, . 
 , cr^ ex'
 
 THE 
 
 ROYALIST'S DAUGHTER 
 
 AND THE KEBELS: 
 
 OB. TH 
 
 DUTCH DOMINIE OF THE CATSKEIS. 
 
 A TALE OF THE REVOLUTION. 
 
 BY REV. DAVID MURDOCH, DJX 
 
 NEW YORK : 
 UNITED STATES BOOK COMPANY 
 
 SUCCESSORS TO 
 
 JOHN W. LOVELL COMPANY 
 
 150 WORTH ST., COR. MISSION PLACE
 
 filtered, according to Act of Coegren, In the year 1886, by 
 
 JOHN X. POTTKR. 
 
 la ttoOerk'i Oflke of the Dfatrict Court of toe Omtea States, in and for the 
 Dfatriet of PenoayiTni.
 
 THE DISCOVERY. 
 
 LETTER of WESSEL SCHERMEBHORN, to the excellent and venerable 
 ABRAHAM HAASBBOTTGH, Esq., New York. 
 
 Hum PKAK, Aug. 12, I860. 
 
 MY inrcH EESPECTED UKCXE, 
 
 BT MY MOTHER'S SIDE. 
 
 I WKITK this from the highest point of land my feet ever have stood 
 upon. I am now looking out upon the great valley of the Hudson, 
 and can see the spires of Poughkeepsie, the cupola of the Capitol 
 at Albany, the hills of Connecticut and Massachusetts. The White 
 and Green Mountains rise before me in noble grandeur; all spread- 
 ing out, so that it seems as if a great sheet were let down from 
 heaven; while the North Kiver, like a silver ribbon, is running 
 through the resplendent garniture. "We of Holland descent have 
 cause of pride in Hendrick Hudson the discoverer ; and as I look 
 down, my heart beats with transport at the thought that MT ances- 
 tors have made all that land to become what I see, in fertility, rich- 
 nsss and beauty. Chiefly my blood dances in my veins as I recall 
 the history of those noble acts performed on the scene that Ses 
 before my view. 
 
 Knowing your great interest in all that refers to the past, I have, 
 since leaving the Bowery, been collecting the antiquities of this 
 region, especially such as may throw light upon the early history of 
 the colony, as far back as the settlement of New Amsterdam a 
 matter in which I know you to be deeply interested, engaged as yoq 
 
 2137304
 
 IV THE DISCOVERY. 
 
 DOM are in forming a museum, that may in time rival that of Ply 
 mouth Kock or Hartford. 
 
 I send you several cases per the " Vrow " sloop, Captain Post, in 
 which are precious relics, valuable in your eyes : Primus. Dutch 
 tiles that were brought over in the ship " Gilded Beaver," March, 
 1660; a china milk-pot that stood on Gen. Schuyler's table when 
 the great Washington and his aid, Gen. Hamilton, sat at the same ; 
 a looking-glass that the light-heeled Docbter of Dom. Megapolenses 
 saw herself in before she ran away with Michael Goosen, the tailor. 
 Secundua. A piece of the Duffel cloth, the knife, and a button from 
 the beaver that Aejie Hollenback got for interpreting between the 
 Governor who then was, and Pewack, Chief of the Mohicanders, at the 
 transfer of the land east of the Cauli bergs, extending from the Heilder- 
 bergs, north, near to Albany, down to the south of Siepos Creek, 
 which creek runs close to Kingston, which was ancient Esopus ; also, 
 in a small box laid in lint that grew on old Dom. Schuneman's farm, 
 you will find a ring once worn by Annie Bogart, sister's dochter to 
 AnejaBogardus, that was second cousin to Anneka Janks, of blessed 
 memory ; next you have the staff or cane with which Dom. Schaet 
 chastised the Lutheran dominie when he came off second best,. 
 Tertius. And what you will value most of all is the ancient manu- 
 script, inclosed in double sheepskin. Its history is curious and 
 might make the groundwork of a strange story itself. One of the 
 dominies of the region being inquisitive in his disposition, and fond 
 of tracing out all traditions of old Holland, found in an oaxen, 
 worm-eaten chest, books bearing the name of Dom. de Eainde, 
 who had, with other good men, been driven away from JSTew York 
 when the British took the ancient edifice in William street, and 
 made it a riding school. By looking into the records of the Colle- 
 giate Church, you will doubtless find the name and the history of 
 that Eevolutionary worthy, up to the time he too* refuge in Caats- 
 baan, the anciont stone church of which lies just at my feet, and 
 where I went last Sabbath, and heard the purest, and most eloquent
 
 THE DISCOVERY. T 
 
 Dominie that now lives, of the old stock. Among those old \olumea 
 was this precious document found, and which I procured undei <Le 
 solemn pledge of conveying it to the hands of those for whom it 
 was originally designed. Being proud to say that I have an uncle, 
 by my mother's side, in the Grand Consistory of the Collegiate 
 Church, the discoverer has intrusted the manuscript to my care, and 
 which I send to you in perfect confidence that justice will be done 
 to the venerable author by his no less venerable successors. 
 
 Here let me speak a word in behalf of the finder of this ancient 
 document, who is worthy of all gratitude for rescuing such a relio 
 from oblivion ; and as you may be curious to know of him, I would 
 merely say to you, and through you to the Grand Consistory, that 
 he has not a drop of Holland blood in his body. When I ventured 
 to ask him how he took such an interest in our " LITTLE ZION " here 
 in Xorth America, he rose to his feet, and with great fervor declared 
 that the " true dominie's blood runs in the spirit, not in the veins ; 
 and that the sons of John Knox were, in dark days, nursed at the 
 breasts of old Leyden, and that they still retain the same life in them, 
 instinctively finding out those of the same family." Another reason 
 he said might be given for his own attachment to the Hollanders on 
 the west side of the Atlantic : his forefathers had been determined 
 free traders from the coast of Scotland to that of Holland, sailing 
 past the custom-house independently, which some foolishly styled 
 smuggling ; but whatever it was, "this son of Caledonia" here he 
 struck his breast with force " is a free man, and has a strong love 
 for all patriots in general, and a sincere admiration for his predeces- 
 sor, DOMINIE SCHTJNEMAN, in particular." 
 
 So far I tell, the secrets I keep till I see you. 
 
 Tour loving nephew, 
 
 W. 8.
 
 Ti THE DISCOVERT. 
 
 CATSBAAX, Dec. 27, 1TT8. 
 
 To the Venerable Consistory of the Collegiate Church of New York. 
 
 To MY BELOVED BBETHBEN, GEEETING: 
 
 Ever since the day I parted with you until now, I have 
 longed to hear of your affairs ; hoping that this will find your bodies 
 in health, even as I know your souls prosper. Obliged, as I have 
 been, to part from you, and to take up my abode here, even as the 
 pelican in the wilderness, it grieves my heart sore, to think that my 
 presence cannot be with you to comfort you in the midst of that 
 cruel war which still environs you. Nevertheless, though you have 
 in the abundance of your liberality declared my beloved associate 
 and fellow laborer in the Gospel, the good and learned Dominie Ku- 
 dolphus Eitzema, and myself, emeriti, i.e. amply providing for our 
 wants; which I understand to mean that our presence is hence- 
 forth to be dispensed with, in lieu of younger and smoother tongued 
 men who can use the modern speech of Sion to advantage, in the 
 new state of things, I am content. My share of public delights haf 
 been given in times past ; nor did I cease while going in and out 
 before you to cultivate the Humanities daily ; so that I might do 
 honor and service to the learned Kerke of Holland planted here in 
 this desert land, not suffering any one to affirm that I was behind in 
 anything which might commend the doctrines of the Eeformed 
 Churches, and that furthermore I might have within my own soul 
 a spring of pure delight, from which I might drink in my solitude, 
 and be satisfied, as the wise Solomon saith of the good man. 
 Prov. xiv., 14. 
 
 Happily for me, this power of drawing from myself remainetb 
 even unto old age. Could you but see me enga'ged in my regular 
 studies, writing out my weekly discourse which I never expect to 
 deliver orally ; or reading out of the holy and learned Thos. Sher- 
 locke, D.D., late Master of the Temple and Bishop of London, a 
 volume of whose works my late and beloved colleague, Dom. Rit- 
 zema has sent me from his exile in Kinderhook (his own copy, Ex
 
 THE DISCOVEET. Vll 
 
 Dono Reverendi Doctoris Samuelis Johnson, Connecticut), a won- 
 derful book from which I have been drawing nourishment. Truly 
 he is the Locke of Divinity, who anatomizes the whole system and 
 illustrates its component parts. 
 
 Besides those weightier matters, I have not neglected my duty to 
 my country : so I have been careful to record the passing events 
 of the present time. I have written a history. It is after the man- 
 ner of an old painter of the mother country (you know Holland has 
 been famous for her artists) ; he sat down without plan, and putting 
 down the objects which first struck his eye, threw the sketch aside, 
 and found it next day to be a natural picture of the first order. 
 
 There will be historians in swarms who will give the outside of 
 this great struggle. I have written of the quieter scenes of life in 
 a disturbed state, and as it would not be safe to let the world know 
 now what I have written, I send it to your care, so that it may be 
 put into the strong box where we have hidden our records. 
 
 Some future antiquarian of sufficient enthusiasm may give my 
 history to the world. One hundred years hence it will be read with 
 admiration. To your care I commit it. 
 
 Never expecting to meet you again in the flesh, Yoorts, breeders ! 
 zijt blijde, de God nu des vredes zal den Satan haast onder uwe 
 voeten verpletteren. De genade van onzen Heere Jezus Christus zij 
 met ulieden. Amen. 
 
 DOM. DE EADTDB. 
 
 POSTSCRIPT FEOM MY LAST BED. I have never found a safe hand 
 whereby to convey my history, and so I trust it to Him who kept the 
 Book of the Law till Ezra found it. Kind finder send it thither.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 MM 
 
 Introductory Letter giving an account of the Great Discovery, . iii 
 
 Letter of Dominie de Rainde to the Consistory of the Collegiate 
 
 Church, New York, dated December, 1778, . . . . vi 
 
 BOOK I. 
 
 GIVING AN ACCOUNT OF THE BLOODY BRANDT'S DESCENT UPON THE 
 
 KAATSKILL VLAATS, OCTOBER, 1178, WITH OTHER MATTERS 
 
 KNOWN ONLY TO THE AUTHOR. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 Uncertainty, ........17 
 
 CHAPTER IL 
 Deep Doubt, ...;....*.. 2? 
 
 CHAPTER IH. 
 A Harvest Feast, ., ..85 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 The Rescue, ........ ..46 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 Doubting Castle Giant Despair, . , . . . . . . 52 
 
 CHAPTER VL 
 The Eyelids of the Morning, 68 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Revenge is Sweet, M 
 
 U
 
 X CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Wars and Rumors of Wars, 78 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 The Depths of Satan, 92 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 The Peru's of a Pilgrimage 104 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 Samson c|rrying off the Gates of Gaza, . . . . . .118 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 The Brave but Bloody Brandt, . . 127 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 Blessed are the Pure in Heart, 147 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 A Trial of Faith and Fortitude, . , . . . , .168 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 The Spectral Looking-glass, . . 172 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 Queen of the Mountain, . . . . . . , . .187 
 
 BOOK II. 
 
 THE BURNING OF SOPUS AND THE IMMEDIATE CONSEQUENCES THEREOF. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 The Antediluvian Debate continued, ....... 207 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Love Stronger than Death, 213 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 The Sport of a Fool, casting Firebrands, Arrows and Dealt, . . 224 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 More Dangers than a Battle, . 233 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Darkness Death and Deliverance, 253
 
 CONTENTS. XI 
 
 PAQV 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 The Pleasures of Suspense, 269 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 A Panther or a Catamount, 270 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 Fun, Frolic and Folly, finished Soberly, 27 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 A Dutch Dominie at Home, ........ 284 
 
 BOOK III. 
 
 KTBGOYNE'S FAILURE ; BEING THE REVELATION OF SECRET CAUSES 
 UNNOTICED BY THE GREAT HISTORIANS OF THE TIMB 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 A Prisoner in Disguise, before a Tribunal in Disguise, . 2i7 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 A Masquerade, . 08 
 
 CHAPTER IIL 
 A Wheel within a Wheel, 316 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 Judgment and Mercy kissed, ........ 326 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 The Marshalling and Marching of the Mighty to the Mountains, . 336 
 
 BOOK IV. 
 
 THE FAILURE OF BRANDT J SHOWING THE STRENGTH Of INDIAN 
 AMBITION AND REVENGE, AND HOW THEY WERE FRUSTB^TSU). 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 Hunting the Lion and his tawny Whelps, 851 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 The Head in the Lion's Mouth, 357
 
 Xil CONTENTS. 
 
 MM 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 The Africaii Court-Martial, S6!> 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 Revenge is Sweet, 870 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 The Restless Spirit, 882 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 The Last Indian Battle on the River Hudson, 1760, .... 888 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 A. Human Whirlpool, 402 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 The Wings of a Cherub, .... ^ .... 412 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 The Amphitheatre, .......... 429 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 Fawn's Leap, ... 434 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 A. Bridge of Gold for an Enemy's Retreat, ..... 43V 
 
 CHAPTER XIL 
 Tears *nd Smiles, ... 448 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 The ImBiO'tal Soul, , 456 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 The Consummation devoutly to be wished, ... . 464
 
 BOOK I. 
 
 GIVING AN ACCOUNT OF THE 
 
 BLOODY BRANDT'S DESCENT UPON THE KAATSKILL VLAATS. 
 
 OOTOBHR, 1778, 
 WITH OTHER MATTERS, KNOWN ONLY TO THE AUTHOR.
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 To read this book with profit to the reader, and with 
 justice to the author, it would be to the advantage of both, 
 were a survey to be taken of the region where the scene lies, 
 on which such great events have transpired. The place for 
 this will be that gorge in the mountain that lies half way be- 
 tween Elmira, Caatsban, and old Kaatskill. There is, 
 when it is reached, a paved floor of stone. Through the 
 crevices therein grows up innumerable small pines, where the 
 bear and tbs deer find refuge, and the hunter lodges all night 
 for his prey. Go forward to the brink of the precipice, and 
 look out, where all New England stretches before you ; then 
 look northward and southward, where the Knickerbockers 
 dwell. 
 
 On that spot where you stand the Indian and the Tory met 
 to hold their bloody conclaves. The mountain range was the 
 dividing line. The road from the settlements below, to Fort 
 Niagara, runs over the hills beneath you up to this point, 
 going through Unadilla and Scenedawa, by Queen Catha- 
 rine's County, near Lake Ca-nun-da-saga. 
 
 From these crags the savage descended upon the peaceable 
 Boermen of the vlatts like a hungry cormorant, er a wolf on
 
 XVI INTRODUCTION. 
 
 the fold, sweeping the Whigs away to death or bondage. 
 Should the time ever arrive when these mountains will be 
 trod by civilized men, let them not forget that the privilege 
 of looking out from them in peace has been bought with the 
 blood of the patriot.
 
 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 UNCERTAINTY. 
 
 " The great high an' low have but two prominent virtues patience and courage " 
 SHERLOCK. 
 
 IT was on an evening of October, 1778, that old Martin 
 Schuyler, with his wife, the good Angelica, were sitting 
 musing in silence, interrupted only by the ticking of the old 
 clock in the corner, that had told the course of time to 
 generations before Martin himself had looked up on the sun, 
 moon or stars. So well had its present possessor become 
 acquainted with the solemn regular tick, tack, that his pulse 
 and his thoughts went in unison with the venerable time- 
 piece. Slow or fast, he had come to regard the mysterious 
 machinery of his soul and body as parts of the same creature 
 within the mahogany case, so that whenever anything went 
 wrong with the one, the other was sure to be out of order. 
 The Dominie, who was the only doctor in his parish, knew 
 this fart so well, that when he came on a spiritual or a bodily 
 visitation he was sure first to administer to the soul, then 
 leave some medicine for the stomach, and he as invariably 
 set about putting all right within the old clock-case. 
 
 This essential regulator of the venerable mansion had given 
 warning through the day of a hectic pulse, which brought 
 on midnight before the natural time, making the old man 
 give an unusual start as the hammer struck twelve. H had 
 just finished his second pipe, and was pushing his finger and
 
 18 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 thumb into his bladder bag for a new supply when he found 
 time to say : 
 
 "Anshela, vat's dat de Dominee said bou: te spy in te 
 camp, an sarch out te men in te city ?" 
 
 " Awee," was the quiet answer of the vrow, for she per- 
 ceived that her go'od man's mind was excited or disturbed, 
 and she wished to allay his troubles rather than increase 
 them ; " te Dominee meant te king of the Jews finding te 
 men dat ver 'gainst him.'* 
 
 "Ha! te Dominee, Schunernan, is a very canning man, 
 and meant to give Jake Overpagh a hit wid his gad ; for I 
 saw dat he looked straight in te rascal's face, dat made him 
 bring down his impudent head like a shot duck." 
 
 Old Martin chuckled at his own jest, and waited to hear 
 what his vrow would say to his conjecture. 
 
 But Angelica, with true woman's wit, knew that she was 
 on dangerous ground when her companion's peace had been 
 disturbed before, and she merely said : " Te Dominie drew 
 his bow at a venture, and it might pierce Jake between te 
 joints of te harness." 
 
 " I wish to te Lord," said the husband, with more haste than 
 usual, " dat I could speak to te skitimylink through old Peg 
 dere, and a hole would be made big enough to let te light in 
 dat would make him spy from te toder world rayther than 
 round Whig doors." 
 
 "Whish! whish!" said the anxious vrow, "stone Avails 
 have ears ; better, Martin, to have a close niout' than an open 
 skull." 
 
 All this time, while this unusually long conversation was 
 going on, the one was preparing his pipe, and the other 
 knitting quietly at the ether side of the long chimney, in 
 which smoldered the remains of what had been a proportion- 
 ably large fire, now left to sink into red coals. All was quiut 
 in the other parts of the capacious dwelling ; cattle and 
 negroes had alike been cared for, and the hour for that 
 worthy pair to retire had nearJv come. Conversation 
 between the two was rather a luxury than a common indulg- 
 ence. Like the two buckets of their own deep well, when 
 the one was up, it was always left full on the curb ready for 
 use, and the other w;is sunk into the profundity beneath, and 
 though it took some time to bring it up, it was fresh for 
 household service : it was always there when the traveller 
 came, and welcome for his horse or himself. The bucket 
 never came up empty.
 
 UNCERTAINTY. 19 
 
 The old Boermari gave a sudden start, as if something had 
 struck him. Angelica saw that he was alarmed through 
 some cause without doors. She was well acquainted with 
 the habits of her husband, and knew all the circumstances of 
 the country sufficiently well to enter immediately into the 
 feeling of the occasion. He was not a man to be frightened 
 at a shadow, nor was she unprepared for the exigencies of 
 the period. When Martin, after cautiously looking up to 
 the window, rose slowly on his feet, and stepped to the stair 
 that went up to the chamber, lifting old Peg, as he passed, 
 from her resting-place on the wooden hooks fixed in the 
 joists over head, the careful vrow ceased even to breathe, 
 sitting as still on her stool as if she was stone ; then, with an 
 equally cautious step, followed her husband up the steps, both 
 that she might aid him and obtain information, or give counsel. 
 The house was one ot those heavy stone structures, that 
 seemed built more as towers of defence than as places for 
 comfort ; the walls three feet thick, with small windows, 
 like ancient shot-holes, covered with heavy shutters, which, 
 in the windy seasons, slamned like the gates of a sepulchre, 
 and as dolefully loud. 
 
 Close by one of these in the dark, Martin stood peering 
 out, when Angelica joined her sight to his ; and thinking 
 herself the first to perceive the cause of ala?'m, she whispered 
 too loud, " Vat's dat dere, 1100 ?" 
 
 Martin had seen it, but durst not breathe of it lest the ear 
 of some one wotild catch the sound ; and, turning around, he 
 gave his good vrow a piach on the arm, which was neither 
 love nor hate. Pointing with his finger, he directed An- 
 gelica's eye to some living thing moving between them and a 
 grey rock that stood but a short distance from the house ; 
 and nearer to them another of the same kind of shadows. 
 Their blood ran quicker as that last object assured them 
 both that it was a human form. Danger was abroad ! All 
 their negroes were asleep ; no friendly person would be 
 prowling around a house at such an hour. Massacres had 
 been common; the Indians were on the hills, and the Tories 
 had marked old Martin for their prey. His very name, 
 SCHUYLER, was enough to render hiv-i obnoxious to the whole 
 race. He loved his country, and had ventured to take the 
 side he felt was right ; but he was a man, a husband, and a 
 father. 
 
 " The teeken vuur is blazing on the Kekute," whispered the 
 trembling wife, as she came from looking towards the east
 
 20 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 Martin's courage rose as he saw the acknowledged signal 
 His friends were aware of danger being abroad ; but here 
 was something which came under his immediate inspection. 
 Spies were around his house. Cool by nature, and rendered 
 cautious through long experience in the woods and on the 
 hills, neither animal nor Indian could double him, when once 
 upon the alert. His own cunning was his greatest danger. 
 He had fallen occasionally into his own trap ; and trusted 
 more to the judgment of his family than he was willing to 
 confess. 
 
 " Where's Elsie ?" he whispered to the wife. She was their 
 only child, and had, in the lack of sons, become the chief stay 
 of her parents in their declining years. Vigorous, prudent, 
 and prompt in all her actions, she was equal to any young 
 man in a case of emergency. It was therefore with some 
 mortification and sinking of the heart, that he heard the 
 mother say : 
 
 "Elsie, O the Lamashee has gone to the husking at the 
 Bught. Take Ca3sar wit thee ; he is strong, and faithful ; 
 I'll go and waken him." 
 
 " Stay 1 stay ! do not ruin us ; dese blacks are sich cowardly 
 critters, I would as soon take one of the ox steers wid me 
 in the dark, I must go myself." 
 
 After he had said this, they came and sat down on the 
 same place where we found him beside the tire, and com- 
 posedly smoked the pipe he had began to fi!l when he was 
 first disturbed. This was his manner when his brain was 
 foggy ; he saw his way best when the smoke whirled thickest 
 around him ; and as he feared it might be some time before 
 he obtained more of this necessary of life, his first resolution 
 was to puff a supply. By the time he was through, his mind 
 was made up. Angelica had been anticipating the w r ho!e re- 
 Biilt ; and while the smoke became slow and regular, she had 
 gathered up some olecakes and rusk, thrusting them into 
 his ample pockets ; filling his horn with dry powder ; count- 
 ing out twenty bullets, and some buck-shot, which she de- 
 posited in the same place ; brought a worsted cap of her own 
 working, which she drew upon his head well over his ears ; 
 which he pushed up in an instant ; and doing all this without 
 a word, she sat down, bending her head forward on her 
 hands, seeming to be in the act of silent prayer : which was 
 evidently understood by the musing Dutchman; for he 
 ceased to puff except in the most silent stream, that rose 
 more as incense than as indulgence. Not a word had been
 
 UNCERTAINTY. 21 
 
 ottered by them since they came from the chamber above, 
 and the house had been made long since proof against all 
 peering eyes ; so that Martin only waited the proper time to 
 go out ; but that could not be till he was sure that the ma- 
 rauders had gone from the dwelling. 
 
 The house, as we have hinted, was large and solid as all the 
 mansions are, except where the New England leaven has 
 changed the taste of some rebellious youth, who was deter- 
 mined to ignore his Dutch origin. Martin Sclmyler was not 
 of that tribe. His father had built one side of the house, 
 with the evident forethought, that his posterity to the fourth 
 and fifth generation should continue to add to it ; and our 
 friend had done his share by raising wings larger than the 
 original body, which was distinguished from the rest by being 
 a few feet lower than the new sides. So that the house re- 
 sembled some old men we have seen, whose head had sunk 
 considerably beneath their shoulders, while their larger rear, 
 required all the room that could be spared to them. It was 
 literally so of Martin's dwelling built on a side hill, and so 
 strong itself, it was hard to say whether the hill or the house 
 was the most crowded. No matter, the high ground behind 
 served a good purpose in these times of public tumult, when 
 life and property were in such danger. A cave had been 
 originally dug in the hill, to serve as a root-house: this 
 suggested the idea of a hiding-place, which had been carried 
 still further into the interior. Indeed so far, that a passage- 
 way had been made sufficiently wide for a person to worm 
 his way to an opening on the south side of the house. Into 
 that receptacle, long since all the silver plate of Holland ma- 
 nufacture, all the milledoleors which Martin had saved, the 
 China intended for Elsie, a castle of quilted work, indeed 
 everything that could be dispensed with out of the house ; 
 so that surprise, was not to be so great if it did come at all, 
 upon such cautious and cool heads. If there was aught neg- 
 lected, it was more through too much care than too little. 
 As in the case of the house being burned or surrounded, and 
 they forced to flee, ready money was essential, so a round 
 hole had been dug in the meadow below, out of which a 
 piece of turf was carefully taken, the earth removed, 
 and a pot of silver coin put in, all so well done, that Martin 
 declared at the end of his life, he could " never find out the 
 place himself to this day." 
 
 A few pantomime signs were only passed between the two. 
 Angelica was preparing for retreat if necessary, and Marti u
 
 22 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 for defence, when a slight noise was distinctly heard, as if 
 some one had missed a footing, and had put out a hand to re- 
 cover himself. Neither of the two moved a muscle, but their 
 senses were now fully awakened to danger. " O, if Elsie 
 were only here," was the internal wish of the anxious man. 
 So rising slowly and quietly from his seat, he stepped into 
 the back part of the house, through a panel which served 
 as a door that opened at his touch. Angelica following to 
 receive and give counsel. 
 
 '* Where is Elsie said you, Anshela ?" 
 
 " Down in the Bught at a husking bee," was the quiet and 
 subdued reply ; for the good wife and mother saw plainly 
 that her husband was troubled. " Let me go out with you ; 
 four eyes are better than two ; and you know that I have 
 both caution and courage to meet any danger, when you are 
 beside me." 
 
 "You speak like one of the foolish women, Anshela. lam 
 only going to watch, not to fight if I can help it. I shah 1 
 go to the top of the hill, and return in an hour, but if not, 
 send Elsie to meet me on the Sout Mountain." 
 
 " On the Sout Mountain !" the careful wife exclaimed ; " why 
 not rather light the teeken vuur and gather our friends ?" 
 
 " Vrow ! Vrow !" whispered Martin with great vehemence, 
 before any friends could be here, our scalps would be reeking 
 in that savage Kiskataam's fingers, our grey hairs twisted to- 
 gether. No, I must watch the redskin and see what deviltry 
 he is up to, and trap him in his den. Elsie is the only one 
 that can help me at this hour. You stay here quietly. There 
 are only two of them. They are waiting till we sleep, and 
 then they will go to the flat rock and light their warning 
 fire. Ha! ha! cunning dogs. Martin is before you ! Catch 
 a squirrel sleeping. Thanks to Peet, for all that I know." 
 The farmer and the hunter chuckled at the thought of out- 
 witting Kiskataam, the Wild-cat, upon his own ground, the 
 Kaatskills. 
 
 There was no more difficulty in bringing Angelica to agree 
 to the plan. She was well aware that her careful husband 
 possessed means of information which he kept to himself. 
 So with a few more olecakes, and some quiet blessings, and 
 prayers on his safety, she saw him crawl on his hands and 
 knees through the narrow passage leaving her to close all 
 up as quietly, and as closely as possible, without calling up 
 any of the negro men, who were all asleep in the lower part 
 of the house, in what is called the cellar kitchen.
 
 UNCERTAINTY. 23 
 
 Martin emerged from his underground journey like a rab' 
 bit that has found itself in the wide world, ready to return to 
 its burrow quickly should danger be near. He lay still for 
 at least five minutes, listening till he became familiarized with 
 the silence and the darkness around him ; when he gradually 
 rose upright, standing so still that he seemed but one of the 
 stumps of the field. Taking a wide circuit from his own 
 house, he sought a patch of wood through which there was 
 a cow path, guessing that the spies around him would tako 
 that on their way to their accustomed rendezvous. Nor was 
 he mistaken, for, after waiting patiently a full hour, he heard 
 footsteps distinctly, coming behind him. He would have 
 been at a loss to tell whether it was man or animal, had he 
 not also heard a human voice, which became more audible, 
 but to him more mysterious, the nearer as it approached. 
 Now it was the low guttural tones of an Indian ; and again 
 it seemed something else ; but neither Indian nor Dutch. 
 Here was something of which he had not dreamed. His 
 secret informant of yesterday had not hinted of any one but 
 Indian. Till now, he had been comparatively calm, for his 
 experience had taught him that it was easier to circumvent 
 ten Indians, than one true and determined white man of ex- 
 perience. But, judge of the still greater surprise of our 
 watcher, when he heard distinctly, the tones of the English 
 tongue ; and that of a young woman. He started to his feet 
 with an alertness the reverse of his previous sluggishness. 
 Martin's acquaintance with the world of Albany, and of Man- 
 hattan Island had been frequent, among his own near rela- 
 tives, who were of the first quality in the colony ; enabling 
 him to judge at once of these tones, and of the distinct words 
 uttered ; assuring him that this Avas a woman of polished life 
 and language. Why brought hither to these wild regions F : 
 He lay down again, waiting for the persons to pass by ; but 
 BO near that he might obtain a perfect view of their forms, 
 and, if possible, guess into the mystery. As the Indian Kis- 
 kataam passed, carrying in his arms a young female, who was 
 beseeching him to tell her why be was taking her through 
 these woods. The heart of the honest Dutchman leaped to 
 his throat, as he drew forward old Peg, with her muzzle al- 
 most touching the mean catiffthat passed him; and but for 
 the one he shielded himself behind, an ounce of lead would 
 have decided his fate. But he was allowed to pass, while tho 
 name, "Mother! oh, my dear mother !" and another name,
 
 24 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 which Martin could not hear distinctly, rung in his ear, call- 
 ing upon him for help. 
 
 "And help you shall have, my strange lamishee," said the 
 tender father. " My own Elshie may be the next, and how- 
 could I come back to Anshela, if I saw our own daughter 
 dragged off in that way. The murderous savage that he is, 
 I have long determined to give him the contents of Peg ; and 
 now is my time. No ; now is his time ; I will follow him 
 and watch my chance. The dear lady, though she be of the 
 English blood, must be set free, though the blood of Kiska- 
 taam flows for it." 
 
 The really excited Boerman was just about to rise, when 
 there passed by on the same path, but in far quieter motion, 
 another of the same race leading a dog by a bark string. At 
 the sight of the man and beast, Martin ground his teeth with 
 inward rage. 
 
 " Dunder and blitzen, were the Dominie here himself he 
 would zweert, I will say duivil. There is that duivil Shan- 
 daagan carrying off Rover, and here I must He still and see 
 all." 
 
 They who knew all would have pardoned the good Dutch- 
 man ; even his swearing, when they reflected on the mean 
 character of this second Indian, and the provocation he had 
 given to Martin before and now. He was one of those off- 
 scourings of the race who proved false to all he pretended to 
 serve. At this very time, he was pretending to be on the 
 side of the Whigs. It was but the day before that he had 
 been to the Hoogenhuisen, and seemed to be on the most 
 friendly terms with all ; yet, he had not said a word of this 
 coming adventure, of which he was surely awaj-e ; and this 
 decoying of the dog Rover away, was proof positive 01 
 treachery. 
 
 " Ah," said the mortified Martin to himself, " ever since 
 that time Elsie caused contempt on his chieftainship, I have 
 seen his secret revenge working ; and now he thinks he has 
 made himself sure, as the Dominie says, ' de Heeve wil en 
 wij leven zullen zoo zullen wij dit of dat doen.' " 
 
 For these aggravating mortifications he had this to make 
 amends, that Rover did not scent him out, when as he 
 passed the place his master lay hidden ; but went, seemingly 
 as if aware, that both should bide their time. It was an 
 augury to him for good ; and as he was now sure of their 
 destination, and had come upon their trail sufficiently, he was
 
 UNCERTAINTY. 25 
 
 in no haste to pursue, but made up his mind to go slowly on 
 and watch their motions ; Availing for Elsie, who he was 
 certain would meet him at the appointed place in time for the 
 execution of any plan he could devise, which would set the 
 feeble captive at liberty, and rid the world, if possible, of 
 these two fiends, now bent on the destruction of the inhabit- 
 ants of the region. 
 
 " They have gone to the pine orchard to prepare for that 
 hellish congregation that's coming. Bloody wolves ; they 
 have tasted blood at Wyoming, and now we are to expect no 
 better fate. That hell-hound, Shandaagan, has known all as 
 well as myself, and his hunting around has been that he might 
 lay his traps all the more secret and sm - e. The Hoegen- 
 huisea will be among the first. They did not try it to-night. 
 They have got other fish 'to fry. Maybe that is only bait 
 they are carrying ;" and the hunter grinned a grim smile at 
 his own wit. 
 
 Taking a winding direction westward, Martin proceeded 
 with perfect confidence of finding the skulking place of the 
 party. Measuring his speed according to his knowledge of 
 the length of road he had to travel, he was in no hurry, as 
 any step he took was on ground as familiar to his foot, as the 
 tiirnings of his own yard. His care was to keep sufficiently 
 far out of the way not to be heard by the Indians on the one 
 hand, and on the other to cautiously look around him, lest 
 he might stumble on some stragglers of the party. The 
 mystery of the English lady made him timorous. He had a 
 certain intuitive perception that trouble was to arise out of 
 that occurrence, to others, if not to himself. Crossing the 
 Kaaterskill stream a mile above the opening of the clove, he 
 left his own house to the south of him, and proceeded up the 
 side of the hill which lies to the south ; when, after an hour's 
 ascending travel, he reached Pudding-stone Hah 1 , and sat 
 down upon a slanting rock, that seems to have been placed 
 there by some ancient Druid : for none but the beings who 
 raised Stonehenge on their nice balance, could now put that 
 stone on its sloping position. Martin had frequently, from 
 his boyhood, sat on the same stone at all hours of the day, 
 and of the night, and wondered how it eame there ; and how 
 it hung there, and how long it had lain so ; but now he had 
 other thoughts to occupy his mind ; for just as truly as he 
 had conjectured, there were the very persons who had passed 
 him by, now on the flat rock. The Indians were sitting be- 
 fore a bright burning fire ; and near it was raised one of
 
 26 THE DUTCH DOMINIE 
 
 those wigwams, which all who live in the woods know how 
 to raise "in a twinkling of time. Still there was something 
 about the whole scene here, which made the careful hunter 
 feel insecure. That bower was more tastefully raised than 
 the red man ever did such work ; and the building of the lire 
 was not after the fashion of that thoughtless race, but care 
 fully made of dried wood, not found in the immediate neigh- 
 borhood. The experienced eye of the unseen observer could 
 discern other evidences of a superintendence which amazed 
 and stultified his senses. 
 
 "God in de hemelin verlichte mijne oogen !" Martin 
 prayed in his own tongue for light to his eyes ; then almost 
 out of breath in his anxiety, he said : " Oh, if Elshie were but 
 here now, she could explain the meaning of these things." 
 
 In the meantime, he was too wise a man, and had been in 
 too many different places, to let any chance pass, without in- 
 forming himself concerning the actual state of things. Being 
 on a height which overlooked all that was doing on the rock 
 below, it was easy to see all that was moving ; and lest there 
 might be some prying eyes around, he lay Hat upon the face 
 of that leaning rock, with old Peg by his side, watching the 
 chances which might ccuie up. After he had satisfied himself 
 that no being was in his own immediate neighborhood, he 
 took a different position in hope that new background might 
 discover some wandering shadow ; but there were still the 
 same Indian faces ; and that of the young pale-face, which 
 he could see plainly in the flickering glow of the fire as ii 
 rose and fell. Never was a man more puzzled to account for 
 all these things. Here was a captive, and she could not be 
 a Whig's daughter, judging from her English accent and 
 foreign style of speech ; and yet Kiskataam was in the pay 
 of the king. Had he since thought of turning to the other 
 side, making this the price of his double treachery ? 
 
 " He shall not succeed," said the excited Martin, with a 
 vehemence which nearly cost him his life ; for standing as ho 
 did so near to the verge of the crag, he pushed with his feet 
 BO hard that a loose rock gave way, falling to the bottom of 
 the precipice, over which, in the dark, he might have been 
 hurled to his destruction. The noise reverberating through 
 those wild hills in the night, roused up the beasts below from 
 their lairs, and the party above were evidently much alarmed ; 
 for when Martin recovered himself, he saw that the two In- 
 dians were standing both upright like sentinels, ready for an 
 attack. However, soon discovering the seeming cause of thw
 
 DEEP DOUBT. 2 I 
 
 interrupted silence, they sank back to their usual somno- 
 lence. 
 
 Our white sentinel on the hill had made up his mind to a 
 plan, jusifas soon as he could obtain his expected help, which 
 he thought must be near at hand ; and with that in view, he 
 took the most prominent point of Puddingstone Hail, 
 where he stood like one of the black stumps of a tree, which 
 even an Indian could not distinguish him from in the dark. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 DEEP DOUBT. 
 
 " Experience will show that as want of appetite supposes, and proceeds from some bodily 
 disease, so the apathy the stoics talk of as much supposes, or is accompanied with some* 
 what amiss in the moral character, in that which is the health of the mind." Bisuor 
 BUTLER. 
 
 MARTIN, though almost in agony for his daughter, never 
 took his eyes oft" the wigwam. A fluttering leaf or the move- 
 ment of an animal might arrest his mind unconsciously, still 
 he never turned his thoughts on anything fixedly, so as to be 
 moved aside from the object before him. He was certain 
 now that the two Indians were only the instruments and ont- 
 side actors in this drama, and his desire was increasing with 
 every beating of his pulse to see the hand behind the scenes ; 
 so eager did he become, that he forgot that Elsie might ar- 
 rive and not find him in the appointed place. He was 
 drawing nearer and nearer all the time, fearful lest anything 
 might escape his notice. He heard voices, but could not 
 discern, at the distance he stood away, what was said. This 
 induced him to step onward, till he found himself so near 
 that he could distinctly perceive on one occasion the captive 
 sitting up, while the ruddy glow of the fire showed him suf- 
 ficient of her countenance to satisfy him that she was none 
 of the maidens of the colony around, but one of those that 
 he had seen riding out on the roads round Albany, who were 
 birds of passage, gay in plumage and full of lite, never in- 
 tending to make this land their home. "Ruddy, and of a 
 fair countenance," as the Dominie would say, though Martin 
 inwardly thought " she has been stolen by this sinner, at the
 
 28 THK DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 bidding of those wicked profligates that follow these Mi 
 doves as the hawks do their prey." 
 
 " She is no child neither, as I am a Schuyler, and as gooa 
 blood as ever came from Holland ; a lady of at least nineteen 
 is she that walks out there before the fire, and she is talking 
 just now to the Indian. I Avish I could but hear her once. 
 Yes, poor lamishie, you may well look out on that black 
 sky, made darker by the very fire now in your eyes, for woe 
 to thee, an unknown end is before thee." 
 
 With the true hunter spirit, the watcher was drawing 
 closer and closer, so as to have a perfect view and reach his 
 game in the best advantage. He could have brought down 
 one of those dark shadows that stood before him on the flat 
 rock with ease ; the other he could meet singly without hesi- 
 tation, but there were others here, and with white faces. 
 
 He was noAV so near that he could hear words indistinctly, 
 and might have pressed closer, in his eagerness, but at this 
 instant he was startled by something in his rear moving the 
 shrubs close to the ground. He looked through the dark- 
 ness, with the glare of the fire in his eyes, seeing nothing till 
 he had time to recover from the effect of the light, and then 
 saw distinctly two small tails of fire, so near to one another 
 that he instantly felt that they must be the eyes of some 
 animal about to spring upon him. His first motion was to 
 lift Peg into her defensive position, but listening, with all his 
 senses a\vake, he soon heard what he had frequently heard 
 before when lie hunted on these mountains the snuffing of a 
 deer, attracted by the light, and thereby blinded to its own 
 danger. Martin had been out on the little lakes near this very 
 place in his canoe, burning pitch-pine knots on the prow for 
 the very purpose of bringing the deer to him, and now one 
 comes when he would have preferred to have it anywhere 
 else. The pleasure and keenness of the hunter all but over- 
 came his prudence, for his fingers tingled with the desire of 
 bringing those noble six-tined antlers to the ground ; but 
 merely giving a side motion he alarmed thf creature, so that 
 it ran past the place where the Indians lay. They both sprang 
 up with an alacrity little short of the deer himself, rushing 
 after him with an agility not surprising to one who knew 
 their habits and modes of life. Their natural love of eport, 
 and their appetite, made keen by a whole day's travel, caused 
 them to forget for the time the captive they had been watch- 
 ing over with so much. assiduity all the night. 
 
 Martin felt that now was his time, and had already moved
 
 DEEP DOUBT. 29 
 
 a few steps forward to seize the trembling maiden, who wais 
 herself in motion to rush, she knew not whither, when there 
 stepped out from the dark cover a new actor in the scone, 
 who placed himself before her, saying, with some excitement 
 in his voice and manner, bending at the same time on his 
 right knee, as he seized her hand : " Dearest Margaret, I have 
 fulfilled my promise made a year ago." 
 
 The lady drew her hand from the grasp of the intruder, as 
 if she had been stung by a snake, and darted to the other 
 side of the fire with the fleetness of the deer that had just 
 passed that \va,y. At the same time she gave a scream which 
 echoed, and reechoed, among the rocks and hills, 'till it 
 seemed as if a hundred captive damsels were shrieking to 
 their friends for deliverance. She would have rushed on, but 
 now the man, who had been put aside so easily, rushed with 
 an equal ardor, exclaiming: "For the love of God, Miss 
 
 , do not go further or you will fall over the shelf and 
 
 be dashed to pieces." 
 
 By this time he had hold of the exhausted girl, who gasped 
 out : " O, why did I not know that I was so near to liberty, 
 one leap and and all would have been over. Let me go, 
 touch me not with that foul hand ; and if you will not, tell 
 me why I am brought hither for now I see who has been the 
 cause of this wicked treachery. Let me die." 
 
 " Miss Margaret, you do me wrong, if you suppose that 
 you are here through any desire to injure you. I mean the 
 best that man can do for woman ; and if you be patient and 
 calm, you will hear it all." 
 
 " No, I will not listen to your false tongue ;" and with 
 that she shook herself free of the hold of him who stood be- 
 fore the angry girl, as Martin had seen a strong dog, who, 
 having encountered a wild cat, is fain to stand oif at a respect- 
 able distance, watching for a retreat. Abashed at the charge 
 of treachery, yet mad at the epithet false; and afraid, lest 
 by some sudden movement the excited woman should rush 
 into destruction, the man stood more like a culprit, than as 
 the director in some daring enterprise, which had doubtless 
 required great tact and decision to bring it to its present 
 crisis. Some new occurrence, it was evident, might disap- 
 point him in his plans. He had succeeded in his end so far ; 
 but he was utterly at a loss to know what to do with the 
 prize for which he had played so high a part, up to this time- 
 Martin seeing this, was measuring the distance between him- 
 self and the traitor for so he already regarded the man who
 
 30 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 yns so named by the lady that he might disable him and 
 then fall upon him ; but it was too late, for there were the 
 two Indians returning; and three against two, and one oJ 
 these only a feeble girl, was an unequal combat. 
 
 "Away from my sight, hateful wretch," was the exclama- 
 tion of the enraged girl, once more uttered, as the man ap- 
 proached nearer to take hold of her hand ; " Leave me to 
 these savages ; their presence is more agreeable to my eyes 
 than the man who violates his honor as a gentleman, and his 
 duty as a soldier." 
 
 It was now the turn of the man to show excited passion. 
 The veins of his brow became swollen like cords, and his nos- 
 trils became wide as a war horse, when spurred to resistance ; 
 but with great effort suppressing his feelings, he said with 
 trembling lips. 
 
 "My lady, urge me not to do what we both shall eter- 
 nally regret ; remember you are in my power at this mo- 
 ment." 
 
 " I am in no man's power. God will not suffer the innocent 
 to be long without a deliverer. He is at my right hand this 
 moment ; I see him through the thick darkness." And she 
 gazed so earnestly on the very spot where Martin stood, that 
 he felt the blood rushing through his veins, faster than it had 
 done for many years. So direct were her motions, that the 
 eyes of her captor for a moment were turned in the same 
 direction, as if in fear. 
 
 " Kiskataam, Kiskataam, I throw myself under your pro- 
 tection. I will pardon all you have done and said to me ; I 
 will obtain you pardon and a reward from my father, if you 
 only save me now from the company of that traitorous man. 
 Clifford, I hold you in scorn ; and the daughter of an English 
 soldier will bestow naught else on a coward who has betrayed 
 his friend, and would now spoil the peace of the family where 
 he has been nursed, and confided in from boyhood. Oh, 
 Bertram, why do you not come to me !" 
 
 With this effort, which was too much for her, the excited 
 lady sank down helpless on the ground ; presently she was 
 lifted by her tormentor, as he would have lifted a child, and 
 placed on the bed of laurel which had been prepared for her. 
 As he laid her down, Martin saw that the man put out his 
 lips as if he could have imprinted a kiss on the pale brow, but 
 the weakened woman gained new strength at this insult 
 offered to her modesty, and struck up her hand with such 
 force that the insulter staggered back a step or two, while
 
 DEEP DOTJBT. 31 
 
 
 
 the poor captive hid her face and sobbed like an infant, calling 
 out, " Oh, mother ! mother ! come to me." 
 
 The eyes of the inactive spectator melted at what met his 
 senses, and groaning in his spirit, he longed again for Elsie 
 Then he set about imagining what would have been his own' 
 feelings had it been his own daughter who was going through 
 such an ordeal as he now was witness to. "Ha!" said he to 
 himself, " I only wish that the hand which smote that rascal- 
 lious cheek had been as heavy as Elshie's. He would feel it 
 warm now, and remember Pine Orchard to the end of his life. 
 But, there now, these savages are skinning that deer, 
 which fairly belonged to me ; and which, if my heart tells 
 me true, they shall not live to eat. Three sliots in Peg would 
 settle the question ; but, unlike the. Pegs of the Yankees, 
 mine, like Anshela, can speak but once at a time, and I am 
 slow at loading." 
 
 Apart from the place where the bower and the fire were 
 built, the red men were busy skinning the deer which they 
 had succeeded in killing; while the man who had appeared 
 so suddenly, stood as sentinel near the lady. There was great 
 nervousness displayed in his movements at times, and an un- 
 certainty in his step, which could not be hidden from any ob- 
 server. All at once he came forward to the side of the pros- 
 trate captive, calling out a full name which Martin did not 
 catch. " I have a plan, Margaret, that I will lay before you, 
 and choose." 
 
 " Kiskataam ! Kiskataam !" was again shrieked out by the 
 feeble prisoner, with a vehemence which brought to her that 
 sedate chieftain, who, like all of his race, was not easily thrown 
 from his self possession; "Indian, take me under your care. 
 Have pity on a poor helpless girl, take me back to the river, 
 I will find my way to the ship. Good Kiskataam, you have 
 had young squaws of your own forced away by the Senecas, 
 and they were returned to you. You told me of them when 
 you sat beside me in the big canoe. Take me back. The 
 red soldier will make you king of the Six Nations if you re- 
 lease his daughter." 
 
 The Indian rose to his full height, showing more emotion 
 than common in his countenance and voice as he slowly said, 
 
 " Does the Panther have pity when he has the Fawn in his 
 mouth?" 
 
 There was evident bitterness in his words. Why should 
 the Fawn seek pity from the Panther when the Lion has come 
 to her protection ?
 
 32 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 " The Fawn, as you have been pleased to call me, would 
 rather trust the Panther than the Wolf. The Lion I would 
 trust. Alas ! that I should see any bearing the emblem of 
 the lion, becoming more cruel than the cowardly dog." 
 
 This last was said in an undertone which evidently was in 
 tended for the one who took it up in anger, which shot from 
 his eyes in flashes of revenge. 
 
 "The Lion," continued the Indian, " would raise the Fawn 
 in his hall of greatness." 
 
 " And then give me over to be devoured by the wolves. 
 No, Indian, protect me or not, as you please ; but hear me, I 
 would rather have my poor body destroyed by the meanest 
 reptile that lives in these wilds, than be possessed for an hour 
 by the Lucifer who has betrayed his friend." 
 
 The man, whom we shall henceforth call Clifford, had stood 
 with his arms folded during the conversation, wishing to be 
 regarded as calm, but this last stroke made him turn himself 
 aside as if he felt afraid of showing his feelings of growing 
 passion. 
 
 " Indian has a beautiful wigwam," said Kiskataam, when he 
 saw that the white man had moved out of earshot" Indian 
 built it for his squaw, that would come from the rising to the 
 Betting sun. Wigwam beside the clear lake where the trees 
 grow thick, and the leaves shine in the glittering light. 
 The Fawn would hide in the darkest spot. Kiskataam would 
 bring the flowers of the cloves to deck her hair, and the 
 softest skins for her bed." 
 
 The astonished lady could scarcely believe but that the 
 whole was a dream, and her amazement was so great, that 
 she could not make any reply otherwise than by her looks, 
 which the quick perception of this other tormentor easily in- 
 terpreted ; whether he was sincere or not in his daring pro- 
 position will never be fully proven, but in the present in- 
 stance turning his fawning tones into keen sarcasm he con- 
 tinued : 
 
 _" Has not the Fawn said she wished to run upon the moun- 
 tains, and along the streams that flow down their feet ? Did 
 she not sigh to see the brooks, that blue eyes never looked 
 into until her own gazed therein, as she said the first squaw- 
 did in the white man's paradise." 
 
 "Oh! distress me not with my romantic folly. All was 
 beautiful in fancy, but it is terrible in reality. Sad is my 
 fate. The victim of both the red and the white man." 
 
 "But the Fawn has not yet seen the place where the milk-
 
 DEEP DOUBT. 33 
 
 white deer run tame, led by the young squaws to the wig- 
 wam door. She has not fed the young eaglets fluttering in 
 their nest. There are bird-songs too in the forest that the Fawn 
 would love to hear. Soft skins of the bear and the beaver, 
 of the fox and the catamount, which Kiskataam has tanned 
 with his own hand. On these would the Fawn sleep, and 
 dream ; she would forget her troubles, and not be afraid of 
 the Wild Wolf any more." 
 
 The Indian began this long description in the uncertain 
 tones of half reproach, but ended in the soft mellovf boimas 
 with which his race speak in their times of sadness or of en- 
 treaty. Nature is imitated by them, and is successful at 
 times in evil. 
 
 " Kiskataam," said the enraged lady, " do you mean what 
 your words imply ? Have you stolen me away for 
 yourself or for another ? Come forward Clifford, and tell 
 me whether you mean me to be the wife of an English sol- 
 dier or the squaw of an Indian chief? for it seems I must 
 choose between being in Howard Castle, or plant corn beside 
 the Susquehanna. Clifford ! Clifford !" and the rocks rang 
 with the sound of his name. He was at her side in an in- 
 stant. 
 
 "I was," said the lady, "a moment since ready to have 
 trusted the Indian rather than you. I confide in none of 
 you. Your minion there seeks to preserve a separate suit of 
 his own. He is as mean as some white men are, and betrays 
 his friend by seeking to carry off the victim." 
 
 " By this time the two associates in guilt were confronting 
 each other, with those looks of hate which traitors put on 
 when found out. So long as each of these caitiffs could make 
 an instrument of his companion, in accomplishing a selfish end, 
 blandness and generousness were the features of their inter- 
 course ; but now the disguise had fallen, at least from the In- 
 dian, and the man Clifford felt mortified at being made the 
 dupe of one he called a barbarian. With his ears still ring- 
 ing of treachery, charged upon him by one that seemed fully 
 to know him, and who so defied him, he was in no mood to 
 take an insult from any third person. He was only too glad 
 to find one object on whom to wreak his vengeance. 
 
 "You Indian dog!" was the first word he could utter 
 in quivering passion through his teeth. " How dare you come 
 between me and mine. Have I not pledged my word of 
 honor to pay you ?" 
 
 Here Clifford stopped short suddenly, seems that thf ladv 
 
 2*
 
 34: THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 was watching the coming word. She felt that she had gained 
 a point in setting her t\vo ehemies against each other 
 Whoever lost, she could be in no worse hands ; so rousing 
 herself up, she stood prepared for the smallest chance i' 
 escape ; and also, for knowing ail that concerned her^f. 
 But the suppressed sentence which would have revealed 
 something was lost 1 ; and the burst of passion ended as it be- 
 "an, with "Indian do^!" Clifford was choked with rage. 
 
 "English fox hold his nose to the ground ;" was the bitter 
 retort of Kiskataam. At the same moment he was handling 
 his tomahawk, which hung at his girdle, in rather a sinister 
 manner. The Englishman showed nothing of the coward, but 
 the sight seemed rather to swell him out to larger dimen- 
 sions; and, without even yet discovering that he had any 
 weapons of defence about him, he stepped up nearer to the 
 red man, demanding the object of this show of light. 
 
 "Does the Indian chief seek war? Blood is sweet to the 
 Panther just now. Would he fondle the Fawn ? would he 
 carry her to the beautiful lake away by the Susquehanna ?" 
 
 All of this was uttered in that mingled bitterness of sar- 
 casm and anger which the English people know so well 
 how to give to any enemy when they wish to provoke him to 
 do a desperate act. 
 
 " The Panther loves to worry the Wolf," was the no less 
 determined reply of the Indian, who stood his ground with 
 equal courage to the other ; and Martin, watching the result 
 with an almost breathless interest, bent over the whole scene, 
 without thinking for a moment that were his presence 
 known, it would turn the anger of both these men upon him- 
 self. The lady, with an equal interest, forgot her captivity, 
 waiting for the crisis of the present affair. 
 
 "The Panther would worry the Wolf ha! nnd lick the 
 Fawn's blood at his leisure : a dainty meal ! He must fight 
 first with long teeth. The Wolf, as you would have me to 
 b', has got snapping jaws :" and with that the click of a 
 large pistol was heard in the hand of Clifford ; nor was his 
 crest in the least degree, at this moment, like the wolf, but 
 terrible as a real soldier appears in the time of danger. 
 
 Kiskataam seemed undecided, but it was not the inde- 
 cision of fear, for his eyes glanced fire, though not a muscle 
 of his face seemed to move, except in that nervous rapidity 
 which is more like the stream of electric lire that runs over 
 a cloud before the storm breaks, making the beholder wait 
 timorously for the glancing lightning and the report, than
 
 A HARVEST FEAST 35 
 
 anything in human action. The true savage stood with 
 hand on the tomahawk, watching the eye <_f his opponent, and 
 wheeling in a twinkling, he hurled the weapon in the direc- 
 tion of the lady, grazing her head, so that the knot .which 
 held, her hair, was cut asunder; but passing her, it lodged iii 
 the tree against which Martin was, leaning ; and by which 
 he was watching the transaction so near to him. 
 
 The occurrence was the doing of a moment. All, with the 
 exception of the actors, were confounded ; and by the time 
 they had recovered from their surprise, an event was taking 
 place which diverted the attention from the design of the 
 Indian. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 A H A K VEST FEAST. 
 
 " If Roger is my Joe, he kens hirasel' 
 
 For sic a tale I never heard him tell, 
 
 Ha glowers and sighs, and I can guess the cause, 
 
 But wha's obliged to guess his hums and haws, 
 
 When'ei- he likes to tell his mind mair plain, 
 
 I'll tell him frankly, ne'er to do't again." 
 
 RAMSAY'S PATIB AND ROGER. 
 
 ELSIE SCHUYLER was an only child, a rare thing among 
 the Holland Dutch, which rendered her more the companion 
 of her father than she would otherwise have been, had ho 
 had sons to bring up and lean upon in his old age. Of strong 
 will, clear mind, and a pious spirit, her actions were prompt 
 and fearless, as her father's were slow and uncertain. With 
 his daughter beside him, Martin seemed as if her soul stirred 
 and moved his body. He thought immediately as she did, 
 and with all his strength he set to the fulfilling her desire. 
 Yet he never would have understood the man who would 
 have ventured to tell -him he had no mind of his own, noi' 
 could Elsie have known any thing of controlling the action of 
 her parent. 
 
 In truth, even with her strong will, she had been all her 
 life under great moral restraint. Her education would have 
 been regarded as deficient in New York ; but such as it was, 
 the grand end of all education was gained by her in prudent 
 self-control, rapidity of thought in times of emergency, and 
 fearlessness of action when danger required it to be met. AD
 
 36 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 df these essential elements were the result of training, which 
 had no plan in it, but grew out of the nature and habit of 
 the worthy parents, who taught her the usual course of read- 
 ing in the Bible and the learning of the real orthodox Heid>- 
 elburgh Catechism. Though she spoke the vernacular lo\v 
 Dutch of the region where she lived, yet it was the ambition 
 of the parents that their daughter should also speak the 
 English tongue, and she was accordingly sent to a school 
 where the English Bible and other books were read. This, 
 as she grew up, was of immense advantage to her on account 
 of the intercourse she could have with other parts of the 
 colony, where more could be learned t.in on the sides of the 
 mountains. Elsie had every year since she was sixteen paid 
 an annual visit to her friends in Albany, and even New York ; 
 for the Schuylers and the Van Cortlandts were not too 
 proud to have their country cousins visit them in the cities, 
 when they had such fine opportunities of returning these cour- 
 tesies among the hills and the vales of the Kaatskills. 
 
 It was in this school that the daughter of Martin Schuyler 
 was fitted for life in any home where Providence might 
 place her, though it suited the plan of both father and 
 mother better, that some of the young farmers of the region 
 should come in, and be a son to them in their old age. There 
 were many qualities in Elsie which other circumstances would 
 have developed, and she had already acquired habits of 
 thought, of feeling, and of manners, which no new training 
 could have possibly repressed. Her mind, and modes of 
 thinking and acting, could have been polished to a superior 
 power. She would have been more fascinating in her smile, 
 softer in her voice, have had a smoother rhythm in language, 
 have trod the soil with a daintier tread, and moved around 
 her father's house with less noise. But then the rocks and the 
 hills were rough on which she stepped, and the doors, the 
 painted floors, and the big jambs of those rooms, were not 
 after city patterns. It was rather the house of the Boerman 
 than the palace of the Stadtholder of Amsterdam, that Mar- 
 tin had lived so long in, and where Elsie had been brought 
 up. She was a true-hearted young woman, who had neither 
 been allowed to waste her existence in the seclusion of a 
 country life, where much ignorance and rudeness have so cov- 
 ered the genuine precious stone that its polish and beauty 
 have never come out ; nor had she been sent to the city and 
 so ground down upon the wheel of fashion that not a streak 
 of truth remained either on face or person. The man of tha
 
 A HARVEST FEAST. 37 
 
 world, possessed of tact and having an insight of human 
 character, would have chosen her, like a learned lapidary, 
 as a precious stone capable of the highest lustre ; and had 
 Martin seen his Elsie in the big halls of the Van Rensselaers, 
 he would have wondered, after asking where that young 
 vrow came from, to hear that she was the gem of his own 
 mountain farm. 
 
 On the night of our history Elsie was down in the Bught -a 
 peculiar piece of land which lies in a bend, or " bight" of the 
 river where there was a husking-bee, which brought all the 
 young people of the country together, from the West Camp 
 to the Van Bergen patent. Fun and frolic were in full 
 force. In the large, sloped-roof barn sat groups of lads and 
 lassies, among bundles of corn-stalks, out of which they 
 were stripping the yellow treasure, and throwing it into 
 bushel baskets, which some old men were removing as fast 
 as they were filled. This active business did not hinder 
 the tongues of all from going, only as Dutch tongues can. 
 But it would have defied the most learned philologist that 
 ever studied at Babel, to have followed that modern confu- 
 sion. It was not the numbers, though there must have been 
 a hundred, nor was it the harsh guttural ughs, that sounded 
 underneath, like the soughing of the wind in a storm ; nor 
 was it the sharp shots which flew so that the blood rose to 
 the faces of some of both sexes, as red gleams pass between 
 travelling clouds; but it was all three, and in addition 
 there was what no community in the broad continent can 
 produce except on the Xorth River, and only on the west side 
 running for fifty miles, viz., a mixture of French, Low 
 Dutch and German, so combined that it would have put 
 either Frenchman, Dutchman or German to utter confusion. 
 It seemed literally as if jaw bones were thrown across the 
 barn, till they struck against each other in the whirlwind 
 which lifted them into the air. 
 
 Still all was not uproar, and even that seeming confusion 
 had nothing of the keen wiriness which other nations exhibit 
 in their frolics when a man knocks his neighbor down through 
 pure love of fun, when his over-good sweetness turns so 
 suddenly into vinegar. Here and there among that busy 
 throng were small, quiet parties, who enjoyed themselves 
 Hearts were drawn nearer, and lips followed, as a matter of 
 course. Experience can sit anywhere, feeling composed and 
 aelf-posgessed, while the vulgar mind is sure to be attracted
 
 38 THE DUTCH DOMIXIE. 
 
 by the least sound or sight which may pccur outside *t 
 themselves. 
 
 " Ha ! ha ! Jerry, are you there ? Show your wrists to the 
 folks here. What makes you look so red in the face, you 
 spalpeen ?" 
 
 " What should make me show my wrists any more than 
 you an empty pocket. Mexican pillars can save a Sabbath- 
 breaker's conscience. Ha ! who is red in the face now ?" 
 
 These rude allusions were made by two rough-looking 
 youths to some recent piccadilloes in which they had been 
 both engaged, but the one having money could pay the fine 
 imposed, while the other, being poor, had to stand three hours 
 in the stocks in front of the church door a species of punish- 
 ment which had been imported from the mother country, and 
 which was regarded as a great disgrace. Sabbath-breaking 
 is one of the crimes ; no one is suffered to ride except to 
 church, only " It shall be lawful for the Post, or any other 
 person in his Majesty's service ; or to bring a Physitian or 
 My d wife." Such is the law of the colony. 
 
 " Jerry had quite a crowd around him outside the kerke 
 door; more than the Dominie had inside." This was put in 
 by a great laughing lout of a fellow, who made the rafters 
 ring with his own approval. 
 
 " You had better look to yourself, Dirck Dietrick. There 
 are worse things than the jugges in these times," said the 
 goaded Jerry, who was in no mood to be tormented while 
 his wrists were glowing with the iron rings. " There are 
 stone jugges, where some folks woiild be if they got their 
 own." 
 
 "Don't be angry," was the mellowing response of Dirck; 
 "for the Dominie said, after you went away, that he believed 
 good came cut of it. He preached all the better for your 
 example." 
 
 "Aye," said Jerry, "just as some folks would be better 
 whigges if a cowboy were tied at the koort-house door every 
 morning." 
 
 " Come, come, no more of dat," said old Tobias, the good 
 Boerman, in whose barn they all sat ; " we have no more of 
 dat ; come and eat de sheeps, arid de be.-iren, and de chicken, 
 and drink de rum and de cider." 
 
 In a corner, away from the most roystering of the com- 
 pany, sat Elsie, along with a few of the best class of young 
 persons. Both sexes regarded Elsie as a superior person,
 
 A HARVEST FEAST. 39 
 
 and were never too familiar in' their approaches. Such as, 
 like herself, had relatives in the large towns, or wlio had im- 
 proved themselves by the best company whom they could 
 iincl, were usually found near Martin Schnyler's daughter, 
 and were fond of quoting her as an authority. Among the 
 young men was Tennis Roe, who had, either by accident or 
 ainnity of disposition, found himself side by side with Elsio 
 upon several occasions of public gatherings; and he had not. 
 boen an entire stranger at the Hoogenhuisen in former days. 
 Indeed there was a time when old Egbert Roe and Martin 
 Schnyler were sworn friends and brothers. But, oh ! that 
 weary war! it had proved what they had often heard the 
 Dominie say : "De vader zal tegen den zoon verdeeld zijn en 
 de zoon tagen den vader." 
 
 This was literally the case, for Tennis in his heart was 
 Whig, and his father was in his heart a Tory. It was the 
 son against the father, and the father against the son, and 
 both in the same house, sworn foes, but as yet in part secret. 
 For so long as Tennis had to remain at home he must keep 
 his principles to himself. His peculiar and hard case was 
 fully understood by Elsie, though not by Martin, and con- 
 sequently the intimacy of the two families was broken up, 
 so far that there was no longer any interchange of visits, 
 once so pleasant in the long winter nights, between the <Md 
 people ; nor was there the same liberty felt by the young folks 
 themselves when they met. The actual position of Teuni.s 
 was fathomed easily by Elsie, but with tact and delicacy she 
 avoided all allusions to the public affairs of the country. She 
 never inquired after the reason of his absences, yet seemed 
 to expect him to embrace such occasions as the present for 
 meeting her, and talking over local matters, of which there 
 was always a sufficient stock on hand. 
 
 " You were not at the wedding of Peggy Wolfin on Fri 
 day last," said Tennis, as he took up a large stalk of corn, 
 balancing it on his right thumb-nail, as if he cared but little 
 whether he husked any more that night or not. " You were 
 expected to stand as bride's-maid, and there was some disap- 
 pointment you may be sure.'' 
 
 These last words were uttered in a low tone, which the 
 heart, if inclined, is sure to feel ; and the damsel had not a 
 heart of stone. 
 
 "These are not times, you know, Tennis, for young girls 
 to go much alone, and my father had heard something which 
 made him more than usually afraid of my going out. Indeed.
 
 40 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 I am here just now mor on my mother's leave than on his. 
 Do you not think these are hard times to marry V" 
 
 " That depends, Elsie, upon whether both be of one mind ; in 
 some things union is strength : and two sticks tied together 
 are stronger than the same two sticks taken separately." 
 Teunis here threw the ear of corn into the basket, just as 
 Elsie cast one in at the same place ; and then laughing at the 
 conjunction, asked the maiden whether she would like to see 
 how the two lay in the basket, heads or thraws. 
 
 " O, you may look if you please," said Elsie, half blushing ; 
 " Nelly Schutt there, would take that to be as certain as the 
 good book, but " 
 
 " See, there they are lying side by side, as cozy as two kit- 
 tens," said Teunis, as he held down the basket to the candle ; 
 and to tell the truth, woman's curiosity, or something else, 
 inclined Elsie this time, as before, to look and laugh at the 
 folly of the sign. 
 
 " There now," said Teunis, " is a quarrel getting up between 
 these onwijzen." 
 
 " Teunis, mind what the Dominie says : he that calleth his 
 brother fool you know the rest." 
 
 " I know, Elsie ; but what can you call that Dick Deid- 
 richt but a fool ; hear how he is provoking Jerry to bring up 
 matters which should be kept out of our homes, and from 
 these friendly gatherings. I must go and keep them quiet." 
 
 And off he moved ; but before he had time to put in a 
 word, Tobias was giving out the bill of fare, in his own pe- 
 culiar manner, which had the same happy influence upon 
 Dutch blood, 'vhat tlie smell of good dinners has upon hungry 
 dogs, and hungry princes or princesses ; for animal nature 
 during a time of hunger is much the same in the quadruped 
 and the biped. 
 
 It would require more words than can be spared, to de- 
 scribe a supper among the honest Dutch on the Hudson River. 
 They must have inherited their liking from their ancestors on 
 the Scheldt, and in the Low Countries ; where the sturdy 
 Boerman, after working in the deep bogs, came home to hia 
 vrow and fed heartily and slept it off. And, imitating the 
 burgomaster of the place, on his great occasions, he too called 
 in his " Vrenden en de geburen en bringt het gemeste kalf 
 en stagt het ; en laat ons eten en vrolijkVijn." 
 
 The old Hollander Avas very orthodox, and in killing the 
 fatted calf, and being in a vrolicke (Anglic6, merry). He 
 was never hurt by a good supper. He lay all the easier,
 
 A HARVEST FEAST. 4 1 
 
 like an old Roman on his couch, that the citadel was well 
 provisioned. It would be an interesting history to tell all 
 that lay on the vast table, made of doors taken from their 
 hinges, and covered with linen sheets, on which lay piles of 
 meat in huge wooden dishes ; not carefully selected, the one 
 animal from the other, but the bear and the cow were to- 
 gether, and the chicken and the rabbit were on the same plate. 
 Equal hillocks of bread stood ready to be distributed by the 
 bustling fat hostess, who moved around as we have seen a 
 Dutch scow among other craft, coming square up against one 
 and another, till she succeeds in laying a portion equally as 
 large as Benjamin's share, before each guest. She repeated 
 these acts of kindness to the end of the feast ; every now and 
 again urging them to partake ; saying to one, " You don't 
 like our victuals, Jake." " Take up the leg of that turkey 
 and send it with the rest, Tim.' " Now, Elsie, eat till you 
 burst ; I wish you may." " No ting like good victuals." 
 
 She did not mean all she said, but she intended to do her 
 best at being hospitable ; and being among her own kind ot 
 people, it was a satisfaction just to see her good natured look 
 as she surveyed the ample table, with her guests devouring 
 far more than all the worth of the labor they had performed , 
 but it would be so rich to tell afterward, that she had cooked 
 two more sheep, killed five more turkeys, and twenty more 
 chickens than dame Languendyck ever did. Besides, every 
 one had at least a yard of sausage put on his plate, a pound 
 of rolichie ; cabbage and onion, apples and cider, all came on 
 just as if they had not eaten anything for a month. Never 
 were a company more unfit, according to city notions, of 
 taking themselves to the ball-room ; but the spirit of these 
 folks was just rising. The plentiful draughts of cider and 
 brandy which were drank, without injury to the perpen- 
 dicular position of the guests, helped to carry them through 
 the contra-dances, without being hindered by their abdominal 
 gravity. The barn floor, during the supper, had been cleared 
 by the negroes, who always worked with right good wiL 
 when there was to be gezang en het geric music ana 
 dancing ; and even the good Dominie would stand at the 
 door and see his children vrolicke. All was full of glee and 
 merriment, and fairly on the wny to a happy termination, 
 when old Fred, the head man of Tobias, came rushing into 
 the middle of the floor, his jaws chattering, and his face the 
 color of his grey head, screaming and acting as a lunatic may 
 ^e supposed to act, under a black skin and African features
 
 42 THE DUTCH DOMINIK. 
 
 Not a word could be got from him except the sound " Vuur 
 en sulfur Gog en de Magog. Ingen barbareen." These 
 words came out in the form of squeals and grunts, more than 
 like human speech. 
 
 Of course all amusement came to a close at this sudden 
 apparition, for while some declared thut Fred had seen a 
 geest, others a spook, some had, witli more presence of mind, 
 run to the door, and coming back announced the tidings, 
 more alarming than anything of the witching-kind, that the 
 vuur teeken on the Keekute was in a blaze. This was the 
 acknowledged beacon of warning, and was like the fiery cross 
 of the Scottish clans, the gathered signal in approaching dan 
 ger. The combustible material had been brought together 
 early in the summer, and was in fine fitness for the torch. 
 An onset was expected from the west, as already referred to, 
 and now that the glare was reflected from the sky, the yells 
 of the Indians almost sung already in the ears of the helpless 
 and the cowardly. What added to the anxiety and uneasi- 
 ness of the occasion, many were known to be secretly friendly 
 to the savages, now near at hand, and were mingling with 
 the very persons whose lives would be sought out with as 
 much horror and fiendish delight as was usual on such occa- 
 sions. All the company prepared to go ; some to their homes, 
 and others to the general rendezvous. 
 
