NYPL RESEARCH LIBRARIES
3 3433 08253026 6
A LIST OF THE ELSIE BOOKS AND
OTHER POPULAR BOOKS
BY
MARTHA FINLEY
ELSIE DINSMORE.
ELSIE'S HOLIDAYS AT ROSELANDS.
ELSIE'S GIRLHOOD.
ELSIE'S WOMANHOOD.
ELSIE'S MOTHERHOOD.
ELSIE'S CHILDREN.
ELSIE'S WIDOWHOOD.
GRANDMOTHER ELSIE.
ELSIE'S NEW RELATIONS.
ELSIE AT NANTUCKET.
THE TWO ELSIES.
ELSIE'S KITH AND KIN.
ELSIE'S FRIENDS AT WOODBURN.
CHRISTMAS WITH GRANDMA ELSIE.
ELSIE AND THE RAYMONDS.
ELSIE YACHTING WITH THE RAYMONDS.
ELSIE'S VACATION.
ELSIE AT VIAMEDE.
ELSIE AT ION.
ELSIE AT THE WORLD'S FAIR.
ELSIE'S JOURNEY ON INLAND WATERS.
ELSIE AT HOME.
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
ELSIE IN THE SOUTH.
ELSIE'S YOUNG FOLKS.
MILDRED KEITH.
MILDRED AT ROSELANDS.
MILDRED'S MARRIED LIFE.
MILDRED AND ELSIE.
MILDRED AT HOME.
MILDRED'S SOYS AND GIRLS.
MILDRED'S NEW DAUGHTER.
CASELLA.
SIGNING THE CONTRACT AND WHAT IT COST.
THE TRAGEDY OF WILD RIVER VALLEY.
OUR FRED.
AN OLD-FASHIONED BOY.
WANTED, A PEDIGREE.
THE THORN IN THE NEST.
THE NEW YORK
PUD L1C LI RY
-0
ONS.
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON
AND ELSEWHERE
BY
MARTHA FINLEY
AUTHOR OF THE ELSIE BOOKS, THE MILDRED BOOKS, "WANTED,
A PEDieiviLE," ETC.
NEW YORK
DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY
PUBLISHERS
JC LIB
701
R - - '
81
'
COPTBIOHT, 1898,
DODD, MEAD & COMPANY.
All right*
TH MBRSHOIf COMPACT PBMS,
1L4HWAT, X. /.
NOTE.
For information in regard to the events of our two
-wars with England, the author is largely indebted to
Lossing's historical works The Field Books of the
Revolution and of the War of 1812.
M. F.
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
CHAPTER I.
CEAG COTTAGE was almost overflowingly
full the first night after the arrival of its
young mistress and her friends, but with a little
contrivance all were comfortably accommo-
dated. Most of them, weary with their journey,
slept rather late in the morning, but Captain
Eaymond and his eldest daughter were as usual
out of doors out in the grounds early enough
to enjoy the beautiful sight of the rising of
the sun over the eastern mountains. They
met upon the front porch just in time to
walk down together to Evelyn's favorite sum-
mer house on the edge of the cliff, before the
king of day showed his bright face peeping
above those eastern heights.
"Oh, what a lovely sight!' exclaimed Lu-
cilla. " I am so glad, papa, that we are out in
time to see it."
3 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
" Yes," he said, " it is worth the giving up of
an extra hour of sleep. Especially as we can
take that during the day if we feel the need of
it. I would never have you do without needed
sleep, daughter. There is nothing gained by it
in the end."
"No, papa, but I think I do not need so
much as do some others, Gracie, for instance,
and I do so enjoy these early walks and talks
with you the dearest father that ever any girl
had, I am sure," she added, giving him a look
of ardent affection.
" Ah, but you must remember there are some
fathers you haven't tried," he returned with a
slight laugh of amusement, but accompanied by
a fond pressure of the pretty white hand she
had slipped into his.
" Yet I am just as sure as if I had tried them
all, father," she laughed. " There may perhaps
be some few nearly as good, but I know they
can't be any better. Oh, see! yonder is a
yacht coming up the river. I wish it was
ours.'
"Possibly it may be. Look again," her
father said.
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 3
" Oh, is it, papa ? " she asked eagerly. " Did
you order it brought here? '
" I did; and thought it might arrive some
time to-day."
" And it is it is the Dolphin! I'm so glad!
How nice in you, papa, to have it come to us so
soon; for now we can supplement Eva's sleep-
ing accommodations and take delightful little
trips up and down the river."
" Yes; that was my idea in having the vessel
brought here. There are a number of histor-
ical scenes along the Hudson's banks which I
have no doubt you and the others would like to
visit."
" Oh, yes, indeed, papa! and the very pleas-
ant est way to do it will be in our own yacht
with Captain Raymond to take charge of us and
it," she added with a bright smile up into his
face. " Oh, the yacht seems to be heading for
the little landing down at the foot of the hill!
Can't we run down and get aboard of her just
to take a peep, here and there, and see that all is
right for us to move into the staterooms when-
ever we will? '
" Yes, come along, daughter. I think we can
4 ELSIE Oy THE HUDSON.
: and come back again before the summons to
breakfast,'"' he replied, leading the way as he
-: ^r Tliey reached the landing just as the
L:'.ph\n had anchored and thrown out a plank
to the shore.
" Oh, how bright and fresh she looks! '" ex-
"
Lulu.
" Tee outside,'*' laughed her father. " We
will go aboard ani see ~l-r:her the same can be
said of the inside," he adde;. l-riiing her care-
fully onward tiL they reached the deck.
"L-:~~.- she exclaimed as th~v stepped
upon it; <: everything is as spick-and-span
poanbli
I am glad indeed that it pleases you, Miss
:." id the man in charge, coming
hastily forward to gr^: and welcome them.
" I hope you too ar^ satisfied, -ir? '
"Perfectly. =: far as I hare j : -: :: trained."
returned Captain Raymond in a cherr" ".ne.
"Ten had good weather f-.r yom trip up the
rt, Mr. Eailey? '"''
" Te.=, sir. yes; iLl-r : . couldn't have asked
r.r.-rr. Hope you all arrived safely m Q? '
" Tes. thank you, and I expect to make prery
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 5
const-ant and good use of the yacht. There
could hardly be a better place for it than this
river.'
" No, sir; I think not."
With Lucilla by his side, the captain went
here and there, satisfying himself that even--
V \J V
thing was in perfect order, exchanging kindly
greetings with the sailors, and bestowing words
of praise upon their care of the vessel.
" She seems in excellent condition/' he said,
" and I perceive no dirt or disorder. I should
not blush to show her to the highest dignitary
in the land."
" I hope not, sir," returned Mr. Bailey with
a gratified smile; " and I think if anything were
wrong no eyes would detect it sooner than those
of her owner."
" Xow let us go below, papa," said Lucilla.
" I quite want to take a peep into my own cosey
stateroom."
" Yes, so you shall," he returned, leading the
way.
" Oh! " cried Lulu as they stepped into the
saloon; "I see you have been making some
'
changes here, father; and they are all im-
6 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
provements. What lovely carpets and cur-
tains! "
"I am glad you like them/' he said with a
smile, as she turned toward him with a
look of surprise and delight. " The old ones
were looking considerably the worse for the
wear, and the good parts I knew would be ac-
ceptable and useful in another place."
" Oh, yes, I am sure of that," she said in
reply, as she hastened to the door of her own
little bedroom and threw it open. " Oh, this
looks as neat, sweet, and pretty as possible! '
she exclaimed joyously. " Can't Gracie and I
occupy it to-night, papa? Won't you let us? "
" Probably; if matters are so arranged that
your mamma and I, with the younger ones, can
be here also. Now/' consulting his watch,
" we will take a hasty look at the other state-
rooms and then hurry back to the cottage on
the crag; lest we keep Evelyn's breakfast
waiting."
" I am so glad the yacht is here, papa," Lu-
cilla said as they walked up the winding path
that led to Crag Cottage. " I felt last night as
if it were an imposition for so many of us to
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 1
crowd into Evelyn's small house even though
we were there by her own invitation; and yet I
was afraid she might feel hurt if we should go off
very speedily to some house of entertainment."
" Yes," returned her father; " but it will be
all right now, I think. If I had known you
were so troubled about the matter,! should have
told you I was expecting the Dolphin."
" But you didn't because you wanted to give
me and all the rest a pleasant surprise?' 1 she
said questioningly, and with a loving look up
into his eyes.
" Yes, that was it. You are as good at guess-
ing as a Yankee."
"But I am a Yankee, am I not?' she
laughed.
" Yes; you certainly belong to the universal
Yankee nation; as did your ancestors for sev-
eral generations. Both mine and your mother's
were here long before the Revolution."
" A fact which I think is something to rejoice
over," she said in joyous tones.
"Therefore something to be thankful for,"
h said in a tone between assertion and inquiry.
" Oh, yes, sir; yes, indeed! I am very glad
6 ELflE 0^ THE HUDSON.
and thankful that vou are mv father and I am
* *
your child."
"And I that vou are mv own dearly loved
ii
daughter." he said in response.
"Ah," as a turn in the walk brought the
house into full view, " I see we are no longer
the only ones up and about " for nearly all
the guests were now gathered upon the porch or
wandering to and fro under the trees or among
the flower beds near at hand.
" Oh, yonder come papa and Lu! ? shouted
Xed at the same moment, starting on a run to-
ward them, quickly followed by his cousins, the
Leland bovs.
*
"Good-morning, papa and Lu." "Good-
morning, uncle and Lu." cried the three as they
drew near. Eric adding: " Have vou been down
v_ %
by the river? and is there a walk along down by
the waters edge? '
** In some places,'" his uncle answered, " but
you can go down and see for yourselves after
breakfast."
** Oh. yes: I presume we can get permission;
especially if papa or you will go with us, Uncle
Levis."
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 9
"It would be still pleasanter to go up and
down the river in a boat though," remarked
Ned, taking possession of his father's hand as
they all moved on toward the house. " Papa,
can't you have our yacht brought here for us to
go in?"
" I suppose that might be possible," was the
smiling rejoinder.
" Oh, that would be splendid, uncle," ex-
claimed the two Leland boys in a breath.
" Yes," said ISTed; " for then we could go
every day, and all day, if we wanted to. I
mean, if papa and the rest of the grown folks
thought best."
But now they had reached the house, and
M
morning greetings were the order of the mo-
ment. Everyone was well, in good spirits, and
ready to answer with alacrity the summons of
the breakfast bell which presently sounded out.
Naturally, their talk turned principally upon
the plans for the best manner of spending the
next few weeks, in order to gain all possible
pleasure and information from their brief so-
journ in that part of the country.
"Papa," said Grace, "I should like to see
10 ELSIE ON TEE HUDSON.
f
every place along this river that can boast of
any Revolutionary incident occurring there. I
wish we had our yacht here to travel up and
down in. Won't you please send for it? '
" No, daughter/' he said gravely; " I have a
particular reason for not doing so; though I
should like to gratify you."
" Yes, I know you would, father, and so I am
quite satisfied with your decision," she returned
pleasantly, though with a little sigh of regret.
Violet gave her husband a look of surprise,
but made no remark, and the talk went on.
" I think we would all enjoy visiting any and
every place occupied by, or visited by, our Wash-
ington," remarked Mrs. Leland.
" Yes," said her husband; " Newburgh, for
one, and it is not so very far away."
" No," said the captain, " that is quite true."
" And there are boats passing up and down
every day, I suppose? " remarked Sydney Dins-
more inquiringly.
" Oh, yes, indeed," said Evelyn; " so we won't
have any difficulty in getting there; though we
can't have the Dolphin to go in."
"Papa, why can't we have our yacht come
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 11
here so that we can go up and down in it? '
asked Neddie.
" Have I said we couldn't? " was his father's
smiling rejoinder.
" No, sir; at least, I didn't hear you say it
but she isn't here."
" It is really quite wonderful how much some
little boys know," laughed Lucilla. "However,
I don't believe it would require a great deal of
coaxing to induce papa to send for her."
" But he just refused," said Grace.
" You could telegraph, couldn't you, papa? '
asked Lucilla. " But perhaps the repairs you
said she needed are not finished yet? '
" I think they must be," returned the cap-
tain pleasantly. " Perhaps we may get some
news in regard to her to-day."
" And if the repairs are finished, will you
send for her? " asked Violet.
" In case they are, I see no reason why we
should not have the use of her," was the rather
non-committal reply.
CHAPTER II.
A HALF-HOUK later nearly the whole com-
pany returned to the front porch as the most
attractive spot, since from it was a very fine
view of the broad river and its opposite shore.
" Oh/' shouted several young voices, " there's
our flag! There's Old Glory! "
" And it must he on a boat down close to the
landing," added Edward Leland. " May I run
down and see, papa ? '
" I think you could see quite as well from the
summer-house out yonder on the edge of the
cliff," replied Mr. Leland, starting for that
place himself, followed by most of the others.
"Why it's the Dolphin, the Dolphin!' ex-
claimed several voices simultaneously, as they
reached the arbor and caught sight of the pretty
craft in the river below.
The young people were at once seized with an
eager desire to get aboard of her, and, as the
captain seemed entirely willing, the parents did
not withhold their consent.
ELSIE ON TEE HUDSON. 13
"Ah, papa/' laughed Grace Raymond, "I
understand now why you refused my request to
send for our yacht; she was already here, and
you wanted to give me a pleasant surprise."
"Yes, daughter, that was just it," he re-
turned; " for I know you like pleasant sur-
prises. And I hope to give you and the rest of
our party some pleasant trips up and down the
river in her."
" Which I am sure we shall all find extremely
enjoyable, captain," remarked Grandma Elsie.
The whole company were wending their way
down to the river and the yacht as they talked,'
and presently they were all on board, viewing
and commenting admiringly upon the refur-
nishing and other improvements.
"Are you all too tired of travel to enjoy a
sail perhaps only a short one up or down the
river? " asked the captain.
" Oh, no not we, indeed! ' was the simul-
taneous exclamation of many voices, older and
younger; and not one was raised against it.
" I see you are all willing," said Captain Ray-
mond, glancing about from one to another of
the bright, eager faces. " Suppose I take you
14 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
to Newburgh, which is not very far away, and
let you see the Hasbrouck House, Washington's
old headquarters? How many would like
that?"
" Oh, all of us! all of us! " cried several voices
with enthusiasm.
" Then we will get up steam and go at once,"
he said. " Will that suit you, my dear? " turn-
ing to Violet.
" Perfectly if we may have a few minutes
to go up to the house and make some slight
preparation. You see, I have come down with-
out hat or bonnet," she added with merry look
and tone.
" Oh, yes, anyone who wishes may do that,"
he replied pleasantly. "And I must give
orders to my cook."
" Oh, no, captain," exclaimed Evelyn, over-
hearing him; "I have arranged for dinner at
the house, and "
" Then, my dear girl, hurry up and rescind
your orders; for we will not be back in season
to take that meal here; and the Dolphin is well
supplied with provisions," was his smiling re-
joinder. And with a hasty " Oh, thank you, sir!
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 15
You are very, very kind and thoughtful," ac-
companied by a pleased and grateful look, she
hurried away after the others, who were already
making rapid progress toward Crag Cottage.
It did not take long to gather up the few
articles wanted and return to the yacht, which
immediately started for Newburgh.
The weather was all that could be desired a
gentle breeze blowing from the north, and light,
fleecy white clouds tempering the heat of the
sun.
"How far from New York is Newburgh,
papa? " asked Grace.
" Sixty miles," he replied. " It is on the
western bank of the river and in the midst of
some of the finest scenery in the world, Lossing
says, and I entirely agree with him. Are you
not of the same opinion, mother?' 1 turning to
Grandma Elsie.
" Yes," she said heartily; " and we will have
a fine view of it from the piazza of the Has-
brouck House."
" Is that where we are going? " asked Little
Elsie.
"Yes; that is the house where Washington
16 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
had his headquarters at the close of the Revolu-
tion."
" Oh, I'm glad! " exclaimed the little girl.
" I'd like to see every place where Washington
used to be."
"Yes," said her mother; "I think we all
would. But, now, let us not miss the beautiful
scenery we are passing through on our way to
Newburgh."
" Oh, yes, mamma, it is lovely! and I am
proud of it as being part of my country my
own dear native land."
"As we all are," said Grace. "I think my
native land the best and loveliest the sun shines
upon."
Her father, standing near, smiled his ap-
proval of the sentiment, and Grandma Elsie
remarked pleasantly: " That is a good frame of
mind to be in when visiting Revolutionary
scenes."
"This will not be your first visit to New-
burgh and the Hasbrouck House, mother? "
said the captain in a tone of inquiry.
" No," she answered, " I was there some years
ago, but am well pleased to repeat my visit."
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 17
" When was it that Washington was there? '
asked Elsie. " I know that some of the time
he was in Massachusetts and at other times in
New Jersey and Pennsylvania."
" Yes/' said her father, " but he was here on
the Hudson, holding his headquarters at New-
burgh, at the close of the Revolution. It was
in April, 1782, he took possession of his quar-
ters there, and there he continued most of the
time until November, 1783, when the Conti-
nental Army was disbanded."
" Because the war was over? " asked Eric Le-
land.
" Yes; and the brave men who had done and
suffered so much together had to bid each other
farewell, separate, and go to their homes. Of
course they were very glad and thankful that
liberty was gained and the dreadful struggle
over, yet it was sad to part; especially from their
beloved chief."
" Wasn't it there, father, that some of them
had proposed to make him king? " asked Grace.
" Yes; but he received the proposal with ab-
horrence. Washington had fought to win free-
dom for his country, not to win power and glory
18 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
for himself. He had no hunger for them, but
a great love of liberty for his country and him-
self."
" Do you think he was as great a man as Na-
poleon, captain? " asked Sydney.
" Greater, much greater! Napoleon un-
doubtedly had genius, but he was utterly selfish,
utterly unscrupulous in the means he took to
gain power and satisfy his own ambition even
sacrificing the wife he probably really loved
(after his own selfish fashion) in order to get an
heir to the throne he had usurped."
" And his fortunes began to wane from the
time that he divorced poor Josephine," re-
marked Mr. Leland.
" Yes; and the son and heir to gain which he
had done such wickedness never succeeded to
the crown or throne," remarked Grandma Elsie.
" ' The triumphing of the wicked is short/ "
"I never thought of it before," remarked
Sydney; "but isn't it odd that each of those
great men married a widow with children, and
had none of his own by her? '
" And of our Washington it has been said,
' Providence left him childless that his country
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 19
might call him father/ * said Mrs. Leland. " I
have always thought that a very pretty idea."
" A true one too, I do believe," said Evelyn;
" he was so true a patriot so wise, so unselfish,
so true and good."
"A countryman to be very, very proud of,
and very thankful to God for giving us," said
Grandma Elsie; " especially at that time, when
he was so much needed."
" Are there not a good many places in this
neighborhood where something happened dur-
ing the Eevolution, papa? " asked Grace.
" Yes, a good many. Orange County was
one of the first settled portions of this State,
named in honor of William, Prince of Orange,
afterward King of England. The first settlers
in what is now the town of Newburgh were
Germans. They remained for only a time,
however. They grew dissatisfied, sold out, and
left; some going to Pennsylvania. Their places
were filled by English, Irish, New Englanders,
and a few Huguenots; and a number of settle-
ments were soon planted along the river and in
the rich bottom lands bordering the smaller
streams. Many stirring tales could be told of
20 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
their privations, alarms, and sufferings from the
attacks of the Indians, both before and during
the Revolution."
"Papa," said Little Elsie earnestly, "don't
you think we ought to thank our Heavenly
Father very often that we didn't live then and
here instead of now and where we do? '
". Yes, indeed, daughter," he replied; " we
have great reason to thank God for the liberty
and security that are ours, and I think we
should ever remember with love and gratitude
the brave men who fought and bled to secure
these liberties for us."
"Indeed we should! " said Mrs. Travilla ear-
nestly. "How it would have cheered and
helped them in their toils and privations and
struggles if they could have foreseen the great
results visible in these days! '
It was not yet noon when they reached New-
burgh, pausing in the southern suburbs, where,
on a hill overlooking the river, stood a gray old
building which the captain pointed out as the
Hasbrouck House. They had soon climbed the
hill and were standing on the porch, thinking
with a thrill of feeling, as they glanced about
ELSIE ON TEE HUDSON. 21
them and down at the river, that here Washing-
ton had stood in days long gone by and gazed
upon the same scenes, probably but little
changed since then.
Grandma Elsie, the captain, and Mr. Leland
had all been there before, and presently pointed
out to the others various historic places Pollo-
pePs Island, Fishkill, New Windsor, Plumb
Point, and the Beacon Hills; also, through the
gateway in the Highlands formed by Break-
neck and Butter hills, glimpse of distant West
Point and the mountains that surround it.
Then they went inside the dwelling, passing
first into a large square room which they were
told was used by Washington as a dining hall
and for his public audiences.
"Notice the doors and windows, children,"
said the captain.
"Windows, papa! why, there is only one!'
exclaimed Elsie.
" Ah! and how many doors? " he asked.
"Why, seven! " cried Neddie; "I've counted
them."
"Yes, you are right," said his father.
" That " pointing to one on the left " opens
22 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
into what was Washington's sitting room; the
other, on the same side, into his bedroom."
" There is no plaster on this ceiling," re-
marked Edward Leland, looking up. " But
those great, heavy beams make it look very
strong as well as old-fashioned."
"Yes," said Captain Kaymond; "they are
nine inches wide and fourteen deep. This part
of the house is nearly one hundred and fifty
years old."
" How much of it, papa ? v asked Lucilla.
" This large room and the two bedrooms
there on the north side. That part was built
in 1750, was it not? " he asked, turning to the
woman who had admitted them.
" Yes, sir," she replied. " Some time after
the kitchen; that is on the south side. In 1770
they added to the west side. The dates are cut
in the stone of the walls."
" What a very big fireplace that is! ' re-
marked Little Elsie "the largest I ever
saw."
"Almost big enough to roast an ox in, I
should say," said Edward Leland.
" A small bullock probably," said his father.
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 93
" Who owns this house now? " asked the boy,
turning to the woman.
" The State of New York," she answered.
"It used to belong to the Hasbrouck family,
but the State bought it to keep as a relic of the
Kevolution."
"I am glad they did," said Lucilla. "I
think everything that Washington ever used
should be kept in memory of him."
" Yes, indeed," assented the woman. Then,
leading the way, " And we have a cabinet here
of relics of the Revolution which I am sure will
interest you."
All were much interested in what she
showed them, especially in some muskets, of
which she said, " They are some of those bought
in France by Lafayette, with his own money,
and presented to his own favorite corps of light
infantry."
" Oh, that makes them very interesting! '
exclaimed Lucilla, her cheeks flushing and her
eyes sparkling.
Sydney said inquiringly, " Lady Washing-
ton was here with her husband, was she
not? "
24 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
" Oh, yes," was the reply; " in the summer of
1783; and as she was fond of gardening she had
some flower beds out in the grounds."
" That was about at the end of the war," said
Sydney.
" Yes/' said the captain, " and it was in this
old house that Washington wrote his address to
the officers of whom we were speaking a while
ago, and a circular letter addressed to the Gov-
ernors of all the States on disbanding the army.
They were admirable documents.
" A good many of the troops went home on
furlough, and then Washington, having leisure
for it, went up the Hudson with Governor Clin-
ton to visit the principal battlefields of the
North Stillwater, Ticonderoga, and Crown
Point; also to Fort Schuyler, on the Mohawk.
" He returned here, after an absence of nine-
teen days, to find a letter from the President of
Congress asking him to attend upon that body,
then in session at Princeton, N. J. He did so,
after waiting a little for the recovery of his
wife, who was not well. And while waiting he
had, out yonder upon the lawn, an affecting
final parting with many of his subalterns and
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 25
soldiers. That took place upon the day he left
to answer the call of Congress."
" Did he return here, captain? ' asked
Evelyn.
"No; he made his headquarters at West
Point for a few days in November, and from
there went down to New York City and took
possession of it on its evacuation hy the
British."
Our party passed out upon the porch again,
feasted their eyes upon the beauties of the land-
scape for a few moments; then, having gener-
ously remunerated the woman for her services,
returned to the yacht.
Again seated upon the deck, they chatted
among themselves, their talk running for the
most part upon the scenes through which they
were passing and the Kevolutionary events
connected with them.
The captain pointed out New Windsor, as
they passed it, with the remark that it was
where "Washington established his headquarters
on the 23d of June, 1779, and again near the
close of 1780, remaining till the summer of
1781.
26 ELSIE ON TEE HUDSON.
" Oh, can you point out the house, father? '
exclaimed Lucilla.
" No," he replied; " it was a plain Dutch
building, long since decayed and demolished."
" Did not Washington go from New Windsor
to Peekskill? " asked Grandma Elsie.
" Yes," said the captain. " Oh, yonder is
Plum Point also, and of that I have a little
story to tell. There, at the foot of that steep
bank, there was, in the times we have been talk-
ing of, a redoubt with a battery of fourteen
guns designed to cover strong chevaux-de-frise
and other obstructions placed in the river. A
litfle above that battery, and long before it was
made, a loghouse used to stand. It belonged to
a Scotchman named M'Evers. When thinking
of emigrating to America, he asked his servant
Mike if he would go with him. Mike, being
much attached to him, replied, ' Indeed, gude
mon, I'll follow ye to the gates o' hell if ye
gang there yersel.' So they came over. The
ocean could not be crossed so rapidly in those
days as in ours, and their voyage was long and
tempestuous. Then the vessel, instead of en-
tering New York Harbor by the Narrows, sailed
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 27
through Long Island Sound and the East
Biver. At the whirlpool called Hellgate the
ship struck upon the Hog's Back with a terrible
crash. The frightened passengers none of
them more frightened than Mike rushed upon
the deck. ' What place is it? ' he asked. ' Hell-
gate/ answered a sailor. < God ha' mercy on
me! ' groaned Mike; ' I promised my master I'd
follow him to the gates o' hell, but I didna say
I'd gang through with him.' However, the
vessel floated off with the tide, carried its pas-
sengers safely into the city, and Mike lived to
be a gardener on Plum Point."
"Is that a real, true story, papa?' asked
Elsie.
" I think so," he said.
"I suppose," said Grandma Elsie, "some
perhaps all of you have heard an anecdote in
connection with that dining room of the Has-
brouck House published in the New York
Mirror for 1834?"
Several voices answered in the negative and
urged her to go on and tell it, which she did.
" During the Revolution," she said, " a French-
man named Maxbois was secretary of that lega-
28 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
tion here. Shortly before Lafayette's death he,
with the American minister and several of his
countrymen, was invited to dine at the house
of Marbois. At the supper hour the guests
were shown into a room which presented a
strange contrast to the elegance of the apart-
ments in which they had spent the evening.
There were numerous small doors; one uncur-
tained small window; a low boarded, painted
ceiling with large beams; all together giving it
very much the appearance of the kitchen of a
Dutch or Belgian farmhouse; and on the table
was a repast quite in keeping with the appear-
ance of the room. There was a large dish of
meat, uncouth-looking pastry, and wine in
bottles and decanters, accompanied by glasses
and silver mugs such as seemed but ill-suited to
the habits and tastes of modern Paris. ( Do
you know where we now are? '* the host asked,
addressing Lafayette and the other guests.
They were too much surprised to answer for a
moment. Thev knew thev had somewhere seen
V V
something like it before but where? 'Ah!
the seven doors and one window! ' Lafavette
m
exclaimed presently; ' and the silver camp-
ELSIE ON TEE HUDSON. 29<
goblets, such as the marshals of France used in
my youth. We are at Washington's head-
quarters on the Hudson, fifty years ago/
" A great deal must have happened in this
region during the Revolution," remarked Mrs.
Leland. " Haven't you another little story for
us, mother? '
" Yes; I was just thinking that the taking of
a spy occurred not far from here. At the time
that Washington's headquarters were at Xew-
burgh, Generals Greene and Knox had theirs in
a house on the Xew Windsor Eoad about three
miles west from Plum Point; and about a mile
farther west was the house of Mrs. Falls.
There Governor Clinton had his headquarters.
He and his brother were in command of Forts-
Clinton and Montgomery, among the Hudson
Highlands, when the British succeeded in tak-
ing them in spite of the desperate defence of the
American patriots. It was then General Clin-
ton established his headquarters at the house of
Mrs. Falls and collected his dispersed troops
preparatory to marching to the defence of
Kingston. About noon on the 10th of Octo-
ber a horseman came riding up into the
30 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
camp in great haste. The sentinel challenged
him.
" He replied, ' I am a friend and wish to see
General Clinton.'
" The man was a Tory, bearing a message
from Sir Henry Clinton to Burgoyne, who was
at that time hedged up in Saratoga. This mes-
senger supposed the American forces on the
Hudson to be utterly broken and destroyed;
and, as the British never gave our officers their
titles in speaking of or to them, he thought
General Clinton must belong to the British
Army, so believed himself among his friends.
" He was taken to Clinton's quarters, and
when he was ushered into that officer's presence
he perceived his mistake. ' I am lost! ' he ex-
claimed to himself in a low but audible tone,
and hastily taking something from his pocket,
swallowed it, evidently with some difficulty.
This aroused the suspicions of those about him;
a physician was summoned, and gave the pris-
oner a powerful dose of tartar emetic."
" Why, grandma, what a foolish fellow he
was to take it! 5 exclaimed Eric Leland.
"I think it was administered surreptitiously/'
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 31
she replied, "in a glass of wine or beer prob-
ably, without letting him know their suspicions
or intentions. I have been giving you Los-
sing's version of the affair, but years ago I read
another, going rather more into detail. It said
the patriots did not let the Tory know their
suspicions of him, but, acting as if they thought
him all right, invited him to eat with them, and
secretly put the tartar emetic in the drink fur-
nished him at the meal; that he grew very sick
after drinking it, left the table, and went out of
doors. They watched him secretly and saw
that after getting rid of what he had eaten he
covered it with some chips. When he had gone
back to his companions at the table some of
them went out, scraped away the chips, and
found the silver bullet. Lossing says he (the
Tory) succeeded in swallowing it a second time
and refused to take another emetic until Gov-
ernor Clinton threatened to hang him upon a
tree and have his stomach searched with a sur-
geon's knife. At that he yielded, and the bullet
presently again appeared.
" It was a curiously wrought, hollow sphere,
with a compound screw in the centre; inside of
32 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
it was a note from Sir Henry Clinton to Gen-
eral Burgoyne, written from Fort Montgomery,
telling of their success, and expressing the hope
that it might facilitate his (Burgoyne's) opera-
tions.
"This made the guilt of the prisoner very
clear. He was not allowed to escape, and when,
soon afterward, Governor Clinton marched
with his troops to the help of the people of
Esopus, or Kingston, he took the spy with him;
and at Hurley, a few miles from Kingston, they
tried, condemned the spy, and hung him on an
apple tree near the old church. The British
had reached Kingston first, and it was then in
flames."
" Oh, what a dreadful thing war is! " sighed
Grace. " So many people are killed, and so
many others robbed of everything hut life."
" It is, indeed, an awful thing," assented
Grandma Elsie. " May we of this land never
again know anything of its horrors by ex-
perience."
CHAPTEE III.
THE next day was Sunday. There were sev-
eral churches within easy walking distance, and
Evelyn and her guests all attended the morning
services. Toward evening they held a little
Bible service of their own on the porch, over-
looking the beautiful river. Captain Raymond
was, as usual, the leader, being the oldest gen-
tleman and the unanimous choice of those who
were to take part.
He selected the third chapter of Proverbs,
and had them read it verse about; then made a
few remarks.
" ' In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he
shall direct thy paths.' That is a precious
promise," he said; " one to plead and to rest
joyfully upon in time of doubt and perplexity
such as come to all of us. Thus leaning upon
God and his promises, we may be free from
care and anxiety; content with our lot in life,
33
34 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
because he appoints it. e Godliness with con-
tentment is great gain.' Lucilla, can you tell
us of a Bible saint who had learned this lesson?' 3
" Yes, sir/' she replied, turning over the
leaves of her Bible as she spoke. " Here in
Phillipians, fourth chapter and eleventh verse,
Paul says, ' I have learned in whatsoever state
I am therewith to be content.'
" Yes; and he teaches the same to those he
addresses in his other epistles. I see you have
a passage ready, mother. Will you please read
it to us?"
" Yes," Grandma Elsie said in reply; " here
in Hebrews thirteenth chapter and fifth verse,
he says, ' Let your conversation be without cov-
etousness; and be content with such things as
ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave
thee, nor forsake thee.'
Then Violet read, " ' But godliness with con-
tentment is great gain; for we brought nothing
into this world, and it is certain we can carry
nothing out. And having food and raiment,
let us be therewith content.'
" A Christian may well be content and joyful,
even though he have but the bare necessaries of
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 35
life/' remarked Grandma Elsie, " for he may
boldly say, ' The Lord is my helper, and I will
not fear what man shall do unto me.'
" No," said Mr. Leland, " those who belong
to Jesus need fear nothing; for he will never
forsake his own, and he has all power in heaven
and in earth."
" How can we know if we belong to him,
papa? '' asked Eric.
" If we give ourselves to him truly, hon-
estly, and with purpose of heart to serve him
while we have any being he will accept us for
his own; for he says, ' Him that cometh unto
me I will in no wise cast out/
" ' Then will we be Christians and follow
Christ so living, acting, speaking that those
who know us will take knowledge of us that we
have been with Jesus and learned of him/ ' the
captain said. " But one who does not walk in
the footsteps of Christ striving to follow his
example and do his will to be like him in
temper and spirit, is none of his. But if we
have of his spirit, then we become with him
sons of God. He is our Brother and God the
Father, both his Father and ours. He tells us
36 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
that he came to save eouls. 'For the son of
man is come not to destroy men's lives, but to
save them.' We must make it our chief busi-
ness to do his will and win souls for him.
That is the commission he gives to each one
who professes to love him. He bids them,
' Let your light shine/ ' Go ye into all the
world and preach the Gospel to every creature/
* He that winneth souls is wise,' is another
Bible text. Each one of us must feel that this
is his or her own work. We are none of us to
live for self, but to glorify God and save the
souls of our fellow creatures by bringing them
to Christ."
"Yes," said Grandma Elsie, "and we are
guilty if we neglect to obey our Father's com-
mands. If we truly love him we will be very
earnest and persevering in our efforts to obey.
The prophet Daniel tells us, ' They that be wise
shall shine as the brightness of the firmament;
and they that turn many to righteousness, as the
stars for ever and ever.'
" Grandma," said little Ned Eaymond, com-
ing to her side, later in the evening, and looking
up at the star-spangled sky, " I'd like to shine
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 37
like those beautiful stars for ever and ever. I
wish I knew how to turn many to righteous-
ness. What's the way to do it? '
" To tell them the sweet story of Jesus and
his love/' she answered in low, moved tones.
" Tell them how he suffered and died that we
might live. But first you must give your own
self to him."
" I think I have, grandma/' he said in low,
earnest tones. " I've tried to do it, asking him
to take me for his very own, and I think he has;
because, you know, he says, ' Him that cometh
unto me I will in no wise cast out.'
" Yes, dear child, that is his own word
and you need have no fear that he will not
keep it."
" But when and where and how should I tell
about Jesus to others? '
" Ask him to show you when and where to
teach you what to say and do, and help you
;aever to be ashamed to own yourself one of his
disciples."
" Like my father," he said. " I am sure he
Is never ashamed or afraid to let anybody know
that he loves and serves God. I don't often
38 ELSIE ON TEE HUDSON.
hear him tell them, hut he acts it out always
and everywhere."
" Yes, I think he does," said Grandma Elsie,
" and it is what we all should do. Remember
Jesus' words, ' Whosoever, therefore, shall be
ashamed of me and of my words, in this adul-
terous and sinful generation, of him also shall
the Son of Man be ashamed, when he cometh
in the glory of the Father with the holy
angels/
There was a moment of silence; then Neddie
asked:
" Grandma, do you think it was right for our
soldiers in the Revolution to hang that man for
just having that silver bullet in his pocket ? '
Yes; because success in carrying such mes-
sages from one British officer to another would
probably have cost the lives of very many of
our people, and helped the British to take away
our liberties."
" Oh, yes! So he was as bad as a murderer;
wasn't he? ?
"Very much like one, I think. War is a
dreadful, dreadful thing! I hope we may
never have another."
