event was first aiuiouncod in a letter
from Covernor Tompkins to r.rijiadier-(ieneral Jacob Brown,
of the ndlitia. dated June -J:!, in which he was empowered to
re-inforce Colonel Bellinger, with the militia of J.ewis, Jetter-
son and St. Lawrence counties, and to arm and equip them at
the state arsenals at IJussell and W'atertown, if occasion re-
quired. Colonel !5enedict, (,f DeKalh. St. Lawrence Countv

W.MiS AND IflNKMtS or WAHH.

wiiH onlcrt'd to turn out iiuiiicdiMtcly to miiinl tlic frontiers
from O^dcnshur^ to St. Rcjiis. In reply, (ienenil Mrown urfj;e(l
the speedy forwiii'dinjf of arms and munitions, and tliat a f(»rco
should Ik) poste<l at Cape N'ineent and ()j;»lensl)urji, whieh
eould he eoiieentrated at a tV-w hours' notiee. should decisive
measures lie necessary. This letter contained the folJMNvinfj;
soutiments :

" Your K.xeellency will hear in mind, that this is a very
new country; that the population is li«;ht, and <^t'Uerally poor,
thouj>h very respectahh.' for so new a country, ,ind that, if any
more men are called from their lionu-s, the cr(»ps whi(di now
promise a very ahundant harvest nuist peri.sh on the ground.
I mention this to your IvNcellency, as the county expects it at
my hands, and much more than my feehle abilities can ac-
complish ; hut no eonsidcrutions of this nature shall di-ter mo
for n moment from calliufi out every man in the county, if its
defense requires it, though, for the [uvsent, I must hope that
the force cominjj; on, will render such a measures unnecessary.
f pray (Jod that our ^jovernment will act with decisictu and
eni'r{i;y which liecomes a f^allant jieople. "

On the tirst announcement of war, some families hastily
prepared to leave the country, to which they were impelled in
})art by fuf>itives of the same class from St. I.aw'rencc County,
and so terror stricken were some, that they hastily tied into
the hack settlements, sprea<linfj^ consternation on their way,
and leavinji; their houses open to any who mi<rht choose to
enter. Hut to the credit of the county the ninnher of the.se
timid ones was eom])arative1y small, and several who had re-
moved returned. The fear of Indian massaere, which the
memories of the revolution sug<>'estcd, was in ji'eneral the im-
pelling cause, although they could scairely deline the .source
froni wheucL' th-'se (Ireailed nr.uMuder,'- would come, or atlducg

W.M!

AN'I> ItlMolJS (ir WAI!

a coiisistciit iirjimiu'iit 1(» jiistily llu'ir ii|i|ir('liciisi(in. After n
tiinc, coiirHlciicc licjiiiii ti) rctiini. tiiitil iil Icii^itli sninc si'ttli'r
vcnturcil to cross tlic river hy niulit. to cull mmoii mm oM iie-
(lUailltimce. 'I'liese visits ^fiidMiiily lieeilile more eolimioii,
ilixl l)y tlie time tile war elideil, old iie |inilil;me,'s Ind aire idy
Iteeii renewed ; tile river W.is ei'o-is 'd liy d.iylijilil, iilld M^ often
IIS there was oei'asion — ind, in short, they found that althoU'ih
lt%'ally enemies, tiiey wvw still IViends.

Tilt' news of the war hatl scarcely reidied this frontier,
when hostilities were hee-un in a small wav. l»v Aimer Ilnh-

hard.

a rev(dution:irv s ildier, who, without authoritv, and

with only the aid of a m in and a li )y. mide a descent upon
Fort Carleton, near ('aiie N'inceiit. and, without lii'in;; a ^niii,
took the jiarrison, coiisistiny of three invalid men and two wo-
iiu'ii, prisoners. The next day a hoat was sent to the islan<l
for the st(»res, and the Imildinjis were afterwards hurned. This
l>rot'('C'diiij'' heinji' known at Kinj^ston, an attempt was made to
detain a citizen from Hrownvilh', who w.is in town on com-
mercial husiness, hut hein<i' forewarned hy a friend he I'scaped.
On the "J'.Mli of April, a licet of trailinu' vessels, that had hccn
caufrht at Oiideiishur^, and were attempting' to ascend the
river to the lake, were pursued l»y a party of provincial mili-
tia. Two of the vessels, the Sophia and I-land Packet, were
burned near .Morristowu, and the remainder returned in ^reat
confusion to ()j>(lenshur;j:, where they created the ji'reatest
alarm. On the second of .lidy, the scouts of (iencral l>rown
hrou^fht in a man, found between Indian iJiver and th(> St.
Lawrence, who was taken for a spy. but proved to bean Amer-
ican and conlirmed the account of the bnrniuj>- of the ves.st'ls,
statin/j; that there were about thirty persons aboai'd, mostly
families movini"; ; and that the most of tlu'ir ell'eets wert(
burn.'d. It v.a:: apiireliended t'.iat the enemy were about to

loo WAItS AN'I) UrMOliS Oi' \VAi{«.

fortify tlie islands, aiul thus command the rivor. A low days
before the news of war was received, a larue (|naiitity of small
arms was f.rw.irded l)y t lie .governor to this frontier, consistina;
of two thou.smd muskets, and a corres[)ondin«;- ([uantily of
numitions, wlii(di wci'c mostly sent on to the KusscU Arsenal,
in St. Lawrence comity, cscorle<l hy the detachment from
Lewis Couiitv. A considcral)le hody of militia from .letferson
('(umtv, was asscndiled at ('ai»e N'incent. toj^-ether with a |)or-
tion of the force of Colonel l'>ellin<-er, as it was considered ad-
vi.sahlc to keep l<in<;ston in as <ireat a state of alarm as possi-
ble. At this point was the ^reat naval station of the enemr,
where for one or two years armed vessels had been buildin<r,
and from whence alon<' an attack coidd be reasonably ex-
pected. It was a|;preliended that an attemi)t would be made
by the P.ritish. to destroy or take our vessels at O.udensbur^r,
and the Oneida, Lord Nelson, and other vessels at Sackets Har-
bor. To be in readiness for any attack, the governor was im-
portuned to ibrward cannon from the state ar.^^enals, and the
assurance was -iven that a ,u-ood account wou.hl bo rendered
of the enemy, sh(add they attempt any expedition to our
shores. Oh tlie 11th of .luly a rumor was spread that, Lieu-
t'uant Woolst'V, with the iirij-' Oneida, had been taken by the
o.iomy, which brought Oeiieral r.rown to the Harbor, but the
report proved ^rn.midlcss. There had arrived tv.u brass nino-
pouiulers, but no ninep<aind shot.

I iitsT n.\TrM-: at sackkts iiAitMoi}.

On SuikImv, the liUli ..C .luly, 1,S12, Captain Woolsey, of
the Oneida, <lisc()V(iv(l from the mast lica.l of his h^iJ,^ five;
sail of tlic" tMK-niy iK'utino- up tiic l!arl)or. viz: the Roval
(Jeor^e, ■_>4 fiuus : the Sen.'ea, IS ; |>rinee llen-ent, 22 : KarJ of
Moira. 20; and Sinieoe. The Oneida attempted to .uain tlio
lake, hut failiii_i>, retui'ned, and was nioi.red outsi<h' of the
]>oint, where tlie sliip house stood, with one hroadside of
nine "uns to the enemy, while the others were taken out and
hastily placed on a hicastwork on the shori', near wliieh, on
the day previous, a ;52-p()uiider (intended for the Ciieida, hut
found too heavy) had heeii mounted on a pivot, upon a mound
ahout six feet hiuh. Alarm ^uiis weri« fired, ami expresses
sent to eall in the nei.uhhorinu' militia, who did not, however,
arrive in time to rendi'r assi^tanee, hut who, in the eourse of
the day, eame in to the innnher of ;!,()()(). The British had,
early in the mornin,<.-. (■a])tured a hoat laden with Hour from
<'a|M' N'ineent. and the erew was set on shore, and sent with
the in(>ssa,ue "(hat all they want d was the hri^^ Om.jchi, and
the Lord Nelson (a vessel taken a little hefore for:: violation
of the reveime), and tli;it they would hum the village if there
w;is a siufi'le shot tired ;it them. "

The enemy had heen misinformed ahout the defenses of
the })lae(>, and espeeially of the ;'.2-poun(:er. and suppcstd there
Wiis nothing to he feiired in the w;iy of ordnance. The force
at thiit time in town was, hesides the crew of ihe Oneida, the
renimeiit of Colonel Jk'llinnvr. a volunteer company of artil-
lery under (aptain (ami), •'"<■ " <i'\v niilitia. Captain Wool-

102 WAllS AM> lilMoKS OK WAliS.

scy, Iciiving his l.ri.u- in clwir^i" oi" u lieutenant, look the gvwvvn]
con'i]iiiUi.l on shore, the ;52-i.()un(ler heing in charge of Mr.
William Vaii-lK.n, sailir.^' master, an<l the other f-nns under
that of Captain Cam].. There were no shot in town larjier
than iM-i.onnd halls, whieh were used (with the aid of luitehes
formed of earpets), in the ;52-poun<ler.

Hv the time these arrangements were ma.le, the enemy
had arrive.l within jiun shot, nearly in front of the hattery,
when the aeti.-n was hegun, the first shot heinj,' from the :V2-
pounder on the mound ; upon whieh a shout of lauohter was
heard from the fleet, at the supposed imheeile attempt at re-
sistance. The lire was returned briskly, and continued for
two hours, all of the enemy's halls hut one or two, falhns
ao-ainst the roeks at the foot of the hlulV, where our force was
shilioned. One hall fell near hy, an<l plowed uj. the oround
for some distance. It was canoht up just when it had spent
its force, hv a man wh.. came runninj.- in and shoulinj-' thnt he
had "cauf^dit them out : "' and so it proved, for from its com-
nmndinji- position, it was seen ihr.t onr hi.u' uun UvA ev( ry
advantage, and that several of its shots told with ellect.

Towards the close of the action, as the Uoyal Ceorge, the
lla-ship. was wearino- to ^Wv another hroadside, a •24-pound
shot struck her stern, rnd rakc'd her whole Icnj-th, kilhufi
eight men, an<l do;n,u- much damage. I'j.on this the signal ot
retreat was given, and the whole tleet hore away for Kii-ston
without ceremonv. At this, the hand on shore struck up the
national tune of Yankee Doodle, and the troops, who had
throu-h the wln.le alfair hehaved like veterans, sent up three
che(>rs of vi<-tory. Tlu> shots from our hattery had hroken
their chests of medicines, their fore top-gallant mast, and their
vess.'ls in a do/.cMi jdaces, while the enemy broke nothing but
— tlie Sabbath. In a letter to the govevn(>r of July 2-tlh, <ien-

Waus an'd uuMons ok wars.

103

eral Brown attributed tl.o success of the <lav to the gallant
spirit of Woolsey, JJelliuMer an.l Camp, in" their respective
capacities, and especially to the nice shots of the ::J2-pounder
Mr. Vau-han, who pointed and tire.l this piece, claimed
the honor of having fired the first hostile gun in the war
One of the men at this gun, named Julius Torrv, a negro
Ix-tter kr.o.vn as Black Julius, aiul a great favoi-ite in the
camp, served at his p:.st with remarkable activitv and cour-
age. As there was no opportunity for the use of\simdl arms
the greater j.art of the troops who wre drawn up, were passive
spectators of the engagement.

CAPTruK ()!•• (iAXANOiai:.

On the night of th,. iXlth uf September, an expedition
was dispatched from Sackets Jlari).)r, which is thus described
by (Jeneral Brown, in his report to the governor:

At a time when my force was the lightest, an.l a verv
considerable alarm prevaile.l for the safety of that port, 1 fitted
out a secret e.xpedition under the command „f that excellent
oflicer. Captain Forsyth, against (ianano.pii, a small British
post, twenty miles below Kingston, with the view of capturing
some ot the enemy's ammunition, of which we were and are
greatly m want, and of alarming them as much as possible
t«'r their own safety. My <,nler was c.xecuted bv Captain
I'orsyth, as became an oflicer and a soldier, and Captain Mc-
Nitt and Lieutenant Brown an.l Knsigns Hawkins and John-
son, ol the militia, who volunteered on the expedition, are re-
JK.rtedto me by Captain Forsyth as .leserving the highest

104

WAIiS AM> lU MOWS (IF WAIJS.

pniisc lor tlicir cool, iutrcpid valor niul piod conduct, 'riiciv
Wiis not :i iiiiiu but did Ids duty. ('a|it;nn lM»rsytli landed in
open day, two miles above tlie viilaj^'e; bis wliole force
ainountiuf' to ninety-live. At tliri'c-cpiarters of a nnle be met
two liorsemen, one of wli(tin was ])rol)ably sbut, tlu' otb(>r fled
to tbo villa<i'e, wbere Captain Forsytb found on liis arrival (be
enemy drawn uj) in order of battle. 110 sti'oiifi', and upon bis
approacli tlu'V commenced a beavy lire upon bim, but over. He
rusbed immediately on, witbout liriniLi', until witbin 100 yards,
wbon bis party made a few deliberate sbots, tben i-usbed on,
and broke tbe enemy, drove Ibem across a bridj^c, wbieb, for
bis bettei' secui'ity, ( 'aptain l"'oi'sytb broke uj). lie bad one
man killed and one wounded. 'Pbe loss of tbe enemy, in
killed, Captain Korsytb lias (U'clined statin^-, but frf)m tbebe'st
information I can collect from tbe party, it was from ten to
fifteen. Twelve prisoners wvw taken, o,000 ball cartridjics
and 41 muski'ts. Tbere were in tbe kinji's store about l."()
barrels of provisions, and as tbere were no l)oats to brinji' it
away it was consumed by fire. to,i>-i'tber witb tbe store. Private
property was beld sncrod. To tbe soldit'is on tbis expedition,
I bave presented tbe pul)lic ])i'opei'ty taken, as a I'cward for
tbeir valor and uood conduct. I wisb your excellency to ap-
])robate or disapprobate tiiis my donation to tbese brave men.
Your excellencv must bear in mind, tbat witb my very little
bi'iyadc, oral b(>st a part of tbat iit ( )swefio, I bave been put
upon tbe <lefeiise of tbis nortbern frontier, from St. Ivcjiis to
near < )swe<^d. Tbe men tbal 1 bave tbe lionor to connnand,
bave tlone and sullere(l mucli foi' tbe militia ; tbeir clotbes
generally were in tatters and tbey are poor men. Tbey can
not clotbe Ibemselves in tbis region for ,^(l.(i() per nionlb, and
it is not in lumian nature tbat tbese men can endure a winter
CiMiiiiaigiiii! tills diinnlo tliiis clad, F ('i;ii not believe lbii|;

WAl;s AM) IMMOIiS ()|- WAIiS. ]()-,

tl.cs. nuM, w<H.l.l N.Mv,. nu.; it w.uM grieve na- if tiu-v sl.nuM •
"ut >t IS M stain u)..),, (Mir unfunvM chnnu-tcT. t.'.nt tlu- citi/fi,
«ol.lu.r ofthis country shonl.I I,, u-n.-s. paid ,,ul provhU.! Cor,
tliiiii any (.tlu-r class iiinoiii.- MS.

HKDOIP.TAIU.K KINCSTf )N-.

(V)inin;.;l(.n' Cliauiiccv liavinn- tal.

Falso Ducks fell

.•hasod hor into tlic hay of q

in witli the {{oval (

l<c'ii a station near tlu

"coriic

2()

gun.''

anil

iii^^lit. On til

wliicli

e morning (»f tlu- lOth, he tool.

uinlc, where she was lost in the

K ;i sin a I

Ik- hurned, havinj.' ,i.(,t sij.ht of the Roval (

scliooner,

he followed into Kingston harhor and

hutte

nt's un hour and fortv-l

icorjie whic!>
t'li^aj-'ed her and the

■stronger tl

liin antici|»ate<l, niyht coi

ive minutes, Init tindintj tl

lese

J>l<>win<.' in, he stood off and anchored/ I

wind continued

nmg on find a pile of wind
M the niornint'- the

<> stronu' in shore that h(> thought it

•h'lit t()hazar<l an attack, and heal
the Sinicoe, an<l chased her over
iihled her with shot, that si
the (lock.

ini])ru-
<'ut and soon fell in with
ri'cf of rocks, hut

so (ll.S-

ic sank hefore wttiiip- al

oimside

On the

from Xiayara hound

'>'>'''nnM- of the Kith, he took a li

in, and the next m

irije schooner

prize under convoy (,f the (irowh

ornino- sent down the

tiic ship to follow, hut without

r, past Kiuyston. to ind

uce

as hoisterous ; on the i;>tl

success. The ui.tilit of the llth

the 14th it continued t(

I was a severe snow storm, and

niamder of this crii

» snow fast, hut littl

c wind

'J^l

ChauiuH-y, in a letter to tl

ise we give in the laumi,

le re-

lyc of Commodon

10 governor

T!!'> (ii-owl(M- rviit tiio prizo it), nii(| stood in for (!u>

loO

\VAl;S AXn lll'MOHS 01' WAliS.

I)iK'ks. whovo ho Iiiid orders to join inc. Near tlic Ducks, lie
ibll ill with the Ivirl oi'MoirM, coiivoyiiir!; tlio skiop Elizahctli
from York to Kiii«;',stoii. Siiiliiij;- ^hlstel• Mix, who coiniiiaiKU'd
the (irowler, run down in a very gallant nianncr and took
|){)s-;i'ssioii of till' Klizalx'th within two niih's of tlio ship, and
hrouL!,!it hor in. I ininicdiatt'ly wcifiiicd and stood for Kinfj;s-
toii in hopes to cut her off, hut the ck'incnts were af^ainst nie
a<;ain, tor I scarcely had left the liarhor l)efore it hlew a galo
of wind, and snowed so thick that we frecpiently could not see
a mile. We, however, persevered to the ureat (hinj>er of the
vessels and lives of the crews. On" the 14tli we j^ot sij>ht of
the Karl of Moira enterinj'- Kiiifiston liarhor, l)Ut it hlowiiif; a
gale of wind, we concluded not to follow, and after heating
ahout almost all that day, I made the signal for all the squad-
ron to hear for this place, where we arrived on the same even-
ing. During these two short cruises we captured three vessels,
two have arrived, one we hurned, a fourth was so jnjured that
she sunk, and we learn from one who came in the Hags yes-
terday, that the Koyal (ieorge was so much injured that she
had to haul on shore to keep from sinking, having received
several shots hetween wind and weather, several guns disahlcd,
and a numher of persons killed or wounded, hesides consider-
ahle injury (though not intentional) to the town. Amongst
the prisoners is Captain Brock of the 'iUth regiment, and a
relative of the late (Jeiieral Mrock, who was returning from.
York with jiart of the haggage of his deceased friend. Our
lo.ss was trilling ; one man killed and four wounded, two of the
latter hy tlu' hurstiiig of a gun on hoard of t!ie Pert, the com-
mander of which vessel, Mr. Arunchill, was knocked overhoard
and drowned. The damage done to the rigging and sails not
much, and a few shots in the hulls (»f one of the ve.s.sels, hut
the injury from which was soon repaired. The (Jov. Tomp-

WAlJS AN'D UrMO]{S OF WATfS.

107

kins, Ilamilton, Conquost a.i.l (Jrowlor arc now blockading
tlH" vessels ,n Kn.j.ston. I am now taking on l.oanl guns and
stoivs f„r Xmgara, for which place I shall sail the Hrst wind
•" <->"I>any with the Julia. iVrt, Fair American, Ontario and
N-ourge, and I am in g.eat hopes that I shall fall in with the
I nnce Regent, or some of the royal familv which are cruising
al.out \„rk. Had we Inrn one month sooner we couhl havo
taken every town on this lake in three weeks, but the season
>s now so tempestuous that I am ap,,rehensivu wo can not do
•""'••'"n.re this wint.T. I an. however, readv to co-operato
Nv.th the army, and .nir ollicers and men are anxious to be
engaged. "

This brilliant maneuver conferred great credit upon those
('Mgaged, and called public attention to th,. operations on this
♦•■••"t.er, as lik.-ly to alfor.l a tlu-ater for decls of valor, that
would confer honor upon the American na.ne. 'J'he sj.irited
nigagement in Kingston harlmr has been compared bv
(Vx.per, to the assault upon Tripoli, in <.ur previous war with
the Harbary Stat.'s. to which it was not in the least inferior
due allowance being made for (he comparative force emplovcd.'
I Ik> tact ot the Royal ( Jeorge, which was bv nuich the largest
vessel that had then been built on our inland waters, retiring
H'forethe Oneida, has been ascrilH-d, by Cooper, to her not
being pr..,.erly ..tHcer.Ml. The- Hritish had not then made
then' drafts upon the royal navy for (he service of the lakes.
The bones of the Oni'ida lie in (he French Creek Bay in
.sightof,meofhercon.,ues(s. The people of Clavt.ai should
be i.atnotic enough to see (hat what is lef( of Irt sh.mld bo

•<ui(ably preserved jus( as (1

steps to preserve
' Old Ironsides.

(he {

government has ahvadv taken

onstitution inunor(alized in tl

le poem as

SKfOXl) r.ATTI.K AT SACKKTS lIAliliOlf.

stofl'S col-

tlic riini-

Tlic (loscont uiKiii York jtiovokcd tlic ri'scntincnt (A' the
ciuMuy, who, kiio\viii«i' tliiit Siickcts Ilarlxir luid liccn wciik-
C'lU'd by till' \vitli<Irii\V!il of troops to tlic Niiijiiirii, |iliiinic(l mii
attack upon tlic ioiiiicr, well kiiowiiifi' tliat the capture or
destruction of tlic vessels there liuildinfi'. aii<l the
lected, would at once <;ive theiii the supremacy in
])aiji;n, and cficctually su])pressany furthei" otl'cnsive o])erations
of the Americans for some time.

Sackets Ilarhoi' was at this time hut poorly prepared for
defense. Fort Tompkins, occupying' the site of the i)resei\t
residence of the commandin<;' oflicer of the station, was manned
by about two hundred dismounted drajiooiis. inider Colonel
iJackus, a detachment of forty or fifty artillerists, under i.ieu-
tenant Ketchum, and seventy or eijj,lity infantry invalids, re-
cruits and parts of companies. A little cast of the villaji'e was
Fort \'olunteer, a slijiht woik that had been chielly ei'ccted by
a company of exempts, (icneral Hearborn had written to
IJrigadier-dencral Jirown, to assume the command and maki'
provisions for a defense, which k'ttei- was not answered from
motives of delicacy toward Colonel liackus, but ]ire])arations
were made for resistcuce, if required.

Between the village and Horse Island, a mile distant, was
a thin wood that had been ])artly cut over, and wastdletl with
brush, logs and .stumps. ( )i)posite the island was a cleai-inji

of about four acres, and tlio island it,'

which emiiraces

twenty-nine acres, and lies at the entrance of the biiy, was
covered with a i^rowth of timber, and at that time connected

WAKS ANI» UlWtoHS OF \VA|{^

with the nmii) laiid hv n bar tliat aflordcd

100

a cntssiiijr, neurlv

t'li as now

or (juitt' dry. 'IMu' hcacli opposite was coiiipost'd, th
of a ridfr,' (.1" j.rav('l, wliicli at tiiat tiiiio made a natural breast-
work, four or five feet liigli. A short (hstauee l)aek and fur-
tlier south on the shore, a strip of woods extended, which had
been ol.strueted as much as possihh' several days previous, l)y
feniiij«- trees in every directi<»n.

The enemy having' made prei)arations at Kingston for an
attack, emliarked 1,"2()0 men. under Sir (ieorge IVevost, on the

■1

<»lte, a new vesse

cuing of May -iTtf), on hoani tiie shii)s \V
of -24 guns; the Royal (leorge, 24 guns; the brig Karl of
Moira, IS guns ; and the schooners Prince Kegent, Sinicoe
and Seiu'ca, mounting each several guns; two gun boats, and

about fortv barges under Sii- ,1

imes L. Veo ; and on the fol-

lowing morning (Friday, May 2Sth) appeared in the offing,
having bc-n discovere<l by the schooner Lady of the Lake,
that had been cruising on the lake to watch the motions of
the enemy.

As tiiis ves,«el came in, signal guns were tired, and u|)on
her arrival Colonel Backus dispatched an express to (ieneral
lirown, who, since the expiration of his six months' term, had
been residing on his farm in Hrownville, eight miles from the
harbor. lie immediately rej.aired to that place, and i.ssued
ry orders for rallying the neighboring militia, and pre

sunnna

paring the place for defense. Alarm guns were fired and
dragoons dispatched in every direction to hasten the arrival of
succor, and especially that of Colonel Tuttle, who was known
to be advancing with several hundred regulars. No binding
was attempted by the enemy on the2Sth, their attention being
drawn oil' by a Heel of American barges from Oswego, of
which twelve were taken, their crews having lied to the woods,
uiul seven, by outsailing the enemy got safely into i>ort, thus

110

WAHS AND lUMoKS OK NVAIiS.

iiKTcnsin^ tlic (lisjMtstil>l(> t'orcc of (icncnil IJidwii. Tlicsc re-
cruits jn'ovcd t(» lu' a piirt of ii ic^imcul of iiil'imlrv under
Colonel Aspinwall, on liis wiiv l».v water I'roni Oswcfi'o to Saek-
ets Ilarlxtr, wlat did not discover the eiieiny until lie was
doublinjjj Six Town I'oint. As tlie i'<iut(' of those that landed
WHS very circuitous, tiiey did not arrive until nine o'clock in
the evening.

The militia soon bejian to asseinhle, and as last as they
arrived they were armed and sent to Horse Island, which was
tlie point at which the enemy was expected to land. The num-
ber that came in durinj>- the day was al)out (>(((», tVcsli trom
their homes, and without discipline, experience or oijiani/.a-
tion, and altlutugh not wanting' in patriotism or courage, yet
lacked that assurance which an accpiaintance with military
ail'airs can alone confer. 'J'hese, with about 30(1 regulars and
lUO of Asj)inwairs party fatigued with their day's inarch,
comprised the force l»y which the enemy wen' to be opposed.

The night was spent by (Jeneral Hrown in making dipo-
sitions for the attack which circumstances rendered highly
probable would be made where the militia had been jtosted.
The shore for most of tlie way between this place and the vil-
lage is an abrupt i)reci}>ice, fifteen or twenty feet high ; aiul
the fleet to land a1)0ve the village, nuist have to pass the bat-
teries on shore and would re*|uire a favorable wind. luring
the night the enemy landed about forty Indians un<ler Lieu-
tenant Anderson on the main land in Henderson bay with the
view of attacking the rear of the militia, and towards morning
the militia were witlulrawn from the isbuid to the shore oppo-
site. Camp tires had been built along the shoi-e eaily in the

ennig
About

but the.se were ordered to be nut out

P
400 militia with a six-pounder, under ( ol( nel

Mills, of the Albany volunteers, were stationed near the shore

W.VIfS ANM) KIMOHS oK W A i{S.

Ill

(•|»|M>silc tlic isliiiid with orders tu reserve tlieir lire until the
enemy sliould !i|)|ii-(»neii witliiii pistol shot. The remainder
of the niihtiM under Colonel ( iershom Tnttle. were |»osted in
the edj.c (»f the woods hnek of the elefirinj>'. and Colonel Back-
us with his dismounted dragoons was stationed in the skirt of
tlu woods near the vijlaj^c with orders to advance through the
woods towards Horse 'shind the moment it was known that
the enemy had landed. Colonel Aspinwali with his men wa.s
posted to the left of liackus. and the artillerists under Lieuti
mt Ketchum 'ere stationed in Fort Tom|)kins, with no oti

11-
)er

lan a .")'J-poi ider mounted on a pivot. The militia on the
shore were d"'-ected that, in case of hein^r driven from their
position, the\ 'iKadd fall hack into the woods and annoy the
ri^ht flank of the enemy as he advanced towards the town.
Colonel Tuttle was directed in the same event to attack their
rear and destroy their hoats. 'i'he niyht was spent in making
these arrangements and all parties anxiou,«ly awaited the ap-
jiroach of day.

The morning of the 'iDth dawned heautifully clear and
calm. Not a hreath of air ruffled the i)lacid surface of the
lake, and there existed that peculiar .state of density and uni-
formity in the atmosphere, in which sounds are i)ropagatod to
a great distance, as is .sometimes noticed hefore a storm ; and
the repoit of small arms in the action which followed, wa.s
hcird with remarkahle distinctness on the hills in Kutlaiid;
while till' discharge of cannon echoed clear and far over the
country, to distances since uiipa -alleled, and was heard
through Lewis and even in Oneida County. This very natu-
rally e.xcited throughout the <-ountry the greate.«t anxiety and
alarm and the .solicitude of families for the fate of fathers, hu,s-
haiids and sons, who had hoon hastily sumiiioned from hume,

112

WAUS AN!) KINfOns (»K WAllS.

was sucli a.s i-ould scarcely ciKlurc tlic sus|iciisc wliicli it (tcca-
sioiu'd.

Tlio calm |)n'V('ntc(l the ciiciny fn»in ln'iiijriiiji; tlicir ves-
sels to co-operate in the attack, and was one of llie causes that
inlliienced their suhse<|uent retreat. As soon as it was lij-lit,
the enemy was seen a|»|»r»»achinff in thirly-tliree lai'^e hoats
under cover of ^unlxtals, directinj' their course to the outside
of the island, where they landed and tbrined without ((pposi-
tiun ; hut in crossin^r the har that connected it with the nuiin
land they (M>countere<l a yallinji; lire and lost several in killed
and wounded, whidi they suhse».|uently carried oH. As the
landing' was heing effected, the heavy gun in lM»rt 'I'ompkins
was hntught to hear with ectnsiderahle elfect ujKjn the enemy's
column.

The fire of the militia was at first well directed and dead-
ly and was answered hy discharges of musketry and hy two
small cannon loaded with grape shot; hut Colonel Mills, who
was stationed a short distance towards the village with his can-
non fell early in the engagement, and his death, with the un-
nccu.stomed whistling of halls that cut down the hranches of
the trees around them, struck with terror the inexperienced
militia and without waiting to return the tire or recover from
the panic, they turned and fled towards the town in the great-
est confusion. This retreat was not entirely general. Captain
Samuel McNitt, who had been stationed with his company on
the extreme left of the flanking party of the militia, not notic-
ing the movements of his conn'ades, continued his firing after
some moments longer, and before he was aware he found him-
.sclf and his party alone and in danger of being cut off by the
enemy. General iirown finding himself nearly alone with no
support but this company, retired towards tlie village, directing
those that could be ralli(>(l to annoy the advancing column of

WAijs AND l;t•^rons of watjs.

113

tlic ciicliiy IIS iiiiicli IIS |)ussililc. 'I'lic ciiciny, liiiviii}^- {^nilicd
the Itfiich and (lispcrscd tlic militia. I'urmcd in «i(M i order and
niai'cliffl tdwai'ds tlic town.

'I'hcy were soun nit't liy the troops (»f ( 'oloncl llackus, wlio
had advan('c(| to dispntc tiirir j»i'o<irrss and \vli(t j^allantly cn-
conntfrcd and rctni'ncd tlicir lii-c. rrtiriny slowly hclorc tlicni
tlironyli tlir liair cleared woods. (

iciicra

1 lU

own liad siicccencil

in i'allyin<i' aUont a iinndrcd militia with the aid of Calel)
Westcott, a citizen, and others, and had joined the detachment
of Backus : hut at this juncture, ha|)|ienin;>- to look towards the
shipyard, he was surprised to see liu;;-e volumes of smoke issu-
ing- from the storehouses that c(aitaine<l the spoils of ^'ork.
Not knowin<>- hut that ilie enemy nii<iht have j^ained his real',
he hastened to the spot and ascertained that the disastrous
panic of the militia had i)eeii communicated to tho.se in cliarjic
and a report had reached l-ieuteiiaiit Chauncey of the navy
that all was lost, and upon the faith of this rumor he had ^iveii
orders to lire the huildin<>s, an act which the most extremo
and desperate i.ssue of affairs could alone justify. Learninjf
the cause of the conllanration and somewhat relieved by the
kiiowledo-e that the enemy were still hut on one side, lie re-
turned, oivinj;' directions to IJeuteiiant Ki'tehum in Fort Tomp-
kins to hold that |)ost as lon^- as the flam

es would porniit.
'i'he reji'ulars of Colonel liackus felt their courii;;e renewed
upon learning- tlu' nature of the accident that had given a
natural alarm, and continued steadily to ojipose the advance
of the enemy who had now gained tln' clearing next the vil-
lage. \'ery soon after ( oloiiel Uackus fell mortally wounded
and w.is home oil' the field ; his troops taking ]>().s,se.ssion ol
some log harracks and continuing their resistance.

The enemy had throughout evinced great courage and
coolness and were under the immediate command of Captain

114 WAliS AND ItrMOHS OT WAltS.

Gray, of the quartonnastcr-ovncrnrs (Icpaitinciit, wlio was ad-
vancing in front of tlu- ranks and walkin.^ backwards waving
his sword for his troops to follow, and slionting, " (V.nuM)n,
boys ; the day is ours ! RcnuMulnM' York 1 " when he sudden-
ly fell wounded and i'liniediately expired.

At this moment the signal for retreat was given from the
fleet and the enemy hastily retreated to their boats. This re-
treat is said to have been in ])art eaused by hearing a report
of small arms on the right from the rallied militia, but wliieh
the enemy mistook for a reinforcement of 4r)() regulars which
they had leai-ned was advancing under Colonel Tuttle, and
was then within a mile of the place. Their arrival would at
once put an end to the contest by giving us the advantage of
numher.s. The enemy on their retreat removed a part of their
wounded, :Mid having re-embarked, they at about 10 o'clock
sent a flag demanding a surrender of the jilace which they had
been unable to capture and were of course refused. They,
however, were promised that decent attention should l)e ])aid
to the dead and humane treatment to the wovuided. They
shortly after sent another flag reipiesting to send surgeons to
their woumleil, which was denied, as tiiey still seemed not to
have almndon('(l the nttack and were laying Ity in their barges,
but shortly after they |.ut oil' to the licet which lay about live
miles from the town, and made sail for Kingston. i>oth Sir
(teorge l'rev(jst an<l Sir .lames Yeo are said to have landed
during the engagement.

The loss of the British was ir.d in killed and wounded;
•25 of their [»ri vales went found ilead. "2 captains an<l 'iO pri-
vates were wounded and including the wountled, 2 captains, 1
ensign and 32 privates were taken ])risoneis. Our lo.ss was
loO killed, wouuded and missing. Th« enemy took a few

WAKS AND KIMOHS ()|' WAIiS.

])risoiU'rs and one niaii was louiid killed and
woods I)v tlu' Indians.

scalpt'd

in tl

It'

The flames of the hurninsj: stoi

cs were s

uhd

ns possibU', hut not till thev had

ued as(

I nick I'

(••insunied half a million of

dollars' wortli of property. The ship i'ike, then on the stocks
was .sav(>d. The j.rize schooner, the Duke of (ih.ucest

avcd

IT, was

».v Lieutenant Talman. of ih

tin^aiishiii^- the lire and hrouuht her f

the store houses. This heroie (onduet will h

ic ai-mv, who hoai-ded it, ex-

rom under the flames of

appi'eeiated

irj.;-e (piantity of gunpowder was on

when it is known that a li

board. Tne sehooiiers Kair Aineriean and j'erl, cut their

cables and retreated up the river and

■<('Vc>ral of the

Navy I'oint W(M'e spiked. Had it not l;een for this d
mistake our suecos would have been complete. Colonel Haek-

^uns on
isa.^rous

us survived eiiiht dav;

and h

tain

»ut bl(

lopes of his reeoverv wwo eiiter-

-jioisoii supervened.

l'HI\-.\ ri:i;i;i.\(;.

