THE AMERICAN HISTORY 
 STORY-BOOK 
 
 ALBERT F. BLAISDELL AND 
 FRANCIS K.BALL 
 
EDUCATION 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY 
 STORY-BOOK 
 
albert j 
 
 AND 
 
 jfrancte &, Ball 
 
 THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY-BOOK 
 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY-BOOK 
 THE CHILD S BOOK OF AMERICAN HISTORY 
 HEROIC DEEDS OF AMERICAN SAILORS 
 AMERICAN HISTORY FOR LITTLE FOLKS 
 PIONEERS OF AMERICA 
 LOG CABIN DAYS 
 
t , 
 
 .,>( i * 
 
YOUNG CAPTAIN GRANDPRE, SWORD IN HAND, FACED 
 THE DRAGOON. 
 
 FRONTISPIECE. See Page 117. 
 
The American History 
 Story- Book 
 
 BY 
 ALBERT F. BLAISDELL 
 
 AND 
 
 FRANCIS K. BALL 
 
 WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY 
 
 FRANK T. MERRILL 
 
 [NON-REFERT 
 
 Boston 
 Little, Brown, and Company 
 
 1928 
 
Copyright , 1911,- 
 
 T&t. Jjf*^, BROWN;, ^ANO . 
 
 All rights reserved 
 EDUCATION DEPT, 
 
 PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 
 
PREFACE 
 
 THIS little book is designed to be used as 
 a supplementary historical reader for the 
 fourth and fifth grades of our public schools, 
 or for other young persons from ten to fifteen 
 years of age. It is also intended for collateral 
 reading in connection with the study of the 
 numerous elementary text-books on Ameri 
 can history. 
 
 The authors have attempted to describe 
 in some detail the perils, the arduous struggles, 
 the stern lessons of self-denial, and the 
 staunch patriotism of the early settlers of 
 this country. Personal anecdotes and inci 
 dents which thrill us because of their human 
 element and which smack of the picturesque 
 life of our forefathers have been freely used. 
 Such historical material, instinct with human 
 life, serves a most useful purpose in teach- 
 
 M69835 
 
PREFACE 
 
 ing elementary history. Experienced teachers 
 know that such material attracts and holds 
 the attention of boys and girls and tends 
 to stimulate them to learn more about the 
 history of their country. 
 
 These stories rest upon a substantial his 
 torical basis. They have been diligently 
 culled from many trustworthy sources. 
 This book would indeed prove of little 
 worth to young people if it could be read 
 at a glance and then thrown aside like the 
 ordinary story-book. It is suggested that 
 teachers and parents supplement and enrich 
 the text of this book with such other his 
 torical material as may be readily obtained 
 from school, home, or public libraries. 
 
 ALBERT F. BLAISDELL. 
 
 FRANCIS K. BALL. 
 
 May, 1911. 
 
 VI 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTBK PAGB 
 
 I. ELIZABETH TILLEY, THE YOUNG PILGEIM GIRL . 1 
 
 II. SQUANTO HELPS THE PILGRIMS .... 9 
 
 III. THE BRAVERY OF HANNAH DUSTIN ... 19 
 
 IV. A FAMOUS WRITING - DESK 28 
 
 V. BESSIE FISHER OUTWITS THE TORIES ... 37 
 
 VI. TEMPY WICKS HIDES HER HORSE ... 44 
 
 VII. PEGGY MILLER GOES MARKETING ... 50 
 
 VIII. PAUL RUSSELL S BACON is SAVED ... 59 
 
 IX. FIGHTING THE BRITISH WITH BEES ... 67 
 
 X. A TIMELY JACK - o - LANTERN .... 73 
 
 XI. MERCY TYLER TRAPS A PANTHER ... 80 
 
 XII. BESSIE BRANDON S UNEXPECTED GUEST . . 86 
 
 XIII. DAVID MILLER KILLS A RATTLESNAKE . . 92 
 
 XIV. LITTLE JARVIS, THE MIDSHIPMAN .... 98 
 XV. HELEN PATTERSON S ESCAPE . . . .106 
 
 XVI. A LAST BLOW FOR SPAIN 112 
 
 XVII. THE CHARGE OF THE HOUNDS .... 121 
 
 XVIII. THE DEFENSE OF FORT STEPHENSON . . 126 
 
 Vll 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 Young Captain Grandpre, sword in hand, faced the 
 
 dragoon Frontispiece 
 
 Squanto now taught them how to get the old Indian 
 
 cornfield ready for a new crop .... Page 15 
 Mr. Dustin stopped his horse and faced the savages 23 
 
 " That will make King George gnash his teeth," 
 
 said the genial old gentleman .... 33 
 
 It was a mad race for an hour 57 
 
 " Do you please sit down with me, and I shall enjoy 
 
 this good breakfast with you " .... "90 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY 
 STORY-BOOK 
 
 ELIZABETH TILLEY, THE YOUNG PILGRIM GIRL 
 
 JOHN TILLEY was a blacksmith. He 
 lived in London, where with plenty of 
 work he made a home for himself and his 
 family. 
 
 Now there were some people in England 
 who did not like the English church and be 
 lieved they had a right to worship God in 
 their own way. John Tilley was one of them. 
 The King of England told them they must go 
 to his church or be sent to prison. Some of 
 these people were really put into prison; 
 others were driven from their homes and 
 native land; some were even put to death. 
 
 1 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 " Let us go away/ 7 they said to one an 
 other. " Let us find a country where we can 
 worship God as we please." 
 
 And so it came to pass that they hired a 
 vessel, and with their women and children 
 crossed the sea to Holland. Here they were 
 allowed to worship as they saw fit. 
 : .John Tilley s daughter Elizabeth thought 
 Holland was an odd country. Indeed it is. 
 It is almost as flat as a floor. It is so low and 
 so little above the level of the sea that the 
 tide could flow over the land. The people 
 of Holland built great walls, called dykes, 
 which kept the ocean out. But there were 
 canals which ran everywhere like great spider- 
 webs, even through the main streets of the 
 cities. 
 
 As the years passed by, other good people 
 came across the sea from England, to make 
 homes for themselves in Holland. At the 
 end of twelve years there were about a thou 
 sand of them. They were a thrifty and hard 
 working people. They liked their new friends, 
 
 2 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 and were liked by them. Still, it was not 
 England; and at last they began to feel that 
 it was not best for them to live any longer 
 in a strange land. Their children were already 
 learning the ways of the country and could 
 speak Dutch as well as English. 
 
 " We are pilgrims in a strange land," mur 
 mured the good Elder Brewster. 
 
 " This will never do in the world," said 
 Goodman Tilley to his wife one day. " Look 
 at Elizabeth and the children she is playing 
 with in the garden. They are talking Dutch 
 so fast I don t know a word they are saying. 
 It is high time for us to cross the great ocean 
 and make a new home for ourselves in 
 America." 
 
 " In truth, John," answered Goodwife Til- 
 ley, " we could indeed live there under the 
 rule of King James of England and yet be 
 free to worship as we pleased. Let us talk it 
 over with our good pastor, Elder Robinson, 
 and get his advice." 
 
 Thus it came about that in the suncuaer of 
 3 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 1620 a little company of these people bade 
 good-by to Holland, and sailed away to 
 England in an old vessel called the Speed 
 well. 
 
 Another vessel, named the Mayflower, was 
 waiting for them. The Speedwell, however, 
 was found to be too old and leaky to make the 
 voyage across the Atlantic. She was said to 
 be as open and leaky as a sieve. After many 
 delays a hundred people were crowded into 
 the Mayflower and set sail from Plymouth in 
 September, 1620, on the long voyage across the 
 sea. 
 
 At first Elizabeth Tilley and several other 
 young girls of her age liked to watch the waves 
 and the strange sights about the vessel. But 
 after a time it came on stormy, and the women 
 and children were often sent below, where it 
 was cold and dreary, with scarcely room 
 enough to move about. It was a long voyage 
 of sixty-three days. The Mayflower was a 
 frail rnd leaky craft to cross the Atlantic even 
 iri midsummer. Storm after storm arose, and 
 
 4 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 it often seemed as if the vessel would go to 
 the bottom with all on board. 
 
 In the midst of the ocean a baby was born 
 to Master Stephen Hopkins and his wife 
 Elizabeth. We are told that the tiny baby 
 was a great comfort to all on board. 
 
 " What shall we name him? " asked Eliza 
 beth Tilley of her mother one day, when the 
 boy was a week old. 
 
 " The poor thing was born on the ocean; 
 and why not call him Oceanus? : 
 
 The name pleased the mother, and the baby 
 was named Oceanus Hopkins. 
 
 " Land! land! " shouted a sailor, early one 
 morning. 
 
 Yes, there was land; but it was not Vir 
 ginia or New Jersey, as the Pilgrims expected. 
 The last storm had driven the Mayflower 
 out of her course. They had come to what 
 is now known as the coast of New Eng 
 land. The low, sandy beach before them 
 was the tip of Cape Cod. In spite of the per 
 ilous shoals and head winds the Mayflower 
 
 5 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 rounded the Cape, and soon dropped anchor 
 in what is now the harbor of Province- 
 town. 
 
 This was late in November, in the year 
 1620. How cold and bleak the icy coast of 
 Cape Cod looked on that November day! 
 There was not a living thing to be seen any 
 where, except the gulls, as they flew with 
 shrill cries across the harbor. 
 
 Before anybody went ashore, a writing was 
 drawn up, and forty-one of the men signed it. 
 They used Governor Bradford s chest for a 
 table. In this writing they said they would 
 defend one another and obey such laws as 
 should be made. They also chose John Carver 
 as governor of the colony. 
 
 Bright and early the first morning on shore 
 the women went to washing the clothes, for 
 they had not been able to do washing on 
 board the Mayflower. This was on a Monday; 
 and Monday, as we know, has ever since been 
 used in New England as wash-day. 
 
 Meanwhile the men made three trips along 
 6 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 the shore of Cape Cod Bay, to find a place 
 to build their homes. The third trip was made 
 in their frail sailboat. It was bitter cold, 
 and the sea was rough. A snowstorm set in, 
 and they were soon in great peril. The rudder 
 broke, and the mast came crashing down on 
 their heads. The men rowed toward a little 
 cove and brought their boat ashore. This 
 proved to be on an island well out from the 
 mainland. It is now known as Clarke s 
 Island. On the next day but one they rowed 
 over to the mainland. 
 
 At last they had found a good place. This 
 was Plymouth. They called it " a beautiful 
 spot, with cornfields and little running 
 brooks/ 7 They quickly sailed back to Cape 
 Cod to carry the good news. 
 
 The Mayflower had been at anchor in 
 Provincetown Harbor for a month. The 
 frozen sails were now unfurled, the anchor 
 raised, and the good ship was headed for the 
 mainland across the great bay of Cape Cod. 
 On Saturday, December 21, 1620, the May- 
 
 7 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 flower dropped anchor in Plymouth Harbor, 
 about a mile from the shore. 
 
 At last the long voyage was at an end. The 
 Pilgrims had found a home on the bleak shore 
 of New England. 
 
 And what about Elizabeth Tilley? John 
 Tilley and his wife did not endure the cold 
 and hunger of the first winter. They died 
 early the next spring. Elizabeth married a 
 man by the name of John Howland. This was 
 the young man that fell overboard in mid- 
 ocean, but was quick enough to catch hold of 
 a trailing rope, and was pulled on board the 
 Mayflower more dead than alive. As the 
 records tell us, this worthy couple were still 
 living thirty years after the landing, with a 
 family of ten children. Elizabeth lived for 
 sixty-seven years after reaching the Plymouth 
 shore. 
 
 8 
 
II 
 
 SQUANTO HELPS THE PILGRIMS 
 
 WHEN the Pilgrims reached New Eng 
 land, their hardships had only be 
 gun. The Mayflower had to anchor 
 more than a mile from the shore, the water 
 was so shallow. Except at high tide they 
 could not land, even in their boat, without 
 wading in the icy water. Some of the men 
 made a trip ashore to spy out the land. The 
 weather was cold and stormy and the whole 
 country looked bleak and dreary; for winter 
 had set in early that year. 
 
 The place where the Pilgrims landed had 
 once been an Indian village. They thought 
 they should find Indians lurking in the woods; 
 but all the people had died of the plague, 
 
 9 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 and not a living creature was to be seen. The 
 cornfields were left for the newcomers to 
 plant. There were several running brooks 
 and a large spring close by, from which they 
 could get plenty of fresh water. 
 
 The first thing to do was to stake out the 
 land and build some kind of house. That 
 first Christmas on the Plymouth shore must 
 indeed have been hard. Governor Bradford 
 wrote in his journal, " No man rested on that 
 day; we had a sore storm of wind and rain." 
 It was on that dreary Christmas morning that 
 they began to build their first log house, a 
 cabin about twenty feet square, for storing 
 their goods. 
 
 The women and children stayed on board 
 the Mayflower. They had to breathe the 
 bad air of the cabin, and suffered from cold 
 and hunger. The men came ashore in good 
 weather and worked all day in building log 
 cabins and moving their household goods. It 
 was slow and hard work. The winter days 
 were short and often stormy. It took a long 
 
 10 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 time to go to and from the vessel, and their 
 food was poor and scanty. 
 
 So slow was the work that at the end of the 
 first year there were only four log storehouses 
 and seven log cabins in the whole settlement. 
 
 Sickness and death came too. During the 
 first winter nearly one half of the colony died. 
 At one time there were only seven persons 
 well enough to wait on the sick and bury the 
 dead. 
 
 Governor Bradford wrote in his journal: 
 " On the third day of March it was warm and 
 fair; the birds sang in the woods most 
 pleasantly. In the afternoon there was a 
 thunderstorm, and it rained very sadly until 
 midnight." And two days later, we are told, 
 one of the children sowed some garden seeds. 
 
 One Friday afternoon in March, when the 
 Pilgrims were busy about their log cabins, a 
 tall, half -naked Indian came out of the woods 
 at the top of the hill. He walked boldly 
 toward the little village of log houses and 
 cried out, " Welcome, Englishmen, welcome! " 
 
 11 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 It seems that the Indian s name was 
 Samoset and that he had lived on the coast 
 of Maine, where he picked up a few English 
 words from the fishermen. It was believed 
 that he mistook the Mayflower for a fishing 
 vessel and felt free to enter the little village. 
 
 The Pilgrims treated their savage guest 
 kindly. They gave him a coat to cover his 
 bare shoulders; and they fed him on " bis 
 cuit, butter, cheese, pudding, and roast duck." 
 They would gladly have got rid of their 
 guest for the night, but he was not willing to 
 go; and so they let him stay in one of the 
 log houses, where they watched him to keep 
 him from doing harm. In the morning they 
 sent him away, u after giving him a knife, a 
 bracelet, and a ring." 
 
 Samoset was so well pleased with his new 
 friends that he came back on a visit the next 
 day, which was Sunday. This time he brought 
 five other Indians with him. They were tall, 
 sturdy men, dressed in deerskins. Some had 
 their faces painted black. They brought their 
 
 12 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 own food with them. It was Indian corn. 
 They pounded it into meal, put it into a little 
 water, and then ate it. Governor Bradford 
 says: " They would eat liberally of our Eng 
 lish victuals; although it was Sunday, the 
 redskins sang and danced, after their manner, 
 like antics." 
 
