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B    3    335    MOD 


EX  LIBRTS 
OSEPH  M.  GLEASON 


•' 


LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

DAVIS 


For  Reference 


Not  to  be  taken  from  this  room 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

THE  AGE  OF  RIVALRY 

1680-1700 


ideal  America  in  Romance 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


THE  AGE  OF  RIVALRY 
1680-1700 


EDITED  BY 


EDWIN  MARKHAM 

AUTHOR  OF  "THE  MAN  WITH  THE  HOE,  AND  OTHER  POEMS, 

'•LINCOLN,  AND  OTHER  POEMS,"  "VIRGILIA,  AND  OTHER 

POEMS,"  "THE  POETRY  OF  JESUS,"  ETC. 


VOLUME  VII 


IStu'tum 


NEW  YORK        CHICAGO 

WILLIAM  H.  WISE  &  COMPANY 

MCMXII 


LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

r>  A  VTS 


VIS 


20350 


COPYRIGHT,  1909,  BY 

FUNK  &  WAGNALLS  COMPANY 

NEW  YORK 


DUELING   FOR   EMPIRE 
THE    AGE    OF    RIVALRY 

ENGLAND  and  France,  engaged  in  a  duel  too  mo 
mentous  to  be  finished  within  the  limits  of  a  single 
volume,  are  herein  shown  struggling  for  the  rich  prize  of 
temperate  North  America.  When  France  lost  her  foot 
hold  in  Florida,  religious  liberty  failed  in  its  first  attempt 
to  establish  itself  in  what  is  now  the  United  States.  The 
attempt  was  not  renewed  until  the  death  of  Philip  II  relieved 
Europe  of  the  terror  he  had  inspired ;  yet  even  then  France 
set  her  new  colony  in  the  bleaker  North,  far  removed  from 
the  territories  of  Spain. 

Quebec  was  planted  at  almost  the  same  instant  as  James 
town,  the  chief  idea  being  not  so  much  the  settlement  of  the 
land  as  the  exploitation  of  its  resources. 

Both  France  and  England  rooted  themselves  deeply, 
but  with  a  difference:  New  France  remained  subject  to 
the  whims  of  a  tyrant  and  his  tools,  while  Virginia  began 
almost  immediately  the  contest  for  self-government,  and  the 
Plymouth  colony  framed  its  own  constitution  while  still 
on  board  the  Mayflower. 

Both  England  and  France  saw  their  colonies  grow,  even 
beyond  their  own  earlier  ambitions.  With  every  inch  added 
to  their  stature,  the  prize  to  be  fought  for  grew  greater,  the 
necessity  for  the  duel  inevitable. 

We  live  through  thought  movements,  and  our  lives, 
individual  and  national,  are  the  outward  expression  of  them. 
In  the  previous  volumes  the  undercurrents  may  be  traced 
which  in  this  book  come  to  the  surface.  Dreams  of  empire 
—  of  great  empire  —  began  to  flit  through  the  minds  of 

7 


8  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

European  statesmen.  Every  addition  to  geographical  knowl 
edge  increased  the  area  of  the  dominion  overseas;  every 
advancing  year,  if  it  diminished  the  thought  of  rich  mines  of 
precious  metal,  enlarged  the  European  conception  of  the 
true  resources  of  the  country.  But  on  this  side  of  the  seas 
we  see  working  out  in  history  the  thoughts  of  three  genera- 
tions  before:  The  English  of  New  England  were  seeking 
freedom  for  the  practice  of  their  religion;  the  French  of 
New  France,  while  exploiting  the  enormously  valuable 
trade  in  furs,  would  have  perpetuated  the  tyrannies  of 
Europe. 

The  stake  increased  in  worth  and  size;  the  duel  was  on. 
France  fought  England  for  empire,  with  the  idea  of  greed 
and  self-aggrandizement  large  in  the  minds  of  the  statesmen 
of  both  nations;  but  the  Americans  were  fighting  for  their 
altars  and  their  homes.  So  far  as  this  volume  is  concerned, 
the  result  was  a  drawn  battle,  with  the  contestants  wearied 
and  resting  on  their  arms;  the  advantage,  so  far  as  there 
was  an  advantage,  rested  with  the  lilies  of  the  Bourbon 
despot. 

But  if  the  strongly  centralized  power  of  Louis  enabled 
him  to  outgeneral  the  divided  and  struggling  colonies  of  his 
rival,  to  surround  them  north  and  west  with  a  line  of  out 
posts  when  to  deny  them  unlimited  growth  was  to  deny  them 
existence,  the  very  terms  of  French  superiority  served  to 
weld  the  English  into  a  more  compact  and  homogeneous 
body,  to  give  them  concert  of  action,  and  crown  the  thoughts 
of  long  ago  with  the  new  thought  of  unison  and  unity.  The 
colonials  grew  less  English  and  more  American;  they  were 
fighting  for  their  homes. 

And  so  we  leave  them,  American  Englishmen  growing  to 
be  English  Americans,  wearied  for  the  time  of  the  resort 
to  arms,  but,  as  Americans,  confident  of  the  triumph 
soon  to  come. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I  Music  FOR  THEIR  DANCING   .  19 

II  SUCH  AS  SHIELD  TRAITORS      .  35 

III  THE  SOUL  OF  CHIVALRY          .  .  51 

IV  HE  TAUNTS  BEST  WHO  TAUNTS  NOT  .       66 
.    V  THE  IMPENDING  YOKE   ...  86 

VI  THE  BROTHER'S  TALE    .  .  99 

VII  THE  DEVIL'S  BOOK         .         .  .  .116 

VIII  THE  PARIAH  .                          .  .  .130 

IX  A  SNUFFER  OF  CANDLES          .  .  -143 

X  SLAVES  AND  A  SLAVE      .         .  .  .     155 

XI  THE  FATHER'S  REVENGE         .  .  -173 

XII  THE  ESCAPE  .         .         .         .  .  .190 

XIII  BROTHERLY  LOVE   .  204 

XIV  THE  PARIAH  MEETS  MANY  STRANGERS  .     226 
XV  THE  TYRANT'S  FALL  .     244 

XVI  THE  FRENCH  GIVE  A  PARTY  .  .  -256 

XVII  THE  BLOW  IN  THE  NIGHT      .  .  .     270 

XVIII  THE  SELF-MADE  MAN    .         .  .  .286 

XIX  SIEUR  DE  LA  SALLE        ....     302 

XX  A  RACE  WITH  DEATH     .         .  .  -317 

XXI  THE  WITCH-MOTHER      .         .  .  -329 

XXII  OUT  OF  SALEM  JAIL                 .  .  -341 

XXIII  BY  VIRTUE  OF  VILLAINY          .  .  -351 

XXIV  THE  MISSING  SHIP         .  .366 
XXV  A  NEW  YEAR'S  SURPRISE        .  .  .     377 

9 


io  DUELING  FOR   EMPIRE 

XXVI  THE  SLAVE  SHIP    .         .         .  .  -392 

XXVII  THE  MISSING  SHIP  MAKES  PORT  .  .402 

XXVIII  ATONEMENT    .         ,         .         .  .  .411 

XXIX  REUNITED      .         .         .         .  .  .     423 

XXX  THE  PORT  or  PERFECT  PEACE  .  .     435 

INDEX 441 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PA0.2 

WILLIAM  PENN'S  TREATY  or  PEACE  AND  FRIENDSHIP  WITH  THE  INDIANS  .  4 

(After  an  original  painting  by  Benjamin  West)     .          .  Frontispiece 

WILLIAM  PENN 19 

GENERAL  VIEW  OF  THE  BATTLEFIELD  OF  SEDGEMOOR      .         .         .         .21 

CHURCH  OF  CHEDZOY 21 

BRIDGEWATER,  ENGLAND         .....                  ...         .  25 

JAMES,  DUKE  OF  MONMOUTH          ........  24 

LUCY  WATERS .         .  25 

ON  THE  BATTFIELD  OF  SEDGEMOOR Full  Page  27 

THE  EARL  OF  FEVERSHAM ...  30 

AN  ENGLISH  INN 32 

JAMES  II      .      ^  .  ...  -35 

TYPICAL  ENGLISH  COTTAGE Full  Page  37 

A  CROOKED  VILLAGE  LANE  .         .         .         .         .         .         .         -41 

DOORWAY  OF  ENGLISH  COTTAGE 44 

SAINT  PETER'S  CHURCH,  TOWER  OF  LONDON  ....    Full  Page  45 

AN  ENGLISH  VILLAGE  STREET 49 

JUDGE  JEFFREYS 51 

THE  MARKET  AND  PARADE,  TAUNTON,  ENGLAND 53 

TAUNTON  CASTLE 54 

LORD  JEFFREYS'S  LONDON  HOUSE           .                  57 

THE  RIVER  TONE,  NEAR  TAUNTON,  ENGLAND           .         .         .    Full  Page  59 

GEORGE  LORD  JEFFREYS        ...                  .                  ...  63 

(From  the  portrait  in  the  National  Gallery,  London) 

GEORGE  Fox 66 

STRATHMORE  HALL,  RESIDENCE  OF  GEORGE  Fox     .....  68 

WILLIAM  PENN  AT  TWENTY-TWO 71 

(From  the  painting  of  the  Pennsylvania  Historical  Society) 

ADMIRAL  SIR  WILLIAM  PENN 72 

ADMIRAL  PENN  DRIVING  HIS  SON  FROM  HOME        .         .         .    Full  Page  73 

(From  the  Mural  Decorations  by  Violet  Oakley  in  the  Harrisburg  Capitol) 

THE  ARREST  OF  WILLIAM  PENN 76 

(From  the  Mural  Decorations  by  Violet  Oakley  in  the  Harrisburg  Capitol} 
THE  OLD  MANOR  HOUSE,  STOKE  POGIS,  THE  HOME  OF  ADMIRAL  SIR  WILLIAM 

PENN 78 

PENN  BEFORE  His  ACCUSERS           ......    Full  Page  79 

(From  the  Mural  Decorations  by  Violet  Oakley  in  the  Harrisburg  Capitol] 

WILLIAM  PENN  WRITING  IN  PRISON       ....  82 
(From  the  Mural  Decorations  by  Violet  Oakley  in  the  Harrisburg  Capitol) 

NEWGATE  PRISON 84 

II 


12  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

JOSEI:H  DUDLEY         ....  ....       86 

THE  BLACK  HORSE  TAVERN,  SALEM        .         .  ....       89 

THE  LAST  TOWN  PUMP,  SALEM    ...  .         .    Full  Page      91 

GOVERNOR  SIMON  BRADSTREET 94 

THE  GOVERNOR  SIMON  BRADSTREET  HOUSE,  SALEM,  MASSACHUSETTS         .       95 
(From  a  painting  in  the  Essex  Institute,  Salem) 

JAMES  II      ............       97 

OLD  BAKE-Snor,  SALEM        .........       98 

SALEM  .          .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  .       99 

(From  an  old  print) 

MARQUETTE  ...........  102 

(From  the  statue  in  the  Capitol  at  Washington) 

FRONTENAC       .  , *         .  104 

THE  DEPARTURE  or  MARQUETTE  AND  JOLIET  FROM  SAINT  IGNACE  )       Full 
MEETING  WITH  THE  ILLINOIS         .         .         .         .         .  \   '  Page 

THE  MOUTH  or  THE  DES  MOINES  RIVER     .          .         .          .          .          .  107 

DEATH  OF  MARQUETTE  .     .    . 109 

THE  BURIAL  OF  MARQUETTE  AT  SAINT  IGNACE 109 

ROBERT  CAVELIER,  SIEUR  DE  LA  SALLE          ....    Full  Page  1 1 1 

THE  BLUFFS  ALONG  THE  MISSISSIPPI 113 

TONTY.         .....         .         .  .         .         .         .          .114 

AN  ILLINOIS  CHIEF       .         .         .         .         .         .         .          .         .          .116 

THE  Fox  RIVER,  IN  WISCONSIN Full  Page  119 

CUSTOM  HOUSE,  SALEM     '    .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .          .122 

CHARTER  STREET  BURYING  GROUND,  SALEM 123 

THE  OLD  WITCH  JAIL,  SALEM 125 

ON  THE  COMMON,  DANVERS,  MASSACHUSETTS 126 

COTTON  MATHER  .         .         .         .          .         .          .         .         .          .  130 

WILLIAM  STOUGHTON    ...         .         .  ,         .         .          .  133 

OLD  SOUTH  CHURCH    ....         .         .         .         .         .        ' ,   "     .  134 

THE  MEETING-HOUSE  AT  IPSWICH         .       ,.         .         .         .    Full  Page  137 

SIR  EDMUND  ANDROS   .         ...         .         .         .         .         .         .  141 

THE  CHARTER  OAK      .         .         .       . ,. /. 144 

HARTFORD    .          .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .          .         .          .  147 

(From  an  old  print) 

HARTFORD.  FROM  DOME  OF  STATE  HOUSE Full  Page  149 

SPOT  WHERE  THE  CHARTER  OAK  STOOD,  HARTFORD      .          ...          -152 

LORD  CULPEPER  .;-... 155 

LORD  HOWARD  OF  EFFINGHAM       .          .         .          .          .         .         .          -156 

(From  the  portrait  in  the  Virginia  State  Library) 

BATTERY  FRONT,  CHARLESTON,  WHERE  THE  ASHLEY  AND  COOPER  RIVERS 

MEET 158 

Louis  XIV 159 

THE  OAKS,  AN  OLD  FARM  NEAR  CHARLESTON       .         .         .          .          .160 

GOOSECREEK   CHURCH,    NEAR    CHARLESTON,    BUILT   Itf    1711         .  .  .  l6l 


ILLUSTRATIONS  13 

WASHINGTON  SQUARE,  CHARLESTON,  SOUTH  CAROLINA  .  .  Full  Page  163 
TYPICAL  CHARLESTON  RESIDENCE.  .......  166 

CHARLESTON          ...........      169 

(From  an  old  print} 

THE  ORIGINAL  PLANK  CHURCH,  PHILADELPHIA      .          .          .          .  173 

ON  THE  DELAWARE,  OPPOSITE  PHILADELPHIA          .         .          .          .         .174 
(From  an  early  print) 

THE  SCHUYLKILL          .         .          .          .          .          .          .          .          .          .176 

(From  an  old  print) 

PENN  SEEKING  FREEDOM  FOR  IMPRISONED  FRIENDS          .          .    Full  Page     177 
(From  the  Mural  Decorations  by  Violet  Oakley  in  the  Harrisburg  Capitol) 

THE  SCHUYLKILL  IN  FAIRMOUNT  PARK,  PHILADELPHIA  .  .  .  .180 
DOORWAY  OF  A  COLONIAL  MANSION,  PHILADELPHIA  .  .  Full  Page  183 
FRIENDS'  ALMSHOUSE,  PHILADELPHIA  .  .  .  .  .  .  .186 

PENN  MEETING-HOUSE          .          .          .          .          .          .          .          .          .188 

(From  a  rare  print) 

THE    QUAKER'S  FIRST  MEETING-HOUSE  IN  PHILADELPHIA     .          .          .     190 
(From  an  old  engraving) 

CARPENTERS'  HALL,  PHILADELPHIA 192 

INTERIOR  OF  CARPENTERS'  HALL 195 

WISSAHICKON  CREEK Full  Page  197 

INTERIOR  OF  PENN'S  MEETING-HOUSE   .......  201 

PENN'S  VISION      .  .........      202 

(From  the  Mural  Decorations  by  Violet  Oakley  in  the  Harrisburg  Capitol) 

THE  TREATY  ELM         ..........     204 

PENN'S  VOYAGE  UP  THE  DELAWARE        .......     206 

(From  the  Mural  Decorations  by  Violet  Oakley  in  the  Harrisburg  Capitol) 

PENN'S  HOUSE  AT  CHESTER,  PENNSYLVANIA     ....    Full  Page     209 
(From  a  recent  photograph) 

THE    ORIGINAL    BLUE  ANCHOR  TAVERN,  PHILADELPHIA,  BUILT  WHERE 

PENN  LANDED  .          .          .          .          .          .          .          .          .          ..211 

(From  a  rare  print) 

PRESENT  SITE  OF  THE  ORIGINAL  BLUE  ANCHOR  TAVERN  .  .  .212 
OLD  SWEDISH  HOUSES,  PHILADELPHIA  .  .  .  .  .  .  .214 

PENN'S    LETITIA    HOUSE,  PHILADELPHIA,  NOW  STANDING  .IN  FAIRMOUNT 

PARK 215 

PENN'S  TREATY  MONUMENT,  PHILADELPHIA  ....    Full  Page     217 

THE  OLD  TREATY  ELM 220 

(From  an  early  engraving) 

PENN'S  SLATE- ROOF  HOUSE  .          .          .          .          .          .          .         .          .223 

(From  a  print) 

GOVERNOR  THOMAS  DONGAN          .          .  .          .          .          .  .          .227 

THE  OLD  STATE  HOUSE,  PHILADELPHIA  ....  Full  Page     229 

GOVERNOR  DONGAN'S  HOUSE         .          .  .          .          .          .  .          -231 

LEISLER'S  HOUSE,  NEW  YORK       .          .  .          .          .          .  .          .232 

JAMES  II  RECEIVING  THE  NEWS  OF  THE  LANDING  OF  WILLIAM  OF  ORANGE     235 
(From  the  painting  by  E.  M.  Ward) 


i4  DUELING   FOR  EMPIRE 

WILLIAM  III,  PRINCE  OF  ORANGE  .  ...    Full  Page     237 

(Photograph  o}  the  original  painting  in  Kensington  Palace} 

FULFILMENT  OF  PENN'S  DESIRE       .          .          .          .          .          .          .         .241 

(From  the  Mural  Decorations  by  Violet  Oakley  in  the  Harrisburg  Capitol) 

PETER  SCHUYLER          .          .         .          .  .  .       .         .         .         .     242 

(From  the  jamily  portrait) 

ALBANY,  NEW  YORK    .         .          .         .....         .         .         .245 

(From  an  old  engraving) 

FORT  WILLIAM  HENRY,  PEMAQUID,  MAINE  .  -  .  .  .  v  .  .  246 
THE  TRAIN-BANDS  SIGNING  LEISLER'S  DECLARATION  .  .  .  249 

CHARLESTOWN,  MASSACHUSETTS,  1743    .         .-        .         .       ',.. ;        .         .252 
(From  an  old  print) 

NEW  YORK  FERRY  HOUSE  IN  1746      ,.         .*       .,       .         .         /;       .     254 
(From  an  old  -wood  engraving) 

BIENVILLE    .          .          .          v        .          .      ".'...         .          .     '    .          .      256 

SCHUYLER  AND  THE  SCOUTS  .        .         .         .         .         .       ;.         .         .     257 

THE  GLEN-SANDERS  HOUSE,  SCHENECTADY  .  .  .  •  .  Full  Page  259 
WILLIAM  III,  PRINCE  OF  ORANGE  .  .  .  •  .  .  .262 
STATUE  OF  FRONTENAC  *  .  .  . 265 

THE  ATTACK  ON  SCHENECTADY     .         .         .         .  .         .  .       .     268 

(From  a  drawing) 

THE  INDIAN  MONUMENT,  SCHENECTADY 271 

ON  THE  MOHAWK  RIVER 272 

INDIAN  TRAIL  BETWEEN  ALBANY  AND  SCHENECTADY      ....  275 

THE  MABIE  HOUSE,  THE  OLDEST  IN  THE  MOHAWK  VALLEY  .         .         .  276 

PEMAQUID  HARBOR,  AND  ANCIENT  SETTLEMENT      .      .'.."•       .    Full  Page  279 

HISTORIC  HOUSE  IN  SCHENECTADY         ...         .         .         .         .  283 

SIR  WILLIAM  PHIPS      .         . 287 

(From  Windsor's  "America") 

LOWER  TOWN,  QUEBEC         .         .         .  .       .'•'.'••.         .    Full  Page     289 
(From  an  old  print) 

PHIPS'S  NECK:    THE  SITE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  PHIPS'S  BIRTHPLACE     .         .     292 

MONTREAL  .          .         .         .         .         .         .  •     •  f    '     .         .         .         .     295 

(From  a  drawing) 

SITE  OF  OLD  FORT  OSWEGO          r .  .      ~  .  '      .         .  .  .         .  297 

CHURCH  OF  OUR  LADY  OF  VICTORY  .         ....         .  .  .         .  300 

JEAN  BAPTISTS  COLBERT       .         .  ....  .  ...  302 

FORT  FRONTENAC          .         .   .    ..  .         .         .         .  .  .         .  303 

LA  SALLE'S  HOUSE  ON  THE  LOWER  LACHINE  ROAD      • .         .    Full  Page    305 
(From  a  recent  photograph) 

OLD  BLOCK-HOUSE  AT  MACKINAC          .         .         ,       /.,  .     .  :  .  .     308 

THE  MISSISSIPPI  RIVER  NEAR  SAINT  ANTHONY'S  FALLS.         .  .  .311 

Louis  JOLIET       . '       .         ....         .       . ,.         .         .  .  .312 

STARVED  ROCK,  ON  THE  ILLINOIS  RIVER        .         .         .         .  .  .314 

THE  FATHER  OF  WATERS    ..         .         .         .         .         .         .  .  .     319 

GOVERNOR  SLOUGHTER  SIGNING  LEISLER'S  DEATH  WARRANT  .  .320 


ILLUSTRATIONS  15 

THE  RE-BURIAL  OF  LEISLER Full  Page  323 

MAJOR  INGOLDSBY'S  ATTACK  ON  THE  FORT 327 

THE  SARAH  OSBURNE  HOUSE        .                  329 

THE  ANNE  PUTNAM  HOUSE 330 

HOUSE  OF  GEORGE  JACOBS,  WHO  WITH  His  WIFE  AND   DAUGHTER  WAS 

IMPRISONED  FOR  WITCHCRAFT;    HE  WAS  HANGED    ....  333 

TRIAL  OF  GEORGE  JACOBS  FOR  WITCHCRAFT 336 

(From  a  painting  in  the  Essex  Institute,  Salem] 

THE  OLD  WITCH  HOUSE,  SALEM 338 

GALLOWS  HILL,  SALEM          .........  339 

THE  MATHER  TOMB,  COPP'S  HILL  BURYING  GROUND,  BOSTON       .          .342 

A  PICTURESQUE  OLD  NEW  ENGLAND  MILL    ....    Full  Page  345 

BIRTHPLACE  OF  ISRAEL  PUTNAM,  DANVERS,  MASSACHUSETTS,  BUILT  1648  348 

MATHER-ELIOT  HOUSE,  BOSTON,  BUILT  1677           .....  349 

READING  GOVERNOR  FLETCHER'S  PROCLAMATION    .         .         .         .  351 

OLD  TIDE  MILL,  PORTLAND,  MAINE 353 

OLD  CHAISE  OF  1701    .          .         .          .          .         .         .         .         .          .  354 

A  BIT  OF  OLD  BOSTON          .          .         .         . 355 

FIRST  KING'S  CHAPEL,  BOSTON 357 

(From  an  old  print} 

THE  PRESENT  KING'S  CHAPEL,  BOSTON         ....    Full  Page  359 

OLD  NORTH  CHURCH   ..........  362 

COTTON  MATHER'S  HOUSE,  BOSTON       .......  364 

INTERIOR  OF  OLD  NEW  ENGLAND  HOUSE      ......  365 

OLD  GARRISON  HOUSE,  YORK,  MAINE 367 

THE  VILLAGE  OF  YORK,  MAINE Full  Page  369 

OLD  JAIL,  YORK,  MAINE ^374 

DOCTOR  JAMES  BLAIR 378 

(From  a  portrait  at  William  and  Mary  College] 

WILLIAM  AND  MARY  COLLEGE,  WILLIAMSBURG,  VIRGINIA        .    Full  Page  381 

THE  GRAVE  OF  GEORGE  Fox                 .......  384 

THE  GRAVES  OF  THE  PENN  FAMILY  IN  THE  BURYING  GROUND  OF  JORDANS 

MEETING-HOUSE,  CHALFONT  SAINT  GILES,  ENGLAND        .         .         .  385 

JORDANS  MEETING-HOUSE,  CHALFONT  SAINT  GILES,  ENGLAND  Full  Page  387 

BURYING  GROUND  AT  THE  JORDANS  MEETING-HOUSE     ....  390 

THOMAS  PENN,  LAST  PROPRIETARY  GOVERNOR  OF  PENNSYLVANIA            .  392 
ON    THE    DELAWARE  RIVER  ) 

PHILADELPHIA  SKYSCRAPERS  \                                                      .full  fage  395 

THE  COLOSSAL  STATUE  OF  WILLIAM  PENN  AT  PHILADELPHIA          .          .  398 

NEW  CITY  HALL,  PHILADELPHIA 400 

FANEUIL  HALL,  BOSTON 403 

OLD  HUGUENOT  CHURCH,  CHARLESTON,  SOUTH  CAROLINA      .    Full  Page  405 

CHRIST  CHURCH,  PHILADELPHIA    ........  408 

SAINT  PHILIP'S  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH  AT  CHARLESTON,  ITS  STEEPLE  CON 
TAINING  A  GOVERNMENT  LIGHTHOUSE 409 


16  DUELING   FOR  EMPIRE 

THE  OLD  DEBTOR'S  PRISON,  WILLIAMSBURG,  VIRGINIA  .         .         .         .411 

OLD  POWDER  HORN,  WILLIAMSBURG 412 

A  SCENE  AT  THE  COLONIAL  CAPITOL  OF  WILLIAMSBURG          .    Full  Page  413 

(From  a  painting) 
PRESIDENT'S    HOUSE,    WILLIAM    AND     MARY    COLLEGE,    WILLIAMSBURG, 

VIRGINIA        .         .         .         .         .         ."..-';         .         .         .  417 

THE  SHORE  OF  THE  JAMES  RIVER         .         .      .  ^         ..        .         .          .  419 

SUNSET  ON  THE  JAMES  RIVER       .         .         .   ,    <.         •.                   .          .  421 

THE  HANNAH  DUSTON  MONUMENT        .         .         .         .         •   „-    •         •  423 

MEMORIAL  BOULDER,  SITE  OF  DUSTON  HOME       '  .  •      ;•        .                   .  425 

IN  THE  ENVIRONS  OF  HAVERHILL,  WHITTIER'S  BIRTHPLACE    .    Full  Page  427 

ABRAHAM  DE  PEYSTER.         .          .         ....         .         .         .         .  430 

THE  OLD  GARRISON  HOUSE,  HAVERHILL,  MASSACHUSETTS     .         .         .434 

RESIDENCE  OF  CAPTAIN  KIDD,  NEW  YORK    .         .         .         .    Full  Page  437 

THE  ARREST  OF  CAPTAIN  KIDD    .         .         .         .......         .  439 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


DUELING   FOR  EMPIRE 


CHAPTER  I 
MUSIC   FOR   THEIR   DANCING 

HIGH  noon  of  July  6,  1685!  The  distant  muffled 
muttering  of  gun-fire  that  had  been  coming  to 
the  ears  of  the  anxious  citizens  of  Bridgewater  for 
three  hours  from  the  field  of  Sedgemoor,  nine  miles  to  the 
southeast,  had  died  down 
into  fitful  gusts  of  clatter, 
barely  audible.  The  bat 
tle  had  been  won  or  lost. 
James,  duke  of  Mon- 
mouth,  was  now  either  an 
outlawed  traitor,  hunted 
by  the  soldiers  of  James 
II,  or  a  triumphant  pre 
tender  to  the  throne  of 
England. 

Fearfully,  anxiously, 
they  of  Bridgewater 
waited  to  learn  which  it 
might  be.  With  deepest 

Solicitude,    with    bitterest  WILLIAM  PENN 

misgivings,  they  eagerly  and  impatiently  waited  in  expecta 
tion  of  the  news,  loitering  in  the  streets  in  silent  groups, 
thrusting  their  heads  from  windows,  climbing  to  the  roofs 
of  houses  to  catch  the  first  glimpse  of  the  bearer  of  news 
good  or  bad.  With  fond  hearts  they  hoped  for  the  success 


20  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

of  their  Protestant  duke,  their  elegant  and  gracious  lord, 
their  soldier,  their  hero. 

For  James,  duke  of  Monmouth,  was  close  to  the  heart 
of  the  people.  Son  of  the  merry  prince,  Charles  II,  and 
Mistress  Lucy  Waters,  he  had  been  brought  up  in  the  glory 
of  the  court,  and  had  grown  into  beauty  of  person  and  man 
ners.  Great  wars  had  he  led  in  Scotland  and  Holland  for 
his  father  and  England;  but  more  than  all,  he  was  the 
champion  of  their  religion. 

For  four  months  England  had  had  a  Catholic  King, 
James  II,  who,  as  duke  of  York,  brother  to  Charles  II,  was 
known  as  an  ardent  devotee  of  the  Church.  Charles  II  had 
been  a  Protestant,  and  the  nation  was  so  strongly  Protes 
tant  that  there  was  a  law  debarring  Catholics  from  all  office 
and  privilege  under  government.  Englishmen  dreaded  a 
change  of  religion,  and  feared  their  new  monarch,  although 
he  had  not  yet  interfered  with  existing  affairs. 

Monmouth,  banished  years  before  from  the  court  by 
factions  influenced  by  the  duke  of  York,  had  once  before 
returned  to  England,  at  a  time  when  his  father  was  thought 
to  be  dying.  He  sought  to  establish  his  legitimacy  and  come 
to  the  throne  in  place  of  York.  Even  after  the  King's  recov 
ery,  he  had  continued  plotting,  making  use  of  disaffection 
in  certain  parts  of  the  country  to  help  his  cause.  But  the 
project  failed,  and  he  had  wandered  through  Holland  and 
Belgium,  banished  from  his  royal  father's  court. 

On  the  death  of  Charles,  however,  he  renewed  his  efforts 
to  secure  the  throne.  Spurred  on  by  a  following  that  saw 
its  own  advancement  through  his  success,  and  deluded  by 
a  show  of  enthusiasm  in  certain  parts  of  England,  he  had 
landed  in  the  west  country  early  in  the  year,  and  gathered 
about  him  an  army  of  undisciplined  peasants  and  miners 
who  loved  him  well. 

His  fortunes  had  been  fair  in  the  beginning.    At  Taunton 


MUSIC   FOR  THEIR  DANCING 


21 


GENERAL  VIEW  OF  THE  BATTLEFIELD  OF  SEDGEMOOR 

he  was  received  with  acclaim.  In  the  north  the  earl  of 
Argyle  was  in  revolt;  and  men  were  flocking  to  Monmouth's 
standard.  In  July  he  had  6000  followers,  and  was  awaiting 
still  further  increase,  when  he  learned  that  Argyle  had  fallen. 
Impatient  of  delay,  on  July  6  he  attacked  the  royal  troops 
under  Feversham  at  Sedgemoor.  His  undisciplined  army 
outnumbered  the  soldiers  of  James  II  two  to  one.  At  the  out 
set,  he  drove  the  enemy  before  him,  and  victory  would  have 
rested  on  his  banner  had  not  his  soldiers  become  clogged  in 


the  ditch  that  ran  through 
sand  of  Monmouth's  de 
left  on  the  battlefield  and 
were  slain  in  the 
Now,   after 
heavy   hours   to 
full    of    fate    to 
them  and  theirs, 
the    inhabitants 
of    the   town 
which  had  given 
so  many  soldiers 
to    the    cause 


the  field.  A  thou- 
voted  followers  were 
several  hundred  more 
pursuit  that  followed, 
listening  through 
the  battle,  so  terribly 


CHURCH  OF  CHEDZOY,  WHERE  THE  ROYAL  TROOPS  WERE 
QUARTERED 


22  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

paused  to  learn  the  outcome.  Women  whose  husbands  and 
brothers  and  sweethearts  had  gone  forth  with  the  rebel 
duke  to  help  him  to  his  crown  gathered  in  knots,  speechless, 
with  clasped  hands  and  bated  breath.  Old  men  and  boys 
who  could  not  lend  their  feeble  aid  paced  up  and  down  the 
main  street,  with  searching  eyes  turned  in  the  direction  of  the 
field  of  battle,  nine  miles  away.  Little  children,  'oppressed 
by  the  suspense,  ceased  from  their  frolic  and  prattling, 
awaiting  they  knew  not  what. 

The  scattered  noise  of  firing  drew  closer.  Now  and  then 
the  swelling  sound  of  distant  shouting  came  to  the  ears  of 
the  loiterers.  There  was  a  commotion  at  the  outskirt  of  the 
town.  A  disheveled  fugitive,  a  miner  who  had  laid  down 
his  tools  for  the  rebel  cause,  staggered  down  the  street  sur 
rounded  by  a  mob  that  clamored  in  hushed  voices  for  the 
news.  A  gash  across  his  brow  blinded  one  eye.  Blood 
streamed  from  a  wound  in  the  shoulder.  He  bore  up  his 
injured  arm  by  the  other,  supporting  the  elbow  in  his 
hand. 

"  All  is  lost!  "  he  moaned,  sinking  at  last  upon  the  sward. 
"Monmouth  flees.  Our  ranks  are  broken.  The  King's 
soldiers  are  cutting  us  down  like  sheep.  Jesu!  that  such  a 
day  should  have  fallen  upon  us! " 

Silently,  with  stifled  groans  and  wails  that  sank  inward, 
the  people  of  Bridge  water  hurried  to  and  fro,  now  going 
down  the  road  to  meet  their  own  flesh  and  blood,  if  so  be  it 
that  it  should  come  back  to  them  whole,  now  rushing  to  hide 
themselves  in  the  far  corners  of  their  poor  dwellings.  Other 
fugitives  came,  despairing,  hopeless.  The  few  grew  to 
many,  and  the  many  to  a  rabble :  peasants  who  had  thrown 
down  their  spades  and  hoes  in  the  field  and  gone  to  war, 
dressed  as  they  were  in  leather  jerkins  and  caps;  men  from 
the  mines  of  Cornwall;  householders,  tradesmen,  mendi 
cants,  adventurers,  a  motley  crew;  brave  as  the  English- 


MUSIC   FOR  THEIR   DANCING 


23 


man  always  is  brave  in  going  to  the  fight ;  cast  down  as  the 
lowly  are  always  cast  down  in  an  evil  tide  of  fortune. 

The  sound  of  firing  advanced  until  it  rang  through  the 
outskirts  of  the  town,  and  tore  clattering  down  the  main 
street.  The  sound  of  shouting,  the  cries  of  the  merciless 
victors,  approached  until  it  swelled  loud  and  appalling  in  the 
ears  of  the  distracted  populace.  Now  the  horde  of  routed 
rebels  was  intermingled  with  the  brutal  soldiers  of  the  King, 
fighting  for  the  sake  of  the  fight,  and  for  the  integrity  of  the 
right  of  the  powers  that  were.  Striking  down  those  whom 
they  overtook,  they  poured  into  the  streets  and  fields  with 
hoarse,  maddened  yells,  and  overflowed  into  the  cottages, 
doing  that  which  cannot  be  told. 

A  loud  huzza  at  the  end  of  the  town!  A  swarm  of  sol 
diers  rushing  in  with  disciplined  disorder!  A  troop  of  officers 
on  their  steeds,  their  faces  alight  with  the  lust  of  blood  and 
the  enthusiasm  of  victory!  At  their  head,  Kirke,  the  dreaded, 
the  infamous,  fresh  from  his  reign  of  sin 
and  terror  in  Tangiers,  rallying  around 
him  his  regiment,  known  far  and 
wide  as  "The 
Lambs," 


BRIDGEWATER,  ENGLAND 


24  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

because  of  insignia  they  bore  on  their  banners,  spoken  in 
irony  for  the  things  that  they  did. 

Up  the  street,  with  mocking  mirth  and  wild  laughter, 
came  the  officers,  to  halt  at  last  at  the  inn. 

"Now,  then!"  cried  Kirke,  with  an  oath,  throwing  him 
self  from  his  horse  before  the  tavern  door.    "Let  the  blood 

of  the  rebels  run  as  it  will! 
We  cannot  drink  it;  but  I 
have  the  thirst  of  a  heretic 
about  me,  and  I  would  quench 
it." 

"Bravo!"  exclaimed  one 
who  rode  closest  at  his  side, 
—  Captain  Richard  Dorset, 
"Daredevil  Dick  Dorset,"  he 
was  called, — "Gadzooks!  An 
I  had  not  come  quickly  upon 
the  blood  of  the  grape  I 
should  soon  have  wet  my 
whistle  with  this  other  red 
stuff  that  runs  so  free;  for, 
marry,  but  I  too  have  a 

JAMES,  DUKE  OF  MONMOUTH  thirgt    that    doys    the    *Qy   Q£ 

day  and  might  bring  on  the  night  in  sorrow ! " 

"Bring  the  rebels  hither!"  shouted  Kirke,  passing  into 

the  inn.    "Let  them  not  die  too  easily.    Come,  lads,  we  will 

make  merry!" 

Rioting,    clamoring    coarsely,    cursing,    roughing    one 

another  in  their  wild  way,  the  company  of  officers  roared 

into  the  tap-room,  disposing  themselves  about  the  table  and 

calling  vociferously  for  wine. 

"Long  live  King  James!    A  death  to  all  rebels!  "  cried 

Captain    Dorset,  clanging  his  sword  into  its  sheath  and 

raising  his  cup  on  high. 


MUSIC  FOR  THEIR  DANCING  25 

"Long  live  the  King,  and  down  with  rebels!  "  cried  they 
all,  rising  to  their  feet. 

The  shouting  of  the  soldiers,  the  screams  of  women,  the 
howls  of  stricken  men,  came  to  them  through  the  open 
window  as  they  drank.  In  the  midst  of  the  tumult,  a  ser 
geant  entered,  saluting  his  commander. 

"An  't  please  you, 
sir,  what  shall  we  do 
with  our  prisoners?" 
he  asked. 

"Hang  them  one 
by  one  to  the  highest 
tree,"  replied  Kirke, 
filling  a  fresh  bumper 
from  the  flagon  at  his 
elbow. 

"And  mark  you, 
fellow!"  exclaimed 
Dorset,  as  the  man 
was  withdrawing, 
"Hang  them  to  yonder 
tree  that  we  may  see 
that  't  is  well  done.  LuCY 

Nay,  there!  —  that  one  close  by  the  window  here." 

"Well  said,  Dick!  "  roared  Kirke.  "Bold  Dick!  Bad 
Dick !  By  the  Blood,  thou  wert  ever  a  fellow  to  mine  own 
liking." 

"What!  shall  we  not  make  mirth  of  it,  for  all  the  sweat 
ing  we  have  done  this  day?  "  returned  Dorset.  "Let  them 
howl,  an  they  wilt.  'T  will  but  be  a  tune  for  the  toasts  we 
shall  give  them.  As  for  me,  I  like  nothing  better  to  stir  my 
wine  withal  than  the  kicking  heels  of  an  infamous  rebel." 

"Marry,  they  have  used  their  heels  well  to-day,  as  it 
is,"  said  one. 


26  DUELING   FOR  EMPIRE 

"Thou  liest  in  thy  throat,  braggart!"  returned  Kirke, 
with  fierce  playfulness.  "Marry,  for  a  rout  of  yokels,  they 
fought  like  the  devil  with  his  dam." 

"Ay,  that  they  did,"  rejoined  a  second.  "I  have  that 
about  me  that  shows  how  well  they  fought,  an  't  please  God ! 
Look  you  here!"  He  threw  open  his  shirt,  clotted  with 
blood,  and  showed  a  gash  across  his  chest.  "  The  fellow  that 
gave  me  this  was  like  to  have  mowed  me  down  with  a  scythe 
ere  I  could  split  his  sconce  and  let  out  his  feeble  brains." 

"Tush,  Sellman;  an  he  hurt  not  thy  tongue,  'tis  still 
well  enough  with  thee!"  cried  Dorset,  whereat  they  all 
roared  with  laughter,  for  the  bragging  of  Sellman  was  a 
thing  well  known  among  them. 

"Thou 'It  pay  for  that,  Dick!"  muttered  he  who  had 
been  made  the  butt  of  the  jest. 

"Cast  up  the  reckoning  when  thou  wilt,  then,"  returned 
Dorset. 

"Ay,  and  I  will  cast  it  in  thy  teeth! " 

"  I  shall  swallow  thee  whole  when  thou  dost,"  retorted 
the  captain. 

"Cease!  "  roared  Kirke.  "Have  we  not  enough  of  fight 
ing  to-day,  that  we  must  broil  among  ourselves?  " 

"Look  ye,  they  hang  the  first  now,"  shouted  one,  gazing 
through  the  window. 

"Shrive  him,  Daredevil  Dick,  an  thou  art  a  man!"  said 
Kirke. 

"Mock  me  not  as  a  monk,  master  colonel,"  Dorset  made 
answer.  "But  come.  A  toast.  Fill  high  for  a  toast.  "I 
give  you  the  rebel;  long  may  he  live  " —  a  muttering  tumult 
arose  in  their  midst  — "  in  hell!  "  concluded  Dorset,  when 
he  could  make  himself  heard;  "and  may  the  devil  himself 
speed  thither  with  his  soul." 

"An  he  did,  we  should  miss  your  company,"  exclaimed 
Kirke,  roaring  with  laughter. 


MUSIC  FOR  THEIR  DANCING  29 

"God's  blood,  see  how  he  kicks,"  roared  one  of  them, 
looking  through  the  window.  "The  devil  already  hath  his 
soul,  I  make  it." 

"These  western  fellows  were  ever  noted  for  their  jigs," 
observed  Dorset,  setting  down  his  empty  cup. 

"Bid  them  beat  the  drums  without,  there!"  shouted 
Kirke,  grasping  at  the  fancy.  "Let  there  be  music  to  their 
dancing." 

Higher  and  higher  rose  the  mad  mirth  of  the  officers  of 
the  Lambs,  as  one  after  another  of  those  who  had  espoused 
the  cause  of  Monmouth  was  sent  to  his  last  reckoning. 
Bumper  on  bumper  was  quaffed  by  the  wild  crew  as  the 
work  went  on ;  Dorset  ever  taking  the  lead  in  the  merriment 
and  setting  them  all  roaring  with  his  quips  and  the  grotesque 
toasts  he  gave  them. 

The  roistering  was  at  its  height,  when  a  petty  officer 
came  to  the  door  to  seek  a  word  with  Kirke.  He  was  bidden 
to  enter,  and  did  so,  followed  by  a  slight,  slinking  creature, 
who  seemed  to  glide  rather  than  walk.  His  small  head  came 
to  a  ridge  along  the  top.  His  coarse,  thick,  black  hair  grew 
in  a  tuft  far  down  on  his  forehead.  He  had  an  upturned 
nose,  which  was  rendered  sinister  and  horrible  through  hav 
ing  been  caved  in  and  twisted  awry  at  some  time  early  in 
life.  His  wide,  heavy  lips  stood  apart,  revealing  shaggy 
yellow  fangs  scattered  along  his  gums.  His  face  was  dark 
and  lowering,  and  he  held  his  head  well  down  between  his 
shoulders,  which  cringed  forward.  But  it  was  the  eyes  of 
the  fellow  that  rendered  his  appearance  entirely  repugnant 
and  villainous.  One  of  them  was  higher  in  the  cheek  than 
its  mate,  and  was  at  the  same  time  larger  and  more  active 
in  motion  and  expression.  When  he  cast  up  his  gaze  at  the 
circle  of  officers  for  an  instant  on  entering,  scarce  anything 
of  this  eye  was  visible  but  a  strip  of  ball,  which  in  him  was 
yellow  rather  than  white. 


30  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

"What,  another  whom  you  seek  leave  to  hang?  "  asked 
Dorset,  who  sat  nearest  the  two  as  they  entered.  "To  my 
mind,  you  need  not  have  far  to  look  to  find  permission  to 
hang  such  a  knave.  In  sooth,  his  very  looks  were  enough." 
Kirke,  diverted  by  the  scene  without,  left  the  affair  to 
the  devices  of  Dorset,  who  stood  close  to  him  in  command, 

and  closer  still  in 
confidence  and  in 
dulgence. 

The  misshapen 
wretch,  casting 
another  quickly  fur 
tive  look  about  the 
company,  shuffled 
closer  to  the  speaker, 
turning  his  cap 
round  and  round  in 
his  hand.  There 
was  a  subtle  element 
in  his  demeanor  that 
did  not  impress 
Dorset  as  comple 
menting  the  appar- 

THE  DUKE  OF  FEVERSHAM  :  V         •!•,          r   i  • 

ent  humility  of  his 

gestures.  It  did  not  seem  to  be  self-abasement  or  fear  that 
moved  the  man,  so  much  as  slyness. 

He  stood  in  front  of  Dorset  silent,  his  gaze  lurking  about 
the  room,  in  the  corners,  beneath  the  table,  waiting  for  some 
cue  that  would  show  him  his  best  beginning. 

"Well,  wryface,"  said  Dorset  at  last,  with  a  hearty  pre 
possession  against  the  man.  "Hast  thou  a  tongue  within 
that  carcass  of  lean  flesh  ?  Speak  if  you  have  ought  to  say." 

The  man  squirmed  closer,  and  piped  up  in  a  shrill, 
quavering  voice. 


MUSIC  FOR  THEIR  DANCING  31 

"  Begging  you  worship's  pardon  that  one  so  mean  should 
speak  to  one  so  high,"  he  said,  "but  I  thought  as  how  I  might 
have  that  to  tell  which  might  find  me  some  favor  in  your 
eyes." 

"Egad,  it  will  need  to  be  much,  then." 

"Craving  your  worship's  kindness,  I  am  a  poor,  mis 
guided  rebel  - 

"And  a  worthy  one  thou  art,  wret<j}i.  Wilt  ask  me  to 
hang  thee?  An  thou  dost,  I  shall  grant  thee  gladly." 

"Na,  na,  not  that.  If  it  pleases  you,  I  would  have  you 
spare  me." 

"In  very  truth,  it  pleases  me  not.  And  why  should  you 
have  me  spare  thee?  Hast  thou  other  engagements  with 
the  hangman?  " 

"Na,  na.  I  am  but  a  harmless,  guileless  soul,  and  have 
been  led  sorely  astray,  for  which  I  repent  me  of  it  much.  In 
penance,  I  would  tell  you  where  you  may  find  a  bitter  rebel 
of  importance,  one  of  the  duke's  own  body,  it  would  seem, 
if  not  the  duke  himself." 

"Ha?     Say  you  the  duke  himself?  " 

"  I  do  not  say  it.  Though  haply  it  may  be,  for  ought  I 
know." 

"Speak!     Out  with  it!" 

"He  stays  not  far  from  here,  bleeding  with  a  hurt.  His 
daughter  shelters  him;  a  beautiful  miss  if  ever  there  one 
breathed,"  he  added,  with  a  sly  look  at  Dorset. 

"How  know  you?" 

"I  am  from  thence  but  now." 

"How  came  you  there?  " 

"I  fled  there  from  the  battle." 

"Ay,  marry,  that  I  can  believe.     Is  she  of  thy  kin?  " 

"If  it  find  pleasure  with  you,  I  never  saw  her  before.  I 
but  sought  to  hide  there ;  but  the  thought  of  what  I  had 
done  overcame  me,  and  I  hastened  to  tell  you." 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


"To  save  thine  own  vile  neck  from  the  rope,  thou  fiend? 
Out  upon  you,  thou  utterly  debauched  and  villainous  rogue! 
Say  you  the  maiden  is  fair  ?  " 

"Most  beauteous,  if  it  please  you." 
"It   pleases  me  well.    And   what   do   they   call  thee, 
turvy-eye?" 

"Shirk,  if  you  please.    Roger  Shirk." 
"It  is  a  fit  villainous  name,  Rogue  Shirk." 
"What  ho,  most  worthy  commander!"  cried  Dorset  to 
Kirke,  turning  about  to  him.    "Here  is  a  damnable  screw- 
nosed  wretch  who  tells  me  of  a  wonderful  maiden  of  surpass 
ing    points    that  A     keeps  a  traitor  safe  from  our  revenge! 
What   say    you,   L  shall  we  have  ^m.   them     prisoners? 
There  is  much     |H|   to  be  said  A|   j  in    favor    of 

such  a         ^rii^lL.  course,  ^^fl     <•  UJfflii    the     maiden 

being    of    a 

ft  loveliness." 
I 


AN  ENGLISH  INN 

"Ay,  marry,  that  we  will,"  replied  Kirke.  "Yours  shall 
be  the  traitor  and  mine  the  maid.  " 

"Nay,  by  your  life,  I  dispute  you  that,"  returned 
Dorset.  "Is  there  no  reward  for  the  valiant  subjects  of 
the  King  that  find  traitors  who  harbor  traitors?  I  bide 
by  the  words  of  these  lusty  knights  here,  whose  the 
maiden  should  be." 


80350 

MUSIC  FOR  THEIR  DANCING  33 

"Thou  art  a  jovial  madcap,  Dick,  and  I  ever  loved  thee. 
I  '11  tell  thee  what  I  will  do.  I  will  cast  the  dice  with  thee  for 
her.  What  ho,  landlord!  Fetch  the  dice,  there,  an  thou 
wouldst  save  thy  fat  neck." 

With  boisterous  mirth  the  officers  gathered  about  the 
table.  The  drum  beat  out  the  roll  as  another  traitor  was 
sent  dangling  from  the  tree.  Slurk  took  advantage  of  the 
diversion  to  raise  his  evil  face  and  look  fully  about  him. 
Kirke  pushed  the  dice-box  toward  Dorset. 

"For  thy  sins,  thou  shalt  go  first,  Daredevil  Dick;  and 
may  the  devil  go  with  thee,  for  I  am  most  prodigious  in  luck 
these  days." 

"Come,  comrades  all,  drink  a  bumper  to  my  fortunes!  " 
cried  Dorset,  taking  up  the  box  in  one  hand,  and  tossing  off 
a  brimmer. 

With  many  a  brutal  oath  and  much  rough  banter  they 
drank  to  his  success.  He  rattled  the  ivory  cubes  briefly, 
flourished  his  arm  through  the  air,  and  sent  the  dice  jostling 
across  the  deal  boards,  crying  out  a  heathen  prayer  that  he 
had  learned  at  Tangiers. 

A  great  shout  of  mocking  laughter  went  up  from  the 
throats  of  those  who  stood  about  the  spot  where  the  dice 
rested  at  last. 

"Now,  Dick,  thou  art  a  ruined  man,"  cried  Sellman, 
whom  drink  had  rendered  amiable  again.  "Here  is  a  four 
and  an  ace.  What  is  that  for  a  man  of  thy  mettle  ?  " 

"Nay,  marry,  I  am  not  wont  to  win  the  smiles  of  the  fair 
with  the  dice-box,"  said  Dorset,  laughing  with  them. 

Great  mirth  arose  among  them  as  Kirke  took  up  the  box. 

"To  your  luck,  then,"  they  bellowed,  tossing  off  each 
a  cup  of  the  sack. 

"An  you  need  not  the  wine,  guzzlers,  I  need  not  your 
luck,"  quoth  Kirke,  sending  the  dice  rattling  along  the 
course  they  had  already  been. 


34  DUELING   FOR  EMPIRE 

Sellman  looked  at  them  with  a  blank  face. 

"How  now,  bold-heart?"  demanded  Dorset.  "Why 
lookest  thou  so  dumb  ?  " 

"Marry,  one  may  well  look  dumb  when  friend  Kirke 
casteth  nothing  better  than  this;  for  here  we  have  the  deuce, 
and  another  deuce  not  one  whit  the  better  of  it  in  any  part." 

"The  deuce,  and  the  devil  to  pay,"  cried  Dorset,  then. 
"Come,  another  cup  to  the  vanquished,  and  another  then  to 
good  speed  me  on  my  journey.  What  say  you,  Kirke  ?  " 

"I  say,  that  lest  thou  hast  evil  fortunes  and  come  back 
sad,  we  will  wait  further  hanging  until  thy  return,  having  now 
sent  on  a  score  of  traitors  before  their  good  time,  lacking 


one." 


"I  doubt  not  that  I  shall  hang  so  long  about  my  business 
that  there  shall  be  no  more  hanging  this  day,"  returned 
Dorset.  "Come,  snivvle-fangs,  prick  me  out  the  way,"  he 
continued,  turning  himself  to  Slurk,  whom  he  drove  before 
him  to  the  door  on  the  point  of  his  sword,  to  the  great 
merriment  of  the  others.  "An  I  find  thou  hast  lied,  thou 
shalt  make  the  twentieth,  by  my  faith." 


CHAPTER  II 


SUCH   AS    SHIELD   TRAITORS 

A  WOUNDED  man  lay  on  a  pallet  in  the  dark  corner  of 
a  little  English  cottage.  About  his  head  was  a  heavy 
bandage  of  linen,  once  clean,  but  now  stained  with  blood 
from  a  wound  in  his  temple.  By  his  side  knelt  a  young 
woman.  Her  dark  hair,  gathered  at  the  nape  of  her  neck, 
passed  in  waves  across  her  brow,  and  hung  softly  over  her 

left    him  JAMES  n  dazed    for   a 

moment  as  it  passed.  His  face  bore  the  marks  that  long 
mental  suffering  leaves  on  one  of  fortitude.  Beneath  the 
lines  now  shone  a  light  of  ineffable  joy  and  peace. 

The  room  in  which  they  were  served  as  kitchen,  living- 

35 


36  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

room,  and  sleeping  apartment.  At  one  end  was  a  large 
fireplace,  with  the  kitchen  furniture:  pots,  basins,  skillets, 
and  a  hanging  crane.  A  rough  table,  a  number  of  plain, 
straight  chairs,  some  benches,  and  the  pallet  on  which  the 
man  lay  comprised  the  rest  of  the  furnishings  in  the  poor 
quarters.  A  feeble  light,  filtering  through  the  elm  trees  that 
grew  close  beside  the  wall  without,  passed  in  at  the  small, 
high,  leaded  windows,  making  little  grey  patches  on  the  floor, 
but  leaving  the  corners  of  the  room  obscure  and  dim.  At 
one  side  was  a  door  that  opened  directly  into  a  little  lane 
that  wound  down  hill  to  the  main  street  of  Bridgewater. 

The  sounds  of  riot  and  bloodshed  that  had  come  to  them 
from  that  direction  for  the  past  hour  now  began  to  diminish. 
It  seemed  to  them  that  the  tide  of  violence  had  turned  at  last, 
and  that  they  would  be  unmolested.  The  girl  had  ceased  to 
turn  apprehensively  toward  the  door  at  the  sound  of  every 
new  shout,  and  was  thinking  only  of  the  man  and  of  the  love 
she  bore  him. 

"Ah,  father,  father!"  she  sighed,  "almost,  the  grief  of 
seeing  you  wounded  and  hurt  is  swept  away  by  the  joy  of 
seeing  you  at  all." 

"Ay,  daughter,"  replied  the  other,  in  a  voice  that  was 
strong  and  full,  and  which  told  that  he  was  not  sorely  hurt. 
"God  has  seen  fit  to  bring  us  together  again  through  this 
miracle,  and  the  price  is  not  high  to  pay.  What  tribulations, 
what  dangers,  has  He  not  brought  us  through !  The  tale  that 
you  tell  me  passes  all  belief!  Now,  in  His  good  time,  we  are 
joined  once  more ;  and  when  I  am  healed  we  shall  go  far  off, 
where  none  can  find  us,  and  live  at  peace,  with  the  memory 
of  thy  blessed  mother  and  sweet  sister." 

"But,  father,  think  you  they  will  not  find  you  out  and 
take  you  away  from  me?  You  have  borne  arms  against 
the  King."  The  girl  shuddered  at  the  thought  of  the  pos 
sibilities. 


SUCH  AS  SHIELD  TRAITORS  39 

"Nay;  surely  they  will  not  seek  a  soldier  here  in  the 
home  of  the  vicar.  It  will  only  be  until  to-night.  To-night 
will  we  go  to  Bristol,  whither  your  friends  have  already 
gone,  and  thence  we  can  find  a  vessel  for  Holland  or  for 
America." 

The  look  of  pain  came  across  his  features  again,  and  he 
drew  a  sharp  breath.  The  girl  half  rose,  and  watched  his 
face,  an  agony  of  apprehension  in  her  own.  At  last  he  passed 
through  the  pang,  and  the  period  of  bewilderment  that  fol 
lowed,  and  settled  back  on  the  pillow,  sighing  with  relief. 

"Is  there  no  chance,  then,  think  you,  daughter?"  he 
asked,  at  last.  "Is  there  no  hope  that  they  still  live?  " 

"There  is  always  hope,  father,  there  is  always  hope." 
she  replied.  "I  only  know  that  I  saw  my  mother  and  sister 
on  the  deck  at  the  back  of  the  boat  as  we  pushed  off.  The 
waves  were  overwhelming  their  ship,  and  God  alone  could 
have  kept  it  afloat.  Until  now  I  have  bitterly  upbraided 
myself  for  being  parted  from  them,  though  it  was  not  a  thing 
I  could  have  avoided.  The  confusion  was  terrible,  and  I 
thought  .they  were  at  my  side  when  I  was  borne  into  the 
small  boat.  But  now  I  see  that  Providence  meant  to  bring 
me  to  you,  and  I  am  glad." 

The  man  looked  eagerly  into  her  face. 

"But  think  you  not  they,  too,  may  have  been  picked  up? 
You  were  not  far  from  land.  There  might  have  been  other 
vessels  about." 

He  spoke  as  one  speaks  who  builds  up  hope  within  him 
self.  The  girl  turned  her  face  away.  She  could  not  answer 
him.  The  man  resumed,  speaking  to  himself,  softly.  "  Eight 
years,"  he  said.  "  What  a  weary,  dreary  time!  I  had  not 
thought  to  find  joy  in  life  again!  Barbara!  Barbara! 
Draw  closer.  Kiss  me  again,  that  I  may  know  I  am  not 
dreaming.  Ah!  So!  We  shall  go  and  find  your  mother, 
Barbara.  I  know  she  yet  lives.  And  we  will  go  to  Mas- 


40  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

sachusetts,  where  we  have  distant  kinsfolk,  and  shall  live 
happily  and  quietly  there  for  the  rest  of  our  days.  Shall  we 
not,  Barbara?" 

"Yes,  father,"  answered  the  daughter,  turning  her 
face  aside  lest  he  see  the  tears  that  were  in  her  dark 
eyes.  There  followed  a  long  pause  before  the  man  spoke 
again. 

" Where  is  that  fellow  who  was  here  with  us?"  he  asked 
abruptly,  rousing  himself  from  his  reverie. 

"He  became  afraid,  and  ran  away,  father,"  the  girl  made 
answer. 

"  'T  is  well.     I  liked  not  his  looks.' ' 

"He  helped  to  bring  you  hither,  though." 

"Ay,  and  with  his  hand  in  my  empty  pockets  half  the 
way.  I  wonder  what  betides  Monmouth?" 

There  was  silence  again.  The  girl  stroked  his  brow,  and 
he  passed  into  a  quiet  rest.  He  was  falling  gently  to  sleep. 
His  breath  grew  more  even  and  deliberate,  his  pulse  fell 
into  composure,  the  knots  came  out  of  his  brow,  his  lips 
relaxed,  as  those  of  one  about  to  smile. 

The  girl,  gazing  wistfully  upon  him,  pressed  her  lips  to 
his  hand,  laid  her  head  on  the  coverlet,  and  gave  way  to 
weeping.  Fear,  anxiety,  hope,  joy,  surged  in  her  heart. 
Severed  from  her  father  for  eight  years,  she  had  met  him  now 
by  the  rarest  chance,  only  to  find  him  a  fugitive  for  his  life, 
hunted  by  a  relentless  enemy,  stricken,  alone,  a  stranger, 
with  no  succor  but  hers. 

She  raised  her  head  in  wild  alarm,  holding  her  breath, 
straining  her  ears,  tense,  palpitating,  rigid  with  horror. 
There  was  the  trampling  of  many  feet  in  the  lane  without, 
and  the  murmur  of  low  voices.  The  noise  came  nearer; 
but  grew  less,  as  though  those  who  approached  came  stealth 
ily.  The  voices  ceased  entirely.  The  sounds  died  at  the 
threshold  of  the  room.  There  was  a  whispering,  a  rat-- 


SUCH  AS   SHIELD   TRAITORS  41 

tling  of  the  latch,  a  pressure  against  the  barred  door,  a 
knock,  and  a  gruff  command  to  open. 

"Ha!  What  was  that?"  cried  the  wounded  man,  dis 
turbed  in  his  sleep. 

"Hush,  father,  't  is  nothing,"  whispered  the  girl,  gently 
pressing  his  shoulders  back  upon  the  pallet,  for  he  had  risen 
on  his  elbow.  "You  did  but  dream.  Hush!" 

"Open,  in  the  name  of  the  King!" 

It  was  the  voice  of  Dorset,  commanding  them  to  open. 
The  man  on  the  pallet  struggled  to  his  feet,  swaying  dizzily. 

"Nay,  father,  lie  you  down,"  whispered  the  girl,  placing 
her  hands  upon  his  shoulders  and  forcing  him  back.  There 
is  but  one  chance.  Lie  here  as  one  dead,  and  do  not  so 
much  as  breathe.  Quick!  Make  haste!" 

"Open,  in  the  name  of  Parliament  and  the  King!" 

Uncertain,  desiring  to  sell  his  life  dearly,  and  dearly  de 
siring  to  live,  the  man  paused  for  a  moment,  and  did  as  he 


A  CROOKED  VILLAGE  LANE 


42  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

was  bid.  The  girl  passed  to  the  door,  stately  as  a  queen, 
undid  the  lock,  and  threw  it  open.  In  the  moment  that  she 
did  so,  the  malignant  eye  of  Shirk,  which  had  been  peering 
in  over  the  sill  of  a  small  window  at  the  back  of  the  house, 
to  which  he  had  clambered,  disappeared,  and  Slurk  himself 
crept  around  to  be  among  those  to  enter. 

"Who  are  you  that  come  to  disturb  the  house  of  the 
dead?"  demanded  the  girl,  with  flashing  eyes  turned  upon 
Dorset.  "Unmannerly  knave!  Vile  hireling!  Is  it  not 
enough  that  you  have  slain  him,  but  that  you  must  come 
to  drag  your  foul  feet  upon  hallowed  ground  ?  Fie  upon 
you!  Are  you  a  man,  or  utterly  a  devil?  Leave  me  with 
my  dead,  I  charge  you!" 

Dorset,  come  there  expecting  to  find  some  buxom  country 
wench  whom  he  should  shortly  comfort  from  her  tears, 
looked  with  astonishment  at  the  tall,  raging  Juno  who  had 
poured  out  an  indignant  wrath  upon  him.  Her  head  thrown 
back,  her  fine  chin,  her  chiseled  nose,  her  flashing  eyes,  her 
heaving  breast,  the  sweeping  grace  of  her  figure,  the  majesty 
of  her  disdain  and  anger,  added  to  the  surprise  of  meeting 
with  such  a  one  when  on  such  an  errand,  bereft  him  of 
the  power  of  speech  and  all  initiative,  which  was  a  thing 
hitherto  unexperienced  by  Captain  Richard  Dorset.  He 
fell  back  a  pace  from  the  door  and  stared  at  her. 

"Well!"  she  said.  "Stand  you  there  and  gape!  Is  this 
what  it  is  to  be  a  soldier,  to  gawk  into  the  chambers  of 
the  dead?  Come,  be  off!" 

Her  manner  and  her  words  surprised  even  herself;  but 
her  whole  world  was  at  stake,  and  she  threw  herself  reck 
lessly  into  the  struggle,  speaking  to  this  soldier  as  she 
believed  it  was  best  to  speak  to  soldiers. 

Dorset,  recovering  himself,  doffed  his  hat  and  made  a 
profound  bow,  sweeping  the  ground  with  the  feather  that 
he  wore. 


SUCH  AS   SHIELD  TRAITORS  43 

"By  your  leave,  fair  lady,"  he  said.  "If  it  is  my  lot  to 
be  sent  on  such  an  errand  as  this,  I  pray  you  to  consider 
that  it  may  fall  as  irksomely  upon  me  as  upon  yourself.  I 
am  but  a  soldier,  't  is  true.  That  is  my  fortune,  and  my 
misfortune.  My  hands  are  rough;  yet  do  I  know  how  to 
meet  kind  words  with  a  soft  heart.  But  when  you  talk  thus 
like  a  soldier,  by  my  sword,  I  can  answer  like  a  soldier!" 

"Think  not  to  threaten  me,  braggart,"  replied  the  girl, 
standing  beyond  the  sill  of  the  door,  which  she  half  closed 
behind  her.  "Begone,  I  say." 

"By  your  leave,  Dick  Dorset  is  not  one  who  threatens. 
It  grieves  me  much,  but  I  have  been  sent  here  for  a  traitor 
whom  you  have  with  you.  Know  you  what  it  bodes  you 
to  shield  such  a  one?" 

"He  is  dead,  I  tell  you!"  said  the  girl,  in  a  hoarse  voice. 
"Would  you  profane  the  dead?" 

"I  have  but  your  word  for  that." 

"Look  you,  then,  where  he  lies!"  she  exclaimed,  throw 
ing  the  door  full  wide,  and  standing  aside  to  let  him  see. 

"With  your  forgiveness,"  he  said,  pressing  past  her. 
She  stood  in  the  doorway,  like  one  of  stone.  He  crossed 
the  room,  head  bowed  in  most  unsoldierly  respect  for  the 
dead,  knelt  beside  the  body,  felt  of  it,  placed  his  ear  against 
the  breast,  listened,  arose,  and  passed  back  to  the  door. 

"He  is  dead,"  he  said,  casting  a  look  of  deep  meaning  on 
the  girl.  She  made  no  sign,  although  her  heart  died  within 
her.  She  did  not  even  look  toward  her  father,  but  stood 
there  amazed,  wondering  whether  he  were  dead  indeed,  or 
what  trick  this  man  meant. 

Dorset,  looking  once  more  upon  her,  was  about  to  mar 
shal  his  men  away,  when  Slurk,  creeping  close  to  him,  drew 
him  down  by  the  sleeve  and  whispered  in  his  ear.  A  look  of 
chagrin  came  into  the  face  of  the  captain  as  he  listened, 
and  he  glanced  pityingly  upon  Barbara. 


44 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


Barbara,  seeing  Slurk  for  the  first  time,  gasped,  losing 
her  self-control  for  an  instant. 

" Wretch!"  she  cried.  "Traitor!  Caitiff!  Do  you  be 
tray  men  then,  who  befriended  you?" 

" He  lives, "  piped  Slurk,  for  answer.  "I  saw  him  at  your 
side,  sword  in  hand,  as  alive  as  I  am  when  you  kept  us  at  the 
door." 

"And  more  alive  than  you  shall  be,  shortly,"  cried  the 
wounded  man,  springing  suddenly  from  the  bed,  and  grasp 
ing  up  his  sword  from  beneath  the  covers.  "If  I  die,  you 
go  before  me." 

Barbara,  with  a  moan,  sank  back  against  the  open  door, 
spreading  her  arms  across  it,  motionless  with  despair. 
Dorset,  leaping  past  her,  engaged  the  man  who  advanced 
with  furious  weapon. 

"Fool!"  he  cried,  "I  would  have  saved  thee!" 

"Save  thyself,  an  thou  canst,"  answered  the  other,  mak 
ing  a  violent  pass  at  him. 


DOORWAY  OF  ENGLISH  COTTAGE 


SUCH  AS   SHIELD  TRAITORS  47 

Barbara,  all  action  again,  dashed  into  the  room,  snatched 
'a  musket  from  the  hearthstone,  aimed  it  at  Dorset,  and 
pulled  the  trigger.  In  the  suddenness  with  which  she  had 
raised  the  weapon,  she  had  dislodged  the  flint,  and  the  gun 
spoke  not.  In  an  instant  soldiers  were  upon  her,  pinioning 
her  arms  at  her  side,  struggle  as  she  would. 

"Harm  her  not!"  cried  Dorset,  catching  a  glimpse  of  all 
that  had  passed  from  the  tail  of  his  eye. 

Seeking  only  to  guard  himself  against  the  furious  attack 
of  the  man  at  bay,  Dorset  met  his  onslaught  with  a  cool  hand 
and  alert  eye,  until  at  last,  with  a  quick  twist  of  his  wrist,  he 
sent  the  other's  weapon  spinning  across  the  room,  where 
it  clanged  on  the  stones  of  the  hearth.  His  soldiers 
were  straightway  upon  the  disarmed  traitor  to  slay  him,  but 
Dorset  stopped  them,  charging  them  to  withhold  their 
blows,  and  to  capture  him. 

It  was  done  in  a  moment.  Panting,  dazed,  raging,  the 
man  was  held  helpless  in  the  middle  of  the  floor.  Dorset, 
sheathing  his  weapon,  turned  to  Barbara,  who  returned  his 
gaze  with  defiance  and  scorn. 

"Well  done,  soldier,"  she  said  bitterly. 

"This  man,  your  father,  is  a  prisoner  of  the  King,  and 
the  King  must  work  his  will  of  him,"  said  Dorset.  "As  for 
you,  I  shall  deal  with  you  as  seems  fit.  Here,  men,  take 
this  prisoner  to  Colonel  Kirke,  with  word  that  nothing  is  to 
be  done  with  him  ere  my  return.  Stand  without,  some  of 
you,  and  guard  this  hangdog  villain"  -  pointing  to  Slurk  - 
"until  I  am  done." 

The  soldiers  did  as  they  were  bid,  leaving  Dorset  and 
Barbara  alone  in  the  room. 

Dorset,  gazing  upon  her  for  a  long  space  after  they  were 
alone,  thought  that  he  had  never  before  seen  a  face  so  fair, 
or  a  spirit  so  undaunted.  He  was  moved  more  deeply  than 
he  could  recall  in  all  his  mad  career.  Helpless  though  she 


48  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

was,  Barbara  returned  his  look  with  a  proud  disdain  and  a 
lofty  carriage  that  overbore  him,  so  that  he  lowered  his  eyes 
before  her.  If  he  had  known  love,  he  would  have  thought 
that  he  loved  her  for  the  soul  within  her.  If  he  had  known 
pity,  he  would  have  felt  it  then,  seeing  her  who  had  but  now 
watched  her  father  taken  to  a  certain  and  horrible  death, 
helpless  to  avert  it  or  to  prevent  any  fate  that  might  be  on 
its  way  to  her. 

"  You  are  in  sore  straits,"  he  said,  at  last. 

She  made  no  answer,  merely  continuing  to  look  at  him 
as  she  had  done. 

"  Yet  it  is  possible  that  I  may  do  much  for  you,  Mistress 
Barbara  Stevens,"  he  continued. 

At  the  sound  of  the  name,  she  started  involuntarily; 
but  she  answered  him  calmly. 

"You  misspeak  my  name,"  she  said.  "It  is  Beatrice 
Melville." 

"Nay,  by  your  leave,  it  is  Stevens;  and  this  thy  father 
is  Mallory  Stevens,  much  desired  in  Virginia  for  his  hand 
in  the  Bacon  rebellion." 

By  a  great  struggle,  she  retained  her  outward  composure. 

"You  know  much,  for  a  soldier,"  she  remarked,  in 
differently. 

"I  know  too  much  for  the  good  of  your  father,"  he  re 
turned.  "Come,  tell  me,  if  he  is  not  the  Mallory  Stevens 
who  fought  against  the  Merry  Monarch  in  that  rebel's  band 
at  Jamestown?  Is  he  not  the  man  who  came  as  fugitive 
to  Holland,  and  fell  into  evil  company  with  Monmouth? 
And  are  not  you  his  daughter  Barbara,  saved  from  the 
wreck  of  '  a  vessel  bound  from  Boston  in  America,  picked 
up  by  a  ship  of  Bristol,  and  sent  hither  by  the  captain's 
wife,  to  live  with  the  vicar  of  this  parish?  Come,  is  it 
not  so?" 

Utterly  at  a  loss  to  know  how  the  story  came  to  the 


SUCH  AS   SHIELD   TRAITORS 


49 


knowledge  of  this  man;  dismayed  more  than  before,  if  that 
were  possible,  to  learn  that  her  father's  identity  was  so  well 
known  to  his  enemies,  and  shocked  by  the  suddenness  of 
the  revelation,  she  nevertheless  spoke  as  calmly  as  though 
she  had  been  at  her  embroidery  with  the  vicar's  wife. 
"I  have  it  this  moment  from  your  lips,"  she  said. 


AN  ENGLISH  VILLAGE  STREET 

"And  I  had  it  this  moment  from  the  lips  of  Slurk,  who 
heard  your  talk  here  when  he  feigned  sleep,  and  told  it  me 
for  what  it  was  worth." 

"You  are  worthy  the  confidence  of  such  a  wrretch." 

"Come,  let  us  have  no  more  hard  words.  I  do  but  tell 
it  you  that  you  may  know  how  grievous  is  your  case.  I 
mean  that  it  shall  go  no  further,  if  you  are  but  kind." 

"Is  not  Dorset  —  called  you  not  yourself  Dorset? - 
is   not   Dorset   the   man   who   never   threatens?     What  if 
my  father  did  raise  arms  for  liberty  and  peace  in  his  own 
home.     Can  you  hang  him  twice?" 

"By  my  sword,  you  speak  lightly  of  a  heavy  matter 


50  DUELING   FOR   EMPIRE 

when  you  speak  so  of  hanging.  Come!  Do  you  not  grasp 
the  humor  of  my  mind?  I  would  have  thee  kind." 

The  loathing  of  her  soul  sprang  to  her  eyes,  and  burned 
there,  searing  the  man  who  spoke  thus.  He  cowered,  but 
continued. 

" Consider,"  he  said.  "You  too  are  forfeit.  You  have 
sheltered  a  traitor.  You  are  my  prisoner,  in  all  right.  Yet, 
I  can  do  much  for  you  and  yours."  She  made  no  answer. 
Malignant  hatred  flared  from  her  eyes.  Instead,  she  listened 
silently  to  what  the  man  might  say.  Here  was  a  shred  of 
hope  for  her  father.  It  might  at  least  defer  the  hour  of 
evil.  And  at  the  last,  there  was  always  the  dagger  which 
she  bore  in  her  bosom. 

"I  have  high  influence,"  he  continued.  "Your  father's 
neck  is  twice  the  King's;  yet  I  may  save  that  much.  I 
swear  to  you  that  I  may  yield  you  his  life,  an  you  will 
but  grant  me  your  favor." 

He  drew  closer  to  her,  speaking  softly.  She  cast  down 
her  eyes,  that  he  might  not  see  how  she  detested  him;  for 
here  was  matter  for  thought.  Never  would  she  yield  one 
point  to  him,  but  in  seeming  to  do  so  she  might  gain  many. 
At  least  she  should  gain  leisure  to  think. 

"None  but  Slurk  and  I  and  you  know  of  this  other 
matter,"  he  went  on.  "His  tongue  will  I  stop,  and  mine 
will  I  hold  —  if  you  wish  it. 

"And  forget  not  that  you  are  my  prisoner,  in  any  event. 
My  prisoner,"  he  added,  with  significant  accent. 

"Are  you  not  the  one  who  never  threatens  ? "  she  sneered. 

"Never,  in  war,"  he  answered.    "  Come.    Your  answer." 

"To-night—" 

"To-night?" 

"You  may  come  for  my  answer." 

With  a  shudder  she  fled  from  the  room.  Captain 
Dorset  turned  his  steps  back  to  the  tavern. 


CHAPTER   III 
THE    SOUL    OF   CHIVALRY 

RETURNING  slowly  to  the  inn,  followed  by  Slurk 
and  a  squad  of  soldiers,  Dorset  reported  what  he 
saw  fit  to  report  to  Kirke,  and  left  the  group  abruptly. 
He  had  no  further  heart  for  roistering  that  day.  Kirke 
himself,  glutted  by  blood  and  surfeited  with  wine,  heard 
him  through,  sullenly,  and  sent  the  prisoner  to  jail,  under 
the  name  of  Hugo  Melville,  the  name  he  had  assumed  under 
Monmouth.  The  carousal  at  the  inn,  deprived  of  the  effer 
vescent  spirit  of  Dorset,  sunk  into  a  low,  bestial  debauch; 
a  character  it  rarely  assumed  when 
devil  Dick  had  a  part. 

Dorset,  seeking  such  seclusion 
as  he  could  in  the  turmoil  that 
rent   the    town,    gave   himself 
over  to   his  own  thoughts,  jp 
He  could  not  chase  from  his  * 
brain    the    vision    of    mag 
nificent    womanhood    from 
which  he  had  just  come. 
The  purpose  in  his  mind 
when    he    went    to    her 
vanished   entirely  as  his 
memory  pored  over  the 
scene,   if   indeed    it   had 
not  passed  away  from  him 
with  the  first  sight  of  her. 
But  the  chasm  that  spread  J 

itself  between  him  and  the  JUDGE  JEFFREYS 

Si 


52  DUELING   FOR  EMPIRE 

woman  was  so  great  that  he  did  not  for  an  instant  consider 
it  to  be  love  for  her  which  had  withheld  him  from  the  part 
he  originally  intended.  If  such  a  thing  had  occurred  to  him 
at  all  that  afternoon,  he  would  have  dismissed  it  with  a 
grim  laugh  as  a  fanciful  illusion.  Still,  he  found  himself 
meditating  how  he  might  be  of  sincere  service. 

Resolve  upon  a  desperate  venture  grew  in  his  brain  as 
he  thought  the  matter  over.  When  he  turned  his  steps 
toward  her  cottage  in  the  twilight,  his  resolve  had  condensed 
into  definite  plans.  He  took  with  him  horses  and  four  sol 
diers,  whom  he  knew  by  heart,  and  could  trust  in  any  event. 
With  him,  too,  went  Shirk,  whom  he  had  begged  of  Colonel 
Kirke. 

Coming  near  the  door  at  last,  gloomy  and  doubtful,  he 
heard  the  sound  of  a  struggle  within  the  cottage,  and  quick 
ened  his  pace.  It  was  well  that  he  did,  for  just  as  he 
pushed  open  the  door,  one  of  the  two  soldiers  whom  he  had 
left  to  guard  his  prisoner,  having  felled  the  other  with  a 
chair,  was  moving  toward  Barbara  with  a  sinister  light  in 
his  eye.  She  stood  with  her  back  against  the  wall  at  the 
farthest  corner  from  him,  her  hand  in  her  bosom  and  her 
face  set  in  grim  determination. 

"Base  scoundrel!"  he  cried,  rushing  upon  the  man  and 
striking  him  with  the  back  of  his  sword.  "An  thou  layest 
hand  on  her,  thou  art  as  good  as  dead!  Out,  all  of  you!" 

The  fellow,  abashed  at  being  detected,  slunk  away, 
followed  by  the  other  soldiers,  leaving  Dorset  alone  with 
Barbara  in  the  room,  which  the  fading  twilight  now  made 
so  dim  that  they  could  scarcely  see  one  another. 

"Fear  not,  Mistress  Stevens,"  said  he.  "You  shall  have 
little  need  for  that  which  you  hold  in  your  hand  there,  I 
promise  you,"  he  added,  interpreting  her  posture  aright;  for 
she  still  stood  against  the  wall,  with  her  hand  on  the  haft 
of  the  dagger  in  her  bosom. 


THE    SOUL    OF   CHIVALRY 


S3 


She  made  no  answer.  Laying  his  hat  and  sword  on  the 
table,  he  passed  to  the  shelf  above  the  mantel,  took  down  a 
candlestick,  struck  a  light  with  flint  and  tinder  from  his 
pocket,  and  placed  the  light  on  the  table,  no  word  passing 
between  them  the  while. 

"I  would  have  light  on  what  I  do,"  he  remarked,  as  the 
flame  sputtered  at  the  tip  of  the  cold  wick.  It  waxed  and 


THE  MARKET  AND  PARADE,  TAUNTON,  ENGLAND 

settled,  sending  a  dull,  steady,  yellow  glow  throughout  the 
room.  Barbara  had  made  no  motion.  He  placed  a  cushion 
in  a  chair  by  the  table,  and  motioned  her  to  be  seated  in  it, 
withdrawing  to  the  opposite  end  of  the  room  as  he  did  so. 

"Let  me  beseech  you  to  sit,"  he  said,  as  gently  as  he 
could  bring  his  rough  voice  to  speak.  "You  are  fatigued, 
and  you  will  have  great  need  of  rest  ere  the  night  is  worn 
out'' 

Still  she  remained  fixed  against  the  wall. 

"You  think  but  ill  of  me,"  he  said,  at  last,  when  she 
did  not  stir. 


54 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


"•Nay!"  she  retorted,  bitterly.  "You  are  surely  the 
very  prince  of  all  chivalry;  and  have  I  not  thrust  mine 
honor  into  your  keeping?" 

"I  would  to  God  that  you  spoke  that  seriously,"  he 
replied  earnestly. 

She  moved  from  the  wall  toward  the  table,  tall,  stately, 
full  of  composure,  and  sat  in  the  chair  that  he  had  provided 
for  her,  her  whole  manner  changing  as  she  did  so. 


TAUNTON  CASTLE 

"An  I  did,  what  then?"  Her  voice  was  soft,  almost 
caressing,  and  her  eyes  glowed  warm.  He  looked  swiftly 
at  her.  As  he  looked,  he  understood  for  the  first  time  that 
it  was  love  he  felt  for  her;  that  she  had  aroused  in  him  a 
passion  more  pure,  more  lofty,  more  inspired  than  any  of 
which  he  believed  man  capable.  The  soft  light  of  the  candle 
fell  about  her  in  an  aureole.  In  it  the  beautiful  lines  of  her 
face  stood  before  his  gaze  like  a  cameo.  The  grief,  the 
suffering,  the  pride,  the  courage  of  the  helpless  woman 
struck  into  his  heart.  A  strange,  bitter  happiness  fluttered 


THE    SOUL    OF    CHIVALRY  55 

to  his  brain.  He  knew  that  the  tenderness  of  her  voice 
was  a  tenderness  of  her  voice  alone,  that  it  was  put  there 
with  some  fixed  purpose ;  yet  it  was  tenderness,  and  it  melted 
him  utterly. 

"Then  —  then  you  could  trust  me  so  far  as  to  let  me  do 
what  I  would  do  for  you  and  yours  to-night,"  he  answered 
her,  with  eager  earnestness.  "Look  you!  You  believe 
that  I  came  here  wickedly.  Perhaps,  in  the  beginning  of 
things,  I  did.  If  I  did,  it  is  of  the  past.  Put  aside  the  fear 
of  that.  I  can  do  much  to  save  your  father's  life,  though 
he  must  suffer  in  some  measure.  I  can  do  more  to  save 
you,  if  you  will  listen,  and  let  me.  You  must  fly.  I 
myself  will  take  you  to  your  friends  at  Bristol.  Horses  are 
now  at  the  door.  You  must  leave  your  father  to  my  care. 
You  can  do  nothing  for  him.  You  would  but  throw  your 
self  away.  I  can  do  more  with  you  absent.  It  is  much 
that  I  ask  of  you.  It  is  for  this  reason  that  I  would  have 
your  confidence." 

She  studied  him  narrowly  as  he  hastened  through  his 
exhortation. 

"And  why,  pray,  do  you  do  all  this,  noble  Captain  t)or- 
set?"  she  asked,  coldly,  when  he  had  finished. 

His  hands  flew  through  a  quick  gesture  of  impatience, 
There  was  a  tone  of  embarrassment  in  his  voice  as  he  made 
answer. 

"Pish,  it  is  nothing,"  he  said,  with  a  laugh.  "May  not 
a  soldier  have  his  little  whim?  May  not  he  seek  new  ad 
venture  when  he  can  find  it  ?  May  not  a  man  have  a  sister, 
or  a  mother,  or  a  —  sweetheart,  whom  he  thinks  of  once 
and  again  ?  And  if  one  of  them  were  in  such  a  case,  should 
I  not  be  glad  if  some  one  brought  her  out  of  it  ?  'T  is  to 
me  nothing;  't  is  to  you  much." 

"Come,"  said  she,  still  eying  him  closely,  as  though  to 
read  his  thought.  "I  would  see  your  face.  Sit  there." 


56  DUELING   FOR  EMPIRE 

She  inclined  her  head,  imperiously,  but  with  exquisite 
grace,  in  the  direction  of  a  stool  at  the  other  side  of  the  table, 
beneath  the  full  light  of  the  candle.  He  did  as  she  asked 
him,  turning  his  face  to  hers  and  meeting  her  gaze  fully. 
She  saw  a  pair  of  frank  blue  eyes,  a  high,  broad  forehead, 
a  strong,  aquiline  nose,  a  broad,  square  chin,  sensitive  lips, 
grown  slightly  sensuous.  She  saw  traces  of  unwise  living 
in  the  small  pouches  beneath  the  eyes  and  the  slackness  at 
the  corners  of  the  mouth.  But  she  saw  no  coarseness,  no 
ingrained  brutality  in  his  countenance ;  and  wondered  a 
little  that  they  should  be  missing.  And  she  saw,  or  believed 
she  saw,  an  ingenuous,  honest  desire  to  help  her. 

"If  you  have  a  sweetheart,  you  had  best  go  to  her,"  she 
said,  after  a  long  scrutiny.  "I  would  not  be  ungrateful  or 
unjust.  There  seems  good  in  you.  Yet  how  am  I  to  know  ?  " 

The  cold,  calm  manner  in  which  she  analyzed  him  had 
for  a  time  quite  subordinated  him;  but  now  he  took  himself 
in  hand. 

"You  are  not  to  know  from  idle  words,"  he  exclaimed, 
rising  abruptly.  "Come.  We  lose  time.  Ho,  there,  Bark- 
ley!  Bring  up  the  horses." 

"I  will  not  go,"  Barbara  interposed. 

"By  your  leave,  you  are  my  prisoner,  and  you  must. 
Nay,  do  not  use  that  bodkin  yet,"  he  added,  seeing  her 
hand  go  into  the  bosom  of  her  dress  again. 

He  made  no  offer  either  to  prevent  her  from  using  it,  if 
she  had  been  so  inclined,  or  to  take  her  dagger  from  her. 
Reassured  in  slight  measure  by  this  circumstance,  though 
she  mistrusted  that  the  man  might  be  deep,  and  realizing 
that  she  was  in  truth  his  prisoner,  she  made  the  best  of 
her  dilemma  and  passed  through  the  door,  obedient  to  his 
sign. 

"Will  it  please  you  to  ride  ahead,  or  behind,  or  at  the 
side,  Mistress  Stevens?"  he  asked,  with  slight  sarcasm  in 


THE    SOUL   OF   CHIVALRY 


57 


.his  tone.  She  said  no  word,  but  drew  her  horse  up  at  his 
side  as  they  started  down  the  lane. 

Beneath  the  stars  they  rode  throughout  the  night, 
silently,  across  wild  moors  and  through  wilder  forests.  No 
word  passed.  The 
clatter  of  their 
horses'  hoofs  along 
the  road  in  the 
dead  black  hours 
stirred  many  a 
pitiable  fugitive 
from  the  side  of 
the  way,  and  sent 
him  scurrying  be 
hind  hedges  and 
through  ditches, 
imagining  the 
King's  soldiers 
were  upon  him. 
Now  and  again 
they  paused  that 
Barbara  might 
rest,  though  she 
never  gave  any 
sign  that  she  was 

tired       \t  the  last  LORD  JEFFREYS'S  LONDON  HOUSE 

when  the  first  grey  of  the  morning  spread  in  the  east,  they 
stopped  once  more,  and  dismounted. 

Dorset  broke  the  silence  that  had  been  between  them 
all  the  way. 

"Here  it  needs  must  be  that  I  turn  back,"  he  said,  " Bris 
tol  is  not  two  miles  away.  I  leave  you  with  two  of  my  fellows 
who  —  whom  you  may  trust,"  he  concluded  grimly. 

She  hung  her  head  for  a  moment,  and  passed  over  to 


58  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

him  as  he  was  about  to  mount  his  horse.  Her  voice  quivered 
with  feeling  as  she  spoke. 

"Thou  —  thou  art  the  soul  of  all  chivalry,"  she  said, 
pressing  her  hand  on  his  arm.  "I  have  life  and  —  honor 
from  thy  hands.  If  thou  canst  do  aught  for  my  father  — " 

He  would  not  let  her  finish. 

"Hush!  You  must  rest,"  he  said.  "  And  may  God  stand 
you  in  stead!" 

He  was  glad  that  she  could  find  no  words,  for  her  silent 
thanks  were  sweeter  to  his  heart  than  syllables.  Swinging 
into  the  saddle,  he  clapped  spurs  to  his  horse,  and  dis 
appeared  in  the  mist  of  the  early  dawn. 

She  lay  down  to  rest  on  the  grass,  wrapped  in  the  blanket 
Dorset  had  tossed  to  one  of  his  men  in  leaving.  Two  of  his 
soldiers  stood  close  by.  The  other  two,  with  Slurk,  pushed 
on  ajiead  to  the  town  of  Bristol.  When  the  dawn  was  yet 
red,  Barbara  knocked  at  the  door  of  the  house  of  the  sea 
captain's  wife,  and  so  came  among  friends  again.  Her  heart 
was  broken  for  the  father  whom  she  had  had  for  a  few 
wonderful  hours  on  the  day  before,  and  her  conscience  bit 
terly  reproached  her  with  having  left  him.  Yet  she  knew 
that  she  could  have  done  nothing,  and  still  hoped  for 
his  life.  She  dared  not  search  her  heart  for  what  it  con 
tained  of  that  other,  who  had  played  such  a  part  in  her 
adventure. 

Dorset,  riding  through  the  dim  woods  in  the  early 
morning  and  out  across  the  moors  when  the  sun  was  up, 
looked  into  his  newly  born  soul  many  times,  finding  there  a 
strange,  wild  joy  in  the  love  he  had  for  Barbara,  and  a  bit 
ter,  bitter  sadness. 

From  the  moment  that  his  jaded  animal  dragged  him  to 
the  door  of  the  tavern,  at  a  late  hour  in  the  morning,  Captain 
Richard  Dorset  strove  to  save  the  life  of  Stevens,  known  in 
the  prison  as  Hugo  Melville.  He  bribed  the  jailor,  wheedled 


THE  RIVER  TONE,  NEAR  TAUNTON,  ENGLAND 


THE    SOUL    OF    CHIVALRY  61 

Kirke,  mollified  Feversham,  and  broke  down  bitterness 
against  the  man  as  a  traitor  wherever  it  threatened  to  be 
damaging.  Slurk,  he  disposed  of.  On  the  very  morning 
when  they  left  Barbara  near  Bristol,  they  bore  him  drunken 
on  board  a  whaling-ship  and  sent  him  away. 

Dorset  would  have  brought  himself  into  suspicion,  so 
ceaselessly  did  he  urge  the  man's  cause,  had  it  not  been  that 
the  story  got  abroad  that  the  daughter  had  obtained  the 
indulgence  in  a  manner  that  was  not  left  to  the  imagination. 
Loath  as  he  was  to  permit  this,  he  knew  that  it  helped 
his  chances  by  enlisting  the  sympathies  that  always  extend 
themselves  to  love,  and  so  winked  at  the  tales  —  though 
with  bitterness:  they  were  current  among  those  through 
whom  they  could  never  react  to  her  injury. 

The  rebellion  fell  away  instantly  upon  the  defeat  of  the 
duke  of  Monmouth.  Monmouth  himself  was  captured 
two  days  after  the  fight,  when  trying  to  reach  the  south 
coast,  disguised  as  a  countryman,  with  whom  he  had  ex 
changed  clothing.  Sent  to  London,  craven  with  fear,  he 
begged  his  uncle  King  James  to  spare  his  life,  even  go 
ing  so  far  as  to  promise  to  renounce  his  Protestant  relig 
ion.  In  spite  of  his  pleadings,  he  was  executed  at  London. 

A  terrible  vengeance  was  meted  out  then  to  those  who 
had  taken  part  in  the  rebellion.  Jeffreys,  who  had  already 
found  favor  with  King  James  by  reason  of  many  judgments 
which  showed  more  of  a  stanch  loyalty  than  of  legal  knowl 
edge  or  justice,  was  sent  to  preside  at  the  assizes  in  the  west 
country.  He  hated  traitors  above  all  things,  and  went  to 
the  work  with  a  fierce  joy  in  it.  Those  who  had  been  promi 
nent  in  the  rebellion,  or  had  held  office  in  the  rebel  army, 
were  hanged  forthwith.  Those  less  deeply  inculpated 
were  condemned  to  be  sold  as  slaves  in  the  Indies  or  in 
the  colonies. 

The  wanton,  savage  behavior  of  this  man  on  the  bench  at 


62  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

that  time  has  made  his  name  a  byword  in  English-speak 
ing  countries,  so  that  a  notoriously  unjust  judge  is  to  this  day 
called  "  Judge  Jeffreys."  A  worse  monster  never  sat  on  the 
bench.  He  hanged  men  with  even  more  relish  than  Berkeley 
of  Virginia  did.  Brutal,  vicious,  self-seeking,  he  roared  at 
and  bullied  his  victims  until  they  were  so  terrified  that  they 
could  do  nothing  in  their  own  defense.  What  time  he  was  not 
on  the  bench  slaying  for  his  King  he  spent  in  low  drinking- 
houses,  guzzling  brandy  with  the  underlings  of  his  court. 

He  executed  Mrs.  Gaunt  and  Lady  Lisle  for  harboring 
traitors.  Lady  Lisle  was  the  more  readily  dispatched  for 
the  reason  that  her  husband  was  one  of  those  who  had 
helped  to  bring  about  the  death  of  Charles  I,  and  had 
enjoyed  favor  with  Cromwell.  At  Dorcester,  where  Jeffreys 
first  held  court,  he  exhorted  thirty  rebels  who  were  arraigned 
to  confess,  and  so  save  him  the  trouble  of  proving  them 
guilty.  They  refused.  Twenty-nine  of  them  being  found 
guilty,  he  ordered  them  to  immediate  execution  as  additional 
punishment.  Thenceforward  most  of  those  charged  pleaded 
guilty.  Those  who  did  not  suffered  the  more  harshly. 
Juries  stood  in  equal  terror  of  him,  and  gave  the  verdicts 
he  desired  without  hesitation. 

It  was  in  this  monster  that  the  hopes  of  Dorset  for  the 
safety  of  Mallory  Stevens  rested.  He  awaited  his  advent  in 
Bridgewater.  At  last  Jeffreys  came,  preceded  by  a  wave  of 
consternation.  Dorset  was  at  the  inn  to  receive  him.  He 
had  been  deputed  to  stay  there,  at  his  own  request,  by 
Colonel  Kirke,  who  had  withdrawn  to  London  to  reap  the 
reward  of  his  butcheries. 

An  awed  circle  stood  about  the  tap-room  as  he  entered, 
bellowing  with  rage  over  some  trivial  mishap  on  the  road 
thither,  rolling  his  eyes  in  fury  about  him.  Dorset  appraised 
him  at  a  glance.  He  had  had  truck  with  rough  fellows  before. 
He  met  him  as  gruffly  as  he  came,  and  when  the  monster 


THE    SOUL    OF    CHIVALRY 


GEORGE  LORD  JEFFREYS  (From  the  portrait  in  the  National  Gallery,  London) 

would  have  roared  him  down,  he  gazed  calmly  upon  the 
rolling  whites  of  his  eyes,  and  bade  the  landlord  hasten 
with  the  wine. 

