CHAPTER IV. AFTER THE BATTLE

If it were advisable to spend the time, one might write page after page, detailing the acts of heroism performed by the Minute Boys in this their first battle, when, taken by surprise, and with odds of not less than three to one against them, they saved the fort from capture.

Master Bartlett, who should be a judge in such matters, declares that never one of us flinched from his duty; but I could speak only of what occurred as I myself took part in it, and it seemed as if we were favored by God, else the enemy must literally have overrun us.

There were times during the battle when it was possible for us to reload our weapons; but before twenty minutes had passed, my gun was so foul that I could not drive a bullet home, and was forced to depend upon the weapon as a club, or use my knife.

And yet we drove those human wolves back from whence they came, all save eight, who remained inside the stockade with no breath of life in their ugly bodies.

I have always maintained that an Indian is a coward who can fight well only when his adversary has been taken by surprise, or is too feeble for resistance. So it was here. During half an hour, mayhap, they fought like the wolves that they are, and then, as one after another was cut down, the remainder of them turned tail, striving to make their way out, and we did our best to lessen the number of John Butler’s followers.

One there was who showed himself courageous, despite the fact that he battled in a wicked cause, and, when we pressed him hard, stood with his back against the logs, fighting until he fell dead.

The others were as curs. Not until the last of the horde who could move had escaped did we count up our losses, and grievous they were as compared with our numbers. Ezra Simpson lay dead across the body of a stalwart Indian, with evidences enough near by to show that he had left his mark upon more than one of those who would turn our peaceful valley into a shambles.

Two of the company were seriously wounded, and three others, including myself, bore marks of either knife or hatchet, but not to such an extent that we were disabled.

It was a victory for us; but should we win two or three more in the same manner, then were we undone for a verity, because of being wiped out entirely.

It goes without saying that Master Bartlett did valiant duty. Two others, besides myself, owed their lives to him, for it was as if he saw all that was going on, and wherever the battle raged hottest he sought to aid him who was hardest pressed. Without the old man, I fear there would have been a different ending to this poor tale.

There was no rest for us when the battle had come to an end. Those whose turn it was to sleep threw themselves down on the floor of the blockhouse, and the rest of us did duty on the walls, all save five, who were told off to drag out through the small gate, even at risk of being shot down, the dead bodies of our enemies.

That done, we buried Ezra Simpson hurriedly but reverentially, and perchance the tears which flowed from our eyes were caused by the knowledge that our time of greater suffering was yet to come, while they had done with the agony of death.

I think the fever of battle was yet upon Giles March, when we had finished the mournful task of laying our comrade in his last bed, for no sooner was that done than he said eagerly to me:

“Now is the time when we may make an effort to release Daniel Hinchman’s sister, with more chance of success than ever before.”

“What do you mean, Giles?” I cried, in surprise. “We have but just brought to an end as severe a battle as we shall ever again fight, however long we claim to be soldiers, and would you run another hazardous venture on the heels of this?”

“Ay, that I would, Jonathan Ogden. The Indians have been beaten thoroughly, and for a certain time are cowed by failing to capture this stockade, which, doubtless, they believed would fall into their hands like a rotten apple. Now is come the time for us to strike.”

“I believe the lad speaks truly,” Master Bartlett said, as he joined us. “If I know anything of the red sneaks, they will not make another assault upon this fort to-night, but will spend the time mourning over the dead, and patching up the living who bear the marks of our weapons. More than that, it is not reasonable for them to suppose we would attempt so soon to strike a blow in return.”

“It is my right to leave the stockade this time,” Giles said, in a tone so firm that I realized it would be useless to argue against his proposal, whereupon I replied, turning to Master Bartlett:

“If it so be you think it right for three of this small party to venture into yet further danger, leaving us weak as we are, go, although it would please me better that Giles took the command of the fort while I journeyed toward Wintermoot’s.”

“Are you ready, Master Bartlett?” the lad asked, eagerly, and I fancied there was somewhat of grim pleasure in the old man’s heart at the thought of such a venture, for he replied promptly:

“Ay, that I am, lad, and the sooner we set off, the sooner will we be trying to get back inside this fence of logs.”

“Yes, if you live to return,” I said, moodily, whereat the old man clapped me on the shoulder heartily, as he cried:

“Those who venture most are apt to live the longest,—at least, that has been my experience. I’m not claiming that we’ll be able to release the girl; but ’twixt now and sunrise we shall know if it be possible.”

Giles had already gone into the blockhouse to find Daniel Hinchman, and I was hardly yet recovered from the daze which had come over me with the idea of setting out on a venture directly on the heels of a battle, when the three were marching toward the small gate.

I ran after them to unbar it, wishing to have even that slight share in the task, after which they crept silently out.

“God be with you,” I whispered.

“If He goes with either party this night, it will be with us,” Master Bartlett said grimly, and then the three were lost to view in the gloom.