 The Pilgrims sent the Indians away before 
 night. Samoset pretended to be sick; he 
 would not go until the next Wednesday. He 
 went home a well-pleased and proud Indian, 
 for the Pilgrims gave him " a hat, a pair of 
 shoes and stockings, a shirt, and a piece of 
 cloth to tie about his waist. " 
 
 On Thursday Samoset came again, bringing 
 still another Indian with him. The name of 
 this Indian was Squanto, a sort of nickname 
 for Squantum or Tisquantum. 
 
 It seems that Squanto had once lived in this 
 region, but had been kidnapped by the cap 
 tain of an English vessel and carried to Eng 
 land. He lived in London and learned to 
 speak English pretty well. Then some kind- 
 
 13 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 hearted sea-captain brought him back and put 
 him ashore on the coast of Maine. Thence he 
 wandered back to his native place, only to 
 find most of his people dead. Squanto said 
 that many Indians once lived in this region 
 and had large fields of corn; but some dreadful 
 disease broke out, from which nearly all of 
 them died. 
 
 Squanto proved a useful friend to the Pil 
 grims from the very first. He took them out 
 to a little river close by, and showed them how 
 to fish for eels. He trod the eels out of the 
 mud and caught them with his hands. Gov 
 ernor Bradford says in his journal, " The eels 
 were fat and sweet, and our people were glad 
 of them/ 7 
 
 Shortly afterwards Squanto came to live 
 with the Pilgrims. It would be a long story to 
 tell you all this Indian did for his half-starved 
 friends. 
 
 When the Pilgrims made their first trip 
 along the shore of Cape Cod they found 
 several basketfuls of corn, which the Indians 
 
 14 
 
SQUANTO NOW TAUGHT THEM HOW TO GET THE OLD 
 
 INDIAN CORNFIELD READY FOR A NEW CROP. 
 
 Page 15- 
 

THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 had buried in the sand. They saved enough 
 of this to plant in the spring. Squanto now 
 taught them how to get the old Indian corn 
 field ready for a new crop. He showed them 
 how to catch the little fish called alewives, 
 and put two or three into every hill of corn 
 to make the corn grow better. He also showed 
 his friends how to watch the cornfields to 
 prevent the wolves from digging up the fish. 
 
 It has been said that without the seed corn 
 and the help of Squanto the whole Plymouth 
 settlement would have starved to death 
 before the end of the first year. The Pilgrims 
 had left their old home in England without 
 hooks and lines for fishing. Here again 
 Squanto was able to lend a hand, and taught 
 his friends how to catch fish and lobsters 
 after the Indian fashion. 
 
 Squanto now began to serve the settlers in 
 another way. The chief of the Indians in the 
 Plymouth region was Massasoit. He had 
 been told wonderful things about the white- 
 faced strangers, and wished to visit them- 
 
 15 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 One day he came with some of his warriors 
 to the top of the hill to make a friendly visit, 
 and Squanto was sent out to talk with him. 
 Shortly afterward Massasoit and twenty red 
 skins came tramping into the settlement, 
 leaving their bows and arrows behind them. 
 This Indian chief was a tall, strong young 
 man. He wore a large chain of white bone 
 beads about his neck; at the back of his neck 
 hung a little bag of tobacco, which he smoked 
 and gave to the Pilgrims to smoke. His 
 face was painted a deep red; his head and 
 face were so covered with oil that he " looked 
 greasily." His warriors were tall and strong, 
 and were painted, some black, some red, 
 some yellow, and some white. 
 
 The chief and his warriors went marching 
 slowly along the narrow street and into the 
 large log cabin. A great noise was made with 
 a trumpet, and some of the men fired their 
 muskets. Governor Bradford did the honors. 
 He kissed the chief s hand, and Massasoit 
 kissed the governor, and then they sat down 
 
 16 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 for a talk. The Indian chief sat on a green 
 mat, with some cushions placed round him. 
 
 Massasoit was greatly pleased with his re 
 ception. A copper chain and some beads 
 were given to him. He said he would live in 
 peace with his white-faced friends. The red 
 skin chief kept his word. The treaty was 
 kept sacred for more than fifty years. 
 
 Squanto liked to tell his Indian friends 
 about the white-faced settlers. He said the 
 Pilgrims kept gunpowder in the cellars of the 
 log cabins; in the same place, he said, where 
 the plague was kept. If an Indian did any 
 harm to the strangers, the plague would be 
 let loose to destroy every redskin along the 
 coast. 
 
 The Pilgrims owed a good deal of money to 
 their friends in England; for they had been 
 obliged to run into debt to fit out the May 
 flower. After a while they coasted along the 
 shore to trade with the Indians for furs and 
 corn. On such trips Squanto was a great 
 help as pilot. Late one fall, about two years 
 
 17 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 after Squanto came to live with the Pilgrims, 
 he sailed with his friends outside of Cape Cod 
 as far as the elbow. This place is now known 
 as Chatham. Here the Indians were shy of the 
 strangers, but Squanto at last induced them 
 to sell eight hogsheads of corn and beans. 
 
 Poor Squanto! On this trip he was taken 
 with a fever and died in a few days. Before he 
 died he gave some of his things to his English 
 friends as keepsakes. His last words were, 
 " Pray that the Indian Squanto may go to 
 the white man s heaven." 
 
 18 
 
Ill 
 
 THE BRAVERY OF HANNAH DUSTIN 
 
 KING PHILIP, the famous Indian chief, 
 was killed just a hundred years before 
 the Declaration of Independence. His 
 death put an end to the so-called King Philip s 
 War. The settlers in New England now had 
 a period of rest from the redskins. 
 
 Peace did not last long. Another war came. 
 This was called King William s War. It be 
 gan in the year 1690, and lasted seven years. 
 At this time William was king of England, 
 and Louis XIV was king of France. Louis 
 declared war against William, and ordered his 
 people in Canada to make war on the English 
 people who had settled along the coast of 
 New England. 
 
 19 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 Now we must keep in mind that in this war, 
 as in the other French and Indian Wars, the 
 Indians generally fought on the side of the 
 French, against the English. The savages 
 came down from Canada, sometimes on snow- 
 shoes in the dead of winter, and did all 
 manner of cruel deeds. They killed the 
 settlers, burned their log cabins, and carried 
 off the women and children to Canada, where 
 they traded them for strong drink, muskets, 
 and gunpowder. 
 
 The last years of King William s War were 
 dreadful. We are told that twelve hundred 
 cabins were burned and that nearly six hun 
 dred persons were killed or carried away to 
 Canada as prisoners. It was a life of constant 
 terror. 
 
 There are many thrilling tales of those 
 Indian attacks. Few other towns suffered 
 so many hardships as Haverhill, Massachu 
 setts, now a large and prosperous city, but 
 in those early days a little village of thirty log 
 cabins. The redskins used to come down the 
 
 20 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 Merrimac River in their canoes and lurk in the 
 woods for weeks to burn some lonely house or 
 scalp the men at work in the fields. They 
 would then paddle up the river with their 
 captives and steal out of sight in the deep 
 forests of New Hampshire. 
 
 One morning in the middle of March, 1697, 
 a settler named Thomas Dustin was busy 
 cutting firewood half a mile or so from his 
 cabin and about two miles from Haverhill. 
 His wife, Hannah Dustin, was sick in bed. 
 
 All of a sudden, with wild yells, a party of 
 twenty Indians rushed out of the woods and 
 started across the clearing toward the cabin. 
 
 " Indians! Indians! Here they come! " 
 shouted Hannah, the oldest daughter, bursting 
 into the house. 
 
 " Now, Hannah, and you, Elizabeth, get the 
 little ones out of the house as quick as you 
 can and run down the road! " cried Mrs. 
 Neff, who was nursing Mrs. Dustin. " See 
 if you can reach the village before the Indians 
 get you." 
 
 21 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 There was not a moment to spare. Down 
 the cart-road, through the woods, ran the 
 seven Dustin children as fast as their legs 
 could carry them. Thomas, a stout lad of 
 fourteen, carried Timothy, only three years 
 old, while little Jonathan and Abigail did their 
 best to keep up with the older children. 
 
 Mr. Dustin, who was at work at the edge 
 of the woods, had seen the Indians crossing the 
 clearing. He seized his musket, jumped on 
 his horse, and galloped home. 
 
 " Keep to the cart-road, children! Run for 
 your lives! " 
 
 When he reached the cabin, the Indians 
 were already inside. It seemed to him there 
 was only one thing to do. He must leave his 
 wife and try to save his children. 
 
 In another moment he was galloping down 
 the road. He caught up with the children 
 about a quarter of a mile from the house. For 
 a moment he thought he would take up the 
 little boy or the little girl; but he made up 
 his mind to try to save them all. 
 
 22 
 
MR. DUSTIN STOPPED HIS HORSE AND FACED THE 
 SAVAGES. Page 23. 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 " Run, children, run! HI keep the Indians 
 back; run for the blockhouse on the hill! " 
 
 Half a dozen Indians had left the cabin 
 and were coming after them. Mr. Dustin 
 stopped his horse and faced the savages. They 
 fired at him. He fired back, and a savage fell. 
 The Indians stopped for a moment, and Mr. 
 Dustin turned and galloped after his children. 
 The Indians came on again and fired at him. 
 He returned the fire and again followed the 
 children. 
 
 After a time the savages gave up the chase 
 and ran back to the cabin. Mr. Dustin and 
 the children soon reached the clearing in 
 front of the blockhouse. The people rushed 
 out to their help, and the next minute all 
 were safe inside. 
 
 Poor Mrs. Dustin was having a hard time of 
 it. The savages dragged the weak and 
 trembling woman out of bed and gave her a 
 few minutes to dress. They took from the 
 cabin all they could carry with them, and 
 then set it on fire. Mrs. Dustin, with Mrs. 
 
 23 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY-BOOK 
 
 Neff carrying the baby, together with about 
 a dozen other captives, had to begin the long 
 tramp to Canada. The party had gone only 
 a little way when the baby began to cry. A 
 savage took it and killed it. 
 
 It was a long and weary tramp through the 
 deep forests of New Hampshire. Mrs. Dustin 
 and Mrs. Neff fell to the lot of an Indian 
 called Big Bear, who lived a few miles above 
 Concord, on an island in the Merrimac 
 River. This island has ever since been known 
 as Dustin s Island. The Indian s family 
 consisted of two warriors, three squaws, and 
 seven children, besides a lad named Samuel 
 Lenardson, captured two years before. 
 
 " Mary/ 7 said Mrs. Dustin one day to Mrs. 
 Neff, " the Indians have told Sam that we 
 are soon to start for Canada. I am not going 
 to tramp there, to be sold like cattle or to be 
 tortured. I have a plan by which we may 
 escape and perhaps get home again." 
 
 Mrs. Dustin said she would kill Big Bear 
 with a tomahawk. Mrs. Neff was to shoot the 
 
 24 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY-BOOK 
 
 other Indian, while Sam was to kill one of the 
 squaws. After this all three were to kill the 
 rest of the Indians as best they could. 
 
 Long before daybreak Mrs. Dustin silently 
 waked Mrs. Neff and the boy. The Indians 
 were sound asleep. Still as mice, these three 
 people stole across the wigwam and stood over 
 the victims. 
 
 " Now! " cried Mrs. Dustin, and all did 
 their part. 
 
 All three Indians were killed. Short work 
 was made of seven of the others. One Indian 
 woman, although struck several times with 
 a tomahawk, escaped into the woods. One 
 Indian boy, in the words of the famous Cotton 
 Mather, to whom Mrs. Dustin told her story 
 five years after, " scuttled away from this 
 desolation " into the forest. 
 
 Not a moment was to be lost. The two 
 Indians who had escaped might carry the 
 alarm tc other redskins. With the tomahawks 
 they made holes in all the canoes but one. 
 They then took a few handfuls of dried corn 
 
 25 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 from the wigwam, threw some blankets into 
 the canoe, and the next moment they were 
 paddling down the river. 
 
 Mrs. Dustin suddenly stopped paddling. 
 
 "Why, Mary!" she cried; "our people 
 will never believe we killed ten Indians. We 
 must go back and scalp them, and carry the 
 scalps home with us." 
 
 So back to the wigwam the women paddled 
 the canoe. Soon ten bloody scalps, wrapped 
 in a piece of cloth, were laid in the bottom of 
 the canoe. Once more the two women were 
 paddling swiftly down the Merrimac. There 
 was danger every moment from lurking In 
 dians, or from the rapids, swollen by the 
 spring floods. 
 
 In spite of perils and narrow escapes, the 
 tired and weary party reached Haverhill in 
 safety. Great was the surprise when they 
 walked into the little village. Their friends 
 had given them up for dead. Still greater 
 was the wonder when the settlers saw the 
 scalps. And we can well believe that the 
 
 26 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 Dustin children shed tears of joy when 
 they saw their mother home again safe and 
 well. 
 
 The story of Hannah Dustin s exploit went 
 far and wide. The colony paid her fifty dollars 
 apiece for the scalps. And even the governor 
 of far-away Maryland sent her a present, 
 with a letter praising her for her brave deed. 
 
 The famous tomahawk was lost, but the 
 musket is still to be seen in Haverhill, while 
 several pieces of the cloth in which the scalps 
 were wrapped are kept as relics by the great- 
 great-great-grandchildren of Hannah Dustin. 
 
 27 
 
IV 
 
 A FAMOUS WRITING - DESK 
 
 THE War of the American Revolution 
 began in 1775. Up to that time the 
 colonies in this country were subject 
 to England. 
 
 In 1760, George the Third, a young man of 
 twenty-two, came to the English throne. He 
 needed money and listened to the advice of 
 unwise men. 
 
 " Tax the Americans/ 7 they urged; " make 
 them pay on everything they receive in our 
 ships; they are rich and will not mind it." 
 
 King George tried in another way also to 
 force money out of the colonists. A law was 
 made that every piece of paper on which 
 notes, deeds, and such things were written, 
 
 28 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 should have a stamp on it. Even the alma 
 nacs and the newspapers had to have stamps 
 on them. These stamps cost from one cent 
 to fifty cents each. 
 
 This law was called the Stamp Act. It 
 made the people very angry. In Virginia a 
 great and bold patriot named Patrick Henry 
 told the people to use any paper they pleased, 
 and pay no heed to the new law. The people 
 made up their minds not to submit to such 
 taxation. They refused to buy the stamps 
 and burned all they could get. On the day 
 the law went into effect shops were closed, 
 church bells tolled, and flags were placed 
 at half-mast. 
 
 Not long after this the English king laid a 
 tax on glass, paper, tea, and other things. 
 
 The trouble between the king and his 
 American subjects grew more and more 
 bitter. 
 
 " Pay the taxes," King George insisted, 
 " or I will send my soldiers and make you." 
 
 Our people replied that it was not the 
 29 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 amount of the tax that they cared for. They 
 claimed that King George had no right to tax 
 them at all without their consent; and they 
 declared over and over that they would not 
 obey. 
 
 True to his word, King George sent soldiers 
 to force the people to submit. Two regiments 
 of redcoats were quartered in Boston. 
 
 This of course made our people very angry. 
 They hated the soldiers and called them bad 
 names. The soldiers paid back insult with 
 insult. 
 
