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LEGENDS

OF THE

THIRTEEN REPUBLICS,

« Why, I will fiiTht with bim "Pon ""* theme
• Until my eyelids will no longer wag." .

LIONEL LINCOLN;

0*3

THE LEAGUER. OF BOSTON.

IN TWO VOLUMES.

« First let me talk with this Philosopher."

.BY THE AUTHOR OF THE PIONEERS, PILOT, Sic.

VOL. I.

NEW-YORK :

PUBLISHED BY CHARLES WILEY.

D. FANSHAW, PRINTER;

1825.

Southern Oittrict of Nftu-York, ss.

it IRetttembetCBj that ou the seventh day of De
cember, in the 49th year of the Independence of the United
States of America, Charles Wiley, of Uie said district, hath
deposited in this office the title of a book, the right whereof
he claims as proprietor, in the words following, to wit:

" Lionel Lincoln ; or, the Leaguer of Boston. In Two Volumes. ' First
let me talk with this Philosopher.' By the Author of Pioneers, Pilot, &c."

In conformity to the Act of Congress of the United States, entitled " An
Act for the encouragement of Learning, by securing the copies of Maps,
Charts, and Books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies, during
the time therein mentioned." And also to an Act, entitled " an Act, sup
plementary to an Act, entitled an Act for the encouragement of Learning1,
by securing th« copies of Maps, Charts, aud Books, to the authors ailtl
proprietors of such copies, during the times therein mentioned, and ex
tending the benefits thereof to the arts of designing, engraving, and
etching- historical and other prints."

JAMES DILL,
Clerk of the Southern District of New- York.

'. . i

WILLIA1VI JAY,

BEDFORD, WEST-CHESTER.

ESQUIRE.

MY DEAR JAY,

An unbroken intimacy of four-arid-
twenty years may justify the present
use of your name. A man of readier
wit than myself, might, on such a sub
ject, find an opportunity of saying some
thing clever, concerning the exalted ser
vices of your father. No weak testimony
of mine, however, can add to a fame
that belongs already to posterity — And.
one like myself, who has so long known
the merits, and has so often experienced
the friendship of the son, can find even
better reasons for offering these Legends
to yeur notice.

Very truly and constantly,
Yours,

THE AUTHOR

Q-" *1

*-»_J_C-- :

PREFACE.

THE manner in which the author be
came possessed of the private incidents,,
the characters, and the descriptions, con
tained in these tales, will, most probably,
ever remain a secret between himself
and his publisher. That the leading
events are true, he presumes it is un
necessary to assert ; for should inherent
testimony, to prove that important point,
be wanting, he is conscious that no ano
nymous declaration can establish its cre
dibility.

But while he shrinks from directly
yielding his authorities, the author has no
hesitation in furnishing all the negative
testimony in his power.

In the first place, then, he solemnly
declares, that no unknown man, nor
woman, has ever died in his vicinity, of
whose effects he has become the possess
or, by either fair means or foul. No dark-
looking stranger, of a morbid tempera
ment, and of inflexible silence, has ever
transmitted to him a single page of illegi
ble manuscript. Nor has any landlord fur
nished him with materials to be worked

$iii PREFACE,

up into a book, in order that the profits
might go to discharge the arrearages of a
certain consumptive lodger, who made
his exit so unceremoniously as to leave
the last item in his account, his funeral
charges.

He is indebted to no garrulous tale-tel
ler for beguiling the long winter eve
nings ; in ghosts he has no faith ; he never
had a vision in his life ; and he sleeps
too soundly to dream.

He is constrained to add, that in no
" puff," " squib," " notice," " article,"
nor " review," whether, in daily, week
ly, monthly, or quarterly publication, has
he been able to find a single hint that
his humble powers could improve. No
one regrets this fatality more than him
self; for these writers generally bring
such a weight of imagination to their
several tasks, that, properly improved,
might secure the immortality of any book;,
by rendering it unintelligible.

He boldly asserts that he has derived
no information from any of the learned
societies — and without fear of contra
diction ; for wrhy should one so obscure
be the exclusive object of their favours !

Notwithstanding he occasionally is

PREFACE. IK

sfcen in that erudite and abstemious
association, the " Bread-and-Cheese
Lunch," where he is elbowed by law
yers, doctors, jurists, poets, painters,
editors, congressmen, and authors of
every shade and qualification, whether
metaphysical, scientific, or imaginative,
he avers, that he esteems the lore which
is there culled, as far too sacred to be
used in any work less dignified than ac
tual history.

Of the colleges it is necessary to
speak with reverence ; though truth pos
sesses claims even superior to gratitude.
He shall dispose of them by simply
saying, that they are entirely innocent of
all his blunders ; the little they bestow
ed having long since been forgotten.

He has stolen no images from the deep,
natural poetry of Bryant ; no pungency
from the wit of Halleck ; no felicity of
expression from the richness of Percival j
no satire from the caustic pen of Pauld-
ing ; no periods, nor humour from Irving;
nor any high finish from the attain
ments exhibited by Verplanck.

At the " soirees" and " coteries des
bas bleus" he did think he had obtained
a prize, in the dandies of literature.

PREFACE.

.

who haunt them. But experiment and
analysis detected his error ; as they prov
ed these worthies unfit for any better pur
pose than that which their own instinct
had already dictated.

He has made no impious attempt to
rob Joe Miller of his jokes; the senti
mentalists of their pathos ; nor the news
paper Homers of their lofty inspira
tions.

His presumption has not even imagin
ed the vivacity of the eastern states ; he
has not analyzed the homogeneous cha
racter of the middle ; and he has left the
south hi the undisturbed possession of
all their saturnine wit.

In short — he has pilfered from no
black-letter book,, nor any six- penny
pamphlet ; his grandmother unnaturally
refused her assistance to his labors; and,
to speak affirmatively, for once, he wishes
to live in peace, and hopes to die in the
fear of God.

PREFACE

TO

LIONEL LINCOLN.

IN this tale there are one or two slight
anachronisms; which, if unnoticed, might,
with literal readers, draw some unpleasant
imputations on its veracity. — They relate
rather to persons than to things. As they
are believed to be quite in character, con
nected with circumstances much more
probable than facts, and to possess ail
the harmony of poetic colouring, the
author is utterly unable to discover the
reason why they are not true.

He leaves the knotty point to the in
stinctive sagacity of the critics.

The matter of this " Legend" may be
pretty equally divided into that which is
publicly, and that which is privately eer-
tain. For the authorities of the latter,
the author refers to the foregoing preface ;
but he cannot dispose of the sources
whence he has derived the former, wit!)
so little ceremony.

XII PREFACE.

The good people of Boston are aware
of the creditable appearance they make
in the early annals of the confederation,
and they neglect no commendable means
to perpetuate the glories of their ances
tors. In consequence, the inquiry af
ter historical facts, is answered, there, by
an exhibition of local publications, that
no other town in the union can equal. Of
these means the author has endeavoured
to avail himself; collating with care,
and selecting, as he trusts, with some of
that knowledge of men and things which
is necessary 10 present a faithful picture.
Wherever he may have failed, he has
done it honestly.

He will not take leave of the * cradle of
liberty,' without expressing his thanks
for the facilities which have been so free
ly accorded to his undertaking. If he has
not been visited by aerial beings, and
those fair visions that poets best love to
create, he is certain he will not be mis
conceived when he says, that he has been
honoured by the notice of some resem
bling those, who first inspired their fan
cies.

LIONEL LINCOLN;

OR

THE LEAGUER OF BOSTON.
CHAPTER I.

" My weary soul they seem to soothe,
" And, redolent of joy and youth,
" To breathe a second spring."

Gray.

No American can be ignorant of the principal
events that induced the parliament of Great
Britain, in 1774, to lay those impolitic restrictions
on the port of Boston, which so effectually de
stroyed the trade of the chief town in her western
colonies. Nor should it be unknown to any Ame- '
rican, how nobly, and with what devotedness to
the great principles of the controversy, the in
habitants of the adjacent town of Salem refused to
profit by the situation of their neighbours and fel-
io\v-subjects. In consequence of these impolitic
measures of the English government, and of the
laudable unanimity among the capitalists of the
times, it became a rare sight to see the canvass of
any other vessels than such as wore the pennants
of the king, whitening the forsaken waters of Mas*
sachusetts bay.

VOL. I. 2

2 LIONEL LINCOLN.

Towards the decline of a day in April, 177ot
however, the eyes of hundreds had been fastened
on a distant sail, which was seen rising from the
bosom of the waves, making her way along the
forbidden track, and steering directly for the
mouth of the proscribed haven. With that deep
solicitude in passing events which marked the
period, a large group of spectators was collected
on Beacon-Hill, spreading from its conical summit,
far down the eastern declivity, all gazing intently
on the object of their common interest. In so
large an assemblage, however, there were those
who were excited by very different feelings, and
indulging in wishes directly opposite to each other.
While the decent, grave, but wary citizen was en
deavouring to conceal the bitterness of the sensa
tions which soured his mind, under the appearance
of a cold indifference, a few gay young men, who
mingled in the throng, bearing about their person?
the trappings of their martial profession, were
loud in their exultations, and hearty in their con
gratulations on the prospect of hearing from their
distant homes and absent friends. But the long',
loud rolls of the drums, ascending on the evening
air, from the adjacent common, soon called these
idle spectators, in a body, from the spot, when the
hill was left to the quiet possession of those who
claimed the strongest right to its enjoyment. It
was not, however, a period for open and unreserv
ed communications. Long before the mists of
evening had succeeded the shadows thrown from
the setting sun, the hill was entirely deserted ; the
remainder of the spectators having descended from
the eminence, and held their several courses, singly,
silent, and thoughtful, towards the rows of dusky
roofs that covered the lowland, along the eastern
side of the peninsula. Notwithstanding this ap
pearance of apathy, rumour, which, in times of
great excitement, ever finds means to convey it*

LIONEL LINCOLN. 3

whisperings, when it dare not bruit its information
aloud, was busy in circulating the unwelcome in
telligence, that the stranger \vas the first of a fleet,
bringing stores and reinforcements to an army
already too numerous, and too confident of its
power, to respect the law. No tumult or noise
succeeded this unpleasant annunciation, but the
doors of the houses were sullenly closed, and the
windows darkened, as if the people intended to
express their dissatisfaction, alone, by these silent
testimonials of their disgust.

In the mean time the ship had gained the rocky
entrance to the harbour, where, deserted by the
breeze, and met by an adverse tide, she lay inac
tive, as if conscious of the unwelcome reception
she must receive. The fears of the inhabitants of
Boston had, however, exaggerated the danger;
for the vessel, instead of exhibiting the confused
and disorderly throng of licentious soldiery which
•would -have crowded a transport, was but thinly
peopled, and her orderly decks were cleared of
every incumbrance that could interfere with the
comfort of those she did contain. There was an ap
pearance, in the arrangements of her external ac
commodations, which would have indicated to an
observant eye, that she carried those who claimed
the rank, or possessed the means, of making others
contribute largely to their comforts. The few sea
men who navigated the ship, lay extended on differ
ent portions of the vessel, watching the lazy sails
as they flapped against the masts, or indolently
bending their looks on the placid waters of the bay;
•while several menials, in livery, crowded around a
young man who was putting his eager inquiries to
the pilot, that had just boarded the vessel off the
Graves. .The dress of this youth was studiously
neat, and* fro in the excessive pains bestowed on its
adjustment, it was obviously deemed, by its wearer,
to be in the height of the prevailing customs^

4 LIONEL LINCOLN.

From the place where this inquisitive party stood,
nigh the main-mast, a wide sweep of the quarter
deck was untenanted ; but nearer to the spot where
the listless seaman hung idly over the tiller of the
ship, stood a being of a! together different mould and
fashion. He was a man who would have seemed
in the very extremity of age, had not his qiuck,
vigorous steps, and the glowing, rapid glances
from his eyes, as he occasionally paced the deck,
appeared to deny the usual indications of many
years. His form was bowed, and attenuated nearly
to emaciation. His hair, which fluttered a little
wildly around his temples, was thin, and silvered to
the whiteness of at least eighty winters. Deep fur
rows, like the lines of great age and long endured
cares united, wrinkled his hollow cheeks, and ren
dered the bold haughty outline of his prominent fea
tures still more remarkable. He was clad in a sim
ple and some \v hat tarnished suit of modest gray,
which bore about it the ill-concealed marks of long
and neglected use. Whenever he turned his pierc
ing look from the shores, he moved swiftly along-
the deserted quarter deck, and seemed entirely
engrossed with the force of his own thoughts, his
lips moving rapidly, though no sounds were heard
to issue from a mouth that was habitually silent.
He was under the influence of one of those sud
den impulses in which the body, apparently,
sympathized so keenly with the restless activity of
the mind, when a young man ascended from the
Cabin, and took his stand among the interested and
oxcited gazers at the land, on the upper deck.
The age of this gentleman might have been five
and twenty. He wore a military cloak, thrown
carelessly across his form, which, in addition to
such parts of his dress as were visible through its
Open folds, sufficiently announced that his profes
sion was that of arms. There was an air of east^

LIONEL LINCOLN. 5

and high fashion gleaming about his person, though
his speaking countenance, at times, seemed melan
choly, if not sad. On gaining the deck, this young
officer, encountering the eyes of the aged and rest
less being who trod its planks, bowed courteously
before he turned away to the view, and in his turn
became deeply absorbed in studying its fading
beauties.

The rounded heights of Dorchester were radiant
with the rays of the luminary that had just sunk
behind their crest, and streaks of paler light were
playing along the waters, and gilding the green
summits of the islands which clustered across the
mouth of the estuary. Far in the distance were
to be seen the tall spires of the churches, rising out
of the deep shadows of the town, with their vanes
glittering in the sun-beams, while a few rays of
strong light were dancing about the black beacon,
which reared itself high above the conical peak
that took its name from the circumstance of sup
porting this instrument of alarms. Several large
vessels were anchored among the islands and be
fore the town, their dark hulls, at each moment,
becoming less distinct through the haze of even
ing, while the summits of their long lines of
masts were yet glowing with the marks of day.
From each of these sullen ships, from the low for
tification which rose above a small island deep in
the bay, and from various elevations in the town
itself, the broad, silky folds of the flag of England
were yet waving in the currents of the passing
air. The young man was suddenly aroused from
gazing at this scene, by the quick reports of the
evening guns, and while his eyes were yet tracing
the descent of the proud symbols of the British
power, from their respective places of display, he
felt his arm convulsively pressed by the hand of
his aged fellow-passenger.

O LIONEL LINCOLN'.

" Will the day ever arrive," said a low, hollotf
voice at his elbow, " when those flags shall be
lowered, never to rise again in this hemisphere!"

The young soldier turned his quick eyes to the
countenance of the speaker, but bent them instantly
in embarrassment on the deck, to avoid the keen,
searching glance he encountered in the looks of
the other. A long, and on the part of the young
man, a painful silence succeeded this remark. At
length the youth, pointing to the land, said —

" Tell me, you, who are of Boston, and must
have known it so long, the names of all these
beautiful places I see."

" And are you not of Boston, too ?" asked his
old companion.

" Certainly by birth, but an Englishman by-
habit and education."

" Accursed be the habits, and neglected the
education, which would teach a child to forget its
parentage !" muttered the old man, turning sud
denly, and walking auay so rapidly as to be soon
lost in the forward parts of the ship.

For several minutes longer, the youth stood ab
sorbed in his own musings, when, as if recollecting
his previous purposes, hecalled aloud — "Meriton.''

At the sounds of his voice the curious group
around the pilot instantly separated, and the highly
ornamented youth, before mentioned, approached
the officer, with a manner in which pert familia
rity and fearful respect were peculiarly blended.
Without regarding the air of the other, however,
or indeed without even favouring him with a
glance, the young soldier continued —
1 " I desired you to detain the boat which boarded
u$, in order ta convey me to the town, Mr. Meii
tan ; see if it be in readiness."

The valet flew to execute this commission, and in
an instant returned with a reply in the affirmative-.

LIONEL LINCOLN. 7

ft But, sir," he continued, " you will never think
Of going in that boat, I feel very much assured,
sir."

" Your assurance, Mr. Meriton, is not the least
of your recommendations ; why should I not ?"

" That disagreeable old stranger has taken pos
session of it, with his mean, filthy bundle of rags ;
and—"

" And what ? you must name a greater evil,
to detain me here, than mentioning the fact that
the only gentleman in the ship is to be my com
panion."

" Lord, sir !" said Meriton, glancing his eye up
ward in amazement; "but, sir, surely you know
best as to gentility of behaviour — but as to gen
tility of dress — "

" Enough of this," interrupted his master, a little
angrily; "the company is such as I am content
with ; if you find it unequal to your deserts, you
have rny permission to remain in the ship until
the morning — the presence of a coxcomb is by no
means necessary to my comfort for one night."

Without regarding the mortification of his dis- .
concerted valet, the young man passed along the
deck to the place where the boat was in waiting.
By the general movement among the indolent me
nials, and the profound respect with which he was
attended by the master of the ship to the gangway,
it was sufficiently apparent, that notwithstanding
his youth, it was this gentleman whose presence had
exacted those arrangements in the ship, which have
been mentioned. While all around him, however,
were busy in facilitating the entrance of the officep
into the boat, the aged stranger occupied its princi
pal seat, with an air of deep abstraction, if nqt oi
cool indifference. A hint from the pliant Meriton.
who had ventured to follow his master, that it would
be more agreeable if he would relinquish his place,

8 LIONEL LINCOLN.

was disregarded, and the youth took a seat by the
side of the old man, with a simplicity of manner
that his valet inwardly pronounced abundantly
degrading. As if this humiliation were not suffi
cient, the young man perceiving that a general
pause had succeeded his own entrance, turned to
hi? companion, and courteously inquired if he were
ready to proceed. A silent wave of the hand was
the reply, when the boat shot away from the ves
sel, leaving the ship steering for an anchorage in
Nantasket.

The measured dash of the oars was uninterrupt
ed by any voice, while, stemming the tide, they pull
ed laboriously up among the islands; but by the
time they had reached the castle, the twilight had
melted into the softer beams from a young moon,
and the surrounding objects becoming more dis
tinct, the stranger commenced talking with that
quick and startling vehemence which seemed his
natural manner. He spoke of the localities, with the
vehenjence and fondness of an enthusiast, and with
the familiarity of one who had long known their
beauties. His rapid utterance, however, ceased as
they approached the naked wharves, and he sunk
back gloomily in the boat, as if unwilling to trust
his voice on the subject of his country's wrongs.
Thus left to his own thoughts, the youth gazed,
with eager interest, at the long ranges of buildings,
which were now clearly visible to the eye, though
with softer colours and more gloomy shadows. A
few neglected and dismantled ships were lying at
different points; but the hum of business, the forests
of masts, and the rattling of wheels which at that
early hour should have distinguished the great mart
of the colonies, were wanting. In their places
were to be heard, at intervals, the sudden bursts of
distant, martial music, the riotous merriment of the
soldiery who frequented the taverns at the water's

LIONEL LINCOLN, 9

edge, or the sullen challenges of the sentinels from
the vessels of war, as they vexed the progress of
the few boats which the inhabitants still used in
their ordinary pursuits.

" Here indeed is a change !" the young officer
exclaimed, as they glided swiftly along this deso
late scene; "even my recollections, young and
fading as they are, recall tfcie difference !"

The stranger made no reply, but a smile of sin
gular meaning gleamed across his wan features,
imparting, by the moonlight, to their remarkable
expression, a character of additional wildness.
The officer was again silent, nor did either speak
until the boat, having shot by the end of the long
Wharf, across whose naked boundaries a sentinel
was pacing his measured path, inclined more to
ihe shore, and soon reached the place of its
destination.

Whatever might have been the respective feel
ings of the two passengers at having thus reached in
safety the object of their tiresome and protracted
voyage, they were not expressed in language. The
old man bared his silver locks, and concealing his
face with his hat, stood as if in deep mental thanks
giving at the termination of his toil, while his
more youthful companion trod the wharf on which
they landed with the air of a man whose emotions
were too engrossing for the ordinary use of words.

" Here we must part, sir," the officer at length
said; " but I trust the acquaintance which has been
thus accidentally formed between us, is not to be
forgotten now there is an end to our common pri
vations."

" It is not in the power of a man whose days, like
mine, are numbered," returned the stranger, " to
mock the liberality of his God, by any vain pro
mises that must depend on time for their fulfilment.
I am one, young gentleman3 who has returned from

10 LIONEL LINCOLN.

a sad, sad pilgrimage in the other hemisphere, to
lay his bones in this, his native land ; but should
many hours be granted me, you will hear further
of the man whom your courtesy and kindness have
so greatly obliged."

The officer was sensibly affected by the softened
but solemn manner of his companion, and pressed
liis wasted hand fervently as he answered —

"Do; I ask it as a singular favour; I know
not why, but you have obtained a command of my
feelings that no other being ever yet possessed —
and yet — 'tis a mystery, 'tis like a dream! 1 feel
that I not only venerate, but love you !"

The old man stepped back, and held the youth at
the length of his arm for a moment, while he fast
ened on him a look of glowing interest, and then
raising his hand slowly, he pointed impressively
Upward, and said —

" 'Tis from heaven, and for God's own pur
poses — smother not the sentiment, boy, but cherish
it in your heart's core !"

The reply of the youth was interrupted by
sudden and violent shrieks, that burst rudely on
the stillness of the place, chilling the very blood
of those who heard them, with their piteousness.
The quick and severe blows of a lash were, blended
^vith the exclamations of the sufferer, and rude
oaths, with hoarse execrations, from various voices,
were united in the uproar, which appeared to be at
no great distance. By a common impulse, the
\vhole party broke away from the spot, and moved
yapi'lly up the wharf in the direction of the sounds.
As they approached the buildings, a group was
Seen collected around the man who thus broke the
charm of evening by his cries, interrupting his
\vailings with their ribaldry, and encouraging his
tormentors to proceed.

LIONEL LINCOLN. ll

" Merey, mercy, for the sake of the blessed God,
have mercy, and don't kill Job !" again shrieked
the sufferer; "Job will run your a'r'nds ! Job is
half-witted ! Mercy on poor Job ! Oh! you make
his flesh creep !"

" I'll cut the heart from the mutinous knave,*'
interrupted a hoarse, angry voice ; " to refuse to
drink the health of his majesty !"

" Job does wish him good health — Job loves the
king, only Job don't love rum."

The officer had approached so nigh as to per
ceive that the whole scene was one of disorder
and abuse, and pushing aside the crowd of excited
and deriding soldiers, who composed the throng,
he broke at once into the centre of the circle.

CHAPTER II.

>

•'They'll have me whipped for speaking true ;

" Thoul't have me whipped for lying;

" And sometimes I'm whipped for holding my peace.

•' I had rather be any kind of a thing

•'Than a fool." Lear'

"WHAT means this outcry?" demanded the
young man, arresting the arm of an infuriate
ioldier who was inflicting the bows; "by what
authority is this man thus abused ?

« Bv what authority dare you to lay hands on a
British grenadier!" cried the fellow turning in
his fury, and raising his lash against the supposed
townsman. But when, as the officer stepped aside
to avoid the threatened indignity, the fight of the
moon fell full upon his glittering dress, through
the opening folds of his cloak the arm of he
brutal soldier was held suspended in air, with the
surprise of the discovery.

"Answer, I bid you," contmned the young offi
cer, his frame shaking with passion ; « why is this
man tormented, and of what regiment are ye ?

«We belong to the grenadiers of the brave
47th your honour," returned one of the bystan
ders' in a humble, deprecating tone, " and we was-
just 'polishing this 'ere natural, because as he re-
fases to drink the health of his majesty.

-He's a scornful sinner, that don't fear his
Maker," cried the man in duresse, eagerly b

LIONEL LINCOLN. 13

ing his face, down which big tears were roll-
ing, towards his protector. « Job loves the kin?
but Job don't love rum !"

The officer turned away from the cruel spec
tacle, as he bid the men untie their prisoner.
Knives and fingers were instantly put in requisi
tion, and the man was liberated, and suffered to
resume his clothes. During this operation, the
tumult and bustle which had so recently dis
tinguished the riotous scene, were succeeded by
a stillness that rendered the hard breathing of the
suite rer painfully audible.

" Now sirs, you heroes of the 47th !" said the
young man, when the victim of their rage was
again clad, " know you this button ?" The sol-
:r to whom this question was more particularly
addressed, gazed at the extended arm, and, to his
vast discomfiture, he beheld the magical number
)t ins own regiment reposing on the well-known
white facings that decorated the rich scarlet of the
vestment. No one presumed to answer this appeal
and after an impressive silence of a few moments'
he continued —

"Ye are noble supporters of the well-earned fame
of Wolfe s own !' fit successors to the gallant men
who conquered under the walls of Quebec ! away
with ye ; to-morrow it shall be looked to."

" I hope your honour will remember he refused
his majesty's health. I'm sure, sir, that if colonel
iNesbitt was here himself—

" Dog ! do you dare to hesitate ! go, while
you have permission to depart."

The disconcerted soldiery, whose turbulence
iiad thus van.shed, as if by enchantment, before
the frown of their superior, slunk away in a body,
lew of the older men whispering to their com
rades the name of the officer who had thus unex
pectedly appeared in the midst of them. The

VOL. I.

14 LIONEL LIXCOLK.

angry eye of the young soldier followed their re»
tiring forms, while a man of them was visible;
after which, turning to an elderly citizen, who, sup
ported on a crutch, had been a spectator of the
scene, he asked —

" Know you the cause of the cruel treatment
this poor man has received ? or what in any
manner has led to the violence ?"

" The boy is weak," returned the cripple ;
" quite an innocent, who knows but little good, but
does no harm. The soldiers have been carousing
in yonder dram-shop, and they often get the poor
lad in with them, and sport with his infirmity. If
these sorts of doings an't checked, I fear much
trouble will grow out of them ! Hard laws from
t'other side of the water, and tarring and feathering
on this, with gentlemen like colonel Nesbitlat their
head, will"—

" It is wisest for us, my friend, to pursue thi-
subject no further," interrupted the officer ; " I
belong myself to ' Wolfe's own,' and will en
deavour to see justice done in the matter; as you
will credit, when I tell you that I am a Boston
boy. But though a native, a long absence ha?
obliterated the marks of the town from my me
mory ; and I am at a loss to thread these crooked
streets. Know you the dwelling of Mrs. Leeh-
mere ?"

" The house is well known to all in Boston/'
Returned the cripple, in a voice sensibly altered by
the information that he was speaking to a towns
man. "Job, here, does but little else than run of
errands, and he will show you the way out of
gratitude ; wont you Job r"

The idiot, for the vacant eye and unmeanJHg,
boyish countenance of the young man who had
just been liberated, but too plainly indicated that
lie was to be included in that miserable class or*
human beinjgs, answered with a caution and re-

LIONEL LINCOLN. 15*

Juctance that were a little remarkable, consider
ing the recent circumstances.

• " Ma'am Lechmere's ! Oh! yes, Job knows
the way, and could go there blindfolded, if — if — "

'; If what, you simpleton !" exclaimed the
zealous cripple.

" VVHy, if 'twas daylight."

" Blindfolded, and daylight ! do but hear the
silly, child! come, Job, you must take this gen
tleman to Tremont-street, without further words.
'Tis but just sundown, boy, and you can go there
and be home and in your bed before the Old
South strikes eight !"

" Yes ; that all depends on which way you
.go," returned the reluctant changeling. "Now, I
know, neighbour Hopper, you couldn't go to
Ma'am Lechmere's in an hour, if you went along
Lynn-street, and so along Prince-street, and back
through Snow-Hill ; and especially if you should
Stop any time to look at the graves on Copps."

" Pshaw ! the fool is in one of his sulks now,
with his Copps-Hill, and the graves !" interrupted
the cripple, whose heart had wanned to his youth
ful townsman, and who would have volunteered to
show the way himself, had his infirmities permit
ted the exertion. " The gentleman must call the
grenadiers back, to bring the child to reason."

" 'Tis quite unnecessary to be harsh with the un
fortunate lad," said the young soldier; "my recol
lections will probably aid me as I advance ; and
should they not, I can inquire of any passenger
I meet."

'" If Boston was what Boston has been, you
might ask such a question of a civil inhabitant, at
any corner;" said the cripple; " but it's rare to see
many of our people in the streets at this hour,
since the massacre. Besides, it is Saturday night,
you know; a fit time for these rioters to choose
for their revelries ! For that matter, the soldiers

16 LIONEL LINCOLN*.

have grown more insolent than ever, since they have
met that disappointment about the cannon down
at Salem ; but I needn't tell such as you what the
soldiers are when they get a little savage."

"I know my comrades but indifferently well,
if their conduct to night be any specimen of their
ordinary demeanour, sir," returned the officer;
" but follow, Meriton; I apprehend no great diffi
culty in qur path."

The pliant valet lifted the cloakr-bag he carried,
from the ground, and they were about to proceed^,
when the natural edged himself in a sidelong, slo
venly manner, nigher to the gentleman, and looked
earnestly up in his face for a moment, where he
seemed to be gathering confidence, to say — " Job
will show the officer Ma'am Lechmere's. if the offi
cer wont let the grannies catch Job afore he gets off
the North End ag'in."

" Ah !" said the young man. laughing, " there
is something of the cunning of a fool in that ar
rangement. Well, I accept the conditions; but
beware how you take me to contemplate the graves
by moonlight, or I shall deliver you not only to
the grannies, but to the light infantry, artillery,
and all."

With this good-natured threat, the officer fol
lowed his nimble conductor, after taking a friend
ly leave of the obliging cripple, who continued
his admonitions to the natural, not to wander from
the direct route, while the sounds of his voice
were audible to the retiring party. The progress
of his guide was so rapid as to require the young
officer to confine his survey of the narrow and
crooked streets through which they passed, to ex
tremely hasty and imperfect glances.- No very
minute observation, however, was necessary to
perceive that he was led along one of the most
filthy and inferior sections of the town ; and where,
notwithstanding his efforts, he found it impossible

LIONEL LINCOLS". It

to recall a single feature of his native place to his
remembrance. The complaints of Meriton, who
followed close at the heels of his master, were
loud and frequent, until the gentleman, a little
doubting the sincerity of his intractable conductor,
exclaimed —

" Have you nothing better than this to show a
townsman, who has been absent seventeen years,
on his return ! Pray let us go through some better
streets than this, if any there are in Boston which
can be called better."

The lad stopped short, and looked up in the
face of the speaker, for ah instant, with an air of
Undisguised amazement, and then, without re
plying, he changed the direction of his route, and
after one or two more deviations in his path, sud
denly turning again, he glided up an alley, so nar-
TOW that the passenger might touch the buildings
on either side of him. The officer hesitated an
instant to enter this dark and crooked passage,
Taut perceiving that his guide was already hid by a
bend in the houses, he quickened his steps, and
immediately regained the ground he had lost.
They soon emerged from the obscurity of the
place, and issued on a street of greater width.

"There!" said Job, triumphantly, when they
had effected this gloomy passage, " does the king
live in so crooked and narrow a street as that !"

" His majesty must yield the point in your
favour," returned the officer.

" Ma'am Lechmere is a grand lady!" continued
the lad, seemingly following the current of his
own fanciful conceits, " and she wouldn't live
in that alley for the world, though it is narrow,
like the road to heaven, as old Nab says; I suppose
they call it after the Methodies for that reason."

"I have heard the road you mention termed
narrow, certainly, but it is also called strait," rei-

3*

!18 LIONEL LINCOLN.

turned the officer, a little amused with the humour
of the lad; "but forward, the time is slipping
away, and we loiter."

Again Job turned, and moving onward, he led
the way, with swift steps, along another narrow
and crooked path, which, however, better deserv
ed the name of a street, under the projecting sto
ries of the wooden buildings, which lined its sides.
After following the irregular windings of their
route for some distance, they entered a triangular
area, of a few rods in extent, where Job, disregard
ing the use of the narrow walk, advanced direct
ly into the centre of the open space. Here he
stopped once more, and turning his vacant face
with an air of much seriousness, towards a building
which composed one side of the triangle, he said,
with a voice that expressed his own deep admira
tion —

"There — that's the ' old North !' did you ever
see such a meetin'us' afore ! dors the king wor
ship God in such a temple !"

The officer did not chide the idle liberties of the
fool, for in the antiquated and quaint architecture
of the wooden edifice, he recognized one of those
early effort's of the simple, puritan builder*, whose
rude tastes have been transmitted to their posterity
with so many deviations in the style €F the same
school, but so little of improvement. Blended
with these considerations, were the dawnings of
revived recollections; and he smiled, as he recall
ed the time when he also used to look up at the
building with feelings somewhat allied to the pro
found admiration of the idiot. Job watched his
countenance narrowly, and easily mistaking its
expression, he extended his arm toward one of
the narrowest of the avenues that entered the
area, where stood a few houses of more than com*
mon pretension.

LIONEL LINCOLN. J9

" And there ag'in !" he continued, " there's
palaces for you ! stingy Tommy lived in the one
with the pile-axters, and the flowers hanging to
their tops ; and see the crowns on them too ! stin
gy Tommy loved crowns, they say; but Pro-
vince'us' wasn't good enough for him, and he lived
here — no\\ they say he lives in one of the king's
cupboards !"

" And who was stingy Tommy, and what right
had he to dwell in Province- House, if he would ?"

" What right has any governor to live in Pro-
vince'us' ! because its the king's ! though the
people paid for it."

" Pray, sir, excuse me," said Meriton, from
behind, " but do the Americans usually call all
their governors stingy Tommies ?"

The officer turned his head, at this vapid ques
tion, from his valet, and perceived that he had
been accompanied thus far by the aged stranger,
•who stood at his elbow, leaning on his staff,
studying with close attention the late dwelling of
Hulchinson, while the light of the moon fell? un
obstructed, on the deep lines of his haggard face.
During the first surprise of this discovery, he for
got to reply, and Job took the vindication of his
language into his own hands.

" To be &re they do — they call people by their
right names," he said. " Insygn Peck is called
Insygn Peck ; and you call Deacon Winslow any
thing but Deacon VVinslow, and see what a look
he'll give you! and I am Job Pray, so called; and
why shouldn't a governor be called stingy Tom
my, if he is a stingy Tommy ?"

" Be careful how you speak lightly of the king's
representative," said the young officer, raising his
light cane with the affectation of correcting the
changeling. — " Forget you that I am a soldier f "

The idiot shrunk back a little, timidly, and then
leering from under his sunken brow, he answered —

29 LIONETL LINCOLN.

"I heard you say you were a Boston boyV

The gentleman was about to make a playful
reply, when the aged stranger passed swiftly be
fore him, and took his stand at the side of the
lad, with a manner so remarkable for its earnest
ness, that it entirely changed the current of his
thoughts.

" The young man knows the ties of blood and
country," the stranger muttered, "and I honour
bim !"

It might have been the sudden recollection of
the danger of those allusions, which the officer so
well understood, and to which his accidental asso
ciation with the singular being who uttered them,
had begun to familiarize his ear, that induced the
youth to resume his walk, silently, and in deep
thought, along the street. By this movement, he
escaped observing the cordial grasp of the hand
which the old stranger bestowed on the idiot,
while he muttered a few more terms of commenda
tion. Job soon took his station in front, and the
whole party moved on, again, though with less
rapid strides. As the lad advanced deeper into
the town, he evidently wavered once or twice in
his choice of streets, and the officer began to sus
pect that the changeling contemplated one of lijs
wild circuits, to avoid the direct route to a house
that he manifestly approached with great reluc
tance. Once or twice the young soldier looked
about him, intending to inquire the direction, of
the first passenger he might see ; but the quiet of
deep night already pervaded the place, and not an
individual but those who accompanied him, ap
peared in the long ranges of streetsthey had passed.
The air of the guide was becoming so dogged,
and hesitating, that his follower had just deter
mined to make an application at one of the
doors, when they emerged from a dark, dirty, and
gloomy street, on an open space, of much greater

LIONEL LINCOLN. 21

extent than the one they had so recently left. Pass
ing under the walls of a blackened dwelling, Job led
the way to the centre of a swinging bridge, which
was thrown across an inlet from the harbour, that
extended a short distance into the area, forming a
shallow dock. Here he took his stand, arid allow
ed the view of the surrounding objects to work its
own effect on those he had conducted thither. The
square was composed of rows of low, gloomy, and
irregular houses, most of which had the appearance
of being but little used. Stretching from the end of
the basin, and a little on one side, a long, narrow
edifice, ornamented with pilasters, perforated with
arched windows, and surmounted by a humble
cupola, reared its walls of brick, under the light
of the moon. The story which held the rows of
silent, glistening windows, was supported .on abut
ments and arches of the same material, through
the narrow vistas of which were to be seen the
shambles of the common market-place. Heavy
cornices of stone were laid above and beneath the
pilasters, and something more than the unskilful
architecture of the dwelling houses they had pass
ed, was affected throughout the whole structure.
While the officer gazed at this scene, the idiot
watched his countenance with a keenness exceed
ing his usual observation, until impatient at hear
ing no words of pleasure or of recognition, he ex
claimed —

"l! you don't know Funnel-Hall, you are no
Boston boy !"

" But I do know Fanueil-Hall, and I am a Bos
ton boy," returned the amused gentleman ; " the
place begins to freshen on my memory, and I now
recall the scenes of my childhood."

"This, then," said .the aged stranger, "isthespot
where liberty has found so many bold advocates !"

" It would do the king's heart good to hear the
people talk in old Funnel, sometimes," said Job j.

22 LIONEL LINCOLN,

"I was on the cornishes, and looked into the wift-
ders, the last town-meetin'-da', and if there was
soldiers on the common, there was them in the hall
that did'nt care for them !"

" All this is very amusing, no doubt," said the
Officer, gravely, " but it does not advance me a
foot on my \vay to Mrs. Lech mere's."

" It is also instructing," exclaimed the stranger :
" go on, child ; I love to hear his simple feelings
thus expressed ; they indicate the state of the pub'
lie mind."

" Why," said Job, " they \vere plain spoken,
that's all, and it would be better for the king to
come over, and hear them — it would pull dowu
his pride, and make him pity the people, and then
he wouldn't think of shutting up .Boston harbour.
Suppose he should stop the water from coming in
by the narrows, why we should get it by Broad
Sound ! and if it didn't come by Broad Sound, it
would by Nantasket ! He needn't think that the
Boston folks are so dumU as to be cheated out of
God's water by acts of Parliament, while old Fun
nel stands in the dock square !"

" Sirrah!" exclaimed the officer, a little angri-*
ly, " we have already loitered until the clocks
are striking eight."

The idiot lost his animation, and lowered io
liis looks again, as he answered —

" Well, I told neighbour Hopper there was
more ways to ma'am Lechmere's than straight
forward ! but every body knows Job's business
better than Job himself! now you make me for-

fet the road ; let us go in and ask old Nab, she
nows the way too well !"
" Old Nab ! you wilful dolt ! who is Nab, and

have I to do with any but yourself r"
" Every body in Boston knows Abigail Pray."
" What of her f" asked the startling voice

LIONEL LINCOLN. K$

of the stranger;*" what of Abigail Pray, boy; is
she not honest ?"

" Yes, as poverty can make her," returned the
natural, gloomily; " now the king has said there
shall be no goods but tea sent to Boston, and the
people won't have the bohea, its easy living rent-
free. — Nab keeps her huckster-stuff in the old
ware'us', and a good place it is too — Job and
his mother have each a room to sleep in, and they
say the king and queen haven't more !"

While he was speaking, the eyes of his listeners
were drawn by his gestures toward the singular
edifice to which he alluded. Like most of the
others adjacent to the square, it was low, old.
dirty, and dark. Its shape was triangular, a
street bounding it on each side, and its extremities
were flanked by as many low hexagonal towers,
which terminated, like the main building itself, in
high pointed roofs, tiled, and capped with rude or
naments. Long ranges of small windows were to
be seen in the dusky walls, through one of which
the light of a solitary candle was glimmering, the
<?nly indication of the. presence of life about the
silent and gloomy building.

" Nab knows ma'am Lcchmere belter lhaft
Job," continued the idiot, after a moment's pause,
" and she will know whether ma'am Lech mere will
have Job whipped for bringing company on Satur
day-night ; though they say she's so full of scoffe-
ry as to talk, drink tea, and laugh on that night,
just the same as any other time."

" 1 will pledge myself to her courteous treat
ment," the officer replied, beginning to be weary of
the fool's delay.

" Let us see this Abigail Pray," cried the aged
stranger, suddenly seizing Job by the arm, and lead
ing him, with a sort of irresistible power, toward
the walls of the building, through one of the low
doors of which they immediately disappeared.

24 LIONEL LINCOLN.

Thus left on the bridge, with his valet, the young
officer hesitated a single instant how to act ; but
yielding to the secret and powerful interest which
the stranger had succeeded in throwing around all
liis movements and opinions, he bid Meriton await
his return, and followed his guide and the old
man into the cheerless habitation of the former.
On passing the outer door he found himself in a
spacious, but rude apartment, which, from its ap
pearance, as well as from the few articles of heavy
but valueless merchandise it now contained, would
seem to have been used once as a store-house.
"The light drew his steps toward a room in one of
the towers, where, as he approached its open door,
he heard the loud, sharp tones of a woman's voice,
exclaiming —

" Where have you been, graceless, this Satur
day-night! tagging at the heels of the soldiers,
or gazing at the men-of-war, with their ungodly
fashions of music and revelry at such a time, I
dare to say ! and you knew that a ship was in the
bay, and that madam Lechmere had desired me
to send her the first notice of its arrival. Here
have I been waiting for you to go up to Tremont-
street since sun-down, with the news, and you are
out of call — you, that know so well who it is she
expects !"

" Don't be cross to Job, mother, for the grannies
have been cutting his back with cords, till the blood
runs ! ma'am Lechmere ! I do believe, mother, that
ma'am Lechmere has moved; for I've been trying
to find her house this hour, because there's a gen
tleman who landed from the ship wanted Job to
show him the way."

" What means the ignorant boy !" exclaimed
his mother.

" He alludes to me," said the officer, entering
the apartment; " I am the person, if any, expected

LIONEL LINCOLN. , 25

by Mrs. Lechmere, and have just landed from the
Avon, of Bristol;, but your son has led me a cir
cuitous path, indeed ; at one time he spoke of
visiting the graves on Copps-Hill."

"Excuse the ignorant and witless child, sir," ex
claimed the matron, eyeing the young man keen
ly through her spectacles ; " he knows the way as
well as to his own bed, but he is wilful at times.
This will be a joyful night in Tremont-street !
So handsome, and so stately too ! excuse me.
young gentleman," she added, raising the candle
to his features with an evident unconsciousness of
the act — " he has the sweet smile of the mother,
and the terrible eye of his father! God forgive us
all our sins, and make us happier in another world
than in this place of evil and wickedness !" As
she muttered the latter words, the woman set aside
her candle with an air of singular agitation.
Each syllable, notwithstanding her secret inten
tion, was heard by the officer, across whose coun
tenance there passed a sudden gloom that doubled
its sad expression. He, however, said —

" You know me, and my family, then."

"I was at your birth, young gentleman, and
a joyful birth it was ! but madam Lechmere
waits for the news, and my unfortunate child
shall speedily conduct you to her door; she will
tell you all that it is proper to know. Job, you
Job, where are you getting to, in that corner !
take your hat, and show the gentleman to Tre
mont-street directly; you know, my son, you
love to go to madam Lechmere's !"

u Job would never go, if Job could help it,"
muttered the sullen boy ; " and if Nab had never
gone, 'twould have been better for her soul."

" Do you dare, disrespectful viper !" exclaim
ed the angry quean, seizing, in the violence of

VOL. i. 4

26 LIONEL LINCOLN.

her fury, the tongs, and threatening the head of
her stubborn child.

" Woman, peace !" said a voice behind.

The dangerous weapon fell from the nerveless
hand of the vixen, and the hues of her yellow
and withered countenance changed to the white
ness of death. She stood motionless, for near a
minute, as if riveted to the spot by a super
human power, before she succeeded in mutter
ing, u who speaks to me r" •

" It is I," returned fche stranger, advancing
from the shadow of the door into the dim light
of the candle ; " a man who has numbered ages,
and who knows, that as God loves him, so is
he bound to love the children of his loins."

The rigid limbs of the woman lost their sta
bility, in a tremour that shook every fibre in
her body ; she sunk in her chair, and her eyes
rolled from the face of one visiter to that of
the other, while her unsuccessful efforts to utter,
denoted that she had temporarily lost the com
mand of speech. Job stole to the side of the
stranger, in this short interval, and looking up
in his face piteously, he said —

" Don't hurt old Nab — read that good saying
to her out of the Bible, and she'll never strike
Job with the tongs ag'in ; will you, mother ?
See her cup, where she hid it under the towel,
when you came in ! ma'am Lechmere gives her
the p'ison tea t<» drink, and then Nab is never
so good to Job, as Job would be to mother, if
mother was half-witted, and Job was old Nab.''

The stranger considered the moving counte
nance of the boy, while he pleaded thus ear
nestly in behalf of his mother, with marked at
tention, and when he had done, he stroked the
head of the natural compassionately, and said —

LIONEL LINCOLN. 27

" Poor, imbecile child ! God has denied the
most precious of his gifts, and yet his spirit
hovers around thee ; for tbou canst distinguish be
tween austerity and kindness, and thou hast learnt
to know good from evil. Young man, see you no
moral in this dispensation ! Nothing, which says
that Providence bestows no gift in vain ; while
it points to the difference between the duty that
is fostered by indulgence, and that which is ex
torted by power !"

The officer avoided the ardent looks of the
stranger, and after an embarrassing pause of a
moment, he expressed his readiness, to the re
viving woman, to depart on his way. The ma
tron, whose eye had never ceased to dwell on
the features of the old man, since her faculties
were restored, arose slowly, and in a feeble voice,
directed her son to show the road to Tremont-
street. She had acquired, by long practice, a
manner that never failed to control, when ne
cessary, the wayward humours of her child, and
on the present occasion, the unwonted solemnity
imparted to her voice, by deep agitation, aided
in effecting her object. Job quietly arose, and
prepared himself to comply. The mariners of
the whole party wore a restraint which impli
ed they had touched on feelings that it would
be wiser to smother, and the separation would
have been silent, though courteous, on the part
of the youth, had he not perceived the passage
still filled by the motionless form of the stranger."
" You will precede me, sir," he said ; " the
hour grows late, and you, too, may need a
guide to find your dwelling."

" To me, the streets of Boston have long been
familiar," returned the old man. " I have noted
the increase of the town as a parent notes the
.'.ncreasing stature of his child ; nor is my love

28 LIONEL LINCOLN.

for it less than paternal. It is enough that I am
within its limits, where liberty is prized as the
greatest good ; and it matters not under what
roof I lay my head — this will do as well as an
other."

" This !" echoed the other, glancing his eyes
over the miserable furniture, and scanning the air
of poverty that pervaded the place ; " why this
house has even less of comfort than the ship we
have left !"

" It has enough for my wants," said the stranger,
seating himself with composure, and deliberately
placing his bundle by his side. " Go you to your
palace, in Tiemont-street : it shall be my care
that we meet again."

The officer understood the character of his
companion too well to hesitate, and bending low,
he quitted the apartment, leaving the other leaning
his head on his cane, in absent musing, while the
amazed matron was gazing at her unexpected
guest, with a wonder that was not unmingled
with dread.

CHAPTER III.

iv' From silver spouts the gratetul liquors glide,
" While China's earth receives the smoking tide ;
•" At once they gratify their scent and taste,
" And frequent cups prolong the rich repast-"

Rape oftlie Lock.

