THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

^^"^^^^^i^^k^ ^^^

HARRY A^rD GETTY.—

Page 18.

THRILLING ADVENTURES

OF THE

PEISONER OF THE BOEDER.

P. HAMILTON MYERS,

AUTBOR OF **KINO OP THE HVROKS,' AtO*

17ITS JLLmTBATIOKS.

NEW YORK:
DERBY & JACKSON, 119 NASSAU STREET.

18(60.

* J* * •»• **, • *• * « « «

DERBY * JACKSON,
» Ckrk'a OSm of Um DiMriot Court of the United Stat«f, for <Ae Southern District of New Y«fk.

W. H. Ttmcm, Stereotjpcr. Gxo. Ruasxu., * Co., Priaton.

CONTENTS

-^t^-

CHAPTER I.

PA«B

Gnert Rosevelt and his Grandsons, 9

CHAPTER II.
A Dutch Belle, • . . 18

CHAPTER III.
Aunt Becky and the Hebess, 24

CHAPTER IV.
Abrupt Proposals, •••28

CHAPTER V.
The Eloquent Emissary, • • 84

CHAPTER VI.
A Dark Compact, • 41

CHAPTER VII.
Harry and Gertrude, • ' 51

CHAPTER Vm.
Barak, the Agitator, ..... 69

▼i CONTENTS.

CHAPTER IX.

PAO>

The Midnight Army, .- , 6T

CHAPTER X.
Thelnyasion, 74

CHAPTER XI.
The Battle of WlndmlU Point, 80

CHAPTER Xn-.
A Recreant Brother, 87

CHAPTER Xni.
The Magic Rifle, 96

CHAPTER XIV.

A Tyrant and a Slave, . 98

\
CHAPTER XV.
Ruth's Story, . 106

CHAPTER XVI.
A Good Samaritan, 118

CHAPTER XVn.
A Guinea Negro, ,, 121

CHAPTER XVIII.
A Dutchman's Courtship, and its Consequences, . . , , , • . " , 129

CHAPTER XIX.
Tidings from the War, . * 130

CHAPTER XX.
Gertrude and her Friends, • • . 142

CHAPTER XXL
Captain Tom's Fortunes, 152

CONTENTS. Vll

CHAPTER XXII.

FAOE

The Hero of the Thousand Isles, 162

CHAPTER XXIII.

Rainbow Island, 167

CHAPTER XXIV.
A Thousand Pounds for his Head, 179

CHAPTER XXV.
Subterranean Councils, " 186

CHAPTER XXVI.
Samson Unbound, ' 197

CHAPTER XXVn.

The Express Travellers— An Unexpected Meeting, . . , . . . .201

CHAPTER XXVIII.
The Prisoner of Prescott, 208

CHAPTER XXIX.
Light in a Dungeon, 221

CHAPTER XXX
A Mysterious Client, 230

CHAPTER XXXL
An Unlucky Walk, 230

CHAPTER XXIOI.
Jack Shay and his Gang . 244

CHAPTER XXXIIL
A Trial— An Unexpected "Witness, ........ .253

CHAPTER XXXIV.
Heroism, 261

Vm CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XXXV.

PAOB

Black Brom and the Attorney-General, 267

CHAPTER XXXVI.
The " Queen's Evidence," 278

CHAPTER XXXVII.
Sir George Arthur, 279

CHAPTER XXXVIII.
A New Advocate, 288

CHAPTER XXXIX.
A Physician Disappointed, 292

CHAPTER XL.
A Sad Interview, 800

CHAPTER XLI.
An Inquisitive Man, •••. 806

CHAPTER XLII.
A Visit to a Desperate Brigand, 812

CHAPTER XLIII.
The Outlaw and his Followers, • • . 818

CHAPTER XLIV.
Nobility in Disguise, 829

CHAPTER XLV.
A Lawyer with a Small Library, ^ ^ 335

CHAPTER XLVI.
The Will, g4j

CHAPTER XLVn.
Rough ^^torg, 35^

CHAPTER XLVin.

Conclusion,

670

THE

PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

CHAPTER I. J

GUERT ROSEVELT AND HIS GRANDSONS.

Within view of those mystic mountains, which were long since
rendered classic soil by the pen of Irving, and on the banks of that
beautiful Hudson, whose charms defy even the power of genius to
depict, was the quiet home of Walter Vrail. Not in the days
when the ghostly Hendrick and his phantom followers made the
rocky halls of the Catskills reverberate with their rumbling balls,
and with the clatter of their falling nine-pins, and when their spec^
tral flagon-bearer could be dimly seen at twilight, toiling up the
misty ascent to join the shadow revellers, but in these lat#r
days, when the quaint old bowlers in doublet and jerkin, have
retired deep within the bowels of the mountain, to pursue their
endless game undisturbed by the plash of the swift steamboat, or
the roar of the linked cars, plunging through dark passes, trem-
bling along narrow ledges, and sending up their shrill scream
through all the far recesses of a once holy solitude.

All, how much has modern utilitarianism to answer for at the
tribunal of Poetry. How many a fairy dream has it dispelled ;
how many a cherished illusion has it dissipated! How has it

1* »

10 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

measured out with square and compass all the sacred precincts of
Romance, and run its surveyors^ chains along the moonlit haunts of
the Naiad and the Hamadryad ! There are no haunted wells, no
spell-bound treasures now. No restless Spirits tramp along our
darkened halls at night, and lead the way, all voiceless, to their hid-
den gold. No headless horseman scours the plain, frightening
belated travellers, and vanishing at churchyard gate. No solemn
conclave of grey-bearded men and ancient dames, around the
ample hearth, discuss th^ l^st new apparition with uplifted hands,
and look askance atid^riltng corners of the room, while the wild
tale is io\(\,, , ^ . . . ■ ; '^ ''

.'/P«rGgress: has chan^^ all this. Our old men talk of stocks
instead of ghosts ; our children, fancy dwarfed, prefer philosophy
to fairy tales, and laugh at good old Santa Glaus, for whom the
pendent stockings gaped by a thousand chimneys in the days of
yore. We search no more for Kidd's deep coifers, or if we do, a
spook-defying joint-stock company, with shares commanding pre-
mium on 'change, attempts the work, disdaining other incantation
than the power of steam.

Progress has wrought these changes. Progress has opened to
us a land of gold, outvieing a thousand fold, the fabled stores of
brigand wealth. Progress has- —

*' Done nothing for your story yet, Mr. Romancer," we hear
some querulous reader object, and accepting the rebuke, we bid
adieu to goblins, and " chimeras dire."

We said that Walter Vrail lived ; yet, almost in the same para-
graph, are we to record that he ceased to live. Called, in his
meridian years, to relinquish life, he left besides it, two much
loved sons, the education and welfare of whom had long been the
object of his earnest solicitude. Both had passed out of the age
of boyhood, Harry, the elder, having attained to his twenty-third
year, and Thomas just verging upon legal manhood ; but, although
brothers, there was a diversity in their character and appearance

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 11

which would have prevented a stranger from suspecting them of
even a remoter affinity.

Both were handsome in face and in figure, yet Harry alone pos-
sessed that indefinable beauty of expression and manner, which we
so often see without the power to analyze, and which won many
fair hearts whose peace he never dreamed of disturbing, and some
far above his aspirations. Aspirations, indeed, he could scarcely
be said to have. Never, perhaps, was mortal more devoid of self-
esteem, his deficiency in which quality might have been considered
almost reprehensible, had it not been a natural hiatus in his char-
acter which no education could supply.

Elegant, well-educated, witty and graceful, he really believed
himself to be a very ordinary mortal, who owed all his considera-
tion to the extreme good-nature of his acquaintances, and to the
great merits of his younger brother. His friends were all quite or
nearly faultless in his estimation, but Tom was a perfect paragon
of excellence. So talented, so learned, so very, very dee'p^ so ambi-
tious, too, that he was sure to become a very great man ere long,
and to shed a rich lustre upon the family name. Ah ! how he
regretted that his parents, whose pet Tom had ever been, could
not have been permitted to live to see that coming day which
was to realize their predictions and his own expectations.

It was true, he thought, his brother had some failings of char-
acter, though perhaps he ought rather to call them eccentricities.
Genius is always eccentric, and cannot be expected to be governed
by the same laws which bind ordinary mortals. He had thought
that Tom lacked in — what should he call it ? — thoughtfulness, con-
sideration for others — not for Am, indeed ; there was no need of
thinking about Mm — but for his now solitary old grandfather, and
sometimes for other friends. Then, Tom was a little irritable —
that was the genius, of course, but it was a pity ; and sometimes he
was a little, a very little vain — yet how could the poor fellow help
it, thought Harry, with so much to be vain of?

12 THE PRISONER "of THE BORDER.

Mr. Vrail had been wealthy, but in his mistaken anxiety to
increase his property for his children's sake, it had been reduced,
within the last year of his life, by a failing speculation, to less than
a competence. His small farm and homestead, situated in a vil-
lage on the bank of the Hudson, formed the whole of his posses-
sions, and to this estate the brothers were equal heirs.

Brought up in the expectation of so great wealth, it seemed indeed
but a pittance to them, and they became speedily aware of the
necessity of making some exertion for their support.

Harry, unfortunately, Jiad learned no business. When his
collegiate course had terminated, he had been advised, but
not urged, by his indulgent parents, to select a profession and
pursue it, and he had often nearly resolved to do so. But what
was Harry fit for, in his own estimation ? He thought, at timesf
of the law ; but what was the use of studying law, when young
Tom could outspeak him already in the debating society, and could
make more noise in five minutes than he would dare to make in
the whole evening. To be sure, Tom was not very perspicuous in
his arguments, and often forgot and misstated historical facts,
but then he did everything with an air, and made the weakest
point of his case seem strong by the force and fire of his declamation.

The practice of medicine had also been recommended to Harry
as a genteel and easy business, but the idea of ever having a
human life dependent on his poor judgment made him tremble ;
and as for the pulpit, he thought that a man, like himself, who
was good for nothing else, certainly had no right to think of that.
So Harry had wasted year after year in a sort of elegant leisure,
reading, indeed, a great deal of history, biography and classic lore,
and constantly finding among his departed heroes prototypes of
what Tom was going to become one of these days.

When Mr. VraiPs losses occurred, his sons were far from know-
ing the extent of them, for the kind father, still hopeful of retriev-
ing his fortunes, would not look poverty in the face, nor teach his

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 13

children to contemplate what seemed to him so hideous a spectre.
It was not, therefore, until his sudden death that they became
aware of their comparative penury, and of the necessity of turning
to some account the excellent education which he had bestowed
upon them. The younger son had, indeed, for several years been
nominally a student in the office of a village attorney, more with
a view to the acquirement of that renown which he was sure
must follow his first forensic efforts, than with any expecta-
tion of making his business a source of profit. But now, when
poverty had come so suddenly upon him, he felt entirely impatient
of the slow process of regaining his lost wealth which his profes-
sion offered, and he longed to discover some " open sesame " to the
magic portals of Mammon.

It is difficult to convince a man who has once been affluent that
there is not some short and certain road which will lead him back
to the golden highway from which he has strayed, and Tom was
particularly sanguine on this point.

" We must sell the homestead to begin with," he said to Harry,
when, a few months after his father's decease, the brothers had
their first business consultation ; " we must turn everything into
money "

"Grandfather included, I suppose," said Harry, smiling; "for
your plan would leave him no home."

" Oh, I did not thinlc of grandfather," replied Tom ; and then
added, after a pause, "How very old he is — isn't he ?"

" Why, bless you Tom, no ! He isn't seventy-five yet, and he is
as hale and hearty as ever- — he is good for a dozen years, at least,
yet, I hope."

" And nothing to live on. Well, we must manage some way in
relation to him^ and then we must sell out everything. There
are many fields open for speculation when once one has a little
money on hand. But nothing can be done without that. At
])resent we can scarcely buy a barrel of flour."

14 THE PKISONER OF THE BOEDER.

" Tom talks like a book," thought Harry ; *' but what does he
mean to do with grandfather ?"

Their conversation was interrupted by the entrance of the vene-
rable subject of their remarks, a hale, hearty old man, bent, indeed
with years, and slightly crippled with rheumatism, yet with a face
red, and fresh, and unwrinkled, shining out of its setting of snowy
hair, like the sun breaking through a white fog.

Guert Rosevelt was a Dutchman at all points, and his consent
had with difficulty been obtained, twenty-five years before, to the
marriage of his loved Katrina with an American who could boast
no Flemish blood or affinities — but these scruples had long been
forgotten, and he now cherished the memory of his son-in-law
with an affection scarcely inferior to that with which he mourned
his departed daughter. His grandsons were all that he had left
on earth to love, and his old heart clung to them as the oak, riven,
but not uprooted, clings to its native soil. Yet it was not with an
equal affection that he regarded the orphaned youths, for Harry
had been his pet in childhood, and, though unacknowledged as
such, was greatly his favorite still.

" I am glad you have come, grandpa," exclaimed the elder bro-
ther, impulsively ; " we were just speaking of"

** Of business," said Tom, interrupting his brother, and slightly
coloring as he spoke ; " and we shall, perhaps, want your advice."

" Veil, den, boys, what is it, now ?" said the old man, compla-
cently, seating himself between the youths.

" Why, you see," answered the younger brother, " it is time for
us to be seeking our fortunes, Harry and I — we are poor enough
now, you know, and we ought to be up and doing. But what we
are to do, is the question."

" Yes — yes," said the grandfather, quickly, nodding his head
energetically, "I hef been thinking . of it too. This reeting of
books and blowing on the flute will never make a poor man rich."

" That's you^ Harry," said Tom, chuckling.

THE PEISONEK OF THE BORDER. 15

" Neither will this shmoking cigars in a lawyer's shop, and talk-
ing politics," continued the mentor, shaking his white locks still
more earnestly.

*' That's you^ Tom," said Harry.

" Yes — yes — it is both of you. If Tommy means to be a lawyer,
well and goot. 'Tish a trade I don't much like — but he is a
shmart lad, and may get to be a Justice of the Peace or Supervi-
sor one of these days."

" Justice of the Peace or Supervisor !" echoed Tom, contemptu-
ously.

" Hush !" whispered his brother.

"Yes — yes," continued the old man, "that you may, ef you are
shmart — you will be^ a Squire, perhaps a Judge some day,
Tommy."

" Like Judge Boory, I suppose, to wake up and say, * I concur,'
when the first judge gives an opinion, and then go to sleep again."

" Yes, like Judge Boory," added Guert, who had not understood
the latter part of the young man's reply ; " yes, you will dp very
well, if you try — but as to Harry, here" —

" Oh, I shall rise to be first flageolet to some travelling Punch
and Judy, grandfather," said Harry, laughing, and taking down
his flute ; " you will see if I don't. Just listen to this new air
from the Beggar's Opera, which I have been learning."

" ' Tish the right thing for you to learn, poy," replied the old
man, smiling, and laying his hand afiectionately upon the head of
his grandson. " The Beggar's Opera — yesh — yesh 1" and the old
gentleman's head gave a great many little nods, the playful smile
still lingering upon his lips.

Harry took advantage of the pause in conversation to play the
air half through, and he would have played it over a dozen times
before his grandfather would have interrupted him in anything
which gave him so much pleasure ; but Tom frowned, and Harry
stopped.

16 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

*' We have no time for music now," said the younger brother,
" if you call that music — but I think I have heard cornstalk flutes
give clearer notes than that cracked and patched tube of yours."

" It was father's flute," replied Harry, in a low voice, which
certainly was most musical, if the instrument was not.

"As to the law," said Tom, recurring to business, and, of course,
to his own prospects, " I don't half like it ; and, besides, it is too
slow a path for me without some auxiliary. I must try something
else. I want to get rich first, and then I will practise law after-
wards for the honor and eclat of it. But the money — the money
is what I want now, grandfather, and what Harry wants too, I
suppose."

" Why don't one of you go and marry little Getty Van Kleeck 3"
asked Guert, addressing them both, but looking at his favorite.
" She is almost as rich as the Patroon, and a pretty little chub she
is too."

Harry rose, and turned aside to lay his flute on the shelf, and
Tom replied,

" By George ! I never thought of that. It wouldn't be a bad
idea — though, to be sure, she isn't exactly the kind of wife a man
would like to introduce to— to distinguished circles."

" To distinguished what .^" said the old man, sharply.

"Why to distinguished people, grandfather — fashionable
acquaintances, you know."

*• She is a goot girl," said the old man, earnestly ; " as clean as
a pink and as fresh as a rose."

" She is short and fat," answered Tom ; " but she must be very
rich, of course. A queer old codger her father was, and he died
of a surfeit of sour crout."

" He was a goot man," said Guert.

** And died like a great one," added Harry, smiling. " Frederick
the Great killed himself by over eating, and there are plenty of
royal precedents for gluttony."

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 17

" He was a goot man !" reiterated Guert, sharply.

" I don't know," muttered Tom, musingly, " I don't know but I
will take Getty. She is squabby, certainly ; but — a — what do you
think, Harry ? You are much better acquainted with her than I
am.''

There was the slightest perceptible increase of color on Harry's
cheek as he was thus applied to, but he answered without hesi-
tation.

" I think you could get her, Tom."

" Get her ! You think I could get her ! Well, I did not want
your opinion on that point — but the question is, whether it would
be quite the thing ?"

" I think Gertrude a very amiable and sensible young lady,"
replied Harry,

" Well, I guess that is the first time the little dumpling was
ever called a young lady, and I don't think she would recognize
herself by the title. However, she might be transformed into a
young lady — stranger metamorphoses have taken place. I will
certainly think about it. Will you go over there with me some
evening ? I am almost a stranger to her."

** Yes," said Harry, unhesitatingly.

CHAPTER II.

A DUTCH BELLE.

Harry and Getty were very well acquainted with each other..
Their homes were indeed a considerable distance apart, Miss Van
Kleeck living in a large old farm-house quite without the precincts
of the village, and nearly a mile from the residence of the Trails.
Almost alone did she live, too, for her mother had been several
years deceased, and since the death of her father, which had
occurred only a few months prior to the time now spoken of, she
had continued to reside in the family mansion, with an old aunt,
who had been one of the household longer than even Getty her-
self. The remainder of the family consisted of a hired laborer
and two domestic servants, all of whom had occupied their pre-
sent position so very many years without change, that each seemed
to challenge a life interest in the old homestead, and Getty had
not the heart to break up the establishment since the removal of
its venerable head, nor could she be said scarcely to entertain the
least desire to do so. For what idea had Getty of home, elsewhere
than in the old brown house, with its antique chimneys, and its
long Dutch stoop, whence for so many summer evenings, far back
as memory could reach, the smoke of the paternal pipe had
ascended.

Getty did not wish to change her abode, nor did she scarcely
realize her right to do so. She knew, indeed, that she was the
sole inheritor of her father's large property, but she very faintly

THE PKISONER OF THE BOBDEE. 19

coraprehended its value, or the importance which it gave her in
the eyes of others, and she had so long been accustomed to defer-
ence to her aunt, that it was with difficulty and by slow degrees
alone that she could appreciate her position as mistress of the
household.

How or when Harry's acquaintance with Gertrude begun it
would be difficult to say, but for several preceding years his
hunting excursions had extended more often through old Van
Kleeck's woods than in any other quarter, and the silvery stream
which tinkled across the meadow of Mynheer afforded the finest
flavored trout, in Harry's opinion, of the whole country around.
It was natural enough, on these expeditions, to stop and chat occa-
sionally with old Baltus, on his stoop, and sometimes to leave a
tribute of his game with the proprietor of the domain on which
it was bagged. If a string of finer trout than usual rewarded
his afternoon's labors, the larger half was sure to be left at Baltus'
door, despite of all resistance ; and then the servant was to be
instructed in the art of dressing, and Getty in the mystery of cooking
them in the way which should best preserve their flavor. Some-
times, too, the fatigued youth could be induced at the close of the
day, to remain and see if his culinary instructions were properly
followed, and at the bountiful board of the Dutchman his seat
chanced ever to be beside that of Getty, who saw that he received
of the choicest portions of his own gifts. How she loaded his
plate, too, with dainties drawn from dark closets, the key of which
was seldom turned, save on such occasions as this; how the thickest
cream filled the old-fashioned silver cream pot to the brim, and
was half emptied over Harry's strawberries, or on Harry's currants,
while with her own white hand she pitched the large wheaten
slices, quoit-like, around his plate, enjoining upon him, in the most
approved fashion of Dutch hospitality, to eat,

Nor did Harry always find himself sufficiently refreshed to start
for home as soon as the evening meal was finished. From the

20 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

table to the long covered stoop was a natural and easy transition ;
for there the air was fresh and cool, and while Baltus planted him-
self, puflSng, in his favorite corner, and his silent vrow sat knit-
ting and musing at his side, and pussy, unreproved, now dandled
the good dame's ball of yarn in her paws, and now tapping it
fiercely, pursued it rolling far across the floor ; while the swallows
darted daringly inside the pillars, and skimming close to the ceil-
ing, flew chirping out at the farthest opening, Harry and Getty
chatted and laughed together — talking only on common themes
it is true, yet at times in tones which might have been mistaken
by one who had not caught the words, for tones of love. And
there was a time when yet Harry's father was alive, and was a
man of wealth, that the young man had dreamed of love. It
was presumptuous in him, he knew, even then, to look up to one so
fair and pure as sweet Gertrude seemed to him, and one for whom
so many worthier than himself would be certain to aspire.

Yet he could not refrain from hoping, though with so faint a
heart that he never found encouragement to declare, or even most
remotely to hint at the love which consumed him. But if, while
he was the prospective heir of great wealth, he felt thus unworthy
of the object of his admiration, widely, hopelessly yawned between
them the gulf of separation when positive poverty became his lot.

With a pang of unspeakable intensity he dismissed the bright
visions which had gilded his heart, and sought no more to recall
so painful and illusive a dream.

Yet, strangely enough, while he held himself thus unworthy of
Gertrude, and considered that his changed position precluded him
from the right to offer her his hand, he saw no such barrier in
the way of his brother. Tom, he thought, was so clever and so
handsome, his merits were so many and his fortunes so sure, that
he might almost be entitled to wed a princess, and although he .
was half incensed, he was not surprised at the very confident tone
in which the young lawyer had spoken of winning the beautiful

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 21

Gertrude, if he chose. Harry thought so himself— he had often
thought of it before, and had wondered why his brother had
never seemed to notice this sparkling jewel in his path any more
than if it were but common crystal. ,

But true love, even when hopeless, instinctively revolts at the
idea of seeing the beloved object in the possession of another,
however worthy, and Harry, although not without some upbraid-
ing of conscience, had carefully abstained from saying anything
which should set the current of his brother's thoughts in the direc-
tion of the great prize he had discovered. Very great, therefore,
was his alarm when his good grandsire made his abrupt sugges-
tion, and when Tom so coarsely and ungraciously seemed to
approve it. Yet he suppressed his great grief, and replied truth-
fully to his brother's inquiry, for he not only believed that the lat-
ter could obtain the beautiful heiress (indeed, he looked upon
them from that moment as wedded), but he failed to see the utter
selfishness which had so entirely ^overlooked himself or any predi-
lections which he might entertain.

So Harry accompanied his brother on his first visit to Getty,
not because any formal introduction was needed, for there had
been a slight acquaintance existing between all the parties from
childhood, but because Tom thought it would serve to put him at
once on better and jnore familiar terms with the lady. And sp it
did. Getty was delighted to see them, for she appreciated the
kindness which remembered her bereavement and her isolation.
So very amiable and cheerful did she appear — so naturally grace-
ful and winning, especially when conversing with Harry, with
whom she was best acquainted, that Tom was positively delighted
with her, and on his return homeward, he announced his fixed
determination to ofier himself within a week. ? ^

" Won't she be astonished ?" he said. " ■ [^

"It will be rather abrupt," replied Harry; "she will barS|f
expect it so soon."

22 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

" Very probable ; but when a thing is to be done, the sooner it
is accomplished the better. Besides, it wouldn't be fair to keep
her in suspense."

" Perhaps you are right."

"I shan't hurry her to fix the day, you know, but I abhor long
courtships, and these things can as well be settled in a week as in
a year."

" Perhaps you would have done well to save time by proposing
for her to-night," said Harry, compelling a laugh.

"No, that would not have looked well. Besides, it is proper
she should have time to make my acquaintance."

" And you surely do not think a week suflScient for the purpose
of forming a mutual acquaintance, and for acquiring that attach-
ment for each other which ought to precede a matrimonial
engagement ?"

"I surely do. Have we not been neighbors from childhood
and does she not know me well enough by reputation ? Do not
fear, Harry ; I will manage it."

"But if"

"No, no — a *but' and an *if' are quite too much in one sen-
tence. I tell you I have no fears. She may possibly be engaged
to some boor of a fellow, but even then, Harry, I think it could
be managed. Don't you ?"

"I do not think she is engaged — certainly not to any one
unworthy of her."

" Then we are on safe ground," said Tom, with hilarity, for he
seemed to think his brother equally interested with himself in the
success of his plans. "She seems a nice girl, and I have no
doubt we st[all get on capitally together. She shall soon lead a
different sort of life from her present one, cooped up in an old
brown farm-house, with a dragon to guard her. Won't she open
her eyes when we go to the city, and she gets into New York
society ?"

THE PRISONER OP THE BORDER. , 23

Harry began to open his eyes a little to his brother's character,
but the force of education was strong, and he had been taught to
believe Tom almost perfect, and his invincible good nature was
busy in meliorating the harsh views which he was at first dis-
posed to take of his conduct, and in inventing excuses for him.
Besides, he had a strong afiection for Tom, which he believed to
be fully reciprocated, and he did not doubt that Getty would
inspire him with the same fervent love which his own heart had
once felt, and even now with difficulty suppressed. He did not
pursue the subject, nor return to it again, excepting when com-
pelled to do so by the other, whose exuberant spirits ran wild in
contemplation of the fortunate change which he was about to
make in his aflfairs, and who could not cease to wonder that he
had never before discovered such an obvious opportunity for his
personal advancement.

The more he thought of his project the more deeply his heart
was set upon it, and so bountifully was he supplied with that
quality of mind which Harry most lacked, self-esteem, that he had
no misgivings as to success.

CHAPTER IIL

AUNT BECKY AND THE HEIRESS.

Baltus Van Kleeck had left the world somewhat suddenlyi
and without making any provision for the disposal of that part of
it which he claimed to own ; and when his pretty daughter Getty
became, by operation of law, sole proprietress of several square
miles of the terrestrial globe, without any guardian or man of
business to guide or instruct her in its management, her position
was one of no little embarrassment.

Not that she would have so considered it had she been left to
herself in exercising her sovereignty — for Getty was an easy,
good-natured sou], who said " yes " to everybody's advice, and to
all applications for favors. Not a tenant but would have had his
rent lowered, or his house repaired, or some privilege granted or
restriction removed, had it not been for the perpetual interference
of aunt Becky, a shrivelled, nervous old lady, who was kept in a
continual state of excitement by the fear that her niece would be
imposed upon.

"Don't you do it, Getty," were the words with which she
usually burst in upon these conferences, spectacles on nose, with-
out waiting to hear the specific subject of negotiation.

" ni tell you what, aunt," said the heiress, one day after one of
these interviews, from which the applicant had retired discomfit-
ted by the very first gleam of Madame Becky's glasses, " I must
have an agent to manage these matters, for they are quite beyond

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 25

my comprehension. What with farms to hire, and farms to sell,
stock to dispose of, and rents to be collected, I shall go crazy. I
know I shall. I must have an agent."

" What for, then, would you have an agent ?" said the dame, in
a Joud key, scowling meanwhile over the black rims of her spec-
tacles ; " to cheat you out of everything, and to grow rich on your
money ? Hey ?"

*'No, aunt; some good, reliable man"

'' Good, reliable fiddlestick, Getty."

" I say no, aunt."

" I say yes, child. He'll charge you half for taking care of
your property, and run away with the rest. Don't talk to me
about agents."

Getty had never divested herself of the dread with which from
childhood she had regarded her scolding aunt, and so, without
fully resolving either to carry or yield the point, she sought to
escape from the altercation for the present by not pressing it.

"But these repairs, aunt," she said, "which are so much needed
for these poor men ?"

" It is no such thing ; there are no repairs needed. Why, one
would think the houses and fences had all tumbled down the
moment poor Baltus was gone. It is no such thing, I say — they
are well enough. I have been in every house on the estate within
a fortnight, and they are well enough."

" But Mr. Jones, who has eight children, can't make his rent
out of the farm."

" Let him give it up, then, to some one who can. What business
has he with so many children ?"

" And Mr. Smith has lost one of his best oxen."

" He must take better care of his oxen, then. He need not
expect us to pay him for it, I can tell him that."

" But I gave him ten dollars, at all events," replied Getty des-
perately, and not without alarm.

26 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

" Ten dollars, child ! Well, now, did anybody ever hear the
like of that ? Ten dollars to that idle, whining fellow ! Why,
Getty, you will be in the poor house in a year, if that is the way
you are going on — that you will. Ten dollars !"

Becky could hardly throw accent enough upon these two words
to express her appreciation of the magnitude of the waste.

" I dare say it was too much," said Getty, *' but he told a very
pitiful story."

" Yes, yes, they'll all tell pitiful stories enough, if they can only
find any one silly enough to believe them. But I'll see to it that
there is no more such throwing away of Baltus' money. Give me
the key."

Getty submissively took from a side pocket a small bunch of
keys, and slipping the smallest off the steel ring which held them'
together, she handed it to her aunt. No sooner, however, had
she done so, than the absurdity of the command and the compli-
ance became apparent to her, and with rising wrath, she was
about to recall her act, when her eyes met the dark scowl of the
old lady, and yielding to the force of habit, she remained quiet.

Now, Becky's conduct, harsh as it seemed, was altogether
caused by excessive anxiety for her niece's interest, and she was to
the full extent as honest as she was crabbed. She felt her respon-
sibility as the only surviving adult relative of her brother, and as
a sort of natural guardian of both the heiress and her estate, a
position which she was by no means desirous of retaining any
longer than the welfare of Gertrude required it. Her only hope
of relief from her self-imposed duties, was in getting Gertrude
married to some " stiddy, sober man." But on this point she had
M morbid anxiety even greater than that which related to the pro-
perty, for she was in constant trepidation lest the heiress should
fall a victim to some needy fortune-hunter, in Which class she
ranked all suitors who did not follow the plough, and wear home-
spun. She even went so far as to question more than one pre-

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 27

suming beau as to his intentions, and one timid young man, who
had been a whole month accumulating courage enough to make a
first call upon Gertrude, was so frightened by the fierce manner
in which aunt Becky asked him what he wanted, that he only
stammered out something about having got into the wrong house,
and retreated without once seeing the object of his hopes.
Strangely enough, too, although Getty knew her aunt's conduct in
this instance, and her general asperity towards gentleman visitors,
she did not seem to resent it, or to be rendered at all uuhappy by
it— nay she was even suspected of rejoicing at so easy a mode of
escaping the persecution of lovers. She was unwilling, however,
^ that the imputation of inhospitality or impoliteness should rest
upon her family, and on this point she remonstrated with the
duenna.

" Let the mollyhacks stay at home, then," said Becky ; ** what
business have they to come here sparking ? Let them stay at
home then, and when we want them we will send for them."

The visit of the Vrails caused her some annoyance, for she knew
that their father had died nearly insolvent, and they were what
she called " broad-cloth beaux." But neither of them could yet be
regarded as a suitor, and the old dame kept quiet in regard to
them as long as there was no repetition of»their offence.

CHAPTER IV.

A-BRUPT PROPOSALS

" What has come over you Getty, that you have been singing
all the time for these two days, up-stairs and down — hey ?" said
Becky to her niece, in the afternoon of the second day after the
visit which has been spoken of.

" O, nothing, aunt Becky," replied Gertrude, hesitatingly ; " I
often sing like that, do not I ?"

" Not often, I hope. I have counted these stitches over these
three times, and every time your ring-tee-iddity has made me for-
get how many there are."

The dame's tone was severe, and as Getty spied the old scowl
taking shape on her forehead, she retreated to her own room to
sing away the remainder of the evening by herself. On the mor-
row, also, her heart seemed equally light, and snatches of old
songs were escaping all day from her lips, making every room
and closet vocal as she flitted through them on various house
hold duties. Now and then a growl responded to some of
these chirpings, silencing themYor a while, only to break forth in
some other quarter of the house more merrily than ever. As
evening drew nigh; her merriment gradually subsided, and she with
drew to her own apartment in a more thoughtful and pensive
mood — not long, however, to remain unsought.

Her heart beat quickly when, listening, she heard the voice of
a visitor below, and far quicker when a servant girl came up and

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 29

informed her that Mr. Vrail was in the parlor, and wished to see
her. Startled, but not surprised, with a fluttering heart and
flushed face, she flew to the glass to add the last touch to the sim-
ple adornments of her person, and although far from being vain,
she could not forbear contemplating for a moment with compla-
cency the sweet picture reflected by the faithful mirror.

She waited a little while for her agitation to subside : for with
that rapid breath and heightened color, and something very like a
tear glistening in her eye, she was unwilling to meet her visitor ;
but, while she waited, she received another and more urgent sum-
mons.

" You had better come down. Miss Gertrude," said the girl, who
seemed to guess that her young mistress was expecting a not un-
welcome visitor ; " you had better come down, for your aunt Becky
is getting ready to go in and see the gentleman."

This announcement did not have a tendency to allay Miss Van
Kleeck's excitement, but it hastened her movements, and in a few
moments she was at the parlor door, which she entered trem-
blingly, and not the less beautiful for her fright. Her step had
been agile, but she stopped as if spell-bound just within the doorway,
seemingly unable to comprehend or reply to the very civil " Good
evening," with which she was addressed by Mr. Thomas Vrail.

The changed expression of her countenance, so radiant on enter-
ing, so amazed and saddened now, did not fail to attract the notice
of that young gentleman, who, sagely attributing it to the awe in-
spired by his presence, at once condescendingly resolved to reas-
sure the heart of his charmer by his suavity. But, although Getty
recovered herself so far as to say " Good evening," and, after
another considerable pause, to ask her visitor to sit down, and then
to sit down herself on the farthest edge of the chair most remote
from her companion, she did not seem easily reassured.

Tom said it was a pleasant evening, and Getty said " Yes," very
very faintly.

50 THE PRISONEE OF THE BOEDER.

Then Tom said it was a beautiful walk from his house to Miss
Van Kleeck's, and Getty again answered with a monosyllable, but
this time a little more distinctly.

"A very delightful walk,'' reiterated the suitor; "and one
which I hope I shall have the pleasure of taking frequently.''

Miss Van Kleeck, thinking it necessary to say something in re-
ply, and entirely failing to comprehend the drift of the remark,
" hoped so too."

Tom now felt himself to be getting along fast — nay, with very
railroad speed, so he ventured to draw his seat a little nearer to
Getty, to her manifest trepidation, for her eyes turned quickly
toward the door, and she seemed to be contemplating flight.

But it was one of Tom's maxims to strike while the iron is hot,
and if he had been so well convinced of having made a favorable
impression on the evening of his first visit, he felt doubly sure now,
after the new encouragement he had received.

" I may be a little hasty, Miss Van Kleeck," he said, again
slightly lessening his distance from her, " but I have had the pre-
sumption to imagine that I — that you — that I "

" Please not to come any nearer," said Getty, hastily, as her sui-
tor's chair exhibited still farther sinofs of locomotion.

" Ah ! certainly not, if you wish it," replied the lover, very
blandly ; " I mean, not at present ; but allow me to hope that the
time will come, when you — when I — that is to say when both of
us"

Tom stopped, for Gertrude had risen and taken a step toward
the door, with much appearance of agitation.

" I fear you do not understand me," he said.

" I fear I do," she replied quickly and sensibly ; " althouo-h it is
rather your manner than your words which express your meanino-.''

*' Stay, then, and be assured that I am quite in earnest."

" I do not question your sincerity, Mr. Vrail "—

" That I have come to offer you this hand," he continued, extend*

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 31

ing a very clean one, which bore evident marks of recent scruli
bing for its present service, but which the heiress exhibited no haste
to- accept.

She had attained sufficient proximity to the door to feel cer-
tain that her retreat could not be cut off, and her self-possession
having in some degree returned, she listened respectfully and
replied politely, although with a tone of sadness.

" I will spare you any further avowal of your feelings, Mr. Yrail,"
she began.

" Do not think of such a thing, dear Gertrude," he replied, still
unawakened from his hallucination. " I am proud to make pro-
fession of my love for you.'^

" Will you listen to me a moment before I go V^

" An hour ! a week ! nay, forever !"

" I shall not detain you a minute."

" I assure you I am in no hurry."

"/<2m. You are laboring under a mistake. We are nearly
strangers to each other, and you have scarcely the right to address
me in the way you have done ; but if it were otherwise, I have
only to answer by declining your offer," she said, glancing at the
hand and arm which had remained projecting like a pump-handle
all this while, with the evident expectation on the part of Thomas,
whose whole attitude was quite theatrical, that it was speedily to
be seized and clung to.

He now began to look astonished and alarmed, but he immedi-
ately rallied.

" Oh, I see how it is," he said ; " I have been rather abrupt, I
dare say ; but we will become better acquainted. I will call often
to see you, and then — why. Miss Van Kleeck — don't go .^"

Getty had now become angry ; she left the room and her aston-
ished lover, but paused a moment outside the door, and said, with
a very pretty flush on her cheek, and a very bright sparkling in
her eye —

*' Call as often as you choose, Mr. Vrail, but T shall never seo

32 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

you. You do not seem to understand the plainest words, but 1
assure you we shall never be better acquainted with each other
than we are now. Good evening."

So saying, Getty almost ran out of the outer room, shutting
the door after her with a haste that gave it quite the character of
a slam, and hurried up to her own apartment.

Tom's panoply of conceit, which was almost invulnerable, and
which had withstood so much, only now gave way.

" I really believe she means to refuse me," said he, soliloquizing ;
"it is very ridiculous — but perhaps she may come back. I will
wait a little."

He did wait some minutes, listening earnestly, and was at length
gratified by the sound of approaching steps, which he advanced
to meet with great alacrity. But what was his consternation on
encountering at the door the wrinkled and vinegary countenance
of Dame Becky, whose huge spectacles, as she stood confronting
him a moment in silence, glowered upon him like the eyes of the
great horned owl.

The lover retreated a step before this apparition.

^'' Do you want Getty ?''^ she said, at length, in a voice amazingly
shrill and sharp.

" I — yes, I should be happy to see her for a few moments, if —
if you please."

" But do you want her — do you want to marry her P she asked,
in still more of a scolding tone.

" Oh — ah — yes, madam," said Tom, attempting to win the old
woman by a fine speech ; " I am exceedingly proud to call myself
an admirer of your beautiful niece, and I have indulged the hope
that we might find our tastes congenial, and our hearts sympathe-
tic. May I count, my dear madam, on your influence with Miss
Gertrude?"

" No, you canH, and more than that, you can't have her. Sc
no more of that. You are the third this week."

" Good gracious ! the third what^ ma'am ?"

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 33

" No matter what. You can't have her — you understand — don't
you?"

" Y — ^ye3," said Tom, " I suppose I do."

" Very well, then — no offence meant," said aunt Becky, now
trying to modify what might seem harsh in her language by a
stroke of politeness, but still speaking in the same high key ;
" won't you sit down ?"

" No I thank you," muttered Tom, now decidedly crestfallen ;
" I rather think it is time for me to go."

" Good night, then," said Becky, following him to the door as
close as if he had been a burglar. " Tahe care of the dog /"

" The deuce !" said Tom to himself, clutching his cane, as he
"walked off the stoop ; *' is there a dog to be shunned too ? I
shouldn't wonder if they should set him on me !" and he quickened
his step down the lane that led to the highway, and was soon out
of sight of the old farm-house, without even turning to take a last
look at the solitary light which gleamed like a beacon from Getty's
room — alas ! no beacon of hope for him.

CHAPTER V.
H

THE ELOQUENT EMISSARY.

Tom had kept his own counsel, and although his greatly changed
demeanor, and the fact that there was no repetition of his visit to
Miss Van Kleeck, excited Harry's suspicions, he could not fully
believe either that his brother had been rejected, or that he had
abandoned his matrimonial views. But much as he had tried to
wish for the suitor's success, he had been unable really to do so, and
when the latter, fearful of the imputation which his silence would
fasten upon him, condescended to define his position, it was greatly
to Harry's relief, although not much to his enlightenment.

" I'll tell you what," said Tom, " I didn't like Getty as well the
second time I saw her ; I hardly think she'll do for me. Then
that old dragon that guards her is a horrid old creature. I rather
think I won't be hasty about it. At all events, I will wait awhile."

Harry thought all this true, for he could not suspect his brother
of falsehood, and he imputed his mistaken opinion of Gertrude
entirely to a want of sufficient acquaintance with her. How truly
he knew her to be worthy of the most exalted love ! But he made
little reply, and the subject was soon willingly dropped by both
parties.

Their business affairs, in the meantime, did not mend. The
younger brother soon grew as chimerical and visionary as ever in
searching for short roads to fortune, but without the least idea of
seeking her where she frequents most, in the beaten highway of

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 35

patient arid plodding toil. It was about this time that Tom re-
turned home one day from his office, where his occupation was
aC'nything but study, and sought out his brother with an appearance
of much excitement.

" Now, Harry," said he, " the time has really come for decision
and action — such an opportunity as offers but once in a man's
lifetime. My most sanguine hopes bid fair to be realized."

" Why, what is it now, Tom ?"

" A great chance ! While we are dreaming away our time
here, others are up and doing in one of the greatest enterprises of
the age. I have had a long interview, this afternoon, with a Col.
Allen, of Canada, who is to stop here two days, to form a 'Hunt-
er's Lodge,' and I am going to become a member. He says as I
am the first volunteer, and am a man of — of note, as he was
pleased to say, I shall be in a condition for immediate advance-
ment and a commission."

" Why, what in the name of the seven wonders are you talking
about ?" asked Harry, laying down his flute, and gazing earnestly
at his brother. " Who is Col. Allen, and what is a hunter's
lodge?"

" Surely you cannot be so ignorant as not to know about the
hunters, Harry? You must have read about them in the papers."

" Oh — ah ! — those meddlesome fellows that are trying to get up
a revolution in Canada. I remember now, they call themselves
hunters."

" Trying to get up a revolution ! No, sir ; the revolution is
already begun, and is rapidly progressing, and in every town on
the northern frontier, secret clubs are forming of those who wish
to aid, either by personal service or by money, in the cause of
freedom. Col. Allen says that the youth and chivalry of the whole
nation are ready to rise, and win for themselves just such honors
in Canada as Lafayette, and Kosciusko, and other great men.
achieved in our Revolution."

36 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

" Besides lots of prize-money, I suppose," said Harry, laughing
quietly.

" Yes ; General Mackenzie, who is at the head of the provisional
government, has issued a proclamation, offering three hundred
acres of land, and a hundred dollars in specie, to every private ;
and as to commissioned officers "

" General Mackenzie at the head of the provisional government I
"Why, Tom, Mackenzie is in Michigan, a refugee and an outlaw,
with a price on his head, and all his own property confiscated."

" No matter for that ! There was a price on Washington's
head, too, wasn't there ! What hurt did it do ? Mackenzie is to
be the Washington of Canada, its deliverer and its future Presi-
dent."

" But I thought this agitation was subsiding, since the insurgents
at home, or the patriots, as you call them, and their sympathizers
here, had met with so many and such constant reverses. Surely,
blood enough has been spilt in such a hopeless cause."

" Subsiding ! Col. Allen says it is but just begun ; he says that
the burning of the ' Caroline' has lit up a flame in every quarter
of the land — that meetings are being everywhere held, and that
millions of money are already subscribed for the cause. Did not
you read of the great meeting in New York last week ?"

" Yes, I believe I saw something about it — but I did not pa}
much attention to it. It is, at all events, certain that our govern-
ment has heretofore, and will continue to use all means to enforce
neutrality, and to prevent American citizens from invading a
country with which we are at peace."

"Very true. But government can't prevent sympathy, and
private assistance with money, such as we gave to Greece and
Poland — nor can it prevent our citizens from quietly leaving the
country, and when they are out of it, joining any standard they
choose. That's what the colonel says, and every lawyer knows
it's true."

THE PKISONER OF THE BORDER. 37

" It may be true," said Harry, taking down his flute ; " but I
should require more evidence than I have ever seen, either that the
Canadian pec^le are greatly oppressed, or that they desire a revolu-
tion, or that they will turn out to help those who go over to help
them, before I should be sympathizer or subscriber — much less a
hunter, as you call it. It may suit the purpose of a few agitators,
both there and here, to get up a rebellion in the name of a suffer-
ing people, who are very quietly minding their own business at
home, and have no remote intention of committing high treason."

" But if the people are trampled down, and blinded . by their
tyrannical rulers "

" Let them remain so, until they have spirit enough and sense
enough to rise, as our ancestors did in "75, and then, if they can
show the world even half as just a cause as we did, they will not
lack help. The youth and chivalry of the whole nation would
rise in such a cause uninvoked, excepting by the clash of arms in
the cause of freedom ; armies would start up at a hundred points
along our frontiers, like the Highland legion at the whistle of
Eoderick Dhu ; they would pour into the arena impetuous as the
mountain torrents, and as resistless as the tornado which strews
forests in its path."

" Why, Harry," said Tom, who had listened with gradually dis-
tending eyes, " you grow eloquent. You must come with me to-
night and join the club — you must, indeed. Col. Allen will
convince you that the very time you describe is at hand. You
ought to hear him talk on this subject, for I have not told you
half of what he said."

" You must excuse me — I have not the least curiosity on the
subject."

" I cannot excuse you — I shall certainly take you along."

Tom understood the passive and yielding nature of his compa-
nion too well to doubt his ability to carry the point with him, nOr
was he disappointed. The brothers went to the meeting, and not a

88 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

few of the young men of the village were influenced by theii
example to do the same, while many already favorably predisposed
to the cause, responded to the call without solicitation, and awaited
eagerly an opportunity of expressing their sympathy for the
Canadians. Few, indeed, of the large number in attendance enter-
tained the remotest idea of engaging personally in the anticipated
war, yet there were some, like the younger Vrail, of military
tastes, who hoped to find it an easy avenue to fame and fortune.

No secrecy was observed in this primary meeting, at which its
originator did not intend to say or do anything which could
infringe the neutrality laws — but out of the elements present, it
was his design to form a lodge or secret club, to whom the most
daring projects of the agitators could be proposed, and from
whom could be expected a quota of men for actual service in the
field.

The emissary who had convened this assemblage was a man
fully competent to play his part in the important drama in which
he was engaged. He was a dark-complexioned man, apparently
of about fifty years, with a countenance indicative of great intelli-
gence and sagacity, and it was with an air so serious, a voice so
musical, and words so apt and fitting that he began his address,
that he could not fail to enlist the earnest attention of all, and at
once to inspire them with an interest in his subject. He spoke
briefly of the history of the Canadas, of the long standing griev-
ances of the people of the lower province, and of the more recent,
but not less severe oppression of their more western brethren.
He recited the most glowing parts of that celebrated appeal issued
by the leading reformers of Upper Canada, which bears through-
out such a striking resemblance to our own Declaration of Inde-
pendence, and which in frequent instances adopts its exact languao-e
to complain of the same wrongs.

He spoke of the premature outbreak which ensued shortly after
the publication of this document, and which, but for some errone-

THE PKISONER OF THE BORDER. 39

ous counsels which thwarted the plans of the valiant Mackenzie,
must have led to an immediate and successful issue.

How the revolutionary spirit, ripe in both provinces, had
been kindled into a hundred distinct, but unfortunately never
united flames — how a dozen successive insurrections had been suc-
cessively defeated by government — and how hundreds of brave
men had been dragged to prison and to the gallows, while a still
larger number had sought refuge in this Asylum of Freedom — he
described in language bold, graphic and startling. He next
painted the efforts which were making by these refugees in this
country, to enlist the friends of Freedom in their cause, while the
throbbing heart of the whole Canadian nation, he said, was
anxiously and ardently awaiting the advent of their deliverers.

*' Let but an American army cross the frontiers," he said, " and
their first bugle blast will be to the disheartened millions of the
North, what the voice of the prophet was to the dry bones in the
valley of vision — they will rise and stand upon their feet, an
exceeding great army. They will rush to your standard from a
thousand points. There will be but one blow to strike, and the
chains will drop from the manacled form of Liberty, never again
to be replaced. Who would not share in this glorious enterprise
of liberating an oppressed and generous people from the shackles
of tyranny ; of creating another independent Kepublic to rank as
a power among the nations of the earth? Strong as is your
government, Americans ! deeply as it is rooted in the affections of
twenty millions of brave people, it is not beyond receiving an
accession of strength from the influence and co-operation of a sis-
ter Republic springiag up at its side. Canada is destined to be
free. The event is a fixed and certain one in the womb of the
future, and the only question that remains is one of time. Shall
it be now ? Now, when oppression has filled to the brim her cup
of bitterness — now^ when tens of thousands, both here and there,
are already armed in her cause — now^ when all America is sympa-

40 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

thizing with her suflferings, and encouraging her struggles ? Or
shall this golden opportunity, so filled with all the elements of sue
cess, be lost, and another cycle of darkness be reserved for my
beloved country ?"

The great earnestness of the orator, and his impassioned style
of speaking, as he proceeded at considerable length to enforce his
appeals, were not without a marked effect upon his audience. He
was frequently interrupted by applause, and sometimes by loud
and long-continued cheers, and at the close of his remarks he was
surrounded by a crowd of young men, who remained, in compli-
ance with his intimation that he intended to organize a secret soci-
ety, or lodge, composed of all who were willing in any way to aid
in the cause.

The younger Vrail, of course, was of this number, and he made
a strong effort, seconded by the Canadian, to induce his brother
to follow his example — for Harry, although not convinced, had
been moved by the stranger's eloquence.

" You do not commit yourself in anything excepting sympathy
and secrecy," said the orator, " by becoming a member of the
lodge. You will still be as free to decline assisting the cause as
you now are — but those who join and give the required pledge of
secresy will learn much more of the cause and its prospects than I
am at liberty to communicate publicly."

Harry's yielding nature gave way as usual to the importunity
of his brother, and the young men, together with many of their
associates, soon found themselves transformed into *' Hunters,"
fully supplied with all the secret signs and passwords with which
to recognize all others of the fraternity, in whatever quarter of
the two countries they might chance to meet.

CHAPTER VI.

A DARK COMPACT.

Enthusiastic, ambitious and vain, Thomas Vrail was fully
resolved from the outset to accept the tempting offer of a commis-
sion in the patriot army, which the emissary was empowered to
offer him, many nominations of the kind having been placed at
his disposal by those who had assumed command of the provi-
sional government of the provinces.

He exhibited the fullest credentials from his superiors, who evi-
dently placed great confidence in his tact and discretion, and who
were as liberal in the bestowal of their chimerical honors, as in the
distribution of the yet un conquered soil which they were about to
invade. He was, of course, instructed to offer these higher prizes
only to the educated and influential classes, to whom the private's
pay and bounty could not be expected to prove a suflScient induce-
ment to enlist.

. Of course, the majority of these appointments, although confer-
ring rank from their date, were entirely prospective, as far as
related to the command bestowed upon the various officers. Col-
onels of regiments yet unraised, and captains of companies still
unformed, awaited with ardor the hour when, stepping upon Can-
adian soil, they should behold the eager hosts which they were to
lead to battle and to victory, and they were content, meanwhile, to
perform the duty of privates in the first movements of the inva-
sion.

42 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

Col. Allen, after much secret instruction to his new allies, left
them on the ensuing day, to pursue his mission in other quarters,
promising to visit them again within a fortnight, and to give due
notice of the time and place of rendezvous to such of them as
should determine to engage personally in the cause.

The intervening period was devoted by the younger Vrail to the
most incessant efforts to induce Harry to accompany him to the
field. The infection and sympathy was spreading more and more
rapidly throughout the country, and Tom brought daily to his bro-
ther reports of fresh accessions to the ranks, and new accounts both
of the sufferings of the Canadian people, and of the extent and
progress of the insurrection.

" Beacons," he said, " are placed on a hundred hills, ready to
be fired the moment that the invading army lands, and these
are to be the signals for a simultaneous rising throughout the
country."

Harry did not lack courage, and his heart was full of generous
eelings for the oppressed, but his scruples were not entirely over-
come.

But he knew that Tom could not be dissuaded from his own
purpose, and his extreme solicitude for his safety in so perilous
an enterprise went further towards deciding his movements than
all other influences combined. He resolved to go for Tom's sake
— that he might watch over his welfare, and keep him from unne-
cessary dangers. It would be so very dreadful, he thought, if any-
thing should happen to Tom, while his own fate seemed of com-
T)aratively trifling moment. Such was Harry's nature, and such is
the nature of many whom the world decry as wanting in energy
and force of character.

When Allen returned, a lieutenant's commission was easily
obtained for the new recruit, although, if he had chosen to make
terms, he might easily have procured a higher rank, but he took,
of course, what his brother chose to ask, and Allen to bestow. It

THE PEISONEB OF THE BORDER. 43

was true Tom was a captain, but what was that to Harry but a
source of pleasure ? He did not doubt that the latter would
become a major-general if the patriots succeeded.

The returned emissary assembled his lodge, and informed them
with much excitement, and with many injunctions of secrecy and
caution, that the time and place of attack were fully decided upon.
The frontier village of Oswego, he said, was the place of rendez-
vous for a large part of the recruits, where they were to repair
quietly and without arms, which would be provided in due time.
They were not to go in numbers of more than three or four
together, nor were they publicly to discuss the object of their expe-
dition, lest they might subject themselves to arrest and detention
by their own government, which, he said, was taking sides with
tyranny against the rights of man. Having imparted these instruc-
tions to the neophytes, together with such other information as
was necessary for their guidance, he departed northward, to visit
other clubs, and give them like notice of the time of the intended
invasion.

Secret as had been the proceedings of the lodge, its existence and
object, and even the names of the volunteers for service in the
field, were generally known throughout the village. True, they
were rather whispered than openly proclaimed, and it was said, not
that such and such an one had enlisted for the war, but that he
had become a hunter. This plan was universal and was every-
where understood. Officers of the United States government were
not obliged to understand it unless they chose to do so, and Mr.
Deputy Marshal Stone never dreamed of knowing what it meant,
when used among his own neighbors and acquaintances. If people
chose to go north in search of game, which had become very
scarce at home, it was no business of his. But he caused it to be
understood that they must not go to the chase with military ac-
coutrements, or with the accompaniments of drum and fife, or he
should be obliged to suspect them of other designs. Tn short,

44 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

there was a very good understanding between the deputy and his
fellow-citizens, upon whose favor he counted for assistance in ob-
taining a renewal of his ter'm of oflSce.

Old Guert Rosevelt made no serious opposition to the designs
of his grandsons, which he very imperfectly understood, but he
had great confidence in the good sense of the elder, and he was
so impatient of the long idleness of both, that he was glad of any
change which gave them occupation and even a remote prospect
of success.

But there was another quarter in which the tidings of Harry
VraiPs changing fortunes were received with more interest, and
were contemplated with more anxiety. Although Gertrude Van
Kleeck had long tried to convince herself that she cared little or
nothing for her old associate and visitor, she could not repress the
fears which continually arose in her mind for his safety, now that
he was about to engage in a war of which the theatre was distant '
and the issue very uncertain. True, he was only a friend, and
would never be anything more to her, but she felt that it would
be very dreadful if anything serious should happen to him. Yet
not for the world would she have him or any one else know that
she felt this solicitude in his behalf, and the necessity of so closely
locking her emotions within her own breast rendered them doubly
oppressive. Again and again she reverted to the subject, only to
feel her utter impotency to plan or do anything which should
counteract Harry's anticipated movement. She reflected upon the
great wealth of which she was the mistress, and thought how freely
she would be willing to dispense of it, if there was any way by
which she could avert from her friend what seemed to her so verv
pressing and imminent a danger.

She continued to receive tidings from day to day, through
various members of her household, in relation to a subject which,
of course, formed a large part of the current gossip of the neigh-
borhood, but her principal reliance for information was upon a

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 45

negro servant, named Abram, but more usually called Brom, who
was almost daily sent to the village on domestic errands. At
times, indeed, Gertrude invented little wants, which aunt Becky
thought superfluous and extravagant, for the purpose of dispatch-
ing Brom to the village store, to bring back his accustomed budget
of intelligence. She seldom, indeed, questioned him herself in
relation to the news, but she usually contrived to be busy in the
kitchen on his return, and thus to hear what he_ was quite sure to
relate to his fellow-servants in regard to the exciting topic of the
day.

Now, Brom had become not a little attached to Harry Vrail in
former days, having often obtained permission to accompany him
in his fishing and hunting expeditions, and he frequently expressed
his regret that Master Harry had ceased for the past year to pay
his. accustomed visits to the Van Kleeck woods and streams,

Of this sable individual a few words of description may not be
amiss. He was a man about thirty years of age, who had lived
from infancy in the family of Gertrude's father, having been a
slave until the general emancipation of 1826. Since that time he
had received wages as a hired servant, or rather he had them
placed to his account, for Brom never " took up " anything more
than was required for his yearly suit of linsey-woolsey, the remain-
der of his stipend remaining in his employer's hands.

Notwithstanding his freedom, he was in spirit as much a slave
as ever, and he possessed that strong attachment for his master's
family which characterizes his race, and which is, alas, so often
sadly requited.

But Brom was a light-hearted, merry fellow, whose humble
condition seemed fully compensated for by a perpetual freedom
from cares and anxieties. Everything was food for Brom's mirth,
and almost everything was food for his mouth. His appetite and
his spirits were equally unflagging.

It was while listening to one of the negro's daily reports in rela-

46 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

tion to the village recruits, in which he always spoke particularly
of "Massa Harry," that the idea occurred to the anxious Gertrude
of furnishing her friend with a body-guard in the person of this
very African, who manifested so much interest in his welfare.
Startled and relieved by the thought, she hastily retired to her
room to reflect on the means of carrying it into execution ; but this
was a task not easily performed with that entire secrecy which was
essential to her design. She sent at once for the negro, and after
questioning him a little more in relation to the tidings which he
had brought, she said to him :

" Brom, you have always been a good servant, and my father
ever placed great confidence in you. I think I can do the same."

Brom grinned widely as he replied —

" Yes, Miss Getty, you can trust Brora sartin."

" But can I trust you in a very important matter, far more im-
portant than any which you were ever engaged in, and one which
requires both courage and secrecy ?"

The negro remained silent for a moment and seemed greatly
surprised, but at the next instant his large eyes flashed with the
earnest spirit of his reply.

** Yes, Miss Getty, you can trust Brom in anything,^''

" Are you willing to go to the war with Mr. Vrail as his servant ?"

" With Massa Harry ! To the war with Massa Harry ! Yes, I
is willing. Missis Getty 1 Dat I is — if you and Missis Becky will
let me go."

" You are a free man, Brom, and can do what you choose."

" I will never go without your consent. Besides, I want to
come home when the war is over, and Missis Becky wouldn't let
me do that if I should run away."

" But / am mistress now," replied Gertrude, with a very pretty
air of command, which she had never before been able to assume,
but which the exigency of her position rendered necessary. '' Aunt
Becky has nothing to say about it."

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 47

" Aunt Becky nothing to say, hey ? l)on't you believe it ! She
has a mighty great deal to say about everything," replied the
negro hastily.

" Well, well,'' answered Gertrude, laughing, " she must be
allowed to talk, but you understand that I am the mistress in this
house and on this farm — that it is all mine. Don't you under-
stand that, Brom ?"

" Y-e-s," said Brom, hesitatingly — " but Missis Becky "

" Never mind Missis Becky."

Brom looked hastily over his shoulder to make sure that the
object of his dread was not within hearing of this treasonous
speech.

" And if you choose to go away, you shall be allowed to come
back here whenever you wish on exactly the same footing as before,
and I will furnish you with plenty of money for the journey ; but
you will have to enlist as a soldier. What do you say ?" Are you
afraid ?" she continued, as the negro seemed to hesitate in reply-
ing.

" Golly, no ! I isn't afraid of the war — but — Missis — Becky" —

The young lady impatiently interrupted him, and, by dint of much
argument, succeeded in allaying his deeply implanted fears in rela-
tion to the one sole object of his terror, and when this disenthrall-
ment was completed, there was no limit to the exuberance of th(
negro's joy at the prospect before him.

" As I said, you will have to enlist as a soldier."

" List ? Oh yes, I'll do that, sartin ; and then I'll get three hun-
dred acres of land after we've drove the Canaders all out."

" You must not think of that. You may get it or not, and it
will probably be worth very little if you do. But remember that
you go as Master Harry's servant^ and that I will pay you liberally
for all your time and danger. You will be a soldier it is true, and
must do your duty as such ; but remember, that you are a volunteer,
and that vqu must enlist on the express condition that you are

48 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

always to fight at Master Harry's side, and that you are always to
be quartered near him, and where you can wait upon him. You
are to be within his call at all times of night and day. You are
to watch over him in battle, and be always ready to help him when
he needs help. If he is wounded (here Gertrude's voice trembled)
you are to carry him off the field ; and if he is taken prisoner, you
are to go with him. Will you do all this ?"

" Yes, Missis, I sartingly, will."

" Will you swear to do it ?"

" Yes, on all the Bibles in the house."

** But there is yet another thing. Neither he nor any one else
must ever know anything of this arrangement between you and
me. You are a free man, you wish to enlist as a soldier, but you
wish to go with your old friend, Master Harry. All this is true, is
it not «"

** All berry true."

" As to the rest, you must not say a word to anybody. You
must not even tell Mr. Vrail that you are to be his servant, nor
must you ask any wages of him ; but you are to do everything
for him you possibly can."

Brom was sagacious and discreet. He was easily made to com-
prehend everything in relation to his young mistress' views except
two things. He did not comprehend her reason for secrecy, nor
how he was to avoid the wrath of his ancient enemy. Mistress
Becky. But he faithfully promised compliance with all the
instructions of Gertrude, which she repeated many times over to
him, and impressed on his mind with indelible distinctness. Be-
fore he left the room he knew his whole role by heart, and he pro-
ceeded at once to business, making his boldest strike first, and the
one which he dreaded far more than all the rest. Before the day
was over, he gave Miss Becky notice that he was about to quit the
service of the family, and was going to the war, and then he stood
patiently for half an hour, and bore the expected torrent of invec-

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. ' 49

tive which his announcement elicited, merely repeating at its close
his firi^t remark.

" You shall do no such thing, you black Mollyhack, you. You
sha^n't go ! So just go about your work, and let me hear no more
about this nonsense. You sha'n't stir a step, I say. Now,
then."

'' I must go^ Missis Becky."

" What for must you, then ? I should like to know that, now
— hey !" she said, in the very altissimo of scolding keys.

*^ I must gor

" You shall not ! You sha'n't have a cent of money ; and if
you do go you shall never come back. You know very well that
Baltus would never have let you go on such a wild goose chase
as this, and neither will I."

** I am a free man. Missis Becky," said Brom, trembling from
head to foot with the violence of the effort to make so bold an
assertion, '* and I sartingly shall go."

So saying, Brom turned away and walked off to the barn, fol-
lowed by a rattling volley of words, which came less and less
distinctly to his ear until the interposing door of his place of
refuge^shut out the fearful sounds.

Dame Becky, after scolding for some time at the empty air, went
grumbling into the house, and sought out her niece, whom she
informed of the servant's audacious design,, which intelligence
Getty, to her great surprise, received with much coolness, assur-
ing her that she already knew Brom's wishes on this point, and
had consented to his going.

There was something in the air of the young lady as she made
this remark which impressed the aunt with a sense of her niece's
authoritv, and it was with some abatement of tone that she
lemonstrated against the project. Getty heard her through and
replied with composure —

'* As I said before, aunt, my mind is made up to let Brom go,

60 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

and I desire that he may be allowed to go in peace, and without
further reproof."

** Hoity, toity !" exclaimed the old woman in a subdued tone,
turning away from her niece ; " these are new airs ! Well, let
him go then to the old scratch, as he most assuredly will ; but he
shall never darken these doors again."

" He has my permission to return here whenever he chooses."

** Oh, has he indeed ? Pretty management this is ! Perhaps
you do not know that all Brom's wages for the last ten years are
unpaid, and that he holds your father's note for a great part of it,
with interest, and that if he goes away it has all got to be paidP

The last word was shot out from between the dame's thin lips
with much force, and with an air of no little spitefulncss.

" I know all about it," replied the niece. " I do not think it is
Brom's intention to take up any part of his money yet ; but if it
is, I am able to pay him without diflSculty."

The aunt, after a little subdued grumbling, left the room, and"
retired to her own department in no amiable mood, and greatly
wondering at the change which had suddenly taken place in her
niece.

CHAPTER VII.

HARRY AND GERTRUDE.

HalRry Trail was not a little astonished when, on the third
day prior to his departure for the seat of war, his old acquaintance
Brom called upon him in a state of great excitement, and request-
ed to be allowed to enlist as a soldier and accompany him to the
field. To the young man's inquiries the negro replied that he
was going to quit bis old home, and that he was free to go where
he chose, and he chose to go with Massa Harry to Canada.

Harry was delighted with this unexpected proof of attachment
in his old companion, and also with the prospect of having always
so powerful a friend and auxiliary at his side, and after ascertain-
ing that the negro's mind was fully decided upon going, he
assured him that he would arrange everything pertaining to his
enlistment, and said he had no doubt that he could so manage
matters that their positions should at all times be near each other.

Brom could not restrain his ecstasy at the success of his suit.

"I'll take care of your koss^ Massa Harry," he said, "and
brush your clothes, and — and"

"Thank you, Brom. I am not certain that I shall have a
horse to take care of, and I fear I shall have but little money to
pay for services of any kind."

" Never mind the money, Massa Harry. I don't want any
money. Missis Becky has got eight hundred dollars of Brom's
now laid up for when I get to be an old man."

52 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

The negro could not long divest himself of the idea that Dame
Becky was the chief representative of his old master.

" Has she indeed ? You are a very fortunate fellow then and I
think you had much better stay at home. You can buy yourself
a small farm with that sura, and run no risk of getting shot."

The negro was impatient at this advice, and .would not listen to
it a moment.

" Very well then, Brom," said the young man, " you may go if
you wish, and I have no doubt you will make a very good sol-
dier."

" May I take care of your horse ?" repeated the negro earnestly.

" Most certainly, if I have one, you may take care of him, and
if you like you may call yourself my servant when you are off duty,
and in that way we can always be near each other, and I will pay
you for whatever services I require of you."

" Never mind the pay ;" reiterated Brom, *' we'll see about that
when you get to be a gineral or govner of Canada ; but mind and
tell Colonel Allen that I is your servant."