Oil the 14th of .[uly, ISi:',, tl„> Neptune and Fox. (he for-
mer a private armed boat under Captain Samuel Dixon,
mounted with one six-pounder and one swivel, and manned
by twenty-four volunteers, and the latter a public armed boat
under Captain Diniock, with a <letachmeiit of twenty-one men
from the L>lsl regiment of infantry under Lieutenants Burbank
and Perry, .sailed from Saekets l!aib(.r with lA'(hTs<»f Manjue
from the deputy colleeior of the district for a ernise on the St.
Lawrence. This privateiM-iii--' expedition w.is lilted out by
M. W. Gilbert and others and had for its object the cutting off

116

WAKS Axn i!i'>ror>s or waks.

of a <l('tju'liiiit'iit of the ciu'iny's lioats tliat were expected up
till' river laden with stores. Ai'tt r tuiiehiiiji- at ('apt' N'iiieont
and French Creek, tiiev selected on the nioi'ninji' of the 17th a
(piii't nook in a creek anion<;- the Thousand Islands, where
tiiey landed tor nuister and I'eview : and the morning' beinjjj
particularly pleasant, they eniploye<l themselves in drying- and
puttinj^i in complete oi-dcr their arms and ammuiution and
cleanin<>- out their Imats. while a small boat of each was sent
out for intelli^-ence, which returned without jiaining any
news. At II p. m. tlu'V hauled from the shore, manned a
•iuai'd boat to prevent surprise, and sent Lii'Utenant Jliiwkins
to Ofidenshurji' for intelli<i('nce : and at "> p. m. Messrs. IJaldwiu
and Camphi'll arrived with news. ,\t U they left ('raid)eriT
Ci-cck and at 4 a. m. of the ISth saw a lirijiade of British
Itateau.x convoyed l»y his majesty's j^unhoat, the Spitfire, lyin<>'
at Sinnuitnd's I.amlinn', pi-eparinj^' to sail for Kinuston. I'pou
this, they |)Ush<'d in for shore and so com|)letely surprised
them that very few of the enemy e.>^cape(|. The liflei'U bateaux
and the <iunl)oat wci'e at once seized without a shot beiu}^
lii'cd on either side. Trevious to the attack Lieutenant Perry,
of till' l*th. and Serticant .lames, of Forsyth's company, with
27 volunteers were landi'd in <'ranberry Creek in Alexandria,
and at I 1 sixty-nine |>risoners were sent oil to the harbor
under una I'd of 1") men of the 21st in chariie of Lieutenant

uriiauK.

le Spitlir

e was

armed with a 12-pound cai'i'onade

and 14 men with a lar^c (piantity of military stores. The
bateaux had 270 barrels of pork and 27(1 bags of pilot bread
which was landed on the 2iUli to prevent spoiling, and a re-
(pu'st to the neighboring inhabitants for as>istance was sent
out, which brought in a few militia, who, however, mostly-
left the same night. At simi'ise on the 21sl the enemy to tho
number oi 2."'»(l, with four gunboats and one or two transports,

WARS AXD IirMORS OF WAHS.

117

were discovered in tlio creek ; these weiv met by thirty ineii
and attucke<l while hindiiig, twenty more heinf>- stiitioiied in
different phiees to prevent their approiieii. A eiinnonadeeom-
nienced and was kept up some time; two of the enemy's boats
were so injured from our fire that most of their crews were
compelh'd U) U-ave them and to cut fiajis from tiie shore to
stop the hoh's. At C a. m. the enemy retired to their boits
and sent a (Ia,i>' with the (k'lnand of surreiwh-r to save the effu-
sion of blood, which was instantly rejected and the firini,^ re-
commenced. It appeared that this was i)ut an expedient to
giuu time, as the enemy hastily retreatetl carryinji' their dead
and wounded. Their loss must have been c(.nsi(ieral)le from
the quantity of blood seen where they embarked. Our loss
was three killed and wounded. After the action trees were
felled across the road and creek to prevent.a new attack, and
on the aftei-noon of the next day reinforcements arrived, the
boats which had been scuttled were repaired and on the 'I'M
they left for Sackets IIari)or, where they arrived on the -iTth.
While passiufv Tibbet's Toint they encountered the Karl of
Moira, were pursued and hit .several times by her shot, but
not captured. The i-uni»oat and .several bateaux were sunk
without consnltiny- Captains Dimick or Dixon and the owners
ultimately lost most that was j;ained by the expedition.

.V inoT.

The armaments of the small vessels were abandoned early
in the sea.son and they were used mostly as transports. On the
first of May the frigate Superior ((>() gun.s), built in eighty

118

WAIJS AND HUMORS OK WARS.

(lays, Wiis liiuiu'licd, nnd llic day after tliorc occurred an inci-
dent wliicli well ni^li led to serious eonse(|Uenees. The ship
carponters and sailors having' no inti'i'ests in coninion with the
soldiers had ae(|uired a l'eelinf>- of nnitual hostility, and on this
occasion there had been an unusual decree of convivial excess
in eel el) rating the launch. A draji'oon, heing assaulted hy two
or three carpenters, tied for protection to a sentinel placed
over a storehouse, and with the obstinacy and insolence of
half druid<en men. they were pei'sistinf>- in the pursuit in
which one of tlii'ir mnidx'i- was shot and thi' remainder Hed.
This at once le<l to the most intense (xcitenient. The ship
carpenters with axes and ad/es hastily rallied with the sailors
ai'uud with l)oardin<>' pikes and cutlasses, who, forininj>; in a
solid body, marched in i)ursuit of the sentinel. The troops
were hastily foiined in a hollow s(|uare around him and drawn
up in the street, where they stood prepared to repel any at-
tack, and the former had advanced to within a few yards and
were ycllinf>' and l)randishin<:; their wcaj)ons in the wildest
frenzy of raf>'e, when Eckford, Chauncey and Brown hastened
to the spot, threw themselves bi'tween the |)arties, and by a
well-timed and judicious appeal checked the advance and soon
persuaded the carpenters to desist on the assurance that the
sentinel should be impartially trii'd and suitably punished if
convicte(l. He was taken to Watertown, an I'xaminution held
and he was sent to a distant station to be out of their reach.

'IMie Mohawk ami Jones wcw still on the stocks, thearma-
meiit of which, as well as that iif the Su|)erior, must be trans-
ported throujili Wood Creek and ( )swe<i'o river, as the roads
through the lUack liiver valley were nearly impassable with
nuid. This the enemy well knew an<l were also informed that
the ri^^inji' and armament of these vessels was on its way to
OHWego. To poRHCHS thoHf 8Up})lies would be etjuivakiit tu the

WARS AXD KI-NfOns OF WAJJf*. 119

flcstriK-tioiiof<.urs(,iia(lr()n, as vvithoiit tlicm tlic new ships
could not appear oil the lake, nor nail,! the II, rt of tiic pre-
vious year venture out in the presence of (he greativ iiiereased

naval arinainent of tl

le ei

cess.

UMiiy with the siif-htest jiopcs of sue-

Phis descent upon Oswego was therefore planned witl

great foresight and had it

exeeution jtet'ii as sueeesshil

coneeption was ix.ld and masterly, the beam of ford,
have preponderated with the iJritish and the result>

us it.-

lie must

campaign miglit have been as di.sa.strous

viousyear had l)een disgraeeful to (he Aiiieriean arms.

le results of this
(iiose of the ::ie-

fact be

ing remembered will eiiabl

'II

value of (he servi
)f tl

e us to dulv estimate (!

ces which rescued tli

IS pidj)er(y fioni (he

gra.sp ot the enemy, and secured the defeat of the detachment

that

possible

was sent in (pie.st of it, as completely

as (•(

*uld I

lave bet'U

Tli.\.\SI'(»|;Tl.\(i \.\V.\I, STOKK

Oswego had not been ..ccupied by regular troops since

tlie revolution, and Colonel Mitchel liad

Harbor April oOth, with fou

arrived at Sacket.-

r companies of heavv and

. . one of

light artillery served as infantry. Of cannon the fort had but
five old guns, three of which had lost their trunioiis. Plat-
forms and pickets were repaired and the place was hastilv put
in as go,Ml a stat.' of <lcfeiis<' as possibl,.. when (he enemy ap-
peared on the r>(h of Ahiy widi a force of fcair ships, (1
brigs and a number of gunboats. A

I'
iree

cannonade was begun
and returned with much .spirit and a landing attempted,
but not accomi>li.shed, when the enemy stood oif from the

120

WAKS AND IMMOKS OK WAIiS.

shore ioi' Ix'ttcM* anclioiafic. One oi- two of tlic ciu'iuy's boats
were pickod up and ^uaids were stationed at various points
aloufj the shore. At (hi_\ break on tlie (Uh the fleet again ap-
proaelied the vilhige and after a fire of three liours hinded six
hundred of DeWaterville's reginient, six luuKlred marines, two
eonipanies of thi* (iU'iipirv eori)s and three hundrid and fifty
seamen, who took possession of the public stores, burned the
old i»an'acks and retui-ned on board their tieet on the morning
of the seventh. 'I'he land forces were under (Jeneral Drum-
niond, and the fleet under Commodore Yeo.

The naval stores Wi'W then at Oswego Falls (now Fulton),
but Colonel Mitehel having retired in that direction destioying
the bridges and filling the roads with tind)er after him, the
enemy thought it inex|)edient to follow and soon after the
fleet returned to its station neai- the (.Jallou Islands to blockade
the i)assage of the stores, which it was known nuist pai^s in
that vicinity. These stores, under the charge of Lieutenant
Wool.xey and escorted by Major I). A})pling, of first rifle regi-
ment, with a company of one hvnidred and fifty men, left Os-
wego on the eveinng of the 2Sth of May in nineteen l)oats in
the hope of gaining Stony Crei'k unmf)lested, from whence
there would be but thri'e miles of land carriage for the heavy
ordnance and st(, ; to Henderson Harbor, twelve miles from
Sackets Harbor. The evening being dark and rainy, the bri-
gade of boats rowed all night and at dawn on Sunday morn-
ing met a party of Oneida Indians under comnnind of Lieu-
tenant Hill, of the rifle regiment at Salmon River, and at
noon, May •2!>th, entered Sandy Creek, except one boat which
from the misfortune or treachery of its pilot fell into ttie hands
of the enemy. This boat contained one cable ai\(l two twenty-
four pounders, and fiom those on board tlu^ enemy learned
the particularB of the expedition and of the force by which it

WAKS .WD KIMOliS oi' WAIiS.

121

was escorted. I'poii cuteriiiji- Snndy Cnrk Licutciunit Wool-
scy sent nii oxjuvss in notify ('..iniiKMloiv ( 'luuiiiccy of liis Mr-
rival and couriers wrre dis|,;itclicd in various dir-etiousto
rally teams to j^et the stores rcni..v,.d l.y land to tli..ir destina-
tion. The boats were run uj) the south l)raneh of tiie ereek,
till they f-rouiided a (hslanee of two miles from its moutli. Tiie
lake is here for a j>reat distance hordered l.y a low rid^v of
sand hills, slightly wo.mIc.I. heliind which is a marsh with
open ponds. Throunh this marsh, which is destitute of trees
or bushes and at that time was partly (lowed from hiuh water,
the two branches of Sandy Creek meand.T and uiiite but a
few yards from their mouth, where then, as now. [bs:.;;] a
solitary family dwelt.

On Monday inoi'iiinj^- a lookout boat in char^icof bieuti'ii-
ant Pierce discovered the enemy makino- for the creek and
commumVated the news to Lieutenant Woolsey wh... at dawn
dispatched messeno-ers to call in the neighboring' nnlitia, and
made hasty arrany-emcnts to meet the "nemy who were seen
soon after sunrise to enter the creek with three ounboats. three
cutters and one yiu and commenced a cannonade with a sixty-
ei^dit i.omuler in the dinvlion (,r the llotilla of bi.'Utenant
Woolsey, the masts of which wer.. visiM,. in ihe.iistance across
a bend in the creek. These shots ^^■rvv ,UvrrU',\ in part a-ainst
a thick wood that extended on the north side of the south
branch to nearly half a mile below the lioats in the edi-e of
which, fronting: the ..pen marsh, the rille company of .Major
Applin,i,r was concealed behind a brush and h.^- fei'uv entirely
unobserve.1 by Ih.. enemy. .\t nine n\-]nrk Captain Ilarri.s
with a squadron of dra,u..ons. and Captain .\b>ivin. with a com-
pany of li<.h|, artillery an. I two six-p.,unders, arrived. This
reinforcement was. lirect... I to indt a slmrt .listance in rear of
the boats as the Ibree best calculated f..r a bvish lidit was al-

122

WARS AND Ur>r01{S OF WAIiS.

i-ciuly oil tlic yi-dund tlicy could ocfUpy with tlu' best advan-
taiii". Mcainvliilc \\\r caiiiKiii wit*' posti'd in a i)()siti()ii avIkto
tlicy could l)c used with I'llcct if uoccssai'V, aud the fences
thrown down that the dragoons iniuht maneuver without ob-
struction. Till' enemy slowly advanced up the ci'eek and
landed on the soutii side, but Hndinj>- it impossible to ))rocoed,
on account of the slimy condition of the marsh, they re-em-
harked an<l proceeded on to within about twenty rods of the
woods, whi're they landed and formed on the north bank at a
l)la('e now occupied by a storehouse and which alfordod the
first solid j^round for marchinf--. The advancing;- column,
•headed by Mr. lloare, a midshi|)man of the r.ritish navy, had
ai)i)roache(l to witiiin ten rods of the and)ush, when, on a sig-
nal, the rillemen of Nhijor A|)plin,u' arose from their conceal-
ment and tired. Several fell dead and their leader fell pierced
with eleven balls. So sudden and elfectual was this move-
ment that it threw the enemy into confusion, and after a fire
of a few minutes, the order was fiiven to charji,e, upon which
tile ritie men rushed forward with loud cheers, holdinj; their
rilles in the the position of charged bayonets. The result was
the surrendei' of the enemy at discretion.

This wa.s scarcely done, when the Indians, true to their
character as savages, came furiously on, yelling and brandish-
ing their weapons and were with the greatest dilliculty pre-
venti'd from murdering the (lisarme<l prisom-rs, and, indeed,
it has been generally believed that one or two British officers
wi're mortally wounded after they had yielded. The enemy
were conunanded by Captains I'opham and Spilsbuiy and
their loss was nineteen killed, lifty wounded and i:^o taken
prisoners. A few landed on the south bank and fled, but
were pursued, and not one escaped to report their defeat.
Among the prisoners were 27 marines, lOG sailors, with two

WAIJS AND IM'MoliS OK WAIiS.

123

post cnptiiins, four licutciiiiiits of the iwivy, one cMptiiin of niii-
riiics, two liciitciiaiits jind two iiiidsliiitnicn. 'I'lic ciipliiin of
iiiitriiic. iiiid one iiiidsliipniaii died of tlicir wounds. I'opliiim
is sjiid to liiivc Ix'cii iui old a('(|Uinntiinc(' of W'oolsev's iuid as
1r' caiiic forward to surrender his sword, the latter exclaimed :
" Why, I'ophani ! what are you doin^- in tliis creek ? "
After some indilferent reply and a survey (jf our force, ho
roplie<l :

" Well, Woolsey, this is the tirst time T ever lunird of
ritleinen ehar<>in^f hayonetsl"

At the moment after the first fire the enemy had at-
temi)ted to retreat, hut the recoil of their heavy ordnance had
forced the stern of their larfi;er hoats into the mud and they
fomid it imi)ossihle. I'pon this they attempted to throw over-
hoard theii' armament and succeeded in ^a'ttini^ out one hrass
]iiece, hut were prevented from further mischief hy our men.
Our loss was one Indian killed and one rifl man wounded.
On the morninnof the liattle Captain Smith was ordered on
with 12(1 iiijirines, and Colonel Mitchell, with .'!0(l artillery
and infanliy, who did not arrive in time to pai'ticipate in the
enya^eiiient. The same was the case of the neiiiliixirina- mi-
litia.who soon after ari'ived in yieat numhers.

The conduct of Lieutenants Mcintosh, Calhoun, Mcl''ai'-
land. .\rnisliiii^ and Smith, and of i'jisinn .\us(in. who were
under Major A p|)liM,i:-. was especially commended in his otli-
cial itports of the en,uai;cment. The dead Wi'i'c huried, the
prisoneis marched to Sackets llarhor. measures were taken
to erect shejirs for unloading the heavy freij^ht and, at ."» p. mi.
Woolsey was relieved hy Capfjiili h'iduvley, whom Chauncey
had sent for the purjiose. The oilicial report of Lieutenant
Woolsey acknowledo'cs the unremitted exertions of Lieutenant
J'ierce, Sailinj;inaster X'aughan and Midshipmen Ilarl, Mackey

124

WAKS AND RUNfOUS OK WAKS.

and ('ant..n in tlu^ iitVair. Tho r..uls wcv tlu-u nrw mihI m1-
niost iinpassabl.- and tlic labor of rcn.ovin^r tlic }.uns. cables

and risiiiint!' w

as on(! of no ordinary ma:

-■niludc. 'Pbcrc were

lion tbe Hotilla loft Oswof-o, tuvnty-nc lonji li-^-ponndcrs, U-n
ikn-s, tluTO 42-i)oundcr t-arronadcs, ten cables ani

24-i»()un

ticK

d a

A cable an<l two ,uuns

([uantitv of shot and other ai

had hoJn lost in the boat that fell in with the enemy an.l tho

prizes taken in the cree

■k were one 2 4-|>oun<ler, a (')S-|i<)und

carron
anif)uut

lo, with several smaller cannon and a considerable

of small arms and ammunition. Such was the indus-

lisidavcd in this labor that on Thursday there remained

try disj

nothing but one long ca

difficult to load on any vehicle, as i

ble, which it was found extremely
t could not bo divided, atul

Id not be advantageously at-

boar-

a sufficient nund)er of teams cou

tachod to it. In this dilemma the idea was suggoste.l o
ing it upon the shoul(U-rs of men, and the proposal was cheur-
fullv adopted by tho citizens who had assi-mbled to assist in
these oi)orations. They were acconliugly arranged in tho
order of their stature and at tho word of comi' and shouldered
tlie j.ondorous cable and took up their line of march for Sack-
ets Harbor, about twenty miles distant, being as near together
as they could conveniontlv walk. This novel procession passed
bv wav of Ellis

_^ Village and Smithville and on the second day

hJd the Harbor. As they ai.proached the town the sail-
t to meet them and with loud cheers relieved thorn

roac

ors came ou

of their burden and marched triumphantly into the village,

Tills lil.ACK SNAKK.

Tilt' IJritisli llct't received Inrno acc'e8sif)iis to it.s iiiival
force. The ciire that they evinced in the selection of officers
for this Iiil<o indicates the iin|»ortaiiL'o they attached to its con-
trol, and the indiistiy that Ixtth naticais displayed in the
littinji' out of larjic vessels, seemed to |»ortend a nii«ihty strug-
glo for its supremacy. There occurred, meanwhile, .some
operations on a minor scale that demand our notice. With
the view of cutting olf some of the detachments of boats that
Avero ascending the St. I.awrence with supplies, Chauncey
uhout the middle of June directed I.ieutemint Francis 11.
Ciregory to take three gigs with their crews and secrete him-
self among the Tliousand Islands to watch for some opportu-
nity to surprise and bring (»lf or destroy some of these brigades
of loa<led boats.

This expedition consisted of Lieutenant Gregory, William
Vaughan and Samuel Dixon, sailingmastor.s, and eighteen
men. armed with riMes. pistols and cutlasses. They saw two
brigades of boats [tassing up full of troo[)s and too strong to
attack, and another passing down and not worth taking, (jiun-
boats were found stationed about oikh; in six miles and a sys-
tem of telegraphs erected on the heights, so that intelligence
could be conveyed with great despatch. On the IDth the i)ar-
ty were laying close under the Canada shore, four miles below
Alexandria Hay, and near IJald Island, when a gunboat was
coming duwii under easy sail, but nearer the middle of the
chaiuiel. Tpon seeing the boats an officer with one or two
men was sent in a skiff that was in tow to make inquiries of
them, supposing them to be Canadians. Upon approaching,

120

WA15S AN'D lU'MOKS (tK WAliS.

firogory Imilotl tho stni liters, (U'liiiunlinn tlicir surrender,
wliieh from noeessity was oheyi'd ; l»ut tlutse on honrd weint;
the movement opened a lire, wliieli was returned. 'I'lie vessel
was soon taken and I'onnd to he the Mlaek Snake, or No. i>,
Captain I.an<h)n, witli one IS-pouuih-r and IH men, ehielly
royal marines. 'IMie prize was taken in tow and when a mile
and a half helow French Creek was met hy a Ihitish ^unhoat.
Fiudinj; eseape impossihle the prisoners and small arms were
taken out and their prize scuttled at the foot of Kound Is-
land. The enemy arrived soon after, hut not heinji ahle to
save it from sinking pursued (iregory's party sevei'al miles.
Nijfht coming' on, he escaped, reached (ii'cnadier Island late
in the evening and the next day ai-rived sale at Sackets Ilar-
hor with his prisoners. The commo(lor(; in his ollicial re]iort
warmly recommended (Jregory, Vaughau and Dixon to the
notice of the department for their activity, zeal and success in
tho cruise. Congress, hy an act passi'd May 4, \s:\A, awarded
Gregory and his nu'n $3, ()()(» for this si'rvice.

MINOR KVKNTS.

On the ITthof Septemhev, 1S12. (ieneral IJrown, who had
his confidence, addri'ssed the following letter to the governor :
The first and only ollicial notice that I have received
from my goveriunent of the renewal of oll'ensive <>|ierations
against (ireat liritain came to hand yesterday hy the way of
Ogdenshurg. Would it not he advisahle to estahlish a line of
post horses by the way of Johnstown to Lowville and from
thence to this place and Ogdenshurg? Were 1 pwmittod it

WAliS AMI lllMoliS Ol' WAIiS.

127

hIiouM lie (lone foi'tliwitli. (Ifiicral Dodyo lulvised iiu; last
week lliiit lie cminhMl upon liaviiij-' iHK) incii i'ml)0(lif(l at
I'tica last Saturday and tliat tlicsc men would move to the
frontiers with as little delay as possilde ; hut 1 am yet to
h'iirn that they have marched or moved. I hmuhly trust that
what it was in my power to do with the uieaus at my coiu-
mand has heeii done, and that I am disposed to do what in me
lies to pi'oseeute this just and honorahle war.

'i'he inferiority of our fli'et is thus related in Cooper's Naval
History : "In the eourse of theautunm the Anierieans had in-
creased their force to eleven sail, ten of which were th

e s

mull

schoonei's hou.uht from the merchants and fitted with guid)oat
armaments, without (piarters. In addition to the vessels al-
ready named, were the Ontario, Scourjj;e, Fair An)erican and

Asp. Neither of the ten were tit to cruise, and an ordinary
ei^iiteen-yun hv]^ ou^ht to have heeii ahle to cope with them
all in a jiood workiuj-' hrei'ze in close (|uarters. At lonjf .shot,
however, and in smooth waters, they were not without a certain
efficiency. As was ])roved in the end, in attackinjjf hatteries
and in coverin--' descents they were even found to ho exceed-
ingly serviceahlc. "

At Sackets Ilarhor it was feared the liritisli would cress

ho
le secretary of war

on the ice. On the Uthof Ahuch, ISI;^, (ieneral Dcarho
greatly feared a surprise, thus wroto to tl

rn, w

I have n(jt yet had the honor of a visit from Sir CJ. Pre-
vo.st. His whole force is concentrated at Kingston, prohahly
amounting to six or seven thou.suid, ahout three thousand Jf

we expect him
prise is in

whom are regular troo|»s. The ice is good and
every day and every measure for jircventing a sur
constant activity. The troops from (ireenhush (upwards of
40U) have arrived. 1 have heard nothuig from Pike; he

128

WARS AND RUMORS OF WARS.

should have Ix'on licrc yt^stcrdjiy. I have sent three (^presses
to meet him ; neither li-is returned. I have suspieions cf the
cxpi-ess em}»loye<l hy the (|uartermaster-f>(>neral to convey the
orders to Pike. Tlie earhest measures were taken to convey a
dupHcato of his orders, liy tlie liUh, the ai»prel!ensions of at-
tack had nearly subsided, and (leneral Dearborn af>ain wrote :
From the most recent and ju-obalile information I have
obtained, 1 am induced to believe that Sir (leorj^e Prevost
thinks it is too late to attack this place. lie undoubtedly
meditated a cou[)-de-main against the shipi)ing here. All the
apprehension is now at Kinj;ston. Sir (Jeorge has visited
York and Niagara and returned to Montreal. Several bodies
of troops have passed up from Montreal ; but such precautions
have been taken to ]>revent their number being ascertained, as
to render it impossible to form any accurate opinion of their
forces, or even to imagine very nearly what they amount to.
From various sources 1 am perfectly satisfied that they are not
in sufficient force to attack this place knowing, as they do,
that we have coHectcd a hue body of troops from (ireenl)nsli
and Plattsburg an<l that tlie militia have been called in. We
are pr(<bal)ly just .4i'ong enough on each side to di'fend, but
not in suHicient force to hazard an ollensiv<' movement. The
ditference of attacking and being attacked, as it i-egards the
contiguous posts of Kingston and Sackets Ilarltor, can not be
cstinnite<l at less than three or four thousand men, arising
from the circumstance ol' niihtia acting only on the defensive.
Briga<U' orders: The imoflendiiig citizens of Canada
are many of them our own couuti'ynien. and the ]»oor Cana-
dians have been forced into the war. Their property, there-
fore, must be held saci'cd ; and any soldier who shall so far
neglect the honor of iiis profession as lie to guilty of i»lundering
the inhabitants, shall, if convicted, be punished with death.

WAHS ANT) lUMOKS OF WARS.

129

But tlie ooniiiianding general assures the troops tliat should
they capture a large quantity of pu])lic stores he will use his
best endeavors to proeure them a reward from his goveni-

inent.

On the 11th of June, 1S13, Lieutenant WokottChauncey
received orders from Connnodore ("iiauneey to proceed on a
cruise, and having reached the vicinity of ['resipie Isle, in the
schooner Lady of the Lake, on the morning of the KUh fell in
with and captured the Lnglish schooner Lady Murray from
Kingston hound lor York, and laden with provisions, powder,
sliot an<l Hxed ammunitions. One ensign and fifteen i)rivates,

belonging to the 41st and l()4th regiments, were

taken

prize waf

taken into Sackets Harbor.

On tile -id of .Inly a secret expedition was fitted out from
Kingston, witii the design of tiring the IMke and the naval
stores at Sackets Harbor in the night. On arriving at the
istlniius of I'oint Peninsula they drew their boats out and con-
(H'aled tiu-ni in tlie buslies till circumstances might favor tiiem,
but a (U'serter from tlieir iiumlier having cscajicd to Sackets
Harbor, they returned back. I'pon receiving inti'lligence of
this, a force was sent to intercept the detachment, hut witiiout

success.

The Sylph, jtierced for 24 guns but carrying 20, and

schooiier-riii<ie(

i, was liuilt and ready for service in thirty-
tiiree days from the time her timber was growing.

On tlie uigiit of May 2."), 1S14, Lieutenant Dudley with
two guard boats fell in with three of the enemy's in the bay,
who were hailed, but not being prt)perly answi'red, were fired
upon when the latter lied. A reinforceiiu'iit was hastily ob-
tained but nothing was seen or found of the enemy except .six

130

WARS ANl. ..iMOns OF AVAHS.

barrels of ])o\V(lor, slung in pairs to be carrii-d on tlie sbonldcrs
of men, and doubtless intended to fire our vessels stealtbily.
This accounted for their hasty retreat when tired upon, for
fear of accidental explosion. This insidious plan of the enemy
could scarcely have succeeded, as, besides two lines of ouard
boats, all tlie api)roaches were secured by booms, and a marine
guard boat and numerous sentinels were posted near. The
guns of the Madison that was close to the stern of the Superior
were kept loaded with canister and bags of nuisket l)alls, to
rake under if necessary.

The Moliawk, a frigate of -14 guns, was launched at Sack-
ets Harbor, having l)een but 34 days in building. The indomit-
able Mr. Henry Eckford, the energetic shipbuilder, who directed
this department, ac(iuired a large fortune in the war, but was
subse(|Uently reduced by .some stock ojierations. He died at
Constantinople, Xovend)er I'i, 1S;U, where for .several years,
he had been chief director of the dock yards in the Turkish
Empire. No higher compliments to his talents could l)e paid
than that of the .«ultan, who, in speaking of him said that
AnuTica nuist be great, if it could s|»are such men as Kck-
ford.

On the 0th of August, Abram Shoemaker, with his bi'otber
and a Mr. Sergeant, in a boat, bound from Oswego to Suckets
Harl)or, wjis attacked oH' Stony Point by a i'.riti.sh barge, un-
der a lieutenant of lUiirines, and aftei' a valiant resistance was
captured. After securing the prize, the lieutenant sent all bis
men to join another boat's crew, except four, which lunnber
he deemed .sufficient to secure her. Seizing a proper moment,
and without waiting for a concerted signal. Shoemaker pushed
the lieutenant overboanl, knocked down a sailor, and, calling
upon his comrades to lu'lj), soon found himself the mastei' of

WAKS AXD Rl'MOHS <)V WARS.

I'M

the boat, but scvoivly woimdiMl by a cutluss. The niovcincnt
being seen by the other boat, they were obHged to ahaii(h»ii
tlieir prize, but sueceeik'd in reaching Sackets Harbor in a
small boat.

(!reata|)|»rehensions were felt for the safety of the Trarl)or,
which led to an ai)j>lication to the executive for aid. Colonel
Washington Irving, aid-de-camp to the governoi', ai'rived at
this station October ">, 1S14, with orders to the conimanding
officer to make such reipiisitions on the militia as he might
deem neces.sary. After consultation with Colonel Mitchell,
(Jeneral Collins called the militia, en masse, from the counties
of I h'rkimer, Oneida, Lewis and .letIer.<on. 'i'he two form(>r
produced about "I/tfH) men, the latter not more than 400,
which made the force at the harbor between live and six thou-
sand men. (iri-at dilHculty was experienced from the want
of suitable ((Uartfrs for so great a body. Many were (juar-
tered in dwellings and barns, and from twenty to thirty were
often assigned to a single room. The discomforts attending
tlie.se accommodations very naturally excited uneasiness, and
at the expiration of the draft, it was apprehended that the mi-
litia would be with diHiculty prcveiitecl fi-oin going home, and
that it would become nect's,siry to supply their places with
regulars. TIk' apprehensions were not Justified by the events
that followed, and the militia were allowed to return home.
Two frigates of the largest class, one on Navy Point,
in Sacket-, Harbor, to be called the New Orleans, and
another of till' same class at Storr's Harbor, faitlu'r up the
bay, to he called the Chippewa, W(>re bi'gun and their hulks
])artly completed, wlu'U the news of peace put a stop to the
war.

Up the St. Lawrence, 1796.

Mr. Isaac Weld, an Irish refugee, as he was leaving Mon-
treal in September, 17iK), foi- a journey up the St. Lawrence,
had as his first concern to provide a large tent and some camp
e(iuipage, buffalo skins, a store of dried provisions, kegs of
brandy and wine, and, in short, to make every usual and nec-
essary prei)aration for the journey. Except for about fifty
miles, there were roads and scattered settlements at no great
distance from each other all the way up to Kingston ; but no
one ever thougiii ot going by land, as there would be great
difficulty in hiring hor.ses and in crossing streams without
bridges, says Dr. Hough.

The bateaux were never laden until the boats had been
got up the Lachine Rapids. Three men could take an empty
boat of two tons up these first rapids, keeping as close as pos-
.sible to the shore and using poles, oars and sails, as found
most advantageous. It was a very laborious task ; but from
long observation they had been able to find places some times
half a mile or in others two or three miles apart, where they
could take breath. Each of these i)laces the boatmen called
" une pipe, " bin-ause they were there allowed to liU their l»il)es,
and this term had come to be a sort of itinerary measure, as,

UP THK ST. LAWJ{|.;N(K, 1790.

133

such a place is " tliroo pipes off. " Tlio " pipe " was about
equal on an average to tliree-(|uartei-s of nn Knglish mile.

The passiijre up the rapids was so tedious that travelers
often proceeded on foot, by the roads idon«-- the north shore.

Coming ui) from Lower Canada in midsummer, by the
tedious water passage, which had then been somewhat re-
lieved l>y canals and locks for batciuix, he noticed, as he
reached the level of hike navigation, enormous flocks of j)ig-
eons, "which during particular yciirs come down from the
northern regions in flights that it is marvellous to tell of. "

Weld's description of the voyage to Kingston is as fol-
lows : The current of the St. Lawrence from Oswegatchie up-
wards is much more gentle than in other parts between Mon-
treal and Lake Ontario, except only where the river is consid-
erably dilated as at Lakes St. Louis and St. Frances ; however,
notwithstanding its being so gmtle we did not advance more
than twenty-five miles in the course of the day, owing to the
numerous stops that we made, more from motives of pleasure
than nece.s.sity. The evening was uncommonly tine and tow-
ards sunset a brisk gale sprang up, the conductc.r judged it
advisable to take advantage of it and to coiitimie tiie v(»yage
all night, in order to make up for tiie time we had lo.st during
the da3\

We accordingly i)roceedi'd, but towar<ls liiidnight the wind
died away. This circumstance, hovvevi'r, did not alter the de-
termination of the conductor. The men were ordered to the
oars and notwithstanding they had labored hard during
the preceding day and had no rest, yet they were kept closely
at work until daybreak, e.\ce|)t for one hour, during which
they were allowed to stop to cook their provisions.

Where there is a gentle current as in this part of the river
tho Canadians will work at the oars many hours without in-

134

ri' TlIK ST. LAWRKXC'I';, 1 79G.

tonnissioii ; they i^ocm to tliink it no hardsliij) to 1)0 employed
ii! tliis instance the whole nij>ht ; on the contniry, they plied
as vigorously as if they had hut just set out, siiifiing merrily
ilie whole time. 'Phe Freneh Canadians have in general a
iT.'od ear for music and sing duets with tolerable accuracy.
n"' • nave one very favoi'ile duet amongst them called the
" r)\\ in- duet, '' which as they sing they mark time to with
each sii ' ' of the oar; indeed, when rowing in smooth water
tl, vp). .' ■'•(' time of most of the airs they sing in the same
mannei

Ahout eight o'clock the next and eighth morning of our
voyage, we I'uti'red the last befoir you come to that of On-
tario, called The l.ake of a Thousand Islands, on account of
the multiplicity of them, which it contains.

Ahmy of these islands are scarcely larger than a bateaux,
and none of them, except such as are situated at the upj)er and
lower I'xtremities of the lake, appearing to me to contain more
than fifteen Knglish acres each. They are all covered with
wood even to the smallest. The trees on these last are smaller
in their growth, but the larger islands produce as fine timber
as will be found on the main shores of the lake. Many of
these islands are situated so closely together that it would be
easy to throw a i)ebble from one to the other. Notwithstand-
ing which circumstance, the passage betwi'en them is perfectly
safe ai\d connnodious for bateaux and between some of them
that are even thus close to each other is water sutticieut for a
frigate. The water is unconnnimly clear as it is in every i)art
of the river from Lake St. Francis upwards. P>etw(!ou that lake
and the I'tawas River downwaids it is discolored, as I have
befoi'e observed, by passing over beds of nuirl.

The shores of all these islands under our notice are rocky,
most of them rise very boldly and some exhibit perpendicular

UI> TIFK ST. LAWJtKNCK. 1700.

135

masses of rock towards llic wjitci-, upw-jinls of twenty foct lii^r],.
The .scenery presented to view in |iiissinj>- hetween these i.shnids
is beautiful in the hi-hest (h'j<ree. Sometimes in passing
throuf>h a narrow strait you find yourself in a l)asin, hind-
locked on every si(h', that ap])ears to have no eommunieation
Avitli the lake,exeept hy the f)assage tlii'ough whicli you have
entered. You are looking ahout, j)erhnps, for an outlet to en-
able you to ])roeeed, thinking at hist to see some Jilfle channel
whicli will just admit y(Mir ])ateau.\— when suddeidy an ex-
panded sheet of water ojiens upon you, whos<' lioundarv is the
horizon alone. Again in a i'vw minutes, you find yourself
land-locked, and again a sjiacious passage as suddenly i)re-
sents itself; at other times, when in the middle of one ofthe.se
ba,sins, between a elu.stcr of islands, a dozen .lilferent channels,
like .so many noble rivers, meet the eye, perhaps eipially un-
expectedly, and on each side the islands appear regularly re-
tiring till they sink from the sight in the <listance.

Every minute during the passage f)f this lake, the pros-
pect varies. The numerous Indian hunting encampments on
the different islands, with the smoke of their tires rising up
between the trees, added considerably to the beauty ot'^the
scenery as we passed through it. The hake of the Thousand
Islands is twenty-five miles in length and about six in breadth.
From its upper end to Kingston, at which we arrived early in
the evening, the distance is (ifteen miles.

The length of time re(|uiie(l to asceml the IJiver St. Law-
rence, from Montreal to Kingston, is commonly found to be
about seven days. If the wind should he strong and very
favorable the passag(> may be performed in a less time ; but
should it, on the contrary, hi' adverse, and hiow very strong,
the passage will be protracted somewhat longer. An adverse,
or favorable wiuJ, however, seldom makes a dilfereuco of more

130 iTi> Tiri<: ST. LAWRtcxcK, 179G.

tlian three days in tlio longtli of the ])iissago uiiwards, or in
each case it is necessary to work the bateaux along by means of
poll's, for the gi'eatei- part of the way. The {)assage downward
is performed in t\v.) or three days, aecordini>' to the wind. The
current is so strong, that a contrary wind seldom lengthens
the {)assage in that direction more than a day.

Kingston, as seen by Mr. Weld, just before tlie beginning
of the i)reseut century, etjutained a fort, barracks for troops,
tin K|)is('0|)al church, and al)out a hundred houses, mostly in-
habited l»y persons who had emigrated from the United States
at the close of the llevolutionaiy war. Some of the houses
were of stone or brick, but for the most part they were ot
wood .