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 39
" It's always wicked on one side, but some-
times right on the other; isn't it, grandma? '
" Yes; when life and liberty are in peril it is
right to fight for their preservation. Especially
when it is not for ourselves only, but for our
children and future generations. If our
fathers had weakly given up to the tyranny of
the British Government, we would not be the
free people we are to-day."
" And it was a dreadfully hard fight for
them; wasn't it, grandma?' remarked little
Elsie, who had drawn near enough to hear the
latter part of the conversation.
" It was, indeed; and our poor soldiers went
through terrible sufferings, from lack of prompt
pay and proper food and clothing, as well as
from wounds and exposure to the inclement
weather."
" Yes, grandma, I remember it was terribly
cold when they crossed the Delaware River and
fought the battles of Trenton and Princeton;
and, oh, so hot when the Battle of Monmouth
was fought! '
" I'm glad our papa and Brother Max didn't
Irave to help fight those battles," said Ned;
40 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
" and I hope we'll never have any more wars;
Don't you, grandma? '
"I do, indeed, Neddie," grandma answered;
" and I hope it may not be long till we come ta
the time the Bible speaks of where it says, ' And
many nations shall come, and say, Come and let
us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to
the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach
us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths:
for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word
of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall
judge among many people, and rebuke strong
nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords
into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning
hooks; nation shall not lift up a sword against
nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
But they shall sit every man under his vine and
under his fig tree; and none shall make them
afraid for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath
spoken it.'
"What a good time that will be," said the
little girl thoughtfully. "I wish it might
come soon. Don't you, grandma? '
" Yes, dear; I do, indeed! ' was the sweet-
toned reply.
CHAPTER IV.
IT was Monday morning, the sun not an hour
high, when Captain Raymond, sitting on the
Dolphin's deck, reading, heard a light footstep
approaching, then a sweet-toned voice saying,
" Good-morning, my dear father/' and, looking
up, found Lucilla standing at his knee, her
bright eyes gazing lovingly down into his.
" Good-morning, daughter," he returned,
taking her hand and drawing her down to a
seat by his side, then passing an arm about her
waist and giving her the accustomed morning
caress. " Did you sleep well ? '
" Yes, indeed, papa; from the minute I laid
my head upon the pillow till I woke to find it
broad daylight."
" I am glad to hear it. It is something that
both you and I should be very thankful for."
" And you, papa? did you sleep well? '
" Very; as I hope and believe all on board
did. I suppose you left Grace still asleep? '
41
42 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
" Yes, sir; sleeping so sweetly that I took par-
ticular pains to move quietly and not wake
her."
" That was right," he said. " I want her
my feeble little girl to take all the sleep she
can."
" So do I, father; and I think she has gained
a good deal in health and strength since she has
had you at home almost all the time to take care
of her."
" That's what fathers are for to lake care of
the children," he returned with a smile.
" Well, daughter, what would you like to do
to-day?"
" Whatever my father bids me," she said with
a happy laugh.
" Ah! isn't that a rash choice? ' he asked,
passing his hand caressingly over her hair and
smiling down at her as he spoke.
" No, sir; I think not considering how wise,
kind, and loving my father is."
" What would you think of a trip up to
Kingston to view it as one of the scenes of
Revolutionary occurrences? '
" Oh, I should like it very much! " she ex-
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 43
claimed with eager delight. " Do you think
of going there to-day, papa"? '
" I have been thinking it would answer very
well as a sequel to our Saturday's visit to Wash-
ington's old quarters at Newburgh. We will
make the suggestion at the breakfast table, and
see what the rest of our company think of it."
" Oh, I don't believe anyone will think of ob-
jecting. I shall be astonished if they do."
" But there are other places some may prefer
visiting first, and it will be only polite and kind
to let each one express his or her preference."
" And the majority decide, I suppose? '
" That is my idea," he said pleasantly.
" Your ideas are always kind ones, father
dear," she responded with a loving look up into
his eyes.
" Though occasionally not altogether agree-
able to my eldest daughter, eh ? ' ' he returned
with a smile, and playfully patting the hand
which he held.
" Ah, papa, I do not often object by word or
look to your decisions nowadays, do I ? ' she
said half-imploringly.
" No, it has been a very rare thing for a very
44 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
long while now," he said with a tenderly affec-
tionate look " so rare that I really believe my
dear eldest daughter has come to have full faith
in her father's wisdom and love for her."
"Indeed, papa, I don't doubt either in the
very least," she exclaimed with an energy that
brought an amused smile to her father's lips and
eyes.
"Good-morning, papa!' 1 cried a sweet child
voice at that moment; " here we come, and
mamma will follow in a very few minutes."
And with that Elsie and Ned came bounding
across the deck to their father's side. He wel-
comed both with kind greetings and fatherly
caresses.
" Is your sister Grace up yet? " he asked, and
Elsie answered: "Yes, sir; and almost dressed.
She opened her door as I was going by, and
gave me a kiss, and told me to tell papa she
would be ready to go up to breakfast in a very
few minutes! '
" Ah," he said; " I fear she may hurry too
much for her feeble strength. Neddie, boy, go
down to the cabin, knock at your sister's door,
and tell her papa says it is so early yet that she
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 45-
need not hurry with her dressing. We will
wait till she and mamma are quite ready to go-
up to the house."
" I will, papa," was the ready and cheerful
response, as the little fellow turned to obey, but
then he paused with the exclamation, " Oh,,
here they come both of them! '
The captain rose to exchange morning greet-
ings with his wife and daughter, then all set
out for the cottage on the hill.
They found the other guests gathered on the-
front porch, and when morning salutations had
been exchanged they fell into conversation,
breakfast being not quite ready. The question-
was at once proposed how and where they
should spend the day, and when the captain told
of his plan in regard to that, it was hailed with
delight. No one could think of anything bet-
ter, and it was decided that they would start
very shortly after finishing their morning meal.
" Will it be a long voyage, captain ? ' ' asked
Sydney in a jesting tone.
" Something less than crossing the Atlantic, 3 *
he returned with becoming gravity.
" It certainly is, captain," Evelyn said with a
46 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
smile. Then turning to Sydney, " Kingston is
ninety-three miles north of New York."
" Oh, well then, one will not need to burden
one's self with much luggage," laughed Sydney.
" So there will be no time consumed in pack-
ing trunks," remarked Lucilla.
" I never have any trouble about that. Papa
always does it for me," said Grace, giving him a
loving look and smile.
" Will we go on shore at Kingston, papa? '
asked Elsie.
" Probably," he seplied.
" And see the tree the silver bullet man was
hung on? " asked Neddie.
" I do not know whether it is still standing
or not, my son," replied his father; " and, if so,
it probably looks much like other apple trees.
" It was not at Kingston he was hanged, how-
ever, but at Hurley a few miles from there."
"Kingston is a very old place, is it not?'
asked Violet.
" Yes," said her mother; " it was settled by
the Dutch as early as 1663, Lossing tells us, and
at first called Wiltwyck which means wild
witch or Indian "Witch on account of the
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 47
troubles between the settlers and the Indians.
A redoubt was built by the Dutch on the bank
of the creek near the old landing place, and they
called the creek Redoubt Kill, or Creek. Now
it is called Eondout a corruption of Redoubt.
Years later, near the close of the century, the
population of the town was increased by a valu-
able addition from Europe a colony of French
Huguenots, who fled from that dreadful perse-
cution begun in 1685 by Louis XIV/s revoca-
tion of the Edict of Nantes."
" What does that mean, grandma? ' asked
Neddie.
" I will tell you sometime; perhaps while we
are going up the river to-day," she answered in
kindly tones. " I cannot do it now. for there is
the breakfast bell."
They were all seated upon the Dolphin's deck
very shortly after leaving the table, and in a few
moments the yacht was steaming rapidly up the
river. Then Neddie, going to his grand-
mother's side, claimed her promise to explain to
him what was meant by an edict particularly
the one of which she had spoken.
" An edict," she said, " is a public decree that
48 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
things shall be so and so. The Edict of Nantes
said that the persecution of the Protestants
must stop and they be allowed to worship God
as they deemed right; the revocation of that
edict gave permission to the Komanists to begin
persecution again. Therefore, to save their
lives, the Protestants had to flee to other lands."
" Where did they go, grandma? " asked Eric,
who was listening with as keen an interest as
Neddie himself.
" A great many to England and Germany and
some to this country. It was really a great loss
to France, for they were industrious and skil-
ful artisans manufacturers of silk, jewelry,
and glass."
" I'm glad some of them did come here," said
Eric. " The massacre of St. Bartholomew was
before that, wasn't it, grandma? '
"Yes; on the 26th of August, 1572; in that
seventy thousand Protestants were butchered
by the Papists in France, by the authority of
the Pope and the king. From that time on,
until 1598, there were terrible persecutions,
stopped in that year by Henry IV.'s issue of the
Edict of Nantes, allowing, as I have told you,
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 49
Protestants to worship God according to the
dictates of their consciences. That edict re-
mained in force for nearly a century, but was
revoked in 1685 by Louis XIV."
" Then the Protestants moved away to escape
being killed? " asked Eric.
" Yes," replied Grandma Elsie, " and some of
them came up this river and settled on its
shores. They found it less hazardous to dwell
beside the savage Indians than among the per-
secuting Papists."
" So they came across the ocean and up this
river and settled near Kingston, did they,
grandma?" queried Eric.
" They settled in the valley of Ulster and
Orange counties," she answered.
" And then they had good times, I hope,"
said Neddie.
" Not for some time," she answered, " be-
cause the Indians were fierce and jealous of the
palefaces, as they called the whites. It was not
until after the Revolution that they ceased to
give trouble to the white settlers, both Hugue-
nots and others. But it was borne with pa-
tience and perseverance; and many of their
50 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
descendants helped in the hard struggle for our
independence."
" Fighting the British in the Revolutionary
War, do you mean, grandma? " asked Neddie.
" Yes; fighting for freedom. That was the
war that made us the great and growing nation
that we are to-day. It was a fearful struggle,
but God -helped us, and we should never forget
to give him thanks for our liberties."
" I hope we won't," said Eric. " Papa says
we have more to be thankful for than any other
people; and I think so myself."
" As I do," said his grandma; " and my little
grandsons are much better off than very many
other children, even in this good land."
" Yes, grandma, I know that; papa and
mamma often remind me of it; and I do feel
thankful for my many blessings; for none of
them more than for my dear, sweet grand-
ma," he added with a loving look into her
eyes.
" As I do for my dear grandchildren," she
returned, giving him a loving smile and softly
patting the hand he had laid on her knee.
" Indeed, we all love you dearly, grandma,"
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 51
exclaimed Ned. " But, now, please won't you
go on and tell us some more? Tell about the
Indians, and what they and the white folks did
to each other."
" I could not tell all that was done, nor would
it be a pleasant story if I could," replied Grand-
ma Elsie. " The Esopus Indians lived on the
flats extending northward from the creek for
some distance. They did not fancy their white
neighbors, and determined to kill them. They
iell upon the settlement one day while the able-
bodied men were in the field and slew sixty-five
persons. The others fled to the redoubt, and
the Indians began to build a stockade near it.
But a call for help was sent to New York, and
the Governor sent troops, who drove the In-
dians back to the mountains. Not long after-
ward ihe Dutch followed the Indians into their
fastnesses, destroyed their forts and villages,
laid waste their fields, burned their stores of
maize, killed many of their warriors, captured
eleven of them, and released twenty-two of the
Dutch whom they were holding captives. All
that led to a truce the next December and a
treaty of peace the following May."
52 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
"Were the Huguenots there when all that
happened, grandma?" asked Eric.
" No; as I have told you, it was the revocation
of the Edict of Nantes which drove them from
their native land to this foreign shore, and that
did not take place until 1685 more than
twenty years later."
" Were the Indians all gone from about
Kingston by that time, grandma? " asked Eric.
" Oh, no! " she said. " They as well as the
Tories gave a great deal of trouble to the Pa-
triots during the Kevolutionary War that hard
struggle for freedom. At the time of the Kevo-
lution the New York Legislature, then called
* Convention of the Kepresentatives of the State
of New York,' migrated from place to place,,
"being compelled to do so by the movements of
the enemy, and finally, in February, 1777, took
up their quarters in Kingston until May of that
year. They were making a Constitution for
the State. It proved a very excellent one, and
was adopted. And the first session of the legis-
lature of the State was appointed to meet at
Kingston in July. So Kingston was the capi-
tal of the State when Sir Henry Clinton took
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 53
the forts in the Hudson Highlands; and because
it was the capital he marked it out for special
vengeance.
" The British fleet, under Sir James Wallace,
came up the river with 3600 men under the
command of General Yaughan. The order
given them was to scatter desolation in their
track; and they obeyed destroying all vessels
on the river and firing from the ships upon the
houses of known Patriots. Also small parties
landed and desolated whole neighborhoods with
fire and sword. They landed near Kingston on
the 13th of October in two divisions, each tak-
ing a different road to the town, and burning
and destroying as they went. They joined
upon a gentle eminence and marched into the
town, then but a small village, began set-
ting the houses on fire, and soon had almost
<every one laid in ashes."
" "Was Kingston only a very little place then,
grandma? " asked Eric.
" A town of only three or four thousand in-
habitants," she replied. " Some of the people
warned of the approach of the British had
succeeded in hiding their most valuable effects*
54 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
but others lost all they had. A large quantity
of provisions and stores was destroyed. After
doing all that mischief, the British fearing the
American people would gather together and
come upon and punish them for all this wanton
cruelty hastily retreated."
" Did it do them any good to burn down the
town, grandma? " asked Eric hotly.
" No; there was nothing gained by it."
" And as they burned the town, there are no
Kevolutionary houses to be seen there now, I
suppose? '
" A few houses escaped the fire," she said.
" One is the i Constitution House ' called so
because it was there the Convention met which
framed the Constitution for the government of
the State. I think we will visit it to-day. Per-
haps, too, the old graveyard where many of the
Huguenots lie buried. Will we not, captain ? '
addressing him as he drew near their little
group, as if interested to learn what was the
topic of her discourse.
" We will visit any spot that you wish
UB to, mother," he answered in his pleasant
tones.
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 55
"Were you giving the boys a history of
Kingston? '
" A slight sketch," she said; " and they want
to see the Constitution House; perhaps the old
graveyard too."
"Ah! I think we will visit both; certainly,
if all our party wish it."
At that, several of the others gathered about
them, asking of what places they were speaking;
and, on being told, they one and all expressed
themselves as desirous to see everything con-
nected with the history of the town to which
they were going. So that was what they did on
their arrival at Kingston. They remained
there for some hours; then returned to their
yacht, and greatly enjoyed the trip back to
Evelyn's pretty cottage, which they reached IE
time for tea.
CHAPTER V.
" How many would like to take another trip
up or down the river to-morrow?" asked Cap-
tain Raymond, as they sat together on the front
porch after leaving the tea table.
" Every one of us, I presume, captain," said
Grandma Elsie, with a smiling glance from one
to another of the eager, interested faces about
them.
" Oh, yes; yes, indeed, we would! " exclaimed
several voices, Mrs. Leland adding, " We could
hardly contrive a more delightful way of spend-
ing the time; there are a number of historic
spots which would be interesting ones to visit."
" Tarrytown and the other places connected
with Arnold's treachery," suggested Violet.
" Fishkill, too, is a historically interesting-
place," said her mother.
" West Point also," remarked Lucilla. " Papa
took Max and me there once, but I should not
at all object to going again."
56
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
"I think we can visit all the places men-
tioned within the next few days," said her
father; " and we need not decide until to-
morrow morning which we will take first."
"In the meantime we may talk the matter
over, I suppose, and see what the majority is in
favor of?" remarked Lucilla inquiringly.
"I think that would be a good plan," said
her father. " Let everyone feel at perfect lib-
erty to give his or her opinion."
" I think we could hardly find a more inter-
esting locality to visit than Fishkill," said
Grandma Elsie. " Though perhaps a longer
sail may be thought desirable."
" We could supplement it with as long a one
as we might find agreeable, by passing on
either up or down the river, upon returning
from the shore to the yacht," said the captain.
" Why, yes, so we could," said Violet; " and
I think it would be very enjoyable."
" Papa, what is there to see at Fishkill? and
what happened there in the Kevolution?'
asked Elsie Eaymond.
" Quite a good deal," replied the captain.
" Fishkill village lies five miles eastward from
58 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
the landing of that name, on a plain near the
foot of the mountains. Those high mountains
sheltered it from invasion in the time of the
Revolution, and it was chosen as a place of safe
deposit for military stores. Also for the con-
finement of Tory prisoners and others captured
by strategy or in skirmishes upon the neutral
ground in West Chester. For a while too a
portion of the Continental Army was encamped
there; also the State Legislature met there at.
one time."
"Was the camp in the town, papa?'' asked
Grace.
" No; the barracks were about half a mile
south of the village. The officers had their
quarters at the house of a Mr. Wharton, and the
barracks extended along the road from there to
the foot of the mountains."
"Is not that vicinity the scene of many of
the incidents given in Cooper's ' Spy'? " asked
Mr. Leland.
" Yes," replied the captain. " Enoch Crosby
was a spy who did good service to his country
in that capacity, and is supposed to have been
the original of Cooper's spy Harvey Birch.
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 59
In the Wharton House, Crosby at one time went
through a mock trial by the Committee of
Safety, and was then confined in irons in the
old Dutch church in the village. It was in the
autumn of 1776 he began his career as spy in
the service of his country by learning the plans
and purposes of the Tories and revealing them
to his Whig friends. In that neighborhood, at
that time, secret foes were more to be feared
than open enemies, but for a long time Crosby
mingled with the Tories, learning their plans
and purposes, without being suspected by them;
they thought him as much an enemy to his and
their country as they were themselves. Lossing
tells us that while on one' of his excursions he
asked lodging for the night of a woman who
proved to be a Ton 7 ; and that from her he
learned that a company of Tories was being
formed in the neighborhood with the intention
of marching to New York and joining the Brit-
ish Army. He seemed delighted with the idea
and most anxious to join the company. He
gained the confidence of its captain and learned
all his plans. It seems that after their talk they
retired to bed; but Crosby did not immediately
60 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
fall asleep. When all had grown quiet, so that
there was reason to suppose everyone else was
asleep, he rose and stealthily left the house,
hastened to White Plains, where lived the Com-
mittee of Safety, and told them what he had
just learned of the plans of the Tories. He also
suggested that they should hold a meeting the
following evening and send a band of Whigs to
arrest the Tories and himself as though believ-
ing him to be one of them. That plan was
carried out; they were all made prisoners, taken
to Fishkill, and confined in the old stone
church. I believe that church is one of the
relics of the Kevolution which yet remain.
" When the arrested men were taken there
the Committee of Safety was already at the
Wharton House prepared to try them. They
held an examination of the prisoners after
which they Crosby among the rest were sent
back to their prison. Seemingly by accident,
he was left alone with the Committee for a few
minutes and the plan was concerted by which
he might escape.
" At the northwest corner of the church was
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 61
a window hidden by a willow. He reached the
ground through that, got rid of his loose man-
acles, sprang out of his concealment, and rushed
away past the sentinels with the speed of a deer.
The sentinels fired a few shots after him, but
missed him in the gloom; and he escaped un-
hurt to a swamp."
" Oh, that was good! " cried Eric. " Did he
have any more such escapes, uncle? '
" Yes; twice after that he was made a pris-
oner with Tories, but managed to escape each
time. At one time Colonel Van Cortlandt was
stationed with a detachment of troops on the
east side of the Hudson, to watch what was
going on upon the Neutral Ground. One day
Crosby was with a part of that detachment near
Teller's Point and the mouth of the Croton
Kiver, when they saw a British sloop of war
come sailing up the stream. It cast anchor in
the channel opposite. Crosby and six others
then went to the Point, where all but one con-
cealed themselves in the bushes, while the
other, dressed in infantry uniform, paraded
the beach. Of course the officers on the sloop
soon saw and determined to capture him. They
62 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
promptly sent a boat with eleven men to take
him. But as the British landed the American
ran. They pursued, not thinking of any dan-
ger. Then Crosby and his companions began
making a noise in the bushes that made it seem
as though they were half a regiment; then they
rushed out and called on the enemy to surren-
der which they did without firing a shot.
The next day the stone church at Fishkill held
them as prisoners."
"I suppose Crosby was a born American,
uncle? " Eric said inquiringly.
" Yes; born in Massachusetts early in Janu-
ary, 1750."
"That would make him twenty-five a few
months before the war began. But he did not
live in Massachusetts? ?
" No; his parents moved to New York while
he was still an infant. When he grew up he
learned the trade of a shoemaker; but when the
war broke out he gave up his trade and shoul-
dered a musket. He was living at Danbury
then, and was one of the hundred men who in
1775 marched to Lake Champlain and fought
battles in that quarter until Quebec was
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 63
stormed. It was after his return from that
expedition that he engaged in the secret
service."
" Being a spy? " queried Neddie.
"Yes; but at length finding that his many
escapes after being taken prisoner by the Whigs
had excited the suspicions of the Tories, he
gave up that work and joined a detachment of
the Continental Army then stationed in the
Highlands."
"I hope he didn't get killed, papa?' said
Little Elsie.
" No; he lived through the war, and for many
years afterward. In 1827 he was in New York
City as witness at a trial in court, and an old
gentleman who knew him introduced him to
the audience as the original of Harvey Birch
Cooper's spy. That story had been turned into
a play, and was then being performed at one of
the theatres. Notice was given that Crosby had
accepted an invitation to attend the play, and
the house was crowded with an audience who
warmly greeted the old soldier."
" I'm glad they did," said Elsie. " It must
have been pleasant for him, and I'm sure he
84 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
deserved it; for he had helped a great deal to
get us all free. Papa, haven't we just the very
best country in all the world? *
" So I think," her father answered with a
smile; adding, "and that being the case we
ought to be the best people in all the world.
Don't you think so, daughter? ?
" Yes, indeed, papa; and I mean to try."
" Why not go to Fishkill to-morrow? " asked
Sydney.
" All in favor of so doing may say aye/' said
the captain, glancing around upon the small
crowd of hearers, big and little.
" Aye! " exclaimed every voice, and that was
followed by a ripple of laughter. As that died
down, " We seem to be of one mind," re-
marked the captain pleasantly. "Well, the
yacht will be ready to start immediately after
breakfast, if the weather is pleasant. We would
hardly wish to go in a storm."
"Oh, no!" exclaimed several voices; "espe-
cially as we have plenty of time to wait for a
pleasant day."
" Yes," the captain said; " but there is every
indication that we will not have to do BO that
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 65
to-morrow will prove as fine a day as we could
wish; and I suggest that our young people and
all older ones who desire plenty of sleep
should retire pretty soon; for we will need to
rise early if we want abundance of time for our
expedition. The trip on the river will be short,
but we will probably want to spend at least half
the day on shore."
Everyone followed the captain's good advice;
they were all up early next morning and ready
to start on their proposed trip in good season.
The weather proved pleasant, no accident be-
fell any of them, and all enjoyed very thor-
oughly their visit to Fishkill and its vicinity.
They visited the Verplanck House interesting
as having been the headquarters of Baron Steu-
ben when the American Army was encamped
near Newburgh, and also as the place where the
celebrated Society of the Cincinnati was organ-
ized in 1783.
" Won't you please tell us something about
Baron Steuben, papa?" asked Elsie Raymond
as they were returning from their visit to the
Verplanck House.
"Yes," replied the captain. "He was a
66 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
German soldier, born in Magdeburg, Prussia.
His full name was Frederick William Augustus
Henry Ferdinand von Steuben. His father was
a captain in the army, and he became a soldier
when a mere lad. He saw and took part in a
great deal of fighting, and in 1762 was made
aide to Frederick the Great. He took part in
the siege of Schweidnitz, and that closed his
military career in his own land. He retired
from the army, and was living most comfortably
on a salary, while we^were struggling for our
(freedom. In December, 1777, he went to
Paris, on his way to visit some English noble-
men who were friends of his. In Paris he met
the French minister of war, who seems to have
been a good friend to America, for, knowing
that the great weakness of our army lay in the
fact that the men lacked discipline and knew
little or nothing of military tactics, he tried to
persuade Steuben to come to this country and
teach them.
"But very naturally the baron was not willing
to sacrifice his income and his honors in order
to help a cause that seemed so desperate. Yet
at length he yielded to Germain's solicitation
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 67
and promises, and decided to come to the help
of the struggling Colonies. He came over on
a French gunboat; having a long stormy passage
of fifty-five days, the vessel taking fire three
times a very hazardous thing, as there were
1700 pounds of powder on board. Also there
was an attempt to mutiny. However, he finally
arrived safely at Portsmouth, N. H. He had a
warm welcome there, the whole population
going out to receive him."
" And did he go right into our army, papa ? '
asked Elsie.
" He wrote at once to Congress offering his
services to the Colonies, saying he had come to
this country because he would serve a nation
engaged in the noble work of defending its
rights and liberties, adding that although he
had given up an honorable title and lucrative
rank, he asked neither riches nor honors. He
called upon Congress, and told them he would
enter the army as a volunteer; if his services
were not satisfactory, or if the Colonies failed
to establish their independence, he was to re-
ceive nothing; but if they were successful, and
he remained in the army, he expected to be re-
68 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
funded the income he had given up, and remu-
nerated for his services."
" That was a good offer," remarked Eric. " I
suppose they accepted it? "
" They did/' replied his uncle; " and Steu-
ben went to Valley Forge, where Washington
and his army were encamped at that time.
When he saw our half-starved, poorly clad sol-
diers come creeping out of their huts he was
astounded, and said ' No European army could
be kept together a week in such a state/ But
he began his work at once. He did a great
work; probably we could never have won our
independence without the help he gave us in
training our soldiers for the hard struggle
necessary to win it. The fine effect of that
discipline was seen in the Battle of Monmouth,
when Baron Steuben rallied the retreating and
disordered troops of Charles Lee like veterans."
" Did he stay in this country till the war was
over, papa? " asked Elsie.
" Yes; and as long as he lived. He made
New York City his home for several years. I
ain ashamed to say that Congress refused to
fulfil its contract with him to pay him for his
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 69
services, but he was given grants of land in
New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. The
first he declined to take when he learned that
it was the estate of an old Tory who would be
left destitute, and in the kindness of his heart
he interceded for him. Steuben was very kind-
hearted and generous. Lossing gives us some
anecdotes illustrative of that. He says that in
Newburgh, at the time of the disbanding of the
army, Colonel Cochran was standing in the
street penniless, when Steuben tried to com-
fort him by saying that better times would
come.
" ' For myself/ replied the brave officer, ' I
can stand it; but my wife and daughters are in
the garret of that wretched tavern; and I have
nowhere to carry them, nor even money to re-
move them.' As Lossing says, ' The baron's
generous heart was touched, and, though poor
himself, he hastened to the family of Cochran,
poured the whole contents of his purse upon
the table, and left as suddenly as he had en-
tered.'
" As he was walking toward the wharf a
wounded negro soldier came up to him bitterly
70 ELSIE ON TEE HUDSON.
lamenting that he had no means with which to
get to New York. The baron borrowed a dol-
lar, handed it to the negro, hailed a sloop, and
put him on board. ' God Almighty bless you,
baron! ' said the negro as Steuben walked away.
Many such stories could be told of the kind-
hearted baron."
" What a shame that Congress did not keep
the promise it made him when he first came
over here! J ' exclaimed Lucilla,
" Yes; it was a great shame," acknowledged
her father; " however, after seven years of delay
they allowed him a pension of $2400. Then he
retired to his land; he had a whole township
near Utica, N. Y. He cleared sixty acres of
that, built a loghouse upon it, and made his
home there for the rest of his life; though he
went to New York every winter. On the 22d
of November, 1795, he was making preparation
for that yearly visit, when he was stricken with
paralysis. Three days afterward he died. In
accordance with directions which he had given,
he was buried near his house, with his military
cloak around him and the star of honor that
he always wore on his breast."
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 71
"Ah, the dear, good man! I hope he is
reaping a great reward in the other world/' said
Sydney.
" A wish which I think we can all echo from
our hearts/' responded Grandma Elsie.
CHAPTER VI.
" WE have had a nice day a very nice one,
I think," remarked Elsie Raymond, as they sat
on the deck of the Dolphin pursuing their
homeward way.
" Where are you going to take us to-morrow,
papa?'
" That is a question for the majority of the
older people to decide," replied the captain,
softly stroking her curls for she was seated
upon his knee and smiling down affectionately
into her eyes.
" That means grandma and mamma, and
uncle and aunt, I suppose/' said the little girl,
looking round inquiringly upon them. " Please,
dear, good folks, won't you all say what you
want? "
"I think we would all be satisfied to go to any
one of the many interesting spots on the banks
of this beautiful river," replied Grandma Elsie.
"As I do," said Mrs. Leland, "but, since a
choice has to be made, I propose that if no one
72
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. T3
prefers any other place we go to West Point
to-morrow."
That motion was put to vote, and the deci-
sion given in its favor was unanimous.
" Thinking of going there reminds me of
Arnold and his treachery," remarked Lucilla.
" Can't we go and see the Eobinson House, on
the other side of the river, papa? '
" I don't know that visitors are admitted to
the mansion now, but we can drive past and
view the outside and the grounds," replied the
captain. " The house is now called Beverly,
the dock from which Arnold made his escape
Beverly Dock."
" He got into a boat, papa? " asked Neddie.
" Yes; into his barge, which conveyed him to
the British ship Vulture"
" Oh, can't you tell us the whole story of it
now, papa, and let us go to the place to-
morrow? '
" That might be possible," returned the cap-
tain, " if no one objects to hearing a rehearsal
of the old story."
No one had any objection, and the captain
proceeded with the narrative.
74 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
" Arnold was a brave, daring, and successful
soldier in the Revolutionary War; one who did
and suffered a great deal to win his country's,
freedom, and perhaps if he had been treated
with perfect justice he might never have turned
traitor. He was badly treated by Congress and
by Gates. After that he got into serious trouble
through his own reckless extravagance. He
was deeply in debt and ready to do almost any-
thing for money. He had married into a Tory
family, too, and perhaps they had an influence
in lessening his love for the cause of freedom
and making him willing to betray his country
for the money he coveted for filthy lucre. He
learned that Sir Henry Clinton so coveted West
Point that almost any sum of money and any
honors would be given the man who should
enable the British to get possession of that post.
He pondered the matter, and resolved to do the
dastardly deed if possible. He had been de-
clining active service on the plea that his
wounds rendered him unfit for riding on horse-
back. But now his wounds healed rapidly, his
patriotism was freshly aroused, and he was
eager to again serve his bleeding country.
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 75
" It was in that way he talked to his friends
in Congress, General Sehuyler and others,
men who, he knew, had influence with Wash-
ington. He also prevailed upon Robert R.
Livingston a member of Congress to write
to Washington and suggest tho giving of the
command of West Point to Arnold.
" Then, under the pretence of having private
business in Connecticut, he went there, passing
through the camp and paying his respects to
Washington on the way. But he said nothing
about his wish to be appointed to the command
at West Point until he again called on his re-
turn; then he suggested to Washington that on
rejoining the army he would like that post, as
suited to his feelings and the state of his
health.
" Washington was surprised, but his suspi-
cions were not aroused. So Arnold got com-
mand of that post with all its dependencies;
that is, including everything from Peekskill
to Kings Ferry. His instructions were dated
at Peekskill on the 3d of August, 1780. He
went at once to the Highlands and established
his quarters at Colonel Robinson's house.
76 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
"At this time Arnold had been in correspond-
ence with Sir Henry Clinton for eighteen
months. Both wrote over fictitious names, and
Clinton did not know who his correspondent
was; at least, for a great part of the time he was
ignorant of his name and character, the letters
passing through the hands of Major Andre.
During the previous winter Arnold had had
some connection with a British spy Lieuten-
ant Hele in Philadelphia, where he had been
sent with a pretended flag of truce in a vessel
afterward wrecked in the Delaware, when he
Hele was made prisoner by Congress."
" I think there was something known of
Arnold's plot in England at that time; was
there not, captain? " asked Mr. Leland.
"Yes/' replied Captain Raymond; "and
great hopes were built upon it long before it
was to take place. Some of the officers who re-
turned to England in 1780 were often heard to
declare that it was all over with the rebels; that
they were about to receive an irreparable blow
the news of which would soon arrive. But they
had no more to say on the subject after the ac-
count was received of the plot and the discovery
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
of the traitor. To resume: Arnold wrote his
letters in a disguised hand and ambiguous style,
affixing to them the feigned signature of
1 Gustavus/ Andre signed his ' John An-
derson/
" He wasn't so bad a man as Arnold, was he,
uncle?" asked Eric.
" I think not, by any means," replied Captain
Eaymond. " He was a fine young man who
enjoyed the unbounded confidence of Sir Henry
Clinton. He had been an aide-de-camp of the
commander-in-chief, and was now adjutant-gen-
eral of the British Army.
" Before Arnold's trial by a court-martial
Clinton had come to the belief that he was his
correspondent. That trial made him seem of
less value; but when he got command of West
Point his traitorous advances to his country's
foes assumed increased importance. So their
plans were made. Clinton was to send a strong
force up the Hudson at the moment when the
combined American and French forces should
make an expected movement against New York.
That last was one of Washington's plans which
Arnold had revealed to the British general. It
78 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
was thought that "West Point would be the re-
pository of the ammunition and other stores of
the allied armies. It was reported that the
French were to land on Long Island, and from
there march against New York, while Washing-
ton would approach it from the north with the
main army of the Americans; and the plan of
the enemy was to send up the river at that pre-
cise time a flotilla bearing a strong land force.
When they reached West Point, Arnold was to
surrender to them under pretence of a weak
garrison.
" With the view of carrying out that plan, the
British troops were so posted that they could be
put in motion on very short notice, while ves-
sels, properly manned, were kept in readiness on
the Hudson.
" But now Clinton felt it necessary to make
certain of the identity of his correspondent; so
he proposed a personal conference, and Arnold
insisted that Major Andre should be the one
sent. Clinton had already fixed upon Andre as
the most suitable person to whom to intrust
that important mission, and so sent him. I do
not know that Andre went unwillingly, but he
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. TO
did not seek the service, though once engaged
in it he did his best.
" The love of money seems to have been Ar-
nold's greatest temptation to the treachery of
which he was guilty. His first plan was to have
the interview with Andre at his own quarters
in the Highlands, Andre to be represented as a
person entirely devoted to the American cause
and possessing ample means for gaining intelli-
gence from the enemy. As secret agents were
frequently employed to procure intelligence,
this was safe ground to go upon. He sent a
letter to Andre telling him of this arrangement,
and assuring him that if he could make his way
safely to the American outpost above White
Plains, he would find no difficulty after
that,
" On the east side of the Hudson at that time
was a detachment of cavalry under the com-
mand of Colonel Sheldon, who had his head-
quarters, with a part of his detachment, at
Salem. Arnold gave him notice that he was
expecting a person from New York whom he
was to meet at his quarters for the purpose of
making important arrangements for obtaining
80 ELSIE ON TEE HUDSON.
early intelligence from the enemy. Also he
asked Sheldon to send him word to the Robin-
son House when this stranger arrived.
" But the arrangement was distasteful to
Andre, who had no disposition to act as a spy.
He therefore wrote a letter to Colonel Sheldon,
knowing that it would be put into Arnold's
hands. He proposed a meeting with Arnold at
Dobbs Ferry, upon the Neutral Ground, on the
next Monday, the llth instant.
" That letter puzzled Colonel Sheldon, be-
cause he had never before heard the name of
John Anderson, or anything from Arnold about
expecting an escort. But he supposed it was
from the person expected by the general, there-
fore enclosed it to him, writing at the same
time that he himself was not well enough to go
to Dobbs Ferry, and hoped that he would meet
Anderson there himself. It was somewhat
difficult for Arnold to explain matters to Shel-
don so that his suspicions should not be ex-
cited, but he seems to have been skilful in de-
ception, and managed to do so. He left his
quarters on the 10th, went down the river in
his barge to King's Ferry, and passed the night
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 81
at the house of Joshua Hett Smith, near Haver-
straw/'
" That Smith was a traitor too, was he not,
captain ? " asked Evelyn.
"Probably; though there is a difference of
opinion on that point; he acted a part in the
work of treason, but was perhaps only Arnold's
dupe. Early the next morning Arnold pro-
ceeded toward Dobbs Ferry, where Andre and
Colonel Robinson were waiting to meet him, but
as he drew near he was fired upon and closely
pursued by the British gunboats. That, of
course, made it necessary to defer the con-
ference.