THE recollection of the repeated admonitions
of his mother, served to keep Job to* his purpose.
The instant the officer appeared, he held his way
across the bridge, and after proceeding for a short
distance* further, along the water's edge, they
entered a broad and well built avenue, which led
from the principal wharf into the upper parts of
the town. Turning up this street, the lad was
making his way, with great earnestness, when
sounds of high merriment and conviviality, break
ing from an opposite building, caught his atten
tion, and induced him to pause.

" Remember your mother's injunction," said the
officer; " what see you in that tavern, to stare at?"

" 'Tis the British Coffee-house !" said Job, sha
king his head; "yes, any body might know that
by the noise they make in't on Saturday-night! see,
it's filled now, with Lord Boot's officers, flaring
afore the windows, just like so many red devils ;
but to-morrow, when the Old South bell rings,
they'll forget their Lord and maker, every sinner
among them !"

" Fellow!" exclaimed the officer, " this is tres
passing too far — proceed to Tremont-street, or •
leave me, that I may, at once, procure another
guide*"

4*

Sd LIONEL LINCOLN.

The changeling cast a look aside at the angry
eye of the other, and then turned and proceeded,,
muttering; so loud as to be overheard —

" Every body that's raised in Boston knows
how to keep Saturday-night ; and if you're a Bos
ton boy, you should love Boston ways."

The officer did not reply, and as they now pro
ceeded with great diligence, they soon passed
through King and Queen-streets, and entered that
of Tremont. At a little distance from the turning,
Job stopped, and pointing to a building near them,
he said —

" There ; that house with the court-yard afore
it, and the 'pile-axters, and the grand looking
door, that's ma'am Lechmere's ; and every body
says she's a grand lady, but I say it is a pity she
«sn't a better woman."

" And who are you, that ventures thus boldly to
speak of a lady so much your superior r"

" I !" said the idiot, looking up simply into the
face of his interrogator, " I am Job Pray, so
called."

" Well, Job Pray, here is a crown for you.
The next time you act as guide, keep more to
your business. — I tell you lad, I offer a crown."

" Job don't love crowns — they say the king
wears a crown, and it makes him flaunty and
proud like."

" The disaffection must have spread itself wide
indeed, if such as he refuse silver, rather than
offend their principles !" muttered the officer to
himself. — "Here then is half a guinea, if you like
gold better."

The natural continued kicking a stone about
with bis toes, without taking his hands from the
pockets where he wore them ordinarily, with a
sort of idle air, as he peered from under his
douched hat at (his renewed offer, answering —

LIONEL LINCOLN. 31

" You wouldn't let the grannies whip Job, and
Job won't take your money."

" Well boy, there is more of gratitude in that
than a wiser man would always feel ! Come, Meri-
ton, I shall meet the poor fellow again, and will
not forget this. I commission you to see the lad
better dressed, in the beginning of the week,"

" Lord, sir," said the valet, " if it is your plea
sure, most certainly ; but I declare I don't know in
what style I should dress such a figure and counte
nance, to make any thing of them !"

" Sir, sir," cried the lad, running a few steps
after the officer, who had already proceeded, " if
you won't let the grannies beat Job any more, Job
will always show you the way through Boston ;
and run your a'r'nds too !"

"Poor fellow ! well, 1 promise that you shall not
be again abused by any of the soldiery. Good night,
my honest friend — let me see you again."

The idiot appeared satisfied with this assurance,
for he immediately turned, and gliding along the
street with a sort of shuffling gait, he soon disap
peared round the first corner. In the meantime the
young officer advanced to the entrance which led
into the court-yard of Mrs. Lechmere's dwelling.
The house was of bricks, and of an exterior
altogether more pretending than most of those
in the lower parts of the town. It was heavily
ornamented, in wood, according to the taste of a
somewhat earlier day, and presented a front of
seven windows in its two upper stories, those at
the extremes being much narrower than the others.
The lower floor had the same arrangement, with
the exception of the principal door.

Strong lights were shining in many parts of the
iiouse, winch gave it, in comparison with the
gloomy and darkened edifices in its vicinity, an
air of peculiar gaiety and life. The rap of the gen
tleman was answered instantly by an old black.

82 LIONEL LINCOLN.

dressed in a becoming, and what, for tbe colonies,
was, a rich livery. The inquiry for Mrs. Lech-
mere was successful, and the youth conducted
through a hall of some dimensions, into an apart
ment which opened from one of its sides. This
room would be considered, at the present day, as-
much too small to contain the fashion of a countn
town; but what importance it wanted in size, was
amply compensated for ui the richness and labour
of its decorations. The" walls were divided into
compartments, by raised panel-work, beautifully
painted with imaginary landscapes and ruins. The
glittering, varnished surfaces of these pictures were
burthened with armorial bearings, which were
intended to illustrate the alliances of the family.
Beneath the surbase were smaller divisions of
panels, painted witb various architectural devices;
and above it rose, between the compartments,
iluted pilasters of wood, with gilded capitals.
A heavy wooden, and highly ornamented cornice,
stretched above the whole, furnishing an appropri
ate outline to the walls. The use of carpets was, at
that time, but little known in the colonies, though
the wealth and station of Mrs. Lechmere would
probably have introduced the luxury, had not
her age, and the nature of the building, tempted
her to adhere to ancient custom. The floor,
which shone equally with the furniture, was tessel
lated with small alternate squares of red-cedar and
pine, and in the centre wen- the 'saliant Lions' of
Lechmere, attempted by the blazonry of the joiner.
On either side of the ponderous and laboured
mantel, were arched compartments, of plainer
work, denoting use, the sliding panels of one of
which, being raised, displayed a beatifet, groaning
with massive plate. The furniture was old, rich,
and heavy, but in perfect preservation. In the midst
of this scene of colonial splendour, which was ren
dered as impressive as possible by the presence of

LIONEL LINCOLN. 33

numerous waxen lights, a lady, far in the decline
of life, sat, in formal propriety, on a small settee.
The officer had thrown his cloak into the hands
of Meriton, in the hall, and as he advanced up the
apartment, his form appeared in the gay dress of
a soldier, giving to its ease and fine proportions,
the additional charm of military garnish. The
hard, severe eye of the lady, sensibly softened with
pleased surprise, as it dwelt on his person for an
instant after she arose to receive her guest, but the
momentary silence was first broken by the youth,
who said —

" I have entered unannounced, for my impa
tience has exceeded my breeding, madam, while
each step 1 have taken in this house recalls the
days of my boyhood, and of my former freedom
within its walls."

" My cousin Lincoln !" interrupted the lady,
•who was Mrs. Lechuiere; " that dark eye, that
smile, nay, your very step announces you ! I must
have forgotten my poor brother, and one also
who is still so dear to us, not to have known you
a true Lincoln !"

There was a distance in the manner of both, at
meeting, which might easily have been imparted
by the precise formula of the provincial school, of
which the lady was so distinguished a member, but
which was not sufficient to explain the sad expres
sion that suddenly and powerfully blended with
the young man's smile, as she spoke. The change,
however, was but momentary, and he answered
courteously to her assurances of recognition —

" I have long been taught to expect a second
home in Tremont-street, and I find by your flat
tering remembrance of myself and parents, dear
madam, that my expectations are justified."

The lady was sensibly pleased at this remark,
and she suffered a smile to unbend her rigid brow,
3$ she answered —

34 LIONEL LINCOLN.

" A home, certainly, though it be not such
a one as the heir of the wealthy house of Lin
coln may have been accustomed to dwell in.
It would be strange, indeed, could any allied
to that honourable family, forget to entertain
its representative with due respect."

The youth seemed conscious that quite as much
had now been said as the occasion required, and
he raised his head from bowing respectfully on her
hand, with the intention of changing the subject
to one less personal, when his eye caught a glimpse
of the figure of another, and more youthful female,
who had been concealed, hitherto, by the drapery
of a window-curtain. Advancing to this young
lady, he said, with a quickness that rather betray
ed his willingness to suspend further compliment —

"And here I see cue also, to whom I have the
honor of being related ; .Miss Dynevor ?"

"Though it be not my grand-child," said Mrs.
Lechmere, " it is one who claim« an equal affinity
to you, Major Lincoln; it is Agnes Danforth, the
daughter of my late niece."

" 'Twas my eye then, and not my feelings that
were mistaken/' returned the young soldier ; " I
hope this lady will admit my claim to call her
cousin ?"

A simple inclination of the body was the only
answer he received, though she did not decline the
hand which he offered with his salutations. After
a few more of the usual expressions of pleasure,
and the ordinary inquiries that succeed such
meetings, the party became seated, and a more
regular discourse followed.

*' I am pleased to find you remember us the:).
cousin Lionel," said Mrs. Lechmere ; " we have-
so little in this remote province that will compare
with the mother country, I had feared no vestiges
of the place of your birth could remain on yow
mind."

LIONEL LINCOLN. 35

" I find the town greatly altered, it is true, but
ihere are many places in it which I still remem
ber, though certainly their splendour is a little
diminished, in my eyes, by absence and a famili
arity with other scenes."

" Doubtless, an acquaintance with the British
court will have no tendency to exalt our humble
customs in your imagination ; neither do we pos
sess many buildings to attract the notice of a tra
velled stranger. There is a tradition in our family,
that your seat in Devonshire is as large as any
dozen edifices in Boston, public or private j nay,
we are proud of saying, that the king himself is
lodged as well as the head of the Lincoln family,
only when at his castle of Windsor !"

" Ravenscliffe is certainly a place of some mag
nitude," returned the young man, carelessly,
" though you will remember his majesty affects
but little state at Kew. I have, however, spent
so little of rny time in the country, that I hardly
know its conveniences or its extent."

The old lady bowed with that sort of compla
cency which the dwellers in the colonies were apt
to betray, whenever an allusion was made to the
acknowledged importance of their connexions in
that country toward which they all looked as the
fountain of honour ; and then, as quickly as if the
change in her ideas was but a natural transition in
the subject, she observed —

" Surely Cecil cannot know of the arrival of
our kinsman ! she is not apt to be so remiss in
paying attention to our guests !"

" She does me the more honour, that she con
siders me a relative, and one who requires no for
mality in his reception."

" You are but cousins twice removed," return
ed the old lady, a little gravely ;" and there is
surely no affinity in that degree which can justify

36 LIONEL LINCOLN.

any forgetfulness of the usual courtesies. You see,
cousin Lionel, how much we value the consan
guinity, when it is a subject of pride to the most
remote branches of the family!"

"I am but little of a genealogist, madam ; though.
if I retain a true impression of what I have heard,
Miss Dynevor is of too good blood, in the direct
line, to value the collateral drops of an inter
marriage."

" Pardon me, major Lincoln; her father, colonel
Dynevor, was certainly an Englishman of an an
cient and honourable name, but no family in the
realm need scorn an alliance with our own. I say
our own, cousin Lionel, for I would never have you
forget that I am a Lincoln, and was the sister of
your grandfather."

A little surprised at the seeming contradiction
in the language of the good lady, the young man
bowed his head to the compliment, and cast his
eyes at his younger companion with a sort of
longing, to change the discourse, by addressing the
reserved young woman nigh him, that was very
excusable in one of his sex and years. He had not
time, however, to make more than one or two
common-place remarks, and receive their answers,
before Mrs. Lechmere said, with some exhibition
of staid displeasure against her grandchild —

" Go, Agnes, and acquaint your cousin of this-
happy event. She has been sensibly alive to your
safety, during the whole time consumed by your
voyage. We have had the prayers of the church,
for a ' person gone to sea,' read each Sunday, since
the receipt of your letters, announcing your inten
tion to embark; and I have been exceedingly
pleased to observe the deep interest with which
Cecil joined in our petitions."

Lionel mumbled a few words of thanks, and
leaning back in his chair, threw his eyes upward.

LIONEL LINCOLN. 37

but whether in pious gratitude or not, we conceive
it is not our province to determine. During the
delivery of Mrs. Lechmere's last speech, and the
expressive pantomime that succeeded it, Agnes
Danforth rose and left the room. The door had
been some little time closed before the silence was
again broken ; during which, Mrs. Lechmere evi
dently essayed in vain, once or twice, to speak.
Her colour, pale and immovable as usually seem
ed her withered look, changed in its shades,
and her lip trembled involuntarily. She, how
ever, soon found her utterance, though the first
tones of her voice were choked and husky.

" I may have appeared remiss, cousin Lionel,"
she said, " but there are subjects that can be dis
cussed with propriety, only between the nearest
relatives. Sir Lionel — you left him in as good a
state of bodily health,! hope, as his mental illness
will allow ?"

" It is so represented to me."

" You have seen him lately ?"

" Not in fifteen years ; my presence was said to
increase his disorder, and the physicians forbade
any more interviews. He continues at the private
establishment near town, and, as the lucid inter
vals are thought to increase, both in frequency and
duration, I often indulge in the pleasing hope of
being restored again to my father. The belief is
justified by his years, which, you know, are yet un
der fifty."

A long and apparently a painful silence suc
ceeded this interesting communication ; at length
the lady said, with a tremour in her voice, for
which the young man almost reverenced her, as
it so plainly bespoke her interest in her nephew,
as well as the goodness of her heart —

VOL. i. 5

38 LIONEL LINCOLN.

" I will thank you for a glass of that water in
the beaufet. Pardon me, cousin Lionel, but this
melancholy subject always overcomes me. I will
retire a few moments, with your indulgence, and
hasten the appearance of my grandchild. I pine
that you may meet."

Her absence just at that moment was too agree
able to the feelings of Lionel, for him to gainsay
her intention ; though, instead of following Agnes
Danforth, who had preceded her on the same
duty, the tottering steps of Mrs Lechmere con
ducted her to a door which communicated with her
own apartment. For several minutes the young
man trampled on the ' salient lions' of Lech-
mere, with a rapidity that seemed to emulate
their own mimic speed, as he paced to and fro
across the narrow apartment, his eye glancing
vacantly along the laboured wainscots, embracing
the argent, azure and purpure fields of the differ
ent escutcheons, as heedlessly, as if they were nol
charged with the distinguishing symbols of so
many honourable names. This mental abstraction
was, however, shortly dissipated by the sudden
appearance of one who had glided into the room,
and advanced to its centre, before he becamu
conscious of her presence. A light, rounded*
and exquisitely proportioned female form, ac
companied by a youthful and expressive coun
tenance, with an air in which womanly grace-
blended so nicely with feminine delicacy as to
cause each motion and gesture to command re
spect, at the same time that it was singularly insi
nuating, was an object to suspend, even at a first
glance, provided that glance were by surprise, th«-
steps of a more absent and less courteous youth
than the one we have attempted to describe..

LIONEL LINCOLN. 39

Major Lincoln knew tbat this young lady could
be no other than Cecil Dynevor, the daughter
of a British officer, long since deceased, by the
only child of Mrs. Lechmere, who was also in her
grave; and consequently that she wa§ one to
whom he was so well known by character, and so
nearly allied by blood, as to render it an easy
task for a man accustomed to the world as he had
been, to remove any little embarrassments which
might have beset a less practised youth, by acting
as his own usher. This he certainly attempted,
and at first, with a freedom which his affinity, and
the circumstances, would seem to allow, though it
was chastened by easy politeness. But the restraint
visible in the manner of the lady was so marked, that
by the time his salutations were ended, and he had
handed her to a seat, the young man felt as much
embarrassment as if he had found himself alone,
for the first time, with the woman whom lie had been
pining, for months, to favour with a very particu
lar communication. Whether it is that nature
has provided the other sex with a tact for these
occasions, or that the young lady became sen
sible that her deportment was not altogether such
as was worthy either of herself, or the guest -of
her grandmother, she was certainly the first to
relieve the slight awkwardness that was but too
apparent in the commencement of the interview.

" My grandmother has long been expecting this
pleasure, major Lincoln," she said, " and your ar
rival has been at a most auspicious moment. The
state of the country grows each day so very alarm
ing, that I have indeed long urged her to visit our
relatives in England, until the disputes shall have
terminated."

The tones of an extremely soft and melodious
voice, and a pronunciation quite as exact as if the

40 LIONEL LINCOLN.

speaker had acquired the sounds in the English
court, and which was entirely free from the slight
vernacular peculiarity which had offended his ear,
in the few words that fell from Agnes Danforth,
certainly aided a native attraction of manner, which
it seemed impossible for the young lady to cast
entirely aside.

" You, who are so much of an English woman,
would find great pleasure in the exchange," he
answered ; 'k and if half what I have heard from
a fellow passenger, of the state of the country be
true, 1 shall be foremost in seconding your re
quest. Both Ravenscliffe and the house in Soho.
would be greatly at the service of Mrs. Lechmere."

" It was my wish that she would accept the
pressing invitations of my father's relative, Lord
Cardonnel, who has long urged me to pass a few
years in his own family. A separation would be
painful to us both, but should my grandmother, in
such an event, determine to take her residence in
the dwellings of her ancestors, i could not be cen
sured for adopting a resolution to abide under
the roofs of mine."

The piercing eye of major Lincoln fell full
upon her own, as she delivered this intention, and
as it dropped on the floor, the slight smile that
played round his lip, was produced by the pass
ing thought, that the provincial beauty had inhe
rited so much of her grandmother's pride of gene
alogy, as to be willing to impress on his mind that
the niece of a viscount was superior to the heir of a
baronetcy. But the quick, burning flush that in
stantly passed across the features of Cecil Dynevor,
might have taught him, that she was acting under
the impulse of much deeper feelings than such an
unworthy purpose would indicate. The effect,
however, was such as to make the young man

LIONEL LINCOLN. 41

glad to see Mrs. Lechmere re-enter the room,
leaning on the arm of her niece.

" I perceive, my cousin Lionel." said the lady,
as she moved with a feeble step toward the settee,
" that you and Cecil have found each other out,
without the necessity of any other introduction than
the affinity between you. I surely do not mean the
affinity of blood altogether, you know, for that can
not be said to amount to any thing ; but I believe
there exist certain features of the mind that are
transmitted through families quite as distinctly as
any which belong to the countenance."

" Could I flatter myself with possessing the
slightest resemblance to Miss Dynevor, in either
of those particulars, I should be doubly proud of
the connexion," returned Lionel, while he assisted
the good lady to a seat, with a coolness that suffi
ciently denoted how little he cared about the
matter.

" But I am not disposed to have my right to
claim near kindred with cousin Lionel, at all dis
puted," cried the young lady, with sudden anima
tion. " It has pleased our fore-fathers to order
such —

" Nay, nay, my child," interrupted her grand
mother, " you forget that the term of cousin can
only be used in cases of near consanguinity, and
where familiar situations will excuse it. But
major Lincoln knows, that we in the colonies are
apt to make the most of the language, and count
our cousins almost as far as if we were members of
the Scottish clans. Speaking of the clans, reminds
me of the rebellion of '45. It is notthought in Eng
land, that our infatuated colonists will ever be so
Fool -hardy as to assume their arms in earnest?"

" There are various opinions on that subject,"
said Lionel. " Most military men scout the idea ;
though I find, occasionally, an officer that has

5*

42 LIONEL LINCOLN.

served on this continent, who thinks not only that
the appeal will be made, but that the struggle will
be bloody."

" Why should they not !" said Agnes Danforth,
abruptly; " they are men, and the English are no
more !"

Lionel turned his looks, in a little surprise, on
the speaker, to whose countenance an almost im
perceptible cast in one eye, imparted a look of
arch good nature that her manner would seem
to contradict, and smiled as he repeated her
words —

" Wh'y should they not, indeed ! I know no
no other reasons than that it would be both
a mad and an unlawful act. I can assure you that
1 am not one of those who affect to undervalue
my own countrymen; for you will remember that
I too am an American."

" I have heard it said that such of our volun
teers as wear uniforms at all," said Agnes, " ap
pear in blue, and not in scarlet."

" 'Tis his majesty's pleasure that his 47th foot
should wear this gaudy colour," returned the
young man, laughing ; " though, for myself, I am
quite willing to resign it to the use of you ladies^
and to adopt another, could it well be."

" It might be done, sir."

" In what manner ?"

" By resigning your commission with it.''

Mrs. Lechmere had evidently permitted her

1, /. . , J f
niece to proceed thus tar, without interruption, to

serve some purpose of her own ; but perceiving
that her guest by no means exhibited that air of
pique which the British officers were so often
weak enough to betray, when the women took into
their hands the defence of their country's honour-
she rang the bell, as she observed —

LIONEL LINCOLN. 43

" Bold language, major Lincoln ! bold lan
guage for a young lady under twenty. But Miss
Danforth is privileged to speak her mind freely,
for some of her father's family are but too deeply
implicated in the unlawful proceedings of these
evil times. We have kept Cecil, however, more to
her allegiance."

" And yet even Cecil has been known to refuse
the favour of her countenance to the entertainments
given by the British officers!" said Agnes, a little
piquantly.

" And would you have Cecil Dynevor frequent
balls and entertainments unaccompanied by a pro
per chaperon," returned .Mrs. Lerhmere ; " or is
it expected that, at seventy, 1 can venture in pub
lic to maintain the credit of our family. But we
keep major Lincoln from his refreshments with
our idle disputes. Cato, we wait your movements."

Mrs. Lechmere delivered her concluding inti
mation to the black, in attendance, with an air that
partook somewhat of mystery. The old domes
tic, who. probably from long practice, understood,
more by the expression of her eye than by any
•words she had uttered, the wishes of his mistress,
proceeded to close the outer shutters of the win
dows, and to draw the curtains with the most
exact care. When this duty was performed, he
raised a small oval table from its regular posi
tion among the flowing folds of the drapery that-
shrouded the deep apertures for light, and placed
it in front of Miss Dynevor. A salver of massive
silver, containing an equipage of the finest Dres
den, followed, and in a few minutes a hissing urn
of the same precious metal garnished the polish
ed surface of the mahogany. During these arrange
ments, Mrs. Lechmere and her guest had main
tained a general discourse, touching chiefly on the
welfare and condition of certain individuals of their

44 LIONEL LINCOLN.

alliance, in England. Notwithstanding the de
mand thus made on his attention, Lionel was able
to discover a certain appearance of mystery and
caution in each movement of the black as he pro
ceeded leisurely in his duty. Miss Dvnevor per
mitted the disposition of the tea-table to be made
before her, passively, and her cousin Agnes Dan-
forth threw herself back on one of the settees,
with a look that indicated cool displeasure. When
the usual compound was made in two little fluted
cups, over whose pure white a few red and green
sprigs were sparingly scattered, the black present
ed one containing the grateful beverage to his mis
tress, and the other to the stranger.

" Pardon me, Miss Danforth," said Lionel, re
collecting himself after he had accepted the offer
ing ; " I have suffered my sea-breeding to obtain
the advantage."

" Enjoy your error, sir, if you can find any gra
tification in the indulgence," returned the young
lady.

" But I shall enjoy it the more, could I see you
participating in the luxury."

"You have termed the idle indulgence well;
'tis nothing but a luxury, and such a one as can
be easily dispensed with : 1 thank you, sir, I do
not drink tea."

" Surely no lady can forswear her Bohea! be
persuaded."

"I know not how the subtle poison may operate
on your English ladies, major Lincoln, but it is no
difficult matter for an American girl to decline the
use of a detestable herb, which is one, among many
other, of the causes that is likely to involve her
country and kindred in danger and strife."

The young man, who had really intended no
more than the common civilities due from his sex
to the other, bowed in silence, though, as he turned

LIONEL LINCOLN. 45

from her, he could not forbear looking toward the
table to see whether the principles of the other
young American were quite as rigid. Cecil sat
bending over the salver, playing idly with a curi
ously wrought spoon, made to represent a sprig of
the plant whose fragrance had been thus put in re
quisition to contribute to his indulgence, while the
steam from the china vessel before her was wreath
ing in a faint mist around her polished brow.

" You at least, Miss Dynevor," said Lionel,
" appear to have no dislike to the herb,, you
breathe its vapour so freely."

Cecil cast a glance at him which changed the
demure and somewhat proud composure of her
countenance into a look of sudden, joyous humour,
that was infinitely more natural, as she answered
laughingly —

" I own a woman's weakness. — I must believe it
was tea that tempted our common mother in Para
dise !"

" It would show that the cunning of the serpent
has been transmitted to a later day, could that be
proved," said Agnes, " though the instrument of
temptation has lost some of its virtue."

" How know you that?" said Lionel, anxious to
pursue the trifling, in^rder to remove the evident
distance which had existed between them ; " had
Eve shut her ears as rigidly as you close your
mouth against the offering, we might yet have en
joyed the first gift to our parents."

" Oh, sir, 'tis no such stranger to me as you may
imagine from the indifference I have assumed on
the present occasion ; as Job Pray says, Boston
harbour is nothing but a ' big tea-pot !' '

" You know Job Pray, then, Miss Danforth !"
said Lionel, not a little amused by her spirit.

" Certainly; Boston is so small, and Job so use-
fill, that every body knows the simpleton,"

46 LIONEL LINCOLN.

" He belongs to a distinguished family, then, for
I have his own assurance that every body knows
bis perturbed mother, Abigail."

" You !" exclaimed Cecil, again, in that sweet,
natural voice that had before startled her auditor j
" what ran you know of poor Job, and his almost
equally unfortunate mother !:'

" Now, young ladies, I have you in my snares !"
cried Lionel; " you may possibly resist the steams
of tea, but what woman can withstand the impulse
of her curiosity ! not to be too cruel with rny fair
kinswomen on so short an acquaintance, however,
I will go so far as to acknowledge that I have
already had an interview with Mrs. Pray."

The reply which Agnes was about to deliver
was int< rrupted by a slight crash, and on turning,
they beheld the fragments of a piece of the splendid
set of Dresden, lying at the feet of Airs. Lechmere.

" My dear grand- mama is ill !" cried Cecil,
springing to the assistance of the old lady.
" Hasten, Cato -major Lincoln, you are more ac
tive — for heaven's sake a glass of water — Agnes,
your salts."

The amiable anxiety of her grand-child was
not, however, so necessary as first appearances
would have indicated, and Mrs. Lechmere gently
put aside the salts, though she did not decline the
glass, which Lionel offered for the second time in
so short a period.

" I fear you will mistake me for a sad invalid,
cousin Lionel," said the old lady, when she had
become a little composed; " but I believe it is this
very tea, of which so much has been said, and
which 1 drink to excess, from pure loyalty, that
unsettles my nerves — I must refrain, like the
girls, though from a very different motive. We
are a people of early hours, major Lincoln, but you

LIONEL LINCOLN. 47

are at home here, and will pursue your pleasure ;
I must, however, claim an indulgence for three
score- and-ten, and be permitted to wish you a
good rest after your voyage. Cato has his orders
to contribute all he can to your comfort."

Leaning on her two assistants, the* old lady
withdrew, leaving Lionel to the full possession of
the apartment. As the hour was getting late,
and from the compliments they had exchanged, he
did not expect the return of the younger ladies,
he called for a candle, and was shown to his own
room. As soon as the few indispensables, which
rendered a valet necessary to a gentleman of that
period, were observed, he dismissed Meriton, and
throwing himself in the bed, courted the sweets of
tKe pillow.

Many incidents, however, had occurred during
the day, that induced a train of thoughts, which
for a long time prevented his attaining the na
tural rest he sought. After indulging in long
and uneasy reflections on certain events, too close
ly connected with his personal feelings to be light
ly remembered, the young man began to muse on
his reception, and on the individuals who had
been, as it were, for the first time, introduced to
him.

It was quite apparent that both Mrs. Lechmere,
and her grand-daughter were acting their several
jjarts, though whether in concert or not, remained
to be discovered. But in Agnes Danforth, with all
his subtlety, he could perceive nothing but the plain
and direct, though a little blunt, peculiarities of
her nature and education. Like most very young
men, who had just been made acquainted with two
youthful females, both of them much superior to the
generality of their sex in personal charms, he fell
asleep musing on their characters. Nor, consi
dering the circumstances, will it be at all surpris
ing when we add, that before morning, he was

48 LIONEL LINCOLN.

dreaming of the Avon, of Bristol, on board which
stout vessel he even thought that he was discuss
ing a chowder on the Banks of Newfoundland,
which had been unaccountably prepared by the
fair hands of Miss Danforth, and which was
strangely flavoured with tea ; while the Hebe*
looking countenance of Cecil Dynevor was laugh
ing at his perplexities with undisguised good-hu
mour, and with all the vivacity of girlish merri
ment.

CHAPTER IV.

f< A gfood portly man, i'faith, and a corp ulent."

King Henry JF.

THE sun was just stirring the heavy bank of
fog, which had rested on the waters during the
night, as Lionel toiled his way up the side of
Beacon-Hill, anxious to catch a glimpse of his
native scenery while it was yet glowing with the
first touch of day. The islands raised their green
heads above the mist, and the wide amphitheatre
of hills that encircled the bay was still visible,
though the vapour was creeping in places along
the vallies — now concealing the entrance to
some beautiful glen, and now wreathing itself fan
tastically around a tall spire that told the site of a
suburban village. Though the people of the towa
were awake and up, yet the sacred character of
the day, and the state of the times, contributed to
suppress these sounds which usually distinguish
populous places. The cool nights and warm
days of April, had generated a fog more than
usually dense, which was deserting its watery
bed, and stealing insidiously along the land,
to unite with the vapours of the rivers and
"brooks, spreading a wider curtain before the
placid view. As Lionel stood on the brow of the
platform that crowned the eminence, the glimpses

VOL. i. 6

50 LIONEL LINCOLN.

of houses and hills, of towers and ships, of places
known and places forgotten, passed before his
vision, through the openings in the mist, like phan
toms of the imagination. The whole scene,
animated and in motion as it seemed by its
changes, appeared to his excited feelings like
a fanciful panorama, exhibited for his eye alone,
when his enjoyment was interrupted by a voice
apparently at no great distance. It was a man
singing to a common English air, fragments of
some ballad, with a peculiarly vile nasal cadency.
Through the frequent pauses, he was enabled to
comprehend a few words, which, by their recur-,
rence, were evidently intended for a chorus td
the rest of the production. The reader will un
derstand the character of the whole from these
lines, which ran as follows:

And they that would be free,

Out they go ;

While the slaves, as you may see,
Stay, to drink their p'ison tea,

Down below !

Lionel, after listening to this expressive ditty for
a moment, followed the direction of the sounds
until he encountered Job Pray, who was seated on
one of the flights of steps which aided the ascent
to the platform, cracking a few walnuts on the
boards, while he employed those intervals, when his
itiouth could find no better employment, in utter
ing the above-mentioned strains.

" How now, master Pray, do you come here to
sing your orisons to the goddess of liberty, on a
Sunday morning," cried Lionel; "or are you the
town lark, and for want of wings take to this
height to obtain an altitude for your melody f"

" There's no harm in singing psalm tunes or
continental songs, any day in the week," said the
lad, without raising his eyes from his occupation ;

LIONEL LINCOLN. 51

" Job don't know what a lark is, but if it belongs
to the town, the soldiers are so thick, they can't
keep it on the common."

" And what objection can you have to the sol
diers possessing a corner of your common."

"They starve the cows, and then they wont
give milk ; grass is sweet to beasts in the spring
of the year."

" But my life for it, the soldiers don't eat the
grass; your briridles and your 'blacks, your reds
and your whites, may have the first offering of the
spring, as usual."

" But Boston cows don't love grass that British
soldiers have trampled on," said the sullen lad.

;' This is, indeed, carrying notions of liberty to
refinement !" exclaimed Lionel, laughing.

Job shook his bead, threateningly, as he looked
Up and said, " Don't you let Ralph hear you say
any thing ag'in liberty !"

' " Ralph ! who is he, lad ? your genius ! where
do you keep the invisible, that there is danger of
his overhearing what I say ?"

" He's up there in the fog," said Job, pointing
significantly toward the foot of the Beacon, which
a dense volume of vapor wasenwrapping, probably
attracted up the tall post that supported the grate.

Lionel gazed at the smoky column for a mo
ment, when the mists began to dissolve, and, amid
their evolutions, be beheld the dim figure of his
aged fellow passenger. The old man was still rlad
in his simple, tarnished vestments of gray, which
harmonized so singularly with the mists as to im
part a look almost ethereal to his wasted form. As
the medium through which he was seen became
less cloudy, his features grew visible, and Lionel*
could distinguish the uneasy, rapid glances of his
eyes, which seemed to roam over the distant ob
jects with an earnestness that appeared to mock the

52 LIONEL LINCOLN.

misty veil that was floating before so much of
the view. While Lionel stood fixed to the spot,
gazing at this irregular being with that secret
awe which the other had succeeded in inspiring^
the old man waved his hand impatiently, as if he
would cast aside his shroud. At that instant a
bright sun-beam darted into the vapour, illuminat
ing his person, and melting the mist into thin air.
The anxious, haggard, and severe expression of his
countenance changed at the touch of the ray, and
he smiled with a softness and attraction that thrilled
the nerves of the other, as he called aloud to
the sensitive young soldier —

" Come hither, Lionel Lincoln, to the foot of
this beacon, where you may gather warnings,
which, if properly heeded, will guide you through
many and great dangers, unharmed."

" 1 am glad you have spoken," said Lionel,
advancing to his side ; " you appeared like a
being of another world, wrapped in that mantle
of fog, and I felt tempted to kneel, and ask a
benediction."

" And am I not a being of another world t
most of my interests are already in the grave,
and I tarry here only for a space, because there
is a great work to be done, which cannot be per
formed without me. My view of the world of
spirits, young man, is much clearer and more
distinct than yours of this variable scene at your
feet. There is no mist to obstruct the eye, nor
any doubts as to the colours it presents."

" You are happy, sir, in the extremity of your
age to be so assured. But I fear your sudden de
termination last night subjected you to incon
venience in the tenement of this changeling."

" The boy is a good boy," said the old man,
stroking the head of the natural complacently ;
*' we understand each other, major Lincoln, and.

LIONEL LINCOLN. 53.

that shortens introductions, and renders commu
nion easy."

"That you feel alike on one subject, I have
already discovered ; but there I should think the
resemblance and the intelligence must end."

" The propensities of the mind in its infancy and
in its maturity are but a span apart," said the stran
ger ; " the amount of human knowledge is but to
know how much we are under the dominion of
our passions ; and he who has learned by expe
rience how to smother the volcano, and he who
never felt its fires, are surely fit associates."

Lionel bowed in silence to an opinion so hum
bling to the other, and after a pause of a moment,
adverted to their situation.

" The sun begins to make himself felt, and
when he has driven away these ragged remnants
of the fog, we shall see those places each of us have
frequented, in his day."

" Shall we find them as we left them, think
37ou ? or will you see the stranger in possession of
the haunts of your infancy ?"

" Not the stranger, certainly, for we are the sub
jects of one king ; children who own a common
parent."

" I will not reply that he has proved himself an
unnatural father," said the old man, calmly; " the
gentleman who now fills the British throne is
less to be censured than his advisers, for the op
pression of his reign." —

" Sir," interrupted Lionel, " if such allusions
are made to the person of my sovereign, we must
separate ; for it ill becomes a British officer to hear
his master mentioned with levity."

" Levity !" repeated the other, slowly. '* It is
a fault indeed to accompany gray locks and wast
ed limbs ! but your jealous watchfulness betrays
you into error. I have breathed in the atmos-

04 LIONEL LINCOLN.

phere of kings, young man, and know how fa
separate the individual and his purpose, from the
policy of his government. 'Tis the latter that
will sever this great empire, and deprive the
third George of what has so often and so well
been termed ' the brightest jewel in his crown'. "

" I must leave you, sir," said Lionel ; " the
Opinions you so freely expressed during our pas
sage, were on principles which I can hardly call
opposed to our own constitution, and might bo
heard, not only without offence, but frequently
with admiration ; but this language approaches
to treason !"

" Go then," returned the unmoved stranger,
"descend to yon degraded common, and bid
your mercenaries seize me — 'twill be only the
blood of an old man, but 'twill help to fatten
the land; or send your merciless grenadiers to
torment their victim before the axe shall do its
work.; a man who has lived so long, can surely
spare a little of his time to the tormentors !"

" I could have thought, sir,jthatyou might spare
such a reproach to me," said Lionel.

" I do spare it, and I do more ; I forget my
years, and solicit forgiveness. But had you known
slavery, as I have done, in it's worst of forms, you
would know how to prize the inestimable blessing
of freedom."

" Have you ever known slavery, in your travel^
more closely than in what you deem the violation?
of principle?"

" Have I not !" said the stranger, smiling bit
terly ; " I have known it as man should never
know it; in act and will. I have lived days,
months, and even years, to hear others coldly
declare my wants ; to see others dole out their
jpeager pittances to my necessities, and to hear

LIONEL LINCOLN. 5i?

Others assume the right, to express the sufferings,
and to control the enjoyments of sensibilities that
God had given to me only !"

" To endure such thraldom, you must have fal
len into the power of the infidel barharians !"

"Ay ! boy, I thank you for the words; they
were indeed most worthy of the epithets ! infidels
that denied the precepts of our blessed Redeemer;
and barbarians that treated one having a soul, and
possessing reason like themselves^ as a beast of
the field."

" Why didn't you come to Boston, Ralph, and
(ell that to the people in Funnel-Hall ?" exclaim
ed Job; " ther'd ha' been a stir about it !"

" Child, I did come to Boston, again and again,
in thought; and the appeals that I made to my
townsmen would have moved the very roof of
old Fanueil, could they have been uttered within
her walls. But 'twas in vain ! they had the power,
and like demons — or rather like miserable men.
they abused it."

Lionel, sensibly touched, was about to reply in
a suitable manner, when he heard a voice calling
his own name aloud, as if the speaker were as
cending the opposite acclivity of the hill. The
instant; the sounds reached his ears, the old man
rose from his seat, on the foundation of the bea
con, and gliding over the brow of the platform,
followed by Job, they descended into a volume
of mist that was still clinging to the side of the
hill, with amazing swiftness.

" Why, Leo ! thou lion in name, and deer in
activity!" exclaimed the intruder, as he surmount
ed the steep ascent, " what can have brought you
up into the clouds so early! whew — a man needs a
New-Market training to scale such a precipice.
JBut, Leo, my 'dear 'fellow, I rejoice to see you —
we knew yoli were expected in the first ship, and

56 LIONEL LINCOLN7.

as I was coming from morning parade, I met a
eouple of grooms in the ' Lincoln green,' you
know, leading each a blooded charger — faith,
one of them would have been quite convenient to
elitnb this accursed hill on — whew and whevv-w,
again — well, I knew the liveries at a glance ; as
to the horses, 1 hope to be better acquainted with
them hereafter. Pray, sir, said I, to one of the
liveried scoundrels, whom do you serve ?" " Ma
jor Lincoln, of Ravenscliffe, sir," said he, with a
look as impudent as if he could have said, like
you and I, his sacred majesty the king. That's
the answer of the servants of your ten thousand
a year men ! Now, if my fool had been asked
such a question, his answer would have been,
craven dog as he is, captain Polwarth, of the 47th;
leaving the inquirer, though it should even be some
curious maiden who had taken a fancy to the tout
ensemble of my outline, in utter ignorance that
there is such a place in the world as Polwarth-
Hall!"

During this voluble speech, which was inter
rupted by sundry efforts to regain the breath lost
in the ascent, Lionel Shook his friend cordially by
the hand, and attempted to express his own plea
sure at the meeting. The failure of wind, how
ever, which was a sort of besetting sin with cap
tain Polwarth, had now compelled him to pause,
and gave time to Lionel for a reply.

" This hill is the last place where I should have
expected to meet you," he said. " I took it for
granted you would not be stirring until nine or
ten at least, when it was my intention to inquire
you out, and to give you a call before I paid my
respects to the commander-in-chief."

" Ah ! you may thank his excellency, the ' Hon.
Thomas Gage, governor and commander-in-chief,
in and over the Province of Massachusetts-Bay,
and vice-admiral of the same,' as he styles himself

LIONEL LINCOLN. 55

in his proclamations, for this especial favour;
though, between ourselves, Leo, he is about as
much governor over the Province, as he is owner
of those hunters you have just landed."

" But why am I to thank him for this inter
view r"

" Why ! look about you, and tell me what you
behold — nothing but fog — nay, I see there is a
steeple, and yonder is the smoking sea, and here
are the chimneys of Hancock's house beneath us,
smoking too, as if their rebellious master were at
home, and preparing his feed ! but every thing in
sight is essentially srnoky, and there is a natural
aversion, in us epicures, to smoke. Nature dictates
that a man who has as much to do in a day, in
carrying himself about, as your humble servant,
should not cut his rest too abruptly in the morning.
But the honourable Thomas, governor, and vice-
admiral, &tc. has ordered us under anus with the
sun ; officers, as well as men !"

" Surely that is no great hardship to a soldier,"
returned Lionel ; " and moreover, it seems to
agree with you marvellously ! Now 1 look again,
Polwarth, I am amazed! Surely you are not in a
light-infantry jacket !"

" Certes — what is there in that so wonderful,'*
returned the other, with great gravity ; " don't I
become the dress ? or is it the dress which does not
adorn me, that you look ready to die with mirth ?
Laugh it out Leo. I am used to it these three
days — but what is there, after all, so remarkable
in Peter Polwarth's commanding a company of
light infantry. Am I not just five feet, six and
one eighth of an inch — the precise height !"

" You appear to have been so accurate in your
longitudinal admeasurement, that you must carry
one of Harrison's time-pieces in your pocket ; did
it ever suggest itself to yon to use the quadrant
also f"

08 LIONEL LINCOLN.

" For my latitude ! I understand you, Leo j
because I am shaped a little like mother earth,
does it argue that I cannot command a light-infan
try company .'"

" Ay, even as Joshua commanded the sun.
But the stopping of the planet itself, is not a
greater miracle in my eyes, than to see you in
that attire."

" Well, then, the mystery shall be explained ;
but first let u-- be seated on this beacon," said cap
tain Pol warth, establishing himself with great
method in the place so lately" occupied by the
attenuated form of the stranger; "a true soMier
husbands his resources for a time of need ; that
word, husbands, brings me at once to the point —
I am in love."

" That is surprising !"

* But what is much more so, I would fain be
married."

It must be a woman of no mean endowments
that could exrite such desires in Captain Pol wart h,
Of the 47th. and of Polwarth-Hall !"

" She is a woman of great qualifications, major
Lincoln," said the lover, with a sudden gravity
that indicated his gaiety of manner was not
entirely natural. " In figure she may be said to
be done to a turn. When she is grave, she
walks with the stateliness of a show beef; when
she runs, 'tis with the activity of a turkey ; and
•when at rest, I can only compare her to a dish
of venison, savory, d*licate, and what one can,
never get enough of."

" You have, to adopt your own metaphors, given
Such a ' rare' sketch of her person, I am, ' burning'
to hear something of her mental qualifications."

" My metaphors are not poetical, perhaps, but
they are the first that ofier themselves to my mind,
and they are natural. Hep accomplishments ex»

LIONEL LINCOLN. 59

Ceed her native gifts greatly. In the first place she
is witty ; in the second, she is as impertinent as the
devil; and in the third, as inveterate a little traitor
to king George as there is in all Boston."

" These are strange recommendations to your
favour !"

"The most infallible of all recommendations.
They are piquant, like savoury sauces, which ex
cite the appetite, and season the dish. Now her
treason (for it amounts to that in fact) is like
olives, and gives a gusto to the generous port of
my loyalty. Her impertinence is oil to the cold
sallad of my modesty, and her acid wit mingles
with the sweetness of my temperament, in that sort
of pleasant combination with which sweet and
sour blend in sherbet."

" It would be idle for me to gainsay the charms
of such a woman," returned Lionel, a good deal
amused with the droll mixture of seriousness and
humour in the other's manner ; " now for her
connexion with the light-infantry — she is not of
the light corps of her own sex, Polwarth ?"

Pardon me, major Lincoln, I cannot joke on
this subject. Miss Danforth is of one of the best
families in Boston."

" Danforth ! not Agnes, surely !"

" The very same !" exclaimed Polwarth, in stuv
prise ; " what do you know of her?"

" Only that she is a sort of cousin of rny own,
and that we are inmates of the same house. We
bear equal affinity to Mrs. Lechmere, and the
good lady has insisted that I shall make rny home
in Tremont-street."

" I rejoice to hear it ! At all events, our intima
cy may now be improved to some better purpose
than eating and drinking. But to the point — there
were certain damnable innuendoes getting into
circulation, concerning my proportions, whieh I
•considered it prudent to look down at once."

60 LIONEL LINCOLN.

" In order to do which, you had only to look
thinner."

" And do I not, in this appropriate dress ?
To be perfectly serious with you, Leo, for to
you I can freely unburthen myself, you- know what
a set we are in the 47th — let them once fasten an
opprobrious term, or a nick name on you, and you
take it to the grave, be it ever so burthensome."

" There is a way, certainly, to check ungentle-
man-like liberties," said Lionel, gravely.

" Poh ! poh ! a man wouldn't wish to fight
about a pound more or a pound less of fat ! still
the name is a great deal, and first impressions are
every thing. Now, whoever thinks of Grand
Cairo as a village ; of the Grand-Turk and Great
Mogul, as little boys ; or, who would believe, by
hearsay, that captain Polwarth, of the light infan
try, could weigh one hundred and eighty !"

" Add twenty to it."

" Not a pound more, as I am a sinner. I was
weighed in the presence of the whole mess no
later than last week, since when I have rather lost
than gained an ounce, for this early rising is no
friend to a thriving condition. 'Twas in my night
gown, you'll remember, Leo, for we, who tally so
often, can't afford to throw in boots, and buckles,
and all those sorts of things, like your feather
weights."

" But I marvel how Nesbit was induced to
consent to the appointment," said Lionel ; " he
loves a little display." —

" I am your man for that," interrupted the cap
tain ; " we are embodied you know, and I make
more display, if that be what you require, than
any captain in the corps. But I will whisper a
secret in your ear. There has been a nasty busi
ness here, lately, in which the 47th has gained
'no new laurels — a matter of tarring and feather
ing, about an old rusty musket."

LIONEL LINCOLN. 61

" I have heard something of the affair alrea
dy," returned Lionel, " and was grieved to find
the men justifying some of their own brutal con
duct last night, by the example of their com
mander."

" Murn — 'tis a delicate matter — well, that tar
has brought the Colonel into particularly bad
odour in Boston, especially among the women,
in whose good graces we are all of us lower than
I have ever known scarlet coats to stand before.
Why, Leo, the Mohairs are altogether the better
men, here! But there is not an officer in the whole
army who has made nrore friends in the place
than your humble servant. I have availed my
self of my popularity, which just now is no trifling
thing, and partly by promises, and partly by secret
interest, I have the company; to which you know
my rank in the regiment gives me an undoubted
title."

" A perfectly satisfactory explanation ; a most
commendable ambition on your part, and a cer
tain symptom that the peace is not to be disturb
ed ; for Gage would never permit such an arrange
ment, bad he any active operations in his eye."

" Why, there I think you are more than half
right ; these yankees have been talking, and re
solving, and approbating their resolves, as they
call it, these ten years past, and what does it all
amount to ? To be sure, things grow worse and
worse every day — but Jonathan is an enigma to
me. Now you know when we were in the caval
ry together — God forgive me the suicide I com
mitted in exchanging into the foot, which I never
should have done, could I have found in all Eng
land such a thing as an easy goer, or a safe leap-
er — but then, if the commons took offence at a
new tax, or a stagnation in business, why they got
together in mobs, and burnt a house or two, fright-

VOL. i. 7

62 LIONEL LINCOLN.

ened a magistrate, and perhaps hustled a consta
ble ; then in we came at a hand gallop, you know,
flourished our swords, and scattered the ragged
devils to the four winds ; when the courts did the
rest, leaving us a cheap victory at the expense ol'
a little wind, which was amply compensated by
an increased appetite for dinner. But here it i?
altogether a different sort of thing."