 Elsie, with the rest, had risen in the moment of surprise, 
 and after looking to the Keekute on the river-bank, she turned 
 her eyes to the west in search of the hill above Hoogeuhuisen ; 
 and there, too, rose up the great flame, like a fiery tongue 
 speaking to heaven for relief. Her heart smote her for being 
 in the midst of pleasure at such a time ; while without utter- 
 ing a single word, except a low whisper to Teunis, who stood 
 waiting her will, though he had spoken not a word. 
 
 " De tijd is nabij; laat ons van hier gaan, Teunis ?" 
 
 " I am beside thee, Elsie, and am ready. Meet me at the 
 outside of the big poorte. I shall be there with the horses ;" 
 and without a word more, he was oif on his errand. 
 
 Elsie was soon out and mounted on her sheepskin saddle, 
 and was carefully adjusting her foot into the iron, preparing 
 for a sharp gallop, when, without looking up, she .said in low, 
 but somewhat agitated tone of voice, " Teunis, there is no 
 need of your protection just now. The road is good, the 
 night clear, and filly is sure-footed." 
 
 Had the young man been struck by some unseen hand, the 
 effect could not have stupefied hmTmore man these words.
 
 A HARVEST FEAST. 43 
 
 which he interpreted into something like a suspicion of his 
 honor. He had not recovered himself yet when Elsie con- 
 tinued : 
 
 " And now there is the less need of your proteccion, for 
 upon my word there is Rover come out to meet me. Oh, 
 something bad must have happened. He has either been sent 
 hither by my mother, or his own instinct has brought him to 
 warn me beforehand ; and without another word, in the 
 agitation of her spirit, she struck her pony a sharp stroke 
 with her whip. Teunis, true to his Dutch nature, while try- 
 ing to open his mouth for an explanation, was left on the 
 road beside his impatient horse, who would hardly allow the 
 master time to mount on his back. But once there, he gal- 
 loped after Elsie with the fury of passion aroused, and came 
 up easily to the leader before the end of the first mile. Once 
 alongside of the eager damsel, he called out in nervous 
 earnestness : 
 
 " Elsie ! Elsie ! why in such haste ? I want you to tell me 
 if you " 
 
 u Be quick, Teunis," said the hurried girl, as she held in 
 the panting animal, " for you see that doggie there running 
 before me is saying, as plainly as he can speak, 'the Tories 
 have your old father by the throat, and the Indians swinging 
 your mother's scalp by the grey hair.' Ol), Teunis, do not 
 stop me just now." 
 
 And with that, she struck her horse once more, giving him 
 rein, so that it was with difficulty that her follower could 
 keep up with her, though well mounted himself, and holding 
 a capital bridle hand for a colonist and a dull Dutchman ; as 
 all the Englishmen were accustomed to speak of every one 
 but fox-hunters who pretended to ride. 
 
 " The Tories are not so cruel as you take them to be, Elsie ; 
 but tell me if you have any suspicion of my putting a straw 
 in the way of hurting" he was going to say Elsie, but he 
 changed it to " any of the volke of Hoogenhuisen ?" 
 
 "No Teunis, no, you would not with your own hand, T 
 know ; I could pledge myself for you, but there are" 
 
 " There are more Tories than Teuuis Roe, you would say, 
 Elsie. I thank you for the confidence you place at least in 
 me, though you almost called me by a name lam not deserv- 
 ing of: But Tory or not, the hand that is raised against. 
 Elsie Schulyei is aimed against a heart not far from her." 
 
 " Thank you. thank you. That is all I can say just now ; 
 I was going to say sornetliing about our not being Reeu to-
 
 44 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 gether at such meetings as we have come from, but there is no 
 time for anything but action. See how the sky is glowing 
 ill around us ; and, mine Goden, why am I away from the 
 nide of my fader and my moder ?" 
 
 By this time they had rode at least three miles, and in fif- 
 .een minutes more they would see, from a small hill, whal 
 ;vas the state of things at Hoogenhuisen ; for the fear all the 
 time iu Elsie's mind was, that the mansion had been fired, 
 and that the blaze they saw reflected overhead Avas not the 
 j-ignal, but the dwelling. This made her spare neither horse 
 nor herself, till finding that the faithful creature required a few 
 minutes to breathe, she slackened her pace, and began by 
 paying : 
 
 " You see, Teunis, that I am now near home, and it will 
 bring trouble on you, on us both, if we be seen together on 
 such a night as this. Let us part now. Part here till this 
 weary war be over ; and then" 
 
 " And what then ?" said the eager youth. " Shall I come 
 back then to be rejected for my cowardice at this hour, in 
 leaving you in danger of being scalped, that I might save 
 myself from disgrace at home? No, Elsie; I am a man, 
 though I have not stood out for my country yet, as others 
 have done ; and I have a man's heart that would not suffer a 
 hair of any woman's head to be hurt by those savages, could 
 I hinder it with my hand. Least of all would I stand back 
 and see a foul h'nger put on your fair skin ; so help me 
 God !" 
 
 The tears started into Elsie's eyes at this burst of passion, bo 
 gratifying to her kindly nature ; and, struggling with herself, 
 she endeavored to give such a reply as might not betray her 
 real sentiments; though the more she repressed them, the 
 more they overcame her ; so dashing forward at a rapid pace, 
 they stood looking from the hill toward Hoogenhuisen, when 
 both at once exclaimed " It is the teeken vuur ! the teekeu 
 vuur !" 
 
 " God be thanked," said Elsie ; " my poor parents are safe 
 yet, and my father on his waakt toreu : Now, Teunis, you 
 have come as far as it is safe for you to be. When these 
 times are over, I will think of this night." 
 
 She held out her hand as the parting signal. The hand 
 trembled, and all the more that Teunis held it longer than a 
 mere good night would require. When he found words, he 
 said: 
 
 " Do not forbid me to come, before these dark days are
 
 A HARVEST FEAST. 45 
 
 over. You know where my feelings are, where iny desire 
 Is at tliis moment." 
 
 Elsie interrupted him by saying, " This is no time for feel- 
 ing, but for convictions ; and where duty calls, the Dominie 
 says we should be : mine is now to be on the waakt toren 
 alongside of my father. Go you where your conscience 
 points." 
 
 " Mine is also on the watch-tower ; and to-morrow, if I 
 have heard aright, shall decide the fate of more than one." 
 
 " Teunis, do not tell me of anything you Jhave heard be- 
 low, for I cannot tell you in confidence any of our concerns 
 so God guide us both, and save the righteous cause." 
 
 And with these words she gave her impatient horse the 
 reins, and off she started, as if mounted on a deer, and Avas 
 out of sight in a moment, before her agitated companion had 
 time to recover himself. 
 
 However, Teunis, instead of obeying the mandate to go 
 back, slipped from his horse, tying him beneath a tree, a little 
 way distant from the road, and taking a near path to Hoogen- 
 huisen, was at the door watching the movements of the in- 
 mates with great earnestness. He had his fears that all was 
 not right. He was well aware how much both Martin 
 and his fearless daughter were dreaded and hated by the 
 Tories ; so he resolved to become their secret protector. 
 How far this was the result of feeling or conviction, he did 
 not stop to inquire. It was enough that he had heard d&rk 
 hints, secret cabalings ; and that he knew the Indians 
 were on the hills, waiting the proper moment, when their 
 friends would give the signal. The teeken vuur, or signal fire, 
 showed that the Whigs were somewhat aware of their 
 danger ; still it was with a beating heart as Elsie felt, that he 
 saw the dog Rover by the side of his mistress : all the super- 
 stition of his nature aided in making him afraid. Nor were 
 his suspicions set at rest, as the sagacious animal passed him 
 again without recognition, going straight to the side of a 
 rock, and giving a slight but earnest whine, as if seeking for 
 something which he had lost in the dark. At that moment an 
 object glided like a ghost, through the barn-yard toward 
 a corner, where it remained in the stillest quiet, more as a 
 shadow seemed than a body moving. Had the moon been up 
 at the time, the watcher would have expected a man to have 
 followed, but neither sound was heard, nor form seen, though 
 the eyes of Teunis were fixed with painful interest Aj.on the 
 place.
 
 4-6 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 "Some one must be watching here as Avell as myself; I 
 must see the end of this ; for it cannot be for good that any 
 one is here at this hour." But then he thought within himself 
 of how Martin Schuyler would scowl were he to meet him 
 in his yard, at this hour of the night. "I must see the end 
 of this. Something is out of its place here, and my help 
 may be of use to my friends ; and if I prove myself to be a 
 friend indeed, I may get farther into a corner of the old 
 man's heart." 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE RESCUE. 
 
 Tht Challenge: " How say ye to my soul, flee as a bird to your mountain?" 
 The Answer: " The Lord is in heaven." PSALMS. 
 
 IN the meantime Elsie had been seeking for her parents 
 all through the house, calling to them in a low voice as she 
 went from room to room with a beating heart. Finding all 
 in silence, and the very bed of her mother empty and cold, 
 she was now certain that some enemy was abroad. Care- 
 fully gliding, lest some spy might perceive her, she reached 
 the rear of the dwelling, where was the hiding-place, or, as 
 it was known in Dutch, the verborgenheid, w T hich she entered 
 and found the anxious Angelica waiting for her. 
 
 " I am afraid," said the anxious wife and mother, " dat 
 somewhat ill has taken place. De teeken vuur has been 
 blazing below at Overpaugh's all the nicht. De niggers heve 
 all crept into bed, and den Rover snuffles round de barn-yard 
 as if he kent mair dan he spok." 
 
 Elsie did not give utterance to her own superstitious fears 
 about the dog, but turning aside her mother's thoughts from 
 her present fanciful notions, she inquired into the reality. 
 Where was her father, and who could have kindled the 
 teeken vuur on their own hill ? 
 
 Angelica only answered with groans, for of that she was 
 herself ignorant, and saw in the lighting of the signal certain 
 destruction. 
 
 ^" Mammy, lie you here and I will go to daddy. Soino 
 friend is at hand to aid, and more will be here soon. Ni 
 enemy would kindle the teeken vuur. Lie still and
 
 THE RESCUE. 47 
 
 The brave girl was giving encouragement when she needed 
 strength herself, for the dark night and the wild ro.-ul were 
 sufficient to alarm an old soldier or an old hunter ; but it is 
 questionable if either of them would have gone forth at mid- 
 day with more cheerfulness than she went out under the stars, 
 since duty to her father demanded her presence. Now she 
 thought of how she had dismissed Teunis, whose company 
 would have been a pleasure and a protection. It was too 
 late to regret, so she set about the necessary apparel for such 
 a journey as she must take. While engaged in this, her 
 ear caught sounds of retreating footsteps in the rear of 
 the house, and on moving to that part she felt some- 
 thing fall at her feet. Groping in the dark, her hand 
 touched a paper, which she knew must have been put there 
 by some one out of the family, so carrying it to the most 
 secluded corner of the house she lighted a candle and read: 
 
 Fear whitpcr* : 
 
 " night and shade, 
 
 How are ye joined with hell in triple knot, 
 Against the unarmed weakness of one virgin 
 Alone and helpless." 
 
 Courage calls : 
 
 " Virtue may be assailed, 
 But not enthralled : 
 Surprised, but never hurt." 
 
 " Strange man ! Are you around, restless spirit ? How 
 I wish that I either knew more or less about you than I do 
 I tremble for myself Avhen near you, and yet you fascinate 
 me with tnat eye at times ; but, oh ! it burns my cheek to 
 meet it. Surely those eyes must be the furnaces of some 
 smoldering fire on the brain. They have glowed so for a 
 month past that they seemed more like the air-holes in a 
 coal-pit, when the wind blows fierce at night, than the eyes 
 of a human being. What terrible passion has made him now 
 like a wild beast, roaming all night and watching all day. He 
 could tell me something of what is going on, but I dare not 
 seek him, but guess. There is danger, but I may go on my 
 errand. Why not speak it out?" 
 
 Crawling through a secret passage she reached the open 
 ground, where, cautiously looking round, she gave out a 
 sound like chick-a-dee, chick-a-dee, when Rover came to her 
 side in a fondling manner, which she returned gently. Ho 
 said, as plainly a.s lie could: "I am at your service;" while
 
 48 THE DUTCH DOMINTE. 
 
 she, putting down her hands to his head, seized his jaws be- 
 tween her fingers, pressing them so that, if possible, they came 
 more closely together. The dumb animal seemed to under- 
 stand that he must be silent as well as speechless, for all through 
 that night not a sound escaped from him. 
 
 Elsie, swift as a deer, and now as fearless, urged her way 
 under the star-light. Rover ahead, trotting with his tail up 
 proudly, coming back now and then to receive the encourage- 
 ment which his mistress never failed to bestow upon him, 
 passing her kind hand along his back ; nor was it long before 
 she reached the place of appointment on the South Moun- 
 tain. On the same large, slanting rock, where her father 
 had sat an hour before waiting for her, she leaned to rest 
 herself. Rover had left her at this point, and though she 
 called the secret chick-a-dee, she heard only the echo of her 
 own voice, but not the reply of her father. She expected that 
 Rover would in this way bring them together. Growing 
 impatient, she rose and took another position, where she saw 
 for the first time the fires which blazed red and clear. In 
 her present high excitement all her motions, mental as well as 
 of body, were rapid, so that it did not occupy her long in com- 
 pi ehending the whole, the moment she noticed the peculiar wig- 
 wams, and the different figures moving in the light. The bower 
 in the centre was as yet a mystery which her keen spirit was 
 not long in penetrating. She had come up close to the very 
 place where her father was watching so intently, when that 
 quarrel we have already recorded was commencing between 
 the chief Indian and the Englishman ; and seeing a figure 
 standing between her and the light, she was not a moment 
 in deciding it to be the one she was seeking. Taking hold 
 of his arm, she whispered in his ear : 
 
 " Ben't vreest niet " Be not afraid ; for Martin trembled 
 more than he had done at any previous part of the night ; but 
 soon recovering himself, he felt doubly strong, and was able, 
 with his daughter by his side, to withstand any danger. 
 
 " Elshie, see you that poor crying lamishie," were his first 
 words, " in the hands, in the teeth of these wolven. A Tory's 
 dochter, maybe, but we must save her, with God's help." 
 
 " Patience, daddy, we must wait the right time." Here 
 the heroic girl sighed and wished now for the strong hand of 
 Teunis. 
 
 The quarrel between Clifford and Kiskataam was 1/ecoming 
 every moment fiercer and fiercer ; exciting not only the cap- 
 tive in tho wigwam, but also Martin and his daughter w\io
 
 THE RESCUE. 43 
 
 m their eagerness, were unconsciously drawing nearer to the 
 scene of action, till they stood behind the tree that grew at 
 the very rear of the frail wigwam. They could have touched 
 the captive ; but their attention was absorbed in the conflict. 
 Suddenly the Indian threw his tomahawk, aimed at the head 
 of the lady, but which struck into the pine trunk behind her. 
 Clifford, seizing him by the throat, gave Elsie time to say in 
 Martin's ear : 
 
 "I will take the lady to the North Mountain. Stay here 
 about till her enemies be turned the other way by you and 
 Rover ;" and with that counsel, she darted into the bower ot 
 bushes, and whispering, "Be not afraid, let us escape," and 
 putting her arm through that of the prisoner, they were out in 
 the darkness before the two combatants had risen to their feet. 
 Indeed, so intent were they on revenge, that every other pas- 
 sion was swallowed up ; and even the object which had cost 
 them both such sleepless vigilance, was for the time forgot- 
 ten. Rolling on the ground like fierce buffalo and panther, 
 their eyes sent out flashes of deadly hate. Now it was the 
 lithe muscle and the quick movements of the red man, that 
 was gaining the ascendency ; then it was the firm grip and 
 main strength of his enemy. The natural cunning of the 
 savage enabled him to wriggle out of the hold which kept 
 him down ; but he was no sooner up than Clifford's knowledge 
 of the wrestler's art, placed him on his back. 
 
 " Yield ! you false villain," were the first words of the 
 enraged Englishman. He would have said traitor but the 
 word, as it had been uttered that night, burned on his brain. 
 " Yield ! and leave this region, or, by Heaven, I will toss 
 you over the precipice to the wolves ;" and he shook his vic- 
 tim with a force that showed his power. And it might have 
 ended as he threatened, had not the artful Shandaagan 
 yelled the whoop of his tribe ; which, taking Clifford by sur- 
 prise, caused him to raise his head, when he discovered that 
 his bird was either fallen or flown. The war-whoop rang 
 again from both Indians, in the ears of the flying girls, causing 
 the blood of the late captive to curdle in her veins. 
 
 Clifford, when he saw that the lady was not standing where 
 he had seen her a few moments before, feared that the toma- 
 hawk of the savage had done its work, and he ran in to lift 
 her up; but not finding her, he rushed about like a madman, 
 foaming out all kinds of avowals. His oaths of fidelity froze 
 upon his tongue, and in a measure brought him to his senses, 
 when he fouud that the wily Indian was also out of sight, 
 
 3
 
 >0 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 and might come upon the lost treasure by himself. In the 
 present state of affairs between them, no chance was left for 
 him to have a share of the booty, and this maddened him all 
 the more ; but the sly Kiskataam, now sure of his revenue, 
 and cooler in blood, had already made up his mind and was 
 moving in a track of his own, which would have baffled the 
 intellect of a whole regiment of Englishmen, were they on the 
 hills pursuing him. Noiselessly he crawled among the tangled 
 brushwood, intending to take a wide circuit, when this inno- 
 cent Fawn must be entrapped. Her fear in the dark, her 
 ignorance of these regions, and her inexperience of all savage 
 life, rendered her escape, as he thought, impossible. He was 
 transported in spirit first, in being revenged on Clifford ; 
 and next, in having the lady to himself. 
 
 " She shall grind the Indian's corn. I will build her a wig- 
 wam by the Big Horn, on the island of the crooked Che- 
 rnung. The squaws of the Great King will wonder after the 
 Fawn ;" nnd he smiled in bitter hate. " Big soldier shall 
 whimper like a woman." 
 
 Here quietly the cunning savage lay down with his ear to 
 the ground, as he had often done on the war path. As for 
 Clifford, who had by this time lost 'all track of his company 
 whatever, he was running through the woods alone, like one 
 possessed of a devil. Shouting loudly, he called the name of 
 the lady or of the Indians, as they came to his lips. 
 
 " A thousand pounds for the capture ! I will swear to you, 
 Miss Margaret. I pledge my word as a man of honor ; by 
 my sword as a soldier : only come back and you will be taken 
 to New York or " Here again he would shout in ter- 
 ror of himself. The meanest human being he ever saw would 
 have been hailed by the proud spirited man with a welcome, 
 in preference to wild nature, in all her magnificence. But he 
 was there alone, and had neither God nor mankind to com- 
 mune with him. 
 
 As yet the two fugitives were out of the net of the fowler. 
 Elsie knew the mountain paths as well as her pursuers, and 
 had a place in her mind to which she was guiding her help- 
 less charge. At the beginning, Margaret the late captive- 
 ran \\ith a speed that surprised Elsie ; but it soon was seen 
 to be impossible for her to proceed far without help ; and that 
 of more aid than one of her sex could afford her. They both 
 pat down on a fallen tree, unable to articulate through their 
 exertion, when the sound of their pursuer's voice rose again on 
 their ear and seemed to be coining toward them ; here Elsie
 
 TSE RESCUE. 51 
 
 took hold of the lady's arm, and found, to her terror, that 
 she had fainted and was falling on the ground. Now was 
 the time for the fearless heart to rise above all enemies. 
 Taking the light creature in her arms, she lifted her up, and 
 was carrying her onward, when she heard the rustling of 
 the branches behind her. Standing still as the stump she 
 leaned on, hoping that the enemy might miss her and pass on, 
 what was her astonishment when the words of the Dom- 
 inie's last Sunday's text were pronounced quietly and softly, 
 " Ik zal hesen gaen in de micht of de Lord " I will go in the 
 strength of the Lord. 
 
 " Oh, Teunis Roe !" were the words of the startled Elsie as 
 she fell against his manly breast. " You never were more wel- 
 come," she whispered, drawing herself back abruptly. 
 
 Tennis had found his way into the house of Martin, and by 
 calling out and knocking around, succeeded in bringing An- 
 gelica to him. In him she always had confidence, so that it 
 was not difficult to find out the destination of Elsie. He ran 
 with an eagerness which proved him to be in earnest. Yet 
 he failed to reach the rendezvous in time to aid in the escape, 
 though from a short distance he saw father and daughter 
 counselling behind the tree. Afraid to meet the old Whig, 
 he stood back viewing the struggle on the rock, and the res- 
 cue of the lady, by Elsie. He then lost all track of them, and 
 but for the fainting of the lady could not have found them 
 at all. 
 
 Between these two guardians the late captive was carried 
 to a cave, known to the hunters of the mountains, where a 
 soft bed \vas spread for her, of the leaves which lay around 
 thick and dry, yielding a not unpleasant fragrance to the 
 wearied sleeper, who lay as yet unconcious of the safety of 
 her retreat. From her starting and muttering, it was evi- 
 dent that her dreams were of being pursued and of falling 
 into the hands of her persecutors.
 
 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 DOUBTING CASTLE GIANT DESPAIR. 
 
 "Then, 1 said Mr. Great Heart to Mr. Valiant for Truth, ' thou hast worthily behat ed 
 thyself ; let me sse thy sword : 
 
 " ' Ha ! it i a light good Jerusalem blade. It is ; let me have one of these blades, with a 
 band to wield it, and skill to use it, and I could venture upon an angel of the high places 
 with it.' " 
 
 OLD BCNVAS. 
 
 SHANDAAGAN had beard Elsie giving the sound of the 
 chick-a-dee, and immediately guessed the cause. The stern 
 old Boerman of Hoogenhuisen was more dreaded than any 
 one else on the mountain-side ; and this Indian had been ail 
 the previous day skulking around the place as a spy ; hut 
 knowing the vigilant character of the daughter of the settler, 
 he readily concluded she was on the hills. When the chick-a>- 
 dee was heard he gave an involuntary ugh ! for the mys- 
 tery of Rover's leaving him in the early part of the night, was 
 solved to his dull mind. The Boerman was on the hills him- 
 self, and that accounted for the restlessness of the animal, and 
 his haste to get away. As we have hintel, he was no 
 stranger about the farm-house. From his boyhood he had 
 been accustomed to stop there on his way to and from the east, 
 passing through Stony Clove, on the road to his native 
 lodge. Elsie had not only become an acquaintance, but also 
 an object of interest. She was of a nature to deal kindly with 
 all, but was sure to show her superior nature toward intru- 
 ders ; so that when the deceit of the Indians discovered itself 
 in anything, it met a rebuff, unpleasant to a malicious nature 
 like Shandaagan's. It was, therefore, as much to gratify 
 himself as to serve Kiskataam, that he entered so heartily into 
 this enterprise. Revenge for some supposed insult put upon 
 him by Martin, years ago, and a secret human liking that he 
 had for the company of Martin's daughter of whom he was 
 afraid, but never could pass by fascinated him whenever she 
 choose to keep him on his way. It was not love, it was n>t 
 hate : it was infatuation, or fascination, that brought him 
 wherever she was ; though latterly she would have seen 
 one of the devil's imps sooner, of her own choice, than his 
 black shadow. 
 
 And if we can suppose one of these same imps as full of
 
 DOUBTING CASTLK GIANT DESPAIR. 53 
 
 malice as they are said to be, with three objects near him, 
 and he uncertain as to which he should venture upon first, 
 we can have some idea of this low Indian, with fear of his 
 chief, malice toward Martin, and his undefinable liking for 
 Elsie. The first of the three, at any time presented to his 
 senses, would have had the victory. In this state he was 
 wandering through the brush, sometimes creeping like tl 
 snake ; and then, as he thought upon his chances of success, 
 he lifted his head high enough to look around. He was 
 well pleased to see the quarrel begin between the two lea- 
 ders. It was to him a matter of delight ; so much so, that 
 he inwardly hoped both would be killed, and then he would 
 make his own bargain with the captive. Watching the pro- 
 gress of the combat so intently, he forgot all other things, 
 nor was he aroused from his intentness till he heard the fear- 
 ful alarm of the two combatants, now separated so strangely. 
 He soon understood the cause. The same sound had raised 
 up Martin to his full height, within a few rods before him, 
 and now revenge gained the mastery ; for, coming softly 
 behind the Dutchman, who was intently watching the move- 
 ments of the two captains, lest they should get upon the track 
 of Elsie and her charge, he had lifted Peg to her proper 
 position, when he was seized by the strong arms of Shan- 
 daagan, and bound in an instant above the elbows, and thrown 
 upon his back, with the muzzle of his piece pointing to his 
 ear. 
 
 The astonished and grieved man gave a slight groan. A 
 thousand daggers passed into his body would have been less 
 felt than were the agonies of his spirit. His country, Elsie, 
 Angelica, and the poor captive Fawn, all came up before 
 him ere his own sad captivity was thought of. But he was 
 not devoid of that power of endurance which is found in noble 
 natures, allied to true courage, and in his own way he ex- 
 pressed it, " Uw wille geschiede" thy will be done. 
 
 "The Hedgehog is smooth and tied," was the significant 
 sneer of the Indian, as he gave a quiet chuckle in his throat, 
 which indicated more pleasure than the loudest shout of tri- 
 umph from a white man ; " the Hedgehog must creep fast." 
 
 This hint was accompanied by a touch of the muzzle of old 
 Peg, which Martin knew well was irresistible, no matter in 
 whose hands she was held. Her word was law. 
 
 " Where do you mean me to go, you cowardly redskin ? 
 Have I not fed you ? has not Anshela clothed you ? and ha? 
 not Elsie picked the thorns out of your feet, when you
 
 54: THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 coukr out move ? and now you bid me walk after you have 
 tied my arms with these deer-skin strings. Let me go about 
 my own business, and be off" with you to your miserable hut 
 among the ice-beds." 
 
 The red man never gave a sign to all this outburst, which 
 intimated the least feeling, except at the recollection of 
 Elsie's taking the thorns from his feet He moved from 
 leaning on the one foot to the other, as if pain or, pleasure 
 was seeking the topmost scale ; all his reply was, " The Hedge- 
 hog must wait till Brandt comes." 
 
 This was the same as if the sentence of death had been 
 pronounced upon him ; for the name of that great Mohawk 
 had spread terror through the whole western country, from 
 the Hudson to Fort Niagara. The Dutchman groaned in 
 his spirit, and was troubled ; but after a moment's prayer he 
 recovered himself, and whispered, " Ik hen bereid niet alien 
 gebonden te worden maar ook te sterven" I am ready 
 not only to foe bound but also to die. His chief sorrow was 
 that he should be absent from his post, at this time when he 
 knew that so many were depending upon his vigilance in 
 lighting the teeken vuur the watch-fire above his own dwell- 
 ing ; but to Ms great relief, as he chanced to pass along to 
 his appointed prison, he cast his eye down toward his home-, 
 and saw that all was blazing ; he would have clapped bis 
 hands in rapture at the sight, but was quickly reminded 
 of his helpless condition by his not being able to bring t,ftern 
 together. He satisfied himself by quietly repeating in Dutch, 
 " Ik word nu tot een plengoffered geofferred " I am now 
 ready to be offered. 
 
 Martin was a pious man, and knew his Bible better than 
 any other book ; quoting its sayings, always with much 
 point, when either sunk in distress or rapt in enthusiasm. 
 He felt stronger through seeing the watch-fire blazing, and 
 when he reached the stream, he bent down for a drink, for 
 which he seemed so grateful, that the Indian thought he 
 must have read some sign in the flame, which white men can 
 only understand. Martin was repeating to himself what 
 gave him courage even now, " Zyn nect Abana, en Pher- 
 phar, de revieren van Damascus, betters dan aile Avaterin 
 Israels." 
 
 It Avas evident to Martin that by the time they had gone a 
 short mile to the westward, that Shandaagan was wavering 
 in his purpose, and that some other object was beginning to 
 arrest his attention. Ho^in^ therefore, to turn this vacillj>
 
 DOUBTING CASTLE GIANT DESPAIR. t'i 
 
 tion to his own account, he tried to lead the wily savage into 
 conversation, so that if possible he might obtain a cue to his 
 intentions 
 
 "The Wildcat has been a long journey with the Panther 
 since the sun rose. Wildcat must be tired and weary afoot, 
 going through briers and thorns. The Wildcat will soon 
 rest and wait for the great Mohawk." 
 
 These different objects were presented purposely to confuse 
 the mind of the Indian, for Martin understood his uncertain 
 character, and hoped to have his mind diverted from himself. 
 But revenge, for the present, was the ruling passion, and he 
 had his victim in his own hands. At the same time he felt 
 that he had made a great sacrifice in losing sight of Elsie 
 and the captive, and resolved to secure the father, trusting 
 to his hunter's skill to find out the daughter before morning, 
 through the help of Rover, who was now trotting on before 
 them, to the great mortification of the prisoner, who seemed 
 to read the thoughts of his captor. 
 
 " The Hedgehog must lie down there till the second moon 
 rises ;" said the dogged Indian, as he pointed down to the 
 foot of the ravine, where Martin knew" full well were the high- 
 est falls on the mountain, over which he inwardly suspected 
 it was the Indian's intention to cast him, where he would be 
 dashed in pieces. Roused by fear and indignation, he deter- 
 mined to resist, and make at least one effort for his life. He 
 was hesitating, as he felt the muzzle of his own gun 
 pressed against his back, when turning suddenly, he seized 
 Peg, and would have wrenched her out of his captor's hands, 
 but rbr the bindings on his arms. The struggle was unequal, 
 and he had to yield. His last chance was past. The wily 
 and cruel savage could not be caught again oft' his guard. 
 The prisoner still hoping, descended into the gorge, stepping 
 on to the rock over which the stream was pouring, and there 
 he felt it was but a step between him and death. Shandaagan 
 made his captive sit down on the rock, under a young sapling 
 that he had been surveying with his eye. He pointed th: 
 gun to the breast of the Dutchman, in a threatening manner 
 not to be misunderstood. Then bending the birch back 
 from the edge of the fall, he placed a stone upon it, just suf- 
 ficient to keep it down. On the trunk of the tree he tied 
 tough thongs, cut from a green skin, which he, without warn- 
 ing, attached to the body of Martin. A few moments com- 
 pleted his work. 
 
 " Shoot me, you false geveinsde " hypocrite was Mai tiu ?
 
 56 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 fierce expression when the manner in which he was bound 
 was plain to him. 
 
 The Indian had no such intention ; but putting parched 
 corn within the reach of his victim to preserve him alive till 
 some future time, he proceeded to smoke the fragrant weed 
 of Virginia, sitting near enough to his prisoner that he might 
 inhale its influence, and thus tormenting him as much as pos- 
 sible. 
 
 " Shandaagan," said Martin, in a tone of petition, and yet 
 of superiority, " unbind these strings, and tell me what you 
 want. Is it Milldoleors ? You can have them. Come to 
 Hoogenhuisen when the sun rises." 
 
 The revengeful savage shook his head ; he had made other 
 calculations. He loved a sweeter morsel. Lighting his pipe 
 again, he put it to the mouth of Martin, who instinctively 
 began to puff, away as if the old clock stood ticking at his 
 elbow in the corner. 
 
 "The Wildcat will return;" was the brief reply of the 
 Indian, as he walked away, not deigning to look once behind 
 him. His thoughts had gone back to Martin's daughter, and 
 with Rover's help, he was sure of finding her ; and with her, 
 the English lady. By these means he would secure both 
 the favor of Kiskataam and the reward of Clifford. He 
 could make a bargain with all for himself; more especially 
 as the onslaught of Brandt would furnish him with the 
 means of escape, should he become entangled. 
 
 We must leave Martin to his solitary reflection, as the In- 
 dian pursued his way. He had put in one humbling pe.ition 
 as his captor moved off: " Shandaagan will not hurt the 
 squaws at Hoogenhuisen ?" He looked up for an answer, but 
 the bronze face of the redskin was imperturbably fixed. 
 
 "Let the Hedgehog sleep," was all he heard. The bit- 
 terest of the parting moment was to have Rover, when the 
 Indian drew him away, whine round him, and even lick his 
 lips. But a kick from the red man made him follow, leaving 
 the disconsolate master without a single earthly friend with- 
 in call. Death by falling over the precipice was certain, the 
 instant that the thongs were cut away ; and they must be 
 cut asunder to let him go free. He had nothing before hi:;i 
 now but to wait for day, and hope for relief. 
 
 The Indian in the meantime pursued his return to the pine 
 orchard, where the capturing party would be waiting for his 
 report. They knew that he had gone on the pursuit, and he 
 umst say something. He determined to affect ignorance of
 
 DOUBTING CASTLE GIANT DESPAIR. 57 
 
 what he really knew concerning Elsie. He found Clifford alone ; 
 so walking right to the camp, lie cast a curious glance into 
 the bower as he passed, and just as he thought himself dis- 
 covered by Clifford, his eyes dilated sufficiently to express 
 surprise at the place being vacant. The Englishman was 
 standing out on the verge of the rock, as near to the edge as 
 it was possible for him to stand, as if he watched the ap- 
 proach of something that was at hand. He gave a quick 
 start as Shandaagan came up to him, saying : 
 
 "They call you Wildcat; your steps are as soft and sly as 
 .hat animal's. "Where have you been hunting all night? 
 .lave you seen aught of our Fawn ?" he was going to say, 
 >ut he checked himself, and said : " Our friends from above ? 
 Anything of Brandt ?" 
 
 " The Dutchmen have kindled their fire on the hills ;" and 
 pointing with his finger to the river, he said, "their fiery 
 ,ongues are crying back to the mountains." 
 
 " Oh, you mean to say that the whole country is alarmed ; 
 veil, I suppose that must be the case, from all the signs uf 
 vhe times. Have you met any of our scouts ? or have you 
 seen the " 
 
 And with that, he pointed with his finger to the empty 
 bower. 
 
 Shandaagan shook his head, and said softly for he wished 
 to keep in favor with Clifford, and yet elude his questions 
 " Wildcat cannot catch Fawn." 
 
 " No, but Wildcat could hunt for Fawn, and then," hold- 
 ing out a purse through which the coin glittered, he said, 
 coaxingly, u that shall be the reward for bringing her iu to- 
 day or to-morrow." 
 
 This was just what the Indian was seeking the commission 
 of search ; and if Kiskataam would join the Englishman in the 
 wish, he would begin immediately. He was listening with 
 eager ear for that wily chief, whom he knew could not be far 
 off; when, all at once, he appeared, as if he had risen out of 
 the ground. He had heard the sinister tones of Clifford, 
 and soon saw Wildcat, and came to prevent a conspiracy 
 which ho suspected already. He was sure that the English- 
 man could never find out his captives without help ; and now 
 the only help he could find \v.as on hand ; his best way ot 
 preventing a combination against himself, was to enter into 
 the fellowship, and be one of the leaders. He could act for 
 himself none the less. He hoped to control the movements 
 and skil 1 of his brother Indian, and thus leave the Englishman
 
 58 THE DUTCH I.OMINIK. 
 
 at fault. So, assuming a bland look, he came forward as if 
 nothing had happened to disturb the equanimity of the night ; 
 sat down at the fire and prepared his pipe, pointing at the 
 same time to the slain deer. Shandaagan understood the 
 movement, and proceeded to cut off choice collops for their 
 breakfast, which he put with care upon the red coals, now in 
 a fine condition for broiling that tender meat. In half an 
 hour all the three were in the best possible temper of mind. 
 Clifford had a flask of brandy, which had the usual effect of 
 i vhilurating the spirits, and drowning all care. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE EYELIDS OF THE MORNING. 
 
 " Within a savage cave beneath the mount, 
 
 Closed in the shades, the warriors passed the night 
 
 But when the sun from Heaven's eternal fount, 
 
 Thro' the brown forest shed his golden light, 
 
 Up, up !' at once they cried ; and either knight 
 
 With rival zeal along the track of frost. 
 
 Began the ascent ; when on their startled sight, 
 
 Whence they knew not, in various colors glowed 
 
 Their onward path, a fierce and frightful serpent crossed." 
 
 TA860. 
 
 DAY had dawned upon the east, before the fugitive lady 
 and her deliverer had risen from their couch. Teunis had 
 undertaken to watch while they slept, and faithfully did he 
 fulfill his trust ; and though urged by Elsie, in softer tones 
 than she would have given forth at another time, he remained 
 alert and vigilant still, by their side. They all three stood 
 behind a jutting crag on a higher shoulder of the Kaatsbergs, 
 than that flat rock on which the lady Margaret had been 
 rescued on the previous night. She had already learned tha; 
 they were her friends. Indeed, her confidence in them was 
 entire on the instant they had found a resting-place, free from 
 alarm. They had done all that any human beings could have 
 done to quiet her agitation and induce her to fall asleep. 
 She called them her guardian angels, sent in answer to her 
 mother's prayers ; and, though she started in her dreams 
 several times, still, as Teunis reported, she seemed to sleep 
 soundly for two hours, when she opened her eyes in surprise, 
 but not in alarm.
 
 THE EYELIDS OF THE MORNING. 59 
 
 " Delightful vision I have had !" were her first \v ords. " I was 
 on board the ship once more, and my mother rocked me in 
 my little hammock, singing the old lullaby. 'Hush, my 
 dear, lie still and slumber.' What do you think, Elsie, for so 
 you say I must call you, is that such a dream as forebodes 
 
 gnod ?" 
 
 " Yes, my lady, all dreams in which a good Providence ife 
 seen are of the right kind. Our Dominie tells us in his 
 preaching, that the angels are ' alien gedienstige geesten, die 
 tot dienst uitgezonden worden om dergenen wil, die de zalig- 
 heid beernen zullen.' But I forget myself; you do not under- 
 stand our tongue it means that the angels are servants to 
 the pure hearted, and no doubt but our Heavenly Father has 
 sent these holy spirits to your pillow, my dear lady, this 
 night." 
 
 " Call me Margaret if you will," said the pleased and 
 bright blue-eyed damsel, already recovering from the effects 
 of her horrid captivity. " Tell me, if you please, what your 
 parish priest says about those good things, for he must be a 
 good man, since you are so kind." 
 
 " Not our priest, Miss Margaret, but our Dominie our 
 minister ; it is true he is one of the good men, whom we love 
 to hear speak, and you would love him too, were he here just 
 now, looking out on that rising light. See where the dawn is 
 just peering out above those hills iar out yonder. It is but a 
 narrow border, yet watch, and see how it will spread. 
 
 " Yes, I cannot help looking, and it reminds me of that 
 beautiful Psalm that says, 'I will watch for thee, as they 
 who watch for the eyelids of the morning ;' for see how like 
 that is to the opening lids of a child, when it looks up for its 
 mother. But 1 wish I had not thought of the word mother 
 just now ; as I look upon that scene, it seems as if it is sel- 
 fishness not to forget everything else." 
 
 "This is no place for despair, fair lady," said Teunis, who 
 hesitatingly took part in the conversation. " There are hun- 
 dreds of good friends below who will risk their lives for you. 
 Kest must be taken here to-day, and I will go down to pre- 
 pare the means of deliverance." 
 
 " Thanks, oh, a thousand thanks to you, and a rich reward 
 awaits you. My father will give up all he is worth for his 
 daughter. We are a happy family, when together. But oh, 
 how miserable that cabin is at this moment." 
 
 " Look up, my lady," said Teunis, for he was becoming 
 bolder, as he saw the bad state in which the poor exile was.
 
 GO THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 " Look up ; see, there is hope for you. The dawn gets 
 brighter ; noAV wait and watch till the sun springs out of his 
 beef." 
 
 "Glorious! glorious king of day rejoicing in the east! 
 never did I see thee before. No marvel, though the heathen 
 fell prone at sight of thee. I shall not think of myself 
 here amidst such majesty. Not a cloud up there except 
 these two in the very zenith. Sparkling golden studs grow- 
 ing pale ; and that azure ! was ever aught so pure over this 
 world before!" 
 
 Tennis, who felt a personal pride in, -the scene, and who 
 considered himself bound in honor to uphold its reputation 
 over all the world beside, stood ready to show off all the 
 great points of sublimity ; and Elsie, equally interested, well 
 knew the features of beauty, so that between the two, the 
 English maiden was likely to be well instructed in mountain 
 panoramics. 
 
 " See the sun, how he rises like a great captain, surmounted 
 by a helmet of gold," said the young man. " Don't wink lest 
 you lose a single ray." 
 
 " O God !" said the enraptured girl, " what must THOU be 
 thyself, since thy servant is so bright and beautiful ?" 
 
 Elsie was muttering to herself a Psalm in the Holland 
 tongue Gy kept voor maels de ae'rade gegrondet, ende de 
 " keenelen zen tiwerk uwer handen." 
 
 " What is that you sing ?" said the lady, " tell it to me in 
 English ; it must be good for it makes your face shine." 
 
 "I am saying what you know to be true, perhaps, at this 
 hour more than you ever thought before. ' Of oldthou hast 
 laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the 
 work of thy hands.' But, Miss Margaret, you must look be- 
 low, as well as upward, if you would see all the sublimity 
 of this scene." 
 
 And with that the stranger looked down, exclaiming in 
 amazement, "The ocean, the sea, the sea!" An infinite m-iss 
 of vapor lay so thick upon the valley that it seemed mon.; 
 like the rolling waves than a cloud of mist. " And is it pos- 
 sible that we are not on the seashore. Hark! I think I hear 
 the surge as it breaks against the rocks? But no, we are on 
 the mountain, as I know full well from the journey of yestor- 
 day. Tell me if it be possible that people do live and br;a;,!uj 
 down there in that awful gulf." 
 
 ^" Yes," was Elsie's reply ; " thousands are at this hour asleep. 
 No marvel they should have heavy dreams, com] tared
 
 THE EYKLIDS OF THE MORNING. 6l 
 
 With those we have had up here in this blue ether. See how 
 high the sun has bounded already on his journey ; not a star 
 to be seen now. Yes, there is one, the blinkende moryen- 
 ster." 
 
 " You mean the morning star. May I take that as the 
 sign of deliverance ? I would not pray to that orb, but to 
 Him who said, ' I am the bright and morning star.' Be 
 thou that so to me, O Saviour of men ;" and the poor, feeble 
 girl was again turning to thoughts of herself, when Tennis 
 called out to see how the whole earth was in motion below. 
 
 Grand and terrible was the scene ; even these two natives, 
 who had frequently looked on the like before, held their 
 breath when the huge masses divided and turned, as icebergs 
 are seen to sink and rise when some change takes place in 
 their weight. Then, as if relieved from their anchorage, 
 they made a sudden plunge, which sent the waves far out to 
 the verge of the expanse. It would have been some relief 
 had there been the least noise, but the silence to the ear 
 when there was such agitation to the sight, reminded one of 
 what we have read of the gulf which divides time from 
 eternity neither life nor death. 
 
 " I have read somewhere of the North Seas," said the most 
 intelligent of the spectators, " of the hummocks of snow and 
 ice which move through these death- like seas, and where the 
 sky is like living crystal. See that mountain there, rising up 
 as if giants were beneath it lifting it. Have you not read, 
 young man, of the gods piling mountains?" 
 
 " I know* nothing of such books," said Teunis. "There is 
 one passage that exactly expresses my mind, where it de- 
 scribes the clouds as the dust of the Almighty's feet." 
 
 " You are right," said Margaret ; " no book can furnish us 
 with words fit to express our ideas of nature equal to the one 
 you quote from, and yet I have read in other pages descrip- 
 tions which at this moment come up to the pictures passing 
 before us. See there, that moving tower, pursuing the one 
 still vaster that swells upward and onward. I can imagine the 
 great warriors of antiquity, on it, roused up in their ancient 
 armor, bent upon a great expedition, obeying the voice of 
 the leader. But the trumpets are silent," 
 
 " The sun is their only leader at this moment," said Teunig. 
 " He is drawing them after him. Till he appeared all was 
 quiet, but you have observed that from the instant he showed 
 his face there has been a great and general commotion. 
 
 " He is like a strong man," said Elsie, " going forth to run
 
 62 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 his race ;" for she was anxious to give as ranch moral in- 
 fluence to the conversation as might strengthen her new 
 friend for her day's work; and so pointing with her hand to 
 one of the figures which appeared on the clouds below, she 
 asked of her companions if that did not "seem like what 
 they had conceived of the angel who would put his foot upon 
 the sea and upon the land, lifting his hand to heaven ?" 
 
 " Yes, and we standing up high, as we do now, seeing the 
 rising dead. " These misty shapes make me feel awful, even 
 at this moment. Shall we be able," said Margaret, " to see 
 the dwellings in the valley when the mist is gone ? I almost 
 think these must be their shadows, grown huge, that are 
 lifted up ? 
 
 These observations were disjointed and interjectional, fol- 
 lowed by pauses which showed that the spectators were full 
 of thoughts that partook more of the spiritual than of the 
 earthly. It was reverie uttered at intervals ; musings which 
 elevated the soul into that fellowship with spiritual exist- 
 ences, afterward to be remembered with calm delight. The 
 sight recalled to the more highly educated of the three some 
 of those images which till then had lain sleeping in her 
 memory, and half whispering, she repeated to herself those 
 fine lines of the greatest of uninspired sacred poets : 
 
 " There is a cave within the mount of God, 
 Fast by the throne, where light and darkness 
 In perpetual rounds lodge and dislodge 
 By turns, which make through heaven 
 Grateful vicissitude like day and night ; 
 Light issues forth, and at the other door 
 Obsequious darkness enters ; but now goes 
 Forth the morn' arrayed in gold empyreal." 
 
 < There! there! is the earth at last!" shouted out thj en- 
 raptured Teunis. " I have never seen it as we see it now, but 
 I think on the sailor crying from the mast-head, land ! land !'* 
 
 " I never see it," said Elsie, " but I think on the morning 
 stars, shouting for joy when the dry land appeared at creation. 
 Is it not beautiful, Miss Margaret ?" 
 
 "It is; but what is that we see, like a white line, passing 
 through the whole, as far as we can look, north and south ?" 
 
 "Let the lady find out herself without our help," said 
 Teunis; "watch and you will see;" and the young Dutch- 
 man, full of honest feeling, looked from the face of the eager 
 spectator to the object she gazed upon, and back again.
 
 THE EYELIDS OF THE MORNING. t>?. 
 
 " The river ! the river !" said the enraptured gazer. " The 
 famous Hudson, where the Indian canoes once swam as lightly 
 as the swan, till the enterprising Hendrick Hudson came and 
 sailed up as far as Albany. He says he ' saw very high moun- 
 tains on the west of him, and very old men on the banks.' How 
 high we must be, for it seems but a narrow stream. Alas ! I 
 ought to know it well, after what I have endured near it since I 
 left the ship. The ship ! yes, oh, the ship must be seen from this 
 height. I think I see it lying close by the shore, there waiting 
 for me. Look, dear Elsie, and tell me if that be not the broad 
 pennon of St. George that we see yonder." 
 
 " I am afraid not," said the mountain girl. " There are 
 too many clouds floating there yet to allow us to see any ves- 
 sel from this distance. See these shadows how they pass and 
 repass all along the river, so silently, and, I was going to say, 
 so solemnly. They always picture to ray mind the valley of 
 death, where they say spirits are moving before the eyes of 
 the dying." 
 
 "It is, indeed," said Margaret, "a scene that might well 
 impress awe upon the superstitious. A Greek could imagine 
 that river to be the dark Styx, and these the ghosts of heroes 
 crossing in Charon's boat. See how large everything seems, 
 and how far they move from us Avhenever a larger cloud 
 comes over. I wish that veil would clear away. I long to 
 look down into the eyes of the sleepers." 
 
 " Lady Margaret," interrupted Teunis, " it is time for me 
 to leave. There is soon to be bloody work below ; and I 
 must be there to act my part. You will be as well taken care 
 of as if I were present." 
 
 This was said as a word of encouragement ; for the speaker 
 perceived that fear was overcoming the unhappy girl, and 
 that his presence was becoming necessary to her comfort, as 
 she had not yet learned to confide in one of her own sex. 
 " The troubles below," continued he, " will divert the atten- 
 tion of your pursuer from you. After a few days, we will 
 find, means of taking you to your friends. In the meantime, 
 Elsie, keep away from the kekutes ; for these wily redskins 
 can tell a woman from an owl in the dark ; and give them 
 but a glimpse of your bright hair, dangling in the sunshine, 
 and a bullet shall be sent to you that will bring you down. 
 Then, what shall I say to Martin Schuyler?" 
 
 " Oh, you can say that the Tories have run away with 
 Elsie," was the sly answer of the Boerman's daughter. " Go, 
 as we planned it already, and be sure and bring some ole-
 
 64 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 cakes and cheese, and a bottle of milk; and a word more," 
 after he had gone a few steps, she running down the hill till 
 she came close up to him, "Go in and comfort mammy, as 
 you pass. Teh 1 her good news; the best you can frame. 
 And " 
 
 " And what, dearest Elsie ? One word more, and let that 
 be HOPE. You know how some words put lii'e into the feel 
 of the runner: and the Dominie says, ' want wij zijn. in hope 
 zalig geworden.' " 
 
 " Yes, Teunis, ' we are saved by hope,' but that means for 
 another life. We have something else to think of than the 
 present world, in these sad times ; but if" And the damsel 
 paused, and sighed, and then looking up, said, " Go, Tennis, 
 and my prayers shall go with you." 
 
 " And your word, Elsie, is hope ?" 
 
 " Hope, then," said the modest maiden, as she returned 
 to her charge ; feeling all the burd-en of her responsibility, 
 now that she was left alone with the feeble thing that she had 
 dared to rescue, as a bird out of the hand of the fowler. 
 
 Both of the young women felt lonely ; and something like 
 terror crept over them as they were watching the movements 
 of their departing companion, which they could not long 
 discern, as it was not for the safety of either party that he 
 should let himself be seen from above. So, Elsie, who was 
 the strongest in mind and in body, as well as larger in ex- 
 perience, turned the attention of her ward, as soon as possible, 
 to other objects than herself. She had already got the key 
 to her natural character a wrapt enthusiasm for nature 
 and she wisely used that for her own benefit. 
 
 " Here we are, then, upon the high hills, and how small we 
 look to ourselves when we turn our thoughts upon our frail 
 forms. Do they have as high mountains in your country, 
 Miss Margaret ?" 
 
 "No, Elsie, we have not any lofty mountains," said her 
 sorrowful companion, who was making an effort to overcome 
 her feelings, as she guessed the kind design of her comforter. 
 "The mountains of England are not so high as these, but I 
 have seen the Alps, which are much higher than these Kaats- 
 bergs ; and I am reminded by the scene of this morning, ol 
 similar grandeur ; and my thoughts run to friends who were 
 there with me, and I am afraid that I shall make but a poor 
 follower of yours to-day. I have seen the day when I could 
 have wished myself an eagle, that I might perch on that 
 highest point; but now, I could crawl on the lowest part ol
 
 THE EYELIDS OF THE MORNING. 65 
 
 the ground. Trouble humbles the proud heart, clearest 
 Elsie." 
 
 " Oh yes, lady. So I have heard our good Dominie say, 
 and he has been on those high mountains you speak of in his 
 youth. And sometimes in these days of trouble, he will break 
 out in great raptures, and sing in the words of the good book, 
 so that we all feel quite strong, and ready for any trial. I 
 wish you could but understand Dutch." 
 
 " Say it to me, if you please ; though I do not understand 
 it, your voice will direct my mind away from myself to the 
 Good Being, who only can deliver me now." 
 
 " That is true, and the words are comforting, and always 
 cheer me, as you may be sustained if you could but under- 
 stand them ; but I will try and give you their meaning : O 
 myne duve synde in de kloven der steenrotsen, in't verbor- 
 gen, eener steiler plaetse toond my uwe stemme hooren want 
 uwe stemme is zoet en uwe gadaente is lieffelyk. Now, I 
 wish I could give you the English of that ; but it is about a 
 clove in the cloves of the mountains, in the secret places of 
 the stairs; and then it says" 
 
 " Oh, I can tell you the other part : ' Let me see thy 
 face, let me hear thy voice ; for sweet is thy voice, and thy 
 countenance is comely.' " 
 
 " There now ; I have often heard these beautiful words," 
 said the stranger, " but never till now have I seen their 
 beauty, and their promise of deliverance to myself. Here 
 I am, a weak dove on these high hills, but I cannot fly. 
 Those who love me are far from me. O ! God, let me see 
 thy face in these secret places. Let these mountains whereon 
 thy feet shall come, be as the stairs of thy palace, that I 
 may be delivered. Surely, dear Elsie, these words were 
 sent to your lips by the Good Spirit, for me. Let me hear 
 more of them." 
 
 " We have spoken enough of these fine words, young lady, 
 it is time for us to do something to provide against coming 
 danger." And with that, the two young women, like sisters, 
 moved on, where the strongest led the weakest by the hand, 
 as a mother leads a child. So helpless was the late captive, 
 and so easily would she have been again ensnared, but for 
 the prudence and love of her guardian.
 
 66 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 REVENGE IS SWEET. 
 A monster, huge and hideous, void of sight." COWLET. 
 
 THIS was a busy day for the young Dutchman. Like all 
 his race, he was slow to move, but once under way, he was 
 like one of those arks to be seen on the Scheldt, which 
 nothing can stop in the current. Now being wakened up, 
 his duty was becoming more evident. The country stood 
 out in its size and importance more than ever ; and, like 
 an arch into which they were just pressing the keystone, he 
 heard a cheerful call of Elsie, saying, the more you put on 
 me, the more can be borne. He grew stronger, and more 
 decided at every step ; for his mind and conscience were alike 
 in action. 
 
 " I owe a debt of gratitude to my father ;" there are 
 other persons in the world he would have said, but he re- 
 membered the uncertainty of his condition at the moment, 
 and he hesitated to say the words " Elsie and country." 
 
 " Country," thought he, " what have I done to merit 
 a country; standing like a great goose, as I have been, 
 first on one foot, then on another, as I felt it hot or cold, 
 or was tired. I must stand on my two feet if I deserve the 
 name of a man ; and the love of Elsie. She is not the girl to 
 favor a goose :" and the slow intellect of the meditator 
 smiled at his own wit. Like all honest men, he was trying 
 to satisfy his conscience first, and then he hoped to pursue 
 his own interest the more successfully. That was after all 
 paramount. His conscience was on the side of the country, 
 and it was all the easier for him to work in his new harness, 
 since his heart was there, because Elsie was also there ; and it 
 only required a small force in addition, to place himself 
 wholly there. At the present moment he must work pru- 
 dently ; but he would do his duty, and not flinch to-day. 
 
 " I ought first to go to Hoogenhuisen and see how Anshela 
 gets on, for I am afraid all is not right there in the absence of 
 both Martin and Elsie; but then I have been so long from 
 home, they will suspect me in these suspicious days unless I 
 show my face ; and daddy will miss Grey more than myself, 
 for it is past the time of h ; feeding him : and now, when I
 
 KEVENGE 18 SWEET. 67 
 
 think of it, the poor animal has stood all night tied to that 
 tree. There he is whinnying just now that he hears my step." 
 
 By this time he had reached the foot of the hill, and was 
 astride of his good nag, that was not unwilling to receive 
 his burden. Perhaps had the animal shown the least inclina- 
 tion to go up toHoogenhuisen, where he had been so often, and 
 where he had been fed with many a good mess of oats, the 
 man would not have checked the rein ; but he trotted freely 
 down the way to his own stable, the master saying to himself 
 " well, go ; I shall find out the state of things below, and be all 
 the better prepared to elude these redskins, whether led by 
 Brandt or Kiskataam ; for Brandt, after all, is at the bottom 
 of this game, though the mountain chief seems to be playing 
 the main part up here just now. The lady, in some mysteri- 
 ous way, has been taken by the Tories, for some Tory pur- 
 pose. Why she should be of their own blood is more than 
 my dull head can see through. Elsie says she can under- 
 stand the reason, but I cannot ; and no matter. It is our 
 duty to deliver her ; be she of the Whig or of the Tory race, 
 I will fight on her side." 
 
 With such reflections in his mind, new to himself, arid 
 therefore all the more oppressive to his breast, he came with- 
 in sight of his home, that lay, like most of the houses of the 
 early settlers from Holland, in a hollow between two of the 
 low hills that lie at the foot of the Kaatsbergs. The moun- 
 tain stream ran through the meadow before the wealthy Boer- 
 man's door, surrounded as that was with trees of the forest, 
 which had never been cleared away ; or had come up a se- 
 cond growth since his grandfather took up his abode there. 
 It was a rich farm, and had been one of those spots on which 
 the aborigines had raised their " maize, their beans, and their 
 pompkins." Some of the ancient apple and plum trees, 
 which came from no one can tell where, were now yielding 
 their fruit to the hands of another race. 
 
 Teunis was met at the foot of the hill, as he was passing 
 through a bunch of pines, by an old negro wench, whom 
 they :il! called mammy, who stood up in the road and stopped 
 him, by holding up her finger in a warning attitude ; which 
 he, in his present state of mind, was unable to despise ; 
 though he did his best, by trying to pass her with a " Good 
 morning, mammy ; what brings you here so far from the pigs 
 and the chickens, so early in the day." 
 
 " Mammy's chic'ns fly like de patriches, and me must foU 
 low dem."
 
 08 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 44 *lt, have you found them, Dora ?" said Teunis, affect- 
 ing to understand her literally. " They must be ducks you 
 are seeding, or they could not cross the creek." 
 
 " Nae, nae, duck neber flee to de mountains, chick'ns keep 
 'bout de doors. Patriches run avay, and hide der eyes, den 
 tink nobody seed dem." 
 
 " Explain yourself, Dora," for the young man saw that she 
 was in earnest about something, and he was anxious for in- 
 formation which might unfold what he wanted to knoA\". 
 Besides he knew that old Dora was faithful, and he needed 
 a confident friend in some one : so he at once said, " tell me 
 mammy, has any one been seeking after Teunis last night *"' 
 
 " Mammy had dark tream," and here the poor creature's 
 tears began to run. " Teunis baby boy again ; but Teuny fall 
 over the vlat rock and got wings, den flew away to Hoogen- 
 tuisen vere Martin feed him wid whiggee corn." 
 
 " Come Dora, none of that nonsense," said Teunis, impa- 
 tiently,* " tell me what you are here for. Have you anything 
 to tell me about the Indians?" 
 
 At that word the old creature became as bright as an 
 old African can be, and opened her bag of secrets to Teunis, 
 so perfectly that he became fully aware of his danger, and 
 before he left her, had made out, in his own mind, the plan 
 he should pursue immediately. The conversation was car- 
 ried on in a low, quiet whisper, for at least ten minutes. At 
 parting she looked in his face, as if examining the lines of 
 feeling that might be traced there, and at the close of the in- 
 vestigation, she drew her own palm over her brow, saying, 
 
 "Look to de high peak ven de storm is past, de vind 
 sweeps de vet dust off, and the face is clear as de morning." 
 
 Teunis rode on, taking the hint by bringing his thoughts and 
 looks into proper subjection, before he met his father, who 
 Dora told him had been asking after him twice since six 
 o'clock. In ten minutes more he was in the barn attending 
 to some duties, which he knew belonged to his share of the 
 usual work, with as much earnestness as if nothing else was 
 in his mind. There his father found him. Whether he was 
 aware of his absence through the night or not, did not ap- 
 peal ; but the moment he came within sight of his son, the 
 working of his lips showed that an unusual agitation had 
 been moving him all that morning, and was now to be ex- 
 pressed. The son feared that his own thoughts had become 
 known in some mysterious way, as they had been already 
 partially revealed to old Dora, as he found from more than
 
 REVENGE IS SWEET. 
 
 her dreams. There was some medium between her and the 
 mist on the mountain, which he could not trace, and from her 
 former character, he was still more inclined than ever to be- 
 lieve that she held communications with the geests * she had 
 so often frightened them with when they were children. For 
 the fact wns, that sometimes being overborne by the noise and 
 the rudeness of the youngsters, when they intruded upon the 
 kitchen, her own proper domain, she had to have recourse to 
 the very means which white nurses have of stilling their noisy 
 brood, bringing the fetish on them, Avhich Avas equally effec- 
 tual with geest or witch, only that her goblin was of African 
 color, where she declared there was one so large, that he 
 could swallow an ox and three pigs for his supper, with a& 
 many little white babies as could be found. All of these 
 stones had their influence on Tennis not yet abated entirely. 
 This morning had renewed his wonder ; where the old wench 
 could have obtained her knowledge of him and of his very 
 thoughts when she had not seen him since the morning 
 before ! When Jacobus Roe then stepped into the barn as 
 he did, his son Teunis was in some measure moved in feelin f 
 through sympathy, and might by a more skillful or more su <- 
 picious parent have been thrown off his guard. Luckily for 
 him, the old man could only entertain one idea at a time, ami 
 the idea now was the King and his cause. To sustain Toryism 
 he was ready to sacrifice all he had in the world, family and 
 farm ; nor did he dream for a moment that he could come to 
 a loss, since Brandt had arrived to carry off the Whiggies. 
 After they were moved the whole country would be as quiet 
 as his pigs after the bieren bears were driven away, and 
 they lying down in their straw, well fed. The Whigs and the 
 bears were the same thing in a measure, to the old Boerman. 
 " Teunis, sonnee, I vant tee to run for me to te top ol" 
 Here Teunis looked into his father's face ready to frame an 
 excuse, or in some way to get rid of being hindered in what he 
 must do, whatever should be the consequence, to save Elsie 
 and her captive friend ; but to his great relief, he found that 
 he might both run his father's errand, and serve his own 
 cause ; for the father, going on slowly, said, with some hesi- 
 tation and under liis usual tone, " Tee must run to te top 
 of te clove and look sout' and nort', and stand allee day till 
 tee see smoke rising from Sopus, den come back vere tou 
 vill be vanted. Tak de sorrel mare wid tee, and do not spare 
 de spur nor de vipp, nor yourselv." 
 
 Ghosts.
 
 70 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 This was an extraordinary license on the part of old 
 Yaacob, who loved his horses with an affection that ap- 
 proached the human feeling, as near as it could come. By 
 this token, the son saw that the crisis was drawing to a point ; 
 and lest he should be laid under some definite obligation, lie 
 hastened to fill the letter of the injunction, with an alacrity 
 that pleased the old man, so that the smile of satisfaction came 
 up over his grim face, breaking after five minutes into words. 
 " Ha! deze jongeling* vill make de Whiggees run, I guess." 
 That lad was the pride of his heart, and he hoped to see him 
 made a captain before long. 
 
 At the door of the kitchen, where Teunis had stopped on 
 a visit to old Dora's larder, he met his mother, who was under 
 as much emotion as her large frame would allow her to bear ; 
 as she came forward she merely looked at him, whispering in 
 his ear, "geen huisknecht lean twee heeren dienen y" f and with 
 her heart full, she turned and left him in amazement. She 
 was no sooner out of sight than Dora waddled up, putting her 
 fingers to her lips, intending to impose silence on Teunis; a 
 state she could not remain in herself; for, with as much so- 
 lemnity as she could piit into her dark face, she said, as she 
 touched him, " Miene kinder J dere be geesten vatching de, 
 tak dat ;" and she thrust a smooth black stone into his bosom, 
 throwing a thong, made of a snake skin, which ran through 
 it, over his neck ; mumbling something, seemingly a prayer, 
 as she went back to her work. This stone Teunis had seen 
 a few times before, on occasions when Dora was excited, as 
 she was just now; and lie remembered once when he was a 
 boy, that going on a hunting excursion, when Dora thought 
 he must be in danger, that she did the same thing as now. 
 His leaving his paternal dwelling under all these circum- 
 stances, was calculated to waken up any dormant sensations 
 that might be sleeping in his breast. The double errand on 
 which he was bound, the responsibility laid upon him, his 
 own interests in the events of the day ; and the parting he 
 had just made with those who loved him, together with the 
 hope of securing the approval and the love of one now dearer 
 to him than life, made him solemn. But the words of his 
 mother were to him the heaviest sounds: " Xo man can 
 serve two masters." "Mother," said the honest youth to 
 himself, " you are right. This shall be my last service to 
 King George; and if I guess right, it will not displease you, 
 that it should be so. I have long thought I knew where her 
 
 * This young man. f No servant can serve two masters. J Child
 
 REVENGE IS SWEET. 71 
 
 heart was, and maybe she has heard me speak in my sleep ; 
 for I have dreamed before this of shaking my heid clear of 
 the English colors, when my father, honest man, was put- 
 ting the flag over me." With these reflections, he put spurs 
 to his horse, that felt the spirit of his rider and was ofi" like 
 an arrow, up the hill. He was noticed by Dora, whom he 
 did not see ; for there seemed to hang over the whole scene 
 a stillness, which, to the oppressed and superstitious mind of 
 the rider, was in the highest degree ominous. Not a living 
 thing could be seen ; cattle were driven far into the woods ; 
 horses were tied in some cave, and even the poultry were 
 caged in the bush. The houses seemed to be all deserted, 
 except where some old negro slave, and his ancient wench of 
 a Wife, were left to keep a sort of watch over things of no 
 value. It was a lonely and melancholy ride ; and to add to 
 Teunis's sense of the fearful, as he went on at full speed, he 
 saw, crossing his road at a little distance, one of those bears 
 which were numerous in these regions. He moved slowly 
 till the horseman came near, when he sprung up a tree that 
 overhung the path, looking down through the branches at the 
 intruder upon his domains, with a calm superiority which was 
 provoking to a hunter's spirit. But there was no time to 
 waste in parleying with Bruin ; so, on the^ rider went, mark- 
 ing the tree with his eye ; for he saw that the sweet tooth of 
 the animal would incline him to return there some other time, 
 when they might be on more equal terms. 
 
 Truth to tell, Tennis was less afraid of a bear than he was 
 of things that had neither shape nor sound. The tales of old 
 Dora had more influence upon him than the substantial objects 
 he had chased over the mountains ; and as he rode at full 
 speed in the darkness of the forest, where, on his right hand, 
 he heard the dull sighing of the trees ; and on the left, the 
 monotonous murmur and brattling noise of the stream, he re- 
 membered he was coming near to the " spooks den," which, 
 from his infancy, he had regarded as the abode of the un- 
 known sprites of the hills. It Avas not without a feeling oi 
 tremor that he slackened his horse's pace, that he might su: 
 vey the scene, before he fairly entered into the mouth of the 
 demon, if there was such a being. He was a young man, 
 above the average in intelligence ; but that did not save him 
 from the usual fears of mortals, when engaged in earnest wo;k, 
 as he was at that moment. All that he had heard of the 
 place from Dora, and the other old blacks; together with the 
 tales which adventurous hunters had lately told, some in fan*
 
 72 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 and others in sport, came up to view at this instant. By this 
 time he found himself walking his horse slowly toward the 
 dreaded place, which lay at the foot of the hill, just where the 
 road he must take turned off to the left. He knew that there 
 was a hut there, and a well, which was supplied from some 
 spring on the side of the hill. He was about to descend from 
 Sorrel, that he might allow her to quench her thirst, and then 
 slake his own lips, which he suddenly discovered were drying ; 
 when to his great surprise and fear, he perceived smoke issuing 
 from an aperture in the roof of the rude cabin ; and, as he 
 listened, he heard plainly the sound of a human voice. His 
 first impulse was to remount Sorrel and ride back over the road 
 he came. But his horse was too thirsty to allow herself to be 
 deprived of the beverage so near at hand, and before the rider 
 had time to recover his bridle, the animal was at the brink of the 
 rude log trough, out of which was running the purest crystal 
 water. Tennis knew the place, for it was past it he had gone 
 when Dora first put the charm round his neck, to protect him 
 from the spooks ; and whether through instinct, or because he 
 had faith in the old African's incantation, he suddenly thrust 
 his hand into the place where the black pebble lay, and held 
 it as a weapon of defence. He had just time to dip his 
 own lips into the water and take one long draught, when 
 he lifted his head and saw, to his horror, an object which, had 
 he seen before he drank of the spring, would have made him 
 fall to the ground. But his nervousness departed with his 
 thirst ; and what was of itself sufficient to encourage him, he 
 saw that Sorrel was not in the least afraid. Quick as thought, 
 he remembered what the Dominie had said, " that the dumb 
 creatures are terrified for geesten, not for men, in whatever 
 garments they come. But when you ride in the dark, or on 
 a doubtful business, see that you be not wiser than the beast 
 you stride. God may put light before his eyes. Mind how 
 Balaam was rebuked for his iniquity, " want het jukdra gende 
 stoinme dier sprekende met menschenstem heeft des pro- 
 feten dwaashied verhinderd," or, as the English Bibles 
 have it, " the dumb ass, speaking with man's voice, forbade 
 the madness of the prophet." 
 
 " This is no angel then," said Tennis, " sent to hinder me, 
 for Sorrel is not afraid. I have heard that there was such a 
 creature here before, and now I know that he must be but 
 mortal." 
 
 The young farmer, though he had lived in simple seclusion, 
 was not unacquainted with those trials which show the truo
 
 REVENGE IS SWEET. 73 
 
 character ; and once put into a close corner, he soon regained 
 his natural courage of heart ; and though it may tend to lower 
 him in the estimation of some, we must tell the truth, old 
 Dora's charm in his hand was not without its influence. 
 
 By the time these reflections had flown through the brain 
 of the youth, the figure we have alluded to came out into 
 the road where Teunis was to pass, if he went up the hill at 
 all. There was no other path. A deep ravine was at the 
 left, where a waterfall dashed on the rocks; and on the 
 right there stood frowning a steep hill, overshadowed with 
 woods and bushes. Teunis mounted his horse, and was 
 gathering up the reins, that he might pass at a sudden, when 
 chance might offer itself; but he soon perceived that he had 
 to do with one who was more than a match with him at 
 manceuveiing. The strife was now which would longest 
 remain silent. The two stood facing each other. He on the 
 road was a tall, bony man of great strength, which appeared 
 from the steady stand he took, without wincing or moving a 
 muscle. He had on a cloak of bear-skins, and a cap made of 
 the skin of the common wildcat. Under the cloak, which 
 was worn close to the body, gathered in by a belt which had 
 once belonged to a soldier of his majesty, was hung a straight 
 sword, of about a cubit's length. Other weapons he had, as 
 the turning aside of his outer garment showed, though he did 
 not bring them forth for use ; as he could readily have done 
 had occasion called. 
 
 Teunis, at length gathering courage from his sense of duty, 
 said in a respectful manner : "Would h please you to let me 
 pass ; I am on important business, and have been detained 
 too long already." 
 
 " Have you been detained by me, Teunis Roe, from doing 
 the business of the cold-blooded Brandt ? One might think 
 that the smell of scalps was sweet to your nostrils, since yoi 
 want to be on the hill to tell him that it is now time foi 
 him to descend like a hawk among Dora's chickens, when he 
 pounces on the best." 
 
 Tennis started at the allusions ah 1 through this sarcastio 
 speech, for it was delivered in that strain which has so grating 
 an effect upon the sensitive nature of an honest man, who 
 spurns at even an insinuation. 
 
 u I arn none of Brandt's tools," said the man addressed, 
 with some spirit, " nor do I mean to serve his master ; I have 
 other work upon my hands." 
 
 " Pray, who is Brandt's master ?" said the singular bein<. 
 
 4
 
 74 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 who evidently spoke more for the purpose of drawing out 
 his new acquaintance than because he wanted information. 
 " "We have been taught that the Great Mohawk is a king 
 himself, and bows down to no man." 
 