"Come,  fetch  drink!"  he  cried,  to  the  trembling  host, 
"lest  our  next  lord  chancellor  choke  of  a  choler  before  his 
time ;  whereby  many  a  good  fellow  would  miss  choking  of 
a  collar  whose  time  is  already  come." 


64  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

It  was  a  wild,  bold  thing  for  any  man  to  say  to  the  ogre 
of  the  Bloody  Assizes,  and  none  but  Daredevil  Dick  could 
have  come  safely  through  it.  But  Dorset's  time  was  short  if 
he  would  save  Stevens,  and  he  was  ready  to  hazard  much. 
Jeffreys  choked  more  than  ever;  but  burst  out  into  a  rough 
laugh.  With  a  foul  oath,  he  reached  forth  his  hand,  main 
taining  that  he  loved  such  a  man  with  a  whole  heart,  and 
commanding  him  to  drink  with  him.  All  through  that  first 
night  ran  the  debauch,  Dorset  plying  his  man  with  a  finesse 
and  subtlety  born  of  his  intimate  insight  of  human  nature; 
flattering  him  at  one  moment,  braving  him  the  next,  and 
bullying  him  in  turn  when  the  time  was  fitting. 

Gradually,  adroitly,  he  worked  his  way  to  the  thing 
he  had  aimed  at  from  the  first.  His  appeal  was  not  to  the 
mercy  or  clemency  of  the  man.  It  was  rather  to  the  basest 
side  of  his  gross  character.  It  involved  telling  Jeffreys  the 
tale  of  the  girl,  as  the  matter  was  believed  by  his  own 
associates  to  stand.  He  shrank  from  doing  it,  but  in  the 
device  he  saw  his  only  chance.  He  made  such  a  tale  of  it 
that  Jeffreys  was  brought  to  think  that  leniency  to  the  man 
was  more  cruel  than  swift  death;  that  by  selling  him  into 
slavery  he  could  inflict  more  mental  injury,  through  the  cir 
cumstances  of  the  daughter,  than  he  could  by  consigning  the 
prisoner  to  the  rope. 

From  the  table,  Jeffreys  went  directly  to  the  court  in  the 
morning,  inflamed  as  he  was  by  drink.  Dorset  had  seen  to 
it  that  Stevens  was  the  first  to  come  before  him. 

"Is  this  the  fellow?"  bellowed  Jeffreys,  looking  toward 
Dorset  when  the  prisoner  stood  in  the  dock. 

Dorset  nodded.  With  furious  mien,  the  judge  demanded 
that  he  plead  guilty.  Without  a  tremor,  Stevens  told  his 
part  in  the  thing  that  had  been  done,  looking  boldly  into  the 
fiery  eyes  of  the  demon  on  the  bench,  certain  of  his  fate,  and 
resigned  to  it. 


THE    SOUL    OF   CHIVALRY  65 

"Thou  art  too  good  to  hang,  vile  traitor!"  shouted 
Jeffreys,  thrusting  his  great  red  face  into  that  of  the 
prisoner.  He  condemned  him  to  twenty  years  of  slavery, 
speaking  of  his  daughter  with  inconceivable  coarseness  and 
brutality  in  doing  so. 

The  demand  for  labor  in  America  was  such  that  convicts 
and  laborers  were  regularly  purchased  and  shipped  to  the 
colonies,  where  they  were  sold  as  indented  servants.  The 
suppression  of  Monmouth's  rebellion  gave  to  the  colonies 
many  useful  citizens.  Tyranny  and  injustice  peopled  Amer 
ica  with  men  nurtured  to  suffering  and  adversity.  The  his 
tory  of  American  colonization  is  the  history  of  the  crimes  of 
Europe.  Many  of  the  convicts  were  persons  of  family  and 
education,  accustomed  to  ease  and  elegance.  Some  of  the 
best  families  in  America  are*  descended  from  the  indented 
servants  of  the  Old  World.  Mallory  Stevens,  condemned 
to  transportation,  became  a  salable  commodity. 

The  meaning  of  the  words  from  the  judge  was  not  clear 
to  Stevens.  He  had  been  told  that  his  daughter  was  safe,  and 
in  that  thought  had  been  resigned.  Now  a  horrible  misgiv 
ing  came  into  his  mind,  so  that  he  was  hardly  able  to  stdnd. 
As  they  led  him  from  the  room,  he  fiercely  demanded  the 
truth.  A  bailiff  sneeringly  told  him  that  that  was  what  was 
said  among  them  all,  pointing  to  Dorset  in  the  telling. 

Mallory  Stevens,  turning  upon  Dorset  a  look  that  sank 
into  his  soul,  moaned,  and  fell  to  the  floor.  The  soldier, 
thinking  of  the  grim  turn  the  affair  had  taken,  laughed  hol 
lowly  at  the  bitter  humor  of  it,  turned  on  his  heel,  and  passed 
over  to  the  tavern,  where  he  sat  himself  down  with  a  pot  of 
ale  and  his  own  inner  thoughts  to  bear  him  company.  So 
far  had  he  brought  his  designs  to  pass.  But  had  he  brought 
them  well  ? 


CHAPTER   IV 
HP;   TAUNTS   BEST   WHO   TAUNTS   NOT 

SITTING  over  his  ale  in  the  tap-room  of  the  public-house 
in  Bridgewater,  Captain  Richard  Dorset  conjured  nu 
merous  specters  to  fleer  at  him  out  of  the  events  that  had 
happened  since  the  afternoon  he  had  gone  to  take  the  rebel 
from  the  daughter  who  harbored  him,  and  had  been  con 
quered  by  the  noble  beauty  of  Barbara.  First,  there  was 
the  specter  of  the  love  that  he  bore  her, — a  love  so  com 
pletely  beyond  all  hope  of  result  or  recompense  that  from 
the  beginning  he  had  looked  upon  it  as  an  abstraction, 

a  thing  to  be  thought  upon  and 
not   to   be   lived.     The    pos 
sibility    of    any    return    of 
his  sentiment  was  so  far 
from  his  mind  that  it  is 
doubtful  if  his  thoughts 
ever    contemplated     it. 
And  to  live  such  a  love 
as  he  felt   for  her  was 
so  incongruous  with  his 
entire   past    that    it    is 
doubtful     whether     he 
would   have   chosen   to 
make  the  attempt,  had 
the    fulfilment    of    his 
affection     been    within 
his    grasp.     Neverthe 
less,    the    passion    was 

GEORGE  FOX  real,  and  for  the  pres- 

66 


HE   TAUNTS   BEST  WHO   TAUNTS   NOT     67 

ent  dominant,  though  it  did  assume  the  character  of  a 
specter. 

Grouped  about  this  central  wraith,  depending  upon  it 
for  their  existence,  were  other  ghosts  rising  out  of  the  last 
few  weeks.  He  felt,  more  bitterly  than  he  had  thought 
possible,  that  he  had  done  grievously  in  permitting  such 
tales  to  be  told  involving  her  as  had  gone  the  rounds  of 
the  officers  and  were  bruited  about  among  the  common 
soldiers.  He  had  saved  her  father's  neck,  he  had  saved  her 
life,  and  more  than  her  life ;  yet  had  she  paid  heavily  for  it, 
and  paid  in  full.  He  wondered  now  whether  there  might 
not  have  been  another  way. 

He  comprehended,  too  late,  what  the  suffering  of  the 
father  was  in  the  thought  that  his  daughter  had  been  made 
such  an  instrument  of  his  reprieve  as  he  now  believed  her 
to  be.  The  love  Dorset  had  found  lent  him  insight  into 
the  other's  agony.  He  realized,  too,  the  hopelessness  of 
any  attempt  he  might  make  to  set  the  father  right  in  the 
matter.  Such  efforts  would  meet  only  with  unbelief,  and 
make  himself  appear  the  coward.  He  was  still  too  much 
of  a  soldier  to  submit  to  risk  of  that. 

He  saw  plainly,  too,  that  while  he  had  saved  her  from 
unnamed  wretchedness  and  won  her  father  back  to  life,  he 
had  done  it  in  a  way  that  had  deprived  her  of  her  parent  as 
effectually  for  the  time  being  as  though  he  were  hanged 
indeed ;  that  the  suspense  of  twenty  years  of  separation  with 
the  fate  of  her  father  unknown  might  on  the  whole  be 
fraught  more  heavily  with  unhappiness  than  the  definite 
knowledge  that  her  loved  one  had  gone  beyond  all  further 
distress  of  mind  or  body.  Truly,  Dorset  had  not  much 
other  than  his  ale  to  solace  himself  with,  as  he  sat  in  the 
tap-room  of  the  public-house  of  Bridge  water. 

One  point  thrust  itself  clearly  into  his  vision,  however, 
and  on  it  he  hung  his  hope.  It  was  his  part  now  to  ravel  the 


68 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


STRATHMORE  HALL,  RESIDENCE  OF  GEORGE  Fox 

evil  out  of  the  snarl  into  which  he  had  twisted  the  lives  of 
these  two,  and  to  weave  the  good  into  a  fabric  of  happiness. 
He  must  reunite  them.  As  he  reflected,  the  plan  by  which 
he  might  accomplish  this  disclosed  itself  to  him.  He  had 
only  to  buy  the  slave  himself,  search  Bristol  for  Barbara, 
present  him  to  her,  and  send  them  both  away  to  America  or 
the  Indies. 

But  there  was  an  obstacle  to  this  plan  which  he  had 
not  foreseen.  The  obstacle  was  Jeffreys.  Jeffreys  returned 
from  the  bench  to  the  tavern  in  a  mighty  wrath.  Three 
prisoners  had  eluded  the  noose  on  evidence.  The  effect  of 
the  liquor  was  dying  out  within  him,  and  he  was  hungry. 
The  sight  of  Dorset  sitting  beside  his  pot  of  ale  threw  him 
into  greater  fury.  It  was  not  so  much  that  he  had  spared  the 
neck  of  another  man  as  it  was  that  he  had  done  a  favor  to 
this  man.  He  resented  having  indulged  one  who  was  below 
him  in  rank  and  influence.  He  repented  having  done  him 
a  kindness,  feeling  it  to  be  an  unworthy  weakness. 

He  glared  at  Dorset,  rolling  his  eyes  prodigiously,  as  he 


HE   TAUNTS   BEST  WHO   TAUNTS   NOT    69 

took  a  seat  far  from  him  and  called  for  meat  and  drink. 
Dorset  was  not  in  the  mood  to  mollify  the  brutal  fiend.  He 
abandoned  cunning  for  a  directness  of  effort. 

"If  your  Honor  please,  I  would  crave  first  privilege  in 
the  purchase  of  this  man  Melville,"  he  said,  passing  over  and 
standing  before  Jeffreys. 

"Thou  hast  wheedled  me  once,  sirrah,"  roared  the  other. 
"  Think  not  to  do  so  again.  The  man  is  already  disposed  of. 
Tempt  me  with  a  word,  and  he  goes  to  the  gallows,  as  he 
so  richly  deserves.  Art  thou  a  traitor  thyself,  that  thou 
exercisest  thyself  so  much  about  another  traitor?" 

Dorset  forebore  to  answer,  turning  on  his  heel  and  passing 
out  of  the  room.  In  that  direction  he  was  doomed  to  failure. 
There  was  still  a  hope  that  he  might  circumvent  the  other's 
evil  will,  and  he  clung  to  that.  His  first  move  was  to  send 
word  to  trusted  friends  in  London,  seeking  their  aid  in  pro 
curing  the  prisoner  as  a  slave.  This  he  did  at  once.  In  the 
morning,  about  to  set  out  to  Bristol  in  search  of  Barbara, 
he  was  prevented  by  peremptory  orders  from  Jeffreys,  under 
whose  authority  he  had  been  placed  by  the  Crown.  He  made 
the  best  of  it,  sending  a  messenger  instead  with  what  word 
of  encouragement  and  advice  he  could,  and  settled  himself 
under  the  yoke  of  the  judge,  fuming  and  impatient. 

His  several  efforts  met  with  failure.  The  man  whom  he 
dispatched  to  Bristol  returned  with  information  that  Barbara 
could  not  be  found;  that  she  had  been  traced  to  the  home 
of  her  friends,  that  rumor  had  it  that  she  had  there  fallen 
sick,  and  been  taken  to  Holland  aboard  ship  by  the  vicar, 
who  sought  safety  in  further  flight,  being  guilty  of  strong 
and  notorious  sympathy  with  the  rebellion.  In  course  of 
time  he  had  word  from  London  that  Melville  had  been 
already  disposed  of,  and  was  even  now  on  the  way  to 
Virginia,  together  with  other  indented  slaves.  Hearing  this, 
Dorset  lapsed  into  hopelessness,  bound  down  as  he  was  by 


70  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

his  distasteful  service,  and  sought  to  obliterate  all  memory 
in  many  a  bumper  of  strong  drink. 

Jeffreys  moved  on  to  Taunton,  taking  Dorset  with  him. 
The  tragedy  went  on.  The  zeal  of  the  judge  against  traitors 
abated  to  the  extent  that  those  of  wealth  who  were  implicated 
were  permitted  and  encouraged  to  obtain  indulgence  by 
means  of  their  money.  Their  sins  were  inflicted  vicariously 
upon  those  who  were  of  lesser  worldly  fortune;  which, 
being  satisfactory  to  the  King  and  eminently  satisfactory  to 
Jeffreys,  grew  to  be  the  order  of  the  prosecution. 

The  situation  came  to  be  exploited  not  only  by  the  judge 
himself  and  his  friends  at  the  capital,  but  by  the  entire  reti 
nue  of  the  court.  Wealthy  prisoners  were  turned  over  to  be 
despoiled  by  courtiers,  and  even  by  the  ladies.  The  slaves 
were  awarded  for  the  profit  of  those  who  stood  in  favor  with 
the  ruler.  Among  others  who  were  in  precarious  standing 
because  of  their  pernicious  activity  in  the  rebellion  were 
twenty  young  ladies  of  Taunton,  who  had  embroidered  ban 
ners  for  Monmouth  on  his  entry  to  the  kingdom,  and  had 
presented  him  with  a  Bible  when  he  was  declared  King  at 
that  place.  These  were  delivered  into  the  hands  of  the 
ladies  of  the  royal  suite,  to  make  what  they  could  out  of 
them. 

The  ladies  sent  an  agent  to  them  with  a  demand  for 
£7000.  By  a  strange  trick  of  fate,  the  name  of  the  agent  they 
selected  was  Penne, —  George  Penne.  History  has  confused 
this  Penne,  who  was  an  unprincipled  hanger-on  of  the  court, 
with  William  Penn  the  Quaker,  falling  the  more  easily  into 
the  error  for  the  reason  that  Penn  the  Quaker  in  his  religious 
propaganda  visited  Taunton  about  the  same  time.  Penn 
the  Quaker  was  a  man  of  unblemished  reputation,  against 
whom  nothing  of  evil  was  ever  imputed,  save  only  this  — 
the  result  of  the  coincidence  of  names.  Some  whisperings, 
because  of  the  close  friendship  that  existed  between  him 


HE   TAUNTS   BEST  WHO   TAUNTS   NOT    71 

and  King  James,  require  mention,  however  innocent  and 
sincere.  It  was  the  result  of  a  parallel  between  Penn's  own 
case  as  a  Quaker  and  that  of  the  King  as  a  Catholic.  Under 
the  law,  both  the  Quakers  and  the  Catholics  had  been  inter 
dicted  as  non-churchmen,  and  thus  placed  under  disabilities. 
The  removal  of  these  disabilities  was  sought  of  Parlia 
ment  by  the  King,  as  well  as  by  the  Quakers.  Both  would 
benefit  equally  by 
their  repeal.  This 
community  of  inter 
ests  brought  Penn 
and  the  King  to 
gether  on  common 
ground,  of  which 
the  eminent  Quaker 
made  the  most;  for 
his  sect  first,  and 
for  himself  inciden 
tally. 

For  a  number  of 
years  the  Quakers 
had  been  a  despised 
people.  George 

Fox,  the  founder  of  WILLIAM  PENN  AT  TWENTY- TWO 

the  sect,  had  been  bitterly  persecuted.  He  was  the  son  of 
Christopher  Fox,  a  Puritan  weaver,  and  was  born  at  Fenny 
Drayton,  July,  1624.  He  himself  was  a  shoemaker  and 
dealer  in  sheep  and  wool.  Of  an  intensely  religious  nature, 
he  early  had  visions,  bred  of  introspection  and  contempla 
tion  of  spiritual  matters.  He  believed  that  religion  came 
from  a  light  within,  that  the  spirit  of  God  was  in  man 
and  moved  him  directly.  His  belief  involved  brotherly 
love,  charity,  humility,  submission,  simplicity  of  life  and 
dress.  In  addressing  one  another,  they  used  the  personal 


72  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

pronouns  thee  and  thou.  He  called  his  society  the  Society 
of  Friends. 

The  doctrine  was  fiercely  opposed  by  church  and  laity. 
Fox,  undertaking  to  spread  the  belief  by  itinerant  preach 
ing,  was  subjected  to  harsh  oppression,  being  many  times 
arrested  on  various  pretexts.  Appearing  before  a  justice  on 

COUraged      by  ADMIRAL  SIR  WILLIAM  PENN  the     leaders> 

Penn,  the  son  of  Admiral  Sir  William  Penn  and  a  person  of 
consequence,  embraced  the  new  thought  with  ardor,  going 
forth  to  preach  it.  He  was  expelled  from  Oxford  for  his 
beliefs,  together  with  other  proselytes,  after  religious  riots 
in  which  the  gowns  of  the  Quakers  were  torn  from  their 
backs  by  orthodox  Christians.  His  father,  shocked  and 
disgusted  at  the  sort  of  reputation  his  son  was  earning,  sent 
him  with  some  fashionable  friends  to  Paris,  to  be  lured 
with  gayety  from  his  Quaker  notions. 

At  this  time  glimpses  of  contention  may  be  perceived  in 
the  household.  "You  may  thee  and  thou  other  folk  as  much 
as  you  like,"  quoth  the  enraged  father,  "but  don't  you  dare 


HE   TAUNTS   BEST  WHO   TAUNTS   NOT    75 

to  thee  and  thou  the  King  or  the  duke  of  York  or  me." 
Young  William  did  dare,  however,  even  so  far  as  to  wear 
his  hat  in  the  royal  presence,  which  only  amused  the 
Merry  Monarch.  One  day  when  William  met  him,  the  King 
took  off  his  hat.  "Why  dost  thou  remove  thy  hat,  friend 
Charles?"  quoth  the  young  Quaker.  " Because, "replied 
the  King,  "  wherever  I  am,  it  is  customary  for  only  one  to 
remain  covered!"  But  the  admiral  did  not  take  it  so  pleas 
antly;  he  dismissed  his  obstinate  son  from  the  household. 
But  it  was  only  for  a  time;  William  was  soon  recalled,  and 
the  old  naval  hero  ever  after  held  him  in  reverence  for  his 
dauntless  courage  and  high  principle. 

Again  and  again,  while  engaged  in  his  work,  Penn  was 
thrown  into  prison,  sometimes  in  the  tower  like  a  gentleman, 
but  once  for  six  months  in  Newgate,  along  with  common 
criminals. 

Many  of  the  Quakers  had  already  sought  refuge  from 
their  oppression  in  the  colonies,  that  asylum  for  the  down 
trodden,  and  had  settled  in  New  Jersey  and  Delaware. 
They  had  met  with  a  bitter  reception  in  New  England,, where 
a  number  of  them  were  put  to  death  for  preaching  and  de 
fying  the  religious  authorities.  Penn  desired  above  all  things 
to  establish  a  retreat  for  his  coreligionists.  His  oppor 
tunity  came  when  his  father  died,  leaving  in  the  estate  a 
debt  of  £16,000,  due  from  Charles  II  for  money  advanced 
to  that  merry  monarch.  In  lieu  of  cash,  William  Penn 
obtained  from  Charles  a  grant  of  land  comprising  all 
of  the  territory  now  included  in  Pennsylvania.  Penn,  be 
cause  of  its  forestation,  desired  the  territory  to  be  named 
Sylvania,  a  word  derived  from  the  Latin  silva,  meaning 
woods,  or  forest.  Charles,  in  honor  of  Admiral  Penn, 
prefixed  the  proper  name.  The  charter  was  granted 
March  i,  1681. 

On  September  i,  1682,  William  Penn  in  the  ship  William 


76 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


with  a  hundred  Quakers  sailed  for  his  new  possessions. 
He  landed  at  Newcastle  after  a  disastrous  voyage,  during 
which  one-third  their  number  had  died  of  smallpox. 
Thirty-three  vessels  more,  carrying  Quakers,  followed.  As 
soon  as  he  had  landed,  Penn  delivered  an  affectionate 

_____  and    cheer- 

*M ARREST-WHILE  PRE\CH1VG  AT NEETJNG~U«S:Rf8l|  r    i     ^dress 
THE  CON  VEmCLL\CTS WHICH  MADE  UNUWTJLM      1UL     a G a r e s s 
[ANY  SERViCE^B^BUT  CHURCH  OF  EN6LAg|Vn|   j  ||  to    the    Crowd 

of  Swedes, 
Dutch,  and 
English  who 
came  to  greet 
him.  From 
Newcastle  he 
sailed  up 
the  Delaware 
River  to  Ches- 
ter.  From 
Chester  the 
journey  was 
continued 
with  a  few 
friends,  in  an 
open  boat,  to 
the  bank  on 
which  the  city 
of  Philadel 
phia  was  soon 
to  rise.  His 
first  impor 
tant  act  was 
to  call  the  In 
dians  to  coun- 

COPLEY  PRINTS,  COPYRIGHT,  1906,  BY  CURTIS  A  CAMERON,  BOSTON  Cll  lOT       tllC 

THE  ARREST  OF  WILLIAM  PENN 


HE   TAUNTS   BEST  WHO   TAUNTS   NOT    77 


purpose  of  assuring  them  of  the  friendly  feeling  which 
he  bore  them.  He  addressed  them  as  brothers.  "We 
have  met  on  the  broad  pathway  of  good  faith,"  he  said. 
"We  are  all  one  flesh  and  blood.  Being  brethren,  no 
advantage  will  be  taken  on  either  side.  When  disputes 
arise,  we  will  settle  them  in  council.  Between  us  there 
shall  be  nothing  but  openness  and  love." 

"While  the  rivers  run  and  the  sun  shines  we  will  live 
in  peace  with  the  children  of  William  Penn,"  the  chiefs 
replied.  In  this  simple  manner  was  concluded  a  compact, 
in  the  words  of  Voltaire,  "never  sworn  to  and  never  broken." 

Late  in  1682,  Penn  purchased  of  the  Swedes  the  neck  of 
land  between  the  Schuylkill  and  Delaware  Rivers;  a  beau 
tiful  plot  covered  with  chestnut,  walnut,  and  ash  trees. 
Here  he  laid  out  a  city  which  he  called  Philadelphia  —  the 
City  of  Brotherly  Love.  And  here  on  December  4,  1682, 
in  general  convention  assembled,  Penn  presented  the  col 
onists  with  the  first  republican  government  in  America. 
He  waived  his 
proprietary  pre 
rogatives,  mak 
ing  no  attempt 
to  enrich  himself 
by  his  posses 
sions.  He  asked 
no  titles  and  no 
initiative  in  mat 
ters  of  legisla 
tion.  All  he 
retained  was  the 
right  of  veto. 
The  officers  of 
the  new  com 
monwealth  were. 


78  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

to  be  a  governor,  a  limited  council  serving  for  three  years, 
and  a  general  assembly  with  a  term  of  one  year,  all  elective. 
The  document  so  framed  was  called  the  Charter  of  Liberties 
and  was  notable  for  its  universal  suffrage  and  complete 
religious  toleration. 

While  the  city  of  Philadelphia  was  growing  rapidly, 
settlers  came  over  in  great  numbers  and  took  up  land  in  the 
province  which  was  offered  for  sale  in  tracts  of  a  hundred 
acres  for  forty  shillings,  subject  to  a  quit  rent  of  a  shilling 
per  year. 

Penn  remained  at  Philadelphia  until  August,  1684,  when 
he  returned  to  England,  after  seeing  the  city  that  he  had 
founded  grow  from  a  settlement  of  two  or  three  houses  to  a 
town  more  populous  than  New  York.  His  work  of  estab 
lishing  a  free  government  in  America  had  been  well  done. 

Dorset,  disconsolate,  unable  to  cast  the  image  of 
Barbara  from  his  heart,  with  no  taste  for  his  former 
life,  with  no  hope  that  he  might  yet  lead  another,  dis 
gusted  with  himself  and  with  the  world,  fell  in  with  Penn 
at  the  tavern  where  they  both  were  staying.  The 
Quaker,  as  always,  was  |^  seeking  converts,  in  so  far  as 
he  might  with  m^  de-  I  cent  ^^^§m  propriety. 


THE  OLD  MANOR  HOUSE,  STOKE  POGIS.    THE  HOME  OF 
ADMIRAL  SIR  WILLIAM  PENN 


HE   TAUNTS   BEST  WHO   TAUNTS  ^SFOT    81 

"Soho,  my  fat  Quaker  friend,  thou  hast  come  to  make 
sinners  quake,  hast  thou?"  he  said  with  an  insulting  leer. 
He  despised  the  sect  because  they  submitted  to  offence  and 
refused  to  take  arms  on  any  provocation.  That  was  repug 
nant  to  his  soldier's  soul.  He  hated  them,  too,  because  it 
was  in  the  air  to  hate  them.  In  his  desperate  frame  of 
mind,  he  sought  to  divert  himself  with  a  trial  of  this  man's 
patience. 

Penn  turned  a  look  upon  him,  full  of  mildness  and 
kindly  sympathy.  Bold  and  froward  as  he  was,  Dorset 
was  taken  aback  by  the  gentleness,  the  sweet  temper,  in 
the  other's  countenance.  He  felt  ill  at  ease,  at  a  disadvan 
tage.  The  large,  full  head,  the  genial  features,  the  big,  soft 
eyes,  the  dignity  that  was  in  the  man  even  while  submitting 
to  affront,  gave  the  soldier  a  feeling  of  inferiority. 

"It  is  of  thy  profession  of  arms  to  speak  thus  to  those 
whom  thou  considerest  thine  enemies,"  Penn  made  answer, 
in  a  soft  voice, 'but  one  full  of  the  strength  of  manhood. 
"But  why  should  we  be  enemies?  Hath  not  God  made 
us  both  in  one  mold?  Come,  why  should  we  not  be 
friends?" 

"He  hath  made  thee  mouldy  enough,  in  good  sooth," 
retorted  Dorset,  provoked  by  the  gentle  answer. 

Dorset  was  wont  to  use  the  same  form  of  the  personal 
pronoun  affected  by  the  Quakers,  when  in  boisterous  mood 
among  his  fellows.  In  the  moment  that  he  heard  the  words 
on  the  tongue  of  Penn,  he  perceived  the  difference  in  spirit 
with  which  they  were  spoken.  Whereas  with  him  "thee" 
and  "thou"  were  terms  of  rough  familiarity,  often  bearing 
the  burden,  too,  of  sacrilege  and  contempt,  with  Penn  they 
took  on  the  character  of  reverence,  sincerity,  and  respect. 

Ignoring  the  second  insult,  Penn  engaged  him  in  talk. 
Thinking  to  taunt  the  man  further,  he  fell  into  the  conver 
sation,  malice  and  viciousness  in  his  mind.  He  twitted  him 


82 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


1906-1906,  BY  VIOLET  OAKLEY 


with  his  mission,  accused  him  of  hypocrisy,  abused  his 
religion  and  his  manhood,  extending  himself  to  the  last 
degree  to  provoke  him.  Penn,  without  seeming  to  defend 
himself,  with  consistent  humility,  without  cant,  made  such 

reply  as  his 
sincere  faith 
prompted. 
He  told  the 
other  of  his  re 
ligious  beliefs, 
expatiated  on 
the  doctrine 
of  brother 
hood  and  the 
godhead  in 
man,  travers 
ing  the  entire 
range  of  his 
theories  and 
practices. 

Retorting  at 
first  with  ex 
treme  inso 
lence,  Dorset 
found  himself 
worsted  at 
every  turn, 
and  gradually 
withdrew  his 
attack,  scarce 
fH|  knowing  that 
he  did  so. 
The  strength 

FROM  COPLEY  PRINTS.    COPYHIGHT,    1906,    BY  CUHTIS  &   CAIWKHUN,   bUSlON  ,  ,  -    . 

WILLIAM  PENN  WRITING  IN  PRISON  01     the    rell- 


WMTING  IN  PRISON-*  THE  GREAT  C\SE  OF 


LIBERTY  OF  CONSCIENCE:  ONCE  MORE  BRIEFLY 
DEBATED  AND  DEFENDED" 


HE   TAUNTS    BEST   WHO    TAUNTS   NOT    83 

gious  man;s  convictions,  his  force  of  character,  his  lively 
magnetism,  by  degrees  brought  Dorset  to  listen  respectfully 
to  him.  In  the  end,  the  soldier  was  hanging  on  his  words 
eagerly,  even  asking  questions  on  clouded  points.  Now  and 
again  he  struggled  against  the  fascination  of  the  man> 
remembering  his  old  antipathy  to  the  sect,  recalling  to  mind 
his  own  views  of  life,  so  incompatible  with  the  ideas  of  Fox 
and  the  Friends.  But  he  was  still  bound  in  a  respectful 
attention. 

When  at  last  he  was  alone  again,  he  could  not  bring  his 
mind  away  from  the  thoughts  that  Penn  had  called  into  life. 
The  barrenness  of  his  own  existence,  the  manifest  joy  and 
content  that  the  Quaker  found  in  his  profession  and  prac 
tices  led  him  into  deep  contemplation  and  retrospect. 
Never  before  had  any  thing  resembling  a  religious  impulse 
stirred  within  him.  Now  his  very  soul  was  fairly  seething. 
He  could  not  endorse  all  that  he  had  heard.  By  nature  he 
quarreled  with  much.  Yet  he  felt  that  there  was  a  great 
truth  for  him  in  the  doctrine  of  brotherhood,  of  love  and 
peace.  In  the  end,  when  he  aroused  himself  from  his 
reveries,  he  made  no  further  effort  to  deny  the  new 
influence. 

He  went  forth  into  the  street.  It  was  night.  The  au 
tumn  moon,  rising  full  and  yellow  over  the  distant  hills,  bore 
a  message  of  concord  to  him.  He  wandered  down  between 
the  rows  of  houses,  where  the  inhabitants  were  already 
peacefully  sleeping,  out  through  the  straggling  cottages  that 
skirted  the  town,  along  the  highway,  and  so  across  a  moor 
to  the  crest  of  a  ridge,  where  he  threw  himself  down  beneath 
a  great  yew  tree.  A  tiny  breeze,  slightly  cool,  invigorating, 
breathed  from  the  uplands,  whispering  soothingly  through 
the  boughs  of  the  tree.  The  moon,  rising  higher  in  the  sky, 
poured  its  flood  of  golden  light  over  the  moors.  The  shad 
ows  of  the  higher  hills  yet  lay  across  the  land,  and  groups 


84 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


of  trees  blurred  in  the  amber  fields.  At  his  back,  the  Tone 
wound  through  meadow  and  copse,  molten  gold  in  the 
harvest  moon.  Beside  it  lay  Taunton,  placid,  serene  in 
sleep.  The  turrets  of  the  castle,  harsh,  warlike  rocks 
though  they  were,  rested  soft  against  the  distant  sky. 

He  turned  his  gaze  from  the  fields  and  the  hills  and  the 
river  and  the  castle  upon  the  town.  Within  its  borders,  how 
many  broken  hearts  lay  this  night  fearful  of  the  morrow  ? 


NEWGATE  PRISON 

How  many  agonized  souls,  mired  in  their  own  past,  struggled 
for  they  knew  not  what,  groping  for  a  light  that  lay  dead 
within  them  ?  How  much  misery,  how  little  joy,  tossed  on 
tortured  pillows  behind  those  dark  walls?  How  close  at 
hand  lay  their  help,  and  how  far  afield  they  sought  it  ? 

He  thought  of  the  terrible  Jeffreys,  of  the  wretches  whom 
he  had  condemned  that  day  to  die,  and  of  those  others  whom 
he  would  blight  on  the  morrow.  He  considered  in  which  of 
the  two  classes  he  would  rather  be.  He  thought  of  himself, 
and  of  the  man  of  religion  whom  he  had  that  evening 
taunted,  and  pondered  on  which  of  them  was  the  more  to  be 
envied.  Long,  soberly,  deeply  he  meditated.  His  heart 
answered  him  that  of  all  those  lying  there  to-night,  none. 


HE   TAUNTS   BEST   WHO   TAUNTS   NOT    85 

not  even  that  of  the  innocent  babe,  had  greater  peace  and 
joy  than  the  soul  of  William  Penn,  the  Quaker. 

As  he  thought,  there  arose  within  him  a  light.  There  was 
not  that  in  the  wide  world,  nor  in  Heaven  above,  nor  in  hell 
beneath,  which  could  withhold  him  from  being  even  as  this 
man.  Nought  but  himself.  A  sigh  of  peace  escaped  him. 
Joy  pervaded  his  breast.  He  would  live  as  this  man  lived. 

The  light  within  him  grew,  warm  and  strong.  Ever  as 
it  bourgeoned,  there  arose  within  its  halo  the  vision  of 
Barbara  more  beautiful  than  ever  it  had  been.  His  new 
happiness  fed  his  love,  and  his  love  fed  his  new  happiness. 
He  would  live  as  this  man  lived !  He  would  forsake  his  evil 
ways.  He  would  give  up  his  military  career.  He  would 
devote  himself  to  good, —  some  manner  of  good,  he  knew 
not  what. 

The  first  good  would  be  to  find  Barbara,  to  bring  her 
words  of  comfort,  to  aid  her  in  seeking  and  saving  her 
father.  And  then,  in  the  end,  —  why  might  it  not  be 
that  at  the  end  there  should  be  Barbara  ? 

He  arose  from  the  ground  with  a  feeling  of  triumph,  and 
returned  to  the  town. 


CHAPTER  V 


THE   IMPENDING   YOKE 

"  T  TELL  'ee,  Jonathan  Stevens,  there  is  no  end  to  the  woe 
A  that  will  visit  New  England!  Why,  we  shall  be  little 
better  than  slaves  and  serfs  if  things  keep  on  so.  'T  was 
bad  enough  to  have  our  charter  taken  away  from  us  by  fraud 
and  threats.  'T  was  bad  enough  to  have  men  of  our  own 

province  betray  us  to  the 
tyrant  of  England,  as  Jo 
Dudley  did.  And  now 
that  all  our  liberty  is  gone, 
and  we  are  to  have  no 
voice  in  our  own  affairs, 
't  were  better  for  us  that 
a  millstone  were  hanged 
about  our  neck  and  we 
were  thrown  into  the  sea 
of  misery  at  once.  There 
is  talk  that  King  James 
is  going  to  send  Colonel 
Percy  Kirke  here  to  make 
us  do  his  bidding.  I  hear 
tell  that  his  brutalities  in 
Tangiers,  and  the  wicked 
ness  of  his  heart,  are  past  all  belief.  Are  we  to  stand 
meekly  by  and  let  these  matters  go  forward?  Have  we 
suffered  and  endured  for  these  many  years  in  this  black 
wilderness  only  to  lose  all  we  have  struggled  for  as  soon  as 
as  it  is  within  our  grasp  ?  " 

The  speaker,  tall,  angular,  cadaverous,  with  a  lean  and 

86 


JOSEPH  DUDLEY 


THE    IMPENDING   YOKE  87 

'lugubrious  countenance,  thrust  his  legs  beneath  the  table 
at  which  he  sat  and,  surrendered  himself  to  dismal  contem 
plation  of  the  future  his  imagination  painted.  The  scene 
was  the  tap-room  of  the  Black  Horse,  the  principal  tavern 
in  Salem,  Massachusetts.  The  time  was  an  evening  late  in 
April,  1685, 

Jonathan  Stevens,  the  landlord,  rubicund,  soft  of  step 
and  voice,  with  a  mild  blue  eye  and  a  fixed,  bland  smile  on 
his  face,  made  no  answer,  being  engaged  in  mixing  a  mug 
of  flip  for  the  one  of  sad  visage ;  a  delicate  operation,  requir 
ing  the  closest  attention  of  mind  and  hand.  Filling  the  large 
earthen  mug  two-thirds  full  of  home-brewed  beer,  he 
gently  placed  in  it  a  soft  mixture  of  eggs,  cream,  and  sugar, 
dashed  in  a  gill  of  rum,  and  stirred  it  all  with  a  red-hot 
loggerhead,  a  long  iron  with  a  knob  on  the  end,  which  he 
lifted  from  the  coals  of  the  hearth.  The  decoction  sputtered 
and  fumed  as  he  handed  it  to  the  other,  whose  face  lighted 
a  little  at  sight  and  smell  of  it. 

"You  take  but  a  gloomy  view  of  it,  I  fear,  friend 
Ruggles,"  observed  the  host,  watching  the  man  sip  the 
hot  drink,  "and  't  is  but  an  ill  thing  to  speak  so  freely  of 
the  King.  Let  me  warn  you  to  guard  your  tongue  better 
in  a  public  place." 

"Guard,  indeed!"  retorted  the  other.  "You  have  the 
same  thoughts  I  have.  You  know  King  Charles  was  a  tyrant, 
and  that  King  James  is  worse ;  for  he  will  not  only  take  from 
us  our  civil  liberties,  but  he  will  thrust  his  religion  upon  us 
into  the  bargain,  mark  my  word,  so  that  all  our  trials  shall 
have  been  in  vain." 

"Tush,  man,  you  speak  but  folly,"  returned  the  host, 
busying  himself  about  the  room  in  preparation  for  the  even 
ing's  trade.  The  guest  drank  his  flip  with  a  dour  face,  and 
relapsed  into  gloomy  thoughts,  making  no  answer. 

Massachusetts  indeed  had  fallen  from  the  high  estate  of 


88  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

liberty  enjoyed  under  the  charter  that  had  been  revoked  by 
Charles  the  preceding  autumn.  For  fifty  years  the  people 
of  the  colony  had  elected  their  own  officers,  made  their 
own  statutes,  levied  their  own  taxes.  Custom  had  made  them 
bold,  and  they  had  exceeded  the  powers  granted  them  by 
coining  money  and  making  laws  in  religious  and  secular 
matters  which  went  beyond  their  granted  privileges.  Charles, 
pursuing  a  policy  at  home  and  abroad  that  tended  to  make 
him  absolute,  determined  to  revoke  the  charter.  He  demand 
ed  that  Massachusetts  send  agents  to  England  to  explain 
the  action  of  the  community.  The  inhabitants,  in  assembly, 
procrastinated,  feared  the  outcome.  He  asked  them  to  show 
by  what  authority  they  held  their  charter.  The  situation 
was  delicate.  If  they  said  they  had  it  from  the  King,  the 
King  could  reply  that  it  was  then  in  his  power  to  take  it  away. 
Some  there  were  who,  for  private  reasons,  inclined  toward 
the  execution  of  the  royal  wishes.  Foremost  among  them 
was  Joseph  Dudley,  who  expected  to  reap  a  reward  if  he 
turned  the  province  over  to  the  King.  Edmund  Randolph 
was  sent  by  the  Crown  to  bring  the  people  to  terms.  He 
made  many  journeys  to  and  fro.  At  last,  after  dragging  the 
matter  through  several  years,  the  colonists  could  defer  the 
issue  no  longer,  and  sent  Dudley  and  John  Richards  to  rep 
resent  them  at  London  and  pray  for  justice  and  leniency. 
It  was  too  late.  Quo  warrahto  proceedings  were  begun  by 
the  Crown  in  the  royal  courts.  Dudley  made  but  little 
opposition.  The  colonists  employed  a  lawyer;  but  they  were 
given  little  opportunity  to  prepare  a  defense.  On  October 
23,  1684,  the  courts,  obedient  to  the  will  of  the  Monarch, 
declared  the  charter  forfeit. 

The  results  threatened  disaster  to  the  Commonwealth. 
They  were  to  be  ruled  by  a  governor  sent  from  England, 
who  would  arrange  matters  of  taxation,  foist  the  English 
church  upon  them,  and  enforce  the  navigation  laws  laid  on 


THE   IMPENDING  YOKE 


89 


the  colonies  by  the  mother  country  to  prevent  the  commercial 
aggrandizement  of  New  England.  Kirke  was  expected  to 
be  the  governor.  He  was  known  to  the  people  of  New  Eng 
land  by  reputation,  and  they  dreaded  him.  Yet  they  were 
too  divided  by  faction  to  make  resistance,  and  so  submitted. 
When  news  came  of  the  death  of  Charles,  and  the  acces 
sion  of  the  duke  of  York  as  James  II,  it  put  no  better  face 
on  affairs.  His  policy  was  ascertained  beforehand.  He  was 
known  to  be  a  Roman  Catholic,  and  one  who  was  extremely 
jealous,  of  the  divine  prerogatives  of  a  King.  He  issued  a 
proclamation  stating  that  the  government  of  the  colonies 
would  continue  as  it  had  been  for  the  time  being;  but  the 
inhabitants  knew  that  the  time  would  be  short.  Despond 
ency  prevailed  throughout  the  land.  All  the  fabric  of  their 
political  liberties  for  which  they  had  struggled  and  suffered, 
their  religious  independence,  their  cherished  institutions, 
were  swept  away  at  one  stroke,  and  they  were  at  the  mercy 
of  an  intolerant  and  resentful  tyrant.  As  a  natural  result, 
James  II  was  soon  cordially  hated  by  nearly  all  his  subjects 
in  the  colonies. 

Ruggles  finished  his  mug  and  bespoke  another.    More 

group  at  the  tavern. 

an  important  institu- 


neighbors  came  to  join  in  a 


In  those  times  the  tavern  was 
tion  in   the   community.     It 
cussion,  the  medium  for  the 
news    and 
for  the  pro 
pagation  of 
public 
opinion. 
T  h  e 
tavern- 
keeper 
was  a 


<was  the  forum  of  dis- 
lissemination     of 


THE  BLACK  HORSE  TAVERN,  SALEM 


9o  DUELING  FOR   EMPIRE 

man  of  consequence,  deferred  to  and  consulted  because  of 
his  superior  advantages  in  acquiring  information  and  com 
ing  into  touch  with  the  public.  This  amiable  position  he 
maintained  until  the  advent  of  the  newspaper. 

At  the  Black  Horse,  the  leading  citizens  of  Salem  met 
nightly  in  informal  debate,  to  rehearse  the  news,  comment 
on  the  progress  of  events,  and  take  counsel  concerning  the 
future.  This  night,  as  for  many  night  before,  weighty  mat 
ters  were  in  their  minds.  Their  rights  and  liberties  were 
dear  to  their  hearts,  and  they  sought  for  means  of  preserv 
ing  them.  Gathered  about  the  fire  that  roared  in  the  hearth, 
they  drank  their  posset,  their  sack,  their  rum,  punch,  and 
cider  with  sad  hearts  and  many  misgivings. 

Stevens  bustled  among  them,  soft  of  foot  and  voice, 
dropping  a  wise  remark  now  and  then  into  the  conversation, 
but  discreet  and  tactful  ever.  He  was  no  less  loyal  to  the 
principles  they  espoused  than  they;  but  he  was  more  cau 
tious  than  many  by  nature,  and  his  position  in  public  life 
demanded  that  he  be  circumspect. 

"It  is  not  well  to  make  such  talk,"  he  interjected  after 
a  particularly  vigorous  denunciation  of  the  royal  programme 
on  the  part  of  Ruggles.  "It  is  truly  a  sad  state  into  which 
we  have  fallen,  and  I  rue  it  with  the  next;  but  for  my  part, 
I  believe  that  we  can  gain  more  by  diplomacy  than  by  open 
opposition.  Friend  Ruggles  holds  for  open  resistance.  That 
would  only  fasten  the  yoke  the  more  firmly  about  our  necks. 
We  cannot  hope  to  cope  with  the  powers  of  England  at 
present,  though  I  say  that  the  time  will  come  when  there 
will  be  an  end  to  oppression.  But  now  I  warn  goodman 
Ruggles  that  he  does  but  thrust  his  head  into  danger  by 
such  fiery  speeches." 

"And  is  it  not  better  to  lose  our  heads  in  a  righteous 
cause  than  to  have  them  twisted  by  a  tyrant?"  returned 
Ruggles,  applying  himself  to  another  mug  of  flip. 


THE   IMPENDING   YOKE  93 

Before  there  could  be  an  answer  made,  the  door  burst 
open,  and  a  young  man,  bronzed,  rugged,  with  a  bold  face 
and  a  clear  eye,  stepped  briskly  among  them. 

" Father!"  he  cried,  rushing  forward  to  embrace  the 
host.  "Good  friends  all,  hail  to  you!  " 

"Ha,  Hubert,  is  it  you  then?"  exclaimed  the  elder 
Stevens,  in  glad  surprise.  "Whence  come  you?  Hallo, 
there!  "  he  shouted,  going  to  the  door  that  opened  into  a  long 
hall  running  through  the  middle  of  the  house.  "Here  is 
Hubert  come  back.  Well,  boy,  what  do  you  here?  "  he  con 
cluded,  returning  to  the  midst  of  the  group,  where  his  son 
was  exchanging  greetings  with  the  neighbors  gathered  there. 

"I  am  just  from  Albany,  with  furs,"  he  said,  glancing 
about  cautiously.  "  Our  ketch  is  in  the  harbor;  and  a  merry 
time  we  had  getting  here,  too,  with  the  surveyor  of  the  port 
as  active  as  a  lean  flea." 

Hubert,  the  son,  a  young  man  of  twenty,  had  taken  up 
a  seafaring  life  as  a  boy,  and  followed  it,  until  now  he  was 
mate  on  a  vessel  owned  by  a  citizen  of  Salem.  The  activities 
of  the  ship,  and  of  most  of  those  engaged  in  trade,  were  not 
strictly  according  to  the  provisions  of  the  act  of  navigation, 
which  prohibited  the  export  of  colonial  products  to  other 
countries  than  England  without  the  paying  of  taxes,  and 
required  the  use  of  British  ships  in  all  export  and  import 
trade.  In  defiance  of  this,  many  vessels  plied  between  New 
England  and  continental  ports  with  prohibited  articles,  and 
even  visited  the  mother  country.  At  one  period  the  trade 
had  been  carried  on  openly;  but  now  an  attempt  on  the  part 
of  the  government  to  enforce  the  act  had  driven  the  shippers 
to  surreptition.  It  was  this  attempt,  as  much  as  any  one 
thing,  that  led  to  the  overthrow  of  English  authority  in 
America. 

The  announcement  made  by  Jonathan  Stevens  brought 
a  swarm  of  brothers  and  sisters  out  of  the  back  regions  of  the 


94 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


house,  ranging  in  size  from  Benjamin,  a  well  sized  youth  of 
eighteen,  to  a  lisping  little  tot  of  two,  who  welcomed  him 
according  to  their  age  and  disposition.  The  mother  had 
been  dead  a  year,  making  Hubert's  home-coming  all  the 
more  an  occasion  for  rejoicing. 

"What    news    in    Boston,    if    you    came    that   way?" 
demanded      one      of    ^^^fl^^^^  the    neighbors,    when 


the   hubbub   sub- 

"Why,  news 
the  sailor.   "It 
terday    that 
a  great  pro- 
per  so  ns, 
nor  Brad- 
the  deputy 
and  all  the 
riding     at 
andasquad- 
and      eight 
of  foot,  drums 
trumpets  blar- 
down  the  street, 


sided. 

enough,"  replied 
was  only  yes- 
I    saw   there 
cession      of 
withGover- 
street    and 
governor 
assistants 
their  head, 
ron  of  horse 
companies 
beating, 
ing,  march 
where  James  II 
claimed  King  of 


was  finally  pro- 
England  and  the     GOVERNOR  SIMON  BRADSTREET    colonies.     Such  a 

roar  of  artillery  as  followed  I  hope  never  to  hear  again,  but 
the  people  made  little  noise  enough." 

"They  did  not  shout,  then?"  asked  Ruggles,  eagerly. 

"But  for  those  who  stood  near  the  officers  and 
had  to  shout  there  was  not  so  much  as  a  whisper  among 
them." 

"Good!  Will  there  be  a  struggle,  think  you?  Will 
they  fight?" 

"That  I  know  not;  but  give  me  a  band  of  merry  fellows 
on  such  craft  as  lies  below  in  the  harbor,  and  we  will  trip 


THE   IMPENDING   YOKE 


95 


THE  GOVERNOR  SIMON  BRADSTREET  HOUSE,  SALEM,  MASSACHUSETTS 
(From  a  Painting  in  the  Essex  Institute,  Salem} 

them  sorely  when  they  come  to  lay  the  yoke  across  our 
shoulders." 

The  ardent  words  of  the  young  man  stirred  a  murmur 
of  approval  among  his  listeners;  but  his  father  deterred 
him  from  proceeding  further  in  similar  vein  by  a  pull  at 
the  sleeve  and  a  shake  of  the  head.  In  those  days  sons 
obeyed  parental  injunctions. 

"'Tis  untimely,  my  son,  and  unseemly  too,"  he  said 
softly.  "Let  us  bide!  Let  us  bide!" 

The  talk  then  fell  to  other  things,  Hubert  regaling  them 
with  stories  of  adventure  by  land  and  sea;  narrating  how 
they  had,  on  the  summer  before,  carried  a  cargo  of  tobacco 
to  Amsterdam ;  how  they  had  lain  at  Albany  through  the 
winter,  waiting  for  furs;  how  the  French  voyageurs,  contrary 
to  the  regulations  of  the  French  in  Canada,  were  coming 
there  with  skins;  how  the  Dutch  and  venturesome  English 
were  gaining  a  foothold  with  the  Indians  in  the  trade;  how 


96  DUELING  FOR   EMPIRE 

matters  prospered  in  New  York;  and  many  matters  of 
strange  import. 

As  he  talked,  a  brown-eyed  lad  of  sixteen,  his  brother 
Charles,  listened  with  rapt  attention  to  his  words,  dreaming 
of  adventure  and  conquest  on  his  own  part,  and  lost  in 
speechless  admiration  for  this  wise  and  wonderful  man. 
Hubert's  voice  rang  through  the  timbers  of  the  room  until 
the  hour  of  nine  came,  when  the  law  had  it  that  there  should 
be  no  more  gathering  together  in  tap-rooms  of  the  land,  and 
the  neighbors  returned  to  their  own  firesides  through  the 
dark,  solitary,  and  empty  streets  of  Salem. 

It  is  not  impossible  that  some  of  them  pursued  sadly 
irregular  courses  along  paths  that  were  no  better  than  the 
feet  of  the  citizens  had  made  them  in  their  passing  to  and 
fro.  For  those  were  days  and  nights  when  it  was  held  to 
be  no  evil  to  imbibe  heavily,  and  many  and  large  had  been 
the  drams  of  compounded  drinks  that  had  passed  the  lips 
of  the  company  that  night,  while  listening  to  the  tales  of  the 
mariner. 

There  was  sack  and  sack-posset,  cider  and  flip.  There 
was  rum,  a  "  hot,  hellish  and  terrible  liquor,  made  of  sugar- 
canes  distilled,  "  says  one  old  writer.  It  was  called  "  kill- 
devil  ' '  among  the  drinkers.  There  were  compounds  of 
rum,  formed  by  the  admixture  of  loaf  sugar,  or  of  molasses. 
There  was  ale  and  beer  and  mead,  or  metheglin,  made  of 
fermented  honey,  eggnog  and  whiskey  toddy,  together 
with  strange  contrivances  involving  combinations  of  these 
ingredients. 

These  things  were  drunk  not  only  in  taverns,  but  at  wed 
dings,  funerals,  and  christenings,  and  between  the  meeting 
house  services  on  Sunday.  Church  committees,  come  to 
gether  to  discuss  ecclesiastical  affairs,  assisted  their  wits  and 
their  tongues  with  punch  and  flip.  It  was  small  wonder, 
then,  if  some  of  the  company  wandered  home  deviously; 


THE   IMPENDING   YOKE 


97 


JAMES  II     (From  the  original  painting  by  John  Riky  in  the  National  Portrait 

Gallery,  London) 

or  that  Ruggles  with  joy  in  his  heart  laid  the  plans  of 
a  great  rebellion  which  would  place  him  at  the  head  of  a 
new  republic,  as  he  tumbled  into  bed,  attired  more  or  less 
as  he  had  been  in  the  tap-room  of  the  Black  Horse,  and  so 
fell  asleep. 

Jonathan  Stevens,  after  they  had  gone,  put  his  glasses 


98 


DUELING  FOR   EMPIRE 


and  mugs,  bowls  and  tobies  back  on  their  shelves,  banked 
the  coals  in  the  fireplace,  snuffed  out  the  candles,  herded 
his  numerous  family  into  their  various  quarters  and  shut  up 
shop  for  the  night.  Hubert  was  given  the  room  of  state  in 
the  house.  Charles,  at  his  own  urgent  request,  was  per 
mitted  to  stay  with  him. 


OLD  BAKE  SHOP,  SALEM 


CHAPTER  VI 
THE   BROTHER'S   TALE 

DID  you  see  many  Indians?"  stammered  Charles,  when 
they  were  preparing  for  bed,  gradually  overcoming 
the  reverential  awe  in  which  he  held  this  wise  and  wonder 
ful  brother. 

" Indians!"  returned  Hubert,  with  a  laugh  at  the  intense 
expression  on  the  younger  one's  face.  "  Why,  I  saw  Indians 
enough  to  man  an  armada  or  recruit  the  King's  army!" 

"Were  they  wild?"  queried  the  lad,  wide-eyed.  "Our 
Indians  here  are  not  very  wild." 

"Wild?    Wilder  than  the  wild  beasts  of  the  woods,  lad. 


SALEM      (From  an  old  print} 

Wilder  than  the  fiercest  lion  of  Africa !  They  were  Iroquois 
I  saw;  who  shall  say  more  for  their  fierceness?" 

"What  are  Iroquois?"  pursued  Charles,  gaining  more 
courage. 

"What !  Have  you  never  heard  of  the  Iroquois  ?  Marry, 
there  are  many  who  would  wish  the  same  to  themselves! 
The  Iroquois,  lad,  are  the  most  savage  and  cruel,,  and  most 
warlike  of  all  the  Indian  tribes  in  America.  They  are  a 
nation  made  up  of  five  tribes:  the  Mohawks,  Senecas,  Onei- 

99 


ioo  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

das,  Onondagas,  and  Cayugas  —  as  though  Massachusetts, 
Plymouth,  Connecticut,  New  York,  and  Virginia  should 
band  together  for  war.  They  live  in  northern  New  York, 
along  a  river  called  the  Mohawk;  they  call  their  nation  the 
Long  House.  Say  you  in  truth  that  you  have  never  heard 
of  them?" 

"I  —  I  think  I  have,  but  I  cannot  now  recall, "  replied 
Charles,  fearful  of  losing  favor  in  the  sight  of  Hubert  by 
reason  of  his  ignorance. 

"Nay,  then,  you  have  never  heard,"  rejoined  Hubert, 
"for  an  you  had,  you  would  not  so  soon  forget." 

"Tell  me  of  them,"  begged  the  youth. 

"Nay,  if  I  should  tell  you  of  them  to-night,  you  would 
have  such  dreams  of  them  in  your  sleep  as  would  wake  the 
house,  and  turn  your  hair  the  hue  of  snow." 

"I  shan't  be  afraid  if  I  am  sleeping  with  you." 

"Another  time  I  shall  tell  you  how  they  have  scourged 
the  land  for  hundreds  of  miles  about  them;  how  they  have 
prowled  through  the  woods  for  years,  summer  and  winter, 
falling  upon  Indian  villages,  killing  and  capturing,  until 
whole  nations  were  exterminated  or  driven  away;  how  they 
have  ranged  into  the  frozen  North,  to  the  great  river  of  the 
West,  and  so  far  south  as  Virginia  and  the  Carolinas;  of 
their  brutal  tortures;  their  mad  bravery;  the  rights  they 
have  fought  and  the  deaths  they  have  died!  Nay,  I  shall 
have  many  pretty  tales  for  you,  told  me  by  the  Dutch  at 
Albany." 

"Didn't  they  try  to  scalp  you?"  asked  the  lad,  fired 
with  a  desire  to  be  harrowed. 

Hubert  only  laughed  as  he  snuffed  out  the  candle  and 
climbed  into  their  rude  bed,  whither  Charles,  in  an  ecstacy 
of  terror,  had  preceded  him. 

"What  does  a  Frenchman  look  like?"  asked  Charles, 
presently,  thirsty  for  information. 


THE   BROTHER'S  TALE  101 

"Well,  like  a  Frenchman,"  returned  his  brother,  com 
posing  himself  for  slumber. 

There  was  silence  for  a  space.  Charles's  voice  piped  in 
the  darkness  again,  "  What  is  a  Jesuit?"  he  questioned. 

"Go  to  sleep." 

"Just  tell  me  what  a  Jesuit  is,  please!" 

"A  Jesuit  is  a  priest." 

"What  kind  of  a  priest?"  Charles  persisted. 

"If  I  tell  you  what  a  Jesuit  is,  will  you  go  to  sleep?" 

"I'll  try,"  Charles  promised. 

"Jesuits  are  Catholic—" 

"Catholic!"  interrupted  Charles,  horrified. 

"Why,  yes,  of  course!  Catholic  priests  belonging  to  the 
Society  of  Jesus,  founded  many  years  ago  by  a  brave  sol 
dier  named  Ignatius  Loyola." 

"Are  they  soldiers?" 

"No;  priests!  Priests,  wearing  long  black  gowns,  and 
carrying  rosaries  and  crucifixes  wherever  the^go." 

"Are  they  bad?"  pursued  Charles,  whose  opinion  of 
Catholics  was  derived  from  his  Puritan  instruction.  He 
wanted  to  ask  about  crucifixes  and  rosaries,  but  was  afraid 
lest  he  should  exhaust  the  patience  of  his  brother. 

"No,  they  are  not  bad;  that  is,  unless  you  disagree  with 
them.  Then  you  might  think  they  are  bad." 

"What  do  they  do?" 

"They  give  up  their  entire  lives  to  converting  the  In 
dians;  at  least,  those  do  who  are  in  America.  Others  of 
them  go  all  over  the  world ;  they  are  everywhere,  and  every 
where  they  seek  only  to  baptize  and  convert  and  save  souls. 
They  give  up  everything  for  it;  their  motto  is  "To  the 
greater  glory  of  God;"  one  of  their  vows  is  obedience  to 
the  Pope;  whatever  he  tells  them  to  do,  they  do  without 
question.  They  do  not  own  property;  they  have  no  money 
for  themselves;  they  go  among  the  Indians,  even  if  they 


102 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


know  they  will  be  killed ; 
tortures  beyond  the  en- 
never  complain. 
derful!" 
about   them," 
intuitively    per- 
had   reached    a 
which   Hubert 
"Well,    a 
ago  they  came  to 
the  French  have 
started  thence  to 
dians.     Afar   in 
chain    of    great 
cept    that    they 
Along  the  east- 
of   these    lakes, 
bay  —  some  call 
was  a  tribe  of 
rons.    The    Jes- 
alone    among 
dians,  estab- 
sio  ns     and 
convert  them, 
were  disliked 
cuted;  the  In- 
lieved  them  to 
and    blamed 
epidemic  that 
tribe  soon 
came.    But 
kept  trying 
souls.  When 
about  to  die, 


MARQUETTE 


they  suffer  hardships  and 
durance  of  any  men,  and 
They  are   won- 
"Tell    me 
teased    the    boy, 
ceiving  that  he 
subject    upon 
was    enthusiastic, 
great  many  years 
|f  Quebec,   where 
j  a  settlement,  and 
convert    the    In- 
I    the  West  lies    a 
!   lakes  like  seas,  ex- 
I  are  of  fresh  water. 
I  ern  shores  of  one 
and  about  a  great 
the  lake  Huron  — 
Indians    called    Hu- 
uits  went  out 
these    In- 
lishing    mis- 
striving    to 
At  first  they 
and    perse- 
dians   be- 
be  sorcerers, 
them  for  an 
visited    the 
after    they 
the  Jesuits 
to    save 
anyone  was 
they  crept 


THE  BROTHER'S   TALE  103 

into  the  house  with  a  handkerchief  they  had  dipped  in  holy 
water,  made  shift  to  get  near  the  dying  person,  and  touched 
his  forehead  with  the  handkerchief.  In  that  way  they  bap 
tized  them.  Pretty  soon  the  Hurons  began  to  be  baptized 
before  they  were  dying,  and  from  choice. 

" Sometimes  the  Indians  starved;  the  Jesuits  starved 
with  them.  Sometimes  the  Indians  went  on  long  journeys 
in  search  of  food;  the  Jesuits  went  along,  living  on  roots 
and  bark  and  boiled  moose-hide.  Sometimes  the  Iroquois 
came  and  took  prisoners;  if  a  Jesuit  chanced  to  be  captured, 
he  endured  every  torture  without  complaint." 

"What  did  the  Indians  do  to  them?"  Charles  could  not 
restrain  his  eager  desire  to  hear  of  it. 

"They  tore  their  finger-nails  off  with  their  teeth;  they 
chewed  their  hands;  they  cut  off  their  thumbs  with  clam 
shells;  they  stripped  flesh  from  their  backs;  they  burned 
them  with  brands,  and  beat  them  with  sticks." 

Charles  nestled  closer  to  his  brother's  side. 

"After  a  while  the  Iroquois  drove  the  Hurons  from  their 
country,"  Hubert  went  on,  forgetting  his  desire  to  sleep  in 
the  interest  he  took  in  his  own  tale.  "Many  of  the  priests 
were  killed  by  the  savages;  the  others  followed  fragments  of 
the  Huron  tribes,  still  converting  them;  some  of  them  came 
back  near  Quebec,  where  a  part  of  the  Indians  took  refuge." 

"Are  the  Jesuits  all  gone?" 

"Nay,  that  they  are  not;  they  are  many  and  strong; 
though  they  have  enemies  in  New  France." 

"What  do  they  do  now?" 

"They  still  convert  Indians,  and  set  up  missions,  going 
far  along  the  lakes  of  fresh  water  I  told  you  of.  Some  of 
them  are  even  at  the  farthest  end  of  the  last  and  greatest 
lake,  at  Saint  Esprit.  They  are  great  travelers,  exploring 
the  country  and  making  maps.  They  send  their  reports  to 
civilization,  and  add  much  to  the  knowledge  of  the  country. 


104 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


Have  you  ever  heard  of  Pere  Marquette?"  Hubert  never 
tired  of  telling  of  these  daring  explorers  when  the  mood 
grew  in  him. 

Charles  breathlessly  assured  him  that  he  had  not. 

"  Marquette  was  one  of  the  party  that  accompanied 
Joliet,  that  great  hunter  and  trapper,"  Hubert  resumed; 

and  with  no  further 


interruption  Charles 
listened  to  the  details 
of  the  good  priest's 
explorations  in  the 
Middle  West.  Within 
the  decade  Marquette 
had  passed  from  Lake 
Michigan  through 
Green  Bay  into  the 
Fox  River,  two  frail 
canoes  being  his  only 
craft.  Thence  he 
went  overland  to  the 
great  bend  of  the  Wis 
consin  River,  follow 
ing  that  stream  down 
to  the  Mississippi. 
Drifting  down  the 
great  Father  of 
Waters,  he  passed  the  mouth  of  the  River  Moingoni,  its 
native  name  to  be  softened  by  the  French  into  Des  Moines. 
On  the  voyage  councils  were  held  from  time  to  time 
with  the  various  tribes  of  the  aborigines.  "How  beautiful 
is  the  sun,  O  Frenchman,  when  thou  comest  to  visit  us! 
Our  village  awaits  thee;  enter  with  peace  into  our  dwell 
ings,"  was  the  greeting  Marquette  received  from  the  aged 
chief  of  the  Illinois.  The  missionary  tarried  long  enough  to 


FRONTENAC 


THE   BROTHER'S   TALE 


107 


THE  MOUTH  OF  THE  DES  MOINES  RIVER 


tised 


bear  the  word  of  the  one  true  God, 
and  bring  greeting  from  the  power 
ful    captain    of    the    French,    the 
governor  of  Canada,  who  had  chas- 
the   Five  Nations  and  commanded 
them  to  make  and  preserve  the  peace. 

Hundreds  of  warriors  acted  as  escort  to  Marquette's 
little  fleet  of  canoes.  Their  medicine-men  hung  about 
his  neck  the  sacred  calumet,  mysterious  arbiter  of  peace  and 
war,  to  be  his  safeguard  among  the  tribes  on  his  journey. 
Drifting  swiftly  down  the  turbulent  flood,  he  passed  the  per 
pendicular  rocks  on  the  banks,  noting  with  amazement  that 
they  bore  the  shapes  of  mighty  monsters.  In  the  distance 
he  could  hear  the  noise  of  the  rolling  of  the  Missouri,  known 
to  him  by  its  Algonquin  name  of  Pekitanoni,  and  presently 
he  was  caught  up  in  the  swirl  of  waters  as  he  came  to  that 
magnificent  confluence  of  waters,  and  saw  the  swifter  Mis 
souri  rush  in  like  a  conqueror  upon  the  placid  Mississippi, 
to  drag  it  onward  to  the  Gulf. 

It  was  there  that  the  good  Marquette,  seeing  in  every 
natural  wonder  a  new  opportunity  for  usefulness,  resolved 


io8  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

to  ascend  the  muddy  torrent  to  its  clearer  source;  to  cross 
the  tremendous  mountain  range  that  divides  ocean  from 
ocean;  and,  descending  upon  a  westerly  flowing  stream,  to 
publish  the  Gospel  to  all  the  peoples  of  the  New  World. 
Thereupon,  returning  to  the  explorations  already  in  hand, 
he  floated  past  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio,  greatest  of  the  eastern 
tributaries  of  the  Mississippi,  then  and  long  afterward 
known  as  the  Wabash.  The  peaceful  Shawnees  peopled 
its  banks,  their  villages  rising  where  populous  cities  were 
later  to  thrive.  Thereafter  the  climate  changed  rapidly  as 
the  canoes  dipped  toward  the  South. 

Canes  began  to  appear,  growing  thick  and  thicker  until 
jungle  growth  was  all  about.  Troublesome  insects  attacked 
them,  more  and  more  fiercely.  Folding  the  sails  against  the 
July  sun,  the  indomitable  Marquette  stopped  only  where  the 
Arkansas  emptied  its  flood  into  the  Mississippi,  and  retraced 
his  path.  It  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  he  made  his 
way  against  the  powerful  current.  Attaining  the  Illinois 
River  at  last,  he  passed  into  this  broad,  deep,  and  peaceful 
stream  up  to  the  Des  Plaines,  making  portage  across  the 
prairie  to  the  south  branch  of  the  little  Chicago,  to  pass  the 
winter  of  1673  at  its  mouth,  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Michigan 
once  more. 

The  particulars  of  these  explorations  had  not  become 
generally  known  to  the  English  along  the  narrow  strip  of 
Atlantic  coast;  it  was  from  one  Dautray,  coureur  de  bois, 
that  Hubert  had  secured  his  knowledge,  the  Frenchman 
having  been  much  with  the  Jesuit  fathers. 

"  But  what  became  of  Marquette  ?  Did  he  perish  among 
the  savages  at  last?"  Charles  asked,  his  long  silence  bring 
ing  the  questions  to  his  lips  with  a  rush. 

"No;  not  until  later,"  said  Hubert.  "He  fell  ill,  but 
made  a  rather  good  recovery.  This  meant  a  return  to  his 
labors,  so  the  next  autumn  he  went  to  the  Mississippi  once 


THE  BROTHER'S  TALE 


109 


DEATH  OF  MARQUETTE 

more  to  set  up  a  mission.  On  his  way  back  he  fell  ill  again. 
He  came  down  the  eastern  shore  of  Lake  Michigan  to  his 
mission  station  near  the  foot  of  the  freshwater  sea,  carried 
by  his  devoted  people,  for  he  was  too  sick  to  walk.  There 
they  took  him  ashore,  and  there  he  died  under  the  shelter  of 
bark  they  made  for  him.  There,  too,  they  buried  him,  and 
went  on  their  way.  But  in  a  year  or  so  they  came  back, 
reverently  took  up  his  worn  body,  and  reverently  bore  it  to 
the  mission  at  Saint  Ignace.  The  Indians  loved  him;  every 
one  who  knew  him  loved  him;  and  we  may  be  sure,  Charles, 
that,  Puritans  though  we  are,  God  loves  him." 


THE  BURIAL  OF  MARQUETTE  AT  SAINT  IGNACE 


no  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

"But  tell  me  about  the  big  river,  brother  Hubert,"  whis 
pered  Charles,  awed,  but  not  silenced,  by  his  elder's  manner, 
"Has  any  one  else  ever  seen  it?" 

"Yes;  more  than  one;  it  was  discovered  by  the  Span 
iards  years  and  years  ago.  But  it  was  forgotten  —  more 
than  once.  It  is  only  now  that  we  are  beginning  to  hear  of  it 
again.  It  was  the  Indians  who  told  the  news  of  it  to  the 
French;  and  it  was  the  French  who  sent  Joliet  and  Mar- 
quette  in  search  of  it.  But  the  man  who  found  out  most 
about  it  was  a  Frenchman  named  La  Salle.  He  is  not  a 
Jesuit,  though  he  thought  at  one  time,  when  he  was  young, 
that  he  would  like  to  be  one.  But  I  guess  he  did  not  like 
the  idea  of  promising  to  do  just  what  his  superiors  told  him 
to  do,  for  he  is  a  man  who  has  a  will  of  his  own,  I  warrant 
you.  Whatever  the  reason,  he  changed  his  mind,  and  at 
the  age  of  twenty-two  came  to  New  France  to  be  a  fur 
trader.  He  was  a  friend  of  Frontenac  — " 

"Who  was  Frontenac?" 

"A  fire-eating  Frenchman,  friend  of  the  King,  who  sent 
him  to  govern  New  France  so  that  he  might  escape  from  his 
wife,  with  whom  he  did  not  agree.  It  is  whispered  that 
King  Louis  loved  her,  but  if  he  did  she  would  have  none  of 
him.  Frontenac  agreed  with  but  few,  though  no  man  had 
truer  friends,  or  was  a  truer  friend  to  those  whom  he  fav 
ored.  After  he  came  to  New  France  in  1672,  he  immediately 
fell  to  quarreling  with  other  officers  sent  over  by  the  King. 
He  wanted  things  his  own  way,  and  those  who  were  in  Can 
ada  getting  rich  from  their  fur  trade,  soon  saw  that  they 
had  a  hard  man  to  handle.  As  a  result  of  the  quarrels  he 
was  recalled  to  France  after  being  over  here  ten  years. 

"But  there  were  some  that  he  did  not  quarrel  with,  and 
they  were  the  hardest  people  in  the  world  to  be  friends  with. 
I  speak  of  the  Iroquois.  He  was  very  proud  and  bold  with 
them,  and  made  them  like  him.  They  stopped  harrying 


ROBERT  CAVELIER,  SIEUR  DE  LA  SALLE 


THE  BROTHER'S  TALE  113 

the  French  settlements,  and  would  have  remained  good 
friends  with  the  French  if  Frontenac  had  not  been  called 
back  so  soon.  His  successors  fell  into  strife  with  the  sav 
ages,  and  lost  the  advantages  he  had  gained." 

"Tell  me  more  about  La  Salle,"  prompted  Charles,  when 
Hubert  stopped. 

"Frontenac  built  a  fort  for  him,  and  helped  him  in  the 
fur  trade  against  other  Frenchmen,  which  resulted  in  much 
trouble,"  Hubert  resumed.  "La  Salle,  hearing  about  the 
river,  made  up  his  mind  to  explore  it.  He  ^  took  a  large 
party  with  him  and  started  out  in  1679. 
They  had  many  troubles  and  hard 
ships;  his  men  were  villains  for 
the  most  part,  though  there  was 
one  among  them,  named  Tonty,  an  j 
Italian,  who  was  more  than 
loyal  and  a  great  hero.  La  ~ 
Salle  had  a  vessel,  the  Griffin, 
in  which  he  sailed  to  the  foot 
of  Lake  Michigan.  He  sent 
it  back  for  more  stores  and 
material  for  building  a  second 
ship  in  which  to  descend  the 
great  river.  But  the  Griffin 
was  lost,  and  La  Salle,  by 
that  time  pretty  well 


THE  BLUFFS  ALONG  THE  MISSISSIPPI 


114 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


down  the  river  that  Marquette  and  Joliet  had  come  up, 
went  back  to  Montreal  with  four  men  in  the  dead  of 
winter  to  get  more  material.  When  he  got  back  he  found 
that  his  enemies  had  ruined  his  fur  business,  and  that  his 
hunters,  many  of  them,  had  played  him  false. 

"But  he  was  not  to  be  discouraged.     Nothing  has  ever 
discouraged  La  Salle.     He  returned  to  where  he  left  Tonty 

with  his  men,  only  to 
find  the  place  deserted 
and   the    vessel    they 
had    begun    to    build 
destroyed.  He  learned 
that  the  Iroquois  had 
been  there  and  sacked 
a  large  village  of  the 
Illinois   Indians.       It 
was  a  long  time  before 
he  found  Tonty  again. 
But    when     he     did, 
Tonty     and   his    few 
followers     were     still 
loyal.        Once     more 
they   set   out  for  the 
river.     This  time  they 
reached  it,  and  floated 
down  to  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico.  That  was  in  the  year  1682  — just  three  years  ago." 
" Whatever  happened  to  him  then?" 
"  La  Salle  has  a  great  dream.     He  wants  to  found  an 
empire  in  the  valley  of  the  great  river  over  which  he  will 
rule,  with  Indians  for  subjects.    It  will  be  a  part  of  France, 
but  it  will  be  his.     He  will  trade  in  furs  and  cultivate  the 
vast  valleys.    That  was  what  he  had  in  mind  when  he  went 
down  the  river.     King  Louis  and  Colbert,  the  great  French 


TONTY 


THE   BROTHER'S    TALE  115 

minister,  approve  the  plan,  and  are  helping  him.  The 
Indians  are  friendly  toward  him,  for  they  think  he  can 
protect  them  against  the  Iroquois. 

"  After  he  came  back  up  the  river,  he  went  to  France, 
they  say,  and  organized  an  expedition  to  sail  into  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico,  find  the  mouth  of  the  river,  and  found  a  colony 
there.  That  will  give  him  an  outlet  without  going  through 
Canada;  he  has  enemies  there,  and  wants  to  be  free  from 
them.  I  do  not  know  where  he  is  now;  but  he  is  probably 
doing  what  he  plans  to  do.  For  La  Salle  ever  does  as  he 
plans,  and  no  man  can  stop  him." 

"But  England  can  stop  him,  and  surely  he  is  on  English 
ground  when  he  comes  behind  our  colonies  like  that!" 
quoth  the  lad,  burning  with  patriotism. 

"Ay,  there  is  the  rub,"  responded  the  elder  brother. 
"The  French  are  slipping  in  behind  us;  they  are  encroach 
ing  on  our  country,  or  they  will  be.  Already  there  is  a  meet 
ing  of  French  and  English  in  the  fur  trade  from  the  Hudson 
River.  Some  day,  lad,  some  day,  there  will  be  war  over  it. 
It  is  sure  to  come.  The  French  are  many  and  strong  along 
the  Saint  Lawrence,  and  they  plan  to  coop  us  up  on  the 
sea-coast.  If  La  Salle  does  as  he  plans,  and  nothing  can 
stop  him,  it  will  be  the  harder  for  us  to  uproot  them;  but 
the  French  will  have  to  go,  or  the  English  will.  Now  cease 
thy  prattle,  lad,  for  I  fain  would  sleep." 

"Hubert!  Hubert!"  whispered  the  youth,  after  a  long 
silence;  "if  you  ever  go  to  the  great  river,  will  you  take 
me?" 

"Ay,  that  I  will,"    returned  the  other.      "Go  to  sleep." 


CHAPTER   VII 
THE    DEVIL'S    BOOK 

A  LTHOUGH  he  had  spent  the  better  part  of  the  night 
/Y.  listening  to  the  tales  that  his  brother  had  to  tell,  Charles 
Stevens  was  up  before  the  dawn  had  fairly  awakened  in  the 
East.  His  father  dragged  him  out  of  bed  by  the  heels, 

two  beech  trees  AN  ILLINOIS  CHIEF  at  a   ijttie  jjs. 

tance.  And  ever  as  he  looked  his  young  heart  fluttered 
within  him  and  throbbed  up  into  his  throat,  for  there 
dwelt  the  widow  Lawrence  and  her  daughter  Jane,  and 
Jane  was  —  what  was  Jane  not  to  him  ?  Fair,  demure, 
with  dancing  blue  eyes  and  golden  hair  that  hung  in  curls 
over  her  slender  shoulders;  happy,  blithe,  tender,  coy,  she 

116 


THE    DEVIL'S    BOOK  117 

was  his  fairy  princess.  Even  now,  with  his  mind  so  full  of 
plans  for  wonderful  things,  he  made  a  place  in  all  his  ad 
ventures  for  her,  and  put  her  in  it. 

They  would  float  down  a  mighty  river,  lined  with  gold,  to 
a  sea  of  pearls,  they  two  alone,  there  to  dwell  in  love  and 
peace  until  the  end  of  the  world.  She  would  stand  beside 
him  on  the  deck  of  his  ship  as  it  tumbled  over  the  tempes 
tuous  sea,  brave,  cool,  loving;  or  when  he,  captain  of  a 
frigate,  engaged  and  sank  the  entire  fleet  of  Britain,  she 
would  ride  beside  him  on  a  horse  as  he  led  a  victorious  army 
into  London,  to  be  crowned  his  Queen  when  the  people  of 
England  made  him  King.  And  he  would  buy  her  a  wonder 
ful  diadem,  bright  with  rare  jewels,  and  she  would  dress  in 
silks  and  laces  for  the  rest  of  her  days. 

Eight  years  before,  the  widow  Lawrence  and  the  girl,  then 
a  child  of  six,  had  been  fished  up  out  of  the  sea  by  a  vessel  of 
Salem  during  a  storm,  dripping  and  half-drowned,  clinging 
to  a  spar  to  which  they  had  been  lashed  when  the  ship 
foundered  on  which  they  were  bound  to  England.  They 
had  been  brought  to  Salem,  and  a  cottage  built  for  them; 
for  the  woman  said  that  in  the  whole  world  there  was  none 
that  was  kin  to  her.  Who  she  was,  or  whence  she  came, 
no  one  knew,  though  conjectures  were  many  and  ingenious. 
Her  past  life  was  fathoms  deep  under  the  sea.  Since  coming 
there,  she  had  eked  out  an  existence  by  sewing  for  the  few 
fine  folk  of  the  town,  or  attending  the  sick,  with  now  and 
then  assistance  from  those  who  could  give  it.  Although  the 
mystery  that  engulfed  her  brought  her  into  some  disfavor  at 
first,  she  had  lived  it  down,  for  the  most  part,  by  her  gentle 
manners  and  kindly  bearing,  so  that  now  what  little  feeling 
lingered  was  more  in  the  nature  of  resentment  because  she 
had  given  no  further  cause  of  offence  than  that  she  was  a 
stranger  among  them. 

From  the  day  Charles  had  first  seen  the  girl  sitting  in  the 


n8  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

back  of  the  meeting-house  on  a  Sabbath,  she  filled  his  whole 
world,  awake  or  dreaming.  It  was  long  ere  he  found  cour 
age  to  speak  with  her.  At  last  they  met  by  chance  in  the 
meadow,  whither  both  had  gone  to  gather  the  flowers  of 
spring.  The  sound  of  her  tinkling  voice  had  made  him  light 
and  dizzy,  and  when  she  came  to  him  there,  the  soft  breezes 
of  spring  lifting  her  golden  hair,  and  the  light  of  May  morn 
ings  swimming  in  her  eyes,  his  heart  stopped,  and  he  felt  as 
though  there  were  no  substance  to  him.  From  that  moment 
they  were  lovers,  though  no  word  or  sign  of  love  passed 
between  them. 

Now,  when  he  saw  the  smoke  curling  gently  from  the 
chimney  in  the  cottage,  and  knew  that  she  was  astir,  his 
heart  bounded,  and  he  burst  forth  into  whistling  a  merry 
tune,  although  levity  and  joy  were  things  proscribed  in  the 
stern  life  of  the  Puritans,  of  whom  he  was  one  by  birth.  In 
many  things  did  Charles  Stevens  differ  from  those  austere, 
cold  zealots,  who  had  made  laws  against  all  the  wholesome 
impulses  of  youth,  fearing  to  admit  sin. 

No  one  could  run  on  the  Sabbath  day,  they  ruled,  or 
walk  in  his  garden  or  abroad  except  in  a  reverent  and  devout 
manner,  to  and  from  meeting.  No  one  could  cook,  travel, 
make  beds,  sweep  house,  cut  hair,  or  shave  on  the  Sabbath. 
There  was  to  be  no  idle  visiting.  On  that  day  no  woman 
might  kiss  her  child.  The  citizens  were  prohibited  from 
keeping  Christmas  or  Saints'  days,  from  making  mince  pies, 
dancing,  playing  cards,  or  performing  on  any  instrument  of 
music  excepting  the  drum,  trumpet,  or  jews'-harp.  There 
should  be  no  bowling,  or  playing  on  the  shuffle-board.  Dress 
was  restricted,  according  to  the  rank  of  the  wearer.  Beneath 
the  laws  lay  a  strict,  rigid,  austere,  uncompromising  sober 
ness  of  belief  and  deportment  which  held  the  Puritans,  young 
and  old,  in  a  repression  that  might  become  unnatural  and 
dangerous. 


THE    DEVIL'S    BOOK  121 

Against  this  Charles  unconciously  rebelled.  Without 
knowing  that  he  did  so,  he  resented  interference  with  the 
intimate  affairs  of  his  daily  conduct.  He  could  see  no  reason 
for  it.  As  he  grew  into  boyhood,  he  grew  out  of  sympathy 
with  the  strait-laced  ideas  of  the  New  Englanders.  He 
whistled  because  he  wanted  to  whistle.  He  saw  no  wrong  in 
it,  and  therefore  saw  no  justice  in  the  disfavor  it  brought  upon 
him.  Perceiving  no  reason  why  he  should  not  whistle,  except 
that  he  was  told  it  was  wicked,  he  continued  to  do  it,  at  the 
same  time  holding  those  in  mild  contempt  who  found  fault 
with  him  and  frowned  upon  him  for  it.  In  his  entire  town 
there  was  not  one  youth  of  higher  instincts  or  impulses; 
nor  was  there  one  held  in  lower  esteem  by  the  good  people ; 
for  no  other  reason  than  that  he  was  irrepressibly  light 
hearted  and  happy.  He  felt  it  as  a  boy  feels  such  things, 
and  chafed  under  it. 

Whistling  in  the  early  spring  morning,  he  turned  his  eyes 
toward  the  cottage  many  times,  eager  to  tell  Jane  of  his 
wonderful  brother.  Glancing  thither  for  the  last  time  before 
he  went  into  the  house,  his  whistling  left  his  puckered  lips, 
and  a  scowl  came  across  his  brow.  For  as  he  looked  he  saw 
Jane  standing  at  the  side  of  the  lane  before  the  cottage, 
talking  with  Waitstill  Sparhawke,  a  long,  knotty  youth  with 
a  doleful  eye  and  straight,  coarse,  black  hair. 

In  all  things  this  lad  was  his  evil  genius.  Held  up  be 
fore  the  community  by  the  elders  as  a  model,  there  was 
never  a  transgression  on  the  part  of  Charles  that  the  an 
tithetical  virtue  of  Waitstill  was  not  solemnly  pointed  out 
to  him.  He  was  quiet  in  meeting,  he  never  whistled,  he 
never  ran,  even  on  week  days,  he  always  learned  his  les 
sons,  he  had  read  the  Bible  through  five  times,  his  wrath 
never  rose,  he  cared  not  for  flowers  or  music  or  dancing, 
-  he  was  perfect.  But  worse  than  all  this,  he  sought  to 
spend  much  time  in  the  company  of  Jane.  Charles  was 


122 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


conscious  of  no  active  jealousy;  at  least  he  feared  no  suc 
cess  on  the  part  of  his  rival.  Jane  had  often  told  him,  inno 
cently  enough,  that  all  Waitstill  Sparhawke  did  when  he  was 
with  her  was  to  talk  religion  and  exhort  her  to  forsake  her. 
evil  ways ;  by  which  Charles  felt  that  his  own  company  was 
preferred.  He  knew  both  by  intuition  and  experience  that 
this  was  not  the  manner  of  discourse  which  would  wean 
Jane  from  him;  yet  he  grieved  to  see  her  talking  with  him. 
For  the  heart  knows  no  reason  in  jealousy  or  love. 

He  watched  them.  Presently  he  saw  Waitstill  leave  her, 
and  walk  down  the  lane  slowly,  with  his  head  cast  down  in 
sanctimonious  meditation,  his  hands  clasped  behind  his 


back.  As  soon  as  he  was 
and  ran  toward  the  tav- 
skipping  around  the  ends 
lightly  across  the  smaller 
Charles  breathless, 
ow,  whither  he  had 


i 


beyond  sight,  the  girl  turned 
ern,  across  the  meadows, 
of  the  sloughs,  leaping 
puddles.  She  came  to 
at  the  edge  of  the  mead- 
run  to  meet  her. 

They  're  coming  to 
get  your 
broth 
er,"  she 
gasped. 
"Who 
are?" 

"The 
King's 
men;  for 
being  in 
the  boat 
that  they 
seized 
I!  early  to- 


CUSTOM  HOUSE,  SALEM 


THE   DEVIL'S   BOOK 


123 


CHARTER  STREET  BURYING  GROUND,  SALEM 

"Have  they  seized  the  boat?" 

"Yes;   Wait  told  me." 

Without  stopping  for  any  further  parley,  Charles  ran 
into  the  tavern  and  to  his  brother,  who  still  slept.  In  five 
minutes  Hubert  and  Benjamin,  his  next  brother,  were 
scurrying  toward  the  nearest  woods,  with  small  packs  on 
their  sticks,  to  make  their  way  to  Boston  on  foot;  for  it  had 
been  settled  overnight  that  Benjamin  also  should  go  down 
to  the  sea  in  a  ship. 

When  Charles  arrived  at  the  little  brick  school  that 
morning,  he  found  Jane  in  tears,  with  Wait  Sparhawke 
talking  to  her  in  a  solemn  and  impressive  manner.  He 
rushed  to  her  side,  demanding  what  had  gone  wrong. 

"He  's  scolding  me  for  telling  you  about  the  King's 
men,' '  she  sobbed.  "He  says  I  ought  n't  to  have  told." 

Without  further  ado,   Charles  set  upon  the  model  of 


i24  DUELING   FOR   EMPIRE 

virtue,  and  pummeled  him  until  the  blood  came  freely 
from  his  upturned  nose,  and  he  cried  again  in  a  manner  not 
at  all  ordained  by  Puritan  conventions. 

"What  do  you  mean  by  bullying  a  nice  little  girl?"  he 
cried,  leaving  off  at  last. 

"She  shouldn't  have  told,"  moaned  Waitstill. 

"And  you  shouldn't  have  told  the  King's  men,"  ex 
claimed  the  girl,  drying  her  tears  on  one  of  her  long,  hang 
ing  sleeves. 

"'Did  you  tell  on  my  brother?"  demanded  Charles, 
fiercely,  turning  to  the  blubbering  pattern  of  all  behavior. 

"It  was  my  duty  to  tell,"  said  Waitstill.  "People  should 
not  break  the  law,  and  good  citizens  should  tell  on  them 
when  they  do." 

"You  are  always  telling  things,"  snapped  Charles.  And 
he  fell  upon  him  again,  with  the  pious  blood  of  the  other 
still  wet  on  his  knuckles,  beating  him  until  the  schoolmaster 
came  to  the  rescue  of  the  victim,  who  enjoyed  the  distinction, 
among  other  things,  of  being  the  favorite  scholar. 

It  fared  ill  with  Charles  that  morning.  The  master, 
leading  him  by  the  ear  into  the  schoolroom  through  the  grin 
ning  crowd  of  children  assembling  for  their  lessons,  straight 
way  administered  to  him  the  eloquent  and  persuasive  correc 
tion  of  the  "flapper."  The  flapper  was  a  disk  of  leather  with 
a  hole  in  the  center,  fastened  to  a  long  pliable  handle  of 
wood.  When  applied  to  the  bare  flesh,  a  little  blister 
sprang  up  to  fill  the  hole,  and  stayed  there,  staring  red. 
Tears  came  into  the  lad's  eyes  from  sheer  pain,  and  he 
winced  slightly  under  the  sting  of  it;  but  he  made  no  outcry, 
looking  defiance  into  the  face  of  the  master. 

Coming  from  the  castigation  of  the  flapper,  he  was  placed 
on  the  unipod,  a  stool  set  on  a  single  foot;  to  balance  there 
long  pulled  at  every  chord  in  the  leg.  The  children,  coming 
in  when  the  classes  were  called,  grinned  at  him  in  high  glee: 


THE    DEVIL'S   BOOK 


125 


for  none  could  tell  when  he  should  suffer  therefrom,  and  it 
was  well  to  extract  what  pleasure  one  might  from  the  tribula 
tions  of  others.  All  through  the  weary  hours  until  recess 
he  sat  there,  while  the  classes  went  through  their  drills,  read 
ing  aloud  in  concert  from  their  spelling-books  or  horn-books, 
according  to  their  age  and  intellectual  advancement.  The 
horn-book  was  a  bit  of  board,  like  a  paddle,  on  which  was 
pasted  a  slip  of  paper  containing  the  alphabet  and  the 
Lord's  Prayer.  Over  it  was  fastened  a  thin,  transparent 
bit  of  horn.  It  was  from  such  a  thing  that  the  early  pupils 
learned  their  letters. 

The  room  was  bare  and  dull.  The  walls  were  the  un 
dressed  sides  of  the  logs  of  which  the  building  was  con 
structed.  A  shelf  ran  along  them  at  a  proper  height  to 
serve  for  desks,  so  that  the  pupils  sat  in  a  rim  about  the 
room,  with  their  backs  to  the  teacher,  who  occupied  a  rough 
seat  in  the  center  of  the  room.  At  one  end  was  a  fireplace 
in  which  a  fire  burned  sluggishly,  for  the  mornings  were 
still  cold.  Waitstill,  one  eye  blackened  and  flecks  of  dried 
blood  on  his 
cheeks,  sat  in  the 
window  overlook 
ing  the  street,  the 
expression  of  a 
martyr  on  his 
face.  It  was  part 
of  his  duty  and 
privilege  as  fa 
vorite  scholar  to 
watch  the  road 
for  passers-by 
who  might  still 
remain  in  the 
teacher's  debt  for 

THE  OLD  WITCH  JAIL,  SALEM 


126 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


their  children's  tuition,  and  to  make  collections  from  such 
delinquents  as  chanced  to  pass.  The  teacher's  pay  was 
taken  in  wood,  and  in  commodities  grown  in  the  fields  of 
the  settlers,  and  he  found  it  often  expedient  to  intercept, 
them  as  they  drove  their  loads  to  market. 

The  troubles  of  Charles  did  not  cease  when  he  was  per 
mitted  to  descend  from  the  one-legged  stool  at  the  close  of 
recess.  Worse  than  all  else,  he  dragged  Jane  down  with  him 
in  his  infamy.  For,  when  he  undertook  in  an  unguarded 
moment  to  tell  her  that  it  had  not  hurt,  and  that  he  did  not 
mind  sitting  on  the  unipod,  the  teacher  chanced  to  detect 
him  whispering,  and  haled  him  to  justice  once  more.  If  he 
could  have  been  permitted  to  receive  the  punishment  alone, 
he  would  have  stood  it  stoutly;  but  the  master,  with  cunning 
cruelty,  made  his  beloved  suffer  with  him.  He  tied  a  bit  of 
wood,  like  a  horse's  bit,  from  which  was  suspended  a  pla 
card  "  WHISPER,"  in  the  mouth  of  each,  proceeding  to  in 
flict  the  crowning  injury  by  yoking  the  two  together,  and 
leaving  them  thus  until  the  close  of  the  session  to  the  con 
tempt  of  the  entire  school. 

Even  so,  he  had  his  reward.  For,  while  the  tears  were 
streaming  down  the  fair  cheeks  of  Jane  out  of  her  beautiful 


ON  THE  COMMON,  DANVERS,  MASSACHUSETTS 


THE  DEVIL'S  BOOK  127 

eyes,  and  her  stifled  sobs  made  the  yoke  tremble  on  his 
shoulder,  he  felt  her  hand  creep  into  his  and  cling  there. 
Even  as  he  felt  it,  he  saw  Waitstill  Sparhawke  look  in  their 
direction  in  pitying  piety,  and  knew  that  he  had  seen  what 
Jane  was  doing. 

Nor  was  this  his  whole  reward.  When  free  at  last,  the 
two  young  lovers,  leaving  their  fellows,  hastened  into  the 
wood  together  in  search  of  flowers,  walking  lightly  over  the 
soft,  moist  mold  among  the  great  trees,  blithe  of  heart,  free 
of  care,  happy,  silent,  sympathetic,  understanding  all  things. 
Before  they  had  gone  far,  he  felt  her  hand  slip  into  his  again. 
Looking  slyly  into  her  eyes,  he  saw  tears  standing  there  of 
a  different  kind  from  those  shed  before.  With  nobody  to 
see  what  he  did  but  the  first  robins  of  the  year,  singing  in 
the  tree-tops,  and  the  early  flowers  peeping  through  last 
year's  dead  leaves,  he  kissed  her  softly  on  the  cheek. 

They  sat  on  a  mossy  bank  beneath  an  ancient  oak,  silent, 
radiant,  speaking  no  word,  their  hands  gently  clasped. 
They  had  been  sitting  there  through  an  age  of  happiness, 
when  they  heard  the  voices  of  men  at  a  distance  through 
the  woods. 

" Indians!"  whispered  Jane,  trembling  and  drawing 
close  to  him. 

He  shook  his  head.  The  sound  grew  closer,  until  he 
recognized  the  voices. 

"It's  Louder  and  Fry,"  he  whispered.  "They  are 
out  hunting." 

The  men  came  closer.  It  was  the  two  Charles  had 
thought  them,  men  of  Salem  seeking  food.  They  were 
talking  earnestly,  with  intense  interest  in  their  subject. 
They  passed  on  the  other  side  of  the  tree,  behind  some 
bushes,  so  that  they  did  not  see  the  children,  and  sat  down 
to  rest.  Charles  and  Jane  could  hear  what  they  were  saying. 
They  told  each  other  of  weird  and  wonderful  things  that  had 


128  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

happened  in  the  world  since  time  began,  through  the  agency 
of  the  supernatural.  They  spoke  of  witches  and  witchery 
with  bated  breath,  .terror  in  their  voices.  Charles  looked  at 
Jane  and  grinned.  He  did  not  believe  such  things.  She. 
smiled  back  at  him.  If  he  did  not,  she  did  not. 