" And what are the most alarming symptoms,
just now, in the colonies ?" asked major Lincoln,
with a sensible interest in the subject.

" They refuse their natural aliment to uphold
what they call their prindiples ; the women ab
jure tea, and the men abandon their fisheries !
There has been hardly such a thing as even a wild-
duck brought into the market this spring, in con
sequence of the Port-Bill, and yet they grow
more stubborn every day. If it should come to
blows, however, thank God we are strong enough
to open a passage for ourselves to any part of the
continent where provisions may be plentier ; and
I hear more troops are already on the way."

" If it should come to blows, which heaven for
bid," said major Lincoln, " we shall be besieged
where we now are."

" Besieged !" exclaimed Polwarth, in evident
alarm ; " if I thought there was the least pros
pect of such a calamity I would sell out to
morrow. It is bad enough now ; our mess-table
is never decently covered, but if there should
come a siege 'twould be absolute starvation. — No.
no, Leo, their minute men, and their long-tailed
rabble, would hardly think of besieging four thou
sand British soWiers with a fleet to back them.
Four thousand ! If the regiments I hear named
are actually on the way, there will be eight thou
sand of us — as good men as ever wore — "

LIONEL LINCOLN'. 63

Ci Light-infantry jackets," interrupted Lionel.
H But the regiments are certainly coming ; Clin
ton, Burgoyne, and Howe, had an audience to take
leave, on the same day with myself. The service
is exceedingly popular with the king, and our re
ception, of course, was most gracious ; though I
thought the eye of royalty looked on me as if it
remembered one or two of my juvenile votes in
the house, on the subject of these unhappy dis
sensions."

" You voted against the Port-Bill," said Pol-
warth, " out of regard to me f"

"No, there I joined the ministry. The con
duct of the people of Boston had provoked the
measure, and there were hardly two minds in par
liament on that question."

" Ah ! major Lincoln, you are a happy man,"
said the captain ; " a seat in Parliament at five-
and-twenty ! I must think that I should prefer just
such an occupation to all others — the very name is
taking; a seat! you have two members for your
borough : who fills the second now ?

" Say nothing on that subject, I entreat you,"
whispered Lionel, pressing the arm of the other,
as he rose ; " 'tis not filled by him who should
occupy it, as you know — shall we descend to the
common ? there are many friends that I could
wish to see before the bell calls us to church."

" Yes, this is a church-going, or rather meeting-
going place ; for most of the good people forswear
the use of the word church as we abjure the supre
macy of the Pope," returned Polwarth, following
in his companion's foot-steps; "I never think of at
tending any of their schism-shops, for I would any
day rather stand sentinel over a baggage-wagon,
than stand up to hear one of their prayers. I can
do very well at the king's chapel, as they call it; for
xvhen I am once comfortably fixed on my knees.

64 LIONEL LINCOLN.

I make out as well as my lord archbishop of Can
terbury ; though it has always been matter of sur
prise to me, how any man can find breath to go
through their work of a morning."

They descended the hill, as Lionel replied,
and their forms were soon blended with those of
twenty others who wore scarlet coats, on the
common.

CHAPTER V.

te For us, and for our tragedy,
" Here stooping to your clemency,
" We beg your hearing patiently."

Harnlel.

We must, now, carry the reader back a centu
ry, in order to clear our tale of every appearance
of ambiguity. Reginald Lincoln was a cadet of
an extremely ancient and wealthy family, whose
possessions were suffered to continue as appen
dages to a baronetcy, throughout all the changes
which marked the eventful periods of the com
monwealth, and the usurpation of Cromwell. He
had himself, however, inherited little more than
a morbid sensibility, which, even in that age, ap
peared to be a sort of heir-loom to his family.
While still a young man he had married a woman
to whom he was much attached, who died in giv
ing birth to her first child. The grief of the hus
band took a direction towards religion ; but un
happily, instead of deriving from his researches
that healing consolation, with which our faith
abounds, his mind became soured by the preva
lent but discordant views of the attributes of the
Deity ; and the result of his conversion was to
leave him an ascetick puritan, and an obstinate
predestinarian, That such a roan, finding but lif*

T*

66 LIONEL LINCOLN,

tie to connect him with his native country, should
revolt at the impure practices of the Court of
Charles, is not surprising ; and accordingly,
though not at all implicated in the guilt of the
regicides, he departed for the religious province
of Sfossachusetts-Bay, in the first years of the
rei^fef that merry prince.

It was not difficult for a man of the rank and
reputed sanctity of Reginald Lincoln, to obtain
both honourable and lucrative employments in
the plantations; and after the first glow of his
awakened ardour in behalf of spiritual matters had
a little abated, he failed not to improve a due por
tion of his time by a commendable attention to
temporal things. To the day of his death, how
ever, he continued a gloomy, austere, and bigot
ed religionist, seemingly too regardless of the vani
ties of this world to permit his pure imagination to
mingle with its dross, even while he submitted to
discharge its visible duties. Notwithstanding this
elevation of mind, his son, at the decease of his
father, found himself in the possession of many
goodly effects ; which were, questionless, the ac
cumulations of a neglected use, during the days
of his sublimated progenitor.

Young Lionel so far followed in the steps of his
worthy parent, as to continue gathering honours
and riches into his lap ; though, owing to an ear
ly disappointment, and the inheritance of the
' heir-loom' already mentioned, it was late in life
before he found a partner to share his happiness.
Contrary to all the usual calculations that are
made on the choice of a man of self-denial, he was
then united to a youthful and gay Episcopalian,
who had uttle, besides her exquisite beauty and
good blood, to recommend her. By this lady he
had four children, three sons and a daughter,
when he also was laid in the vault, by the side ot

LIONEL LINCOLN. 67

his deceased parent. The eldest of these sons
was yet a boy when he was called to the mother-
country, to inherit the estates and honours of his
family. The second, named Reginald, who was
bred to arms, married, had a son, and lost his life
in the wilds where he was required to serve, be
fore he was five-and-twenty. The third was the
grandfather of Agnes Danforth ; and the daugh
ter was Mrs. Lechmere.

The family of Lincoln, considering the shortness
of their marriages, had been extremely prolific,
while in the colonies, according to that wise allot
ment of providence, which ever seems to regulate
the functions of our nature by our wants ; but the
instant it was reconvened to the populous island oi<
Britain, it entirely lost its reputation for fruitful-
ness. Sir Lionel lived to a good age, married, but
died childless, notwithstanding when his body lay in
state, it was under a splendid roof, and in halls so
capacious that they would have afforded comfort
able shelter to the whole family of Priam.

By this fatality it became necessary to cross the
Atlantic once more, to find an heir to the wide do
mains of Ravenscliffe, and to one of the oldest
baronetcies in the kingdom.

We have planted and reared this genealogical
tree, to but little purpose, if it be necessary to tell
the reader, that the individual who had now be
come the head of his race, was the orphan son of
the deceased officer. He was married, and the
father of one blooming boy, when this elevation,
which was not unlooked for, occurred. Leaving
his wife and child behind him, Sir Lionel imme
diately proceeded to England, to assert his rights
and secure his possessions. As he was the nephew,
and acknowledged heir of the late incumbent, he
met with no opposition to the more important parts
of his claims. Across the character and fortunes of

68 LIONEL LINCOLN.

this gentleman, however, a dark cloud had early
passed, which prevented the common eye from
reading the events of his life, like those of other
men, in its open and intelligible movements. Af
ter his accession to fortune and rank, but little was
known of him, even by his earliest and most inti
mate associates. It was rumoured, it is true, that
he had been detained in England, for two years,
by a vexatious contention for a petty appendage
to his large estates, a controversy which was, how
ever, known to have been decided in his favour,
before he was recalled to Boston by the sudden
death of his wife. This calamity befell him during
the period when the war of '56 was raging in its
greatest violence : a time when the energies of the
colonies were directed to the assistance of the mo
ther-country, who, according to the language of
the day, \vas zealously endeavouring to defeat the
ambitious views of the French, in this hemisphere;
or, what amounted to the same thing in effect, in
struggling to advance her own.

It was an interesting period; when the mild and
peaceful colonists were seen to shake off their
habits of forbearance, and to enter into the
strife with an alacrity and spirit that soon emu
lated the utmost daring of their more practised
confederates. To the amazement of all who
knew his fortunes, Sir Lionel Lincoln was seen to
embark in many of the most desperate adven
tures that distinguished the war, with a hardihood
that rather sought death than courted honour.
He had been, like his father, trained to arms, but
the regiment in which he held the commission of
Lieutenant Colonel, was serving his master in the
most eastern of his dominions, while the uneasy
soldier was thus rushing from point to point, haz
arding his life, and more than once shed'ding
his blood, in the enterprises that signalized the
war in his most western.

LIONEL LINCOLN. 69

This dangerous career, however, was at length
suddenly and mysteriously checked. By the in
fluence of some powerful agency, that was never
explained, the Baronet was induced to take his
son, and embark once more f =r the land of their
fathers, from which the former had never been
known to return. For many years, all those in
quiries which the laudable curiosity of the towns
men and towns- women of Mrs. Lechmere, prompt
ed them to make, concerning the fate of her ne
phew, (and we leave each of our readers to deter
mine their numbers,) were answered by that lady
with the most courteous reserve ; and sometimes
with such exhibitions of emotion, as we have al
ready attempted to describe in her first interview
with his son. But constant dropping will wear
away a stone. At first there were rumours that
the Baronet had committed treason, and had been
compelled to exchange RavensclifFe for a less
comfortable dwelling in the Tower of London.
This report was succeeded by that of an unfor
tunate private marriage with one of the Prin
cesses of the House of Brunswick ; but a refer
ence to the calendars of the day, showed that
there was no lady of a suitable age disengaged,
and this amour, so creditable to the provinces,
was necessarily abandoned. Finally, the asser
tion was made with much more of the confidence
of thath, that the unhappy Sir Lionel was the ten
ant of a private mad-house.

The instant this rumour was circulated, a film
fell from every eye, and none were so blind as not
to have seen indications of insanity in the Baro
net long before ; and not a few were enabled to
trace his legitimate right to lunacy through the
hereditary bias of his race. To account for its
sudden exhibition, was a more difficult task, and
exercised the ingenuity of an exceedingly inge
nious people, for a long period.

70 LIONEL LINCOLN.

The more sentimental part of the community,
such as the maidens and bachelors, and those
votaries of Hymen who had twice and thrice
proved the solacing power of the god, did not
fail to ascribe the misfortune of the Baronet to
the unhappy loss of his wife ; a lady to whom he
was known to be most passionately attached. A
few, the relicts of the good old school, under
whose intellectual sway the incarnate persons of
so many godless dealers in necromancy had been
made to expiate for their abominations, pointed
to the calamity as a merited punishment on the
backslidings of a family that had once known the
true faith ; while a third, and by no means a small
class, composed of those worthies who braved the
elements in King-street, in quest of filthy lucre,
did not hesitate to say, that the sudden acquisition
of vast wealth had driven many a better man
mad. But the time was approaching, when the
apparently irresistible propensity to speculate on
the fortunes of a fellow-creature was made to yield
to more important considerations. The hour soon
arrived when the merchant forgot his momentary
interests to look keenly into the distant effects
that were to succeed the movements of the day ;
which taught the fanatic the wholesome lesson,
that providence smiled most beneficently on those
who most merited, by their own efforts, its favours ;
and which even purged the breast of the senti
mentalist of its sickly tenant, to be succeeded by
the healthy and ennobling passion of love of
country.

It was about this period that the contest for
principle between the parliament of Great Bri
tain, and the colonies of North America, com
menced, that in time led to those important re
sults which have established a new era in political
liberty, as well as a mighty empire. A brief glance
at the nature of this controversy may assist in rert-

LIONEL LINCOLN. 71

dering many of the allusions in this legend more
intelligible to some of its readers.

The increasing wealth of the provinces had at
tracted the notice of the English ministry so early
as the year 1763. In that year the first effort
to raise a revenue which was to meet the exigen
cies of the empire, was attempted by the passage
t)f a law to impose a duty on certain stamped pa
per, which was made necessary to give validity to
contracts. This method of raising a revenue was
not new in itself, nor was the imposition heavy in
amount. But the Americans, not less sagacious
than wary,- perceived at a glance the importance
of the principles involved in the admission of a
right as belonging to any body to lay taxes, in
which they were not represented. The ques
tion was not without its difficulties, but the direct
and plain argument was clearly on the side of the
colonists. Aware of the force of their reasons,
and perhaps a little conscious of the strength of
their numbers, they approached the subject with
a spirit which betokened this consciousness, but
with a coolness that denoted the firmness of their
purpose. After a struggle of nearly two years,
during which the law was rendered completely
profitless by the unanimity among the people, as
well as by a species of good-humoured violence
that rendered it exceedingly inconvenient, and
perhaps a little dangerous, to the servants of the
crown to exercise their obnoxious.functions, the
ministry abandoned the measure. But, at the?
same time that the law was repealed, the parlia
ment maintained its right to bind the colonies
in all cases whatsoever, by recording a resolution
to that effect in its journals.

That an empire, whose several parts were sepa
rated by oceans, and whose interests \vere so often
conflicting, should become unwieldy, and fall, in

72 LIONEL LINCOLN.

time, by its own weight, was an event that all wise
men must have expected to arrive. But, that the
Americans did not contemplate such a division at
that early day, may be fairly inferred, if there were
no other testimony in the matter, by the quiet and
submission that pervaded the colonies the instant
that the repeal of the stamp act was known. Had
any desire for premature independence existed,
the parliament had unwisely furnished abundant
fuel to feed the flame, in the very resolution
already mentioned. But, satisfied with the solid
advantages they had secured, peaceful in their
habits, and loyal in their feelings, the colonists
laughed at the empty dignity of their self-consti
tuted rulers, while they congratulated each other
on their own more substantial success. If the
besotted servants of the king had learned wis
dom by the past, the storm would have blown
over, and another age would have witnessed the
events which we are about to relate. Things
were hardly suffered, however, to return to their
old channels again, before the ministry attempted
to revive their claims by new impositions. The
design to raise a revenue had been defeated in the
case of the stamp act, by the refusal of the colo
nists to use the paper; but in the present instance,
expedients were adopted, which, it was thought,
would be more effective — as in the case of tea,,
where the duty was paid by the East-India Compa
ny in the first instance, and the exaction was to be
made on the Americans, through their appetites.
These new innovations on their rights, were met by
the colonists with the same promptitude, but with
much more of seriousness than in the former in
stances. All the provinces south of the Great Lakes,
acted in concert on this occasion; and preparations
were made to render not only their remonstrances
and petitions more impressive by a unity of action3,

LIONEL LINCOLN. 73

but their more serious struggles also, should an
appeal to force become necessary. The tea was
stored or sent back to England, in most cases,
though in the town of Boston, a concurrence of
circumstances led to the violent measure, on the
part of the people, of throwing a large quantity of
the offensive article into the sea. To punish this
act, which took place in the early part of 1774, the
port of Boston was closed, and different laws were
enacted in parliament, which were intended to
bring the people back to a sense of their depen-
dence on the British power.

Although the complaints of the colonists were
hushed during the short interval that had succeed
ed the suspension of the efforts of the ministry to
tax them, the feelings of alienation which were en
gendered by the attempt, had not time to be lost
before the obnoxious subject was revived in its
new shape. From 1763, to the period of our
tale, all the younger part of the population of the
provinces had grown into manhood, but they were
no longer imbued with that profound respect for
the mother country which had been transmitted
from their ancestors, or with that deep loyalty to
the crown that usually characterizes a people who
view the pageant of royalty through the medium
of distance. Still, those who guided the feelings,
and controlled the judgments of the Americans,
xvere averse to a dismemberment of the empire, a
measure which they continued to believe both im
politic and unnatural.

In the mean time, though equally reluctant to
shed blood, the adverse parties prepared for that
.final struggle which seemed to be unavoidably ap
proaching. The situation of the colonies was now
so peculiar, that it may be doubted whether histo
ry furnishes a precise parallel. Their fealty to
the prince was everywhere acknowledged, while

T4 LIONEL LINCOLN.

the laws which emanated from his counsellors
were sullenly disregarded and set at naught.
Each province possessed its distinct government,
and in most of them the political influence of the
crown was direct and great ; but ihe time had
arrived when it was superseded by a moral feel
ing that defied the machinations and intrigues of
the ministry. Such of the provincial legislature?
as possessed a majority of the " Sons of Liberty,"
as they who resisted the unconstitutional attempts
of the ministry were termed, elected delegates to
meet in a general congress to consult on the ways
and means of effecting the common objects. In one
or two provinces where the inequality of represen
tation afforded a different result, the' people suppli
ed the deficiencies by acting in their original capa
city. This body, meeting, unlike conspirators, with
the fearless confidence of integrity, and acting un
der theexcitementof a revolution in sentiment, pos
sessed an influence, which, at a later day, has been
denied to their more legally constituted successors.
Their recommendations possessed all the validity
of laws, without incurring their odium. While, as
the organ of their fellow-subjects, they still con
tinued to petition and remonstrate, they did not,
forget to oppose, by such means as were then
thought expedient, the oppressive measures of th<-
ministry.

An association was recommended to the peo
ple, for those purposes that are amply expresseti
in the three divisions which were significantly
given to the subjects, in calling them by thr
several names of ' non-importation,' ' non-expor
tation,' and 'non-consumption resolutions.' Theso
negative expedients were all that, was constitu
tionally in their power, and throughout the whole
controversy, there had been a guarded care.
not to exceed the limits which the laws had affix-

LIONEL LINCOLN. 75

cd to the rights of the subject. Though no overt
act of resistance was committed, they did not,
however, neglect such means as were attaina
ble, to be prepared for the last evil, whenever
it should arrive. In this manner a feeling of re
sentment and disaffection was daily increasing
throughout the provinces, while in Massachusetts
Bay, the m-ire immediate scene of our story, the
disorder in the body politic seemed to be inevit-
^ably gathering to its head.

The great principles of the controversy had
teen blended, in different places, with various
causes of local complaint, and in none more than
in the town of Boston. The inhabitants of this
place had been distinguished for an early, open,
and fearless resistance to the ministry. An armed
force had long been thought necessary to intimi
date this spirit, to effect which the troops were
drawn from different p-.irts of the provinces, and
concentrated in this devoted town. Early in 1774,
a military man was placed in the executive chair of
the province, and an attitude of more determina
tion was assumed by the government. One of the
first acts of this gentleman, who held the high
station of Lieutenant-General, and who com
manded all the forces of the king in America,
\vas to dissolve the colonial assembly. About the
same time a new charter was sent from England,
and a material change was contemplated in the
polity of the colonial government. From this
moment the power of the king, though it was not
denied, became suspended in the province. A pro
vincial congress was elected, and assembled with
in seven leagues of the capital, where they con
tinued, from time to time, to adopt such measures
as the exigencies of the times were thought to
render necessary. Men were enrolled, disciplin
ed, and armed, as well as the imperfect means of
the colony would allow. These troops, who

76 LIONEL LINCOLN.

were no more than the elite of the inhabitants,
had little else to recommend them besides their
spirit, and their manual dexterity with fire-arms.
From the expected nature of their service, they
were not unaptly termed " minute-men." The
munitions of war were seized, and hoarded with a
care and diligence that showed the character of
the impending conflict.

On the other hand, General Gage adopted a
similar course of preparation and prevention, by
fortifying himself in the strong hold which he
possessed, and by anticipating the intentions of
the colonists, in their attempts to form magazines,
whenever it was in his power. He had an easy
task in the former, both from the natural situation
of the place IIP occupied, and thfi species offeree
he commanded.

Surrounded by broad and chiefly by deep
waters, except at one extremely narrow point,
and possessing its triple hills, which are not
commanded by any adjacent eminences, the
peninsula of Boston could, with a competent
garrison, easily be made impregnable, especial
ly when aided by a superior fle^et. The works
erected by the English General were, however.
by no means of magnitude, for it was well known
that the whole park of the colonists could not ex
ceed some half dozen pieces of field artillery,
with a small battering train that must be entirely
composed of old and cumbrous ship guns. Conse
quently, when iLionel arrived in Boston, he found a
few batteries thrown up on the eminences, some of
which were intended as much to control the town,
as to repel an enemy from without, while lines
were drawn across the neck which communicated
with the main. The garrison consisted of some
thing less than five thousand men, besides which,
there was a fluctuating force of seamen and ma
rines, as the vessels of war arrived and departed.

LIONEL LINCOLN. 77

All this timp, there was no other interruption to
the intercourse between the town and the country,
than such as unavoidably succeeded the stagnation
of trade, and the distrust engendered by the aspect
of affairs. Though numberless families had de
serted their homes, many known whigs continued
to dwell in their habitations, where their ears were
deafened by the sounds of the British drums, and
where their spirits were but too often galled by
the sneers of the officers, on the uncouth military
preparations of their countrymen. Indeed an im
pression had spread further than among the idle
and thoughtless youths of the army, that the colo
nists were but little gifted with martial qualities;
and many of their best friends in Europe were in
dread lest an appeal to force should put the con
tested points forever at rest, by proving the in-
competency of the Americans to maintain them
to the last extremity.

In this manner both parties stood at bay ; the
people living in perfect order and quiet, without
the administration of law, sullen, vigilant, and,
through their leaders, secretly alert ; and the ar
my, gay, haughty, and careless of the consequen
ces, though far from being oppressive or inso
lent, until after the defeat of one or two abortive
excursions into the country in quest of arms.
Each hour, however, was rapidly adding to the
disaffection on one side, and to the contempt and
resentment on the other, through numberless pub
lic and private causes, that belong rather to his*
tory than to a legend like this. All extraordinary
occupations were suspended, and men awaited
the course of things in anxious expectation. It was
Jinown that the parliament, instead of retracing
their political errors, had imposed new restraints,
and, as has been mentioned, it was also rumoured

78 LIONEL LINCOLN.

(hat regiments and fleets were on their way to en
force them.

How long a country could exist in such a pri
meval condition, remained to be seen, though it
was difficult to say when or how it was to termi
nate. The people of the land appeared to slum
ber, but, like vigilant and wary soldiers, they might
be said to sleep on their arms ; while the troops
assumed each day, more of that fearful prepara
tion, which gives, even to the trained warrior, a
more martial aspect — though both parties still
continued to manifest a becoming reluctance to
shed blood.

CHAPTER VI.

C! Would he were fatter : — but I fear him not :—
" Seldom he smiles ; and smiles in such a sort,
" As if he mocked himself, and scorned his spirit
" That could be moved to smile at any thing."

Julius

IN the course of the succeediag week Lione*
acquired a knowledge of many minor circum
stances relating to the condition of the colonies,
which may be easily imagined as incidental to
the times, but which would greatly exceed our
limits to relate. He was received by his brethren
in arms with that sort of cordiality that a rich,
high-spirited, and free, if notajovial comrade, was
certain of meeting among men who lived chiefly
fbr pleasure and appearance. Certain indications
of more than usually important movements were
discovered among the troops, the first day of the
week, and his own condition in the army was in
some measure affected by the changes. Instead
of joining his particular regiment, he was order
ed to hold himself in readiness to take a com
mand in the light corps which had begun its
drill for the service that was peculiar to such
troops. As it was well known that Boston was
Major Lincoln's place of nativity, the 'com-
mander-in-chief, with the indulgence and kind
ness of his character, granted to him, how-

30 LIONEL LINCOLN.

ever, a short respite from duty, in order that
he might indulge in the feelings natural to his
situation. It was soon generally understood, that
major Lincoln, though intending to serve with the
army in America, should the sad alternative of an
appeal tu arms become necessary, had permis
sion to amuse himself in such a manner as he
saw fit, for two months from the date of his ar
rival. Those who affected to be more wise than
common, saw, or thought they saw, in this ar
rangement, a deep laid plan on the part of Gage,
to use the influence and address of the young pro
vincial among his connexions and natural friends,
to draw them back to those sentiments of loyalty
which it was feared so many among them had for
gotten to entertain. But it was the characteristic
of the times to attach importance to trifling inci
dents, and to suspect a concealed policy in move
ments which emanated only in inclination.

There was nothing, however, in the deport
ment, or manner of life adopted by Lionel, to
justify any of these conjectures. He continued
to dwell in the house of Mrs. Lechmere, in per
son, though, unwilling to burthen the hospitality
of his aunt too heavily, he had taken lodging?
in a dwelling at no great distance, where his ser
vants resided, and where, it was generally under
stood, that his visits of ceremony and friendship
were to be received. Captain Pohvarth did not
fail to complain loudly of this arrangement, a«
paralyzing at once all the advantages he had
anticipated from enjoying the entre to the dwell
ing of his mistress, in the right of his friend. But
as the establishment of Lionel was supported with
much of that liberality which was becoming in n
youth of his large fortune, the exuberant light-
infantry officer found many sources of consola
tion in the change, which could not have existed,

LIONEL LINCOLN. 81

had the staid Mrs. Lechmere presided over the
domestic department. Lionel and Polwarth had
been boys together at the same school, members of
the same college at Oxford, and subsequently for
many years, comrades in the same corps. Though,
perhaps, no two men in their regiment were more
essentially different, in mental as well as physical
constitution, yet, by that unaccountable caprice
which causes us to like our opposites, it is certain
that no two gentlemen in the service were known
to be on better terms, or to maintain a more close
and unreserved intimacy- It is unnecessary to
dilate here on this singular friendship ; it occurs
every day, between men still more discordant,
the result of accident and habit, and is often,
as in the present instance, cemented by uncon
querable good nature in one of the parties. For
this latter qualification, captain Polwarth was
eminent, if for no other. It contributed quite as
much as his science in the art of living, to the
thriving condition of the corporeal moiety of the
man, and it rendered a communion with the less
material part at all times inoffensive, if not agree
able.

On the present occasion, the captain took
charge of the internal economy of Lionel's lodg
ings, with a zeal which he did not even pretend
was disinterested. By the rules of the regiment he
was compelled to live nominally with the mess,
where he found his talents and his wishes fetter
ed by divers indispensable regulations, and eco
nomical practices, that could not be easily over
leaped; but with Lionel, just such an oppor
tunity offered for establishing rules of his own,
and disregarding expenditure, as he had been
long pining for in secret. Though the poor of
the town were, in the absence of employment, ne
cessarily supported by large contributions of mo
ney, clothing, and food, which were transmitted to

tf2 LIONEL LINCOLN.

their aid from the furthermost parts of the colo
nies, the markets were not yet wanting in all the
necessaries of life, to those who enjoyed the means
of purchasing. With this disposition of things,
therefore, he became well content, and within the
first fortnight after the arrival of Lionel, it be
came known to the mess, that captain Polwarth
took his dinners regularly with his old friend, ma
jor Lincoln ; though in truth the latter was enjoy
ing, more than half the time, the hospitality of the
respective tables of the officers of the stair. *

In the mean time Lionel cultivated his ac
quaintance in Tremont-street, where he still slept,
with an interest and assiduity that the awkwardness
of his first interview would not have taught us to
expect. With Mrs. Lechrnere, it is true, he made
but little progress in intimacy ; for, equally for
mal, though polite, she was at all times enshrouded
in a cloud of artificial, but cold management,
that gave him little opportunity, had he possess
ed the desire, to break through tl>e reserve of her
calculating temperament. VV'ith his more youth
ful kinswomen, the case was, however, in a very
few days, entirely reversed. Agnes Danforth, who
had nothing to conceal, began insensibly to yield
to the manliness and grace of his manner, and be
fore the end of the first week, she maintained the
rights of the colonists, laughed at the follies of the
officers, and then acknowledged her own prejudi
ces, with a familiarity and good-humour that soon
made her, iii her turn, a favourite with her Eng
lish cousin, as she termed Lionel. But he found
the demeanor of Cecil Dynevor much more em
barrassing, if not inexplicable. For days she
would be distant, silent, and haughty, and then
again, as it were by sudden impulses, she be
came easy and natural ; her whole soul beam
ing in her speaking eyes, or her innocent and

LIONEL LINCOLN.

merry humour breaking through the bounds of"
her restraint, and rendering not only herself, but
all around her, happy and delighted. Full many
an hour did Lionel ponder on this unaccount
able difference in the manner of this young lady,
at different moments. There was a secret excite
ment in the very caprices of her humours, that
had a piquant interest in his eyes, and which,
aided by her exquisite form and intelligent face,
gradually induced him to become a more close
observer of their waywardness, and consequently
a more assiduous attendant on her movements.
In consequence of this assiduity, the manner of
Cecil grew, almost imperceptibly, less variable,
and more uniformly fascinating, while Lionel, by
some unaccountable oversight, soon forgot to note
its changes, or even to miss the excitement.

In a mixed society, where pleasure, company,
and a multitude of objects conspired to distract
the attention, such alterations would be the re
sult of an intercourse for months, if they ever
occurred ; but in a town like Boston, from which
most of those with whom Cecil had once mingled
were already fled, and where, consequently, those
who remained behind, lived chiefly for themselves
and by themselves, it was no more than the obvi
ous effect of very apparent causes. In this man
ner something like good-will, if not a deeper
interest in each other, was happily effected with
in that memorable fortnight, which was teeming
with events vastly more important in their result?
than any that can appertain to the fortunes of
a single family.

The winter of 1774-5 had been as remarkable
for its mildness, as the spring was cold and linger
ing. Like every season in our changeable climate,
however, the chilling days of March and April
were intermingled with some, when a genial sUn

84 LIONET. LINCOLN.

recalled the ideas of summer, which, in their
turn, were succeeded by others, when the torrents
of cold rain that drove before the easterly gales,
would seem to repel every advance toward a
milder temperature. Many of those stormy days
occurred in the middle of April, and during their
continuance Lionel was necessarily compelled to
keep himself housed.

He had retired from the parlour of Mrs. Lech-
mere, one evening, when the rain was beating
against the windows of the house, in nearly hori
zontal lines, to complete some letters which,
before dining, he had commenced to the agent
of his family, in England. On entering his
own apartment, he was startled to find the
room, which he had left vacant, and which he
expected to find in the same state, occupied in a
manner that he could not anticipate. The light
of a strong wood fire was blazing on the hearth,
and throwing about, in playful changes, the flick
ering shadows of the furniture, and magnifying
each object into some strange and fantastical figure.
As he stepped within the door his eye fell upon one
of these shadows, which extended along the wall,
and bending against the cieling, exhibited the gi
gantic but certain outlines of the human form. Re
collecting that he had left his letters open, and a
little distrusting the discretion of Meriton, Lionel
advanced lightly, for a few feet, so far as to be
able to look round llie drapery of his bed. and to
his amazement, perceived that the intruder wan
7iot his valet, but the aged stranger. The old man
sat holding in his hand the open letter which
Lionel had been writing, and continued so deeply
absorbed in its contents, that the footsteps of the
ether were still disregarded. A large, coarse
over-coat, dripping with water, concealed most of
his person, though the white hairs that strayed

LIONEL LINCOLN. 86

about his face, and the deep lines of his remarka
ble countenance could not be mistaken.

" I was ignorant of this unexpected visit," said
Lionel, advancing quickly into the centre of the
room, " or I should not have been so tardy in re
turning to my apartment, where, sir, I fear you
must have found your time irksome, with ne-
thing but that scrawl to amuse you."

The old mat) dropped the paper from before
his features, and betrayed, by the action, the large
drops that followed each other down his hollow
cheeks, until they fell even to the floor. The
haughty and displeased look disappeared from
the countenance of Lionel at this sight, and he
was on the point of speaking in a more con
ciliating manner, when the stranger, whose eye
had not quailed before the angry frown it encoun
tered, anticipated his intention.

" I comprehend you, major Lincoln," he said,
calmly ; " but there can exist justifiable reasons
for a greater breach of faith than this, of which
you accuse me. Accident, and not intention,
has put me in possession, here, of your most
secret thoughts on a subject that has deep in
terest for me. You have urged me often, during
our voyage, to make you acquainted with all
that you most desire to know, to which request,
as you may remember, I have ever been silent."

" You have said, sir, that you were master of a
secret in which my feelings, I will acknowledge,
are deeply interested, and I have urged you to re
move m\ doubts by declaring the truth ; but I do
not perceive" —

" How a desire to possess my secret, gives
Hie a claim to inquire into yours, you would
say," interrupted the stranger; " nor does it. But
an interest in your affairs, that you cannot yet
understand, and which is vouched for by these

VOL. i. 9

86 LIONEL LINCOLN.

scalding tears, the first that have fallen in years
from a fountain that I had thought dried, should,
and must satisfy you."

" It does," said Lionel, deeply affected by the
melancholy tones of his voice, " it does, it does,
and 1 will listen to no further explanation on the
unpleasant subject. You see nothing there, I am
sure, of which a son can have reason to be
ashamed."

" I see much here, Lionel Lincoln, of which a
father would have reason to be proud," returned
the old man. "It was the filial love which you have
displayed in this paper which has drawn these
drops from my eyes ; for he who has lived as
1 have done, beyond the age of man, without
knowing the love that the parent feels for its
offspring, or which the child bears to the au
thor of its being, must have outlived his natu
ral sympathies, not to be conscious of his mis
fortune, when chance makes him sensible of
affections like these."

"You have never been a father, then?" said
Lionel, drawing a chair nigh fo his aged com
panion, and seating himself with an air of power
ful interest, that he could not control.

" Have I not told yon that I am alone ?" re
turned the old man, with a solemn manner. Af
ter an impressive pause, he continued, though his
tones were husky and low — " I have been both
husband and parent, in my day, but 'tis so long
since, that no selfish tie remains to bind me to
earth. Old age is the neighbour of death, and the
chill of the grave is to be found in its warmest
breathings."

" Say not so," interrupted Lionel, " for you dt»
injustice to your own warm nature — you forget
your zeal in behalf of what you deem these
oppressed colonies."

LIONEL LINCOLN. 87

" 'Tis no more than the flickering of the dy
ing lamp, which flares and dazzles most, when
its source of hrat is niftiest to extinction. But
though I may not infuse into your bosom a
warmth that I do not possess myself, 1 can point
out the dangers with which life abounds, and
serve as a beacon, when no longer useful as a
pilot. It is for such a purpose, Major Lincoln,
that I have braved the tempest of to-night."

" Has any Uiiug occurred, which, by rendering
danger pressing, can make such an exposure ne
cessary '"

" Look at me," said the old man earnestly —
" I have seen most of this flourishing country a
wilderness ; my recollection goes back into those
periods when the savage, and the beast of the
forest, contended with our fathers for much of that
soil which now supports its hundreds of thou
sands in plenty ; ai-d my time is to be numbered,
not by ye HFS, hut Hy ag^s For such a being,
think you there can yet be many months, or
weeks, or even days in store ?"

Lionel dropped his eyes, in embarrassment, to
the floor, 41 s he answered —

" You cannot have very many years, surely, to
hope for; but uiih the activity and temperance
you possess, days and m'onths confine you, 1 trust,
in limits much too small."

" What !" exclaimed the other, stretching forth
a colourless hand, in which even the prominent
veins partook in the appearance of a general de
cay of nature; "with these wasted limbs, these
gray hairs, and this sunken and sepulchral cheek,
would you talk to me of years ! to me, who have
not the effrontery to petition for even minutes,
were they worth the prayer — so long already has
been my probation !"

38 LIONEL LINCOLN.

"It is certainly time to think of the change,
when it approaches so very near."

" Well, then, Lionel Lincoln, old, feeb'e, and
on the threshold of eternity as I stand, yet am I
not nearer to my grave than that c.-untry to
which you have pledged your blood is to a
mighty convulsion, whirh will shake her institu
tions to their foundations."

"I cannot admit the signs of the times to be quite
so portentous as your fears would make them,"
said Lionel, smiling a little proudly. "Though the
worst that is apprehended should arrive, England
will feel the shock uut as the earth bears an
eruption of one of its volcanoes ! But we talk in
idle figures, Sir ; know you any thing to justify
the apprehension of immediate danger?"

The fa< -e of the stranger lighted with a sudden
and startling gleam of intelligence, and a sarcas
tic smile parsed across his wan features, as he an
swered slowly —

" They only have cause to fear v\ho will be the
losers by the change ! A youth who casts off the
trammels of his guardian* is not apt to doubt his
abiht) to govern himself. England has held these
colonies so long in leading-strings, that she forgets
her offspring is able to go alone."

"Now, Sir, you exceed even the wild projects
of the most daring among those who rail them
selves the ' Sons of Liberty' — as if liberty existed
in any place more favoured or more nurtured than
under the bitted constitution of England ! The
utmost required is what they term a redress
of grievances, many of which, I must think, exist
only in imagination."

" Was a stone ever known to roll upward ! Let
there be but one drop «>f American blood spilt
in anger, and its stain will become indelible."

LIONEL LINCOLN. 89

" Unhappily, the experiment has been already
tried ; and yet years have rolled by, while Eng
land keeps her footing and authority good."

" Her authority !" repeated the old man ; " see
you not, Major Lincoln, in the forbearance of this
people, when they felt themselves in the wrong,
the existence of the very principles that will ren
der them invincible and unyielding when right ?
But we wa^te our time — I came to conduct you
to a place where, with your own ears, and with
your own eyes, you may hear, and see a little of
that spirit which pervades the land — You will
follow ?"

" Not surely in such a tempest !"

"This tempest is but a trifle to that which is
about to break upon you, unless you retrace your
steps ; but follow, 1 repeat; if a man of my years
disregards the night, ought an English soldier to
hesitate !"

The pride of Lionel was touched; and remem
bering an engagement he had previously made
with his aged friend to accompany him to a scene
like this, he made such changes in his dress
as would serve to conceal his profession, threw
on a large cloak to protect his person, and
was about to lead the way himself, when he was
aroused by the voice of the other.

" You mistake the route," he said ; " this is to
be a secret, and I hope a profitable visit — none
must know of your presence ; and if you are a
worthy son of your honourable father, I need
hardly add that my faith is pledged for your dis
cretion."

" The pledge will be respected, Sir," said Lio
nel, haughtily ; " but in order to see what you
wish, we are not to remain here ?"

" Follow, then, and be silent," said the old
9*

90 LIONEL LINCOLN.

man, turning and opening the doors which led in
to a little apartment lighted by one of those small
er windows, already mentioned in describing the
exterior of the building. The passage was dark
and narrow, but, observing the warnings of bis
companion, Lionel succeeded in descending, in
safety, a flight of steps which formed a private •
communication between the offices of the dwelling
and its upper apartments. They paused an in
stant at the bottom of the stairs, where the youth
expressed his amazement that a stranger should
be so much more familiar with the building than
he who had for so many days made it his home.

" Have I not often told you," returned the old
man, with a severity in his voice which was even
apparent in its suppressed tones, " that I have
known Boston for near an hundred years ! how
many edifices like this does it contain, that I
should not have noted its erection ! But follow in
silence, and be prudent."

He now opened a door which conducted them
through one end of the building, into the court
yard in which it was situated. As they emerged
into the open air, Lionel perceived the figure of a
man, crouching under the walls, as if seeking a
shelter from the driving rain. The moment they
appeared, this person arose, and followed as they
moved towards the street.

" Are we not watched ?" said Lionel, stopping
to face the unknown ; " whom have we skulking in
our footsteps f"

" 'Tis the boy," said the old man, for whom we
must adopt the name of Ralph, which it would
appear was the usual term used by Job when ad
dressing his mother's guest — " 'tis the boy, and
he can do us no harm. God has granted to him
a knowledge between much of what is good and

LIONEL LINCOLN. 91

that which is evil, though the mind of the child
is, at times, sadly weakened by his bodily ailings.
His heart, however, is with his country, at a
moment when she needs all hearts to maintain
her rights."

The young British officer bowed his head to
meet the tempest, and smiled scornfully within the
folds of his cloak, which he drew more closely
around his form, as they met ti-e gale in the
open streets of the town. They had passed
swiftly through many narrow and crooked ways,
before another word was uttered between the ad
venturers. Lionel mused on the singular and in
definable interest that he took in the movements
of his companion, which could draw him at a time
like this from the shelter of Mrs. Lechmere's
roof, to wander he knew not whither, and on an
errand which might even be dangerous to his per
son. Still he followed, unhesitatingly, for with
these passing thoughts were blended the recol
lection of the many recent and interesting commu
nications he had held with the old man during
their long and close association in the ship ; nor
was he wanting in a natural interest for all that
involved the safety and happiness of the place of
his birth. He kept the form of his aged guide in
his eye, as the other moved before him. careless
of the tempest which beat on his withered frame,
and he heard the heavy footsteps of Job in his
rear, who had closed so near his own person as to
share, in some measure, in the shelter of his am
ple cloak. But no other living being seemed to
have ventured abroad ; and even the few sentinels
they passed, instead of pacing in front of those
doors which it was their duty to guard, were con
cealed behind the angles of walls, or sought shel
ter under the projections of some favouring roof.
At moments the wind rushed into the narrow

92 LIONEL LINCOLN

avenue^ of the streets, along which it swept, with
a noist not unlike the hollow roaring of the sea,
and with a violmre which was nearly irresistible.
At sucli times Lionel was compelled to pause, and
even frequently to recede a little from his path,
while his t-uide, supported by his high purpose,
and but little obstructed by his garments, seemed,
to the bewildered imagination of his follower, to
glide through the night with a facility that was
supernatural. At length the old man, who had
got some distance ahead of his followers, sudden
ly paused, and allowed Lionel to approach to his
side. The latter observed with surprise, that
he had stopped before the root and stump of
a tree which had once grown on the borders of
the street, and which appeared to have been re
cently felled.

" Do you see this remnant of the Elm r" said
Ralph, when the others had stopped also ; "their
axes have succeeded in destroying the mother-
plant, but her scions are flourishing throughout a
continent !"

" I do not comprehend you !" returned Lionel ;
" I see here nothing but the stump of some tree;
surely the ministers of the king are not answera
ble that it stands no longer f"

"The ministers of the king are answerable to
their master that it has ever become what it
is — but speak to the boy at your side, he will
tell you of its virtues."

Lionel turned towards Job, and perceived, by
the obscure light of the moon, to his surprise,
that the changeling stood with his head bared
to the storm, regarding the root with an extraor
dinary degree of reverence.

" This is all a mystery to me !" he said ; " what
do you know about this stump to stand in awe of,
boy ?"

LIONEL LINCOLN. 93

"'Tis the root of * Liberty -tree,' " said Job,
" and 'tis wicked to pass it without making your
manners!"

" And what has this tree done for liberty, that it
has merited so much respect f"

" Whal ! why did you e?ersee a tree afore this
that could write and give notices of town meetin-
da's, or that could tell the people whal <he king
meant to do with the tea and his stamps !"

" And could this marvellous trei1 work such
miracles ?"

" To be sure it could, and it did too — you let
stingy Tommy think to get above the people
with any of his cunning "t-er night, and yon might
come here n<-xt morning and read a warning on
the bark of this tree, that would tell all about it,
and how 10 put down his deviltries, written out
fair, in a hand as good as master Loweii himself
could put on paper, the best day of his grand
scholarship."

" And who put the paper there ?"

"Who!1' exclaimed Job, a little positively;
" why Liberty came in the night, and pasted it
up herself. When Nab couldn't get a i souse to
live in, J<»b used to sleep under the tree, some
times, and many a night has he seen Liberty with
his own eyes co < e and put up the paper."

" And was it a woman?"

" Do you think Liberty was such a fool as to
come every time in woman's clothes, to be follow
ed by the rake-belly soldiers about the streets!"
said Job, with great contempt in his manner.
"Sometimes she did, though, and sometimes she
didn't; just as it happened. And Job was in the
tree when old Noll had to give up his ungodly
stamps ; though he didn't do it till the ' rto'js of
Liberty' had chucked his stamp-shop in the dock,
and hung hi.n and Lord Boot together, ou the
branches of the old Elm!"

94 LIONEL LINCOLN.

" Hung !" said Lionel, unconsciously drawing
back from the spot ; " was it ever a gallows !"

44 Yes, tor irfigies," said Job, laughing; "I
wish you could have been here to see how the
old boot, with Satan sticking out on't, whirled
about when they swung it off! they give the old
boy a big shoe to put his cloven huff in !"

Lionel, who wa- familiar with the peculiar
sound that his townsmen gave to the letter
M, now comprehended the allusion to the Earl
of Bute, and beginning lo understand more clear
ly the nut ure <>f the transactions, and the uses to
which that m^m fi'able tree had been applied, he
expressed hi:- desire lo proceed.

The ol,l rnu'i had suffered Job to make his
own explanations, though not without a curious
interest in the. eM'eet they would produce on Lio
nel ; but the inslant the request was made to ad
vance, he turned, and once more led the way.
Their course was n >-.v directed m»re towards the
wharves; n->r was it lung before their conductor
turned into a narrow court, and entered a house
of rather mean appearance, without even observ
ing the formality of announcing his visit by the
ordinary <imimons of rapping at its door. A long,
narrow, and ttfinly-fighted passage, conducted
them to a spac»ou> apartment far in the court,
which appeared to have been fitted as a place for
the rect',itio;i of large assemblages of people. In
this room were collected at least a hu.-idreJ men,
seemingly inleiu on some object of more than usual
interest, by the gravity and seriousness of de
meanor apparent u« every countenance.

As it vas Sunday, the first impression of Lionel,
on entering <he room, was that his old friend, who
often betrayed a keen sensibility on subjects of
religion, had bi ought him there with a design to
listen to some favourite exhorter of his owu pecu-

LIONEL LINCOLN. 9

liar tenets, and as a tacit reproach for a neglect of
the usual ordinances of that holy day, >»f which
the conscience of the young man suddenly accus
ed him, on finding himself unexpectedly mingled
in such a throng. But after he had forced his
person among a dense body of men, who stood at
the lower end of the apartment, and brcame a si
lent observer of the scene, he was scon made to
perceive his error. The weather had induced all
present to appear in such garments as were best
adapted to protect them from its furv ; and their
exteriors were rough, and perhaps a little forbid
ding ; but there was a composure and decency in
the air common to the whole assembly, which de
noted that they were men who possessed in a high
degree the commanding quality of self-respect.
A very few minutes sufficed to teach Lione! that
he was in the midst of a meeting collected to dis
cuss questions connected with the political move
ments of the times, though he felt himself a little
at a loss to discover the precise results it was in
tended to produce. To every question, there were
one or two speakers, men who expressed their
ideas in a familiar manner, and with the peculiar
tones and pronunciation of the province, that
left no room to believe them to be orators of a
higher character than the mechanics and trades
men of the town. Most, if riot all of them, wore
an air of deliberation and coldness that would
have rendered their sincerity in the cause they
had apparently espoused, a little equivocal, but
for occasional expressions of coarse, and some
times biting invective that they expended on
the ministers of the crown, and for the per
fect and firm unanimity that was manifested, as
each expression of the common feeling was taken
after the manner of deliberative bodies. Certain
resolutions, in which the most respectful remon-

96 LIONEL LINCOLN.

strances were singularly blended with the boldest
assertions of constitutional prinripl- s, were read,
and pa>sed without a dissenting voice, though
with a calmness that indicated no very strong ex
citement. Lionel was peculiarly siruck with the
language of these written < -pinions, which were ex
pressed with a purity, and sometime* with an ele
gance of style, which plainly showed that the ac
quaintance of the sober artisan \\ith the instru
ment through whose periods he was blundering,
was quite recent, and far from being very inti
mate. The eyes of the young soldier wandered
from face to face, with a strong desire to de
tect the secret movers of the ?e< ne he was wit
nessing; nor was he long without selecting one
individual as an object peculiarly deserving of his
suspicions. It was a man apparently but just
entering into middle age, of an appearance, both
In person, and in such parts of his dress as esca
ped from beneath his over-coat, that denoted him
to be of a class altogether superior to the mass of
the assembly. A deep but manly respect was evi
dently paid to this gentleman, by those who stood
nearest to his person ; and once or twice there
were close and earnest communications passing
between him and the more ostensible leaders of
the meeting, which roused the suspicions of Lio
nel in the manner related. Notwithstanding the
secret dislike that the English officer suddenly con
ceived against a man that he fancied was thus abu
sing his power?, by urging others to acts of insub
ordination, he could not conceal from himself the
favourable impression made by the open, fearless,
and engaging countenance of the stranger. Lionel
was so situated as to be able to keep his person,
which was partly concealed by the taller forms
that surrounded him, in constant view ; nor was
it long before his earnest and curious gaze caught

LIONEL LINCOLN. 97

/

the attention of the other. Glances of marked
meaning were exchanged between them during
the remainder of the evening, until the chairman
announced that the objects of the convocation
were accomplished, and dissolved the meeting.