I was left with but eighteen lads to defend the fort, and it seemed, with the going of the old man, that our strength had departed. It was necessary I pull myself together with a will, else had my heart grown so heavy that those who called me the captain of the Minute Boys would have seen by one look at my face that I was no longer capable of controlling even myself, let alone my comrades.

At such a time work, and plenty of it, does a fellow a deal of good. I went here and there, doing whatsoever my hands could find to do, in order to drive away the timorousness which was creeping into my heart.

As yet, those of us who were slightly wounded had given no attention to their hurts. Now I insisted that each lad be looked after carefully, saying to those who laughed at such coddling that it was necessary, because our numbers were so few that the loss of one would be serious indeed, and he who might be disabled because of neglecting his wounds was nearly as much to be blamed as the coward who ran away.

It goes without saying that all this while we kept strictest watch from the top of the stockade, but without seeing anything whatsoever of the enemy, however recklessly we exposed ourselves.

It was as Master Bartlett had said, they were cowed for the time being, because of failing in an attempt which they believed could be carried through without severe loss.

And now am I come to that part of my story which seems almost improbable even to myself.

The night passed, and the next day was nearly half spent before anything occurred to cause either joy or sorrow. We had seen nothing whatsoever of the Indians; it was as if the siege had suddenly been raised, and I was such a simple as to question whether that might not be the fact.

Because we had beaten back such an overwhelming number of Mohawks, we lads were heartened wondrously, believing it possible to accomplish far more than we had ever supposed ourselves capable of, and were in fine fettle for whatsoever might come, when suddenly the watcher on the south side of the stockade cried out:

“Here comes Giles March, and with a supply of provisions.”

I thought the lad had taken leave of his senses, and sprang up on the platform, fearing the Indians were playing some new trick, when, to my amazement, I saw Giles staggering toward the fort under the weight of a heavy buck.

Behind him came Master Bartlett with a bag of what I judged might be meal on his shoulder. Directly in his wake was the same girl I had seen in the Indian encampment, and, bringing up the rear, appeared Daniel Hinchman, burdened as were the others.

Had John Butler’s army marched out of the forest arraying themselves in battle-line, I could not have been more astonished than I was to see returning so soon those whom I feared had gone to certain death.

It is not necessary I should say that we unbarred the gate without delay, and, when Giles came in, throwing down the buck with the air of one who has borne his burden as long as possible, I cried out, even before greeting the others:

“How did you dare spend time in hunting when the woods are filled with savages?”

“In the first place I didn’t spend any time hunting, and next, it seems as if all the Indians who were round about the stockade had beat a retreat to Wintermoot’s.”

Then Master Bartlett, dropping his load on the ground, said, with boyish glee:

“There is meal enough, lad, to fatten your larder for two or three days, at all events, and Daniel has got of dried deer flesh as much as will serve to keep your jaws working for a full fortnight.”

The girl entered the stockade hurriedly, looking around with an air of most intense relief, as if she had at last arrived at some secure place of refuge, instead of having come where the chances were that death awaited her.

“There is little need to keep more than one sentinel on duty,” Master Bartlett said, with a laugh, “for, from what we have seen, the brave band of Mohawks has decided to throw up the job with which John Butler entrusted them, and are spending their time in all kinds of heathenish mummery round about their lodges at Wintermoot’s.”

Hearing this, every fellow leaped from the platform and gathered around those whose mission had been so quickly but thoroughly performed, to hear their story.

“I will stand on guard while you tell us how it happened that you could not only do what seemed impossible; but have brought with you that of which we stood sorely in need,” I cried, all that burden of fear and responsibility suddenly lifted from my shoulders, as I sprang upon the platform just over the small gate.

“I reckon Giles had best spin the yarn,” Master Bartlett said, “while I attend to my rheumatics, for spending the night nearabout the river has not done my old joints any good.”

Then the old man fell to rubbing his knees energetically, and I knew, despite the smile which he forced to his face, that he was suffering; but, when I taxed him with it, he denied that he was in any great pain, saying it was better to drive away the ache before it had fairly settled down, than wait until it gained firm lodgment.

The remainder of the company clamored for a recital of what had been done, so Giles could do no less than go into the details, while Daniel led his sister to the blockhouse as if, which undoubtedly was the case, she needed repose.

“It was all so easy that, but for our precautions, we might have got back by daylight,” Giles began. “Believing the Indians were stationed as they had been before the attack, we wormed our way through the underbrush, thinking ourselves wondrously fortunate in not coming across any, and only when we were within an hundred yards, perhaps, of Wintermoot’s did we see the first show of an enemy.”

“Meaning that when we gave them the dose they needed inside the stockade, all the others grew disheartened,” Master Bartlett interrupted. “It is the way the sneaks have. If you once get the upper hand of them, they are whipped to a standstill.”