" Having gone down the river openly, Arnold
thought it necessary to make some explanation
to Washington, so wrote him a letter in which
he mentioned several important matters con-
nected with his command at West Point and in-
cidentally referred to having come down the
river to establish signals as near the enemy's
lines as possible, that he might receive prompt
notice of any fleet or troops coming up the
Hudson.
" This letter was dated at Dobbs Ferry, Sep-
82 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
tember llth,, and that night he returned to
his quarters at the Eobinson House. He de-
sired to have his interview with Andre as
speedily as possible, because he knew that
Washington was going to Hartford to hold a
conference with the newly arrived French offi-
cers, and that the best time to carry out his
plans for betraying his country would be in the
absence of the commander-in-chief. And as
"Washington would cross the Hudson at King's
Perry, it was very necessary that until his de-
parture no movement should be made that
might excite his suspicion.
" Two days after Arnold had returned to his
quarters he wrote again to Andre telling him
that a .person would meet him on the west side
of Dobbs Ferry on Wednesday, the 20th inst.,
and conduct him to a place of safety where the
writer would meet him. ' It will be necessary/
he added, ' for you to be in disguise. I cannot
be more explicit at present. Meet me if pos-
sible. You may rest assured that if there is
no danger in passing your lines, you will be
perfectly safe where I propose a meeting/
" Arnold also wrote to Major Tallmadge, at
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 83
North. Castle, instructing him that if a person,
named John Anderson should arrive at his
station, to send him on without delay to
headquarters under the escort of two dra-
goons.
" The house in which Arnold was living at
that time had been the property of Colonel
Eobinson, but was confiscated because he had
become a Tory. The two had been correspond-
ing for some time under the pretence that Rob-
inson was trying to recover the property
through Arnold. Sir Henry Clinton had sent
Eobinson up the river on board the Vulture
with orders to proceed as high as Teller's Point.
It is probable that Eobinson knew all about
Arnold's treasonable plans and purposes. He
now wrote a letter to General Putnam asking
for an interview with him on the subject of his
property, and, pretending that he did not know
where Putnam was, he enclosed his letter to
him in one addressed to Arnold, requesting him
to hand the enclosed to Putnam, or, if that
officer had gone away, to return it by the bearer,
adding ' In case General Putnam should be ab-
sent, I am persuaded, from the humane and
84 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
generous character you bear, that you will
grant me the favor asked.'
" The Vulture was then lying six miles be-
low Verplanck's Point, and the letters were
sent to the Point under a flag of truce. Arnold
went down to that point some hours before
Washington was to arrive there on his way to
Hartford, and received and read Colonel Robin-
son's letter. Arnold took Washington and his
suite across the river in his barge and accom-
panied them to Peekskill. He laid Robinson's
letter before Washington and asked his advice.
Washington replied that the civil authority
alone could act in the matter, and he did not
approve of a personal interview with Robinson.
Arnold's frankness in all this effectually pre-
vented any suspicion of his integrity as com-
mandant of West Point.
" After receiving Washington's opinion in re-
gard to the matter Arnold dared not meet
Robinson; but he wrote to him, and in that
letter told him that on the night of the 20th
he should send a person on board of the Vulture
who would be furnished with a boat and a flag
of truce, and in the postscript he added, ' I ex-
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 85
pect General Washington to lodge here on Sun-
day next, and I will lay before him any matter
you may wish to communicate/ It was an in-
genious and safe way of informing the enemy
just when the commander-in-chief would re-
turn from Hartford."
" That looked as though he wanted to put
Washington in peril," said Lucilla.
" I think it did," said her father. " That
letter was sent to Sir Henry Clinton, and the
next morning Andre went to Dobbs Ferry.
Clinton had given him positive instructions not
to change his dress, not to go into the American
lines, not to receive papers, or in any other way
act the character of a spy.
" It was expected that Arnold would visit the
Vulture and there hold his interview with
Andre". But Arnold had arranged a plan which
would be safer for himself, though a greater
risk for Andre.
" About two miles below Stony Point lived a
man named Joshua Hett Smith, who had been
employed by General Robert Howe, when in
command of West Point, to procure intelli-
gence from New York. Which as Howe
86 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
was a loyal American officer would seem
to be good reason for supposing that Smith was
esteemed a patriotic citizen. Lossing tells us
that Smith occupied a respectable station in
society, and could command more valuable aid
< ^
in the business in question than any other per-
son. Arnold went to him and told him he
wanted his services in bringing within the
American lines a person of consequence with
valuable intelligence from New York. It
would seem that Arnold had resolved not to ad-
venture himself on the British ship, but to have
Andre take the risk of coming on shore that
they might hold their contemplated interview.
Arnold seems to have expected it to prove a
protracted interview, and arranged with Smith
to have it take place partly in his house. There-
fore Smith took his family to Fishkill to visit
friends, and on his return trip stopped at the
Eobinson house and with Arnold arranged the
plan for getting Andre on shore for the desired
interview.
" Arnold gave Smith the usual pass for a flag
of truce, and an order on Major Kierse at Stony
Point to furnish him with a boat whenever he
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 87
should want one, and he directed Smith to go
to the Vulture the next night and bring ashore
the person who was expected to be there.
"Smith did not succeed in getting such
assistance as he needed in boatmen, so failed to
visit the Vulture at the appointed time. He
sent a messenger to Arnold with a letter telling
of his failure. The messenger rode all night
and reached the Robinson House at dawn.
" Having received the message, Arnold went
down the river to Verplanck's Point and from
there to Smith's.
" At the Point, Colonel Livingston handed
him a letter just received from Captain Suther-
land of the Vulture. It was a complaint that
some one of the Americans had violated the
rules of war showing a flag of truce on Teller's
Point, and when in response a boat with an-
other flag was sent off, as soon as it neared the
shore it was fired upon by some armed men who
were concealed in the bushes.
" The letter was signed by Sutherland, but
was in the handwriting of Andre. Arnold at
once understood that the sight of that hand-
writing was meant to inform him that Andre
88 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
was on board of the vessel, and, perceiving that,
he set to work making arrangements to bring
him ashore. He ordered a skiff to be sent to a
certain place in Haverstraw Creek, then went
to Smith's house. They soon had everything
ready except the boatmen to row the skiff.
Samuel and Joseph Colquhon were asked to
serve, but refused until Arnold threatened them
with punishment, when they yielded.
" It was near midnight when at last they
pushed off from the shore, and so still that not
a leaf stirred in the forests, and there was not
a ripple on the water. When they neared the
ship they were hailed by the sentinel on its
deck. Smith gave some explanation of their
errand, and after some rough words was allowed
to go on board. He found Captain Sutherland
and Beverly Robinson in the cabin. He had a
missive for the latter from Arnold, but though
addressed to Robinson its contents were evi-
dently meant for Andre inviting him to come
ashore and assuring him of safety in so doing.
Eobinson understood it and, I presume, ex-
plained it to Andre. Two passes signed by
Arnold, which Smith brought, made still
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 89
plainer Arnold's wish that Andre should come
ashore. Andre yielded and went with Smith,
who landed him at the foot of a great hill called
Long Clove Mountain, about two miles below
Haverstraw, on the western side of the river.
" This was the place Arnold had set for the
meeting with Andre, and he was there hidden
in the bushes. Smith took Andre to him, then
left them alone together, and for the first time
they heard each the other's voice. They were
plotting the utter ruin of this land, and the
darkness and gloom of the place seemed to suit
the nature of the wicked work. They had not
finished their conference when Smith returned
to give warning that dawn approached and
it would be dangerous for them to linger
longer. Smith's house was four miles away.
Arnold proposed that they should go there to
finish their talk, offering Andre a horse which
he called his servant's, though it is altogether
probable it had been brought there for this
purpose. Andre reluctantly complied with th
request. He did not know that he was within
the American lines until he heard the voice of
a sentinel near the village of Haverstraw. His
90 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
uniform was concealed by a long blue surtout,
but he knew that he was in real danger because
he was within the enemy's lines without a flag
or pass. At dawn they reached Smith's house,
and at the same moment heard the sound of a
cannonade on the river. It was in the direc-
tion of the Vulture"
" Fired by the Americans, papa, or by the
British?" asked Elsie.
" The Americans," replied her father. " It
was an attack upon the British ship Vulture.
Colonel Livingston had heard that she lay so
near the shore as to be within cannon shot and
had conceived the idea of destroying her, and
during the night had sent a party with cannon
from Verplanck's Point; and at dawn, from
Teller's Point, they opened fire upon the
Vulture; so severe a one that the vessel's crew
raised her anchor and moved down the river.
" Colonel Livingston had asked Arnold for
two pieces of heavy cannon for the purpose of
destroying the Vulture, but on some slight pre-
tence Arnold refused, and Livingston's detach-
ment could bring only one four-pounder to bear
upon her.
ELSIE ON TEE HUDSON. 91
" Colonel Lamb of West Point furnished the
ammunition but grudgingly, saying that fir-
ing at a ship with a four-pounder was, in hi&
opinion, a waste of powder. As Lossing re-
marks, he little thought what an important
bearing that cannonade was to have upon the
destinies of America. It drove the Vulture
from her moorings, and was one of the causes-
of the fatal detention of Andre at Smith's
house. The Vulture was so seriously damaged
that had she not got off with the flood tide she
would have had to surrender to the Americans.
Andre was anxious and troubled at sight of her
retreat, but when the firing ceased his spirits
revived. He and Arnold went on arranging
their plot, and settled upon the day when it
should be consummated.
" Andre was to go back to New York; the
British vessels, carrying troops, were to be ready
to come up the river at a moment's notice, and
Arnold was to weaken the post at West Point
by sending out detachments among the moun-
tain gorges under the pretence of meeting the
enemy, as they advanced, at a distance from the
works] and that the river might be left free for
92 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
the passage of the British vessels a link from
the great chain at Constitution Island was to be
removed. So the enemy could take possession
with very little resistance.
" Also Arnold supplied Andre with papers
explaining the military condition of West Point
and its dependencies, asking him to place them
between his stockings and his feet, and in case
of accident to destroy them. He also gave him
a pass; then bade him adieu and went up the
river in his barge; probably feeling greatly satis-
fied with the thought that he had at last fully
succeeded in carrying out his wicked scheme to
betray his country.
" Andre remained where he was until even-
ing, then asked Smith to take him back to the
Vulture. Smith refused, saying he was not
well had the ague. Probably, though, it had
been caused by the firing upon the Vulture, as
he was willing to go with Andre if he would
take the land route.
" To that Andre finally consented, as he had
no other means of reaching the vessel. Arnold
had persuaded him that in case of taking a land
route he would better exchange his military
ELSIE ON TEE HUDSON. 93
coat for a citizen's dress, and that he did. Both
that and the receiving of papers were contrary
to the orders of Sir Henry Clinton; but Andre
felt obliged to be governed by the unforeseen
circumstances in which he was now placed. He
and Smith started on the short journey to-
gether, Smith promising to conduct him as far
as the lower outposts of the American line.
"A little before sunset, on the evening of Sep-
tember 22d, they crossed King's Ferry, accom-
panied by a negro servant, and at dusk passed
through the works at Yerplanck's Point and
turned toward White Plains. They had gone
as far as Crompond, a little village about eight
miles from Verplanck's Point, when they were
hailed by a sentinel who belonged to a party
under Captain Boyd. That officer asked the
travellers many searching questions, and would
not be satisfied that all was right until they
showed him Arnold's pass. He had a light
brought and examined the pass, and, seeing that
it was genuine, he gave them permission to go
on, after he had apologized for his doubts of
them and given them a friendly warning of
danger from the Cowboys in the neighborhood.
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
He advised them on that account to travel no
farther till morning; but Smith said their busi-
ness was urgent and they must make haste to
reach White Plains.
" At that the captain went on to speak very
strongly of the dangers of the way, till he so
aroused the fears of Smith that he was disposed
to tarry where they were for the rest of the
night. Andre was not so inclined, and it was
some time before Smith could induce him to
stay and take lodging in a near-by cottage.
" They occupied the same bed, and Smith
afterward told that it was a weary and restless
night for Andre. They left their bed at dawn
and again started upon their journey. As they
neared Pine's Bridge, Smith assured Andre that
they were beyond patrolling parties, and Andre
at once shook off his depression and talked
gaily, discoursing upon arts, literature, poetry,
and the common topics of the day. Near
Pine's Bridge they separated; Smith went to
Tishkill, stopping at the Eobinson House on his
way to tell Arnold the particulars of his little
journey with Andre and where he had left
him.
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 95
" Smith and others had advised Andre not to
take the Tarrytown road because of the many
Cowboys in that neighborhood, but Andre, con-
sidering them his friends, disregarded the ad-
vice, and, in consequence, met his sad fate."
" It was a pity for him, but a good thing for
our country," remarked Lucilla.
"Yes," her father said. "On that very
morning a little band of seven volunteers went
out near Tarrytown to prevent cattle from
being driven to New York, and to arrest any
suspicious characters who might be travelling
that way. A man named John Yerks proposed
the expedition the day before, and enlisted sev-
eral others to take part in the enterprise. They
reached Tarrytown early on the day Andre did.
Four of them agreed to watch the road from a
hill above, while Paulding, Van Wart, and
David Williams were to conceal themselves in
the bushes beside the stream and near the post
road.
" Eleven days after that, at the trial of Smith,.
Paulding and Williams told the story of their
capture of Andre. Paulding testified that he,
Isaac Van Wart, and David Williams were lying
96 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
by the side of the road about half a mile above
Tarrytown and fifteen miles above Kingsbridge,
between nine and ten o'clock on Saturday
morning, the 23d of September. That they
had lain there about an hour and a half, as
nearly as he could recollect, and had seen sev-
eral persons with whom they were acquainted
and whom they let pass. Presently one of the
young men with him said, ' There comes a gen-
tlemanlike-looking man who appears to be well
dressed and has boots on. You'd better step
out and stop him, if you don't know him.'
" Paulding went on to say that on that he
got up, presented his firelock at the breast of
the traveler, told him to stand, and then asked
him which way he was going. ' Gentlemen,'
said Andre, ' I hope you belong to our party.'
Paulding asked him what party. He answered,
6 The lower party.' Paulding said he did;
then Andre said, ' I am a British officer, out in
the country on particular business, and I hope
you will not detain me a minute.' Then, to
show that he was a British officer, he drew out
his watch. Upon that Paulding told him to
dismount. ' I must do anything to get along/
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
he said, and made a kind of laugh of it, and
pulled out General Arnold's pass, which was to
John Anderson, to pass all guards to White
Plains and below. Upon that he dismounted,
and said, ' Gentlemen, you had best let me go,
or you will bring yourselves into trouble, for
your stopping me will detain the general's busi-
ness '; and he said he was going to Dobbs Ferry-
to meet a person there and get intelligence for
General Arnold.
" e Upon that/ continued Paulding, ( I told
him I hoped he would not be offended; that we
did not mean to take anything from him; and
I told him there were many bad people on the
road, and I did not know but perhaps he might
be one.' Paulding also said that he asked the
person his name, and was told that it was John
Anderson. He added that if Anderson had not
already told that he was a British officer, he
would have let him go on seeing Arnold's pass.
He also said that he understood the pulling out
of the watch to mean to show that he was a
British officer; not that he was offering it to his
captors.
" Williams too gave his testimony in regard
98 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
to the occurrences. ' We took him into the
bushes/ he said, ' and ordered him to pull off
his clothes, which he did; but on searching him
narrowly we could not find any sort of writing.
We told him to pull off his boots, which he
seemed to be indifferent about; but we got one
boot off and searched in it, but could find
* '
nothing. But we found that there were some
papers in the bottom of his stocking next to his
foot; on which we made him pull his stocking
off, and found three papers wrapped up. Mr.
Paulding looked at the contents, and said that
he was a spy. We then made him pull off his
other boot, and there we found three more
papers at the bottom of his foot, within his
stocking. Upon this we made him dress him-
self, and I asked him what he would give us to
let him go. He said he would give us any sum
of money. I asked him whether he would give
us his horse, saddle, bridle, watch, and one
hundred guineas. He said Yes, and told us he
would direct them to any place, even if it was
that very spot, so that we could get them. I
asked him whether he would not give us more.
He said he would give us any quantity of dry
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 99
goods, or any sum of money, and bring it to any
place that we might pitch upon, so that we
might get it. Mr. Paulding answered, " No;
if you would give us ten thousand guineas, you
should not stir one step." I then asked the
person who had called himself John Anderson
if he would not get away if it lay in his power.
He answered, " Yes, I would." I told him I
did not intend he should. While taking him
along we asked him a few questions, and we
stopped under a shade. He begged us not to
ask him questions, and said that when he came
to any commander he would reveal all.
" ' He was dressed in a blue overcoat/ Wil-
liams went on to say, { and a tight bodycoat
that was a kind of claret color, though a rather
deeper red than claret. The buttonholes were
laced with gold tinsel, and the buttons drawn
over with the same kind of lace. He had on a
round hat, and nankeen waistcoat and breeches,
with a flannel waistcoat and drawers, boots and
thread stockings.'
" North Castle was the nearest military post,
and there they took Andre and delivered both
the man and the papers they had found upon
100 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
him to Lieutenant Colonel Jameson, the officer
in command.
" It seems hard to understand how Jameson
could be so foolish as to decide as he did, to
send the prisoner immediately to Arnold. He
knew that some of the papers were in Arnold's
undisguised handwriting, and it seems unac-
countable that the circumstances under which
they had come into his hands should not have
opened his eyes to the treachery of that officer.
He wrote a letter to Arnold saying that he sent
a certain Mr. Anderson forward under the
charge of Lieutenant Allen and a guard, Ander-
son having been taken while on his way to New
York; adding, ' He had a passport signed in
your name, and a parcel of papers taken from
under his stockings which I think of a very
dangerous tendency.' He went on to describe
the papers and to say that he had sent them to
Washington.
" Major Tallmadge, who was next in com-
mand to Jameson, was that day on duty farther
down the river. When he returned in the
evening and heard of the circumstances, he was
filled with astonishment at Jameson's folly, and
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 101
boldly expressed his doubts of Arnold's fidelity.
He offered to take upon himself the entire re-
sponsibility of acting on the belief of his guilt,
if Jameson would consent. But Jameson re-
fused to allow anything that would seem to
imply distrust of Arnold.
" Then Tallmadge earnestly begged of him to.
have the prisoner brought back. Jameson
gave an unwilling consent to that, but insisted
on forwarding his letter and informing the
general why the prisoner was not sent on.
That was the letter Arnold received in time
to enable him to make his escape to the
Vulture.
" Jameson at once sent an express after Lieu-
tenant Allen, who had Andre in charge, direct-
ing him to take his prisoner back to headquar-
ters at North Castle.
"When Major Tallmadge saw Andre, and
noticed his manner and gait as he paced the
room, he felt convinced that he was a military
man and more than ever certain that Arnold
was indeed a traitor. He talked the matter
over with Jameson and partly convinced him.
The result was the removal of Andre to Colonel
102 ELSIE ON TEE HUDSON.
Sheldon's quarters at North Salem, as a more
secure place.
" There Andre wrote a letter to Washington,
giving his name and rank and a brief account of
the occurrences which had brought him into his
present situation. This he handed to Major
Tallmadge, who learned with astonishment that
his prisoner was the adjutant-general of the
British Army.
" The letter was sealed and sent to General
"Washington, and the prisoner seemed to feel
relieved. In obedience to an order from Wash-
ington, Andre was taken to West Point and kept
there until the morning of the 28th, when he
was conducted to Stony Point and from there,
under a strong escort, to Tappan. Major Tall-
madge commanded the escort and rode by
Andre's side all the way. He and Andre were'
about the same age and held the same rank in
their respective armies. They talked on the
way as familiarly as possible. Andre told Tall-
madge that he was to have taken part in the at-
tack on West Point if Arnold's plans had suc-
ceeded; that he had asked no reward but the
military glory to be won by such service to hi&
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 103
king, though, he had been promised the rank
and pay of a brigadier-general if he had suc-
ceeded. He inquired earnestly of Tallmadge
what would probably be the result of his cap-
ture. In reply Tallmadge reminded him of the
fate of the unfortunate Captain Hale.
" ' But you surely do not consider his case
and mine alike? ' said Andre.
" ' Yes, precisely similar, and similar will be
your fate/ replied Tallmadge.
" The prospect of that the being branded as
a spy greatly distressed poor Andre; he
seemed to feel it the very worst part of his sad
fate."
" To be called a spy, papa ? " asked Ned.
" Yes; it is an odious name, and in his case
would not have the excuse that it was work
undertaken for the salvation of his country, as
it was in that of Nathan Hale."
" Nathan Hale? Who was he, papa? and
what did he do?"
" I must go on with this story now, and you
shall learn that of Captain Hale at another
time," replied his father.
" Washington now made arrangements for
104 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
the security of West Point, then went to the
army at Tappan. There he called together a
board of general officers and directed them to
inquire into the case of Andre and report to
him, stating in what light they thought the pris-
oner should be regarded and what his punish-
ment should be. That court was convened at
Tappan on the 29th of September, and Major
Andre arraigned before it. He made a plain
statement of the facts, acknowledged and con-
firmed the account he had given in his letter
to Washington, confessed that he came ashore
in the night and without a flag, and answered
the question whether he had anything further
to say in regard to the charges against him by
the remark, ( I leave them to operate with the
board, persuaded that you will do me justice/
" He was sent back to prison while the board
deliberated long and carefully over the question
of his guilt. Their final verdict was that
' Major Andre, adjutant-general of the British
Army, ought to be considered as a spy from the
enemy, and that agreeably to the law and usage
of nations, it is their opinion that he ought to
suffer death.'
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 105
" The next day Washington's approval of the
decision was given, accompanied by the order
that the execution should take place on the
following day at five o'clock p. M."
" What a pity! " exclaimed Grace. " I think
I have read that our officers felt sorry for him
and would have been glad to spare his life.
Was it not so, papa ? '
" Yes," the captain said. " There was a gen-
eral desire on the part of the Americans to save
his life, and I think no one desired it more
earnestly than Washington, if it could have
been done in a manner consistent with his pub-
lic duty. The only way to accomplish that was
by exchanging him for Arnold, and holding the
latter responsible for the acts of his victim. A
formal proposition of the kind would not an-
swer, Washington could not make, nor Clin-
ton accept it, but a plan to attempt such an
arrangement was decided upon. A trusty offi-
cer of the New Jersey line, Captain Aaron Og-
den, was given a packet of papers by Washing-
ton containing an official account of Andre's
trial, the decision of the board of inquiry, and
Andre's letter to his general. Ogden was told
106 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
to choose his escort of men known for their
fidelity, then go to Lafayette for further in-
structions.
" Lafayette was in command of the light in-
fantry and stationed nearest to the British. He
instructed Ogden to travel so slowly that he
would not reach Paulus Hotel till near night,,
and he would be invited to stay there till morn-
ing. He was then to get into talk with the
commandant of the post about this affair of
Andre, and suggest that it would be well to ex-
change him for Arnold if it could be done.
"It all occurred just as planned: the com-
mandant received Ogden courteously, sent the
package across the river, invited him to stay all
night, and in the course of conversation An-
dre's case was introduced.
" i Is there no way to spare his life? ' asked
the commandant.
. " * If Sir Henry Clinton would give up
Arnold, Andre might be saved,' replied Ogden.
' I have no assurance to that effect from General
Washington, but I have reason to know that
such an arrangement might be effected/
" ' On hearing that the commandant left the
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 107
company immediately, crossed the river, and
had an interview with Sir Henry Clinton. It
availed nothing, however. Sir Henry at once
refused compliance; honor, he said, would not
allow the surrender of Arnold a man who
had deserted from the Americans and openly
espoused the cause of the king.
" When Ogden mustered his men at dawn the
next morning a sergeant was missing. He had
deserted to the enemy during the night. There
was no time to search for him, and they re-
turned to Tappan without him."
" Did he go over to the British, papa ? Oh,
what a naughty man! " cried Ned.
" That was what his fellow-soldiers thought,"
returned the captain with a smile. " But he
was really obeying Washington, who wanted
him to obtain in that way some very impor-
tant information. A paper had been inter-
cepted in which was the name of General St.
Clair, mentioned in such a way as to excite sus-
picion that he was connected with Arnold's
treason. The sergeant, who was an intelli-
gent man, soon discovered that there was no
ground for such suspicion, and that the paper
108 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
which had excited it was designed by the enemy
to fall into Washington's hands and excite
jealousy and ill-feeling among the American
officers. The papers^ were traced to a British
emissary named Brown.
" Sir Henry Clinton was much distressed on
reading Washington's despatch and the letter
of Andre. He summoned a council of officers
and it was at once resolved to send a deputation
of three persons to the nearest American out-
post to open communication with Washington,
present proofs of Andre's innocence, and try to
procure his release. General Robertson, An-
drew Elliott, and William Smith were the men
chosen as the committee, and Beverly Robinson
went with them as a witness in the case. To-
ward noon, on the last of October, they arrived
at Dobbs Ferry, in the Greyhound schooner,
with a flag of truce.
" General Greene had been appointed by
Washington to act in his behalf, and was
already at the ferry when the Greyhound came
to anchor. General Robertson opened the con-
ference with great courtesy of manner and flat-
tering words, and was going on to discuss the
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 109>
subject of conference, when General Greene
politely interrupted him by saying, ' Let us
understand our position. I meet you only as a
priyate gentleman, not as an officer, for the
case of an acknowledged spy admits of no dis-
cussion.'
" With that understanding the conference
was carried on, the British saying what they
could in Andre's favor, but bringing forward
nothing that affected the justice of his sen-
tence. Then a letter from Arnold to Washing-
ton was produced. It was impudent, malig-
nant, and hypocritical; menaced Washington
with dreadful retaliation if Andre should be
executed, prophesying that it would cause tor-
rents of blood to flow, and the guilt of that
would be upon Washington. Such a letter
could not reasonably be expected to produce
any good effect.
" The conference ended at sunset. Robert-
son expressed his confidence that Greene would
be candid in reporting to Washington the sub-
stance of what had passed between them, add-
ing that he should remain on board the Grey-
hound all night, and that he hoped that in the
110 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
morning he might take Major Andre back with
him, or at least hear that his life was safe.
" Robertson was overwhelmed with astonish-
ment and grief when early the next morning
he received a note from Greene stating that
Washington's opinion and decision were un-
changed, and the prisoner would be executed
that day.
" Sir Henry Clinton wrote to Washington,
offering some important prisoners in exchange;
but it was too late.
" Andre showed no fear of death, but was
very solicitous to be shot rather than hanged.
He pleaded for that with touching but manly
earnestness, importuning Washington in a letter
written the day before his death. It was, how-
ever, contrary to the customs of war, and Wash-
ington, kind-hearted as he was, could not
grant his request.
"Major Andre was executed at Tappan on
the 2d of October, 1780, at twelve o'clock.
A large detachment of troops was paraded;
there was an immense concourse of people
present; excepting Washington and his staff,
almost all the field officers were there on
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. Ill
horseback. There was a strong feeling of
pity for the young man, and the whole scene-
was very affecting. I suppose the general feel-
ing was that he was suffering the punishment
that ought, if possible, to have been meted out
to Arnold the traitor."
" I think history says that Andre went
through it all very bravely; does it not, cap-
tain?" asked Sydney.
" Yes; there was a smile on his countenance-
as he walked from the stone-house where he had
been confined, to the place of execution, and he
bowed politely to several officers whom he
knew, they returning it respectfully. He had
hoped to be shot rather than hanged, and when
he suddenly came in view of the gallows he
started backward and made a pause. An officer
by his side asked, ' Why this emotion, sir? '
Andre instantly recovered his composure, and
answered, 1 1 am reconciled to my death, but I
detest the mode/ Tears came into the eyes of
many of the spectators as they saw him take off
his hat and stock, and bandage his own eyes.
He slipped the noose over his head, and ad-
justed it to his neck with perfect firmness. He
112 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
was then told that he had an opportunity to
speak if he wished to do so. At that he raised
the handkerchief from his eyes, and said, ' I
pray you to bear me witness that I meet my
fate like a brave man.' He had said of the
manner of his death, i It will be but a momen-
tary pang/ and so it proved, as, on the removal
of the wagon on which he stood, he expired
almost instantly. The body was placed in an
ordinary coffin, and buried at the foot of the
gallows. And the spot was consecrated by the
tears of thousands."
" But it doesn't lie there now? " Sydney said
lialf in assertion, half inquiringly.
"No; in 1831 it was taken up, carried to
England, and buried near his monument in
Westminster Abbey. But here we are at our
temporary home again, and further talk on
these interesting historical themes must be de-
ferred until our usual gathering together on
the porch for an evening chat," said the cap-
tain as the boat rounded to at the wharf below
Evelyn's cottage.
CHAPTEK VII.
THE trip on the Dolphin had been restful
rather than fatiguing, and all were ready when
tea was over for further chat upon the inter-
esting historical themes which had engaged
their attention through the day.
" Congress rewarded the men who took
Andre prisoner, did it not, papa? " asked Grace.
" Yes; each of them was given a medal and
a pension of two hundred dollars a year.
Washington wrote of them to Congress in terms
of high praise, proposing that they should re-
ceive a handsome gratuity for having saved the
country from one of the severest strokes that
could have been meditated against it. Lossing
tells the whole story in his ' Field-Book of the
Eevolution/ and gives a picture of the medal."
" Oh, that was good! ' exclaimed Little
Elsie, adding, "Now, papa, I hope you are
going to tell us the rest about the traitor Ar-
nold."
113
114 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
" If all wish to hear it," replied her father;
and receiving the assurance that such was the
case,, he proceeded with the story.
" When Arnold left Andre at Smith's house
he went up the river in his barge and directly
to the Kobinson House; on arriving there spent
a little time with his wife and child, then had
a talk with his two aides, Majors Varick and
Franks, telling them he was expecting impor-
tant information from New York through a
distinguished channel which he had just opened.
This was on the 22d; the day fixed upon for the
ascent of the river by the British ships was the
24th, and West Point was to be surrendered to
them on their arrival there."
"And they listened to it all and never sus-
pected him?" exclaimed Sydney.
"Yes," said the captain; "he told it all as
calmly as if there were no guilt on his soul, and
so he appeared on the very day that his treason
was to be consummated.
"Washington returned from Hartford two
days sooner than Arnold had expected. He
passed the night at Fishkill, and he and his
suite were in the saddle before dawn, as he waa
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 115
anxious to reach Arnold's quarters before
breakfast time, and they had eighteen miles to
ride. Men were sent ahead with the baggage
and a notice of Washington's intention of
breakfasting there; but when the general and
his party came opposite West Point, he turned
his horse down a lane toward the river.
" Lafayette said, ' General, you are going in
-a wrong direction; you know Mrs. Arnold is
waiting breakfast for us; and that road will
take us out of the way.'
" Washington answered good-naturedly: ( Ah,
I know you young men are all in love with Mrs.
Arnold, and wish to get where she is as soon as
possible. You may go and take your break-
fast with her, and tell her not to wait for me;
for I must ride down and examine the redoubts
on this side of the river, and will be there in a
short time.'
" But the officers did not leave him, except
two aides-de-camp who rode on ahead to explain
the cause of the delay. Breakfast was waiting
when they arrived, and they all sat down to
their meal.
"Arnold seemed moody. Washington had
116 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
come back too soon to suit his plans, and the
British had not come up the river at the ap-
pointed time. He did not understand it, for
he had not yet heard that Andre was a pris-
oner. But before the meal was over Lieuten-
ant Allen came with a letter for him. Arnold
broke the seal hastily, for he recognized Colo-
nel Jameson's handwriting in the address.
Doubtless Arnold expected it would inform him
that the enemy was moving up the river; but in-
stead it told that Major Andre of the British
Army was a prisoner in his custody. It must
have been like a thunderbolt to Arnold, but his
self-control was such that he showed but slight
disturbance; he told the aides-de-camp that he
found he must go immediately to West Point,
and asked them to say to General Washington,
when he came, that he had been unexpectedly
called over the river and would soon return.
" He ordered a horse to be made ready, then
left the table and went upstairs to his wife.
He told her that he must flee for his life, and
might never see her again. She fainted, but not
venturing to call for assistance, or to delay his
flight, he gave a farewell kiss to their sleeping
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
baby, ran from the room, mounted a horse be-
longing to one of Washington's aides, and has-
tened toward the river not by the winding
road that led to the Beverly Dock, but along a
by-way that led down a steep hill which is yet
called Arnold's Path. He got into his barge,
and told the six oarsmen to push out into the
middle of the stream and pull for Teller's Point,
promising them two gallons of rum if they
would row rapidly. He told them he was going
on board the Vulture with a flag of truce, and
was obliged to make all possible haste, as he
wanted to return in time to meet General
Washington at his quarters.
"When they passed Verplanck's Point he
showed a white handkerchief, which served as
a flag of truce to both Captain Livingston at
the Point and Captain Sutherland of the
Vulture lying in sight a few miles below. No
one followed or tried to intercept them, and
they reached the Vulture without difficulty.
Arnold introduced himself to the captain, then
told his oarsmen that they were prisoners.
They answered indignantly that they had come
aboard under a flag of truce and had a right to
318 ELSIE ON TEE HUDSON.
be allowed to go back free. Arnold coolly told
them they must remain on board. Captain
Sutherland did not interfere; but, despising
Arnold's meanness, he gave the coxswain a
parole to go on shore and get such things as he
wanted, and when they arrived at New York
Sir Henry Clinton set them all at liberty."
"Arnold was one mean wretch! I am sorry
*
to have to own him as an American!" exclaimed
Lucilla.
"Didn't the British despise him, papa?'
asked Elsie.
" Yes, many of them did regarding him
with scorn as a reptile unworthy of that esteem
which a high-souled traitor, a traitor because of
great personal wrong, might claim.
" You remember Arnold had said when he
left the breakfast table at the Eobinson House
that he was going to West Point. Shortly after
his departure Washington came in. On being
told that Arnold had gone across the river to
West Point, he took a hasty breakfast, then
said he would go over again and meet Arnold
there. Hamilton did not go with the others,,
and it was arranged that the general and
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. lift
liis suite should return and all take dinner
there.
" As they were crossing the river Washington
remarked that they would be greeted with a
-salute, as General Arnold was at the Point;
but to their surprise all was silent when they
drew near the landing. Colonel Lamb, the
^commanding officer,, came strolling down a
winding path, and was quite confused when he
saw the barge touch the shore. He apologized
to Washington for his seeming neglect of cour-
tesy, saying that he was entirely ignorant of
his intended visit. l Sir, is not General Arnold
here?' asked Washington in surprise.
" ' No, sir,' replied Colonel Lamb, ' he has
not been here these two days, nor have I heard
from him within that time.'
" That aroused Washington's suspicions, but
he went around examining the works at West
Point, and about noon returned to the Beverly
Dock, from which he had departed.
" As he was going up from the river to the
house, Hamilton was seen coming toward the
party with a hurried step and an anxious,
troubled countenance. He said something to
120 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
Washington in a low tone; they went into the
house together, and Hamilton laid before the
chief several papers which furnished conclusive
evidence of Arnold's guilt. They were the
documents which Arnold had put in Andre's
hands. With them was a letter from Colonel
Jameson and one from Andre himself.
" Jameson, thinking Washington was still in
Hartford, had sent a messenger there with these
papers. While on the way the messenger heard
of the return of Washington, and, hurrying
back, took the nearest route to West Point
through Lower Salem, where Andre was in cus-
tody. So he became the bearer of Andre's
letter to Washington. He reached the Robin-
son House four hours after Arnold had left it,
and placed the papers in Hamilton's hands.
"Washington called in Knox and Lafayette
to give their counsel. He was calm, but full of
grief. 'Whom can we trust now?' he aid.
As soon as the papers had been examined, Wash-
ington despatched Hamilton on horseback to
Verplanck's Point, that an effort might be
made there to stop the traitor.
" But it was too late; Arnold had got nearly
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 121
six hours the start of him. When Hamilton
reached the Point a flag of truce was approach-
ing from the Vulture to that post. The bearer
brought a letter from Arnold to Washington.
Hamilton forwarded it at once to the com-
mander-in-chief, then wrote to Greene, who
was at Tappan, advising him to take measures
to prevent any attempt the British might make
to carry out the traitor's plans.
"But the plot had failed; and when Sir
Henry Clinton heard of it the next morning, on
the arrival of the Vulture at New York, know-
ing that the Americans must now be wide awake
to their danger, he gave up all thought of car-
rying out his scheme for getting possession of
West Point."