 One day a number of angry schoolboys 
 complained to the British commander that 
 the redcoats had destroyed their sledding on 
 Boston Common. 
 
 " The very children here," remarked Gen 
 eral Gage to one of his officers, " draw in a 
 love of liberty with the air they breathe." 
 
 Then a quarrel arose one evening in Boston 
 between the soldiers and the people. The 
 soldiers fired into the crowd, and five people 
 were killed and seven wounded. 
 
 30 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 The bells of the city were rung, and the 
 roar of angry voices filled the narrow streets. 
 Quiet was not restored until the troops were 
 sent to a fort in the harbor. 
 
 Three years later King George took the 
 tax off everything except tea. He said he 
 kept this to show the Yankees he had a 
 right to tax them. 
 
 Ship after ship filled with tea was sent to 
 this country, but not a pound of it was 
 allowed to be sold. Hundreds of chests were 
 stored in damp cellars and left to spoil. 
 Some of the ships carried their cargoes back 
 to England. 
 
 One winter day in 1773 two ships came to 
 Boston, but were not allowed to unload their 
 tea. In the night a party of men dressed like 
 Indians rushed on board the vessel, broke 
 open the chests, three hundred and forty-two 
 in all, and threw their contents into the sea. 
 
 Of course the king was very angry. More 
 troops were sent over, and affairs went 
 rapidly from bad to worse. 
 
 31 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 i 
 
 Wise men all over the land saw that war 
 must come. Guns and gunpowder were made 
 ready. Hundreds of men formed themselves 
 in companies to fight at a minute s notice. 
 
 War broke out shortly afterwards. It 
 began with the Battle of Lexington, April 19, 
 1775. A few weeks later a hard-fought battle 
 took place on Bunker Hill. 
 
 We must not forget that during all this 
 time our people called themselves loyal British 
 subjects. They had fought as Englishmen 
 for their rights, and not against England. 
 
 Slowly but surely, however, the idea of 
 independence began to grow. Men saw that 
 they were really fighting for freedom. Public 
 meetings were called, and the question was 
 talked over. Some of the best men in the 
 colonies were sent to Philadelphia to attend a 
 meeting there. On that occasion a staunch 
 patriot from Virginia offered a resolution, 
 saying, " These united colonies are, and of a 
 right ought to be, a free and independent 
 state," 
 
 32 
 
"THAT WILL MAKE KING GEORGE GNASH HIS TEETH, 
 SAID THE GENIAL OLD GENTLEMAN. Page 33. 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 Five of the ablest men of the country were 
 selected to prepare a statement for publica 
 tion. Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, chairman 
 of this committee, was chosen to draw up the 
 paper. He was not a strong public speaker, 
 but he was known as a writer of plain and 
 simple English. 
 
 Now Jefferson had rented rooms of a 
 cabinet-maker named Ben Randall; and it 
 seems that he planned a writing-desk, and 
 had Mr. Randall make it for him. It was a 
 plain little affair of mahogany, and stood only 
 about three inches high from the table on 
 which it was placed. 
 
 Well, this desk has come to be famous, for 
 on it Jefferson wrote that wonderful docu 
 ment known as the Declaration of Inde 
 pendence. 
 
 When Jefferson had finished the writing, he 
 invited Benjamin Franklin to call at his room 
 to hear what he had written. 
 
 " That s good enough; I wish I had written 
 it myself; that will make King George gnash 
 
 33 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY-BOOK 
 
 his teeth," said the genial old gentleman, 
 when the different passages were read to him. 
 
 There was a lively debate when the Dec 
 laration was presented to the delegates at 
 Philadelphia. With a few slight changes, 
 however, it was finally adopted. It was 
 signed on July 4, 1776. 
 
 We may be sure it was a time of deep in 
 terest to the hundreds gathered outside the 
 Old State House on that hot July afternoon. 
 The old bell-ringer had been in the belfry 
 since morning, having placed a boy in the 
 hall below to wait for the signal. 
 
 " They will never do it, they will never do 
 it! " cried the old bell-ringer, impatiently 
 shaking his head. 
 
 Suddenly a shout came from below. The 
 boy, wild with excitement, came running up 
 the belfry stairs, calling out, " Ring! ring! " 
 
 And the old man rang the bell as it had 
 never been rung before. 
 
 Riders on the swiftest horses carried the 
 glad news far and wide. Cannon were fired, 
 
 34 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 bells were rung, patriotic music was played, 
 flags were flung to the breeze, and bonfires 
 were lighted on hills and mountains. 
 
 Look at a copy of the Declaration of Inde 
 pendence and see the big bold signature of 
 John Hancock of Massachusetts. * 
 
 " There! n exclaimed this great patriot; 
 " King George can read that without spec 
 tacles. " 
 
 Stephen Hopkins of Rhode Island was sick 
 at this time; his name is written with a 
 shaky hand. 
 
 " See how my hand trembles," he said; 
 " but my heart does not." 
 
 " We must all hang together in this matter/ 
 were the words of John Hancock, when they 
 crowded round the table to sign their names 
 to the document. 
 
 " Surely," replied the witty Benjamin 
 Franklin; " we must indeed, or we shall all 
 hang separately." 
 
 All honor to the fifty-six bold patriots who 
 signed the Declaration of Independence. They 
 
 35 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 staked " their lives, their fortunes, and their 
 sacred honor." They were chosen men of 
 high purpose and exalted character. They 
 were fit to become the leaders of the young 
 nation. 
 
 Thomas Jefferson s Declaration of Inde 
 pendence is now in Washington. It has 
 become worn and faded, but is preserved as 
 a most sacred document. 
 
 As for the little mahogany writing-desk, it 
 too has found its way to Washington, to rest 
 with other precious relics of colonial days. 
 Jefferson gave it, when an old man, to his 
 granddaughter. It remained in her family 
 until recently, when it was presented to 
 Congress and became the property of the 
 nation. 
 
 36 
 
BESSIE FISHER OUTWITS THE TORIES 
 
 DURING the time of our Revolution 
 the country north of New York City 
 was wild and rugged. This region 
 was often called the neutral ground; for it 
 was not within either the British or the 
 American lines. It extended for thirty miles 
 along the Hudson River, and took in nearly 
 all of Westchester County. 
 
 The reckless and lawless stragglers of both 
 armies found it a convenient place to do about 
 as they pleased. Houses and barns were 
 burned, crops destroyed, and cattle and horses 
 stolen to such an extent that the people were 
 heartily sick and tired of war. 
 
 These stragglers were divided into two 
 37 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 parties. The cowboys, as they were called, 
 belonged mostly to the British side, and spent 
 their time in stealing cattle and driving them 
 to New York. The second party was known 
 as the Skinners. They lived chiefly within the 
 patriot lines, but they were brutal and cruel, 
 and plundered and stole everything they 
 could lay their hands on. 
 
 This neutral ground, which was almost 
 like a battlefield, was not a pleasant place 
 for a young couple to begin housekeeping in, 
 but just as the war broke out Andrew and 
 Bessie Fisher moved into their neat little log 
 cabin on one of the hillsides. 
 
 They lived in peace only a few weeks. 
 Andrew enlisted in the patriot army, and soon 
 became one of Washington s boldest and most 
 trusted scouts. The young bride went to 
 Washington s camp and nursed the sick and 
 wounded soldiers. After a time, however, she 
 went home; and she was living alone at the 
 time our story begins. The young husband 
 now and then made short trips to see his wife; 
 
 38 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 but such visits were full of risk. The British 
 were always on the watch to capture him. 
 
 Late one afternoon Andrew came rushing 
 into the house. 
 
 " Save me! Save me, Bessie! The redcoats 
 are after me, just round the bend of the road. 
 Hide me, or they will catch me." 
 
 Bessie quickly pulled up some of the rough 
 boards of the kitchen floor. There was a hole 
 beneath, deep enough to conceal a man. 
 
 " Jump in here! Quick, Andrew! " 
 
 The young man crawled in, and Bessie put 
 the boards in place, just as the British soldiers 
 began to pound on the door of the cabin. 
 
 " Surrender, you rebel! We saw you run 
 in! " shouted the officer in command. " We 
 have got you this time! : 
 
 Bessie s heart was beating fast, but she put 
 on a calm face. " Search the house all you 
 please," was her quiet answer. 
 
 The troopers rushed in and examined every 
 nook and corner of the cabin, but no scout 
 could they find. 
 
 39 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 Before midnight Andrew crawled out of the 
 dark hole under the kitchen floor and escaped 
 to Washington s camp. 
 
 On another occasion, not many months 
 later, Mrs. Fisher was again expecting a visit 
 from her husband. The time was indeed 
 full of peril, for the cowboys and Skinners 
 were doing wicked things in the neutral 
 ground. The devoted wife, however, was 
 keeping close watch. Just at sunset she looked 
 out of her cabin window to be sure that nobody 
 was in sight. 
 
 She watched a clump of woods a little way 
 back of the cabin. Suddenly she saw a man 
 running at full speed toward her. As he 
 dashed along he looked back, stumbled and 
 fell, but in a flash was up and running again, 
 as if for life. 
 
 " It must be Andrew. The Tories are after 
 him again. Oh dear! what shall we do? 
 
 The scout was soon inside the house. 
 
 " The Tories! They are coming! Hide me 
 quick, somewhere, anywhere! " 
 
 40 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 " Oh, what shall I do? " thought the good 
 wife. " They will surely capture him this 
 time. Oh, what shall I do? " 
 
 She glanced into the yard. Near the kitchen 
 door she saw her hens scratching in the ash 
 heap. She seized a feather brush that was 
 hanging beside the fireplace. She pulled out 
 several quills, and with a knitting-needle 
 pushed the pith out. Then she joined the 
 quills together, making a tube of them. 
 
 " Quick, Andrew! There is not a minute 
 to spare." 
 
 She ran into the yard with a shovel and 
 began digging in the side of the ash heap. 
 
 " Quick! " and she gave the quill tube to her 
 husband. " Hold this in your mouth and get 
 into this hole; I will cover you up. Keep your 
 eyes and mouth shut." 
 
 The scout lay down in the hole. Quick as 
 a wink his wife covered him with ashes, 
 leaving the end of the tube free, so that he 
 could breathe. 
 
 She then hurried back into the house and 
 41 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 stood ready to greet her visitors when they 
 came riding up to the door. 
 
 " Who are you, and what do you want? " 
 she asked. 
 
 " Let us have that young Andrew Fisher/ 
 replied the captain of the Tory party. 
 
 " Come in and find him, if you think he is 
 here/ 
 
 " Come on, boys! " and the captain led the 
 way. " Last year this woman hid her husband 
 under the kitchen floor. Perhaps he is hid 
 there now." 
 
 Twenty or more of the Tory band searched 
 the cabin. They took up the kitchen floor; 
 they tore open the feather beds; they kicked 
 over tables and chairs; they went up the lad 
 der and examined the loft. But no Andrew 
 Fisher was to be found. 
 
 " Go out and search the barn," ordered the 
 captain, walking toward the ash heap. 
 
 And now poor Bessie was almost ready to 
 faint with fear. But the officer soon left the 
 spot and followed his men to the barn. 
 
 42 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 At last, after ransacking the premises, the 
 Tories gave up the search. 
 
 "If we ever catch that rebel husband of 
 yours, we will hang him to the nearest tree! " 
 shouted the angry captain, as he and his gang 
 rode off down the valley. 
 
 It was a strange-looking man that crawled 
 out of the ash heap a few minutes after the 
 Tories rode away. Covered from head to 
 foot with ashes, almost choked for want of 
 air, and his eyes rilled with dust, the poor 
 scout looked sorry enough. But soap and 
 water soon made a new man of him. 
 
 " What were you thinking of when you were 
 under the ashes? " asked Bessie, with a hearty 
 laugh. 
 
 " I thought of what our good preacher says 
 sometimes, Ashes to ashes. 
 
 " True enough/ added Bessie; " but out 
 of the ashes you came to life again. Perhaps 
 it will be so with our poor country." 
 
 43 
 
VI 
 
 TEMPY WICKS HIDES HER HORSE 
 
 THE War of the Revolution had been 
 going on for two years. Washington 
 and his army were in camp near 
 Morristown, New Jersey, not far from New 
 York City. The British army was in camp 
 near by. 
 
 A little distance away was an estate known 
 as the Wicks farm. On it lived its owner, Mr. 
 Wicks, with an only daughter, a young girl 
 named Temperance. She was called Tempy 
 for short. She owned a fine horse named 
 Flora. 
 
 Now that there was war in the land, strag 
 glers from both armies were making no end of 
 trouble. Still, the young girl rode here and 
 
 44 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 there and everywhere, without fear, just as 
 she had done in times of peace. 
 
 " Washington s soldiers will do me no 
 harm/ thought Tempy; " and I am sure 
 my Flora can run faster than any horse the 
 redcoats have. Let them catch me if they 
 can." 
 
 It was a lovely afternoon in June, and 
 Tempy was returning home through the 
 woods after a long ride. She was within a 
 mile or so of the farm. All of a sudden from 
 a clump of bushes beside the road stepped 
 out a dozen British soldiers. 
 
 " Halt, young woman! " cried the sergeant. 
 
 She looked round in surprise. There were 
 the redcoats drawn up in line, aiming their 
 guns at her. The girl spoke to her horse, 
 and the faithful animal stopped. Up rushed 
 the soldiers and seized the bridle. 
 
 " What do you want of me? " asked Tempy; 
 " this horse is mine, and I am on my way 
 home; you have no right to stop me." 
 
 " Never mind, miss; this is a fine horse of 
 45 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 yours; " and the sergeant took a good look 
 at Flora. 
 
 " She certainly is, but she belongs to me, 
 and I must ride home at once; so let me 
 go." 
 
 " Not so fast, young lady," continued the 
 officer. " This is just the horse my captain 
 wants; his own horse died last week." 
 
 " I don t care anything about your captain 
 and what he wants," cried Tempy, getting a 
 little angry. " Go about your business and 
 let me get home." 
 
 " I have orders to take horses wherever I 
 find them," was the calm reply of the officer; 
 " so, young miss, jump down! " 
 
 The girl saw that the redcoats were in ear 
 nest and were bound to rob her of her horse. 
 She was keen-witted and quickly made up her 
 mind what to do. She pretended to be get 
 ting ready to dismount. The redcoat who 
 held the bridle let go of it, and turned aside 
 for a moment to speak to a comrade. Quick 
 as a flash the girl gave the spirited horse a 
 
 46 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 cut with her whip, dashed between two of the 
 soldiers, and was gone. 
 
 " Fire, men, fire! " shouted the sergeant. 
 
 Bang! Bang! Bang! 
 
 The soldiers had fired their guns into the 
 air, thinking to make the girl stop. 
 
 It was too late. Tempy was far down the 
 road, riding as fast as the swift horse could 
 carry her. 
 
 The redcoats did not give up the chase. 
 Some of them knew where the girl lived. They 
 ran through the woods, hoping to reach the 
 Wicks farm first. 
 
 " What shall I do with Flora when I get 
 her home? " and Tempy wrinkled her pretty 
 brow; " there are no men to help me, and 
 these redcoats will be sure to go to the barn 
 and carry her off. What shall I do? " 
 
 She could ride over to one of the neighbors, 
 but sooner or later she would have to come 
 back. The redcoats would watch for her, 
 even if it took a week. If she tied her horse 
 to a tree in the woods and came back on foot, 
 
 47 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 the soldiers would soon find the animal s 
 hiding-place. 
 