From sixty to one hundred soldiers were usually quar-
tered in the garrison. The town ha<l a considerable amount
of trade, and was growing rapidly in size, the goods and
peltries of traders being here transferi'ed from bateaux to
vessels. The principal merchants were mostly partners of
old-established houses in Montreal and (Quebec, and tbe
stranger, esi)eeially if a British sul)ji'ct, was sure to meet a
most hosi)itable and friendly reception among them.

Kingston was then the principal station for shi})building
on the Lakes, and at that period, several decked merchant
vessels, schooners, and sloops, of from 50 to 2U0 tons each, and
numberless large sailing bateaux, were kept emidoyed on Lake
Ontario. There were then no vessels larger than l)ateaux owned
on the south side of the Lake, and the British vessels that plied
between Kingston and Niagara, rarely touched at any other
place.

The heaviest item of ship-building at that period was iron,
which came from England, but great hopes were founded ujion

UP THE ST. LAWRKXCE, 179G. 137

tho copper of the Luke Superior country, which was then
known to exist, hut liad not yet heen worked to niuch extent.
The established rate of pasisage across tlu; Lake was then
two guineas in the cahin, and one guinea in the steerage, in-
cluding hoard. Freight was 30 sliillings Sterling ])er ton, or
nearly us much us then churged across the Atlantic.

Down the St. Lawrence, 1818.

John M. Duncan in IMS .U.chhU.I tl.c St. Lnwm.co
„,, ,,„,,.U.l his ohsorvations. Ancthor day <-/-; ^f '
have iHvn a,m.ahly .pent hero, [at K.n,ston,] bn OdoU.
;sc.losin,u,..nn>o, an,l 1 toa.v<l that fn.stnn,ht .-tin
,,,,i,h wc.uUl n.ako traveling' both (litticnlt an<l a.sa^reoahle.
It was, therefore, with pk>asure that I learne.l that some
bateanx were to ,o down the river the tbllown,, nu.nnng
,„a I ai.l not fail to be at the water snle n. nue to sc u^a
passa^H^bv them. * * * The Dnrhan. boats ot the M.
.awrene;aresinuhu- to tl.ose<,n the Mohawk In sn.o,^
water thev nse a sail or oars, but are foree<l np the rapuls In
incessantVna h.borions ..ertions with the poU-. 1 hey are
..nerallv navi.ate.l l>y nativesof the Tnite,! States. 1 he ..ne
iu whieh I saiU..l in >h.y, was aeeonling to the n.lorn.at.on ot
the Captain, ('.2 feet in keel, an.l 11 feet 4 inehes n> Ik.uu. She
,,,,iea abont -iC tons, an.l .Irew ..nly 'iS ineh.-s oi water. She
,„a on boanl about 270 barrels of tlour, whieb sunk her oun-
.vale within a few inehes of the water ; and to aeien. us ,n
passing throufih the rapi.ls, a e<.uple of stout planks, about a
foot in breadth, were nailed along- the sides ; a precaution

DOWN' TIFK ST. [.AWHKNCi;, 1818. 139

which, as we iiftorwiirds cxporienced, was no more than
needful.

liatcMUx arc (lat-hottonicd boats, about halftho si/c of the
otliers, tapering' to a jioiiit at each end, and so substantially
constructed that they will endure a },n-eatdeal of hard knocking
on the channel without danger to the passengers. They do
not sink so low in the water as the boats navigated by Canadian
voyagi'rs, — veterans who have been trained from their youth
to the use of tin; pa<ldle and the setting pole, and who know
every chamiel, rock, and breaker, in the rapids, from the
Long Sault to Montreal. If a traveler going down the River
has his choice, let him by all means prefer the bateaux ; it
does not sail as fast as a Durham Ixnit, and he may be a day
longer in nudcing the [)assage, but in ordinary cases he is far
safer.

Passengers by either of these vessels must take with them
a moderate supply of i)rovisions, for it is not cu.stomary to go
on shore except to slec]) ; and if the wind is ahead, four or five
days may be spent between Kingston and Montreal. (Joing
up the river is a far more tedious process. They should also be
well provided, even in sunnner, with cloaks or other covering.s,
for the night dews on the rivers are excessively cold.

The bateaux sailed from Kingston with a favorable
breeze, between ten and eleven in the forenoon, and while the
wind lasted got on gallantly ; but towards the afternoon we
were almost becalmed in the Lake of u Thousand Isles, and
our voyagers were comi)elletl to tug away at the oar. We had
four rowers, besides the conductor, who steered with a small
paddle. The scenery of tliis Lake, as it is called, is very
pictures(|ue, but tin; succession of islands becomes at last tire-
some, the more so that you lind them take the wind out of the
L;ail, and wufully retard your progress. I had made allowauutj

110

DOW.V TIIK ST. I.AWUKXCK, 181M.

for Ji reusonablc proportion of cxnjrgcration in its poetical
name, Init tiic Islands crowded upon each other in .such
numerous groups, and we were so long in getting clear of
them, that I l)egan at last todoubt whether there might be two
thousand of them instead of one.

They are of all sizes ; some of them bare rocks, a few
feet .s(iuare, others tw(» or three miles long, and thickly
wooded. Loch Lomond, with her two dozen islets, has long
sheltered the manufacturers of tlie genuine peat reek from the
scent of the Keveiuie olHcers ; but this must be the very '>ara-
dise of smugglers, .should such a trade ever beciome p' bio
in Upper Canada — and a hopeless business it will bef, !se

men who are sent to ferret them out.

Towards evening it liegan to rain ; but .some of the com-
pany on board were more disagreeable than the weather.
* * * * Hut for their presence, 1 could have endured the
rain for an hour or two, to listen to the boat songs of the
Canadian voyagers, which in the stillness of the night had a
peculiar pleasing effect. They kept time to tiie.se songs as
they rowed ; and the splashing of the oars in tin; water,
combined with the wildne.ss of tlieir cadence, gave a romantic
character to our darksome voyage.

In most of the songs, two of the boatmen began the air,
the other two sang a respon.^e, and then all united in the
chorus. Their music might not have been thought extremely
tine, by those who.se skill in concords and chromatics forbids
them to be gratified ])nt on ."Scientific principles. My conven-
ient ignorance of tho.se rules allowed me to reap undisturbed
enjoyment from the voyagers' melodies, which like many upon
Scotch airs, were singularly plaintive and pli'asing.

Our conductor expected to have reached Brockville that
cveuin;^, a small town alj;jut ol) miles below Kingston, but we

DOWN TItK ST. I.AWHKXCK, ISIS.

141

begun to lu' snnu'what impiiticnt togcton shoro. The evening
was so (lark, that we eould with ditHculty distinguish even the
sliadowy oulMne of the river ; not a sound was lieard around
us but the ech(» of the voices of those on board, or the sphish
of tiie oars ; and we were gliding ah)ng with no other convic-
tions of safety than what arose in (irni confidence in our
boatmen. Al»out eight o'clock a twinkling light by the river's
side broke upon (»ur view ; we hailed the cheering spark, and
urged the conductor to haul in to the V)ank, in the hope of
obtaining lodgings. It was a fanner's house ; n crackling fire
of pine logs blazed on the aini)le hearth, festoons of sliced
a[»ples for winter pies, hung around it to dry, and the com-
fortable kitchen contrasted most agreeably with our situation
in the bateau in du kiicss and rain. 1'he inmates made us
welcome to their fireside, and although not much used to
entertain strangers, very soon |)rovided for us a nio.st comfor-
table sup[)er. J lot steaks, fried bacon and potatoes for those
who preferred it, tea and toast, were served up with an alacrity
that would have done credit to a regular inn. It scarcely '.leeds
to be added, that we enacted wonders with the knife and fork.
When the time of retiring came, every bed in tlie house was
surrendered for our use ; but iinding that I could not
particijjate in one, unless 1 accei)ted a bed-fellow, I })referred
my box-coat and the Hoor.

About two o'clock next morning, we were aroused to
resume our voyage. The boatmen before starting swallowed
a plentiful allowance of soup thickened with meat and bread,
very similar to what sailors call lobscoss : the players fortified
themselves for the water by an antiphogmatic of rum.

'i'he wind had shifted during the night, and was now
right ahead. It was a genuine American Xorth-wester, and
blew as if it were resolved to take the skin oti" Qur cheeks. The

142 I'OWX THE ST. l.AWRESCK, 1818.

w.tcr fimo upon tho oars, :., Acy rose above the surface ; aurt

,ove appr oiale.1 better the eon,..,rts of a tb.ok t„>vebng

e^t an/a fur ca,,. Our boat.uen lu„! to row «-,thout mte -

, ssiou; laltboUKb tbey ,b,l not "•-'.- l."nve,,^ba

Ibev luL'Ke.1 awav «itb ann,/.n,g eonstancy. About mm
oeiock in the rn„n,in«. «e reaehecl I-rescott.s,xty-seven nnle.
from Kingston.

Jit

Captivity of Hrs, Howe, 1 755.

The nari'iitive of Mrs. Jominia Howe's captivity was first
published in a boolvlot, and later was po[)ularized in the seliool
readers of 80 years ago. The i'Oi)y from which tliis is repro-
duced is characterized by the modified f for s in all instances
except at the end of a word, as "fons."

As Messrs. Caleb Howe, Hilkiah (Jrout, and Benjamin
(raffield, who had been hoeing corn in the meadow, west of the
river, were returning home a little before sunset to a place
called Bridgman's Fort, they were fired upon by twelve
Indians, who had ambushed their path. Howe was on horse-
back, with two young lads, his children, behind him. A ball,
which broke through his thigh, brought him to the ground.
His horse ran a few rods and foil likewise, and both the lads
were t.iken. The Indians in their savage naanner, coming up
to Howe, pierced his body with a spear, tore off his scalp, stuck
a hatchet in his head, and left him in this forlorn condition.

He was found alive the next morning after by a party of
men from Fort Hin.sdale; and being asked by one of the party
whether he knew him, he answered. Yes, I know you all.
These were his last words, though he did not expire until
after his friends had arrived with him ut Fort Kinibdale.

144

CAPTIVITY OK MI5S. IIOWK, IT").*).

Grout was so fortunate as to escajx' unluirt, hut (Jiiffield in the
attempt to wade througli the river whicli was iinU'ed t'orchihle
at tliat time, was unfortunately drowned. Flushed with tlie
success they liad met here, thesavafj;es went (hrectly to liridj;-
inan's Fort. There was no man in it, and only three women
and some children, Mrs. Jeminui Howe, Mrs. Suhmit (irout,
and Mrs. Eunice Gaffield.

Their hushands I need not mention ajiain, and their
feelings at this junction T will not attempt to deserihe. They
had heard the enemies' guns, hut knew not what had happened
to their friends. E.vtremely anxious for their safi'ty, they
stood longing to emhrace them, until at length, concluding
from the noise thay heard without that some of them were
come, they unharred the gate in a hurry to receive them ;
when lo ! to their inexpressible disappointment and surjirise,
instead of their hushands, in rushed a number of hideous
Indians, to whom they and their tender oHsj)riiig l)ecame an
easy pray ; and from whom they had nothing to ex])ect but
either an immediate death, or a long ca|)tivity. The latter of
these, by favor of Providence, turned out to h(> the lot of these
unha])py women, and their still more unhapi)y, bccanse more
hel})less, children Mrs. Gattield had but one, .Mrs. (Jnut had
three, and Mrs. Howe seven. The eldest of Mrs. Ilowt^'s was
eleven years old, and the youngest but .six months.

The two eldest were daughtei's, which slu' had liy her ti'st
husband, ^^r. William I'hipps. who was also shiiii by tlie
Indians, of which ' doubt not but you have see an acconnt in
Mr. Doolittle's history. It was from the mouth of tliis woiiuin
that I lately received the foregoing accf»unt. She also gave
me, I doubt not, a true, though, to ix' sui'e, a very brief and
imperfect history of her captivity, wiiich I here insert for your
perusal. The Indians, (she says) having plundered and p;it

(Al'TlVlTV Of Ml!S. lIOWi:, lint}. 14'

iire to the fort, we marclieil, as near as I could judge, a mile
and a half into the woods, where we encamped that night.
When the morning came, and we had advanced as much
farther, six Indians were sent hack to the i)lace of our late
abode, who collected a little more plunder, and destroyed some
other etlects that had been left behind ; but they did not return
until the day was so far si)ent. that it was judged best to con-
tinue where we were through the night. Early the next
morning we set off for Canada, and continued our march eight
days successfully, until we had reached the place where the In-
dians had left their canoes, about fifteen Jiiiles from Crown Point.
This was a long and tedious march ; but the captives, by
divine assistance, were enabled to endure it with less trouble
and difficulty than they had reason to ex|)ect.

From such .savage masters, in such indignant circum-
stances, we could not rationally hope foi- kinder treatment than
we received. Some of us it is true, had a harder lot than
others; and among the children, J thought my ^on Hcpiire
had the hardest of any. lie was then only lour years old, i'.nd
when we stopped to I'est our weary limb.-!, and he sat down on
his pvister's i)ack, the .savage monster would often knock him
off; and sometimes iua with the handle of his luilchet.
Several ugly marks, indented in his head by tiii'cruel Indians,
at that tender age, are still plainly to be seen. At length we
arrived at (Jrown Point, and took up our (|U'irter.-< tliere, for the
space of near a week. In the nKMutinie, s mie of tiie Indians
went to Montreal, and took sevei'al of the v.H'ury (•aj)tives idong
with them, with a view of selling lliciu lo ihc French. They
did not succeed however, in Inidiiig a niai'kcf for any of them.
They gave my youngest daughter to tlie governor, de Vau-
dreuil, had a drunken frolic, and ictmned again to Crown
Point, with the rest of tiieir ])ris:tiiers. From hence we set off

140

rAl'TINMTY (»!•■ MHS. 1I(»\VI;, 17')").

for 8t. John'8, in four or Hve caiioos, just ns niy-lit was comint''

on, and were soon surrounded with darkuc:

A 1

icavv storm

hung over us. The sound of the rollinji' thunder was very
terrible upon the waters, which at every flash of expansive
lightning seemed to be all in a blaze. Yet to this we were
indebted for all the light we enjoyi'd. No objeet eould we
discern any longer than the flashes lasted.

In this posture we sailed in our open tottering canoes,
almost the whole of that dreary night. The morning indee(l
had not yet begun to dawn, when we all went ashore : and
having collecte(I a hea]» of sand gravel for a |)iilow, I lai<l
myself down, with my tender infant by my side not knowing
where any of my other children were or what a miserable
condition they might be in. The next day. however, mider
the wing of that ever present and all powt'rf'ul Providem-e,
which had i)resi'rved us through the darkness and inuninent
dangers of the preceding night, we all arrived in .safety at

8t. John's. Our next movement was

to St. V

rancois,

metropolis, if I may call it, to which the Indians, who led
us ca])tive, belonged. Soon after our ai-rival at that wretched
capital, a cf)uncil, consisting of the chief Sachem, and .some
{)rincipal warriors of the St. Francois tribe, was convened ;
and after the ceremonies usuid un such occasions were over, 1
was con(lucte<l and deliveri'd to an old s(iuaw, who the Indians
told me I must call my mother, ^^y infant still continued to
be the property of its original Indian owners. I was never-
theless permitte<l to keej) it with me a while longer, for the
sake of saving them the trouble of looking after it. When the
weather began to grow cold, shuddering at the prosfx'ct of
ap}»roaching winter, I aci|uainted my new mother, that I did
not think it would be |)os-ibIe for me to enduri' it, if I
must spend it with her, and share as the Indians did.

(Al'TIVITY OK Ml.'S. IIOWK

I .t.>.

14<

Listoniiifji; to my rcix'atcd and oariiost .solicitations tliat I
iniglit be disjiosod of anionf^- some of the Frencli iidial)itants of
Canada, slu' at Icnutli set off with nie and my infant, attended
l)y some male Indians, u|»on a journey to Montreal, in ho])e,s
of findintr a market for me there. P>nt the attempt proved
unsuecessful, and the journey tedious indeed.

Our provision was so seanty as well as insipid and
unsavory ; the wi'ather was so cold, and the travelin,u- so very
had, that it often seemed as if I must have perished on the
way. While we were at Montreal, we went into the house of
a eei'tain l-'reiieh j^cntleman. whose la<ly heinj^' si'iit foi-, and

to examine me, seeing I

oomiujii' into the room where 1 wa>

had an infant, exelaimed with an oath,

woman who has a ehild to look after." 'i'l

" 1 will not buy a
leri" was a swill pail

standing- near me, in which I oliserved some crusts of lii-ead
swimming' on the surface of the j^reasy licpior it contained.
Sorely pinched with hunji;i'r, I skimmed them otf with my
hands, and ate them ; und this was all the refreshment which
the hou.se afforded re. Somewhere in the course of this visit
to Montreal, my Imlian mother was so unfortunate as to catch
tile smallpox, of wliicli distemper sin; died, soon after our
return, whi(di was b\ watei-, to St. I'"raiicois. And now came
on tlie .sea.'^on wlu'U the Indians be<;an to prepaii' Uiv a win-
tei-'s hunt.

I was vjnh'i'cd to return my poor child to those of them
who still clainu'd it as their ])ro|)erty. This was a sevei'e trial.
The babe clunji: to my bosom with all its mioht : but I was
oblij>-e(l to pluck it thence, and deliver it. shriekin,ii- and
screamin<j; enoujdi to penetrate a heart of stone, into the hands
of those unfeeliufi- wretches, who.^e tender mercies may be
termed cruel. It was siton carried oil' by a huntinji' party of
thojp" indiiuis, to a place called MelHd<ow. at the lower end of

11,^

CAPTIVITY OK MHS iroWK, 17;")'.

l^ako C'lmniplain, whitlier, in about a mouth after it was my
fortuue to follow thorn. Aud here I fouud it, it is true, but iu
a c'ouditiou that aifonlod me uo j>reat satisfactiou ; it bein^
greatly omaeiated aud aluiost starved. I took it iu my arms,
put its face to iuiu(>, aud it iustautly bit me with such violeuee,
that it seemed as if I luust iiave j)arted with a piece of my
cheek. I was permitted to lod^e with it that, and the two
followiu^ nights ; but every morning that intervened, the
Indians, I suppose on j)urpose to torment me, sent me away
to another wigwam, which stood at a little distance, though
not so fur from tht one in which my distressed infant was
confined, l)ut that I i<»uld plainly hear its incessant cries, and
heartrending lameiuations. In tliis deplorable condition, I
was obliged to take my leave of it, on the morning of the third
day after my arrival at the i)lace. We moved down the lake
several miles the same day ; and the night following was
remarkable on account of the great earth(|uake which terribly
shook that howling wilderness.

Among the islands hereabouts, we spent the winter season,
often sliifting our (|uarters, and roving about from one place
to another ; our family consisting of three persons only, beside
myself, viz.: my late mother's daughter, whom therefore 1
called my sister, her sauhop, and a pa})poose. They once left
me alone two dismal nights ; and when they returned to me
again, perceiving them smile at each other, I asked what is the
matter? They replied, that two of my children were no more.
One of which, they said, died a natural death, and the other
was knocked on the luad. I did not utter many word.s, but
my heart was sorely pained within me, and my mind exceed-
ingly troubled with strange and awful ideas. 1 often
imagined, for instance, that 1 j)lainly saw the naked carcasses
of my deceased children hanging upon the limbs of the trees,

OAI'TIVITY ()!■• Mits. IK.WK, 17.*).").

Ul)

{IS the Indians are wont to lianff the raw Iiides of those heasts
which they take in hunting. It was not hjng, however, before
it was ordered by kind Provi(h-iiee. that I slionld be reheved
in a good mea.sure from tho.se horrid iinagination.s ; for as [
was walking one day upon the ice. observing a smoke at some
distance upon the land, it uni.st proceed, thought I, from the
lire of .some Indian hut ; and who knows but .some one of my
poor children may be there. My curiosity, thus excited, led
me to the place, and there I found my son Caleb, a little boy
between two and three years old. whom I had lately buried,
in .sentiment at least : or rather imagined to liavel)een deprived
of life, and perhaps also denied a decent grave.

1 found him likewi.^e in tolerabh" health ami circumstanees,
under the protection of a fond Indian mother; and moreover
had the happine.ss of lodging with him in n)y arms one joyful
night. Again we shifted our (piarters, when we had traveled
eight or ten miles upon the snow and ice, came to a place
where the Indians manufactured sugar which they extracted
from ma})le trees. Here an Indian came to vi.^it us, whom I
knew, and who could speak Knglish. He asked me why I did
not go to see my .^on S«|uire. I replied that 1 had lately be< n
informed that he was dead, fie assui'ed me that he was yet
alive, and but two or three miles otl', on the opposite side of
the Lake. At my request, he gave me the best directions he
could to the place of his abode. I I'esolved to embrace the first
opportunity that o(fere<l of endeavoring to search it out. While
I was bu.sy in contemplating this affair, the Indians obtained
a little bread, of which they gave me a small share. I did not
taste a morsal of it myself, l)ut .saved it all for my poor child,
if r should be so lucky as to find him. At length, having
obtained of my keepers leave to be absent for one day, ! set off
early in the morning, and .steering, as well as 1 could, accord-

ir.o

CAI'TIVITV OK NriJS. TIOWK. IT.")'.

iiiff to tlio (iivcctioiis wliicli the fVicndly Indiiiii had givcli lr\0,
I <|iiickly fduiid tlic place, wliicli lie liad so ai'curatoly
iiiai'kcd out.

(' son without tlic caiuj) ;

I hchi'ld, as 1 i\vv\v nifili, my littl
hut 111' lo(ik('(h tliou^ht I, like a starved and inanjiy jnijipy.

that

Had

I teen \va

How

niiJ' ni

le asiies.

I took liini in niv

arms, and he spuke to me these words, in tlie Inchan tonj^ue

MuW

ler, are vou

come?" J took liim into tlie wiuwum with

me. and ol)servin<i- a nund)er of Indian chilch'en in it, I (hs-
trihuti'd all the hi'ead which 1 had reserved lor my own child,
uniong them all : otherwise 1 should havejiiven jj^reat offbnce.
.My littU'hoy appeared to he very fond of his new mother, kept
as near me as )iossil)U' while 1 stayed ; and when I told him
I must ^(\ he fell as thou,u,li he had heen knocked down with
a cluh. lUit having' reconuiiended hi)n tothecareof Ilim who
made him, when the day was fai' spent, and the time would

|»ernnt me to stay no lonjicr, 1 departed, you may well suppose,
ith a heavv load at mv heai't. The tidiniis 1 had received of

the death of my younji'est child had, a little hefore, heen con-
firmed to me heyond a d()ui)t ; hut I could not mourn so
heartily for the deceased, as for the living child.

When the winter hroke up, we removed to St. John's ;
and thri)U<ih the ensuin<>' summer, our princii)al residence wa.s
at no <;-reat distance from the fort at that idace. In the mean-

tune

however, mv sister's hushand haviny heen out witli a

scoutinj; |)arty to some of the l'Jitj:lish settlements, had a
di'unken iVolic at the foit, when lu' returned. His wife, who
never j^ot drunk, hut had often experii'Uced the ill effects of
her husl)and's intemperance, fearing what the con,se(iiience
mijiht pi'ovc, if he should come home in a morctse and turhu-
lent humor, to avoid his insolence, pro|)osed that we should
hnth i-etii-e. and keep out of the reach of it. until the stoi'm

{'AI'TIVnV Of- NrFiS. IIOWK. 17')"). 151

abiited. We Mbscoiidcd accord iiij>ly ; Imt so it liapitciicd. that
I returned, and ventured into his |)resence, helore his wife had
j)resunied to come nij^h liini. I I'ound him in his wij-wam.
and in n surly mood ; and not Ix'inu' iihieto revenjic upon his
wife, hecause she was not at home, he h-nd hold of me, and
luirried me to the fort ; and for a triliinji' consideration, sold
mo to a l-'rench f>entleman, whose name was Saccapee.

It is an ill wind certainly that hlows nolxxly any <i'ood. 1
had been with the Indians a year lacking- fourteen days ; and,
if not for my sister, yet for me, it was a lucky circumstance
indeed, wliich thus at last, in an unexpected moment, snatched
me out of their cruel hands, and placed Jiie beyond tiie reach
of their insolent j)ower. After my Indian master had dispose<l
of me in the manner related above, and the moment of sober
reflection had arrived, perceivino- that the man who liad
bought mo liad taken the advanta.ue of him in an unguarded
hour. Ins resentment be^an to kind!.', and his indij^nation rose
so l]if«b, that he threatened to kill me if he should meet me
alone: or if he could not reven<i(' himself thus, that he would
sot lire to the fort. I was therefore secreted in an upper
chamber, and tlH> fort carefully j^uarded, until his wrath had
time to cool. My service in the family to which I was advan-
ce(b was perfect free(b»m, in comparison with what it had been
amonj>' the barbarous Indians.

My new master an<l mistress were both as kind and gen-
erous towards me as ! c(.uld reasonably expect. ! .^iblom
asked a favor of either of them, but it was readily granted. In
conse(|Ucnce of which I had it in my power, in many instances,
to administer aid and refreshment to tlu' poor pri<onei's of mv
nation, who wei'e brought into St. John's durinjj,' mv abode in
the family of the above mentioned benevolent and hospitable
Saccapee. Vet even in this family-, such trials anaited me as

ir,2

CAI'TIVITY or MHS. H()\VK. 1 (•)•).

r luid little reason toexpeet ; but stood in need of a larp;estoek
of ])ruden('e, to enable me to encounter tlieni. in tliis I was
ffreatly assisted by the governor, an<l ( "olonel Sebuyler, who was
then u prisoner. 1 was moreover under uns])eakablu oblij^ations
to the {governor on another aeeount. I liad received intelligence
from ni\' daughter Mary, the ))urport of which was, that there
was a prospect of her bt>ing shortly niarrie<l to a young !n<lian
of the tribe of St. I-'rancois, with which tribe she had continued
from the beginning of her cajttivity. These were heavy
tidings, and added greatly to the poignancy of my other
afflictions.

However, not long after 1 had heard this melancholy
news, an opportunity j)resented of accjuainting that hunume
and generous gentleman, the commander-in-chief, and my
illustrious benefactor, with this affair also, who, in compassion
for my sufferings, and to mitigate my sorrows, issued his
orders in good time and had my daughter taken away from
the Indians, and conveyed to the same nunnery where her
sister was then lodged, with his express injunction, that they
should both of them together be well looked after, a'^'l t-'are-
fully educated, as his a<lo|»ted children. In this school
* * * * they continued while the war in those
days between Franco and (ireat Britain lasted. At the con-
clusion of which war, the governor went went home to France,
took my oldest daughter along with him, and married her
there to a French gentleman, whose name is Cron iicwis.

He was at Moston with the fleet under Covuit de F.staing,
(1778) and one of his clerks. My other daughter still con-
tiTUiii\g in the nunni-ry, a considerable time had I'lapsed after
my return from caj)tivity, when I made a journey to Canada,
resolving to use my Itest endeavors not to return without her.
1 arrived just in time to prevent her being son t to Fruuce. bhe

CAl'TIVITY OF MUS. HOWK, 1 <.).),

In3

\?ns to liiivc gone in tlu! next vt'sscl that sailed tor that i)hj('('.
And I found it cxtn'nicly ditlicuH to prevail witli iicr to (|uit
the nunnery and j^o honi(> with mo. Vea. siie aiisohitely
refused : and all the |tersuMf<ions and arguments I cnuld use
with her were to no efJ'ect, until after I had l)een to the
governor, and ohtaineda letter tVom him to the superintendent
of the nuns, in which he threatened, if my daughter shouM

not hi

delivered innuediatelv intd mv

hand

s, or f'ould not h»

j)rcvailed with to suhmit to my p.irential authority, that he
would .send a hand of soldiers to as.sist me in hringing her
away.

But so extremely l)igote(l was she to the customs and
religion of the place, that after all. she left it with the greatest
reluctai'ce, and the most hitter lamentations, which she con-
tinued as we passed the streets, and wholly refused to i)e
comforted. My good friend. Major Small, whom we met t>n
the way, tried all he could to console her ; and was so very
kind and ohliging as to hear us company, and carry my
daughter hehind him on horsel)ack. IJut I have run on a
little hefore my story ; for I have not yet informed you of the
means and manner of my own redemption ; to the accom-
plishment of which, the ri'covery of my daughter, just
mentioned, and the ransoming of some of my children, several
gentlemen of note contril>uteil not a little ; to whose goodness,
therefore I am greatly indehted, and sincerely hope I shall
never be so ungrateful as to forget it.

(.'olonel Schuyler, in i)articular, was so very kind and
generous as to advance 27<M) livres to procuie a ran.som for
myself and three children, lie accompanied and conducted
us from Montreal to Alhany, and entertained us in the most
Iriendly and hospitahle manner a consideruhle time at his
own house, and I believe entirely at his own expense.

A Pioneer's Hardships.

' , 11- 1 4I1.1H tlw voc'itiU 01 tiic <-'A-

;;U.:k ana natural ubility. In 1«53 ho thus wrote ot h. ca.ly

"''tilX-anuMothis town, (luunpion, m the yoarlTU^^

I tn^t, cum i.,„.llH,l(U'r whon ho camo on tor

with Lon.uol Storrs. a argo l'^;'''''*^''^.'' ; ^,,^.,^ ,,,iaing in

the first tinu. to viow h.s ,>urcha 0. --^^^ . ^j^,^,,,.

St.uhon,inwlK.tisn.>w<)n.uh. ou,^>.hut^-,<^ •

l,,,<,ro, lIor]<i.n..r. Mr. Slorrs thon hnvl .oNcal-
whose business it was to c-arry tho nooossary ,H.x

expe.liti<.n on their haeks. This was lat.

Jveleaonto<.thywhatwasealleath. , ,^ ^:^„ ,,„.
ni,i...aisont,.e...y.verJ >s^^^^^^ 1 _,. ,

A I'Kt.VKKIi's IIAHOSIIU'S,

;>.)

^''"" "P«»" wlmt wiis ,.m1I,mI \hr Imvi„.|, TrMct ..„ the

";>'•<!' n.i.l (..St si.l,. of tl... I'.lark Hiv.r. nn.l ..x(,.M,|in.. ,, .....at
'ist:n,n.. hVo.ntl,.. Iliol, h.lls wr .Irsm..!...! th. Hv.-r in m
'"•■" >•• <!"■ ini.i.ls. call,.,! |„n- KmIIs. nosv kiw-u'i. as Cnrtliap.
llHv wrlnii,lr.|.nn.| in t\v.. .lays ...n,,|o,v.1 Hi,, tuw.islii,,, (1.,.,,
"II tiiil,r.,kri, \viM..ni..ss. On „ur wav .l..\vn. Silas S|„u- (Ik,,
'• vouniri.iMn. an.l aftcnvanl kn«.\vn as .Ju.l«v St„\v, nf I.ow-
v.llc. ,|..nu..l „s. On tl„. tliir.1 .lay wr n-en.harkc.l and
l"''7''"'^'<' "I. til,. riv.T, an,l it uas tw,. ,iavs l.ani nnvini.' to
P't l.M,-k a-ain t.. Ili^l. Falls. As I hvVwu- I l.,.|or,. ,n,.nti,.n(Hl
't u-Ms lat,. in \„vi.nii.,.r. an,l tli,. ni«l,t wc- uviv „l,li^-,.,l t,. Ik'
•'"^ ^^•'••■"•■<'unt,.n.,las,.v,.ivsn,.ust,.nn. T„ ,,n,t,.ct ,.ursdv,.s
»'•<•«. It n. s,.ni,. ni,.asniv. m> nia,l,. a shantv l.v M^ttin- up
s(..m",-n.tcl.,.s. an,IIayin.„n ,„.l,.s, an.l oov,.n„M- thr.n with
'••'••.l.wk hono-hs. \V,.als„s,.att,.n.,I l.ranclu.s upon tUv^myuu]

"' "■'"••>' t" li''. nn,I i>y nu.kino- a n.usino. li,,, in IV,.nt ,>f

our sh,.lt,-r, u-,M-„ntnv,Ml to !.,' v,.ry conifortni.li.. IW this time
<'ur provisions w,.,v n,.arly cxhaustnl. an.l uv hail l...fo,v us
tl'i' |'rosp,.,.t of a hunoi-y ,lay. P.nt in nsc,.n,liny- tli. river we
f<;''f-'-'«-I.v l<ilh'.l a ,lu.-k an.l a partri.l^e ; these l,ein«' stripped
nl tli,.|r t,.athers in tlu- evening;, I e.-ok,..! them for our l.ivak-
tast th,. next n.ornin^-. I pr,.paiv,l them as nieelv as weeoul,!
"•-th ,.ur seanty in,.ans ; salt we ha,I none. I hail a little pork
Mt: tins I eut m small hits an.l inserte.i int.. the Hesh of the
ou- s, u-hen it serve.1 the ,|„uhl. p„,.p„s, of salt,an,l hutter for
hMs .no, |„ ,,„|, th,.m I .set up a couple of er,.telu-,l stieks
'""l;"'"<lH'.-Mero,s.s, an.l from it by strips of hark su.spemle.l
my towls l.,.rore the lire, where they coked most beautifully
'".<l were allin o,,o.l time partaken ,>f by the company with'
•■'IV n.lish. In,lee,l, Messr.s. Storrs an.l Stow declared they had

"*'''^''' ''"*^'" ^" «■ >• Ihmgov an.l a limited supply oave a

keenness of reli.sh not often experience,!. ' "^

150

A pioxekr's hardships.

In due time wo arrived safe and well in Steuben, from
whence we had started, where I passed the winter. Mr. Storrs
offered ine very liberal indueements to come on here and ac-
cept them, though I may say in ](assin«i' and then dismiss the
subject forever, that he failed to fulfill hisliluTal oilers. l*ut in
consideration of those offers, 1 k'ft my home in Steuben the 1st
of June, ITi'S, and startecl for this place, accompanied by
Salmon Ward and David Starr, with fifteen head of cattle.
We traveled again upon the I'^rench road, as far as it availed
us. "^I'liis township had been .surveyed by Benjamin and
Moses ^^'right, the year 'tefore, and this year Mr. Storrs had
engagecl li. W. to survey Mounfifield, and on his way there he
was to mark a road to this place, and to precede me. I met
the surveyors agnn-ably to ai)i)ointment at a Mr. IIoa<lley"s,
and from there we came on to what is called Turin Four
Corners. There was oidy one log house there then. From
there we went west about thirty or forty rods to Zaceheus
Iligby's. There we laid down our maps and consulted them,
and came tft the conclusion to take from thence a north course.
This led us upon to the toj) of a hill, now known as the Tug-
Hill. We were entirely ignorant of the face ()f the country.
an<I of the lUost eligible route to pursui', and therefore took the
one which seemecl the most direct, not knowing the obstacles

to l)e encountered. We bad liel'or(

•onie down l»v wat< r, ;in

on this route there was not even a marked tree
d ".ty of the surveyors to preced

\\i[!

the

e us, mark a road and chain it.
Mr. W. started in advance of us for tliis purpose. It was a
beautiful, (dear morning and we Ibllowed on. jirogressing
linelv imtil the middle of tiie afternoon, when we i-niie to a

irulf, and an alunidanee of marked tree;

e went ovel' tilt

gulf but coidd fmd no more trees marl<e(l. We then made a
lire iind took out the sto|>j)ings from oiu' l)ells, and sull'ered

A pioxeee's hardships.

157

our cattlo to food aror.^d the fire, whilo we set ourselves to
search for marked trees, over the ^mli:s and up and down, but
eouM find no place to cross, or marks In- which to determine
what course th<. surveyors liad taken, 'in this predicament
we prepared to construct a sJielter for the night of hemlock
houghs.

'I^he next morning the sun came uj) clear and bright, and
1 calh'd a c(.uncil. 1 told the men how much damage it would
be to mo to return, how great a loss not to proceed, and asked
them if they were willing to come o,. David Starr replied
that he wouM go to h— 1, if I would. Though no way desirous
of going to the latter place, even in good company, I deter-
mined to come on, if such a thing were possible, without a
compass or guide. We then set ourselves to work, and felled
trees, with which we nuide i,n enclosure, into which we drove
our cattle, and then .^hoved them down the precipice, one after
another : tluy went up slantingly on the other side, and much
better than we got them down, so that linally they were all
safely t)ver, after much toil and trouble. I then agreed to
I'ilol (he company down, took off the ox bell; and carried it in
my hand, leading the way. and steered a north course by the
sun and watch. Wc had the a.lvantage of a bright suns'hine.
We had to cross a number of gulfs, and one windfall, which
was the woi'st of all. W,. continued to travel upon the .sum-
mit of the hill, where we found much tine table land. The
eattic would travel as fast jis I ronld h,„l (]„. ^^ay. One man
drove them, and another Ibllowcd. axe in hand, to mark the
lre<'s. and leave traces behind us, so that if we could not ad-
vance, we could trace onr steps.