The captain paused in his narrative, and Eric
asked, " What did Arnold write to Washington
about, uncle? 1
"To ask protection for his wife and child,
and to say that love for his country had actu-
ated him in this thing."
" Humph! a queer kind of love I should say/'
sneered the boy.
"Yes; a love that led him to do all in hia
122 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
power for the utter destruction of her liber-
ties."
" And was Washington good to his wife and
child?"
" Yes, very kind and sympathizing; and
she was soon able to rejoin her husband
going down the river to New York with her
babe.
" Washington promptly sent orders to Gen-
eral Greene to march with his portion of the
army toward King's Ferry. Greene did not
get the order before midnight, but by dawn his
whole division was on the march. Washington
sent a letter to Colonel Jameson also, telling
him to send Andre to Kobinson's house under
a strong guard. That order also was received
at midnight; Andre was aroused; and, though
the night was very dark and rain falling fast,
a guard tinder Major Tallmadge set off with the
prisoner. They rode the rest of the night, and
reached their destination at dawn of the 26th.
On the evening of that day Andre was taken
over to West Point, and on the morning of the
28th to Tappan. But we have already finished
his story."
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 123
" I wish our folks could have got Arnold and
punished him! " exclaimed Eric.
" Didn't they even try at all, uncle? '
" Yes, and came very near succeeding," said
the captain. "You will find an interesting
story about it in Lossing's ' Field Book of the
Kevolution.'
" Oh, please tell it to us now! " cried several
young voices; and the captain kindly complied.
" There was a very strong feeling of sym-
pathy for Andre, both in the army and among
the people outside of it," he said, " and, along ,
with that, anger and disgust toward Arnold
the arch-traitor and a strong desire to punish
him as his wickedness deserved. There were
various plans made to capture him some of
them secret, some open. It was while the army
was still at Tappan that the one I just spoke of
was undertaken* There were only three per-
sons Washington, Major Henry Lee, and Ser-
geant Champe who knew of it.
"The idea was Washington's. He had
learned that Arnold's quarters in New York
were next door to those of Sir Henry Clinton,
and that the traitor seemed to feel so safe that
124 ELSIE Otf THE HUDSON.
he was not very cautious and watchful. Major
Henry Lee was the commandant of a brave
legion of cavalry, a man in whose prudence,
patriotism, and judgment Washington knew he
could confide; for he had already intrusted to
him the delicate service of ascertaining the
truth of flying rumors that other officers of
high rank were likely to follow Arnold's wicked
example.
" 1 1 have sent for you, Major Lee/ Washing-
ton said to him, tf in the expectation that you
have in your corps individuals capable and will-
ing to undertake an indispensable, delicate, and
hazardous project. Whoever comes forward on
this occasion will lay me under great obligations
personally, and in behalf of the United States
I will reward him amply. No time is to be
lost; he must proceed, if possible, to-night/
" He then went on to explain what he
wanted, and Lee promptly replied that he had
no doubt his legion contained many men daring
enough to undertake any enterprise, however
perilous; but for the service required there was
needed a combination of talent rarely found in
the same individual. He then suggested a plan
ELSIE ON TEE HUDSON. 125
which was highly approved by Washington.
He said that Champe, the sergeant-major of his
cavalry, was one very well qualified for the
service, but he feared that his sense of personal
honor would not allow him to take the first step
in the perilous expedition, desertion, for he
was anxiously awaiting a vacancy in the corps
to receive a promised commission.
" John Champe was a Virginian, a native of
Loudon County; he was twenty-three or twenty-
four years of age; he had enlisted in 1776; he
was a grave, thoughtful man and as unlikely as
anyone to consent to do anything ignominious.
Lee sent for him at once, told him what Wash-
ington wanted, and used all the eloquence of
which he was master to persuade him to under-
take the perilous work. Champe listened with
the closest attention and evident excitement,
and, when Lee had concluded, said that he was
charmed with the plan and the proposed re-
sults; then went on to say that he was ready to
attempt anything for his country's good, no
matter how dangerous, that did not involve his
honor; but the idea of desertion to the enemy
and hypocritically espousing the king's cause
126 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
was an obstacle in his way too grave to be disre-
garded; so he must ask to be excused.
: Lee earnestly replied to these arguments;
told him that desertion at the request of his be-
loved commander, and for such reasons, carried
with it no dishonor; it was a laudable purpose;
success would bring him personal honor, and the
stain upon his character would last only till pru-
dence would allow the publication of the facts.
'A great deal of persuasion was necessary,
but at last Lee succeeded; Champe consented
to undertake the perilous task, and they at once
set about the necessary preparations.
" Washington had his instructions already
drawn up. They were read to Champe, he tak-
ing note of them in such a way that no one else
could understand their true meaning. He was
to deliver letters to two persons in New York,
unknown to each other, but who had both been
long in "Washington's confidence. He was to
procure such aid in bringing Arnold away as he
deemed best, but was strictly enjoined to for-
bear killing the traitor under any circum-
stances.
" All these matters having been settled, thev
CJ 7 t-
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 127
next considered the difficulties that lay in
Champe's way between the camp and the
enemy's outposts at Paulus Hook. There were
many pickets and patrols in the way, and often
parties of American irregulars in search of
booty or adventure. Major Lee could not offer
Champe any aid against these dangers lest he
should be charged with favoring his desertion;
so the sergeant was left to manage his flight as
well as he could without help, Lee only doing
what he could to delay pursuit as long as pos-
sible after it should become known that the
sergeant-major had deserted.
"It was eleven o'clock at night when
Champe took his orderly book, his cloak, and
valise, and, with three guineas in his pocket,
given him by Lee, mounted his horse secretly
and started on his perilous expedition. Lee
went at once to his bed, but not to sleep. He
was doubtless much too anxious and excited for
that. Within an hour the officer of the day,
Captain Carnes, came hurrying in to tell him
that one of the patrols had fallen in with a
dragoon, who, on being challenged, put spurs
to his horse and escaped.
128 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
" Lee was slow in replying; pretended to be
very weary and drowsy only half awake. In
this way he detained the captain for some little
time before he seemed fairly to understand what
was wanted. Then he ridiculed the idea that
one of his dragoons had deserted; for such a
thing had occurred only once during the whole
war.
" But the captain would not be convinced by
any such arguments, and by Lee's reluctant
orders immediately mustered a squadron of
horse, satisfied himself and Lee that one had
deserted, and that it was no less a personage
than Champe, the sergeant-major, who had de-
camped with his arms, baggage, and orderly
book.
" Captain Carnes ordered an immediate pur-
suit. Lee delayed the preparations as much as
possible, and, when all was ready, ordered a
change in the command, giving it to Lieutenant
Middleton, a young man of so tender a dispo-
sition that he would no doubt treat Champe
leniently should he catch him.
" Champe, however, was not caught. These
delays had given him an hour's start of his pur-
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. "i29
suers. It was a bright starry night and past
twelve o'clock when Middleton and his men.
mounted their horses and spurred after him.
" Lossing tells us that the horses of Lee's
regiment were all shod by a farrier attached to
the corps, and every shoe, alike in form, had a
private mark put upon it; so the footprints of
Champe's horse were easily recognized; for a
fall of rain at sunset had effaced other tracks,
and often before it was light enough to see
them readily, a trooper would dismount and ex-
amine them. Ascending a hill near the village
of Bergen, they saw from its summit their de-
serting sergeant not more than half a mile away.
Champe saw them at the same moment, and
both he and they spurred on as rapidly as pos-
sible. They were all well acquainted with the
roads in that part of the country. There was a
short cut through the woods to the bridge below
Bergen. Middleton divided his party, sending
a detachment by the short road to secure the
bridge, while he and the others pursued Champe
to Bergen. As Paulus Hook could not be
reached without crossing the bridge, he now
felt sure of capturing the deserter.
130 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
" The two divisions met - + the bridge and
were much astonished to find that nothing was
to be seen of Champe. He knew of the short
cut, thought his pursuers would take it, and
therefore decided to give up the plan of joining
the British at the Hook and take refuge on
board of one of two of the king's galleys that
were lying in the bay about a mile from Bergen.
" Middleton hurried from the bridge to Ber-
gen, and asked if a dragoon had been seen there
that morning. He was told that there had been
one there, but nobody could say which way he
went from the bridge. They could no longer
see the print of his horse's shoes, and for a mo-
ment were at a standstill. But presently a trail
was discovered leading to Bergen; they hurried
on, and in a few moments caught sight of
Champe near the water's edge, making signals
to the British galley. He had his valise con-
taining his clothes and his orderly book lashed
to his back. When Middleton was within a few
hundred yards of him he leaped from his horse,
threw away the scabbard of his sword, and,
with the naked blade in his hand, sped across
the marsh, plunged into the deep waters of the
ELSIE ON TEE HUDSON. 131
bay, and called to the galley for help. In re-
sponse to that a boat with strong oarsmen was
quickly sent to his help, and directly he was in
the galley with all the evidences of his deser-
tion.
" Before night he was safely quartered in
New York, having arrived there with a letter
from the captain of the galley to Sir Henry
Clinton in which the scene of his escape from
the American troopers was described.
" Middleton's men picked up Champe's cloak
and the scabbard of his sword, then caught his
horse and returned with it to Tappan. As Lee
caught sight of the articles he took them to be
evidence that Champe had been killed, and was
grieved at the thought; but his grief was turned
into great joy when he learned from Middleton
that the sergeant had escaped safely on board
one of the enemy's galleys.
" Four days later a letter in a disguised hand,
and without signature, came to Lee. It told
of the occurrences of Champe's escape, and Lee
knew it was from him.
" The British were much pleased with the
desertion of Champe, as they knew that Lee's
132 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
legion was considered very faithful and that
therefore this desertion was an evidence of in-
creasing defection among the American troops.
Champe did what he could to increase the idea
by adroit answers to questions asked of him,
giving the impression that he had a strong de-
sire to serve the king. Clinton gave him a
couple of guineas, and advised him to call upon
Arnold, who was engaged in raising an Ameri-
can legion to be composed of loyalists and de-
serters. Arnold received him politely, gave him
quarters among his recruiting sergeants, and
invited him to join his legion. Champe begged
to be excused from that, saying that if caught
by the rebels he would surely be hanged; but
added that if he changed his mind he would
surely join his legion.
" Champe soon found means to deliver the
letters Washington had entrusted to him, made
arrangements with one of the correspondents
to aid him in his designs upon Arnold; then
communicated with Major Lee, telling him that
he had macle inquiries in regard to those who
were suspected of beginning to favor the enemy,
and learned that there was no foundation for
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 133
the report. Soon he enlisted in the traitor's
legion that he might have free intercourse with
him and learn his night habits and pursuits.
He soon discovered that it was Arnold's custom
to return to his quarters about midnight and
then to visit a garden at the back of his house
which extended down to the edge of the river.
Adjoining the garden was a dark alley leading
to the street. All this seemed favorable to
Champe's design. He arranged with two ac-
complices a plan which seemed feasible: a boat
was to be in readiness on the river; they were to
seize and gag Arnold, carry him through the
alley, and from there through the most unfre-
quented streets to the river; and should anyone
attempt to interfere with them on the way they
were to represent him as a drunken soldier
whom they were taking to the guardhouse.
When once they had reached the boat there
would be no further difficulty.
" Champe was to remove some of the palings
in the garden fence and replace them so
slightly that they could be easily, quietly, and
quickly taken out when desired. When all was
arranged he wrote to Lee and appointed the
134 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
third subsequent night for the delivery of the
traitor on the Jersey shore.
" No doubt Lee was well pleased, and on that
evening he and a small party left the camp
with three accoutred horses one for Arnold,
one for Champe, and one for the man who was
assisting him and concealed themselves at a
place agreed upon in the woods at Hoboken.
There they remained hour after hour until
dawn, but no Champe and no prisoner ap-
peared. They were much disappointed, but a
few days later Lee received a letter from
Champe telling how their plan had failed, and
assuring him that nothing could be done in the
matter at present.
" He said that on the very day when his plan
was to have been carried out Arnold changed
his quarters in order to superintend the em-
barkation of troops for an expedition southward
to be commanded by himself. In this expedi-
tion the legion in which Champe had enlisted
in order to carry out his plans was to take part,
and the poor fellow was in a sad dilemma. In-
stead of crossing the Hudson that night with
the traitor as his prisoner, he had been obliged
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 135
to go on board a transport with that traitor as
his commander; and that to fight against, in-
stead of for, his country."
" Oh, papa, did he go and fight against his
country? " asked Elsie, drawing a long breath
of surprise and sympathy.
"He had to allow himself to be carried to
Virginia along with the troops of the enemy,
and, I suppose, to go into battle with them,"
replied the captain; "but I dare say he was
careful not to shoot any of the Americans. He
watched his opportunity to desert, and after a
time succeeded in so doing. He went up into
the mountains of North Carolina, and when Lee
and his legion were pursuing Lord Ea,wdon, he
joined them. His old comrades were greatly
astonished to see him a deserter, as they sup-
posed and that Major Lee gave him a most
cordial reception. But the truth was soon
told, and then his old corps showed the greatest
love and admiration for him. They were very
proud of him, but he was discharged from
service because it was very certain that the
British, if they could get hold of him, would
hang him."
136 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
"Is he alive now, papa? " asked Ned.
"Oh, no, my son; he died in 1798 a hun-
dred years ago. At that time we were threat-
ened with a war with France, and Washing-
ton, appointed to the chief command of our
armies, sent to Colonel Lee to inquire for
Champe, intending to make him a captain of
infantry. But it was too late; the brave and
gallant soldier had gone to another world."
"Dear man! I hope he went to heaven!'
exclaimed Little Elsie in quivering tones.
" I hope so," responded her father.
There was a moment of silence, presently
broken by Ned. " Papa, you know you prom-
ised to tell about Nathan Hale; please won't
you do it now? '
" I will," replied the captain. " He was a
fine, brave, good young man; described as very
handsome six feet tall, perfectly proportioned,
light-blue eyes beaming with intelligence,
roseate complexion, and soft light-brown hair.
He was overflowing with good humor, and
always ready to help anyone in distress. He re-
ceived a good education, his father wishing him
to enter the ministry; but he was teaching
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 137
school in New London when the news of the
Battle of Lexington came. A town meeting
was at once held, and Hale was one of the
speakers. He urged prompt action, saying,
'Let us march immediately, and never lay
down our arms until we have obtained our
independence.'
" He took part in the siege of Boston, and was
made a captain in January, 1776. He went to
New York and did good service there. Early
in the fall, in response to a call from General
Washington, he volunteered to enter the British
lines and procure intelligence. Disguised as a
schoolmaster and loyalist, he visited all of the
British camps on Long Island and in New
York, openly making observations, drawings,
and memoranda of fortifications. When he had
about finished his work, he was seized by the
British and taken before Sir William Howe.
On the evidence of papers found in his shoes,
he was condemned as a spy, and Sir William or-
dered him to be hanged. He asked for a Bible,
but it was refused him, nor would they let him
see a minister. He had written letters to his
sisters and to his betrothed, but his cruel cap-
138 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
tors destroyed them before his eyes. That last
was done by William Cunningham one of the
most notoriously cruel Tories of the war. He
afterward gave as his reason for that act of
cruelty that he meant the rebels should never
know they had a man who could die with such
firmness.
" As Hale mounted the scaffold he said, ' You
are shedding the blood of the innocent; if I
had a thousand lives I would lay them down in
the defence of my injured, bleeding country ';,
and his last words were, ' I only regret that I
have but one life to lose for my country.'
" A country that may well remember him
with love and pride," said Grandma Elsie.
" Oh, what wicked, wicked things they do in.
war times! " sighed Little Elsie.
" Yes," said her grandma; " war is itself a
wicked thing: wholesale murder sometimes on
both sides, always on one."
" When the folks on one side are fighting
for freedom, that's right, isn't it?' asked
Eric.
" Yes; everyone not a criminal has a right to
life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 139
" Is it right to hang a man just for being a
spy? " asked Ned.
" Not always, I'm sure/' exclaimed Eric.
"It wasn't right to hang Nathan Hale, I'm
sure, for he was a good man, and only doing
what he could to save his country."
" Very true," said his father; " and he is now
one whose memory is cherished and honored,
while that of Cunningham his cruel execu-
tioner is abhorred."
" I'd rather be entirely forgotten than re-
membered as a cruel, wicked wretch! ' ex-
claimed Eric.
" Yes; as any right-minded person would,"
said his father.
CHAPTER VIII.
SHOKTLY after breakfast the next morning
the whole party were on the yacht, and it was
speeding down the river. West Point was their
first halting-place. Some hours were spent
there; they were just in time for the battery
drill; after that they climbed to the top of
Mount Independence, en-joyed the view, and
visited the ruins of " Old Fort Put "; came
down, and then went back to their yacht, prom-
ising themselves another and longer visit to
West Point some days later.
The captain pointed out the sites of forts
Montgomery and Clinton as they passed, and
told of their building by the Americans during
the War of the Eevolution and their destruc-
tion by the British in 1777.
"As Lossing tells us," said Captain Ray-
mond, " ' They fell beneath one heavy blow
suddenly and artfully dealt by a British force
from New York, and the smitten garrison were
140
ELSIE ON TEE HUDSON. 141
scattered like frightened sheep upon the
mountains.'
" Oh, papa, surely they didn't surrender with-
out fighting at all?" exclaimed Lulu.
" No indeed, daughter; they fought long and
desperately. General James Clinton and his
brother George were their commanders. As I
have told you before, I think, General Clinton
established his headquarters at a place called
Washington Square, about four miles west of
the village of New Windsor, and there collected
his dispersed troops preparatory to marching
to the relief of Kingston, then threatened by
the enemy."
" But they didn't get there in time to save it
from being burned by the British," said Ed-
ward Leland. " What dreadful times those
were! '
"Yes," said Grandma Elsie; "we may be
very thankful that we live in these better days.
And in the best and freest country in the world;
which it wouldn't have been, if God had not
been for us in those days of trial."
It was a pleasant morning, and all sat under
an awning on the deck, preferring it as the
142 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
breeziest spot and affording the best view of the
beautiful country on either side with its many
historical associations. Captain Raymond
drew attention to Verplanck's and Stony points
as they passed them.
"Yonder is Verplanck's Point/' he said;
" and there, overlooking the river, stood, in
Revolutionary times, Fort Fayette; and yonder,
on the other side, is Stony Point, where was
another small fort. They were captured by Sir
Henry Clinton on the 1st of June, 1779. The
garrison of Stony Point consisted of only forty
men, and that at Verplanck's of seventy, com-
manded by Captain Armstrong. The British
flotilla was commanded by Admiral Collier.
The troops landed in two divisions on the
morning of May 31 the one, under Vaughan,
on the east side eight miles below Verplanck's;
the other, under Clinton, on the west side a
little above Haverstraw. There was no fight at
Stony Point, as the garrison retired to the
Highlands, knowing that the forces of the
enemy were too overwhelming to be successfully
resisted. The British took possession; dragged
up cannon and mortars during the night;
ELSIE ON TEE HUDSON. 143
pointed them and the guns found in the fortress
toward Fort Fayette, and in the morning began
a heavy cannonade upon it. At the same time
the fort was attacked in the rear by Vaughan
and his troops, and the little garrison sur-
rendered themselves prisoners of war.
" The loss of these forts was a grief to Wash-
ington, and he determined to make an effort to
recover them, for their loss endangered West
Point. He soon ordered an attack upon them
by the Americans under the command of Gen-
erals Wayne and Howe. Wayne had his quar-
ters at Sandy Beach, fourteen miles from Stony
Point, and on the morning of July 15 all the
Massachusetts light infantry was marched to
that place. It was an exceedingly sultry day,
and the march begun at noon, taking them
through narrow defiles, over rough crags, and
across deep morasses must have been hard in-
deed; they moved in single file and at eight in
the evening rendezvoused a mile and a half be-
low Stony Point. They rested there while
Wayne and several other officers reconnoitred
the enemy's works. Then they formed into
column, and moved silently forward under the
144 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
guidance of a negro slave belonging to a Cap-
tain Lamb living in the neighborhood."
" New York was a slave State at that time? J
exclaimed Sydney inquiringly.
" Yes," replied Captain Eaymond; " England
had forced slavery upon her Colonies here, and
it was not yet abolished. Captain Lamb was a
warm Whig, and Pompey seems to have been
one also. Soon after the British took posses-
sion of the fort, he ventured to carry straw-
berries there for sale; the men of the garrison
were glad to get them, and Pompey became
quite a favorite with the officers, who had no
suspicion that he was regularly reporting every-
thing to his master.
" At length Pompey told them that his mas-
ter would not allow him to come with his fruit
in the daytime, because it was now hoeing-corn
season. The officers, unwilling to lose their
supply of luxuries, then gave him their counter-
sign regularly so that he could pass the sentries
in the evening. He had it on the night of the
attack, and gave it to the Americans, who used
it as their watchword when they scaled the
ramparts. It was ' The fort's our own/ "
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 145
" And they could say it with truth/' laughed
Lucilla; " for the fort was really theirs stolen
from them by the British/'
" The fortress seemed almost impregnable,"
resumed her father; " built upon a huge rocky
bluff, an island at high water, and always inac-
cessible dryshod, except across a narrow cause-
way in the rear, it was strongly defended by
outworks and a double row of abatis. There
was a deep and dangerous morass on one side,
and on the other three were the waters of the
Hudson."
" And was the rook too high and steep to
climb, papa?" asked Ned.
" Yes, indeed ! But our men were brave
and persevering fellows; Wayne, their leader,
believed in the old saying i Where there's a will
there's a way.' He practiced upon that, and
in consequence was very successful. He was so
rapid and earnest in what he did that people
took to calling him ( Mad Anthony Wayne.'
" Now, he resolved to storm this fort at all
hazards, as Lossing says, and only waited for
the ebbing of the tide and the deep first slum-
ber of the garrison.
146 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
"At half -past eleven o'clock that night the
Americans began a silent march toward the
fort. Two strong men disguised as farmers,
and the negro Pompey, went first. There was
no barking of dogs to arouse the garrison, for
they had all been killed all in that neighbor-
hood the day before. Pompey gave the coun-
tersign to the first sentinel on the high ground
west of the morass, then the two disguised men
suddenly seized and gagged him. The same
thing was done with the sentinel at the cause-
way. Then, as soon as the tide ebbed suffi-
ciently, the greater part of Wayne's little army
crossed the morass at the foot of the western
declivity of the promontory, no one among the
enemy observing them. Three hundred men
under General Muhlenburg remained as a re-
serve in the rear. The troops were divided into
two columns all with unloaded muskets and
fixed bayonets. At a little past midnight the
advance parties moved silently to the charge,
one on the northern and the other on the south-
ern part of the height. The two main divisions
followed them, one led by Wayne himself. The
Americans were not discovered by the British
ELSIE ON TEE HUDSON, 147
until they were within pistol shot of the pickets
on the heights, when a skirmish took place be-
tween the advance guards and the sen-
tinels.
" The Americans used only their bayonets,
as they had been ordered, but the pickets fired
several shots; and those sounds of strife waked
the garrison, and the silence of the night was
broken by the loud cry ( To arms! to arms! '
the roll of the drum, the rattle of musketry
from the ramparts and the abatis, and the roar
of the cannon, charged with deadly grapeshot,
from the embrasures. It was a terrible storm,
but our brave fellows forced their way
through it through every obstacle until the
vans of all the columns met in the centre of the
works, where they arrived at the same time.
Each of our men had a white paper in his hat
which, as it could be seen in the dim light, en-
abled him to distinguish friend from foe."
"I think Wayne was wounded in the fight,
wasn't he?" asked Mr. Leland.
"Yes," replied the captain; "at the inner
abatis he was struck on the head by a musket
ball, the blow causing him to fall to his knees.
148 ELSIE ON TEE HUDSON.
His aides, Fishbow and Archer, raised him to
his feet and carried him gallantly through the
works. He believed himself mortally wounded,
and exclaimed as he arose, ' March on, carry
me into the fort, for I will die at the head of
my column! ' But, fortunately, he was not so
badly wounded as he supposed, and was able to
join in the loud huzzas which arose when
the two victorious columns met within the
fort.
" The garrison surrendered as prisoners of
war, and I am glad and proud to say were
treated with clemency by the victors. Not a
life was taken after the flag was struck and
quarter asked for."
"Was anybody killed before that, papa?'
asked Little Elsie in anxious tones.
" Yes, daughter," he replied; "15 Americans
lost their lives and 83 were wounded; 63 of the
British were killed and their commander and
543 officers and men taken prisoners. Down in
the river below were some British vessels.
They slipped their cables and moved down to
a place of security.
" So prompt was Wayne that he did not wait
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 149
for daylight to send in his report to Washing-
ton. 'Dear General: The fort and garrison
with Colonel Johnson are ours. Our officer?
and men behaved like men who are determined
to be free/ was what he wrote."
" Oh, I like that! It reminds me of Perry's
despatch to Harrison after his victory on Lake
Erie," exclaimed Lucilla.
" Did our people get back the other fort,
uncle?" asked Eric.
" No; the guns of the Stony Point fort were
turned upon it at dawn the next morning and
a desultory firing kept up during the day, but
delays and misunderstandings prevented an in-
tended attack from being made in time to dis-
lodge the garrison; Sir Henry Clinton getting
news of their danger in time to send them help.
" Washington saw that we could not retain
Stony Point, because he could not spare enough
troops to hold it; so he ordered the stores and
ordnance to be removed, the fortress to be evac-
uated, and the works destroyed; all of which
was accordingly done on the night of the 18th."
" And did the British find out what was
going on and attack our fellows?" asked Eric.
150 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
" Yes; the heavy ordnance was placed upon
a galley to be conveyed to "West Point; but as
soon as it moved a cannonade began from Ver-
planck's and the British shipping near by. A
heavy shot from the Vulture struck the galley
below water mark, and she went down near
Caldwell's Landing. The British again took
possession of Stony Point, but Tittle of value
was left them there except the eligible site for
a fortification."
" Wayne was very much praised for the tak-
ing of Stony Point, wasn't he, papa?' asked
Grace.
" Yes; the storming and capture of Stony
Point was esteemed one of the most brilliant ex-
ploits of the war, an exhibition of skill and in-
domitable courage, and General "Wayne, the
leader of the enterprise, was everywhere greeted
with rapturous applause. Congress gave him a
vote of thanks. It also resolved that a gold
medal, emblematic of that action, be struck and
presented to General Wayne. Also, rewards
were given to the other officers and to the
men.'
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 151
" Papa,, wasn't the home of Captain Molly
somewhere in this neighborhood?" asked Grace.
" Yes; Lossing tells us that she lived, at the
close of the war, between Fort Montgomery and
Buttermilk Falls, and was generally dressed in a
woman's petticoats with an artilleryman's coat
over them perhaps an old one of her hus-
band's, for he was a cannonier. They were both
in Fort Clinton when it was taken by the Brit-
ish. When the Americans retreated and the
British scaled the ramparts, her husband
dropped his match and fled. Molly picked it
up, touched off the piece, then scampered after
him and the others. As you probably remem-
ber, she was again with her husband in the
Battle of Monmouth, and when he was shot
down took his place at the cannon and worked
it through the rest of the engagement. For
that act of braverv Washinsrton rewarded her
V V_,
with a sergeant's commission."
" I think she deserved it," said Grace. " I
admire her bravery, but I don't know what
would tempt me to go into a battle."
" I should be sorry indeed to have you go into
152 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
one/' returned her father, regarding her with a
fond smile.
The yacht was now moving rapidly down the
river,, all on board greatly enjoying the beau-
tiful scenery. They landed at Tarrytown and
visited the historical spots in its vicinity, among
them the scene of Andre's capture and the
monument to his captors.
" Why did they name this place Tarrytown,
uncle? " asked Eric.
" Probably from the fact that a great deal of
wheat was raised in the vicinity. ' Tarwe
Town ' meaning wheat town was what the
early Dutch settlers called it.
" Those living here in Eevolutionary days
saw stormy scenes. There were lawless bands
of marauders called Cowboys and Skinners in-
festing the Neutral Ground, which extended
for thirty miles along the river and was plun-
dered by both bands of outlaws without much,
if any, regard to their victims' loyalty or dis-
loyalty to the country."
" Those were bad times to live in," remarked
Little Elsie. " I'd a great deal rather live in
these; though I should like to have seen Wash-
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 153
ington and Wayne and Lafayette and oh, all
the rest of the good, brave men who did so
i
much to save our country! '
" Yes/' said Grandma Elsie, " but though we
cannot see them here, we may hope to meet at
least some of them in another and a better
world."
CHAPTER IX.
A PLEASANT surprise awaited our party on
their return to Crag Cottage that evening, the
bride and groom Eosie and her husband
having arrived during their absence. Every-
body was glad to see them; and, with the ac-
commodations of the yacht to supplement those
of the house, there was room and to spare.
Finding such to be the case, and that it was
very pleasant to be together, all remained Eve-
lyn's guests for another week, in which a great
deal of time was passed upon the river
taking repeated views of beautiful historic
scenes.
But at length they separated for a time
some remaining where they were; some going to
the seashore; while Grandma Elsie and the Ray-
monds, leaving the yacht at New York City,
crossed the mountains into Pennsylvania,
visited some historical scenes in that State, then
traveled on through Ohio from south to north,
154
ELSIE ON TEE HUDSON. 155
spent a few weeks among the islands of Lake
Erie; then, the yacht having come to them
again by the northern route, returned home in
it by way of the Welland Canal, the St. Law-
rence River, and the Atlantic Ocean. On their
route through Pennsylvania they spent a few
days at Pocono, visiting the points of interest
about there. Wilkesbarre was their next stop-
ping place, for they all wanted to see the beau-
tiful Valley of Wyoming.
" Is Wyoming an English name ? ' asked
Elsie Raymond, as they drove through the
valley.
" No," said her father; " it comes from the
language of the Delawares, and means ' large
plains.' It is probable that the Delawares were
the first tribe which lived there."
" And is Wilkesbarre an Indian name too ? '
she asked.
" No; it is a compound of the names of two
Englishmen who were good friends to America
in the times of the Revolution John Wilkes
and Colonel Barre.
" The first European to visit the valley was
Count Zinzendorf," continued the captain.
156 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
" He was of an ancient Austrian family. He
was a Christian man and very earnest in trying
to do good. He travelled through Germany,
Denmark, and England, and in 1741 came to
America and preached at Bethlehem and Ger-
mantown. He was very desirous to do the poor
Indians good, so travelled about among them,
though he had no companions except an inter-
preter. In one of these excursions he crossed
the Pocono, and came into this Valley of
Wyoming. At this time he had with him a
missionary named Mack and his wife. They
pitched their tent upon the western bank of the
Susquehanna, at the foot of a high hill and near
a place in the river known as Toby's Eddy.
" Not very far away was a Shawnee village.
The Indians held a council there to hear what
these missionaries had to say, but could not be-
lieve that they had come all the way across the
Atlantic just to teach religious truth to
them. The conclusion they came to was that
these strangers had come to spy out their coun-
try and rob them of their lands. Thinking
thus, they made up their minds to murder the
count. But they feared the English, there-
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 1ST
fore instructed those appointed to do the deed
to be very secret about it.
" On a cool September night two stout In-
dians went stealthily from the town to the mis-
tf
sionary's temporary dwelling a tent with a
blanket hung across the doorway. They drew
the blanket stealthily aside and peeped in.
They made no noise, and he was not aware of
their presence, as he reclined on a bundle of
weeds engaged in writing or in devout medita-
tion.
" As Lossing says: ' The benignity of his
countenance filled them with awe, but an inci-
dent (strikingly providential), more than his
appearance, changed the current of their feel-
ings. The tent cloth was suspended from the
branches of a huge sycamore in such a manner
that the hollow trunk of the tree was within its
folds. At its foot the count had built a fire,
the warmth of which had aroused a rattlesnake
in its den; and at the moment when the savages
looked into the tent the venomous reptile was
gliding harmlessly across the legs of their in-
tended victim, who did not see either the ser-
pent or the lurking murderers. At that sight
158 ELSIE ON TEE HUDSON.
they at once entirely changed their opinion of
him and regarded him as under the special pro-
tection of the Great Spirit/ They were filled
with profound reverence for him, and went back
to their tribe with such an account of his holi-
ness that their enmity was changed to venera-
tion."
" And I think history says a successful mis-
sion was established there/' remarked Grandma
Elsie, as the captain paused, as if at the end of
his story.
" Yes," he replied, " and it was continued
until a war between the Shawnees and the
Delawares destroyed the peace of the valley."
"What was that war about, papa?' asked
Ned.
"Like many others it was about a very
foolish thing," replied the captain. " The
Shawnees were a not very powerful tribe, and
lived by permission of the Delawares on the
western bank of the Susquehanna. One day
the warriors of both tribes were hunting upon
the mountains when a party of women and
children of the Shawnees crossed to the
Delaware side to gather fruit, and were
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 159
joined by some of the Delaware squaws and
children. After a while two of the chil-
dren a Shawnee and a Delaware got into
a quarrel over a grasshopper. Then the
mothers took part, the Shawnees on one side,
the Delawares on the other, and the Dela-
wares, who were the more numerous, drove the
Shawnees home, killing several on the way.
"When the Shawnee hunters came home, saw
their dead women, and heard the sad story,
they were very angry, crossed the river, and at-
tacked the Delawares. A bloody battle fol-
lowed; the Shawnees were beaten, and retreated
to the banks of the Ohio, where lived a larger
portion of their tribe."
" There are not many more historic scenes in
this State that we will care to visit at this time,
are there, papa? " asked Grace.
" I think not," he said; " we are going west,
and most of them are already east of us."
" But, father," said Lucilla, " we have hardly
touched upon the history of Wyoming."
" True," he returned; " but it is so very sad
that I fear its recital would rather detract from
the enjoyment of this lovely scenery. How-
160 ELSIE ON TEE HUDSON.
ever, I will give you a brief account of what
took place here during the Kevolutionary War.
"Early in the summer of 1778 the move-
ments of Brant and his warriors, the Johnsons
and Butlers and their Tory legions, upon the
upper waters of the Susquehanna, and the
actions of the Tories in the Wyoming Valley,
greatly alarmed the people. Nearly all their
able-bodied men were away in the Continental
Army; none was left to defend the valley but
old men, boys, and women. Afraid of the sav-
ages, they were building six forts, going through
all the labor required in that work without
payment except the hope of self-defence.
" Such was their condition when in June,
1778, an expedition of Tories and Indians was
ready to come down upon them. All this was
told to Congress. Wyoming men in the army
besought protection for their wives and little
ones, and General Schuyler wrote a touching
letter in their behalf. But all Congress did
was to pass resolutions to let the people
take measures for self-defence by raising troops
among themselves, and finding their own arms,
accoutrements, and blankets.
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 161
" The people poor creatures! did their
best; but, attacked by overwhelming numbers
of the most savage foes, they went through ter-
tible scenes and sufferings. I will not dwell
further upon the horrors of that dreadful time.
The Tories and Indians acted like fiends. Los-
sing, speaking of what occurred after the fight
and surrender, says : ( The terms of capitulation
were respected by the invaders, particularly the
Indians, for a few hours only. Before night
they spread through the valley, plundering and
burning/
" Did the women and children run away,
papa? " asked Ned.
" Yes; they fled to the mountains, and many
of them perished in the Pocono Mountain
swamp, known as the Shades of Death, and
along the wilderness paths by the way of the
"Wind Gap and Water Gap. They were flying
to the settlements on the Lehigh and Delaware,
They were not travelling like ourselves in an
easy carriage, with abundance of food and
clothing; and many died from hunger and ex-
haustion."
" Some of their clothes had been taken by the
162 ELSIE ON TEE HUDSON.
Indians," remarked Violet. "I remember
reading that many squaws had on from four to
six dresses of silk or chintz, one over the other;
and some four or five bonnets, one over an-
other."
" Papa, are we going to visit any more places
in this State where they had fights?' asked
Ned.
" Where there were battles fought, son? No,
I think not at this time. We will probably go
on into Ohio now without any more delays."
" There were some fights there weren't
there, papa? " asked Elsie.
" Yes; between the whites and the Indians,
and between the Americans and the British and
Indians, in the war of 1812-14."
" Yes, children," said Lucilla; " don't you re-
member papa's telling us about some of the
fights near Lake Erie, and Perry's victory on
the lake? "
" Oh, yes! " exclaimed both the little ones;
" and his letter to General Harrison ' We have
met the enemy and they are ours/ And you'll
tell us about the land fights, won't you,
papa? '
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 163
" Yes," he said; " one of these days; probably
while we are in Ohio."
