Hardscrabble; or, the fall of Chicago Part 9

"Captain Headley," said the ensign, quickly and almost beseechingly, "let me pick out a dozen men from the company, and I pledge myself to restore the party before mid-day to-morrow. Nay, sir," seeing strong surprise and disapproval on the countenance of the commandant, "I am ready to forfeit my commission if I fail--"

"Are you mad, Mr. Ronayne, or do you suppose that I am mad enough to entertain such a proposition, and thus weaken my force still more?

Forfeit your commission if you fail! Why, sir, you would deserve to forfeit your commission, if you even succeeded in any thing so wholly at variance with military prudence. Gentlemen, recollect what I have said--I expect you to use the utmost vigilance to-night, and, Mr.

Elmsley, fail not instantly to report the fis.h.i.+ng-boat." Thus enjoining, he pa.s.sed slowly on to his quarters.

"D--n your military prudence, and d--n your pompous cold-bloodedness!"

muttered the fiery ensign between his teeth--scarcely waiting until his captain was out of hearing.

"Hush," interrupted Elmsley in a whisper. "He will hear you. Ha!" he continued after a short pause, during which they moved on towards the mess-room, "you begin to find out his amiable military qualities, do you! But tell me, Ronayne, what the deuce has put this Quixotic expedition into your head? What great interest do you take in these fishermen, that you should volunteer to break your s.h.i.+ns in the wood, this dark night, for the purpose of seeking them, and that on the very day when your ladye faire honors these walls, if I may so dignify our stockade, with her presence for the first time. Come, come, thank Headley for his refusal. When you sit down to-morrow morning, as I intend you shall, to a luxurious breakfast of tea, coffee, fried venison, and buckwheat-cakes, you will find no reason to complain of his adherence to military prudence."

"Elmsley," returned his friend, seriously, "I can have no disguise from you at such a moment. You know my regard for Maria Heywood, although you cannot divine its depth, and could I but be the means of saving her father, you can well understand the joy I should feel."

"Certainly, my dear fellow, but you know as well as myself, that there exists not the shadow of a hope of this. That scarecrow, Giles, half-witted as he is, tells too straightforward a story."

"Elmsley," persisted his friend, "there is every hope--every reasonable expectation that he may yet survive. Maria herself first opened my eyes to the possibility, for, until then, I had thought as you do; and deeply did her words sink in my heart, when she said, reproachfully, that, instead of sending a party to escort her, it would have been far better to dispatch them to the farm, where her father might, at that moment, be sustaining a siege--the house being strong enough to admit of a temporary defence, by even a couple of persons."

"And what said you to that?"

"What could I say? I looked like a fool, and felt like a school-boy under the iron rod of a pedagogue--but I resolved."

"And what did you resolve, my enterprising KNIGHT errant?"

"You have just heard my proposal to the gentleman who piques himself upon his military prudence." returned the youth, with bitter irony.

"Yes, and he refused you. What then?"

"True, and what then," and he nodded his head impatiently.

"You will sleep upon it, my dear fellow, after we have had a gla.s.s of the Monongahela, and the pipe. Thus refreshed, you will think better of it in the morning."

"We will have the Monongahela and the pipe, for truly I feel that I require something to soothe, if not absolutely to exhilarate me; but no sleep for me this night. Elmsley," he added, more seriously, "you will pa.s.s me out of the gate?"

"Pa.s.s you out of what?" exclaimed the other, starting from the chair on which he had thrown himself only the moment before. "What do you mean, man?"

"I mean that, as officer of the guard, you alone can pa.s.s me through after dark, and this service you must render me."

"Why! where are you going? Single-handed like Jack the Giant Killer to deliver, not a beautiful damsel from the fangs of a winged monster, but a tough old backwoodsman from the dark paws of the savage?"

"Elmsley," again urged the ensign, "you forget that Mr. Heywood is the father of my future wife."

"Ah! is it come to that at last. Well, I am right glad of it. But, my dear Ronayne," taking and cordially pressing his hand, "forgive my levity. I only sought to divert you from your purpose. What I can do for you, I will do; but tell me what it is you intend."

"Yet, Elmsley, before we enter further into the matter, do you not think that you will incur the serious displeasure of Military Prudence?"

"If he discovers that you are gone, certainly; and I cannot see how it can be otherwise; he will be in the fidgets all night, and probably ask for you; but even if not THEN, he will miss you on parade in the morning."

"And what will be the consequence to you? Answer me candidly, I entreat."

"Then, candidly, Ronayne, the captain likes me not well enough to pa.s.s lightly over such a breach of duty. The most peremptory orders have, since the arrival of this startling news, been given not to allow any one to leave the fort, and (since you wish me to be sincere) should I allow you to pa.s.s, it will go hard with my commission."

"How foolish of me not to have thought of that before! How utterly stupid to ask that which I ought to have known myself; but enough, Elmsley. I abandon the scheme altogether. You shall never incur that risk for me."

"Yet understand me," resumed the other, "if you really think that there is a hope of its proving more than a mere wild goose chase, I will cheerfully incur that risk; but on my honor, Ronayne, I myself feel convinced that nothing you can do will avail."