We descended (he hiH lK.f„iv reaching Deer River. The
latter we struck an<l crossed above the falls— not far from
where \]w village of ('..p.)nhagen now stands— and coming on,

158

A IMOXKKI! S HAKDSini'S.

k'o succeeded in fiiidiiifi- the town line, wliieli wns idciitilied l)y

mar

ked t

rees. not far from wliefe tlie to]]-t>ate now is. on the

Champion and CopenlKi^en I'iank Roatl. We tlien elianu'eil
our course, followinu' the line to the I)hiek River, at Lonji'
Falls, where we arriveil hefori' iii^lit. We there found Mr. W.
and men. They had not arrived more than an hour Itefore
us. AVhen seeing- us, Mr. W. exclaimed :

"Jlow, in the name of(iod, have von tiot here

re-

)lied

You scouudi'el ! you ou^ht to l)e l)uriit for leavini

us so

It was H most rascally piece of husincss, their lenvinj^' us
as they did. i)Ut 1 suppose tlie truth was, they tlioujiht if
impossible for us ever to get through with oui' cattle : hut this
does not excuse them for not having marked the road ; "twns
for that they were sent — and if othei's eould not follow, they
were not answerable ; but their duty was plain tu'fore them.

My boat, which I had dispateheil from the High l''all>.

-ooi

I after ari'ived, with my provisions, y

okes, cliam?

mil

cooking utensils. The next day we left one to watch our
effects, while the others were searching for a desiiidile locjitii n.
In a few days I selected the farm upon which 1 now live,
principally for tlu' reason that it was the centre of the town-
ship, rather than for any ]ieculiar advantngcs it posscsseil over
other portions of the town. Vet the soil has iirovcd good, and
sufficiently luxuriant with proper cultivation. This was wluit
I sought, a good agricultural location, rather than one possess-
ing In-draulic [)rivi leges.

Not one tree had lieen cut here i'or the jmrpose of mnking
a settlement, noi' was there a white man setde(| in what is now
th

e coun

ty of .Jefferson, when 1 came Ix're. I was the lirst
white settler in the countv. I remained here throu;;h thi'

A I'lONKKRs IIAKI)8IIII'S.

sumiuer, and until Och.lK'v, (.noMf.i..l in making a clearing.
We then returned to .Steuben, where my family was, to spend
the winter.

During the summer, some families had come into Low-
ville, and Mr. Storrs hud caused a road to be marked from
there to the Long Falls, and by that we retui-ned, driving oui'
cattle hf.me again. These had become fat, by running in the
woods, dui'ing the summer, and I sold them for beef J would
mention here, though rather out of plac. , tliat I found a living
spring of pure water, a few rods l)efore where the public hou.'^e,
in Champion, now stands, which bad its influence in deciding
my location. Near it 1 built my first house, and there I kej)t
" bachelor's hall " two summers, being niy.self "chief cook."
My first habitation was a cal)in, ei'ected in a few hours' time,
with the aid of my men. It was a rude structure, but served
onr ])urpose. We first set ,^ome i»osts, and then, having felled
great trees, stripped them of the l)ark, and, with this, covered
the roof and three sides of our dwelling, the front was left
opened, so that it may truly be said, we kept open house. The
c(.vering was kept firiidy in its place by withes of bark, .\fter
the completion of our house, the ne.xt most nece.ssiry thing,
was an oven, in which to l)ake our bread, for bread we must
have, it being the staff of life. This was soon made, with two
logs for a foundation, and a Hat stone thereon, the .super-
structure was soon reaivd with smaller stones, eeniented
togetli.T by ,1 mortar of niu.'k, from the side ..f thespriug. and
er<.wnedbya Hat stone. This answered my pm'pose as well as
onei.f moiv claboi'ate eonslruetion. For a door, wesjdit out a
plank of basswood : and for a kneading-trough, we again had
I'ccourse to the basswocx

rtMpiired length ami d

dug out, Witll HU HX

)od, from whence we cut a log of the
imeiisions, split it, and from one half,

e, and an instrument named a howtjll,

100

A I'I(im:i;i;

IIAIMlSlllPS.

which we had brought tor sudi pui'poscs. iii a shoi't tinu', a
trough, which answi'rcd our purpose wry well. 1 hroiiglit
some yeast with me. to make my first l)ateh of bi'ead ; after
that, I used leaven, kept and ])ii'pared after directit)ns given
me by my wife, before leaving home. Whatever may be said
of our cooking, in general, I am sure none ever seemed sweeter
to me, or was eaten with a better relish by others ; labor
sweetened every mouthful. AVe had cowsand plenty of milk.
We sometimes washed dishes, when we could not remend)er
what we last ate uj)on them, but oftener turned them the
bottom side up, there to remain until wanted again. Some
even pretend to say. that wbeii our tat)li' needed scouring, we
sj)rinkled salt upon it, and jiut it out for the old cow to opei'ate
upon. However that may be, I am suri'. if we ever did do it,
it must have come from under her scouring ;ipparatus exceed-
ingly white. But the whole story is rather aproc ryi-hal.

Earl

v in

tht

)ring, 17t(!>, 1 sent on two men, to nuike

sugar, before 1 came on myself. They commenced making-
sugar, and one day went out hunting, leaving their sugar
boiling. The conse(|Uence was, the house took fire and burni'd
down, with all of the little it contained. During the winter,
the Indians had stolen all the cooking utensils i had left, and
the potatoes which 1 had I'aisi'd, and burieil the autumn liefore.
Thus my ric :• s were taking to themselves wings, and flying
away. 1 came on soon after. This spring, Ks(|uir(' Mix and

famil

\ came on

■lulin

lud

nomas

Ward, I'liibraim ( 'liam-

berlain, Samuel and David Stiii'r, Jotham Mitchell. Salmon
Ward and Hela Hubbard. David Miller, and IJoutin, a
Frenchnnin, came to Carlbage Tlu^ al)ove were all young,
unmarried men, sav<' Mix. We continued our labors tbi'ough
the sununer of 17!M>. but not with that spirit which we should
have done, had not a rumor reached us of the failure oi' Mi'.

A i'ii»Ni;i;i;'s ii.\i!i)Si:ii's. l(;j

Storrs, H.,,1 (he prcbabilify that uc should lose, not only all
our h.hor, hut the money which I hii.I i.dvmioe.l for my land
Hut I will not enh'rinto j.artieulars here— let it suffice that 1
could not aflonl to lose all I had done and i.aid, and conse-
quently entered into a compromise with him, to save a moiety
ot what was justly mine— of not only what 1 had actually paid
ior, hut of what I was to have had, for leading the way in this
first settlement of a new country, and suhjecting myself again
to all Its discomforts and inconveniences. Consequently in
view of making this my permanent home, F moved mv family
licre u. the autumn of 17!»!). \Vc. had a very unfiivorable
tunc, t<. come. There had heen a snow storm, in which about
SIX inches of snow had tailen. \\V were obliged to travel on
horseback, the horses' feet balled badlv ; we had sloughs to go
through, and altogi'ther, it was very uncomfortable traveling
in that manner, with children. We arrived at Mr. Jloadley's
the first night, and our ox-teams and goods the next d-xy
From there, we came to the High Falls, where 1 had a boat
awaiting us, which I had caused to be built for my own use
Here we embarked with all our goods and chattels, of all
kinds, loading tiie boat to its utmost capacity, so that when all
were in. it was only about four inchen out of water.

We spent one night at the Lowville landing, where a
family were living. During the evening, there came in a
number of men, wet, coM and hungrv. Among them was
onv named Smith. He went to pull off the boots of one of his
companions, which was very wvi and clinging close Ho
]>ulle.l with all his might— the other bracing himself against
him as firmly as possible. All at ..nee, and with unexpected
suddeness, the boot canu« off, andpoorSmith was sent with his
hare feet, into a IkhI of live coals. There was both music and
<lancing for oi ' -'

■ ' I » '1 1\ n

162

A IMONKKK S IIA HDSIIU'S.

We iirrivod at the Lonji,' Falls, about noon, the seeond
(lav from our etnharkation. The weather had hv this time

bee

ouu

e warm and j)leasant. Our oxen arnvetl soon a

ifter b\

land, we unloaded our boat, put our wagon together, loaded it
with some of oui- etieets, set otf, and, before night, reached our
" wilderness home.' My wife said in view of the (iifHculties
in getting here, that if she had anything as good as a eave to
live in, she wf>uld not return in one year at least. She, of
ehoiee, walked from the Falls here, a dist;nice of four miles
through the forest. We arrived on the 17th of Nov., 17!)!).
The weather continued pleasant until the 27th, when it com-
menced snowing, the river soon froze over, the snow, of which
a great (piantity fell, and continuing to fall, lasted all winter,
and we were entirely cut olf from all intercourse with the
world. I kept fifteen head of cattle through the winter, by
browsing them. an<l they wintered well. Isolated though we
were, yet I never pa.ssed a more comfortable winter. We had

a [)lenty of provisions ; my w

heat, 1 had raised her(\ a ver

tine crop from seed sown in the autunni of 17!)S, and my pork,
etc., was fnttened in ' )iioida County, and brought here by boat.
And take it altogether. 1 pt'i'hajts settled this country as easy
as any one I'ver si'ttleil a new country, as completely isohited
as this was iit thfit time, and easier than 1 settle(l in Steuben,
IS miles from I'tica. At that time we had to go to I'tica or
Whit<'sbor(iugh for ])rovisions, and it always took one dfiy to
go out, ;ind anotliei- to i-eturn, incredible iis it may now seem.
In the spring of ISOO, people bi'gan to Hock into the counti-y
liv hundreds, and, as mv lou house atlbrdec'

lu' oniv accom-

modation foi' wayfaring men, we wei'<* obliged to keej) them.

whether we would or no ; someti

nic

ill!

d that verv often, mv

tloors weri' strewn with human beings as thick as they could
lie, som(> .so near the huge fin; t)lace as not to passu nseorched ;

A I'lONKKIi's IIAKIlSIIIl'S.

103

one man in particular, it was sai.l l.y his (•..iiipanions. Iiad liis
head baked, by too close a proximity (o the oven. Tiiis rush
continued two or three years, and was full ,,1 incident and
interest, but at this distance ..f time ' can not nrall these in-
cidents with sufficient accuracy to detail them here. The
town settled rapidly with an intellij.-ent and energetic ela.ss of
people. The society was t'uo.l ; it mioht h,. ,.;,11,,I yood anv
where. Perhaps there was never a more intelligent anil
interesting people congicfrated to^M-ther in an obscure little
inland town, than in this, within a frw years from its Hrst
settlement. I can not state the ord.M- of time in which thev
came, but the names of a ivw of them I will record,
that in future time, when this place shall have sunk into
in.significance, as it too probably will, before th(> greater lights
arising around it, it may be known that we were once honored
by having in cnn- midst such men as I^gb.Tt Ter< Kyck, after-
wards first judge of the court, who was then a youiig lawver,
and married liere, to one of our beautiful maidens; Olney
Pearce and wife, Uubbel and wife, .ludge Moss Kent, l)roth.'r
of the late chancellor, Ih.nry U. Slorrs, who opene<l an office
here, and afterwards became ..ne of \\w most distinguished
lawyers of the state. Dr. liaudry, a Frenchman, Dr.s. Durkee
and I'^irley, and many otluMs, too numerous to mention, as
well as many ladies of gra(-e and beauty, whom it wouhi be
nividiousnow to particularize. ('omm..n schools were soon
established. Religious iii<.,. tings \ynv \u-U\ <.n the Sabbath,
after old Deacon Carter came into the town. an<l in a very few
years, ! think as early as ISO.",, the Rev. Nathaniel Dutton
came, lie was sent out by some missi.)nary societv at the
ca.st, to form churches in ibis western world,' and canin- to
tins place, was invited to remain, which h.> .lid. ,,nd continued

here until the elo.se of 1

lis valuable life, in Sept. iS.ri, and for

A 1'IONKKU'S ll.Mn>Sllll'S.

tlu-umitrr part of that time was th. pastor of the Congreg.lj
ti,„;,i ,luuTh, which Houvishra un.hM- his ministrations, and
cMijoyed many powerful revivals of rohgion.

mmi

mumm

Folk -Stories.

The following' sturies, some of tliciii worn tlircailhaiv inn
past j>cmTati()ii wiil conic Inick (o older readers like the sweet
voiee of a bird in the desert. What iiieiiiories (he alniost-for-
pttten anecdote revives! (ioldcn vision of days when the
heart was younu'. and sympathy, jinre, ilee]» and tearful ruled
the soul. A .><yniiiatliy that wept with the new homesick
puppy ; released (he imprisoned mother hen fussinjr in her
coop, or removed the pehhle from a .strui-nlinii' .shoot. The
simple, un.sellish mind of a child that makes a conli(h'nt of
tile domestic animals, and jiives the creeping- vine a helping
hand to a new or lirmer hold. A symp;ithy alas! all too .soon
hurdened hy t'xperienct' and self interests.

Hvery per.<on had, as a child, his or her favorite storv
told over and a^ain, and at each repetition a new scene was
mirrored upon the curtain of childish imagination. The good
old .s^tory of how a chief tested the confidence of a leading col-
onist has gotten into [>rint and is thus delightfully related in
Pansy, though dilfering slightlv in detail.

n.\N" VKHKY.

Old Ifan Verry, was an Indian chief of the Oneida tribe,
wlio lived in the northern part of New York .State a hundred

166

I'dl.K-STOIMKS.

years ii<i(). He luid tbu^lit with tlu' king's piirty against the
colonisls ; l)ut, after tlie war, when Judge White eanie to found
the town of NN'hiti'shorougii, he sought to make friends with
them. The judge was the first white man to forni a settU'-
inont there. He was surintunded Ijy Indians, but was kind
and go(jd. and soon won tiicir love. He livi'd in a small log
hou.se, with his married daughter and a little grandchild, who
was about two or three yvnvs old.

One day, old llau Verry, with his s(iuaw and a mulatto
servant, came from Oriskany, thri'e miles away, to pay the
judge a visit and i-enew theii' friendship. IVforo going, the
chief said :

" I like you and have confidence in you. Do you like
me and have you confidence in me?" To which the judge
rej)lied warmly that he liked him and had confidence in him.

"Then prove it to me, " .said the old chief, " My sijuaw
loves your pai)oose. Let us take her back to remain all night.
I will return with her in the morning. "

The ba])y's poor mother sat speechless with terror at the
thougiit of trusting her dai-ling to tiiese .savages, and, as she
saw signs of yielding in her father's face, threw herself dis-
tractedly at his feet. Without looking at her di.stre.ss, he gen-
tly took the child from lu'i' close endjrace, and told her .she
had nothing to fear from their good friends, who would surely
bring her ]»a<'k sately and well. 'IMieii, placing the child in
the .><(|uaw's arms, he said: " I trust lo niy friends ail tiiat 1
hold most dear. "'

Though he looked calm and smiling, lie det'ply felt the
sacrifice he was called upon to make in order to save the col-
onists, wiio would have perisheil had tlu' re([uest been re-
fu.sed.

All night they ke])t vigil, and in the first gray light of

I'ni.K-STniMKS.

IC.T

(lawn strained their eyes up the mad Inr si<iii of any human
hein<;-; l)nt tliere was nf)ne. '\l\v iinurs came and went — mmn,
afternoftn. Still no , inn. in silence and prayer, with dark
foreljodinj'-, they kept watch. Sunietimes the podf ne.thei',
Ihi'outih jii'iel' and tear, would try to rush up the road in
seai'ch of her dai'linji', hut was restrained l)y her father, who
knew that such a hreacdi of conlidence would cause its death
and that of the defenseless s<'ttlers, while reliance on their
woi'd would increa.se friendliness. So, hand in hand, thcv
waite(l.

At last, as the sun said< heliind the hills, someli^ures ap-
peared in the distance. .\lmost hreathlessly they ohsei'ved
them approach. As they ilrew nearer, with a cry of delight.
the keen vyvs of the mother saw lUossom pei'ched on the
shoulders of the old chief, dressed out in all the liiirticousness
of an Indian princess, instead of her own little clothes, smiling-
and happy, as if she had had the hest of times, as indeed was
the case ; for the Indians had \)vr\\ very kind and tender in
their etl'oi'ts to anuise the little " i'ale Mower. '"

Judji'e White was wise to show the Indians this yi'eat
trust, for tiny never forgot it. I'"i'om that lime they did all
they could to aid the white settlers at Sedatilnpiate. afterwai'd
called W'hiteshortaiuh. and to show their love aiul respect foi-
them.

\ CorUT OK liKCOhM).

An act was pas.^ed, A|)ril, ISOi;, dii-ectiny throe terms of
the court of common pleas to he held in .leU'ei'son and Ia'wIs
counties. Tradition says, that, after formal adjourmcnt, the

108

1 OI.K-STOKIKS.

first court, wliicli Wiis held in tlic scIkkiI liuusc. on the }ir<iinnl
now coxcrcd l»y tiif I'nivcrsalist ('liiir<'li. hcciinic ii scene oi'
tun iind frolic, wliicii lins since heen seldom eqnilled. 'I'lie
^rciiler piii't ol" tile settlers Were yonn^ or middle iij^cd men,
some induljiccl in iiiil)its uf intcm|>eriince ; the custom ni' the
diiy did not (liscountennnce |iriiclicid Joking', and iitlilelic
punes w'.ic inviirialdy the iiccom|iiiiiimcnt of (ill jiiillierin^'s.
jMci'cnver tliey liad lieeii just or^ani/e(l, and must liavo
l>usincss i'()\- (heir courts, else what the need of luiviuji coUl'ts?

iination to join in tlu'se pro-

anv one evince a disnu

J^liould

(•(•(■(lin^s, they were accused of " sneakism. " and arraigned he-
fore a mock (ri])unal, where, •■■uiity or not guilty, the penalty
of a "(|uartoi', " was sure to he imposi'd foi' the henclit of the
crowd. Auion^ other chai'^'cs was one aj;ainst l''s(|. 11., of
K*utland, a man of very soher and candid character, who was
char^e<l with stealinji'. ('(tuscious of iiuiocence, hv ollered to
he .searclied, wlien a i|uautity of <lou.yh was found in holh
pockets of his coat. Thus implicated liy circumstances which
ho could not e.\|ilain, ln' was liiu'd. Another was accu.sed of
falliu*'' asleep, and fined a shillinti', and another was lined a
likt' sum foi' sinokin<>' in the court I'ooin. After payinj;' the
penalty, lu. rcsume<l his |>ipe, and was ajiain arraiji'ued, when
he ontei'cd his plea that (he line was for a pipe full, which ho
had not finished, and this all'oi'ded a suhiect of leual aruunuMit

for

discussion

that

elicited (he research ami a

il)ili(v

iwvers nreseiit.

As tl

le avoweil inteiitiiiii was to make iaisi-

ncss foi' all the new ollicers. on

e wa.-

<tril

IIK

laid

out nil

a hoard, loosely covere(| with a cloth, and a coroner .sen( for.
who comnience(| a hona fide examination, that was interi'upted
by some one tip|)iiiji- over the hoard, when the " suhject " of
tlio hoax juin])ed up and fled. There had not (lius far heen
any hu.sinoss for tlio shoriff, but this was at length inado, hy

FOLK-STOKIKS.

Ifif)

their fiiulinjr one wlif. hiir] crept into tlic ^nrict fur ('(miccmI-
inciit. He WHS (Inijrjr,,,! lifforc tlicir tril.uiuil. wlicic it wjis
derided tlmt iiis t'iiiliiij-- was a «li,se!i,se. ratlier tiiaii a criiiM", and
iV(|uii'od a specide. This carnival was c(.ntinu(d Ihc second
day, and althoiij^di the (.fliceis of tlie court alU'cted to ai.stain
from these frolics, yv{ jn«licial divinity oflered no exemption
from them, and all parties, whether willing- or nnwiilin^-, were
(xanpelled U.join. ('omi)anies, distinj-nished hy personal pe-
culiarities, were paraded under officers selected for the pronn-
nence of these traits, as " lon^r noses, " etc., while tiie little
short men were organized into a party and cliar^r,.,! with the
duty of " keepinjr the cats off. " These follies may he con-
sidered puerile, hut not more so than the animal carnival in
some European countries, and their record is interesting from
illustratinfr tho custom of the times, when athletic games were
fashional)le, and men seldom met in nund)ers without having
"a regular train. "

A .MKIUTV NIMKOI).

The following encounter with a panther, in 1S1!». was
rehited hy Jairus Rich, the hunter: It occurred near Hyde
i.ake, ahout three nnlos from th(> village of IMcssis. He Imd
Sethis traps for wolves, and ha«l arrived within a fvw rods of
one of them, when he oh.served a panther spring up and run
with a trap to one of his hind legs. He fired, hut mis.^ed tlie
mark, and his game made off into the thicket, when he
returned to a house nearly a mile distant, procured a small
<log, an<l having again repaired to the place, and stationed

I'dl.K-sToiMKS.

Iiiiiisclf \vlici-<' lie could stiii't llic cutriipiicd aniiiiiil. lie ob-
served tin- liciid of a paiitlier eineru'e iVolil tlic ii'islies al)()Ut
five rods distiiiil. upon wliicli lie lired and killed liini instantly.
He sffon found thai this was not llii' one in the trap, and ;i
Ilea vv sliouer oj' rain eoiiiinii, on. lie lound it diflieuU to load
his riiie aLiain. wiiieh lie at lenutli did. The doy-, ineanwhile,
ha<l eii^a^ied the othei' paiithei'. Upon which he fired and
wouiahd liini. and lindiiiLihe could not reloatl, on account of
the r.aiii. iie thiew d wn Ids niece, ami seizin<i" his hatcliet,
sjirunj: upon him, when there ensued a i'eart'ul sti 'luiile. in
wlii(di. linally, llie he:ist iiot under, with one of the man's
liand- ill hi- iiioiitli : the hatchet was lost, Imt with the otlu'r
hum ids jpocket a knife. o|>ciu'<l it with his
teeth, and hnallv su(
ferocioii- animal.

lialHl lie (ll'ew

lied in cutting- the throat of tiio
The liuntei was hadly torn, l)ut made
out to crawl (o the neare-i house, where, after many weeks, lio
recovei'cil. iiiit caiiied tlie M-ars of the conllict witli him to the
jij-ave. The Itoimties for the destruction of wild animals were
then so or<'at. that the imluceinents for ^ain led to in^ciuous
measures for securiuii' the i'ewar<ls, and it is relate(l of the same
person, that iiavinu' traileil a she wolf to her den, and kille<I
her. he found in the i-ive ten yoiui^' whelps, hut too small to
he entitled to the houiily. lie accordingly huilt a |)en in the
forest, and i'vd them daily upon wild meats which he ohtained
in iiuiitin^^. until tiny weic <j,iown. lie hecame strongly at-
faelied to one of iheiii. who would follow him like a dog', hut
the niiiptatioii of ii^.m was too strong to resist, and he sh
fa'.'orile p.-t to gain the |

w I us

ireiiiiuiii. This hrecding wolves for

the market. had its iiarallel in an instaiic" in tliis town, in which

a hunter, to gain the rewa

I'd that miiilit he oil'ei'cd for the

secret, profe.^sed to know of a salt spriitg, to which he was in-
duced t«» conduct a cei tain pei'.son, and in which ho liad a little

FOLK-STORIES.

171

previous l)urie(l a bjig of .salt. The water being duly
" analyzed," by measuring, evaporating, and weighing, a
purehase of nearly HOO acres was made, without a knowledge
of the spring by the landiiolder, nor was tiie trick discovered
l^efore the bargain had been sealed and the sale perfected.

A «rRVKYING INCIDENT.

Charles ('. Rrodhead, a native of Pennsylvania, had held
the rank of captain in the Revolution, and while performing
a survey, encountered many hardships. An obituary notice
publislied soon after his death, vvhich occurred in 1853, at
Ltica, contained the following :

" In running the great lines of division his party had
crossed the Black River sevei'al tinu's, the men and instru-
ments being ferried across. On one occasion when they had
approached tiie river, having journeyed through the woods
without noting their route Ity the compass, they arrived at a
|)art of the bank which they recognized, and knew to l)e a safe
place of passing, Making a raft of logs, they started IVom the
bank, and began to ])ole aei'oss. Wlien in the midst of the
current their poles failed to reach the bottom, and simultaneous
with this discovery, tlie noise of the watt'rs below them revealed
tiie boi-rid fact that they had mistaken their fei'rying place,
and wei'e at the liead and I'apidiy ap[)i'oachiiig {\\c (Ji'eat K.ills
of the river, tiie pnssag(> of whicli threatcMied all l)iit certain
death. Instantly Mi'. !>. ordered every man wjio could swim
to make for tlie sliore, and lie prepared to swim for his own
jifp. But the pireous appeals i^i' Mr. Pharoux, aytanig French-

172

FOLK-8TORIKS.

man of tlio party, who could not swim, arrested him, and he
determined to remain with him to assist him, if possible, in
the awful passage of the falls. Hastily directing his men to
grasp firmly to the logs of the raft, giving similar directions
to Mr. Pharoux, he then laid himself down by the side of his
friend. The raft pas.sed the dreadful falls and was dashed to
pieces. Mr. Pharoux with several of the whites and Indians
was drowned, and Mr. Brodhead him.self thrown into an eddy
near the shore, whence he was drawn almost senseless by an
Indian of the party." The body of Pharoux afterwards was
found on a small island at tiie mouth of the rive/ to which his
name was given. Mr. Lellay caused to b- prepared a marble
tablet to be inserted in the rocks here, with the following
inscription :

" To the memory of Peter Pharoux, this Island is con-
secrated."

.\ MA.N-THAl'

-sMr(i(ij,iN(;.

In ISOH, a party of miHtia. under (-aptain Timothy
Tamblin, was stationed near the intersection of the two great
roads leading into St. Lawrence County, a mile north of the
village of Antwerp, to prevent smuggling und(>r the embargo
law. There was much op[»osition both in theory and practice
to this law. An instance is related in which a practical joke
of a somewhat serious nature, was i)laye<l off upon one of these
guardians of the national wellfaro. A per.son to whom the law
was odious, having set a trap in his sleigh, and placed around
it a Idiiding calculated to convey (be impiessioii that they

FOLK-STORIKS.

173

were sinu^frled goods ai)i)roache(l the guard, but warned those
on duty to keep away from his load, or they would get into
trouble. Not deterred by this threat, one of the guard pro-
ceeded rudely to overhaul the sleigh, to ascertain its contents,
and was soon convinced that it at least concealeil a tra{), for it
sprung upon his hand, at which the driver gave reins to his
team an<l drove off exclaiming:

I "

" I've caught a Democrat I

During the war, a company of regular troops w<is stationed
a little north of Antwerp) village, to prevent smuggling into
the country from Canada. The inducements which led to this
were so strong, that much ingenuity was exercised in evading
the vigilance of sentinels, and sometimes with great succes.s.
Five or .six sleigh loads of tea had on a certain occasion been
got to within three or four miles of Antwerp, having passed
thus far without suspicion as the tea was packed in bags,
like grain on its way to market. To evade the military guard
that obstructed the road, the following stratagem was adopted:
Captain B. who had charge of the company, was ii^vited to a
whist party at Cook's tavern, three miles norlli of Antwerp,
at which place, during the evening, a large party of boys and
young men assembled, with no ap[)arent object but to spend
the evening in carousing, drinking and card playing. Brandy
circulated freely, and the revels continued till a late hour in
the night, when the captain and his i)arty set out to return in
a sleigh closely followed by the loads of tea, thickly covered
by a disordei'ly crowd, who by singing, shouting t|Uarr('ling,
and fighting, made the night hideous with unearthly discords,
and would readily pa.ss as a half drunken rabble returning
from a midnight revel. The captain, who was liimsdl" rather
nior. than half mto.xicatcd, eiitei'e(l with spirit into the merri-

174

I'or.K-STORIKS.

mcnt of the otlu-rs, and as the train approached tlie sentinels,
he shouted :

"It's Captain B., let my company pass."

The order was obeyed, and the disorderly mob passed on.
and having ^ot beyond reach of danger, they left the teams to
pursue their course in quiet, and in due time boasted of the
success of their stratagem.

COHHIPT POI.ITICI.VNS.

At the annual town meeting in 1.S20, which was held at
Perch River, aftci electing a |)ortion of the f-fficers, the meeting
adjourned to the house of I^dward Arnold, on Penet S()uare,
until the next day. This measure created Jnuch excitei ent,
and those living in the .south(>rn and eastern portions ot the
town, rallied with all their forces, attended promptly at the
earliest moment of the adjourned meeting, organized, and im-
mediately voted anoth M- adjournment to the house of Klias
BcMuiet at Brownvilb. village, on the afternoon of the same
day, where the vote for town clerk was reconsidered, and the
remaining ofiifi-rs ehvti'd, Being thus robbed of their town
meeting, the settlei'> >>ii Penet"-^ .S(|U;ii'c a

iiid in distant locali-

tie!

lenianded a seitiinite oriianizatKjn. wnieli was i-eadilv

consented to, an<l all pui'ties having met at an informal meet-
ing, or convcMition. at the village, agreed upon a petition to
the legislature, which was acted upon, before another town
meeting. The foregoing is a concise statement of the act of
" stealing a town meeting," wbicli gave ii-<e to much talk at

the tiMie

I aliout wbicli iiianv Caliulons stoi'ies have been

FOLK-STOHIKS.

17;

reliitcd. It is said tlint this licinnus crime of rol)li{'ry was
iiuidc the .svil)ji'('t (if a painting', that foniuMl a pai't of a travel-
ing i'xlul)ition.

(1 i:\KH A I, ,IA('(tI! MROWN.

iJrowiiviilc was first ('.\|)h)red, with a view of scttU'inont,
l)y (Jeiicral .lacoh l>rown. who wiiile teaching school in New
York, had met with Kodolph Tillier, the geiiei'al agent for the
Chassiuis hinds, ami was in(hiccd to purchase a large tract,
and hecome the ag'Mit for conuiuMicing a si-ttlenient, at a time
when the ditHculties attemling such an enterprise were very
great. Having engaged in this husiness, he repaired in Feb-
ruary, 17!*!t, to the location of the French com])any, at the
High i^ills, and made sevi'ral journi-ys to I'tica, when, hiiving
completed his arrangements, and collected pi'ovisions at the
Long Falls, he in March, 17!l!l. passed down the old French
road, in coini)any with three or four hired men, <ind happening
to reach the river at the mouth of I'hilomel Creek, he was
charmed with the pi'ospect of a water power, apparently
pei'cnnial. ;ind at once decided upon stopping here. He com-
menced clearing land, having .><ent for his father's family, who
started on the 2'Jd of April, frou) Bucks County. I'a.. and after

stop|)ing a few days al New Yoi'k ami Sclieiie*

.•It r

17th

•tndv,

and luring

Ilea an c.xti'a hoat. at leu;

rth

uiM'ived at the location i

<n th

Miv, 17'.MI. haviuii' hcen nearly three weeks on the

roail

icorge l^rowii, a n

lativ(

came on in tlie same com-

mv, with a part of his familv, making, with the boatman.

partv of litarlv tweiitv

The boalmaii suou returned, leuvi

176

I'or.K-STOHlKS.

one boat tlmt servod tlio iiicans for ('(tmnuniii'iitioii with l\iiif>s-
ton, from wli"iict' they dorivi'd most of their provisions, the
stock left at the Long Falls havinff been sold. When this
company had arrived, the first had cleared a small piece, and
got up the body of a log house, twenty feet s(|uare, which
occupied the site of the hay scales on tiie edge of the l)ank, in
the village, and the same season they put up the bo.lyofa
two-story log house, 2") by 30, on the ground covered hy
the store of Wm. Lord. This was not, however, coinpleted foi-
occupation till the spring of LSOL In the fall of 1S(»() a saw
mill was built at the mouth ot Philomel Creek, the mi'lwrights
being Noah Durrin and Ebenezer Hills, and late in the fall of
1801 a grist mill was built for Mr. Brown, by Hthni Kvans,
afterwards the pioneer of Evans Mills. A few goods were
brought on with the hrst family, but in the fall of the .same
year, Jacob Brown went to N<'W Yoi'k, on other business, and
selected a snudl stock better adapted to the market. In ITUil,
a great number came in to look for lands, many of whom
selected farms on Perch river, and between that place and
Brownville, where they commenced small clearings, and loade
arrangements for removal with their families in the spring.

In 1804, the question of forming one or more new coun-
ties from Oneida, became the absorbing theme, and a convention
was held at Denmark, Nov. 20, bSdl, td drcide upon the
application, at which most of the delegates are said to have
gone prepared to vote for one county, hut from the inliuence
of Mr. Br.'wn, and Gen. Martin, of .Martinsliurg. wvw induced
t*" apply for the erection of 1wo new counties. In locatiugthe
county seat, the most active eii'orts were made in each counlN',
Martinstijrgh and Tiowville being the rivals in Lewis, and
Wntertowu and Brownville in Jefierson. Mr. Brown was the
principal advocat<' of the latter, but the mass of .si'ttlement was

rol.K-STOUIKS.

177

then ill the sfiutlicni towns, and the j)ortion iiortli (»f lilack
River Wiis known to he low, icvf^l, iiiid (in a state of nature)
nnicli 'of it swampy. The settlements that had l)een bej^jun at
that early day, at Terch River, Cliaiiniont, and on the St.
Lawrence, were visited hy severe sickness, and the idea was
entertained, or at least lield forth to the eoniniissioners who
located tlu' site, that it could never l)e inhabited. Mr. Brown
next endeavored to jtrocure the location on the north hank of
the river, near Watertown, and made liberal offers of land,
for the pultlic use, but the perseverance and intriffues of Mr.
('offeeii and others, succeeded in ti.xing the site at its present
location.

After the opening of the land oHice at Le ^{aysville, AFr.
Brown continued for two or three yi-ars d(>v()te(i to his private
atfairs, and meanwhile received unsolicited, commissions of
captain, and of colonel of the lOSth regiment of militia. His
promotion in the line of military Ufe, is said to have arisen
from his avowed aversion to frecjuent ami expensive military
parades in time of peace, calling off the inhabitants from their
labors in the lields, and I'ticouraging habits of intemperance
which in those (lays wen- too fre(|uently the accompaniment of
such gatherings. His views of the subject of militia organiza-
tions, approached more nearly tt) our present .system ; and in
selecting him for office, the people were convinced, that while
he oinitti'd nothing conducive to the public safety, he would
cause tlitMu no needless expense of time and money for parades.
In his puldic and private conduct, and daily life, they saw him
in [)()sse,ssion of sagacity and intelligence, that led them to
place conlidence in his resources, sliould emergencies call for
thi'ir exercise, and the integrity of his private life convinced
tliem that the public trusts witli which he might be honored,
would be faithfully preserved.

178

FOLK-STOHIKS.

Ill tlic (liscliiir^^o of his official duties, (iciicnil Hrowii vo-
movcd to Wiisliiii^tou in lcS2l, wlicrc lie (•ontiiiucd to reside
until his death, which occurred Fehniary 24, 1S2.S. from the
effect of a disease contracted at Fort Krie. I'\)r some tinio
previous, ills ]>hysical powers had lieen impairetl hy a [taralytic
stroke. His death was announce<l to the army hy an order of
the secretary of war; and the funeral ceremonies were jier-
formed with all tlie formality and dignity that his exalte(l
rank refiuired.

A ULOCKHOrSK (iHANAHY.

Tlie inhabitams living on Perch Kiv<'r, on receivinj>' the
news of the war, were greatly alarmed from their supposed ex-
])08ure on the frontier, and some of the timid ones resolved to
leave the country. To dissuadu them from this, it was pro-
po.sed to build a blockhouse, which was forthwith done hy
voluntary labor, but when c(mipleted, only served as a store-
house for the wheat of a neighbor. Some, ridiculing the idea
of danger, humorou.sly pro{)ose<l to jiost themselves on the
brow of some of the limestone ledges towards Catfish ('ri'<'k, in
the direction of Canada, which would give tlu-ni the double
advantages of a commanding position, and ;>n abundance of
material for missiles, in case of attack. This had itseil'cct, and
after a few weeks' reflection the idea of Indian massacre was
forgotten. It will ]>e remembered that many of the older in-
habitants had realized in tlu'ir youth the horrors of Indian
warfare and tin. tales of midnight massacre which they re-
lated as they assembled ou evenings for mutual .safety, en-

l'(»I,K-STf»WI KS.