The negro next inquired, pursuant to Miss Van Kleeck's instruc-
tion, how much money he would need for his equipment and tra-
velling expenses, and then hastened home to inform the delighted
Gertrude of the result of his mission.

The young lady now found it necessary to take another step in
the road to domestic authority, by resuming the custody of that
part of her property which remained in her father^s " strong box"
at home, where a considerable sum in gold and silver was stored
away, with the family plate. It required some courage to renew
the contest for supremacy with her aunt, but animated by the im-
portance of the cause in which she was engaged, she struck for
freedom, and after a long and hotly contested battle of words, the
old dame flung down the keys in a rage, and retreated to the
kitchen, growling deeply in Low Dutch, a language to which she
always resorted when much excited.

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 53

Getty flew to the box, which had so long been interdicted to her,
and took from it the sum which Mr. Vrail had named as neces-
sary for the negro's expenses, and in addition thereto a consider-
able sum in the smallest kind of gold pieces. This last amount,
she told Brom, he must take with him to use in any emergency,
either of his own or of his master, and that he must conceal it in
some way securely in his clothes, and let no one know that he
possessed it.

Brom chuckled greatly, and promised implicit obedience.

" How tnuch will that leave me. Missis Getty, in there V^ he
said, nodding towards the box, which he supposed to contain an
immense treasure, including his own dues.

** It will leave you all that you had before, Brom. This does not
come out of your money by any means."

" Golly ! Missis, are you .going to give Brom all that mo-
ney"

"And more, if necessary. Only be perfectly faithful and dis-
creet, and remember all that I have so often told you about —
about"

" Taking good care of Massa Harry ?" asked the negro, grin-
ning.

" Yes," said Getty, slightly coloring.

" I will sartingly remember."

" And be sure never to say or hint anything to him about my
sending you to the war, or furnishing you with money, or any-
thing of that kind."

" I will be sartin, sure."

Gertrude thought with some trepidation, that Harry might
possibly call to bid farewell to her aunt and herself before quitting
the country, and such, indeed had been his design for some days
past, during which he had frequently requested his brother to
accompany him there. But Tom objected.

"It would be quite a waste of civility," he said, "upon old Miss

64 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

Van Kleeck, who would as likely as not send for a United States
officer to arrest us ; and as to Getty, I have really quite relinquished
my designs upon her."

Harry hesitated awhile, but at length he resolved to go alone.
Common politeness required it from one who had so long been an
acquaintance of the family, and he was besides anxious to make sure
that he was not contravening the wishes of Miss Van Kleeck by
encouraging Brom's military aspirations.

It was on a cool evening, early in November, that Mr. Vrail
found himself seated in the pleasant parlor of the Van Kleeck man-
sion, awaiting the entrance of Gertrude. A glowing fire of wood
blazed and crackled upon the hearth, and without the aid of the two
candles, which burned almost unobserved in tall silver candlesticks
upon the mantel, fully lighted the large room, and was reflected
back from every side by the highly polished surfaces of the old-
fashioned solid mahogany furniture. Everything was scrupulously
clean. The ceiling was dazzlingly white, the carpet seemed guilt-
less of dust and lint, and the sofa, drawn out corner-wise to the
fire, had a most tempting air of comfort and repose, while the tall
brass andirons and fender shone as only Dutch servants can induce
brass to shine. The hearth, indeed, and its accessories, were the
crowning specimens of Flemish neatness. The very ashes seemed
to have been taught the duty of falling within certain prescribed
limits, while a very clean brush hung in the chimney corner ready
for quick service in driving back any intrusive flakes.

When Getty entered the room, it was with an air of much em-
barrassment, and even alarm, and although she shook hands with
Harry, and replied to his questions after her health, her agitation
gave the appearance of anything but cordiality to the reception.

But Harry did not expect much of a welcome, and he was not
disappointed at this. If it had been Tom, he thought, and he had
chosen to make himself agreeable, how differently Getty would have
acted, and he could not help thinking, as his eyes were riveted

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 55

upon the really beautiful face which was before him, yet partly
averted from him, how very strange it was that Tom should think
of going to the war.

Gertrude had seated herself upon the sofa, and her visitor sat
down in a chair at some distance from her; and after he had
inquired about her health, and the health of aunt Becky, there
was an awkward silence, which it seemed impossible for either
party to break.

Harry spoke, at length.

"I am about leaving home for an absence of uncertain dura-
tion,'^ he said, ** and I have called to say good-bye to yourself and
your aunt."

Getty immediately rose and pulled the bell-cord which dangled
over the mantel, and then reseating herself, replied that she had
heard of Mr. VraiPs intended absence. When she had directed a
servant girl, who answered her summons, to request her aunt's
presence in the parlor, she felt reassured by the expected arrival,
and found courage to say something more.

"Rumor says that you are going far, and on a dangerous
errand. I suppose I must not inquire whether this is true?"

"It is true," replied Harry, smiling, "although I do not say
so publicly; but the cause in which I am about to engage, is
one which, after much reflection, I have been convinced is a just
one, and fully worthy of the sympathies and assistance of Ameri-
cans. I may be mistaken, but if at any time I should see cause
to change my views, before it is too late to retract, I shall undoubt-
edly do so."

" I know very little of the cause,'' replied Gertrude, " but I fear
— I would say, I suppose — there must be more than the usual
perils of war attending it."

"It may be so; I have not counted the danger closely, for
although I lay claim to no unusual courage, my life has hereto-
fore been one of such dull inaction, that even danger is not with

56 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

out its charms for me. I confess I do not think, with Thomas
and Col. Allen, that our entrance into, and progress through
Canada, is to be merely a triumphal march.''

'' If that expectation is generally encouraged, it may lead many
to join the ranks of the patriots who would prove but feeble
assistants in the hour of battle."

" Very true."

'*May I ask if there are many going from this neighbor-
hood?"

** Only six besides my brother and myself, and one of these, you
may be surprised to learn, is your former servant, Brom. Part
of my errand here to-night is to inquire if you approve of his
going — or, rather, to learn if you had any objections to it."

Getty rose, and adjusted some ornaments on the mantel-piece,
and while doing so, if Harry had thought to steal a side glance at
her face, he would have seen that it was deeply suffused with
blushes as she replied,

" Brom has the entire right to control his own movements, and
I have not the least objection to his gping."

" He is a powerful fellow, and knows no fear, and will undoubt-
edly make a very good soldier."

" Will he be in your company ?"

" If I should have a company, he undoubtedly will. He has
already elected me his captain, and I have promised him that he
shall, at all events, be near me. If there is"

"Excuse me for interrupting you — but I hear aunt Rebecca,
and it may be better not to speak on the subject before her. You
know she is peculiar in her views."

Harry had only time to thank his fair companion for her cau-
tion, when the door opened, and Dame Becky entered, and
advanced in a hurried way to the middle of the room, where she
stopped.

" I could not come before, Getty, and I can't stay now,'* she said

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 57

" the apples are not half pared or strung yet. How do you do,
Mr. Vrail ? Do you want anything in particular of me ?" And
the dame lowered her head, and looked sharply at him over the
black rim of her spectacles.

"I have only called to say good-bye to yourself and your niece,
Miss Van Kleeck," replied Harry, who had risen on her entrance
and remained standing ; " I am about leaving home."

" Oh, yes ! I have heard that you were going away — a pretty
sort of wild goose chase it is, too, that you are going on. There's
Brom, too — he must go. I hope it is not you that has been and
'ticed him into it."

" Aunt Becky ! for shame P exclaimed Gertrude, coloring scar,
let.

" When I seek to make proselytes for the cause," replied Harry
smiling good-naturedly, " it will probably not be among his
class."

" Well, no offence. I am sorry that you are sich a"

"Aunt Becky!"

" Well, no matter — good-bye — I must go back to my apples.
Getty, see to the fire, and — and the front door, and you had better
come and help us as soon as you can " — and the old woman depart-
ed as unceremoniously as she had entered.

Mortified beyond expression at her aunt^s rudeness, Getty knew
not what to say ; but Harry did not seem to notice it, nor did he
ofi:er to resume his seat.

" My aunt is very, — inconsiderate," said Miss Yan Kleeck, hesi-
tatingly. " Do not allow her remarks to hurry your departure."

" Certainly not. I ought not easily to take offence in a house
where I have received so many hospitalities," replied the visitor, in
a voice rendered mournful by the retrospect of departed joys.

Getty's eye glanced at the portrait of her father hanging against
the wall, and she would not reject a compliment which belonged
rather to her deceased parent than herself.

68 ' THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

** I believe mj father always thought your visits a great favor,**
she said.

" He was quite an original thinker, then," replied the young
man, with a quiet smile. " I know but very few of that way of
thinking."

Getty now looked mournful in turn, and Harry immediately
thought what a monster he was to speak so frivolously when her
father was the subject of conversation. He added, quickly,

" He was a most kind-hearted and amiable man, and I have
every reason to cherish his memory with regard. But I am
detaining you from your aunt — good-bye."

Getty gave her hand, but it was utterly impossible for 'her to
speak — her eyes were full of tears, which Harry, blind to the last,
believed to be caused solely by the renewal of her filial grief. And
so they parted.

CHAPTER VIII.

BARAK, THE AGITATOR.

Of Captain and Lieutenant Vrail's journey to the North, it is

not necessary particularly to speak. The few recruits from H

did not all leave town together, nor of course, with any degree of
parade, which could distinguish them as men bound on a military
expedition. The brothers were accompanied by Brom, who was
allowed an outside seat upon the stage-coach, in company with the
driver, with whom, in his frequent stoppings at the village, the
negro had long before become acquainted.

He knew well, too, every member of the strong, and glossy
team which pranced and curveted beneath the lash of his com-
panion, having often assisted in giving them water in front of the
village inn, at a time when he little dreamed of ever arriving at so
distinguished an honor as riding behind them on a journey to
Albany.

A happy man was Brom, and so exuberant were his spirits that
he had frequently to repeat to himself a caution which Harry had
impressed upon his mind, to say nothing on the subject of his
journey, although, if he had been disposed to be communicative,
he could have told the coachman very little which he did not
already know, either about his new passengers, or the errand upon
which they were bound. He sounded the negro at times, indeed,
for his own amusement, when the latter would look very grave,
and shake his head, and say that he was travelling for his health.

60 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

" The truth is/' said Brom, with a merry twinkle of his eyes,
" I have been very much confined for the last thirty years " (he had
never been ten miles from the place of his birth), "and I don't
think it agrees with me, so Fm going to try travelling."

" You are not very pale, Brora."

" Yhah ! yhah ! yhah ! no, Fse got some color left — ^j^hah !
yha^ !"

'' But ain't you really afraid, now," asked the other, sinking his
voice Into a confidential whisper ; " ain't you afraid of going to
Canada to fight the red-coats ?"

" You jes mind your own business, and give that ofi" leader there
another clip — see how he lags. Ef you don't look sharp, I'll go
and ride inside with the rest of the gemmen."

One of the places of rendezvous for the attack now in contempla-
tion, by those in command, was Oswego and its vicinity and the
point of intended entrance into Canada was near the village of
Prescott, on the St. Lawrence river, where Fort Wellington, well
garrisoned by the British, was to be the first object of assault.
Our travellers were supplied, as has been said, with all the requi-
site signs and passwords with which to recognize their fellow
"hunters," wherever they might meet them.; but these signals
became scarcely necessary as they drew near the place of embark-
ation, so general and so wide-spread among all classes was the
sentiment in favor of the pending movement. Still, in all the large
towns through which the various recruits passed, it was necessary to
avoid any open avowal of their destination, if they would have the
connivance of the officers of the Federal government, many of
whom were willing to wink at the oflfenders, as far as their own
oflScial safety would possibly permit.

Numerous secret agents were on duty at Syracuse, and other
prominent points on the Western Railroad vigilantly watching all
the arrivals at the public houses, and secretly applying a test
question to all whose destination was northward, which, if compre-

THE PEISOKER OF THE BOEDER. . 61

bended, at once placed them on a footing that admitted of giving
information in regard to the best mode of advancing to Oswego.
Several canal boats had been chartered, and vv^ere lying in the
basin at the first named village, ready to start for the lake-port
which is only thirty miles distant. They were of the class of
freight vessels usually called " line-boats,^' and were capable of
carrying several hundred persons each, in a manner little calcula-
ted to attract attention in the emigrating season, when almost
every westward bound craft was thronged with human beings.
Indeed in so cool a month as November, the voyagers could
remain entirely concealed, if they chose, beneath the high decks
which extended almost the whole length of the boat. This mode of
travel was compulsory upon none, and was designed chiefly for
the humbler class of recruits, who were glad to avail themselves of
the cheapest mode of progress.

The Vrails, after consulting with several emissaries of the cause
at Syracuse, resolved to proceed^by stage-coach to Oswego, and
they received minute instructions as to the hotel at which they
should stop, where they would be certain to find themselves at
once in communication with the leaders of the expedition. Harry
concluded to retain Brom in his company, a step which Thomas
the more readily acceded to, as it gave the brothers the appearance
of travelling with a servant, a degree of state to which the young
captain was far from feeling indifferent.

At the moment of starting they were joined by a man of very
Yankee-like aspect, whose appearance was indicative of much
shrewdness, and who was introduced to them as a reliable and in-
fluential member of the war party. Mr. Barak Jones, indeed,
according to his own account, as narrated to his fellow passengers
before he had been ten minutes in their company, was a very
mighty hunter, indeed, and one who had already rendered most
important aid to the patriot cause.

" May I ask what rank you hold in the service ?" inquired Harry,

62 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

after listening for a long time to the vaunts of his new compan-
ion.

" Well, 1 am not exactly in the army," replied Jones, " though
I shall probably accept a commission soon. You see I am an
agitator. I have been travelling through the country forming
clubs, and making speeches, and inducing people to enlist. There
are more'n forty of my men now at Syracuse, waitin' for the boats."

" Ab !" replied Harry, *' you must have had some influence."

" Yes, sir, although I say it myself, I don't think there's a man
that has done more, onless praps it's Col. Allen, who bein' a colo-
nel on the start, natrally had more influence."

" Do you know this Col. Allen ?"

" Like a book, sir ; a brave man he is, too, and no more afraid
of the Britishers than of bo many mosquitoes; a right down brave
man is Col. Allen, sir. He is going over."

^^OverT exclaimed Harry, who thought the word sounded like
desertion. " What do you mean ?"

" Why, over the lines, sir. He's going to fight, I presume he
is at Oswego now ?"

" Well, are not you going over ?" * '

" Why, I don't know that I shall yw5^ y^^," said the other, hesi-
tatingly, " as my services may be more valuable on this side. I
rather think they want me to keep agitatin'."

" But it will certainly have a better effect upon these men whom
you have induced to enlist, if they see you with them in the field."

" Y-e-e-s, praps it would, but they think I am going ; and, as I
said before, I intend to go one of these days, you know. Bless
you, sir, there's no fear but what there will be enough. The whole
country is rising, sir, and all Canada is ready to rise and shake off
its shackles the very moment that our flag floats from the battle-
ments of Fort Wellington. Yes, sir, let us but strike one bold
blow, and "

Harry saw that his companion had now evidently fallen into

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. > 63

one of his set speeches, and, not caring to hear it through, he in-
terrupted him by asking what colors it was proposed to plant on
Fort Wellington.

" The tri-color, sir. That is the flag under which the patriots
fight, who, you see, are chiefly of French descent. By-and-by we
shall probably join the stars and stripes with it."

" Where is Mackenzie now ?''

^^ The f/reat Mackenzie !" echoed Jones, enthusiastically. " Well,
sir, I must confess I don't exactly know. He may be at Oswego,
possibly at Ogdensburg, but wherever he is, you may be certain
he is not idle. He is moving the machinery, sir ; he is moving
the machinery."

" Undoubtedly, but I am sorry he is not to command this expe-
dition in person."

" No, sir. Generals B and E , as you, of course, are

aware, are to be your leaders, assisted by Colonel Van Shoultz."

** Who is this Col. Van Schoultz, of whom so much has been
said ?"

This question was answered by another passenger, a middle-
aged, gentlemanly man, who had remained silent until now, and
of whom Harry knew nothing, excepting that, like all present, he
belonged to the secret fraternity. ^

" He will be to us, we hope, what Kosciusko was to our fore-
fathers in the days of the revolution. Like him, Van Shoultz is
a Polander, who has fought for his own country until she has
ceased to exist as a nation, and has since sought a refuge and home
in America. He is a man of talent and education, and promptly
volunteered his services in a cause so similar to that of his own suf-
fering land."

" I have not been able to learn what command the famous Bill
Johnson is to have in this affair. It seems to me, that man is
more to be relied on than any of these untried officers."

*' The commodore will be on hand with some of his immediate

64 THE PRISONER OF THE Bv^BDEE.

followers ; but I believe be is not ambitious of any rank. His great
desire is to see tbe blow effectually struck, and be is willing tbat
the honors should be divided in advance among those to whom
they will be an inducement to action. He will be sure to win his
laurels in the field.''

" He is a remarkable man, and should have some coaimand,
which w^ould make his influence and example greater upon the
soldiers. There is not a more popular man engaged in the cause
than this Hero of the Thousand Isles, as he is called."

" He is a most brave, determined, resolute fellow ; there is no
doubt of that. A man for whose capture two great nations are
ofifering large rewards must be of some consequence."

" Yes, I am sorry that our Government should seek his arrest ;
though I suppose he would have little cause to dread such an
event after all, any further than as an interruption to his designs."

" Bless you, no sir," replied Barak, " that proclamation is only for
show, and to keep 'em quiet over in England. Government don't
want him caught by any means, although they would of course
have to pay a reward for him, and shut him up a while for infringe
ing the neutrality laws."

" Nothing is more certain than that they would not deliver him
up to the British."

" You may well say that P'' exclaimed Jones, with flashing eyes.
"The Government that undertook such a thing wouldn't he a
government three days. The thing could not possibly he done, 1
should jest like to see the United-States Marshal backed, if you
please, by a regiment of soldiers, undertaking to carry Bill John-
son to Canada to give him up to the British. Why, sir, the whole
country would rise to rescue him."

** I do not doubt it, nor is there any danger of such an attempt :
but if the Commodore should be captured on the other side, his
fate is, of course, sealed."

" Yes, sir, he'd swing, beyond a peradventure."

THE PEI80NER OF THE BOEDER. 65

It was on the afternoon of the 4th of November that the tra-
vellers arrived at Oswego, where, under the pilotage of Mr. Jones,
they readily found the hotel to which they had been directed, and
which was situated somewhat remote from the central part of the
village. The house, however, was thronged with guests, the most
of whom were quiet, sedate-looking people, and not a few were
evidently gentlemen. Many little coteries of three or four indivi-
duals were assembled in various parts of the piazza and of the
adjacent grounds, engaged in animated, but by no means boister-
ous conversation. Of these a considerable number gathered around
the stage coach as it drew up to the inn, and watched the alight-
ing of the passengers with much appearance of interest. Jones
was instantly recognized and hailed by several, to whom, much to
the surprise of the brothers, he instantly and openly introduced
them as Captain and Lieutenant Vrail.

** There^s no need of any secrecy here^'' he added, in explanation
to them — " these are all picked men, one may say."

" And marked men too," said the landlord, a fat, bustling and
very jovial man, who superintended the unloading of the bag-
gage ^ his new guests. " We are marked men, all on us, ha 1 ha !"

The young men found themselves treated with much considera-
tion, and were promised that, in the evening, they would have an
opportunity of an introduction to the commander of the expedi-
tion, and several other of the leaders, including Colonel Yan
Shoultz. They did not fail to observe that a large number of the
individuals present were addressed by titles indicative of the rank
of commissioned officers ; but Captain Vrail was disposed to
regard this as an evidence of the magnitude of the movement, and
he did not doubt that there would still be a deficiency rather than
surplus of officers, when once they had made a successful stand
on Canadian soil.

In the evening the Vrails, together with several other gentle-
men who had arrived during the day, were introduced to the com-

66 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER

mander, General B ,toColonelE , the second in command,

and to Colonel Van Shoultz. The former was a man of somewhat
pompous manners ; but, apparently brave, and very confident of suc-
cess in the great undertaking which he had in hand. He received
the new comers with great cordiality, and addressed them briefly on
the subject of the enterprise, which he said was destined to prove
the most important political movement the world had seen in the
present century, and which could not fail to cover its actors with J^
glory.

Col. E . also was a man whose appearance gave promise of

acting a brilliant part in the coming struggle : but neither of the
principal officers impressed Harry so favorably as the young
Polander, Colonel Van Shoultz, whose grave and manly air, and
firm, resolute expression, contrasted favorably, at such a moment,
with the more flippant deportment of his superiors.

He was about thirty years of age, and both spoke and under-
stood the English language with tolerable accuracy, and although
apparently reserved in his general intercourse with those about
him, he seemed disposed to attach himself to Harry almost from the
first moment of their introduction. This feeling was fully recipro-
cated on the part of Lieutenant Vrail, and the young men passed
much of their time in each other's company during their stay at
Oswego.

CHAPTER IX.

THEMIDNIGHTARMY.

On the eighth of November, all things being in readiness, it was
resolved, at a council of the leaders of the expedition, to dispatch
an express to Syracuse, with orders for the immediate embarka-
tion of the recruits, who were in waiting at that rendezvous. Two
schooners, chartered by the invaders, were lying at anchor in the
Oswego harbor, awaiting orders ; and when the canal boats, two
days later, arrived by way of the Oswego canal, it was an easy
matter, under cover of the night, to transfer their living freight to
the larger vessels, which immediately moved out of the harbor,
and made sail in a northerly direction, filled with armed men.
With the exception of a small number of officers, however, who
were placed on board the schooners, the party at Oswego did not
embark in these vessels, but remained until the afternoon of the
next day in that village, and then when the steamboat United
States was ready to sail on a regular trip for Ogdensburg, they took
passage in her as ordinary travellers*

The sudden appearance of so many men almost at the moment
of the starting of the steamboat, excited no little surprise ; but
coming from different quarters of the town, being unarmed and
deporting themselves with strict propriety, and in no respect like
an organized company, there was no excuse for denying them the
ordinary right of travellers, whatever suspicion may have been ex-
cited in regard to them.

68 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

"They look at me very close," said Colonel Van fehoultz
whose foreign and military air excited much attention. "I
thought that large gentleman, whom you call United States —
what?" •

" Marshal," said Harry.

"Marshal — I thought he was going to invite me to go on
shore with him. Ah ! I should not like that," added the Poland-
er, breathing freer at the thoughts of his narrow escape and of
the endangered loss of his military glory.

They were safe out of the harbor when this conversation took
place, and the young men continued at intervals to discuss the
prospects of the opening campaign, as, seated upon the deck
they glided down the lake, and watched the various objects -of
interest which presented themselves to view.

" Do you know the number of our present force ?" asked
Vrail.

" Not precisely. We' count our men by hundreds as yet I
believe ; but it is said that we are to receive large accessions at
Sackett's Harbor and Ogdensburgh. If we should not, however,
I doubt not our present force is sufficient for the slightly gar-
risoned fort we are to attack. Our true strength lies in the dis-
affection of the Canadian people towards their government, and
in the great popularity of our cause in your States. One success
you perceive, must bring many thousands to our standard from
both sides of the frontiers."

" Of course — and success at an early period becomes conse-
quently of most vital importance to the cause. Doubtless our
leaders will neglect no precautions to render the contemplated
blow effectual."

'' Our arms and military stores are ample, our officers and men
are brave and enthusiastic — I see no obstacles. I have known
a European Stkte revolutionized by a fewer men and less brave
than those engaged in this enterprise."

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 69

" I was slow to be convinced," said Harry, " that the quarrel
between the Canadian people and their government was such as
to justify the interference of our citizens, but I believe that when
tyranny and oppression become manifest and manifold, its victims
are legitimate objects of interest and aid for the whole human
family. Such seems to me the present case, and, unless we are
strangely deceived, the voice of the mass of our northern brethren
is calling upon us for the assistance which we are about to offer
them. It becomes, then, a sort of holy crusade, in which the
patriot and the philanthropist may engage with ardor, satisfied that
whatever may be his individual fate, the wise and good will
everywhere approve his conduct."

This conversation was carried on under some restraint, for the
colloquists well knew that they were objects of suspicion to the
commander of the boat, who was greatly alarmed lest his involun-
tary agency in transporting patriot troops should render his vessel
liable to seizure.

" Tell you what, gentlemen," he said to Vrail and Van Shoultz,
stepping in front of them, in the midst of the dialogue, which
was conducted in a mysterious half whisper, " I don't want to
know anything of your affairs, but if you are * hunters' please keep
as quiet as possible until my boat is clear of you. IVe washed
my hands of this affair from the beginning, and yet it seem as if I
were destined to be mixed in it some way, in spite of all I can do.

Vrail and Van Shoultz politely promised not to say or do any-
thing which could give offence.

Later in the day, the brothers were surprised to discover among
the passengers their stage-coach companion, Mr. Barak Jones,
who they supposed had remained at Oswego.

" Ah ! gentlemen, Fm glad to see you," said Jones, approaching
them with an air of boldness and enthusiasm ; " the ball is roll-
ing now, isn't it ? The blow will soon be struck — the great — the
c?e-cisive — the victorious blow."

70 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

Impressed by his courageous deportment, for which quality he
had not before given him much credit, Harry replied,

" I am happy to see you so sanguine of success Mr. Jones."

" Sanguine I oh, yes, sir — I have uo fears of the result, sir —
not I. The whole country is rising, sir, and let us but once plant
our flag on the battlements of"

" Yes, but when did you change your mind about accompany-
ing us to the field ?"

" Oh, bless you, sir, Pm not going over,^'' replied Jones with
great coolness ; "I am only going to Ogdensburgh, to address a
meeting to-morrow."

" Oh — ah — yes, I see."

" You know, the fact is, I can't be spared."

" I suppose not..'

" But do you see those two schooners about half a mile ahead
of us ? The wind has failed them, and they are dropping slowly
down with the current."

'* Can they be our vessels ?" asked Harry, in a whisper.

"They ain't anything else," replied Jones also in a low voice ;
" and although you can't see more than two or three people on
board either of them, they are chock full of armed men. Col.
Smith is in command there, and I reckon I know what he is after
now."

" What is that ?"

" He means to get towed down by our innocent captain here,
who is already scared half out of his wits, lest he should be
suspected of aiding the patriots, and thus should have his boat
seized."

Mr. Jones' calculations did not prove incorrect. As the United
States drew near, and was about to pass the schooners, the usual
signal was given from the deck of each vessel, by some one person-
ating the character of master, that they desired to be taken in tow
As this was a part, and a profitable part, of the ordinary business of

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 71

the steamboat, it was complied with, without other questions than as
to the destination and freight of the weather bound vessels.

We are going to Ogdensburgh, and we are both loaded with
flour," was the reply.

The steamer passed between them, and one being secured to
either side, she continued her course down the lake, with no ma-
terial diminution of her speed.

Jones and his companions watched their movements with great
interest.

*' Do you see that little fellow with the boatman's ragged coat
on, and with a jammed hat ?" said Barak ; "he stands just along-
side of the helmsman, on that oflf schooner here ?"

" Yes — a Scaramouch of a fellow."

" That's Colonel Smith — a wide-awake fellow, as you'll see tx>-
morrow. He is disguised now, of course."

"He had better stay below — he may be recognized."

" No ; he has something to say to us, you may depend. I
shouldn't wonder if he should come aboard^"

But Col. Smith manifested no such immediate design, but con-
tented himself with walking the deck of his vessel, apparently
much engaged in whittling a pine stick, yet losing no opportunities
of observation of the steamboat's passengers. No signs, however,
were exchanged, and no communication passed during daylight,
but as the day drew to a close, the officers came on deck,
and sauntered, as if by accident, to that side of the steamboat
nearest the disguised colonel, who, soon after dark, joined them
without difficulty. The coolness of the evening had driven most
of the passengers below, and there was no difficulty in finding a
letired spot where their conversation would be private.

Their deliberations resulted in a determination to continue their
present course down the lake and its outlet, the St. Lawrence
river, until they arrived near Ogdensburg, and then, after transfer-
ring to the schooners all that portion of the party who were pas-

72 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

sengers on the steamboat, to part summarily with that vessel, and
pursue quietly the small remainder of their voyage without its aid.
This plan was carried into effect. Smith returned to his vessel,

and Gen. B caused his whispered orders to be circulated

among his party, to hold themselves in readiness to go on board
the schooners at the shortest notice.

It was not, indeed, expected to carry out this measure without
detection by the officers and crew of the United States, but they
cared not, when once their object was accomplished, how soon
their unwilling allies should discover the nature of the trick which
had been played upon them.

" It will serve them right, the shilly-shally fellows, who are afraid
to help such a cause as ours," said Jones ; ** I only hope their boat
will be seized in the first port it enters, for bringing us so far on
our way."

It was, perhaps, at his instance, that it was resolved, on ap-
proaching the place of intended separation, to summon the men
with fife and drum, and depart with all the parade and eclat which
their straitened quarters would admit of.

Great therefore, was the consternation of Captain B., and great
the amazement of his unsuspecting passengers, when they were
awakened from the sound sleep of a later hour than midnight, by
the loud reveilU upon deck, and by the hurried tread of those who
had awaited the signal in their berths, and who now hastened to
obey the summons.

Rushing upon deck, and vainly seeking to gain an explanation of
the turmoil which surrounded him, and as vainly exerting his
authority to suppress it, the discomfited captain, whose angry
shouts were drowned by the music and by the loud tones of mili-
tary command, resigned himself to his fate, and waited with what
patience he could summon, to see the upshot of so strange an
affair.

Still unsuspecting the character of the two schooners at his

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 73

side, he became impressed with the idea that his boat had been
seized, and was about to be pressed into the service of the invaders
of Canada, (a feat which would have been by no means difficult
to perform,) but he was soon relieved from this apprehension, by
the sudden departure of the midnight army over the sides of his
vessel. Turning his eyes for the first time toward the schooners,
he discovered, by the dim starlight, that their decks were crowded
with men, who had emerged from the cabins and holds, and whose
numbers seemed scarcely to afford room for the additional forces
who were joining them.

As soon as the last of Gen. B party had left the steam-
boat, he gave orders to detach the schooners from their fasten-
ings.

Dropping silently down the stream with no propulsion save
that of the current, the invading party found themselves at day-
light between the villages of Ogdensburgh and Prescott, the former
being a republican, and the latter a royal town, situated, vis-a-
vis^ upon opposing shores of the St. Lawrence. Here it was
their misfortune to get into shoal water, and one of the vessels be-
came stranded, an event which, for a while, threatened the most
disastrous consequences to the expedition.

CHAPTER X.

THE INVASION.

Both towns, of course, became at once the scene of the utmost
excitement — for it was evident to all that Fort Wellington was the
point of attack, and thousands of people thronged the shores upon
either side of the river, anxious to witness so momentous an event
and rife with conjectures as to its issue.

On the American side, however, all were not idle spectators.
Captain B., of the United States, had taken the first opportunity
of washing his hands of guilt, by stopping at Morristown, and giv-
ing notice to the authorities of the movement in which he had
been made to play so important, yet so unwilling a part, and an
express had been dispatched by land to Ogdcnsburgh, in order that
measures might be taken there to intercept the schooners, or at
least to prevent their receiving accessions to their numbers.

This precaution had operated very differently from the design
of its originators. No sooner had the United States reached her
wharf at Ogdensburgh, where she arrived soon after the express,
than a multitude of people rushed with loud shouts on board, took
forcible possession of her, and started out to the relief of the
grounded vessel. This movement was met by a corresponding
one from the watchful citizens of Prescott, at whose wharves a
steamboat was also lying. The Experiment (such was her name)
had either been armed in anticipation of an attack, or was tem-
T4

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 75

porarily supplied with a piece of ordnance from the town, with
which she greeted the American steamer several times, a compli-
ment which the latter was unfortunately unable to return, nor
could she, on account of the shallowness of the water, get near
enough to the disabled vessel to render effectual assistance. But she
passed down the river about a mile, to Windmill Point, on the
Canadian side, where the other schooner had preceded her, which
latter vessel, after landing her forces, returned to attempt to take
off the men from her grounded consort.

The United States accompanied, and covered the schooner from
the fire of the Experiment, which followed both at a prudent dis-
tance ; but in the meantime, the excited populace on the American
side were preparing other help for the invaders. A small steam
ferry-boat, which plied between Prescott and Ogdensburgh, well-
manned, and provided with small arms, was sent out to the relief
of the stationary schooner, which she succeeded in hauling oj9r,
under a brisk fire from the Experiment, returning the salute with
muskets and rifles, at the expense of seven lives to the enemy.

The United States, meanwhile, returned to Windmill Point,
landed between one and two hundred of her men, and, with a small
remainder, returned to Ogdensburgh, where she was surrendered to
her owners, and, to the signal dismay of her neutral captain, was
immediately afterwards seized by the government.

Among those who had been most forward in this initiatory step
of the war, whose courage and skill had been most conspicuous, who
had seemed everywhere present at once, who had animated and
inspired all hearts with his own enthusiasm, was the hero of the
thousand isles, William Johnson. He bad now returned in the
United States, and proceeded to earnestly harangue the populace,
urging and beseeching them to go with him, and join the few
hundreds who had already effected a landing on the other side.
He succeeded in inducing some, at diff'erent times in the course of
the day, to cross with him in the schooners, but rumors of a most

76 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

extraordinary defection from the little army, in the persons of their
principal leaders, began to prevail, carrying dismay to the hearts
of all the active friends of the cause.

B and E had re-crossed, like the brave Johnson, to

Ogdensburgh with the design, or pretence, of urging the large
number of patriots assembled there to cross and join their com-
rades, but the former of these individuals was either taken suddenly
ill, or feigned illness, and both proved inaccessible to their friends
on reaching the American shore. They either departed, or remain-
ed concealed, leaving the brave Van Shoultz alone to conduct their
perilous enterprise, with little chance of farther accessions from
the American shore, and deprived even of a large portion of the
military stores which had been prepared for the expedition.

The little band of invaders, meanwhile, unconscious that they
were deserted, and expecting hourly the return of the schooners,
with their leaders and their allies, proceeded to strengthen their
position at Windmill Point, and to prepare for the coming con-
test. They took possession of the Windmill, and of several other
large stone buildings, and awaited with sanguine expectation, not
only the approach of their American friends, but the accession of
that coming niultitude of Canadian patriots, whom they believed to
be hastening to their standard.

When the desertion of two of their leaders, and the loss of a
large portion of their stores, became known, they were saddened
indeed, but by no means in despair. The greater, they thought,
would be the honor of the Spartan few who maintained their proud
position, and became the rallying point of a nation's oppressed and
uprising masses.

Colonel Van Shoultz proved equal to his responsible position ;
he had officers and men of indomitable courage around him, and
his gallant ally, Johnson, seemed in himself a host, so great was
the influence of his name and of his dauntless demeanor.

But it is time to speak more in detail of the immediate subjects

THE PRISONER OF THE BOEDER. 77

of our narrative, whose fortunes were so intimately connected with
the events of the war. Harry Vrail's intimacy with Colonel Van
Shoultz had resulted in keeping both himself and his brother near
that officer while on board the vessel, and with him they had been
among the first to set foot on the enemy's shore. When the Po.
lander found himself chief in command, he consulted his young
friend frequently in his movements, and he would gladly have ele-
vated him to a position near himself in authority, if he had been
able to do so, but he did not feel at liberty to disturb the settled
orders of rank in his little band. In the division of forces, the
Vrails became attached to a party under the command of Col.
Allen, which was stationed in a stone store-house, that, like the
Windmill, served to some extent the purpose of a fort, and Brom,
to his great delight, found himself in no danger of a separation
from his chosen master.

But there was another member of the invading army who found
less cause for exultation. Barak Jones had made some mistake in
regard to his expected o'pportunity for leaving the schooner and
landing at Ogdensburgh and to his great dismay he found himself on
British soil, in company with the men whom his eager persuasions

had induced to enlist. He would have returned when B and '

E went back, but he had been so terrified while on board the

United States, by the pursuit of the Experiment, and by the can-
nonading from that vessel, that he did not dare to attempt to re-
cross while she was lying in the river, waiting to renew the attack.

There were other opportunities for escape on the first day, in
the schooner with which Commodore Johnson crossed several
times, bringing over recruits, but here the danger was equally
great, and was magnified tenfold by his fears. Yet he would have
run the risk of returning, in preference to remaining, if he had not
been induced to believe, probably by some of his proselytes, who
despised his pusillanimity and wished to detain him, that there
would be a chance to cross in the schooner at night, when dark-

78 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

ness would shield it from any serious attack. That opportunity
of course, did not come, and Barak, more dead than alive, remain-
ed in the camp, not in any recognized military capacity, nor
directly attached to any division of the troops, but selecting his
quarters with those whom he thought most safely stationed, and
most remote from the danger of a first attack.

Thomas VraiPs ardor for the war had considerably cooled, and
he chafed not a little at serving merely as a private, while carry-
ing a captain's commission in his pocket. Yet he continued san-
guine of soon seeing himself at the head of a valiant company,
and one of the laurelled victors in the great revolution at hand.

Harry, although more skeptical, was not without similar hopes.
He knew well that the spirit of rebellion extended far and wide
throughout the Canadas, and he could not doubt the information
which had come from so many seemingly authentic sources, that
the people had already flocked by myriads to the standard of re-
volt. Rumors of approaching armies began to reach them, almost
from the moment they touched Canadian feoil, and they were hourly
excited and tantalized by these fallacious tidings. In the mean-
time, the provincial government was not idle. If the friends of
the patriots were tardy, theii- enemies were not. The garrison
was increasing at Fort Wellington, troops were pouring into Pres-
cott, and armed vessels made their appearance in the river.
Everything, indeed, indicated that the enemy were not going to
await an attack from the invaders, but that they were about to
take the initiative step in the approaching hostilities.

Harry Vrail's judgment was too clear to overlook the perilous
position in which his comrades and himself were placed. He saw
how disastrous must be the result, if their landing should prove to,
be premature, and if they should fail to effect a speedy junction
with the insurgent forces of the provinces. Very valorous he
knew their little army to be, but he was not visionary enough to
expect that, few as they were, and imperfectly provided with mill-

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 79

iry stores, they could maintain themselves against the tenfold
»brce which would speedily be brought against them, and which, if
insufficient, could easily be increased yet tenfold more.

But Harry did not quail. He had chosen his part, perhaps mis-
takingly, but he was a man in the broadest acceptation of that sig-
nificant word. He was prepared to do his full duty to the cause
which he had espoused, and to endure whatever destiny it might
entail upon him. If he saw the danger, he did not proclaim it ;
his voice and mien was everywhere that of the courageous and
ardent soldier, who, if he did not achieve, would at least deserve
success. He knew that help might come in time to save them,
and he acted like one who believed it would. To Colonel Van
Shoultz alone, in their most private consultations, did he disclose
his full views, and in the mind of that brave, but discreet man, he
found them fully reflected.

/ CHAPTER XI.

THE BATTLE OF WINDMILL POINT,

The invaders were not left long in suspense as totlie designs of
the enemy. Early in the morning after their arrival, a cannonade
was opened upon them, which was returned with spirit by their
battery upon the shore, and at " about eight o'clock," says an eye-
witness, " a line of fire blazed along the summit of the hill in the
rear of the windmill, for about eighty or a hundred rods, and the
crack of the rifle and the musket made one continuous roar."
This, however, was but the prelude to a more serious attack, which
was made by a body of five or six hundred regulars and volunteers,
when all the courage and mettle of the little band were in requisi-
tion to meet the determined assault of the foe.

Well and bravely did they vindicate their claims to courage in
a hotly contested battle of about an hour's duration, which resulted
in driving back the enemy to their fort with large loss, while only
five of their own men were killed, and about thrice that number
wounded.

This striking success, of course, produced the most exhilarating
effect upon the patriots, who congratulated themselves upon their
triumph with ecstasy, and indulged in a proud presentiment of
increasing numbers, and a career of victory. The tidings would
reach the interior in a few hours, and summon thousands of the
doubtful and the undecided to their side. It would reach the
States stiW quicker, flashing hope, like electric light, through all

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 81

ranks of their timid friends, and bringing multitudes, eager for
the fray, to their victorious banners. Such were the bright hopes
and anticipations of the invaders on the second evening of their
encampment on foreign soil.

Both the Vrails had acquitted themselves creditably in this
engagement, but Harry's coolness and activity had won the espe-
cial encomiums of his comrades and his commanding officer. His
perfect presence of mind, and his dauntless demeanor, had
produced a marked effect upon others, especially upon the inferior
soldiers, which contributed greatly to the fortunate result of the
day, and he became at once exceedingly popular. Brom, also,
won his laurels, acting his part not only with perfect intrepidity,
but with a glee which, although unsuited to so serious an hour,
had its effect in inspiriting others who might have been inclined
to fright in this, their first experience of war. He stood at his
master's side, loading and firing with great regularity and rapidity,
and keeping up an undertone of ludicrous comment, which more
than once elicited an audible laugh from his nearest companions.
" Now youVe got it !" he would say, as he fired off his piece, and
watched for a second to try to distinguish its effects upon the
opposing ranks ; " tink I saw him drop that time P he muttered,
as he proceeded to ram down another cartridge.

" ISTow for another red-coat ! Golly, if it ain't just like shootin'
the Christmas turkeys with their red-heads. Jingo 1" he shouted,
as a ball passed, whistling, close to his head, " but the turkeys are
shootin' back 1"

The succeeding day was one of inaction. The intimidated
enemy did not renew the attack, and the invaders, who might now
be called the besieged party, while holding themselves in readi-
ness for a vigorous repulse of any assault, looked all day long,
anxiously and earnestly, for their anticipated succors. Every
vessel upon the river, however distant, was closely scanned, and
many longing eyes were fastened upon the American shores,

82 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

which were plainly visible from the camp, with the hope of seeing
some signs of their approaching auxiliaries. Others watched the
highways which led into the heart of the invaded province, confi-
dent of the bannered hosts which were soon to emerge from dis-
tant forests, and advance with defiant tread, timed to the martial
airs of freedom. Alas ! they did not come. The day waned, the
sun went down, and all was doubt, uncertainty and irresolution as
to the morrow.

" One thing is sure," said Colonel Van Shoultz, to Lieutenant
Vrail, on the evening of that day of dread suspense ; " although we
may not receive reinforcements, the enemy certainly will, and pro-
bably by to-morrow, at the farthest."

" Ours may yet come," replied Harry ; " indeed, our friends
from the other side would be most likely to cross in the night,
when they could most safely effect a landing."

" It is possible, but I am learning not to hope too much. After
witnessing desertion in the highest quarters, aiid faint hearts where
the loudest boasts of valor have been made, it is natural rather to
fear than hope. This night may diminish rather than increase our
numbers."

" There is little chance for desertion. The ferry at Prescott is,
of course, strictly watched, and we have no sm.all boats, excepting
Johnson's, which he has carefully secured. You do not fear that
he will fly r

" He will fly when this fort does," replied Van Shoultz, looking
around at the stone walls of the mill. " Ah ! if all were such as
he, we should have no cause of disquietude to-night."

The Polander's predictions and presentiments proved alike true.
The enemy were reinforced on the morrow, and the patriots were
left to struggle alone against the hourly increasing numbers of a
foe which threatened their utter extermination.

Attacked both by land and water, cannonaded from steamboats
and fjpom field batteries, they maintained the unequal struggle,

Tlil^: I'KISOKER OF THE BORDER. 83

dauntlessly and hopefully, for nearly two days, still looking for the
approaching banners, and listening for the charging shouts of their
promised allies.

On the afternoon of the second day, a large force of the enemy
drew near the forts (if such they might be called), by land, and
were met with a hot and galling fire from the several divisions of
the patriot army, stationed in the windmill and the other stone
buildings which had been fortified. It would have been madness
in the bravest to have met them in the open field while such strong
defences were in their possession, almost compensating for the
great disparity of numbers between the belligerents.

But this advantage was too great to be left long in their pos-
session, if it were possible to dislodge them from their fastnesses,
and it soon became evident that the British had determined to
attempt to carry the forts by storm.

The building in which Col. Allen's command was stationed was
somewhat remote from the windmill, and was attacked, as was
each of the camps, by a separate body of the enemy. The attempt
to storm it was twice repelled by that valiant ofiicer and his men,
who were stationed in a large apartment in the second story, ex-
tending the whole depth of the building, and commanding both
the lower entrances, which were strongly barricaded ; but a new
calamity awaited them in the failure of their ammunition. The
slackening of their fire became so necessary, and its cause so ap-
parent to the enemy, that the third attempt to enter the building
was sure to be successful whenever it should be made.

The game was too evidently lost to admit of a moment's hope
on the part of the most sanguine, and nothing remained to be done,
excepting to surrender unconditionally, or to throw away their
lives in an obstinate, but useless conflict. Allen was doubtless a
brave man, and perhaps his own choice would have been to render

" His last faint quittance with his hreath,
While the sword glimmered in the grasp of death."

84 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

But he doubted his control over his little band, now thoroughly
panic-stricken, nor could he make up his mind to devote so many
men to immediate and certain destruction.

While he hesitated, the tumult increased below, another volley
of bullets poured into the windows, finding a few more victims
among those who were unable to avoid a full exposure, and then,
with an impetuous rush, the enemy gained the main entrance to
the building, bursting down its barricades, and pouring tumult-
uously into the lower hall. Their steady tramp was next he«ird by
the besieged upon the very stairway of their citadel, and many a
face became blanched with fear. In another moment the large
door was burst open with great violence, and thirty muskets,
levelled for immediate discharge, were protruding into the room,
commanding every part of the apartment, while simultaneously
with their appearance a demand was made, in a stentorian voice,
for surrender.

It was impossible longer to maintain strict discipline, and
although the majority of the men preserved a soldier-like compo-
sure, and awaited the, orders of their leader, there were a few others
who had boasted largely of their valor when danger was distant,
who now manifested the most abject and craven fear. Shri^eks and
cries of " Don^t fire !'' " Yes, we surrender !" were heard from two
or three of these, who were seen scrambling to get in the rear, and
farthest from the expected volley. One who carried a commis-
sion in his pocket, and who having always had his courage at his
tongue's end, had probably allowed it to escape, was seen shrink-
ing close to the wall, crouched down behind a fat private, who
was too stupid to stir, or to understand that his body was serving
the purpose of a shield. From this shelter he called out, in a
tremulous voice,

" Shall we be treated as prisoners of war, if we surrender ?"

"You will be treated as you deserve," was the answer, in a^

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 85

trumpet-like voice; "you must surrender unconditionally — you
are entirely in our power."

" Well, here's my musket — so don't shoot we," he said, push-
ing past his protector, and stooping as he advanced to avoid dan-
ger from the bristling array of guns which confronted him. In
another instant he was hauled outside, and was placed under
guard. His example was speedily followed by others, and for
some minutes the victors were engaged in receiving the arms, and
securing the persons of a portion of the patriots, while the major-
ity yet awaited the reluctant orders of their leader to lay down
their arms.

At that critical juncture, when the enemy appeared at the door,
Harry Vrail missed the faithful Brom from his side ; but so great
was the confusion, and so general was the rush for self-preserva-
tion, that he did not deem his disappearance a matter of surprise.
But the negro had by no means deserted him — on the contrary,
all his thoughts were given to devising means for his rescue
Ever since he had made his solemn engagement to Gertrude to
watch over and protect his master, his mind had been devising
expedients to deliver him from whatever danger seemed to threaten
and from the hour they had set foot together upon the enemy's
soil, he had calculated the possibility of disaster, and had planned
impossible modes of relief.

Ever vigilant and watchful, while others were confident and
careless, he had overlooked no remote or minute circumstance
which an hour of extremity might render serviceable to one whom
he loved so well, and whom he had sworn to befriend. His lodg-
ings, for several preceding nights, had been in a dark corner of
the large room in which the scenes last described were enacted,
where, with several others, he had occupied the interior of a large,
open bin, for a sleeping apartment. On crawling out of this
strange dormitory the preceding day, he had accidently dropped
his knife behind it, and it became necessary, in order to recover

86 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

Lis lost property, to move the huge chest farther from the wall
against which it stood. It required great effort to do this, even
with the aid of a lever, but when, having succeeded in removing
it a few inches, he stooped to regain his knife, he caught sight of
another metallic object beside it, which on close inspection he
found to be a hinge in the floor. Further examination produced
its fellow, and being convinced he had found a trap-door leading to
a lower apartment, he hastily shoved back the bin, and sat down
to reflect on the discovery, and the possibility of its being in some
way turned to account. Circumstances, he knew, might arise
which would render it in the highest degree useful to his master,
but in order to make it more certainly so he believed it important
to keep it secret from all others. When a more favorable oppor-
tunity occurred for pursuing his investigation, he removed the bin
and, raising the door, ascertained that it communicated with a
small store-room beneath, from which a back window, seemingly
the only one in the apartment, opened upon the river. Hastily
making these observations, he replaced the door and the chest,
and quietly resumed his duties.

CHAPTER XII.

A RECREANT BROTHER,

When Harry missed the negro from his side in that moment of
horror which has been described, the latter flew to the ponderous
bin, which, in his excitement, he thrust aside as if it had been a
basket, and standing beside it, with his watchful eye upon his
master, he waited coolly for the moment when he might raise the
door without detection. The confusion was momentarily increas-
ing, and those who were not pressing torward to surrender, were
anxiously watching both the threatening guns and the still silent
lips of their leader, who hesitated to speak the painful word of
submission. Brom saw that the favoring moment had come, and
noiselessly raising the trap-door, he hurried back to the side of his
master, whom, without addressing, he began gently to drag toward
the rear of the room.

" What is it, Brom ?" said Harry, in answer to the violent pan-
tomime of the negro. " You need not be afraid to speak in this
Babel — nobody will hear you."

" Come wid me, Massa, come wid me," were all the words which
the African could be induced to utter.

Vrail suffered himself to be led as far as the open door, which
he no sooner saw than he fully comprehended the plan of escape,
and his heart leaped with sudden joy at so unexpected a hope of
deliverance. But his thoughts instantaneously reverted to Tom.

"Not without Tom," he exclaimed, and darting off from the spot,

88 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

be dashed off in pursuit of his brother, whom he had seen last at
nearly the extreme opposite end of the room, and near to Col
Allen. When he reached that spot, however, his brother was no
longer there, and at the very moment when he was hastily search-
ing for him among the crowd who were stacking their arms (for
the word of submission had at last been spoken), Thomas had glid-
ed around to the rear of the mass in search oi him, with no other
design then that of keeping near him in their common calamity.
He was met by the negro, who hastily whispered to him the
chance of escape, and implored him to assist in finding Harry.

** It is death to go back," exclaimed the terrified and pusillani-
mous youth ; " let us fly ; he will be sure to follow us, since he
knows the way. Come, be quick."

So saying, he dashed forward to the trap-door, while Brom
turned back in eager pursuit of his master. His excited and
nearly frenzied condition was unfavorable to the successful result
of his search, and threatened momentarily to arrest attention and
defeat his efforts, for that portion of the apartment nearest the door
was fast filling up with the enemy. But fortunately as yet, there
was a general confusion, in which the shouted orders of the leader
of the victorious band, the rattling of the grounded muskets, and
the groans of the wounded were the principal sounds.

While Brom was thus wildly seeking for his master, the latter
was as earnestly pursuing his quest for the recreant Tom, who had
selfishly deserted both. Mingling in the crowd of surrendering
men, and borne by the mass toward the fatal point where, with
them, he must become a guarded prisoner, the gallant youth did
not falter in his resolute purpose, nor once think of turning back
alone to seek the means of escape. Of course his search was vain,
and while closely scanning every face in the throng of which he
could catch a view, his attention was arrested by some execrations
behind him, bestowed apparently by different parties,'' upon some
on^ who was pressing eagerly forward towards the front.

THE PEISONEE OF THE BORDER. 89

" Blast the blackamoor !" said one, who could jest in his cal-
amity ; " he steps on a dozen of us at once, with his elephant
feet."

" " Stand back, CufFy ; don^t be in such a hurry ; you'll be hung
soon enough to suit you," exclaimed another.

" Why don't he go and walk over the Britishers ?" said a
third, whose toes had felt the heavy heel of the African ; "hang
me, if I don't believe he would drive them all out in a few minutes."

Harry could not doubt as to who was the subject of these
remarks, and in the next moment he caught a view of Brom, who
was, however, too far separated from him by the crowd, to admit
of any communication passing between them. As soon, however,
as he caught the negro's eye, its expression, together with some
significant pantomime, convinced him that his brother was found,
and he managed by great effort to commence a retrograde motion
against the strong tide which had before borne him onward to a
point of such dangerous proximity to the foe. Warning the saga-
cious negro by a sign to go back, they both succeeded in working
their way to the rear, which was as yet unguarded.

" Where is he ?" whispered Vrail.

*' He's gone long ago — Massa Harry — this way — come along
now, I say."

Astonished, bewildered, and half incredulous, the young man
hesitated to advance.

" It's sartin sure," repeated Brom ; '* come quick, now, or you'll
be too late. See — see — there comes a lot of red coats this way."

" Don't run, Brom," said Vrail, " or we are lost. Go slowly,
and we may not be noticed, or it may seem as if we were only
going back for something that has been forgotten."

The negro obeyed, and tremblingly they succeeded in reaching
the trap-door, apparently without observation.

" Massa must jump so," said Brom, skillfully letting himself down
by his hands, and dropping into tjie lower apartment.

90 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

Vrail followed his example, and they stood together on the
lower floor.

"He is not here," said Harry, glancing quickly around the
room. " Brom, if you have deceived me, I will not stir a step
further."

" He is gone, Massa Henry, I swear it. See here," and he pointed
to the raised window, through which the fugitive had doubtless
passed. Convinced at length, that Tom was really out of the imme-
diate scene of danger, Harry gave his mind wholly to securing the
escape of himself and his faithful companion. Hastening to the
window, he saw that it opened upon the river, at the distance of
only a few rods from its margin, and that the shore, in that imme-
diate vicinity, appeared to be entirely unguarded. The conflict,
indeed, was yet waging in some parts of the encampment, as occa-
sional shots and shouts were heard, and the moment certainly
seemed a favorable one for successful flight.

If Harry could have joined any portion of the patriots who
were yet making a stand against the enemy, he would certainly
have done so, but this was clearly impossible. Leaping, therefore,
from the window, and calling upon Brom to follow, he hastened
to the shore, with the intention of following the course of the river,
and keeping close to its edge. In the opposite direction, which
led toward Prescott, of course he could not flee with any prospect
of escape. But he had no sooner reached the shore, than the fal-
lacy of his hope to elude observation became apparent.

A little way down the river, but at considerable distance from
the shore, lay an armed steamboat, which had been engaged in
bombarding a portion of the barracks, before the contest had
become so close on land as to render its fire dangerous to the
attacking party, and which now seemed to be either guarding the
coast, or waiting in inaction whatever duty might be assigned it.

However this might be, no sooner had the flying lieutenant and
his servant appeared upon the shore, than a shout from the deck of

THE PRISOlSrER OF THE BORDER. 91

the distant vessel reached their ears, and at the next instant a can-
non hall came booming over the water and buried itself in the
bushes behind them. A rattling fire of musketry followed, and
Harry dropped upon the beach, to the boundless terror of the
negro, who rushed quickly up to him.

" Oh, massa — massa — are you really dead ?" exclaimed the poor
fellow, frantic with fright.

" Follow me," said Harry, creeping rapidly behind the shrub-
bery which grew thickly at a little distance from the shore.

" Where did they hit you, Massa Harry V^

" They did not hit me at all, Brom," replied Harry, coolly ; " and
I do not mean they shall. I wish I knew where poor Tom is."

"Never mind Captain Tom, Massa Harry — we've got our hands
pretty full enough now, I think, to take care of ourselves. Golly,
massa, look at that !" he exclaimed, springing suddenly aside, and
pointing at the cannon ball they had so narrowly escaped, and
which now lay harmless beside them. " Let us get away from here."

" Never fear, Brom. Sit down on it, if you wish to be quite
safe. Lightning never strikes twice in the same place, nor cannon
balls either, I presume."

Harry spoke lightly, in hopes of allaying the alarm of his com-
panion, but he felt all the peril of his position, and while he talked
thus calmly, his mind was rapidly devising means of escape, and
calculating the chances of finding his brother.

" We shall have to skulk around here till midnight, I suppose,"
he continued, " and then either swim across the river, or find some
other means of making the passage. How far can you swim,
Brom r

" Oh, I can swim all night, I spect ; IVe swum across the Hud-
son river, many's the time, where it's wider than this here St.
Lawrence — though 'tain't so swift, to be sure."

" It's a pretty long stretch," said Harry, after gazing a few
moments at the opposite shore, with a longing to p?ace himself

92 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

beneath the protecting JEgis which seemed to canopy every inch
of American soil. ^

" I wish we was there," replied Brom, following the direction
of his master's eye ; " we should not have any Britishers bombard-
ing us over there, should we, Massa Harry ?"

" I don't think I can swim it."

" 1 can help you, Massa Harry."

** I don't know about that — I do not see how you can swim for
more than one. If you can swim all night, as you say, you might
carry me over in pieces."

" I can help you," reiterated the negra, not heeding the jest ;
" when you are tired, 1 can hold you, and let you rest."

" And who will hold you in the meantime."

"Oh, ril be walking up stairs," replied the negro, alluding to a
feat well known to swimmers, by which they sometimes sustain
themselves for a considerable time in the water while giving rest
to the arms.

" More likely we should both be going down stairs to Davy
Jones' cellar. No, no, it won't do, Brom — at least, not for me,"
said Vrail, now speaking more seriously ; " I must find a boat of
some kind, or I must trust to some of the Canadians for assistance.
If I were confident you could succeed in crossing, I would insist upon
your doing so alone ; but it is an unknown stream, and its waters
might prove as treacherous as the people upon its shore, who have
lured so many of our brave countrymen to destruction. The dark-
ness, too, would quadruple the peril, as you could not see the
opposite shore, and if you became bewildered and frightened, you
would be sure to be lost.'*

" You need't preach all that to me, Massa Harry. I shan't go,
'less you do, any way — so that pint is settled." '

A second volley from the steamboat, which sent a few scattering
Dalls among the shrubbery around them, reminded them that they
were watched, and induced them to change their position.

CHAPTER Xm.

THE MAGIC RIFLE.

Vrail did not dare to emerge from his hiding-place, but he
ventured to draw near enough to its outer edge to reconnoitre the
formidable enemy who had seemed to think two trembling fugi-
tives upon the beach a proper subject for his prowess. Great
was his alarm on discovering a small boat, cotitaining six or seven
men, putting oft' from the steamer and approaching the shore,
very evidently for the purpose of effecting their capture. Both
himself and the negro were armed, having preserved their guns,
while Vrail had also his pistols, and his resolution was instantly
and coolly taken.

" This way, Brom," he said, raising his rifle ; " they are after us
now, half a dozen of them. If they land, there is no help for us.
Stand ready now, to load as fast as I fire."

Vrail was a practiced marksman, and he felt so certain of the
fatality of his aim that he hesitated a moment with a natural
reluctance, but a random volley from his approaching foe, designed
to keep them within their cover, determined him, and he pulled
the trigger.

An oarsman sprung from his seat, and fell over the edge of the
boat which was nearly capsized by the hasty rush of his comrades
to his assistance.

" I am sorry for him," said Harry, coolly exchanging guns with
Brora, and raising the second weapon to his eye.

.94: THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

" Golly I I ain't," replied the negro, ramming down another
cartridge ; *' hav'n't the cowardly rapscallions been cannonading
us?"

Again the hurtling lead went upon its mission, and another man
was seen to fall, but the oars were again speedily manned, and the
increased speed with which the boat approached the shore showed
a courageous design to effect a landing before the weapons could
again be loaded and brought to bear.

** Fool !" exclaimed Harry ; " I meant to have spared him,"
bringing the weapon which Brom now handed him to bear upon
the leader of the party, who sat in the stern of the skiff, and who
at the next instant was added to the list of victims.

" Golly ! there goes the cap'n," shouted Brom with great glee.
" Now for another !" he continued, handing up the ready gun.

" Wait a little ! I rather think they have enough. I believe
they are going back."

" Then it's jes the time to pepper 'em, massa ; quick, now, give
it to them ! Golly ! didn't they cannonade us ?"

Vrail was correct in his conjectures. The progressive motion
of the skiff had been stopped, and after a moment's pause, it was
turned about and moved rapidly toward the steamboat, to which
it was still much nearer than to the shore. Whether this was
by order of the wounded ofiBcer, or whether he had given his last
orders, it was impossible to tell, but nothing was more certain
than that the foe were in full flight. Again the African conjured
his master to fire upon them, and the speed with which they fled
showed that they expected another discharge, but no urging would
induce Vrail to take a human life needlessly.

" We have defended ourselves so far," he said, " but it would
not benefit us in the least to take another life. I am really very
sorry for those poor fellows, Brom."

" Jingo I massa, / ain't. Didn't they cannonade us r repeated
the negro, who could not forget his fright at being fired upon by

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 95

a cannon from a vessel of war, and who did not seem disposed to
forgive the offence.

That the steamer approached no nearer the shore during this
singular contest, was doubtless owing to some very effective shots
which she had recently received from one of the patriot forts, a
repetition of which might be apprehended, for the result of the
several engagements on shore, if, indeed they had yet fully termi-
nated, was unknown to the commandant on the boat. His remain-
ing forces, however, were not idle spectators of this engagement
with the " band of marauders on the beach," as in a subsequent
dispatch he styled the two fugitives : but they kept up some
random firing toward them, especially during the retreat of their
comrades in the boat.

Although temporarily elated by his extraordinary victory, the
young lieutenant was far from expecting to make good his escape.
He might be considered even to have increased the peril of his
position, for his capture, which seemed still almost unavoidable,
could scarcely result in anything short of his immediate death
from his enraged foe. While daylight lasted, there was no possi-
bility of emerging from his narrow shelter without the certainty
of detection and successful pursuit, and scarcely three minutes
elapsed after the return of the small boat to the steamer, before it
was again sent out by a circuitous route, to gain a distant part of
the beach, farther up the stream, and beyond the reach of the
magical weapon which had proved so disastrous to its recent occu-
pants.

There were but three individuals in it this time, and the design
was very evidently to give notice to some party of the enemy on
shore of the lurking place of the fugitives, and to draw down upon
them an immediate force which no strength of theirs could resist
or evade. It was late in the afternoon, but the sun was yet twice
the breadth of his disc above the horizon.

Vrail watched anxiously its tardy movements down the declivity

96 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

of the sky, hoping against hope for the speedy arrival of that
darkness which might afford them one more chance of escape.
Never, seemingly, had the great luminary been so slow in its de-
scent, and it almost seemed to him that some miraculous interposi-
tion had taken place to arrest the orb of day, like that which
stayed its progress down the heights of Gibeon at the bidding of
the prophet of God. From the sky to the water and to the fly-
ing boat, and back again to the sky, his impatient eye wandered,
and he calculated closely the time which might elapse before the
sound of pursuit would be heard. Fly he must, but darkness alone
could give him even a faint chance of escape. The village adjacent
was by no means large, but all its inhabitants, as well as the
scattered population of the country for many miles around, had
been aroused by the exciting events of the day, and on every
road which led into the interior, people were passing to and from
the seat of war.

The shore of the river alone remained nearly deserted, but this
there was, of course, no safety in traversing under the guns of the
steamboat, which had already so nearly proved fatal to them.

While Harry watched in momentarily increasing anxiety, the
skiff had passed far up the stream, and began rapidly to approach
the shore, and yet the sun had not touched the horizon ; but the
breeze which so often springs up at the day's decline was rising with
unusual strength, and soon the summits of some ascending clouds,
became visible in the west.

They rose too, with such a breath of base, so " volumed and vast,"
as to promise an effectual extinguishment of the remaining day-
light, from the moment they should receive the descending lumi-
nary within their capacious folds. Such, too, was their effect.
The night drew suddenly on, unpreceded by the usual twilight,
and the still rising clouds promised to make it one of unusual
darkness. Of course the fugitives lost no time in emerging from
their place of concealment, although with no well-defined idea of the

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 97

route they were to pursue ; but Vrail resolved to leave the river
shore, which would be sure to be the first place of search by
their pursuers. Being nearly exhausted by fatigue, and sufiering
with cold and hunger, he knew that he might be compelled to
trust himself temporarily to the mercy of some Canadian family,
yet he was unwilling to wander far from that stream, which afford-
ed the only means of return to his native land.

There was little time, however, to choose roads, for he had
scarcely gone forth from the bushes before he heard the clamor
of pursuit, and he hurried forward, attended by his sable friend, not
knowing whither he went, excepting that he was leaving the lights
of the village behind him.

CHAPTER XIV.

A TYRANT AND A SLAVE.

The course of the fugitives was nearly northeasterly, and not
diverging far from the river. They followed a road which led at
times through dense woods, and at times through an open country,
where an occasional farm-house was revealed by its evening light,
and by the barking of its watch-dog as they passed. Their pro-
gress was necessarily slow, as the darkness was intense, and the
way unknown to them, and they had not wandered long or far
before Vrail began to contemplate making a trial of the hospitality
of some of the inhabitants. His fatigue was very great; he had
eaten nothing since early in the morning, and Brom, though far
from being exhausted, was, like him, pinched with hunger. Besides,
he thought the chances of meeting a friendly reception as good in
one locality as in another, and being well armed, it would be an
easy matter, if repulsed, or if he had reason to suspect betrayal,
again to take to flight.

Thus arguing, he selected for his hazardous experiment a house,
the faint light of which seemed not only remote from the road on
which he was travelling, but far from any other dwelling. It
proved very difficult of access, and as he travelled slowly across
the meadows towards it, the flickering rays which guided him
danced bewilderingly before his eyes, seeming at times, like the
ignis fatuus^ to recede as he approached it.

At length he drew near the building, but ere he came near to

THE PRISONER OF THE BOEDER. 99

the door, he heard the sound of angry voices within, and he
thought for a moment of passing on in search of more peaceful
indications in other quarters ; but impelled by his desperate and
destitute condition, he dismissed his fears and knocked for admit-
ance. The reply was gruff, but it bade him enter, and flinging
the door open, he passed in, followed by Brom.

In a small room, beside a rough deal table, an elderly couple
sat, with a meal of brown bread and potatoes before them, while
a miserably clad, but pretty and gentle-looking girl, of about thir-
teen years, stood by the fireside, apparently the patient recipient
of the joint rebukes of the other two. The man was small, sallow,
and dirty, with harsh and homely features, rendered doubly re-
pulsive by the scowl of wrath, lingering upon them, and the woman,
though possessing the remains of beauty, had a bold and cunning
expression, and a general slatternliness of appearance more disagree-
able than ordinary ugliness.