 Tempy did some lively thinking while she 
 was riding home. An idea came to her just 
 as she was within sight of the house. She 
 looked down the road. The redcoats were not 
 in sight. 
 
 Not a moment was to be lost. She dashed 
 through the front gate of the large yard 
 and jumped from her horse at the back door. 
 Opening the door, she led the gentle animal 
 through the kitchen into the front hall, and 
 then into the parlor. 
 
 Now off the parlor was a bedroom, which 
 was a guest chamber. There was only one 
 window, arid the shutters were closed when 
 the room was not in use. Into this dark 
 room Tempy quickly led her horse, and tied 
 her to the bedpost. 
 
 Hardly had the young girl made everything 
 snug when the angry soldiers came tramping 
 into the yard. They searched the big barn, 
 the carriage house, and the woodshed. At 
 
 48 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 last they came into the house and looked high 
 and low, but they did not find the horse. 
 
 Where did you hide that horse, young 
 girl? " growled the sergeant. " Tell us, or 
 there will be trouble. 77 
 
 " Very well/ 7 smiled Tempy; " but if you 
 get my horse, you will have to find her first." 
 
 Angry words were of no use; and at last 
 the redcoats gave up the search and rode back 
 to their camp. Flora was quietly eating her 
 oats in the best bedroom. The noise of her 
 feet had been muffled with a litter of hay. 
 
 As the story goes, Tempy kept her horse in 
 the bedroom for three weeks. Shortly after 
 ward the British troops broke up their camp 
 in New Jersey and went back to New York. 
 Not one of them, however, rode on Tempy s 
 horse. When the redcoats had gone, Flora 
 came out of the guest chamber and went 
 back to her stall in the big barn. 
 
 49 
 
VII 
 
 PEGGY MILLER GOES MARKETING 
 
 " T IT TELL, Peggy, my girl, I have told 
 
 \ \ y u exactly what to say and what 
 
 to do; and now if you are really 
 
 afraid, you need not go. The trip is full of 
 
 danger, and you are pretty young to be sent 
 
 on such an errand. " 
 
 " Perhaps I am a bit afraid, Major Tal- 
 madge," quietly answered Peggy Miller, a 
 young girl of sixteen. " But never mind that; 
 I am ready to go and I ll do my best." 
 
 For several months there had been sharp 
 fighting around Philadelphia. The patriot 
 army had the worst of it. General Washing 
 ton and his ragged, half-starved men were in 
 camp a few miles outside of Philadelphia, 
 
 50 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 while the British were living in the city itself, 
 in ease and comfort. 
 
 Major Talmadge was in command of patriot 
 cavalry that rode to and fro between the out 
 posts of the two armies. His duty was to find 
 out what he could about the British and send 
 the news to headquarters. 
 
 This patriot officer had sent some of his 
 youngest men, dressed as country lads, into 
 the city with garden stuff to sell. The young 
 men went to certain houses and brought back 
 important information and letters, which 
 were sent at once to General Washington at 
 Valley Forge. But Major Talmadge had been 
 warned that his messengers were suspected 
 by the British, and that it would be no longer 
 safe to send them again on such dangerous 
 errands. 
 
 At the time of our story, which was in the 
 winter of 1777, it was certain that the British 
 were getting ready to make an important 
 move. General Washington must learn their 
 purpose, and learn it at once. 
 
 51 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 Major Talmadge and a few of his bold 
 riders were staying at a small tavern a few 
 miles from Philadelphia. The tavern was kept 
 by a Mrs. Miller, whose husband and son 
 were at Valley Forge with Washington. Her 
 only daughter, Peggy, helped about the inn. 
 
 " Your daughter is just the one to go into 
 the city and bring back the news I must 
 have," said Major Talmadge to Mrs. Miller 
 on this winter morning. 
 
 " Peggy is willing to help, Major, but she is 
 too young to go on such an errand." 
 
 In came the girl herself. 
 
 " Let me try, mother," she urged; " I 
 am not afraid of the redcoats; I cannot be 
 idle while father and brother Ben are freezing 
 and starving at Valley Forge." 
 
 And so it came about that the young girl, 
 carrying a basket of eggs on her arm, set out 
 for Philadelphia early the next morning. The 
 country roads were bad, and the day was cold. 
 These things did not trouble her, for she was 
 thinking more of the peril before her. 
 
 52 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 Nobody paid any heed to her until she was 
 near the city. 
 
 " Here, my girl! Stop and tell us what you 
 have to sell/ cried one of a half dozen British 
 soldiers standing near the roadside. 
 
 Peggy s heart began to thump, and she 
 wished she were at home with her mother. 
 
 " Only a few fresh eggs/ she replied, turning 
 pale. 
 
 " Good! I will take all you have; our mess 
 is sadly in need of fresh eggs." 
 
 " No, indeed, sir, I cannot let you have all, 
 for most of them are promised to Mistress 
 Morgan on Chestnut Street." 
 
 " Aha! that s the house where all you coun 
 try people sell your stuff. Something is wrong 
 about that house." 
 
 Peggy set her basket down on the ground. 
 
 " I can sell you two dozen; " and she began 
 to count out the eggs. 
 
 " Nay, nay, my girl; we don t want your 
 eggs; I was only in fun. Some of you people 
 are bringing in strange things for sale. Go 
 
 53 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 and sell your eggs; I think you are an honest 
 
 girl." 
 
 Peggy picked up her basket and walked on. 
 Once she looked back and saw the soldiers 
 watching her. They seemed to be talking 
 about her. She hurried along until she 
 reached the street where Mrs. Morgan lived. 
 She ran up the steps of the mansion and 
 lifted the huge knocker. A redcoat stand 
 ing at the street corner watched her as she 
 stood at the door. Presently a maid ap 
 peared. 
 
 " I must see Mistress Morgan; I have some 
 eggs to sell; I hope she will buy some." 
 " Come in and I will call the mistress." 
 In a few minutes Mrs. Morgan, a stately 
 and prim Quaker lady, entered. 
 
 " What can I do for thee, my girl? " she 
 asked kindly. 
 
 " I have some fresh eggs to sell." 
 " Is thee sure they are fresh? : 
 " Yes, madam, they are fresh eggs." 
 Mrs. Morgan gave her a quick, sharp look, 
 54 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 " You have brought your eggs to the right 
 market." 
 
 The lady took the basket and carried it to 
 the kitchen. When she returned, the basket 
 had a loaf of bread in it. Not a word was said, 
 but Peggy had been told that a letter to Gen 
 eral Washington would be hidden in the loaf 
 of bread. 
 
 " If thee must destroy the bread/ said Mrs. 
 Morgan, pointing to the basket, " simply 
 repeat these two words to Major Talmadge, 
 Not yet/ Does thee catch my meaning? r> 
 
 " Certainly, madam/ 7 and Peggy made a 
 low bow. 
 
 She took her basket and made ready to 
 leave the house. She looked sharply about 
 as she walked slowly down the front steps. 
 Nobody was to be seen. Even the redcoat 
 was not in sight. 
 
 The young girl hurried along untii she 
 reached the outskirts of the city. There she 
 found the soldiers whom she had met be 
 fore. 
 
 55 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 " Come here, my girl, and tell us about it," 
 one of them called out. 
 
 " I have sold my eggs," was her simple 
 answer. 
 
 " What have you in your basket now, my 
 girl? What s this? As sure as I live, it s a 
 loaf of bread. It looks good enough to eat; " 
 and the redcoat roughly grasped the basket 
 and pulled out the loaf. 
 
 " No, indeed! Please! ; begged Peggy; 
 " it is for my little sister, who is sick. Please 
 give it back to me." 
 
 " Let the girl alone, Jack," broke in another 
 of the redcoats. " Give her back the bread; 
 we are not hungry enough to rob her." 
 
 With a laugh the man put the loaf back and 
 gave her the basket again. 
 
 " Run home, girl, and don t let us catch you 
 another time. The next time we will arrest 
 you and send you to General Howe. Hurry 
 now and get out of our sight." 
 
 Peggy did not need to be told to hurry. 
 Without looking behind her she walked rapidly 
 
 56 
 
IT WAS A MAD RACE FOR AN HOUR. Page 57. 
 
^/:>:" ; **H i -\ " 
 * 4 ** i.4l t " ,- 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 away. Pretty soon she broke into a run. Out 
 of breath and very tired, the young girl was 
 at last safe and sound at home again. 
 
 " You have done well, my girl/ were the 
 words of praise of Major Talmadge, when he 
 broke open the bread and found the note 
 inside. " General Washington shall read this 
 before sunset, and you shall not be forgotten. " 
 
 Mrs. Miller burst into the room. 
 
 " Ride for your life, Major! The British 
 are coming down the long hill. They will be 
 here in a few minutes." 
 
 The major turned hurriedly to Peggy: 
 " The redcoats are after us, Peggy; they 
 suspect your errand. You must go with 
 
 me." 
 
 Major Talmadge sprang on his horse and 
 took the girl up behind him. The next 
 moment they were galloping down the road. 
 
 It was a mad race for an hour. Down the 
 hills, through the woods, across the rude 
 bridges, the sturdy horse, covered with foam, 
 carried the two safe into Germantown. Not 
 
 57 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 until the village was reached did the redcoats 
 give up the chase. 
 
 The major helped the tired girl to the 
 ground. 
 
 " Well, Peggy, it was a pity to lose that loaf 
 of bread, when so many of our men sadly need 
 it. Still, General Washington needs that 
 letter far more than all the bread in the 
 whole Quaker city." 
 
 A proud and happy girl was Peggy Miller 
 the next morning when a company of troopers 
 escorted her back to her home at the old 
 inn. General Washington wrote her a little 
 note, to thank her and tell her that her wit 
 and coolness had saved him and the army 
 from what might have been a sad mistake. 
 
 58 
 
VIII 
 
 PAUL RUSSELL S BACON is SAVED 
 
 PAUL RUSSELL, a sturdy young patriot 
 of South Carolina, was not happy. He 
 was standing on the piazza of his 
 father s house and gazing over the broad 
 fields of the plantation. This was in the year 
 1780. Of all the dark years of the Revolution 
 this was one of the darkest. One disaster 
 quickly followed another. 
 
 Paul was a boy of sixteen. He and his 
 father, Major John Russell, were in General 
 Sumter s army, but had gone home for a 
 brief visit. 
 
 The Tories found it out, and one dark night 
 they swooped down on the plantation and 
 captured both father and son. Paul was left 
 
 59 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 at home on parole, but his father was sent at 
 once on his way to the prison at Charleston. 
 
 The boy was quick-witted enough to send a 
 negro to a company of patriots close by and 
 tell them of his father s capture. The pa 
 triots attacked the British escort halfway to 
 Charleston and routed them; Major Rus 
 sell escaped and went on duty again with 
 General Sumter. 
 
 At this time the British soldiers were 
 scattered far and wide over South Carolina. 
 They were quartered in small companies on 
 the plantations. Captain Heald, one of 
 Tarleton s officers, and fifty of his men were 
 making themselves at home on the Russell 
 plantation. 
 
 While Paul walked to and fro along the 
 broad piazza, idly watching the soldiers, he 
 could see the British sentries on guard, march 
 ing up and down the turnpike. It made him 
 angry to think how the redcoats had killed 
 almost all the live stock on the place, to pro 
 vide themselves with fresh meat. He was 
 
 60 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 also thinking how insolent the soldiers had 
 been in dealing with his family. 
 
 The more the young fellow thought about 
 it, the more angry and the more helpless he 
 felt. Still, it was some comfort to know that 
 the surly and brutal Captain Heald had left 
 that morning for another command. Lieu 
 tenant Mott, the next in rank, and a much 
 Better man, was left in charge. 
 
 " Shut up here like a rat in a hole! " growled 
 Paul. " I wish I were with father. I wish 
 something would happen, so that I could go 
 back to the army. I had rather ride hard all 
 day long and waylay the British at night than 
 be cooped up here like a rat in a trap." 
 
 Well, something did happen to keep Paul s 
 mind busy the rest of the day. A servant 
 came and said his mother wished to speak 
 with him at once. He ran up the broad stairs 
 and found his mother in the doorway of his 
 room, with tears running down her cheeks. 
 
 " Come in; I have something to show you/ 
 she whispered, as she closed and locked the 
 
 61 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 door. " I found this on the table after 
 Lieutenant Mott was through eating this 
 morning. " 
 
 Paul seized the letter from the trembling 
 hand of his mother and read as follows: 
 
 " August 10, 1780. 
 
 "LIEUTENANT MOTT: Paul Russell has 
 broken his parole. He cannot have either a 
 hearing or a trial. Upon receipt of this you 
 are ordered to hang this young rebel. Hang 
 him before sunset to-night. Send me word 
 to-morrow morning. 
 
 " HEALD." 
 
 " That is an awful lie! I haven t broken 
 my parole! It is murder if they hang me! " 
 Paul burst out, his face deadly pale, and then 
 red with anger. 
 
 " Be calm, my boy. Listen to me. I think 
 Lieutenant Mott dropped that letter to help 
 you. He is not a bad man like Captain 
 
 Heald." 
 
 62 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 " Never you mind, mother dear, I shall not 
 hang this time, you may be sure of that. 
 Don t give up. I will get out of this place 
 somehow." 
 
 It was a long forenoon for the boy. He 
 walked up and down the piazza and across the 
 lawn, and went and chatted with the redcoats. 
 But those awful words, " Hang him before 
 sunset to-night/ 7 seemed to be written in big 
 letters across the sky. The birds seemed to 
 mock him with them, and even the guards 
 appeared to mutter them as they marched 
 to and fro with their guns over their shoul 
 ders. 
 
 The boy could eat little dinner. It seemed 
 as if the food would choke him. He almost 
 broke down when he saw the haggard face of 
 his mother. 
 
 His mother was almost frantic. 
 
 " Oh, what wiU you do, Paul? I can t let 
 them hang you! " 
 
 " Keep up your courage, mother. They will 
 have to shoot me first. I shall not be hanged/ 
 
 63 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 and he kissed his mother and ran out on the 
 lawn and sat down under a tree. 
 
 " This will never do! I must think of some 
 thing. They may come for me at any minute." 
 
 He walked slowly down the road toward a 
 large grove, where a big, good-natured fellow 
 by the name of Tom happened to be on guard. 
 
 " It s a hot day," he suggested, when he 
 came near the sentinel, who was lazily tramp 
 ing along the dusty road. 
 
 "To be sure! And I guess you would think 
 so if you had to carry a gun along this road 
 for three hours." 
 
 " Why not rest a bit, Tom? Let me have 
 your gun, and I will take your place." 
 
 " No, my boy, that will never do. Still, I 
 am much obliged to you just the same." 
 
 Tom tramped along the road, while Paul 
 sat down to think. He watched the soldiers 
 laughing and talking in their tents. One word 
 of alarm, and they would be shooting at him. 
 
 Just then a little half-starved pig came out 
 of the woods. He was perhaps the last of the 
 
 64 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 drove. He looked at Paul for a moment with 
 out moving; but when he saw the sentry, he 
 turned about, gave a frightened grunt, and 
 darted up the road as if Colonel Tarleton 
 himself were after him. 
 
