Roger Davis, Loyalist Part 8

Chapter XI

Home-Making Begun

The treaty was not made a day too soon. Next morning I was awakened very early by loud shouting around the fort.

'The rebel vessels--the Machias men--the American pirates who were here before and plundered us, have come again,' I heard some one say to Colonel Francklin in the next room.

I sprang up, and ran to the single window that overlooked the harbour.

Sweeping in on the flood tide I saw three New England schooners. From the mast of each flew flags similar to that we had received from the Indians. The decks were black with men.

I dressed hurriedly, and presented myself in Colonel Francklin's quarters. Mr. Simonds had entered before me, and was speaking.

'This,' he said, pointing to the schooners which had now come to anchor, 'is another part of a plan to seize the fort. One of our men heard that the Indians were to come down the river, and be met here by the schooners: we were then to be subjected to a double attack.'

Outside I could hear the quick, sharp commands of the captains and the tramp of the garrison preparing for action. In less than ten minutes I was at a loophole in the wall of the fort with a rifle, waiting the order to fire. Not far from me, similarly armed, was Duncan Hale. I noticed a look of triumphant glee upon his face, as he said to a soldier beside him--

'Now we'll pay them in their own coin for trying to stir up the Indians: then I've a score against these rebels on another account.

They'd have hanged me once.'

'Hanged you? Where?'

'Just out of Boston--two days after the war began. They'd a rope round my neck.' The whole scene came back upon me vividly.

'What had you done?' the soldier asked.

'Done! I'd exposed some of their smuggling and treasonable actions.

That was all.'

At that moment the movements of some on the schooners attracted my attention. 'They are getting their boats in shape,' I heard Colonel Francklin, who was looking through a gla.s.s, say to Lieutenant-Governor Hughs, who stood beside him, 'and appear to be preparing to come ash.o.r.e.'

There was a brief consultation among the officers. Then the Major in command said: 'Every man ready to fire at them as they come over the sides.'

From that time onward moments seemed hours. Finally the painful strain was broken by the single word--

'Fire!'

There was a thunder of cannon and a sharp crash of musketry. When the smoke blew to one side, we could see the boats pulling back to the vessels. Looking through his gla.s.s, Colonel Francklin reported that a number of shots had taken effect.

As we reloaded the sound of quick-working anchor windla.s.ses came in over the water and up the hill slope. The rebels who had been playing havoc on the river for so long had this time met a reception quite different from that which they had planned. The fort, well hidden by trees, had been built and garrisoned since their last trip, so their surprise could not have been much more complete.

When the ebb began to make they hoisted sail and drew off down the bay.

On looking seaward at noon, nothing could be seen but the line of the Nova Scotia coast, pencilled low and irregular on the base of the sky.

It is probably not to be wondered at that, during the afternoon, we were somewhat high-spirited. All through the war the St. John settlers had been hara.s.sed, plundered, imprisoned or shot, by cruel and unscrupulous marauders from New England, who had never before been resisted, much less repulsed.

'Things are moving finely,' I heard Mr. Simonds tell Duncan Hale that evening. 'With the Indians quiet, and the pirates scared out, we can go on with our trade as usual. Till the war began we did well here.

Since that we have had dreadful times--no business possible--but now I'm in hopes we can go on with the fis.h.i.+ng, the lime-burning, and "masting" as usual.'

'Masting, Mr. Simonds,' I said. 'What is masting?'

'Were you not up the river? Did you not see the magnificent forests of pine and spruce? These make the best masts in the world. There is nothing in New England like them; and in places they positively overhang the rivers. Then there are thousands of trees. Masting on this river must become a great industry. The King's whole navy may be supplied from here. All we want is quiet Indians--and peace.'

'I understand,' I said.

'And what of the land?' Duncan Hale asked. 'Is it fit for farming?'

'As good as any in the world. The crops raised on this river before the war were wonderful. This is the richest part of the province.'

'And how may the land be obtained?' I said. 'To whom should one apply for a grant?' Mr. Simonds laughed heartily.

'Thinking of settling, young man?' he said.