Vrail was not skilled in physiognomy ; he had seen too little of
the world for that ; but if he had been so, the woman's countenance
changed almost too suddenly after his entrance to admit of his
analyzing its first expression, or retaining the effect it produced
upon him. Her civil " good evening" was free from all rudeness
or appearance of surprise, while her more blunt partner turned
hastily to the intruders, and asked who they were and what they
wanted.

"We want food, and assistance to cross the river," replied
Harry, advancing nearer the table, throwing down some silver, and
seizing a piece of bread, which he began eagerly to devour. " I
can make it worth your while to assist us," he added ; " besides,
I think ^ve ought to be friends."

" Oh, yes," replied the other, with a sudden change of manner ;
" I see what you are now. You belonged to the patriot army, I
s'pose, and you want to get back home."

"Exactly so."

100 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

" They've been terribly cut up there at the Windmill, poor fel-
lows — they are all killed or taken, excepting a very few who have
fled, but even they will be taken, you know."

'' Is it really so very bad ?" asked Harry, who had not before
learned the full extent of the disaster to his companions.

" Yes, shocking," was the reply, with a baleful gleam of the eye ;
" Pve been down to the Point to see about it. There's dozens ly-
ing around there dead, and the prisoners are all marched to Pres-
cott for to-night, with their general ; and troops of people following
and looking on. But come, sit down and eat, both of you, and
we'll talk about that afterwards. You are safe enough here for
the present ; to-morrow it would be quite another thing."

The famished men w^aited for no second invitation, but sat down
side by side, and attacked the homely fare with as much eagerness
and relish as if it had been composed of the choicest viands.

" You think we shall be safe here for a short time ?" asked Vrail,
scarcely gaining the leisure to speak so long a sentence.

" Oh, certainly," replied the host, exchanging a look of intelli-
gence with his wife; "there isn't a doubt of it, is there
Hannah V

" Not the least, I should think," was the reply, in a very bland
voice. " Lock the door, Ruth."

The girl obeyed, and at the next instant the Canadian rose, and
glancing again significantly at his wife, approached the negro, who,
like his master, had retained his gun at his side when he sat down.

" Let me set your guns in the corner, out of your way," he said
to Brom, in the mildest of voices ; so mild that it would not have
been recognized as belonging to the same speaker who had ad-
dressed them on entering.

He laid his hand on the weapon as he spoke, and Brom, who
had a whole potato in his mouth and another in his hand, seemed
like to acquiesce in the movement without any remonstrance:
This was far, however, from his design. Clutching at the depart-

"The negro, clutching at the departing gun with his unoccupied hand, and
shaking his head, drew it back to its former position."— Page 101.

THE PRISONER OF THfi l50iy:)i5t:, > ^ > 101

ing gun with his unoccupied hand, and shak?ng his he>i4;o1iV'<ir4j?ir
it back to its former position.

" No, I tank you," he said, as soon as he could speak.

" Ah, very well, perhaps, it is better to keep them near you, in
case of surprise. You would like to cross the river to-night, I sup-
pose V' said the Canadian, addressing Vrail, very quickly.

" Of course," replied Harry, " as soon as possible, and, as I said
before, I will pay largely to any one who will take us over."

"Golly! yes — a hundred dollars,'' added the negro.

Harry looked in surprise at Brom, not understanding the secret
of his liberal offer.

" Don't talk about pay," replied the accommodating man ; " I
am ready to help a friend in need, I hope, without being paid for
it. You just sit here and finish your meal, while I go and see
if I can get Larry Smith's boat, and him to help me row you
across."

" For mercy's sake," said Harry, jumping up, " do not let us lose
the time, nor run the risk of trusting our secret to any one else.
Let us help ourselves to the boat, and we will give you abun-
dant means of satisfying your neighbor afterwards for it use. As
to the rowing, we can do that ourselves."

" But the stream is very rapid, and I could not row the skiff
back ; besides, he keeps it locked. No, no, you need not be afraid
to trust Larry — he is as true as steel — isn't he, Hannah ?"

" That he is ; every body knows that. The poor man's feelings
would be dreadfully hurt, if he thought that anybody distrusted
Am."

" Very well, if it must be so — but do not be gone long."

" It is about a mile to Larry's, and the night is dark — it will
take some time to go and come, but all you have to do is to keep
quiet ; and as soon as you have done eating, perhaps you had bet-
ter put out the light, so as not to attract attention if any soldiers
should be passing. If they really do come, why you can jump

102 Ta>i) Pm^ONER OF THE BORDER.

out of tuiii window a,Qd nicike for the woods, and then you will be
as well off as you were before.^'

" It is well thought of, about the light," replied Vrail, at once
extinguishing the blaze of the single tallow candle which had
very faintly illumined the room ; " I think it would now be diffi-
cult for any one to find the house in such a pitchy darkness, unless
they knew exactly where it stood .'^

" Of course it would, for you can't begin to see it from the road.
But good-bye — keep up good heart till I return, which won't be
very long."

He went out, and the woman followed him to the door, enjoin-
ing upon him in a loud voice to take care of himself, but saying
something in a lower tone, as she drew the door nearly shut after
her, standing on the outside.

At this moment the girl, who had stood nearly motionless in
the chimney-corner ever since the entrance of the fugitives,
advanced quickly a few steps towards Harry, and upon the door
re-opening, as hastily retreated to her former position.

The faint light which gleamed from the embers upon the hearth
revealed this movement, and the young man supposed that she
had meant to take some food secretly from the table, having pro-
bably been kept fasting as a punishment for some offence. He
began to make some inquiries about her, when the woman, in a
whining voice, which was intended to be very gentle, said that
she had been a bad girl, but that she might have her supper now,
and bade her come to the table.

" I ain't hungry," replied a very faint voice, the articulation of
which seemed to indicate a violent trembling of the speaker.

" Then go to bed," was the reply.

The girl remained motionless until the mandate was twice
repeated, when she very slowly obeyed, passing near, and pausing
a moment close to Vrail, who distinctly heard her tremble as she
stood beside him

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 103

He was about to speak to her, when the voice of the woman
again urged her along, and she passed into a corner of the room
and ascended a ladder which led to an upper apartment. The
hostess, in the meantime, became very voluble, and seemed bent
on entertaining her guests until the return of her husband.

Nearly an hour passed away, which, of course, seemed to the
young man fully quadrupled in length, and yet there was no sign
of the man's return, and still his garrulous partner talked on with
unflagging rapidity.

The rebellion was the theme, and as she could relate many an
interesting incident connected with it, she found in Harry an
eager listener. But he grew impatient, at last, and would hear
no more.

** He has been gone long enough to have walked four miles —
something must have happened to prevent his return,'' he said.

" It is very dark — he will certainly be here soon," replied the
woman ; " I will go and listen if I cannot hear him coming."

She went, as before, outside the door, quite closing it after her,
for the night was cool, and at the same time Vrail heard a half
whispering voice from the top of the ladder.

'* They are cheating you. Larry Smith lives very near us, and
he has no boat. Uncle Shay has gone after soldiers to take you."

Harry started up, and was about making his exit through the
window, when reflecting that such a course might bring the poor
girl under suspicion and procure some terrible punishment for her,
he resolved to wait a few moments longer, intending to depart as
if not suspecting his host.

" Do you know of any boat ?" he asked hastily.

" Yes — about two miles, down the river, at Mr. Wells'. But
you must hurry. They will go directly there to find you. Do
not wait a minute. Oh, I hear voices now."

Vrail sprang to the door and locked it, resolving not to be
taken alive, as he knew that his capture would be equivalent to

104 THE PEISOITER OF THE BOEDER.

death. He next ordered Brom to jump out of the window, a
command which the negro was not slow in obeying, and he stood
ready to follow him, yet waiting, in hopes of obtaining further
information in regard to his way. The next instant the door was;
tried, and then the voice of their returned host was heard modu-
lated to a tone of mildness decidedly winning.

" It is I and Larry — I have found him at last. Be quick, and
open the door."

" Oh, don't open it," added the voice from the ladder. " There
are six or eight men. I have seen them from the window. There
is a short way to the place where Wells' boat is kept, if you can
find it — but you must hurry."

" I fear I can neither find the short way nor the long one ; I do
not even know the way to the river, and the night is very dark."

Harry advanced as he spoke with a foreboding heart, and with
a conviction that if he failed to make good his escape across the
river before daylight his capture would become certain, as the
country would be thoroughly aroused by his pursuers, and all the
passes would be secured.

The girl's warning and his reply had been quickly spoken, and
the reflections we have recorded had been instantaneous; but
already another, and an impatient summons was heard from with-
out, accompanied by a violent shaking of the door.

" What is the matter there — can't you find the lock ?"

" Wait a minute," replied Harry. " Good-bye, my good girl ;
you have saved our lives for the present. Take this."

As he spoke he felt a light grasp upon his arm, and heard the
whispered words —

" Hurry, hurry, they are coming around the house."

She had glided down the ladder, and now fairly dragged tne
young man forward to the window, and when he leapt out she
followed, seeming almost frantic with the desire to save him.

" I will show you the way to the river, and will go a little way

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. ^ 106

with you," she whispered, again grasping his arm outside the
house, and dragging him forward.

They advanced as rapidly as the darkness would permit, fol-
lowed by the negro, who had been waiting for his master, and
stimulated by the momentary expectation of hearing the sounds
of pursuit.

CHAPTER XV.

RUTH'S STORY,

As soon as it seemed safe to slacken their pace, Vrail earnestly
advised his gentle guide to return to her home, and leave them to
their own resources, at the same time offering her some gold.

" No, no," she replied, " I will go on ; you never can find the
boat without me/'

" But your uncle ?"

" I do not care. He may kill me if he chooses, I do not care.
Come on," she said, almost breathlessly.

" But you will have to return alone, two miles, in the dark — I
cannot permit it."

" It is nothing. He often sends me further for rum, on worse
nights than this. Nobody will hi;rt me, for I have nothing for
them to steal."

When Harry still counselled her to return, she urged that if she
went back now, she could not enter the house unperceived, and if
her absence had been detected at all, it would make no difference
in the degree of her punishment, whether she went the whole way
or part with the fugitives.

The young man reluctantly yielded, and they proceeded on their
way with renewed speed ; yet he found time to question the poor
girl about her history, which was so evidently one of suffering.

Her story was brief, and very pitiful. She was an orphan, and
had lived since the age of six years with the man whom she called

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 107

uncle, but who, it appeared, was not thus related to her. His first
wife, long since deceased, had been her aunt, and in her lifetime
Ruth had been adopted as their daughter, and had ever since
borne the name of Shay, but his present partner was her oppressor,
himself her tyrant, and she but the trembling slave of both. A
menial child, friendless, overworked, poorly fed, and half clothed,
she yet had forgotten her own miseries in her sympathy and alarm
for the strangers whom she saw in distress, and whom, after effect-
ing their deliverance, she could never hope to see again.

The contemplation of this picture drew tears from Harry's eyes,
and as he listened to the poor child\s story, told in the gentlest of
voices, he was busy with devices for her relief, and half forgot his
own danger.

^' Why do you not leave people who treat you so badly," he
inquired.

" I have nowhere else to go," she replied.

" But you can earn your own living. I will give you money
enough to-night to last you for many weeks, and to buy clothes with."

She did not think she could earn her own living. They had
told her she was good for nothing, and could do nothing well.
Besides, she did not dare to make the attempt. He would be cer-
tain to find her out anywhere in that part of the country, and to
drag her back.

Such was the substance of her reply.

Vrail began to reflect whether it was not a duty to take this
poor child, thus providentially thrown upon his hands, along with
him to his own country, if he should succeed in finding the means
of escape.

" Would you be willing to go with me .^" he asked, suddenly.

" When ? Where ? How ?" she inquired with great eagerness.

"This night, if we can find a boat to cross the river — to my
own home. I will do the best I can for you, and you will be cer-
tain never to see your uncle or aunt again."

108 THE PEISONEK OF THE BGKDEE.

" Oh, yes, yes, take me — take me !" she exclaimed ; " I do not
care where, if they will never get me again. I will do anything
for you or anybody. I can work from daylight until dark without
rest. I have often and often done it for them, and then been beaten
after all. Oh, take me 1 take me !"

Harry assured her, with tears, that he would take her with him,
if it were possible, and that in her new home she would have no
such tasks or privations as she had been used to ; but while so
great uncertainty shrouded his own fate, he hesitated to say more
to kindle a hope which might prove so painfully illusive. They
continued to hasten forward during this conversation, and after
some reflection, Harry took some gold pieces from his pocket, and
said : —

" Take these, and conceal them about your person, and if we
should become separated, and I should be captured "

" I do not want them <Am," said the girl, interrupting him shud-
deringly ; " they would be of no use to me."

" Listen to me ; they may be of service both to me and to you,
if you are prudent and courageous, as I know you are, far beyond
your years. In my own country I have friends who will, perhaps,
never know my fate, unless you can carry them the tidings. Dare
you undertake this ?"

" Yes ; but can they do anything for you ?" she asked, quickly.

" It is possible : but it is scarcely with that hope I send you to
them. If I am taken, my doom will probably be a speedy death
— perhaps before your eyes. Whatever it is, I wish my friends to
know it, and I wish them to take care of you. Will you promise
me to go to them ?"

" Yes, but if they cannot help you ?"

" If they cannot help me, no one else can. I do not mean to be
taken ; but if I am, I have no hope of escaping death, either
immediate, or more remotely on the scaffold."

Harry proceeded to give the attentive girl minute instruction in

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 109

regard to her journey, and the necessary preparations for it, all of
which she seemed readily to comprehend. She was to proceed
before daylight to Prescott, there to purchase, at an early hour in
the morning, such articles of apparel as she thought essential to
her comfort in travelling. Crossing the ferry to Ogdensburg, and
availing herself of the ordinary public modes of travel, for which
she was amply provided with funds, she was to pursue her way to
Albany, and thence to VraiPs native village on the Hudson river.
There she was to seek out old Mr. Rosevelt, and communicate to
him her tidings, and the various messages which Harry intrusted
to her memory.

It was with a sad earnestness that the orphan girl listened to
these instructions, as she hastened along beside the stranger, whom
she had temporarily saved, and who was in turn trying to confer
benefit upon her.

" You have heard and understood all that I have said, and you
will remember, and try to perform it well and faithfully, if I am
taken or slain, will you, Ruth ?"

" Yes, yes, I will do it," she said ; " but you will not be taken,
if we hurry and get first to the boat. Let us go faster — we must
be almost there."

" I hear the river now, massa Harry," said Brom, " off this
away."

" Yes, that is the^ way, and Mr. Wells' house cannot be far from
here."

" How large a boat does he keep ?"

" It is only a skiff, but it will hold five or six. It is plenty
large enough for us."

" Will it not be locked ?"

" Only with a padlock, which can easily be broken."

'* Why do you think it is likely that your uncle will lead the
soldiers in this direction ?"

" He will be sure to do so, if he thinks that I have accompanied

110 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

or directed you ; for he knows that I know about the boat, and
there is no other within several miJes, excepting the ferry at Pres-
cott, where, of course, you would not dare to go."

" Does he know of this short way, which you have brought
usT

" Yes."

" Then we cannot be too quick or too vigilant."

The fugitives now ran as they conversed, and in a few minutes
they were at the river side, in the immediate vicinity of the place
where the skiff was usually kept. Darting eagerly forward, Ruth
uttered a slight scream, as she stopped beside the post to which the
little vessel, when not in use, was always chained, and discovered
that it was absent.

" It is gone P^ she exclaimed in a trembling voice.

Harry's heart sank, but the next instant revived with the thought
that perhaps Tom had taken it, and had escaped.

" Is the chain or lock broken ?" he asked, coming up to examine
the post.

" No, massa Harry, I guess not. There ain't any part of it in
the ring, and the ring ain't broke, too."

" Then it has probably been removed by the owner, to prevent
its being taken by any of the flying soldiers. This is the way the
Canadians AeZ^us," he added biterly. " Where does this Wells
live?"

" Only a very little way from here. Look, you can see the light
from his house through the trees."

" Come on, then Brom — the boat is probably in his door-yard,
and we must bring it from there, it is our only chance."

They started, Euth following, and now, for the first time, un-
nerved with fright.

" Golly !" exclaimed the negro, " I hope there ain't any dog to
set up a barking, and call out all the folks."

" If there is an alarm, we must bring it off by force. See that

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. Ill

your gun is in order, Brom, and pay close attention to my direc-
tions."

*' I will sartin, massa Harry : ef Mr. Wells comes out, I pop him
right straight over, see ef I don't — and knock the rest of 'em over
with the breech."

" You will do nothing of the kind, unless we are attacked with
weapons, and nothing, at all events, without my orders. If we find
the boat, and if any one appears to dispute our taking possession,
we will do nothing more than to compel acquiescence. No life
must be endangered, unless in self-defence."

A few moments brought them to the premises of the Canadian,
whose house stood on a slight eminence, and fronted the river,
about a dozen rods from the shore. It was enclosed by a fence, in
which was a small gate directly fronting the main entrance of the
house, and a larger one a little further to the left, designed for the
passage of vehicles. Setting this gate open, with as little noise as
possible and enjoining upon the trembling girl to wait for them
beside it, Harry and the negro stealthily entered the grounds.
Although acting in accordance with what is usually called the first
law of nature, the instinct of self-preservation, Vrail could with
difficulty overcome his repugnance to the task he had undertaken.
But if he hesitated, a moment's reflection reassured him, and he
went forward. It became necessary to pass the building in order
to attain the rear yard, where they expected to find the object of
their search, and through an uncurtained window they plainly saw
several of the occupants of the house, including its master, a largo
coarse man, who was seated listlessly by the fireside.

Stepping lightly and quickly forward, they gained the yard, and
almost at the same instant, to their great joy, they discovered the
long-coveted prize. The boat stood upon a sled, which, notwith-
standing there was no snow upon the ground, had been used to
draw it up from the river, and Vrail at once concluded that the
same mode would probably be the easiest for re-transfering it to
the water's side. The oars were in the vessel, and as there seemed

112 ^ THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

Dothing in the way of at once effectually securing the safety of
the whole party excepting the few rods of terra firma which lay
between them and the water, hope grew into something like con-
fidence in the breasts of the fugitives, and they began vigorously
their task.

Placing their guns within the skifi*, and stationing themselves
oti either side of the tongue of the sled, they started it with diffi-
culty, and, of course very slowly. The necessity for silence also
impeded their movements, and it was many minutes before they
were able to drag their cumbrous vehicle past the house, whose
windows, disclosing so much to them, threatened also to reveal
their movements to its inmates. But, shielded by the darkness
which enveloped everything without, they succeeded in passing
the house and the gateway, from which point their progress was
assisted by the declivity, and by all the strength of their feeble,
but energetic auxiliary.

Ten minutes had taken them far beyond hearing-distance from
the house, and every moment was giving additional assurance of
safety ; the sound of the river was in their ears — its pebbled mar-
gin beneath their feet ; in imagination, the prow of their little
bark was already ploughing the parting waves, and pointing to
the land of Freedom — when Harry felt a vice-like grasp upon his
arm, and at the same moment heard a scream from the negro at
his side, which told that he also ^as seized. Before he could
relinquish his hold upon the sled, or turn to defend himself,
three or four men were upon him, a rope was passed around his
arras, and he was secured beyond the- possibility of escape.

Brom, despite the most violent struggles, and the most extra-
ordinary vituperations against his assailants, was similarly treated,
and the attacking party, which was tihe detatchment of soldiers
guided by Shay, at once set out on their return to the fort, jeering
their helpless prisoners, and promising them a speedy treat, either
to a breakfast of bullets, or to a morning dance in the air.

CHAPTER XVI.

A GOOD S AMA R I T AN .

Ruth had fortunately escaped observation. At the moment of
the attack she was in the rear of the vehicle, assisting with all her
strength in its propulsion, and during the brief struggle which had
ensued, she had sunk, stupefied with terror, to the earth, where
she remained motionless.

When she found herself alone, she arose, still trembling with
alarm, and overwhelmed with grief for the friend who had been
so suddenly wrested from her side and hurried away probably to
prison and to death.

She had no thought for herself. She knew not that she was
suffering from cold and hunger, nor did she reflect on the dangers
which surrounded her, but collecting her thoughts, she recalled
as minutely as possible all the instructions which she had received
from Vrail, and then, without a moment's hesitation, she set out
on her adventurous journey.

She took the river for her guide, keeping upon its shore, and
travelling in an opposite direction to the course of the stream, for
this route she knew must bring her to Prescott, which was not
many miles distant, and which even in the darkness she hoped to
reach in a few hours. But faint and weary, chilled with the damp
breezes from the river, and dejected by th« dreadftil scene she had
witnessed, and which she could not cease to contemplate, she soon
faltered, and with difficulty dragged herself forward, even at the
slowest pace.

118

114 THE PEISONER OF THE BORDEK.

She tried to pray, but her words seemed to fall to the earth.
No hope accompanied them. She beheved, indeed, that there
was a God, who was all goodness, for well she remembered and
cherished the instructions which, in infantile dsLjs, her beloved
mother had inculcated in her mind, but so many and so severe
had been her early trials, that she had learned to consider herself
in some way an exception to the universality of His providence.
With childish simplicity, she believed herself overlooked or for-
gotten, or in some way too insignificant for Divine protection.

She did not murmur ; there was no rebellion against Heaven
in her heart ; it was only an utter want of belief that she could be
remembered or thought of by that great Power which created and
guides the world.

Alas ! how many far wiser than this neglected girl are equally
at fault in discerning the bow of promise which forever spans the
clouds of affliction, faintly indeed for the faint-hearted, but bright
and gorgeous to those who gaze with the telescopic vision of
Faith.

Fearful of falling by the wayside, perhaps to perish, Ruth re-
solved to seek for a dwelling-house and ask for admission and assist-
ance, notwithstanding her great fear that she might be recognized
and detained, or sent home.

A little refreshment and an hour or two of repose she believed
would enable her to proceed upon her journey, and she could still
reach Prescott long before day, and be able to cross at the ferry
in the first morning boat. Thus resolving, she left the river side
and wandered across the fields until she discovered a light in the
distance, towards which she at once directed her steps. It proved
to proceed from the upper window of a farm-house, and, at so late
an hour, indicated, as she supposed, sickness in the family. She
drew near and k-nocked at the door tremblingly, but without
hesitation.

After considerable delay, an elderly woman came to the door,

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 115

and, without opening it, inquired who was there, but when she
heard a response in a female voice, she quickly drew the bolt and
bade the stranger enter.

Ruth heard the permission uttered in kind accents; she tot-
tered across the sill, and, overcome by exhaustion and by her
emotions, she sank upon the floor in a state of complete insensibi-
lity. A desolate object indeed, and well calculated to move the
hardest heart, was the poor child, pale, thin, and miserably clad,
and almost without signs of life ; but it was not a hard heart
whose sympathies were now appealed to. With many expressions
of commiseration, the good dame, who was a stout and florid
Englishwoman of the lower class, hastened to bring restoratives
to the sufferer, assisted her to rise, and conducted her to a vacant
bed in an adjoining room.

" Now tell me, child," she said, as she bent over the shivering
girl, " what has happened to you, and how is it that you are out -
alone so late, and on such a night as this ?"

" I am going to Prescott," replied Euth, faintly, " and I got
very cold and tired — and — and I saw a light here and stopped in
to rest."

" To Prescott — in the night — and all alone, and without any
shawl or cloak ? Where do you live ?"

" Please don't ask me now ; I must go on soon. Will you be
good enough to give me a piece of bread ?"

" Oh ! mercy, yes," exclaimed the good woman, at once forget-
ting her curiosity, and flying to the cupboard.

" Here, eat this," she said, returning with a plate of bread and
cold meat, *' and I will make you a cup of tea, poor child ; I sup-
pose you have had no supper."

" I have eaten nothing since morning," answered Ruth, eagerly
devouring the food before her.

" You have run away from somebody, I know ; but do not be
frightened ; I shall not stop you nor ask you any questions, but I

116 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

hope you know where you are going. You have friends some-
where, I suppose ?"

Ruth hesitated and looked puzzled, but finally replied that she
supposed she had.

** Can I stay here a couple of hours ?" she asked, after a pause.

" You cannot go from here until to-morrow," replied the
woman, " and you may stay longer, if you choose.''

** I must go to-night ; I must be in Prescott early in the morn-
ing — I must, indeed."

The woman gazed in astonishment at the child, who spoke
with such a surprising energy of manner, as to leave no doubt of
the invincibility of her resolution.

" Very well," she said, " but lie still now, and get some rest.
Three or four o'clock will be plenty soon enough to start, and
perhaps I can send our boy Jem with you, if I can get the lazy
fellow up so early ; and then I can lend you an old shawl or cloak
to wear, and he can bring it back."

" Thank you," said Kuth, gladly, laying her head upon the pil-
low ; " but I must not be late."

" Never fear ; I will call you in time. I have to get up every
hour, to give medicine to my daughter, who is sick. It will take
you but a few hours to walk to Prescott after you are rested."

So saying, the good Samaritan withdrew to her own room, and
left the little traveller to her repose — a repose so sound, and rend-
ering her so oblivious of all things, that it seemed to her scarcely
ten minutes had elapsed, when she was shaken by the shoulder
and called to arise.

" The clock has struck four," said the hostess, " and I have got
sleepy Jem up to go with you with a lantern, and here are some
cakes to eat on the way, and you must wear this shawl, which is
thick and warm, and Jem will bring it back. It is a raw morning."

Ruth look wildly around, and for a while was unable to com-
prehend her position or the words addressed to her.

THE PKISONER OF THE BOEDER. 117

"Bless the poor child/' exclaimed the woman. "I hope you
have friends at Prescott, or somewhere near there. You will
perish if you have far to go, with nothing but that thin dress."

" Oh ! I have got money to buy clothes/' said Ruth, suddenly
remembering her treasure, and drawing several gold and silver
pieces from a pocket in her dress.

Lazy Jem, who had stood dangling the lantern in his hand and
looking sleepy and surly enough before, suddenly brightened up,
look a step forward, and became a very interested listener to the
conversation.

" I wish you would take some of them," Euth continued, hold-
ing it out to her benefactress, " for you have been very good to
me, and you have saved my life."

The w^oman had seemed greatly astonished when she first saw
the gold ; a troubled and sorrowful expression next settled upon
her face, but at the girl's offer of the money she drew back, and
raised her hands as she replied —

"No — no — child, not even if you had come honestly by it,
which cannot be. Ah, I see how it is ; and you so young and so
innocent looking, too !"

" We oughter stop her, mem, and send for a oflScer," said the
boy, putting down the lantern. " I'll go immediately and fetch
one, if you please."

Ruth did not at first comprehend the suspicion she had awak-
ened, but as soon as she did so, she protested her innocence with
the greatest vehemence, and at the same time with an ingenuous-
ness of manner which carried conviction to the mind of her
hostess.

Jem, if not convinced, pretended to be so, and remained silent.
He left the room, however, and was absent about ten minutes,
after which he returned hastily, and Ruth being now ready, after
many kind words of farewell and of admonition from the dame she
started upon her journey, accompanied by the boy, who trudged

118 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

by her side, lantern in hand. She had no fears of a companion
provided for her by so kind a friend, and she made several efforts
to converse with the lad, who replied but briefly to her remarks,
and seemed surly and unsocial. He was a stout boy, of about
seventeen years, with dark skin, very black, straight hair, and a
shelving forehead, underneath which a pair of glittering black
eyes rolled perpetually, even while the head remained motion-
less.

Ruth noticed, after they had gone a little way, that he had
a small bundle in his left hand, which she was certain he did not
carry when they left the house, and she wondered much what it
could be. She thought that, perhaps, he was angry with his mis-
tress, for the unusual service put upon him, and that he was about
to run away. The bundle, she thought, might contain his clothes,
which he had carried a little way from the house before they
started and might have picked up as they came along, unobserved
by her. These suspicions passed throgh her mind, but did not
make any permanent impression, for she felt refreshed and com-
paratively light-hearted, and not disposed to imagine or forbode evil.

Jem walked very fast and seemed impatient to get on, at which
Ruth did not much wonder, nor did she complain, although she
was forced to almost run at times to keep up with him.

He grew more and more surly as they advanced, and frequently
urged her along with harsh language.

" Come on, you lazy baggage," he said, to the frightened girl,
" a pretty business it is for me to stop every minute and wait for
you to come up. Come along, I say !"

Ruth quickened her steps without reply.

" I tell you what ; there's a long piece of woods to be gone
through, about a mile ahead, and the sooner we get through with
it the better. It ain't allers the safest place in the world."

The girl trembled, and asked whether there were any wild beasts
there.

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. " 119

" No ; but there are robbers tliere sometimes. Last winter a
man was robbed and murdered in them very woods."

" But nobody would think of us having any money — they
wouldn't try to rob i^."

'* Don't know — they might. Pr'aps you'd better let me carry
them gold pieces of yoiirs, 'cause they couldn't get 'em away from
me as easy as they could from you."

Ruth said, perhaps it would be best, and she put her hand in
her pocket and drew out her money.

They had been walking very rapidly during this conversation,
but now the boy stopped so suddenly, and turned to receive the
treasure with such an eagerness of manner as to awaken some-
thing like suspicion or fear in the mind of his companion, who
immediately replaced the coin, and said :

" Perhaps you might lose it, Jem. I will keep it now, and if
we see any robbers, then I will give it to you "

" Then it will be too late, you fool. Give it to me now 1"

" No — no — no !" exclaimed the girl, as the lad drew nearer,
seemingly bent upon enforcing his command. "Let us hurry
on!"

" I will not stir a step further until you give it to me. It isn't
safe."

" Then I will go alone !" said Ruth, starting as she spoke ; but
the boy's hand was at once upon her arm.

" No you won't," he said. " I was sent to take care of you,
and I mean to do it ; so just give me the money. Be quick 1"

" Oh, no, no, no ! I durstn't. I — I — am afraid."

" Afraid of what ? You don't mean to say you're afraid I'm
going to keep it ?"

" I— I— don't know."

" If I should it wouldn't be much, for you never came honestly
by it. So hand it over now, and be quick about it, too."

The fierce and peremptory manner in which the boy now spoke

120 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

fully convinced Ruth of what she had before suspected, that he
meant to rob her, and, snatching her arm suddenly from his
grasp, she darted forward and ran from him at her utmost speed
It was in vain. Jem followed still faster, overtook her, threw her
to the ground, and, holding her down, took forcible possession of
the gold, despite her screams and lamentations. No longer mak-
ing pretence of friendship to her, he extinguished his light, and
leaving her still prostrate, ran off across the fields, but not in the
direction of his home.

CHAPTER XYII.

A GUINEA NEGRO

Appalled by the magnitude of her misfortune, Euth slowly
arose from her recumbent posture, but remained sitting upon the
ground almost in a state of stupefaction.

The robber had already disappeared from view, and she knew
that it would be vain to hope for his return, or to seek redress.
He would be certain not to go back to his late place of service,
which he had evidently quitted with this very crime in view, as
was apparent to her now, when she remembered the bundle which
he had brought clandestinely with him, doubtless containing his own
apparel. Ruth's grief, however, was not for herself; she scarcely
considered her own destitution ; she only thought how fatally her
loss might result to her unknown friend, as she had no longer the
means to fulfill a behest which he deemed so important, and, on
the faithful performance of which she thought his life might
depend.

Goaded by this reflection, she suddenly arose and hurried for-
ward on her journey, with a vague hope, that she might still in
some way be able to perform the task she had undertaken — a hope
80 faint, it was well-nigh akin to despair.

The road to Prescott was a direct one, from which she could
not stray, and after a long and weary walk, and many alarms, she
entered the village soon after the dawn of day.

She resolved to beg a few pennies to pay her ferriage across the

121

122 THE PBISONER OF THE BOEDER.

river, and when. once in the States, she would perform the journey
on foot, if she could find no other means of progress, and she
would make such great speed as might yet leave a slight chance
for the success of her mission.

But the mendicant^s art was a new one to the poor girl, and for
more than two hours she paced the streets in a spirit of indecision,
gazing wistfully into every face she met, but unable to utter a peti-
tion for charity. When-at length she succeeded in asking, it was
only to meet with repeated rebuffs, and occasionally with a silent
look of contempt, until worn out with fatigue, she sat down on a
door-step to rest, and, in her hopeless manner, again to pray.

She had stopped undesignedly opposite to the jail, and her
attention was soon attracted by the assembling of a crowd around
its walls in apparent anticipation of some unusual spectacle. From
some passers-by, whose conversation she overheard, she soon
learned that some of the American prisoners had been confined ,
there through the night, and were soon to be brought out and
sent to Kingston under a strong guard. They were some who had
fled at the time of the surrender, and had been subsequently taken,
but at too late an hour to admit of sending them to Kingston at
the same time with the main body of captives, and she at once
concluded that the young oflScer whom she had befriended was
among the number. Inspired with the hope of seeing him again,
and informing him of her great misfortune, she at once went over
and mingled with the crowd ; but a little reflection convinced her
that there she would not be allowed to speak to her friend, when
he was brought out. She pressed desperately forward through the
throng; she saw the sentinel pacing his rounds in front of the
building, and animated with such courage as carries soldiers to the
cannon's mouth, for scarcely less would have nerved the timid
child. for such an act, she ran up to the fierce-looking man, and
asked him if he would allow her to go in and see one of the pri-
soners, before he was taken away. The sentinel turned quickly.

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 123

and was about to order her off, when something evidently in her
desolate appearance, or in the very piteous accents of her voice,
seemed to arrest his attention, and he replied mildly, as he con-
tinued his walk, that he had no power to admit her.

" Is there a friend of yours in there ?" he asked, as she ran
along at his side, looking up anxiously into his face.

" Y-yes, sir," she replied, hesitatingly.

" I am sorry for you, my child. Is it your brother or father ?"
he asked ; and then, without waiting for a reply, he added, hastily,
" possibly the jailer might dare let you in ; he is a very good-
natured man. That is him standing in the door- way, and if you
will ask him to step this way, I will speak to him for you. I can-
not leave my post."

Emboldened by this encouragement, Ruth ran to the jailer,
addressed a few earnest words to him, and soon returned to the
sentinel, followed by the wondering man of authority.

" Hale," said the soldier, " this poor girl has a friend among the
prisoners, and she has travelled a great way, I believe on foot, to
see him before he is sent away. As she will never see him again,
don't you think you could manage to let her in ?"

The man reflected a moment, and replied, " It could do no harm,
I suppose, but I do not like to do it without permission. How-
ever, I will tell you what she can do. The poor fellows have not
had their breakfast yet, and the girl may go into the kitchen, and
when the food is sent in, she may carry something in."

*' Oh, yes — yes — thank you !" exclaimed Ruth ; " that will do."

** What is your father\s name ?" asked the jailer.

"It is not my father, sir, that I wish to see," replied Ruth.
" He is a young man, and he has a black servant."

" Oh, yes, I know the man. He is supposed to be an officer, by
reason of having a servant, but he will not admit it, which would
be rather perilous. I know where he is — he and the negro
occupy one cell. Come with me."

124 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

•

The girl followed the warder into the interior of the building,
where she was given in charge to a servant, who, after some
whispered instructions, conducted her to the kitchen, and directed
her to lay aside her bonnet and shawl.

She met with ready sympathy among the servants, and was
supplied, on request, with the means of making a hasty toilet,
which she had scarcely done, before she was summoned to the
performance of her solicited task.

A trencher, containing meat, potatoes and brown bread, was
placed in her hand and she was directed to follow a large, surly-
looking man, whose capacious arms contained the piled dishes for
a dozen different cells. Her own load was designed for a single room,
and that, of c6urse, the one which contained Lieutenant Vrail and
his sable companion. She trembled as she passed the massive doors
and heard them close with a jarring sound behind her, and she start-
ed at the clangor of the sliding bolts, which, echoing along the dis-
mal corridors, told her that she was locked in among the hapless
prisoners whose fate she had bemoaned.

It was with much agitation that she drew near the cell of
Vrail, which was pointed out to her by her companion, but
fortunately she was not at first recognized, by either of its inmates.

Harry was sitting on a bench, looking pale and dejected, and
Brom was standing beside him talking, and apparently attempt-
ing to console and cheer him.

" Here comes your breakfast, massa Harry," he said, as the girl
appeared ; " now you jes eat this, and you feel better right oE"

Ruth had no time to waste, and she immediately spoke.

" You do not know me," she said, " I am the little girl"

" Who tried to save our lives, and would have done so but for
my own stupidity," exclaimed Harry, springing up and approach-
ing the door. "How have yon come here Ruth, and why?
This is a very dangerous experiment, for your uncle is probably
among the crowd in the street."

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 125

The girl replied by telling him the whole of her sorrowful story
as rapidly as she could, not omitting to relate the manner in which
she had gained admission to the jail.

" I feared," she concluded, " that I never could get to H

in time to do you any good, if I went on foot, and I thought I
ought to come first and tell you all about it, and do as you say.
I hope you will let me go still, for I will walk day and night, if
. you can only give me a few sixpences to buy bread. I am very,
very sorry that I lost the money, but the boy was so much stronger
than I that I could not help it."

Vrail turned away to conceal his rising tears. ''Here is
a child," he thought, " capable of performing the most heroic
deeds, and utterly unconscious of her intrepidity and excellence."
Then addressing her he said, " I have no longer the means to help
you, and I cannot permit you to undergo such perils and hard-
ships for me as you propose. The men who surprised us last
night took from me all my money and my watch."

" And my watch too, by jingo !" said the negro, who had car-
ried a silver " bull's eye" for many years, and who had given it up
only with the greatest indignation ; " I hope it won't go for the
rapscallions."

*' You must consult your own safety now, my poor child," Vrail
continued, " for you can no longer do anything for us. Return
to your uncle ; or the man you call so, and bear your sad lot un-
til some more favorable opportunity offers for improving it. If I
should ever regain my liberty, depend upon it, I will not forget
'you. Good-bye."

" Oh, no, no. I will go for you to H . I will beg my

way, and perhaps I shall be in time for them to come and save
you. I will certainly go : but I will return afterwards to uncle
Shay's if you think I ought."

" If you go, you must not return ; but great as is my anxiety
for you to go, both for your sake and my own, I cannot permit

126 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

you to run so great a risk. You are a mere child, certainly not
strong, and the weather is cold, and may be very inclement. No,
no, I should not deserve assistance if I could seek it by such
means."

Vrail pondered a few moments in great perplexity. He
had little reason, at the best, to hope for any effectual interfer-
ence in his behalf by his friends at home, but that little was
much for a man in whose face the gallows might be said to be
staring.

If he had dared to make known to his captors his name and
his rank in the patriot army, the intelligence of his position would
have been conveyed to his friends, through the medium of the
public press, more speedily than he could communicate it to them
in any other way, and the agency of Ruth would have become
unnecessary. But such a step would have been hazardous in
the extreme, for on the officers of the expedition, of course, the
severest punishment would alight.

He hoped to pass for a private soldier, and in order to increase
his chances of doing so he was careful not to divulge his name.
Of course he could not dispatch a letter without the certainty of
espionage, and the trembling child before him was the only reli-
ance for sendinsr a verbal message a distance of three hundred
miles into the interior of a country which she had never seen.

If his friends did not hear from him, nor see his name reported
among the prisoners, they would doubtless suppose him killed in
battle, and would mourn him as lost, without making an effort in
his behalf. Yet if they knew all, what could they do for him, or
who was there to whom he could look for aid ?

While he pondered thus, and while Euth waited tearfully for
his attention, in order to renew her petition to be permitted to
continue her journey with her own resources, Brom had retired
to the back part of the cell, from which he now returned laughing.

" How much money did you lose, Missa Roof?" he said.

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 127

" I don't know," replied the girl ; " there must have been a
great deal."

" About tvrent}' dollars," said Vrail.

" Well, how much is dar^ Massa Harry V he said, laying down
a dozen quarter eagles on the bench.

Harry started in the utmost astonishment as the golden pieces
met his gaze ; and Ruth, with clasped hands, bent forward towards
them, in an ecstasy of delight.

"What does this mean, Brom?" Vrail asked in a whisper,
placing himself at the same between the gold and the door of his
cell, so that it could not be seen by any one from without.
" Whose money is this, and how did you manage to keep it from
the soldiers last night ?"

" Golly ! they never searched me for money. I mout have had
it in my pocket for all them — but I didn't, though."

" But is all this yours, Brom ?"

" Nebber mind whose it is — it isn't safe to talk too much in an
enemy's country, Massa Harry. Didn't I tell you I had money
laid up."

" Yes, but I did not suppose you had brought it with you."

" How much is dar, I say ?"

" Thirty dollars."

** Give Missa Roof twenty ; den she will have as much as she
had before, and I'll take the rest, and put it where it was before ;"
and the negro retreated again to a corner with four of the pieces,
which he re-concealed in some part of the lining of his coarse
vestments.

Without further waste of time in seeking explanations, Harry
gave the remainder of the unexpected treasure at once to Ruth,
with the unnecessary warning not to exhibit it before strangers,
and having repeated his former messages and instructions, which
she had by no means forgo tfen he bade her farewell, and advised
her to depart.

128 • THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

" And Roof," said Brom, pressing his face against the bars of
the door, and speaking in a loud whisper, " if you ever should get to

H , which I don^t much 'spect, p'raps you will see a colored

gal called Sally, that lives in the lane close by old Mass' Rosevelt.
Ef you will have the goodness to tell her you saw me, and say
that I am comfortable, and 'spect to be back home one of these
days ; ef you just will do that, I will tank you very much."

" I certainly will, sir," said the girl ; " I will go to her and tell
her. What is her other name ?"

" Her other name ?" asked Brom.

" Yes, sir — her surname .^"

" Oh, Jiminy I Missa Roof, I don't know. I don't think she
has got any other name 'cept Sally. It isn't the fashion 'mong
the first colored people to have two names; but the woman's
name that she lives with is Brown."

" Very well, I'll find her — you may depend on that."

" Tank you, Missa Roof — good-bye."

CHAPTER XVIII. \

A DUTCHMAN'S COURTSHIP, AND ITS CONSEQUENCES.

From the day that Harry Vrail started on his military expedi-
tion, Gertrude Van Kleeck, saddened by his absence and solicitous
for his safety, yet unwilling to own even to herself the interest
which she felt ia his welfare, became an eager listener to all
tidings of the Northern war.

No rumor of the successes or of the reverses of the insurgents
and their American coadjutors reached the village but found its
way to her, and she was kept in a constant state of painful anxiety
by the conflicting reports and conjectures which she heard.

Of the merits of the contest she did not suffer herself to judge,
but the opinion of Harry, and the prevailing sentiment of the
neighbors, she supposed to be correct, and the same authority
induced her to expect the triumph of the patriots.

She had no longer Brom for a newsbearer from the village,
but there were other sources of daily intelligence of which she
could avail herself, besides the weekly installment of news furnished
by the village gazette, which was always sure to be startling and
exciting, if not authentic. There was one individual too, who, to
some extent, supplied the place of Brom in furnishng Gertrude
with information, and, like him, without suspecting the nature of
the interest which she felt in his tidings.

This personage was a second cousin of Miss Van Kleeck, who,
like her, rejoiced in a Dutch lineage, and in the very Dutch name
of Garret Van Vrank. He was a young man, scarcely the senior

129 .

130 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

of his fair relative, and although of unusual size, and of great
physical strength, possessing a boyish and handsome face, and a
childlike simplicity of disposition.

Garret was the owner of a small farm, which had been left him
by his father, on which he lived nearly alone, and cultivated quite
in the way that his father had done, despite all the improving
innovations of the day. His route to the village, which he fre-
quently had occasion to visit, led him directly past the house of
Gertrude, and he had a good-natured habit of stopping there on
his way, to learn whether he could do any errand in town for the
family.

He did not always see Gertrude on these occasions, but on his
return call, she usually so managed as to encounter him, when a
very little tact served to extract from him all the news he had
picked up, without herself manifesting any but the most casual
interest in his story.

These frequent calls of Garret induced dame Becky to think he
came in the character of a suitor, an idea which had never most
remotely occurred to the unpresuming youth ; and the prospect of
such a match was entirely in accordance with her wishes. Young
Garret was a man entirely after her own heart. He followed his
own plough ; he carried his own grain to market, himself perched
upon the topmost bag, in his smock-frock, and with his ox-goad
in his hands ; and with his smock-frock and his ox-goad did he
stand chatting by the half hour to Getty in these, his courting visits,
if courting visits they were.

What need she care that he was broad-shouldered, elephant-
footed, wide-waisted, and with hands in size and hue like a loaf of
brown bread ? He was an honest fellow, with a kind heart, a fresh
handsome face, boyish blue eyes, and teeth as white by nature as
others were rendered by laborious art.

Becky, indeed, made up her mind that he was the very man for
her niece ; she encouraged his daily calls, and was as careful to

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 131

ceep out of the way of the supposed lover as she had been before
to obtrude herself in the presence of such of Gertrude's visitors as
she did not like. But when these interviews had been continued
a long while without any approximation to a nearer intimacy, she
grew impatient, and resolved to hasten the denouement which she
so gladly anticipated. She rallied Getty on the subject, but Getty
laughed broadly, and said nothing. She rallied Garret, who did
not even comprehend her sallies, broad as they were, and who,
being greatly puzzled, made some random replies very wide of the
mark.

Becky, however, did not let matters rest thus. The cousins
evidently liked each other, and she believed that nothing but a
little management was necessary to bring about the result she
desired. To effect this she left no means untried. Garry had
hints enough wasted upon him to have drawn a dozen lovers to
the feet of Gertrude, but they did not draw Garry there.

When he began to comprehend the old dame, he thought she
was jesting, or was becoming silly, for the idea of his marry-
ing Gertrude seemed altogether preposterous. He had no such
aspirations. He was sensible enough to know that she was in
every respect his superior, and that the difference in their for-
tunes, great as it was, was the least of the differences between
them.

Aunt Becky tried an appeal to his cupidity.

"Your little farm," she said to him one day, "joins one of
Getty's, don't it, Garry ?"

" Yes, it joins on to Squire Jones' farm — that's Getty's ; but why
do you call my farm little^ aunt Becky V he added, with commen-
dable pride; "there's e'enamost a hundred acres, counting the
marsh and the pond."

" Yes, yes ; but what's that to fifty hundred acres, and more,
that you may have one of these days, you know, and have other
people to work 'em for you, and you nothing to do but to sit still

132 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

and take in the rent, unless you choose, like poor Baltus, to keep
on working until you are grey, just for the fun of it — much good
did it do him /"

- Van Vrank opened his eyes wider and wider, during the deli-
very of this speech, as if the distension of those organs would assist
him in taking in the meaning of the speaker.

He did take it in at length, but considering it a renewal of
the old badinage on that topic, he only shook his head and
laughed.

" Why don't you come over, and see us sometimes on Sundays,
Garry?" continued Becky, her voice subsiding to a lower and more
confidential tone.

" Sundays ?"

" Yes, in the afternoon or evening. You have a nice new suit
of clothes now, I see."

'' Ain't they nice, aunty ? The wool came off my own sheep."

" Yes, the cloth looks like store goods, and they fit you as if
they had been made by a tailor. Dress yourself up in them next
Sunday afternoon, and come round to see us, will you ?"

" Yes," replied Garry, looking very much pleased, and quite
failing to connect the invitation with the prior subject of their
remarks.

" Have you got any pomatum ?"

Garry stared at this singular question, but replied that hf
believed he had.

**Then use it!" she said. " Cut your hair first, then comb the
tangles out of it, and put on a little pomatum — you don't know
how much better you'll look."

The young man promised compliance, and the next Sunday
evening saw him, punctual to his appointment, at the door of Ger-
trude's house.

He did not inquire for her, however, but for aunt Becky, whom
he was about to seek in the kitchen, but a servant had been

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 133

directed to conduct him to the parlour, where, to his great uneasi-
ness, he soon found himself seated alone.

He was apparelled, according to agreement, in his best suit, set
off by a very fair show of linen ; his hair was trimmed and poma-
tumed, his thick boots were freshly greased, and altogether he was
quite a presentable specimen of a country beau.
. Aunt Becky, meanwhile, had kept her own counsel. She allow-
ed no one to know that Van Vrank had called upon her invitation,
but she caused Getty to be informed of his presence, and sending
her into the parlor, she herself kept out of the way.

Yet, not altogether out of the way was aunt Becky, for she had
her hiding places, where, unseen, she could hear all that was said
above a whisper in the parlor, and if Garry and Getty came to
whispers, she would be satisfied without understanding their words,
for then she would know that all was right.

She was not destined, however, to be gratified by any such evi-
dence of confidential intercourse. What Garret had to say, he
spoke boldly and in a manly tone, at least after the first embarrass-
ment arising from the unusual position in which he found himself.

In vain aunt Becky listened for something of a wooing charac-
ter, or for something that might be construed into a hint matrimo-
nial. There was nothing in word or tone which intimated any
such sentiment in the visitor's breast.

He talked of the weather, of the farms and the crops, of his
horses, his sheep, and even of his new clothes, which he called
upon the young lady to admire, but all was in a spirit of frankness
and simplicity which rather elevated than lessened him in Ger-
trude's estimation. In turn, he praised Getty's new pink dress,
and the handsome furniture of the parlor, and when conversation
flagged, he at length said, jocosely : —

" I suppose you'll be getting married one of these days, cousin
Gertrude — there must be lots of fine fellows after you ?"

The dame's hopes revived, and she listened more intently.

134 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

Gertrude laughed, and said she did not expect to be married
very soon.

"No, I s'pose not — you're young enough yet these half dozen
years," replied Garret ; " I wouldn't be in a hurry if I were you."

Gertrude replied that she was not.

" It will be somebody quite grand, I suppose, when it does hap-
pen," continued Garry ; " some of the big bugs."

" I hope not !" said the young lady, laughing.

" Yes, it will, I know — a lawyer or a congressman, or some-
thing of that sort. Why, you are good enough for the best, and
any on 'em will be glad enough to get you."

Aunt Becky now grew restive under this strange specimen of
courting, and she emerged from her hiding-place by a back-way,
and came to the parlor door, with resolution stamped upon every
feature of her expressive face.

" Getty !" she said, as soon as she had entered the room, " Garry
wants you ! He is afraid to ask, I suppose, but he wants you to
marry him."

" Why, aunt — Becky .^" exclaimed Van Vrank, as soon as he
could interpose a word.

" Hold your tongue," said the dame. " If you can't speak^ let
some one speak for you. Garry is a good fellow," she continued,
addressing her niece ; " and he will make you a good husband,
and will take the best care of everything, and, as I said before, he
wants you 1"

"I donH^ Getty — I never thought of such a thing!" replied
Garry, who had risen, and in his haste to vindicate himself from
the charge of so great presumption, did not stop to choose words.
** I did not come here sparking at all."

" Did ever anybody hear such a — mollyhack ?" exclaimed aunt
Becky.

"I may be a mollyhack, aunty — but I am not foolish enough to
s'pose Getty wants such a hawbuck as I am for a husband. Why

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 136

I should never know what to do with such a fine lady for a wife.
I tell you she is too good for me — a dozen times too good.

" Ah ! that's talking something like ! That's the way lovers
always talk. Now, Getty, what do you say ? You will have him,
won't you ?"

Gertrude was too much amused to be very angry, but she had
much kind regard for her coarse, but sincere cousin, and she was
embarrassed by the fear of adding to the awkwardness of the
position in which her aunt's manoeuvring had placed him.

" I cannot accept or decline an oflfer which has not been made,"
she said, hesitatingly.

" You don't want me for a husband, Getty, I know — do you
now ?'* asked Van Vrank, who had no sensitiveness on the subject,
and was willing to come to a full understanding.

Getty, greatly relieved, now felt at liberty to reply plainly.

" No, cousin Garry," she said, " I do not. I think, like you,
that we are not suited to each other, and I know you are too good
and too sensible to be offended at my saying so."

"I offended ? Never fear that, Getty — you have done nothing
to offend me ; you have only answered a plain question which I
should never have asked, if it had not been for aunt Becky, but
she meant well enough."

" I think you are both very foolish, but perhaps you'll grow
wiser one of these days," said the aunt, leaving the room in no
amiable state of mind.

Van Vrank prolonged his visit a considerable time, giving Ger-
trude many details of information, which he had picked up on the
preceding day in relation to the war, and when he departed there
was a mutual friendly understanding between the cousins which
admitted of no further misconception.

CHAPTER XIX.

TIDINGS FROM THE WAR.

A DAY or two subsequent to the events just related, the young
farmer again sought the village market with a load of produce, hav-
ing disposed of which, he strolled, while his horses were baiting,
to the principal inn, to hear and discuss the current tidings of the
day. He met some acquaintances, with whom he conversed for
a while, and was about to depart, when a distant horn announced
the approach of the mail stage-coach from the North, a daily

event of the greatest interest in H , and one which was sure

to assemble all the idlers of the village in front of the hotel.

Great was the admiration . of the dashing and rapid style in
which the rattling vehicle was always sure to be brought up to
the tavern door, no matter how snail-like may have been its pro-
gress before; and the reverberation of a tin horn, which was
made to resound without cessation, accompanied by the frequent
pistol-like reports of a dextrously-wielded whip, cracking around,
but never touching the leaders' ears, added not a little to the live-
liness of the scene. The motley throng, among which, and
surrounded by which, the coach always came to a stand, gave it
not a little the appearance of having been stopped by banditti,
and it is said that on one occasion a foreigner, waking suddenly
from sleep at such a moment, hastily handed out his purse, and
begged that the carriage might be allowed to proceed.

The village blacksmith, with sooty visage, and perhaps with his

186

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 137

hammer in his hand ; the barber, with his apron unremoved ; the
coatless cobbler, limping from his stall, with most of the loafers
and all the negroes of the village, were sure to be there, and
interspersed among them not a few of a better class, whose
curiosity was equally unrestricted.

A desire to see the passengers, and their apparel and their bag-
gage, to learn who stopped at H , and what new passengers

were taken in, and the hope of hearing some news from some
communicative traveller — these were among the motives which
drew together a crowd of people, to whom every incident became
of value which could detract from the monotony of their lives.

There was but one passenger to stop at H on this occasion —

a young, slight girl, coarsely, but neatly apparelled, who alighted
with trepidation among so many people, and looked timidly
around, as if seeking some one she might address.

" Point out your baggage, miss," said a noisy^ bustling porter
from the inn, addressing the child with the usual officiousness of
his class.

"I haven't any baggage, sir," replied a very faint voice.
" Will you please to tell me, sir," she said, catching sight of Van
Vrank's good-natured face, " whether there is a Mr. Rosy field lives
in this village — an old man ?"

" Rosevelt, you mean, don't you — Guert Rosevelt ? Yes, come
with me, and I'll show you where he lives." ^

Garry led the way through the crowd of people, who looked
wonderingly after the child for a moment, and then gave their
attention to other matters.

" Are you sure it is Guert Rosevelt you want to see ?" asked
Garry, as they went along. " There are other people of that name
in this neighborhood."

" I don't know, sir. I shall know him when I see him. He is
a very old man, with very white hair."

" That is Guert — and a very good man he is, too."

138 THE PKISONER OF THE BOEDER.

"Yes, sii.''

*' Is be a relation of yours ?"

" No, sir ; I have never seen him.''

" Never seen him ! And how can you describe him then so
well?"

" Ob, sir, he has a grandson in Canada "

"Yes"

" Who was a soldier, and is taken prisoner, and who is going
to be hung or shot, if somebody don't save him. Please, sir, let
us go faster."

^^ Come on," shouted Garry, starting off on a run ; " but this is
dreadful news, and I am afraid to have you tell the old man, who
is very feeble now ! How did you hear -of it, and which of the
boys is it, for they both went to the war ?"

" His name is Harry, sir, and there was a black man with him."

" Ah ! poor Harry — but how did you hear about it, and are
you certain it is true ?"

" Oh, I am very certain, sir, for I came from there myself. He
sent me."

" From Canada ? You came all the way from Canada alone ?"
asked Van Vrank, surveying the pale child with astonishment
and half disposed to doubt her story.

" Yes, sir ; let us hurry, if you please."

Garry did hurry, and without further questioning his compa-
nion until they reached Mr. Rosevelt's house, which he entered
with her, hoping to prevent too abrupt a delivery of the worst
features of her intelligence, and hoping also to afford some conso-
lation to his afflicted neighbor. His precaution was well-timed.

Old Guert's infirmities bad greatly increased within the few
preceding days, and he had taken to his bed, and called a physi-
cian, who being in attendance when the visitors arrived, positively
forbade the communication of their painful intelligence to his
patient.

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 139

Ruth was in great tribulation at this discovery. She had enter-
tained an indefinite hope that the old gentleman would in some
way be able to rescue his grandson from his imminent peril, and
she knew not to whom else she could apply for help.

She was requested by the housekeeper to remain a few days,
until Mr. Eosevelt's improved health might admit of imparting to
him her news, and although with the most harrowing fears that
such delay might be fatal to her hopes, she had no alternative but
to comply.

Van Vrank himself, painfully impressed with a sense of the
imminent danger which threatened Harry Vrail, towards whom,
in common with all the neighborhood, he entertained the most
friendly feelings, set out on his return home, and being freighted
with news of such, unusual interest, he, of course, did not pass the
residence of his cousin without stopping. Entirely unsuspecting
how agonizing his tidings would prove to Gertrude, he used no
reserve in disclosing them.

"Bad news from Canada to day, cousin Getty,'' he said, as he
met Miss Van Kleeck at the front doorway, and without noticing
the pallor which overspread her face at so ominous a beginning,
he continued :

" The patriots are defeated, and almost all killed or taken prison-
ers."

"And Harry Vrail — what did you hear of Harry Vrail?" she
asked, grasping his arm, and looking eagerly into his face, for that
fearful moment was no time for maidenly reserve.

Still obtuse as to the nature of his cousin's emotion, he replied,

*' Harry Vrail is a prisoner, and is probably hung by this time,
or will be in a few days."

Getty sank to the door-sill, and resting her head upon her hands,
remained speechless some moments, violently trembling.

" Why, Getty 1" exclaimed the young farmer ; " what is the
matter, Getty ? I did not know you cared so much about Harry.

140 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

I am sorry I told you ; and perhaps, now, it is not so bad, after
all. DonH Getty, donH now."

" Never mind me, Garry, but tell me, how did you hear all this f

** That is the strangest matter of all. A. little girl, not over
twelve or thirteen years old, has come all the way from Canada
alone, and she says that Lieutenant Vrail sent lier, and gave her
money to travel with, and that she saw him in jail at Prescptt,
only three days ago.

'* Only three days ago /" exclaimed Gertrude, springing up, her
eyes flashing with an unusual light. " Then he is not hung yet ?
They would not do it as soon as that. Where is the girl ?"

"- 1 left her at Rosevelt's.^'

" Go bring her to me. Lose not a minute's time. Take a span
of my horses and the light wagon. Never mind your team ; I
will have them taken care of. Quick, Garry ! Call Jake, and let
him help you harness."

Getty spoke with the air almost of command, and she was not
disobeyed.

Greatly wondering, but catching a portion of the young lady's
excitement. Van Vrank flew to execute her orders, and while doing
so. Miss Van Kleeck waited upon the back piazza, absorbed in
thought. Suddenly, seeming to resolve some painful doubt, she
came forward to meet her messenger, now prepared to start, and
said to him in a low voice,

" Garry, do you know Mr. Gray, who was my father's lawyer in
that suit about the south farm ?"

" Squire Gray ? Yes, I know him very well, and a very good
man he is, too."

** Father thought him trustworthy. Can you see him this after-
noon ?"

•*Yes."

" And ask him to come and see mo this evening on business ?"

"Yes."

THE PEISONER OF THE BORDER. 141

" Remember, this evening. Do not let him fail."

" I will bring him with me."

" Do so, if you can — and now let us lose no more time. It will
be dark before you get back, and you will find supper waiting for
you."

CHAPTER XX.

GERTRUDE AND HER FRIENDS.

With such post-like haste did the young farmer travel that he
falsified Getty's prediction, and returned while the sun yet lingered
in the horizon, bringing with him both the Canadian girl and Mr.
Attorney Gray — each not a little surprised at the summons they
had received.

Leaving the latter to ruminate upon the mystery, Miss Van
Kleeck conducted Ruth to her own room, where, by questioning,
she drew out her whole story, including what the girl had not be-
fore divulged, Harry's betrayal by her uncle, her own heroic at-
tempt to save him, and his subsequent capture.

Gertrude wept at the recital, both of Vrail's misfortunes and of
the young child's suflferings in his behalf, but she did not allow
her tears to obstruct her questions until the whole truth was eli-
cited iii all its harrowing details.

If her resolntion had not been already taken, the noble example
of Ruth would have inspirited her to the task she had set for lier-
self, regardless of those flimsy barriers which the conventionalities
of society interpose in the path of affection and duty.

She descended to the parlor with Ruth, and finding the attorney
there alone, she immediately addressed him."

" You know something about my father's estate and its value,
I believe, Mr; Gray ?"

" Yes — considerable."

142

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 143

" You know that I am his only heir — that it is all mine, and
that I am of the legal age to dispose of it."

" 1 know it all"

" How much money can be raised upon it — on an emergency —
at once — before to-morrow noon ?"

" Do you wish to sell ?"

" Not if it can be avoided, but I want a large sum of money —
say twenty thousand dollars."

" It is a large sum, but it is only a small part of the value of the
estate. There is bank stock to half the amount you require,
which, at a little sacrifice, could be made available by the time
you name."

" I will make the sacrifice ; how shall I get the remainder ?"

" I can easily obtain it for you on your mortgage upon two or
three of these farms, but I must have a few days' time."

" Not a day^ Mr. Gray — I must have the money by to-morrow
noon. Think again. You shall be paid liberally. I will put the
whole estate into your hands for security, if necessary, but the
money I must have."

" I will try. Miss Van Kleeck."

" That will not do. If you cannot say that you can do it, I
must send to town to-night and employ some one else."

" If the case is so urgent, I think I can promise it, for I can
advance five thousand dollars myself, if necessary, and I certainly
know where I can get the remainder."

*' 0, thank you, thank you, Mr. Gray."

" But we shall have to be up half the night drawing writings."

" All night, if you choose. What does that matter ? Can I
help you ?"

"No, I believe not, except by bringing me your father's title
deeds."

" Yes, you shall have them in a minute," said Getty, darting to
the door ; " shall I bring them all ?"

144 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

" No, only those which relate to this farm, and the south farm.
That will be abundant security.^'

" I will bring them all, and you can choose for yourself."

" The deeds were brought and Mr. Gray, after selecting those
which he had required, concluded to return to the village, and
make the necessary writings in his oflSce,

" I will bring them to you early in the morning for your signa-
ture," he said to Miss Van Kleeck. " How early shall I be able
to see you ?"

" At daybreak," replied Getty.

" That will not be necessary ; I will call at seven o^clock."

" Very well, but do not be later. I must have the money by
noon."

« You shall."

" And with as little publicity as possible, if you please, Mr. Gray."

" I understand."

" You have clerks who talk "

" My clerks all talk^ Miss Van Kleeck," replied the attorney,
with a quiet smile, " but I will attend to this business in person."

" Thank you, again. But there is another thing requisite. I
want the money in a shape in which it can be used in Canada.
Can this be arranged ?"

" Not very easily ; but by going to Albany, I can procure you
drafts on banks at Kingston or Quebec, which will be as good as
gold there, and can be turned into gold at any time." -

*' Will you do it? Will you go to Albany to-morrow, and

procure the papers ? Will you be at the Hotel in that

city with them to-morrow evening ?"

Getty asked these questions in a lower tone, and in a hurried
manner.

" I will, if such is your pleasure. Miss Van Kleeck," replied the
lawyer, looking much surprised. " I shall not be able to arrive
there until after bank hours, but in an urgent case I can obtain

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 145

the facilities which I shall need for your business. Let me suggest
that your agent comes well accredited, or I shall not dare to sur-
render to him papers of so great value."

" Thank you ; I will see to it that you have no cause for doubt."

Mr. Gray declined an invitation to supper, and took his leave,
being conveyed back to town as he had been brought, but with
the substitution of black Jake for a driver, in the place of Garry,
who remained, at Gertrude's request.

Ruth Shay had been present during the whole of the interview be-
tween the young lady and the lawyer, and she had listened with
astonishment, and with mingled hope and doubt to the strange
conversation which had passed. The large sums of money which
had been named seemed like something fabulous to the mind of
a child, whose experience on this point, during the greater part of
her life had been confined to the occasional sight of a few shillings,
and to whom the gold intrusted by Vrail had seemed a mine of
wealth. Miss Van Kleeck became to her excited imagination a sort
of fairy princess, who, with a pen for a wand, was about to con-
jure up from some unknown source, the vast treasures of which
she had spoken, and which Ruth could not doubt would be effica-
cious for* whatever purpose they were designed. But what was
their intended use ? For whom and in what manner was this
great power to be wielded ?

She listened earnestly, and as the conversation progressed, she
became convinced that it must be intended in some way for the
service of Harry Vrail, and that her own painful mission was not
to terminate without setting in motion other agencies far more
potent and promising.

Yet it seemed strange to her that she had not heard the name
of the young lieutenant mentioned, for she did not comprehend
the delicacy which had sealed Gertrude's lips on this point, and
she had longed for the departure of Mr. Gray, hoping that her
painful curiosity might be gratified. Nor was she mistaken. No

146 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

sooner was she again alone with Gertrude, than the latter, turning
suddenly towards her, as if impressed by a new idea, said :

" You have come alone from Canada ; will you go back there
with me."

" Yes, oh yes ! Are you going to save him P

" God only knows what will be the result. I am going to try.
Mr. Van Vrank, I hope, will go with us. He at least shall not die
without an eflfort being made in his behalf."

" Is he a relation of yours ?" asked Ruth.

" No — a friend of my father's. There is no one else to help him,
and we must do what we can."

" I will do anything that I can," replied Ruth, " if anybody will
tell me what to do."

" You are a good girl, you have done a great deal already, and
now I want you to tell me something more about yourself and
about the people with whom you lived when Mr. Vrail came to
your house."

Ruth told her simple but melancholy history in a few minutes,
and Getty shed not a few sympathetic tears over the narrative.

"You have no wish then," she said, "ever to return to those
people who call themselves your uncle and aunt, and who have
treated you so unkindly ?"

" Oh, no — never, if I can help it."

" Let that be my care," replied Gertrude. " You shall never go
there again. You shall return here and live with me."

" Oh, I am so glad that you will take me for your servant."

" Not my servant, but my sister. I need such a friend as you
are like to prove ; I will provide for your education and for all
your wants, and you shall have a comfortable home as long as I
have one to share with you."