 " Here, Paul! Help me catch that crazy 
 pig! " shouted Tom. " Hurry, and we shall 
 catch him." 
 
 Paul did not need to be asked twice. In 
 another moment he and the sentry were after 
 the little pig as fast as they could go. 
 
 The redcoats were out of their tents in a 
 moment, shouting and laughing as if it were 
 the best fun in the world. 
 
 Off came Paul s hat and coat. For him it 
 was a race for life, and he knew it. Once he 
 nearly overtook the pig, but took care not to 
 catch him. The frightened animal squealed 
 and ran all the faster. 
 
 Tom meanwhile had stopped. 
 
 " Hey, there, boy! " he shouted. " Come 
 back! We can t catch him." 
 
 Paul gave a quick glance behind him and 
 65 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 saw that he was out of range of the soldiers. 
 The only danger now was from Tom s musket. 
 
 " Come back, Paul! Come back, or I will 
 shoot!" 
 
 Paul did not stop. 
 
 Bang! went the gun, but the bullet whistled 
 over his head. 
 
 " Now if I can only reach the swamp, I am 
 safe; " and he ran faster than before. 
 
 He soon reached the grove, and in a few 
 minutes was safe in the swamp beyond. 
 
 Before daylight the next morning he was 
 telling his astonished father the story of his 
 narrow escape. 
 
 " It was clever work, my dear boy; but 
 don t let the Tories get you again. I wonder 
 if they caught our little pig." 
 
 " I don t know, father," laughed Paul, " but 
 the little porker did double duty; he saved his 
 bacon, and he saved mine too." 
 
 66 
 
IX 
 
 FIGHTING THE BRITISH WITH BEES 
 
 ON the southern edge of North Carolina 
 stands the little city of Charlotte. 
 The people of this section were full of 
 the love of liberty. In less than one month 
 after the Battle of Lexington they began to 
 talk in favor of declaring independence from 
 England. Five years afterwards, when Lord 
 Cornwallis, the commander-in-chief of the 
 British during the Revolution, came to Char 
 lotte with his army, he found the people so 
 eager to fight for their freedom, that he 
 always called this little town the hornets 
 nest of the rebellion. 
 
 Early in the fall of 1780 these hornets were 
 buzzing. The patriots had been defeated in 
 
 67 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 South Carolina, in the Battle of Camden. 
 Lord Cornwallis now felt sure of success in 
 North Carolina, and was marching toward the 
 Old North State, with the intention of making 
 his first stop at Charlotte. 
 
 The British soldiers robbed the patriots 
 of their sheep and cattle, burned their houses 
 and their crops, stole their horses, and drove 
 their women and children into the woods. 
 
 " I will protect your property and pay you 
 for everything my army needs/ declared 
 Lord Cornwallis, " but you must take the 
 oath of allegiance to King George. " 
 
 " Never! " was the determined answer of 
 the bold North Carolina patriots. " We have 
 pledged our lives, our fortunes, and our honor 
 to the cause of freedom, and we will not break 
 our oaths. We will fight you to the bitter 
 end." 
 
 And fight they did, men, women, and 
 children, and with a will. They made things 
 so lively for the redcoats that they dreaded 
 to be sent into the country for supplies. No 
 
 68 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 matter if a whole regiment went out, it was 
 certain to lose some of its men before it got 
 back to Charlotte. From behind trees, bushes, 
 barns, and fences the deadly fire of the patriots 
 thinned the ranks of the hated British. 
 
 One morning, while Cornwallis and his army 
 were at Charlotte, a boy named John Clarke 
 was at wT>rk in a field on his father s farm, 
 about seven miles from town. The boy s 
 father and brother were in the patriot army. 
 John was left at home to take care of his 
 mother and sisters. 
 
 He suddenly heard a great clatter down the 
 road. He looked up and saw British soldiers 
 coming into sight, round the bend in the road. 
 He ran into the house with a shout> 
 
 " The redcoats are here. The whole army 
 is coming up the road! r> 
 
 In a few moments the British were riding 
 up the lane. 
 
 Now John Clarke s mother had already had 
 experience with British officers and knew what 
 they were. She sent the girls upstairs and 
 
 69 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 seated herself on the piazza with John, to 
 await the coming of the soldiers. 
 
 The leader of the redcoats halted his men 
 near the house, leaped from his horse, and 
 came up to the piazza. 
 
 " We are in need of supplies, and must 
 search this place." 
 
 " As you please," replied Mrs. Clarke, 
 quietly. " You have already stolen everything, 
 and you will find nothing." 
 
 The soldiers now began to search the house. 
 Some went to the barn. Others ransacked 
 the shed. They could not find much. 
 
 " I say, boy," growled the British leader, 
 returning to the piazza, " we can t find any 
 thing here; you must have hidden something 
 somewhere." 
 
 " Of course," grinned John. " We have 
 one poor cow left; but you can t get her, for 
 she s out in the woods, over a mile away." 
 
 The officer was angry. 
 
 " One cow isn t much, but it s better than 
 nothing. Take one of the horses and drive 
 
 70 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 her in; and be quick about it, you young 
 rebel!" 
 
 John leaped on one of the horses, which had 
 been tied to the rail fence. Some of the men 
 tried to stop him. 
 
 "That s all right!" shouted the British 
 captain; " he s going on an errand for me." 
 
 Trotting his horse by a row of beehives, 
 John leaned over and upset several of them. 
 He then struck his horse a sharp blow with a 
 switch and away went horse and rider out 
 of the lane and into the road. They were 
 soon lost to sight in the woods. 
 
 The yard was now worse than a hornets 
 nest. The angry bees swarmed out of the 
 hives till the air seemed full of them. The 
 horses, maddened by the sting of the bees, 
 began to plunge and kick. With oaths the 
 redcoats ran here and there to escape. It 
 was of no use. The bees made it so hot for 
 them that they went helter-skelter down the 
 road. 
 
 John had looked back as he rode out of the 
 71 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 lane. It was a sight that he never forgot. As 
 soon as he was in the shelter of the woods he 
 jumped off the horse and lay on the ground 
 and laughed, while the British troopers went 
 riding pellmell past him. 
 
 The road was soon clear of the redcoats, and 
 John went back to the house to tell his mother 
 and sisters. 
 
 " It was a funny sight/ he said. " You 
 never saw anything like it. Some of those 
 chaps had their eyes shut tight. Some of 
 their noses looked like powderhorns. And 
 they swore like troopers. I think I had better 
 write General Washington about it; it is 
 better than powder and balls." 
 
 72 
 
A TIMELY JACK - O - LANTERN 
 
 THE first settlers in America made 
 their homes along the sea, for the 
 inland country was a trackless wilder 
 ness. From Maine to Georgia there was only 
 a fringe of villages, scattered here and there 
 along the coast. Shortly after the Revolution, 
 however, great numbers of men and women 
 began to go farther and farther west. Hun 
 dreds of thrifty settlers left their homes 
 along the coast, crossed the mountains, and 
 built new homes for themselves in the rich 
 lands that are now the states of Ohio, Ken 
 tucky, and Tennessee. 
 
 Among the early settlers who tramped 
 across the mountains and through the wilder- 
 
 73 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 ness to find new homes on the frontier was 
 the Merrill family. They built a log cabin 
 for themselves on the banks of a little river 
 in southern Ohio. In that cabin there was 
 only one room. The two boys of the family, 
 David and Joseph, slept in a kind of loft, on 
 a bed of dry oak leaves. The loft was reached 
 by a ladder. 
 
 Their first winter was bitter cold. The snow 
 lay deep and long upon the frozen ground; 
 but there was plenty of dry, hard wood to 
 burn in the huge stone fireplace. The oldest 
 girl, Ruth, helped her mother. The boys set 
 traps and snared rabbits, while their father 
 shot wild turkeys and deer. There were no 
 signs of Indians, and they were happy and 
 contented, although living in the deep woods, 
 many miles from their old home in Vir 
 ginia. 
 
 At last the snow began to melt, the birds 
 began to sing, and the trees put out their 
 leaves. Soon it was time to plant. 
 
 One day David climbed up into the loft 
 74 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 to get a package of pumpkin seed which he 
 had brought with him from the old home. 
 
 Not a seed was to be found. 
 
 " Oh dear! " he muttered; " some of those 
 red squirrels have gnawed a hole through the 
 roof and carried all those seeds away. No 
 pumpkin pies this year! " 
 
 His father tried to comfort him. 
 
 " Never mind, David, my boy, perhaps 
 neighbor Johnson across the river can spare 
 you a few seeds. Mother may be able after 
 all to bake a few pumpkin pies for us this 
 winter/ 7 
 
 A few days after this the two boys were at 
 work in the clearing. They were burning 
 some old stumps, when out of one of them 
 popped a red squirrel and scampered away 
 into the woods. 
 
 " Look, Dave! " shouted Joseph; " there 
 goes a big, fat red squirrel. Let us find his 
 nest; it must be in that stump." 
 
 "All right, Joe. Perhaps it s the little 
 rascal that stole my pumpkin seeds." 
 
 75 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 The two boys began to dig round the 
 stump. They found some old rags, bits of 
 dry moss, and some empty shells of hickory 
 nuts. 
 
 " Hurrah, Joe! this must be the very chap 
 that stole the seeds. We may find some the 
 little thief hasn t eaten yet." 
 
 The boys continued their search. At last 
 amid the empty shells they found three good 
 pumpkin seeds. 
 
 " Of course it s better than nothing," said 
 Joe, glumly; " but I must say, Dave, you 
 have a pretty poor chance of raising much 
 of a crop." 
 
 David was a thrifty lad. He saved the 
 three seeds and planted them in deep, rich 
 soil. 
 
 How like magic those pumpkin vines grew 
 that hot, wet summer! All the crops did well 
 that year, but such huge yellow pumpkins 
 have seldom been seen. 
 
 " Dave," his sister Ruth pleaded, one day 
 late in the autumn, " please make me a 
 
 76 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 jack-o -lantern out of one of your pump 
 kins/ 
 
 " Dear me, no, Ruth; I can t spare one." 
 
 But David liked to please his sister, and one 
 rainy day he made a jack-o -lantern out of 
 his largest pumpkin. It looked like a giant, 
 with eyes, nose, mouth, and teeth red with 
 fire. 
 
 The next evening a man came riding along 
 the trail by the Merrill cabin. 
 
 " Indians! Indians! The redskins are 
 coming! " he shouted, as he rode swiftly by 
 in the darkness. 
 
 Mr. Merrill had gone on an errand to the 
 village, some ten miles away. Only Mrs. 
 Merrill and her children were at home; but 
 she was a woman of courage. 
 
 " Bar the door, and cover up the fire, 
 children; get your rifle ready, Dave; the 
 Indians may pass by if they see no light here." 
 
 Dave stood ready with his rifle. The 
 youngest girl, Lizzie, climbed up into the loft. 
 Ruth and her mother stood ready with the 
 
 77 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 powderhorn and the bullet-pouch to help 
 David. 
 
 " Take the axe and stand at the window; 
 look sharp for an Indian head/ David whis 
 pered to his brother. 
 
 They had not long to wait. 
 
 " There they are; I can see three of them 
 crawling up the bank/ 7 whispered Joe. 
 
 It now occurred to David that he might 
 make use of the jack-o -lantern. 
 
 " We cannot be any the worse off/ he 
 thought; " I ll try it anyway." 
 
 In another moment he had lighted a candle, 
 put it in the jack-o -lantern, and covered the 
 lantern with his coat. He carried it to the 
 window and uncovered it just as the Indians 
 came to the cabin door. 
 
 The redskins had probably never seen any 
 thing of the kind before. Perhaps they 
 thought some evil spirit was after them. 
 They gave a yell and ran off into the woods. 
 
 The boy thought the savages might get 
 over their scare and come back, and he kept 
 
 78 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 the lantern at the window until his father 
 returned. 
 
 Mr. Merrill patted David on the back. 
 
 " Your pumpkin did us a good turn this 
 time, my boy, and I am proud of having such 
 a son to look after mother and the children. 
 The pumpkin pies will taste all the better too. 
 You boys may go to bed now. I will watch 
 for the Indians. " 
 
 Perhaps the three Indians did not intend to 
 do any harm. At any rate they did not come 
 back again. 
 
 79 
 
XI 
 
 MERCY TYLER TRAPS A PANTHER 
 
 THE early settlers in the old Granite 
 State of New Hampshire were beset 
 with many hardships and dangers. 
 About the year 1790 a sturdy pioneer by the 
 name of Jacob Tyler, with wife and two chil 
 dren, tramped from Salisbury, Massachusetts, 
 through the trackless forests and built a cabin 
 on the east bank of the Merrimac River. At 
 this time his daughter Mercy was fifteen, 
 while Parley, his son, was only six years old. 
 Although far from friends and neighbors, 
 these good people were living a simple, con 
 tented life. Of course at times they were 
 lonely and longed to return to the old Bay 
 State. But it was said that other families 
 
 30 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY-BOOK 
 
 were coming to make their homes in the same 
 region. The hope of this made them happy, 
 and they had much else to be thankful for. 
 They had plenty of good food, for the crops 
 had done well that year. And the children 
 had not been sick a single day since they had 
 left their old home. 
 
 It was the third spring since the Tylers 
 had left Massachusetts. Mr. Tyler had gone 
 early one morning to his nearest neighbor, 
 ten miles away, to borrow an axe, having 
 broken his own a few days before. Mrs. 
 Tyler was getting ready to do the washing, 
 and Mercy was helping her. Parley was out 
 playing in the clearing in front of the house. 
 He had found a pair of old leather reins in the 
 shed and tied them to the front door of the 
 log cabin. With a birch stick for a whip he 
 was driving as if he had a real horse before 
 him. 
 
 " Mercy, dear, go up to the loft for mother 
 and bring down the soiled clothes lying on the 
 floor," said Mrs. Tyler. 
 
 81 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 " Yes, mamma/ and Mercy climbed up the 
 ladder. 
 
 Suddenly a sharp cry came from the cabin 
 loft. 
 
 " Oh, Parley, come in quick! Hurry, Par 
 ley! Oh, mother, quick! quick! look out, 
 quick! " 
 
 It was Mercy s voice, but it sounded as if it 
 were that of some older person. 
 
 Parley was standing on the step outside the 
 cabin door, gazing with smiling eyes and lips 
 at a strange creature creeping through a patch 
 of dead grass. 
 
 One look was enough for the mother. In a 
 moment she knew the long, crouching form, 
 with cat-like head, with its gleaming eyes 
 fixed on the child. It was the panther, or 
 catamount, the most dreaded animal in all 
 pioneer life. 
 
 The little fellow turned to listen to his 
 sister s call, while the crouching panther 
 glided forward. 
 
 The poor mother gasped for breath. She 
 82 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 dashed out of the back door and flew round the 
 corner of the cabin, ready to fight the terrible 
 creature with her bare hands; but when she 
 reached the front of the cabin, she saw the 
 animal struggling on the doorstep. It was 
 crying as if in fear or in pain. Its big head was 
 out of sight. The stout oak door had been 
 shut with a slam on the panther s neck and 
 held it tight. 
 