 "The one that Brandt serves is his master, be it Satan or 
 St. George," was the tart reply of Teunis, for he was becom- 
 ing bold and impatient. " Let me pass." This time he did 
 not add " if it be your pleasure." 
 
 The other not noticing the demand, proceeded to speak in 
 reply to the sound sentiment expressed of service ; " You 
 are, then, neither a servant ot Brandt, nor of ISt. George, nor 
 of his grim majesty of the black regions. Whom may you 
 serve, then, young man ?" 
 
 " Who is it that demands the information ?" was the quick 
 response of Teunis. " I have not come up here to be put 
 through my catechism." 
 
 " Well spoken, friend, and I like you all the better for your 
 chariness and spirit." Here the speaker with the hairy 
 robe stood looking Teunis in the eye, for at least ten seconds, 
 till he succeeded in riveting him to his place, when he broke 
 the silence by saying, " The black stone in your hand, and the 
 serpent skin that binds it round your neck, seem fitter for 
 a- man who is bound to the devil than to God." 
 
 Teunis looked into his hand, and saw that it was the charm 
 of Dora he was grasping with such firmness ; ashamed at 
 his being found out, and actually fearing that it was from the 
 devil, he took it from his neck, and flung it with all his force 
 into the gulf, where it hung suspended from the branch of 
 a sapling, far down. 
 
 " So you deem yourself free, young man, now ; but know 
 this, that no one is his own master ; and some are more 
 arrant slaves than Dora's children." 
 
 " So you seem to think that I am in bondage with the rest 
 It shall not be my fault if freedom be a stranger to any who 
 tread these mountains." 
 
 " .No doubt you are very much in earnest when your par- 
 ticular interest is at stake. A man's own feeling renders his 
 judgment very decided. Would you have been so far from 
 ho- ne had the liberty of the country only been in danger? 
 \V e do not always perceive our own bent." 
 
 At that instant Teunis felt not unlike Sorrel, with the bit 
 in hftr mouth, restless, and ready to spring at the first open- 
 ing. He had been surveying the height of the hill, while the 
 stranger was feeling the pockets of his inner garments ; and
 
 BEVENGE IS SWEET. 75 
 
 to do so found it necessary to unbuckle the girdle of his 
 cloak. Now was the time, and quick as thought the spur 
 gave Sorrel the hint, who took it willingly, and at one bound 
 was on the other side of the opposer, who was shoved to 
 the right with some violence, which both disturbed his inten- 
 tion and his temper for an instant. Wheeling around, Tennis 
 said, " I beg your pardon, but I must not be hindered by 
 any one." The discomfited man gave a scowl that brought 
 the blood quickly to the heart of the rider. 
 
 "Young man, it is well for you that I have a deeper 
 interest in you than you are aware of, else your stolen 
 passage would not serve you. If I meant you harm, it 
 matters but little whether I look at you from the south 
 side or the north. There are reasons of more moment 
 than merely holding this palaver with you, why I should 
 know you." By the time he was done with these words, he 
 affected to look in the face of Teunis, who was standing up 
 in his stirrups, with his eyes staring on the man who was 
 addressing him: who said with a cool, sarcastic voice: " You 
 seem to be in no hurry now, that you have made such an 
 effort to pass me ; are you shot, that you are speechless ? 
 What do you see?" 
 
 " I see," said Teunis, " what makes me believe that you 
 are either better or worse than other mortals ; and now I 
 have to beg of you to let me go on my proposed journey." 
 
 The strange man had put on his breast a small miniature 
 picture, and around it was a blue silken chain, which Teunis 
 recognized as one that he had himself bought in Albany, and 
 put over the neck of Elsie at their parting, a year ago. He 
 could see, too, that the likeness was that of Elsie. The sight 
 blinded him and struck him dumb, and the only thing he 
 could say was to beg permission to leave. 
 
 " I see," said the strange mortal, "that we in part under- 
 derstand each other. Go ! I have been watching your move- 
 ments. I saw you hail the beams of the rising sun. Re- 
 member that he is a great discoverer of secrets. He sends 
 his rays into bright eyes through tears ; and more than three 
 can stand on a high cliff. Nothing hides but the valley, 
 or the grave under its clods. But blood will ooze out of 
 even the deepest pit ; and the eyes of conscience, and of re- 
 venge, can see the stains, without sunlight." 
 
 These words, at the close, were said with a bitterness 
 which froze the spirit of the listener ; and as if to relieve 
 himself, he turned to the speaker and said : " Can I serve
 
 76 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 you in anyway? Do you want anything? I cannot help 
 but pity you." 
 
 ' Want ! Have not I water there ? sun enough when I 
 lock up ? and shall not I have earth enough when I lie down 
 to sleep my last sleep ? Yes, but the earth would not be still 
 
 should I die before " The rest of this sentence was in pan- 
 
 tomime which no one could see and not comprehend that a 
 deadly purpose was in his soul. 
 
 Here, turning to Teunis, he said: "Swear;" and he held 
 out a large pistol, with the muzzle to himself " swear," he 
 said firmly. 
 
 " And what am I to give oath concerning ? for that is not a 
 matter of common import." 
 
 " Well, swear," said the wild man, for he was more in the 
 character now of a savage roused to the highest excitement, 
 than a being of this reasonable world : " swear that you will 
 not tell a word of what you have heard, nor describe a token 
 of what you have seen, till the sun has risen and set six 
 times." 
 
 As Teunis looked at the portrait that hung at the breast of 
 the one that was invoking him by an oath, he hesitated ; for 
 there were questions of deep interest to him, which he would 
 wish to have solved ; and if he gave his oath, all inquiry was 
 shut up. He looked on the features again, that he might be 
 sure, and then to the face of him who wore the gem, who 
 understood his wish, and said : 
 
 " I know what you would ask ; you cannot know. She has 
 sworn / swear ! I say," and he gave a shriek that was rever- 
 berated through the valley, as if a thousand demons were 
 responding to their leader. Teunis said no more, but follow- 
 ing the words dictated to him, he swore to be silent till the 
 appointed time came. 
 
 " Now, go your way ; you will have a friend while you are 
 faithful to the trust you have undertaken. Hear this, and be- 
 quick. Brandt will descend before two suns set ; but your 
 first business is above, for the Indian hounds are scenting out 
 the footsteps of the feeble. Go ; but here, wait !" and he 
 seemed to take the same black stone that Teunis threw away 
 in his fury, from his pocket how he took it from the tree 
 where it hung, Teunis never could guess and put it over the 
 head of the rider as it was before. Then taking it in his 
 own hand, he touched a part of it, when out sprung the nib 
 of a whistle, which he put to his mouth, arid made the 
 air resound. Bidding Teunis do the same, he said curtly
 
 REVENGE IS SWEET. 77 
 
 "When danger is too strong for you, let that "be heard." 
 With that he turned, and the horseman sprang up the hill, a? 
 if relieved from some force that pressed him to the ground, 
 so that lie rode up the hill free. He felt that the spell which 
 hound him was removed, and now his circulation was hecome 
 so rapid, that wings seemed to be given to the animal he 
 rode. It was really so, that he found himself on the shoulder 
 of the mountain in half the time he was wont to take ; but it 
 was at the expense of his horse's energy, for by the time his 
 mind had come to its balance, the creature was blowing like 
 a grampus, as Judge Abiel, who had sailed to the West 
 Indies, was accustomed to say of his oxen, his horses, or his 
 negroes, when driven above their strength. 
 
 " I have been in the hand of the Philistines," said Tennis to 
 himself. " Did ever any one see such a creature in the shape 
 of man ! It is like the picture of the sailor left on the de- 
 serted island, with his nigger Friday. Such a beard ; not 
 much grey in it. He is not as old as he pretends. His eyea 
 are quite round, and his teeth all firm, and then he could 
 move when he chose. I declare! he had all but the hold of 
 my bridle, when I leaped past him. He would have thrown 
 us over the precipice, Sorrel but for your quickness ;" and he 
 vainly stroked the neck of his friend in need. 
 
 With more caution, and at a slower pace, the young man 
 moved on, full of thought concerning the person he had left. 
 His seclusion, his knowledge of his own business, his acquain- 
 tanpe with Dora, and with the black stone he was wearing ; 
 and above all, the mystery of the picture, were puzzles 
 which must remain unsolved for at least a week. His oath 
 must seal his lips, and Elsie's silence could be accounted for, 
 since he had never heard a lisp of the spook in the glen from 
 her. Why be on such terms of intimacy with him ? She 
 was unlike all the girls in the country around. He had 
 heard Dora say that fetish had wakened up the sleeping 
 man of the mountain. Some trick in all this, connected with 
 the descent on Brandt. His underdress would point him out 
 as being on the side of the King ; but then would Elsie allow 
 any of ^that side to possess an article of hers ? Was this after 
 all the old Rip Van Winkle that his grandmother used to tell 
 about? or the old Hendrick Hudson that the Indian Sachem 
 keep a tradition of? Thinking on in this desultory way, the 
 young Dutchman fell almost into a sound sleep from the want 
 of his usual rest on the previous night.
 
 78 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 CHAPTER VHI 
 
 WABS AND RUMORS OF WARS 
 
 " There was whilom by days of old, 
 
 A worthy knight as mene told ; 
 
 Wifeless he was, Florent he hight : 
 
 He was a man that mochel might, 
 
 Of arms he was desirous, 
 
 Chiyalrous and amorous, 
 
 And for the love of virgin thought 
 
 He rode the marches all about." CHAUCER. 
 
 TEUNIS in eager haste was soon on the crown of thu mil ; 
 the sun being now about four hours high, and for th- firs,t 
 time since he had loved Elsie, did he entertain the least hope 
 of success ; but knowing well that he had no common heart 
 to reach, he was rousing himself to do his best for h^r and 
 for himself. He determined to deserve success. 
 
 At full speed, and wending his way through among the 
 trees, over a very rough road, in a manner which a woodman 
 only can do, he reached the verge of two small lakes, more in 
 size like the artificial ponds in an earl's pleasure-ground than 
 the head spring of a mill stream. Clear as crystal, and cool 
 as in winter was the water, surrounded by trees that were 
 reflected from its glassy surface. Now that the sun was high, 
 his rays showed the soft alluvial bottom, on which lay the 
 trunks of a former time, preserved from decay ; nor did the 
 smallest wave ripple these tiny seas at the time our traveller 
 was gazing down where undisturbed fishes were sporting in 
 large schools. These two little lakes, that seemed like the 
 eyes of the mountain, if we allow ourselves to believe, as Kis- 
 kataam told the Fawn, that the Mountain was once a mons- 
 ter, who devoured all the children of the red race, and that 
 the Great Spirit touched him, when he was going down to 
 the salt lake to bathe, and here he remains. His eyes are 
 open all the summer, but in winter they are covered with a 
 thick crust, and a heavy film. But whether he sleeps or 
 wake<$ he sheds tears always, and they trickle down his cheeks 
 as may be seen. The cunning chief laughed under his red 
 skin at his own wit of invention and at the simplicity of the 
 English maiden for receiving such a tale. 
 
 Turning to the right from these lakes, Teams sought out 
 the bear's den ; but what was his horror, when he did not
 
 WARS AND HUMORS OF WARS. 79 
 
 find the objects of his search. At the moment he supposed 
 that they might be still lingering in the neighborhood, so he 
 set himself to find out their new hiding-place. He crawled 
 through the brush, carefully marking every point, to see if a 
 footprint had been left behind. He imagined he saw evi- 
 dences of their presence, and he did at last in one spot, where 
 the ground was soft, see distinctly where they must have 
 been. Here he was careful that all should be obliterated, as 
 he was not sure that he would discover the signs of their 
 whereabouts. He knew that other eyes as well as his own 
 were prying into the ground, for he could plainly see here 
 and there a larger footprint, that was pointing after the 
 other. He wandered for at least an hour, but to no purpose, 
 and would have remained longer had not his horse, which 
 was tied outside of the bush, grown impatient, and was 
 neighing for his master. Teunis having a tint of superstition 
 in his nature, regarded the call of the animal as the voice of 
 instinct, if not more directly the intimation of Providence 
 to return. 
 
 Great was the surprise, if not fear, of the anxious youth 
 when he emerged from the thicket, to see a man coming 
 toward him from the side of the lake, tall and of a command- 
 ing presence. He was of about thirty-five years of age, 
 dressed in a half military garb, boots and buckskins, with 
 coat of blue cloth, made in the English fashion, having large 
 skirts which came to the knee, and was made so that it might 
 be buttoned to the chin. At present, however, it was open, 
 and showed a vest that was trimmed with gold lace, over 
 which hung a cravat of the purest muslin, that evidently 
 had been but recently put on, and that with care. His 
 beaver was soft felt, but shaped into a smart negligence 
 which betokened the man of fashion, seeking to look at his 
 ease as he wished to feel. Teunis looked at the new corner 
 as if he desired him to be the first speaker. By his voice lie 
 had made up his mind to judge, and he waited to hear ; and 
 so he was standing at the side of the saddle when the other 
 approached. 
 
 " Is not your horse the first creature of the kind that ever 
 drank of these waters ?" said the stranger, as if he wantod to 
 draw out the young Dutchman by an indifferent topic. " He 
 seems to be impatient to go. How far may you be desirous* 
 of travelling this warm day ?" 
 
 There were more questions here than one, which allowed 
 Teunis a choice, of which he felt glad, for he had no wish to
 
 80 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 reveal his business to a stranger, so he answered : " I hava 
 seen greater creatures than horses here before, and where 
 one animal of four feet has been, others of the same number 
 may come without hurt." 
 
 "You would not say, because a cat could climb these 
 rocks, that a heavy-footed horse could follow up to the same 
 place ?" 
 
 " I have seen some creatures as heavy as Sorrel who could 
 outrun cats, and climb the rocks as easily." 
 
 " You jest, young man ; such animals as you describe could 
 not run up trees as cats can climb. You would have me 
 believe that a Dutchman can beat an Indian at a race as 
 easily as an Englishman can fight a Yankee rebel." This last 
 was said more by way of feeling the pulse of the native 
 American, and thereby finding out. the sympathies he had 
 with the king or country, than because he wished to provoke 
 ill-nature. But Teunis had been schooled too long in self- 
 restraint to give way to his temper. He merely replied : 
 
 " Bears can climb as high as cats, and deer can run fastei 
 than either. It is not weight, but muscle and sinew whicl 
 make the difference." 
 
 "And blood, young man," said the stranger, evidentl) 
 well pleased to escape out of the place he bad put himself in, 
 without reflecting on where his ignorance of the mountains 
 would carry him. " You are a native of these regions, 
 sir ?" 
 
 This was said in the gentlemanly, yet commanding tone 
 of one accustomed to receive a direct answer " Have you 
 heard news from the river side this morning ?" 
 
 " I am a native of these hills," said Teunis, " and have 
 been sent to gather news, not to spread it. One of the first 
 duties a messenger performs is silence." 
 
 " That is a non-performance, as I judge. All the more 
 faithful you must be to your master, and on that very account 
 I should wish to engage you on a business of my own, if you 
 would take a reward of value." 
 
 "You mean, I suppose," said Teunis, evading the object 
 of his interrogator, " that you would employ me to stir up 
 the game we have been speaking of; but let me assure you 
 that a good dog, or an Indian scout, would perform that duty 
 better than I could possibly do it. But I must be gone ;" and 
 with that he leaped into the saddle and was ready to hasten 
 away, where he had determined upon in his own mind during 
 the few moments he stood parleying with the stranger
 
 WARS AND RUMORS OF WARS. $1 
 
 *' No," said that gentleman, putting hand to the reins of 
 Sorrel, and gently holding them. " The game I am after is 
 too tender to be caught in hunter fashion, but requires the 
 most careful handling when caught." 
 
 There was a lurking leer in the eye of Tennis's new 
 acquaintance which at once wakened suspicion in the mind 
 of the innocent listener, and all at once the light broke upon 
 his understanding concerning who this was. He almost be- 
 trayed himself, when he found that he was in the presence 
 of the much dreaded Clifford, but he soon became at rest 
 when he found that even he was as ignorant of the hiding- 
 place of the young women as he was himself. He inwardly 
 resolved to divert attention away from all that side of the 
 mountain, where the chief danger lay of their being found out. 
 
 " What say you to my proposal, young man," continued 
 Clifford, " of being my aid for a day ?" 
 
 " You mean to hunt deer ?" said Teunis, affecting to take 
 him literally ; " or rather the fawn, if I may judge from the 
 tender way in which you speak of them. No. I mu^t go ; 
 the king's business requires haste. There are Indians on 
 the hills now, who would serve you better, as I said before. 
 There is one coming this way now ; and who cap outrun 
 any fawn that was ever stolen from her dam." By this time, 
 Kiskataam was there close by ; and Teunis, raising his voice, 
 called out, " Can the Sachem find a fawn for the king's pale 
 face, here?" 
 
 This hit at random, struck both of these wily betrayers ; 
 but was said in such a manner as neither the one nor the 
 other could resent it without discovering his ovn secret. 
 Nor durst they combine and demand an explanation of the 
 doubtful expression. It might be chance, or it might be di- 
 rected to both. They wisely remained silent, and Teunis was 
 rewarded for the risk, by seeing that as yet the girls were 
 safe. 
 
 Here Sorrel was restive under the hand of Clifford, and 
 would have sprung away at a bound, had not the Indian laid 
 his hand also upon the reins on the other side with a menac- 
 ing look; pausing before he spoke, and with a meaning 
 which said, " refuse, and you are a dead man." But by this 
 time, the rider had become excited, with his horse, and de- 
 manded why he " was hindered upon his journey, and that 
 too, by professed servants of the king." 
 
 " It is because we are the king's servants, that we stop 
 you in these troublesome times," said the white man. 
 
 4*
 
 82 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 "Indian chief rules up here on his own hills," said Kiska- 
 taarn, " Young Tory Whig must go to the pine grove and 
 wait for Brandt ; and not hunt up here now against law." 
 
 " Kiskataam," said Teunis, sharply, and with some haste, 
 " does not mind the great Father's word always : but Indian 
 does not know law so well as pale face. Doe, buck or fawn, 
 or any sort of deer, can be hunted from August till January. 
 But, in the king's name, I demand a passage," he said to the 
 two men; who were still uncertain as to the figurative or the 
 literal meaning of his reference to the deer, doe, buck or 
 fawn ; terms which they knew were in the law. 
 
 " Since you claim to be on the king's business, youug man," 
 said Clifford, somewhat sternly, " you can, at least, show us 
 some missive from his majesty." 
 
 " What if I cannot ?" said Teunis, with promptitude. 
 " Shall any one dare to hinder me ? You are a stranger here, 
 and this sachem is not in commission." 
 
 " Since you are so bold and brave, young man ; let me tell 
 you, that both Kiskataam and myself believe, that under that 
 clownish face, more knowledge concerning a business of ours 
 is lurking than we are willing to let go along with yourself; 
 and, to come to the point at once, we demand your meaning 
 of the word Fawn !" 
 
 Even the Indian was surprised at the question, and fixed 
 his great mysterious eyes on the rider's face, which remained 
 as stolid as it was possible to be. To release himself and 
 gain time, he merely grazed the side of Sorrel with his rowel, 
 who reared and sprung; so that he freed himself from the 
 Indian's grasp, but not from the more experienced Clifford, 
 who suspected the manoeuvre, and reiterated the question in 
 fury, " What did you mean by using the word Fawn ?" 
 
 " Sir," said Teunis, " I see by the dress you wear, that I 
 am in the presence of one of the king's officers. I am now, 
 myself, on the king's business, and my own, and I refuse to 
 tell you aught but what I am forced to tell." 
 
 " You shall not get clear by that pretext, young man. I 
 see plainly, that by some means you are acquainted with my 
 secret, and you must either tell all you know of it or die." 
 And with that, he drew out a sword that was hidden under 
 his outside coat. " It would be dangerous to allow a living 
 man to go away from us at this moment, with that in his 
 breast which must ruin our plan. What does Indian say ?" 
 Kiskataam nodded assent, and swung his tomahawk around 
 his head, ready to strike. At this moment, the round black
 
 WARS AKD RUMORS OF WARS. 83 
 
 stone of Dora came to Teunis' mind ; and, without thinking of 
 aught else than his self-preservation, he took it into his hand, 
 then pressing upon the hidden spring, the words of the fur-clad 
 stranger came to his mind, "Call when you are in danger." 
 He blew with a force which startled the two men at his 
 saddle, for they evidently expected some new development, 
 and lifted their arms as if in defence, when the report of n 
 musket came, and then another, which struck the weapons 
 from the hands of the interlopers ; so that before they had 
 time to recover themselves, or their weapons, Sorrel was rush- 
 ing on between the two lakes, at a speed which defied all 
 pursuit. 
 
 Flying was more like the movement of the rider and his 
 horse, than running. There was a path wide enough ; and 
 which had been well travelled, as the ground showed, over 
 which Teunis rode, bending his head beneath the low branches, 
 and wheeling to the right or left, as he required. The way 
 was becoming clearer ; till suddenly he turned into a narrow 
 and rugged defile, that brought him down into the wide glen, 
 or clove through which the Kaaterskill was heard falling 
 from step to step, on its descent. On coming to the top ot" 
 one of those more prominent than the others, he was alarmed 
 by seeing Shandangan, the grim shadow of Kiskataam, of 
 whom we have spoken before, suddenly fall to the ground, as if 
 he had been struck by a club. Teunis knew that it could be 
 for no good that he was there, and while it would scarcely 
 serve his purpose to notice him, still he must not be left in 
 his rear at this time, for he might do him injury ; so, boldly 
 riding up to the spot where he saw him sink, he stopped ; 
 and first spying out the place where the red man lurked, like 
 a serpent in his way, to bite his horse's heels, he called out 
 as it' he were speaking to the chief himself, and not to his aid : 
 
 " Kiskataam has come far since the new moon rose. The 
 chief has got many king's heads in his belt." 
 
 The effect of this side speech was evident upon the sly 
 Indian, who was at a loss to persuade himself of what it 
 might mean, and with great caution he opened his eyes, when 
 Teunis, seeing that his trick took, gave one of those hearty 
 laughs which are sure to disconcert an Indian when he is 
 found out, by a cunning like his own. Shandaagan rose and 
 looked cautiously around, when seeing no one but the r;der 
 and his horse, he gave a significant ugh ! which might mean 
 either pleasure or displeasure. 
 
 " Shandaagan sleeps early," said Teunis. " Hunting deer
 
 84 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 when the laurei is red requires clear eyes in moonlight.* 1 
 This was said to throw the savage off his guard, and put him 
 at ease with himself, for it was too evident he was on the 
 same errand which engaged others, and now Tennis felt 
 at rest. None of them had found the trail of Elsie and her 
 charge, though all were on the search. He was in no hurry 
 to ride on, nor willing to say more than would serve his own 
 ends. So he waited the answer he might receive. 
 
 " The deer hides in th^ bush all day," was at length the 
 reply of the red man, " uid scents the hunter in the wind. 
 Pale face has a call of his own that brings them to his pond." 
 
 Here he cast the pupils of his eyes quietly around, marking 
 the effect which his hint might have, as if he expected that it 
 would be understood. 
 
 Teunis answered in the same enigmatical style. " Indian 
 has more traps than the pale face, and has bright eyes for a 
 night trail. When he has no moon he kindles his fire, and 
 gets scalps;" and with these words, pointing to the top of 
 one of the little hills, he was silent, but watching the face of 
 his companion for the moment, his heart beat with anger and 
 with some fear. " There now comes the great dog himself 
 with all his hounds of cruelty." 
 
 " Brandt " was the name that the Indian muttered between 
 his teeth. 
 
 " Yes, Brandt, the mighty hunter before the Lord, come 
 to burn and murder. His dogs' tusks are sharpened at hell- 
 fire, and he and Kiskataam, and Clifford " here he paused 
 before he spoke " and Shandaagan will crunch the skulls of 
 all tlie fawns they can catch, but, by all the great spirits in 
 the universe, let them keep out of my way." 
 
 And with that furious speech Teuuis rushed down the hill, 
 as if he were a fiery flying angel, sent to defend the weak 
 against the strong. He Avas now on the road to Hoogenhuisen, 
 where he hoped to find Elsie ; though how she could have 
 got there was out of his calculation. Still, she possessed so 
 much self-reliance, courage and strength herself, he had full 
 confidence in her, but not in the power of her companion. 
 
 " She is a feeble-looking thing, that Margaret, compared witU 
 Elsie," said the young "admirer of tlie Dutch built maiden ; 
 " but there is wonderful spirit in some of those trim tight 
 limbs. Those blood horses that the red-coat officers have 
 would do but little at the plough, driven by old Caese and held 
 in hy Dad, with his dander up, among pine stumps ; but then 
 put old Brown and Bet in one of these curricles, with their
 
 WARS AND RUMORS OF WARS. 85 
 
 heavy hips, I am guessing they would be left behind. But 
 then Elsie is not so heavy as she looks along side of that 
 English miss. Put her beside Nelly Van Zant, or Peggy 
 Troumpour, and see them waddling through the barn-yard 
 after the cows : their weight and a three year old would about 
 balance the scales. I would match Elsie in triggness and 
 spirit with Sorrel here at a race, and for a step equal to Miss 
 Margaret, with all her fine gracefulness and quick movements. 
 Well, I am glad she is so nimble and strong ; there is the 
 more chance of her escaping these red skins and that haughty 
 sinner of an Englishman. It is for no good he is. there. I 
 wonder what he means by kidnapping his own flesh and 
 blood. One thing I am sure of, that I am in for some great 
 venture, and here I stake my life, fortune and honor on the 
 side of luimanity, be that king or country. 
 
 With thoughts full of earnestness, he pursued his journey 
 till he arrived at the door of Martin Schuyler, with some 
 trepidation lest he should meet the old farmer himself, of 
 whom he had of late a wholesome dread. He was studying 
 in his mind how he best should convince the stern Whig that 
 he was a true man and no spy, when he met Angelica her- 
 self, who was about the yard superintending the household 
 affairs, as he thought, when in reality she was giving orders 
 in the place of Martin himself. That worthy and careful 
 farmer had not returned, for a reason that we know of; but 
 as yet his good vrow was in the dark, nothing having been 
 heard from either him or from the daughter. Through the 
 day she had driven off the young and the old blacks to see 
 if they could find any trace of them, who always went a 
 little way from home, skulking among the woods and the 
 rocks, thinking of spooks and of Indians, and then lying 
 down in a safe place, where they were sure to go to sleep long 
 enough to allow them time to search all the places to which 
 they were sent, and return with no tidings but bad reports 
 of everything horrid. None were faithful and brave except 
 old Noll, who had been abroad before he came to MartiiL, 
 and knew something, priding himself on his " trabels among 
 the vild men of Batikoo, ven he was kidnapped by de Spanish." 
 Noll had been bought by Martin when in New York, and he 
 gave him the name the Yankee had given him on his passage, 
 from the resemblance he saw in the nose of the negro to that 
 feature in the face of a famous Puritan whom the people of 
 New England delight to honor. Nor was the name un- 
 worthily nor unwittingly bestowed. Noll was a courageous
 
 86 THE DUTCH 
 
 old soul, and faithful to boot. So much confidence had Mar- 
 tin in him, that he once hired him out on a voyage to the West 
 Indies, which was undertaken by Garret Abiel, who went 
 from the Bught with a load of cattle, and staves, and other 
 produce, bringing back rum and molasses. The Elder declared 
 that Noll was the best hand he had on board, and could 
 mount the shrouds faster than Jake Van Orden, his chief mate. 
 
 Of old Noll many tales are told, but on the occasion of 
 Martin's absence, he was all astray, and had just returned 
 before Tennis's arrival, with no news of his master, and sad 
 news of the vuur teeken burning from every kekute from 
 Albany to Sopus. 
 
 " Did tou see de Meester on the Berg* any vere ? Did tou go 
 to de Sout Mountain, and to de Nort Mountain ? Did tou see 
 any blood upon de vay ? Did tou see Elsie or de dog? vat 
 did tou see ? Spak dis moment, Noll. O wee ! O wee !" 
 
 All this time the careful wife was collecting together silver 
 spoons, chiuaware, and other nice things known only in the 
 best houses of the colonists, who had came from Holland, or 
 w r ho still held intercourse with the mother land. The chief 
 of those things, in which, as a good wife, she prided herself, 
 had already been put aside before that day, in anticipation of 
 such an onslaught, as it had been threatened many a time ; but 
 the remainder was now gathered up with care. When all 
 the young brood children of Noll and Minerva were sent 
 out of the way, these faithful servants of the household, \vho 
 could alone be trusted, were bidden to gather up the bun 
 dies, and carefully stow them into the hidden corner, which 
 was not opened to any eyes, except to those who would 
 give up life sooner than reveal the secret. 
 
 " O wee ! O wee !" came ever from the lips and the heart 
 of the anxious Angelica. " Dere is de sucker kuppe f d.st 
 mammy gave me on my bruiloft \ day, ven I was a young vrut- 
 licken lass, like Elsie. Owee! Owee! Vere is Elsie noo," 
 
 Noll, as if her name suggested another of a different a<-:e 
 acd place, here chimed in with w r hat she had seen on the 
 road, where he had been. 
 
 " Yah, vele, may the goede vrowe seek for Elsie. Dat ole 
 Torry's kinder was on de hill, running like de wile cat seek- 
 ing Elsie." 
 
 Angelica looked up, as if she had been struck a blow OD 
 the temple, and almost gasped with earnestness, " And vay 
 
 * Mountain. f Sugar bowl. % Bridal. Sc B.
 
 WARS AND KUMOKS OF WARS. 87 
 
 do you call de Torry's sonne, Noll ? Answer, negur, for your 
 life." 
 
 " Noll cannot spak when goede vrowe scolds ; Noll must; 
 wait ande tink Tennis Roe rode down de hill on de sorrel, 
 ande stop near de spring haf vay, ande speak to de sly In- 
 dian, Shandaagan Noll looke from de doder side of de clove." 
 
 A thousand hopes and fears rushed through the anxious 
 mother's mind at this information. She had always en- 
 couraged Teunis in the face of all Martin's prejudices ; but 
 here was something like holding communication with the 
 enemy. It was just in the midst of her cogitation that tho 
 young man himself entered, and said, almost as soon as he 
 put his foot within door : 
 
 "Has Elsie come home, Anshela? Tell me, if you would 
 save my life ?" 
 
 " Ande whar's Elsie ? and whar's de Meester ? dat I vant to 
 kenne," said the anxious wife and mother ; " dis de lange * 
 dai en me leven,f Teunis ; all is goen to destruction ; no a 
 wench vill do aught but cry, de Indians! and every negur 
 of dem hiden himself." 
 
 " You have not seen Noll run, vrowe goode ; yet Noll did 
 not run when the Spanish tooke him by de leg an tied dim ; 
 and clis scalp vill be but poor glody ;" and like all his race, 
 when he was not crying during excitement, he was sure to 
 laugh. 
 
 Angelica and Teunis had retired to another corner, where 
 they were in earnest consultation concerning what was to be 
 done ; for now a crisis in the affairs of all had come, and it 
 must be met. There was no other way than to abandon all 
 the houses and the barns to the cruelty of the savages, who wero 
 almost sure to wreak their vengeance on Martin's head and 
 property. Teunis gave Noll such advice as the old negro 
 would take from him ; which was but little till the mistress of 
 the house backed it by her word. The cattle were driven oil 
 to seek refuge on the hills. All had been buried that could 
 be put in the ground ; furniture was sent off to caves, and 
 under water-falls, and clothing distributed among neighbor- 
 ing friends, who were not likely to be exposed to the ravages 
 of the enemy. The most difficult matter was to dispose of 
 the negroes in such a way that they could be taken care of. 
 Like all animals, they clung to their first nest ; and as somft 
 of them were now nearly as old as Angelica herself, and 
 Some she found when she came to Hcogenhuisen to be mistress, 
 
 * Long. f Life.
 
 88 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 it was the most trying part of her duty to put them in a way 
 of securing themselves against injury. There was an old 
 house still standing down in a glen, in which they stowed 
 away lumber and useless tools, and things which Martin 
 hated to burn : into that building Noll was to move all the 
 black family, and as the greatest part of them were his own 
 offspring, of two generations, he succeeded in collecting them 
 ia a drove, and putting them under the direction of old Bet, 
 who managed amidst screams and cries of no uncommon 
 Jdnd, to bring them safely to their house of refuge. 
 
 All this had to be done before Angelica could move ; but 
 when all was accomplished she sat down beside the large 
 fire-place, where the greater part of her life had been spent, 
 and though the word e O wee! O wee! alas! alas! were 
 frequently on her tongue, she did not give herself up to 
 despair and to inefficiency. 
 
 In the meantime Teunis was out surveying the whole 
 ground, so that as much property might be secured as possible, 
 lleturning toward the house after helping to drive off the 
 cattle and the hogs into the woods, he stood on a knoll, 
 from whence he surveyed the warning-fires, that rose all along 
 the river, and on the King's Ridge, like a string of lamps lit 
 for a festival, where was to be feasting and frolicking. 
 
 "Yes," said Teunis, speaking to himself, "there will be 
 noise and commotion soon. The ball is just opening, and 
 unless God interferes, many a hearth will be desolate. What 
 should I do ? Humanity is the first duty. What does the 
 Dominie say ? ' Die vader of moeder liefheeft boven mij is 
 mijns niet waardig? k He that loveth father or mother 
 more than me is not worthy of me.' Well, I love one more 
 than father or mother, and she is exposed to the wrath of a 
 cruel enemy. But would I venture my life and honor for 
 another girl in the Kaatsberg, or on the airth ? and yet I 
 feel that I am but following out my conviction ; only 1 have 
 been as undecided as my pistol is when it hangs fire. This 
 trouble has made me pick my flint. One thing I am sure is 
 right now help Angelica in her trouble. The Dominie agaiu 
 must help me here for encouragement. ' Kleenen te drinker 
 geeft alleenlijk eenen beker koud water,' A cup of cold water 
 to one of these little ones, will ease my conscience, more in 
 my last moments than a sea of blood in the cause of King 
 George.' " 
 
 In the midst of these musings his eye was fixed on a small 
 fire that twinkled among tho heavy trees that grew on the
 
 WARS AND RUMORS OF WARS. 89 
 
 opposite side of the gulf from were lie stood. The secrecy 
 of the place, and the silence, convinced him that the time was 
 at hand for the threatened attack; and , without further 
 delay he hastened back to warn Angelica of the danger. As 
 he turned to enter the door-yard, he saw between him and 
 the barn wall a figure moving hastily from him, and disap- 
 pearing in the shade. This was no pleasant reflection, for he 
 was convinced that it must be some spy sent from the enemy, 
 who was posted near ; so he ran toward the place as lightly 
 as he could, and just succeeded in obtaining a glimpse of 
 Shanduagan, but that was all. It was in vain to pursue him 
 further, so he hastened back to where he had left Angelica, 
 but it was with equal fear and surprise that he found all 
 empty. The fire burned on the hearth, and other things 
 were in the same condition as he had seen them an hour ago, 
 but all was silent. 
 
 He turned to go, after a vj\in search, satisfied that the 
 vrowe had retired to some hiding-place of which she knew 
 herself. He was mounting the impatient Sorrel, when 
 Angelica came to him, and with great tenderness and emo- 
 tion took his hand. 
 
 " Teunis, tee vele be kind to Elsie. Martin vill yield. O, 
 w T ee ! O, wee ! dis may be our last meeting. My dochter ! 
 my dochter !" 
 
 Here the feelings of the mother overpowered her. 
 
 " I cannot leave you," mother, he was going to say 
 " Come up behind me here on Sorrel, and you will be put 
 safe down in any place where you wish to go ;" for he knew 
 that he could not offer her a place of refuge even with his 
 mother, lest his father should find her there. 
 
 " Nay, nay, Teunie, I must wait here. De wolf zal met 
 het lam verkeeren ende luypart by den guiten bok nedder- 
 legen zal all doyven ; and with that, she suddenly turned 
 from him and disappeared, where Teunis could not find out, 
 and, as he rightly judged, she had sought the hiding-place, 
 and did not wish that even he should know the spot, he 
 rode off' at full speed for the Baackouter, where his lather 
 was expecting him with great impatience. 
 
 "The goode vrowe," said Teunis to himself, " spoke a pro- 
 phecy, and more than she intended, when she said the ^olf 
 shall dwell with the lamb ; for my fear is now, that that greedy 
 wolf, Kiskataam, willhave my lamb beside him before the morn- 
 ing, and the English kid will be at the mercy of that cruel 
 leopard, who evidently would lick her blood. But let me not
 
 90 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 despair ; Elsie will go through* where any other would stick 
 fast." 
 
 Going on at as rapid a rate as the ground would allow 
 him ; for he had turned into one of those byways which he 
 knew well, he came to a low marshy place, where the ground 
 was like a thick carpet ; so soft that the shoes of his horse 
 made no noise. One reason why he chose it was, that he 
 might avoid any scouts sent to spy the public road. AH at 
 once his horse pricked up his ears ; a certain warning, which 
 a cautious man never despises. Nor was it needless in this 
 instance, for both rider and horse were in a moment all 
 alive. All eye and ear, Teunis looked round, and paused 
 that he might hear ; and well it was that he did use all these 
 precautions, for just as he was about to put the spur into the 
 flanks of Sorrel, and escape out of the narrow defile, he heard 
 a low bark on his left, which assured him that some one was 
 close by. He wheeled his horse round a rock, which stood 
 near, and there behind it was the Indian Shandaagan, holding 
 the dog, liover, by a bark string, from which he was evi- 
 dently trying to escape. He was holding the dog's jaws 
 between his fingers to prevent his giving alarm. Tennis was 
 the first to speak, as a white man, however slow he be, is 
 always sure to do. 
 
 " Shandaagan is kind to Martin's dog. The folks of 
 Hoogenhuisen want the dog. They need all their friends. 
 The Indian always got milk and succotash at Martin's 
 house." 
 
 These words were cold thrusts to the wily Indian ; and he 
 was at a loss whether to interpret them as the expression of 
 simple earnest, or intended sarcasm. Had he been sure 
 concerning the young Dutchman's knowledge of recent facts, 
 he would have had some cue ; or were he sure to which side 
 of the public contest he leaned, the difficulty would have been 
 less ; but in doubt he yielded to the suggestion of giving up 
 the dog to the rightful owner, by putting him at the disposal 
 of Tennis. 
 
 " Indian knows Martin's dog, and dog loves Shandaagan.'' 
 This was said as an excuse for his having the property of 
 Martin in his possession. 
 
 " Dog loves Shandaagan with a string," said Teunis, laugiw 
 ing, so that the other felt the rebuke, and let go his hold, 
 which Rover no sooner found out, than he leapt up in recog- 
 nition of the new comer. This so mortified the Indian, that 
 be betrayed some feeling, and was ready to execute any cou-
 
 WARS AND HUMORS O^ WARS. 91 
 
 trary manoeuvre, which might divert the Dutchman from the 
 game he himself was endeavoring to entrap ; for, as all may 
 guess, it was after Elsie and her companion that he waa 
 tracking ; and the dog he had been using to this end all the 
 morning, since the time he had succeeded in capturing the 
 unfortunate Martin. Knowing, as he did, the political bins 
 of old Jacob Roe, he presumed that any information of the 
 movements of the king's party must interest the young 
 man. So stepping up close to the saddle, as if he were con- 
 fiding a secret to the rider, he almost whispered, as he 
 pointed his finger in the direction where Teunis had seen the 
 fire, and said : 
 
 "Brandt's braves slide down the mountain. The pine 
 trees shake with their feet." 
 
 Teunis started at this announcement, and checking up his 
 rein, he sat erect, ready to spring. " Where is Brandt and 
 his men ?" He was nearly saying verwerpelyk reprobates 
 when he bit his lip, which the sly Indian did not see, or he 
 would not have replied as lie did. 
 
 " See ! there they are now, and the young Dutchman is 
 wanted by King George's men." 
 
 " Where then are the rest of the king's servants ? Where 
 is Kiskataam ? Why is Sharidaagan not there instead of 
 lying here behind a stone, nursing a dog in a string?" 
 
 This cut to the quick, but the red man was on his guard, 
 and quietly walked off, saying something about " watching 
 the fire on the rock." He gave a careless whistle, intended 
 for the dog, but the latter preferred liberty to a chain, and 
 ran barking and leaping up before Sorrel, who sympathized 
 with the spirit, by making up for the loss of time by his in- 
 creased speed. 
 
 Down the mountain the three went, each one apparently 
 more eager than the others ; but Rover was always in the 
 van, Avith curled tail ; and as he turned occasionally around, 
 he seemed to say, " I know more of them you seek, than 
 you can ever know without my help." The thought of using 
 the animal in finding out his mistress grew before his mind, 
 till it became a settled thing with him, by the time he stood 
 on the hill that overlooked Baackouter, where his father's 
 house was ; when all at once the question rose to his tongue : 
 What should be done with Rover ? They will ask me where 
 I have been, and then as quick as one question is put, the 
 next will be " Have you been at Martin's ?" They all know 
 Hover, and my liking for his mistress; and she is a Whig,
 
 92 THE DUTCH DOMINIE 
 
 and as they will be sure to abuse all Whigs, her father must 
 take the chief share. They will torment me till I break out 
 in & passion and declare myself. I will send the dog back. 
 He will find out his friends, and help to protect them. He 
 tried to drive Rover back, but he ran all the faster ; then 
 hiding himself, he would come up at full speed, and pass the 
 horse with a bound, as if proud of his feat. 
 
 " You must take your risk then, poor dog, though I fear 
 if Dad sees you, there will be biit little mercy shown to you, 
 Whig as you are." 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE DEPTHS OP SATAN. 
 
 " Do thou but threat, loud storms shall make reply, 
 And thunder echo to the trembling sky ; 
 The drud.cing sun, from his old beaten way, 
 Shall at toy voice start, and misguide the day. 
 Heaven's gilded troops shall flutter here and there, 
 Mocking thy eldritch tones around the sphere." 
 
 COWLKT. 
 
 MUSING was new to this young man. He had sat for 
 hours gazing into the fire, seeing droves of red deer and 
 swarms of wildcats running over the hills, but his mind went no 
 farther than the fire. Plis ideas were all gathered from the 
 narrow bounds of his nativity. But here, on his horse, he 
 sat in silence, while his thoughts, new fledged, were floating 
 in an atmosphere of love. Suddenly waking up, he rode 
 down hill at full speed, and in the twilight was, after the ex- 
 citing events of the day, in a proper state of mind to become 
 superstitious. Still, being now in great haste, he left the 
 main road for a bridle path he knew well, and which led 
 nim through the bed.of a spring stream that ran down to the 
 flats below. The land lay high on both sides, and the little 
 light at this hour was almost entirely shut out. On the side 
 of one of these little hills was a deep pit, Avhich tradition 
 said had been dug by a crazy German, who had conceived 
 the notion that some precious metal lay imbedded there. 
 From the time of the discovery of the Hudson River, gold 
 seekers had been all over these mountains, and wonderful 
 tales were rife of silver mines being found when sinking wells 
 and while hunting Avolves. Some one had shown Heindrii'k
 
 THE DEPTHS OF SATAN. 93 
 
 Van Guilder a shining stone that he pronounced gold, and 
 this set him crazy that he might find out the bed where it 
 came from. He bought the secret at a high price, and for 
 months, alone, day and night, was he found dig, dig, digging 
 still, in hopes of reaching the treasure. He had one answer 
 to all that found him out. "What are you doing there, 
 Heimlrick ?" 
 
 "Ilet koningrijk der hemelen or dis het my graf." He 
 would either have the kingdom of heaven or a grave. 
 
 A grave he did find, for one day some hunters, following 
 their dogs, came into this hollow, when, horrible to behold! 
 there stood, in his pit, Heindrick, with his spade in hand, 
 looking down into the ground. They called to him, but he 
 gave no reply. After a while, one more daring than the rest 
 ventured down, and found that the body was stiff and 
 frozen. They laid him out as he was, covering him up with 
 the earth he had thrown out himself. Ever after, super- 
 stition and natural fear combined to render this a haunted 
 place. A slight shiver came over the young Boerman as he 
 passed the place where the disappointed gold digger lay. 
 It was said that groans and sighs had been heard coining 
 out of the pit, as if some weary man were expressing his sor- 
 row over something lost ; and these would continue till they 
 would be interrupted by shouts of contempt, as if the poor 
 wretch were taunted by those who had themselves known 
 what disappointed ambition was, and were now too eager to 
 have a companion in their misery. When these reports were 
 brought to the Dominie he generally smiled, whether in doubt 
 or belief no one could guess, but when Bromie \ 7 an Guiseu 
 told him that he saw a terrible thing in the moonlight, that 
 was the very shape of an ass, the good man could not restrain 
 telling him lie was frightened at his own shadow. 
 
 Teuuis this evening passed the pit almost expecting to see 
 something, at the close of a day in which he had seen so much 
 already. Sure enough, voices fell upon his ears. At first ho 
 was determined to believe that they were in his imagination 
 only, but his horse, pricking up his ears, proved to him that 
 the animal, through her instinct, felt herself to be on devilish 
 ground. What startled the young horseman still more, was 
 the flight of Rover, who had retreated homeward with a speed 
 which the man was just about imitating. As it was, he now 
 was brought to a stand-still condition, and listening, he heard 
 sounds not unfamiliar to his ears. It was the tam-tam the 
 African drum which the negroes used in all their jollifies
 
 94 THB DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 tions. Its being beaten at that time, though evidently under 
 restraint and at intervals, intimated to the listener that some- 
 thing was going on in the nether regions. 
 
 " These are not spooks," said Teunis to himself, " that I 
 need be afraid of. If they be entertaining old Heindrick Van 
 Guilder, he has better company than the country believes. 
 Let me find out these geestes." 
 
 With these reflections, he tied Sorrel to a tree and followed 
 the sounds, which became more distinct at every step. 
 Climbing up one of those steep ascents, found at the base of 
 the mountain, about one hundred feet, and proceeding hastily 
 in a southerly course, he saw lights shining from below on his 
 left hand. On looking narrowly, he perceived that those 
 lights and sounds came alike from a deep defile that was 
 hidden by the trees and bushes, which grew thick on the 
 sides, and spread their branches so as to meet across, making 
 a dark, damp, though spacious apartment, far down from the 
 place where Teunis stood. He remembered the place, having 
 entered from below through a small, covered, natural entrance, 
 where the fox and the bear found a refuge during the gloomy 
 months of winter. It had in former times been a retreat for 
 the Indians. Ashes, cinders, pipes and arrow heads were 
 found here, together with their utensils for cooking fish. 
 The mill, in which some ancient squaw had ground her corn 
 to meal, had been dug out from one of the recesses ir. that 
 rock, and stood as an ornament upon Garret Abiel's mantel- 
 shelf left there, no doubt, as in a place of safety, till her re- 
 turn; but alas! the place that once knew her, no\v knows 
 neither her nor her race any more. 
 
 Their cave was occupied at the time Teunis gazed down, 
 by another race, whom the great Mohicans, in the days of 
 Etau-o-quam, king of the rivers, would have despised. 
 About sixty negroes of the jettest black, male and female, 
 were assembled around a rough stone furnace, about three 
 feet high, which looked like one of those ancient altars at 
 Baal, seen in the pictures of old Dutch Bibles. On the top 
 burned a bright fire, fed by pine cones, gathered near the 
 place. The heat and smoke were diffused around ; finding 
 their way up to where Teunis lay, looking down upon the 
 whole crew with curious amazement. They sat on their 
 haunches in a circle round the fire ; a man and a, woman 
 alternately, all naked to the Avaist. Their elbows rested or, 
 their knees, while they held out the palms of their hands, be 
 twoen their faces and the fire, as if to catoh the heat, and
 
 THE DEPTHS OF SATAN. 95 
 
 turn aside the Haze. In this posture they chanted some 
 landish words, which were varied by a chorus, which came 
 nearer to the squeaking of pigs than any sound the listener 
 ever heard. When his eyes were set so as to distinguish 
 objects and persons sufficiently plain, he perceived that the 
 company were all known to him, belonging as they did to the 
 families around. Most of them were direct from Africa 
 some brought hither when young, but there were ruling 
 spirits among them who knew the difference between the 
 country of their birth, with its customs, and the one in which 
 they now lived. First and seemingly highest in the seat of 
 honor was Cuffee, Abiel's chief man of all work. The Elder> 
 on his way back from Jamaica, where he had been with horses 
 and cattle, landed at New York, where he exchanged mo- 
 lasses and rum for a lively black fellow, who being able 
 bodied, and sometimes too able minded for the Dutch boys 
 of his own age, became quite an important personage in the 
 Bught, far and near. He always maintained that he was the 
 oldest son of an African king ; and one of the favorite enter- 
 tainments of the fireside on winter nights, was to get Cuffee 
 to tell how he was kidnapped when he was on his bridal tour 
 with Coomba. He would say : 
 
 " She was'm gran' sodger. Had great body guard ob 
 young febels, like herselb ; all very hebby and verylubby; 
 hebby as massa's young steer, ebery one." 
 
 He made out a long story about breaking through a fence, 
 for a sacrifice that Fetish must have, for getting him such a 
 good wife ; and how just when he had secured the finest 
 young maiden of the village, the men of the place c;ime be- 
 hind them, seizing him and others, putting a bamboo girdle 
 round him, to which they tied his hands down to his side, 
 till he was put on board ship, and landed in King George's 
 dominions at New York. 
 
 " Served you right," the young lads would say, to provoke 
 him. " Good for you, Cuffy," the old vrows would cry, "to 
 be brought here where the good 'Dominie would make a 
 Christian of you, if you had not zeven duivels in tee ; yaw, 
 zevontig maal zeven maal duivels." 
 
 " Juggue man for me," he would answer with haste ; and 
 sometimes with a stroke of paganism that startled his honest 
 hearers. All the authority of his master could not make him 
 enter the church door, nor bring him to sit patiently while 
 the good pastor catechized the other members of the house 
 hold.
 
 96 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 The other actors in this hidden drama or whatever else it 
 was did not yet appear, were Dora, and her son, a raiser- 
 able hunchback of over twenty-five years of age, though 
 only about four feet in height. His breast protruded far out, 
 while his head sank down between his shoulders so that 
 when he walked it seemed to rise regularly up and down, as 
 if his spine struck, every step he took, upon a spring at the 
 root, that sent it back with a force which kept the upper 
 knob bob, bobbing, making his height vary about four inches 
 at each step. Nor was this all, for his eyes and ears 
 obeyed the downward and upward motion ; almost meeting 
 when he stretched, and rolling off when he crouched. Tlu 
 effect on the spectator was to keep him half way between 
 terror and laughter, every time the strange figure moved. 
 Along with these curious contortions, he had the unnatural 
 power of ventriloquism, which his mother had found out 
 early, and encouraged for her own purposes. He had a 
 shrewdness that was remarkable ; and most seen at the time 
 he was left to himself, for then the use of all language seemed 
 free. In his mother's presence he seemed but a part of her- 
 self, and understood every sign she gave, watching how he 
 might carry out her designs. This arose from her constantly 
 telling him that the Fetish god was in him ; and so rare and 
 singular was the power of double speech, that the whites 
 around them hardly knew of it : and as to the blacks, they all 
 regarded Unga Golah as the mouth of the Fetish, and Dora 
 as the regular and true Priestess. 
 
 Teunis, however, was not altogether ignorant of th.ese 
 things. From daiiy intercourse with the blacks, and espe- 
 cially with the hunchback, who Avas nearly of his own age, he 
 had discovered this hidden power of speaking double. Re- 
 cently, however, he had observed that Dora had checked 
 him, and that some strange notions had taken possession of 
 her brain. He had found her at home, and also in the bush, 
 training her oracle, by putting him through a kind of drilling 
 in the African language ; as he or she would respond to it in 
 Dutch or English, or a gibberish of all three. 
 
 The influence which the black crone had over her ignorant 
 associates was sufficient to turn her head, and her son's with 
 her ; and no one, knowing the barbarism from which they had 
 emerged so recently, need wonder at the rites of superstition 
 practised by them in secret, since the fear of a Great Supreme 
 \vas not lessened by their translation hither, even when it was 
 directed aright by instruction in the true faith.
 
 THE DEPTHS OF SATAN. 97 
 
 What astonished Teunis was the actual earnestness of the 
 whole band. Accustomed as he had always been to the loud 
 and frivolous mirth of the blacks, he waited after their first; 
 song and their dance hand in hand round something that 
 stood in the middle of the rough floor, with Dora and Unga 
 Golah by it, to hear them break out in a confused Babylon of 
 tongues, laughter, and shrieks ; but no such noises followed. 
 He was then, convinced that something serious was going on, 
 Surprise gave way to curiosity. He now remembered wha r , 
 had been talked of some time since concerning the witchcraft 
 of Dora and Juggy for by that name the hunchback was. 
 known all over the region and how Cuffee was seen to 
 plunge into the woods at certain times, said to be at the full 
 moon, till at last suspicion was aroused, that conspiracy was 
 going on among the slaves, when they were followed, and 
 watched by David Abiel, who reported something like the 
 very scene Teunis was now witnessing. 
 
 " Let me tell you," said the Elder to the Dominie, " that 
 strange doings are going on below Face outer." 
 
 But the common sense pastor hooted at it, and smoked 
 away at the other pipe. 
 
 The Elder, somewhat piqued, said: "Dominie, you don't 
 mean that our David is a luegnaar f n 
 
 " Nay, nay, Elder, he is no liar, but he may tell very large 
 truths. This cuppee of good Hollands would be good stufi 
 were you to throw it into your water cask out there ; but I 
 vow, I would rather have the water by itself, and another 
 cuppee pure, though less of it." 
 
 " Well, Dominie, you are a wise man, but I believe that 
 Cuffee is a red hieden en de tollenaar ; and that Dora, for ail 
 you praise her and her kinderen, is niet else than a Tooverd." * 
 
 The Dominie laughed, saying : " Strange to find Cuffee a 
 heathen and a publican, in an elder's family ; and believe me 
 that some other folks are more of the witch kind than Dora." 
 
 The truth was that Dora attended the kerke regularly, and 
 was on the outside all Christian. Naturally apt and cunning, 
 she had picked up many of the practices she saw, and used 
 them, the better to blind the white folks and carry on her 
 designs : though it would have been difficult to say what 
 these were, beyond the self-gratification of having others 
 afraid of her. 
 
 After chanting the song that Teunis first heard, the circle 
 
 Witch. 
 5
 
 93 THE DUTCH DOMIXIE. 
 
 widened for the dance. Half naked as they were, their 
 bodies glittering with oil and vinegar, so that the gloss might 
 remain, they stood out waiting for the sign which was given, 
 when Juggy threw some mixture into the lire, that sent up a 
 greenish blaze, like what salt and brimstone, when burned 
 with alcohol, will produce. Teunis stood aghast when he be- 
 held them all with their green eyes glancing, their white 
 jaws chattering, and their limbs going like the legs of large 
 toads in a putrid pond, when the sun is hot and the trees 
 shady. 
 
 To heighten the effect of her power, Dora poured upon 
 her hands some liquid, and proceeded to take up some coals 
 of fire, tossing them unharmed from one hand to the other, 
 and even putting out her tongue as if she could eat fire. 
 Teunis knew of her tricks in this, but her followers shouted 
 "gree, gree man," giving her sacred honors. This was the 
 word by which the old witch had often frightened Teunis 
 when he was a child, but this was the first time he had seen 
 .its meaning to be heathenish, and as connected with herself. 
 He had once heard her, when in a rage, utter a mixture of 
 words, which he supposed to be a pagan curse, when gree, 
 gree, was the burden of the rhyme; and Tom, the Domi- 
 nie's man, had often been heard to say, that Dora was a gree 
 gree priestess in Guinea. These things were current, but 
 witch was the highest title bestowed upon her among the 
 whites. 
 
 The dance over, there was a long, rough box produced 
 from a recess in the rocks, and laid down with great care. 
 It was ornamented with different colored cloths, not unlike 
 the quilts, or chair cushions, found in old houses of wealth, 
 where the ladies have time to be ornamental as well as use- 
 ful. On laying the chest down on the ground, there ran 
 through the whole circle the sound, Fetish ! fetish ! Teu- 
 nis knew this word well from hearing Dora repeat it in her 
 prayer, in the same breath with Heeren, Goden, Fetish ; 
 which he supposed was but the African word for God. He 
 now found the true meaning. This must be some kind of an 
 idol ; and she was the acting priestess. Uncovering the box, 
 she moved round it in a beckoning gait, snapping her fingers, 
 which was the signal for the whole company to follow with 
 the same movement, and the same sound. 
 
 After this, all stood still, when the voice of Dora was 
 heard calling out Unga Golah ; and the deformed imp came 
 forward, crawling on his hands and knees, close up to the
 
 THE DEPTHS OF SATAN. 99 
 
 asking in a loud whisper, at the opening in the eni of 
 the box, in the African tongue : 
 
 " Who shall be king of the colored regiment?" 
 
 When an answer came as if out of the inside, loud enough 
 to be heard through the cave : 
 
 " Who should be captain but de King of Dahomey and de 
 Prince of Bungalore ?" 
 
 Cuifee gave a start, so well feigned that it was considered 
 real, and as no one but the initiated understood the trick, 
 and these did not exceed three persons present, it was no 
 wonder that all ran back in fear, when Dora opened the box, 
 and out sprung a rattlesnake, with its fiery tongue protruded 
 from its mouth. More horror still seized them, when the 
 hunchback, without the least hesitation, lifted the reptile in 
 his hands, twisting him round his short neck, with the 
 open jaws of the snake before his face, so that the mouth of 
 the human monster was ready to speak in question or reply. 
 Walking back into the furthest recess of the cave, he stepped 
 upon a shelf in the rock, when he put his lips out, aud his 
 head at the highest, and calling in a loud voice : 
 
 " Who be captain of de black regiment for de great King 
 George ?" 
 
 " Mongee Cuffee, prince of Dahomey." This answer was 
 in an entirely different voice; and to those who saw the ugly 
 snake, how it writhed and turned, putting out its tongue 
 fiercely, and many times, the reply evidently came from it ; 
 for Juggy had covered his own mouth so that his lips never 
 moved. Besides, the voice was neither that of man nor wo- 
 man, but a sound which any superstitious mind would inter, 
 pret as a fiend's answer. 
 
 Teunis began to see through this trick and its object, and 
 was curious to ascertain, from actual observation, how far 
 Cuffee's mind accorded with the hint given. It was evident 
 that all eyes were fixed on him, expecting some demonstra- 
 tion, when he rose, bowing himself all the way up to the 
 place where the snake and his master stood, and asked: 
 
 " Vat vill de Fetish hab de King of Dahomey do first ?" 
 
 " Gib de big Elder 'Biel into de ban's ob de great Ingen 
 dis night." 
 
 What deceived even Teunis so far was the number of 
 times this was repeated. It seemed as if it came out of the 
 rocks, behind and from above, again and again, ten times 
 over, assuring him that, well as he knew the cunning dwarf, 
 there was something more in the power he possessed than *
 
 100 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 mere double voice. Nor did he fully understand it, till 
 afterward, going into the same recess, he spoke a fesv words, 
 which were echoed and reechoed so often, that he became 
 startled lest he had wakened up the African gree grce of 
 his childish days. By repeating, the secret was revealed, 
 and certainly it was well fitted for the cell of a necromancer ; 
 more especially for such a one as Juggy, with his double 
 voice. 
 
 As the play went on, between the hunchback and the 
 snake, Cuffee assumed more boldness, becoming desirous of 
 having his future fortune told. 
 
 " Fetish say dat Cuffee vill be big capden en king's black 
 army, dat is to be. Wat coat sail Cuffee wear ?" 
 
 " Red like de coal, and de color of de blood, when de 
 pigs squeal. De coat sail glitter all de over wid silver, like 
 de plum-tree in de spring, when de birds sing small abobe de 
 windows." 
 
 The great stout fellow stood out at full length, well satis. 
 fied that his time was come to act ; and so turning to the 
 rest, who were looking with perfect admiration, he addressed 
 them in what he intended should be a moving speech. 
 
 " Coloerd bruders of de good Guinea blood, dat has run 
 like de Cauterskill Creek, through three generations. Brud- 
 ers, you'd 'members de day when de sun rose before you, and 
 set when you'd put out de finger at him, till he would get 
 blood in de face. No whip den make Cuffee jumb ; no ox 
 waitin' for him chewing his cud ; no milk den, but to drink it 
 all. All de earth beautiful as missis' gownde when she go 
 out to drink tea ; and de trees sparkling like de butt'ns on 
 xnassa's Sunday coat. De dolphins sport in de water like de 
 calves when de cow-bell tinkles in de woods, and Cuffee lying 
 on de ground, make believe in de sleep and dream. 
 
 " All dat seek dese fine tings, meet Cuffee at Phoebe Hotel, 
 where de bounty will be paid down in bright dollars, out of 
 de big cheat dat lies in de back room, under de ole man 5 ! 
 bed, when de key is put into dis place by de big Indian, at 
 twelve in de middle of de night." 
 
 The secret was out Teunis saw through the whole. The 
 Tories were at the bottom of a devilish plot, stirring ap these 
 blacks to massacre their masters, and the reward was to be 
 the spoils. This cunning dog, remembering former times, 
 and having his vanity fed, was ready to do whatever came to 
 his hand. He had influence with others, and what he lacked 
 Dora made up. Laws had been passed against
 
 THE DEPTHS OF SATAN. 101 
 
 meeting by themselves, and many alarms had been raised in 
 Teunis' time. He had heard of a great conspiracy during 
 the French war, when hundreds ran off to Canada ; and 
 doubtless here was something of the same kind. These 
 ignorant creatures were as likely to kill on the one side as 
 on the other. The mind of Tennis was made up to frustrate 
 this bloody attempt, and by the way of beginning the counter 
 plot, he resolved to disturb the horrid assemblage at this 
 present time. 
 
 As he was casting this about in his mind, Dora was pre- 
 paring some new cantrap, aiid had cast fresh fuel with some 
 sickening stuff into the fire, which rose up to the place where 
 Teunis lay, making him sneeze so loud that it must have been 
 heard, only that they were all sneezing themselves in chorus. 
 When they became quiet, Cuffee w T as questioning the dwarf 
 more minutely concerning his future prospects ; and was 
 dancing in perfect rapture at the thought of having gold lace 
 at his shoulders, and a cocked hat on his head, with a red and 
 white feather. The answer to all his demands came from 
 the alcove at the far end of the cave, where the box with the 
 mysterious snake had been carefully deposited. So perfect 
 were the sounds, that a stranger could not help being im- 
 posed upon. The attention of the whole company was thus 
 purposely diverted away from the doings of Dora, who was 
 engaged looking down to the ground, at a place where Teu- 
 nis remembered there was a clear spring. When ready, she 
 called upon Cuffee, and bade him look, and ask whatever he 
 pleased. He obeyed, when a voice came up out of the water, 
 that made him start back with amazement. She called up 
 another of the company, but prompted him to the question, 
 which obtained the answer that the hunchback always gave 
 as out of the spring. Two of these will give the general 
 drift. 
 
 Up stepped a merry-looking fellow called Jerry ; and as 
 he bent over the pure water hole that glittered in the torch 
 bght, he called out : 
 
 "What sail Juggy make Jerry in de great army?" 
 
 " Jerry shall have de care of all de rurn in de cellar of de 
 Kin a: George ; and of de pie and oJecakes for gibing tc 
 oders." 
 
 Nothing could please this worthy better than this, as he 
 showed by the width of his mouth when he rose. 
 
 Here an old grey-headed, merry-looking, man knelt down, 
 asking in a laughing tone :
 
 102 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 " Shall Caese hab a place in de gran' army ? Moder Pora, 
 bid Fetish speak." 
 
 The answer came up : " Memby Caesar play 'pon de sack- 
 but and harp, de psaltery and de organ of King Solomon." 
 
 Caesar came away grumbling to himself, " Noting said 
 'bout de good fiddle and de bow." 
 
 True to their Ethiopian nature, their blood began to circu- 
 late freely, and their bodies became restless for motion ; 
 Dora, to indulge them, brought them together in a ring, 
 which ran around her and the dwarf in rapid motion. His 
 head rose and fell as that of a turtle, when excited by some 
 mischievous boy. Voices were heard all around encouraging 
 the mirth, as if coming from the invisible world. A stroke 
 of humor came across the mind of Teunis at this instant, and 
 in that vein, following out his resolution of breaking up the 
 assemblage, he took his powder-horn, which had been filled 
 fresh that morning, and making an opening with his knife 
 into the gin-flask, that he intended to have left with Elsie, but 
 which was still nearly full, and putting the horn into the gin, he 
 prepared to set fire to the liquor ; but how was that to effect 
 anything at the height he stood above them ? A lucky thought 
 entered his head; his stocking was worked with worsted 
 of the strong, firm kind, more like hempen string than soft 
 lamb's wool ; the unravelling of one of these from the top was 
 but the work of a few minutes, and with the yarn he lowered 
 his vessel, now on fire, over the brink of the precipice. It 
 soon attracted the eyes of the revellers below by its bright 
 blue flame. With the exception of Dora, all regarded the 
 new luminaiy as a part of the ceremony, and waited with 
 open mouth, nose, and eyes for the next act. Not so the 
 prime mover, who became alarmed lest her own tricks had 
 called down the wrath of a greater than Fetish ; and giving 
 a scream, too natural not to be felt as genuine fear, all were 
 ready to join in the chorus, when the fire reached the pow- 
 der just when the flask touched the rock, on which the mys- 
 terious box stood, and the explosion came, calling forth echo 
 and reecho from the inner chambers of the den, till it 
 seemed as if they would never cease. The shrieking and 
 yelling of sixty frightened wretches were not so easily set at 
 rest. Taking their cue from their priestess, they ran, she 
 following, or rather leading them toward the narrow entrance, 
 where they leaped over each other like cattle crowding a 
 gateway. 
 
 Teuuis, in telling the Dominie afterward of the occurrence,
 
 THE DEPTHS OF SATAN. 103 
 
 said that the most amazing thing of the whole to him was 
 the terror of Dora, after what he heard her say, and when he 
 saw the boldness of her actions. 
 
 " You needed not that case to explain to you what you 
 have often heard me say, that the wicked run when no man 
 pursueth ; and then see how the witch of Endor was more 
 afraid than any of the company, when she saw the doings of 
 the Lord. But tell us," the Dominie asked, " how that imp 
 of Sathanas behaved. ? I mean Juggy the Hunchback." 
 
 " He seemed the only self-possessed mortal of them all. 
 He danced and leaped frantically, till he spied, after the 
 smoke passed away, that the sacred chost was shattered into 
 a thousand pieces, when he immediately, and in haste, crawled 
 on his hands and knees around the spot, calling out " Groote 
 draak great dragon aude slang, old serpent, Duivel en 
 Satanas, I< etisb-gree-gree ;" all in Dutch, English, and Afri- 
 can mixed up, till at last, finding what he wanted, the snake, 
 he held it in his hands, uttering some gibberish which he 
 intended for a lamentation. Finding that life was gone, and 
 that there was nothing in the dead worm either for his fear 
 or his love, he threw it on the ground, stamping on it with a 
 revengeful look and loud curses, ending the tragedy with a 
 fiendish laugh, which I, out of mischief, returned in the same 
 tone. -It was now that the imp showed signs of fear; for 
 knowing within himself that this was not his own double, he 
 fied as fast as his shuffling feet would allow him, throwing, 
 as he passed the fire, a handful of the stuff into it which had 
 caused the green flame and the pungent smell which had 
 made us all sneeze. I left the mouth of the pit saying, I 
 believe this is the devil's snuff, and a proper place it is to ex- 
 pect to get it, for that is nothing else than the bottomless 
 pit."
 
 104 THE DUTCH POMINEB. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE PERILS OF A PILGRIMAGE. 
 
 "Let not a torrent of impetuous zeal 
 Transport thee thus beyond the bounds of reason; 
 True fortitude is seen in great exploits 
 That justice warrants, and that wisdom guides; 
 All else is towering frenzy and distraction." 
 
 ADDISOS'S Catc. 
 
 THE young Dutchman reached home that evening tired, 
 and full of a thousand reflections all new to him, and he had 
 already laid down a scheme for the next day, which, like 
 many such plans, was to be upset before he fell asleep. 
 
 He found the main room of the house filled with men, and 
 all sitting in dense darkness. It was a secret conclave, such 
 as Tennis had witnessed before, when some event 'of moment 
 was expected. The meu spoke in whispers, and had by this 
 time nearly finished their discussion, and were about to take 
 action. It appeared, from gathered conversation afterward, 
 that the subject was of an offensive and also of a defensive 
 character. The Dominie, who was of a determined and hot 
 temper in political things, took strong side against the Tories, 
 no matter whether they were of the active or of the passive 
 kind. He had of late forced some of his people to show their 
 hands, and had threatened to bring them all out. To obtain 
 ecclesiastical authority, and to bring the recusants and the 
 lukewarm to their senses, was the object of a journey he had 
 taken that very day to Sopus, where he was to meei his 
 brother Dominies in their classis. To get the start of the 
 reverend man, and prevent his severe discipline on his return, 
 which they of the king's party were sure to receive in its ut 
 most seveiity, was the intention of the present gathering 
 1 hey had, after many a whiif and jabber, fixed upon their 
 plan, and were waiting for volunteers who would carry it 
 into execution. As none but the old men were admitted into 
 the counsel, it was 'difficult to see how their meeting could 
 result in anything practically beneficial. The seizing of the 
 Dominie himself, along with the whole consistory, was a bold 
 stroke fbi a few dull-headed men. But nothing short of this
 
 THE PERILS OF A PILGRIMAGE. 105 
 
 was their aim, and for this very purpose Brandt was called 
 east after his raid upon Wyoming. His scouts had given warn- 
 ing of his approach, so that " now or never " was the word. 
 The chance was opportune, and yet there was a hesitation 
 with some on conscientious grounds, and with others on su- 
 perstition. There was a fear that the scheme would fall 
 through for want of young men. The leader in their counsel 
 saw the deficiency, and regretting it, had, with adroitness, 
 brought in a fresh supply of the genuine Virginia tobacco, 
 lighting his own pipe first, so that the nostrils of the com- 
 pany were soon regaled and demanded another pipe. It was 
 while they smoked this, slowly, that several young men came 
 in who had been sent for intentionally. Teunis entered along 
 with them, as of right. 
 
 "Tee zal never get me nor myne sonne at trappin de 
 Dominie, like as we do de great bieren in de pig-pen. He is 
 de servant of de Lord for gooden." 
 
 "There now," said Tim Samp, "Dick is giving us the 
 Scripture about magistrates. Let us have it all through, and 
 then we shall have the very authority we want. Let every 
 soul be subject to the higher " 
 
 " STo more of dat, Tim ; hev no I been in de consistory 
 two yearen, ende vas no de Dominie above us alle ? ende vas 
 no ] higher dan de justice ?" 
 
 " But, Dick, we are all King George's men, and we are 
 sworn to serve him before saving the Dominie, though his 
 neck should stretch for it. He will not save ours. My mind 
 is, send him and his consistory off to Niagara by Brandt, 
 where they will learn him manners to the king, and cool his 
 hot blood in that big water." 
 
 " Our Dominie serven de Heere ov heeven, ende nae man 
 may putten his hand upon his skin buldt en dey touchen 
 mynne, sure as my name is Dick Burget." 
 