170

hmifcd. in IK. small .Ichivc, this tinii.litv. Still the nianns
winch luvvailcjin this, ■„uiity UTiv Car less than th..s<. that
si.iva.l thrcuo-h the St. I.awivim. sctll, .,,„., its. and as al'tcr-
"•..nls.Mi.|.,.M.v.l in Canada itself, uhnv nrarlv owrv fa.nilv
i'lniiK the river ha.l hern luoitivcs from the des, lathi- hand
of war, from their adheivn.-.. t.. the n.val e iiHe in the rev.ln-
<">"• The apprehensions ..r hotli parties snon sulfide I. and
men resumed their eustnmiry pursuit^, ex<-:.pt when ..eca-
H.,na].lraffs.,rj.-eneral alarms, ealled mit the militia. ..r the
('nH-r-eneiesofth,. servic.. re.p.ired the asseiiiMino. „f teams
for the tmn.sportation ..f munitiuns ,,f war. {'rices ,,f pr..diiee
were, (.fenurse. e.xtremelyhi^h. and IVuin the larye amount
of govennnent money e.Kpended here, th.' I.asis ..f n, my for-
tunes in the county were laid at that period.

lii h'iKii •||{K.\sri;i:.

The uhorio-inal remains of Kllisl.uruh. have uiven occa-
sion for tlH' weak minded to i,elieve that thev were in some
way concerned with l.iiried treasures, and this heinu- eonlirnied
hy the supposed indieations of the divinin.u- n.d. h.,| in early
times to explorations for them, de.spite of the f-uanlianship of
tlH' spirits of the murdered, who according to the mo.st ap-
pn.ve.l demonoloo-ists of these spe,-ulati..ns were in some in-
stances charti-ed with niakin- n,on,.y nut of the civdulous
victims of superstition, l.y s(dlino- ].rovisi,ms, and in several
nistances. the diuo-,.,.,. ^ere almost frijihtened out of their
senses l.y .yhosts aii.l deim.ns ; s..me uot fleeced of suh,.tantial
property in pur.suit (.f imaginary wealth, and others lost the

ISO

KOLK-STUKIKS.

rt'.s|KH"t (»f sciisililc iiicii hy the favor with wliich they rojiiirdod
tliusc follies. Oil ii certain occasion in |tr(|iarinj^ tlie enchanted
circle for (li^'j;in<!;, a hmib was sacrilicotl to appeaso the guar-
dian (h'nions of the SMj)|iosed treasure, hut this act was f^c'iier-
ally r 'yarded as a sacrilege and did much towards bringinjf
disert'(ht upon these lieathenisli orfj^ics.

crsToMS Tlioll'.I.KS.

Tn Se|»teniher. ISOS, an event occurred in Kllishurjj;h
tliat created ji'i'eat excitement at the time. A party from i)s-
wcffo, under Lieut. Asa Wells, entered Sandy ("reek, and after
seizinji' a (piantity of potash under the embargo laws, pro-
ceeded to the house of ('a|it. Fairfield, surrounded it, and
seized and carried away a swivel. Mr. F. l)eing absent, his
wife made complaint to a. justice, who issued a warrant. The
constable was intimidated and called upon his fellow citizens
to aid him, when about thirty men took arms and went with
him, but Wells' men presented bayonets, when they desisted,
and twenty of the men went off. Lieut. Wells ordered the re-
mainder to be disarmed and bound, when tliey were taken
with the swivel to Oswego. On the evening of the 'ioth of
Sei)tendier, the same party returned, as reported, for the pur-
pose of taking the magistrate and constable who had i.ssued
the papers. A wariant again.st Wells and two others for felo-
ny, in breaking o|)en a house was issued at Sackets Harbor
and given to Andrew Pease, a constable, to execute, who, af-
ter examining the law, raised a hue and cry and assembled
about "200 persons in Fllisbui'gh, where a consultation of sev-

I'DI.K-STnUlKS.

ISl

cral inMU'istratcis was lu'ld, and tlic next day at sunrise alioiit
seventy or ei<;lity men. armed and e(|ui|)|)ed. vulunteered to
aid in the arrest, l)ut tlie magistrates durst not issue the ordiT
lor their march, heiii^ apiuehensive tliat some excess or in-
jury n)ij::hl lie done, and the t|Uestion havinji' heen raised
whether a coiistahle Iiad a rij^lit to (h'Uiand aid, lietoi'c he had
heen resisted, tlie arnu'(l men were advised to disperse, and
the civil otlicer reijuested to proceed to appi'chend \\'ells and

the others, witliout the force of the countv,

ins proceednig

was chiirifed !)y one of the political parties as an attempt of
the other to resist hy forci' of arms the execution of the laws,
and mutual eliminations wei'c exchaufi'ed with much hitter-
ni'ss.

I'KTKI! I'KNKT.

■d

A tract of land, s(|uare in form, with the sides running
coincident with the principal cardinal points, and its north-
west corner resting ujion the St. Lawrence at the mouth of
I'^rench Creek, is " Penet's Sijuare. "

The revolution attracteil to America many French ad-
venturers, says Ifough, .some of whom had much more to gain
than to lose, and among these was one Peter Penet. of Nantes,
France. Ileari'ived at I'rovidenc(;, R. I., hy way of Cape
l"'i'ancois. (W. I.,) in I)ecend»er. 177"), having letters antl cre-
dentials which at first securetl him sonu' attentions, and he ob-
tained from a committee of congress a contract in the name of
De Plaini', Penet it Co.. for supi)lying a large amount of arms
from France. He also made separate propositions to several

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WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580

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I'OI.K-STOHIKS.

of the colonics for powder, arms und ordnance, in tlie execu-
tion of whicli he proposed to sliip a large amount of tobacco
and other produce directly to France. He had various other
speculations, all of which proved visionary, and it soon ap-
peared that he was oidy a needy adventurer without capital
or character. He succeeded in procuring advances, which
were not accoinited for, and he may be justly called " The
Confidence Mim " of the revolution. After the war he became
an Indian trader and acquired a great ascendency among the
Oneidas. When these people were holding a treaty with the
state in iTiSS for the cession of their lands, it was found expe-
dient to consult with him and to ask his aid in promoting
these measures ; and as they were stipulating the reservations
to be made for themselves and friends, he " dreamed " that
they would give him a tract of land that he should locate some-
where north of Oneida Lake. His dream was fulfilled in the
gift of ten miles sipiare, which bears his name, but before the
grant was perfected he Hed from the country and the title
passed to a creditor for a consideration of five shillings.

While ojterating upon the credulity of these simple
people, he devised a plan of government for the Oneidas, that
was to lead them to that perfection to which few civilized
communities attain. The national affairs were to be managed
by a (Jrand Council; all differences were to be settled by
persons eminently wise and just; a tract of land was to be
rented, and tlu' revenues were to pay all public charges, -of
whatever amount ; no lands were ever to be alienated, and no
cause of complaint was ever to arise. It was resolved, as the
highest incentive to virtue, " that as soon as convenient
material can be procured, eighteen proper marks of distinction
shall be given ; three representing the tribe of the Bear ; three
the tribe of the WoIf ; and three the tribe of the Tortoise.

F'OLK-STORIKS.

is:^

n
e.

The marks of the chiefs of war was a green ribbon striped on the
side with red, to be worn on the U'ft side Nine ninrks of dis-
tinction for the chiefs of the coucillors, with the mark of an
Eagle on a red ribbon, to go ronnd the neck and hang be-
tween the breasts. Be it rememl)ered that those chiefs, whether
warriors or councillors, who wear this badge, must be men of
truth, honor and wisdom to discharge the great trust of na-
tional business now put in their hands, and whether at home
or abroad, when these marks are seen, it will be remembered
that they are this great council and great respect will at all
times be shown them. "

This scheme of government, comprising twenty articles,
contemplated the appointment of Peter Penet, their " true and
trusted friend, adopted and chosen agent forever, " as their
principal executive agent, and being duly signed by marks
(not one being able to read,) this shite paper was published
with great formality in the Albany newspapers. It is needless
to add that it had not .so much as a l)eginning of actual real-
ization.

Some time after Penet had absconded, he made his
appearance in San Domingo ; at the time of the negro insur-
rection there, he invited his countrymen to buy lands on his
estates in Northern New York. lie ('.\liil)ite(l a iiuip with
fortified cities, on the north shore of Oneida Lake, and by
false representations, induced some to purchase lands. One of
these unfortuiuxtes, upon arriving in New York, and learning
how cruelly he had been deceived, was unable to bear U|) under
the affliction, and died by his own hand. It is from Penet
that this place on the St. Lawrence derived the name of
" P>ench Creek."

The successors to his title selected the mile-square nearest
the river, as the site for a town, and caused it to be surveved

184

FOLK STORIES.

into ten-acre squares, except the quarter of a mile directly upon
the river, in which each of these lots were further sub-divided
into four. It was afterwards laid out as the village of " Cor-
nelia," (named from Madame Juhel,) but since the organization
of the town of Clayton, in 1833, it has borne this nume.

In early times " French Creek " was a noted point for
smuggling ; and especially in the embargo of 1807-8, when
almost all of the region north of Black River was a forest, it
became a principal point for importing goods, and for sending
potash out of the country. It was found impossible to guard
this frontier so as to prevent crossing with teams on the ice in
winter, or by boats in summer, and the most that the author-
ities attempted, was to guard the roads in the interior, and
intercept such contraband goods as they could discover.

A STEAMER BURNED.

The most disastrous accident that ever occurred on Lake
Ontario happened near the Ducks, small islands near the
Canadian shore, about forty miles from Kingston, on the
morning of April 30, 1853. The upper cabin steamer Ocean
Wave, built in Montreal, in 1851, and owned by the Northern
Railroad, being then on her way down from Hamilton to
Ogdensburgh, took fire between one and two o'clock in the
morning, and was burned. The lire took near the engine,
and appeared to have been occasioned by the faulty construc-
tion of the boat, which had been on fire on one or two previous
occasions. When the flames ware discoved they were making
such rapid progress, from the boat being newly painted, that

FOLK-STf)KIKS.

185

the small bouts could not bo got out, nnd in loss th an five
minutes it was enveloped in flames. The terrific scene that
ensued defies description, the miserable victims having but a
moment's time for deciding by which mode of death they
should perish. The light attracted the schooners Georgiana
and Emblem, who, with .some fishing boats from the shore,
saved twenty-one persons out of forty-four, the number ol the
crew and passengers. The steamer Scotland catne up near the
wreck about .sunrise, and passed without rendering assi.stance.
According to the affidavit of the captain and crew, there was
no one floating around the place at this time.

THE FIRST EXECUTION.

On the 16th of April, 1828, the public was aroused by the
report of a murder committed in the Perch River settlement
by Henry Evans, upon Joshua Rogers and Henry Diamond,
in an aff'air growing out of an attempt to forcibly eject Evans
without legal formality from premises leased b}' a brother of
Rogers. A family quarrel had for some days existed in the
Rogers family, in which Evans had taken a part, and at the
time of the murder th(; parties had been drinking an<l were
unusually quarrelsome. Evans had shut himself up in the
house, which was forcibly entered, with threats and abusive
language, upon which he seized an ax and mortally wounded
two, and badly wounded a third, who recovered. He was im-
mediately arre,sted and at the June term of the court of oyer
and terminer in 1828, was tried, the court consisting of Nathan
Williams, circuit judge, Egbert Ten Eyck, first judge, Jo.sq»h

186

FOLK-STOPIKS.

Hiiwkins, judgo, HolxM-t Lansing, district attorney, H. H.
Sherwood, clerk, II. H. C'otfeen, slieritl'. The district attor-
ney was assisted by Mr. Clarke, and the pri.soner was defended
by Messrs. Sterling, Bron.son and Rathbone. The vicious
temper and al)andoned character of the prisoner, who, whether
drunk or sober, had been the terror of his neighborhood, out-
weighed the extenuating circumstances of the case, and the
jury, after half an hour's deliberation, returned a verdict of
guil\v. He was sentenced to be hung August 22d, and he
was executed in the presence of an immense crowd who had
as.sembled to witness the barbarous spectacle from this and
adjoining countief-- The gallows was placed on the north
bank of the river nearly opposite the court house, and thither
he was escorted b}' a fife and drum corps. The body was
taken by his friends to BrownviP'? and a grave dug in the
cemetery, when objections were ra..sed and one person swore
that he should not be buried there. Another place was then
got, but the rock was reached in two feet. A grave was next
dug just outside of the corporate limits, when as he was about
to be lowered, objections were again raised and one r:' two
women were seized with hysteric iits because the loca'ity was
in sight. The corpse was finally taken back three or four
miles from the village and buried by night. The lamentable
prevalence of superstition thus evinced, has its equal only in
the popular l)elief in vampires, which on more than one occa-
sion, has disgraced the annals of this and neighboring coun-
ties.

FKEXCH BOX VIVANTS.

Until about 1816, the settlements along the river were
limited to a few points, but about this time the country around

For-K-STORIKS.

187

began to bo taken np ; no^v vo:u\s u-.r. o,„>n,.,l in overv
<l.roct.on and for a short linio, th.. .-ountrv a.lvanml rapi.llv
in population and improvements, wl.ic-h co.itinued till th'e
completion of the Erie CMnal. At Cape Vineent, several
clueated and accomplished French fan.ilies located ; an,onr
whom, m 1818, was Peter Francis iieal, known in European
history as Count Real, the chief of police un.ler Napo-
leon. The change of politi.-al prospects in France
in a fi^w years, recalled many celebrate.l exiles who
had adhered to the fortunes of Xapoleon, and fled from
the disasters which overtook that dynasty, among whom were
Count Real, and others who had made this countrv their
home. At about the same time, Mr. F. K. Ilasler, the eminent
philosopher and engineer, having become interested in real
estate in the place, went there to reside with his family and
planned the establishment of a normal school, which he never
perfected. The village was a favorite resort with Mr Le Kay
and he was often accompanied by eminent foreigners, who
never visited the country without becoming his guosts and
sharing that refined hospitality which he knew so well how to
bestow. Th(> first visit of l.c Ray to this place was in 1803
and was attended with th(> following incid(>iit :

He was accompanied by (i„uvcrneur Morris, and after
visiting Hrownville, they took an open boat to continue their
.lourney as Mr. Morris ha.i a woo.len h-g, an,I could not con-
veniently travel in the woods by the rude means of communi-
cation which the country then atfonU-d, and he was moreover
very partial to sailing, and claime.1 to be especiallv skillful in
managing water craft. On passing ( herrv Island.' Mr. Morris
observed that there must be fine fishin^r there, and as he had
with him his French cook, an.l culinary apparatus, he
declared he would serve his friend a better fish dinner than he

188

Kor-K STOKIKS.

had ever tasted. Mr. Le Kay objected that it was getting late
and cloudy, and they had a great ways to run before reaching
Putnam's, the first settlement on the shore. Nothing would
do; Mr. Morris was as fond of good cheer as of sailing, and
they stopped. They had good fishing, and a capital dinner ;
but it was late befoi'e they .set .sail again, and dai'k before they
reached the St. Lawrence, and they were obliged to sto|) at
Gravelly Point, two miles above Putnam's, where they pitched
their tent and went to bed, for they had all the necessary
implements. In the middle of the night, a fire built before
the tent set it in Hames ; Mr. Morris, thus unseasonably dis-
turbed, felt nil around for his wooden leg, but was obliged to
flee without it. The e.\j»osure to wind and rain produced in
Mr. Le Rav a very violent illness and he with ditticultv
returned to Brownville. Dr. Klrkpatrick was procured from
Rome, and he was long confined with a dangerous fever.

lU'RIKI) THKIR RATIONS.

There were not wanting incidents of a ludicrous kind,
which enlivened the monotony of the camp, and showed the
lights, as well as the shades of the soldier's life; Abuses will
sometimes work their own reform, as was illustrated in tin
amu.sing instance at Hackets Harbor during the war. A mess
of militia soldiers had received, for their rations, a hog's head,
an article of diet not altogether available, or susceptible of fair
and equal division among them. They accordingly, upon
representation of the facts, procured at other messes in the
cantonment, a contribution in kind, to supply their wants for

SEIZUKE OF A CANNON.

The irritation which the events of the "Patriot Wu."
cassioned, di.l not at once subside and sever Jnf/i? Y ■ ""'
Steamers, especially the [T„i Ji ^ "^^ ^^ *^' ^""^"^^^

aversion on L CanU^^id^^ so^ liJ^Xlt ^'^
was leaving Ogdensburg on the evening of a;" 4 S'

ove,„„g .,,e „.„, „,,„ „„„„ „.„„ tl.e wharf atBr^k He ;
subsecjuent inou rv f.Jlorl *^ « "'"»-itviiie. a

W.c.k8, stopped at Brock^nie to ^i' '''""'"" *^'- «'

.n.s.io„ to unloa,, wa, granted, JnitZZ^TiujT
7" '"'■r»'«'- »- 'ying up„„ deck, belo,";rg to the 1 "
of New York, „„d co„sig„e.l to Captain A. I JamJTal ol^
.lensburg, ben.g sent to «plaee one that had beent7^' ^yZ

190

K(»I,k'-ST()UIKS.

"Patriots" in tlie atiuir at tlio Windmill in the preceding
year.

An attempt was made to seize tliis gvm, which was resisted
by the crew, when the Collector came np and took possession
of the vessel, under the pretext of some irregularity in her
papers. The gun was taken out, paraded through the streets,
and fired several times hy the mol) in triumph. Word was sent
to Colonel Worth at Sackcts llai'l>or, who at once repaired to
the scene of di.sturhance, and a few hours after, a steamer with
British Regulars arrived from Kingston. Hy the united efforts
of the military officers and of the civil magistrates, the gun
was timilly surrendered hy the moh without a collision, which
for a time seemed imminent and inevitable, and some of the
ring-leaders were arrested and lodged in the guard-house.
These disturbances brought (iovernor Arthur to Hrockville,
and an effort was made to justify these proceedings, by those
who had participated in them. It is due to the Canadian Press
and to the more considerate portion of the inhabitants to
notice, that they very generally denounced this .stsi/ure as un-
justified. The Collector was removed from office, and the
irritation gradually wore away.

(II II. I) I.<»ST IN* THK WOODS.

'i'he following sketch was written by Mr. David ^ferritt,
one of the English families, who located at Hackets Harbor in
February, ISOo; the occasion was the loss of a child in the
woods.

The parents of the child had recently settlal in the woods,

l"<)l,lv-.ST()RlkS.

101

half H mile from imy otlnT dwrlliiif;. It wa.s of a Lord's day
ovciiiiifi;, ahout sunset ; llif father set out to visit his nearest
iiei^hhor, and, unohserved hy liini, his son, o child of four
years, followed him.

The father tarried an Inair or two, and returned, not hnv-
inn seen the little wanderer. The mother anxiously ciKiuired
for her child, siipposinfj her hushand had taken him with
him ; their anxiety was ^reat, and immediate though fruitless
search was made f(»r the fugitive. Several of the nearest
neiglihors were alarmed, and tlie night Was spent to no pur-
pose in searching for the child. On Mondny a moreextensive
.search was ma<le by increased numhers, hut in vain ; and the
distressed |)arents were almost frantic with grief and fearful
apprehensions for the child's safety.

Another atllictive and sleepless night ])assed away, and
the second morning heanu'd upon the disconsolate family, the
child not found, and hy this time (Tuesday,) reports were in
circulation of a panther's having been seen recently in the
woods by some one. This circumstance gave a pungency to
thi> grief and feelings of evi'iy symi)athetic heart unknown
before ; and the timi<l and credulous were ready to abandon
any further etforts to recover the child, and give the distressed
parents up to dispair.

It was however concluded to alarm a still more extensive
circle, and engage fresh volunteers in a work that nuist inter-
est and arouse even th(> unfeeling on common occasions. A
messenger was dispatched to Sackets Harbor, a distance of six
miles ; it was in itself iin irresistible appeal to every feeling
heart. To feel, was to act.

Messrs. Lutt", Ashby, Merritt, and others immediately
mounted their horses, and repaired to the scene of painful
anxietv ; this was about eleven o'clock in the forenoon of

1U2

KoLK-STolUKH.

Tufsilay. Wlii'ii they jirrived ivt the spot, the number present,
that liad eollccti'd I'nun all quarters, was about five hundred
men. A siuiill nuinher was immediately ehosen as a commit-
tee to direet the Itest method of seareh, and thev were formed
in a line, extending to the right and left of the house, a mile
eieh way. They were placed so far a part as to bring every foot
of ground tiiey [nissed in their search under their ob-
servation ; and when they had nuirched such a given di.stanco
frou) the hou.se, the left or right wing were to wheel in such u
way, as would, by pursuing the same plan, have effectually
searched every sjiot within several miles of the house before
evening. The (trder of the day was that no person should
fire a gun, .sfiund a horn, halloo, or make any needless noist,
uhatever; but with vigilance, and a sense of duty to the dis-
irei^sed parents, u.se every effort to recover the child. If the
child was found alive, every person, that had a gun, was to
tire, and every one that had a horn to sound it ; on the con-
trary, if the child was found dead, one gun only should be
tired, as a signal to the remote line to cease searching.

In this way, in silence, they had marched about two
miles, wiien a distant gun sounded ; it was an anxious
moment. "Is the child alive?" was a thought that ran
through every mind ; a moment more and the hope was con-
finned, for the air and forests rang with guns and horns of
every description.

The lines were immediately broken up, and each ran,
anxious to see the little lost sheep. The dear little fellow was
presented to his now overjoyed parents ; a scene that overcame
all present.

When the little boy was found, he was sitting on a small
mossy hillocik, in the middle of a swamp, surrounded by
shallow wat<!r. When the man, who first approached him,

KOLK-STORrKS. ^()3

oxtondoclhiHanns a.ul stoppc.l to take him u,,, he shrank
f>-oni him, appoaml friirhtcn,.,!, an.l sh.nvcMl a disposition .o
Kot fro,n him. Hut hv uas much ..xhaust..!. an.l sdz.,! Hurorlv
an apple that was hehl to hin.. Ila.l he not been rescued
fro.n his situation, he probably would have .lied at that s„..t

FIRST LIFE SAVIN.i STATION.

The lake shore in Elli.sburgh has been the scene of many
wrecks since the country was .settle.!, the Hrst within themem-

7; Ton ? ^'"''"^ ^'''^^ ^''"'' "^'" '''^^''"f^' ^•"'"'■■'^''I i" the fall
ofl800,vyhen a, small .schooner fr.,m Mexico to (Jananoque,
Lapt^iin (mmmon, master, was l.,.st .,ff' Little Stony Creek and
all on boar.1 peri.shed. A boat of ei^ht men .sent in .search of
the vessel was al.so swamj.e.l an.l all han.ls were .Irown-.l

About 1807 a family was lo(.-ate,l by Afr. Benjamin
NN risht at the mouth of San.ly Cr.vk to affor.1 ai.I to the ship-
wrecke.1. and for nearly Hfty years this lonely .Iwellinghad
sheltered many a suffering sailor wh.> nnght ..therwise have
peri.shed.

A RARE BOUNTY.

The anecdote is related that a magi.strate in Champion
having had an altercation with a hauling citizen in Lowville'
heard that his opponent had oftercd a bounty of $5 for his

194

l-'OLK-STOKIKS.

head. Fooling' soimnvhiit unoiisy iiikUt this, he resolved to
aseertaiii its truth, and made the journey on foot on purpose
to demand satisiaetion or a \vith(h'a\val of the oM'ensive reward.
Upon reaching the place he found the person of whom he was
in search in company with several others, and not wishin}> to
make their quarrels a suhject of publicity, he re(|uested a pri-
vate interview. This was ])romptly refused, on the ground
that there was nothing between them that re(|uire(l seeresy,
and he was told that if he had anything to say he might say
it where he was. He then commenced hy rejteating the story
he had heard and demanded whether it was true. His enemy
denied at once the charge, calling his neighbors to witness
whether thev had ever known him guiltv of the tollv as the
offering of such a sum, but admitted that he might have l)id
twenty shillings and was very sure he had never gone higher.
Finding that it was impossible to get this bounty taken oil' he
returned home. We are not informed of the result or whetlu'r
the reward was sufHcient to ti'iiipt the cujtidity of his neigh-
bors.

MIMT.VHV KXKCITIONS.

At Sackets Harbor about a do/en military executions
were performed during the war, for repeated desertion, with
the view of striking tei-ror into the minds of the disail'ected,
but with the effect of increasing the evil. These cases were
many of them young men from New Fnglaud, of respectable
fannlies, who in the heat of political excitement had enlisted
in the armv, and who found them.selves the victims of the

I'OI.K-STOIMKS.

!!».-)

nan on harl.ary of officers, oxposo.l to tl.o severest hanlships
o< he earn,., an.l oft,.,, illy elaci, an.l worse te<l, so.notime.s
- i-ut sl...|te.., a,..| nhvays without syn.pathv. Was it Z
na un. that uncl.-r ,l,.s. eireu,.stanees the nu^nories of l„..„o,
".'♦J' all Its eo,nlor(s, an.l the thouMl.ts of Mothers, sisters

rr; " I'';'"';' ""' '" ^''""^^"•' "---tions thai

cluster a,-ou„d the .lo„.,.sti<. fi.vsi.lc, shouhl eon.e tVeshlv to
-"!;'-tI.af;>,vethatwasin-esistil>ley Seve,.! of these 1!^;
ex<Mte.l nnu-h sy,n,,Mthy. among which was that of a bov ol
sixteen years of agv. u-ho had hcen b.-ihcl with a gohl Nva'tch
to open a pr.so„ ,loor at (i,v,M,l.usl,. and who was l.cv a.Testcd'
and c...v.cted. Ma,.y odicc. and citizens ,.,.de sfcuous
c io.ts to ohtan, reprieve, which were enfor.-ed hv the appc-als
ofamoher,I.utw,thoutetrect; the a«o,.i.od parent fo lowed

K. clnld to the pdlows, and the sy,,,p.thi4. tears of th
spectators bespoke the feelin,- which this ,.i.id exercise of tl!
iron rule of war had occasioned.

To the condemned opportunity was always yivcM, to
ni..ke re.uarks, in which some ad.nittcl the justice" of their
fate, c.thers p ead the entn-aties of their co.nra.les, ..rthe u.-o-ent
necess.t,es of honu3 ; and othe.-s, while thev acknowle.^
heir cnme, supphcated nuMvy with all the elo.p.euc-e whud,
the occasion could comn,and. Others treate.l their fate with
HKl.fference. or openly preferred it to a lif.. un.ler the circum-
s a,u.es^ Ou oue occasion, the ouvic-t on approaching the
scaffold, sc,.ut,m.ed Us construction with the eve of a cLn-

terJeaped up.>n the platlWrn., pushed off the i.a,,gma,,, .nd
.)"' M>o.I off hnnself ; but a reprieve ar,-ived the i„,:;;ant fte
;-' iu- u-as .-estored. The place of execution was ,.,,0.11 v in'

^''-;7 •>' tlu. vilh.,e. whe,v ,he ...aves we.v du,, and the
-nv.cts were marched to the spot, surrounded by a ,uard, and
after kneehnK by tluMr coffins, were ,lispatche,l by the shcits of

FOLK-STOKIKH.

of several muskets, a part of wliich only wore loaded with ball.
There were commonly eight men detailed for this purpose.
The brutality of officers was in some instances excessive; the
most extreme corporal punishment being inflicted from the
slightest causes, or from mere caprice ; and such was some-
times the bitterness of men towards officers, that in one case it
is said a captain durst not lead his company in an action, for
fear of being shot by his own men.

THEY CELEBRATED.

The first celebration of our national independence, in all
this region of country, was held at Chaumont in 1802. The
number in attendance was certainly more than a hundred
p)ersons. From Champion and Hounsfield, Watertown and
Brownville, Sackets Harbor and Cape \'incent, and other
points of settlement, the forefathers and foremothers came to
do homage to the old flag and the land of the brave. Several
were Revolutionary soldiers. Food and drink were plenty.
Indians and stjuaws must also have joined the festivities.
Rum and maple sugar, shooting at a mark and wrestling,
stories and songs, and fife and drum, could hardly have been
wanting on this occasion, although there is no published re-
port of the proceedings to guide in making out the story of
that Fourth of July.

BLOCKHOUSE SCHOOLIIOUSE.

( !(»nsi<lerable alarm was felt at Chaumont in 1812 lest the
Jiritish should come, pillage their homes ami burn them;

I''()r,K-STr)KlKs.

197

north shore of he ,,v V ^ ""'".'' "'^' """« ■™"-' ™ ^e
soldier., visited the lee ."*" """'' " "'"'"^ "' >"'S'-h

artillery' f thisTrf" consi re^'o?'"" '"""'''"'■ '''''
Jonas Smith hnd „ , ^""f*"^ "' «" ™„ gu„ which

Lula. IZward r/°" "" ""■ '«">™"s of Point Pen-
enemy ° *" Oglensburg, where it was c„„tur«l hy the

A Past Industry.

TIk" ii<luMics of Cliauiuont Bay iittonliMl from an early
,„.ri(Ml a k'a.ling pursuit for many persons livino- m the vu-m-
ity an.l have l.een pro(hu-tive of nuu-h henelit to the loeahty
,u'ui the puMie oenerally. The earliest enactment relatu.j-- to
thishraneh ot industry commenees with the eentury. ithavuif.-
heen repres(>nte(l that people from Canada an<l other places
were doinu- injustice to the fisheries at the east end of Lake
Ontario l>v ol>struetin,u' the rivers and streams hy seines, a law
was passed March "iSth, ISOO, prohihitiuf-- the placing' of ob-
structions to the passage of Hsh under a penalty of $25. This
was prol)al)ly fr.)ni representations of citizens in KUislmrgh as
Lyme was then without inhabitants.

In 1S(»S tishin^- with scoo)) nets, called here scaff nets be-
„un wrote Dr. Ilouj-h in 1S:>;}, and has been more or less
cnnstantlv i.ractice.1 siiuH.. This net is about 12 feet s(,uare,
stretched bv two lonji bows cn.ssin^r each other and let down
horiz<.ntallv into the water, bein^' balanced on a lonj.' pole
poised on a j.ost on the banks. When fish pass over it the
net is suddeiilv raised and swunji round on the bank. Some-
times m) tish" or more are thus caught in a night. [White-

A PAST IMHSTHY.

Ml'.)

ko-

fish and .salmon tront wore taken in frrcat (jnantilics hy this
crude method on Point Saluhrious.] Seines were soon ;il>er
introduced, tlie first one l>einu hroujflit from the llml-inn hy
Daniel Trem|»er. These .seines are from 10 to 10(1 rods lonji',
from 20 to 100 feet hroad, wider in tiu* middle and narrower
at the ends, where they are attacheil to rods callefl jack stiikes.
To the cords alonfi one side are attached tlojits and to the
other leaden sinkers und to each staff is fixed a lonjj; rope.
When used the seine is taken (»ut in a boat one rope l)ein<f
left on .shore, and when a few rods out it is allowed to run off"
in a wide circuit until it is all of!', when the other line is taken
ashore and l)oth ends are drawn in hy windlasses erected for
the purpose and turned bv hand, or more recently sometimes
by horse power. The meshes of the net which are from one
to one and onedialf inches scjuare, allow the smaller fish to
escape, while the larger ones are scooped out when the seine
is drawn into shallow water. From one to three hours are oc-
cupied in drawing the seine and the product of a haul varies
from nothing to 7"> barrels, the average being six or seven.

These seine fisheries are mostly around Point Salubrious
but other places inside of the bay are found eligible to a less
extent. They are considered the ])roperty of those who own
the adjacent lands and the seines are owned and labor done
by the resident farmers a.^^sisti'd ])y laborers who come in from
adjacent towns for the {»urpose. 'i'he principal Hsh caught for
market are lake herring, locally known as eiscoes, and white-
fish, an<l the season for taking them usunlly begins about tlie
first of November and continued three or four weeks. This is
the .spawning season for these fish and the shores are then
lined with immense quantities of their ovji. Seines are drawn
by preference in the evening or night.

No positive duta can be obtained shuwiag the average or

200

A PAST INDI'STRY.

aggregate quantity taken, but the opinion of those most ac-
(luainted with the business is that since 1816 about 10,000
barrels of herrnig and white fish have been eaught annually.
Seasons vary in the abundance of fish ; it is observed that the
best yields oeeur in high water. Of late years the yield is
less than formerly, which is attributed to the use of gill nets
and the mixture of saw dust and other matters in the water.

(Jill nets have been introduced since 1845, are from five
to eight feel, (about fifty meshes) wide, from ten to fifteen rods
long, uniform in widtii and furnished with staves at the ends.
These are provided with sinkers on the lower and floats on the
upper side and connected together form lines several hundred
rods long. When in use they lay near the bottom and their
places are indicated by buoys. Once daily they are drawn up
and the fish removed, which sometimes amount to a barrel in
ten rods. As the fish become entangled by their gills, respi-
ration ceases, and they are almost invariably found drowned,
for which reason they are justly considered inferior for food
and more liable to spoil when put up for sale. These nets are
generally set in November.

A snudl business was done early in spring, in fishing for
pike in seines, gill nets and by spearing, and the shores and
coves of Chaumont Bay have long been the favorite resort for
the disciples of Izaak Walton, who at most sea.sons find an
ample and inviting field for the use of the trolling line and
spear ; or a romantic cruise by torchlight and inducements to
lounge away the lazy hours of daylight with reasonable hopes
(jf a nibble. Pike, i)ickerel, muscallonge, perch, bass and sun-
fish, are caught readily by the hook and the former in all sea-
sons. The seines used here are generally made on the spot of
linen or cotton twine and cost from $100 to $300.

In 1817, April lo, a law was passed requiring all fish bar-

A PAST INDUSTRY.

201

reled foi- sale in the (;ounty to be inspected and branded and
the size of barrels and quantity of salt to be used were pre-
seribed. In 1S23, April 13, another law relatinj^ to this sub-
ject was passed ; March S, 1830, an additional inspector was
appointed, an<l April 15, bS.'io, the inspection of fish was dis-
continued. Calvin Lincoln was appointed inspector June 11,
1817, M. Evans, March 10, 1818, and Benjamin T. Hliss on
I'oint Salubrious afterwards. The early laws were disrejijurdi'd,
but the latter strictly enforced, yet the restriction was always
considered odious by the fishermen who sought many ways of
evasion and finally procured their removal.

By far the most successful fishing in Chaumout bay has
been with the pound-net. This method of fishing was intro-
duced in the spring of isr)0 by Rali)h li. Rogers, the son of a
Revolutionary soldier wiio was one of three brothers in the
Bunker Mill engagcnu'iit, and himself a veteran of the war of
1812. He set a pound-net off the shore of i'oint Peninsula,
and about the middle of October another was set by O. H.
Kirtland, Lucius P. Inghram, and I). W. Clark, who came on
from Saybrook, Connecticut, for the purpose. The yields were
enormous for the next two or three years, and it was sometimes
impossible to care for t'lc fish which were caught.

The aver'ige size of the pound-net is 30 feets(juare, and it
is usually set in about 30 feet of water, although nets to fish in
40 feet were not unusual. This is .securely fastened to four
stakes driven firmly into the bottom, with the upper ends two
or three feet out of water. From this pound or receiver,
towards the shore, is a large heart-shaped net, with the apex
terminating in the pound. From the base of the heart a
leader is run back to the shore, and fastened to stakes a hun-
dred feet apart; the average length of the leader is thirteen
hundred feet, and the stakes, as in the other instance, are firndy

202 A J'AST ixnrsTRY.

ch-ivon into the bottom of the bay. The fi.h meet this long line
„f netting, follow it down into the heart, an.l work towards the
anex, because of it. peculiar shape. At the apex is a large fnn-
„cl, with a large pas.^age out of the heart, an.l a smaller one at
the outer end, which terminates in the pound or receiver. After
the fi«h have once passed through the funnel mto the large
sc.uare pound-reaching from the surface of the water to the
bottom of the bay,-the chances of escape are very small.
From a net of this kind a hundred barrels of hsh have been
taken at one time. They are now little used except for taknig
spawn for the state hatcheries.

Three Links.

Massir;7w?'r'"" "'"^^ '^'"' '•> ^'- ^"'-in." Mr. Solon
^o^ of . "i "■"' ^""^••"'"^^••1 '-'-y entertaining anoc.
'iotes of th,. oarluM- s.-ttl.,. vvl.icl. wore puhli.horl In the
.Jett(>rsoinan 1,sr)l-"i-> 'n,- fi i- n •
this vohune': ''"'" '""^'"'"^ "^^ ^^'^^^^^ ^^^

I.OST I.V TlIK WOODS.

J" "Hv person u-ho realizes what a dense howling wilder-
ness h,s eonntry was at the tin.e of its first oeeupation bv our
. CMS „ ..,, not he surprising that there were instances
'''^'";'''e'|uent, uf p,.,s„ns heing lost in (he woods.

''.'*"■';'/:"•"' '''visions <,f hill „„i dale, or upland and low-
^"" . •'. tins eoniparative level country, afforded hut few
I»".dn,arks to the unlueky wight who happened to get at fault
m US r,.H.anngs, and even those uho were best ac.nainted
^^.th the uMfurai seenery of the traekless forest, innnediately
surroun.lu.g our settlement, were sometime., compelled to ex'
pcnenee the startling reality of being lo.st in the woo,ls ; which
was m.l.eated by finding themsehvs following a circle-coming,
round and roun.l an.l round again, (o the same startino- point
.n sp.te of all (heir efforts f. follow out a continuous .sti-aight'
course. "

This liability to be ]o«t was eo well understood, that

204

THRKK 1,1 NKS.

whenever any member of the fiimily was longer away in the
forest than was expected, the ahirm was given, and a rally
made of all the men and boys in the diflerent settlements in
the vicinity, and a general and systematic searcii instituted
with preconcerted signals.