" Are we going right on now to the islands in
Lake Erie, papa? " asked Grace.
" Unless some one or more of us should desire
to stop by the way," returned the captain
pleasantly.
" Perhaps it would be more restful to pass a
night at Pittsburg or Cincinnati," suggested
Grandma Elsie; and that was what was de-
cided upon, after a little discussion of the
question.
They rested in Cleveland for another night;
then, on a bright morning, passed over to the
islands in a steamer. A pleasant surprise
awaited them on landing; their cousin Ronald
Lilburn was there with his wife Annis and
her grandnephew, Percy Landreth. The last-
named was one whom Captain Raymond would
have preferred not to have in the company,
but merely on Lucilla's account, and he
greeted him with cordial kindness.
" We have given you a surprise, haven't we? '
asked Mrs. Lilburn of her cousin Elsie.
" Yes; a most pleasant one," replied Mrs.
164 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
Travilla. " I can truly say I think your pres-
ence here will double our enjoyment. How
long since you arrived? '
" Only about twenty-four hours. We came
straight from home, where we left all your
dear ones well."
" Ah, that is good news! It is a new thing
for me to be so far away from my dear father;
and he is growing old; so I have been feeling a
little anxious about him."
" He evidently misses you, but is glad that
you are enjoying yourself," said Annis.
" Yes! so unselfish as he is my dear father!
Ah, how lovely it is here! " glancing about as
she spoke. " No doubt we can pass some days
or weeks here very delightfully."
" I am quite sure of it, mother," said the cap-
tain, who had overheard the remark, made as
they all were on their way from the landing to
the hotel. " We will have the yacht here in a
day or two, I think; and it will afford us some
pleasant trips here and there on the lake."
" And carry us to some historical scenes,,
won't it, papa? " asked Grace in a tone of satis-
faction.
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 165
" Yes," he replied; " and we will live on it,
unless the majority of our company should pre-
fer the hotel."
" No danger of that, I think/' said Grandma
Elsie; " we all feel so much at home and find
ourselves so comfortable on the yacht."
" I don't wonder that you prefer it," said
Annis; " but I was hoping you would all be at
the hotel with us."
" Are you not willing to be n the Dolphin
with us? " asked the captain, giving her a cor-
dial look and smile.
" Indeed, sir, I should like nothing better
except for the fear of crowding you."
" I think that is beyond your ability,"
laughed the captain. " Even joined by all
three of you, we should have more room than
we have had in some of our trips which we
found very enjoyable."
" Then we accept your kind invitation with
the greatest pleasure," said Mr. Lilburn; and
there the conversation ended, as they were
already at the entrance to the hotel.
They spent a pleasant day in and about there,
but early in the evening the Dolphin made her
166 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
appearance, and they all went aboard of her
a blithe and happy company.
The morning found them all in good health
and good spirits, and as they sat about the
breakfast table the captain asked: "Where
shall we go to-day? I think it would be well
to take the little trips we contemplate while the
weather is so favorable. Then when a storm
conies we can shut ourselves in and enjoy books^
work, and each other's company."
" I think that is a good suggestion, captain,"
said Grandma Elsie. " Suppose you take us
to-day to Fremont, to view the ground where
Fort Stephenson stood."
Everyone present seemed pleased with the
proposition, and it was decided to make the
little excursion that morning. They could go
nearly all the way in their yacht, by lake and
river, and shortly after breakfast found them-
selves in motion the Dolphin having lain
quietly at anchor during the night.
" I, for one, should like to refresh my
memory in regard to Fort Stephenson: when it
was built, by whom attacked, and how de-
fended," remarked Annis, as they sat together
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 167
on the deck while sailing toward Sandusky Bay.
" Captain Raymond, you are usually the story
teller, I believe."
" Ah, Cousin Annis, that is a fine character
you give me," he returned with a smile. " But
perhaps I deserve it. Do all the company feel
the same desire that Mrs. Lilburn has just ex-
pressed? 9
" I do," said Grandma Elsie; " and from the
expression of the faces of the others present I
am quite sure that they do also."
" Yes, indeed, papa; I am sure we do! " cried
Lucilla and Grace in a breath, Percy Landreth,
Elsie, and Ned joining eagerly in the request;
and the captain at once began.
" jj'ort Stephenson was built in 1812; the gar-
rison consisted of 160 men under the com-
mand of Major George Croghan, then but
twenty-one years of age. It was on the 31st
of July, 1813, that it was invested by a
large force of British and Indians under the
command of Proctor. The fort was not a
strong one; its chief defences were three block
houses, circumvallating pickets from fourteen
to sixteen feet high, and a ditch about eight
168 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
feet wide and as many feet deep; they had one
iron six-pounder cannon. Of course, swords
and rifles were not lacking, and the men were
Kentucky sharpshooters.
" General Harrison heard that the British
were moving against Fort Stephenson. He had
visited the fort, and felt convinced that it could
not be held against an attack with heavy artil-
lery, so had said to Major Croghan: ' Should
the British approach you in force with cannon,
and you can discover them in time to effect a
retreat, you will do so immediately, destroying
all the public stores. You must be aware that
to attempt a retreat in the face of an Indian
force would be vain. Against such an enemy
your garrison would be safe, however great the
number.'
" On learning of the intended descent of the
British upon Fort Stephenson, Harrison held a
consultation with his officers McArthur,
Holmes, Graham, Paul, Hukill, Wood, and
Ball. They were unanimously of the opinion
that Fort Stephenson could not be successfully
defended against an enemy approaching in such
force, and that Major Croghan ought imme-
ELSIE ON TEE HUDSON. 169
diately to comply with his general's standing
order to evacuate."
" Moving order, I should think, father,"
laughed Lucilla.
" Yes," returned the captain with a smile;
" but knowing Croghan's innate bravery, Harri-
son feared he would not move promptly, so sent
him another order to abandon the fort. It was
carried by a white man named Connor and two
Indians. They started at midnight and lost
their way in the dark. So they did not reach
the fort until the next day about eleven o'clock,
and by that time the woods were swarming with
Indians.
" Major Croghan called his officers together
and consulted them in regard to a retreat. A
majority were of his opinion that such a step
would be disastrous, now that the Indians
swarmed in the woods, and that the post might
be maintained.
" Croghan immediately sent a reply to Har-
rison's order, saving it had come too late to be
/ / fj
carried into execution, that they had deter-
mined to maintain the place that they could
and would do so. It was a disobedience of
170 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
orders, but not so intended. The gallant young
major thought that the previous order, which
spoke of the danger of a retreat in the face of
an Indian force, justified him in remaining, as
that force was already there when this second
order reached him.
" But the general considered it disobedience,
which could not be permitted. He at once sent
Colonel Wells to Fort Stephenson to supersede
Croghan, and ordered Croghan to headquar-
ters at Seneca Town. Colonel Wells was es-
corted by Colonel Ball with his corps of
dragoons. On the way they were attacked by
about twenty Indians, and quite a severe skir-
mish ensued. Seventeen of the Indians were
killed."
" Papa, did Major Croghan go to the general?
and was he very cross to him? " asked Ned.
" He went promptly, made a full and satis-
factory explanation to General Harrison, and
was directed to go back to his command the
next morning; which he did, feeling more than
ever determined to maintain his post in spite of
British and Indians. General Harrison kept
scouts out in all directions to watch the move-
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 171
ments of the enemy. On the evening of Satur-
day, the 31st of July, one of those parties, lin-
gering on the shore of Sandusky Bay, about
twenty miles from Fort Stephenson, saw that
Proctor was approaching by water. They made
haste to return to headquarters with their in-
formation, stopping on the way at Fort Steph-
enson and making it known there.
" Croghan was watchful, wide awake to the
dangers that surrounded them. A good many
Indians had been seen upon the high ground on
the eastern side of the Sandusky River, but had
scampered away on being fired at from the six-
pounder in the fort.
" At four o'clock in the afternoon the British
gunboats, bringing Proctor and his men, were
seen at a turn in the river more than a mile dis-
tant. They were greeted by shots from the six-
pounder, but they came on; and at a cove some-
what nearer the fort, opposite a small island in
the stream, they landed with a five-and-a-half-
inch howitzer.
" At the same time the Indians showed them-
selves in the woods on all sides. In this at-
tacking force there were four hundred British
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
and several hundred Indians. And Tecumseh
was stationed upon the roads leading from
Fort Meigs and Seneca Town with almost two
thousand more. These were intended to inter-
cept any re-enforcements that might be coming
to Croghan's assistance. Having thus, as he
thought, cut off Croghan's retreat, Proctor
sent Colonel Elliott and Captain Chambers to
demand the instant surrender of the fort. With
them was Captain Dixon of the Royal
Engineers, who was in command of the
Indians.
" They came with a flag of truce, and Cro-
ghan sent out Second-Lieutenant Shipp, as his
representative, to meet the flag.
" The usual salutations were exchanged, then
Colonel Elliott said, ' I am instructed to de-
mand the instant surrender of the fort, to spare
the effusion of blood, which we cannot do
should we be under the necessity of reducing
it by our powerful force of regulars, Indians,
and artillery.'
" ( My commandant and the garrison/ re-
plied Shipp, * are determined to defend the post
to the last extremity, and bury themselves in its
ELSIE ON TUB HUDSON. 1T&
ruins rather than surrender it to any force
whatever.'
" ' Look at our immense body of Indians/
interposed Dixon. ' They cannot be restrained
from massacring the whole garrison, in the
event of our undoubted success.'
" ( Our success is certain/ eagerly added
Chambers.
" ' It is a great pity/ said Dixon, in a be-
seeching tone, ' that so fine a young man as you
and as your commander is represented to be,,
should fall into the hands of the savages. Sir,
for God ? s sake surrender, and prevent the
dreadful massacre that will be caused by your
resistance! '
" ' When the fort shall be taken there will be
none to massacre/ Shipp coolly replied, for it
was not long since, at Fort Meigs, he had had
dealings with the same foe. c It will not be
given up while a man shall be able to resist.'
" He was just turning to go back to the fort,
when an Indian sprang from a bushy ravine
near at hand and tried to snatch his sword from.
him. The indignant Shipp was about to de-
spatch the Indian, when Dixon interfered.
174 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
Then Croghan, who was standing on the ram-
parts watching the conference, called out,
4 Shipp, come in, and we'll blow them all
to !' At that, Shipp hurried into the fort,
the flag was returned, and the British immedi-
ately opened fire from their gunboat and the
five-and-a-half-inch howitzer which they had
landed, beginning the attack before proper
arrangements could be made.
" It seems the Indians had had an alarm and
let the British know of it. A Mr. Aaron North,
knowing nothing of the proximity of British
or Indians, was riding through the wood, draw-
ing near the fort on the other side of the San-
dusky, when he discovered a large body of In-
dians scattered along the river bank and half
concealed by the bushes. He wheeled his
horse and fled in the direction of Seneca. The
startled Indians fired several shots after him,
but without hitting him. The Indians doubt-
less told the British of all this, and Proctor
thought the horseman a messenger to Harrison
to inform him of the attack upon Fort Steph-
enson, and that the result would probably b
that re-enforcements would be sent to Croghan,
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 175
would beat back Tecumseh, and fall upon him
at Sandusky.
" All night long the five six-pounders which
had been landed from the British gunboats,
and the howitzer, played upon the stockade
without doing any serious damage. Occasion-
ally the besieged answered with their one can-
non, which they moved from one blockhouse to
another, to give the impression that the garri-
son had several heavy guns. But their supply
of ammunition was small, and Croghan was too
wise to waste it. He determined not to use any
more in firing at random in the dark; so ordered
Captain Hunter, his second in command, to
place it in the blockhouse at the middle of the
north side of the fort, so as to rake the ditch
in the direction of the northwest angle the
point where the enemy would be most likely to
make the assault, because it was the weakest
part.
" That was done before daylight, and the gun ?
loaded with a half-charge of powder and a
double charge of slugs and grapeshot, was com-
pletely masked.
" During the night the British had dragged
176 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
three of their six-pounders to a place in the
woods where the ground was higher than the
fort and about 250 yards from it. Early in
the morning they began a brisk fire upon
the blockade from those and the howitzer."
" Oh, papa, how dreadful! " exclaimed Elsie.
" Did all of our men get shot ? '
" No; the cannonade produced very little
effect, and Proctor grew very impatient. The
long hot day was nearly done, and the Indians
were becoming restless. At four o'clock in
the afternoon he ordered all his guns to fire
upon that weak northwest angle.
" Then Croghan and his men set to work to
strengthen it as much as possible. They piled
bags of sand and sacks of flour against the
pickets there, which materially broke the force
of the cannonade. At five o'clock a dark thun-
der cloud was seen in the west and the thunder
seemed like the echo of the enemy's cannon.
Then the British came on in two close columns,
led by Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Short and
Lieutenant Gordon. At the same time a party
of grenadiers, about 200 strong, under Lieu-
tenant-Colonel Warburton, took a wide circuit
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 177
through the woods to make a feigned attack
upon the southern front of the fort, where Cap-
tain Hunter and his party were stationed.
" There was in the fort at the time a man
named Brown, a private of the Petersburg!*
volunteers, with a half-dozen of his corps and
Pittsburgh Blues. To them was entrusted the
management of the six-pounder in the fort, for
Brown was skilled in gunnery.
" The British artillery played incessantly
upon the northwestern angle of the fort, caus-
ing a dense smoke, and under cover of that a
storming party under Lieutenant-Colonel Short
advanced to within fifteen or twenty paces of
the outworks before they were discovered by the
garrison. But they were Kentucky sharp-
shooters, and every man of them was at his post.
Instantly they poured upon the assailants a
shower of rifle balls sent with such deadly aim
that the British were thrown into confusion.
But they quickly rallied. The axemen pushed
bravely forward over the glacis, and leaped inta
the ditch to assail the pickets. Short was at
their head, and when a sufficient number were
in the ditch behind him, he shouted, ' Cut away
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
the pickets, my brave boys, and show the
d d Yankees no quarter! '
" Now the time had come for the six-pounder
to make itself heard. The masked port flew
open instantly, and the gun spoke with terrible
effect. Slug and grapeshot streamed along that
ditch overflowing with human life, and spread
awful havoc there. Few of those British sol-
diers escaped. The second column of the
storming party made a similar attempt, but
was met by another discharge from the six-
pounder and another destructive volley of rifle-
balls."
" Was anybody killed, papa? " asked Ned.
" Yes, a good many were/' replied his father.
" Colonel Short, Lieutenant Gordon, Laussaus-
sie of the Indian Department, and 25 privates
were left dead in the ditch, and 26 of the
wounded were made prisoners. Three other
officers were slightly wounded, but escaped.
The rest of the attacking party retreated in
haste and disorder.
"It was not until after that disaster that
Warburton and his grenadiers reached the south
front of the fort. When they did, Hunter's
ELSIE ON TEE HUDSON. 1?9
corps assailed them with a destructive volley,
and they fled for shelter to the adjacent woods.
It is said that Lieutenant-Colonel Short, when
lie fell, twisted a white handkerchief on the end
of his sword, asking the mercy he had exhorted
his men not to show to the Americans."
" Oh, I hope they did show it to him, papa,"
said Elsie.
" I think they would have done so had oppor-
tunity offered," said the captain; " but he was
found dead in the ditch."
"And were any of our people killed?' 1 she
asked.
" One man was killed and 7 were slightly
wounded; while, according to the most careful
estimates, the loss of the British in killed and
wounded was 120. They behaved most gal-
lantly, getting no assistance from the cowardly
Indians, who kept themselves out of harm's
way in a ravine near by.
" The assault had lasted only about half an
hour. Lossing tells us, ' The dark storm cloud
in the west passed northward, the setting sun
beamed out with peculiar splendor, a gentle
freeze from the southwest bore the smoke of
180 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
"battle far away over the forest toward Lake
Erie, and in the lovely twilight of that mem-
orable Sabbath evening the brave young
Croghan addressed his gallant little band with
eloquent words of praise and grateful thanks-
giving. As the night and the silence deepened,,
and the groans of the wounded in the ditch fell
upon their ears, his generous heart beat with
sympathy. Buckets filled with water were let
down by ropes from the outside of the pickets;.
and as the gates of the fort could not be opened
with safety during the night, he made a com-
munication with the ditch by means of a
trench, through which the wounded were borne
into the fort and their necessities supplied.'
" Oh, how good and kind he was! " exclaimed
Grace. "I am proud of him as one of my
countrymen. Is he still living, papa? '
"No, daughter; he died in New Orleans on
January 8, 1849."
" The anniversary of the great victory there
in the War of 1812! Was he not rewarded for
his gallant defence of Fort Stephenson? '
" Yes; he was brevetted lieutenant-colonel
for his gallantry, and some twenty years later
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 181
Congress voted him a gold medal in acknowl-
edgment of it. In 1846 he joined Taylor's
arm} 7 in Mexico and served with credit at the
Battle of Monterey."
" You have given us an interesting tale, cap-
tain," remarked Cousin Ronald as the story
seemed to have come to an end " one that was
really new to me; for I have read but little
about that war which I hope we can always
refer to as the last between the mother country
and this, my adopted one the native land of
my bonny young wife," he added with a loving
and admiring look at Annis.
" Ah, my dear, how true it is that love is
blind," said Annis softly, giving him a look of
iond appreciation.
"Ha, ha! A pair of old lovers! " laughed a
voice that seemed to come from somewhere in
the rear of the little party.
"Yes, that's what we are," said Annis with
mirthful look and tone.
" And who are you that dares to say such
saucy things to our company? ' asked Ned,
looking sharply round toward the spot from
which the voice had seemed to come.
182 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
" Somebody that has a tongue of his own and
a right to use it," returned the voice, but the
speaker was still invisible.
" Well, whoever you are you've no business
here on my father's yacht without an invita-
tion," cried Ned, hurrying toward the spot from
which the strange voice seemed to come.
" You silly, impudent youngster! I'm not
here without an invitation," said the voice,
seeming to come from a greater distance than
before.
" Not? " exclaimed Ned; " then who invited
you?"
" The captain and owner of the vessel."
Ned turned to his father. " Did you invite
him, papa, and who is he?' Then, perceiv-
ing a look of amusement on every face, " Oh,
I know! Why didn't I think before? It's
just Cousin Ronald playing he's somebody
else."
" Yes, laddie, and he's rather an auld mon to-
be playing at anything," returned the old gen-
tleman pleasantly. " Dinna ye think so? '
"No, sir; and it's good of you to make a
little fun for us youngsters."
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 183
"As well as for us older folks," added his
mother in a sprightly tone.
" I thought it was a fellow who had no busi-
ness here," said Ned, " but you are as welcome
as anything, Cousin Ronald."
" Aye, laddie, I dinna doubt it or I wadna be
here," laughed the old gentleman; " but I know
there are no more hospitable folk to be found
anywhere then these American cousins o'
mine.'
" I should think not, sir," said Neddie with
a smiling glance from one parent to the other;
" and I believe there's nobody they like better
to entertain than you."
"Is Fort Stephenson still standing, papa?'
asked Grace.
" No," was the reply, " but we can see the
site, which is in the bosom of the village of
Fremont, and covers about two-thirds of a
square. We will no doubt find someone who
can and will point it out to us and show us the
ravine where the Indians fled after the first dis-
charge of the rifle-balls by the garrison; and
the iron six-pounder cannon that did such great
execution in defence of the fort; also the land-
184 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
ing place of the British. By the way, the gar-
rison named that cannon the ' Good Bess.'
" Oh, I hope we will see it," said Ned. " I'd
like to."
They reached their destination in time to see
the cannon and all the interesting places and
things made memorable by their connection
with the struggle at Fort Stephenson, then re-
turned to the yacht, sailed out into the bay
again, and anchored for the night.
CHAPTEE X.
THE next morning Lucilla woke early as
was usual with her and presently joined her
father upon the deck. He greeted her, as was
his custom, with a smile and a tender caress,
asking if she were quite well and had passed a
comfortable night.
" Yes, papa," she said; " I slept as soundly as
possible, and feel perfectly well this morning;
as I hope you do."
" I do, for I also enjoyed a good night's rest
and sleep."
The yacht was moving, and Lucilla remarked
it with some surprise.
"I thought we were lying at anchor," she
said.
" So we were through the night," replied her
father, " but now we are travelling toward Fort
Meigs or perhaps I should rather say its
ruins."
"Oh, that will bean interesting spot to visit!
exclaimed Lucilla. " Just where is it, papa?
si/ wiicic IB it, papa:
185
186 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
" On the Maumee River, opposite Maumee
City, situated at the head of river navigation,,
eight miles from Toledo."
" Wasn't it somewhere in that region that
Wayne fought one or more of his battles with
the Indians? '
" Yes; he took possession of and fortified the
place where St. Clair was defeated, and called it
Fort Recovery. That was in 1794. On the
30th of June he was attacked by about a thou-
sand Indians with some British soldiers and
Canadian volunteers, who assailed the garrison
several times. Fifty-seven Americans were
killed, wounded, and missing; also 221 horses.
The Indians said they lost more than in their
battle with St. Clair.
"A few weeks later Wayne was joined by
Major-General Scott with 1600 mounted volun-
teers from Kentucky, and two days later he
moved forward with his whole force toward the
Maumee. Remembering the sad fate of St.
Clair and his men, Wayne moved very cau-
tiously; so slowly and stealthily that the In-
dians called him the ' Black Snake.' He had
faithful, competent scouts and guides, and he
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 187
moved by unfrequented ways, with perplexing
feints. Twenty-five miles beyond Fort Ke-
covery he built Fort Adams. Again he moved
forward for four days, then encamped on a
beautiful plain at the confluence of the Maumee
and Auglaize rivers, on the site of the present
town of Defiance; I presume from the fort
Wayne built there, and which he called Fort
Defiance. He found there a deserted Indian
town with at least a thousand acres of corn
growing around it. Wayne was now in full
possession of power to subjugate and destroy
the Indians, but, unwilling to shed blood un-
necessarily, he sent them a message with kind
words. ' Be no longer deceived or led astray
by false promises and language of bad white
men at the foot of the rapids; they have neither
the power nor the inclination to protect you.'
" He offered them peace and tranquillity, and
invited them to send deputies to meet him in
council without delay.
" But they rejected his overtures, and said in
reply, ' Stay where you are for ten days, and we
will treat with you; but if you advance we will
give you battle.'
188 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
" Wayne was, however, too wise and wary to
be deceived by them. He saw that nothing but
a severe blow would break the spirit of the
tribes and end the war, and, as Lossing says, he
resolved to inflict it mercilessly.
" On the 15th of August his legion moved
forward, and on the 18th took post at the head
oi the rapids, near the present town of Water-
ville, where they established a magazine of sup-
plies and baggage, protected by military works,
and named it Fort Deposit. There, on the
19th, Wayne called a council of war and
adopted a plan of march and battle proposed by
Lieutenant Harrison."
" Afterward general, papa? '
" Yes, nineteen years later he had become
general-in-chief, and performed gallant exploits
in this same valley of the Maumee.
" The next morning after that council, at
eight o'clock, Wayne advanced according to that
plan. They had gone forward about five miles
when the advance corps, under Major Price,
was terribly smitten by heavy volleys from the
concealed foe and compelled to fall back. The
enemy was full 2000 strong composed of In-
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 189
dians and Canadian volunteers, and they were
arranged in three lines within supporting dis-
tance of each other.
" Wayne's legion was immediately formed in
two lines, principally in a dense wood on the
borders of a wet prairie, where a large number
of trees had been prostrated by a tornado, which
made the movements of cavalry very difficult,
besides affording a fine covert for the enemy.
But Wayne's troops fell upon them with fear-
ful energy, soon making them flee, like a herd
of frightened deer, toward Fort Miami."
"The fort the British had built upon our
ground without so much as saying by your
leave? "
" The very same. They reached it by a hasty
flight of two miles through the thick woods,
leaving forty of their number dead on the way,
by the side of each of whom lay a musket and
bayonet from British armories.
" Three days and three nights Wayne and his
army remained below the rapids, making such
desolation as seemed necessary for the subju-
gation of the hostile Indians and the treacher-
ous Britains and Canadians; all that in defiance
190 ELSIE Oy THE HUDSON.
of the threats of the commandant of Fort
Miami, though his guns were within view of the
American tents. He Colonel McKee was
the chief instigator of the war with the Indians,
with whom he was earning on a most lucrative
* t^
trade, and he had there extensive storehouses
and dwellings. These our troops set fire to and
destroyed, as they did all the products of the
fields and gardens."
" That seems a pity, papa, but I suppose it
was necessary."
u
Yes; as no doubt those British men well
knew. Wayne's men sometimes were within
pistol-shot of Fort Miami, but its guns kept
silence. The commander did a good deal of
scolding and threatening; "Wayne coolly defied
him and retorted with vigor. But neither went
anv farther.
tf
: Wayne and his troops remained there until
the middle of September, when they went to
the head of the Maumee; and at the bend of
the river, just below the confluence of the St.
Mary's and St. Joseph's, which form it, they
built a strong fortification and called it Fort
Wayne. By the latter part of October it was
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 191
finished and garrisoned with infantry and artil-
lery, under Colonel Hamtramck.
" The rest of the troops then left, some for
Fort Washington, to be discharged from the
service, and others for Fort Greenville, where
"Wayne made his headquarters for the winter.
There the various tribes with whom he had
been at war came to him by deputations and
agreed upon preliminary terms of peace. They
remembered that he had assured them that the
British had neither the power nor the inclina-
tion to help them and how that assurance had
been verified by the silence of the guns of Fort
Miami.
" They promised to meet him in council early
the next summer, and did so. Early in June
chiefs and sachems began to reach Fort Green-
ville, and on the 16th of that month a grand
council was opened there. Almost 1100
Indians were present, and the council continued
until the 10th of August. On the 3d of that
month a satisfactory treaty was signed by all
parties. And by a special treaty between the
United States and Great Britain the western
military posts were soon evacuated by the
192 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
British, and for fifteen years the most remote
frontier settlements were safe from any annoy-
ance by the Indians."
"And that encouraged emigration to the
Northwestern Territory, did it not, papa? '
asked Lucilla.
"Yes," he said, "and in consequence the
country grew rapidly in population of a hardy
kind."
" Until the War of 1812."
"Yes; and it was in that war that Harrison
did so much to distinguish himself as a patriot
and a brave and skilful officer."
"And it was then he built the Fort Meigs
you are taking us to, papa? 9
"Yes; at the Maumee Eapids in February,
1813. It was named for Keturn Jonathan
Meigs, who was then Governor of Ohio."
" Keturn Jonathan! what an odd name! '
" Yes, and there is an odd story connected
with it. Years before the Revolution a bright-
eyed coquette was courted by Jonathan Meigs.
On one occasion he pressed his suit with great
earnestness and asked for a positive answer.
She would not give it, but feigned coolness, and
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 193
he growing discouraged resolved to be trifled
with no longer, so bade her farewell forever.
He took his departure, but had not gone far
down the lane when she ran after him and at
the gate called out, ' Keturn Jonathan; return
Jonathan! '
"He did go back to her; they afterward
married, and were very happy together; and
when the first son was born they named him
Keturn Jonathan.
"He was born in 1740; was the heroic Colonel
Meigs who did such valiant service in the Revo-
lutionary War, and was one of the early settlers
of Ohio, going there in 1788. His son Re-
turn Jonathan was elected Governor of Ohio in
1810 and held that office until 1814.
" Harrison arrived at Fort Meigs on the 12th
of April, 1813, and was glad to find there 200
Pennsylvanians, patriotic men, who, though
anxious to go home to put in their spring seeds,
assured him that they would never leave him
until he thought their services could be spared
without danger to the cause. He discharged
them on the arrival of three Kentucky com-
panies.
194 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
" While on his way Harrison had been told of
frequent appearances of Indian scouts in the
neighborhood of the rapids, and of little skir-
mishes with what he supposed to be the ad-
vance of a more powerful foe. That alarmed
him, and he despatched a messenger to Gover-
nor Shelby of Kentucky asking him to send to
the Maumee the whole of the 3000 men who
had been drafted in that State. He brought
with him about 300 men in all, but was agree-
ably surprised to find, on his arrival, that there
were no signs of the enemy being near in great
force.
" But that enemy was at that very time pre-
paring to strike a destructive blow at Fort
Meigs. Tecumseh was even then at Fort Mai-
den with almost 1500 Indians. Proctor had
fired his zeal and that of his brother, who was
called the Prophet, by promises of future suc-
cess in their schemes for confederating the
tribes, and boasting of his ample power to place
Fort Meigs with its garrison and immense
stores in the hands of his Indian allies.
" Proctor was delighted with this response of
the savages to his call, and had fine visions of
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 195
the victory he was going to gain, and the glory
and promotion it would bring him. He was
more boastful than ever, and treated the Ameri-
cans at Detroit in a supercilious manner. He
ordered the Canadians to assemble at Sandwich
on the 7th of April and told them the campaign
would be short, decisive, successful, and profit-
able."
" How did he know! ' exclaimed Lucilla
scornfully.
"He did not," said her father; "events
shortly following showed it to have been but
idle boasting. That boast was made on the 7th
of April. On the 23d his army and his savage
allies embarked on a brig and several smaller
vessels, accompanied by two gunboats and some
artillery. On the 26th they were at the mouth
of the Maumee, about twelve miles below Fort
Meigs, and two days later they landed on the
left bank of the river near old Fort Miami, and
established their main camp there.
" Captain Hamilton of the Ohio troops was
reconnoitring down the river with a small force
on the 28th, when he discovered the enemy
there in force. They were first seen by Peter
196 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
Navarre, one of Harrison's most trusty scouts.
Hamilton sent him in haste to Fort Meigs with
the news, and Harrison at once despatched him
with three letters one for Governor Meigs at
Urbana, one for Upper Sandusky, and one for
Lower Sandusky. Fort Meigs was quite strong
had intrenchments, pickets, several block-
houses, and a good supply of field-pieces; but
from the account he had had of the character
and strength of the enemy, Harrison considered
it in imminent peril. He knew that General
Clay was on his march with his Kentuckians,
and immediately after despatching Navarre
with his letters, he sent Captain William Oliver,
the commissary of the fort, and a brave, judi-
cious, and intelligent officer, with a verbal
message to Clay urging him to press forward
by forced marches.
" Oliver found General Clay at Defiance with
1200 Kentuckians. At St. Mary's blockhouse
Clay divided his brigade. He descended the
St. Mary himself with Colonel BoswelFs corps,
while Dudley went down the Auglaize.
" The two divisions were to meet at Defiance.
But before Dudley had reached that point he
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 197
heard of Harrison's perilous position at Fort
Meigs. A council of officers was called, and it
was resolved to send Harrison word that succor
was at hand. It was a very dangerous errand
and required someone who was well acquainted
with the country. Leslie Combs, a brave, pa-
triotic young man, whom Clay had commis-
sioned captain of a company of riflemen as spies
or scouts, volunteered to go.
" ' When we reach Fort Defiance/ he said, ' if
you will furnish me a good canoe, I will carry
your despatches to General Harrison, and re-
turn with his orders. I shall only require four
or five volunteers from my own company.' His
offer was joyfully accepted by Dudley. The
next morning, May 1, they reached Defiance,
and as soon as a canoe could be procured, Combs
and his companions Paxton, Johnson, and
two brothers named Walker started on their
perilous errand. They had with them also a
Shawnee warrior named Black Fish. He took
the helm, the other four the oars, while Combs
was at the bow in charge of the rifles and am-
munition.
"As they pushed off from Fort Defiance
198 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
there were cheers and sad adieus, for few
thought they would ever see them again. It
was a dangerous voyage; rain was falling fast
and the night was intensely dark. Combs was
determined to reach Fort Meigs before daylight
the next morning. They passed the rapids in
safety, but not till quite late in the morning,
and then heard heavy cannonading in the direc-
tion of the fort. That told them that the
siege had begun, which made an attempt to
reach the fort far more perilous than it would
otherwise have been.
" Combs had now a hard choice to make.
It would be prudent to go back, but would not
seem courageous, while to stay where they were
till the next night, or to go on at once, seemed
equally hazardous. But he was very brave and
soon came to a decision. ' We must go on,
boys/ he said; ' and if you expect the honor of
taking coffee with General Harrison this morn-
ing, you must work hard for it/
" He knew the weakness of the garrison and
feared it could not hold out long. Therefore
great was his joy when, on sweeping round
Turkey Point, at the last bend in the river, he
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 199
saw the Stripes and Stars waving over the be-
leaguered camp. His little company evinced
their delight by a suppressed shout. That was
a sad mistake, for, suddenly, a solitary Indian
appeared in the edge of the woods, and in an-
other moment a large body of them could be
seen in the gray shadows of the forest, running
eagerly to a point below to cut off Combs and
his party from the fort.
" He attempted to dart by them, when a vol-
ley of bullets wounded Paxton and Johnson
the latter mortally. The fire was returned with
effect, then the Shawnee turned the prow to
the opposite shore, and the voyagers left the
canoe and fled toward Defiance. They tried
to take Johnson and Paxton with them, but
found it impossible, so were compelled to leave
them to become captives.
" At the end of two days and two nights
Combs and Black Fish reached Defiance, where
they found Clay and his troops just arrived.
The "Walkers were there also, having fled more
swiftly than Combs and the Indian had been
able to because of their efforts to aid the flight
of the two wounded men. They had suffered
200 ELSIE ON TEE HUDSON.
terribly in their flight, and for a time Combs
was unable to take command of his company,
but he went down the river with the re-enforce-
ments and took an active part in the fight at
Fort Meigs.
" But, ah, here come others of our party, and
I must leave the rest of my story to be told
later in the day/' added the captain, turning to
greet Violet and his younger children, who at
that moment appeared upon the deck.
CHAPTER XI.
SHORTLY after breakfast, when the whole of
their little company had gathered beneath the
awning upon the deck, the captain resumed
his story, as all had expressed a desire to
hear it,
"On the morning of the 30th of April, 1813,"
he said, " the British had completed two bat-
teries nearly opposite Fort Meigs and mounted
their ordnance. On one there were two twenty-
four pounders, on the other three howitzers.
Well-directed round-shot from the fort had
struck some of their men while at work, but
neither that nor the drenching rain stopped
them.
" Harrison had been busy too. He addressed
his soldiers eloquently in a general order.
" i Can the citizens of a free country, who
have taken arms to defend its rights/ he said,
'think of submitting to an army composed of
mercenary soldiers, reluctant Canadians goaded
201
202 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
to the field by the bayonet, and of wretched,,
naked savages? Can the breast of an Ameri-
can soldier, when he casts his eye to the oppo-
site shore, the scene of his country's triumphs
over the same foe, be influenced by any other
feeling than the hope of glory? Is not this
army composed of the same materials as that
which fought and conquered under the immor-
tal Wayne? Yes, fellow soldiers, your general
sees your countenances beam with the same fire
that he witnessed on that glorious occasion; and
although it would be the height of presumption
to compare himself with that hero, he boasts of
being that hero's pupil. To your posts then,
fellow citizens, and remember that the eyes of
your country are upon you.'
" That general order was given on the
morning that the British made their appear-
ance, and when he saw that they were erecting
batteries on the opposite shore that would com-
mand his works, he directed his men to make a
traverse, or wall of earth, on the highest ground
through the middle of his camp. It had a base
of twenty feet, was three hundred yards long
and twelve feet high. While they were at the
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 205
work it was concealed by the tents, which when
it was finished were suddenly removed to its
rear.
" Then the British engineer perceived, to his
great mortification, that his labor had been
almost in vain. Instead of an exposed camp
from which Proctor had boasted that he would
soon smoke out the Yankees, meaning quickly
destroy it with shot and shell, he saw only an
immense shield of earth which hid the Ameri-
cans and thoroughly sheltered them.
" Proctor then changed his plans somewhat
and sent a considerable force of white men
under Captain Muir, and Indians under Te-
cumseh, to the eastern side of the river, under
.cover of the gunboats, to attack the fort in the-
rear.
"The British batteries were silent through the
night, but a gunboat, towed up the river near
the fort under cover of darkness, fired thirty
shots. The only effect, however, was an increase
of the vigilance of the Americans. The next
morning, though it was raining heavily, the
British opened a severe cannonade and bom-
bardment upon Fort Meigs, which they con-
204 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
tinned with slight intermissions for/ ahout five
days; but without doing much injury to the
fort or garrison.
" Occasionally our men returned the fire by
eighteen-pounders. But their supply of shot
for these and the twelve-pounders was very
small, and as they did not know how long the
siege might last, it was thought best to use
them very sparingly.