Ruth fell upon her knees at the feet of Gertrude : she rested her
nead upon the young lady's lap and tried to speak her thanks, but
she gave utterance only to sobs.

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 147

" Do not try to thank me. Indeed we are all your debtors yet,
And shall ever be. But we have much tj) do, and we must not
waste our time in words. Please to go now, and ask Mr. Van
Vrank to come to me, for I cannot rest until I know whether he
will go with us or not."

Ruth wiped her eyes and went out, and in a few minutes return-
ed accompanied by the young man, who was in a state of great
perplexity and amazement at the strange conduct of his cousin.

She did not leave him long in doubt.

As he entered the room, she advanced to the door, closed it
carefully, and said :

" Garry, you will think strange of what I am about to tell you.
You were surprised to-day when your news about Harry VraiPs
misfortunes affected me so much — but "

She hesitated, and Van Vrank interposed —

" It is none of my business, Cousin Getty, and I shan't think
strange of anything you choose to say or do. You need not be
afraid to say anything before me, Getty. It will be all right, I
know."

** Thank you, Garry ; you relieve me very much, and I can now
speak freely. To be brief* then, I am going to. Canada."

" To Canada ? You ? Vi/'hat can you do there ? How can
you help him P

" I do not know. I can only hope, and pray, and try ; but I
shall certainly go to-morrow."

"Not alone?"

" No. Not alone — for this heroic child will accompany me, if
no one else does ; but Garry, I am in need of a friend and a pro-
tector. You are my relative, almost my pnly one."

" T will go with you, Getty. Of course I will, if that is what
you mean, though I don't believe anything can be done for Harry
Vrail ; but I will go with you wherever you choose to go, if it is
to the North Pole ; and Fll protect you, too, against all harm, as

■

148 THE PEISONER OF THE BOJRDEE.

far as it is possible for one man to do it," and Van Vrank instinct-
ively closed his huge hand as he spoke, and brought down the em-
browned fist with a jarring emphasis upon a table beside him.

Getty seized the threatening member with both her tiny hands,
scarcely encircling it at that, and poured forth her thanks as best
slie could.

She then related to her cousin all that was necessary for him to
know of her arrangements for starting, and the appointed hour
for departure, and by the time their plans were decided, they
received a summons to the supper table, where aunt Becky was
presiding, looking not a little glum, and exhibiting upon her fore-
head that ominous scowl, which was the usual precursor of a
social storm.

" These are high times, very high times I think," she began, as
they seated themselves around the table, " when people come and
go like the wind, and tired horses are sent off in the night to carry
lazy lawyers home, who are to come back next morning, and nobody
is to know what it is all about. High times these are, I am sure ;
it wasn't so in Baltus' day."

A great many short 'jerks of the head accompanied this speech,
and the dame's hands passed rapidly to and fro among the cups and
saucers before her, making a great rattling, but not any progress
in her official duties.

" Why aunt P^ exclaimed Getty.

" No, no — don't ' aunt ' me, / ain't your aunt ; I am only a nig-
ger waiter to get the meals, and pour out the tea, and hold ray
tongue." A scream from the angry woman interrupted her speech,
for in her excitement she had caught hold of the metallic spout of
the teapot, instead of the non-conducting handle, and in her haste
to disengage her fingers from the burning tube, she upset the silver
creampot, and dashed several china cups in fragments to the floor.

Her consternation, arising from this disaster, and especially from
contemplating the ruin of the china set, fortunately superseded

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 149

her wratli, and she proceeded in silent dismay to pick up the scat-
tered pieces of the wreck, assisted by Getty, and, between the
intervals of his uproarious laughter, by Garry also. When quiet
was restored, and all parties were again seated at table, Miss
Van Kleeck said.

"I have been too busy and too hurried, aunt Becky, to tell you
sooner that I intended to leave home, to-morrow, for an absence,
perhaps, of several weeks. You will oblige me if you will not
ask me where I am going, or for what purpose, all of which you
shall know hereafter, and you will be satisfied that I am safe when
I tell you I am to have cousin Garret for a companion.''^

The severe expression which settled upon the dame's face when
Getty spoke of leaving home relaxed as suddenly at the mention
of the name of her companion, and she jumped at once to the
conclusion that the match she had deemed so desirable was cer-
tainly to be effected, although in some secret and unusual way,
suited to the notions of a romantic or whimsical girl. She ele-
vated her eyebrows and her spectacles; her lips were wreathed
into a grim smile, and she uttered several expressive "ohs" and
" ahs,'' which were intended to indicate that she saw clearly
through the whole affair, and that she was very well contented
with it.

Much desultory conversation passed, and Becky gave utterance
to some sly jokes on the subject of her hallucination, all of
which were received by Garry with a loud guffaw, but too deep
anxiety rested on Gertrude's heart to admit of any approach to
merriment. She had not entertained the least idea of misleading
her aunt, and she would even have tried to undeceive her, had she
not known how dijQScult the task would be, without a full explana-
tion of her designs, which she was by no means disposed to make.
She did not think it her duty to make a great effort to disenchant
a pertinacious mind of an illusion so baseless, and to the creation
of which she herself had in no way intentionally contributed.

160 THE PKISONER OF THE BOEDEE.

She contented herself by the simple remark : " You are mistaken*
aunt," in reply to one of the sallies of the dame, and her uniform
truthfulness entitled her to be believed. Gertrude, indeed, was at
all times above deceit ; but now, animated by a lofty motive, and
about to engage in an enterprise of self-sacrificing magnanimity,
she could not stoop to even the semblance of duplicity.

She had overcome, too, in a great degree, the habit of mind
which caused her so greatly to dread her scolding relative, hav-
ing fully learned her right to regulate her own movements in all
respects, yet neither her manner, nor her words, nor the remem-
brance of her direct negative to the forced proposal of Garry in
the preceding week, nor Van Vrank's own irrepressible laughter
whenever her sagacious hints were thrown out, disturbed the set-
tled conviction in the mind of Becky that the match was made^
and that the parties were about to proceed on a tour matrimonial.
The attendance of the lawyer, who chanced to be also a magis-
trate, empowered to tie the mystical knot, of course confirmed her
views ; but whether the ceremony had already taken place, or was
to be performed in the morning before starting, or afterwards at
some village on their route, aunt Becky neither knew nor cared.
It was suflficient for her purpose that she firmly believed Van
Vrank was the man of her niece's choice, and that they were to
become, if they were not already, man and wife.

The meal being concluded, though with great difficulty on the
part of Garry, by reason of the repeated necessity either of
violent laughter or a violent suppression of it, he hastened home
to make his own arrangements for the journey, while Gertrude,
eagerly assisted by her now willing aunt, occupied a considerable
part of the night in similar preparations. Ruth was thoroughly
rigged by contributions from the wardrobe of the young lady
which, as they were successively bestowed upon her, drew forth
continual expressions of childish delight, though accompanied by
a manifest reluctance to receive so much.

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 151

" I will only take them to travel in, Miss Van Kleeck," she
said ; " they will be yours again when we come back."

" They are yours, Ruth ; say no more about them."

The child laughed as she tried the fine garments, and seemed
greatly pleased, but at the next instant a painful emotion was
visible in her face.

" If we can only save ^m," she said.

" Ah, if we only can !' '

CHAPTER XXI.

CAPTAIN TOM's fortunes.

It will be remembered that Captain Thomas Yrail, forgetful of
all fraternal ties, ignominiously sought his personal safety, by
availing himself, alone, of the very means of escape which had
been provided for Harry, and which the latter had nobly rejected,
until assured of his brother's flight. When he had gained the
open space in the rear of the building from which he had fled,
where the tumult of the assault was yet resounding, he ran to the
river, and on reaching its margin he took the only course which
gave any promise of safety, and the same that was, a few minutes
later, selected by the unfortunate fugitives who followed him.
The desultory nature of the battle, or rather of the separate
engagements which had taken place, and the uncertainty which
yet prevailed in each victorious quarter as to the extent of success
in other localities, produced a state of afiairs favorable to the
escape of the few who had been fortunate enough to take the first
steps of flight unobserved.

The vessel which fired upon Harry was lying in the stream
when Thomas reached the shore, and caused him no slight alarm,
but he was either unobserved, or from some other unexplained
cause, he was not assailed from that quarter, and he hastened for-
ward, although in great trepidation.

He had not proceeded far down the stream, before he discovered,
about half a mile in advance of him, two other individuals, whose

152

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 153

singular and cautious movements indicated that they, like himself*
were members of the vanquished army, seeking to make good
their escape. The ground over which tiiey were passing, was the
pebbled beach of the river, edged, at irregular intervals, with
clumps of bushes, which grew at the distance of a few yards from
the water, and served as convenient dodging-places for the
stealthy travellers. They could not go far, however, in that direct
tion, without approaching the vicinity of numerous dwelling-
houses, whence they would be almost certain to be seen, and so
imminent seemed the peril of progressing in the route they were
pursuing, that Vrail, much as he longed for companionship in his
distress, had not the temerity long to follow them.

But if he did not dare to proceed, still less had he courage to
return over his dangerous track, or to attempt to seek the open
country, which could only be gained by passing through a part of
the settlement. Concealing himself, therefore, in one of the
clusters of shrubbery which have been named, he watched with
painful anxiety the course of his predecessors, until, having stopped
briefly in several hiding-places, they finally entered one from
which. they were not seen to emerge. Not doubting that they
had resolved to remain there until- the darkness of evening should
favor their flight, Tom exulted in the hope of joining them then,
and sharing their chance of escape, and with this hope he watched
the distant bush, with little intermission, until the declining sun
withdrew his beams, and left him no longer power to discern an
object of so much interest.

He had heard, meanwhile, the firing a little further up the
river, which had so nearly proved fatal to Harry, and the return
salutes of his valiant brother, but, of course, without in the least
suspecting the extraordinary character of the engagement they
betokened. He had seen, too, the second boat which had been
sent from the war-vessel, and which, in taking its circuitous route
to avoid the magical weapon, had passed in view of both the con-

'7*

154: THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

cealed parties, and had lauded at a point considerably above them.
Tom also saw, and watched with an interest not inferior to that of
his intrepid brother, the clouds which rose to engulf the descend-
ing sun, and which enveloped the landscape in a sudden night.

Then, eager with hope, he rushed from his hiding-place, and
fast as his cramped limbs would permit, he ran towards the spot
which he had so long and vigilantly watched. He knew that
his footsteps would be suspected as those of an enemy, and that
the fugitives, if they were yet in the bush, or near it, would wait
quietly for him to pass. He did not, therefore, attempt to Approach
them noiselessly, but having gained, as nearly as he could, their
immediate vicinity, he suddenly stopped and ejaculated in a quick,
sharp tone, one of the mystic words, which served as a counter-
sign, and an evidence of membership among the fraternity of
patriots.

To his great joy it was instantly answered by another signal,
and the two individuals of whom he was in search, without further
reserve, approached him. It was too dark to see more than the
outline of their figures, of which one was tall and stooping, and
the other stoutish and broad-shouldered ; but Vrail soon recognized
the one who spoke, although he conversed in a half whisper.

" We took you for an enemy," he said, " and we were hesitating
whether to cut you down quietly, or let you pass, when fortunately
you gave the signal, and now 1 can't rightly make you out in this
light. I guess you warn't in our division."

" No, I believe not — indeed I don't know exactly where you
were, Mr. Jones."

It would have been difficult to tell where Barak was during the
engagement, and as he did not offer to define his position, Tom
continued :

" I am Captain Vrail, that is, if there are any titles left to us
now, and I was in "

" Ot ! you are Captain Vrail, are you ? How do you dew ? and

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 155

how did you get off? — and what is become of your brother, the
lieutenant — a mighty clever fellow he was — I hope he ain't killed
or taken V

Tom replied, hesitatingly, that he believed Harry had escaped,
and he was about to add something more, when they were inter-
rupted by the third person, who spoke in a voice of command.

*' Silence !" he said ; " there will be time enough to talk when we
are off British soil. We must go forward now."

" Who is that ?" asked Vrail, quietly.

" No matter," was the stranger's reply ; " I am your commander
for the present, if you remain with us — if not, pass on or return."

" I prefer to remain with you, and willingly place myself under
your orders," said Tom, perceiving from the speaker's tone, that he
was accustomed to be obeyed, and having a suspicion of his cha-
racter, which greatly -increased his hopes of ultimate escape.

" We are coming at once to the most dangerous part of our
-way," said the stranger, " as we shall be compelled to pass near
many dwellings, and we must proceed with great vigilance."

" Why not wait until a later hour ?" interrupted Vrail.

" You can wait if you choose, young man," was the cold reply.

" I forgot — I beg pardon, sir."

" There is reason enough for haste," added the leader, mollified
by the apologetic words and tone of Vrail. "At any moment
troops may be expected scouring the beach in search of fugitives,
and before morning there will be sentinels all along the coast for
miles, to see that no boats put off without inspection. This is our
only chance, and if we can get three miles further down, without
getting caught, I will answer for the rest. We must advance now
in single file, and as silent as moccasined Indians. Not a w^ord
must be spoken, except to give warning of danger. I will go first,
and Ml'. Vrail must take the rear."

In this order the three proceeded along their perilous route for
the space of nearly an hour, passing frequently within near view of

156 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

men whose discovery of them would have led to certain capture,
and often pausing at the most critical points to wait a favorable
opportunity to advance.

The strictest silence was preserved, not a word being spoken ;
and, indeed, as far as related to Jones, the order for taciturnity was
quite superfluous, for his excessive terror had quite deprived him of
the power of articulation. Fragments of his own public speeches
were floating at times through his mind, and his often-repeated
assertion, that the whole country was rising to meet the patriots,
seemed to his excited imagination about to be realized, although
in a painfully different sense from that in which he had used it.

A happy man was he, and scarcely less so was Yrail, when their
mysterious leader, suddenly pausing near a large granite rock, and
waiting for them to join him, announced their safety, with an air
of confidence which nothing in appearance around them seemed
to justify.

*' But we ain't off British sile yet. Commodore," said Barak.

" Don't * Commodore' me here, if you please, and don't talk quite
so loud, and if we should be taken yet, which isn't very likely, see-
ing they won't have more than five minutes to do it in, remember
there are no titles to any of our names. Every title will cost its
owner a halter. We are but plain Sam, and Tom, and Bill."

" I reckon they'd know you though, quick enough."

" Well, possibly they might, but we won't give them a chance
to try. Come on," and the speaker advanced rapidly towards the
river, which was but a few yards distant.

"Blast the man!" muttered Jones, following; "I believe he
means to swim across. I have heard of his doing almost as
wonderful things; I say, Commodore, we can't do that, you
know."

" Hush 1" was the only reply of the leader, as he proceeded with
rapid and hasty strides until he stood half boot deep in the edgQ
of the stream, when he stopped, and facing shoreward, peered

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 157

earnestly through the darkness for some seconds, as if trying to
recognize some of the neighboring landmarks.

" Mr. Vrail/' he said, at length, taking a small box from his
pocket, and handing it to the young man, " I must know the exact
bearing of the south end of the rock which we have just left, but
I can see nothing in this darkness. Go back to the rock, feel
your way to the lower part of it, and when you are sure you are
at the right spot, light one of these matches, and show it near the
ground for a moment — as long as you can count three — I shall
see it."

Though greatly mystified by the stranger's conduct, Tom did
not for a moment hesitate about compliance with his orders.
With some difficulty be found the spot designated, and having
made quite sure of the correctness of his position, he exhibited his
sulphurous signal the required time, and then returned to the
place where he had left his companions, but where he now found
Jones quite alone, and in a state of extraordinary excitement.

" I might have known it," he said ; " I have often heard he was
in league with the Evil one, and now I know it. He's gone,
sir !"

" Gone ? Where «"

" Right straight across the river, sir — a bee line, sir — by the
light of that match. I see him go as far as I could see, and after
that I heerd him for some time walking through the water, as
easily as you would walk on dry land."

" Nonsense, Jones ; your head is turned. He can't be far oflf."

Far or near, we shall never see him again. Listen, you can
hear him going now."

Vrail did listen, and very distinctly heard a splashing in the
water a few rods down the stream, and not far from shore, as his
aftrighted companion had supposed, his alarm not admitting of his
retaining any correct idea of the course of the river. At the next
instant they heard their missing comrade's voice, modulated to a

158 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

tone which was designed to reach them, and to extend as little
further as possible, calling upon them to approach. Barak hesi-
tated and drew back, until Vrail, who had caught a glimmering
of the true state of affairs, plunged into the stream and proceeded
in the direction of the voice, when the former, afraid to be left
behind, followed the path of his companions, groaning bitterly at
every step in the cold water. As they approached their mysteri-
ous leader, guided by his voice, he said,

" IVe got it at last, my boys, come and take hold with me, and
help draw it out. Where's Jones ?"

" Here," said that worthy, whose chattering teeth rendered his
articulation scarcely intelligible. " Here I am up to my knees in
water. What on airth are you trying to do and what is that you
want me to take hold of?"

" This rope, and pull with a will, and when you see the bow of
a boat come to the surface, catch hold with me, and drag it to the
shore. Now, then."

" A hoat^ Gineral ? You don't mean to say so ? Now if that
ain't what I call cute ! A boat hid away under the water, and
that's what you've been fishing for, is it, when I thought you was
half way over to the States."

The skiflf was sunk in considerably deeper water than that in
which the fugitives were standing ; a rope of considerable length
intervening between them and the prow of the vessel, the end of
which cable had been fastened to the bottom of the river, as near
the shore as its length would permit. The united efforts of the
three men soon raised the boat, and brought it within their reach,
after which they found little difficulty in dragging it to and upon
the beach, and discharging its cargo of water by turning it up-
side down.

The promising prospect of immediate safety thus held out to
them gave them strength and courage to work with great alacrity,
and but a short time elapsed before they were fairly embarked

THE PKISONER OF THE BOKDEK. 169

upon the river, for of course the sagacity which had pjanned such
a resort for the hour of danger, had not overlooked the minor
means to render it eflectual. Two pairs of oars were found fas-
tened to the sides of the skiff, and both being put in action, it
was the work of but a few minutes to leave the dreaded and^ now
abhorred shores of Canada far behind them.

It was an easy task, too, to row to an island sufficiently remote
« from the northern shore te form a safe refuge for the night,
and the wearied men were glad to avail themselves of the first
resort of the kind which offered. They drew their boat up on
shore, and sought the depth of a wood, where a fire was soon
kindled, the cheering warmth of which revived their strength
and spirits, and round which, on couches of boughs and bushes,
they passed the remainder of the night.

They had fasted since morning, but so great was their fatigue
that, despite the pangs of hunger, they sunk readily to sleep, to
partake of those endless and unsatisfying meals which tantalize
the hungry soul in dreams. But soon after daybreak Vrail and
Jones were awakened and alarmed by the report of a gun, which
proved to be that of their leader, who was already purveying for
breakfast. They immediately joined him, and in a short time
they had secured suflficient game of the smaller kind to serve for
a substantial repast, and around the rekindled fire they cooked and
ate it with a relish denied to costlier viands at luxurious boards.

Thus strengthened^ they returned to their boat, and under the
pilotage of their mysterious leader whose word had become a law
to both his companions, they resumed their voyage, leisurely dis-
cussing the perilous scenes through which they had passed, and
lamenting the fate of their less fortunate associates.

They at length approached a large cluster of islands, forming
one of the many divisions of that northern Archipelago, which
when summer smiles away its ice, and lulls its Borean blasts, may
vie in romantic beauty with the classic shores of the ^gean sea.

160 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

Gliding around the coast of one of these isles, and pursuing
their way for a considerable distance through narrow channels,
which separated difterent members of the group, the voyagers
emerged at length into a sort of watery amphitheatre, lake-like in
the lucid beauty of its calm surface, and girded and guarded on
on all sides by islands of every size, and of all conceivable shapes.
Some of them were separated by a channel scarcely allowing the
passage of the tiny boat, which was gliding among them, and •
some even permitted of an active man's leap from shore to shore
— while between others wide spaces intervened, across which a
musket ball could be sent with no certain aim.

A marked and peculiar change came over the leader of the
little party as they entered within the sheltered precincts just
described. His eye dilated, his face brightened, his voice took
an exultant tone, and he seemed a monarch returned to his right-
ful realm.

" We are safe enough here, Mr. Vrail," he said, " and we might
be happy enough too in such a place as this, if one could be con-
tent to forget wrongs and lose aspirations."

" I am not wrong then in supposing that you are "

Thomas hesitated and looked around him as if he feared the
name he was about to pronounce might conjure up armed foes
even in that watery wilderness.

" You need not be afraid to speak here," interrupted the other ;
" there is none to hear, excepting yonder eagle, who is sailing
above us, and he is a fellow monarch of mine, who will betray no
secrets."

" You then are ' the hero of the thousand isles,' the brave John-
son, whose name is on every patriot's tongue, whose praise is
spoken in every lodge of our order, both in Canada and in the
States."

" I am William Johnson," replied the other in a voice of
mournful cadence. " A man without titles or possessions, pro-

THE PRISONER OF TIIE BORDER. 161

scribed and hunted by two great nations between which I dwell,
daring to go openly in neither."

" And do they not seek you here V^

" Yes, even here the myrmidons of the Canadian government
have followed me, but they have grown tired of a sport which
always proves fatal to a portion of the pursuers without their
even obtaining sight of an enemy. Fired upon from every island
which they approach, every island is found tenantless and unoc-
cupied when they reach it, and the discharge of a single gun,
waking a hundred echoes, always seems to them like a volley.
They have returned to spread stories of my being backed by hun-
dreds of followers, who lurk among the thousand isles, and who
could destroy a regiment, if sent against them, without the loss of
a single man."

" And you have followers in these wilds ?"

Johnson did not reply for some moments, and when he did so, it
was in a voice at once musical and melancholy.

" Yes, I have followers. You shall see them."

" Is it far to your hum .^" asked Jones, who had been a very
interested listener to the old man's remarks, " and are we going
to it now ?"

" All roads lead to the home of the outlaw," replied Johnson.
*' My abode is like that of the hunted hare, wherever safety
requires — but at all times in dens and caves of the earth."

Although Thomas had heard so much of the exploits of his
present companion, he had not personally encountered him before
their flight, Johnson having joined the invaders on their approach
to Prescott, and they having been connected with different divi-
sions of the little army during their encampment at Windmill Point.

Continuing their conversation and their voyage, they at length
approached one of the smaller islands of the group, towards
which Johnson, who had the helm, guided the vessel, informing
his companions they would stop there.

CHAPTER XXII.

THE HERO OF THE THOUSAND ISLES.

Having moored his boat, lie proceeded towards the centre of
the island, and approached a gnarled and knotted tree, which was
partially decayed about the base, and had many holes capable of
serving as receptacles of small packages.

" This is my post-office," said Johnson, thrusting his arm deep
into one of the openings, and drawing out a small box, " and
here I shall find information as to the whereabouts of those I seek.
My domains are so extensive, and it so often becomes necessary
for my followers, as you call them, to change their residence dur-
ing my absence, that something of this kind becomes necessary to
enable me to find them."

He took from the box a paper, which apparently contained a
very brief memorandum, and he immediately exclaimed,

" Is it possible ? Why, they are close at hand. I wonder
they have not already seen us. They have been in danger too."

Vrail asked him if he were not imprudent in exposing his pri-
vate resorts to strangers who might betray him, to which he
replied :

** No, I do not fear you, or if I should, these things are easily
changed ; besides, my letters tell no secrets to strangers. See
what you can make of this V

Vrail took it and gazed at it a few moments with a puzzled air,
but could make nothing of it. There was not a single line of

162

THE PKISONEK OF THE BOEDEK. 163

writing, but simply a few rude hieroglyphics, representing a deer
pursued by hunters, and a tree of unusual shape ; the first symbol
of course denoting the danger which Johnson had understood it
to imply, and the last intimating the present place of refuge of
his friends.

'* We must cross over to Rainbow Island," said the outlaw,
pointing to a locality where the forest foliage, presenting even
more than the usual diversified hues of autumn, looked as if
a rainbow had become tangled in the tree-tops, and had broken
up into a million glittering fragments.

The voyagers returned to their boat, and in a very few minutes
its prow touche^l the desired coast, at a point where a profusion
of bushes, growing close to the edge of the water, admitted of a
perfect place of concealment for the vessel without drawing' it
upon shore. Leaping ashore the commodore hastily secured his
skifi", and rapidly led the way into the interior, followed by his
companions.

Eainbow Island was of considerable dimensions, being nearly
half a mile in length, and having a width varying from eighty to
a hundred rods, and it was more densely studded with woods than
any of the surrounding members of the group. This circum-
stance, together with one which will presently appear, had made
it a frequent and favorite resort of the outlaw, to whom it
afforded both shelter and the means of subsistence, game being
abundant within its borders.

As they advanced, a rugged hill of considerable height rose
before them, at the base of which, on their right, gaped a deep
ravine, black with the shadows of the interwoven boughs which
hung above it, almost impervious to the light of day.

They clambered over this hill, and descending a more gradual
slope towards the opposite side of the island, soon found them-
selves at a distance of about thirty rods from the shore, and in the
midst of trees, shrubbery, and underbrush, more dense and

164 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

tangled, if possible, than those which they had left on the other
side of the eminence. From their present position the ravine,
which crossed the island and divided the hill into two sections,
was more accessible, and seemed a shade less forbidding in its
gloominess, and yet it was sufficiently repulsive to cause Vrail
and Jones to pause upon its edge, and hesitate about following
their leader into its Avernus-like shades.

" Gome on!" exclaimed the outlaw. "What do you fear ?"

Ashamed of his irresolution, Tom began to descend, followed
by Barak, who clung with desperation to the marginal bushes,
and made a dismal groaning over his task. To the gratification
of his followers, however, Johnson paused upon a ledge about a
third of the way down the declivity, and announced the close
proximity of one of his homes. A vocal signal, somewhat resem-
bling the call of a squirrel, drew almost instantly forth, seemingly
out of the very side of the hill, but in fact from a cavern, the
mouth of which was concealed by bushes, an agile boy of about
fourteen years, who with every demonstration of delight and sur-
prise, rushed into the arms of the outlaw. Following the lad
more timidly, for her eyes had caught sight of the strangers, was
a young woman of decidedly handsome and graceful exterior,
whose relationship to the hardy warrior a glance was sufficient to
determine.

She was dressed with a neatness which seemed incompatible
with the place of her abode ; but where will not the ingenuity of
the gentler sex find means for the gratification of refined tastes ?
Johnson hastened to meet her, and having kissed her tenderly, he
introduced her to his companions as his daughter.

** These are the followers of whom I spoke," he said, smiling.
" Do you think Canada has much to fear from them ?"

There was a responsive flashing in the eye of the lad, which
seemed to intimate that the time might come when his name
would not be altogether insignificant in the ranks of England's foes.

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 165

The maiden fastened an inquiring look upon her father, anxious
to hear some tidings of the war, and uncertain whether to look
upon him as a fugitive or as a conqueror — yet afraid to ask in
the presence of people of whom she knew nothing.

Equally solicitous in turn to know the particulars of the peril
which had threatened his children, and which might, for all he
knew, still impend over them and him, Johnson led the way into
his cave with a view to a mutual explanation. The bushes which
served as a concealment to the entrance were partly of natural
growth, and partly transplanted, and were so thickly set as to
make the passage diflScult to one unaccustomed to the path. The
mouth of the cave was small, requiring to be entered in a stoop-
ing posture, but its interior was of a size more than sufficient for
all the purposes of its occupants.

Expecting to find a squalid den, vying with the lowest cabins
of savage life, the visitors were surprised, on entering, to discover
something decidedly like a furnished room, wearing a general air
of neatness and comfort. Its active and industrious proprietoj'
had supplied himself, from time to time, in the obscure American
towns, where he was unknown, with all the necessary articles of
furniture for more than one subterranean abode, and such of his
chattels as were easily portable, were removed at times from one
of his country seats to another, as convenience invited, or danger
drove to the exchange.

His grotto, as his daughter fancifully called it, on Rainbow
Island, was his favorite resort, and on this he had bestowed the
greatest degree of attention and care. Its uneven flooring was
covered wdth a coarse carpet ; a table and chairs stood in the
centre of the apartment, and near the entrance a fire burned in a
small stove, the pipe of which found the outer air through an
aiiificial opening above the doorway. Two bedsteads, apparently
well furnished, occupied opposite corners of the cavern, and near

166 THE PRISONEK OF TIIE BORDER.

the smallest of them a little mirror was fastened against the wall,
surrounded with other toilet appendages. ^

The obscurity of the apartment was relieved only by the light
of a single candle, and by the few rays which found entrance at
the doorway, yet the eyes of the visitors became sufficiently
accustomed, after a while, to this state of semi-darkness, to admit
of a partially distinct view of all the objects in the subterranean
chamber.

There were, indeed, remote corners which presented no definite
outline, and which, fading away in the distance, became painfully
suggestive of unexplored recesses, reaching back far into the
bowels of the earth, and tenanted, perhaps, by some wild animal,
whose 'glaring eyes might at any moment announce its presence
and its approach.

CHAPTER XXIII.

RAINBOW ISLAND.

When the little party had found seats, Johnson hastened to
answer the questions which his children anxiously asked in a half
whisper about the war and its results. It was a painful task to
tell of his new misfortunes, and of the crushing of his high hopes*
yet he spoke of the defeat of the patriots only in general terms,
and hinted at triumphs yet in reserve for them, which should
amply atone for present reverses. The daughter seemed prepared
for sad tidings, which she had long been accustomed to hear, but
she could not grieve violently over any disaster which left her
father unharmed. To his side she clung with an affectionate
interest, which lightened the warrior's heart of its load of grief
and inspired his failing spirits with new hope and resolution.

" Tell me now," he said, " about yourselves. Your letter hints
of danger and of pursuit, but it has been, doubtless, some childish
alarm. There can be none of our enemies among the islands
now."

" You are mistaken, father."

"That you are," exclaimed the boy. "There's a party of
eight or ten men among the upper islands now, all well armed,
and led by a Canadian oflScer. I saw them while I was deer
hunting on Fire Island, and they were ii#two boats, and were not
more than half a mile distant from me. I saw them distinctly."

" When was this ?"

16T

168 THE PEISONEE OF THE BORDER.

** The day before yesterday. We came down here the same
night ; and I advised Ellen to let me take her to old Flynn's, on
the American shore, but she said we must wait first a day or two,
and see if you returned from the fight, which we knew would be
very soon."

" This is certainly serious, if true, but you may have been mis-
led by some hunting party."

*' No," replied the boy, " I saw soldiers with guns and bayonets,
I cannot be mistaken. Besides, I saw a deer within sixty rods of
them, which no one attempted to shoot."

*! Then we must be on the alert, and the first thing to be done
is for you and Ellen to go to Flynn's to-night, and stay there till
you hear from me."

" Not me, papa ; I will return, for you know I can help you if
they should come. I can at least load the guns, if you don't
think I can fire straight enough."

" No, you must stay with Ellen. I could do nothing with
either of you here. Besides, I shall have help enough now," and
the speaker glanced at the guests, who might be said each to owe
him a life.

Jones replied very hastily,

" 1 think I shall have to be going, Mr. Commodore ; 'cause
you see, I must be wanted to hum about these days. My folks
didn't know as I was to be gone so long when I left 'em."

" Where do you think your hum would have been now, if it
had not been for meeting me at Windmill "Point last evening ! In
a Canadian jail, with a full view of a gallows before you."

" P'raps so — it's orful to think on, and I'm sure I don't want to
run no more such risks. I think I'll be going when Miss Johnson
and the boy goes. I can help them row the boat, you know."

"You will not go with me, sir," replied Ellen, with flushed
cheeks and flashing eyes. " I will not trust myself with a man
who deserts his friend in the hour of danger."

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 169

" Why, bless you, girl, I ain't going to desert nobody. Your
father don't need me here, and Pm in a hurry to get home. I
won't hurt you."

" Why not go yourself to this Flynn's to-night, and remain
there till the search is over V asked Tom.

" Because I am no safer on the American shore than I should
be in Canada. Every marshal on the frontier, from Michigan to
Maine, has a warrant for my arrest. No, the children must go
alone, unless you also wish to accompany them."

** No," said Tom, to whom the poltroonry of Jones had seemed
so great that he could not make up his mind to imitate it, not-
■ withstanding his own previous feats in that line. Perhaps his
very regret and shame for the desertion of his brother had influ-
enced him to a different line of conduct now, for, whatever were
his faults, he did not altogether lack courage. *'No, I will
remain, and do what I can," he said. " I do not think we have
much to fear among these islands against a dozen men."

" And you V asked Johnson.

" I rayther think I'd like to go, seeing that 'Im "

" In a hurry," added Johnson. " But there don't seem any way
left for you to travel. We have but two boats here — one we must
keep, of course, and the other the children must take."

*' But, as I said, I will go with them."

" Ellen has made up her mind on that subject. She won't take
you. I saw that in her eye before she spoke, and it is useless to
try to change her mind. But I tell you what, if the enemy
comes, Mr. Jones, I can hide you- where you will be as safe as a
toad in a rock."

** In this place here ?" asked Jones, looking about the cavern.

** No — a safer place than this ; for there are some signs and
marks hereabouts that a practiced woodsman would soon take
notice of. I have a safer place than this, when worst comes to
worst."

170 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

" Wal, as I said, I'd rayther go," reiterated Jones, " 'cause I'm
in a hurry, and our folks don't know where I am, but if I hef to
stay, p'raps you may as well put me in that place that you speak
of ; not but what I would stay and help you fight very willingly,
if I thought it was lawful to shoot them fellows."

"Lawful?"

'* Yes — you see this ain't like killing in war exactly, and these
folks ain't arter me^ and if I should shoot a;iy of 'em, or shoot at
'em, and they should capter me, it might be a hanging matter."

" You may make your mind easy on that score, for if they
catch you, you'll be hung beyond a doubt, though you never fire a
bullet."

" Do you think so ?" asked Jones, really turning pale.

" Of course you will — you^ the great orator and agitator, who
went over with the patriot army to Windmill Point."

" But I didn't mean to go over, Mr. Johnson, you know."

" No, I know you didn't — I can swear to tliatr

" And I don't think I killed anybody."

" I presume not. By the way, Jones, what division were you
in ? I never saw anything of you until I saw you running away."

" W«ll, 1 was in Colonel Smith's party in one of the store-
houses. They fought like bull-dogs there, too ; but I wasn't
exactly in the lines, not having listed, you know, and not bein'
obliged to fight."

" But you gave the aflTair your countenance ?" said Johnson,
suppressing a smile.

"Y-e-s," answered Barak hesitatingly, as if reflecting how far
the answer might commit him in case of capture.

" But as to running away," he added, for he did not exactly like
the phrase ; " you know when you overtook me, you were doing
the same thing."

" Of course I was. After our commander. Colonel Yan Shoultz,
surrendered, and there was no more chance to fight, I fled, and

THE PRISONER OF THE BOEDER. 171

took my chance among a dozen bullets which followed me, for I
knew there was no hope for me if taken. A dozen men followed
me, and probably a hundred more would have joined them, if I
had been known."

" How far did they follow ?" asked Jones.

" All but three turned back within five minutes, the rest fol-
lowed all their life-time P

"All their life-time ?"

" Yes, and they are now lying unburied on the shore, if they
have not been found by their comrades."

" Wal, that shows there ain't any harm in running away when
the right time comes."

" Certainly not, but judging from the place where I found you,
and the time you said you had rested there ; you must have taken
a pretty early start, probably rather before the surrender."

" Yes, rather, I believe. The fact is, I saw how things were
going, and I took a timely start, especially as I didn't know but I
might get home in time to send reinforcements."

Johnson burst into a loud laugh at this remark, and although
he tried repeatedly to repress it, the ebullitions of his merriment
became more and more violent, until all the cavern reverberated
with the sound, and the whole party were compelled to join in the
contagious mirth. Jones looked a little abashed and was about to
add something further, when the conversation was changed by
Vrail inquiring of Johnson why, if he had so secure a hiding-place,
he did not avail himself of its shelter, and thus avoid all danger.

" Well, sir," replied the outlaw, " a moment's reflection will con-
vince you that that would be very poor policy, even if I could
content myself to hide, and inflict no punishment on the men who
are seeking my life for the purpose of obtaining a reward of a few
hundred pounds. Let it but be understood that I can be hunted in
safety, like a deer or a moose, or some tame animal, and in three
weeks these islands would swarm with my pursuers. No, no,

172 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

those who come on such an errand must be taught its peril, in
order to proclaim it, if any of them shouU' go back. One man,
the last of his party, who was entirely in my power, I spared, for
that very reason."

"It's dreadful business though, ain't it commodore?" said
Barak.

*' Yes, but those who come on such a chase are presumed to
know something of its danger. They must take their chances,
and I must defend myself."

" Wal, now about this hiding-place V^

"Oh, there's time enough for that when the enemy comes in
sight. I must go out now and procure a little game of some kind,
for these children have had nothing but dried meat and hard bis-
cuits for a week, and we ourselves have not been overfed."

" But how do you know the enemy is not near ?"

" We have a watch among the top boughs of the highest tree
that crowns the hill above our heads. Do you not miss my boy
from our circle ? Never fear being surprised when George plays
the sentinel." The lad had slipped out at a signal from his father,
and had taken his post of observation, soon after he had first told
his story of danger.

"But you certainly will not run the risk of betraying your posi-
'tioii by firing guns at game, when your pursuers may be within
hearing?" asked Vr ail with much earnestness.

" By no means," replied Johnson. " I have more silent weapons,
and equally sure at a short distance, both for man and brute."

As he spoke he rose and went to a dark corner of his room,
whence he soon returned, bringing a large ashen bow, which
might have done honor to the woodcraft of Robin Ilood himself,
and a bundle of arrows fully fitted for the formidable weapon
which accompanied them.

"I bought this bow," he said, " of an Indian chief, who said it
ha<] ])e1ongfed to a famous hunter in his grandfather's time, and

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 1Y3

had long been preserved in the tribe with a sort of religious ven-
eration, and that for many years, one of the tests of all candidates
for the degree of a Brave, was their ability to wield this weapon
with effect. The tribe had dwindled nearly away, and of the few
who remained none could even spring the bow sufficiently to string
it."

"Not the chief r

" No, for he was generally too much sfrung himself for any
such feats," said Johnson laughing,

" And did these arrows descend from his great grandfather
too ?" asked Barak, who had been handling a bunch of them, and
examining their black, hardened points.

" No, but the chief taught me how to make them, and the
secret is really very valuable. George prepared these, and they
are every one as good as a bullet. Come with me, and I will
show you how they work, and you may as well bring the guns in
case of surprise."

There was one case of surprise already, for BaraFs eyes opened
very wide at this invitation, and his head presently began shaking
like a mandarin's.

"No, I thank you. 1 see how they work already, and as Pm
rather tired, I think Pll stay here."

" Very true, I forgot," replied the outlaw, laughing. " Nell,
you may accompany us, and carry one of the guns, if you choose;
but remember, if you hear the crow-call, you must start back to
cover."

The maiden sprang with alacrity to avail herself of the per-
mission, which was accorded more to shame Jones than^for any
other reason, yet her father scarcely apprehended the least imme-
diate danger, or he would not have subjected one so dear to him
to any unnecessary exposure.

Vrail was too polite to allow his fair companion to carry a
heavy weapon, and he insisted on taking the burden of both guns,

174 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

and the little party wenX forth, leaving Jones in a very uncom-
fortable state of mind in the cave.

"This is a pokerish kind of place to be left alone in," he said
as they went out. " There's no telling what will come. Don't be
gone long, and don't forget to come back."

" Oh, we shall come back," replied Johnson, still disposed to
play upon the fears of his pusillanimous guest, " unless we get
hard pressed, you know, and have to take to the boat."

" Oh, mercy on us !" exclaimed the terror-stricken man, half
emerging from his hole. " What shall I do then ? I guess I'd
rather go with you, after all."

" Just as you please."

The agitator, now the agitated, in fact, followed his companions
at a considerable distance, looking warily and rapidly on all sides,
now starting violently at the soun4 of the rattling shells which
the squirrel dropped from his feast of nuts, and now nearly faint-
ing at the whir of the frightened partridge, as she darted from
her covert at his side.

Johnson led the way over the hill to the southern part of the
island, and soon came upon the traces of deer ; but it was so easy
a matter for these animals to pass from island to island, and their
range was over so wide a territory, that he felt far from sanguine
of catching a glimpse of one. There was abundance of smaller
game, and he soon bagged a brace of partridges, a hare, and some
large squirrels, with which trophies he was about to return, when
his daughter called his attention to some fresh tracks of the
nobler prey of which he had been in pursuit, and revived his
sporting spirit. He followed the trail cautiously, and to his great
delight he soon came in view of a herd of five deer, quietly
browsing among some shrubbery near the water's edge. Making
signs to his companions to remain stationary, he advanced cau-
tiously to a favorable position, and selecting a fine stag for his vic-
tim, let fly his unerring missile.

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 175

The wounded animal bounded forward, and bearing the weapon
plainly visible in his side, immediately took to the water, while
the rest of the herd dashed off in another direction, with the
speed of the wind. The hunter hurried eagerly to the beach, and
fitting another shaft to his bow, waited for an opportunity to dis-
charge it with effect, at the moment when the stag should rise
from the water on the opposite side of the narrow channel which
he was crossing. But the moment the animal's shoulders became
visible, and while Johnson's fingers lingered upon the fatal string,
he was startled by the report of a gun from a neighboring island,
and he saw the deer fall mortally wounded. At the same instant,
a signal from his son in the tree- top gave warning of danger, and
the hunter drew back a little into the woods, where, without
exposure, he could keep his eye on the opposite shore. Here he
was at once joined by the rest of his party, all greatly alarmed,
and anxious to know the nature of the danger which threatened
them, but he replied to their inquiries only in pantomime, enjoin-
ing silence, and pointing to the body of the deer. It was
observed, however, that he kept his arrow fitted to the string, and
held the bow in position for immediate use, and Vrail did not
doubt that if an enemy should appear to claim the carcass, he
would share the fate of his prey.

In a whisper he expostulated with Johnson upon the rashness of
thus disclosing his retreat, and courting an immediate attack
from superior numbers, and that too while his children were yet
with him.

" They saw the deer swim from the shore," was the reply, " and
they will see the fresh wound and the arrow yet sticking in its
side. How long can I remain unsought here, if I do not frighten
them oft*. The boats are ready on the other side of the island,
for instant flight, if flight becomes necessary."

" Oh, don't shoot, for mercy's sake, good Mr. Johnson,"
exclaimed a trembling voice, with a running accompaniment of

176 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

chattering teeth, " for they can cross over here in half a minute,
and shoot us all down." -

The individual from whom this protest proceeded was not
easily discerned at first, but on minuter examination, his pallid
face was discovered peering down from an adjacent tree, among
the boughs of which he was snugly ensconced.

" Can you see or hear anything of an enemy from where you
are, Jones ?" asked Johnson, after glancing contemptuously at
him.

"I — I don't know, I have not looked ; but there is a strange
noise off in this direction, and oh, bless me ! Yes, I certainly see
somebody now peeping around a tree at us. There, there, Mr.
Johnson.^

" What ! on this island, Jones ?" asked the other earnestly, at
the same time levelling his huge bow as near as possible in the
direction indicate^.

" Yes, right off here ; T just saw his red cap, and listen now to
that voice, he is going to shoot."

"Blast the fool !" exclaimed Johnson, catching a sight of the
object which had excited the coward's fears. " He is frightened
by a woodpecker .^"

Scarcely, however, had the hunter resumed his watch, when a
small boat hove in view, containing six armed men, and almost at
the same moment the lad George came running up to announce
that there was still another boat-load visible from the tree, and
that the whole party were at least a dozen in number, and were
the same which he had seen farther west a few days previous.

Imminent danger was evidently at hand, and the alarm was
general.

" Is it certain they are in pursuit of you ?" asked Vrail.

" Yes, what else could they seek here ? They have supposed it
a good time to watch for and intercept me on my return from
Prescott."

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 177

" What will you do V

" I cannot decide," replied the outlaw, manifesting an agitation
and doubt entirely unusual for him. "I would fire upon them
without a moment's hesitation, if these children were not here. I
must wait a moment. Possibly we may not be discovered."

While he spoke, the boat had landed on the opposite island,
immediately beside the fallen deer, and several of the party had
leaped ashore and gathered around the carcass. The distance was
so slight that all their movements were plainly visible, and
although their conversation could not be distinguished, the sound
of their voices was at times audible. The discovery of the arrow
led, as had been anticipated, to a scene of excitement, and to much
discussion. Gestures were made towards Rainbow Island, indi-
cating that it must have come from there, and the weapon was
finally held up and waved in the air as a signal for the approach
of the other boat, which proved to be near at hand, and in which
was the leader of the expedition.

"Let us fly," said Vrail; " we can do nothing against so many."

"It is too late," replied Johnson, for at that moment the other
skiff came in view, and still nearer to the fugitives than were the
party on shore, and the energetic commander, seeming fully to
understand the gestures of his comrades, steered at once towards
Rainbow Island, signalling the other vessel to follow.

Johnson had hesitated until this moment ; but there was no
longer time for indecision, for the direction of the, enemy was one
which would bring them to the beach almost at their very side.

" To the cave ! to the cave !" he said, seizing his daughter by
the arm, and springing forward. " Don't be alarmed Nell ; we
are safe enough, and I would not run from such an enemy as that
but for thee."

Vrail and the lad George started with the guns at the moment
I* that Johnson gave the order for flight, and simultaneously with
him, and all four had proceeded well on their way before it was

178 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

remembered that the half-dead Jones was left behind in the tree
where he had taken refuge. Whether his alarm had so far stupe-
fied him that he had not seen the flight of his companions, or
whether he had thought his position safter than their companion-
ship, they could not tell, but it was too late to return for him
without the almost certainty of encountering the enemj^

With many vituperations upon their craven comrade, yet not
without sympathy for his probable fate, Johnson hurried forward,
and with his little party soon arrived at the cave, without being
able to perceive any signs of pursuit, and not without hope that
his hiding-place might remain undisturbed until the shades of
night should afibrd an opportunity for a safe retreat.

CHAPTER XXIV.

.Jl thousand pounds for his head. _

Nearly paralyzed with terror, Barak witnessed the landing of
the two boats, and the disembarking of their crews at a point so
near to him as to allow of his hearing the orders which were
issued to the men, although the condition of his mental faculties
scarcely admitted of his understanding their full import. That
somebody was to be taken, dead or alive, and was to be shot down
if he did not surrender upon the* first summons, he very distinctly
understood, and he scarcely knew for the time whether he him-
self were not the hunted outlaw whom a detachment of soldiers
had been sent to seek. The very bough to which he clung shook
with his agitation when he heard the sanguinary command ; and
greatly as he dreaded being captured by the British, he resolved
not to be made a target for the balls of the soldiers for want of
any readiness in yielding to the first demand for surrender. He
stood ready, indeed, to drop into the arms of the foe at the first
moment of discovery.

The pursuing party, meanwhile, separated into* two divisions,
and, leaving two men to guard the boats, started in opposite
directions to traverse the island, keeping sufficiently near the
beach to see any boat that might put off from the coast, while at
the same time they could observe a considerable portion of the
interior. After this circuit, and after securing any boats that
might be found, it was contemplated to make a close examination

179

180 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

of every part of the little territory, where there was so much rea-
son to anticipate a successful termination to their expedition.
Barak might have heard of these plans as they were informally
discussed between Sergeant Ward and his men ; but he did not.
He soon comprehended, however, that the enemy were leaving
him undisturbed, and his heart grew lighter as the sound of their
voices died away in the distance. He even began to contemplate
the daring feat of descendhig from his elevated quarters and seek-
ing the cavern, where he did not doubt that his late companions
were now concealed, but the fear of observation by the boatmen,
and an uncertainty as to his ability to find his way to the cave,
deterred him for a long time from making the attempt. An hour
of irresolution, which might have procured safety, passed away,
and in the meantime the enemy had completed the circuit of the
island ; they had found and taken possession of the two boats of
Johnson, sending them to the place where their own skifis
remained under guard, and they had again set out for a second
and more thorough search after the thousand pounds value of
human flesh which was fully believed to lurk somewhere among
the recesses of this terra incognita.

Unconscious of what had taken place, Barak decided to descend
and attempt his transit to the cavern at the very moment when
the experiment was most perilous, both for himself and his sub-
terranean friends. He reached the ground, indeed, in safety and un-
observed, and guessing his way as well as he could, he accomplished
nearly half the distance without molestation, but on reaching the
summit of the hill which it became necessary to cross, he found
himself in full view of one of the divisions of the foe. Had he
instantly drawn back or fallen to the ground, he might yet have
escaped observation, but he hesitated one fatal moment, and in the
next he was hailed, and called upon to surrender.

Barak had no weapon in his hands, nor could he have used it
if he had. Trembling in every joint, he sank to the earth, where

THE PEISONER OF THE BORDER. 181

he sat, with his hands uplifted deprecatingly toward the half
dozen men who were rushing upon him with levelled guns, and
with shouts of exultation.

" Don't fire !" exclaimed a voice from the rear of the approach-
ing party/ and so the foremost man contented himself with knock-
ing Barak over with the butt of his gun, and then asking him
who he was.

** I — I — don't know," groaned Jones, regaining his sitting posi-
tion, and again putting up his hands. " Don't fire — please don't
let 'era fire, Mr. Captain 1"

" This is not the man," said the sergeant, with a disappointed
air ; " but he piay know something about him, notwithstanding.
Who are you, and what are you doing here ?"

" Oh, I »was not doing anything, but looking around," replied
Jones, quite wild with terror, yet instinctively withholding his
name.

" Looking around, hey ! Well, you had better look around
now pretty sharp. You have a name, I suppose. Who and what
are you ?"

" I'm Mr. — Smith — Mr. Smith ; that's my name, and I ain't a
patriot at all."

" Oh, ho ! we'll see about that by and by. But who is here
with you on this island — whose boats are these that we have
found, and where is the owner of them ?"

"I don't know."

" Who shot the deer that swam across to the opposite island,
with a large arrow in its side ?"

"I don't know."

" Let some one fetch a rope from the boats, and we will see if
the truth cannot be extracted from this fellow. I shall not waste
time or words on you, ray raan, you may depend on that. You
must answer these questions, or in five minutes you shall djngle
from the bough above your head. Do you see' it ?"

182 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

" Oh, no," groaned Barak, " you won't hang me ; it's against
the law."

*' There is no law here except the law of the strongest."

As he spoke, the report of a musket startled the group, and
one of their number fell to the earth mortally wounded. Such a
commentary upon his text was quite unexpected, and before the
alarmed sergeant could issue an order, or could even ascertain
from what direction the shot came, a second was sent with
equally fatal effect. They might have fallen from the clouds for
any clew that could be found to their origin, for neither blaze
nor smoke was seen, and the echoes and reverberations were so
rapid and so many as to baffle all conjecture as to the source of
the original report.

Sergeant Ward gave orders to his men to withdraw over the
brow of the hill, a command which was very hastily obeyed, but
not without dragging the trembling prisoner along, who had
begun to indulge some faint hope of a rescue by the chivalrous
man whose favor he had done so little to deserve.

The party halted in a dense part of the wood, and the leader, who
was a brave and determined officer, addressed his men, informing
them that there could no longer be any doubt that they had
entrapped the dangerous man, for whose capture so many and so
great efforts had been made, and that they only required a little
courage and coolness to secure the prize, and entitle themselves to
the thanks and the bounty of government,

" We have his boats," he continued, " so that he cannot leave
the island, and wc will soon know his haunts, if there is any virtue
in hemp."

The messenger, who had been sent to the boats, had returned,
bringing with him one of the ropes which had been used as a
cable, and at a signal from the sergeant, it was looped and thrown
suddenly around Barak's neck, who had not observed the prepara-
tions for this ominous proceeding.

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 183

With a scream, a groan, and a shudder, with eyes starting from
their sockets, and hands grasping convulsively at the tightening
rope, Jones sputtered out his submission.

'' Oh, don't— ni tell all— I will I I will ! Take it off ! Take it
off!"

" Fasten it to the bough P^ shouted the sergeant, with a threat-
ening look and a terrific voice ; " if you have anything to say, you
must be quick."

" Yes—yes— I will— I will ! Take it off I take it off!"

"Who shot the deer?"

"BillJohnson!"

Notwithstanding this answer was expected, a visible emotion
passed through the group of listeners, at the mention of so formi-
dable a name.

*" How many men are with him on the island besides you P

" Only one, and a boy."

" Where are they now ?"

" In a cave, over that way," pointing in the direction of the
cavern.

" Will you go with us, and show us the safest way to approach
it, and tell us- all that you know about it, without deceit or
equivocation V

" Yes — if — if you will let me go afterwards."

" It is a bargain. Help us to take Johnson, and you are free,
but if you tell us one falsehood, or withhold anything from us, or
in any way try to deceive or betray us, or to help the enemy, that
moment you shall die. Do you understand ?"

" Yes, yes— take it off! take it off!"

The rope which had inspired the craven with so much horror
was removed, and no sooner was he free from it, than he sprang
forward as if from the touch of a serpent.

Sergeant Ward immediately set his band in motion, guided by
the treacherous Barak, and they were soon approaching the cavern

184: THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

from a direction in which they would not be visible to the con-
cealed party until they were very near the entrance of their sub-
terranean retreat. Ward did not expect to accomplish the enter-
prise without the loss of some men, but having questioned his
prisoner, again and again, as to the strength of the foe, and becom-
ing satisfied that the outlaw was almost entirely unsupported, he
resolved to make a bold push for a victory, which was to prove at
once brilliant and profitable. His men being equally sanguine and
dauntless, he had no difficulty in leading them wherever he dared
personally to venture, and the whole party were soon treading
with cautious steps, and almost in Indian file, that rocky ledge
which has been described, and beside which, hidden by shrubbery,
was the entrance to the cavernous abode for which they sought.

Ward and one bold private led the way, keeping the guide
between them, and when the latter earnestly assured them that
they were but a few yards from the mouth of the cave, and point-
ed out the bushes which concealed it, the sergeant ordered his men
to hug the hill-side closely, so that no shot could reach them,
unless from an assailant who should expose himself in the act of
firing. Personally pursuing this policy, the venturous leader
advanced, with gun in rest, almost to the door of the cave, and
then in a loud voice he summoned the inmates to surrender.

He knew full well that a forced entrance, however certain to
eventuate in victory, must result fatally to the foremost of the
attacking party, and brave as he was, he was not prepared to be
the forlorn hope in such an enterprise, while other probable means
of success were within his reach. His summons being unanswered,
he loudly repeated it, stating his strength, and warning the enemy,
that in case of non-compliance he should proceed at once to build
a fire at the mouth of the cave, and either suflfocate them in it, or
drive them out to be shot down as they came forth.

Entire silence followed these formal demands, and notwithstand-
ing Barak's repeated assurances to the contrary, Ward almost

THE PRISONER OF TIIE BORDER. 185

doubted that there was an enemy within hearing. Having waited
a reasonable time for a reply to his summons, he ordered part of
his men to gather a large quantity of the dryest boughs and under-
brush, a task of no easy accomplishment, yet light compared with
the more dangerous one of depositing the combustible material in
the spot which was to render it eflScacious. This, however was to
be done by climbing the hill-side above the opening of the cave,
and from this apparently unexposed position thrusting down at first
ignited branches, and afterwards keeping the blaze supplied with
fresh aliment from above, while a guard stood ready to fire upon
any one who should emerge to remove the burning pile.

Savage as was this mode of attack, it had been decided upon
without compunction by Ward, who had been maddened by the
loss of his men, and who considered the enemy alone responsible
for the extreme measures his contumacy rendered necessary. He
could surrender at any moment, and thus avoid the threatened
danger, and this was the result anticipated and hoped for by the
sergeant, who did not know of the presence of a female in the
fort thus barbarously attacked ; for Barak, in naming the force
which sustained Johnson, had not considered it necessary to speak
of the outlaw's daughter.

CHAPTER XXV.

SUBTERRANEAN COUNCILS.

The condition of the besieged party was indeed one of great
extremity, and indomitable as was the courage of Johnson, he
could not but feel sensible of his great peril. There seemed to
have been some fatality in 'the chain of circumstances which had
frustrated all his remarkable vigilance and sagacity, and which
seemed about to deliver him, like Samson, bound and helpless into
the hands of his enemies. The unusual remissness of his sentinel
son, in allowing the enemy to approach so near his retreat unob-
served, the unfortunate flight of the wounded deer, bearing the be-
traying arrow in its side, and the craven conduct of Barak, had
together woven a mesh which threatened to hold the strong man
fast. ,

Yet did Johnson by no means lose hope or self possession. He
had anticipated from the moment when he knew that Barak was
captured, that he would be compelled to betray his hiding-place,
and he was prepared for a vigorous defence against any ordinary
attack ; but he had not anticipated the savage mode of warfare to
which he was to be subjected, until he heard it announced. Dis-
may and despair fell upon all his companions when the summons
and warning were proclaimed, in a voice which rang distinctly
through the cavern, and returned in mocking echoes from its
far recesses. Johnson alone did not quail, nor intermit a moment
his vigilant watch from a point where unseen from without, he
186

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 187

could command a view of several rods in extent, on that side ot
the opening which the enemy had approached. He could not,
however, see the main body of the assailants, while they contin-
ued to keep close to the hill-side, but he occasionally caught a
glimpse of the leader, who in summoning the subterranean gar-
rison had approached nearer than had any one of his men.

He had indeed, more than one opportunity to fire upon the
sergeant with certain fatality, and his singular forbearance in this
respect excited the wonder of Vrail, who watched his movements
with painful solicitude.

" You have had him twice under your gun," said Thomas ; " and
even now half the width of his body is exposed. You could plant
a ball in his breast this minute."

" I know it."

" Why, then, do you not fire ?"

"There would be nine left. Wait a little and keep still. He
will come nearer."

"And if he does?"

" He will be alone presently ; his men are gathering brush.
Look sharp, and be silent."

Vrail did not comprehend this remark. His anxiety was
intense, and the horrors of his position were aggravated by the
reflection that his safety had been so nearly secured. An uncon-
ditional surrender seemed to him almost unavoidable, in order to
escape immediate death, and to save the helpless female who was
under their protection, yet he refrained from counselling this course
as long as Johnson himself seemed to have any resource. Sub-
mission would be death to the outlaw, and doubtless to Vrail also,
as his abettor and accomplice ; yet even this would be prefera-
ble to the present destruction of the whole party by means so
dreadful as those which had been threatened. A silence of some
minutes ensued, during which Johnson remained at his post in a
crouching attitude, vigilantly watching the sergeant, who, in his

188 THE PRISONER OF THE UORDER.

turn, was watching and giving orders to his men, now separated
from him at various short distances, gathering the material for the
burning pile.

The private who had accompanied Ward, in advance of the
band, went and came at short intervals, but both had been thrown
off their guard by the entire silence which reigned in the cavern,
and by the absence of all signs of hostilities, or even of life in
that quarter. A suspicion that the enemy had escaped before their
arrival was fast gaining ground in the mind of Ward, who began
to wince in contemplation of the ridicule which might attach to
his pompous summons for the surrender of an imaginary garrison.
He did not, however, intermit his design, being resolved to put
the question to a speedy proof, and he urged his men to increased
activity in their work, no longer thinking of retaining any at his
side, save Barak, who sat shaking on the ground before him.

*' He is alone now r whispered Johnson, laying down his gun,
and advancing steathily a few paces, until his head protruded a
little beyond the doorway. As the panther springs upon his prey,
the outlaw, with the speed of thought, rushed upon his unwarned
victim. The strength of that momentary energy which despera-
tion or violent passion sometimes gives, and which is so nearly
allied to that of madness, was upon him, as with glaring eyes and
demoniac face he came flying like some terrific vision, upon the
astonished sergeant. In a twinkling the soldier's musket was
snatched fronr his gra^p, and was flung into the ravine, while
Ward himself clutched in the iron grasp of his adversary, was
dragged rapidly to the cavern doorway, despite all resistance, and
into its dark recesses.

Had Satan suddenly emerged from the bowels of the earth,
and carried off" one of their number bodily, the soldiers could not
have been more astonished or terrified, and if there was time or
opportunity to fire upon the strange assailant, they could not have
done so without risk of killing their comrade and commander.

THE PEI60NER OF THE BOEDER. * 189

Placirjg his son on guard o\er the prostrate and unarmed man,
with orders to fire upon liim if he attempted to rise^ Johnson has-
tily resumed his post at the doorway, where togethier with Vrail,
he remained for some minutes prepared to repel any sudden attack
that might follow his daring achievement. But there were no
signs of pursuit, and whatever course the enemy might see fit to
adopt in this new phase of affairs, it l)ecame pretty evident that
they did not mean to follow their leader into the lion^s den.

The stunned and frightened sergeant expected no mercy at
the hands of a man of whose atrocities he had heard so many
fabulous tales, and of whose prowess he had such convincing
proof. Expecting each moment to be his last, he listened sullenly
and at first without reply, to the questions of his captor.

" You meant to smoke us out, did you, young man ?" said the
outlaw, in a voice far from harsh ; yet the question was repeated
several times before it was answered.

" I meant to take you, if possible," replied Ward, at length ; "I
gave you fair warning."

" You did ; and you see I have profited by it."

•" I was a fool. You have conquered me, and will kill me, of
course ; but you need not taunt me."

" If I had wanted to kill you, I need not have taken such pains
to bring you here. I covered your heart three times with my
rifle."

" What then do you want ?" asked the sergeant, eagerly. His
mortifying discomfiture had at first scarcely left him the wish to
live, but with the hope came ba^k the strong desire of life which
is natural to every human heart.

" What do you suppose ? I want to be let alone. I want your
men to retire from this island, and to permit me and my children
to do the same." "

** Let me go, and I will withdraw them instantly," said Ward,
eagerly.

190 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

" 1 cannot trust you."

" On the honor of a soldier "

" Say rather, a savage, who would have burned me and my
children together, or would have shot us down as we fled from
the flames and smoke of our dwelling. I cannot trust you."

" I only did what I thought justifiable towards an outlawed
man."

** For whose head there was a large reward, part of which you
expected to pocket, and you would do the same again if you were
at liberty. I should be a fool to trust you."

" How can I convince you ? What can I dt> ?" asked the
prisoner, in a tone of great anxiety.

" Call to your men, and bid them . lay down their guns at the
door of the cave. Let them also bring their muskets from the
boats. Then they may depart, leaving me one boat, and one for
you to follow them with. Tell them your life depends on their
compliance, as it most certainly does."

Ward was ordinarily a brave man, and he hesitated long before
he would consent to redeem his life by such means ; but the igno-
minious personal defeat which he had already sustained prepared
him for a descent to further disgrace. If he rejected the proposal
of his captor, and suffered the deatji which such rejection was sure
to bring upon him, there would be none to proclaim the heroism
of the act ; but living, he might in some degree vindicate his
reputation, and explain his mortifying discomfiture.

'* How can we trust yoz^," he said, at length, *' after suri^^nder-
ing all our weapons into your hands ?"

" On the faith of a word which was never pledged and broken.
If this is not suflScient, let your men see to their own safety by
all taking to their boats, excepting one, before their arms are sur-
rendered. Surely you must have some courageous friend among
your men, who will venture to be the last man, and who will
bring the acms to the cave."

t THE PRISONER OF THE BOEDER. 191

" Davy Giles will do it, .if I bid biin. He is a daring fellow,
and he owes me his life."

" He will risk nothing — not a hair of his head shall be harmed."

" But how shall I be able to communicate with my men ? You
will not trust me outside, and they dare not come here."

" My daughter has pen and ink and paper. Write your mes-
sage, and it shall be passed out at the end of my longest fishing-
rod. Doubtless your daring friend will approach near enough to
take it."

Ward accepted the proposition, though with some misgivings
as to his ability to bring about so dishonorable a submission of his
company. He did not, indeed, doubt that they would be very
anxious to save his life, but he feared they might prefer to attempt
his rescue by other means, which would be certainly fatal to him,
although redounding more to their credit as military men than
the ignominious surrender and retreat which he was compelled to
counsel.

He made, however, an earnest appeal to his men to comply
with the proposition of the outlaw, and reminded them that, al-
though a prisoner, his orders were still binding upon them, and
would devolve all the responsibility of the act upon himself.
They could not, he added, honorably desert him, nor could they
in any way attempt his rescue with so little risk to themselves, or
with any hope of benefit to him. He assured them, in conclusion,
that his own death would be the immediate and certain conse-
quence of their refusal to comply with his request.

This letter, when finished, was extended out of the cavern in the
way suggested by Johnson, a white cloth being, at Ward's request,
also attached to the rod, both as a means of attracting attention,
and of signifying a desired truce.

The sergeant had not been mistaken in the fidelity and daring
of his friend Giles, who immediately advanced, took the missive
from the pole, and returned with it to his companions, all of whom,

192 THE PBI80NER OF THE BORDER. •

as well as himself, were greatly delighted 'to learn that their
leader yet lived, and that there was a chance of procuring his re-
lease. They did not hesitate long about obeying a command
which relieved them of any personal responsibility, and rid them
of so disastrous and unpromising an enterprise.

They had lost two of their companions in some mysterious way,
before even catching sight of an enemy, and now their commander
had been suddenly spirited away from them, and would doubtless
suffer some barbarous death if they did not rescue him in the only
way which seemed possible. They agreed to the terms, and Giles
volunteered to remain after the departure of his companions and
surrender the arras.

He was to accompany them to the boats, and depositing all the
guns in Johnson's skiff, was to row it around, after the embarka-
tion of his comrades, to a part of the beach nearest the cave, and
thence he was to carry the weapons to the invisible conqueror.
These things being agreed upon, Giles advanced fearlessly to the
mouth of the cave, where the white flag was still flying, and an-
nounced the decision of the men, greatly to the delight both of
the besieged party and their prisoner.

The soldiers then withdrew, by a route which would enable
them to take with them the bodies of their slain companions, and
in a short time they reached their boats, and quitted the island,
first designating a rendezvous where they would wait for the lib-
erated sergeant and Giles to join them, if they should be fortu-
nate enough lo escape from the supposed monster, in whose power
they were to be wholly left.

Giles was himself by no means free from apprehensions on this
score. He felt, at times, as though he were relying on the faith
of an ogre, but he was accustomed to danger, and he was animated
by the noble principle of fidelity to a friend.

It need not be said that his fears were speedily dissipated. No
sooner were the dozen weapons deposited at the door of the cave,

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 193

tlian Johnson and his party emerged from their retreat, accom-
panied by their unharmed prisoner, who, like his friend, was still
uncertain of the fate which awaited him.

But the mild aspect and deportment of their conqueror, and the
frank, honest expression of his countenance, at once convinced
them that they had nothing to fear, and the abashed sergeant,
after expressing his obligations for the forbearance of his captor,
took his departure, with greatly changed views of the man whose
destruction he had so recently sought.