Lionel raised himself from his reclining atti
tude against the wall, and submitted to be carried
by the current of human bodies into the dark
passage through which he had entered the room.
Here he lingered a moment, with a view to reco
ver his lost companion, and with a secret wish
to scan more narrowly the proceedings of the
man whose air and manner had so long chained
Ins attention. The crowd had sensibly diminish
ed before he was aware that few remained be
side himself, nor would he then have discover
ed that he was likely to become an object of sus
picion to those few, had not a voice at his elbow
recalled his recollection.

" Does Major Lincoln meet his countrymen to
night as one who sympathizes in their wrongs, or
as the favoured and prosperous officer of the
crown ?" asked the very man for whose person he
had so long been looking in vain.

"Is sympathy with the oppressed incompatible
with loyalty to my Prince .?" demanded Lionel.

" That it is not," said the stranger, in a
friendly accent, "is apparent from the con
duct of many gallant Englishmen among us, who
espouse our cause — but we claim Major Lincoln
as a countryman."

" Perhaps, sir, it would be indiscreet just now
to disavow that title, let my dispositions be as
they may," returned Lionel, smiling a little,
haughtily; "this may not be as secure a spot in
which to avow one's sentiments, as the town-com
mon, or the palace of St. James."

VOL. I. 10

98 LIONEL LINCOLN.

" Had the king been present to-night, Major
Lincoln, would he have heard a single sen
tence opposed to that constitution which has de
clared him a member too sacred to be offended ?"

" Whatever may have been the legality of your
sentiments, sir, they surely have not been express
ed in language altogether fit fora royal ear."

" It may not have been adulation, or even flatte
ry, but it is truth — a quality no less sacred than the
rights of kings."

" This is neither a place nor an occasion, sir,"
said the young soldier, quickly, " to discuss the
rights of our common master ; but if, as from
your manner and your language, I think not im
probable, we should meet hereafter in a higher
sphere, you will not find me at a loss to vindi
cate his claims."

The stranger smiled with meaning, and as he
bowed before lie fell back and was lost in the
darkness of the passage, he replied —

" Our fathers have often met in such society,
I believe ; God forbid that their sons should ever
encounter in a less friendly manner."

Lionel now finding himself alone, groped his
way into the street, where he perceived Ralph
and the changeling in waiting for his appearance.
Without demanding the cause of the other's de
lay, the old man proceeded by the side of his
companions, with the same indifference to the
tempest as before, towards the residence of Mrs.
Lechmere.

"You have now had some evidence of the spirit
that pervades this pecple." said Ralph, after a
few moments of silence; " think you still there is
no danger that the volcano will explode ?"

" Surely every thing I have heard and seen to
night, confirms such an opinion," returned Lio
nel. "Men on the threshold of rebellion sel-

.

LIONEL LINCOLN. 99

dom reason so closely, and with such moderation.
Why, the very fuel for the combustion, the rabble
themselves, discuss their constitutional principles,
and keep under the mantle of law, as though they
were a club of learned Templars."

" Think you that the fire will burn less steadily,
because what you call the fuel has been prepared
by the seasoning of time," returned Ralph. "But
this comes from sending a youth into a foreign
land for his education ! The boy rates his sober
and earnest countrymen on a level with the pea
sants of Europe."

So much Lionel was able to comprehend, but
notwithstanding the old man muttered vehemently
to himself for some time longer, it was in a tone too
indistinct for his ear to understand his meaning.
When they arrived in a part of the town with
which Lionel was familiar, his aged guide pointed
out his way, and took his leave, saying —

" I see that nothing but the last, and dreadful
argument of force, will convince you of the
purpose of the Americans to resist their oppres
sors. God avert the evil hour! but when it shall
come, as come it must, you will learn your error,
young man, arid, I trust, will not disregard the
natural ties of country and kindred."

Lionel would have spoken in reply, but the ra
pid steps of Ralph rendered his wishes vain, for
before he had time to utter, his emaciated form
was seen gliding, like an immaterial being,
through the sheets of driving rain, and was soon
lost to the eye, as it vanished in the dim shades
of night, followed by the more substantial frame
of the icfeot.

CHAPTER VII.

'•' Sergeant, you shall Thus are poor servitorSj

c< When others sleep upon their quiet beds,

" Constrained to watch in darkness, rain, and cold."

King Henry VI

Two or three days of fine, balrny, spring wea
ther succeeded to the storm, during which Lionel
saw no more of his aged fellow-voyager. Job.
however, attached himself to the British soldier
with a confiding helplessness that touched the
heart of his young protector, who gathered from
the circumstance a just opinion of the nature
of the abuses that the unfortunate changeling
was frequently compelled to endure from the bru
tal soldiery. Meriton performed the functions
of master of the wardrobe to the lad, by Lio
nel's express commands, with evident disgust, but
with manifest advantage to the external ap
pearance, if with no very sensible evidence of
additional comfort to his charge. During this
short period, the slight impression made on Lio
nel by the scene related in the preceding chap
ter, faded before the cheerful changes of the
season, and the increasing interest which he
felt in the society of his youthful kinswomen.
Polvvarth relieved him from all cares of a do
mestic nature, and the peculiar shade of sadness,
which at times had been so very per<jpptible in

LIONEL LINCOLN. 101

his countenance, was changed to a look of a more
brightening and cheerful character. Polwarth
and Lionel had found an officer, who had former
ly served in the same regiment with them in the
British Islands, in command of a company of
grenadiers, which formed part of the garrison of
Boston. This gentleman, an Irishman of the
name of M'Fuse, was qualified to do great
honour to the culinary skill of the officer of light-
infantry, by virtue of a keen natural gusto for
whatever possessed the inherent properties of a
savoury taste, though utterly destitute of any of
that remarkable scientific knowledge which might
be said to distinguish the other in the art. He
was, in consequence of this double claim on the
notice of Lionel, a frequent guest at the nightly
banquets prepared by Polwarth. Accordingly
we find him, on the evening of the third day in
the week, seated with his two friends, around a
board plentifully garnished by the care of that
gentleman, on the preparations for which, more
than usual skill had been exerted, if the repeated
declarations of the disciple of Heliogabulus, to
that effect, were entitled to any ordinary credit.

" In short, Major Lincoln," said Polwarth, in
continuance of his favourite theme, while seated
before the table, " a man may live any where,
provided he possesses food — in England, or out
of England, it matters not. Raiment may be
necessary to appearance, but food is the only
indispensable that nature has imposed on the ani
mal world ; and in my opinion there is a sort of
obligation on every man to be satisfied, who has
wherewithal to appease the cravings of his appe
tite — Captain M'Fuse, I will thank you to cut that
surloin with the grain."

" What matters it Polly"— said the captain of

grenadiers, with a slight Irish accent, and with

10* *

102 LIONEL LINCOLN.

the humour of his countrymen strongly depicted
in his fine, open, manly features, " which way a
bit of meat is divided, so there be enough to al
lay the cravings of the appetite, you will re
member !"

" It is a collateral assistance to nature that
should never be neglected," returned Pohvarth,
whose gravity and seriousness at his banquets
were not easily disturbed ; " it facilitates masti
cation and aids digestion, two considerations of
great importance to military men, sir, who have
frequently such little time for the former, and no
rest after their meals to complete the latter."

" He reasons like an army contractor, who
wishes to make -one ration do the work of two,
when transportation is high," said M'Fuse, wink
ing to Lionel. „ " According to your principles,
then, Polly, a potato is your true campaigner,
for that is a cr'ature you may cut any way with
out disturbing the grain, provided the artirle be a
little m'aly."

"Pardon me, captain M'Fuse," said Polwarth.
" a potato should be broken, and not cut at all —
there is no vegetable more used, and less under
stood than the potato."

"And is it you, Pater Polwarth, of Nesbitt's
light infantry," interrupted the grenadier, laying
down his knife and fork with an air of infinite
humour, "that will tell Dennis M'Fuse how to
carve a potato ! I will yield to the right of an
Englishman over the chivalry of an ox, your sir
loins, and your lady-rumps, if you please, but in
my own country, one end of every farm is a
bog, and the other a potato-field — 'tis an Irish
man's patrimony that you are making so free with,
sir!"

" The possession of a thing, and the know-
t ledge how to use it, are two very different pro
perties — "

LIONEL LINCOLN. 108

" Give me the property of possession, then,"
again interrupted the ardent grenadier, " espe
cially when a morsel of the green island is in dis
pute; and trust an old soldier of the Royal Irish to
carve his own enjoyments. Now, I'll wager a
month's pay, and that to me is as much as if the
Major should say, done for a thousand, that you
can't tell how many dishes can be made, and are
made every day in Ireland, out of so simple a
thing as a potato."

" You roast and boil ; and use them in stuffing
tame birds, sometimes, and — "

"All old woman's cookery!" interrupted
M'Fuse, with an affectation of great contempt
in his manner — " now, sir, we have them with
butter, and without butter, that counts two ;
then we have the fruit p'aled ; and — "

" Impaled," said Lionel, laughing. " I believe
this nice controversy must be referred to Job,
who is amusing himself in the corner there^ I
see, with the very subject of the dispute transfixed
on his fork, in the latter condition."

" Or suppose, rather," said M'Fuse, " as it is a
matter to exercise the judgment of Solomon, we
make a potato umpire of master Seth Sage, yon
der, who should have some of the wisdom of the
royal Jew, by the sagacity of his countenance, as
well as of his name."

" Don't you call Seth r'yal," said Job, sus
pending his occupation on the vegetable. " The
king is r'yal and fla'nty, but neighbour Sage lets
Job come in and eat, like a Christian."

" That lad there, is not altogether without rea
son, Major Lincoln," said Polwarth ; " on the
contrary, he discovers an instinctive knowledge of
good from evil, by favouring us with his company
at the hour of meals."

"The poor fellow finds but little at home to

104 LIONEL LINCOLN.

tempt him to remain there, 1 fear," said Lionel ;
" and as he was one of the first acquaintances I
made on returning to my native land, 1 have de
sired Mr. Sage to admit him at all proper hours;
and especially, Polvvarth, at those times when he
can have an opportunity of doing homage to your
skill."

" I am glad to see him," said Polwarth, " for
I love an uninstructed palate, as much as 1 admire
naivete in a woman. — Be so good as to favour me
with a cut from the breast of that wild-goose,
M'Fuse — not quite so far forward, if you please ;
your migratory birds are apt to be tough about the
wing — but simplicity in eating is, after all, the
great secret of life ; that and a sufficiency of food."
*' You may be right this time," replied the gre
nadier, laughing, " for this fellow made one of
the flankers of the flock, and did double duty in
whet-ling, I believe, or 1 have got him against
the grain too ! But, Polly, you have not told us
how you improve in your light- infantry exercises
of late."

By this time Polwarth had made such progress
in the essential part of his meal, as to have reco
vered in some measure his usual tone of good-na
ture, and he answered with less gravity —

"If Gage does not work a reformation in our
habits, he will fag us all to death. I suppose you
know, Leo, that all the flank companies are re
lieved from the guards to learn a new species of
exercise. They call it relieving us, but the only
relief I find in the matter, is when we lie down to
fire — there is a luxurious moment or two then, I
must confess !"

"I have known the fact, any time these ten
days, by your moaning?," returned Lionel ; " but
what do you argue from this particular exercise,
captain M'Fuse? does Gage contemplate more
than the customary drills ?"

LIONEL LINCOLN. 105

" You question me now, sir, on a matter in
which I am uninstructed," said the grenadier ;.
"I am a soldier, and obey my orders, without
pretending to inquire into their objects or merits ;
all 1 know is, that both grenadiers and light-in
fantry are taken from the guards; and that we
travel over a good deal of solid earth each day,
in the way of marching and counter- marching, to
the manifest discomfiture and reduction of Polly —
there, who loses flesh as fast as he gains ground."

"Do you think so, Mac ?" cried the delighted
captain of light-infantry ; " then I have not all the
detestable motion in vain. They have given us
little Harry Skip as a drill officer, who I believe
has the most restless foot of any man in his majes
ty's service. Do you join with me in opinion, mas
ter Sage ? you seem to meditate on the subject as
if it had some secret charm."

The individual to whom Polwarth addressed
this question, and who has been already named,
was standing with a plate in his baud, in an attitude
that bespoke close attention, with a sudden and
deep interest in the discourse, though his eyes
were bent on the floor, and his face was averted
as if, while listening earnestly, he had a particu
lar desire to be unnoticed. He was the owner of
the house in which Lionel had taken his quarters.
His family had been some time before removed
into the country, under the pretence of his inabi
lity to maintain them in a place destitute of busi
ness and resources like Boston ; but he remain
ed himself, for the double purpose of protecting
his property and serving his guests. This man
partook, in no small degree, of the qualities, both
of person and mind, which distinguish a large class
among his countrymen. In the former he was
rather over than under the middle stature ; was
thin, angular, and awkward, but possessing an un-

106 LIONEL LINCOLN.

usual proportion of sinew and bone. His eyes
were small, black, scintillating, and it was not
easy to fancy tbat the intelligence they manifested
was unmingled with a large proportion of shrewd
cunning. The rest of his countenance was mea
ger, sallow, and rigidly demure. Thus called
upon, on a sudden, by Polwarth for an opinion,
Seth answered, with the cautious reserve with
which he invariably delivered himself —

"The adjutant is an uneasy man, but that, I
suppose, is so much the better for a light-infan
try officer. Captain Polwarth must find it consi
derable jading to keep the step, now the General
has ordered these new doings with the soldiers."

"And what may be your opinion of these do
ings, as you call them, Mr. Sage," asked M'Fuse ;
" you who are a man of observation, should under
stand your countrymen; will they fight?"

" A rat will fight if the cats pen him," said Seth,
without raising his eyes from his occupation.

" But do the Americans conceive themselves
to be penned?"

" Why, that is pretty much as people think,
captain ; the country was in a great toss about
the stamps and the tea, but I always said such
folks as didn't give their notes- of-hand, and had
no great relish for any thing more than country
food, wouldn't find themselves cramped by the
laws, after all."

'' Then you see no great oppression in being
asked to pay your bit of a tax, master Sage,"
cried the grenadier, " to maintain such a worthy
fellow as myself in a dacent equipage to fight
your battles."

" Why, as to that captain, 1 suppose we can
do pretty much the whole of our own fight
ing, when occasion calls; though I don't think
there is much stomach for such doings among the
people, without need."

LIONEL LINCOLN. iOT

" But what do you think the Committee of
Safety, and your ' Sons of Liberty,' as they call
themselves, really mean, by their parades of ' mi
nute-men,' their gathering of provisions, carry
ing off the cannon, and such other formidable
and appalling1 preparations — ha ! honest Seth, do
they think to frighten British soldiers with the roll
of a drum, or are they amusing themselves, like
boys in the holy days, with playing war."

" I should conclude," said Seth, with undis
turbed gravity and caution, " that the people are
pretty much engaged, and in earnest."

" To do what?" demanded the Irishman; "to
forge their own chains, that we may fetter them
in truth ?"

"Why, seeing that they have burnt the stamps,
and thrown the tea into the harbour," returned
Seth, " and since that have taken the manage
ment into their own hands, I should rather con
clude that they have pretty much determined to
do what they think best."

Lionel and Pohvarth laughed aloud, and the
former observed —

" You appear not to come to conclusions with
our host, captain M'Fuse, notwithstanding so
much is determined. Is it well understood, Mr.
Sage, that large reinforcements are coming to
the colonies,, and to Boston in particular ?"

" Why yes," returned Seth, " it seems to be
pretty generally contemplated on."

" And what is the result of these contempla
tions?"

Seth paused a moment, as if uncertain whether
he was master of the other's meaning, before he
replied —

" Why, as the country is considerably engaged
in the business, there are sOme who think if the

108 LIONEL LINCOLN.

ministers don't open the Port, that it will be
done without much further words by the people."

" Do you know," said Lionel, gravely, " that
such an attempt would lead directly to a civil
war ?"

" I suppose it is safe to calculate that such do
ings would bring on disturbances," returned his
phlegmatic host.

'• And you speak of it, sir, as a thing not to be
deprecated, or averted by every possible means
in the power of the nation !"

" If the Port is opened and the right to tax
given up," said Seth, calmly, " I can find a man
in Boston who'll engage to let them draw all the
blood that will be spilt, from his own veins, for
nothing."

"And who may that redoubtable individual
be, master Sa2;e ?" cried M'Fuse ; "your own ple
thoric person f — How now, Doyle, to what am I
indebted for the honour of this visit ?"

This sudden question was put by the captain
of grenadiers to the orderly of his own company,
who at that instant filled the door of the apart
ment with his huge frame, m the attitude of
military respect, as if about to address his officer.

" Orders have come down, sir, to parade the
men at half an hour after tattoo, and to be in
readiness for active service."

The three gentlemen rose together from their
chairs at this intelligence, while M'Fuse, exclaim
ed — " A night march ! Pooh ! We are to be sent
back to garrison-duty 1 suppose; the companies
in the line prow sleepy, and wish a relief — Gage
might have taken a more suitable time, than to put
gentlemen on their march so soon after such a
feast as this of yours, Polly."

" There is spme deeper meaning to so extra
ordinary an order," interrupted Lionel ; " there

LIONEL LINCOLN. 109

goes the tap of the tattoo, this instant ! Are
no other troops but your company ordered to
parade ?"

" The whole battalion is under the same or
ders, your honour, and so is the battalion of
Light Infantry ; I was commanded to report it
so to Capt. Polwarth, if I saw him."

" This bears some meaning, gentlemen," said
Lionel, " and it is necessary to be looked to— if
either corps leaves the town to-night, I will
march with it as a volunteer, for it is my busi
ness, just now, to examine into the state of the
country."

" That we shall march to-night, is sure, your
honour," added the sergeant, with the confidence
of an old soldier ; " but how far, or on what road,
is known only to the officers of the Staff; though
the men think \ve are to go out by the colleges."

" And what has put so learned an opinion in
their silly heads ?" demanded his captain.

" One of the men who has been on leave, has
just got in, and reports that a squad of gentlemen
from the army dined near them, your honour,
and that as night set in they mounted and began
to patrole the roads in that direction. He was
met and questioned by four of them as he crossed
the flats."

" All this confirms my conjectures," cried Lio
nel — "there is a man who might now prove of
important service — Job — where is the simpleton,
Meriton?"

" He was called out, sir, a minute since, and
has left the hou>e."

"Then send in Mr. Sage," continued the young
man, musing as he spoke. A moment after it
was reported to him that Seth had strangely dis
appeared also.

" Curiosity has led him to the barracks," said

VOL. i. 11

110 LIONEL LINCOLN.

Lionel, " where duty calls you, gentlemen. 1 will
despatch a little business, and join you there in
an hour; you cannot march short of that time."

The bustle of a general departure succeeded;
Lionel threw his cloak into the arms of Meriton,
to whom he delivered his orders, took his arjns,
and making his apologies to his guests, he left the
house with the manner of one who saw a pressing
necessity to be prompt. M'Fuse proceeded to
equip himself with the deliberation of a soldier
who was too much practised to be easily discon
certed. Notwithstanding his great deliberation,
the delay of Polwarth, however, eventually van
quished the patience of the grenadier, who ex
claimed, on hearing the other repeat, for the
fourth time, an order concerning the preservation
of certain viands, to which be appeared to cling
in spirit, after a carnal separation was directed by
fortune.

"Poh! poh ! man," exclaimed the Irishman,
" why will you bother yourself on the eve of a
march, with such epicurean propensities. It's the
soldier who should show your hermits and ancho
rites an example of mortification; besides, Polly.,
this affectation of care and provision is the less ex
cusable in yourself, you who have been well aware
that we were to march on a secret expedition this
very night on which you seem so much troubled."

" I !" exclaimed Polwarth ; " as I hope to eat
another meal, I am as ignorant as the meanest
corporal in the army of the whole transaction —
why do you suspect otherwise ?"

" Trifles tell the old campaigner when and
where the blow is to be struck," returned M'Fuse,
coolly drawing his military over-coat tighter to
his large frame; " have I not, with my own eyes,
seen you within the hour, provision a certain cap
tain of light-infantry after a very heavy fashion!
Damn it, man, do you think I have served these

LIONEL LINCOLN. Ill

iive-and-twenty years, and do not know that when
:i garrison begins to fill its granaries, it expects a
siege ?"

" I have paid no more than a suitable compli
ment to the entertainment of Major Lincoln,"
returned Polwarth ; " but so far from having had
any very extraordinary appetite, I have not found
myself in a condition to do all the justice I could
wish to several of the dishes. — Mr. Meriton, I
will thank you to have the remainder of that bird
sent down to the barracks, where my man will re
ceive it; and as it may be a long march, and
a hungry one, add the tongue, and a fowl, and
some of the ragout ; we can warm it up at any
farm-house — we'll take the piece of beef, Mac —
Leo has a particular taste for a cold cut ; and you
might put up the ham, also ; it will keep better
than any thing else, if we should be out long — and
— and — I believe that will do, Meriton."

" I am as much rejoiced to hear it as I should
be to hear a proclamation of war read at Charing-
Cross," cried M'Fuse — " you should have been a
commissary, Polly — nature meant you for an ar
my suttler!"

" Laugh as you will, Mac," returned the good-
humoured Polwarth, " I shall hear your thanks
when we halt for breakfast; but I attend you now."

As they left the house, he continued, " 1 hope
Gage means no more than to push us a little in
advance, with a view to protect the foragers and
the supplies of the army — such a situation would
have very pretty advantages ; for a system might
be established that would give the mess of the
light corps the choice of the whole mark«t."

" 'Tis a mighty preparation about some old iron
gun, which would cost a man his life to put a match
to," returned M'Fuse, cavalierly ; " for my part,
captain Polwarth, if we are to fight these colo-
ijists at all, I would do the thing like a man, and

112 LIONEL LINCOLN.

allow the lads to gather together a suitable arsenal,
that when we come to blows it may be a military
affair — as it now stands, 1 should be ashamed, as
I am a soldier and an Irishman, to bid my fellows
pull a trigger, or make a charge, on a set of pea
sants whose fire-arms look more like rusty water-
pipes than muskets, and who have half a dozen
cannon with touch-holes that a man may put hi^
head in, with muzzles just large enough to throw
marbles."

"I don't know, Mac," said Polwarth, while
they diligently pursued their way towards the
quarters of their men ; " even a marble may de
stroy a man's appetite for his dinner ; and the
countrymen possess a great advantage over us in
commanding the supplies — the difference in equip
ments would not more than balance the odds."

" I wish to disturb no gentleman's opinion on
matters of military discretion, captain Polwarth,3'
said the grenadier with an air of high martial
pride ; " but 1 take it there exists a material dif
ference between a soldier and a butcher, though
killing be a business common to both — I repeat,
sir, I hope that this secret expedition is for a more
worthy object than to deprive those poor devils,
with whom we are about to fight, of the means of
making a good battle, and I add, sir, that such L-
sound military doctrine, without regarding who
may choose to controvert it."

" Your sentiments are generous and manly,
Mac ; but, after all, there is both a physical and
moral obligation on every man to eat ; and if star
vation be the consequence of permitting your ene
mies to bear arms, it becomes a solemn duty to
deprive them of their weapons — no — no — I will
support Gage in such a measure, at present, as
highly military."

" And he is much obliged to you, sir, for your

LIONEL LINCOLN. 113

support," returned the other — " I apprehend, cap
tain Polwarth, whenever the Lieutenant-Gene
ral Gage finds it necessary to lean on any
one for extraordinary assistance, he will remem
ber that there is a regiment called the Royal Irish
in the country, and that he is not entirely igno
rant of the qualities of the people of his own. na
tion. — You have done well, captain Polwarth, to
choose the light-infantry service — they are a set
of foragers, and can help themselves; but the gre
nadiers, thank God, love to encounter men, ani
not cattle in the field."

How long the good-nature of Polwarth would
have endured the increasing taunts of the Irish
man, who was exasperating himself, gradually, by
his own arguments, there is no possibility of de
termining, for their arrival at the barracks put
an end to the controversy and to the feelings it
was beginning to engender.

11*

CHAPTER Vllf.

" Preserve thy sighs, unthrifty girl !

" To purify the air ;
" Thy tears, to thread, instead of pearl,

" On bracelets of tliy hair." Devaunl.

LIONEL might have blushed to acknowledge the
secret and inexplicable influence which his un
known and mysterious friend, Ralph, had obtain
ed over his feelings, but which induced him, on
leaving his own quarters thus hastily, to take his
way into the lower parts of the town, in quest of
the residence of Abigail Pray. He had not visited
the sombre tenement of this woman since the night
of his arrival, but its proximity to the well-known
town-hall, as well as the quaint architecture of the
building itself, had frequently brought its exterior
under his observation, in the course of his rambles
through the place of his nativity. A guide be
ing, consequently, unnecessary, he took the
most direct and frequented route to the dock-
square. When Lionel issued into the street, he
found a deep darkness already enveloping the
peninsula of Boston, "as if nature bad lent herself
to the secret designs of the British commandant.
The fine strain of a shrill fife was playing among
the naked hills of the place, accompanied by the
occasional and measured taps of the sullen drum ;

LIONEL LINCOLN. J15

and, at moments, the full,' rich notes of the horns
would rise from the common, and borne on the
night-air, sweep along the narrow streets, causing'
the nerves of the excited young soldier to thrill
with a stern pleasure, as he stepped proudly along.
The practised ear, however, detected no other
sounds in the music than the usual nightly signal of
rest; and when the last melting strains of the horns
seemed to be lost in the clouds, a stillness fell upon
the town, like the deep and slumbering quiet
of midnight. He paused a moment before the
gates of Province-house, and, after examining,
with an attentive eye, the windows of the build
ing, he spoke to the grenadier, who had stopped
in his short walk, to note the curious stranger.

" You should have company within, sentinel,"
he said, " by the brilliant light from those win
dows."

The rattling of Lionel's side-arms as he pointed
with his hand in the direction of the illuminated
apartment, taught the soldier that he was address
ed by his superior, and he answered respectfully —

" It does not become one such as I, to pretend
to know much of wnat his betters do, your honour,
but I stood before the quarters of General Wolfe
the very night we went up to the Plains of Abram;
and I think an old soldier can tell when a move
ment is at hand, without asking his superiors any
impertinent questions."

"I suppose, from your remark, the General
holds a council to-night ?" said Lionel.

" No one has gone in, sir, since I have been
posted," returned the sentinel, ll but the Lieu
tenant-Colonel of the I Oth, that great Northum
brian Lord, and the old Major of marines ; a great
war-dog is that old man, your honour, and it is
not often he comes to Province-house for no
thing."

116 LIONEL LINCOLN.

" A good-night to you, my old comrade," said
Lionel, walking away ; " 'tis probably some con
sultation concerning the new exercises that you
practise."

The grenadier shook his head, as if unconvin
ced, and resumed his march with his customary
steadiness. A very few minutes now brought
Lionel before the low door of Abigail Pray,
where he again stopped, struck with the contrast
between the gloomy, dark, and unguarded thresh
old over which he was about to pass, and the gay
portal he had just left. Urged, however, by his
feelings, the young man paused but a" moment
before he tapped lightly for admission. After re
peating his summons, and hearing no reply, he
lifted the latch, and entered the building without
further ceremony. The large and vacant apart
ment in which he found himself, was silent
and dreary as the still streets he had quitted.
Groping his way towards the little room in the
tower, where he had met the mother of Job, as
before related, Lionel found that apartment also
tenantless, and dark. He was turning in dis
appointment, to quit the place, when a feeble
ray fell from the loft of the building, and set
tled on the foot of a rude ladder which formed the
means of communication with its upper apart
ments. Hesitating a single moment how to de
cide, he then yielded to his anxiety, and ascend
ed to the floor above, with steps as light as ex
treme caution could render them. Like the base
ment, the building was subdivided here, into a
large, open ware-room, and a small, rudely-finish
ed apartment in each of its towers. Following the
rays from a candle, he stood on the threshold
cf one of these little rooms-, in which he found the
individual of whom he was in quest. The old man
was seated on the only broken chair which the

LIONEL LINCOLN. 117

loft contained, and before him, on the simple bun
dle of straw which would seem, by the garments
thrown loosely over the pile, to be intended as his
place of rest, lay a large map, spread for inspec
tion, which his glazed and sunken eyes appeared
to be intently engaged in making. Lionel hesita
ted again, while he regarded the white hairs which
fell across the temples of the stranger, as he bow
ed his head in his employment, imparting a wild
and melancholy expression to his remarkable
countenance, and seeming to hallow their pos
sessor by the air of great age and attendant
care that they imparted.

" I have come to seek you," the young man
at length said, " since you no longer deem me
worthy of your care."

" You come too late," returned Ralph, without
betraying the least emotion at the suddenness of
the interruption, or even raising his eyes from the
map he studied so intently ; " too late at least to
avert calamity, if not to learn wisdom from its
lessons."

" You know, then, of the secret movements of
the night ?"

" Old age, like mine, seldom sleeps," returned
Ralph, looking for the first time at his visiter.
"for the eternal night of death promises a speedy
repose. I too served an apprenticeship in my
youth to your trade of blood."

" Your watchfulness and experience have then
detected the signs of preparation in the garrison ?
Have they also discovered the objects, and proba
ble consequences of the enterprise ?"

" Both ; Gage weakly thinks to crush the
germ of liberty which has already quickened in
the land, by lopping its feeble branches, when it
is rooted in the hearts of the people. He thinks

44-S LIONEL LINCOLN.

that bold thoughts can be humbled by the destruc
tion of magazines.

" It is then only a measure of precaution that
he is about to take ?"

The old man shook his head mournfully as he
answered —

" It will prove a measure <>f blood."

" I intend to accompany the detachment into the
country," said Lionel — '' it will probably take
post at some little distance in the interior, and it
will afford me a fitting opportunity to make those
inquiries which you know are so near rny heart,
and in which you have promised to assist — it is to
consult on the means that I have now sought you."

The countenance of the stranger seemed to lose
its character of melancholy reflection, as Lionel
spoke, and his eyes moved, vacant and unmean
ing, over the naked rafters above him, passing in
their wanderings across the surface of the unheed
ed map again, until they fell full upon the face of
the astonished youth, where they remained set
tled for more than a minute, fixed in the glazed,
rivetted look of death. The lips of Lionel had al
ready opened in anxious inquiry, when the ex
pression of life shot again into the features of
Ralph, with the suddenness, and with an appear
ance of the physical reality with which light flashes
from the sun when emerging from a cloud.

"You are ill !" Lionel exclaimed.

" Leave me," said the old man, " leave me."

" Surely not at such a moment, and alone."

" I bid you leave me — we shall meet as you de
sire, in the country."

" 5Tou would then have me accompany the
troops, and expect your coming?"

"Both."

" Pardon me," said Lionel, dropping his eyes
in embarrassment, and speaking with hesitation^

LIONEL LINCOLN. 119

" but your present abode, and the appearance of
your attire, is an evidence that old age has come
upon you when you are not altogether prepared
to meet its sufferings."

" You would offer me money ?"

" By accepting it, I shall become the obliged
party."

" When my wants exceed my means, young
man, your offer shall be remembered. Go, now ;
there is no time for delay."

" But I would not leave you alone ; the woman,
the termagant is better than none?"

" She is absent."

" And the boy — the changeling has the feelings
of humanity, and would aid you in extremity."

" He is better employed than in propping the
steps of a useless old man. — Go then, I entreat —
I command, sir, that you leave me."

The firm, if not haughty, manner in which the
other repeated his desire, taught Lionel that he
had nothing more to expect at present, and he
obeyed reluctantly, by slowly leaving the apart
ment, and as soon as he had descended the ladder
he began to retrace his steps towards his own quar
ters. In crossing the light draw-bridge thrown oven
the narrow dock, already mentioned, his con
templations were first disturbed by the sounds
of voices, at no great distance, apparently con
versing in tones that were not intended to be heard
by every ear. It was a moment when each unu
sual incident was likely to induce inquiry, and
.Lionel stopped to examine two men. who, at
a little distance, held their secret and suppressed
communications. He had, however, paused but an,
instant, when the whisperers separated, one walk
ing leisurely up the centre of the square, entering
cinder one of the arches of the market-place, and

120 LIONEL LINCOLN.

the other coming directly across the bridge on
which he himself was standing.

" What, Job, do I find you here, whispering
and plotting in the dock-square !" exclaimed Lio
nel ; " what secrets can you have, that require
the cover of night ?"

"Job lives there, in the old ware'us','' said the
lad sullenly — " Nab has plenty of house room,
now the king wont let the people bring in their
goods."

"J3ut whither are you going into the water !
surely the road to your bed cannot be through
the town dock."

" Nab wants fish to eat, as well as a ruff to keep
off the rain," said Job, dropping lightly from the
bridge into a small canoe, which was fastened to
one of its posts, " and now the king has closed
the harbour the fish have to come up in the dark;
for come they will ; Boston fish an't to be shut
out by acts of Parliament !"

" Poor lad !" exclaimed Lionel, " return to
your home and your bed; here is money to buy
food for your mother if she suffers — you will
draw a shot from some of the sentinels by going
about the harbour thus at night."

" Job can see a ship farther than a ship can see
Job," returned the other ; " and if they should
kill Job, they need'u't think to shoot a Boston
boy without some stir."

Further dialogue was precluded ; the canoe
gliding along the outer dock into the harbour,,
with a stilhies^ aad swiftness that showed the idiot
was not ignorant of the business which he had un
dertaken. Lionel resumed his walk, and was pass
ing the head of th* square when he encountered,,
face to face, under the light of a lamp, the man
whose figure he had seen but a minute before to

LIONEL LINCOLN. 121

issue from beneath the town-hall. A mutual de>-
sire to ascertain the identity of each other drew
them together.

" We meet again, Major Lincoln," said the in
teresting stranger Lionel remembered to have
seen at .the political meeting. " Our interviews
appear ordained to occur in secret places."

" And Job Pray would seem to be the presiding
spirit," returned the young soldier. " You part
ed from him but now ?"

" I trust, sir," said the stranger gravely, " that
this is not a land, nor have we fallen on times when
and where an honest man dare not say that he
has spoken to whom he pleases."

" Certainly, sir, it is not for me to prohibit the
intercourse," returned Lionel. "You spoke of
our fathers ; mine is well known to you, it would
seem, though to me you are a stranger."

" And may be so yet a little longer," said the
other, " though I think the time is at hand when,
men will be known in their true characters ; until
then, Major Lincoln, 1 bid you adieu."

Without waiting for any reply, the stranger
took a different direction from that which Lionel
was pursuing, and walked away with the swiftness
of one who was pressed with urgent business.
Lionel soon ascended into the upper part of the
town, with the intention of going into Tremont-
street, to communicate his design to accompany
the expedition. It was now apparent to the young
man, that a rumour of the contemplated move
ment of the troops was spreading secretly, but
swiftly, among the people. • He passed several
groups of earnest and excited townsmen, confer
ring together at the corners of the streets, from
some of whom he overheard the startling intelli
gence that the neck, the only approach to the
place by land, was closed by a line of sentiijels ;

VOL. i. 12

122 LIONEL LINCOLN.

and that guard -boats from the vessels of war, were
encircling the peninsula in a manner to intercept
the communication with the adjacent country.
Still no indications of a military alarm could be
discovered, though, at times, a stifled hum, like the
notes of busy preparation, was borne along by the
damp breezes of the night, and mingled with
those sounds of a Spring evening, which increased
as he approached the skirts of the dwellings. In
Tremont-street Lionel found no appearance of
that excitement which was spreading so rapidly in
the old and lower parts of the town. He passed in
to his own room without meeting any of the fami
ly, and having completed his brief arrangements,
he was descending to inquire for his kinswomen,
when the voice of Mrs. Lechmere, proceeding
from a small apartment, appropriated to her own
use, arrested his steps. Anxious to take leave in
person, he approached the half-open door, and
would have asked permission to enter, had not his
eye rested on the person of Abigail Pray, who was
in earnest conference with the mistress of the
mansion.

" A man aged, and poor, say you ?" observed
Mrs. Lechmere, at that instant.

" And one that seems to know all," interrupted
Abigail, glancing her eyes about with an expres
sion of superstitious terror.

"All!" echoed Mrs. Lechmere, lifer lip trem
bling more with apprehension than age ; " and
he arrived with Major Lincoln, say you ?"

" In the same ship ; and it seems that heaven
has ordained that he shall dwell with me in my
poverty, as a punishment for my great sins !"

" But why do you tolerate his presence, if it be
irksome," said Mrs. Lechmere; ".you are at least
.'he mistress of your own dwelling."

"It has pleased God that my home shall be thr

LIONEL LINCOLN. 123

home of any who are so miserable as to need one.
He has the same right to live in the warehouse
that I have."

" You have the rights of a woman, and of first
possession," said Mrs. Lechmere, with that un
yielding severity of manner that Lionel had often
observed before; "1 would turn him into the
street, like a dog."

"" Into the street !" repeated Abigail, again
looking about her in secret terror ; " speak lower,
madam Lechmere, for the love of heaven — I dare
not even look at him — be reminds me of all I have
ever known, and of all the evil 1 have ever done, by
his scorching eye — and yet I cannot tell why — and
then Job worships him as a god, and if I should
offend him, he could easily worm from the child
all that you and I wish so much "

" How!" exclaimed Mrs. Lechmere, in a voice
husky with horror, " have you been so base as to
make a confident of that fool !"

" That fool is the child of my bosom," said
Abigail, raising her hands, as if imploring par
don for the indiscretion. — "Ah! madam Lech
mere, you who are rich, and great, and happy, and
have such a sweet and sensible grandchild, can
not know how to love one like Job ; but when
the heart is loaded and heavy, it throws its bur
den on any that will bear it; and Job is my child,
though he is but little better than an ideot !"

It was by no trifling exertion of his breeding
that Lionel was enabled to profit by the inability
of Mrs. Lechmere to reply, and to turn away
from the spot, and cease to listen to a con
versation that was not intended for his ear. He
reached the parlour, and threw himself on one
of its settees before he was conscious that he was
no longer alone or unobserved.

" What ! Major Lincoln returned from his

124 LIONEL LINCOLN.

revels thus early, and armed like a bandit, to
his teeth !" exclaimed the playful voice of Cecil
Dynevor, who, unheeded, was in possession of the
opposite seat, when he entered the room.

Lionel started, and rubbed his forehead, like a
man awaking from a dream, as he answered —

" Yes, a bandit, or any other opprobrious name
you please ; I deserve them all."

" Surely," said Cecil, turning pale. " none
other dare use such language of Major Lincoln,
and he does it unjustly !"

" What foolish nonsense have I uttered, Miss
Dynevor?" cried Lionel, recovering his recollec
tion; "I was lost in thought, and heard your
language without comprehending its meaning."

" Still you are armed ; a sword is not a usual
instrument at your side, and now you bear even
pistols !"

" Yes," returned the young soldier, laying aside
his dangerous implements) ; '• yes, I am about to
march as a volunteer, with a party that go into
the country to-night, and I take these because I
would affect something very warlike, though you
well know how peaceably I am disposed."

" March into the country — and in the dead of
night !" said Cecil, catching her breath, and turn
ing pale — " And does Lionel Lincoln volunteer
on such a duty?"

" I volunteer to perform no other duty than to
be a witness of whatever may occur — you are not
more ignorant yourself of the nature of the ex
pedition than I am at this moment."

" Then remain where you are," said Cecil,
firmly, " and enlist not in an enterprise that may
be unholy in its purposes, and disgraceful in its
results."

" Of the former I am innocent, whatever they
may be, nor will they be affected by my presence

LIONEL LINCOLN. 125

or absence. There is little danger of disgrace in
accompanying the grenadiers and light-infantry
of this army, Miss Dynevor, though it should be
against treble their numbers of chosen troops."

" Then it would seem," said Agnes Danforth,
speaking as she entered the room, " that our
friend Mercury, that feather of a man, captain Pol-,
warth, is to be one of these night depredators !
heaven shield the hen-roosts !"

"You have then heard the intelligence, Agnes?"

" I have heard that men are arming, and that
boats are rowing round the town in all directions,
and that it is forbidden to enter or quit Boston,
as we were wont to do, Cecil, at such hours and
in such fashion as suited us plain Americans,"
said Agnes, endeavouring to conceal her deep
vexation in affected irony — " God only can tell
in what all these oppressive measures will end."

" If you go only as a curious spectator of the
depredations of the troops," continued Cecil,
" are you not wrong to lend them even the sanc
tion of your name ?"

" I have yet to learn that there will be depre
dations."

" You forget, Cecil," interrupted Agfles Dan>-
forth, scornfully, " that Major Lincolp did not ar
rive until after the renowned roarcb trom Roxbu-
ry to Dorchester ! Then the tfoops gathered
their laurels under the face (V the sun ; but it
is easy to conceive how /nuch more glorious
their achievements wi/1 become when darkness
shall conceal their blu?nes!"

The blood rushed across the fine features of
Lionel, but he laughed as he arose to depart,
saying —

" You compel me to beat the retreat, my spi
rited coz. If I have my usual fortune in this
forage, your larder, however, shall be the better
13 *

126 LIONEL LINCOLN'.

for it. I kiss my hand to you, for it would be ne
cessary to lay aside the scarlet to dare to approach
with a more peaceable offering. But here 1 may
make an approach to something like amity."

He took the hand of Cecil, who frankly met
his offer, and insensibly suffered herself to be led
to the door of the building while he continued
speaking.

" I would, Lincoln, that you were not to go,"
she said, when they stopped on the threshold —
" it is not required of you as a soldier ; and as a
man your own feelings should teach you to be
tender of your countrymen."

" It is as a man that I go. Cecil," he answered;
"I have motives that you cannot suspect."

" And is your absence to be long?"

" If not for days, my object will be unaccom
plished ;" but he added, pressing her hand gently,
" you cannot doubt my willingness to return when
occasion may offer."

" Go, then," said Cecil, hastily, and perhaps
unconsciously extricating herself — '' go, if you
have secret reasons for your conduct ; but remem
ber that the acts of every officer of your rank are
keenly noted.5'

" Do yot then distrust me, Cecil !"

«' No — no--I distrust no one, Major Lincoln —
go — go — and — *nd— we shall see you, Lionel,
the instant you rei\»rn."

He had not time lo rtply, for she glided into
the building so rapidly as to give the young man
an opportunity only to observe, that instead of
rejoining her cousin, her light form passed up the
gveat stairs with the swiftness and grace of a fairy.

CHAPTER IX.

" Hang out our banners on the outward walls :
" The cry is still, Tliey come."

Macbeth.

LIONEL had walked from the dwelling of Mrs,
Lech mere to the foot of Beacon-Hill, and bad
even toiled up some part of the steep ascent, be
fore he recollected why he was thus wandering
by himself at that unusual hour. Hearing, how
ever, no sounds that denoted an immediate move
ment of the troops, he then yielded, unconsciously,
to the nature of his sensations, which just at thai
moment rendered his feelings jealous of commu
nication with others, and continued to ascend un
til he gained the summit of the eminence. From
this elevated stand he paused to contemplate the
scene which lay in the obscurity of night at his
feet, while his thoughts returned from the flattering
anticipations in which he had been indulging, to
consider the more pressing business of the hour.
There arose from the town itself a distant
buzzing, like the hum of suppressed agitation, and
lights were seen to glide along the streets, or flit
across the windows, in a manner which denoted
that a knowledge of the expedition had become

128 LIONEL LINCOLN.

general within its dwellings. Lionel turned his
head toward the common, and listened long and
anxiously, but in vain, to detect a single sound
that could betray any unusual stir among the sol
diery. Towards the interior, the darkness of night
had fallen heavily, dimming the amphitheatre of
hills that encircled the place, and enshrouding
the vales and lowlands between them and the wa
ter with an impenetrable veil of gloom. There
were moments, indeed, when he imagined he over
heard some indications among the people of the
opposite shore that they were apprised of the im
pending descent, but on listening more attentively,
the utmost of which his ear could assure him.
was the faint lowing of cattle from the meadows,
or the plash of oars from a line of boats, which, by-
stretching far along the shores, told both the na
ture and the extent of the watchfulness that was
deemed necessary for the occasion.

While Lionel stood thus, on the margin of the
little platform of earth that had been formed by
levelling the apex of the natural cone, musing on
the probable results of the measure his superiors
had been resolving to undertake, a dim light shed
itself along the grass, ajid glancing upward, danced
upon the beacon with strong and playful rays.

" Scoundrel!" exclaimed a man, springing from
his place of concealment, at the foot of the post,
and encountering him face to face, " do you dare
to fire the beacon ?"

" I would answer by asking how you dare to
apply so rude an epithet to me, did I not see the
cause of your error,'* said Lionel. " The light is
from yonder moon, which is just emerging from
tiie oceau."

" Ah! I see my error," returned his rough as
sailant — " by heavens, I would have sworn at first,
'twas the beacon."

LIONEL LINCOLN. 129

"You must then believe in the traditional
witchcraft of this country, for nothing short of ne
cromancy could have enabled me to light those
combustibles at this distance."

" I don't know ; 'tis a strange people we have
got amongst — they stole the cannon from the gun-
house here, a short time since, when I would have
said the thing was impossible. It was before your
arrival, sir ; for I now believe I address myself to
Major Lincoln, of the 27th."

"You are nearer the truth, this time, than in
your first conjecture as to my character," said
Lionel ; " but have I met one of the gentlemen of
our mess ?"

The stranger now explained that he was a sub
altern in a different regiment, but that he well
knew the person of the other. .He added that he
had been ordered to watch on the hill to prevent
any of the inhabitants lighting the beacon, or
making any other signal which might convey into
the country a knowledge of the contemplated in
road.

" This matter wears a more serious aspect than
I had supposed," returned Lionel, when the young
man had ended his apologies and explanation ;
" the commander-in-chief must intend more than
we are aware of, by employing officers in this
manner, to do the duties of privates."

" We poor subs know but little, and care less
what he means," cried the ensign ; " though I will
acknowledge that I can see no sufficient reason
why British troops should put on coats of darkness
to march against a parcel of guessing, canting,
countrymen, who would run at the sight of their
uniforms under a bright sun. Had I my will,
the tar above us, there, should blase a mile high,
to bring down the heroes from Connecticut river ;
the dogs would cow before two full companies o£

130 LIONEL LINCOLN'.

grenadiers — ha ! listen, sir ; there they go, now,
the pride of our army ! I know them by their
heavy tread."