" The British seemed to have powder, balls,
and shells in great abundance, and they poured
a perfect storm of missiles not less than five
hundred upon the fort the first day and until
eleven o'clock at night."
" And was nobody hurt, papa? " asked Elsie.
" One or two of the garrison were killed," re-
plied her father, " and Major Stoddard of the
First Regiment, a soldier of the Revolution, was
so badly wounded by a shell that he died ten
days later of lockjaw.
" The British were building a third battery
on the other side of the river; they finished it
that night, and all the next day kept up a brisk
cannonade.
" Within the next twenty-four hours a fourth
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 205
battery was opened. The British had been
making mounds in the thickets near the angles
of the fort, and that night a detachment of
artillerists and engineers crossed the river and
mounted guns and mortars upon them. One
was a mortar batter} 7 , the other a three-gun
gun battery. The Americans had expected
something of the kind, and had raised traverses
in time to foil their enemy; and when toward
noon of the 3d the three cannon and the how-
itzers suddenly began firing upon the rear
angles of the fort, they did scarcely any
damage.
" A few shots by our men from their
eighteen-pounders soon silenced the gun bat-
tery, and the British hastily moved the cannon
and placed them near the ravine. During the
3d they hurled shot and shell steadily upon
the fort, but with so little effect that the be-
siegers grew discouraged, and on the 4th the
fire was not nearly so constant.
" Then Proctor sent Major Chambers with a
demand for the surrender of the fort, and Har-
rison promptly responded, f Tell General Proc-
tor that if he shall take the fort it will be under
206 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
curcumstances that will do him more honor
than a thousand surrenders/
" The cannonade from the fort was feeble
because of the scarcity of ammunition., but
the guns were admirably managed, and did good
execution at every discharge. Captain Wood
wrote, c "With plenty of it we should have blown
John Bull from the Miami.'
" The Americans showed their ability to keep
their foe at bay by frequently mounting the
ramparts, swinging their hats, and shouting de-
fiance at their besiegers. They were well sup-
plied with food and water and could afford to
spend time and weary their assailants by merely
defensive warfare.
" Still Harrison was anxious, thinking how
strong were the foe, and how Hull and Win-
chester had failed and suffered; he was looking
hourly and anxiously up the Maumee for the
hoped-for re-enforcements. Since Navarre and
Oliver went out he had heard nothing from
those whom he had expected to come to his aid.
But near midnight on the 4th, Captain Oliver,
Major Trimble, and 15 men who had come down
the river in a boat, made their way into the fort,
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 207
bringing the glad tidings that General Clay and
1100 Kentuckians would probably reach the
post before morning, being but eighteen miles
distant.
" The cannonading at Fort Meigs was dis-
tinctly heard at Fort Winchester, where Oliver
had found Clay on the 3d, and Clay was has-
tening as fast as possible to Harrison's aid,
moving down the river in eighteen flat scows,
with sides furnished with shields against the
bullets of the Indians who might be infesting
the shores of the river.
" The head of the rapids was eighteen miles
from Fort Meigs; it was late in the evening
when the flotilla arrived there; the moon had
gone down, and the sky was overcast with
clouds, making a night so intensely dark that
the pilot refused to go on before daylight.
Trimble and the 15 others then immediately
offered their services to go with Oliver to cheer
Harrison and his men with the news that re-
enforcements were almost at hand.
" It was joyful news to them. Harrison at
once despatched Captain Hamilton and a sub-
altern in a canoe with an order to Clay bidding
208 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
him detach about 800 men from his brigade and
land them at a point about a mile or a mile
and a half above Fort Meigs. The detachment
was then to be conducted to the British bat-
teries on the left bank of the river. These
batteries were to be taken, the cannon spiked,
and carriages cut down. The troops must then
return to the boats and cross over to the fort.
" The rest of his men were to land on the
fort side of the river, opposite the first landing,
and fight their way into the fort through the
Indians. Harrison knew that the British force
at the batteries was not large, the main body
being still near the old Fort Miami, and that
the bulk of the Indians with Tecumseh were on
the eastern side of the river. His object was
to strike effective blows on both sides of the
stream at the same time.
" While these orders of his were being carried
out, he intended to make a sally from the fort,
destroy the batteries in the rear, and disperse or
capture the whole British force on that side of
the river.
" Clay came down the river early the next
morning, and about five miles above the fort
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 209
Hamilton met him with Harrison's order.
Clay then directed Dudley to take the twelve
front boats and carry out Harrison's commands
in regard to the British batteries, while he
should hasfen forward and perform the part
assigned to him.
" Colonel Dudley landed his detachment in
fine order, and they gained the plain on which
Maumee City now stands, unseen by the enemy,
formed for marching in three parallel columns,
one led by Dudley, one by Major Shelby, the
other by Acting-Major Morrison. Captain
Combs with 30 riflemen, including 7 friendly
Indians, flanked in front fully a hundred yards
distant. Thus they moved through the woods
a mile and a half toward the British batteries,
which were still firing upon Fort Meigs.
" There was a prospect of capturing the
whole force, but Dudley had unfortunately
failed to inform his men of his exact plans, and
that was a fatal mistake. Shelby's column, ac-
cording to his orders, moved on to a point be-
tween the British batteries and their camp be-
low, when the right column, led by Dudley in
person, raised the horrid Indian yell, rushed
210 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
forward, charged with vehemence upon the
enemy, captured the heavy guns, and spiked
eleven of them without losing a man.
" At the same time the riflemen had been at-
tacked by the Indians, and, not having been told
that they were to fall back upon the main body,
thought it their duty to fight. That was a
fatal mistake, as the main object of the expedi-
tion was already fully accomplished, although
the batteries were not destroyed. The British
flag was pulled down, and as it reached the
earth loud huzzahs went up from Fort Meigs.
Harrison, who was watching from his chief bat-
tery, with intense interest, now signaled Dudley
to fall back to the boats and cross the river ac-
cording to his former orders.
" Probably Dudley did not see it, but he
did see the Indians in ambush attacking Combs
and his riflemen, and with a quick and generous
impulse ordered them to be re-enforced. In
response to that a great part of the right and
centre columns rushed into the woods in con-
siderable disorder, their colonel with them. It
did not matter much at first, for, though they
were undisciplined and disorderly, they soon
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 211
put the Indians to flight, thus relieving Combs
and his men; but, forgetting prudence, they
pursued the flying savages almost to the British
camp.
" When they started on that pursuit Shelby's
men still had possession of the batteries, but
the British artillerists, largely re-enforced, soon
returned and recaptured them, taking some of
the Kentuckians prisoners and driving the
others toward their boats. The Indians, too,
were re-enforced, came back, and fiercely at-
tacked Dudley and his men, who were in such
utter confusion that it was impossible to com-
mand them. Shelby had rallied those that
were left of his column and marched them to
Dudley's aid; but they only participated in the
confusion and flight. That became a precipi-
tate and disorderly rout, and the greater part of
Dudley's command were killed or captured.
Dudley himself was overtaken, tomahawked, and
scalped. Of the 800 who followed him from
the boats, only 170 escaped to Fort Meigs.
Captain Combs and his spies were among those
who were taken and marched to Fort Miami
as prisoners of war."
212 ELSIE ON TEE HUDSON.
" Oh, how dreadful it all was! " sighed Grace.
" I hope the other two parties had better suc-
cess."
" Yes/' her father said; " while what I have
just been telling you was taking place on the
left bank of the river, General Clay had tried to
land the six remaining boats under his com-
mand nearly opposite the spot where Dudley
had debarked with his; but the current, swollen
by the heavy rains, was very swift, and drove
five of them ashore. The sixth, in which were
General Clay and Captain Peter Dudley, with
fifty men, separated from the rest, kept the
stream, and finally landed on the eastern bank
of the river opposite to Hollister's Island.
There they were fired upon by round-shot from
the batteries opposite and by a crowd of In-
dians on the left flank of the fort.
" Clay and his party returned the attack of
the Indians with spirit, and reached the fort
without the loss of a man.
" Colonel Boswell's command landed near
Turkey Point. The same Indians who fired
upon Clay and his men now attacked these.
Boswell and his men marched boldly over the
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 213
low plain, fought the savages on the slopes and
brow of the high plateau most gallantly, and
reached the fort without much loss. He was
greeted with shouts of applause and thanks,
and met by a sallying party coming out to join
him in a prompt attack upon that portion of
the enemy whom he had just been fighting.
There was only a moment's delay. Then they
went out, fell upon the savages furiously, drove
them half a mile into the woods at the point of
the bayonet, and utterly routed them. So
zealous were the victors that they would in all
V
probability have made the same mistake that
poor Dudley did, had not Harrison, watching
them through a spyglass, on one of his batteries,
and seeing a body of British and Indians glid-
ing swiftly along the borders of the wood,
sent an aide to recall them. He the aide was
a gallant young fellow, and though he had a
horse shot under him, he succeeded in commu-
nicating the general's orders in time to enable
the detachment to return without much loss.
"Now General Harrison ordered a sortie
from the fort against the enemy's works on the
right, near the deep ravine. Three hundred
214 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
and fifty men were engaged in that, and behaved
with the greatest bravery. Lossing says, ' They
charged with the fiercest impetuosity upon the
motley foe, 850 strong, drove them from their
batteries at the point of the bayonet, spiked
their guns, and scattered them in confusion in
the woods beyond the ravine toward the site of
the present village of Perrysburg.' It was a
desperate fight, and Miller lost several of his
brave men. At one time Sebree's company
were surrounded by four times their number of
Indians, and their destruction seemed inevitable.
But Gwynne of the Nineteenth, seeing their
peril, rushed to their rescue with a part of
Elliot's company, and they were saved. The
victors returned to the fort, having accomplished
their object, and bringing with them 43 pris-
oners. They were followed by the enemy, who-
had rallied in considerable force. After that
day's fighting, the siege of Fort Meigs was vir-
tually abandoned by Proctor. He was much
disheartened, and his Indian allies deserted
him; the Canadian militia did likewise."
" Was Tecumseh one of the deserters, papa? "
asked Lucilla,
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 215
"No; but probably it was only his commis-
sion and pay as a brigadier in the British Army
that kept him from being one. He had hated
General Harrison intensely since the battle of
Tippecanoe, in 1811, and was to have had him
at this time as his peculiar trophy. He had
been promised that, and the territory of Michi-
gan had been promised his brother, the Prophet,
as a reward for his services in the capture of
Tort Meigs.
" Beside all these discouraging things, news
came to Proctor that Fort George, on the
Niagara frontier, was in the hands of the Ameri-
cans and that the little army of Fort Meigs was
soon to be re-enforced from Ohio. He saw noth-
ing before him but the capture or dispersion
of his troops should he remain, therefore he
resolved to flee. But, to conceal that inten-
tion, and in order that he might move off with
safety, he again sent a demand for the surren-
. f
der of the fort.
" Harrison regarded it as an intended insult,
and requested that it should not be repeated.
Proctor attempted to take away with him his
unharmed cannon, but a few shots from Fort
216 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
Meigs caused him to desist and go without
them. One of his gunboats, in return, fired,
killing several of our men. Among them was
Lieutenant Bobert Walker, of the Pittsburgh
Blue?, who was buried within the fort, and his
grave may still be seen there, marked by a
plain, rough stone with a simple inscription
'Lieutenant Walker, May 9, 1813.'
" Papa, did the British carry off those of our
men they had taken prisoners? " asked Elsia
" Yes; and allowed the savages to rob, ill-
treat, and butcher them in the most horrible
manner. At Fort Miami they shot, toma-
tf
hawked and scalped more than 20, besides hay-
ing murdered and plundered many on the way.
" It was Tecumseh who at last stopped the
fiendish work, though not till after more than
40 had fallen. And this horrible work was
done in the presence of General Proctor, Colo-
nel Elliot, and other officers, as well as the
British guard. They made them run the
gauntlet for a distance of forty or fifty feet,
killing or maiming them as they went, with
pistols, war-clubs, scalping knives, and toma-
hawks. In that way nearly, if not quite, as
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 217
many were slaughtered as were killed in
battle. When those who still remained alive
had got within the fort, the savages raised
the war-whoop, and began reloading their
guns with the evident intention of resum-
ing their horrid onslaught on the defenceless
prisoners, when Tecumseh, being told of what
was going on, hurried to the fort as fast as his
horse could carry him. ' Where is General
Proctor? ' he demanded; then seeing him near,
he asked why he had not put a stop to the
massacre. 'Your Indians cannot be com-
manded/ replied Proctor, trembling with fear
at the rage he saw in the chief's countenance.
' Begone! ' retorted Tecumseh in disdain.
1 You are not fit to command; go and put on
petticoats.'
" Was Proctor pleased with that answer,
papa? " asked Ned, with a look of amusement.
"I think not greatly," replied the captain.
" Tecumseh was much disappointed over their
failure to take Fort Meigs, and urged Proctor
to try again. Proctor did not feel willing, but
at length, near the end of June, he consented,
and they began making arrangements to do so.
218 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
"About that time a Frenchman who had
been taken prisoner with Dudley's men escaped
from the British, fled to Fort Meigs, and told
Clay of the threatened danger. Clay at once
sent word to Harrison, who was at Franklinton,
and to Governor Meigs, at Chillicothe.
" Harrison believed it was the weaker posts
of Lower Sandusky, Erie, or Cleveland, rather
than Fort Meigs, they intended to attack. He
ordered troops under Colonel Anderson, then
at Upper Sandusky, to go at once to Lower
Sandusky; also Major Croghan, with a part of
the Seventeenth, and Colonel Ball with his
squadron of cavalry. He had just held an im-
portant council with the Shawnee, Wyandot,
Delaware, and Seneca Indians at his head-
quarters at Franklinton. Circumstances had
made him doubt their fidelity, and he required
them to take a determined stand for or against
the Americans; to remove their families into the
interior, or the warriors must go with him in
the ensuing campaign and fight for the United
States.
" Their spokesman assured the general of
their unflinching friendship, and that the war-
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
riors were anxious to take part in the campaign.
Then Harrison told them he would let them
know what he wanted of them. ' But/ he said,
' you must conform to our mode of warfare.
You are not to kill defenceless prisoners, old
men, women, or children. By your good con-
duct I shall be able to tell whether the British
can restrain their Indians when they wish to
do so/
" Then he told them of Proctor's promise to-
deliver him into the hands of Tecumseh, and
added jestingly, e Now if I can succeed in tak-
ing Proctor, you shall have him for your pris-
oner, provided you will treat him as a squaw, and
only put petticoats upon him, for he must be
a coward who would kill a defenceless prisoner/
" Harrison followed Colonel Anderson and
his regiment, and, learning from scouts that
numerous Indians were seen on the lower
Maumee, he selected 300 men to make a forced
march to Fort Meigs. He arrived there him-
self on the 28th, and sent Colonel Johnson to
make a reconnoisance toward the Eaisin to pro-
cure intelligence. Johnson went, and brought
back word that there was no immediate danger
220 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
of the enemy coming against Fort Meigs in
force. Satisfied of that, Harrison left Fort
Meigs to attend to duty at other points.
" That was on the 1st of July. Late in that
month the British had fully 2500 Indians col-
lected on the banks of the Detroit. These,
with the motley force he had already there,
made an army of fully 5000 men. Early in
July hands of Indians had begun to appear in
the vicinity of Fort Meigs, seizing every oppor-
tunity for killing and plundering. Tecumseh.
had become very restless and impatient; want-
ing to go on the warpath, especially when he
saw so many of his countrymen ready for it^
and he demanded that another attempt should
be made to capture Fort Meigs. He made a
plan for the attack, and proposed it to Proctor.
"It was that the Indians should be landed
several miles below the fort, march through the
woods to the road leading from the Maumee to
Lower Sandusky, in the rear of Fort Meigs, and
there engage in a sham . fight. That, he
thought, would give the troops in the fort the
idea that re-enforcements were coming to them
and had been attacked. Then the garrison
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 221
would sally forth to aid their friends, and
would at once be attacked in their turn by In-
dians lying in ambush, while the other Indians
would rush into the fort and take possession be-
fore the gates could be closed.
" Proctor consented, thinking it a good plan.
On the 20th of July he and Tecumseh appeared
with their 5000 men at the mouth of the
Maumee. General Clay sent a messenger to
Harrison with that news. Harrison was doubt-
ful whether it was Fort Meigs or Fort Steph-
enson they meant to attack, so removed his
quarters to Seneca Town, from which he could
co-operate with either. There he commenced
fortifying his camp, and was soon joined by
450 United States troops and several officers,
while another detachment was approaching
with 500 regulars from Fort Massac on the
Ohio River.
" On the afternoon of the 25th of July Te-
cumseh and Proctor tried their plan. The
British concealed themselves in the ravine just
below Fort Meigs; the Indians took their sta-
tion on the Sandusky road; and at sunset they
began their sham fight. It was so spirited, and
222 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
accompanied by such terrific yells, that the gar-
rison thought their commander-in-chief must
be coming with re-enforcements and that he
was attacked by the Indians; and they were
very anxious to go out to his aid.
" But Clay was too wise to be taken in. A
messenger who had just returned from a second
errand to Harrison had had hairbreadth escapes
from the Indians swarming in the woods; there-
fore, though Clay could not account for the
firing, he felt certain that no Americans were
taking part in the fight. Officers of high rank
demanded permission to lead their men to the
aid of their friends, and the troops seemed
almost ready to mutiny because they were not
permitted to go. But Clay remained firm; and
well it was for them that he did.
" A few cannon shot were hurled from the
fort in the direction of the supposed fight, and
a heavy shower of rain came up. That put an
end to the fighting, and all was as quiet as
usual about Fort Meigs that night.
" Tecumseh's stratagem had failed, and as he
and Proctor were ignorant of the strength of
the garrison, they thought it best not to try an
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 223
assault. They lingered in the neighborhood
for some thirty hours, then withdrew to the old
encampment near Fort Miami; and soon after-
ward the British embarked with their stores,,
and sailed for Sandusky Bay with the inten-
tion of attacking Fort Stephenson.
" The Indians were to assist in the attack^
and a large number marched across the coun-
try for that purpose.
" Clay quickly despatched a messenger to*
Harrison with all this information. But I have
already told you of the attack upon Fort
Stephenson, and of its brave defence.
"Yes, papa; and it was very interesting,"
said Elsie. " Have we far to go now to get to
Fort Meigs? and is it just as it was when Harri-
son and his men were there? '
" We may hope to get there soon/' replied
the captain; "as it is only eight miles above
Toledo, and we are nearing that place now.
But we shall find only ruins."
" Oh, papa, what a pity! " exclaimed Ned.
" Not a very great pity, I think," said his
father. " It is not needed now, and I hope
will not be ever again."
224 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
" I hope that famous elm tree is there yet,"
remarked Grandma Elsie.
" I do not know," replied the captain. " But
probably it is."
" Oh, what about it, papa? " asked Elsie; and
her father answered, " At the beginning of the
siege all the water the garrison needed had to
be taken from the river. The elm tree was on
the opposite side of the river, and the Indians
used to climb up and hide themselves in its
thick foliage and from there fire across at the
water carriers. In that way they killed several
of our men. Then the Kentucky riflemen fired
at them; and it is said that not less than 6 of
them were struck and fell to the ground out of
that tree."
"Why didn't our men dig a well?' asked
Ned.
" It seems they did afterward, for the place is
spoken of as having had a well at the time of
the political campaign of 1840, when Harrison
was elected President of the United States."
They were now entering the Maumee Bay,
and the talk ceased, as all wished to gaze about
upon the new scenes as they passed through the
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 225
bay and up the river. They visited the ruins of
Fort Meigs, then took carriages and drove three
miles up to Presqu' Isle Hill, alighted there,
and wandered over the battlefield of the Fallen
Timber.
By tea-time they were again on board the
Dolphin, which lay at anchor through the
night in Maumee Bay. It was a delightful
evening, clear and slightly cool on the water,
the stars shining, and a gentle breeze stirring;
and they sat upon the deck for an hour or
more.
" Where are we going to-morrow, papa? '
asked Grace in a pause in the conversation,
which had been running upon the scenes and
adventures of the day.
" To Erie, to view it as the scene of some of
Commodore Perry's doings if that plan suits
the wishes of those present," returned her
father. " What do you say, mother? '
" That I highly approve," answered Mrs.
Travilla's sweet voice.
"As no doubt we all do," added Mrs. Lil-
burn.
" Yes," said her husband " even to the one
226 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
who may be suspected of belonging to the
British side. But what doings there have you
-to tell of, captain?'
" It was there that Perry's fleet was made
ready for the celebrated Battle of Lake Erie,"
said Captain Eaymond "Perry's victory was
won September 10, 1813."
"Just a few weeks after the fight at Fort
Stephenson," remarked Lucilla.
"Yes," said her father; "and at that time
the fleet was nearly ready. What we now speak
of as Erie was then called Presqu' Isle. The
harbor is a large bay, one of the finest on the
lake. A low, sandy peninsula juts out some
five miles into the lake. It has sometimes been
an island, when storms have cleft its neck; and
it was a barren sand bank, though now it has a
growth of timber upon it. In Perry's time the
harbor was a difficult one to enter, by reason of
having a tortuous channel, shallow and ob-
structed by sand bars and shoals."
" Was Erie a city at the time Perry's fleet was
built there, papa? " asked Grace.
"No; only an insignificant village, hardly
twenty years old; and there were many miles of
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 227
wilderness, or very thinly populated country,
between it and the larger settlements. All the
supplies for our men, except the timber for the
vessels, had to be brought from a distance, with
great labor."
" Captain, was it not at Erie that General
Wayne died?" asked Grandma Elsie.
" Yes," he said. " In 1794 General Wayne
established a small garrison there and caused a
blockhouse to be built at the lake shore of Gar-
rison Hill. He returned there after his victory
over the Indians in the Maumee Valley, and
/ f
occupied a loghouse near the blockhouse, where
he died of gout. At his own request he was
buried at the foot of the flag-staff."
" Is his grave there now, papa? " asked Elsie.
"No," replied the captain; "his remains were
removed to Pennsylvania in 1809. The first
building there was a French fort, supposed to
have been erected in 1749. I think some of its
remains ramparts and ditches are still to be
seen upon a point overlooking the entrance to
the harbor. When Canada became an English
possession the fort was allowed to go to decay."
"Why, papa?" asked Ned.
228 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
" Because it was no longer needed, my son.
The blockhouse built by General Wayne fell
into decay and was replaced by a new one in
the winter of 1813-14, and a second one was
built on the point of the peninsula of Presqu'
Isle. The old one was burned by some mis-
chievous person in 1853."
" Well, my dear, I highly approve of your ex-
pressed intention to take us to Erie to-morrow,"
said Violet in a lively tone, as the captain
seemed to have come to the end of his account.
" I am sure that I for one shall be greatly inter-
ested in everything there connected with the
past history of our country."
All present seemed to be of the same opin-
ion, and before separating for the night every
arrangement was made for an early start next
morning.
The yacht was again in motion at an early
hour even before any of her passengers were
out of their beds. The sun had not yet ap-
peared above the horizon when the captain was
joined upon the deck by Percy Landreth.
"Ah, good-morning, Percy," he said in his
usual pleasant tones. " Showing yourself so
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 229
early a bird makes me fear you have not found
your berth as comfortable a couch as could be
desired."
" But it is surely none too early for a per-
fectly healthy fellow to be out, and I was anx-
ious to see the sun rise. I never have seen it
come up out of the water."
" Then I advise you to gaze steadily east-
ward, and you will see it apparently do that in
five minutes or less."
Captain Eaymond had a strong suspicion that
the beautiful sight they presently witnessed was
not all the young man had joined him for at
that early hour, so he was not surprised when
the next moment Percy, turning a rather
flushed, embarrassed face toward him, said en-
treatingly, " Captain, I am sure you are a very
kind-hearted man; will you not remove your
prohibition of two years ago, and let me tell
Miss Lu how I admire and love her? '
" Better not, my young friend," returned the
captain pleasantly. " Believe me, you would
gain nothing by it, even were her father will-
ing to let her listen to such protestations and
engage herself while she is still so young."
230 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
"Then she is still free?' Percy asked, hia
countenance brightening somewhat.
"Yes heart and hand; and I hope will re-
main so for some years to come."
" That is some consolation, captain; and it
is a great pleasure to be with her, even in the
presence of others, and though prohibited to.
say a word in my own behalf."
" Try to have patience, my young friend," re-
turned the captain, still speaking in a kindly
tone; " you are young yet, and though you can-
not believe it possible now, the time may come
when you will see some other maiden who will
be even more attractive to you than my little
girl is now."
" I do not know how to believe it, sir," sighed:
Percy; but at that moment the approach of a
light footstep put a sudden end to their talk.
" Good-morning, father, and Percy too !
Why, you are out unusually early, are you
not? " Lucilla exclaimed, holding out a hand to
him. " Is it haste to catch the first glimpse of
Erie not lake but city that has brought you
on deck so soon ? "
"Not only that, Miss Lu; it is a delightful
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 231
time for being on deck the sunrise was very
beautiful/' he said, taking the pretty hand for
an instant, and giving it a friendly squeeze;
" but you are a trifle too late for that."
" Yes," she said; " but I have seen it a num-
ber of times, and may hope to see it many times
more on the waters of lakes or oceans."
" I hope you may," he returned pleasantly.
" I wish with all my heart that every sort
of enjoyment may be yours now and
always."
" Very kind of you," she said with a smile;
" but I doubt if it would be best for me to be
always free from every sort of trial and trouble.
Papa," turning to him, " shall we have our
usual stroll back and forth upon the deck
Percy joining us, if he wishes?'
" Yes," her father answered, drawing her
hand within his arm; and the three paced back
and forth, chatting pleasantlv on the ordinary
topics of the day .till joined by the other mem-
bers of their party and summoned to the break-
fast table.
There was no disappointment in the visit to
Erie; it proved quite as interesting as any one
232 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
of the party had anticipated; the return voyage
was delightful. They anchored for the night in
the near vicinity jof the island where they had
landed on first coming to the neighborhood,
and whence they received their daily mail.
CHAPTEE XII.
"I WONDER if Walter won't be joining us
soon? " Lucilla remarked to her father as they
walked the deck together the next morning.
" Probably. I should not be surprised to
see him at any time," the captain said in reply.
" I have sent in for the early mail, and why
here comes the boat now; and see who are
in it! "
"Walter and Evelyn! Oh, how glad I am!
I don't know how often I have wished she was
with us."
" I knew you did, and that you like pleasant
surprises, so decided to let this be one."
The boat was already alongside of the
yacht, and the next moment its passengers
were on deck, the two girls hugging and kiss-
ing each other and laughing with delight.
"Now, isn't it my turn, Eva?' 1 queried the
captain as they released each other. " Surely
I may claim the privilege, since a year or two
233
234 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
ago you and I agreed to be brother and sister to
each other."
" Yes, sir," laughed Evelyn, making no effort
to escape the offered caress.
"And, Lu, as I'm your father's brother I
suppose you and I may exchange the same sort
of greeting," laughed Walter, giving it as he
spoke.
" Well, you have helped yourself; but I do
not see any exchange about it," laughed Lucilla;
" but, considering your youth, I excuse you for
this once."
" As I do also," said the captain. " It isn't
every young man I should allow to kiss my
daughter; but youth and relationship may claim
privileges. Lu, show Eva to her stateroom and
see that she has whatever she wants. Walter,
the one you occupied last is vacant, and you are
welcome to take possession of it again."
" Thank you; I shall be glad to do so," re-
turned Walter, following the girls down the
companion-way.
" Quite a mail, I think, this morning, sir,"
remarked a sailor, handing the captain the mail
bag.
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 235
Captain Raymond looked over the contents,
and found, besides his own, one or more letters
for each of his passengers. It was nearing the
breakfast hour, and he distributed the letters
after all had taken their places at the table.
They were a bright and cheerful party, every-
one rejoicing in the arrival of Eva and Walter,
the latter of whom had been spending some
weeks among the Adirondacks with college-
mates, then had joined Evelyn shortly before
the last of the family left Crag Cottage, and
undertaken to see her safely to the Dolphin on
Lake Erie.
" As I expected, I am summoned home," said
Percy Landreth, looking up from a letter he
was reading; " and I am bidden to bring you
all with me, if I can by any means persuade you
to take the trip. I wish vou would all accept
the invitation. I can assure you that every-
thing possible will be done to prove that we
esteem you the most welcome and honored of
guests. Cousin Elsie, surely you and Aunt
Annis will not think of refusing to spend with
us at least a small portion of the time you have
allotted for vour summer vacation ? "
236 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
" Certainly I mast go with you," said Annis;
" those relations are too near and dear to be
neglected. My husband will go with me, I
know; and you too, Cousin Elsie, will you not?"
" I feel strongly inclined to do so," returned
Mrs. Travilla, " and to take the children and
grandchildren with me. "What do you say to
it, captain? '
" It seems to me, mother, that for all of us
to go would make & rather large party for our
friends to entertain, hospitable as I know them
to be," he replied. "Also, there are reasons
why I think it would be well for me to remain
here on the yacht, keeping Eva, Lu, and Grace
for my companions. I flatter myself that I
shall be able to give them a pleasant time dur-
ing the week or two that the rest of you may
be absent."
" And you will let me help you in that, sir? '
Walter said inquiringly.
" No; my idea was to commit your mother
and my wife and children to your care yours
and Cousin Ronald's. He must not have too
much of that put upon him."
" Seeing he has grown too auld to be trusted
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
wi' wark in that line, eh, captain?*' remarked
Mr. Lilburn in a tone of inquiry.
" Old enough to reasonably expect to be
allowed to take his ease, and let women and
children be cared for by younger men/' re-
turned the captain pleasantly.
" Such as I, for instance," laughed Walter.
" Mother, dear, I hope you feel willing to trust
me; and that Vi does also."
" My dear boy, I am entirely willing to trust
you to do anything in your power for me and
any of our dear ones," Grandma Elsie answered
with a loving look and smile into her son's-
eyes.
" And on the journey to Pleasant Plains I
shall certainly do my best for you all, Cousin
Elsie," said Percy. " But, captain, surely the
yacht could do without her owner and his over-
sight for a fortnight or so. And we can find
room for you all; there are several families of
us, you must remember, and each of our homes,
has at least one guest room."
" And you are all very hospitable, I know,"
returned the captain pleasantly. "Perhaps at
some other time I may put that to the proof,.
238 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
but there are reasons why it does not seem quite
advisable to do so now." The tone of the last
words was so decided that Percy did not think
it advisable to urge the matter any further, and
in a few minutes it was settled that the cap-
tain's plan in regard to who should compose the
jparty to go to Pleasant Plains, and who the one
to remain on the yacht, should be carried out.
Evidently the young girls were well satisfied
with the decision. They had had enough
travel by rail for the present, and life on the
Dolphin would be decidedly restful and enjoy-
able, for they were delightful companions, the
captain was the best and kindest of protectors
and providers, and there was abundance of
interesting reading matter at hand in the shape
of books and periodicals.
Percy was much disappointed, but did his
best to conceal it, which was the easier because
the others were much taken up with the
necessarily hasty preparations for the little trip.
" I don't want to go without my papa," Ned
said stoutly at first.
" But papa thinks he can't go, and it is for
.only a little while, you know," reasoned his
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON 239-
mother. "We expect to come back to papa
and sisters in a few days."
" But, mamma, why don't you and I stay
with him? It's nice here on our yacht and
going about to new places 'most every day."
" So it is, son, but it will be pleasant to see
those relatives who have invited us to their
homes, and to refuse to accept their invitation
would not seem kind."
" But papa does refuse."
" Yes; he must have some good reason which
he has not told us."
" Papa is going to take care of the yacht, and
of Eva and our sisters," said Elsie, joining in
the talk.
They were in their stateroom, Violet putting
together such articles of clothing as she
thought best to take with them on their little
trip.
"But who'll take care of us?' demanded
Ned.
"Uncle Walter, Cousin Eonald, and Cousin
Percy. I'd rather have papa than all of them
put together, but our Heavenly Father will take
care of us, and that is better still."
240 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
" Yes, daughter; He will take the best of care
of all who put their trust in him; and without
his help no earthly creature can keep you from
harm," said their father's voice close at hand;
and, looking round, they saw him standing in
the doorway.
" Yes, papa; and I'm so glad to know it," re-
sponded Elsie. " But I do wish you were going
along with us to visit those cousins."
" As I do, my dear," said Violet.
" Thank you. I should like it myself, but
for certain reasons it seems advisable and best
for me to stay behind. Vi, my dear, let me do
that packing for you."
The train they had decided to take left early
in the afternoon, and they were busy with their
preparations until almost the last moment;
then they bade the young girls a hasty good-by
and left them on the deck, where the captain
presently rejoined them, after seeing the
departing ones safely on the train and
watching it for a moment as it sped rapidly on
its way.
" And they are off, are they, father? Well,
I hope they will all enjoy themselves greatly,
ELSIE ON TEE HUDSON. 241
but I am glad we are left here with you/' Lu-
cilla said as he rejoined their little group.
"Yes, I saw them off. I hope their visit
will prove very enjoyable to them all, and that
our stay here will be equally enjoyable to us."
" That is what we are all anticipating, cap-
tain," said Evelyn. " I don't know where in
the world I should rather pass the next few
weeks than on the Dolphin with you and these
dear girls for company."
" That is pleasant news for us," he returned
in kindly tones. " And now what can I do for
your entertainment? I am ready to consider
suggestions from each of you."
" Don't you think we should take Eva to
visit the different islands in this group, papa? '
queried Grace.
" Certainly; if she would like to go."
" Very much indeed," said Eva; " I know I
shall enjoy going any- and every-where that
you may be pleased to take me, or just staying
on the yacht lying in one place, if that suits
the rest of you."
" We will try that occasionally by way of
variety," the captain said with a smile. " Shall
242 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
we not do that for the rest of this day, as it is
now almost dinner time, then start off for
some other point shortly after breakfast to-
morrow morning?'
" Oh, yes, sir! " they all exclaimed; Grace
adding, " And, papa, won't you take us to
Gibraltar? It is so picturesque that I think it
is worth visiting several times."
" Yes, and so are some of the other islands.
We will visit any or all of them as many times
as you wish."
"Well," said Lucilla, "with taking those
little trips now and then, and having books,
work, needlework I mean, games, and music,
I think it will be strange should we find time
hang heavy on our hands."
"Yes, indeed," said Evelyn with a sigh of
contentment; " I am not in the least afraid of
any such calamity."
They talked on, planning various little excur-
sions to one and another of the islands and
different points of interest upon the mainland,
till summoned to their meal.
"It seems a trifle lonely," Grace remarked
as they took their seats about the table.
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 243
"Yes," said her father, "but considering
how much our absentees are probably enjoying
themselves, we won't mind that for a few
days."
"Indeed," said Lucilla, "though I shall be
glad to see them come back, I think it is
really quite delightful to have papa all to our-
selves for a few days."
" And for papa to have these young girls all
to himself, eh?" laughed the captain. "Well,
I won't deny it; and I fully expect the girls to
make their companionship quite delightful to
me/
* I think we will all do our best in that line,"
said Evelyn. " It would be strange indeed if
we didn't, when you are so very good and kind
to us."
" No better, I think, than almost any other
gentleman would be in my place," he returned
pleasantly. " Now let me help you to some of
this fowl. I hope to see you all do full justice
to what is set before you."
" If we don't, it will not be the fault of the
fare, I am sure," said Evelyn. "Judging by
the meals I have taken on board of this vessel,
244 ELSIE ON TEE HUDSON.
she must have both a good caterer and an excel-
lent cook."
"We have both," said Lucilla emphatically.
" Yes," said Grace. " I wish we could share
this dinner with our dear folks who left us a
while ago; though perhaps they are getting just
as good a meal at Pleasant Plains."
" Yes," said her father, " if all has gone well
with them and their train, they are there by
this time; and, from what I have heard of the
housekeeping of the relatives there, I presume
they have been, or will be, set down to as good
a meal as this."
" Oh, yes, of course," said Grace; " and that
was a very foolish wish of mine. Papa, how
shall we spend this evening? '
"I leave that to the decision of my daugh-
ters and their guest," he replied. " I shall be
happy to do my best to entertain you in any
way that may suit your inclinations."
" What may be yours, Eva? Please tell us,"
said Lucilla.
" I hardly know what to choose," said Eve-
lyn. " Several delightful ways of passing the
time have been already spoken of, and I should
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 245
enjoy any one of them. I hope you will give
us some of your music; and if the captain feels
inclined to spin us one of his sailor yarns, that
would be enjoyable; and I presume a promenade
on the deck would be good exercise, helping us
to sleep well afterward."