And yet even the liability to get lost did not deter or [)re-
vent frequent intercourse with the woods. The forest was the
" long pasture" where the cows lived in summer, and where
they had to be hunted over long ranges of upland, or of swale
and beaver meadow, as their fancy or necessity led them to
forage for them.selves. It was the botanic garden where a long
list of medicinal plants were found, which were relied upon as
preventives of the diseases that were incident to our new
country, or as a sovereign balm for every wound with which
we might be afHicted for the time bi'ing. It was the place for
berrying for a great variety of fi'uits and berries in their season
the great range from which we hunted out our natural-crook
scythe snaths, our crotched trees for harrows and cart tongues,
our ax halves, ox yoke and ox-bow timber, broom sticks,
etc.; and finally, it was tiie great hunting ground for a variety
of wild game, with which to supply our tables with meat, in
the absence of domestic animals for food. Woods was the rule,
clearings the exception.

One incident among a great many others, comiected with
being lost in the woods, may be transcribed from the earliest
traditional history of Watertown, and which is something as
follows :

('apt. James Parker owned and occupied a large body of
land (now a farm) on the Brownville road, at present occupied
in part by his son James. IIn had a large family of sturdy
boys, the oldest of whom, at the time our tradition dates, was
fourteen to sixteen years of age. The old gentieman, like

Til hi:/; LINK'S.

205

many others .,( „„>• ....torprising settlers, wms cleHrin^r up a
hn^v farm, and. for tl.e purpose of .nakin^ the most out of his
ns H.S hm a small potash works, where he u-orke,! them into
potash or hlaek salts.

In the process of manufactui-e, it seems he wanted some
hemlock gum, and at the .same time wanted .some groceries
rom the httle place yclepte.l a store here in the village So
handmg the hero of our story a silver .h.llar, he hid him take
his ax ai.d a hag, and on his way to or from the .store to pro-
cure so,, . gum. With this errand and equipment he .started,
after d'.ner, on his way to the place; he proceeded as far as
the foe; of the J<olts Hill (H. H. Cotteen's late residence)
where, stretching away to the ..outh was an ahundance of
iH'mlock tunher, and intent on performing the hardest and
most d.tlK-ult part of his task first, and not wi.shing to ri.sk
losing his dollar, he struck his ax into a large tree and loo.sen-
mg a chij. he carefully deposited the coin in the cavitv
between the loo.sene.l chip and the ho<lv of the tree for saf'e
keeping, mtending to c.m.e hack to that ..farting point with
I'ls ax an.l hag, and leave them there in their turn, while he
ran up to the store and hack.

Well, after a while he found him.self sufficientiv provided
with gum, and started off a kind of Indian lope ft/r the place
where he had left the dollar, passing in his wav a spring of
water, upon the surface of which was a thick velfow scum re-
sembling ,ron rust. On, on. r.„ he traveled; .sweating uiider
Ins loa.l, and with the lurking .suspicion that .something was
wrong hedi.ln't know what. After a good while, however,
and when he knew he must have traveled more than any
distance that could possibly have been between the bust gum
tree and the one containing his dollar, he made a full halt for
the purpoto of u reckoning. One thing was very certain— that

206

TIIISKK LINK?

he had traveled fnster iMiminj;- Imck tlmii wlu'ii ^oiii^i, mid Imd
been longer about it. Tliat liad a bad bM)l< I tbcii be tb(iuj;bt
it curious tl.cre sbould liavc been tiirci' ni' tbdsc iron ore
springs, bxtking so nearly alike I And linally. llic iiiun' be
soliloquized tbe more be satisbtMl biinscH' tliat lie was htst.

What added not a little to bis itcrplcxity was, tiiat twiligbt
was already s[»reading her mantle u|i(tn tbe forest, it would
therefore be necessary for bini to select wiieic be would spend
the night, so far as there was any eiioiee of a sbeltei'ed plaee in
the woods. He was not long in tiiiding a large standing tree
that afforded just the nook he wantecl, betweiMi two roots that
stood well out on either side, and having enseoneed himself in
a sitting po.sture, with bis baek against tbe tree, and tbe ax
between his knees, he [»repared to face any dangei' that miglit
offer, and to sleep away the long bours of the night. He
would have telegraphed the folks at home that be was saf»>, if
he coubl. lie boj)ed \])vy W(ndd not be iiiueb alarmed. i5ut
they were though, and after sunset tbe old gentleman gt)t un-
easy and started out the way that be sboulil <'ome, Just to meet
him — if be was safe — but with a kiml of pi'esentment, to succor
him if in trouble. He kept on, occasionally slopping to listen,
and sweating with bis apprehension, and imagining a whole
catalogue of mishaps (bat might have befallen bim — whetber
be bad lost bis way — or bad maimi'd himself with tbe ax —
or a tree bad fallen upon bim — oi'. what was certainly possible,
.some ravenous wild beast bad devoured bim — all was a matter
of painful doul)t. fear, an uncertainty.

't was not, bowever, until after be bad n^acbod tbe vil-
lage, and found by en(juirv that bis boy bad not ben there,
that his fearful forebodings of .some horrible evil wcTe con-
firmed.

(living tlie alarm here, and begging of tho good i)eople to

'I'lllfKK LINKS.

207

nilly.|nirl<lynn,| uu.-t .urh l-.Tsons „s h. . ;ouI.l sumrd in
';"".""'■-'■'■■"" '>-■•'" nvill... In. h,,si,.,H..| ho.uv in such H skte
"I "ii'Ml .MS. •,■,!, 1,,. I.rtn.r ii.iaMi,,,.,! Ill,,, I .l,.s,.ril„,|.

>>''iN.is aiTiv,,| iM.ni... tl... linnily l,n<l not ,,Mrtnk..n vn-v
'""'••"•ll.isnw,,..,!,,,.,,,. l.ut „nu-. wiml n sM.l m.hI som.NvfuI
••""'l""'r '"•'■ "'".v. ,,s |,„m...|lv ilH.y Miak,. tho nm^ssarv
l"*;i'-'""""-"- ^vitli ,,i,n. l<„o(s ,,„.l Imd, hark (or (oH...s l.orn's
'"Ml MUiis Inrs.on.ls. „Hl ,vrn.sl,Mu..,ts Cor tl,. n.issiujr |,ov if
Iw'sl.oul, lM.|nun.l,.n,| (nr,l>,. kin.l .u>i;,l.l,ors who wm". in
"" l"'«>l'fil>ili(.v to !„■ in the woods all niyht.

'" ''"<• 'i""'. i' liii-Ki' co.ni.uny of ni.'n and Ijovs wciv as-
sy.nl. ..d. and havino o,oMi.i/,..| into bands, with i.rc.c..nc-c'rted
Hj-nals. tli,.ysl,,,..k oil int.. th,. foivst. whilo fho inotluT and
sisl.Ts of til,. MiissniK I'oy sat in tlic o,,,,, door of thoir loi.clv
n"n,.Mi,.nt t., await th. slow and tr.lious msult, and so as to l.;
'" a situation to ,.atcli tin. first sound of anv signal mu.. hh-
"•'iiiicni^- the latt' ol him tlicy loved.

Thus |.ass,..l thr first half of th. ni^ht. The hunt pro-
<-"'''l<"l uith ,un.a. fid,.li,y. so that ..ycry rod uf the ground
mis n.spcrtrd, th,. horns sounding at regular intervals of time
so as to [.reserve the line ..f niareli, or to eateh the ear of the'
hoy if preadventure he was alive.

TIr. party had proceeded (.n earefullv, until within a few
'•-'ds of where the h...) of th,- play kept his night vigil, before
h.s drean.s wer.. disturbed and h,- .uflieientlv awake to know
<l'"" '< was for his benelit that the horns were sounded; but
when fairly awak,., he was n..t long in vacating his .|uiet re-
<'•*'"<- ■•in.l arresting the further progress of the .search by
presenting himself in propria per.sona.. with his ax on' his
shMulder and gum bag under his arm, before the satisfied
cavalcade.

li.nig' bang! bang! rang out in (piick .succession

upon

20S

TIIHKK LINKS.

the iiiji'lit air, rovi'rlH'i'iitiiiji' to ciicli cxtrcinity of llic lonu, line
of wt'ai'v liuntcrs,, till' |>rceoiit'erte(l signal wliicli notitictl tli«'
(luick ear of the listeiiinj;' luotlioi' and sistci's that I^Uick was
safe. There was more joy inaiiifesteil that iiiulit over the
bov that was jouiid than over all them that went not astrav.

A MAX SHOT 1$Y HIS FHIKND.

In the fall of ISOl, there was a man, whose name was
Dayton, who obtained a contract for a piece of land lyinji'
south of the road to Hrownville, as you climb the Folts Hill.
He built a small log house in the woods, near the present road,
and was keeping bachelor's hall, through the months of Sep-
tember and October of that year, with no other companion
than a young man who was a brother to his wife. He was
intending to remove his family here in the spring, but, as it
turned out, he lacked the fortitude and courage which were
requisite for ])ioneer life.

While thus living, an event occurred, which, for the time
being, quickened the jiuLses of the entire comnuniity. and
which seeme<l more like tragedy than any [)revious occurrence
in our brief history.

There was a {)roject for a squirrel hunt, among the scat-
tered inhabitants of the .several neighborhoods, and Dayton
and his brother-in-law were expecting to particifiate in the
general war against the sciuirrels and other vermin, who were
likely to get more than a fair proportion of the first corn crop
ever cultivate(l in these wilds — though they them.<elves had no
corn fields. And lu'ic we remark by th'' way, how unHeliisli

THRKK LINKS.

209

inon l.(>cr,n,o, ms so.,,, as thoy «et beyond the old settlements
Mutual depe,Kleni-o s„on ...vc-ts a softoninir influence upon the
''""'""•'<'"'•<. -•',,.1 the sy.npathies H..vv out without stint as
often as the sufleniiMs prese„t themselves for aid or sympathy
I Ins. pn.Uahly. is the du,. f, that pn.ve.-hiaj happiness, whic-h
"1 all aj:es and in all ••(.mitrie.s, dates haek to the pioneer set-
tlements in a new country.

With the purpose of having his «un in readiness for the
appi-oaehiny hunt, Mr. Dayton took it (h.ui, one evening, from
Its place over-head, and .sitting down hefo.v the blazing Hre
laid ,t across his knees, preparatory to taking off the lock and'
oiling Its pinions, .so as to insure a smart motion of the hammer
spring, fie was not aware that it contained a full charge of
powder and shot, or that it was loaded at all; but carelessly
held the muzzl<> towanls his friend, who was sitting in the
other corner of the fire-place, keeping up a cheerful light by
timely contributions of light, dry combustibles, to tne open
fiiv. It IS probable that he pulled the trigger without thought
or motive; but what was l,is horror and amazement when his
pHH-e discharged with a report that was almost deafening
flUmg the room with smoke, and then he heard his companion
fail to th(- floor-, exclaiming " I am sh<,t ! I an, sli(.t I "

They had no light but the open lire, and the smoke was
so thick and suffocating that no e.xaminatic.n could be made.
It was all uncertain, what the e.xt(>nl of the injury might be ■
but knowing that Doctor Isaiah Massey had recently arrived
from X'ermont to share our fortunes with u.s, and that he was
boanling at our village tave,-n. it was agreed that Davton
should find his way th,-ough the dark pine woods which in-
tervened, and bi'ii,g the doctor.

My father lia<l some e,,,',, eolleeted from his fiehl, and with
the male m..mbers of his family-kind men and boarders-

210

niKKK LINKS.

(l()C't(

)]• llicll

idcd.

was ill tlic house (lo

hiirn.i

husk

iin:

and

my mother was l<ee|iiiiu lier iii,<i'lit vi*iils ahme in tlie house
wlieii her ear doteeted tlie (juiek, hurried ste]) of Mr. |)aytoii

as he rushed into the dooi',
hi'other, and want the (loetoi'

e.Nclaimiiu

liave

kill

ed niv

.\^

■;oo

n MS he was suflieientlv

composed to state his ease uiKU'i'standinjily. he was directed to
the huskiiiii,' party, tor the (hietor. whih'iiiy iiiotiier. as it' l)y
in.stinct, set iierselt' ahoul prepariny' some ch'aii linen raiis,
for haiuhijics and lint, and sonu' tallow candles for lijihts, with
which our young Ksculapius was soon on his way, on horse-
hack and alone, to answer (o the first case of sur<!;ery and
j>un shot wounds which had presented itself in his jiioiieer
practioo.

Ho was evidently a good deal flurried, as he struck into
the Woods in advance of his guide, to endeavor to thread his
duhious way ; and he was fre(piently heard to say, aftci'-
wards, that it was the greatest trial his nerves had ever
endured.

For aught he knew (and in the circumstances of the

case, as narrated hy th
dd

affrighted |)ayton, a thing (piile
lead, and stilleiu'd in

prohalde ), his patient was alreaily i
his gore, an ohject frightful enough, to he visited alone, hy
hroatl daylight; how much more, in the dim light of any
emhers wiiicli might lie left in that lonely house in the woods.

His near a|»proai'h to the house, which he after awhile
succeeded in linding, did not alleviate his feelings much ; for
now, the ease must he met. whatever may he its developments.
The idi'a of stumhling ovi'r a dead man, ' . ids elforts to strike
a light, or of groping ahout the room in search of a mutilated
human heing, was all his nerves w(juld hear, and he tremhled
in his stirrups.

He however grew ashamed of his fear, and after listening

'nri.'KK MNK-s.

■2\]

lllissioii; tllCl'C WilS

"";:':;;■■:'''?;■'' f'":'^- "•■■''■' -

^ -K-.-..- .■■w'n,;.'^::,, "''''"■ "'"'''■■ "■

doctor" ■'U',i, • ■"'^"' tlic yoiiiio- mail. "TIk
, , .. • '"* ■ """ "1 I'lo.ul. an, fl,„( (;,..i; ■ •

•;<'^'<lm^r|.n.(typrnCus,.|y. in. ha.l flH.u-l

• ■•i'"l lli;it liiidiiio- IiiiDscli'

liiiiiscif

Ml.

«li< It I'l'iidi'iit (() la.si,.

n. ',' '"'"^■•■''. <;•'"■" — of no n.nninont dan..,., ,f,„, ,„

^- or t.i..:;;;;;;; • ; r;:;--

•pinion that he

" ■ '•'"' ""' '-'"'y "■ ini." ..f „„■• („„„

''-"•'(•I'lhinn- a ,>

'■' »i'it™':::,:;tir.;::

•212

THKKK LINKS.

prevent the iiij;ress of wolves that might he attracted by the
smell of hlood, while Mr. Dayton was after the doctor.

1 know it is .somewhat ditficult for the present generation
lo comprehend the situation of peril in which scattering
families were ])laced at that early day. or that there was any
real and positive danger of mou.^tation by the wolves; and
therefore, I sliall transcribe another incident, in the tra-
ditions of early man and early times, which will tend to
correct any doubts upon that subject.

The late Hon. Jotham Ives was among the early
emigrants into this town. He arrived here in 1801, and
located his home, where he lived to amass a large landed
property, and whore he died, recently, near the place culled
Field Settlement.

Jn the fall of 1802, he had a imnd)er of hogs fattened,
and at killing time he employed a AFr. Knowlton, an old,
whit(>-haired man of sixty years or more, who was somewhat
skilled in butchering, to assist him. Knowlton lived about
three-fourths of a mile from Mr. Ives, in the near neighbor-
hood of the ))resent residence of Mr. James Hrintnall, where
he had a little clearing, or what was perhaps more iij)-
propriately called, in backwoods phrase, a choj)ping, and
which was surrounded l)y a tem{)orary brush fence. Hetween
himself and Mr. Ives there was no road; and nothing but a
line of marked trees to designate the little footpath which
meandered through the deep, dark, anil in many places
tangled forest, which stretched off almost interminal)ly on
either hand.

The butchering over, and su])j)er disposed of, it was
agreed that there was time to cut up the pork, and Mr.
Knowlt'in consented to stay and a.ssist in doing so. At a late
hour, the whole work was finally completed, and Mr.

THHKJ.; USKs.

2h1

e.Kleavo,. t„ folio.- out Lis little foot n-.tl J '"

-:t^::::;:n;;rt:^

214

Tiii;i:i; links.

wild liciiHls. Hiiil lie soon loiuul liiinself i|uick('iiiiiu' liis |iaco.
while cvci' iiixl aiioii lie iiistiiictivcly cast a wistful eye over
his shoulder and into the recesses of the thick woods on eithei'

hand

It was not lonji'. however, that any douhl i'<'niained ahout
his iieiiiii' the ohject of tlu'ir pursuit, as his (|uick ear detected
till' <;ailo|)in<i- movement of a trooj) of pattei'ino' feet on Ids
track, and it was hi'coniinfi' more and more a (jUestion of in-
terest with him how the chase would tcnninate.

lie hoped when hi' rellected that he was nearinfi' his own
hahitation every moment and his ])ath was hecoiuin^- plainer,
and he was aide to make ln'tter projifess. Uut the odds was
with them for they were li<ihter of foot and could see a fii'cat
deal hetter than he could in the ^ilooni of the foi'est, hut, more
than all, they were so many antl wcmv mad with hunjii'r and
were hecominy more and more des])erate every moment. On,
on, on. till' old man strode resolutely and with a strenjith and
speed which would have surprised him at any other time,
iven hv davliuht, hut which seemed slow enouiih now in the

tlUH

>f hi

s e.xtri'niitv.

Jl he could hut keep them at hay a little lon<ierand until
lie could clear the dark woods anil get the henelit of the com-
paratively open litiht of Ids chop]>in<i', or lay his hand upon a
sti'ong hand spike, sled stake or hillet of wood, he nduht still
hope to defend him.sell" successfully or esca|ie from their hun-

;rv iaws. Strainiu"' everv nerve

he I

tounded onward with

such ability as only des[)eration and love of life allorded ; hut
the distance hetween him and his pursuers was not le.s,><ene(l
hy all his efforts, and hefore he reachetl the hrush fence that
sui'roundeil his peaceful home he felt that his tiuu' ha<l nearly
come, when he bethought himself of the parting advice of his
friend Ives.

-■-■ 'i— Wi^rir, 7;-7,

'rnKj:K i.ink-s.

21 n

..ni,'w:::;;:';;!:;:';;:::r";;:;i;"', ; '>• ■'-'-

"...1 .ho «lv..s ,„.. „ Ik , n : h' "'"■'-'" "!"" '■''■"'■'"' ""■"■>■
the ol,l,.„ ti.m. "^'"■"'8 '" ""■ '"""'•.V of

A Bit of Topography.

The foregoing ingenious chart was prepared by Mr.
Frederick Campbell of Lowville, an<l was accompanied by the
following interesting data :

The topograi.hv of the country traversed between Utica
and the Thousand Islands is to most people entirely unknown.
The grades are so met that most tourists woul.l be quite un-
conscious that there were any marked gra.les at all ; and many
would exhibit no surprise if they should be tohl that no higher
elevations above sea level are met between Utic.v and the
Thousand Islands than between New York and Ltica llic
accompanying cut, which I have carefully prepared from
official reports will ivveal the tacts.

In the chart each space represents 100 ieet above sea
level- the irregular line thus makes graphic the elevations of
the entire route. At the left are given the elevations ot a
number of places in the Tnite.! States with which the eleva-
tions of places (.11 the Thousan.l Island route may he compared.
It will here hv seen that the climb from New York to L tica
is insignificant : there is a rise of only '^2 feet in passing from
New York to Albany, though the dintance Ih nearly 150 milea

A HIT or TUIMXIKAI'IIY. 'J 1 /

And at 2:?S miles iVoiii New York, I'ticii is found iit iin cicvii-
tion of only 41(ir('t't altovc tlic sea. Mut one has proceeded
only K) miles on the Home, Watertf)\vn and ( );j,(lensl)urfi' i-ail-
road (HIaek iJiviT division) when he has doubled hiseli'vation.
(Trenton.) and with thirteen miles more (Alder Ci-eek) has
multiplied it hy three. While the summit level of the Mlack
Hiver canal is at Moonville. at an elevation of 1,1 1!> feet, th(\
summit of tin- lilaek River route is found a little to the south
of .VIder Creek, the latter place itself hein^ 1,'24.") feet aljove
the .soa. From tlait point it is a steady decline to Martinshurg
.station, the descent beinj^ particularly swift between Boonville
and Port Leyden, the passenfjer bi'ing able to note it by
watchiuf; the locks of the parallel canal. In seven miles there
is a <lrop of 2:^") feet, the first three miles of the distance takinjf
14") feet of the drop. From Arartinsburjf it will be seen that
there is another climb to Lowville, S45 feet elevation, whence
there is a pi'aetically continuous down f^rade to Clayton, which,
at 28'2 feet elevation is but little more than half that of I'tica.
Heferi'inji' to the comparative lieures on the left, it will be
<»bserved that the elevation of I'tica is midway between that
of Hai-risburji, Fa., and Rochester, old and olO resi)ectively.
Holland Patent stands 30 feet hifiher than Chicajio. Trenton
is much hifiher than either St. Paul or Kansas City, and but
little less than Topeka, Kans. Trenton Falls is 4") feet hij>her
than Farjro, X. I)., Remsen exceeds the celebrated Altoona on
the Penn.sylvania railroad by 24 feet, and Alder Creek is within
oo feet of being as high as Chautau(|ua lake, which boasts the
highest navigated water east of the Rocky mountain.*. lioon-
ville is 100 feet higher than Omaha, Lowville is nearly even
with Toiieka, Carthage witli Kansas City, and Clayton with
iSchenectady.

The French Settlers.

Tlu. following.- imiHT is iVom the pen of Mrs. M. L-
WhitcluM- of Whitcsbon., N. v.:

Thus, wl.o like to wa.xl.r in tl.o l.,y-,.aths ot our nation «

historv will rnnombcr Iha, at a very ...ly ,K.vi..l <'fthe -v^ -

tiouDr. Franklin luMn.u sent in 1777 as aml.assa.lo. to tl

^,.,„.„, ...,„, to ,ain tlu. assistance ..f that ^---n-
,,n.vin,' on our war with England, was tenaere.1 ana aeu.t 1

luse^raviUaail'assy. vent ,Vee, hy ..s ..wner a wealth>
,,,nker. Dr. Frankli,>oeeu,.iea the villa nnu.yc^vs

Thi. aet of u-enerous h-.spitality was .lone hy Mon> eu. M.
, .. Uav .le ClKunnont, who was a student of the allan-s o
,,..,;,,,,n.,eolonies an 1 deeply interesteanUheeau^^^^^^^

,;,„„,,. n.,,,vel.r. Franklin a warn. veee,,tH.n an. ... K
Auu.;ieane..nnuissi.nu.rs..,uU.ln..,lK..,...nly r..HU.l t-
F,.en.•h curt, he ptve u,. hiss..at .n the nun.stry hatle
Uht a..t asint..rnu..lia,vh...w..enthe An.er.eansan.l lus..un

"""'"'Ti!' iu'c^anu- tlu. fri..n.l an.l ,.atron.4-.he....lonistsan.lsent
thenia wh,.leear,.> .>f ,.ow.ler with instruetionsUuU^^^^^^^^^^
not bo paid for unlo^B thoir c.uh. wub wuu. Wc icceutiy

■:^i.^'^i'^:--

'L^^4cif/P^''^'^^"^ '^">C

THE KKKNCH SETTLKRS.

219

learned from the agent of the Lc Ray estate that the powder so
generously furnished had not been paid for. The cargo con-
sisted of two thousand barrels. From his own purse Af. Le
Ray also fitted a shij) to join the Bon Homme Richard and
was chosen to superintend the equipment of the entire squad-
ron which was destined to cast lustre on the name of John
Paul Jones.

M. James Donatius Le Ray, the banker's eldest son, was
at this time completing his education, studying English with
his father's venerable friend. Dr. Franklin. He, too, became
interested in American affairs and visited this country soon
after the revolution, bearing letters of introduction from Dr.
Franklin to Gouverneur Morris, DeWitt Clinton and other
prominent men. During a second visit he bought large tracts
of land, one in New Jersey and another in Otsego county, this
state, for which Judge Cooper, father of the novelist, J. Fenni-
more Cooper, was his agent. Hut the largest of his jiurchases
was a tract of two hundred and twenty thou.sand acres of land
in Jeffer.'^on county, the most of which was bought on Jan. 3,
ISO:^, from William (Nonstable, the grandfather of the late
Hon. Willianv C. Pierrepont of Pierrepont Manor. It was on
tiiis property that he built his home. A hamlet sprung up
around his grand man.sion, named Le Raysville, as the town-
shi|) was very properly called Le Ray. The homestead site
and liandet are near the line of the Utica and lilack River
railroad, the nearest station, I'elts Mills, Ijeing (tnly three
miles distant, its sob' claim to public notice, asi<lt' from the
air of historical romance still clinging to it, is the i)i('turesque
l)eauty of its scenery. Tin* original dwelling built in LSIO,
was burnefl in 1S22. This was replaced by a mansion which
was completed in 1S27, and stands on the original site, a pla-
teau often acres, from which tiie ground falls away on every

■

220

THK KRKNCH SKTTl.EKS.

side. Its walls of massivo stone arc covered with stueco
similar to that which adorns the White House at Washinj^ton.
The house is two stories high, with wings at either side and a
large hasement. Four largo rooms oceuj»y each floor, the front
parlors and corresponding rooms above being octagon in form.
One of the wings was used as a cluipel and the other for a
hbrary. In the basement were the stoi'erooms, pantries,
kitchen and wine cellar. The lloor of the last mentioned is of
stone, while all around the .sides were shelves so arranged with
holes that the wines, ahvaj's the choicest variety, were kept
on their corks. A number of wine casks are still standing in
the old cellar and the aroma, which is even at this time plaiidy
perceptible, is a vivid reminder of the times when the mansion
was widely famous for its fi'e(iuent and generous hosiiitality.
Among the many distinguislietl guests entertained at the
man.sion were (Jouvenieur Morris, (iovei'uor Clinton and
President Monroe, who, shortly after his inauguration, made a
tour of the northern frontier to ins])ect the military fortifica-
tions and learn their strengtli in case of need. Tlie j)resident
arrived in August, 1S17. and n-mained for si'veral days, the
guest of M. Li" Ray. The president woi'c the undress uniform
of an oHicer of till' revolution — a mililary coat, light colored
breeches and a cocked hat.

In the gi'and octagon parlors there are still some of the
massive elegant piiM- tables, with their plate glass backs and
carved lions' A'ct, while above the marble mantels are the
grand old mirrors I'xtending to the ceiling, aial at either side
are elegant bronze chandeliers, which supporte<l large clusters
of wax candles. Tlu' walls of these rocans are still without
spot or blemish although they were linished in 1.S27. To one
visitor, at least, who wouM tell the story of their hey-di'V and
their desolation llicrc is an indescribable charm in tlie.>^e — '

BBUMiMilMUfiM

THK FRENCH SKTTJ.KKS.

221

" Rooms of luxiirv and state,

That old iiiagnificouce so richly I'uniished,
With cabinet of ancient date

xVnd carvings gilt and burnished."
The mansion faces the forest. On its left was the deer
park, whei-e tame fawns might be seen (luietly grazing, while
to tlie right were tlie ample gardens, which were famous for
rare fruits and choice Mowers and vegetaljle.s, imported tVom
France or furnished fium the gardens at the White Iloase in
Washington, their only .■superior in this country.

A neat l)ridge with white latticed railing still spans the
stream that runs in front of th(> mansion and forms an attrac-
tive feature of the landscape from the piazza, where the massive
Doric columns extend to the roof " Where once the garden
smiled " is now a field of wheat. I'he old garden walks can
now only be traced by sonn' lilac or sturdy rose. The beautiful
grave beside the garden is still standing and through it the
old path leads to the waterfall and the ruins of what was once
a pretty alcove. Ol the many arbors, rustic I)owers and sum-
mer houses which were arranged so invitingly about the
grounds, only one remains, flic spy-house, an octagon structure,
neatly plastered and painted. This cozy retreat was furnished
with books, j)apers ami a spy-glass, witli which the members
of the household could amuse themselves with watching the
niovementsi.f the villagers. P.etween the spy-he )u.se a n'^1 the
village was an artificial pond formed by damming the stream
which murmured through the ground at the waterfall only to
appear again near the mansion. The slu>et of water is called
St. James' lake, it was stocked with speckled trout and [)ro-
vi(led with pleasure boats. It still furnishes the young villagers
a line boating place.

The waterfall is a place of wild, romantic beaulv. The

222

THE FRENCH SETTLERS.

waters of the stream which murmurs through the grove here
plunge down a deep, rocky chasm and disapi)ear from sight.
At the foot of the chasm is a small cave where the sunshine
never enters, but above and around it wild flowers bloom
profusely. The air seems always tilled with the music of .song
birds, odors of wild flowers and the soft splashing of the falling
water. It seems like enchanted ground.

In the grove near the fall is the tomb of a little child. It
is covered by a slab of gray marble and upon an upright
stone one may redd : " Here lies Clotilde de Gouvello, died
Sept. 20, 1818. She was endeared to her i»arents and tenderly
loved by all who watched her thirteen months of patient suf-
fering life. Strew flowers upon her grave, but weep not, for
she numbers with angels in Heaven." This little one was
the grandchild of M. LeKay and was the only one of the
family who was buried in America. She was bajjtized in the
grove not far from her last quiet resting place. A huge
boulder, which presented a large flat surface about four feet
from the ground, was, with candles, crucifix and fair linen,
transformed into an altar. A large branch of a tall oak spread
out protectingly as a canopy over it, and near the end of the
limb two of its smaller branches suggested the antlers f)f a
deer. Artistic carving of the end of the limb completed a
close resemblance to a deer's head. At its neck was hung a
bell which could be rung from the ground by means of a
nicely adjusted rope and puUey. On a j»leasant afterncon in
August, 1.S17, at a given hour, the bell was rnng, and tlie
family, accompanied by servants, sponsors and priest,
marched in quiet procession to the appointed place. When
the solemn sacrament of baf)tism had been a(bninistered to
the child the l)arty returned to the mansion wln-re a l)a2)tismal
feast had been prepared, and gifts, to commeu'.orate the event,

itgum^mmm^iiiummiimm-\

THE I'ltKXClI SETTLKKS. 223

Were distributed to all tlio retainers of the household. The
mother of this child was Therese, only daughter of M. LeRay
She had remained in France, where she became engaged in
marriage to the Marquis De Gouvello. Her father had been
sent for to assist in drawing up the marriage settlements and
when tliat important document was read the daughter
demanded a change, providing that, in case of divorce her
portion of her husband's estate should be doubled. Her father
remonstrated, declaring that God, who ordained marriage
designed the union to be perpetual, and would not bless a
hond accepted by the lips when the heart harbored thoughts
of Its severance. The marriage was therefore postponed until
the judgment of the daughter harmonized with that of her
father. It was in honor of this daughter that the town of
Theresa was named, as Cape A'incent was named for his son
\ incent, Alexandria Bay for his son Alexander, Juhelville
( now a part of ^\^ltertown ) for his mother-in-law, and Plessis
was named for his dog.

In his religion, M. Le Kay was a devout Catholic, yet
liberal in his .sjiiritual as he was generous in his material
things. Thi.s was shown in his gifts of land and building
materials for the building of churches of any denomination,
lie also contributed freely for the establishment of schools.
In fact in all of his aHairs he used very liberal measures.

He sent agents to France and other countries, circulated
pamphlets and sought to induce those who had been neigh-
bors in the old world to unite in settling the new He
l.rought gentlemen of education and abilitv to superintend
the establishing of mills and factories which he provided a',
the wants of the settlers reciuired. These gentlemen brought
with them not only the arts and industries of the higher
civilization of tlieir old home, but somewhat more of the idea

224

TIIK I'KKN'CII SKTTI.KKS.

oi" soc'iiil rank and dijijiiity of ])o.sition tliiit was used in lu-w
A jiuM'ican s('ttli'iiu'iit.s, in the northern states at least. For,
•ilt'iouj^li tlie family and all their household were eourteous
ii":l (•■>!M'iiiatory, this did not hridj^je over the great social jiulf
iaiNi-eii them and their neif^hhors, and when the great family
carri;i,>,i' howled throunh the village the housekee|iers left

ll "ir h;

lese i ■() IK

• ind ehurning to catch a glimpse of the passing
■ I. ■ 'ri"'re's such divinity doth hedge a king."
::'<tied a denial to that pofjular fallacy " that

all men are cicated e(|Ual."

Prominent among the distinguished French gentlemen
who purcliased land of M. Le Kay was .lo,<eph lionaparte. ex-
king of Spain. After the defeat at Waterloo in ISl"), Jo.seph,

reahzmg

that

riches liave wnigs,

tll'ered M. i.c Kav. who

was then in France ( where he had heen sent to .settle some
accounts hetween that government and the I'nited States,)
several wagon loads of silver foi- an uncertain amount of his

encan tei'ritorv,

liere Wert' no sur\'evs o

r title deeds

agreed u|)(tn, as the Bonapartes were in great haste to get out

of France and then

wa,>

little time for details.

iitolcon

promised to meet liis hrother in this country and there is no
douht, that had the emperoi' heen allowed to select his own
line of travel, he would have prefei'red to live with his
marshals and generals on our northei'n frontier to the lonely
isle of St. Helena.

Joseph Bonaparte matle a purchase of one hundred and
twenty thousainl acri's in .led'erson and Lewis counties. A
heautiful lake on the edge of the North Woods is still called
IJonapai'te Lake. In extent it is more than a thousand acres;
it is dotti'd with pictures<iue i.slands, and heing i'vd wholly hy
suhterranean streams its waters have a wonderful clearness,

TiiK I'ki;n('ii skiti,i;i!s.

225

such as has made Loohes Lomond and Katrine famous in
Scottish history.

At a place on Indian i-ivcr about nine miles from the
vdlage of Carthage, the waters (low under a rock of white
hmestone, and at this point, calle.l Natural Mridge, Joseph
Bonaparte built a house in 1829, which is still standing. The
brulge on the upper side is nearly as smootli as masonry
while beneath, the waters luue worn <lee]. grottoes where one
may walk upright into the rocky recesses until he finds him-
self groping into darkness. This locality rewards the seeker
of specnnens of rocks and minerals. The near-by iionaparte
hou,se might easily be mistaken for an old-fashioned meeting
hou.se without belfry or steeple. It is now a tenement, but
Its occupants still take pri.le in showing its oddities to the
curious yisitors and in furnishing their own admiring com-
mentary ui)on tlie former owner, the count, as they call the
ex-kmg of Spain. His green velyet hunting suits, free ex-
penditure of money, conciliating manner and his bullet-proof
sUieping chamber are fruitful toj.ics for conyersation. The
Count de Surveillers spent four .summers on his American
estate. He was accompanied by a retinue of followers and
had as his guests many <listinguished French generals, exiles
like himself. Their baiuiuets seryi^d on golden dishes were
characteri/.e<l by all the i.om{, and precision of court eti(iuette
Some of these noble guests became colonists for a time
Among them were Count Real, who was Napoleon's chief
prefect of police, the Due de Vincennes, a philosopher of
eminence; M. rMgeon, an astronomer who brought some of
the finest instruments known to the age, to Cape \'incent •
Marshal (}rouchy, to whose too imi.licit obedience of orders
historians attribute the defeat at Waterloo, and other Napole-
onic adherents who joined in building a hou.se for the

220

THK I'RKNCH SICTTLKHH.

emperor's occupiition when he should escape from St. Ileleiiii.

Another member of tlie lionaparte family, Na])oleon Louis
Lucieu Murat. likewise hceaine a resident of Jelferson eounty.
Ho was a son of the hrilliant (leneral Murat, Napoleon's great-
est cavalry oftieei' (whom lie made kinji; of the two Sicilies) and
of Caroline, sister of the tirst consul. Tiieson remained, foi- a
while after Waterloo, with his mother in Sj)ain, until the
Bourbons n^ade his residence there too uncomfortable.
He then joined the continjj;ent of refuj;ees and bought a tract
of land on Indian river near Theresa, where he opened a store,
built saw mills and grist mills, and fancied he had founded a
city, which he called Joachim in honor of his father. Me was
a gay and volatile young fellow, and though the fortunes of
his family and of his country were, at that time, grave enough
to fill a thoughtful mind with apprehensions, beseemed intent
upon making life a holiday. His store, instead of being
stocked with corduroy and jeans, which were needed by the
settlers, was decked out with artificial Howers and French
millinery, and at his fantastic entertainments metamorphosed
the farmers' daughters, the only young women in the neigh-
borhood, into Cinderellas clothed with delicate silks which he
imported and distributed freely among the maids of tlie Dutch
settlement. Among the luxuries which the young prince
brought from France was a grand {)iano, which was preserved
only to be burned in the very disastrous fire which visited the
village of ("arthage in 18S1. Its antifjue pattern showed the legs
connected at either end by an elaborately carved harp and
braced by a long bar of solid mahogany, also carved, which
united the ends as old fashioned chairs were strengthened by
a rung extending acro.ss the middle. The piano rested upon
carved lions' feet while at each end were drawers for music.