 This unexpected explosion, in one supposed to be com- 
 pletely on the true side, was received in silence, and was 
 likely to break up the whole scheme unless some way could 
 be made for getting old Dick removed aside till the whole 
 was acted out, which would be in a few days. Amidst the 
 thick smoke little knots were consulting, with their heads 
 turned in to one another like sheep in a hot day under a 
 tree, concerning the best method of disposing of this new 
 difficulty, when the matter was resumed by Dick Burgel- 
 again, who was willing to sacrifice every one of the consistory 
 but the Dominie. In this he found an ally in a neighbor 
 
 K*
 
 106 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 whoso terrors were more from the influence of priestly power 
 than enlightened piety. 
 
 " I am wid Dick," said Conrad Post ; " for de man wid dat 
 tree-nooked hat can bring de tunder ande fire down on us." 
 
 " Yaw, yaw, Conrad," put in Dick ; " here again de Scrip- 
 ture zays, ' op wien hij valt, dien zal hij vermorzelen.' " * 
 
 " Away Avith your nonsense," said the man at the head of 
 this movement, who was losing all patience ; " do you think 
 that if the Dominie were a stone, he could fall on you and 
 grind you to powder? He would prefer blowing you up. I 
 have a plan that will settle all trouble. Let us send Teunis 
 Roe here oiF to Sopus, and hear how the Dominie speaks in 
 the Classis about the discipline ; and if his tone be peace and 
 moderation, I am for saving his black coat, and will stand by 
 Dick here to the last. What say you ?" 
 
 To this all agreed at once, and before Teunis had time to 
 object, he was inducted into the office of messenger or spy, 
 as friends or enemies might judge of him and of his actions. 
 With true Dutch caution, the young man went to bed con- 
 fused in mind, yet feeling that the sun-light would enable him 
 to determine his proper course, for as yet he still ranked with 
 the men who were signalling to Brandt. 
 
 In the morning, before sunrise, his father was at his door, 
 rousing him and warning him of his ride. The young man 
 himself felt the responsibility of the office imposed upon him, 
 and in the wavering state of his mind, felt anything but at 
 ease in the prospect of acting a double part. He lay a few 
 moments reflecting on how he should act, when he remem- 
 bered that Elsie whispered in his ear at parting : " Be sure 
 and tell the Dominie of the first signs of danger." Her warm 
 breath seemed yet to blow on his cheek, as he leaped from 
 his couch, saying, " and now Providence has put that in my 
 power." 
 
 When he descended from the chamber, he found that Dora 
 had his breakfast laid out for him, to which she had added her 
 choicest dishes. Evidently well pleased with something, her 
 elfish son was receiving tit-bits aside at the jambs where 
 he sat, swelling up and down as his chest fell or expanded. 
 Teunis, rememrjering the scene of last evening, eyed them 
 askance, wondering in himself whether they were witches 
 enough to know the cause of their late dispersion. They 
 gave no sign, so he concluded to watch the current of events. 
 
 * " Upon whomsoever it shall fall it shall grind him to powder."
 
 THE PERILS OF A PILGRIMAGE. 107 
 
 Ebd horse was ready for him at the leaping-on-log, held by 
 his father, who stood beside a stranger, whose voice Tennis 
 recognized to be the same as led the discussion of the pre- 
 vious evening. 
 
 " You are sent, young man. on this duty because you can 
 be trusted. All the instructions you require are to keep 
 yourself as much hidden from Dominie Schuneman as you 
 can, and bring a true report of his sayings back with you. 
 Your reward is a captaincy in his majesty's service : a pros- 
 perous journey." 
 
 The sun had but streaked the hills of Connecticut, and 
 the horseman, gathering up his bridle, was fixing himself 
 firmly in the saddle, when his mother's voice called him to a 
 corner, where she stood Aveeping. From her yesterday's 
 warning, he comprehended the nature of her fears; and 
 anticipating her, bent down his head, while she kissed him 
 and blessed him, and he rode away through the dim woods. 
 Near to him he heard a voice that spoke in the English 
 tongue, in answer to one on the opposite side of the road, in 
 Dutch. He slackened his pace to listen. Smiling, he soon 
 discovered that Unga was attempting a trick upon him, 
 which did not succeed. Fairly on his way, his good steed soon 
 carried him into old Sopus, where after stabling him, Tennis 
 went straight to the court-house door, where a crowd of peo- 
 ple was assembled. 
 
 Determined to take no active part hi anything, Teunis 
 went among the men with eyes and ears open. They were 
 of the class to which he himself belonged, and notwithstanding 
 that Sopus was so near to Kaaterskill Vlatts, there were but 
 few whom he knew intimately, and these were the kind who 
 possessed the pass-words and signs with which he was well 
 acquainted. From even these, however, he was resolved to 
 keep away at present. 
 
 A debate was in progress to which the new comer gave 
 heed the peculiar merits of several Dominies. It was 
 Myer and Doll of Ulster against New York and Jersey, and 
 the \vorldto boot old Jacobus Elting, of Vlattbush, on the 
 one side, and on the other a large broad Albanian, full 
 wiggt'd, dressed in smooth brown coat, who was boasting 
 over Doctor Dominie Westerloo, the chief of their Sanhedrim. 
 
 " No doubt of it," was the slow retort of the other, " after 
 1 he new fangled notions of the day ; but the man that tells 
 his o\vn consistory that their hearts are no whiter than their 
 own niggers, would not be heard here in Sopus. You must
 
 108 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 be mean dwaazan * to stand that ; and then his advice to 
 throw off all allegiance to the old mother of Amsterdam." 
 
 " There now, you have set your tongue a-going, and we 
 will have the question of the day discussed before we go in 
 doors. Leave politics to the Provincial Congress, and let the 
 doctrines of the Kerke be attended to, so that all be accord- 
 ing to the canons." This was spoken by a square-built man, 
 of sedate appearance, whose presence was impressive, and 
 well placed. He continued to say that " the rational and 
 calm declaration of the altar, whence come the high obliga- 
 tions of practical righteousness, are more acceptable to the 
 Maker than all the zeal and talk we have sometimes about 
 things which human nature cannot stand." 
 
 " A wee ! A wee !" said another, " to hear such things 
 said by men in the consistory human nature never can stand 
 to hear the truth against itself." 
 
 " Never mind," said Elder Van Vleck, " after these trou- 
 bles are past, all these things are to be settled by the Domi- 
 nies themselves. Let us help them through with their quarrel 
 this day, and we will let the next day take care of itself. 
 There comes Colonel Haasbrouk and an eastern stranger 
 with him, if I may judge from his dress." 
 
 "Yes, judging from his dress; but when did a Connec- 
 ticut man step like that, and keep his head so firm on his 
 shoulders ? As I live," said Jan Freer, he is as like the 
 man that I took up to Van Lueguens as any man I have seen 
 since, and I have had my eyes open all the time." 
 
 " Nonsense, Jan, the man coining is dressed in the colors 
 of the Connecticut Rangers, and has a commission, as you 
 may see from his buttons. There he is now handing his cre- 
 dentials to the colonel." 
 
 " If I hear him speak I can tell ; and it would be a good 
 test to put him to, just to ask him to count over fifteen and 
 saxpence ; the dearest money ever I earned, since it cost me 
 four weeks in the common jail of Sopus, for helping a spy. 
 The more I look at him the surer I am. There he comes, 
 and good Santa Glaus, I shall watch him this day." 
 
 By this time, the two new comers had arrived within ear- 
 shot, and were engaged in earnest conversation, which waa 
 held loud enough for all to hear. 
 
 "I will tell you this, Captain Whittesley, that our minister, 
 or Dominie, as we entitle him, is one of the best of men, and 
 the bravest of soldiers." 
 
 * FooL
 
 THE PERILS OF A PILGRIMAGE, lO'J 
 
 " Colonel, in these days the qualities you give him are 
 possessed also by our parsons in New England, bat it seems 
 to me that the learning needed in their holy calling cannot be 
 ripe." This \vas evidently said more for the purpose of 
 keeping up the discourse, than out of any wish for an opinion ; 
 for all the time he either listened or spoke himself, he was 
 glancing his sharp blue eye in all directions. 
 
 " I can only speak for our Dominic Doll, that he has been 
 a most faithful student in ancient universities, and that he 
 never fails to speak like a Boanerges. Lively in his spirits, 
 he is ever on the stretch for new fields of action ; and now 
 that the wave of war has reached its height, he rides on it 
 as if' it were his native element." 
 
 " And I suppose," said the captain, " like priest, like 
 people." 
 
 Here Colonel Haasbrouk introduced his acquaintance by 
 name, and as one of the aids of his Excellency, here on pub- 
 lic business. 
 
 The discourse took a new turn. The stranger, who was 
 one of those easy moving men, who can turn the most trifling 
 matter into food for discourse, soon led off by referring to 
 the gatherings he had seen of the militia on his way, and of 
 the excellent appearance they made. 
 
 *' Yes," said our Albany friend, " they are good enough 
 for such a place as Sopus, or for such a county as Ulster, but 
 they cannot compare with our men, nor with your men in 
 the east." 
 
 This brought, as it it was intended, a rejoinder from one 
 of the Soposonians, who declared himself ready with " a com- 
 pany of Ulster men to do what the Bunker Hill men did not 
 do keep the hill from the redcoats." 
 
 " Oh, yes," said the bantering Albanian, " they have hard 
 heads, but soft places in them, that a ramrod would pass 
 through, without touching a letter of the alphabet." 
 
 The Ulster member, somewhat piqued, pulled out a roll on 
 which were inscribed the names of a whole company, signed by 
 themselves, and handing it to the man called Captain Whittes- 
 ley, asked him to say if " that was the sign of ignorance." 
 
 " I declare," said the stranger, " this is all in good writing 
 of hand and few proxies. You must draw back your insinu- 
 ation, friend, and it is well. Their courage will be tried if J 
 am not mistaken. These granaries placed here, in case Sclmy- 
 lei- should be forced to fall back to Wateniiet, must be 
 greatly needed."
 
 110 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 While tiie stranger said this, he looked full in the face o1 
 Jan Freer, so piercingly that that worthy's tongue failed him 
 as he was about to ask him if he was not the man who sailed 
 up to Saugerties with him in the middle of the night, three 
 months since. But by the time the courage of Jan had re- 
 turned, the conversation had taken an interesting turn. 
 
 " Do you apprehend," said Colonel Haasbrouk, " that the 
 enemy may pay us a visit on his way up ; I find on iny dis- 
 patches, haste." 
 
 " There are many rumors abroad," was the reply, given too 
 loosely for an orderly, " that the enemy has several points 
 of attack in his mind. The chief object is to form a junction 
 with the north ; but General Vaughan is one of those soldiers 
 who love to take responsibility, and may be tempted out of 
 his way form the mere love of adventure. A little sport 
 with him is a great thing ; and as the Provincial Congress 
 now sitting here would afford him such an opportunity, it 
 seems unlikely that he could resist the jest. Do you suppose 
 that your Congress would sit on were he to land his men. 
 and a couple of guns ?" 
 
 "What if he does see them running off? My men will be 
 found here at their post," said the colonel ; " and we hope to 
 do our duty as good citizens and soldiers. The country will 
 be here, though Van Cortlandt and his congress do run, 
 which I am sure they never will." 
 
 " Nor will the Classis run," said an old man in a clay- 
 colored coat, which had seen some wear and tear, but was 
 still becoming to the wearer. " The Dominies will be put to 
 their trumps, and I will venture my word for at least one- 
 half of them. Dominie Doll at the head of the good and 
 true, and there is Dominies Dirck and Schuneman, of the 
 Kaatskills." 
 
 "How does it happen, my good sir, that you have two 
 congresses sitting in this old town of yours an ecclesiastical 
 and a political? Surely you have not thought on uniting 
 church and state, as in the old time ?" The New Englander 
 sneered a little as he said these words, as if he meant to say : 
 " You are behind the age." 
 
 *' We Hollanders," said Haasbrouk, " have skulls that are 
 not so easily penetrated as a pumpkin" here the colonel 
 cast a side glance at his guest ; ' and consequently we neither 
 give up our cherished notions so readily, nor receive new ones 
 so easily, as you eastern folks can." 
 
 " Ha 1 ha ! excellent, my dear sir ; the inference yon draw
 
 THE PERILS OF A PILGRIMAGE. Ill 
 
 then is, that our Yankee heads are soft. Ha ! ha ! That is 
 good. We are even. But tell me what is all this commotion 
 among your clergy ? In every tavern and farmer's kitchen 
 I could hear of nothing but the coetus and conferentia. 
 Greek to me, indeed. Are these the passwords of a secret 
 society ?" 
 
 " The words have a meaning to the men who use them, 
 but, so far as I know, they who make the most use of them 
 are neither better men nor better soldiers. A meaningless 
 jargon. I pray the Lord to send us a real enemy, so 
 that our pastors may become united about something. If 
 Vaughan does nothing else, he may do that, and to some pur- 
 pose. I see that my words are giving offence to my friend 
 here." 
 
 Things were taking too warm a turn, when the stranger 
 adroitly proposed judging for himself by the assemblies called 
 together. He did this with so much grace and dignity that 
 he won the favorable opinion of all except the cautious and 
 the experienced in men and things. It was evident that Jan 
 Freer had not laid aside his suspicions; and notwithstanding 
 that Colonel Haasbrouk had carefully perused his commission, 
 a lurking doubt still lingered in his mind every time he looked 
 at the stranger's face and heard his voice. 
 
 Strange as it may sound, our young friend, Teunis Roe, 
 was one of the few who suspected the pretensions of the man 
 called Whittesley ; standing back in the crowd, he had time 
 to observe all his motions and listen to his voice, and though 
 the Kaatsberg youth had not exchanged a word with any one 
 there, he felt sure that he had seen this man before in a dif- 
 ferent character than he now assumed. His acquaintance 
 with the underworkings of society gave him opportunities of 
 seeing much that durst not be spoken on the housetops. The 
 man became a new object of interest to him, and for the mo- 
 ment he almost forgot the errand which had brought him 
 hither. 
 
 To that he was soon recalled by one of the venerable men 
 who was there offering his services to the stranger as his guide 
 into the church where the reverend pastors were to meet, 
 having adjourned since the last evening for the purpose of 
 discussing the very point that Teunis was sent to hear and 
 report upon. 
 
 The feeling of suspicion, which was awakened in the minds 
 of u few at the first, fell upon a larger number by degrees, 
 until it spread among the more intelligent, so that by the
 
 112 THE DUTCH 
 
 time the Classis met for business there were no lack of watch. 
 ers upon the stranger's steps. His movements were not the 
 least impeded by those nods and winks which were inter- 
 changed by the company, but they rather seemed to give 
 him dignity of look and a defiance of danger which held 
 every one in check. As his eye ran over the faces of the 
 crowd, it fixed a moment longer on Teunis than he was able 
 to bear comfortably. It was evident that, whoever he was, he 
 recognized in the Kaatskillian's countenance something of an 
 interesting nature to him, which he would have inquired after 
 in another and quieter place. 
 
 At this time the signal for meeting was given, and, wend- 
 ing toward the temple of God, were seen the venerable 
 men, whose life was one of self-denial and of honor. Their 
 steadfast look and stately stoppings impressed the spectators 
 with awe, making even the frivolous Jan Freer to speak 
 under his breath as they went past. 
 
 "Now, Captain Whittesley," said Elder Swart, under 
 whose care the stranger had been put, " let us go, since you 
 wish to compare our Dominies with yours in the east. They 
 eay that you are greatly indebted to them for that spirit 
 which the Yankees show in the good cause." 
 
 " It is true, sir, that I have heard many a rousing dis- 
 course from them upon the rights of man, and the obligations 
 of kings being nursing fathers to the church instead of dash- 
 ing her children against the stones ; but a coward may be in 
 a black coat as well as a blue." 
 
 "And a hero in bands as well as wearing a sash at his 
 side," was Swart's quick retort, which brought the blood 
 slightly to the cheek of the New Englander, who parried the 
 thrust gracefully by saying : " It requires all the manly 
 qualities of our common nature to gain the crown of honor 
 or the crown of glory." 
 
 The assemblage soon dispersed, and as the form of the last 
 Dominie in the procession disappeared within the church, 
 Teunis determined to hear and see all he could ; but his first 
 object was to obtain a private interview with Dominic 
 Schuneman, and fulfill his promise of warning. 
 
 Colonel Haasbrouk called an officer to him, when he saw 
 no one watching near, and said in a low voice : " See that 
 you folio \v that new comer everywhere through the wholo 
 day, and into every place. See that he leaves not till he has 
 my pass." 
 
 " Colonel," said the astonished officer, " he holds a permit
 
 SAMSON CARRYING OFF THE GATES OF GAZA. 113 
 
 from head-quarters, and how could that have been obtained 
 unless he be true and on the right side ?" 
 
 " It matters not," said the colonel ; " if he has not worn a 
 red coat in the regulars, I never saw a man step so like one 
 in my life. Had he said, I am a deserter and on your side, I 
 could have believed him sooner than his mimicking the 
 Yankee." 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 SAMSON CARRYING OFF THE GATES OF GAZA. 
 
 " When pospel trumpeter, surrounded 
 With long eared rout, to battle sounded, 
 And pulpit, drum ecclesiastic, 
 Was beat with fist instead of a stick, 
 Then sir knight abandoned dwelling, 
 And out he rode a colonelling." 
 
 HCDIBRAB. 
 
 THE Elder Swart was a grave man, of homely presence, 
 but of more common sense than first appearances indicated. 
 He would remain so silent and dull, when hearing an im- 
 portant subject, at times, that it was doubted whether he 
 understood any of the questions. An hour afterward his ac- 
 quaintances, from his remarks, were surprised at the queries 
 he put. He was a profound admirer of the Reformed Church 
 of Holland. His body expanded largely as he entered the 
 porch of the holy building with his new friend, looking first 
 with reverence on the men, who' had already begun their 
 business by an act of devotion, and then on Whittesley, en- 
 deavoring to guess the effect which such a sight might have 
 on one of the wise men of the east. That singular man 
 .looked on all without any apparent surprise; indeed, it 
 seemed to Swart that the Dominies, on looking toward the 
 pew where he sat, were under some kind of fascination, as 
 they looked more astonished than their new visitor. Tennis, 
 who had taken a seat in the next square pew to the Elder, 
 sat with his back against the captain's, so that he could both 
 see and hear to great advantage when he chose to look in 
 that direction, or listen to their words. 
 
 The Ciassis, constituted as it was of clergymen and their 
 elders, who were laymen of note, sat by a huge oak table,
 
 114 THK DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 which served as altar, on which now lay a pile of papers, 
 under the care of a secretary. Above him, on a raised seat, 
 was the president, robed in full clerical dress, with cloak and 
 bands. Beside him stood a large gold-headed cane and a 
 three-cornered hat, somewhat the worse for wear. He was a 
 man of about sixty-five years, with a keen black eye, thai 
 moved in his head which scarcely ever turned as if a set 
 of spring nerves were secretly kept in use, now that they 
 seemed needed for watchfulness over the company under him. 
 The others were less prominent till they spoke, when they 
 stood as high up in their boots, and some of them seemed to 
 take pride in looking as keen as their leader. One of them, 
 on his feet, took occasion simply to remind his reverence in 
 the chair, that " we are all brethren." " Go on and speak 
 to the question," was the grave rejoinder. 
 
 The Elder and the New Englander sat down in a high, 
 square pew, which was sufficiently capacious to have held a 
 Dutch vrow and ten daughters, all Dutch built. It was 
 covered over with maroon cloth, and studded round with 
 brass-headed nails, which gave it quite a golden appearance. 
 The Plaattekill man whispered, This is Captain Conrad 
 Elvendorp's pew one of the new fangled race rising up in 
 Sopus. 
 
 Whittesley's attention was directly turned to the business 
 in hand, which was evidently of an exciting character. The 
 speaker who was holding forth, was a tall, thin, pale man, of 
 a soft voice, which went far into the ear, with a nervous 
 power which made it tell upon the feelings more than on the 
 conviction. He spoke in deep tones, which proved his 
 earnestness, and was more for moderation than for extreme 
 measures. " That's the good Dominie Dirck Romeyn, now 
 on his feet," whispered the Elder Swart. " He is always for 
 peace, and so far does he carry his wish, that he would sacri- 
 fice the state for the church any day ; but his heart is always 
 as clear as his tongue is smooth, and every one loves him. I 
 wish that Dominie Schuneman and he were carded through 
 one another, then we would have a perfect Dominie, and a 
 complete Whig. When the captain had got his ear clear of 
 the Elder's mouth, he heard the voice of the speaker, though 
 so soft that it filled the house, rising into warmth, and spark- 
 ling with energy, so that even his opponents were listening 
 to the easy flow with a restrained delight. 
 
 " In these days of trial," said the reverend speaker, " it 
 becometh the sen-ants of the Lord to throw oil upon the
 
 SAMSON CARRYING OFF THE GATES OF GAZA. 115 
 
 troubled water, instead of raising the tempest to hellish fury. 
 This poor Reformed Church is at this hour like the Ark of 
 Noah, high on the waters of the deluge ; and but for the 
 strong arm of the great pilot, who seems to be asleep in the 
 stern, we might despair ; but we have a duty to perform as 
 the ministers of Christ, and not as captains of companies, 
 going forth with spear and buckler to fight in the open 
 field. We have Joshuas in great number ; let us give our- 
 selves to prayer and the word, standing like Moses with our 
 hands lifted to heaven, and these Aarons and Hurs \\ill 
 help us, if we only keep our own passions in due control, 
 being baptized by the anointing which abideth. Oh ! my soul 
 is melted into grief when I think of how some of my fellow- 
 ambassadors have fallen oft', who were ordained to this good 
 work by the laying on of hands by the venerable fathers of 
 that ancient mother in Holland, whom we all love and revere. 
 Alas ! alas ! that the day should have arrived, foretold by the 
 prophet : ' I am like a pelican in the wilderness.' She who has 
 fed her young ones here with her own blood, drawn from her 
 own breast, is now to be disregarded and thrust forever 
 aside. Do we not see but too plainly, that these unhappy 
 troubles are fast rending asunder the ties which bind us to the 
 mother church. Under the thin veil of patriotism there lieth 
 too manifestly the canker of licentiousness ; and to the pleasant 
 cry of independence in the state, there is added the demand 
 to bind and loose, after our own skill, and by our own power. 
 My voice is ' let the potsherds of the earth strive with the 
 potsherds thereof; but woe be to the man that striveth with 
 his Maker.' " 
 
 The speaker sat down in great emotion, hiding his face in 
 his hands and literally sobbing aloud. The effect was visible 
 upon all the tender-hearted ; and in other times than those, 
 when tears were of small account, the eloquence of that man 
 would have carried the day. But like the few drops which 
 tiill just before the wind changes from south to north, theee 
 pathetic symptoms were the turning of public sentiment on 
 that day. 
 
 " They have been talking all of yesterday," said Elder 
 Sickles, who came into the same pew, " but they are now 
 beginning to warm up, and we shall soon see the lightning, 
 and hear the loud thunder, after that shower of rain, with a few 
 liailstones. For Dominie Frelinghuisen can hit hard though 
 his words melt as soon as they come down to the ground." 
 
 " Yaw ! he reminds me of Stephen Zabriskie, that would
 
 116 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 cut his nigger, Cruse, till he would bring the blood, and then 
 he would cry at the effects of his own whip-cord. But there 
 rises Dominie Dirck Romeyn of Mombachus. Hear him, but 
 first look at him. How like he is to our dog Tiger, when he 
 smells a fox, ready to spring before he has quite measured his 
 distance." 
 
 The eyes of the whole company were directed to this per- 
 son, who stood up tall, but so eager to begin, that he stooped 
 forward like a racer that has already started. His face was 
 neither pale nor bilious, but seemed like one that had just 
 risen from his bed on an errand, which he deemed of vital 
 importance to the cause he had at heart. His hair was cut 
 short to his head, and his dress, though snug, was put on 
 after a fashion of his own. He seemed nervous, but deter- 
 mined ; and but for a nose of great length, through which he 
 blew off passion, as an eager horse blows when restrained for 
 a few moments, he must have fainted before he commenced. 
 
 " Let me," were his first words, " throw a bomb-shell into 
 the enemy's camp. We have covered up the truth too 
 long, arid I am for tearing off the cover at once. Speak of 
 peace and quiet at this moment, when King George and his 
 bull-dogs are at our gates. Do you not hear them bark now, 
 and their teeth of iron which have crunched the skulls of 
 men, women and children, gaping wide that our flesh may be 
 torn ? And what do we see but strong men of God covered 
 with the panoply of heaven, crying like children for their 
 dear absent mother over the sea, under the name of Peace. 
 No! my voice is now for war, and the resolution before us, 
 which we are asked to pass in favor of hot defence, and if 
 need be, of hot pursuit, even unto death, is one that I shall 
 require my consistory to pass as one man, else we part next 
 day. It is the only way to wean us from our mother's breast, 
 that we be required as a Church, to do what our country has 
 done; live without all help, advice, authority or counsel from 
 Europe. Let those who have been born on that famous con- 
 tinent, or those who have drank of the milk of Leyden, 
 still snifter after the pap of a Holland cow ; for my part I 
 believe that the meadows of this new world yield as good 
 fodder as the bogs of those low countries. I despise all 
 whining when we should be fighting, with the sword bathed 
 in heaven, where it can only obtain the temper fit for slaying 
 the foes of liberty and of religion. Let me warn my brethren 
 who vacillate on this good cause, under the professed appear- 
 ance of keeping the peace, that the people are before them
 
 SAMSON CAKKTHSTG OFF THE GATES OF GAZA. 117 
 
 and let them neglect the opportunity now given of putting 
 their names to this patriotic resolution, and another chance 
 will not be afforded. 'Like the ancient Sibyl bringing her 
 books, the chances of obtaining them decrease, and thus 
 enhance their value." 
 
 The speaker went on in this strain for a full hour, pouring 
 forth a torrent of eloquence, which made the coldest-hearted 
 rise to a pitch of enthusiasm which it would have been dan- 
 gerous to have impeded, or even turned aside, without using 
 the greatest wisdom and power. When he sat down, every 
 one thought the question settled ; but the president, whose 
 strange black eyes had been wandering at the beginning of 
 the last speech, became so fixed toward its close, that it 
 seemed to all as if two coals of fire were glowing to a red 
 heat, and that some secret bellows blew the fire into an 
 intense ardor, so that it became impossible to gaze upon 
 them. Quietly he gave a secret sign to some one to come 
 up to him, when he moved out of the chair, which was occu- 
 pied by a substitute of less dimensions, but of equally solemn 
 gravity. 
 
 " Now we shall have the other side. A sound man is 
 Domiuie Rysdick, but behind the times. He would have 
 this big continent bound by his cable to a Dutch scow." 
 
 " None of your sly hits, Hanchie Sickles. You would send 
 the world round like a teetotum, and banish every good and 
 wholesome doctrine for the newest thing, if you only heard 
 it in the English tongue ; but I should like to know if you 
 ever heard a good Dutch prayer answered in another speech 
 than Dutch." 
 
 "Oh, yes!" said the young Elder Sickles, "and I have 
 seen a Dutch water-finder get a spring with English hazel; 
 and I have seen a cut made with an English knife healed by 
 keeping it warm behind a Dutchman's fire-place ; and a lame 
 horse cured by whispering ' Indian ' in his ear ; and old 
 Anikja on the hill can speak a burn away." 
 
 All of this was said with a cunning look, and so sedately 
 that the Plaattekill Elder Swart did not at first take the drift 
 of it ; and before he had gathered up the sense, Dominie 
 Rysdick had begun, in a slow, swinging way, with his eyes 
 half shut, and his back half turned to the audience, as if 
 entirely unconscious of any one being present. He was like 
 a man speaking in his sleep; or perhaps more like one tbut 
 talks into the next world, and feels quite sure that he will be 
 heard by those who can understand and appreciate what he
 
 118 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 Bays. When our friends in the square pew had time to listen, 
 they heard the slow, hesitating voice of the speaker, like the 
 rough rumbling of a stream when it is diverted from its 
 course into a mill race, as if nature angrily resisted the hand 
 of man. 
 
 " I am forced to rise out of my seat, where I supposed I 
 might take my rest till this question of years had been dis- 
 posed of; but it seems that we are on the verge of destruc- 
 tion: there are men who will play with the whirlwind. A 
 few winters since, a reverend divine, now present, went up 
 the mountain there on a journey of curiosity. He was not 
 satisfied with taking the plain road, but he must strike out a 
 path of his own ; and though he went as fast as any sober 
 man should travel, he put himself in the eye of the wind, so 
 that he might have tlie pride of saying that he rode upon a 
 whirlwind that he took it by the forelock. Alas for human 
 vanity ! he was swept from his feet, and obliged to lie prone 
 on the cold ground, or take the chance of tumbling over the 
 precipices headlong, as some would now fall." 
 
 With this quiet hint, and telling hit, at the rashness of 
 those who are not satisfied with taking the natural road to 
 their end, he was seemingly about to take his seat again, but 
 the current of his thoughts, like the stream, had now got 
 into the mill flume, and onward it began to run. He had 
 made a sensible hit at some of the rash men who were clear 
 for riding on a fiery steed of war ; and while his secret design 
 might be to prevent giving aid to the friends of the country, 
 his course showed a wish of keeping a passage behind through 
 which he might retreat in case of the strongest being the 
 conqueror. Though born in the province, his honors had 
 all come from abroad, with which he kept up a close inter- 
 course, and was connected by marriage with some of the 
 noble families of England. Withal, he was a true lover of 
 his native land, and conscientiously believed that she had 
 prospered under the fostering care of the mother countiy, 
 and would prosper. But since there was no chance of resist- 
 ing the tide of public sentiment now set in, his aim was to 
 turn the torrent aside. The little anecdote he told of the 
 reverend brother was adroitly put in, to show the danger of 
 disturbing existing relations between the mother church and 
 the colonial daughter. The Dominie to whom he referred 
 was one of the fiercest Whigs of the Classis, and had been an 
 open and determined advocate of independence from Holland. 
 
 All of this was told to the stranger in an undertone, so tbat
 
 SAMSON CARRYING OFF THE GATES OF GAZA. i!9 
 
 ne understood the nature of the question, and the character of 
 the individuals who were debating it with so much unction. 
 
 " You will hear for yourself how Dominie Schuneman w r ill 
 get out of that when he rises. He is a cunning man that is 
 now speaking, and maybe he thinks, now he has got the laugh 
 upon the Whig, that he will spoil the edge of his sword ; 
 but wait and hear." 
 
 "I have seen," said the Reverend Doctor Rysdick, continu- 
 ing his harangue, and raising his voice, " that there are some 
 men whose judgments are like the eyes which are full in 
 youth, and others whose judgments are like the flattened eye 
 of riper years. As age advances, these change; youth takes 
 a narrower view age sees at a distance. Those men who 
 look only at the present, and the nearest objects, see no dan- 
 ger beyond them. I am old, and know something of the for- 
 mer times which I have seen ; but lest it be said that I am 
 therefore all the less able to see the future, let me declare that 
 faith in the man of age is the second-sight by which he pene- 
 trates the clouds ; while the young man of fleshly vision is sat- 
 isfied with the figures which play upon the surface, and please 
 his fancy. We cannot question, but appearances favor the 
 young and the ardent ; but you know what the master sayeth : 
 * Oordeelt niet naar het aanzicn.' Yes, judge righteous judg- 
 ment. Take in the whole history of the church, and of the 
 people from whom we have sprung, and say if it be wise in us 
 to sever every bond, and let ourselves float away into the cur- 
 rent of a noisy world, that would cry one day Hosanna! 
 and the next crucify him. We are set for the defence of 
 Zion, not to aid in the clamor of the passionate multitude. 
 Are there not a sufficiency of voices in the public streets to 
 shout sufficiently loud to wake the dead, but we must, in the 
 midst of our quiet and repose, cause our voice to be heard in 
 the street ? Remember that the servant of the Lord must not 
 strive : Niemand die in den krigj dient wordt ingewikkeld 
 in de handelingen des leeftogts.* We are soldiers, but the 
 war we are to wage is with the world, the flesh, and the 
 devil. These few sheep in this wide wilderness must not be 
 left by me. I will retire to my hillside and wrap my cloak 
 around me, waiting for the storm ; with these old eyes look- 
 ing through the tempest, and this trembling voice calling to 
 the weary aad to the wandering while life remains; joyful 
 that the Chief Shepherd who called me to his fold still is thb 
 
 * No man that warrcth entaugleth himself with the affairs of this lifo.
 
 120 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 same as he was when first I entered thy sacred walls, O Ley. 
 den ! the Aima Mater of those who have long watched with 
 me here. Go away, my fellow-shepherds ; leave me alone in 
 tliis bleak and dark world. Go, seek after the novelties and 
 the carnalities of time and sense. Find the new existence 
 you dream of, but let me still have my early loves, and, if 
 you will, my early hates. ' Chose you this day whom you 
 will serve,' but if I forget thee, O Vaderland, let my right 
 hand forget her cunning, and my tongue cleave to the roof 
 of my mouth, if I count not thee above my chief joy." 
 
 The aged and venerable man sat down, far from being 
 overcome, but agitated as the old tree that moves in the wind 
 that rises with increasing force, making its strongest branches 
 wave aloft, while the trunk stands as firm as the rock on High 
 Peak. He walked slowly and with dignity to his seat, which 
 was yielded up to him by his adsessor, who was blowing 
 his nose to hide his tears of admiration rather than of grief. 
 
 There was a brief pause here which no one seemed inclined 
 to break in upon immediately. The question was upon the 
 duty which devolved upon the ministry in the present crisis 
 of the country, and it came up in the way of resolution, re- 
 commending all the Consistories to move in the patriotic 
 work of defending the Declaration of Independence with 
 their property and lives. Some, when first urged to this 
 open act, hesitated, as we have heard, but the popular feeling 
 had already gone far before them, and there were ministers 
 who took the van, willing to ride the whirlwind, as the la j t 
 speaker had said, in rather a sneering manner, considering 
 his dignity. 
 
 The effects of the last speech beginning to subside, there 
 were several who rose to their feet at once, but the Presi- 
 dent's eye rested on a tall man of subdued look and de- 
 meanor, whose age seemed to be a few years over thirty, 
 though his manner so grave and his words so deliberate, 
 were at variance with his voice and figure, which showed him 
 to be rather below than above those years. He was dressed 
 like the others around, in clerical garb ; but had he been met 
 in a log cabin, dressed in homespun, cut and made up by a 
 wandering tailor, he would have shown his breeding ;i^ a 
 gentleman and his training to be a scholar. Perhaps a keen 
 eye would have discerned the theologian spread over all. 
 
 A slight buzz ran through the house at the sight of hid 
 person, and at the prospect of hearing him the Elder said to 
 Captain Whittesley: "Here is a man of some importance!"
 
 SAMSON CAREYESTG OFF THE GATES OF GAZA. 1'2"J 
 
 And accordingly he put his mouth to the ear of his cicerone, 
 and whispered : " Who is that ?" 
 
 *' Dominie Livingstone," was the short reply. " He is now 
 living at the Manor with Baron Livingstone. He has been 
 forced to leave New York. His church has been turned into 
 a riding-school for the red-coats, and he has come up to help 
 us in this strait. Good man, he loves the church and the 
 country, but he is one of the peaceful men who are not wil- 
 ling to fight unless we cannot help it. I hope he will not fol- 
 low in the same rut with old Dominie Rysdick. But he be- 
 longs to the true Whig race. These Livingstones are all good 
 blood. But he has commenced." 
 
 " I desire the peace of Jerusalem, and I love them that love 
 her peace," was his opening sentence ; and he paused as if 
 engaged secretly in mental prayer for wisdom to speak the 
 right words. " You know that I am here an exile from my 
 dear people. Driven away from my home, with many who 
 love liberty more than life, the place of their birth is deserted, 
 so that with the weeping prophet, I may say of New York : 
 ' How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people? how 
 is she become as a widow, she that was great among the 
 nations and princess among the provinces? How is she be- 
 come tributary !' Nor is this the whole, Mr. President, but 
 the house of the Lord, where so many songs of praise have 
 risen from joyful hearts, and prayers been uttered by the lips 
 of the goodly servants of the Lord, is now a dunghill ; a 
 place for the swearer and the infidel to tread upon ; a scene 
 of revelry and riot. The enemy has made it a place for his 
 horses and his soldiers to exercise in, and we are shut cat of 
 our holy house. ' Alas ! for the day ! for the day of tho Lord 
 is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it 
 come. Is not the meat cut off before our eyes ? Yea, joy 
 and gladness from the house of our God ?' " 
 
 The effect of this exordium was evident upon all the 
 hearers, not even excepting the members of the court, who, 
 from their pride and staid dignity, seemed unwilling to yield 
 to the pathetic in a day which required sternness ; but they 
 were here overcome tor a few moments, while the speaker 
 paused to recover himself, which he soon did. 
 
 "Mr. President," continued he, "there are two extremes 
 in the men of this day those who look entirely to the past, 
 and would build on those foundations fabrics exactly as the 
 original buildings were ; and there are younger minds who 
 sry: 'Raze it! raze it!' and must have new foundations and 
 
 ft
 
 122 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 a new dwelling-place. I say let us build the new on the old 
 foundation, for the best reason in the world, that the old is 
 founded upon a rock, and is to be preferred to the sand " and 
 he paused, looking round " to that of Holland itself. The 
 time has come when preferences are to be made, and if the 
 wisdom of the present generation is perfect, then let them 
 burn all the books in Vandalic rage ; and if the wisdom of 
 the former ages was complete, how comes it that we are re- 
 duced to the state we are in this hour? 
 
 " Our church, like our country, is an orphan, left of its 
 natural mother, Holland, and of its natural father, England, 
 so that nothing remains for her now but to say : ' though fa- 
 ther and mother forsake me the Lord will take me up.' Nor 
 has she been thrown off quite helpless and bare of all means ; 
 on the contrary, with a good charter from heaven a good 
 catechism from Holland and a Avide country ail before us 
 where to choose, there is nothing to fear in looking forward, 
 nor anything to long for in looking back. Like the tamed 
 Eneas, of whom we read in our dear old Leyden, we are sail- 
 ing this day between Scylla and Charybdis. On the one side 
 I see my venerable fathers sailing, or wishing to take refuge 
 in the haven of ancient system, and on the other, my fellow- 
 brethren are determined to launch away in their individual 
 ships, independent of the admiral. The one will rot in port, 
 and the other will be swamped in breakers. Hear my counsel 
 and sail between, and God will bear you to a fairer land than 
 the Great Trojan. Fathers, take heed that you restrain not 
 the spirit of this young church, feeling the impulses of a 
 generous pride, in being able to live in hope till better day& 
 arrive; give them the liberty of putting up more sail, instead 
 of bidding, or demanding, as you from your age have a right 
 to do, that they should haul in and cast anchor, waiting lor 
 day, instead of putting out boldly to sea, which is always 
 safest in a storm. And you, my young and brave fellovv- 
 sailors, remember that old heads on board, who have wea- 
 thered storms before, are not burdensome but safeguards, 
 which we do well not to despise." 
 
 With this speech of moderation, the young doctor sat 
 down, leaving the reverend body to make the application 
 not difficult to do, after what had occupied the Classis all the 
 morning. The question really was, whether the consistories 
 of the several churches should be called upon, to take an 
 active part in the defensive and offensive war, now waging, 
 in their capacity as a church court. These bodies in the old
 
 SAMSON CARRYING OFF THE GATES OF GAZA. 12i 
 
 Holland Church, a^ in all the Reformed churches, still took 
 active measures against criminal offenders, and had a power 
 of trial and of punishment, subject to appeal in the higher 
 court. But the final court to which the American branch 
 was subject had been Amsterdam, where was now the court 
 of appeal. One had been formed here, but from the natural 
 prejudices of the old Dominies, and the present state of the 
 country, it had not yet got into working order. The 
 machinery had indeed been imported and put up, but it had 
 not been tried ; nor were the legitimate engineers experienced 
 men. The danger, therefore, of giving power to single 
 churches the same power of acting in cases which might be 
 construed into offences demanding discipline might become 
 dangerous precedents, and yet to forbid them at the present 
 time might be construed as treasonable acts by the Provincial 
 Congress. Here was a dilemma, to a cautious man, of the 
 most puzzling nature. The men of Tory predilections chose 
 one horn, and the tiery Whigs fearlessly took the bull by the 
 horns, and laughed at his stamping fury. They saw with 
 pleasure that the revolution in the State was the sure deliver- 
 ance of the church from its ancient vassalage, and so they 
 pushed the necessity of every consistory having an ecclesias- 
 tical power over political offences, and thus cleansing the 
 camp of every Achan within it. 
 
 The last speech, coming as it did from Doctor Livingstone, 
 who had already obtained great influence over the Colonial 
 church, both from his own personal character for piety, learn- 
 ing, great executive talent, and his connections with the 
 Whig family of that name, as well as for his own banish- 
 ment from New York, to which he had referred, made an 
 impression which was ominous of temporizing measures, such 
 as would have crippled the hands of the ardent friends of 
 the country. For it was well known that many influential 
 families were in constant communication with the Tories. 
 Those could be reached through the church, when they might 
 not be touched by the magistrates. At any rate, the warm 
 partisans were determined to try this lever upon the old 
 Dutch bodies of rich Boermen, such as Paulus Troumpier, 
 of Catsbaan, and Johannes Lasher, of Kinderhook ; ancl 
 others that could be named. The disaffection had gone 
 down to the very core of society, and it was necessary that 
 it should be traced throughout, though that should be to the 
 splitting of the churches. 
 
 " Give the Consistories power to bring up their neighbors
 
 124 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 who differ from them in matters of a political kind, and what 
 shall wo see but one setting himself to watch another, so 
 that no one is safe in his shoes ? Have we not trouble 
 enough in the towns and in the country without taking the 
 same into our churches setting father against the son, and 
 the son against the father ? No ; let us have at least one 
 peaceful place, to which we can turn in these days of turmoil 
 and war. Let the Sabbath bring all our people to one seat 
 on earth, as they must all appear before one Judgment. To 
 their own Master must each man stand or fall." 
 
 This speech was uttered in great fury by a high Conserva- 
 tive minister of this conclave, who had stood out long for 
 conferring with old Holland in all religious matters, and who, 
 from his very stiffness of spirit, thought it impossible for a 
 country to exist as a Christian land unless it had a king. 
 "The Israelites had a king," said he, "and the church was 
 now a kingdom, modelled after the plan of the upper King- 
 dom: Take the title of king away, and you would spoil the 
 Book where the Avord occurs so frequently." Besides all 
 these reasons, there w r ere in his own parish some who 
 secretly acted with the king's men, and he naturally trembled 
 both for them and for himself. 
 
 During the time of this debate, the Elder Swart got so 
 much in earnest in listening, that he entirely forgot the pre- 
 sence of the man whom he had taken under his care, and 
 would have let him slip through his fingers had he been 
 Arnold himself. Others, however, were not inattentive to 
 the motions of the strange man ; but his whole conduct was 
 to them a puzzle which they could not unravel. It was evi- 
 dent that he was not the man he pretended to be ; and yet 
 the persons he was holding communication with were all of 
 the true side. Salutations were exchanging between him and 
 some of the best Whigs, clerical and laical ; and yet a son 
 of restraint was on these, which was felt more than accounted 
 for. One side of his character was decidedly suspicious- 
 the interest which the blacks had in him, and the whisper- 
 ings held among themselves concerning him. In the nervous 
 state of some men possessed of slaves, the cause of this 
 might have been found, and there rested, had it not been for 
 the fact that one of the most active and turbulent fellows of 
 his race was seen to steal round to the back of the stranger, 
 and put something in his hand, leaving the house with tho 
 same caution with which he entered. 
 
 Whittesley, without appearing to notice these things,
 
 SAMSON CARRYING OFF THE GATES OF GAZA. 125 
 
 inquired about a man who rose at that point in the debate, 
 which seemed to be turning against the liberal side. The 
 person referred to was a square-built man, of middle age or 
 over, weighed at least two hundred pounds, and was more 
 remarkable for force than polish. He was what the Dutch 
 call a magtigen * man strong strong in lungs, strong in 
 arm, and strong in character ; and withal full of wit ; one of 
 the warmest-hearted souls in the world, with the most ungra- 
 cious mode of showing his goodness. When he rose there 
 was a general expectation of a scene. 
 
 He began with a text from the Dutch Bible, and indeed 
 throughout he made more use of that translation than he did 
 of the English. 
 
 "How happens it that this prejudiced Dutchman is on this 
 gide of the question ? What's his general character ?" asked 
 the mysterious stranger. 
 
 "This is Dominie Schuneman, of the Kaatskills," was the 
 reply of the Elder. " A great admirer of the Low Countries, 
 and believes that the model of our new republic should be 
 found there. In fact, he declares that Jefferson has copied 
 the Declaration of Independence from those United States 
 of the Nederlands. He prides himself on looking backward 
 and forward. Some one said as much in the presence of his 
 nigger, Tom, who went to the kitchen, where he was heard 
 laughing with the rest, and saying : ' D' real trut', massa hab 
 eene in de hole ob him's neck back ; hem see bot ways ende 
 de all round.' But hark, the storm is up. Dominie Schune- 
 man for ever." 
 
 "Evenwel het vaste fondament Gods staat, hebbende dit 
 zegel : De Heere kent degened, die de zijiien zijn," were 
 the first words distinctly heard : [" The foundation of God 
 standeth sure, for the Lord knoweth them who are his," 
 was the translation whispered by the Elder.] " We cannot 
 know everything, though we be Dominies ; but we have, 
 from our position in society, more opportunities of feeling the 
 public pulse in the right place, than any justice on the bench. 
 We must let our lights shine so that all may see the men who 
 are on the side of their country and of their God," said the 
 earnest man, as he looked round on the lukewarm and the 
 temporizing. "This is no time to hesitate; as that worthy 
 Scotchman, Wotherspoon, said truly, ' the pear is ripe and 
 rotten,' and it is too late to speak of going back, and I want 
 the authority of this court to call before me the men who, liko 
 
 * Might.y.
 
 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 'the children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, 
 turned back in the day of battle.' We have too many of these 
 deceitful friends, who come like wildcats round our dwellings 
 through the week, at night ; and on the Sabbath day are found 
 purring softly in their pews. I want the power to say to 
 Monus Diedricht or Bromie Layman, seize them there, and we 
 will try them on the spot. If you do not give us this authority, 
 by the Lord we will take it. You laughed incontinently at 
 the man who was ready to ride the whirlwind. The Reve- 
 rend Doctor, heavier in his jesting than Goliah with his 
 greaves of brass, could have told it more to his purpose, had 
 he been with this humble servant of the Lord on that day, 
 when the wind came like lightning through the gorge of the 
 mountain, carrying him forward as a feather is tossed in the 
 gale. Did the man laughed at hesitate ? No ; but borne to the 
 verge of the precipice, he seized the top of a tall pine that God 
 had planted for him a hundred years before, where he swung 
 upon its topmost branches till he recovered his balance, and 
 found time to descend, and be sheltered under the shadow 
 of the great rock. The same man stands before you ready 
 to engage in a more perilous strife ; to mount the wildest 
 horse that war can produce, and be in the van of the flying 
 cavalry. Who among you are willing to lead or follow ? 
 Who shall go up to Ramoth Gilead to battle ? Cowards are 
 next to traitors, and when the Lord's will is not followed 
 out, Israel shall be smitten before the men of Ai." 
 
 During the time of this fierce call, the back of the orator 
 had been toward the place where Elder Ssvart and his com- 
 panion sat ; but in the course of his gesticulations he turned, 
 when his eye rested a moment on Whittesley's face, which 
 seemed to operate as a new impulse to his already highly ex- 
 cited spirit and manner. The strange captain gave a sign 
 which was understood by the enraptured man, for lifting his 
 voice higher than ever, he called : 
 
 " Hearken, O men of God, to the sounds Avhich the demons 
 are already making on the sides of the mountains. I hear 
 even now the war-whoop of the savages, within sight of my 
 people. My own Mary is calling upon our little ones to 
 come and hide themselves away. She sees the traitors around, 
 skulking, and rubbing their hands, saying, ' Our day has 
 come ;' and here I am, begging the privilege of defending 
 our hearths against the nien in league with Brnndt and 
 Butler. The messenger who has brought me the report is 
 uow in our midst. To your tents, O Israel !"
 
 THE BRAVE BUT BLOODY BRANDT. 12? 
 
 The effect of this speech on the whole congregation was 
 electrical, and moved the most phlegmatic Dutchman present, 
 BO that it would have been dangerous for any one to attempt 
 resisting the influence. Persons had been seen during the 
 sederunt, coming in and putting missives into the hand of 
 the speaker, which now were understood to be reports from 
 the upper country ; and as usual when a company of men rise 
 into an excited state, the call made to their patriotism, as well 
 as to their personal fears, roused them to enthusiasm. All rose 
 to their feet ; the president was the last up,-but as if the truth 
 had at length penetrated his skull, he lifted his hands, pro- 
 nouncing the apostolic benediction in a slow, solemn voice, 
 every syllable of which was heard throughout the house, 
 when all left the place. 
 
 " Let us go and visit the other house," whispered the 
 strange captain. 
 
 " You mean the Provincial Congress ?" said the Elder. 
 
 An inclination of the head was all the answer, and the 
 two went out together to the Court House, where that body 
 were then met. 
 
 Our Kaatsberg messenger had become so absorbed in 
 mind, while seeing and hearing, that he forgot his intention 
 of obtaining a private word with his own Dominie Schune- 
 man, so that by the time he recovered from his surprise that 
 worthy was gone, and already far on his way homeward. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 THE BRAVE BUT BLOODY BRANDT. 
 
 ' Hercules had tried his strength on Anta-os often without success, till at last he saw 
 that frequently, as his enemy was thrown upon his mother earth, she threw him back 
 again ; the bero at last lifted him up in his mighty arms, and squeezed him till he breathed 
 hii last breath." GKLCUN MYTHOLOGY. 
 
 DOMINIE SCHUNEMAN found his horse ready for him at 
 the church door. The means of return had been provided 
 during the last hour by Dominie Doll, whose horse was fur- 
 nished to Tom, the Kaatskill pastor's man, so that he might 
 go back with his master at full speed, while at the same 
 time the favorite nag of Sopus might be out of harm's way 
 in case any attack should be made upon the village, a? rumor 
 went, and as the importance of the place invited.
 
 128 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 Off minister and man flew at full speed, only pausing at 
 every second mile, that the animals might take breath, when 
 Tom was plied with more questions than it would have taken 
 a day to answer in a calm time. 
 
 "Tom, was the teeken vuur blazing last night on Round 
 T\>p ? Did you take in the Van Bergen apples, and put 
 the others into the cider press ? We must have our cider- 
 brandy made when we go back. Has Captain Van Vechten 
 called out the sodgers?" 
 
 The last question was the one that touched Tom's fancy 
 with most vividness, for he answered at once : " Yaw, yaw, 
 massa ; dere vere tree vistlqs an a trum, ende dey made sound 
 like de saltery of de King Jew's harp." 
 
 " King David, you mean, you blockhead. How often have 
 I told the people about the kind of music they had in old 
 times, and tried to show you the way they held their instru- 
 ments ; but it is all one, blunder after blunder." 
 
 " Lorra ! Massa don't mean that Tom know no more den te 
 men who never crossed the big water like massa sell'." 
 
 It was one of the Dominie's favorite boasts that he had been 
 to Holland as well as the best of them, and knew something. 
 Tom used to say the same thing, only he put the name of 
 Guinea always in. He considered himself a travelled gentle- 
 man of color, and as holding a place among his own class 
 equal to that which the Dominie held among his brethren. 
 
 The spur was again at play, and away the two went at full 
 speed, Tom keeping his horse, as in duty bound, one length 
 behind his master ; for the animal he rode was not equal to 
 the other, but he was the lighter in weight and the best rider 
 of the tAvo. The usual visits which were paid at other times 
 to the dwellers in Vlatt Bush and Catsbaau were dispensed 
 with on that day, though the memory of the good horse every 
 now and again prompted him to turn into the different barn- 
 yards where he had tasted the good fodder of the landlord. 
 A dig with the Dominie's heel was all the answer given, and 
 if the creature had any mental feeling at all, it must have 
 been surprised at the unusual self-denial of his rider, who 
 loved his friends so well that he never passed their door, nor 
 suffered one of them to pass his, without tasting the cup of 
 kindness in cider or good Santa Crux, while the faithful steed 
 ate his corn. 
 
 But this was no time for palavering, and on the two riders 
 rattled, bringing to their doors the inhabitants, black and 
 white, wondering at the haste of the Kaatskill Dominic, who
 
 \flE BRAVE BUT BLOODY BRANDT. 129 
 
 was always a welcome visitor to the master, while Tom was 
 even more welcome to the servants. It was sorely against 
 the grain for the latter personage to pass by the house of old 
 Bennie Languendyck, where a lively wench lived for whom 
 Tom had a sneaking liking, and within a mile of the house 
 he made up his mind to stop at all hazards. How this was 
 to be accomplished was the problem he set himself about to 
 solve. He trusted to his luck, which meant in his case the 
 effect of a certain charm which he tried at such times. He had 
 learned a Dutch rhyme, which sounded like a psalm to his 
 ear, and in some way he supposed there was virtue in it. If 
 it failed, he had bad luck ; sometimes he succeeded, and then 
 he had good luck. Tom said his say, and then, like wiser 
 folks, he set about accomplishing his wish. He loosened his 
 saddle-girth as the first thing to be done, and giving his 
 master's horse a sly prick in the rump, the two started away 
 at double speed, when just as they were close by the garden 
 fence of his desired place he slipped down, saddle and all, aa 
 if he had faUen, while his horse bounded forward, taking for 
 the barn-yard as a matter of course, into which the Dominie, 
 horse and all, followed as straight as an arrow. 
 
 All that Tom wanted was gained. He wanted his supper, 
 and he did not care for any other wench preparing it but 
 Flora; and this was sure to be done. So, coming in limping, 
 and holding his hand on his hip, at the same time making so 
 many wry faces that it was difficult to restrain laughter, 
 though all thought he was seriously hurt ; and, indeed, he had 
 not escaped without a few bruises more than he had calculated 
 upon. Of course ah 1 was laid to the loosening of the girths, 
 and he chuckled within himself at the trick. Once off the 
 horse, the Dominie was easily persuaded to let his friend lead 
 the animal to the stable and himself into the ample parlor, 
 wHere the best in the house always waited for him. This was 
 not his own parish, but he was as well known here as at 
 home, and loved the people nearly as well. Bennie Languen- 
 dyck was one of the regular descendants of the Huguenots, 
 full of piety and good will, which were written on his face 
 by the finger of God, and could not be misunderstood. His 
 feelings were all, next to his God, for his country, and just as 
 soon as there could be a quiet moment he began to make in- 
 quiries after the matters of the church, which were so inter- 
 twined with the affairs of the state that in speaking of the 
 one they fell into the other. Bennie had a great deal to 
 learn, and some things he could tell. The Dominie was the 
 
 6*
 
 130 TUB DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 very man he wanted most of all to see at that hour. He La<3 
 a reverence for his learning, his office and his piety, wluch 
 made him humble and glad at the same time, which the good 
 man was the last in the world to take advantage of, though, 
 to tell the truth, a stranger would not have believed so of 
 him, judging from his gruffness and decision. These ti aits 
 were the results of his intercourse with slaves and inferior 
 men, whom he thought were more impressed in that way 
 than by a milder manner. But all knew him to be one of the 
 warmest-hearted men in the world, and they loved him as 
 much as they feared him. 
 
 "Te Dominie het been to tend Classis, and can tell vot vas 
 done to de Tories," said Bennie, in a half inquiring strain. 
 
 "Yaw, and a set of Tories some of them are, who were 
 there, afraid of their own shadow or else of their own ease. 
 They stand in fear of man. We have Ahitophels in the camp, 
 and in the court of the Lord. But, Bennie, mark Dominie 
 Schuneman's words, he will root out the Tories from the 
 Hilderburgs to the Kaatskills, if there be power in his Con- 
 sistory." 
 
 " Glad am I dat dere is one Dominie villing to do his duty, 
 ende much need is there of power and skill to do all dis. Has 
 de Dominie heard " and the old Dutchman, lowering his voice 
 to a whisper, looked round the room as if afraid of an enemy 
 in his own house " has de Dominie heard of de rising to be 
 among de placks ?" 
 
 " Rising among the blacks !" repeated the confounded 
 minister, as he rose up from his seat, looking around the 
 room in his turn. " Who said the blacks were going to rise 
 at this time ? That would be the Gibeonites turning trai- 
 tors, after we have nursed them in the very bosom of our 
 families, giving us over into the hands of the Amorites. 
 Speak, Bennie, and tell me all about it, for am not I a father, 
 a Dominie, and a master myself. I will pursue, I will overtake, 
 I will divide the spoil ; speak, I tell you." 
 
 "Dere is no need of haste, before de avondmaal* pe ready. 
 5c ou kenne vat ve say, ' empty stalls make biting horses,' encle 
 dere corm* Flora to bid us set too." 
 
 She was a young jet black damsel, of about twenty years of 
 age, and was also one of the original Africans, imported in 
 large numbers before the Revolution ; some of them direct 
 from their native country, and others brought fr'ym the islands 
 
 * Supper.
 
 THE BRAVE BUT BLOODY BRANDT. 131 
 
 of the "West Indies, in -return for trade. Flora was a supe- 
 rior wench, had been apt to learn the manners and the 
 language of her master, and had become a favorite with all ; 
 so much so, that she had an influence beyond her place. 
 
 " Ha ! Flora, are you there, with your white teeth and grey 
 ecne?" said the Dominie. " I wonder who is to carry you off 
 from old Bennie. Are Tom and you not going to make it 
 up ? I guess now the reason why his saddle-girths gave 
 way. Come, see if you cannot make it up ; and then we 
 shall see what we can bargain for ; I cannot part with Tom, 
 so you most come to the parsonage." 
 
 Flora, who was waiting her chance, pretending to place 
 the dishes till this speech was over, gave a sly look up, say- 
 ing as she went toward the door, "Dese be no dimes ior 
 marrying and gibing in marriage." 
 
 " She is a smart wench, Bennie, and if Tom and her can 
 draw up, I would be willing to hand you over two hundred 
 pounds for her." 
 
 " We will speak of dat again, Dominie ; say away," and 
 the grace was asked with reverend deportment. The meal 
 w r as excellent. The earnest minister had been so engaged 
 since the morning, that he actually was not hungry till he sat 
 down and smelt the dish of new chickens, and saw the 
 white bread made of new wheat flower, with vegetables in 
 abundance. The victuals now began to disappear and there 
 was a lull. The good vrow slily poured out irom a beautiful 
 china tea-pot, into cups of the same kind, the rare beverage, 
 tea, while the old man, from a black, square bottle, which ho 
 had hidden till now, tilled a crystal goblet, placing it on the 
 opposite side from where the wife's tea was put. The Dominie 
 looking from one side to the other, gave one of his hearty 
 laughs, and tasting first the one and then the other, he 
 said : 
 
 " Ha ! we have found out the thief that broke into the 
 storehouse at Sopus. Well, you are more deserving of grace 
 than King George, and I will not tell. But, Bennie, was 
 not that a sly tiling of these mauraders to get in, and the 
 sentinel walking before the door with fixed bayonet ?" 
 
 " Nay, nay, Dominie ; dem dat hides kenne vere to seek 
 Ticklish times raises up ticklish men. Have you said yet 
 vot the Consistories are to do wid de Tories ?" 
 
 " I am going home," said the Dominie, " to summon everj 
 Tory in the parish before us, and forbid every one of them 
 from taking sacrament, and then hand them over tc the com
 
 132 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 mittee for punishment ; I shall spare not one of them. ] 
 will," and with that he lifted his great hand in the same way 
 as he would take his oath, " I will not spare my own brother 
 if he stands in the way of the country and her cause." 
 
 Just at this moment a young man entered, the son of Beri- 
 nie Languendyck, with evident alarm upon his face, and said 
 he wished to tell what he had just heard. After some length 
 of preface, it came to this that a report had been spread 
 about of the negroes rising, and as he knew that Flora arid 
 Tom were in the secret, if there was anything in it, he had 
 stowed himself away, so that he could hear their conver- 
 sation. 
 
 "Well, what did Tom say?" was the Dominie's quick 
 demand. 
 
 " What did Flora say?" was the demand of the master of 
 the house. 
 
 " Give me time," said the youth. " Tom was making love 
 to Flora, and she was making it a condition that he should 
 join the black regiment they are going to raise on King 
 George's side. She says she will get him made a captain. Tom 
 says he will think of it till the day after to-morrow, when he 
 will come down and tell her. But Flora, who seems to know 
 a good deal more than she lets out, says the Indians are com- 
 ing down to take the Dominie off to Niagara to-night, and 
 she is warning Tom against being in the way, lest he be shot 
 and his scalp taken." 
 
 " The duivel !" was the first words of the Dominie ; and 
 then, correcting himself, he said : " God knows what will be 
 the end of all this, but I must face the evil and prepare 
 against it. It is according to the information which Tom 
 himself brought : Brandt is on the mountain, and I shall be 
 his first mark. But we shall see when it comes. I must go 
 and meet the Consistory at the Baackouter, on my way home. 
 There we can plan. Take you care of that wench, Flora, and 
 1 will watch Tom. A man's foes are those of his own house- 
 hold. Peace be with you." 
 
 The minister and his man were soon at full speed again. 
 Tom had not a single pain, nor a wish except to get to the 
 stable and tell what he had seen to his near associates. He 
 was not ignorant of the purposed uprising, but, possessed of 
 more wit and cunning than the majority, he had heard all, 
 but committed himself to nothing. He even pretended to 
 Flora that she was the first to tell him. He was full of his 
 own thoughts, and rode further behind his master than usual.
 
 THE BRAVE BUT BLOODY BKANDT. 133 
 
 jg il to avoid being questioned on the state of things. The 
 master's mind was as full of thought as the servant's, so that 
 scarcely a word passed till they came near to the ford that 
 allowed them to cross the Kauterskill Creek, which at that 
 time was swollen, it being after a heavy rain. As they both 
 mounted up the bank, the hind feet of the Dominie's horse 
 slid back, which nearly unseated the rider, just as Tom came 
 up in time to give his master a helping hand, keeping him on 
 the saddle. 
 
 " That was well done, Tom : you might have pulled the 
 other way, and got me out of the road, sending me down 
 stream." 
 
 " Lor' forbid, massa !" was the first impulsive cry of the 
 slave. " Tom knows better who feeds him than touch a hair 
 of massa's head at any time." 
 
 " Oh, I did not mean you to take it so much in earnest as 
 that. One might suppose, from your speaking so, that you had 
 been told to do it ;" and here he looked in the negro's face. 
 
 But Tom had recovered himself, and smiling said : " Lor', 
 massa, you look so, and talk so like red rooster when afraid 
 of de black cock." 
 
 This was touching the Dominie in his weakest place, for 
 fear was that which he never knew, and to speak of it when 
 there was actual danger was likely to make him angry. 
 
 " Afraid, you scoundrel ! who is afraid ? Afraid of what ? 
 of Brandt, or of a whole black regiment with a Tom captain 
 at their head. All that I need to do is to lift my whip, and 
 they will run." 
 
 By this time he was holding his raw-hide over the nose of 
 Tom, who stood aghast, not so much at the threatening, as 
 at the words "black regiment," which had incautiously in his 
 passion passed the lips of the master. He had intended to 
 keep that secret to himself till the time of revealing was pro- 
 perly come ; and, feeling the prompting of his anger power- 
 fully within him, he wheeled round and rode off, nor did he 
 stop till he was before the door of Monus Diedricht on the 
 Baackouter, where he had appointed a meeting for catechizing 
 the children, and with the members of his Consistory. He 
 found that all were met, so that with his accustomed dili- 
 gence, and as if he had been in his study all day, he pro- 
 ceeded with his religious duties, the same as in a time of peace. 
 
 An hour being occupied with devotional duties, Le called 
 his counsellors together, who were grave men and well tried. 
 Ah 1 were present but one, Martin Schuyler, and it was
 
 134 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 agreed that something of great importance must ha re kept 
 him at home. 
 
 " You see, Dominie, that the teeken vuur above his house 
 was to be the signal-fire for all the rest on the Cauliberg, and 
 sure enough it did blaze out from the Hoogenhuisen in a full 
 glow, and that was enough to keep him." 
 
 "True; but he would have been here or sent word, unless 
 eomething else kept him. I am afraid that the Indians have 
 taken hold of him on the way down. Rumors have been rife 
 all day from our scouts, but nothing definite yet, though we 
 are expecting the news every moment." 
 
 This was said by one of the men of mark in the neighbor- 
 hood, who was requested to remain and tell what he knew 
 of the state of aifairs. His account was gloomy enough. All 
 day the Tories had been observed passing in and out of the 
 woods at well known places, where it was too likely some 
 secret plans were perfecting. No one could be found bold 
 enough to venture near the centre of the woods, which lay 
 between the mountain and the king's road ; and the most 
 they could judge by was the smoke which lay there in the 
 morning, showing that fire had been kept burning through 
 the night. Through some secret source, which no one could 
 trace, a report had come down toward evening of the Tories' 
 intention being to join that night and attack the Dominie's 
 house. To meet this, a company of men had gone over there 
 about an hour ago. 
 
 " Thank you, friends, for that ; but what will the ' Yfvrow do 
 without my help ? I must go as soon as we get through here." 
 
 All gave a sly smile at the Dominie's fear about the 
 'Yfvrow, Avho was well known as the ruler of that domicile, 
 and needed less of his help than he required of hers ; still, he 
 always believed himself to have the mastery, which he had 
 in all othei parts of his parish, except in the parsonage. 
 
 " Let us proceed to business ;" and the usual formalities 
 were gone through, of a, devotional cast. Afterward the 
 President stated the order he was determined to pursue in 
 all treasonable cases. Debar them he would from the sacra- 
 mental table, and if they did not repent, hand them over to 
 the civil law. To all of this not a word of opposition was 
 offered, except by Elder Abiel, who was a man not to be put 
 down, even by the Dominie. He hated Tories as he hated 
 the devil, and if he were sitting on the bench of justice, he 
 would go the length of roasting some of them around here ; 
 but as an elder, it was another thing.
 
 THE BRAVE BUT BLOODY BRANDT. 135 
 
 " I have known Dominies to change sides, and who knows 
 but our Dominie here may be killed in this war. And suppos- 
 ing we get one of the double-sided men, who are all king with 
 king's men, and all country with me, and he chooses to sit in 
 judgment on me as a Whig, what shall I deserve ?" 
 
 "Garret Abiel," said the Dominie, with earnestness, 
 " your faith is failing. Do you for a moment believe tht 
 we are to lose the ground we have gained, if we be true 
 to ourselves, and stop these traitors, who are prowling 
 about our door all night, waiting for our carcasses ? Tender 
 mercy at this hour is severity, and I call upon you to make 
 out a case of public scandal against Petrus Sax, Jacobus Ror 
 and Johannes Troumpier, and others to be named." 
 
 At this point in the proceedings, some one called over the 
 half door where they were assembled, " Garret Abiel, tous 
 vanted at home," and at the call the elder rose, putting the 
 pipe, that he had just filled for the fourth time, into the 
 cinders, giving a few whiffs to be sure of its kindling, and he 
 left, bidding the Dominie call on his way home, and he would 
 send David with him on the road home, as a convoy. Abiel's 
 house lay in the Vlatt, about half a mile from Monus Died- 
 richt's, which was perched on the side-hill close by the mili- 
 tary road, which went through Unadilla and the lake 
 country, to Fort Niagara. The road to the Elder Abiel's, 
 from the place he was in, was uneven, and fenced on both 
 sides by alder bushes and small trees, which were left in the 
 meadows, and by the rail fences. Besides, it was necessary 
 for him to cross the creek before he could reach his own 
 door. 
 
 It so happened, in the course of events, that Teunis Roe 
 was on his way toward the house of Garret Abiel. He had 
 returned during the evening from Sopus, whither he had 
 been sent ; and having missed his own aim telling the 
 Dominie of his danger he was in no haste to return and 
 report anything to his prejudice. All he could do was to be 
 as near as possible to him, and avert from him the injury 
 in tended. 
 
 His father met him with as much excited pleasure as it was 
 possible for him to display outwardly in his stiff, cliuwy man- 
 ner, and to all questions put concerning the Classis, he gave 
 evasive answers, which satisfied the old man, and made him 
 rub his hands in prospect of the captain's cap that waited for 
 his son Teunis ; other means of information were not want- 
 ing concerning the sayings and the doings of th?t day ; nor
 
 136 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 bad the movers in the plot, of taking off the Consistory bodily, 
 waited for the result of those resolutions discussed at Sopus. 
 The temper of the stern Whig Dominie had been felt too 
 often before this, not to be dreaded now, whether he had the 
 authority of the church or was left to act without it. Either 
 fie must be removed out of the way, or they must escape for 
 the present. Brandt's presence was now their only chance, 
 and already the train was all laid, waiting for the spark. 
 
 " Noo Sonne," said the burly Boerman, " hev de glass 
 of de gin schnaaps, ande here is de plack for tee face. Tee 
 must be tee young Ingin," and he looked as if he were laugh- 
 ing, when not a sound came from his throat. Gin had been 
 plentifully drank all round, of which the old Tory had swal- 
 lowed a good share. 
 
 Teunis was shocked at the disguise he saw the company in, 
 and his feelings revolted from the garments brought to him, 
 so that on the first impulse he said warmly, " Dad, I cannot 
 hide my face like the owl." 
 
 " Ende vat vor no like de oders ? Tee vill vecht alle de 
 betters," said the really astonished Jacob. 
 
 " Nae, nae," said the son, becoming more decided, " if I 
 look like the devil I must feel like him, and maybe I may 
 turn and blow brimstone on those who set me on fire. Dad- 
 die, I will remain and be a man, and respect myself. In that 
 way will I do my duty, all the better to my God and to my 
 country, and to " 
 
 The cautious mother saw where all this was tending, so 
 stepping in between father and son, she whispered something 
 in the ear of the old man, which tickled him greatly, for 
 breaking out well pleased, he said : 
 
 " Goodt, goodt, sonne ; den go down to de creek ende, 
 votch for de big Whiggee Abiel, and see dat he off wid 
 Brandt once, Dominie or no Dominie." 
 
 Teunis, on reflection, saw that he might aid in the rescue 
 of the Dominie, should he be taken, all the better if he put 
 on the disguise provided for him ; and in the event of his 
 being taken, there would be at least one friend near, who 
 might aid him in his attempt to escape. Without any more 
 parleying, he endeavored to ascertain the exact state oi 
 affairs, and started to the edge of the stream over which 
 Elder Abiel must cross before he could reach his own door. 
 Then and there he hoped to obtain a quiet interview, and 
 reveal to him all he knew. 
 
 All at once he heard the very man he \vas waiting for,
 
 THE BEAVE BUT BLOODY BRANDT. 137 
 
 shouting at the top of his voice, and swearing a little in 
 Dutch, at some one who was waylaying him. 
 
 "Take dat, Dunder-bush ! more comin' before morning. 
 He! he! he!" 
 