" A very good programme," remarked the
captain as she concluded. " I think we will
carry it out."
They did so, and, when about to separate for
the night, agreed it had been a success, the time
having passed very pleasantly.
The next morning found them all in good
health and spirits, and the day was spent in
little excursions among the islands. The even-
ing brought a mail in which was a letter from
Yiolet to her husband, telling of the safe ar-
rival of her mother, herself, and the other
members of their party at their destination, the
warm welcome they had received, and the pros-
pect that the few days of their proposed so-
journ among the relatives of Pleasant Plains
would be passed most agreeably. " There is
only one drawback to my enjoyment," she
added; " I cannot feel quite content without my
246 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
husband; and I miss the dear girls too. So I
am glad this visit is to be but a short one."
The captain read the greater part of the let-
ter aloud to Eva and his daughters.
"I too am glad their visit is to be short/*
remarked Grace as he finished, "for I don't
like to be without them, though we are having
a very delightful time here with our dear, kind
father to take care of us and find so many
pleasant amusements for us."
" Ah! " he said with a smile. " Where would
you like to go to-morrow? '
They discussed the question for a while, and
at length decided to visit some of the islands
that had been neglected thus far. Then they
went on to plan an outing for each weekday of
the time they expected the rest of their party
to be absent. These they carried out success-
fully; and each day's mail brought them a
graphic report from Violet's pen of the doings
among their friends and relatives in Pleasant
Plains.
Several family parties were gotten up for
their entertainment, and at one of them Cousin
Honald, at "Walter's urgent request, exerci&ed
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 247
his skill in ventriloquism, to the great surprise
and delight of the younger folk.
They were quite a large company, assembled
in the parlors of Dr. Landreth's house, just
after leaving the tea-table. Presently a buzz-
ing bee seemed to be flying about among them,
now circling around the head of one person and
now flying above that of another. They invol-
untarily tried to dodge it, and sent searching
glances here and there in the vain effort to see
just what and where it was. It could not be
seen. Presently it was no longer heard, and
someone said, " We are rid of it, I think; it
seems to have gone out of the window."
But the words were scarcely spoken when
there was a scream from the porch, " Oh, I'm
stung! and the bee's on me yet! Somebody
come and take it off! '
At that the doctor, Walter, and Percy rushed
out in response to the entreaty. But the bee's
victim seemed to have vanished with wonder-
ful celerity. The porch was entirely deserted.
" Gone! gone already! who can she have
been?' exclaimed Percy, glancing about in
.great surprise.
248 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
"I cannot imagine," said the doctor; then
catching sight of Walter's face, which told of
surpressed mirthfulness, a sudden recollection
came to him; and he added, " Ah, I think I
understand it," turned, and went back into the
parlor.
" Who was it? " asked several voices.
" Nobody, apparently," answered the doctor
with a smile; and Percy added, " She had
strangely disappeared."
" Well," said a rough voice, seemingly com-
ing from the hall, " if I was a doctor, and a
poor woman got badly stung right here in my
own house, d'ye think I wouldn't do somethin'*
fur her? "
" Bring her in here, and I will do what I can
for her," replied the doctor.
"Hello here, Bet!" called the voice; "I say, go
right along in thar and see what he'll do fur ye."
" What '11 he do? p'raps hurt me worse than
the bee has?' snarled a sharp, disagreeable
voice. " I guess I won't resk it."
" All right then, Bet, let's go," said the other
voice; "'taint our way to stay long where we
git nothin' but stings."
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 24*
A sound as of shuffling footsteps followed,
then all was still.
Some of the children and young people ran
to the door and windows, hoping to catch sight
of the strange couple, but were surprised that
they could see nothing of them.
But the bee seemed to have come in again,
a-nd to be buzzing all about the room now up
near the ceiling, now down about the ears of
one and another of the company. There were
dodgings and curious glances here and there,
exclamations of surprise that the creature was
not to be seen as well as heard, till their atten-
tion was taken from it by the furious barking
of a dog, seemingly on the porch, and mingled
with it screams of pain and terror in a childish
voice; cries of " Oh, take him off! he's biting
me! Oh, oh, he'll kill me! Oh, come quick,
somebody, before he kills me! '
Several of the gentlemen present sprang up
and rushed out to the rescue, but found all
quiet on the porch and neither child nor dog
in sight.
For a moment they looked at each other in
surprise and perplexity, then a sudden recollec-
250 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
tion of Cousin Ronald's powers came to one and
another, a little amused laugh was exchanged,,
and they returned to the parlor, looking very
grave and as much mystified as even the young-
est present.
"Why, who was it? and where did she go-
to?" asked one of the little girls.
" She was not to be found; nor was the dog,"
replied Percy. " They seem to have got away
very quickly."
"Well, I wish I knew who she was, and
whether the dog is after her yet," said Don, his
younger brother. " I think I'll go out to the
street and see if they are anywhere in sight."
" 'Tisn't worth while, little chap; you'll not
find 'em," said a voice from the hall which
sounded very much like the one that had spoken
first.
"Is it your doing? did you bring that dog
here?' 1 asked the lad, jumping up and going
toward the door.
"Yes," said the voice; "but you needn't
worry; she wasn't hurt, though she did do sich
tall screamin'. That was jist fer fun and to
scare you folks."
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 251
" Who are you, anyhow? " asked Don; " and
why don't you show yourself? You neither
act nor talk like a gentleman."
"Don't I?" asked the voice, ending with a
coarse laugh.
" I wouldn't go out there if I were you, little
boy; that fellow might do you some harm,"
said a pleasant voice that seemed to come from
a far corner of the room.
Don turned to see who was the speaker, but
there was no stranger to be seen, and the voice
had certainly not been a familiar one.
"Why," exclaimed the little fellow, "who
said that? What's the matter here to-night,
that we hear so many folks that we can't see? '
As he spoke, a low whine, that sounded as if
made by a young puppy, seemed to come from
his pocket. With a startled jump and excla-
mation, " Oh, how did it get in there? ' he
clapped his hand upon his pocket. "Why
why, it isn't there! Where is it?' he cried,
turning round and round, looking down at his
feet, then farther away under chairs and tables.
"I can't find it," he said presently, looking
much bewildered. " Grandpa, I never saw
252 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
such things happen in your house before no,
nor anywhere else. What's the matter with
me? am I going blind? '
" No, my boy," said the doctor, " we all seem
to be as blind as yourself hearing people talk
but not able to see them."
" None so blind as those that won't see," re-
marked the voice that had spoken last, but this
time coming apparently from the doorway.
" Here I am, and you are welcome to look at
me as closely as you please."
A sudden fierce bark from their very midst
seemed to answer her. It was so sudden and
sharp that everyone started, and some of the
children screamed.
" Nero, be quiet, sir, and walk right out
here," said the voice from the hall, and it was
answered by a low growl; then all was silent.
"Why, where did he go? and why couldn't
we see him? " asked one of the little ones.
" Perhaps we might if we knew where to look
and what to look for," said Violet with a smil-
ing glance at Cousin Ranald.
" But where's that little pup that was in my
pocket? " cried Don, as if with sudden reeolleo
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 253
tion, and glancing about the floor. "I can't
see how in the world he got there, nor how he
got out again."
Just as he finished his sentence the puppy's
whine was heard, seeming to come from behind
the large armchair in which Cousin Konald was
seated.
"There he is now!' cried Don. "I wish
he'd come out of that corner and let us all see
him."
" Perhaps he will if you invite him/' said the
old gentleman, rising and pushing his chair a
little to one side.
Don made haste to look behind it. " Why,
there's nothing there! " he cried. " What does
go with the little scamp ? '
" Perhaps he's afraid of you, Don, so gets out
of sight as fast as possible," said Percy.
" Then why did he get in my pocket? " asked
Don; then added quickly, " But maybe he
wasn't there, for I couldn't find him, though I
clapped my hand on it the instant I heard his
whine." Just then the whine, followed by a
little bark, seemed to come from the farther
side of the room, and the children hurried over
254 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
there to make a vain search for the strangely
invisible puppy.
" Where did it go to? " they asked. " How
could it get away so fast? and without anybody
seeing it? '
" Well, it isn't here, that's certain/' said one.
" Let's look in the hall."
They rushed out there, then out to the porch,
looking searchingly about everywhere, but find-
ing nothing.
" Oh, it must have got away into the
grounds," cried one. " Let's look there," and
they ran down the path to the gate, off across
and around the grounds some in one direc-
tion, some in another. But it took only a few
minutes to satisfy them that no little dog was
there; and they trooped back to the house to
report their inability to find it.
They were all talking at once, discussing
their failure in eager, excited tones, when again
that strange, gruff voice was heard in the
hall.
" Say, youngsters, what have you done with
my little dog? He's of fine stock, and if you
don't hand him over right away why, I'll know
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 255
the reason why, and it won't be good fur ye, I
can tell ye."
"We didn't take him," answered Don;
" we've never seen him at all no, not one of
us; and if we had, we wouldn't have done him
a bit of harm."
Just as Don pronounced the last word, a
shrill little bark sounded out from behind
Cousin Ronald's chair.
" Why, there he is now! ' exclaimed Don,
hurrying to the spot. "Why, no, he isn't!
How does he get away so fast? '
" He seems to be an invisible dog, Don," said
his brother Percy; "and, if I were you, I
wouldn't let him trouble me any more."
" No; but I've set out to find him, and I don't
mean to give it up," replied the little fellow.
"That's right, Don," laughed his father.
" I'm pleased to see that you are not easily dis-
couraged."
" But he might as well be, for there's no dog
thar," said the voice from the hall. "He's a
plucky little feller, but he'll not find that thar
dog if he looks all night."
44 1 gness I'll find you then," said Don, run-
256 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
ning to the door and looking searchingly about
the hall. "Well, it's the queerest thing! '' he
exclaimed. " There's nobody here nobody at
all! "
" Is the boy blind, that he goes right past a
body and never sees him?' asked the voice;
and Don turned quickly to see the speaker, who
seemed close behind him. But no one was
there, and Don looked really frightened.
Cousin Eonald noticed it, and said in kindly
tones, "Don't be scared, sonny, it was I who
spoke; and I wouldn't harm you for all I am
worth."
" You, sir? " said Don, looking utterly aston-
ished. "How could it be you? for the fellow
was over here, and you are over there."
" No; I only made it sound so," Mr. Lilburn
said with an amused laugh; " and I must con-
fess that I have been doing all this screaming,
scolding, and barking just to make a bit of fun
for you all."
At that the children crowded around the old
gentleman, eagerly asking how he did it and
what, else he could do.
"I can hardly tell you how," he said, "but
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 252
perhaps I can show some other specimens of my
work." He was silent for a moment, seemingly
thinking. Then a loud, rough voice said:.
" Hello there, youngsters, what are you bother-
ing with that stupid old fellow for? Why
don't you leave him and go off to your sports?
It would be a great deal more fun."
The children turned toward the place from
which the voice seemed to come, but
saw no one. They were surprised at first,
laughed, asking, "Was that you, Uncle
Eonald?"
" Nobody else," he said with a smile.
" Oh, hark! there's music! " cried one of the
little girls; and all listened in silence.
" It is a bagpipe, playing a Scotch air," said
Percy, who was standing near their little group.
"What queer music!" said one of the little
girls when it had ceased; " but I like it. Please,
Uncle Eonald, make some more."
Several tunes followed, and then the chil-
dren were told they had monopolized their
Uncle Eonald long enough and must leave him
to the older people for a while.
" But you'll do some more for us some other
258 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
time, won't you, Uncle Eonald? " asked one of
the little girls as they reluctantly withdrew
from his immediate neighborhood.
"Yes,, little dear, I will/' he answered kindly.
And he did entertain them in the same way
a number of times during his short stay in their
town.
CHAPTER XIII.
" WELL, papa, where shall we go, or what
shall we do, to-day?" asked Grace one bright
September morning as they sat about the break-
fast table on board the Dolphin.
" Let me hear the wishes of all three of you
in regard to that matter," he said in his accus-
tomed pleasant tones. ( Evelyn, what have you
to say? Have you any plans you would like
carried out? '
" No, sir, thank you," she replied. " I shall
be perfectly contented to stay on the Dolphin
or go anywhere you and the girls wish."
"I think we have seen all the points of
interest about here," he said. "However, if
you would like to pay a second visit to any one
of them you have only to say so."
Just as the captain spoke a sailor came in
with the mail-bag.
" Ah," said Grace, " I hope there is a letter
259
260 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
from Mamma Vi saying that she and the rest
will be here to-day or to-morrow/'
"Yes, so do I," said Lucilla. "We have
had a lovely time while they have been away,
but I shall be delighted to have them back
again."
"Yes," said her father, "here is a letter
from her to me." Then opening and glancing
over it: " They are coming back to-day, and
may be expected by the train that gets into
Cleveland near tea-time. I must go for them;
and you, Lucilla you and Grace may see
that everything about the cabin and staterooms
is in good order for their comfort and enjoy-
ment."
"Yes, papa, we will," they answered
promptly, Lucilla adding with a merry look,
" We will do the work ourselves if that is your
wish."
" Oh, no," he said; " I only meant that you
should oversee it, and make sure that nothing
is left undone which would add to their
comfort."
' I wish we had some flowers to ornament
the rooms with," said Grace.
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 261
"You shall have," replied her father. "I
have sent for some by the man who has gone
to the city to do the marketing."
" Oh, that's good! " exclaimed Lucilla.
"Papa, I believe one may always trust you to
think of everything."
"I am not so sure of that," he said with a
smile. " But it is very well for my daughters
to think so."
"I do, papa," said Grace. "Lu can't have
any more confidence in you than I have."
" Nor than I," said Evelyn. " And I am
very proud of the privilege accorded me some
time ago of considering you my brother,
captain."
"Ah? I think I am the one to feel honored
by the relationship," he returned laughingly.
" \Ve will start for home pretty soon, father,
won't we? " asked Grace.
" I presume so; we will consult the others on
that subject when they come. Are you grow-
ing homesick? '
"Almost," she answered, but in a cheery
tone. " I have enjoyed our outings on the
Hudson and here ever so much, but ours is such
262 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
a sweet home that I begin to long to see it
again."
" Well, dear child, I hope to be able to gratify
that wish before long," he replied in kindly,
affectionate tones. " I am very glad you love
your home."
" It is certainly worthy of her love," said
Evelyn. "I don't know a more delightful
place; yet it would not be half so charming
without the dear people who live in it."
"It certainly would not be to me without
the wife and children who share it with me,"
said the captain.
They had not left the table long when
flowers were brought aboard in variety and
abundance, and they had a very enjoyable time
arranging them in vases, and placing those
where they could be seen to the best advantage.
" There," said Lucilla when their labors were
completed; " they will do very well while the
Dolphin stands still, but if she takes to rolling,
as I have known her to do at times in the past,
we'll have to empty the water out of the vases
or it will empty itself where it is not wanted at
all'*'
tc
ee
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 263
" Yes," said her father, " but I think you
may confidently expect her to remain stationary
at least until to-morrow morning. No one is
likely to care to start on the homeward journey
before that time."
I wish they were here now," said Grace;
but we have hours to wait before we can hope
to see them."
" Have patience, daughter," her father said
in cheerful tones. " The time will soon pass;
and, to make it go faster, shall we not row over
to one of the islands and have a stroll on the
beach?"
The girls all seemed pleased with that pro-
posal; the captain gave the order to have the
boat made ready, and in a few moments they
were on their waj. It was just the kind of a
day to make such a little excursion very enjoy-
able, and in a couple of hours they returned,
feeling in fine health and spirits and ready for
either work or pla} r .
Captain Raymond saw them safely on board,
presently followed them himself, and read
aloud an entertaining book while they busied
themselves with bits of needlework. Soon din-
264 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
ner was announced; quite a while was spent at
the table, and shortly after they left it, the boat
was again in requisition to take the captain to
the city and bring him and the returned travel-
lers back to the yacht.
The time of his absence seemed rather lon<*
to the waiting girls; but when at last the boat
came into sight, and they perceived that it held
all the expected ones, they were overjoyed, and
when the deck was reached the embraces ex-
changed were warm and loving.
" This seems very like a home-coming," said
Violet. " We have had a delightful time with
our Pleasant Plains cousins, yet are glad to be
again on our own floating home."
" Yes," said her mother; " especially as we
hope it will soon carry us to our still dearer
ones in the Sunny South."
" I am ready to start for them to-morrow,
mother, if you wish it," the captain said in his
pleasant way. " I presume you have all seen
enough, for the present at least, of this part of
our country."
He looked inquiringly at Annis as he spoke.
" I am ready to go or stay, as the others
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 265
wish/' she said. " It is now late in September,
and the excessive summer heat will surely be
over by the time we reach our journey's end.
What are your opinions and feelings on the
subject, my dear? " turning to her husband.
" I care but little one way or the other, so
that I have my wife with me, and she is satis-
fied," returned Mr. Lilburn gallantly.
" And that, I presume, is about the way with
these younger folk," remarked the captain,
glancing around in a kindly way upon them.
" Yes, captain," said Evelyn; " we are all
ready, I am sure, to go or stay, as seems best
to you."
" One can always find enjoyment wherever
you are, father," said Lucilla.
" Yes, indeed," said Grace. " But now,
good folks, please all come down to the saloon
and see our preparations for your arrival." She
ted the way, the others following, and on reach-
ing the saloon and seeing its wealth of adorn-
ment, they gave such meed of praise as greatly
gratified the young decorators.
"Ah, it is nearly tea-time," said Grandma
Elsie at length, consulting her watch; " and I
266 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
at least need to make some preparation in the
way of ridding myself of the dust of travel by
rail," and with that all the returned travellers
retired to their staterooms for the few minutes
that remained ere the summons to the tea table.
On leaving the table, all repaired to the deck,
where they spent the evening in pleasant chat,
finding much to tell each other of the doings
and happenings of the days of their separation.
They closed their day as usual, with a service
of prayer and praise and the reading of the
Scriptures, then all except the captain retired
to their staterooms.
But it was not long before Lucilla, as usual,
stole back to the deck for a good-night bit of
chat with her father. She found him walking
the deck and gazing earnestly at the sky.
" Is there a storm coming, father? ' she
asked.
" I think there is," he answered, " and prob-
ably a heavy one. I think it should make a
change in our plans, for it may last several
days. In that case we will be safer over there
in Put-in Bay, lying at anchor, than we would
Tbe out in the lake."
ELSIE ON TEE HUDSON. 267
"Then you will go over there, won't you,
father? " she asked.
" I think I shall," he said. " It really mat-
ters but little whether we get home as speedily
as the voyage can be made, or not until a week
or two later."
" I am glad of that," she returned; " and as
we have an abundance of books and games,
plenty of everything to make the time pass-
quickly and pleasantly, I think we need not
mind the detention."
" I agree with you in that," he said, " and I
am very glad that our dear absentees got here
safely before the coming of the storm."
" Then you don't apprehend any danger? }>
she said inquiringly.
" No; not if we are at anchor in the bay yon-
der. "Well, you came to say good-night to your
father in the usual way, I suppose? '
" Yes, sir; but mayn't I stay with you for a
little while? I am not at all sleepy, and should
enjoy pacing back and forth here with you a
few times."
"Very well, daughter," he returned, taking
her hand and drawing it within his arm.
268 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON
They walked to and fro for a time in silence.
It was broken at length by Lucilla. "To-
morrow is Friday, but you don't think it would
be unlucky to start on a journey for that rea-
son, father? '
" No, child; it is the coming storm, and not
the day of the week, that seemed portentous to
me. I have sailed more than once on Friday,
and had quite as prosperous a voyage as when I
had started on any other day of the week."
"It seems to me absurd and superstitious/'
she said, " and I know Grandma Elsie considers
it so. Papa, isn't that cloud spreading and
growing darker? '
" Yes; and I think I must give orders at once
to get up steam, lift the anchor, and move out
into the bay. Say good-night, now, and go to
your berth."
Violet, arrayed in a pretty dressing gown,
stepped out of her stateroom door into the
saloon as Lucilla entered it. " Are we about
starting, Lu? " she asked. " I thought I heard
your father giving an order as if preparations
for that were going on." Lucilla replied with
an account of what she had seen and heard
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 269
while on deck. " But don't be alarmed,
Mamma Vi," she concluded; " father thinks
there will be no danger to us lying at anchor in
Put-in Bay, and I think we will be able to pass
the time right pleasantly."
" So do I," said Violet; " but it will be sad
if he has to expose himself to the storm. How-
ever, I suppose that will hardly be necessary if
we are lying at anchor. Yes, I think we are a
large enough and congenial enough company
to be able to pass a few days very pleasantly
together, even though deprived of all communi-
cation with the outside world."
" So we won't fret, but be glad and thankful
that we can get into a harbor before the storm
is upon us, and that we have so competent a
captain to attend to all that is needed for our
safety and comfort," returned Lucilla. " But
I must say good-night now, for papa's order to
me was to go to my berth."
The Dolphin was soon in motion, and within
an hour lying safely at anchor in Put-in Bay.
When her passengers awoke in the morning,
quite a severe storm was raging, and they were
well pleased that it had not caught them upon
270 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
the open lake; and though Grandma Elsie had
grown anxious to get home for her father's
sake, she did not fret or worry over a provi-
dential hindrance, but was bright and cheerful,
and ever ready to take her part in entertaining
the little company.
For three -days the ladies and children
scarcely ventured upon deck; but, with books
and work and games, time passed swiftly, never
hanging heavy on their hands. Mr. Lilburn,
too, caused some amusement by the exercise of
his ventriloquial powers.
It was the second day of the storm, early in
the afternoon, and all were gathered in the
saloon, the ladies busy with their needlework,
the gentlemen reading, Elsie and Ned playing
a quiet game. Walter had a daily paper in his
hand, but presently threw it down and sat with
his elbow on the table, his head on his hand,
apparently in deep thought. He sighed wearily,
and then words seemed to come from his
lips.
" Dear me, but I am tired of this dull place!
nothing to see, nothing to hear, but the rag-
ing of the storm! "
ELSIE ON TEE HUDSON. 271
" Why, Walter! " exclaimed his mother, look-
ing at him in astonishment; but even as she
spoke she saw that he was as much astonished
as herself.
"I didn't make that remark, mother," he
laughed. " I am thankful to be here, and en-
joying myself right well. Ah, Cousin Ronald,
I think you know who made that ill-sounding
speech."
" Ah," said the old gentleman with a sad
shake of the head, " there seems to be never a
rude or disagreeable speech that is not laid to
my account."
Then a voice seemed to come from a distant
corner: " Can't you let that poor old mon alone?
It was I that said the words you accuse him of
uttering."
" Ah," said Walter; " then show yourself, and
let us see what vou are like."
v
" I am not hiding, and don't object to being
looked at, though I am not half so well worth
looking at as some of the other people in this
room."
" Well, that "acknowledgment shows that you
are not vain and conceited," said Walter.
272 ELSIE ON THE ^HUDSON.
"Who would dare call me that?'' asked the
voice in angry, indignant tones.
The words were quickly followed by a sharp
bark, and then the angry spitting of a cat, both
seeming to come from under the table.
Little Elsie, who was sitting close beside it,
sprang up with a startled cry of " Oh, whose
dog and cat are they? '
"Cousin Ronald's," laughed Ned, peeping
under the table and seeing nothing there.
At that instant a bee seemed to fly close to
the little boy's ear, then circle round his head,
and he involuntarily dodged and put up his
hand to drive it away. Then he laughed, say-
ing in mirthful tones, " Oh, that was just
Cousin Eonald, I know! '
The older people were looking on and laugh-
ing, but Lucilla started and sprang to her feet
with an exclamation of affright as the loud,
fierce bark of a seemingly ferocious big dog
sounded close to her ear. Everybody laughed,
she among the rest, but she said pleadingly:
" Oh, don't do that again, Cousin Ronald! I
didn't know I had any nerves, but I believe I
have."
ELSIE ON TEE HUDSON. 273
" Well, daughter, don't encourage them," her
father said in kind and tender tones, taking
her hand in his as he spoke, for she was close
at his side, as she was pretty sure to be when-
ever she could manage it.
" I am truly sorry if I hurt those nerves, Lu,"
said the old gentleman kindly. " I meant but
to afford amusement, and shall be more care-
ful in the future."
" Do some more, Cousin Ronald; oh, please
do some more, without scaring Lu or any-
body," pleaded Ned.
"Ned, Ned, it's time to go to bed," said a
voice seeming to come from the door of the
stateroom where the little boy usually passed
the night.
" No, sir, you're mistaken," he answered; " it
won't be that for two or three hours yet."
" Captain," called a voice that seemed to come
from overhead, " please come up here, sir, and
see if all is going well with the vessel."
Captain Eaymond looked up. " I think I
can trust matters to you for the present, my
men," he said. " We are in a safe harbor and
have little or nothing to fear."
274 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
" Papa, did somebody call you? " asked Ned.
"I rather think Cousin Ronald did," an-
swered the captain; " but I don't intend to go
to the deck to find him, or answer his call to it,
while he sits here."
" No; what business has he to treat you so? '
said a voice that sounded like a woman's. " He
ought to be glad to see you sit down and take a
rest occasionally."
" So he is," said Cousin Ronald, speaking in
his natural tone and manner. " He is always
glad to have such busy folks take a bit o' rest."
" But please don't you take a rest yet, Cousin
Ronald; we want you to make some more fun
for us first if you're not too tired," said Ned,
in coaxing tones.
" I am more than willing, laddie," returned
the old gentleman pleasantly, " for fun is oft-
times beneficial, particularly to little chaps such
as you."
" I am bigger than I used to be," said Ned,
" but I like fun quite as well as I ever did."
"Very strange," said Lucilla, "very strange
that a grave old man such as you should care
for fun."
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 2*75
"Yes, but my sister Lu likes it, and she's
older a great deal older than I am," returned
the little fellow, looking up into her face with
eyes that sparkled with fun.
At that she laughed and gave him a kiss.
" Yes, I am a great deal older than you, and
so you ought to treat me with great respect,"
she said.
" Ought I, papa? " he asked, turning to their
father.
" It would be quite well to do so, if you want
the reputation of being a little gentleman," re-
plied the captain, regarding his little son with
a smile of amusement.
But at that instant there came a sound as of
a shrill whistle overhead, followed by a shout in
stentorian tones: " Hello! look out there! Ship
ahoy! Do you mean to run into us? If we
get foul of each other somebody may be sent
to Davy Jones' locker."
Everybody started, and the captain rose to
his feet, a look of anxiety coming over his
face.
But Cousin Ronald gave him a roguish look.
" I wouldn't mind it, captain," he said.
276 ELSIE ON TEE HUDSON.
"It's only a false alarm. I doubt if there is
any vessel near us."
The captain reseated himself, while Grace
exclaimed with a sigh of relief, " Oh, I am so
glad it was but a false alarm! A collision
would be so dreadful, either to us or to the
people on the other vessel, and maybe to both."
" Oh, it was just you, was it, Cousin Eon-
aid ?" laughed Ned. "Please do some more."
At that instant there was a loud squeak, as
of a mouse that seemed to be on his own shoul-
der, and he started to his feet with a loud
scream: " Oh, take it off, papa! Quick, quick!' 3
Everybody laughed; .and Lucilla said teas-
ingly, " I'm afraid you are not fit to be a sol-
dier yet, Neddie boy."
"Maybe I will be by the time I'm tall
enough," he returned rather shamefacedly.
"Yes, son, I believe you will," said his
father. " I don't expect a son of mine to grow
up to be a coward."
" I might have known it was Cousin Eonald,
and not a real mouse, on my shoulder," re-
marked the little fellow with a mortified air;
" but I didn't think just the first minute."
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 277
" Cousin Ronald on your shoulder? " laughed
Lucilla. " I don't think he could stand there;
and his weight would be quite crushing to
you."
" Of course it would. He couldn't stand
there at all/' laughed Ned.
" No/' said Mr. Lilburn, " it would be much
more sensible for me to take you on my shoul-
der."
" Papa takes me on his sometimes/' said Ned,
" but not so often now as he used to when I
was a little boy."
"Ha, ha, ha! what are you now, sonny?'
asked a voice that seemed to come from a dis-
tance.
Ned colored up. " I'm a good deal bigger
now than I was once," he said.
" And hoping to grow a good deal bigger
yet," added his father, smiling down into the
little flushed, excited face.
" Yes, papa, I hope to be as big as brother
Max, or you, some of these days," returned the
child.
"Don't be in a hurry about growing up/'
said the voice that had spoken a moment before.
278 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
" Grown folk have troubles and trials the little
ones know nothing about."
" But the grown-ups may hope to do more in
the world than the little ones," said Walter.
"Is that why you are growing up, Uncle
Walter? " asked Ned.
" That's why I am glad to grow up," replied
Walter.
"Like papa?"
"Yes; and like grandpa and other good
men."
" Well, I want to be a man just like my own
dear papa," said the little fellow, looking with
loving admiration up into his father's face.
" That's right, bit laddie, follow closely in
his footsteps," said the voice, that seemed to
come from that distant corner.
But now came the call to the supper table,
and so ended the sport for that day.
CHAPTER XIV.
IT was still raining heavily when the Sabbath
morning dawned upon Lake Erie and Put-in
Bay. But the faces that gathered about the
breakfast table of the Dolphin were bright and
cheery. Everybody was well and in good,
spirits.
" This is a long storm, but I think will be
over by to-morrow," remarked the captain as
he filled the plates.
" The time has not seemed long to me," said
Annis, " for even though deprived of the pleas-
ure of being on deck we have been by no means
a dull party."
" No, not by any means, and Mr. Lilburn has
made a great deal of fun for us," said Evelyn.
" And feels well repaid by the evident enjoy-
ment of the little company," he said, glancing
around upon them with a pleasant smile.
" But of course that kind of sport won't do
for to-day," said Walter; " and I presume it is
too stormy for anybody to go ashore to attend
279
280 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
church." With the concluding words he
turned toward the captain inquiringly.
u Quite so," was the reply. " We will have
to content ourselves with such a service as can
be conducted on board."
"Which will probably be quite as good and
acceptable as many a one conducted on land,"
said Mr. Lilburn. " I have greatly enjoyed the
few I have been privileged to attend on this
vessel in the past."
" And I," said Grandma Elsie; " we are as
near the Master here as anywhere else; and
when we cannot reach a church, we can rejoice
in that thought in the remembrance that he
is just as near us here as anywhere else."
" We will have a sermon, prayers, and hymns
this morning, and a Bible class this afternoon,
won't we, papa? " asked Grace.
" Yes," he said; " but our guests must feel
entirely free to attend our services or not as
they feel inclined."
" This one will feel inclined to attend," said
Walter.
" This one also," added Evelyn; " she will
esteem it a privilege to be allowed to do so."
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 281
"As I do," said Lucilla. "Father always
makes a Bible lesson, and any kind of religious
services, interesting and profitable."
" I always enjoy them/' said Violet, " and I
know Grace and the little folks do. Is not that
so, Elsie and Ned?' Both gave a prompt
assent, and Grace said: " There is no kind of
service I like better. So I do not feel tempted
to fret over the stormy weather."
" Ah," said the captain with a smile, " I am
well content with the views and feelings ex-
pressed by my prospective audience. We will
hold our services in the saloon, beginning at
eleven o'clock."
Accordingly, all including the crew gath-
ered there at the appointed hour, listened at-
tentively to the reading of an excellent sermon,
and united in prayer and praise.
In the afternoon they gathered there again,
each with a Bible in hand, and spent an hour
in the study of the Scriptures.
As in the morning service, the captain was
their leader.
"Let us take the sea for our subject," he
said, " and learn some of the things the Bible
282 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
says of it. Cousin Ronald, what can you tell
us or read us on the subject? '
" There is a great deal to be said," replied
the old gentleman. "It is spoken of in the
very first chapter of the Bible ' the gathering
together of the waters called the seas.' In the
twentieth chapter of Exodus we are told, ' In
six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the
sea and all that in them is'; and in the fifth
verse of Psalm ninety-five, ' The sea is his, and
he made it.' The Hebrews called all large col-
lections of waters seas. The Mediterranean
was the Great Sea of the Hebrews.
"In the Temple was a great basin which
Solomon had made for the convenience of the
priests; they drew water out of it for washing
their hands or feet, or anything they might
wish to cleanse.
" The Orientals sometimes gave the name of
sea to great rivers overflowing their banks
soich as the Nile, the Tigris, and the Euphrates,
because by their size, and the extent of their
overflowing, they seemed like small seas or
great lakes. The sea is also taken for a multi-
tude or deluge of enemies. Jeremiah tells us
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 283
the sea is come up upon Babylon. But I am
taking more than my turn. Let us hear from
someone else."
" From you, Cousin Annis," the captain said,
looking at her.
" No, I have not studied the subject suffi-
ciently," she said, " but doubtless Cousin Elsie
has." ,
" Let me read a verse in the last chapter of
Micah," responded Grandma Elsie, and went on
to do so:
" ' He will turn again, he will have compas-
sion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and
thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of
the sea/
" What a gracious and precious assurance it
is! ' she said. " What is cast into the sea is
generally supposed to be lost beyond recovery
we do not expect ever to see it again; so to
be told that our sins are cast there imports
that they are to be seen and heard of no
more/
" Because Jesus died for us and washed them
all away in his precious blood? " asked Little
Elsie softly.
284 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
**
" Yes, dear, that is just what it means," re-
plied her grandmother.
Evelyn's turn had come, and she read: "'And
before the throne there was a sea of glass like
unto crystal.' Cruden says," she continued,
" that it probably signified the blood of Christ,
whereby our persons and services are made ac-
ceptable to God; and that it was called a sea in
allusion to the molten sea of the Temple. Also
that it is represented as a sea of glass like unto
crystal, to denote the spotless innocence of our
Lord Jesus Christ, in his sufferings; that his
was not the blood of a malefactor, but of an
innocent person."
" One suffering not for his own sins, but for
the sins of others," sighed Grandma Elsie.
" What wondrous love and condescension; and,
oh, what devoted, loving, faithful servants to
him should we ever be! '
" We should, indeed," said the captain, then
motioned to Lucilla that it was her turn.
" ' He shall have dominion also from sea to
sea, and from the river unto the ends of the
earth/ : she read. Then turning over the
leaves, " That was in the Psalms," she said;
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 285
" and here in Zachariah the prophecy is re-
peated in almost the same words, ' And his do-
minion shall be from sea even to sea, and from
the river to the ends of the earth.' The do-
minion of Christ, is it not, father? '
" Certainly; it can be no other," he said.
" Now, Grace, it is your turn."
" Mine is in the New Testament," she said
"the eighth chapter of Matthew, beginning
with the twenty-third verse. ' And when he
was entered into a ship, his disciples fol-
lowed him. And behold there arose a great
tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was
covered with the waves: but he was asleep.
And his disciples came to him and awoke him,
saying, Lord save us: we perish. And he saith
unto them, Why are ye fearful, ye of little
faith? Then he arose and rebuked the winds
and the sea; and there was a great calm. But
the men marvelled, saying, What manner of
man is this, that even the winds and the sea
obey him.' "
" It is such a pretty story," said Little Elsie.
" How kind Jesus was never to get angry,
though they waked him out of his sleep when
286 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
he must have been so very, very tired. He
might have scolded them, and asked didn't they
know they couldn't drown while he was with
them in the ship."
" Yes," her father said; " and let us learn of
him to be patient, unselfish, and forgiving."
It was Walter's turn, and he read: "'And
when even was come, the ship was in the midst
of the sea, and he alone on the land. And he
saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was
contrary unto them; and about the fourth watch
of the night he cometh unto them, walking
upon the sea, and would have passed by them.
But when they saw him walking upon the sea,
they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried
out; for they all saw him and were troubled.
And immediately he talked with them, and
saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be
not afraid.' "
" This is mine," said Elsie. " ' And he went
forth again by the seaside: and all the multi-
tudes resorted unto him, and he taught them.'
It was Ned's turn, and he read: " And he be-
gan again to teach by the seaside: and there
was gathered unto him a great multitude, so
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 287
that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea;
and the whole multitude was by the sea on the
land.' "
" I think this was a very nice lesson," Elsie
said as they closed their books. " I shall think
of it often while we are on the sea. This
Lake Erie is as much of a sea as the Lake of
Tiberias or Sea of Galilee, isn't it, papa? '
" I think so," he said; " and in a few days
we are likely to be on a real sea the great
Atlantic Ocean."