The fate of Barak was the next subject of inquiry, but a con-
siderable time elapsed before any clew could be obtained to his
whereabout, and the impression began to prevail that the soldiers
had taken him with them ; but he was discovered at length, in the
ravine, where he was lying very still, awaiting the issue of the
fearful events which had been transpiring around him. His
descent into the valley had not been a voluntary movement, nor
altogether a pleasant one. When Johnson made his sudden sor-
tie from his subterranean fort, Barak, as has been stated, was
seated on the ground near the sergeant, and in the impetuous rush*
of the outlaw, he was overturned and rolled over the cliff, without
observation from either party to that violent struggle. Of course,
he was at first greatly frightened, and fully believed that his end
had at last come, as he went rolling, log-like, down the declivity ;
but when he found that, although much bruised, he was not seri-
ously hurt, he rather rejoiced at an accident which had trans-
ported him to a place of comparative safety.

Although Johnson had learned from liis prisoner, the treachery ,
of Jones, he did not waste any reproaches or vituperations upon
him. The man had sunk too low even for the reach of contempt.

" You are alive yet, Barak, I see," said the commodore, on
meeting him.

" As much as ever, sir ; sich a tumble as I had you never heord
tell on, I guess, and^ then I felt all the worse, you see, because I

194 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. *

thought you pitched me off on purpose. Ixlidn^t know that you
captured the sergeant until just now Mr. Vrail has been telling
me about it, and how you got rid of the rest. I'm glad you ain't
killed — and Fm glad I ain't too. I never mean to go to war
again."

"Not if all Canada rises and thakes off?"

** No, sir ! — I don't care what she shakes off — I'm going hum,
just as soon as I can get there, and there I mean to stay."

'• I think it will be the best thing you can do."

Rainbow Island was, of course, no longer a safe abode for John-
son, and he resolved to quit it with as little delay as possible.
Forced to forego the hope that the triumph of the patriot cause
would enable him to seek a home in his native land before the
winter set in, he was yet resolved that his children should not par-
take of the perils and privations of an outlaw's life during ihat
inclement season. He had secured a home for them in a farmer's
family on the American shore, where they had already spent sev-
eral months, and where, being entirely unknown, he was enabled to
make them brief visits without much danger of detection. To this
place he resolved to take ihem that very night, while at the same
time he would afford Vrail and Jones an opportunity to set foot
again on their native soil.

Barak was in ecstasies at this announcement, and Captain Vrail
was scarcely less delighted, and both lent a willing hand to the
preparatory steps for departure. Tlie grotto being no longer a
secret place, it became necessary to conceal whatever in it was of
sufficient value to be protected, and everything was speedily stored
away in a remote and obscure angle of the cave, which there was
little danger of ever being explored by strangers. A portmanteau
was filled with some articles of apparel, including various
devi(^es for effecting a complete disguise of the outlaw, who con-
templated visiting Ogdensburgh and other places, on business con-
nected with the patriot cause, before he returned to the islands.

TKE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 195

The time of his return was, indeed, a matter of the greatest
uncertainty, for he knew not what hope might yet remain for his
friends, nor how soon another military expedition might be planned.
No effort of his, he resolved, should be wanting to revive the hopes
of the dispirited, and renew the contest.

The little party embarked in the evening, and reached the
American shore without difficulty, where Johnson's first aim was
to rid himself entirely of Barak, before going to the future home
of his children, and before putting on his disguise, for he did not
wish to place himself again in the power of s6 weak and craven a
man. Yet, to do poor Jones justice, he was rather imbecile than
vile, and he would by no means wantonly have injured the outlaw,
whom he rightfully regarded as the preserver of his life.

There was no difficulty in eflfecting the object which Johnson
had in view.

" You would like to land here, I suppose, Mr. Jones V he said,
as the bow of his boat touched the beach. " We are going some
way further down the stream before we stop, but I suppose you
are in a hurry to go ashore."

Barak was out of the boat before the other had done speaking.

"I am out, Commodore," he said; "I want to go no further
down stream, nor up stream, nor on the islands, nor, least of all,
back to Canada. I'm on American sile — I am. IIoo — rail P

" Good-bye, Barak."

" Good-bye, all ! Good-bye, Commodore I Look out that you
don't get nabbed. I'm safe now — I am. Hoorah for the 'nited
States of America !"

So saying, Jones marched oft', and Johnson, pushing his boat a
sliort distance from shore, resumed his route down the river about
a mile, when he again landed in the vicinity of a small village.
Here it was agreed that Vrail was to "seek lodgings at an inn,
where Johnson was to join him in the morning, after placing his
children in their home, and they were to ^proceed together to Og-

196 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

densburgh. The house of Flynn was still further down the river^
and thither the outlaw proceeded, readily finding admission at the
friendly farmer's, although his arrival was at a Late hour in the
nio^ht

CHAPTER XXVI.

SAMSON UNBOUND.

On the ensuing morning, while Captain Vrail sat reading an
Ogdensburgh gazette, in a public room o^ the Eagle Tavern of

ville, he was informed that a Mr. Miller was inquiring for,

and wished to see him, and while wondering that he should have
any acquaintances in a part of the world in which he had never
before travelled, he was approached by a well dressed-man, appar-
ently of about middle age, whose hair was very black and glossy,
and whose whiskers, of the same hue, were very bushy and very
abundant. The stranger wore spectacles and carried a light rat-
an, and when he offered his hand to Vrail, it was without remov-
ing its close-fitting beaver glove, and without speaking.

Tom was quite at a loss.

" Mr. Miller .^" he said, inquiringly, as he took the proffered hand
of his visitor.

"Yes," was the short reply.

"I do not know that I have the honor "

** Captain Vrail forgets his friends»quickly," replied the stranger,
smiling.

" Oh, ho !" cried Tom, " what a dolt T am, or rather, what a
genius you are, Mr. Miller — or rather, Mr. Wind-Miller," he add-
ed, sinking his voice. *' Why, the transformation is complete.
You might go to Canada, and dine with Sergeant Ward in safety."

" It was to try my disguise that I approached you thus," replied

lOT

198 THE PEISONER OF THE BORDER. ,

the outlaw; "and as to going to Canada, I have been there more
than once in this character, and I may possibly receive tidings at
Ogdensburgh, which will require my presence there again this very
week, even at Kingston."

"Is it possible? And would you really take so great a risk ?"

" If it would materially serve the cause, I would not hesitate.
Our other leaders are venturing as much everywhere. How often
has the great Mackenzie perilled his life ! And think of poor
Van Shoultz, our noble and gallant ally, and of your own unfor-
tunate brother, both probably in the hands of a government, which,
tottering to its fall, dares not, if it would, show mercy. I have
but one life, and it is at the service of this cause and its friends.
If our leaders on the other side can show a satisfactory reason for
failing to join us at Windmill Point, and if my presence among
them is necessary to concert and effect another joint attack which
promises to be more successful, I shall certainly go, without count-
ing the risk. I hope you do not think of throwing up your com-
mission."

" I scarcely remembered that I had one. No ; I do not wish
to resign it, as long as there is any prospect of a well planned and
successful expedition ; but I shall never again be one of a few hun-
dreds, to cross the St. Lawrence, and set myself up for a target for
British muskets."

" You are quite right in that."

" I have been reading this journal in hopes of finding some tid-
ings of the prisoneis, but I can learn nothing, excepting that all
who were taken were sent to Kingston. No names are mentioned,
excepting of the principal officers."

" Have you really the news there so soon ? How many of the
enemy were killed? How many of our men were taken ? How
many escaped ? Let me see it."

Johnson spoke eagerly and quickly, taking the offered journal
from his companion, and perusing it hastily.

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 199

" The tidings are meagre, and probably unauthentic," said Vrail,
" but they are correct enough in ascribing great deeds to the Hero
of the Thousand Isles."

** Tut — tut — they are determined on making a lion of me,
whether I roar or not. But I hope yet to do something worthy
of the distinction they force upon me."

" The United States Marshal was at Ogdensburgh a few days
since, and may be still there. Will it be prudent for you to go
there ?"

" Quite, there is not a person there who will know me in this
guise, and there are dozens of hunters who would swear to me as
Mr. Miller, for by that name I have mingled with them in their
lodges, and have partaken of their deliberations. They know,
indeed, that I often see Bill Johnson, and that I speak his views
by authority, for when I visit them in my true character, I always
fully endorse my supposed envoy."

" Is it possible that you can successfully keep up tliis twofold
character ?"

" Not only there, but in other places. My secret rests with
you alone, and I do not fear that you will betray it."

** You need not, on the honor of a very poor soldier, who has
run away from the only battle in which he was ever engaged,"
replied Tom, laughing.

*' Yet who fought well while fighting was of any use. I wish
your brave brother was with us."

Tom colored at the allusion to his brother, but a moment's re-
flection convinced him that no innuendo was designed, and that he
had as yet only the reproaches of his owij conscience to bear for
his disgraceful desertion of so noble a friend.

The companions proceeded the san^e day, by public conveyance,
to Ogdensburgh. Vrail carefully schooled himself to address the
outlaw, at all limes, by his assumed name, yet scarcely restraining
bis laughter at the dignified and eminently pacific deportment of

200 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDEU.

the man whom he had so lately seen rushing, tiger-like, upon a
British sergeant, and carrying him off bodily into a cave of the
earth. They took lodgings at different hotels, the young man
stopping at the most central and public house, where he would be
most likely to gain the intelligence he sought, while Johnson
chose the safer obscurity of a quiet and more retired inn.

CHAPTER XXVII.

THE EXPRESS TRAVELLERS AN UNEXPECTED MEETING.

Several days passed, during which Captain Vrail heard no
tidings of his brother, and he almost ceased longer to entertain a
hope that Harry had escaped. How dreadful would probably be
his fate, if a prisoner, he very well knew, and he felt, if not the
pangs of affectionate regret, the stings of an accusing conscience,
which pointed to himself as doubly the author of his brother's
misfortunes. To rid himself of this remorse, and to avoid the
censure of the world, if from no worthier motive, he would have
done much to bring about his brother's liberation, but he lacked
that bold energy of character, and that noble, disinterested affec-
tion, which prompts to great and self-sacrificing deeds.

While he hesitated in ignoble irresolution, he heard of the ex-
treme severity of punishment which was decided by the Canadian
government to be visited upon the foreign portion of their prison-
ers, and especially upon all who shared in any degree the respon-
sibility of command. Rumors of summary trials and executions
began already to prevail, and he trembled to think that he might
at any hour hear of his brother's death.

While he sat on the piazza of his hotel, gloomily reflecting
upon these things, his attention was arrested by an approaching
stage-coach from the south, which was entering the village with
most extraordinary rapidity, its four stout bays covered with sweat
and foam, and their driver urging them with lash and voice to
still greater speed.

9* ^ mm

202 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

" Here comes an extra, with a crazy driver or a drunken one,"
said the landlord of the inn, attracted to the door by the sound of
the approaching vehicle, for it was not the regular hour for the
arrival of the daily coach.

" Why do you drive into town at this mad rate ?" he continued,
addressing the Jehu as he drew up at the tavern door, and leapt,
reins in hand, to the ground.

" I don't know — it's on the way-bill, to be put through by
eleven o'clock this morning, and I've done it, and two minutes to
spare."

" Better spared your horses," said the landlord, taking the
oftered way-bill, on which the driver pointed out the orders which
justified his seemingly improper speed. " An exclusive extra,
hey ?" he continued, examining the paper more closely, and then
turning to see who his new guests were, for by this time the
coach door had been opened, and its inmates were alighting.
Whatever may have been the inn-keeper's impression of the
strangers, there was one person whose astonishment was unlimited
at the sight of them.

" Gertrude Van Kleeck, by all that is wonderful !" exclaimed
Captain Vrail, ^* and young Van Vrank, and I don't know who
else. What can all this mean ? She must be married, of course,
and they are on their wedding trip. But how singular that they
should come here ! And to such a fellow as that, too !"

Tom uttered these words in soliloquy, finding a gleam of conso-
lation for his rejection by Gertrude in the thought that it must
have resulted from an engagement to her boorish cousin, and he
was about to retire from observation, but he had already been
discovered both by the lady and by Van Vrank, the latter of whom
summarily left his companions and rushed up to him with ex-
tended hand, and with a broad smile of joy upon his good-natured
countenance.

" Why Squire Tom," he said, shaking him painfully by the hand,

THE PKISOITER OF THE BORDER. 203

^' it is you, sure enough, isn't it ? Fni right glad to see you safe
out of the scrape, a'ny way — that I am ; and is Harry really here,

too r

Gertrude and Ruth had been left standing on the stoop but a
few yards from Vrail, and he could do no less than instantly
approach them, which he did before replying to the question of
"Van Vrank. He was startled by the pale face and anxious expres-
sion of Miss Van Kleeck, as he addressed her and inquired after
lier health, and by a similar look of alarm and distress in the coun-
tenance of the fair child at her side. If this were a bridal party
he thought, it was the most doleful one he had ever seen.

" It has kind of frightened 'em both you see, to meet you here
60 unexpectedly," continued Garret ; " and they are afraid of hear-
ing bad news, I suppose. Let us go inside, where we shan't have
everybody staring at us, and there you can tell us all about it.

From the moment Gertrude had caught sight of Vrail, her emo-
tion had been almost overpowering. The blissful hope that Harry
was also safe was accompanied by the dread of meeting him under
such embarrassing circum-stances, but these feelings were instantly
followed by a harrowing fear that he was not saved, and an obli-
vion of all other considerations.

Again and again she strove to speak the simple words, " Is your
brother safe ?" but utterance was as impossible to her as to one
untaught in articulation. They entered the ladies' public room,
but they were alone.

" Now tell us about your brother. Squire Tom," said Garry.
** I'm afraid he isn't here, or we should have seen him before
this."

"Are you his brother .^" exclaimed Ruth, now for the first time
comprehending ^^ho was the stranger they had encountered. She
sprang forward impulsively as she spoke, and laid a hand upon his
arm. " Oh, he would have died for yow," she continued ; " he
talked so much of you, and feared so much that you were taken ,

204: THE PRISONETR OF THE BORDER.

and when he found the boat was gone which would have saved
him, he laughed for joy to think that you had taken it."

Tom sank to a chair and covered his face with his hands.

" He is lost !" exclaimed Gertrude faintly.

" You may as well tell us the worst now, Mr. Vrail," said Garry ;
" it won't be worse than we are all thinking already. Sit down,
Getty, before you fall down. If he is shot or hung, why, say so,
Tom, and have done with it. It can't be helped now."

*' I know nothing of his fate," replied Vrail, *' excepting that he
was not killed in battle. I have never heard of, or from him
since."

" Thank God !" exclaimed a gentle voice, which the soldier did
not hear.

" Well, come, now, it isn't so bad after all. I expected to hear
worse news than that, and there may be some hope yet."

Tom shook his head, as if incredulous.

"If that is the last you have heard of Harry, we can tell you
some news, or rather, Ruth here can, and I will leave her to do so,
while I go and order breakfast, for we must be moving again soon,
I suppose. They would go without eating, but I must have one
good meal before I can go another mile, for I am hungry enough
to eat my boots."

Garret went out, and Ruth, in reply to Tom's eager and rapid
questions, told in few words the substance of her story, as far as
related to Harry, and not deeming that there was any cause for
the suppression of the whole truth, she concluded her statement
by saying, that they were on their way to Kingston, to see if any-
thing could be done to save him.

The young man was really affected at hearing the certainty of
his brother's perilous position, but his concern yielded temporarily
to surprise on learning of Miss Van Kleeck's extraordinary under-
taking. He had never suspected the existence of any attachment
between Harry and Gertrude, but the suspicion now flashed upon

THE PKISONEB OF THE BOEDEB. 205

his mind that they were really plighted lovers, and that he had
been deceived by Harry, and had been duped into making the pro-
posal which had had so mortifying a termination. But a moment's
reflection banished this idea, for he Jcnew that Harry was in all
things the soul of sincerity and frankness. They might, how-
ever, have become engaged since his own rejection by Gertrude,
and this he concluded must have been the case, although he
thought it strange that Harry should not have informed him of it.
These changing thoughts had passed through his mind before the
sound of Ruth's voice had died upon his ear, and he was impul-
sively about to say something to Gertrude expressive of. his sur-
prise, when, speaking for the first time, she anticipated his remark.

"You will think very strange of all this, I know," she said,
hesitatingly ; " but there was no one else to respond to your bro-
ther's appeal for help, which this poor child had travelled three
hundred miles to bring to his friends. Your grandfather was too
ill even to be allowed to hear the sad tidings, and cousin Garret,
who met your brother's messenger in the village, brought her to
me, at my request. Harry was my father's friend. I knew what
he would have done, had he been living, and I am his representa-
tive. We may not be able to effect anything in your brother's
behalf; perhaps it is presumptuous to to hope that we can ; but if
I had allowed any opportunity to pass, of assisting a friend in so
great a peril, I should always feel in some degree chargeable with
the consequences, which in this case may be so very terrible. No
one at home knows of my undertaking, excepting my legal adviser,
Mr. Gray, and he will disclose nothing. I shall rely also upon
your perfect secrecy, and I have even hopes that, if we should suc-
ceed in our enterprise, it can be done without your brother ever
knowing of my agency in obtaining his release. But gratifying as
this would be to me, you may be assured no chance of benefiting
him shall be sacrificed to a consideration so purely personal."

The events through which Thomas Vrail had been passing, and

206 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

the revelations of nobler natures than his own, which had been
disclosed to him, were gradually working a favorable change in
his own character.

" You are an angel, Getty," he said, " and that was what poor
Harry always said of you. I will keep your secret ; not only that
which you have confided to me, but that which I can so easily
guess. I should be a monster if I could do or say anything to
annoy you.''

Gertrude blushed scarlet at these words, but she extended her
hand to meet the one offered by her late lover, in pledge of con-
fidence and appreciating friendship.

** How soon shall you resume your journey ?" he asked.

" I hope to be . in Canada within an hour," replied Gertrude,
md on the way to Kingston as soon as a conveyance can be pro-
5ured. We have to wait here for breakfast."

An impatient look accompanied this remark. The young man
mused a moment, apparently in perplexed and painful thought,
and then said,

" It will be a perilous undertaking for me, but I will accom-
pany you. I have risked my life once for fame ; let me now do it
for a nobler motive."

" I am glad for your sake to hear you make such a proposal,"
replied Miss Van Kleeck ; " but you may be assured it is not the
most prudent course even for your brother's interests, for your
detection and arrest would greatly complicate matters, and would
perhaps defeat the few chances we may have of success. Let me
advise you rather to remain here, where a messenger can reach
you in a short time from Kingston, if we find that your services
can be rendered available there."

" If the case were reversed, I know that Harry would not be
withheld from coming to me at all risks, but I shall never be as
good as he. I will be guided by your advice, but do not hesitate
to send for me if I can do anything for him. But a thought

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 207

occurs to me this raoraent which may possibly be of importance,
and yet — I do not know " ^

Thomas hesitated, but in obedience to Gertrude's anxious look
of inquiry, he continued,

" There is a man here of singular powers and resources, who,
I believe, is about to proceed to Kingston, and who might be in
some way serviceable to you there. I am not at liberty to say
more of him, but 1 think it would be well for you to meet him
here, and to let him know your errand in Canada."

" If there is the least probability of his aiding us, let us see him,
of course, for we are going among entire strangers."

" I will go for him immediately, and if he has not already left
town, I will bring him to you."

Vrail went at once in pursuit of Johnson, now known and
spoken of only as Mr. Miller, whom, to his great joy, he found at
his lodgings, but as yet undecided on making his hazardous jour-
ney. He manifested a great interest in the singular effort which
was being made for Harry's release, and although he could see
little prospect of its favorable issue, he immediately accompanied
the young man to meet the travellers, and showed an earnest dis-
position to co-operate with them in their generous undertaking.
He gave to Miss Van Kleeck letters to an influential and promi-
nent member of the patriot cause at Kingston, instructed her at
what hotel to stay, and hinted at the possibility of himself seeing
her there within a few days.

For all this Gertrude returned the sincerest thanks, little sus-
pecting the true character of her visitor, and hoping little from his
alliance. Their interview was short, and within an hour after he
had taken his leave, the travellers were in Canada, and were post-
ing by express coach to Kingston, Gertrude being too impatient
to wait for the steamboat, which was not to leave till late in the
afternoon.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

THE PRISONER OF PRESCOTT.

Our narrative returns to that memorable morning when Lieu-
tenant Vrail was taken from his Prescott prison to be transferred,
in company with eight or ten others, to Kingston, where the prin-
cipal portion of the captured patriots had already been sent, and
whence many of them were soon to depart on a longer journey,
some to Van Dieman's land, and some to that land " from whose
bourne no traveller returns."

Manacled, and tied together in pairs, they were attended to the
place of embarkation, not only by a military guard, but by a
rabble of men and boys, who jeered and derided the hapless band
as they passed, and scarcely refrained from acts of violence to-
wards them. It was probably intended as an indignity to Harry,
who was suspected of being an oflScer, and who was, at least,
known to be a gentleman, that the negro who had been taken in
his company was pinioned to his side, instead of being mated with
one of a lower class of the prisoners ; but Harry did not regret
this circumstance, nor manifest the least^epugnance to it. ^ The
patience and good-nature with which he submitted himself in
this, and in all respects, to the disposal of his captors, gained him
some sympathy at their hands, but did not exempt him from tlie
ridicule of the mob, to whom his position proved peculiarly at-
tractive, and afforded a rich theme for derision.

Broni bore the scoffs of the crowd less patiently, and he did

2';3

THE PEISONER OF THE BORDER. 209

not feel the fetters upon, his limbs as much as the restraint which
his master had imposed upon his tongue. His large eyes glared
fiercely, and he longed to give back taunt for taunt, and to dare
his deriders to a three to one combat — nay, he would have singly
assailed the whole rabble, if he had been unbound, so great was
his rage against them.

Tlie journey was performed by steamboat upon the same river
(belonging to and dividing the two nations), which had so recently
borne the invading band, full of hope and courage, to the place of
their anticipated triumph. Over the same route, and in view of
the same scenes which they had then beheld, did they now pass,
bound and helpless, to partake of whatever doom Iheir incensed
conquerors might see fit to award. The shores of their native
land stretched before them many a league as they were borne up-
on their sorrowful way ; they could see its green fields and its
waving forests; its quiet frontier towns came successively into
view, and at times the sound of its village bells reached their ears.
Alas ! for them, they had forfeited their citizenship in that happy
land — they had lost the protection of that powerful government,
under whose benign and calm strength they had so long reposed
in safety, and there was none to interpose for their rescue or relief.

As the day wore away, another and less welcome sight became '
visible to them in the distant spires and domes of that dreaded city
in which their prison homes awaited them, and that afterdoom,
the horrors of which they could only imagine. It was evening
before they landed ; but as the news of the arrival of a new lot of
prisoners was soon disseminated throughout the town, they did
not fail of another rabble escort, as they were marched in proces-
sion through the streets, to the music of drum and fife, and the
more discordant sounds of fiendish merriment and exultation.

So galling was this exposure, and these continual insults, that
ihe wearied and disheartened prisoners were glad when the grim
walls of Fort Henry interposed between them and the mob, and

210 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

received them within its dreadful skelter. They were all confined
in one large room, which had already a number of occupants, un-
distinguished among whom Vrail was astonished and grieved to
find his late commander, Colonel Van Shoultz, of whose escape he
had until then ventured to indulge a faint hope.

Their instantaneous and mutual recognition was unfortunately
followed by an unguarded utterance by the Polander of both the
name and title of the young oflScer, and although Harry instantly
checked his friend's words, it was too late to prevent the dreaded
exposure.

" Lieutenant Vrail .^" repeated a sergeant of the guard, who had
conducted the prisoners to their quarters, at the same time taking
out a pencil and paper from his pocket; ** that's it, is it? We
supposed he was a captain, at least, and probably something high-
er, but lieutenant is enough to hang him."

" Shay thought he was one of their sham generals, because he
had a servant with him, and he expects a large reward for taking
him," replied another.

These remarks were made in an undertone, which was not in-
tended to reach the prisoner's ears, but Harry, who had been
startled by his friend's salutation, and had watched to see if it had
been observed, caught every word of a conversation which boded
him so much evil.

The Polander, when at length the withdrawal of the soldiers
permitted free conversation, bitterly reproached himself for his
imprudence, but Harry fully exonerated him from censure, and
reminded him that since suspicion had evidently been so strong
against him as an oflScer, other means would doubtless have been
found, and would still be found to prove it.

^' Your words will not be evidence against me," he said ; "other
testimony will be needed to show that I was the bearer of a com-
mission."

" You may be convicted as a private, yet without a private's

THE PEISONEB OF THE BORDER. 211

chance for mercy, if government believes you to have been an
officer."

"That my captors have fully believed from tha moment of my
arrest ; so I shall be in no additional jeopardy by reason of what
you have said. But tell me now, my friend, about yourself, and
what you can learn of your prospects."

"There is no hope for me," replied Col. Van Shoultz, solemnly.
" Everything betokens that, too decidedly to admit of a doubt!
The government is resolved on severe measures. They utterly
ignore the existence of any war, revolutionary or otherwise, and
while they will punish as traitors that portion of the prisoners
who are their own subjects, they will prosecute us, who are foreign-
ers, as brigands or murderers. So says their organ, and such, I
learn from other quarters, is their determination."

" Let us hope for better things."

"I cannot hope. The defection of our original leaders has'de-
volved the chief responsibility of this movement on me, and I
must bear it. I assure you I feel a presentiment of my coming
doom. But do not think I shall shrink from it. I have courted
death too often on the battle-fields of my own country to quail
before it, even on a British scaffold."

" If you will not hope, my dear friend, I will at least hope for
you. Your foreign birth and education, and your more excusable
misconception of the true state of the revolution in Canada (on
which point we have all been deluded), entitle you to leniency,
even more than others. Doubtless you will be allowed counsel on
your trial."

" Oh, yes ; we are to be furnished with a copy of our indict-
ment a few days before the trial, and we are at liberty to employ
counsel, if we can induce any one to defend us, which, consider-
ing the state of public sentiment, is not like to be an easy task.
Failing in this, counsel will be assigned us by the court, who will
be sure to defend us with decorum, and who will do nothing in

212 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

our behalf which can offend his lordship, the judge, or which
shall displease the prosecuting attorney."

" How do you learn all this ?"

" From one here who knows the full history of trials that have
already taken place."

The picture which the Polander bad drawn of their prospects
was dismal enough, and, as Harry could not fail to perceive, was
-probably correct. Van Schoultz, he could scarcely doubt, would
suffer death, and his own peril, imminent enough before, he knew
would be increased by his intimate relations with that officer.
The brave colonel was the first to point out this danger to his
friend, and to urge a cessation of all intercourse between them ;
but Harry would not listen a moment to this proposition. He
could not forget that his companion was a foreigner, without inter-
est, or hope of influence from any quarter in his behalf, and he
would not withdraw from him the slight chance of benefit, or, at
least, of solace, which his friendship could bestow. Whenever or
wherever his voice could be heard in his advocacy, he resolved he
would not be silent, and in thus contemplating his efforts for an-
other, he at times lost sight of his own danger.

But in this oblivion he was not long allowed to rest. When
Colonel Van Schoultz was furnished with a copy of the indictment
found against him, a similar document was served on Harry Vrail,
and he was notified that his trial would take place, either jointly
*vith that of his commanding officer, or immediately after its ter-
mination. This association of his case with that of the leader of
the expedition was ominous enough to leave him little hope of
escaping the same fate which was so evidently in store for the
former.

Yet, desperate as their cases seemed, neither of the young men
were willing to relinquish life without making as vigorous an
effort for escape as circumstances would permit, and they resolved
to employ counsel, if it were possible to procure a man of ability

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 213

and standing in the province to undertake their cause. He might
at least do something for them, if it were only, by his ingenuity
or influence, to obtain time, until possibly milder counsels might
prevail in high places. England was powerful enough to aflTord
to be merciful, if she would, and they were even willing to ask for
mercy. They learned, on inquiry, that an eminent lawyer of
Kingston had been employed for the accused in several of the
State trials which had taken place during the preceding summer,
and that he had conducted his defences in a masterly manner, and
in one instance to the entire acquittal of his client.

But this solitary instance of success in resisting the powerful
influence of government had caused him to be besieged by appli-
cations from the unfortunate prisoners, not one in ten of whom he
could defend, and not one in twenty of whom could remunerate
him for his services. The natural result was, that Counsellor
Strong was retained by the few only whose means would enable
them to place a large retaining fee in his hands, and all others
found the necessity of relying on less distinguished aid. To
obtain this man's assistance had become an object of earnest
desire, both on the part of Van Schoultz and Harry, but when
they learned the formidable extent of his charges, they were
forced to abandon their purpose.

But from the moment their project was seen to be impracti-
cable, it became the more desirable in their estimation, until, as
they discussed with increasing regret the lost opportunity, they
became almost persuaded that it would have restored them to
liberty.

To one of these conversations, Brom became an interested list-
ener, and he heard with astonishment that so much might be
hoped for, from the efibrts of one man.

" Let's hab him for yow, Massa Harry, of course," he said ;
" mebbe he'll get you off"."

*' I can't pay him, Brom. He won't defend any one for less

214 THE PRISONER OF THE BOEDER.

than forty pounds in advance, and a promise of I don't know how
much more in case of success."

" Forty pounds of what P asked the negro, in amazement.

*' Forty pounds sterling, or two hundred dollars of our cur-
rency."

" Oh, is that all ?" replied Brom, contemptuously ; " send him
along then — Fll hire him, and FU pay him something extra, too,
for puttin' in the fine touches."

** What do you mean, Brom ? You certainly have not two
hundred dollars with you ?"

" Never you mind. You just send your big lawyer along to
me ; Fll 'tain him for you — but I don't believe he can make sich
a speech as Squire Gray's clerk, Barney Blait, did in Jake Smith's
pig suit last summer. You mout a heard him bellow half a mile
for a whole hour, and he got his case, too, and only charged Jake
half a dollar for it. Howsomever, I dare say this Mr. Strong is
smart enough for a Britisher."

" But, Brom, if you really have so much* money, I cannot con-
sent to take it from you."

" I don't mean you shall, Massa Harry. Fll give it to Massa
Strong."

" But it might do no good after all ; I cannot let you throw
away so much of your hard earnings, which I may never be able
to repay you."

*' It isn't hard earnings ; I earned it mighty easy I 'clare to
you. Besides, you can't stop me ! I shall hire lawyer Strong."

" But you will want to be defended yourself, and you will want
all your money for that."

** Nebber mind. Maybe I got money enough for that too ; but
they haven't summonsed me yet, and there'll be time enough to
think of that by and by. One of them soldier fellows said I
should have to be tried all alone, 'cause my case was darker than
the rest. I don't see what he meant by that."

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 215

Harry smiled, but he did not explain the enigmatical words.
He decided, after some hesitation, to aceept the mysterious funds
which were thus fairly forced upon him, believing that whatever
might be his own fate, he could make provision for repayment to
his sable benefactor, if the latter should be ever allowed to return
to his native village.

Broin retired, as on a former occasion, to an obscure corner of
his prison, to withdraw his golden store unobserved from its place
of concealment, and he soon reappeared with each hand closed
over more than it could conceal of the glittering coin, which
peeped from between the insterstices of his fingers, like the yellow
corn burstincr from its husks. Whispering for llafry to hold his
hat, he buried his hands within it before disgorging them of their
precious contents, which were deposited as silently as possible, in
order to avoid attracting the attention of their fellow prisoners.
Vrail and Col. Van Shoultz looked on with astonishment, both
being utterly ignorant of the source of supply ; although the for-
mer had once before had a proof on a much smaller scale, of the
negro's financial resources. They were amazed not only at the
amount of treasure produced, but at the very apparent fact that
its owner was entirely unable to compute its value.

" How much is dare, Massa Harry ?" he asked, in a whisper.
" Is dat enough to pay de big lawyer ?"

" Yes, twice over, Brom."

" Den you get him for you and Colonel Van Shoots too —
mebbe he clear you both," said the negro, rubbing his hands.

" But you, Brom, will have to be tried too, by and by.''

" Nebber mind ; they hahn^t summonsed me yet ; and " — sinking
his voice to a whisper, and pointing to the coin — " dere's a few
more left."

Harry, after thanking the negro, and assuring him that he
should make no arrangements with counsel which did not include
him also in its provisions, pocketed the treasure, and at once

216 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

applied for permission, which was readily accorded, to send a
messenger to the legal Goliah from whom so much was hoped.

A fee of sufficient magnitude to ensure attention was enclosed
in the application to the counsellor, and the return of their envoy
brought them the gratifying assurance that the great man would
wait upon them some time in the course of the ensuing evening.

How much will the angel Hope do for the human heart in every
strait to which it can be reduced ! How busily in the brief in-
terval which elapsed before meeting their legal adviser, did the
unfortunate prisoners imagine and discuss the ingenious theories
of defences which were to be maintained in their behalf, perhaps
to their triumphant and honorable acquittal.

But, alas ! the arrival of their counsel rather dissipated than
strengthened these bright anticipations. Mr. Strong was a mat-
ter-of-fact man, who knew what it was to oppose a prosecution
^hich would be sustained by irrefragable proof, by the wholo
weight of popular sentiment, and by governmental sanction.

Having learned from the prisoners the particulars of their
arrest, he at once advised Colonel Van Shoultz, when arraigned, to
plead guilty to the charge of having been found in arms against the
Canadian government, inasmuch as, having been taken in actujtl
combat, there was no possibility of his evading a conviction.

"We will make the best use we can of the extenuating circum-
stances in your case, and we shall find both the court and the
governor more ready to listen to these, if we make no useless
contest on points which cannot be defended. I do not mean to
say," he continued, " that there is much probability of mercy be-
ing shown ; I fear there is not. But I think a slight chance of
pardon would result from such a course."

The Polander's strong presentiment of his coming fate, of which
his mind had become temporarily divested, returned to him with
increased force on hearing the undisguised opinion of the lawyer,
with whose views he fully concurred ; but he chose to deliberate a

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 217

day or two before deciding a matter of so great moment as that
of pleading guilty to a capital crime.

" As to Mr. Vrail,'' continued the counsellor, " his case is some-
what different. His arrest was subsequent to the battle, several
miles distant from its scene, and the proof of his having been
engaged in it may possibly not be so certain as to ensure convic-
tion. I would advise a defence in his case, although I must cau-
tion you against any sanguine hopes of acquittal. The prospect,
I grieve to say, is all the other way. Proof will be raked from all
possible quarters, and both court and jurors will be against
you."

" The most formidable witness against me," said Harry, " will
doubtless be the man Shay, who arrested me, and to whom I had
made the unguarded avowal of which I have told you."

" Yet that is testimony that may be shaken," replied the coun-
sellor, with a sudden flashing of his dark eyes, as if he felt him-
self already in the forensic arena, with some material for success-
ful effort. " The man will be infamous by his own showing, be-
sides which, the fact that your conviction will entitle him to a
reward, will throw discredit upon his evidence of your confessions.
I think the prosecution will have to produce other proof of youi
having been in the battle. Can they do it ?"

" I think not, unless they can use my comrades as witnesses
against me. Can this be done ?"

" They cannot be compelled, of course, to testify against you ;
but may not some of them be induced to do so by a promise of
pardon for themselves."

" Yes, if the prosecuting attorney will stoop to such means to
procure my conviction, he will doubtless find some wretch willing
to save his life at the expense of mine. There can be no hope
for me, Mr. Strong, if such a course is to be pursued."

" Not so fast. There may not be much hope, and yet there
may be some. Are there not extenuating circumstances in your
10

218 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

case, even if your participation in this war should be clearly made
out?"

" I do not know of any."

" Think again — you are very young."

" Yes ; I am but twenty-three, but that is two years past the
leg^l age of manhood, and it is a time of life when a man is fully
accountable for his actions."

" Do not argue the case so strongly against yourself. Is there •
not something else that may be shown or said in your favor?

"No."

" Yes," replied Colonel Van Shoultz ; " something very impor-
tant, if it can be proved."

" What is it ?" asked the lawyer, eagerly.

*'He was for a long time unwilling to engage in this war,
strenuously resisting all arguments in its favor, until a younger
brother^s enlistment influenced him to join us, more for the pro-
tection of that brother, than for any other cause."

** Is this true ?" asked the legal adviser.

" Yes, substantially. I did, however, become a convert to the
cause, before joining it, and I have frequently avowed and
advocated the doctrines of the patriots and revolutionists since."

" Never mind — we don't want to prove that, and if you go on
n this way, you will be rising and making a speech against your-
self in court, when your trial comes on. The facts mentioned by
your friend may have some weight, if we can prove them."

" Which we certainly cannot do ; I have not a witness to pro-
duce."

" Where is this brother?"

" Alas, I know nothing of his fate. If he has escaped, which
may Heaven grant, I would not for worlds that he should come
here to testify in my behalf, for his danger would be even greater
than mine."

Counsellor Strong was perplexed. He Jiad become deeply in-

THE PRISOITER OF THE BORDER. 219

terested in both his unfortunate clients, and he thought he saw a
glimmer of hope for the younger of the two, which influenced
him to vigorous efforts in his behalf. As to the leader of the
expedition, he clearly foresaw his, fate, and though he tried to
argue himself into the belief that there was a remote chance of
his escape from death, a contrary conviction clung to his mind.
He resolved, however, to do all that was in his power for both
parties, and after making- a few memoranda of the leading facts
which had been furnished him by the prisoners, he departed with
a promise of seeing them on the ensuing day.

Within the few days which elapsed before the sitting of the
court, the prisoners were visited daily by their zealous advocate*
but alas, with an increased air of concern as the time passed away
without bringing any accession of strength to his cause, and with-
out, as far as he could read the signs of the hour, diminishing the
ferocity of pursuit with which it had too evidently been decided
that his clients were to be hunted down.

The Polander observed his generous grief, and begged him not
to be distressed on his behalf.

** I see it all," he said ; " they cannot spare me, if they intend
to convict any. The principal must be punished, or the acces-
sories must all be acquitted, and England is not generous enough
for that."

" I fear you are right ; but we will try."

" Try, but do not fear ; at least, not for me. I shall not
tremble before my judges, and if they send me to the scaflfold, I
do not think I shall tremble there."

It would be a painful task, and one which the progress of our
history doos not demand, to dwell upon the details of a trial
which was destined to result, asthe most hopeful: could not fail to
foresee, in a sentence of death. Trial it could scarcely be called,
for the defendant had pleaded guilty to being found in arms against
the government, leaving it to his counsel to establish if possible

220 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

fiis position, that the contest was of such a character as to entitle
any foreigners who had been engaged in it to all the immunities
of prisoners of war, or that, if any crime had been committed, it
was not of a capital nature. In all this, of course, he failed, and
in every appeal, either to court or jury, for a recommendation to
the mercy of the sovereign.

Stony hearts decided his doom, and stony eyes, from which no
pity gleamed, rested on the friendless foreigner, as his dreadful
sentence was pronounced. How nobly he bore it all, how man-
fully he met his fate when the dreadful day of doom arrived ; what
countless tears fell on Freedom's shores at the recital of his sad
story, history has told, and future ages will know.

He was executed in Fort Henry soon after his trial, at the age
of thirty-one, leaving, say his historians, "a proud name to be
handed down to posterity with those of Steuben, De Kalb and
Kosciusko."

CHAPTER XXIX.

LIGHT IN A DUNGEON.

Vrail did not see his friend again after the trial of the latter
They had parted like brothers on the morning of that sad day,
each exhorting the other to good courage, and each almost as
solicitous for the other's safety as for his own ; but after convic-
tion Van Shoultz was removed to other quarters until his execu-
tion, and Harry, plunged in the deepest dejection by the tidings
of his doom, awaited without hope the summons to his own
trial.

This event did not, however, immediately occur. Col. Abbey,
Col. Woodruff, and some other gallant men, were first tried, con-
victed, and sentenced to the same doom with their leader, and all
like him suffered death on the scaffold, meeting their fate with a
dignity and fortitude which proclaimed the native heroism of
their hearts. -

Many of the prisoners, including Harry, and his inseparable
companion, Brom, were, in the meanwhile, removed from the fort
to the city prison, a large stone building which stands in a central
part of the town, and which is provided with a permanent gallows
accessible from an upper story, and of a capacity to do a three-
fold work of death.

Seated in his cell, within this dreadful abode, a few evenings
preceding the day for which his trial was finally appointed,
Harry was startled from a gloomy revery by the approach of a

221

222 THE PEISONEE OF THE BORDER.

turnkey accompanied by a stranger, who, being conducted to the
door of his cell, was informed by the officer, as he turned away,
that he would call for him in half an hour. Vrail could not dis-
tinguish the visitor by the dim light, but supposing him to be
some messenger from his counsel, he awaited without much
curiosity the announcement of his errand.

" You don't know rae, I s'pose, Harry Vrail," said a voice of
friendly cadence, while the speaker's face was pressed almost
against the bars of the cell door.

The prisoner came quickly forward, and peered closely at the
half-visible countenance, on which a faint light from the hall
rested.

** I cannot see you," was the quick reply ; " but the voice is
like one I have heard in H . Tell me quickly if this is so."

" Yes, I am your neighbor, Garret Van Vrank."

" Garry Van Vrank ! Is it possible ? What good angel has
sent you here, Garry ; but before you answer this, or any other
question, tell me whether you know anything of poor Tom's
fate?"

" Yes, I know all about him. He is perfectly safe and well,
and is now at Ogdensburgh."

" Thank Heaven for that ! Thank Heaven for that !" exclaimed
the prisoner, drawing a long free breath, for his inhalation had
been suspended while he awaited, in great anxiety, the answer to
his question. " Safe and well ! You really remove a mountain
from my heart, ray dear friend, by bringing me such news as this.
Tom is safe — safe — safe ; thank Heaven for this great mercy !
Fortified by the knowledge of this fact, I almost feel as if I could
defy my judges to da their worst."

" You mustn't talk so, Mr. Vrail ; that won't make matters any
better, you know,* and your life is worth as much as Tom's —
rather more, I should say."

"Than Tom's! Why, bless you, my dear fellow, you don't

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 223

know Tom. He is worth a dozen such as me. Thank Heaven,
again, that he is free !"

** But you are not," replied Van Vrank, designedly rattling the
grated door of his cell, to awaken the unselfish man to a sense of
his own condition.

" No," answered Harry, " and I am not like to be ; but let me
ask you, friend Garret, how is it that you, on whom I have no
claims, have come to see me in my adversity ?"

" Well, never mind about that, Mr. Vrail. I am here, prepared
to do anything for you that I can, which, I fear, isn't much, but
what I am come for to-night, mostly, is to let you know that you
have friends at hand, who are ready and anxious to help you."

" Friends, Garry ? Who are they ? Who besides you ? My
grandfather is certainly not here V

" No — but do you know a young girl "by the name of Ruth
Shay?"

" Yes, I know almost an angel of light by that name. Is
that dear child with you ?"

** Yes, she is in the city. She brought the news of your cap-
ture to H , and I have come with her to see if we could do

anything for you."

Harry's heart sunk within him as he thought of the utter
inutility of any such aid, but he was too generous to allow his
disappointment to appear.

" I am certainly very grateful for this kindness, both yours and
hers," he said ; " and if there is any way that you can serve me, I
will be sure to let you know. I can think of nothing better now,
than that you should both go and see my counsel, Mr. Strong, and
tell him all that you know about me. He can tell better than I
whether you can be of service, or not."

'* That is part of my errand here to-night, to learn whether you
have a lawyer engaged, and who he is. She wants to see
him."

224 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

" What, Ruth does ? What can she have to say to him ?"

Van Vrank hesitated and stammered, and finally added,

"I should say, we want to see him ; so you will please to give
me his nan!e and number on a slip of paper, and we will go and
find him early to-morrow morning, or perhaps this evenitig/'

" It is not yet too late, and there is but little time to spare.
You can easily see Mr. Strong this evening, if you will."

Garry said he would certainly make the attempt, and in order
to lose nothing by delay, he would depart at once. A few hurried
questions of Vrail, in relation to his grandfather, and some other
friends at H , including Miss Van Kleeck, were as hastily an-
swered by the visitor, who was about to depart in search of the
warder who had admitted him, when he was accosted by a voice
from an adjoining cell.

" Massa Van Vrank ! Massa Van Vrank ! please to step dis
a-way a minute. ' Fse here, too ; you don't ax no questions about
me ; but I 'clare I'm very glad to see you."

" Well, Brom, I should be very glad to see you too, but I can't,"
said Garret, peering into his cell, where the few rays of light
which entered, found nothing to reflect them, and the negro might
be said to be quite invisible. " I forgot that you were here," con-
tinued the visitor, talking in the direction whence the other's voice
proceeded, " though I now remember hearing that you went to
the war."

" Yes, I did, Massa Van Vrank ; but I wish I hadn't, nor Massa
Harry too. You see, it hasn't turned out just as we 'spected, and
now I am very afraid it will go hard with Massa Harry, for dey'se
hanging 'em up here every few days, like strings of onions, three
at a time, right back of the jail here."

" Is it possible, Brom ?"

" Yes, Massa Garret ; only dis mornin' dey turned oflf thre^ twc
colonels and a captain : they walked right past here, and nodded
good-bye to Massa Harry as they went along. Dey never flinched,

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 225

only one on 'em shivered a little when he first saw the gallows—
but he only said, * It is a cold morning/ and went on."

" It is very horrible ; but where is the gallows you speak
of?"

" Right dere, at the end of that long hall you is in now."

" What ! in the house ; and up here in this story ?"

" No, no, Massa Van Vrank, at the end of this long hall is a
large door, opens out-doors. Jes s'pose you going to be hung,
now. You walk right out of that door on to a little platform, big
enough to 'commodate three men ;^that platform is a trap door ;
you all three stand on it ; den dere is three ropes hang down from
a beam over head ; den "

" That's enough, Brom. I understand it. I don't want to hear
any more about it."

" Den you "

- " Never mind."

" Dey put the rope on you "

*' That will do."

" And knock de bottom out of de trap-door," continued the per-
tinacious negro; " and you drop down great ways — partly behind
a stone wall which is built up outside, so dat de crowd can't see
nothin' but your head and shoulders. One of de jailers told me
all about it, to 'muse me, one mornin' when I felt bad."

" Does Mr. Vrail know all this ?"

" I tink he does."

" And yet he does not seem much frightened."

" Massa Harry is a berry brave man, and he is berry good man
too. He tell me to trust in the Lord, and if I fear him, I needn't
fear anybody else, and dat's what I'm going to do — but I 'fraid for
Massa Harry, 'cause he was an officer, and they hang all de
officers."

Leaving the African to his clouded faith, and promising to see
him again on the morrow, Garret stepped back to the cell of Vrail,

10*

226 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

and thrusting a purse through the bars, which fell heavily to the
floor, he whispered —

"There is what may possibly, be useful to you, and if you want
twenty times that sum, or more, it will be ready for you to-mor-
row. It is not my gift, but it comes from one who makes you as
welcome to it as you are to the air you breathe."

Before the astonished listener could ask any questions, his visitor
was gone, and he remained lost in wonder as to who could be the
mysterious benefactor who was willing • to contribute so freely to
his necessities, but the question admitted of no approach to a
solution. He raised the heavy purse, and from such examination
as he could give it, he became satisfied that its contents must be
very valuable, and again he fell to wondering who among all his
friends would be willing to sacrifice even that large amount for
his sake, to say nothing of that greater sum, of which this was but
an earnest. His grandfather and his brother, he knew, were en-
tirely unable to command any such sums, and besides, there could
be no reasons for secrecy in imparting anything they had to offer
for his assistance. He could not indeed imagine why any one
who was willing to befriend him so nobly, should not do so openly,
but supposing that the mystery was only a temporary one, which
would soon be disclosed, he checked his curiosity as best he could,
and began to reflect whether he could make any use of the means
so liberally provided. He could think of no mode of applying it,
except by more largely feeing his counsel, and by empowering
him to employ additional aid among the most eminent of his legal
brethren, and this he resolved to do on the morrow. For the pre-
sent hour, he determined to provide for the comfort of himself and
his sable attendant, beyond the bare necessaries which had been
furnished them, and thus prepare for a better physical endurance
of their approaching trials, for although Brom's means were not
exhausted, he prudently reserved them for emergencies, never
dreaming of bestowing anything on luxuries, and least of all, for

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 227

himself. His fund was a sacred one, pledged for Harry's benefit,
and for that alone he was resolved it should go.

When, therefore, the warder next came his rounds, he was
startled not a little by a request from a prisoner who had before
accepted ungrumblingly the coarse fare of felons, for a substantial
supper of such viands as gentlemen are accustomed to order at the
best hotels, and this, not only for himself, but for the humble
African in the adjoining cell. " Could this be done ?" he inquired.

" Yes, if it was paid for," was the curt reply ; " but it won't be
cheap."

" I suppose not. I can pay fot all I order, and, also, for your
trouble. Next, we want clean, comfortable beds and bedding in
both cells. Will you be allowed to furnish us with these things ?"

" There is no rule to prevent your having such accommoda-
tions, if, as I said before "

" I understand. Here is money enough to pay for it all, and
to pay yourself, and you shall have more if my orders are faith-
fully executed."

The turnkey stepped back a few paces, and held up towards the
light the two gold-pieces which had been put in his hands, and
having become satisfied of their genuineness, he returned with a
smile of very evident satisfaction on his lips.

" It shall all be done as you wish," he said. " Is there anything
else ? Would you and the colored gentleman like to have your
supper together ?"

" We should ; but there is not suflScient room in either cell —
we must remain as we are."

" To-morrow, perhaps, you can be better accommodated. There
is a larger room, which is now occupied by two, but which will
be vacant in the morning," said the turnkey, glancing expressively
towards that end of the Hall which might be said to open into
eternity. " If you would like to have your servant with you, I
think I could manage to procure that room for you."

228 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

" I would like it, and I will pay your price for it," replied
Harry.

" There is no price, of course, for this kind of lodgings," said
the other, smiling ; " and whatever you may choose to give me,
of course you won't say anything about it to him, if he should
come to see you."

By him, Harry understood the man to mean his principal, and
he readily gave the required promise of secrecy, after which the
turnkey withdrew. The promised change of rooms was never
eflfected, but in other respects the warder fulfilled his engage-
ments. In due time the viands for which Harry had stipulated
were brought up, greatly to the delight of Brom, whose appetite
was in no way impaired by his imprisonment, and who had
grumbled much at the coarse fare to which he had before been
confined. Knowing nothing of his master's private arrangements
with the turnkey, he looked upon this change of treatment as a
favorable omen, indicating a merciful feeling on the part ol
government, which would doubtless result in their release. This
hope was increased into something like certainty, when a servant
came to replace the folded blanket, which had been the only bed
on his cold cot, by a substantial mattress, and to cover this, in
turn, with real sheets and comforters, not omitting even the luxury
of a pillow.

" Tank you very much," he said ; " if ever you come my way,
rU do as much for you. Tank you, dat will be soft and warm,
and please to take dem old bed-clothes away — I tink dere is
sometin' in dem wid teeth. Tank you, good night, and please to
bring me jis such a breakfast to-morrow mornin' as dis I jis
had."

Gratified, but not surprised at being informed that his morning
meal should be as good as his supper, and having satisfied himself
that his master was faring in every respect as well as himself,
Brom retired peacefully to bed, more with the exultation of a

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 229

liberated man, than with the forebodings of a prisoner in jeopardy
of death.

With less hope, yet without despair, Vrail sought his couch,
after committing himself trustfully to His care to whom prison
gates and bars are like " the spider's most attenuated thread," and
whose holy will alone, he knew, must control his fate.

CHAPTER XXX.

A MYSTERIOUS CLIENT.

On that same evening, Counsellor Strong, while seated in the
midst of his family circle, endeavoring to divest his mind of pro-
fessional cares, yet unable to banish from his thoughts the import-
ant trial in which he was so soon to take a conspicuous part, was
informed by a domestic that a gentleman and. two ladies desired
to see him on business. The visitors had been shown into the
library of the lawyer, and thither he immediately repaired,
wondering not a little at so untimely a call, and still more sur-
prised when He perceived that the parties awaiting his entrance
were all entire strangers to him.

Gertrude Van Kleeck, notwithstanding the energy and reso-
lution which had enabled her to do so much, was continually em-
barrassed and agitated by each new step in her great enterprise,
and when she found herself in the presence of the learned advo-
cate whom she had so longed to meet, and whose deportment,
though mild, was dignified in the extreme, she was at an utter
loss how to introduce the painful subject of her mission. She
looked at Garret, but he was biting his glove in still greater em-
barrassment than herself; she looked at Ruth, and she, with
flushed face and flashing eye, sat leaning forward on her chair, as
if scarcely restrained from springing toward the lawyer to implore
his powerful aid.

" You desired to see me, I believe,^* said the barrister, address-
ing the gentleman of the party."

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 231

" Y-yes — sir," said Van Vrank, " this young lady wishes to see
you."

" Yes, sir," said Gertrude, but she could not fix upon4he next
word.

'* Yes, sir," exclaimed Ruth, impatiently, rising as she spoke,
and advancing close to the counsellor's side, " we have come to see
you about poor Harry Vrail ; we have come hundreds of miles — we
want you to save him — you must save him !" she said, looking
tearfully into the lawyer's eyes ; " we all want to do all we can for
him, and we want you to tell us what we can do. Now, Miss Van
Kleeck, you please to speak to him — you can tell him so nauch
better than I." ..

" I believe, sir," said Gertrude, emboldened at length to speak,
" that I cannot better explain the object of our visit to you than
this child has already done. We are friends of Mr. Vrail, and are
most anxious to serve him, and having heard that you were act-
ing as his counsel, we have taken the liberty of calling on you at
this unseasonable hour. I hope, sir," and Gertrude's voice sank
almost to a whisper, " that you do not consider him in very great
danger."

" I am very sorry to say," replied the lawyer, looking compas-
sionately upon his beautiful visitor, " that I entertain the most
serious fears iu his behalf. I have been told to-day that the proof
with which the prosecuting attorney is furnished in his case is very
clear and positive, and that it will show, not only that he was
engaged in the battle at Windmill Point, but that he was a com-
missioned officer. I hope there may be some mistake about
this."

Mr. Strong saw that the young lady turned very pale as he
spoke, and he added the last sentence by way of a restorative.

" But if all this should be proven," asked Gertrude, desperately,
" it does not surely follow that there is no hope for him ?" '

" If these facts should be fully proven, there would be no pos-

232 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

sibility of avoiding a conviction^ and all further hope must be in
the mercy of the queen, who might pardon him, or commute the
death penalty to transportation."

" But the queen would surely be merciful, for she is a woman,"
exclaimed Ruth. " I would go to her myself; I would tell her all
about him, and I would bring back the pardon. I know she would
give it to me."

Gertrude did not speak, but with a hope, something like
Ruth's, in the mercy of the sovereign, she anxiously awaited the
lawyer's opinion.

" I think it highly probable," replied Mr. Strong, " that her
majesty w9uld have listened favorably to petitions in behalf of
many of those who have already suffered, if they could have
reached* her ears, but the great misfortune in these cases is that,
unless the jury or the court recommend the prisoner to mercy, or
unless the governor of the province interferes to suspend the sen-
tence, there will be no time to apply to a monarch living three
thousand miles distant."

" Then we will go to the goverijor," said Miss Van Kleeck, in
a low voice, *' and wherever else there is the least hope of doing
anything. We are prepared to make every effort that it is pos-
sible to make."

** And every effort will be perfectly useless," thought the law-
yer, as he reflected on the character of the jurors and the judge
who were to try the accused, and on the fate which all similar
applications to the governor had hitherto met with ; but he did
not utter these sentiments, and he tried not to show them in his
countenance.

" You are right," he said to Miss Van Kleeck ; " but the first
step is to prepare for the trial. 1 should be glad if there were
means to procure the aid of additional counsel, which might pos-
sibly increase our slight chances of success."

" We are fully prepared on that point," replied Gertrude;

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 233

quickly ; ** we can amply remunerate both yourself, and all whom
you see fit to call to your aid.'^

" I fear you speak without a full knowledge of the weight of
such expenses. I should, indeed, be relieved if we could com-
mand means sufficient to bring Counsellor H , of Toronto, to

our aid. He is a man of the highest talent and influence, and he
has had much experience in these State trials in his own city, and
always, of course, on the defence.''

Gertrude had deposited one of her large bills of ex<;hange in a
bank at Kingston, since her arrival, and she was entitled to draw
upon that institution for the amount of it, at such times and in
such sums as she chose. Without further reply to Mr. Strong's
doubts, she asked him for a blank check, and it having been fur-
nished, she requested him to fill it with whatever sum he could
in any way make serviceable in the cause he had undertaken.
Amazed at so extraordinary a carte blanche, the lawyer sportively
filled the draft with an order for a thousand pounds, and handed
it to the lady, closely watching her countenance as he did so.
Gertrude glanced at the sum without any signs of surprise, and
really with no emotion but that of pleasure, for she thought if so
large an amount could be properly used on the trial, by a man of
whose integrity she had the strongest assurance, it must be with
some- prospect of success. Seating herself composedly at the
writing-desk of the barrister, she signed the check without speak-
ing, and handed it to him.

** Is it possible ?" exclaimed the counsellor, gazing at the paper
a moment, with a smile. " Did you really mean to place this
large sum of money at my disposal ?"

He tore the check into fragments as he spoke, and threw
them into the grate. Gertrude now looked surprised in turn.

^* A fifth of this sum," he continued, "will abundantly repay all
ttje professional aid we can bring to your friend's cause, and I am
very happy, both for your sake and his, that you have the means

234: THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

to make so great an effort in his behalf. I shall be able to add

Mr. Solicitor M , also, to our legal team, and also to procure a

few professional claqueurs^ for out-door work ; for we must some-
times resort to means like these in the cause of humanity.

" I do not quite understand you, but I have all confidence in
your discretion and ability .''

" Why, you must know that it is sometimes possible to create a
little public sentiment in relation to an approachfng or pending
trial, and if such means are ever justifiable, they certainly must be
so in combating the very violent and fierce spirit which prevails,
in some classes of our community, towards the unfortunate Amer-
ican prisoners."

" Is there really so much hostility against them ?'' asked Gert-
rude, shudderingly.

" Yes ; but we must admit .that the provocation has not been
slight. Let us hope, however, that the government and the peo-
ple have become satisfied with victims, and that a milder spirit
may begin to prevail. I must warn you, however, not to indulge
in anything like sanguine expectations of the success of our efforts.
A very moderate amount of hope is the utmost that I dare to en-
courage."

A heavy sigh was Gertrude's only response to this remark, and
it did not escape the observing eye of the barrister that a tear
stood upon the cheek that was half averted from his gaze. He
proceeded to question her at some length with a view of ascertain-
ing whether there were any point on which she, or either of her
companions, could give any useful testimony for the prisoner, but
unfortunately there was nothing to which they could testify which
would be pertinent to the defence, and Mr. Strong became con-
vinced that the only hope of evading a conviction must be in the
possible insufficiency of the government testimony against the pri-
soner. Every effort was to be made to assail and break down this
evidence, or, at least, to cast enough of doubt around it, to enable

THE PEISONER OF THE BORDER. 235

a jury, whose hearts should first be awakened to some touch ot
compassion, to acquit the prisoner if they would.

There might, indeed, be some strong legal points made for the
accused in relation to the nature of the offence, if proved, but on
all such grounds, he knew from experience, that there was almost
nothing to be hoped from the court with which he should have to
deal.

Having taken the address of his visitors, and promised to call
and see them the next morning, for further consultation, they took
their leave, but not before Miss Yan Kleeck had placed in his
hand another check for the smaller, but still considerable amount,
which he had named.

With alternating hope and fear, Gertrude retired that night to
a sleep in which there was no repose. Frightful dreams haunted
her pillow, dreams of every variety of wildness and incoherence*
yet all agreeing in presenting to her distracted mind the figure of
a chained prisoner, whose pale and boding face was ever the same,
and whose only words were those of sad farewell which she had
last heard in her own home, and the accents of which a faithful
memory had preserved to be the instruments of her torture now.

CHAPTER XXXI.

AN UNLUCKY WALK.

Daylight dispelled the horrors of distempered dreams, only to
supplant them with more dreadful realities. It was a day of mili-
tary executions, and Gertrude did not escape the knowledge of the
appalling deeds which were taking place around her, and which
were reflected in painful significance from every face she encoun-
tered.

The streets were thronged with a mob of the lower classes,
gathering to witness the fearful tiagedy which was soon to be en-
acted, and, alas ! how often yet to be repeated !

She understood now why it was that Mr. Strong had proposed
to call upon her, on that morning, for further conference, instead
of requesting her to visit him at his place of business, which for a
lady would have been almost an impossible undertaking, and she
appreciated, too, the kind consideration which had foreborne to
allude to the cause of so marked a departure from professional
habits.

He came to find Gertrude prostrated with painful excitement,
yet rallying at his approach, and stimulated to fresh exertion for
her friend by the very terrors she had been obliged to contem-
plate.

There was little in the interview that needs to be narrated.
The lawyer had some further inquiries and some suggestions to
make, but he dealt out as sparingly as ever to his distressed client

886

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 237

the precious medicine of Hope. How Gertrude dwelt upon his
words to catch the meaning of each oracular sentence, and how
skillfully she extracted from them the most auspicious interpreta*
tion they could be made to bear ! How, when he was gone, she
tried to recall the exact words in which his views had been ex-
pressed, and the very tone and look which had given them signi-
ficance, ingeniously arguing herself into the belief that he enter-
tained a greater hope than he revealed to her !

The day wore heavily away, for having wisely confided all pre-
parations for the trial to- the able barrister, there was nothing that
she could do, excepting to await in painful inaction that great event

Van Vrank paid a second visit to the prisoner in the afternoon,
and during his absence, which was unexpectedly prolonged, Ger-
trude remembered that she had omitted to make a certain sugges-
tion to Mr. Strong which she thought it might be important to
bring early to his mind, and she looked anxiously and often for
Garret's return, in order that he might accompany her to the law-
yer's oflice. The streets had become comparatively quiet, although
there were still many passing, but there was no throng that could
prevent them being easily traversed by a lady under the escort of
a gentleman. But Garret did not come, and Getty grew more and
more impatient. As she went again and again to the window to
watch for his approach, she observed that the number of passers
still diminished in the streets, that there were more well dressed
people, and occasionally a pair of ladies unaccompanied by a gen-
tleman, and she began to contemplate venturing out with no other
attendant than Ruth. She would have engaged a carriage, but she
could not brook the delay which she had learned by experience
that such a step would occasion. It was not a long walk to the
barrister's office, which adjoined his house, and they both were
familiar with the way ; and while Gertrude yet hesitated, Ruth
herself proposed that they should go, and with her usual impul-
sive action, was almost instantly arrayed to start.

238 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

" We shall meet Mr. Van Vrank, I know," she said ; " and if we
don't, it is no matter. The sun is an hour high."

They went, and so slight was the obstruction in the streets that
Gertrude soon forgot her apprehensions, and under the refreshing
effects of a walk in the open air, she even obtained a momentary
respite from her more absorbing grief. When however,, they had
turned into another street, she became uneasy at observing that it
was less quiet than the one they, had left, and that occasional sounds
of wassail and revelling were to be heard from some of the lower
inns and drinking-shops which they were compelled to pass.
Groups of men of rough exterior were standing on grocery stoops,
and at the corners of the streets, noisily discussing the revolting
scenes of the day, and others whom they met, in boisterous parties
of two or three, gave similar evidence of having been witnesses
of the same fearful spectacle.

Gertrude and Ruth quickened their steps, for having accom-
plished more than half their journey, it was easier to proceed than
to return, and the evil neighborhood seemed to be of but brief ex-
tent. A little further on, the street bore a more respectable aspect,
and it improved in the distance into a genteel and fashionable vicin-
ity, but before attaining these promising precints, there were seve-
ral blocks to be passed, and a vacant lot of considerable extent.
While hastening to get past these dreaded localities, Gertrude's
alarm was greatly increased by observing that they were followed
by two men, who, without attempting to overtake them, seemed to
keep at a uniform distance in their rear. It might be accident, she
knew ; indeed she believed it was, and rapidly as she and Ruth had
been walking, they still increased their speed, but only to find, to
their great alarm, that their followers also walked faster than
before.

Miss Van Kleeck looked in every direction for some one to
whom she could appeal for help in case of necessity, but she saw
no one near them in the garb of gentlemen, and she was just try-

THE PRISONER OF THE BORBER. 239

ing to argue herself into the belief that her apprehensions were
groundless, when the elder and shorter of their pursuers stepped
suddenly in front of them, and peered into the face of Ruth.
Screaming and springing backwards, the terrified child attempted
to run, yet clinging to Gertrude, whom she tried to drag with her.

'*Tain't no use to scream, nor to run, Ruth," said the man, rush-
ing up, and seizing the girl by the wrist with a vice-like grasp.
*' Fve found you at last, and pretty company IVe found you in, too
— I know how all these fine clothes come. Ha! ha! ha !"

Ruth was so utterly overcome with fright at the sight of the
abhorred man who had so long been her master and tyrant, under
the name of relative, and her mind so readily fell back into its ac-
customed thraldom, that she could not articulate a word. In any
other presence or power, however great, she could have said some-
thing in self-vindication, but here was the man who from her ear-
liest infancy had controlled and subjugated her will, and whose very
voice and eye seemed to have power to re-impose upon her those
mental fetters which she had temporarily thrown off.

Gertrude, indeed, spoke for her friend, as soon as her great
terror permitted, but her faint voice was lost amid the jeers of a
mob which had gathered quickly around to witness the unusual
sport.

*' You can go, if you want to,^' said Shay ; " I don't want
nothin' of you ; though you ought to be took up, if rights was
done."

Placing Ruth between himself and his companion as he spoke,
they attempted to march off witli her, but the poor child having
recovered a little vitality, struggled violently, and called piteously
on Gertrude for aid.

" Oh, will no one help us?" exclaimed Miss Van Kleeck, flitting
around the outside of the circle of men and boys .interposed be-
tween her and her late companion; "is there no good man hero
to save the child ?"

240 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

" What's the row ?'' inquired one of a pair of shabby-genteel
young men, with cigars in their mouths, who came up at the mo-
ment an^i stopped near to Gertrude.

" Oh, sir, they are carrying off a little girl ; they have no right
to her, I assure you. Won't you please to stop them ?"

" Hallo there I" shouted one of the men, " let that girl alone,
won't you I Joe run around to the station and call a police officer
— we'll see about this"

" It's all right, Jem,'' said another, addressing the would-b«
philanthropist ; '* it's his daughter, and she ran away, and this
one is"

A wink finished the sentence, and the man, after staring a few
seconds rudely at Gertrude, passed on heedless of her protesta-
tions."