Lionel did listen attentively, and plainly distin
guished the measured step of a body of disciplined
men, moving rapidly across the common, as if
marching towards the water-side. Hastily bidding
his companion good-night, he threw himself over
the brow of the hill, and taking the direction of
the sounds, he arrived at the shore at the same in
stant with the troops. Two dark masses of hu
man bodies were halted in order, and as Lionel
skirted the columns, his experienced eye judged
that the force collected before him, could be but
little short of a thousand men. A group of officers
was clustered on the beach, and he approached
it, rightly supposing that it was gathered about
the leader of the party. This officer proved to
be the Lieutenant-Colonel of the 10th, who was
in close conversation with the old Major of Ma
rines, alluded to by the sentinel who stood before
the gates of Province-house. To the former of
these the young soldier addressed himself, de
manding leave to accompany the detachment as a
rolunteer. After a few words of explanation, his
request was granted, though each forbore to touch
in the slightest manner on the secret objects of the
expedition.

Lionel now found his groom, who had followed
the troops vvith his master's horses, and after giv
ing his orders to the man, he proceeded in quest
of his friend Polwarth, whom he soon discovered,
posted in all the stiffness of military exactness, at
the head of the leading platoon of the column of
light-infantry. As it WHS apparent, both from the
position they occupied, as well as by the boats that
had been collected at the point, that the detach
ment was not to leave the peninsula by its ordinary
channel of communication with the country, there

LIONEL LINCOLN. 131

remained no alternative but to await patiently the
order to embark. The delay was but short, and,
as the most perfect order was observed, the troops
were soon seated, and the boats pulled heavily
from the land, just as the rays of the moon, which
had been sometime playing among the hills, and
gilding the spires of the town, diffused them
selves softly over the bay, and lighted the busy
scene, with an effect not unlike the sudden rising
of the curtain at the opening of some interesting
drama. Polwarth had established himself by the
side of Lionel, much to the ease of his limbs, and
as they moved slowly into the light, all those mis
givings which had so naturally accompanied his
musings on the difficulties of a partisan irruption,
vanished before the loveliness of the time, and
possibly before the quieiude of the action.

" There are moments when I could fancy the
life of a sailor," he said, leaning indolently back,
and playing with one hand in the water — " this
pulling about in boats is easy work, and must be
capital assistance for a heavy digestion, inasmuch
as it furnishes air with as little violent exercise as
may-be — your marine should lead a merry life
of it !"

" They are said to murmur at the clashing of
their duties with those of the sea-officers," said
Lionel; "and I have often heard them complain of
a want of room to make use of their legs."

" Humph !" ejaculated Polwarth; "the leg is
a part of a man for which I see less actual neces
sity than for any other portion of his frame. J
often think there has been a sad mistake in the
formation of the animal ; as, for instance, one
can be a very good waterman, as you see, with
out legs — a good fiddler, a first-rate tailor, a law
yer, a doctor, a parson, a very tolerable cook, and
in short, any thing but a dancing master, I see

132 LIONEL LINCOLN.

no use in a leg unless it be to have the gout — at
any rate, a leg of twelve inches is as good as one
a mile long, and the saving might be appropriated
to the nobler parts of the animal; such as the brain
and- the stomach."

"You forget the officer of light-infantry," said
Lionel, laughing.

" You might give him a couple of inches more ;
though, as every thing in this wicked world, is ex
cellent only by comparison, it would amount to the
same thing, and on my system a man would be
just as fit for the light-infantry without, as with
legs ; and he would get rid of a good deal of trou
blesome manoeuvring, especially of this new ex
ercise. It would then become a delightful ser
vice, Leo ; for it may be said to monopolize all the
poetry of military life, as you may see. Neither
the imagination nor the body can require more
than we enjoy at this moment, and of what use, 1
would ask, are our legs? if any thing, they are in-
cumbrances in this boat. Here we have a soft
moon, and softer seats — smooth water, and a sti
mulating air — on one side a fine country, which,
though but faintly seen, is known to be fertile,
and rich to abundance ; and on the other a pic
turesque town, stored with the condiments of
every climate — even those rascally privates look
mellowed by the moon-beams, with their scarlet
coats and glittering arms ! Did you meet Miss
Danforth in your visit to Tremont-street, Major
Lincoln ?"

" That pleasure was not denied me."

" Knew she of these martial proceedings .?"

" There was something exceedingly belligerent
in her humour."

" Spoke she of the light-infantry, or of any who
serve in the light corps?"

" Your name was certainly mentioned," return-

LIONF.L LINCOLN. 133

ed Lionel, a little dryly — " she intimated that the
hen-roosts were in danger."

" Ah ! she is a girl of a million ! her very
acids are sweet! the spices were not forgotten
when the dough of her composition was mixed ;
would that she were here — five minutes of moon
shine to a man in love is worth a whole summer
of a broiling sun — 'twould be a master-stroke to
entice her into one of our picturesque marches;
your partisan is the man to take every thing by
surprise — women and fortifications ! Where now
are your companies of the line ; your artillery
and dragoons; your engineers and staff! night-
capped and snoring to a man, while we enjoy here
the very dessert of existence — I wish I could hear
a nightingale !"

" You have a solitary whip-poor-will whistling
his notes, as if in lamentation at our approach."

" Too dolorous, and by far too monotonous ;
'tis like eating pig for a month. But why are our
fifes asleep ?"

" The precautions of a whole day should hard
ly be defeated by the tell-tale notes of our music,"
said Lionel ; "your spirits get the better of your
discretion. I should think the prospect of a fa
tiguing march would have lowered your vein."

" A fico for fatigue !" exclaimed Polwarth —
'•' we only go out to take a position at the colleges
to cover our supplies — we are for school, Leo —
only fancy the knapsacks of the men to be satchels,
humour my folly, and you may believe yourself
once more a boy."

The spirits of Polwarth had indeed undergone
a sudden change, when he found the sad anticipa
tions which crossed his mind on first hearing of a
night inroad, so agreeably disappointed by the
comfortable situation he occupied ; and he conti
nued conversing in the manner described, until

VOL. i. is

134 LIONEL LINCOLN.

the boats reached an unfrequented point that
projected a little way into that part of the Bay
which washed the western side of the peninsula of
Boston. Here the troops landed, and were again
formed with all possible despatch. The company
of Polwarth was posted, as before, at the head of
the column of light-infantry, and an officer of the
staff riding a short distance in front, it was direct
ed to follow his movements. Lionel ordered his
groom to take the route of the troops with the
horses, and placing himself once more by the side
of the captain, they proceeded at the appointed
signal.

" Now for the shades of old Harvard !" said
Polwarth, pointing towards the humble buildings
of the university ; " you shall feast this night on
reason, while I will make a more sub — ha ! what
can that blind quarter-master mean by taking this
direction ! Does he not see that the meadows are
half covered with water!"

" Move on, move on with the light-infantry,'1
cried the stern voice of the old major of marines,
who rode but a short distance in their rear. " Do
you falter at the sight of water !"

" We are not wharf-rats," said Polwarth.

Lionel seized b'un by the arm, and before thr
disconcerted captain had time to recollect him
self, he was borne through a wide pool of stag
nant water, mid-leg deep.

" Do not let your romance cost your commis
sion," said the major, as Polwarth floundered
out of his difficulties ; " here is an incident at
once for your private narrative of the campaign."

"Ah! Leo," said the captain, with a sort of
comical sorrow, " I fear we are not to court the
muses by this hallowed moon to-night !"

" You can assure yourself of that, by observing
that we leave the academical roofs on our left —
our leaders take the high-way."

LIONEL LINCOLN. 135

They had by this time extricated themselves
from the meadows, and were moving on a road
which led into the interior.

"You had better order up your groom, and
mount, Major Lincoln," said Polwarth, sullenly;
" a man need husband his strength, I see."

" 'Twould be folly now ; I am wet, and must
walk for safety."

With the departure of Polwarth's spirits the
conversation began to flag, and the gentlemen
continued their march with only such occasional
communications as arose from the passing inci
dents of their situation. It very soon became ap
parent, both by the direction given to the columns,
as well as by the hurried steps of their guide, that
the march was to be forced, as well as of some
length. But asythe air was getting cool, even Pol
warth was not reluctant to warm his chilled blood
by more than ordinary exertion. The columns
opened for the sake of ease, and each man was
permitted to consult his own convenience, provid
ed he preserved his appointed situation, and kept
even pace with his comrades. In this manner the
detachment advanced swiftly, a general silence
pervading the whole, as the spirits of the men
settled into that deep sobriety which denotes
much earnestness of purpose. At first the whole
country appeared buried in a general sleep, but
as they proceeded, the barking of the dogs, and
the tread of the soldiery, drew the inhabitants of
the farm-houses to their windows, who gazed in
mute wonder at the passing spectacle, across
which the mellow light of the moon cast a glow
of brilliancy. Lionel had turned his head from
studying the surprise depicted in the faces of
the members of one of these disturbed families,
when Ahe deep tones of a distant church -bell
came sweeping down the valley in which they

136 LIONEL LINCOLN*

marched, ringing peel on peel, in the quick, spi
rit-stirring sounds of an alarm. The men raised
their heads in wondering attention, as they ad
vanced ; but it was not long before the reports of
fire-arms were heard echoing among the hills, and
bell began to answer bell in every direction, until
the sounds blended with the murmurs of the night-
air, or were lost in distance. The whole country
was now filled with every organ of sound that the
means of the people furnished, or their ingenuity
could devise, to call the population to arms. Fires
blazed along the heights, the bellowing of the
conchs and horns, mingled with the rattling of the
muskets and the varied tones of the bells, while
the swift clattering of horses' hoofs began to be
heard, as if their riders were dashing furiously
along the flanks of the party.

" Push on, gentlemen, push on," shouted the
old veteran of marines, amid the din. " The
Yankees have awoke, and are stirring — we have
yet a long road to journey — push on, light-infan
try, the grenadiers are on your heels !"

The advance quickened their steps, and the
whole body pushed for their unknown object with
as much rapidity as the steadiness of military
array would admit. In this manner the detach
ment continued to proceed for some hours, with
out halting, and Lionel imagined that they had
advanced several leagues into the country. The
sounds of the alarm had now passed away, having
swept far inland, until the faintest evidence of its
existence was lost to the ear, though the noise of
horsemen, riding furiously along the by-ways,
yet denoted that men were still hurrying past
them, to the scene of the expected strife. As the
deceitful light of the moon was blending with
the truer colours of day, the welcome sound
of 'halt!' was passed from the rear up to the
:head of the column of light-infantry.

LIONEL LINCOLN. 137

"Halt!" repeated Polwarth, with instinctive
readiness, and with a voice that sent the order
through the whole length of their extended line ;
" hait, and let the rear close ; if my judgment in
walking be worth so much as an anchovy, they
are some miles behind us, by this time ! a man
needs to have crossed his race with the blood of
Flying Childers for this sort of work ! The next
command should be to break our fasts — Tom,
you brought the trifles I sent you from Major
Lincoln's quarters ?"

" Yes, Sir," returned his man ; " they are on
the Major's horses, in the rear, as — "

"The Major's horses in the rear, you ass, when
food is in such request in the front ! I wonder,
Leo, if a mouthful couldn't be picked up in yon
farm-house ?"

" Pick yourself off that stone, and make the
men dress j here is Pitcairn closing to the front
with the whole battalion."

Lionel had hardly spoken before an order was
passed to the light-infantry to look to their arms,
and for the grenadiers to prime and load. The
presence of the veteran who rode in front of
the column, and the hurry of the moment, sup
pressed the complaints of Polwarth, who was in
truth an excellent officer as it respected what he
himself termed the ' quiescent details of service.'
Three or four companies of the light-corps were
detached from the main body, and formed in
the open marching order of their exercise, when
the old marine, placing himself at their head, gave
forth the order to advance again at a quick step.
The road now led into a vale, and at some dis
tance a small hamlet of houses was dimly seen
through the morning haze, clustered around one
of the humble, but decent temples, so common
in Massachusetts. The halt, and tke brief pre-
13*

138 LIONEL LINCOLN.

parations that succeeded, had excited a pow
erful interest in the whole of the detachment, who
pushed earnestly forward, keeping on the heels
of the charger of their veteran leader, as he pass
ed over the ground at a small trot. The w
partook of the scent of morning, and the eye
was enabled to dwell distinctly on surrounding
objects, quickening, aided by the excitement of
the action, the blood of the men who had been
toiling throughout the night in uncertain obscuri
ty along an unknown, and, apparently, intermina
ble road. Their object now seemed before them
and attainable, and they pressed forward to
achieve it in animated but silent earnestness.
The plain architecture of the church and of its
humble companions had just become distinct,
when three or four armed horsemen were seen
attempting to anticipate their arrival, by crossing
the head of the column, from a by-path.

" Come in," cried an officer of the staff in front,
<c come in, or quit the place."

The men turned, and rode briskly off, one of
their party flashing his piece in a vain attempt to
give the alarm. A low mandate was now passed
through the ranks to push on, and in a few mo
ments they entered on a full view of the hamlet,
the church, and the little green on which it stood.
The forms of men were seen moving swiftly across
the latter, as a roll of a drum broke from the spot ;
and there were glimpses of a small body of coun
trymen, drawn up in the affectation of military-
parade.

" Push on, light-infantry !" cried their leader,
spurring his horse, and advancing with the staff
at so brisk a trot, as to disappear round an angle
of the church.

Lionel pressed forward with a beating heart,
for a crowd of horrors rushed across his imagina^

LIONEL LItfCfLN. 139

tion at the moment, when the stern voice of the
major of marines was again heard, shouting —

" Disperse, ye rebels, disperse ! — throw down
your arms, and disperse !"

These memorable words were instantly follow
ed by the reports of pistols, and the fatal man
date of ' fire !' when a loud shout arose from the
whole body of the soldiery, who rushed upon the
open green, and threw in a close discharge on all
before them.

" Great God !" exclaimed Lionel, " what is it
you do ? ye fire at unoffending men ! is there no
law but force! beat up their pieces, Polwarth —
stop their fire."

" Halt!" cried Polwarth, brandishing his sword
fiercely among his men ; " come to an order, or
I'll fell ye to the earth."

But the excitement which had been gathering
to a head for so many hours, and the animosity
which had so long been growing between the
troops and the people, were not to be repressed at
a word. It was only when Pitcairn himself rode
in among the soldiers, and, aided by his officers,
beat down their arms, that the uproar was gra
dually quelled, and something like order was
again restored. Before this was effected, how
ever, a few scattering shot were thrown back
from their flying adversaries, though without ma
terial injury to the British.

When the firing had ceased, officers and men
stood gating at each other for a few moments, as
if even they could foresee some of the mighty
events which were to follow the deeds of that hour.
The smoke slowly arose, like a lifted veil from
the green, and mingling with the fogs of morning,
drove heavily across the country, as if to commu
nicate the fatal intelligence that the final appeal
to arms had been made. Every eye was bent

140 LIONEL LINCOLN.

inquiringly on the fatal green, and Lionel beheld,
with a feeling allied to anguish, a few men at a dis
tance, writhing and struggling in their wounds,
while some five or six bodies lay stretched upon
the grass, in the appalling quiet of death. Sick
ening at the sight, he turned, and walked away by
himself, while the remainder of the troops', alarm
ed by the reports of the arms, were eagerly press
ing up from the rear to join their comrades. Un
wittingly he approached the church, nor did he
awake from the deep abstraction into which he
had fallen, until he was aroused by the extraordi
nary spectacle of Job Pray, issuing from the edi
fice with an air in which menace was singu
larly blended with resentment and fear. The
changeling pointed earnestly to the body of a man,
who, having been wounded, had crept for refuge
near to the door of the temple in which he had so
often worshipped that being to whom he had been
thus hurriedly sent to render his last and great
account, and said solemnly —

" You have killed one of God's creatures ; and
he'll remember it!"

" I would it were one only," said Lionel ;
" but they are many, and none can tell where the
carnage is to cease."

" Do you think," said Job, looking furtively
around to assure himself that no other over
heard him, " that the king can kill men in the
.Bay-colony as he can in London ? They'll take
this up in old Funnel, and 'twill ring again, from
the north-end to the Neck."

" What can they do, boy, after all," said Lio
nel, forgetting at the moment that he whom he ad
dressed had been denied the reason of his kind —
" the power of Britain is too mighty for these
-cattered and unprepared colonies to cope will).

LIONEL LINCOLN. 141

and prudence would tell the people to desist from
resistance while yet they may."

" Does the king believe there is more prudence
n London than there is in Boston?" returned
the simpleton ; " he needn't think, because the
people were quiet at the massacre, there'll be no
stir about this — you have killed one of God's
creatures," added the lad, " and he'll remem
ber it!"

" How came you here, sirrah ?" demanded Lio
nel, suddenly recollecting himself ; "did you not
tell me that you were going out to fish for your
mother."

" And if I did," returned the other, sullenly,
" an't there fish in the ponds as well as in the
bay, and can't Nab have a fresh taste ? — Job don't
know there is any act of Parliament ag'in taking
brook trout."

" Fellow, you are attempting to deceive me ?
Some one is practising on your ignorance, and
knowing you to be a fool, is employing you on
errands that may one day cost your life."

" The king can't send Job on a'r'nds," said
the lad proudly j " for there is no law for it, and
Job wont go."

"Your knowledge will undo you, simpleton —
who should teach you these niceties of the law ?"

" Why, do you think the Boston people so
dumb as not to know the law !" asked Job, with
unfeigned astonishment — " and Ralph, too — he
knows as much law as the king — he told me
it was ag'in all law to shoot at the minute-men,
unless they fired first, because the colony has
a right to train whenever it pleases."

" Ralph !" said Lionel, eagerly — "can Ralph
be with you, then ! 'tis impossible ; I left him ill,
and at home — neither would he mingle in .such
a business as this, at his years."

142 LIONEL LINCOLN.

"I expect Ralph has seen bigger armies than
the light-infantry, and grannies, and all the sol
diers left in town put together," said Job, eva
sively.

• Lionel was far too generous to practise on the
simplicity of his companion, with a view to extract
any secret which might endanger his liberty, but
he felt a deep concern in the welfare of a young
man who had been thrown in his way in the man
ner already related. He therefore pursued the
subject, with the double design to advise Job
against any dangerous connexions, and to relieve
his own anxiety on the subject of the aged stran
ger. But to all his interrogatories the lad answer
ed guardedly, and with a discretion which denot
ed that he possessed no small share of cunning,
though a higher order of intellect had been de
nied him.

" I repeat to you," said Lionel, losing his
patience, " that it is important for me to meet
the man you call Ralph in the country, and I
wish to know if be is to be seen near here."

" Ralph scorns a lie," returned Job — " go
where he promised to meet you, and see if he
don't come."

" But no place was named — and this unhappy
event may embarrass him, or frighten him — "

" Frighten him !" repeated Job, shaking his
head with solemn earnestness; " you can't frighten
Ralph!"

" His daring may prove his misfortune. Boy,
I ask you for the last time whether the old
man — "

Perceiving Job to shrink back timidly, and
lower in his looks, Lionel paused, and casting a
glance behind him, beheld the captain of grena
diers standing with folded arms, silently contem
plating the body of the American.

LIONEL LINCOLN. 143

" Will you have the goodness to explain to me,
Major Lincoln," said the captain, when he per
ceived himself observed, " why this man lies here
dead ?"

" You' see the wound in his breast?"

" It is a palpable and baistly truth that he has
been shot — but why, or with what design ?"

" I must leave that question to be answered by
our superiors, captain M'Fuse," returned Lionel.
" It is, however, rumoured that the expedition is
out to seize certain magazines of provisions and
arms, which the colonists have been collecting, it
is feared, with hostile intentions."

"I had my own sagacious thoughts that we
were bent on some such glorious errand !" said
M'Fuse, with strong contempt expressed in his
hard features. " Tell me, Major Lincoln — you
are certainly but a young soldier, though, being of
the staff, you should know — does Gage think we
can have a war with the arms and ammunition
all on one side ? We have had a long p'ace, Ma
jor Lincoln, and now when there is a small pros
pect of some of the peculiarities of our profession
arising, we are commanded to do the very thing
which is most likely to def'ate the object of war."

" I do not know that 1 rightly understand you,
sir," said Lionel ; " there can be but little glory
gained by such troops as we possess, in a contest
with the unarmed and undisciplined inhabitants of
any country."

" Exactly my maining, sir; it is quite obvious
that we understand each other thoroughly, with
out a world of circumlocution. The lads are do
ing very well at present, and if left to themselves
a few months longer, it may become a creditable
affair. You know, as well as I do, Major Lin
coln, that time is necessary to make a soldier,
arid if they are hurried into the business, you

144 LIONEL LINCOLN.

might as well be chasing a mob up Ludgate hill,
for the honour you will gain. A discrate officer
would nurse this little matter, instead of resorting
to such precipitation. To my id'a'a's, sir, the
man before us has been butchered, and not slain
in honourable battle !"

" There is much reason to fear that others may
use the same term in speaking of the affair," re
turned Lionel ; " God knows how much cause
we may have to lament the death of the poor
man !"

" On that topic, the man may be said to have
gone through a business that was to be done, and is
not to be done over again," said the captain very
coolly, " and therefore his death can be no very
great calamity to himself, whatever it may be to
us. If these minute-men, and as they stand but
minute they 'arn their name like worthy fellows —
if these minute-men, sir, stood in your way,
you should have whipped them from the green
with your ramrods."

" Here is one who may tell you that they arr
not to be treated like children either," said Lio
nel, turning to the place which had been so re
cently occupied by Job Pray, but which, to his
surprise, he now found vacant. While he was
yet looking around him, wondering whither the
lad could so suddenly have withdrawn, the drums
beat the signal to form, and a general bustle
among the soldiery, showed them to be on the
eve of further movements. The two gentlemen
instantly rejoined their companions, walking
thoughtfully towards the troops, though influ
enced by such totally different views of the recent
transactions.

During the short halt of the advance, the whole
detachment was again united, and a hasty meal
had been taken. The astonishment which sue-

LIONEL LINCOLN. 145

ceeded the rencontre, had given place, among
the officers, to a military pride, capable of sus
taining them in much more arduous circumstan
ces. Even the ardent looks of professional excite
ment were to be seen in most of their countenances,
as with glittering arms, waving banners, and
timing their march to the enlivening music of their
band, they wheeled from the fatal spot, and advan
ced again, with proud and measured steps, along
the highway. If such was the result of the first
encounter on the lofty and tempered spirits of the
gentlemen of the detachment, its effect on the
common hirelings in the ranks, was still more pal
pable and revolting. Their coarse jests, and taunt
ing looks, as they moved by the despised victims
of their disciplined skill, together with the fierce
and boastful expression of brutal triumph, which
so many among them betrayed, exhibited the infal
lible evidence, that having tasted of blood, they
were now ready, like tigers, to feed on it till they
were glutted.

VOL. i. 14

CHAPTER X.

'• There was mounting 'mong Graemes of the Netherby clan ;
" Fosters, Fenwicks, and Musgraves, they rode and they ran :
" There was racing, and chasing, on Cannobie Lea. — "

Marmion.

THE pomp of military parade with which the
troops marched from the village of Lexington,
as the little hamlet was called, where the forego
ing, events occurred, soon settled again into the
sober and business-like air of men earnestly bent
on the achievement of their object. It was no
longer a secret that they were to proceed two
leagues further into the interior, to destroy the
stores already mentioned, and which were now
known to be collected at Concord, the town where
the Congress of Provincial Delegates, who were
substituted by the colonists for the ancient legisla
tures of the Province, held their meetings. As the
march could not now be concealed, it became ne
cessary to resort to expedition, in order to ensure
its successful termination. The veteran officer of
marines, so often mentioned, resumed his post in
front, and at the head of the same companies of
the light corps which he had before led, pushed
in advance of the heavier column of the grenadiers.
Polwartb, by this arrangement, perceived himself

LIONEL LINCOLN. 147

again included among those on whose swiftness of
foot so much depended. When Lionel rejoined
his friend he found him at the head of his men,
marching with so grave an air, as at once induced
the Major to give him credit for regrets much
more commendable than such as were connected
with his physical distress. The files were once
more opened for room, as well as for air, which
was becoming necessary, as a hot sun began to
dissipate the mists of the morning, and shed that
enervating influence on the nv-n so peculiar to the
first warmth of an American Spring.

" This has been a hasty business altogether,
Major Lincoln," said Poiwarth, as Lionel took
his wonted station at the side of the other, and
dropped mechanically into the regular step of
the party — " I know not that it is quite as lawful
to knock a man in the head as a bullock."

"You then agree with me in thinking our at
tack hasty, if not cruel ?"

" Hasty ! most unequivocally. Haste may be
called the distinctive property of the expedition;
arid whatever destroys the appetile of an honest
man, may be set down as cruel. I have not been
able to swallow a mouthful of breakfast, Leo. A
man must have the cravings of a hyena, and the
stomach of an ostrich, to eat and digest with such
work as this of ours before his eyes."

" And yet the men regard their acts with
triumph !"

"The dogs are drilled into it. But you saw
how sober the Provincials looked in the matter;
we must endeavour to sooth their feelings in the
best manner we can."

" Will they not despise our consolation and apo
logies, and look rather to themselves for redress
and vengeance f"

148 LIONEL LINCOLN.

Polwarth smiled contemptuously, and there was
an air of pride about him that gave an appearance
of elasticity even to his heavy tread, as he an
swered —

" The thing is a bad thing, Major Lincoln, and,
if you will, a wicked thing — but take the assurance
of a man who knows the country well, there will
be no attempts at vengeance ; and as for redress,
in a military way, the thing is impossible."

"You speak with a confidence, sir. that should
find its warranty in an intimate acquaintance with
the weakness of the people."

" I have dwelt two years, Major Lincoln, in
the very heart of the country," said Polwarth.
without turning his eyes from the steady gaze he
maintained on the long road which lay before
him, "even three hundred miles beyond the in
habited districts; and 1 should know the charac
ter of the nation, as well as its resources. In re
spect to the latter, there is no esculent thing
within its borders, from a humming-bird to a
buffalo, or from an artichoke to a water-me
lon, that I have not, on some occasion or other,
had tossed up, in a certain way — therefore, I can
speak with confidence, and do not hesitate to say.
that the colonists will never fight ; nor, if they
had the disposition, do they possess the means to
maintain a war."

" Perhaps, sir," returned Lionel sharply, "you
have consulted the animals of the country too
closely to be acquaintf-d with its spirits?"

" The relation between them is intimate — tell
me what food a man diets on, and I will furnish
you with his character. 'Tis morally impossible
that a people who eat their pudding before the
meats, after the fashion of these colonists, can
over make good soldiers, because the appetite is

LIONEL LINCOLN. 149

appeased before the introduction of the succulent
nutriment of the flesh, into — "

" Enough! spare me the remainder," interrupt
ed Lionel — " too much has been said already to
prove the inferiority of the American to the Eu
ropean animal, and your reasoning is conclusive."

" Parliament must do something for the fami
lies of the sufferers."

" Parliament!" echoed Lionel, with bitter em
phasis ; " yes, we shall be called on to pass reso
lutions to commend the decision of the General,
and the courage of the Iroops ; and then, after
we have added every possible insult to the injury,
under the conviction of our imaginary supremacy,
we may hear of some paltry sum to the widows and
orphans, cited as an evidence of the unbounded
generosity of the nation !"

"The feeding of six or seven broods of young
Yankees is no such trifle, Major Lincoln," re
turned Polwarth ; " and there 1 trust the unhap
py affair will end. We are now marching on
Concord, a place with a most auspicious name,
where we shall find repose under its shadow, as
well as the food of this home-made parliament,
which they have gotten together. These consi
derations alone support me under the fatigue of
this direful trot with which old Pitcairn goes
over the ground — does the man think he is hunt
ing with a pack of beagles at his heels !"

The opinion expressed by his companion, con
cerning the martial propensities of the Americans,
was one too common among the troops to excite
any surprise in Lionel, but disgusted with the illi-
berality of the sentiment, and secretly offended at
the supercilious manner with which the other ex
pressed these injurious opinions of his countrymen,
he continued his route in silence, while Polwarth

14*

150 LIONEL LINCOLN.

speedily lost his loquacious propensity, in a sense
of the fatigue that assailed every muscle and
joint in his body.

That severe training of the corps, concerning
which the captain vented such frequent com
plaints, now stood the advance in good service.
It was apparent that the whole country was in a
state of high alarm, and small bodies of armed
men were occasionally seen on the heights that
flanked their route, though no attempts were
made to revenge the deaths of those who fell at
Lexington. The march of the troops was ac
celerated rather with a belief that the colonists
might remove, or otherwise secrete the stores,
than from any apprehension that they would
dare to oppose the progress of the chosen troops
of the army. The slight resistance of the Ame
ricans in the rencontre of that morning, was al
ready a jest among the soldiers, who sneering-
ly remarked, that the term of " minute-men," was
deservedly applied to warriors who had proved
themselves so dexterous at flight. In short, every
opprobrious and disrespectful epithet that con
tempt and ignorance could invent, were freely
lavished on the forbearing mildness of the sutFer-
ing colonists. In this temper the troops reached
a point whence the modest spire and roofs of
Concord became visible. A small body of the
colonists retired through the place as the English
advanced, and th^ detachment entered the town
without the least resistance, and with the appear
ance of conquerors. Lionel was not long in dis
covering from such of the inhabitants as remain
ed, that, notwithstanding their approach had been
known for some time, the events of that morn
ing were yet a secret from the people of the vil
lage. Detachments from the light corps were
immediately sent in various directions; some to

LIONEL LINCOLN. 151

search for the ammunition and provisions, and
some to guard the approaches to the place. One,
in particular, followed the retreating footsteps
of the Americans, and took post at a bridge,
at some little distance, which cut off the com
munication with the country to the northward.
In the meantime, the work of destruction was
commenced in the town, chiefly under the su-
perintendance of the veteran officer of the ma
rines. The few male inhabitants who remained
in their dwellings, were of necessity peaceable,
though Lionel could read in their flushed cheeks
and gleaming eyes, the secret indignation of men,
who, accustomed to the protection of the law,
now found themselves .subjected to the insults and
wanton abuses of a military inroad. Every door
was flung open, and no place was held sacred
from the rude scrutiny of the licentious soldiery.
Taunts and execrations soon mingled with the
seeming moderation with which the search had
commenced, and loud exultation was betrayed,
even among the officers, as the scanty provisions
of the colonists were gradually brought to light,
It was not a moment to respect private rights,
and the freedom and ribaldry of the men were on
the point of becoming something more serious,
when the report of fire-arms was heard suddenly
to issue from the post held by the light-infan
try, at the bridge. A ft-w scattering shot were
succeeded by a volley, which was answered by
another, with the quickness of lightning, and then
the air became filled with the incessant rattling of
a sharp conflict. Every arm was suspended, and
each tongue became mute with astonishment,
and the men abandoned their occupations as these
unexpected sounds of war broke on their ears.
The chiefs of the party were seen in consultation,
and horsemen rode furiously into the place, to

152 LIONEL LINCOLN.

communicate the nature of this new conflict. The
r-ink of Major Lincoln soun obtained for him a
knowledge thatit was thought impolitic to commu
nicate to the whole detachment. Notwithstanding
it was apparent that they v\ho brought the in
telligence were anxious to give it the most fa
vourable aspect, he soon discovered that the
same body of Aiiieticans which had retired at
their approach, having attempted to return to
their homes in the town, had been fired on at the
bridge, and in the skirmish which succeeded, the
troops had bern compelled to give way with
loss. The effect of this prompt and spirited
conduct on the part uf the provincials produced
a sudden alteration, not only in the aspect, but
also in the proceedings of the troops. The de
tachments were recalled, the drums beat to arms,
and, for the first time, both officers and men
seemed to recollect that they had six leagues
to march through a country that hardly con
tained a friend. Still few or no enemies were visi
ble, with the exception of those men of Concord,
who had already drawn blood freely from the
invaders of their domestic sanctuaries. The dead,
and all the common wounded, were left where
they had fallen, and it was thought an unfavoura
ble omen among the observant of the detachment,
that a wounded young subaltern, of rank and
fortune, was also abandoned to the mercy of the
exasperated Americans. The privates caught the
infection from their officers, and Lionel saw, that
in place of the higii and insulting confidence
with which the troops had wheeled into the
streets of Concord, that they left them, when
the order was given to march, with faces bent
anxiously on the surrounding heights, and with
looks that bespoke a consciousness of the dan
gers that were likely to beset the long road which
lay before them.

LIONEL LINCOLN. 153

Their apprehensions were not groundless. The
troops had hardly commenced their march be
fore a volley was fired upon them from the pro
tection of a barn, and as they advanced, volley
succeeded volley, and musket answered musket
from behind every cover that offered1 to their
assailants. At first these desultory and feeble
attacks were but little regarded ; a brisk charge,
and a smart fire of a few moments never fail
ing to disperse their enemies, when the troops
again proceeded for a short distance unmolested.
But the alarm of the preceding night had gather
ed the people over an immense extent of country ;
and, having waited for information, those nearest
to the scene of action were already pressing
forward to the assistance of their friends. There
was but little order, and no concert among the
Americans ; but each party, as it arrived, pushed
into the fray, hanging on the skirts of their ene
mies, or making spirited though ineffectual efforts
to stop their progress. While the men from the
towns behind them, pressed upon their rear, the
population in their front accumulated in bodies,
like a rolling ball of snow, and before half the
distance between Concord and Lexington was
accomplished, Lionel perceived that the safety
of their boasted power was in extreme jeopardy.
During the first hour of these attacks, while they
were yet distant, desultory, and feeble, the young
soldidr had marched by the side of M'Fuse,
who shook his head disdainfully whenever a shot
whistled near him, and did not fail to comment
freely on the folly of commencing a war thus pre
maturely, which, if properly nursed, might, to use
his own words, " be in time brought to some-
th'.ng pretty and interesting."

" You perceive, Major Lincoln," he added,
" that these Provincials have got the first ele-

154 LIONEL LINCOLN.

ments of the art, fur the rascals fire with exceed
ing accuracy, when the distance is considered;
and six months or a year of close drilling would
make them gooil for something in a regular
charge. They h;tve got a smart crack to their
p'aces, and a pretty whiz to iheir lead already;
if they could but learn to deliver their fire in pla
toons, the lads might make some impression on
the light-infantry even now ; and in a year or two,
sir, they would not be unworthy of the favours of
the grenadiers."

Lionel listened to thi-, and much other similar
discourse, with a vacant ear ; but as the combat
thickened, the blood of the young man began
to course more -^viftly through his veins; and
at length, excited b\ the noise and the danger
which was pressing more closely around them,
he mounted, and -riding to the commander of
the detachment, tendered his assistance as a vo
lunteer aid, having lo*t every other sensation in
youthful blood, and the pride of arms. He
was immediately charged \\ith oniers for the
advance, and driving his spurs into his steed,
he dashed through the scattered line of fighting
and jaded troops, and galloped to its head.
Here he found several companies, diligently
employed in clearing the way for their com
rades, as new foes appeared at every few rods
that they advanced. Even as Lionel approach
ed, a heavy sheet of fire flashed from a close
barn-yard, full in the faces of the leading files,
sending the swift engines of death into the very
centre of the party.

" Wheel a company of the light-infantry, cap
tain Polwarth," cried the old major of marines,
who battled stoutly in the van, " and drive the
skulking scoundrels from their ambush."

LIONEL LINCOLN. 155

" Oh ! by the sweets of ease, and the hopes of
a halt ! but here is another tribe of these white
savages !" responded the unfortunate captain —
" Look out, my brave men ! blaze away over the
Avails on your left — give no quarter to the an
noying rascals — get the first shot — give them a
foot of your steel."

While venting such terrible denunciations and
commands, which were drawn from the peaceable
captain by the force of circumstances, Lionel
beheld his friend disappear amid the buildings
of the farm-yard in a cloud of smoke, followed
by his troops. In a few minutes afterwards, as
the line toiled its way up the hill on which this
scene occurred, Polwaitb re-appeared, issuing
from the fray with his fare blackened and grimed
with powder, while a sheet of flame arose from
the spot which soon laid the devoted buildings of
the unfortunate husbandman in ruins.

" Ha ! Major Lincoln." he cried, as he ap
proached the other, " do you call these light-in
fantry movements ! to me they are the torments
of the damned ! — Go, you who have influence,
and what is better, a horse, go to Smith, and tell
him if he will call a halt, I will engage, with
my single company, to seat ourselves in any field
he may select, and keep these blood-suckers at
bay for an hour, while the detachment can rest
and satisfy their hunger — trusting that he will
then allow time for his defenders to perform the
same necessary operations. A night-march, no
breakfast — a burning sun— mile after mile — no
halt, and nothing but fire — fire — 'tis opposed to
every principle in physics, and even to the ana
tomy of man to think he can endure it !"

Lionel endeavoured to encourage his friend to
new exertions, and turning away from their

156 LIONEL LINCOLN.

leader, spoke cheeringly, and with a martial tone,
to his troops. The men cheered as they passed,
and dashed forward to new encounters ; the Ame
ricans yielding sullenly, but necessarily, to the
constant charges of the bayonet, to which the re-*
gulars resorted to dislodge them. As the advance
moved on again, Lionel turned to contemplate
the scene in the rear. They had now been march
ing and fighting for two hours, with little or no
cessation, and it was but too evident that the
force of the assailants was increasing, both in num
bers and in daring, at each step they took. On
either side of the highway, along the skirts of eve
ry wood or orchard, in the open fields, and from
every house, barn, or cover in sight, theflash of fire-
arms was to be seen, while the shouts of the Eng
lish grew, at each instant, feebler and less inspirit
ing. Heavy clouds of soioke rose above the val
ley, into which he looked, and mingled with the
dust of the march, drawing an impenetrable
veil before the view; but as the wind, at moments,
shoved it aside, he caught glimpses of the wor
ried and faltering platoons of the party, some
times breasting and repulsing an attack with spi
rit, and SL\ others shrinking from the contest, with
an ill-concealed desire to urge their retreat to the
verge of an absolute flight. Young as he was,
Major Lincoln knew enough of his profession
to understand that nothing but the want of con
cert, and of a unity of command among the
Americans, saved the detachment from total
destruction. The attacks were growing extreme
ly spirited, and not unfrequently close and bloody,
though the discipline of the troops enabled them
still to bear up against this desultory and divided
warfare, when Lionel heard, with a pleasure,- he
could not conceal, the loud shouts that arose from
the van, as the cheering intelligence was proclaim-

LIONEL LINCOLN. 157

ed through the ranks, that the cloud of dust in
their front was raised by a chosen brigade of
their comrades, which had come most timely to
their succour, with the Heir of Northumberland
at its head. The Americans gave way as the
two detachments joined, and the artillery of the
succours opened upon their flying parties, giving
a few minutes of stolen rest to those who needed
it so much. Polwarth threw himself flat on the
earth, as Lionel dismounted at his side, and his
example was followed by the whole party, who
lay panting, under the heat and fatigue, like wor
ried deer, that had succeeded in throwing the
hounds from their scent.

" As I am a gentleman of simple habits, and a
man innocent of all this bloodshed, Major Lin
coln," said the captain, "I pronounce this march to
be a most unjust draft on the resources of human
nature. I have journeyed at least five leagues
between this spot and that place of discord that
they falsely call Concord, within two hours,
amidst dust, smoke, groans, and other infernal
cries, that would cause the best trained racer in
England to bolt; and breathing an air, all the
time, that would boil an egg i« two minutes and
a quarter, if fairly exposed to it."

"You overrate the Distance — 'tis but two
leagues by the stones — "

" Stones !" interrupted Polwarth — " I scorn
their lies — I have a leg here that is a better in
dex for miles, feet, or even inches, than was ever
chiseled in stone."

" We must not contest this idle point," r,eturn-
ed Lionel, "for I see the troops are about to dine;
and we have need of every moment to reach Bos
ton before the night closes around us."

"Eat! Boston! night!" slowly repeated Pol
warth, raising himself on one arm, and staring

VOL. i. 13

158 LIONEL LINCOLN.

wildly about him. "Surely no man among us
is so mad as to talk of moving from, this spot
short of a week — it would take half that time
to receive the internal refreshment necessary to
our systems, and the remainder to restore us heal
thy appetites."

" Such, however, are the orders of the Earl
Percy, from whom I learn that the whole coun
try is rising in our front."

"Ay, but they are fellows who slept peace
fully in their beds the past night; and I dare
say that every dog among them ate his half-pound
of pork, together with additions suitable for a
breakfast, before he crossed his threshold this
morning. But with us the case is different.
It is incumbent on two thousand British troops
to move with deliberation, if it should be only
for the credit of his majesty's arms. No, no —
the gallant Percy too highly respects his princely
lineage and name to assume the appearance of
flight before a mob of base-born hinds !"

The intelligence of Lionel was nevertheless
true ; for after a short halt, allowing barely time
enough to the troops to eat a hasty meal, the
drums again lieat the signal to march, and Pol-
warth, as well as many hundred others, was reluc
tantly compelled to resume his feet, under the
penalty of being abandoned to the fury of the
exasperated Americans. While the troops were
in a state of rest, the field-pieces of the- reinforce
ment kept their foes at a distance, but the in
stant the guns were limbered, and the files had
once more opened for room, the attacks were
renewed from every quarter, with redoubled fury.
The excesses of the troops, who had begun t«
vent their anger by plundering and firing the
dwellings that they passed, added to the bitter-
of the attacks, and the march had not

LIONEL LIfiJCOLS. 159

been renewed many minutes, before a fiercer
conflict raged along its skirts than bad been be
fore witnessed on that day.

" Would to God that the great Northumbrian
xvould form us in order of battle, and make a fail-
field with the Yankees," groaned Polwarth, as
he toiled his way once more with the advance —
" half an hour would settle the matter, and a
man would then possess the gratification of see
ing himself a victor, or at least of knowing that
he was comfortably and quietly dead."

" Few of us would ever arrive in the morn
ing, if we left the Americans a night to gather
in ; and a halt of an hour would lose us the advan
tages of the whole march," returned Lionel —
"Cheer up, my old comrade, and you will esta
blish your reputation for activity for ever — here
comes a party of the Provincials over the crest
of the hill to keep you in employment."

Polwarth cast a look of despair at Lionel, as
he muttered in reply —

" Employment ! God knows that there has not
been a single muscle, sinew, or joint in my body
in a state of wholesome rest for four-and-twenty
hours!" Then tuiulug to his men, he cried, with
tones so cheerful and animated, that they seemed
to proceed from a final and closing exertion, as
he led them gallantly into the approaching fray —
" Scatter the dogs, my brave friends — away with
them like gnats, like moscheltos, like leeches, as
they are — give it them — lead and steel by hands-
ful"—

" On — push on with the advance!" shouted the
old major of marines, who observed the leading
platoons to stagger.

The voice of Polwarth was once more heard in
the din, and their irregular assailants sullenly
yielded before the charge.

160 LIONEL LINCOLN.

"On — on with the advance!" cried fifty voices
out of a cloud of smoke and dust that was moving
up the hill, on whose side this encounter occurred.

In this manner the war continued to roll slow
ly onward, following the weary and heavy foot
steps of the soldiery, who had now toiled for
many miles, surrounded by the din of battle, and
leaving in their path the bloody impressions of
their footsteps. Lionel was enabled to trace their
route, far towards the north, by the bright red
spots, which lay scattered in alarming numbers
along the highway, and in the fields through
which the troops occasionally moved. He even
found time, in the intervals of rest, to note the
difference in the characters of the combatants.
Whenever the ground or the circumstances ad
mitted of a regular attack, the dying confidence
of the troops would seem restored, and they
moved up to the charge with the bold carriage
which high discipline inspires, rending the air
with shouts, while their e demies melted before
their power in sullen silence, never ceasing to
use their weapons however, with an expertness
that rendered them doubly dangerous. The di
rection of the columns frequeiftly brought the
troops over ground that had been sharply contest
ed in front, and the victims of these short struggles
came under the eyes of the detachment. It was
necessary to turn a deaf ear to the cries and
prayers of many wounded soldiers, who, with hor
ror and abject fear written on every feature of
their countenances, were the helpless witnesses
of the retreating files of their comrades. On the
other hand, the American lay in his blood, re
garding the passing detachment with a stern and
indignant eye, that appeared to look far beyond
his individual suffering. Over one body, Lionel
pulled the reins of his horse, and he paused a,

LIONEL LINCOLN. 161

moment to consider the spectacle. It was the
lifeless form of a man, whose white locks, hollow
cheeks, and emaciated frame, denoted that the
bullet which had stricken him to the earth had
anticipated the irresistible decrees of time but
a very few days. He had fallen on his back,
and his glazed eye expressed, even in death, the .
honest resentment he had felt while living ; and
his palsied hand continued to grasp the fire-lock,
old and time-worn, like its owner, with which he
had taken the field in behalf of his country.

" Where can a contest end which calls such
champions' ttfvits aid !"» exclaimed Lionel, observ
ing that tl& shadow of another spectator fell
across the wan features of the dead — " who can
tell where this torrent of blood can be stayed, or
how many are to be its victims!"

Receiving no answer, he raised his eyes, and dis
covered that he had unwittingly put this search
ing question to the very man whose* rashness had
precipitated the war. It was the major of marines,
who sat looking at the sight, for a minute, with an
eye as vacant as the one that seemed to throw
back his wild gjjize, and then rousing from his
trance, he buried his rowels in the flanks of his
horse, and disappeared in the smoke that envelo
ped a body of the grenadiers, waving his sword
on high, and shouting —

" On — push on with the advance !"

Major Lincoln slowly followed, musing on the
scene he had witnessed, when, to his surprise, he
encountered Pplwarth, seated on a rock by the
roadside, looking with a listless and dull eye at
the retreating columns. Checking his charger,
he inquired of his friend if he were hurt.

" Only melted," returned the captain j " 1 have
outdone the speed of man this day, Major Lin
coln, and can do no more. If you see any of
15*

• •

162 LIONEL LINCOLN.

my friends in dear England, tell them that I met
my fate as a soldier should, stationary ; though I
am actually melting away in rivulets, like the
snows of April."

" Good God ! you will not remain here to be
slain by the Provincials, by whom you see we are
completely enveloped f"

" I am preparing a speech for the first Yankee
who may approach. If he be a true man he wilt
melt into tears at my sufferings this day — if a
savage, my heirs will be spared the charges of
my funeral."

Lionel would have continued his remonstrances,
but a fierce encounter between a flanking party of
the troops and a body of Americans, drove the
former close upon him, and leaping the wall he
rallied his comrades, and turned the tide of battle
in their favour. He was drawn far from the spot
by the vicissitpdes of the combat, and there wa:
a moment, while passing from one body^of the
troops to another, that he found himself unexpect
edly alone, in a most dangerous vicinity to a small
wood. The hurried call of "pick off that officer,'7
first aroused him to his extreme danger, and he
had mechanically bowed himself on the neck of
his charger, in expectation of the fatal messen
gers, when a voice was heard among the Ameri
cans, crying, in tones that caused every nerve in
his body to thrill —

" Spare him ! for the love of that God you
worship, spare him !"