“It was not until nearly morning that we came to a little hill this side the fort, where we could have a view of all that was going on,” Giles continued; “but long before arriving there, we heard the howls and yells of the Mohawks, as they sang what we fancied was a dirge for those who had been left behind. By the light of the many fires which had been built, for they believed themselves secure from an attack because of being so near the fort, we could see not less than two hundred of the villains, with here and there a white man among them, and I have the idea that John Butler has got a reasonably big job on his hands to hold the red allies in place, simply because the Minute Boys of Wyoming Valley thrashed them out of their boots.”

“There is no question but that the one fight would have sent them back home, save for the fact that others are on the way to join them,” Master Bartlett added.

“The lodges appeared to be deserted, and we could see Esther Hinchman sitting outside that one on the river bank. Now you must know that all this hullabaloo was going on in front of the stockade, and perhaps two hundred yards from the nearest wigwam, therefore, taking Master Bartlett’s advice, we made our way down to the stream, where a dead tree was floating in the eddy. Wading into the water, we pushed that off. The branches hid our heads from view, and the remainder of our bodies were beneath the surface. It was an easy matter to make it appear as if the tree grounded by accident directly in front of the lodge where Esther Hinchman was sitting, and then, watching his chance, Daniel went up to her. The only fear was that the girl might scream; but it so happened she did not, and in less than five minutes she also was in the water, clinging to the tree.”

“But surely you could not get up-stream in the same way,” I interrupted, and Giles replied, with a laugh:

“No, and neither did we try, for about the time Esther Hinchman joined us, the whole gang of Indians filed into the fort, where, most likely, they were to be feasted, in order to brace them up after the disaster of the night. Then was the time when I believed we should make our way into the thicket again, but Master Bartlett insisted that it would be little less than wicked to lose the chance of adding to our store of provisions, so he and I made a regular search of the lodges.”

“You were taking too big a risk,” I cried.

“Having gotten the girl, you should have been satisfied.”

“In which case you wouldn’t have so good a show of sleeping with a full stomach this night, lad,” Master Bartlett said, grimly. “We could do our work without being seen, even though the Tories had had their sentinels on the stockade, which they didn’t. Giles is right about the feasting part of it, for, as I came away, it was possible to see that rum was being distributed generously, and a savage always expects to gorge himself at such a time.”

“We brought away all that we could carry,” Giles continued. “I took as my share from the lodges a bag of meal; but when we were in the thicket once more and found this buck hanging up to season, I believed it was a good trade to swap corn-meal for deer. If any of you fellows think we ran our noses into danger, you are mistaken, for it was as safe as any pleasure excursion you ever heard about, although had we waited four and twenty hours before setting out, I question if Esther Hinchman would not have remained a prisoner with the Mohawks.”

“And she may thank you for her release, Giles March,” I said, determined that he should have his full share of the credit.

His cheeks reddened with pleasure, and he would have declared that he was not entitled to any praise if, at that moment, I had not startled the company by saying in astonishment, as my eye caught a glimpse of something moving amid the foliage:

“There are white people coming this way,—women as well as children!”

Every fellow leaped to the platform, and then we saw that which at first filled us with wonderment, but was afterward easily explained.

Four men, two of whom were walking on crutches, six or eight women, all of whom carried burdens of some kind, and not less than a dozen children, the largest weighted down with what appeared to be provisions and household utensils, were coming toward us.

“Refugees from nearabout the burnt lands, if I’m not mistaken,” Master Bartlett exclaimed, as he clambered up beside me.

“And why have they come here?” I asked, in bewilderment. “It would have been safer for them to have gone to Forty Fort.”

“I’m afraid, lad, their coming means that John Butler’s forces are advancing, and they have fled to the nearest fortified place.”

There was little need for us to speculate very long as to why these people had come, for within five minutes they were all inside the fort, and we heard the pitiful story.

Stephen Morley, a settler who had taken up land in what was known as the burnt district, some six miles away, was the only able-bodied man among the party, and he it was who told the tale.

There were in that district, within a radius of perhaps five miles, six families. Four of the husbands were in the American army. Stephen Morley himself was a soldier, but had been given a three months’ furlough because of illness, and arrived home just as a large body of Indians suddenly appeared in the neighborhood.

He, knowing much of the condition of affairs, and understanding that this must be the advance of Butler’s force, realized the necessity of immediate flight, and, taking with them such goods and provisions as could be carried through the wilderness, the party set out the night before, travelling in the darkness, all unsuspicious of the fact that Fort Jenkins had been besieged.

Save for the fact of the attack upon us, they would have been made prisoners at the very moment when they believed themselves near a place of safety, and, except for the number of mouths to be fed, I could have rejoiced at their coming. As it was, however, I might not complain, because they were fleeing for their lives, and had brought with them, as we afterward learned, a sufficiency of provisions for three or four days’ consumption.