Shay and his assistant, in the meantime, had succeeded in start-
ing with their prisoner, whom they half dragged, half carried a
few steps, followed by the rabble, and by the almost swooning
young lady:

'' Bring her in here," said a burly, red-faced man, who had stood
in the doorway of his own grocery, watching the fracas, and who
now thought he could turn it to his own account, by getting the
crowd into his shop ; " bring her in here, and let's have the whole
story."

The mob poured into the groggery, nothing loth, completely
filling it, and Shay at once began to explain his conduct, which
was in substance as follows : The girl, he said, was his niece, but
that she in fact had always been the same as his daughter, as she
had lived with him since her infancy, and her parents were both
dead. She had been enticed away from his house by one of those
piratical Yankees who was to be tried and hung in a few days.
How she came here, he did not know, but he supposed after the
man's arrest she had fallen in with bad women, who had%brought
her here.

'* Tain't no use to scream, i;f r to run, Ruth," Faid the man, rushing up, aud
seizing the girl by the wrist with a rice-like gra?p. "I've found rou at last, and
pretty company I've found you in, too — I know how nil these fine clothes come,
n.i ! ha ! ha 1"— Page 239.

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 241

The grocery keeper said she ought to be ashamed of herself,
and a dozen others said the same, and whatever Ruth had to
say was lost in the clinking of glasses and decanters which fol-
lowed. Shay and his companions treated pretty freely, and alto-
gether a Bedlamite confusion was soon produced, during which
the child became mute, despairing, and motionless.

Gertrude had not waited to hear the speech of Shay, for she
saw that she could neither get into the room, nor be listened to
if she did. As a last hope, therefore, she ran up the street with
great rapidity towards the residence of Mr. Strong, hoping she
might get there in time to bring him to the rescue of her
friend.

From the moment that Ruth found herself in the power of her
soi-disant uncle, and deserted by Miss Van Kleeck, utter despair
took possession of her mind, benumbing all her faculties, and
rendering her incapable of any serious resistance to her perse-
cutor's designs. She felt certain that she was doomed to a return
to her former dreadful state of bondage, the horrors of which she
shuddered to contemplate, and that the late magical change in
her condition, with all its dazzling hopes for the future, was
to pass away like a dream forever. Without a struggle, for
struggles she had seen to be useless, she accompanied Shay to his
lodgings at a second-rate hotel in an obscure quarter of the town,
and she heard without reply the harsh invectives which he be-
stowed upon her by the way. It was even with something like
a sense of guilt that she listened to her tyrant, so great was his
influence over her, and so accustomed had she been to be told,
from her infancy, that she was perverse and wicked. He told her
now, what he had often said before, and what she feared was true,
that she had been given to him by her parents before their death,
and that he had the same lawful power over her until she came of
age, which her own father would have had, if living. There was no
law, he said, which could take her from him, and certainly no

242 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

one, and, least of all, any rascally Yankee, ever should be allowed
to do it without the help of the law.

The case looked too strong for hope, and so Ruth gave it up,
and thought the sooner it was all over, and she was back again to
feel the worst of what she had to endure, the better.

She soon learned there was to be no delay in sending her
home. Shay could not, indeed, himself leave the city, because
he was compelled to remain as a witness in the approaching trial
of Vrail. But Hull, the man who bad assisted in capturing the
child, was a neighbor of his, who having come to town on busi-
ness of his own, had been induced to take part in the rare sport
which had resulted so successfully, and was now made willing, by
a slight compensation, to hasten his departure for home, in order
to secure the trophy of his own and his friend^s valor. For Shay
had had a glimpse of Ruth's late protector, the heavy-fis'ted Gar-
ret, and notwithstanding his assumed confidence of retaining his
prize, he preferred not to come in conflict with the young man.
It had been, indeed, while Ruth was walking with him and Ger-
trude on the previous day, that Shay had first discovered and
recognized her, and he had been carefully watching, with his ally,
ever since for an opportunity to meet her unaccompanied by so
formidable a champion. Gertrude's presence alone had almost
deterred him from his design, for guilt is always cowardly ; but he
feared so good an opportunity might not again occur, and trust-
ing to the favorable locality in which he was enabled to encoun-
ter his victim, and to the promptness of his measures for removing
her beyond reach, he resolved on the attempt.

The inn at which he had taken lodgings, and to which he had
conducted Ruth, was not many rods distant from the steamboat
landing, and he remained with his friend and their trembling
prisoner in his room until a little before five o'clock in the after-
noon, which was the stated time for the vessel to start, when they
set out together for the boat. Ruth, of course^ had no baggage,

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 243

and Hull had only a light portmanteau, which he was about to
take in his hand, when the more wary Shay, beckoning to a stout,
broad-shouldered porter at the door, placed the box in his
charge.

" It is to go to the steamboat," he said, " and we want you to
keep close by us until we get on board. I will see you paid."

He added something in a low tone, which did not reach Ruth's
ear.

" Oh, if that's the cas^," said the porter, " you had better let
me call Joe, the ostler ; he's a jolly fellow for a row, and he'll be
glad to go."

" Let him come along, though I don't think there'll be any
trouble, for they'll be safe aboard in five minutes, and in ten more
the steamer will be under way."

Joe was called, however, and grinning with satisfaction at the
implied compliment to his prowess, he took hold of one end of the
small trunk, of which the porter held the other, and the two, car-
rying their light load like some plaything between them, followed
close on the steps of the travellers. Ruth did not suspect that
they were a guard for her, and having no longer any hope, their
presence, fortunately, gave her no additional apprehension. She
submitted passively to all the requirements of her master, walking
faster or slower, as directed by him, and even trying to remember
some messages which he bade her deliver to his wife when she
arrived at home. But the hated vision of that home rose before
her as he spoke, and with it came the sweet remembrance of all
which she had lost, renewing her agitation, and increasing it
almost to madness ; but she was hurried rapidly along, amidst a
crowd which thickened as they approached the wharf, among
(carriages, and carts, and porters staggering under heavy loads,
all hastening to the landing, where the ready vessel was adding
to and outsounding all the din with the noise of discharging
steam.

CHAPTER XXXII.

^ A /J K SHAY AND Ihl 8 GANG.

When the distracted Gertrude fled from the scene of her young
friend's capture to seek for aid, she ran, as has already been nar-
rated, with great rapidity towards the residence of Mr. Strong,
but soon exhausted by excitement, and by the violence of her
exertions, she was obliged to abate her speed to a fast walk. Even
this velocity her failing strength compelled her to diminish, until
her progression became like that of one who, in a dream, attempts
to fly from danger, and finds each step more difficult than the
last, until his limbs seem chained by some viewless power to the
earth. Compelled to pause, she looked back to see if the kidnap-
pers had yet emerged from the shop with their prisoner, but
seeing nothing of the crowd, she took courage, and with recovered
breath agam darted forward, heedless of the wondering gaze with
which she was followed, and of the hasty questions of sympathy
as she passed, for she had now reached the more genteel portion of
the street, but she dared not again trust to the championship of
strangers.

She did not see that doors were thrown open, and that windows
of stately dwellings were thronged with fair faces to behold her
flight; she did not heed that a gust of wind snatched the rich
tippet from her neck, and sent it whirling down the street ; she
only saw the near residence of the friend whose aid she sought, and
into whose office, panting, but speechless, she burst.

244

THE PEISONEE OF THE BOEDEl 245

The amazed lawyer rose hastily from his book-r^rewn table ; the
pens of half a dozen clerks became suddenly s^ouary, and all
eyes were turned upon the fair client, who stood supporting her-
self by the open door, vainly essaying to speak.

" Why, Miss Van Kleeck," exclaimed the barritter, advancing
quickly to her, and placing a chair at her side ; " pray be seated,
and tell me what is the matter. A glass of water here, George !
and Edwards, please to step into the house and bring some
wine."

Gertrude shook her head, and pushed aside the pr^ Tered water,
without thanks.

" You must go with me quickly," she said ; " I wilL tell you as
we go along."

** We shall lose nothing by knowing our businesc* before we
start," replied the lawyer, coolly taking his hat arad cane as he
spoke, but waiting for further information.

Gertrude was obliged to explain, but it was far froLi a lucid
statement which her agitation permitted her to make, yet by a
few rapid questions the barrister obtained all the facts which he
deemed it necessary to know.

" I can do nothing without process," he said ; " but I wiP. "

" Oh, no, no ; I cannot wait for that ; they will take bet away ;
I must seek help elsewhere."

" I will accompany you instantly ; but let me first leavC direc-
tions which will render my interference of service to you."

He quickly wrote on a slip of paper the names of tha ^ eces-
sary parties, and handed it to his most advanced student.

" A habeas corpus^ Mr. Jones," he said, " as quick as pet* can
draw it — Edwards will go for an officer while the writ is^ I nng
prepared, and one of the young men will be on the watch to tell
you as nearly as possible where to follow us ; I only know ihs^. it
is somewhere down this street. Mr. Thompson, you and 'Hp.
Smith may accompany us, if you choose."

246 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

This permission, wliich was equivalent to a command, was ac-
cepted with great alacrity by the individuals named, who, Ger-
trude did not fail to observe, were two of the stoutest young men
in the room, and who became at once the objects of envy to their
less favored companions.

"I say, Tom," said Thompson, lingering at the door a moment
until the lady and the barrister had passed out of hearing, " don't
hurry with that writ, you know ; give us a chaiice, and we'll do
it up without the sheriflP. Here, Sam, give us that other shil-
lelab ; that stupid Smith has actually gone with nothing but his
fists."

The students, each swinging a heavy cane, quickly overtook
their companions, and the whole party proceeded on a very rapid
walk down the street — the impatient Gertrude fairly dragging the
lawyer, whose offered arm she had accepted.

" Faster ! faster ! they will be gone," she said, " and then I
know I shall never see dear Ruth again — and he would be so
grieved if she were lost."

" You mean Mr. Vrail, I presume."

** Yes ; a little quicker — we are almost there now."

"We cannot go quicker without positively running," replied
the panting barrister, " and I really do not like to do that."

" The young lady gave a slight scream at this instant, exclaim-
ing, " Oh, there is Garry 1" and slipping her arm from that of her
grave companion, she darted across the street to meet ter, cousin,
and inform him of the great disaster.

The story was quickly told, and in another instant the alarmed
young man had joined the pursuers, or, rather, had preceded them,
and was the first to reach the shop designated by Gertrude as that
where she had left Ruth in charge of her kidnappers.

But here all was now quiet. The red-faced proprietor stood
behind his counter, leaning his elbows upon it, and watching a
game of draughts between two of his customers, who were seated

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 247

on a bencli, while a third was lazily lingering over the remains of
a glass of ale at the bar, and looking wishfully at the inacciessible
decanters behind it.

** No one else was there, and Garret, who thought he had mis-
taken the place, waited for the remainder of the party to come up,
which they did very quickly.

"They are gone! they are gone!" exclaimed Gertrude in de-
spairing accents. " Oh, why did I leave her ?"

" Are you quite certain that this is the place. Miss Van Kleeck !"
asked the barrister.

" Yes, certain ; that is the very man who asked them to come
in.^'

Mr. Strong stepped into the shop, and questioned the grocer,
who affected much ignorance on the subject.

There had been a great many people in his shop, he said, and
he had heard something about a young girl who had run away,
but he had been too busy waiting upon his customers to pay much
attention to the matter.

" Which way did they go with the girl ?"

" I did not rightly notice, but I think in that direction," lie said,
pointing down a street in which he knew they did not go.

"He said the girl would-be a hundred miles from here to-mor-
row morning," said one of the draught-players, " and he would see
that she did not get away again. He was a-going to send her
home with one of his neighbors to-night — that man, I suppose,
that helped to catch her."

" To the steamboat ! to the steamboat ! — it leaves at five o'clock !"
shouted Garret, leaping from the shop, and coursing the streets
like a greyhound on the chase.

The clerks followed at a less rapid pace, but still running, and
Mr. Strong, having the good fortune to catch sight of an unem-
ployed hackney coach, immediately engaged it for himself and
Gertrude, giving orders to drive with speed to the steamboat land-

248 THE PKISONEE OF THE I50RDER.

ing. There was need of Laste, for it lacked scarcely a Quarter of
an hour of the stated time for the vessePs departure.

The hackman did not spare his horses, but they did not over-
take the fleet Van Vrank, whose desperate eflforts were caused
by the painful reflection that if Ruth were lost it would be through
his remissness. Never for a moment abating his headlong velo-
city, and seeming by intuition to select the shortest routes, he
arrived, panting, at the crowded pier, long in advance of the im-
peded vehicle, and of his pedestrian followers. He was none too
soon. Scarcely had he stationed himself beside the passage-plank
which stretched from the wharf to the boat, where with flashing
eyes, he peered closely into the approaching throng of' passengers,
when, to his great joy, he discovered Ruth among them, closely
surrounded by her escort, and evidently quite submissive to them.

Fortunately, he was not seen, or, at least, was not recognized
by Shay or his friend, who, having accomplished so much of their
way without interruption, seemed no longer to anticipate trouble ;
and as they came to the plank they fell, for the first time, into
single file, for the purpose of more easily passing the return cur-
rent of porters, draymen, and others who were going out.

It was at this critical moment that Ruth felt an arm passed
gently around her waist, and found herself lifted up and borne
quickly in a lateral direction from the crowded gangway, where
she was set down in a comparatively open space.

She half uttered a scream, but catching a glimpse of her
friend, and hearing his well-known voice, she became silent, and
with quick perception and ready tact she obeyed him when he
directed her to stand behind him, for she saw her captors rushing
furiously after her.

Shay, although in front of the child at the time of her seizure,
had retained hold of her hand, and when she was snatched away,
he, of course, became aware of it, while Hull and the porters,
who were close behind, saw the whole transaction, which was too

THE PKISONEK OF THE BOKDEK. 24S

quickly done to admit of their interference. But they now rushed
pell-mell upon the daring intruder, and without a word of parley,
three of them assailed him at once, while the fourth, Shay him-
self, dodged around the combatants, seeking to seize upon and
regain his prize.

Garret, nothing daunted, succeeded, by a few well directed and
ponderous blows, in speedily grounding two of his enemies, but
the pugilistic ostler, who was, unfortunately, a well-trained boxer,
proved a more serious antagonist, dealing him some heavy hits,
and affording little opportunity for any effective return.

A crowd, of course, gathered around them, some greatly enjoy-
ing the sport, and some seeking to terminate the combat, but the
absence of police force, as usual on such occasions, prevented any
effectual interference with the affray. Van Vrank was impeded
by the necessity of retaining a position which should shield Ruth
from her watchful adversary, who was too wary to come within
the sweep of his long arms, and who resorted to invective as a
substitute for valor. He denounced Garret as a scoundrel Yankee,
who had stolen his niece, and wanted to carry her off to the
States, and he asked the people if they would stand by and see it
done.

" Shame ! shame ! do you' want more than four to one ?" shouted
a porter, who stood, with a heavy trunk on his shoulder, watching
the combat, and a laugh among the crowd indicated a sympathy
with the weaker party.

" She isn't his niece, gentlemen," said Garry, knocking down
the venturous Hull, for the second time, as he spoke, and then
continuing his remarks, with a watchful eye upon the ostler, and
apparently without much fatigue ; " he stole the child himself,
and I am her friend and protector."

A shriek from Ruth at this moment indicated some new dan-
ger, and, at the same instant, Garret felt himself grasped from
behind by the resuscitated porter, while the two other assailants

11*

250 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

at once grappled with him in front, and despite the most Hercu-
lean efforts, he was borne to the ground.

" Now's your time !" shouted Hull ; and Shay, who seemed to
be of the same opinion, improved the moment to rush forward
and grasp the trembling girPs arm, and by some threatening
words, in that voice so sure to subdue her, he compelled her
silence, (who was there now to appeal to ?) and half led, half
dragged her onward. Hull followed, leaving the prostrate man to
the care of the two menials, for the boat's bell was ringing for
the last time, and there was but a few remaining minutes to
secure their passage.

But at that instant other actors came upon the stage. The stu-
dents, Thompson and Smith, made their appearance, panting, in
the crowd, and confronted the luckless Shay, at the moment that
he was about to step for the second time upon the vessel.

" Stand back here, if you please I" shouted Thompson ; " I
have a writ for you, sir !" (The writ was half a mile behind.)
" No kidnapping here, if you please !"

" Not on British soil," interposed Smith, bluffly, taking hold
of one arm of the bewildered girl, while his companion grasped
the other. " Please to consider yourself in our custody, and fol-
low us."

The air of authority with which the young men spoke,
and their genteel dress and bearing, had an efiect for a
moment, but the cunning Shay, after an instant's reflection,
demanded to see the process by virtue of which they assumed to
act.

" Oh, you'll see it soon enough ; come along, sir !" said Thomp-
son, who was quite willing that his orders should be disregarded,
if they could succeed in getting off with Ruth, with whom they
had begun to retreat through the crowd.

" All ashore that's going !" shouted a voice from the boat, and
the amazed Shay, who saw himself so nearly foiled by what he

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 361

began to believe a raere trick, rushed desperately after the young
men, accompanied by Hull, and calling loudly also upon his
other allies for help.

They were quite at liberty, for Garret had shaken them off,
and regained his feet, and was at the side of Ruth and her new
protectors, quite willing and ready to encounter them afresh when
they came up, but fortunately the tardy arrival of a pair of police
officers prevented a new collision.

Shay appealed vociferously to the men in authority to restore
to him his niece, who, he assured them, was being forcibly taken
away from his fightful control, and as his companion Hull and
the two porters seconded his assertions, he seemed likely to prove
successful.

*' Ask the girl herself whether we are taking her against her
will," said Thompson to the officer. t

^' Oh, no, no," cried Ruth ; " don't let him get me again," and
she clung close to the side of the protecting student, as Shay
advanced towards her.

" It's no matter what she says, you know," added Hull ; " she
is but a child, and he is her uncle and lawful guardian. She
wants to run away with them chaps. Be quick, now, my men, or
the boat will be off."

"Don't hurry," said Garry, laughing ; "here comes a man who
can tell you the whole story, gentlemen, and who can tell you
what you ought to do. Here's 'Squire Strong."

The lawyer's carriage, which had been long impeded by the
throng of vehicles on the wharf, stopped at their side as he spoke,
and Gertrude gave a shout of joy as she saw Ruth so near her.

Mr. Strong leaped out, and speedily learning how affairs stood,
he said to the officials, who knew him well —

" You perceive that there is no proof of any kind that this
man is what he claims to be, a relation and guardian of the child.
Let her, therefore, decide for herself with whom she will go. li

252 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

with me, I will be responsible for her appearance, whenever
legally called upon."

" All right, sir ; we know you ; let the girl choose," replied
one of the officers.

" Who will you go with, Ruth ?"

" With Gertrude ! with Gertrude !" she exclaimed, giving a
frightened look at Shay, and then darting to the carriage, the
door of which had been left open, and springing in, she threw
herself sobbing into the arms of her delighted friend.

Utterly baffled and discomfited, and conscious that he had not
even a pretext for any proceedings to recover his lost slave, for
she was nothing more to him, the enraged Shay muttered some
idle threats, aud turned away, accompanied by his coadjutors,
while a very decided cheer arose from a portion of the crowd who
had been interested spectators of the scene.

Garry, bruised, soiled, and with torn habiliments, was compelled
to accompany his friends in the carriage, but he was too much
delighted with the successful result of his championship, and with
the very evident gratitude of Ruth, to think of the sorry figure
which he made.

As to the students, it would be difficult to say, whether they
best enjoyed their own share in the exploit, or the great chagrin
of their colleague. Young, who came up, with his dilatory writ
and a pair of sheriflPs officers, just at the moment when all parties
were starting for home.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

A TRIAL AN UNEXPECTED WITNESS.

The delight which Gertrude experienced at the recovery of her
young friend, for whom her attachment had daily increased,
alleviated for awhile the intensity of that suffering which had
arisen from her apprehensions for Harry.

Success of any kind always strengthens the faculty of hope,
and Gertrude willingly allowed her joy to become an augury of
that greater happiness which, with almost sanguine expectation,
she dared to anticipate as near at hand. But ere the following
day had passed — that day which preceded the one on which
Harry's trial was to take place — her heart again failed, and she
looked forward to the great event of the morrow as one too
terrible in its possible results to contemplate.

She could not forget that her own friend, and the friend
and counsel of Harry, with every disposition to encourage
them both, had warned her again and again that there was
the greatest danger of his conviction, despite every effort that
could be made in his behalf ; and in her last interview with the
lawyer on that very day, the sad earnestness of his look and of his
voice had impressed her with all the overwhelming depth of his
own apprehensions.

Mr. Strong had advised both her and Ruth to be present at the
trial, though not informing her of his reasons for such a course,
and with great effort she resolved to comply with his request, for,

358

254 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

after all that she had undergone, she was unwilling to risk any-
thing for want of further endurance. Harry, indeed, would pro-
bably see her, and suspect her agency in his defence, but the
crisis was too great, and the events which depended on the
morrow's doings were too momentous to admit of being counter-
poised by any scruples on these points, how^ever commendable the
sentiment from which they sprung. Let him know all, if he
must. She asked nothing but to save him. Let the world deride,
if it would. She could bear even that, hut she could not bear the
reproaches of her own conscience, or the bitter grief of her heart,
if Harry were lost, and she had withheld any effort in his
behalf.

Ruth was eager to go. With her usually sanguine heart, she
believed that she could do something, she knew not what, to
assist the prisoner ; and her confident anticipations strengthened
the heart of Gertrude, and emboldened her for the performance
of her passive, but painful task.

Yan Vrank had continued to pay daily visits to the prisoners,
and contributed in every practicable way to their comfort, and
had given them what encouragement he dared to ofier of a safe
deliverance ; but Harry did not allow his mind to be dazzled by
a hope which he knew might prove entirely illusive. Yet life
had become doubly dear to him since he had suspected — for some-
thing had awakened the suspicion — that his unavowed but power-
ful benefactor was she to whom his heart had so long paid its
secret homage. Not that he by any means supposed his affection
to be reciprocated by Gertrude, for with his knowledge of her
generous and compassionate nature, he could account for her con-
duct without resort to so pleasing a hypothesis. He did not
indeed suspect half that she had done and was doing for him —
he did not dream that she was in Canada, that she was near him,
that she had personally employed and consulted counsel in his
behalf, and, least of all, that she was to be in attendance upon his

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 255

trial ; but if he had known all these things, he would still have
looked upon them as the results of a noble philanthropy alone.

The day and the hour so long anticipated came at last, and
Harry Vrail was taken from prison and conducted to the place
of trial. Though he went forth with sad forebodings of his return
in perhaps a few short hours as a condemned and doomed man,
yet he went with firm and elastic tread, and his face, radiant with
the fresh light of youth, was free from all trace of the anxiety
which, despite the trustful -and resigned tenor of his contempla-
tive moments, -now forced itself upon his mind. He saw with a
shudder the dread instrument of death as he passed it, but at the
next instant his eye rested tranquilly upon the calm blue sky,
from which it had been so long excluded, seeming to imbibe its
serenity and to reflect its radiance.

Apparelled with care for the occasion, yet without any ap-
proach to gaudiness, the unconscious elegance and refinement of
his appearance, and his youthful and innocent look, seemed to
impress all beholders as he entered a crowded court-room, be-
tween two grim custodians, and took his seat in the prisoner's
box, while his vigilant guards ranged themselves carefully on either
side.

Remote from him, heavily veiled, and with eyes veiled yet more
by streaming tears, two trembling females sat, amidst many others
of their sex, in a portion of the room allotted to ladies, and
which, as now, was often crowded during trials of great interest,
or when any distinguished forensic display was anticipated.

Everything was ready for the opening of the trial, and the pro-
cess of empanelling the jury was at once commenced, but was
greatly protracted by a free use on the part of Mr. Strong of the
prisoner's right of peremptory challenge.

Many were set aside whom the lawyer happened to recognize
as violent partisans of the government, and as vindictive opponents
of the revohitionists, and many more with whom he was not per-

256 THE I'RISONER OF THE BORDEE.

sonally acquainted, were refused on the advice of his secret agents
at hand, who knew or fancied some cause of distrust.

Some, again, the astute counsellor rejected without a question,
solely on account of their appearance, and before the panel was
finally filled, he had exhausted nearly the whole privilege, exten-
sive as it is, which the law humanely allows to every man who is
on trial for his life.

The prosecuting attorney, a harsh, severe man, of a very
pompous air, who had been accustomed to do up his work on
these state trials with very little opposition, and with every facil-
ity from a willing court, was surprised to find, on the present
occasion, an array of the most eminent talent engaged for the
prisoner, numbering not less than four of the very elite of the pro-
fession.

This circumstance, and the vigilance used in empanelling the
jury, convinced him, as he said in his opening address, that a
great eSbrt was to be made to rob justice of a victim, which
attempt he should trust to the good sense and loyalty of the jurors
to defeat.

The prisoner, although young, he said, had been an influential
and leading oflScer of the brigand band which had invaded the
province, and although they might not be able to prove positively
that he bore a commission in the army, they would at least show
that he was an intimate and confidential friend of the chief of the
banditti, who, thanks to the intelligence of a Canadian jury, had
already paid the forfeit of his crimes.

The irascible attorney grew excited as he proceeded in his
remarks, seeming to wax wroth at the bare contemplation of the
prisoner's escape.

Why so unusual an efibrt was to be made in his behalf, he said,
glancing at the silent but powerful legal army opposed to him,
he could not imagine, and he would not trouble the jury by con-
jecturing. It at least showed that the prisoner was a man of

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 257

means and influence, and, therefore, one of whom it was the more
necessary to make a striking example. The Fourth of July heroes
of Yankeedom, he said, had boasted over their wine cups how
their fathers had whipped the British, until some of them had
grown courageous enough to make an experiment of their valor
on Canadian soil. " Our soldiers," he concluded, " have done
their duty in conquering and capturing them ; it remains for us to
do ours^''

With great majesty of air, and with as much seeming confi-
dence in the success of the prosecution as if he were already
listening to the death-sentence from the court, the attorney sat
down and called, as his first witness, John Shay, by whom, he
said, he should prove the prisoner's confession, while taking refuge
in his house, that he was a member of the patriot army.

The circumstances of that confession, and the deceit and
treachery of Shay, which will be remembered by the reader, were
all well known to the defendant's counsel, who still hoped to make
a strong point on the non-identification of the accused as one of
the invaders. On merely legal exceptions, although prepared to
interpose a perfect net- work of these, they placed but little reli-
ance, for the court had again and again, in former trials, broken
down all these flimsy barriers. There was the less chance oi
technical objections, because the indictment had been framed
under a new law, passed since the border troubles began, expressly
for the trial of citizens of the United States who had taken up
arms against Canada, and who had entered the province with
hostile intent. Shay testified positively and with great alacrity to
all which the prosecuting oflScer had expected. He fully identi-
fied the prisoner as the man who had come to his house in the
evening, a few hours after the battle at Windmill Point, in com-
pany with a negro, both being armed. Their fatigue, their hunger,
their anxiety to be rowed across the river, and, finally, VraiPs
confession to him that they were patriots, escaped from the de-

258 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

feated army, were all positively and distinctly narrated, while
thousands of eager listeners held their breath to catch the fatal
testimony which fell from the witness.

He next proceeded to give the particulars of the arrest. He
left, he said, the defendant and the negro in his house, and went
to the "Point" for assistance. When he returned, accompanied
by soldiers, they "fled, were pursued several miles, and were
arrested in the very act of launching a boat in which to cross the
river to the States. ** If we had been three minutes later," he
added, exultingly, " we should have lost them."

The witness said nothing about his own pretence of friendship
for the fugitives, and for the patriot cause, by which he had won
their confidence, nor of his violated promise to aid in their escape ;
nothing, in short, which could fasten upon himself the merited
charge of falsehood and treachery. He found it, indeed, an easy
and gratifying task to tell his story on its first direct recital, and
had begun to fancy himself quite a hero in the estimation of
the audience ; but when the poor knave fell into the hands of Mr.
Strong on the cross-examination, both himself and his evidence
assumed a very different aspect.

Forced to testify to his own perfidy, and to his violated hospi-
tality, and driven, in the attempt to evade the truth, to a series of
contradictory and irreconcilable answers, the miserable man soon
found himself so thoroughly self-impeached, that even the prose-
cuting attorney angrily dismissed him from the stand.

A gleam of hope electrified the heart of the prisoner and his
friends at this result, but other witnesses were at once brought
forward. The soldiers who had assisted at the capture of Vrail
successively came upon the stand, and swore to all the particulars
of the arrest, but the utter darkness of the night had prevented
any of them from seeing his face at the time so as to fully iden-
tify it now. On reaching Prescott they had only seen his features
indistinctly as he passed into the jail, and on the ensuing morn-

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 259

ing, when the prisoners were brought out, this man now on trial,
they said, was among them, and was pointed out to them as the
individual they had captured on the previous evening. This was
the extent of their testimony, and the evident wrath and cha-
grin of the prosecutor showed very plainly that he considered it
of no value. It left everything uncertain. Even if the jury would
believe that the defendant was the person arrested by Shay and
his companions, there was no positive proof of his having been in
the battle. He had acknowledged nothing to the soldiers, and
Shay''s testimony of his confession, on which so great reliance had
been placed, was shaken beyond all hope of reparation.

When the court, showing some impatience, asked the prosecu-
tor who was his next witness, and when that baffled gentleman
replied, with a very disconcerted air, that he did not know, the
exultant expression of Counsellor Strong and his associates showed
plainly that they considered the battle won. A breath of relief,
long suspended, went up from the heaving breast of the excited
prisoner, and Gertrude, straining eye and ear to catch every
favorable indication, almost swooned with the tumultuous emotions
of her heart.

At this moment the figure of the repudiated Shay, gliding
through the crowd, approached the chair of the attorney gene-
ral ; his long arm, and his malign and cunning countenance were
stretched out towards that officer, and he whispered loud enough
to be heard half across the silent court room —

" Call Ruth ShayJ''

Counsellor Strong started as if electrified by the words — he
glanced at Vrail and saw that his countenance suddenly changed
to an expression of alarm — he looked at Gertrude, and he saw
her head droop slowly to the rail before her.

" Who is she, and what does she know ?" asked'the prosecutor,
impatiently.

" She is my niece — she was present — she knows all."

260 THE PRISONEE OF THE BOEDEK.

" Are you certain V was the quick, earnest response of the
eager kwyer.

" Certain."

" Did she hear the confession you speak of?"

" Yes — yes, everything — everything."

With all the exultation of look which the prisoner's counsel
had so lately exhibited, but had now, alas ! lost, their opponent
passed the name of the new witness to the crier of the court, and
at the next moment the arches of the building were ringing with
the words —

" Ruth Shay !"

Again and again was the summons repeated without response.

All eyes were turned towards the quarter where the ladies were
assembled, and many saw a trembling child hiding her face in the
lap of an older, but equally terrified companion, who was idly
trying to shield her from view.

CHAPTER XXXIV.

HEROISM.

The attorney-general immediately made out tlie necessary
legal process to enable him to enforce the attendance of the reluc-
tant witness, caused it to be served upon her, and informed her,
in as mild a tone as his habitual harshness could be softened into,
that she must come upon the stand.

She paid no heed to him, nor to the severer voice in which the
judge informed her that she must obey ; and when the sheriff, in
obedience to the mandate of the court, advanced and laid his

hand upon her arm, she gave utterance to a scream and partially
swooned.

In that condition she was brought forward, and placed upon a
chair on the witness stand, and when a glass of water had been
put to her pale lips, and a draught of air had been admitted from
an adjacent window, she revived and looked wildly around, seem-
ing yet scarcely conscious of her position.

The prosecutor being convinced that so reluctant a witness must
have decisive evidence to give, eagerly proceeded to his examina-
tion. The oath was recited to her inattentive ears, the Bible was
pressed against her unresisting lips, and a thousand heads bent
forward to catch the first tones of that voice which few doubted
must prove fatal to the hapless prisoner.

Ruth saw them not. She saw only the saddened face of Ilarry
Vrail, and the alarmed expression of Counsellor Strong, each of
whom was gazing intently at her. - At that moment a marked

261

262 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

change came over her countenance, a sudden color suffused her
fair, pale cheeks, her eye kindled with unusual light, and rested
with a proud, defiant look upon the lawyer, whose first questions,
in a conciliatory tone, had just fallen upon her ear.

" Ruth, do you know the prisoaer at the bar ? Have you ever
seen him before, and if so, please to tell the jury when and
where ?"

Such were the questions to which, amidst the profoundest
silence, all ears awaited an answer. But no answer came ; and
after allowing time for the child to recover from her embarrassment,
the question was repeated in a yet milder tone. Still there was
no reply, nor did Ruth's countenance give any indication of em-
barrassment or hesitation.

Again and again were the interrogations repeated with slight
variations in terms, but soon with a decided change of tone.
Severity took the place of gentleness, and wrath flashed from the
lawyer's eyes, as, in a loud voice, he commanded a reply, warning
her, at the same time, to remember her oath.

Ruth remained silent. Her countenance did not change. Her
eye, unquailing, met the fierce gaze of her questioner, and her
compressed lips spoke the firmness of her resolution. Only the
silent heaving of her chest evinced her deep emotion.

The attorney-general now informed the witness that she would
be compelled to testify, and that it was in his power to send her
immediately to prison if she continued refractory.

His threats and persuasions proving unavailing, the judge next
addressed her, with great dignity, yet with a kind air. He
informed her that it wus the duty of every good and loyal citizen
to give evidence against crime ; that she had no legal 'or moral
right to withhold her testimony out of regard for the prisoner,
and that her plain and only duty was to tell the truth, regardless
of consequences.

" Did she understand this V he asked.

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 263

Ruth gazed on him as she had at the attorney -general, with
the same fixed look, and in the same imperturbable silence.

" It is no idle threat," the judge continued, " which the prose-
cuting attorney has made. He has full power to commit you to
jail, and I am sorry to say it will become his duty to do so, if
you do not answer."

There was an increased color in the child's cheeks, but no
voice issued from her lips, which might have been marble for any
sign of opening which they gave.

" It would be a sad thing," continued his lordship, " to place a
young, fair girl, like you, within the stone walls of a solitary cell,
to remain night and day alone, to live on felon's fare, and sleep
on a felon's cot. Do you not think so ?"

No answer.

"This is no jest, Ruth! The laws must be sustained, and to
jail you will certainly go, if you do not testify. Do not think,
either, that your imprisonment will be brief. It may last for
months, aye, years, and this trial can be postponed to await the
end of your contumacy. What do you say to this ?"

Ruth said to this exactly what she had said to all the rest
— nothing.

" We are talking to a statue," said the judge. " The attorney-
general must do his duty."

That officer had made out the necessary process for committing
the witness, while the judge was addressing her, and now placed
it in the sherift's hands, still believing that it would not become
necessary to execute it, and that she would yield at the last.

He was mistaken. Ruth trembled, indeed, when the sheriff
approached her and informed her that she must accompany him,
but she obeyed in silence. Sol;)s were heard from every part of
the ladies' quarter of the room, and almost every man rose to
catch a more distinct view of the heroic girl as she passed from
the apartment.

264 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

" Who is your next witness, Mr. Gale ?" said the Judge, as soon
as quiet was restored ; and the prisoner's counsel, whose late
hopes had been revived and increased, were surprised to see that
the prosecuting officer appeared by no means disconcerted at the
question of his lordship; but that, on the contrary, there was an
unusual determination expressed in his face as he rose to reply.

"If it please your lordship," he said, *' I now propose to take a
step which I had by no means anticipated could become necessary
in a case like this, where the guilt of the accused is so certain
and ought to have been so easily susceptible of proof. But the ^
enormity of the ofience with which he stands charged, and a due
i:egard for the vindication of the law, and the safety of the pro-
vince, seem to me to justify a resort to those extreme measures for
procuring evidence which such emergencies require. There is
now lying in the city prison, a colored man who was arrested in
company with the prisoner, and who, like him, was a fugitive from
the brigand army. He is, I am told, an intelligent person, and in
every respect a competent witness, and, with your permission, I
shall call him to the stand."

" You are aware that he must be discharged from custody, if
we make use of him as a witness ?"

" Most certainly. I am prepared to enter a nolle prosequi upon
the indictment against him. The ends of justice scarcely require
such a victim, and no harm can result from his release. He has
evidently been the dupe of wiser heads, or rather of whiter ones,
for there seems to have been no wisdom in the aflfair at all."

" Let him be sent for, if you desire it, Mr. Gale. The court
has no disposition to interfere with your management of the case."

" The sheriff will then please to dispatch a messenger at once
for the witness, and 1 hope the court will instruct the officer to
see that no individual is allowed to have speech with the negro
until he is placed upon the stand."

Gale gave an angry glance at Mr. Strong as he made this

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 266

remark, as if he would insinuate that the contumacy of Ruth had
been the result of his advice or procurement.

" That is very proper," replied his lordship ; " the sheriff will see
to it."

Strong smiled quietly, and drummed with his fingers upon the
table, without reply.

Three minutes sooner, at the very instant that Gale had
broached his project of making black Brom a Queen^s evidence^
the vigilant barrister had turned partly round upon his chair, and
fixed his expressive eye upon one of his agents, an ex-bailiff,
named Welton, a small, slim man, with a very wide-awake look,
who immediately comprehended that something was expected of
him in connection with the proposed movement. He returned
the gaze of the lawyer with an earnest and intelligent look, and
the latter, as soon as he saw that the attention of his agent was
fully arrested, slowly turned his eyes tovrard the door of the
court-room, and then glanced in the direction of the city prison,
at the same time resting a finger a moment on his lips.

Welton fully understood this pantomime, and taking his hat, he
slowly sauntered out of the room, but no sooner was the door
closed behind him than he started with the speed of the race-
course for the jail. His former oflScial capacity had made him
well acquainted with the jailer and wardens, and he had no diflS-
culty in obtaining immediate access to the cell of Brom, whom he
found partaking leisurely of a choice dinner.

" You are Brom, Mr. VraiPs man," said Welton, breathlessly, as
he approached the bars, " ain't you ?"

" Yes," exclaimed the negro, jumping up and coming eagerly
forward ; " is Massa Harry free ? is he got off ?"

" No — but he will be, unless they can get you to be a witness
against him. They are coming for you now, and they will be
here in a few minutes. They want to make you swear that he
was in the battle, for they can't prove it by any one else."

266 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

" Guy !" exclaimed the negro, snapping lii.s fingers, and cutting
as much of a caper as his narrow quarters would permit ; " don't
be afraid of me. I won't swear — I swear I won't."

" But they will offer you your freedom."

" Nebber mind what they offer me — jis don't you be afraid of
Brom. Brora knows. Won't Massa Harry be right there before
him, and Missa Gertrude, too ? Do you think dey goin' to make
Brom swear away Massa Harry's life ? No, sir, not if dey should
hang me twenty times over, and den twenty times more on top of
that, and then I wouldn't."

The negro was so energetic in his protestations that he had
well-nigh upset his dinner-table, and Welton became satisfied that
nothing was to be feared from his want of loyalty to his master,
however much might be apprehended from his want of dis-
cretion.

" But they may get something out of you unawares," he added.
" Lawyer Strong thinks the safest course is for you not to say a
word when they question you. If you begin to speak, you may
let something slip out that will hang your master, after all."

Brom promised the utmost discretion; and Welton, who did
not wish to be found there by the sheriff when he came after the
witness, hastened away.

CHAPTER XXXV.

BLACK BROM AND THE ATTORNEY- GENERAL.

But a short time elapsed before the sherifTs messenger arrived,
and the negro, guarded by that functionary and two assistants,
set out for the court-house, revolving, meanwhile, some strange
thoughts in his mind.

The law which, both in England and America, authorizes the
employment of one criminal as a witness against his colleagues in
guilt, and rewards the traitor with his freedom, is the most unjust
and dangerous feature of the criminal code, and ought not longer
to disgrace the jurisprudence of any civilized country. No more
powerful incentive to perjury can be imagined than that which it
offers, and the rights of an accused party can never be safe under
the operation of so unjust a principle. It is but a weak argument
in its favor to say that this mode of procuring evidence is but
seldom resorted to, and that in the hands of a discreet and just
prosecuting officer, the power conferred by such a law may usually
prove conducive to the ends of justice. A right so liable to abuse,
and so possibly fatal in its results to a single innocent party, can
iSnd no justification in any principle of State policy, especially
in lands where the laws are professedly tempered with the spirit
of that sacred book, which says it is better that ten guilty men
escape, than that one innocent man should suffer.

Brorn was informed on his passage to the place of trial, that he
was to be called as a witness against Mr. Trail, and that if he
consented to testify, he would be set at liberty, and he was made

26T

268 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

aware, by bis custodians, that such was the universal practice in
relation to those favored criminals who were selected as "Queen^s
evidence." It was true he was not advised, nor required, either
then, or when he came upon the stand, to swear to anything more
or less than the simple truth, nor was bis own release even to be
contingent upon the conviction of bis master. But testify he
must, if be would hope to be set at liberty, and be knew very
well that he could not say a word in evidence without convicting
Harry Vrai1.

We have said that Brom was revolving strange thoughts in bis
mind ; what they were will presently appear.

He entered the court-room between bis guards, and was con-
ducted to the witness stand, where he at once became an object
»f general curiosity and attention, and there were many whispered
words of- indignation against the prosecution for bringing a negro
accomplice to swear away the life of the prisoner.

Brom was briefly informed by the attorney -general why he
bad been sent for, and the clerk undertook to administer to him
the usual oath, but the negro drew hastily back, and pushed the
Bible from his lips.

" Dey said I was to be /r^e," be said, nodding bis bead towards
the men who had conducted bim from the jail, and who still stood
near bim. " Where's my pardon ?"

" You must swear first," said the prosecution.

" No, no ; I must be free first — I 'fraid to trust strangers." ^

" I can only say to you, that if you will swear to the whole
truth, nothing more or less, you may expect to be set at liberty.
We do not want you to gay a word that is not strictly true."

" I shan't swear to a word that is not true, after you let me off
— I must be let off first."

" It cannot be."

" Den let me go back to de jail," said the negro, with great
dignity, at the same time stepping down from the stand. -

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 269

** And to the gnllows !" said Gale, looking sternly at him, with
an angry air.

" Yes, to the gallows !" returned Brom, excitedly. " How do I
know that I shouldn't go to the gallows after I had swore ?'*

" You have my word for it, and the court's."

'^ I don't know you, nor the court. You mout change your
mind about it. I want a receipt first."

A smile passed round the bar at the singular voucher required
by the negro, and even the grim Gale seemed to he moved by
merriment into a milder mood.

" It really matters very little to the government," he s^ud, rising
and addressing the court, "" how soon this man is discharged. Occu-
pying so humble a station, and having been so evidently the dupe
of others, he would, if convicted have a strong claim upon the
executive clemency. He seems honest, and willing to tell the
whole truth, and as it is only the fault of his ignorance that he
does not understand the security afforded him by my promise, I
shall move the court for the privilege of entering a nolle prosequi
at once upon his indictment."

Both Harry Vrail and his counsel exhibited some uneasiness
at the singular course which events were taking, and especially
when the attorney -general asserted so decidedly that the witness
was willing to tell the whole truth ; for they did not know but
he might possibly have some assurances on that point which they
had not heard.

The judge replied, by reminding the prosecutor that he had
power to cancel the indictment without an order of the court — a
fact which Gale very well knew, but he had preferred to make
the judge share with hirn any censure that might attach to the act.

He immediately drew out from his green bag a bundle of
papers, and selecting from them the indictment against the negro,
he seized his pen and hastily dashed across it the magical endorse-
ment which was to render it a dead letter.

270 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

" You are/r^e now, Brom," he said ; " if you have any counsel
of any kind, let him come forward and examine the record and
convince you."

" Massa Strong is my lawyer," replied Brom, with ^reat dig-
nity.

Strong, in the meantime, quietly reached his arm across the
table, receiving the quashed indictment from the hands of the
prosecutor, and having barely glanced at it, he said,

" It's all right, Brom — you are free."

"Are you certain, Massa Strong ?" asked the negro, with a look
of delight.

" Quite certain. You are fvee this instant^^'' said the counsellor,
with marked emphasis, and bestowing a meaning look upon the
witness.

" Tank you — much obliged," said Brom, nodding to the
attorney -general ; " I tank you very much."

" Very well — now then," said Gale, hastily, " the clerk will
please to administer the oath."

The clerk rose to do so ; but at that instant the attention of
the court and the jury, and the excited auditory, was diverted
from the witness, upon whom every eye had been earnestly fixed,
by a rustling movement in the ladies' quarter of the house, where
many had risen to allow one deeply veiled young lady to pass.
Gertrude had been in agony ever since the moment that she had
heard the proposition to use Brom as a witness against Harry ;
for, although she well knew his fidelity in ordinary circumstances,
it was more than she dared hope, that either his courage or his
affection would be proof against the gallows and all its horrible
accompaniments. With .death staring him in the face, on the
one hand, and an unconditional release offered upon the other, it
was too much to hope that so humble and ignorant a man would
resist a temptation appealing to what is often called the first law
of human nature, self-preservation.

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 271

But if she had been terrified by the bare proposition of sending
for Broin, his appearance in court, and all that had taken place
since he stepped upon the witness' stand, had added confirmation
to her dreadful suspicions that the wretclfed man was really
about to sacrifice his master. She had listened in speechless tor-
ture until now, when, oblivious of everything but the great peril
of the moment, she arose with desperate energy, and, althoui^h
trembling from head to foot, she rapidly crossed the court-roeir>^
stationed herself behind Mr. Strong, placed her hand upon hi^
chair for support, and throwing asid^ her veil, fastened an appeal-
ing gaze upon the face of the witness.

Several of ihe lawyers immediately arose, and offered chairs.
She accepted one, without acknowledgment of the courtesy, and
without removing her eyes from the face of the negro.

Her striking beauty, her extreme pallor, and the sudden and
singular nature of her movement, had arrested every eye, and it
was some moments before the consequent stir and bustle had sub-
sided into the perfect quiet which had before j.revailed.

Brom saw her, and smiled, and when the clerk again presented
to him the Bible, he once more put it aside, and said,

**Massa Gale, I told you that after I was let off" I wouldn't
swear to nothin' but the truth. Dat was all I promised — dat was
all."

The negro spoke in an excited manner, and seemed anxious to
vindicate himself in the step ho was about to take.

" Very well," replied the prosecutor ; '* that is all we require
— we certainly don't want you to swear to a syllable that is not
true." > •

" I said I wouldn't swear to nothin' bjf the truth — didn't I,
MassaGale?"

" I believe you did."

" Welf, I'll keep my word— I shan't swear to nothin' at all,
I'll go to jail, like Missa Roof, but you can't hang me."

272 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

Much commotion followed this singular announcement, which
had not been unexpected by some who had carefully watched the
negro's manner, but which the prosecutor, in his blind and eager
pursuit of his victim, had not anticipated. His wrath was with-
out bounds, but nothing could move Brom from the position he
he had taken, and he was accordingly committed to prison, like
the previous witness, for contempt of court.

Many hours had been consumed by these various proceedings,
and it being now past the middle of the afternoon, the court, on
the motion of the attorney-general, adjourned until the next
morning, thus affording a long and dangerous interval for the
procurement of additional testimony against the unfortunate
prisoner.

CHAPTER XXXVI.

THB "queen's evidence.'*

It is not necessary to impute any peculiar inhumanity t, the
"attorney-general," to account for the seeming ferocity with
which he pursued his prey on this and similar occasions He
had been incited in this case to extra exertions, by the verj? force
of the opposition which he had encountered, until he had come to
regard the issue as a matter deeply affecting his reputation as a ■
barrister and as a legal tactician.

He must triumph by some means, and in doing so, he doubted
not to serve the government and the ends of justice ; and as for
the accused, tortured by the harrowing suspense of that long
night of doubt, no thought of commiseration for him interfered
with the plans of the learned man and his zealous agents.

Most active among his employees was the repudiated Shay,
who was incited to strenuous exertion by the fear of losing the
coveted reward, which had been unofficially promised him for the
capture of the prisoner, and which now threatened to elude his
grasp, from the want of sufficient evidence to insure a conviction.
He obtained access to many of the prisoners who had been
privates in the invading army, in the hope of finding some
craven who could fully identify Vrail as a fellow-soldier, and
who would be willing to appear against him. It is sad to say,
that after many indignant refusals, he found a man ready to
listen to his proposals, he being the same individual who had

12* 2T8

274

THE PEISONER OF THE BOJRDEE.

pusillanimously led the way 4ii laying dowa arms, and asking
quarter, in Col. Allen^s division of the army, and who had been
trembling ever since with the direful apprehension of his coming
fate.

He unfortunately knew Vrail well, and in order to substantiate
his own credibility, he undertook to describe the accused in court,
if desired, before seeing him. He knew, also, that he was ad-
dressed as lieutenant by the other oflScers of the army, and that
he was on the most intimate terms, both with his own command-
ing officer, and with Col. Van Shoultz, the leader of the expedi-
tion. To this latter point there was also other testimony, which
the prosecutor had withheld until the main charge was proven,
and when Gale came into court on the ensuing day, it was with
a confident and blustering air, which alarmed the friends of the
prisoner, and gave th^ra sad forebodings as to the result of the
night's researches.

Alas ! their worst apprehensions were destined to a sad reali-
zation. The recreant soldier testified in the clearest and most
positive manner to Vrail's presence and active participation in the
battle at Windmill Point, and no legal ingenuity, on the cross-
examination, could make him gainsay or controvert his position.

Point by point, through long and weary hours, the hopeless
contest was maintained by the prisoner's counsel, until every
question of law was decided by a predetermined court against
them, and until the main question of fact was considered legally
proven by the prosecutor, and was so announced by his ally on the
bench, in his charge to an obedient and loyal jury.

No gleam of hope illumined the countenance of Counsellor
Strong, when the jury, who had listened apathetically to his most
eloquent and fervent harangue, retired to deliberate upon the
verdict ; and the despairing Gertrude, who had occupied through
the day her first position in the court-room, saw plainly, and with
an agony no language can express, the look of dismay which had

THE PRISONER OF THE BOEDER. 275

gradually settled upon the faces of her legal friends. At Harry
Vrail she dared not look, but if she had done so, she would have
seen but little evidence of the anguish he was enduring, for,
amidst it all, the habitual serenity of his features remained nearly
undisturbed. The young and vigorous cannot easily divest them-
selves of that strong love of life which is ever incident to human
nature, even in decrepitude and misery, but the experiences of the
past few days, and the hopes which they had revived, had given
a new charm to existence in the mind of the unfortunate prisoner.

The sight of Gertrude, and the knowledge of her extraordinary
exertions in his behalf, had awakened a thousand agitating sur-
mises as to the real nature of her regard for him. Had he been
mistaken in supposing her indifferent to him, and was there some-
thing more than friendship and woman's pity influencing her
present conduct, the sacrifices of which he computed far less by
expended toil and treasure, than by the wounds to which it must
expose a delicate and sensitive nature ?

These hopes, though slight and unpresumptuous, had taken
shape in his mind, and with them were mingling the bright an-
ticipations of restoration to freedom and home, f\^hen the changed
aspect of the evidence against him compelled him to contemplate
another future, alas ! how appallingly different.

No sooner had the jury retired than Mr. Strong, who well knew
that their absence would not be protracted, hastened to join Miss
Van Kleeck, and advised her to withdraw to her hotel, where he
promised to transmit to her the earliest intelligence of the result
of the trial.

** Is there any hope ?" asked Gertrude, faintly.

" You had better prepare your mind for the worst, Miss Van
Kleeck," said the lawyer, sorrowfully, and with these words sound-
ing like a knell in her ears, Gertrude, leaning heavily upon the
arm of her cousin, Van Vrank, passed out of the court-room. A
carriage was summoned to convey them to their hotel, and there,

276 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

in an agony of dread, she awaited the terrible tidings, which were
soon brought by the humane lawyer himself, for he dared to trust
no messenger with the news, to be, perhaps, abruptly and harshly
disclosed^

" It is all over !" she exclaimed, trembling violently, and speak-
ing with choked and indistinct utterance, as Mr. Strong entered
her apartment. " It is all over. I see .it in your face. You
have come to tell me that he is found guilty."

The strong man bent his head in silence.

" But they have recommended him to mercy ? You said they
could do this. Oh ! tell me that it is so."

A dreary negative was indicated by a gesture.

" Oh, merciful heaven ! Is there, then, no help for us ?"

" The governor. Sir George Arthur,'^ replied Strong, speaking
with hesitation, " has the power to suspend the sentence, or its
execution, if he thinks there is good cause, until a petition can be
forwarded to the. queen, and an answer received.''

" But will he do it ?" cried Gertrude, frantically. " Alas ! I
have heard that he listens to no such petitions — that he will not
even read them." ^

*' If the jury had tempered their verdict with the slightest quali-
fication," replied Strong, whose whole air and manner were ex-
pressive of hopelessness, " if it had contained any suggestion of
mercy, however slight, our case would have been less perplexing.
But we can try. I will at once write a brief history of the case,
to be signed by myself and my fellow-counsel, together with a
petition, and I will forward them to Toronto to-morrow."

" You will forward them, do you say ? No ! You must go with
them yourself, and so will I — and oh, if Ruth were but at liberty !"

" She will be released at once, as the trial is at an end, and
there is no longer a pretence for her confinement as a witness.
My clerk shall procure her discharge, while I am engaged on the
petition."

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 27T

Gertrude would have made an exclamation *of delight, if her
oppressed heart could have given utterance to joy, for the prospect
of a reunion with Ruth, and of her companionship and assistance
in her new undertaking, added something to her faint hope of
success, and detracted something from her sense of desolation and
wretchedness.

She had found time very soon after her heroic young friend's
incarceration, to send a messenger to her with words of encou-
ragement, and also to provide as abundantly for her comfort as
her position would admit; nor had the faithful negro been
neglected in these gentle ministrations of Gertrude. Both were
set at liberty before evening ; and Ruth, terrified by the tidings of
the sad event to which she owed her release, hastened to mingle
her tears with those of the wretched Gertrude, and to devise with
her (alas! less sanguinely now) new efforts for arresting the
dreadful doom of their friend.

Indefatigable in his labors, although so nearly hopeless of any
favorable result, the lawyer was occupied with his colleagues
until a late hour at night, in making the statement and petition
which he designed to present to the executive officer of the pro-
vince, and on the next day he succeeded in procuring the signa-
tures of a few prominent citizens of Kingston, whose sympathies
had been awakened for the prisoner. There was no time to be
lost, for despite his most vigorous efibrt for a postponement of the
sentence, it was pronounced on the morning after the trial, and
left but a week's interval before the day of execution. These
facts he vainly strove to conceal from Gertrude, who insisted on
knowing the worst, and who braced her gentle spirit to the shock
by the most resolute determination not to let despair paralyze her
energies at so important a crisis.

Her courage and perseverance, and the impetuous ardor of
Ruth, induced the lawyer to hope that their personal intercession
might possibly be of some avail with the governor, and he was

278 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

determined, at least, to afford them every facility in his power in
the furtherance of their merciful errand. He took passage with
them for Toronto on the afternoon of Friday, the day on which
Vrail received his sentence, leaving Garret and the negro to await
their return to Kingston, the former being enjoined by Gertrude
to visit Harry daily, and keep him informed of all the efforts
which were being made in his behalf, and also to write at once to
his brother at Ogdensburgh, and impart to him the dreadful intelli-
gence of the result of the trial. Brom, who by no means felt
sure of retaining his new liberty, and who was unable to divest
himself of apprehension while on British soil, would gladly have
returned to his native shores, but for his extreme solicitude for his
young master, whom, although he could not aid he would not
desert. He accompanied Van Vrank daily to the prison, where,
at a certain hour, they were permitted to see and converse with
the unfortunate man, through the bars of his cell.

CHAPTER XXXVII.

SIR GEORGE ARTHUR.

Counsellor Strong took immediate steps, on the arrival of
himself and his fair comrades at the capital of Upper Canada, to
ascertain the most suitable time for waiting upon the governor
and laying his petition before him ; and when the proper hour,
fraught with so momentous an interest, arrived, he proceeded
to the executive mansion accompanied by both Gertrude and
Ruth.

It was by their earnest desire, as well as by the advice of the
lawyer, that Miss Van Kleeck and her young friend appeared per-
sonally as petitioners for the condemned man, yet the extreme
excitement produced by alternating hope and fear had so nearly
overcome Gertrude, that when their carriage stopped in front of
the governor's residence, she was, momentarily, almost deprived
of the power of speech and motion.

" I fear I can say nothing to him," she whispered, to the
lawyer.

" You will be more composed soon," replied the latter. " Do
not be alarmed — there may be no necessity for you to speak."

As Strong looked at the trembling form and the beautiful face
before . Jiim, so pale with alarm and anxiety, he thought the mute
appeal of Sb much loveliness in distress, might be more potent
than any eloquence of language.* He resolved that the governor
should know all that this fair being had done and sacrificed for
her friend, and he hoped, slightly, it is true, that the knowledge

279

280 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

of these facts, together with such extenuating circumstances as he
had set forth in the petition, might successfully combat, in Sir
George's mind, the cold, stern dictates of governmental policy.

But if the timid, yet persevering girl was exhausted with
fatigue and fear, there seemed to be a well-spring of energy and
bold resolution in the heart of Ruth, who sought earnestly,
and not without a degree of success, to infuse into her friend's
breast a portion of her own courage and enthusiasm.

" I know that he will hear us, dear Gertrude," she said ; " we
will tell him how good and kind and noble poor Harry is, and
how everybody loves him. Oh, I know he will be merciful,
Gertrude. He cannot refuse youP

It was a child's argument, but if it had been weaker, the
earnest, confident tone in which it was uttered would have done
something towards re-animating the expiring hope of the wretched
young lady.

Leaning heavily, and necessarily, on the arm of Counsellor
Strong, she passed from the carriage to the house, where the
little party of petitioners were at once conducted to the room in
which the governor, at that hour of the day, was accustomed to
receive visitors on official business, and which at other times
served as his study. They were fortunate enough to find Sir
George alone and unoccupied, though the lawyer did not fail to
observe that in an adjoining room, a door to which stood partly
open, there were several individuals, who, if they chose, could
freely hear what passed in the executive chamber.

The governor of Upper Canada was a middle-aged, intelligent-
looking man, of stern, cold aspect, whose countenance might have
denoted him to be a fit person to hold the reins of government
in troublous times, and who would scarcely be suspected of hold-
ing them with a lax or uncertain grasp.

There was little in his face or demeanor to impress the beholder
with a hope of leniency to an ofiender, and there was a chilling

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 281

effect in his first glance at Mr. Strong, whom he personally knew,
and whose errand he suspected, which at once congealed the little
hope that gentleman had ventured to entertain.

Rigidly polite and ceremonious, however, to his visitors, and
especially to Gertrude and Ruth, he conversed for a few min-
utes on common topics, and then waited, with expressive silence,
for the introduction of the subject which he evidently antici-
pated.

The lawyer at once produced his memorial and the accom-
panying statement, and handing the papers to Sir George, remarked
at the same time that there were some peculiar features in the
case which had emboldened him to make personal application in
behalf of the prisoner.

" I have labored to be very brief," he said, " both in my history
of the case, and in the petition, and if your excellency will do me
the great favor to give these documents a present perusal, I shall
be able to answer any questions which they may suggest."

"You have been very prompt, not to say hasty in this appli-
cation," replied Sir George, coldly, after glancing over the first few
lines of the petition ; *' I have only this morning received intelli-
gence of Lieutenant Vrail's conviction and sentence, and I have
yet to hear (if it is necessary to re-judge the case at all) the pub-
lic prosecutor's opinion of the circumstances which are supposed
to warrant my interference.

The governor laid an emphasis, not strong, but decided, on the
word ** Lieutenant," in the foregoing sentence, which did not
escape Counsellor Strong's notice.

" Your excellency will excuse me," he said, " for suggesting
that there was no proof adduced on the trial, showing that the
prisoner held a commission of any kind in the invading army.
He is entitled to be regarded as a private, and as such has a claim
upon your excellency's clemency."

"The loyal and intelligent jury who convicted him do not

282 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

seem to have been impressed with the force of this claim," replied
Sir George, continumg to read the papers in his hand as he spoke ;
" their verdict contains no recommendation to mercy."

" It is unfortunately true — though T cannot help believing that
this severity was induced in part-by the fierce and excessive loy-
alty (if I may so speak) of the attorney-general and chief justice,
who were equally bent on a full conviction. Your excellency will
perceive that our petition contains the names of several citizens
of the highest standing, who agree with me in thinking "

" It would be a singular community where a few weak-minded
men of high standing could not be found, whose sensibilities
should outweigh their judgment. I can see nothing in this
case which can justify my interference, or which requires
me to trouble the attorney-general for his opinion. The
public safety, Mr. Strong, will not permit of a weak or vacillating
course in administering the laws at such a crisis as this. The war
which has been checked by the gallantry of our troops at Wind-
mill Point, is still waging in other parts. Invasion and insurrec-
tion are alike threatening us, and there is not an hour's security for
our government until this war is effectually quelled. Is this,
then, a time for leniency to leaders and influential members of
an invading army, who have crossed our borders to incite the dis-
contented subjects of her majesty to rebellion ? You tell me that
this Mr. Vrail is a gentleman of education and refinement, but
this fact but aggravates his offence, and renders the necessity of his
punishment more imperative. Doubtless, he is also a man of
wealth and influence, since he is able to command the most extra-
ordinary services of distinguished counsel."

The lawyer's eye turned to Gertrude, as if he hoped her to
reply to this question, for although he could easily have answered it
himself, he thought it a good opportunity for her to speak,
and he despaired of producing any effect by argument upon the
stoical governor, whose words, disheartening as they were, were

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 283

still less so than the tone in which they were uttered, and the
expression of eye which accompanied them.

Gertrude saw and comprehended the silent appeal of her advi-
ser, and thrice she essayed in vain to speak, her colorless lips mov-
ing, without giving utterance to any sound.

Overwhelmed by the words which she had heard, and which
seemed to her like the voice of Fate, she forgot for a moment her
high trust in that Power which rules the hearts of princes,
and which overrules at its pleasure the decrees of earth's highest
sovereigns.

Whiter than the wall at her side, whiter than the marble
table upon which her hand was resting, she sat, statue like, her
eyes, from which the lustre was fading, fixed upon the stern repre-
sentative of majesty, her ears still ringing with the dismal echo
of words which seemed to her like the knell of doom. But while
Gertrude was thus so near passing into a state of insensibility,
Euth, at her side, exhibited a picture of very diflerent emotion.
The excitement of the moment had added to the color of her
check and to the lustre of her eye. Her breath came rapidly,
like one who pants from fatigue, and in her face there was a rapt,
glowing, ardent expression, which betokened an utter forgetful-
ness of everything but the weighty interests which hung on the
decision of the hour. For a few moments she gazed earnestly
into the face of Gertrude in silence, but when she saw her utter
inability to speak, she rose suddenly, and fixing her flashing, but
tearless eyes upon the governor, she advanced hastily to within
a few feet of his chair.

" No, no, no," she said, clasping her hands as she spoke, " he is
not rich, nor influential. He has no friends, but her," — pointing
to Gertrude — "and his poor old dying grandfather, and one
brother. It was to protect him — that younger brother — that he
came to the war, and not out of any ill-will to you, or to the
queen. He is a good, kind, dear, noble gentleman, and oh, if you

284 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

will but save hira, we will love you and pray for you as long as
we live."

Sir George listened unmoved to the child, and when she paused,
he glanced angrily at the lawyer, and said,

" If it is by design that I am treated to this exhibition, I must
beg you to reserve such artifices hereafter for the jury-room. They
are certainly powerless here. I should poorly requite the confi-
dence placed in me by her majesty if I could allow the tears of a
child to jeopard the safety of her government in these provinces."

" Her majesty would not answer us so,'' replied Ruth, boldly.
*' She has a woman's heart, and is merciful. She would not frown
upon us thus, when we came to beg the life of our dearest friend
— 1 know she would not. Oh, give us time to go to her — dear,
good Sir George — give us time ! we ask for nothing more. Oh,
think how much depends upon it ! It is not one life alone — for
if you refuse us, she too will die, and I shall be left without a
friend in the wide, wide world."

It was not in the words that the chief force of Ruth's appeal
consisted — it was in the wild, impassioned tone of her voice, in
the strange light which flashed from her now tearful eyes, and in
the trembling cadence with which the last few words were spoken,
and the unrestrained hysterical sobbing with which they were fol-
lowed.

Impelled by the painful interest of the scene, both Gertrude and
Mr. Strong had risen and advanced nearer to the governor, closely
watching his countenance for some change of expression which
might betoken mercy.

Other spectators, too, w^re added to the scene, for two occu-
pants of the adjoining room, a lady and a gentleman, attracted by
the earnest petitions of Ruth, had drawn near the door, and
although but indistinctly visible to those within, they were able
to observe all that passed in the presence of the governor. Doubt-
less they were members or relations of his family, for their

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 286

presence, which could not be unknown to Sir George, did not
seem to disturb him. Perhaps it was in part to justify, in their
estimation, the extreme inflexibility with which he adhered to his
original position, that he had condescended to use so much of
argument, and that he now again replied, not directly to Ruth,
but to the legal gentleman, to whom all his remarks had been ad-
dressed.

" This very print," he said, laying his hand upon the morning
journal, and continuing his remarks in his former tone, " contains
authentic accounts of a new gathering of freebooters in a frontier
town of New York, prepared to cross our borders the moment
there is a sufficient rising among the disaffected here to give them
any hopes of making a successful stand against our armies. Nay,
they count- on a portion of those very armies joining them against
the government, and are widely issuing their v^icked manifestoes
among our people, to incite them to rebellion and treason.
Doubtless there are among these some as gentlemanly and as well
educated as this Mr. Vraik Shall we invite them to come by our
clemency to Am, or shall we show them, distinctly, that every
officer, and every leading member of their band of conspirators
who falls into our hands forfeits his life, and that the forfeit will
surely be claimed ? Self-preservation, Mr. Strong, is said to be
the first law of nature, and when both our lives and our govern-
ment are endangered by faction at home, and by invasion from
abroad, be assured that we shall do what we can to protect our-
selves."

Sir George handed back the petition and the accompanying
paper to the lawyer, and rose from his chair, as if to signify that
the conference was ended, and when the despairing Gertrude at
this moment found power to speak, and commenced an earnest,
tearful appeal to him, he hastily interrupted her.