The overwhelming sensations of the moment
prevented flight, and the young man beheld Ralph,
running with frantic gestures, along the skirts oi
the cover, beating up the fire-arms of twenty
Americans, and repeating his cries in a voice
that did not seem to belong to a human being —
then, in the confusion which whirled through his
brain, Lionel thought himself a prisoner, as a

LIONEL LINCOLN*

man, armed with a long rifle, glided from the
wood, and laid his hand on the rein of his
bridle, saying earnestly —

" 'Tis a bloody day, and God will remember
it ; but if Major Lincoln will ride straight down
the hill, the people wont fire for fear of hitting
Job — and when Job fires, he'll shoot that granny
who's getting over the wall, and there'll never be
a stir about it in Funnel-Hall."

Lionel wheeled away quicker than thought,
and as his charger took long and desperate leaps
down the slight declivity, he heard the shouts of
the Americans behind him, the crack of Job's
rifle, and the whizzing of the bullet which the
changeling sent, as he had promised, in a direc
tion to do him no harm. On gaining a place
of comparative safety, he found Pitcairn in the
act of abandoning his bleeding horse, the close
and bitter attacks of the Provincials rendering it
no longer safe for an officer to be seen riding on
the flanks of the detachment. Lionel, though he
valued his steed highly, had also received so many
intimations of the dangerous notice he had at
tracted, that he was soon obliged to follow this
example, and he saw, with deep regret, the noble
animal scouring across the fields with a loose rein,
snorting and snuffing the tainted air. He now
joined a party of the combatants on foot, and
continued to animate them to new exertions dur
ing the remainder of the tedious way.

From the moment the spires of Boston .met
the view of the troops, the struggle became in
tensely interesting. New vigour was imparted to
their weary frames by the cheering sight, and
assuming once more the air of high martial
training, they bore up against the assaults of
their enemies with renewed spirit. On the other
hand, the Americans seemed aware that the mo
ments of vengeance were passing swiftly away,.

164 LIONEL LINCOLN.

and boys, and grey-headed men, the wounded and
the active, crowded around their invaders, as if
eager to obtain a parting blow. Even the peace
ful ministers of God were known to take the field
on that memorable occasion, and, mingling with
their parishioners, to brave every danger in a
cause which they believed in consonance with
their holy calling. The sun was sinking over the
land, and the situation of the detachment had be
come nearly desperate, when Percy abandoned
the idea of reaching the Neck, across which he
had proudly marched that morning from Boston,
and strained every nerve to get the remainder of
his command within the peninsula of Charlestown.
The crests and the sides of the heights were alive
. with men, and as the shades of evening closed
about the combatants, the bosoms of the Ame
ricans beat high with hope, while they witness
ed the faltering steps and slackened fire of the
troops. But high discipline, ^finally so far pre
vailed as to snatch the English from the very
grasp of destruction, and enabled them to gain
the narrow entrance to the desired shelter, just as
night had come apparently to seal their doom.

Lionel stood leaning against a fence, as this
fine body of men, which a few hours before had
thought themselves equal to a march through the
colonies, defiled slowly and heavily by him,
dragging their weary and exhausted limbs up the
toilsome ascent of Bunker-Hill. The haughty
eyes of most of the officers were bent to the
earth in shame; and the common herd, even
in that place of security, cast many an anxious
glance behind them, to assure themselves that the
despised inhabitants of the Province were no
longer pressing on their footsteps. Platoon after
platoon passed, each man compelled to depend on
his own wearied limbs for support, until Lionel at

LIONEL LINCOLN, . 165

last saw a solitary horseman slowly ascending
among the crowd. To his utter amazement
and great joy, as this officer approached, he
beheld Polwarth, mounted on his own steed,
riding towards him, with a face of the utmost,
complacency and composure. The dress of the
captain was torn in many places, and the hous
ings of the saddle were cut into ribands, while
here and there a spot of clotted blood, on
the sides of the beast, served to announce the
particular notice the rider had received from the
Americans. The truth was soon extorted from
the honest soldier. The love of life had returned
with the sight of the abandoned charger. He ac
knowledged it had cost him his watch to have the
beast caught ; but once established in the saddle,
no danger, nor any remonstrances, could induce
him to relinquish a seat which he found so con
soling after all the fatigue and motion of that evil
day, in which he had been compelled to share in
the calamities of those who fought on the side of
the crown, in the memorable battle of Lexington*

CHAPTER XI.

" FLud. — Is it not lawful, an' please your majesty,
" To tell how many is killed."

King Henry V.

WHILE a strong party of the royal troops
took post on the height which commanded the
approach to their position, the remainder pene
trated deeper into the peninsula, or were trans
ported by the boats of the fleet to the town of
Boston. Lionel and Polwartfi passed the strait
with the first division of the wounded, the former
having no duty to detain him any longer with
the detachment, and the latter stoutly main
taining that his corporeal sufferings gave him
an undoubted claim to include bis case among
the casualties of the day. Perhaps no officer
in the army of the king felt less chagrin at the
result of this inroad than Major Lincoln ; for
notwithstanding his attachment to his Prince,
and adopted country, he was keenly sensitive on
the subject of the reputation of his real country
men; asentiment that is honourable to our nature,
and which never deserts any that do not become
disloyal to its purest and noblest impulses. Even
while he regretted the price at which his com
rades had been taught to appreciate the charac
ters of those whose long and mild forbearance

LIONEL LINCOLN. 167

had been misconstrued into pusillanimity, he re
joiced that the eyes of the more aged would
now be opened to the truth, and that the mouths
of the young and thoughtless were to be for ever
closed in shame. Although the actual losses of the
two detachments were probably concealed from
motives of policy, it was early acknowledged to
amount to about one-sixth of the whole number
employed.

On the wharf, Lionel and Polwarth separated ;
the latter agreeing to repair speedily to the pri
vate quarters of his friend, where he promised
himself a solace for the compulsory abstinence
and privations of his long march, and the for
mer taking his way towards Tremont-street, with
a view to allay the uneasiness which the secret and
flattering whisperings of hope taught him to believe
his fair young kinswomen would feel in his behalf.
At every corner he encountered groups of earnest
townsmen, listening with greedy ears to the par
ticulars of the contest, a few walking away de
jected at the spirit exhibited by that country they
had villified to its oppressors, but most of them
regarding the passing form of one whose disor
dered dress announced his participation in the
affair, with glances of stern satisfaction. As Lio
nel tapped at the door of Mrs. Lechmere, he for
got his fatigue ; and when it opened, and he be~
held Cecil standing in the hall, with every linea
ment of her fine countenance expressing the
power of her emotions, he no longer remembered
those trying dangers he had so lately escaped.

" Lionel !" exclaimed the young lady, clasping
her hands with joy — " himself, and unhurt !" The
blood rushed from her heart across her face to
her forehead, and burying her shame in her hands,
she burst into a flood of tears, and fled his pre
sence.

168 LIONEL LINCOLN.

Agnes Danforth received him with undisguised
pleasure, nor would she indulge in a single question
to appease her burning curiosity, until thorough
ly assured of his perfect safety. Then, indeed,
she remarked, with a smile of triumph seated on
her arch features —

" Your march has been well attended, Major
Lincoln ; from the upper windows I have seen
some of the honours which the good people of
the Massachusetts have paid to their visiters."

" On my soul, if it were not for the dreadful
consequences which must follow, I rejoice as
well as yourself, in the events of the day," said
Lincoln ; " for a people are never certain of their
rights, until they are respected."

" Tell me then all, cousin Lincoln, that I may
know how to boast of my parentage."

The young man gave her a short, but distinct
and impartial account of all that had occurred,
to vhich his fair listener attended with undis
guised interest.

" Now, then," she exclaimed, as he ended, "there
is an end for ever of those biting taunts that have
so long insulted our ears ! But you know," she
added, with a slight blush, and a smile most co
mically arch, " I had a double stake in the for
tunes of the day — my country and my true love !"

*l Oh! be at ease ; your worshipper has return
ed, whole in body, and suffering in mind only
through your cruelty — he performed the route
with wonderful address, and really showed him
self a soldier in danger."

" Nay, Major Lincoln," returned Agnes, still
blushing, though she laughed, " you do not mean
to insinuate that Peter Polwarth has walked forty
miles between the rising and setting of the sun."

" Between two sun-sets he has done the deed,,,
if you except a trifling promenade a cheval, on
my own steed, whom Jonathan compelled me to

LIONEL LINCOLN. 169

Abandon, and of whom he took, and maintained
the possession, too, in spite of dangers of every
kind."

" Really," exclaimed the wilful girl, clasping
her hands in affected astonishment, though Lio
nel thought he could read inward satisfaction at
his intelligence — " the prodigies of the man ex
ceed belief! one wants the faith of father Abra
ham to credit such marvels ! though, after the re
pulse of two thousand British soldiers by a body
of husbandmen, I am prepared for an exceeding
use of my credulity."

" The moment is then auspicious for my friend,"
whispered Lionel, rising to follow the flitting
form of Cecil Dynevor, which he saw gliding
into the opposite room, as Polwarth himself en
tered the apartment — " credulity is said to be the
great weakness of your sex, and I must leave you
a moment exposed to the failing, and that, too,
in the dangerous company of the subject qjf our
discourse."

"Now would you give half your hopes of pro
motion, and all your hopes of a war, captain Pol
warth, to know in what manner your character
Jias been treated in your absence," cried Agnes,
blushing slightly. " I shall not, however, satisfy
the cravings of your curiosity, but let it serve
as a stimulant to better deeds than have employ
ed you since we met last."

" I trust Lincoln has done justice to my ser
vice," returned the good-humoured captain, "and
that he has not neglected to mention the man
ner in which I rescued his steed from the rebels."
" The what, sir," interrupted Agnes, with a
frown — " how did you style the good people of
Massachusetts-Bay ?"•

" I should have said the excited dwellers in the
land, I believe. Ah! Miss Agnes, I have suffer-

VOL. I. 16

170 LIONEL LINCOLN.

ed this day as man never suffered before, and all
on your behalf — "

" On my behalf! your words require explana
tion, captain Polwarth."

" 'Tis impossible," returned the captain —
" there are feelings and actions connected with
the heart that will admit of no explanation. All
I know is, that I have suffered unutterably on
your account, to-day ; and what is unutterable is
in a great degree inexplicable."

" I shall set this down for what I understand
occurs regularly in a certain description of tete-a-
tetes — the expression of an unutterable thing !
Surely, Major Lincoln had some reason to be
lieve he left me at the mercy of my credulity!"

" You slander your own character, fair Agnes,"
said Polwarth, endeavouring to look piteously ;
"you are neither merciful nor credulous, or you
would long since have believed my tale, and
taken pity on my misery."

" Is not sympathy a sort — a kind — in short,
is not sympathy a dreadful symptom in a certain
disease ?" asked Agnes, resting her eyes on the
floor, and affecting a girlish embarrassment.

" Who can gainsay it !" cried the captain ;
" 'tis the infallible way for a young lady to disco
ver the bent of her inclinations. Thousands have
lived in ignorance of their own affections until
their sympathies have been awakened. But what
means the question, my fair tormentor ? May I
dare to flatter myself that you at length feel
for my pains !"

" I am sadly afraid 'tis but too true, Polwarth,"
returned Agnes, shaking her head, and continuing
to look exceedingly grave.

Polwarth moved, with something like anima
tion again, nigher to the amused girl ; and at
tempted to take her hand, as he said —

LIONEL LINCOLN. 171

" You restore me to life with your sweet ac
knowledgments — I have lived for six months like
a dog under your frowns, but one kind word acts
like a healing balm, and restores me to myself
again !"

" Then my sympathy is evaporated !" returned
Agnes. " Throughout this long and anxious
day have I fancied myself older than my good,
staid, great-aunt ; and whenever certain thoughts
have crossed my mind, t have even imagined a
thousand of the ailings of age had encircled me —
rheumatisms, gouts, asthmas, and numberless
other aches and pains, exceedingly unbecoming to
a young lady of nineteen. But you have enlight
ened me, arid given vast relief to my apprehen
sions, by explaining it to be no more than sympa
thy. You see, Polwarth, what a wife you will
obtain, should I ever, in a weak moment, accept
you, for i have already sustained one-half your
burthens !"

" A man is not made to be in constant motion,
like the pendulum of that clock, Miss Danforth,
and yet feel no fatigue," said Polwarth, more
vexed than he would permit himself to betray;
" yet I flatter myself there is no officer in the
light-infantry — you understand me to say the
light-infantry — who has passed over more ground
within four-and-twenty hours, than the man who
hastens, notwithstanding his exploits, to throw
himself at your feet, even before he thinks of his
ordinary rest."

"Captain Polwarth," said Agnes, rising, "for
the compliment, if compliment it be, I thank you;
but," she added, losing her affected gravity in a
strong natural feeling that shone in her dark eye,
and illuminated the whole of her fine countenance,
as she laid her hand impressively on her heart —
" the man who will supplant the feelings which

172 LIONEL LINCOLN.

nature has impressed here, must not come to
my feet, as you call it, from a field of battle,
where he has been contending with my kinsmen,
and helping to enslave rny country. You will
excuse me, sir, but as Major Lincoln is at home
here, permit me, for a few minutes, to leave you
to his hospitality."

She withdrew as Lionel re-entered, passing
him on the threshold.

"I would rather be a leader in a stage-coach,
or a running footman, than in love !" cried Pol-
warth — " 'tis a dog's life, Leo, and this girl treat?
me like a cart-horse ! But what an eye she has !
I could have lighted my segar by it — my heart is
a heap of cinders. Why, Leo, what aileth thee !
throughout the whole of this damnable day, I
have not before seen thee bear such a troubled
look !"

" Let us withdraw to my private quarters/'
muttered the young man, whose aspect and air ex
pressed the marks of extreme disturbance — " 'tis
time to repair the disasters of our march."

" All that has been already looked to," said
Polwarth, rising and limping, with sundry gri
maces, in the best manner he was able, in a vain
effort to equal the rapid strides of his companion.
" My first business on leaving you was to borrow
a conveyance of a friend, in which 1 rode to your
place; and my next was to write to little Jimmy
Craig, to offer an exchange of my company for
his — for from this hour henceforth I denounce all
light-infantry movements, and shall take the first
opportunity to get back again into the dragoons,
as soon as I have effected which, major Lincoln,
I propose to treat with you for the purchase of
that horse — after that duty was performed, for, it
self-preservation be commendable, it became a

LIONEL LINCOLN. 173

iiuty, I made out a bill of fare for Meriton, in
order that nothing might be forgotten ; after
which, like yourself Lionel, I hastened to the
feet of my mistress — Ah! Major Lincoln, you are
a happy man ; for you, there is no reception but
smiles — and charms so" —

" Talk not to me sir, of smiles," interrupted
Lionel, impatiently, " nor of the charms of wo
man. They are all alike, capricious and unac
countable."

" Bless me !" exclaimed Polwarth, staring
about him in wonder ; " there is then favour for
none, in this place, who battle for th'e King!
There is a strange connexion between Cupid and
Mars, love and war ; for here did I, after fighting
all day like a Saracen, a Turk, JenghisKhan, or, in
short, any thing but a good Christian, come with
full intent to make a serious offer of my hand,
commission, and of Pol \varth-Hall, to that trea
sonable vixen, when she repulses me with a frown
and a sarcasm as biting as the salutation of a hun
gry man. But what an eye the girl has, and
what a bloom, when she is a little more seasoned
than common ! Then you, too, Lionel, have been
treated like a dog !"

" Like a fool, as t am," said Lionel, pacing
haughtily over the ground at a rate that soon
threw his companion too far in the rear to ad
mit of further discourse until they reached the
place of their destination. Here, to the no small
surprise of both gentlemen, they found a com
pany collected that neither was prepared to
meet. At a side-table, sat M'Fuse, discussing,
with singular relish, some of the cold viands
of the previous night's repast, and washing
down his morsels with deep potations of the best
wine of his host. In one corner of the room,
Seth Sage was posted, with the appearance of

16*

174 LIONEL LINCOLN.

man in duresse, his hands being tied before him,
rom which depended a long cord that might,
on emergency, be made to serve the purpose of a
halter. Opposite to the prisoner, for such in truth
he was, stood Job, imitating the example of the
Captain of Grenadiers, who now and then tossed
some fragment of his meal into the hat of the
simpleton. Meriton and several of th'e menials
of the establishment were in waiting.

" What have we here !" cried Lionel, regarding
the scene with a curious eye; " of what offence has
Mr. Sage been guilty, that he bears those bonds f"'

" Of the small crimes of tr'ason and homi
cide," returned M'Fuse, " if shooting at a man.
with a hearty mind to kill him, can make a
murder."

"It can't," said Seth, raising his eyes from the
floor, where he had hitherto kept them in de
mure silence ; " a man must kill with wicked in
tent to commit murder" —

" Hear to the blackguard, datailing the law as
if he were my Lord Chief Justice of the King's
Bench !" interrupted the grenadier ; " and what
was your own wicked intention, ye skulking va
gabond, but to kill me ! I'll have you tried and
hung for the same act."

" It's ag'in reason to believe that any jury will
convict one man for the murder of another that
a'nt dead," said Seth — " there's no jury to be
found in the Bay-colony, to do it."

" Bay-colony ! ye murdering thief and rebel !"
cried the Captain ; " I'll have ye transported to
England ; ye shall be both transported and hung.
By the Lord, I'll carry ye back to Ireland with
me, and I'll hang ye up in the green Island itself,
and bury ye, in the heart of winter, in a bog" —

" mit what is the offence," demanded Lionel.
(i that calls forth these severe threats ?"

LIONEL LINCOLN". 175

" The scoundrel has been out" —

" Out !"

" Ay, out — damn it, sir, has not the
whole country been like so many bees in search
of a hive ! Is your memory so short that ye
forget, already, Major Lincoln, the tramp the
blackguards have given you over hill and dale,
through thick and thin ?"

" And was Mr. Sage, then, found among our
enemies to-day?" —

" Didn't I see him pull trigger on my own
stature, three times within as many minutes !"
returned the angry captain ; "and didn't he break
the handle of my sword ?«and have not I a bit of
lead he calls a buck-shot in my shoulder as a pre
sent from the thief?"

" It's ag'in all law to call a man a thief," said
Job, " unless you can prove it upon him ; but it
an't ag'in law to go in and out of Boston as often
as you choose."

" Do you hear the rascals ! They know every
angle of the law as well, or better than I do my
self, who am the son of a Cork counsellor. I
dare to say, you were among them too, and
that ye deserve the gallows as well as your com
mendable companion, there."

"How is this!" said Lionel, turning quickly
away from Job, with a view to prevent a reply
that might endanger the safety of the changeling j
" did you not only mingle in this rebellion, Mr.
Sage, but also attempt the life of a gentleman
who may be said, almost, to be an inmate of
your own house ?" •

"I conclude," returned Seth, "it's best not
to talk too much, seeing that no one can foretell
what may happen."

" Hear to the cunning reprobate ! he has nol
the grace to acknowledge his own sins, like an
honest man," interrupted M'Fuse ; " but I can

176 LIONEL LINCOLN.

save him that small trouble — I got tired, you
must know. Major Lincoln, of being shot at like
noxious vermin, from morning till night, without
making some return to the compliments of those
gentlemen who are out on the hills ; and I took
advantage of a turn, ye see, to double on a party
of the uncivilized demons ; this lad, here, got
three good pulls at me, before we closed and
made an end of them with the steel, all but this
fellow, who having a becoming look for a gal
lows, I brought him in, as you see, for an ex
change, intending to hang him the first favoura
ble opportunity."

" If this be true we -must give him into the
hands of the proper authorities," said Lionel,
smiling at the confused account of the angry cap
tain — " for it remains to be *een-yet what course
will be adopted with the prisoners in this singular
contest."

" I should think nothing of the matter," re
turned M'Fuse, " if the reprobate had not tr'ated
me like a beast of the field, uith his buck-shot,
and taking his aim each time, as though I had
been a mad-dog. Ye villain, do you call your
self a man, and aim at a fellow-creature as
you would at a brute f"

" Why," said Seth, sullenly, " when a man has
pretty much made up his mind to fight, I con
clude it's best to take aim, in order to save ammu
nition and time."

" You acknowledge the charge, then !" de
manded Lionel.

" As the major is a moderate man, and will
hear to reason, I will talk the matter over with
him rationally," said Seth, disposing himself to
speak more to the purpose. " You see I had a
call to Concurd early this morning" —

" Concord !" exclaimed Lionel —

" Yes, Concurd," returned Seth, laying great

LIONEL LINCOLN. 177

stress on the first syllable, and speaking with an
air of extreme innocence — " it lies here-away,
say twenty or one-and-tvventy miles" —

" Damn your Concords and your miles too,"
cried Polwarth ; " is there a man in the army
who can forget the deceitful place ! Go on with
your defence, without talking to us of the distance,
who have measured the road by inches."

" The captain is hasty and rash !" said the de
liberate prisoner — " but being there, I went out
of the town with some company that I happened
in with ; and after a time we concluded to return —
and so, as we came to a bridge about a mile be
yond the place, we received considerable rough
treatment from some of the king's troops, who
were standing there — "

"What did they?"

" They fired at us, and killed two of our com
pany, besides other threatening doings. There
were some among us that took the matter up in
considerable earnest, and there was a sharp toss
about it for a few minutes ; though finally the law
prevailed."

" The law !"

" Certain — 'tis ag'in all law, I believe the major
will own, to shoot peaceable men on the public
highway !"

" Proceed with your tale in your own way."

" That is pretty much the whole of it," said
Seth, warily. " The people rather took that,
and some other things that happened at Lexing
ton, to heart, and I suppose the major knows the
rest."

" But what has all this to do with your at
tempt to murder me, you hypocrite?" demanded
M'Fuse — " confess the whole, ye thief, that I
may hang you with an aisy conscience."

" Enough," said Lionel; " the man has acknow
ledged sufficient already to justify us in transfer-

178 LIONEL LINCOLN.

ring him to the custody of others — let him be
taken to the main guard, and delivered as a pri
soner of this day."

" I hope the major will look to the things," said
Seth, who instantly prepared to depart, but stop
ped on the threshold to speak — " I shall hold
him accountable for all."

" Your property shall be protected, and I hope
your life may not be in jeopardy," returned Lio
nel, waving his hand for those who guarded him
to proceed. Seth turned, and left his own dwell
ing with the same quiet air which had distinguish
ed him throughout the day ; though there were
occasional flashes from his quick, dark eyes,
that looked like the glimmerings of a fading
fire. Notwithstanding the threatening denunci
ation he* had encountered, he left the house
with a perfect conviction, that if his case were
to be tried by those principles of justice which
every man in the Colony so well understood, it
would be found that both he and his fellows had
kept thoroughly on the windy side of the law.

During this singular and characteristic dis
course, Polwarth, with the solitary exception we
have recorded, had employed his time in for
warding the preparations for the banquet.

As Seth and his train disappeared, Lionel
cast a furtive look at Job, who was a quiet
and apparently an undisturbed spectator of the
scene, and then turned his attention suddenly
to his guests, as if fearful the folly of the change
ling might betray his agency also in the deeds
of the day. The simplicity of the lad, however,
defeated the kind intentions of the major, for he
immediately observed, without the least indica
tion of fear —

"The king can't hang Seth Sage for firing
back, when the rake-helly soldiers began first.5'

LIONEL LINCOLN. 179

" Perhaps you were out too, master Solomon,"
cried M'Fuse, " amusing yourself at Concord,
with a small party of select friends !"

" Job didn't go any further than Lexington,"
returned the lad, " and he hasn't got any friend,
except old Nab."

" The devil has possessed the minds of the
people !" continued the grenadier — " lawyers and
doctors — praists and sinners — old and young —
big- and little, beset us ir our march, and here is
a fool to be added to the number ! I dare say
that fellow, now, has attempted murder in his
day too."

"Job scorns such wickedness," returned the
unmoved simpleton ; " he only shot one gran
ny, and hit an officer in the arm."

" D'ye hear that, Major Lincoln !" cried
M'Fuse, jumping from the seat, which, notwith
standing the bitterness of his language, he had
hitherto perseveringly maintained ; " d'ye hear
that shell of a man, that effigy, boasting of hav
ing killed a grenadier !"

" Hold" — interrupted Lionel, arresting his ex
cited companion by the arm — " remember, we
are soldiers, and that the boy is not a responsible
being. No tribunal would ever sentence such an
unfortunate creature to a gibbet ; and in general
he is as harmless as a babe — "

" The devil burn such babes — a pretty fellow
is he to kill a man of six feet ! and with a ducking
gun I'll engage. I'll not bang the rascal, Major
Lincoln, since it is your particular wish — I'll only
have him buried alive."

Job continued perfectly unmoved in his chair,
and the captain, ashamed of his resentment
against such unconscious imbecility, was soon
persuaded to abandon his intentions of revenge,
though he continued muttering his threats against
the provincials, and his denunciations against

180 LIONEL LINCOLN'.

such " an unmanly spacies of warfare," until the
much-needed repast was ended.

Polwarth having restored the equilibrium of
his system by a hearty meal, hobbled to his
bed, -and M'Fuse, without any ceremony, look
possession of another of the apartments in the
tenement of Mr. Sage. The servants withdrew
to their own entertainment, and Lionel, who had
been sitting for the last half hour in melancholy
silence, now unexpectedly found himself alone
with the changeling. Job had waited for this
moment with exceeding patience, but when the
door closed on Meriton, who was the last to
retire, he made a movement that indicated some
communication of more than usual importance,
and succeeded in attracting the attention of his
companion.

" Foolish boy !" exclaimed Lionel, as he met
the unmeaning eye of the other, " did I not warn
you that wicked men might endanger your life !
how was it that I saw you in arms to-day, against
the troops?"

" How carne the troops in arms ag'in Jobr:'
returned the changelint — " they needn't think to
wheel about the Bay-Province, clashing their
godless drums and trumpet^, burning housen, and
shooting people, and find no stir about it !"

" Do you know that your life has been twice
forfeited within twelve hours, by your own con
fession ; once for murder, and again for treason
against your king ? You have acknowledged kill
ing a man !"

" Yes," said the lad, with undisturbed simplici
ty, " Job shot the granny ; but he didn't let the
people kill Major Lincoln."

" True, true," said Lionel, hastily — " I owe my
life to you, and that debt shall be cancelled at
every hazard. But why have you put yourself

LIONEL LINCOLN. 181

into the hands of your enemies so thoughtlessly—
what brings you here to-night r"'

" Ralph told me to come ; and if Ralph told
Job to go into the king's parlour, he would go."

" Ralph !" exclaimed Lionel, stopping in his
hurried walk across the room, and where is he ?"

" In the old ware-'us', and he has sent me to
tell you to come to him — and what Ralph says
must be done."

" He here too ! is the ruan crazed — would not
his fears teach him — "

" Fears !" interrupted Job, with singular dis
dain — " you can't frighten Ralph ! The gran
nies couldn't frighten ,him, nor the light-infantry
couldn't hit him, though he eat nothing but
their smoke the whole day — Ralph's a proper
warrior!"

" And he waits me, you say, in the tenement
of your mother ?"

" Job don't know what tenement means, but
he's in the old ware-'us'."

" Come, then," said Lionel, taking his hat,
" let us go to him — I must save him from the
effects of his own rashness, though it cost my
commission !"

He left the room while speaking, and the sim
pleton followed close at his heels, well content
with having executed his mission without en
countering any greater difficulties.

VOL.

CHAPTER XII.

•'-• This play is the image of a murder done i» Vienna .
" Gonzago is the Duke's name ; his wife, Bapiista :
" You shall see, anon ; 'tis a kwAvish piece of work.'1

Hamlet,

THE agitation and deep excitement produced
by the events of the day, had not yet subsided
in the town, when Lionel found himself again
in its narrow streets. Men passed swiftly by him,
as if bent on some unusual and earnest business;
and more than once the young soldier detected
the triumphant smiles of the women, as the\
looked curiously out on the scene, from their half-
open windows, and their eyes detected the pro
fessional trappings of his dress. Strong bodies of
the troops" were marching in different directions,
and in a manner which denoted that the guards
were strengthening, while the few solitary officers
he met watched his approaching figure with
cautious jealousy, as if they apprehended a dan
gerous enemy in every form they encountered.

The gates of Province-house were open, and,
as usual, guarded by armed men. As Lionel
passed leisurely along, he perceived that the gre
nadier to whom he had spoken OH the preceding

LIONEL LINCOLN. 183

e'vening, again held his watch before the portal
of the governor.

" Your experience did not deceive you, my
old comrade," said Lionel, lingering a moment
to address him — " we have had a warm day."

" So it is reported in the barracks, you*
honour," returned the soldier — " our company
was not ordered out, and we are to stand douWe
duty. I hope to God the next time there is

any thing to do, the grenadiers of the th may

not be left behind — it would have been for the
credit of the army had they been in the field
to-day."

" Why do you think so, my veteran ? The
men who were out are thought to have behaved
well ; but it was impossible to make head against
a multitude in arms."

" It is not my place, your honour, to say this
man did well, and that man behaved amiss," re
turned the proud old soldier ; " but when I hear
of two thousand British troops turning their backs,
or quickening their march before all the rabble
this country can muster, I want the flank compa
nies of the th to be at hand, if it should be

only that I may say I have witnessed the disgrace
ful sight with my own eyes."

"There is no disgrace where there is no mis
conduct," said Lionel.

"There must have been misconduct some
where, your honour, or such a thing could not
have happened — consider, your honour, the very
flower of the army ! Something must have been
wrong, and although I could see the latter part of
the business from the hills, I can hardly believe it
to be true." As he concluded, he shook his head,
and continued his steady pace along his allotted
ground, as if unwilling to pursue the humiliating
subject any further. Lionel passed slowly on.

184 LIONEL LINCOLN.

musing on that deep-rooted prejudice, which had
even taught this humble menial of the crown to
regard with contempt a whole nation, because
they were believed to be dependants.

The dock-square was stiller than usual, and
the sounds of revelry, which it was usual to hear at
that hour from the adjacent drinking-houses,
\?ere no longer audible. The moon had not yet
risen, and Lionel passed under the dark arches of
the market with a quick step, as he now remem
bered that one in whom he felt so deep an interest
awaited his appearance. Job, who had followed
in silence, glided by him on the drawbridge, and
stood holding the door of the old building in his
hand, when he reached its threshold. Lionel
found the large space in the centre of the ware
house, as usual, dark and empty, though the dim
light of a candle glimmered through the fissures in
a partition which separated an apartment in one of
the little towers that was occupied by Abigail
Pray, from the ruder parts of the edifice. Low
voices were also heard issuing from this room, and
Major Lincoln, supposing he should find the old
man and the mother of Job in conference to
gether, turned to request the lad would precede
him, and announce his name. But the change
ling had also detected the whispering sounds, and
it would seem with a more cunning ear, for he
turned and darted through the door of the build
ing with a velocity that did not abate until Lio
nel, who watched his movements with amazement,
saw his shuffling figure disappear among the
shambles of the market-place. Thus deserted by
his guide, Lionel groped his way towards the
place where he believed he should find the door
which led into the tower. The light deceived
him, for as he approached it, his eye glanced
through one of the crevices of the wall, and he

LIONEL LINCOLN. 185

again became an unintentional witness of an
other of those interviews which evinced the sin
gular and mysterious affinity between the fortunes
of the affluent and respected Mrs. Lechmere and
the miserable tenant of the warehouse. Until
that moment, the hurry of events, and the crowd
of reflections which had rushed over the mind of
the young man throughout the busy time of the
last twenty-four hours, had prevented his recalling
the hidden meaning of the singular discourse of
which he had already been an auditor. But now,
when he found his aunt led into these haunts of
beggary, by a feeling he was not weak enough to
attribute to her charity, he stood rooted to the
spot by a curiosity, which, at the same time that he
found it irresistible, he was willing to excuse, un
der a strong impression that these private com
munications were in some way connected with
himself.

Mrs. Lechmere had evidently muffled her per
son in a manner that was intended to conceal
this mysterious visit from any casual observer of
her movements; but the hoops of her large calash
were now so far raised as to admit a distinct view
of her withered features, and of the hard eye which
shot forth its selfish, worldly glances, from amid
the surrounding decay of nature. She was seat
ed, both in indulgence to her infirmities, and
from that assumption of superiority she never ne
glected in the presence of her inferiors, while her
companion stood before her, in an attitude that
partook more of restraint than of respect.

" Your weakness, foolish woman," said Mrs.
Lechmere, in those stern, repulsive tones she so
well knew how to use when she wished to intimi
date, " will yet prove your ruin. You owe it to
respect for yourself, to your character, and even
to your safety, that vou should exhibit more firm-
17"

186 LIONEL LINCOLN.

ness, and show yourself above this weak and
idle superstition."

" My ruin ! and my character !" returned Abi
gail, looking about her with a haggard eye and a
trembling lip ; " what is ruin, Madam Lechmere,
if this poverty be not called so! or what loss of
character can bring upon me more biting scorn
than I am now ordained to suffer for rny sins !"

" Perhaps," said Mrs. Lechmere, endeavouring
to affect a kinder tone, though dislike was still too
evident in her manner, "in the hurry of my grand-
nephew's reception, I have forgotten rny usual
liberality."

The woman look the piece of silver which
Mrs. Lechmere slowly placed in her hand, and
held it in her open palm for several moments, re
garding it with a vacant look, which the other
mistook for dissatisfaction.

" The troubles, and the decreasing value ol
property, have sensibly affected my income," con
tinued the richly clad and luxurious Mrs. Lech
mere ; " but if that should be too little for your
immediate wants, I will add to it another crown."

" ''Twill do — 'twill do," said Abigail, clenching
her hand over the money, with a grasp that wa<-
convulsive — " yes, yes, 'twill do. Oh ! Madam
Lechmere, humbling and sinful as that wicked
passion is, would to God that no motive worse
than avarice had proved my ruin!"

Lionel thought his aunt cast an uneasy and
embarrassed glance at her companion, which he
construed into an expression that betrtiyed there
were secrets even between these strange con
fidants ; but the momentary surprise exhibited in
her features, soon gave place to her habitual look
of guarded and severe formality; and she replied,
with p.n air of (!o:dnes«. as if she would repulse

LIONEL LINCOLN. 187

any .approach to an acknowledgment of their
common transgression —

" The woman talks like one who is beside her
self! of what crime has she been guilt)', but such
as those to which our nature is liable !"

" True, true," said Abigail Pray, with a half-
stifled, hysterical laugh — " 'tis our guilty, guilty
nature, as you say. But I grow nervous, I believe.
as 1 grow old and feeble, Madam Lechmere ; and
I often forget myself. The sight of the grave so
very near, is apt to bring thoughts of repentance
to such as are more hardened even than I."

" Foolish girl !" said Mrs. Lechmere, endea
vouring to skreen her pallid features, by drawing
down her calash, with a hand that trembled
more with terror than with age, " why should you
speak thus freely of death, who are but a child !"

Lionel heard the faltering, husky tones of his
aunt, as they appeared to die in her throat, but
nothing more was distinctly audible, until, after a
long pause, she raised her face, and looked about
her again with her severe, unbending eye, and
continued —

" Enough of this folly, Abigail Pray — I have
come to learn more of your strange inmate — "

" Oh! 'tis not enough, Madam Lechmere," in
terrupted the conscience-stricken woman; "we
have so little time left us for penitence and prayer,
that there never can be enough, I fear, to an
swer our mighty transgressions. Let us speak of
the grave, Madam Lechmere, while we can yet
do it on this side of eternity."

" Ay ! speak of the grave, while out of its
damp cloisters; 'tis the home of the aged," said
a third voice, whose hollow tones might well
have issued from some tomb. " and I am here
to join in the wholesome theme."

"Who — who — in the name of God. who art

I8S LIONEL LINCOLN.

thou !" exclaimed Mrs. Lechmere, forgetting her
infirmities, and her secret compunctions, in new
emotions, and rising involuntarily from her seat;
" tell me, I conjure thee, who art thou ?"

"One, aged like thyself, Priscilla Lechmere,
and standing on the threshold of that final home
of which you would discourse. Speak on, then,
ye widowed women ; for if ever ye have done
aught that calls for forgiveness, 'tis in the grave ye
shall find the heavenly gift of mercy offered to your
unworthiness."

By changing the position of his body a little,
Lionel was now enabled to command a view of
the whole apartment. In the door-way stood
Ralph, immovable in his attitude, with one
hand raised high towards heaven, and the other
pointing impressively downward, as if about to
lay bare the secrets of that tomb of which his
wasted limbs, and faded lineaments marked him
as a fit tenant, while his searching eye-balls
glared about him, from the face of one to the
other, with that look of quickness and penetra
tion, that Abigail Pray had so well described as
'scorching.' Within a few feet of the old man,
JVJrs. Lechmere remained standing, rigid and
motionless as marble, her calash fallen back,
and her death-like features exposed, with hor
ror and astonishment rooted in every muscle,
as with open mouth, and eyes riveted on the
intruder, she gazed as steadily as if placed in
that posture by the chisel of the statuary. Abi
gail shaded her eyes with her hand, arid buried
her face in the folds of her garments, while
strong convulsive shudderings ran through her
frame, and betrayed the extent of the emotions
she endeavoured to conceal. Amaxed at what
he had witnessed, and concerned for the ap
parent insensibility of his aunt, whose great age

LIONEL LINCOLN. 189

rendered such scenes dangerous, Lionel was about
to rush into the apartment, when Mrs. Lech-
mere so far recovered her faculties as to speak,
and the young man lost every consideration in a,
burning curiosity, which was powerfully justified
by his situation.

" Who is it that calls me by the name of Pris-
eilla?" said Mrs. Lechmere ; "none now live who
can claim to be so familiar."

" Priscilla — Priscilla," repeated the old man,
looking about him, as if he would require the.
presence of another ; " it is a soft and pleasant
sound to my ears, and there is one that owns it
besides thee, as thou knowest."

" She is dead ; years have gone by since I saw
her in her coffin ; and I would forget her, and all
like her, who have proved unworthy of my blood."

" She is not dead !" — shouted the old man, in
a voice that rung through the naked rafters of
the edifice like the unearthly tones of sr-rne spirit
of the air ; " she lives — she lives — av ! she yet
lives !"

" Lives!" repeated Mrs. Lechmere, recoiling
a step before the forward movement of the other j
" why am I so weak as to listen! 'tis impossible."

" Lives !" exclaimed Abigail Pray, clasping
her hands with agony ; " Oh ! would to God she
did live ! but did I not see her a bloated, dis
figured corpse! did I not with these very hands
place the grave-clothes about her once lovely

frame ! Oh ! no — she is dead — dead — and I am.
a»

" 'Tis some madman that asserts these idle
tales," exclaimed Mrs. Lechmere, with a quick
ness that interrupted the criminal epithet the other
was about to apply to herself. " The unfortunate
girl is long since dead, as we know ; why should
we reason with a maniac ?"

190 LIONEL LINCOLN.

" Maniac !" repeated Rafph, with an expres
sion of the most taunting irony; "no — no — no —
such an one there is, as you and I well know,
but 'tis not [ who am mad — thou art rather
crazed thyself, woman ; thou hast made one
maniac already, wouldst thou make another ?"

" I !" said Mrs. Lechmere, without quailing
before the ardent look she encountered — " that
God who bestows reason, recalls his gift at will j
'tis not I who exercise such power."

" How say'st thou, Priscilla Lechmere ?" cried
Ralph, stepping with an inaudible tread so nigh
as to grasp, unpcrceived, her motionless arm with
his, own wasted fingers ; " yes — 1 will call thee
Priscilla, little as thou deserves! such a holy name
— dost thou deny the power to craze — where,
then, is the head of thy boasted race? the proud
Baronet of Devonshire, the wealthy, and respect
ed, and once happy companion of Princes — thy
nephew Lionel Lincoln? Is he in the halls of his
fathers? leading the armies of his king? — ruling
and protecting his household ? — or is he the te
nant of a gloomy cell ? — thou knowest he is —
thou knowest he is — and, woman, thy vile ma
chinations have placed him there !"

" Who is it that dare thus speak to me !" de
manded Mrs. Lechmere, rallying her faculties
with a mighty effort, to look down this charge —
" if my unhappy nephew is indeed known to theey
thy own knowledge will refute this base accusa
tion" —

"Known to me ! I would ask what is hid from
me? I have looked at thee, and observed thy
conduct, woman, for the life of man, and nothing
that thou hast done is hid from me — I tell thee,
I know all. Of this sinful woman here also, I know
all — have I not told thee, Abigail Pray, of thy
most secret transgressions ?"

LIONEL LINCOLN. 191

" Oh ! yes — yes ; he is indeed acquainted
with what I had thought was now concealed
from every eye but that of God" — cried Abigail,
with superstitious terror —

"Norofthee am I ignorant, thou miserable
widow of John Lechmere ; and of Priscilla, too,
do I not know all ?" —

11 All !" again exclaimed Abigail —

"All!" repeated Mrs. Lechmere in a voice
barely audible, when she sunk back in her chair,
in a state of total insensibility The breathless inte
rest he felt in all that had passed, could detain
Lionel no longer from rushing to the assistance of
his aunt. Abigail Pray, who, it would seem, had
been in some measure accustomed to such scenes
with her lodger, retained, however, sufficient self-
command to anticipate his motions, and when he
had gained the door he found her already support
ing, and making the usual applications to Mrs,
Lechmere. It became necessary to divest the suf
ferer of part of her attire, and Abigail assuring
Lionel of her perfect competency to act by herself,
requested him to withdraw, not only on that ac
count, but because she felt assured that nothing
could prove more dangerous to her reviving pa
tient, than his unexpected presence. After linger
ing a moment, until he witnessed the signs of
returning life, Lionel complied with the earnest
entreaties of the woman ; and leavirlg the room,
he groped his way to the foot of the ladder, with
a determination to ascend to the apartment of
Ralph, in order to demand at once an explana
tion of what he had just seen and heard. He
found the old man seated in his little tower, hip
hand shading his eyes from the feeble light of
the miserable candle, and his head drooping upon
his bosom, like one in pensive musing. Lionel
approached him, without appearing to attract

192 L10SEL LINCOLN*

his attention, and was compelled to speak, ia or
der to announce his presence.

" I have received your summons, by Job,'-'
he said, " and have obeyed it."

" 'Tis well," returned Ralph.

"Perhaps I should add that I have been an as
tonished witness of your interview with Mrs.
Lechmere, and have heard the bold and unac
countable language you have seen proper to use
to that lady."

The old man now raised his head, and Lionel
saw the bright rays from his eyes quicken, as
he answered —

" You then heard the truth, and witnessed its
effects on a guilty conscience."

" I also heard what you call the truth, in con
nexion, -as you know, with the names most dear
to me."

" Art certain of it, boy ?" returned Ralph,
looking the other steadily in the face; "has
no other become dearer to you, of late, than
the authors of your being — speak, and remember
that you answer one of no common knowledge."

"What mean you, sir! is it in nature to love
any as we do a parent ?"

"Away with this childish simplicity, "continued
the other sternly; "the grandchild of that
wretched woman below — do you not love her,
and can I put trusi in thee !"

" What trust is there incompatible with affec
tion for a being so pure as Cecil Dynevor ?"

" Ay," murmured the old man in an under
tone, "her mother was pure, and why may not the
child be worthy of its parentage ?" He paused,
and a long, and on the part of Lionel, a painful
and embarrassed silence succeeded, which was at
length broken by Ralph, who said, abruptly —
*' you were in the field to-day, Major Lincoln."

LIONEL LINCOLN. 193

•' Of that you must be certain, as I owe my life
to your kind interposition. But why have you
braved the danger of an arrest, by trusting your
person in the power of the troops? Your presence
and activity among the Americans must be
known to many in the army besides myself."

" And would they think of searching for theii
enemies within the streets of Boston, when the hills
without are filling with armed men! My residence
in this building is known only to the woman below,
who dare not betray me, her worthy son, and to
you. My movements are secret and sudden
when men least expect them. Danger cannot
touch such as I."

"But," said Lionel, hesitating with embar
rassment, " ought I to conceal the presence of
one whom I know to be inimical to my king ?" —

"Lionel Lincoln, you overrate your courage,"
interrupted Ralph, smiling in scorn — " you
dare not shed the blood of him who has spared
your own;1 — but enough of this — we understand
each other, and one old as I should be a stranger
to fear ?"

" No, no," said a low, solemn voice, from a
dark corner of the apartment, where Job had
stolen unseen, and was now nestled in security —
"you can't frighten Ralph !"

" The boy is a worthy boy, and he knows good
from evil ; what more is necessary to man in this
wicked world !" muttered Ralph, in those quick
and indistinct tones that characterized his manner.

" Whence came you, fellow, and why did you
abandon me so abruptly f" demanded Lionel.

" Job has just been into the market to see if he
couldn't find something that might be good for
Nab." returned the lad.

" Think not to impose on me with this non-

VOL. I. lg

194 LIONEL LINCOLN.

sense! Is food to be purchased at any hour of
the night, though you had the means !"

" Now that is convincing the king's officers
don't know every thing," said the simpleton,
laughing within himself—" here's as good a
pound bill, old tenor, as was ever granted by
the Bay-Colony, and meat's no such rarity,
that a man, who has a pound-bill, old tenor, in
his pocket, can't go under old Funnel when he
pleases, for all their acts of parliament."

" You have plundered the dead !" cried Lio
nel, observing that Job exhibited in his hand
several pieces of silver, besides the note he had
mentioned.

"Don't call Job a thief!" said the lad, with
a threatening air ; " there's law in the Bay
yet, though the people don't use it; and right
will be done to all, when the time cornes. Job
shot a granny, but he's no thief."

" You were then paid for your secret errand,
last night, foolish boy ; and have been tempted
to run into danger by money. Let it be the
last time — in future, when you want, come to me
for assistance."

"Job won't go of a'r'nds for the king if he'd
give him his golden crown, with all its di'monds
and flauntiness, unless Job pleases, for there's no
law for it."

Lionel, with a view to appease the irritated
lad, now made a few kind and conciliating
remarks, but the changeling did not deign to re
ply, falling back in his corner in a sullen manner,
as if he would repair the fatigue of the day by a
few moments of sleep. In the mean time, Ralph
had sunk into a profound reverie, when the youni
soldier remembered that the hour was late,
and he had yet obtained no explanation of the
mysterious charges. He therefore alluded to

LIONEL LINCOLN. 195

the subject, in a manner \vhich he thought
best adapted to obtain the desired intelligence.
The instant Lionel mentioned the agitation of his
aunt, his companion raised his head again, and a
smile like thai of fierce exaltation lighted the
wan face of the old man, who answered, pointing
with an emphatic gesture to his own bosom —

" 'Twas here, boy, 'twas here — nothing short
of the power of conscience, and a knowledge
like that of mine, could strike that woman speech
less in the presence of any thing human."

"But what is this extraordinary knowledge?
I am in some degree the natural protector of
Mrs. Lechmere, and independent of my indivi^
dual interest in your secret, have a right, in her
behalf, to require an explanation of such serious
allegations."

" In her behalf!" repeated Ralph. " Wait, im
petuous young man, until she bids you push the
inquiry — it shall then be answered, in a voice
of thunder."

" If not in justice to my aged aunt, at least re
member your repeated promises to unfold that
sad tale of my own domestic sorrows, of which
you claim to be the master."

" Ay, of that, and much more, am I in posses
sion," returned the old man, smiling, as if con
scious of his knowledge and power ; " if you
doubt it, descend and ask the miserable tenant
of this, warehouse — or the guilty widow of John
Lechmere."

" Nay, I doubt nothing but my own patience ;
the moments fly swiftly, and 1 have yet to learn
all I wish to know."

" This is neither the time, nor is it the place,
where you are to hear the tale," returned Ralph ;
" I have already said that we shall meet be
yond the colleges for that purpose."