"I  tell  'ee,  I  have  seen  it  with  my  own  eyes!"  they  heard 
Louder  say.  "  Why,  I  was  sitting  in  this  very  place  one  day, 
when  a  little  red  book,  no  bigger  than  my  hand,  came  flut 
tering  down  in  front  of  me,  all  opened,  with  names  signed 
on  it.  It  was  the  devil's  book,  and  any  one  that  signs  it 
belongs  forever  to  the  devil." 

A  sudden  thought  came  into  the  mind  of  Charles.  Hu 
bert  had  given  him  a  somewhat  similar  book  as  a  present 
the  night  before.  He  had  picked  it  up  in  New  York  as  a 
curious  thing.  Charles  fumbled  for  a  moment  in  his  pocket. 
Signing  to  Jane  to  remain  where  she  was,  he  crept  softly 
to  the  bushes  sheltering  them  from  the  hunters.  He  would 
teach  them  to  believe  in  such  nonsense! 

Spreading  the  boughs  till  he  had  space  through  which  to 
see  them,  he  tossed  the  book  high  in  the  air,  so  that  it  fell 
fluttering  at  their  feet.  For  one  instant  the  men  gazed  at 
each  other  in  horror,  and  then  arose  simultaneously,  with 
wild  screams.  Jane,  hearing  the  cry  and  not  seeing  what 
had  happened,  took  to  her  heels  in  flight,  and  ran  through 
the  woods.  The  men,  turning,  saw  her  scurrying  away. 

"I  always  said  her  mother  was  a  witch,"  muttered 
Louder. 

He  raised  his  gun  to  fire,  when  his  companion  struck  it 
down. 

"Never  waste  thy  powder,"  he  exclaimed.  " Think 
you  to  kill  a  witch  or  the  child  of  a  witch  unless  your  gun 
carries  a  silver  bullet?" 

"You  speak  truly,  Fry,"  returned  the  other.  "Yet  will 
I  remember  this,  and  it  shall  go  hard  with  her. 


THE    DEVIL'S    BOOK  129 

The  men  took  up  their  weapons  and  continued  through 
the  forest,  talking  excitedly,  and  muttering  against  the 
widow  Lawrence.  The  heart  of  Charles  sank  within 
him.  He  dreaded  the  extravagances  of  superstition  he 
knew  these  men  to  be  capable  of,  and  he  feared  his 
innocent  prank  had  brought  Jane's  mother  under  a  dreaded 
suspicion.  So  confounded  was  he  that  he  did  not  have  the 
grit  to  cry  out  after  them,  but  picked  up  his  book  sadly, 
and  went  to  find  his  companion. 

He  did  not  tell  her  why  it  was  that  he  was  so  downcast 
as  they  journeyed  through  the  woods  to  her  home.  He 
could  make  no  reply  when  she  turned  a  wistful  look 
upon  him  as  he  left  her,  and  asked  him  what  it  was  that 
distressed  him  so.  For  there  echoed  through  his  memory 
the  ominous  words  of  the  ignorant  victim  of  phantasy : 

"I  always  knew  her  mother  was  a  witch.  I  always 
knew  her  mother  was  a  witch.  Think  you  to  kill  the  child 
of  a  witch  ?  The  child  of  a  witch  ?  The  child  of  a  witch  ? 
I  will  remember  this.  It  will  go  hard  with  her.  Her 
mother  is  a  witch." 


CHAPTER  VIII 


THE   PARIAH 


FROM  that  day  Charles  knew  trouble.     He  grew   in 
disfavor.     Waitstill   Sparhawke,  true  to   his  theories 
of  Christian  citizenship,  let  it  be  known  what  a  wild  and 
rebellious  soul  Charles  was.     The  general  diaspproval  grew 
more  open.     Sad-visaged  elders  stopped  him  on  the  street 


to  exhort  him.    Good 
looked  askance, 
school  avoided  his 
gazed   at  him    in 
at  him  at  all.     His 
genial   host,  be- 
and  troubled  with 

All   this 
stood     until 
he  could  set 
tures  afoot, 
not  been 
choly  fate 
Jane  with 
measure, 
lar      reproof, 
not    long    after 


wives, 
The 


passing     him, 
children    at 
presence.     Waitstill 
pity,  when  he  gazed 
own  father,  the 
came   impatient 
him. 

could  have  with- 
such  time  as 
his    adven- 
if    it    had 
his  melan- 
to  drag 
him,  in  a 
into  popu- 
On  a  Sabbath 
the  adventure  of 
Reverend  Sam- 
intensely      reli- 


the      book,       the  COTTON  MATHER 

uel  Parris,  an  over- superstitious  and 
gious  enthusiast,  preached  a  sermon  on  the  frivolities  of 
youth,  manifestly  directed  against  Charles.  Charles,  sitting 
on  the  steps  leading  to  the  pulpit,  directly  beneath  the 
minister,  listened  to  the  threats  of  eternal  damnation  and 

130 


THE   PARIAH  131 

hell-fire  which  the  minister  poured  wrathfully  upon  his 
head. 

During  one  particularly  vicious  tirade,  the  lad  glanced  at 
Jane  and  grinned.  He  had  taken  especial  care  to  sit  where 
he  could  look  into  her  pew,  which  was  at  the  back  of  the 
meeting-house  among  the  poor,  simple  people  of  the  parish. 
The  congregation  was  seated  according  to  the  wealth,  posi 
tion,  and  birth-rank  of  the  members;  a  matter  requiring 
much  delicate  adjustment  on  the  part  of  the  deacons. 

Jane,  observing  his  grin,  smiled  sympathetically.  The 
pastor  saw  the  interchange,  and  redoubled  his  fury. 
Charles,  feeling  himself  outlawed,  gave  vent  to  a  grunt  of 
defiant  disgust.  Parris  heard  it,  and  fell  upon  him  with  a 
verbal  violence  that  exceeded  all  his  previous  efforts  in  the 
community.  Charles,  resentful,  taunting,  chuckled  aloud. 
Jane,  hearing  him  chuckle,  tittered.  The  ordeal  through 
which  her  knight  was  passing  made  her  hysterical.  That 
brought  the  wrath  of  the  man  of  God  upon  her  frail 
shoulders;  and  from  that  hour  there  was  a  blight  upon  her, 
the  consequences  of  which  were  beyond  foreseeing. 

Jonathan  Stevens,  taking  Charles  aside  that  night, 
admonished  him  solemnly  to  mend  his  ways.  The  lad, 
burning  with  indignation  under  the  injustice  that  he  felt 
was  shown  him,  made  answer  with  all  filial  respect,  but  with 
bitter  words  for  the  bigotry  and  intolerance  of  his  per 
secutors.  The  elder  Stevens,  dismayed  and  alarmed, 
punished  him  severely,  and  sent  him  to  bed.  In  the  morn 
ing,  the  youth  was  packed  off  to  Richard  Stevens  at  Boston, 
a  cousin  who  stood  high  in  the  community  and  was  close 
to  Cotton  Mather,  the  noted  divine. 

Richard  Stevens,  for  the  good  of  the  boy's  soul,  took  him 
to  the  Reverend  Mr.  Mather,  who  spoke  long  and  earnestly, 
pointing  out  the  infamy  and  dangerous  consequences  of 
a  proud  spirit.  Mather  was  a  large  man,  with  a  full,  hand- 


1 32  DUELING  FOR   EMPIRE 

some  face  and  kindly  eye,  but  of  an  austere  faith  and  a  soul 
utterly  absorbed  in  the  dogmas  of  Puritanism.  He  dis 
coursed  long  and  earnestly  with  the  outcast,  seeking  to 
quell  his  rebellious  nature.  Charles  listened  with  sullen, 
respect,  and  went  away  more  stubborn  than  he  had 
gone. 

He  remained  in  Boston  for  a  month,  taciturn  and  gloomy. 
Hubert  and  Benjamin  were  still  at  Boston  when  he  arrived, 
and  he  found  his  only  comfort  in  them.  Richard  Stevens 
was  fitting  out  a  brig  of  fifteen  tons,  destined  for  such  use 
as  Hubert  might  see  fit  to  put  her  to.  When  they  sailed, 
Charles  begged  to  be  taken  with  them.  Hubert  would 
not  consent  to  it,  not  having  the  permission  of  his  father,  so 
Charles  was  left  alone  to  the  regenerative  devices  of  Richard 
Stevens  and  Cotton  Mather. 

The  lad  came  home  no  better  than  he  went,  from  a 
Puritan  point  of  view.  It  is  entirely  possible  that  he  might 
have  been  worse  from  any  point  of  view,  had  it  not  been  for 
Jane.  She  held  him  true  to  his  naturally  high  instincts, 
children  though  they  were.  His  conduct  after  his  return 
was  watched  with  almost  maddening  interest  by  the  good 
people  of  Salem.  For  a  time  he  remained  in  better  favor, 
receiving  the  benefit  of  a  doubt.  It  was  known  that  he 
had  been  under  the  ministrations  of  Cotton  Mather,  and 
that  circumstance  raised  the  hopes  of  the  people  of 
Salem.  They  desired  his  soul  to  be  saved,  in  an  imper 
sonal  way,  for  the  glory  of  God  rather  than  for  his  own 
individual  benefit. 

His  ultimate  fall,  when  it  came,  was  spectacular  and 
sensational.  Through  the  perverse  fate  pursuing  him,  it  all 
came  about  by  reason  of  Jane.  She  had  been  unhappy 
since  his  home-coming,  a  subtle  change  in  her  attitude  toward 
him.  There  was  no  sign  that  she  loved  him  less.  In  fact, 
she  was  more  tender.  But  something  clearly  weighed  on 


THE    PARIAH 


her  mind;    something  in  which  he  was  involved  and  which 
she  desired  to  keep  secret  from  him. 

But  the  secret  came  out.  In  an  overwrought  moment 
she  told  him  that  Waitstill  Sparhawke  had  fostered  a  horrible 
fancy  that  her  mother  was  a  witch,  and  had  persistently 
besought  her  to 
admonish  her 
mother,  offering 
his  own  services 
in  the  task.  He 
had  spoken  to  her 
of  the  love  he 
bore  her,  and  said 
that  he  was  will 
ing  to  sacrifice  his 
own  security  of 
body  and  soul  in 
continuing  to  love 
the  daughter  of  a 
witch,  but  that 
she  must  make 
every  effort  to  in 
duce  her  mother 
to  abjure  the  devil 
if  she  wished  to 
retain  and  enjoy 
his  affection. 

In  the  circumstances,  only  one  course  lay  open  to  Charles 
so  far  as  he  could  discern.  That  course  -he  pursued,  rashly, 
wrathfully.  His  first  encounter  with  the  model  of  virtue  came 
on  the  following  Sabbath.  His  mocking  fate  would  have  it 
so.  He  overtook  Waitstill  on  the  way  to  meeting,  walking 
with  head  down  and  hands  clasped  behind  him,  emitting 
fervid  and  sanctified  groans  under  the  weight  of  his  convic- 


WILLIAM  STOUGHTON 


DUELING  FOR   EMPIRE 


tion  of  sin.    He  mumbled  a  prayer  as  he  walked,  with  better 
reason  than  he  realized. 

Charles  came  behind  him  and  laid  heavy  a  hand  on 
his  shoulder.  Waitstill  turned  a  sad  face  upon  him. 

"You  black,  sanctimonious  hound!"  growled  Charles. 
"Let  me  tell  you,  it  were  well  for  you,  body  and  soul,  to 
leave  off  your  wicked  tales  about  Goody  Lawrence !  Let  me 
hear  no  more  of  your  whining  in  that  direction!" 

"You  are  a  rash  son  of  outer  darkness,"  returned 
Waitstill,  his  voice  quavering,  struggling  to  be  free  from 
the  grasp  of  the  other.  "  Go  your  evil  ways,  son  of  evil, 
and  touch  me  not!  I  am  of  God!" 

"Will  you  stop  this  talk?"  demanded  Charles,  white 
with  anger. 

"Your  soul  is  black.     It  will  roast  in  fire  eternally,"  re 
plied  Waitstill,  taking  courage,  for  he  saw  Parris  approach 
ing.     "You  profane  the  Lord's  day." 

"Yours  will  roast  the  hotter,  you  croaking  raven," 
retorted  Charles.     "Your  soul  is  blackness  itself,  and 
profanes   the   whole  world.     Are   you  going  to 
cease   from    your  tattling,  and    mend   all   you 
have  said?" 

For  reply  Waitstill  turned  upon  him  a  look 
of  holy,  compassion  mixed  with  loathing 
for  such  a  sinner,  at  the 
same  time  glancing  anx 
iously  where  the  minister 
was  making  his  solemn 
progress    toward    them 
along  the  path. 

There  was  no  fur 
ther  dialogue.  Long 
before  the  startled 
and  horrified  pastor 


THE    PARIAH 

of  the  flock  arrived  on  the  scene,  Waitstill  was  wallowing 
in  the  dust  of  the  road,  which  his  tears  and  blood  were 
puddling  into  little  lumps  of  reddened  mud.  As  he  partly 
rose  upon  his  hands  and  knees,  unconsciously  assuming 
the  attitude  of  a  Moslem  at  prayer,  Charles  accumulated 
all  his  contempt  and  dislike  for  the  fellow  into  one  long 
and  elaborate  kick  which  sent  the  pious  youth  sprawling 
again,  where  he  left  him  to  be  picked  up  and  dusted  by 
Parris,  who  now  reached  the  scene  of  contumely. 

From  that  moment  there  was  no  hope  for  Charles  in 
Salem.  His  own  father  held  him  aloof,  and  his  brothers 
and  sisters  looked  askance  upon  him,  as  one  to  be  avoided 
and  abhorred.  Many  a  time  would  he  have  turned  his 
back  upon  the  tavern  and  the  town,  to  seek  the  adventures 
of  which  he  still  dreamed,  if  he  had  not  been  apprehensive 
of  the  dangers  threatening  Jane  and  her  mother.  The 
whisperings  that  Waitstill  had  set  afoot,  that  Louder  and  Fry 
had  stimulated,  abated  somewhat,  through  fear  of  the  des 
perate  youth,  lost  so  utterly  to  God.  Charles  had  sought  out 
Louder  and  Fry  and  attempted  to  explain  the  incident  of  the 
book,  but  he  found  no  credit.  He  made  matters  worse,  in 
fact,  for  the  two  men  thought  then  that  he  only  desired  to 
shield  his  sweetheart;  a  consideration  that  led  them  more 
firmly  to  the  conviction  that  there  was  something  that  re 
quired  shielding.  So  Charles  suffered  and  endured,  wary 
of  events,  awaiting  developments;  hoping,  boy  that  he  was, 
that  when  the  emergency  arose  he  might  cope  with  it,  and 
bear  off  Jane  and  her  mother  in  magnificent  triumph  to  the 
utter  confusion  of  Waitstill  and  his  less  intimate  enemies. 

Matters  of  state  in  Massachusetts,  meanwhile,  went  from 
bad  to  worse.  Randolph,  returning  to  England  after  the 
suppression  of  Monmouth's  rebellion,  came  back  to  Massa 
chusetts  on  May  14,  1686,  with  a  commission  establishing 
a  new  form  of  government,  to  supersede  the  temporary 


136  DUELING   FOR  EMPIRE 

condition  of  affairs,  with  men  at  the  head  of  it  who  had  been 
chosen  in  England  at  his  dictation.  Dudley  was  made  pres 
ident,  and  William  Stoughton,  his  echo,  chosen  to  fill  the 
post  of  deputy-president.  There  were  sixteen  counselors, 
of  whom  Randolph  and  Mason  made  two.  Bradstreet, 
the  former  governor,  Dudley,  Bradstreet,  and  Saltonstall 
were  included  in  the  list,  but  refused  to  serve. 

Two  days  before  the  arrival  of  Randolph  with  the  com 
mission,  an  election  was  held  in  which  Dudley  was  omitted 
by  his  constituents  from  the  list  of  public  officers,  grievously 
disappointed  by  his  obvious  desertion  of  the  popular  cause. 
They  had  expected  better  things  of  him.  Of  distinguished 
abilities,  high  social  position,  equipped  with  all  the  advan 
tages  offered  young  men  in  America  at  that  time,  he  had  in 
his  early  career  conducted  himself  in  public  affairs  in  such  a 
way  as  to  gain  the  confidence  and  hearty  approval  of  the 
community  he  served.  But  in  the  end  he  had  shown  himself 
impelled  by  selfishness.  His  espousal  of  the  royal  interests 
in  the  controversy  between  King  and  colony  had  brought 
him  into  high  disfavor. 

The  general  court  met,  heard  read  the  commission  from 
the  King,  and  adjourned  sine  die.  It  was  the  last  act  of  the 
popular  government  which  had  been  guaranteed  under  the 
charter.  There  was  to  be  no  assembly  now.  The  powers 
of  the  new  government  were  executive  and  judicial  only. 

Randolph  was  in  high  hopes  that  the  colony  could  be 
subdued  to  the  will  of  the  King  before  the  arrival  of  the 
governor  whom  James  was  to  send  out,  but  was  disappointed. 
Dudley,  having  reached  the  present  elevation  at  which  he 
had  been  aiming,  trimmed  his  sails  to  catch  the  wind  of  the 
patriots,  and  left  Randolph  more  or  less  to  shift  for  himself. 
The  measures  of  severity  in  the  programme  of  Randolph 
were  not  carried  into  effect  by  Dudley.  The  more  serious 
difficulty  was  in  the  matter  of  introducing  the  religious 


THE    PARIAH  139 

worship  of  the  Church  of  England.  The  churches  of  the 
colony  would  not  permit  the  use  of  their  buildings,  and 
Dudley  would  not  insist,  so  that  Ratcliffe,  the  clergyman 
sent  over  by  the  home  government,  was  obliged  to  read 
services  in  the  town  hall. 

At  last,  on  December  20,  1686,  Sir  Edmund  Andros 
arrived  in  Boston  to  act  as  governor.  Kirke,  who  had  been 
expected,  was  needed  on  royal  matters  in  England  by  his 
master,  because  of  his  peculiar  viciousness  and  wickedness. 
Andros  had  made  such  a  reputation  in  his  service  in  New 
York,  from  which  he  had  been  withdrawn  six  years,  that 
he  was  selected  in  the  place  of  Kirke,  as  one  eminently 
fitted  to  carry  out  the  royal  scheme  of  subjugation. 

Andros  was  at  heart  an  earnest  and  sincere  tyrant.  A 
man  of  resolution,  capacity,  and  arbitrary  character, 
acknowledging  nothing  but  the  right  of  the  King  over  his 
subjects,  his  habits  and  tastes  were  diametrically  different 
from  those  of  the  Puritans.  He  had  the  further  recommen 
dation  of  bearing  malice  against  Connecticut,  and  more 
especially  against  Massachusetts,  for  their  feeling  of  inde 
pendence,  of  which  he  had  had  personal  experience  in  his 
previous  tenure  of  office  in  America.  In  all  things  he  was 
eminently  fitted  to  be  the  King's  agent. 

The  principles  under  which  the  colony  was  to  be  governed 
were  that  New  England,  having  been  acquired  by  discovery, 
was  under  the  same  classification  with  conquered  coun 
tries;  that  as  such,  the  citizens  had  no  rights  under  Magna 
Charta;  that  they  were  servants  of  the  King  rather  than 
subjects;  that  under  the  forfeiture  of  the  charter,  all  the  land 
titles  reverted  to  the  Crown,  and  must  be  taken  out  again,  or 
that  quit-rent  must  be  paid  for  land  occupied.  The  governor 
was  to  make  all  laws,  under  the  restrictions  only  that  they 
should  conform  to  the  laws  of  England,  and  be  submitted 
for  sanction  to  the  home  government.  He  could  require  the 


140  DUELING  FOR   EMPIRE 

oath  of  allegiance.  He  could  regulate  the  currency  and 
coinage.  He  could  reprieve  and  pardon,  establish  courts, 
make  regulations  of  trade  with  the  advice  of  his  council, 
command  the  militia  and  forts,  impose  taxes  and  adjust 
quit-rents,  and  he  was  to  encourage  the  Church  of  England. 

One  of  his  first  acts,  and  the  one  probably  that  aroused 
more  bitter  resentment  than  anything  he  did  during  the  two 
and  a  half  years  of  his  tyranny,  was  to  seize  the  Old  South 
Church  for  the  use  of  the  Church  of  England,  the  services 
being  held  there  between  the  times  of  service  of  the  regular 
congregation.  This  happened  on  March  27,  1687. 

The  new  government  met  with  a  negative  opposition 
in  the  matter  of  the  taxes  imposed  by  the  council  under 
pressure  from  Sir  Edmund,  which  the  several  towns  were 
compelled  by  law  to  collect.  The  selectmen  of  Ipswich, 
then  the  second  town  of  the  colony,  refused  to  comply. 
John  Wise,  the  minister,  advised  resistance,  and  with  five 
others  was  punished  for  the  offense  by  a  fine  of  £50  and 
imprisonment  for  three  weeks.  Other  towns  which  had 
been  contumacious  then  submitted,  seeing  that  resistance 
was  hopeless. 

Another  bitter  thing  for  the  colonists  was  the  requirement 
that  they  should  take  out  new  patents  of  land.  Persons  who 
had  held  land  for  fifty  years  under  the  charter  were  obliged 
to  obtain  title  again,  by  the  payment  of  fees  so  heavy  that 
they  speedily  developed  into  a  means  of  extortion.  Indeed, 
there  was  not  money  enough  in  the  country  to  have  paid  the 
exorbitant  fees  which  were  demanded.  Further  profit  for  the 
members  of  the  government  was  provided  by  legislation, 
which  made  it  necessary  for  all  legal  matters  to  be  trans 
acted  in  Boston,  or  at  least  for  part  of  the  proceedings  to 
pass  at  some  stage  through  the  offices  at  the  capital. 

This,  then,  was  the  system  of  oppression  that  was 
put  into  effect  with  malicious  vigor  by  Andros,  within  a 


THE    PARIAH 


141 


year  from  the  time  of  his  arrival  in  Boston.  The  people  of 
Massachusetts  writhed  under  the  injustice  and  despotism 
inflicted  upon  them,  but  could  make  no  resistance.  They 
could  only  wait  and  hope. 

Charles,  in  Salem,  was  too  young  to  pay  great  heed  to 
matters  of  public  policy,  though  he  heard  enough  of  it 
in  the  tap-room  of 
his  father's  tavern. 
It  was  brought 
closer  home  on  a 
day  when  men 
came  from  Boston 
and  took  private 
possession  of  part 
of  the  common,  on 
the  ground  that  the 
title  in  town  lands 
had  reverted  to  the 
King.  The  men 
were  friends  of 
Andros,  to  whom 
he  had  given  the 
land  for  services 
rendered. 

But  for  the  most  Sm  EDMUND  ANDROS 

part  Charles's  attention  was  taken  by  his  own  private 
difficulties.  The  attitude  of  the  citizens  had  grown  into 
ostracism.  He  was  in  effect  a  solitary  outcast.  He  kept 
up  a  brave  show  of  indifference  to  the  petty  persecution 
of  the  neighbors,  and  indeed  would  not  have  heeded  it 
except  on  Jane's  account.  For  himself,  he  was  sick  and 
tired  of  the  good,  narrow  people  among  whom  his  lines 
had  fallen,  and  he  could  have  turned  his  back  on  them 
forever  with  little  compunction  or  regret,  but  he  dared 


142  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

not  leave  his  sweetheart  alone  and  unprotected  among 
them. 

The  time  came,  however,  when  he  was  not  left  to  choose. 
His  father,  scandalized  by  increasing  evidence  that  his  son's 
soul  was  lost,  and  by  symptoms  of  a  falling-off  of  patronage 
in  his  tap-room,  so  strongly  intimated  to  him  that  it  might 
be  well  for  him  to  see  a  bit  of  the  world,  that  he  had  no  choice 
but  to  leave  the  parental  roof. 

This  was  in  the  summer  of  1687.  He  was  then  eighteen. 
He  confided  the  whole  matter  to  Jane,  who  dried  her  eyes 
and  bade  him  be  of  a  brave  heart.  They  agreed  between 
them  that  he  would  return  one  day  when  he  had  made  lodg 
ment  elsewhere  and  could  take  her  with  him.  And  so,  with 
great  sadness  and.  many  misgivings,  he  left  her  to  take  up 
his  weary  way,  whither  he  knew  not. 


CHAPTER  IX 
A    SNUFFER    OF    CANDLES 

PASSING  along  the  lane  that  ran  in  front  of  Goody 
Lawrence's  house,  in  a  leaden  humor,  with  the  soft 
words  of  Jane  melting  his  fortitude,  Charles  pursued  a  path 
across  a  field  and  so  out  upon  the  highway  that  led  on  the  one 
hand  to  Boston  and  on  the  other  to  the  Merrimac  River,  and 
beyond  to  New  Hampshire  and  Maine.  He  swung  from 
his  shoulder  the  stick  on  which  he  carried  his  little  bundle, 
and  sat  down  by  the  wayside.  He  was  not  tired.  He  had 
come  scarcely  a  mile.  But  he  was  sad  and  thoughtful.  It 
was  a  momentous  matter  for  an  outcast  youth  of  eighteen 
to  take  up  the  burdens  of  life,  when  one  burden  was  such  as 
that  he  had  just  left  at  Goody  Lawrence's  cottage.  It  was 
a  serious  thing  to  leave  a  young  girl  unprotected  against  the 
rigors  of  faith  that  filled  her  atmosphere.  So  he  sat  on  a 
stone  before  he  undertook  his  journey,  to  think  of  these 
things,  and  to  compose  himself. 

He  arose,  and  turned  toward  Boston.  The  human  par 
ticle  ever  gravitates  toward  the  mass.  He  abhorred  Boston, 
as  the  big  sister  of  Salem  and  the  home  of  Cotton  Mather. 
He  promised  himself  that  he  would  not  go  to  see  his  cousin 
Richard;  if  he  were  to  be  an  outcast  he  would  be  one  in 
full  measure.  He  would  readily  show  his  own  people  and 
their  friends  that  they  were  no  more  necessary  to  him  than 
he  to  them.  He  would  never,  in  all  the  days  of  his  life, 
have  aught  to  do  with  one  of  them,  excepting  Hubert,  and 
Benjamin  so  long  as  he  remained  with  Hubert.  As  for  the 
rest :  —  why,  he  would  make  them  sorry.  Just  to  show  him 
self  how  sorry  he  was  going  to  make  them  feel,  he  began  to 

143 


144 


DUELING  FOR   EMPIRE 


whistle  as  he  passed  down  the  highway,  and  kept  it  up 
for  many  a  mile,  though  the  tears  filled  his  eyes  as  he 
whistled. 

The  road,  narrow  and  winding,  passed  along  lines  of 
least  resistance,  through  the  woods  and  over  the  streams  and 
around  the  hills,  in  a  general  southerly  direction,  parallel 
with  the  bay  shore  but  at  a  distance  from  the  water.  On 
the  right  extended  a  forest  that  had  the  appearance  of  having 
endured  since  time  began.  Huge  elms,  vast,  hoary  oaks, 
towering  pines,  beeches  that  had  looked  down  upon  cen 
turies,  grew  here  and  there  among  the  third  and  fourth  gen 
eration  of  their  several  kinds.  There  was  some  underbrush, 
but  for  the  most  part  the  soft  turf  ran  free  and  clean  to  the 
very  feet  of  the  trees  themselves.  Now  the  smaller  trees  grew 
in  greater  abundance,^^^*Jtag^g^  shutting  close  down 


THE  CHARTER  OAK 


A   SNUFFER    OF    CANDLES  145 

about  the  narrow  road.    Now  they  scattered,  and  the  forest 
spread  out  like  a  park. 

Throughout  were  the  tiny  noises  of  silence.  There  was 
the  scolding  of  the  squirrels,  alarmed  from  their  nut-gather 
ing;  the  calls  of  robins  and  jays  and  cat-birds,  the  occasional 
song  of  a  thrush;  perhaps,  at  long  intervals,  the  yelping  of 
a  wolf.  There  was  the  rustling  of  the  leaves,  and  the  mur 
muring  plash  of  little  streams  that  ran  from  springs  in  the 
hills  into  the  river.  But  for  the  road  that  lay  sleeping  along 
the  sylvan  shade  the  traveler  might  have  felt  that  he  was 
the  first  of  all  men  to  see  these  things. 

Charles,  pursuing  his  way  among  these  scenes,  was  some 
what  overcome  by  the  immensity  of  the  world  into  which 
he  journeyed.  He  had  often  been  farther  a- woods  than 
this,  but  always  with  the  prospect  of  returning  home  to 
friends  and  a  supper.  Now  there  was  no  prospect  whatever, 
so  far  as  anything  immediate  was  concerned.  Of  course, 
in  two  years  things  would  be  different.  And  there  was  the 
fear  of  Indians;  a  fear  which  he  knew  perfectly  well  was 
unfounded,  since  the  close  of  King  Philip's  War,  but  which 
oppressed  him,  nevertheless,  with  dread.  Reaching  a  point 
on  the  road  where  it  emerged  from  the  woods  and  passed 
over  the  shoulder  of  a  bare  hill,  which  afforded  the  last  view 
of  Salem,  he  stopped  and  laid  down  his  package  again.  In 
all  that  way  he  had  not  once  turned  back  to  look.  Some 
of  them  might  see  him  turn  back,  and  think  him  sorry  to  go. 

Here,  although  it  was  scarcely  more  than  10  o'clock, 
he  sat  and  ate  the  little  luncheon  with  which  Jane  had  pro 
vided  him,  as  he  took  his  last  look  at  Salem.  He  had  re 
fused  to  accept  any  food  from  his  father  when  he  left  that 
morning.  He  finished  the  last  crust  of  coarse  bread  and 
the  last  bit  of  cheese,  and  was  preparing  to  proceed,  when 
he  heard  the  sound  of  horses  along  the  road  from  the  direc 
tion  of  Salem.  Two  travelers  approached,  riding  horses 


146  DUELING  FOR   EMPIRE 

and  leading  a  third.  They  were  of  a  party  of  three  from 
New  Hampshire  that  had  stopped  the  night  before  at  the 
Black  Horse.  They  recognized  Charles,  and  spoke  to  him. 
He  wondered  whether  his  father  had  spoken  to  them  of  him. 

Learning  that  he  traveled  afoot  toward  Boston,  the  two 
urged  him  to  mount  their  spare  horse,  the  former  rider  of 
which  had  decided  that  morning  to  take  passage  to  Boston 
on  a  small  vessel  thither  bound.  Charles  himself  had  con 
sidered  going  by  water,  but  he  had  no  money  to  spare  for 
the  fare,  and  would  not  be  beholden  to  any  one  of  Salem 
for  free  transportation.  But  he  was  glad  enough  to  avail 
himself  of  their  kindness,  which  they  protested  would  be 
but  a  favor  to  them,  since  it  would  make  it  unnecessary 
further  for  either  of  them  to  lead  the  spare  animal. 

Falling  to  a  respectful  distance  behind  his  elders,  he 
trotted  along,  in  high  spirits  over  the  good  fortune  that 
was  already  beginning  to  attend  him. 

The  two  travelers  fell  into  an  animated  discussion  of 
political  affairs,  to  which  Charles  listened  with  only  a  languid 
interest.  He  was  interested,  however,  in  the  narration  of  one 
of  the  men  concerning  the  tyranny  that  they  had  suffered  at 
the  hands  of  Robert  Mason  and  his  creature,  Edward  Cran- 
field.  Mason  purchased  of  Sir  Ferdinando  Gorges  the  lat 
ter 's  share  in  the  grant  of  New  Hampshire,  which  they  held 
between  them  as  a  whole.  He  had  immediately  attempted  to 
manage  affairs  with  a  high  hand.  When  blocked  by  the 
legislature,  he  went  to  England,  obtained  a  new  charter  with 
greater  powers,  and  returned  with  Edward  Cranfield  as  his 
governor,  a  man  whose  only  purpose  was  to  enrich  himself  in 
the  colony.  The  governor  could  now  convoke,  prorogue, 
and  dissolve  general  courts,  which  consisted  of  an  appointed 
council  and  a  chamber  of  deputies;  could  refuse  to  approve 
the  bills  passed  by  the  general  court,  in  which  case  they 
became  void;  could  dismiss  counselors,  who  were  thereby 


A    SNUFFER    OF    CANDLES  147 

prevented  from  serving  as  deputies;  and  could  do  many 
other  things  tending  to  absolutism  and  despotism.  This 
was  in  1682. 

Early  in  the  following  year  Edward  Gove,  a  deputy  from 
Hampton,  gathered  together  a  company  which  went  from 
town  to  town  in  an  attempt  to  foster  a  rebellion.  His 
reward  was  execution  as  a  traitor.  Cranfield  merely  in- 


HARTFORD  (From  an  old  print) 

creased  his  tyrannical  management.  He  levied  unlawful 
taxes  without  the  legislature.  He  dissolved  that  body  with 
out  reason  or  excuse.  He  placed  an  arbitrary  valuation  on 
silver  coin.  He  obliged  the  landowners  to  take  out  new  titles 
to  the  land.  He  expelled  Major  Waldron,  its  former  presi 
dent,  from  the  council,  and  took  his  land  from  him  for 
refusing  to  obtain  a  new  title.  But  in  the  end  he  withdrew, 
baffled  and  disappointed  by  the  stubborn  resistance  of  the 
colonists. 

They  drove  out  his  tax-gatherers  with  clubs  and  hot 
water.  They  permitted  their  land  to  be  taken  from  them 
and  their  goods  to  be  seized,  but  it  could  be  turned  to  no 


i48  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

account,  for  no  one  would  buy  the  things  so  levied  upon. 
When  Mason  called  out  the  cavalry  to  put  down  a  tax  mob? 
the  troops  did  not  respond  with  so  much  as  one  trooper. 

William  Barefoote  was  left  in  charge  by  Cranfield,  who 
went  to  the  West  Indies  for  his  health.  The  government  of 
the  colony  passed  under  Andros  upon  the  advent  of  that 
tyrant  in  Massachusetts,  together  with  Maine,  which  had 
been  purchased  from  Gorges  by  Massachusetts.  At  that 
time  there  were  only  four  important  settlements  in  New 
Hampshire. 

Charles  traveled  to  Boston  in  company  with  these  two, 
voluntarily  tending  their  horses  and  waiting  on  them,  in  so 
far  as  they  would  permit  it,  in  return  for  his  transportation. 
True  to  his  resentful  purpose,  he  did  not  approach  his  cousin 
Richard,  but  looked  about  him  for  a  chance  to  make  his 
way  to  New  York.  He  would  have  been  glad  to  know  where 
his  brother  Hubert  was,  but  he  would  not  ask  of  Richard. 
Inquiries  along  the  water  front  brought  no  definite  informa 
tion,  and  he  was  on  the  point  of  giving  up  all  present  idea  of 
New  York  when  his  fate  took  another  step. 

It  was  natural  that  Charles  should  pass  much  of  his  time 
about  taverns,  having  been  brought  up  in  one.  It  was  still 
more  natural  that  he  should  spend  much  of  that  time  about 
the  Blue  Anchor,  which  George  Monck  had  made  famous 
throughout  the  colonies.  It  was  further  natural  that  Monck, 
learning  from  the  travelers  who  he  was,  should  show  him 
attention  as  the  son  of  a  fellow-inn-keeper.  Whence  it  all 
fell  out  in  the  most  orderly  manner  possible  that  when  Sir 
Edmond  Andros  and  his  retinue  set  out  for  Hartford,  whither 
they  were  going  to  take  the  charter  of  Connecticut  from  the 
colonists,  Charles  went  with  them  in  the  capacity  of  orderly, 
for  Andros  was  a  frequenter  of  the  Blue  Anchor,  and  was 
ready  to  take  Monck' s  word  for  it  that  the  young  fellow  was 
a  loyalist  and  a  churchman. 


A    SNUFFER    OF    CANDLES  151 

The  mission  on  which  Andros  now  set  out  was  the  climax 
of  long  strife  between  Connecticut  and  the  British  Govern 
ment  regarding  the  Connecticut  charter.  The  colony  pur 
sued  the  same  defensive  course  as  Massachusetts.  Dudley 
had  attempted  to  wheedle  them;  Andros  had  stormed  at 
them,  all  in  vain.  Now  the  third  notice  of  quo  warranto 
proceedings  had  been  delivered,  and  Andros  was  on  his  way 
to  see  that  the  colonists  no  longer  resisted  the  will  and  pleas 
ure  of  his  gracious  Majesty.  It  was  not  the  first  time  that  he 
had  been  on  a  similar  errand.  In  1675,  when  governor  of 
New  York,  he  sailed  to  Hartford  with  a  flotilla  of  armed 
sloops  to  take  away  their  charter,  and  to  annex  their  terri 
tory.  He  had  been  welcomed  by  all  the  train-bands  in  the 
place,  who  professed  to  be  so  glad  to  see  him  that  they  would 
not  permit  him  out  of  their  sight.  In  the  end,  he  had  re 
turned  to  New  York,  incensed  and  malicious  against  this 
people,  but  without  their  charter. 

Andros,  with  his  armed  guard,  passed  through  Provi 
dence,  Rhode  Island.  Rhode  Island  had  betrayed  herself 
to  the  authority  of  Andros  through  a  schism  among  her  prom 
inent  citizens.  The  assembly  petitioned  the  King  to  be 
permitted  to  retain  their  charter;  prominent  men  informed 
the  King  by  petition  that  all  the  good  people  of  Rhode 
Island  Wanted  to  do  as  he  wished,  but  were  prevented  by 
their  legislature.  The  King  chose  the  petition  that  best 
pleased  him,  and  Rhode  Island  became  part  of  the  province 
of  New  England  under  Andros. 

The  party  reached  Hartford  on  October  31,  1687.  The 
legislature  was  in  session.  Andros  sent  word  to  them  to 
know  their  pleasure  in  the  matter  on  which  he  had  come. 
They  replied  that  they  were  debating  something  of  high 
importance  which  they  preferred  to  dispose  of  before  they 
took  up  the  charter  problem.  Andros  indulged  them,  hop 
ing  to  conciliate. 


152 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


Charles  Stevens,  bitterly  lonely  and  homesick,  had  so 
far  weakened  in  his  malice  toward  his  kin  that  he  permitted 
himself  to  pay  a  visit  to  a  cousin,  Captain  Joseph  Wads- 
worth.  He  appeased  his  conscience  by  arguing  that  this 
man  was  his  mother's  kinsman,  and  that  his  mother  would 
never  have  sent  him  away  from  her  door,  were  she  alive. 

Wadsworth 
received  him 
with  brusk 
good  nature. 
"You  're  run 
ning  away 
from  home, 
aren't  ye ! 
Drat  'ee!"  he 
bellowed,  slap 
ping  the  boy 
on  the  shoul 
der. 

Charles 
protested  that 
he  was  out  to 
seek  his  for 
tune,  whereat 
the  other 

SPOT  WHERE  THE  CHARTER  OAK  STOOD,  HARTFORD        roared       With 

laughter,  and  slapped  him  on  both  shoulders.  Charles 
smiled  a  little  and  cried  a  little,  and  they  became  fast 
friends  on  the  instant.  When  Charles  told  him,  in  answer 
to  his  questions,  how  he  had  come  there,  Captain  Wads- 
worth  rolled  his  eyes  in  a  manner  that  was  little  less 
than  appalling,  sat  far  out  on  the  edge  of  his  chair,  hands 
on  knees  and  elbows  akimbo,  and  demanded  to  know  if 
Charles  was  in  the  service  of  the  tyrant.  Charles  assured 


A   SNUFFER   OF   CANDLES  153 

him  vigorously  that  he  was  not,  whereat  the  captain  fell 
to  expressing  his  opinion  of  Sir  Edmund  and  the  present 
business,  with  many  interjections  that  were  not  suitable  to 
the  ears  of  a  youth,  but  that  were  entirely  expressive  and 
appropriate  to  the  case. 

"We'll  show  the  British  blackguard  that  we  are  not  to 
be  bullied,"  he  cried,  and  set  off  for  the  assembly,  his  sword 
clanging  about  his  heels  and  Charles  tagging  behind  him. 
There  was  much  close  whispering  between  Wadsworth  and 
the  leaders.  That  brought  to  a  satisfactory  pass,  the  captain 
went  about  gathering  the  train-bands  together,  while  the 
assembly  returned  to  the  debate  with  long  and  verbose 
argument,  after  the  manner  of  legislatures  in  all  ages  that 
seek  to  gain  time. 

"Are  you  ready  with  your  answer?"  Andros  asked  them, 
through  a  messenger. 

"We  are  not  yet  through  with  the  matter  in  hand,"  came 
the  reply.  "To-night  we  shall  consult  with  you." 

Night  came.  Andros  viewed  with  some  uneasiness  the 
gathering  train-bands,  which  soon  exceeded  the  number  of 
his  own  armed  guard,  but  had  no  other  choice  than  to  wait. 
Wadsworth,  after  much  deep  thought,  took  Charles  aside 
and  gave  him  certain  minute  instructions,  and  a  long  stick. 
The  assembly  was  ready  to  treat  with  Andros.  The  charter, 
in  an  oaken  box,  was  brought  forth  and  placed  on  the  table 
in  their  midst.  Candles  were  lighted  and  set  on  the  board. 
There  was  much  parley,  Andros  demanding  the  charter,  the 
members  advancing  reasons  why  they  did  not  consider  it 
necessary  that  they  should  surrender  it.  The  brave  Gover 
nor  Treat  pleaded  earnestly  for  the  cherished  patent  which 
had  been  purchased  by  sacrifices  and  martyrdoms  and  was 
endeared  by  halcyon  days. 

Charles,  in  the  attitude  of  a  curious  listener,  pressed 
close  behind  the  debaters.  Captain  Wadsworth  stood  next 


154  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

the  man  who  sat  nearest  the  charter.  He  raised  his  hand 
slightly.  Charles,  one  eye  ever  on  his  kinsman,  saw  the 
signal.  With  a  sweep  of  the  long  stick  he  held,  he  snuffed 
out  every  candle  on  the  table.  At  the  same  instant  two  can 
dles  standing  on  the  mantel-shelf  were  also  extinguished 
and  the  room  was  left  in  darkness.  There  was  the  sound  of 
scuffling  and  bustling  in  the  darkness,  exclamations,  curses. 

"Treason!  Treason!"  cried  Sir  Edmund.  " Fetch  lights !" 

There  were  no  lights  close  at  hand.  When  at  last  they 
were  brought,  the  charter  was  gone  from  the  table,  box  and 
all.  Captain  Wadsworth  was  nowhere  to  be  seen.  Charles 
had  disappeared  as  well. 

Rushing  out  into  the  darkness,  Charles  hurried  after 
the  sound  of  Captain  Wadsworth' s  footsteps.  He  came  upon 
the  man,  running  through  the  darkness  at  the  edge  of  the 
town.  Wadsworth  turned  and  drew  his  sword. 

"Hold,  cousin,  it  is  I!"  cried  Charles. 

"  Marry,  then,  have  a  care  how  you  come  upon  me.  I 
was  about  to  run  you  through." 

In  the  distance  they  heard  the  hubbub  about  the  assem 
bly-room,  and  the  cries  in  the  streets.  They  were  not  pur 
sued.  Making  their  way  with  all  speed  to  a  huge  oak  that 
grew  in  the  center  of  a  field  not  far  away,  Wadsworth  placed 
the  charter  in  a  hollow  in  the  bole,  and  hastened  back  to 
the  train-bands.  Charles,  commanded  by  his  relative,  re 
turned  to  Wadsworth's  house,  where  he  was  safe  from 
vengeance  of  the  disappointed  Andros. 

Fuming  and  cursing,  Andros  was  obliged  to  content  him 
self  with  writing  " Finis"  in  the  journal  of  the  assembly,  and 
declaring  the  government  to  be  in  his  hands.  In  effect,  it 
was  so  during  the  remainder  of  his  tenure  of  office.  But 
when  at  last  the  colonies  were  rid  of  him,  the  charter  was 
produced  from  its  hiding-place,  and  once  more  formed  the 
basis  of  a  free  government  in  Connecticut. 


CHAPTER   X 


SLAVES   AND   A   SLAVE 

A  COMPANY  of  Virginia  gentlemen  sat  about  the  board 
in  the  manor  house  of  Lucius  Thorne,  esquire  of 
England,  rich  planter,  and  dissolute  bachelor.  His  guests 
had  been  following  the  hounds.  Now  they  came  together  to 
carouse  and  celebrate  each  little  event  of  the  hunt.  Dressed 
in  red  coats,  with  knee-breeches  and  silk  stockings,  with 
buckles  and  laces,  with  patches  and  wigs,  they  were  a  lively 
picture  as  they  tossed  off  copious  quantities  of  punch  and 
brandy  and  r—  ^^^^-  -«-  wine. 

money.  Op-  LORD  CULPEPER  posite   him, 

at  Thome's  left,  sat  a  young  fellow  with  a  pale  coun 
tenance,  ingenuous  eyes,  brows  lifted  in  an  expression  of 
startled  virtue  and  innocence,  a  delicate  nose,  and  lips  that 
were  like  the  lips  of  a  boy.  This  one  was  Bertrand  Saint- 
Croix,  a  rector  in  the  Church  of  England,  whose  abandoned 


156 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


LORD  HOWARD  OF  EFFINGHAM 

habits  fixed  upon  his  presence  of  virtue  made  him  the  dearly 
beloved  of  his  boon-companions. 

In  all  the  vulgar  and  obscene  wit  that  went  the  rounds, 
Saint-Croix  had  more  than  a  share.  With  soft  voice  and 
mincing  speech,  he  told  them  tales  and  read  them  verses, 
and  bantered  quips  with  them  which  set  them  all  roaring, 


SLAVES    AND   A   SLAVE  157 

and  drinking  his  health  again  and  again.  Ever  as  they 
drank  and  became  more  boisterous,  the  rector,  drinking 
measure  for  measure,  became  more  sedate  and  virtuous  in 
his  outward  demeanor.  It  was  a  part  of  this  man  that  his 
dissipations  never  showed  upon  him,  either  in  his  appearance 
or  behavior  or  the  odor  of  his  breath,  so  that  he  could  come 
away  from  the  prolonged  debauch  with  a  clean-moving 
tongue,  and  a  bright  eye,  and  a  sane  smile  on  his  lips. 

He  was  one  of  the  worthless  clergymen  sent  out  by  the 
Church  of  England  to  the  colonies,  because  they  could  not  be 
tolerated  at  home.  It  was  a  time  of  laxity  among  the  clergy, 
and  of  general  reaction  from  the  austerity  of  the  Puritans. 
Selfish,  debased,  Saint-Croix  thought  only  of  his  personal 
comforts,  which  he  acquired  in  great  measure  through  turn 
ing  courtier  to  Thorne.  In  that  respect  he  held  the  advantage 
over  most  of  the  other  clergy,  whose  meagre  pay  was  in 
tobacco,  and  who  sometimes  made  hard  shift  to  get  grog  for 
themselves.  He  gave  good  return  to  Thorne,  however,  for 
he  was  ever  the  chief  wit  when  the  squire  turned  host,  which 
was  frequent,  and  would  go  to  any  length  in  roistering. 

Another  there  was  of  the  company,  who  liked  it  not,  and 
was  ill  at  ease.  At  first  he  drank  a  bumper  or  two  with 
the  rest,  when  the  night  grew  into  a  carousal  he  withdrew, 
quietly  and  unobserved,  to  sit  in  the  empty  fireplace  and 
smoke  his  long  clay  pipe.  The  man  was  Richard  Dorset, 
no  longer  captain,  no  longer  Daredevil  Dick,  but  a 
sober-minded  subject  of  the  King,  who  pursued  one  thing 
in  life  with  a  serious  purpose  that  held  him  true.  He 
sought  to  restore  Barbara  Stevens  to  her  father. 

When  he  resigned  his  commission  after  Monmouth's 
rebellion,  he  went  at  once  to  Bristol.  There  he  learned  that 
Barbara  had  gone  away  with  the  minister's  family,  as  had 
been  reported  to  the  messenger  whom  he  had  sent.  All  his 
efforts  to  find  whither  she  had  gone  proved  vain.  They 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


suspected  that  he  was  a  spy.  He  followed  a  rumor  to  New 
England,  another  to  Holland,  a  third  into  Scotland,  a  fourth 
to  South  Carolina.  The  last  was  the  most  promising.  He 
learned  that  the  minister  with  whom  she  fled,  suffering 
under  prosecution  on  his  return  to  Bridgewater,  had  gone 
into  Holland,  whence  he  had  emigrated  to  Carolina,  with  a 


J 


BATTERY  FRONT,  CHARLESTON,  WHERE  THE  ASHLEY  AND  COOPER  RIVERS  MEET 

company  of  Huguenots  who  were  escaping  the  terrors  in 
France,  following  the  revocation  of  the  edict  of  Nantes  by 
Louis  XIV.  For  eighty-seven  years  French  Huguenots  had 
enjoyed  the  same  privileges  as  Catholics,  under  an  edict 
issued  in  1598  by  Henry  IV.  Louis  XIV  revoked  it  in  1685, 
the  year  of  the  battle  of  Sedgemoor.  It  made  every  Hugue 
not  in  France  a  criminal,  whose  estates  could  be  taken  by 
an  apostate,  who  was  liable  to  be  broken  on  the  wheel  for 
practicing  his  religion.  Louis  quartered  his  soldiers  upon 


SLAVES  AND  A  SLAVE 


Huguenot  families.  They  emigrated  in  thousands,  taking 
with  them  much  of  the  skill  which  had  already  made  French 
manufactures  famous.  Seeking  to  retain  so  desirable  an 
element  in  the  kingdom,  their  going  was  forbidden  —  they 
were  thus  shut  up  like  rats  upon  whom  the  dogs  were  let 
loose. 

Dorset  was  no  stranger  to  thoughts  of  the  New  World. 
Joseph  Blake,  brother  .^^  ^^N^ and  heir  of  the   great 


admiral,  had    set 
fore  with  a 
So  mer  s  et- 
the  most  not-, 
nessascolo- 
party  of 
settling  in 
Joseph 
not       a 
man,     but 
small  share 
utive  ability 
his      greater 
his  people,  like 
freedom       a  n 
upon  them  he  spent 
South   Carolina 
and    child    of   liberty;    and    it 


Louis  XIV 


sail  two  years  be- 
company    from 
shire,  perhaps 
able    for  fit- 
nizersofany 
immigrants 
the  South. 
Blake  was 
young 
he  had  no 
of  the  exec- 
possessed  by 
brother,    and 
himself,    loved 
hated       tyranny ; 
his  large  inheritance, 
was  both  the  parent 
is   one   of   the   ironies   of 


history  that  made  it  the  first  of  American  colonies  in 
which  negro  slaves  were  an  economic  need.  Joseph  West 
and  William  Sayle  led  the  first  company  of  settlers 
out  from  England  in  1670,  to  find  400  miles  of  coast 
untenanted  except  by  roving  savages,  few  in  number 
through  war  and  pestilence,  yet  so  hostile  that  the  livelihood 
of  the  Carolinians  had  to  be  wrested  from  forests,  stream, 
and  field  with,  weapons  in  hand.  Business-like  methods 


i6o 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


prevailed  from  the  beginning.  Thrifty  Dutchmen,  haters  of 
the  rule  of  the  duke  of  York's  minions  in  Manhattan,  were 
carried  South  with  their  belongings  without  cost  to  them 
selves.  Charles  himself  sent  out  skilled  Huguenot  craftsmen, 
almost  the  only  time  in  his  reign  when  he  showed  interest 
in  his  realm  over-seas.  Irish  immigrants  came  in  1683; 
Scotch  Presbyterians  built  Port  Royal  in  1684. 

Dorset  left  England  just  as  the  great  influx  of  self-exiled 
Frenchmen  were  diffusing  civilization  through  Europe,  flee 
ing  from  the  cruelty  of  their  King.  Like  Dorset,  they  found 
the  first  settlement  abandoned  for  one  between  the  Ashley 
and  Cooper  Rivers,  first  called  Oyster  Point,  now  Charles 
ton,  named  for  the  King,  as  was  the  colony.  They  found  the 
settlers,  haters  of  tyrants  all,  struggling  against  the  fan 
tastic  constitution  which  the  earl  of  Shaftesbury  and  the 
philosopher  John  Locke  had  imposed  upon  them,  by  which 
the  Huguenots  were  denied  the  rights  of  freemen.  Dorset 
was  to  learn  in  after  years  of  the  effectual  opposition  which 


THE  OAKS,  AN  OLD  FARM  NEAR  CHARLESTON 


SLAVES   AND    A   SLAVE 


161 


sent  away  Governor  James  Colleton  in  disgrace  in  1690,  after 
four  years  of  agitation,  and  Philip  Ludwell  a  year  later. 
But  the  gallant  fight  for  religious  liberty  was  already  on  when 
he  landed  in  New  Charlestown,  as  the  city  was  then 
called,  only  to  learn  that  Barbara  had  set  out  for  the 
Barbadoes  to  search  for  her  father.  Having  found  where 
she  was,  he  did  not  continue  his  pursuit,  but  turned  his  at 
tention  to  the  discovery  of  Stevens,  so  that  when  he  finally 
reached  her  he  might  have  glad  news  for  her.  To  ascer 
tain  where  Stevens  was  seemed  the  easier  task.  He  had 
learned  that  the  man  had  been  sold  into  Virginia. 

Taking  horse  from  Charleston,  he  reached  Jamestown 
on  the  morning  of  the  hunt.  By  chance  he  fell  in  with 
Thorne.  They  had  been  at  Oxford  together,  and  Dorset 
was  easily  prevailed  upon  to  accept  his  hospitality. 

Thome's  plantation  was  on  the  north  bank  of  the  James 
River,  half  a  dozen  miles  from  Jamestown.  There  was  a 
landing  where 
boats  came  to 
load  tobacco,  a 
large  group  of 
barns  and  out 
buildings,  and  a 
number  of  huts  in 
which  lived  the 
negro  and  in 
dentured  white 
slaves  of  which  he 
was  possessed. 
His  tobacco  fields 
were  large.  He 
was  rich  as  riches 
went  in  those 


days.     Thorne 


GOOSECREEK  CHURCH,  NEAR  CHARLESTON, 
BUILT  IN  1711 


162  DUELING  FOR   EMPIRE 

himself  was  a  coarse,  brutal  man,  whose  conduct  was 
ordered  exclusively  along  the  lines  of  animal  selfishness. 
He  was  a  stanch  loyalist.  He  had  been  a  close  companion 
to  Culpeper.  Now  he  was  as  warm  a  friend  with  my 
Lord  Effingham. 

If  Culpeper  was  a  petty,  dishonest,  extorting  tyrant, 
Effingham  is  not  to  be  described  better  than  by  saying  that 
he  was  more  of  all  these  than  his  predecessor;  that  he 
" out-peppered  Culpeper,"  as  one  of  his  victims  observed. 
Culpeper,  enjoying  a  grant  absolute  over  the  province, 
regarded  the  colonists  simply  as  a  source  of  profit  to  him 
self.  Although  he  had  the  power  to  make  laws,  without 
regard  to  the  House  of  Burgesses  in  which  the  popular 
representation  of  the  colonists  rested  in  the  early  part 
of  his  rule,  he  conducted  himself  with  some  circumspec 
tion,  as  a  means  toward  his  end.  He  sought  to  rob  his 
victims  politely.  He  reinstated  Major  Robert  Beverley, 
fallen  under  royal  disfavor  for  refusing  to  surrender  to 
Parliament  the  journal  of  the  House  of  Burgesses,  of  which 
he  was  secretary. 

Nevertheless,  he  proceeded  to  fleece  the  people,  who  were 
little  better  than  his  serfs.  He  ruled  that  five  shillings  should 
be  reckoned  as  six  in  all  transactions  except  the  payment  of 
his  salary  and  perquisites.  When  the  Burgesses  protested 
he  drove  them  out  of  the  chamber.  He  cast  people  into 
jail  without  warrant,  and  punished  them  without  con 
viction.  He  gouged  out  the  profits  of  the  tobacco  industry 
until  the  planters  faced  starvation. 

But  the  governor  was  not  alone  responsible  for  the  bad 
state  of  the  tobacco  business.  At  the  time  when  he  came, 
1680,  the  price  was  falling  rapidly,  because  the  markets 
of  the  world  were  closed  to  Virginia  by  the  navigation  acts, 
which  prevented  shipment  to  any  country  other  than  Eng 
land.  It  finally  fell  so  low  that  an  entire  crop  was  hardly 


SLAVES  AND   A  SLAVE  165 

sufficient  to  purchase  a  suit  of  clothes.  The  growers,  feeling 
that  they  were  raising  too  much,  asked  for  legislation  restrict 
ing  planting.  The  King  denied  their  request,  for  it  would 
decrease  his  royal  income.  In  1682  the  planters  rioted,  cut 
ting  up  the  young  plants,  and  laying  waste  hundreds  of 
plantations.  For  this  Culpeper  hanged  a  number  of  his 
fellow-subjects.  Beverley  himself  was  frequently  imprisoned 
on  trumped-up  charges  connecting  him  with  the  riots.  In 
1684  Culpeper's  misdemeanors  were  so  glaring  that  Charles 
II  recalled  him,  sending  Howard  in  his  place. 

Howard  had  utter  disregard  for  public  opinion.  He 
thrust  men  into  jail  at  will,  refused  to  give  accounts  of  the 
expenditure  of  public  money,  laid  taxes,  and  asserted  the 
right  to  repeal  the  acts  of  the  Burgesses.  To  weaken  the 
House  of  Burgesses,  he  implicated  Beverley  further  in  charges 
of  plant  cutting,  and  threw  him  into  jail.  Beverley  had  been 
made  secretary  again  after  his  previous  imprisonment.  He 
was  now  pronounced  incapable  of  holding  public  office; 
a  direct  insult  to  the  province,  for  he  was  a  man  respected 
and  admired. 

The  talk  of  the  too  merry  company  ran  along  political 
lines,  each  one  striving  to  curry  favor  with  the  governor  by 
praising  his  treatment  of  their  fellows.  Foremost  among 
the  flatterers  was  Saint-Croix. 

"Our  worthy  host  has  a  man,  my  lord,  upon  whom  you 
might  well  practice  your  correction,  I  ween,"  observed  the 
rector,  appropriately,  to  a  phase  of  the  conversation. 

Lord  Howard  of  Effingham  responded  by  looking  as  im 
portant  as  it  is  possible  for  a  man  to  look  whose  lace  ruff 
lies  draggled  and  stained  along  the  outside  of  his  waistcoat, 
and  who  is  compelled  to  support  himself  in  his  chair  by 
throwing  his  arms  about  the  back  of  the  chair  next  to  him. 

"I  am  meaning  Melville,  friend  Lucius,"  continued  the 
rector,  turning  his  speech  toward  Thorne. 


1 66 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


"Ay,  and  a  more  impudent  dog  never  lived,"  returned 
the  host  angrily.  "I  had  him  from  the  Monmouth  rebellion, 
your  lordship,"  he  said  to  Effingham.  "He  cannot  leave 
off  being  a  rebel.  I  have  had  him  now  near  two  years,  and 
he  is  as  bold  as  ever  he  was.  He  looks  you  in  the  eye  as 
though  he  were  the  duke  of  Norfolk;  he  defies  my  overseer, 
beat  him  as  he  will.  I  have  placed  him  with  the  blacks  now, 
for  his  cure ;  but  I  would  have  you  believe  that  he  is  a  fellow 
of  a  spirit  that  will  not  be  tamed;  but  I  will  teach  him  yet, 
I  will  teach  him  yet,  the  unmannerly  dog!" 

Effingham  intended  to  say  that  he  would  undertake  the 
cure  of  the  fellow,  but  he  fell  asleep  and  slid  to  the  floor  in 
the  midst  of  his  sentence.  Saint-Croix  cast  a  glance  of  sar 
donic  amusement  from  the  governor's  vacant  chair  to  the 
face  of  the ^J^^^host,  and  both  laughed  quietly.  Dor 
set,  sit-  *^H  Hl^^  ting  at  tne  hearth  with  his  back 

to  the  company,  continued 
to  smoke  in  peace. 

"An  I  mistake 
not,"  resumed 
Saint- 
.Croix, 


TYPICAL  CHARLESTON  RESIDENCE 


SLAVES   AND   A   SLAVE  167 

emptying  another  glass  of  toddy,  "this  fellow  of  the  evil 
eye  whom  you  had  to-day  from  that  ketch  is  one  that  will 
break  him;  for,  mark  my  word,  there  is  that  about  the  rogue 
that  quails  our  friend.  He  turned  pale  and  trembled  at 
sight  of  him." 

"Ay?     I  did  not  see  it.     I  shall  have  it  out  of  him." 

Beneath  the  table,  the  governor  of  the  colony  gave  vent 
to  a  groan  and  struggled  to  his  feet.  Others  of  the  party 
assisted  him  to  rise.  Demanding  querulously  to  be  put 
to  bed,  a  number  offered  their  services,  and  the  party  broke 
up,  going  to  their  rooms  and  leaving  only  Saint-Croix  and 
Dorset  below  with  Thorne. 

Dorset  did  not  rise  to  bid  the  governor  adieu.  When 
Thorne  and  Saint-Croix  returned  to  the  room,  he  was  sitting 
in  the  chair,  his  pipe  fallen  on  the  floor  and  broken  into 
pieces,  his  eyes  closed,  his  mouth  open,  and  his  snores  shaking 
the  glasses  on  the  table. 

"Egad!"  exclaimed  Thorne,  "he  does  not  hold  his  liquor 
as  he  once  did.  There  was  a  fellow,  in  his  day,  could  shame 
even  you,  my  man  of  God." 

"I  tell  you,  I  am  not  to  be  lightly  shamed,  friend 
Thorne,"  returned  Saint-Croix.  "But  listen  to  me  now. 
I  shall  have  much  sport  for  you.  I  have  sought  all  day 
to  tell  you  of  this  thing.  What  think  you,  I  have  a  beautiful 
woman  at  my  house!" 

"'T  is  not  the  first,  then,"  retorted  Thorne,  pouring 
out  a  glass. 

"But  she  is  virtuous." 

"So  much  the  worse  for  her.     Here  is  to  her  virtue,  then." 

"But  there  is  more  behind  it  than  I  have  told  you." 

"'T  is  like  that  there  will  not  be  much  untold  ere  you 
have  finished.  Away  with  it,  then." 

"What  would  you  say  if  I  told  you  she  was  the  daughter 
of  this  same  impudent  slave,  Melville  ?" 


1 68  DUELING   FOR   EMPIRE 

"I  should  say  that  you  lied,  man  of  God  " 

Dorset,  sitting  in  the  chair,  stirred  not,  but  continued  to 
snore  loudly. 

"Nay,  'tis  true,"  returned  Saint-Croix.  "God,  how 
the  man  rumbles!" 

"Go  to!     How  came  she  here,  and  to  you?" 

"  She  came  to  seek  her  father.  She  came  to  me  from  my 
cousin,  the  gentle  prelate  of  Bridgewater,  with  whom,  it 
seems,  she  sought  refuge  on  an  occasion  which  she  did  not 
fully  explain  to  me.  She  believes  that  her  father  is  in 
Virginia,  and  came  to  me  to  help  her  in  the  search.  She 
seeks  to  be  marvelous  secret  about  herself,  and  will  not  go 
abroad.  She  came  on  the  very  boat  that  brought  yon 
fellow  of  the  evil  eye;  and  she  held  him  in  fear,  too,  I 
may  say.  There  is  somewhat  in  that  fellow  that  will 
stand  us  in  good  stead,  an  I  mistake  not." 

Thorne  leapt  to  his  feet. 

"Is  she  beautiful?"  he  cried.  "Stay,  here  is  a  fortune 
that  will  yield  us  much.  A  curse  on  this  fuddling  drink 
that  stops  me  from  making  the  best  of  it!  How  know  you 
she  is  his  daughter?" 

"Is  her  name  not  Beatrice  Melville?  And  is  not  her 
father's  name,  which  she  gave  me  from  her  own  lips,  Hugo 
Melville,  the  same  as  the  slave  you  purchased?  And  hark 
'ee,  there  is  much  behind  this  matter.  She  shields  a 
potent  mystery." 

"Ha!  We  shall  tame  our  fine  fellow  now,  at  great 
profit  to  ourselves,  withal." 

"Shall  we  drink  to  the  maiden's  virtue?"  said  Saint- 
Croix,  with  a  leer,  filling  a  glass  and  raising  it  to  his  lips. 
Dorset  sighed  in  his  sleep,  shifted  his  body,  and  rested  more 
easily,  so  that  his  snoring  was  less  in  volume. 

They  were  finishing  the  toast,  with  sinister  mirth,  when 
Tobey,  a  blackamoor,  knocked  fearfully  on  the  door,  to  tell 


SLAVES   AND   A  SLAVE  169 


CHARLESTON    (From  an  old  print) 

his  master  that  the  new  slave  begged  leave  to  speak  to  him. 
Saint-Croix  and  Thorne  interchanged  significant  glances. 
The  planter  bade  him  be  brought.  Awaiting  him,  they 
talked  at  random  of  the  strange  turn  that  brought  the  daugh 
ter  thither,  and  how  they  would  put  it  to  various  uses.  Dor 
set  had  passed  into  such  deep  slumber  that  his  measured 
breathing  was  in  itself  soporific.  Thorne  yawned  slightly, 
but  roused  himself  at  once  when  Tobey  returned,  followed 
by  a  slinking  creature,  stooped  and  shuffling,  whose  face  was 
utterly  evil,  and  one  of  whose  eyes  was  higher  in  the  cheek 
than  its  fellow. 

If  Dorset  had  been  awake  and  had  seen  the  face,  and  had 
heard  the  piping  voice  of  the  rascal  as  he  answered  the  ques 
tions  put  to  him,  he  would  have  known  at  once  that  the  man 
was  no  other  than  that  same  Slurk  whom  he  had  shipped 
out  of  Bristol  two  years  before. 

"What  do  you  want,  fellow!"  bellowed  Thorne. 

Slurk' s  glance  crept  stealthily  about  the  room.  For  an 
instant  it  rested  on  the  back  of  Dorset's  head,  barely  visible 
over  the  top  of  the  chair.  He  started  slightly,  and  concen 
trated  his  gaze,  uncertain,  hesitating. 

"Well!"  roared  Thorne.  "Have  you  brought  your  wry 
face  in  here  that  we  might  look  at  it?  Speak!  Why  do 
you  seek  your  master's  company,  wretch?" 


i  ;o  DUELING  FOR   EMPIRE 

Slurk  withdrew  his  glance  from  Dorset,  where  it  had 
rested  longer  than  his  gaze  was  wont  to  rest  on  anything 
when  he  himself  was  under  observation.  Whether  it  was 
his  old  acquaintance  or  not  could  not  much  matter  to  Slurk, 
for  whoever  he  was,  he  was  fast  asleep  and  snoring. 

"  Craving  your  pardon,"  whimpered  Slurk,  hanging  his 
head  "but  I  wouldn't  have  presumed,  being  a  simple- 
minded,  poor,  humble  man,  except  that  I  know  something 
that  may  serve  you.  If  it  does  n't,  why,  I  hope  no  harm 
comes  of  it." 

"What  do  you  know,  fellow?  Come,  stand  not  there 
whining  all  night!  Out  with  it!" 

"By  your  leave,  I  thought  perhaps  this  might  be  of 
value  to  you,  not  knowing  it  yourself,  and  that,  this  being 
my  first  day,  you  might  be  willing  to  look  upon  me  as  a 
good,  loving  slave,  one  willing  to  give  his  heart  and  soul 
for  his  master,"  he  piped. 

"You  shall  have  your  reward.     What  know  you?" 

"  Shall  I  have  a  reward  for  telling  ?  Oh,  master,  you 
are  too  good!" 

"You  shall  have  nine-and-thirty  lashes  an  you  tell 
it  not  soon,  rogue!"  growled  Thorne,  coming  forward  in 
bullying  attitude.  Slurk  shrank  from  his  master,  crying 
out  many  apologies,  begging  for  mercy,  protesting,  grovel 
ing.  Saint-Croix  slashed  him  across  the  shoulders  with  a 
riding- rod. 

"Now  then,  sirrah,  will  you  speak?"  he  cried,  sharply. 

Cringing,  fawning,  Slurk  cast  a  furtive  eye  about  to 
see  whether  the  man  still  slept  in  the  chair,  and  began. 

"Well,  then,"  he  whimpered,  "It's  about  one  of  your 
slaves.  I  have  seen  him  before.  I  know  him  well.  He  has 
done  crimes  against  the  King.  He  fought  with  Monmouth." 

"Fool!  That  I  know  already!"  bellowed  Thorne,  pick 
ing  up  a  heavy  pewter  pot  and  making  as  though  to  strike  him. 


SLAVES   AND    A  SLAVE  171 

"He  's  done  worse  than  that!  He  's  done  worse  than 
that!"  squealed  Shirk,  backing  away  with  hands  clasped 
over  his  head. 

"What  mean  you  worse  than  that?  Is  not  that  bad 
enough?" 

"Ay,  ay,  it  is  a  wicked  sin,  but  this  man  is  worse  than 
that;  much  worse.  I  know  him  well.  I  was  of  the  King's 
arms  and  captured  him  in  the  field.  He  was  a  conspirator. 
He  fought  against  the  King  in  England,  and  he  fought 
against  the  King  here  —  here  in  Virginia.  He*  was  fleeing 
the  King's  wrath  when  he  took  arms  with  Monmouth." 

Thorne  thrust  his  jaws  in  the  fellow's  face. 

"What  is  it  you  speak?"  he  said  fiercely.  "Tell  me, 
who  is  this  one?" 

"You  call  him  Melville.  That  is  not  his  name.  His 
name  is  Stevens,  Mallory  Stevens  - 

Slurk  got  no  further.  Thorne,  with  a  mighty  oath  of 
incredulous  joy,  grasped  him  by  the  shoulders. 

"Come!  How  know  you  this,  villain?"  he  demanded, 
in  a  shout  which  would  have  awakened  any  ordinary  sleeper. 
But  Dorset  continued  to  snore  without  stirring  a  muscle. 

"Why,  I  heard  it  from  his  own  lips,"  chattered  Slurk, 
fearing  for  his  life.  "And  I  '11  tell  you  more.  That  woman 
who  came  on  the  ship  to-day  and  went  to  the  rectory,  is  his 
daughter.  She  sheltered  him  from  the  King's  soldiers,  which 
is  a  crime.  I  heard  them  talk.  They  were  in  hiding,  and 
feared  to  be  found  out.  They  had  just  met  after  many 
years.  I  heard  them  talking,  when  I  pretended  to  be  asleep. 
I  was  a  soldier,  standing  guard,"  he  hastened  to  add,  realiz 
ing  that  he  had  involved  himself  too  closely  with  them. 

"And  his  name  is  Stevens?"  cried  Thorne,  unable  to 
believe  it. 

"I  swear  it,  good  sir;  I  swear  it  on  my  soul." 

"Swear  rather,  by  the  devil!   Enough!    Get  you  gone!" 


172  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

"Stevens?  Stevens?"  he  continued,  when  Shirk  had  de 
parted.  "  Ay,  so  it  is.  But  for  that  scar  across  his  temple,  and 
the  grey  beard  he  wears  now,  I  should  have  known  him. 
But  now  I  see  that  he  is  very  like  in  size,  and  in  the  eyes. 
God  be  praised,  but  things  come  into  mine  hands  at  last!" 

"Do  you  know  this  Stevens,  then?"  asked  Saint-Croix, 
not  knowing  what  to  make  of  the  other's  excitement. 

"Know  him?  Why,  man  of  God,  was  he  not  my  neigh 
bor?  Is  he  not  one  of  the  infamous  traitors  that  followed 
the  rebel  Bacon  in  the  late  insurrection  ?  Has  he  not  often 
come  between  me  and  my  purposes  with  his  mawkish  virtue 
and  honor?  Hath  he  not  thwarted  me  more  than  once  in 
the  Burgesses,  and  in  trades?  And  did  not  his  daughter, 
this  same  virtuous  visitor  of  yours,  spurn  me  and  bring  rid 
icule  upon  me  ?  Know  him  ?  Have  I  not  reason  enough  to 
know  him  ?  Egad !  But  now  it  is  my  turn  to  play ! ' ' 

"Soho!"  quoth  Saint-Croix,  half  closing  his  innocent- 
looking  eyes  as  he  watched  the  other  pace  excitedly  up  and 
down  the  room.  "There  fits  the  shoe,  does  it ?  Now,  then, 
there  is  much  in  hand;  and  the  better  to  prepare  for  it,  we 
should  both  be  off  to  bed  to  freshen  our  wits  a  bit.  I  '11 
rest  with  you  the  night,  fair  friend,  and  in  the  morning 
we  shall  have  more  of  this  talk." 

"Ay;  and  to-morrow  night  I  shall  be  your  visitor, 
God  willing." 

Taking  the  candles,  the  two  passed  from  the  room,  down 
the  hall,  and  up  the  broad  staircase,  leaving  Dorset  still 
snoring  by  the  side  of  the  dead  hearth,  in  the  gloom  of  the 
large  room,  faintly  lighted  by  the  declining  moon.  When 
they  had  gone,  and  the  sound  of  the  footsteps  came  no 
more  from  above,  the  slumberer  stirred,  glanced  about  him 
through  the  dull  light,  arose  softly  and  passed  out  of  the 
room  with  a  brisk  step  and  alert  manner,  surprising  in  one 
so  lately  in  a  doze  seemingly  so  drunken. 


CHAPTER  XI 
THE    FATHER'S   REVENGE 

FOR  one  who  had  lately  been  sleeping  soundly,  Dorset 
acted  with  astonishing  precision  in  what  he  now  did. 
He  went  to  a  closet  in  the  hall,  in  which  his  host  had  that 
afternoon  showed  him  his  arsenal.  Opening  a  drawer,  he 
took  out  two  braces  of  pistols,  flints,  powder-horn,  and 
bullets.  It  was  dark  work,  and  his  fingers  had  to  serve  him 
as  his  eyes.  Returning  with  the  weapons,  he  loaded  and 
primed  the  pistols 
carefully,  stand 
ing  in  the  bright 
moonlight  that 
came  through  the 
window  in  the 
dining:room.  The 
work  done,  he 

wrapped  the  fire-        THE  ORIGINAL  PLANK  CHURCH,  PHILADELPHIA 

arms,  powder,  and  balls  in  a  deerskin  which  he  had  fetched 
with  him  from  the  cupboard,  and  bound  it  about  with  a 
thong.  This  bundle  he  fastened  beneath  his  doublet. 
Having  done  which,  he  fell  asleep  in  the  chair. 

With  the  first  light  of  the  morning,  black  Tobey  came 
to  the  room  to  set  it  to  rights.  Dorset  awoke,  and  spoke 
to  him  kindly,  winning  him  with  a  display  of  sympathy. 
Presently  he  called  for  paper,  a  pen,  and  ink-horn,  and 
wrote  a  letter. 

"Sir,"  the  letter  read,  "I  conjure  you  to  believe  that 
the  one  who  writes  this  is  a  most  interested  friend,  whose 
name,  for  reasons  that  I  shall  some  day  conveniently  make 


DUELING   FOR  EMPIRE 

clear  to  you,  must  for  the  present  remain  unknown.  I  have 
come  into  the  knowledge  that  your  daughter  Beatrice,  or 
Barbara,  is  virtually  a  prisoner  in  the  house  of  the  rector, 
and  in  terrible  danger.  Your  identity  has  become  known 
to  your  master,  whom  you  must  recognize  as  a  bitter 
enemy,  through  one  Slurk,  who  has  recently  become  his 
slave.  Your  master  seeks  the  ruin  of  you  both,  which  you 
can  prevent.  I  shall  assist  you  to  do  so.  To  the  right  of 
the  path  leading  to  the  rector's  house  and  not  far  from  it, 
in  a  small  clearing,  stands  the  stump  of  a  huge  beech,  cleft 
by  lightning.  This  evening,  after  dusk,  I  shall  meet  you 
there  with  arms.  You  will  rescue  your  daughter,  and  fly. 
I  beseech  you  to  believe  that  great  danger  threatens  both 
you  and  her,  and  I  conjure  you  to  obey  these  instructions. 
If  you  do  not  appear,  I  shall  undertake  the  rescue  alone. 
"  Your  most  obedient  servant,  AMICUS." 
It  was  a  remarkable  letter  to  be  penned  by  one  who  had 
slept  through  the  interview  of  the  previous  night.  Having 
finished  it,  the  author  called  Tobey  to  him. 


ON  THE  DELAWARE,  OPPOSITE  PHILADELPHIA     (From  an  early  print) 


THE  FATHER'S  REVENGE       175 

"Tobey,"  he  said,  gently,  "would  you  like  a  new  master  ?" 

The  black  cautiously  assured  him  that  he  would. 

"Do  you  know  where  the  slave  whom  they  call  Melville 
is  kept?" 

Tobey  nodded  his  head. 

"Here  is  a  shilling  for  you.  Can  you  bear  him  this 
without  the  knowledge  of  any  one?" 

The  negro  was  willing  to  undertake  the  errand,  and 
left  with  the  letter  thrust  into  his  sleeve.  Watching  him 
until  he  disappeared  behind  a  clump  of  trees  toward  the 
negro  quarters,  Dorset  opened  the  door  and  hastened  along 
the  path  that  led  to  the  little  rectory.  He  knew  that  the 
guests  at  the  manor  would  be  little  likely  to  be  astir  at 
that  hour  after  such  a  debauch,  and  he  had  matters  of 
moment  to  arrange  with  the  daughter. 

His  knock  at  the  door  was  unanswered.  He  knocked 
twice  and  thrice  before  any  one  stirred  within.  At  last  he 
heard  the  rustling  of  garments.  Some  one  stood  at  the 
opposite  side  of  the  door. 

"Who  is  without?" 

The  sound  of  the  voice  sent  him  all  a-tremble.  His 
own  quavered  when  he  made  answer,  for  it  was  Barbara 
who  challenged. 

"If  you  will  but  do  me  the  honor  to  look  at  me,  perhaps 
you  will  know  who  it  is,"  he  said. 

"  Speak  the  name,  I  bid  thee,"  she  commanded.  "  There 
should  but  one  name  go  with  that  voice,"  she  added,  a 
ring  of  excitement  in  her  tone.  "Speak  but  that  name,  I 
charge  you,  and  I  shall  open." 

His  heart  leapt  at  that. 

" Dorset;  is  that  the  name ?"  He  bent  close  to  the  wood 
of  the  door  and  spoke  low. 

11  'T  is  he!"  cried  Barbara;  and  surely  there  was  glad 
ness  in  her  voice. 


176  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

In  an  instant  the  door  swung  open,  and  she  was  holding 
out  both  her  hands  to  welcome  him.  Never  before  had  the 
man  seen  such  beauty.  Her  face,  exquisite  of  feature, 
softened  and  glorified  by  sorrow  and  brave  suffering,  was 
alight  with  glad  surprise.  A  Persian  shawl,  rich  and  mellow, 
was  thrown  about  her,  revealing  the  regal  grace  of  her 
figure.  At  the  throat  it  was  hastily  gathered  together  by 
an  antique  fibula  of  beaten  silver.  Her  lovely  pillared 

throat  glimpsed 
out  at  him  from 
the  clustered 
folds.  Her  hair, 
still  arranged  for 
the  night,  passed 
caressingly  over 
her  white  cheeks 
into  a  broad, 

THE  SCHUYLKILL     (From  an  old  print)  ^^    ^     ^ 

hung  to  her  knees.  As  she  stood  there  in  untaught,  dis 
heveled  beauty,  the  morning  sun  threw  a  golden  halo  about 
her.  Dorset,  at  the  sight,  half  gasped  with  adoring  wonder. 

"Now,  by  all  that  is  good,  what  brings  you  to  me  here 
at  the  end  of  the  earth,  in  the  dusk  of  the  morning?"  she 
cried,  her  voice  vibrant  with  gladness. 

Almost  had  he  told  her  what  it  was  that  brought  him 
there  to  her  at  the  end  of  the  world,  at  the  dusk  of  dawn 
ing  life.  The  effort  that  the  suppression  cost  him  deprived 
him  of  other  answer. 

"Good  Captain  Dorset,  I  know  it  is  some  good  that 
brings  you;  yet  you  look  so  ominously  wise,  and  you  come 
at  such  an  hour. " 

Her  welcoming  hands  were  still  in  his.  She  made  no 
effort  to  withdraw  them. 

"I  crave  your  pardon  for  the  hour,  Mistress  Melville/' 


THE  FATHER'S  REVENGE       179 

he  faltered,  releasing  her  fingers  reluctantly.  "But  let 
my  errand  plead  my  excuse,  both  for  the  visit  itself,  and  the 
untoward  circumstances  in  which  I  come." 

"Nay,  Captain  Dorset  needs  no  excuse,  I  hope,  where 
he  may  command.  Do  I  owe  so  little  to  him  that  he  must 
be  suppliant  to  me?  Come,  will  you  enter?" 

"It  were  not  meet  that  I  should  do  so,  did  not  my 
errand  warrant  it,"  he  replied.  "But  it  is  better  that  I 
should  enter,  as  you  shall  see." 

"You  talk  in  mysteries,- Captain  Dorset,"  she  laughed, 
as  she  led  him  into  the  house.  "You  should  wear  a  long- 
peaked  cap,  bone  spectacles  should  bestride  you  nose, 
and  you  should  have  crescent  moons  and  five-fingered 
stars  and  cats'  heads  all  in  white  upon  your  flowing  robes 
of  blue.  For  surely  you  must  have  hidden  knowledge  to 
find  me  out  here !  The  marvel  of  it  is  so  far  past  compass 
that  it  baffles  my  thoughts." 

"'T  is  a  fortune  sent  to  me  from  Heaven  that  I  should 
have  been  at  the  manor  house  yonder  last  night,  and  no 
necromancy,"  answered  Dorset. 

"Then  I  am  glad  Heaven  has  answered  my  prayers 
to  shower  fortunes  on  your  head.  I  had  feared  you  would 
go  unrewarded  in  this  earth;  but  if  Heaven  joins  me  in 
my  thanks,  I  take  hope  of  it." 

"Nay;  I  did  but  what  I  could  that  time.  'T  was  little 
enough  and  poorly  done,  for  I  severed  you  from  your 
father,  and  him  from  you,  by  my  bungling,"  rejoined  Dor 
set,  taking  the  seat  to  which  she  had  motioned  him. 

"Think  you  that  it  is  as  nothing  to  me  that  you  saved 
my  father's  life,  and  more  than  my  own?  Fie  upon  you, 
Captain  Dorset,  for  your  modesty!  Though  I  live  a 
thousand  years  I  shall  not  feel  that  I  have  compassed 
gratitude  enough.  But  come,  to  the  mystery!" 

"I  shall  be  brief,"  he  began,  dropping  his  eyes  before 


i8o 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


her  gaze.     I  have  things  of  portent  to  tell  you.     Are  you 
composed?" 

"Have  you  word  for  me  of  my  father?"     She  leaned 
eagerly  toward  him,  her  white  hands  clasping  the  edge  of 

the  seat  in 
which  she  sat, 
her  marble 
arms  support 
ing  her  weight. 
He  replied 
that  he  had. 

"Tell  me 
fi  r  s  t ,  before 
you  proceed, 
is  it  good  or 
evil?" 

"It  i  s  — 
both;  but  it 
may  be  turned 
entirely  into 
good  before 
another  dawn 
lights  its  way 
hither." 

"Proceed.  I 
am  prepared." 
He  told  her  quickly  what  he  had  overheard  on  the  pre 
ceding  night.  She  listened  calmly.  Her  eyes  flashed  when 
he  spoke  of  the  infamous  plot  which  her  host,  the  man  of 
God,  had  evolved.  They  burned  with  another  light  when 
he  told  her,  with  as  little  reference  as  possible  to  himself, 
the  steps  he  had  taken  to  thwart  them,  and  instructed  her 
in  the  part  she  was  to  take  in  the  counterplot. 

"When  they  come,"   he  said,  "by  your  own  devices 


THE    SCHUYLKILL    IN    FAIRMOUNT    PARK,    PHILADELPHIA 


THE   FATHER'S   REVENGE  181 

you  must  prolong  the  time  until  we  can  hasten  to  your  suc 
cor.  And  if,  by  any  evil  chance,  your  father  fails  to 
arrive  in  season,  fear  not.  I  make  no  doubt  that  I  shall 
be  able  to  account  for  these  two,  and  him  we  can  liberate 
afterward." 

She  came  to  him  swiftly,  placing  her  hands  on  his 
shoulder  with  a  gesture  so  frankly  confident  and  grateful 
that  it  bore  no  suggestion  of  forwardness. 

"Is  there  no  other  way  than  that  you  should  risk  your 
life  for  us?"  she  asked,  fervently. 

There  was  a  time  when  in  such  a  vantage,  Daredevil 
Dick  Dorset  would  have  delivered  a  swaggering  speech 
about  risking  his  life.  But  now,  and  before  this  glorious 
woman,  he  forebore  even  modestly  to  protest  his  joy  in 
such  a  risk.  He  merely  shook  his  head  by  way  of 
reply. 

"Can  you  think  of  any?"    he  asked,  in  turn. 

"Nay,  but  I  am  only  a  woman." 

"Ay,"  he  acquiesced,  with  a  look  in  his  eyes  as  he 
turned  them  up  to  her  which  she  remembered  to  her 
last  days,  ever  with  the  blush  of  glad  pride  which  suffused 
her  cheeks  at  the  moment. 

There  was  a  palpitating  silence  for  a  moment  before 
she  was  able  to  speak. 

"And  when  we  have  freed  him  —  what  then?"  she 
asked,  retreating  to  a  shadow  behind  the  jutting  chimney. 
She  did  not  wish  him  to  see  the  glow  in  her  cheeks. 

"When  he  is  free,  you  can  make  your  escape  by  some 
shift,"  he  returned.  "It  is  a  venture;  but  the  exigency 
demands  it.  If  I  can  bring  you  horses,  I  shall.  But  there 
is  little  time  or  opportunity  to  devise.  They  must  not 
suspect  meanwhile.  But  your  father?  I  have  a  friend, 
William  Penn,  a  Quaker  and  a  good  man.  It  is  to  his  colony 
in  America,  at  Philadelphia,  your  father  shall  go." 


182  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

" You  do  not  include  yourself,  Captain  Dorset!  "  It  was 
half  a  question,  half  a  regret. 

"If  you  will  grant  me  the  privilege  of  helping  you  fur 
ther?  "  He  rose  to  his  feet,  inclining  his  head  in  suppliance. 

"But  you  have  other  business  here?"  she  suggested. 

His  eyes  sought  out  hers,  where  she  stood  in  the  shadow 
of  the  chimney.  He  saw  the  glow  that  warmed  in  their 
depths  as  he  made  answer: 

"I  have  no  other  business  here  —  or  anywhere.  May 
I  go  with  you?  " 

She  hung  her  head,  clasping  the  brooch  at  her  throat 
with  tense  fingers,  trembling,  her  soul  afloat.  She  under 
stood  what  brought  him  thither. 

"Need  you  ask  that?"  she  murmured. 

He  passed  softly  to  her  side,  raised  her  free  hand  to  his 
lips  and  kissed  it. 

"Until  then!"  he  whispered,  and  left  her  all  a-flutter. 

The  host  and  his  friends  arose  late.  Dorset,  meeting 
them  freely,  found  occasion  to  press  Thorne  to  dispose  of 
Tobey  to  him,  the  better  to  prevent  discovery  of  his  plans. 
He  succeeded  in  prevailing  upon  him  to  make  the  sale, 
paying  him  in  gold  out  of  hand.  The  day  wore  heavily. 
Tobey  surreptitiously  reported  that  he  had  delivered  the 
note,  and  that  the  man  was  inclined  to  the  undertaking. 
In  the  afternoon,  Saint-Croix,  with  many  whisperings  to 
Thorne,  went  to  his  cottage,  returning  presently  with  words 
encouraging  to  the  planter.  At  dusk,  Dorset,  under  pre 
tense  of  taking  a  stroll,  went  forth  from  the  house  with  the 
package  of  firearms  under  his  doublet,  and  two  swords, 
which  he  concealed  at  some  pains  under  his  arm  and 
beneath  the  skirts  of  his  coat. 

Without  returning  to  the  house,  Dorset  repaired  in  due 
time  to  the  rendezvous,  concealing  himself  in  some  bushes 
to  await  her  father.  The  moon,  just  past  the  first  quarter, 


DOORWAY  OF  A  COLONIAL  MANSION,  PHILADELPHIA 


THE  FATHER'S  REVENGE       185 

flooded  the  landscape  with  soft  light.  An  evening  mist 
floated  everything  in  an  obscure  outline.  Passing  as  he  had 
gradually  from  the  full  glare  of  afternoon  through  dusk 
and  into  moonlight,  Dorset's  eyes  were  accustomed  to  the 
dimness.  He  had  no  fear  of  missing  the  fugitive.  He  could 
see  clearly  the  entire  space  in  which  the  tree  stood.  All 
about  him  lay  a  dense  wood  that  ran  down  to  the  James 
River,  at  a  little  distance.  The  tobacco-fields  were  farther 
from  the  shore,  at  the  opposite  side  of  the  manor.  The 
close  trees  cast  an  impenetrable  shade  over  the  path  to  the 
rectory,  save  in  one  stretch,  where  it  emerged  for  a  short 
distance  into  the  clearing. 

Concealed  in  the  bushes  awaiting  the  arrival  of  Stevens, 
he  saw  Thorne  and  Saint-Croix  pass  down  the  path  toward 
the  rectory,  talking  earnestly,  scheming  out  the  best  course 
for  them  to  pursue.  His  heart  beat  with  apprehension  and 
impatience.  Time  pressed  now.  If  she  were  to  be  saved, 
they  must  be  about  it  at  once.  A  few  minutes,  and  it  might 
be  too  late.  A  score  of  fears  came  into  his  mind.  Stevens 
might  have  thought  the  letter  a  lure  to  bring  him  to  his 
death.  He  might  have  been  unable  to  escape;  or,  escap 
ing,  he  might  have  been  overtaken  and  killed.  Perhaps 
Tobey  had  betrayed  him,  and  had  not  delivered  the 
letter  at  all. 

He  had  given  up  all  hope,  and  was  about  to  set  out  on 
the  venture  alone,  when  he  heard  some  one  running  hur 
riedly  along  the  path.  He  waited.  His  breath  stopped. 
In  a  moment  the  figure  of  a  man  appeared.  Glancing  about 
him  cautiously,  the  man  ran  to  the  beech  tree.  In  the  light 
of  the  moon,  Dorset  saw  that  it  was  Stevens,  worn  and  hag 
gard  with  hard  work,  poor  food,  and  a  miserable  existence. 

Arising  from  his  concealment,  Dorset  approached  him. 
Stevens  searched  him  with  a  look.  As  he  looked,  his  pale 
face  turned  red,  and  then  whiter  than  before.  The  light 


i86 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


of  a  malignant  hatred  burned  in  his  eyes.  His  lips  parted 
and  came  together  again,  as  though  in  speech,  but  he  made 
no  sound.  His  fists  clenched  and  unclenched.  His  form 
quivered  with  intense  emotion.  Too  deeply  wrought  upon 
by  that  which  they  had  in  hand  to  interpret  the  demeanor 
of  the  man  aright,  Dorset  came  near  him,  handing  him  a 

brace  of  loaded 
pistols  and  a 
sword. 

"Come!"  he 
cried,  under  his 
breath,  without  a 
word  of  preface, 
for  the  moment 
was  too  weighty 
for  light  words, 
"come,  we  must 
hasten.  They  are 
already  there." 

Wetting  his 
parched  lips  with 
his  tongue,  Stev 
ens  found  words 
at  last. 

FRIENDS'  ALMSHOUSE,  PHILADELPHIA  "Dog!"         he 

snarled.     "Infamous  wretch!     Vile  hellhound!" 

Dorset  recoiled  in  amazement. 

"I  have  prayed  God  that  the  day  would  come  when  I 
should  meet  you,"  continued  Stevens,  hoarse  with  passion. 
"Thanks  be  to  Him,  it  has  arrived;  and  it  shall  be  your 
last!" 

"Sir,  I  know  not  what  you  mean,"  returned  Dorset, 
thinking  only  of  the  peril  in  which  Barbara  stood,  "but 
if  you  have  a  quarrel  with  me,  in  the  name  of  God  and  for 


THE  FATHER'S  REVENGE       187 

your  daughter's  sake,  defer  it  until  we  have  finished  this 
business.  I  tell  you,  time  presses  her." 

" Conjure  not  me  by  my  daughter's  name!"  shrieked  the 
frantic  man.  "You  have  already  taken  more  than  her  life 
from  her.  Now  she  may  die  a  thousand  deaths,  but  I 
shall  be  avenged  on  you  first!" 

"In  God's  name,  speak  softly,  man,  else  all  is  lost," 
pleaded  the  other.  "I  know  not  what  you  mean.  There 
is  blundering  somewhere.  She  came  to  no  harm  by  me, 
I  swear  it!  Come,  let  us  finish  what  we  have  undertaken, 
and  then,  if  she  tell  you  not  the  same,  do  with  me  as  you 
list.  But  come!  This  is  no  time  for  words!" 

"Nay,  but  it  is  a  time  for  deeds.  Take  you  this  pistol, 
and  defend  your  life!" 

He  handed  Dorset  one  of  the  loaded  weapons. 

"I  implore  you,  as  you  love  your  child,  let  this  matter 
come  afterward.  First  let  us  rescue  her!" 

It  was  not  cowardice  that  spoke  in  Dorset.  He  thought 
only  to  succor  her  in  her  time  of  need. 

"As  I  love  her,  this  matter  shall  come  first.  What, 
must  I  shoot  you  like  a  cowardly  dog  ?  Will  you  not  defend 
yourself?" 

Dorset,  knowing  mankind,  knew  that  nothing  could 
dissuade  him  from  his  fury.  For  her  sake,  he  must  humor 
him  to  any  length,  bode  what  it  might  to  him. 

"If  it  must  come  to  this,  then,  let  us  use  these  weapons," 
he  said,  calmly  drawing  his  sword.  "If  you  shoot,  you  will 
be  heard,  and  all  will  be  in  vain." 

"Do  you  fear  the  ball?"  sneered  Stevens.  "Think 
you  to  fare  better  with  steel?  Let  it  be  the  sword,  then!" 

With  that  he  picked  up  the  arm  that  Dorset  had  handed 
toward  him,  but  which  he  had  let  fall  to  the  ground.  Be 
neath  the  light  of  the  moon,  they  engaged.  Once  before, 
in  a  poor  house  in  Bridgewater,  had  they  crossed  points. 


1 88 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


That  time  Dorset  had  cast  his  weapon  from  his  enemy  and 
brought  him  to  his  knees.  There  were  now  a  few  quick 
strokes  and  passes,  the  man  fighting  with  a  fury  that  made 
him  all  potent.  For  a  moment  Dorset,  whose  skill  was  ex 
cellent,  parried  the  blows  instinctively.  But  time  pressed. 
The  father  had  other  work  on  hand.  Steeling  himself  to  the 
blow,  he  deliberately  left  an  opening  in  his  guard.  The 
other's  sword  flashed  past  his  wrist.  A  quick,  sharp  pain. 
The  night  went  black.  He  fell  to  the  ground  with  a  sigh. 