" On this topic I can hear nothing more," he said. " It would
but prolong a suspense which must terminate unfavorably to your

286 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

happiness. I honor the feelings and motives which actuate you,
and be assured I sympathize deeply with your distress, but I can-
not allow these feelings to influence my official actions/'

Gertrude sank into a chair, and but for the timely support of
Mr. Strong, she would have fallen to the floor. But she did not
swoon. Wine was brought by order of Sir George, which she
tasted, and after a few moments, being convinced that all further
importunity would be useless, she took the offered arm of her
legal friend, and slightly bending her head, in reply to the cere-
monious adieu of Sir George, she withdrew from the room.

Kuth went less quietly. Checking her convulsive sobs, as she
reached the doorway, she turned to the governor, who remained
standing in the centre of the apartment, and said,

** Oh, Sir George Arthur, you will not listen to me — you do not
care what I say — but if our good queen stood where you stand,
we should not go away so wretched. She would not be afraid to
pardon one poor, weak young man, lest he should overturn the
government ! She would take complission on that dear young
lady, who is now going home to die."

While Ruth was speaking, a young gentleman, apparently
about twenty-two years of age, remarkably tall and slender, yet
of the most graceful and easy deportment, entered the executive
room from the adjoining parlor. After nodding familiarly to the
governor, he stood listening to the fair speaker until she became
silent, and then, with a pleasant smile playing upon his handsome
features, and exhibiting a set of dazzling teeth, he addressed her,
as she was about to withdraw.

" Will you please to tell me how it is that you, who are an
American, speak of her majesty as our queen ?"

" I am not an American, sir. I am a subject of the queen ;
but my home is in America now with this young lady," and Ruth
pointed towards Miss Van Kleeck, who, with the lawyer, were
waiting for her in the hall.

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 287

** And if Sir George bad granted your petition, and had post-
poned the execution of this young man, would you really have
gone in person across the ocean to see the queen, and to try to
get a pardon for him ?''

" Yes, sir, we should have gone, Gertrude and I ; we had long
ago decided upon that."

" Alone V'

"Yes, sir."

** Had you not considered that it would be a dangerous and
very costly journey, and that probably you would never even be
allowed to see the queen after you had arrived there ?"

" We feel sure, oh ! very sure, that we should see her, and that
she would give us a pardon for Harry, and we do not fear the
dangers of the journey. She would die to save him."

" Is she a sister ?"

" No, sir."

" A relative ?"

" No, sir, only a friend. « But everybody loves Harry. Can you
do anything for us, sir ?"

This question was put with such a sweet simplicity, and so
mournful a cadence of voice, that it quite drove the smile from
the handsome face of the youth, and had nearly brought a tear
into his sparkling eye.

He gave a hasty glance at the governor, whose eyes were
fixed upon him, and then replied to the question by shaking his
head.

" Then good-bye," quickly replied Ruth, who seemed indisposed
to waste words upon one who could not assist the cause she had
at heart, and hastening to rejoin her friends, they proceeded to-
gether to the carriage, and, in silence, returned to their hotel.
Not a word was spoken — hope was annihilated, and grief was too
great for words.

CHAPTER XXXVIII.

A NEW ADVOCATE.

"This seems rather hard, Sir Greorge. Don't you think it
might do to unbend a little in a case like this, and give these
people a chance to try their fortunes with the queen's ministers ?"

This remark was addressed to the governor by the young gen-
tleman who has been described, immediately on the withdrawal
of the despairing petitioners, and it was spoken in the familiar
tone in which a man addresses his equal.

The governor started in surprise, and gazed a moment at his
young companion, without reply, and when he spoke, it was no
longer in the official tone in which he had addressed his late
auditors.

" No, Hadley, there certainly is no other course for me to pur-
sue than the one I have adopted. If you had been present during
th« last half hour, you would have heard sufficient reasons to
convince you of.this."

" I have heard everything in the next room, and am not con-
vinced," replied the young man, smiling. " I really cannot be-
lieve it necessary to sacrifice these people to a question of state
policy, because I do not think the stability of her majesty's gov-
ernment in these provinces is endangered by all these Quixotic
enterprises. Pray, Sir George, let me beg you to reconsider this
matter. I will wager fifty guineas that if these fair creatures
should have the good fortune to obtain a direct audience of the
queen, they will gain their ends."

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

" I am sorry to say they will never have that good fortune,
Had ley, happy as I should be to gratify you "

" In anything else," replied the youth, smiling broadly ; " that
is the usual formula, I believe, when you intend to deny a person
the only favor he is like to ask of you."

" Yes, in anything else. This affair is res adjudicata. I am
convinced, too, that a different decision on my part would be of
no avail to the petitioners, excepting to prolong their suspense
and subject them to a long and dangerous journey, ending in dis-
appointment. They would never see the queen, and I should be
blamed for permitting her ministers to be annoyed by their im-
portunities."

" But I think the very fact that they had travelled so far alone
and unfriended, on such an errand of mercy, would ensure them
an audience."

"If that fact could be made known to her majesty, it possibly
might; but she would never know it ; and even then, the utmost
she would do would be to refer the question to her council, who
are much too frightened about the state of affairs over here to
recommend a pardon which was not asked for either by the court,
the jury, or myself."

" But you can ask it."

" I can not^ consistently with the rules I have laid down for my
official actions, and a little experience in my place, Hadley would
make you of the same mind. If you had heard as many earnest
petitions for pardon as I have heard (for not a man suffers death
in this province who has not some hopeful and sanguine friend to
importune for him), you would learn the necessity of disregarding
all which are not founded on some substantial claims."

" By Hercules ! Sir George, I wish you would try me for a
week. Go on a visit to Sir John Colborne, in the lower province,
and make me your lieutenant until next Monday."

" You had better swear by Phaeton than by Hercules," replied

290 THE PRISONER OF THE BOEDER.

the governor, laughing, '' if you ask me to place the reins of
government in your hands. I think you would pilot the ship of
state about as skillfully as he guided the chariot of the sun."

"I might rival his achievements," replied the young man,
" but it would not be in granting a three months' respite to this
unfortunate youth, nor even in recommending his pardon. I
really do not know how to abandon this request, Sir George. Is
there nothing in our relative positions, or in our family alliance,
upon which I can found so trifling a claim."

" Much, certainly, on which you can base far weightier demands,
so that they do not trench upon my official prerogatives. I am
surprised, Hadley, at the pertinacity with which you cling to this
boy-like fancy. Your father. Lord B., would certainly take an
entirely opposite view of the case, and should I yield to you, no
one, I am convinced, would censure me quicker or more severely
than he."

The Honorable Edward Hadley B could not deny the truth

of this statement, nor the force of the argument. He recalled to
mind how often he had heard his father speak of the American
leaders in this war in terms of the harshest censure and vitupera-
tion, and he knew that his verdict against them would be unpity-
ing and unsparing. His own benevolent instincts revolted against
the opinions of both father and governor ; but he felt persuaded
that further argument or importunity would be useless. After a
few moments' reflection, he walked silently from the room, nor did
Sir George seek to stay his departure.

Young B was only a visitor in Canada, having come from

England a few weeks before the time now spoken of, and propos-
ing to return to London after a short sojourn in the provinces.
He was distantly related to the governor, and upon that aflSnity,
and upon his own high social position, he had based the interces-
sion, which he had so reluctantly abandoned. Yet he did not
readily relinquish any enterprise in which he had once embarked.

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 291

At home, in not much younger years, he had borne the reputa-
tion of a reckless and daring youth, who was wont to indulge his
caprices at almost any risk, and with small regard to personal repu-
tation. He was called thoughtless, wild, hare-brained, fool-hardy,
and sometimes unprincipled, yet all his many faults had been
mingled with so much that was amiable, high-minded and gener-
ous, that he seldom became the subject of severe and not often
even of just rebuke. Such as his character was, we are not his
apologist, but simply the historian of that episode in his life which
briefly connects him with the personages and events of, our
Btory.

CHAPTER XXXIX.

A PHYSICIAN DISAPPOINTED.

Gertrude and her friends had left the governor's mansion,
where the rejection of their petition had been so peremptory and
so positive, in silent and hopeless gloom, and they had returned
to their hotel as mourners return from the grave. It was only
when they had reached the private parlor which had been assign-
ed to their use, that some faint, formal words of condolence and
resignation were uttered, but not a syllable was said that breathed
of hope.

Gertrude's grief was of that alarming type which finds no out-
ward manifestation, and Ruth restrained her propensity to a more
violent sorrow out of regard to her silent and suffering friend.
Miss Van Kleeck's condition was such as to forbid the thought of
an immediate return to Kingston, and Mr. Strong, although
unsolicited, thought it advisable to seek medical aid in her behalf

While he was absent on this errand, and while the young
ladies were alone in their room, Gertrude was surprised by re-
ceiving the card of Edward Hadley B , who was waiting,

she was told, in the ladies' parlor to see her. Who the visitor
was, she was utterly unable to imagine ; nor could Ruth assist
her conjectures, for she had not heard the name of the young
gentleman who conversed with her at the governor's house, and
to whose inquiries' she had attached no consideration, because she
regarded them only as the promptings of a casual curiosity.

292

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 293

Gertrude's first inclination was to deny herself to this unknown
visitor, but with her second thought came a faint gleam of hope,
so faint that it only served to render the depth of her despair dis
cernible, that he might be some messenger from the relenting
governor, and she resolved to see him. Ruth had not been
inquired for, and she descended alone, tremblingly, into the ladies'
public parlor, which she found unoccupied, excepting by the
gentleman who was awaiting her appearance, and who imme-
diately introduced himself with that air of graceful politeness
which seemed to be his natural demeanor. Conducting her to a
sofa, he took a seat at her side, and said hastily, as if anxious to
remove what he knew must be a painful curiosity,

"I was present. Miss Van Kleeck, this morning, at governor
Arthur's, and was a witness of the rejection of your petition. I
have since added my own entreaties to yours, without avail ; and I
have now called upon you not merely to express an idle sympathy
for your sufferings, but "

Hadley hesitated, and Gertrude, who had listened with breath-
less attention, said, with sudden energy,

** But what ? Can anything more be done ? Is there yet anj
hope?"

" Speak lower, that we may not be overheard. I will not say
that there is much ground for hope, but I think there may be
some — if"

Again the young man hesitated, but this time with a smiling
air, and Gertrude again impatiently interposed —

"If what? There is no obstacle so great that we will not
attempt to surmount it to save our friend. Pray do not keep me
in a moment's longer suspense. If you knew all that I have suf-
fered, you certainly would not."

" I will not keep you in suspense any longer than to impose
strict secrecy upon you in regard to what I am about to say;
secrecy from every one, even from the friends who are co-workera

294 THE PKISONER OF THE BORDER

with you here in this cause, until the time comes when I will
consent to disclosure."

" I promise everything faithfully, earnestly. I will swear to it,
if you wish."

'*' I ask nothing but your promise. To be brief, then, it is use-
less longer to indulge the faintest expectation of the governor's
relenting, and there remains but one chance for your friend, a
slight one I grant, and yet a chance, if you can command a few
brave hearts and hands, as I do not doubt you can. You must
attempt his rescue !"

" Ilis rescue .-"' echoed Gertrude, in a tone of sad disappointment.
" Ah, what hope is there of that, from a prison as strong as his —
aye, from a cell with walls of stone, with iron doors, doubly locked,
and he chained within it. No, this is no hope — it is irniyossihle^^^
and the wretched girl gave way to sobs of irrepressible anguish.

" Listen to me. I have no object in deceiving you, and none
in assisting you, excepting your happiness and that of your friends.
-^Suppose th^ I could remove some of these obstacles of which
you speak — that I could knock these fetters from your friend —
(5ould remove him to a. more accessible room; and, in short, sup-
pose that I had power to afford other facilities for such an attempt
as I speak of — what then ?"

There was something so expressive in the tone and look of
Hadley as he said these words, that Gertrude's hopes again revived.

*' Can you do this V she asked, eagerly ; " who and what are
you, that you should be able and willing to do so much for us ?"

"That is a question of no moment," replied Hadley, smiling;
*' I am a young man, as you see, somewhat accustomed to odd
adventures, and taking particular delight in difficult ones. I
want to serve you, because I have seen your great distress and
that of your young friend. If I desire also to gratify my own
whims, by baffling my obstinate cousin, the governor, that is an
affair of my own."

THE PEI80NER OF THE BORDER. 295

" Governor Arthur your cousin !" exclaimed Gertrude, in a half
whisper, and with an animated expression ; " then, indeed, you
can help us T'

" Don^t be too sure of that. You fly, lady-like, from one extreme
to another. But I think, as I said before, I can put you in a way
of helping yourself, if you can command aid of the right sort.
Not such men as your friend. Counsellor Strong. He must not
receive any intimation of it, for it would ruin him to be suspected
of the least cognizance of the affair.''

" And yoit — are not you afraid for yourself?''

" I have outlived worse suspicions," returned Hadley, smiling ;
" and if you are as discreet as I hope, there will be nothing
stronger than suspicion against me. Besides, my home is across
the ocean, and I care for nothing, as long as the governor does
not hear of-it."

" Sir George will be sure to suspect "

"Oh, I don't mean the governor of Upper Canada, but my
governor, Lord B." *

Gertrude was again astonished to learn that she was conversing
with the son of a lord, perhaps a prospective lord himself, but she
had been too much won by his unaffected kindness, and by his
graceful and playful manners, to admit of feeling any embarrass-
ment at this new discovery.

" I could not express my gratitude to you if I should attempt
it," she said ; " and now I can speak of nothing but this new
hope. Yes, I have friends here, who will do and dare very much
for me, and I can, perhaps, bring more aid from the American
shore. I must have time to reflect. I may not even consult with
Mr. Strong?"

" Most^ certainly not — nor even with your eloquent child-friend.
Let me be your only counsellor at present ; and first, I must warn
you that you will need a sagacious and able man to take the
management of the enterprise ; and next you will require subor^

296 ' THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

dinates, who are strong and bold, and who ar« willing to incur
some risk, for it need scarcely be said that the undertaking will be
a dangerous one.

"Of course it must be so. I have with me a friend and
servant, on both of whom I can rely in any emergency, and I can
doubtless procure other assistants from the other side; but for
such a leader as you describe I do not know where to look.
Will there be time for me to go to Ogdensburgh and return ?"

"Abundant time. The a — afiair is not to take place until
next Friday."

Gertrude shuddered, but did not reply.

" You will not have any child's play in this matter, you know,
and if you undertake it you must be prepared to make the most
vigorous and determined efforts for a successful result. It will of
course involve some heavy outlay, which, I hope, you are pre-
pared to meet."

"Yes, money shall not be wanting nor any efforts that I can
»make. I must return at once to Ogdensburgh, where a brother of
the prisoner awaits advices from us. There money will procure
men, and, possibly, a leader competent to this great achievement.
At all events, I assure you my whole fortune, if needed, shall not
be wanting to reward the successful actors in this humane
effort."

" I see that I shall have no cause to complain of you, if my
pretty scheme falls through. You certainly deserve success, and
I almost think I could find the man on Canadian soil, who would
become your vicegerent, if I dared to risk my secret here."

** But when I go to my friends, I must be allowed to inform
them of the nature of the aid they are to receive."

" Yes but only in general terms. Let them select a rendezvous
upon some island near to Kingston where you can communicate
with them at night by means of trusty messengers, and when
the proper time arrives, let the details of mv plan be communi-

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 297

cated to their leader. With him I would like to confer person-
ally, although, of course, my name must not be known to him/'

Hadley proceeded to impart to the young lady more minute
instructions and advice in relation to the part she was to act, and
he also disclosed to her some further particulars of his proposed
plan of rescue. What else should become necessary for her to
know he would inform her of, he said, after her return from
Ogdensburgh to Kingston, to which latter place he himself was to
proceed within two or three days. He spoke in a cheerful and
lively tone, and succeeded in inspiring Gertrude with a portion of
his own sanguine expectation of success. He bade her keep up
good courage, and assured her that he believed nothing was want-
ing but skill and boldness on the part of her friends, aided by the
facilities which he would be able to oflfer them, to ensure a trium-
phant result.

But oh, how widely different were the emotions with which the
two individuals contemplated the momentous project under dis-
cussion. To one it was the last faint hope of a long series, all
of which had as yet ende^ in disappointment, and if this also
failed, nothing remained to her but the submission of despair.

To the other, it was but an exciting and boyish exploit, prompted
indeed in the first instance by humane feelings, but carried out in
the spirit of adventure, and with that cherished oppugnation to
authority which had ever characterized the young scion of
nobility.

There was just enough of personal danger attending the
attempt, danger of censure from high sources, and of amenability
to violated laws, to add a zest to the undertaking. There was
something to be eluded by skill, or to be borne with heroism.

The friends, for such a brief interview and a community of
interest had made them, parted with a full understanding of thej^
respective designs, and with an appointment of the time and
place when they should again meet at Kingston, after (jrertruda

13*

298 THE PRISONER OF THE BOEDER.

had visited and conferred with her friends on the American
side.

When Miss Van Kleeck returned to her apartment, Ruth was
greatly surprised at her changed demeanor, but still more at the
secrecy which her friend was compelled to observe in relation to
the visit she had received.

" Do not ask me now, dear Ruth,'' she said ; " all that is proper
for you to know, I will tell you hereafter. It is enough that there
is something more to be done for Harry, and that there is some^
oh, how little, I fear it is yet ! some hope remaining."

Not less was the astonishment of Mr. Strong, who returned to
his hotel, accompanied by a medical man, prepared to restore
Gertrude from a state of syncope, and who found her already
revived by a more powerful medicine than any described in
his pharmacopoeia, and making active preparations for departure
in the evening steamboat, on her return to Kingston.

He did not seek to dissuade her, for he had no longer the least
hope that any change could be wrought in the views of the
governor, and he thought that the sooner the friends of the pri-
soner could reconcile their minds to his approaching and inevita-
ble fate, the better it would be both for them and him.

He did not question Gertrude in regard to her change of deport-
ment, supposing that she had resolved to devote the few
remaining days of her friend's life to solacing him with her sym-
pathy and with those lofty and glorious hopes of immortality, in
the light of which all earthly joys and sufferings alike dwindle
into insignificance. They left the capital that night and arrived
the next day in Kingston where the humane lawyer, after conduct-
ing the ladies to their hotel, parted with them with many express-
ions of kindness, and with a promise to call upon them daily
during the remainder of their stay in the city.

Garret and Brom were awaiting their arrival with great anxiety,
and with no little hope that they were to bring a full pardon for

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. * 299

the prisoner, whom they had encouraged to look for such a re-
sult.

"Has she got the pardon, Missa Roof?" the negro eagerly in-
quired, while Van Vrank sought similar information from his
cousin.

" Oh ! I know she has," he added, with delight, " because she
does not cry. Let me go quick and tell him."

Ruth commenced weeping, and this was the negro's answer,
confirmed the next instant by the voice of Gertrude herself, who
turned from her sorrowful cousin to her faithful servant, and said,
while large tears coursed down her cheeks,

" No, Brom, the governor will do nothing for us. Yet let us
hope still in the Great Governor of all. We must have faith."

" Yes !" replied the negro, with a very frightened look and a
very earnest manner, " we must hab faith ; but Massa Harry has
been tried, and convicted, and sentenced, and if the gubernor don't
pardon him, dey will sartinly hang him, Missa Getty, you may
'pend upon it."

■ " Not unless it is God's will," replied the young lady, sighing
deeply.

" I don't tink dey care any ting 'bout dat," replied Brom, who
utterly failed to comprehend the strength and simplicity of his
young mistress' reliance upon Omnipotence.

" Let no one announce this news to him excepting myself,"
continued Gertrude. " Garret, you will go with me to the prison
in about half an hour ; but remember that I must talkwith Harry
alone."

*' I wouldn't tell him for a tousand dollars," said the affection-
ate negro. " I bin telling him all along how sartin sure you
would bring a pardon, 'cause Massa Strong went with you hissef ;
but he would not believe it, and he said he knew this new risin'
over on t'other side would make the gubernor so angry, he would
not listen to you. See, he was right — poor Massa Harry !"

CHAPTER XL.

A SAD INTERVIEW.

It was with much trepidation that Gertrude anticipated her
approaching interview with Harry, whom as yet she had not
spoken with since the hour that he bade her farewell in her own
quiet home on the banks of the Hudson — that oft-regretted hour,
when a word of kind and earnest dissuasion from her might have
kept him away from this disastrous war and all its awful conse-
quences. Had she not then been too anxious to conceal the one
great secret of her life, her pure and blameless affection for him,
what long and bitter hours of anguish might she not have been
spared, and what a fearful fate might have been averted from
him.

Could it yet be averted ? Ah ! she would not count the cost
now, whatever might be the wounds her sensitive heart must feel,
whatever censure an ill-natured world might heap upon her — she
would bear it all to atone for that one moment^s remissness,
and bring him back to life and happiness, even although not to
her. ^

Let us not attempt to depict her emotions when, sustained by
the manly Van Vrank, she entered the gloomy precincts of that
prison-house, whence so many of her countrymen had passed to
the unknown world, and where Harry Vrail was that moment
looking forward with hopeless expectation to a similar fate. The
massive doors opening and closing with terrific clangor around

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 301

her, the long, dark corridors, echoing with the sound of her own
footfall upon the floor of stone, the checkered light of heaven en-
tering through the iron-barred windows — all was new to her, and
terrible in its novelty.

Clinging to her cousin, she approached the cell in which Vrail
was confined, and when near it. Garret left her for a moment, by
her own request, that he might apprise Harry of her coming.
He then conducted her to the door, and leaving her again, he
paced the hall, at a distance where he might watch over her
safety, and yet not overhear the conversation. It was early in
the day, yet the light which found entrance into the cell was, for-
tunately for Harry, not sufficient to reveal either his pallor or his
great agitation at this dismal meeting.

Poor Gertrude thrust her little hand between the bars of the
door without an effort to speak, and yet without the possibility of
restraining either her tears or her sobs.

" Do not weep for me, dear Gertrude," he said, at length ; " the
worst of my suffering is already past. May the Almighty Father
bless you for all that you have done for me ; for the noble heroism
with which you have befriended me, and for this last act of kind-
ness, which you need not tell me has been unavailing. I knew
that it would be so. 1 am fully prepared to hear that the gover-
nor has refused to listen even to your intercession."

" I did not intercede — I could not speak to him," sobbed
Gertrude ; " but oh, Harry, if you could have heard that dear
child Ruth, plead for you ! His heart must be iron to resist
her."

" Poor Ruth. I know, dear Gertrude, you will ever be her
friend."

'' She is my sister forever — but let us not talk of her now.
Listen to me, for I must speak lower, and on a different theme."

Gertrude gazed earnestly around, to see that no one could heai
what she was about to utter, and then she hastened to imnart

302 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

sparingly to Harry her new hope ; for, while she was unwilling tc
leave him a moment in ignorance of it, she was also fearful that
he might seize upon it with too much avidity.

She (lid not disclose to him all the particulars of the proposed
rescue, for there were some details which, for reasons that will
become obvious, it was designed to conceal even from him ; but
she told him of the great confidence expressed by their new friend
in the success of his scheme.

Harry listened to her with a mournful silence, which gave no
token of too sanguine expectation.

"For your sake, dear Gertrude," he said, "I will consent to
have these dead hopes revived, even though they must in part
distract my mind from those higher interescs to which it should
be given ; but I cannot conceal from myself that success in such
an undertaking as this would be most extraordinary, and is not to
be anticipated."

"Not more extraordinary, Harry, than that Heaven should
raise up such a friend to aid us, when all other help fails. Be at
least hopeful enough to use all necessary means for making this
last effort."

" I will — and if I cannot look upon what seems to me as the
rash scheme of a sanguine boy, as a token of Providential inter-
ference, I will, at least, accept your unfaltering goodness and per-
severance, dear Gertrude, as such an intimation. I will hope, and
I will leave nothing undone on my part."

" You give me new courage now, Harry, and I shall go about
my task with energy."

" But I must exact one promise from you — dear Tom must not
come here. I will not have him incur any risk of taking my
place in these horrid quarters. Promise me this."

" I certainly promise it, as far as it is under my control. But
is there not danger that if your own brother stands aloof, others
will refuse to come to your aid ?"

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 303

"Not at all, for his would be a double risk, since, as an oflScer
of the patriot array, his life would be regarded as already forfeited,
and, if taken in this attempt, there could be no hope for him.
No — I will never consent to his coming, even if the plan must be
abandoned without him."

" He shall know all you say."

'* But, Gertrude, there is one man, if he can be found, and can
be induced to take part in this enterprise, who will be a host in
himself; a brave, sagacious, wise man, who will find his own
coadjutors, and will lead them. Let him but be convinced that
there is any probable ground of success, and he will gladly
undertake it, although less out of regard for me, than for the
glory of the achievement, and from hatred to this govern-
ment."

" Oh, tell me his name. I will find him — I will find him. He
shall surely come and save you."

"Ah! Gertrude, restrain these too confident hopes. Weeks
might be spent in the vain search for him of whom I speak, or if
he were to be found, it might only be to assure you of the im-
practicability of all your plans. He knows too well the strength
of British prisons, and the vigilance of British guards, to
count lightly on the prospect of wresting any one from their
keeping. Of all men, I fear he would be most likely to take a
common-sense view of the enterprise, and to declare it impos-
sible."

" No, no, no 1 not when he knows all that I can tell him."

"If he could but see Hadley"

" He shall — he shall. I will in some way bring about an inter-
view. They shall certainly meet. I have been told that there
are islands very near to us on this mighty river, which do not
belong to the British crown, but which form a part of our own
, country; and, better still, that some of these are uninhabited.
He shall come to one of these, and Hadley will meet him there.

30i THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

I know he will, for whatever may be his motive, he is fully in
earnest in helping us.''

"Your cheerful hopes are infectious, dear Gertrude, and I
catch a portion of your sanguine spirit ; but I fear the time is too
short to accomplish so much."

" There is abundant time, with the means that I shall use ; but
it must not be wasted in words. The name — tell me the name
of this powerful ally !"

" Come nearer, if you can, for it is one which I scarcely dare
to utter on Canadian soil."

Gertrude pressed closer to the bars, and heard the faintly
whispered name, long familiar to her ears, of " William John-
son. "

" With Thomas' aid you may possibly be able to find him,"
continued Harry, " but if you fail to do so, you must accept the
next best assistance you can obtain. Your cousin Van Vrank, I
suppose, is in the secret of this undertaking ?"

" Not yet, but at the proper time both he and Brora will know
all, and I count upon them both for efficient aid. Brom, I really
believe, would lay down his life to save you ; and Garret, although
not quite so loyal, is brave and strong, ard will be willing to
encounter great risks in your service. If you have but few friends,
they are all faithful."

" Ah ! how undeserving am I of all this kindness.''

" Before you see me again," interrupted Gertrude, " you will
have seen Hadley, and he will have made known to you all the
particulars of his scheme. Do not mistrust him, nor fear to be
fully guided by his instructions. And now, farewell."

" Farewell, dear Gertrude. Do not hope too much, nor fear
that my sufferings will be aggravated by failure, if we are destined
again to disappointment. I shall hope sparingly, and whether
my days be few or many, they will all be brightened by the
jemembrance of your kindness. If I perish, forget me, and do

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 305

not idly raouvn my fate, which you will have done all in your
power to avert."

Gertrude did not reply; but beckoning Garret to approach, she
took his arm, and departed in silence.

CHAPTER XLI.

AN INQUISITIVE MAN.

Within a few hours aftef her visit to Vrail, Gertrude was on
her way to Ogdensburgh, accompanied by her cousin, who was as
yet ignorant of the object of her journey, and who was contented
io be her escort and protector, without inquiring into any secrets
which she chose to withhold.

Leaving the gentle girl to pursue her heroic mission, let us re-
turn to take a brief view of the doings of another actor in this
eventful drama.

During nearly two days after the rejection of the petition for
the pardon of Vrail, the governor's young guest remained at his
house and to the surprise of Sir George, he did not again allude to
a subject in which he had at first manifested so great an interest.
Nor was there any change in his usual deportment, excepting in
an increased vivacity of manner, and at times in even an extra-
ordinary hilarity of spirits. In truth, the young man, partly from
constitutional tendency, and partly from satiety of enjoyment, was
the frequent victim of ennui, that bane of the happiness of the
great; and it was only by some exciting occupation that this
evil spirit could be fully exorcised. The topic which now occu-
pied his mind was chiefly fascinating to him, because there were
obstacles to overcome, and triumphs to achieve ; yet the gratifica-
tion of his naturally humane feelings was still a prominent ele-
ment in the motives which actuated him, as it had originally been

S06

THE PRISONER OF THE BOEDER. 307

the only cause of bis interference. But it would be useless to seek
to fully analyze the secret spring which move a heart like his,
accustomed to wild and irregular impulses, prone to strange and
daring deeds because they are strange and daring, and unaccus-
tomed to feel, although perhaps to acknowledge, any real fealty
or fear for governmental authority.

On the second morning after the departure of Gertrude and her
friends from the capital, Hadley announced his intention of imme-
diately visiting the Lower Province, which he had for some time
contemplated, and he would stop a few days at Kingston, he said,
to see that city and its military works, and to make the acquaint-
ance of some of the army officers to whom he had brought letters
of introduction from England.

"I shall want to see all the lions while I am th^re, and one of
them will doubtless be this young and handsome American lieu-
4-enant, so soon to be executed," he said, alluding for the first time
to Vrail since his signal discomfiture (as Sir George complacently
regarded it) in the argument about the propriety of his pardon.
" If you can give me a brief line to the sheriff", or to the keeper of
the prison, it will afford me an easy access to him, and save me
the necessity of any personal solicitation."

Sir George was too polite to refuse so small a request, and being
in a very self-satisfied mood in regard to the final disposition of
this question, he wrote a very potent passport for his young friend,
requesting that every facility might be afforded him to view the
prison, and to see and converse, if he chose, with any of the inmates.

" I do not think it will be necessary," he said, handing the
folded note to Hadley, " as your name itself would secure you ad-
mission, which, indeed, is very freely granted to the friends of
prisoners under sentence of death. If you should have any curi-
osity to witness his execution"

" Not the least, I assure you," replied B , with an involun-
tary shrug of the shoulders.

308 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

" I dare say the Jailer could give you a private box," said Sir
George, smiling, "and it might be worth while to see how these
men, who boast so much of their valor, can meet death."

" It is not worth my while, nor would I jeopard my nights
sleep by such a sight," replied Hadley, who immediately changed
the subject of conversation, lest some chance word or look of his
should betray to the astute governor, the strange, deep interest
which he felt in the fate of Vrail.

The next day he was in Kingston ; but strange to say, he de-
livered no letters of introduction and sought no acquaintances,
but entering his untitled name upon the register of the hotel at
which he stopped, he remained unrecognised as a traveller of
distinction, or as a man of noble family. He did not, indeed, ex-
pect or desire^to remain incognito during the whole of his stay at
Kingston, but he wished to avoid attracting any present attention
which might impede his actions in the project he had at heart.
His servant was dispatched to another inn, with instructions to
take no notice of him>, and not to disclose his station ; and although
the fellow entertained not the least suspicion of his master's de-
sign, he was too well used to similar disguises, for less worthy ob-
jects, to admit of much surprise or curiosity''. At all events, he

was faithful and trustworthy, and B 's secret, if known, would

have been inviolable with him.

Hadley did not deliver the governor's letter to the sheriff. He
chose, for obvious reasons, to present it to the keeper of the city
prison, on whom he correctly expected that both it and his own
rank, which the letter disclosed, would make a profounder im-
pression.

Early in the evening of the day on which he arrived in the
city, he drove to the jail, and made known his errand to the
keeper, whom he transformed at once, by virtue of the governor's
note, and his own revealed rank, from a somewhat dignified offi-
cial, to a very obsequious attendant upon his requests.

♦,

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 309

" It was late," the warder said, " and the halls were locked for the

night, but if Mr. B wished to see any of the prisoners thai

evening, he should be gratified, certainly."

" You have an American officer here ?"

" Oh, yes, quite a number of them, sir ; they are thinning out,
however — three were turned off last week, and one more will go
soon."

"What! released?"

" Oh, no, sir I Oh, bless you, no, sir I"

** Ah! yes, I understand. Do you witness the executions?"

" Always, sir — always. I usually stand very near, and " .

" Let me ask you how they deport themselves. My cousin, the
governor, is quite curious on this point."

" Well, sir," replied the officer, who hesitated between his regard
for truth and his desire to please his auditor and Sir George, "I
must say that they go through it very handsomely, sir — that is to
jay, sir, they continue stubborn to the last; they don't flinch."

"Yes, I understand; they conduct themselves in a way that
you would call courageous, if it were in a better cause."

"They do, sir — they certainly do ! They are really brave men
sir, whatever else they may be."

** There is a young lieutenant here, by the name of Vrail, I
believe?"

"Yes, he is to be hung next Friday. He is a harmless-looking
fellow enough, though he 'is said to have been a desperate fellow
among those brigands, as we call them. I dare say he richly
deserves his fate."

" Ah I indeed. Now, Mr. , as I am an idle traveller in the

provinces, and curious to see and learn all that I can, I should
really like to converse awhile with oner of the leading men in this
strange invasion, which excites so much interest at home. It will
be something to tell of there, you know, when the Canadian
troubles are discussed."

310 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

" Certainly, sir, certainly ; you are, of course, quite welcome to
see any of the men, or all of them, as much as you please."

" I think I should like to see this Mr. Vrail, of whom so much
is said."

" Yes, sir. Do you wish to see him this evening?"

" Yes, at once, if he is disengaged," replied Hadley.

" Oh, as to that, he has not many engagements," replied the
turnkey, jocosely, " and he is pretty sure to be at home to visi-
tors."

" Of whom he has not many, I presume ?"

"No, not many, sir. He has one friend, a sort of Dutch
Yankee, who comes every day to see him, and there is a negro
comes occasionally, who was his servant in the war, and who was
in prison here with him awhile, but who got clear by some hocus
pocus, I don't exactly know how — probably because he was not
considered worth hanging. We allow them each to come once a
day, if they choose."

" Are these all the friends he sees ?"

"No; there was a young woman here, day before yesterday,
quite a handsome girl, indeed, and very well-behaved, who talked
with him for half an hour or more, at the cell door. I quite
pitied the poor thing, who, I suppose, is his sweetheart ; but she
did not look so very much distressed when she went out, either.
Probably she has other strings to her bow."

" Probably she has," replied Hadley, significantly.

"If you want to see Vrail, I will go with you to his cell
directly.''

" Ah ! I do not like cells," said the young man, drawing out a
scented handkerchief, and applying it to his face with a pretty air
of affectation ; " there is always a bad odor about them. As 1
may want to converse with this — brigand for some time, and pos-
sibly more than once, is there not some convenient room of your
own in which you could allow me to see him ?"

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 311

"I should be really happy to accommodate you," replied the
keeper, with rather a frightened air, *' if it can be done safely^but
he is said to be a desperate fellow."

" Is he very large and strong ?"

" Oh, no, sir — quite slight and delicate-like."

" Is he not chained ?"

"Yes, he has chains upon his ankles, but he can take very
short steps."

"And do you really think there is danger of such a man, so
situated, getting away from us ?"

" Well, I suppose not. I will tell you what I will do. Here is
a room," he continued, leading the way to a good-sized apart-
ment, which opened into the main lower hall of the building, a
few feet from the front door ; " here is a room which has some-
times been occupied by prisoners whom we wished to deal lightly
with, a kind of gentlemen, you know, and which is tolerably safe.
It is used by my family now, and is, as you see, comfortably fur-
nished ; but the windows are as strongly barred as any in the
building, and if you choose to see the prisoner here, I will have
him removed to this room for an hour or so, and will merely place
a man on guard at the door."

" Outside ?"

** Oh, yes, outside, of course."

*' Very well, I will be much obliged to you, and I will men-
tion your politeness to the governor."

The gratified officer summoned some of his men, and in a short
time effected the desired change in Vrail's quarters, without at all
taking pains to explain to the prisoner the cause of his removal
or the exceedingly brief period which it was designed to permit
him to enjoy his new and comparatively comfortable apartment.

Ith

CHAPTER XLIL

A VISIT TO A DESPERATE BRIGAND.

It was not until Hadley entered the room of the condemned
man, and the key was turned upon them alone, that the latter sus-
pected who his visitor was, and what was the nature of his errand.

It was a strange, sad meeting between two young and educated
men, of refined minds and manners, whose ages were nearly
equal, whose natural graces of person were not dissimilar, but whose
present condition and prospects were, alas ! how widely, how
fearfully diverse 1 If Hadley had been so deeply interested in the
fate of his companion before seeing him, how much was that in-
terest enhanced by his first glance at the pale, intellectual features
of the imprisoned youth, whose clanking chains, as he rose grace-
fully to return the salutation of his visitor, proclaimed the whole
sad story of his fate.

Hadley advanced unhesitatingly, and offered his hand, saying,
with his kindest smile,

" We shall need no introduction, I believe, Mr. Vrail ; you have
been informed both of my name, and of my object in calling to
see you."

" I have certainly heard the whole story of your extraordinary
kindness, if, as I cannot doubt, your name is "

Harry paused with instinctive caution. He dared not supply
the name, lest he might be mistaken in his visitor. The sentence
was, however, finished by his companion,

812

THE PKISONER OF THE BORDER. 313

" Edward Hadiey B . You have heard it from one who

has your welfare deeply at heart, and whose distress has enlisted
my services for you."

" She is an angel," exclaimed Harry, enthusiastically, " and if
it were only for the few days more of hope which your aid and
efforts must give her, I shall thank you with my latest breath."

" I hope to render you more efficient service than that," replied
Hadiey, smiling; "indeed, I may say, I feel confident of so doing,
if Miss Van Kleeck succeeds in her part of the undertaking."

" But I cannot understand how a few, or many men are to ob-
tain access to me, even if they should obtain peaceable entrance
into the main building. There will still be two doors to be forced,
and that in the presence of several guards."

" I do not intend they shall undertake any such miracles. This
room, I think, will afford better facilities for your rescue, and I
have already taken the initiatory step in my scheme, by having
you brought here to-night."

" But I shall not be allowed to remain in this apartment."

" Certainly not. Yet you will be brought here again to meet
me, and again, if my present designs succeed, when I shall not be
here, and when your friends, concealed about the building, shall
have an opportunity to rush in and bear you off, chained as you
are. This door, if necessary, must be quickly forced. Used thus
only for a temporary purpose, it is but singly locked, and these
heavy bolts, as you see, are not turned.

"But the outer door?"

" Will be opened to give exit to one who is to visit you here.
That is the critical moment which must be seized by those outside,
and on that everything depends. Remember, too, at that particu-
lar instant the door of this room will probably be unlocked, as
they will be in the act of removing you to your cell. If other-
wise, it must, as I said, be forced, or the turnkeys must be over-
powered, though of course not harmed, and their keys taken from
U

314 THE PEISONER OF THE BORDER.

them. These at least, are the chances on which we must calcu-
late. Everything, of course, is liable to be defeated by unforeseen
events, but 1 have not the least doubt," added the young man,
with flashing eyes, which spoke his delight in daring deeds, " that
I could accomplish this successfully, with three strong followers,
and one able coadjutor inside. But, of course, I cannot compro-
mise myself so far ; indeed, it is even my intention, to be out of
the city on the evening when the rescue takes place."

" Or is attempted," added Vrail, sadly.

"I cannot look upon it as a failure," was the reply ; " and 1
should be deeply chagrined and grieved at such a result."

The pretext, under which Hadley intended to introduce a con-
federate into the prisoner's room, he did not disclose to the latter,
for he had been warned by Gertrude that, however readily Vrail
might consent to, or take part in a forcible rescue, he would
perhaps refuse, in the solemn prospect of death, to be a party to
any scheme of deception. Gertrude's own scruples on this point
had not been light, but uncertain of her duty, she had not dared
to jeopard the momentous interests at stake, by urging objections
which she thought might be misplaced, and which her gay con-
federate laughed at as the merest puerilities.

An assumed lawyer, from " the States," was to be the prisoner's
visitor, for the pretended purpose of drawing the will of the doomed
man, who had the reputation of wealth, owing to the large sums
of money which had been expended on his defence. This story
Hadley believed would excite no suspicion, and he had decided
upon it as the best of many schemes which he had contemplated.

" It will be painful *to me," said Vrail, after a pause, " to be
compelled to be an inactive witness of the struggle which must
take place, as I can do nothing with my limbs thus hampered.
If your interest could release me from these chains, I am sure I
should be equal to any two opponents in a contest in which my
life was at stake."

THE PRISONER OF THE BOEDER. 315

" I expected this suggestion from you, but I have already de-
cided, after the most mature deliberation, against attempting it
for two reasons. One of them is the very great danger of exciting
suspicion of our plan, and thus defeating all hope of success, and
the other is purely selfish and personal with me. It would al-
most convict me of being an accomplice in your escape, of which
I shall be tolerably sure to be suspected at the best."

" Doubtless you are right. I must be content to be an idle spec-
tator of my own rescue, or to do what little my bonds will permit."
" You will find euough to do in exercising a vigilant super-
vision of the scene, when the critical moment arrives, so as to
take instant advantage of every favorable contingency. Accident,
or what we call so, often favors the best laid schemes more than
all the wisdom that is bestowed upon them, and, I need not say,
it sometimes frustrates them. Your business will be to watch."
" This attempt must of course take place in the evening ?"
" Of course, and at as late an hour as practicable. Your visi-
tor will come in the evening, but not late, lest he should be refused
admittance ; and he must remain with you here, probably until as
late an hour as nine o'clock."

**If anything should occur to require more precipitate action ?"
" Of course you will be guided by circumstances, your friends
outside being warned to be ready at any moment, yet patient
enough to wait quietly as long as may become necessary. They
must be prepared too for an instant alarm and pursuit when the
rescue is achieved. A stout carriage and fleet horses, with frequent
relays, must serve them until they gain a safe place to embark."'
"Should we not instantly seek the river at the nearest point ?"
" Certainly not ; your boats must be at some distance from the
city, for the whole town will be aroused by the tumult and
the chase, and it will only be when you have fairly distanced
both the pursuit and the clamor, that you can safely leave your car-
riage. Any attempt to do so within the city, where an enemy

316 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

might spring up at any point, would be dangerous in the extreme.
If your embarkation were not altogether prevented, your boats
would be fired into, and your lives endangered."

*' I see that you have fully digested your plan, and that it can-
not be amended by me. All these details I suppose you will
communicate to Gertrude, or possibly, to the man who becomes the
leader of this forlorn hope."

I shall confer with the leader of the rescuing party, if possible,
but it must be under such circumstances of disguise or darkness
as shall preclude all possibility of his recognition of me, if we
should ever meet again. I trust my secret confidently* to you and
your fair friend, but to no more."

" Honor and gratitude will alike bind us to eternal secrecy,
unless your own consent should at some future time permit us to
name our benefactor."

** A not improbable contingency ; for, if our scheme succeeds, I
feel assured the time will come when I shall make open boast of
what I do now under a cloud."

" I regret that you deem it necessary to leave the city before
the attempt is made. I fear something may occur when the
influence of your presence is wanting, to prevent our obtaining
the full benefit of the privileges you are to bespeak for us."

" I am not decided to go. I will think further of it ; but, if
in the city, I must be at a distance from you, and where I could
be of no service in an emergency. Indeed, if I were at hand, I
could do little to remedy a misstep."

The young men conversed at considerable length, and it was
not until the jailer had twice unlocked the door and looked in
upon the colloquists, that Hadley relieved his impatience by rising
to depart.

" I have learned a good deal from this man," he said to the
officer, as he went out, " and it is possible that I shall wish to con-
verse with him ai^ain."

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 317

** Certainly, sir, at any time before next Friday. We can'i
make any engagements for him later than that, you know,"
replied the keeper, with a grim smile.

" Of course — of course ; I shall probably find leisure to see
him before that day."

" Or, if you should not, you may find others here who are
equally able to give you the information you may wish."

" Very true. Then, as to this Mr. Vrail, if that is his name, he
wants a favor of you, which I presume you will be quite willing
to grant. Indeed, you may find it greatly to your interest to
oblige him* as he is reputed to be a man of great wealth.''

" Certainly, sir ; if it is anything proper, I shall be very glad."

"Oh, he only wants to make his will; and he expects a lawyer
here from the States to draw it for him. Perhaps he may leave
you a valuable legacy for your civility."

" Oh, indeed ! I am sure I should be very glad to do anything
for the unfortunate man, but it is not much that I can do. He has
no appetite, though we send him daily meals that are fit for — for
a lord, sir. Three-fourths of the dishes come back untouched, sir."

The jailer omitted to mention that this choice fare was trebly
paid for by his involuntary guest.

"When his counsel comes," continued Hadley, "he will, of
course, want to see him alone, and perhaps for several hours.
This room, which I have just left, will suit their purpose, and if it
will not be disturbing your family too much to give up possession
of it, I suppose you will allow them to occupy it."

" Oh, certainly, sir ; they shall have it, and be quite welcome.
I will just station a turnkey or two in the hall here, sir, as I have
to-night. You know that is proper, sir, if it is only for form's
sake."

And with many obsequious bows, the warder waited upon the
young gentleman to the door, and expressed his sense of the high
honor which his visit had conferred upon him.

CHAPTER XLIII.

THE OUTLAW AND HIS FOLLOWERS.

Miss Van Kleeck and her cousin, to whom, on their way to
Ogdensburgh, she had fully disclosed the object of her errand
thither, and who had zealously promised a hearty co-operation in
her plans, repaired immediately after their arrival in that village,
to the hotel in which Thomas Vrail was sojourning. They found
thq young man in a state of great grief and consternation, for ho
had received tidings of his brother's fearful doom., and he had not
dared to anticipate any favorable result from the application to
the governor. Gertrude herself, although buoyed by this new
hope, and relieved by the necessity for continual action, had her
moments of torturing anxiety and fear, far surpassing any that
such a mind as the younger VraiJ's could ever experience. Yet
she came to him in the character of a comforter, whose ofiSce it
was to solace and sustain.

She at once imparted to him as much of the new and daring
project as she was at liberty to reveal, and, with an eagerness be-
tokened by the trembling of voice and frame, she as speedily
inquired if he knew anything of the present abode of that cele-
brated man, whose co-operation in their plan Harry had considered
so essential to its success.

Her hopes fell with his reply.

*' Johnson left here a week since for Oswego and other frontier
villages, to visit and advise with the lodges in regard to future
movements, but it is impossible even to guess at his present place

818

THE PKISONER OF THE BORDER. 319

of sojourn, and weeks might be spent in a fruitless search for
him."

" He has been here, then," replied Gertrude, sadly, " and might
have been detained — oh, that I had known it 1"

There was an implied reproach in this remark which Thomas
felt, and he at once perceived his own great remissness in not
having tried to secure so powerful an ally for any contingency
which might arise in relation to his brother's fate.

" Let us go in search of him," continued Gertrude, promptly ;
" if we fail to find him in Oswego, it will at least be as easy to
enlist other aid there as here, and it has the advantage of being
nearer Kingston than this."

Without rest, without delay, even for a meal, the travellers,
accompanied by Thomas Vrail, immediately set out by express
coach, and by the aid of frequent relays, they completed their
hurried journey in the evening of the same day, although at too
late an hour to admit of instituting any inquiries until the next
morning.

The day was Tuesday, and but two more remained beside it
for all the momentous action which was yet needed to give even
a chance of success to their great enterprise.

Gertrude counted the hours as the miser counts the golden
pieces which are wrung by torture from his grasp, each seeming
more valuable than the last, and fleeter in its progress.

" You will make immediate and earnest inquiries for Johnson,"
she said to her friends, " and learn, if possible, if he is still here ;
or, if he has left, in what direction he has gone. While there is
hope of engaging him, we will look for no other."

" Yet his name must not be mentioned," replied Thomas.
" Hundreds who may have seen and conversed with him yester-
day, would deny that they had ever met him. Ask only for "

" For whom ?" inquired Gertrude, impatiently.

" I had almost forgotten that T am not at libertv to tell the

320 THE PEI80NER OF THE BORDER.

name by which alone he is now known, if here. But you may
safely leave all inquiries to me. If he is in town, or if he has
been here within the last few days, I <ian learn it without fail, and
probably within a very few minutes. Hunters here are.plentier
than blackberries in August."

Vrail, in fact, telegraphed his landlord at the breakfast table,
learned that he was one of the secret fraternity, and within a few
minutes after the meal was ended, they were closeted together.
Familiarly addressing the stranger who, by a motion of the hand,
had been converted into a friend and ally, Thomas said,

" I wish to find Mr. Miller, the Commodore^s friend and agent,
whom, of course, you know. I parted with him a week since at
Ogdensburgh, and he expected to visit this place."

"He was at the lodge night before last," replied the other,
and gave us a full account of the affair at Windmill Point. He
assured us, too, of Johnson's safety, of which we had great fears ;
but Mr. Miller has actually seen him on this side since the battle.
The house rang with cheers at the announcement."

" I doubt it not. He fully deserves his great popularity. T,
also, can vouch for his safety, if need be, having crossed the St.
Lawrence in his company."

" Is it possible ? You, then, were in the battle ?" exclaimed the
other, extending his hand and grasping his companion's, as if that
circumstance gave him a new claim upon his regard.

" I was, and at another time I will relate to you, or to your
lodge, if they desire it, all the information in my possession ; but
at present I have the most urgent business with this Mr. Miller,
and I must speedily find him, if it is possible to do so. Import-
ant interests are involved in the success of my search. Can you
assist me ?"

" I will certainly do all that I can," was the zealous reply. " In
two hours I can see all our people, and if he is here you shall see
him ; if he is gone, you shall know whither."

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 321

The two hours did not elapse without the complete fulfillment
of the promises of the good-natured landlord, who not only found
the disguised outlaw, but triumphantly brought him, "much
amazed, and wondering much," into the presence of Yrail.

They were left alone in the room of the young man, who, greet-
ing him warmly, expressed his great gratification at the meeting.

" Your messenger was just in time," replied the other ; " in half
an hour I should have started on my return home, for I have
seen our friends in a dozen villages, and I am convinced that
nothing can be done at present ; we must at least lie still for a few
weeks, or do you bring better news from other quarters ?"

" I bring no good news, but I am at least glad that you are dis-
engaged. I have travelled express from Ogdensburgh to find
you."

" My disguise, then, is discovered ; I am pursued ? Or, still
worse, my children "

" No, nothing of this. Your children are safe ; your disguise is
unsuspected. It is for myself, or rather for poor Harry's sake that
I have sought you. He is to die on Friday, if there is no possi-
bility of rescue."

Johnson shook his head slowly, as he replied, " If rescue bac
been possible. Van Shoultz should not have died, nor Woodrufi*,
nor Abbey. I would have risked my life for either of those gal-
lant men, had there been the shadow of a chance to save them ;
but there was not. And your poor brother will share their fate.
Do not for a moment indulge any other hope. We may avenge,
but we cannot save him."

" I fear you are right," replied Thomas, sadly ; " but before you
decide fully on this, you must see Miss Van Kleeck, who is here
with me, and who, indeed, has done all that has yet been done
towards assisting Harry. She has much to tell you, and some-
thing that even I am not to know."

" Her conduct is most praiseworthy, yet I am sorry she is here

14*

322 THE PEISONER OF THE BOKDEK.

with any hope of help from me. It will be painful to disappoint
her."

" You will see her, and hear what she has to say ?"

" I would willingly do so, if it were not uselessly confiding my
disguise to another party. She knows me only as Mr. Miller."

" You need not fear to trust her. By design, of course, she can-
not betray you, and whatever may be the result of this dreadful
business, we shall both in a few days return to our distant home,
where an accidental allusion to your secret, if we should be indis-
creet enough to make it, would do you no harm. I beg that you
will see her."

Johnson reluctantly complied, and Gertrude was admitted,
trembling, to his presence. Great was her astonishment to learn
that the hero, whose name was in so many mouths, and whose
deeds had been blazoned so far, was the same quiet and gentle-
manly man whom she had met on her first arrival at Ogdensburgh,
and who then had so kindly and mildly counselled her in regard "
to her course of action in Canada.

His manner was not essentially difierent now, until she had re-
lated to him, in an earnest and impassioned manner, the particu-
lars of Lieutenant Vrail's trial, and until she began to impart to
him her reasons for hoping that a rescue might be effected.

As these were gradually disclosed, the countenance of the out-
law underwent a rapid change, and when she had told him all
that she was at liberty to reveal, and had assured him of the rank
and infl:uence of her ally in Canada, his demeanor exhibited the
utmost interest and excitement.

He asked her numerous questions, to which she replied, as she
had uttered many of her previous remarks, in an under-tone, which
even Thomas, who had seated himself apart from the eager collo-
quists, was not allowed to hear.

" I will see this man," he replied, at length, with strong em-
phasis, rising from his chair as he spoke, " if he will meet me on

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 323

Grand Island, or on any smaller island near to Kingston. 1 will hear
all his plan from his own lips, and if there is half the chance for
rescue which you fondly imagine, I am ready to make the attempt
with half a dozen followers, if they can be found of the right ma-
terial. It would be a triumph to snatch one victim from the jaws
of this devouring lion — yes, a triumph to be remembered through
life. It would repay some of the many humiliations and defeats
we have been compelled to suffer."

Gertrude's relief was inexpressible at this announcement, and
she vainly tried to speak her thanks to the valiant man, nor did
Thomas exhibit scarcely less satisfaction.

But the deportment of the outlaw clearly showed that his
thoughts were far less occupied with the idea of saving a single
life, however valued, or of winning the gratitude of his companions,
than with the renown of the anticipated achievement, and the
mortification it would inflict on the officials of the Canadian
government.

" But," he said, suddenly, " we must go as fully prepared for
the undertaking as if it were already decided upon. There will
be no time to find men and means after consultation with your
noble friend. All must' be done here, and now. Yet it will be
difficult, perhaps impossible, to procure sufficient volunteers for
this work on so short notice."

" We have considered all this," replied Gertrude. '^' We can-
not expect that the fame of a noble action will of itself be a
sufficient inducement to common men to enter upon a perilous
enterprise. But while you can doubtless find those whom the
renown of the exploit, and the honor of following so distinguished
a leader, will in a great degree repay for their risk, we are pre-
pared to add the additional incentive of a liberal pecuniary
reward. Neither shall there be any stint of means for any of
the expenses of the expedition. In this purse," she continued,
extending a bulky porte-monnaie to Johnson, and pressing it into

324 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

his hands, " you will find a large sum, yet not so large but that it
can be doubled or quadrupled at a moment's notice, if necessary
for our purposes. Use it as freely as you find occasion for, and
call on me when you need more."

Both Johnson and Vrail looked in aston ishment at the noble
girl, and the former, after a moment's pause, replied,

" This is the ring of the true metal ; could we infuse your spi-
rit into our men, we might almost count on certain victory. I
will take this money, and I will use it as you desire, freely ; nor
do I doubt that by its aid I can secure as many able and reliable
followers as we can safely use. What remains of your treasure
shall be returned to you, for I will take none of it."

" There will nothing remain," replied Gertrude, " which could
be a fitting reward for services like yours ; yet I shall hope to find
means to induce you to change your resolution hereafter, and to
accept for yourself at least as much as I have given you to
dispense."

" Hope it not. I could do nothing great from such a motive,
or while liable to the suspicion of sordid views. No, I will yet
redeem my country, or I will remain an outlaw and an exile, but
never a mercenary soldier, nor a recipient of charity. Lieutenant
Vrail is entitled to all the aid I can render, and Sir George Arthur
to all the annoyance I can inflict, and I will take pay for neither
the one nor the other."

Gertrude did not press a point which gave such evident pain ;
but resolving in some way to requite so great an obligation, she
consented to dismiss the subject for the present.

Little time was wasted in further consultation. Johnson imme-
diately began his quest for assistants, and fortunately his exten-
sive acquaintance with the warlike members of the Oswego Lodge
enabled him at once to select in his own mind the very persons
who would be most useful and reliable for such an enterprise as
that on which he was bound.

THE PRISONER OF THE BOEDER. 325

They were all meu of much physical strength and of proven
courage ; they had all enlisted for the war, and like hundreds of
others, having proceeded to Ogdensburgh, had only been restrained
from crossing by the defection of their leaders. To these men
he went privately and made himself known, although with some
difficulty, for they could not easily dispel the hallucination which
had made two men of one, whom they intimately knew in both
characters.

Their delight was equal to their astonishment at the discovery,
and such was their enthusiasm for and their confidence in the
heroic leader, that out of six men to whom he applied, he readily
secured the services of five, without revealing to them anything
but a very indistinct outline of the enterprise upon which he was
bound. This number he considered quite sufficient, together with
Van Vrank and the negro, whom Gertrude had assured him could
be fully relied upon for an active participation in the work.

More he was convinced would only encumber his movements
and jeopard secrecy, without increasing the chances of success. A
small band of resolute men was what he needed, and it is saying
much for his recruits to record that he was fully satisfied with
them.

Having secured this important step, he next turned his thoughts
to selecting a place of conference with Hadley, and to the best
mode of reaching it with his men. A small island, well known
to him, which was near the foot of the lake, and near the city
of Kingston, was selected for this purpose, but how to reach this
point, nearly sixty miles distant, in the necessary time and with
the requisite supply of boats and munitions, became the most
serious object of inquiry.

He hastened to the harbor, and learned that a small steamboat,
which had been used for coasting voyages, was lying idle in port,
and could be chartered for a few days for any part of the lake,
though at an expense so large that he feared even the liberal Ger-

326 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

trude would shrink from encountering it. He was, of course, mis-
taken. He found her not less rejoiced than himself at what
seemed a Providen4:ial supply of the very means best adapted for
the prosecution of their daring enterprise.

With this vessel at their command, they could proceed directly
to their desired rendezvous, taking with them the smaller boats
which would be required to effect a landing, both there and on
the Canadian shore, and all else that was necessary or might
prove useful in their expedition. Provisions were hastily laid in,
and weapons were carried on board in strange shaped boxes,
which defied the attempts of the curious to divine their contents,
and by sundown the little steamer, well " wooded and watered,^'
and with her fires lighted, lay quietly beside the wharf, ready for
instant departure. Her mysterious passengers did not come on
board until after dark, and not an unnecessary minute was lost
after their arrival in casting off the hawser and putting out to sea,
the wondering crew being as much at a loss as the idlers upon
the wharves as to the design of these unusual proceedings.

No difficulty was encountered in their voyage. The captain
received instructions to sail for the upper end of Grand Island,
and when near that point, which was long before dawn of day,
Johnson was at his side to give minute directions for the remain-
ing part of their course. It was not yet light when the adven-
turous voyagers landed, by means of their small boats, on the
southern side of a very small island, less than half a mile from the
Canadian shore, and but a few miles from the city of Kingston.
This little territory was inhabited in the planting and harvesting
seasons by a single farmer, who cultivated its few acres of
productive soil, but whose home was on the main land, where
he was now sojourning. The island was therefore now uninhab-
ited, and had the additional advantage of a tenement, though
of the poorest class and of very diminutive size.

These facts were known to Johnson, (whose roving life had

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 327

made him familiar with almost all the isles of the lake and river,)
and they had influenced him in selecting this place of landing.

As it would have been unsafe to risk attracting attention to his
quarters, by allowing the steamboat to be anchored near at hand,
he instructed her captain to proceed at once down the river, and
to return and pass the island at intervals of a few hours through
the day, at as great a distance as would admit of observing a con-
certed signal, which was to call him, if needed, to his employers.
If not sooner required, he was to approach the island after dark,
although no immediate service was anticipated for the vessel.

Speedy measures were now taken to convey Gertrude and Van
Vrank to Kingston, in order that the former might meet Hadley,
and make arrangements for an interview between him and the
venturous leader of the American party. Johnson had resolved
to cross in the evening, and proceed to the city, where he was to
take quarters at an obscure inn, under his assumed name, Miller,

and await Mr. B or his messenger, if he chose to designate

any other place of meeting. The name and locality of the inn
were communicated to Gertrude, who also well knew the alias of
the outlaw, and early in the forenoon she started for Kingston, in
a small boat, accompanied by Garret and by two other men of
her party. They rowed far enough down the lake, before turning
shoreward, to avoid indicating by the direction of their approach to
the land the point from which they had set out, and they selected
a spot for landing, remote from any habitation, and several miles
from the city. Only Garret and Gertrude left the boat, the oars-
men immediately returning to the island, and leaving the two
former to complete their journey as best they could. This was
no difficult matter to accomplish. They proceeded to the nearest
farmhouse, and readily procured a conveyance to the city, where
they at once sought their former hotel, and were received by the
anxious Ruth with tears of mingled joy and sadness.

Gertrude had little time to weep. She heard her young friend's

328 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

hasty narration of what little she had to tell about poor Harry's
condition, whom she had daily seen and conversed with during
the absence of Miss Van Kleeck, and when Kuth, in turn, looked
anxiously to her friend for some word of encouragement, the
latter dared only to repeat her former vague and unsatisfactory
answers, intimating, indeed, that all hope was not abandoned, but
leaving the child in a maze of wild conjecture as to the source of
anticipated help.

CHAPTER XLTV.

NOBILITY IN DISGUISE.

Gertrude had not seen Hadley since her first and only interview
with him in Toronto ; she did not know whether he was in Kings-
ton or elsewhere, and she could not but feel the greatest solici-
tude lest he might have entirely abandoned the cause to which he
had been pledged, and for which his aid was so essential. Of his
visit to Harry she as yet knew nothing, for it had taken place
after her departure for Ogdensburgh, and she prepared at once to
visit the prisoner, both to learn from him if he had yet seen their
powerful ally, and to impart to him the encouragement which her
success thus far was calculated to inspire. But before doing this,
she addressed a note to Hadley, in pursuance of a preconcerted
plan, in which she informed him of her return to the city, and of
her place of sojourn, and obscurely hinted at the favorable result
of her mission, to which she did not dare allude in express terms,
lest her letter might fall into other hands than those for which it
was designed.

For the same reason she was afraid to name the place at which
he could meet Johnson, however vaguely she might speak of the
man, or the object of the appointment.

I But she wrote that " the man whom he desired to see " was in
uown, and that she would give his name and address to any mes-
senger bearing a token from Mr. B , by which she should

know that he was authorized to receive them. Gertrude took
this precaution because she feared that her distinguished friend,

330 THE PRISO]SrER OF THE BORDER.

although he might be in the citj, and anxious to aid her, would
not be willing to increase the suspicion which he must in any
event incur, by having an interview with her so recently before
the denoument of the daring plot. She knew it would be almost
impossible for a person of his celebrity to visit her at the hotel,
however briefly, without it becoming known, and being made a
subject of comment, for her own relation to the condemned
prisoner, and her merciful, but supposed fruitless errand in Canada,
w^re well known to many a sympathizing inmate of the house in
which she sojourned.

Her letter, without external address, was sealed and enclosed
in an envelope, on which she endorsed a name unknown to her, but
which she had received from Hadley, and had carefully preserved
for its present use.

This mysterious epistle, containing neither the name of the
writer, nor of the person intended to be addressed, having been
dispatched to the city post-office. Miss Van Kleeck hastened to a
more painful and exciting duty.

It was necessary that her visit to Harry should be brief, to
enable her to return home in time to receive the expected messenger
from Hadley, who might come at any hour.

Garret accompanied her as before, and, as before, she saw her
unfortunate friend only through the grated door of his cell. The
reflection that, if the hazardous scheme of rescue failed, there
remained ohly two days of life for the young and vigorous man
who stood chained between the strong walls of that dark and nar-
row room, scarcely less dark and narrow than that dread abode
which it seemed to typify, imparted an agonizing interest to the
brief interview which ensued. They would meet there but once
more, and on that momentous morrow which was either to break
down the barriers between these separated friends, or was to
establish others which only the Archangel's trump could remove.
Let us draw a veil over these harrowinsf scenes.

THE PEI80NER OF THE BORDER. 331

Hurriedly and with whispered words they conversed, and
although each had encouraging tidings to, impart (Gertrude of
the success of her mission, and Vrail of Hadley's visit), they stood
too close within the shadows of that awful Future which they
could not fail to contemplate, to admit of infusing anything like
inspiriting hope into the breast ofi^either.

In that Golgotha-like building, where the vacant cells seemed
yet vocal with the last farewell of their slaughtered inmates, and
where airy forms seemed to flit, beckoning,' along the dark and
silent corridors, what room was there for cheering influences, or
for bright anticipations ? But they talked of hope, and concealed,
as far as possible, their doubts and misgivings; and Gertrude,
before departing, promised her friend that she would see him
again the next morning, when she hoped to have further and more
encouraging tidings to impart. *

Returned to the sunlight of the outer day, Gertrude felt some-
thing of its reviving influence, and upwards through the shining
highway rose the unspoken orisons of her gentle soul, to that celes-
tial city where man's great Intercessor hears the prayer of faith.

Notwithstanding her visit had been brief, and although she
hastened back to her hotel as rapidly as the driver of her waiting
carriage could be induced to proceed, she was too late to see the
bearer of a note from Hadley, which she found awaiting her return.
Yet, encouraged by the speedy answer, indicating the vicinity and
the vigilance of her ally, she hastily broke the seal, and read only
the following words, without date or signature :

" I will see you at seven in the evening, in your own room.
Your cousin may be present."

She counted the hours until then, and punctual at the appointed
time, a visitor was announced. She received with trembling
eagerness the card, which bore an unknown name, and which was
quickly followed by a person whom she believed, at first, to be
equally strange to her.

332 THE PEISONEK OF THE BORDER.

Closely muffled in a cloak of no existing fashion, slightly stoop-
ing, as if with decrepitude, and leaning upon a heavy cane, the
visitor entered the room, and casting a hasty glance around it, to
see that no one was present but those whom he had appointed to
meet, he closed and locked the door. He next threw off his
faded cloak and his slouched hat, and resuming an erect position,
the transformed and handsome young man quickly advanced to
Gertrude, with extended hand, and with his usual winning smile.

" You will excuse me for coming to you in this manner," he
said, " since you know the necessity for caution. Before I say more,
let me ask if this gentleman "

" He is my cousin of whom I spoke to you ; you need not fear
to speak freely before him."

Hadley bowed to Van Vrank, and continued,

"Tell me, then, quickly, if you have succeeded in your errand
to the States. Your note speaks of but one man, and you have
returned so soon, that I feared "

"Fear nothing on my part," replied Gertrude, promptly, and
with a sudden flashing of the eyes. " I have seven strong men
bound almost by an oath to do this deed, and at their head a man
who is himself a host in strength, and skill, and courage. He is
now on Canadian soil, waiting to learn from your lips whether
there is sufficient prospect of success to warrant him in bringing
his brave comrades over."

" Where are his followers ? How soon can they be obtained ?
Is he quite certain of them ?" asked the young man, quickly, and
with an appearance of great interest.