 Teunis knew al. the parties well. It was the Elder and 
 his slave Cuffee, that arch negro with whom Dora was in 
 compact, now carrying out the scheme which had either been 
 put into their hands by Satan or his imps. The whole of that 
 dark scene in the cave came up before the vision of the hid- 
 den sentinel, and in present circumstances the plot seemed 
 likely to be successfully carried out. The private and the 
 public enemies of Abiel had found in this black knave a fit 
 instrument, as they saw, of effecting their purpose. He pos- 
 sessed great shrewdness, with more fire than usually falls to 
 the share of his race. Certainly there was a deeper malice 
 in that bosom than was known, till the times showed him 
 up in his true colors. All the chastisements he had ever 
 received were treasured by him, lying at interest, which 
 he now determined to pay at a compound rate. 
 
 This now being the set night, and nine o'clock being the 
 hour when a clean sweep was to be made of the whole 
 country, the Dominie with the rest, Cuffee was set to 
 watch the door, and keep all away but friends. But the 
 malicious slave, remembering his stripes and rejoicing in his 
 revenge, resolved to have a little fun, and do a little of the 
 punishment with his own hand; so he had the Elder Abiel 
 called out from the rest, that he might waylay him in the dark. 
 
 " Tak dat vonce more 'gain. Love cat-ende-nine-tails ; he ! 
 he ! he ! Dornily fire all his cannons at him. No dead yet ; 
 one heavy gad kill no ox so big." 
 
 " You black sinner, what do you mean ? I'll beat you 
 white," and here the worthy master was groping round in 
 the dark for some stick or stone that he might defend himself 
 with, while Cuffee was dodging him in all directions, and deal- 
 ing out such strokes as he thought fit; sometimes from 
 behind, and then on the side, all the while laughing his 
 " he ! he ! he !" so provoking, that the sound went further 
 into the old man's spirit than the gad went into his body. It 
 was just as the master was fairly worn out that Teunis stepped 
 in and gave the black a stroke on the temple, that laid him 
 flat on the ground, but he was no more hurt than if he had 
 been a bull calf. Rising quickly up, he ym with all his power 
 from the place, and disappeared in a thicket. 
 
 Teuuis, finding himself alongside of the very man he
 
 138 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 wanted to see, thought of the two messages sent by him to 
 the Elder. One was to watch him lest he should escape from 
 the designs upon him ; and the other to warn him so that he 
 might escape. He resolved to follow his heart, and warn him, 
 but how to begin, in the present confused state of the old 
 Dutchman's brains, was a question of doubt. He had been so 
 completely thrown off his balance by the suddenness of the 
 call in the midst of his argument with the Dominie from fear 
 lest something serious had happened in his absence, and was so 
 hastily passing through the dark, that the stroke from behind, 
 and the beating which followed from his own slave, was, 
 when all had passed over, a maze through which he could not 
 see. When, therefore, the first man he met was no other 
 than the son of his mortal enemy, he was inclined to con- 
 sider it but a part of the plot of which he had heard that 
 night for the first time. 
 
 " The devil take that son of his own ! When I get hold 
 of him, I will make his flesh as raw as he made old Grey's 
 back in his last night's ride." The negro had been out with 
 the Tories all the previous night, and rode one of his master's 
 horses almost to death. 
 
 " Maybe," said Teuriis, " I can explain to Uncle Garret the 
 cause of Cuffee's rebellion." 
 
 Before another word could be got in, the old man was up 
 in a rage and with his staff high in the air, was threatening 
 the speaker with the punishment he meant for the black. 
 
 "The rebel! Who speaks of rebellion here? Who will 
 hint at rebellion to me, you mean Tory, and the son of a far 
 meaner Tory ?" 
 
 But for the promise he had made to Elsie, this sudden 
 onslaught might have upset the good intentions of her lover, 
 but his real desire of warning the honest Boerman of danger 
 kept him calm and to his purpose ; so, loosening himself from 
 the grasp made upon his throat, he quietly said : 
 
 "I did not mean you were a rebel, Elder, but that Cuffee 
 was inleague against you, and rebels were in your own house." 
 
 " You lie !" was the hot answer of the old man. ' I do as 
 the Dominie advises, and as he tells of Abraham, who com- 
 manded his children and his servants after him. My house 
 is a well-ordered house, as my good whip this night will 
 testify." 
 
 By degrees, however, Tennis found the way to the angr\ 
 man's understanding ; so that by the time he had reached hi* 
 own door, he had a tolerable notion of the state of things
 
 THE BEAVE BUT BLOODY BRANDT. 139 
 
 and of what he must guard against. Had he but another 
 hour to collect his thoughts, clear his brain, smoke his two 
 accustomed pipes, and give Cuffee his promised chastisement, 
 it would have taken more strength than the Tories had mus- 
 tered at that time to have overcome him, except by taking 
 him by surprise. As it was, Cuffee had anticipated the 
 threatened attack, through his love of mischief, so that instead 
 of getting the whole Consistory the Dominie with the rest 
 they must be satisfied with the next important personage, 
 Garret Abiel. The rage of the Tories was uncontrollable 
 when they found themselves balked in part ; and in all like- 
 lihood the country would be roused before they could accom- 
 plish anything. The negro had run to his employers, whom 
 he now regarded as his equals, telling them, with great glee, 
 how he had " trashed de ole man so that he roared like de 
 black bull ;" but instead of getting praise for his pranks, he 
 was near receiving thirty lashes, and would have been tied 
 up, only it was thought best to use him in carrying out their 
 plot. 
 
 Cuffee was ordered into the ring and told how he must act. 
 
 "You must go into the kitchen," said one of the disguised 
 figures in the group, "and sit within the big jambs, and be 
 there when the Elder comes in, and deny everything. You 
 will be scourged, and you deserve it ; but if you do not sub- 
 mit to your master's whip, you must take one here from us." 
 
 Cuffee looked as a big, cowardly mastiff would when he 
 fain would bite some one. He expected different treatment. 
 
 " Massa yet. Me thinks free man do as he pleases ; king's 
 man free ; and den ole Phoebe will tell all, let me lie as I like. 
 She'll tell de trut to shame de devil. Her mind and con- 
 shness truble her if her tongue go crooked. Her Christshan 
 words straight as hoe-handle." 
 
 "Cuffee," said Helmers Ousterhout, who knew that the 
 nigger was more afraid of the fat wench than he was of even 
 his master, "hide the ladle and she cannot strike you." 
 
 " I'll not go in once again. I'm de son of King Quackle- 
 dom myself, and de free as'll the best of them." 
 
 Here a tall, straight figure, who had stood silent in tho 
 shadow of the rest, stepped forward and seized the African 
 by the wool with his left hand, holding in his right a bright, 
 glittering knife, with which he made three flourishes round 
 Cuffee's head, at the same time giving him a shake which 
 gave the black ague fits. At the close of this little panto- 
 name, he was ready to do as he was bidden, and in hw
 
 140 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 marched, just in time to take his seat close by the fire on the 
 floor, and feign to be fast asleep. 
 
 Once embarked in the plan, Cuffee was the very one to go 
 through with it, and he put on a face which almost deceived the 
 spectators, who had taken their places at the kitchen window 
 to watch the progress of things. The fare just blazed, whils 
 the other negroes were preparing for their several beds. A 
 few little elves, who had had an early sleep, were playing, 
 naked as little pigs, on the floor. Luckily for Cuffee, Queen 
 Phoebe was down in the -cellar, preparing for the morning's 
 repast. It was not long before she came up, when Cuffee 
 gave a start and a snort, as if he were wakened out of a 
 dream, then falling back again into the land of drowsiness. 
 Just then the door opened, and in stepped the master, whip 
 in hand ; and an angry man was he, as he stood over Cuffee. 
 and roared : 
 
 " Strip, you black dog ! You sinner of Satan ! en de 
 groote draak oude slang duivel en Satanas ! Strip !" 
 
 The Elder, for want of words in English, had recourse to 
 the Bible, and heaped dragon, serpent, devil, satan, all in 
 one, on the head of the devoted Cuffee: but strip was the 
 word which went furthest into the ear of that worthy. 
 
 " What'll strip for now? Had von flogging already, 
 to-day. N"o'll worked for so much, and no more." 
 
 "Strip," said the angry master, his rage rising with his 
 efforts to restrain himself. " Your rebellion must be checked. 
 Ha ! you are going to set up for yourself, King Quackledorn, 
 and your subjects are to gather in the morning. But it will 
 take all the black regiment together to save you just now, 
 for that stroke you gave me in the meadow. I knew your 
 he! he? he! You son of the devil! You heathen! This 
 is what you learn of that Fetish cantrap that you have at 
 full moon, instead of learning your catechism." 
 
 " Lor' blessy, massa, me been back all de way to Guinea 
 coast, 'long side of King Quackledom, chewing monkey snout, 
 an' trinking spittle schnaps wid Prince Maskity till I fell 
 down on de floor. Phoebe knows, dere, herself; an' she tell 
 de trut always, Domilie, and 'hole Consisry say amen." 
 
 All of this was said in the utmost gravity by Cufl'ee, vdth 
 his back to the wall and his face fronting the back door, 
 which he kept watching with the intensest interest, for 
 through that he expected his rescue. On his right hand 
 stood /'Acebe, and on his left her daughter Peggy, who had 
 far the cunning, frolicsome fellow a hankering kindness ; the
 
 THE BRAVE BUT BLOODY BRANDT. 141 
 
 master stood in front. The small fry had all run like rats 
 into their holes, for well they knew that when the blood o^ 
 old Dunder Geest was up, he dealt his blows with great im- 
 partiality all round within his reach. 
 
 Peggy stood ready to declare anything, but Phoebe, who 
 was really what Cuffee had said, truthful, felt herself in a 
 tight place when her master demanded if she had seen the 
 black scoundrel fall on the floor. 
 
 " Mammy," said she, " black as Cuffee ; massa vite as 
 Godcle made him. If massa saw Cuff loll on de grass, mo 
 seed him loll on de floor. Tat's ah 1 Pho3be say." 
 
 The Elder was beginning to get confused, and by way of 
 clearing his mind and regaining his quiet, he resolved on 
 giving a few lashes, for he knew that if Cuffee was not 
 guilty, he would be guilty before long, so it was as well to 
 make things sure, and give him payment beforehand ; but 
 ere he had time to lay on, the door opened as quietly as a 
 Dutch door will, when in stepped two of the disguised Indi- 
 ans ; then Cuffee also stepped out and seized the whip, which 
 the master was flourishing round his head, by way of giving 
 it force and effect before laying it on. 
 
 The Elder, again taken all aback, looked as if coming out 
 of a dream, first at the new comers, and then at the impudent 
 slave. When he found his tongue, he threw himself back to 
 the wall, and ordered them out of his presence. 
 
 " You red sinners, as you only seem to be, get out of my 
 own huisen," and he flung them aside as if they had been 
 children, for he was still a man of great strength, and had 
 once been the most powerful man in the whole region. Six 
 feet three in his stockings, and shoulders a yard broad, he 
 stood straight as an Indian, with arms ending in fists that 
 weighed like a blacksmith's force-hammer. " Get out of my 
 huisen, you scallowags ; adderen gebroedsels, ye dressed up 
 geveinsden. Get out, before I lay you low with my hands !" 
 and springing forward, he felled Cuffee to the floor at a 
 stroke. Phosbe rushed in between the master and slave, or 
 lie would have trod him down under his feet in a moment. 
 The brood of blacks, seeing their queen in the midst, screamed 
 and squealed like young bears when their den is rifled, while 
 the old leader roared at the full pitch of his voice for his 
 sons. " David ! Egbert ! Charlie ! All of you come." 
 
 But it was useless crying. The house was surrounded by 
 mock and real Indians, headed by Brandt himself. When 
 Garret found out the actual state of things, he submitted
 
 142 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 without another grumble, only that he made one more effort 
 at giving Ctiffee his due, and it was the most effectual of any 
 attempted by him. As he was passing out of the door 
 between two guards, that ungrateful slave marched ahead in 
 mock dignity, shouldering the old man's whip, which had 
 done such good service on his own shoulders so frequently,, 
 when the master seized the big, thick, heavy clasped Bible in 
 his large fist, and threw it with such force that it lighted on 
 Cuffee's skull, making him turn a sommerset before the whole 
 company, causing laughter that was heard up to Monus Died- 
 richt's, so that they were deceived by it, and believed it to 
 be a frolic rather than a fight. 
 
 When they gained the outside of the door, old Garret was 
 doubly mortified when he saw that his son was put along- 
 side of him, a prisoner. Brandt, who led the party, saw the 
 necessity of dispatch, for already the alarm was spreading 
 far and wide. The Dominie flew like a madman from house 
 to house, rousing the true Whigs from their beds, and sending 
 the young and eager after others, and appointing a rendez- 
 vous for all to meet, so as to make a stand and deliver the 
 men now kidnapped. But the leader of the marauders was 
 too good a general to linger till his enemies should muster 
 their forces, so he ordered a march. 
 
 The old and respected farmer who had sat all his life in. 
 the midst of plenty, ruling his own house at a word, heard 
 the word march, with a strange kind of incredulity, and it 
 was truly pitiful to see his patient spirit yielding to the 
 necessity of the case. He was not without experience in 
 travelling, for he had seen more of the world than the majo- 
 rity of his class ; having been several voyages to the West 
 Indies, with cattle and horses which he took on his own ven- 
 ture. He built and loaded a vessel in a bught of the river, 
 the first ever built on the stream, and returned with rich 
 profits, of rum, sugar, and negroes, all of which he was now 
 forced to leave. Still it was better with his experience than 
 it was with most of those around him, who never went to 
 Sopus or Albany but they first made their wills. 
 
 Garret was an older man than he had been, and his habits 
 were more fixed, so that ease was become agreeable ; and 
 no wonder though his spirits for a time sank, as he went- 
 up the side of the hill that overlooked his own rich domain, 
 with his son David by his side, nor that he gave vent 
 shortly to his grief: 
 
 " And are we come to this ? I have thought for a long
 
 THE BRAVE BUT BLOODY BRANDT. 
 
 time that my head would lie in the valley there beside my 
 fathers, and my friends, but awee, awee ! this is to be the 
 end of all my patriotism. Like King David, I am leaving 
 my house. Well, David was a good man, and suffered worse 
 than I am suffering after all. His son did that, my slave 
 does this. He was forced to leave bareheaded and bare- 
 footed ; I am not quite so badly off as that yet. Shimei went 
 up cursing him ; well, I have my share of curses from these 
 Tories. Curse on ; the Lord hath let them. I say as that 
 better man said, 'I will bear it all for God and my country !' " 
 
 So, down-hearted, he went on ; but a little incident occurred 
 which roused him out of his melancholy, arid actually put 
 new life into him. He was going on cane in hand, with the 
 knapsack on his back, which the old vrow, though in tears, 
 had filled with her olecakes and rusks, and leaning in part 
 on the shoulder of David, his son, when that malicious Cuffee 
 carne up before him, bowing with mock gravity, and took his 
 hat off his head, putting his own skull-cap on in its place, and 
 marching off as before, with the authority of King George's 
 men. The Boerman waked up as out of a dream, watching 
 his time, and when Cuffee once more came around demanding 
 obedience to " de king of Quackledom," the hickory stick of 
 the aged prisoner laid the impudent fellow once more low, 
 and this time so effectually that the nose sprang blood. He 
 rose with the full intention of resenting the stroke, when 
 Brandt came forward, and laying his hand on Abiel, simply 
 said, " Mohawk's prisoner," and ordered the negro to restore 
 the hat and take his own chapeau. The Elder had no more 
 trouble from any quarter, since he found himself under the 
 special protection of Brandt, who took such a partial liking 
 to his prisoner that he ever after showed him favor above 
 the rest. " The Indian," he would say, " loves to see a man, 
 though he be an enemy." * 
 
 Wearily and sadly did the prisoners mount up the hill, 
 mocked all the while by the false Indians, and pitied seemingly 
 by some of the real red men, who were acting as a diversion 
 in behalf of the two branches of the British army above and 
 below, so as to keep the men at home in sell-defence. The 
 majority of the militia had gone, which will account for the 
 difficulty of raising a company that night, till it was too latfe. 
 
 The Dominie and his friends followed the party of marau- 
 ders up the hill, and came upon them so near at one time in 
 
 * See Colonel Stone's Life of Brandt.
 
 144 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 the dark, that Garret Abiel insisted upon firing in among 
 them, when the Dominie put his hand upon the young man's 
 shoulder, and said, " What if you should shoot your father ?" 
 
 There was too much sense in it to risk a volley ; and so 
 well aware were their enemies of this, that they placed their 
 prisoners where they were sure to receive the bullets if they 
 came. "Let us go and gather a strong force of men, and 
 intercept them before they reach Unadilla. They will wait 
 for more prey on the mountain, and we shall watch their 
 motions. It will be safest for us to leave sentinels behind, 
 and have signals appointed, and by the day after to-morrow, 
 we will be well ready ; for I know the Indian is not yet satis- 
 fied with the booty he takes away, and will return to have 
 the rest. We shall see. God will teach our hands to war 
 and our fingers to fight." All being accustomed to regard 
 the Dominie's word as law, agreed ; and having left their 
 watchers, and appointed signals, the main body returned. 
 
 Brandt and his prisoners having gained the Kauterskill 
 Clove, ascended the side of the hill due west, where, on a table 
 that runs some way north and south, they made a halt. The 
 old man having the rank of captain in the militia, was put upon 
 his parole, and allowed to range freely ; and passing his word 
 for his son, the same privilege was extended to him. So 
 confident were the Indians that he would keep his Avord, that 
 they lay down and slept with their feet to the fire, and their 
 arms stacked. Toward morning, one of the prisoners came 
 close to the ear of the Elder, and whispered : " Now is our 
 time ; we can kill them and run." The old man lifted his 
 head from the knapsack, and saw it was possible, but he sank 
 back, saying, " I will rather die than break my word." 
 
 Toward morning, just as the sun was up, all were ordered 
 to march. Upon the eastern hills the light was shining 
 clear and beautiful, and the whole sky was purpled over 
 with the red glory of the coming day. The spectators 
 Interpreted the sight in accordance with their feelings. The 
 prisoners saw in it the promise of deliverance to themselves 
 and to their country; the Indians said the Great Spirit was 
 angry with the rebel ; and the Tories, in their mean disguise, 
 were ashamed of their hypocrisy, as they looked in the face 
 of the man whom they knew was their superior, and who had 
 done nothing worthy of death or of bond. 
 
 When they gained the height of the South Mountain, the 
 whole company gazed down the river, when a redness was 
 Been upon the sky in that direction, dark and lurid, which
 
 THE BRAVE BUT BLOODY BRANDT. 145 
 
 betokened something unnatural, being of an entirely different 
 hue from all around. 
 
 " Sopus is on fire !" was the burst which came from every 
 tongue. " The rebels are roasting !" was the fiendish shout 
 of the Tories, who, in their transport, threw aside all their 
 disguise in speech, leaping and huzzaing like men really pos- 
 sessed of the devil. They danced round the old Elder, 
 making all manner effaces at him whose nod had up to that 
 moment kept them in check. "Vat does de Elder tink 
 now ?" was the triumphant cry of an old neighbor's son, 
 whom the insulted man had befriended only the week 
 before. " Vat will the good cause do now ? The great Pro- 
 vincial Congress could not keep the goot king's troop 
 out." 
 
 " Sopus will rise out of its ashes more beautiful and richer 
 than ever," was the quiet reply of the old man, though the 
 tear was in his eye, as he sighed in spirit ; but rousing up, 
 he uttered himself freely in the language of the book he 
 loved. " Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass 
 yourselves about with sparks ; walk in the light of your tire, 
 and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall you have 
 of His hand ; ye shall lie down in sorrow." 
 
 " Hear the old Whiggee prophesying," said one. " De old 
 nest is down at last," said another. " Te king's powder too 
 strong for Washington's guns," was a third cry. " Why 
 don't the Dominies turn the Heidelburg cannon at the 
 sodgers." This was a climax, and brought the whole com- 
 pany down with laughter. 
 
 In this way the prisoners were insulted ; but the chief of 
 these was content with muttering to himself, and in the ear 
 of his fellows, such consolation as his religion gave him. 
 " Als hy ze doode zo Naegden z na hem ende keerden wider 
 ende zogren Godt vroeg ende gedachten dat Godt rotssten 
 was ende Godt de Alderhwojste haer verlosen." 
 
 " What does the old oak say to the wind," inquired 
 Brandt of one of the attendants, to whom the Mohawk paid 
 more respect than the rest. " Does the heart of old oak 
 break at the sight of fire ?" 
 
 " No, no, not at all," said the other ; "he is taking comfort 
 at the sight, and would not yield, though you were to turn 
 him into the flame." 
 
 " Repeat his words in English, since he is talking to the 
 Great Spirit ; the Mohawk can know his feelingg. Christian 
 aud Indian Spirit all one." 
 
 7
 
 Ii6 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 " Here is the translation of the big man's words : 4 When 
 he slew them, then they sought him, and they returned and 
 inquired early after God, and they remembered God was 
 their rock, and the High God their Redeemer.' " 
 
 " Ugh !" said the brave Indian. " King George should 
 bring his priests to fight these goot men. Mohawk find no 
 scalps here," and he walked olf to a place by himself, followed 
 by his own braves, who, instead of hooting and yelling, as 
 the false troop did, stood looking down the great and 
 glorious valley upon the gloomy smoke, in the most stolid 
 composure, as if no tide of feeling flowed through their 
 veins; more like a part of the inanimate objects around them 
 than human beings. A Tory of the name of Sharpe came up 
 to Brandt, holding out a bottle to him, and loudly asking 
 " if he did not wish he were down there to get some scalps 
 from those snivelling Whigs." 
 
 "Indian does not love white man's blood;" and the 
 Mohawk turned away from the despicable wretch in disgust ; 
 and when the latter laid his hand familiarly on his shoulder, 
 he threw him oif with a vengeance that made the man grow 
 pale enough in the face. Especially when the knife of the 
 red man glittered in his hand, and he said significantly, 
 " Scalps can be had nearer than down at Sopus." 
 
 Sharpe, who a moment before had been so well satisfied 
 with his own dear self and his transports, and who supposed 
 that all on the king's side must be made of the same coarse 
 materials, fell back with confounded surprise, till he saw that 
 Brandt was in earnest, when he left him, muttering to him- 
 self, " These Ingins such a proud race, they should be taught 
 to respect good king's men in these times." 
 
 The sky, in the meantime, grew redder and redder, and 
 looked as if the bolts of vengeance had shot up from hell 
 upon the devoted place. From where the spectators stood, 
 so high above the plain, it seemed as if the mouth of that 
 bottomless pit was belching forth flames, as every now and 
 again the- different stores of powder and of rum blew up, and 
 blazed blue among the red and the black, with which the 
 conflagration was mingled. 
 
 " Dat is but von place," said one of the disguised Tories ; 
 " dere vill be red fires, stringing like the gooldt beads on 
 Mammy Borland's neck, all up de Nort River. Vat say you 
 to dat, Elder 'Biel ?" 
 
 " When they persecute you in one place, flee to another, 
 the good book says. Burn us out on the Vlatts, we will run
 
 BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART. 14:7 
 
 to the mountains, like the first Christians." This was said 
 in perfect calmness ; for by this time the bitterness was past 
 in the old man's mind. 
 
 " Dutchmen from Holland cannot live on hills," said some 
 one by his side, who seemed to stand by himself, but who 
 was watching all, far and near, with a keen eye. " They are 
 water-fowls, frogs rather, and live best in the marshes." 
 
 This was none else than Clifford, whom Tennis, who had 
 now joined the troop, at once recognized, though in his own 
 present disguise, he was not so easily distinguished as the 
 man so lately seen on horseback by the side of the little 
 lakes. 
 
 The pine orchard being the place of rendezvous, new 
 parties were coming in all the time, bringing more prisoners. 
 Teunis watched every fresh arrival with eager eye, till he 
 saw Kiskataam and Shandaagan come from the northward 
 without any attendants ; and he began to feel satisfied that 
 Elsie had eluded their search. The interview he witnessed 
 between these Indians and Clifford, convinced him still further 
 that the trail of the two fugitives had not been discovered. 
 The heart of the young Dutchman beat against his side \uth 
 gratitude to God, who had saved them. He resolved to 
 find his way during the day to Hoogenhuisen, and hunt for 
 himself. 
 
 CHAPTER XIH. 
 
 BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART. 
 
 " These thoughts may startle well, but not astound 
 The virtuous mind, that ever walks attended 
 By a strong sided champion conscience." 
 
 MILTON'S Cowra. 
 
 ELSIE and the young lady Margaret have been too long 
 out of sight. We left them when Teunis did, on the side of 
 the North Mountain. He went below for the purpose of 
 obtaining information concerning Brandt, and that he might 
 be of service to the friends of Elsie. The fact of this lady 
 having been forcibly carried away from those whose duty 
 and pleasure were to love and cherish her, was a mystery 
 which must be unravelled before her freedom could be
 
 14:8 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 obtained, and it lay heavily on his mind , but the occm 
 rence may have been forgotten by us, while following after 
 that gang of land pirates, whose object was revenge, under 
 the color of patriotism. 
 
 But our narrative, like the marchings and counter-march- 
 ings of an army of observation, must go back as well as for- 
 ward. It was so that Teunis Roe had to ride on his unex- 
 pected expedition. First to Hoogenhuisen, then down the 
 mountain to the Vlatts below ; up again on the outlook for 
 Brandt, when he turned again, at the impulse of his feelings, 
 in search of the two females he had left behind him that 
 morning. Since they were missing he came at once to the 
 conclusion, that Elsie, in whose prudence he had the utmost 
 confidence, had deemed it best to leave their retreat for some 
 place of greater safety. He was well aware of the different 
 ways by which one acquainted with these highlands might 
 succeed in getting safely down ; and he felt quite sure that 
 this must be the case now. 
 
 But in all these conjectures he was mistaken. The events 
 of that morning were deeply interesting to both the captives ; 
 for the two had become identified, and the absence of Teuuis 
 was felt, even by Elsie, to be the cause of more anxiety than 
 she would have allowed to any one. They sat down on 
 a smooth place to break their fast upon the fragments which 
 Elsie had carried with her from the husking bee. Dame 
 Myers, according to her custom, had not only heaped up the 
 plate of her favorite with Benjamin's share, but had watched 
 so as to be sure that she ate enough, since they had plenty, 
 and more to cook. After feeding the maid of Hoogenhuisen 
 with what would have satisfied a hungry soldier at the close 
 of a day's march, or at its commencement, with nothing to 
 expect for week, one of these piles was thrown into Elsie's 
 apron, which, in her haste, was carried all night long in her 
 arm, so that when she unrolled the bundle, it showed krow- 
 lers, olecake, sausages and roleshees, lying all snugly toge- 
 ther. To a nice and delicate stomach such a mess might not 
 be delicious ; but with appetites sharpened by fasting and the 
 morning air of the mountains, there were no objections offered, 
 even by Margaret, who was heard often to declare that the 
 sweetest meal that she ever partook of was on a rock, three 
 thousand feet above the sea, in the dark grey of the morning, 
 with the Indians on her trail. 
 
 " If ever I return again to my native England," said Mar- 
 garet, after she had broke her fast that morning, " I shal
 
 BLESSED ARE THE PUKE IN HEART. 149 
 
 have a breakfast, as near as it can be dressed, like this once 
 a year, on the top of Snowdon. But we have no such 
 heights in old England as this. Oh, what a glorious pano- 
 rama, now that the mist has all rolled away. But tell me, 
 Elsie, is that plain we look upon level down to the river 
 brink ? I thought, on coming up, w r e rose up over little hills 
 before we ascended this main giant. There do not seem to 
 be any inequalities whatever ; but tell me, can that be the 
 great river that I have read of, and sailed upon so lately ? 
 Now, from here it seems but like a silver ribbon, drawn 
 through a fawn velvet robe so narrow. The Thames and 
 the Rhine are not to be compared to it. Not a vessel on its 
 bosom." 
 
 "You are mistaken, Miss Clinton" for by this time Mar- 
 garet had informed Elsie who she was "that stream is 
 broad and deep, but the woods, the plains and the mountains 
 are all great, and you are judging the river in comparison 
 with these. They correspond with the continent we live 
 upon. My uncle says, that while he was in England he was 
 all the time trying to contract his views. You are obliged 
 to expand your powers of comparison. That was the way h 
 explained the difference of feeling to an English officer whom 
 he met up here once. ' See those hills,' said he, pointing to 
 the Green Mountains. 'They lie on the borders of Canada. 
 Opposite to you are the mountains of Connecticut ; and 
 these on the right lie near the coast of New York.' " 
 
 " And who was that officer of England that came up here 
 with your uncle ?" said Margaret, ."for I thought none of 
 them ever had been so high up in this land." 
 
 " His name was Calderwood," said Elsie, " and he spends 
 his time in examining all the curious points of the region, and 
 explaining the causes of things to us." 
 
 " Spends his time up here ; and his name. It cannot possi- 
 bly be the Calderwood that I know." 
 
 " Did I say spends his time ? I meant," said Elsie, " he 
 did spend his time. There was an evident hesitancy in the 
 communication of the maid of the mountain, which her com- 
 panion was too quick not to observe, and too well bred to 
 pursue it; still the name lingered on her ear, and the passing 
 hint excited an interest more than other passing remarks had 
 done. Here Elsie gave a sudden start, as if she had seen 
 something that awakened her horror. She stood on the 
 highest point at hand, scrutinizing a dark mote on the river, 
 which was plainly becoming more visible every moment
 
 150 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 The mountain nymph changed colors more rapidly than an 
 April sky, but was still silent. 
 
 " What attracts your eye so intently ?" said Margaret, at 
 the same time gazing down in the direction she saw her 
 friend looking ; when, with equal rapidity, her countenance 
 grew pale and red in an instant, as she exclaimed : " A 
 ship ! A ship ! I have seen a ship before, at sea, but one 
 from such a height as this never before." 
 
 " Yes," said Elsie with some bitterness, " a king's ship, 
 where she has no business to be. Oh, if our people had but 
 a match for her, I could stand here and see her driven back 
 to the sea, and clap my hands at her." 
 
 " It would be a grand and awful sight to you ; but to me, 
 my dear Elsie, how terrible, when I tell you that my father 
 and mother are on board. Oh, my dear parents, how I long 
 to be in your arms." 
 
 Here she stretched forth her arms, as a child does to 
 grasp the moon ; and as vainly. It was indeed the Vulture, 
 that had, after the abduction of Margaret, remained near the 
 place where they first missed the Indian Kiskataam. On 
 this account the attack upon Sopus had been delayed twenty- 
 four hours ; while in the meantime the cruel kidnapper was 
 making his way where no ship could swim. This moment ol 
 seeing the ship was, on that account, one of intense interest. 
 There she was, like a large bird of prey, hovering over her 
 rictim. 
 
 " She is well named the Vulture," said Elsie, " which is a 
 kind of eagle, the Dominie tells us, that scents carrion far off. 
 There she spreads her wings, and before night her cruel 
 beak will be in the heart of some innocent Whigs, whose 
 only fault is, that they love their country and their liberty 
 better than they love King George." 
 
 " Have pity on me, dear Elsie, I am in your hands, and 
 you are kind to me, and I cannot be angry with you, though 
 you are severe ; but no wonder though you both love your 
 people and love liberty, standing up here, feeling all the 
 rapture of this scene. My parents are in that ship, and my 
 brother is there, and one very dear to me is there who 
 would shed his blood willingly for me all are suffering. 
 Oh, if they could but see me, as I do them at this moment." 
 
 " Well, I shall repress my feelings, Miss Clinton, for your 
 sake, and please to forgive me in my ardor, but remember 
 that this is the day Brandt is expected to come from this 
 very mountain height, to join hands with the Tories below
 
 BLESSED ARE THE PUKE IN HKART. 151 
 
 and that ship is hovering there to help them. N"o wonder 
 my heart is glowing with anger, when I know that my father 
 is in danger, and all my friends exposed." 
 
 " Elsie ! Elsie ! forgive me, and cast me aside, for I'm not 
 deserving the trouble and the risk you run on my account. 
 Oh, God ! what have I done that I should be sent here to 
 these wilds, and within sight of the happy heaven that I love 
 so well down there. There is a hawk sailing down ; if I had 
 but his wings for a few minutes ! and yet I think myself far 
 above him in wisdom and in sentiment : yet ten minutes in 
 possession of his power would put me beyond all harm." 
 
 " Lady Margaret, you were on board of that ship, and all 
 the power of great England was pledged to defend you, so 
 long as that flag waved, and yet you fell into the snare of 
 the fowler ; you trusted a human arm and it failed you. Here 
 am I who have lived all my days in these wilds, and yet I 
 am free. The hand that holds up that hawk, teaching him 
 to stretch out his wings toward the south, will carry you 
 carefully home if it be his will, and if not, all the armies 
 and navies of King George combined cannot insure your 
 safety." 
 
 As is common in these high regions, clouds began to 
 gather round the tops of the peaks, enveloping everything in 
 mist, so that the river and the plain soon became invisible. 
 Margaret was almost in despair at the thought of being cut 
 oiffrom her home, which seemed so near, and could scarcely 
 refrain from crying aloud to her mother, whom she knew 
 would be vainly gazing upward in search of her. Elsie, 
 more prudent and in sober earnest, was trying to persuade 
 her weeping friend to come under some shelter before the 
 rain should commence. The eager daughter would look 
 down where she knew her mother was ; and long after all 
 was thick darkness, her eyes were vainly penetrating the 
 cloud, that hung over the river. A sudden breeze springing 
 up, dispersed some of the misty layers, when the vessel was 
 leen rising up out of the water, huge, and seemingly removed 
 far off. 
 
 " She is leaving me, and I must be cut loose from all that I 
 love ; O, Father ! O, God ! send me help in this hour of my 
 trouble." 
 
 Again all was cloudy. Elsie here took hold of the young 
 Lady's arm, drawing her gently to the ground, beside herself, 
 while she pointed to the ledge of flat rock near them, where 
 the hated Indian stood, gazing in the same direction with
 
 152 THE DTJTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 themselves; and evidently absorbed in the movements of 
 the ship, which his keener eye still saw through the thick 
 mist. 
 
 This was enough, the frantic voice of Margaret was calmed 
 in an instant. Fear rushed through her bosom like the 
 gust of wind that swept noisily through the gorges of the 
 mountain. Tame as an infant, she laid her head upon the 
 lap of her friend, where she rested and recovered her 
 strength. A cave that Elsie knew of, where she and her 
 cousin had once taken shelter during a storm, was the place 
 to which she determined o remove, immediately after the 
 sun had passed his height. In the meantime they lay 
 close to each other, near the spot where Teuni.s had left 
 them, still overlooking the grand valley of the Hudson. It 
 was a small place to lie easy in, but the fear of being seen, 
 by eyes which they knew were near and watching every 
 movement, made them lie close. 
 
 Margaret, gradually recovering from the agitation caused 
 by the sight of the ship, was anxiously watching the face of 
 her friend, to read from that, if possible, what her own fate 
 might be. 
 
 u Elsie," said the partially excited girl, " say something 
 good to me in your own language. Something that your 
 kind minister says that Dominie you speak of. It must be 
 good, for it makes you so kind." 
 
 "We might sleep one hour till the shower be past. When 
 the sun comes out after rain, it always makes me feel strong," 
 said the Dutch girl; "and gratitude to the Creator makes 
 me still stronger." 
 
 "And I am stronger now that you are speaking. Tell me 
 what you have learned that is good for me to hear." 
 
 Elsie repeated in Dutch : 
 
 " ' Ik zal in brede t' samen nederliggen ende slapen ; want 
 gy o' Heese alien zult my doen zeker womeen.' The English 
 of that you no doubt know. I will both lay me down in 
 peace and sleep." 
 
 " Oh, yes," said Margaret ; " ' For thou Lord only maketh 
 me dwell in safety.' I have read that in the Psalter." 
 
 " Lie still, Miss Clinton," said Elsie, in a whisper, " for an 
 Indian has ears quicker than a white man, and a thick cloud, 
 I have heard, gives out strange sounds. Hark ! there are 
 voices not far off from us. Let us trust in God Iik3 Jacob 
 when he lay with a stone for his pillow, while troops of 
 angels were looking down on his face, keeping his eyelids
 
 BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEAET. 163 
 
 quiet and his heart from beating too hard. Hush ! There 
 they are again. Hush !" 
 
 In this way they lay till all was quiet, when both fell asleep ; 
 Margaret dreaming of home. A ship sailed beautifully be- 
 fore her dreaming fancy, and the whole world was gay for 
 a moment, suddenly to be overcast the next. As for Elsie, 
 phe was too well aware of the danger to allow herself to be 
 overcome by sleep so as to dream. She merely slumbered ; 
 for all the time of this calm she was planning in her mind 
 what would be the best way of escaping out of the toils which 
 she was certain must be spread already around them. Pru- 
 dence said, wait till night throws over you his thick cloud, 
 unless the present mist continues, when the chances may be 
 quite as good. Besides, she felt as if Teunis would return 
 again during the day, and perhaps bring aid with him, 
 when it would be best to remain where she would be in the 
 way. 
 
 When Margaret awoke, the rain had blown past, and the 
 mountain-tops were clear, while all below was in terrible 
 commotion. The storm had descended, and was then raging 
 in its fury. The two refugees felt refreshed, and exulted in 
 feeling at the sight ; and, placing themselves in a narrow 
 cavity, which hid them on all sides and left the view to the 
 east still open, they sat down to contemplate the scene at 
 their feet, like the goddesses of the storm. 
 
 "Do the storms," said Margaret, " continue so much longer 
 below than they do up here ? I have always supposed that 
 there was more rain, winds and vapors on the hills than on 
 the plains." 
 
 "There are sometimes great hurricanes up here when they 
 are safe below ; but it seldom happens that any one has the 
 chance of seeing such a storm as that from this height. See 
 there, how the thunder is bursting out of that darkness. 
 Look oh, look ! how these lightnings break out on all sides. 
 Do you see that flash there, Miss Clinton ?" 
 
 "Really, dear Elsie, that is majestic. They seem lika 
 serpents rolling themselves in the dust raised by an earth 
 quake." 
 
 " Or rather, my lady, like what we read of Sinai, that sen, 
 forth thunclerings and lightnings and a thick cloud." 
 
 "Yes, Elsie, there it comes sailing along from the north, 
 like a great admiral ship. How calm and powerful his 
 advance! Now he comes more swiftly. The sight of the 
 conflict impels him forward. Now he will speak. He in 
 
 1*
 
 TliE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 charged with fire and wrath. Why, the whole Armada run 
 at his approach." 
 
 "No," said Elsie, taking up the enthusiastic language of the 
 proud girl of the Queen of the Seas, " they are but playing 
 round your admiral till they get a better place. See how 
 they send their tires into his sides! Ah! how the Dominie 
 would shout at that, and clap his hands, singing: 'What 
 aileth thee, ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams and ye 
 little hills like lambs.' " 
 
 " Ah, I see my great admiral has scattered ; he is in frag- 
 ments. I have heard my uncle say that great ships were not 
 always great victors." 
 
 " That may be true : I know that great Goliath fell before 
 little David, and a great king that shall be nameless may 
 learn that the battle is not to the strong. Great clouds are 
 but the dust of the Almighty's feet." 
 
 " Let me repeat to you, Elsie, words that I learned in 
 school, that I never have seen pictured before my eyes till 
 this moment. They describe a great battle in the heavens 
 between the good and the bad spirits: 
 
 " ' In his right hand, 
 
 Grasping ten thousand thunders, which he sent 
 Before him, such as in their souls infixed 
 Plagues. O'er shields and helmed heads he rode ; 
 Of thrones and mighty seraphim prostrate. 
 
 As if a herd 
 
 Of goats, or timorous flock together thronged, 
 Drove them before him, thunder-struck, pursued 
 With terrors and furies, to the bounds 
 And crystal wall of heaven.' " 
 
 " My lady, that sounds grand, though I do not understand 
 it fully. My mind, you see, always runs to the words of our 
 Dominie when I see such a sight. When he describes the 
 last day, when seven thunders utter their voices, and when I 
 see the clouds chasing each other as they do now, it puts me 
 in mind of what the good book says about 'giving their 
 flocks to the thunderbolts.' " 
 
 " Well, Elsie, I confess that your old Dominie and his 
 book beats my Milton. But here comes a new turn in this 
 divine panorama. There, the scattered troops are wheeling 
 into squares, just as I have seen in Hyde Park on a review 
 day, when the several regiments moved to the rendezvous ; 
 while the numberless spectators, like those broken masses 
 that remain in the distance, remind me how the crowd fringe*!
 
 BLESSED ARE THE PUKE IN HEART. 155 
 
 the outside, impatiently watching the centre till it would 
 spread out again. Do you suppose that the army is about to 
 disperse to their quarters, and leave the heaven as r.lear as 
 it was this morning ?" 
 
 Elsie replied to this question, that she thought rain would 
 descend in torrents upon the whole Hudson valley and this 
 she foretold truly. The different layers of vapor became one 
 great sheet, fastened to the sides of the mountains eastward, 
 where it lay as in silent rest for a short time, till it seemed 
 to move, internally giving out its abundant drops. Not a 
 shred of the river, nor a point of high ground were seen ; 
 and yet the sun was shining above High Peak, and to the 
 west of where the two spectators stood, for it was now an 
 hour past meridian. Elsie was the first to speak, for she was 
 familiar with the scene, and could in a degree foretell what 
 might arise ; while her companion was too much rapt in view- 
 ing the awful mystery beneath, to anticipate the coming 
 change. 
 
 " Look, Lady Margaret ! see in the south, how the rainbow 
 is forming. Now see again in the north." 
 
 " Glorious !" was the exclamation of the enraptured girl, 
 " if it forms all through as perfectly it will be worthy of the 
 Almighty hand that paints it. I have been on the side of 
 the Alps, but never beheld anything like this. Hush, dear 
 Elsie, do not speak, lest you mar its perfection by a breath." 
 All the sorrow she had felt an hour ago was forgotten, and 
 lifting herself up, she whispered, "Oh, mother Oh" Ber- 
 tram, she would have said " could you but see that bow of 
 promise, you would hope as I do. You cannot see it, for the 
 rain is above you." 
 
 " That bow," said the proud Elsie, " is over the land of the 
 rebel." 
 
 "No matter; if all the people of the country be like Teunis 
 and my own Elsie, I could kiss them in purest love ;" and she 
 embraced her friend in tears and smiles together. " Alas ! I 
 was thinking only of myself when you spoke just now, Elsie. 
 Poor worm that I am, when all around me ought to lift 
 me above, and give me a sense of the greatness of Him who 
 has set his bow in the cloud, as the sign of His beauty. 
 Can you read signs, Elsie ?" 
 
 " Let me try and read this," said the good girl, willing to 
 chase the gloom and despair away from the mind of her com- 
 panion at a moment when so much depended on energetic 
 exertion. " There were thick clouds this morning ; you began
 
 156 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 to climb these mountain heights in despair. The sun came 
 out and dispersed the gloom : Tennis and I, like the stars. 
 have led you here to this place of refuge ; your enemies are 
 still around you, muttering like the thunder beneath. Now 
 the bow of promise appears and you will be delivered from 
 all your fears." 
 
 "Thank you, thank you, dearest friend; I should trust, 
 since you have been sent to me in this wild region, like an 
 angel from heaven, where I had no right to expect any one 
 but an enemy at this time. But see, the bow has fallen Hat 
 on the ground." 
 
 " It is only the sackcloth cloud that is spreading out farther 
 to the east. We girls of the hills say that these bright colors 
 we see, are the eyes of good people below, shining through 
 to their friends in heaven; and that black parts cover 
 very wicked folks. The rays of the sun never get through 
 to them." 
 
 The ears of the English girl were not shut to this fancy of 
 her companion, but her eyes were the most awake lest she 
 might lose the smallest change in the wondrous bridge. 
 
 " There, it rises again," she exclaimed, " as it was before, 
 as if Michael and Itnuriel had stood at its opposite points, 
 raising it as an archway to the celestial city. I have read in 
 the Psalter something about lifting up the everlasting gates 
 that the King of Glory might enter in." 
 
 " Yes, Miss Margaret, and no grating sound on these 
 hinges. How rich the gilding, and the form how perfect. 
 Have you ever seen anything like that, near kings' palaces ?" 
 
 " Oh, Elsie ! but see : like all earthly grandeur it departs. 
 Already it gives way at the centre of the curve. Dimness 
 is now passing over the whole ; what remains even now is 
 more in memory of what was, than in assurance of what is." 
 
 " True, Lady Margaret, every one walketh in a vain show. 
 That jewel is gone; so we must wait for that sight which is 
 seen in heaven." 
 
 " And are there rainbows in heaven, Elsie ? Any gems ;;s 
 resplendent as the one we have seen pass ? Heaven shall 
 seem more glorious than ever it did, alter what I have just 
 looked upon." 
 
 "Oh, yes, Miss Clinton, there is a rainbow there round 
 about the throne, in sight like unto emerald. Our Dominic 
 would tell us that these are figures of realities. The ever 
 lasting beauty of heaven, and the unfading splendor of its 
 viches ; I have heard him preach about the rainbow, when
 
 BLESSED AKE THE PURE IN HEART. 1ST 
 
 he told us that Noah stood on a mountain, five times higher 
 up than High Peak, and saw a bow stretching over a plain 
 through which the river Euphrates runs." 
 
 "And what good did that do to his simple people. Our 
 parsons tell us what will be of practical good to us. What 
 the better were you, Elsie, on that account ?" 
 
 " We were told by the good man that the bow was the 
 signature of God, put to the covenant he had made with 
 Noah ; and that the bow in heaven was the sign of our salva- 
 tion being fully secured." 
 
 " Ah, I see," said Margaret, " and the good you obtain, is 
 in believing that God is faithful to his covenant. That is 
 good ; I will believe in the sign ; I feel stronger when you 
 speak of that." 
 
 " There is other business for us, dear Miss Clinton look 
 down there," said the watchful Elsie ; and in the direction 
 where her finger pointed the eager eye of her companion was 
 turned, when she saw, to her horror, Clifford in close conver- 
 sation with Shandaagan ; and the chief Kiskataam was com- 
 ing up toward them. They were engaged scrutinizing closely 
 the ground, as if they had discovered some footprints. The 
 rupture between the Englishman and the Indian had been 
 apparently made up ; and one thought filled them both, 
 though it was plain that as yet they were all at fault. No 
 question but they were on the trail of the two fugitives ; and 
 had they followed on in the direct line, it would have brought 
 them to the spot where they would have found the cave 
 empty ; for a few feet further, and the girls were prepared 
 to swing themselves over the face of the precipice, as 
 foxes do, when pursued by hunters. But the pursuers lost 
 track of their game at the point where they were seen. Elsie 
 had made, extempore, out of her under-dress, two pairs 
 of moccasins, which had no special form after a human foot, 
 and they completely stultified the red man, who could not 
 decide the kind of animal to which it belonged. 
 
 What more particularly diverted their attention at this 
 critical moment, was the sound of Teunis' horse's hoofs 
 along the rocky path. The two Indians glided out of sight, 
 so as to elude suspicion, leaving Clifford to have an interview 
 with the young Boerman alone, which ended so as com- 
 pletely to change the whole front of the affair, and save tho 
 two fugitives from making a desperate venture in another 
 direction.
 
 158 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 A TEIAL OF FAITH AND FORTITUDE. 
 
 ** Fifty thousand pannier loads of devils, with their tails chopped off by the rtunpa, 
 could not have made so diabolical a scream *f it." TRISTRAM SHANDY. 
 
 NIGHT came gratefully to the fugitives, and Elsie had, in 
 her own mind, determined to get down into the valley, and 
 reach early some place of refuge. How to get through, when 
 enemies were ai'ound, so quickin eye and ear, was the question 
 that came up to her lips. Her knowledge of the Indian cha- 
 racter, and her present acquaintance with the cause of Miss 
 Margaret's trouble, made her fully aware of the vigilance of 
 their enemies. Add to all, the threatened raid of the great 
 Mohawk was near at hand; so that should they escape Clif- 
 ford and his satellites, they were in great danger of falling 
 into the line of Brandt's party. In that case Margaret 
 resolved upon giving up at once, well persuaded that 
 the daughter of an English officer must be safer in Brandt's 
 hands than in Clifford's. But then, what must she, the 
 daughter of a Schuyler, expect, but bondage. No matter ; 
 her first care was to get through the lines of Kiskataam, 
 whom she knew must be watching with the eye and the ear 
 of fi catamount. 
 
 " Let me take one full view of the stars from this high ob- 
 servatory, before we go back into the darkness. I may 
 never see the like again. What does your Dominie say of 
 them that does you good ? It will do me good to hear it." 
 
 " He says," said the honest Dutch girl, " that were the sun 
 always to shine, we would lose one half of the glory of the 
 heavens ; and that were we always prosperous, there would 
 be no star dust scattered over our path." 
 
 "I suppose he adds one thing more that if there were no 
 death, there could be no heaven. Let us go : had I not been 
 stolen away, I would never have seen Elsie, nor these resplen- 
 dent scenes that have risen upon me this day from early 
 dawn till dewy eve." 
 
 At this instant Elsie almost shouted, and would have 
 clapped her hands, had not her friend, who now had learned 
 caution, prevented her, when, pointing to the southward,
 
 A TRIAL OB FAITH AND FORTITUDE. J 59 
 
 she said, " the teken vuur is lighted on the keekute.* I 
 knew that Teunis was true to his word. It blazes, see, from 
 the back of that hill. My mother ! we must find our way 
 to her. The sky is all red above the hill. I gathered these 
 pitch knots myself, and helped my father to build the pile. 
 My heart and my hand shall go together." 
 
 " Then Teunis had not the promise of both this morning 
 when he left ?" inquired Margaret, willing to lead the mind 
 of Elsie away from sad thoughts, which, in her turn, she now 
 suffered to intrude upon her usually vivacious spirit. 
 
 "There are reasons, Lady Margaret, which you cannot 
 tully understand. I would not divide myself from my coun- 
 try's cause. My heart must not be put on neutral ground, 
 nor yet on the king's." 
 
 " King's men are more esteemed in London than other 
 men, and Teunis would be promoted there." 
 
 " May be," said Elsie, " but the blood tingles in our veins 
 here at the sight of freedom and of truth." 
 
 "I have wondered all this day, when I have heard you ex- 
 press your patriotism so strongly, where you could have 
 learned such sentiments. Have you mingled with others 
 than your own people ?" 
 
 " My dear Lady Margaret, were you to sit one day under 
 the pulpit of Dominie Schuneman, you would not Avonder any 
 more. Oh, I wish you could hear him, when he is rousing 
 up the minute men. How the fire flies out of his eyes when he 
 bids them bring back their shield, or be brought back on it." 
 
 " What makes you look down there so earnestly, Elsie ?" 
 as she saw the anxious girl gaze into the dark. " Tell me if 
 you see anything alarming ?" 
 
 "Nothing, only I see the red skins are kindling a fire on 
 the flat rock, as a signal for their fellow-murderers below. 
 There will be hot work ah 1 around us before the morning. 
 Let us go, and trust to Him who takes care of the young 
 fawns up here over these mountains. Kiskataam lias named 
 you the Fawn. Let us look above all man's power." 
 
 They set out upon their perilous journey, and as Els:e 
 knew that the narrow road which runs between the two 
 ponds was most likely to be watched, she at first determined 
 to go around ; yet considering within herself, " If the Indian 
 suspects my presence, he will guess that I am more likely to 
 avoid such a trap, and fall into the other. It will be better 
 
 " Look out " is the English ; " keek oot " is the Scotch.
 
 160 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 for me to go forward and examine for myself." So commu- 
 nicating her plan to her companion, she left her, with 
 instructions how she should proceed in the event of her being 
 kept from returning. 
 
 " Go back," said the intrepid girl, " to where we have 
 been all day. Stand on the place motionless, and wait. If 
 I am alive, help will find you before noon. Wait here till 
 vou see the Ellwand * those three stars up through that tree. 
 If I am not back then, do as I have bid yon ; and remember 
 you are a soldier's daughter, and God's arm is with you in 
 all places." 
 
 " But, dear Elsie, what if those cruel men keep you from 
 helping me? They are cruel enough to kill you." 
 
 " They dare not. I have power over them by myself, 
 which I could not have with you by my side. But if no one 
 comes to you, there is one who will help you at the foot of 
 the hill. Try and find your way down the road you saw 
 Tounis take. But do not fear." 
 
 With that, Elsie went on into the dark alone. While Mar- 
 garet, with a palpitating heart, saw her depart, it seemed as 
 if the last link was broken which bound her to the world. 
 Elsie moved through the tangled underbrush with the utmost 
 caution and quiet. Accustomed to such journeys, she knew 
 no fear of aught except the danger of falling into the ambush 
 that might be laid for her. The farther she went, the 
 slower was her progress, creeping rather than walking. Her 
 present aim was, if possible, to get a glimpse of the persons 
 who might be around the fire, and when she did get within 
 sight, Clifford was the only figure she could discern. This 
 assured her that the other two were out as scouts. Creeping 
 along to the westward, where the path is narrow, she judged 
 it to be the most likely spot for a sentinel to be placed ; but 
 how to find it out, she stood utterly at a loss : when, turn- 
 ing to the left, close by the path on which she came down 
 upon her father's trail on the preceding evening, she went 
 up high enough to let a heavy stone tail in the direction 
 where Clifford stood, who, startled at the sound, fired off his 
 gun, which in ten minutes brought in the other two. The 
 Englishman was evidently in the greatest consternation, 
 which rendered him nervous and made him act ridiculously, 
 which, to an Indian, is always an unpardonable ofience. 
 They evidently treated the whole as the result of his own 
 
 * Yard-stick.
 
 A TRIAL OF FAITH AND FOETITCDE. 161 
 
 imagination, and, with characteristic coolness, stretched 
 themselves out before the fire preparatory to rest. This was 
 enough for the brave girl, so hastening back to her terrified 
 companion, she communicated the joyful intelligence of a 
 speedy deliverance. 
 
 Margaret was standing like a young roe that had heard 
 the shout of the hunters, and expected every moment to hear 
 their baying hounds in her thicket. So near was she to dan- 
 ger, that Kiskataam passed the other side of the rock where 
 she was, and might have stumbled over her had he taken the 
 other side ; but she had escaped, and Elsie, kissing her, said : 
 
 " There shall not a hair of your head fall to the ground 
 without His permission. Brace up now, my lady, for wo 
 have a long walk before us ere the day dawns. We must be 
 quickly into the clove." 
 
 " My dear Elsie, I am firmer than you take me to be. and 
 can stand more fatigue than you suppose me capable of. I 
 have been out with the chase before now, and you must know 
 that we English girls are great walkers." 
 
 " You will require all your strength, Miss Clinton, when 
 you come to make the comparison between those smooth 
 lawns you told me of, and these humpy roads. Lean upon 
 me, and be sure to notice when the rags get loose f) orn your 
 shoes, for we must not leave a trace behind us for these 
 Indian dogs to scent us out." 
 
 They were now fairly on the way, and as Elsie determined 
 that the safest plan was the boldest, she led her companion 
 straight between the small lakes, passing close to the fire, 
 along the edge of the pines that grew in the crevices of the 
 rocks. Half carrying her charge, they crawled up the South 
 Mountain, slowly and carefully, lest they should loosen any 
 of the stones that lay anchored there, and so disturb the 
 quick ears that lay watching so near them. Once up, they 
 sat down to rest upon the big rock. The two maidens, like 
 two birds that have just made their escape, stood up on this 
 height and looked down, with a half contemptuous smile ax 
 the superior skill with which they managed to outwit men 
 of such reputed cunning. 
 
 Thus taking short journeys, and resting during the inter 
 vals, they reached the gate of Hoogenhuisen, where the first 
 welcome that met Elsie was the leaping of Rover coming 
 out to meet them, who, though he had been carefully taught 
 not to bark aloud, could not restrain making a noise equaly 
 significant and audible.
 
 162 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 Angelica, the mother of the lost girl, was up, and seated 
 at a fire, which then was needed in the cold of that October 
 morning. Her pipe, which was always the first mouthful of 
 comfort she took on all occasions, was between her teeth ; 
 while her eyes settled upon the growing blaze as if she could 
 read in that the fortunes of the new day. On the entrance 
 of the daughter, she did not fly into an ecstasy of feeling, as 
 one of a more excitable race certainly would have done ; for 
 besides being a true daughter of Holland, proverbial for 
 their phlegm and slowness of action, women in these days 
 have learned through hardship and danger, to possess their 
 souls in patience and quiet. The Reformed Protestant 
 Dutch Church is equally Calvinistic with the New England 
 Puritan, and its doctrines are equally felt among the people, 
 operating upon them in producing that hardy endurance, as 
 essential in times of trouble, as gallantry and courage in an 
 onset of battle. Angelica was a sincere believer in her 
 religion, and acted out her faith to the last. 
 
 In reply to the few questions put to her by Elsie, she 
 quietly, but evidently in deep concern, stated that Martin had 
 been away two nights. Teunis Roe had been up yesterday, 
 inquiring after things ; he had left only in the darkening. 
 Some Indians had been seen prowling about. Tories had 
 passed the house on the back road. These were the days 
 that old Martmus, her grandfather, had oiten foretold would 
 come. 
 
 Margaret had been left at the door by Elsie, till she pre- 
 pared the way, and held a brief conversation with her 
 mother before telling her that she had a stranger with her 
 that had fallen into trouble. That was at any time enough 
 to awaken the sympathy of the kind-hearted vrow. "Let her 
 come in, we will share what we have left with any poor 
 wanderer." 
 
 " My mother," said Elsie to her friend, " has just been 
 repeating one of her favorite texts, which gives her strength 
 in her old days: 'The world passeth away, and the lusts 
 thereof; but he that doeth the will of God, shall abide for 
 ever.' " 
 
 " Mammy, here is a stranger needing rest and refuge. I 
 have brought her to you, and you will be a mother to her." 
 With that Elsie conducted her new friend up close to the 
 fire, that the two might see each other. 
 
 "Tee's welcome, sae lang's I'm here myself; nay one can 
 tell vat te morrow vill bring varth."
 
 A TKIAL OF FAITH AND FORTITUDE. 
 
 " Where do you think is daddie ? that you are sitting at 
 the fireside at this late hour, alone ?" Elsie had her doubts 
 all along that her father was entrapped in some way ; but 
 ehe hoped still that his absence might be voluntary. 
 
 " Nefer sene hemme since tee was here dat nicht," said the 
 sad mother, as she blew out a double mouthful of the srnoke 
 that she had been keeping in till the question was wholly 
 asked. 
 
 The answer was a thunder-stroke to the affectionate daughter, 
 but she was too good, and too wise a comforter, to suggest 
 more fears than were already preying upon the mind of the 
 anxious wife ; so inwardly revolving the different views of 
 affairs, as they came up rapidly in her mind, she felt that the 
 best plan for the present was to rest till daylight, and then 
 act. So taking Margaret by the hand, she led her up a back 
 stair to the chamber above. 
 
 " You must feel for the bed, my dear lady ; misery has no 
 choice. Lie down, but be ready to rise at a moment's call. 
 Never fear, for though you be surrounded, you will escape, 
 so long as I am by your side. 
 
 " Oh, Elsie, dear Elsie, I wish that I could lie down as 
 contented in spirit as that good woman, your mother, feels at 
 this moment. I now know why you can be so forgiving 
 and so kind to me, though my people are doing you such 
 injury. Hush ! I want to hear your mother's voice praying, 
 though I cannot understand her words. You will interpret 
 them for me." 
 
 Angelica, immediately below, was saying in her own lan- 
 guage, " Looft den Heere myne ziele en all wat binnen in my 
 is zynen Hieligen name." 
 
 " What does your good mother say, Elsie ? I love to hear 
 her voice." 
 
 The kind-hearted daughter, who was weeping to herself, 
 and wishing to hide her feelings from her companion, could 
 scarcely articulate an answer. " She is full of gratitude, Miss 
 Clinton, to think that I am spared to her, and the words you 
 heard her utter were, ' Bless the Lord, oh, my soul, and all 
 that is within me, bless his holy name.' Sleep, my Lady 
 Margaret, for we must be up betimes, and work for liberty 
 and life ; judging from all that I see on the earth and in the 
 sky." 
 
 Morning rose upon the world, in many parts as it had 
 done before ; but these quiet regions, which knew no memo- 
 rable change before, had a new page added to their history
 
 164 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 All over the mountains to the westward were seen pillars of 
 smoke, which plainly indicated the approach of the dreaded 
 Brandt, from the fields of blood -on which he had been com- 
 mitting havoc. Elsie had risen from the side of the weary 
 fugitive, and was surveying the scene around, so as to deter- 
 mine the course of that day. She had some hope that Teunis 
 might come to her aid, for she saw herself completely sur- 
 rounded. Her heart for a moment misgave her. Had she 
 done right in risking all for this stranger ? Might she not be 
 Bent, so that she would become a hostage, and so insure the 
 safety of her own people against Brandt. Would it not bo 
 well to retain this lady ? " No, God forbid," was her im- 
 passioned ciy. " Providence has placed her under my care. 
 Neither parents nor enemies would approve of treachery ; no, 
 nor the Dominie, nor my own heart. And now, that every 
 hour in the company of this young lady has made me more 
 in love with her, I will act out my feelings and my con- 
 victions and hope for the best." 
 
 As these reflections gave place to resolutions of good 
 intention, she felt stronger, and was ready to perform what- 
 ever duty came first to hand ; nor was she long in finding 
 out work to do. She stood up to her full height on a 
 jutting point of the rock, in the grey mist, and to a stranger 
 in these parts, who had never seen an object through a cloud, 
 she would have appeared of gigantic size. Her hair as yet 
 was untied, and hung over her shoulders ; the loose dress 
 which she had. on flew forward in the wind, while her excited 
 feelings gave her an earnestness of manner which could not 
 be hid, even by the misty veil around her. Lifting up her 
 arms to the Almighty, whom she recognized alone, she 
 invoked His blessing on her and on her parents in that day 
 of trial. " Send us a deliverer, O God ; give me wisdom 
 and courage, power and patience to guide and be guided 
 through our perplexity and danger." 
 
 Turning her eyes downward, she plainly saw a strange 
 figure approaching the place where she stood. In the mist 
 it seemed also of gigantic size, but that did not deceive her, 
 accustomed as she was to judge by things around her ; still 
 the man who drew near could not be an Indian, from his 
 walk ; nor was he a native of these regions, as indicated by 
 bis gait and dress. He did not bend forward, as all those 
 do who have climbed up hills from their infancy ; and his 
 garments were worn with an air which showed that he 
 knew what was dignified and becoming, though he affected
 
 A TRIAL OF FAITH AND FOBTITUDE. 1G5 
 
 to despise both, from the loose way in which the long grey 
 cloak he had on was thrown around him. Elsie was not afraid 
 when she came to see who it was ; for she knew the Hermit 
 of the Hollow, who, at that moment, was most welcome. 
 She of all the young women of the hills was his especial 
 favorite, and indeed the only one who met him heartily, 
 and not with pity. She had sat with him for hours, hearing his 
 tales of other countries ; asking him questions which did not 
 intrude upon his own affairs ; and anticipating his wants in 
 such a way as to impress him with a high regard for her 
 natural ability, which he took great pains to elicit and foster. 
 He was a many-sided man, and had to be studied carefully, 
 which all could not do, and were accordingly repulsed by 
 him, so as to make some believe him mad, others a fool, and 
 not a few that he was a spy upon the country, and in league 
 with the Indians. Elsie believed him to be sound in head 
 and in heart, except on one point, a burning revenge against 
 some object of his hatred, that haunted him night and day. 
 All her sagacity could never find out the direction to which 
 that passion pointed ; so that she had come to suppose that 
 it was in his own imagination. 
 
 " I have been searching for you, Elspeth, and have found 
 you where other eyes, less kind than mine, might have seen 
 you. Do you know that these hills are crowded just now 
 with your enemies, and a ball could have brought down the 
 Maid of Hoogeuhuisen without any one being able to tell 
 whence it came? How often have I told you to keep below 
 the rocks, instead of standing on them." 
 
 " There are times when fear should not interfere with 
 duty," said Elsie, " and this hour is one of them." 
 
 " I have waited for you two days. Have you lost con- 
 fidence in me? Where is the token of my friendship and of 
 my power, that you neither brought it nor sent it to me ?" 
 
 Elsie blushed at these words, which were intended as a 
 reproof, for something understood between them ; but turn- 
 ing to her visitor, she told him that it was impossible for her 
 to have come. He must take her word without any explana- 
 tion just now ; but here was the token still safe, and now, if 
 he could help her, the time had come. 
 
 " Yesterday is past and gone ; to-day there will be blood 
 and tire. For that you must be ready. I have come to 
 warn. The enemies of your country and of your house are 
 near. You have just time to hide before they be on you. 
 Hear them now on their way to the Dog Pool, where Martin
 
 L68 THE DUTCH DOMES ,3!. 
 
 is bound a prisoner. They will bring him round here, that 
 they may gloat their vengeance in seeing him lament over his 
 burning home. But, Elspeth, the day of vengeance is at hand ; 
 I saw my enemy in my sleep, writhing in agony ; I could 
 have brought him down with my gun this morning ; but no, 
 I shall wait a while yet, that the sweet morsel may become 
 sweeter. I am enjoying it in the prospect so much that I 
 am sorry that the time is so near when I shall swallow it. 
 Like the wildcat that I saw yesterday, playing with the 
 rattlesnake, I will sport around him, mortify him, goad him 
 to death, and then smite him." Here the infuriated man 
 turned to the place where the gathering was, around the flat 
 rock ; shook his closed hand, gave a wild shriek, and left the 
 place, for Elsie to reflect alone upon what she had seen and 
 heard from him. 
 
 Whatever opinion Elsie had of the rapture of vengeance 
 which this mysterious being indulged in at the close of this 
 interview, she understood the warning in a literal sense, and 
 made haste to take advantage of the time allotted to her. 
 Angelica was immediately informed of the necessity of the 
 case. The most valuable part of the property had already 
 been hidden away; china ornaments, and a full tea-set that 
 Skipper Van Vrankin brought home from the Indies as her 
 mother's marriage present. A silver teapot was rolled up in 
 a flannel undershirt of Martin's, that he might have something 
 clean and warm to put on if he lived. A satin gown that had 
 been but twice worn, and was carefully aired, spring and 
 fall, and kept for Elsie, when she married, was put into an 
 earthen pot, and sunk into the deep soil of the garden. A 
 huge pile of bedding that had long stood in a corner, from 
 the floor to the ceiling, with other articles of warm clothing, 
 which hung on hooks and nails along the walls and on the 
 joists, so that scarcely a vacant spot could be seen ; and 
 these were the special idols of Angelica's fancy. She kept 
 looking into that room, saying, " awee ! awee !" wringing 
 her hands at the loss of thirty years' labor. Xo wonder 
 though the careful housewife should have for a moment given 
 way to sorrow, when she thought on all her plans being thus 
 blasted in a morning. Elsie reminded her mother of the 
 Dominie's text the last time they had been at the kerke of 
 Kaatskill, " wentelt uiven wegh op den Heere en ver trourot 
 op him : hy zal t maken." 
 
 *' Tell it to me in English," said Margaret ; " I need it as 
 much as your mother."
 
 A TKIAL OF FAITH AND FORTITUDE. 167 
 
 " I am telling her," said Elsie, " to commit lier way unto 
 the Lord, and he shall bring it to pass." 
 
 All was business and haste beiow-stairs, while every now 
 and then Elsie went up to the highest part of the house, tak- 
 ing a survey of things around. The place from which she 
 anticipated the danger was above them. Down the Clove 
 road she was led to expect the band of ruffians, who were to 
 come with her father a prisoner, and her main object now was 
 to be ready to receive them into an empty house, and her 
 mother with herself and Miss Clinton to be out of sight. 
 Dismissing all the negroes, not excepting old Noll, by telling 
 them that the Indians were coming, she took her mother by 
 the hand, and led her half forcibly up the hill at the back of the 
 house, where the secret retreat had been prepared for more 
 than two years ; she opened the door, that was but a fissure in 
 the rocks, against which a stone lay, as if it had dropped 
 down by chance ; she pointed to it silently, that her mother 
 and Margaret might go in first, which they effected by 
 crawling on their hands and knees. Then following them, 
 she let fall before the entrance a heavy block of stone, that 
 had been prepared and balanced for this purpose so effectu- 
 ally, that it was both a natural and an artificial defence. 
 Loop-holes were prepared both for seeing and shooting 
 through ; and from the position of the fortress the garrison 
 could overlook whatever was going on around the dwelling 
 below on the back road which ran past it between them 
 and the back door, which at this time Avas left wide open, 
 80 as not to provoke assault. 
 
 The inside of the hiding-place was a natural cave, formed 
 by the percolating of the waters and the action of the frost 
 together ; the latter loosening the rocks, and the former 
 carrying off the debris ; so that, in the course of time, there 
 was, as is common in these lower shelves, a wide subterranean 
 passage-way, which was kept a secret from all except the 
 family. Like all such caves, there were roomy landing- 
 places, where a troop of men might lodge; as the Do- 
 minie said once, after pressing himself through the narrow 
 entrance : " The gate is strait, but David and his meo 
 might hide themselves from Saul and his forces ; and let me 
 tell you, Martin, it may become to thee and Anshela, like the 
 cave of Engeddi." 
 
 Safely landed, and at comparative ease, the three hunteJ 
 women placed themselves so that they might see the outside 
 of the prison through the stone grating. "NTor war Elu
 
 163 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 without the means of defence in case of requiring to defend 
 herself and friends. There lay beside her the long duck-gun, 
 well loaded with heavy slugs, and a pair of large horse-pis- 
 tols, which her father had used in the cavalry when a young 
 man, in the old French war. Provisions enough to victual 
 a garrison for a month, and bedding sufficient for two gene- 
 rations. 
 
 The attack did not come that day, notwithstanding they 
 were so warned. However, it was kindly given, doubtless in 
 full knowledge of the enemies abroad. From their secret 
 refuge they saw the two Indians prowling around all that 
 day, and they had good reason to know that a watch was 
 set upon them through the night, yet they all three slept 
 and were rested, when the light streaked the crevices of 
 their rocky prison. 
 
 Soon were heard noises that increased every moment, till 
 ten men disguised in mock Indian garb appeared. Flannel 
 shirts to their middle, notched round ; short breeches, 
 joined to leggins of buff deer-skin. Round the waist they 
 wore a belt of raw-hide, in which were 1 stuck such side-arms 
 as they carried. In the centre of this vanguard walked our 
 friend Martin Schuyler, looking as calm and as dignified as ever 
 he did when sitting in the Consistory of Kaatskill church. His 
 hands were cruelly and unnecessarily tied behind his back, and 
 his large soft hat, which had been first contemptuously 
 knocked down on his head, was, on his coming near to his 
 door, drawn as far back to his neck, that he might the better 
 witness his own disgrace and the destruction of his property. 
 They halted opposite the gate, and wheeling into the yard, 
 the captain ordered a full stop, drawing his sword, which he 
 laid flat over the back of his prisoner. 
 
 " Now, you old Whig sinner," said the ruffian, " you see 
 that Konig George has got long enough arms to reach you 
 at Last. The Dominie has made you believe dat you leeven in 
 de kloven der steen rotzen ende verborgen ; but the nest 
 is not too high for Brandt's claws." 
 