The  victor,  with  a  curse,  struck  him  with  his  feet,  and 
hurried  on  to  the  house  of  the  rector.  Approaching  it,  he 
heard  the  voice  of  Thorne,  loudly  raised.  Coming  nearer, 
he  heard  a  woman  speak,  low  and  earnestly  —  it  was  Bar 
bara's  voice.  As  he  reached  the  door,  he  heard  her  ring 
forth  defiance,  and  cease.  With  all  his  strength,  he  threw 
himself  against  the  door. 

Fancying  themselves  secure  from  any  intrusion,  the  men 
had  left  it  unbolted,  and  it  flew  open  beneath  his  weight. 

In  an  instant,  he  was  in  the  center  of  the  room  at 
her  side,  sword  drawn,  a  pistol  in  his  hand.  Barbara  gazed 
at  him,  dazed,  with  parted  lips.  For  the  space  of  a  breath, 


PENN  MEETING-HOUSE 
(From  a  rare  print} 


THE  FATHER'S  REVENGE       189 

the  two  men  looked  at  him,  stupid  with  surprise.  It  was 
only  for  a  breath.  Cursing,  Thorne  drew  his  hanger  and 
fell  upon  him.  Saint-Croix  rushed  to  the  door,  shouting 
for  help. 

The  battle  was  brief.  Weak  and  worn  though  he  was 
by  the  privations  of  his  life,  the  presence  of  his  daughter 
and  the  sense  of  elation  he  felt  in  the  overthrow  of  Dorset 
nerved  him  to  stupendous  strength  and  skill.  He  beat  down 
the  weapon  of  Thorne,  borne  in  unsteady  hand,  and  forced 
him  back  to  the  wall,  begging  for  life.  He  drove  the  rector 
from  the  door  out  into  the  night,  firing  his  pistol  after  him 
in  fury. 

Turning  to  Barbara,  he  grasped  her  trembling  hand 
and  led  her  forth. 


CHAPTER   XII 


THE   ESCAPE 

A  SMALL  ketch  lay  close  to  the  wooded  shore  of  the 
James  River,  a  mile  above  the  landing  on  the  planta 
tion  of  Lucius  Thorne.  It  had  come  thither  the  day  before 
with  rum  from  Barbadoes,  and  a  slave  or  two  for  dunnage. 
It  would  go  thence  as  soon  as  the  master  and  crew  should 
return  with  the  last  of  the  tobacco  which  they  had  been 
stowing  tha't  day.  The  brig  did  not  tarry  long  in  any  one 
place,  for  reasons  that  were  clearly  apparent  to  the  master 
and  the  King's  officers  engaged  in  the  enforcement  of  the 

navigation  acts. 
The  watch  on 
deck  looked  im 
patiently  along 
the  path  that  ran 
from  the  planta- 
tion  to  other 
plantations  far 
ther  up  the  river. 
The  wind  wras 
even  now  falling, 
sighing  softly  as 
it  passed,  and  would  be  gone  too  soon,  inescapably. 

A  group  of  men,  led  by  a  youth,  came  along  the  path, 
bearing  between  them  hogsheads  of  tobacco,  slung  on  stout 
poles.  The  weight  was  great.  They  stopped  to  rest.  All 
was  silence  among  them.  They  took  up  their  poles  again 
at  a  sign  from  the  leader,  and  once  more  strained  forward 

under  their  burdens. 

190 


THE  QUAKERS'  FIRST  MEETING-HOUSE  IN 
PHILADELPHIA    (From  an  old  engraving) 


THE    ESCAPE  191 

Hark !  What  was  that  that  came  through  the  night  air  ? 
The  sound  of  a  pistol  shot !  The  cries  of  men !  The  baying 
of  dogs!  They  laid  down  their  casks  again  and  waited. 

The  sounds  approached.  The  mariners  could  hear 
footsteps  on  the  path.  They  slunk  into  the  bushes  at  the 
side  of  the  path,  rolling  their  casks  out  of  sight.  Whatever 
it  might  be,  it  would  be  discreet  to  see  first  without  being 
seen. 

Two  figures,  hurrying  toward  them,  a  man  and  a  woman ! 
The  man  was  looking  behind  him  at  every  other  step;  the 
woman,  tall,  erect,  composed,  pressing  her  gaze  into  the 
darkness  before  her.  Behind  them,  at  a  distance,  a  great 
hallooing,  struck  across  with  the  baying  of  hounds.  Barbara 
and  her  father  were  fleeing,  pursued  by  the  whole  establish 
ment  of  Thorne.  Saint-Croix'  cries  had  brought  fruit. 

At  sight  of  the  two,  the  youthful  leader  of  the  sailors 
sprang  to  his  feet  and  ran  down  the  path  toward  them. 
The  woman,  perceiving  him,  stopped  and  whispered  to  the 
other. 

"  Who  goes  there  ?"demanded  the  man,  leveling  his  pistol. 
" Speak,  or  I  fire!" 

"'T  is  a  friend,"  made  answer  the  master  of  the  vessel, 
for  such  he  was. 

"What  warrant  have  I  of  that?"  the  man  returned. 
" Stand  aside,  on  your  life!" 

"The  woman  here  knows  me,"  returned  the  young  man, 
spreading  out  his  arms  to  show  that  he  meant  no  injury. 
U'T  was  only  yesterday  that  I  brought  her  here  aboard  my 
vessel." 

"'Tis  he,  indeed,  father, "  Barbara  whispered,  scanning 
the  features  of  the  one  who  stood  beneath  the  moonlight  in 
their  path.  "Is  your  vessel  about ? " 

"Ay,  that  it  is,  waiting  for  a  cargo.  Do  they  pursue 
you?" 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


"Yes." 

"Come  then!    Follow  me!     Hurry!" 
"'Tis  well,  father.     I  know  the  fellow!" 
•"Ay,  't  is  our  only  chance;   yet  I  like  it  not,  going  with 
these  strange  men  to  sea,"  whispered  her  father.     "Who 
knows  that  they  will  not  betray  us  for  ransom?" 

The  daughter  made  no  answer,  but  pressed  after  the 
sailor,  her  father  following  from  necessity.  The  hounds  were 
already  close  upon  them.  They  could  hear  their  panting  as 
they  ran  down  the  scent.  Leaving  the  casks  where  they 
were,  the  crew  closed  in  at  the  rear,  drawing  dirks  and  pistols 
to  make  good  the  retreat,  should  the  dogs  come  too  swiftly 
for  them. 

It  was  but  a  short  distance  to  the  water's  edge ;   but  ere 


they  reached  the  small 
stump,  the  dogs  were  upon 
ers  had  turned  from  the 
Fighting  off  the  more  dar 
and  cudgels,  the  sai- 
boat  after 
tives,  and 
The 


i 


boat  that  was  moored  to  a 
them,  and  a  rout  of  pursu- 
path  on  towards  the  river, 
ing  animals  with  knives 
lors  leapt  into  the 
the  fugi- 
put  off. 
watch  on 


THE   ESCAPE  193 

deck,  used  to  emergencies  of  similar  nature,  was  busily  en 
gaged  in  weighing  anchor  as  the  small  boat,  propelled  by 
four  pairs  of  oars,  shot  out  into  the  stream,  pushing  up  a 
rippling  eddy  with  its  fore  foot.  They  were  scarce  in  mid 
stream,  when  the  bank  they  had  left  was  lined  with 
shouting  men,  among  them  Thorne  and  Saint-Croix.  Some 
had  pistols  which  they  discharged;  but  the  bullets  only 
spurted  into  the  water  alongside. 

Barbara,  sitting  in  the  prow  with  head  uncovered,  was 
as  calm  as  though  she  rode  in  her  carriage. 

"I  make  but  a  short  stay,  good  master  skipper,"  she 
said,  smiling  upon  the  lad  who  commanded. 

"Ay,  that  you  do;  but  certes  you  have  done  much," 
replied  the  sailor,  whose  tone  and  manner  showed  that  he 
held  her  in  high  esteem. 

"In  truth,"  the  girl  returned,  "I  bear  away  with  me  all 
that  is  most  dear  to  my  heart." 

Her  father,  wondering  at  her  composure,  lost  all  anxiety 
on  her  account.  Reaching  the  ketch  at  last,  they  scrambled 
aboard.  It  was  short  work  to  make  sail  on  the  craft  and  get 
under  way.  The  last  currents  of  the  ebb-tide  swept  them 
slowly  down  stream.  The  gentle  breeze,  rilling  the  sails 
with  fitful  puffs,  stirred  her  along  so  that  the  water  whis 
pered  and  gurgled  underneath  her.  The  crowd  of  men  on 
the  shore  left  off  cursing  and  shouting  and  disappeared  in 
the  darkness. 

Still  the  ship  was  not  safe.  The  landing  of  the  plantation 
lay  between  them  and  the  sea.  The  breeze  was  dying.  The 
tide  would  be  at  slackwater  in  half  an  hour.  The  young 
skipper  cast  his  eyes  into  the  sky,  looking  for  wind,  and  at  the 
sails  which  sagged  too  often.  The  one  who  had  been  left  on 
watch  came  aft  to  consult  with  him.  He  was  younger  than 
the  master.  There  was  a  resemblance  between  the  two 
that  told  that  they  were  brothers. 


194  DUELING  FOR   EMPIRE 

"I  tell  'ee,  Hubert,  it  is  bad  business,"  he  said  softly, 
but  not  too  softly  for  Barbara  to  hear.  "The  wind  is  fair 
gone,  and  the  water  lags.  We  shall  have  troubles  enough  yet. 
They  will  put  out  to  us  from  the  landing,  mark  my  word; 
and  we  have  lost  three  good  casks  of  tobacco  for  this." 

"Tush,  Ben/'  replied  the  elder.  "Ever  at  thy  croaking! 
What  if  they  do  put  out  ?  Are  we  not  seven  men,  and 
another  as  good  as  two  men  ?  And  there  is  wind  a-plenty 
overhead,  which  will  be  down  here  soon  enough.  Can  you 
not  see  how  the  stars  twinkle  ?  That  is  ever  a  sign  of  wind." 

"Ay,  if  it  comes  down.     Shall  I  load  the  swivel?" 

There  was  a  small  cannon  mounted  aft  which  sometimes 
stood  them  in  good  stead.  Hubert  bade  him  do  as  he  liked, 
and  the  younger  proceeded  to  charge  the  arm  heavily  with 
small  shot.  Barbara,  hearing  the  conversation  and  seeing 
the  warlike  preparations,  made  no  sign.  She  sat  with  her 
father  under  the  rail,  rejoicing  to  be  with  him  again,  ex 
cluding  danger  from  her  thoughts  and  his. 

The  vessel  on  which  they  were  making  their  attempt  to 
escape  was  the  ketch  Matilda,  the  same  that  Richard 
Stevens  of  Boston  had  fitted  out  for  his  young  cousins.  The 
skipper  was  Hubert,  and  the  lugubrious  mate  was  Benjamin. 
It  was  this  staunch  little  craft  that  had  brought  Barbara  and 
the  slave  Slurk  frcm  Barbadoes  on  the  preceding  day. 
Barbara,  going  thither  in  search  of  her  father,  had  learned 
that  he  was  of  those  forwarded  to  Virginia.  She  had  pre 
vailed  upon  Hubert  to  take  her  thither.  Her  fortitude  and 
patience  had  won  the  young  man's  Heart.  Now  he  stood 
ready  to  do  and  dare  much  for  her,  with  no  more  reward 
than  that  he  did  it  for  her. 

The  tide  and  the  feeble  breeze  bore  them  as  far  as  the 
landing-place  of  the  plantation.  They  were  half  a  mile  off 
shore,  having  steered  into  the  stream,  which  was  wide  at 
that  point.  They  could  hear  a  scurry  of  men  on  land,  and 


THE   ESCAPE 


knew  that  the  pursuers  would  put  off  in  small  boats  to  inter 
cept  them.  Hubert,  leaping  from  the  tiller,  shouted  out 
hasty  orders.  The  small  boat  was  put  over  again.  All 
hands  hurried  into  her.  A  rope  was  made  fast  to  the  stan 
chion  and  carried  into  the  rowboat.  Four  pairs  of  oars 
bent  to  the  task,  and  the  brig  Matilda  forged  slowly  ahead. 
Hubert  knew  that  the  task  would  at  least  be  bracing  to  his 
men's  nerves,  if  there  were  no  other  gain. 

The  plash  of  oars  in  the  shadow  beneath  the  wooded 
bank  grew  louder. 
Two  skiffs 
emerged  from  the 
blackness,  hold 
ing  their  swift 
way  toward  the 
brig.  Hubert 
called  his  sailors 
aboard  hastily, 
and  armed  them  , 

with     staves    ami  •          I     OHHICJ 

belaying-pins. 

"Do  not  kill 
unless  it  is  need 
ful,"  he  com 
manded. 

"Come,    you 
had  better  go  be 
low,"  he   added, 
turning  to  Barbara,  who  sat  calmly  beneath  the  rail  with 
her  father. 

"Nay,"  she  said;    "I  shall  stay  here,  that  I  may  the 
better  see  how  the  matter  prospers." 

She  could  not  be  persuaded  to  alter  her  determination, 
but  stood  on  the  little  deck,  to  the  delighting  admiration  of 


INTERIOR  OF  CARPENTERS'  HALL 


196  DUELING  FOR   EMPIRE 

the  rough  sailors.  Hubert,  gazing  upon  her,  nerved  himself 
to  die  in  her  defense,  if  need  be.  Tall,  stately,  graceful, 
with  her  black,  uncovered  hair  hanging  softly  over  her 
cheeks,  her  eyes  glowing  with  an  excitement  which  other 
wise  she  entirely  suppressed,  her  hands  resting  on  the  rail, 
calm,  brave,  serene,  she  seemed  like  some  goddess  who  pre 
sided  over  the  destinies  of  the  men  on  board. 

The  two  small  craft  approached  rapidly.  Benjamin, 
torch  in  hand,  stood  beside  the  swivel-gun,  ready  to  fire  at 
command.  The  others,  disposed  about  the  rail  and  in  the 
waist,  awaited  the  enemy. 

The  ketch,  losing  steerage  way,  swung  off  and  headed  up 
toward  the  on-coming  boats.  Benjamin,  with  an  oath,  laid 
the  torch  down  on  the  gun-carriage  and  joined  his  brother, 
who  had  hastened  forward  to  meet  the  pursuers.  The  swivel 
would  no  longer  bear  without  raking  their  own  decks. 

A  shot  rang  out  from  the  foremost  of  the  two  craft,  and 
a  ball  thunked  against  the  planking  of  the  bows. 

"Another  shot,  there,  and  we  '11  blow  you  out  of  water," 
shouted  Hubert. 

"Give  up  the  fugitives,  black  pirate  of  hell!"  came  back 
the  voice  of  Thorne.  "  In  the  name  of  the  King,  surrender !  " 

"In  the  name  of  God,  put  about,  and  spare  me  from  send 
ing  your  souls  to  hell  to-night!"  shouted  Hubert,  in  reply. 

A  sputter  of  fire  came  from  the  prow  of  the  boat  con 
taining  Thorne.  Balls  pattered  against  the  sail,  clacked 
against  the  planks,  poppled  in  the  water  alongside.  One 
of  them  cut  the  forepeak  halyard,  and  the  gaff  swung  down 
against  the  sail.  Another  slashed  across  Benjamin's  cheek, 
laying  it  open  the  length  of  his  finger.  The  ketch  made  no 
response. 

Mallory  Stevens  ran  forward  to  lend  his  aid.  Barbara 
followed. 

"It  is  asking  too  much  of  these  men  to  let  them  all  stand 


THE   ESCAPE  199 

here  to   be   killed   like   this,"  she  said  to  Hubert.     "  Per 
haps—" 

"  Perhaps  you  had  better  let  me  be  master  of  this  vessel, 
and  go  below,  Mistress  Melville, "  returned  Hubert,  severely 
asserting  his  authority.  "'T  is  no  place  for  a  woman." 

Another  volley  from  the  second  craft  whistled  past  them. 

"Take  your  daughter  below,  Master  Melville!"  said 
Hubert,  sternly,  turning  to  the  father.  "We  can  attend  to 
this." 

For  his  daughter's  sake  the  man  did  as  he  was  bid. 

Sluggish,  inert,  like  a  thing  dead,  the  Matilda  squatted 
in  the  water,  awaiting  the  approach  of  the  two  hostile  craft. 
They  were  not  threescore  fathoms  distant  now. 

"Will  you  meet  them  unarmed,  brother?"  asked  Ben 
jamin,  anxiously.  The  crew  had  no  firearms  or  cutlasses 
about  them. 

"Nay,  if  it  come  to  that,  and  we  must  kill,  we  shall  arm 
soon  enough.  But  for  my  part,  I  had  rather  we  shed  no 
blood.  .  There  is  already  danger  enough  in  coming  to 
these  ports." 

"For  my  part,  I  should  give  these  people  up,"  grumbled 
Benjamin.  "How  are  we  to  know  that  it  is  not  a  just 
cause  the  pursuers  have  against  them?  How  do  we  know 
that  this  man  may  not  have  done  murder?" 

"Whipped  cur!"  snapped  the  elder  brother.  "Would 
you  abandon  them  then  to  their  fate,  knowing  Thorne 
as  we  know  him?  And  I  tell  'ee,  if  the  man  has  done 
murder  there,  he  has  done  well." 

Abroad  over  the  water  no  breath  was  stirring.  The 
current  of  the  tide  ran  no  longer,  or,  running,  bore  the  pur 
suers  equally  with  the  pursued.  The  distance  between  the 
two  narrowed  at  every  stroke  of  the  oars.  Thirty,  twenty, 
fifteen,  ten  fathoms  separated  the  foremost  skiff  and  the 
ketch.  Hubert,  watching  closely,  could  see  the  face  of 


200  DUELING  FOR   EMPIRE 

Thorne,  distorted  by  anger,  in  the  bow,  Saint-Croix  peer 
ing  over  his  shoulder. 

" Fetch  weapons,"  Hubert  whispered  to  Benjamin. 

A  rustling  of  the  sails,  a  rattling  of  the  tackle,  a  ruffling 
over  the  water.  A  block  raised  and  thumped  against  the 
deck.  The  main-boom  squeaked  in  its  throat  and  swung 
slowly  outboard. 

"Thank  God,  the  wind,"  cried  Hubert,  under  his  breath. 
It  was  the  belated  breeze  from  the  sea  finding  its  way  at 
last  up  the  river. 

There  was  a  gentle  pressure  on  his  sleeve.  He  turned, 
to  look  into  the  face  of  Barbara. 

"What,  more  mutiny?"  he  demanded,  pretending 
fierceness. 

She  smiled. 

"Nay;  but  I  have  hit  upon  a  plan  which  will  save  us 
all  much,  haply,  and  prevent  your  shedding  blood.  Listen! 
There  are  two  below  who  belong  in  these  parts,  they  say, 
having  come  aboard  to  help  you  in  lading.  They  wish  to  be 
ashore  in  their  skiff,  which  lies  aside.  I  have  spoken  with 
them,  and  they  are  willing.  One  of  them  will  dress  in  my 
outer  garments.  The  other  will  take  something  distinctive 
from  my  father's  dress,  and  put  away  in  the  skiff  to  the  other 
shore.  Perchance  they  will  follow  the  decoy.  Is  it  worthy 
of  trial?" 

"Tis  too  late,"  exclaimed  Hubert.  "Look!  Even 
now  they  are  upon  us.  There  is  no  time  to  prepare  for 
it."  The  two  boats  were  close  indeed. 

"Nay,  'tis  not  too  late;  for  even  now  they  are  in 
masquerade." 

He  looked  again  at  her,  and  saw  by  the  fading  moon 
that  she  was  wrapped  in  coverings  from  one  of  the 
bunks. 

"  'Fore  God,  thou  art  a  woman!"    exclaimed  Hubert, 


THE   ESCAPE  201 

his  sailor's  enthusiasm  expressing  itself  in  sailor-like  oaths. 
" Hasten  then.     Hide  yourself!" 

She  disappeared  into  the  cabin.  In  another  instant 
two  figures,  one  in  woman's  clothing,  stole  from  the  com- 
panionway,  crept  across  the  deck,  lowered  themselves  into 
the  skiff  that  lay  alongside,  cast  off,  and  pulled  for  the 


INTERIOR  OF  PENN'S  MEETING-HOUSE 

opposite  shore,  keeping  the  vessel  between  themselves 
and  its  assailants. 

The  two  rowboats,  loaded  with  excited  men,  drew  within 
four  fathoms,  and  rested.  Thorne  uprose  in  the  bow  of 
the  first,  quivering  with  wrath. 

"Give  over,  black  pirate!  foul  cutthroat!  craven  cur!" 
he  roared,  shaking  his  fist.  "Deliver  me  those  fugitives, 
or  by  the  red  devil,  your  master,  I  will  flay  you  alive! 
I  will  have  you  hanged,  drawn,  and  quartered  and  scat 
tered  afield  for  the  crows  and  worms  to  feed  on!" 

"What   row    is   this   you  stir  up,  fat  winebibber?"  re- 


202  DUELING  FOR   EMPIRE 


FROM   COPLEY  PRINTS  COPYRIGHT,  1906,    BY  CURTIS  A  CAMERON,    BOSTON 

PENN'S  VISION 

turned  Hubert,  restrained  from  true  nautical  eloquence 
by  the  presence  aboard  of  Barbara.  "Why  do  you  get 
yourself  all  a-sweat  to  make  us  this  uncivil  visit?" 

"Why?  You  know  why  well  enough!  Where  is  that 
rascally  slave  of  mine  that  lately  came  aboard,  and  that 
vile  adventuress  who  was  with  him?" 

"If  she  were  what  you  term  her,  she  would  never  have 
run  from  you,  Thorne,"  retorted  the  sailor.  "But  since 
you  wish  to  know  where  they  are,  I  will  tell  you."  He 
turned  and  glanced  across  the  wide-sweeping  river.  "At 
the  present  time,  as  nearly  as  I  can  see  through  the  thick 
ness  of  the  night,  they  are  some  twoscore  fathom  out  in 
the  stream,  sir;  and  if  you  make  haste  you  will  catch  them 
before  they  make  a  landing." 

"By  God,  he's  right,"  cried  the  one  who  was  in  the 
bow  of  the  second  boat.  "I  saw  them  leave  the  brig  a 
moment  since,  but  doubted  it  was  they.  But  now  I  know 
that  it  was  a  frock  one  of  them  had  on.  Make  haste,  sir." 

"Infamous  knave!"  bellowed  Thorne,  beside  himself 
with  chagrin.  "Why  did  you  permit  them  to  escape  me 
thus?" 

"When  I  learned  that  they  fled,  I  turned  them  adrift 


THE   ESCAPE  203 

without  prejudice  as  I  had  found  them.  They  are  no  far 
ther  from  you  than  they  were  in  the  beginning.  Go  thy 
way,  sot,  and  let  a  hard-working  sailor  have  a  bit  of 
sleep." 

"You  will  pay  for  this  on  your  next  visit  here,"  stormed 
Thorne,  with  a  torrent  of  foul  words,  as  his  crew  took  to 
their  oars  again  and  passed  astern  in  chase  of  the  fleeting 
skiff. 

A  ripple  came  over  the  river.  The  sails  flapped,  and 
filled,  spilling  and  filling  again.  The  water  plashed  and 
gurgled  against  the  bows.  She  was  gathering  way!  Hu 
bert  tried  the  helm.  The  brig  answered  it.  Never  was 
breeze  so  grateful  to  mariner!  A  sailor  forward  began  to 
sing  a  chantey.  A  second  made  a  low  joke  with  his  fellow. 
Others,  busily  coiling  ropes  and  setting  things  shipshape, 
joined  in  the  chorus  of  the  chantey,  and  started  another. 

The  brig  gathered  head.  The  bow  waves,  gently 
curling,  broke  in  whispering  whitecaps,  plashing  sweetly 
in  the  dim  night.  All  the  river  was  dimpled  and  smiling. 
The  wake  coiled  and  bubbled  under  their  stern.  They 
were  under  way! 

Afar  across  the  river  came  cries  of  baffled  rage.  Thorne 
had  overtaken  the  fugitives,  a  mile  astern.  Hubert  sent  a 
taunt  back  to  him  over  the  water,  and  laughed  merrily 
as  the  vessel  rustled  through  the  water  before  the  quick 
ening  breeze. 


CHAPTER  XIII 


BROTHERLY   LOVE 

BARBARA,  unable  to  understand  why  Dorset  had  not 
come,  dreading  to  learn,  was  torn  by  anxiety.  She 
fought  against  her  fears,  arguing  that  he  had  been  unable 
to  be  there  without  arousing  suspicion;  that  something 
beyond  forestalling  had  interfered  with  his  plans;  that 
he  had  missed  them  on  shore,  seeking  to  stay  pursuit; 
that,  at  the  worst,  he  would  find  them  again  through  plans 
preconcerted  with  her  father. 

She  sat  apart  with  him  silently  in  the  waist  of  the  ship, 
wrapped  in  a  shawl      * y^»^  ^       which    Hubert    had 


found  for  her. 
too     wrought 
and  she  bore 
in  his  wake- 
looked  up- 
s  trange 
as  they  sat. 
was     con- 
his   bearing 
her.     He  was 


Her  father  was 
up    to    sleep, 
him  company 
fulness.     He 
on  her  in  a 
manner 
There 
straint  in 
toward 
ill  at  ease, 
distressed. 


embarrassed,  THE  TREATY  ELM 

There  was  an  inexplicable,  subtle  strangeness  between  them. 
She  was  at  a  loss  to  account  for  it.  She  stroked  his  brow  to 
soothe  and  rest  him,  as  she  had  done  when  she  was  a  child, 
running  her  fingers  gently  through  his  hair.  He  sought  to 
avoid  her  caresses.  She  was  unhappy,  perturbed,  anxious, 
oppressed  by  a  nameless  foreboding. 

"You  have  not  yet  told  me  how  it  came  about  that  you 

204 


BROTHERLY   LOVE  205 

knew  I  was  in  the  house  of  the  rector,  and  came  to  save 
me  at  such  a  critical  moment,  father,"  she  faltered,  hoping 
that  it  would  lead  to  news  of  the  other.  Pride  withheld 
her  from  more  direct  inquiry. 

He  was  silent,  moving  imperceptibly  away  from  her. 

"Is  there  some  strange  reason  why  you  do  not  wish  to 
tell  me?"  she  went  on.  By  bitter  effort,  her  words  were 
playful.  Her  heart  sank  before  the  look  he  gave  her.  She 
shuddered. 

"I  did  not  think  you  would  care  to  know  how  I  came 
there,"  he  stammered. 

She  noted  his  confusion.  It  associated  itself  in  her 
mind  with  the  strangeness  that  had  come  between  them. 
She  was  mystified.  Yet  it  was  with  a  light  air  that  she 
retorted  to  him. 

"Was  there  ever  yet  woman  who  did  not  wish  to  know 
all  the  hows  and  the  whys  and  the  whens  and  the  whos?" 
she  asked. 

Again  he  looked  quickly  at  her  to  read  her  meaning 
in  her  face,  and  again  she,  having  no  meaning,  knew  that 
she  had  come  close  to  the  hidden  thing. 

"Did  some  little  sprite  tell  you,  father,  or  was  it  an 
angel?" 

There  was  long  silence,  broken  only  by  the  plash  of 
the  waves,  the  creak  of  the  rigging,  the  swing  of  the  booms. 

"A  devil  told  me!"   muttered  the  man,  at  last. 

"Indeed,  father,  since  when  has  the  devil  been  your 
good  friend?"  she  cried  roguishly.  She  liked  not  his 
seriousness. 

"Make  no  mock  of  it,  girl!"  exclaimed  the  man,  stirring 
from  her  side.  "Can  you  make  light  of  it  thus?" 

"An  you  will  but  throw  some  light  upon  it,  father,  I 
shall  tell  you  better  what  light  I  view  it  in,  whatever  it 
may  be."  She  avoided  his  intense  earnestness.  But  to 


2O6 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


no  avail.  The  man  confronted  her,  where  she  sat  on  the 
bench.  He  placed  his  hands  on  the  gunwale  behind  her 
to  steady  himself  against  the  rolling  of  the  vessel,  one  arm 
on  each  side  of  her,  so  that  his  eyes  were  close  to  hers  when 
he  spoke. 

"It  was  Dorset  told  me,"  he  said,  in  a  hoarse  whis 
per. 

"  Dorset  ?  Dorset  ?' '  exclaimed  the  girl,  quickly.  "  Mean 
you  Captain  Dorset  of  the  King's  army?" 

"Ay,  the  same.  The  one  who  made  me  prisoner,  and 
who  made  me  free!"  He  uttered  the  last  words  slowly, 
one  by  one,  with  a  terrible  meaning,  searching  out  the 
soul  of  his  daughter  with  his  eyes. 

"Where  was  he?  Where  is  he  now?  Was  he  of  those 
who  pursued  us?  Tell  me,  how  came  it  all  about?"  She 


COPYRIGHT.    1905-1 


IOLET    OAKLE 


Iltf.    INK)   A  GOOD  LAND      0!     KOVMAINS    \\I)  miPTIJ! 

\AU.IYS    VM)  HILLS    \  LAND  \SllOSi;  STONKS    MUMH 

ill.l.S   TMOV  MAYFX1    Piti   KUANX" 


FROM  COPLEY   PRINTS,   COPYRIGHT,    1906,    BY  CURTIS  &  CAMERON,    BOSTON 

PENN'S  VOYAGE  UP  THE  DELAWARE 


BROTHERLY   LOVE  207 

questioned  him  with  eager  haste,  meeting  his  gaze  with 
frank  innocence. 

"He  will  not  follow  farther,"  muttered  her  father.  "I 
slew  him  ere  I  came  to  you." 

"You  slew  him,  father?"  She  spoke  in  a  dead,  tense 
monotone,  without  inflection,  without  visible  emotion.  "  Why 
did  you  slay  him?" 

"Ask  yourself  why  I  killed  him?"  shrieked  the  man, 
overwrought. 

"Yea,  why?" 

The  conscious  innocence  of  his  daughter  bred  a  sudden 
doubt  in  his  mind.  Perhaps  Dorset  had  spoken  the  truth 
when  he  had  disclaimed  the  vile  guilt.  He  leaned  close  to 
her  again,  and  whispered  his  fears;  the  tale  that  had  been 
told  him  when  they  absolved  him  from  the  gallows  in  Bridge- 
water,  the  brutal  gibe  of  Jeffries,  the  meeting  that  night, 
the  challenge,  the  fight,  and  the  deathblow.  All  the  time 
that  he  told  her,  her  head  nodded  rapidly.  She  perceived 
the  whole  wretched  chain  of  circumstances. 

"And  you  have  surely  killed  this  man?"  she  asked,  in 
a  low  tone,  when  he  had  finished.  He  confessed  it  with  a 
gesture. 

"He  was  innocent!  He  was  more  than  innocent!  He 
saved  me  that  which  you  thought  he  had  inflicted  upon 
me.  He  was  a  hero!  O  God,  that  one  of  these  men  should 
have  killed  the  other!" 

She  looked  afar  over  the  water.  She  knew  the  sacrifice 
Dorset  had  made.  He  had  let  her  father  kill  him,  that  there 
might  be  no  delay.  Knowing  it,  almost  her  heart  rebelled 
against  it.  Her  father,  at  her  side,  faltered  through  many 
words,  and  she  let  him  see  that  she  was  comforted.  But 
all  through  the  night  she  pored  over  the  story,  and  looked 
afar  out  over  the  sea,  refusing  to  retire  to  the  cabin,  whither 
her  father  presently  went,  contrite  and  broken. 


208  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

And  all  through  the  night  Hubert  Stevens,  watching  the 
solitary  figure  sitting  in  the  waist  of  the  ship,  sighed  deeply, 
ever  and  anon,  and  permitted  the  sails  to  shake  in  stays  - 
a  thing  no  sailor  of  his  experience  should  do. 

The  moon  passed  out  of  the  sky  soon  after  midnight. 
Confronted  by  a  head  wind  and  a  contrary  tide,  they  made 
slow  progress  down  the  river.  When  the  light  of  the  moon 
was  gone,  the  added  danger  of  running  aground  sent 
Benjamin  into  the  last  stage  of  melancholy.  The  river 
from  the  bend  below  Jamestown  is  straight  and  wide,  in 
some  places  spreading  over  more  than  five  miles.  It  is  more 
like  an  estuary  than  a  flowing  stream. 

It  is  forty  miles  from  Jamestown  to  the  sea,  and  it  was 
six  bells  of  the  noon  watch  before  they  were  well  out  of  the 
heads  and  in  Chesapeake  Bay.  Hubert  headed  the  Matilda 
toward  Philadelphia,  having  business  there.  He  told  them 
that  he  must  leave  them  there  for  the  present,  being 
bound  for  Holland,  but  promised  that  he  would  return  and 
take  them  to  Salem.  There  was  a  Melville  in  Philadelphia, 
he  said,  who  might  prove  to  be  of  kin.  He  knew  little  of 
their  story.  Barbara  had  told  him  that  her  name  was  Mel 
ville,  not  daring  to  reveal  her  identity,  and  that  there  were 
people  of  the  blood  and  name  in  America.  She  had  not 
learned  that  his  name  was  Stevens.  She  called  him  Saint 
Hubert.  It  was  agreed,  when  the  family  was  dispersed  by 
the  rebellion,  that  each  would  take  the  name  of  Melville  to 
assist  in  the  search  to  bring  the  scattered  members  together 
again. 

No  further  word  passed  between  Mallory  Stevens  and 
Barbara  concerning  Dorset.  There  was  that  about  her 
which  forbade  the  subject.  He  was  puzzled.  It  would  have 
taken  more  than  a  man  to  have  discerned  that  it  was  grief, 
bitter  grief,  that  sealed  the  story  of  the  British  adventurer. 

Hubert  did  not  perceive  that  there  was  aught  of  grief  in 


BROTHERLY   LOVE 


211 


the  maiden  as  they  passed  the  pleasant  hours  in  the  voy 
age  to  the  City  of  Brotherly  Love.  And  when  he  left  them 
there  at  last,  he  turned  his  prow  to  the  sea  with  a  bounding 
heart,  thinking  of  the  time  and  circumstance  of  his  return. 

They  searched  out  the  Melville  of  whom  Hubert  had 
spoken.  He  was  well  known  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  town ; 
a  Friend  led  them  to  his  house  on  their  first  inquiry.  He 
lived  in  a  red-brick  house,  one  of  a  number  so  like  each  other 
that  their  guide  was  fain  to  count  from  the  end  of  the  row 
before  he  could  be  certain  which  was  the  house  they  sought. 
With  fast-beating  heart  and  trembling  hand  Mallory  knocked 
at  the  door.  There  were  footsteps  in  the  passage;  a  hand 
was  on  the  latch ;  the  door  swung  open,  and  revealed  to  their 
sight  none  other  than  Anthony  Melville. 

"Now,  may  the  Lord  be  praised,"  said  he,  fervently, 
gazing  upon  Mallory 's  countenance  with  a  look  in  which 
surprise  and  joy  contended,  "for  of  a  truth  He  hath  restored 
to  me  my  brother,  whom  I  had  mourned  as  dead!" 

Their  stories  were  soon  told  in  the  first  outline.  Anthony 
had  sought  refuge  among  the  Swedes,  who  had  settled  along 
the  Delaware  River  and  planted  a  suburb  of  Philadelphia 


THE  ORIGINAL  BLUE  ANCHOR  TAVERN,  PHILADELPHIA,  BUILT  WHERE  PENN 
LANDED  (From  a  rare  print) 


212 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


before  the  coming  of  Penn.  He  had  seen  the  founder  of  the 
city  himself,  and  had  come  to  know  him  well;  so  well  that 
he  had  embraced  the  Quaker  faith  through  sincere  convic 
tion.  He  had  been  early  in  building  his  house  in  the  City 
of  Brotherly  Love,  and  had  attained  prominence  among 
the  citizens.  All  this  he  told  in  simple  modesty,  when  the 
first  glad  greetings  were  over,  and  when  he  had  heard  Mai- 
lory's  tale. 

That  night  the  wanderers  heard  much  of  William  Penn, 
and  the  Commonwealth  he  had  founded.  Anthony  had 
come  close  to  the  great  man  while  he  was  among  his  people, 
and  knew  the  story  well. 

"He is  a  glorious  great  man,"  quoth  Anthony,  as  they 
were  sitting  about  the  dinner-table  after  the  dishes  were 
cleared  away.  "  Never  have  I  seen  a  more  earnest  soul.  You 
may  judge  of  that  from  his  life.  He  is  handsome,  wealthy, 
most  pleasing  and  gracious  in  speech,  a  favorite  of  King 
James,  born  to  position,  being  the  son  of  Admiral  Penn; 
a  scholar,  speaking  fluently  in  the  Latin,  Italian,  French, 
German,  and  Dutch  tongues;  yet  all  these  worldly  advan 
tages  he  gladly  ^  gave  up  to  suffer  persecution  and 

insult  for  the  faith  of  John  Fox. 


Many 


PRESENT  SITE  OF  THE  ORIGINAL  BLUE 
ANCHOR  TAVERN 


times  hath  he  been  thrown 
into  jail  for  preaching    the 
truth;  he  hath  borne  it  all 
with   sweet   serenity  and 
full  forgiveness.    He  hath 
written    much    and    elo 
quently  against  our   ene 
mies;   it  is  he  who  hath 
brought     credit    to     our 
faith,     which     fell     into 
disrepute     through     the 
zeal  of   foolish   persons. 


BROTHERLY   LOVE  2 1 3 

He  hath  met  his  enemies  with  a  smile,  but  with  a  firm 
determination  from  which  he  was  not  to  be  moved, 
acknowledging  only  God  in  his  conscience. 

"His  interest  in  the  New  World  came  through  a  curious 
chain  of  circumstances.  In  1673  Lord  Berkeley  sold  his 
half-interest  in  New  Jersey  to  one  John  Fenwick,  a  Friend, 
to  hold  in  trust  for  another  Friend,  Edward  Byllinge.  Fen- 
wick  was  a  litigious  and  troublesome  person;  a  dispute 
arose  between  him  and  Friend  Byllinge  over  their  respective 
rights  to  the  purchase.  It  was  referred  for  settlement  to 
Friend  William  Penn,  who  ruled  that  Byllinge  should  have 
nine-tenths  and  Fenwick  one-tenth  of  the  whole.  At  first 
Fenwick  was  sorely  dissatisfied  with  the  award  and  refused 
to  abide  by  it,  whereat  he  was  gravely  rebuked  by  Penn. 
Meanwhile  Byllinge  became  insolvent.  Presently  Fenwick 
yielded  and  made  over  nine-tenths  to  William  Penn,  Gewaine 
Laurie,  and  Nicholas  Lucas,  as  trustees  for  the  benefit  of 
Byllinge' s  creditors. 

"  In  .1675  Fenwick  sailed  for  the  Delaware  River  with  a 
party  of  colonists,  and  founded  the  town  of  Salem.  You 
must  remember  that  there  was  a  dispute  between  the  duke 
of  York  and  Sir  George  Carteret,  concerning  the  proprietor 
ship  of  this  land,  owing  to  a  confusion  in  the  original  grants. 
Andros,  governor  of  New  York,  considering  the  settlement 
at  Salem  to  be  a  trespass  upon  the  duke  of  York's  territory, 
seized  Fenwick  and  carried  him  to  Fort  James,  when  Fen 
wick  refused  to  tell  him  by  what  authority  he  occupied  the 
place. 

"  Meanwhile,  the  boundaries  between  Carteret's  and 
Berkeley's  holdings,  which  latter  were  now  in  the  name  of 
Byllinge's  trustees,  were  settled  in  England.  In  the  summer 
of  1677  Gregory  Mario w  came  with  two  hundred  and  thirty 
passengers  in  the  ship  Kent.  As  they  passed  down  the 
Thames  King  Charles  met  them  and  gave  them  his  blessing. 


214 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


Kent  went  on  to  New  York,  where  Andros  demanded  their 
credentials,  which  they  had  neglected  to  provide.  He  re 
fused  to  recognize  Carteret's  warrants  to  Mario w,  but  they 
came  to  terms,  after  much  bluster  on  the  part  of  Andros, 
Marlow  promising  to  send  to  England  to  obtain  the  required 
authority.  Sailing  then  to  the  Delaware,  they  settled  a 
town  above  Rankokus  Creek,  which  they  called  Burlington. 

"  Andros  still  maintained  that  our  people  were  mere 
land-owners  in  the  Jerseys,  and  that  they  were  under  the 
sovereignty  of  the  duke  of  York.  It  was  not  until  1680  that 
York  released  West  Jersey  to  the  trustees  for  Byllinge,  being 
induced  to  do  it  by  Friend  Penn,  who  pointed  out  that  by 
so  doing  he  would  gain  credit  with  the  people  of  England, 
whom  he  hoped  to  rule  as  King,  on  the  death  of  Charles  II. 

"It  was  thus  that  Penn's  attention  first  became  fixed 
upon  America;  it  was  thus  that  the  idea  of  his  holy  experi- 


OLD  SWEDISH  HOUSES,  PHILADELPHIA 


BROTHERLY   LOVE 


215 


ment  came  into  his  mind.  He  desired  to  try  whether  a  Com 
monwealth  might  not  be  established  where  perfect  religious 
and  civil  freedom  should  prevail.  When  he  inherited  a 
claim  of  ;£  16,000  against  the  Crown,  he  petitioned  that  it 
might  be  paid  to  him  by  a  grant  of  a  tract  of  land.  The 
petition  being  favorably  received,  what  is  _^  now 
known  as  the  great  and  pros 
perous  commonwealth  of 


PENN'S  LETITIA  HOUSE,  PHILADELPHIA,  Now  STANDING  IN  FAIRMOUNT  PARK 

Pennsylvania  was  awarded  to  him,  under  a  charter  pro 
viding  that  all  laws  passed  by  the  province  should  be  sub 
mitted  to  the  Crown  for  approval,  and  that  Parliament, 
instead  of  the  proprietor,  had  the  right  to  impose  taxes. 

"Penn,  who  is  of  Welsh  descent,  desired  to  call  the 
colony  New  Wales,  but,  King  Charles  demurring,  he  named 
it  Sylvania.  The  clerk  who  transcribed  the  name  to  the 
records  prefixed  Penn.  When  our  leader  objected  on  the 
ground  of  modesty,  the  King  made  a  witty  answer.  'We 
will  keep  it,'  he  said,  'but  not  on  your  account,  my  dear 
fellow.  Don't  flatter  yourself.  We  shall  keep  the  name 


216  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

to  commemorate  the  admiral,  your  noble  father.'  I  have 
heard  Friend  William  laugh  over  it,  arguing  that  since'  in 
the  Welsh  tongue  pen  means  hill,  the  name  of  the  province 
was  rightly  called  Pennsylvania,  or  Wooded  Hills.  I  have 
heard  it  said,  I  know  not  how  truthfully,  that  Penn's  name 
came  from  an  ancestor  who  was  called  in  the  Welsh  John 
Penmunnith,  which  means  John-on-the-Hilltop,  because 
he  lived  atop  a  mountain  in  Wales. 

"In  spite  of  the  few  limitations  of  the  charter,  Penn  was 
permitted  great  latitude  in  his  policy  of  government.  He 
guaranteed  absolute  liberty  of  conscience  to  everybody;  he 
declared  that  governments  were  for  the  people;  and  that 
punishment  of  criminals  should  be  for  their  improvement 
and  reform  and  not  for  vengeance.  Quite  a  contrast  to 
the  principles  of  our  Governor  Berkeley  of  Virginia,  say 
you  not,  Mallory? 

"In  April,  1681,  Penn  sent  his  cousin,  Friend  William 
Markham,  to  be  deputy-governor  of  Pennsylvania.  Already 
there  were  a  number  of  Swedes  and  Dutch  in  the  territory  of 
which  he  had  become  proprietor  and  governor.  To  these 
he  wrote  a  letter.  I  have  a  copy  of  it  about;  let  me  find  it. 
'T  will  show  you  well  what  manner  of  man  he  is." 

Anthony,  going  to  a  cupboard,  found  the  paper  and  re 
turned  with  it. 

"Thus  it  reads,"  he  resumed:  'My  friends:  I  wish  you 
all  happiness,  here  and  hereafter.  These  are  to  let  you 
know  that  it  hath  pleased  God,  in  His  providence,  to  cast 
you  within  my  lot  and  care.  It  is  a  business  that,  though  I 
never  undertook  before,  yet  God  has  given  me  an  under 
standing  of  my  duty,  and  an  honest  mind  to  do  it  uprightly. 
I  hope  you  will  not  be  troubled  at  your  change  and  the 
King's  choice,  for  you  are  now  fixed  at  the  mercy  of  no 
governor  that  comes  to  make  his  fortunes  great;  you  shall 
be  governed  by  laws  of  your  own  making,  and  live  a  free, 


PENN'S  TREATY  MONUMENT,  PHILADELPHIA 


BROTHERLY   LOVE  219 

and,  if  you  will,  a  sober  and  industrious  people.  I  shall  not 
usurp  the  right  of  any,  or  oppress  his  person.  God  has 
furnished  me  with  a  better  resolution,  and  has  given  me  His 
grace  to  keep  it.  In  short,  whatever  sober  and  free  men 
can  reasonably  desire  for  the  security  and  improvement  of 
their  own  happiness,  I  shall  heartily  comply  with,  and  in 
five  months  I  resolve,  if  it  please  God,  to  see  you.  In  the 
meantime,  pray  submit  to  the  commands  of  my  deputy, 
so  far  as  they  are  consistent  with  the  law,  and  pay  him  those 
dues  that  formerly  you  paid  to  the  order  of  the  governor  of 
New  York  for  my  use  and  benefit,  and  so  I  beseech  God  to 
direct  you  in  the  ways  of  righteousness,  and  therein  prosper 
you  and  your  children  after  you.  I  am  your  true  friend, 
William  Penn. ' 

"  I  was  present  when  this  letter  was  read  to  the  assembled 
inhabitants;  you  may  be  sure  that  it  was  received  with 
great  joy  and  gladness.  Great  preparations  were  made  to 
welcome  him;  but  he  did  not  come  within  the  five  months, 
being  detained  and  delayed  by  the  business  of  his  colony: 
making  out  grants  of  land,  devising  a  frame  of  government, 
sending  out  instructions  to  his  deputy,  and  the  like.  But 
many  colonists  came;  in  the  first  year  we  had  more  than 
twenty  ships,  bringing  three  thousand  passengers  anxious 
to  live  in  the  asylum  promised  by  our  great  leader.  I  must 
not  forget  to  tell  you  that  all  this  time  he  was  preaching  our 
faith,  in  spite  of  continued  persecution;  or  that  he  was 
made  a  Fellow  of  the  Royal  Society,  a  high  distinction  for 
a  Quaker,  say  you  not? 

"At  last  he  came,  arriving  on  board  the  ship  Welcome. 
A  hundred  souls  sailed  with  him,  but  thirty  died  of  smallpox 
on  the  voyage.  His  wife  and  children  he  left  at  home. 
Toward  the  end  of  October  it  was  when  he  landed  at  New 
castle,  greeted  by  the  shouts  of  Dutch  and  Swedes,  and  a 
pretty  spectacle  it  was,  with  the  men  in  leathern  breeches 


220 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


and  jerkins,  and  the  women  in  skin  jackets  and  linsey  petti 
coats.  You  may  believe  that  my  voice  was  as  loud  as  any, 
for,  though  I  am  neither  a  Dutchman  nor  a  Swede,  and  was 
not  at  that  time  one  of  the  Friends,  yet  had  I  learned  by 
bitter  experience  how  great  a  blessing  was  a  man  like  this 
to  rule  over  a  people.  I  was  one  of  the  two  inhabitants  that 
performed  livery  of  seisin  when  he  presented  his  deeds  of 
enfeoffment,  by  handing  over  to  him  water  and  soil,  a  turf  and 
a  twig,  in  token  that  the  land  was  his. 

"From  Newcastle  he  went  to  Chester,  then  called  Up 
land,  where  there  had  been  a  colony  for  some  time.  He 
changed  the  name  of  the  place,  and  stopped  there,  at  the 
house  of  one  Sutherland,  where  on  November  fourth  was 
held  an  assembly  that  passed  sixty-one  statutes,  known  as 
the  Great  Law  of  Pennsylvania.  Markham  meanwhile 
had  selected  this  site  for  the  city  Penn  intended  to  found, 
and  bought  it  from  the  Swedes.  It  was  then  a  wild  piece 
of  land,  with  only  one  house  on  it,  in  which  lived  a  man 


THE  OLD  TREATY  ELM  (From  an  early  engraving) 


BROTHERLY   LOVE  221 

named  Drinker.  The  site  commended  itself  to  the  wise 
Markham,  for  it  was  wide  and  level,  lying  between  two 
rivers,  and  covered  with  a  luxuriant  growth  of  chestnut, 
walnut,  spruce,  cedar,  pine,  oak,  elm,  and  many  other  trees 
and  shrubs. 

"  Hither  Friend  William  came  after  visiting  New  York 
and  Maryland,  and  here  he  at  once  laid  out  a  town,  with 
streets  at  right  angles,  calling  them  after  the  names  of  the 
trees  that  had  been  hewn  down  to  make  way  for  them.  A 
man  named  Guest  built  the  first  house,  which  is  now  the 
Blue  Anchor  Tavern,  whence  many  witty  persons  make  a 
play  of  words;  which  is  so  frequently  heard  that  the  jest 
hath  lost  all  pith  to  us  older  inhabitants.  Building  went 
forward  apace,  but  could  not  keep  up  with  the  increase  in 
immigrants,  many  of  whom  were  forced  to  live  in  caves  on 
the  river-bank  until  they  could  be  provided  with  more 
suitable  habitations.  In  the  first  year  of  our  new  City  of 
Brotherly  Love  twenty-eight  ships  brought  settlers;  by  the 
end  of  1683  there  were  three  hundred  and  fifty-seven  houses; 
in  two  years'  time  there  were  six  hundred.  You  will  see 
that  all  of  them  are  substantial,  well  built,  and  comely,  and 
that  many  are  of  red  brick,  like  our  own." 

"  Very  like,"  murmured  Barbara,  as  Anthony  stopped  in 
a  moment  of  pride.  She  had  in  mind  the  difficulty  their 
guide  had  found  in  picking  out  the  right  house  when  he 
brought  them. 

"One  of  the  first  things  our  great  leader  did,  and  one 
of  the  best  for  our  colony,  was  to  make  peace  with  the  In 
dians,  who  are  of  the  tribe  known  as  the  Lenni-Lanapes. 

"He  stood  beneath  the  huge  elm  at  Shackamaxon,  in 
what  is  now  the  north  end  of  our  town.  The  chiefs  were 
in  a  large  semicircle  before  him;  the  old  chiefs  in  front,  the 
middle-aged  behind  them,  and  the  young  men  in  the  last 
row.  Behind  lay  forest  and  wilderness.  In  the  savage  heart 


222  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

was  hatred  of  the  English.  They  feared  them,  and  fear  is 
hate.  Penn  was  beautiful  as  he  stood  there.  He  was 
dressed  in  the  simple  dress  of  our  people.  His  face  was  a 
benediction.  The  savages  waited  to  hear  what  tricks  this 
Englishman  would  utter.  Shall  I  ever  forget  the  look  of 
attention  that  passed  around  that  circle  of  red  men  ?  First 
they  were  eager.  Their  hard  faces  softened.  Kindness, 
confidence,  frankness,  gladness,  enthusiasm  followed  each 
other  on  their  countenances. 

"Penn  spoke  in  a  soft  voice.  'We  meet,'  he  said,  'on  the 
broad  pathway  of  good  faith  and  good  will;  no  advantage 
shall  be  taken  on  either  side.  All  shall  be  openness  and 
love.  I  will  not  call  you  children,  for  parents  sometimes  chide 
their  children  too  severely;  nor  brothers  only,  for  brothers 
differ.  The  friendship  between  you  and  me  I  will  not  com 
pare  to  a  chain,  for  that  the  rains  might  rust,  or  a  falling 
tree  might  break.  We  are  as  if  one  man's  body  were  to  be 
made  up  into  two  parts;  we  are  all  one  flesh  and  blood.' 

"I  shall  not  soon  forget  the  sight;  for  I  was  there. 
There  was  a  mighty  feast,  prepared  by  each  party  for  the 
other.  Friend  William  endeared  himself  to  the  dusky 
savages  by  eating  of  their  burnt  acorns  and  hominy;  and 
when  they  fell  to  dancing  in  their  fervor  for  him,  he  sprang 
up  too,  and  outnimbled  the  best  of  them,  to  their  great 
delight  and  admiration.  Perhaps  't  was  unseemly  on  the 
part  of  one  of  our  faith,  but  it  was  a  wise  and  gracious  thing 
to  do,  and  events  have  justified  it;  for  from  that  time  the 
Indians  have  been  on  closest  friendship  with  us.  We  have 
paid  them  for  all  their  lands,  and  treated  them  as  brothers. 
They  call  Friend  William  by  the  name  'Onas,'  which  is  a 
strange  comparison  and  an  unconscious  pun;  for  their  word 
Onas  means  'feather  '  or  'quill,'  they  thinking  that  Friend 
William's  name  is  that  of  the  writing  instrument. 

"We  have  lived  in  great  peace  and  prosperity;  our  laws 


BROTHERLY   LOVE  223 

are  generous  and  mild;  authority  among  us,  being  respec 
table,  is  respected;  we  have  no  quarrel  with  our  neighbors, 
and  have  had  none,  save  a  discussion  with  Lord  Baltimore 
concerning  our  southern  boundary,  which  did  not  give  us 
outlet  to  the  sea,  but  which  has  been  adjusted  in  England. 
We  have  here  people  from  England,  Holland,  Sweden,  and 
Germany,  living  side  by  side  in  loving  harmony.  Men  may 
worship  God  as  they  will;  their  rights  of  conscience  and  of 
person  are  inviolate.  Work  is  plenty;  wages  are  high;  we 
have  schools;  and  now  we  have  a  printing  press,  set  up  in 
1685  by  William  Bradford.  Our  only  grief  is  that  our 
beloved  founder  is  not  with  us,  having  returned  to  England 
in  1684,  with  the  hope  and  intention  of  coming  back  to  us 
soon  with  his  wife  and  family;  but  the  trials  through  which 
our  brethren  there  are  passing  have  kept  him  longer  than 
he  would.  'T  is  a  grief  to  us  all,  for  he  was  greatly  beloved. 
To-morrow  I  shall  take  you  to  see  the  house  in  which  he 
lived."  He  ceased  from  his  tale  and  turned  to  Mallory 
with  a  tender  look. 

"Ah,  my  brother,  my  joy  at  seeing  you  is  great!  Now 
shall  we  dwell  together  in  this  city  of  brotherly  love  until 
God  wills  it  that  we  should  be  gathered  unto  Him.  This 
is  a  happy  day!  This  is  a  happy  day !" 

With  many  tender  words  the  company  parted  for  the 


PENN'S  SLATE  ROOF  HOUSE     (From  a  print} 


224  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

night,  for  it  had  grown  late  as  they  talked.  On  the  morrow 
father  and  daughter  were  established  in  the  household, 
where  they  remained  throughout  the  winter.  For  such  as 
they  Penn  had  opened  an  asylum  in  the  New  World,  and 
here  had  gathered  the  children  of  misfortune.  Penn's 
Holy  Experiment  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  incidents  in 
the  history  of  the  age.  "Beautiful,"  said  Frederick  of 
Prussia,  when  he  read  the  account  of  the  government  of 
Pennsylvania,  a  hundred  years  later;  "it  is  perfect  if  it  can 
endure."  When  Peter  the  Great  of  Russia  visited  a  meeting 
of  Quakers  in  England,  the  semi-barbarous  reformer  could 
not  but  exclaim,  "How  happy  must  be  a  community  insti 
tuted  on  their  principles."  Here,  then,  father  and  daughter 
found  refuge.  Here  they  could  have  been  happy  with 
their  kin,  but  there  was  ever  present  the  fear  of  Thorne. 
Mallory  Stevens  was  still  his  slave  in  right,  and  could  be 
claimed.  They  would  have  pressed  on  to  put  greater  dis 
tance  between  themselves  and  the  planter  as  soon  as  the 
weather  broke  in  the  spring  had  not  the  expectation  of 
Hubert  kept  them  at  Philadelphia.  Now  they  waited  only 
for  him. 

But  they  were  not  to  wait  for  him.  Fate  interposed. 
Barbara,  returning  one  evening  in  March  from  an  errand 
at  the  market,  took  her  father  aside  and  told  him  she  had 
seen  Thorne  and  Saint-Croix  in  the  streets. 

"They  came  from  the  docks,"  she  said.  "They  had 
just  landed,  apparently.  I  was  behind  a  stall  as  they  passed 
through  the  streets.  I  heard  them  stop  and  inquire  for  the 
residence  of  Anthony  Melville.  Slurk  was  with  them.  The 
man  told  them  where  we  lived.  They  will  come  in  the 
morning.  I  heard  them  planning.  They  will  set  Slurk  to 
watch  the  house  to-night.  We  must  leave  at  once.  Slurk 
may  be  at  the  door  even  now." 

Gathering  together  such  of  their  apparel  as  they  could 


BROTHERLY  LOVE  225 

carry  with  them,  and  sending  one  of  the  brother's  sons  first 
to  reconnoiter,  they  slipped  through  the  door  and  glided  be 
neath  the  shadow  of  the  walls,  till  they  came  to  a  path  that 
led  among  the  chestnut  and  walnut  trees,  and  so  on  to  the 
highway  that  ran  through  the  Jerseys  into  New  York.  It 
was  agreed  that  in  the  morning  Anthony  would  procure 
horses,  if  he  could  without  detection,  and  follow  them  with 
that  assistance. 

Anthony,  returning  home  after  leaving  them  well  on 
their  way,  saw  a  slinking  figure  steal  across  the  street  from 
peeping  into  the  windows  of  the  house,  and  knew  that 
the  watch  was  on.  Without  a  word  or  sign,  he  entered  the 
doorway,  thankful  that  the  fugitives  would  gain  that  time. 


CHAPTER  XIV 
THE    PARIAH    MEETS    MANY   STRANGERS 

YOUNG  man  sat  in  the  rain  on  a  log  by  the  side  of  a 
muddy,  rough,  distorted  road.  One  end  of  it  wound 
around  the  foot  of  a  hill,  and  so  out  of  sight  in  that  direction. 
The  other  end  disappeared  in  a  dull,  dank  forest  in  the 
opposite  quarter.  Yet  the  patch  of  road  between  seemed  to 
lead  nowhere.  It  was  a  solitude,  shut  away  from  the  rest 
of  the  world ;  a  solitude  that  bore  the  appearance  of  always 
being  rained  upon.  Underfoot  there  was  nothing  but 
yellow,  sloshy,  slippery  mud ;  overhead  nothing  but  leaden 
skies  pouring  out  a  dismal  rain.  On  either  hand  were 
firs  and  spruce,  oaks  with  their  seared  leaves  still  clinging 
to  them;  beeches  that  had  not  yet  leaved  out,  and  looked 
as  though  they  never  would;  bushes  whose  slovenly  ap 
pearance  suggested  that  they  had  become  discouraged,  and 
decided  not  to  grow  up. 

The  young  man  sitting  on  the  log  seemed  himself  to 
entertain  some  doubts  about  the  advisability  of  growing  up. 
At  his  feet  was  a  small  packet  tied  in  a  cloth,  a  stick  thrust 
through  the  knot.  His  arms  were  folded  across  his  knees, 
and  he  was  folded  across  his  arms.  His  limp  hat  hung 
about  his  ears,  adhering  soppily  to  his  cheeks.  His  doublet 
was  wet  through  all  along  his  back,  on  which  the  rain  con 
tinued  to  fall  with  its  characteristic  lack  of  discrimination. 
Water  dripped  from  the  edges  of  his  clothes,  which  were 
shiny  and  shabby.  It  ran  down  his  nose  and  spouted  from 
his  chin.  His  curly  hair  was  meshed  with  it.  Drops 
stood  in  his  eyelashes.  He  had  clearly  been  much  in  the 
rain  that  day. 

226 


THE    PARIAH   MEETS    MANY   STRANGERS     227 


The  young  man  would  have  been  handsome  had  not 
his  face  fallen  into  the  general  atmospheric  softness,  and 
hung  drooping  in  the  last  possible  degree  of  dejection.  He 
paid  no  more  heed  to  the  rain  than  did  the  dead  piece  of 
wood  on  which  he  sat.  Now  and  then,  when  the  drop  on 
his  nose  tickled,  he  puffed  it  off.  Occasionally  he  sopped 
his  lips  with  his  tongue.  At  intervals  his  lids  would  close 
over  his  gloomy  eyes,  and  open  again,  slowly.  Once  he 


tried  to  draw  his  hands 

too  short  in  the  hap- 
How    long    he 

never  be  told,  for 

could   know   but 

had     paid     no 

long    he    would 

if  he    had    not 

must    ever  be 

conjecture 

of  time  he  was 
Two 

horseback, 

through  the 

mud,    ap- 

the    end     of 

which    came 

forest,    and    pro- 

toward  that  other 

went    around     the 


farther  into  his  sleeves, 
piest  of  weather, 
had   sat   there   will 
there    was    none 
himself,  and  he 
heed.     How 
have    sat    there 
been    disturbed 
matter    of 
for  in   course 
disturbed, 
people    on 
splashing 
yellow 
peared  at 
the    road 
from    the 
ceeded  slowly 
end    which 


GOVERNOR  THOMAS  DONGAN 

hill.  One  of  them  was  a  woman. 
Both  were  wrapped  more  scantily  than  was  comfortable 
in  such  weather,  and  their  heads  were  drawn  between  their 
shoulders  for  better  protection  from  the  rain.  Their 
horses  were  jaded  and  unhappy  as  they  struggled  along, 
slipping  and  sluicing  through  the  treacherous  footing.  The 
riders,  their  faces  buried  in  their  cloaks,  would  have  passed 


228  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

by  the  young  man  without  seeing  him.  He,  gazing  dully 
upon  them,  would  not  have  hailed  them,  being  too  down 
cast  to  make  the  effort.  But  one  of  the  animals,  catching 
sight  of  the  figure  sitting  on  the  log,  snorted  and  started, 
rousing  his  rider  to  look  for  the  cause  of  the  demonstration. 

" Halloo!"  cried  the  woman,  reining  in,  for  it  was  her 
horse  that  had  shied.  Her  companion  drew  up  beside  her, 
without  a  word,  being  in  no  mood  for  speech. 

"  Halloo,"  responded  the  youth,  without  any  interest 
whatsoever  in  the  remark. 

"What  are  you  doing  here,  my  lad?"  inquired  the 
woman,  kindly. 

The  boy  looked  at  the  sopped  sleeve  on  one  arm,  and 
at  the  sopped  sleeve  on  the  other,  before  he  replied. 

"  Getting  wet,"  he  said,  in  the  same  indifferent  tone. 

The  woman  laughed.  There  was  no  impudence  in 
his  answer. 

"But  where  do  you  live,  and  where  are  you  going?" 
she  pursued. 

"I  don't  think  I  will  go  there!"     answered  the  boy. 

"Where  were  you  going?"  She  passed  over  the  irrel 
evancy  of  his  observation. 

"Philadelphia." 

"It 's  a  long  way  afoot.     Where  did  you  come  from?" 

"New  York." 

"And  what  are  you  doing,  tramping  around  in  the 
rain?" 

He  looked  at  her  for  a  long  time  without  answering. 
Her  face  was  a  beautiful  face,  dark,  strongly  featured  for 
a  woman,  with  intelligent  eyes  in  which  appreciation  took 
the  place  of  impulsive  charity.  He  tried  to  think  whether 
it  were  possible  that  he  had  ever  seen  that  face  before.  It 
recalled  something  to  him.  He  was  sure  of  one  thing:  he 
liked  both  it  and  the  woman.  He  grinned  gradually,  as 


THE    PARIAH   MEETS    MANY    STRANGERS     231 


he  looked  into  the  comprehending  eyes.  His  grin  was 
broad  and  grim,  and  had  brought  forth  a  smile  on  her  lips, 
when  he  made  answer. 

"I  'm  out  seeking  my  fortune,"  he  said,  and  chuckled 
in  spite  of  the  rain  and  the  mud  and  everything  else.  It 
was  good  to  see  some  one  who  seemed  to  know. 

The  young  woman  laughed  quietly,  with  deep  enjoyment 
of  the  lad's  spirit. 

"You  don't 
seem  to  have  met 
with  much  suc 
cess,"  she  ob 
served. 

"  I  've  met 
with  everything 
else,  except  a 
dragon,  and  I 
think  one  must 
live  around  here," 
he  rejoined, 

grinning      again.  GOVERNOR  DONGAN'S  HOUSE 

The  man  at  her  side  grew  impatient,  and  bade  her 
continue  the  journey.  She  signaled  acquiescence  to  him, 
and  took  up  her  lines. 

"How  far  it  is  to  New  York?"   she  asked. 

"Ten  miles  to  the  river,  and  eternity  to  get  across." 

"Don't  you  think  you'd  better  come  back  with  us? 
Won't  you  perish  in  this  weather?"  It  was  a  passing 
civility,  but  she  more  than  half  meant  it. 

"I  was  going  back  anyway!"  he  exclaimed,  jumping 
up.  "I  don't  want  to  go  to  Philadelphia.  I  've  had 
enough  of  religious  folk  to  last  me  for  a  long  time." 

"Come,  climb  up  here  behind  my  saddle,"  urged  the 
young  woman. 


232 


DUELING  FOR   EMPIRE 


The  youth  declined. 

"  Your  horse  is  tired.  I  can  keep  up  afoot,"  he  explained. 
"But  I  '11  tell  you  what  you  can  do.  You  can  carry  my 
portmanteau!" 

He  handed  her  the  stick  with  the  tiny  bundle  dangling 
from  it.  She  took  it  with  a  laugh,  but  turned  a  look  of 
keen  interest  and  pity  upon  the  young  wayfarer. 

"What  is  your  name?"   she  asked,  abruptly. 

"Charles  Stevens,"  he  answered.  "I  lived  in  Salem, 
Massachusetts." 

The  two  riders  interchanged  a  quick  look. 

"You  know  the  name,"  observed  the  youth,  seeing  the 
play. 

"We  knew  some  of  that  name  in  Virginia,"  the  woman 
explained. 

"I've  heard  father  talk  about  them.  They  were  in 
Bacon's  rebellion;  I  wonder  what  has  become  of  all  of 
them?  They  have  disappeared.  You  are  not  some  of 
them,  are  you?"  demanded  the  boy,  with  a  quick  turn. 

"Our  name  is  Melville,"  answered  the  girl,  casually. 
"This  is  my  father,  Hugo  Melville." 

Thus  it  happened  that  Charles  Stevens  and  Barbara, 
his  remote  cousin,  fell  in  with  each  other  on  a  bleak  stretch 
of  life.  Thus, 
too,  it  further  be 
fell  that  they  cast 
their  lots  together, 
all  three  of  them, 
when  they  reached 
New  York,  and 
lived  happily  by 
mutual  assistance 
during  the  sum 
mer  that  followed,  LEISLER'S  HOUSE,  NEW  YORK 


THE   PARIAH   MEETS   MANY   STRANGERS     233 

which  was  the  summer  of  1688,  and  the  winter  follow 
ing  that. 

Since  the  peaceful  revolution  which  resulted  in  the  final 
surrender  of  the  Dutch  at  New  Amsterdam,  New  York  had 
seen  several  changes  of  administration.  Conciliation  was 
the  watchword  under  the  first  governor,  and  no  better 
person  could  have  been  selected  to  carry  out  such  a  policy 
than  Colonel  Richard  Nicholls.  But  for  his  unfailing  tact 
and  moderation,  this  bloodless  conquest  could  not  have 
been  made.  New  York  was  prosperous  under  the  rule 
of  Nicholls'  successor,  Francis  Lovelace.  But  in  the  years 
that  came  under  Sir  Edmund  Andros,  the  same  that  now 
governed  New  England,  the  peaceful  inhabitants  of  New 
York  looked  back  on  the  four  years  of  Nicholls' s  administra 
tion  as  a  kind  of  a  golden  age.  He  was  sent  by  the  duke 
of  York,  to  whom  the  province  was  awarded  by  his  brother, 
Charles  II.  Andros  conducted  the  government  in  his 
habitually  despotic  manner,  and  his  name  has  left  behind  it 
in  America  many  harsh  and  jarring  memories.  He  levied 
taxes,  and  laughed  at  the  protests  of  the  colonies.  He 
exercised  an  arbitrary  authority  over  them,  denying  them 
the  right  to  assemble  for  legislative  purposes. 

Popular  representation  was  dear  to  the  colonists,  how 
ever,  and  they  pressed  him  so  hard  for  the  right  that  he 
was  constrained  to  write  to  the  duke  of  York  advising 
acquiescence.  That  thick-headed  prince  replied  that  legis 
latures  were  seditious  r.nd  dangerous,  that  they  stirred 
up  trouble,  and  that  he  could  see  no  use  for  them.  The 
settlers  were  forced  to  forego  their  liberty  for  the  time. 

The  grant  to  the  duke  of  York  included  the  territory 
between  the  Connecticut  River  and  Maryland.  Andros 
attempted  to  exercise  his  authority  over  Connecticut,  sailing 
there  with  armed  sloops  in  1675.  He  sailed  back  again, 
with  no  result  beyond  a  familiarity  with  the  scenery  of  the 


234  DUELING  FOR   EMPIRE 

edge  of  the  province,  and  a  knowledge  of  the  temper  of  the 
provincials.  He  had  not  even  been  permitted  to  read  the 
embossed  commission  that  he  held  from  the  duke  of  York. 

He  met  with  little  better  success  in  the  Jerseys.  West 
Jersey  was  settled  largely  by  Swedes,  and  East  Jersey  by 
Scotch  Presbyterians,  refugees  from  religious  persecution. 
Andros  issued  a  proclamation  asserting  his  authority.  He 
followed  it  with  a  decree  that  ships  sailing  from  Jersey 
should  pay  excises  in  the  New  York  custom-house.  This 
was  openly  resisted.  The  bullying  governor  attempted 
to  frighten  the  legislature  of  Jersey  by  arresting  the  deputy- 
governor,  Philip  Carteret.  The  Carterets  and  Berkeley 
held  the  grant  of  the  territory  now  claimed  for  the  duke 
of  York.  They  took  refuge  behind  Magna  Charta,  and 
stood  out  against  Andros.  Their  rather  tempestous  career 
came  to  a  peaceful  issue  when  the  three  counties  west  of 
the  Delaware  were  sold  to  Pennsylvania  in  1682,  and  the 
rest  amalgamated  with  New  York  a  number  of  years  later, 
after  York  had  become  King. 

Encouraged  by  the  liberal  principals  upon  which  Philip 
Carteret  and  William  Penn  founded  their  respective  govern 
ments,  the  struggle  for  the  right  to  be  represented  continued 
in  New  York.  Memorials  were  sent  to  York.  He  was  un 
certain  what  to  do.  Andros  was  soon  to  return,  and  Colonel 
Thomas  Dongan  was  going  out  to  govern  the  province. 
It  was  time  for  a  change,  if  a  change  were  to  be  made. 
York  sent  William  Penn,  who  was  then  in  Pennsylvania, 
to  study  the  problem  and  give  advice.  The  duke  had  half 
a  mind  to  sell  the  country  to  anybody  who  would  offer  a 
fair  price  for  it.  "What,"  cried  Penn,  "sell  New  York! 
Don't  think  of  such  a  thing.  Just  give  it  self-government 
and  there  will  be  no  more  trouble."  James  concluded  to 
take  the  advice.  Dongan  accordingly  came  out  in  1683 
with  authority  to  call  a  general  assembly.  The  people 


THE    PARIAH   MEETS    MANY   STRANGERS     235 

met  in  New  York  in  October,  1683.  October  17,  they 
adopted  a  constitution,  their  charter  of  liberties.  Dongan 
was  a  Catholic,  and  an  Irishman  of  broad,  statesman-like 
mind.  He  possessed  all  the  personal  magnetism  that  the 
Blarney  stone  is  said  to  impart.  Dongan  was  a  striking 
improvement  over  Andros.  He  was  just,  vigorous,  and 


JAMES  II  RECEIVING  THE  NEWS  OF  THE  LANDING  or  WILLIAM  or  ORANGE 

loyal  to  the  interests  of  the  province  as  the  first  interest  of 
his  master.  He  administered  local  affairs  as  satisfactorily 
as  they  could  be  administered  by  a  servant  of  an  auto 
crat,  albeit  he  sometimes  lost  his  temper.  But  his  greatest 
work,  of  an  importance  far  beyond  the  boundaries  of  the 
province,  of  consequences  that  ramify  through  the  entire 
history  of  the  country,  lay  in  his  resistance  to  the  encroach 
ments  of  the  French  along  its  northern  borders.  With  a 
policy  almost  prophetic,  he  made  a  stand  against  the  insin 
uating  influence  of  French  exploitation. 

France  already,  consciously  or  unconsciously,  dreamed 
of  western  empire.  Her  missionaries  and  her  explorers 
were  reaching  afar.  She  was  striking  root  all  down  the 


236  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

Mississippi  Valley.  In  the  fullness  of  time,  she  would  hem 
the  English  into  their  little  strip  along  salt  water.  La  Salle 
was  even  now  journeying  from  the  Great  Lakes  to  the  Gulf. 
Settlements  had  already  been  scattered  in  the  great  central 
valley  of  the  West  by  this  father  of  colonization.  It  was 
part  of  their  dream,  and  a  vigorously  conscious  part,  to 
crowd  New  York.  The  English  and  the  Five  Nations  of 
Iroquois  were  allies.  The  savages  were  a  buffer  between 
the  two  civilizations.  The  French  attempted  by  persuasion, 
intrigue,  and  attack  to  bring  the  Iroquois  to  their  side  in 
the  struggle. 

It  was  this  phase  of  the  problem  that  Dongan  met  and 
successfully  handled.  His  position  was  peculiarly  delicate. 
The  French  were  attacking  the  Iroquois,  in  threat  and  in 
fact.  The  Indians  had  been  declared  subjects  of  the  Eng 
lish  King,  and  demanded  his  protection.  Charles  II  was 
in  secret  intimacy  with  Louis  XIV,  having  sold  his  kingdom 
to  the  French  King,  to  get  money  with  which  to  keep  up 
his  profligate  court.  To  afford  protection  to  the  Indians 
against  the  French  would  offend  the  close  friend  of  Charles ; 
perhaps  to  embroil  the  two  nations.  To  refuse  succor  would 
alienate  the  powerful  tribes,  and  permit  France  to  continue 
her  policy  of  self-aggrandizement.  Dongan  adopted  the 
larger  policy,  giving  the  Indians  such  moral  support  that 
they  had  no  room  left  for  complaint,  and  spurning  all 
advances  of  the  French.  In  1683,  at  Albany,  in  a  council 
between  the  Indian  chiefs  and  Governors  Effingham,  of 
Virginia,  and  Dongan,  of  New  York,  the  alliance  was 
permanently  cemented. 

With  the  accession  of  York  to  the  throne  as  James  II, 
in  1685,  the  policy  of  government  of  the  province  was 
changed.  The  legislature  was  dissolved.  There  was  a 
reversion  to  the  old  forms  of  abuse.  In  1688  James  con 
solidated  all  the  English  colonies  north  of  Pennsylvania 


WILLIAM  III,  PRINCE  OF  ORANGE 
(Photograph  of  the  original  painting  in  Kensington  Palace) 


THE    PARIAH   MEETS   MANY   STRANGERS     239 

into  a  single  province,  which  he  called  New  England. 
Over  this  he  set  Andros  as  supreme  governor,  recalling  the 
sagacious  Dongan.  Charles  Stevens  witnessed  the  arrival 
in  New  York  of  Andros,  where  he  published  his  commission 
on  August  15,  1688.  Sir  Francis  Nicholson  was  left  at  the 
head  of  local  affairs,  as  deputy  governor. 

His  rule  was  intolerable.  Stupid,  violent,  intolerant,  he 
sought  only  to  oppress  the  colonists,  believing  that  such  a 
method  was  not  only  pleasing  to  his  superior,  but  that  it  was 
also  the  best  way  to  keep  the  people  under  proper  subjection. 

To  understand  the  attitude  of  the  governors  toward  the 
governed  at  this  time,  it  must  be  remembered  that  there 
had  been  for  years  a  drift  in  England  toward  the  idea  of 
absolutism, —  a  supreme  power  vested  in  the  sovereign. 
Charles  II  had  had  no  other  purpose  in  life  than  to  estab 
lish  it  as  a  principle  of  government.  James  II  doggedly 
followed  in  the  footsteps  of  his  brother,  with  some 
attempts  at  finesse.  The  school  found  a  large  following. 
Certain  temperaments  love  the  idea  of  personal  author 
ity,  the  more  so  when  they  themselves  partake  of  the 
authority.  There  grew  up  a  coterie  of  men  ready  to  do  the 
King's  will  against  the  will  of  his  subjects,  from  sincere  con 
victions  that  tyranny  was  right.  It  was  a  duty,  a  glad  priv 
ilege,  to  work  his  purpose  on  them.  Such  a  one  was 
Andros,  and  such  was  Nicholson. 

The  disaffection  among  the  people  of  the  province  found 
expression  in  sporadic  agitations.  There  were  mutterings, 
expostulations,  petitions,  complaints.  Charles  Stevens, 
who  had  joined  the  train-band,  or  militia,  heard  much 
of  it.  Young,  impulsive,  enthusiastic,  he  grew  into  a  violent 
partisan,  preaching  sedition.  In  vain  did  Melville  attempt 
to  induce  him  to  moderation.  In  vain  did  Beatrice  try  to 
laugh  him  away  from  his  heated  humor.  Their  efforts 
only  raised  a  barrier  between  them. 


24o  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

In  due  time  came  the  crisis.  December  n,  1688,  James 
II  stole  from  his  palace  and  escaped  into  France,  fearing 
lest  the  popular  hatred  he  had  stirred  up  against  himself 
would  destroy  him.  William,  prince  of  Orange,  husband 
of  Anne,  elder  daughter  of  the  abdicating  King,  had  been 
invited  by  prominent  leaders  to  ascend  the  throne.  Land 
ing  in  England,  he  had  issued  proclamations,  and  the 
English  were  flocking  to  him  as  their  savior.  He  prom 
ised  them  their  liberties  and  political  freedom. 

The  news  reached  the  British  colonies  in  America.  It 
was  the  signal  for  a  popular  uprising  against  the  creatures 
of  James.  Andros,  in  Boston,  was  deposed  and  imprisoned. 
In  New  York  the  militia  took  matters  into  their  own  hands; 
Jacob  Leisler,  an  officer  of  the  militia,  a  Dutchman  who 
had  come  to  America  as  a  soldier  and  had  subsequently 
become  rich  as  a  trader,  assumed  control.  His  lieutenant 
was  Milborne,  his  son-in-law,  a  shrewd  Englishman  who 
was  the  brains  of  the  revolt. 

The  first  move  was  to  take  possession  of  the  garrison, 
which  Leisler  did  in  the  name  of  the  prince  of  Orange. 
The  act  was  followed  by  days  of  intense  excitement  in  New 
York.  The  militia  and  the  citizens  were  uncertain  which 
side  to  espouse.  Dongan,  the  retiring  governor,  embarked 
on  a  vessel  in  the  harbor,  postponed  his  sailing  to  await 
the  outcome.  Nicholson,  lieutenant-governor,  bullied  and 
threatened;  Leisler  argued  and  pleaded.  Popular  decision 
was  in  abeyance,  when  word  came  that  three  vessels  were 
approaching  with  orders  from  Prince  William.  The  news 
was  erroneous,  but  it  had  its  effect. 

That  rumor  decided  the  public.  Most  of  the  militia 
signed  a  declaration  in  which  they  covenanted  to  hold  the 
garrison  until  authority  should  arrive  from  the  prince. 
Nicholson  absconded  in  the  night.  Leisler  was  supreme. 
He  sent  a  messenger  to  William  with  an  address  setting 


THE    PARIAH    MEETS    MANY    STRANGERS     241 

forth  what  the  colonists  had  endured,  and  what  steps  had 
been  taken  against  the  creatures  of  James.  They  recog 
nized  William  and  Mary  as  King  and  Queen,  and  declared 
allegiance  to  them,  asserting  that  they  only  held  the  garri 
son  until  the  arrival  of  authority  from  the  new  King,  who 
acceded  to  the  throne  February  13,  1689. 

Charles  was  a  member  of  the  company  of  forty-nine 
that  first  occupied  the  garrison,  and  one  of  the  most  ardent 
of  the  number.  But  as  the  movement  became  more  popular, 
and  the  great  majority  of  the  citizens  joined  it,  he  lost  interest 
in  part,  feeling  that  his  share  of  the  work  was  done,  and 
that  the  glamour  of  unruliness  was  gone  from  it.  Never 
theless,  he  remained  at  his  post  in  the  garrison  throughout 


BY    HK  GREATNESS  OF  THINE  ARM  THEY  SHALL  BE  AS  STILL  AS  A  STONE 
TILL   THY  PEOPLE  PASS  OVER  O  LORD  WHICH  THOl   HAST  PURCHASED*      THE 
CHVRTER  OF  PENNSYLVANIA.  RECEIVES  THE  KINGS  SIGNATURE-MARCH  4 


FROM  COPLEY   PRINTS,   COPYRIGHT,    1906,    BY   CURTIS  4  CAMERON,    BOSTON 

FULFILMENT  OF  PENN'S  DESIRE 


242 


DUELING  FOR   EMPIRE 


the  summer,  visiting  the  house  where  he  lived  with  Barbara 

and  her  father  less  and  less  frequently. 

Returning  thither  on  a  day  late  in  August,  he  found  the 

house  empty. 
There  was  a 
note  lying  on 
the  table,  in 
forming  him 
that  they  had 
been  forced 
to  leave  ab 
ruptly,  and 
expressing  a 
tender  hope 
that  they 
would  see  him 
again.  There 
was  no  inti 
mation  of  the 
direction  they 
had  taken. 
He  could  find 
no  trace  of 
them  by  in 
quiry  among 
the  neighbors. 
He  returned 
to  the  fort 
dejected,  and 
uncertain 

what  to  do.    He  had  grown  unconsciously  to  depend  upon 

their  sympathy  and  company.    His  grief  was  great. 

Looking  out  across  the  harbor  in  melancholy  humor, 

Charles  saw  a  ketch  loitering  up  the  channel  before  a  faint 


PETER  SCHUYLER 


THE    PARIAH   MEETS   MANY    STRANGERS      243 

breeze  and  a  flood-tide.  Having  nothing  better  to  do,  he 
watched  it  as  it  came  abreast  of  where  he  was  sitting  and 
cast  anchor.  The  figure  of  the  man  at  the  tiller  struck  his 
attention.  He  roused  from  his  depression  and  looked  keenly. 
It  was  Hubert!  He  ran  to  the  water's  edge,  waving  his 
arms  and  shouting  his  brother's  name.  His  joy  was  great 
when  Hubert  answered  him. 

Presently  a  small  boat  put  out  from  the  ketch,  bringing 
Hubert  and  Benjamin  ashore.  The  three  brothers  laughed 
and  shouted  with  joy  over  their  meeting,  exchanging  hasty 
accounts  of  their  adventures.  When  Hubert  learned  that 
Charles  was  involved  in  the  insurrection,  he  was  alarmed, 
and  prevailed  upon  him  to  give  it  up.  Charles,  at  the 
moment,  was  in  the  mood  to  do  so.  Before  the  afternoon 
was  finished  Hubert  had  obtained  his  brother's  discharge 
from  Leisler,  whom  he  knew  well,  having  had  many  trades 
with  him. 

In  three  days  they  all  set  out  up  the  river  in  the  Matilda 
to  Albany,  where  Hubert  had  dealings  on  hand. 


CHAPTER  XV 
THE   TYRANT'S    FALL 

MANY  were  the  adventures  that  Hubert  had  been 
through  since  he  had  seen  Charles  in  Salem  four 
years  before.  Many  and  long  were  the  tales  told  as  they 
progressed  slowly  up  the  Hudson.  Journeys  into  far  seas, 
escapes  from  pirates,  storms,  hunger,  thirst,  and  the  thou 
sand  dangers  of  the  sea  were  subjects  that  held  long  on  the 
voyage.  Hubert  told  of  the  rescue  of  the  Melvilles  from 
the  plantation  in  Virginia;  of  his  delay  in  returning  for 
them  to  Philadelphia;  of  his  failure  to  trace  them  further 
than  New  York,  and  his  inability  to  find  them  in  the  city, 
because  he  could  never  safely  stay  long  enough  to  make 
diligent  search. 

Charles,  listening,  told  his  brother  that  he  had  lived 
with  the  fugitives  for  a  year,  and  that  on  the  very  day  of 
Hubert's  arrival,  they  had  surreptitiously  left.  Whereat 
they  both  marveled  much,  wondering  whither  they  had  gone, 
and  suspecting  that  Thorne  was  on  their  trail.  They  were 
powerless  to  help  them.  They  did  not  know  that  the  two 
figures  that  they  saw  crouched  in  the  bottoir  of  a  little 
sloop  which  they  passed  off  Poughkeepsie  on  a  .Jght  when 
the  moon  hung  low  in  the  sky,  were  Beatrice  and  her  father, 
fleeing  ever  from  the  shadow  that  followed.  For  Beatrice, 
on  the  day  of  their  leaving,  had  seen  Slurk  in  the  streets, 
and  he  had  seen  her.  Whether  the  master  was  about  or 
no,  there  was  too  great  danger  in  remaining. 

The  skipper  brother  had  much  news  from  Salem,  where 
he  had  spent  the  previous  winter.  Waitstill  Sparhawke 
was  still  the  epitome  of  all  Christian  decorum.  Hubert 

244 


THE    TYRANT'S   FALL  245 


ALBANY,  NEW  YORK      (From  an  old  engraving) 

had  heard  rumors  that  the  good  soul,  out  of  zeal  for  the 
welfare  of  the  community,  had  whispered  suspicions  that 
Goody  Lawrence  had  not  renounced  Satan  altogether, 
but  that  he  had  offered  to  amend  matters  by  providing 
himself  .as  a  husband  for  Jane.  There  was  a  ferment  of 
superstition  in  the  town,  Hubert  said,  which  made  the  saner 
citizens  anxious  for  the  final  issue.  Samuel  Parris,  the 
pastor,  was  the  inspiration  of  most  of  it.  Factions  were 
rising  over  the  witchcraft  sensation,  which  followed  closely 
the  lines  of  the  factions  that  formed  over  the  election  of 
Parris  to  the  ministry  of  the  church. 

Jane  was  as  beautiful,  demure,  and  sweet  as  ever.  She 
had  much  attention  from  young  men,  but  paid  no  heed  to 
them;  a  piece  of  information  that  raised  the  spirits  of 
Charles  beyond  measure.  Her  mother  was  well,  but 
worried  over  the  whisperings  against  her.  Some  of  the 
old  neighbors  had  died,  some  new  had  moved  into  the 
town.  There  had  been  marriages  and  births,  and  the 
even-tenored  events  of  the  village  life,  but  nothing  of 
consequence. 


246 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


Nothing,  that  is,  outside  of  the  political  situation,  which 
was  built  up  about  the  administration  of  Andros,  and  was 
in  no  wise  local.  Andros  continued  to  practice  every  form 
of  tyranny,  petty  and  gross.  The  resentment  of  New 
England  continued  to  rise  against  him.  Property  belonging 
to  individuals  under  the  charter  and  title  of  purchase  from 
the  Indians  he  confiscated  and  presented  to  his  creatures. 
Some  who  resisted  him  before  the  law,  not  only  suffered 
the  loss  of  their  property,  but  were  persecuted  in  petty 
ways  for  their  temerity  in  questioning  the  governor's  acts. 

A  more  intense  feeling  was  stirred  against  him,  though 
it  was  unjust  in  itself,  in  the  matter  of  an  expedition  against 
the  Indians  who  threatened  in  Maine.  During  his  absence 
in  New  York,  when  he  went  to  assume  the  added  jurisdiction, 
the  magistrates  of  Boston,  alarmed  by  demonstrations  of 
hostility  on  the  part  of  the  savages  along  their  northeastern 
border,  organized  a  force  and  sent  it  into  the  country  for 
the  protection  of  the  settlers.  Hearing  of  this,  Andros 
forbade  them  to  set  out,  and  recalled  such  as  already  were 
under  way,  believing  that  the  Indians  could  be  placa 
ted. 

Failing  in  his  subsequent  efforts  at  mediation,  Andros 
himself  set  out  with  600  men,  whom  he  distributed  between 


FORT  WILLIAM  HENRY,  PEMAQUID,  MAINE 


THE    TYRANT'S   FALL  247 

eleven  forts  in  Maine.  But  the  expedition  was  ill-considered. 
Sickness  and  hunger  visited  the  force.  It  was  conducted 
in  such  a  way  that  a  popular  prejudice  grew  that  Andros 
had  deliberately  betrayed  the  soldiers  into  unnecessary 
dangers  and  hardships,  which,  in  their  opinion,  gained 
them  nothing.  His  principal  result  was  the  strengthen 
ing  of  Fort  Pemaquid. 

Before  he  returned  to  Boston,  he  learned  of  the  agitation 
in  England  to  call  William  of  Orange  to  the  throne.  He 
issued  a  proclamation  to  his  officials,  warning  them  to  be 
prepared  to  resist  the  invasion  of  any  hostile  fleet.  He 
purposed  holding  New  England  for  his  King,  whatever 
might  befall  in  England. 

Immediately  upon  returning  to  Boston,  he  was  guilty 
of  an  imprudence,  at  least,  which  swelled  the  popular  belief 
in  his  treachery.  Two  men  of  Sudbury,  Browne  and  Good- 
enow,  hearing  an  Indian  say  that  the  governor  had  hired 
the  savages  to  kill  the  settlers,  brought  the  man  before  the 
justice  of  the  peace  of  Watertown  with  the  story.  Instead 
of  punishing  the  Indian  for  the  calumny,  Andros  prose 
cuted  the  two  officious  witnesses  to  the  point  of  persecution, 
and  moved  against  several  other  men  of  Sudbury  who  had 
professed  a  belief  in  the  Indian's  story.  They  were  held 
in  heavy  bonds  to  keep  the  peace. 

Before  the  people  of  Massachusetts  had  ceased  to  dis 
cuss  the  Sudbury  incident  in  all  its  bearings,  another  event 
occurred  of  greater  consequence.  A  young  man  named 
John  Winslow  arrived  at  Boston  from  Nevis  with  a  copy 
in  his  pocket  of  the  declaration  issued  by  William  of  Orange, 
on  his  landing  in  England.  He  had  given  four  shillings 
for  it,  in  order  that  the  people  of  New  England  might 
speedily  know  what  deliverance  they  could  expect.  Sir 
Edmund  Andros  sent  the  sheriff  to  demand  it  of  him. 
Winslow  refused  to  surrender  the  paper,  and  was  clapped 


248  DUELING  FOR   EMPIRE 

into  jail   for  bringing  traitorous    and    seditious   pieces  of 
news  into  the  country. 

The  news  of  William's  proclamation,  and  the  treatment 
of  the  bearer  of  the  news,  aroused  the  blood  of  New  England 
to  a  higher  fever.  For  two  weeks  there  was  prolonged  and 
anxious  secret  debate  among  the  leaders.  The  time  seemed 
propitious  to  pluck  their  liberty  out  of  the  hands  of  their 
oppressors.  Yet  the  matter  was  fraught  with  grave  dangers. 
William  had  only  newly  landed.  Angry  as  were  the  people 
of  England,  time  only  would  demonstrate  whether  their 
anger  would  lead  them  into  arms  against  their  King.  He 
was  all-powerful,  with  an  army  and  navy  at  his  call.  He 
was  held  in  dread.  The  clergy  had  long  been  preaching 
the  doctrine  of  passive  non-resistance  to  the  Monarch. 
If  Orange  failed,  all  those  who  cast  their  lot  with  him 
would  go  down  in  a  ruin  that  would  be  greater,  more 
terrible,  than  that  which  had  followed  in  Monmouth's  wake. 

It  was  Thursday,  April  18,  1689.  Hubert  Stevens 
had  come  from  Salem  to  prepare  for  the  season's  work, 
and  was  stopping  at  the  Blue  Anchor.  He  was  aroused 
in  the  morning  by  a  stirring  in  the  street.  He  went  out, 
half-dressed,  feeling  an  agitation  in  the  air.  Men  stood 
about  in  groups,  talking  excitedly  under  their  voices. 

"Men  are  arming  in  the  North  End,"  said  one. 

"They  are  preparing  to  move  against  Andros  in  the 
South  End,"  observed  a  second.  "The  governor  has 
taken  refuge  in  Fort  Hill." 

"Little  good  it  will  do  him,  if  the  citizens  hold  together," 
commented  Hubert. 

"Captain  George,  of  the  Rose  frigate,  was  taken  by  a 
body  of  patriots  when  he  was  ashore  this  morning,  and  is 
under  guard." 

"This  is  lecture-day  in  First  Church.  The  town  will 
be  full  of  men  from  the  country.  Now  is  the  time." 


THE    TYRANT'S   FALL  251 

Hubert  hastened  back  to  his  room,  donned  his  clothes, 
and  came  forth  on  the  street  as  quickly  as  he  could.  Drums 
were  beating  through  the  town.  An  ensign  was  set  afloat 
on  the  beacon.  Presently  Captain  Hill  marched  a  com 
pany  up  King  Street,  escorting  Bradstreet,  Danforth,  and 
others  of  the  old  magistrates  to  the  council  chamber.  Ran 
dolph,  the  trouble-maker,  Justices  Bullivant  and  Foxcroft, 
and  many  more  of  the  governor's  partisans  were  put  in 
jail.  The  jail-keeper  himself  was  thrown  in  among  them. 
His  functions  were  assumed  by  Scates,  a  bricklayer.  The 
rebellion  was  of  a  popular  nature. 

About  noon,  the  gentlemen  who  had  been  conferring 
together  appeared  in  the  eastern  gallery  of  the  Town  House, 
and  read  to  the  assembled  people  a  declaration;  a  docu 
ment  which  was  to  have  a  successor  in  years  to  come  that 
would  change  the  face  of  civilization  and  move  man  for 
ward  into  a  new  age.  The  declaration  recited  the  many 
sins  of  Andros,  and  concluded  with  a  resolution  to  "  seize 
upon  the  persons  of  those  few  ill  men  which  have  been 
(next  to  our  sins)  the  grand  authors  of  our  miseries,"  ex 
pressing  the  fear  that  the  province  would  else  be  surrendered 
by  the  present  governor  to  an  enemy.  The  declaration 
contained  phrases  of  praise  and  expressions  of  loyalty  to 
the  prince  of  Orange. 