196 LIONEL LINCOLN.

" But after the events of this day, who can tell
when it will be in the power of an officer of the
crown to visit the colleges in safety ?"

" What !" cried the old man, laughing aloud,
in the bitterness of his scorn " has the boy found
the strength and the will of the despised colonists
so soon ! But I pledge to thee my word, that
thou shall yet see the place, and in safety. — Yes,
yes, Priscilla Lechmere, thy hour'is at hand, and
thy doom is sealed for ever !"

Lionel again mentioned his aunt, and alluded
to the necessity of his soon rejoining her, as
he already heard footsteps below, which indicated
that preparations were making for her departure.
But his petitions and remonstrances were now
totally unheeded, his aged companion was pacing
swiftly up and down his small apartment, mutter
ing incoherent sentences, in which the name of
Priscilla was alone audible, and his countenance
betraying the inward workings of absorbing and
fierce passions. In a few moments more, the
shrill voice of Abigail was heard calling upon her
son, in a manner which plainly denoted her know
ledge that the changeling was concealed some
where about the building. Job heard her calls re
peated, until the tones of her voice became angry
and threatening, when he stole slowly from his
corner, and moved towards the ladder, with a
sunken brow and lingering steps. Lionel now
knew not how to act. His aunt was still ignorant
of his presence, and he thought if Abigail Pray
had wished him to appear, he would in some
manner be soon included in the summons. He had
also his own secret reasons for wishing his visits
to Ralph unknown ; accordingly, he determined
to watch the movements below, under the favour
of the darkness, and to be governed entirely 03

LIONEL LINCOLN.

197

circumstances. He took no leave of his compa
nion on departing, for long use had so far accus
tomed him to the eccentric manner of the old
man, that he well knew any attempt to divert
his attention from his burning thoughts, would be
futile at a moment of such intense excitement.

From the head of the ladder where Lionel
took his stand, he saw Mrs. Lechmere, preced
ed by Job with a lantern, walking with a firmer
step than he could have hoped for, towards the
door, and he overheard Abigail cautioning her
wilful son to light her visiter to a neighbouring
corner, where it appeared a conveyance was in
waiting. On the threshold, his aunt turned, and
the light from the candle of Abigail falling on her
features, Lionel caught a full view of her cold,
hard eye, which had regained all its worldly ex
pression, though softened a little by a deeper
shade of thought than usual.

" Let the scene of to-night be forgotten, my
good Abigail," she said. " Your lodger is a
nameless being, who has gleaned some idle tale,
and wishes to practise on our credulity to en
rich himself. I will consider more of it; but
on no account do you hold any further com
munion with him — I must remove you, my trusty
woman ; this habitation is unworthy of you, and
of your dutiful son, too — I must see you better
lodged, rny good Abigail, indeed I must."

Lionel could distinguish the slight shudder that
passed through the frame of her companion, as
she alluded to the doubtful character of Ralph;
but without answering, Abigail held the door open
for the departure of her guest. The instant Mrs.
Lechmere disappeared, Lionel glided down the
ladder, and stood before the astonished woman.

" When I tell you 1 have heard all that passed
to-night," he abruptly said, "you will see the folly
18 *

198 LIONEL LINCOLN.

of any further attempt at concealment — I now
demand so much of your secret as affects the hap
piness of rne or mine."

" No — no — not of me, Major Lincoln," sawl
the terrified female — " not of me, for the love oi
God, not of me — I have sworn to keep it, and

one oath " her emotions choked her, and her

voice became indistinct.

Lionel regretted his vehemence, and ashamed
to extort a confession from a woman, he attempt
ed to pacify her feelings, promising to require no
further communication at that time.

" Go — go" — she said, motioning him to depart.
" and I shall be well again — leave me, and then
I shall be alone with that terrible old man, and
my God !"

Perceiving her earnestness, he reluctantly com
plied, and meeting Job on the threshold, he ceas
ed to feel any further uneasiness for her safety.

During his rapid walk to Tremont-street, Major
Lincoln thought intently on all he had heard and
witnessed. He remembered the communications
by which Ralph had attained such a powerful
interest in his feelings, and he fancied he could
discover a pledge of the truth of the old man's
knowledge in the guilt betrayed by the manner
of his aunt. From Mrs. Lechmere his thought?
recurred to her lovely grandchild, and for a mo
ment he was .perplexed, by endeavouring to ex
plain her contradictory deportment towards him
self; — at one lime she was warm, frank, and
even affectionate; and at another, as in the short
and private interview of that very evening,
cold, constrained, and repulsive. Then, again,
he recollected the object which had chiefly in
duced him to follow his regiment to his native
country, and the recollection was attended
by that shade of dejection which such reflection?

LIONEL LINCOLN. 199

never failed to cast across his intelligent fea
tures. On reaching the house, he ascertained
the safe return of Mrs. Lechmere, who had
already retired to her room, attended by her
lovely relatives. Lionel immediately followed
their example, and as the excitement of that
memorable and busy day subsided, it was suc
ceeded by a deep sleep, that fell on his senses
like the forgetfulness of the dead.

CHAPTER XIII.

(i Now let it work : Mischief thou art afoot,.
" Take thou what course thou wilt !"

Shakspeare.

THE alarm of the inroad passed swiftly ty
the low shores of the Atlantic, and was heard
echoing among the rugged mountains west of
the rivers, as if borne along on a whirlwind. The
male population, between the rolling waters of
Massachusetts-Bay and the limpid stream of the
Connecticut, rose as one man ; and as the cry
of blood was sounded far inland, the hills and
valleys, the highways and footpaths, were seen co
vered with bands of armed husbandmen, pressing
eagerly toward the scene of the war. Within
eight-and-forty hours after the fatal meeting at
Lexington, it was calculated that more than a
hundred thousand men were in arms; and near
one-fourth of that number was gathered before
the Peninsulas of Boston and Charlestown.
They who were precluded by distance, and a
want of military provisions to support such a
concourse, from participating in the more im
mediate contest, lay by in expectation of the ar
rival of that moment when their zeal might also

LIONEL LINCOLN. 201

be put to severer trials. In short, the sullen
quietude in which the colonies had been slum
bering for a year, was suddenly and rudely broken
by the events of that day; and the patriotic among
the people rose with such a cry of indignation
on their Ijps, that the disaffected, who were no
insignificant class in the more southern pro
vinces, were compelled to silence, until the first
burst of revolutionary excitement had an oppor
tunity to subside, under the never-failing influ
ence of time and suffering.

Gage, secure in his positions, and supported
by a constantly increasing power, as well as the
presence of a formidable fleet, looked on the
gathering storm with a steady eye, and with that
calmness which distinguished the mild benevo
lence of his private character. Though the at
titude and the intentions of the Americans could
no longer be mistaken, he listened with reluctant
ears to the revengeful advice of his counsellors,
and rather strove to appease the tumult, than to
attempt crushing it by a force, which, though a
month before, it had been thought equal to the
united power of the peaceful colonists, he now
prudently deemed no more than competent to
protect itself within its watery boundaries. Pro
clamations were, however, fulminated against the
rebels; and such other measures as were thought
indispensable to assert the dignity and authority
of the crown, were promptly adopted. Of course,
these harmless denunciations were disregarded,
and all his exhortations to return to an allegiance
which the people still denied had ever been im
paired, were lost amid the din of arms, and the
popular cries of the tirue. These appeals of the
British General, as well as sundry others, made
by the royal governors who yet held their rule
throughout all the provinces, except the one in

202 LIONEL LINCOLN.

which the scene of our tale is laid, were answered
by the people in humble, but manly petitions to
the throne for justice ; and in loud remonstrances
to the Parliament, requiring to be restored to the
possession of those rights and immunities which
should be secured to all who enjoyed the protec
tion of their common constitution. Still the power
arid prerogatives of the Prince were deeply re
spected, and were alluded to, in all public docu
ments, with the veneration which was thought due
to the sacredness of his character and station.
But that biting, though grave sarcasm which the
colonists knew so well how to use, was freely
expended on his ministers, who were accused of
devising the measures so destructive to the peace
of the empire. In this manner passed some weeks
after the series of skirmishes which were called
the battle of Lexington, from the circumstance
of commencing at the hamlet of that name,
both parties continuing to prepare for a mightier,
exhibition of their power and daring.

Lionel had by no means been an unconcern
ed spectator of these preparations The morn
ing after the return of the detachment, he applied
for a command, equal to his just expectations.
But while he was complimented on the spirit
and loyalty he had manifested on the late oc
casion, it was intimated to the young man that
he might be of more service to the cause of his
Prince, by devoting his time to the cultivation of
his interest among those powerful colonists with
whom his family was allied by blood, or con
nected by long and close intimacies. It was
even submitted to his own judgment whether it
would not be well, at some auspicious moment,
to trust his person without the defences of the
army, in the prosecution of this commendable
design. There was so much thai was flatter-

LIONEL LINCOLN. 203

Ing to the self-love, and soothing to the pride
of the young soldier, artfully mingled with these
ambiguous proposals, that he became content
to await the course of events, having, how
ever, secured a promise of obtaining a suitable
military command in the case of further hostili
ties. That such an event was at hand, could not
well be concealed from one much less observing
than Major Lincoln.

Gage had already abandoned his temporary
position in Charlestown, for the sake of procur
ing additional security by concentrating his
force. From the hills of the Peninsula of Bos
ton, it was apparent that the colonists were
fast assuming the front of men who were re
solved to beleaguer the army of the King.
Many of the opposite heights were already
crowned with hastily-formed works of earth, and
a formidable body of these unpractised warriors
had set themselves boldly down before the en
trance to the isthmus, cutting off all communica
tion with the adjacent country, and occupying
the little village of Roxbury, directly before the
muzzles of the British guns, with a hardiness that
would not have disgraced men much longer tried
in the field, and more inured to its dangers.

The surprise created in the army by these ap
pearances of skill and spirit among the hitherto
despised Americans, in some measure ceased
when the rumour spread itself in their camp, that
many gentlemen of the Provinces, who had served
with credit in the forces of the crown, at former
periods, were mingled with the people in sta
tions of responsibility and command. Among
others, Lionel heard the names of Ward and
Thomas; men of liberal attainments, and of some
experience in arms. Both were regularly com
missioned by the Congress of the colony as
leaders of their forces; and under their orders

204 LIONEL LINCOLN.

were numerous regiments duly organized ; pos
sessing all the necessary qualifications of sol
diers, excepting the two indispensible requisites
of discipline and arms. Lionel heard the name
of Warren mentioned oftener than any other
in the circles of Province-house, and with
that sort of bitterness, which, even while it
bespoke their animosity, betrayed the respect of
his enemies. This gentleman, who, until the last
moment had braved the presence of the royal
troops, and fearlessly advocated his principles,
while encircled with their bayonets, was now
known to have suddenly disappeared from
among them, abandoning home, property, and a
lucrative profession; and by' sharing in the
closing scenes of the day of Lexington, to have
fairly cast his fortunes on the struggle. But
the name which in secret possessed the greatest
charm for the ear of the young British soldier,
was that of Putnam, a yeoman of the neighbour
ing colony of Connecticut, who, as the uproar
of the alarm whirled by him, literally deserted
his plough, and mounting a beast from its team,
made an early halt, after a forced march of a
hundred miles, in the foremost ranks of his coun
trymen. While the name of this sturdy American
was passing in whispers among the veterans who
crowded the levees of Gage, a flood of melan
choly and tender recollections flashed through
the brain of the young man. He remembered
the frequent and interesting communications
which in his boyhood, he had held with his own
father, before the dark shade had passed across
the reason of Sir Lionel, and, in every tale of
murderous combats with the savage tenants of
the wilds, in each scene of danger and of dar
ing that had distinguished the romantic warfare
of the wilderness, and even in strange and fearful

LIONEL LINCOLN.

encounters with the beasts of the forest, the name
of this man was blended with a species of chival
rous fame that is seldom obtained in an enlighten
ed age, and never undeservedly. The great
wealth of the family of Lincoln, and the high
expectations of its heir, had obtained for the latter
a military rank which at that period was rarely
enjoyed by any but such as had bought the dis
tinction by long and arduous services. Conse
quently, many of his equals had shared in those
trials of his father, in which the ' Lion heart' of
America had been so conspicuous for his deeds.
By these grave veterans, who should know him
besl, the name of Putnam was always mentioned
with strong and romantic affection; and when the
notable scheme of detaching him, by the pro
mise of office and wealth, from the cause of the
colonists was proposed by the cringing coun
sellors who surrounded the commander-in-chief,
it was listened to with a contemptuous incre
dulity by the former associates of the old par
tisan, that the result of the plan fully justified.
Similar inducements were offered to others among
the Americans, whose talents were thought wor
thy of purchase ; but so deep root had the prin
ciples of the day taken, that not a man of any note
was found to listen to the proposition.

While these subtle experiments were adopted
in the room of more energetic measures, troops
continued to arrive from England, and, before
the end of May, many leaders of renown ap
peared in the councils of Gage, who now pos
sessed a disposable force of not less than eight
thousand bayonets. With the appearance of these
reinforcements, the fallen pride of the army be
gan to revive, and the spirits of the haughty
young men who had so recently left the gay
parades of their boasted island, were chafed by

VOL. i. 19

206 LIONEL LINCOLN.

the reflection that such an army should be coop
ed within the narrow limits of the peninsula
by a band of half-armed husbandmen, destitute
alike of the knowledge of war and of most of
its munitions. This feeling was increased by
the taunts of the Americans themselves, who
now turned the tables on their adversaries, ap
plying, among other sneers, the term of "elbow-
room" freely to Burgoyne, one of those chief
tains of the royal army, who had boasted un
wittingly of the intention of himself and his
compeers, to widen the limits of the army im
mediately on their arrival at the scene of the
contest. The aspect of things within the Bri-
ish camp began to indicate, however, that their
leaders were serious in the intention to extend
their possessions, and all eyes were again turned
to the heights of Charlestown, the spot most like
ly to be first occupied.

No military positions could be more happily
situated, as respects locality, to support each
other, and to extend and weaken the lines of
their enemies, than the two opposite peninsulas
so often mentioned. The distance between them
was but six hundred yards, and the deep and
navigable waters by which they were nearly
surrounded, rendered it easy for the royal gene
ral to command, at any time, the assistance of
the heaviest vessels of the fleet, in defending
either place. With these advantages before them,
the army gladly heard those orders issued,
which, it was well understood, indicated an ap
proaching movement to the opposite shores.

It was now eight weeks since the commence
ment of hostilities, and the \var had been confined
to the preparations detailed, with the exception
of one or two sharp skirmishes on the islands of
the harbour, between the foragers of the army.

LIONEL LINCOLN. 207

and small parties of the Americans, in which
the latter well maintained their newly acquired
reputation for spirit.

With the arrival of the regiments from Eng
land, gaiety had once more visited the town,
though such of the inhabitants as were com
pelled to remain against their inclinations, con
tinued to maintain that cold reserve, in their
deportment, which effectually repelled all the
efforts of the officers to include them in the wan
ton festivities of the time. There were a few,
however, among the colonists, who had been
bribed, by offices and emoluments, to desert the
good cause of the land ; and as some of these had
already been rewarded by offices which gave
them access to the ear of the royal governor,
who was thought to be unduly and unhappily in
fluenced by the pernicious councils with which
they poisoned his mind and prepared him for
acts of injustice and harshness, that both his
unbiassed feelings and ordinary opinions would
have condemned. A few days succeeding the
affair of Lexington, a meeting of the inhabitants
had been convened, and a solemn compact was
made between them and the governor, that such
as chose to deliver up their arms, might leave
the place, while the remainder were promised a
suitable protection in iheir own dwellings. The
arms were delivered, but that part of the con
ditions which related to the removal of the inha
bitants was violated, under slight and insufficient
pretexts. This, and various other causes inciden
tal to military rule, imbittered the feelings of the
people, and furnished new causes of complaint;
while, on the other hand, hatred was rapidly
usurping the place of contempt, in the breasts
of those who had been compelled to change
their sentiments with respect to a people that

208 LIONEL LINCOLN.

they could never love. In this manner, re
sentment and distrust existed, with all the vio
lence of personality, within the place itself,
affording an additional reason to the troops for
wishing to extend their limits. Notwithstand
ing these inauspicious omens of the character
of the contest, the native kindness of Gage, and
perhaps a desire to rescue a few of his own
men from the hands of the colonists, induced
him to consent to an exchange of the prisoners
made in the inroad ; thus establishing, in the
onset, a precedent to distinguish the controversy
from an ordinary rebellion against the loyal au
thority of the sovereign. A meeting was held,
for this purpose, in the village of Charlestown, at
that time unoccupied by either army. At the
head of the American deputation appeared
Warren, and the old partisan of the wilderness,
already mentioned, who, by a happy, though not
uncommon constitution of temperament, was as
forward in deeds of charity as in those of daring.
At this interview, several of the veterans of the
royal army were present, having passed the
strait to hold a last? friendly converse with their
ancient comrade, who received them with the
frankness of a soldier, while he rejected their sub
tle endeavours to entice him from the banners
under which he had enlisted, with a sturdiness
as unpretending as it was inflexible.

While these events were occurring at the great
scene of the contest, the hum of preparation was
to be heard throughout the whole of the wide ex
tent of the colonies. In various places slight acts
of hostility were committed, the Americans no
longer waiting for the British to be the aggres
sors, and everywhere such military stores as
could be reached, were seized, peaceably or by
violence, as the case required. The concentration
of most of the troops in Boston, had, however.

LIONEL LINCOLN. 209

left the other colonies comparatively but little to
achieve, though, while they still rested, nominal
ly, under the dominion of the crown, they ne
glected no means within their power to assert
their rights in the last extremit}7.

At Philadelphia "the Congress of the Delegates
from the United Colonies," the body that control
led the great movements of a people who now first
began to act as a 'distinct nation, issued their ma
nifestos, supporting, in a masterly manner, their
principles, and -proceeded to organize an army
that should be as competent to maintain them as
circumstances would allow. Gentlemen who had
been trained to arms in the service of the king,
were invited to resort to their banners, and the re
mainder of the vacancies were filled by the names
of the youthful, the bold, and adventurous, who
were willing to risk tht-ir lives in a cause where
even success promised so little personal advantage.
At the head of this list of untrained warriors, the
Congress placed one of their own body, a man
already distinguished for his services in the field,
and who has sipoe bequeathed to his country the
glory of an untarnished name.

CHAP. XIV.

" Thou shall meet me at Philippi.1'

Julius Caesar.

DURING this period of feverish excitement,
while the appearance and privations of war ex
isted with so little of its danger or its action, Lio
nel had not altogether forgotten his personal feel
ings, in the powerful interest created by the state
of public affairs. Early on the»norning succeed
ing the night of the scene between Mrs. Lech-
mere and the inmates of the warehouse, he had
repaired again to the spot, to relieve the intense
anxiety of his mind, by seeking a complete expla
nation of all those mysteries which had been the
principal ligament that bound him to a man.
little known, except for his singularities.

The effects of the preceding day's battle
were already visible in the market-place, where,
as Lionel passed, he saw few, or none of the
countrymen who usually crowded the square at
that hour. In fact, the windows of the shops
were opened with caution, and men looked out
upon the face of the sun, as if doubting of its
appearance and warmth, as in seasons of ordi-

LIONEL LINCOLN. 211

nary quiet ; jealousy, and distrust, having com
pletely usurped the place of security within the
streets of the town. Notwithstanding the hour,
few were in their beds, and those who appeared
betrayed by their looks that they had passed the
night in watchfulness. Among this number was
Abigail Pray, who received her guest in her lit
tle tower, surrounded by every thing as he
had seen it on the past evening, nothing alter
ed, except her own dark eye, which at times
looked like a gem of price sat in her squalid
features, but which now appeared haggard and
sunken, participating more markedly than com
mon, in the general air of misery that pervaded
the woman.

" I have intruded at a somewhat unusual hour,
Mrs. Pray," said Lionel, as he entered ; " but
business of the last moment requires that I should
see your lodger — I suppose he is above ; it will
be well to announce my visit."

Abigail shook her head with an air of solemn
meaning, as she answered in a subdued voice,
" he is gone !"

" Gone !" exclaimed Lionel — " whither, and
when ?"

" The people seem visited by the wrath of
God, sir," returned the woman — " old and young,
the sick and well, are crazy about the shedding
of blood; and it's beyond the might of man to
say where the torrent wiil be stayed !"

" But what has this to do with Ralph ! where is
he ? Woman, you are not playing me false !"

" I ! heaven forbid that I should ever be false
again ! and tc you least of all God's creatures !
No, no, Major Lincoln; the wonderful man, who
seems to have lived so long that he can even read
our secret thoughts, as I had supposed man could

212 LIONEL LINCOLN.

never read them, has left me, and I know not
whether he will ever return."

" Ever ! you have not driven him by violence
from under your miserable roof?"

" My roof is like that of the fowls of the air —
'tis the roof of any who are so unfortunate as to
need it. — There is no spot on earth, Major Lin
coln, that I can call mine — but one day there
will be one — yes, yes — there will be a narrow
house provided for us all ; and God grant that
mine may be as quiet as the coffin is said to be !
I lie not, Major Lincoln — no, this time I am
innocent of deceit — Ralph and Job have gone
together, but whither, I know not, unless it he to
join the people without the town — they left me
as the moon rose, and he gave me a parting and
a warning voice, that will ring in iuy ears until
they are deafened by the damps of the grave !"

" Gone to join the Americans, and with Job !"
returned Lionel, musing, and without attending
to the closing words of Abigail. — " Your boy will
purchase peril with this madness, Mrs. Pray, and
should be looked to."

"Job is not one of God's accountables, nor
is he to be treated like other children," returned
the woman. " Ah ! Major Lincoln, a healthier,
and a stouter, and a finer boy was not to be
seen in the Bay-Province, till the child had reach
ed his fifth year! then, then it was that the judg
ment of heaven fell on mother and son — sick
ness made him what you see, a being with the
form, but without the reason of man, and I have
grown the wretch I am. But it has all been fore
told, and warnings enough have I had of it all !
for is it not said, that he " will visit the sins of
the fathers upon the children until the third and
fourth generation !" Thank God, my sorrows and

LIONEL LINCOLN. 213

sius will end with Job, for there never can be a
third to suffer !"

" If," said Lionel, " there be any sin which
lies heavy at your heart, every consideration,
whether of justice or repentance, should induce
you to confess your errors to those whose hap
piness may be affected by the knowledge, if any
such there be?"

The anxious eye of the woman raised itself
to meet the look of the young man ; but quail
ing before the piercing gaze it encountered, she
quickly turned it upon the litter and confusion
of her disordered apartment. Lionel waited
some time for a reply, but finding that she re
mained obstinately silent, he continued —

" From what has already passed, you must be
conscious that 1 have good reason to believe
that my feelings are deeply concerned in your
secret ; make, then, your confession of the guilt
which seems to bear you down so heavily ; and
in return for the confidence, I promise you my
forgiveness and protection."

As Lionel pressed thus directly the point so
near his heart, the woman shrunk away from her
situation near him, and her countenance lost, as
he proceeded, its remarkable expression of com
punction, in a forced look of deep surprise, that
showed she was no novice in dissimulation, what
ever might be the occasional warnings of her
conscience.

" Guilt !" she repeated, in a slow and tremu
lous voice ; " we are all guilty, and would be
lost creatures, but for the blood of the Medi
ator."

"Most true; but you have spoken of crimes
that infringe the laws of man, as well as those
of God."

214 LIONEL LINCOLN.

" I ! Major Lincoln — I, a disorderly law
breaker !" exclaimed Abigail, affecting to busy
herself in arranging her apartment — " it is not
such as I, that have leisure or courage to
break the laws ! Major Lincoln is trying a
poor lone woman, to make his jokes with the
gentlemen of his mess this evening— 'tis certain,
we all of us have our burthens of guilt to an
swer for — surely Major Lincoln couldn't have
heard minister Hunt preach his sermon, the last
Sabbath, on the sins of the town !"

Lionel coloured highly at the artful impu
tation of the woman, that he was practising on
her sex and unprotected situation ; and greatly
provoked, in secret, at her duplicity, he became
more guarded in his language, endeavouring to
lead her on, by kindness and soothing, to the de
sired communications. But all his ingenuity was
met by more than equal abilities on the part of
Abigail, from whom he only obtained expressions
of surprise that he could have mistaken her
language for more than the usual acknowledg
ment of errors, that are admitted to be common
to our lost nature. In this particular the woman
was in no respect singular ; the greater number
of those who are loudest in their confessions and
denunciations on the abandoned nature of our
hearts, commonly resenting, in the deepest man
ner, the imputation of individual offences. The
inure earnest and pressing his inquiries became,
the more wary she grew, until disgusted with her
pertinacity, and secretly suspecting her of foul
play with her lodger, he left the house in anger,
determining to keep a close eye on her move
ments, and, at a suitable moment, to strike such
a blow as should bring her not only to confession,
but to shame.

LIONEL LINCOLN. 215

Under the influence of this momentary resent
ment, and unable to avoid harboring the most
unpleasant suspicions of his aunt, the young
man determined, that very morning, to with
draw himself entirely, as a guest, from her
dwelling. Mrs. Lechmere, who, if she knew at all
that Lionel had been a witness of her inter
course with Ralph, must have received the in
telligence from Abigail, received him, at break
fast, with a manner that betrayed no such con
sciousness. She listened to his excuses for re
moving, with evident concern; and more than
once, as Lionel spoke of the probable nature of
his future life, now that hostilities had com
menced — the additional trouble his presence
would occasion to her habits and years — of his
great concern in her behalf — and, in short, of all
that he could devise in the way of apology for
the step, he saw her eyes turned anxiously on
Cecil, with an expression which, at another time,
might have led him to distrust the motives of her
hospitality. The young lady herself, however,
evidently heard the proposal with great satisfac
tion, and when her grandmother appealed to her
opinion, whether he had urged a single good rea
son for the measure, she answered with a vivacity
that had been a stranger to her manner of late —

" Certainly, my dear grandrnama — the best of
all reasons — his inclinations. Major Lincoln tires
of us, and of our hum-drum habits, and, in my
eyes, true politeness requires that we should suf-
ferhim to leave us for his barracks, without a word
of remonstrance."

" My motive must be greatly mistaken, if a
desire to leave you — "

u Oh ! sir, the explanation is not required.
You have urged so many reasons, cousin Lionel,
that the true and moving motive is yet kept be-

210 LIONEL LINCOLN.

hind the curtain. It must, and can be no other
than ennui"

" Then I will remain." said Lionel; " for any
thing is better than to be suspected of insensi
bility."

Cecil looked both gratified and disappointed —
she played with her spoon a moment in embar
rassment, bit her beautiful lip with vexation, and
then said, in a more friendly tone —

" I must then exonerate you from the imputa
tion — go to your own quarters, if it be agree
able, and we will believe your incomprehensible
reasons for the change — besides, as a kinsman,
we shall see you every day, you know."

Lionel had now no longer any excuse for not
abiding by his avowed determination ; and not
withstanding Mrs. Lechmere parted from her
interesting nephew with an exhibition of reluc
tance that was in singular contrast with her usually
cold and formal manner, the desired removal
was made in the course of that very morning.

When this change was accomplished, week after
week slipped by, in the manner related in the
preceding chapter, during which the reinforce
ments continued to arrive, and general after gene
ral appeared in the place to support the unenter
prising Gage in the conduct of the war. The
timid amongst the colonists were appalled as they
heard the long list of proud and boasted names re
counted. There was Howe, a man spftmg from a
noble race, long known for their deeds in arms,
and whose chief had already shed his blood on
the soil of America. Clinton, another cadet of
an illustrious house, better known for his personal
intrepidity and domestic kindness, than for the
rough qualities of the warrior. And the elegant
and accomplished Burgoyne, who had already
purchased a name in the fields of Portugal and

LIONEL LINCOLN. 217

Germany, which he was destined soon to lose in the
wilds of America. In addition to these might be
mentioned Pigot, Grant, Robertson, and the heir
of Northumberland, each of whom led a brigade
in the cause of his prince; besides a host of men
of lesser note, who had passed their youth in arms,
and were now about to bring their experience to
the field, in opposition to the untrained husband
men of the plains of New-England. As if this
list were not sufficient to overwhelm their in
experienced adversaries, the pride of arms had
gathered many of the young among the noble
and chivalric in the British empire, to the point
on which all eyes were turned, amongst whom
the one who afterwards added the fairest wreath
to the laurels of his ancestors, was the joint heir
of Hastings and Moira, the gallant but, as yet,
untried boy of Rawdon. Amongst such com
panions, many of whom had been his associates
in England, the hours of Lionel passed swiftly
by, leaving him but little leisure to meditate on
those causes which had brought him also to the
scene of contention.

One warm evening, towards the middle of
June, Lionel became a witness of the following
scene, through the open doers which communi
cated between his private apartment and the
room which Polvvarth had dedicated to what he
called " the knowing mess." M'Fuse was seated
at a table, with a ludicrous air of magisterial
authority, while Polwarth held a station at his
side, which appeared to partake of the double
duties of a judge and a scribe. Before this for
midable tribunal Seth Sage was arraigned, as it
would seem, to answer for certain offences al
leged to have been committed in the field of bat
tle. Ignorant that his landlord had not received

VOL. i. 20

218 LIONEL LINCOLN.

the benefit of the late exchange, and curious to
know what all the suppressed roguery he could
detect in the demure countenances of his friends
might signify, Lionel dropped his pen, and listen
ed to the succeeding dialogue.

" Now answer to your offences, thou silly fel
low, with a wise name," M'Fnse commenced, in
a voice that did not fail, by its harsh cadences,
to create some of that awe, which, by the ex-

Eression of the speaker's eye, it would seem he
iboured to produce — " speak out with the free
dom of a man, and the compunctions of a Chris
tian, if you have them. Why should I not send
you at once to Ireland, that ye may get your de
serts on three pieces of timber, the one being laid
cross-wise for the sake of convenience. If yon
have a contrary reason, bestow it without delay,
for the love you bear your own angular dai-
formities."

The wags did not altogether fail in their ob
ject, Seth betraying a good deal more uneasiness
than it was usual for the man to exhibit even in
situations of uncommon peril. After clearing his
throat, and looking about him, to gather from the
eyes of the spectators which way their sympa
thies inclined, he answered with a very commen
dable fortitude —

" Because it's ag'in all law."

" Have done with your interminable perplexi
ties of the law," cried M'Fuse, "and do not
bother honest gentlemen with its knavery, as if
they were no more than so many proctors in big
wigs! 'tis the gospel you should be thinking of,
you godless reprobate, on account of that final
end you will yet make, one day, in a most in
decent hurry."

"To your purpose, Mac," interrupted Pd-

LIONEL LINCOLN. 219

warth, who perceived that the erratic feelings of
his friend were beginning already to lead him
from the desired point ; " or I will propound
the matter myself, in a style that would do cre
dit to a mandamus counsellor."

" The mandamuses are all ag'in the charter,
and the law too," continued Seth, whose courage
increased as the dialogue bore more directly upon
his political principles — "and to my mind it's
quite convincing that if ministers calculate largely
on upholding them, there will be great disturb
ances, if not a proper fight in the land ; for the
whole country is in a blaze !"

" Disturbances, thou immoveable iniquity !
thou quiet assassin !" roared M'Fuse ; " do ye
not call a fight of a day a disturbance, or do ye
tar'm skulking be«hind fences, and laying the
muzzle of a musket on the head of Job Pray,
and the breech on a mullen-stalk, while ye draw
upon a fellow-creature, a commendable method
of fighting ! • Now answer me to the truth, and
disdain all lying, as ye would 'aling any thing
but cod on a Saturday, who were ,the two men
that fired into my very countenance, from the
unfortunate situation among the mullens that I
have datailed to you f"

" Pardon me, captain M'Fuse," said Polwarth,
" if I say that your zeal and indignation run
ahead of your discretion. If we alarm the pri
soner in this manner, we may defeat the ends of
justice. Besides, sir, there is a reflection con
tained in your language, to which I must dissent.
A real dumb is not to be despised, especially when,
served up in wrapper, and between two coarser
fish to preserve the steam — I have had my private
meditations on the subject of getting up a Sa
turday's club, in order to enjoy the bounty

220 LIONEL LINCOLST,

of the Bay, and for -improving the cookery of
the cod !"(£?-

" And let me tell you, captain Polwarth," re
turned the grenadier, cocking his eye fiercely at
the other, " that your epicurean propensities lead
you to the verge of cannibalism ; for sure it may
be called that, when you speak of 'ating while the
life of a fellow cr'ature is under a discussion for
its termination — "

" I conclude," interrupted Seth, who was great
ly averse to all quarreling, and who thought he
saw the symptoms of a breach between his
judges, " the captain wishes to know who the
two men were that fired on him a short time be
fore he got the "hit in the shoulder ?"

" A short time, ye marvellous hypocrite ! —
'twas as quick as pop and slap could make it."

"Perhaps there might be some mistake, for a
great many of the troops were much disguised — "

" Do ye insinuate that I got drunk before the
enemies of my king !" roared the grenadier —
"Harkye, Mister Sage, 1 ask you in a genteel way,
who the two men were that fired on me, in the
manner datailed, and remember that a man may
tire of putting questions which are never answer
ed?"

" Why," returned Seth, who, however expert
at prevarication, eschewed with religious hor
ror, a direct lie — " I pretty much conclude that
they — the captain is sure the place he means was
just beyond Menotomy f "

O" NOTE. — It may be a fit matter of inquiry for the anti
quarian, to learn whether the captain ever put his project in
execution ; and if so, whether he has not the merit of founding1
that famous association, which, to this hour, maintains the Ca
tholic custom of the East, by feasting on the last day of the
week on the staple of New-England ; and which is said to as
semble regularly, with much good-fellowship, around moregoort
wine than is ever encountered at any other board in the known*,
world.

LIONEL LINCOLN. 221

" As sure as men can be," said Polwarth, " who
possess the use of their eyes."

" Then captain Pohvarth can give testimony
to the fact ?"

" I believe Major Lincoln's horse carries a small
bit of your lead to this moment, Master Sage."

Seth yielded to this accumulation of evidence
against him, and knowing, moreover, that the
grenadier had literally made him a prisoner in the
fact of renewing his fire, he sagaciously deter
mined to make a merit of necessity, and can
didly to acknowledge his agency in inflicting the
wounds. The utmost, however, that his cautious
habits would permit him to say, was —

" Seeing there can't well be any mistake, I seem
to think, the two me.n were chiefly Job and I."

" Chaifly, you lath of uncertainty !" exclaimed
M'Fuse; "if there was any chaif in that coward
ly assassination of wounding a Christian, and of
also hurting a horse, which, though nothing but
a dumb baste, has better blood than runs in your
own beggarly veins, 'twas your own ugly propor
tions. But I rejoice that you have come to the
confessional ! — I can now see you hung with fe
licity — if you have any thing to say, urge it
at once, why I should not embark you for Ire
land by the first vessel, in a letter to my Lord-
Lieutenant, with a request that he'll give you am
early procession, and a dacent funeral."

Seth belonged to a class of his countrymen,
amongst whom, while there was a superabund
ance of ingenuity, there was literally no joke.
Deceived by the appearance of anger which had
in reality blended with the assumed manner of the
grenadier, as he dwelt upon the irritating subject
of his own injuries, the belief of the prisoner in the
sacred protection of the laws became much sha
ken, and he began to reflect very seriously on the

20*

222 LIONEL LINCOLN.

insecurity of the times, as well as on the despotic
nature of the military power. The little humour
he had inherited from his puritan ancestors, was,
though exceedingly quaint, altogether after a dif
ferent fashion from the off-hand, blundering wit o(
the Irishman ; and that manner which he did not
possess, he could not entirely comprehend, so that
as far as a very visible alarm furthered the views
of the two conspirators, they were quite successful.
Polwarth now took pity on his evident embarrass
ment, and observed, with a careless manner —

" Perhaps I can make a proposal by which
Mr. Sage may redeem his neck from the halter,
«nd at the same time essentially serve an old
friend."

" Hear ye that, thou confounder of men and
bastes !" cried M'Fuse — " down on your knees,
and thank Mr. Paiter Polwarth for the charity of
his insinuation."

Seth was not displeased to hear such amicable
intentions announced ; but habitually cautious in
all bargaining, he suppressed the exhibition of his
satisfaction, and said, with an air of deliberation
that would have done credit to the keenest trader
in King-street — that " he should like to hear the
terms of the agreement, before he gave his con
clusion."

" They are simply these," returned Polwarth —
" you shall receive your passports and freedom
to-night, on condition that you sign this bond,
whereby you will become obliged to supply our
omess, as usual, during the time the place is in
vested, with certain articles of food and nourish
ment, as herein set forth, and according to the
prices mentioned, which the veriest Jew in
Duke's-place would pronounce to be liberal.
Here ; take the instrument, and ' read, and mark/
in order that we may ' inwardly digest.' "

LIONEL LIKCOLS. 223

Seth took the paper, and gave it that man
ner of investigation that he was wont to be
stow on every thing which affected his pecunia
ry interests. He objected to the price of every
article, all of which were altered in compliance
with his obstinate resistance, and he moreover
insisted that a clause should be inserted to ex
onerate him from the penalty, provided the inter
course should be prohibited by the authorities of
the colony ; after which, he continued —

" If the captain will agree to take charge of
the things, and become liable, I will conclude
to make the trade."

" Here is a fellow who wants boot in a bargain
for his life !" cried the grenadier ; " but we will
humour his covetous inclinations, Polly, and take
charge of the chattels. Captain Polwarth and
myself, pledge our words to their safe-keeping.
Let me run my eyes over the articles," con
tinued the grenadier, looking very gravely at the
several covenants of the bond — " faith, Paiter,
you have bargained for a goodly larder ! Baif,
mutton, pigs, turnips, potatos, melons, and other
fruits — there's a blunder, now, that would keep
an English mess on a grin for a month, if an
Irishman had made it ! as if a melon was a fruit,
and a potato was not ! The devil a word do I see
that you have said about a mouthful, except
aitables either! Here, fellow, clap your learning
to it, and I'll warrant you we yet get a meal out
of it, in some manner or other."

" Wouldn't it be as well to put the last agree
ment in the writings, too," said Seth, " in case
•f accidents ?"

"Hear how a knave halters himself!" cried
M'Fuse ; " he has the individual honour of two
captains of foot, and is willing to exchange it for
their joint bond ! The request is too raisouable to

224 LIONEL LINCOLN.

be denied, Polly, and we should be guilty of pe
cuniary suicide to reject it ; so place a small arti
cle at the bottom, explanatory of the mistake the
gentleman has fallen into."

PoUvarth did not hesitate to comply, and in a
very few minutes every thing was arranged to
the perfect satisfaction of the parties, the two sol
diers felicitating themselves on the success of a
scheme which seemed to avert the principal evils
of the leaguer from their own mess ; and Seth,
finding no difficulty in complying with an agree
ment which was likely to prove so profitable,
however much he doubted its validity in a court
of justice. The prisoner was now declared at li
berty, and was advised to make his way out of
the place, with as little noise as possible, and un
der favour of the pas? he held. Seth gave the bond
a last and most attentive perusal, and then depart
ed, well contented to abide by its conditions, and
not a little pleased to escape from the grenadier,
the expression of whose half-comic, half-serious
eye, occasioned him more perplexity than any other
subject which had ever before occupied his as
tuteness. After the disappearance of the prison
er, the two worthies repaired to their nightly ban
quet, laughing heartily at the success of their no
table invention.

Lionel suffered Seth to pass from the room,
without speaking, but as the man left his own
abode with a lingering and doubtful step, the
young soldier followed him into the street, with
out communicating to any one that he had wit
nessed what had passed, with the laudable inten
tion of adding his own personal pledge for the se
curity of the household goods in question. He,
however, found it no easy achievement to equal
the speed. of a man who had just escaped from
a long confinement, and who now appeared

LIONEL LINCOLSf. 225

inclined to indulge his limbs freely in the pleasure
of an unlimited exercise. The velocity of Seth
continued unabated, until he had conducted Lio
nel far into the lower parts of the town, where the
latter perceived him to encounter a man with
whom he turned suddenly under an arch which
led into a dark and narrow court. Lionel instant
ly increased his speed, and as he entered beneath
the passage, he caught a glimpse of the lank figure
of the object of his pursuit, gliding through the
opposite entrance to the court, and, at the same
moment, he encountered the man who had ap
parently induced the deviation in his route. As
Lionel stepped a little on one side, the light of a
lamp fell full on the form of the other, and he re
cognised the person of the active leader of the
caucus, (as the political meeting he had attended
was called,) though so disguised and muffled, that,
but for the accidental opening of the folds of his
cloak, the unknown might have passed his near
est friend without discovery.

" We meet again !" exclaimed Lionel, in the
quickness of surprise ; " though it would seem
that the sun is never to shine on our interviews."

The stranger started, arid betrayed an evident
wish to continue his walk, as though the other
had mistaken his person ; then, as if sudden
ly recollecting himself, he turned and approach
ed Lionel, with easy dignity, and answered —

" The third time is said to contain the charm !
I am happy to find that I meet Major Lincoln,
unharmed, after the dangers he so lately en
countered."

" The dangers have probably been exaggera
ted by those who wish ill to the cause of our
master," returned Lionel, coldly.

There was a calm, but proud smile on the face
of the stranger, as he replied —

226 LIONEL LINCOLN.

" I shall not dispute the information of one who
bore so conspicuous a part in the deeds of that
day — still you will remember, though the march
to Lexington was, like our own accidental ren
contres, in the dark, that a bright sun shone upon
the retreat, and nothing has been hid."

" Nothing need be concealed," replied Lionel,
nettled by the proud composure of the other —
"unless, indeed, the man I address is afraid to
walk the streets of Boston in open day."

" The man you address, Major Lincoln," said
the stranger, advancing in his warmth a step near
er to Lionel, "has dared to walk the streets of Bos
ton both by day and by night, when the bullies of
him you call your master, have strutted their
hour in the security of peace ; and -now a nation
is up to humble their pretensions, shall he shrink
from treading his native soil when he will !"

" This is btffir language for an enemy within a
British camp ! Ask yourself what course my duty
requires of me .?"

" That is a question which lies between Major
Lincoln and his conscience," returned the stran
ger — " though," he added, after a momentary
pause, and in a milder tone, as if he recollect
ed the danger of his situation — " the gentle
men of his name and lineage were not apt to be
informers, when they dwelt in the land of their
birth."

" Neither is their descendant. But let this be
the last of our interviews, until we can meet as
friends, or as enemies should, where we may dis
cuss these topics at the points of our weapons."

" Amen," said the stranger, seizing the hand of
the young man, and pressing it with the warmth
of a generous emulation — " that hour may not be
far distant, and may God smile only on the just
cause."

LIONEL LINCOLN. 227

Without uttering more, he drew the folds of his
dress more closely around his form, and walked
so swiftly away that Lionel, bad he possessed
the inclination, could not have found an opportu
nity to arrest his progress. As all expectation
of overtaking Seth was now lost, the young
soldier returned slowly and thoughtfully towards
his quarters.

The two or three succeeding days were distin
guished by an appearance of more than usual pre
paration among the troops, and it became known
that officers of rank had closely reconnoitred
the grounds of the opposite peninsula. Lionel
patiently awaited the progress of events; but as
the probability of active service increased, his
wishes to make another effort to probe the se
cret of the tenant of the warehouse revived, and
he took his way towards the dock-square, with
that object, on the night of the fourth day from
the preceding interview with the stranger. It
was long after thf tattoo had laid the town in that
deep quiet which follows the bustle of a garrison ;
and as he passed along he saw none but the
sentinels pacing their short limits, or an occa
sional officer, returning at that late hour from his
revels or his duty. The windows of the ware
house were dark, and its inhabitants, if any it
had, were wrapped in deep sleep. Restless,
and excited, Lionel pursued his walk through the
narrow and gloomy streets of the North-end,
until he unexpectedly found himself issuing upon
the open space that is tenanted by the dead, on.
Copp's-hill. On this eminence the English gene
ral had caused a battery of heavy cannon to be
raised, and Lionel, unwilling to encounter the
challenge of the sentinels, inclining a little to one
side, proceeded to the brow of the hill, and seat-

228 LIONEL LINCOLN.

ing himself on a stone, began to muse deeply on
his own fortunes, and the situation of the country.
The night was obscure, but the thin vapours
which appeared to overhang the place opened
at times, when a faint star-light fell from the hea
vens, and rendered the black hulls of the vessels
of war that lay moored before the town, and the
faint outlines of the opposite shores, dimly vi
sible. The stillness of midnight rested on the
scene, and when the loud calls of " all's-well"
ascended from the ships and batteries, the mo
mentary cry was succeeded by a quiet as deep as
if the universe slumbered under this assurance
of safety. At such an instant, when even the
light breathings of the night air were audible,
the sound of rippling waters, like that occasioned
by raising a paddle with extreme caution, was
borne to the ear of the young soldier. He listen
ed intently, and then bending his eyes in the direc
tion of the faint sounds, he saw a small canoe glid
ing along on the surface of the water, and soon
shoot upon the gravelly shore, at the foot of the
hill, with a motion so easy and uniform as scarce
ly to curl a wave on the land. Curious to know who
could be moving about the harbour at this hour, in
such a secret manner, Lionel was in the act of
rising to descend, when he saw the dim figure of a
man land from the boat, and climb the hill, direct
ly in a line with his own position. Suppressing
even the sounds of his breath, and drawing his bo
dy back within the deep shadow cast from a point
of the hill, a little above him, Lionel waited until
the figure had approached within ten feet of him,
when it stopped, and appeared, like himself, to
be endeavouring to suppress all other sounds and
feelings in the absorbing act of deep attention.
The young soldier loosened his sword in its
sheath, before he said —

LIONEL LINCOLN. 229

" We have chosen a private spot, and a secret
hour, sir, for our meditations!"

Had the figure possessed the impalpable nature
of an immaterial being, it could not have received
this remark, so startling from its suddenness, with
greater apathy than did the man to whom it was
addressed. He turned slowly towards the speaker,
and seemed to look at him earnestly, before he
answered, in a low, menacing voice —

" There's a granny on the hill, with a gun and
baggonet, walking among the cannon, and if he
hears people talking down here, he'll make them
prisoners, though one of them should be Major
Lincoln."

" Ha! Job," said Lionel — " and is it you I meet
prowling about like a thief at night ! — on what
errand of mischief have you been sent this time?"

" If Job's a thief for roming to see the graves
on Copp's," returned the lad sullenly, " there's
two of them."

" Well answered boy !" said Lionel, with a.
smile ; " but I repeat, on what errand have you
returned to the town at this unseasonable and
suspicious hour f "

"Job loves to come up among the graves, be
fore the cocks grow ; they say the dead walk
when living men sleep."

" And would you hold communion with the
dead, then ?"

" 'Tis sinful to ask them many questions, and
such as you do put should be made in the Holy
name," returned the lad, in a tone so solemn, that,
connected with the place and the scene, it caused
the blood of Lionel to thriJJ — " but Job loves
to be near them, to use him to the damps,
ag'in the time he shall be called to walk himself
in a sheet at midnight."

VOL. t. *1

230 LIONEL LINCOLN.

" Hush !" said Lionel — " what noise is that r"

Job stood a moment, listening as intently as his
companion, before he answered —

" There's no noise but the moaning of the wind
in the bay, or the sea tumbling on the beaches of
the jslands ?"

"'Tis neither," said Lionel ; " I heard the
low hum of a hundred voices, or my ears have
played me falsely."

" May be the spirits speak to each other," said
the lad — " they say their voices are like the rush
ing winds."