" Not an hour's journey from the city, they await his orders on
an uninhabited island. They are provided with arms and with
boats; and a steamboat, chartered for their use, is waiting to
receive the retreating party when their work is done — or is aban-
doned."

Gertrude's voice trembled as she uttered the last three words.

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 333

aud she' raised her handkerchief to her eyes to hide the starting
tears.

"Truly, you have done your work well," replied the young
man, with enthusiasm, " and you fully deserve the success I can-
not doubt you will obtain. But I must not waste words nor
time. I must see this disguised hero at once, and, unless he is very
skeptical, I can convince him of the practicability of our scheme,
if boldly and adroitly managed, and if marred by no accident."

"Those 'ifs' are separate daggers to my heart," replied Ger-
trude. " Pray, do not you, who have been so sanguine, talk of ' ifs.' "

" To you, indeed, I ought not, but your followers must know
the difficulties of the enterprise, in order to be prepared to over-
come them. Tell me now the nam*e of your champion, or rather
the name by which he is known here, and the . place in which I
am to seek him. I must find him at once, for at nine o'clock I
am expected at Colonel A.'s, who entertains a party of friends,
and at a later hour I am engaged to attend a military ball."

*' And to-morrow evening P asked Gertrude.

" For to-morrow evening I have accepted an invitation to visit
the theatre, and see Macbeth murdered by some provincial actors.
There I must act my part, too, and receive the intelligence of this
great outrage with becoming astonishment and indignation. I
should not be surprised if the play should stop and the audience
disperse under the alarm of an invasion."

Gertrude trembled with agitation at every allusion to the great
event of the ensuing evening, and she with difficulty composed
herself sufficiently to give her companion the required address of
Johnson. She gave his assumed name, of course, which, together
with the name and location of the inn at which he could be found,
she wrote on a slip of paper and handed to Hadley.

" And now for yourself, and your valiant little friend, Ruth," he
said, '* what arrangements have been made ? You must be out
of the city, you know, before the denoument takes place."

334 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

" Out of the city ? Most certainly, we shall not leave it until
the great question is decided."

" Most certainly you must. You would be unsafe here a
moment after the rescue is effected."

"Unsafe?"

** Why, do not you think that you would be suspected of incit-
ing this movement? You, who who have done so much in other
ways to save your friend ?"
'' " Doubtless I might. But is it a crime to assist a friend in dis-
tress — to rescue an innocent man from vindictive enemies, and
from unmerited death ? My men have the strictest injunctions to
take no life, and to avoid all unnecessary violence."

Hadley smiled at the simplicity of his companion, as he
replied,

" However justifiable your conduct may be in a moral point of
view, it will certainly constitute a grave offence against the laws,
and one punishable with much severity. There can be no doubt
of this."

" What, then, shall we do ?'' asked Gertrude, after a moment's
musing.

"Cross to Grand Island to-morrow, by the ferry, and there
await your friend ; or, better still (for, if the pursuit should be
hot, they might not be able to stop for you), let Miller send
his steamboat to the island to meet you. You can remain on
board the vessel till your friends come."

"Yes, that is doubtless our best course," said Gertrude, with
hesitation, for she reflected, with a shudder, that if the attempt at
rescue should fail, she would then have seen Harry for the last
time. She could not return to bid him a final farewell.

" Tell this to Mr. Miller," she continued, " and tell him that I
must see him to-morrow, when his plans are matured, that I ma
communicate them to Mr. Vrail, whom I shall see once more
before I leave. And you — when shall I see you again ?"

THE PKISONER OF THE BORDER. 335

"I shall travel through your country before I return home, and
I shall certainly find you, or, if anything should prevent my doing
so, the loss will be wholly mine. Farewell."

" I will not attempt to express the extent of my thanks for your
kindness. You must comprehend the vastness of the favor you
have sought to confer, and be assured my gratitude is proportion-
ate to the obligation. Will you not see dear Ruth, that she, too,
may thank you ?"

*• It is better not. I will do my best to see you both in your
own home. Farewell."

Hadley resumed his ancient cloak, his heavy cane, his slouched
hat and his stooping gait, and unlocking the door, he departed
with remarkable celerity for a man of his seeming infirmities.

CHAPTER XLV.

A LAWYER WITH A SMALL LIBRARY.

In a small upper room of a dingy hotel by the river side, a
middle-aged man, well dressed, and apparently much at his ease,
sat smoking an unexceptionable Havana, and looking listlessly
into the cheering fire which burned in a grate at his side. On a
table near at hand lay a volume of New York statutes and another
legal book, while a bulky portfolio beside them indicated the pre-
sence of writing materials within. These implements of his
assumed profession had been furnished by the forethought of Ger-
trude, and Johnson had brought them with him now, in order
that he might familiarize himself with their presence, and perhaps
receive some hints from his more clerkly confederate as to the
skillful handling of such strange tools.

His reverie, which seemed by no means a painful one, was
interrupted by a knock at his door, and scarcely had he given
permission to enter, when the disguised Hadley, who had been
shown up by a servant, walked in unannounced.

Johnson's eyes glanced momentarily towards an overcoat which
hung on the wall, in an inner pocket of which were the weapons
he usually carried closer to his person, but which his legal dress
did not admit of receiving. The singular apparel and deportment
of his visitor had induced him to doubt whether he could be the
man whom he was expecting to see, but at the next instant his
misgivings were dispelled by an expressive smile on the stranger's
386

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 337

face, and by the lady-like hand, flashing with a brilliant diamond,
which was extended towards him.

** Your name is Miller, I believe ?" said Hadley, taking a seat
which was oftered him, but without removing either cloak or hat.

Johnson bowed assent, and threw the remainder of his cigar
into the fire.

" You are a barrister from New York V'

" No, sir — a lawyer ; there are no barristers in our State."

" Right — it is well to remember the distinction. You have
brought your library with you, I see, Mr. Miller."

The outlaw again bowed and smiled, as he observed the search-
ing look of his companion.

" All of it, I presume ?" again asked Hadley.

"All of it."

" I believe there can be no doubt that you are the man I am
sent to. But you will excuse me, if I seek to make assurance
doubly sure, before entering upon business of grave concern.
There is a name which may serve as a watchword between us."

" Gertrude Van Kleeck."

" Right. Tt is a name, too, although strange to Anglo-Saxon
ears, which the bravest knight of the days of chivalry might have
been proud to bear to tournament or battle-field. If you were
such a champion, she could not repose higher confidence in your
valor and skill than she already does."

The outlaw smiled with evident satisfaction, as he replied,

" She is worthy of a brave man's fealty ; yet I fear I should not
be here to-night, had I not other motives than her service. It is
something to inflict a humiliating blow, however slight, upon a
tyrannical government."

It is unnecessary to detail the conference which ensued between
these dissimilar confederates, which a subsequent narrative of its
results will suflSciently explain. Let it suflSce that Hadley was able
to give his companion such satisfactory assurance of the promised

338 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

facilities for a rescue as to fully decide the latter upon making the
attempt.

A little before nine o'clock in the evening they parted, the one
to become the "observed of all observers" in a fashionable and
brilliant assembly, the other to rejoin the concealed comrades,
who waited to bear him back to their island refuge.

While these events were taking place, there were still two
parties who were deeply interested in the fate of Harry Vrail, who
as yet knew nothing of the intended rescue. In vain had the
unhappy Ruth sought, again and again, to obtain from Gertrude
some clue to the mysterious hopes at which she hinted, and which
seemed suflScient to sustain her from despondency. The child had
long ceased to ask, but her tear-filled eyes turned often with ap-
pealing glances to her friend, and she watched with strange
interest every minute event which might throw light upon the
clouded subject. She had some indistinct idea that Gertrude's
visit to the States had been for the purpose of invoking the aid of
her own government for its imprisoned citizen, and this hope
grew and took shape in her mind, until it entered into her
dreams, and she saw vast armies, with starry banners, come to
demand the freedom of her unfortunate friend. From these
visions she awoke to gri^f enhanced by the brief illusion.

" You shall know all to-morrow, dear Ruth," said Gertrude, on
the evening of her last conference with Hadley, from which
the wondering child had been excluded. " Be patient until
then."

" I will try, Gertrude," she replied, faintly ; " but oh, I am
so frightened as the time draws nigh. Is there nothing that I
can do ?"

" Yes, Ruth, you can pray."

" Night and day — night and day !" exclaimed the frantic child,
with clasped hands. " Oh, do you think He will hear ?"

" Yes/' replied Gertrude, with sudden enthusiasm, inspired by

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 339

the beautiful picture of passionate supplication before her ; " yes,
Ruth, I believe that He will hear."

She drew the gentle child to her side, and together the fair
young friends wept long and in silence.

With grief scarcely less deep or sincere, though more rudely
expressed, did the faithful servant bewail his young master's fate,
and his own impotency to aid him.

" I don't know, Massa Garret,'^ he said, " what it all means.
Dare is a great deal of comin' and goin' and talkin', but it don't
amount to nothin'. These Britishers will hang Massa Harry day
after to-morrow, as sure as a gun."

*' I fear they will, Brom."

" 'Course they will sir ; he'll walk out of that back door I
showed you, Massa Garret, and he knows it, too, only he don't
want to scare Missa Gertrude by tellin' her so. She had better
go home, she and little Roof, and then we'll come afterwards, and
tell 'em he's only transported, and will come back one of these
days, ten or twelve years from now."

Brom showed much emotion, and was quite in earnest in his
proposition.

" It won't do, Brom," replied Van Vrank ; " we could never
deceive them in that way. They must know the worst, whatever
it is."

" I bin thinking," continued the negro, after a little pause, and
speaking in an embarrassed manner, as if he feared he might be
presumptuously overrating his own importance, " I bin thinking
whether dey wouldn't take me back and let Massa Harry off. I
think I would do it, Massa Garret, for poor Missa Getty, that I've
trotted on my knee when she was a baby, and who was always jis
so good and kind. She'll die if Massa Harry dies, I know. You
don't know all that I do about dis ting, and I ain't gwine to tell
you — but I sartingly think I would do it. Do you think dey
would swap ?"

340 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

" What, and hang you instead of Harry ?"

" Yes — I am a strong man."

" No, my good fellow, they would do no such thing ; they would
not hang you any way, not if you should ask them to."

" Dey are a set of heathens, den," replied Brom, indignantly,
" and I am sorry we ever had anything to do with them."

CHAPTER XLVI.

THE WILL.

From the moment that the outlaw's interview with Hadley, ter-
minated, all irresolution and indecision was banished from his mind,
and he set himself earnestly at the task which he had undertaken,
not, indeed, with a full confidence of success, nor entirely without
personal apprehension, but with the conviction that the opportu-
nity for a great achievement was one which a brave man ought to
embrace.

At an appointed hour he met the boat which had been sent for
him by his friends on the island, and returned to them to mature
his plans by consultation, and to bring to the city that part of his
daring band who were to take part in the attempted rescue.

An immediate council was held, at which some portion of the
plan of operations was fully decided upon, while other points were
necessarily left to the decision of the leader on the eventful mor-
row. Two of the small force were appointed to take charge of
the boats, and bring them, at the appointed time, to a designated
spot, a few miles from town, to meet their flying friends (for
Hadley's warning, not to attempt to embark within or very near
the city, had been regarded) ; yet for this least perilous service, it
was so difficult to find volunteers, that Johnson was compelled to
settle the question by his authority. Thomas Vrail, who, at Ger-
trude's earnest request, had been forbidden by the leader to touch
Canadian soil, was placed in temporary command of the steara-

841

342 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

boat, with instructions to meet the returning skiffs as near shore
as the captain, who was also the owner of the vessel, would allow
it to venture. That personage, whose proclivities were all with
the patriot cause, had entered fully into the spirit of the exciting
enterprise on which his companions were bound ; but he was a
Yankee, whose first instincts were for the *^ main chance," and
who well knew that his vessel would be forfeited, if taken by the
Canadian authorities while employed in its present business. Not
that he had any other fear of capture, excepting that which
resulted from the peril of night navigation in an unknown chan-
nel, in which the boat might easily become stranded, and thus
rendered a certain prey to the enemy on the ensuing day.
Whatever he could safely do, however, he freely promised, and
with an evident zeal, which left no doubt of his fidelity to the
cause.

The remainder of the venturous party, only four in number,
including their leader, crossed to Kingston a little before daylight
on the ensuing morning, and each proceeded to take lodgings at
a separate inn, and all at inferior ones, with the exception of a
man by the name of Gordon, to whom was assigned a special
service. He was to stop at the best hotel, and enact the part of a
man of wealth, in order to enable him to purchase, without exci-
ting suspicion, the necessary carriage and horses for the flight of
the party after leaving the jail. Gordon was also to communicate
with Miss Van Kleeck, informing her of the position of affairs, and
was to arrange a meeting of all the confederates, including Garret
and the yet uninitiated Brom, immediately after dark, when each
might receive from the leader his assigned task.

The long day of anxiety and expectation wore heavily and
slowly away for all but Gordon, whose r6le required vigilance,
activity and sagacity, and who well performed his allotted part.

Gertrude made an early and brief visit to the prisoner, and^
with pale lips and trembling voice, exhorted him to that courage

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 343

which her own terrified heart ahuost refused to entertain. His
bearing was cahn and dauntless, yet it was the courage of forti-
tude rather than of hope. He was equal to the emergency of the
hour, whatever might be its issue, yet it was agony to him to see
the wretchedness of his friend. Their interview was short, their
adieux were almost unspoken. Her ungloved hand, gliding like a
sunbeam between the dark bars, rested a moment in his, was
pressed a moment to his lips, and — she was gone.

Within an hour from that time, Gertrude and Ruth, accompa-
nied by Van Vrank, had left the city, and were on their way to
Grand Island, it having been arranged that the steamboat should
approach that island early in the evening, and that a small boat
should be sent to take them oiF. Van Vrank, after seeing them
safely quartered at a small inn, returned to Kingston, still long
before the close of day. The closely- watched skies, flecked with
many passing clouds, gave promise of an evening of favorable
obscurity; but whether the heavens should be overcast or not, the
confederates had the consoling certainty of a moonless night for
their daring enterprise.

Soon after twilight they met in an unfrequented spot on the
shore of the river, where Gordon, the only man of the party who
had gone openly about town, made report of his proceedings, and
of whatever he had learned which might have a bearing upon
their momentous undertaking. He had purchased a strong car-
riage, and a span of fleet horses, which he said he had already
proved, by driving them at the rate of twelve miles an hour on
the very road which they would have to travel that evening.

" With an empty coach, and you alone on the box," said Johnson.

" By no means — a gentleman of my cloth would not look well
on the box,'^ replied Gordon, who was richly dressed. " No, we
had a driver, and there were four inside — the man of whom I
bought the horses, two of his friends, and myself. We were ^ve
in all."

344 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

There will be seven to-night, including Vrail," said Johnson,
musingly, and seeming to entertain no doubt of bringing off the
prisoner.

" That is nothing ; the coach is new and strong, and the horses
I will be surety for. If I am a judge of anything, it is of horse-
flesh. As to the number, four can go easily inside, one can ride
with me on the box, and we can put Cuffy on behind for ballast."

*' Put yourself on for ballast, Massa Gordon, and speak more
'spectf ly of colored gemmen."

This remark proceeded from an entirely invisible source,
but it gave evidence that Brom was somewhere around in, the
datkness.

" I beg your pardon, Brora," replied Gordon, laughing ; " I
didn't know you were here ; I meant no offence."

" Berry w^ell, den I 'sense you ; and as to ridin' behind, ef we
only get Massa Harry, I'll ride anywhere, I don't care ef it is on
the hub of the wheel."

Johnson hastened to stop this unnecessary conversation, and to
inform each man as distinctly as possible of what would be re-
quired of him. To Van Vrank, who was unarmed, he furnished
a brace of loaded pistols, remarking that he did not anticipate
any necessity for the use of them in the first instance, but that
they might become necessary in case of a pressing pursuit.
Humanity, as well as prudence, he said, dictated that no deadly
weapon should be used upon the jailers, who, whatever the fault
of their superiors, were but discharging their official duties. Brom
he dared not intrust with fire-arms, lest he might indiscreetly use
them, but he knew that his great physical strength might prove
abundantly serviceable in the struggle they must have, and he
cautioned him to stand ready to fight for his master when the
proper time came, and not to be frightened by the sight of a few
officers of the prison, even if there should be a half-dozen or
more.

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 345

*' I give you stout cords instead of pistols," he said, " and some
of the rest of us will have the same. We may want to knock
down and bind a man or two, and it is best to be prepared."

" Dat's a fact," replied the negro ; " dese is jes de bery thing.
Dis one to tie his hands, and dis ere stouter one to tie his legs.
Brom will fix one on 'em, I bet. What's dis ting ?"

" That is a gag. Did you never see a gag before ! Very
likely there will be no time to use these things, but it is prudent
to have them. Whatever you do after the fight begins, must be
done very quickly. Let all remember that."

Brom tried the gag in his own huge mouth, which nearly closed
over it, and it scarcely proved an impediment to his speech.

'* It's too small, Massa Miller," he said, without removing the
wood, " dey can hollow like blazes for all dis."

" No it isn't, Brom," said Gordon ; " all mouths ain't cellar-
doors like yours."

" It ain't no use, I 'clare," answered Brom ; " I could swaller it
easy."

Again Johnson interfered to produce silence, and he proceeded
hastily to instruct each member of the party as nearly as he could
in the duty which would be expected of him, and to exhort them
to a resolute and unflinching determination to effect their object.
He cautioned them particularly against any sudden panic, what-
ever turn their adventure might take, or whatever unexpected
opposition they might encounter.

" Be brave and cool, my boys," he said, " and we shall be cer-
tain of success.

All the confederates manifested much enthusiasm and ardor,
not excepting the somewhat phlegmatic Van Vrank, who could
not refrain from wondering at himself, transformed by gradual
steps, and almost of necessity, from a quiet farmer on the banks
of the Hudson, with no ambition but to mind his own business,
to a member of something like a military band, about to storm a

15*

346 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDEK.

stroEghold in a foreign country, which a few weeks before he
had never even expected to see. But he was zealous now in the
cause, not only for Gertrude and Harry's sake, but for his own,
for he saw no better way out of the entanglement than to push
matters bravely through to a successful termination.

When discussion was at an end, and the programme of pro-
ceedings was fully understood by all, the party dispersed to their
several hotels, Johnson to prepare for an immediate visit to the
prison, and Gordon to get up his coach and horses, and carry him
there in a style befitting his assumed profession and errand. The
others were to remain at their quarters until about half-past nine
in the evening, when Gordon was also to call and convey them to
the jail; in front of which, as if only waiting for the lawyer, the
coach was to stand, like the wooden horse before ancient Troy,
silent as the grave, but full of armed men*

Darkness had fully set in, though it was yet early, in the long
autumnal evening, and less than half an hour sufficed for Gordon
to rein up his champing steeds in front of Johnson's inn, and re-
ceive the latter (ostentatiously displaying his legal books and his
bulky portfolio) into the carriage. He was entirely unarmed, for
he knew there was a possibility of his being searched before being
admitted to an interview with the prisoner ; but his men were
provided with weapons enough both for his use and their own, if
exigencies should require them to be produced.

At the prison door, when he alighted and made inquiry pomp-
ously for the keeper, he was careful again to make a display of
his books, and he was much relieved, on the appearance of the
principal jailer, to find that few words were required to make
himself known as an expected visitor, whose business was under-
stood.

" You have come at the eleventh hour,^' said the keeper, when
Johnson had almost unnecessarily told his assumed errand, "and
I woul(} piuch rather your visit had been made by daylight.

THE PRISONER OF THE BOEDER. 34:7

Perhaps even now there will be time in the morning, if you call
early. It does not take long to draw a will, and he is not to be
turned off until eleven.''

"Impossible! He will be engaged with the ministers in
the morning, and he will be in no suitable frame of mind to dic-
tate so important a document. Besides, his will will doubtless be
a long one, as he has a very large estate, and many relations and
friends. I expect a thousand dollars myself for a fee, and I will
of course see every one well paid who is put to any trouble in
this melancholy business."

" Thank you, sir. I suppose you must see him — in fact, I have
already promised as much to a friend of his, who thought, too,
that you would require a larger room than his cell for your pur^
<,pose, and I have made arrangements to give you this apartment."

He led the way, as he spoke, to the room which has been
described, the entrance to which was out of the main lower hall,
and but a few feet from the principal door of the building.

Johnson noted everything carefully as he followed the keeper
into the room, which had apparently been prepared for his use.
A decaying fire burned in the grate*, giving evidence of having
been lighted early in the day ; a table, furnished with writing
materials, stood in front of the hearth, and a chair was placed on
either side.

Again complaining of the untimeliness of the visit, and say-
ing that he feared he would be censured for permitting it, the
jailer inquired what length of time would be required to com-
plete the work.

" Two or three hours, at the most. Indeed, I have ordered my
carriage to call for me at half-past nine, and you may depend on
my having everything finished in that time."

" You will want witnesses. How many do your laws require ?
I can bring you half a dozen of my men, if you wish, when you
get through."

M^ THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

^'No, I thank you/^ replied Johnson, a little too eagerly for dis-
cretion ; "it will not be necessary. Indeed, it would not be suffi-
cient by our laws, as they do not know the signer. I shall bring
in two of his acquaintances in the morning to witness the will ; it
will take but a few minutes."

" In the morning ? Yery well ; that will do. We certainly
should admit no more to-night."

So saying, the man withdrew to summon assistants, and with
their aid to conduct the dangerous prisoner, weak and shackled,
from his cell in an upper story to the lower room.

Johnson sat down and awaited his arrival with much real per-
^ turbation of mind, yet with a schooled air of sang froid which
would have been unsuspected as feigned by the closest observer.
His fears arose from an incertitude as to what extent Vrail was in
the secret of the plot, or whether, if uninitiated, he might not
penetrate his disguise, and give way to some exclamation of sur-
prise which would excite suspicion, or possibly entirely betray
him.

His own role was unmistakable. He must meet the prisoner as
an old acquaintance, and as one who had a business appointment
with him, and he doubted not, that if Vrail were unadvised of
his assumed errand, he would at least be discreet enough to
remain silent until he could give him the right cue for reply.

But Harry had fortunately already safely passed one dangerous
ordeal, which had fuUy^ placed him on his guard, and rendered
the present peril of self-betrayal comparatively slight. The gar-
rulous keeper had spoken to him during the afternoon about the
non-arrival of his American lawyer, and although for a moment
surprised, he was too astute not to comprehend that it had refer-
ence in some way to Hadley's scheme of rescue. Again, when the
jailer now went to conduct him to the lower room, he naturally
explained to him the cause, and informed him that his coun-
sel had come, and although in neither case did the prisoner make

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 349

more than a monosyllabic reply, his taciturnity while in so
wreitched a condition was a mattter of no surprise. His eyes
were, indeed, partly opened to the pretence under which his res-
cue was to be attempted, and whatever might have been his
scruples against devising or counselling it, he did not feel at liberty
now to thwart his generous friends, much less to peril their safety
by a backwardness in accepting their aid.

Anxious to follow the strict line of duty, yet perplexed with
doubts as to its requirements, if he erred, let us censure him
lightly, for the love of life was yet strong in his young heart.
We are recording the story of a good and amiable man, but
by no means of a perfect one.

His guards were, of course, curious to behold this meeting
between him and his friend from the States, and they lingered a
moment, after bringing the prisoner in, to catch the first words of
greeting under such melancholy circumstances.

The salutation was a sufficiently natural one on the part of
Johnson, who knew that he was closely watched, and Vrail
availed himself of the privileged taciturnity of grief to avoid
saying anything until the keepers had withdrawn.

He extended his hand in silence to meet the welcoming grasp
of his visitor, and received his expressions of condolence with
emotion that certainly was not feigned.

Johnson, in the meantime, grew loquacious, to cover his friend's
supposed alarm, and to prevent the necessity of his speaking in
reply.

" I should have been here yesterday," he said, " but I was about
five minutes too late for the boat, and I lost a whole day by the
delay, so that I have to come to you in the evening; but I think
if we set about our work in good earnest, we caii accomplish it all
in a couple of hours, and leave you time for a good night's rest
yet, Mr. Vrail, which I have no doubt you will be able to take,
notwithstanding to-morrow.

350 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

" The turnkey who goes the twelve o'clock rounds in his hall,
says he always finds him asleep," said the jailer, nodding approv-
ingly towards Vrail, and evidently intending a compliment.

" He certainly will rest none the worse for having so important
a piece of business completed,'^ replied the pretended lawyer,
opening his portfolio, and taking from it half a quire of paper, on
the outer sheet of which the formal commencement of a Last Will
and Testament was already written.

" I have begun my work, you see, in order to save time here,"
he said, seating himself at the table, and drawing from the same
receptacle which had contained his paper, a supply of red ribbon,
sealing-wax, and other articles, supposed to be essential to the
formal completeness of a solemn legal document. He hoped
the attendants would take the hint thus thrown out, and leave
them to their privacy. But they did not. He next opened his
golden pen, and dipped it into the ink, yet still they lingered —
nay, more, they whispered together by the doorway, glancing at
him askance as they did so.

Vrail did not observe this ominous circumstance, but Johnson,
who did, was certainly greatly alarmed. He was entirely within
the power of his enemies, who, if he were suspected, would not
even have the trouble of arresting him, for he was already in jail.
They had only to close the door upon him, and turn its massive
bolts, and he was secured beyond the possibility of escape. He
preserved, however, an exterior of perfect equanimity, and seemed
not to notice the alarming signs around him.

While he awaited the issue, the jailer stepped suddenly forward,
and approached him rapidly, but with a nervous manner, and
said :

" It's rather an unpleasant duty, sir, but really, before leaving
you alone with the prisoner, I ought to search you, to see that
you have no weapons about your person. I hope you will excuse
me."

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 361

Harry was' now, in turn, frightened, for he supposed it certain
that his visitor was armed ; but Johnson, greatly relieved, gave
utterance to a loud and natural laugh, quite unsuited to the solemn
presence of the condemned man, as he replied,

"Search me? Oh, certainly, you are quite welcome to do so;
you will find nothing more dangerous about me than my pen.
A lawyer^s pen is his weapon, you know, and sometimes a pretty
effective one, too. Where will you begin ? Come, all of you at
once, that it may be soon over, and no time lost."

He threw off his coat and vest as he spoke, and withdrew his
boots, handing each of these garments to one of the men to
examine, and then he requested the principal to come nearer, and
make a more thorough examination of his person.

The search thus freely invited was of course but slightly made,
suspicion being at once allayed by the stranger's manner, and in
a few minutes the anxious friends were left alone in the room.
The door was locked from the outer side by the retiring guards,
one or more of whom, they knew, would patrol the main hall
during the whole of their interview, and might re-enter at any
moment to see that all was safe. Nay, for aught they knew,
there might be secret apertures for looking in and watching their
movements, and it became necessary to exercise the strictest cau-
tion and vigilance in all that they said and did. So impressed
was Johnson with the importance of this prudence that he deemed
it necessary to sit constantly, pen in hand, and to employ the
greater part of his time in writing. What he wrote it would be
difficult to say, but it was nothing that interfered with the con-
versation which, in a low tone, was kept up unremittingly between
the two friends.

He informed Vrail fully of every particular of the arrangements
made for his rescue, and (for there was abundant leisure) of many
things besides. He told him of Gertrude's resolute and unweary-
ing labors in his behalf, of her first interview with himself at

352 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

Ogdensburgh, of her second visit to him at Oswego, and of the
arguments by which she had prevailed on him to undertake his
present enterprise. Every new evidence of her labors and sacri-
fices for him, gave new pleasure to the young man, and increased
the strength of that tender emotion with which he could not fail
to regard her. But, alas! it increased also his painful anxiety
lest he should never recover that liberty which alone would allow
him to acknowledge or requite such transcendent kindness.

Harry, in turn, had much to tell, which his companion had not
heard, of his eventful experiences, and some messages to charge
upon his memory for Gertrude and Thomas, and his old grand-
father, in case their schemes should be frustrated and Johnson
should reach home in safety. Thus, much of the painful interval
of suspense was passed, while they awaited the hour of trial.
They discussed every dangerous contingency which they could
imagine as liable to arise, and how to meet it ; yet, with all their
forethought, they felt sensible that there might be some fatal obsta-
cle to their plans yet undiscovered.

A little before nine, a turnkey entered to replenish the fire, or,
under that pretext, to see that all was safe, and Johnson's pen at
once began to display unwonted activity.

" Mr. wished me to inquire if you had nearly finished your

business?" said the man.

" 1 think we shall have done in abbiit half aii hour," replied
Johnson ; " you must have a little patience in such a case as this."

" Oh, yes, sir — but — he is pretty particular about having every-
thing snugly locked up before this hour usually. But we can
wait, I suppose, till ten o'clock, if it is necessary.

"I do not think I shall keep you quite so long; but I will
knock on the door when I wish to come out."

The man retired, and the town clock struck nine as he went
out.

The friends resumed their colloquy, but it was broken by many

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 353

anxious pauses, as the few remaining minutes, freighted with such
terrific interest, flew by.

" If it were only possible to rid me of these shackles, I should
have far more courage," said Harry, in a whisper. " Is there no
way to do it ?''

" No, it is impossible here, but there will be tools in the carriage
with which to knock them ofl" as we go along. Never fear."

'• I shall be so helpless, so unable to assist you. I cannot step
farther than six inches at a time."

" Never fear, I say. All that has been calculated and provided
for ; only use your eyes vigilantly, and your judgment coolly, and
we will see to the rest. There may be a chance for you to give us
some important suggestion or direction, for you will be able to
survey the whole scene, while we may be all engaged in the melee.
Why, Trail, you are certainly trembling."

" I am, but it is Hope that has taught me to fear. I should not
tremble if suspense were past, and I knew that I was to die
to-morrow. I should not tremble if I stood unbound at your
side, attempting for another this very achievement."

*' I understand you ; you are right."

" Am I not calmer now ?"

" There is not even a quaver in your voice. It was but a pass-
ing emotion."

** Believe me, it will not return ; I am altogether self-possessed
now. But these two long hours of dreadful endurance have been
far more trying to the nerves than if they had been passed on the
battle field."

" It is true — most true."

Johnson looked at his watch as he spoke. It wanted but ten
minutes of the time appointed for the arrival of his men. Ho
walked to the window, and looked out.

" I cannot see far, but we shall doubtless hear them when they
drive up. They are certainly not here yet.''

354 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

" Is it any darker than an hour since ?"

"No — the clouds are scattered, and the stars shine brightly."

" It is just as well — perhaps better so. We shall be able to
see our way.''

Johnson returned to the table, and some minutes passed in
silence. It was interrupted by the sound of a town- clock striking
the half-hour, and all again was still. A few minutes more elapsed,
and VraiPs quick ear caught the sound of wheels.

" They are coming !" he said.

The outlaw again walked quickly to the window, and looked
out.

** They are here," he replied. " So far, all is well."

He returned coolly, gathered up his papers and placed them in
the portfolio which he clasped with a steady hand. Calmly he
closed his open law books, threw his overcoat across his arm, and
walking to the door, he knocked loudly for egress. Ere it could
be opened, he stepped quickly back to Vrail, whose hand he
was grasping as the guards entered.

" Good-night," he said. " Keep up good courage to the last,
my friend. It is the fortune of war, you know, and you are only
treading the path which many a brave man has trod before you.
Good-night. I will see you in the morning, of course — good night."

As he spoke, he advanced gradually towards the door, and
Vrail took a few short steps in the same direction, clanking his
chain dismally at each movement. Johnson left him standing in
about the centre of the room, and turned to the jailer, who had
entered, with two of his men, while two more could be seen loung-
ing in the hall.

" My work is done, and my carriage is at the door," he said,
" so that I will not detain you a moment longer. In the morn in 2:
I shall see you again, when I shall have something to communi-
cate which will be of interest to you personally. You under-
stand?"

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 355

The man did understand the allusion to the promised bequest,
but he made no other reply than was contained in a very pleased
look.

" You are leaving your books and papers," he said.

The outlaw turned around, a little embarrassed ; but at the next
instant he replied,

" No, I have the will in my pocket. I will leave the other
things in your charge until morning."

Johnson purposely made a little delay, fearing that his men
might not be quite ready, and feeling safe in doing so while as
yet no movement was made to re-conduct the prisoner to his cell.
But while he tarried, events were taking place outside, which
require a brief narration.

CHAPTER XLVII.

ROUGH VISITORS.

Immediately before the carnage stopped, Gordon, who was
driving, observed that they passed a man, who was slowly ap-
proaching the jail, bearing some light burden, and who, in fact
was a domestic in the family of the keeper. He approached the
vehicle when it became stationary, and, without speaking, stood
looking at it for some moments, much to the alarm of the driver,
who feared that he might discover its occupants, although the
windows were closed.

Gordon hesitated a moment as to the proper course to pursue,
but as it was important to gain time, and he expected Johnson's
appearance momentarily at the front door, he remained silent as
long as the reconnoiterer did not speak. He did speak soon,
however, and inquired in a careless way whom the carriage be-
longed to.

Gordon replied,

" It's a livery-stable hack, and I've come for a Yankee that I
brought here early in the evening. He's some friend of the poor
fellow that's going to swing to-morrow."

"Oh, yes," drawled the man, sauntering a little nearer, and
looking attentively at the coach atid horses.

" YouVe seen this Vrail, I suppose," Gordon continued, thinking
to engage his attention, so as to keep him from looking into the
carriage.
856

THE PEISONER OF THE BORDEB. 357

" Oh, yes, Fve seen 'era all. IVe seen eleven hung. Twice I
saw three strung up at a time. There's only to be one to-morrow ;
that's nothing."

" Do you mean to see it ?"

" Yes."

The fellow, whose proximity to the carriage had become in the
highest degree alarming, started suddenly at this point of the
conversation, as if he had seen or heard something which sur-
prised him, and if he had uttered a word indicating suspicion, or
had started to go into the house, Gordon had resolved to leap
down and seize him at all hazards, and to secure his silence by
threats or by force. But the man instantly resumed the conver-
sation, quite in his previous manner, and after continuing it a
little while, he turned slowly about, and walked on his way to-
ward a gate which led to a back entrance into the building.
Gordon was in a most painful state of indecision, since to stop
him forcibly might cause an alarm which would prove fatal to
their project, while if his suspicions had been excited, it was
equally dangerous, nay, far more so, to allow him to proceed.
But believing that his own fears had deceived him, he chose what
he thought to be the least risk, and allowed the man to depart.
As he went, however, he called to him, asking him if he would
inform the gentleman inside that his carriage was ready and
waiting. The man replied in the affirmative, but quickened his
step as he did so, and instantly disappeared through the gateway.
Had Gordon seen his changed manner then, he would have known
how great was the cause for alarm. Darting quickly forward, he
entered a basement door, and hurriedly inquired for the jailer,
and when informed that he was in the main hall, he hastened up
stairs, and to the side of his employer, to whom he said in a loud
whisper,

" There's something looks wrong outside, sir ; a carriage quite
full of men, nil very still, and the driver is a Yankee, T know by

368 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

his talk, though he says he belongs to a livery-stable in town, and
that he is waiting for this man. It may be all right, but it ain't
a livery-stable * turn-out,' I know, for it is too stylish for that."

The alarmed jailer cast a hurried look of suspicion on the
pretended lawyer, and then suddenly called out to the men in the
hall,

" Don't open the front door, but step around the back way and
see. There may be another Theller plot here."

An electric-like light flashed from the outlaw's eyes, and hia
frame seemed to dilate and tower while the hasty alarm was
spoken, but ere the words were ended, he leapt almost at a single
bound, to the door, turned back the huge bolts with the key,
which remained inside, and swung wide the massive portal,

** Now, my boys !" he shouted, " quick, for your lives !"

The carriage-door, though closed, had been left unfastened, to
admit of instantaneous egress when the signal should be given,
and instantly at the call, four men leaped out, three of whom, to-
gether with Gordon, rushed up the steps ' and into the hall. Yet
quickly as they came, Johnson was attacked on all sides before
they reached him, but he stood with his back against the opened
door, only solicitous to keep it unclosed until his comrades came,
and regardless of the blows he received in maintaining his post.
The melee instantly became general, but the keepers had no fire-
arms, and the outlaw's party used none, so that the contest was
one only of physical strength, in which no fatal wounds were
like to be received. In numbers the opponents were equal, for
the terrified servant had fled at the first onset of the assailants,
chiefly from fear, but also for the purpose of giving the alarm, and
bringing more aid to his master.

If the belligerents were numerically equal, however, they were
far from being so in strength, for Johnson, when roused, was
quite a match for two ordinary men, and his own followers had
been chosen for their great muscular power, as well as their cour-

THE PRISONER OF THE BOEDER. 369

age, while young Van Vrank was certainly no trifling antagonist
for any one to encounter. Brom, much to liis chagrin, had been
left in charge of the horses, and he found sufficient employment in
restraining the restive animals, which were frightened by the
tumult, from running away.

It was not enough, however, for the assailants that they could
master their opponents, unless they could do it very speedily, and
make good their escape with their prize, for a few minutes, at the
most, would suffice to bring a powerful addition to the enemy,
which no strength of theirs could oppose. Unfortunately it takes
many words to tell what really occurred in a few seconds of time.
No sooner did the leader see his friends at his side, than he called
to them each to engage his man, and setting the example, ho
knocked the nearest down, and was hesitating how to keep him
so, when he heard the voice of Vrail, who had shuffled himself
along to the doorway of the room in which he had been left.

" Draw him in here," he said, " and drive in the rest, if pos-
sible. We can lock them in ; there is no time to bind them.*'

" It is well thought of,'' replied Johnson, dragging the prostrate
man to the door, and shoving him in, with threats of instant death
if he attempted to rise.

Gordon was scarcely behind him with another fallen foe, and
Van Vrank, who had attacked the jailer himself, pushed him
rapidly backwards to the door, and thrust him in, yet standing, but
tumbling over his prostrate companions as he entered.

" Lock it now — we can quickly deal with the others !" shouted
Johnson, and the door was immediately closed and fastened, and
the key removed.

The two remaining men, who had thus far fought well and
maintained their ground, did not longer keep up the unequal con-
test, but threatened by a suddenly drawn pistol in the hands of
Gordon, which he did not mean to use, they both turned and fled.

Scarcely had they done so, when the herculean Johnson caught

m^.

360 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

up Vrail in his arms, carried him out, and placed him in the car-
riage. The remainder of the party instantly followed, and as
every man knew his post, no time was lost in taking places. Van
Vrank and another followed Johnson into the carriage, one climbed
with Gordon to the box, and Brom, after resigning the reins, got
up behind. The driver^s call to his. horses was lost in the louder
shout of alarm which was already resounding through the build-
ing, but the steeds felt the tightening reins and the crackling
thong, and they started forward at an encouraging, though far
from their greatest speed. It was too dark to admit of a head-
long velocity, when an accident might prove so fatal to their
hopes, and Gordon rather restrained than urged his mettled
chargers, while as yet there was no actual pursuit. Within the
vehicle all was excitement. Johnson, on his knees before Vrail,
was busily engaged, with tools brought for that purpose, in break-
ing the lock which fastened the fetters upon his ankles. Under
his skillful blows they soon fell clanking to the floor of the coach,
and Harry, in ecstasy, exclaimed,

" Is it possible that I have the free use of my limbs once more,
and that I am outside of a prison ? I cannot realize all this — it
seems like some wild, bright dream."

** Ay, you are outside of a prison, and behind a pair of fleet
horses, too," replied Johnson ; " yet it seems to me we are not
going over fast. I say, Gordon," he continued, addressing the
latter through the open window, " are these your twelve mile
horses ? What is the matter ?"

" Nothing is the matter," replied Gordon. " Would you have
a quiet party of ladies and gentlemen, on their way to Col.

B 's party, go dashing through the streets like mad ? We

don't want to raise an alarm, you know, as long as we are not
chased. Besides, it's unsafe to go faster in this darkness."

A church-bell, which seemed to be very near them, rang out at
that instant a loud and startling peal, like that which usually

"It is well thought of," replied Johnsoii,,^i^g^n^^thj f)to^tr^o»jJiaSi«l5) iljjfe*,
door, and shoving him in, with threats of instant death if he attempted to rls^.^ *
Page 3u0.

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 361

gives warning of a conflagration, and a shout of many voices vras
heard, crying indistinctly in the distance.

** That means us" said Gordon, cracking his whip, and urging
his horses into a quicker pace ; " now we'll show you what we
can do."

By this time another bell began to respond to the first, and a
third and fourth almost instantly joined the clangor, while the
tumult and shouts in the streets rapidly increased.

" They will send a party of horse after us if they know which
way we have gone," said Johnson. *' Can't your span do a little
better than that ?"

" Yes, they can do a great deal better when it becomes neces-
sary," replied the imperturbable Gordon.

" It is necessary note;," returned the outlaw, with a suddenly
changed air. " Put them to their utmost speed this instant, I
command you, and keep them so until we reach the boats, or until
they drop !"

Gordon complied without reply. Indeed, his whole attention
was required, for the road over which his flying chariot was pass-
ing, and with which, of course, he was not familiar, although he
had travelled it twice that day.

"If we break down," continued Johnson, addressing his friends
inside, " the horses must be cut loose, when they will easily carry
two apiece, and the rest must follow as best they can ; or, if the
horses themselves should fail, we must all take to our feet across
the fields and to the river. They are really coming," h6 said, as
the increased and nearer sound of pursuit was distinctly heard.
" How could they so soon organize a force and get upon our track ?"

" You forget that one man fled and gave the alarm at the
moment of your first irruption into the jail," replied Vrail. " It
does not take long to call out a Canadian police."

" I fear we have something worse than a police behind us. It
does not take long to call out a British troop of horse. The fire-

362 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

bells have brought every body into the streets, and then the true
cause of alarm has been quickly spread by shouts and cries. It is
well that we are out of the city/'

" Hark ! that certainly was the report of a musket," said Van
Vrank.

'' It was fired to frighten us, then," replied Vrail ; " they are
certainly too far off to see us, much less to do us any harm, and
they will not gain upon us while we go at this rate." •

" It is best not to make too sure," answered Johnson ; " we
may have to sell our lives yet for what they will fetch. I think
I am good for three men at least. But we forget, Vrail, that you
and I are both unarmed. Where are our pistols ?"

" They are here, all ready to speak for themselves," said Van
Vrank, producing a couple of brace from the seat of the carriage
which he was occupying. Each took his weapons, and while
doing so, a voice was heard through the back window of the
vehicle.

"Better hand over one or two dera pop-guns out here, Massa
Harry. I shall be de fust man 'tacked, and I got nothing to fight
with but a rope and a gag."

"You shall have them, if necessary, Brom," said Johnson;
" keep cool, and don't get frightened. Do you see any lights
down the road ?"

" No, Massa ; but I hear a gun, and think I hear a officer call
' Forward !' bery loud."

"I think Gordon could get a little more *go' out of these
horses," said Van Vrank, though we are certainly travelling very
fast."

" I wish he could," answered Johnson ; " for it is not enough
that we r^ach the boats ahead of our pursuers ; we must be far
enough from shore when they come up to be out of the reach of
their guns. But I fear to urge Gordon too far, for I can't deny
that he knows far more about horses than I do."

THE PRISONER OF THE' BORDER. 863

" Another gun ! and another ! Do you hear that ? What
can it mean ?"

"It is sheer folly if it is meant to intimidate us. It only shows
us where they are, and enables us better to escape them. There
is another !"

At this moment the headlong velocity of the carriage suddenly
subsided into a moderate speed of six or seven miles to the hour,
and those within hurriedly inquired the cause.

" We are approaching a turnpike gate," replied Gordon, " where
they will be sure to suspect something wrong if we come up so
fast, and they may shut down the gates."

" That, then, is what the shots are for," said Vrail quickly ; " to
give the alarm to the gate-keeper."

*' Aha ! is that the game ? Go on then, Gordon !" shouted the
outlaw ; " faster ! faster than ever ! I have the tickets here
which will carry us through."

As he spoke he thrust one arm out of the side window of the
carriage, and held a pistol, pointing to the ground, but ready for
instant use. With all their former speed, and more, they dashed
forward and approached the gate, with a momentum that had well
nigh precipitated the horses against it before they could be
checked. It was shut, and the keeper, lantern in hand, stood
beside it, while his wife and three or four children were assembled
in the doorway, attracted by the extraordinary arrival.

"What's the matter? What's the matter? What's all this
firing?" said the man, without ofiering to perform his usual
oflSce.

" Step this way, and I will tell you," replied Johnson coolly.

The man came near the door, when he was suddenly seized by
the outlaw with one hand, while with the other he presented a
pistol to his breast.

"Bid your wife open the gate instantly, or you are a dead

364 THE PRISONER OF THE BOEDER.

His terrific voice reached the trembling woman, who did not
wait the bidding of her husband to pull up the gate, and give
free passage to so dangerous a customer.

" I was jis goin' to get down and open it myself," said Brora,
as the carriage again rattled on, "but he won't give me a chance
to do nuffin."

The delay had been brief, but it was suflScient to considerably
lessen the distance of the pursuers from the flying party, and the
incident would also serve, unfortunately, to make them more cer-
tain they were on the right track.

It was no longer necessary to listen closely to hear the sound
of pursuit. A cavalry gallop makes itself audible a long way,
and the enemy was certainly not very far behind the fugitives, and
was momentarily gaining on them.' Gordon's boasted team had
doubtless accomplished all that he had claimed, on his first trial
of them, but that was done by the full light of day, and with a
load materially less than that which they were now drawing. He
had great difficulty now in keeping them, at a speed which he
estimated at ten miles an hour, and so pantingly was even this
task performed, that he feared to urge them beyond it, lest they
should altogether break down. But, on the other hand, far more
than half their brief journey was already accomplished, and if
they could maintain even their present rate of progress for the
remaining distance, there was no danger of being overtaken,
unless it might be by some of the random shots of the foe.

All hearts grew sanguine of reaching the boats in safety, but
many fears were entertained lest they should not be able to obtain
a secure " offing " before the arrival of the enemy on the beach.

" There will be nine of us to go in the boats," said Johnson,
and we all know how little speed we can make with a loaded
skiff. At the best, we shall be within musket shot of the shore

for many minutes, unless Captain has ventured the steamboat

far nearer the land than we have any reason to hope."

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 365

"Do you think our pursuers are dragoons?" inquired Vrail.

"Certainly, judging from the musket reports which we have
already heard, and we know that there are several companies of
dragoons now in Kingston. Doubtless this is a detachment of
them."

" If we are to be exposed for several minutes to the fire of all
their guns, w^e can scarcely hope to escape."

" It looks doubtful, certainly — but we must hope for the best.
It is too dark for any certain aim, and those who are not rowing
must lie on the bottom of the boats. The oarsmen, of course, must
be exposed."

" And at that post we may all be shot down in turn," interposed
Van Vrank.

**Dat are is a fact, Massa Johnson and gemraen, what Massa
Garret tells you," said the negro, who, with head partly protruded
through the rear window, had listened to the conversation ; " we
shall all be shot down like crows off a dry tree. Now, you jis
listen to me; I haven't done nufiSn' yet for Massa Harry, 'cept
hold the bosses at de jail, and I ain't satisfied. I can drive bosses
too, jes as well as Massa Gordon, 'zactly. Now, what you gwine
to do with these horses and carriage when you go to the boats —
leave em to the inimy, ain't you ?"

"Of course," answered Harry, who knew Brom too well to
doubt that he had something important to say.

" Bery well — ^you all get out quietly when we get near the boats,
and Brom will drive on a mile or so furder, and all de sogers will
follow me — don't you see ?"

" Capital !" exclaimed Johnson.

" And when dey come most up to me, I jump ofi* and run across
lots to de river, and back to de same place, where you can send a
boat for me."

" Brom, you are certainly a noble fellow, and your stratagem is
worthy of a wiser head. I have no doubt of its perfect success for

366 THE PRISONER OF THE BOEDER.

all excepting yourself. But if you are willing to take the risk, we
will do all we can to bring you off afterwards."

" I take de risk,*Massa Johnson, not for you, but for Massa Harry.
I know what Fra doin' — I take de risk."

" If my life alone were at stake, my good friend," said Harry,
addressing the negro, "I should hesitate long before accepting
your generous offer ; but I do not feel at liberty to refuse it now.
I believe we shall be able to save you. Certainly we will not
desert you, while the shadow of a hope remains.

The carriage had proceeded with undiminished speed during
this conversation, and they were now within a minute's drive of
their stopping place, which minute was devoted to giving some
directions to Brom, and to concerting a signal by which he should
indicate his position on the coast when the boat should be sent for
him. The call of the screech owl, which he knew well how to imi-
tate, and which is not an unusual sound in a Canadian forest, was
agreed upon for this purpose.

Near two tall maples, which partly overshadowed the road, the
carriage stopped, and when the noise of its motion had ceased,
the sound of the galloping troop behind was more distinctly
heard, and seemed frightfully near. All instantly alighted, and
Brom, hastily climbing to the vacated seat of Gordon, drove
immediately off more rapidly for the lightening of the carriage,
and with a flourish of the whip, and an encouraging cry to the
steeds, which was intended not so much for the animals, as to
attract the attention of the foe.

Vrail and his friends, elated to exhilaration by the new aspect
of affairs, clambered quickly and silently over the roadside fence,
and ran across a vacant field which alone interposed between them
and the river, where, to their inexpressible joy, they found their
boats waiting, ready for instantaneous flight.

No word of inquiry or of congratulation was spoken ; all was
understood, as the running fugitives leaped into tlie boats, and the

THE PEISONER OF THE BORDEE. 367

ready rowers dipped their broad oars into the water, and 'bent
silently to their task.

In less than a minute, with emotions it would be impossible to
portray, they heard the galloping dragoons dash past on the high-
way, and then for the first time they knew that they were safe — -
safe from the utter ruin which had impended over them, and free
as the chainless waters across whose calm surface they were
gliding towards a land of freedom. Harry was rescued/ The
horrible gallows, with all its attendant terrors, had passed from
before his mental vision, which for so many weeks it had not ceased
to haunt by day and night, and never again was its fearful shadow
to fall upon his young heart.

With what exultation was that heart now beatinfr; with what
boundless gratitude to the great Deliverer ; with what inexpressible
thankfulness to the heroic friends at his side; with what tender
and melting emotions towards her whose agents they were, and
who in turn was but^the agent of Heaven, in accomplishing hi^
deliverance.

Five minutes' rowing brought them within sight of the steam-
boat, upon the deck of which Gertrude, and Ruth, and Thomas
Vrail were avvaitinp-, with distressing solicitude, the return of the
boats. Three boisterous cheers, which rang far and wide across
the still water, announced to them the perfect success of their
approaching friends, and Gertrude, overcome with the sudden
transport of joy, was carried, swooning, below. Ruth danced, and
clapped her hands in glee, while the large tears rolled unheeded
down her cheeks, and Thomas sent back an answering shout which
spoke his own delight, and imparted new rapture to the heart of
his affectionate brother.

These spontaneous greetings were the result of irrepressible
feelings, which had rendered all parties momentarily oblivious of
the prudence which should still have influenced their actions.
One of their number was yet on Canadian soil, and the chance of

368 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

bringing him off would certainly not be increased by their
shouts of triumph, if they should unfortunately reach the enemy's
ears. But elated by so great success, it was no longer possible for
the triumphant party to feel apprehension, and as soon as they
had reached the steamboat, one of the skiffs, manned by two
volunteers, of whom Gordon was one, returned in pursuit of Brom.

To depict the scenes which, meanwhile, followed the arrival of
Harry upon the vessel's deck, and to portray the emotions with
which he and Gertrude met, would be a task in which the most
graphic pen would fail, or, if successful, would still be outstripped
by the imagination of the intelligent reader.

But unutterable as was the joy of each, it could not be com-
plete until they knew that the generous and devoted servant, who
had so nobly risked his life for his friends, was safe. Nor was
this addition to their pleasure long denied them. The negro was
readily found, by means of the signal which had been agreed
upon, and was brought off without difficulty, exulting almost to
madness in his success. He had decoyed the enemy about a mile
and a half beyond the place of embarkation, and had only quitted
the carriage when he plainly heard the musket-balls whistling
past him.

" I tought it time to go den," he said, " 'kase I knew Massa
Harry must be safe enough den, so I j is jump off, and hit de nigh
horse a tremendious whack, which kept 'em going a good while
yet as fast as ever. De dragoons warn't more'n fifty rods behind,
and so I jis climbed over de fence, and laid down mighty still
until dey gallop pass, and den I up and run like a wild Injun,
right straight for de river."

" Were you followed ?"

*' No, sir — nobody seed me ; dey all went on chasing de car-
riage. Besides, 'twas berry dark, and Massa Gordon says I'm so
black I can't be seen after sundown. Ha ! ha ! I gkd of it dis
time."

THE PEI80NEB OF THE BORDEE. 369

" What did you do when you reached the river V*

" I run right on down stream until I tought I got about to de
right place, and den I climb a tree, and screech every little
while."

".What did you climb a tree for ?"

" 'Kase de owls allers screech in de trees ; dey don't come and
sit down on de ground and screech."

" Oh, very true. And you did not have to wait long ?"

" Gh, no ; 'twan't long afore I heard de oars, and den I come
down and wade out to meet de boats."

Brom found himself a great hero when he reached the steam-
boat, and he was astonished to learn how highly his services were
estimated. He did not seem to think he had done anything very
wonderful, and his delight was not a little allayed by the reflec-
tion that the beautiful carriage and horses, which had cost so
much money, had been lost. If he could only have brought them
oflf, his satisfaction would have been complete.

16*

CHAPTER XLVIII.

CONCLUSION.

The return voyage to Oswego, which, was commenced the mo-
ment that Brom was received on board, occupied the remainder
of the night, and a brief and sleepless period it proved to the
relieved and delighted travellers.

Assembled in the cabin, they discussed, with no thought of
rest, and with little abatement of their joyous excitement, the
various incidents of the eventful enterprise which had terminated
60 happily. Harry had much to tell of his capture and of his
prison experiences, but he had far more to learn of what had been
done for him, of countless details of which he was as yet neces-
sarily ignorant. Gertrude, indeed, said little of her own achieve-
ments, but there were enough to blazon them ; and in regard to
many events, including the interview with Governor Arthur, the
impulsive Ruth, when questioned, became the eager narrator.
The story of her own solitary travels was also drawn forth ; of the
treacherous guide who robbed and deserted her, and of the more
treacherous kidnapper, from whose grasp the valiant Van Vrank
had saved her.

Thomas, also, had his story to tell, scarcely less replete with
interest, and which, like much of the other narratives, necessarily
abounded with compliments to the heroic Johnson, who, wakeful
enough to other tales, went fairly to sleep (may our readers not do
the same) over a spirited recital of his defence of Rainbow Island.
870 *

THE PEISONEE OF THE ^JOEDER. 371

The brothers had, indeed, reason to confess that although they
had tired of a monotonous and peaceful life at home, their few
months' experience of war had been crowded enough with inci-
dents to fully satisfy their longings for a change, and to content
them hereafter with more peaceful and laudable pursuits. Each
had seen suflScient reason to change his convictions in relation to
the merits of the cause they had espoused, to which, indeed,
Harry had been rendered a convert, rather by his fraternal affec-
tion, than by the deductions of an unbiased judgment. But they
considerately concealed these new sentiments from the heroic man
to whom they owed so much, and whose opinions and prejudices,
they well knew, were rooted too deeply to be shaken by argument
or influenced by example. To him, indeed, a wronged citizen of
the country he sought to revolutionize, the subject had far difier-
ent relations, and might justify a far different conduct.

It was with much grief that the brothers and Miss Van Kleeck
parted, at Oswego, with this valiant and generous man, whom no
persuasions of Gertrude could induce to receive a reward for the
great favors he had conferred. A costly memento, indeed, she
gave, which as a memento only he received and cherished, nor
would she suffer her benefactor to depart until she had extorted
a promise from him* that, when better days should come, and he
should no longer be an object of governmental vigilance, he would
visit her at her own home on the quiet bank of the Hudson. On
his brave followers she bestowed an additional bounty beyond the
large remuneration which had been advanced to them, and this
she accompanied with kind words and judicious praise, which, far
more than the gold, won their enduring gratitude and remem-
brance.

If Harry felt humiliated to se^ himself thus ransomed, as it
were, by a lady, like a prisoner redeemed from Arabic captivity,
while he stood penniless by, the feeling was only of momentary
duration. All Gertrude's conduct had borne evidence of the

372 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

promptings of a noHe philanthropy, with which he fel^ that he
would scarcely have the right, if he had the power, to interfere.

To some extent he would have the ability, on his return home,
to discharge his pecuniary obligations to her, and there was a
future in which, the promptings of ambition told him, he might
yet repair the shattered fortune of his fair friend — shattered for his
sake. But he knew^ that if he could do all this, he would still fall
immeasurably short of requiting his obligations to Gertrude, to
whom he would ever remain a willing and a grateful debtor. But
with a revived affection stimulating a long dormant hope, it was
impossible that Harry should long remain ignorant of the grand
mistake of his life, originated by his blindness, and perpetuated
by his indiscretion, until it had so nearly proved utterably irre-
parable.

Reason and reflection had long since convinced him that
Thomas had been an unsuccessful suitor for the hand of Gertrude,
and this belief was changed into certainty soon after the re-union
of the brothers, by the distinct avowal of the younger.

He not only freely acknowledged his own deserved repulse, but,
with still unextinguished vanity, he imputed it solely to the cir-
cumstance that the young lady's heart was pre-occupied by Harry,
who, he said, had long before made an unknown and undesigned
conquest of it. Hariy doubted still, but Thomas, with many
earnest assurances, half convinced him of what be so earnestly
hoped for.

'* But you, Tom," said Harry, " you should not yield to one
repulse — and I certainly will never be your rival."

" No, you never will. You need not fear that ; and as to one
refusal, I think, if I recollect aright, I had three or four. No, no ;
Getty and I have a very distinct understanding now ; and, to tell
the truth, I cannot say that I ever was really in love with her, or
with any one else. You know very well it was only a question of
policy with me. I was a fortune-hunter, which you never were,

THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER. 373

and never could be. I deserved all that I received ; and you,
Harry, ri(;hly deserve all that I am very sure you are going to
receive, and that is the heart and hand of Gertrude."

Harry was now more convinced than ever that Tom was the
noble fellow he had always believed him, and although in that
opinion he was still in error (yet not so widely as once),* let him
be pardoned the blindness produced by an excess of light radiat-
ing from his own generous heart.

A stage-coach journey homeward, which confined the travelling
party to narrow limits, and compelled a common sociability, re-
lieved in some degree, the embarrassment which the unavowed
lovers could not fail to experience in each other's presence.

A few days of travel brought them home, where the intelligence
of their safety had preceded them, and where they received the
glad greetings of friends and neighbors, who had, long given up
Harry for lost, and who, as yet, had no knowledge of the mode in
which his release had been accomplished.

The good old Guert Rosevelt, who had long been sufi'ering
from serious illness, found sudden strength again at the sight of
his favorite boy, whom he clasped, weeping, in his arms, and ad-
dressed volubly in Low Dutch, the only language in which he
could express his violent emotion with a rapidity necessary to
his relief.

" I should have died with you, my boy,^' he said, " if they had
killed you. But now I shall live another year — another year to
see you."

" Twenty of them, grandpa — twenty of them, I am certain.
Why, you will soon be well ; we are going to take the best of
care of you, and next spring you will be as strong as ever again "

The old man smiled, and whatever may have been his presenti-
ments, he would say nothing farther to mar the happiness of that
joyous hour. If it was with a more moderate welcome that he
greeted Thomas, it was less from favoritism to the elder, than

374 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

because he had long known of the other's safety, and had enter-
tained no solicitude in his behalf.

Aunt Becky, although very glad to receive her niece again in
safety, was greatly disappointed to learn that she was not mar-
ried to Van Vrank, and that there was no probability of such an
event.

She soon had other cause of perplexity in the renewed visits of
Harry Vrail, who rightfully resolved that Gertrude should at once
know the whole history of his love — his presumptuous love, if
such it were — and that his painful doubts should be dispelled,
even although by a more painful certainty.

By that same bright fireside where he had spoken his hasty
farewell, where her tears had been with difiiculty concealed from
his view, as she responded to his adieux, there did they meet again,
alone, with the shadow of that sad hour yet resting on their
young hearts.

Need it be said how quickly that cloud was dispelled — how
effulgent was the light which succeeded it ! Gertrude knew all ;
not only that she was now loved, which might have been the result
of gratitude alone, but that for years she had been the one oljiject
of Harry's most fervent and faithful affection. And richly did
this consciousness alone repay her for all that she had suffered and
sacrificed. Not less complete was Harry's bliss, the memory of
whose past sorrows rendered doubly bright the serene skies which
now smiled upon him.

In the first hour of their unselfish -joy, their happy hearts
turned to that sweet child of a foreign land, to whom they jointly
owed so immeasurable a debt, and whom each was henceforth to
regard and cherish as a sister. As such, the delighted Kuth was
formally and fully recognized, discarding forever the abhorred
name of her pretended relative, and assuming henceforth the
patronymic, not euphonic indeed, but dear to her, of Van
Kleeck.

THE PEISONER OF THE BOEDER. 375

" There will be need for some one to take it, if it is to be long
preserved,'' she said, archly, to Gertrude, calling a rich blush to
the cheek of the fiancee^ and a gay smile to the lips of Harry.

Within a few months indeed, when spring began to put forth
its rich promise, making all nature glad, and bringing to the
patriarchal Guert that restored strength which the vo^ce of affec-
tion had predicted; when May, bright May, brought again its
verdure and its flowers, Ruth and Dame Becky bore the Flemish
name alone.

Gertrude became a bride, and amid the festivities which marked
that occasion, none was more gay than the rejected Thomas, who
had learned from the perpetual examples of generosity before him
to rejoice in the happiness of others. What a roystering time he
and Van Vrank, aided by some village confrkres^ made of that
wedding evening ; and how the happy grandsire enjoyed their
mirth, and grew young again in heart amidst this festival of youth
and love. Even Aunt Becky became gracious beneath so many
genial influences, and, to the dangerous merriment of Garret, was
coaxed into dancing a minuet in the style of the preceding cen-
tury. Brom, stationed beside the sable musicians, richly enjoyed
the scene, and became himself the object of no small share of
attention. All had a pleasant word for him, for all knew his
fidelity, and the invaluable services he had rendered Harry.

Ruth, now a blooming school-girl, exuberant in innocent glee,
was the bridesmaid, and if she had not ever been forgetful of
self, there might have been something in the scenes around her
to carry her thoughts a few years forwaid to a similar event
in her own destiny. If she thought not of these things, however,
there was one who did, and whose honest heart Avarmed with
emotion whenever his eye fell upon the beautiful child.

Stimulated by ambition to make himself worthy of her. Garret,
during the years which were yet necessary to ripen Ruth into all
the graces of womanhood, found time and means for great personal

376 THE PRISONER OF THE BORDER.

impiovement, and in no small degree for mental cultivation. He
found time, also, to win the heart he sa much prized, and without
any promptings from Aunt Becky, who had long given him over
as a dolt, he conducted his courtship to a triumphant issue.

The patroon-like estate which had descended to Gertrude,
although shorn of some of its fair proportions, was far from being
entirely sacrificed by her generosity. A few valuable farms were
sold to discharge the incumbrances she had imposed upon them
when starting on her heroic expedition, but the great bulk of the
property still remained to her, and by the aid of those very unro-
mantic improvements so deploringly depicted at the outset of this
narrative, it soon acquired an increased value, nearly equivalent
to all that had been lost. From these great possessions the
young and generous owners did not cease freely to dispense. On
Garret they early bestowed a farm adjoining his own, for the
hoped purchase of which they knew he had been long carefully
hoarding his gains, and Ruth's dowry, when at length her wed-
ding day came, was, of course, a noble one. Much, too, had been
lavished on her education, and although she became a prize
sought by many aspirants, and capable of making what the world
calls a splendid alliance, Gertrude and Harry did not desire to see
her aftections diverted from the honest heart she had chosen. Nor
had she, fortunately, any such weak ambition to interfere with her
happiness, which has remained unmarred by regrets, and unclouded
even by the remembrance of her early griefs.

Thomas found a brother's ready aid, and was aflforded oppor-
tunities of professional advancement, which he embraced with
commendable zeal, forgetful of his military aspirations, and
achieving a success which enabled him to laugh at his grandsire's
moderate predictions in his behalf.

To that venerable man there remained a long, serene evening
of life, with its tranquil memories and its blissful hopes, for his
was the Christian's confidence, which grows stronger at death's

THE PEISONER OF THE BORDER. 377

approacli. The hour of his exultant departure brought the first
real grief to Harry and Gertrude, of whose family he had ever
been a cherished member, happy and dispensing joy.
' Hadley did not visit his American friends, as he had given them
reason to hope, having been recalled to England sooner than he
had' anticipated, by an urgent summons from his father ; but Ger-
trude had the satisfaction of receiving a letter from him, congratu-
lating her on the success of her great enterprise, and highly
complimenting her heroism and generosity. He related many
amusing incidents connected with the alarm in Kingston on the
night of the rescue, but said he believed he had been fortunate
enough to entirely escape suspicion of any collusion with the
brigands.

Brave old Commodore Johnson made good his promise of visit-
ing his young friends, and beholding the happiness he had done
so much to promote, and great was the gratification of the veteran
soldier, as together they recounted the vicissitudes they had mutu-
ally experienced, and the triumph they had achieved. But
although entertained with a noble hospitajity, and urged with
almost filial affection to prolong his stay, the old hero could not
long be detained from his island world, where, since the border
war had ceased, and his high hopes had been relinquished, he
had found a quiet and peaceful home. There Harry, in turn,
accompanied by Thomas and Van Vrank, made him an autumnal
visit, and spent a week in the exciting pleasures of the chase ; and
many were the rich presents they bore, in the name of Gertrude
and Ruth, to their benefactor and his family.

It remains only to say a word of sable Brom, who, notwith-
standing that the munificence of Gertrude has rendered him
independent of labor, has ever remained in her family, nominally
a servant, but virtually his own master, and to some extent the
controller of all around him. His military career and its conse-
quences have made him an oracle in all the neighborhood, and

378 THE PiaSONER OF THE BORDER.

he takes delight in recounting his experiences, whenever he can
find a listener to whom the tale is new. But his most attentive
and delighted auditors now, who never tire of his repetitions, are
some juvenile representatives of the houses of Vrail and Van
Vrank, who address each other as Hadley, and Getty, and Ruth,
and who become compliant to all requests, on being promised a
story of the war. They grow wild with excitement over its de-
tails, and fully sympathize with the regrets which are invariably
expressed by Brom at its close, that he was obliged to abandon
the beautiful horses and coach to the British drao^oons.

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