Andros  sent  the  son  of  Chief  Justice  Dudley  to  the 
ministers  and  some  prominent  citizens,  requesting  a  con 
ference  with  them  at  the  fort.  The  invitation  was  declined. 
Meanwhile,  the  streets  filled  with  companies  of  troops,  and 
across  the  water  at  Charlestown  bodies  of  men  mustered 
from  the  countryside,  having  seen  the  beacon  and  heard 
tales  of  the  events  in  Boston.  A  summons  was  sent  de 
manding  of  Andros  the  surrender  of  the  fort,  threatening 
to  assault  it  unless  he  complied. 

The  lieutenant  commanding  the  Rose,  hearing  the  news, 


252 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


flew  his  pennants,  opened  his  ports,  and  thrust  out  his  guns 
ready  for  a  fight.  He  sent  a  boat  ashore  to  fetch  off  the 
governor.  The  crew  was  seized,  and  the  boat  held.  John 
Nelson,  who  had  borne  the  summons  to  the  governor  and 
captured  the  boat,  now  surrounded  the  fort  with  his  men, 
and  brought  cannon  to  bear  upon  it.  The  soldiers  within 
were  daunted.  The  governor  sent  a  message  to  the  directors 
of  affairs  at  the  Town  House.  The  reply  to  the  message 


CHARLESTOWN,  MASSACHUSETTS,  IN  1743     (From  an  old  print} 

decided  him  to  leave  the  fort  and  pass  before  the  patriots 
assembled. 

Andros  was  conducted,  under  guard,  to  the  house  of 
Mr.  Usher.  Others  of  his  party  were  sent  to  the  gaol  to  be 
presided  over  by  Scates,  the  bricklayer.  By  a  threat  that 
he  would  be  turned  over  to  the  mercies  of  the  people  whom 
he  had  misruled  for  two  years  and  a  half,  Andros  was  pre 
vailed  upon  to  order  the  surrender  of  the  castle.  All  the 
guns  of  the  castle  and  the  fort  now  being  brought  to  bear 
on  the  frigate  Rose,  Captain  George  pleaded  that  he  might 
be  spared  surrendering  her,  as  that  would  forfeit  the  wages 
of  his  crew.  He  accepted  the  conditions  that  her  topmasts 
should  be  struck  and  brought  ashore,  along  with  her  sails. 


THE    TYRANT'S    FALL  253 

Andros  himself  was  transferred  to  the  fort.  He  nearly 
effected  his  escape  on  the  first  night  of  his  incarceration. 
Dressed  in  women's  clothes,  he  passed  two  sentries,  when 
a  third  was  struck  by  the  appearance  of  the  shoes  worn  by 
the  supposed  woman.  Their  soles  were  thick.  Their 
size  was  over- large.  He  stopped  the  masquerader,  and 
discovered  Andros.  Dudley,  who  had  lately  had  the  im 
pudence  to  tell  the  people  of  New  England  that  the  only 
liberty  left  them  was  that  of  not  being  sold  for  slaves, 
against  whom  feeling  ran  high,  was  absent  on  circuit  in 
Long  Island  at  the  commencement  of  the  movement  against 
the  government.  On  his  return  he  was  confined  under 
guard  at  his  home  in  Roxbury. 

The  first  phase  of  the  rebellion  had  come  to  a  successful 
issue.  The  tyrant  was  in  durance,  and  his  government 
broken.  But  in  its  place  there  was  nothing.  A  committee 
of  safety  was  organized,  but  it  held  authority  at  no  hands. 
The  people  had  neither  chosen  its  members  nor  the  King 
appointed  them.  Bradstreet,  now  eighty-seven  years  old, 
was  elected  president.  Wait  Winthrop  was  placed  in 
charge  of  the  militia.  A  convention  was  called.  The 
convention  decided  that  the  governor  and  magistrates  who 
had  held  office  when  the  charter  was  revoked  should  con 
tinue  in  their  respective  offices. 

This  had  scarcely  been  done,  when  a  ship  came  to  Boston 
with  an  order  to  proclaim  King  William  and  Queen  Mary. 
Three  days  later,  amid  great  ceremony  and  pageantry,  the 
thing  was  done.  The  happiness  of  the  people  of  New 
England  knew  no  bounds.  They  were  to  have  a  Protestant 
King  and  Queen  in  place  of  those  who  had  fled.  They 
were  to  have  their  rights  and  liberties  restored.  Ten  days 
later  Sir  William  Phips  arrived  from  England  with  word 
that  the  temper  of  William  III  was  propitious.  He  was 
followed  by  an  order  from  the  Crown,  deposing  Andros 


254  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

and  authorizing  the  former  officers  of  government  to  take 
temporary  charge. 

It  was  from  such  scenes  as  this  that  Hubert  was  fresh 
when  he  sailed  into  the  harbor  of  New  York,  and  discovered 
his  impulsive  brother  engaged  in  a  home-made  amateur 
rebellion  at  that  place.  It  was  his  close  observation  of  the 
mental  annoyance  involved  in  such  political  paroxysms 


NEW  YORK  FERRY  HOUSE  IN  1746     (From  an  old  wood  engraving) 

that  made  him  incline  toward  some  other  form  of  activity 
for  his  brother,  and  prevail  upon  him  to  go  along  in  the 
Matilda. 

It  was  not  many  days  before  they  both  rejoiced  in  the 
change  that  had  come  over  his  plans.  Leisler,  less  in  in 
telligence  and  influence  than  those  at  the  head  of  the 
Massachusetts  affair,  and  not  sustained  by  the  long  tradi 
tions  of  a  united  people,  did  not  achieve  the  success  of  his 
prototype.  His  committee  of  safety  was  not  sure  of  its 
own  safety. 

When  Charles  and  Hubert  arrived  at  Albany,  they 
found  the  place  frankly  rebellious  against  the  rebel.  The 


THE    TYRANT'S    FALL  255 

citizens  of  Albany  chose  that  they  should  be  the  saviors 
of  that  community  to  William  and  Anne,  and  so  declared 
in  convention  assembled.  They  looked  upon  Leisler  as 
an  upstart,  and  their  social  inferior.  Peter  Schuyler,  mayor 
of  Albany,  was  the  leader  of  the  rebellion  within  a  rebellion. 

The  air  was  even  then  so  full  of  threats  that  a  body  of 
armed  men  was  on  the  way  from  New  York  to  invest 
Albany. 

It  was  now  October.  Hubert,  desiring  to  be  absent 
from  the  arena  of  difficulties  that  did  not  concern  him, 
decided  to  return  at  once  and  winter  in  Boston.  Charles, 
loving  mild  adventure,  was  to  remain  at  Albany,  and  quietly 
gather  together  furs  for  a  voyage  in  the  spring,  to  whatever 
point  to  which  it  might  then  seem  advisable  to  transport 
furs. 

It  was  under  this  understanding  that  the  brothers 
parted  again  at  the  wharf  on  the  Hudson  River,  at  Albany, 
on  the  last  day  in  October,  1689. 


CHAPTER  XVI 


THE    FRENCH    GIVE    A    PARTY 


,  learning  that  a  force  under  Jacob  Milbourne 
was  on  the  way  to  compel  the  submission  of  the 
assembly  to  Leisler's  rule,  left  Albany  for  Schenectady,  a 
settlement  and  fort  fifteen  miles  northwest  on  the  Mohawk 
River.  He  was  now  as  lukewarm  in  the  matter  of  the 
rebellion  as  he  had  been  hot. 

He  made  the  journey  thither  in  company  with  John  S. 
Glen,  chief  magistrate  of  the  town.     Glen  was  an  adherent 


of    Schuyler,  and   a 
vention     against 
low-townsmen, 
part    Dutch- 
partisans  of 
Glen, 
the      ap- 
M   i    1  - 
hastened 
nectady 
conven- 
p  revent 
certed    ac- 
tween     the 
that       place 
i  n  v  a  d  i  n  g 

His       precau- 
necessary.     While  the 
nectady,     over     their 


BlENVILLE 


supporter  of  the  con- 
Leisler.     His  fel- 
for    the     most 
men,  we  re 
L  e  i  s  1  e  r . 
learning  of 
proach  of 
bourne, 
to    Sche- 
from    the 
t  ion,   to 
any     con- 
t  ion  be- 
citizens     of 
and       the 
party. 

tions  were  un- 
good  citizens  of  Sche- 
pipcs  and  schnapps, 


grunted  their  heavy  approval  of  the  course  of  the  militia 

256 


THE   FRENCH   GIVE   A   PARTY 


257 


captain,  they  carried  on  a  fireside  campaign  only,  and 
did  not  lend  a  hand.  Glen,  perceiving  that  there  was  no 
danger,  hastened  back  to  Albany  to  be  present  in  the  crisis 
there. 

The  crisis  was  high  comedy.  Milbourne,  with  a  small 
rabble,  arrived  in  front  of  the  capital,  and  saw  the  fort 
filled  with  men.  He  therefore  resorted  to  oratory,  obtain 
ing  permission  to  harangue  the  citizens  in  the  assembly- 
room.  The  citizens  shook  their  heads,  and  he  shook  his 
fists.  Leaving  the  platform,  he  mustered  his  army  of  a 
handful  of  men,  and  marched  with  fixed  bayonets  in  the 
general  direction  of  the  fort.  Schuyler,  who  commanded 
the  garrison,  had  difficulty  in  preventing  the  soldiers  and 
Indian  allies  from  firing  on  the  advancing  host.  When 
Milbourne  felt  that  he  had  come  near  enough  for  moral 
effect,  he  turned  about  and  marched  back  to  New  York, 
in  the  pleasantest  time  of  the  year. 

Charles  was  sitting  on  a  stump 
without .  the  gate  of  the 
oblong  enclosure  which 
was  Schenectady,  talking 
with  a  French  coureur 
du  bois,  when  Glen 
returned  from  this  scene. 
He  was  surprised  when 
he  saw  that  the  magis 
trate  was  accompanied 
by  a  man  and  a  woman. 
He  was  more  than  sur 
prised  when  he  saw  that 
the  two  were  Hugo  Mel 
ville,  and  Beatrice,  his 
daughter.  The  young 

man     ran     forth   to   meet  SCHUYLER  AND  THE  SCOUTS 


258  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

them.  There  was  a  glad  welcome  between  them,  and  brief 
explanations  as  the  party  walked  toward  the  gate.  Father 
and  daughter  had  come  there  to  hide  for  a  space. 

As  they  approached  the  gate,  Glen's  face  lighted  up, 
observing  the  courier  who  still  sat  on  the  stump. 

"Ah,  Monsieur  Dautray!"  he  exclaimed,  "you  are 
early  here!" 

The  Frenchman  arose,  with  a  shrug  of  his  shoulders 
and  spread  palms. 

"It  was  desire  to  look  once  more  upon  your  countenance 
that  brought  me  here  out  of  time,"  he  replied,  with  a  smile 
that  showed  gleaming  teeth  between  his  heavy  whiskers 
and  mustachios.  He  was  a  handsome  man,  with  bright 
eyes,  expressive,  mobile  features,  and  a  massive  back  that 
lost  its  bulky  look  when  he  stood ;  for  he  had  great  height. 

Glen  grinned  pleasantly. 

"'T  is  not  my  countenance  you  come  so  far  to  look  up 
on,  I  warrant  you,  Monsieur  de  Leon,"  he  observed,  in 
a  bantering  tone;  whereat  the  other  laughed  and  shrugged 
his  shoulders  again.  "Do  you  stay  long?" 

"I  go  in  two  days,  monsieur.  If  you  permit  me,  I  will 
visit  you  before  I  go?" 

"By  all  means,  Dautray He  is  a  bold  French 

•voyageur  and  fur-trader,"  Glen  explained  to  his  companions 
as  they  journeyed  toward  his  house,  which  stood  across 
the  river  from  the  stockade,  on  a  hill,  half  a  mile  distant. 
"He  loves  a  girl  in  the  town,  and  comes  frequently  to  see 
her,  though  how  he  chances  to  be  here  in  the  fall,  when  he 
should  be  setting  out  on  his  trappings,  I  know  not.  He 
is  a  bold  fellow,  at  the  least,  to  come  among  the  Iroquois 
as  he  does.  Already  he  has  been  once  at  the  point  of  death 
at  their  hands.  I  had  great  labor  in  persuading  them  to 
spare  him." 

They  spent  the  first  night  at  Glen's  house.     Barbara 


THE   FRENCH    GIVE   A   PARTY  261 

continued  to  live  with  the  magistrate's  family,  it  being 
impossible  to  find  room  for  her  and  her  father  in  any  house 
in  Schenectady,  and  Glen  being  unable  to  accommodate 
more  than  one  guest.  Charles  and  Melville  found  shelter 
in  the  block-house  at  the  east  end  of  the  enclosure,  where 
were  eight  Connecticut  militiamen,  under  Lieutenant 
Talmage.  In  this  manner  they  settled  down  to  pass  the 
winter;  Charles  happy  in  the  novelty  of  the  life,  the  other 
two  happy  in  a  feeling  of  security  from  their  danger. 

There  was  little  chance  that  Thorne  or  his  evil  agent, 
Slurk,  would  come  so  far,  either  by  chance  or  intention. 
Schenectady  was  the  outpost  of  the  colony  of  New  York, 
practically  in  the  heart  of  the  untamed  wilderness.  Be 
yond  lay  interminable  forests  reaching  past  the  Great  Lakes. 
Indians  roamed  these  in  primitive  wildness.  French 
trappers  traversed  the  untracked  gloom  of  the  woods, 
bringing  their  furs  to  Albany  at  intervals.  A  few  English 
men,  hardy,  rough,  reckless,  engaged  in  the  same  danger 
ous  and  romantic  business. 

If  Albany  was  the  bearing-point  of  the  friction  between 
the  two  colonial  empires  of  France  and  England,  Schen 
ectady  was  the  pivot.  In  the  very  air  there  was  the  elec 
tricity  of  tension  and  pressure.  From  the  beginning  of 
things  there  was  inevitable  and  necessary  conflict  between 
the  two  civilizations.  Whenever  they  came  into  contact, 
sparks  flew.  It  was  in  the  nature  of  things  that  this  should 
be  so.  Their  basic  principles  differed  so  fundamentally 
and  widely  that  it  was  impossible  that  they  should  ever 
lie  reconciled,  side  by  side. 

This  irrepressible  conflict  between  the  two  mother  coun 
tries  was  not  only  for  the  possession  of  North  America,  it 
might  properly  be  called  a  "Seventy  Years  War"  between 
Absolutism  and  Individualism, —  between  that  system  of 
government  with  supreme  power  exercised  by  a  ruler  un- 


262 


DUELING  FOR   EMPIRE 


restrained  by  any  constitution  or  laws,  as  was  Louis  XIV 
with  his  famous  assertion,  "I  am  the  State,"  and  the  spirit 
of  liberty  which  produced  communities  that  governed  them 
selves  in  town  meetings. 

Of  course  such  a  conflict  could  have  only  one  ending, 
but  it  is  interesting  to  trace  to  its  source  one  of  the  power 
ful  influences 
which  resulted 
in  the  final 
domination  of 
North  America 
by  the  Anglo 
Saxon.  Three 
generations 
before  a  little 
skirmish  took 
place  on  the 
banks  of  Lake 
George  be 
tween  Cham- 
plain  and  a 
small  band 
of  Mohawks. 
Not  more 
than  a  dozen 
Indians  were 

WILLIAM  III,  PRINCE  OF  ORANGE  killed     but     it 

kindled  a  flame  of  deadly  hostility  between  the  French  in 
Canada  and  the  powerful  tribe  of  the  Iroquois.  Following 
this  incident  and  while  Champlain  was  on  his  way  home 
ward,  the  Half  Moon  sailing  slowly  up  the  Hudson,  her 
English  captain  by  friendly  intercourse  with  this  same  tribe 
winning  for  England  the  friendship  of  the  deadliest  foe  that 
the  Frenchman  was  destined  to  encounter  in  North  America. 
British  America,  in  spite  of  the  Mother  Country's  efforts. 


THE  FRENCH   GIVE  A  PARTY  263 

to  repress  her,  was  in  her  several  provinces  a  country 
for  the  people,  governed  by  the  people.  That  was  the 
irresistible  tendency  that  ultimately  found  expression  in 
the  Revolution  and  the  United  States  of  America. 

New  France  was  a  territory  to  be  exploited  for  the  profit 
of  its  King  and  the  glory  of  God.  The  administration  of 
its  affairs  was  always  directly  in  line  with  these  compelling 
ideas.  France  was  to  spread  herself  over  the  vast  country 
at  the  expense  of  the  country,  for  the  good  of  France.  No 
hardship  was  wrought  upon  any  one  by  this  system,  for 
all  the  immigrants  in  Canada  were  mere  instruments  and 
agents  of  the  government  for  such  purposes.  They  were  on 
the  side  of  the  oppressors,  and  none  was  oppressed  because 
there  was  nothing  to  be  oppressed  save  posterity.  With 
these  fundamental  points  in  antagonism,  nothing  could 
avert  the  conflict  which  smoldered  through  a  century, 
breaking  out  at  last  into  the  war  known  as  the  French 
and  Indian  War,  which  settled  forever  the  problem  of 
empire  over  seas,  and  fixed  the  destiny  of  America  as  a 
political  power  in  the  world's  history. 

At  this  time  there  was  a  man  at  the  head  of  affairs  at 
Quebec  who  did  more  to  mold  the  policy  of  the  province 
and  promote  her  interests  toward  successful  issue,  than 
any  other  who  had  ever  been  there,  or  who  ever  came  after 
ward.  This  man  was  Comte  Louis  de  Baude  de  Frontenac, 
French  soldier,  scholar,  courtier,  and,  in  the  better  sense, 
adventurer.  It  is  whispered  that  he  came  to  America,  teem 
ing  as  it  was  with  dangers  of  man  and  wild  beast,  a  barren 
wilderness  offering  nothing  but  hardships,  to  escape  the 
vigorous  temper  of  his  wife.  Twice  he  was  sent  out  by  Louis 
XIV.  From  1672  to  1682  he  ruled  the  province  with  a 
firm  hand.  Recalled  in  1682  through  intrigues  of  his 
enemies,  who  were  many,  he  was  sent  out  again  in  1689 
in  times  of  great  stress,  and  was  energetically  restoring 


264  DUELING  FOR   EMPIRE 

the  colony  to  such  health  as  it  could  expect  in  its  body 
politic. 

Frontenac  was  full  of  faults.  He  was  domineering,  arbi 
trary,  intolerant  of  opposition,  irascible,  vehement  in  preju 
dice,  often  wayward,  perverse,  and  jealous;  a  persecutor 
of  those  who  crossed  him,  yet  capable  of  fits  of  moderation 
and  a  magnanimous  lenity;  gifted  with  a  rare  charm  —  not 
always  exerted  —  to  win  the  attachment  of  men ;  versed  in 
books,  polished  in  courts  and  salons ;  without  fear,  incapable 
of  repose,  keen  and  broad  of  sight,  clear  in  judgment, 
prompt  in  decision,  fruitful  in  resources,  unshaken  when 
others  despaired ;  a  sure  breeder  of  storms  in  times  of  peace, 
but  in  time  of  calamity  and  danger  a  tower  of  strength. 
His  early  career  in  America  was  beset  with  ire  and  enmity; 
but  admiration  and  gratitude  hailed  him  at  its  close;  for 
it  was  he  who  saved  the  colony  and  led  it  triumphantly  up 
from  a  threatened  abyss  of  ruin. 

At  the  time  he  arrived,  the  Iroquois  Indians,  the  five 
tribes  of  New  York,  had  been  stirred  up.  They  alone  of 
all  the  American  Indians  with  whom  the  French  came  in 
contact  still  adhered  to  the  English.  De  Barre,  who  had 
followed  Frontenac 's  first  governorship,  had  moved  to 
attack  them  seven  years  before.  Since  his  time,  Denon- 
ville,  his  successor,  had  kept  up  bitter  strife  with  the  Indians. 
He  enticed  a  tribe  to  Fort  Frontenac,  seized  them  and  sent 
the  men  to  France  as  slaves.  He  marched  against  the 
principal  town  of  the  Senecas,  who  burned  it  before  him. 

In  retaliation,  the  Indians  stole  upon  the  settlement  at 
La  Chine,  seven  miles  from  Montreal,  and  massacred  the 
French  there.  For  two  months  they  prowled  about  the 
French  settlements  on  the  Saint  Lawrence,  which  had  been 
the  hunting-grounds  of  their  fathers  since  the  time  of  Cartier 
and  Champlain,  killing  and  destroying.  It  was  this  war 
fare  in  which  Dongan,  governor  of  New  York,  took  a  part 


THE  FRENCH   GIVE  A   PARTY  265 

more  active  than  was  consistent  with  the  friendship  existing 
between  his  Monarch  and  Louis  of  France. 

But  a  greater  enemy  than  the  Indians  was  to  be  feared. 
England  and  France  were  again  ^^^^^  at  war. 
Louis,  who  received  the  fugitive  ^^^^|  H^fe*.  James 
in  his  palace  of  Saint  Ger- 
main,  declared  him  still  to 
be  rightful  King  of  Eng 
land.  William,  on  the 
other  hand,  who  had 
spent  most  of  his  life 
resisting  the  imperial 
ambitions  of  Louis,  was 
eager  to  swing  the  aid  of 
England  into  a  coalition 
that  might  crush  the 
power  of  France  for 
ever.  Germany,  Aus 
tria,  Holland,  and 
England  now  united 
against  the  French 
Monarch.  War  was 
declared  by  England  in 
1689,  shortly  after 
Frontenac  reached 
Quebec. 

Knowing  that  Can 
ada  could  be  overrun 
and  overwhelmed  by 
the  English  colonists, 
should  they  start  in 
unified  motion,  he  de 
termined  upon  the  ex 
pedient  Of  Striking  the  STATUE  or  FRONTENAC  BY  HEBERT 


266  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

first  blow,  in  the  hopes  that  the  moral  effect  of  it  would  save 
his  province  from  invasion.  Three  war  parties  were  organized 
along  the  Saint  Lawrence  in  the  fall  and  early  winter  of  1689. 
One,  consisting  of  160  French  and  ninety  Indians,  under 
D'Aillebout  de  Mantet  and  Le  Moyne  de  Sainte-Helene,  Le 
Moyne  d'Iberville  and  Le  Moyne  de  Bienville,  was  to  move 
along  Lake  Saint  Sacrament,  afterward  called  Champlain,  and 
attack  Albany.  A  second  under  Francois  Hertel  de  Rouville, 
of  twenty-four  French  and  twenty-five  Indians,  was  to  move 
against  the  settlers  on  the  Piscataqua,  starting  from  Three 
Rivers.  The  third,  leaving  Quebec  with  fifty  French  and 
sixty  Indians  under  Captain  Portneuf,  a  Canadian,  and 
Lieutenant  Courtmanche,  was  to  strike  a  blow  against  Fort 
Royal  on  Casco  Bay,  and  the  other  settlements  there. 

It  was  midwinter  when  the  expeditions  set  out.  Those 
whose  objective  was  Schenectady  traveled  on  snowshoes 
down  Lake  Saint  Sacrament  on  the  ice.  It  was  bitter  cold. 
The  snow  was  piled  in  huge  drifts.  They  reached  a  point 
where  the  paths  diverged,  one  going  to  Albany  and  the  other 
to  Schenectady.  The  Indians  of  the  party  had  demurred 
against  attempting  to  attack  Albany.  The  men  were  worn 
by  hunger  and  nearly  perishing  with  cold.  Without  a  word 
the  leader  turned  down  the  path  leading  toward  Schenectady. 

The  January  thaw  set  in  before  they  came  near  Schenec 
tady.  The  march  was  horrible.  They  waded  knee-deep 
through  slushy,  melted  snow  mingled  with  ice,  mud,  and  water 
which  froze  on  their  legs  whenever  they  stopped.  It  was  nine 
days  before  they  reached  a  point  two  leagues  above  the  settle 
ment.  The  men  were  half  dead  with  cold,  fatigue,  and 
hunger.  The  weather  had  changed  again.  A  biting  storm 
whirled  the  snow  down  the  valley  of.  the  Mohawk.  It  was 
the  afternoon  of  February  8,  1690.  They  found  a  wigwam 
containing  four  Mohawk  squaws,  whom  they  took  prisoners. 
The  party  crowded  about  the  fire  to  warm  their  hands,  numb 


THE  FRENCH   GIVE  A  PARTY  267 

with  the  cold.  At  4  o'clock  they  set  out  for  the  stockade. 
The  captured  squaws  showed  them  a  way  across  the  river. 
It  was  ii  o'clock  when  they  looked  at  last  through  the 
trees  and  beheld  the  houses  in  the  settlement,  plastered  with 
the  spinning  snow  that  drove  against  the  log  walls. 

All  was  quiet  within  the  stockade.  None  were  abroad 
in  the  bitter  cold.  There  was  no  guard.  The  community, 
torn  with  dissensions  over  the  Leisler  affair,  paid  no  heed  to 
external  dangers.  The  soldiers  in  the  block-house,  whom 
Glen  had  repeatedly  warned  of  danger  from  the  Indians  since 
the  beginning  of  hostilities  in  Europe,  only  laughed,  glad  of 
a  chance  to  discredit  their  political  antagonists.  In  deri 
sion,  they  placed  a  statue  of  snow  in  each  gate,  at  the  op 
posite  ends  of  the  enclosure,  to  do  the  duty  of  sentinels. 
Even  the  gates  were  left  open,  so  great  was  their  stubborn 
sense  of  security. 

Melville  had  been  taken  into  the  household  of  Glen. 
Charles  was  still  in  the  garrison  in  the  block-house,  at  the 
eastern  end  of  the  enclosure.  There  had  been  holiday  early 
in  the  evening;  but  now  all  was  dark  and  still,  save  for  the 
whistling  of  the  wind,  and  the  crackling  of  the  frozen  trees. 
Those  within  kept  no  guard  without,  preferring  to  risk  the 
chance  of  a  surprise  rather  than  court  death  in  the  storm. 

The  plan  originally  was  to  make  the  attack  at  2  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  but  the  condition  of  the  men  was  such  that 
it  was  imperative  to  strike  at  once,  else  they  all  would  perish. 
They  were  desperate,  frantic  with  cold  and  hardship.  Almost 
they  would  have  surrendered  to  the  enemy  they  came  to 
annihilate,  for  the  sake  of  sharing  the  warmth  that  lay 
behind  those  snow-draped  walls. 

But  there  was  another  way  to  come  into  the  warmth. 
They  would  first  put  it  to  the  test.  There  was  soft  talking 
in  the  howling  storm.  The  talk  ceased.  A  swarm  of  black 
shadows,  ominous,  stealthy,  silent,  crept  to  the  open  gate 


268 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


and  looked  in  upon  the  snow  man  that  stood  between  the 
sleeping  settlers  and  eternity.  At  the  gate  the  party  divided, 
Sainte-Helene  at  the  head  of  one  file,  Mantet  at  the  head  of 
the  other.  They  stole  in,  and  wound  each  around  opposite 


THE  ATTACK  ON  SCHENECTADY    (From  a  drawing) 

sides  of  the  enclosure,  leaving  men  as  they  went,  and  contin 
uing  until  they  met  at  the  farther  gate.  The  houses  were 
surrounded. 

A  shouting  in  the  deathly  stillness  of  midnight !  A  wild, 
shrilling,  curdling  chorus  of  warwhoops!  Axes  beating 
sharply  upon  oaken  doors!  Axes  beating  dully  on  the  skulls 
of  men  and  women,  staggering  from  bed  sodden  with  sleep, 
numb  with  fear!  Screams  of  women  who  watched  their 
babes  being  dashed  against  the  stones  of  the  hearth,  or  felt 
the  keen  knife  sink  into  their  flesh !  Groans  of  strong  men 
stricken  down  to  gory  death !  Wails  of  children  aroused  from 
sleep  crying  for  the  mother  who  lay  sweltering  beside  the 
bed,  a  great,  red',  raw,  dripping  blotch  where  her  soft  tresses 
had  been  the  night  before,  when  she  rocked  the  child  to 


THE   FRENCH   GIVE  A  PARTY  269 

sleep!     The  massacre  was  on!    War  was  brought  home  to 
the  subjects  of  William  of  Orange,  King  of  England. 

Charles  heard  the  first  yelps  of  the  Indians.  They  came 
into  his  dreams.  He  awoke,  wondering  how  it  happened 
that  Jane  came  to  make  such  a  noise;  for  he  dreamed  of 
Jane.  The  tumult  of  horror  was  brought  into  his  ears  when 
one  of  the  soldiers  opened  the  door  to  see  what  went  forward. 
He  leapt  to  his  feet.  The  blanket  which  he  had  wrapped 
about  himself  when  he  lay  down  caught  his  knees  and  threw 
him  to  the  floor.  He  struggled  to  rise.  The  blanket  twisted 
and  writhed  like  a  live  thing  as  he  clutched  at  it  frantically. 
He  got  upon  his  feet.  He  was  stamping  it  away  from  his 
legs.  He  was  almost  clear  of  it  when  the  air  was  shattered 
into  a  million  tingling  fragments,  leaving  a  black  and  empty 
void  into  which  he  sank,  softly,  with  a  great  inexplicable  joy 
rising  about  him. 


CHAPTER  XVII 
THE   BLOW   IN   THE   NIGHT 

SLOWLY,  imperceptibly,  Charles  slid  back  into 
consciousness.  By  degrees  he  became  aware  that  his 
head  was  numb  and  throbbing,  that  his  hands  ached,  that 
his  limbs  tingled,  that  he  was  cold,  lame,  stiff,  miserable. 
He  tried  to  raise  his  hands  to  his  head.  They  were  tied. 
He  opened  his  eyes.  Snow  blew  into  the  lids  and  drove  them 
shut.  His  feet  were  so  cold  that  they  had  lost  all  sensa 
tion.  He  felt  a  warm  breath  against  his  cheek.  He  drew 
away  from  it  with  a  horrible,  half-delirious  fancy  that  some 
one  came  to  eat  him.  The  warmth  grew.  He  opened  his 
eyes  again.  A  red  glare  burst  upon  his  sight.  All  about 
within  the  stockade  the  houses  were  burning. 

A  number  of  men  and  women  stood  about  him,  their 
hands  tied  at  their  backs.  French  soldiers  stalked  around 
the  group,  guns  cocked,  bayonets  set.  They  were  without 
the  stockade,  close  by  a  gate.  The  warmth  from  the  burn 
ing  houses  revived  him.  He  struggled  into  a  sitting  posture, 
the  better  to  look  about  him.  Inside  the  gate  he  saw  scat 
tered  bodies,  scalped.  Through  the  red  glare  of  the  fires 
ran  painted  savages,  skipping  and  dancing  in  mad,  excited 
joy,  brandishing  knives,  flaunting  scalps,  rushing  from  the 
burning  houses  with  loot.  His  heart  turned  sick,  and  he 
lay  back  again  in  the  snow,  wondering  vaguely  how  he 
came  there. 

He  never  knew  that  the  blow  that  laid  him  low  was  from 
the  musket  of  one  of  the  soldiers  within  the  block-house, 
who,  aroused  suddenly,  saw  him  trampling  on  something 
and  struck  him  down  in  the  frenzy  of  fear  and  excitement 

270 


THE   BLOW  IN  THE  NIGHT 


271 


that  possessed  him,  believing  him  to  be  an  Indian.  He 
never  knew  that  when  the  block-house  was  stormed,  a 
French  officer,  finding  him  still  alive,  bore  him  out  of  the 


building  and    threw   him 
oners.    He  never  knew,  for 
down  was  already  cold  in 
moaning  and  unconscious 
houses   that   were   not 

It  was  the  voice 
him    again.     He 
friend  standing  in  the 
French  and   Indians 
oners.      Charles's 
were    still    impeded, 
an  instant  that  Glen 
had  betrayed  the  set- 
came    to     view     his 
thought  was  gone  in 
it ;  and  he  blushed  for 
turned  his  sad,  kindly 
nodded,     making    a 
time  to  an  officer  who 
The  officer  spoke 
pointing  Charles 
came    to    where 
the  melted  snow, 
unfastened     his 


• 


down  among  the  other  pris- 
the  soldier  who  struck  him 
death,  and  the  officer  lay 
on  a  cot  in  one  of  the  few 
burned. 

of  Glen  that  roused 
looked  up,  to  see  his 
midst  of  a  group  of 
surveying    the   pris- 
intellectual  processes 
and  he  thought  for 
was    a   traitor   who 
tlement,     and    now 
work.       But     the 
the  instant  that  bore 
shame    when    Glen 
face  toward  him  and 
sign    at     the    same 
stood  at  his  elbow, 
to     another, 
out.  The  other 
Charles  sat  in 
raised  him  up, 
hands,  chatter? 


THE  INDIAN  MONUMENT,  SCHENECTADY 


272 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


ing  French  the  while  in  a  kind  voice,  and  led  him  at  last 
to  Glen. 

The  act  of  moving  cleared  away  the  mists  in  Charles's 
brain,  and  the  evident  sympathy  of  one  so  lately  an  enemy 
restored  his  shattered  courage;  besides  it  became  immedi 
ately  evident  that  Glen  possessed  some  sort  of  authority. 

"Is  there  one  whom  you  would  save?"  asked  Glen  in 
Dutch,  of  which  Charles  had  acquired  passable  knowledge. 

"What  mean  you?" 

"If  there  is  one  among  the  prisoners,  or  two,  whom  you 
have  any  reason  to  cherish  above  the  others,  speak  the 
name;  but  make  no  sign.  I  have  the  privilege  from  these 
French  to  pick  out  my  kinsfolk." 

Charles,  confused  still,  understood  enough  of  the  sit 
uation  to  blunder  out  the  name  of  the  young  woman  whom 
Dautray  loved,  and  whom  he  chanced  to  descry,  sobbing 
and  disconsolate,  at  the  back  of  the  group  of  prisoners. 

Glen  signaled  her  as  one  of  those  he  would  save. 


ON  THE  MOHAWK  RIVER 


THE   BLOW  IN  THE  NIGHT  273 

"Is  he  cousin  to  all  the  people  of  the  town?"  grumbled 
an  Indian  who  stood  near. 

Glen  paid  no  heed  to  the  remark;  but  desisted  from 
discovering  more  cousins  in  the  group  of  prisoners.  Charles 
went  with  the  others  to  Glen's  house,  where  he  found  the 
Melvilles  and  learned  this  story.  The  French  and  Indians 
came  to  the  house  in  the  morning.  Glen,  with  his  attend 
ants  and  tenants  in  the  house,  which  was  loopholed  and 
blockaded,  was  ready  to  give  them  warm  reception.  They 
made  signs  to  him  that  they  desired  a  parley,  which  he 
cautiously  gave  them.  They  had  instructions  from  Canada 
not  to  harm  him  or  his  family,  and  to  permit  him  to  rescue 
all  of  his  kinsfolk  from  the  massacre.  This  because  he  had 
frequently  saved  the  lives  of  French  traders  from  the 
Iroquois,  with  whom  he  had  strong  influence. 

At  noon  the  marauders  left.  Schenectady  was  in  ashes, 
save  some  houses  that  Glen  had  begged  of  them.  Sixty 
persons  were  killed,  of  whom  ten  were  children  and  twelve 
women.  Twenty-seven  were  conveyed  as  prisoners  to 
Canada.  About  sixty  old  men,  and  some  women  and 
children,  were  left  unharmed  to  placate  the  Mohawks. 
Reinforcements  arrived  from  Albany  after  the  war  party 
had  left.  They  reported  that  many  who  had  fled  through 
the  night  had  perished  on  the  way. 

The  thoughts  of  Charles  now  turned  toward  home.  The 
cry  for  his  own  people  made  itself  heard.  For  more  than 
two  years  he  had  smothered  it  with  more  or  less  success; 
but  he  was  not  one  who  could  bear  malice  indefinitely. 
He  was  the  more  ready  to  return  to  Salem  because  of  anxi 
ety  for  Jane  and  her  mother.  The  gossip  Hubert  had  told 
nim  had  grown  to  assume  fantastic  proportions. 

He  could  not  prevail  upon  the  Melvilles  to  undertake 
Lhe  journey  in  the  winter,  and  he  was  not  willing  himself 
to  wait  until  spring.  He  left  them  in  the  middle  of  February, 


274  DUELING  FOR   EMPIRE 

with  many  a  kind  farewell,  and  a  half-promise  on  their  part 
that  they  would  come  on  to  Salem  in  the  spring  on  the 
Matilda,  which  was  expected  at  Albany.  At  that  moment 
it  did  not  seem  to  Charles  to  be  of  much  consequence  if 
Hubert  would  fail  to  find  a  single  pelt  at  the  end  of  his 
voyage. 

Charles  traveled  as  far  as  the  Connecticut  River  with  a 
messenger  who  bore  a  plea  from  Schuyler  to  the  assembly 
in  Connecticut,  asking  for  help.  Thence  he  made  his  way, 
not  without  great  hardships  and  some  risk,  to  Boston,  and 
so  to  Salem,  arriving  there  early  in  April. 

His  heart  leapt  when  he  came  to  the  top  of  me  hill 
whence  he  had  had  the  last  view  of  Salem  two  years  and 
more  before,  on  the  dismal  morning  when  he  went  forth 
to  seek  his  fortune.  It  came  over  him  abruptly  that  he  had 
then  given  himself  two  years  in  which  to  gather  together 
the  riches  of  the  world  and  return  for  Jane.  He  felt  a  little 
heavy  under  the  recollection.  Here  he  was,  trudging  back 
through  the  mire  and  water  of  many  miles,  without  the 
coach  of  which  he  had  seen  many  visions,  without  money, 
without  position,  power,  or  prospects,  a  fugitive  from 
Indians,  a  turncoat  rebel,  a  disastrous  failure ! 

He  searched  the  view  for  a  sight  of  her  cottage,  thinking 
perhaps  he  might  catch  a  glimpse  of  it  through  the  trees 
when  they  were  not  in  leaf.  But  although  he  could  distin 
guish  the  chimney  of  his  father's  tavern,  and  other  familiar 
buildings,  he  did  not  find  the  humble  little  roof  he  looked 
for.  He  turned  out  of  the  highway  to  pass  through  the 
strip  of  woods  where  he  and  Jane  were  wont  to  gather 
flowers  in  the  spring,  where  they  had  wandered  that  after 
noon  after  school  when  they  first  mutely  told  their  love, 
and  he  had  played  the  trick  on  Louder  and  Fry  which 
promised  to  bring  such  evil  consequences. 

He  paused  to  look  around  before  he  entered  the  wood. 


THE   BLOW  IN  THE  NIGHT 


275 


lest  some  one  should  see  him  and  laugh  at  him  for  his  sen 
timent.  Once  out  of  sight,  his  pulse  quickened  at  the 
familiar  sights  in  the  woods.  He  remembered  each  tree  and 
stump,  each  low-sweeping  branch,  each  grape-vine  twist 
ing  up  the  boles  of  the  trees,  and  swinging  through  the  air 
in  graceful  loops.  He  paused,  as  he  went,  to  search  for  the 
early  flowers,  poking  about  beneath  last  year's  leaves  for 
violets  to  take  to  her. 

He  found  several,  and  was  admiring  their  timorous 
petals  of  blue,  his  tender  thoughts  mingling  with  their 
slight  perfume,  when  he  heard  the  sound  of  an  approach. 

He  concealed 
the  flowers 
hastily  and  as 
sumed  an  inno 
cent  look,  as 
though  he  had 
been  on  the 
threshold  of  be 
ing  detected  in 
heinous  crime. 
It  was  a  gen 
tle  foot  that 
pressed  the  soft 
mold.  It  was  a 
slow  foot,  too. 
He  watched  in 
the  direction 
whence  the 
sound  came  for 
a  long  time  be 
fore  he  saw  any 
one.  At  last  he 
caught  sight  of 


2)6 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


THE  MABIE  HOUSE,  THE  OLDEST  IN  THE  MOHAWK  VALLEY 

a  dress  between  the  boles  of  two  elm  trees.  In  an  instant 
a  girl  appeared  in  sight;  a  beautiful  girl,  with  blue  eyes 
and  soft,  golden  hair  that  sprung  from  beneath  the  bonnet 
she  wore  as  sunlight  springs  through  the  clouds  in  the 
evening.  He  looked  again.  It  was  Jane! 

She  had  not  seen  him.  Her  head  she  had  bowed  down, 
from  the  moment  when  she  had  glanced  up  to  seek  out 
her  direction  and  he  had  caught  sight  of  her  face.  She  was 
coming  near  him  in  the  course  she  took.  He  waited  with 
trembling  knees  and  pounding  heart.  She  came  quite 
close,  and  yet  did  not  see  him.  He  feared  he  should  fright 
en  her.  He  rustled  some  leaves,  broke  a  twig  with  his 
heel,  and  whistled  softly  one  of  the  old  tunes.  She  looked 
up  swiftly,  like  a  deer  that  is  startled. 

"I  have  been  finding  violets  for  you,  Jane/'  he  said, 
holding  them  out  to  her,  a  smile  on  his  face  that  was  filled 
with  the  joy  of  all  violets,  and  eternal  spring  and  singing 
birds,  and  life,  and  love. 


THE   BLOW  IN  THE  NIGHT  277 

She  came  to  him  wide-eyed,  with  arms  outstretched, 
without  a  word,  and  sank  into  his  embrace,  sobbing,  weep 
ing,  laughing,  whispering.  He  kissed  her  as  he  had  kissed 
her  before  in  that  same  wood,  save  that  this  time  his  lips 
passed  her  cheek  and  sought  her  lips.  Then  did  they  two 
know  that  all  the  anxiety,  all  the  sorrow,  all  the  disappoint 
ment,  fear,  danger,  hardships,  heartache  of  the  years  that 
had  intervened  were  as  nought,  and  that  forever  after  they 
should  be  as  nought  compared  to  this  great  thing  that  had 
arisen  between  them. 

She  had  been  through  much  trouble.  Waitstill  Spar- 
hawke,  now  the  schoolmaster  and  a  respected  member 
of  the  community,  was  besieging  her  to  marry  him.  There 
were  whisperings  still  against  her  mother,  which  Wait  said 
he  could  silence  if  admitted  to  the  family.  Parris  was  her 
violent  enemy,  for  reasons  she  was  unable  to  surmise.  The 
witchcraft  hallucination  had  grown  in  the  town.  There 
was  strong  talk  of  it,  and  Parris  was  fostering  the  delusion 
with  sermons.  There  was  a  feeling  that  he  was  using  it  as 
an  instrument  of  punishment  against  those  who  had  opposed 
his  selection  as  minister  at  Salem.  Her  mother  was  well, 
but  distressed  in  mind  and  unhappy.  Charles  stopped  to  en 
courage  her,  though  she  was  already  inspirited  at  sight  of  him. 

His  father  received  him  kindly  enough,  but  without 
enthusiasm.  He  had  taken  another  wife,  and  already 
was  becoming  diverted  from  his  older  children  by  one  of 
the  least  possible  age,  which  had  arrived  only  the  week 
before  Charles.  His  brothers  and  sisters,  according  to 
temperament,  held  him  in  awe,  or  contempt,  or  hero- 
worship,  all  of  which  were  equally  disappointing  to  one 
whose  soul  hungered  for  demonstrated  love.  Hubert  had 
gone  a  month  before,  taking  Benjamin  with  him.  Charles 
regretted  that  he  had  not  arrived  in  time  to  save  him  a 
futile  voyage. 


278  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

Salem  was  in  a  state  of  tremendous  excitement.  The 
Andros  affair  was  scarcely  out  of  their  mouths  when  the 
war  came  on;  and  close  upon  war  followed  news  of  French 
expeditions  against  the  outlying  settlements.  They  had 
already  heard  of  the  massacre  at  Schenectady,  though 
Charles  was  able  to  supply  them  with  a  fund  of  detail 
that  went  far  toward  restoring  him  entirely  in  the  good 
opinion  of  the  citizens,  and  changed  completely  his  father's 
attitude  toward  him.  He  had  become  a  source  of  profit 
to  the  Black  Horse;  an  advertisement,  a  drawing  card. 

Charles  learned  for  the  first  time  the  details  of  the 
sporadic  warfare  that  had  been  going  on  among  the  Abenaki 
Indians  in  Maine  for  two  years  before  the  recent  attacks 
on  the  settlers.  The  trouble  was  a  lingering  anger  that 
had  endured  from  King  Philip's  War,  which  had  ravaged 
'New  England  a  dozen  years  before.  The  Abenaki s  had 
never  been  reconciled  to  the  peace  that  was  then  made. 

Their  smoldering  hatred  of  the  English  was  fanned 
by  the  belief  that  the  whites  were  the  enemies  of  God,  which 
was  a  part  of  the  faith  which  they  had  learned  from  French 
missionaries.  The  spark  that  set  the  flame  was  applied 
by  Denonville,  then  governor  of  Canada. 

The  first  alarm  came  in  1688.  It  was  this  alarm  that 
caused  the  magistrates  of  Boston  to  send  soldiers  into  Maine, 
which  move  displeased  Andros.  Becoming  alarmed  him 
self,  Andros  went  into  Maine  in  the  winter,  garrisoning 
the  forts  that  he  found  there,  and  strengthening  Fort  Pema- 
quid.  The  soldiers  were  withdrawn,  in  large  part,  early 
in  the  spring  by  the  committee  of  safety,  which  took  charge 
of  the  government  when  Andros  was  deposed.  It  was 
a  fatal  mistake.  They  had  no  sooner  left  than  trouble 
began. 

The  first  blow  fell  at  Dover.  Two  squaws  came  in  the 
evening  and  begged  lodging  of  Major  Waldron,  eighty 


THE   BLOW  IN  THE  NIGHT  281 

years  old.  He  traded  with  the  Indians.  He  was  in  the 
habit  of  buying  skins  by  weight,  placing  his  hand  in  the 
scale  of  the  balance  to  weigh  a  pound  against  the  skins. 
It  was  well  to  accommodate  their  squaws.  In  the  night  the 
women  arose  and  opened  the  gates,  admitting  the  savages. 
They  bound  the  aged  soldier  in  a  chair,  after  a  terrible 
fight.  After  long  torture,  in  which  they  cut  off  the  hand 
that  he  used  in  his  trades,  and  cast  it  in  the  scales  before 
his  eyes  to  see  if  it  weighed  the  pound  that  he  claimed 
for  it,  they  killed  him  with  his  own  sword.  It  weighed 
more. 

The  chief  event  of  the  war  was  the  capture  of  Fort 
Pemaquid,  occupied  by  thirty  soldiers  under  Lieutenant 
Weems.  The  Indians,  by  a  sudden  rush,  got  possession 
of  a  number  of  houses  behind  the  fort,  from  which  they 
kept  up  a  close  fire.  The  next  day  Weems  surrendered, 
on  condition  that  there  should  be  no  massacre,  and  that 
himself  and  certain  others  should  go  free.  The  pledge  of 
the  savages  was  kept,  with  the  exception  of  the  butchery 
of  a  few  as  they  left  the  gate  of  the  fort. 

The  war  ran  swiftly  through  Maine  and  New  Hamp 
shire  after  the  taking  of  Pemaquid,  sixteen  fortified  houses 
falling  into  the  hands  of  the  savages.  A  hasty  levy  of  troops 
was  made  in  Massachusetts  and  Plymouth,  and  sent 
against  the  Indians,  who  were  defeated  in  a  long,  scatter 
ing  fight  on  Casco  Bay;  after  which  the  soldiers  withdrew, 
fancying  they  had  secured  the  country  against  further 
depredations. 

But  the  security  was  fancied.  It  was  only  the  next 
spring  when  Hertel  de  Rouville  with  his  band  of  French 
and  Indians  descended  upon  Salmon  Falls,  surprising  and 
taking  a  fortified  house  and  two  stockaded  houses,  or 
forts,  and  devastating  the  surrounding  farm-houses. 
Thirty  were  killed  and  fifty-four  taken  to  Canada  as  pris- 


282  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

oners.  Hertel,  in  his  retreat,  was  overtaken  by  a  body  of 
English,  whom  he  beat  at  a  bridge  crossing  a  swollen  river. 

Arriving  at  an  Abenaki  village  on  the  Kennebec,  he 
learned  that  the  third  expedition  which  had  set  out  from 
Canada  had  lately  passed  on  its  way  to  the  settlements. 
Hertel  hastened  to  join  them.  The  force,  by  the  constant 
accession  of  Indians,  was  increased  to  between  400  and 
500  men  when  it  camped,  late  in  May,  near  Fort  Loyal, 
situated  on  a  little  hill  which  now  lies  at  the  foot  of  India 
Street  in  the  city  of  Portland,  Maine. 

Captain  Sylvanus  Davis  was  in  charge  of  the  men, 
who  numbered  about  a  hundred,  scattered  about  in  near 
by  houses.  Around  lay  rough  and  broken  fields  stretching 
to  the  edge  of  the  forest,  half  a  mile  distant.  The  alarm 
was  given  by  the  Indians  themselves,  who  fell  upon  a 
Scotchman,  yelping  their  scalp-song.  Lieutenant  Thad- 
deus  Clark,  ignoring  the  authority  of  Davis,  set  out  with 
thirty  men  to  find  the  Indians.  Four  of  the  thirty,  des 
perately  wounded,  managed  to  get  back  alive  to  the  fort. 

The  forces  were  joined  together  in  the  fort.  In  the 
morning  the  French,  after  burning  the  houses,  set  to  work 
to  dig  trenches  up  to  the  palisades.  In  three  days  they  had 
progressed  so  far  that  they  were  able  to  place  a  machine, 
carrying  a  tar  barrel  and  other  combustibles,  against  the 
wooden  wall,  when  they  demanded  a  surrender.  Davis, 
learning  that  his  assailants  were  not  all  Indians,  agreed  to 
surrender  on  condition  that  they  should  be  given  good 
quarter,  and  be  permitted  to  go  under  guard  to  the  next 
English  town. 

This  the  French  agreed  to,  and  the  garrison,  together 
with  the  women  and  children,  marched  out.  They  were 
immediately  abandoned  by  the  French  to  the  Indians, 
who  butchered  some  with  torture,  and  carried  others  cap 
tive  to  Canada.  Davis,  expostulating  against  such  treach- 


THE  BLOW  IN  THE  NIGHT  283 

ery,  was  told  that  he  and  his  followers  were  rebels  against 
their  true  King,  James  II,  then  a  fugitive  in  the  court  of 
Louis,  and  had  no  rights  that  obliged  respect. 

The  news  of  this  disaster  came  to  Salem  when  Charles 
Stevens  had  been  home  for  more  than  a  month.  Before 
the  receipt  of  the  news,  a  project  was  on  foot  to  make  a 
combined  attack  against  Montreal.  The  idea  originated 
with  the  Iroquois.  In  May  a  congress  of  delegates  from 
the  New  England  governments  and  New  York  met  in  the 
city  of  New  York  to  perfect  arrangements.  Colonial  militia, 
to  the  number  of  about  1500  men,  were  to  rendezvous  at 
Albany,  and  proceed  up  Lake  Champlain  against  Montreal. 
There  was  much  jealous  quarreling  among  the  delegates, 
but  it  was  finally  agreed  that  Fitz-John  Winthrop  of  Con 
necticut  should  have  charge  of  the  band.  Massachusetts 
and  the  other  seaboard  colonies  were  invited  to  attack 
Quebec  by  sea  at  the  same  time. 

Massachusetts  was  at  first  not  in  the  mood.  Her  treas 
ury,  like  the  treasury  of  every  other  colony,  was  depleted 
from  the  expenses  of  King  Philip's  War.  She  was  also 
engaged  on  another  enterprise  which  was  of  more  immediate 
consequence  to  herself.  Her  commerce  had  suffered 
during  the  winter  from  French  cruisers  that 
found  convenient  refuge  in  Port 
Royal,  on  the  Bay  of  Fundy, 
in  Acadia.  The  colony 
brought  together  seven 
vessels,  288  sailors, 
and  500  militia 
men,  and  sent 
them,  under  com 
mand  of  Sir  William 
Phips,  to  reduce 
the  French  fort- 


HISTORIC  HOUSE  IN  SCHENECTADY 


284  DUELING   FOR  EMPIRE 

This  expedition  returned  on  May  31,  covered  with 
glory  and  plunder,  from  a  completely  successful  venture. 
News  of  its  achievements  had  preceded  it,  obedient  to  a 
fixed  policy  of  the  commander.  When  he  returned,  he 
found  Boston  alive  with  martial  spirit.  The  people,  stirred 
by  his  prowess,  were  bent  on  taking  Quebec  single-handed 
and  alone.  The  preparations  were  already  under  way. 
A  number  of  vessels  had  been  impressed,  and  volunteers 
had  been  enrolled  for  the  military  force  that  was  to  accom 
pany  the  expedition.  Phips  was  at  once  chosen  com 
mander,  and  the  activities  of  preparation  redoubled. 

The  colony  sent  to  England  asking  for  arms  and  am 
munition.  The  request  was  refused.  The  home  govern 
ment  did  not  give  the  province  so  much  as  encouragement. 
Nevertheless,  the  people  had  determined  upon  the  capture 
of  Quebec,  which  would  be  a  highly  profitable  venture 
in  a  financial  way,  as  well  as  one  resulting  in  honor  and 
security.  They  did  not  believe  that  God  would  let  them 
fail  thus  to  smite  the  Catholics,  and  went  about  it  very 
bravely. 

They  needed  more  men  than  the  volunteers  who  had 
offered,  or  the  first  levies  afforded.  It  was  necessary  to 
impress  some  to  complement  the  force.  Charles  would 
have  gone  at  once  had  it  not  have  been  for  Jane,  who 
feared  to  have  him  leave  her  and  her  mother  again.  She 
had  exacted  from  him  a  promise  that  he  would  stay  at  home. 
He  resisted  her  only  far  enough  to  lull  his  conscience.  For 
the  rest,  he  was  glad  enough  to  remain  quietly  at  Salem, 
strolling  through  the  woods  or  along  the  seashore  with 
Jane  in  the  evenings,  spending  many  hours  by  her  side. 

It  was  July.  Preparations  were  all  but  completed. 
It  only  remained  to  gather  together  a  few  more  soldiers. 
The  recruiting  officers  were  in  Salem.  Charles,  seeing 
them  in  the  streets  as  he  walked  with  Jane,  told  her  teas- 


THE   BLOW  IN  THE    NIGHT  285 

ingly  that  he  had  decided  to  go.  She  took  it  playfully, 
and  they  made  themselves  happy  over  it  during  the  rest 
of  the  evening.  Only  when  Charles  left  her  at  the  door 
to  go  home  did  she  grow  serious  and  make  him  promise 
once  again  that  he  would  not  leave  her.  Even  then,  in 
a  spirit  of  mischief,  he  refused  to  tell  her  that  he  would  not 
go  to  war.  When  she  pressed  him  closely  for  an  answer, 
he  stopped  her  with  his  kisses,  and  left  her  with  a  laugh. 

He  was  crossing  the  field  to  the  tavern,  a  little  stricken 
in  conscience  lest  he  might  have  caused  her  some  uneasiness. 
He  was  on  the  point  of  turning  to  make  her  mind  free, 
but  dismissed  the  idea  as  foolish.  To-morrow  would  do. 
She  could  not  take  it  much  in  earnest.  The  night  was 
dark.  There  was  no  moon.  The  black  clouds  of  an 
approaching  storm  shut  away  the  slight  illumination  of 
the  stars.  A  heavy  shadow  from  some  of  the  outbuildings 
fell  across  his  path.  Charles,  of  keen  sensibilities  and  quick 
feeling,  feared  the  dark;  but  the  very  qualities  that  made 
him  fear  it  made  him  brave  to  ignore  the  fear.  He  walked 
into  the  shadow  with  a  mad  desire  to  scream  and  take  to 
his  heels,  but  with  an  even  breath  and  a  slow  step. 

A  blinding  flash  of  red  throughout  the  sky!  A  ringing 
of  ten  thousand  strident  bells;  the  roaring  of  a  mighty 
sea!  The  crown  of  his  head  went  numb;  the  bones  of 
his  neck  struck  together;  he  fell  senseless  within  a  stone's 
throw  of  his  home,  with  Jane's  kisses  still  warm  on  his 
lips,  struck  down  with  a  bludgeon. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 
THE    SELF-MADE   MAN 

WHEN  Charles  revived,  he  felt  the  swing  of  the  sea 
beneath  him,  and  knew  that  he  was  in  a  boat.    His 
head  was  interlaced  with  vibrant  pangs.    He  was  nauseated. 
Outlined  against  the  pale  grey  of  the  sky  was  the  figure  of 
a  man  bending  over  him. 

"Ecod,  Philander,  you  hit  him  an  uncommon  crack  on 
the  sconce,"  he  heard  the  man  say  to  one  whom  he  could 
not  see.  "Truly,  it  will  serve  him  in  good  stead  when  he 
comes  to  be  a  soldier.  Ha!  He  opens  his  eyes!  Here, 
my  man,  take  this." 

A  bottle  was  put  to  his  lips.  A  spout  of  fiery  raw  brandy 
filled  his  mouth  and  throat,  gagging  him.  He  gulped  it 
down.  The  myriad  pains  in  his  head  quickened.  He  lapsed 
again  into  unconsciousness,  and  soon  developed  a  fever. 
They  brought  him  to  Boston,  delirious,  and  placed  him  in 
a  tent,  where  they  cared  for  him  in  rough,  soldierly  fashion. 
For  three  weeks  he  knew  nothing  of  himself.  At  last  the 
fever  abated,  leaving  him  weak  and  confused.  He  realized 
by  degrees  that  he  was  in  camp  at  Boston,  impressed  into 
service  in  the  expedition  against  Quebec.  In  a  week  he 
was  able  to  be  carried  aboard  ship.  He  could  get  no  word 
to  Jane  meanwhile.  The  thought  of  her  anxiety,  the  fear 
that  she  would  think  he  had  gone  willingly,  disobedient  to 
her  wish  and  his  promise,  distracted  him.  But  there  was 
no  hope  for  him.  As  he  grew  stronger  he  nerved  his  courage, 
compelling  himself  to  become  reconciled  to  his  fate  as  a 
duty  to  her  and  to  himself. 

The  fleet  sailed  from  Narraganset  on  August  9.    The 

286 


THE   SELF-MADE   MAN 


287 


ship  on  which  he  had  been  taken  was  the  one  that  carried 
Sir  William  Phips,  commander  of  the  expedition.  The 
departure  was  delayed  by  waiting  for  the  return  of  the  ship 
that  had  gone  to  England  in  the  spring  asking  for  help.  At 
last,  fearing  to  lose  more  time  because  of  the  advanced 
season,  Phips  set  off  without  word  from  the  home  govern 
ment.  The  fleet  consisted  of  thirty- two  trading- vessels 
which  had 
been  pressed 
into  service. 
The  largest 
was  the  ship 
Six  Friends,  of 
the  West  India 
trade,  carrying 
forty-four 
guns. 

Sir  William 
Phips,  the 
commander, 
was  the  proto 
type  of  the 
American  self- 
made  man.  He 
was  born  at 
Woolwich,  a 
rude  settle- 
ment  on  the 
Kennebec,  in 

/r  One  of  SlR  WlLLIAM  PHIPS  (From  Windsor's  "America"} 

twenty-six  children,  in  his  youth  he  herded  sheep.  His  ambi 
tion  reached  for  high  things,  however,  and  he  learned  the 
trade  of  ship-building,  removing  to  Boston,  where  he  further 
advanced  his  fortunes  by  marrying  a  widow  with  some  prop- 


288  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

erty,  and  a  social  stand  ing  higher  than  his  own.  He  promised 
her  that  one  day  they  should  have  a  "fair  brick  house  in  the 
Green  Lane  of  North  Boston,"  at  that  time  a  fashionable 
residence  district. 

For  several  years  he  met  with  nothing  but  reverses. 
In  the  hope  of  acquiring  fame  and  fortune  at  once,  he  con 
ceived  the  idea  of  fishing  the  treasure  from  a  Spanish  galleon, 
wrecked  fifty  years  before  in  the  West  Indian  seas.  Going 
to  England,  he  prevailed  upon  the  Admiralty  to  furnish  him 
with  a  vessel  for  this  purpose.  He  there  met  with  many 
adventures  which  served  to  develop  his  resources  and  prove 
his  mettle.  His  crew  mutinying  and  demanding  that  he 
turn  pirate,  he  laid  about  him  with  his  fists,  and  beat  them 
into  submission.  A  second  mutiny  was  likewise  quelled. 

He  returned  without  the  treasure,  but  with  information 
that  encouraged  him  in  the  belief  that  he  would  be  more 
fortunate  another  time.  He  brought  the  duke  of  Albe- 
marle  to  the  same  opinion.  The  duke,  with  other  noblemen 
and  gentlemen,  gave  him  a  second  ship.  This  time  he 
succeeded,  recovering  gold,  silver,  and  jewels  to  the  amount 
of  $1,500,000.  Having  got  the  treasure  aboard,  his  crew 
conspired  to  take  it  from  him  and  divide  it  among  them 
selves.  He  prevented  them  from  doing  so  only  by  promis 
ing  that  they  should  have  a  share,  even  if  it  had  to  come 
out  of  his  own  spoil.  He  was  true  to  his  promise.  When 
he  had  discharged  it,  only  $80,000  remained  to  him.  But 
that  was  a  fortune  in  those  days;  and  his  financial  dis 
appointment  was  more  than  compensated  by  his  being 
raised  to  knighthood,  an  honor  that  was  dearer  to  his  heart 
than  the  possession  of  the  fair  brick  house  which  he  pur 
chased  in  the  Green  Lane  of  Boston  upon  his  return. 

He  returned  from  England  at  the  time  when  William 
and  Mary  had  just  ascended  the  throne.  Before  he  returned, 
he  was  effective  in  high  circles  in  bringing  royal  favor  upon 


THE   SELF-MADE   MAN  291 

the  rebellion  against  Andros.  In  this  work  he  assisted 
Increase  Mather,  who  had  gone  to  England  to  plead  the 
cause  of  the  colony.  The  romantic  story  of  his  adventures, 
the  important  work  accomplished  by  him  at  court,  and  the 
psychological  moment  of  his  arrival  at  Boston  brought  him 
fortunately  before  the  public.  When  the  expedition  against 
Port  Royal  was  planned,  he  was  chosen  to  command  it. 

Phips,  like  the  self-made  men  of  all  time,  rose  through 
his  aggressive  egotism  and  self-reliance,  augmented  by  good 
luck.  He  had  little  more  than  his  energy  for  capital.  He 
was  not  of  a  high  intellect.  He  had  little  tact,  no  finesse, 
no  statesmanship.  His  education  was  faulty  to  a  degree, 
he  being  scarcely  able  to  read  or  to  write  his  name.  His 
signature  was  t  that  of  a  peasant.  He  was  a  man  of  physi 
cal  action  rather  than  mental.  He  was  rude,  bold,  bluff, 
prompt,  choleric.  He  broke  through  the  stiff  punctilious 
formality  of  the  nobles  who  helped  him  to  rise  with  a  blunt 
frankness  of  address  that  appealed  to  their  human  nature. 

The  affair  at  Port  Royal  did  him  little  credit.  The 
garrison  at  that  point  made  no  resistance.  He  displayed  a 
scandalous  rapacity  which  was  not  consistent  with  his 
acknowledged  integrity  in  his  personal  affairs.  He  seemed 
to  consider  that  the  conditions  of  war  released  him  from  the 
practices  of  common  honesty.  It  is  alleged  that  he  robbed 
Meneval,  the  French  commander,  of  money  he  had  had 
given  into  his  hands  for  safe  keeping.  He  looted  the  cit 
izens  who  refused  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  William, 
profaned  the  churches,  and  carried  off  the  commander  and 
some  of  the  priests. 

The  expedition  against  Quebec  first  showed  his  limita 
tions.  He  proved  himself  incapable  of  rising  above  the 
adverse  circumstances  that  intervened  to  thwart  his  plans. 
The  fleet  made  a  long  voyage  to  the  mouth  of  the  Saint  Law 
rence.  News  of  their  approach  was  brought  to  Quebec. 


292  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

Frontenac  gathered  together  the  forces  he  could  command, 
and  strengthened  the  fortifications.  Reaching  a  point  three 
days'  sail  below  Quebec,  he  spent  three  weeks  in  idle  coun 
cils  of  war.  Phips  had  made  prisoners  of  Madame  Lelande 
and  Madame  Joliet,  the  mother-in-law  and  wife  respectively 
of  Joliet,  the  explorer,  who  told  him  that  the  fortifications 
were  out  of  repair,  the  guns  dismounted,  and  only  200  sol- 


PHIPS'S  NECK:    THE  SITE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  PHIPS'S  BIRTHPLACE 

diers  present  to  make  a  defense.  In  spite  of  this  information, 
and  the  need  for  prompt  action  owing  to  the  lateness  of  the 
season,  he  wasted  much  precious  time. 

The  fleet  at  length  proceeded  to  the  basin  below  Quebec, 
finding  the  shores  alive  all  the  way  with  Canadians  and  In 
dians  who  prevented  any  landing  on  Canadian  soil.  Passing 
from  behind  the  Isle  of  Orleans,  one  of  the  grandest  scenes 
on  the  western  continent  opened  before  the  eyes  of  the  invad 
ers  :  the  wide  expanse  of  waters,  the  lofty  promontory  behind, 
and  the  opposing  heights  of  Levi ;  the  cataract  of  Montmor- 
enci,  the  distant  range  of  the  Laurentian  Mountains,  the  war 
like  rock  with  its  diadem  of  walls  and  towers,  the  roofs  of 


THE   SELF-MADE  MAN  293 

the  Lower  Town  clustering  on  the  strand  beneath,  the  Cha 
teau  Saint  Louis  perched  on  the  brink  of  the  cliff,  and  over 
it  all  the  white  banner,  spangled  with  the  fleur-de-lis,  flaunt 
ing  defiance  in  the  clear  autumnal  air. 

At  10  o'clock  a  boat  bearing  a  flag  of  truce  put  out  from 
the  admiral's  ship.  An  officer  brought  a  message  from 
Phips,  demanding  the  surrender  of  the  fortress  and  city, 
in  the  name  of  King  William. 

"Tell  your  general  I  do  not  recognize  King  William," 
he  said.  Continuing  in  courteous  and  elegant  speech,  he 
leveled  bitter  sarcasm  upon  Phips  for  his  conduct  at  Port 
Royal.  The  subaltern  bearing  the  summons  asked  for  a 
written  answer. 

"No,"  returned  Frontenac,  "I  will  answer  your  general 
only  by  the  mouth  of  my  cannon,  that  he  may  learn  that  a 
man  like  me  is  not  to  be  summoned  in  this  fashion.  Let 
him  do  his  best,  and  I  will  do  mine." 

The  messenger  was  blindfolded  and  surrounded  con 
stantly  with  a  hubbub  when  on  his  errand,  to  impress  him 
with  the  strength  and  activity  of  the  defense.  He  was  several 
times  permitted  to  see  about  him.  Each  time  that  the  blind 
fold  was  removed,  he  saw  files  of  soldiers,  not  knowing  that 
they  were  the  same  files  that  he  had  seen  before,  drawn  up 
again  for  his  second  inspection.  Phips,  receiving  the  haughty 
reply  of  Frontenac,  was  at  a  loss  what  to  do.  He  was  not 
afraid,  but  his  egotism  had  deserted  him,  and  he  felt  that  he 
was  not  equal  to  the  task.  He  called  another  council  of  war. 
Many  plans  were  debated,  among  them  the  landing  of  troops 
above  the  city,  in  the  cove  where  Wolfe  landed  seventy  years 
later,  to  take  the  city  in  the  rear. 

"Too  far!  Too  far!"  ejaculated  Phips,  pacing  up  and 
down  the  cabin  with  his  arms  folded  and  a  scowl  on  his 
brows.  "What?  Place  a  force  there  without  support  and 
expose  it  to  annihilation?  It  is  a  wild  scheme!" 


294  DUELING   FOR   EMPIRE 

It  was;  and  it  took  a  wild,  bold,  desperate  spirit  such  as 
Wolfe's  to  accomplish  it.  At  last,  late  in  the  afternoon,  it 
was  agreed  that  Major  John  Walley,  second  in  command, 
should  land  at  Montmorenci,  cross  the  Saint  Charles  at  a 
ford  of  which  French  prisoners  told  them,  scale  the  heights 
of  Sainte  Genevieve  and  attack  in  the  rear,  while  Phips 
moved  his  ships  close  to  the  town  to  divert  the  defense  with 
a  bombardment  and  an  attack  on  the  barricades  that  blocked 
the  way  from  Lower  Town  to  Upper  Town.  But  even  as  the 
plan  was  formulating,  the  opportunity  of  putting  it  into  effect 
passed  away.  They  heard  the  sound  of  beating  drums  and 
shrilling  fifes  from  the  town.  Phips  rushed  on  deck,  his 
eyes  rolling  and  his  hands  clenched. 

"Ma foil"  exclaimed  Granville,  a  French  prisoner,  "you 
have  lost  the  game.  It  is  the  governor  of  Montreal  with  the 
people  from  the  country  above.  There  is  nothing  for  you 
now  but  to  pack  and  go  home." 

The  next  day  was  stormy,  and  Phips  made  no  move.  At 
eleven  o'clock  on  the  following  morning  Major  Walley  with 
1300  men  landed  at  Montmorenci.  Charles,  recovered  in 
body,  was  of  the  number.  The  French  came  to  meet  them, 
firing  upon  the  compact  body  of  troops  from  the  thickets 
that  lined  the  bank.  The  New  England  troops  charged, 
driving  the  enemy.  There  was  desultory  fighting  among 
the  trees  and  shrubs.  In  the  evening,  having  cleared  the 
ground,  the  English  advanced  and  posted  along  the  Saint 
Charles,  where  they  were  to  be  met  by  boats  with  supplies 
and  ammunition.  A  deserter  came  into  camp  with  the  news 
that  there  were  3000  armed  men  now  in  Quebec. 

Meanwhile,  Phips,  growing  impatient  at  last,  made  a 
premature  movement  with  his  fleet,  and  engaged  the  forts 
with  his  heavier  ships  before  the  time  was  ripe.  During  the 
afternoon,  when  Walley  was  coming  to  his  position,  there  was 
a  furious  artillery  duel,  which  resulted  in  no  damage  to  the 


THE  SELF-MADE  MAN 


295 


fort  and  considerable  discomfort  for  the  ships.  In  the  morn 
ing  the  bombardment  was  renewed;  but  the  boats  which 
were  to  sustain  Walley  failed  to  come.  The  individual  com 
manders,  impressed  on  the  expedition,  had  no  relish  for  ex 
posing  their  vessels,  and  withheld. 

Deserted  by  his  support,  marooned  on  a  hostile  shore 
with  a  force  of  trained  and  desperate  fighters  confronting 
him,  Walley  and 
the  raw  troops  in 
his  command  were 
in  an  uncomfort 
able  predicament. 
The  commander 
returned  to  the 
flagship  to  explain 
the  situation  and 

t  a  k  e  C  O  U  n  S  e  1.  MONTREAL  (From  a  drawing} 

When  he  was  gone,  the  troops,  fired  by  zeal,  made  an  advance 
along  the  banks  of  the  Saint  Charles.  There  was  random 
fighting  throughout  the  day. 

All  night  they  lay  on  their  arms,  anxious  and  sleepless. 
The  day  dawned  grey  and  sick.  A  dismal  rain  obscured 
the  wild  country  in  which  they  were  drawn  up.  Walley 
ordered  three  companies,  among  them  the  one  in  which 
Charles  served,  to  beat  up  the  bushes  and  drive  out  the 
Canadians.  Through  the  cold,  raw  morning,  through 
the  dull  noontide,  until  the  afternoon,  with  the  rain  beat 
ing  into  their  faces  and  chilling  their  hands,  the  New  Eng 
land  recruits  advanced,  without  discipline,  without  definite 
knowledge  of  what  was  expected  of  them,  into  the  thickets 
which  sheltered  death. 

The  formation  of  the  surface,  the  thick  brush,  the 
scattering  fire  of  the  enemy,  broke  up  their  ranks.  Scramb 
ling  through  the  jungle,  peering  into  the  grey  mist  for 


296  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

enemies,  stopping  to  fire  at  moving  bushes  or  fleeting  figures, 
Charles  rushed  forward.  He  was  sick  at  heart.  A  gnaw 
ing  loneliness  came  over  him.  He  was  not  a  coward  in 
body  or  mind,  but  the  hopelessness  of  it  broke  his  sensi 
tive  spirit,  already  bent  by  the  tragedy  of  his  coming  there 
and  heavy  thoughts  of  the  helpless  girl  he  had  left  in  Salem. 
His  tears  streamed  down  his  cheeks,  mingling  with  the  rain ; 
yet  he  pressed  forward  with  a  courage  that  is  greater  than 
the  bravery  of  him  who  feels  not  danger  or  depression  and 
knows  no  dread. 

He  looked  about  him  for  his  friends.  Some  at  a  dis 
tance  gathered  into  a  group  behind  a  clump  of  bushes  and 
fired  frantically  across  his  path.  In  front  of  him  there  burst 
out  a  rattling  fire.  Soft  splotches  of  smoke  leapt  into  the 
air  above  the  thicket  a  dozen  paces  away,  to  melt  in  the 
mist.  He  turned  thither  and  fired  through  the  branches 
that  obscured  his  target.  Reloading  with  feverish  haste, 
peering  into  the  tangle  ahead  of  him,  he  saw  the  feathered 
head  of  an  Indian,  saw  the  dull  gleam  of  a  rifle-barrel 
through  the  grey  gloom,  looked  into  the  muzzle  of  a  mus 
ket,  watched  a  swift  puff  of  smoke,  and  sank  to  the  ground 
beneath  a  sharp  sting  that  pierced  his  shoulder. 

He  was  glad.  He  had  done  what  he  could.  The  end 
had  come.  The  suspense  was  over.  Jane,  —  well,  in 
the  end,  God  was  good,  and  Jane  would  not  suffer.  He 
lay  passive  and  serene.  The  men  from  Massachusetts 
swept  past  him.  He  could  see  them  in  the  rain  surging 
in  front  of  a  stone  house  where  the  French  and  Canadians 
and  Indians  had  made  a  stand.  Unconscious  of  pain, 
oblivious  to  the  desperation  of  his  situation,  he  propped 
himself  against  a  rough  stone  and  watched  the  fight,  as 
he  might  have  watched  a  play,  or  a  painting.  He  watched 
until  his  friends  withdrew,  two  hours  later.  He  was  far 
from  their  path.  If  he  had  been  near  them,  he  would  not 


THE   SELF-MADE   MAN 


297 


have  thought  to  call  out.  Even  as  they  went,  their  lines 
began  to  dance  in  his  eyes  so  fantastically  that  he  smiled. 
His  head  was  turned  toward  them  and  away  from  the 
thicket  from  which  his  wound  had  come,  when  he  heard 
steps  on  the  shardy  ground.  Without  interest  in  the  pro- 


SITE  OF  OLD  FORT  OSWEGO 

ceedings,  he  turned  back  again,  faintly  curious  to  see  who 
it  was  that  came.  An  Indian,  closely  followed  by  a  French 
man,  was  within  twenty  feet  of  him.  The  Indian  raised 
his  gun  to  fire.  Charles  smiled  at  him,  wondering  vaguely 
where  the  bullet  would  strike,  and  whether  it  would  give 


298  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

him  time  for  sensation.  The  companion  that  followed 
the  savage,  looking  over  his  shoulder,  beat  down  his  gun, 
and  stepped  ahead,  running  toward  the  wounded  man. 
Charles,  seeing  him,  looked  again.  There  was  something 
familiar  about  him.  In  an  instant,  he  knew  that  it  was 
Dautray,  his  friend  of  Schenectady,  whose  sweetheart 
he  had  saved  from  the  Indians. 

"Bon  jour,  monsieur"  he  said,  smiling  brightly  and 
attempting  to  nod  his  head.  The  attempt  was  ludicrous, 
and  he  laughed  aloud  at  his  failure;  for  his  head  rolled 
disobediently  upon  his  breast  for  a  moment  before  he  could 
hold  it  upright. 

"Mon  Dieu,  est  ce  toi?"  cried  Dautray.  "  What  evil 
fortune  brings  you  hither?" 

"'Tis  never  an  evil  fortune  that  brings  me  to  thee, 
Monsieur  Dautray,"  answered  Charles,  in  the  bantering 
tone  of  politeness  with  which  the  two  had  been  wont  to 
address  each  other. 

Dautray  sharply  commanded  the  Indian,  who  a  mo 
ment  before  would  have  done  murder,  to  help  him.  They 
bore  Charles  by  easy  stages  to  the  ford,  where  there  was 
other  aid  to  convey  him  to  the  city. 

Charles,  whose  health  had  never  recovered  entirely 
from  the  blow  on  the  head  dealt  him  by  the  press-gang, 
sank  again  into  a  low,  lingering  fever,  aggravated  by  his 
mental  condition.  He  was  nursed  back  to  health  gradually 
by  the  nuns  of  the  Ursuline  Convent.  Phips,  withdraw 
ing  from  the  attack,  loitered  for  a  week  in  the  river  below 
before  he  set  sail  for  Boston,  under  an  exchange  of  prisoners. 
Charles  could  not  be  moved,  and  was  left  at  Quebec.  It 
was  well  for  Quebec  that  the  self-made  man  departed 
when  he  did;  for  famine  already  began  to  pinch  the  de 
fenders.  Their  number  had  been  so  greatly  increased 
for  the  defense  that  there  was  no  provisions  for  them.  At 


THE   SELF-MADE   MAN  299 

Quebec,  the  church  of  Our  Lady  of  Victory  was  built  in 
Lower  Town  in  commemoration  of  the  event. 

When  Charles  recovered  fully  it  was  midwinter.  Dau- 
tray  was  gone  on  his  fur  hunting.  Charles,  as  a  prisoner 
of  war,  was  confined  in  the  fort.  It  was  impossible  for 
him  to  get  word  to  Salem.  His  mental  anxiety  was  intense. 
He  despaired  for  Jane,  and  fretted  himself  into  low  dispirit 
during  the  long  period  that  he  waited  for  release.  Dautray 
did  not  return  in  the  spring,  as  he  was  wont,  and  as  he  had 
left  word  for  Charles  that  he  would  do.  It  was  near  autumn, 
in  the  year  1691,  before  the  voyageur  put  in  an  appearance. 
He  came  at  last  with  a  story  of  adventure  with  the  Iroquois. 
They  had  plundered  him  of  his  furs  and  taken  him  prisoner 
the  year  before.  He  had  only  just  escaped  them  now, 
through  a  fortunate  circumstance  which  put  it  in  his  way 
to  save  the  life  of  the  chief's  daughter.  The  gratitude  of 
the  Indian  was  as  certain  as  his  vengeance.  He  had 
been  released  by  his  captors  after  his  refusal  to  marry  the 
chief's  daughter  and  become  one  of  their  number.  He 
showed  a  token  which  had  been  given  him,  with  which  he 
could  conjure  help  from  any  member  of  the  Five  Tribes, 
but  his  narrow  escape  had  turned  his  thoughts  toward  the 
simple  life.  He  was  resolved  to  go  to  Albany  to  get  his 
sweetheart,  and  then  to  journey  to  South  Carolina,  where 
his  family  lived,  Huguenot  refugees. 

Dautray,  because  of  his  loyal  services  years  before  to 
La  Salle,  when  that  explorer  was  on  his  trip  down  the  Miss 
issippi,  had  some  favor  in  the  eyes  of  Frontenac.  He 
resolved  now  to  put  it  to  the  test  in  an  effort  to  free  Charles, 
having  learned  the  part  his  English  friend  had  taken  in 
rescuing  the  sweetheart  at  Schenectady.  Accordingly, 
he  sought  audience  with  the  governor,  and  appeared  before 
him  with  Charles  to  plead  the  cause. 

Frontenac  listened  to  him,  his  fiery,  restless  eyes  passing 


300 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


swiftly  from  one  to  the  other,  his  fingers  beating  a  tattoo 
on  the  arms  of  his  chair. 

"Thou  lovest  this  heretic,  then,  Dautray?"    he  asked, 
briskly,   before   the   speaker   had   reached   his   peroration. 


"If  it  pleases  thee, 
heretic, "  responded  the 
gaze  of  the  governor  boldly, 
man  first,  and  a  heretic 
but  that  Dautray  may  still 

"Thou  sayest  it  well, 
thee  full  as  much  as  thou 
thou  didst  prove  true  to 
God  rest  his  soul  in  peace ! 
wish;  but  the  fellow  must 
arms  against  the  French 

"I   swore  not    to    this 
neur"  interposed  Charles, 
to    highest     pitch 
and  whose  long 
burst  forth  ^^ 
be  merry. 


monsieur,  I  love  no 
petitioner,  meeting  the 
"This  my  friend  is  a 
afterward.  Who  knows 
cure  that?" 

Dautray,  and  I  owe 
asketh ;  for  certainly 
the  Sieur  de  la  Salle, 
Thou  mayest  have  thy 
swear  never  to  take 
again." 

time,  monsieur  le  gover- 
whose  spirits  had  risen 
during   the    interview, 
^          restraint       now 
in  a  desire  to 
"In    very 


CHURCH  OF  OUR  LADY  or  VICTORY 


THE   SELF-MADE   MAN  301 

truth,  they  drove  me  to  it  with  a  blow  on  the  head.  For 
my  part,  I  had  as  lief  fight,  an  angel  or  the  devil,  as  a 
Frenchman!" 

He  said  it  all  in  jocular  vein.  Frontenac,  glancing 
swiftly  at  him,  was  amused  at  his  spirit. 

"Had  I  known  that  thou  wert  a  fellow  of  such  jest, 
I  should  have  had  thee  much  about  me ;  for  the  time  comes 
frequently  when  these  lying,  tricking  knaves  make  me 
hungry  for  mirth." 

With  a  gracious  wave  of  his  hand,  and  a  smile  on  his 
face,  the  governor  dismissed  them  from  the  audience, 
giving  orders  that  Charles  should  be  freed  and  provided 
with  passports.  In  a  week,  they  started  on  their  journey, 
taking  canoes  to  Montreal.  Thence  they  were  to  proceed 
up  the  Saint  Lawrence  to  Lake  Ontario,  stop  at  Fort 
Frontenac,  cross  to  the  south  side  of  the  lake,  strike  into 
the  chain  of  lakes  emptying  into  Lake  Ontario  at  the  present 
site  of  Oswego,  follow  them  to  the  portage  into  the  Mohawk, 
and  so  down  to  Schenectady  and  Albany.  It  was  a  cir 
cuitous  route,  but  Dautray  chose  it  for  two  reasons:  he 
had  affairs  to  conclude  at  Frontenac,  and  there  were  fears 
that  an  expedition  against  Montreal  would  be  encountered 
in  the  Lake  Champlain  route. 

Embarked  at  last,  Charles  lived  again.  As  they  were 
borne  by  the  tide  gently  past  the  heights  above  Quebec, 
past  the  towering  cliffs  overhung  with  vines  and  shrubs, 
past  the  rich  green  slopes  on  the  opposite  shore,  past  fields 
of  wheat  and  little  villages  that  huddled  down  to  the  water, 
his  spirits  rose.  The  beauty  of  the  scene,  the  delights  of 
the  motion  of  their  craft  through  the  smooth  waters,  the 
hopes  that  loomed  high  ahead  of  him,  thoughts  of  Jane 
filled  his  heart  and  he  burst  forth  into  whistling.  Dautray, 
sitting  in  the  bow,  said  no  word,  for  his  heart,  too,  was  full. 


CHAPTER  XIX 
SIEUR   DE   LA   SALLE 

THEY  made  an  easy  journey  the  first  day.  Charles,  un- 
used  to  work  with  the  paddle,  grew  tired  early.  They 
camped  where  a  little  point  thrust  its  shoulder  into  the 
current.  When  they  had  eaten,  they  sat  on  the  grass 
bank  in  silence,  watching  the  stars  sparkle  through  the 
long  twilight,  each  filled 
with  his  own  thoughts. 
Below  them,  the  ripples 
of  the  river  rustled  among 
the  flags  that  grew  in  its 
margin.  The  gentle 
breeze  awoke  whispers 
in  the  forest  trees  above 
their  heads.  A  thousand 
insects  in  the  fields  behind 
made  soft  noises,  filling 
the  stillness  with  a  flood 
of  sound  that  left  it  more 
silent  than  silence.  Far 
off,  in  the  flanking  woods, 
an  owl  hooted,  and  a  fox 

howled.  Charles  breathed    "  JEAN  BAPTISTE  COLBERT 

deep  the  brisk,  cool  air  of  late  summer,  sighed,  and  was  hap 
pier  than  he  had  been  since  the  night  he  had  last  seen  Jane. 

Dautray  was  the  first  to  speak. 

"Ma  foi,  then,  is  he  dead?"  he  said,  softly  to  himself, 
knocking  the  ashes  from  his  pipe  and  placing  it  in  the  leather 
pouch  hung  about  his  neck.  "Well,  then,  he  is  dead;  and 
God  rest  his  soul  in  peace." 

302 


SIEUR   DE   LA   SALLE  303 

"What  you  say  leaves  much  to  be  desired  by  the  listener/' 
observed  Charles,  quizically.  "Your  remark  would  apply 
truthfully  to  a  number  of  people.  Who  is  it  that  chances 
to  be  dead  now?" 

Dautray  started  from  his  own  thoughts  at  the  sound  of 
Charles's  voice,  annoyed  at  his  levity. 

"Mon  Dieu,  but  you  are  saucy,  as  they  say  in  English," 
he  ejaculated.  "But  it  is  Monsieur  Robert  Cavelier,  Sieur 
de  la  Salle,  who  is  dead,  slain  by  the  craven  hand  of  one 
who  should  have  loved  him.  It  is  well  for  that  one  that  he 
went  also  to  death,  else  I  should  have  followed  him  till  death 
would  have  been  his  best  friend." 

"Is  he  dead,  then?    How  came  that  about?" 

"They  thought  him  a  madman,  these  shallow  pates," 
continued  Dautray,  bitterly,  ignoring  the  direct  inquiry  of 
his  companion,  "del!  but  he  was  too  much  like  God  him 
self  for  them  to  know  what  manner  of  man  he  was !  I  tell  you 
his  soul  was  so  great  that  they  could  not  know  the  fringe  of 
it.  'T  was  as  though  they  gazed  upon  the  sea  from  its  edge, 
and  said  that  the  waters  that  they  saw  came  never  to  other 
lands.  What  could  they  know  of  him,  miserable,  twisted 
dwarfs?" 

Dautray,  leaping  to  his  feet,  paced  the  sod  impatiently. 
Charles,  desiring  greatly  to  hear  more  of  this  man  whose 
history  was  so  clouded  in  fantastic  tales,  said  nothing.  He 
had  his  reward. 

"It  was  on  such  a  night  as  this  I  saw  him  first,"  continued 
the  voyageur,  sitting  on  the  grass  again  and  drawing  out  his 


FORT  FRONTENAC 


304  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

pipe.  "Shall  I  ever  forget?  It  was  at  Fort  Frontenac.  I 
had  lately  come  from  France,  where  I  had  -  -  but  it  is  of 
no  consequence  what  I  had  done.  I  was  a  fool,  that  is  all. 
He  was  then  dreaming  of  the  great  project.  Beyond  him 
in  unknown  dangers,  was  a  great  river  that  flowed  —  some 
whither.  Joliet  had  seen  it.  Joliet,  the  great  explorer,  had 
passed  up  Lake  Michigan,  across  to  a  river  that  ran  into 
the  father  of  all  rivers,  and  far  down  the  stream.  Pere  Mar- 
quette,  brave,  generous,  godly,  brother  of  the  Society  of  Jesus, 
was  with  him,  and  had  died  beloved  among  the  savages  he 
had  found  along  the  lake,  on  a  little  river  that  flowed  into  it 
from  the  eastward. 

"Now  he,  the  giant  of  them  all,  the  great  soul,  would  go 
forth  and  build  up  an  empire  along  its  mighty  waters,  from 
the  lakes  to  the  sea,  for  the  glory  of  God  and  King  Louis. 
He  had  been  to  see  the  King.  Colbert  was  his  friend,  the 
wonderful  Colbert,  the  minister  with  eyes  a  hundred 
years  into  the  future,  nay,  a  thousand  years!  He  had 
a  grant  to  all  the  country  there.  He  had  money  from 
those  with  much  faith.  He  would  go  forth  to  build  his 
empire. 

"del!  if  they  had  known  the  man  that  he  was!  But 
how  could  they  know,  they  of  little  souls?  They  thought 
him  proud,  bold,  haughty,  cold,  reserved,  a  tyrant!  He  stood 
alone  in  his  greatness!  He  was  too  big  for  their  compass; 
they  were  too  small  for  him  to  grasp.  There  was  no  way  he 
could  come  at  them.  He  longed  to  be  fellow  with  them  who 
proved  his  enemies,  but  the  gulf  between  them  was  too  wide, 
too  deep,  to  be  spanned.  His  haughtiness  was  but  the  sen 
sitiveness  of  his  spirits;  his  dignity  was  but  shyness,  not  know 
ing  how  to  think  as  they  thought,  to  feel  as  they  felt.  Do  I 
not  know  ?  Have  I  not  followed  behind  him  when  he  broke 
a  path  through  snow  waist-deep,  with  all  his  world  tumbled 
about  his  ears,  knowing  nothing  of  fatigue,  knowing  nothing 


SIEUR   DE  LA   SALLE  307 

of  how  to  fail,  borne  forward  by  his  purpose  where  others 
would  have  sunk  down  to  miserable  death. 

"  But  I  go  too  fast.  He  was  of  the  best  of  the  French.  He 
came  to  America  to  have  room  for  his  great  soul.  He  had  a 
mighty  fort,  which  you  shall  see,  at  the  outlet  of  Lake  Ontario. 
Here  he  conducted  a  business  in  furs.  He  had  the  best  of 
the  trade,  being  nearest  the  country  where  furs  were  taken. 
For  his  profit,  think  you?  But  no!  For  means  to  build  his 
empire !  He  made  a  journey  down  the  Ohio  River,  learning 
that  it  emptied  into  the  big  river.  That  was  — ma  foi,  but 
that  was  twenty  years  ago!  That  was  before  the  fort  was 
built.  The  fort  was  built  four  years  later,  by  Frontenac,  and 
given  to  La  Salle.  Then  it  was  that  all  the  little  men  of 
Canada,  save  those  who  sought  to  profit  by  him,  turned 
against  him.  They  did  not  know!  They  thought  that  all 
he  sought  was  what  they  fought  over  —  wealth.  They 
thought  that  he  wished  only  to  reap  the  profit  of  his  vast 
plan  in  the  Mississippi  Valley.  They  did  not  know  that 
it  was  because  he  was  made  to  rule,  to  command,  that 
he  desired  the  vast  empire  for  himself,  and  for  his  King. 
They  turned  against  him,  and  strove  to  undo  his  plans.  Even 
his  brother,  Abbe  Jean  Cavelier,  priest  at  Saint  Sulpice, 
meddled  in  the  big  affair  and  did  much  harm.  What  think 
you?  Some  of  them  tried  to  poison  him,  putting  hemlock 
and  verdigris  in  his  salad! 

"For  two  years  he  stayed  at  Frontenac.  Then  he  visited 
France  again.  On  his  return  he  had  money  and  royal  ap 
proval  for  his  great  project.  And  he  had  with  him  another 
soul,  great  enough  to  know  his  own.  It  was  Henri  de  Tonty, 
an  Italian  driven  to  Paris  by  his  enemies.  He  was  a  man 
of  one  heart,  and  that  was  La  Salle's.  He  had  lost  an  arm, 
which  was  replaced  by  a  hand  of  iron,  with  which  he  used 
to  smite  the  savages  when  they  threatened.  They  thought 
him  a  medicine-man,  and  well  they  might.  Then  it  was  when 


3o8 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


I  saw  him,  for  the  first  time,  after  his  return.  Heaven,  but 
he  was  handsome!  Tall,  strong  as  the  sea,  with  great  eyes 
that  saw  visions!  From  the  first  I  loved  him.  I  had  tried 
all  in  France,  and  had  come  here  to  find  new  things.  I 
begged  to  go  with  him.  He  nodded  his  head.  I  went. 

"He  built  a  great  ship  at  the  foot  of  Lake  Erie,  out  of 
logs  taken  from  the  forest  and  hewed  into  planks.  With 
bent  back,  I  helped,  singing  in  my  love  for  the  man.  He 

called  it  the  Grif 
fin,  which  was 
borne  in  the  arm? 
of  Frontenac. 
Frontenac  ever 
cherished  him  and 
helped  him.  We 
sailed.  A  great 
storm  arose . 
Saint  Anthony 
answered  our 
prayers  and  saved 
us.  We  reached 
Michilimackinac, 
which  bristled 
with  anger  against 
the  man .  He 
heeded  it  not. 
Loading  the  ship 
with  furs,  he  sent 
it  back  for  more 
things  needful  on 
our  voyage,  with 
orders  that  it  meet 
us  at  the  head  of 
OLD  BLOCK-HOUSE  AT  MACKINAC  Lake  Michigan. 


SIEUR  DE  LA  SALLE  309 

Never  again  was  that  ship  seen  of  man.  That  was  the 
eighteenth  of  September,  1679. 

"We  went  in  canoes  along  the  western  margin  of  the 
lake,  pulling  our  craft  through  the  breakers  to  shore  every 
evening,  sleeping  in  our  wet  clothes  with  the  cold  wind 
searching  out  our  marrow.  We  passed  the  bottom  of  the 
lake,  and  so  on  to  the  east  shore,  where  we  entered  a  small 
stream,  the  Saint  Joseph.  Here  the  great  man  paused  to 
build  Fort  Saint  Joseph  of  logs  hewn  from  the  forest. 

"But  I  go  too  fast.  In  the  beginning,  La  Salle  had  sent 
out  traders  with  trinkets  to  gather  furs  for  him.  They  robbed 
him,  purchasing  furs  for  themselves.  Tonty  he  sent  with 
twenty  men  to  take  the  furs  from  such  as  could  be  found. 
Tonty  was  to  return  to  us  here.  He  did  not  come.  For 
twenty  days  we  waited.  It  was  late  in  November  when  he 
came,  without  all  of  his  men.  The  Griffin  should  have  been 
back,  but  we  could  not  wait  longer.  We  set  out  in  our 
canoes  to  ascend  the  river,  which  was  already  flaked  about 
its  weedy  edges  with  films  of  glassy  ice. 

uWe  passed  many  miles  up  the  river,  looking  for  the 
portage  into  the  Kankakee.  We  had  a  Mohegan  hunter. 
He  would  have  seen  it,  but  he  was  hunting  along  the  banks. 
La  Salle  went  alone  to  find  the  path.  He  was  lost  all  night, 
sleeping  on  a  bed  of  dried  grass  in  a  snow-storm  which  came. 
On  the  second  morning  we  shouldered  our  canoes.  It  was 
five  miles  to  the  headwaters  of  the  Illinois.  We  walked 
through  a  desolate  plain,  half-covered  with  snow,  strewn 
with  the  skulls  and  bones  of  buffalo.  All  around  were  clumps 
of  alder  bushes.  The  ground  was  soft  and  oozy.  A  man 
following  La  Salle  raised  his  gun  to  shoot  him,  becoming 
weary  of  the  venture.  I  struck  him  down  and  would  have 
killed  him  had  not  my  leader  forbade  me.  At  last  we  came 
to  a  lazy,  black  stream,  and  placed  our  canoes  in  it.  It 
was  the  Kankakee,  which  we  sought. 