" And God can take care of us there just as-
well as anywhere else, can't he, papa?' 1 asked
Ned in a tone that was half inquiry, half asser-
tion.
" Certainly, my son, he is the creator of all
things, the ruler of all the universe, and ( none
can stay his hand or say unto him, What doest
thou?'"
"Papa," said Ned, "mightn't I ask him to
stop this storm, so we could go right on home? '
" You can ask him, son, to do it if lie sees
best, but you must be willing that he should
not do what you wish if he does not see best.
God knows what is best for us. and we do not,.
288 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
but often desire what would be very bad
for us."
"Well, papa, I'll try to ask that way," said
the little boy. "But I'm very tired of these
dark, rainy days, and of staying still in one
place where we don't see anything, and I hope
our Heavenly Father will let us start away to-
morrow.'
"Neddie, dear," said his grandmother, "don't
forget what a blessing it has been that we had
this safe harbor close at hand when the storm
was coming, so that we could run right into it.
If we had been away out upon the lake our ves-
sel might have been wrecked."
" Yes, grandma, I am glad and thankful for
that," he said; "I'm afraid I was grumbling
just now, but I don't intend to do so any
more.' :
" I'll be glad when good weather comes
again," remarked Elsie, " but I have really en-
joyed myself right well these days that we have
had to spend in the cabin; Cousin Ronald has
made a great deal of fun for us."
"Yes, indeed!' exclaimed Ned earnestly,
and laughing as he spoke; " it was lots of fun
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 289
to hear people talking and animals barking and
squealing when they weren't really here at all.
Now, what are you all laughing at? " he asked
in conclusion.
" At your animals," said Lucilla. " I under-
stood that all the barking and squealing you
talk about was the doing of a very nice old
gentleman."
" Yes/' said Ned a trifle shamefacedly; " but
please don't be hurt or affronted, Cousin
Ronald; I didn't know how to say it any
better."
" No, sonny, and you meant it all right," the
old gentleman answered pleasantly. "I am
very glad to be able to furnish amusement for
so good and lovable a bit of a kinsman as
yourself."
" Thank you, sir. I like that word kins-
man," said the little boy, regarding Mr. Lilburn
with sparkling eyes. " It means a relation,
doesn't it?"
" Yes, just that, laddie. Your grandmother
and mother are of my kin, and that makes you
so too. I hope you are not ill-pleased to own
so auld a cousin ? "
290 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
" No, indeed, sir," said Neddie earnestly;
*' and I'll try to behave so well that you won't
ever feel ashamed to own me for your kin."
" It will be a great surprise to me if ever I
do feel my relationship to you and yours a dis-
grace, laddie," the old gentleman said with a
smile. Then, turning to Violet, " Could not you
give us a bit o' sacred music, cousin? " he asked.
" It strikes me 'twould be a fitting winding-up
of our services."
" So I think," said the captain; and Violet
at once took her place at the instrument.
" Mamma," said Grace, " let us have ' Master,
the Tempest is Kaging.' We can all sing it,
and it is so sweet."
" Yes," said Violet.
The others gathered around her, and together
they sang:
41
' Master, the tempest is raging!
The billows are tossing high!
The sky is o'ershadowed with blackness!
No shelter or help is nigh!
Carest thou not that we perish?
How canst thou lie asleep,
"When each moment so madly is threatening
A grave in the angry deep?
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 291
Chorus :
" ' The winds and the waves shall obey thy will,
Peace, be still !
Whether the wrath of the storm-tossed sea.
Or demons, or man, or whatever it be,
No waters can swallow the ship where lies
The Master of ocean, aud earth, and skies ;
They all so sweetly obey thy will,
Peace, be still! Peace, be still!
They all so sweetly obey thy will,
Peace, peace, be still!
41
' Master, with anguish of spirit
I bow in my grief to-day;
The depths of my sad heart are troubled;
Oh, waken and save, I pray!
Torrents of sin and of anguish
Sweep o'er my sinking soul;
And I perish! I perish, dear Master,
Oh, hasten and take control !
Chorus :
" ' The winds and the waves shall obey thy will, etc.
" ' Master, the terror is over,
The elements sweetly rest;
Earth's sun in the calm lake is mirrored,
And heaven's within my breast;
Linger, O blessed Redeemer!
Leave me alone no more;
And with joy I shall make the blest harbor,
And rest on the blissful shore.
Chorus :
4t ' The winds and the waves shall obey thy will,' " etc.
CHAPTER XV.
THE Dolphin's passengers retired early to
their staterooms on that stormy Sunday night;
that is, all of them except the captain and Lu-
cilla. He was on the deck, and she sat in the
saloon, reading and waiting for a little chat
with her father before seeking her berth for
the night. Presently she heard his approach-
ing footsteps, and, closing her book, looked up
at him with a glad smile.
"Ah, daughter, so you are here waiting for
me as usual," he said in his kind, fatherly
tones; and, taking a large easy-chair close at
hand, he drew her to a seat upon his knee.
"You haven't sat here for quite a while," he
said, passing his arm about her and pressing his
lips to her cheek.
" No, sir; and I am very glad to be allowed to
do it again, big and old as I am," she returned
with a smile that was full of love and pleasure.
" Oh, I am so glad so glad every day that God
292
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 293
gave me to you instead of to somebody else. I
thank him for it very often."
" As I do," he said; " for I consider my dear
eldest daughter one of God's good gifts to me."
"Whenever I hear you say that, father, I
feel ashamed of all my faults and follies and
want oh, so much to grow wiser and better."
" I too need to grow better and wiser," he
said; " and we must both ask daily and hourly
to be washed from our sins in the precious
blood of Christ that fountain opened for sin
and for uncleanness.
" ' There is a fountain filled with blood,
Drawn from Immanuel's veins;
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains.' "
" Papa, I love that hymn, and am thankful
to Cowper for writing it," she said.
" And so am I," he returned. " Oh, what
gratitude we owe for the opening of that foun-
tain! for the love of Christ that led him to die
that painful and shameful death of the cross
that we might live. ' The love of Christ which
passeth knowledge.'
They were silent for a little; then he said,
294 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
" It is growing late, daughter; it is quite time
time that this one of my birdlings was in her
nest. Give me my good-night kiss and go."
" Can I go to you on the deck in the morn*
ing, papa? " she asked as she prepared to obey.
" That depends upon the weather," he an-
swered. " If it is neither raining nor blowing
hard, you may; otherwise, you may not."
"Yes, sir; I'll be careful to obey," she said:
with a loving smile up into his face.
All seemed quiet within and without when
she awoke in the morning, and dressing
speedily she stole out through the cabin, and
up the stairway, till she could look out upon the
deck. Her father was there, caught sight of
her at once, and drew quickly near.
" Good-morning, daughter," he said; " you
may come out here, for it is not raining just
now, and the wind has fallen."
" Is the storm over, father, do you think? '
she asked, hastening to his side.
" The worst of it certainly is, and I think it
will probably clear before night."
" So that we can start on our homeward
journey? *
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 295
" Yes," he answered; " but it will not be well
to leave this safe harbor until we are quite cer-
tain of at least tolerably good weather."
" No, none of us would want to run any risk
of shipwreck," she said; " and there isn't really
anything to hurry us greatly about getting back
to our homes."
" Nothing except the desire to see them and
our dear ones there," he said; " and to delay
that will be wiser than running any risk
to bring it about sooner."
As he spoke he drew her hand within his
arm, and they paced the deck to and fro for
some time; then it began to rain again, and he
bade her go below.
" Still raining, I believe," remarked Mr. Lil-
burn as they sat at the breakfast table.
" Yes," replied the captain; " but I think it
will probably clear by noon."
" And then we will start on our return jour-
ney, I suppose? " said Walter.
"Yes," said the captain, "that seems best,
and I believe is according to the desire of all my
passengers. It is your wish, mother, is it not? '
turning to Grandma Elsie.
296 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
" I should like to get home soon now/' she
replied; " but shall not fret if we are still provi-
dentially detained."
The rain had ceased by the time they left
the table, so that they were able to go on deck,
take some exercise, and get a view of their
surroundings.
By noon the indications were such that the
captain considered it entirely safe to continue
their journey. So steam was gotten up, and
they were presently out of the harbor and mak-
ing their way across the lake in the direction of
the Welland Canal. Before sunset all the
clouds had cleared away; the evening was beau-
tiful, and so were the davs that followed while
V
they passed down the St. Lawrence River and
out through the Gulf, then along the Atlantic
coast, stopping only once, to let Walter leave
them for Princeton.
It was quite a long voyage, and a very pleas-
ant one; but everyone was glad when at length
they reached the harbor of the city near their
homes. They were expected., and found
friends and carriages awaiting their coming.
Mr. Hugh Lilburn had come for his father
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 297
and Annis, Edward Travilla for his mother and
Evelyn, and the Woodburn carriage was there
to take the captain and his family to their
home.
" It is delightful to have you at home again,
mother/' Edward said as they drove off; "we
have all been looking forward to your coming
from grandpa down to the babies that can
hardly lisp your name."
" It is most pleasant to be so loved/' she said
with a joyful smile, " especially by those who
are so dear as my father, children, and grand-
children are to me. Are all well at Fair-
view? '
" Yes, and looking forward, not to your re-
turn only, but to Evelyn's also. Lester was
very busy, so asked me to bring her home to
them; which I was very ready to do."
" And for which I feel very much obliged,"
said Evelyn. "I shall be very glad to get
home, though I have had a delightful time
while away."
They soon reached Fairview, and her wel-
come there was all she could desire. Grandma
Elsie was warmly welcomed too, but did not
298 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
alight. She felt in much too great haste to see
her father and the others at Ion.
On her arrival she found her daughter Eosie
there also, and her presence added to the joy
of the occasion.
Dinner was ready to be served, and Harold
and Herbert had just come in from their pro-
fessional rounds, so that the family reunion
was almost complete. They missed Walter, but
were glad to think of him as well, happy, and
busied with his studies; and Elsie and Violet,
though not just there, were near enough to be
seen and conversed with almost any day. So it
was altogether a cheerful and happy reunion, as
was that of the family at Fairview.
Woodburn held no welcoming relatives for
the Raymonds, but theirs was a glad home-
coming, nevertheless. The grounds were in
beautiful order, as was the dwelling under
Christine's skilful management; and the dinner
that awaited the returned travellers was abun-
dant in quantity and variety, and the cooking
such as might have found favor with an epicure.
" I think we are most fortunate people," said
Violet as they sat at the table. "I know it
ELSIE ON TEE HUDSON. 299
isn't every family that can come home after
weeks of absence to find everything in beauti-
ful order and the table furnished with luxuries
as is this one."
" Very true, my dear," said the captain; " we
certainly have a great deal to be thankful for."
" Yes, papa, it is very pleasant to be at home
again," said Elsie; " and when dinner is over
mayn't we go all around and look at even 7
one of the rooms, upstairs and down? '
" If you want to make the circuit of the
house, I have no objection," he said.
" Yes, I do, papa," she answered. " I feel
very much as if the rooms are old friends that
I'm quite fond of."
" The schoolroom as well as the rest? ' he
asked with a look of amusement.
" Yes, indeed, papa, for you make lessons so
pleasant that I'd be very, very sorry to be shut
out of that room. Wouldn't you, Neddie? '
" Course I would," exclaimed Ned. " I love
to be with papa, and I like the nice lessons.
Papa often tells us a great deal that is very
interesting."
" I am glad you think so," said his father.
300 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
" We will visit the schoolroom, as well as the
others, after we have finished our dinners."
" Will we have school to-morrow, papa? "
asked Elsie.
" No; you may have the rest of the week for
play, and we will begin lessons on Monday if
nothing happens to prevent."
" We will take up our studies again, papa,
just as the little ones do, will we not? " asked
Lucilla.
" Meaning Grace and yourself, I suppose? '
he said inquiringly, and with a look of amuse-
ment.
"Yes, sir; except Evelyn, we are your only
other pupils just now."
"You can both begin when the younger
ones do, if you like," he replied; and Grace
said, "You may be quite sure we will like to
do so, papa."
"Papa, when will Brother Max come home? '
asked Ned.
" I think we may expect him about the last
of next January," was the reply.
"And how soon does January come,
papa? "
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 301
" This is October: November comes next,
then December, and next after that is January."
" Oh, such a long while! " sighed Ned. " I
want to see Max so badly that I don't know how
to wait."
" Pretty much the way papa feels about it,"
returned his father.
" And as we all do," said Violet. " I wish
the dear fellow had chosen work that could be
done at home."
" But somebody must go into the navy, my
dear," said his father. "A good navy is very-
necessary for the safety of the country."
" That is true," she returned; " and I know
of no more honorable employment."
" And employment of some kind we all
should have. I know of nothing more ignoble
than a life of idleness. It is sure to tempt to-
something worse. ' Satan finds some mischief
still for idle hands to do/
" Yes," said Violet, " and the Bible bids us-
to be ( diligent in business, fervent in spirit,
serving the Lord/
" And in the fourth commandment we are
bidden, 'Six days shalt thou labor and do all
302 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
thy work.' It makes no exception; recognizes
no privileged class who may take their ease in
idleness."
"Yet there are times when one is really
weary, that rest is right, are there not?" said
Violet. " I remember that at one time Jesus
said to his disciples, ' Come ye yourselves apart
into a desert place, and rest a while/
" Yes; there are times when rest is very
necessary, and by taking it one is enabled to do
more in the end."
"And we have just had a nice long rest,"
.said Grace; " so ought to be able to go to work
earnestly and make good progress in our
studies."
" So I think," said Lucilla; then added laugh-
ingly, "and I'm glad father doesn't turn me
out of the schoolroom because I've grown so big
and old."
"You are still small enough, and young
enough, to demean yourself as one under au-
thority," remarked the captain in pleasant
tones; " otherwise you would not be admitted
to the schoolroom among my younger pupils."
Just then a rather discordant voice was heard
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 305
calling, "Lu, Lu, what you 'bout? Polly
wants a cracker."
"You shall have one presently, Polly," Lu-
cilla answered.
" Oh, let's all go up there and see her," said
Ned as they rose and left the table.
"Yes, we may as well begin there to make
our circuit of the house," said his father; and
they all hastened up the stairway to the apart-
ments of Lucilla and Grace.
" I think Polly is glad to see us," said Elsie,
as they stood for a moment watching her while
she ate.
" A good deal more pleased to see and taste
the cracker," said her father. " I doubt if par-
rots ever have much affection to bestow on any-
one."
"Well, Polly," said Lulu, "nobody cares
particularly for your affection; but in spite of
your coldness and indifference, you shall have
plenty to eat."
" Your rooms are in good order, daughters,"
said the captain, glancing about them. "I
think Christine is an excellent housekeeper."
" So do I, father," said Lucilla, " We have
304 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
only to unpack our trunks and put their con-
tents in their proper places, and all will be as
neat and orderly as before we left home."
" Yes, but we are going to visit the other
parts of the house first," said Grace; " or we'll
have to do it alone, which wouldn't be half so
much fun as going along with papa and the
rest."
They finished their inspection quickly, then
set to work at their unpacking and arranging,
laughing and chatting merrily as they worked.
Violet, in her rooms, with Elsie and Ned to
help or hinder, was busied in much the same
manner. The captain was in the library exam-
ining letters and periodicals which had accumu-
lated during his absence, when he was
interrupted by the announcement that Mr.
Dinsmore had called to see him.
" Mr. Dinsmore? " he said inquiringly.
"Yes, sah; Mr. Chester. Here am his
kyard."
" Ah, yes; just show him in here."
The two greeted each other cordially, and
Chester was invited to take a seat, which he
did.
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 305
"I am making you an early call, captain/*
lie said. " I knew you were expected to-day,
and heard, perhaps an hour ago, that you had
actually arrived. I have, as you requested,
kept a lookout for that escaped convict who
threatened your daughter at the time of his
trial. He has not yet been caught, but as I
cannot learn that he has been seen anywhere
in this neighborhood, I hope he has given up
the idea of wreaking vengeance upon her."
" I hope so, indeed/' returned her father;
" but I shall be very careful never to let her go
from home unattended."
"I am glad to hear you say that, sir," said
Chester; " and I shall be very happy if I may
sometimes be permitted to act as her escort.
You may not always find it entirely convenient
to undertake the duty yourself."
" Thank you for your offer; I may sometimes
be glad to avail myself of it/' was the reply.
They chatted a while longer, then Chester
rose as if to take his leave.
" Don't go yet," said the captain. " My wife
and daughters will join us presently, and feel
glad to see you. Stay and take tea with us,
306 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
and give us all the news about the family at The
Oaks."
"Thank you," returned Chester, sitting
down again. " We are all quite well, Syd busy
with her preparations for going South to join
Maud and Dick."
"Ah! she leaves soon?'
" I think before very long; but the exact
time is not set yet."
" You will feel lonely robbed of both your
sisters."
"Yes, sir/' Chester returned with a slight
smile. " I should greatly prize a sweet young
wife, who would much more than fill their
places."
" Ah, yes; but this is one of the cases where
it is best to make haste slowly, my young
friend," the captain returned in a pleasant tone.
" I am feeling a little uneasy lest Percy Lan-
dreth or someone else may have got ahead of
me," Chester said inquiringly, and with an anx-
ious look.
" No; her father wouldn't allow any such at-
tempt, and it is quite sure that his daughter is
still heart-whole. And as I have told you be-
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 307
fore, if either suit is to prosper, I should rather
it should be yours as in that case she would
not be taken far away from me."
" That is some consolation, and she is well
worth waiting for," said Chester in a tone of
resignation.
" So her father thinks," said the captain.
Just then there was a sound of wheels on the
drive.
"The Roselands carriage," said Chester,
glancing from the window; and both he and the
captain rose and hurried out.
They found the whole Roselands family
there Calhoun and his wife and children;
Dr. Arthur, his Marian, and their little Ronald.
Violet and her children, with Lucilla and
Grace, had hastened down to receive them, and
warm greetings were exchanged all around.
Chester took particular pains to get posses-
sion of aseat near Lucilla, and had many ques-
tions to ask in regard to the manner in which
she had spent the long weeks of her absence
from home for long, he averred, they had
seemed to him.
" Well now, they didn't to me," laughed Lu-
308 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
cilia; "on the contrary, I thought them very
short; time fairly flew."
"And was so filled with interesting occur-
rences that you hardly thought of your absent
friends?'
" Oh, yes; I did think of them, occasionally
even of you, Chester," she said in sportive tone.
" Eeally, I do wish you could have seen and en-
joyed all that we did. Were you moping at
home all the time? '
" Not all the time; much of it found me very
busy; and for a fortnight I was away on a boat-
ing excursion with some friends."
" I am glad of that, for I am sure you needed-
some rest. Sometimes I think you are too.-
hard a worker. Don't forget the old saying
that ' All work and no play makes Jack a dull
boy/ "
But there the talk was interrupted by an-
other arrival the carriage from The Oaks,
bringing all that family, including Chester's
sister Sydney. They were on their way to
lon to welcome Grandma Elsie home, so made
but a short call.
Tie Eoselands people were urged to stay ix>
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 309
tea, but declined, and presently took their leave.
But they had scarcely gone, when Violet's
brothers Harold and Herbert came, and they
stayed to tea. They were bright and genial as
usual; Chester, too, was gay and lively; and so
altogether they constituted a blithe and merry
party.
The evening brought the families from Ash-
lands, Pinegrove, and The Laurels, and the
next day those from Fairview, Beechwood, and
Riverside. Kosie expressed herself as charmed
with her new home, and insisted upon having
them all there to tea with her mother and old
Mr. and Mrs. Dinsmore. The other relatives
she had already entertained, she said; and she
was planning to have all at once at no very dis-
tant day.
" Surely we can wait for that, Rosie," said
the captain, " and content ourselves with a call
upon you and a sight of your pretty home,
leaving the greater visit to the time you
speak of."
" No, Brother Levis, I won't be satisfied with
that," she said. "I want you all to take tea
with us to-morrow evening."
310 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
"Are you not willing that we should,
father? " asked Lucilla.
" Yes, if you wish to do so," he replied; and
as all expressed themselves desirous to ac-
cept the invitation, they did so; and they
were so well and hospitably entertained that
everyone was delighted. They returned home
rather early in the evening, on account of the
little ones. Violet took them upstairs at once,
and Grace went to her room, so that Lucilla and
her father were left alone together, as so often
happened early in the evening. She followed
him into the library, asking, " Haven't you some
letters to be answered, father? and shall I not
write them for you on the typewriter? '
" I fear you are too tired, daughter, and had
better be getting ready for bed," he answered,
giving her a searching but affectionate look.
" Oh, no, sir," she said; " I am neither tired
nor sleepy; and if I can be of any use to my
dear, kind father, nothing would please me
better."
He smiled at that, lifted the cover from the
machine, and they worked busily together for
the next half-hour or more. When they had
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 311
finished, " Thank you, daughter," he said;
" you are such a help and comfort to me that
I hardly know what I should ever do without
you."
" Oh, you are so kind to say that, you
dear father," she returned, her eyes shining
with joy and filial love. " I often say to my-
self, ' How could I ever live without my dear
father? ' and then I ask God to let you live as
long as I do. And I hope he will."
" He will do what is best for us, daughter,"
returned the captain in moved tones; " and if
we must part in this world, we may hope to
meet in that better land where death and part-
ings are unknown."
" Yes, papa, the thought of that must be the
greatest comfort when death robs us of our
dear ones."
He took her hand, led her to a sofa, and,
seating her by his side, put his arm about her,
drawing her close to him. " I have something
to say to you, daughter," he said in low, ten-
der tones.
She gave him a rather startled, inquiring
look, asking, "About what, papa?"
312 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
" You remember the bit of news in regard
to the escape of a convict which hastened our
departure for the North some months ago? '
" Yes, sir; and has he not been caught and
returned to his prison? 5
" No; and I have reason to think he is some-
where in this neighborhood, probably bent on
evil deeds, perhaps among them some harm to
my daughter, whose testimony helped to send
him to prison for the burglary committed here.
I tell you this, my child, as a warning to you to
be very careful how you expose yourself to pos-
sible danger from him."
" Yes, papa, I will; but you know I never go
outside the grounds without a protector, be-
cause you long ago forbade my doing so."
" Yes; but now you must not go everywhere
even inside of them; avoid the wood, and keep
near the house unless I am with you."
" Yes, sir; I will obey. But, father, he may
come into the house in the night. You know
he did before."
" Yes, I remember; and I have arranged ta
have watchmen armed men patrolling the
grounds near at hand; so that if he makes such
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 313
an attempt it will be at the risk of his life. It
is wise and right for us to take all possible pre-
cautions, then trust calmly and securely in the
protecting care of our Heavenly Father. Try
to do so, dear child, and do not lie awake in
fear and trembling."
" I will not, if I can help it, father," she
said.
"I will remember the sweet words of the
Psalmist, l The salvation of the righteous is of
the Lord; he is their strength in the time of
trouble. And the Lord shall help them and
deliver them: he shall deliver them from the
wicked, and save them, because they trust in
him.'"
" Yes," he said, " trust in the Lord and he
will deliver you. ' According to your faith be
it unto you.' Have confidence in your earthly
father too. "We will have the doors open be-
tween our rooms, and if anything alarms you
in the night run right to your father for protec-
tion and help."
" I will, dear papa," she said; " and, oh, with
a kind, all-wise and all-mighty Heavenly
Father, and so dear and wise an earthly one, I
314 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
can lie down in peace and sleep as sweetly as
ever I did."
"I hope so, dear child. And I think I
hardly need caution you to keep all this from
our timid, nervous Grace; and the younger
ones also."
" They shall not learn it from me, papa," she
said; " I will do what I can to keep them all in
ignorance of the danger that seems to threaten."
She kept her word, and a week slipped by
without any further evidence of the near
yicinity of the convict.
CHAPTER XVI.
LTTCILLA and Grace rode out every day on.
their ponies, always accompanied by their
father, sometimes by Violet also, though
the latter generally preferred a drive in the
carriage, taking her children with her. And
Lucilla, being stronger than Grace, would, if
she had occasion, go a second time when it
suited her father to go with her. Chester Dins-
more came often to the house, and sometimes
joined them in their rides; for he was keeping
a vigilant watch for traces of the escaped con-
vict who was known to cherish so great an
enmity to Lucilla,
Chester made no lover-like advances to the
girl he so coveted, because so far he had been
unable to win her father's consent, but he was
glad to seize every opportunity to be with her
and do his best to make himself necessary to
her happiness. So far she seemed to look upon
him as a pleasant friend, but nothing more; yet
315
316 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
he was not altogether discouraged. He thought
her worth long and patiently waiting for and
much effort to win.
One afternoon of a beautiful October day
the captain remarked that he had an errand to
the town, and asked who would like to go with
him.
" I should like it/' said Violet, " but cannot
very well, as I am to have a dress fitted."
"And you, Grace, had so long a ride this
morning that you are too tired for another, I
presume? " her father said inquiringly.
"Yes, papa," she said; "though I love to
ride with you for my escort, I believe I am too
tired for anything but a rest and nap this after-
noon.'
" So, father, I'm afraid you can not secure
any better company than mine," remarked Lu-
cilla with an amused little laugh.
" So it seems," he said. " Well, since I can
do no better, I will accept yours if it be offered
me."
" It is, then, sir; and I promise to be ready at
any hour you appoint."
"We will start early, shortly after leaving
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 317
the table, that we may get home before dark/ 5
he said, with a look and smile that seemed to
say her company would be very acceptable.
The roads were good, the horses fresh and
lively; and they had a delightful ride going to
Union, and also returning until near home.
Chester had joined them, and the captain,
seeing something in a field belonging to his
estate that he wanted to examine, told the
others to ride on and he would follow very
shortly.
They did as he requested, but had not gone
more than a hundred yards when a man
suddenly rose from behind a bush, pistol in
hand, and fired, taking aim at Lucilla. But
Chester had seized her bridle at the instant of
the rising of the figure, and backed both her
horse and his just in time to escape the shot
which whizzed past them over the horses' heads.
Chester instantly snatched a pistol from his
pocket, took aim at the miscreant, and fired at
the same instant that the scoundrel sent a
second shot in their direction. Then the
wounded murderer dropped and lay still as
death, while Chester dismounted, reeled, and
318 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
fell by the roadside dead, as Lucilla thought
in wild distress. She dismounted and went to
him.
" Oh, Chester, Chester, where are you hurt? "
'she cried in sore distress.
He seemed to be unconscious, and she did
not know whether he was dead or alive. But
the next moment her father was beside her with
two or three of the men employed on the
estate.
" Oh, papa, he has died for me! " she cried,
hot tears streaming down her face.
" No, he is not dead, daughter," her father
said in tender tones. " But we will never for-
get the service he has done us this day."
"No, sah, Mars Chess 's alive, sho 'nuff,"
said one of the men; "an' we'll git Doctah
Arthur or Doctah Harold or Herbert here, and
; dey'll cure him up, sho's a gun."
" Yes; go after one of them as fast as you
can. Catch Mr. Chester's horse and ride him;
then take him to The Oaks and leave him there.
Mr. Chester must be carried carefully into
Woodburn and nursed there as long as he
needs it. Well, is that fellow living or dead? '
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 319
he asked of one of the men who had climbed
the fence and was. stooping over the prostrate
form of the convict.
" Dead, cap'ain; dead as anything. He won'"
do no mo' mischief in dis worl'."
"Poor wretch!" sighed the captain. Then
he gave directions to the men to go to the
house and bring from there a cot-bed oa which
they could carry the wounded man without in-
creasing his suffering by unnecessary jolts ancL
jars.
All this time Lucilla was standing by her
father's side, trembling and weeping.
" Oh, papa, I'm afraid he has given his life
for mine," she sobbed.
" I hope not, dear child," he said; " he is liv-
ing, and I hope his wound will not prove mor-
tal. In saving my daughter's life he has done
me a service that I can never repay, and I
hope it is not to cost him his own life."
At that moment Chester's eyes opened, and
Lueilla never forgot the look of joy and love
that he gave her.
" Thank God, you are alive and unhurt," he
said, in a low tone and gasping for breath.
320 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
"But, oh, Chester, you are so terribly in-
jured," she sobbed. " I am afraid you axe suf-
fering very much."
" Don't weep. I can bear it/' he said.
" My dear fellow, don't try to talk any more
now," said the captain. "I have sent for one
or more of our doctors, and here come my men
with a cot-bed to carry you to Woodburn, where
you must stay until you are entirely well."
"You are most kind, captain/' murmured
the half -fainting young man, " but "
" ISTo, no; don't try to talk. I can never re-
pay you for saving my child," the captain said
with emotion.
Chester's only reply was a look at Lucilla
that seemed to say that nothing could be too
costly if done for her.
"And, oh, what a debt of gratitude I owe
you! " she exclaimed. " I can never repay it."
" Dearest, I would give my life for yours at
any time," he responded.
The words and the look that accompanied
them were a revelation to Lucilla. The look of
a moment before had surprised her, and raised
a question in her mind as to just what she was
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 321
to him; but there was no mistaking this. He
loved her; loved her well enough to die in her
stead.
But the men were at hand with the cot, and
under the captain's direction the wounded man
was lifted carefully and tenderly, laid upon it,
and carried to the house, the captain on his
horse, and Lucilla on her pony, following
closely.
In the meantime Violet and Christine had
made ready a bed in the room occupied by Cap-
tain Raymond at the time of his injury from
being thrown by Thunderer, and there they
laid Chester, just as Drs. Arthur Conly and
Harold Travilla arrived, having come with all
possible haste at the summons sent by the cap-
tain.
Yiolet, Lucilla, and Grace, seated on the
reranda, anxiously awaited the doctors' verdict.
It was Harold who brought it at length.
" The wound is a serious one," he said in
reply to their looks of earnest inquiry; " but we
have succeeded in removing the ball, and do
not by any means despair of his life."
" Oh, I hope he will recover," sobbed Lucilla;
322 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
" for if lie does not, I shall always feel that he
has given his life for mine."
" But it was through no fault of yours, Lu;
you were not in the least to blame/' said Harold
soothingly. " And you can pray for his re-
covery: we all will. But don't worry and fret;
for that will only make you unhappy and per-
haps ill, and do him no good."
" That is good advice, Harold," said her
father, who had joined them just in time to
hear it; " worrying about what may happen
only unfits us for present duty, and makes us
less able to meet the trouble when it comes."
" That scoundrel is dead? " Harold said half
inquiringly.
" Yes; Chester's shot, fired simultaneously
with his, was fatal. He dropped, and, I think,
died almost instantlv. Poor wretch! the world
H
is well rid of him; but what has become of his
soul?"
" Oh, I don't believe Chester meant to kill
him outright!' exclaimed Lucilla; "I believe
he was only thinking of saving my life."
"And to kill the wretch who was trying to
kill you seemed to be the only way of doing
ELSIE ON TEE HUDSON. 323
that/' said Harold. "But I must go," he
added, rising. " "We think we must haye a pro-
fessional nurse for Chester. I happen to know
of one who has just finished an engagement,
and I am going for her at once, if you do not
object to having her in the house, Vi you or
the captain."
Both promptly replied that they would be
glad to have her there, and Harold at once set
out upon his errand.
For some days Chester lay half unconscious,
and apparently hovering upon the brink of the
grave, while those who loved him watched and
waited in intense anxiety. Then a change
came, and the doctors said he would recover.
Lucilla heard it with a burst of weeping that
seemed more like the expression of despair and
sorrow than the relief and joy that really filled
her heart.
It was her father who told her the glad news,
and they were alone together in the library.
He drew her into his arms and held her
close.
" It is altogether glad news, dear child," he
said; " Chester is a Christian and a young man
324 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
of talent who will lead a useful life, I think,
and it would have been a bitter sorrow to have
had him fall a victim to that worthless, cowardly
convict."
" And in my defence," she sobbed. " Oh,
papa, it makes my heart ache to think how he
has suffered because of risking his life in the
effort to save mine."
" Yes; I am very grateful to him so grate-
ful that I feel I can refuse him nothing that
he may ask of me even though it should be the
the hand of my dear eldest daughter."
She gave him a look of surprise, while her
cheek grew hot with blushes.
" You know that he wants it that he loves
you. He made it very plain as we stood by
him in the road soon after he fell."
" Yes, sir; and I have thought of it very often
since. It surprised me very much, for I had
never thought of him as a lover."
" And how is it now? " asked her father, as
she paused; "do you care for him at all? can
you give him any return of affection? '
"Papa," she said, hiding her blushing face
on his shoulder, and speaking in so low a tone
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON 325
that he scarcely caught the words, " I seem to
have learned to love him since knowing of his
love to me and that he had almost, if not quite,
thrown away his own life to save mine. But
you are not willing that he should tell his love?
not willing to give me to him, however much
he may desire it? '
" I am too grateful to him to refuse him any-
thing he may ask for even to the daughter
who is so dear to me that I can scarcely bear
the thought of resigning her to another."
" Oh, father, how could I ever endure to be
parted from you! ' she cried, clinging more
closely to him.
"Dear child," he said, holding her close;
" we will make it a condition that you shall not
be taken away to any distance. And, in any
event, you are still too young to leave your
father; you must remain single and live with
me for at least a year or two longer."
" Oh, I am glad to hear you say that! " she
said. " Papa, has Chester said anything to
you? " she asked.
" Yes; he has several times begged permis-
sion to tell you of his love and try to win yours.
326 ELSIE ON TEE HUDSON.
I have hitherto refused because of your youth,
but shall now let him have his way."
"You are improving fast, and I hope will
soon be able to be up and about again," the
captain said to Chester, a few days later.
" Yes," said the young man, " I begin to feel
as if I had taken a new lease of life and ah,
captain, if I could at last find such favor in
your eyes that you would consent to " His
sentence was left unfinished.
" To letting you tell your tale of love? " Cap-
tain Eaymond asked with a smile.
"Just that, sir. I cannot help fearing it
may prove useless, but anything is better than
suspense; which I feel that I have hardly
strength to endure any longer."
" Nor can I any longer ask that of you, since
you have freely risked your life for hers," re-
turned the captain with emotion. " Your
nurse being out just now, this is a good oppor-
tunity, and I will bring my daughter to you
and let you have it out," he concluded in a jest-
ing tone, and left the room as he spoke.
Lucilla happened to be near at hand, and
"ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 327
almost immediately her father had brought her
to Chester's bedside. She knew nothing of the
talk that had been going on, yet, remembering
her conversation with her father a few days be-
fore, came to the bedside blushing and slightly
embarrassed.
" I am very glad you are better, Chester," she
said, laying her hand in his as he held it out to
her. " What a hard, hard time you have had,
and all because you risked your life to save
mine.'
" I'm not sorry I did, and would do it again
without a moment's hesitation," he said. " Oh,
Lu, if I could but tell you how dear you are to
me! Can you not give me a little love in re-
turn?"
" Oh, Chester, how could I help it, when you
have almost died for me?" she asked, bursting
into tears.
"Don't be distressed over that, dear one,"
he returned, pressing the hand he still held in
his, then lifting it to his lips. "Will yeu be
mine?" he asked imploringly.
"If papa consents, and you will never take
me far away from him."
328 ELSIE ON TEE HUDSON.
<c
He has consented, and I will never take you
anywhere that you do not want to go. We will
live here among our own dear ones as long as
the Lord spares us to each other."
As he finished he drew her down to him, and
their lips met.
"We belong to each other now," he said,
" and I hope both of us will always rejoice that
i %%
it IS SO.
"I hope you will, my dear children," said
the captain. "And now, Chester, get well as
fast as you can. I cannot give Lucilla up en-
tirely to you for. a year or more yet, but you
can visit her here every day if you like."
So the young couple were engaged, and very
happy in each other, Chester making rapid im-
provement in health from the hour when he
was assured of the prosperity of his suit.
The betrothal was soon made known to all
the connection, and seemed to give satisfaction
to everyone. Sydney had gone South before
Chester's encounter with the escaped convict,
and she and Maud wrote their congratulations.
Frank was pleased, and came oftener than be-
fore to Woodburn. Lucilla's bosom friend,
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 329
Evelyn, approved of the match, and hoped Lu
would be a happy wife, but thought she herself
would prefer to live single. Grace was half-
pleased, half-sorry because she did not seem
quite so necessary to her sister's happiness as
before.
Captain Raymond did not at all enjoy the
thought of even a partial giving up of his
daughter to the care of another, but tried to
forget that the time was coming when it must
be done. That Mas: was expected home in a
few weeks made that difficult task somewhat
easier. All were looking joyfully forward to
that happy event.
THE END.