'Yes,' I replied, a little resentment showing in my tone; 'my mother and two sisters are in Halifax. I mean to settle on this river and make a home for them.'

Duncan Hale joined Mr. Simonds in his laugh.

'You think I can't?' I said.

'Of course you can,' Mr. Simonds said in a moment; 'and I shall do my best to help you in any way I can. It's young fellows with push and spirit we want here now.' He looked at me more critically than he had done before. 'If things keep on improving, especially if the war ends, we shall be going into masting strong here next winter, and we'll be wanting a smart young fellow to look after accounts and act as clerk.

How much schooling have you had?' Duncan Hale explained somewhat fully the work I had done, ending by saying he had considered me almost ready for Oxford.

'You might do us finely,' Mr. Simonds said, 'and as to you, sir,'

turning to Duncan Hale, 'what think you of founding a school? A country as rich as this cannot but prosper. We shall yet have a city here. The war drags now toward a close; and even though England should, in spite of recent disasters, yet win, many will choose this country in preference to New England. If I and my partners mistake not, in five years this river valley will have thousands of inhabitants no matter what flag waves over it. Think over the question of a school, sir.' But customers were waiting, and Mr. Simonds left us to serve them.

For several days I remained about the fort. My duties as secretary to Colonel Francklin were light, so I roamed about the high, rocky country, sometimes alone, but oftener in company with Duncan Hale. The hopeful words of Mr. Simonds, the fine buoyancy of the spring air, the manner in which we had succeeded in making peace with the Indians, and in driving off the rebel Americans, all combined to make us surprisingly happy.

The fishermen in the harbour were making fabulous catches of valuable mackerel and other fish. The smaller streams near swarmed with salmon and huge trout. Here and there on our rambles giant moose faced us for a moment, then went cras.h.i.+ng off into the forest. Vegetation was springing up with marvellous rapidity, while all day long the woods rang with the song and chatter of nesting birds. An exuberance of wild beauty and unrestrained life abounded everywhere.

In a little over a month our party, having accomplished the object for which it had been sent, set off for Halifax, not, however, before I had engaged to return and accept a position as clerk with Mr. Simonds later in the season.

We found a spirit of remarkable cheerfulness in Halifax. The soldiers had all sailed for New York. Many of the Loyalists, both men and women, had obtained situations. In several places, about the outskirts of the town, the more resolute ones, to whom lands had been granted, were boldly hewing their own way into the forest; and here and there, where the gaps on the slopes were widest in the broken ranks of the trees, small log houses were being built.

In a few days the matter of my own grant on the St. John had been fully arranged. Since I was not yet of age, the grant--it consisted of four hundred acres some miles up the river in what Mr. Simonds had told me was the most fertile part--was made out in my mother's name. My sister Caroline, who was still engaged with the Halifax family, was delighted with the prospect of having a new home of our own.

'Mother, won't it be grand?' she said one evening as we sat and talked together, 'simply grand. Four hundred acres--all ours--a big river in front and mountains behind. We'll be far richer than ever we were.

When are we to go, Roger?'

'Not till next spring,' I said. 'David Elton has secured a lot alongside of ours; he is to do some chopping on both places this summer, then during the winter we shall prepare for building houses.

Next spring the Government is to give us seed, tools, and a cow.'

A few days later, accompanied by Doctor Canfield and Duncan Hale, now free from his former duties as secretary, along with David Elton and several other farmers not yet settled about Halifax, I bade a cheerful goodbye to my mother and sisters and again set off for the St. John.

It was the middle of August when we arrived.

'The Indians are acting finely up the river,' Mr. Simonds told us on our arrival, 'and as for the pirates, we have not seen hilt nor hair of them since they scuttled out of the harbour in the spring. That was a settler we gave them that day.'

'How's business been since?' I said.

'Fine, fine; looking up wonderfully ever since the peace with the Indians. Fis.h.i.+ng couldn't be better, and as for the lime, it's turning out first cla.s.s. We've almost all our plans made, too, for sending up the largest masting crew this fall we ever put in the woods. You are to go with them. You'll be quite near your own grant.'