Nothing now remains of Joachim, a city " whose glory

■•»

THE FRENCH SETTLERS,

227

passed away wliile yet it never was." The name, however,
still clings to a bridge and dam which were built when the
city was planned.

The prince married an American woman who, when
their last shred of fortune had vanished, opened a boarding
scliool under the untitled name of Madam Murat. The writer
of a sensational article which appeared in I'utnam's Magazine
in 1853 under the caption " Have We a Bourbon Among us? "
attempted to foist upon the world a marvelous tale stating
that the well beloved preacher to the Indians, the Rev. Eleazur
Williams, was, in reality, the young dnuphin son of Louis XVI
and Marie Antoinette and that M. Le Ray de Chaumont was
the agent of his rescue, escape and preservation in the safe
solitudes of Northern Now York. M. Vincent I.e Ray indig-
nantly denied the charge and gave the denial all the publicity
that print and painstaking distribution could provide.
Lamartine states that the miracle of silence over his escape
would be greater than his miraculous escape itself.

It is to be regretted that a name so worthy of remem-
brance as is tliat of Le Ray should be omitted from the })ages
of history. In a life of Dr. Franklin, which has been recently
published, the story of M. Le Ray's hospitality to him is
pleasantly told ; there also i\pj)ears a picture of the senior Le
Ray and a picture of the house occupied by Dr. Franklin
during his nine years' residence in France. The building
is still pointed out to tourists as the Franklin house.

M. Le Ray and his family left America and returned to
France in June, ISSO. - He died in December, 1840, aged SO
years, leaving three children and two sisters. Alexander, his
youngest son, fell in a duel in Texas in 1844. Theresa,
Countess de (rouvello, died in 1853, leaving one son who came
to this country in 1881, having been invited by this govern-

22S

Tin; l-KllNCII iSKTTLKlSS.

inent to represent tlie Lc Ray family at the centennial
celebration of the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown. Before
returning he visited the old home in Jefferson county. \'in-
cent L(! liny, who succeeded to his father's estate in 1825, was
a methodical business man, and though strictly honorable, he
possessed none of the liberal qualities of his father. He died
in 188(), leaving one son, Charles, Marques de Ht. Paul, a
childless man with whose death the historic name will prob-
ably cease.

Two Old -Fashioned Boys.

lieu and Joby Collins wore coasting ono Saturday lialf-
lioliday on a sled with bent runners. Ben was the elder and
the more serious. Joby was more athletic, ((uicker of percep-
tion, and slow to believe what he could not see with his own
eyes and instantly comprehend. What Hen lacked in the
perceptive organs he fully made up in the reflective. Conse-
quently he was slow, in fact, clumsy, and Joby was constant-
ly getting the "start " of him in their boyish divertisements.
Ben's ea.sy temj)erament was the means of avoiding friction
over Joby's little victories. They usually agreed excej)t upon
scientific matters in which Ben, having a thirst for knowledge,
was greatly interested. His rehash of natural philo.^ophy was
wholly lost upon Joby who was skeptical and at times i)ored
by his brother's di.scussion of theoretical and applied science
which he found in an old volume borrowed from a neighbor
who once lived in Boston.

^hon

'Let's take one more slide and the
nid

n go home, do the
•es and get ready for the show, " suggested Ben, wlu

though slow, was really the leading spirit in the enterprises of
the Boy's Own Kingdom.

" What is the show, Ben, " inquired the other.

230

TWO Ol,l)-rASllIUNl<:i) liO\!i.

" Why. Ilu' tMllyj,M-iii»li ! The tiling' that talks ovor twi'il-
tv miles of wire, Tiic showmou como to paw for to got tho
Hchoolhousc to ^'ivo the show in. "

"Tliat's iiawthin, " nnswcrt'd Johy, its just as easy to
talk over a coil of wire as over a hatulslcd. (let on — its my

st('('V- "

" Mut thr wiro is stnitcht'd uway milos ami miloson polos

and they talk to another feller at the othor "

Furtl'.er explanation was ])r(Hduded by the speed of <lie
sled down tiie lonf>' sh)|te which dropped them gently ' o

ice whieli covered I, a Famine and the lake as far as t.
could reach.

" Now, once more and I'll steer, " urged lien when they
had shot far out on the ice.

They returned to the top of the hill and made a. fresh
.start, Hen lying down and making a rudder of a new copper-
toed boot, The course made a sharp turn through an open
gate tlanked by a rail fence.

Ben steered too much and the sled began to waver in its
course.

Look out! " warned Job, and then flung himself off into
the snow whither he emerged half suffocated to find the sled
high and dry in the rail fence and poor Ben screeching with
pain. It was characteristic of Ben's lack of skill that he
should slam into the fence.

" Oh ! my leg, my leg ! It's broke, Joby. Draw me
home on the sled. I — feel — so — sick. "

Joby was frightened, but as he did things without ever
thinking he very ([uickly mended the wrecked sled with cord
and then all but finished Ben in rolling him onto it. He drew
his injured brother to the house and made such a hullabaloo
for help that his affrighted parents ran to meet him and as-

TWO OM)-KASIII()NKD BOVs.

281

sist the suffbriii^' boy to n trundle bed vvhicli vvns hauled from
under the bed in the recess.

A neighbor was .sent on liorHcback for a doctor, sixteen
miles distant, and grnndinother put a buneh of i.ennvroyal
steeping because as she said " if a sweat did him no good it
would do no harm, " albeit the victim of the accident was in
such pain as to cause the perspiration to moisten his whole
body.

The doctor arrived the next day and found the limb al-
ready set and bound in splints of bark, a very creditable job,
he called it, and loft instructions for poor Ben to keep the bed
for three weeks, when he would return and examine the limb
to determine th( iiccess of the process of healing.

Now, be it remembered that the C^ollins-es were a social
people and their home was the resort of neighbors for miles
around. Jfank Collins was a popular man, though not
strong-minded, and while he entertained some political pres-
tige he was not a leader, but a man whose good gn.ces were
sought by would-be leaders. Hence his sayings were quoted
as from an authority, and he was brought into intercourse
with the scattering neighbors more frequently than any other
one of them. Moreover lie was a subscriber to a weeklv pai)er
published in Ttica.

Ben always heard what was .said by elders in nis presence,
and pondered much over their discussions which he insisted
upon retailing to young .Job who did not always exhibit the
characteristic of his more ]>atient namesake.

•lob went to the schoolhou.se in the evening, and fo- a
sixpence saw the new telegraph exhibited. Jle explained the
instrument to Ben in the following not very lucid terms:

" The show didn't mount to nawthink ! The feller set up
a jigger-jabber on the girls' side and another on our side, and

2,S2

TWO ()I,f)-I ASHIOXKD BOYS.

run out sonio wire aloup; a fence and the trees and brung it
back into another wincK-r and hitc'vd it to another jigger.
Then lie stuck a wire (h)wn a knot-hole in the floor, and some
more wires into some dishes he called a bai+er. Then he jig-
gered one machine and the other jiggered just like it and the
two just jigger-jabbered and there wan't nobody anigh to it.
He had a paper ribband wound on a wheel and a dock thing
run down and made some marks on the ribband just like the
marks he made on the blackboard. Then he read the pin
scratches on tlie ribband out loud and said it said 'In (Jod we
trust.' I hearn Mr. ]\hirceau say it was all a humbug and we
was all fooled. Paw, \w says there is somethink in it, but
he don't know what. Some say there is and some say he's a
vanphilist and made the click-clack on tother jigger with his
mouth. You ain't mist anythink and I haint seen anythink.
Wusht Tde a sa\'ed mj* sixpence for a lunik of gingtr bread
next Fourth July." After the recital Job was plied with so
many questions that the last were vaguely answered in his
sleep. His ideas of the machine wei\ perhaps as clear as
those of most of the adults who had been attracted to the ex-
hibition.

Poor lion ! All his life he had wanted to see .something
and now his pain must be borne with a<lditional grief because
deprived of seeing an exhibition of electric science. His feel-
ings upon this subject were not relieved on hearing the
discussions of the exhibit which occurred almost daily among
the. neighbors who called to sympathize with Hen and borrow
the newspaper.

During his imprisonment he heanl much talk of the
election of governor, and Hunkers, Harn Burners, FreeSoilers
and jSIudsills, as well as Anti-Masons. He was well awiiic
that his father was not in sympatlu' with the latter as he had

TWO OLD-FASHIONED HOYS.

283

[■

heard a heated debate between him and Bone AFarceai, the
latter alleging that he did not want to belong to a party of
murderers or have them getinto power to secretly kill off their
enemies at will and leave the world to wonder who did it.

" But Free Masonry does not encourage that sort of thing
any more than does the Church of England," protested Mr
Collins.

" You tell me that ! You know as well as [ they killed
Morgan, threw him into Niagara river an.l tlien oi^e night
buried him in three graves. You know that hundreds of
other unaccountal)le murders have been committed in the
same mysterious way. Do you want a government of mur-
derers ? "

"No, I do not. But I do not like to see my— a party
called murderers without the proof. A man is inni^cent until
he IS proven guilty."

Marceau was a pronounced Anti and no amount ot argu-
ment would convince him that a Free Mason was not a dis-
guised murderer. So it was agreed that the matter should
not be further discus.sed.

About ten days after this discussion Ben sat upon his
trundle-bed, which was far too small,in the house alone. Job
who had become more and more of a companion during Ben'.s
stay in doors, ran in all out of breath.

"Say, Ben, its too durn bad ! Can't vou walk? Try it
I've just found some of the queerest things^n the straw stack"
bilvcr'n gold things .' "

Ben's curiosity was fully arouse* I, besides he ha<l been
shut up ten days and was like a caged bir.l once free.

"I bleeve I can hobble out there aii<l back befoiv any-
body comes. I just hopped to the door and back just to see
II 1 could move. "

234

TWO OLD-FASHIOXFD BOYS.

" In course you can, " vouched the excited Job. "Ten
«h»ys is time enough to heal a horse's leg. Jlere, take gramp's
cane and the tongs. I'll help. "

Slowly and in fear Hen started on the short journey and
with Job's encouragement he reached the stack much to his
surprise without any special .suffering. Once there Job began
throwing the straw, which had been thrashed with i Hail,
aside with a fork made of the crotch of a hickory stick.

"What's this?" holding up a })air of crossed (juills.
" And here is a coo{)er's compass stuck on a square and look
at these great keys ! Here's pole hooks and a big letter G,
and a Bibk> — would a thief steal a Bil)le, Bon?"

"Well how do you know any of it's stole, " in<|uired Ben.

"How else could it get into the .straw, then," queried Job
in turn.

"Well, I don't say as how it was stole, but I just believe
its a Free Mason's "

Job dropped the keys with an exclamation of horror.

"Do you suppose tliis is what they kill folks with?"

Ben wasn't sure, but at his suggestion the discovery was
again secreted in the straw and the boys returned to the house
in alarm lest they should meet the fate of Morgan before the
I'eturn of their parents. And Ben began to feel tliat jterliaps
he miglit sutler great injury from deserting his l)ed before he
had permission.

When the pai'ents returned the boys related tlie news of
their wonderful find to their mother, jind she in turn told
their fatiiei'. lie seemed surprised and a little frustrated,
tlien sternly l)ade them not to siiy a word t<i a sotil about the
matter.

Next forenoon .lob plucked u[) <'ouragi: enough to again
I'emove the straw so as to gel another look at the strange

' (iO IN JUST ONC'K MOKE. "

TWO OLD-FASHIONED BOYS.

235

objects. He threw out a great lot of the straw and declared
he didn't suppose he had buried it so deep. After an extra
effort he came down to solid straw which had not been dis-
turbed. Not until then did it occur to him that the wonder-
ful things he had seen and handled had gone just as myster-
iously as they had appeared. When he made report of the
equally strange disappearance to his father, that worthy
laconically dismissed the subject with an imperative :

"Shut up!"

It was but a few days after Job's discovery that the doc-
tor, with mysterious saddle bags, returned to visit his patient,
only to find him knocking about with his injured limb lashed
to a barrel stave, the convex surface fitting under the knte
ver^' comfortably. To the neighbors the boy's leaving his bed
a week before the date fixed by the doctor was a triumph of
their inherent opposition to professional science.

" But what could you expect, " remarked Ben's mother,
" what could you expect from a doctor who has a mustache? "

It was agreed that a man so dandified as to grow a mus-
tache could not be very smart to say nothing of professional
knowledge. As for Ben, he was too anxious to get away to his
accustomed outdoor pastitr.LS to debate the question of the
knitting of the bones between the doctor's skill and the awful
doses of jala}), boneset tea and calomel administered by his
anxious grandmother who had a Thomnonian specific in every
weed in the forest.

" I'm just death on the fever, " she v?oul<l say, " and gin
me a plenty of fever-weed and pennyroyal, and keep them
from a filling themselves with water and I'll warn you they'll
come out all right unless it happens as it did with Huldy
Dobbins, she that was a Purse. She was outen her head and
once when she didn't know what she was about and the

236

TWO OLD-KASlnONKI) liOYS.

watchers was asleep she just went to the si»ring and drank
and drank. I took care of her myself arter that and she was
right sick for a fortniglit, hut she didn't get another drop of
water you may depend. "

The old lady drew a day pipe from the ashes where it
had been placed to burn it out, and filling it smoked com-
placently in silence. Ah ! Could a machine for recording
thought be had what a world of reminiscence could have been
rescued from oblivion as the dear old lady smoked and
dreamed of her days of activity " down at old Glosster."

Some hardships befell the early settlers on this fertile
point, and among the most annoying little things was losing
the fire. jMi*s. Collins was attending a sick neighbor ; her
hus'uand had gone to the Harbor with a grist drawn by a yoke
of oxen and the trip would require two days. The boys and
their grandmother were left alone and such a bustling pre|)a ra-
tion for dinner had not stirred up tlie but-and-ben of a house
since last Thanksgiving, when the occasion was made
memorable by the rescue of four half-drowned .settlers who
had been cast upon the shore in the night and brought back
to life in the hospitable cheer of the Collins fireplace.

The old lady was intent upon getting up a bounteous
meal of rye-and-Indian bread and corned beef with cal)bage.
When she had broiled some salt pork before the embers, and
freshened it by dipping the sizzling {)iece in a gourd of cold
water often, and then again bringing it to the coals, she set
about further preparation so interestedly as to forget the low
fire. When she hung a kettle on the crane she was suri)ri.sed
to find the fire out. Not a live ember remained. There was
no tinder box, and the punk Mr. Collins had taken with him.

" Joby," she .said .solemnly, " the fire's lost. You will
have to go down to Uncle Hiram's and get some fire, and get

<■<«.

TWO OLD-I'ASHIOXKD HOYS.

237

back quick as over you can. Here, take the tongs, and
hurry."

It was two miles to the neighbor's and a four mile trudge
in the snow did not promise any unusual amusement. How-
ever, he was accustomed to obeying, and that at once Off
ho trudged with the tor'^s astride his neck and in due time
made his errand known at the neigh])or's door, lie walked
in without rapping, and was cordially received. A big
twisted doughnut and a yellow mug of souj) was brought, and
the same relished with the truly enviable appetite of a hungry
boy.

The end of a burning stick was caught in the tongs and
Joby started for home, giving the ember an occasional whirl
over his head to keep it "alive." Weary and wet the plucky
lad arrived at his father's clearing and climbed the rail and
brush fence. His foot sli[)pod and ho plunged off into the
snow whither he emerged hnlf sutfocated. The ember had
fallen to the opposite side of the fence and sizzled and smoke<l
an<l steamed as poor .loby scrambled ai'ound in the snow
vainly searching for the tongs. Those wore found lodged in
tlio fcnco just as lie was ready to give up and cry. But his
joy was (piickly gone. .Vn ominous silence m the neighbor-
iiood of the erstwhile sputtering eml)er fi'il'.'d him >vith disap-
pointment. The cherished live coal was Idaek and dead.

Job let out just one wail, and then resolutely turned back
for another brand, and in so doing exhibited the courage and
fortitude of the pioneers who subdued the wooded and rocky
lUaek Kiver country. Our young hero was successful in the
second eil'ort, and as he dried himself before the big crackling
hre he soon recovered his wonted spirits and animation.

His father returned unexpectedly that night having left
the grist to be ground next day, and it was agreed that Mr.

238

TWO OLD-KASIIIOXED IJOYS.

Marceau should remain with the grist. What was his surprise
on going after it to meet Mr. ^hu■ceau who had returned tive
or six miles of the distance and brought the two bags of grist
by carrying one some distance and setting it down, returning
for the other. He was careful nottcjget either out of his sight,
and in the return traversed the distance three times.

Spring arrived with its attendant Hoods and a big run of
suckers, which created no end of amusement for the few boys
in the neighborhood who had a great joke on Hone Marceau.
He and another neighbor were catching suckers with a small
scoopnet, and the better to {)reserve them they were thrown in
a rockhole which contained water. They had captured almost
a hundred of them when they decided that it were needless to
continue the .slaughter. They were not a little surj)rise<l to
find not a tish in the hole and still more surprised to find
in it a communication with the creek out of which the one poor
sucker passed and repassed only to be caught up and tos.sed back
again until almost exhausted. Joking Marceau was a serious
thing, however, esj)ecially as Tubb.«, the cooper, had related
the incident and the boys knew him for a funny old joker.

Tubbs was a prime favorite with the boys. He had told
them that he was in a circus before his arrival in their com-
munity and the wontlerful feats he perfoi'med and saw
performed completely won the boys over to holding a candle
for him as he worked of an evening, and to go on all manner
of errands. He told them the most delightful l)ogie stones
aliout banshees and death-ticks.

A favorite yarn was his experience of driving a (•or[)se at
a funeral "down ea.st." He had a })air of horses attached to
a long sled.

"The ground was bare in spots" said he, " and rough in
pL'ice.s. The coHin was placed in the sled an»l all went well

TWO ol.|i-l'ASi:i()NKU I!(»YS.

239

until the dosci'iit of a big hill was commeiictHl. It was bare
and rough. The coffin Jolted around a good deal and bimby
the lid rattled off". The eor])se was a man who had long
whiskers under his chin. I glanced backward over my
shoulder and got a fair look at him. His whiskers were
blowing over the o<lge of the coflin and as I was at the lower
end of the sled I thought he was getting up to take me. I put
the birch on the horses and broke away from the perseshun
and brought up at the graveyard half an hour ahead of the
others. lUit it was mighty (|ueer the lid had got back to its
place and I always ble(!Ved the old feller just reached out for
it and fastened himself in."

Just then old Jimmy came back from the woods whither
he had been sent by the cooper to fetch the horse. Jimmy
was a wit and he and the cooper were never happier than
when bandying each other with a half dozen boys to appre-
ciate their sayings. Jimmy stuttered badly at times and on
this occasion he returned without the horse.

"S-s-t-d-d-ggg "' stammered poor Jimmy.

" Sing it," shouted the cooper.

"The divil a harse cud 1 see-e ! " sang Jimmy, and the
boys dodged behind the shop to have a laugh at the unex-
[)ected response.

It was April and the Collins boys and some others had
an undivided interest in a log canoe. With such a frail craft
they nuide long excursions up and down shore, and even
rigged up a s([uare sail out of a woolen blanket. They sailed
to the islands and paddled back, i)roud of their skill as
navigators, and even talked of a voyage to the Harbor to see
the general training. But it was soon swimming time and
they lived a life worth living.

The Hrst swim of the season chilled them blue but they

240

TW ) OLD-KASHIONKD BOYS.

declared the water warm and on coming out met Valiant
Smith and he, holding up two fingers and proposed they go in
again.

" Go in just once more, " he plead, and although quak-
ing the boys all plunged back and never a one was the worse
for the cold dip.

SCHOOL

The summer term of the district school was to open with
a lady teacher. The building was nuide of squared logs and
warmed with a big fireplace opposite the only door. Pine
seats ran around the walls, and these were confronted by pine
desks attached to which was a low seat which served the pur-
pose of recitation seats.

During the })receding winter term a blackboard had been
placed on either side of the door. A water pail occupied a
bench on the right und a high desk filled the portion of the
opposite side not occupied by the seats. Paper wads crusted
the ceiling, and the seats showed strange characters deep-
carved and filled with dried ink. The windows were small
and filled with " seven-by-nine " [)anes. The " forest prime-
val " grew in the yard, and primitive rocks, rearing their ugly
heads out of the soil, .stubbed majiy u bare toe the while the
term lasted.

Ben and Job arose early on the first day of school and
just at daylight repaired to the schooliiouse, and crawling into
a window, .selected their seats for the term. Others soon .-ir-
rived and as they worked their wsiy in Hen and .lob set up m
yell that scared the intruders almost into fits. I^heir seats se-
lected and books deposited, an adjournment was taken to the
yard, some bats and a leather-covered ball were produced and
a game of four-old-cat was started. Hen was catcher, and he
got too close to the bat. As the batsman, with a foot on the

TWO ()Ln-KASHK)NKl> HOYH.

241

])yo, drew back to sock the hall out into the woods his club
came in contact with Hen's face. The sniilo faded and tears

flowed.

" I just wanted to see if I could strike the ball hard
enough to make the fire fly as Tubbs says he usto," said the
striker, " but T didn't know Ben was so close."

The i-epairs took some time and when the boys were
ready for something else the teacher arrived. She was a little
woman of uncertain age, but full of determination. The
hoys hung about the door while the big barefooted girls went
spat, spat into the schoolhouse behind the teacher. Soon
there was a cloud of dust issuing from the door and windows.
" Will some of the young gentlemen bring in some cedar
boughs for the fire-place ? "

Slowly they started. "Young gentlemen," they re-
peated, but all the same they brought in more than would fill
the black cavern of a fireplace. A sharp rapping on the
window assembled the school in their seats and the reign of
the new teacher was fairly begun over a colony of homespun
trowsers and gingham aprons.

The first class in reading was called out and stood in a
row in front of the teacher's d.'sk. The book used was the
Knglish Meadvr which was filled with horrible narratives of
Indian massacre, suHeringsof wrecked humanity at sea, earth-
quakes, executions and death in frightful form. On the other
hand the work contains some of the best selections of English
verse as Well as prose in existence. To test the new comers in
the class the following selections wore road from books with
wooden covers :

TllK I'.KARS AM) TIIK BICES.

As two young liear.s, in wanton mood
Forth issuing from a neighlioring wood.

242

TWO ()I,|)-KASin()NKI> lioYS.

Como where th' industrious bees had HtorM,
In artful cells, their luscious hoard ;
O'erjoy'd they seized, with eager haste,
Luxurious on the rich repast.
Alarni'd at this, the little crew
About their ears vindictive flew.

The beasts, unable to sustain
Th' unequal combat, ([uit the plain ;
Half-blind with rage, and mad with pain,
Their native shelter they regain ;
There sit, and now, discreeter grown,
Too late their rashness they bemoan ;
And this by dear experience gain,
That pleasure's ever bought with pam.
So when the gilded baits of vice
Are plac'd before our longing eyes.
With greedy haste we snatch our fill,
And swallow down the latent ill ;
But when experience opens our eyes.
Away the fancied pleasure flies,
It flies, but oh ! too late we find,
It leaves a real sting behind.

TIIK YOUTH AND THE I'HILGSOTI >,

A Grecian youth of talents rare.
Whom Plato's philosophic care
Had forrn'd for virtue's nobler view,
By precept and example too.
Would often boast liis matchless skill,
To curb the steed and guide the wheel ;
And as he pass'd the gazing throng.

TWO OLD-VASHIONKD HOYH.

243

Witli graceful case, and sinackVl the thong,
Thii itliot woiuk-r tlioy cxpress'd,
Was praise ami transport to liis breast.

At lengtli, (juito vain, lio needs would show
His master what his art eould do,
And bade his shives the chariot lead
To Academua' sacred sliade.
The trembling grove confess'd its fright,
The wood-nymphs started at the sight ;
The muses droj) the learned lyre,
And to their inmost shades retire.

llowe'er, the youth, with forward air.
Hows to the sage, and mounts the ear.
The lash resounds, the coursers spring.
The chariot marks the rolling ring.
And gath'ring crowds, with eager eyes,
And shouts, pursue him as he flies.

Triumphant to the goal return'd.
With nobler thirst his bosom burn'd ;
And now along th' idented plain,
The self-same track he marks again.
Pursues with care the nice design,
Nor ever deviates from the line.
Amazement seiz'd the circling crowd ;
The youths with emulation glow'd ;
Ev'n bearded sages hail'd the boy ;
And all but Plato gaz'd with joy.

For he, deep-judging sage, beheld
With i)ain the triumphs of the field ;
And when the charioteer drew nigh,

244 TWO oli)-fashi(»ni:t) r.ovs.

And, ttushVl with hope, had caught his eye—

" Alas ! uidiappy youth," he ery'd,

" Expect no praise from me," (and sigh'd.)

" With indignation 1 survey
Such skill and judgment thrown away ;
The time profusely siiuander'd there,
On vulgar arts beneath thy care.
If well emi)loy'd, at less expense,
Had taught thee honor, virtue, sense ;
And rais'd thee from a eoaclnnan's fate,
To govern men, and guide the state."

KAinMKjrAKK AT CATANKA.

One of the earth(,uakes most particularly described in
historv is that which happened in the year 1G93; the damages
of which were chieilv felt in Sicily, but its motion was per-
ceived in (;ermany, France and England. It extended to a
circumference of two thousand six hundred leagues, chiefly
uffecting the sea coasts and great rivers, more perceivable also
upon the mountains than in the valleys.

Its motions were so rapid that persons who lay at their
len.-th, were tossed from side to side as upon a rolhng billow.
The walls were dashed from thc-ir fcun.lations, and uu lewer
than lifty cities, with an increditable number of villages, w.re
.ither destroven or greatly <lamaged. The city of ( 'atanea ui
,„,t;. dar was utt<M-lv overthrown. A traveller who was on his
way thither peu-eived at the distance of some nnles. a black
cloud like night, hanging over the place.

The sea all of a sudden began to roar, Mount .Etna to
scud forth ureat spires of llamcs, an.l soon after a shock en-
sued with a n..ise as if all !!..■ a.tilieiy in the worhl had been
at unee discharged. Our ir.veller being obliged In al.gbt m-

TWO OLD-FASHIOXEI) 150YS.

245

stantly, felt hiniseii" mispd a foot from the ground, and turn-
ing his eyes to the city he witli amazement saw nothing but a
thick cloud of dust in the air.

The birds flew about astonished, tlie sun was darkened,
the beasts ran howling from the hills, and although the shock
did not continue above three minutes, yet near nineteen thou-
sand of the inhabitants of Sicily, })erished in the ruins. Cat-
anea, to which city the describer was traveling, seemed the
principal scene of ruin, its [)lace only was to be found, and
not a footstep of its former magn"f^cence was to be seen re-
maining.

The following lines were read in concert, and thundering
accent of the boys with changing voices which sometimes rose
to a strange ftilsetto, mingled with the pii)ing sopranos was
indeed a strange exhibit'on of rhetorical exerci.ses :

THK NICiHTINGALK AND TIIK (iLOW-WOKM.

A nightingale, that all day long
Had cheer'd the village with his song.
Nor yet at eve his note susj)ended,
Nor yet when eventide was ended,
IJegan to feel, as well he might.
The keen demands of apj)etit(' ;
When, looking eagerly around.
He spied far oft' upon the ground,
A something shining in the dark,
And knew t]i(> glow-worm by liis spiirk.
So, stooping down from hawthorn top
He thought to )»ut him in his crop. ,

'^riie worm, aware of his intent,
Hai'angued him tluis, right elorpicnt —

246

TWO OLD-FASIIIONKD 150YS.

" Did you admire my lamp, " quoth he,
" As much as I your minstrelsy,
You would abhor to do me wrong.
As much as I to spoil your song ;
For 'twas the. self-same pow'r divine,
Taught you to sing and me to shine ;
That you with music, I with light.
Might beautify and cheer the night. "
The songster heard his short oration,
And, warbling out his approbation,
Keleas'd him, as my story tells.
And found a supper somewhere else.
Hence, jarring sectaries may learn,
Their real int'rest to discern ;
That brother should not war with brother
And worry and devour each other :
But sing and shine by sweet consent.
Till life's poor, transient night is spent ;
Respecting in each other's case
The gifts of nature and of grace.

Those Christians best deserve the name.
Who studiously make peace their aim :
Peace, both the duty and the prize
Of him that creeps, and him that flies.
The teacher wishing to introduce a new reader placed in
the hands of her pupils a now book called the American Pre-
ceptor, and to instruct the class they were permitted to read
longer than was the custom. And the following selections
were " practiced " upon :

SINOULAK ADVKNTUKK OF GENEHAL VUTNAM.

When General Putnam first moved to Pomfret, in Con-

TWO OLD-FASinONKI) HOYS.

247

necticut, in the year 1739, the country was new and much
infested with wolves. Great havoc was made among the
sheep by a she wolf which with her annual whelps, had for
several years continued in that vicinity. The young ones
were commonly destroyed by the vigilance of the hunters ;
but the old one was too sagacious to be ensnared by them.

This wolf, at length, became such an intolerable
nuisance, that Mr. Putnam entered into a combination with
five 01 his neighbors to hunt alternately until they could des-
troy her. Two by rotation, were to be constantly in pursuit.
It was known, that, having lost the toes from one foot by a
steel trap, she made one track shorter than the other.

By this vestige, the pursuers recognized, in a light snow,
the route of this pernicious animal. Having followed her to
the Connecticut river, and found she had turned back in a
direct course towards Pomfret, thoy immediately returned,
and by ten o'clock the next morning the bloodhounds had
driven her into a den, about three miles distant from the
house of Mr. Putnam.

The people soon ('ollected with dogs, guns, straw, fire
and sulphur, to attack the common enemy. With this ap-
paratus, several unsuccessful efforts weu made to force her
from the den. The hounds came back badly wounded and
refused to return. The smoke ol blazing straw had no effect.
Nor did the fumes of burnt brimstone, with which the cavern
was filled, compel her to ([uit the retirement.

Wearied with such fruith'ss attempts ( which bad brought
the time to ten o'clock at night) Mr. Putnam tried once more
to make his dog enter, but in vain ; he proposed to his negro
man to go down into the cavern and shoot the wolf. The
negro declined the hazardous service.

Then it was that their master, angry at the disappoint-

248

TWO OLD-J ASIIIONKI) BOYS.

nient, and declaring that ho was ashamed of having a coward
in his family, resolved himself to destroy the ferocious beast,
lest she should escape tlirough some unknown fissure of the
rock.

His neighVjors strongly remontrated against the perilous
enterprise ; but he knowing that wild animals were intimid-
ated by fire, and having provided several strips of birch bark,
the only conbustible material which he could obtain, which
would uirord light in this deep and darksome cave, prepared
for hi.s descent.

Having accordingly, divested himself of his coat and waist-
coat, and having a long ropi- fastened round his legs, by
which he might be pulled back, at a concerted signal, he
entered, head foremost, with the blazing torch in his hand.

Having groped his passage till he came to a horizontal
part of the den, the most terrifying darkness appeared in front
of the dim circle of light aiforded by the torch. It was silent
as the house of death. None but monsters of the desert had
ever before ('X[)lore(l this solitary mansion of horror.

He cautiously proceeding onwanl, came to an ascent,
which he slowly mounted on his hands and knees until ho
discovered the glaring eyeballs of the wolf, who was sitting at
the extremity of the cavern. Startled at the sight of fire, she
gnashed her teet.' tud gave a sullen growl.

As soon as he had made the necessary discovery he
kicked the rope as a signal for pulling him out. The people,
at the mouth of the den, who iiad listened with painful anx-
iety, hearing the growling of the wolf, and supposing their
friend to be in the most imminent danger, drew him forth
with such celerity that he was stripped of his clothes, and
severely bruised.

After he had adjusted his clothes, and loaded his gun

wmm

TWO ()I,l»-K.VSllI()Ni:i) I'.OYS.

245)

with nine buck shot, holding a torch in one hand and the

musket in tlie other, lie descended a second time. When he

drew nearer than before, the wolf assuming a still more fierce

and terrible appearance, howling, rolling her eyes, snapping

her teeth, and dropping her head l)etween her legs was

evidently in the attitude and on the point of springing on
him.

At this critical instant he leveled and fired at her head.
Stuimed with the shock and sufibcatcd with the smoke he im-
mediately found himself drawn out of the cave. IJut having
refreshed himself and permitted the smoke to dissipate he
went down a third time.

Once more he came within sight of the wolf, who appear-
ing very passive, he ajiplicd the torch to her nose, and per-
ceiving her dead, he took hold of her ears and then kicking
the rojie, still tied round his legs, the peoi)le above with no
small exultation, dragged (hem both out together.

STORY OF TAMiA.V, A MrXdO CHIKI'.

In the spring of the year 1774, a robbery and murder
were committed on an inhabitant of the frontiers of Virginia
by two Indians of the Shawanese tribe. The neighboring
whites, according to their custom, undertook to punish this
outrage in a summary way. Colonel Cresaji, a man infamous
for the many murders he had committed on these uuich in-
jured peo})le, collected a party and proceeded down the Kan-
haway in ([uest of vengeance.

I'nfortunately, a canoe of women and children, with one
man only, was .seen coming from the opposite shore, unarmed,
and uusus[)ecting any hostile attack from the whites. Cresap
and his pcrty concealed themselves on the bank of the river,

250

TWO OUKFASHIOXED BOYS.

and the moment the canoe reached the shore, singled out their
ol)jocts, and, at one fire, killed every person in it.

This hai)])ened to he the family of Logan, who had long
been distinguished as the friend of the whites. This unworthy
return provoked his vengeance. He accordingly signalized
himself in the war which ensued.

In the autumn of the same year, a decisive battle was
fought at the mouth of the (Jreat Kenhaway, between the
collected forces of the Shawanese, Mingoesand Delawares, and
a detachment of the Virginia militia. The Indians were
defeated and sued for peace.

Logan, however, disdained to be seen among the sup-
plicants ; but, lest the sincerity of a treaty should be distrust-
ed, from which so distinguished a chief absented himself, he
sent by a messenger, the following speech, to be delivered to
Lord Dun more :

" I ap{)eal to any white man to say if ever he entered
Logan's cabin hungry, and he gave him no meat ; ii ever he
came cold and naked, and he clothed him not. During the
last long and bloody war, Logan remained idle in his cabin,
an advocate for peace.

" Such was my love for the whites, that my countrymen
pointed as they passed by, and said, Logan is the friend of
Nv'tiite men. I had even tlioughl to have lived with you, iiatl
it not been for the injuries of one man. Colonel Cresap, the
last s|»ring, in cold blood, and unprovoked, murdered all tlie
relations of Logan, not even sparing my women and children.

'•There runs not a drop of my blood in tlie veins of any
living creature. This called on me for revenge. I have
fought it ; 1 have killed many ; I have fully glutted my
vengeatice. For my country, I rejoice at the beams of peace ;
liut do not harbor a thought that mine is the jny of fear.

TWO (»I,I>-I ASHIONKD BOYS.

251

Lojiiin uvwv fi'lt icar. lU^ will not turn on his heel to save
hi.s lift'. Who is there to iiiouru for Logan? Not one."

This cxcreisc (ivcr, the smaller children were called out
and read from Wchstcr's spelling book. There was no inter-
mediary reader between the speller and the fMiglish reader.
Passing upward from the one to the other was a severe test,
Init one coveted by those who knew by rote the story ot the
>hiid and the Milk, the boy in the apple tree who would not
come down when the farmer threw grass, and the other few
moral stories "for the instruction of the very young."

I'.en often declared that " 'rithmetic was his best holt," and
it was therefore with a secret delight that he joined the class
when it was called, lie felt that liere was one subject at least
in which he would fully acfiuit himself and make an impres-
sion of the ac(iuirement upon the new teacher. The text-
book was " iJuger's New System of Arithmetick." The pub-
lislu'r was William linger, A. H., author of a grammar and at
least one other school-book, and printed in Watertown, N. Y.,
by Knowlton it Rice.

The inside pages were scrawle<l over with a ([uill, and
quaint wei'c the sentiments recorded on the Hy leaves. Here

is one :

Tf to my friend.
This book 1 lend.
And hnd it greased or tore,
lie may rely
I will denv
To lend it any more.
The old •' tinker sum " was set before l'>en, and boldly he
made the attack. His task may be the better appreciated if
here rei)roduced :

One evening I chanced with a tinker to sit,

252

TWO or.D-l'ASTllONKI) lioYS.