 " Mother, come quick! help! quick!" 
 screamed Mercy; " I have his head squeezed 
 in the door. Quick! I cannot hold on 
 long! " 
 
 The brave little girl had climbed down the 
 ladder from the loft, and in the nick of time 
 had slammed the big door to, just as the ani 
 mal was creeping over the threshold. 
 
 " Hold on tight, dear; mother will help you; 
 don t be afraid! Hold on for your life! " 
 
 Meanwhile, the angry panther acted as if 
 he were caught in a trap. He growled and 
 snarled, and tried to get free. If the angry 
 beast had forced his body inside the cabin, he 
 
 83 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 would have succeeded, but he only tried to 
 pull himself out, and was held all the tighter. 
 
 What was to be done? The snarling animal 
 was likely to get loose at any moment. 
 
 Mrs. Tyler seized the leather reins with 
 which the boy had been playing, and held 
 them tight. 
 
 " Now, Mercy, listen and do just as I bid 
 you! Tell Parley to get papa s gun up in the 
 loft; be careful, for it is loaded. Then crawl 
 out of the back window and bring the gun 
 to me. Hurry! " 
 
 The angry creature was twisting his body 
 to and fro and growling fearfully. It looked 
 as if he would get away at any moment. It 
 seemed a long time before Mercy came 
 running round the corner of the cabin with 
 the loaded musket. 
 
 " Give me the gun, Mercy. Hold these 
 reins tight, while I shoot him." 
 
 The trembling girl seized the reins, while the 
 mother walked calmly toward the furious 
 beast. She held the muzzle of the gun just 
 
 84 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 behind the animal s front legs and fired. The 
 catamount made one leap, pulling the reins 
 from Mercy s weary hands, and fell dead on 
 the cabin floor. 
 
 The brave pioneer woman dropped the gun 
 and began to cry. 
 
 " Why, mother! the panther can t hurt you; 
 it s dead." 
 
 " Mother knows that, dear; I am only 
 weak for the moment. How thankful I am 
 for such a brave little daughter! How proud 
 your father will be! " 
 
 85 
 
XII 
 
 BESSIE BRANDON S UNEXPECTED GUEST 
 
 BESSIE BRANDON was a pretty girl 
 of fourteen. She lived with her 
 father and mother on a plantation in 
 South Carolina. It was a bright May morning 
 in 1791, and the birds were singing in the big 
 oak under which she sat. But the young girl 
 was sad and almost ready to cry. 
 
 At this time the Revolution was at an end, 
 after eight years of fighting. The thirteen 
 colonies were now the United States of 
 America, and General George Washington was 
 the first President. 
 
 Now this great and good man, whom all the 
 people admired and loved, made up his mind 
 to travel through the South. He wanted to 
 
 86 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 see and to talk with the men and women who 
 had borne so many hardships during the war. 
 He longed to greet the many brave officers 
 and soldiers who had fought so well and so 
 bravely under Marion, Sumter, and Greene. 
 
 The people of the South were much pleased 
 to have this great man with them. Every 
 where they came in crowds to greet and honor 
 their beloved President. In some towns 
 arches of flowers spanned the road. In other 
 places young girls scattered flowers and 
 wreaths of roses before him as he rode along 
 the street. 
 
 The morning on which our story opens was 
 the very day that President Washington and 
 his party were expected to ride through the 
 town of Chester, about six miles from Bessie 
 Brandon s home. All the family except Bessie 
 had gone early; she was left behind to look 
 after the house. 
 
 Washington and his party rode in a large 
 cream-colored coach, drawn by four white 
 horses. By the side of the coach milk-white 
 
 87 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 saddle-horses were led along, to be used when 
 the President was tired of riding in the car 
 riage. Then there were men on horseback, 
 who rode as an escort, besides a number of 
 servants dressed in white suits with yellow 
 trimmings. Behind the coach came the 
 baggage-wagon, drawn by two horses, and 
 followed by an escort on horseback. 
 
 " What a splendid time they ll have at 
 Chester/ thought Bessie, sadly; " and brother 
 Obed is to make an address of welcome. Too 
 bad! too bad! " and this time she gave a sob 
 as she thought of the gay scene, and herself 
 at home all alone. 
 
 How quiet it was! and it was only nine 
 o clock, with the long summer day still before 
 her. 
 
 Suddenly Bessie heard the sound of gal 
 loping horses. It could not be the redcoats, 
 for they had gone away long ago. A party 
 came galloping down the road. In another 
 moment a great coach drawn by four horses 
 stopped at the gate. Servants in yellow and 
 
 88 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 gold opened the door of the carriage, and out 
 stepped a tall, fine-looking gentleman. 
 
 Bessie had dried her tears and now stood on 
 the piazza, looking with wonder at the tall, 
 richly dressed stranger, who walked slowly 
 toward the house and paused before the steps. 
 " Good morning, little miss. Can you not 
 give me some breakfast? I have had a long 
 ride since sunrise, and I am very hungry." 
 
 Now, while Bessie was astonished at this 
 request from a stranger, she was well-bred. 
 She made a deep curtsy, as any well-bred 
 girl of that time would do. 
 
 " Father and mother have gone to Chester, 
 sir, to see General Washington, and I am left 
 to tend the house. I hardly know what to 
 say." 
 
 " Pray tell me your name, little miss." 
 " Bessie Brandon, sir." 
 " And how old are you, Bessie? " 
 " I shall be fourteen next August, please." 
 " Well, Bessie," continued the stranger, 
 taking a seat on the broad piazza, " never 
 
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THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 mind if you are alone. If you will get me some 
 breakfast, I promise that you shall see General 
 Washington before any of your family do." 
 
 " Very well, sir; " and her bright eyes began 
 to shine; " I will do the best I can for you, 
 but our food is plain." 
 
 Bessie was an excellent housekeeper. Her 
 mother had taught her how to cook and to 
 wait on the table. In a few moments the 
 young girl had spread the table with snow- 
 white linen and got out her mother s best 
 china and silver. She prepared bacon and 
 eggs, and made coffee; and then with nimble 
 feet ran to the spring for milk and butter. In 
 a few minutes a meal good enough for the 
 best man in the land was neatly spread on the 
 table in the cool sitting room. 
 
 " Come, sir, your breakfast is ready," 
 curtsied Bessie. 
 
 " Ah, my little maid, you have done well. 
 Do you please sit down with me, and I shall 
 enjoy this good breakfast with you." 
 
 The stately gentleman served his young 
 90 
 
"DO YOU PLEASE SIT DOWN WITH ME, AND I SHALL 
 
 ENJOY THIS GOOD BREAKFAST WITH YOU." 
 
 Page 90. 
 
v r, ,j 9 ft e. < r 4 * " * 
 
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THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 hostess, and then ate with relish the plain 
 but dainty breakfast. 
 
 The guest was extremely dignified and sober, 
 so dignified and so sober that I suppose Bessie 
 was not sorry when the meal was over. 
 
 When he had finished his breakfast and was 
 ready to go on his journey, he bent gently 
 down and kissed his little hostess. 
 
 " Bessie, my dear, you may tell your father 
 and mother that you not only saw General 
 Washington before anybody else did in the 
 city, but that you ate breakfast with him, and 
 that he kissed you. 77 
 
 Bessie Brandon lived to be an old lady. 
 She often told of the day when she had the 
 honor of preparing breakfast for President 
 Washington and of eating it with him. 
 
 91 
 
XIII 
 
 DAVID MILLER KILLS A RATTLESNAKE 
 
 THE pioneers of Indiana had to fight 
 many kinds of foes, seen and unseen. 
 The wolves killed their sheep, the 
 foxes and lynx ate their lambs and pigs, and 
 the raccoons and squirrels fed on their corn. 
 Even the turtles in the ponds caught the 
 ducks and the young geese. And then there 
 were the savages, chills and fever, vermin, and 
 poisonous snakes. 
 
 Perhaps the most dreaded foes of all were 
 the deadly rattlesnakes and copperheads. In 
 some parts of the state they were so thick 
 that it was hardly safe to walk about. Not 
 only were men, women, and children bitten, 
 but cows, horses, and dogs met death in the 
 
 same horrible way. 
 
 92 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 The rattlesnake gives a warning before 
 striking, but the copperhead strikes as quick 
 as lightning, and death soon follows. 
 
 A mother would be busy about her house 
 work. One of her children would be playing 
 out near the corn-crib, or the baby would be 
 crawling across the cabin floor. Suddenly 
 there was a scream. The mother ran to the 
 help of her little one, but she was too late. 
 
 Many years ago a settler named Isaac 
 Miller and his good wife Betsy owned a large 
 farm on Raccoon Creek, not far from what is 
 now the city of Terre Haute. They had three 
 children. David was ten years old, Bessie six, 
 and Sally five. 
 
 One morning in early summer Mr. Miller 
 and his wife were going to town, to sell butter 
 and eggs. The three children were to be left 
 at home. 
 
 " Now, my boy/ said Mrs. Miller, calling 
 David to her, " stay in the cabin and don t go 
 out into the woods. Take good care of Bessie 
 and Sally. Rattlers are thick, and they are 
 
 93 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 ugly this warm weather. You know how your 
 poor brother Isaac died from a rattler s bite 
 only last August. We shall be at home before 
 evening." 
 
 " Never mind, mother; I will watch the 
 girls and keep them from getting hurt. I 
 will stay close to the cabin." 
 
 The father and mother soon rode away. 
 The children played together for a time, but 
 it was a hot day, and the woods behind the 
 cabin looked shady and cool. At the back 
 of the cabin, under a shed, was a large bin 
 for storing grain. 
 
 " I will let the girls play in the bin for a 
 while," thought David, " while I go out and 
 see if the squirrels are eating the corn." 
 
 So into the big bin climbed the two little 
 girls and began to play. 
 
 " Come back quick, Dave," called Bessie; 
 " we want you to play with us out in the 
 woods." 
 
 David walked slowly toward the cornfield, 
 through the shady woods. 
 
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THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 Suddenly in the quiet of the morning he 
 heard the children screaming at the top of 
 their voices. 
 
 " Oh, Dave! Oh, mother, mother! Come 
 quick! A snake, a snake! : 
 
 Poor David s heart seemed to jump out of 
 his mouth. He ran quickly to the bin; and 
 it was well he did; the sight almost froze the 
 blood in his body. Bessie was sitting at one 
 corner, while Sally was kneeling in the oppo 
 site corner. They were shaking with terror. 
 A big rattlesnake was coiled up in the 
 middle of the floor. His eyes had a wicked 
 gleam, and he was ready to strike, 
 
 David was brave-hearted, and did not give 
 way to fear for a moment. 
 
 " Don t move for your lives, children! I 
 will kill that rattler. Don t cry, I will be back 
 in a minute." 
 
 He knew that his mother had left on the 
 crane in the fireplace a huge pot of hominy, 
 boiling in lye. 
 
 " Pour in more water, David, as fast as it 
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THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 boils away," were his mother s last words that 
 morning, when she was leaving the house. 
 
 David rushed into the cabin. He seized a 
 half-gallon gourd which lay on the hearth, 
 dipped it full of boiling hominy and lye, and 
 hurried back to the bin. 
 
 The angry snake turned toward him as if to 
 strike. 
 
 David kept cool. He leaned over the side 
 of the bin and with a steady hand dashed the 
 fiery stuff on the big snake. 
 
 " Come here quick, children! r> 
 
 In another moment he had dragged his 
 sisters out of the bin. 
 
 The ugly snake writhed in agony. It tried 
 to wriggle its way back through the hole in 
 the floor, where it had crawled in, but it was 
 too badly scalded to escape, and soon died. 
 
 Late in the afternoon the father and 
 mother came home. 
 
 " You did wrong to leave your sisters and 
 go out into the woods/ 7 said his mother; 
 " but you were a brave boy to kill that hor- 
 
 96 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 rid snake with the hot hominy. Some boys 
 would never have thought of it." 
 
 " Yes, you saved the lives of your dear 
 little sisters, my boy/ added his father, 
 " and I am proud of you." 
 
 97 
 
XIV 
 
 LITTLE JARVIS, THE MIDSHIPMAN 
 
 MORE than a hundred years ago the 
 British warships used to seize and 
 search American vessels and carry 
 off American sailors. The officers said they 
 were deserters from the British navy. War 
 between the United States and Great Britain 
 seemed likely to break out at any moment. 
 
 To put an end to these and many other 
 troubles, John Jay, one of the great statesmen 
 of that time, was sent on a special mission to 
 England. Mr. Jay succeeded in making 
 a treaty; but this treaty made many of our 
 people angry, especially those who wanted the 
 United States to quarrel with Great Britain 
 and take sides with France. The French were 
 
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THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 angry at us for making the treaty, and or 
 dered our minister to leave France. The 
 French cruisers then began to seize American 
 merchant vessels. 
 
 General Washington, who had twice been 
 elected President, now declined to serve a 
 third term. John Adams, who was chosen to 
 succeed him, sent statesmen to France to try 
 to keep peace. Agents of the French govern 
 ment told them that the matter would be 
 made right if they bribed several members of 
 the French government. 
 
 When this base and insulting offer became 
 known at home, there was an outburst of 
 anger from one end of the United States to the 
 other. Everywhere the war fever grew hotter 
 and hotter. 
 
 Such a feeling for war had not been known 
 since the Battle of Lexington. Patriotic 
 songs were written and sung. One of these 
 songs, named " Hail, Columbia, " written by 
 Joseph Hopkinson, still lives as a national 
 air. 
 
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THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 " Millions for defense, not one cent for 
 tribute! " became the popular war cry. 
 
 Men worked without pay in building forts 
 along the seacoast. The women made flags 
 and banners. An army was raised, and Wash 
 ington was chosen to command it. Congress 
 voted to furnish three frigates, the United 
 States, the Constitution, and the Constella 
 tion. 
 
 In February, 1799, the Constellation, com 
 manded by the gallant Thomas Truxton, 
 captured the great French frigate L lnsur- 
 gente. This victory caused great rejoicing 
 in the United States and in England. 
 
 The newspapers were full of praise for 
 Captain Truxton, and a ballad called " Trux- 
 ton s Victory " was sung everywhere. The 
 London merchants sent him a service of silver 
 plate costing three thousand dollars. 
 
 Among the under officers of Captain Trux 
 ton was a midshipman named James Jarvis, 
 but thirteen years old. He was so small that 
 he was nicknamed Little Jarvis. Like most 
 
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THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY T BOOK . 
 
 boys of his age, he was full of pranks. Indeed, 
 if the officer of the deck happened to be out of 
 sight for a few minutes, Little Jarvis would 
 be turning a somersault or standing on his 
 head. This of course was not allowed on the 
 quarter-deck of a warship. 
 
 " Up the masthead, sir! the quarter-deck 
 is no place for a circus. Mind you that, 
 young man! " the officer of the deck would 
 roar. 
 
 With a book in his pocket, the little mid 
 shipman climbed to the crosstrees. Although 
 often punished in this way, he was liked by 
 everybody, from the bluff Captain Truxton 
 to the common sailors, for he was a manly 
 fellow and never did a mean thing. 
 
 " If you please, sir," he said one day, when 
 he came down from the crosstrees and saluted 
 the officer of the deck, " there s a sail off the 
 port quarter. I called out once before, but 
 nobody heard me. I think, sir, it is a frigate." 
 