Lionel passed his hand across his brow, and
endeavoured to recover the tone of his mind,
which had been strangely disordered by the so
lemn manner of his companion, and walked slow
ly from the spot, closely attended by the silent
changeling. He did not stop until he had reach
ed the inner angle of the wall that enclosed the
field of the dead, when he paused, and leaning on
the fence, again listened intently.

" Boy, I know not how your silly conversation
may have warped my brain," he said, " but there
are surely strange and unearthly sounds lingering
about this place, to-night ! By heavens! there is
another rush of voices, as if the air above the wa
ter were. filled with living beings ; and then again,
I think I hear a noise as if heavy weights were
falling to the earth !"

" Ay." said Job, " 'tis the clods on the coffins ;
the dead are going into their graves ag'in, and
'tis time that we should leave them their own
grounds."

Lionel hesitated n£ longer, but he rather run
than walked from the spot, with a secret horror
that, at another moment, he would have blushed to
acknowledge, nor did he perceive that he was still

LIONEL LINCOLN. 231

attended by Job, until he had descended some dis
tance down Lynn -street. Here he was address
ed by his companion, in his usually quiet and un
meaning tones —

" There's the house that the governor built
who went down into the sea -for money!" he
said — v'he was a poor boy once, like Job, and
now they say his grandson is a gre at lord, and
the king knighted the grand'tht-r too. It's
pretty much the same thing whether a man
gets his money out of the sea or out of the
earth ; the king will make him a lord for it."

" You hold the favours of royalty cheap, fel
low," returned Lionel, glancing his eye carelessly
at the ' Phipp's house,' as he passed — "you for
get that I am to be some day one of your despised
knights!"

" I know it," said Job ; " and you come from
America too — it seems to me that all the poor
boys go from 'America to the king to be great
lords, and all the sons of the great lords come to
America to be made poor boys — Nab says Job
is the son of a great lord too !"

"Then Nab is as great a. fool as her child,"
said Lionel ; " but boy, I would see your mother
in the morning, and I expect you to let me know
at what hour I may visit her."

Job did not answer, and Lionel, on turning
his head, perceived that he was suddenly deserted
by the changeling, who was already gliding back
towards his favourite haunt among the graves.
Vexed at the wild humours of the lad, Lionel
hastened to his quarters, and threw himself in
his, bed, though he heard the loud cries of " all's
well," again and again, before the strange phan
tasies which continued to cross his mind would
permit him to obtain the rest he sought.

CHAPTER XV.

<c We arc finer gentlemen, no doubt, than the plain farmers
•'' we are about to encounter. Our hats carry a smarter cock,
" our swords hang more gracefully by our sides, and we make
" an easier figure in a ball-room ; hut let it be remembered.
" that the most finished maccaroni amongst us, would pass for
" an arrant clown at Pekin."

Letter from a Veteran Officer, tft,

WHEN the heavy sleep of morning fell upon his
senses, visions of the past and future mingled with
wild confusion in the dreams of the youthful sol
dier. The form of his father stood before him, as
he had known it in his childhood, fair in the
proportions and vigour of manhood, regarding
him with those eyes of benignant, but melancho
ly affection, which characterized their e xpression
after he had become the sole joy of his widowed
parent. While his heart was warming at the sight,
the figure melted away, and was succeeded by
fantastic phantoms, which appeared to dance
among the graves on Copp's, led along in those
gambols, which partook of the ghastly horrors of
the dead, by Job Pray, who glided among the
tombs like a being of another world. Sudden and
loud thunder then burst upon them, and the sha
dows fled into their secret places, from whence
he could see, ever and anon, some glassy eyes

LIONEL LINCOLN. 233

and spectral facess peering out upon him, as If
conscious of the power they possessed to chill the
blood of the living. His visions now became
painfully distinct, and his gleep was oppressed
with their vividness, when his senses burst their
unnatural bonds, and he awoke. The air of morn
ing was breathing through his open curtains, and
the light of day had already shed itself upon the
dusky roofs of the town. Lionel arose from his
bed, and had paced his chamber several times, in
a vain effort to shake off the images that had
haunted his slumbers, when the sounds which
broke upon the stillness of the air, became too
plain to be longer mistaken by a practised ear.

" Ha !" he muttered to himself, " I have been
dreaming but by halves — these are the sounds of
no fancied tempest, but cannon, speaking most
plainly to the soldier!"

He opened his window, and looked out upon
the surrounding scene. The roar of artillery
was now quick and heavy, and Lionel bent his
eyes about him to discover the cause of this unu
sual occurrence. It had been the policy of Gage
to await the arrival of his reinforcements, before
he struck a blow which was intended to be deci
sive ; and the Americans were well known to
be too scantily supplied with the munitions of
war, to waste a single charge of powder in any of
the vain attacks of modern sieges. A knowledge
of these facts gave an additional interest to the
curiosity with which Major Lincoln endeavoured
to penetrate the mystery of so singular a distur
bance. Window after window in the adjacent
buildings soon exhibited, like his own, its wonder
ing and alarmed spectator. Here and there a
half-dressed soldier, or a busy townsman, was seen
hurrying along the silent streets, with steps that
denoted the eagerness of his curiosity. Women,
21*

234 LIONEL LINCOLN.

began to rush wildly from their dwellings, and
then, as the sounds broke on their ears with
ten-fold heaviness in the open air, they shrunk
back into their habitations in pallid dismay. Lio
nel called to three or four of the men as they
hurried by, but turning their eyes wildly to
wards bis window, they passed on without an
swering, as if the emergency were too pressing
to admit of speech. Finding his repeated inqui
ries fruitless, he hastily dressed himself, and de
scended to the street. As he left his own door,
a half-clad artillerist hurried past him, adjusting
his garments with one hand, and bearing in the
other some of the lesser implements of the parti
cular corps in which he served.

" What means the firing, sergeant," demanded
Lionel, " and whither do you hasten with those
fuses ?"

" The rebels, your honour, the rebels !" return
ed the soldier, looking back to speak, without
ceasing his speed ; " and 1 go to my guns !"

"The rebels!" repeated Lionel — "what can
we have to fear, from a mob of countrymen, in
such a position— --that fellow has slept from his
post, and apprehensions for himself mingle with
this zeal for bis king !"

The towns-people now began to pour from
their dwellings in scores; and Lionel imilate'd
their example, and took his course towards the
adjacent height of Beacon-hill. He toiled his
way up the steep ascent, in company with twen
ty more, without exchanging a syllable with men
who appeared as much astonished as himself at
this early interruption of their slumbers, and in
a few minutes he stood on the little grassy plat
form, surrounded by a hundred interested gazers.
The sun had just lifted the thin veil of mist from
the bosom of the waters,, and the eye was permit-

LIONEL LINCOLN. 235

ted to range over a wide field beneath the light
vapour. Several vessels were moored in the
channels of the Charles and My stick, to cover the
northern approaches to the place ; and as he be
held the column of white smoke that was wreath
ing about the masts of a frigate among them, Lio
nel was no longer at a loss to comprehend whence
the firing proceeded. While he was yet gazing,
uncertain of the reasons which demanded this
show of war, immense fields of smoke burst from
the side of a ship of the line, who also opened
her deep-mouthed cannon, and presently her ex
ample was followed by several floating batteries,
and lighter vessels, until the wide amphitheatre
of hills that encircled Boston were filled with the
echoes of a hundred pieces of artillery.

" What can it mean, sir !" exclaimed a young
officer of his own regiment, addressing Major
Lincoln — " the sailors are in downright earnest,
and they scale their guns with shot, I know, by
the rattling of the reports !"

" 1 can boast of a vision no better than your
own," returned Lionel ; " for no enemy can I
see. As the guns seem pointed at the opposite
peninsula, it Ls probable a party of the Americans
are attempting to destroy the grass which lies
newly mown in the meadows."

The young officer was in the act of assenting
to this conjecture, when a voice was heard above
their heads, shouting —

" There goes a gun from Copp's ! They
needn't think to frighten the people with their
rake-helly noises ; let them blaze away till the
dead get out of their graves — the Bay-men will
keep the hill !

Every eye was immediately turned upward,
and the wondering and amused spectators disco
vered Job Pray, seated in the grate of the Bea-

236 LIONEL LINCOLN.

con, his countenance, usually so vacant, gleam
ing with exultation, while he continued waving
his hat high in air, as gun after gun was added to
the uproar of the cannonade.

" How now, fellow !" exclaimed Lionel; " what
see you? and where are the. Bay-men of whom
you speak?"

" Where," returned the simpleton, clapping his
hands with childish delight — " why, where they
came at dark midnight, and where they'll stand
at open noon-day ! The Bay-men can look
into the windows of old Funnel at last, and now
let the reg'lars come on, and they'll teach the
godless murderers the law !"

Lionel, a little irritated with the bold language
of Job, called to him in an angry voice —

" Come down from that perch, fellow, and ex
plain yourself, or this grenadier shall lift you
from your seat, and transfer you to the post for
n. little of that wholesome correction which you
need."

"You promised that the grannies should never
flog Job ag'in," said the changeling, crouching
down in the grate, whence he looked out at his
threatened chastiser with a lowering and sullen
eye — " and Job agreed to run your a'r'nds,
and not take any of the king's crowns in pay."

" Come down, then, this instant, and I will re
member the compact."

Comforted by this assurance, which was made
in a more friendly tone, Job threw himself care
lessly from his iron seat, and clinging to the post,
he slid swiftly to the earth, where Major Lincoln
immediately arrested him by the arm, and de
manded —

" Where are those Bay-men, I once more
ask ?"'

" There !" repeated Job, pointing over the

LIONEL LINCOLN. 237

low roofs of the town, in the direction of the op
posite peninsula. " They dug their cellar on
Breeds, and now they are fixing the underpinning
and next you'll see what a raising they'll invite
the people to !"

The instant the spot was named, all those eyes
which bad hitherto gazed at the vessels them
selves, instead of searching for the object of
their hostility, were turned on the green eminence
which rose a little to the right of the village of
Charlestowu, and every 'doubt was at once remov
ed by the discovery. The high, conical summit
of Bunker-hill lay naked, and unoccupied, as on
the preceding day ; but on the extremity of a more
humble ridge, which extended within a short
distance of the water, a low bank of earth had
been thrown up, for purposes which no military
eye could mistake. This redoubt, small and in
artificial as it was, commanded by its position
the whole of the inner harbour of Boston, and
even endangered, in some measure, the occupants
of the town itself. It was the sudden appearance
of this magical mound, as the mists of the morn
ing had dispersed, which roused the slumbering
seamen ; and it had already become the target
of all the guns of the shipping in the bay. Amaze
ment at the temerity of their countrymen, held
the townsmen silent, while Major Lincoln,
and the few officers who stood nigh him, saw at a
glance, that this step on the part of their adversa
ries would bring the affairs of the leaguer to an
instant crisis. In vain they turned their wonder
ing looks on the neighbouring eminence, and
around the different points of the peninsula, in
quest of those places of support with which sol
diers generally entrench their defences. The
husbandmen opposed to them, had seized upon
the point best calculated to annoy their foes,

238 LIONEL LINCOLN.

without regard to the consequences ; and in a few
short hours, favoured by the mantle of night, had
thrown up their work with a dexterity that was
only exceeded by their boldness. The truth
flashed across the brain of Major Lincoln with his
first glance, and he felt his cheeks glow as he re
membered the low and indistinct murmurs which
the night air had wafted to his ears, and those in
explicable fancies, which had even continued to
haunt him till dispersed by truth and the light
of day. Motioning to J<>b to follow, he left
the hill with a hurried step, and when they gain
ed the common, he turned, and said, sternly, to
his companion —

" Fellow, you have been privy to this midnight
work !"

" Job has enough to do in the day, without
labouring in the night, when none but the dead
are out of their places of rest," returned the lad,
with a look of mental imbecility, which immedi
ately disarmed the resentment of the other.

Lionel smiled as he again remembered his own
weakness, and repeated to himself —

"The dead! ay, these are the works of the
living, and bold men are they who have dared te
do the deed. But tell me, Job, for 'tis in vain
to attempt deceiving me any longer, what num
ber of Americans did you leave on the hill when
you crossed the Charles to visit the graves on
Copp's, the past night ?"

" Both hills were crowded," returned the
other — " Breeds with the people, and Copp's with
the ghosts — Job believes the dead rose to see
their children digging so nigh them !"

" 'Tis probable," said Lionel, who believed it
wisest to humour the wild conceits of the lad, in
order to disarm his cunning ; " but though the
dead are invisible, the living may be counted.'"

LIONEL LINCOLN. 239

"Job did count five hundred men, marching
over the nose of Bunker, by star-light, with their
picks and spades ; and then he stopped, for he
forgot whether seven or eight hundred came
next."

" And after you ceased to count, did many
others pass ?"

" The Bay-colony isn't so poorly off for men,
that it can't muster a thousand at a raising."

" But you had a master workman on the occa
sion; was it the wolf-hunter of Connecticut?"

" There is no occasion to go from the pro
vince to find a workman to lay out a cellar ! —
Dicky Gridley is a Boston boy !"

" Ah ! he is the chief! we can have nothing to
fear then, since the Connecticut woodsman is not
at their head .?"

" Do you think old Prescott, of Pepperel, will
quit the hill while he has a kernel of powder to
burn ! — QO, no, Major Lincoln, Ralph himself
an't a stouter warrior ; and you can't frighten
Ralph !"

" But if they fire their cannon often, their
small stock of ammunition will be soon consum
ed, and then they must unavoidably run."

Job laughed tauntingly, and with an appear
ance of high scorn, before he answered —

" Fes, if the Bay-men were as dumb as the
king's troops, and used such big guns ! but the
cannon of the colony want but little brimstone,
and there's but few of them — let the rake-hel-
lies go up to Breeds ; the people will teach
them the law !"

Lionel had now obtained all he expected to
learn from the simpleton concerning the force
and condition of the Americans; and as the mo
ments were too precious to be wasted in vain dis-

240 LIONEL LINCOLN.

course, he bid the lad repair to his quarters that
night, and left him. On entering bis own lodg
ings, Major Lincoln shut himself up in his private
apartment, and passed several hours in writing,
and examining important papers. One letter, in
particular, was written, read, torn, and rewritten
five or six times, until at length he placed his
seal, and directed the important paper with a sort
of carelessness that denoted his patience was ex
hausted by repeated trials. These documents
were entrusted to Meriton, with orders to deliver
them to their several addresses, unless counter
manded before the following day, and the young
man hastily swallowed a late and light breakfast.
While shut up in his closet, Lionel had several
times thrown aside his pen to listen, as the hum of
the place penetrated to his retirement, and an
nounced the excitement and bustle which pervad
ed the streets of the town. Having at length
completed the task he had assigned himself, he
caught up his hat, and took his way, with hasty
steps, into the centre of the place.

Cannon were rattling over the rough pave
ments, followed by ammunition wagons, and of
ficers and men of the artillery were seen in swift
pursuit of their pieces. Aide-de-camps were
riding furiously through the streets, charged with
important messages ; and here and there an officer
might be seen issuing from his quarters, with a
countenance in which manly pride struggled
powerfully with inward dejection, as he caught
the last glance of anguish which followed his
retiring form, from eyes that had been used to
meet his own with looks of confidence and love.
There was, however, but little time to dwell on
these flitting glimpses of domestic wo, amid the
general bustle and glitter of the scene. Now and
then the strains of martial music broke up through

LIONEL LINCOLN.

the windings of the crooked avenues, and detach
ments of the troops wheeled by on their way to
the appointed place of embarkation. While Lio
nel stood a moment at the corner of a street, ad
miring the firm movement of a body of grena
diers, his eye fell on the powerful frame and
rigid features of M'Fuse, marching at the head of
his company with that gravity which regarded
the accuracy of the step amongst the important
incidents of life. At a short distance from him
was Job Pray, timing his paces to the tread of
the soldiers, and regarding the gallant show with
stupid admiration, while his ear unconsciously
drank the inspiriting music of their band. As
this fine body of men passed on, it was immedi
ately succeeded by a battalion in which Lionel
instantly recognised the facings of his own regi
ment. The warm-hearted Polwarth led its for
ward files, and waving his hand, he cried —

" God bless you, Leo, God bless you — we shall
make a fair stand up fight of this j there is an end
of all stag-hunting."

The notes of the horns rose above his voice,
and Lionel could do no more than return his
cordial salute ; when, recalled to his purpose by
the sight of his comrades, he turned, and pur
sued his way to the quarters of the commander-in-
chief.

The gate of Province-house was thronged with
military men ; some waiting for admittance, and
others entering and departing with the air of
those who were charged with the execution of
matters of the deepest moment. The name of
Major Lincoln was hardly announced before an
aid appeared to conduct him into the presence
of the governor, with a politeness and haste that
several gentlemen, who had been in waiting for
hours, deemed in a trifling degree unjust.

VOL. I.

242 LIONEL LINCOLN.

Lionel, however, having little to do with
murmurs which he did not hear, followed his con
ductor, and was immediately ushered into the
apartment, where a council of war had just closed
its deliberations. On the threshold of its door
he was compelled to give way to an officer who
was departing in haste, and whose powerful frame
seemed bent a little in the intensity of thought,
as his dark, military countenance lighted for an
instant with the salutation he returned to the low
bow of the young soldier. Around this chief
a group of younger men immediately clustered,
and as they departed in company, Lionel was en
abled to gather from their conversation that they
took their way for the field of battle. The room
was filled with officers of high rank, though here
and there was to be seen a man in civil attire,
whose disappointed and bitter looks announced
him to be one of those mandamus counsellors,
whose evil advice had hastened the mischief their
wisdom could never repair. From out a small cir
cle of these mortified civilians, the unpretending
person of Gage advanced to meet Lionel, form
ing a marked contrast by the simplicity of its
dress, to the military splendour that was glittering
around him.

" In what can I oblige Major Lincoln ?" he
said, taking the young man by the hand cordial
ly, as if glad to be rid of the troublesome coun
sellors he had so unceremoniously quitted.

" ' Wolfe's own' has just passed me on its way
to the boats, and I have ventured to intrude on
your excellency to inquire if it were not time its
Major had resumed his duty f"

A shade of thought was seated for a moment on
the placid features of the general, and he then an
swered with a friendly smile —

LIONEL LINdOLN. 243

" 'Twill be no more than an affair of out-posts,
and must be quickly ended. But should 1 grant
the request of every brave young man whose
spirit is up to-day, it might cost his majesty's ser
vice the life of some officer that would make the
purchase of the pile of earth too dear."

" But may I not be permitted to say, that the
family of Lincoln is of the Province, and its
example should not be lost on such an occasion ?"

" The loyalty of the colonies is too well repre
sented here to need the sacrifice," said Gage,
glancing his eyes carelessly at the expecting group
behind him. — " My council have decided on the
officers to be employed, and I regret that Major
Lincoln's name was omitted, since 1 know it will
give him pain ; but valuable lives are not to be
lightly and unnecessarily exposed."

Lionel bowed in submission, and after commu
nicating the little he had gathered from Job Pray,
he turned away, and found himself near another
officer of high rank, who smiled as he observed his
disappointed countenance, and taking him by the
arm, led him from the room, with a freedom suit
ed to his fine figure and easy air.

" Then, like myself, Lincoln, you are not to
battle for the king to-day," he said, on gaining
the anti-chamber. " Howe has the luck of the
occasion, if there can be luck in so vulgar an
affair. Buta//ons; accompany me to Copp's, as
a spectator, since they deny us parts in the drama ;
and perhaps we may pick up materials for a pas
quinade, though not for an epic."

" Pardon me, General Burgoyne," said Lio
nel, " if I view the matter with more serious eyes
than yourself."

" Ah ! I had forgot that you were a follower
of Percy in the hunt of Lexington !" interrupted
the other ; " we will call it a tragedy, then, if

244 LIONEL LINCOLN.

it better suits your humour. For myself, Lincoln,
I weary of these crooked streets and gloomy
houses, and having some taste for the poetry of
nature, would have long since looked out upon
the deserted fields of these husbandmen, had the
authority, as well as the inclination, rested with
me. But Clinton is joining us : he, too, is for
Copp's, where we can all take a lesson in arms, by
studying the manner in which Howe wields his
battalions."

A soldier of middle age now joined them, whose
stout frame, while it wanted the grace and ease
of the gentleman who still held Lionel by the arm.
bore a martial character to which the look of the
quiet and domestic Gage was a stranger; and fol
lowed by their several attendants, the whole party
immediately left the government-bouse to take
their destined position on the eminence so often
mentioned.

As they entered the street, Burgoyne relin
quished the arm of his companion, and moved
with becoming dignity by the side of his brother
General. Lionel gladly availed himself of this
alteration to withdraw a little from the group,
whose steps he followed at such a distance as per
mitted him to observe those exhibitions of feeling
on the part of the inhabitants, which the pride of
the others induced them to overlook. Pallid and
anxious female faces were gleaming out upon
them from every window, while the roofs of the
houses, and the steeples of the churches, were be-]lk
ginning to throng with more daring, and equally ^
interested spectators. The drums no longer roll
ed along the narrow streets, though, occasionally,
the shrill strain of a fife was heard from the wa
ter, announcing the movements of the troops to
the opposite peninsula. Over all was heard the
incessant roaring of the artillery, which, untired,
had not ceased to rumble in the air since the ap-

LIONEL LINCOLN. 245

pearance of light, until the ear, accustomed to its
presence, had learnt to distinguish the lesser
sounds we have recorded.

As the party descended into the lower passages
of the town, it appeared deserted by every thing
having life, the open windows and neglected doors
betraying the urgency of the feelings which had
called the population to situations more favoura
ble for observing the approaching contest. This
appearance of intense curiosity excited the sym
pathies of even the old and practised soldiers ;
and quickening their paces, the whole soon
rose from among the gloomy edifices to the open
and unobstructed view from the hill.

The whole scene now lay before them. Nearly
in their front was the village of Charlestown,
with its deserted streets, and silent roofs, looking
like a place of the dead ; or, if the signs of life
were visible within its open avenues, 'twas mere
ly some figure moving swiftly in the solitude, like
one who hastened to quit the devoted spot. On
the opposite point of the south-eastern face of
the peninsula, and at the distance of a thousand
yards, the ground was already covered by masses
of human beings, in scarlet, with their arms glit
tering in a noon-day sun. Between the two, though
in the more immediate vicinity of the silent town,
the rounded ridge already described, rose abrupt
ly from a flat that was bounded by the water,
until, having attained an elevation of some fifty or
sixty feet, it swelled gradually to the little crest,
where was planted the humble object that had
occasioned all this commotion. The meadows, on
the right, were still peaceful and smiling as in the
most quiet days of the province, though the ex
cited fancy of Lionel imagined that a sullen still
ness lingered about the neglected kilns in their

246 LIONEL LINCOLN.

front, and over the whole landscape, that was in
gloomy consonance with the approaching scene.
Far on the left, across the waters of the Charles,
the American camp had poured forth its thou
sands to the hills ; and the whole population of the
country for many miles inland, bad gathered to a
point, to witness a struggle charged with the fate
of their nation. Beacon-hill rose from out the ap
palling silence of the town of Boston, like a pyra
mid of living faces, with every eye fixed on the
fatal point, and men hung along the yards of the
shipping, or were suspended on cornices, cupolas,
and steeples, in thoughtless security, while every
other sense was lost in the absorbing interest of
the sight. The vessels of war had hauled deep
into the rivers, or more properly, those narrow
arms of the sea which formed the peninsula, and
sent their iron missiles with unwearied industry
across the low passage which alone opened the
means of communication between the self-devoted
yeomen on the hill, and their distant countrymen.
While battalion landed after battalion on the
point, cannon-balls from the battery of Copp's.
and the vessels of war, were glancing up the na
tural glacis that surrounded the redoubt, burying
themselves in its earthen parapet, or plunging
with violence into the deserted sides of the loftier
height which lay a few hundred yards in its rear;
and the black and smoking bombs appeared to^
hover above the spot, as if pausing to select the
places in which to plant their deadly combusti
bles.

Notwithstanding these appalling preparations,
and ceaseless annoyances, throughout that long
and anxious morning, the stout husbandmen
on the hill had never ceased their steady efforts
to maintain, to the uttermost extremity, the post
they had so daringly assumed. In vain the Eng-

LIONEL LINCOLN. 247

lish exhausted every means to disturb their
stubborn foes ; the pick, the shovel, and the spade
continued to perform their offices, and mound rose
after mound, amidst the din and danger of the
cannonade, steadily, and as well as if the fanciful
conceits of Job Pray embraced their real objects,
and the labourers were employed in the peaceful
pursuits of their ordinary lives. This firmness,
however, was not like the proud front which high
training can impart to the most common mind ;
for ignorant of the glare of military show ; in the
simple and rude vestments of their calling ; arm
ed with such weapons as they had seized from the
hooks above their own mantels ; and without
even a banner to wave its cheering folds above
their heads, they stood, sustained only by the
righteousness of their cause, and those deep
moral principles which they had received from,
their fathers, and which they intended this day
should show, were to be transmitted untarnish
ed to their children. It was afterwards known
that they endured their labours and their dangers
even in want of that sustenance which is so es
sential to support animal spirits in moments of
calmness and ease ; while their enemies, on the
point, awaiting the arrival of their latest bands,
were securely devouring a meal, which to hun
dreds amongst them proved to be their last. The
fatal instant now seemed approaching. A gene
ral movement was seen among the battalions
of the British, who began to spread along the
shore, under cover of the brow of the hill —
the lingering boats having arrived with the rear
of their detachments — and officers hurried from
regiment to regiment with the final mandates
of their chief. At this moment a body of Ame
ricans appeared on the crown of Bunker-hill,
and descending swiftly by the road, disappear-

248 LIONEL LINCOLN.

ed in the meadows to the left of their own
redoubt. This band was followed by others,
who, like themselves, had broken through the
dangers of the narrow pass, by braving the
fire of the shipping, and who also hurried to
join their comrades on the low land. The Bri
tish General determined at once to anticipate the
arrival of further reinforcements, and gave forth
the long-expected order to prepare for the attack

CHAP. XVf.

'•l TV imperious Briton, on the well-fought ground,
" No cause for joy, or wanton triumph found,
" But saw, with grief, their dreams of conquest vain,
"• Felt the deep wounds, and mourn 'd their vet'rans slain

Humphreys.

THE Americans had made a show, in the
course of that fearful morning, of returning the
fire of their enemies, by throwing a few shot from
their light field-pieces, as if in mockery of the
tremendous cannonade which they sustained.
But as the moment of severest trial approached,
the same awful stillness which had settled upon
the deserted streets of Charlestown, hovered
around the redoubt. On the meadows, to its
left, the recently arrived bands hastily threw
the rails of two fences into one, and covering
the whole with the mown grass that surrounded
them, they posted themselves along the frail
defence, which ansxvered no better purpose than
to conceal their weakness froro, their adversaries.
Behind this characteristic rampart, several bodies
of husbandmen from the neighbouring provinces
of New-Hampshire and Connecticut, lay on their
arms, in sullen expectation. Their line extended
from the shore to the base of the ridge> where it

256 LIONEL LINCOLN.

terminated several hundred feet behind the
works ; leaving a wide opening in a diagonal di
rection, between the fence and an earthen breast
work, which ran a short distance down the de
clivity of the hill, from the north-eastern angle
of the redoubt. A few hundred yards in the
rear of this rude disposition, the naked crest
of Bunker-hill rose unoccupied and undefended,
and the streams of the Charles and Myslick
sweeping around its ba<e, approached so near
each other as to blend the sounds of their rip
pling. It was across this low and narrow isthmus,
that the royal frigates poured a stream of fire,
that never ceased, while around it hovered the
numerous parties of the undisciplined Americans,
hesitating to attempt the dangerous passage.

In this manner Guge had. in a great degree,
surrounded the devoted peninsula with his power ;
and the bold men who had so daringly planted
themselves under the muzzles of his cannon,
were left, as already stated, unsupported, without
nourishment, and with weapons from their own
gun-hooks, singly to maintain the honour of their
nation. Including men of all ages and conditions,
there might have been two thousand of them ;
but as the day advanced, small bodies of their
countrymen, taking counsel of their feelings, and
animated by the example of the old Partisan of
the Woods, who crossed and recrossed the neck,
loudly scoffing at the danger, broke through the
fire of the shipping in time to join in the closing
and bloody business of the hour.

On the other hand, Howe led more than an
equal number of the chosen troops of his Prince;
and as boats continued to ply between the two
peninsulas throughout the afternoon, the relative
disparity continued uudiminished to the end o.(

LIONEL LINCOLN.

the struggle. It was at this point in our narrative
that, deeming himself sufficiently strong to force
the defences of his despised foes, the arrange?-
ments immediately preparatory to such an un
dertaking were made in full view of the ex
cited spectators. Notwithstanding the security
with which the English General marshalled his
warriors, he felt that the approaching contest
would be a battle of no conimuii incidents. The
eyes of tens of thousands were fastened on his
movements, and the occasion demanded the rich
est display of the pageantry of war.

The troops formed with beautiful accuracy,
and the column1- moved steadily along the shore,
and took their assigned stations under cover of
the brow of the eminence. Their force was in
some measure divided ; one moiety attempting
the toilsome ascent of the hill, and the other mov
ing along the beach, or in the orchards of the
more level ground, towards the husbandmen on
the meadows. The latter soon disappeared be
hind some fruit-trees and the brick-kilns just
mentioned. The advance of the royal columns
up the ascent was slou and measured, giving
time to their field-guns to add their efforts to
the uproar of the cannonade, which broke out
with new fury as the battalions prepared to
march. When each column arrived at the allotted
point, it spread the gallant array of its glittering
warriors under a bright sun.

" It is a glorious spectacle," murmured the
graceful chieftain by the side of Lionel, keenly
alive to all the poetry of his alluring profession j
" how exceeding soldier-like ! and with what
accuracy his ' first-arm ascends the hill,' towards
his enemy !"

The intensity of his feelings prevented Major
Lincoln from replying, and the other soon forgot

252 LIONEL LINCOLN.

that he had spoken, in the overwhelming anxiety
«f the moment. The advance of the British
line, so beautiful and slow, resembled rather
the ordered steadiness of a drill than an approach
to a deadly struggle. Their standards fluttered
proudly above them, and there were moments
when the wild music of their bands was heard
rising on the air, and tempering the ruder sounds
of the artillery. The young and thoughtless in their
ranks turned their faces backward, and smiled
exuhingly, as they beheld steeples, roofs, masts,
and heights, teeming with their thousands of eyes,
bent on the show of their bright array. As the Bri
tish lines moved in open view of the little redoubt,
and began slowly to gather around its different
faces, gun after gun became silent, and the
curious artillerist, or tired seaman, lay extended
on his heated piece, gazing in mute wonder at
the spectacle. There was just then a minute
when the roar of the cannonade seemed passing
away like the rumbling of distant thunder.

"They will not fight, Lincoln," said the ani
mated leader at the side of Lionel — " the military
front of Howe has chilled the hearts of the knaves,
and our victory will be bloodless !"

" We shall see, sir — we shall see !"

These words were barely uttered, when platoon
after platoon, among the British, delivered its
fire, the blaze of musketry flashing swiftly around
the brow of the hill, and was immediately follow
ed by heavy volleys that ascended from the
orchard. Still no answering sound was heard
from the Americans, and the royal troops were
soon lost to the eye as they slowly marched into
the white cloud which their own fire had alone
created.

" They are cowed, by heavens — the dogs are
cowed !" once more cried the gay companion of

LIONEL LINCOLN. 253

*

Lionel, " and Howe is within two hundred feet of
them, unharmed !"

At that instant a sheet of flame glanced through
the smoke, like lightning playing in a cloud,
while at one report a thousand muskets were
added to the uproar. It was not altogether fan
cy which led Lionel to imagine that he saw the
smoky canopy of the hill to wave as if the trained
warriors it enveloped faltered before this close
and appalling discharge ; but in another instant,
the stimulating war-cry, and the loud shouts of
the combatants were borne across the strait to
his ears, even amid the horrid din of the combat.
Ten breathless minutes flew by like a moment of
time, and the bewildered spectators on Copp's
were still gazing intently on the scene, when a
voice was raised among them, shouting —

"Hurrah! let the rake-hellies go up to Breed's;
the people will teach 'em the law !"

"Throw the rebel scoundrel from the hill!
Blow him from the muzzle of a gun !" cried
twenty soldiers in a breath.

" Hold !" exclaimed Lionel — " 'tis a simple
ton, an idiot, a fool !"

But the angry and savage murmurs as quickly
subsided, and were lost in other feelings, as the
bright red lines of the royal troops were seen
issuing from the smoke, waving and recoiling
before the still vivid fire of the'ir enemies.

" Ha !" said Burgoyne — " 'tis some feint to
draw the rebels from their hold !"

" 'Tis a palpable and disgraceful retreat !"
muttered the stern warrior nigh him, whose truer
eye detected at a glance the discomfiture of the
assailants—" 'Tis another base retreat before the
rebels !"

" Hurrah !" shouted the reckless changeling
again ; " there come the reg'tars out of the

VOL. i. 2S

254 LIONEL LINCOLN.

orchard too ! — see the grannies skulking behind
the kilns ! Let them go on to Breed's, the peo
ple will teach 'em the law !"

No cry of vengeance preceded the act this
time, but fifty of the soldier) rushed, as by a com
mon impulse, on their prey. Lionel had not time
to utter a word of remonstrance, before Job ap
peared in the air, borne on the uplifted arms of
a dozen men, and at the next instant he was
seen rolling down the steep declivity, with a ve
locity that carried him to the water's edge.
Springing to his feet, the undaunted changeling
once more waved his hat in triumph, and shout
ed forth again his offensive challenge. Then
turning, he launched his canoe from its hiding
place among the adjacent lumber, amid a shower
of stones, and glided across the strait ; his little
bark escaping unnoticed in the crowd of boats
that were rowing in all directions. But his pro
gress was watched by the uneasy eye of Lionel,
who saw him land and disappear, with hasty steps,
in the silent streets of the town.

While this trifling by-play was enacted, the
great drama of the day was not at a stand. The
smoky veil which clung around the brow of the
eminence, was lifted by the air, and sailed hea
vily away to the south-west, leaving the scene of
the bloody struggle again open to the view. Lio
nel witnessed the grave and meaning glances
which the two lieutenants of the king exchanged
as they simultaneously turned their glasses from
the fatal spot, and taking the one proffered by
Burgoyne, he read their explanation in the num
bers of the dead that lay profusely scattered in
front of the redoubt. At this instant, an officer
from the field held an earnest communication
with the two leaders, when, having delivered bis
.orders, he hastened back to his boat, like one

LIONEL LINCOLN.

who felt himself employed in matters of life and
death.

" It shall be done, sir," repeated Clinton, as
the other departed, his own honest brow sternly
knit under high martial excitement. — " The artil
lery have their orders, and the work will be ac
complished without delay."

" This, Major Lincoln !" cried his more so
phisticated companion. k' this is one of the trying
duties of the soldier ! To fight, to bleed, or
even to die, for his prince, is his happy privilege;
but it is sometimes his unfortunate lot to become
the instrument of vengeance."

Lionel waited but a moment for an explana
tion — the flaming balls were soon seen taking
their wide circuit in the air, and carrying their
desolation among the close and inflammable
roofs of the opposite town. In a very few minutes
a dense, black smoke arose from the deserted
buildings, and forked flames played actively along
the he<ued shingles, as though rioting in their
unmolested possession of the place. He regard
ed the gathering destruction in painful silence j
and on bending his looks towards his companions,
he fancied, notwithstanding the language of the
other, that he read the deepest regret in the avert
ed eye of him who had so unhesitatingly uttered
the fatal mandate to destroy.

In scenes like these we are attempting to de
scribe, hours appear to be minutes, and time flies
as imperceptibly as life slides from beneath the
feet of age. The disordered ranks of the British
had been arrested at the base of the hill, and
were again forming under the eyes of their lead*
ers, with admirable discipline, and extraordinary
care. Fresh battalions, from Boston, marched
with high military pride inlo the line, and every
thing betokened that a second assault was at hand.

256 LIONEL LINCOLN.

When the moment of stupid amazement which
succeeded the retreat of the royal troops had
passed, the troops and batteries poured out their
wrath with tenfold fury on their enemies. Shot
were incessantly glancing up the gentle acclivity,
madly ploughing across its grassy surface, while-
black and threatening shells appeared to hover
above the work like the monsters of the air, about
to stoop upon their prey.

Still all lay quiet and immoveable within the
low mounds of earth, as if none there had a stake
in the issue of the bloody day. For a few mo
ments only, the tall figure of an aged man was
seen slowly moving along the summit of the
rampart, calmly regarding the dispositions of the
English general in the more distant part of his
line, and after exchanging a few words with a
gentleman who joined him in his dangerous look
out, they disappeared together behind the grassy
banks. Lionel soon detected the name of Pres-
cott of Peppereil, passing through the crowd in
low murmurs, and his glass did not deceive him
when he thought, in the smaller of the two, he
had himself descried the graceful person of the
unknown leader of the ' caucus.'

All eyes were now watching the advance of the
battalions, which once more drew nigh the point of
contest. The heads of the columns were already
in view of their enemies, when a man was seen
swiftly ascending the hill from the burning town :
he paused amid the peril, on the natural glacis,
and swung his hat triumphantly, and Lionel even
fancied he heard the exulting cry, as he recog
nised the ungainly form of the simpleton, before
it plunged into the work.

The right of the British once more disappear
ed in the orchard, and the columns in front of the
redoubt again opened with all the imposing exact-

LIONEL LINCOLN. 257

ness of their high discipline. Their arms were
already glittering in a line with the green faces of
the mound, and Lionel heard the experienced
\varrior at his side, murmuring to himself —

" Let him hold his fire, and he will go in at
the point of the bayonet !"

But the trial was too great for even the prac
tised courage of the royal troops. Volley suc
ceeded volley, and in a few moments they had
again curtained their ranks behind the misty
skreen produced by their own fire. Then came the
terrible flash from the redoubt, and the eddying
volumes from the adverse hosts rolled into one
cloud, enveloping the combatants in its folds,
as if to conceal their bloody work from the spec
tators. Twenty times in the short space of as
many minutes, Major Lincoln fancied he heard
the incessant roll of the American musketry die
away before the heavy and regular volleys of the
troops, and then he thought the sounds of the lat
ter grew more faint, and were given at longer
intervals.

The result, however, was soon known. The
heavy bank of smoke which now even clung along
the ground, was broken in fifty places, and thedis-
ordered masses of the Britisji were seen driven
before their deliberate foes, in wild confusion.
The flashing swords of the officers in vain at
tempted to arrest the torrent, n ->r did the flight
cease with many of the regiments until they had
even reached their boats. At this moment a hum
was heard in Boston like the sudden rush of wind,
and men gazed in each other's faces with undis
guised amazement. Here and there a low sound
of exultation escaped some unguarded lip, and
many an eye gleamed with a triumph that could
no longer be suppressed. Until this moment the
feelings of Lionel had vacillated between the

23*

258 LIONEL LINCOLN.

pride of country and his military spirit, but
losing all other feelings in the latter sensation,
he now looked fiercely about him, as if he would
seek the man who dare exult in the repulse of
his comrades. The poetic chieftain was still at
his side, biting his nether lip in vexation ; but his
more tried companion had suddenly disappeared.
Another quick glance fell upon his missing form
in the act of entering a boat at the foot of the hill.
Quicker than thought, Lionel was on the shore,
crying as he flew to the water's edge —

" Hold ! for God's sake, hold ! remember the
47th is in the field, and that I am its Major !"

" Receive him," said Clinton, with that grim
satisfaction with which men acknowledge a valu
ed friend in moments of great trial ; " and then
row for your lives, or what is of more value, for
the honour of the British name."

The brain of Lionel whirled as the boat shot
along its watery bed, but before it had gained the
middle of the stream he had time to consider the
whole of the appalling scene. The fire had spread
from house to house, and the whole village of
Cbarlestown, with its four hundred buildings,
was just bursting into flames. The air seemed
filled with whistling balls, as they hurtled above
his head, and the black sides of the vessels of war
were vomiting their sheets of flame with un
wearied industry. Amid this tumult the Eng
lish General and his companions sprung to land.
The former rushed into the disordered ranks, and
by his presence and voice recalled the men of one
regiment to their duty. But long and loud ap
peals to their spirit and their ancient fame were
necessary to restore a moiety of their former con
fidence to men who had been thus rudely repuls
ed, and who now looked along their thinned and
exhausted ranks, missing in many instances mon

LIONEL -LINCOLN. . 259

than half the well-known countenances of then-
fellows. In the midst of the faltering troops
stood their stern and unbending chief; but of all
those gay and gallant youths who followed in his
train as he had departed from Province-house
that morning, not one remained, but in his blood.
He alone seemed undisturbed in that disordered
crowd ; and his mandates went forth as usual,
cairn and determined. At length the panic, in
some degree, subsided, and order was once more
restored as the high-spirited and mortified gentle
men of the detachment regained their lost au
thority.

The leaders consulted together, apart, and the
dispositions were immediately renewed for the
assault. Military show was no longer affected,
but the soldiers laid down ail the useless imple
ments of their trade, and many even cast aside
their outer garments, under the warmth of a broil
ing sun, added to the heat of the conflagration
which began to diffuse itself along the extremity
of the peninsula. Fresh companies were placed
in the columns, and rnqst of the troops were with
drawn from the meadows, leaving merely a few
skirmishers to amuse the -mericans who lay be
hind the fence. When each disposition was com
pleted, the final signal was given to advance.

Lionel had taken post, in his regiment, but
marching on the skirt of the column, he com
manded a view of most of the scene of battle.
In his front moved a battalion, reduced to a
handful of men in the previous assaults. Behind
these came a party of the marine guards, from
the shipping, led by their own veteran Major ;
and next followed the dejected Nesbitt and his
corps, amongst whom Lionel looked in vain for
the features of the good-natured Polwarth. Simi
lar columns marched on their right and left, encir
cling three sides of the redoubt by their Battalions.

260 LIONEL LINCOLN.

A few minutes brought him in full view of tha*
humble and unfinished mound of earth, for the,
possession of which so much blood had that day
been spilt in vain. It lay, as before, still as if none-
breathed within its bosom, though a terrific row
oCdark lubes were arrayed along its top, follow
ing the movements of the approaching columns,
as the eyes of the imaginary charmers of our own
wilderness are said to watch their victims. As
the uproar of the artillery again grew fainter, the
crash of falling streets, and the appalling sounds
of the conflagration, on their left, became more
audible. Immense volumes of black smoke issued
from the smouldering ruins, and bellying outward,
fold beyond fold, it overhung the work in a hide
ous cloud, casting its gloomy shadow across the
place of blood.

A strong column was now seen ascending, as if
from out the burning town, and the advance of the
whole became quick and spirited. A low call ran
through the platoons, to note the naked weapons
of their adversaries, and it was followed by the
cry of " to the bayonet ! to the bayonet !"

"Hurrah! for the (loyal Irish!" shouted
M'Fuse, at the head of the dark column from the
conflagration.

" Hurrah !" echoed a well-known voice from
the silent inoun<J ; " let them come on to Breed's ;
the people will teach 'em the law !"

Men think at such moments with the rapidity
of lightning, and Lionel had even fancied his
comrades in possession of the work, when the ter
rible stream of fire flashed in the faces of the men
in front.

" Push on with the th," cried the veteran

Major of Marines — " push on, or the 18th will get
the honour of the day !"

" We cannot," murmured the soldiers of the
•-•»th ; " their fire is too heavy !"

LIONEL LINCOLN.

261

you '"

Then break, and let the marines pass through

you !"

The feeble battalion melted away, and the
warriors of the deep, trained to conflicts of. hand
to hand, sprang forward, with a loud shout, in
their places. The Americans, exhausted of their
ammunition, now sunk sullenly back, a few hurl
ing stones at their foes, in desperate indignation.
The cannon of the British had been brought t<
enfilade their short breast-work, which was no
longer tenable ; and as the columns approached
closer to the low rampart, it became a mutu
protection to the adverse parties.
' " Hurrah ! for the Royal Irish !" again shout
ed M'Fuse, rushing up the trifling ascent, whicl
was but of little more than his own height.

"Hurrah!" repeated Pitcairn, waving his
sword on another angle of the work—" the day s

our own !" ,

One more sheet of flame issued out of the t
som of the work, and all those brave men, who
had emulated the examples of their officers, were
swept away, as though a whirlwind had passe
along. The grenadier gave his war-cry once more
before he pitched headlong among his enemies ;
while Pitcairn fell back into the arms of his own
child The cry of ' forward, 47th,' rung through
their'ranks, and in their turn this veteran batta
lion gallantly mounted the ramparts. In the sba
low ditch Lionel passed the dying marine, ani
caught the dying and despairing look from his
eyes, and in another instant he found himself in
the presence of his foes. As company followed
company into the defenceless redoubt, the Ame
ricans sullenly retired by its rear, keeping the
bayonets of the soldiers at bay with clubbed mus
kets and sinewy arms. When the whole issued
upon the open ground, the husbandmen receivec

262 LIONEL LINCOLN.

a close and fatal fire from the battalions which
were now gathering around them on three sides.
A scene of wild and savage confusion then suc
ceeded to the order of the fight, and many fatal
blows were given and taken, the melee rendering
the use of fire-arms nearly impossible for several
minutes.

Lionel continued in advance, pressing on the
footsteps of the retiring foe, stepping over many
a lifeless body in his difficult progress. Not
withstanding the hurry, and vast disorder of the
fray, his eye fell on tht- form of tht- graceful stran
ger, stretched lifele-s on the parched grass, which
had greedily drank his blood. Amid the fero
cious cries, and fiercer passions of the moment,
the young man paused, and glanced his eyes
around him with an expression that said, he
thought the work of death >hould cease. At this
instant the trappings of his attire caught the gla
ring eye-balls of a dying )eoman, whot-xerted his
wasting strength to sacrifice one more worthy
victim to the rnanes of his countrymen. The
whole of the tumultuous scene vanished from the
senses of Lionel at the flash of the musket of this
man, and he sunk beneath the feet of the combat
ants, insensible of further triumph, and of every
danger.

The fall of a single officer, in such a contest,
was a circumstance not to be regarded, and regi
ments passed over him, without a single man
stooping to inquirt' into his fate. When the Ame
ricans had disengaged themselves from the troops,
they descended into the little hollow between the
two hills, swiftly, and like a disordered crowd,
bearing off most of their wounded, and leaving
but few prisoners in the hands of their foes. The
formation of the ground favoured their retreat, as
hundreds of bullets whistled harmlessly above

LIONEL LINCOLN. 263

their heads ; and by the time they gained the
acclivity of Bunker's, distance was added to their
security. Finding the field lost, the men at the
fence broke away in a body from their position,
and abandoned the meadows ; the whole moving
in confused masses behind the crest of the adja
cent height. The shouting soldiery followed in
their footsteps, pouring in fruitless "and distant
volleys ; but on the summit of Bunker their tired
platoons were halted, and they beheld the throng
move fearlessly through the tremendous fire that
enfiladed the low pass, as little injured as though
most of them bore charmed lives.

The day was now drawing to a close. With the
disappearance of their enemies, the ships and
batteries ceased their cannonade, and presently
not a musket was heard in that place where so
fierce a contest had so long raged. The troops
commenced fortifying the outward eminence on
which they rested, in order to maintain their bar
ren conquest, and nothing further remained for
the achievement of the royal lieutenants but to
go and mourn over their victory.

END OF VOL. I.

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