310  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

"We  paddled  through  boundless  prairie,  barely  lifting 
itself  above  the  weedy  banks  of  the  stream.  We  floated 
through  a  voiceless  solitude  of  dreary  oak  barrens.  In  the. 
distance  was  the  light  by  night  of  Indian  fires.  We  lived  on 
deer  and  a  buffalo  which  we  found  mired  by  the  river's  edge. 
We  ran  between  ranges  of  woody  hills,  with  boundless  prairie 
behind  them.  We  came  to  stately  woods.  We  floated  be 
neath  a  high  cliff.  Each  night  we  camped  ashore,  making 
our  fires  on  ground  hardened  by  frost,  and  sleeping  out  in 
the  cold  air.  It  was  the  work  of  men !  It  was  a  great  soul 
that  held  the  cravens  to  it ! 

"  It  was  New  Year's  Day,  in  1680,  when  we  came  to  an  In 
dian  village  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  huts,  built  of  poles  and 
rushes,  with  arched  tops.  The  Indians  had  gone  on  the  win 
ter  hunt.  We  took  such  corn  as  we  wanted,  thinking  to  pay 
for  it  later.  Father  Hennepin,  a  Recollect  friar  we  had  with 
us,  made  a  speech.  Mon  Dieu,  we  were  as  happy  reaching 
that  deserted  village  as  we  should  have  been  reaching  France ! 
We  went  on,  ever  toward  the  great  stream,  ever  toward  the 
mighty  project.  We  came  to  the  Indians  of  the  Illinois. 
La  Salle,  when  they  threatened,  held  the  fear  of  the  Iroquois 
over  them,  telling  them  that  he  would  save  their  tribes  from 
their  dreaded  enemies  if  they  proved  our  friends,  promising 
them  his  protection  of  France.  But  in  the  night  his  enemies 
came,  tracking  him  in  their  hate  even  to  this  wilderness,  to 
tell  the  Indians  that  he  sought  to  betray  them  to  the  Iroquois. 
One  Indian  told  him  of  the  secret  visit;  and  in  the  morning 
he  held  another  council,  and  proved  to  them  his  honesty, 
about  a  great  feast. 

"Then  it  was  that  some  of  the  cravens  deserted  him. 
They  did  not  know  what  manner  of  man  he  was,  in  their 
warped,  shriveled  souls,  and  left  him.  They  were  an  evil, 
roistering,  lawless  lot,  whom  he  despised,  for  they  were 
not  men.  Yet  was  he  patient,  having  his  eyes  on  the 


SIEUR   DE   LA   SALLE 


future  and  knowing  his  need  of  them.  A  half-league  below 
the  village  we  built  a  fort,  Fort  Crevecceur;  for  his  heart 
was  broken  by  the  loss  of  the  Griffin,  which  was  then  certi 
fied  by  her  failure  to  come  back.  She  had  on  board  much 
that  was  needful  to  the  enterprise.  It  was  necessary  to 
return  to  Fort  Frontenac.  He  left  Tonty,  the  brave,  the 
true,  and  started  afoot  many  a  mile,  a  thousand  miles,  to 
the  fort.  He  sent  Hennepin  in  a  canoe  to  ascend  the 
Mississippi. 

"I  went  with  La  Salle;  I,  and  the  Indian,  and  two 
others.  It  was  the  third  of  March.  The  ice  blocked 
our  canoes.  We  hid  them,  and  struck  out  afoot,  La  Salle 
in  the  lead,  breaking  a  path  for  us  through  the  deep  snow. 
Shall  I  ever  forget  it?  His  broad  back  arched,  his  legs 
like  the  legs  of  a  war-horse,  his  eyes  ever  on  the  grand 
project  of  empire.  The  sun  grew  warm  at  noon.  We 
walked  through  prairies  of  mud  and  melted  snow.  The 
nights  were  cold.  Our  clothing  froze  stiff  about  our  limbs. 


THE  MISSISSIPPI  RIVER  AT 
SAINT  ANTHONY'S  FALLS 


3I2 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


It  was  more  than  small  souls  could  stand.  We  gave  out, 
one  by  one,  delaying  him.  It  was  needful  that  we  build 
a  canoe.  But  how?  There  was  no  birch-bark.  What 
think  you?  He  built  a  fire,  heated  water,  threw  it  on  the 
elm- trees,  and  peeled  the  bark,  little  by  little,  as  the  hot- 
water  softened  it,  so  that  he  could  build  a  canoe.  I  alone 

of  the  small  souls 
was  strong  now. 
We  launched  our 
canoe,  our  hospital 
ship,  on  Lake  Erie 
at  the  last,  and  so  to 
Niagara.  There  I 
too  failed  him;  but 
this  man  of  more 
than  flesh  and  blood 
went  forward.  It 
was  near  two  months 
since  we  left  the 
banks  of  the  Illinois. 
What  think  you  he 
learned  there?  That 
a  ship  bearing  mer 
chandise  to  him  from  France,  and  men  to  go  with  him, 
had  been  wrecked. 

"He  had  no  money.  He  had  no  goods.  He  had  no 
friends,  save  a  few.  His  agents  had  plundered  him.  Those 
who  lent  him  money  had  taken  his  property.  Yet  in  a 
week  from  the  time  he  reached  Montreal  he  was  started 
again,  with  supplies  and  'new  men.  At  Fort  Frontenac 
they  told  him  that  those  whom  he  had  left  on  the  Illinois 
had  deserted  Tonty,  burning  that  fort  and  the  other  at 
Saint  Joseph,  seized  his  furs  at  Michilimackinac,  plundered 
the  magazine  at  Niagara,  and  were  now  advancing  down 


SIEUR  DE   LA   SALLE  313 

Lake  Ontario,  intending  to  kill  La  Salle  to  escape  his  punish 
ment.  It  should  have  broken  his  heart;  but  he  turned  his 
face  to  the  West,  met  the  marauders,  arrested  a  number, 
placed  them  in  the  fort,  and  went  on.  I  had  come,  mean 
while,  to  Fort  Frontenac,  and  was  again  with  him. 

"I  will  not  tire  you.  We  reached  Lake  Michigan, 
and  crossed  as  we  had  crossed  before.  It  was  now  summer, 
in  1680.  When  we  came  to  the  Indian  village  near  which 
the  fort  had  been,  there  was  a  horrible  sight.  The  Iroquois, 
those  barbarous,  wild  savages,  had  been  there.  There 
were  no  corpses.  The  Illinois  had  escaped.  But  the  other 
savages  had  despoiled  the  graves,  taking  the  bodies  down 
and  scattering  them  to  the  winds,  bone  by  bone;  dried 
shred  of  flesh  and  hard  strand  of  sinew,  all,  everything, 
cast  about  beneath  the  staring  sky.  And  nowhere  was 
Tonty! 

"Now  should  not  La  Salle's  great  heart  have  broken? 
Now  should  not  he  have  cast  himself  down  to  die  with  a 
groan?  Nay!  Leaving  men  behind  to  bear  word  for 
Tonty,  should  he  come,  he  pressed  on  down  the  stream. 
By  the  grace  of  God,  I  was  with  him.  We  came  at  last  to 
the  mighty  flood  of  yellow  water  rolling  awfully  between  its 
distant  banks,  del!  but  I  was  afeared  of  it.  He  turned 
back,  and  we  made  weary  way  to  Fort  Miami,  on  the  east 
ern  side  of  Lake  Michigan.  But  that  was  a  weary  way! 
It  was  winter  again,  and  we  passed  on  foot  over  a  plain 
where  was  no  tree  or  shrub.  Nothing  but  the  naked  earth, 
and  the  wind  blew  down  upon  it  out  of  a  naked  sky.  We 
slept  beneath  it  at  night,  well-nigh  naked  ourselves. 

"  Lying  there  in  that  fort,  ruined  in  purse,  beset  by 
triumphant  enemies,  he  planned  anew  the  grand  project. 
He  would  ally  all  the  Indian  tribes  of  the  valley  and  the 
Great  Lakes  in  defense  against  the  Iroquois;  build  his  empire 
about  them;  rule,  protect,  and  trade  with  them  for  their 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


good  and  his.  There  were  councils  with  the  Indian  chiefs, 
and  they  warmed  to  this  great  soul. 

"When  the  ice  cleared,  we  returned  again  to  Frontenac, 
going  by  way  of  Michilimackinac.  There  we  found  Tonty. 
He  had  escaped  the  ravaging  Iroquois,  and  fled  up  the  west 
bank  of  Lake  Michigan  to  the  Pottawotamies,  on  Green 
Bay,  he  and  his  men  living  on  onions,  or  things  dug  from 
the  frozen  ground.  He  had  seen  Father  Hennepin,  who 
had  been  up  the  great  waters  as  far  as  a  fall,  which  he  named 
the  Falls  of  Saint  Anthony.  The  reverend  father  had  fallen 
into  the  hands  of  the  Sioux  Indians  and  been  held  prisoner, 
enduring  many  things  and  surviving  much  danger  and 
hardship. 

"Once  more  he  was  in  Montreal,  beginning  again. 
This  time  we  passed  up  the  Humber  River,  through  the 
Georgian  Bay,  and  so  into  Lake  Huron.  It  was  October 
ere  we  reached  there  —  October,  1681,  nearly  ten  years  ago. 
Well,  we  were  a  wild  party;  Indians,  French  villains  and 


STARVED  ROCK.  ON  THE  ILLINOIS  RIVER 


SIEUR  DE  LA   SALLE  315 

cutthroats,  a  priest,  a  surgeon,  adventurers;  all  of  small 
souls  but  Tonty.  We  stopped  at  the  head  of  Lake 
Michigan,  at  a  place  which  was  much  better  for  a 
portage  than  any  we  had  seen.  The  Indians  called  it 
Chegago.  Then,  in  triumph,  we  dragged  our  canoes 
many  miles  over  frozen  rivers,  till  we  came  to  open 
water. 

"We  floated  down  the  grand  stream  to  the  Gulf,  passing 
many  strange  tribes  of  Indians,  who  loved  our  leader. 
Mon  Dieu!  but  it  is  a  wonder,  that  river!  So  broad  that 
you  could  not  shoot  with  your  musket  from  one  bank  to 
the  other.  So  deep  that  the  greatest  ship  would  float  in 
it.  Ah,  but  it  would  have  been  a  great  empire." 

Dautray  ceased  speaking.  The  evening  had  worn  into 
night.  The  moon,  slightly  past  the  full,  was  low  in  the 
eastern  sky.  There  were  the  noises  of  silence,  making 
the  solitude  more  solitary.  Dautray  breathed  heavily, 
and  turned  to  his  companion. 

"Do  you  sleep,  Englishman?"  he  asked,  knocking 
the  ashes  out  of  his  cold  pipe. 

"Sleep,"  ejaculated  Charles.  "Think  you  I  could 
sleep  through  such  a  tale?  Come,  tell  me  more.  Say 
you  the  man  is  dead?" 

"Ay;  the  man  is  dead!  He  returned  to  France, 
ascending  the  river  as  he  had  gone.  There  he  was  fitted 
out  by  royal  favor  with  four  ships  in  which  he  was  to  sail 
to  the  mouth  of  the  river,  there  to  build  a  fort  against  the 
Spanish,  to  hold  both  ends  of  his  realm  in  his  hand,  and 
make  a  more  convenient  road  from  old  France  to  his  new 
France.  But  his  enemies  defeated  him.  Beaujeu,  com 
mander  of  the  squadron,  would  not  obey.  Inflamed  by  envy, 
Beaujeu  breathed  nothing  but  bitter,  inveterate  hostility,  at  a 
time  when  it  could  breed  nothing  but  evil.  He  missed  the 
mouth  of  the  river,  landing  far  beyond  it  in  a  barren  land. 


3i6  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

I  have  heard  the  tale  from  one  who  was  with  him.  There 
was  mutiny  among  his  followers.  One  of  the  vessels 
was  taken  by  Spanish  buccaneers.  Another  was  missed 
in  a  fog.  A  third  ran  aground  where  they  landed.  The 
fourth  was  sent  to  France,  leaving  the  expedition  ashore, 
on  the  beach  of  Matagorda.  There  were  a  hundred  soldiers, 
a  Canadian  family,  and  some  women,  huddled  together 
in  a  fort  constructed  of  the  fragments  of  their  shipwrecked 
vessel.  They  fell  into  evil  times.  La  Salle  went  often  to 
find  the  Mississippi  River,  wandering  many  leagues.  His 
men  were  angered  against  him.  At  last,  when  he  had  but 
a  few  friends  who  remained  loyal,  conspirators  lay  in  wait 
for  him  and  shot  him.  Assassinated  and  left  on  the  prai 
rie,  naked  and  without  burial,  to  be  devoured  by  wild 
beasts!  Mon  Dieu!  That  I  had  been  there  then!  Out 
of  the  party  left  on  shore,  only  four  survived.  They  made 
their  way  to  Fort  Frontenac,  up  the  river;  and  one  of  them 
I  saw  as  he  lay  dying  from  the  exposure  of  the  trip." 

"But  what  of  the  empire?" 

"The  empire  is  for  little  souls  to  build." 

"Nay,  never  fear  for  the  empire,  Dautray;  for,  mark 
my  word,  the  empire  will  be  built  up  by  my  English 
brethren!" 

Dautray  made  no  answer,  being  lost  in  reflections. 
Charles  turned  in  his  blankets,  and  presently  knew  no 
more,  save  that  he  dreamed  all  night  of  going  to  the  great 
river  with  Jane,  and  founding  the  empire  himself. 


CHAPTER  XX 
A   RACE   WITH   DEATH 

MANY  days  they  traveled  through  the  cool  days  of  late 
summer.  Charles  was  gay  and  merry.  The  sense 
that  all  the  labor  he  was  undergoing  was  for  Jane's  sake,  the 
marvel  of  the  great,  wild  country  through  which  they  passed, 
the  adventure  of  it  all  revived  his  spirits.  He  observed  with 
keen  interest  the  French  settlements  along  the  banks  of  the 
Saint  Lawrence,  the  trace  of  the  Catholic  missions,  so  differ 
ent  from  the  religion  that  he  had  known,  and  felt  that  it  must 
be  a  grand  thing  to  be  a  part  of  a  religious  organization  that 
was  so  strong  and  united,  of  such  deep  significance  to  its 
votaries. 

They  stopped  briefly  at  Montreal.  Dautray  showed  him 
where  the  river  ran  in  from  the  west  which  La  Salle  had  taken 
in  his  last  trip,  coming  out  in  Lake  Huron  through  the  great 
bay  that  was  a  lake  in  itself.  He  saw  the  high  stone  walls  of 
Fort  Frontenac.  Almost  he  expected  to  see  the  great  figure 
of  La  Salle  tramping  the  parapets.  They  crossed  the  foot  of 
Lake  Ontario  in  a  boisterous  breeze.  He  would  have  feared 
for  the  life  of  their  frail  canoe  had  he  not  had  experience  of 
the  skill  of  his  companion.  The  waters  seethed  and  muttered 
about  them,  the  spray  wet  them  to  the  skin,  the  craft  tossed 
on  the  tops  of  the  wave  dizzily;  but  Dautray,  a  song  on  his 
lips,  alert,  cool,  made  light  of  the  turmoil. 

"Call  you  this  bad,  Englishman?"  he  said,  with  eyes 
ever  across  the  waters  in  search  of  threatening  seas,  "del! 
but  you  should  have  seen  it  the  day  we  left  Michilimack- 
inac  on  the  first  voyage.  Sacrebleu,  but  I  thought  our  man 
of  God,  Pere  Hennepin,  would  have  drowned!  He  had  with 


318  DUELING  FOR   EMPIRE 

him  a  great  hulk  of  a  carpenter,  who  knew  no  more  of  a  pad 
dle  than  I  of  a  bodkin." 

From  the  lake  their  journey  lay  up  rivers,  through  lesser 
lakes,  over  portages,  and  down  the  Mohawk.  It  was  a  land 
of  marvelous  beauty.  Sloping  hills,  tawny  from  the  lateness 
of  the  season,  rose  gently  from  the  banks  of  the  stream. 
Great  oak  forests  covered  their  tops  and  overflowed  down 
their  sides,  sometimes  coming  in  a  broad  head  to  the  water's 
edge.  In  the  meadows  lying  between  the  hills  herds  of  deer 
grazed  on  long  grasses,  stopping  to  stare  as  the  voyagers 
passed  silently  down  the  stream. 

Amid  all  the  riot  of  wild  life,  there  was  hardly  a  trace  of 
man.  For  days  they  floated  down  the  quiet  stream  in  an 
utter  solitude.  It  was  as  though  they  two  alone  survived  in 
the  whole  world.  When  they  came  infrequently  to  an  Indian 
village  their  hearts  bounded  with  the  joy  of  seeing  human 
beings  again,  so  strong  is  the  man-hunger  in  the  race  of  man. 
Dautray's  Iroquois  token  was  indeed  a  charm,  providing 
them  with  elaborate  entertainment  when  they  stopped, 
and  an  embarrassment  of  provisions  when  they  departed 
from  their  savage  friends.  Yet  it  was  necessary  that  they 
take  minute  precautions  against  being  slain  by  strolling 
Indians. 

"Our  charm  is  well  enough  when  we  come  to  talk  with 
these  red  devils  of  Iroquois,"  Dautray  had  observed;  "but 
it  would  do  us  little  enough  good  if  one  of  the  skulking  vil 
lains  should  put  a  ball  in  our  backs  before  he  saw  it.  We 
cannot  go  through  the  woods  shouting  that  we  are  friends; 
therefore,  my  beloved  heretic,  it  is  to  be  careful." 

Once  Dautray,  in  the  bow  of  the  canoe,  arose  to  his  feet 
and  hallooed  in  the  Indian  tongue,  his  eyes  fixed  on  a  clump 
of  brush  on  a  hill  above  the  stream.  Charles,  looking  closely, 
saw  the  brush  stir  and  caught  a  glimpse  of  an  Indian  slink 
ing  off  through  the  trees. 


A  RACE  WITH  DEATH 


"'Tis  well  that 
I  saw  him,"  re 
marked  the  French 
man,  sitting  in  the 
bow  again  and  ply 
ing  his  paddle 
swiftly. 

They  were  not 
many  days  now 
from  Schenectady. 
Dautray,  borne  up 
by  the  love  that 
awaited  him,  pulled 
fiercely,  sending  the 
water  in  a  seething 
wake  behind  them. 
Far  into  the  even 
ing  he  paddled? 
despite  the  protests 
of  Charles,  whose 
strength  was  un 
equal  to  the  pro 
longed  strain. 

"Set  down  thy 
paddle,  then,  Eng 
lishman,"  Dautray 
would  say  to  him, 
when  he  com 
plained.  "What  do 
you  know  of  pad 
dling —  and  love!" 

One  night  they 
continued  to  travel 
long  after  the  sun 


THE  FATHER  OF  WATERS 


320 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


had  set,  long  after  the  three-day's  moon  had  followed  into  the 
forest  behind  their  back,  long  after  the  noises  of  the  solitude 
had  hushed  into  the  silences  of  deep  night.  Charles  had 
thrown  down  his  paddle  an  hour  before,  fatigued  and  dis 
gusted,  hungry  and  sleepy.  At  last  his  patience  could  stand 

it  no  longer. 

' '  Heavens, 
Frenchman!"  he 
cried,  "will  you 
go  forever  ?  Do 
you  never  tire?" 

"Mais,  non 
pauvre  Anglais,  I 
shall  go  but  a  little 
distance  now,  to  a 
spot  I  know  of 
where  you  may 
rest  your  gentle 
bones.  And  yet," 
he  continued,  half 
to  himself,  "and 
yet  you  talk  of 
your  brother  Eng 
lish  who  are  to 
build  up  the  em 
pire  within.  Mon 
Dieu,  but  they  will  never  do  it!  Tell  me,  can  your  brethren 
steer  a  canoe  a  thousand  miles  through  trackless  wastes 
of  water,  alone,  with  no  soul  to  speak  with  in  all  the  way, 
eating  nothing  but  roots  and  moldy  flour,  and  now  and 
then  a  morsel  of  raw  flesh  from  some  small  animal  killed 
along  the  bank;  without  fire  even  for  the  pipe,  finding  his 
way  where  there  is  no  way;  with  a  bundle  of  wet  and 
bloody  skins  across  his  knees,  paddling  alone  under  the 


GOVERNOR  SLOUGHTER  SIGNING  LEISLER'S  DEATH 
WARRANT 


A  RACE  WITH   DEATH  321 

sun  and  the  stars,  and  not  go  mad  ?    Talk  you  of  empire  ? 


Charles  made  no  other  reply  than  a  grunt  of  displeasure. 
Dautray,  paddling  in  silence  for  a  space,  broke  out  into  song. 
"  Tout  les  amants 
Chan  gent  de  mattresses. 
Qu'ils  changent  qui  voudrout. 
Pour  moi  je  garde  le  meinne. 
Le  bon  vin  ni  endort 
U  amour  me  reveille" 

His  rich,  sonorous  voice  rolled  over  the  placid  waters, 
and  rolled  back  to  them  from  the  wooded  hills,  subdued, 
softened,  mellifluous.  Charles's  displeasure  passed  from  him 
under  the  spell. 

There  came  another  voice,  not  an  echo:  "L?  amour  me 
reveille!  " 

Dautray  ceased  paddling.  "Voila!  Qui  vive?"  he 
shouted. 

"In-  the  name  of  God,  I  cry  your  succor!"  came  the 
response,  in  a  tone  of  distress,  from  the  dark  bank  beneath 
a  hill. 

"What  have  I  said?"  exclaimed  Dautray,  turning  to 
Charles.  "Even  now  one  of  your  brethren,  here  in  this 
lady's  stream,  needs  the  help  of  a  Frenchman." 

He  turned  the  nose  of  the  canoe  toward  the  spot  whence 
the  voice  had  come,  Charles  picking  up  his  paddle  to  hasten 
their  progress.  The  shell  grated  on  the  gravel.  They  leapt 
out,  dragging  their  canoe  to  the  ground.  A  groan  of  pain 
reached  them  from  the  depth  of  the  shadows.  Dautray, 
fumbling  in  his  pouch,  brought  forth  flint  and  tinder  and 
struck  a  light,  gathering  some  leaves  and  twigs.  As  the 
glowing  circle  widened,  it  included  the  form  of  a  man  lying 
on  the  sand.  He  turned  his  face  toward  them.  It  was 
Hugo  Melville! 


322  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

His  joy  at  seeing  Charles  knew  no  bounds.  It  revived 
him  more  than  the  wine  which  Dautray  gave  him  —  the 
last  they  had.  It  was  better  for  him  than  the  hot  venison 
steak  which  the  Frenchman  cooked,  or  the  flour  gruel. 

"I  should  have  perished,  I  should  have  perished,"  he 
repeated,  hysterically,  as  he  ate. 

In  the  end  he  was  so  restored  that  he  slept  peacefully 
through  the  night.  When  he  awoke  in  the  morning  he  told 
them  his  story.  After  the  massacre  at  Schenectady,  Hubert 
did  not  come  with  his  vessel,  as  he  promised,  and  had  not 
been  there  since.  Beatrice  remained  with  Glen,  and  he 
took  up  the  business  of  gathering  furs,  in  partnership  with 
Glen.  He  had  made  much  money  at  it,  traveling  far  into 
the  Great  Lakes.  He  was  then  on  his  way  out.  Illness  had 
seized  him  as  he  paddled  in  his  canoe,  and  he  had  gone 
ashore  to  fight  it.  Too  weak  to  secure  his  canoe  on  the 
bank,  it  had  floated  away  and  was  lost.  For  days  he  had 
lain  there,  no  one  passing  by.  He  had  heard  the  song  of 
Dautray,  and  called  out  in  a  last  hope.  In  another  day  he 
would  have  perished  with  starvation. 

It  was  two  days  before  he  was  able  to  travel  again.  Dau 
tray 's  woodcraft  stood  him  in  good  stead.  He  made  tea  of 
herbs  which  strengthened  the  sick  man.  They  made  room 
for  him  in  the  bottom  of  their  boat.  As  they  journeyed 
down  the  stream,  he  told  them  of  the  events  in  the  prov 
ince  since  Charles  was  there. 

"'T  is  well  for  you  that  you  left  the  Leisler  movement," 
he  said.  "The  man  and  his  son-in-law  came  to  an  evil  end. 
There  is  a  new  governor,  Colonel  Henry  Sloughter.  His 
lieutenant,  Captain  Richard  Ingoldsby,  arrested  Leisler  and 
Milbourne  in  New  York,  and  took  possession  of  the  fort. 
The  rebels,  as  they  were  called,  asked  to  be  permitted  to 
surrender  to  Sloughter,  who  arrived  March  nineteenth. 
It  was  denied  them.  Ingoldsby  had  no  authority  for  his 


THE  RE-BURIAL  OF  LEISLER 


A  RACE  WITH  DEATH  325 

actions,  either  from  the  King  or  the  governor ;  but  the  roy 
alist  legislature  was  behind  him,  and  Leisler  capitulated. 
Judge  Dudley,  chief  justice  of  New  England,  presided  at 
the  trial,  found  them  guilty  of  treason,  and  condemned 
them  to  be  hanged.  Sloughter  was  reluctant  about  signing 
the  death-warrant,  desiring  that  they  should  have  the  ben 
efit  of  an  appeal  to  the  Crown.  But  they  plied  him  with 
drink,  and  he  signed  when  he  knew  not  what  he  did.  On 
the  sixteenth  of  May,  before  the  governor  had  recovered 
from  the  stupefaction  of  the  wine  they  had  given  him,  the 
two  were  hanged!" 

"Surely,"  observed  Charles,  "that  Dudley  is  an  evil 
man!  He  has  betrayed  his  countrymen  to  the  King  more 
than  once.  It  was  a  foolish  impulse  that  led  me  into  the 
affair.  I  knew  nothing  of  the  significance,  yet  I  liked 
Leisler,  and  am  grieved  to  learn  of  his  fate." 

"What  have  you  English  done  with  that  expedition  for 
which  our  Frontenac  was  preparing  such  a  warm  recep 
tion?"  asked  Dautray. 

"It  came  to  nought.  There  was  jealousy  and  quarrel 
from  the  first.  Smallpox  broke  out,  so  that  the  Iroquois 
would  not  take  part.  The  colonies  distrusted  each  other, 
and  New  York  was  divided  by  the  Leisler  factions.  Win- 
throp  was  charged  with  betraying  his  trust  as  commander, 
and  withdrew,  after  getting  as  far  as  Lake  Champlain. 
Schuyler  proceeded  to  Canada  and  made  a  local  raid,  killing 
or  capturing  twenty-five  at  La  Prairie.  That  was  all.  For 
the  rest,  the  governor  has  renewed  the  treaty  with  the  Iro 
quois,  meeting  the  five  sachems  in  grand  council  at  Albany 
this  summer.  The  royalist  legislature  has  surprised  every 
one  by  passing  a  resolution  against  arbitrary  taxation,  and 
another  declaring  that  the  people  should  have  a  share  in  the 
government." 

They  reached  Schenectady  early  in   October.     Charles 


326  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

loitered  there  for  a  month,  awaiting  the  departure  of  a 
party  from  Albany  that  intended  traveling  overland  to  Bos 
ton.  In  the  end  their  plan  was  changed,  they  going  down  the 
river  to  New  York  without  his  knowledge.  He  passed  a 
few  more  days  with  his  old  friends,  undecided  whether  to 
undertake  the  journey  alone  or  to  follow  to  the  city.  At 
last  the  lateness  of  the  season  determined  him  upon  going 
below,  and  he  set  out  in  a  canoe  which  Dautray  gave  him. 

Beatrice,  whom  he  had  not  seen  for  four  years,  had 
changed  little,  save  that  she  now  wore  homespun  and  was 
one  of  a  frontier  household,  spinning,  weaving,  and  helping 
her  host  in  the  care  of  the  house,  which  showed  her  hand  in 
many  pretty  little  embellishments.  She  seemed  unhappy, 
though  she  made  a  valiant  and  successful  struggle  to  conceal 
the  fact  from  her  father. 

Charles  hoped  to  be  able  to  find  a  vessel  at  New  York 
sailing  for  Boston,  but  failed.  He  learned  that  his  brother, 
now  in  command  of  a  larger  craft,  a  brig,  would  be  in  New 
York  early  in  the  spring,  and  resolved  to  wait  for  him,  having 
no  means  of  getting  to  Boston  in  the  winter.  He  found 
employment,  passing  the  time  until  spring  in  a  contentment 
which  his  volatile  temperament  made  possible,  in  spite  of 
many  pangs  of  his  conscience,  which  told  him  that  he  should 
have  gone  on  to  Jane. 

He  argued  that  since  she  had  probably  given  him  up 
for  dead,  a  delay  of  a  few  months  would  not  add  to  her 
distress;  that  in  earning  money  he  was  doing  her  high 
service;  and  that  he  might  be  able  to  get  a  foothold  in  the 
city  which  would  make  it  possible  for  him  to  bring  her  and 
her  mother  to  this  place,  away  from  the  dangers  that  beset 
them  in  the  superstitious  community  in  which  they  at  present 
lived.  It  was  sophistry,  and  he  knew  it;  but  it  served  in  a 
measure  as  a  salve  for  his  inaction.  He  did  not  write,  feeling 
that  it  would  be  more  difficult  to  convince  her  than  himself. 


A   RACE  WITH  DEATH 


327 


Spring  came.  He  had  advanced  into  prospects  which 
he  desired  to  make  more  secure.  He  permitted  several 
opportunities  for  passage  to  go  by,  waiting  for  Hubert. 
When  his  brother  came  at  last,  it  was  May.  Hubert 
brought  terrible  news  from  Salem.  The  fury  of  witch 
craft  had  broken  out.  Sarah  Good,  Martha  Corey,  Re 
becca  Nurse,  Sarah  Cloyse,  George  Burroughs,  who  had 


MAJOR  INGOLDSBY'S  ATTACK  ON  THE  FORT 

been  the  rival  candidate  for  the  pulpit  occupied  by  Parris, 
were  in  jail,  together  with  a  hundred  others,  having  been 
cried  out  against  as  witches.  George  Jacobs  was  arrested, 
to  be  tried  later,  condemned,  and  hanged  on  the  gallows. 
Samuel  Parris  was  preaching  violent  sermons  against  witches. 
Tituba,  his  servant,  half  Indian,  half  negro,  was  making 
wild  declarations  and  charges,  and  confessed  to  being  herself 
a  witch. 

Abigail  Williams,  niece  to  Parris,  Anne  Putnam,  and 


328  DUELING  FOR   EMPIRE 

other  young  girls  held  that  they  were  afflicted  by  witches, 
and  did  unaccountable  things,  having  convulsions  and  being 
unable  to  look  upon  the  accused  without  becoming  dis 
tressed.  Waitstill  Sparhawke  was  zealous  in  the  crusade 
against  the  devil.  There  were  harsh  mutterings  against 
Goody  Lawrence.  Jane  was  wretched.  Waitstill  had 
produced  proof  that  Charles  was  dead,  and  the  girl  was 
in  despair.  No  one  dared  make  a  stand  against  the  ac 
cusers.  No  one,  save  a  mysterious  man  who  had  chanced 
to  come  to  Salem  during  the  winter,  and  who  had  cured 
one  of  the  complaining  girls  by  stinging  her  with  a  switch. 
He  was  popularly  credited  with,  being  the  devil  himself, 
so  that  his  friendship  for  the  accused  brought  them  no 
benefits. 

Hearing  this,  Charles  bitterly  reproached  himself. 
He  was  so  greatly  distressed  that  Hubert,  who  was  now 
master  outright  of  his  vessel,  consented  to  take  him  at  once 
to  Salem  to  see  what  might  be  effected.  Without  further 
delay  they  left,  making  all  haste  to  sea. 


CHAPTER  XXI 


THE   WITCH-MOTHER 

GOODMAN  RUGGLES  sat  with  extended  legs  at  a 
table  in  the  tap-room  of  the  Black  Horse,  on  a 
summer  evening  in  the  year  1692.  The  responsibilities 
of  the  universe  rested  heavily  on  his  shoulders.  It  seemed 
to  him  that  God  had  abandoned  as  hopeless  the  task  of 
bringing  mankind  to  a  satisfactory  condition,  leaving  him 
alone  in  the  undertaking.  He  was  stimulating  his  soul 
and  taking  counsel  of  numerous  glasses  of  flip,  the  while 
expounding  to  his  host  the  lamentable  state  into  which 
things  in  general  had  fallen. 

"What  with  nineteen  witches  already  hanged,  and  a 
hundred  more  in  jail,  and  people  crying  out  against  Min 
ister  Hale's  wife,  and  whispering  against  Lady  Phips  her 
self,  why,  no  one  is  safe,"  he  moaned,  resting  his  chin  in 
his  neckcloth.  "What  I  want  to  know  is,  when  is  it  going 
to  end?" 

"  Why,  it 
will  end  in 
good  time," 
declared 
Jonathan 
Stevens,  the 
host.  "And 
is  n't  it  bet- 
ter  that 


THE  SARAH  OSBURNE  HOUSE 
329 


330 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


perhaps  one  or  two  who  are  not  witches  should  suffer,  than 
that  any  who  are  should  escape  ?  I  am  sure  that  it  has  been 
proved  in  every  case  that  the  one  accused  was  a  witch.  Did  not 
Tituba,  Minister  Parris's  servant,  tell  all  about  the  devil, 
and  how  she  herself  was  a  witch?  Would  she  have  said 
it  if  she  were  not  one?  I  am  sure  that  any  one  who  saw 
Abigail  Williams,  and  Anne  Putnam,  and  those  other  little 
girls 'that  day  in  the  meeting-house  when  Sarah  Good  and 
Sarah  Osburne  were  cried  out  upon,  would  have  believed 
the  women  were  witches.  Did  they  not  screech,  and  bark, 
and  mew  like  kittens  when  the  women  cast  their  evil  eyes 
upon  them?  And  did  they  not  cry  out  and  say  that  the 
women  were  sticking  pins  in  them?" 

"Ay,  that  they  did,"  spoke  up  a  man  sitting  beneath 
the  window,  gazing  out  upon  the  road.  "But  I  can  assure 
you,  gentlemen,  that  they  would  have  sung  a  far  different 
tune  had  the  beadle  but  laid  his  rod  across  their  backs.  A 
little  physic  for  the  afflicted  children  would  have  sooner 
put  a  stop  to  this  terror  than  the  hanging  of  a  score  of 


THE  ANNE  PUTNAM  HOUSE 


THE  WITCH-MOTHER  331 

innocent  old  women.  Who  but  a  benighted,  misguided 
enthusiast  could  look  upon  the  face  of  Goody  Nurse  and 
say  that  there  was  anything  of  evil  there,  or  upon  Goody 
Cloyse,  or  Minister  Burroughs,  or  above  all  on  this  last 
unfortunate  creature,  this  woman  of  delicacy  and  feeling, 
who  came  helplessly  among  you,  and  whom  you  now  hor 
ribly  accuse,  and  who  goes  to  the  gallows  to-morrow? 
Permit  me  to  tell  you  again,  gentlemen,  that  it  is  horrible, 
wicked,  abominable;  the  children  who  brought  the  storm 
upon  you  are  hysterical,  carried  out  of  their  heads  by  the 
attention  which  they  have  drawn  upon  themselves." 

The  speaker  was  a  man  of  some  thirty-odd  years.  He 
was  large,  bearing  with  him  the  effect  of  mental  and  moral 
force  as  well  as  physical.  His  nose  was  aquiline,  com 
bative.  His  sensitive  lips  were  thin  and  firm  from  self- 
restraint,  his  eyes  were  blue,  his  brow  high  and  wide,  his 
chin  square.  There  was  a  repose,  a  self-possession,  a  con 
sciousness  of  his  own  superiority  in  the  man  that  sub 
ordinated  to  him  those  with  whom  he  came  into  contact 
in  this  little  town.  He  was  a  stranger  who  had  come  there 
early  in  the  spring,  ostensibly  in  search  of  some  one.  He 
had  remained,  without  obvious  reason.  His  activities 
in  behalf  of  the  accused,  especially  in  the  cause  of  Goody 
Lawrence,  had  brought  him  into  evil  repute. 

Ruggles,  finding  himself  allied  to  the  stranger,  immedi 
ately  changed  front. 

"You  cannot  say,  surely,  that  there  are  no  witches, 
stranger?"  he  cried.  "Minister  Parris  has  preached 
often  to  show  that  the  good  book  says  there  are,  and  good 
Cotton  Mather  says  there  are." 

"Shall  I  tell  you  somewhat  about  your  good  Cotton 
Mather,  as  you  call  him,"  returned  the  stranger,  wheeling 
in  his  chair  to  look  Ruggles  in  the  eye.  "He  is  good, 
surely.  He  is  virtuous.  He  is  wise  after  his  own  manner. 


332  DUELING   FOR  EMPIRE 

But  he  is  one  of  such  towering  vanity  that  if  he  should 
chance  to  say  that  black  was  white,  black  would  thereafter 
be  white  against  the  whole  world,  and  unless  you  agreed 
with  him,  you  would  have  no  hope  of  his  Heaven.  He  is  so 
ingenuously  conceited,  that  he  believes  that  what  he  says 
must  be  true  from  the  circumstance  that  he  has  said  it ;  and 
he  chanced  to  say  that  there  were  witches.  I  know  your 
Cotton  Mather,  and  respect  him;  but  I  know,  too,  what  his 
faults  are.  As  for  this  vile  little  rat  whom  you  call  Parris," 
continued  the  man,  rising  in  a  passion,  uhe  is  utterly  a  villain. 
Mark  you  how  each  of  the  victims  in  the  first  was  one  who 
opposed  him  in  his  church?  Mark  you  how  Burroughs 
fell,  the  gentle,  lovable  Burroughs,  whose  sin  before  God 
was  that  he  desired  to  teach  the  people  of  Salem  in  place 
of  this  fiend  of  hell?" 

"Those  are  bold  words  for  a  stranger,"  interposed 
Stevens. 

"Bold  words?  Ay,  bold  they  may  seem  to  you,  and 
others  of  this  whipped-cur  community.  If  there  were 
one  among  your  slinking  crew  that  dared  be  a  man  — 
bah!" 

The  stranger  stalked  out  into  the  air,  clutching  his 
hands  to  keep  his  wrath  within  bounds.  The  two  left 
behind  looked  fearfully  at  each  other  when  he  had  gone. 

"'Tis  the  devil  himself,  friend  Stevens,"  whispered 
Ruggles.  "How  came  you  to  permit  him  here,  a  stranger?" 

"Alas,  I  knew  not  what  manner  of  man  he  was," 
returned  the  host,  mournfully,  "and  now  I  dare  not  tell 
him  to  begone." 

"What  seems  his  business  here?" 

"That  I  know  not,  unless,  as  you  say,  he  is  the  devil, 
and  seeks  to  help  those  who  have  sold  themselves  to  him. 
He  hath  striven  hard  in  the  matter  of  Goody  Lawrence." 

"The  wretch;    I  will  bid  him  begone  for  you,"  ejacu- 


THE  WITCH-MOTHER  335 

lated  Ruggles,  made  bold  by  much  flip  and  the  absence 
of  the  man  of  mystery.  "If  there  ever  was  a  witch,  it  is 
Goody  Lawrence;  and  that  pert-faced  child  of  hers,  with 
the  curls.  Who  but  a  child  of  the  devil  would  have  curls? 
I  know  them  both  for  witches.  I  had  talk  with  John 
Louder  and  friend  Fry.  Once  the  girl  came  to  them  in 
visible  in  the  woods  and  left  them  the  book  to  be  signed, 
into  which  those  put  their  names  when  they  would  sell 
themselves  to  the  devil.  They  saw  her  after  she  had  taken 
back  her  form  and  was  running  away.  Goody  Lawrence 
has  ridden  them  all  night,  turning  them  into  horses.  Bah! 
She  is  a  witch,  and  hangs  justly  to-morrow." 

The  fury  of  witches  had  indeed  broken  over  the  heads 
of  the  citizens  of  Salem.  Witchcraft  was  a  thing  believed 
in  by  the  superstitious,  whose  knowledge  of  natural  laws 
was  slight;  it  was  accepted  as  a  fact  by  the  Church  and 
preached  against;  it  was  recognized  before  the  law  in 
statutes  providing  the  penalty  of  death  for  any  one  con 
victed  of  it.  The  belief  found  ready  soil  in  the  colonists 
of  New  England.  Their  souls  were  harrowed  by  a  religion 
filled  with  fear  of  the  devil  and  eternal  damnation.  Their 
sensibilities  were  worked  upon  by  the  vast  wilderness 
that  came  to  their  very  dooryards,  filled  with  the  mystery 
of  the  unknown  beautiful. 

The  acute  state  of  the  hallucination  was  introduced 
into  Salem  by  Tituba,  the  half  negress,  who  frightened 
the  children  of  the  Parris  household  into  hysterics  with 
her  weird  tales  and  incantations,  in  which  she  undoubtedly 
had  faith  herself.  From  that  point  it  ran  wild.  Every 
unaccountable  illness  was  credited  to  some  witch;  usually 
to  a  woman  against  whom  the  family  of  the  afflicted  enter 
tained  some  preconceived  dislike.  It  is  worthy  of  com 
ment  that  the  frenzy  originated  in  the  house  of  Parris, 
the  minister;  that  it  was  fostered  and  fomented  by  his 


336 


DUELING   FOR  EMPIRE 


sermons;  that  among  those  first  accused  were  women 
prominent  in  a  faction  which  existed  in  his  own  church 
against  his  ministry;  that  the  principal  witnesses  were 
from  his  household  and  immediate  circle  of  friends.  How 
ever,  the  resulting  fury  cannot  be  ascribed  entirely  to  him, 
but  to  the  psychological  processes  by  which  a  mob  is  bereft 


TRIAL  OF  GEORGE  JACOBS  FOR  WITCHCRAFT 
(From  a  painting  in  the  Essex  Institute,  Salem) 

of  reason,  and  led  to  frightful  acts,  from  which  each  of 
the  mob  would  individually  recoil. 

Witchcraft  at  Salem  was  the  most  stupendous  oper 
ation  of  lynch  law  that  has  ever  disgraced  the  continent. 

Nineteen  women  and  men,  most  of  them  old  and  help 
less,  were  hanged  on  a  hill  near  the  village  for  being  witches, 
convicted  on  testimony  that  now  appears  utterly  absurd. 
Children  cried  out  in  the  trials  against  the  accused,  charg 
ing  that  the  witch  was  even  then  sticking  pins  into  them 
or  pinching  them.  They  fell  into  convulsions  at  sight  of 
the  prisoners;  they  barked  and  screeched  and  mewed. 


THE  WITCH-MOTHER  337 

Men  testified  that  the  several  accused  had  come  to  their 
beds  at  night,  changed  them  into  horses,  and  ridden  them 
to  witch  orgies,  where  babes  were  slaughtered  and  their 
blood  drank  by  the  members  of  the  mystic  circles.  Some 
of  the  accused,  seeking  to  be  spared  death,  confessed,  im 
plicating  others  for  the  sake  of  revenge,  or  for  no  purpose 
other  than  to  give  greater  semblance  of  truth  to  their  naked 
statements.  The  most  fantastic  inventions  which  their 
inflamed  imaginations  could  devise  were  soberly  narrated 
in  court,  and  as  soberly  accepted  as  fact,  against  the  denials 
of  the  defendants. 

The  court  was  presided  over  by  Stoughton,  hard,  obsti 
nate,  narrow-minded.  He  was  appointed  by  Sir  William 
Phips,  who  arrived  in  New  England  in  May  with  a  provi 
sional  charter  for  Massachusetts,  under  which  he  was  made 
governor.  Stoughton,  who  had  recently  been  received  again 
into  tentative  good  favor  by  his  fellow-citizens,  after  some 
what  compromising  activities  in  the  Andros  administration, 
seized  -the  opportunity  to  display  his  zeal.  So  aggressive 
was  he  in  the  matter,  that  when  Rebecca  Nurse  was  ac 
quitted,  he  sent  the  jury  back  again  to  reconsider. 
She  must  perish.  On  the  next  communion  day  she  was 
taken  in  chains  to  the  meeting-house  to  be  formally 
excommunicated  by  her  minister,  and  was  hanged  with 
the  rest. 

Nineteen  were  hanged.  Fifty  obtained  pardon  by  confes 
sion.  One  hundred  and  fifty  now  awaited  trial.  The  first 
of  a  reaction  was  setting  in.  In  the  beginning,  those  who 
had  not  believed  the  charges  were  straightway  cried  out 
upon.  Later,  some  who  had  first  believed  and  had  later 
discredited  the  evidence,  and  deplored  the  convictions,  were 
haled  before  the  court.  Now  the  accusers,  emboldened,  had 
taken  a  step  too  far  in  accusing  certain  persons  who  were 
too  high  to  be  smirched. 


338 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


There  was  a  lull,  an  uncertainty.  The  pendulum  was 
ready  to  swing  back. 

The  government  of  Massachusetts  was  now  in  the  hands 
of  Sir  William  Phips,  nominally,  as  governor.  Upon  his 
return  from  Quebec,  he  went  to  England,  seeking  a  charter 
for  the  colony.  Increase  Mather,  president  of  Harvard  Col 
lege,  was  there  as  agent  for  the  colony.  Phips  returned  with 
a  charter  that  was  not  what  the  people  wanted,  and  with  a 
commission  as  governor.  His  term  demonstrated  again  his 
unfitness  for  a  position  which  required  insight,  judgment, 
diplomacy,  and  personality.  He  was  honest  and  earnest, 
but  was  engaged  in  work  for  which  he  had  no  natural  fitness. 
In  his  sense  of  insecurity  he  permitted  himself  to  be  misled. 
Throughout  his  term,  he  was  the  tool  of  the  Mathers. 

The  stranger  of  the  tap-room,  leaving  the  tavern,  walked 
slowly  and  cautiously  across  the  meadow,  behind  the  out 
buildings,  toward  the  house  of  Widow  Lawrence,  where  the 
bereaved  daughter  had  been  alone  for  more  than  a  month 


THE  OLD  WITCH  HOUSE,  SAI.F.M 


THE   WITCH-MOTHER  339 

Passing  close  by  the  side  of  the  little  cottage,  he  paused  ab 
ruptly,  hearing  voices.  He  listened  for  an  instant  to  learn 
whether  he  had  best  reveal  himself.  Having  listened  for  an 
instant,  he  crept  closer  to  the  wall,  where  the  shadow  hid 
him,  and  listened  to  the  end.  It  was  the  voice  of  Waitstill 


GALLOWS  HILL,  SALEM 

Sparhawke  that  he  heard.    The  sound  of  it  caused  him  to 
bite  his  lips,  and  extend  his  hands  in  suppressed  wrath. 

"But  I  tell  you,  Jane,  he  is  dead!"  He  heard  Waitstill 
say.  "Has  not  the  minister  preached  his  funeral  sermon, 
and  is  he  not  stricken  from  the  town  rolls  ?  He  is  surely  dead, 
else  he  would  have  come  back  to  you.  The  man  who  told  me 
of  it  was  right.  He  would  not  dare  to  lie,  —  unless  Charles 
told  him  to.  I'  might  have  saved  your  mother  at  one  time. 
I  would  have  lost  my  soul  to  the  devil,  no  doubt,  for  your 
mother  is  a  convicted  witch.  But  I  love  you,  Jane,  and 
even  now  I  would  do  much  for  you.  If  you  will  marry  me, 


340  DUELING  FOR   EMPIRE 

I  will  try  what  I  can  do.  We  have  until  the  morning,  before 
the  witches  are  hanged.  There  will  be  three  to-morrow, 
counting  your  mother." 

His  reference  to  her  mother  as  a  witch  while  proposing 
marriage  did  not  seem  strange  to  Jane.  Her  heart  was 
dead.  She  stared  at  him,  expressionless. 

"If  I  could  save  her,  would  you  marry  me?"  asked  the 
model  of  all  deportment.  "I  do  not  say  that  I  can,  but  if 
you  will  promise  me  I  will  try." 

"Save  her  first,"  said  Jane,  in  a  hollow,  dry  voice. 

"Will  you,  will  you  kiss  me,  Jane?" 

"No!  Go!  Save  her  first!" 

Waitstill,  turning  on  his  heel,  walked  solemnly  down  the 
lane  and  out  of  sight.  When  he  had  gone,  the  stranger  en 
tered  the  room,  making  a  soft  signal  first,  so  that  Jane 
would  not  be  startled. 

"Is  there  any  chance?"  asked  the  girl,  looking  at  him 
with  dry,  hot  eyes. 

The  man  took  her  hand  and  pressed  it  with  tender  sym 
pathy.  He  shook  his  head.  "God  is  still  in  Heaven,"  he 
murmured.  "Come,  we  must  hope.  This  thing  cannot 
happen.  I  know  not  how  it  will  be,  but  I  am  sure  that  - 

Jane  sprang  to  her  feet  with  a  wild  scream,  pointing  to 
the  window  and  clutching  at  her  hair,  utterly  terrified. 

"Look!   Look!"  she  shrieked." His  ghost!  HisghostJ." 

The  stranger  feared  she  had  gone  mad.  He  turned  invol 
untarily,  grasping  the  girl's  arms  firmly  the  while,  lest  she  do 
some  violence.  As  he  turned,  he  saw  a  face  leave  the  window. 

"JT  is  no  ghost,"  he  said;  "it  was  human." 

As  he  spoke,  Charles  Stevens  appeared  in  the  doorway. 
Jane,  with  a  mad  laugh,  swooned  into  the  arms  of  the  man. 


CHAPTER  XXII 
OUT   OF   SALEM   JAIL 

THE  man,  supporting  Jane  in  his  arms,  looked  earnestly 
at  Charles,  who  stood  confounded  in  the  doorway,  not 
knowing  what  to  think  of  the  other's  presence  there,  or  at 
seeing  Jane  in  a  swoon. 

"Are  you  he?"  asked  the  stranger,  swiftly. 

"I  know  not  who  'he'  may  be,"  replied  Charles.  "I  am 
Charles  Stevens.  What  do  you  here?"  he  demanded, 
fiercely. 

"You  are  come  in  good  time  to  see  her  mother  hanged 
to-morrow,"  returned  the  man,  bitterly,  ignoring  his  ques 
tion.  "Where  have  you  loitered  these  years?  Come,  stand 
not  there  thus;  fetch  water." 

There  was  command  in  the  other's  voice  that  made 
Charles  feel  like  a  child  before  him.  He  hastened  to  do  as 
he  was  bid,  his  heart  wrung  by  the  reproof  for  his  absence, 
and  by  the  reproaches  which  his  conscience  added.  The 
two  worked  over  the  girl  in  silence,  laying  her  gently  on  the 
floor,  chafing  her  hands,  sprinkling  water  on  her  brow.  At 
last  she  opened  her  eyes.  She  looked  at  Charles,  fear  and 
wonder  in  her  expression. 

"Charles!  Charles!  Is  it  you?  Have  you  come  at 
last?" 

"Jane!"  His  voice  was  choked  with  tears  as  he  knelt 
beside  her,  caressing  her.  The  man  stood  apart  until  they 
were  more  calm. 

"What  brings  you  here  ?"  he  said  then  to  Charles.  "How 
come  you  ?  What  do  you  intend  doing  ?  Have  you  any 
plans?" 


342 


DUELING  FOR   EMPIRE 


Charles  made  no  immediate  answer,  first  questioning 
Jane  with  a  look. 

"He  is  my  one  friend,"  the  girl  explained,  reading  his 
question.  "He  has  been  all  kindness.  He  will  help  if  there 
is  anything  that  can  be  done." 

"My  brother  is  here  with  his  brig,"  Charles  hurried  on. 
"We  shall  ^i?EP^^»^  *^**tfgff»Pil  take  you  with 

us.  Where's  WmM       y°urmother?" 

She  shut  SP  f\  her   eyes    in 

complete  |Lv  |  despair. 

"She  is  in 
jail,"  inter 
posed  the  man, 
beckoning  him 
to  be  silent. 
"How  many 
have  you  with 
you?" 
"Ten." 
"Where  are 
they  hidden?" 

-  .«_^^—  «^__        "They    are 

|  hiding     near 
the    landing.7' 

THE  MATHER  TOMB,  COPP'S  HILL  BURYING  GROUND,  BOSTON         Turning  he 

bolted  the  door  and  closed  the  shutters  before  he  spoke. 

"Come,"  he  said.    "There  is  only  one  way." 

Surrendering  themselves  to  his  direction,  they  prepared 
to  leave  the  house. 

"Wait!"  he  said,  arrested  by  an  idea  as  they  were  about 
to  depart.  "Come!  I  have  it.  Fetch  sheets,  and  such  old 
gowns  as  you  can  find  quickly,"  he  added  to  Jane. 

She  did  as  she  was  bid,  hastily  gathering  together  a  bundle 
of  clothes  and  linen.  Dividing  the  stuff  between  himself  and 


OUT   OF   SALEM   JAIL  343 

Charles,  he  led  them  through  the  back  door,  leaving  the 
candle  burning  in  its  socket. 

"They  will  not  know  we  are  gone,"  he  explained.  "Lead 
us  to  the  hiding-place." 

Although  it  was  still  early  in  the  evening,  they  had  no 
difficulty  in  reaching  the  rendezvous  without  an  encounter, 
for  the  streets  were  already  deserted.  Coming  near  the  water, 
Charles  whistled  softly,  and  his  brother  appeared. 

"Are  your  men  true?"  asked  the  man,  without  prelimi 
naries.  "Are  you  ready  to  risk  much?" 

Hubert  hesitated  to  answer  the  stranger. 

"He  is  a  friend;  he  will  help  us,"  whispered  Charles, 
understanding. 

Hubert,  coming  closer,  recognized  the  man  as  the  stranger 
whom  he  had  seen  at  the  tavern. 

"My  men  are  true  and  bold.  They  will  venture  any 
thing,"  he  said. 

" Good!  There  is  but  one  way.  We  must  break  into  the 
jail!" 

For  a  moment  there  was  silence.  Interchanging  a  look, 
Charles  and  Hubert  each  grasped  the  stranger  by  a  hand, 
sealing  the  compact  without  a  word. 

"What  have  you  there  ?"  asked  Hubert,  seeing  the  bundle 
of  goods  the  two  carried. 

"You  will  see  when  the  time  comes,"  the  man  replied. 
"Take  the  girl  aboard.  Fetch  bars  and  axes ;  anything  with 
which  we  may  beat  in  the  door.  Let  the  men  be  armed,  in 
case  of  need." 

His  firmness  inspired  them  with  trust.  They  did  as  he 
bade  them,  taking  Jane  to  the  craft  which  lay  at  anchor  close 
to  shore,  and  returning  with  a  spare  spar,  some  irons,  cap 
stan  bars,  and  belaying-pins.  The  party  concealed  them 
selves  again  in  a  clump  of  trees  near  an  empty  warehouse  at 
the  water's  edge. 


344  DUELING   FOR  EMPIRE 

Midnight !  Wild  clouds  scurrying  across  the  stars,  mak 
ing  the  night  dark.  From  the  clump  of  bushes  beneath  the 
wall  emerged  a  file  of  shadows.  Any  who  might  have  seen 
them  as  they  made  their  stealthy  way  along  the  edge  of  the 
street  beneath  the  shadows  of  the  trees  would  have  shrieked 
and  run  for  his  soul's  life.  They  were  a  band  of  ghosts  and 
witches,  robed  in  the  sheets  and  garments  which  Jane  had 
brought  from  the  house,  some  astride  of  sticks  they  found, 
others  shrinking  themselves  to  the  semblance  of  goblins  and 
imps.  The  strange  man,  their  leader,  had  caught  the  idea 
from  Jane's  fright,  she  thinking  she  had  seen  a  ghost  when 
Charles  appeared  to  her.  He  was  making  the  most  of  it  to 
work  upon  the  superstition  of  the  citizens,  should  any  see 
them.  On  any  other  errand  they  would  have  laughed  at 
their  comical  appearance.  The  absurdity  of  it,  in  the  circum 
stances,  only  made  it  the  more  impressive. 

Swiftly,  silently,  beneath  the  elms  of  Salem,  close  to 
the  walls  of  houses  behind  which  slept  witch-ridden  settlers, 
they  took  their  way  to  the  jail.  The  streets  were  empty. 
There  was  no  one  to  cry  out  " witches"  upon  them,  as  they 
passed.  No  one,  save  a  solitary  figure  that  they  saw 
slinking  away  between  tree-trunks,  and  running  in  mad 
terror  when  he  thought  he  had  got  beyond  their  vision. 

They  were  before  the  jail.  They  gathered  about 
the  threshold.  There  was  no  sound  but  their  tense  breath 
ing.  The  heavy  oaken  door  stood  solid  before  them. 
Within,  they  heard  the  prayers  of  those  who  were  to  die 
on  the  morrow.  Charles  shuddered  and  sobbed  with  ex 
citement.  Twenty  stout  hands  grasped  the  long  spar. 
The  leader,  the  strange  man,  stood  beside  the  hinges  of 
the  door,  ax  poised.  Charles  stood  opposite,  another  ax 
in  his  hands.  The  man  gave  a  signal.  A  rush  of  feet; 
sharp  exhalations;  a  deafened  crash  of  wood  on  splinter 
ing  wood;  fast,  furious  blows  of  steel  ringing  against  the 


OUT   OF   SALEM   JAIL  347 

iron  bolts  that  made  the  door  stout;  a  horrible  screaming 
from  the  prisoners;  a  bellow  of  terror  from  the  jailer? 

"Once  more!"   shouted  the  leader. 

Another  blow  of  the  ram!  The  door,  shivering,  opened 
and  fell  inward  with  a  groan.  Quickly  the  jailer  was  over 
powered.  Quickly  the  cells  were  thrown  open  by  the  keys 
they  took  from  the  keeper.  In  the  space  of  a  breath  the 
terrified  and  screaming  prisoners  were  hurried  forth  and 
delivered  free  into  the  dark  night.  Before  the  citizens, 
startled  by  the  crashing  blows  and  the  mad  shrieks  of  the 
accused  witches,  could  leap  from  their  beds  and  throw  open 
their  doors  to  learn  what  the  tumult  was  about,  the  jail  was 
deserted.  Those  who  had  been  its  occupants  were  fleeing  in 
all  directions,  in  little  groups,  by  twos  and  threes,  or  alone. 

The  rescuers,  casting  off  their  disguises,  hurried  to 
ward  the  water.  Goody  Lawrence,  weak  and  dazed,  was 
half  carried,  half  dragged,  between  the  stranger  and  Hubert. 
Charles,  still  robed  in  a  sheet  which  he  forgot  to  discard, 
was  with  the  last,  lingering  behind  to  prevent  pursuit. 
He  saw  again  the  slinking  figure  they  had  frightened  away 
as  they  came.  It  bore  a  torch  now.  It  was  followed  by 
two  others.  In  the  light  of  the  torch,  Charles  saw  that  it 
was  Waitstill  Sparhawke  who  followed,  and  that  it  was 
Minister  Parris  and  John  Louder  who  accompanied  him. 
A  lust  for  vengeance  seized  him.  He  glided  behind  a  tree, 
unseen  of  his  companions  or  those  who  came  after. 

The  town  was  astir.  People  rushed  from  houses,  half 
clad,  calling  to  each  other,  confused,  not  knowing  what  to 
do.  Some  came  too  close  to  the  fleeing  rescuers  and  were 
beaten  back  with  bruised  heads.  They  gathered  by  de 
grees  into  strength,  running  after  the  vanishing  group  that 
hastened  to  the  water.  Parris  and  Louder  led  them. 
Waitstill  was  no  longer  among  them. 

A  group  of  men,  one  bearing  a  musket,  came  abruptly 


348 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


around  a  house  corner,  directly  in  the  path  of  the  fugitives. 
The  man  with  the  gun,  startled,  fired  it,  without  effect. 
Strong-handed  sailors  wrenched  the  weapon  from  him, 
beat  him  down,  cast  the  others  aside.  They  hurried  on. 
The  pursuers,  shouting,  firing  guns,  came  behind,  draw 
ing  nearer;  for  the  widow  Lawrence  had  fainted,  and  they 
were  forced  to  carry  her. 

They  reached   the   boat.     Before   they  could   clamber 
in  and   cast  off,   the   citizens   were   upon   them.     Heavy, 


BIRTHPLACE  OF  ISRAEL  PUTNAM,  DANVERS,  MASSACHUSETTS,  BUILT  1648 


OUT   OF   SALEM    JAIL 


349 


dull-sounding  blows  of  wood  on  fleshed  bone  filled  the 
air  for  a  moment.  The  men  of  Salem  gave  way  before 
the  strokes.  The  boat  pushed  off.  Strong  backs  bent  to 
the  oars.  The  craft  burst  through  the  water,  leaving  the 
howling  crowd  rushing  up  and  down  the  shore. 

In  a  moment  they  were  aboard  the  craft.  The  anchor 
leapt  from  the  water.  Sails  sprang  on  the  yards.  The 
stormy  wind,  blowing  from  the  shore,  filled  the  canvas. 
The  water  slipped  away  alongside  as  she  answered  her  helm. 
Small  craft,  filled  with  angry  men,  put  off  from  shore  and 
struggled  after  them.  The  vessel  gathered  way.  She  heeled 
over  before  the  breeze.  The  pursuing  craft  fell  behind. 


MATHER-ELIOT  HOUSE,  BOSTON.  BUILT  1677 


350  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

Goody  Lawrence  was  safe!  The  morrow  would  come, 
and  the  morrow  would  go,  but  her  fragile  form  would 
not  swing  from  the  horrid  gibbet  on  the  hill  which  even 
now  they  could  see  rising  black  and  sinister  into  the 
night.  She  was  below  in  the  arms  of  her  daughter,  dazed, 
not  comprehending,  not  caring  for  the  present  to  com 
prehend.  She  only  knew  that  she  was  safe,  and  that  her 
daughter  was  with  her. 

The  land  fell  away.  They  felt  the  swing  of  the  open 
sea  beneath  their  keel.  With  songs  in  their  throats,  the 
sailors  manned  the  braces,  and  she  squared  away  for  deep 
water. 

Jane,  restored  to  partial  calmness,  ineffably  happy, 
whispered  falteringly  to  the  strange  man  who  stood  below 
at  her  side.  He  came  on  deck,  calling  for  Charles.  There 
was  no  answer.  He  went  among  the  sailors,  looking  for 
him.  He  searched  out  Hubert,  asking  for  him.  None 
remembered  having  seen  him  since  they  left  the  jail.  The 
man  called  again,  softly,  lest  he  distress  Jane.  There  was 
no  answer.  Charles  was  not  aboard. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 


BY   VIRTUE   OF   VILLAINY 

THE  tumult  had  died  out  of  the  streets  of  Salem.  Some 
loitered  about  the  broken  jail  to  hear  the  marvelous 
story  the  jailer  told  of  the  band  of  witches,  led  by  the  devil 
who  had  been  in  their  midst,  that  had  come  to  free  the 
witch-children  of  the  devil.  Excited  knots  gathered  in 
houses  to  discuss  the  marvel  and  shudder  over  wild  rumors 
that  ran  among  them.  But  the  streets  were  vacant  and 
quiet. 

The  Black  Horse  lay  dark  and  somber  by  the  side 
of  the  road.  Its  sightless  windows,  the  eaves  that  hung 
above  them,  made  it  look  like  a  great  face,  frowning  in 
thought  over  the  things  that  had  taken  place.  A  figure 
passed  .across  the  meadows  from  the  cottage,  where  a  light 
gleamed  feebly  between  the  chinks  of  the  shutters,  toward 
the  outbuildings,  huddled  down  to  sleep.  It  passed  among 
the  smaller  structures,  through  the  dooryard,  and  knocked 
softly  at  the  back  door. 

There  was  no  an 
swer.  It  knocked 
again,  louder,  and  a 
third  time.  There 
was  a  stirring  in  the 
chamber  above.  The 
window-sash  swung 
open.  A  head,  half 
snuffed  in  a  great 
white-peaked  nightcap, 
was  thrust  forth.  The 


READING  GOVERNOR  FLETCHER'S  PROCLAMATION 

351 


352  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

voice  of  Jonathan  Stevens  demanded  who  was  there,  in  the 
tone  of  a  host  who  thinks  the  night  has  brought  him  a 
traveler. 

"Let  me  in,  father,  it  is  I,"  the  figure  answered,  softly 
as  possible. 

"You?    You?    Who  are  you?" 

"It 's  Charles,  father!     Don't  you  know  me?" 

"Charles?  Charles?  No,  no;  it  isn't  you!  Why, 
Charles  is  dead!  God's  name,  is  it  you,  then?" 

The  head  disappeared.  The  light  of  a  candle  showed 
beneath  the  door.  It  was  thrown  open,  Charles  rushed 
in,  closing  it  quickly  behind  him. 

" Father ?  father,  they've  gone!"  gasped  the  boy,  brac 
ing  his  back  against  the  door  as  though  to  keep  out  some 
thing  that  followed. 

Jonathan  Stevens  gazed  at  him  in  astonishment. 

"Who  is  gone?  What  do  you  mean?  Whence  came 
you?  What  is  it?  Tell  me!  Are  you  mad?" 

"Why,  the  boat  and  the  party  and  Jane  and  Goody 
Lawrence.  I  stopped  to  beat  that  scoundrel  Waitstill,  and 
they  left  me.  What  shall  I  do  ?" 

The  face  of  the  father  hardened.  A  glitter  came  into 
his  eye.  Charles  was  too  distracted  by  his  predicament 
to  observe  the  sinister  expression. 

"Were  you  of  the  party  that  broke  the  jail,  then?" 
asked  the  elder. 

Feeling  that  he  had  blundered,  Charles  attempted  to 
evade  the  question.  It  was  vain.  His  grief,  the  hunger 
he  had  for  love  and  sympathy,  his  need  of  aid,  broke  him 
down.  He  told  his  -father  all  that  had  taken  place,  going 
through  the  tale  from  the  time  he  had  been  impressed  into 
the  Quebec  expedition,  through  his  experiences  on  the  way 
home,  his  arrival,  the  escape,  all;  save  that  he  did  not 
mention  that  it  was  Hubert's  boat,  or  that  his  brother  had 


BY  VIRTUE  OF  VILLAINY 


35, 


had  a  part  in  it.     His  father  heard  him  through  without 
a  word. 

"What  shall  I  do?"  asked  the  boy,  again,  when  he 
had  finished.  "They  are  going  to  New  York.  That  was 
agreed.  I  can  make  my  way  there  if  I  can  but  escape. 
But  Sparhawke  knows  I  am  here.  Can  you  hide  me  until 
morning?  Or  let  me  have  something  to  eat>  and  I  shall 
go  at  once." 

"Nay,"  said  Jonathan.  "Wait  until  morning.  Come. 
I  will  bring  bread,  and  hide  you  in  the  rafters." 

The  landlord  brought  forth  a  loaf  which  he  gave  to 
Charles,  and  led  him  up  the  stairs  to  a  ladder  that 
reached  a  small  loft  in  the  garret,  beneath  the  ridgepole. 
It  was  divided  off  among  the  bare  rafters  by  a  partition. 
There  was  a  door,  with  a  narrow  platform  before  it. 
Charles  mounted,  his  father  following  him  to  light  the 
way.  There  was  no  furniture  but  an  old  bed  without 
covers,  and  a  sadly  torn  husk  mat-  ^^J^_  tress. 

"You  can  sleep  here,"  said  the    !  father. 

"I     must    hasten     back,   lest    your   I  mother 

press  me  with  too  many  ques 
tions." 


OLD  TIDE  MILL,  PORTLAND,  MAINE 


354 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


"Is  there  no  key,  so  that  I  may  lock  the  door?"  asked 
the  young  man. 

"There  is  no  key,  Charles." 

"Did  I  not  see  a  key  as  we  came  in?" 

"Ay,  but  the  lock  is  rusted.     It  does  not  turn." 

His  father  departed  closing  the  door,  and  leaving  him 
in  darkness.  Charles  heard  his  step  pause  at  the  head  of 
the  ladder.  He  heard  a  rattling  of  the  lock,  the  squealing 
of  a  key.  The  steps  of  the  ladder  creaked  beneath  the 
man's  weight  as  he  descended.  A  sick 
fear  went  through  Charles.  What  if  -  -  ? 
He  groped  his  way  through  the  room. 
There  was  no  window.  He  had  difficulty 
in  finding  the  place.  His  hands  rested 
on  the  knob.  He  turned  it.  He 
tried  the  door.  It  was  locked  ! 

A  nameless,  unreasonable  dread 
seized 
upon 

him.  Why  had  his  father 
locked  him  in  the  room  ?  Why 
had  he  told  him  there  was 
no  lock?  Why  had  he  not 
sent  him  forth  that  night  with 
food,  to  make  the  best  of  his 
escape?  He  stumbled  back  to  bed,  sitting  there  numb, 
with  the  loaf  untouched  in  his  hands. 

A  scratching  noise,  a  gentle  pressure  on  his  sleeve,  a 
prickling  across  his  hand  as  the  pressure  moved  there,  a  grat 
ing  sound  on  the  crust  of  the  bread!  His  hand  shook  with 
terror.  A  rat  scampered  away.  He  cast  the  loaf  from  him. 
His  thumping  heart  pressed  against  his  throat ;  a  great  white 
light  seemed  to  burst  before  his  eyes.  He  fell  over  on  the 
bed,  and  knew  no  more. 


OLD  CHAISE  OF  1701 


BY   VIRTUE    OF   VILLAINY 


355 


Across  the  delirious  riot  of  his  dreams  there  ever  struck 
the  discordant  grating  of  the  key  in  the  lock.  Amid  a  thous 
and  frantic  scenes,  he  heard  that  ominous  sound.  The  sea 
could  not  drown  it.  The  mountains  of  earth  could  not  bury 
it.  It  was  everywhere  present.  It  pursued  him,  driving 
him  he  knew  not  to  what. 

He  awoke  with  a  start.  It  was  the  sound  of  the  key  in 
the  lock  that  aroused  him.  As  he  listened  he  could  hear  it 

turning.  And 
as  he  listened, 
he  heard  more 
voices  than 
his  father's 
muttering  low 
on  the  landing 


BIT  OF  OLD  BOSTON 


without.  A 
slanting  plane 
of  sunlight 
filled  with 
dancing  dust 
motes  struck 
in  through  an 
interstice  be 
tween  the  boards  of  the  wall,  telling  him  that  it  was  day. 
The  lock  turned  farther,  squeaking  with  rust.  The  latch 
rattled.  The  door  was  cast  open.  His  father  stood  there. 
Beside  him  was  the  constable.  Behind  them,  Waitstill 
Sparhawke  and  Minister  Parris.  In  his  father's  face  he 
read  accusation,  reproof,  stern  judgment;  he  knew  now 
the  secret  of  the  lock. 

They  grasped  him  roughly,  placing  shackles  on  his 
wrists.  He  said  no  word.  He  made  no  sign,  save  to  turn  a 
look  of  bitter  contempt  upon  his  sire.  He  went  with  them, 
his  head  raised  proudly,  his  eyes  fixed  afar,  not  deigning  to 


356  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

glance  at  any  of  the  marveling  rout  that  gathered  to  see  the 
one  who  had  come  from  the  dead  to  free  the  children  of  the 
devil.  For  the  story  was  about  before  the  dawn,  and  the  tale 
had  grown,  running  from  lip  to  lip.  Waitstill  Sparhawke  fol 
lowed  behind  in  the  procession  to  the  jail,  explaining  such 
points  as  were  obscure  to  the  good  people  of  Salem. 

Charles,  never  in  high  favor  among  his  townspeople,  was 
now  considered  by  them  to  be  an  atrocious  criminal.  It  was 
not  so  much  his  offense  that  made  him  black;  it  was  the 
thought  that  one  of*  their  own  number  should  have  trans 
gressed.  His  crime  was  clear  to  them.  Charles  felt  the  senti 
ment  against  himself.  It  aroused  his  old  rebellious  resent 
ment,  strengthening  him  to  bear  his  troubles.  His  father  he 
forgave.  He  pitied  him  for  that  he  had  been  so  deluded  as 
to  turn  against  his  own  blood.  His  forgiveness,  however, 
was  entirely  theoretical;  for  when  Jonathan  Stevens  came 
to  console  and  admonish  him,  the  son  would  have  no  words 
with  him. 

For  reasons  which  might  be  analyzed  by  a  close  study  of 
mob  psychology,  the  jail-break  went  far  toward  pricking  the 
bubble  that  was  already  flattening  out.  No  effort  was  made 
to  recapture  the  escaped  witches.  The  interruption  of  the 
trials,  the  absence  of  those  accused  and  awaiting  judgment, 
introduced  an  interval  in  which  the  fanatics,  relieved  from 
the  excitation,  settled  down  to  their  senses.  A  person  in 
Boston  brought  suit  for  damages  in  £1000  against  informers 
who  were  crying  out  against  him.  The  people  of  Salem 
and  other  affected  localities  revolted  from  the  thought  that 
Mrs.  Hale,  wife  of  the  minister  at  Beverly,  was  a  witch. 

The  court  of  special  commission,  which  had  adjourned 
for  two  months  shortly  before  the  jail  delivery,  never  met 
again,  being  superseded  by  the  general  court.  When  this 
court  met  in  November  it  threw  half  the  presentments  out 
of  court,  found  only  twenty-six,  true  bills,  convicted  but  three 


BY  VIRTUE  OF  VILLAINY 


357 


accused,  and  pardoned  all  of  them.  Stoughton,  who  had 
presided  in  the  special  court,  withdrew  from  the  bench  in  a 
fury  over  the  pardons.  Phips,  frightened  by  the  turn  in  senti 
ment,  hastened  to  write  to  his  masters,  the  Lords  of  Trade 
and  Plantations,  endeavoring  to  shift  the  blame  for  all  the 
convictions  upon  Stoughton,  whom  he 
himself  had  appointed  without 
authority.  The  revulsion  of 
feeling  was  nearly  unanimous. 
Only  a  few  still  retained 
their  belief  in  witchcraft. 
Among  them  were  Stough 
ton  and  Cotton  Mather, 
who  believed  himself  in 
fallible.  Mather  devised 
a  case  of  his  own  in  Boston 
when  the  Salem  business 
lagged,  to  prove  that  he 
was  right.  He  was  per 
mitted  to  indulge  himself 
in  the  proof,  and  to  let 
the  incident  close  there.  FlRST  KlNG's  CHAPEL,  BOSTON 

Charles  found  his  situation  benefited  by  the  change  in 
public  opinion.  The  charge  against  him  was  not  witchcraft; 
but  his  offense  was  so  intimately  related  with  the  other  busi 
ness,  that  he  was  included  in  the  general  sympathy  that 
grew  for  those  who  had  suffered.  The  tale  of  his  misad 
ventures  at  Quebec,  the  love-story  of  the  two  young  peo 
ple,  the  romance  of  his  attempt  at  rescue,  worked  upon 
the  people  until  they  rose  to  open  friendliness. 

His  father  came  to  bring  forgiveness.  Charles,  deter 
mined  that  he  would  never  take  his  parent  back  into  his 
heart,  melted  in  spite  of  himself,  and  the  two  wept  in  each 
other's  arms.  Richard  Stevens  in  Boston  interceded  with 


358  DUELING  FOR   EMPIRE 

Phips  for  the  boy's  release,  and  would  have  succeeded  had 
not  Mather,  urged  by  Parris  and  Sparhawke,  dissuaded  the 
governor.  As  the  sentiment  grew  toward  him,  it  grew  in 
the  same  proportion  against  Parris  and  Waitstill  Spar 
hawke.  The  people  began  to  read  malice  and  conspiracy  in 
the  zeal  with  which  these  two  still  upheld  the  prosecutions 
and  endeavored  to  revive  the  fury. 

When  the  time  of  the  trial  arrived,  there  was  a  wish  that 
the  young  man  would  be  freed,  which  extended  among  all 
the  citizens  excepting  those  who  were  of  the  Parris  faction. 
Charles  was  brought  before  the  court,  charged  with  break 
ing  open  the  jail  and  liberating  prisoners.  He  was  defended 
by  Alexander  Stevens,  son  of  Richard  Stevens  of  Boston,  a 
youthful  but  energetic  and  resourceful  man  of  law.  He 
brought  with  him  several  rough  characters,  to  the  amaze 
ment  of  the  people  of  Salem. 

Waitstill  Sparhawke,  on  seeing  the  rough  fellows  march 
into  court  behind  Alexander  Stevens,  turned  white  and  passed 
his  hand  nervously  in  front  of  his  mouth.  The  preliminaries 
were  got  through  with,  and  the  prosecution  presented  its 
case.  Charles  was  identified  by  Waitstill  and  Parris,  and 
several  others,  as  one  of  those  who  had  broken  into  the  jail. 

His  father  was  obliged  to  tell  of  the  confession  the  lad  had 
made  when  he  came  to  the  tavern  on  the  night  of  the  affair. 
The  case  was  pretty  well  established,  when  Alexander  Ste 
vens  entered  upon  the  defense. 

He  called  one  of  the  rough  fellows,  Philander  Mason, 
to  the  stand.  Did  the  witness  know  that  man  ?  pointing  to 
Waitstill  Sparhawke.  Witness  did.  Had  the  witness  ever 
had  dealings  with  him  in  which  he  was  financially  rewarded. 
Witness  had.  WTould  he  please  state  them  to  the  court? 
Why,  yes,  he  would.  One  night  two  years  before,  yes,  more 
than  two  years  ago  —  just  before  the  Phips  expedition  — 
to  be  right  in  the  matter,  on  July  2,  1690,  that  man,  (point- 


BY  VIRTUE    OF  VILLAINY  361 

ing  to  Sparhawke)  had  come  to  him  —  witness  was  then 
engaged  in  recruiting  for  the  expedition  —  he  had  come  to 
him,  witness  went  on  to  say,  and  offered  him  ten  shillings 
if  he  would  take  the  present  prisoner  away  from  Salem.  He 
had  hit  him  over  the  head  that  night,  a  little  too  hard,  and 
carried  him  away,  but  had  received  only  five  shillings  for 
the  job,  which  he  considered  very  small  business  on  the  part 
of  Sparhawke. 

The  witness  was  excused.  A  great  turmoil  arose  over  the 
admission  of  the  testimony,  Alexander  Stevens  contending 
that  he  wished  to  show  animosity  against  the  prisoner  on  the 
part  of  the  chief  witness  for  the  prosecution.  He  lost  the 
contention,  but  not  until  each  spectator  present  —  and  most 
of  the  town  was  there  —  had  learned  the  deep  iniquity  that 
dwelt  behind  the  Christian  deportment  of  Waitstill  Spar 
hawke,  and  not  until  that  virtuous  exemplar  was  in  utter 
confusion  and  moral  rout. 

Next  witness.  Did  witness  know  this  man,  Waitstill 
Sparhawke?  Witness  did.  He  had  been  concerned  with 
him  in  a  certain  matter.  Would  witness  please  state  the 
matter?  Gladly.  He  was  with  Phips  at  Quebec,  and  had 
gone  ashore  with  the  troops  under  Major  Walley;  had  seen 
Charles  Stevens  wounded ;  had  been  taken  prisoner  himself, 
and  saw  Stevens  in  Quebec  before  he,  the  witness,  was 
exchanged.  Coming  back  to  Boston,  he  had  met  with 
Philander  Mason,  previous  witness,  who  told  him  that  Wait- 
still  wanted  to  learn  that  Charles  Stevens  was  dead;  and 
warned  him  to  collect  first. 

Witness  came  to  Salem,  bringing  with  him  a  friend  - 
here  he  pointed  to  third  rough  fellow.  They  had  gone  to 
Sparhawke ;  had  nearly  failed  to  come  together  as  to  terms, 
when  Sparhawke  at  last  agreed  to  give  them  twenty  shillings 
for  the  both  of  them;  which,  on  his  usual  basis  of  settle 
ment,  they  figured  would  amount  to  ten  shillings,  and 


362 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


sufficient.  He  and  his  friend  had  thereupon  sworn  that 
Charles  Stevens  was  dead  and  buried  in  Canada,  and  had 
received  twelve  shillings  therefor ;  which  was  more  than  they 
expected,  considering  their  customer. 

Another  struggle,  resulting  in  the  exclusion  of  the  testi 
mony,  and  the  execration  of  Waitstill  Sparhawke  by  all  the 
citizens  of  the  town,  who  had  by  this  time  assembled  in  the 
court  or  on  the  ground  before  the  building. 
Third  witness  introduced,  testified  that  he 
had  never  been  outside  of  Boston,  until  he 
came  to  Salem  to  swear  that  Charles 
Stevens,  whom  he  had  never  seen,  was  dead 
and  buried  by  his  own  hands  in  Canada. 
The  testimony  was  stricken  out  by  order 
of  the  court,  but  not  until  Waitstill  Spar 
hawke  stood  forever  disgraced  in  the  eyes  of 
the  people  of  Salem.  Charles  Stevens  was 
raised  before  their  minds  to  the  status  of  a 
persecuted  hero,  victim  of  that  base  villain, 
Sparhawke.  Then  came  the  records  of  the 
town  to  show  how  Charles  Stevens  had 
been  declared  dead;  which  were  admitted 
in  evidence  as  closely  relating  to  the  prisoner. 
Defense  rested.  The 


OLD  NORTH  CHURCH 


BY    VIRTUE    OF   VILLAINY  363 

Crown  made  its  speech.  Alexander  Stevens  arose.  Tre 
mendous  silence  throughout  the  court  and  among  those 
who  crowded  at  the  door  and  in  the  yard. 

Counsel  for  the  defense  regretted  that  he  had  not  been 
permitted  to  show  the  animus  that  inspired  the  prosecution 
of  his  client,  the  accused  prisoner.  He  felt  that  if  he  had 
been  allowed  to  introduce  such  evidence  as  he  had  wished  to, 
he  could  have  shown  that  one  who  would  stoop  to  such  a 
dastardly  trick  as  the  chief  witness  was  guilty  of;  that  one 
who  would  take  advantage  of  the  absence  of  a  soldier  fight 
ing  for  his  King  to  deprive  that  soldier  of  the  innocent  love 
of  a  beautiful  creature;  that  one  who  heretofore  had  shown 
that  he  hesitated  at  no  infamy  to  gain  his  ends;  that  such 
a  one  would  be  entirely  capable  of  swearing  away  the  free 
dom,  yea,  the  very  life,  of  the  man  who  stood  between  him 
and  the  object  of  his  base  desires.  All  eyes  were  turned  upon 
Waitstill  throughout  the  passage,  and  there  arose  mutterings 
of  brewing  anger. 

Counsel  had  hoped  to  be  able  to  show  all  this,  and  thereby 
to  prove  that  Charles  was  not  one  of  those  in  the  party  which 
had  broken  into  the  jail;  for  his  identification  rested  almost 
entirely  upon  the  evidence  of  the  malicious  and  unscrupu 
lous  man  whom  he  had  wished  to  reveal  in  his  true  light 
before  the  court  —  loud  murmurs  against  the  former 
model  of  deportment.  Order  called  for  by  the  bailiff.  But 
since  he  could  not  show  this,  under  the  technicalities  of  law, 
he  must  seek  refuge  behind  those  very  technicalities  which 
were  inimical  on  the  one  hand  to  the  interests  of  the  prisoner 
before  the  bar. 

He  maintained  that  the  accused  prisoner  had  not  only 
been  generally  reputed  to  be  dead,  but  that  he  was  in  law 
actually  dead,  having  been  erased  from  the  official  rolls  of 
the  village  and  the  church  as  deceased;  and  having  been 
buried  by  proxy  from  the  church.  That,  having  been 


364 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


declared  dead  by  the  law,  his  person  could  not  now  be 
brought  into  jeopardy  before  the  law;  that  having  no  legal 
existence,  he  could  not  be  technically  guilty  of  an  illegal 
act.  Wherefore,  the  honorable  and  wise  court  could  follow 
but  one  course,  and  release  the  prisoner,  without  prejudice. 
Without  leaving  their  seats,  the  jury,  wrought  upon  by 
WaitstilPs  deeds,  seized  upon  the  legal  sophistry  of  the 
gentleman  from  Boston  to  bring  in  a  verdict  of  acquittal. 
Immediately  an  uproar  arose  in  the  court-room,  which 
the  constables  tried  in  vain  to  subdue.  Charles,  from  being 
an  outcast,  a  felon,  became  a  hero, 
escaping  from  the  congratulations 
.  lifelong  affection  thrust 
too  proud  fellow- 

At  last  he 
and  so  on 
looking  for 
Sparhawke. 


He  had  hard  work 
and  protestations  of 
upon  him  by  his 
townsmen, 
got  as  far  as  the  door 
out  into  the  street, 

Waitstill 

There 


was 


COTTON  MATHER'S  HOUSE,  BOSTON 


BY  VIRTUE   OF  VILLAINY  3^5 

a  yearning  in  his  heart  to  administer  one  more  chastise 
ment  to  that  worthy  gentleman  before  he  undertook  more 
important  matters.  But  search  as  he  would  throughout  the 
day,  he  was  unable  to  find  his  pious  friend.  Neither  did 
he  discover  him  on  any  of  the  days  that  followed,  so  that 
when  he  left  for  New  York  a  week  later,  he  was  obliged 
to  content  himself  with  the  memory  of  the  man-sized  beat 
ing  he  had  given  him  the  night  of  the  jail  delivery. 


INTERIOR  OF  OLD  NEW  ENGLAND  HOUSE 


CHAPTER  XXIV 
THE   MISSING   SHIP 

,  having  learned  the  cost  of  delay,  set  out 
for  New  York  within  the  week  that  he  was  acquitted 
and  freed.  It  was  too  late  in  the  year  to  hope  for  a  sailing- 
vessel,  being  well  toward  the  last  of  November.  He  knew 
the  hardships  of  the  trip  would  be  many  and  severe.  He 
was  alive  to  real  danger  from  the  weather.  But  it  had 
already  been  months  since  Hubert  set  sail  in  the  vessel 
for  New  York,  and  he  must  make  all  haste  if  he  would 
find  trace  there  of  Jane  and  her  mother. 

New  England  at  this  time  was  in  a  political  ferment. 
Her  new  charter,  under  which  Phips  was  governor,  was 
oppressive,  restricting  them  in  their  familiar  liberties. 
Phips  himself  was  earnest  and  honest,  desiring  the  good 
of  the  province  above  all  things;  but  utterly  unfit  for  his 
position.  Made  sensitive  to  opposition  or  criticism  by 
his  intense  egotism,  naturally  choleric,  trained  to  the  quarter 
deck  rather  than  the  seats  of  government,  he  fell  into  petty 
and  violent  quarrels  with  those  with  whom  he  dealt.  These 
quarrels  frequently  developed  into  physical  broils,  in  which 
he  laid  about  him  with  his  fists  and  his  cane  and  his  tongue 
in  a  manner  eminently  suitable  to  the  deep  sea,  but  not 
reassuring  to  the  governed,  or  to  those  at  home  who  sent 
him  out.  On  one  occasion  he  fought  in  the  streets  of  Bos 
ton  with  Captain  Stout  of  the  frigate  Nonesuch,  which 
brought  him  to  New  England.  He  knocked  the  man  down 
with  his  fists,  and  beat  him  with  his  walking-stick.  An 
other  time  he  beat  an  officer  of  court  for  failure  to  obey 
instructions  he  was  not  obliged  to  take  from  the  governor, 

366 


THE   MISSING    SHIP  367 

The  war  between  England  and  France  called  forth 
little  activity  among  the  colonists.  Another  expedition 
against  Quebec  was  planned,  in  which  the  British  fleet 
and  2000  British  soldiers  were  to  assist;  but  it  miscarried 
and  was  not  attempted.  There  was  warfare  carried  on 
by  the  French  and  Indians  in  Maine  and  New  Hampshire, 


OLD  GARRISON  HOUSE,  YORK,  MAINE 

which  was  of  no  grave  consequence  save  to  those  exposed 
settlers  who  chanced  to  be  massacred  and  scalped. 

Maine  and  Nova  Scotia  were  occupied  by  the  Abenaki 
Indians,  a  tribe  little  less  fierce,  though  numerically  weaker, 
than  the  Five  Nations  of  Iroquois.  The  Abenakis  were 
converts  of  the  French  missions,  and  were  under  French 
influence;  but  New  England  traders  were  much  among 
them,  till  they  began  to  relent  toward  the  heretics,  as  they 
had  been  taught  to  call  them.  Fearing  to  lose  their  hold 
on  the  Indians,  the  French  sent  a  force  under  Villabon,  to 


368  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

incite  them  to  attacks  upon  the  settlers  of  Maine  and  New 
Hampshire.  The  force  occupied  Port  Royal,  which  was 
not  defended  by  any  English,  and  operated  from  that  point. 

In  January,  1692,  the  savages  marched  against  York, 
a  small  settlement  on  the  seashore  in  Maine.  February 
4,  they  fell  on  the  scattered  houses,  massacring  all  the 
inhabitants,  or  taking  them  prisoners.  Devastating  the 
surrounding  country,  they  hurried  back  to  the  French,  who 
now  occupied  a  fort  on  the  Saint  John  River,  opposite  the 
present  site  of  Fredericton.  In  June,  a  force  of  500,  accom 
panied  by  Portneuf  and  his  Canadians,  Baron  de  Saint- 
Castin,  and  noted  chiefs  who  were  the  terrors  of  the  Indian 
border,  crossed  Penobscot  Bay  and  marched  upon  Wells, 
a  small  frontier  settlement. 

The  year  before  the  Abenakis  had  ravaged  the  country, 
burning  200  houses  and  destroying  the  crops.  Many  of 
the  refugees  from  these  raids  were  gathered  at  Wells.  On 
the  approach  of  the  Indians  they  joined  forces  in  the  fort 
ified  house  of  Joseph  Storer.  They  were  thirty  men,  under 
Captain  Convers  of  the  militia.  The  Indians  attacked 
them  with  yelps  and  firing,  but  made  no  assault,  that  not 
being  their  method  of  warfare.  For  two  days  they  threat 
ened  the  house,  demanding  a  surrender.  Convers  laughed 
at  them,  and  they  went  away  in  disgust,  in  spite  of  the  efforts 
of  Saint-Castin  and  the  other  French  to  hold  them. 

Saint-Castin  was  a  Frenchman  who  had  a  settlement 
on  the  Penobscot.  He  had  an  Indian  wife,  and  was  a  man 
of  consequence  among  the  savages.  His  hatred  of  the  Eng 
lish,  always  intense,  was  aroused  to  fanaticism  by  a  raid 
which  Phips  caused  to  be  made  on  the  settlement  two  years 
before,  when  on  the  expedition  against  Port  Royal.  Next 
to  one  Thury,  the  colonists  considered  him  their  most  dan 
gerous  enemy. 

The  activity  of  the  Abenakis  now  subsided,  for  Phips 


THE   MISSING    SHIP  371 

sent  an  expedition  to  rebuild  Pemaquid.  A  stone  fort  was 
erected  which  defied  savage  attack.  Situated  as  it  was,  on 
the  outposts  of  the  English  colonies,  the  Indians  could  not 
make  their  forays  without  passing  it  and  leaving  it  in  their 
rear,  a  thing  they  had  not  the  courage  to  do.  For  the  first 
time  in  years  the  settlers  of  Maine  and  New  Hampshire 
could  go  into  their  far  fields  in  the  morning  with  some  as 
surance  that  they  would  be  alive  to  return  at  night,  and  that 
they  would  find  their  families  living  and  happy  in  an  un- 
burned  log  cabin. 

The  journey  to  New  York  was  a  continual  hardship. 
Riding  by  day  over  rough,  frozen  roads,  with  the  bleak  winds 
of  winter  driving  in  his  face,  often  through  stinging  snow 
storms,  sometimes  through  freezing  rain,  alone  across  long 
stretches  of  country  where  the  houses  were  at  great  dis 
tances,  stopping  at  night  at  poor  inns  where  he  had  little 
to  eat,  sleeping  on  hard,  rough  beds,  sometimes  with  a 
stranger  for  a  bedfellow,  more  than  once  Charles  would  have 
turned  back  or  waited  where  he  was  for  spring,  had  he  been 
impelled  on  the  journey  by  any  less  a  force  than  love  for  Jane. 

Utterly  wearied,  he  visited  for  four  days  with  the  Wads- 
worth  family  in  Hartford,  where  he  heard  gossip  of  the 
politics  of  the  province.  Connecticut,  as  well  as  Rhode 
Island,  was  still  under  jurisdiction  of  the  government  of 
New  England,  which  included  them  with  Massachusetts. 
New  Hampshire  was  under  an  anomolous  government. 
Samuel  Allen  had  bought  the  disputed  rights  of  the  Gorges 
to  New  Hampshire  and  left  his  son-in-law,  John  Usher,  in 
in  charge  of  affairs  there.  New  Hampshire  consisted  of 
four  towns  along  the  Merrimac.  The  citizens  desired  that 
they  be  taken  under  the  charge  of  Massachusetts;  and 
there  was  continual  struggle  between  them  and  Usher. 
Usher  was  a  violent  antagonist  of  Governor  Phips  of  Massa 
chusetts,  and  many  disputes  were  threshed  out  between  them. 


372  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

When  Charles  reached  New  York,  the  province  had  been 
several  months  under  Benjamin  Fletcher,  successor  to 
Sloughter,  who  had  died  in  New  York  early  in  the  year. 
King  William  was  determined  to  place  all  the  territory 
between  the  Connecticut  River  and  Delaware  Bay  under 
one  government.  Fletcher  came  with  commissions  which 
covered  the  country.  He  had  nothing  but  the  commissions. 
He  was  a  bullying  Englishman,  who  arrived  in  America 
with  the  idea  that  the  settlers  were  stupid,  ignorant,  half- 
savages  who  must  be  ruled  for  their  own  good.  He  had 
not  intelligence  enough  to  change  the  idea  when  he  saw 
those  whom  he  was  to  govern,  and  made  but  a  poor  success 
of  it.  He  visited  Hartford  in  October,  1693,  while  the  As 
sembly  was  in  session,  and  demanded  that  the  military 
forces  of  the  colony  should  be  placed  at  his  disposal.  In 
wealth  and  population,  Connecticut  was  at  least  twice  as 
powerful  as  New  York,  and  these  proposals  were  flatly 
refused  by  his  stronger  neighbor. 

There  is  a  tradition  that  when  Fletcher  ordered  his 
secretary  to  read  his  commission  to  the  train-bands  of  Hart 
ford,  drawn  up  before  the  place  where  the  assembly  was  in 
session,  the  sturdy  Captain  Wadsworth  ordered  the  drums 
to  be  beaten.  Fletcher  stopped  the  drummers,  and  the 
reading  began  again.  Once  more  the  drums  resounded, 
and  once  more  the  governor  silenced  them.  Then  Wads- 
worth  stepped  forward  and  told  the  New  York  governor 
that  if  he  interfered  again,  he  would  make  the  sun  shine 
through  him.  At  this  the  crestfallen  Fletcher  retired. 