 " Sail, ho! " called the lookout on the 
 quarter. 
 
 101 
 
TJIE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 It proved to be a frigate, and a French 
 frigate too, La Vengeance, one of the great 
 54-gun ships of the French navy. 
 
 When the French frigate got a good look 
 at the American warship, she tried to escape. 
 The Constellation had to crowd on sail to 
 overhaul her. It took nearly an hour for her 
 to get within fighting distance. 
 
 Captain Truxton called his men round him 
 and made a short speech before they went to 
 their places. Little Jarvis had never been 
 in an engagement. He knew well enough that 
 he belonged in the maintop, but he was so full 
 of fight that he wanted to be on deck and have 
 a chance to show what he could do. But he 
 was ordered aloft with several steady old 
 topmen, who were told to keep an eye on 
 him. 
 
 It was at midnight, and a lovely moon 
 light night, when the ships neared each other 
 and began a sharp fight. The smoke soon 
 got so thick that nothing could be seen from 
 the crosstrees but the flash of the guns. The 
 
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THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 young lad could hear the hoarse orders of the 
 officers, the cheers of the gunners, and the 
 cries of the wounded, mingled with the thunder 
 of the big guns. 
 
 Little Jarvis could not do any real fight 
 ing, but he waved his sword and cheered as 
 loudly as anybody. 
 
 " Hurrah! Give it to them, men! Let 
 them have it! " he shouted again and again, 
 but his voice was lost in the roar of battle. 
 
 For three hours the battle went on. The 
 French frigate fought bravely, but could not 
 stand against the skill of the American gun 
 ners. The gallant ship now rolled a helpless 
 wreck. At the last moment of the battle a 
 double shot came crashing through the rigging 
 of the Constellation and struck the main 
 mast. 
 
 " Mr. Jarvis," shouted the captain of the 
 maintopmen, " the mainmast is a-going! " 
 
 " Can we hold on a minute longer? " asked 
 Jarvis. 
 
 The mast was already swaying. 
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THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY-BOOK 
 
 " No, Mr. Jarvis; we can t stay a moment 
 longer; it is death for us all/ 7 
 
 " Yes, but I am an officer/ was the firm 
 reply; " I cannot leave my post. An officer 
 must die at his post. If the mast goes, I 
 must go with it." 
 
 In vain the sailors shouted and swore at the 
 boy. He would not move an inch. The top- 
 men, without waiting for orders, began to go 
 down,catching at the rigging as best they could. 
 
 Calmly and quietly, with a strange light in 
 his face, the little midshipman remained at 
 his post. The next moment the mast came 
 down with a crash that shook every timber 
 in the stanch frigate, and with it came the 
 boy. He was picked up quite dead. 
 
 The captain of the topmen approached 
 Captain Truxton and saluted. 
 
 " He might have saved himself, sir, but he 
 would not do it. He said he was an officer 
 and could not leave his post." 
 
 The next morning, wrapped in the American 
 flag, Jarvis s body lay on the quarter-deck. 
 
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THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY-BOOK 
 
 The officers and men stood with uncovered 
 heads and heard the burial-service read. Two 
 of the sailors made ready to unloose the flag 
 and slide the body over the rail. 
 
 "No," came the command of Captain 
 Truxton; " make the flag fast. Mr. Jarvis has 
 well defended that flag. He shall be buried 
 in it." 
 
 The next moment the body of the young 
 midshipman sank quietly into the depths of 
 the ocean. 
 
 " Gentlemen/ 7 said Captain Truxton, with 
 husky voice, " Little Jarvis has indeed gone 
 aloft." 
 
 The story of this splendid fight was soon 
 told at home. Congress thanked the officers 
 and men of the Constellation, and gave 
 Captain Truxton a gold medal. It also passed 
 a resolution in honor of Little Jarvis, saying, 
 " The conduct of James Jarvis, a midshipman 
 on said frigate, who gloriously preferred certain 
 death to leaving his post, is deserving of the 
 highest praise." 
 
 105 
 
XV 
 
 HELEN PATTERSON S ESCAPE 
 
 DANIEL BOONE, the famous pioneer 
 and first settler of Kentucky, made 
 up his mind to leave his home and go 
 to Missouri. He had lost all his land in Ken 
 tucky, and now in his old age he wished to 
 begin life again in the silence of the wild 
 region west of the Mississippi River. 
 
 " Why are you going into the woods again, 
 Dan? " asked his wife. 
 
 "It is getting too thick around here for 
 me; I want more elbow room. I must get 
 back into the wilderness, where I can once 
 more hunt the buffalo and the deer." 
 [ So it came about in the year 1797 that the 
 old hunter and Indian fighter took his family 
 
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THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 and went over into the deep woods of Missouri. 
 He built his cabin on the Missouri River, in 
 the district of St. Charles, about forty miles 
 west of the then little town of St. Louis. 
 Missouri was at this time a wild country and 
 full of bands of prowling savages. These In 
 dians liked nothing better than to plunder 
 and burn the log cabins of the settlers and 
 steal their cattle and horses. 
 
 A few years after Daniel Boone had moved 
 to his new home, another pioneer, a Mr. 
 Patterson, also moved from Kentucky and 
 settled only a few miles from the home of the 
 old hunter. 
 
 At this time Mr. Patterson had a daughter 
 named Helen, about eighteen years of age. 
 
 One day in June all the Patterson family 
 except Helen were away from home. The 
 girl sat t>y the open door, busily spinning. All 
 of a sudden the lonely cabin was surrounded 
 by a band of Indians. Helen knew well 
 enough that it would be useless to cry for 
 help, or try to escape. One of the redskins, 
 
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THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 who could talk a little English, told her that 
 if she made an outcry they would kill her. 
 
 The Indians ransacked the cabin and made 
 ready to take away such things as they could 
 easily carry. In a few minutes the whole 
 band, with Helen as their captive, set off 
 afoot to the north through the forest. 
 
 "Oh!" cried the girl; " what will father 
 and mother think, when they come back and 
 find that I have been carried away? 
 
 She had with her a ball of white yarn. As 
 they went through the forest, she occasionally 
 broke off bits of yarn and dropped them along 
 the way. She knew that her father and 
 friends would follow in pursuit, and that the 
 yarn would serve as a guide. A savage caught 
 the girl at it, and raised his tomahawk as if to 
 kill her. The ball of yarn was taken from her, 
 and she was closely watched, for fear she 
 would try again to mark the trail. 
 
 During the afternoon the Indians became 
 uneasy. It was plain to Helen that her 
 friends were in pursuit and that the savages 
 
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THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 knew it. About sunset two of the Indians 
 went back to find out the real state of affairs. 
 The rest of the band had a long and exciting 
 talk until their comrades returned. 
 
 It was now dark. The night was cloudy, 
 and the rumbling of distant thunder gave 
 warning of a storm. The savages crossed the 
 creek they had been following, and led the 
 girl into the deep woods, about a mile from 
 the ford. They then tied her wrists together, 
 pulled her arms above her head, and fastened 
 them with strips of deerskin to a branch of a 
 tree. 
 
 " Indians now go ford, and hide, and kill 
 white man," muttered the Indian, who could 
 speak a little broken English. 
 
 Helen was now alone in the woods, and tied 
 so tight that she could not hope to escape. 
 Her fingers and wrists began to swell, and she 
 was almost wild with pain and fear. She tried 
 with all her strength to get free, but it was of 
 no use. She knew that the savages might 
 come back at any moment and kill her, and 
 
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THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 she prayed to God to send somebody to set 
 her free. 
 
 The lightning lit up the dark woods, and the 
 peals of thunder came louder and louder. 
 Down came the rain in torrents and drenched 
 the captive girl. Once more she tried to 
 escape, and this time her hands slipped easily 
 through the rain-soaked thongs of deerskin. 
 It took but a moment to untie her feet. Then, 
 fleet as a deer, she ran toward the ford. 
 
 " If I can only get there in time to warn my 
 father and my brothers! " 
 
 At last, tired out, she sat under a tree in the 
 pouring rain and eagerly strained her eyes to 
 catch a glimpse of her rescuers. In a short 
 time she caught sight of some persons moving 
 through the forest. 
 
 Who could it be? Might it not be some of 
 the savages coming back for her? Could it 
 indeed be her father and her brothers? 
 
 " Father! father! " she cried in a low voice. 
 
 " Helen, dear girl, is that you? " came the 
 
 reply. 
 
 110 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 In another moment she was held in the arms 
 of her father, and her two brothers and the 
 two sturdy sons of Daniel Boone were praising 
 her for her courage. 
 
 They now made their way home in safety 
 over a new trail. Helen s mother, nearly 
 frantic at the loss of her daughter, was over 
 come with joy at her return. 
 
 Ill 
 
XVI 
 
 A LAST BLOW FOR SPAIN 
 
 IT was a bright July morning, nearly one 
 hundred years ago. A boy of sixteen, 
 dressed in the uniform of a captain of the 
 Spanish army, stood at the outer gate of an 
 old crumbling fort at Baton Rouge, in what 
 is now the state of Louisiana. With red 
 cheeks and flashing eyes the boy was listening 
 to Sera, an old sergeant. 
 
 " Captain Louis/ 7 continued the old soldier. 
 " Well, Sergeant Sera." 
 " There is sad news from above; the Ameri 
 cans are marching rapidly on our village. 
 They swear they will drive us out." 
 
 " Let the Americans do their work," proudly 
 answered Louis Grandpre; " we must do our 
 duty. Who leads these Americans? r 
 
 112 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY-BOOK 
 
 " Captain Thomas leads the riflemen. Pas- 
 son, whose life your father once saved, leads 
 the dragoons. It is said there are one hundred 
 and forty of them in all. Pray, Captain 
 Louis, what can we do? r 
 
 " Do? " cried the young captain. " We 
 can hold the fort for Spain and for King Fer 
 dinand. It is what we are here for. A soldier 
 of Spain must do his duty; if it comes to the 
 worst, he must die." 
 
 The old sergeant shuffled off to his quarters, 
 talking to himself. He had watched over his 
 young master from the time he was a child. 
 He rejoiced at the boy s pluck and courage. 
 Yet the old veteran knew too well it was all 
 in vain. 
 
 There was trouble and unrest all through 
 this section of Louisiana, which was not yet 
 free from the power of Spain. The vast 
 region beyond the Mississippi, known as 
 Louisiana, had been taken by France a hun 
 dred years before the close of the American 
 Revolution. Eighty years later France had 
 
 113 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 ceded it to Spain, at the time she gave up 
 Canada and the Ohio valley to England. In 
 1800 the great Napoleon forced Spain to give 
 it back to France. Thus the mouth of the 
 great Mississippi River was closed to American 
 trade. 
 
 The people of the West had now no outlet 
 for their goods. They said they would march 
 down the river and take New Orleans by 
 force. 
 
 At this time Napoleon had great need of 
 money, and sold us this whole territory for 
 fifteen million dollars. It was a great bargain 
 for our nation. This region contained more 
 square miles than all the original thirteen 
 colonies combined. 
 
 Of course Spain made loud objection to the 
 trade. But she knew well enough that she 
 could not hold this vast region against the 
 wishes of our great republic. And France be 
 lieved that this bargain must end forever 
 Spanish rule on the American continent. 
 
 At the time of our story, only a strip of 
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THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 country not much larger than the little state 
 of Delaware was left in the hands of Spain, 
 The American pioneers were bound to have 
 this too. The only thing in the way was an 
 old tumble-down fort at Baton Rouge, from 
 which still floated the proud flag of Spain. 
 
 Louis Grandpre was now in command of 
 this fort. He was no common boy. He had 
 been born and reared amid all the dangers and 
 hardships of frontier life. His father, a brave 
 Spanish soldier, had taught him that to obey 
 was the first duty of a soldier. On his death 
 bed his parting words were, " Loyalty to 
 king, to country, and to flag." 
 
 What could the young Spaniard do? He 
 had only a few crippled, worn-out veterans; 
 and the fort had not been repaired for a dozen 
 years. 
 
 He rode into the square of the little town of 
 Baton Rouge and stood beneath the folds of 
 the Spanish banner. 
 
 " Long live King Ferdinand! Rally to the 
 help of the King s fort! I am here to defend it 
 
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THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY-BOOK 
 
 against all enemies of the King. If you are 
 true and loyal sons of Spain, follow me." 
 
 He rode back with the banner floating over 
 his head, and the fife and drum playing a 
 martial air. 
 
 Within the gates of the fort he drew up his 
 sorry-looking army of less than one hundred 
 men. In a few earnest words he bade them 
 stand firm for the King. 
 
 "I am only a boy," he added, "but I will 
 face my duty proudly and remain steadfast 
 to the end. Here will I make one last stand 
 for the honor of Spain. Here I will fight one 
 last battle f or the glory of my country and my 
 flag." 
 
 So it came about that on this hot July day 
 a hundred poor, old, worn-out Spanish vet 
 erans stood drawn up in battle array within 
 the old fort. Some of them even began to 
 boast of what they would do again. 
 
 They had not long to wait. There was a 
 clattter of hoofs through the deserted village, 
 and the call of the bugle, demanding a parley. 
 
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THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 Old Sergeant Sera, stiff in his joints and 
 lame from many wounds, swung open the big 
 gate. 
 
 Passon, with his mounted riflemen, dashed 
 through and toppled over the old sergeant. 
 
 Young Captain Grandpre, sword in hand, 
 faced the dragoon. 
 
 " Sir, what means this insult, this hostile 
 entrance into a fort of the King of Spain? 
 
 " Well, well! " laughed Passon, as he reined 
 in his horse; " are you the captain here? 
 Well, my boy, we want your fort; and we 
 must have it." 
 
 " This post of Baton Rouge belongs to 
 His Majesty, King Ferdinand of Spain," was 
 the proud reply. " I am in command. I am 
 here to defend it with my life. Leave this 
 fort at once, or I shall order my men to fire 
 upon you." 
 
 " Well, what a fine young chap we have 
 here," cried Passon, while his men shouted 
 with laughter. " Indeed, you are a fierce 
 young hotspur. We have taken a fancy to 
 
 117 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 this fort of yours, and we mean to have 
 it." 
 
 Upon this the bold captain of the dragoons 
 reached down from his horse as if to seize 
 young Louis as a prisoner. 
 
 " Ho, there! " shouted Captain Louis to his 
 men. " Drive these traitors out! Ready! 
 Fire! " 
 
 With drawn sword the young captain 
 turned toward his veterans to urge them to 
 fight. 
 
 Not a man was there. Such was their 
 dread of the Americans that they had made 
 haste to escape into the blockhouse. 
 
 " Cowards! cowards! all of you. Will you 
 run from a lot of Yankee traitors? Come out 
 and fight! " and his young face was crimson 
 with shame. 
 
 " Come, my boy," the dragoon urged, " I 
 don t want to hurt you, but we must have this 
 fort." 
 
 " Never! It is my duty to hold this fort, 
 and hold it I will." 
 
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THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 " We are wasting time/ 7 grumbled Passon, 
 in anger. " Charge, boys! Charge the block 
 house! " 
 
 Before the horsemen could reach the old 
 tumble-down building, the young Spaniard 
 had sprung to the gate and closed and barred 
 it. In another moment he was rallying his 
 men. 
 