"Not another word on the subject," answered his friend; "here is what will banish all care, at least for the present."

His servant had just entered, and deposited on the mess-table hot and cold water, sugar, lime-juice, pipes, tobacco, and tumblers; when the two officers with Von Vottenberg who had just come in from visiting Mr.

Heywood, sat down to indulge their social humors. Whilst the latter, according to custom, mixed the punch, which when made was p.r.o.nounced to be his chef d'oeuvre, Elmsley amused himself with cutting up the tobacco, and filling the pipes. The ensign, taking advantage of their occupation, indulged himself in a reverie that lasted until the beverage had been declared ready.

The presence of the doctor, acting as a check upon the further allusion by the friends to the topic that had hitherto engrossed their attention, the little conversation that ensued was of a general nature, neither of them, however, cared much to contribute to it, so that the doctor found and p.r.o.nounced them for that evening anything but entertaining companions. He, however, consoled himself with copious potations from the punch-bowl, and filled the room with dense clouds of smoke, that were in themselves, sufficient to produce the drowsiness that Ronayne pleaded in excuse of his taciturnity.

After his second gla.s.s, Elmsley, reminding the ensign that he expected him as well as the punch-brewer to breakfast with him in the morning at eight o'clock precisely, took his departure for the guard room, for the night.

CHAPTER VIII.

It was about seven o'clock on the morning succeeding the occurrences detailed in the preceding chapters, that Lieutenant Elmsley waited on the commanding officer, to relate that the fis.h.i.+ng boat was at length in sight. These tidings were communicated as Captain Headley was preparing to sit down to breakfast--a refreshment, to which the fatigue of mind and body he had undergone during the night had not a little disposed him. True, however, to his character, he stayed not for the meal, but instantly arose, and taking his telescope accompanied the subaltern to the flagstaff battery, whence the best view of the river was commanded.

"Any thing to report, Mr. Elmsley; but I presume not, or it scarcely would have been necessary for me to ask the question?"

"Nothing, sir, of any consequence," replied the lieutenant after a moment's hesitation, "beyond a slight altercation that took place between a drunken Pottawattamie and the sergeant of the guard--but it was of a nature too trivial to disturb you about."

"What was it, Mr. Elmsley?" inquired his superior, abruptly turning to him.

"The Indian who had probably been lying dead drunk during the day within the Fort, and had evidently just awakened from his sleep, was anxious to go to his encampment, but the sergeant, strictly obeying the order he had received from me, refused to open the gate, which seemed to annoy the Indian very much. At that moment I came up. I knew well of course that the order was not meant to extend rigidly to our Indian friends, the great ma.s.s of whom might be offended by the detention of one of their number, and I desired the sergeant to pa.s.s him through. Was I right, sir?"

"Perfectly, Mr. Elmsley; we must not offend those of the Indian tribes that are disposed to be friendly toward us, for no one knows how soon we may require their aid. The official advices I have received not only from Detroit but from Was.h.i.+ngton are of a nature to induce apprehension of hostilities between Great Britain and the United States; therefore, it would, as you justly observe, and just now particularly, be extremely bad policy to offend those whom it is so much our interest to conciliate. Still you ought to have reported the circ.u.mstance to me, and not acted on your own responsibility."

Lieutenant Elmsley bit his lip, and could scarcely control a movement of impatience. "I am glad, however, sir," he resumed after a pause, "that you find no fault with my conduct; I confess I had some little uneasiness on that score, for with you I felt that I had no right to a.s.sume the responsibility, but I knew that you had retired to your rooms, and I was unwilling to disturb you."

"You ought to have known, Mr. Elmsley, that where duty is concerned I can never be disturbed. However, no matter. What you did was correctly done; only in future, fail not to make your report. The slightest unauthorized step might be a false one, and that, under all the circ.u.mstances, is to be avoided."

Whatever the subaltern thought of the seeming self-sufficiency which had dictated the concluding part of the lecture of the commanding officer, he made no further observation, and both in silence pursued the remainder of their short route to the bastion.

Many of the men, dressed and accoutred for the morning parade, which usually took place at about nine o'clock, were grouped around, and anxiously watching the approach of the boat, as of something they had despaired of ever again beholding. Captain Headley drew his telescope to the proper focus, and after looking through it a few minutes--remarked--

"Thank Heaven, all is right--they are all there, although it is quite unaccountable to me how they could have been detained until this morning. And, oh! it seems they have taken a heavy draught of fish, for, although I cannot see the bottom of the boat, their feet are raised as if to prevent crus.h.i.+ng or injuring something beneath them. But hold!

there is something wrong, too. I do not see the usual number of muskets piled in the stern. How can this be, Mr. Elmsley?"

"Perhaps there is not the same number of men," suggested the lieutenant--"some of them, for causes connected with their detention, may be coming by land."

"Not at all. There are seven men. I think seven men compose the fis.h.i.+ng party; do they not?"

"Six men, besides the non-commissioned officer; yes, sir."

"I can make out Corporal Nixon, for he is steering and facing me, but for the others, I do not know them well enough to distinguish. Here, Mr.