Whose tongue ran a great deal too fast for his wit.
He talked of his art and abundance of metal,
So I asked him to make me a flat-bottom kettle.
Let the top and the bottom diameters be
In just such proportion as five is to three ;
Twelve inches the dei)th I proposed and no more,
To hold in ale gallons seven less than a score.
He promised to do it and straight to work went.
But when he had done it he found it too scant.
Thus altering it often too big and too little.
The tinker at last quite si)Oiled his kettle.
He says he will bring his sad i)Vomise to pass.
Or else he will spoil every ounce of his brass.
Now show your skill, you learned youth.
And by your work this sum produce.
Job wrestled like .Jacob, but like the tinker his pot was at
times too large and anon too small. After giving it up he
left this couplet on the board :

The tinker man's problem I've failed to settle.
May Old Nick catch him and his flat-bottom kettle.
Another problem in rhyme was given the class and a
merit mark promised the one who should reach the correct
answer first. It ran in this wise :

As I was hunting on the forest grounds.
Up starts a hare before my two grey-hounds ;
The dogs, being light of foot, did fairly run
Unto her fifteen rods just twenty-one.
The distance that she started up before
Was four score and sixteen rods, just, and no more ;
Now this I'd have you unto me declare-
How far they ran before they caught the hare.
Ben applied the good ol<l Rule of Three and obtained the

TWO ()M)-I'ASII1()NJ:U isoys.

253

correct answer long before the others, and having awakened
his Muse he exi)resse(l the result in the following rhyme :
01(1 Ruger's hare was raced at unseeniing odds,
And lost her life at three hundre<l thirty -six rods.
The class was examined in vulgar fractions and divided
into two classes. The first class was examined in Fellowship
and closed with some examples in Tare and Tret. A few
paragraphs from the explanatory notes under this head are
appended :

Tare and tret are allowances made to the buver, on the
weight of some particular commodities.

Tare is an allowance made for the weight of the barrel,
box, bag, or whatever contains the articles or goods.

Tret is an allowance of 41t). on every 1041t). for wa.ste,
dust, etc.

Cloff is an allowance, on some commodities, of 2ft). on
every cwt. to turn the scale, or to make the weight hold out,
when goods are re weighed, and is claimed chiefly, or only, by
the merchants of London.

Scuttle is what remains after a part of the allowance is
deducted from the gross weight.

Net weight is what remains after all allowances are made.
The class in arithmetic was dismissed with another
poetical pro])lem :

Friend John, who had in credit liv'd,
Though now reduc'd, a sum receiv'd —
This lucky hit 's no sooner found.
Than clam'rous duns came swarming round ;
To th' landlord — baker — many more,
John paid, in all, pounds ninety-four.
Half what rcmain'd, a friend he lent.
On Joan and 'self one-fifth lie s|ieiit ;

254

TWO OLD-FASHIONED BOYS.

And wht'ii of all these sums bereft,

One-tenth o' th' .sum received had left;

Now show your skill, you learned youths.

And by vour work the sum produce.
" Recess ! " .said the teacher. IVll mell the boys in long-
tailed coats set oil' with big brass buttons and the girls in
pantalettes rushed out and raced themsclv(-s re<l playing hi-
spy, pom-poin-pullaway and hunt the hare. A smart rap-
ping on the window recalled them again to study. J«)by
Collins had a scheme which lie cherished so ch)sely as to
almost fear some of the boys would hear him think. They
were not fairly seated when he broke out :

"Teacher! Can Welcome Pettit and me go alter a pail

of water ? " . , , i . . ^

Yes, they could go, and so carrying th(> bucket between^

them thev trudged away rejoicing at cutting the hours of
study just ,so much short. When they returned the infant
class was studying the alphabet in the spelling book. Then
the .second class in spelling wns called out. The system of
leaving ofl" at the head every niglit was in vogue, and mighty
were the strifes for that coveted honor. .b)l) and his compan-
ion joined the class after passing the water, a j.rivilcge that
was' too often made the excuse for a poor les.<on. -lob, as usual,
drifted slowly but surely to the foot of the class.
" Drag, " pronounced the teacher.

One after another missed tlic word until it c.-ime to -fob.
"Now, Joby, " said the teaclier encouragingly, "you spell
drag and you shall go clear to the head."

" Yes, mom, " replied Job, and he struck an attitude ot
deep thought. Suddenly he almost shouted :

"Drag. S-l-r, drag! " And he fairly ran to the head of
the class whence the tcMcher had not the heart to mar the

TWO <)I.Ii-1ASIIH)M:I) I!(»YS.

255

jvlory of his victory l)y correcting his ortlioji;ruphy, and dis-
iiiisscd the chiss tunid a temporary reign (jI" sensational dis-
order.

" First chiss in spelling. "

Again the hig hoys and girls lined nj) and read a i)age
heginning with these paragraphs:

Let not reading cause you to neglect spelling. Learn to
spell and pronounce hcfore you read much.

(Jood spelling is the sure way to good reading, therefore,
study spelling with the greatest care, until you can spell all
the words in this hook, as soon as you hear them, without see-
ing them.

Wlien you can spell well, you will soon hecome a good
reader ; and as soon as you shall he at)le to read well, you will
l>e permitted to study grammar.

(irammar will teach you what is meant hy the parts of
speech, and how to speak and write as you ought; and with-
out the knowledge of grammar, your language will be incor-
rect, and you will always be marked by your friends as a poor

scholar.

Then the good old pocTii about the rose was read. Some
thei-e 1k' who can recite it tVom memory :

TMK KOSK.

How fair is the rose, what a beautiful flower!

In summer so fragrant and gay !
Hut the leaves are beginning to fade in an hour,

Antl they wither and die in a day.

Yet the rose has one powerful virtue to boast

Above all tiie llowers of the Held ;
When its leaves are all dead, and its fine colors lost,

Still how sweet a i»eifume it will yield.

256

TWO OLIJ-FASHIONED HOYS.

So frnil are the youth uiui the heauty of men,
Thougli tlu'y look gay and bloom like the rose ;

Yet all our fond care to preserve them is vain,
Time kills them as fast as he goes.

Then I'll not be proud of my youth or my beauty,
Since both will soon wither and fade ;

But gain a good name by perfortning my duty ;
This will scent, like the rose, when I'm dead.

Following the reading the words in the lesson were " put
out," words that Ben declared Noah Web.ster himself could not
spell and in fact did not, in some instances, correctly :

Electioneer,

Proportionable,

Confectionary,

Agglutination,

Amalgamation,

Approximation,
Calumniation,

Circumlution,

Circumvallation,

Prognostication,

Transfiguration,

(;on.stitutionalist.

Plenipotentiary,

Excommunication.

Then the class was lead over a rocky territory of words of
the same pronunciation, but of different .spelling and defini-
tion :

Ail, to pain or trouble.

Ale, a kin<l of l)cer.
Air, one of the elements.
Ere, before, sooner than.
Heir, an inheritor.
Aisle, the walk in a cliurch.
I'll, contraction for I will.
Ait, a small island in a river.
Ate, the preterit of eat.
Eight, twice four.

TWO OLI)-KASHTON-KD noYS.

257

C'ore, to cover with wax.

Sear, dry ; to burn.

Seer, n prophet.

Sere, withered.
Shiie, a weaver's reed.

Sleigh, a kind of carriage.

Slay, to kill.

Sley, to part into threads.
Porniiscible, that which may be mingled.

Permissible, that which may be permitted.

Aother piece of poetry was read with strong accents by
the teacher and deserves a place in the storehouse of memory:

WHAT IS CIIAKITY?

'Tis not to pau.se when at my door

A .shivering brother stands;
To ask the cause that made him poor.

Or why he helj) demands.

'Tie not to spurn that brother's prayer

For faults he once has known ;
'Tis not to leave him in despair.

And say that I have none.

The voice of charity is kind —

She thinketh nothing wrong ;
To every fault she seemeth blind.

Nor vaunteth with her tongue.

In |>enitence she placeth faith —

lk)pe sinileth at her (Utor :
Uelieveth first — Then softly saith,

" (}o, brother, sin no more. "
The class n»xnd)en><l and retired to their seats whence

2oS

TWO ()|,|)-l'.\SllI<tNi;|) I'.oYS.

tlicy wcri' soon hurrying out for noon. Tlie aftt'rnoon pro-
graiii was varied with tlic sultstitutioii ol' <ic'ogi'ajihy I'oi' ihc
arithmetic. It contaiiietl im illustrations, no maps and was a
dull, tedious study. The work was aeeompanied by an atlas to
whicl
Adai

1 retereiiee was s

eldom had. It was the work of Daniel

ns.

A. M.

with

luthor of the arithmcti

TUK W(JI{I.]).

le lessons hegin

le woi

Id or earth is* a large globe, the diame'tt;- of
which is nearly eight thousand miles, and its surface contains
nearly 200 millions of square miles.

It is Of) millions of miles from the sun, about which it
revolves once a vear ; and turns round on its own axis everv

lav

The earth is generally divided into four uneipial pari

called (luai'ters ;

Kur

one

sia,

Afri

ca, a

nd Ameri

ca.

Eorope is the smallest division, but is distinguisheii for

s learnuig. poiit"ness. governmi

nt. and laws ; for the ind

us-

try of its iidiabitants, and the temperature of its climate. It is
the only quarter of the globe which has yet iieen fully ex-
plored and known.

In Asia, the human race was first planted, and tliei'e the
most remarkable transactions occurred, which ai'e recorded in
the serij)ture history.

Africa has been always in a state of barbai'ism, if wc ex-
cept the Egyptians, those ancient fathers of leai'nitig, and

Carth

nige, once the rival of tin

Ron

an iMnpii'c

America was unkm-wn to the inhabitams of tli

>tli( r

continent, til

little more than tlii'ce hniuli'cd vear-

when it was discovered liy < 'hiistopher ('ohnnlin< ; and hence
it is fre(|Uently called the New W

orl<l. in coiiliadiclion to tlie

TWO OI.I)-l'ASI!I()NKIt r.OYS. '-J-"*-*

Knstci-ii cuiitiiicnt, first known, and hence ealled the Old
W'orhl.

'Pho descriptive <j;eojira|iliy was nniijue. In a chapter m
the kikes it says:

Lake Krie is noted for liavin^' its ishmds and l»anks, at
the west end, sf» infesti'd with rattle-snakes as to render it
dangerous to land on them. Near the hanks of the islands it
is covered with the large pond lily, the leaves of which lie oii
the surface of the water so thick as to cover it entirely for
many acres together : on these in the summer seasons lie
myraids of water-snakes, haskiiig in tlie sun. On this lake,
the AiU(>riean Meet, under Coin, I'erry. Sept. Kt. l.Sl ;',. gained
over the British fleet of larger foi'ce. a sjilendid and important

victory.

i:ai!\ 1^ AKi:s.

'I'liere are numerous proofs that eartlupiaki's have heeii
violent in vai'ious parts i.f .\mei'ica. Nearly fifty have Ijeen
noticed in the New Knghmd State's. .<ince the settlement of the
first l^nglish cohmy at i'lyinoudi. in Kl-JH Of these, five have
heen pai'tit'ularly nieiuorahle. vi/.. KioS. \{\~)S. M'AVA, \7'1~,
1 To,'), as being muidi heavier than the rest. They have all
commenced with an undulatory motion, in a direction from
north-W(^st to south-east, the central course of which, oi' place
of greatest violence.', has heen in a line coinciding nearly with
hike Ontario and the mouth <if .Mei'rimack I'iver. e.xti'uding
.<i)Uth\vai'd t(i the Potomac and northward lo the S|. Lawrence.
The whoh' country within these limits has heen repeatedly
shaken, must violently ahout the midille, and least towards
the south-we.-t and north-easi houndai'ies. 1 n those live, lie-'
t'ui-e mentioned a- heing pai'ticulaiiy menmralile. the violence
of the -h'.cks wa< such as to cause the hells in churches to
rinii ; nnin\' chimnie- w " thrown down, and in some instan-

200

TWO (HD-I-'ASniONKD HOYS.

ces houses ; fui'iiiture dropped from tiie shelves on \vlnch it
stood ; the earth in many })laces was rent, and quantities of
sand thrown out, of a liighly sulphurous smell. Some remark-
ahle alterations were ohserved in wells and springs of water
about the time of these eartlKpiakes. In some, the (iuality of
the water was altered ; in others, the quantity. New springs
were opened, and old ones dried up.

ITSHKKIKS.

The greatest part of the fisheries of the United States is
carried on hy the eitizens of Massachusetts. The people of
Nantucket. New Bedford and ('ai)e Cod, carry on the whale
fishi'ry. These fish, however, at present, a^ rare aljout the
(-'a})e, although formerly caught there in great numbers. .\
species of the whale kind, ealli'd black fish, weighing about .">
tons, and atlording oil, is very abundant. The manner ol
catching them is very singular. Tiiey swim in shoals of sev-
eral huixlreds, and the inhabitants ])Ut oif in their boats and
drive them ashore, like so many cattle, on tl.i- flats, where
they are left by the tide, and fail an ea.sy prey.

WASHI.\(iT(»N.

The city of \N'asliiiigton, situate*! on the .Maryland side of
the I'otowmack, is the scat of g(tvernnient of the ['nited
States, It is laid out nn a phin, which, if completed, will
render it one of the hamlsonicst ami most commodious cities
in the world. The streets noi'th and south are cros.'^e(l by
othei's at right angles : the.^e ai'" transver.xcly crosseil by \h
other >li'ects named after the did'cH iil stales. The hou.'^es are
. niostl\ of hi'iek. The capilol, when coniplelcd. will present a
front of :'>()'J feel. It is pleasantly situate<l on an eminence,
commanding a view of c\-ery part of the city, and of a con-
siilt laiije poiiien of the coinitiy around. The president's

TWO OLD-FASHIONKD HOYS.

r:6l

house is 170 by 85 feet, two stories high, of free, white stone.
It stands on a rising ground, possessing a water prospeet,
together with a view of the capitol, and of the most material
parts of the city. The ])opuhition in 1810 was 8,208.

MICHKtAN TKURITOHY.

Detroit is the ca{)ital. The old town was wliolly de-
stroyed by fire in 1805. The new town is well laid out ; the
streets cross each other at right angles. It is a place of con-
siderable trade, which consists chieHy in a barter of coarse
European goods with the natives for furs. The town is sur-
rounded by a strong blockade, through which tliere are four
gates. On the west side there is a small fort. The streets are
generally crowded with Indians in the day time; but at
night they are all shut out of the town, except such as get
admittance into private iiouses, and tlie gates are closed.

The school was closed with writing, spelling and the an-
nouncement that some of scholars were far enougli advanced
to begin tlie '<tudy of grammar as soon as bool^s could be
procured, and thus on tlie first day did the Httlc teacher arouse
an unusual interest in the little kingdom over which she was
to reign supreme for four months at $"2.00 per week ami
" ])oard around."

W'iieii the ( 'ollins boys returned home from school they
found some neiglibors present and considerable excitement was
manifestecl. There were two events. ()]]v domestic and the
pubbc, either siillicieni III tlirnw a family or a nation into ex-
I'itenicnt. Til tlie buys tiie advent of a stove was a marvel,
('onsidering his wife's exposure In the heat of a tire-place dur-
ing the summer. .Mr. Collins had purchased the first stove
ever st'eii in the community and a ha[ipier woman than their

202

I'wo ()|,ii-iasiii()m:i) j'.uVs.

inotlicr dill not live. iiotwitlistaiuliiigslR' had soiiio iiiis^ivings
dvci' ln'C( lining' I'aiuiliiir witli its nu'cluinisin.

'■ I will tiT it iii'st on soiiio wheat Hour ])iscuits, and if it
iiakcs we will have sonic tor the iircachcr wlicn ho comos the
Sunday alter next," saiil the frood woman with a merited touch
of |iri(ic.

.loll and IJen agreed it would he t'un to work U]) wood for
ihe little thinu'. and then uave their attention to their father
who was reading from the iJcdford Intclliiicnccr the news of
an outlireak at Nia^ai'a. 'i'he account is here ^iven verhatim :

We hasten to lay hefore our readi'rs, in an extra, the
latest intelliucnec, from the conlendinii armies on the Niaj^ara
frontier, received here last evening' in the Cleveland daily
Herald and (Jazetteof .lanuary 2d. 'i'he accounts are tVom
the IJulfalo papers, and will he read with much interest.

'IMic jiafiots were still, at our last accounts, December
:'>(Mh, stroniily intrenched (tn Navy island, which is a small
Uritish island, two .niles ahove the Niagara falls, and is partly
covi'red tVoin view from the American shore hy the lower end
of (Iraiid Istiuid. which belongs to the I'nited .States.

The British royalist'' hail made several attem})ts on the
island, hut were as oltcn repulsed hy the patriots. And re-
ports at IWillalo well' that the royal foi'ces and Imlians had
landed and taken po>-<"<sion of <ii'and island, which news
created a ureal fei'iuenl at Hiillilo. ihe exiitenimt there
was .ureal on the 2'.tth, l.ut on tlie :l(lth, the news of the
capUu'c and iau'iiin^, and ^-endinu' <>vri' the jireat cataract of
the .\merican -teamiioal ( 'arolini', found lyin<>at the American
viilaue of Slo-sii', op|Hisite ('hip|i<'wa. wiili all on hoard hut
twelve, may lie eX|iect(d lo have hciulilencd the excitement
to its highest pitch.

TWO or.n-KAsrrinNKi) hoys.

This is our latest news, and its cU'cct at lUiflalo when
('f)ni)nunicati'(l tlicrc, we can well iina<iiiu'.

In(loc<l the Herald inloriiisus that the exciteiueiit was in-
tense in i^ull'ulo on Saturday and a hriuade of militia was or-
dered out to rendezvous in that city and part of the 'id.Sth reg-
iment was ordered on duty on Satur<lay evening.

A meeting- was held in Cleveland. Jan. 1st, at. which I'eso-
lutions were passeil expressing- their sympathy with the Cana-
dian ptitriots ami with our own citizens who are cxpo.sed to
tory outra<;(' and vi()lenee. .1. H. St. John and Samuel Cook
presided at the meeting-, and a connnittee of 21 yx'ntlemen was
apj)ointed to receive donations for the benetit of the ])atriots.

(ieneral Southerland, from the patriot camp at Navy
Island, was present and addressed the meetiiiL!,' and was lou<lly
cheered.

Report says that a comp.my of si.\ty volunteers l(>ft
Cleveland yesterday in a steamboat for Navv Island.

The sheritV immediately dispatched an express, wlio was
accompiinied by two of the I'nitcd States marshals recently
ai)i)ointed, to ascertain ii a landin<i by the 15ritish ti'oops had
actually taken i)lace, ]ireparatory to his makiuLi a call on *he
county militia to enforce their exjiulsion. These pai'ticuhii's
Were explained tit the multitude asseniided in ihe street by
\V. ir. Kajicrs. j-'sii., district attorney, who stated in his I'c-
marks. Ihat the necessary h'iial measures would hi' taki n. and
on llii relurn of (he express, if il was found necess;iry lo claim
the aid of our militia to enforce ihem. due notice would he
^iven.

i''our o'clock 1'. M.: The expi'css ha> just relumed and
reports that a small haml of l>ritish hiiliaiis had landed ou
Crand islaml. and a lar^c boat load of thu royali>t- attemi)tod

2G4

TWO (»L!)-1'ASJII()NKI) BUYS.

to iviu'li the same spot this morning, hut were forced to return
to tlie ( 'iuuida shore with the loss oi'six killed.

We give the above statement of the course pursued by
our citizens as a precaution to the people abroad, from be-
lieving the many and erroneous reports which reach them,
coming as they do, magnified and distorted in every possible
.shape.

From one of the officers of the patriot army who arrived
in town this evening, we have received a verbal account of the
attempt last night by the royalists to make the descent on
Xavy island. Early on yesterday morning the royalists com-
menced the erection of a battery with six endjrasures on the
Canada sliore for the ostensible pur{)ose of raking the south-
west corner of the island, and under cover of their guns
iillow inganother party to make a descent from a point about
half a mile above. As sodii as their 0])erations were dis-
covered, the [)atriots commenced a fire from ten guns, the
shot nearly destroying the works of tlie enemy and causing
men an<l oiiicers to abandon them. Previous to this, how
ever, a continued fire had been ke})t up from ('hip])ewa to the
highest point above, which was not returned by the islanders.

Everything remained (juiet imtil late in the afternoon, no
persons to be seen on the Canadian side but a few sentinels,
when the alarm was ^iven that a number of boats had put
oUl from ('hi{)pewa ci'eek to make an attack. The artillery
imimdiately ofNi'ned upon them, destroying one or two of the
l)arge< and fon-ing them to drop back with the current. A
compuHiiiy of infantry also lircd several volleys with elfect, the
number killed not ascertained,

About 11 o'clock at night, the royalists pushed over from
the point al)0ve, running under the shore of CJrand Island in
this state, but put back after they were convinced by the sig-

■:

TWO OM)-P.\SltI(tNKl) liOVS.

20.")

■:

liais on Gmiid Lsland and a few shots, tliat they wore discov-
ered.

They then coininenced again to buihl their lircastworks
but were driven ont. This niorniiig at (hiy break another at-
tempt met the like result. jMcNah and his men have now re-
tired upon (J]iii)pewa.

From the Buifalo Commercial, Dec. 20, 2 o'clock ]>. m.
Gov. Head arrivi'd at Chippewa yesterday, with four hundred
volunteers from (Vjbourg, broujiht in two steamljoats froiu
Toronto.

The cannonading heard early this morning destroyed the
royalists' hydra-head brest-works again, which seem to s])ring
up every night, merely to be cut down in th morning. Be-
tween GO and 70 guns were lired to accom])lish their des-
truction.

A boat was discovered near the head of Grand island
early this morning, wliich was lired upon and several sup-
po."^ed to have been killed or wounded, us those in it were
observed to carry some of their numbers on shore on reaching
the Canadian side. It probably contained a reconnoitering
party.

The redoubtable Col. Sutherland, alias Duke of Lancas-
ter, has been sent with dispatches to Dr. Duncomb in the
western jmrt of the province.

Our expri'ss met loatls of individuals, arnuHl and un-
armed, together with footuicn and horsemen, pei'haps sixty or
seventy \u all, bound post haste for the sceiu' of action.

N'olunteers seem to be i)ouring in from all (juarters.
RochestiT furnishes a full ([uota.

From llic l>utfalo Commercial, Dec. o(t. The following
was issued this morning, as an extra, from this office :

Ca{>t. Iveeler, of the .schooner Agnes Barton, and F. Em-

2(ir)

TWO (»i.i)-i''Asni()NKr> noYs.

mons, ol tills city, have ju.st brought m-ws by express from
Slosser, of ail attack made this nioniln^' uiioii the steamboat
Caroline, lying at that iilace. which I'csulted in tluMlestruction
of the boat, and the death of twenty-two of her crew, only 12
escaped.

It is state(l that tlii' attack was made about 2 o'clock, by
five boats of armed loyalists, containing from 100 to l."0 men
who guardi'd the gangways, and cried " no (juarters ! "

Cai)t. Appleby of the Constitution, who went (hnvn as
pilot of the Caroline yesterday, narrowl}' escaped with his life.
He received a flesh wound, and was pursued to the house ad-
joining. — A Mr. l)urfer, lately belonging to the Stage ollice at
the Kagle, in this city, lies on the dock with his brains l)lown
out.

The Caroline was then set on tire, and finally drifted f)Ut
into the current, and went over the falls.

We give the above, just as itwiis receive«l, without vouch-
ing for any of the particulars. It may be prop(>r to add.
that Captain Keelcr, as we are informed, saw the result of th<>
scene above descrilied.

The twelve o'clock express contirms the news of this
morning. It is said tliat the Caroline was filled with visitors
and not soldiers. The word with the loyalists was, " No
prisoners I — no ([uai'ters!" Tho.^e who attemi)te(l to e.scajie
were kilh>d, with a i'vw e.\'ce]itioiis — the boat was s(>t on fire,
and with ihc rciiiaiiKlei' towed into the current on the ( 'anadian
side, which soon c.iiried her over tlw fall<. The loyal ists ga ve
three ciiccrs for \'ictoria. and under cover of the darkness, il
is supjKised escapeil tin lire opened upon Ibeni from the island.
Those on the boat slept there, because the [)ublic houses weri'
full.

Ca|)taiii llaiding. of the brig Indiana. escape(l with a

TWO (i|,I)-|'Aslll(iMIi r.ovs.

•iC.T

srvi-rc \V( uiul in the head ; (iiily oiu' imuii was t'DUiid on the
Kliorc, tiic one ali()\c nicntidiicd, the rest roitortcd missing —
lliei'o is little dout)! liiit tlicv went over the falls with tlic Imi'ii-
ing stciinilxiat.

'Pliis j)if('(' of " news " n>aclit'<I tlic settlement foui' montl

iilter It was |ii'inteil, am! it diil nol reacli tlie -Intelligcneer
olfiee until a week after its oceui'reiice. Syin|)atliy for the
r.inadian patriots was expressed in the neighhorhood ami a
l\'W secret lodges wore organized and a rende/evons had on
the St. Lawrence. Some i\'W enlisted in tiie foolish cause,
iind som(> lost their lives in the '• !>attle of tiie Windmill,"
othei's were executed at Kingston, and still others hanished to
\'an 1 )ieman's land.

lMie.<e events did in no wise intei'fere with the school,
which had now really entered upon a new ei'a in the matter
of learning. l\>v a wonder the blue heech gads were not once
u.sed, and the ti'aching of manners went hand in hand with
grammar. The hoys remove(l their hats when greeting their
elders, und the girls courtesied.

Johy set .sad on an unknown .<ea one noon, when, with
an innate love of mischief, some of his companions had re-
moved and euten I'Very scraj) of the lunch in his liasket, and
then filled it with grass.

'■ It's just too mean, .hihy, and you shall have half of
nune," .said Nancy ^Marceau. Job felt meauei- than ever, but
he somehow just couldn't I'ehise. That night he cai'rie(l hei'
books, and as her home was reaidied he hande(l them back to
her with tlie grannuar open at '' ( 'oiijugatiou of N'erbs."' Jt was
wlliit the parents pronounced a " silly mess." I'unning like this ;

1 1

ove

e love,

Thou lovest, You love,

Ifo lovcp,

They lovo.

208

TWO ()|,|>-l'AsllIo\l:li IliiYS.

.lol) K't fi'O (if the liddk and run like ii dcci' ns if to ^^ct
(iway iVdiii his uuilty sell'. Niiiicy saw iiiiii lly around tlic
Ix'Htl, and llicn licr eyes riveted to the open hook. 'I'he sndt-
icn Joh liad sci'mwUmI witli tlie point o1' a slate pencil al'ter the
" simj)l(' declarative sentence, first person, siiitiular mnnljcr — "

'• Vou. "

Nancy hlushed and hei' eyes sna])|ied at an unconscious
con(|Uest as she eH'aced the sly confession, and went to Ix'r
mother to ask il'slu^ did rij^ht to <livide with .lohy.

" Quite ri,yht, Nanny, hut you had hest not let y(air la-
ther know hfcausi* he is havin^i' tr(tuhle with Mr. Collins,"

But Nancy <li<l fell her I'athei', and ix^A a scoldin<f which
(lid not hurt much as sliu was e.\|>ectin,L!,' a storm.

The .s'hool days of Uen and Joh and their companions
,spcd hy with incidents and accidents, pleasures, (lisa])point-
ments, dreams and occasional hard knocks as they neared the
activities of life. They lislied, hunted and hoated ; named
each rock and heach after those in which they fancied they
saw a i'csend)lance to .some descrihed in their seo<i"raphies ; had
a hundred hairhreadth escapes frfim death, and survivin,y'
were the l)etter fitted for the hattles of life Avhich all too soon
fell upon their .shoulders at the death of their father. Woik
and worry, toil and slave, was flu'ir lot hefore their school
days should have heen ended. Thus were they developed
into hardy younjj,- nu'n with a generation, who, secondinj;' the
efforts of the pioneers, have tran>fornii'il a wilderness int(j u
land smilinj.1- with peace ami plenty.

The Last Haul.

" r>niu' Miircciiu, I know you (lidiTt spcnk to iiic sciicc 1
\v;is ;i kill, hut here's n matter what's yot to l)e talked aliout.
I want yer Xauey : she wants inc. I'm fair, so I jiromiseil
her I'd sj.eak ir i had to do ye. ole man, hut I 'h.w 'twon't
innkc no <ireat ' <liH" one way or t'other.''

Did evi'r a youn^- man make so lon.ij,- and pointed a
speeeh to a |»ros|)eetive i'ather-in-law'.'' .lohy Collins was not
hasht'ui. Besides he had taken up and eherislu'd for many
years his father's oi'iido(. jif;ainst old Mareeau, whose eliarac-
teristie re])ly was t'ljually pointed :

" No ; dod uast ye, no I "

The interview ended aliruptly as it he.nan. A little later
in the day Wvn < 'ollins, .lohy's hrother. came iaiterin.uiy up
the lane to see old Uone on an eutii'ely diiVei'ent mission.

"(looil morning-, Mi'. Mareeau," he said. " wo\dd you

-dve us another live vears on the mni'l-.i^iv '.' We ein not

hick this

iiiiv nioi'e than IIk

inler(

iii(i;i\ . 11

nt il We liavi

reason oi

ir lishin.n' will uive us a >tarl.

lien Collins, your father injund mi', and

1 will not at'-

eouinioi

h\W one of vour name, (dt ri,uht otlon these pvnn

ises

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

^A'

1.0

I.I

11.25

1^ [Ui |2.5

110 IIIII2.0

12.2

U il.6

— 6"

aC^.4''v

"^^y

^^^*.

Photographic

Sciences

Cbrporalion

23 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580

(716) 872-4503

■^

270 TIIK I-AST HAIL.

nnd ilou't lot 1110 8«" your f:;oo "(ill you oomo with pvinoipiil

<!(l !

jind intorost. iUid lliafa llio hull on't. Now

Insulte;! and dishciirtouod, tho ymuix nuui turned homo-
ward, while his obdunito oroditor -hulllod <lown a path to the

water.

It Avas a dull Xovonibor day and old Bone, in ft sullen
...ood, alone walked tho shore oi'a l.i.^ht in one of the (Iroat
T.akes. T1h> water was lu/ily lappinji the rooky Io.Iltos as the
dead seas solu'Hy followed each other shoreward from tho lake
as if wearird with the tnssin-tiioy had roocivod in tiio .uale of
tho previous ni-ht. Tho wholo sky was heavy with dark
(•h.nds that ninveo not. Sea -nils wore hoM in their pursuit
of dead or disahlod lish, and I'.ono nolioed how distinetly the
whito win-s Hashed a^^ainst tho leaden sky. 'I'ho dull waters
n-avo hnek no ivlleotion save hero an.! there that of a .lirty le--
d-multon sail that in tho ahsenoe of sunli-ht aupearo.l aimo^t
white. Tiie atmosphere was ha/,y, and tho distant slioro
hiomod alM.Vf the horizon as if risin^^ on tiptoe to see what old
I'xino was slormin.ij: ahout now.

Seventv vears. man and hoy. he hn<l heen lishorman and
sailor, and as'he passed the Collins Im.vs washin.u aiul mond-
iu- their nets a pan-- of jealousy shot into his soul, and his
h.'art .urew h.'avy with his own uniitnoss for the aetivities of
life. Hardship and exposure ha<l heen his lot, an<l now,
drawn with rheumatio i.ains. his life of idleness was worse
than a jirison. Ho wandered slowly aloii.tr the hare rooks
whore for years his seines had ha,i:-od loads of lish. and fell
t.. ohservin.ii- the w.'atlior after the manner of those who por-
jH'tuato the hahit when retired from tho water.

"Tho horrin.u should run the shores this day if over, " he
sai.l half to tho kinjzlisher that rasped a darin.u' salute as lie
.shot into a dead pine. " -lust tho <lay, just tho weather, just

-"^

^' ^

SPINNING OI-T THE GREAT SEINE.

THE LAST HAUL.

271

everything but fish," he continued, searching the receding
bottom as if to explore the depths beyond. Then his eyes
lifted to the gulls.

" Great Ingens ! Them birds is flockin' just like there
be fish under 'em. If my eyes wuz ten years younger, so I
could bleeve 'em, I'd swar ther ware a school 'o herrin' takin'
soundin's out thar."

Watching the gulls which it scorned were mobilizing
under a gray-backed leader, the old fisherman moved farther
down the point with more animation. The noisy squawking
of those garbagcrs of tlie sea reached his ears as they assem-
bled from north, .south, east and west, some seeming to drop
from the very zenith. He gazed intently at the unusual dem-
onstration.

" Fish, or wind? " he queried, as a little ripple, not un-
like a cat's paw, broke the glassy surface.

"They be Hockin' shoreward, " he exclaimed, as the birds
chased each other like snowflakes, the mass rolling over and
over itself, but unmistakably heading toward shoal water.
From exhaustion the old fisherman's gaze dropped downward.
Then lie winked hard and rubbed his eyes. Only a few feet
from the shore and just under the .surface a dark streak wrs
advancing toward him, and growing bigger with every wave.
It was wedge-shaped and squirming, writhing and rolling, the
point suddenly turned up shore sweeping away in a graceful
curve like the tail of a comet.

" Fish ! Fish, sartin's my head's lookin' for'ard," ho

fairly shouted.

Then he started to carry the news to his neighbor fisher-
men, paused, then sat down. " For why," thought he, " should
I tell Ben and Job Collins. If luck fails them this fall their
farm's a goner. Twenty years ago their father, old Hank, cut

272

TIIK LAST lIVrT..

my seine an' I never had the fust chanst to even up fair,
Aint tliey beauties ; millions on 'em, an' them fools don't
know'sther's a tish ani}>h the shore. Show I lione, you'rjf row-
in' meaner and fooler, no mistake, but thet thar Job's payin'
too stiddy attention to my Nan, and no Mareeau shall marry
a Collins while I live, lint she's dead set on Joby, .she is, and
I'm sorry to disappint her. Tell tnem ? In eourse I will,"
and he hurried to the sons of the man against whom he held
a grudge although the grave had clo.'^ed between them. Ho
gave orders like a shii)'s first offieer :

" Hoys, ther a big school hit agin the shore ! Out and
make the biggest haul ever made. Off with yer boat and run
the old 'man-killer' around shiploads on 'em."

The old man sprang into the boat and seized an oar, the
Collins b-'vs, owners of the biggest seine on the shore, tVdlowing
in dumb surprise, while those who tished for a " hand -.share,''
wild with visions conjured by old Bone's excitement, grasped
the oars and sent the heavy boat around the eour.xe s|)inning
out the great seine as it never went l)efore. Soon the outer
jackstaff was tossed over, a heavy roj)e was made fast to it.and
the boat landed not far from its .^starting point. The seine lay
out a full three-quarters of a mile in a semi-circle, tlu* buoys
marking the position where it lay fishing twenty feet top and
bottom. The ropes, attached to either end, were carried to
snatch blocks on the .shore. With the aid of a horse at one
line and a win<llass at the other the hauling of the great bag
shon'ward began with a lively shout from the strong throats
of the lusty lisheinian now fairly wild with excitement. The
old man who Iiad so nnccreiiuinidusly ;u.-<iiined criminMiid Icil
and clieercd tiii' men in tlie hard, wet task and seemed ani-
mate<l with the vigor of yf)uth as the jack.'! dragge(l slowly
home. Zip I Splash I A silver stivak shoots over the cork-

TltR l.AST ItAVf.

273

11)10 nnd (Irop.s outside into (loop water and freedom. The
lislicrnion Imvo lost a fine salmon. The jacks aro hove homo ;
the load-lino liitolios on the rough bottom ; the fish break tho
surface and bag the net outward as they are drawn into small-
er compass. The men tug at tho lines, the corks bob under
as the finny prisoners make a frantic rush for deep water only
to bo hurled back by the straini^ig moshes. Now a long,
strong pull and all together as tho jacks aro landed high and
dry, and scoops aro brought to land tho captive beauties whose
beauty is ontiroly lost upon tlioir captors. Again and again
is tho not thrown until it is returned empty. Meantime the
dressers have come from up and down the shore, and each fish
is dofdy prepared for market in just throe moves. Frolicsome
lads and lassies thoy when work is over. At last the final
basket of tisli has boon washed and salted. Thou the old fish-
erman wlio had worked with untiring energy wearily sat down
u})on an overturned fish box.

"A hundred and twenty barrels, " ho muttered, "pood
for an even th(usand dollars if a cent. Never tho likes of it
on this shore, no /or — an' I told Old Hank's boys. I do'no,
spose I may's well make a day of it. .loby, come hero. You
can have Nan an' 1 give in. Take her for yourii an deal fair
by her. "

He was pale and trembling. " Boys, " ho said slowly,
" its my last haul, the biggest ever made and I gin it to yer
free. Lord — help — mo." And as ho fell his soul wont out
on that unknown deep without compass or rudder.

THE END.