He  tried  to  establish  the  Church  of  England  by  law  in 
New  York,  but  in  the  moment  when  he  thought  he  had  suc 
ceeded,  the  legislature  interfered  with  a  bill  of  toleration 
which  left  no  church  an  advantage  over  others. 

Arriving  in  New  York  at  last,  Charles  went  to  a  mer 
chant  with  whom  his  brother  Hubert  had  dealings.  The 


THE    MISSING    SHIP  373 

man  had  had  no  tidings  of  the  vessel.  He  was  watching 
for  Hubert,  too,  on  a  matter  of  business.  He  said  he  knew 
every  vessel  that  had  arrived  in  port  since  the  affair  at 
Salem,  and  assured  Charles  that  his  brother's  was  not  of 
them.  Not  satisfied,  he  pursued  his  inquiries  along  the 
water  front,  meeting  many  to  whom  both  the  vessel  and  the 
master  were  familiar.  No  one  had  seen  her  since  the  day 
she  sailed  out  of  the  harbor  with  Charles  aboard  on  her  way 
to  Salem. 

Charles  was  utterly  dismayed  over  the  failure  to  find 
trace  of  her.  It  could  not  be  possible  that  she  had  been 
detained  so  long  on  the  passage.  She  would  have  been  in 
months  before,  if  nothing  had  happened  to  her.  He  dared 
not  contemplate  the  possibilities.  He  persisted  in  believ 
ing  that  she  had  made  another  port  in  distress,  or  had  been 
pursued  and  driven  away  from  New  York,  and  that  she 
would  come  there  in  the  end  to  keep  rendezvous  with  him. 
He  reviled  himself  again  for  the  folly  that  had  led  him  to 
seek  vengeance  on  Waitstill  and  separated  him  again  from 
Jane.  He  grew  dismal:  He  had  never  brought  her  anything 
but  trouble,  and  always  through  some  folly  of  his  own. 

But,  in  any  event,  he  would  wait  there  as  long  as  he  could 
convince  himself  there  was  hope.  If  they  could,  they  would 
come  there.  If  they  did  not  come  there,  why  there  was  no 
chance  that  they  would  go  elsewhere.  He  stopped  at  a  clean, 
modest  tavern  near  the  Battery,  so  that  he  might  be  close  to 
the  water  and  watch  for  their  ship.  He  had  no  companions. 
He  sought  out  some  whom  he  had  known  in  the  old  days 
when  he  lived  there.  They  had  changed,  and  he  was  no 
longer  the  merry  lad  he  had  been.  After  one  or  two  attempts 
to  return  to  the  old  basis,  he  gave  it  up,  and  depended  upon 
casual  acquaintance  at  the  tavern  to  relieve  his  solitude. 

New  Year's  Day  came.  He  was  sitting  at  night  by  the 
fire  in  the  tap-room,  talking  with  a  traveler  who  had  come 


374 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


from  China.  There  was  a  blizzard  without.  The  wind 
roared  down  the  chimney,  flapping  great  folds  of  smoke 
back  into  the  room.  Now  and  then  a  few  flakes  of  snow 
would  come  down  in  the  blasts  that  vanquished  the  smoke, 
to  vanish  in  the  blaze.  Cold  drafts  came  in  through  the  win- 


OLD  JAIL,  YORK,  MAINE 

dows  and  beneath  the  doors,  so  that  Charles,  wrapped  as  he 
was  in  a  shawl,  was  often  chilly.  They  were  alone  in  the 
room  save  for  two  men  who  sat  in  a  stall  at  a  smaller  private 
fire  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  room. 

Charles  was  listening  with  keen  interest  to  the  marvels 
that  his  companion  described,  when  he  was  distracted  by 
the  sound  of  a  voice  at  the  outer  door  that  sent  him  bounding 
to  his  feet  and  rushing  across  the  room. 

"Mon  Dieu!"  the  voice  said,  jovially.     ''Call  you  this 


THE    MISSING   SHIP  375 

cold,  you  English?  Pouf!  This  is  summer!  This  is  a  day 
for  the  gardens.  You  should  have  seen  the  day  that  La  Salle 
and  I  crossed  that  prairie,  as  wide  as  the  sea,  beneath  the 
feet  of  a  lake  of  ice.  Voila,  but  that  was  cold!" 

It  was  Dautray.  He  had  scarce  ceased  before  Charles 
was  upon  him  with  an  embrace  in  which  he  found  relief 
from  all  the  unhappiness,  disappointment,  anxiety,  and 
loneliness  of  the  days  since  he  reached  New  York. 

"Sacre,  but  you  are  worse  than  a  bear,"  cried  Dautray, 
thrusting  him  back  when  he  had  endured  all  he  could.  "But 
see  whom  we  have  with  us,  my  fine  young  friend.  Have  you 
embraces  to  go  around  ?" 

He  turned  to  the  others  who  had  entered  with  the  French 
man.  They  were  Beatrice  and  her  father,  and  the  bride  of 
the  voyageur.  On  the  impulse,  Charles  reached  out  his  arms 
to  Beatrice,  and  she  permitted  him  to  embrace  and  kiss  her 
as  his  sister  might  have  done.  There  was  confusion  for  a 
space,  each  wondering  how  the  other  came  there,  and  each 
endeavorirfg  to  explain  in  a  word.  Beatrice  restored  order, 
and  her  father  led  them  to  the  table  occupied  by  the  two 
men,  who  had  left  when  the  travelers  came. 

Charles  told  them  no  more  of  his  tale  than  to  say  that  he 
expected  to  meet  his  brother  there,  and  was  waiting  for  him. 
He  was  not  one  who  talked  of  his  sweetheart.  The  others 
were  on  their  way  from  the  northern  frontier  to  the  southern. 
They  were  going  to  leave  Schenectady  and  Albany  forever. 
They  were  all  going  to  the  Carolinas,  where  Dautray's 
mother  and  sisters  lived,  and  where  there  was  not  so  great 
danger  from  the  Indians. 

"You  English  must  to  look  out  for  that  Frenchman  up 
there,  that  Count  Frontenac,"  explained  Dautray  to  Charles. 
"Some  day  he  will  be  upon  your  necks,  and  then, —  pouf! 
He  is  the  devil,  that  Frontenac.  I  know  what  he  plans, 
yet  I  must  not  tell.  Only" — he  shrugged  his  shoulders  to 


376  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

his  ears  and  looked  wise, —  "it  is  better  that  we  should  be 
here.  And  because  I  love  these  people,  this  Englishman 
and  his  daughter,  I  have  told  them  that  it  was  better,  and 
they  have  come  with  me.  As  for  me,  I  have  taken  a  wife, 
and  am  henceforth  no  better  than  an  Englishman." 

New  Year's  cheer  ran  high  before  the  night  was  out, 
leaving  Charles  in  better  spirits  than  he  had  known  in  many 
days.  In  the  morning  the  travelers  made  effort  to  find  means 
of  getting  to  Charleston,  being  in  haste  to  complete  their 
journey.  They  searched  the  shipping  for  a  vessel,  and  let 
it  be  known  that  they  would  pay  handsomely  for  a  voyage. 
They  advertised  the  matter  about  the  mn,  and  did  what 
they  could  to  spread  notice. 

In  a  few  days,  they  were  rewarded.  A  man  came  who 
said  that  he  had  a  vessel  which  he  would  risk  for  a  sum,  nam 
ing  the  figure.  He  was  a  surly,  lowering,  dark-faced  villain. 
He  placed  an  absurd  price  upon  the  trip ;  but  they  haggled 
until  he  undertook  it  for  £60,  which  figure  they  accepted, 
on  condition  the  vessel  was  satisfactory. 

It  was  even  more  villainous  than  its  master;  long,  low, 
narrow,  with  black,  rotten  cordage  and  loose  rigging.  Beat 
rice  was  reluctant  about  going  with  such  a  vessel  and  crew, 
for  the  sailors  had  a  piratical  look ;  but  Dautray  assured  her 
they  were  harmless,  whatever  their  evil  intentions  might  be, 
being  only  Englishmen,  and  she  withdrew  her  objections. 

In  two  days  they  set  sail.  Charles,  urged  to  go  with 
them,  declined,  still  hoping  for  word  from  his  party.  It  was 
with  a  heavy  heart  and  many  misgivings  that  he  turned 
back  from  the  dock  after  he  had  lost  sight  of  their  sail  in  the 
wintry  fog  that  blew  in  through  the  Narrows. 


CHAPTER  XXV 
A   NEW   YEAR'S    SURPRISE 

LUCIUS  THORNE  of  Virginia  was  not  happy.  He  had 
exhausted  the  sensations  of  the  province.  He  was 
weary  of  it  all.  His  companion,  Saint-Croix,  who  had  always 
been  able  to  put  some  degree  of  sparkle  into  their  joint  adven 
tures,  was  dead.  He  had  been  killed  two  years  before  in  a 
fox-hunt,  having  unwisely  reversed  the  usual  order  of  such 
affairs  by  becoming  intoxicated  before  the  chase.  The  new 
rector  was  a  man  of  virtue  and  breeding,  zealous  for 
God,  who  preached  to  the  planter,  and  exhorted  him  to 
mend  his  ways.  This  was  amusing  enough  in  itself  for 
a  time,  but  it  began  to  pall  before  a  twelvemonth  had 
passed. 

He  was  even  denied  the  solace  of  friendship  with  the  high 
men  of  the  colonial  government.  Lord  Howard  of  Effing- 
ham  had  returned  to  England  in  1688,  more  than  four  years 
before,  and  Francis  Nicholson  had  come  out  to  govern.  He 
was  the  same  who  was  deposed  in  New  York  by  Leisler. 
King  William  sent  him  back  to  the  first  open  post,  working 
out  a  policy  to  make  as  few  changes  as  possible  in  the  non- 
essentials  of  his  predecessor's  arrangements. 

Nicholson  was  not  available  to  Thorne.  He  was  a  man 
of  integrity  and  earnest  purpose,  whatever  may  have  been 
his  defects  as  a  statesman.  He  came  once  to  visit  the 
merry  planter  who  had  held  such  influence  in  the  previous 
regime ;  but  the  course  which  the  ensuing  debauch  took  of 
fended  his  taste.  Being  a  man  of  a  cantankerous  soul 
ready  to  give  offense  with  his  tongue,  he  had  fallen  into  a 
quarrel  with  his  host  which  was  never  forgotten  by  either  of 

377 


378  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

them.  In  this  manner  was  the  high  society  of  the  govern 
ment  denied  Thorne ;  and  he  was  not  happy. 

He  had  found  diversion  for  a  time  in  assisting  Doctor 
James  Blair,  a  Scotch  clergyman,  in  his  fight  to  found  a  col 
lege  in  Virginia. 
He  allied  him 
self  with  the 
dogged  Scot  in 
the  struggle  for 
educational  ad 
vantages  for 
several  whimsi 
cal  reasons.  In 
the  first  place, 
Doctor  Blair 
was  struggling 
against  an  ar 
ray  of  oppo 
nents,  includ 
ing  most  of  the 
enemies  of 
Thorne,  who 
were  many. 
The  planter 
was  further  in 
fluenced  by  the 
fancy  that  his 

Support    of   the  DOCTOR  JAMES  BLAIR 

movement  would  puzzle  and  confound  his  gossiping  neigh 
bors,  who  had  never  thought  him  a  friend  to  culture  and 
progress.  It  pleased  him  to  think  that  he  would  give  them 
much  to  talk  about  which  would  lead  them  nowhere.  Also, 
in  indentifying  himself  with  Blair,  he  felt  that  he  was  calling 
attention  to  the  fact  that  he  himself  was  a  man  of  education, 


A   NEW   YEAR'S   SURPRISE  379 

being  a  graduate  of  Oxford,  which  would  remind  his 
neighbors  of  his  superiority  over  them;  a  thing  which 
nothing  else  had  ever  brought  them  to  realize. 

Blair's  contest  for  the  establishment  was  long  and  stub 
born.  Education  was  then  believed  to  promote  a  froward 
and  seditious  spirit.  But  Blair  raised  £2700  and  went  to 
England.  He  was  supported  by  Tillotson,  archbishop  of 
Canterbury,  and  Stillingfleet,  bishop  of  Worcester.  When 
he  pleaded  the  cause  before  Sir  Edward  Seymour,  treasury 
commissioner,  urging  that  there  were  souls  to  be  saved  in 
Virginia,  that  affable  official  replied,  "Damn  your  souls! 
Grow  tobacco!"  Being  a  Scot,  Blair  persisted  in  spite  of 
similar  opposition  from  many  sources,  and  obtained  a  char 
ter  for  a  college,  which  was  to  be  called  William  and  Mary. 
It  was  the  second  in  America.  The  fight  was  over  now,  and 
that  diversion  gone.  Blair  was  on  his  way  home,  and  the 
college  would  be  founded  in  the  following  year. 

For  a  time  his  ennui  was  relieved  by  the  liveliness  of 
affairs  in  Maryland.  The  province  was  proprietary,  being 
owned  by  Lord  Baltimore.  It  was  filled  with  manor  estates 
granted  to  settlers  who  exercised  feudal  rights  over  their 
tenants.  Baltimore,  an  eminently  just  and  gentle  man, 
departed  the  province  in  1684,  to  return  to  England.  His 
son,  Benedict  Calvert,  a  boy,  was  left  in  charge  of  affairs. 
George  Talbot,  an  Irish  kinsman,  holder  of  a  manor,  set  up 
a  regency.  Talbot,  hot-headed  and  belligerent,  became 
involved  in  a  quarrel  with  one  of  the  royal  collectors  of  cus 
toms.  The  customs  were  the  property  of  the  King.  In  the 
sequel  of  the  quarrel,  Talbot  stabbed  the  man  on  board  an 
English  ship-of-war  lying  at  Saint  Mary's. 

He  was  delivered  to  the  Virginia  authorities  for  trial,  but 
was  rescued  by  his  wife  from  jail  in  a  romantic  adventure, 
in  which  she  sailed  the  length  of  Chesapeake  Bay  in  the 
winter,  and  made  a  midnight  descent  upon  his  prison.  Tal- 


380  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

bot  was  permitted  by  the  authorities  of  Maryland  to  hide 
himself  away  from  them.  He  surrendered  after  a  space,  but 
before  he  was  brought  to  trial  Baltimore  obtained  a  pardon 
for  him  from  James  II,  then  on  the  throne.  This  was  the 
beginning  of  a  sentiment  that  Maryland  was  not  actively 
loyal  to  the  King,  her  council  having  taken  sides  against  the 
King's  customs  officers. 

It  was  the  growth  from  this  sentiment  that  made  the 
province  ripe  for  the  anti- Catholic  panic  which  followed 
immediately  after  the  abdication  of  James  II.  The  colony 
was  Catholic,  -  -  proprietor,  council,  feudal  lords,  and  all. 
It  was  founded  as  a  refuge  for  Catholics.  Already  suspected 
of  lukewarm  loyalty,  the  council  was  closely  watched  to  see 
whether  they  would  proclaim  William  and  Mary.  They 
failed  to  do  so.  Other  provinces  were  falling  into  line  with 
proclamations,  while  the  council  was  silent.  Rumors  spread 
that  the  Catholics  and  the  Indians  were  conspiring  to  massa 
cre  all  the  Protestants.  Catholicism  was  on  a  rising  flood. 
The  Huguenots  had  just  been  driven  from  France.  The 
Thirty  Years'  War  had  left  the  Protestants  of  Germany  weak 
and  shattered.  There  was  ready  credit  given  the  rumors, 
and  great  fear  among  the  Protestants  of  Maryland. 

The  council  still  forbore  to  proclaim  the  Protestant  rulers 
of  England.  Baltimore  sent  a  messenger  telling  them  to  do 
so,  but  he  died  on  the  way.  Before  another  could  reach  the 
province,  the  frightened  Protestants  had  taken  things  in 
hand.  They  were  numerically  stronger.  The  threatened 
danger  drove  them  together.  John  Coode  came  forth  as 
a  leader.  At  the  head  of  700  men  he  marched  to  Saint 
Mary's.  The  council  fled,  surrendering  in  a  few  days. 
Coode  prepared  documents  which  he  sent  to  William,  telling 
him  what  had  taken  place,  putting  it  in  the  light  of  a  rising 
against  the  old  Monarch  for  the  new,  and  a  struggle  for  reli 
gious  existence.  The  King  replied  by  revoking  Baltimore's 


A   NEW  YEAR'S   SURPRISE  383 

charter,  in  1691,  and  sending  Sir  Lionel  Copley  out  to 
govern. 

But  that  had  been  the  year  before,  and  Lucius  Thorne 
was  tired.  It  was  late  November.  He  sat  to  his  empty  board 
looking  down  his  bulbous  nose,  drinking  grog  with  no  com 
panions  but  the  ghosts  out  of  his  past.  His  thoughts  ran 
over  many  things.  He  mourned  Saint-Croix,  softly  cursing 
the  pious  monk  who  had  been  sent  to  succeed  him.  He 
fumed  when  he  thought  of  the  fair  woman  who  had  eluded 
him  on  that  eventful  night  five  years  before.  His  eyes  blazed, 
and  he  muttered  to  himself,  considering  how  he  had  held 
his  ancient  enemy  a  slave  for  years,  without  knowing  it. 
He  raged  when  he  remembered  how  the  friend  of  his  youth, 
Dick  Dorset,  had  aided  the  girl  and  her  father  to  escape.  He 
groaned  at  the  recollection  of  what  followed;  how  he  had 
found  Dorset  wounded  unto  death;  how  he  had  nursed  him 
back  to  health,  not  knowing  the  truth;  how  he  had  learned 
it  too  late;  how  he  had  tried  to  compensate  at  least  for  the 
loss  of  a  slave  by  placing  Dorset  in  his  place ;  how  Daredevil 
Dick  had  escaped  in  a  night,  and  had  never  been  seen  since. 
With  a  mighty  oath,  he  swore  vengeance  on  them  all,  and 
tossed  off  a  glass  of  grog  for  each  of  his  projected  victims. 

He  had  not  set  down  the  glass  for  the  last  time,  when 
there  was  a  knock  at  the  door.  He  bellowed  out,  bidding 
the  one  without  to  enter.  A  servant  came  to  whisper  a 
name  in  his  ear.  Thorne  rolled  his  eyes  and  revived  an 
interest  in  life. 

"Bring  the  scoundrel  here!"  he  roared.  " God's  blood, 
what  brings  that  wryface  here?" 

There  was  a  shuffling  step  behind  his  chair,  a  slinking 
figure,  cap  in  hand,  crept  to  the  edge  of  the  table  on  the 
side  opposite  to  the  planter,  with  hanging  head  and  droop 
ing  shoulders,  making  many  obeisances. 

"Well,    thing,    what    is    it    now?"   growled   Thorne. 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

"What  brings  you,  dripping  out  of  the  winter  rain  for  all 
the  world  like  a  drowned  rat?  A  lovely  creature  you  are, 
to  come  to  a  man's  house !  Is  it  money  you  want  ?  I  have 
given  you  money  enough!" 

The  man,  raising  his  face,  revealed  the  distorted  features, 
the  malignant,  misset  eyes,  the  sinister  leer  of  Roger  Slurk. 

"I  crave  a  thousand  pardons,  noble  sir,"  whined  the 
man.  "I  didn't  know  but  what  you  might  like  to  know. 
I  made  so  bold  as  to  come  here,  thinking  you  might  be  glad 
of  the  information.  I  don't  want  money.  I  do  this  be 
cause  I  fair  worships  you,  noble  sir,  for  setting  me  free  the 
way  you  did.  I  thought  if  I  could  help  you  I  would  like 
to  do  it." 

"Well  well,  magpie!    What  is  it  you  have  to  tell  me?" 


THE  GRAVE  OF  GEORGE  Fox 


A  NEW   YEAR'S   SURPRISE 


385 


THE  GRAVES  OF  THE  PENN  FAMILY  IN  THE  BURYING  GROUND  OF  JORDANS 
MEETING-HOUSE,  CHALFONT  SAINT  GILES,  ENGLAND 

"Why,  sir,  if  you  care  to  know  it,  sir,  I  have  seen  them 
again." 

"Seen?     Seen  whom,  rogue?" 

"Why  sir,  those  that  we  know  as  Ma] lory  Stevens  and 
his  daughter  Barbara;  but  who,  for  some  reason  that  they 
have,  prefer  to  call  themselves  by  the  name  of  Melville." 

Thorne  pushed  his  chair  from  the  table,  and  sat  with 
hands  on  the  arms  of  it,  ready  to  spring  into  action.  His 
eyes  were  thrust  out.  His  bulging  lips  stood  apart  with 
excitement. 

"Where?    When?    How?"   he  demanded,  fiercely. 

"Why,  up  in  Albany,  where  I  went  with  a  ship  last 
summer.  I  just  now  got  off  the  ship,  and  came  at  once  to 
tell  you,  thinking  you  might  be  glad  to  hear  from  them 
again.  I  went  on  the  ship  - 

"Never  mind  the  ship!     Did  they  see  you?" 

"No,  they  did  n't  see  me  this  time,  they  did  n't  see  me." 

Thorne  pulled  the  bell-cord  and  summoned  a  servant. 

"Give  the  fellow  a  glass  and  grog,"  he  commanded. 


386  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

Pacing  the  room  in  his  excitement,  Thorne  learned  all  that 
the  fellow  had  to  tell  him,  and  more.  He  made  up  his 
mind  at  once  that  he  would  not  let  another  night  come 
upon  him  before  he  was  on  the  way  to  Albany,  with  proper 
papers  with  which  to  claim  his  slave.  Slurk  he  hired  to 
accompany  him.  In  the  morning,  in  spite  of  the  wintry 
season,  they  set  out,  taking  a  sloop  to  the  head  of  the  bay, 
and  thence  by  land  to  Philadelphia. 

In  Philadelphia  they  were  storm-bound  for  several  days. 
Slurk  spent  much  time  loitering  about  the  house  of  Anthony 
Melville,  whence  the  fugitives  had  escaped  them  years 
before,  on  the  chance  that  they  might  have  journeyed  thither 
since  he  saw  them  in  Albany  in  the  previous  summer.  But 
he  found  no  sign  of  them,  and  learned  from  a  servant  in 
the  house,  with  whom  he  struck  up  an  acquaintance,  that 
the  brother  was  not  there. 

Philadelphia  and  all  of  Pennsylvania  was  disconsolate 
that  winter.  Their  beloved  William  Penn  had  been  de 
prived  of  his  rights  in  the  province  during  the  year,  and  was 
suffering  much  at  the  hands  of  the  present  court,  for  real 
or  fancied  sympathy  with  the  cause  of  James  II,  now  an 
exile  in  France.  Penn  was  always  a  favorite  with  the 
Stuart  Kings.  It  was  Charles  II  who  had  given  him  the 
charter.  His  interests  had  been  allied  with  those  of  James 
in  the  matter  of  religious  toleration,  and  they  had  been 
brought  together  in  that  manner. 

When  James  fell,  Penn,  who  had  not  been  in  America 
since  1684,  was  immediately-  involved  in  difficulties  with 
William  and  Mary.  He  was  thrown  into  prison  a  number 
of  times  on  charges  growing  out  of  his  alleged  sympathy 
with  the  abdicating  Monarch.  He  always  managed  to 
extricate  himself  from  these  difficulties,  and  to  free  himself 
of  the  charges  made  against  him,  at  least  to  the  satisfaction 
of  the  trial  courts.  But  in  1692,  William  III,  pursuant  to 


A  NEW   YEAR'S   SURPRISE  389 

his  policy  of  bringing  the  colonies  as  nearly  as  he  might 
under  one  central  government,  seized  upon  a  pretext  to 
withdraw  the  grant  from  Penn,  and  placed  the  colony  under 
Fletcher,  governor  of  New  York. 

But  the  idea  of  union  was  no  new  thing  to  the  colonists; 
it  was  the  first  and  greatest  of  the  lessons  taught  by  the 
struggle  with  France.  Yet  the  credit  for  its  first  working 
out  into  action  must  be  given  to  Jacob  Leisler,  the  patriotic 
governor  of  New  York.  In  1690  he  called  the  first  Conti 
nental  Congress  in  New  York  City,  an  event  that  remains 
as  one  of  the  greatest  interest  and  importance. 

William  III  sought  to  attain  the  same  end  by  investing 
the  governor  of  New  York  with  arbitrary  control  over  the 
neighboring  colonies.  It  was  a  freer  and  therefore  more 
rational  idea  that  stood  behind  the  plan  submitted  by  Wil 
liam  Penn  to  the  lords  of  trade  in  1697.  His  was  the  fore 
shadowing  of  that  great  piece  of  constructive  statesmanship 
which  was  carried  a  step  further  in  the  next  generation 
by  Benjamin  Franklin's  suggestions,  brought  to  the  actual 
business  of  government  in  the  articles  of  confederation, 
and  to  final  fruition  in  the  constitution  by  which  Americans 
have  been  governed  since  1789. 

Pennsylvania  had  prospered  during  the  rule  of  Floyd, 
who  was  left  by  Penn  upon  the  return  of  the  proprietor 
to  England  in  1684.  Unmolested  by  the  Indians,  beyond 
the  reach  of  danger  from  Canada,  free  of  religious  contro 
versies,  fertile,  abundant,  it  attracted  emigrants  from  all 
countries  of  Europe,  and  settled  rapidly.  Since  1685 
Philadelphia  was  larger  than  New  York.  There  were  no 
disturbances  of  any  kind  excepting  the  secession  of  the 
three  lower  counties  of  the  Delaware,  in  1691.  The  sep 
aration  was  effected  without  strife  or  bloodshed.  The 
counties  were  those  that  Penn  had  received  from  Lord 
Baltimore. 


390 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


It  was  a  bitter  distance  from  Philadelphia  to  New  York. 
The  cold  was  intense;  the  roads  well-nigh  impassable. 
Scarcely  another  traveler  was  met  on  the  way.  They  rode 
over  rough,  frozen  ground  filled  with  little  sheets  of  ice  where 
the  water  had  gathered  in  the  ruts.  The  uneven  surface 
twisted  the  horses'  feet.  The  ice  puddles  sent  them  slid 
ing.  More  than  once  the  animals  fell  to  their  knees.  More 
than  once  they  came  limping  to  the  end  of  the  day's  journey, 
and  had  to  be  replaced  in  the  morning.  Other  days  the 
rain  drove  in  their  faces,  and  left  the  road  a  quagmire, 
through  which  the  poor  beasts  floundered  desperately. 
When  night  came  the  exhausted  travelers  were  ready 
for  bed,  swearing  they  would  go  no  farther  on  the  morrow. 
But  Thorne  awoke  with  new  resolve  each  day,  and  pushed 
on  toward  New  York  at  the  greatest  speed  they  could 
make  in  such  circumstances. 

It  was  New  Year's  Eve  when  they  reached  New  York. 
They  put  up  at  a  modest  little  tavern  near  the  Battery, 
it  being  the  first  they  reached  when  they  were  put  ashore 
by  the  ferryman  who  brought  them  through  the  blizzard 
from  the  Jersey  shore.  It  was 
a  wild  night;  the  wind 
howling  down  the  isl-/ 
and,  filled  with  sting 
ing  snow  and  / 
biting  cold,  the 
waves  running 
high  in  the 
river, 
drifts 


BURYING  GROUND  AT  THE  JORDANS 
MEETING-HOUSE 


A   NEW  YEAR'S    SURPRISE  391 

piling  behind  walls,  street  lights  blowing  out,  signs  creak 
ing,  shutters  flopping,  the  snow  squealing  beneath  the 
steps  of  such  wayfarers  as  had  to  be  abroad. 

They  entered  the  tap-room,  half  frozen,  and  seated  them 
selves  at  a  small  private  fire.  Thorne  kept  Slurk  with 
him  always,  fearing  that  the  fellow  would  desert  to  escape 
the  rigors  of  the  undertaking.  He  ordered  toddy,  a  brisk 
fire,  and  something  to  eat.  The  only  other  occupants  of 
the  tap-room  were  two  men  by  the  large  fireplace,  who 
talked  of  China. 

Thorne  and  his  retainer  had  finished  their  food  and 
were  sitting  with  their  pipes  before  the  fire,  when  there 
was  a  bustle  at  the  door,  the  sound  of  voices,  and  the 
younger  of  the  two  men  sitting  by  the  fireplace  arose  swiftly 
and  ran  to  the  door,  with  a  cry  of  welcome  for  the  new 
arrivals. 

Slurk,  listening  from  force  of  habit,  held  his  finger  ,to 
his  lips  and  signaled  the  other.  Thorne  turned  his  ear 
toward  the  door.  The  party  was  greatly  animated,  talking 
confusedly.  An  expression  of  astonishment  came  over 
the  face  of  the  Virginia  planter,  followed  by  one  of  malig 
nant  pleasure.  For  in  the  medley  of  voices  he  recognized 
those  of  Barbara  and  her  father. 

The  two  by  the  private  fire  rose  softly  and  crept  out  of 
the  room. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 
THE    SLAVE   SHIP 

ALONG,  low,  narrow  black  craft,  under  close  reef, 
heeling  before  the  northeast  blast  that  boomed  on 
her  port  quarter,  seethed  through  the  choppy  seas,  groan 
ing  as  she  rolled  in  the  swell  that  ran  counter  the  wind. 
The  night  was  black.  Thick  clouds  overhead  excluded  the 
light  of  the  night  sky.  At  long  intervals  the  wind  tore 
them  apart  for  a  moment,  giving  a  glimpse  of  the  gibbous 
moon  that  mounted  the  heavens,  and  showing  how  fast  they 
scudded  before  the  fury  of  the  air.  The  short,  sharp  seas 
snapped  petulantly  at  the  black  sides  of  the  craft  as  she 
slid  through  the  water.  The  spray,  breaking  from  their 
fringes,  rattled  down  on  deck  in  drops  of  ice;  for  the  wind 
that  howled  out  of  the  northeast  was  a  winter  wind, 
bitterly  cold  and  threatening. 

A  dark-visaged    man  with  a  lowering 
countenance  paced  the  quarter-deck 
of  the  vessel,  straining  his  eyes  to 
leeward  when  the  rifts  admitted 
light,  casting  his  gaze  over  the 
tumbling  waters   and    into    the 
sky,  watchful,  wary,  alert.  The 
wind    freshened.       The    sharp 
seas  rose  higher.     The  hissing 
of     great     combers,     breaking 
somewhere   out  in  the  whirl  of 
the  waters,  came  through  the  night 
with  a  sibilance  terrible  to  the  soul 
of  all  those  who  follow  the  wintry 
392 


THOMAS  PENN,  LAST  PROPRIETARY 
GOVERNOR  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 


THE   SLAVE   SHIP  393 

sea  in  small  craft  such  as  this.  The  vessel  sobbed  and 
moaned  as  the  huge  billows  tossed  her,  gnashing  their 
angry  teeth  along  her  rails,  threatening  horribly.  The 
man,  muttering  a  curse,  let  her  go  off  a  couple  of  points, 
taking  the  gale  more  on  his  quarter.  Relieved  somewhat 
of  the  pressure  of  the  wind,  which  had  been  abeam,  the 
vessel  stood  more  stiffly,  riding  the  waves  with  a  long, 
twisting  swing,  complaining  less.  The  man  on  the 
quarter-deck,  taking  another  look  about,  gave  the  course 
to  the  man  at  the  wheel  and  went  below. 

The  lamp  in  the  cabin  burned  feebly,  spreading  an 
oily,  jaundiced  spot  about  it,  and  conjuring  weird  shadows 
out  of  the  corners  to  dance  to  the  rolling  of  the  craft.  The 
skipper,  carefully  closing  the  companionway  against  the 
green  seas  that  were  occasionally  coming  aboard,  made 
devious  way  across  the  floor  of  the  tiny  saloon  to  his  cabin. 
Bracing  himself  against  the  wall,  he  produced  a  heavy 
key,  unlocked  the  door,  and  entered. 

A  man  lay  asleep  on  the  bunk,  fully  clothed.  The 
skipper  tapped  him  on  the  leg  with  a  knuckle.  The  man 
roused  and  grumbled,  half  awake. 

"  I  thought  as  how  ye  might  like  a  bit  of  air,  Mr.  Thorne," 
said  the  skipper,  speaking  low.  "Ye  've  been  shut  up  here 
for  a  good  spell  now.  The  coast  is  all  clear.  They  '11 
not  be  coming  on  deck  a  night  like  this,  and  if  they  do, 
you  '11  be  but  the  mate,  and  they  '11  be  none  the  wiser. 
It 's  a  cursed  cruel  night  on  the  water,  Mr.  Thorne,  with 
all  hell  blowing  outside.  If  it  was  not  a  great  love  I  bore 
ye,  all  your  money  never  would  have  tempted  me  on  this 


cruise." 


The  man  on  the  bunk,  addressed  as  Mr.  Thorne,  rose 
to  a  sitting  posture  and  rubbed  his  eyes.  A  vicious  lurch 
of  the  vessel  threw  him  out  of  balance.  He  would  have 
made  a  savage  fall  to  the  floor  had  not  the  skipper  grasped  him. 


394  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

"Come,  now;  where  are  your  sea- legs,  man!"  ejacu 
lated  the  skipper,  thrusting  the  other  back  upon  the  bunk 
again.  "Would  you  like  to  be  on  deck  for  a  spell? 
That 's  what  I  am  asking  ye?" 

"God's  blood,  no!"  growled  Thorne.  "'Tis  cold 
enough  here  to  content  me." 

"Is  it  cold  ye  are?  Have  a  drop  of  this,  then."  The 
skipper  handed  him  a  black,  square  bottle,  from  which 
he  drank  heavily. 

"Are  they  all  aboard?"  he  asked,  wiping  his  chin  with 
the  back  of  his  hand.  "Mother  of  Christ!  What  stuff  is 
that?"  he  added,  as  the  liquor  began  to  spread  along  his 
vitals. 

"'Tis  from  the  bogs  of  old  Ireland,  me  hearty,"  re 
sponded  the  captain,  with  a  low  laugh,  taking  a  turn  at 
the  bottle.  "How  d'  ye  like  it?" 

"'Tis  hot  enough,  I  grant  you.  But  tell  me,  are  all 
aboard?" 

"Ay,  that  they  are,  the  Frenchman  and  his  femme, 
your  friend  the  scar-head,  and  his  beautiful  daughter,  all 
stowed  away  where  they  can  be  found  or  no,  as  suits 
best." 

"Where  are  they?  Here,  let  me  have  the  bottle  again. 
My  blood  is  fair  water  in  these  God-forsaken  latitudes." 

"Where  are  they?  Well,  the  Gaul  and  his  femme  are 
in  the  waist,  where  we  carry  our  best  merchandise  when  we 
are  in  our  trade ;  and  what  he  will  say  when  he  wakes  some 
morning  and  finds  the  door  barred  against  him  will  not  be 
like  to  be  understood  by  any  of  us,  he  being  French!  And  as 
for  your  own  true  love,  why,  if  that  bulkhead  was  not  there, 
you  could  reach  over  and  lay  your  hand  on  her,  and  no  doubt 
you  would.  As  for  the  man,  scar-head,  whom  I  like  not 
because  of  his  proud  and  haughty  ways;  why,  as  for  him, 
your  friend  Slurk  has  him  under  his  eye;  and  I  make  no 


THE    SLAVE    SHIP  397 

manner  of  doubt  he  will  find  more  joy  in  it  than  your  friend 
scar-head." 

"Is  she  next  here?    Will  she  not  hear  us?" 

"Hear?  She  would  not  hear  the  devil  through  that  wall, 
unless-  '  the  man  made  his  way  to  the  partition,  raised 
the  pillow  of  the  bunk  and  lifted  a  small  flap  of  wood,  letting 
it  fall  again  without  a  sound.  "  'T  is  where  we  carry  our 
passengers,"  he  explained,  "and  sometimes  't  is  convenient 
to  hear  what  they  may  have  to  say  to  each  other  about 
themselves." 

"And  will  you  keep  them  so  till  we  arrive  at  Jamestown? 
Will  they  not  suspect  something?" 

"Suspect?  They'll  know!  They'll  have  nothing  to 
do  with  suspicions  when  they  're  locked  up  as  they  are.  But 
what  can  they  do?  I  've  got  them  like  that."  He  twirled 
his  thumb  in  the  palm  of  his  hand  to  show  how  he  had  them. 
"  'T  is  much  better  so;  you  '11  see  for  yourself  if  you  give 
it  some  thought.  Be  sure  of  them  while  we  may,  and  then 
let  them  roar  as  they  will.  'T  will  disturb  no  one.  My 
lads  are  used  enough  to  such  music.  But  come  now,  I  must 
go  on  deck.  Will  ye  come,  or  will  you  stay,  wasting  your 
strength  in  vain  efforts  to  squeeze  your  great  bulk  through 
that  hole?" 

Thorne,  staggering  with  the  reeling  ship  and  the  weight 
of  Irish  whiskey  which  he  carried,  followed  up  the  compan- 
ionway  and  out  upon  the  deck. 

"Holy  saints!"  he  gasped,  as  the  wind  struck  him  in  the 
face. 

"Since  when  have  ye  been  of  my  religious  profession, 
that  ye  swear  by  all  the  saints  so  glib?" 

"Since  I  was  of  any  church,  Boyne.  Why  did  you  bring 
me  out  here  to  be  blown  in  two?" 

"Ha,  this  is  no  blow.  This  is  a  May  morning,"  returned 
the  skipper,  peering  eagerly  into  the  black  pall  that  surround- 


398 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


ed  them.  Looking 
at  the  compass,  he 
cuffed  the  man  at 
the  wheel  for 
being  a  half-point 
off  the  course.  He 
held  a  consulta 
tion  for  a  moment 
with  the  mate, 
who  was  walking 
the  deck  by  the 
mainmast  to 
shelter  himself 
before  the  break 
of  the  poop,  beat 
ing  his  hands 
against  his  breast 
and  stamping  his 
feet  to  keep 
warmth  in  his 
blood.  Thorne, 
clinging  to  the 
main-brace, 
which  was  taut  as 
any  harp- string, 
watched  him 
make  his  way  over 
the  twisting  deck 
with  an  admiring 
wonder. 

The  man,  re 
turning,  struck 
Thorne  on  the 
back  with  the 


TTTE  COLOSSAL  STATUE  OF  WILLIAM  PENN 
AT  PHILADELPHIA 


THE   SLAVE   SHIP  399 

flat  of  his  hand,  laughing  at  .him  for  his  lack  of 
seamanship. 

"And  ye  must  not  mind  if  I  seem  a  bit  freer  with  ye  than 
you  might  expect  from  one  who  was  your  slave  on  a  time," 
he  added,  without  the  least  apology  in  his  tone.  "Ye  see, 
I  have  gone  up  in  the  world,  and  no  man  is  my  master  now. 
'T  is  a  way  I  have  of  treating  no  man  as  my  better,  and 
't  is  wholesome  for  the  discipline  of  the  ship  that  it  sliuuld 
be  known  who  commands  here." 

The  man  said  it  all  in  a  light  and  off-hand  way;  but 
Thorne  read  into  it  a  deep  hint  that  was  nothing  less  than 
a  contingent  threat.  The  planter,  unused  to  such  handling, 
and  a  little  overpowered  by  it  from  one  with  whom  the 
advantage  lay  so  heavily,  observed  that  he  was  glad  to  see 
his  former  slave  so  well  advanced  toward  success,  and 
ventured  mild  inquiries  how  he  had  done  it. 

"How  did  I  do  it?  Why,  't  was  easy  enough.  There  's 
a  many  things  to  be  done  at  a  profit  along  these  coasts  by  any 
one  whose  family  ties  are  not  too  binding  to  permit  of  his 
doing  them.  There  '::  much  trade  to  be  picked  up  out  of 
the  regular  run  of  vessels,  that  does  no  harm  more  serious 
than  running  counter  to  the  infamous  laws  of  navigation, 
imposed  on  the  suffering  colonies  by  enlightened  England, 
curse  the  bones  of  her  dead !  'T  was  only  necessary  for  me 
to  get  somewhat  of  a  craft  to  begin  with;  and  that  was  put 
in  my  way.  I  found  one  lying  by.  'T  was  no  harm  to  take 
the  sloop  from  the  likes  of  him,  for  he  never  did  any  good 
with  it. 

"And  with  the  sloop  to  commence  —  why,  any  seafaring 
man  would  know  what  followed  from  that  to  this  craft ;  and 
a  landlubber  such  as  you,  askin'  your  pardon,  could  never 
be  made  to  know  till  the  crack  of  doom.  There  's  tobacco 
from  Virginia,  as  you  well  know;  there  's  furs  from  Albany; 
there  's  much  to  be  brought  back;  there  's  big  ships  that  lie 


400 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


along  outside  waiting  for  us  to  come  out  to  trade  with  them, 
which  we  do  unless  they  are  weaker  than  we,  in  which  case 
they  trade  with  us;  there's  lumber  and  staves  and  what 
not  ;  with  now  and  then  a  pleasure  cruise  among  the  Spanish 
islands,  perhaps,  or  a  winter's  journey  to  Africa;  and  once 
I  was  in  China,  which  I  never  will  be  again,  God  willing, 
for  the  stench  is  somethin'  terrible,  and  the  danger  of  being 
eaten  is  great." 

"Do  you  mean  that  you,  —  you — ?"  In  the  recollec 
tion  of  the  veiled  threat  of  a  few  moments  since,  Thorne  did 
not  feel  like  continuing  the  sentence  to  a  point  that  com 
mitted  him  to  anything. 

1  i  I  mean  nothing  at  all ! "  rejoined  the  skipper.  ' '  Except 
ing  only  what  I  have  said.  Did  ye  mind  the  fine  parlors  I 
have  rigged  up  'tween  decks  in  the  waist,  then?  did  ye 
catch  a  faint  smell  that  made  ye  homesick  for  those  shacks 
behind  your  house,  where  I  used  to  live  with  the  blacks,  and 
where  you  used  to  come  often  enough,  though  never  to  see 
me,  in  those  days?  |  When  you  come  home,  if  ye  ever 

your  blackamoors  if  they  know 
Jack  Boyne's  fine  parlors,  and 
all  white." 

stood.  He  ventured  to  suggest, 
sat  ion,  that  he  had  thought  that 
K  was  in  the  hands  oi 


do  ye  ask  some  of 
aught  of  Black 
see  if  they  turn  at 

Thorne  under- 
by  way  of  conver- 

the    slave-trade 


company. 

"In  so  far  as  it  is  in  their 
hands,  it  is,"  re 
turned      Boyne. 
"But      there    is 
much  to  be 
done     by 
young    lads 
whose  fam- 


NEW  CITY  HALL,  PHILADELPHIA 


THE   SLAVE   SHIP  401 

ily  ties  are  not  too  strong,  nevertheless.  And  let  me  tell  you, 
too,  Mr.  Thorne,  that  't  is  not  only  the  bold,  bad  lads  that 
do  the  work  who  get  the  gold  for  it.  I  could  go  to  many  a 
fine  house  in  New  York,  or  along  the  Green  Lane  in  Boston, 
and  pull  the  door-bell,  and  show  you  a  man  who  had  been 
share  and  share  alike  with  me  in  many  a  dark  trick,  God 
bless  their  white  souls  for  it !  'T  is  not  the  likes  of  us  that 
are  the  sinners,  I  take  it;  for  we  do  it  to  live,  while  they  sit 
fattening  their  white  livers  with  wine  among  their  bags  of 
gold  and  precious  stones,  wondering  where  they  are  going 
to  put  the  extra  bags  that  we  are  bringing  them  the  while." 

The  talk  ran  on  in  a  circle,  mostly  by  virtue  of  the  lo 
quacity  of  Black  Jack  Boyne.  Completing  the  circle,  it  ran 
back  to  the  cargo  that  they  carried. 

"Had  you  trouble   in  gettmg  them  aboard,   Boyne?" 

"Ay,  that  I  had;  for  this  dark  beauty  of  yours  —  I  wish 
ye  much  joy  of  her  —  was  the  very  devil's  wife  about  coming 
with  me  at  all.  She  looked  at  me  too  stiff  between  the  eyes. 
I  like  her  not,  I  tell  ye.  She  found  fault  with  the  craft,  when 
at  the  time  I  knew  't  was  me  she  was  set  against.  'T  was 
well  worked,  though,  by  the  mass;  for  even  she  never 
thought  that  I  came  to  them  with  your  money  about  me. 
How  came  you  to  do  it  ?  " 

"This  fellow  Slurk  is  an  infinite  knave.  He  learned  of 
their  plans.  When  he  saw  you,  he  came  to  me  with  the 
whole  scheme.  I  know  not  what  to  make  of  such  a  wise 
rascal  with  such  a  wry  face!" 

"Make  a  corpse  of  him  at  the  first  chance,  man,  is  my 
advice.  A  villain  was  ever  a  two-edged  sword." 

The  two  stumbled  down  the  companionway,  and  the 
black  craft  wallowed  through  the  dark  and  gloomy  waves, 
with  as  dark  and  gloomy  a  tragedy  between  her  stem  and 
stern  as  ever  a  slave  ship  bore  across  the  sea. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 
THE   MISSING   SHIP   MAKES   PORT 

WHEN  Hubert  Stevens  learned  that  his  brother  was 
not  on  board  the  craft  in  which  he  was  bearing  away 
the  fugitives  from  Salem,  he  was  bent  on  returning  at  once. 
Only  the  wise  counsel  of  the  man  who  had  been  the  leader 
in  the  rescue  deterred  him.  The  stranger  showed  him  that 
if  Charles  were  still  free,  he  would  make  his  way  at  once  to 
New  York,  where  it  was  agreed  they  should  rendezvous  in 
the  event  of  a  separation,  and  that  if  he  were  not  still  free, 
their  return  would  be  of  no  value  to  him,  but,  on  the  other 
hand,  would  undo  all  that  had  been  accomplished.  Yield 
ing  at  last,  Hubert  made  for  the  open  sea. 

Jane's  mysterious  friend  broke  the  news  concerning 
Charles  with  infinite  judgment.  Returning  to  the  cabin 
below,  where  were  the  mother  and  child,  he  mentioned  in 
an  off-hand  manner  that  the  young  man  was  not  aboard,  as 
though  his  failure  to  get  aboard  was  incidental,  of  no  conse 
quence  worth  mentioning.  He  seemed  to  have  so  little 
concern  over  the  miscarriage,  and  was  so  far  from  looking 
upon  it  in  the  light  of  tragedy,  that  Jane,  who  depended 
upon  him  as  she  would  upon  her  father,  looked  upon  it  with 
the  complacency  that  he  assumed. 

The  wind,  which  blew  from  shore  on  their  departure, 
freshened  as  they  passed  farther  out  to  sea.  Before  morning 
Hubert  was  obliged  to  shorten  sail.  By  noon  it  was  blowing 
a  gale.  Before  the  sun  went  down  they  were  running  before 
a  storm  that  roared  out  of  the  northwest  with  terrific  fury. 

For  three  days  it  blew  with  such  violence  that  they  were 
forced  to  continue  before  it.  As  it  blew,  it  hauled  slowly  to 

402 


THE   MISSING   SHIP   MAKES   PORT        403 


the  north,  and  the  northeast.  Had  Hubert  not  stood  so  far 
out  to  sea,  he  could  have  made  the  lee  of  Cape  Cod  before 
the  wind  strengthened  to  its  present  force.  Now  he  found 
himself  driving  down  the  coast,  a  hundred  miles  off  shore, 
somewhere  between  Cape  Charles  and  Cape  Hatteras.  So 
long  as  the  wind  did  not  increase  more  there  was  no  danger 
from  the  storm.  If  it  should  moderate,  he  would  be  able 
to  heave  her  to,  and  ride  it  out  without  losing  more  distance. 

But  it  did  not  moderate.  Instead,  it  rose.  Hubert  put 
his  brig  under  a  close-reefed  fore-topsail.  It  carried  away, 
and  she  scudded  under  bare  poles.  Mountains  of  water 
swarmed  after  them.  The  craft  swung  down  into  black 
abysses  with  a  swiftness  that  made  them  dizzy,  mounted  to 
the  tops  of  the  following  wave,  hung  poised,  and  shot  down 
into  the  next  cavern.  Each  mountain  was  snow-capped  with 
foam  as  it  rushed  upon  them.  The  spindrift  cut  their  necks 
as  they  bowed  before  the  wind.  .A  mighty  roar  of 
troubled  waters  rose  from  the  deep.  The  cordage  H 
shrieked  back  to  the  storm-birds  that  swept  past  with 
their  wings  drawn  to  thin  lines.  Through  the  up 
turned  sea  the  vessel  made  weary  way,  flopping  like  a 
wounded  thing. 

Throughout  the  next  night  the  fury  grew.    Hubert, 
helpless,  did  not  leave  the  deck.     Two  men 
stood  at  the  wheel  constantly,  overwhelmed 
by  the  green  seas  that  fell  in  tons  on 
her  deck.     With  tugging  muscles 
they  kept  her   before    the   wind. 
Each  hour  the  watch  was  changed. 
Those  who  left  the  wheel  stag 
gered  to  the  forecastle  and  fell 
exhausted  in  their  bunks.     Be 
low,  the  two  women  prayed  and 
wept,    resigning    themselves    to 


FANEUIL  HALL,  BOSTON 


404  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

thejr  fate.  The  man  who  had  been  so  much  to  them  vainly 
sought  to  encourage  by  words  and  behavior.  Jane  sobbed 
for  Charles  in  the  extremity  of  her  grief,  wishing  for  nothing 
but  to  see  him  once  again. 

Early  in  the  morning,  a  sound,  appalling,  ominous, 
crashed  through  the  tumultuous  roar  of  the  raging  storm. 
The  vessel  shivered  through  every  timber.  The  stranger 
rushed  on  deck.  Both  masts  had  gone  by  the  board.  The 
vessel  rolled,  a  dismasted  hulk,  in  the  midst  of  a  tumbling 
sea.  The  masts,  dragging  in  the  water  overside,  were  twisting 
her  into  the  trough.  Sailors  with  axes  hacked  frantically  at 
the  shrouds  and  rigging  that  held  the  vessel  to  the  tangled 
mass  in  the  water.  The  man  took  an  ax  from  one  who  had 
fallen  exhausted  on  the  deck,  and  struck  manfully  to  free  her. 

In  time  she  rolled  clear.  In  the  very  moment  that  she 
did  so,  it  seemed  the  wind  faded  from  the  sky.  Within  an 
hour  there  was  only  the  thread  of  a  breeze.  For  a  time  the 
waves  rose  higher,  relieved  of  the  flattening  effect  of  the 
wind,  which  had  pressed  their  crests  down.  The  dismasted 
vessel  rolled  pitiably  in  the  trough  of  the  sea,  taking  water 
over  both  rails.  She  was  leaking  badly.  The  pumps  could 
scarcely  keep  up  with  the  water  that  rose  in  her  hold.  Hubert, 
with  the  assistance  of  Benjamin  and  the  second  mate,  rigged 
a  jury-mast  to  the  stump  of  the  foremast  and  bent  a  trysail, 
hoping  at  least  to  give  her  steerage- way.  But  the  wind  had 
so  far  gone  that  the  force  of  the  waves  prevailed.  She  still 
continued  to  roll  in  the  trough. 

The  sea  ran  down  during  the  day.  By  night  there  was 
scarcely  a  whitecap.  The  heavy  swell  swinging  beneath 
did  no  mischief.  The  immediate  danger  removed,  Hubert 
had  time  to  consider  their  plight  in  all  its  bearings.  He  reck 
oned  that  they  were  about  a  hundred  miles  off  Cape  Hatteras. 

With  a  week's  work,  if  the  weather  permitted,  they  could 
make  Jamestown  under  jury-rig.  They  had  provisions  for 


THE   MISSING   SHIP   MAKES   PORT        407 

several  months.  There  was  no  danger  from  that  source.  It 
was  summer,  and  the  outlook  for  fair  weather  was  good. 
They  were  in  little  danger  of  being  discovered  by  any  prowl 
ers,  as  they  were  too  far  out  for  coastwise  pirates,  and  too 
near  shore  for  deep-water  buccaneers.  All  in  all,  their  pros 
pects  were  not  such  as  would  alarm  one  with  experience  at, 
sea.  Hubert's  spirits  rose  to  such  a  pitch  that  they  infected 
Jane,  who  became  merry  after  the  strain  of  the  past  few 
days.  Even  the  worn  mother  smiled  at  some  of  the  jests 
that  passed  over  the  cabin  table  at  supper- time. 

Their  mirth  was  of  short  duration,  however.  They  had 
not  finished  the  meal  when  the  second  mate,  with  nautical 
directness,  announced  to  the  master  that  the  vessel  had  devel 
oped  a  leak  that  gained  heavily  on  the  pumps,  and  that  she 
seemed  to  be  opening  up  all  along  the  keel.  Hubert,  rushing 
on  deck,  found  the  planking  heaving  and  twisting,  as  though 
the  vessel  had  broken  all  her  bones  and  become  soft.  She 
had  settled  until  her  main  deck  was  not  two  feet  above  the 
water.'  The  lazy  swells  lapped  aboard  through  her  scup 
pers.  She  no  longer  rose  with  buoyancy  upon  them.  She 
was  waterlogged. 

oo 

Those  who  go  down  to  the  sea  in  ships  learn  to  find  some 
comfort  in  whatever  situation  may  develop ;  else  they  would 
not  continue  to  go  down  to  the  sea.  Hubert,  discovering  all 
this  concerning  his  vessel,  and  completely  aware  of  the  dan 
ger,  found  it  in  his  seafaring  heart  to  be  glad  that  matters 
were  no  worse,  and  to  compute  the  various  chances  of  escape. 
They  were  inside  the  Gulf  Stream,  and  would  not  be  borne 
to  sea.  The  vessel  would  last  a  month,  perhaps  a  year,  if 
the  weather  did  not  grow  too  boisterous.  There  was  a  pos 
sibility  that  they  would  be  picked  up  by  a  slaver  on  the  way 
to  Virginia.  At  least,  they  were  still  alive. 

His  optimism  was  rewarded,  as  it  usually  is.  They  floated 
for  a  week  on  a  sea  that  grew  more  and  more  like  glass.  The 


4o8  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

sun  was  fiercely  hot,  and  sickness  broke  out  among  the  crew. 
Then  the  wind  came  smiling  over  the  water.  Toward  eve 
ning  Benjamin  made  out  a  sail  peeping  above  the  horizon. 
They  made  haste  to  set  out  a  flare.  All  night  they  watched 
closely,  so  that  the  other  would  not  pass.  At  midnight  the 
lookout  was  able  to  make  her  out,  a  grey  blur  against  the 
grey,  a  shadow  on  the  shadowy  midnight  sea. 

She  answered  their  flare  with  a  rocket,  and  bore  slowly 


CHRIST  CHURCH,  BUILT  IN  1695     (From  a  drawing  after  an  old  engraving) 

down  upon  them.  In  an  hour  she  was  standing  by  with 
sails  aback.  In  another  hour  they  were  all  aboard  her, 
with  such  articles  as  they  could  bring  with  them  from  the 
waterlogged  hulk.  As  the  mercy  ship  veered  away  and  went 
on  her  course,  with  the  wind  full  in  her  sails  again,  Hubert 
stood  on  the  poop-deck  and  watched  the  dismal  derelict 
with  tears  in  his  eyes,  until  the  moving  ship  put  her  hull 
down  below  the  horizon. 

The  rescuer  was  a  Dutchman,  bound  from  Holland 
down  to  Charleston,  with  a  party  of  French  Huguenots  on 


THE  MISSING  SHIP  MAKES  PORT        409 

board.  Most  of  those  coming  to  America  went  to  South 
Carolina,  but  they  distributed  themselves  well  through  the 
country,  everywhere  making  themselves  the  most  valuable 
of  citizens  and  patriots.  It  was  at  this  time  that  the 
ancestors  of  many  noteworthy  men  became  true  Americans. 
To  their  descendants  we  owe  Bowdoin  College  in  Maine 
and  that  cradle  of  American  liberty,  Faneuil  Hall  in  Boston; 
among  them  are  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence, 
many  gallant  soldiers  and  sailors  during  the  Revolution, 
and  such  rep- 
resentative 
men  as  John 
Jay,  the  first 
chief  justice 
of  these  Uni 
ted  States. 

Arriving 
in  good  time, 
Jane  and  her 
mother  were 
taken  into 
the  family  of 
a  French 
Huguenot, 
through  the 
influence  of 
one  on  board 
the  vessel. 
The  family 
had  been  in 
Charleston 
four  years. 
It  consisted  of 

,  ,      SAINT  PHILIP'S  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH  AT  CHARLESTON,  ITS 

a  mother  and  STEEPLE  CONTAINING  A  GOVERNMENT  LIGHTHOUSE 


410  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

three  daughters.  The  father  was  dead.  There  was  a 
brother  in  Canada  who  would  shortly  come  to  them.  The 
name  of  the  family  was  Dautray. 

Hubert  determined  upon  going  at  once  to  New  York  to  get 
word  to  Charles,  and  thence  to  Boston  for  a  new  vessel.  His 
success  had  been  such  in  the  old  one  he  had  a  sum  sufficient 
to  procure  another.  But  before  he  could  make  arrangements 
to  start,  he  fell  ill  as  a  consequence  of  infection  from  a  cut 
he  had  received  on  his  vessel,  superinduced  by  the  low  state 
of  mind  into  which  the  loss  of  the  brig  had  thrown  him.  He 
was  further  detained  by  a  broil  into  which  Benjamin  had 
been  dragged  by  some  of  the  sailors,  resulting  in  arrest  and 
commitment.  It  was  late  in  the  fall  before  Benjamin  was 
cleared  of  the  trouble.  There  was  no  prospect  of  a  vessel 
to  New  York  that  year.  The  stranger,  who  was  to  accompany 
them,  desired  to  travel  overland  in  quest  of  some  one  whom 
he  thought  might  be  in  North  Carolina  or  Pennsylvania. 

They  set  out  at  last  on  foot,  traveling  slowly  over  the 
abominable  roads,  made  paste  by  the  fall  and  winter  rains. 
It  was  well  into  the  month  of  January  before  they  got  as  far 
as  Jamestown,  Virginia,  where  their  companion  desired  to 
remain  for  a  day  or  two  on  private  business.  They  were 
glad  enough  of  the  rest,  and  settled  themselves  comfortably 
at  an  inn  near  the  water,  to  await  the  pleasure  of  their 
friend,  and  to  watch  for  an  opportunity  of  making  their 
way  farther  by  sea. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 
ATONEMENT 

HUBERT  and  his  brother  sat  by  the  fireside  on  the 
first  day  of  their  arrival,  relating  tales  of  the  sea  over 
their  grog.  Their  companion  had  left  them  early  in  the 
day  upon  some  private  errand  of  his  own.  It  was  no  great 
walk  that  took  the  graceful  and  powerful  man  to  the  Middle 
Plantation,  where  he  conferred  with  some  of  his  old  friends. 
The  night  was  closing  in,  cold  and  blustering,  when  the 
man  returned,  silent  upon  his  personal  affairs,  yet  willing 
to  discuss  what  he  had  seen. 

"The  town  is  outrivaling  Jamestown,"  as  he  joined  the 
two  brothers.  "Middle  Plantation  had  enterprise  enough 
to  become  incorporated,  and  a  movement  is  already  on  foot 
there  to  gain  for  it  the  seat  of  the  colonial  government." 

"Jamestown  is  full  of  talk  about  such  presumption," 
returned  Hubert,  who  had  found  time  to  talk  with  fre 
quenters  of  the  inn. 

"They  do  little  but  talk,"  added  Benjamin. 

"There  is  a  sail  in  the  river  below,"  announced 
the  landlord,  who  had  H  :jf  followed  their 

companion    into    the 
room  expectantly. 

"Fortune  favors  us ! " 
said     he,     when     their 
host  had  brought  them 
a    steaming   drink.     "I 
have     learned     that 
him  I  seek  is  abroad, 
and    we    can    leave 


THE  OLD  DEBTOR'S  PRISON,  WILLIAMSBURG,  VIRGINIA 
411 


412 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


at    once    if    the    ship's    captain    can    be    persuaded    to 
take  us." 

The  two  brothers,  already  alert  at  news  of  the  sail,  passed 
with  their  comrade  into  the  road  to  have  a  sight  of  her. 
She  was  discernible  through  the  gathering  dusk,  two  miles 
below. 

"By  that  low,  black  hull  and  those  raking  masts  I 
make  her  out  to  be  the  craft  of  that  arch-villain,  Black  Jack 
Boyne,"  cried  Hubert,  studying  her  long.  "What  deviltry 
may  bring  him  hither  I  know  not,  unless  it  be  that  he  has 
aboard  a  belated  cargo  of  blackamoors.  But  whatever  it 
is,  I  make  no  doubt  that  our  good  friend  Thorne  has  some 
manner  of  evil  hand  in  it." 

They  watched  the  craft  make  slow  progress  up  channel, 
until  the  curtain  of  darkness  shut  her  out  of  sight.  As  time 
passed,  Hubert  became  possessed  of  a  desire  to  learn  Black 
Jack's  errand,  if  he  might,  and  proposed  that  they  go  near 
the  water  for  the  purpose.  Wrapping  themselves  against 
the  cold,  they  went  forth. 

She  lay  in  the  stream  at  no  great  distance,  floating 
on  the  tide  with  sails  slackened.  They  could  see  some 
thing  going  forward  on 
her  decks,  as  though 
a  party  made  ready 
to  land. 

"Whatever  it  is  that 
brings  him  here,  it 
is  not  going  to  detain 
him  long,"  observed 
Hubert.  "See,  she 
does  not  even  cast 
anchor." 

A  boat  was  lowered. 

OLD  POWDER  HORN,  WILLIAMSBURG  Several   persons   SWUng 


u 


ATONEMENT  415 

aboard  her  by  the  light  of  a  lantern,  followed  by  the  one 
who  held  the  light. 

"  'Fore  God,  that  is  a  woman  among  them!"  muttered 
Hubert,  making  out  the  figures  with  practiced  eye.  "Now 
may  God  stand  her  in  good  stead! " 

"Ha!  What  say  you?  A  woman?"  cried  their  com 
panion. 

"Ay,  that  it  is,"  Benjamin  vouchsafed.  "And  by  his 
bulk,  I  should  say  that  the  one  who  follows  her  is  Thorne 
himself.  Seems  it  so  to  you,  brother?" 

"That  I  swear  it  does.  There  is  mischief  in  it,  I  ween. 
Hark!  If  she  cries  out,  we  will  succor  her.  Or  mayhap  she 
is  gagged  against  her  crying  out." 

The  place  where  they  landed  was  not  above  a  hundred 
yards  from  where  the  three  stood,  concealed  behind  a  clump 
of  bushes  skirting  the  road.  By  the  light  of  the  lantern, 
they  could  see  that  the  man  of  bulk  was  Thorne  indeed. 
He  was  followed  by  a  woman  and  a  man,  whose  hands 
were  bound.  A  fourth,  a  small  man  with  stooping  frame, 
.came  last. 

"  Brother,  mark  you  who  the  woman  is,  then  ?"  whispered 
Benjamin,  trembling  with  new  excitement.  "  'T  is  no  other 
than  that  one  whom  we  rescued  once  before  from  the  self 
same  villain." 

"Nay,  say  not  so!"  the  elder  brother  returned.  "What, 
Beatrice  Melville?  God's  blood,  you  are  right!  'T  is  she! 
'Tis  she!"  he  added,  piercing  the  gloom  with  keen  eyes. 

At  mention  of  the  name,  the  man  who  was  with  them 
gasped.  They  paid  no  heed,  absorbed  in  watching  the  land 
ing  party.  The  boat  pushed  off,  and  made  its  way  back  to 
the  vessel.  The  four  put  ashore,  turning  into  the  road,  slow 
ly  approaching,  Thorne  in  the  lead,  and  the  smaller  man 
bringing  up  the  rear. 

"Come,  we  must  take  them  farther  up,"  whispered  the 


416  DUELING  FOR   EMPIRE 

stranger.  "They  are  too  close  to  their  friends  here.  And 
let  it  be  done  with  the  sword,  lest  we  raise  a  hue  and  cry 
with  firing." 

Keeping  an  eye  on  the  advancing  group,  the  three  steal- 
.thily  retreated  through  the  bushes  along  the  road,  taking 
care  to  make  little  noise.  They  had  not  gone  far,  when  the 
party  behind  turned  into  a  path  that  struck  up  from  the 
road  in  the  direction  of  Thome's  manor.  They  were  now 
beyond  view  of  the  craft  in  the  river,  which  had  already 
swung  into  the  wind,  and  was  proceeding  downstream.  The 
three  in  ambush  crossed  over  to  intercept  the  path,  coming 
out  where  it  was  wide  and  free  from  bushes  for  a  space. 

As  they  listened,  they  heard  the  others  coming.  Thorne 
was  talking,  apparently  to  the  one  who  slunk  behind. 

"  A  pretty  trick  that  black- faced  rascal  played  me,  fellow 
Shirk,"  he  grumbled,  "  putting  us  off  here,  with  five  miles 
to  walk  through  this  jungle.  He  shall  roar  for  it  when  I 
lay  my  hand  on  him  again!" 

The  lantern,  borne  by  Thorne,  scattered  little  patches 
of  light  through  the  bushes.  They  saw  it  winking  in  among 
the  naked  branches.  Drawing  their  swords,  they  stood 
aside,  concealed  by  a  tree.  The  four  drew  closer.  There 
was  no  sound  save  the  crunching  of  their  feet  on  the  ground. 
They  came  into  the  opening.  They  were  abreast  the  tree. 
The  one  in  the  rear  bore  a  musket.  The  three  in  hiding 
sprang  forth,  silent  as  fate  itself. 

Benjamin,  making  for  the  one  in  the  rear,  saw  him  take 
to  his  heels,  dropping  the  gun  and  screaming  with  utter 
fright.  Thorne,  holding  the  lantern  high  above  his  head, 
roared  an  oath  and  drew  his  weapon.  Bully  that  he  was, 
he  was  no  coward. 

"Villains!  Cutthroats!  Thieves!"  he  bellowed.  "On 
your  lives  stand  back!" 

All  three  made  at  him,  but  the  stranger  pressed   the 


ATONEMENT 


others  aside.  "Let  me  have  at  him,"  he  said,  under  his 
breath.  "I  have  an  old  score  to  wipe  out!" 

Making  shift  to  set  the  lantern  down  on  the  ground  for 
freer  movement,  Thorne  passed  into  guard  and  engaged  his 
assailant.  Hubert  snatched  up  the  light  that  they  might  see 
the  better  in  their  struggle.  The  prisoners,  except  for  a 
first,  startled  cry  from  the  woman,  made  no  sound. 

Bulky  though  he  was,  Thorne  was  no  bungler  with  his 
blade.  He  lunged  fiercely  at  his  opponent,  but  with  calcu 
lating  skill.  The  other,  cool,  alert,  sinuous,  parried  his  best 
thrusts  with  flashing  accuracy,  calmly  awaiting  an  opening. 
There  was  a  whirl  of  blades  in  the  red  circle  of  the  lantern's 
light,  a  grating  sound  of  steel  running  on  steel,  and  Thome's 
weapon  flew  high  in  air,  to  fall  into  the  dark  without  the  ilki- 


PRESIDENT'S  HOUSE,  WILLIAM  AND  MARY  COLLEGE,  WILLIAMSBURG.  VIRGINIA 


4i 8  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

mination.  With  a  curse,  he  reached  for  his  pistol,  carried  in 
a  holster  at  his  belt.  The  blade  of  the  other  sprang  through 
the  air,  pierced  his  arm,  and  held  it  fixed  to  his  side  through 
the  cloth  of  sleeve  and  coat.  Thorne,  uttering  a  sharp  cry 
of  pain,  looked  at  him  in  impotent  rage. 

"  'T  is  you,  then,  Dick  Dorset?"  he  exclaimed.  uSince 
when  have  you  turned  highwayman?" 

"Ay,  't  is  I,"  returned  the  other,  quietly,  holding  his 
weapon  where  it  stuck.  "Come,  bind  the  rogue,"  he  added 
to  Benjamin,  not  taking  his  eyes  from  his  vanquished  foe. 

Benjamin,  with  sailor  skill,  undid  the  fastenings  that 
held  the  led  prisoners.  The  man,  freed,  leapt  to  Dorset's 
side  and  rested  his  hand  on  his  shoulder. 

"God  be  glorified;  I  thought  I  had  killed  you!"  he 
murmured,  gaping  with  astonishment. 

"Yes,  yes,  't  is  he,  't  is  he!"  cried  the  woman,  clinging 
to  the  man,  trembling  with  agitation. 

Dorset,  still  with  his  eyes  on  Thorne,  made  no  response, 
save  that  a  look  of  serene  joy  came  over  his  countenance. 

"What  marvel  is  this  that  you  have  delivered  us  again!" 
cried  the  man,  supporting  the  girl  in  his  embrace. 

"What  mean  you,  coming  upon  me  in  the  night  to  take 
my  slave  from  me?"  demanded  Thorne,  almost  bursting 
with  wrath  while  Hubert  and  his  brother  held  him  helpless. 

"We  shall  shortly  see  how  much  your  slave  he  is,  unut 
terable  wretch!"  retorted  Dorset. 

"  He  is  mine,  by  all  the  laws,"  cried  the  planter. 

"He  is  free,  by  pardon  of  the  King,  which  I  have  in  my 
pocket,  rogue,"  Dorset  made  answer. 

Melville,  overcome  with  emotion,  could  barely  find 
speech.  "And  I  would  have  killed  you,"  he  faltered,  tears 
springing  to  his  eyes.  "I  struck  you  with  my  heel  as  you 
lay  at  my  feet!  And  nowr  you  have  done  this!" 

Beatrice,  leaving  her  father's  side,  stood  before  Dorset, 


ATONEMENT 


419 


her  hands  on  his.  The  light  of  the  lantern  sparkled  in  the 
joy  and  gratitude  of  her  eyes.  She  tried  to  speak,  but  could 
only  smile  her  thanks  through  her  tears.  He  smiled  upon 
her  in  turn,  and  placed  her  hands  on  her  father's  arm. 

"Come,"  he  said.     "Lead  on  to  the  tavern,  Hubert.'7 

They  walked  in  silence  through  the  woods,  too  wrought 
upon  by  the  events  of  the  hour,  and  the  years,  to  speak. 
Before  the  fire  there,  Beatrice  would  have  spoken  some 
of  that  which  was  in  her  heart,  but  he  would  not  let  her. 

"I  beseech  you,  Mistress  Melville,"  he  said,  softly, 
with  a  deprecating  gesture,  understanding  what  she  sought 
to  say.  "You  have  endured  much.  You  are  tired.  Come, 
there  is  a  morrow.  To-night  you  must  compose  yourself 
for  rest.  Here,  take  this  wine  to  revive  you." 

"  Ay,  there  is  a  morrow,"  she  murmured  in  a  voice  sunk 
almost  to  a  whisper.  "How  many,  many  morrows  will  it 
not  take  for  me  to  tell  you  what  is  in  my  heart  to-night!" 

Seated  by  the  fire,  Melville  related  the  adventures  they 
had  been  through  since  the  night  when  they  had  made 


THE  SHORE  OF  THE  JAMES  RIVER 


420  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

their  escape  from  those  very  parts,  and  pressed  Dorset 
to  know  what  had  befallen  him  since  he  had  left  him  for 
dead  beneath  the  beech  tree  in  the  opening.  Dorset, 
as  briefly  as  he  might,  told  them  that  he  had  been  found 
there  that  night  by  Tobey,  and  taken  to  the  manor;  that 
Thorne,  fretting  under  the  loss  of  his  slave  and  the  escape 
of  Beatrice,  had  held  him  prisoner  and  a  slave  until  he  made 
his  escape.  At  the  accession  of  William  and  Mary,  he  said, 
he  went  to  England,  seeking  at  court  for  a  pardon  for 
Melville,  which  he  had  obtained  only  after  efforts  consum 
ing  a  year's  time.  The  pardons,  he  told  them,  absolved 
him  from  taint  for  his  complicity  in  Bacon's  Rebellion  as 
well  as  for  his  connection  with  the  ill-fated  Monmouth.  He 
had  gone  forth  seeking  to  give  him  pardon,  and  restore 
him  to  his  possessions,  which,  forfeited  to  the  Crown  in 
Bacon's  time,  were  now-  returned  to  him.  He  told  of 
having  wandered  far  in  vain,  of  having  come  to  Salem, 
where  he  was  held  by  the  need  of  a  poor  widow,  and  of 
the  circumstances  that  brought  him  hither. 

Throughout  both  narrations  Beatrice  said  no  word. 
When  Dorset  chanced  to  look  her  way,  her  eyes  fell  before 
his,  her  heart  beat  faster,  and  a  crimson,  born  of  more  than 
the  heat  of  the  blazing  fire,  came  into  her  cheeks.  Mel 
ville,  with  many  eloquent  periods,  strove  to  unburden  his 
heart  of  the  weight  of  gratitude  he  felt,  to  all  which  Dorset 
replied  with  modest  deprecation,  seeking  to  avoid  his 
thanks.  It  was  late  when  they  sought  rest  at  last,  with 
many  hopes  for  the  morrow. 

Dorset,  beside  himself  with  grateful  happiness  for  the 
fortune  that  had  brought  Beatrice  to  him  again,  slept  but 
little.  It  was  scarcely  morning  when  he  arose,  and,  dress 
ing  himself,  went  into  the  room  where  they  had  been  the 
night  before.  As  he  entered,  a  figure  arose  hastily  from 
the  fireplace.  It  was  Barbara  —  Beatrice. 


ATONEMENT 


421 


For  a  moment  she  seemed  uncertain  what  to  do.  He 
would  in  delicacy  have  withdrawn,  thinking  he  had  sur 
prised  her,  when  she  came  toward  him,  hands  outstretched, 
radiant,  beautiful. 

"I  know  you  would  not  have  me  speak  of  it,"  she  said, 
grasping  his  hands,  her  voice  tense  with  feeling.  "I  know, 
too,  that  to 
your  great, 
generous,  no 
ble  soul,  what 
you  have  done 
for  us  seems 
slight.  I  know 
that  it  only 
comports  with 
your  goodness 
so  to  succor 
the  needy. 
Yet  my  heart 
must  cry  out 
to  you,  lest  it 
burst.  Oh, 
how  can  we 
ever  by  word 
or  deed  begin 

to    make    VOU  SUNSET  ON  THE  JAMES  RIVER 

know  what  gratitude  is  ours !  How  can  the  short  span  of  our 
two  lives  express  even  the  least  of  what  we  feel!  We,  who 
have  injured  you,  who  have  reviled  you,  who  have  sought  your 
very  life,  owe  all  that  we  are,  all  that  we  have,  all  that  we  hope 
to  be,  to  your  magnanimity.  In  the  first  hour  of  our  meet 
ing  I  despised  you,  poor  fool  that  I  was,  and  you  returned 
good  for  evil!  And  my  father,  with  horrible  accusations, 
sought  your  life  in  blind  wrath.  And  you,  you,  for  no  other 


422  DUELING  FOR   EMPIRE 

reason  than  that  your  heart  was  great  and  true  beyond  the 
hearts  of  all  men,  would  have  laid  it  down  before  him,  fear 
ing  that  else  it  would  not  be  well  with  us.  But  God  could 
not  let  so  noble  a  soul  pass  away  from  earth!  Through 
all  my  days  I  shall  raise  thanks  to  Him,  and  prayers  to 
Him  for  your  happiness!" 

Her  eyes  did  not  now  fall  before  the  gaze  which  they 
met  in  his.  He  made  no  effort  now  to  stop  her,  speaking 
no  word  as  she  poured  out  her  gratitude. 

"Oh,  what  angel  of  virtue  is  it  that  dwells  in  your 
heart,  to  make  your  soul  so  good!" 

Tears,  blessed  tears,  shone  in  her  eyes. 

"Shall  I  tell  you  what  angel  it  is?  May  I  tell  you, 
Beatrice,  what  angel  has  made  whatever  of  good  there 
may  be  in  my  heart  since  the  moment  when  —  the  angel 
came  into  my  heart?" 

His  voice  was  soft  and  tender.  Her  glance  fell  from 
his  eyes,  for  she  saw  there  his  utter  soul.  She  lowered 
her  head,  trembling.  He  clasped  her  in  his  arms,  holding 
her  close  in  his  embrace.  She  raised  her  face,  suffused 
with  rapture.  He  kissed  her  on  the  lips. 

"Thou  art  the  angel!"  he  whispered. 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

REUNITED 

LUCIUS  THORNE,  detected  in  carrying  out  his  ne 
farious  plot  against  Beatrice  and  her  father,  was  glad 
enough  to  escape  punishment  by  opposing  no  obstacle 
to  Melville's  freedom.  It  was  shortly  accomplished  in  due 
form.  Dorset  was  provided  with  money,  which  he  main 
tained  had  been  furnished  by  the  Crown  to  reimburse  the 
present  owner  of  Mallory  Stevens's  confiscated  plantation. 
That  one,  an  old  neighbor,  was  willing  to  relinquish  his 
right,  even  without  the  order  from  the  Crown  with  which 
Dorset  had  provided  himself.  Within  a  month,  Mallory 
Stevens,  Melville  no  longer,  and  Barbara  Dorset,  no  longer 


either  Melville  or 
stalled  in  the  old 
the  river  from  James- 
Barbara  were  mar- 
after  her  last  rescue 
rector  who  succeeded 
ing  the  wedding, 
jamin,  at  Barbara's 
waited  until  the  event, 
New  York  to  search 
Before  settling 
the  plantation,  a  post 
Stevens  insisted  that 


Stevens,  were  in- 
home,  seven  miles  up 
town.  Dorset  and 
ried  on  the  day  week 
by  her  hero,  the  pious 
Saint-Croix  celebrat- 
Hubert  and  Ben- 
earnest  request, 
when  they  set  out  for 
for  Charles, 
down  as  manager  of 
which  Mallory 
he  assume,  Dorset 


THE  HANNAH  DUSTON  MONUMENT 


424  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

set  out  on  a  mysterious  journey,  to  the  great  consterna 
tion  of  his  wife,  who  dreaded  another  separation.  He 
returned  in  six  weeks,  arriving  one  evening  in  March  as 
the  family  was  concluding  the  evening  meal. 

Barbara,  who  had  spent  most  of  the  intervening  time 
where  she  could  command  a  view  of  the  road  through  the 
windows  of  the  manor,  saw  a  chaise  draw  up  before  the 
house,  and  ran  out  to  greet  her  husband-lover.  Leaping 
from  the  steps,  he  met  her  at  the  bottom  of  the  porch,  and 
led  her  into  the  house,  the  chaise  remaining  in  the  road 
where  it  had  stopped. 

She  had  not  asked  him  why  he  went,  and  she  did  not 
now,  so  great  was  her  faith  in  him.  Gently  caressing 
her,  he  led  her  to  a  seat  by  the  fireside. 

"Has  my  love  wondered  why  her  husband  journeyed 
from  her  side?"  he  asked,  tenderly. 

For  reply,  she  smiled  and  kissed  him  on  the  lips. 

"If  I  should  tell  you  of  a  sweet  and  gentle  woman  and 
her  beautiful  daughter,  who  had  been  fished  up  out  of  the 
sea  from  a  wreck,  who  lived  through  many  trials,  disguised 
and  in  concealment,  to  come  through  dire  dangers  at  last 
to  the  husband  and  daughter,  the  father  and  sister,  from 
whom  fate  had  separated  them  for  many  years,  would  my 
loved  one  believe?"  he  asked.  She  sat  staring  stiffly  at 
him,  transfixed  with  astonishment,  incredulous,  not  dar 
ing  to  hope. 

"My  mother,  my  sainted  mother?"  she  whispered. 
"And  my  sister?" 

"And  if  he  should  have  gone  to  bring  them  back  to 
her,  could  my  beloved  forgive  her  husband  for  leaving  her 
in  the  honeymoon?" 

"No,  no,  you  cannot  surely  mean  that  they  are  alive?" 
she  faltered,  tears  of  joy  brimming  in  her  eyes. 

He  left  her  with  a  kiss.     She  sat  quivering  by  the  fire, 


REUNITED 


425 


her  eyes  fixed  on  the  door  through  which  he  disappeared. 
Her  father  entered.  She  beckoned  him  to  come  to  her  side. 
Discerning  something  of  import,  he  went  to  her,  wonder 
ing,  questioning  with  his  eyes.  There  was  the  sound  of 
steps  in  the  gravel  before  the  house,  across  the  steps,  through 
the  hall,  without  the  door!  It  opened.  Jane  and  Goody 
Lawrence  entered!  With  sobs  and  stifled  cries  of  joy  the 
four  rushed  into  each  other's  arms,  weeping. 

Barbara  came  to  where  Dorset  stood  apart  from  them. 

"Thou  art  the  very  Angel  Raphael  himself,"  she  cried, 
throwing  her  arms  about  his  neck. 

Great  was  the  joy  throughout  the  household  over  the 
return  of  mother  and  ^tiBUnrrrr  daughter,  long  given 


up  for  lost.      Swiftly 
tenderly  they  clung    A 
during   the   tell- 
they   looked 

"Tell     M 
my  sweet- 
you    knew  jj 
ours  ?  "  m 
Barbara, 

"  Could  m 

of  your  lover 
on  this,  the  face 


the   tale  was  told, 
to    one    another 
ing,   lovingly 
upon   Dorset, 
me,  tell  me, 
J^      heart,  how 
they  were 
asked 
at  last. 
the  eyes 
look   up- 
of    your 


MEMORIAL  BOULDER,  SITE  OF  DUSTON  HOME 


426  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

mother,  and  this,  the  face  of  your  sister,  and  not  see 
that  they  were  of  your  blood,  my  darling?"  he  replied. 
"It  was  your  face  in  their  features  which  held  me  at 
Salem,  detaining  me  from  the  search  for  you." 

As  they  came  to  understand  it  all,  their  love  and  grati 
tude  found  such  expression  that  tears  came  into  his  eyes. 
He  raised  a  prayer  of  thanks  as  his  memory  ran  back  to 
the  days  when  he  was  Daredevil  Dick,  the  worst  of  the 
roistering  crew  of  Kirke's  Lambs. 

Reunited  thus,  the  family  settled  down  to  the  even 
tenor  of  life  on  the  plantation,  with  no  sorrow  save  that 
Charles  Stevens  was  not  among  them.  But  he  would 
surely  come  soon,  they  thought,  and  lived  happy  in  that 
hope.  Robert  Stevens,  a  remote  cousin  who  had  suffered 
exile  through  Bacon's  Rebellion,  returned  to  his  plantation 
adjoining  theirs.  Hugo  Melville,  the  Quaker  brother, 
chose  to  remain  among  the  people  of  his  choice.  He  was 
now  a  man  of  consequence  in  Pennsylvania.  Although 
Penn's  rights  had  been  taken  away  because  of  suspicions 
against  his  loyalty  to  William  and  Mary,  and  the  province 
was  nominally  under  Fletcher  of  New  York,  William 
Markham,  Penn's  deputy,  was  installed  as  acting  gover 
nor,  and  affairs  progressed  much  as  they  had  before  the 
change.  Fletcher  re-joined  the  lower  counties  of  the  Dela 
ware  to  the  parent  colony.  Penn,  cleared  of  the  charges 
against  him,  was  restored  to  his  rights.  In  1699  he  re 
turned  to  his  "  American  Desert,"  as  he  called  it,  after 
fifteen  years  in  England,  to  find  it  a  thriving  province  with 
20,000  inhabitants. 

He  returned  to  his  native  England  two  years  later,  hav 
ing  appointed  a  fellow  named  Ford  his  agent.  Ford  proved 
himself  an  unscrupulous  trickster,  and  his  villainies  ruined 
his  master.  Dying  after  fabricating  charges  against  Penn's 
property  which  led  to  Penn's  imprisonment  in  the  Fleet, 


REUNITED  429 

where  he  was  detained  until  broken  in  health  and  spirit. 
Ford  was  truly  the  cause  of  his  master's  death  at  Ruscombe 
in  1718.  His  body  lies  near  the  Jordans  meeting-house,  its 
only  mark  a  modest  stone.  Such  was  this  great  man's  sim 
plicity  in  death,  as  throughout  his  memorable  life.  His 
true  monument  rises  on  the  hither  side  of  the  Atlantic,  where 
a  mighty  commonwealth  holds  him  in  lasting  and  grateful 
memory. 

Fletcher,  governor  of  New  York,  carried  out  the  English 
colonial  policy  of  oppression  and  extortion  according  to  his 
abilities.  In  1696  Frontenac  led  an  expedition  of  2000 
French,  Canadians,  and  Indians  against  the  Iroquois  in 
New  York,  destroying  some  of  their  villages,  and  driving 
the  Indians  before  him,  but  retiring  in  confusion.  The  blow 
did  not  fall  severely  on  the  English,  who  left  their  allies  to 
work  out  their  own  salvation. 

Fletcher  was  succeeded  in  1698  by  the  earl  of  Bellomont, 
an  Irish  noble  of  excellent  character  and  popular  sympathies, 
under  -whom  the  province  enjoyed  the  happiest  years  of  its 
history  to  that  time.  One  of  his  measures,  born  of  high  pur 
pose,  came  to  a  disastrous  issue,  and  brought  him  into  ill- 
repute  for  a  time.  For  centuries  piracy  had  been  the  terror 
of  the  seas.  He  desired  to  stop  it.  He  obtained  from  the 
Crown  a  clause  in  his  commission  permitting  him  to  arm 
vessels  to  clear  the  sea  of  its  scourge.  A  company  was  or 
ganized,  a  vessel  fitted  out,  and  placed  under  command  of 
Captain  William  Kidd,  who  sailed  from  England  before 
Bellomont  left  for  his  new  post. 

Hubert  and  Benjamin,  arriving  in  New  York  early  in 
1693,  could  find  no  trace  of  Charles,  further  than  that  he 
had  been  seen  frequenting  the  water-front  until  some  time  in 
January,  when  he  disappeared.  They  found  the  unsettled 
state  of  affairs  caused  by  Leisler's  execution  partially  pla 
cated  by  the  nomination  to  be  mayor  of  New  York  of  Abra- 


43° 


DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 


ham  de  Peyster,  who  later  became  chief  justice  of  the 
province  and  president  of  the  King's  council,  and  acting 
governor  on  Bellomont's  death  in  1701. 

Thinking  Charles  had  returned  to  Boston  in  search  of 
them,  the  brothers  made  their  way  thither,  and  thence  to 
Salem.  He  was  not  there,  and  had  not  been  seen  since  his 
acquittal.  Leaving  word  for  him  with  their  father  and  their 

fallen  into  a  low  ABRAHAM  DE  PEYSTER  ancj  obscure  ex- 
istence.  The  frenzy  had  already  died  out,  and  the  com 
munity  was  making  what  reparation  it  could  to  the  families 
of  its  victims. 

The  war  still  continued  in  desultory  fashion,  the  Indians 
inflicting  damage  along  the  frontier.  In  1694  Oyster  River 
was  taken.  Waitstill  Sparhawke  was  made  captive,  and 
disappeared  from  the  sight  of  his  beloved  Christianity.  Two 
years  later,  the  Indians  and  French,  under  the  outraged 
Castin,  captured  Pemaquid  for  the  second  time,  destroying 
it.  In  March,  1697,  the  town  of  Haverhill  on  the  Merrimac 


REUNITED  431 

was  the  scene  of  a  massacre,  famous  in  history  because  of  the 
bravery  of  Mrs.  Hannah  Duston. 

Mrs.  Duston  had  an  infant  one  week  old,  which  the 
Indians  killed,  dashing  out  its  brains  against  a  tree.  Her 
husband  with  the  other  children  escaped,  she  insisting  that 
he  leave  her  to  the  mercy  of  the  savages  to  save  the  rest  of 
the  family.  Mrs.  Neff,  the  woman  who  was  nursing  her, 
remained  at  her  side,  and  was  also  taken  by  the  Indians. 
The  women  were  led  captives,  and  given  into  charge  of  a 
family  of  ten,  women  and  children  among  them.  With  the 
family  was  also  a  white  boy,  Leonardson,  who  had  been 
captive  a  year.  The  lad  had  learned  how  Indians  struck 
a  blow  with  the  tomahawk  to  kill  instantly. 

In  the  night,  when  they  were  encamped  a  short  distance 
above  Concord,  Mrs.  Duston  arose,  took  a  tomahawk  from 
a  sleeping  savage,  and  gave  one  to  each  of  the  other  pris 
oners.  The  Indians  kept  no  watch,  having  no  fear  of  the 
white  squaws.  At  a  signal,  the  three  hatchets  descended, 
slay  ing -three  Indians.  Once  more  they  fell,  and  once  again, 
and  until  all  were  killed  save  one  who  awoke  in  time  to  flee. 
The  prisoners  took  a  canoe,  scuttled  one  that  remained,  and 
started  down  the  river.  Fearing  lest  their  story  would  not 
be  believed,  and  desiring  to  obtain  the  reward  for  Indian 
scalps,  Mrs.  Duston  put  back  when  they  had  gone  a  little 
way,  scalped  the  ten  victims  of  her  courage,  and  returned 
with  the  trophies  to  civilization,  where  she  obtained  reward 
of  £50,  and  the  plaudits  of  her  neighbors. 

But  the  war  had  already  come  to  a  close.  Early  in  1697 
commissioners  from  the  belligerent  powers  met  at  Ryswick, 
Holland,  to  negotiate  peace.  The  war  waged  against  the 
aggrandizement  of  Louis  XIV  had  come  to  no  issue.  Wil 
liam's  Catholic  allies  were  won  away  from  him  by  the  Pope, 
the  English  treasury  was  depleted,  and  Louis  was  anxious 
to  close  the  struggle  on  the  best  terms  he  could  make.  The 


432  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

treaty  left  the  boundaries  in  America  as  they  were.  It  made 
no  attempt  to  solve  the  problem  which  was  dragging  the  two 
over-sea  empires  into  a  bloody,  bitter  struggle  for  suprem 
acy  on  the  western  continent.  At  best,  it  was  a  temporary 
truce,  holding  only  until  the  belligerents  recuperated. 

New  England,  at  the  close  of  the  war,  found  herself  bur 
dened  by  debt  incurred  in  the  Phips  expeditions,  and 
increased  by  subsequent  levies  in  the  prosecution  of  hostil 
ities.  She  was  glad  to  have  the  Indian  terror  removed  from 
her  doors.  The  war  had  brought  her  nothing  but  trouble. 

Phips,  the  self-made  man,  died  just  in  time  to  avoid 
unmaking  himself.  In  1694  he  was  called  to  England  to 
explain  to  the  council  why  he  was  not  a  better  governor. 
Before  he  had  time  to  explain,  he  was  seized  with  an  illness 
which  proved  fatal  on  February  18,  1695.  He  was  suc 
ceeded  by  Stoughton,  until  the  appointment  in  1697  of  the 
Earl  of  Bellomont,  who  held  a  commission  giving  him  ju 
risdiction  over  Massachusetts  as  well  as  over  New  York, 
New  Hampshire,  and  New  Jersey. 

Dudley  sought  the  appointment  in  return  for  his  loyal 
services  to  his  King,  but  his  transactions  in  Massachusetts 
met  with  some  of  the  disfavor  in  England  that  they  aroused 
in  his  own  home.  He  was  compensated  by  appointment  as 
lieutenant-governor  to  the  Isle  of  Wight,  whence  he  was 
subsequently  sent  to  Parliament.  Bellomont  left  affairs 
in  Massachusetts  in  the  hands  of  Stoughton  for  a  year  after 
his  arrival  at  New  York.  When  he  finally  appeared,  he  was 
received  cordially,  maintaining  his  popularity  to  the  last. 

The  Stevens  family  in  Virginia  continued  to  prosper, 
with  no  shade  of  unhappiness,  save  the  continued  absence 
of  Charles,  of  whom  nothing  had  been  heard  since  the  time 
he  disappeared  from  New  York.  Jane,  disconsolate  at 
first,  grew  to  accept  her  sorrow,  finding  solace  in  the  happi 
ness  of  her  sister,  and  the  contentment  of  her  father  and 


REUNITED  433 

mother.  Many  suitors  came  for  her  hand,  but  her  heart 
was  twined  in  the  memories  of  the  whistling  youth  of  Salem. 

Andros,  appointed  to  succeed  Effingham,  came  to  Vir 
ginia  in  1696  to  take  charge  of  affairs,  Nicholson,  the  deputy, 
being  engaged  in  Maryland.  His  purposes  in  life  were  t(? 
enforce  the  Navigation  Act,  and  to  bother  Doctor  Blair,  of 
William  and  Mary  College.  He  disapproved  of  education, 
as  dangerous  to  the  constituted  authorities.  He  devised, 
through  his  partisans,  so  many  tortures  for  the  educator  that 
at  last  he  was  recalled,  and  sent  to  govern  the  little  channel 
island  of  Jersey.  George  Hamilton  Douglas  was  appointed 
in  his  stead,  but  never  crossed  the  ocean,  leaving  the  direc 
tion  of  affairs  to  his  deputy,  Nicholson. 

Jamestown,  rebuilt  partially  by  Culpeper  after  having 
been  burned  in  Bacon's  Rebellion,  was  destroyed  again  by 
accidental  fire,  and  Nicholson  removed  the  capital  to  Middle 
Plantation,  between  the  James  and  York  Rivers.  He  called 
the  place  Williamsburg.  His  political  management  was 
satisfactory,  but  his  blustering  manners  brought  him  ruin. 
He  fell  in  love  with  a  daughter  of  Major  Lewis  Burwell, 
who  would  have  none  of  him.  In  his  rage,  he  made  such 
threats  against  his  rival,  the  minister  of  Hampton  parish, 
that  he  incurred  the  displeasure  of  all  sober-minded  folk. 
When  at  last  he  jostled  the  divine  in  the  streets,  knocking  his 
hat  off,  Doctor  Blair  sent  a  memorial  to  Queen  Anne,  then 
sovereign  of  England,  and  the  bellicose  swain  was  removed 
in  1705. 

Six  years  had  come  and  gone  since  the  reunion  of  Mallory 
Stevens's  family.  Another  Dick  Dorset  —  no  "daredevil," 
but  a  brave  lad  —  ranged  the  fields  and  woods  of  the  plan 
tation,  the  especial  care  and  delight  of  the  faithful  Tobey. 
Another  Barbara,  giving  promise  to  outdo  her  mother  in 
beauty,  if  that  were  possible,  brightened  the  hours  of  the 
household,  relieving  the  grief  of  her  aunt,  and  rendering  her 


434  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

grandfather  monotonous  to  his  old  friends,  by  reason  of  his 
boastings. 

It  was  a  bright  summer  evening  in  1699.  The  family 
sat  on  the  lawn  before  the  manor-house,  blissful  in  domestic 
ity.  They  fell  to  talking  of  their  strange  adventures,  as  they 
often  did  now  that  they  were  softened  by  time.  Now  they 
could  smile  at  the  dangers  and  tribulations  through  which 
they  had  been  brought  by  the  fair-haired  man  who  was  their 
staff  and  strength. 