 The man who said all this was one of the leaders, and one 
 of a better class. His speech showed that he felt malice as 
 much as loyalty, and that he only wanted the power to exe- 
 cute a wicked will. 
 
 " Tell us," cried out one coarser grained still, " where 
 the old vrowe has hidden away her milledoleors. We must 
 hear them clink, or by George and Saint-ne Glaus, we wilJ 
 hang her up for smoked mea"
 
 A TKIAL OF FAITH AND FORTITUDE. 109 
 
 " She is smoked already, Nick, and that long ago ; ha ! ha ! 
 L a !" said a great ugly, toothless fellow, with a foot like an 
 elephant, who came stamping round Martin, giving his nose 
 a pull that brought tears into his eyes, not from the pain 
 so much as the mortification of being the jest of such hea- 
 then. To the sudden surprise of all parties, the last insulter 
 received a back-handed stroke that made him reel around, 
 just as he was about seizing the two ears of the patient 
 Boerman. This arrested the attention of the whole company, 
 who had by this time come up, and were taken aback in 
 some degree at seeing quarrelling in their own ranks. 
 
 " Treason ! treason !" shouted several voices at once. 
 " What is that for, Teunis Roe, that you strike your 
 friend ?" 
 
 " I am a man," was the reply, " as I have always been, and 
 will not stand by and see a prisoner insulted by meaner men 
 whom he would not have set with the dogs of his flocks in the 
 days of his prosperity." 
 
 "Blessings on the Indian," said Angelica, who had wit- 
 nessed this acting from her retreat, and almost cried out in 
 horror at the manner in which her venerable partner was 
 struck. 
 
 As for Elsie, another of the same acts would have brought 
 upon him the contents of the long gun, that lay with the 
 muzzle in rest ; and the shot would have been sure. But the 
 gratification was even greater when she saw under the dis- 
 guise one that was willing to expose himself to death on 
 behalf of her father; and the duck gun fell from her hand, as 
 if she had become helpless in an instant. Her eyes followed 
 that youthful, active form wherever it went ; for it seemed 
 to her it was in every place where most needed, though all 
 his efforts could not save the impending doom that hung over 
 Iloogenhuisen. While he was watching over Martin, keeping 
 his head from further insult, the spark had been put to the 
 barn, and already the smoke was rising from the roof, shoot- 
 ing up like the breath of fiery serpents, fed by the fuel 
 beneath, that was reducing the whole of the precious produce 
 that had been gathered in with such industry and care by the 
 uuin who had to stand and look on the destruction of his labors. 
 
 The disguised defender turned away from the place he 
 could not save, planting himself in the door of the house, as 
 if he said, "He that enters here goes over my body. All 
 this destruction is useless and revengeful, and is not desired 
 by the king, nor yet by the commander of the forces, anJ 
 
 8
 
 170 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 must bring disgrace on those who are engaged in this day's 
 riot. Stand back, I say, as you value life and limb." 
 
 This resistance excited the suspicion of the villain Kiska- 
 taam, who had come on in the hope that he might fall in with 
 his victims ; and seeing the position that Teunis took, he sus- 
 pected that Elsie and her companion were hidden in some 
 part of the dwelling ; so, stepping up, he confronted the 
 guardian of the threshold, saying, "The double-faced seeks 
 to hide the young she-cub." 
 
 "I do not know whom you call the young cub," was the 
 tart answer of the guardsman ; " but if it be Martin Schuyler's 
 daughter, I have some interest in her welfare, arid in the 
 welfare of all who go along with her; and we will go 
 together, unless the chief can hinder me." 
 
 With that, the man in disguise led the way through the 
 house that was so well known to him. 
 
 Tiiis was taking the red man where he did not want to go ; 
 but since he saw that Teunis was bent upon a search, and fear- 
 ing that he might lose his prey, he followed, from room to 
 room, until he came to one that was fastened within. The In- 
 dian was evidently sure of his object, and gave a sign which 
 brought Shandaagan to his side, when he began to show 
 marks of restiveness, and blood was in his eye. Teunis stood 
 at the door with pistol in hand, for he feared himself that the 
 young women might be inside of the room: with his back to 
 the door, he gave a shout, calling for the "Mohawk chief to 
 come up and receive two prisoners." 
 
 The cunning Kiskataam turned pale with mortification at 
 the defeat of his plan, for this was one of the main points of 
 his dread, being found out by Brandt as one engaged in 
 kidnapping from the camp of their friends. So, turning on 
 his heel, he left the house quicker than he had entered it. 
 Teunis, well pleased Avith his victory, and with his fortunate 
 discovery of the vulnerable part of the redskin, succeeded in 
 getting a peep within the room, and was satisfied in finding 
 it empty. Coming down, he found out that a fire had been 
 kindled on the roof, and that it was all in vain to expect to 
 save the house where so many men, worse than barbarians, 
 were bent upon its destruction. He found Kiskataam waiting 
 for him, who came up and said, in his low, guttural tones : 
 
 '"The deer belongs to him that has first trapped it." 
 
 "Well," said Teunis, ''it is mine, for I have been here- 
 first," 
 
 Becoming again provoked at the defeat, he said bitterly .-
 
 A TRIAL OF FAITH AND FOUTTTUDE. 171 
 
 'Young Boerman's tongue cuts like the north wind ;" and, 
 leaping forward, he seemed determined to examine some 
 part of the house himself, while, quick as thought, Teunia 
 shut the heavy half-door, so that the Indian fell against it, 
 rendering him ridiculous in the eyes of the others, who by 
 this time had become interested in the contest between the 
 white and the red man. All this time, Martin cast glances 
 of gratitude upon his young friend, whom he now discovered 
 to be Teunis, and was at no loss to guess his motive. Thanks 
 from the old Whig were grateful in the highest degree to the 
 Tory's son ; but it would have added a thousand-fold to his 
 heartfelt joy had he known that his whole conduct was marked 
 by eyes that swam in tears of love and pleasure, almost invit- 
 ing him to come and receive his reward while it was in the 
 fullest bloom. 
 
 The work of devastation proceeded. The flames rushed 
 upward and onward ; inviting materials, they were throwing 
 on to feed them ; and the winds, like evil spirits, flew through 
 the notches of the hills, as if to concentrate their forces 
 where they could do the greatest injury, alongside of the in- 
 carnate fiends who aided them, howling and yelling as if they 
 gave voice to the invisible troops of hell. The animals which 
 were not beaten down escaped, running, lowing, to the woods, 
 while the old team of horses, which Martin actually loved 
 next to his wife and daughter, screamed and shrieked as the 
 fire came round their stalls, adding fearfully to the din. 
 What made much amusement, and not a little trouble even 
 to the destroyers themselves, was an army of well f ittened 
 rats, who came through the yard around the feet of the men, 
 who stamped and slashed on all sides, killing many and 
 hurting more. The Indians especially were alarmed, and 
 ran out of their way when they could, in a manner that 
 caused great fun to their allies, the mock red men. On" of 
 these huge savages, to show contempt for both rats and Indian 
 courage, paid for his temerity, when, seizing two of tlu;se 
 grey-bearded captains, they caught his fingers in their t^oth 
 and made him "roar like Garret Abiel's black bull, Smut." 
 
 This little episode, which was causing such sport below, 
 had like to have seriously aifected the females confined 
 above, through these frightened creatures seeking a refuge 
 among the rocks. Led on by two ancient patriarchs, they, 
 were making their way to the crevices in the face of the hill, 
 and had they found the first hole, no power could have hin- 
 dered but Rover, who from one of the loopholes saw the
 
 172 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 state of things, had his nature roused, so that seeking a pas- 
 sage in the opposite side he came round to the front just in 
 time to seize the leaders by. the neck, choking them, as the 
 main army dispersed in other directions. After doing this, 
 the faithful creature went up and licked the hands of his 
 master, who had still a kind word for his friend. 
 
 The word " forward " was given, and when Teunis was 
 congratulating himself that Elsie and the rest were escaped, 
 he saw a close council held between the two Indians and 
 Clifford, who now made his appearance on the stage for the 
 first time. He was ashamed to be seen, yet he could not 
 trust his instruments of cruelty even with the great promise 
 of hire ; and he durst not tell the Mohawk chief the real facts 
 of the case ; so that with a guilty purpose in his mind, a mor- 
 tified pride Jo contend against, and the fear of exposure, he 
 now became the most miserable and restless of all the crea- 
 tures around him. Teunis saw with some uneasiness, that 
 while Clifford and Kiskataam marched in the rear, the other 
 Indian, Shandaagan, was left behind. No doubt as a spy upon 
 the burning homestead, in expectation that the members of 
 Martin's family would return, and discover their retreat. 
 The young man had great confidence in the sagacity of Elsie, 
 but how could she bafiie the cunning of three such kuaves ? 
 
 CHAPTER XY. 
 
 THE SPECTRAL, LOOKING-GLASS. 
 
 " That the dead are Been no more," said Imlac, " I will not undertake to maintain 
 against the concurrent and unvaried testimony of all ages. That it is doubted by sin- 
 gle cavillers can very little weaken the general evidence ; and some who deny it with 
 their tongues, confess it with their fears." JOHNSON'S KAJSELAS. 
 
 MARTIN SCHUTLER was marched to the same camp where 
 bis friend Abiel had been carried the previous night. Two 
 of the Consistory, the friends met each other with calm 
 faces, and a single sigh. They were pious men, and true 
 patriots ; so they bore up, as became their character, and all 
 the more bravely in the presence of their s\vorn enemies, 
 who looked at them with that grim smile which tries to hide 
 the real feeling at the root of the soul, when success renders 
 the position taken insecure, upon which victory has placed
 
 THE SPECTRAL LOOKIXG-GLAS8. 173 
 
 them. What was to be done with these men ; and how were 
 they themselves to come out from behind the false faces 
 which they were wearing ? " What if these two good men 
 ever returned ; and was not the prospect after all, that the 
 Whigs would triumph in the end ?" 
 
 In the meantime it was evident, from the preparations 
 making, that it was the intention of the leaders to remain 
 some time in this encampment ; probably because all the cap- 
 tives expected, had not been brought in ; or that some 
 word from the general had not arrived. It was noon by 
 this time and the Indians were busy with their meal, which 
 chiefly consisted of venison brought with them, and parched 
 corn gathered from the fields, through which they had 
 passed, where it stood in stacks, ready for drawing in when 
 the men had leisure. Apples they had in abundance, wild 
 plums and other natural fruit. These they shared freely 
 with their white companions, bond and free. Liquor there 
 was none, except the pure water brought in gourds and 
 skins from the little lakes close by. 
 
 It was one of these dull drizzling days so common in those 
 high regions, when the fog becomes so thick that it might 
 be cut. Nothing could be seen outside of the rock, and to 
 Buch as knew the depth of the gulf beneath, it was a fright- 
 ful consideration, that the thick darkness hid thousands of 
 living souls, happy beneath such a heavy cloud. Moral reflec- 
 tions, however, w^ere not the kind that were now passing 
 through the minds of the men surrounding the different 
 fires, kindled for cooking and for warmth. They who were 
 &,round the crackling branches were more like a hunting 
 party than persons engaged in the serious business of war. 
 Smoking, eating, singing, jesting and telling stories were all 
 going on together ; and a full report of their conversation, 
 with a picture of the diflferent groups, would furnish amuse- 
 ment and instruction for a week. Ever and anon, as another 
 prisoner was brought in, it produced a buzz of excitement, 
 which rose into madness on the part of the one side, or sunk the 
 other into bitterness and cursing. But, on the whole, there 
 was, at the end of an hour, quietness and resignation. Brandt 
 kept the wild Tories in restraint ; and the calm example of 
 the two old men prevented any outbreak of anger iVoin the 
 Whigs. Martin Schuyler felt that he was one of the class 
 who might expect the hardest treatment. Placed as he had 
 been on the outskirts of a wide camp, his position required 
 the utmost vigilance ; and in absence of others., he had fre
 
 174 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 quently to take arbitrary measures, which brought on him 
 the whole responsibility. That he now must bear ; nor were 
 his judges the most impartial of his fellow-men. He saw 
 around him in disguise many who had suffered in their fami- 
 lies, and otherwise, through the course he had himself pur- 
 sued ; but the current of events had thrown the chances now 
 into their hands. He must submit. Mercy he did not ex- 
 pect. The way in which his property had been destroyed 
 that morning before his eyes was only the glaring light 
 which showed him the way to his own personal ruin. He 
 thought but little of himself; and gladly would he have 
 suffered all they could have inflicted upon him, were he sure 
 now that Anshela and his daughter were in a safe place. 
 But how could that be, when so many were hunting after 
 them ; and those hunters so wily, and practised in the craft ? 
 " I have seen," he said to himself, " the deer hide away in 
 the thicket for a short time, while the dogs were in pursuit ; 
 but the moment the man arrived, he saw at a glance what 
 all the instinct of the combined pack could not discover." 
 
 A? for Teunis, he wandered, like a spirit ill at ease, from 
 fire to fire, listening eagerly to all that was said, so that he 
 might use the information he received as a guide for JMiax! 
 movements. His intention was to get a quiet interview '-<y it.fr- 
 Martin, so that he might unfold his plan to him, and oi6t,&a? 
 his counsel ; but there were eyes constantly following fimx 
 Clifford and Kiskataam were seated at different points keeping 
 watch ; still Teunis was a privileged person, and they durst 
 not interfere with his liberty without revealing their own 
 secrets. By and by the young man became bolder, and 
 felt more independence, and finding himself, after some 
 maneuvering, by the side of his old friend,, his first desire 
 was to possess the confidence of Martin. 
 
 " J i.cpe," said Teunis, " that you do not think me capable 
 of doing you any injury, or that I had any hand in what 
 happened at Hoogenhuisen this morning." 
 
 " They say that a man is known by the company he keeps, 
 Teu^.ie, my lad. But you have your own reasons for being 
 there and here." 
 
 This was said in a softer tone than the young man ex- 
 pected, and gave him courage to proceed. 
 
 " That is true, my friend, and the time will come when 
 
 1 you will justify my conduct. Be quite sure that nothing in 
 
 the world can bring me to hurt a hair of your head, or " 
 
 His heart failed him to say the rest.
 
 THE SPECTRAL LOOKING-GLASS. 175 
 
 " Or that of Elsie, you were going to say. I believe you. 
 She is worthy of all the blood you can shed on her behalf, 
 Teunis ; and there is old Anshela, her mother, who never 
 shut the door upon a dog, and always left it open for you." 
 
 The old man's eyes swam with tears at this, and he turned 
 round, as if he wished to see how High Peak was appearing 
 at that moment. 
 
 "I swear to protect them," said the young man, in a 
 Avhisper. 
 
 " We are noticed," said the senior, and pointed with his 
 finger to an opening in the clouds, saying, loud enough to be 
 heard, " The wind is changing there is a change of fortune, 
 too, coming in good time." 
 
 But for the cool and more constrained manner of the old 
 man, Teunis, in the inward delirium of his real joy, would 
 have given vent to some expression which might have caused 
 him trouble. There was nothing he would not have dared 
 to do at that moment in defence of Martin and of his family. 
 His course was fixed, and the only consideration with him now 
 was, " How shall I best reach the end I am seeking show 
 my true colors, and deliver Martin's family ?" Honor and 
 love had overwhelmed the ideas of life and fortune, and he 
 could have faced a whole tribe of mock or real Indians to 
 battle, were Elsie the object contended for. 
 
 " We are watched," said Martin. " Let us part for the 
 present, and come to me when a chance presents itself." 
 
 At this point in their conference, a movement was observed 
 among the different groups, as if some object of interest had 
 arisen. Agreeably to Martin's prediction, the wind rose 
 from the north, lifting up the black cloud that had hung like 
 a heavy sheet behind them, and was rolling it up as a scroll 
 is wound around, so that the sun was visibly coming out in 
 a clear sky west of the mountain. On the flat rock were all 
 the persons already known to us, evidently arrested by some 
 object of great interest. Brandt, Clifford, and the Elder 
 Abiel, stood together on the verge of the cliff. Martin and 
 Teunis came up close to them, so that they formed part of 
 the same half circle. When their attention became properly 
 fixed, Teunis saw, for the first time, what he had frequently 
 heard the old hunters tell of, the geest wolk waren the 
 spirit of the mist seen only at rare times in these regions. 
 So far as he could judge, there were huge masses of vapor 
 passing in different strata, some of which were denser than 
 others. That which was nearest to them at that moment
 
 176 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 was thin and transparent, reflecting all the objects which 
 stood between it and the light thrown upon it by the clearer 
 sky behind. In reality, it was a moving mirror, that slowly 
 passed as a panorama is unreeled before a company of 
 spectators. There was this difference between nature and 
 art : the faces and forms of the persons looking on were the 
 figures in the picture before them, taken instantly and held 
 up to them. Every one saw himself distinctly, and his near- 
 est neighbor only less vividly drawn. The whole Avas more 
 like an artist's dream than a reality. It seemed as if they 
 could have walked out and touched the picture, till a mo- 
 ment's reflection made them sensible that the whole was but 
 a shadow. Teunis gazed first on his own outline, then on 
 the tall, straight form of the Indian, who stood immovable. 
 Behind the group of which he was one himself, he saw those 
 who had lain down on the laurel bed, and beside them, 
 several starting up in evident alarm; others were rushing 
 forward, with curious and hasty looks of wonder at the 
 strange sight ; and round the place, where hemlock branches 
 had been woven into tents, some of the Indians could he 
 seen stooping like Arabs when an alarm has been given, 
 caused by the mirage when it has lifted the forms of an enemy 
 above the level of their plains. Be assured there was not an 
 uninterested spectator on the rock, for so rare was the 
 sight, that scarcely one of the whole had seen the wonder 
 before, and those who had heard of it were more inclined 
 to regard it as the vision of a frightened imagination than a 
 fact. 
 
 Even the educated Englishman, Clifford, though affecting 
 through philosophy a superiority, could not help showing an 
 intense eagerness to see all to the close. He had read of the 
 like phenomena among the Alpine heights, and had a way of 
 explaining these to his own mind ; but all his soul, for the 
 present, was absorbed in the one sense sight. Indeed, all 
 were more eager to see than to speak, except one man, a 
 Scotch highlander among the loyalists, who, knowing of those 
 sights in his own country, was anxious to tell of the famous 
 spaeman of Ben Cruachan, who was the seventh son of a 
 seventh daughter in Lochabar, who saw in the mists of the 
 hills the warning to Lochiel. Donald was almost out of the 
 body as the cloud went on, carrying his own shadow with it. 
 He swore a highland oath that he would give the best bit of 
 tombacht in his spleuchan, for one word of Luath McGregor 
 just to tell what was going to take place.
 
 THE SPECTRAL LOOKING-GLASS. 177 
 
 " How the man wi the second sight would Stan' up tber 
 afore hersel' the big chief Brandt, and show him whare he 
 should be kilt. Grat satishfaction it would be to hirnsel' " 
 
 The Mohawk was deeply absorbed. The sight was new 
 even to him ; born and living mainly on the flats to the north. 
 He looked on with a solemnity which amounted to dread, aa 
 if he had really reached the spirit land, of which the tradi- 
 tions of his fathers spoke. His whole tribe present rose to 
 their full length, expecting to behold the figures come out 
 into actual substance. Not accustomed to see themselves 
 reflected from artificial mirrors, they were ignorant of their 
 own forms. Gradually, as they began to comprehend the 
 true nature of the appearance, their fear gave way to a 
 silent admiration. 
 
 The faculties of the whole assemblage were awakened 
 to the intensest eagerness ; their apprehensions of things 
 rapid, and their decisions unhesitating. Every qne had come 
 to some conclusion, and had felt sentiments in harmony with 
 his opinions. One thing was evident all were under an 
 undefined feeling of superstition, as if that before them was a 
 writing on the wall, like what the profane king saw, ominous 
 of his own doom. The sheet cloud went slowly by, figure 
 after figure melted into thin air ; and it was afieeting to hear 
 each one tell, after, of how he felt an internal shiver, as he 
 saw his own body dissolving, before his eyes, into nothing. 
 There was not one present who would not willingly havo 
 avoided the conclusion, but his fate was irrevocable. Into 
 the dark gulf he must plunge and be lost forever. 
 
 In a short time the whole east was covered with the same 
 black cloud as before, while the Avhite, thin vapor, which had 
 served as the reflector, was wheeled round to the south, and 
 settled against the sides of the hill, which rises bluiHy a few 
 hundred feet higher than Flat Rock. There again, it became a 
 new speculum, and of a far different nature from what it was 
 when in its former place. Instead of each individual specta- 
 tor seeing himself, he saw his nearest neighbor, to the right 
 of him. The fact had an influence upon the events of that 
 day in a striking manned. Fear and superstition had given 
 place to curiosity ; and, as a natural consequence in men of 
 their order, chiefly gathered together through a spirit of ad- 
 venture, frolic and fun began to show in their faces. One 
 tiifler, who had been the most cowardly of the crew, gave a 
 caper in the air, which threw others into the same absurd 
 attitudes, till a hundred more were seen dancing round, and
 
 178 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 hallooing like madmen. Solemnly and silently the figures in 
 the cloud mocked the fools outside.* 
 
 Those men, however, with whom Teunis had stood all 
 through, were not inclined to act in that pantomime. They 
 were either engaged studying the reasons of those things 
 before them, or quietly observing the movements, and wait- 
 ing for the lesson which nature was teaching. Cliiford was 
 inclined to rally the two old Dutchmen upon their sober 
 visages ; and was asking of them how his own face appeared 
 under that veil, when, as if struck by an invisible hand on the 
 heart, his countenance assumed an appearance of such strange 
 fear, that it was plain, even in the mist, that some awful 
 change had come over him ; and as he grasped the arm of 
 the Elder Abiel, it seemed more like that of a drowning man 
 than the grip of a brave soldier. Teunis, who saw that his 
 face had become purple, and his eyes fixed in their sockets, 
 came tip hurriedly to his side to support him from falling, as 
 he was evidently staggered ; when, being on the same line of 
 vision with Cliiford, he chanced to look forward, and obtained 
 a glaace of a figure he was sure he had seen before, and 
 which was evidently that on which the eye of Cliiford was 
 fixed. It came from a higher point than that on which they 
 stood, and as if from a tree near by, where a face gazed 
 through upon them. The figure was as if a man stood up, 
 clothed in shaggy vapor, with a beard of enormous length ; 
 and though the expression of the countenance could not.be de- 
 fined, the gestures were of a threatening aspect. Teunis, more 
 self-possessed, looked and saw the figure of the hermit whom 
 he had seen lately, gliding away to the side of the cliff, below 
 which he disappeared by some way known to himself. The 
 Englishman, recovering from his surprise, shook off the friendly 
 hand of Teunis, asking roughly, why he held him so firmly. 
 
 " Kindness," was the reply, " makes no choice of its sub- 
 jects when they are falling through fear." 
 
 "Who is afraid, young man?" and the hand of Clifford 
 instinctively was at his side. " You need support yourself, 
 and you dream that all must be like you." 
 
 " I have no cause," said Teunis, " of being afraid of him. 
 He never had any harm from me in his life. I have heard 
 that those who injured him have reason to tremble." 
 
 By this time the countenance of Clifford was literally livid 
 
 * The Fata Morgana, seen so remarkably on the Straits of Messina, has 
 been observed on the Catskilla to perfection. The vision, as described 
 uj the text, was seen from the balcony of the Mountain House in 1845.
 
 THE SPECTKJVL LOOKING-GLASS. 179 
 
 with anger or terror, or a mingling of these passions; and he 
 would doubtless have done something dreadful at that mo- 
 ment, had not his companions interfered, apologizing for the 
 young man's ignorance of manners. The Mohawk put 
 his arm through that of the Englishman, while Martin said, 
 in a whisper : " Hot blood. Let us away till it cool." 
 
 None seemed to know the cause of this strange movement 
 and in the rapid current of things of a marvellous nature, 
 none inquired minutely into them. Teunis felt some desire 
 to know, and passing over the cliff at the same place he had 
 seen the hermit go, he pursued after him, in hope of getting 
 an explanation. 
 
 In the meantime, nothing was talked of but the remark- 
 able vision. The company were calmed down to soberness, 
 for a short time at least. Clifford, who had really, from 
 some cause known to himself, been the most startled, now 
 affected the utmost lightness of spirit, and seemed anxious to 
 turn the conversation away from himself. He avoided all 
 his companions for a time as carefully as he had been ready 
 to meet them before ; ashamed of a passion he had indulged 
 in without cause, he became talkative, and even sprightly, 
 with all around, jesting the Indian upon his solemn looks, and 
 the old Elder about his religion. That worthy man, more 
 direct and simple than men of the world, traced all he saw to 
 'uhe GREAT CAUSE least understood. One of the younger men 
 was explaining the wonder by his grandmother's looking- 
 glass, that she brought with her from Holland. 
 
 " Maybe," said Paulus Wynkoop. " But how can twao 
 put together make dem shine ?" 
 
 " You saw yon black cloud," said Jack Adams, who had 
 taught school in the town, and knew some things ; " it was 
 not all dark. Behind, it was light ; that was the quicksilver. 
 The other cloud was the glass, and our faces were reflected 
 from that surface." 
 
 " Well, what do you say, Jack, to the other, where we 
 could not see ourselves, but our neighbors ?" 
 
 " That," said Adams, " beats me ; for I declare I saw one 
 face that I have not seen here this day ; and I never saw 
 *uch a shape before, so that I am guessing there was more 
 in that cloud than the Dominie could tell abou t. I wonder 
 what he would have said to all these things !" 
 
 " Oh," said Martin, who was near, " he would have told us 
 about tte openbaring * and the shifting scenery Johannes 
 
 * Apocalypse.
 
 180 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 saw, when looking-glasses, brighter and greater than all those, 
 revolved round the heavens." 
 
 " And he would have told us," said the Elder Abiel, 
 " about the angel that sat upon the cloud with the sickle in 
 his hand ; and the other angel that cried, ' zend uwe sikkel en 
 for the time is come.' That was a warning of things 
 expected." 
 
 " Surely," said Clifford, " old man, you do not call those 
 things miracles, since they can be all excellently well ex- 
 plained, without calling in the help of the Creator ?" 
 
 " Surely," said the Elder, " you would not take the 
 Almighty's works out of his own hand ; and may he not b 
 showing us what is going to happen ?" 
 
 " Oh, I suppose our red friend, the great Mohawk, saw the 
 sires of his people in that cloud too, at their council fires. 
 Was my brother studying the work of the Great Spirit ? 
 Were you not afraid lest you should see the ghost of your 
 father, chief?" 
 
 The chief was displeased, and merely grunted out, " Pale 
 face grow paler at the ghost of bis father." 
 
 Clifford understood this to be a direct thrust at a tender 
 place he was doing his utmost to guard. He attempted to 
 laugh it off, by saying, " If our fathers be reduced to such 
 substances, it would be folly to entertain fear of them here, 
 or hereafter." 
 
 ** And you should honor your father's name, my good sir, 
 if you would be honored yourself; you obeyed him in the 
 flesh." 
 
 " And you would add, * Why not in the spirit ?' " 
 
 " Yes ; why not in the spirit ?" were the Elder's words. 
 "I am more afraid of spirit than I am of flesh, though I 
 scorn to tremble, as I have seen some at their own shadow." 
 
 This last was said unwittingly, but it convinced Clifford 
 that it was dangerous for him to continue the subject ; and 
 seeing Kiskataam standing aside by himself, he went on, 
 walking slowly to wai-d him, as if at ease in mind, while he was 
 really eager to know from him what had become of Teunis, 
 who was now missed from the rock ; for agreeably to a plan 
 laid down, that young man was to be tracked in every place. 
 
 That prudent youth had proceeded on the trail of the 
 mysterious buing, man, or shadow, whose spectre had pro- 
 duced the effect of terror on the hardened Clifford, and was 
 soon out of sight. 
 
 The main body, waiting upon the will of their leaders.
 
 THE SPECTRAL LOOKING-GLASS. 181 
 
 were disposed, after the excitement of the appearance in the 
 cloud, to find employment according to their fancy, and 
 were watching the rolling up of the misty curtain that hung 
 over the land below. The outline of the hills beyond, be- 
 came every moment more visible, till at length the view, 
 long and sweeping, attracted every eye, as if in expectation 
 of some object new and interesting, when a cry, " The ship 1 
 the ship !" rose with a shout. 
 
 It was the Vulture in search of more prey, and like a crea- 
 ture possessed of instinct, she was sailing up the river. She 
 was hailed by the spectators as if sent for their special amuse- 
 ment. There was one great drawback to their sympathy : 
 the ship was too far off to allow the movements of the 
 sailors to be seen, or the voices of the spectators to be heard. 
 There was real pantomime in the ship. She represented the 
 crew. The movements she made was the speech, that was 
 interpreted freely. Nor was there any difficulty in under- 
 standing her language, when first a flash came out from her 
 side, then blue smoke, that curled upward, followed by a re- 
 port that echoed among the hills. 
 
 " King George is speaking," cried out an excited Tory, 
 " and the Baron Livingstone must answer. Ha ! ha ! Brave 
 Whig, you are put to your tnimps at last." 
 
 " I wonder," said Hank Van Schaik, " if he has not some 
 of Captain Kidd's doubloons in his coffer yet. The Vulture 
 would take a mess and be gone." 
 
 " Shame upon you, Van, for thinking the king's officers 
 would be bribed by that old pirate's gold." 
 
 " Ho, ho ! is that ah 1 you know of these things ? Why, 
 that old pirate, as you call him, had a good deal of the witch 
 about him, and might throw dust in the eyes of a captain of 
 the royal navy. He never hid money but he killed a big 
 nigger beside it ; and as they say he hid a good sum in the 
 baron's house, who knows but an army of blacks may come 
 out to meet the marines, should they venture to go on shore ?" 
 
 " Venture ! I guess they'll venture ; and the king's folk 
 will search that old house for his own. I suppose you know- 
 that Queen Bess had an interest in Captain Kidd's venture ; 
 but old Livingstone took her part and his own. ' The king 
 will have his own again.' That's the old song. See, there, 
 they have cast anchor, and a boat is lowering, as I am a 
 living man. Now we shall see fun. I wish to goodness I 
 had wings ; if I would not put my foot on that roof before 
 five minutes were gone."
 
 182 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 Clifford, who carried a small spyglass, lifted it to his eye, 
 and surveyed the vessel's outline and movements. He then 
 offered it to the Mohawk chief, whose vision was of that 
 nature which sees far off, so that he did not require aid; but 
 handing it to the Elder, he looked, and saw that something 
 fearful was about to take place. All waited anxiously ; nor 
 had they long to wait. A little cloud was observed to rise 
 above the ancient mansion, that grew in size every moment, 
 till there rose a shout of fiendish joy from the enemies of the 
 Wbigs, that made ihc welkin ring above them. Tears and 
 corses, not loud but deep, came from, the other side at the 
 destruction which was now going on. 
 
 The blaze soon ascended through the black smoke, till 
 there was nothing seen but one vs.- * sheet of red flame, that 
 shot up into the sky like a great tongue, invoking the 
 vengeance of heaven upon the perpetrators of this deed. 
 The spectators had been so lately the actors and the suffer- 
 ers in a similar transaction, it seemed b'at the continuance 
 of the day's work ; more especially, when it was recollected 
 that the Schuylers and the Livingstones were not only fellow 
 Whigs, but related in the same family ties to each other. 
 The king's ship on water was only carrying out the acts of 
 the king's servants on land. Accordingly, the Tories danced 
 and screamed, at the sight, holding out their hands like 
 children when they seek to be warmed at the fire they have 
 kindled themselves. 
 
 The sad prisoners were reminded anew of their sorrows. 
 and of the losses which their friends were undergoing, and 
 were fain to be silent under the jibes and the reproaches 
 continually thrown out, while the fire blazed before their eyes. 
 
 "Let us be patient, Martin," said the good Elder; "all 
 this will be explained by and by. You remember that the 
 silver must be put through the fire before it can be known as 
 the good and pure." 
 
 " If I only was sure that Anshela and Elsie were in a 
 good, sure place, my mind would be at ease," said the really 
 tried man. 
 
 " See," said the Elder Abiel, "there is Teunis Roe, and he 
 seems as if he had some message for you, as he is now sign- 
 ing to you, not to me." 
 
 It was so, and fortunate it was for them both that they 
 could hold a consultation unobserved. So eager were their 
 guards upon the sight before them, that they had nearly for- 
 gotten the prisoners ; and Teunis was so sensible of this, that
 
 THE SPECTRAL LOOKING-GLASS. 183 
 
 he hinted to Martin the possibility of escaping. But that 
 oculd not be after the word of honor he had passed on that 
 day to Brandt. 
 
 The eager young man urged this till Martin grew angry, 
 and told him that if he had no better comfort to give him 
 than that, he might go ; all he asked was help for his family ; 
 if he could in his conscience give it when an opportunity 
 occurred. 
 
 " I think it is possible," was the reply of the humbled 
 youth, " if you confide in my honor, aud tell me where is 
 your Binenkamerin." 
 
 Had Tennis struck the old man on the face, it would have 
 caused far less surprise than asking him where his secret cham- 
 bers were ; first that he should suspect their existence, and 
 next that he, the son of his enemy, should inquire after them. 
 But checking himself, he merely replied : 
 
 " You demand Avhat even my best friend, the Elder there, 
 would not venture to know about ; and you will have to give 
 me very good reasons indeed, young man, before I answer 
 your question now, though I be a prisoner of Brandt and of 
 your king." 
 
 Teunis hung his head, knowing that he had so far forfeited 
 the confidence of Martin, by asking him to violate his word 
 of honor ; but the case was too urgent to stop short at this 
 point. He had, as we saw, followed the Hermit down the 
 face of the cliff, unobserved by any one, during the time all 
 were attracted to the vision on the cloud ; and being swift 
 of foot, he soon came up with the mysterious man, who 
 seemed aware of being followed, and suddenly turning, he 
 demanded why Teunis tracked his steps. 
 
 " Pardon me," said the youth ; " but you told me to come 
 and get some information of" 
 
 " Oh, yes. You come now when you cannot help it. Like 
 all the selfish race of mankind ; very complacent and yielding 
 when difficulty appears." 
 
 " I ask pardon again," said Teunis ; " I am now ready to 
 follow your directions. If you know anything about them, 
 relieve my siispense, and teh 1 me what I should do ; and your 
 will is my law in this matter." 
 
 " Others as well as yourself, young man, are interested in 
 knowing these things. Remember that selfishness is the bane 
 of life. A well becomes foul when only one draws from it." 
 
 " And yet the spring at your cabin door is always t>3ear,' 
 was the prompt reply of the young inquirer.
 
 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 " That is more than can be said of the spring in every heart, 
 young man ; and if I may judge, yours is not entirely pure m 
 the matter nearest to it. Did you see those shadows in the 
 mist ?" 
 
 " Yes, and your face more strikingly than the others. Tell 
 me why that Englishman trembled before it ?" 
 
 " Ask things you have a right to inquire after, but pry not 
 into my secrets," was the fierce answer of the man. "Know 
 this, that conscience is a great revealer of truth ; and that 
 villain thinks, though he affects to believe in nothing, that he 
 saw a real spectre. You will see. But your business is of 
 another nature than mine." 
 
 " I am anxious," said Tennis humbly, " to know where I 
 may find Elsie Schuyler and her present companion." 
 
 " You do well young man in putting them together ; and 
 the object of your affections first. I do not find fault and I 
 will help you in this ; seek out the place which the Dutch 
 people call their Bineukamerin." 
 
 Having said this, he turned and moved away at a rapid 
 pace, cutting off all further colloquy. Tennis was. here 
 Drought to a complete stand, for well as he knew all the 
 apartments of Hoogenhuisen, he was entirely ignorant of the 
 secret places about it : nor would he venture to guess, nor 
 even now to search after, lest he might reveal, what he knew 
 should only be known to the tried friends of the family. As 
 the surest and most effectual method, he resolved to find out 
 the hiding-place from Martin himself; and we have seen the 
 first reception he met with from that worthy. 
 
 Teunis, however, had gone too far to be beaten back ; so 
 he persevered in his inquiries, after relating an account of the 
 interview he had just had down in the glen below. Martin 
 listened throughout with deep interest, becoming deeper every 
 moment ; when at the conclusion of the narrative he said : 
 
 " It is true that that man has had a wonderful influence over 
 Elsie's mind, for some time past. She has spent whole days 
 in his cabin, and if any one knows of our hiding-place, be- 
 sides the Dominie, out of the family, it is likely he does. I 
 will trust you, since the case is desperate." 
 
 " I will swear," said Teunis rising from his seat with grcal 
 fervor. 
 
 " Swear not at all young man," said Martin. " I wil 1 
 trust you without an oath. You will stand at the back door 
 of Hoogenhuisen but awee ! awee ! there is no door there 
 now," and the old man's eyes swam in tears, as he seized
 
 THE SPECTRAL LOOKING-GLASS. 185 
 
 the hand of Tennis. "You will stand where we met tliis 
 morning and look straight southward, and you see a three- 
 cornered stone, half standing against the face of the hill ; 
 there seek, lift the loose stones at your feet, and you will 
 see the rest. Go off now, while all these men are so eager 
 upon their sport, and come back when you have good news 
 to tell ; I will know when I see you here that all is well." 
 
 After a sufficient time to prevent suspicion, Teunis left, 
 going by the way of the cliff, where the main body were still 
 standing looking down upon the ship and the burning house, 
 just to show himself. He spoke to those he knew best, pass- 
 ing by ClhTord near enough, to let him look in his face, which 
 seemed hollower than when he saw it last. He tried to get 
 a glimpse of Kiskataam, and his shadow Shandaagan, but 
 not seeing them, he felt the necessity of being on the lookout 
 for them all the way to Hoogenhuisen, to which he bent his 
 steps hastily, reaching it before dark. From the directions 
 he had received, he found no difficulty in entering the hiding- 
 place. He made his way into the back chamber ; where lie 
 found traces of recent habitation ; blankets and quilts lay 
 around, in places which had served as beds ; and there stood 
 three stones, which had been used as seats. He had hopes 
 now of finding the fugitives, so crawling through a subter- 
 ranean passage, calling now upon Anshela, then upon Elsie, 
 in a loud whisper all the way, as he went, without obtaining 
 an anwer, he concluded that they had made their escape to 
 some other place of refuge ; and as be could not discover any 
 signs of a struggle he had hopes of their entire safety. In a 
 corner where some straggling rays of light came through a 
 chink in the rock, he discovered a Bible that he had given to 
 Elsie on her birth-day ; opening it he found a mark pointing 
 to a passage which he interpreted as a message to himself. 
 It ran thus : "Return, return, O Shulamite, that we may look 
 upon thee. What will you see in the Shuhunite ? As it were 
 a company of two armies." The tear filled the eyes of the 
 reader, as he saw how anxiously he had been waited for, and 
 how lately they had been there looking for Mm. As he sat 
 musing, and chiding himself without reason, wondering in 
 what way he could serve these distressed females, he became 
 sensible that some living thing was moving around on the 
 outside. Rising up quietly and cautiously, he made his way 
 to the nearest opening, listening anxiously till all was quiet, 
 when he sprang to his feet, standing on the rear of the 
 place, and then took a rapid glance all round him in search of
 
 186 THE DUTCH DOMTNIR. 
 
 some one. In a few minutes, to his horror, who should appea* 
 but his hated enemy Kiskataam. They faced each other witn 
 a meaning look, as if each said to the other : " I know your 
 business here." Teunis, as the most excited, and the most 
 honest, was the first to speak. 
 
 " Why does the chieftain of the mountain hunt after a 
 muskrat so keenly. Has Brandt sent spies after his allies ? 
 
 "Brandt's allies," said the red man sarcastically, "have 
 not two faces ; one for the day and another for the night." 
 
 " Then Kiskataam is not one of them, for he has game of 
 his own ?" 
 
 Teunis put this in the interrogative key, striking the ear ot 
 the wily chief so that it rung again, throwing him off hia 
 guard. He intended to insinuate treachery on the part of 
 Teunis ; and the insinuation was given back with interest. 
 Rallying himself he. muttered : 
 
 " The true dog may hunt after the false fox." 
 
 " Then Kiskataam is Brandt's dog. The chief of the moun- 
 tains has fallen when he has come on the Mohawk's errand. 
 The fox can double a mean dog." 
 
 This dialogue could not have been long continued without 
 producing results of a sei'ious nature ; and as the young 
 Boerman was well armed, and withal a powerful man, it 
 would not have been safe in the Indian to have struck a 
 blow then. Nor would it have served his purpose. A 
 quarrel at that moment would have put the man out of the 
 way who was evidently seeking after the same object with 
 himself. A little patience and watchfulness, and Teunis 
 would discover the retreat of the women. The mortified 
 chief walked off crestfallen, having been caught in his own 
 trap at eavesdropping. Not far off, Teunis perceived that he 
 was joined by Shandaagan, and though going with their 
 backs toward him, they were doubtless in mind determined to 
 turn and dog his steps. His own resolution was to keep 
 watch on this spot during the night at least, in case, any of 
 the fugitives should return. In the morning he would be 
 guided, by the course of events.
 
 QUEEN OF THE MOUNTAIN. 187 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 QUEEN OF THE MOUNTAIN. 
 
 * Be thine own home, and in thyself dwell ; 
 
 Palace anywhere ; 
 
 And seeing the snail which everywhere doth roam, 
 Carrying his own house still, still is at home, 
 Follow (for he is easy paced) this snail, 
 Be thine own palace, or the world's thy jail.' 
 
 DOSNK. 
 
 ELSIE and her fellow-prisoners had, in some measure, reco- 
 vered from the shock caused by the late attack on Hoogenhui- 
 sen. It would be folly to deny that the brave girl felt more than 
 gratitude toward Teunis, for the defence he had made, and 
 her mind was wandering in that direction, when in order to 
 compose herself she sat down with the Bible before her eyes, 
 while in heart she was desiring human as well as divine help. 
 Read what part she pleased, some how or other the song of 
 Solomon would turn up. And there she found and marked 
 that verse which Teunis afterward found and read. On 
 looking up from the page a moment, she perceived Miss Clin- 
 ton all drawn up, as if something was pressing upon her 
 breast like a nightmare, which she. was struggling to resist. 
 She ran immediately to the lady's side, and saw the cause, 
 which had almost an equal influence upon herself. Shandaagan 
 was prowling around among the smoking ruins, with his face 
 turned toward the very spot where they were hidden. Hei 
 first thought was to lift the long gun that lay loaded at hei 
 side, and finish his career ; but prudence as much as huma- 
 nity restrained her. She, however, took a look around the 
 apartment, determined to resist his entrance should he come 
 to discover it. Nearer and nearer he came, as if he was ex- 
 amining every inch of ground, and the extraordinary instinct 
 of the Indian appeared now to have the power of leading him 
 in the very direction where they were sitting. He seamed 
 more like a dog smelling the ground than a man scrutinizing 
 it by reasoning faculties. He was within twenty yards of the 
 place where she sat, and was still approaching. A thought 
 struck her ; she began to hiss like a serpent, in a low, slow 
 manner, till she saw the attention of the Indian arrested, 
 whcu she changed her place, and continued hissing till it
 
 188 THE DUTCH DO1IINIE. 
 
 became near a whistle. Rover, who was half sleeping, rosu 
 suddenly at this, and was about to reply in his own style, 
 when his mistress seized him by the paws, preventing what 
 must havu discovered the whole nest. But tne hissing and 
 the under growl were sufficient to awaken new thoughts in 
 the mind of her pursuer, for after laying his ear to the 
 ground, he rose, going quite over the spot where they were 
 looking through at him; so close indeed that the toes of his 
 moccasins were fixed in the holes of their cell, as he climbed 
 to the top. A new danger now appeared. He might dis- 
 cover the door in the rear. Giving the dog in charge of her 
 mother, and setting Miss Clinton to watch the road, putting 
 a large pistol in her hand, which made Margaret look for the 
 moment like a soldier's daughter, Elsie started for the back 
 cart of their citadel, to look out. Her courage was now ris- 
 <og equal to the occasion. Taking her long gun with her, 
 she crawled through between the rocks, all the time feeling 
 quite certain that some one was walking above. She paused 
 that she might listen, scarcely breathing, lest she herself 
 should be heard, when, to still her greater alarm, Rover, who 
 had made his escape from the easier grip of Anshela, was whin- 
 ing low at her side, while the old woman, fully aware of the 
 crisis, had followed after him to resume her hold. She had 
 entered the narrow passage after her daughter, but being 
 neither so supple nor so slim, she stuck in that place like a 
 Dutch scow in a canal lock, and could not go forward nor 
 back. Never was poor girl in a more puzzling plight. 
 Her mother and Rover, herself and Miss Clinton, alike the 
 objects of her solicitude, while the foe was now within ear- 
 shot ; she could, in her desperation, have gone out and faced 
 a score of savages ; but, luckily for all, the mother gave her- 
 self a good pull and got back into the main apartment, where 
 Margaret met Elsie with the information that the Indian had 
 returned to the front and was calling out for Rover. The two 
 animals had, no doubt, recognized each other in their own 
 way ; but the brave girl, taking some rope, put a muzzle 
 on the dog, and fastened him to a chest till the danger would 
 pass. 
 
 Their tormenter left their sight after a brief space, and the 
 three prisoners had now time to breathe and congratulate 
 themselves on their narrow escape. Miss Clinton wept in 
 perfect joy, and would have been content to remain there for 
 a month. Not so Elsie, who saw that the danger was not 
 past. " He will return," she said, " and solve this mystery.
 
 QUEEN OF THE MOUNTAIN. 189 
 
 He will "bring Kiskataam with hira, and they will burn us out 
 if they cannot bring us to yield up." 
 
 u I will die first in this spot, and sell my life dear too," said 
 Margaret. " I will prove to them how a soldier's daughter 
 can defend herself when it comes to a battle. I fear death 
 less than being in the hands of either Clifford or his deceitful 
 servant. Go, Elsie, and leave me here to do as I am deter- 
 mined." 
 
 Elsie, who under the power of excitement was equal to any 
 crisis, was above feeling the burden of her responsibility and 
 musing upon what might be the best plan, suffered broken 
 sentences to escape from her, such as, '* Why does he not 
 come ? Oh, for one word of that dark man in the hollow. 
 Let us watch." 
 
 " And pray," said the pious Angelica, who was rocking 
 herself backward and forward as if that motion was essential 
 to her thought and consciousness. What she had always 
 trusted to was still with her, but in this new condition her 
 mind had not yet obtained its balance. " Vy does niet de 
 Dominie come ? hem ay kaam in distress. Myne vader ende 
 myne moeder hebben my verlaten ; maar de Heere zal my 
 aannemeer." 
 
 " What does your good mother say, Elsie ? tell me that I 
 may share in her comfort and support." 
 
 " She says that though my father and my mother forsako 
 me yet the Lord will take me up." 
 
 " All true, as I can feel this moment. We have all three 
 but one Father now. But look, Elsie, here. What is that I 
 see moving there on the other side of the glen ? It looks 
 like some animal, but it has stood so still that I think it must 
 be but a stone." 
 
 The mountain lass fixed her eye on the place, and after a 
 few moment's examination she withdrew her eyes, with a shud- 
 der, merely saying: "More trouble. The master devil is 
 there himself, as I supposed." 
 
 " Kiskataam it is," said Miss Clinton, hiding her eyes ir. 
 her hand, as she cried : " Oh, God help me ; help us all in 
 this hour of sorrow. Thou beholdest all things below. 
 Look down, we beseech thee, and hear us calling out of the 
 depth of misery, and out of the jaws of this death which i$ 
 now ready to swallow us up. Save us, O Lord, or else we 
 perish." 
 
 Elsie stood amazed at the utterance of this prayer, and 
 seemed to regard her friend as one inspired, while the oW
 
 190 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 mother whispered to herself, " She prays goodens te Domi- 
 nie." All the three became more composed and determined. 
 Their enemy stood looking steadfastly toward them, as if he 
 could see through the rocks ; or it might be that he was sur- 
 veying the fortress, before making a grand attack. To the 
 left was the other fiend, who had, by appointment no doubt, 
 met his master, with whom he was in consultation. The pri- 
 soners could guess his report, and judged too, probably, what 
 would be their next move. 
 
 *- They have sunk to the ground," said Margaret, " as if 
 shot by an arrow ; so noiselessly they fall." 
 
 "Yes," was the response of her companion, " some one has 
 appeared. Now God grant it may not be Tennis at this 
 moment, or he is a lost man, and we lost witli him. If they 
 do the deed, revenge is my word ;" and she grasped the gun 
 firmly in her hand, as if the work was begun. 
 
 Sure enough, Teunis did arrive on the ground, and was 
 watched eagerly from behind the tree, by those snaky eyes, 
 that moved unknown to him. 
 
 " They will shoot him from behind," said Angelica. " Let 
 me cry to him." 
 
 " No, mammy. No, they are only wanting to see where 
 he goes. We must try and divert their eyes from him to 
 something else. We must leave. Oh, for half an hour. He 
 will come straight in here, and they will follow hard on his 
 heels. Let us leave, and w can watch them from another 
 point to more advantage. Once get us here, pent up, and 
 they will soon have their whole pack upon us. Mammy, go 
 out first. It is life or death. I will wait here and watch till 
 you get through. Push these quilts and skins before you. 
 Who knows where our next bed may be. 
 
 Now, Martin had so fixed the back entrance after a fash- 
 ion of his own. He was his own blacksmith, as he was his 
 own mason and carpenter. He had run two bolts, with 
 lead, into a large flat stone, which lodged into eyes that 
 were bored into the rock. There it hung, so that it might 
 be lifted up to the roof, and when let down it appeared in ita 
 natural place. It was a portcullis of a rude kind, but fully 
 answering the purpose of shutting out all, except those who 
 knew the secret. Elsie remained behind as long as she could, in 
 hopes of getting one word from Teunis, and revealing: to him 
 her purpose of retreating ; but she plainly saw that the spies 
 were within hearing, and might succeed in preventing the 
 escape of all the fcur by some cunning manoeuvre, since
 
 QUEEN OF THE MOUNTAIN. 191 
 
 Tennis was entirely ignorant of their presence. The two 
 things she wished for most, and feared most, came at oue 
 moment. To flee was her only alternative, while there was 
 yet hope. She let down the strong barricade, and lay behind 
 it, to see and hear. She dreaded blood being spilt ; and by 
 the way of comforting herself, she shook a little dry powdei 
 into the lock of the duck gun, putting the muzzle through a 
 hole prepared for such a purpose. Here she lay, and saw all 
 we have already described, until it grew quite dark, when 
 thinking on the possibility of being surrounded before the 
 morning, she left, without accomplishing her desire of speak- 
 ing one word to Teunis. 
 
 With great effort Angelica found her way into the open 
 air, where she soon revived sufficiently to lift a burden of 
 bedding. Miss Clinton took her part, and Elsie more than 
 would cover herself, and taking now the lead of the march in 
 deep darkness, toward what was then called the Dog Pool, 
 since named "THE FAWN'S LEAP," they reached it without 
 any interruption, except the obstacles which a rocky path 
 always presents to tender feet. 
 
 The morning found the outcasts in a dejected state of mind, 
 and with weary bodies. Had an enemy come upon them, 
 he would have met with but a feeble resistance. Elsie soon 
 perceived that this state of tilings would of itself soon de- 
 stroy her hopes and the lives of her companions, so she set 
 herself to work cheering them, and turning their minds away 
 from themselves and their troubles. Knowing the place 
 she had chosen, and now somewhat acquainted with her 
 ward, she began a plan of interesting her mind, by exciting 
 tier natural enthusiasm for mountain scenery. She had for- 
 merly been sheltered there during a dreadful storm of hail ; 
 and afterward, during a hot day in July, had sat under the 
 rock that hung over the little fall. It lies in a narrow 
 ravine, belo\v the rocks where the Kauterskiil comes down, 
 and falls over the shelf into a basin a hundred feet still lower 
 down. The whole is surrounded with trees and shrubs com- 
 mon to the region, and forms an amphitheatre of wildness and 
 beauty seldom surpassed. It is not so capacious as the falls 
 lying immediately back of Pine Orchard, but it has points 
 of interest which surpass even that famous spot. Here, in 
 the soft sand, which is as dry as sand can be out of the sun 
 arid never sprinkled with spray or rain, was the bed of .Miss 
 Clinton, and in which she slept that night more soundly than 
 ehe had frequently done in Shrewsbury Castle
 
 192 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 Elsie had made her own bed near that of Miss Clinton, 
 out owing to the load of her responsibility, her sleep did not 
 come till far in the morning. When she awoke and looked 
 around, the first object that caught her eye was her mother, 
 sitting at a newly kindled fire, with her cutty pipe in her 
 mouth, seemingly taking as much comfort as she had seen 
 her enjoying between the jambs of Hoogenhuisen, looking on 
 the china pictures of Joseph and his brethren. The young 
 English girl lay upon a large black bearskin, covered with a 
 thick comforter, still asleep. " Let her lie still and sleep on ; 
 who knows when she may have another chance ?" And with 
 that she began to make her own simple toilet, with a 
 rock for her table and a small pool for a mirror. Margaret 
 soon opened her eyes, in evident alarm at the scene, when 
 rising on her elbow, her eyes fixed on her protectress, she 
 soon regained her composure. After this, she cast one 
 despairing look upward, uttering the name of God and 
 m other. 
 
 " Elsie, dear Elsie," said the fond girl, " it was long before 
 I could fall asleep, and yet I am more afraid now in the day- 
 light than I was when Hooked up on the stars, which seemed 
 to me like the eyes of angels looking down on me. Have 
 you ever imagined those stars to be holy beings hovering over 
 us?" 
 
 " Yes, my dear lady, I have often heard that good angels 
 attend upon the good always ; but our Dominie says a good 
 conscience is the best guardian angel, and the surest sleeping- 
 drops in the apothecary's store ; and that a star in the breast 
 gives more true light than all the millions in the sky. You 
 know that I myself love to watch the stars, and last night I 
 looked up so long, that I fell asleep dreaming that I heard 
 their feet marching over the pure pavement above my head." 
 
 " Your Dominie must be a poet, or else he has read a book 
 called ' The Mask of Comus,' which I feel suits my case too 
 well. A lady lost her way, as I have mine, but she felt as I 
 should feel, and as your minister tells you is best. 
 
 " ' These thoughts may startle well, but not astound 
 The virtuous mind, that ever walks attended 
 By a strong-sided champion, conscience.' 
 
 " Did you hear the stream, how it murmured around our 
 camp, and then roared off in the distance ? It put me in 
 mind of a crowded theatre, just before the curtain rises, when
 
 QTJEEN OF THE MOUNTAIN. 193 
 
 the shout of applause succeeds the appearance of the 
 favorite actor. I lay listening till it seemed to soften down 
 into the low crooning sound of ray old Scottish nurse, when 
 she used to sing me to sleep on her bosom. That put me in 
 mind of home, and I cried myself to sleep." 
 
 "Rise, my lady," said the kind listener, perceiving the 
 necessity of action, " and let me dress you. The cold air 
 must be kept away, and here is my mother's oak-leaved quilt^ 
 which I will put around you as the Indian squaws do their 
 blankets." And with that Elise threw the coverlet over the 
 shoulders of the delicate damsel, on whom the air of heaven 
 had scarcely ever blown rudely before in all her life-time. 
 Her tall and graceful form was not hidden in the particolored 
 shawl, and when her present lady's maid took the handkerchief 
 which a Dutch skipper had brought from India as a present 
 to her grandmother, tying it round the waist of Margaret, 
 she appeared in full dress, smiling and wondering what her 
 " London friends would say were she to walk in among them 
 in this mask, fresh from the mountains. Lady Grantham 
 would hold up her hands and declare that nothing could be 
 more distingue and picturesque." 
 
 " Do you see how that stream leaps down among the 
 rocks ?" was the quiet question of her kind companion, all the 
 time anxious to divert the thoughts of the stranger from her- 
 self and from her home. "Did you ever see a lighter foot 
 than that is, trusting to the air so confidently ?" 
 
 " No, never ; and yet I have seen airy creatures who 
 seemed more the creations of fancy than of reality. But how 
 beautifully the whole stream loses itself in the haze, which 
 covers it like a veil thinner than the purest gossamer." 
 
 " And there, again, Miss Clinton, see how it trips away 
 down yonder below, coming out of its misty curtains fresh 
 and fair, like a child running to its mother's arms." 
 
 This was unfortunate, though kindly intended and finely 
 said, for the poor exile, taking up the thought, ran oif in a 
 rhapsody of affection. 
 
 " Ah, my dear Elsie, why have you touched on that string, 
 to remind me of my joyful days, sending me back here to 
 my sorrow ? My mother is down there, just where that little 
 stream is going to embrace the river. Why might I not 
 follow its course and find her? Tell me, could I not go, 
 keeping by its side ? Would not I come to the river with 
 it, and find my way to the vessel ? I can imagine rt waiting 
 for me at this moment."
 
 194 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 " You would find the rocks too hard for your tender feet, 
 ray dear lady," were the kind words of the good Angelica, 
 u and the windings and tails are more than you dream of." 
 
 " Oh, there seems to be nothing direct in this world, 
 How crooked has been my way these few days past ! Why 
 might I not take a winding course with that stream, and 
 come out in the end all well ?" 
 
 " Straight roads are not always the best. Our Dominie 
 scolds the path-masters every summer, because they will go 
 'over a hill when going round it would be easier for their 
 cattle. Ask my mother, and she will give you Scripture for 
 it." 
 
 " Yaw," said the experienced old lady. " See de kinderen 
 of Ishrael ta'en by vays after de cloudy pillar afore dey got 
 to Kaunaan." 
 
 " This stream we are now watching," interfered Elsie, " is 
 dealt kindly by, for it is let down step by step, and in a far, 
 roundabout way. You saw the two ponds that we lay 
 beside yesterday no, the day before, I forget myself. They 
 form the fountain-head. About two miles below, the waters 
 take a far higher leap than they do here. The further down 
 it goes, the fall is less and less, till it becomes as smooth as 
 your cheek, and as quiet as your old nurse's voice when she 
 found you fairly asleep in your cradle." 
 
 " Min vat de Dominie says about dat, Etaie ?" 
 
 " Oh, he says that his young folk go off like the Kauters- 
 kill up here, and end like the quiet Kaatskill, in their old age 
 joining the great river rolling into the sea." 
 
 " And is this the only stream in these hills ?" was the 
 inquiry of Miss Clinton, who now began to forget herself 
 and her troubles. " If it be a solitary thing, it is far from 
 showing the signs of sadness." 
 
 " This is not the only stream of the mountains hereabout," 
 was the answer of Elsie, " for there is another spring head 
 not far off from this, but the stream runs in the opposite 
 direction. My father followed that when he was young. 
 He says it follows the backbone of the mountain, going down 
 into old Schoharie, then through the Mohawk country, join- 
 ing that river till it meets the Hudson, and mingles with 
 these very waters we are now looking at, after all that 
 wandering life." 
 
 "What a history you are telling me!"_ said Margivet, 
 pleased with the fancy which rose in her mind. " Ho\* likt 
 to some histories I could tell myself."
 
 QUEEN OF THE MOUNTAIN. 195 
 
 " I remember what you told me when we hid ourselves 
 beside the little lakes, and I am almost sorry I spoke just 
 now ; but the truth will come out, Miss Clinton." 
 
 " That is true, and was no fault of your honest heart. Ber- 
 tram and I were born near to each other. He went off to 
 the sea when he was a boy, and we met again after the sepa- 
 ration, on the Hudson, where these two streams you speak 
 of are mingling in one great river." 
 
 " Come and heve somet'ing to eat," was the call of the 
 careful mother ; " leiv afF t'ese sorrowful tales, lookia' into te 
 vater, shedding saut tears." 
 
 Upon a flat stone standing on the shelving rock that hung 
 over the fall, were placed bread, boiled eggs, and dried 
 venison. A cow, which came from the herd, gave them 
 milk ; the whole made an excellent breakfast, of which they 
 partook heartily and gratefully. The mountain air gave them 
 a keen appetite, and at the close of the meal, Elsie took her 
 two hands and lifted up a cup of water, of which she drank 
 herself; then offering as much to her companion, they were 
 ready for whatever might betide. 
 
 "Come now," said the mountain lass, "and I will lead 
 you to my favorite walk." And with their arms around each 
 other, they went up the side of the glen toward the north. 
 Turning around to her mother, Elsie said: "Mammy, the 
 wildcats mew if anything happens." 
 
 " Yaw ! yaw !" said the careful dame ; " wildcats plenty 
 all over. But I will mind." 
 
 " Are there enemies near us that you leave the signal with 
 the sentinel ? I had almost believed the danger to be all 
 below, in that hollow, mysterious place we were in yester- 
 day." 
 
 " You are too well acquainted with the customs of war, 
 Miss Clinton, not to know that safety lies in constantly 
 watching. But let us not talk of danger till we see it face 
 to face. Let us walk ; and please not to turn around till I 
 tell you, for I want to point to what I think is worth seeing." 
 When they had advanced about half a mile above thf fall, 
 Elsie called, "Now turn and look." 
 
 The sight was so overwhelming that Margaret was for a 
 few minutes in speechless rapture. High Peak, that majestic 
 pyramid, stood out in bold relief against the southern sky, 
 surrounded by numerous hills, great and small, among 
 which he rose like a king attended by his suite, who looked 
 up to his orown with awe and delight. The October sun had
 
 196 THE DUTCH DOMESTIE. 
 
 spread a mysterious haze over the whole scene, which 
 expanded rafher than hid its greatness. 
 
 " What do you see there ?" said the truly proud mountain 
 damsel; proud of her own region. 
 
 " My head is dizzy. Let me alone till I get over my 
 bewilderment, and be able to comprehend what is before me. 
 Oh! what a stage is there for superior beings to descend 
 upon, and see the actions of puny mortals ! Elsie, have you 
 ever known any one to ascend that height ?" 
 
 " Oh, yes ; I have been up there myself more than once. 
 But it helps to humble one. I never feel myself so small as 
 when I stand on that eminence, and think what a mote am E. 
 And yet," was the pious thought of the rural maid, " I have 
 felt my soul expanding above it all, when I knew that I was 
 an immortal creature, redeemed by the Son of God." 
 
 " That is like mounting from the foot of Jacob's ladder 
 to the top of it at a bound. I am down at the bottom yet. 
 When I was in the city of Rome, they took me into the great 
 church there called St. Peters ; and, Elsie, do you know that 
 when some one beside me said that he felt himself so small 
 that he could sink, I said, presumptuous thing that I was, 
 1 My heart swells so that I fill all this house.' You must 
 have felt up there as I did in Rome." 
 
 "Four times a year, Miss Clinton, do I come up to this 
 place, and look up ; in June, when everything is in the 
 greenest lustre ; in August, when all is so rich and full ; in 
 October, when those various colors are painted by the hand 
 of nature, and again in winter." 
 
 " Now I find out the cause of my confusion, Elsie : that 
 wondrous variety of colors. This is what is called the fall 
 and Indian summer, when the foliage changes. It is a new 
 thing to my English eyes." 
 
 "And have you no fall in England no Indian summer 
 there?" said the amazed girl, who had less idea of the diffe- 
 rence of climate than her travelled companion. "Then I do 
 not think so much of your great island after all. No fall ! no 
 Indian summer ! What have you ?" 
 
 " England is always green like your June, Elsie ; but what 
 would they give there for one glimpse of that mountain, clad 
 in trees to the very crown, and every one of these trees in 
 different colors, from the richest purple to the brightest 
 yellow, and the whole robe intermingled with pale and deep 
 green. But tell me, what is that shrub covering all the 
 ground so dark in the red."
 
 QUEEN OF THE MOUNTAIN. 197 
 
 ""We call that the laurel, which is spread all over the 
 mountains, as you see beneath our feet. But look, here is 
 my favorite flower at this time of the year, the sumach. Let 
 me put it into your hair, for a feather ; and tell me if ever 
 the queen of England had one so rich ?" 
 
 " Bring me other two, and I will show you the Prince of 
 Wales' feather. There now, a soldier of the forty-second 
 regiment would fight with more ardor for his native hills, 
 than he does even now, with the blood cockade in his 
 bonnet. Oh, what a deep and pure scarlet ! Never, never 
 would they believe me, were I to tell of it just as I see it in 
 your hands." * 
 
 It was in this manner that Elsie led the enthusiastic girl to 
 forget her troubles. Romantic in disposition, and full of life, 
 the picturesque in nature and in costume captivated, her 
 ardent heart, so that she forgot everything for the pleasure 
 of the present moment, light as the bird that leaped from 
 branch to branch. It required only the tact of producing 
 new objects of attraction, and she would have remained for 
 days among these hills, and been happy, and have made others 
 happy also in return. Dressed as Elsie had adorned her in 
 the colors of nature, with her clear, intellectual countenance, 
 she moved with the air of a princess ; and had a stranger 
 come suddenly upon them, she would have been chosen as the 
 genius of the region, attended by rustic wisdom in her homely 
 garb. 
 
 " I have been thinking," said the elated captive girl, " of 
 how happy you must be, when there is no trouble below, on 
 a day like this, and our friend Teunis with you. For I am 
 all the more happy in the company of those I love best ; and 
 you are of the same mind too, I am sure." 
 
 "Yes, there are days which we remember always, when we 
 were too full of happiness. The heart, like a cup full of joy, 
 surges over the brim, and we share it with others. I have 
 had my share at all seasons. This time of the year is always 
 llie finest to me', though not the grandest." 
 
 " "When do you call the mountain in its grandest array ? I 
 cannot imagine anything beyond what I am looking at just 
 now. I have seen Mount Blanc, but there was nothing on 
 it save the awful whiteness, which blinds and awes the 
 spirit." 
 
 " Miss Clinton, to my mind the sublimest scene of these 
 
 * So the English considered Coles' Mountain scenery.
 
 198 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 hills is to be seen in the white winter. The loneliness 
 pleases me so, that I feel a reverence for High Peak, which I 
 never feel at another season. All is then so still, that I can 
 hear my heart beating. It is only at rare times that its real 
 grandeur appears. One day, a few years ago, in January I 
 was here. There had been a thaw and a heavy rain for a 
 whole day, which beat upon the snow without melting it, 
 making it so hard that it could be trodden upon by the foot 
 without sinking. Toward midnight the wind came around 
 suddenly to the northwest, and blew one of the coldest blasts 
 I ever knew. The rain continued, but it froze as it fell, so 
 that not a tree, nor a twig nor a leaf but hung in icicles, 
 clear as the crystal I have seen on my uncle's table at Al- 
 bany. As soon as my father rose, he said, ' now is the time 
 for chasing that mischievous painter that has troubled the 
 sheep so long. He will sink in the crust. Let us after him 
 with our snow-shoes.' A company was gathered, Teuiiis 
 among them. Sleds filled with skins, guns and victuals, and 
 warm hearts. We landed here when the sun was at the high- 
 est. I had come up so far, just to take my favorite look and 
 return ; but of all the sights that mortal eye ever beheld, it 
 seems to me still that that must have surpassed them. The 
 mountain was one lump of glass, not a dark spot on the 
 whole. The trees all hung in crystals. The hard snow, 
 frozen and glittering to the very top. It was one diamond, 
 perfectly reflecting the different colors of the rainbow. 
 I looked, but my eyes filled so with tears, that I turned 
 away, for I was ashamed to be seen weeping at what no one 
 else seemed to care to look at but myself." 
 
 "Did no one enjoy the vision but you? It seems to me 
 that I see it now as you describe it." 
 
 " Not one," said Elsie, " cared about it after a moment 
 was passed ; one girl of my own age declared that she would 
 rather get a look at the big kitchen fire. And a good- 
 hearted girl she was for all that. We must not judge other 
 people by their taste in these things." 
 
 " No, Elsie," said Miss Clinton, " for we find that true love 
 does not always unite itself with refined taste. I have known 
 some of the most sentimental men and women in the world, 
 who would not sacrifice a single gratification for the good 
 of others. But I know others who can enjoy all the beau- 
 tiful in nature and art, and they would this day lay down 
 their life for me. Here I am cut off from all, and not a friend 
 but one."
 
 QUEEN OF THE MOUNTAIN. 199 
 
 Elsie, with great art, turned her thoughts away from thia 
 melancholy theme, by saying: 
 
 " Miss Clinton, stand out there, and let me tell you what I 
 have been planning. The Hermit that you have heard me 
 speak of, told me about the Queen of May in England. I 
 have been thinking that the Queen of October would be the 
 most suitable for our country, and I would like to have you 
 as our model." 
 
 " Well, dress me up as you please ; it will put off care for 
 the day, and give me something to tell when I return to 
 London that is, if I ever return. I feel for a moment now 
 that I might act Lady Hope in the pageant." 
 
 " My dear lady, you must be my queen, since I have 
 elected you. Let me gather the leaves and the branches 
 while you will use your skill in putting them together, 
 agreeable to your own fancy. Here is a piece of stick which 
 wiU serve as the stalk for your sceptre. You must twine it 
 around with the things I shall bring to you, and there is a 
 needle and thread. Now, you are better off than Mother 
 Eve, the Queen of Eden." 
 
 " You seem, my friend and maid of honor, as I shall call 
 you, to use great familiarity here, in putting a queen to 
 work. But since it must be so, let me try. Tell me who is 
 this strange man who has informed you of old country 
 customs so well. Is he a real hermit, or only some mock 
 anchorite that affects these strange ways, for some good end, 
 or in some whim of his own ? I should like to see a real 
 recluse." 
 
 " I cannot tell you much about him ; at least, I dare not. 
 He has been in this region for more than a year ; he came 
 here, no one can tell where from ; and as he knows so much 
 about the world, we think he must have been a great tra- 
 veller. The common people say he is a spook ; and the place 
 he has chosen for his retreat favors the notion, for from the 
 earliest time it has always been thought that some ghost oi 
 an old countryman frequented that spot. Some say that 
 Hendrick Hudson comes back every year to play at bowls, up 
 in these hills, in honor of his finding out our famous river ; 
 others, that Captain Kidd, the great pirate, hid some chests 
 of gold there, and killed a big negro on the spot. One old 
 money-hunter, called Fred Martin, told a terrible tale of 
 his going at midnight, and digging under a tree. The 
 secret of his success lay in his not uttering a siuffie word, 
 whatever he should see, and the whole efforts oi wno ghosts
 
 200 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 lay in forcing him to speak. He dug on till the hour of 
 twelve, when round him rose the crowd of imps, led on by 
 the big, black negro. On Fred worked till out of breath, he 
 lay down on his back to rest ; one more shovelful, and he 
 would be at the chest ; but over him whirled a large round 
 rock, like a millstone, that rose and fell at a great rate, 
 wheeling all the time. Speak he would not, and speak they 
 were determined he should. Down the stone again came, 
 till he thought it touched the hair of his head, when forgetting 
 himself, he cried, ' Off, you black duivel.' The words no sooner 
 left his mouth than all was pitch dark, and he was left there 
 lying till the morning. He declares till this day, if he could 
 only have held his peace, he would have been rich enough 
 by this time. So superstitious are the people, that many of 
 them think that the hermit is either Hendrick Hudson, or 
 the ' spook ' that guards the money-chest of Captain Kidd." 
 
 " But whom does Elsie think he is ? He must be some 
 one worth speaking of, when you are so interested in him." 
 