It was a welcome addition to our number, for in those days, and in our valley, the women could and did fight as valiantly as the men. The only phase of the matter which troubled me was that we might be hemmed in so long that starvation would finally stare us in the face, and, with those children crying for bread, one could not hold out as long as he otherwise might.

Master Morley could give us little information concerning the strength of the party which had driven him and his neighbors from their homes. It seems that the savages were yet several miles from the settlement when their whereabouts were discovered, and Morley had advised immediate flight, because of the rumors regarding Butler’s intentions, not making an effort to learn any particulars concerning the enemy.

Among the other things which these guests of ours brought was a quantity of powder equal to all we had in the fort, and this, as may be imagined, was very welcome to us, for I had been looking forward with cowardly fear to that time when we would be reduced to the last round of ammunition.

As a matter of course the women and children were given quarters in the blockhouse. My company and the male refugees could gain all the repose which might be allowed us by the enemy on the ground outside, while the weather was so warm.

With Stephen Morley, who had served in the American army nearly a year, and Master Bartlett, we Minute Boys had good advisers, and I felt as if I might well shift the heaviest of the responsibility on to their shoulders.

As a matter of course, we took Master Morley into our confidence, and Master Bartlett, Giles, and I held a council of war, as it were, as soon as matters were settled down inside the stockade. Then it was decided, in view of the success which had attended the visit to Wintermoot’s, that we make some attempt to get game before night should come. It was believed there would be no danger in venturing out, at least until sunset, for it was not probable that those who had driven the settlers from the burnt district would arrive before dark, or, even if they did, their course would be far to the westward of the river.

Therefore it was that I called the lads together, asking if any of them were minded to go out in search of game, and found that it would be necessary to make a detail by name, since every member of the company was willing to take the chances in order to add to the store of food.

I selected two of the lads whom I knew to be good shots, and Giles March named two others. These four we sent out at once, with instructions for them to remain near the bank of the river, and not to venture above three miles from the stockade.

When they had gone we added the names of the newcomers to our company of Minute Boys, dividing the whole into three squads as before, and settled down to routine duty, with good reason to believe nothing menacing would occur, at least until another day had come.

Then it was that Giles and I threw ourselves on the ground in the shade of the blockhouse to sleep, and when we awakened night had fully come.

Rising to my feet, wonderfully refreshed by the few hours of dreamless repose, I asked, curiously, of the first lad I saw, whether the hunters had brought much game.

“They haven’t come back yet,” was the reply. “Master Morley and Simon Bartlett are yonder on the eastern angle, watching for them.”

“Haven’t come back!” I cried, in dismay. “It was understood that even though they were on the track of a deer, there should be no question of returning before sunset,” and, filled with apprehension, I ran toward that portion of the enclosure where I saw the two men of whom the lad had spoken, peering intently into the thicket.

“What can have happened?” I asked, nervously, climbing up by the side of Master Bartlett, and he replied in a whisper:

“According to my belief, lad, they have met the advance of Butler’s force, and been taken prisoners.”

“But they were told to stay near the bank of the river!” I cried.

“True, and that was because you and I were so stiff in our own opinions as to believe the Tory crew would keep on the direct course from the burnt district to Wintermoot’s, whereas the chances are the scoundrels counted on first having a look at Fort Jenkins.”

“We must go at once in search of them,” I cried, not stopping to realize that but a short time before, when Daniel Hinchman pleaded for aid to find his sister, I refused to allow any one to depart on so hazardous a venture in the night.

“To what end, lad?” Master Bartlett asked, sorrowfully. “If matters are as Stephen Morley and I fear, then, even though you turn this entire force out, nothing could be done. To my mind, if four lads well armed were overcome, then was it done by such numbers as are too many for us.”

“And are we to sit here idle?” I cried, almost beside myself with grief, since it seemed as if I was directly responsible for their safety because of having allowed them to go.

“There is nothing else you can do, Jonathan Ogden, in justice to those who call you their captain,” Master Bartlett replied, and he had hardly more than ceased speaking before a bright light flashed up near the river, considerably beyond musket-shot from where we were standing, and at the same time we heard shrieks and yells as of rejoicing.

“It is as we feared,” Master Morley said, turning suddenly upon me, and speaking for the first time since I had come. “The savages have captured the lads, and we know full well the meaning of that fire.”

“The meaning of it?” I screamed, understanding what he meant, but at the same time refusing to admit it.

“Ay, lad,” Master Bartlett replied, in a tearful tone. “Now is the time when those whom we whipped inside the stockade will have their revenge, and, if I mistake not, the fiends count on doing their bloody work where we must witness it.”

“Then you believe they have taken our lads, and are about to torture them?” I whispered.

The old man nodded his head, and then turned away as if unwilling to say more.