As  they  sat  talking  in  low  tones  beneath  the  summer  sky, 
a  man  appeared  in  the  drive  that  wound  among  the  tall  trees 
to  the  door  of  the  house.  He  came  toward  them  with  eager 
step,  his  bronzed  face  beaming  with  gladness,  whistling  a 
sailor's  tune  to  himself  unconsciously  as  he  approached. 
The  group  watched  him  curiously  as  he  drew  near  to 
them,  leaving  the  drive  to  cross  the  grass  when  he 
observed  Aem  sitting  there. 

Jane,  with  a  cry,  leapt  to  her  feet  and 
ran  toward  him,  throwing  herself 
£    into  his  strong  arms,  sobbing  on 
his  breast. 

It  was  Charles,  returned 
from    the    void    of    life, 
held    true    through 
years  to  the  star  of 
his  being,  com- 
jng  at  last  to 
the  lode- 
stone  ! 


THE  OLD  GARRISON  HOUSE,  HAVERHILL,  MASSACHUSETTS 


CHAPTER  XXX 
THE    PORT    OF    PERFECT   PEACE 

story  that  he  told  them  was  as  whimsical,  as  roman- 
JL  tic,  as  fanciful  as  his  own  young  soul.  Watching  the 
vessel  which  bore  Dautray  and  the  others  from  his  sight,  he 
had  returned  to  the  inn,  to  fall  in  with  a  rollicking  com 
panion  who  led  him  into  much  mirth  that  night.  Plunging 
into  the  diversion,  he  had  abandoned  himself  to  merriment 
for  the  first  and  last  time  in  his  life,  thinking  to  forget  his 
worries.  In  the  morning  he  awoke  at  sea,  on  board  a  vessel 
which  turned  out  to  be  a  pirate. 

They  laid  their  course  to  the  West  Indies.  He  was 
beaten  and  subdued  into  reluctant  obedience  to  the  com 
mands  of  the  master,  who,  taking  a  fancy  to  him  because  of 
his  spirit,  made  him  his  personal  servant.  In  their  passage, 
they  encountered  a  derelict  drifting  in  the  Gulf  Stream, 
which  proved  to  be  his  brother  Hubert's  vessel.  Thereat 
he  gave  up  all  hope  of  ever  seeing  Jane  again,  making  sure 
that  she  was  drowned.  He  adjusted  himself  to  his  con 
ditions,  so  far  as  he  could  without  abandoning  his  princi 
ples,  determined  to  take  the  first  opportunity  to  escape. 

It  offered  itself  in  India,  where  he  deserted  and  shipped 
with  an  East  Indiaman.  He  made  many  voyages  in  her, 
and  in  other  merchantmen,  not  caring  to  return  to  America, 
believing  Jane  to  be  dead.  He  traveled  to  China  and  Africa. 
He  coasted  up  the  golden  shores  of  southern  California, 
visiting  the  missions  there,  and  spending  a  year  in  search 
for  gold  among  the  wild  mountains  of  the  interior.  He  was 
in  the  ship,  bound  from  Madagascar  to  London,  that  brought 
the  cultivation  of  rice  to  the  Carolinas  while  anchored  off 

435 


436  DUELING   FOR  EMPIRE 

Sullivan's  Island  in  1695.  Returning  at  last  to  England  he 
fell  in  with  Captain  Kidd,  then  outfitting  under  commission 
from  the  King,  to  scourge  the  sea  of  pirates. 

With  Captain  Kidd  he  crossed  to  New  York,  where  he 
sent  a  message  to  his  family  —  which  never  reached  them. 
They  cruised  thence  to  the  West  Indies,  taking  small  pirates 
by  the  way.  One  they  took  was  none  other  than  Black  Jack 
Boyne,  who  died  fighting  to  the  last.  Later  they  fell  in  with 
the  vessel  on  which  Charles  had  been  shanghaied.  There 
he  fought  with  a  will,  having  old  scores  to  pay,  and  was 
wounded.  The  vessel  was  sunk  and  many  of  the  crew 
drowned.  Those  who  were  rescued  from  the  sea  were 
hanged  from  the  yardarms. 

"'Tis  a  horrid  sight  to  see  live  men  quivering  in  the 
breeze,"  he  said,  "but  one  there  was  among  them  in  whose 
death  I  found  a  joy  which  I  can  never  explain.  He  was  a 
small,  slouching  man,  hideously  deformed  in  features,  for 
one  of  his  eyes  was  higher  in  his  face  than  the  other,  and  his 
expression  was  that  of  a  fiend.  I  shall  never  forget  how  he 
squealed,  and  shall  never  lose  satisfaction  in  the  memory, 
though  God  knows  I  am  not  a  cruel  wretch." 

They  recognized  the  victim  as  Slurk. 

When  Captain  Kidd  turned  pirate,  Charles  was  forced  to 
see  his  atrocities,  though  he  succeeded  in  coming  through 
them  with  nothing  on  his  conscience.  Many  were  the  bloody 
tales  he  told  of  barbarous  cruelties  of  a  man  lost  to  remorse 
and  hope  of  Heaven;  of  inroads  upon  peaceful  villages;  of 
tortures;  of  sudden  death  and  wanton  destruction.  Return 
ing  to  the  West  Indies  with  the  arch-pirate,  he  came  with 
him  thence  in  a  sloop  which  landed  at  Governor's  Island 
to  conceal  treasure.  There  he  made  his  escape,  and  returned 
to  Salem . 

Kidd's  name  has  become  a  by-word,  his  bloody  acts  of 
outlawry  have  been  told  in  song  and  story  by  succeeding 


THE  PORT  OF  PERFECT  PEACE 


439 


THE  ARREST  OF  CAPTAIN  KIDD 

generations,  fascinated  by 
the  romance,  the  horror 
and  the  picturesque  daring 
of  his  adventures.  Bello- 
mont  and  the  others  in  the  company  which  had  outfitted 
him  were  suspected  of  complicity  in  his  new  enterprise.  They 
succeeded  in  clearing  themselves,  however.  Kidd  won 
tremendous  treasure,  some  of  which  he  buried  on  Governor's 
Island,  New  York.  In  1699  he  appeared  in  Boston,  was 
arrested,  sent  to  England,  convicted  of  piracy  there,  and 
duly  hanged  in  chains,  at  Execution  Dock,  London,  May 
24,  1701. 

Hearing  that  Jane  was  rescued,  and  living  in  Virginia 
with  her  father,  mother,  and  sister,  Charles  made  all  haste 
to  come  to  her.  And  here  he  was! 

How  can  the  joy  of  his  return  be  told?  How  can  the 
happiness  that  came  upon  them  all,  to  remain  unbroken  for 
many  years,  be  described?  They  were  married,  and  he 


440  DUELING  FOR  EMPIRE 

took  her  with  him  to  Salem,  where  his  father,  growing  old, 
desired  him  to  succeed  him  as  landlord  and  selectman.  The 
parting  was  hard,  as  partings  are;  but  love  had  its  way  with 
them  all,  softening  the  sorrow,  and  turning  the  cloud  with  a 
lining  of  purest  gold. 

Charles,  permitted  now  to  whistle  in  his  old  home,  grew 
to  great  favor  among  the  good  people  of  the  Puritan  town, 
and  brought  up  his  sons  to  whistle,  and  his  daughters  to 
sing  and  play  the  spinnet.  Joyous  by  nature,  he  brought 
joy  with  him,  and -found  much  joy  in  Jane. 

His  father,  growing  old,  died  and  left  him  far  on  the  way 
toward  eminence  among  his  fellows.  Hubert,  waxing  old 
at  sea,  spent  his  winters  in  the  tavern  tap-room,  never  at  a 
loss  for  a  tale  to  tell,  and  never  without  some  one  to  listen. 
And  when  the  final  winter  of  life  sealed  him  from  further 
goings  down  to  the  sea,  his  store  of  tales  grew  till  they  passed 
all  marvel.  Benjamin  became  a  proper  and  prosperous 
merchant  in  Boston.  Dautray,  before  he  died,  made  a  visit 
of  state  to  Salem,  still  joyful,  still  filled  with  a  good-natured 
contempt  for  the  English,  from  which  he  exempted  all  of 
the  kin  of  Charles,  and  such  others  as  Charles  chose  to 
designate. 

Thorne,  growing  fat  and  rubicund  on  his  plantation, 
seemed  to  have  been  improved  in  moral  health  by  the  blood- 
letting  which  Dorset  had  administered  to  him.  He  still 
clung  to  his  wine  and  his  hounds,  but  permitted  his  appetites 
to  run  no  longer  to  villainies.  On  great  occasions,  Dare 
devil  Dick  of  the  second  generation  made  hue-and-cry  with 
him  after  the  foxes  from  the  thickets  near  the  plantations. 

And  Mallory  Stevens  and  his  lived  to  see  the  third  gener= 
ation  rise  up  to  call  them  blessed. 

THE   END 


INDEX 


INDEX 


ABENAKIS 

war  upon  English,  278-283 

description  of,  367 

massacre  in  Maine  and  New  Hampshire,  367- 

368 

devastate  York,  368 
fort  at  Pemaquid  baffles,  371 
cease  activities,  368 

ACADIA,  see  ANNAPOLIS 
ALBANY,  NEW  YORK 

French  fur  trade  in,  95 

Iroquois  treaty  made  in,  236 

picture  of,  (jrom  an  old  engraving],  245 

revolts  against  Leisler,  255 

Schuyler,  first  mayor  of,  255 

French  expedition  against,  266 

Indian  trail  to  Schenectady,  picture  of,  275 

Sloughter  meets  Iroquois  chiefs  at,  325 

ALBEMARLE,  GEORGE  MONCK,  DUKE  OF 

interested  in  treasure-seeking   by    Phips,  288 
gives  Phips  a  second  ship  for  expedition,  288 

ALLEN,  SAMUEL 

buys    disputed    rights    of    Gorges    in    Xew 

Hampshire,   371 
appoints  son-in-law,   Usher,   deputy-governor 

of  New  Hampshire,  371 

AMERICAN  COLONIES 

history  of,  story  of  crimes  of  Europe,  65 
Jeffreys  sends  indented  servants  to,  65 
Quakers  seek  refuge  in,  75 
French  policy  toward,   115 
rise  against  Stuarts,  240 

ANDROS,  SIR  EDMUND 

arrives  in  Boston,  139 

hatred   of   Massachusetts    and     Connecticut, 

139 

character  of,  139,  239 
prerogatives  as  governor  of  New  England,  139- 

140 

portrait  of,  141 

sets  out  for  Hartford,  148,  151,  233-234 
governor    of    Maine,    New    Hampshire,    and 

Rhode  Island,  151,  236-239 
refuses  to  recognize  Carteret's  warrants,  214 
New  England  colonies  united  under,  151,  236- 

239 

reasons  for  disliking  Connecticut,  151 
met  at  Hartford  by  train-bands,  151 
seeks  to  conciliate  legislature,  151 
Connecticut  charter  denied  him,  151-154 
writes    "Finis"    on    Connecticut    assembly's 

journal,  154 
arrests  Fenwick,  213 
demands  Marlow's  credentials,  214 
governor  of  New  York,  233,  239 
character  as  governor  of  New  York,  233 


ANDROS,  SIR  EDMOND  —  continued 
advises  York  to  grant  legislature  to  New  York 

233 

forbids  expedition  against  Abenakis,  246 
seeks  to  placate  revolting  Indians,  246 
misgovernment  of  New  England,  246 
expedition  against  Indians,  246-247 
arrests  Carteret,  247 
punishes  Sudbury  men,  247 
purposes  holding  New  England  for  James  II, 

247 

punishes  Winslow,  247-248 
his  guilt  proclaimed,  251 
surrenders  fort  in  Boston,  251-252 
deposed  and  imprisoned,  240,  248-253 
attempts  escape,  253 
deposed  by  William  and  Mary,  253 
governor  of  Virginia,  433 
enforces  navigation  act,  433 
troubles  Blair,  433 

ANNAPOLIS,  NOVA  SCOTIA 

French  cruisers  find  harbor  in,  283 

Massachusetts  plans  attack  upon,  283 

Phips  commander  of  expedition  against,  291 

garrison  makes  no  resistance,  291 

inhabitants  plundered,  291 

expedition  returns  victorious,  284 

French  and  Indians  occupy,  368 

ARGYLE,  EARL  OF 

revolts  and  is  defeated,  21 

ARKANSAS  RIVER 

Marquette  and  Joliet  reach  mouth  of,  108 

ARTICLES  OF  CONFEDERATION 

foreshadowed  by  Leisler,  Penn,  and  Franklin, 
389 

ASHLEY  RIVER 

Charleston  built  on,   160 

ASSEMBLY,  GENERAL,  see  LEGISLATURE 
ASSIZES,  BLOODY 

Jeffreys  presides  over,  61 

AUSTRIA 

follows  England  in  war  with  France,  265 


B 


BAREFOOTE,  WILLIAM 

acting  governor  of  New  Hampshire,  148 

BALTIMORE,  CECIL  CALVERT,  LORD 

discusses  boundaries  with  Pennsylvania,  223 

returns  to  England,  379 

character  of,  379 

orders  Maryland  council  to  proclaim  William 

and  Mary,  380 
his  charter  to  Maryland  revoked  by  William 

III,  380-383 


443 


444 


DUELING   FOR   EMPIRE 


BARRE,  DE  LA 

governor  of  New  France,  264 

BATTLE  OF  SEDGEMOOR,  see  SEDGEMOOR 
BEAUJEU 

in  command  of  La  Salle's  ships,  315 
becomes  insubordinate,  315 
loses  ships,  316 
mutiny  against,  316 

BELLOMONT,  RICHARD  COOTE,  EARL  or 

succeeds  Fletcher  as  provincial  governor,  429 

character  of,  429 

seeks  to  put  down  piracy,  429 

commissions  Kidd,  429 

governor  of  New  York,  Massachusetts,  New 

Hampshire,  and  New  Jersey,  432 
leaves   Massachusetts   in   Stoughton's   hands, 

432 

cordially  received  by  Massachusetts,  432 
suspected  of  complicity  with  Kidd,  439 

BERKELEY,  LORD  JOHN 

sells  interest  in  New  Jersey,  213 

BEVERAGES 

in  New  England,  96 

BEVERLEY,  ROBERT 

secretary  of  Virginia  House  of  Burgesses,  162, 

165 

reinstated  by  Culpeper,  162 
imprisoned  by  Culpeper,  165 
disfranchised  and  imprisoned  by  Howard,  165 

BIENVILLE,  JEAN  BAPTISTE    LEMOINE, 

SlEUR  DE 
portrait  of,  256 
in  expedition  against  Albany,  266 

BLACK  HORSE  TAVERN 

principal  inn  at  Salem,  87 
picture  of,  89 

BLAIR,  JAMES 

portrait  of,  378 

seeks  to  establish  college  in  Virginia,  378-379 

raises  funds  in  England,  379 

supported  by  Tillotson   and   Stillingfleet,  379 

Andros  recalled  because  of  trouble  with,  433 

secures  removal  of  Nicholson,  433 

BLAKE,  JOSEPH 

brother  of  great  admiral,  159 

character  of,  159 

leads  settlers  to  South  Carolina,  159 

BLOODY  ASSIZES 

Jeffreys  presides  at,  61 

BLUE  ANCHOR  INN,  BOSTON 

Monck  landlord  of,  148 

BLUE  ANCHOR  TAVERN,  PHILADEL 
PHIA 

first  house  built  in  Philadelphia,  221 
original  picture  of,  211 
present  site  of,  picture,  212 

BOLEYN,  QUEEN  ANNE 

buried  in  Saint  Peter's  Church,  45 

BOSTON,  MASSACHUSETTS 

James  II  proclaimed  King  in,  94 
Old  South  Church,  picture  o.r,  134 
Church  of  England,  worship  in,  139-140 


BOSTON,  MASSACHUSETTS  —  continued 
legal  affairs  in  colony  must  be  transacted  in, 

140 

Blue  Anchor  Inn,  148 
Andros  deposed  and  imprisoned  in,  240,  248- 

253 

magistrates  proceed  against  Indians,  240"  . 
William  Ill's  proclamation  brought  to,  247 
effect  of  William  Ill's  landing  upon,  248 
Mather's  tomb  in,  picture  of,  342 
Mather-Eliot  house  in,  picture  of,  349 
a  bit  of  old,  picture  of,  355 
Cotton  Mather  brings  witchcraft  charge  in, 

357 

first  King's  Chapel,  picture  of,  357 
present  King's  Chapel,  picture  of,  359 
Old  North  Church,  picture  of,  362 
Cotton  Mather's  house  in,  picture  of,  364 
Faneuil  Hall,  picture  of,  403 
Kidd's  arrest  in,  439 
BRADFORD,  WILLIAM 

sets  up  printing  press  in  Philadelphia,  223 

BRADSTREET,  SIMON 

portrait  of,  94 

his  Salem  house,  picture  of,  95 

refuses  seat  in  council,  136 

acts  against  Andros,  251 

acting  president  of  Massachusetts,  253 

BRIDGEWATER,  ENGLAND 

Battle  of  Sedgemoor  near,  19,  23 
picture  of,  23 

BURGESSES,    HOUSE    OF,     see    LEGIS 
LATURE 

BULLIVANT, 
imprisoned,  251 

BURLINGTON,  NEW  JERSEY 

settlement  of,  214 

BURROUGHS,  GEORGE 

candidate  against  Parris  for  pulpit  of  Salem 

Church,  327 
jailed  on  charge  of  witchcraft,  327 

BURWELL,  LEWIS 

Nicholson  falls  in  love  with  daughter  of,  433 

BYLLINGE,  EDWARD 

New  Jersey  interest  ceded  to,  213 
in  controversy  with  Fenwick,  213 
Penn  decides  in  favor  of,  213 
becomes  insolvent,  213 
trustees  appointed  for  property,  213 


CALVERT,  BENEDICT 

youthful  son  of  Lord  Baltimore,  379 
governor  of  Maryland  379 

CARTERET,  SIR  GEORGE 

disputes  title  to  New  Jersey  with  York,  213 
Andros  denies  warrants  of,  214 

CARTERET,  PHILIP 

deputy-governor  of  New  Jersey,  234 
arrested  by  Andros,  234 

CASCO  BAY,  MAINE 

Indians  defeated  at,  281 


INDEX 


445 


CASTIN,  see  SAINT-CASTIN 
CATHOLICS  IN  AMERICA 

Maryland  founded  as  refuge  for,  380 

all  Maryland's  officials,  380 

protest  against  uprising  in  Maryland,  383 

CAVELIER,  ABBE  JEAN 

brother  to  La  Salle,  307 

interferes  with  plans  of  La  Salle,  307 

CAYUGAS 

one  of  Five  Nations,  100 

CHALFONT  SAINT  GILES,  ENGLAND 

graves  of  Penn  family  in,  picture  of,  385 
Jordans  meeting-house  in,  picture  of,  387 
burying  ground,  picture  of,  390 

CHAMPLAIN,  LAKE,  see   LAKE    CHAM- 
PLAIN 
CHARLES  I  OF  ENGLAND 

Lady  Lisle's  concern  in  death  of,  62 

CHARLES  II  OF  ENGLAND 

Monmouth's  father,  20 

grants  Pennsylvania  to  Penn,  75 

Penn  refuses  to  doff  hat  in  presence  of,  75 

proposes  sending  Kirke  to  Massachusetts,  86 

revokes   Massachusetts   charter,   87-88 

sends  Randolph  to  Boston,  88 

character  of,  89 

appoints  Howard  governor  of  Virginia,  155 

sends  Huguenot  craftsmen  to  South  Carolina, 

1 60 

general  lack  of  interest  in  America,  160 
denies  legislature  to  Virginia.  165 
blesses  New  Jersey  settlers,  213 
gives  Pennsylvania  its  name,  215-216 
grants  NewYork  to  York,  233 
treasonably  intimate  with  Louis  XIV,  236 
policy  of  absolutism,  239 
death  of,  20 
succeeded  by  James  II,  20,  89 

CHARLESTON,  SOUTH  CAROLINA 

battery  front,  picture  of,  158 

settlement  of,  160-161 

first  called  Oyster  Point,  160 

origin  of  name,  160 

called  New  Charlestown,  160 

The  Oaks,  old  farm  near,  picture  of,  160 

Goosecreek  Church,  picture  of,  161 

typical  residence  in,  166 

early  picture  of,  169 

old  Huguenot  Church  in,  picture  of,  405 

Saint  Philip's  Church  in,  picture  of,  409 

CHARLESTOWN,  MASSACHUSETTS 

aids  revolt  against  Andros,  25 
picture  of,  1743,  252 

CHARTER 

of  Connecticut 

imperiled,  151-153 

retained  by  trick,  153-154 
of  Maryland 

William  III  revokes  Lord  Baltimore's,  380- 

383 
of  Massachusetts 

revoked  by  Charles  II,  87-88 

Randolph  brings  new,  135 

Phips  brings  provisional,  337 


CHARTER  — -  continued 
of  Massachusetts< 

found  oppressive,  366 
of  New  Hampshire 

under  Mason,  146 
of  New  York 

adopted,  235 
of  Pennsylvania 

granted  by  Charles  II,  75 

Penn's  rights  under,  215 

revoked  by  William  III,  386 

CHARTER  OAK,  HARTFORD,  CONNECTI 
CUT 

picture  of,  144 

spot  where  it  stood,  picture  of,  152 

charter  of  Connecticut  concealed  in,  154 

CHARTER  OF  LIBERTIES 

granted  Pennsylvania  by  William  Penn,  78 

CHESTER,  PENNSYLVANIA 

Penn  lands  at,  76 

spot  where  Penn  landed,  picture  of,  77 
Penn's  house  in,  pictures  of,  78,  209 
Penn  changes  name  from  Upland,  220 

CHICAGO 

Marquette  and  Joliet  at  site  of,  108 
La  Salle  and  Tonty  at  site  of,  315 

CHICAGO  RIVER 

Marquette  and  Joliet  on,  108 

CHURCH  OF  ENGLAND 

worship  in  Boston,  139 
encouraged  in  Massachusetts,  140 
services  of,  in  Old  South  Church,  140 
Fletcher  seeks  to  establish,  in  New  York,  372 
CLARK,  THADDEUS 
ambushed  and  killed  by  Indians,  282 

CLOYSE,  SARAH 

jailed  as  a  wilch,  327 

COLBERT,  JEAN  BAPTISTE 

befriends  La  Salle,  114-115 
portrait  of,  302 

COLLETON,  JAMES 

deposed  from  governorship  of  South  Carolina, 
161 

COLONIES,    AMERICAN,    see    AMERICAN 

COLONIES 
CONFEDERATION,     ARTICLES     OF,     see 

ARTICLES  OF  CONFEDERATION 

CONGRESS 

New  England  and  New  York  meet  in,  283 
Leisler  calls,  389 

CONNECTICUT,  COLONY  OF 

Andros  governor  of,  139 

his  dislike  tor,  139 

reasons  for  Andros's  dislike,  151 

meets  Andros  with  train-bands,  151 

Andros  seeks  to  annul  charter  of,  153 

Assembly  treats  with  Andros,  153 

spirits  charter  away,  153 

Treat  governor  of,  153 

merged  in  province  of  New  England,  236-239, 

37i 

Fletcher  demands  command  of  militia  of.  372 
more  powerful  than  New  York,  372 


446 


DUELING   FOR   EMPIRE 


CONSTITUTION  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 

Leisler,  Perm,  and  Franklin  foreshadow,  389 

CONSTITUTION  OF  NEW  YORK 

adopted,  234-235 
CONSTITUTION  OF  SOUTH  CAROLINA 

given  by  John  Locke  and  earl  of  Shaftesbury, 

160 
CONVERS 

commands  militia  at  Wells,  308 
repels  French  and  Indian  attack,  368 

COODE,  JOHN 

leads  Protestants  of  Maryland,  380 

marches  to  Saint  Mary's,  380 

council  surrenders  to,  380 

sends  account  of  action  to  William  III,  380 

COOPER  RIVER 

Charleston,  South  Carolina,  built  on,  160 

COPLEY,  SIR  LIONEL 

governor  of  Maryland,  383 

COREY,  MARTHA 

jailed  as  a  witch,  327 

CRANFIELD,  EDWARD 

governor  of  New  Hampshire,  146 
Mason's  tool,  146 
,  character  of,  146 
dissolves  General  Court,  147 
demands  that  new  land  titles  be  taken  out,  147 
levies  unlawful  taxes,  147 
debases  value  of  silver  coin,  147 
Gove  revolts  against,  and  is  executed  by,  147 
withdraws    from    New    Hampshire    to    West 

Indies,  147-148 
appoints  Barefoote  acting  governor,  148 

CROMWELL,  OLIVER 
friend  to  Lady  Lisle,  62 

CULPEPER,  LORD  THOMAS 

portrait  of,  155 

governor  of  Virginia,  162-165 

expels  Burgesses  from  their  chamber,  162 

changes  monetary  standard,  162 

taxes  tobacco,  162 

imprisons  Beverly,  165 

hangs  revolting  tobacco  planters,  165 

Charles  II  recalls,  165 

Howard  of  Efnngham  succeeds,  155 

D 

D'AlLLEBOUT  DE  MONTET 

heads  expedition  against  Albany,  266 

DANFORTH,  THOMAS 

acts  as  councilor,  251 

DANVERS,  MASSACHUSETTS 

common  in,  picture  of,  126 

Israel  Putnam's  birthplace  in,  picture  of,  348 

DAVIS,  SYLVANUS 

attacked  by  Indians,  282 
surrenders  Fort  Loyal,  282 

DELAWARE,  COLONY  OF 

Quakers  settle  in,  75 

DELAWARE  RIVER 

Penn's  first  voyage  up,  76 
Swedes  settle  on,  211 
Fenwick  sails  for,  213 


DELAWARE  RIVER  —  continued 

counties  along,  sold  by  New  Jersey  to  Penn,  234 

counties  along,  secede,  389 

picture  of,  395 

opposite  Philadelphia,  picture  of,  174 

DENONVILLE,'  MARQUIS  OF 

governor  of  New  France,  278 
inspires  Abenaki  uprising,  278 

DE  PEYSTER,  ABRAHAM 

mayor  of  New  York  City,  429-430 
portrait  of,  430 

chief  justice  of  New  York,  430 
president  of  King's  Council,  430 
acting  governor  of  New  York,  430 

DES  MOINES  RIVER 

Marquette  and  Joliet  at  mouth  of,  104 
picture  of,  107 
DES  PLAINES  RIVER 

Marquette  and  Joliet  on,  108 

DONGAN,  THOMAS 
portrait  of,  227 
house,  picture  of,  231 
governor  of  New  York,  234-236 
convokes  legislature,  234-235 
character  of,  235 

policy  towards  Iroquois,  236,  264—265 
recalled,  and  succeeded  by  Andros,  239 
awaits  action  regarding  William  HI,  240 

DOVER,  NEW  HAMPSHIRE 

Indian  attack  upon,  278-281 

DORCHESTER,  ENGLAND 
Jeffreys  holds  court  at,  62 

DOUGLAS,  GEORGE  HAMILTON 

appointed  governor  of  Virginia,  433 
deputes  his  authority  to  Nicholson,  433 

DUDLEY,  JOSEPH 

portrait   of,   86 

Massachusetts  agent  in  London,  88 

betrays  interest  of  colony,  88 

rejected  by  constituents,  136 

character  of,  136 

president  of  Massachusetts,  136-137 

superseded  by  Andros,  137 

imprisoned  in.  Roxbury,  253 

condemns  Leisler  and  Milborne  to  death,  325 

denied  appointment  as  provincial  governor,  432 

lieutenant-governor  of  Isle  of  Wight,  432 

member  of  parliament,  432 
DUKE  OF  YORK,  see  JAMES,  DUKE  OF 

YORK 
D  us  TON,  HANNAH 

monument  to,  picture  of,  423 

memorial  boulder  on  site  of  home  of,  picture, 

425 

captured  by  Indians,  431 
Indians  kill  her  baby,  431 
kills  ten  Indians,  431 
scalps  Indians  and  escapes,  431 
obtains  reward,  431 

DUTCH  IN  AMERICA 

address  by  Penn  at  Newcastle  to,  76 
taken  from  New  York  to  South  Carolina,  160 
Penn's  letter  to,  216-219  • 
favor  Leisler,  256 


INDEX 


447 


EDICT  OF  NANTES 

privileges  of  Huguenots  under,  158 
revoked  by  Louis  XIV,  158 
status  of  Huguenots  after  revocation  of,  158- 
159 

ENGLAND 

rural  scene  in,  picture  of,  27 
inn,  picture  of,  32 
typical  cottage,  picture  of,  37 
village  lane,  picture  of,  41 
cottage  doorway,  picture  of,  44 
village  street,  picture  of,  49 

EXPLORATIONS 

La  Salle  in  Middle  West,  113-115 
Marquette  and  Joliet  in  Middle  West,   104- 
109 


FENWICK,  JOHN 

buys  Berkeley's  interest  in  New  Jersey,  213 

character  of,  213 

Penn  decides  against,  213 

assigns  portion  of  interest  in  New  Jersey,  213 

sails  for  Delaware  River,  213 

founds  Salem,  213 

arrested  by  Andros,  213 

FALLS  OF  SAINT  ANTHONY 

Mississippi  River  near,  picture  of,  311 
discovered  by  Hennepin,  314 

FEVERSHAM,  Louis,  EARL  OF 

defeats  Monmouth  at  Sedgemoor,  21 
portrait  of,  30 

FIVE  NATIONS,  see  IROQUOIS 
FIVE  TRIBES,  see  IROQUOIS 
FLEET  PRISON 

Penn  imprisoned  in,  426 

FLETCHER,  BENJAMIN 

governor  of  New  York,  372 

reading  his  proclamation,  picture  of,  351 

character  of,  372 

seeks  to  unite  New  York  and  New  England, 

372 

goes  to  Hartford,  372 
governor  of  Pennsylvania,  386-389 

FLOYD 

deputy  governor  of  Pennsylvania,  389 

FORD 

Penn  appoints,  his  agent,  426 

character  of,  426 

fabricates  charges  against  Penn,  426 

dies,  426 

causes  Penn's  death,  427 

FORT  CREVECCEUR 

built  by  La  Salle,  311 
burned  by  deserters,  312 

FORT  FRONTENAC 

picture  of,  303 

built  by  Frontenac  for  La  Salle,  307 

Indians  enslaved  at,  264 

La  Salle  hears  bad  news  at,  312 

survivors  of  La  Salle's  party  reach,  316 


FORT  LOYAL 

attacked  and  captured  282-283 

FORT  OSWEGO,  see  OSWEGO 

picture  of  site  of,  297 

FORT  PEMAQUID,  MAINE,    see    PEMA- 
QUID 

FORT  ROYAL 

French  expedition  against,  266 
FOXCROFT 
imprisoned,  251 

Fox,  GEORGE 

portrait  of,  66 

residence  at  Strathmore  Hall,  picture  of.  68 
birth  and  birthplace,  71 
early  occupation,  71 
founds  Quaker  denomination,  71 
character  of,  71 
religious  conceptions  of,  71 
.   preaching  of,  72 
his  grave,  picture  of,  384 

Fox  RIVER,  WISCONSIN 

Marquette  and  Joliet  on,  104 
picture  of,  119 

FRANCE 

policy  toward  English  colonies,  115 
dreams  of  western  empire,  235-236 
reasons  for  conflict  with  England,  7-8,  261-263 

FRANCE,  NEW,  see  NEW  FRANCE 
FRANKLIN,  BENJAMIN 

constructive  statesmanship  of,  389 

FREDERICK  II  OF  PRUSSIA 

opinion  regarding  Pennsylvania,  224 

FRENCH  IN  AMERICA 

Canada,  reasons  for  settlement,  261 

FRENCH  VOYAGEURS 

at  Albany,  95 

FRIENDS,  SOCIETY  OF,  see  QUAKERS 
FRONTENAC,  COUNT  Louis   DE   BAUDE 
DE 

portrait  of,  104 

governor  of  New  France,  no,  263-266 

character  of,  no,  263-264 

deals  with  Iroquois,  no 

friend  to  La  Salle,  no 

recalled  to  France,  no 

statue  of,  picture  of,  265 

organizes  expedition  against  England,  265-266 

commands  Quebec  during  English  assault,  292 

prevents  landing  on  Canadian  soil,  292 

gathers  forces  and  strengthens  Quebec,  292 

refuses  to  surrender  to  Phips,  293 

tricks  Phips's  messenger,  293 

exchanges  prisoners,  297 

leads  expedition  against  Iroquois,  429 

retires  in  confusion  from  New  York,  42,9 


GAUNT,  MRS.  ELIZABETH 

executed  by  Jeffreys,  62 

GENERAL     ASSEMBLY,    see     LEGISLA 
TURE 


448 


DUELING    FOR   EMPIRE 


GENERAL  COURT,  see  LEGISLATURE 
GEORGIAN  BAY, 

La  Salle  crosses,  314 

GERMANY 

follows  William  III  in  war  with  France,  265 

GLEN,  JOHN  S. 

Schuyler's  partisan,  256 
magistrate  of  Schenectady,  256 
warns  soldiers  at  Schenectady,  267 

GOOD,  SARAH 

jailed  as  witch,  327 
scene  at  her  trial,  330 

GORGES,  SIR  FERNANDO 

sells  interest  in  New  Hampshire  to  Mason,  146 
buys  Maine  from  Massachusetts,  148 
sells  disputed  rights   in   New   Hampshire   to 
Allen,  371 

GOVE,  EDWARD 

revolts  in  New  Hampshire,  147 
executed  by  Cranneld,  147 

GOVERNOR'S  ISLAND 

Kidd  buries  treasure  on,  439 

GREEN  BAY,  WISCONSIN 

Marquette  and  Joliet  in,  104 

GREY,  LADY  JANE 

buried  in  Saint  Peter's  Church,  45 

GULF  OF  MEXICO 

La  Salle  and  Tonty  reach,  114,  315 

La   Salle   organizes  new   expedition   to,    115, 

315-316 
La  Salle  shipwrecked  on,  316 

H 

HALE,  MRS 

wife  of  minister  at  Beverley,  356 
accused  of  witchcraft,  356 
HAMPTON,  NEW  HAMPSHIRE 
rebellion  in,  147 

HARTFORD,  CONNECTICUT 

Charter  Oak,  picture  of, .144 

view  of,  from  dome  of  state  house,  149 

Andros  met  with  train  bands  at,  151 

spot  where  Charter  Oak  stood,  picture  of,  152 

Connecticut  charter  spirited  away  in,  153 

Fletcher  visits  without  result,  372     ' 

picture  of  (from  old  prinC),  147 

HAVERHILL,  MASSACHUSETTS 

Hannah  Duston  monument,  picture  of,  423 
memorial  boulder  on  site  of  Duston  home, 

picture  of,  423 
Whittier's  birthplace  in  environs  of,  picture 

of,  427 

massacre  at,  430-431 
old  garrison  house,  in,  picture  of,  434 

HENNEPIN,  Louis 

companion  of  La  Salle,  310 
discovers  Falls  of  Saint  Anthony,  314 
falls  into  hands  of  Sioux,  314 

HOLLAND 

Duke  of  Monmouth  leads  wars  in,  20 

allied  with  England  in.  war  against  France,  265 


HOUSE   OF   BURGESSES,   see    LEGISLA 
TURE 
HOWARD,  QUEEN  CATHERINE 

buried  in  Saint  Peter's  Church,  45 

HOWARD  OF  EFFINGHAM,  LORD 

succeeds  Culpeper  as  governor  of  Virginia,  155 

portrait  of,  156 

character  of,  162 

misrules  Virginia,  165 

imprisons  and  disfranchises  Beverley,  165 

weakens  House  of  Burgesses,  165 

treats  with  the  Iroquois,  236 

returns  to  England,  377 

HUDSON  RIVSR 

English  and  French  trade  on,  115 

HUGUENOTS 

privileges  under  the  Edict  of  Nantes,  158 
statue  after  revocation,  of  Edict,  158—159 
conduct  of  Louis  XIV  toward,  158-159 
emigration  forbidden,  but  emigrate  in  numbers, 
iS9 

HUGUENOTS  IN  AMERICA 

craftsmen  sent  to  South  Carolina,  160 
denied  rights  of  freemen  in  South  Carolina, 

1 60 

old    church    in    Charleston,    South    Carolina, 
picture  of,  405 

HUMBER  RIVER 

La  Salle  on,  314 
HURONS 

Jesuits  among,   103 

vanquished  by  Iroquois,  103 


IGNATIUS  LOYOLA,  SAINT 

founder  of  Jesuits,  101 
ILLINOIS 

chief  greets  Marquette  and  Joliet,  104-107 
chief  greeting  Marquette   and  Joliet,  picture 

of,  105 

town  sacked  by  Iroquois,  114,  313 
chief,  picture  of,  116 
La  Salle  visits,  310 

ILLINOIS  RIVER 

Marquette  and  Joliet  on,  108 

La  Salle  on,  114,  309 

Starved  Rock  on,  picture  of,  314 

INDENTED  WHITE  SERVANTS  IN  AMER 
ICA 

character  of,  from  Monmouth's  Rebellion,  65 

INDIANS 

Abenakis,  278-283,  367,  368,  371 

Cayugas,  99-100 

Hurons,   103 

Illinois,  104—107,  114,  313 

Iroquois,  99—100,  103,  no,  114,  236,  264—265, 

266,  313,  314,  325,  429 
Lenni-Lenapes,  221 
Mohawks,  99-100 
Oneidas,  99-100 
Onandagas,  99—100 
Senecas,  99—100,  264 
Shawnees,  108 
Sioux,  314 


INDEX 


449 


INGOLDSBY,  RICHARD 

lieutenant  to  Sloughter.  322 
arrests  Leisler  and  Milbcurne,  322 
his  attack  on  fort,  picture  of,  327 

IPSWICH,  MASSACHUSETTS 

meeting-house,  picture  of.  137 
refuses  to  pay  unlawful  taxes,  140 

IRISH  IN  AMERICA 

come  to  South  Carolina,  160 

IROQUOIS 

characteristics  of  99-100 

component  members  of  nations,  99-100 

territory  occupied  by,  99-100 

called  Long  House,  100 

vanquishes  Hurons,  103 

Frontenac's  dealings  with,  no 

sack  town  of  the  Illinois,  114,  313 

allies  of  English  colonies,  256 

Dongan's  policy  toward,  236,  264-265 

La  Chine  attacked  by,  264 

French  burn  town  of,  264 

French  capture  squaws,  266 

devastated  by  smallpox,  325 

New  York  renews  treaty  with,  325 

Frontenac  attacks,  plunders,  and  retires,  429 

ISLE  OF  ORLEANS 

New  England  expedition  passes,  292 


JACOBS,  GEORGE 

arrested,   tried,   condemned,   and   hanged   on 

charge  of  witchcraft,  327 
house  of,  picture,  333 
trial  of,  for  witchcraft,  picture  of,  336 
JAMES     DUKE     OF     YORK,     see     also 
JAMES  II  OF  ENGLAND 

brother  to  Charles  II,  20 

character  of,  20 

disputes  title  to  New  Jersey  with  Cartaret,  213 

releases  title  to  New  Jersey,  214 

granted  New  York  by  Charles  II,  233 

Penn  and  Andros  ask,  for  legislature  in  New 

York,   233 

grants  legislature  to  New  York,  234 
succeeds  Charles  II,  20,  236 
JAMES  II     OF     ENGLAND,     see      also 
JAMES,  DUKE  OF  YORK 

character  of,  20 

portrait  of,  35 

Monmouth  begs  clemency  of,  61 

orders  Monmouth  executed,  61 

reasons  for  friendship  with  Penn,  70-71 

proclaimed  King  in  Boston,  94 

appoints  Dudley  president  and  Stoughton  vice- 
president  of  Massachusetts,  136 

befriends  Kirke,   139 

appoints  Andros  governor  of  Massachusetts, 
i39 

appoints  Andros  governor  of  New  York,  233 

receiving  news  of  William  Ill's  landing,  pic 
ture  of,  235 

his  policy  toward  colonies  changes,  236 

dissolves  New  York  legislature,  236 

pardons  Talbot,  380 

consolidates  New  England  colonies,  236-239 


JAMES  II  OF  ENGLAND  —  continued 

policy  of  absolutism,  239 

abdicates  English  throne,  240 

Louis  XIV  declares  him  rightful  king  of  Eng 
land,  265 

Penn  imprisoned  for  sympathy  with.  386 

portrait  of,  in  National  Gallery,  97 
JAMES  RIVER 

shore  of,  picture  of,  419 

sunset  on,  picture  of,  421 

JAMESTOWN,  VIRGINIA 

burned  in  Bacon's  rebellion,  433 

partially  destroyed  by  fire,  433 

capital  removed  from,  to  Williamsburg,  433 

JEFFREYS,  GEORGE  LORD 

portrait  of,  51 

London  house,  picture  of,  57 

James  IPs  favorite,  61 

wreaks  vengeance  on  Monmouth's  followers, 

61 

sends  indented  servants  to  America,  61 
character  of,  61-62 
presides  at  Bloody  Assizes.  61 
ferocious  conduct,  62 

executes  Mrs.  Gaunt  and  Lady  Alice  Lisle,  62 
portrait  of,  in  National  Gallery,  63 
holds  court  at  Taunton,  70 

JESUITS 

characteristics  of  American  missionary,   101- 

109 

founder  of  order,  IOT 
settle  in  Quebec,  102 
hardships  and  privations  of,  102—103 
among  the  Hurons,  103 

JESUS,  SOCIETY  OF,  see  JESUITS 

JOLIET,  LpUIS 
accompanies  Marquette,  104-108 
on  Lake  Michigan,  104 
in  Green  Bay,  104 
crosses  Wisconsin,  104 
on  Fox  and  Wisconsin  Rivers,  104 
departure  from  Saint  Ignace,  picture  of,  105 
greeted  by  chief  of  Illinois,  picture  of,  105 
Illinois  chief's  greeting  to,  104-107 
passes  mouth  of  Mississippi  River,  107 
on  Mississippi,  104,  107,  108 
passes  mouth  of  Ohio,  108 
reaches  mouth  of  Arkansas,  108 
on  Illinois,  Des  Plaines,  and  Chicago  Rivers, 

108 

winters  on  site  of  Chicago,  108 
wife  and  mother-in-law  captured  by  Phips,  292 
portrait  of,  312 

K 

KANKAKEE  RIVER 

La  Salle  on,  309 

KIDD,  WILLIAM 

commissioned  by  Bellomont,  429 

turns  pirate,  436 

name  becomes  by-word,  436 

residence  of,  picture  of,  437 

arrest  of,  picture  of,  437 

arrested  in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  439 

secures  enormous  treasure,  439 


DUELING    FOR   EMPIRE 


KIDD,  WILLIAM  —  continued 

sent  to  England  and  convicted  of  piracy,  439 
hanged  in  chains,  439 

KING  PHILIP'S  WAR 

Abenaki  uprising,  effect  from,  278 

KING  WILLIAM'S  WAR 

reasons  for,  263 

declared,  265 

attack  on  Schenectady,  266-268,  273 

attack  on  Dover,  278-281 

Fort  Pemaquid  surrenders,  281 

Indians  .defeated  at  Casco  Bay,  28 

Salmon  Falls  destroyed,  281-282 

Fort  Loyal  surrenders,  281 

Congress  for  defense  meets  in  New  York,  283 

French  cruisers  at  Port  Royal,  283 

Massachusetts  attacks  Port  Royal,   283-284, 

291 
expedition  against  Quebec,  286,  289,  291—294, 

298 

Winthrop  expedition  fails,  325 
Schuyler  raids  La  Prairie,  325 
languishes,  367 
second  expedition  against  Quebec  miscarries, 

367 
French  and  Indians  ravage  Maine  and  New 

Hampshire,   367 

Oyster  Bay  taken  by  French  and  Indians,  430 
Castin  takes  and  destroys  Pemaquid,  430 
ended  by  treaty  of  Ryswick,  431 
KIRKE,  COLONEL  PERCY 

commands  Kirke's  "Lambs,"  23 

reign  of  terror  in  Tangiers,  23 

character  of,  23-24 

has  drums  beaten  as  dance  music  at  hanging 

of  rebels,  29 
to  be  sent  to  Massachusetts  by  Charles  II, 

86,  89 
kept  by  James  II  in  England,  139 


LA  CHINE,  QUEBEC 

Iroquois  attack,  264 

LAKE  CHAMPLAIN 

French  expedition  down,  266 
Winthrop  expedition  reaches,  325 

LAKE  ERIE 

La  Salle  builds  ship  on,  308 
La  Salle  builds  canoe  on  and  sails  to  Niagara, 
312 

LAKE  HURON 

La  Salle  on.  314 

LAKE  MICHIGAN 

Marquette  and  Joliet  on,  104 
Marquette  winters  at  foot  of,  108 
Marquette  dies  on  shores  of,  109 
La  Salle  on,  113,  308,  309,  313,  315 
La  Salle  loses  ship  on,  0.5:3,  3°9 

LAKE  ONTARIO 

Frontenac  builds  fort  for  La  Salle  on,  307 

LAKE  SAINT  SACRAMENT 

early  name  of  Lake  Champlain,  266 

"LAMBS" 
Kirke's,  23-^4 


LA  PRAIRIE,  QUEBEC 

raided  by  Schuyler,  325 

LA  SALLE,  ROBERT  CAVALIER  SIEUR  DE 

arrives  in  New  France,  no 

befriended  by  Frontenac,  no,  307,  308 

portrait  of,  in 

begins  exploration  of  Middle  West,  113 

on  Lake  Michigan,  113,  308 

loses  his  ship,  113,  308 

on  Illinois  River,  114 

reaches  Gulf  of  Mexico,  114-315 

returns  to  Montreal,  114 

dreams  of  empire,  114,  313-314 

goes  back  to  France,  115,  315 

organizes  new  expedition  to  Gulf  of  Mexico, 
"S,  3iS 

journeys  from  Great  Lakes  to  Gulf,  236 

character  of,  304-305 

his  house  on  the  lower  La  Chine  road,  picture 
of,  3°S 

Frontenac  builds  house  for,  307 

his  plans  in  the  Mississippi  Valley,  307 

attempt  to  poison,  307 

visits  France  and  returns  with  supplies,  307 

beloved  by  Tonty,  307 

his  personal  beauty,  308 

builds  ship  on  Lake  Erie,  308 

storm  arises,  308 

loads  ship  with  furs  and  sends  it  back,  308 

visits  the  Illinois,  310 

deserted  by  companions,  310 

leaves  Tonty,  311 

his  fort  and  magazines  plundered  and  de 
stroyed,  312 

plot  to  kill,  313 

at  Montreal  again,  314 

commander  of  squadron  insubordinate,  315- 
316 

shipwrecked  at  Matagorda,  316 

death  of,  303 

is  murdered,  316 

LAURIE,  GEWAINE 

trustee  for  creditors,  213 

LEGISLATURE 

Connecticut 

treats  with  Andros,  153 

preserves  charter,  153 

is  adjourned  sine  die,  153 
Massachusetts 

adjourned  sine  die,  136 
New  Hampshire 

component  members  of,  146 

powers  and  disabilities  of,  146 

dissolved  by  Cranfield,  147 
New  York 

Andros  advises  York  to  grant,  233 

Penri  advises  York  to  grant,  234 

Doagan  convokes,  234 

first  session  of,  234-235 

adopts  charter,  235 

dissolved  by  James  II,  236 

resolves  against  arbitrary  taxation  and  in 
favor  of  representative  government.  325 

passes  bill  of  toleration,  372 
Pennsylvania 

Penn  institutes,  78 


INDEX 


LEGISLATURE  —  continued 

Virginia 

Driven  out  by  Culpeper,  162 
Weakened  by  Howard,  165 

LEISLER,  JACOB 

house  in  New  York,  picture  of,  232 

acting  governor  of  New  York,  240 

calls  Congress  in  New  York,  389 

takes  possession  of  garrison,  240 

William  III  sends  address  to,  240 

train-bands  signing  declaration  of,  picture  of, 

249 

failure  as  leader,  254 
Albany  revolts  against,  254 
Albany   repulses    Milborne's    expedition   for, 

255 

Dutch  in  Schenectady  favor,  256 
Sloughter  signing  death  warrant  of,  picture  of, 

320 

arrested  by  Ingoldsby,  322 
condemned  to  death  by  Dudley,  325 
hanged,  325 

reburial  of,  picture  of,  323 
LE  MOYNE  DE  BlENVILLE, 
in  expedition  against  Albany,  266 
portrait  of,  256 

LE  MOYNE  D'IBERVILLE 

in  expedition  against  Albany,  266 

LE  MOYNE  DE  SAINTE-HELENE 

in  expedition  against  Albany,  266,  268 

LENNI-LENAPES 

make  peace  with  Penn,  221 

LEONARDSON, 

companion  of  Mrs.  Duston,  431 
knows  how  to  strike  a  blow  to  kill,  431 
kills  Indians  and  escapes,  431 

LISLE,  LADY  ALICE 

concerned  in  the  death  of  Charles  I,  62 
Cromwell  a  friend  to,  62 
execution  of,  62 

LOCKE,  JOHN 

draws  constitution  for  South  Carolina,  160 

LONDON  TOWER,  see  TOWER  OF  LON 
DON 
LONG  HOUSE,  see  IROQUOIS 

name  of  Iroquois,  100 

LORDS  OF  TRADE 

Penn  submits  plan  to,  389 

Louis    XIV     OF     FRANCE,     see     also 
FRANCE 

appoints  Frontenac  governor  of  New  France, 

no,  263 

assists  La  Salle,  114,  115 
revokes  edict  of  Nantes,  158 
treatment  of  Huguenots,  158,  159 
portrait  of,  159 

Chanes  IPs  intimacy  with,  236 
declares  James  II  rightful  King  of  England, 

265 

anxious  to  conclude  war,  431 
makes  peace  of  Ryswick,  431 

LOYOLA,  SAINT  IGNATIUS 

founder  of  Jesuites,  101  i 


LUCAS,  NICHOLAS 

trustee  for  directors,  213 

LUDWELL,  PHILIP 

deposed  from  governorship  of  South  Caro 
lina,  161 

M 

MACKINAC,  see  MICHILIMACKINAC 
MAGNA  CHARTA 

rights  under,  denied  Massachusetts,  139 

MAINE 

Gorges  buys,  from  Massachusetts,  148 

under  rule  of  Andros,  148 

Fort   William  Henry,   Pemaquid,   picture  of, 

246 
French  and  Indians  massacre  in,  367 

MANHATTAN,  see  NEW  YORK 
MARKHAM,  WILLIAM 

deputy-governor  of  Pennsylvania,  216 
selects  site  for  Philadelphia,  220 
acting  governor  of  Pennsylvania,  426 
re-joins  separated  counties  to  Pennsylvania, 
426 

MARLOW,  GREGORY 

sails  for  England,  213 

settles  Burlington,  New  Jersey,  214 

Andros  demands  credentials  from,  214 

MARQUETTE,  JAMES 

statue  of,  picture  of,  102 

accompanied  by  Joliet,  104,  108 

journeys  of,  104-107 

on  Lake  Michigan,  104 

in  Green  Bay,  104 

crosses  Wisconsin,  104 

on  Fox  and  Wisconsin  Rivers,  104 

at  the  mouth  of  Des  Moines  River,  104 

departure  from  Saint  Ignace,  picture  of,  105 

greeted  by  chief  of  Illinois,  picture  of,  105 

on  Mississippi,  104,  107,  108 

Illinois  chief's  greeting  to,  104,  107 

passes  mouth  of  Ohio,  108 

reaches  mouth  of  Arkansas  River,  108 

on  Illinois,  Des  Plaines,  and  Chicago  Rivers, 

1 08 

winters  on  the  site  of  Chicago,  108 
falls  ill,  108 
death  of,  109 
death  bed,  picture  of,  109 
burial  at  Saint  Ignace,  picture  of,  109 

MARYLAND,  COLONY  OF 

boundary    disputed   with    Pennsylvania,    223 

Lord  Baltimore  returns  to  England,  379 

Calvert  left  in  charge  of,  379 

Talbot  tries  to  establish  a  regency,  379 

believed  disloyal  to  William  III,  380 

reasons  for  disloyalty,  380 

anti-Catholic  panic,  380 

founded  as  refuge  for  Catholics,  380 

does  not  proclaim  William  and  Mary,  380 

Baltimore  orders  council  to  proclaim  William 

and  Mary,  380 

Coode  leads  Protestant  uprising  in,  380 
Council  surrenders  to  Coode,  380 
William  III  revokes  Baltimore's  charter,  380, 

583 


452 


DUELING  FOR   EMPIRE 


MARYLAND,  COLONY  OF  —  co;:ti;:ucd 

Copley  governor  of,  383 
Nicholson  deputy-governor  of,  433 

MARY,  QUEEN,  see  also  WILLIAM  AND 
MARY 

daughter  of  James  II  and  wife  of  William  III, 

240 
becomes  sovereign  of  England  with  William 

III,  241 

MASON,  ROBERT 

refuses  to  serve  on  council,  136 

buys  Gorges's  interest  in  New  Hampshire,  146 

goes  to  England,  146 

obtains  new  charter  for  New  Hampshire,  146 

New  Hampshire  legislature  blocks,  146 

calls  out  cavalry  to  suppress  mob,  148 

MASSACHUSETTS  BAY,  COLONY  OF 

Charles  II  revokes  charter  of,  87-88 

independent  sovereignty,  88 

sends  Dudley  and  Richards  to  London,  88 

navigation  laws  evaded  in,  93 

Randolph  brings  new  government  to,  135 

Dudley's  presidency  of,  135-136 

Stoughton  deputy-president  of,  136 

General  Court  forced  to  adjourn,  136 

governor's  powers  in,  138 

Andros  governor  of,  139-248 

denied  rights  under  Magna  Charta,  139 

principles  of  government  in,  139,  140 

new  patents  for  land  demanded,  140 

legal  matters  must  be  transacted  in  Boston, 

140 

refuses  to  pay  arbitrary  taxes,  140 
sells  Maine  to  Gorges,  148 
Maine  and  New  Hampshire  merged  with,  148 
receives  William  Ill's  proclamation,  247 
clergy  preach  non-resistance  in,  248 
revolts  against  Andros,  248-253 
Bradstreet  acting  president  of,  253 
Winthrop  commands  militia  of,  253 
attacks  and  captures  Port  Royal,  283,  284 
plans  attack  on  Quebec,  284 
Phips  finds  favor  for,  from  William  III,  288- 

291 

expedition  against  Quebec,  286,  289-295,  298 
Phips  brings  new  charter  to,  337 
Phips  governor  of,  337,  366 
terms  of  charter  oppressive,  366 
cordially  receives  Bellomont  as  governor,  432 

MATAGORDA 

La  Salle  shipwrecked  at,  316 

MATHER,  COTTON 

portrait  of,  130 

character  of,  331-332 

tomb  in  Boston,  picture  of,  342 

brings  witchcraft  case  in  Boston,  357 

house  in  Boston,  picture  of,  346 

MATHER,  INCREASE 

goes  to  England  to  plead  cause  of  Massachu 
setts  with  William  III,  291 
London  agent  for  Massachusetts,  338 
tomb  in  Boston,  picture  of,  342 
house  in  Boston,  picture  of,  349 

MENEVAL 

said  to  have  been  robbed  by  Phips,  291 


MEXICO,     GULF     OF,    see     GULF    OF 
MEXICO 

MlCHILIMACKINAC 

anger  against  La  Salle,  308 

La  Salle's  furs  at,  plundered,  312 

La  Salle  returns  to,  314 

Tonty  joins  La  Salle  at,  314 

old  block  house  at,  picture  of,  308 
MIDDLE    PLANTATION,    VIRGINIA,    see 

also  WlLLIAMSBURG,  VIRGINIA 
incorporated,  411 
spoken  of  as  scat  of  government,  411 

MIDDLE  WEST 

Marquette  and  Joliet  in,  104-109 
La  Salle's  explorations  in,  113-115,  307-315 
MlLBORNE,  JACOB 

Leisler's  son-in-law  and  lieutenant,  240 
heads  expedition  against  Albany,  256 
Schuyler  compels  his  retreat,  257 
arrested  by  Ingoldsby,  322 
condemned  to  death  by  Dudley,  325 
hanged,  325 

MISSISSIPPI  RIVER 

Marquette  and  Joliet  on,  104,  107,  108 
Marquette's  second  expedition  down,  108,  315 
La  Salle's  journey  down,  113—115 
bluffs  along,  picture  of,  113 
near  Saint  Anthony's  Falls,   picture  of,   311 
La  Salle  seeks,  316 
picture  of,  319 
MISSISSIPPI  VALLEY 
France  in,  235-236 
La  Salle's  plans  in,  307 

MISSOURI  RIVER 

Marquette  and  Joliet  pass  mouth  of,  107 

MOHAWK  RIVER 

home  of  Iroquois  by,  100 
picture  of,  272 

MOHAWK  VALLEY 

oldest  house  in,  picture  of,  276 

MOHAWKS 

one  of  Five  Nations,  99 
MONCK,  GEORGE 

landlord  of  the  Blue  Anchor  Inn  at  Boston,  148 

MONMOUTH,  JAMES  DUKE  OF 

son  of  Charles  II  and  Lucy  Waters,  20 

pretender  to  British  throne,  19 

seeks  to  establish  legitimacy,  20 

leader  of  wars  in  Scotland  and  Holland,  20 

leader  of  Protestant  cause,  20 

character  of,  20,  61 

banished  from  court,  20 

reception  of,  at  Taunton,  20,  70 

declared  King  of  England  at  Taunton,  70 

given  banner  and  Bible  by  Taunton  ladies,  70 

defeated  by  Feversham  at  Sedgemoor,  21 

portrait  of,  21 

captured  and  sent  to  London,  61 

begs  clemency  of  uncle,  James  II,  61 

attempts  to  escape  in  disguise,  61 

executed  at  London,  61 

buried  in  Saint  Peter's  Church,  45 

followers  condemned  to  slavery,  61 

followers  exiled  to  America,  65 


INDEX 


453 


MONTMORENCI,  QUEBEC 

Walley  lands  soldiers  at,  294 
MONTMORENCI,  FALLS  OF 

New  England  expedition  views,  292 

MONTREAL,  QUEBEC 

picture  of  (jrom  drawing),  295 
La  Salle  at,  312,  314 

N 
NARRAGANSETT  BAY 

New  England  fleet  sails  from,  against  Quebec, 
2S6 

NAVIGATION  ACT 

Massachusetts  trades  in  violation  of,  93 
lowers  price  of  tobacco  in  Virginia,  162 
Andros  enforces,  in  Virginia,  133 

NEFF,  MRS 

companion  of  Mrs.  Duston,  431 
captured  by  Indians,  431 
escapes,  431 

NEWCASTLE,  DELAWARE 

Penn  arrives  in,  after  calamitous  voyage,  76 
Penn  addresses  colonists  in,  76 
Penn  greeted  by  inhabitants,  219-220 

NEW  CHARLESTOWN 

early  name  of  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  160 

NEW  ENGLAND,  COLONIAL 

tavern  and  tavern-keepers  in,  89—90 

beverages  in,  96 

Sabbath  observances,  118 

schools  in,  124-126 

James  II  makes  single  province  of,  236-239 

Andros  governor  of,  151,  236-239 

Andrus's  misgovernment  of,  246 

sends  delegates  to  Congress  at  New  York,  283 

expedition  against  Quebec,  284,  286,  283-295, 

298 

old  mill  in,  picture  of,  345 
old  chaise,  picture  of,  354 
interior  of  old  house,  picture  of,  365 
Fletcher  governor  of,  372 
William  III  seeks  to  unite  New  York  with,  372 
burdened  by  war  debt,  432 
fear  of  Indians  removed  by  peace,  432 

NEW  FRANCE 

Jesuit  missionaries  in,  101-109 

Marquette's  and  Joliet's  explorations,  104-109 

La  Salle's  explorations,  113-115 

Frontenac  governor  of,  no,  263-266 

De  Barre  governor  of,  264 

Denonville  governor  of,  264 

description  of,  263 

NEWGATE  PRISON 

William  Penn  confined  in,  75 

Penn  before  his  accusers  in,  picture  of,  79 

picture  of,  84 

NEW  HAMPSHIRE,  COLONY  OF 

Mason  buys  Gorges's  interest  in,  146 

Cranfield  governor  of,  146-148 

Mason  secures  new  charter  for,  146 

governor's  powers  in,  146 

powers  and  disabilities  of  General  Court,  146 

legislature  dissolved  by  Cranfield,  147 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE,  COLONY  OF  —  co;:l. 
Cranfield  levies  unlawful  taxes  in,  147 
land-owners  compelled  to  take  out  new  titles, 

J47 

refuses  to  buy  property  unlawfully  seized,  148 
militia  refuses  to  put  down  tax  mob,  148 
drives  out  Cranfield,  147-148 
Barefoote  acting  governor,  148 
government    merged    in    the    New    England 

province,  148 

number  of  settlments  in,  148,  271 
French  and  Indian  massacre  in,  367 
Allen  buys  disputed  rights  of  Gorges,  371 
Usher  deputy-governor  of,  371 
desires  union  with  Massachusetts,  371 
in  conflict  with  Usher,  371 
Bellomont  governor  of,  432 

NEW  JERSEY,  COLONY  OF 

Quakers  settle  in,  75 

Cartaret  and  Berkeley  proprietors  of,  213 
.   dispute  between  Byllinge  and  Femvick,   213 
Penn's  interest  in,  213 
Salem  settled,  213 
Burlington  settled,  213-214 
Andros    denies    Cartere'.'s    warrants    in,    214 
Philip  Carteret  deputy-governor  of,  234 
East  Jersey  settled  by  Scotch  Presbyterians, 

234 

West  Jersey  settled  by  Swedes,  234 
Bellomont  governor  of,  432 

NEW  YORK  CITY 

Philadelphia  exceeds  in  size  in  1684,  78 

ferry  house  in,  picture  of,  254 

Leisler's  house  in,  picture  of,  232 

Leisler  seizes  garrison  of,  240 

New  York  and  New  England  delegates  hold 

Congress  in,  283 
De  Peyster  mayor  of,  429-431 
Kidcl's  residence  in,  picture  of,  439 

NEW  YORK,  COLONY  OF 

Dutch  lovers  of  liberty  taken  to  South  Caro 
lina,  160 

given  to  York  by  Charles  II,  233 

Lovelace  governor  of,  233 

Nicholls  governor  of,  233,  239 

Andros  governor  of,  233,  239 

York  grants  legislature  to,  234 

Dongan  governor  of,  234-236 

convokes  first  legislature,  23  j 

legislature  adopts  charter  of,  235 

signs  treaty  with  Iroquois,  236 

Nicholson  deputy-governor  of,  239 

threatened  revolt  in,  239 

Leisler  acting  governor  of,  240 

William  and  Mary  recognized  by,  241 

Schuyler  revolts  against  Leisler,  255 

Milborne  defeated  at  Albany,  257 

New  York  and  New  England  delegates  in 
Congress,  283 

Sloughter  governor  of,  322 

renews  treaty  with  Iroquois,  32; 

Leisler  and  Milborne  tried  and  executed,  325 

Slaughter  dies,  372 

Fletcher  governor  of,  372 

William  III  seeks  to  unite  New  England  with, 
372 

Fletcher  tries  to  establish  Church  of  England 
in,  372 


454 


DUELING  FOR   EMPIRE 


NEW  YORK,  COLONY  OF  —  continued 
legislature  passes  bill  of  toleration,  372 
Frontenac   invades,  to   attack   Iroquois,   429 
Frontenac   plunders  Iroquois   and  retires   in 

confusion,  429 
Bellomont  governor  of,  429 
De  Peyster,  chief  justice  of,  president  of  King's 
council,  and  acting  governor  of,  430 

NTlAGARA 
La  Salle  at,  312 
La  Salle's  magazines  at,  plundered,  312 

fSTiCHOLLS,  RICHARD 

governor  of  New  York,  233 
New  York's  opinion  of,  233 
succeeded  by  Lovelace,  233 

NICHOLSON,  SIR  FRANCIS 

deputy-governor  of  New  York,  239 

policy  of,  239 

character  of,  239 

conduct  in  New  York's  revolution,  240 

governor  of  Virginia,  377 

deputy-governor  of  Maryland,  433 

falls  in  love  with  Burwell's  daughter,  433 

Blair  secured  removal  of,  as  governor,  433 

NURSE,  REBECCA 

jailed  as  a  witch,  327 

tried  by  Stoughton,  who  sends  jury  back,  337 

excommunicated  by  Parris,  337 

hanged,  337 


o 


OAKLEY,  VIOLET,  PICTURES 

Admiral  Penn  Driving  his  Son  from  Home,  73 

Arrest  of  William  Penn,  76 

Penn  before  His  Accusers  at  Newgate,  79 

Penn  Writing  in  Prison,  82 

Penn  Seeking  Freedom  for  Imprisoned  Friends, 

177 

Penn's  Vision,  202 
Penn's  Voyage  up  the  Delaware,  206 
Fulfilment  of  Penn's  desire,  241 

OHIO  RIVER 

Marquette  and  Joliet  pass  the  mouth  of,  108 
formerly  called  the  Wabash,  107 
La  Salle  journeys  down,  307 

OLD  SOUTH  CHURCH,  BOSTON 

picture  of,  134 

seized  by  Andros  for  Church  of  England,  140 

ONEIDAS 

one  of  Five  Nations,  99 

ONONDAGAS 

one  of  Five  Nations,  too 

OSBURNE,  SARAH 

charged  with  witchcraft,  330 
house,  picture  of,  329 

OSWEGO,  NEW  YORK 

site  of  old  fort,  picture  of,  279 
OYSTER  POINT 

early  name  of  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  160 

OYSTER  RIVER 

taken  by  French  and  Indians,  430 


PARRIS,  SAMUEL 

clergyman  at  Salem,  327 . 
witchcraft  delusion  begins  in  his  house,  325 
preaches  against  witches,  327 
excommunicates  Rebecca  Nurse,  337 
disappears,  430 

PEMAQUID,  MAINE 

Fort  William  Henry,  picture  of,  246 

Andros  strengthens  garrison  at,  247,  278 

part  of  garrison  withdrawn,  278 

captured  by  Indians,  281 

Pemaquid  Harbor  and  settlement,  picture  of, 

279 

stone  fort  built  by  Phips,  368-371 
taken  and   destroyed   by   Saint    Castin,    430 

PENN,  ADMIRAL  SIR  WILLIAM 

portrait  of,  72 

father  of  William  Penn,  72 

a  man  of  note,  friend  to  Charles  II,  72 

driving  his  son  from  home,  picture  of,  73 

driving   his  son  from  home,  account  of,   75 

sends  son  to  Paris,  78 

leaves  claim  against  Charles  II  to  son,  75 

Pennsylvania  named  in  honor  of,  75,  2 15-2 i$ 

death  of,  75 

PENN,  THOMAS 

last  proprietary  governor  of  Pennsylvania,  392 
portrait  of,  392 

PENN,  WILLIAM 

treaty  of  peace  and  friendship  with  the  Indians, 

Benjamin  West's  picture  of,  4 
portrait  of,  19 

confused  with  George  Penne,  70 
portrait  of,  at  22,  71 
reasons  for  friendship  with  James  II,  70-71, 

386 
uses   influence   with   James    II  on  behalf  of 

Quakers,  71 

son  to  Admiral  Sir  William  Penn,  72 
of  Welsh  descent,  215 
meaning  and  origin  of  name,  215 
becomes  a  Quaker,  72 
ia  religious  riot,  72 
expelled  from  Oxford,  72 
sent   to   Paris   by  father,   to   be   lured   from 

Quakerism,  72 

driven  from  home,  picture  of,  73 
being  driven  from  home,  account  of,  75 
in  prison,  75 

refuses  to  doff  hat  in  King's  presence,  75 
inherits  debt  against  Charles  II,  75 
obtains  grant  to  Pennsylvania,  75,  215 
his  arrest,  picture  of,  76 
first  voyage  to  America,  75-76 
how  he  became  interested  in  America,  212-214 
lands    at    Newcastle,    Delaware,    from    first 

voyage,  76 

received  by  Dutch,  Swedes,  and  English,  76 
makes  treaty  of  peace  with  the  Indians,  76-77, 

221-223 

landing  at  Chester,  picture  of,  77 
buys  site  of  Philadelphis  from  Swedes,  77   220 
gives    Pennsylvania    first    republican  govern 
ment  in  New  World,  77 
grants  Charter  of  Liberties  to  Pennsylvania,  78 


INDEX 


455 


PENN,  WILLIAM  —  continued 

returns  to  England  from  first   visit,  78,   223 
English  home  of,  at  Stoke  Pogis,  picture  ci, 

78 

before  his  accusers,  at  Newgate,  picture  of,  79 
writing  in  prison,  picture  of,  82 
seeking  freedom  tor  imprisoned  Friends,  picture 

of,  177 

meeting-house  in  Philadelphia,  picture  of,  188 
meeting-house    in    Philadelphia,    interior    of, 

picture  of,  201 
Penn's  vision,  picture,  202 
voyage  up  the  Delaware,  picture  of,  209 
house  in  Chester,  picture  of,  209 
character  of,  212 
decides  dispute  regarding  ownership  of  New 

Jersey,  213 

trustee  for  owners,  213 

persuades   York  to  release   New   Jersey,  214 
Letitia  House,  picture  of,  215 
slate-roof  house,  picture  of,  223 
letter  to  Swedes  and  Dutch  in  Pennsylvania, 

216-219 
treaty  monument  in  Philadelphia,  picture  or, 

217 

lays  out  Philadelphia,  221 
visits  New  York  and  Maryland,  221 
speech  to  the  Indians,  222 
endears  himself  to  Indians  by  conduct,  222 
Voltaire  characterizes  Indian  treaty  of,  77 
advises  York  to  grant  legislature  to  New  York, 

234 

graves  of  family,  picture  of,  385 
deprived  of  rights  in   Pennsylvania,  386,  426 
involved  in  difficulties  with  William  and  Mary, 

386 

arrested   for   sympathy   with   James   II,    386 
exonerates  himself,  386 

submits  plan  of  government  to  Lords  of  Trade, 
398 
colossal  statue  of,  in  Philadelphia,  picture  of, 

398 

restored  to  rights  in  Pennsylvania,  426 
returns  to  Pennsylvania,  426 
goes  back  to  England,  426 
places  Ford  in  charge  of  affairs,  426 
Ford  fabricates  charges  against,  426 
imprisoned  in  Fleet  Prison,  426 
dies  at  Ruscombe,  429 
buried  near  Jordans'  meeting-house,  429 
Pennsylvania  his  true  monument,  429 
fulfilment  of  desire,  picture  of,  241 

PENNE,  GEORGE 

confused  with  William  Penn,  the  Quaker,  70 
character  of,  70 

agent    to    collect   heavy   fine   from    Taunton 
ladies,  70 

PENNSYLVANIA,   COLONY  OF,   see    also 
PHILADELPHIA 

William  Penn  founds,  75 
origin  and  meaning  of  name,  75,  216 
Charles  II  gives  charter  for,  to  Penn,  75 
Penn    gives,    first   republican  government   in 

New  World,  77 
charter  of,  under  Penn,  215 
Markham  deputy-governor  of,  216 
great  law  of,  220 
disputes  boundary  wtih  Maryland,  223 


PENNSYLVANIA,  COLONY  OF —  continued 

wages  in  early,  223 

first  printing  press  in,  223 

Frederick's  the  Great's  opinions  of,  224 

buys  three  counties  from  New  Jersey,  234. 

38y 

Penn  deprived  of  rights  in.  386,  426 
charter  recalled  by  William  III,  386 
Fletcher  made  governor  of,  386—389,  426 
prosperous  under  Floyd,  389 
reasons  for  prosperity,  389 
loses  three  lower  counties,  389 
Thomas   Penn,   last  proprietary  governor  of 

portrait,  392 

Penn's  right  in,  restored,  426 
Markham  acting  governor  of,  426 
Markham  re-joins  three  lower  counties  to,  426 
Penn  revisits,  426 
population  of,  426 

Penn  calls  it  his  "American  Desert,"  426 
Penn  appoints  Ford  his  agent  in,  426 
Penn's  true  monument  in,  429 

PETER  I  OF  RUSSIA 

in  opinion  of  Quakers,  224 

PHILADELPHIA,  PENNSYLVANIA 

Penn  lands  on  site  of,  76 

meaning  of  name,  77 

site  bought  by  Penn  from  Swedes,  77,  220 

Penn  plans  streets  for,  77,  221 

more  prosperous  than  New  York,  78,  389 

original  Plank  Church,  picture  of,  173 

Schuylkill  River  in  Fairmount  Park,  picture  of, 

180 
doorway  of  colonial  mansion  in,  picture  of, 

183 

Penn  meeting-house,  picture  of,  188 
Quakers'  first    meeting-house  in,  picture  of, 

190 

Carpenter's  Hall,  in,  picture  of,  192 
Carpenter's  Hall,  interior,  picture  of,  195 
Penn  meeting-house,  interior,  picture  of,  201 
Treaty  Elm.  picture  of,  204 
Swedes  settle  in,  211-212 
old  Swedish  house  in,  picture  of,  204 
Penn's  Letitia  house,  picture  of,  215 
Penn's  treaty  monument,  picture  of,  217 
old  Treaty  Elm,  picture  of  (from  early  engrav~ 

ing),  220 

Markham  selects  site  of,  220 
reasons  for  selection  of  site,  221 
description  of  early,  220 
Blue  Anchor  tavern,  221 
Blue  Anchor  tavern,  picture  of,  211 
Blue  Anchor  tavern,  present  site  of,  picture, 

212 

growth  and  population  of  early,  221 
Indian   treaty   signed   at   Shackamaxon,    221 
old  state  house,  picture  of,  229 
skyscrapers  in,  picture  of,  398 
colossal  statue  of  Penn  in,  picture  of,  398 
new  city  hall,  picture  of,  408 
Friend's  almshouse  in,  186 
Penn's  slate-roof  house  in,  223 

PHIPS,  SIR  WILLIAM 

arrives  in  Boston,  253 

commands    attack    on    Port    Royal,   283-284 

chosen  commander  against  Quebec,  284 


456 


DUELING   FOR   EMPIRE 


PHIPS,  SIR  WILLIAM  —  continued 

portrait  of,  287 

sails  from  Narragansett,  286-287 

birth  and  birthplace,  287 

learns  ship-building  trade,  287 

goes  to  Boston  and  marries  advantageously, 
287-288 

promises  bride  a  fine  residence,  288 

meets  reverses,  288 

seeks  treasure  in  West  Indies,  288 

goes  to  England,  288 

quells  two  mutinies,  288 

returns' to  England  without  treasure,  288 

interests  Albemarle,  288 

makes  second  expedition  and  is  successful,  288 

has  a  fortune  and  is  knighted,  288 

obtains  royal  favor  for  Massachusetts  rebel 
lion,  288,  291 

assists  Increase  Mather,  291 

character  of,  291,  366 

said  to  have  robbed  Meneval,  291 

plunders  Port  Royal,  291 

carries  off  French  commander  and  priests,  291 

shows  his  limitations,  291 

birthplace,  picture  of  site,  292 

captures  wife  and  mother-in-law  of  Joliet,  292 

demands  surrender  of  Quebec  from  Frontenac, 
293 

loses  self-confidence  and  hesitates  to  attack 
Quebec,  293 

bombards  Quebec  prematurely,  294 

fails  to  reinforce  Walley,  294 

exchanges  prisoners  and  returns  to  Boston, 

_298 

his  lady  involved  in  witchcraft  delusion,  329 
appoints  Stoughton  judge  in  witchcraft  cases, 

337 

goes   to   England  after   Quebec  failure,   338 
arrives  in  New  England,  337 
brings  provisional  charter  for  Massachusetts, 

337 

tool  of  the  Mathers,  338 
conduct  as  governor,  366 
knocks  Stout  down,  366 
beats  an  officer  at  court,  366 
builds  stone  fort  at  Pemaquid,  368-371 
in  controversy  with  Usher,  371 
called  to  England,  432 
dies,  432 

PHIP'S  NECK 

picture  of,  262 
PlSCATAQUA  RlVER 
French  expedition  to,  266 

PONTNEUF 

expedition  under,  leaves  Quebec,  266 

PORTLAND,  MAINE 

Fort  Loyal   attacked  and  captured,  282-283 
old  tide  mill  in,  picture  of,  353 

PORT   ROYAL,   see    ANNAPOLIS,    NOVA 
SCOTIA 

PORT  ROYAL,  SOUTH  CAROLINA 

built  by  Scotch  Presbyterians,  160 

PRINTING  PRESS 

first  in  Pennsylvania,  223 


PUTNAM,  ANNE 

brings  charges  of  witchcraft,  327-328 
conduct  during  witchcraft  delusion,  330 
house,  picture  of,  330 

PUTNAM,  ISRAEL 

birthplace  in  Danvers,  picture  of,  348 


Q 

QUAKERS 

denomination  founded  by  Fox,  71 

persecuted  in  England,  71-72 

Pcnn  joins,  72 

why  so  called,  72 

seeks  refuge  in  America,  75 

thirty-three  shiploads  of  sail,  to  America,  76 

first  meeting-house  in  America,  picture  of,  190 

Peter  the  Great's  opinion  of,  224 

QUEBEC,  CITY  OF, 

Jesuits  settle  in,  102 

expedition  under  Pontneuf  leaves,  266 

Massachusetts  plans  attack  on,  289 

Lower  Town,  picture  of  Qrom  old  print) ,  289 

Massachusetts  forces  sail  for,  286 

has  news  of  enemy's  approach,  291 

description  of  environs  of,  292-293 

Frontenac  refuses  to  surrender,  293 

fight  at  Montmorenci,  294 

bombarded  by  Phips,  294 

suffers  from  hunger,  298-299 

builds  church  of  Our  Lady  of  Victory,  299 

Church  of  Our  Lady  of  Victory,  picture  of,  300 

second  expedition  against,  miscarries,  367 

R 

RANDOLPH,  EDWARD 

sent  by  Charles  II  as  agent  in  Massachusetts, 

88 

brings  new  government  to  Massachusetts,  135 
councilor  of  Massachusetts,  136 
deserted  by  Dudley,  136 
thrown  in  jail,  251 
RATCLIFFE 
holds  Church  of  England  services   in  Boston 

town  hall,  139 

RHODE  ISLAND,  COLONY  OF 

Andros  governor  of,  151 
betrayed  by  schism  to  Andros,  151 
merged  in  province  of  New  England,  371 

RICE 

how  brought  to  South  Carolina,  435-436 

RICHARDS,  JOHN 

agent  of  Massachusetts  in  London,  88 

Rose,  ENGLISH  FRIGATE 

captain  arrested,  248 

defends  Andros  in  Boston  revolution,  252   . 

strikes  her  topmasts,  252 

ROUVILLE,  FRANCOIS  HERTEL  DE 

heads  expedition  against  English,  266 
descends  upon  Salmon  Falls,  Maine.  281—282 
defeats  English,  282 
joins  third  expedition,  282 
attacks  Portland,  Maine,  282-283 


INDEX 


457 


RUSCOMBE,  ENGLAND 

Penn  dies  at,  429 

RYSWICK,  HOLLAND 

European  powers  conclude  treaty  at,  431 

RYSWICK,  TREATY  OF,  see  TREATY  OF 
RYSWICK 


SABBATH,  NEW  ENGLAND 

observance  of,  118 

SAINT-CASTIN,      JEAN     VINCENT     DE 
L'ABADIE,  BARON  DE 

marches  upon  Wells,  Maine,  368 

retreats  without  victory,  368 

reasons  for  vindictiveness,  368 

takes  and  destroys  fort  at  Pemaquid,  430 
SAINT  ESPRIT 

Jesuits  at,  103 

SAINTE-HELENE,  see  LE  MOYNE  DE 
SAINT  IGNACE,  MICHIGAN 

Marquette  and  Joliet  depart  from,  picture  of, 

105 

Marquette  buried  at,  109 
Marquette's  burial  at,  picture  of,  109 

SAINT  JOHN  RIVER 
French  built  fort  at,  368 

SAINT  JOSEPH  RIVER,  MICHIGAN 

La  Salle  and  Tonty  on,  309 
La  Salle's  fort  on,  burned,  312 

SALEM,  MASSACHUSETTS 

Black  Horse  Tavern  in,  87 

Black  Horse  Tavern,  picture  of,  91 

last  town  pump,  picture  of,  91 

old  bake-shop  in,  98 

picture  of  (from  old  print),  99 

custom-house,  picture  of,  122 

Charter    Street   burying   ground,  picture  of, 

123 

old  witch  jail,  picture  of,  125 
witchcraft  delusion  in,  327-338,  256—357 
Sarah  Osborne  house,  picture  of,  329 
Anne  Putnam  house,  picture  of,  330 
George  Jacobs  house,  picture  of,  333 
trial  of  George  Jacobs  at,  picture  of,  336 
nineteen  persons  hanged  at,  336 
conduct  of  accusers  at  trial,  336-337 
old  witch  house  in,  picture  of,  338 
Gallows  Hill  in,  picture  of,  339 
witchcraft  idea  grows  revolting,  356 
judges   throw  witchcraft   indictments   out   of 

court,  356 
condemned  witches  pardoned,  356-357 

SALEM,  NEW  JERSEY 

settlement  of,  213 

SALMON  FALLS,  MAINE 

captured  and  destroyed  by  French  and  Indians, 
281-282 

SALTONSTALL,  RICHARD 

refuses  to  serve  in  Massachusetts  council,  136 

SAYLE,  WILLIAM 

leads  first  settlers  to  South  Carolina,  159 


SCHENECTADY,  NEW  YORK 
Glen  magistrate  of,  256, 
Dutch  inhabitants  favor  Lcisler,  256 
Glen-Sanders  house,  picture  of,  259 
pivotal  point  in  fur  trade,  261 
Glen  gives  warning  to  soldiers  at,  267 
soldiers  erect  snow  men  for  sentinels  at  gates 

of,  267 

French  and  Indians  attack,  266-268 
attack,  picture,  of  271 
Indian  monument,  picture  of,  271 
Indian  trail  from  Albany,  picture  of,  275 
Mabie  house,  picture  of,  276 
historic  house  in,  picture  of,  283 

SCHOOLS 

in  early  New  England,  124-125 

SCHUYLER,  PETER 

portrait  of,  242 

mayor  of  Albany,  255 

leads  revolt  against  Leisler,  255 

defeats  Milbornc,  257 

and  the  scouts,  picture  of,  257 

raids  La  Prairie,  325 

SCHUYLKILL  RlVER 

picture  of  (from  an  old  print),  176 
in  Fairmount  Park,  Philadelphia,  picture  ot 
180 

SCOTCH  IN  AMERICA 

Presbyterians  found  Port  Royal,  South  Car 
olina,  1 60 
Presbyterians  settle  New  Jersey,  234 

SCOTLAND. 

Monmouth  leads  wars  in,  20 

SEDGEMOOR 

battle  of,  19,  21 

Monmouth  defeated  by  Feversham  at,  21 

battlefield  of,  pictures  of,  21,  27 

last  battle  fought  on  English  soil,  21 

SENEGAS 

one  of  Five  Nations,  99 
French  burn  town  of,  264 

SEYMOUR,  SIR  EDWARD 
opposes  college  in  Virginia,  37 

SHACKAMAXON,  PHILADELPHIA 

Indian  treaty  signed  at,  221 

SHAFTESBURY,  EARL  OF 

imposes  constitution  on  South  Carolina,  160 

SHAWNEES 

territory  of,  108 

SlOUX 

capture  Hennepin,  314 

SLOUGHTER,  HENRY 

governor  of  New  York,  322 

signing  Leisler's  death  warrant,  picture  of,  320 

signs  warrant  while  drunk,  325 

dies  in  New  York,  372 

SOCIETY  OF  FRIENDS,  see  QUAKERS 
SOCIETY  OF  JESUS,  see  JESUITS 

SOMERSETSHIRE 

sends  settlers  to  South  Carolina.  159 


458 


DUELING  FOR   EMPIRE 


SOUTH  CAROLINA 

West  and  Sayle  lead  first  settlers  to,  159 

Blake  leads  settlers,  159 

early  life  in,  159-160 

origin  of  name,  160 

character  of  early  settlers,  160 

bring  Dutch  from  Massachusetts,  160 

Charles  II  sends  Huguenots  to,  160 

Locke  and  Shaftesbury  make  constitution  for, 

1 60 

Huguenots  denied  rights  in,  160 
Irish  immigrants  come  to,  160 
Scotch  Presbyterians  build  Port  Royal  in,  160 
drives  out  Governor  Colleton  and  Ludwell,  161 
rice  brought  to,  435-436 

STARVED  ROCK,  ILLINOIS 

picture  of,  314 

STILLINGFLEET,  EDWARD 

bishop  of  Worcester,  379 
supports  college  in  Virginia,  379 

STOVER,  JOSEPH 

repels  attack  upon  Wells,  308 

STOUGHTON,  WILLIAM 

portrait  of,  133 

deputy-president  of  Massachusetts,  136 

appointed  judge  by  Phips,  337 

presides  at  witchcraft  trials,  337 

character  of,  337 

sends  jury  back  in  Nurse's  case,  337 

furious  at  pardon  of  witches,  357 

governor  of  New  England,  432 

STRATHMORE  HALL 
residence  of  George  Fox,  68 
picture  of,  68 

SUDBURY,  MASSACHUSETTS 

Andros  punishes  men  of,  247 

SULLIVAN  ISLAND 

ship  anchors  off,  that  brought  rice  to  South 
Carolina,  435~436 

SWEDES  IN  AMERICA 

Perm  addressed  at  Newcastle,  76 

Perm  buys  site  of  Philadelphia  from,  77,  220 

settle  along  Delaware  River,  211 

plant  suburb  of  Philadelphia,  211—212 

Penn's  letter  to,  216-217 

settle  West  Jersey,  234 


TALBOT,  GEORGE 

kinsman  of  Lord  Baltimore,  379 
owner  of  Maryland  manor,  379 
seeks  to  establish  a  regency  in  Maryland,  379 
quarrels  with  and  kills  a  customs  officer,  379 
is  delivered  to  Vhginia  for  trial.  379 
rescued  from  jail  by  wife,  379 
crime  winked  at  by  Maryland,  380 
pardoned  by  Jamej  II,  380 
TANGIERS,  AFRICA 

Colonel  Kirke's  reign  of  terror  in,  23 

TAUNTON,  ENGLAND 

gives  reception  to  Monmouth,  20 
market  and  parade,  picture  of,  53 
Taunton  castle,  picture  of,  54 
River  Tone,  picture  of,  59 


TAUNTON,  ENGLAND  —  continued 

ladies  of,  heavily  fined  for  giving  banner  and 

Bible  to  Monmouth,  70 
Monmouth  proclaimed  king  at,  70 
Jeffreys  bolds  court  at,  70 
TAVERNS    AND    TAVERN-KEEPERS    IN. 
NEW  ENGLAND 

characteristics  of,  89-90 
THREE  RIVERS,  QUEBEC 

French  expedition  leaves,  266 
TILLOTSON,  JOHN 

archbishop  of  Canterbury,  379 
supports  college  in  Virginia,  379 
TlTUBA 

servant  to  Parris,  327 
confesses  to  witchcraft,  327,  330 
begins  witchcraft  craze,  335 

TOBACCO 

price  of,  falls,  162 

taxed  by  Culpeper,  162 

value  of,  destroyed,  162-165 

growers  of,  denied  favorable  legislation,  165 

growers  of,  in  Virginia  revolt,  165 

growers  of,  executed,  165 

TONE,  RIVER 

picture  of,  59 

TONTY,  HENRI  DE 

origin  and  character  of,  113 
with  La  Salle,  113—115 
portrait  of,  114 
reaches  Gulf  of  Mexico,  114 
driven  from  Italy  to  Paris,  307 
his  hand  of  iron,  307 
Indians,  estimation  of,  307 
his  heart  for  La  Salle,  307 
goes  to  seek  stolen  furs,  309 
left  by  La  Salic,  311 

escapes  from  Indians  and  rejoins  La  Salle,  314 
TOWER  OF  LONDON 

Saint  Peter's  Church,  picture  of  interior,  41, 
Penn  imprisoned  in,  75 
TREAT,  ROBERT 

governor  of  Connecticut,  153 
seeks  to   persuade  Andros  not    to  confiscate 
charter,  153 

TREATY 

West's  picture  of  Penn's  treaty,  4 

Penn  with  Indians,  76-77,  221-223 

New  York  and  Virginia  with  Iroquois,   236 

of  Ryswick,  effect  of,  431-432 

TREATY  OF  RYSWICK 

ends  King  William's  War,  431 

leaves  boundaries  in  America  unchanged,  43^ 

only  a  temporary  truce,  432 

effect  on  New  England,  432 

u 

UPLAND,  see  CHESTER 

Penn  changes  name  to  Chester,  220 
Penn's  house  at,  picture  of,  78 

USHER,  JOHN 

son-in-law  of  Allen,  371 
deputy-governor  of  New  Hampshire,  371 
antagonistic  to  Phips,  371 


INDEX 


459 


VILLABON,  CHEVALIER 

commands  French  and  Indians  against  New 

England,  367-368 
occupies  Port  Royal,  368 

VIRGINIA,  COLONY  OF 

Howard  of  Efflngham  succeeds  Culpeper,  155, 

i°S 

Culpeper's  powers  as  governor  of,  162-165 
Culpeper  's  governorship  of,  162-165 
tobacco  in,  has  value  destroyed,  162-165 
Charles  II  denies  legislation  to  tobacco  growers 

of,  165 

revolting  tobacco  growers  hanged  in,  165 
makes  treaty  with  Iroquois,  236 
Andros  succeeds  Howard  as  governor,  433 
Andros  enforces  navigation  act  in,  433 
Andros  recalled  for  trouble  caused  Blair,  433 
Douglas  appointed  governor,  433 
Douglas  deputes  his  authority  over,  to  Nichol 

son,  433 
Nicholson  removes  capital  of,  to  Williamsburg, 

433 

VOLTAIRE 

characterizes  Penn's  treaty  with  Indians,  77 

VOYAGEURS,  FRENCH 

at  Albany,  95 


w 

WABASH  RIVER 

former  name  of  Ohio  River,  108 

WADSWORTH,  JOSEPH 

assembles  Connecticut  train-bands,  153 
takes  and  conceals  Connecticut  charter,  154 
conduct  toward  Fletcher,  372 

WALDRON,  RICHARD 

president  of  New  Hampshire  council,  147 
expelled  therefrom,  147 
killed  by  Indians,  278-281 

WALLEY,  JOHN 

second  in  command  against  Quebec,  294 
chosen  to  lead  attack,  294 
lands  at  Montmorenci,  294 
charges  the  enemy,  294 
reinforcements  fail  him,  295 

WATERS,  LUCY 

mother  of  Monmouth  by  Charles  II,  20 
portrait  of,  25 

WELLS,  MAINE 

attacked  by  French  and  Indians,  368 
refugees  and  mililia  repel  invaders,  368 

WEST,  BENJAMIN 

picture  of  Penn's  treaty  and  friendship  with 
the  Indians,  4 

WEST,  JOSEPH 

leads  first  settlers  to  South  Carolina,  159 

WHITTIER,  JOHN  GREENLEAF 

birthplace  in  environs  of    HaverhiU,  Massa 
chusetts,  picture  of,  427 

WILLIAM  AND  MARY  COLLEGE 

Blair  seeks  to  establish,  378-379 
Blair  raises  funds  for,  in  England,  379 


WILLIAM  AND  MARY  COLLEGE  —  cont. 

Tillotson  and  Stillingfleet  support,  379 
Blair  obtains  charter  for,  379 
Seymour's  opposition  to,  379 
picture  of,  381 
president's  house,  picture  of,  417 

WILLIAM  AN.D  MARY,  KING  AND  QUEEN 
OF  ENGLAND 

throne  of  England  offered,  240 
achieve  the  throne,  241 
proclaimed  in  New  York,  240 
proclaimed  in  Boston,  253 
not  proclaimed  in  Maryland,  380 
Maryland  thought  disloyal  to,  380 
Penn  in  difficulties  with,  386 

WILLIAM    III    of    ENGLAND,    see    also 
WILLIAM  AND  MARY 

James  II  receiving  news  of  his  landing  in 
England,  picture  of,  235 

portrait  of,  from  painting  in  Kensington  pal 
ace,  237 

husband  to  Mary,  daughter  of  James  II,  240 

lands  in  England,  240 

Boston  receives  proclamation  of,  247 

temper  favorable  to  New  England,  253 

equestrian  portrait  of,  262 

heads  coalition  in  war  against  Louis  XIV,  265 

favors  Massachusetts  rebellion,  288-289 

determines  to  bring  New  York  and  New 
England  under  one  government,  372 

Coode  sends  word  of  Protestant  revolution  in 
Maryland  to,  380 

revokes  Baltimore's  charter  to  Maryland, 
380-383 

sends  Copley  to  govern  Maryland,  383 

deprives  Penn  of  rights  in  Pennsylvania,  386 

imprisons  Penn,  386 

places  Pennsylvania  under  Fletcher,  386-389 

restores   Penn's  rights    in   Pennsylvania,  426 

loses  Catholic  allies,  431 

his  treasury  depleted,  431 

WILLIAMS,  ABAGAIL 

niece  to  Parris,  327 

charges  others  with  witchcraft,  328 

conduct  during  witchcraft  delusion,  320 

WILLIAMSBURG,     VIRGINIA,     see    also 
MIDDLE  PLANTATION,  VIRGINIA 

Blair  establishes  William  and  Mary    College 

in,  37S-379 

picture  of  William  and  Mary  College  in,  381 
old  debtor's  prison  in,  picture  of,  412 
old  powder  horn  in,  picture  of,  412 
colonial  capital  of,  picture  of,  413 
house  of  president  of  William  and  Mary  Coi- 

lege  in,  picture  of,  433 

WINSLOW,  JOHN 

brings  William  Ill's  proclamation  to  Boston. 

247 
arrested  and  imprisoned  by  Andros,  247 

WINTHROP,  JOHN 

Massachusetts  militia,  commander  of,  2=53 

WINTHROP,  FITZ-JOHN 

to  command  attack  on  Montreal,  283 
charged  with  betrayal  of  trust,  325 
marches  to  Lake  Champlain,  32=: 


460 


DUELING   FOR   EMPIRE 


WISCONSIN 

Marquette  and  Joliet  cross,  104 

WISCONSIN  RIVER 

Marquette  and  Joliet  on,  104 

WISE,  JOHN 

clergyman  at  Ipswich,  Massachusetts,  140 
fined  and  imprisoned  for  opposing  arbitrary 
taxation,  140 

WISSAHICKON  CREEK 

picture  of,  197 

WOOLWICH,  MAINE 

birthplace  of  Sir  William  Phips,  287 


YORK,  JAMES,  DUKE  OF,  see  JAMES  II 
OF  ENGLAND 

YORK,  DUKE  OF,  see  JAMES,  DUKE  OF 
YORK 

YORK,  MAINE 

old  garrison  house  in,  picture  of,  367 

Abenakis  devastate,  368 

picture  of,  369 

old  jail  in,  picture  of,  374 


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