 " Follow me and drive these traitors out! " 
 
 Sword in hand, young Grandpre went forth 
 to meet the foe. But he went alone. 
 
 At that moment Captain Thomas, with 
 eighty riflemen, dashed through the southern 
 gate of the fort. The dragoons jumped from 
 their horses. They pounded away at the 
 rickety gate of the blockhouse. Down it fell 
 with a crash, and the Americans rushed 
 in. 
 
 Bracing himself against the wall, with 
 sword flashing in the sunlight, Captain 
 Louis Grandpre stood facing his foe, one 
 against a hundred, and he a boy. 
 
 " Back, every one of you! Back, on your 
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THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY-BOOK 
 
 lives! Ho! there in the blockhouse! Fire on 
 the traitors! " 
 
 Clear and loud rang out the fire of the 
 riflemen. With wild clatter, the dragoons 
 charged up to the door. There, fighting for 
 the fort which he deemed it his duty to de 
 fend, Grandpre fell, his king s name on his 
 lips, " Long live King Ferdinand! " 
 
 Thus died Captain Louis Grandpre. Brave 
 and faithful to his trust, the boy-soldier 
 struck the last blow for Spain in the land 
 where she had won and lost an empire. 
 
 120 
 
XVII 
 
 THE CHARGE OF THE HOUNDS 
 
 DURING our second war with Great 
 Britain, the War of 1812, the pioneers 
 in the Southwest suffered much from 
 the red men. The British supplied the Creek 
 Indians with guns, and paid them in gold for 
 scalps. 
 
 Alabama endured all the horrors of frontier 
 life. In August, 1813, the famous Creek 
 chief Red Eagle, with a thousand warriors, 
 attacked Fort Mimms, the largest and strong 
 est fort of this region. It was one of the most 
 desperate battles known in Indian warfare. 
 The fort was burned to the ground, and about 
 five hundred men, women, and children were 
 killed. 
 
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THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 This was indeed sad news to the settlers in 
 the region round the Alabama and Tombigbee 
 rivers. It meant that the " redsticks," as 
 the Creek warriors were called, were on the 
 warpath. If the settlers would save them 
 selves and their wives and children from a 
 cruel death by the savages, they must get 
 what food they could, leave their property to 
 be carried away or destroyed, and seek 
 shelter in the nearest stockade. 
 
 Such was the terror caused by the terrible 
 fight at Fort Minims that the settlers in what 
 is now Clarke County took their families as 
 quickly as they could to a little fort called 
 Burnt Corn. 
 
 A little way from the fort lived two families 
 consisting of twenty people. They did not 
 believe there were any Creeks near, and de 
 cided to stay in their homes. That very 
 night the redskins set fire to the cabins, and 
 killed all but five of the inmates. These es 
 caped to the stockade and told the sad news. 
 
 The next day the settlers went out from the 
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THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 fort to bring the bodies of their friends and 
 bury them. They believed the Indians had 
 left the region. So sure were they of this that 
 they did not take their guns with them, and 
 even left the gate of the stockade open. 
 
 A large party of Indians was watching 
 them all the time. Crawling like snakes 
 through the underbrush, they came within a 
 hundred yards of the stockade, while the 
 settlers stood weeping round the graves of 
 their friends. 
 
 Suddenly a savage war cry rent the air. 
 The crafty chief Francis at the head of his 
 warriors made a rush for the open gate of the 
 fort. 
 
 The pioneers ran with all speed. They 
 reached the stockade and shut the gate just 
 in time. But to their horror their women and 
 children were shut outside, and the Indians 
 were between them and the fort. 
 
 It was a moment of terror. 
 
 Now at the fort there was a young fellow 
 named Isaac Haden. Young as he was, he 
 
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THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 was cool and fearless, and already well known 
 as an Indian fighter. On this particular day 
 he had been out in search of stray cattle, and 
 just as things were at their worst he rode up 
 with his pack of hounds at his heels. Quick as 
 a flash he saw the peril of his friends. He 
 knew that he must help them at any risk. 
 
 " Here, Tiger! Here, Nero! Here, Csesar! " 
 he cried to his oldest dogs. 
 
 In another moment, followed by the whole 
 pack of savage animals, he charged on the 
 redskins. Some of the Indians were seized 
 by the dogs and brought to the ground. The 
 others were only too glad to escape by running 
 into the woods. 
 
 In the meanwhile the women and children 
 had time to reach the stockade, and the great 
 oak gate was shut. Isaac was left outside. 
 The savages quickly rallied when they saw 
 the plight of the young pioneer. 
 
 " I have at least saved the women and 
 children/ muttered Isaac, when he heard the 
 war cry of the Creeks. " I suppose there is 
 
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THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 no help for me; but I don t mean to die 
 without making one more charge on those 
 redskins." 
 
 He blew a blast on his hunting-horn, to call 
 his dogs around him. Digging his spurs into 
 the flanks of his horse, he again charged the 
 savages. He broke through them, but his 
 good horse fell dead from an Indian s bullet. 
 He jumped from the saddle and ran with all 
 his might toward the stockade. 
 
 With wild cries the Creeks were after him. 
 The rifle bullets whizzed by his head. Several 
 bullets passed through his clothing without 
 his receiving even a scratch. The redskins 
 were now close at his heels, but the brave 
 young fellow reached the great oak gate, 
 which the settlers were holding a little way 
 open for him. In another moment he was 
 safe inside, and the gate was shut in the faces 
 of the bloodthirsty savages. 
 
 125 
 
XVIII 
 
 THE DEFENSE OF FORT STEPHENSON 
 
 GENERAL HARRISON, the famous 
 Indian fighter who became President 
 of the United States, was in command 
 of the army in the Northwest. Tecumseh, one 
 of the greatest Indians that ever lived, was 
 planning to drive all the settlers out of the 
 Ohio region. He said that the white men had 
 cheated the Indians out of their land, and he 
 was eager for revenge. The Indians began 
 war, but in the fall of 1811 they were defeated 
 by General Harrison in the Battle of Tippe- 
 canoe, in Indiana. 
 
 When the War of 1812 began, Tecumseh 
 took sides with the British. He thought his 
 time for revenge had come. 
 At this period there were three forts near 
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THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 the shore of Lake Erie. Fort Meigs on the 
 Maumee River was the most important of the 
 three. 
 
 In the summer of 1813, General Proctor 
 with a force of British regulars and two or 
 three thousand Indians crossed Lake Erie 
 to capture Fort Meigs. 
 
 After a short time he decided to withdraw. 
 He put his regulars on board the gunboats, 
 and ordered the Indians to follow him along 
 the shore; for he now meant to attack another 
 of the three forts, a little stockade known as 
 Fort Stephenson. 
 
 Fort Stephenson was an old stockade built 
 round an Indian trader s house on the San- 
 dusky River, about twenty miles from Lake 
 Erie. It is now the little city of Fremont. 
 The fort, enclosing about an acre of ground, 
 was built of oak logs set in the ground and 
 sharpened at the top. At the corners of the 
 fort were little blockhouses. Outside the fort 
 was a ditch about eight feet deep and five or 
 six feet wide. 
 
 127 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 Now this fort was an important post. Its 
 loss would leave the way open for an attack 
 on the storehouses up the river, in which were 
 kept the supplies for all the American forces 
 in the Northwest. 
 
 When General Harrison learned what the 
 British planned to do, he sent a scout named 
 William Connor to carry a letter to Major 
 Croghan. 
 
 " Destroy the fort and the stores and re 
 treat if you can do so in season/ were the 
 orders. 
 
 The woods were full of Tecumseh s painted 
 warriors. More than once the scout was 
 forced to seek the shelter of the hushes to 
 escape the prowling savages. It is no wonder 
 that he lost his way and was a long time in 
 reaching the fort. 
 
 " I must see Major Croghan," said Connor, 
 when admitted to the stockade. 
 
 " I m your man," replied a young officer; 
 " what do you want? r> 
 
 " No, young fellow, you can t fool me," 
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THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 objected the scout, looking at the smooth 
 faced young man. " You are nothing but a 
 boy, and I want to see the commander. I 
 have a letter for him from General Harri 
 son." 
 
 " I m Major Croghan," insisted the young 
 commander. " I am twenty-one years old; 
 old enough to command this fort and old 
 enough to put you in irons if you don t hand 
 over that letter in two minutes." 
 
 " This beats me," muttered the old scout; 
 and without another word he gave the letter 
 to the young officer. 
 
 " Wait here," said Major Croghan; and 
 he went out to talk with his officers, who were 
 even younger than himself. 
 
 In a few minutes he returned with a letter 
 to General Harrison. It ran as follows: " It 
 is too late to retreat. We have made up our 
 minds to defend this place, and by heaven we 
 will." 
 
 This letter from so young a man was too 
 much for an old soldier like General Harrison. 
 
 129 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 He at once called the young officer to head 
 quarters to explain matters. 
 
 Now Major Croghan was a great favorite 
 with the old Indian fighter. His family was 
 famous in American history. He was the 
 nephew of the celebrated George Rogers 
 Clarke, who saved for us the three great 
 states of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. His 
 father had fought through the Revolution. 
 After graduating from college, at the age of 
 eighteen, young Croghan went into the army 
 and soon proved his courage. For bravery at 
 the siege of Fort Meigs, he was made a major 
 in the regular army, when he was only twenty 
 years old. 
 
 The young major told General Harrison it 
 was not safe to retreat from Fort Stephenson 
 with so large a force; for the woods were 
 full of savages. He declared he had sent him 
 the note with the hope that it would fall into 
 the hands of the Indians. He also insisted he 
 could hold the fort or make the British pay 
 dearly for it. 
 
 130 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 Harrison agreed and hurried him back to 
 his command. 
 
 The garrison at Fort Stephenson worked all 
 day and all night to get ready for the at 
 tack. 
 
 About noon the next day, which was the 
 first day of August, large numbers of Indians 
 were seen skulking near. We are told that 
 one redskin, bolder than the rest, climbed to 
 the top of an elm tree which overlooked the 
 stockade. He was shot dead by a Kentucky 
 rifleman. Several others did the same thing 
 and met with the same fate. 
 
 About four o clock in the afternoon, General 
 Proctor, the British commander, sailed up the 
 Sandusky River with his gunboats, landed 
 about five hundred soldiers, and planted his 
 cannon. At the same time the Indians 
 showed themselves all about in the woods. 
 
 General Proctor now sent Colonel Elliott to 
 the fort. 
 
 Lieutenant Shipp, the youngest officer in 
 the stockade, went out to meet him. 
 
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THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 " I am sent to demand the surrender of your 
 fort/ 7 began the British officer. 
 
 " We shall defend it to the last moment." 
 
 " Look at these four hundred veteran 
 soldiers and seven hundred Indians. We are 
 sure to take the place. The Indians will kill 
 all of you. Tell your commander to surrender 
 and save the shedding of blood." 
 
 " When you take the fort there will be 
 nobody left to kill; they will all be dead." 
 
 " You re a fine young man, too fine to be 
 tomahawked and scalped by the savages," 
 continued the British officer; " don t be 
 stubborn." 
 
 At this moment an Indian sprang out of the 
 bushes and tried to snatch the lieutenant s 
 sword; but Shipp, not the least afraid, drew 
 the weapon and made as if to kill the Indian. 
 
 Colonel Elliott now begged the young officer 
 to go back with all speed if he would save his 
 life, since he could not control the Indians. 
 
 All this time Major Croghan was watching 
 the scene. He saw the insult to his messenger. 
 
 132 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 " Come in, Shipp! " he shouted. " We ll 
 blow them all to pieces/ 7 
 
 The battle now began in real earnest. The 
 six cannon on the shore and the gunboats 
 opened fire on the little stockade. 
 
 In the fort were one hundred and sixty-two 
 men and one cannon, an old six-pounder. 
 
 " Put Queen Bess on the blockhouse on 
 the north side," ordered Major Croghan. 
 " Hide her from the British. Load her to 
 the muzzle and point her so that she will 
 sweep the ditch." 
 
 That night and the next day until about 
 four o clock in the afternoon the British can 
 non and the regulars pounded away at the 
 little fort. 
 
 " Keep cool, boys," said Major Croghan, 
 calmly. " Shoot to kill. We must beat them 
 or die." 
 
 The Indians did not like this kind of fight 
 ing. There was no chance to skulk behind 
 trees. They had taken no scalps. If they 
 showed themselves, the sure aim of the Ken- 
 
 133 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 tucky riflemen brought them down. They 
 grew restless. They wanted to get into the 
 fort and begin the bloody work. 
 
 A thunderstorm was rising, and by four 
 o clock it was almost as dark as night. 
 
 General Proctor decided to storm the fort 
 on the northwest corner and make an attack 
 on the south side at the same time. Under 
 cover of the smoke the regulars marched 
 forward. 
 
 " Cut down the pickets! Show the Yankees 
 no quarter! " shouted Colonel Short, leaping 
 into the ditch. 
 
 A deadly rifle fire flashed from every port 
 hole. The redcoats were checked and thrown 
 into confusion. They quickly rallied. Again 
 the men leaped to the front to cut down the 
 oak logs. 
 
 The colonel s voice again rang out. 
 
 " Cut away the pickets, my boys! No 
 quarter for the Yankees." 
 
 These were his last words. He fell headlong, 
 pierced by a bullet. 
 
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THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 All this time good Queen Bess, loaded to 
 the muzzle with spikes and slugs, was hid 
 from the sight of the enemy. The port now 
 flew open. The old six-pounder spoke with 
 terrible effect. Grapeshot and slugs raked the 
 ditch and filled it with the struggling soldiers. 
 More than a hundred men lay wounded or dead. 
 
 The British did not rally. Without a 
 leader, they turned and fled to the woods, 
 followed by the deadly fire of the Kentucky 
 sharpshooters. 
 
 The two hundred regulars storming the 
 fort on the south side were at the mercy of the 
 riflemen. They were soon forced to seek 
 shelter. 
 
 The garrison had but one man killed and 
 less than a dozen wounded. Of the British 
 about one hundred and twenty men were 
 killed or wounded. The savages had kept 
 themselves out of the way, in a ravine near 
 the fort. The whole attack was borne by the 
 British regulars, who acted most bravely. 
 
 After dark General Proctor stole on board 
 135 
 
THE AMERICAN HISTORY STORY - BOOK 
 
 his gunboat, leaving behind him his stores, 
 guns, and clothing. The next morning the 
 redcoats were far out on Lake Erie. Not an 
 Indian was to be seen. 
 
 The little band of fighters had saved the 
 region from British conquest. Never again 
 did a British soldier set foot in Ohio or Michi 
 gan except as a prisoner. 
 
 Major Croghan lived for forty years after 
 this gallant fight. He made good the promise 
 of his youth. At twenty-seven he was pro 
 moted to be a colonel. After the war he filled 
 many offices of trust and honor in the South. 
 He was the youngest man, it is said, ever to 
 receive the gold medal of honor awarded by 
 Congress for heroic exploits. General Harri 
 son s report contained the following: 
 
 " It will not be the least of General Proctor s 
 mortifications to find that he has been baffled 
 by a young man who has just passed his 
 twenty-first birthday. He is, however, the 
 hero, worthy of his gallant uncle, General 
 George Rogers Clarke." 
 
 136 
 
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