 " I dare not say all I think of him, my lady. He takes up 
 the most of his time in reading and writing ; he knows all 
 that is going on, which makes me think he must be in com- 
 munication with strange things and persons. He wanders 
 every day to the top of the mountain, and sometimes comes 
 this way, looking always as if he expected some one from the 
 west. At such times he is fearful to look upon." 
 
 " You are not afraid of him yourself since you have heard 
 his account of the May Queen ?" 
 
 " No, Miss Clinton ; he is always calm and quiet when I am 
 near to him. He tells me of things he has seen and of some 
 things he has done. He has been in battles, by land and sea. 
 But hush ! I am speaking too loud ; I sometimes think he knows 
 my very thoughts. Hark ! there is Rover's bark. Hush ! there 
 is the wildcat's mew, as sure as I live. Quick ! let us to the 
 bed of the stream. My mother is afraid, and is calling us." 
 
 Here the mewing became more distinct, to which Elsie 
 answered by putting her hand to her mouth, giving out a 
 sound which imitated a young kitten, eager to reach its 
 mother. Lowering her own head, she signed to her com- 
 panion to follow her example as they ran toward the tall, 
 where Angelica was waiting for them in the intensest anxiety. 
 Rover stood trembling by her side ; then running up to Elsie, 
 he cowered down as if he had been chastised ; every now and 
 then giving forth a short, quick bark, more through terror 
 than eagerness to be sent out on a hunt.
 
 QUEEN OF THE MOUNTAIN. Q ^l 
 
 ** Some wild animal," was the ready explanation of the 
 experienced girl, who having been so often out with her 
 father, had seen the dog tremble before when through instinct 
 he perceived an enemy ne.ir. To this the mother assented, 
 when she listened and heard a howl so fierce and deep, that 
 it almost made her blood to freeze in her veins. All the four 
 stood gazing down the ravine, every sense quickened to the 
 utmost ; while as howl after howl came up, nearer every time, 
 they felt the chills of death coming over them. After a time, 
 it seemed as if the yells were changed in their depth, and 
 that some power stronger than the animal, Avhatever it was, 
 held it in check. This was confirmed by the increasing bold- 
 ness of the dog, which was seen in his running as far as the 
 verge of the shelf, and even putting his paws forward on a 
 tree that grew near tho sdge, then Doming back, as if he 
 wished to encourage his friends. The cause of this alarm 
 must be explained in the next book.
 
 BOOK II. 
 
 THK 
 
 BURNING OF SOPUS 
 
 AND 
 
 THE IMMEDIATE CONSEQUENCES THEREOF.
 
 BOOK II 
 
 OUB History, to be understood, must be suspended until 
 \re gather up the other events which had already taken 
 place within two days past, and to which some allusion has 
 been made ; therefore, our attention is directed to the town 
 of Sopus. 
 
 This town now stands third in rank arnoug the towns 
 of the Province of New York. If the historian has aught 
 of a prophet's eye, he would say, from all that he sees around 
 jSopus her rich and enterprising population, her tine situa- 
 tion that he believes the time will arrive, when many a fail- 
 daughter rising up around her will do her iKnor, for the ser- 
 vice she has done as a mother town of the olden time. 
 Here dwell the various races, which when mixed, produce 
 men of energy and spirit. The blood of the lively Huguenot 
 mingles in the sluggish stream of the phlegmatic Hollander, 
 making her people prompt and untiring, and her magistracy 
 grave and dignified as those of old Amsterdam. She has 
 grown, it is true, somewhat proud of her size, more especially 
 since the stores for the northern army were placed with her 
 for safe keeping. At the time of our history two of tho 
 most important cos mentions of the land were in session no 
 .ess than the Provincial Congress, and the first Synovl of tl> 
 
 905
 
 206 THE DtJTCa DOMINIE. 
 
 Protestant Reformed Dutch church of North America. No 
 marvel that Sopus in matronly pride had swelled her skirts 
 to a city size, demanding homage of her neighbors. 
 
 Alas! how true it is that a high look goeth before a fall. 
 How frequently do those very marks of honor attract the 
 eye of the enemy. The star upon the soldier's breast glitters, 
 BO that the marksman obtains the more certain aim.
 
 CHAPTER L 
 
 THE ANTEDILUVIAK DEBATE CONTINUED. 
 
 " By ceaseless action all that is subsists ; 
 Winds from all quarters agitate the air 
 And fit the liquid element for use. 
 Else noxious ; oceans, rivers, lakes and streama, 
 All feel the freshening impulse, and are cleansed 
 By restless undulation ; even the oak 
 Thrives by the rude concussion of the storm. 
 
 A NEW ENGLISH POET. 
 
 THE stranger calling himself Captain Whittesley was at- 
 tracting notice, and yet no one knew why, since he had 
 shown his papers to be regular and his bearing to be digni- 
 fied. Elder Swart, however, had as yet no suspicion. Too 
 simple-minded, he believed all men to be as they seemed, yet 
 he could not help being surprised at the effect of Whittes- 
 ley 's eye on some of the Dominies, and while on the way 
 from the church to the court-house hall he said: 
 
 "So you know something about our Dominies? I supposed 
 you to be ignorant of all our regions, and of all our private 
 concerns on the west side of the North River. Have you 
 been in Ulster before ?" 
 
 Just at this moment Jan Freer stepped up to the captain ; 
 standing in the path before him, with the evident intention 
 of speaking to him ; but the effect of Whittesley's eye on the 
 spirit of the rough Dutchman, was like that of a man on an 
 inhabitant of the forest ; he all but fell, and allowed the cap- 
 tain to pass ; while recovering himself, he stared after Whit- 
 tesley with mouth open and twisted legs, that showed the 
 uncertainty of their owner's intentions. He was wakened out 
 of his confusion by a full chorus of laughter that came from 
 the loungers standing on the tavern stoop opposite, where, 
 through the force of habit, he turned to go. 
 
 " What's the matter with you Jan ? that you gape so 
 after the Yankee stranger ? You seem as if a witcli had 
 scalded you." 
 
 " The devil it is, or else the spy is come back again." And
 
 208 THE DUTCH DOMDTIE. 
 
 so he went on to tell the same story of getting the " fifteen 
 shillings and sixpence," and of its being the dearest money 
 he ever earned. He only wished he could hear him say that 
 and count it out to him as before, and he could tell more 
 than any of them knew. 
 
 Thus the suspicion grew, and while no man would have 
 dared to put his thoughts into words, there were few who 
 did not feel strangely as this man passed by them even on 
 the other side. By this time it was known that he had 
 broken up the Classis in some way, and all felt curious to 
 know if he was about to do the same to the Congress. Still 
 Elder Swart, who had taken Captain Whittesley under his 
 care, had no such suspicion in his mind. 
 
 Congress was met, and had already proceeded to business 
 They were a set of grave and able men, composed of the best 
 and the wisest of our State, and of whom any State might 
 well be proud. Philip Van Cortlandt sat as President, while 
 round a plain deal table, covered with books and papers, sat 
 the Roosevelts, the Dunscombes, and the Morris's of New- 
 York city; Cantine and Rhea of Ulster, with a host of men, 
 such as Adgate and L'Hommedieu, Brasher and Van Zaudt, 
 and Wisnar of Orange. 
 
 The point before the Congress was one that had been 
 discussed warmly on the preceding day, and would have 
 passed but for one of those artful manoeuvres which pub- 
 lic bodies see played before them, without the possibility 
 of hindrance. The freedom of all the slaves of the State was 
 seriously demanded, and even earnestly prayed for by many. 
 All the members from the city were in favor it, though it 
 cannot be said of them that their voices were raised through 
 an extra share of humanity, but because, having none or few 
 of their own, it would be no great loss to them ; while the 
 members in the country, being sadly pressed for military duty, 
 required their blacks to remain and work for them at home. 
 That kind-hearted man from Suffolk, L'Hommedieu, produced 
 his motion, which had lain on the table for weeks, arid 
 would have been acted on before, had not that cautious man 
 from Ulster, Adam De Witt, seen that let but one member 
 be wanting, no quorum would be left, so he slipped out of 
 doors, and the motion fell to the ground for that day. 
 
 The other side were now in full force, though not over 
 strong, and their orator was in the depth of his argument, as 
 the two men we have spoken of entered. It seemed to Elder 
 Swart as if two or more of the leaders gave a sudden start
 
 THE ANTEDILUVIAN DEBATE CONTINUED. 209 
 
 as they caught a glimpse of his companion's countenance. 
 The orator on his legs evidently felt something like a cold 
 chill running down his spine, for he faltered in the midst of 
 his sentence; and after reading a resolution against the "ex- 
 pediency of any measure which would liberate the slaves at 
 the present time," sat down confused. 
 
 At the close of this act, one member rose in great fervor, 
 arguing the humanity and the justice of a measure which 
 would " set all free, since all were alike entitled to liberty ; 
 and what more fit and proper time than the present day, 
 when struggling for it ourselves ?" 
 
 The answer to this was plain, and regarded by the other 
 side as complete. " Let the negroes know as well how to use 
 their freedom as we do ours, and then shall they have their 
 rights. But what do we hear from all the counties but the 
 rumor of uprisings, under the impression that the day that 
 bondage is past, the property of their masters must be 
 divided ; for how else can they be kept from starvation and 
 misery, unless we preserve them in life as we are doing to- 
 day ?" 
 
 " And have not we heard," says another, " of the bounty 
 which the king offers for the thumb of every Dutchman, 
 brought to the sheriff by a black, if he can prove it to have 
 been that of his master, and he a Whig ?" 
 
 While these cross-firings were going on, Elder Swart 
 observed that his new-made acquaintance was exchanging 
 signs and motions with persons present, such as he had seen 
 among members of the Masonic order, which excited his 
 attention so much, that he resolved to watch more closely ; 
 for though he was but a blunt-looking man, the times had 
 developed his perceptive powers so fully, that somnolence 
 was no part of his real character, however it nv.ght ap- 
 pear. At the very moment his consciousness was awakened, 
 Governor Clinton entered the hall, walking right into tho 
 centre, exchanging a few courtesies as he passed the different 
 chairs. Sitting down immediately opposite our two acquaint- 
 ances, he lifted his eyes in a state of abstraction, as if intend- 
 ing to listen, not to see ; but the instant he fastened his sight, 
 on the man called Whittesley, it seemed as if a snake had 
 fascinated him. Nor did the other shrink from the scrutiny. 
 It was plain that the governor had the least power of eye : 
 for, as if by impulse, he stooped forward to the ear of Svvart's 
 acquaintance, whispering : " Let us leave the hall for a mo- 
 ment."
 
 210 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 " No need of that," said the man addressed, who sat ir. the 
 most imperturbable coolness, while the governor shoot with 
 a visible tremor, like what an animal shows when something 
 alarms it, though it may not move. 
 
 "How far are they from us?" was the anxious inquiry ci 
 the governor. 
 
 " At the elbow below," was all that the other said ; and it 
 seemed as if his lips did not move as he spoke. 
 
 " Who are on board, and for what do they come ?" said 
 tke state officer, quickly, " and what is the errand that brings 
 them ? 
 
 " What he wrote to you concerning, brings himself, for he 
 would trust no one else ; and the love of adventure induced 
 
 to steal on board, as she threatened in her letter to 
 
 your lady." 
 
 " My God," said the distressed governor, " what shall I 
 do ? I could shoot him, after despising his bribe ; but what 
 shall I do with that romantic fool ! How shall I dispose of 
 her !" 
 
 " She is already disposed of," was the cool answer. 
 
 " God be praised," broke in the governor again. " I can 
 tuoi him off, but she would wile the partridge from the 
 hawk; and were she to come here, as she threatened last 
 summer, it would ruin me with my enemies ; and yet I would 
 sooner die than see a hair of her head hurt. Where is she 
 gone ? You say she is disposed of." 
 
 " Stolen, and taken to the mountains," was the answer 
 that came from the strange man ; for no one, looking at him, 
 could see that he spoke, unless they narrowly watched his 
 mouth. 
 
 "Stolen, and taken to the mountains! Stolen, and 
 taken to the mountains ! Gracious heavens ! what do you 
 mean ? How do you know ? Where have you been wan- 
 dering ?" 
 
 "Silence, your excellency. You are observed. Carry 
 that to the president, and sit down in your own place." 
 
 The governor did as he was told, when very soon the pre- 
 sident rose and said : 
 
 " Gentlemen of the Congress, we have other duties before 
 us than that which now takes up your attention. This mis- 
 give informs me that the ship Vulture, under the command 
 of Gen. Vaughan, may be expected to put a body of troops 
 on shore, somewhere at the mouth of the Roundout for the 
 purpose of destroying the stores in this place, and dispersing
 
 THE ANTEDILUVIAN DEBATE COJSTINUKD. 211 
 
 this convention of the free State of New York. What is 
 your pleasure in the premises ?" 
 
 The commotion which arose after this announcement soon 
 gave place to a vigorous debate concerning the duty of the 
 Congress remaining in session till driven from the hall at the 
 point of the bayonet. 
 
 "Remain, surely let us remain in the place where our fel- 
 low-citizens have put us. It is for us, as the heads of the 
 people, to stand firm and show ourselves to be men of nerve. 
 Our blood may be the shower that will water the root of the 
 tree of liberty, and the pears it will bear in the future yeait> 
 of the country's history will be richer, in flavor and mor& 
 nourishing than the tree of England, with even Lord Chat- 
 ham in the topmost branch." 
 
 This was said by Colonel Pierre Van Cortlandt, who was 
 furious in his courage, and seemed to have in his mind more 
 than he chose to utter. The next who succeeded him was 
 less restrained, pointing evidently at the governor, casting 
 glances all the time at that side of the house where Elder 
 Swart and Captain Whittesley were sitting. 
 
 " Fight ! Yes, let us fight," said Judge Cantine, who had 
 his own reason for being envious of the position which Clin- 
 ton, the son of an Irishman, occupied over him, a native 
 Dutchman ; " there is sometimes good reasons for making a 
 man's cousin a general and another a governor. There is 
 much in a name. Putting such power into the hands of men 
 near of kin with the enemies of our country ; more by reason 
 that cases of Madeira can find their way before kindly offers 
 of services are sent. Fight! yes rather lose our lives hero 
 than our heads on the scaffold." 
 
 The governor, who heard ah 1 this and understood tho 
 meaning of the insinuation, was waiting to meet these secret 
 thrusts by something that might tell more forcibly than 
 words ; but the president, who perceived the storm that was 
 brewing, reminded the members that they had tunned aside 
 from the question before them into undignified personali- 
 ties. 
 
 " We have other work upon our hands this day," said he 
 with great dignity, " than to fall below ourselves, by throw- 
 ing out dark insinuations ; which must tend to divide us, 
 when we ought to show an undivided front to the enemy. 
 You men of classical lore, can tell who it was among the 
 ancients, who finding a spy in his camp sent hint back to his 
 master, after showing him all his strength, so that a good
 
 212 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 report might be rendered. How do you mean to meet the 
 enemy, should he be rash enough to land his forces on the 
 river bank ?" 
 
 The business of the Congress was becoming so confused 
 toward the close of the President's short speech, that his ad- 
 vice all but fell unheeded upon ears listening to private 
 words. It was more of a mob debate than that of sober 
 statesmen. Those persons against whom the insinuations 
 were aimed, were hotly engaged with their assailants ; and 
 among them Governor Clinton was the hottest. His 
 Milesian blood was up, and would have boiled over had not 
 Judge Cantine met him as a man shaped out of Holland 
 clay may be supposed to receive the knuckles of an Irish- 
 man in a fury. How far the fray might have been carried, 
 history does not tell, but for the booming of a cannon from 
 the river side which informed the debaters that a common 
 enemy was at hand, which demanded both property and per- 
 son. Here a calm and dignified member stood up, to whom all 
 gave heed the moment he opened his lips : 
 
 " President and Gentlemen: We are on the eve of another 
 struggle ; and though it may sound strangely in your ears, 
 I rejoice at the prospect of blood being shed, and of iire 
 being kindled. You will agree with me when I read to you 
 what has been sent hither by a trusty and carefid friend in 
 New York, written to me in cipher, with which you must be 
 satisfied through my interpretation. 
 
 " To THE HON. MORRIS : 
 
 "The messenger who gives this into your hand will explain it 
 fully. Vaughan goes in charge of an expedition to Albany, to fight ad he 
 loves to tight. Sir Henry goes to bribe his cousin : Vaughan swears he 
 will burn the spot of blood out, if there be any cousin iu this colony of 
 rebels." 
 
 With this the hitherto silent member sat down ; while a 
 second cannon boomed through the air, which by this timo 
 was becornimg so filled with voices out of doors, that little- 
 could have besn heard within, however inclined any one 
 might be for speech making. Besides, the constant going hi 
 and coming out prevented the desire which the eager men 
 had of rising up against the treason they imagined they saw 
 in all from whom they differed. Another report, and they 
 separated in hot haste, for now they knew that the dangei 
 was imminent. Since Vaughan and his soldiers were near 
 there was no time to lo.se.
 
 LOVE STBONGEE THAN DKATH. 213 
 
 In the meantime all the suspecting members had their eye 
 on Whittesley. Orders had been privately issued to watch 
 all the roads out of Sopus, and stop every one that might be 
 seen escaping from observation, and bring them before the 
 commanding officer, Colonel Hausbrouck, who, being a true 
 Dutchman, was loyal to that interest. But in the midst of 
 the personal commotion ; some say of the fright, which the 
 approach of Vaughan occasioned in the Congress, Whittesley 
 found his way out ; nor was it observed, till Elder Swart 
 started up from off his seat, asking where the Yankee cap- 
 tain had gone. 
 
 On the road to Plattekill, riding at full speed, a single 
 horseman was seen toward the dusk of the evening, but the 
 folks of Sopus had business of their own on hand ; and the 
 strange captain was not thought of more that day, though 
 Jan Freer maintained till he died, that it was the same man 
 who had hired him in the night ; and gave him fifteen shil- 
 lings and saxpence for a sail. 
 
 CHAPTER H. 
 
 LOV STRONGER THAN DEATH. 
 
 * The rabbins write when any Jew 
 Did make to God or man a vow, 
 Which afterward he found untoward 
 Or stubborn io be kept, or too hard, 
 Any three other Jews of th' nation 
 Might free him from his obligation." 
 
 HUDIBBAS. 
 
 Hrs majesty's ship, the Vulture well named was making 
 slow progresr up the Hudson River on a special expedition 
 on behalf of the northern army. General Vaughan held a 
 carte blanche, on which he might inscribe what he saw fit, 
 provided that the general cause was advanced. 
 
 As this voyage was regarded in New York in the light of 
 a pleasure trip for sport, more than as an expedition of a war- 
 like character, there were numbers who sued for permission 
 to join it, yo that they might witness with their own eyes 
 those romantic scenes spoken of and sung since the days ot 
 Raleigh. They longed to visit those grand old woods where 
 the wild beasts lay, still undisturbed ; and the red man, that
 
 214 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 western Greek of lofty sentiment and of heroic deeds, so 
 captivating to the youthful mind. All such persons as were 
 sick of the worn-out forms of European society desired this 
 fresh and new world. In this way the enthusiastic and loyal 
 sought the opportunity of a pleasure sail on board of this 
 powerful ship. 
 
 Sir Henry Clinton either sought or demanded a small cabin 
 for himself and family on this occasion. He held also a carte 
 Blanche of another character. He deemed that he himself 
 W&s the sole keeper of his majesty's private seal ; but a bird 
 "X the air will chirp into the ear of an envious or ambitious 
 man, and Vaughan would play second to no one. The king 
 had many friends who dwelt far inland. Messages must be 
 borne thither for their encouragement. Gifts from the crown 
 were to be scattered liberally. Every man must have his 
 price paid to him. Before that could be counted out the 
 man must be known. George Clinton, governor of this new 
 State, was well known to be related to Sir Henry, and the 
 rebel might be bought, could the colonist be seen by himself. 
 All efforts had hitherto failed, though friendly exchanges of 
 word and deed had passed between them, such as genilemen, 
 possep.sed of self-respect, always show even in times of war. 
 Frequently, in a jocular vein, the knight l:ad threatened to 
 pay the governor a flying visit, just to see whether his good 
 blood had all oozed out or not ; while the colonist, with equal 
 good humor, replied that Sir Henry would find that he had 
 plenty of "blood left to show all his majesty's servants that 
 he was still a man, though he had become a rebel." 
 
 These friendly banterings were accompanied, at times, by 
 substantial presents and tokens of good will, in the shape of 
 Cheshire cheeses, Burgundy and Port, lauded from New 
 York by some skiff that ran in under cover of Fort Washing- 
 ton, where General Clinton, the rebel, kept his majesty's 
 forces at bay. These unloadings of good cheer were suffered 
 to pass unmolested, the carrier being none the wiser. Sly 
 surmises would occasionally be muttered, but with the ex- 
 ception of some envious Dutchman, who found fault with this 
 sudden promotion of the Clintons, all was quiet. The Mrs. 
 Clinton of the country, sending one time to her ladyship of 
 the city a firkin of her own butter from the cow, with a pot 
 of apple butter from the orchard, wrote it would help Miss 
 Margaret's dry bread to slip down easier. 
 
 These several acts made Sir Henry come to the conclusion, 
 in his own mind, that perhaps his cousin George might bo
 
 LOVE STRONGER THAX DEATH. 215 
 
 won over to the right- side. Could he but have a chance of 
 seeing him incog.) who could tell what, the result would be ? 
 There had lately arrived a full pardon for all past offences, 
 and full power was held by himself to advance the colonists 
 who might be worth advancing, to any station. This George 
 Clinton was one of those very men, and, to tell the truth, 
 the worthy knight was so proud of him that he declared 
 boldly, had he been anything else than what he was, a true 
 rebel, he would have despised him as unworthy the name he 
 bore, and say he was no cousin of his. 
 
 These explanations are needed to account for the presence 
 of those persons whom we find on board of the Vulture sloop 
 of war. In the cabin were seated a deeply interested com- 
 pany, whose countenances denoted an agony of mind and a 
 tenderness of feeling which were in singular contrast to the 
 objects presented on board of a war vessel. The machinery 
 of death is hardly the place for those of a tearful cast; and 
 yet the lion and the lamb are never seen to He down together 
 in any place so generally as where the soldier makes it his 
 home. A sense of duty will triumph over the feelings of 
 humanity, so as to look on death and rapine without re- 
 morse. 
 
 The main person in this group was a man over fifty years 
 of age, of deeply-lined countenance, showing determination 
 and firmness of purpose, though at the time we refer to, his 
 lips betrayed the yielding of the soldier to the nature of the 
 man. The quiverings of those lips were the only signs seen 
 of what was moving the strings of his heart. Something 
 more than great public events was the cause of that restless- 
 ness, and the fiery glances which shot forth from beneath his 
 bushy eyebrows showed that a crisis of some kind was near 
 at hand. Pacing the cabin floor with uneven steps, when 
 his back was turned he could be seen brushing away the tear, 
 lest his weakness should be betrayed to his friends ; though 
 even with his face averted, his frame told the careful observer 
 that deep passion was working within. 
 
 A lady, somewhat younger than he, but past the flower 
 of beauty, sat in a richly ornamented chair, in a still 
 more dejected state of mind than her lord. Her hai v , 
 brushed back and raised upon a frame of wire beneath 
 according to the fashion of our times, showed a brow of more 
 masculine form than one loves to look at in a woman dwelling 
 at home. Not a wrinkle showed her former griefs, if she 
 ever had any, and all lines of care were alike absent from her
 
 216 THE DUTCH DOMIXIE. 
 
 whole face. She had seen only the sunshine of life ; at least 
 no cloud had rested long enough to le,;ve its shadow. A 
 dress of fawn-colored velvet hung loosely upon her body, 
 clasped at the neck by a brilliant diamond, which corre- 
 sponded to some smaller gems of the same water in her hair. 
 The robe was no stinted pattern, as the amplitude of its 
 folds showed, even when she sat; but when she rose, the 
 long train, which she managed so gracefully, indicated that 
 she had moved in a wider saloon than the narrow compass 
 to which she was now confined. Not so careful to restrain 
 her tears as her partner in grief, she was still far from show- 
 ing a vulgar sorrow. Rising in one of her ecstasies, she took 
 hold of the gentleman's arm, and in the most beseeching and 
 touching manner embraced him before she said : 
 
 " Henry ! my dear Clinton, let the young men have leave 
 to go in search of our beloved child ! Let them go but for one 
 day. Alas, it may be too late already. Oh, my dear daugh- 
 ter ! where are you at this moment ? in the hands of that 
 cruel monster! I entreat you as a wife, a mother, your own 
 wife, to yield and suffer them one of them, if not both to 
 make the effort. You will reproach yourself forever after- 
 ward unless you give your consent now. 
 
 Sir Henry Clinton, for it was none else than that brave 
 man, who, for reasons of Ids own was here a passenger on 
 board the Vulture, allowed his lady to vent her grief and her 
 desire in words before he attempted to speak ; then turning 
 around and looking calmly but decidedly into her face, he 
 said : 
 
 " Georgiana, you must not ask what it is impossible to 
 grant. We are but a few miles from that rebel's nest, and 
 Vaughan has resolved to burn them out, and how can he 
 spare two of his chief officers, when so much depends on 
 suddenness and promptitude ? Do not urge it at this critical 
 moment. Duty is above all other considerations." 
 
 "Oh, my child! my child! and must I sacrifice thee at 
 the shrine of duty ? Oh, surely the God who gave thee to 
 us would look down with leniency upon a neglect that would 
 save life and restore thee. Would that I could as easily 
 fall before my sovereign at this moment as easily as I can 
 before my God, and my husband, and I am sure tha* '.he 
 parental feeling of the good king would yield at once, and 
 save even a whole city willingly, though they be rebels, for 
 the sake of saving that dear girl,that he put his hand upon 
 and said, ' bless thee, child, for as thou art beautiful now,
 
 LOVE STRONGER THAN DEATH. 217 
 
 what wilt thou be in womanhood ?' Could he but see her, 
 and hear me ! Oh, Clinton, yield, yield as you love me, and 
 would save yourself from bitter days !" 
 
 " Duty, duty," was the only answer the agitated father 
 gave, as he kindly led the fainting lady to her seat, and 
 turned away toward the cabin door, which opened at that 
 moment, when there entered two young men dressed in the 
 different uniforms of the army and of the navy, to which they 
 severally belonged. They were about the same age, and of 
 the true English build of body ; firm, stout, and yet lithe of 
 limb ; full of animal energy and of great moral force. Though 
 evidently proud of their station, and ready to do battle in 
 behalf of their king, they were for the moment under the 
 same spell that held Sir Henry and his lady ; one of the two 
 bore the family contour of face, and was recognized at once 
 as a son ; while the other, of dfirker hue, and more athleti^ 
 form even than his companion, unmistakably belonged to 
 some branch of the Clintons, of which there are many. 
 The one ran to his mother, who folded him in her arms, and 
 sobbing out, said : " Spare me, O God, one child, since the 
 other has gone. Thy ways are mysterious. The one that 
 was truly the fawn for gentleness and grace, has fallen into 
 the jaws" of the wolf; and the other, exposed to every dnnger, 
 is hore. How long, thou knowest, O God! O my God!" 
 
 The son was silent on her bosom, but his eyelids swam in 
 moistare, as he was whispering some words in the ear of the 
 brokbn-hearted mother, who seemed to give little heed for 
 some minutes, till by and by she caught his meaning, what- 
 ever that was, and became as still as a child asleep, evidently 
 deeply absorbed in what he was communicating. He rose 
 up kissing her cheek, which she returned with such transport, 
 that it appeared more like a farewell embrace than a simple 
 adieu. There were intelligent glances passing between 
 mother and son, which a watchful observer would have 
 understood to mean a mutual understanding as they parted. 
 
 In the meantime, the companion of young Clinton, who 
 had just entered, was entreating his uncle to take the respon- 
 sibility of allowing him to leave immediately on the search 
 after the captive lady, whom we may guess to be none else 
 than Miss Margaret Clinton, the present ward of our young 
 Dutch maiden, Elsie Schuyler of Hoogenhuisen. The knight 
 was invulnerable to all entreaty, and even angry at the 
 urgency of the youth; though no doubt his anger was put on 
 to save himseh' from an open outburst of feeling. 
 
 10
 
 218 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 " Urge me no more, Bertram, as you love rr.e and would 
 serve your king. It would ill become even me, though I had 
 the power, to release you from the duty just now before you, 
 since it is mine to encourage merit and bravery, rather than 
 to screen a coward." 
 
 " Uncle ! Sir Henry, what do you mean ?" said the fiery 
 youth, at the sound of the word coward, almost forgetting 
 the distance between himself and the party addressed. 
 
 " I mean," said the knight, " that my nephew's name must 
 never be associated with that of coward, even by the breath 
 of" suspicion, to which it would be certainly liable if he should 
 be allowed to have his own way." 
 
 " God knows, and Sir Henry knows, that the dangers I 
 would encounter are tenfold more than those I we aid avoid, 
 and most willingly would we encounter both were time not 
 
 so precious ; another day, and my d " . He was going to 
 
 say my dear Margaret, but checked himself by saying, 
 " cousin will be on the road to the valley of Ske-nuda-wa on 
 the Susquehanna, where that villain Kiskataam said his wig- 
 wam was still standing. Could I get within pistol-shot of him 
 that serpent eye of his would not fascinate another bird 
 from its twig, and that smooth, wily tongue would not tell 
 another Indiiin lie in the shape of a tale." 
 
 Silence prevailed in that small circle for some minutes, 
 and when it was broken, it was by the chief in self-reproaches 
 at his own former laxity of duty. 
 
 " If I had but refused that bewitching child her request, of 
 coming up this cursed fine river with us, there would have 
 been no trouble ; but her voice has always been law to me on 
 all things where her love of nature and of the romantic are 
 BO perfect. Her raptures as she surveyed this new country 
 and this river, that I hate to look at now, always charmed 
 me and made herself more beautiful ; and by these very 
 means I have lost her altogether. I should have resisted her 
 to the last, and I am justly punished for my tenderness." 
 
 " Clinton ! Clinton !" said the lady, " do not blame your- 
 self nor the dear child, for the fault lies with me. I begged 
 on her behalf that she might see the dominions of thoso 
 Indian kings that she admired ; and that false-tongued 
 serpent told her so much of those mountains which we 
 now see in bold outline, that her imagination became fired 
 at the prospect, so that I really thought at the time, her 
 brain might become fevered, unless she were gratified with 
 the sight of them. That brilliant fancy has always been
 
 IX)VE STRONGER THAN DEATH. 21I> 
 
 to her a source of exquisite pleasure and pain. Now I fear 
 that her death must follow. Ah, poor child ! how I loved to 
 hear thee tell us of Switzerland, and of Scotland, and wish 
 that you could only see from the top of some high mountain 
 on the vale of the Hudson. Thou wilt look down, but it will 
 be as the poor fawn which is caught in the claws of the 
 eagle for prey, and taken to the cliff overhanging the gulf, 
 either to be devoured or dashed to pieces." 
 
 These lamentations from both the parents were more in 
 the form of a soliloquy than as addresed to others, for they 
 were all disinclined to hold conversation upon the subject ; 
 and yet it was necessary that some counsel should be had 
 concerning future operations, after the attack should be 
 passed, which had been already determined upon. Sir Henry 
 was willing to hear propositions in prospect, but would not 
 venture anything at the present moment. He rather wished 
 to give the license, but after what he had said of duty, would 
 not propose it. 
 
 " I never could bear the hateful savage," said the knight, 
 with great bitterness; "and had my counsel been followed, 
 he would have been dismissed -'rom the service long 
 since. He always quailed under my eye since I ordered him 
 to leave head-quarters, where he was found in too close proxi- 
 mity for any one but a friend, or a spy. I believed him to 
 be the man who carried the report of our planned attack upon 
 Fort Washington." 
 
 " Yes, your Excellency," said Bertram, " it was your dis- 
 like to him that kindled his revenge, so that he has nursed 
 it ever since his last journey to the north and west, arid he 
 found the chance too easily when he obtained the help and 
 the countenance of another." 
 
 " Of another !" all exclaimed at the same moment. " Who 
 else, and why should any one have any design upon such a 
 pure being as Margaret ?" 
 
 "It may not be known to you," continued Bertram, "that 
 my cousin was urgently pressed to receive the addresses of 
 Colonel Clifford, previous to that unhappy affair between 
 
 him and his friend C , which led first to the separation of 
 
 him from his young and beautiful wife, and then to her 
 
 death, when C vowed eternal revenge, which made you, 
 
 Sir Henry, deem it best to send Clifford to the north, under 
 the command of Burgoyne, who gave hin the charge of Fort 
 Niagara. I go over these points for the purpose of making 
 out what we used to call a hypothesis."
 
 220 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 "Well, Bertram, you are very long in coming to tha 
 point ; please reach your conclusion as quickly as possible." 
 
 " Kiskataam incidentally mentioned the name of Clifford, 
 as an officer he had seen, and when I innocently asked the 
 Indian if he knew the commander of Fort Niagara, he 
 hesitated to answer, and then waived the reply, which I could 
 not account for in any other way than by his being under the 
 pay of Clifford, and he has come on here at this time, both to 
 gratify his revenge against Sir Henry and to do the wicked 
 work of his master." 
 
 " But Clifford," said Lady Clinton, "would not dare to 
 return to society again. He knows that the king would 
 never allow a man so lost to honor to see his face in the 
 army, or his name upon the list." 
 
 " My dear aunt," said Bertram, " men under the power 
 of a fierce passion, will rather lose their souls than go ungra- 
 tified. Like a wild animal, Clifford thinks only upon the 
 object of his desire. Honor, peace, and future reward, here 
 or hereafter, are all thrown away for the time, so that his 
 mind may be bent on the one thing before him. He is just 
 such a man." 
 
 Sir Henry, who sat in astonished silence during Bertram's 
 ncital of his suspicions, broke in here, by saying it Avas 
 utterly impossible that Clifford, or any man of the army, 
 could be so lost to honor and ingratitude as ever to act so 
 unworthy a part, after the responsibility which was taken by 
 myself, to remove him where the stigma would not be seen. 
 Besides, I had a letter from him lately, in which he expresses 
 himself in the most becoming manner. See, there it is 
 at this moment. It refers to matters of a public natxire 
 chiefly, but a postscript is added, in which his remembrances 
 of my kindness are made in the most delicate and appro- 
 priate manner." 
 
 " Please, sir, to say who it was that brought you that com- 
 munication," said Bertram, with great readiness. " If it was 
 the Indian my suspicions are confirmed." 
 
 "It was the villain Kiskataam," said the sorrowful father, 
 low fairly infected with the same feeling with his nephew ; 
 " and here, in further proof, he says, that business will call 
 him down to the frontier, where the plan is being carried 
 out, along with the Mohawk chief, to remove some captives 
 from the rebel's country back to the Fort Niagara. He will 
 be happy to receive any commands from me, or from M^s 
 Margaret, either concerning the war or the romance of tliid
 
 LOVE STRONGER THAN DEATH. 221 
 
 wonderful country, where nature plays on her harp equal to 
 herself." 
 
 " Yes," said Bertram, " the dishonored man is somewhere 
 up there, and is at this very hour watching the ship and 
 waiting for his prey. There is no time to lose, and since we 
 are not to be allowed to leave to-night in search of Margaret, 
 I may as well, in the presence of my aunt and of Clarence, lay 
 my own suit at your feet, and beg you to smile upon our 
 plighted faith." 
 
 "Bertram," said Sir Henry, in amazement, "I have no 
 daughter, and if all you tell us be true, there will be but pain 
 remaining for you, and for us, increased by the consent you 
 would obtain in a moment, did I but know how to direct 
 you honorably." 
 
 " Oh," said Bertram, " I could run over the mountains like 
 the deer, with the name of the loved one on my lips ; and 
 hear me she would. Your consent would give me wings." 
 
 " Hear me, then," said the grieved soldier. " Were my 
 daughter present, I would put your hands in one, and give 
 you my blessing. In the meantime, we must to duty, and 
 perhaps a flag of truce to my cousin George, the Ulster rebel, 
 may be effectual. We shall see." 
 
 The ship had turned the Elbow,* and was catching the wind 
 sufficiently, so that she might at any moment come to anchor. 
 A stiff breeze from the southwest was bringing her into the 
 Roundout Creek, where, under cover of the night, they 
 intended to land a body of men, who would march up to the 
 village of Sopus, burn and destroy it, and return immediately. 
 A company being detailed off, and put under the command 
 of a superior officer, who was to have Clarence Clinton as 
 his aid ; Bertram begged, and was allowed to go along as a 
 volunteer, he being a lieutenant in the naval service on board 
 of this same ship. 
 
 " Now, Georgiana, I would give a thousand pounds this 
 day, were you back in New York. This is no place for you, 
 thougli you be the wife of a soldier." This was said by Sir 
 Henry, in a spirit that showed his mortification >t being 
 caught in such a mean attack, which he would have been 
 glad enough to have read about, but to be so near as this, 
 would be to identify him with it. Besides, the loss of his 
 daughter affected him almost superstitiously ; and he would 
 have countermanded Vaughan's orders, if he durst have 
 
 A point on the river.
 
 222 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 taken the responsibility. Lack of decision was ever his great 
 defect. 
 
 " I could wish myself back in England, and you with me,'* 
 said the Lady Georgiana, " were we honorably out of this 
 murderous war. I believe the judgment of the Almighty is 
 falling on us for the share we have had in robbing so many 
 hearthstones. O God, what light have we to complain of 
 thy justice, when we are engaged in the very act of destroy- 
 ing the peace of a whole village." 
 
 " Georgiana, do have mercy upon me at this hour, if you 
 have none upon yourself. You know that this lauding is en- 
 tirely contrary to my mind. I feel that it must end against 
 us ; and it will ruin the plan that I have been preparing for six 
 months past. You know what pains I have been at ; indeed, 
 I may say we have had, to conciliate these colonial cousins 
 of ours, now all frustrated by this headstrong vanity of 
 Vaugnan. Never would I have given my consent to Avhat 
 must break up all our chances of bringing over the very head 
 of this new State, and a general to boot. Curse Vaughan 
 for all this." And with that he went on deck, where he 
 found his son, who, with a restrained voice, asked his father's 
 blessing. 
 
 While together, Bertram and Clarence had formed a des- 
 perate plan, to which the mother was to be privy to leave 
 immediately after the attack was completed, and have their 
 names appear among the missing, for Avhich no one would be 
 responsible but themselves. They hoped to be able to justify 
 their conduct by their success. In the meantime, it was 
 necessary to inform Lady Georgiana, lest her heart would 
 break at the thought of their being dead, or prisoners among 
 the barbarous rebels. In the anxious and excited state of 
 the mother's mind, the scheme was listened to with delight ; 
 and when parting, she exhorted her son to do his " duty 
 like a gallant man first, and then pursue the murderous 
 villain to the end of the earth ; but bring me back my dear 
 child your own sister, my son, and there is my blessing." 
 " But what shall I say to your father, when he finds you 
 have not come hi with the rest ? I must weep, and yet be 
 satisfied that you have gone on my errand." 
 
 " Sir Henry," said the youth, " will bear up well till we 
 return, which cannot be more than a week at the most; and 
 if you see a fire on the mountain that second highest peak 
 that we admired to day at midnight, after forty-cngnt hours t 
 or twenty-four hours beyond that time, know that we we
 
 LOVE STRONGER THAN EATH. O?3 
 
 safe, and havo got trace of Margaret ; tell ray father, arid he 
 will revive." 
 
 "Go, then," said the mother, "but I tremble lest you be 
 lost in the mountains. Now I think of it, that rebel cousin 
 of your father's, in one of his letters, sent me this hair ring, 
 which his daughter worked for me. You see that it has 
 the initials of her name in the centre. Should you get 
 into difficulty, take this, and here is a copy of the note I 
 sent to her, with my thanks. These will prove you to be 
 our son, and the blood relation of that same mock gover- 
 nor." 
 
 " We will keep out of his way, for he may play Brutus, 
 and condemn us all the more surely that we are his kindred. 
 I have a more certain way of escape than that," said Cla- 
 rence. " I have heard that same false Kiskataam tell of his 
 places of defence on the tops of these mountains. You saw 
 him sitting with us a whole hour, and pointing along the 
 ridges, marking out distinctly the cloves, and telling us of 
 the roads which lead over the country, so that I can have but 
 little difficulty in tracing him, with some help from the inha- 
 bitants. One spot of great interest he told us of, and which 
 seemed to have attractions above the rest, even to him, 
 where two little lakes lie close to each other, on the sides of 
 these hills, fed from the surrounding heights, looking like 
 twin sisters brimful of love, surging over their affections in 
 a stream that quietly steals through the trees till it dashes 
 over a high precipice a few miles below, then finds its way 
 to this river. I can follow that as my guide, and find him 
 safely lodged among his own thickets." 
 
 " Clarence, you are too like your sister in that romantic 
 spirit. She told me of these lakes, and of the tradition of 
 the Indians connected with them. She was in rapture at the 
 very prospect of seeing them, and of telling me the story on 
 their verge. It grieves me to the soul to recall her descrip- 
 tion as the false flatterer gave it to her. It may lead you 
 astray, as she has been decoyed ; so depend not upon any- 
 thing you have heard from him, but make sure, by taking 
 these tokens of private friendship to George Clinton. Rebel 
 as that governor is, he must be an honorable man, pos- 
 sessed of a warm heart. He will not suffer you to be injured 
 should the day go against you." 
 
 With these parting words, more the suggestions of her 
 kind, maternal breast than the dictates of her cool judgment, 
 the mother and son separated in doubt.
 
 224 THE DUTCH DOMUSIE. 
 
 CHAPTER HI. 
 
 THE SPOET OF A FOOL, CASTING FIREBRANDS, ARROWS 
 AND DEATH. 
 
 " The tempest falls, 
 
 The weary winds sink breathless. But who knows 
 What fiercer tempest yet may shake this night." 
 
 THOMSON." 
 
 THE Lady Clinton saw how a false movement on her part 
 might bring disgrace on her liege lord's i'air fame. Her 
 woman's wit perceived the ground of Yaughan's ill-advised 
 attack upon the unoffending people of Sop us, and its con- 
 sequences upon Sir Henry's mission. Vaughan would accom- 
 plish what he really intended cutting off all hope of nego- 
 tiation with the rebel governor. To counteract the certain 
 evil effects to her family, who might be brought to plead for 
 his help, was now her secret aim. 
 
 The two young men agreed upon their signals and on 
 where they were to meet : two shrill whistles at brief inter- 
 vals of time, an hour after midnight, unless they met earlier, 
 should the attack be successfully made and over before 
 that time. Bertram had possessed Clarence with the same 
 opinion he had formed himself, that Kiskataam was on his 
 way to Canada by the western route, and their only chance 
 of overtaking him was to start up the mountain at the 
 nearest point, and get beyond the rebel border, when, as 
 king's officers, they would pass free through the country 
 of the friendly tribes, who were the only inhabitants west of 
 the Kaatsbergs. " We can get before them," said that 
 ardent youth, "for they must travel slowly for Margaret's 
 sake." 
 
 " But you said that you believed Clifford was in tlus 
 scheme, and will he not be ready to receive her with suf- 
 ficient force to resist our attempt at rescue ?" 
 
 "Let us trust to chance for that; none but the brave 
 deserve the fair. A traitor is always a coward ; and I am 
 persuaded that the arch hypocrite dare not show himself to 
 Margaret, the daughter of his patron and friend, till the 
 romance is pressed out of her mind, through her captivity
 
 A FOOL'S SPORT. 225 
 
 and grief He then will appear as her delivering angel, 
 claiming her hand in gratitude." 
 
 " Your love, Bertram, has made your fancy creative ; but 
 it is as well that we be prepared for the worst. Here let us 
 swear fealty on her behalf; living or dying, we are one." 
 
 " Agreed," said the other, as he took hold of his friend's 
 hand ; " and whoever survives to-night, shall carry out the 
 plan to the end." 
 
 The order to march ran secretly along the line, when the 
 sense of duty swallowed up everything of individual interest. 
 The sacking of a village or the changing of a guard was the 
 same to men under a rule of iron. The corps held their way, 
 guided by some men of the country in the king's cause, 
 through a broken piece of land for about three miles from 
 the river. The greatest caution was used ; not a word above 
 a whisper was spoken, for the troops of king George had 
 Learned well enough that it was dangerous to go hunting, 
 on these hunting-grounds, so far away from Windsor Castle. 
 The reputation of the Ulster militia for bravery had been 
 heard of ere this, and the party might be caught in their own 
 trap a veiy common thing in those times. 
 
 "Are these Dutchmen as good at handling arms as the 
 Yankees?" whispered Clarence to a private at his side, 
 whom he knew to be a native of the country, and who, at the 
 present time, acted as one of the guides. "Do you suppose 
 they will fight ? or do they know sufficient of this quarrel to 
 risk their lives against the king's troops ?" 
 
 " Fight !" said the other, " yes, and on principle, too, as 1 
 am a living man. There is not one of them but knows their 
 rights, and their wrongs too, for that matter. Their Dominie 
 instructs them in all these aftairs, and drills them into line, 
 Sunday and week day." 
 
 "And does something of the fighting too, you think, if I 
 may guess from your speech ?" This was said with a sly 
 sneer, which the young officer could not hide. 
 
 " The use of the sword is not despised by these Dominies; 
 and some of them go so far as to insist that the minister 
 should carry the ark before the army, as the priests did in 
 the old wars ; and if you, sir, had looked as often as I have 
 into the large, black eyes of the man who teaches the folks 
 where we are going, you woiild believe as I do." Thid was 
 
 said with so much warmth of feeling, that Clarence began to 
 suspect that he was speaking to a partisan of the country. 
 " So then you know and rather resoect this man you call 
 
 10"
 
 226 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 the Dominie up here ? how does it happen that wo have you 
 here in our ranks ?" said the officer, with some sharpness, aa 
 he looked into the man's face to ascertain the efi'ect it might 
 have upon him. 
 
 " This cause, sir, like another we read of, has set father 
 against son, and son against father." This was s? : d with 
 feeling. " It is enough," he continued, " that 1 am now 
 under the king's flag, and sworn to be true. I can be this 
 without losing my reverence for the Dominie, or my love of 
 his flock. He will fight if he needs to take the field ; and my 
 advice to you is, keep out of the range of his gun, if you 
 want to leave the field a living man." 
 
 " Ah, a good shot is he ?" said the interrogator. " I love 
 the man that can shoot straight and fair on all sides, though 
 I should hate to be taken down by a priest. How shall 1 
 know him in the field?" 
 
 " My description," said the earnest young man, not mind- 
 ing the jests of his superior, " will not he required. He lets 
 his presence be heard and felt. He has little mercy upon a 
 Tory; and if I were to fall into his hands, he would do Avith 
 me as he did to a mean Cowboy, tie me to his horse's tail, 
 and ride me to death." 
 
 " And would you stand patiently to be tied ?" said 
 Clarence, laughing quietly at the guide's solemnity. " He 
 must have great power over you, since he could not keep you 
 near him." 
 
 " That is a tale by itself, sir," said the private ; " but were 
 I to see his three-cornered hat there before my face at this 
 moment, I would stand still and deliver arms; for then would 
 I be certain that his long Geneva bands would hang at his 
 breast, his white locks be streaming over his shoulder ; and 
 my heart would cease to beat that instant." 
 
 " Certainly he must be a dangerous man, to be so near us 
 at this time, and we depending on your guidance. I must 
 watch you, and treat you as they do horses that are led out 
 of a fire, throw a sack over your eyes ; and then you will be 
 but a blind guide. But what makes you look so fixedly ? 
 What do you hear ? You cannot see anything in the dark?" 
 
 " The old church drum is beating the alarum ! There will 
 be fun in old Sopus before morning." 
 
 " Church drum !" said Clarence, in laughing surprise. 
 " Do they call the people here to church by tuck of drum ? 
 A well drilled flock they must me. His wardens, then, must 
 be captains and sergeants, and his clerk a bugler."
 
 A FOOL'S SPORT. 227 
 
 By this time the invading force had reached a rising 
 ground, from which the village could be seen in daylight, 
 but was now only discernible by the twinkling tapers carried 
 unsteadily in all directions. To a lively imagination, like 
 that of Clarence's, they were like spirits disturbed in their 
 rest, and were now in the act of arousing their wards of the 
 humari race against the approach of their enemy, that like a 
 huge vampire stood perched on that mound ready to descend 
 and destroy. Silence reigned through the company. The 
 officers consulted in whispers ; all seemed to be waiting for 
 the word to go forward ; nor did they wait long, for two 
 dark ligures, that rose at a signal, stood before the rest, and 
 were met by the chief in command, who soon returned and 
 gave the word " forward !" 
 
 The orders were to burn the stores and the public buildings, 
 to spare the inoffensive inhabitants, and to kill only those 
 who offered resistance. They rushed down in double quick 
 time, and were soon on the streets of the place, which pre- 
 sented a spectacle of activity, showing that some notice 
 had been given of their approach, and that the people were 
 moving their household stuff from their dwellings in all 
 directions. On a road over which Bertram passed with his 
 men, going to the north, were horses and oxen, drawing 
 rude carriages piled with household goods, and women with 
 their children, who were giving forth all the sounds of young 
 humanity when suddenly raised out of their nests. With 
 round tables, of the time of King Arthur, were seen glitter- 
 ing escritoirs of mahogany, brought from Holland. Clarence 
 stumbled upon an old vrow, who bore off a set of china, 
 while following her was a young damsel carrying a huge 
 antique looking-glass, that had reflected the face of her 
 grandmother when a bride in the Nederlands. A rude 
 soldier tossed, with his musket, a bundle out of the hand of 
 a full-bottomed matron, which turned out to be a silver tea- 
 pot, and other plate of value ; but his officer coming up, pre- 
 vented the spoliation, so that she carried off her prize, which 
 became from that moment the more valuable. Screams were 
 heard from the dwellings, caused through fear more than 
 hurt, while men were seen in the yards behind the houses 
 running to the rendezvous, where Colonel Haasbrouk was 
 mustering his men and preparing for the defence. Among 
 these people were found some of the most prominent in the 
 convention, and not a few of the reverend Dominies who had 
 figured that day in the ecclesiastical assembly, with their lav
 
 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 brethren by their side ; though it is on record that the 
 majority of both Convocations took to their heels, and never 
 stopped till they reached the village of Hurley, where? they 
 met next day, and sent out strong resolutions against the 
 audacious enemy who had dared to burn them out. A song 
 called " The Race to Hurley " is sung with great gusto 
 among the mischievous men of the place, who think it the 
 greatest sport that ever happened. 
 
 Time pressed upon the invaders, each one being fur- 
 nished with a torch dipped in tar, and his orders given 
 to burn only public stores ; but the blood of the tiger 
 was up, and words could not restrain him, more espe- 
 cially when liquors in abundance were at hand. The heads 
 of casks were driven in at a stroke, which allowed the 
 soldier, always thirsty, to dip his mouth into the drink till 
 he became satisfied. Fire and alcohol gained the mastery, 
 and all the generals in King George's army, with himself at 
 their head, could not have stayed the havoc of a general 
 conflagration. The officers fought with their own men, 
 swearing as only soldiers can swear at such times ; but what 
 does a drunken mercenary care for life or property when led 
 to their destruction according to the laws of cruel war. It 
 was not the soldiery, however, who wrought the chief damage 
 to the private citizens, but their own neighbors in disguise, 
 who, having grudges in their hearts of long standing, ami 
 being made aware, secretly, of what was coming, under the 
 cloak of serving the good cause, gratified their own revenge 
 by lighting the houses and the barns of the Whig population, 
 and thus effecting a destruction of property which would 
 have required an army of a thousand men in the same length 
 of time to have prevented or stayed. 
 
 In one half hour after commencing their ravages, the bugle 
 sounded a retreat. The deeds of fire and blood were done, 
 an" these are seeds which must yield the most noxious fruits 
 in time to come. These blackened walls should be left, so 
 that the yet unborn child, when it comes of age, may ask, how 
 came these monuments of a former period to be placed there ? 
 And the answer shall be, " There came upon us a band of 
 bloody assassins, worse than the Avolves or the red men, 
 pouring their fury upon us, and we cursed their day." 
 
 It was but the work of half an hour, and though thp bugle 
 sounded loud and shrill, it was no easy matter to gather up 
 the stragglers, who had dispersed for booty and other objects. 
 Such as were not insensible to danger flew to the gathering
 
 A FOOL'S SPORT. 220 
 
 spot, while the blaring notes told the militia, who wove 
 coming in large numbers, that now was their time. The 
 blazing dwellings showed, to their watchful eyes, many of 
 their enemies, who were seen, some dancing like demons in 
 drunkenness, and others, skulking behind in the dark, equally 
 demoniac, while the sudden report of a gun, and the sharp 
 shriek which folloAved, declared the death of some other vic- 
 tim of this night's work. The English commander saw the 
 necessity of a rapid movement, as the danger of being sur- 
 rounded was becoming every moment more imminent, and 
 it was therefore with wise precaution that he had left a party 
 behind to keep open his retreat ; for already, on the road to 
 the river, Captain Henry Schoonmackcr had assembled a 
 number of the true-hearted militia to intercept ; and perhaps 
 he might have succeeded had not the Dominie come up at 
 that time arid warned him, in true hunter's style, against 
 putting the catamount in a corner. 
 
 " Give a bridge of gold to a flying enemy," said the good 
 man, " else he will fight through and kill hip and thigh. Let 
 us to the fences, and smite them as the wise men of the east 
 did at Lexington lie in ambush, as the kindereen of Israel 
 did before Ai." 
 
 The Dominie was obeyed as if he had been captain. The 
 men all lay down flat on their faces, but the reverend man him- 
 self and Schoonmatker who stood behind a tree, reconnoiter- 
 ing the approach of the enemy. The Dominie saw them the 
 the moment they rose on the high ground east of the village ; 
 his ringers got uneasy, and his gun came to his eye ; when 
 crack went the piece, which brought the word " Halt" from 
 the English leader, who marked the point whence the flash 
 appeared. Captain Schoonmaker, mad at the Dominie, cried 
 out " Vat dat for ? You've fired afore the time cam once." 
 
 "I could not help it,'' said the enraged Dominie. " I heard 
 that Skitilink Yaacob Tenbroek laughing among them, and I 
 thought I might hit him; but now that they know we are 
 here, let us ah 1 give it to them. And with that the brave, 
 good man roared out " fire," when a scattering volley made 
 the woods ring. No damage was done to the invaders ; but 
 as it would be risking too much to pass by the defenders, a 
 party was detailed to dislodge them, a matter not perceived 
 by the eager watchers, who were prepared to take the soldiers 
 in flank, when, to their own great surprise, they were at- 
 tacked with a fuiy in the rear, which made them tumble off 
 helter-skelter in all directions, leaving the main road clear.
 
 230 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 down which the king's party passed at rapid pace, for well 
 they knew that time was worth more to them than gold. The 
 Whigs, though spread over the field for a short space, soon 
 came together, and pursuing along the skirts of the woods 
 and behind the walls gave out fresh volleys, which did no 
 harm, as all was yet quite dark. These were returned at 
 short intervals, more for the purpose of frightening their 
 pursuers, and keeping them at bay, than in expectation of 
 doing execution. It was during one of these halts that Cla- 
 rence perceived that Gab/iel Smidt, the guide with whom he 
 had held the private confabulation on the way up, gave a start, 
 and then fell flat to the ground, which surprised his officer 
 very much, as he had shown more than common bravery 
 all the night throughout, which made him ask : 
 
 u What do you see there that makes you fall back as if 
 you were shot ?" 
 
 " Do you see that black spot on the fence there, no bigger 
 than a crow ?" said Smidt. " Look how it rises higher and 
 higher." 
 
 '" Well, what of it ?" said the other. " What if it be a 
 crow, a drop of lead will bring it down, even though it were 
 a witch. I could hardly believe that a man of your temper, 
 from what I have seen of you, would be frightened by a 
 scarecrow !" 
 
 "Laugh as you please, that cocked hat, as I told you, has 
 made me more afraid than a dozen of rebels, at another time. 
 I feei at this moment as I used to do when I could not say 
 my Heidelburg." 
 
 " Pugh !" said an Englishman at his side, " is that all ? 
 let me put a pill through it, and I will say my catechism all 
 the better after it is over." 
 
 " You shall not do it," said the Dutchman, " else you and 1 
 are enemies forever. The image of my old mother is now be- 
 fore me, saying ' Gaby, Gaby, min' de Dominie.' " 
 
 But the Englishman had no such scruples, and before hi.-i 
 comrade had time to interfere, the -firelock had spoken, and 
 to the astonishment of all, and the horror of Gabriel, the hat 
 stood up as brave as ever. 
 
 " Does not that prove," said Gabriel, " what my good old 
 mother alwavs said, that these ministers were black owls to 
 shoot at ': I never saw the man yet that prospered after he 
 lifted his hand to smite one of them." 
 
 " Give me a good fat steak and I will verture the shot," 
 was the unbelieving cockney's sneering reply.
 
 A FOOL'S SPORT. 231 
 
 " Sec," said Clarence, suddenly startled himself, " all the 
 fence is lined with heads, and that as far u* we can see. We 
 must dislodge that pertinacious crew once more. True 
 enouf./i, tney sit like so many crows rather ravens ready 
 to pick our bones. Not quite yet, boys." The men were 
 ordered to lie flat on the ground till measures could be taken 
 to dig the rebels out, or find a way to the left, and give them 
 a wide berth. This would have been the plan, only there 
 were v<vces heard in that very direction, so that appearances 
 showeJ '.hat they were surrounded, and must fight their way 
 to the river, in the face of thousands. While waiting in coun- 
 cil, Gp.o/iel Smidt crawled up to the fence, and climbing over, 
 he ]al(j. nold of that same cocked hat, which soon lost its ter- 
 rors w hen he perceived that the whole was but a ruse to gain 
 time. 'L he hats were all put on poles, and placed on the top of 
 the fence, so that from their regularity and number, they 
 seemed a company of men waiting with muskets ready to dis- 
 charge their fire. Gabriel took the old hat, putting it on his 
 own head in real waggery, which nearly cost him his life ; for 
 no sooner did they see it move, than twenty muskets were 
 fired at once, none of them taking effect, for there followed 
 the loud laugh of the, discoverer, and as loud a curse at the 
 " old deceiver " for the trick he had put upon them, which 
 they regarded almost in the light of a defeat. 
 
 Notwithstanding all this levity, the leaders were far from 
 being at ease in their minds. It was plain that time was 
 gained by the country party by these tricks, and that was 
 loss to themselves ; and it would have been fatal to the king's 
 troops, indeed, had there been proper discipline observed on 
 the other side. Instead of silence, they let their voices be 
 heard, so that the ship's company were made aware of the 
 danger, and sending up a few rockets, which were under- 
 stood as telegraphic signs of warning by their friends ashore, 
 who paused till they heard the firing of the ship's guns, that 
 reached the field where the militia were in ambuscade, allow- 
 ing a reinforcement to land and follow up the advantage, 
 3>t-set hi front and rear, the Dominie's party had to make 
 way and allow the regular soldiers to pursue their course. 
 The reverend man was seen walking in front of the men, 
 exhorting them to keep steady and not to fire too soon. 
 
 " Yaw," said Captain Schoonmaker ; " do as de Dominio 
 bids, not as he does. But dere now ; hear dat ;" and there 
 came a round ball whizzing through the air close by the rank. 
 Then a second, and then a shower of grape that tVIl like hail
 
 232 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 among the trees. The men, uneasy and seeing no enemy, 
 scattered, as the Dominie said to them when he got on the 
 other side of a knoll: "Cowardly creatures that you are! 
 fleeing like so many sheep." 
 
 " Yaw ! yaw !" said a staid-looking farmer, whom they 
 sometimes called Elder. " De shepherd vleeth in de front 
 of tx3 flock vaster dan te rest." 
 
 "And where would you have a shepherd be but in the 
 front of his flock, as David always was ? Read the tenth 
 chapter of Johannes and hear : ' Zoo gaat hij voor hen heen ; 
 en ae schapen volgen hem overmits zij zijne stem kenen.' " 
 
 " What is that he says ? Can't he spuak so as we can all 
 onderstand him, instead of that jabber of chapters ?" This 
 was asked by a Yankee who had become mixed up with the 
 crowd. " What does that parson of yours mean ? the incon- 
 sistent body that he is. He would face a cannon, and yet he 
 runs faster than the rest of us now.*' 
 
 " He says, ' When he putteth forth his own sheep, he 
 goeth before them and the sheep follow him : for they know 
 his voice.' He can give you Scripture for what he does." 
 
 " Yes, and if he were to run behind, he could give us the 
 same Scripture. I do not like those men that blow hot and 
 cold with the same breath." 
 
 " You better keep a quiet sugh, my man, for you are now 
 among the Ulster Militia, and that is our Dominie. Touch 
 him and you touch us. We are that man's sheep." 
 
 " And I suppose you call him the bell-wether, or the big 
 ram, rather, judging from his two horns. But now I remem- 
 ber, he left his hat with its horns on the stake beside the 
 fence, keeping his head safe." 
 
 " Vat's dat you say, you duivel snip ? If you blaspheme 
 de Dominie you must pay de fine ;" and the Yankee found 
 himself seized by the collar. Two of his comrades took 
 offence at his freedom of speech, which brought the reverend 
 man himself to the spot, who soon settled the quarrel by a 
 sharp reprimand, which had its eifect on all, diverting their 
 minds from the rather sheepish flight they were now taking 
 homeward to the burning village, after chasing their foes to 
 the ship.
 
 TTLE. 233 
 
 MORE DANGERS THAN A BA 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 MORE DANGERS THAN A BATTLE. 
 
 " A double victory thou must gain, 
 
 In this emprise the merit of success. 
 One battle lost, makes all thine efforts vain, 
 Makes glory shame, and luxury nakedness." 
 
 TASSO. 
 
 THE young Clintons were cousins the one was brother 
 and the other lover to the lost Margaret, who had been 
 abducted from on board the Vulture, on her voyage up the 
 river, by Kiskataara. Both the young men were sworn to 
 find out the young lady or perish in the attempt. 
 
 Clarence, son of Sir Henry, being in the land service, and 
 feeling greater responsibility than his cousin, was more 
 oppressed in spirit on leaving his command. He would be 
 reported among the missing, but his sense of honor was so 
 that a feather would have changed the balance between his 
 duty and his affection. The feelings of his father and 
 the risk he ran of being dishonored, were far more, in his 
 esteem, than the dangers he feared of being in a hostile 
 region. As he mused, he recalled the promise he had made 
 to Bertram, and he became decided. When he reached the 
 trysting place, it was surrounded by country people, who 
 had crowded behind the knoll to shelter themselves from the 
 ship's artillery; and nothing remained, therefore, for the 
 young soldier but to take to the fields, and trust to luck. 
 The flames of the burning village rose high, and by that in- 
 explicable influence by which a fire at night attracts ail 
 animals, man with the rest, he turned his face thither, hop- 
 ing that chance would do something for him. Perhaps he 
 had. something like an undefinable notion that he might fall 
 in with his father's cousin George, the governor, and obtain, 
 through his mother's name, and sign, a pass through the hos 
 tile ground, though his feelings and determination were tc 
 pursue his own way, so as to get to the mountains before the 
 morning fully dawned. This was all he knew of the dis- 
 tance between the river and the high lands. 
 
 In walking along by himself he had time, and was in the 
 mood, for reflection. He felt like a man who bad been
 
 Uoi THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 roused into passion, but who now becoming cool, inquires of 
 himself why he was so mad. " Is it," he asked, " like Christ- 
 ians to become incendiaries ? Can the king give the right 
 to trample upon lite and domestic peace ? Were not these 
 quiet people defending their homes and their altars ? No 
 wonder though the Almighty is angry with our family. 
 Why should I and the rest of the army not suffer ? I never 
 expect to see my sister in this world. A curse on this war.*' 
 
 This soliloquy, expressed audibly, nearly cost him his life; 
 for the sound of the human voice goes fur in the fields at 
 night. Superstition is quick-eared. The one who listened 
 at this witching hour was no coward, though equally as 
 uneasy in mind as Clarence. Gabriel Smidt, the guide of 
 the attacking party, had also taken through the fields after 
 convoying the king's troops to the ship, for a reason of his 
 own. He recognized the voice and the gait of the young 
 Englishman. Without more ado, he made himself known, 
 and while the recognition was awkward on both sides, men 
 like them, accustomed to sudden surprises, and hi the habit 
 of watching against them, soon get over their feelings. 
 Their eifort was to hide their real intentions. 
 
 " I have left something behind me in yon village that I 
 would not lose for a thousand pounds," said Clarence. 
 
 "There has been many a tine thing lost there this night," 
 said the private, " and among others, some things lie there 
 which will never be gathered up." On saying tnis, he cast 
 his eye sidewise, as if trying to scan the face of his com- 
 panion, who, though he did not relish the jest, was in no 
 place to resent it ; so turning the conversation on other mat- 
 ters of a more general kind, he said : 
 
 " From appearances, we must be a long mile yet from the 
 village." 
 
 "That depends," said the imperturbable Gabriel, " upon a 
 man's feelings. It is a longer way for me now, when my 
 heart is heavy, than it was when I worked on these lieids, 
 and went home with heavy heels, and a hungry belly; b:it 
 to you, who have just gained a victory, it ought to be a short 
 mile." 
 
 "If I remeaiiber," retorted the young officer, with so:n*j 
 surprise at the turn the conversation was taking, aud with a 
 degree cf alarm which made him finger his belt, " you had 
 some share in that victory; I saw you fighting and tiring 
 with the best of us. And now let me ask you, ii; the king's. 
 a irae, why vou are here ?"
 
 MOKE DANGERS THAN A BATTLE. 235 
 
 "Ha, ha," said Gabriel, "we are both equal here, where 
 the king's word is no longer law; but lest you should be 
 tempted to do as my superior might do, and which I might 
 reta late on you, though your inferior, I will open my mind 
 to you at once, and say what I know of your affairs, and 
 that I am under promise to help you in this enterprise." 
 
 " Who could have told you of our intentions ? There is 
 but one person besides in the world who knows about me 
 here. No matter, then, give me the countersign and we will 
 trust each other as far as we know what is in ourselves now, 
 till we become better acquainted." 
 
 " Agreed," said Gabriel ; " and now let me take you around, 
 so that we may avoid all scouts outside ; for you must know 
 that I could go through these lanes blindfolded. But I have 
 a message for you from the lieutenant, who expects to meet 
 us near this stone barn." The young sailor, in the ardor of 
 his feelings, had pushed forward after he found an opportu- 
 nity at the river's edge of sending a token of his safety on 
 board the ship, informing Lady Clinton of their escape from 
 the dangers of the attack, and of their determination to pur- 
 sue their premeditated plan. His eagerness carried him for- 
 ward to the rendezvous before Clarence and his companion 
 had reached it, so that he had time to sit down and reflect 
 on the prospect before them. He was not long of hailing his 
 friends, who came up to him, and they immediately entered 
 upon a council of war. The two Englishmen gave themselves 
 up into the hands of Gabriel, as their only help for the pre- 
 sent ; though it must be confessed that confidence was not 
 lying very close to their hearts. 
 
 " My advice," said the prudent guide, who soon discovered 
 their fears, " is to obtain the assistance of some one of the 
 secret service-men, of whom there are many in these parts 
 who know that snake of the mountains Kiskataam, and who 
 for a trifle will scotch him with great pleasure. His haunts 
 are well known to these Tory blades, who keep their tongues 
 well in, and their knife in a sheath of hypocrisy till they get 
 the chance of smiting under the filth rib." 
 
 " Well, can you undertake to find the man you describe, 
 and make a bargain that will keep him honest ?" 
 
 " Bless your soul, gentlemen," said the guide, " my life is 
 not worth a cabbage head were it known that I am now 
 within a hundred paces of my mother's door-yard. Do you 
 see that light twinkling there between those two trees? 
 Hut you cannot see the trees trees of a patriarchal size ar
 
 236 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 before the door; and my good old mother, kind soul, is in the 
 old house behind them : .and " 
 
 Here his voice grew thick and nature felt the desire to 
 overflow in tenderness. Tears came to the eyes of all the 
 three in sympathy, and yet an hour ago, they saw houses of 
 the same kind in flames, and the inmates shrieking and flee- 
 ing from them in terror of their life. 
 
 "How comes it," said Clarence, "that you are here with 
 your head in the lion's mouth ? Some love affair, no doubt, 
 like other men of like passions." 
 
 " Affection, gentlemen, blazes the same in rich and poor ; 
 and when it is pure and powerful, it will carry a man 
 through deeper floods than you have ever seen on sea, and 
 hotter flames than we have ever seen on land. I must leave 
 you now, so that I may meet the old woman in that house ; 
 and then I shall die in peace, if she lay her hand once more 
 on my head, and ask over me a Dutch blessing ' vaart wel ;' 
 I will send you a guide who is a Tory in his heart and a 
 Whig in his speech, follow his direction strictly. I will 
 keep a secret watch over you, till you get into the Indian 
 country: of one thing be sure, that you do not trust the ras- 
 cal with more of your secret than you can help." With that 
 the unhappy man disappeared. 
 
 The two adventurers stood waiting and listening to the 
 sounds which came up from the burning buildings, that 
 cracked and fell, blazing up as if stirred by demons, who 
 shouted and screamed with devilish glee. All the evil spirits 
 had not left with the invaders, for the wicked grew wickeder 
 so fast that they scarcely knew themselves, so sudden and 
 terrible was the transformation wrought upon them in their 
 struggle. Dogs howled for their masters ; and for the hearth 
 where they had been accustomed to lie ; women were sob- 
 bing or shrieking throughout the whole place, while hud- 
 dled in corners were groups of old men and curious boys, 
 prophesying and listening to one another concerning the 
 evils that would yet follow this night's work. Vengeance 
 was deep and dark upon the faces of the old ; and scudde 1 
 swiftly over those of the young, as a cloud sweeps over * 
 sunny field. 
 
 Clarence, who grew impatient, crept forward alone to tiie 
 window of a low, dark stone bouse, that stood close bj- the 
 road, where he saw what made him shrink back as if some 
 one had struck him. It was used for the time as the hospital 
 of the place, ^vrhere lay the wounded and the dying, ill their
 
 MORE DANGERS THAN A BATTLE. 237 
 
 blood and groaning with pain. The Dominie had returned 
 from the chase himself, leaving the men to watch the move- 
 ments of the ship, which left the village almost without in- 
 habitants, except the aged and the decrepit. This was so far 
 favorable to our adventurers, keeping them from being dis- 
 covered. The good man was now about his own peculiar 
 calling, ministering consolation to the dying and the be- 
 reaved. His exhortations were made up chiefly of Scripture 
 from the low Dutch, mixed with the vernacular of the region 
 which would have defied the most learned body in all Ger- 
 many to have translated literally. 
 
 " Goden den is villing dat you zal die, Hanse, ande you 
 must be villing to go ; you have done your duty, Hanse, as 
 a free man dis uicht, ande if you zeek himme through Christus, 
 you are safe." 
 
 He then offered up one of the most fervent prayers that 
 ever the Listeners heard. Accustomed as they had been to 
 the calm, cold manner of the English church ; and occasionally 
 hearing some strolling Methodist, they were unprepared for 
 fervor united with spirit-stirring language, which bore mean- 
 ing to the understanding as fully as it gave solemnity to the 
 manner. " He is a man of power," Gabriel would have said, 
 "whether he be in the sick-room, or on the battle field." 
 He could face Satan's hosts with as hearty good will as he 
 does the red-coats. He held as part of his creed, that both 
 belonged to the same army; and if any one had asked him 
 that night, what was the color of Apollyon's coat, he would 
 have said promptly, " scarlet." 
 
 As he proceeded in his devotions he grew calmer, speaking 
 bofter; and it was evident that his words had a most sooth- 
 ing influence upon the listeners. His language was now alto- 
 gether in the Dutch tongue, as if he had forgotten ail but 
 that, which he knew was the early speech of the man who 
 was dying, and who would recur to that in his last moments. 
 " Hoe dierbaer is uwe goeder tiereuheit O Godt, dies de men- 
 sohen kinderen onder de schaduwe uwer vleugelen toevlugt 
 nemen." 
 
 " That is true," said some one who came imperceptibly to 
 the side of Clarence, who seemed touched with visible emo- 
 tion, repeating in the English tongue what was pleasant to hie 
 heart in the Dutch. " How excellent is thy loving kindness, 
 O, Lord ! therefore do the sons of men put their trust under 
 the shadow of thy wings." When the young officer turned 
 round to see the new coiner, ho found his friend Gabriel
 
 238 
 
 again by his side, sobbing as a child weeps when his heart is 
 nigh broken. It was real grief, and no one was disposed 
 there to turn it into ridicule. There was, however, in this 
 more than the mere sight of suffering humanity. The sight 
 of that good man, anointing a dying sinner through the di- 
 vine influence ; and by this act of piety, together witli former 
 remembrances, good and bad, the services went farther into 
 his soul at that moment than the same ceremonies, gone 
 through at any other time, could possibly have done. 
 
 " Come away," said another person who had remained 
 hidden till now. " If you stay here any longer, your friends 
 will fall into the hands of the Philistines. Hear how they 
 shout, as they come on to join their friends." 
 
 "This is the guide I spoke of," said Gabriel. "The sun 
 will soon be up and I must hide my face in some hole ; but 
 how gladly would I change places with Hank Snyder in 
 there, to deserve that good man's blessing." 
 
 " Quick ! out of this," said the new comer, " else you will 
 get his curse, and a horse-pistol shot to fasten it ; see, he i.s 
 moving to the door." 
 
 The four had gathered under the shadow of a large maple- 
 tree, and were in close consultation concerning the future. 
 Clarence and Bertram were confounded at the minute know- 
 ledge which Gabriel had of them, and of their purpose, and 
 became quite passive in his hands. He entered at once into 
 their scheme, and gave directions in such a way as betokened 
 authority over the man addressed. 
 
 " You will take these men," said he, " by the quickest and 
 the shortest road to the mountain, through Kiskaatam's 
 country. There is an attack to be made upon the Boermen 
 of the Vlatts about this time, and Brandt is to lead it. Try 
 and get to his rendezvous, and put these gentlemen under 
 his care. They will tell their own story to him, and obtain 
 his assistance." 
 
 " What if \ve cannot get through in time to catch that 
 red-skin ? The attack on the Whigs has been made already ; 
 Dominie Schuneman had a dispatch yesterday saying that tho 
 great Mohawk was on the South Mountain, and we have had 
 other word, that we can understand." Here he gave three 
 snifters, which was a sign understood by Gabriel. 
 
 " Petrus Van Vliet," said Gabriel, with some haste, " you 
 are to do the best, and no fun. These gentlemen are king's 
 officers and on the king's business, and that, the Dominie says. 
 requires haste ; and let me tell you that it also requires honest
 
 MOKE DANGEKS THAN A BATTLE. 239 
 
 men. Remember that Geordie's whelps have arms longer 
 than Petrus Van Vliet's." Here the speaker held up his 
 finger in a threatening manner. 
 
 The other gave a grin, saying under his breath, and with 
 some emphasis : " George's bayonet is wearing shorter every 
 hour, and that fire has melted an inch of the point. But it is 
 time to put on these duds, so put off your buttons, boys." 
 
 This was something which neither of the two had thought 
 of. To be disguised and taken would lead to a dog's death. 
 To be taken in their own clothes would only cause imprison- 
 ment, and, at the worst, their being shot and honored as sol- 
 diers on duty. They hesitated. 
 
 But the new guide was inexorable, and Gabriel was silent; 
 BO making a virtue of necessity, they laid aside their buff and 
 blue for tiie sheep's grey, the livery of the country. In fact, 
 though Petrus had kept the secret to himself he had stripped 
 two of the men who were lying dead on the field, that he might 
 furnish these travelling dresses ; and taking those cast off 
 from the two young men, he hid them so that he might use 
 them, as he knew he could, profitably, on some other occa- 
 sion, in deceiving the opposite party at the game of " give 
 and take." 
 
 As short a time as possible was consumed in these prepara- 
 tions, under the superintendence of Gabriel ; and Petrus, 
 being one of those men who work for the highest pay, was 
 assured of reward according as his work was weil done. 
 His eagerness at getting all that he could appropriate to him- 
 self was the key to his character. 
 
 "You may know your man," said Gabriel, when the other 
 stepped aside to lift a button that shone among the litter at 
 his feet, blowing the dust out of its eye and putting it in his 
 pocket, all unconscious of doing any uncommon thing 
 " You will see that he has his price, so use him, by the grace 
 of high promises, till you see he is becoming greedy of gifts, 
 as well as of graces ; and when it comes to the last and the 
 worst, see, there is a pair of ' covenant keepers,' which you 
 will need sometime, perhaps ; but always remember, as the 
 Dutch wives say, ' Better fazle a fool as by vecht dem.' " 
 
 With this advice, he put a pair of pistols in each of their 
 hands, which, in addition to what arms they had already. 
 ma^ie them well defended. With that he bade them aclieu. 
 Tl.ey were now in the hands of the slippery Petrus, who 
 took them by a foot-path, which ran along a stream, till h;; 
 c<*me. near to what evidently appeared, even in the grey of tim
 
 240 THE DUTCH DOMINIU. 
 
 morning, to be a graveyard. The dark stone monuments 
 were visible, while the silence which prevailed, in contrast to 
 what had in the early part of the night been experienced, was 
 heavy and oppressive to the hearts of those young men, who 
 were now set out upon an enterprise far more hazardous than 
 a pitched battle. There was not a whisper uttered by 
 either, and even Petrus was prudently silent ; but coming to 
 the corner of a field, he abruptly seized Clarence by the arm, 
 and standing between the two, he whispered, as he pointed 
 with his finger to an object that moved slowly a few paces 
 from them, " See ! see !" They looked to the place, and 
 saw the figure of a man. " See ! see !" and the covetous 
 hypocrite's teeth chattered as he tried to laugh off his fear. 
 " 'Tis only the Dominie talking to the dead. He says him- 
 self that he stands between the living and the dead. He 
 does not know that we are here. But we must go faster 
 than at this pace." 
 
 This was said to keep his own courage up, for the truth 
 was, Ms knees had an ague fit, and had his two companions 
 dot been firm and courageous men, they would not have kept 
 company long with him ; but they seized him by the collar 
 and dragged him a mile, till he got over his fright, when his 
 tongue began to loosen, and to boast of what they knew was 
 false, that he was a very bold and determined " dare devil." 
 
 A little occurrence took place a short distance further on, 
 \vhich showed that all three were but flesh and blood in 
 regard to true courage, and that in reality none of them had 
 more of that virtue than they needed. A large black 
 dog came running toward them with a mixture of gladness 
 and fierceness which made his gestures strange to the three 
 men, and not understood till Petrus at last came out with 
 the secret, and with as much unconcern as if he had done a 
 meritorious deed. When the animal came near to them, he 
 began to smell the clothes which the t\vo strangers had on, 
 and then to look up in their faces with a strange, mysteiious 
 fear, which made the blood run chill in their veins. After 
 acting thus he left them, barking fiercely, till he got to a 
 gate on the road, which he leaped over, when he set up u 
 howling most terrific. 
 
 " That is Tobias Snyder's dog Pompey," said Petrus 
 " he knows his master's clothes. What wise creeturs these 
 dogs are, to know about dead men." 
 
 The wearers of the dead men's garments began to icalize, 
 for the first time, the predicament they were in. All that
 
 MORE DANGERS THAN A BATTLE. 241 
 
 they had heard in their lifetime of the sagacity of the dog came 
 to their minds, together with the likelihood of being found 
 out and suspected of being the murderers of those who had 
 so recently worn them. "Murder will out," they said, smi 1 
 ing bitterly the one to the other. Perhaps, after all, there 
 was a grain of superstition at the core, pointing to the ghopt 
 of the murdered man following the garb in which he was last 
 dressed. This incident impelled all the three forward with 
 increased speed, in the hope of making their way a few miles 
 further before the day dawned. The two strangers, in their 
 eagerness, outstripped their guide, and at one time they began 
 to suspect that he had given them the slip. Fear, however, 
 was impelling him as rapidly as his friends, for by this time 
 he learned he had to do with men of determined purpose ; 
 besides, he was also aware of the power which Gabriel 
 wielded over him behind the scenes. Tired all were, though 
 not caring for sleep ; yet it was necessary for safety that they 
 should lie still for some time, and in some place near at hand. 
 To this place Petrus was taking them. Arriving at a low 
 stone house, built as if intended to last till the mountain near 
 It should waste away, he gave three knocks, and a fourth 
 email touch with his knuckle, when a large fat wench, of the 
 genuine Guinea breed, admitted them, without questioning 
 che new comers. Not so an old woman who put her head 
 out of a recess inclosed by doors, where she lay on her bed, 
 and cried out, with a sharpness that rose from impatience 
 and fear, joined with old age : 
 
 " Vat's de matter noo, dats tou here at dis time oo de 
 morning, veu oos vanted at Sopus ? Te dog has been here 
 howling like te wolf, and te old man down wid his gun 
 vatching te Tories once. Budten vay is here?" and Avith 
 that the old woman looked at the strangers with a scrutiny 
 that made them wish within themselves that they were either 
 on the mountain or on the sea. 
 
 " Never mind, Dame Wynkoop," said the wily Petvus ; 
 " twae Weegies on a message to the general at Albany from 
 the governor, keeping out of the way of the konink's sogers." 
 
 This was said in the ear of the good lady, who received ii 
 as it was intended, lying down mumbling something to her- 
 self in Dutch. " Oog omoog en tand om. land." 
 
 " Yaw, ya\v, granny," said the double-tongued listener ; 
 " \ve shall take more than an eye for an eye, or a tooth for a 
 tooth we shall make them stone blind, and krock all their 
 tee ill down their throat." 
 
 U
 
 THE DUTCH DOMLNTE. 
 
 "While this dialogue was going on, the unwieldy African 
 wench was bustling about preparing breakfast for the family, 
 and casting side glances all the while at the coat Bertram 
 wore, till fairly overcome by her curiosity, she seized hold 
 of the lappel with the evident intention of giving it a more 
 narrow scrutiny. Petrus saw the difficulty, and coining up 
 siily, he slipped a bright silver dollar in her hand, saying in 
 her ear : 
 
 " Give us the high outside chamber, and keep the old vrow 
 quiet when the old man comes." 
 
 With a sly wink he left, going up a hidden stairway, sig- 
 nalling his companions to follow. When he got there, and 
 had sat down to bread, milk, and meat, which he found for 
 them, he said : 
 
 " Now you must rest as you can till the night comes on, 
 or sooner, as I see my way clear. In the mean time, you are 
 to pass for w r hat I have represented you to be, good 
 Whigs going on business to Albany as soon as you are 
 rested." 
 
 " Surely," said Clarence, " we may go at any time of the 
 day through these wild regions without meeting any crowd 
 of people or any very cunning men." 
 
 " Wild regions ! Do you call these cultivated farms wild 
 regions ?" said the indignant Petrus. " Tiie finest wheat in 
 the world grows here, and the apples of the garden of Eden 
 are springing out of the clefts of the rocks. And if you sup- 
 pose that there are no people near, let me tell you that the 
 road is lined with houses like this all the way to Catsbaan, 
 and there, in the grand stone church, a garrison is lodged 
 just to nab the king's men in disguise, and strangers would 
 run some risk, I can assure you. They place about the same 
 value on them that they do on foxes and the like twenty 
 shillings a head at the clerk's office." 
 
 " Then you would not make much by delivering us up," 
 said Bertram, looking slily into the face of the half jocular 
 Petrus, who was enjoying his own joke till he saw that buth 
 the gentlemen were looking to the state of their pistols. 
 
 " Judging from that barking thing in your hand," said the 
 guide, " I might fill one grave more than you have filled 
 already, and lie down without my fee. But let us all to bed. 
 The old wench has engaged to walk sentry, and I always 
 sleep Avith one eye shut and one ear open." 
 
 Sleep they did, as soldiers and sailors sleep, witli their 
 senses so quick that the smallest noise would have wakened
 
 MOKE DANGERS THAN A BATTLE. 24<5 
 
 them. They dreamed over the events of the past day. The 
 dreums of each partook of the special state of mind in which 
 he lay down. Clarence saw a procession of men sometimes 
 it was Indians, then it was red-coated soldiers, then mixed 
 with others moving around a graveyard, where were tall 
 figures with torches, standing in a circle ; in the midst of it 
 was his sister, who clung to the man with the three-cornered 
 hat, who stood with a naked sword defending her from 
 Kiskataam. 
 
 Bertram's mind ran, in his dream, after a dog, who was 
 always tearing at his coat, and baying in his ear like a wolf. 
 Somehow he found himself fleeing from him, and sitting on 
 a cliif that overhung the sea, with the ship Vulture below, 
 where stood the Lady Clinton, waving her handkerchief 
 to her daughter Margaret, who was clapping her hands 
 with joy at the whole scene. All of a sudden he fell down, 
 down, till he cried out in a fit of nightmare that awoke his 
 companion, who sprang to his feet thinking of danger. 
 
 There was cause for these confused images rising in the 
 minds of the sleepers, which they found out when they aros^. 
 Within doors, and just below where they were lodged, and 
 all around the house, the greatest confusion prevailed, arisl.:^ 
 from the return of the people from Sopus, bringing WHM 
 them one of the family who had been killed in the mnle<\ 
 It was a fearful sound to any listener, but to those who hud 
 so much cause to dread the vengeance of the country as tiui 
 followers of the king, it was horrifying. Curses both loud aud 
 deep were uttered upon the Tories and on the soldiers, 
 mingled with the sobs of the women weeping for their dead. 
 The old man's grief was affecting to both the young men, 
 who began to think on the efiect which the news of their 
 being " missing " would have upon their fathers. 
 
 " I tought myself done wid te worlt, ende dat my kinder- 
 ken would have a care ov rne all mine liven, budt I maien go 
 to te ploegt, ende de harrow, ende te gun myself; nor lay 
 te gun down till te cruel Tory be druv out of de land. Oh, 
 mene kindren ! mene kinderken woulden to Goden Ik deed 
 for tee." 
 
 The old woman of the morning here put in her word, 
 " oog om oog tand om tand." 
 
 " Ah, the old beldame," said Bertram, " You hear that. 
 She has that favorite word of vengeance in her heart. You 
 remember Pctrus said that it meant ' an eye for an eye, and a 
 tyoth for a tooth.' Where is that rascal goto ? surely he has
 
 244 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 not left us here in the hands of our enemies. See the crowd 
 round the house ; keep back from the windows. We are 
 surrounded, by St. George !" 
 
 " Hush !" said the other ; " hark to that voice ; I know it, 
 for I must have heard it in my sleep," and both put down 
 their ears to t?he floor, listening, when they discovered that 
 of the Dominie, who was comforting the mourners in this 
 hour. " They have died in a noble cause ; the cause of 
 Goden and the country. They were good men that fell, 
 and your zoon was a good lad, and you will soon follow. The 
 cup that my father hath given. You know the rest, Fred, 
 and must be patient." 
 
 " Do you suppose his majesty could ever conquer a people 
 of such stern principles as these Calvinists ? For my part, I 
 have always told my father that these New Englanders 
 resembled the Scotch that I lived among at Edinburgh, more 
 than they did the English. And the chaplain was sure to 
 chime in with his heretical Calvinists Fatalists. ' No,' my 
 father would say, ' they have a will that conquers in spite of 
 faith.' 
 
 " I think it will be the same here. When the Hudson 
 runs up the stream the king will conquer human nature that 
 has religion to help it." 
 
 At this part of the play, Petrus caiae slipping in at the 
 door, when they beckoned him near, saying: "you have 
 brought us into the panther's den very soon, but here is the 
 cure ibr two at least," as a pistol's muzzle turned, toward that 
 worthy's body in a threatening manner. But he, without 
 changing color, merely said : 
 
 44 Yes, and it will depend upon how you behave yourselves 
 if you ever get out of it. You are suspicious of this place as 
 a trap, and so think of blood-letting, as if I had brought this 
 on you. But who killed the old man's son ? Did 1 hui t 
 any one last night ?" 
 
 " What have you to do with that ? was it a part of the 
 bargain between us that you should deliver us into the hands 
 of the men who will take vengeance on us as murderers ? 
 You must account for this, and that here on the spot." 
 
 "Hear me, and then kill me if you must; but I would din 
 with a clear conscience toward you at least, if I can. There 
 is only one way of escape for you, and that is by giving 
 yourselves up into the hands of these .nen; for they know 
 already that two of the king's troops are here." 
 
 44 Give ourselves up !" both almost shouted out. " No, by
 
 MOKE DANQEKS THAN A BATTLE. 245 
 
 King George, we will fight till we die first. Here we are, up 
 in this citadel, well armed, and partially provisioned;" for as 
 Bertram said this, Petrus was swallowing the last morsel of 
 bread brought in the morning. 
 
 " All very fine, gentlemen," said the cool Dutchman, " all 
 fine with a hundred men in the house, and the door all 
 bored for balls ; and look down to your feet, the board you 
 stand upon is the only thing between you and perdition; ha! 
 ha ! thinner than the bottom of a ship." 
 
 The two confounded men looked in each other's faces, and 
 seriously began to think of taking revenge on the fellow 
 that had so entrapped them, as they still thought; but after a 
 close scrutiny of his conduct, other light came into their 
 minds. He could not possibly have known all the circum- 
 stances, and his plan of giving them up had a clue to it 
 which must be left to the unfolding of the history as we pro 
 ceed. In the meantime the young Englishmen were in a 
 great rage, so that the guide began to think it was time foi 
 him to escape. 
 
 " Let us sell our lives as dearly as we can," said the one tc 
 the other, " and send a ball through that fool's head." 
 
 " Knave's heart, you mean," said Clarence ; " for fool or 
 knave, he deserves it alike." 
 
 Before he had time to say another word, Petrus was glid- 
 ing through a side door, behind where he had stood eating 
 their last morsel, as if he intended to strip the garrison be- 
 fore he starved it out. He left his two companions looking in 
 each other's faces, in the utmost consternation, and for the 
 first time they both obtained a glance at themselves in day- 
 light. They would have laughed outright had they not 
 remembered that one of them had on the clothes of the dead 
 man whose corpse lay below. With feelings too bitter for 
 mirth, and in a condition too critical for hasty action, they 
 sat down to deliberate : first, barricading their temporary 
 fortress. There being but one board between them and the 
 room below, they heard what was said easily ; and as their 
 own fate was on the tapis, it was proper and honorable 
 enough in them to listen, when, as the proverb runs, " they 
 did not hear a good word of themselves." 
 
 " Petrus Smith, stand up and tell whae the men be, up in 
 de geliedden. Put a guard on te window." 
 
 This was said at the very moment the thought had entered 
 into the minds of the prisoners for they were now prisoners 
 concerning a means of escape to the hills, when, to their
 
 U-6 THK DUTCH DOMIHTE. 
 
 exceeding vexation, the order was given to watch them ; 
 and six men marched out in front of the window where they 
 stood, with weapons that would, apeak truth and death at 
 the same moment. It would have been folly to have at- 
 tempted a sortie in the face of suca. a icrce, so they yielded 
 to their fate. 
 
 " Petrus," continued the same person who gave the com- 
 mand to watch, and in whom the prisoners above recognized 
 the voice of the Dominie, " give an account of thyself, and of 
 the company thee keeps. Who are these men thou hast 
 brought with thee into this house, and where are they 
 going ?" 
 
 The sly hypocrite saw that he was here in a tight place 
 himself, and that his character was suspected; so he found 
 l;hat the best plan for him was to go back and take up what 
 he could substantiate. So going through a long-winded 
 Btory, he came at iast to say, that being like others at So^us, 
 through the past dismal night, he was returning home just at 
 cock-crowing, when standing at the northwest corner ot the 
 grave-yard, he found these two men inquiring the way to 
 Albany, as they had business with General Schuyler ; and as 
 they offered him a price to show them the way, " what, was 
 I to refuse the men who were going to see such a good man, 
 and a friend to his country ?" He came with them so far, but 
 beginning to suspect that all was not right, he had brought 
 them in here, and now he left them to the care of the 
 Dominie, and of the Consistory. 
 
 This story sounded very like something got up for the 
 occasion, and was far from making an impression on the 
 assembly, especially when one of Petrus' neighbors stated, 
 that he had called at the door of the other at tiie tirno of the 
 alarm, and the answer was that he could not leave, and he 
 doubted whether he was out of his bed at cock-crowing. 
 
 At this point, the Dominie said that " a broder could not 
 be condemned but by the mouth of two or three witnesses : 
 Petrus, thee was, thou sayest, at the nordwest corner of the 
 graveyard, at cock-crowing. What cock nearest ? Wliai 
 did thou see at the time the cock crew, in heaven and on 
 earth ? Answer all three questions at once." 
 
 " It was te Dominie's red cock that crew ; the red morn 
 rose just over the top of the red flame, and the Dominie 
 himself was standing beside the tombstone of old Yaakob 
 Eimendorf." 
 
 " Enough, enough !" said the honest Dominie. " I saw
 
 MORE DANGEES TFJAN A BATTLE. 247 
 
 the three men turn round the corner, and go north, but did 
 not know that Petrus was there ; I thought it must be some 
 omzwevende, de afiscrapsel, but did not think that Petrus 
 was among them." 
 
 "Dominie, I am not vagabond nor offscouring, but an 
 honest man, and a vreedzaman in these wicked times." 
 
 " Well, we can but suspect you, not prove you guilty ; 
 and as to your being a peacemaker, let me tell you they are 
 the best peacemakers that are pure in heart ; for you must 
 remember, my kinderns alle, that the wisdom from above 
 is eerste zuiver daara vreedzaam first pure, then peaceable. 
 I thought, when I saw the three men, that it was some eenige 
 booze mannen ait de markboeven." 
 
 " Who calls me a lewd fellow or one of the baser sort ?" 
 said Petrus, with mock passion. 
 
 "Nay, nay," said another voice here, "budt tell us once 
 Petrus, vy te give Dyaan tis silver milledoleor ?" 
 
 This was a poser ; but the ready sinner asked immediately 
 if he had not told Dyaan to waken him whenever Tobias, 
 came home. 
 
 " Sartain sure," said the honest creature ; " and no'd tell 
 de ole man that Petrus was up stair." Here she sniggered 
 jut a true African giggle of triumph, as she drew the bright 
 piece out of her capacious bosom, and threw it down on the 
 iable before the Dominie, with a clear jingle that harmonized 
 with her words. " Dere, Domilie, tak it, my fingers burn," 
 and she spit upon them before she wiped them on her 
 greasy side. 
 
 The careful pastor saw that trouble was brewing, and that 
 at a time when other thoughts than revenge should rise in 
 their hearts ; so taking down the large Bible, he opened it 
 at the fifteenth Psalm, and commanding silence, he read and 
 commented. " Heere wie zal verkeeren in uwe tente V wie 
 zal woonen op den berg uwer Heiligheit. Die oprechet 
 \vandelt ende gerechtigheit werkt ; ende die met zyn. Herte 
 ie waarkiet spreekt." 
 
 "Here is an English Bible," said Clarence to his com 
 panion ; " let us see what the text is. ' Lord, who shall 
 nbide in thy tabernacle ? who shall abide in thy holy place ? 
 He that walketh uprightly and worketh righteousness, and 
 speaketh truth in his heart. Hearken to the exhortation.' " 
 
 " The parson suspects that the villain is telling a false- 
 hood," said , Bertram. "There is hope yet. Don't you 
 remember what the fellow Gabriel said ' Trust, the I>oiriini
 
 248 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 before any one else with your secret. Light breaks upon 
 us." 
 
 By this time the good man was in earnest prayer, and as 
 there is always power where there is earnest pathos, even 
 where the language is foreign to our native tongue, the 
 hearts of these young men in their condition turned upward 
 as they listened to the singing tones of the stranger, amidst 
 the deep silence below, except as it was broken by a sigh 
 and a sob which came from the afflicted father's and mother's 
 heart. By the time the devotion was over, all were melted 
 into another spirit. 
 
 " Whoever dreams in London," said Clarence, " of such 
 scenes being acted here among these Dutch boors, in this 
 wild country? There is more refinement and real power in 
 that service than in the Bishop of Exeter's. It is like a chant 
 on an old organ." 
 
 " And in an older cathedral too, you would say, looking 
 out on these fine old trees ; on that noble mountain, where, 
 to tell you the truth, my mind was running in search of 
 liberty all the time the prayer went forward, which, for 
 aught I know, might be for vengeance on our heads. I had 
 always heard that the Yankees were a canting set, and put 
 the curses of the Psalmist on their tongues when they spoke 
 of the king, and of his navy ami army." 
 
 The door opened at this juncture at the call of Petrus, who 
 came to it, telling them that he was alone, and had brought 
 a message to them from the Consistory. 
 
 " Consistory !" exclaimed the two prisoners in a breath ; 
 " we have heard of the consistory of the Romish Church, but 
 we took this to be a Protestant country ; and what right 
 have they to demand our presence? Is it a civil or a 
 spiritual court ?" To all of this, the wily Petrus was silent, 
 afraid lest he should be heard by the people below-stairs, and 
 not sure but that he might have a ball sent through his pate 
 by the outraged men he stood before. He merely winked 
 and whispered "patience," as he put his lingers to his hps, 
 turning to lead the way as a cat turns and steps when an 
 enemy is about to dart upon her. 
 
 " No help for it," said Bertram. " We will know the 
 worst all the sooner." 
 
 They entered on this new stage with anything but feelings 
 of confidence. Already disgraced, at least degraded, they 
 were from their real position in society. Young officers 
 accustomed to walk in Britannia's livery, were in American
 
 MORE DANGERS THAN A BATTLtt. 249 
 
 homespun, worn yesterday by the youth whose corpse was 
 now laid out in Holland sheets. This was the first object 
 which met their eyes, and went further to their hearts than a 
 hundred balls would on the battle-field. The room was 
 crowded with men, who looked daggers at the prisoners ; but 
 all were under restraint, for in the centre of the room stood a 
 round table, at which sat nine men, who had the authority, 
 and who, from their gravity and honest faces, seemed worthy 
 of it. This was after the manner of the kerke of Holland. 
 The Dominie sat as president, and could not be mistaken 
 from the rest, who were all dressed in the common garb of 
 the country, while he wore a large black coat that came to 
 his heels, and over his capacious chest hung the true Geneva 
 bands. He was a dignified man, and would have commanded 
 respect anywhere. The young men were prepared, after 
 what they had both heard from Gabriel, to yield him 
 reverence, though not obedience. The men near him were 
 his counsellors, though he seldom asked counsel. His word 
 was law with all, except with one Geordie Cockburn, a 
 shrewd Scotchman, who had found his way hither, first 
 as a teacher, and then as a surveyor ; and so, by degrees, 
 like all of his countrymen, he climbed to the top of the 
 heap. Possessed naturally of the controversial spirit, he 
 stood up for his right to speak his mind, in spite of the 
 Dominie. 
 
 " The criminals have entered," said some one, addressing 
 the president. 
 
 " No one can be criminal," said that worthy, " till he is 
 found guilty. Doth our law condemn any man before it 
 hears him and knows what he doeth ? Or, as our good Hol- 
 land Dutch says : ' Ordelt ook onze wet den mensch, ten zij 
 ze eerst van hem gehoord heeft, en verstat wat heij doet '?' " 
 
 This was said with great tartness, and to gain time, for 
 the president saw at a glance that the young men were of a 
 superior class, though in disguise, so he asked in a dignified 
 manner : 
 
 " Has any one here charges to table against any person of 
 persons, for burning Sopus, and killing Ik. ende his brothef 
 Benjae Snyder ? It is a case of Fama Olamosa." 
 
 " Wouldna it be as weel," said the Elder Cockburn, who 
 took speech in hand here, "that we speered the names o' 
 the twa youngsters, before we gang any furder in this busi 
 ness ? In my kintra they aye put down the name with ,hree 
 or four aliases to the tail o't."
 
 250 THE DUTCH 
 
 "Take down the names of the prisoners," said the presi- 
 dent, at this suggestion, as he turned sharply on Cockburn, 
 saying, " thee always art careful to instruct the Dominie in his 
 duty." 
 
 " In many counsellors there is safety, you ken," said the 
 Elder, " as Solomon the wise man said langsyne. What is 
 your name, callants?" 
 
 " May we inquire," said Bertram, being the elder of the 
 two, " by whose authority we are here placed as prisoners ?" 
 
 " At the instance of Dominie Doll, Praeses of the Consis- 
 tory of the Protestant Reformed Dutch Church of Sopus," 
 Baid the chief man, with some dignity; "and if you be not 
 ready to tell, we will try you under the names of John Doe, 
 arid Richard Roe, of London. Be you ready for trial ?" 
 
 " We decline pleading before this court, if court it be," 
 said Bertram, " and claim our privilege as subjects of the 
 king of Great Britain." 
 
 "I told yoU so," said the president to the others who sat 
 near him. 4t British subjects in disguise, and within the lines. 
 Make out the charge against spies and murderers, art and 
 part." 
 
 " You will surely grant us time," said Bertram, who saw 
 that he had made a grievous mistake, and who wanted leisure 
 to consider their future course. " We may be able after a 
 day to bring exculpatory proof in our defence." 
 
 " Proof!" said a little short, dumpy man, who rose as lie 
 spoke. "What need of more proof than this here patch on 
 the knee of these tubbs, that I put on with my own fingers 
 on Benjae Snyder, the day before he left with his gun on his 
 shoulder. That's as true as I learned the tailor trade with 
 Gideon Noble, of New Milford, Connecticut. That's my say, 
 as Elihu, one of Job's friends, said, when he spoke lest his, 
 belly should burst like a new wine-bottle." 
 
 " Sit down, Eph Sly; you are one good witness, and here 
 is another," said a rollicking, red-faced man, with a sinister 
 twinkle in his eye. " These are witnesses enough," and he 
 opened a bundle which contained the two coats of the young 
 officers, which Petrus had hidden away. It was impossible 
 to see this and remain unmoved. The prisoners felt all the 
 shame of their present disguise, and the company broke out 
 in a perfect storm of indignation, which was stopped only by 
 the Dominie, who rose and pointed to the body of the (.lead 
 \aan, saying solemnly, " We are in the presence of Death, a 
 greater king than George III. Do the prisoners want any
 
 MOEE DANGERS THAN A BATTLK. 251 
 
 more proof?" he added, looking toward them in some pity 
 for their condition. 
 
 It is impossible to say what would have been the effect of 
 following up the disposition of the company, had not Cock- 
 burn, whose clear mind saw the difficulty, and who deter- 
 mined upon unravelling it by cutting the knots asunder, and 
 by making a set speech of some length, Avhich he was rather 
 fond of doing. The sum of it was, that we shall be iti dan- 
 ger of violating the place of the Safety Committee, by taking 
 this business in hand. " I doubt," said he, " if the matter 
 comes under our jurisdiction, for if thae men be spies, what 
 have we to do with them ?" 
 
 " Ende vat vill we do wid the men dressed in Benjae's and 
 Ik's coat ?" was asked on all sides. 
 
 "Do what you like with them," said Cockburn, " only 
 don't bother the Kerke Session wi' them, nor wi' ony political 
 strife. We can only tak notice of slips of the foot ; moral 
 offences that deserve the cutty stool, or sic like." 
 
 While tois speech was making, there was a little by-play 
 going on that interested some of the parties exceedingly. 
 The man who had brought in the coats of the prisoners went 
 off into a corner, and began rifling the pockets, which was 
 not unobserved by the Dominie. When he had got all out, 
 he called to the searcher just to hand all these things here, for 
 safe keeping. As they lay upon the table before the com- 
 pany, the eyes of the two officers were scanning their pro- 
 perty which they had inadvertently left behind. There was 
 the locket which contained a miniature of Clarence's dear 
 mother ; but what was mortifying to the very soul of Ber- 
 tram, he remembered that on changing the coat, he had 
 slipped the ribbon which held the portrait of Margaret, and 
 now it lay before his eyes, and he could not obtain a glance 
 at it. Clarence was fixing his eyes upon the note which hi.s 
 mother had thrust into his hand, just at parting, along with 
 a small parcel which lay there with the rest, and marvelling 
 much in his mind what effect it would have on this reverend 
 man. It was addressed to "Governor George Clinton, of 
 what was now called by many, the State of New York." 
 He remembered looking over his mother's shoulder, aud 
 laughingly asking if she supposed he was going to present 
 that as a letter of introduction to the rebel governor ; but 
 she continued to write on, saying : " Dear cousin, this is my 
 son Clarence, and here is the amulet you sent to Margaret, 
 us an evidence." At that instant his father came to tho
 
 252 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 cabin, and aastily signing her name, she thrust the whole 
 into the hand of Clarence, who, with equal haste put them 
 into his breast pocket, where they were now found. A tear 
 trickled down the cheek of the affectionate youth, as he saw 
 the Dominie read the note, and examine behind his hand 
 the amulet. A change came over his face, of a mysterious 
 kind, so that by the time Cockburn was done with his speech, 
 the president was prepared to accede to his motion ; for 
 here was something which demanded time and reflection. 
 So saying something to himself, he called out: "The Con- 
 sistory is adjourned till to-morrow, in the Consistory room, at 
 ten o'clock. Take the prisoners where they came from, and 
 prepare for the funeral." 
 
 Some one, it was the Yankee tailor, who suggested that it 
 would do the prisoners great good to sit still and hear the 
 'Dominie preach the funeral discourse ; but the parson had 
 no wish to show off before them, and paid no attention to 
 Ephraim's words ; so the two astonished men were left alone, 
 with a guard walking before the window, one of whom they 
 thought they must have seen before to-day. 
 
 The large barn floor had been cleared out for the com- 
 pany. Pipes and tobacco lay round on trays which were 
 soon reeking, so that the doors sent out " smoke like a kiln 
 loggie," Cockburn said. Then came in bottles of cider 
 brandy, baskets of bread and cheese, followed by slices of 
 ham and pieces of sausage; sour krout and choice rum, with 
 corresponding edibles, of which all partook with a hearty 
 good will. Prayer and exhortations were the accompani- 
 ment; not the main part of the occasion. It was a regular 
 feast, and almost a fight in one corner, and a frolic in another. 
 Liquor will bring out human nature whether at a marriage 
 or at a burial. " When drink's in wit's out ;" youngsters will 
 laugh at what is ludicrous, and the more solemn the circum- 
 stances the more difficult to restrain their mirth. " It's all 
 bearin' a dry sorrow," was Cockburn's sage remark; and lie 
 went off in the determined spirit of one that hunts after an 
 argument ; no matter whether the game be large, or small 
 deer, a mouse or a bear would have had equal attractions 
 for him at the time. Sometimes he might bo seen hanging 
 on the loop of the Dominie's waistcoat doing his best to rea- 
 son down his rising indignation at what he saw. " I'll tell 
 you, minister, it's ill beariii' a hungry grief. They speak of 
 Btuffin' a cold and starvin' a fever. I'm agreed this is a cold 
 time out in this big barn."
 
 DAKKNE8S, DEATH, ANP DELIVERANCE. 253 
 
 " Yaw, yaw," said Zach Myers ; " but vat do you zny to 
 dat vetchten dere ?" 
 
 And sure enough there were two of the mountain birds 
 pecking one another like hawks at the dividing of a chicken. 
 The Dominie got his eye upon them and without saying a 
 word, he walked up to the place, giving botli a lunge with 
 the heavy end of his cane, which set them off in opposite di- 
 rections. Forming themselves in a row, men, women and 
 children, the pastor in front of the coffin, the father and 
 mother of the young man immediately after it, all went to the 
 grave where a prayer was offered, and then the people scat- 
 terSd. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 DARKNESS, DEATH AND DELIVERANCE. 
 
 " Take care of thine own heart, for there ia not a more faithful monitor." LORD 
 KAMKS. 
 "He that trusteth to his own heart is a fool." KINO SOLOMON. 
 
 THE two young Englishmen during the time of the burial 
 feast, had a portion sent unto them of which they stood in 
 need. Though not dressed after the fashion of a French 
 cook, hunger made it savory and good to the taste. Old 
 Dyaan had taken a great fancy to the prisoners, especially to 
 Clarence. Her heart melted for him when she saw the tear 
 trickling down his cheek at the sight of his mother's picture. 
 " It vas," she said, " so buvitul, and de ribbons ov de vool on 
 her head so yallo." 
 
 Petrus came in telling them to prepare for walking. It. 
 seemed that the Dominie had taken Cockburn's words to 
 heart, for he had left orders to have the prisoners removed 
 to the care of Captain Languendyck, whose company was 
 garrisoned at Catsbaan church ; and to that point the two 
 disconsolate young men were moving by sundown. It was 
 not the fact of their being prisoners, nor yet the fear of 
 what might result from their separation, but the hindrance, 
 which this delay threw in the way to prevent them from over- 
 taking the cruel Kiskataam, who was doubtless hastening on 
 with the one whom they were now seeking after, with all their 
 heart and soul. They must give her up as lost, for as thing?
 
 254 THE DUTCH DOMESTE. 
 
 appeared, they were lost themselves ; and that without the 
 power of resistance or defence. 
 
 " I will fulfill my part of the bargain, for all that has hap- 
 pened," said Petrus in the ear of Bertram, as they cams 
 down stairs ; " keep a quiet tongue in your head and don't 
 be blabbing of your loyalty everywhere, lest you get a lead 
 pill through your belly, before you have time to return the 
 compliment." 
 
 Bertram scowled a dark frown, that said plainly enough, 
 " I will fulfill my part of the bargain with you at least, you 
 hypocrite, the first chance that comes up." As they passed 
 through the door-yard, they saw little knots of men 3nd 
 heard the jabbering of Dutch, loud and confused enough to 
 make them believe in the confusion of tongues, had they ever 
 doubted the fact before. As they could perceive, their own 
 case was the subject of discussion, and, however anxious they 
 might be to find out public opinion, there was no way of as- 
 certaining it, except through the medium of their guard, and 
 with him in their present mood of mind, they were not 
 inclined to hold any communication. Their road lay along 
 the base of the mountain, on one of those steppes which 
 run almost nearly due north, and which are called Vlatts, 
 extending from half a mile to two miles in breadth, rich 
 and deep in soil; having beautiful trout streams running from 
 different points toward the main river. The mountain 
 seemed close at hand, and the two prisoners, when rested and 
 in the open air, felt all the fire of youth as they saw how near 
 they were to the region of their hope. But they were 
 guarded too closely for them to think of escaping in that 
 manner. After marching about four miles, they came to a 
 stone building, which they were told was a church, now 
 turned into a fort and garrisoned by the Ulster Militia. Here 
 they were to be kept till further orders arrived from the 
 governor. As they were gentlemen, Captain Languendyck 
 sa d he would take their word of honor, and let them range 
 at liberty. Both Bertram and Clarence were averse to so 
 pledging themselves and set down like men determined to 
 make the most of their conditions, by taking a survey of this 
 ingular outpost of defence. Surrounding the building were 
 tents, and wagons with oxen and a few horses. Smoke was 
 rising among the trees at different places where cooking 
 and chatting were going on. Two old cannon were fastened 
 to logs by ox chains, while about fifty muskets were stacked 
 oefor? the door. An endless collection of pots and pans.
 
 DABKNESS, DEATH, AND DELIVKEANCB. 255 
 
 ,asks and benches, with other trumpery, were scattered in 
 ^ndescribable confusion everywhere, and yet the eye of the 
 soldier could perceive that with at most ten minutes' notice, 
 the men would be on the lookout, north or south according 
 as the alarm might be given. The inside of the venerable 
 building was the scene of similar confusion. All round the 
 sides of the walls were settles for beds, on which were spread 
 the heavy blankets and coverlets that the good wives and 
 mothers of the men had furnished them in abundance from 
 their heaped piles at home. In the walls were driven hooks 
 on which hung armor and harness ; with clothes and skins 
 from different animals, tanned and used for riding, or cover- 
 ing out of doors. The gallery overhead held the ammunition 
 and the more precious stuff, watched by a sentinel separate 
 from the rest ; and the very desk in which the good man 
 had stood on the Sabbath, during many years, dispensing the 
 bread of life, was now changed into a pantry where the 
 choice bits sent from home were kept from the rats and 
 mice that had followed in their wake. 
 
 The two prisoners had the belfry allotted to them. The 
 orders were, that no communication should be held with 
 them. Everything seemed to bear the aspect of great cau- 
 tion and watchfulness on the part of their guard. Night 
 closed hi upon them in the most disconsolate degree. Nor 
 did the solemn faces of the men, who made up the militia, 
 help them in conjecturing what might be their fate. There 
 were none of the noises which usually keep the sleepers in a 
 camp from enjoying rest. A loud laugh would have been 
 grateful to their ears, had it only betokened carelessness on 
 the part of their guard ; but there was just enough of motion 
 heard, to keep them aware that all were on the qui vive, and 
 would do their duty to the death. 
 
 As night went on, and the silence grew more heavy, the 
 scene which they had passed through during the last twenty- 
 four hours became more confused to their vision, while the 
 sounds of the insects that sang to each other grew fainter 
 and fainter, till at last sleep sank upon their eyelids like a 
 precious balm distilled from a mother's hand; and the two 
 anxious men were, a moment afterward, as calm and peace- 
 ful as infants in their cradles, and would have likely remained 
 so till the morning, had not a voice, which they had come to 
 know well by this time, said, " Young men, get up ; you have 
 other business than sleep before you ;" and a hand shook them 
 both by the shoulder, while a small lamp showed them the
 
 256 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 face of the Dominie, that they had met so often of late, and 
 knew now so well that they had become to regard him both 
 as their good and their evil genius. 
 
 Surprise was pictured on both their faces ; but they were 
 too well trained to lose possession of themselves by a suddei: 
 wakening ; so starting to their feet, they Availed further de 
 velopment ; for already they perceived that something new 
 was on the tapis. There was not a sleeping nerve in their 
 body, by the time they stood upright. 
 
 " Sit down there," said the good man, " and give me an 
 honest account of your condition ; and let me have nothing 
 but the truth." 
 
 Bertram saw that kindness and severity were struggling 
 in the face of their inquisitor, and taking advantage of the 
 position he allowed himself to be in, he began by telling 
 what was true ; but what to a more experienced courtier 
 than the Dominie was, would have sounded like flattery. 
 
 " We were told," said Bertram, " to put ourselves on your 
 mercy, should we get into trouble ; and to tell you all, nnd 
 if you will listen to me, I am wilting to trust a man whom I 
 ana now certain will not take advantage of our condition by 
 turning the information we give him against us." 
 
 " Young man," said the Dominie, " those who advised you 
 to trust yourself to me, did me no more than justice, for God 
 forbid that I should hurt one innocent hair of your head : 
 nevertheless, had I seen you about this time last night, near 
 to Sopus, a ball would have gone through your pate, as sure 
 as there is one in that thing there at this moment ;" and 
 with that he fingered a horse pistol in a very carnal manner, 
 which showed that his cloth was no protection to himself at 
 certain tunes ; nor would he make it an excuse for silence, 
 Avhen either his fiery tongue, or his tongue of fire should 
 speak. 
 
 " There is an armistice between us now, young men ; so 
 speak ;" and the clerical soldier put his piece up, and Ber- 
 tram proceeded to give a full and detailed account of the 
 cause and the consequence of their apparently mad adven- 
 ture. 
 
 " I find that you have spoken truth, and I am now," said 
 the Dominie, " about to take upon me, what must subject, 
 me to much misapprehension when it is discovered, and per- 
 haps to the getting of my own skull cracked, but I must run 
 the risk, so follow me." 
 
 The astonished prisoners were about to say a great
 
 DAKKNESS, DEATH, AND DELIVERANCE. 257 
 
 deal aVjut honor, and gratitude, and reward, but all 
 stopped by a motion to silence and quiet, as he Jed them 
 down a way he could thread himself in the dark; for, after 
 blowing out the light, he took hold of Bertram's hand be- 
 hind him, telling Clarence to do the same by his companion, 
 he led them out to the north of the church, where stood a 
 man holding a horse, who seemed to be expecting their 
 coming-. 
 
 " Here is your guide," said the Dominie, " and he will tell 
 you the rest. Be sure that you keep silent forever about 
 this night, and whom you have seen, and God Almighty 
 bless you, and make you successful in your race after that 
 rapscallion Kiskataam." "With these words he had vanished, 
 and they found themselves standing face to face with their 
 old friend Wabriel. 
 
 They almost forgot themselves in their surprise at the 
 meeting, but he being prepared for their astonishment, im- 
 mediately whispered, " let us be off, out of earshot, lest we 
 hjtve a ball sent after us." Gabriel mounted the horse and 
 told them to keep one on each side by the stirrup-irons, as 
 he knew thj way. On they went in silence, increasing in 
 their speed as they were advancing out of the risk of the 
 sentinels' hearing ; their hearts beating with joy both at 
 their escape, and at the prospect which they felt must now 
 be opening for them in attaining the end of their journey. It 
 was now an hour before midnight ; and in the morning they 
 hoped to be on the side of the mountain, out of danger from 
 the rebel Whigs. 
 
 It was under the charge of their former 'guide that they 
 now were moving along through the darkness. The relation 
 in which he now stood to them was more of guardian than 
 of guide. The two young Englishmen, in that easy way by 
 which those accustomed to command become subject to su- 
 perior law, or to circumstances beyond control, gave them- 
 selves up at once into the hands of their servant. They per- 
 ceived he had some authority, and a deep interest in them, 
 but they were anxious to know all before they yielded up all. 
 On their way he intimated his desire to reveal to them the 
 exact state of things in which he stood toward them. He 
 was in the employ of Lady Clinton. He held from her a 
 secret message to the provincial governor, who had retired 
 with the Congress after the sack of Sopus to Hurley, which was 
 said to be defended by the Dominie and the old vrows of the 
 place. Thither Gabriel hastened ; sent in the sign which hf
 
 258 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 knew would call the governor out ; and his own words will 
 but tell the rest. 
 
 " When he saw me he lowered his voice to a whisper, 
 looking as Moses did, before he killed the Egyptian : this 
 way and that way ; and when he saw there was no man, he 
 aid, ' Are you the man who sent me in this ring ?' And I 
 said, ' Yes, your excellency, a noble lady committed it to my 
 care.' 
 
 " ' And for what purpose,' said the governor, ' have you 
 brought it to me ?' 
 
 " ' A case of distress, sir, in which your help is demanded,' I 
 said promptly, looking up in his face, which by this time 
 showed all kinds of feelings. 
 
 " * What distress can there possibly be with them at this mo- 
 ment, when they have it all in their own way ? I am sure 
 they burned arid harried the town, and got off with clean 
 heels to their ship without one life being lost or a prisoner 
 left behind. The distress is all on our side.' 
 
 " ' Not so sure of that, your excellency. Two prisoners are 
 in the hands of the people of Vlatt Bush, and their lives are 
 in danger at this moment.' 
 
 "'They must be some persons of note when Lady Clin- 
 ton interests herself so much as to send this token, which 
 was only to be sent on the. last extremity.' 
 
 " ' They are none else, your excellency, than young men of 
 the family.' 
 
 " ' Good God ! and what can I do in their case ? How 
 could they be so foolish as to allow themselves to be taken 
 by our people, when they had the ball all in their owa 
 hands ?' 
 
 " I then gave a full and fair account of the whole matter, 
 beginning at the robbing of the young lady, with your pur- 
 suit after the robber, and ended at the place where you 
 were lying yesterday. Never did I see a man thrown into 
 such distress of mind. ' Come this way,' said he ; and he 
 walked in the greatest agitation round the house, till he got 
 me into a patch of wood, where he gave vent to his feelings 
 in bursts of exclamation that would have sounded well in Ire- 
 land. 
 
 " 4 Enthusiastic little fool ! She wrote me that I might look 
 
 out for her some fine fall morning ; and how the can I 
 
 help these young madcaps after what has taken place ? Blood 
 is thicker than water. I wonder if the knight of the garter, 
 would help plain George, were he now in the hands of his
 
 THE PLEASURES OF SUSPENSE. 259 
 
 majesty's bulldogs. I rather think I might no. be known as 
 belonging to any other family than Adam's. Ha ! things 
 change in this world. Let them take their course. That 
 basket of deer-meat and turkeys was well enough ; and th e 
 basket filled with those bottles of cognac back again were all 
 well ; but this is a new matter. It would be as much as my 
 head is worth were Washington to hear of my interfering. 
 No, young man, take the ring back where you got it.' 
 
 " Here he held it out to me, looking at it all the time. 
 Then, asking me, ' who knows of these young men ?' With 
 that I told the whole story, and mentioned the name of 
 Dominie Doll. The countenance of the governor brightened 
 up at this : a lucky thought was evidently finding its way 
 through his mind. Taking a leaf from his note-book, he pro- 
 ceeded to write, all the time swearing at the insolence of 
 these British Tories, who threw out their requests upon us 
 colonists, as if we were bound to listen and satisfy them, be- 
 cause we belonged once to the same national family. 
 
 " ' Wait till I put my seal to this,' said he ; for he evidently 
 was not inclined to trust me. 'Now, take that, and see 
 that these young fellows keep out of my road, for I will shoot 
 them as truly as my name is Clinton.' 
 
 " I took the letter to the Dominie, and you are here. 
 What next, gentlemen ?" 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE PLEASURES OF SUSPENSE. 
 
 " Two if scarce make one possibUity. 
 
 DRTDKN." 
 
 OUR adventurers, left out in the darkness of midnight, 
 were in a more satisfied state than they had been during the 
 last twenty-four hours ; yet it was such a condition as they 
 would not have chosen a week before, had they been offered 
 it, with a few thousand pounds to boot, so strangely does 
 the happiness of this life increase or diminish through com- 
 parison with other things. 
 
 The question now, what should be done? was one not 
 easily solved, where there were different means of reaching 
 the end sought after. Brandt, the faithful ally of the *m^,
 
 260 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 was in their immediate neighborhood, and by his help the 
 Indian Kiskataam might be overtaken and punished ; but, 
 as there was unquestionably an abler mind in the plot of 
 abducting Margaret, it would be dangerous to let matters be 
 known in that camp immediately. Caution was necessaiy to 
 obtain the ear of the great Mohawk, who certainly would 
 listen more favorably to an officer, bearing the commission 
 of his majesty, than to men who had the appearance of 
 stragglers. By the time his mind might be assured, the 
 dense forest would hide the abducted lady. Doubts gathered 
 so thick upon the minds of both Bertram and Clarence, that 
 they voluntarily gave themselves into the hands of Gabriel as 
 captain. 
 
 " If you promote me to that place, then," said that worthy, 
 " I command you, Mr. Clarence, to be off to Kaatskill, taking 
 this letter with you, to secure the assistance of the Dominie 
 of that place. If the mountains must be scoured, help is 
 necessary, so that the retreat to the west side may be cut off. 
 You see that fire burning on the face of the hill ; there lies 
 Brandt and his men. Let Kiskataam be prevented from 
 escaping, and we can boldly go to the Mohawk and demand 
 his aid in behalf of the king. We must trust to the current 
 of events, and as good Dominie Doll said, * leave the rest to 
 Providence.* " 
 
 " True," said Bertram, " for I am more adrift here than I 
 would be in an open boat at sea. My sailorship is all useless 
 on these mountain waves. Some wisdom higher than my 
 own is needed, and a power above king George must control 
 this rash adventure. Breakers are all ahead, and we on au 
 enemy's coast." 
 
 "A stout heart will climb the steepest hill," said Clarence. 
 " Give the most difficult part to me ; I am ready for it. I go 
 with a better conscience than I did to that dastardly burn- 
 ing, where we did not deserve to succeed. The people 
 are better than their betters. What are our captain's 
 orders?" 
 
 "Mount you this nag," was the word given. "He will 
 carry you at least seven miles an hour. He belongs to old 
 Cornelius Wynkoop, as stiff a Whig as ever smoked a pipe. 
 He loves his horses next to his wife ; she says he thinks more 
 of them than he does of her or the kinderen. If he supposed 
 at this hour that a king's man was putting his leg across his 
 back, he would rise out of his bed, dearly as he loves it ; and 
 I believe out of his grave, if he were in it, with a thick stoue
 
 THE PLEASURES OF SUSPENSE. 261 
 
 slab over it ; I am not sure but he may, through some spook, 
 be able to tell this now, as well as he can tell where to find 
 water with a forked stick. So look out, sir. You will rido 
 along full twelve miles, till you come to another stone church, 
 not unlike the one you have just been in against your will. 
 Ask for the Dominie's house, and give him that missive. 
 Whatever he asks, tell him freely, and follow his advice." 
 
 By the end of these counsels, the young soldier was on 
 Charlie's back, a stout, bottle-bellied animal, with a small 
 head and a long tail, that he whisked around through habit, 
 night and day, as a warning to the flies. 
 
 Gabriel, holding the impatient horse by the bit, gave 
 Clarence his last advice, by saying, "You must not linger 
 on the road till sunrise. This is the king's road to Albany 
 that you are now travelling ; keep on it till you come to the 
 kerke ; stand at the door looking east ; you will see among 
 fruit-trees, on a knoll, a stone house, covered with Holland 
 tiles ; turn to that, and you will be sure to find the man you 
 seek a strong-built man with a keen eye. Bid him a good 
 morning; then, as he answers, tuni to the mountain, and ask 
 if the old vrovv's nightcap be on yet. He will bid you mind 
 your own business till the old vrow has had her morning 
 meal, and said her morning prayers. Follow him in-doors ; 
 put the letter in his hand on the way ; sit down to the table, 
 as if you were one of the family; wait patiently till his 
 family have worshipped with him. He will let his own 
 pleasure be known sooner than if you press him." 
 
 " Well, that is plain speaking ; I think I can remember 
 that. Let me see the king's road right on sunrise ! Oh, 
 yes, I know it all," said the rider. 
 
 " One word more, as the Dominie says, and to conclude. 
 Meet us at noon the day after to-morrow at Kauterskill 
 Falls mind the name, Kauterskill Falls and there is a 
 whistle that will answer this one that we have." 
 
 Here both put their bone whistles to their mouths, and 
 made the midnight air send out on all sides such a shrill 
 sound, that the dogs all around gave out loud barks; and 
 wild growh'ngs were heard, not far off, above their heads. 
 
 " We must be softer than we are now," said Gabriel. 
 " Go." 
 
 And away the horseman went at a good round gallop ; a 
 secret of Charlie's haste being, that he thought he was going 
 home to his crib, and became all the more eager the furthes 
 he went "At this rate," said Clarence, "I will be at the end
 
 262 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 of my journey long before sunrise. But in times like these, 
 who can foretell the adventures of a singlu night, within a 
 short journey of twelve miles, even on the king's road ?" 
 
 But our story, to be clear, must just now follow the course 
 of the two who were left behind. They having a shorter 
 distance to travel, and a more difficult path to tread, moved 
 slowly along. 
 
 "It is but a short hour past midnight," said Gabriel, "and 
 our part in this business is to search all tracks. For that, 
 we require daylight. What say you to a couple of hours' 
 sleep, and then we shall have time enough?" 
 
 " You may require it indeed, my friend, was Bertram's 
 answer in words, though his impatient heart said go on. 
 " We have had plenty of time to sleep, or eat, or chew the 
 bitter root of disappointment, in yon garret all day." 
 
 " Well, if you are agreed," was the reply of the guide, 
 " we shall turn into Cornelius Wynkoop's barn. To tell the 
 plain truth, I am cowardly as well as sleepy. There is an 
 enemy in these parts not easily guarded against. Hunter as 
 I am, the painter and the wildcat, in the dark, are dangerous 
 critters, as the Yankees say." 
 
 " Is there much of that kind of game up in these regions ?" 
 asked the young Englishman, who had seen some hunting in 
 his day, in his own country, and also in the East Indies. 
 *' It would be good sport, to have a chase after these western 
 tigers. The panther of this continent I have been told is a 
 powerful animal. What of these wildcats ?" 
 
 " Oh, there are swarms of them all through these hills. 
 These mountains have their name from them ; so many and 
 so large are they, that a-single man finds himself in danger of 
 his life in attacking one of them." 
 
 " Ha ! a man killed by a cat would make a great story for 
 a picture-book in Christmas time. Since you are so skilled 
 in names, why do they call that church we were at the Cats- 
 baan." 
 
 " That means the cats' race-ground," said Gabriel, laughing 
 at his own conceit. " These people are half French, and hav 
 many of their words. In the holidays the big boys and girls 
 for ten miles round here meet, and have a regular hunt. 
 After scaring out fifty or a hundred of the screamers, they 
 set the dogs after them on this flat. And let me tell you it 
 ia a scratching time when one of these creatures happei s to 
 fasten on a dumpy fat Dutch girl, and the boys come n und 
 for her rescue."
 
 THE PLEASURES OF SUSPENSE. 203 
 
 "That must be fun in a small way ; but these painters as 
 you call them, must be the very thing to rouse the blood in 
 a man's heart." 
 
 " You may meet him soon enough, sir," was Gabriel's 
 answer, " for unless my ears deceive me there must be some 
 wiid creature up there now, in South Peak ; I hope it is far 
 off, but in the dark one cannot tell, and my counsel is that we 
 go at once into this fortress until the enemy be off, or we be 
 in a fitter condition to meet him." 
 
 For some time past they had been turning more to the 
 westward, and nearer to the mountain, as the dark shadow 
 against the sky showed. A large building which looked still 
 larger in the night time, rose plainly before the eye of Ber- 
 tram, who was at this time seized by the hand, and led 
 through the door, which yielded to the touch of his compan- 
 ion, as if he were the owner himself. Gabriel led his fellow- 
 traveller to a ladder, whispering in his ear, " follow me to 
 the yards ;" a hint which the young sailor took at once, and 
 mounting, he found a softer hammock than any in the 
 British navy. Gabriel was asleep in a few minutes, but the 
 feelings of his companion were too excited to enter easily 
 into the land of dreams ; so he lay and mused, watching the 
 sounds which came from nature, even in these loneiy wild 
 regions. 
 
 At length the old rooster of that true Holland breed, 
 heavy behind arid double combed before, gave out his first 
 trumpet sound, becoming louder as Gabriel snored respon- 
 sively, and deeper at every crow. Bertram became a'l the 
 time more impatient to be away, where the dangerous Whigs 
 would not venture near them. So giving the sleeper a dig 
 ,with his eibow, he succeeded in making him conscious of 
 where he was, and of what was required of him. A few 
 whispers earnestly blown into his ear, Avere enough to a man 
 accustomed to lie down in the midst of dangers. So keeping 
 quiet a few moments, just to recover his full balance, he started 
 up, saying, " liemain here till I make a visit to Dame Wyn- 
 koop's cellar, where I am sure of getting something good to 
 eat.*' And before his companion had time to remonstrate with 
 him, he was off, and already do\vn the ladder on his way. 
 Bertram, followed so as to watch against surprise. There 
 was no ground for fear. Old Cornelius was in his sounder 
 sleep yet ; and even had he been awakened he would not 
 have suspected an evil intruder, but would have supposed 
 it to be one of his dozen blacks moving along the floor.
 
 264: THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 Besides, Gabriel was as familiar with all as if he were going 
 over his mother's kitchen. All Dutch cellars are the same in 
 size and the same in arrangement. Butter pots and firkins on 
 the floor. A cider barrel in the corner, and a vinegar jug on a 
 shelf. He moved about among them mcwe easily than the 
 mistress of the house could : she being like a skipper navi- 
 gating a scow in the Amsterdam canal without a pilot. The 
 pies, the cold meat, and the bread all stood in a pantry on 
 the left hand ; it was but the work of a moment for the 
 pirate to clear the whole away. He knew that the old wench 
 who ruled the lower regions would lay it all to that cussed 
 Ebo who came home hungry after one of his night rackets. 
 However, the cautious Gabriel walked as if on oggs, reaching 
 the barn with his forage, and well pleased with his success. 
 
 " There is some of the staff of life," he said to his friend. 
 " You will need it before we get to the top of these hills, where 
 there aro no loaves growing on hemblock branches, nor roast- 
 ing pigs on bare rocks. I only wish that we had some of 
 old Kaarney's Holland gin now. He used to keep a snug 
 grey beard in the corner of that cupboard. Confound me 
 that I should have forgotten the value of drinking, as I 
 thought on the duty of eating. It makes the staif limber aa 
 well ns stronger on the hills." 
 
 " You are a daring fellow to venture where a hungry wolf 
 would not." This was said by Bertram under his breath, 
 and between the good bites he was giving to the stolen pro- 
 vender which he saw but partially in the star-light. All cats 
 are grey in the dark, so all bread is white to a hungry man. 
 Our two travellers, hearty in the stomach always, could have 
 done justice then to the haunch of a bear. 
 
 " What is that I hear gurgling down your throat ?" said 
 Bertram, laughing inwardly; "have you hold of the old 
 farmer's grey-beard after all ?" 
 
 " Try it yourself," was the answer, and a square Dottle 
 about a gallon's size was held to the mouth of the thirsty 
 inquirer, who tasted, and then swallowed with right good 
 will. He found it strong cider brandy mixed with juniper 
 berries ; a most agreeable, but a heady drink. 
 
 " Hush !" said Gabriel, and he put his head over the loic, 
 for they had both mounted again to their former place of 
 rest. " Some one is coming in at the big gate. I hear 
 the old wooden hinges squeak." The two gourmands rose 
 to their feet to be ready for any emergency ; when the stable 
 door was opened with great caution ; and some one, leading
 
 THE PLEASURES OF SUSPENSE. 265 
 
 one horse, entered, and a second horse followed. The negro, 
 for his voice betrayed his origin, began to talk to them just 
 as he would to his fellows in the field : 
 
 "Ole Black, you'd stop de snuffin; te be 'bout Ebo's 
 business ; see dat no stories be told but de big trut." 
 
 Then coming into the other stall he commenced in the 
 same way. 
 
 u Brown, poor Brown, been on de king's business, s'pose ; 
 vere's de fellow dat own dis saddle ? vee will see in de 
 mornin' sun-light. He be gentleman dat spok dere to us at 
 Phrebe. Me know an English offisher by his neck, might 
 hab left a yallow Joegey ven he vent off to de Squire Bur- 
 hause himself." 
 
 At these sounds Gabriel pricked up his ears. " Something 
 has befallen him, I fear," he whispered in his companion's 
 ear. " The horse he rode has returned with his mate." 
 
 " Who do you mean ?" said Bertram, suspecting himself 
 that trouble had come to his friend. 
 
 " Why, the lieutenant, to be sure, Mr. Clarence some diffi- 
 culty. Hear him speak of the Squire Burhause. I have a 
 mind to make the splay-footed vagabond tell. We may be 
 able to remedy the evil." 
 
 Bertram saw the folly of this, and put his hand on the 
 other's mouth as a warning, while Gabriel, feeling the influ- 
 ence of the cider-brandy, and knowing the superstition of 
 the negro race, out of pure mischief, gave a squeak through 
 the fingers held on his mouth, which made the hostler call 
 out, " Oh, Lorra, have marcy on poor nigger," and without 
 stopping a moment, he ran out slamming the doors after him, 
 and rousing up all^the dogs in the house. 
 
 " We are long enough here," said the mischievous fellow 
 as soon as he got over his fit of laughter ; " let us move be- 
 fore we get a few drops of old Kaarney's gun. There he is 
 lighting a caudle now with a coal at his mouth ;" and gather- 
 ing up the fragments of their breakfast for future use, they 
 left their hiding-place with good heart and on nimble feet. 
 
 Before the heavy half-door of Cornelius Wynkoop was 
 opened to let him and his dog Gates out into the yard, the 
 two adventurers were well away on the road that leads to 
 the Clove. Having no cause to fear immediate danger, they 
 moved on at a moderate rate, discussing, as they went, the 
 events of the last twenty-four hours. 
 
 Gabriel had an uncommon flow of spirits for him. He had 
 been taciturn, and dark in his speech and in his looks, lie 
 
 12
 
 266 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 had got a good draught of the inspiriting liquor; but that was 
 not the cause. He had paid a visit to his mother, and now 
 he was beyond the reach of bodily danger, which he had 
 been in ever since he came up with the marauding party. 
 To wile away the time, as well as to gratify his curiosity, 
 Bertram led his guide to the discussion of his own affairs. 
 
 "I have no objections to the telling of it all," said the 
 countryman, u though it is a longer story than a stranger 
 would care to listen to, except for amusement. You see, 1 
 left old Sopus and my mother's house in a fit of ill-natiuv. 
 I cared no more for King George than I did for old Mat 
 Van Guisen ; but I had taken a heart's hatred to some that 
 called themselves Whigs, and particularly to one purse-proud 
 old Jew, who had a lovely daughter, who loved me, but 
 durst not move in the shadow of my shape. To gut me 
 out of the way he made up his mind that I should go off 
 with Arnold to Canada. I took the opposite road, and have 
 been in all the places south of this, where fighting was to 
 be done; for I found there was more quiet for me in war 
 than in peace. I jumped at the chance of coming on this 
 expedition. My love of adventure, my love of revenge, my 
 love of Nelly Labagh, and I may say it truly, the love of 
 my mother, all urged me on board the Vulture. Standing 
 as sentinel on deck, I soon discovered the aim of Kiskataam. 
 I had long known the fellow to be a villain, and determined 
 first to watch, and then unfold his designs. We had met 
 before the war broke out, in Stony Clove, where lie at- 
 tempted to steal my good gun Meg, when I chased him and 
 struck him down. So you see there was ill blood between 
 us ; our glances of defiance said another time. When he slid 
 overbear 1, carrying Miss Clinton with him, I was not there ; 
 but of all on the ship I was the man to have headed a party 
 of pursuit ; but you know it is not for us to offer advice to 
 our betters. But I did what I could afterward in an inter- 
 view with Lady Clinton. I offered my services and they 
 were accepted on condition that I should wait on your 
 pleasure after the Sopus business was through. There lies 
 the secret of my knowledge of your intention, and of my 
 present interest in you. I own that I hate an Indian, and 
 that I will travel any time a thousand miles for the mere 
 pleasure of shooting one. Dirty abominable wretches! how 
 any young lady can sit and hear their soft cunning tongues 
 close to her ear, I cannot understand. And blood-thirsty 
 devils ! how gentlemen, like you, can fight with them, or
 
 THE PLEASURES OF SUSPENSE. 267 
 
 employ them to fight for you, is amazing. I am ashamed of 
 having ever drawn a trigger under King George when I 
 think that Kiskataam, and his like, have fingered the same 
 bounty." 
 
 " Have you seen your mother ?" said Bertram, anxious to 
 turn the mind of the excited colonist away from a theme 
 which burned on his own tongue. The effect of the question 
 was all that was expected, and more, for the Englishman was 
 almost sorry he had encroached into that sanctum of Gabriel's 
 bosom. 
 
 " Seen my mother ! Yes, but I all but wish I had not 
 ventured over that holy threshold. Blessed woman, how she 
 gazed on me, drinking in my soul through her old dim eyes, 
 that lighted up with the same love she had always felt for 
 me ; prodigal as I have been. I had resolved to stand it 
 through, but how soon all broke down, when she said, 'My 
 own Gaby !' Well, I feel better that I went. Before, I could 
 have killed an army, now I would not hurt a fly." 
 
 " Always excepting an Indian," said Bertram, slily. 
 "Where did you meet her? Was it at home, in her own 
 house ?" 
 
 ' You must remember, after I left you at the stile we were 
 standing at, that I walked softly on to the cottage window, 
 where I stood listening for a few minutes, when I heard the 
 well-known voice, low and soothing, as if she was comforting 
 some one. She spoke as if it were to a child. But that is 
 her way to all sick people ; so I did not expect to see a child ; 
 and yet I was startled when I saw a man's head rise up from 
 the pillow and scream. I could stand at the door no longer ; 
 so rushing in, I flung myself into her arms. She kissed me 
 quietly ; but pointing to the bed, said, in a whisper, " Petrus 
 is sick." That was my brother, and as I feared, he had been 
 out in the attack, and was hurt in defending the hearthstone. 
 A cruel fellow of ours had struck him on the head with the 
 butt end of his gun, and now he was delirious. He recognized 
 me, and gave a wild shriek that froze the marrow within me. 
 Springing on the floor, he seized me by the stock on my neck, 
 twisting it till I became like a child in his hand. I could not 
 hnve resisted him, had he tried to kill me. My mother's 
 voice, however, served to make him release his grasp, as she 
 came between him and me. 
 
 " * Is it here,' the maniac cried, or rather yelled, ' that the 
 cursed Tory would dare to show his face ; and in the colors 
 of the king ? Ha ! ha ! ha ! Come to burn the house, and
 
 268 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 his own movher in it ? Look, see here where your bayonet 
 is sticking yet ;' and he tore away the bandages from his head, 
 bloody as they were, and flung them at me, they falling on 
 my face, so that the marks of blood were left all over me. 
 
 " Then exclaiming, as he looked at me, ' You bloody-faced 
 traitor, you come home in your true colors. Take the bay- 
 onet out of the hole he put it in. Take it out, I tell you, till 
 I put it into him.' 
 
 " At length, through loss ol biood and fatigue, he became 
 weak and quieted down, so that he fainted. This gave me 
 some relief, when the good Dominie came in, to my great 
 shame and mortification. He has always had a power over 
 me more than any other man : not even the General himself 
 could command me as that man of peace can at this hour, 
 when I come near him. His surprise gave way, at seeing 
 me, to great indignation, and even reproaches at first, which 
 cut me to the heart. Then lie would mellow down to a kind- 
 ness, which was worse to bear; so that I stood really between 
 two fires, and durst not resent either side. 
 
 " ' O ye vile boy ! Ye Absalom, rebelling against parent 
 and country. O Gaby ! Gaby ! I am sure you did not find any 
 ground for your sinful conduct in the good Heidelburg 
 that I taught you. Sit down there, like a good lad, and 
 see if you can say it What is thy only comfort in life and 
 death ? 
 
 " Just as I was beginning to reply, ray brother gave a 
 shriek that made us all start to our feet. ' Send him to the 
 gallows, I'll be hangman.' " 
 
 " ' Hear you that, Gaby ?' said the Dominie, when the rav- 
 ing man had quieted down again. ' That's a voice calling 
 upon God for judgment on your head ; your brother has 
 spoken his last words, and you hear them yet ringing in your 
 ears.' 
 
 " It was true ; Petrus had sunk into the arms of death, 
 and I stood there, as I thought, his murderer. I felt it that 
 it must be so, while the Dominic continued to ponr out male- 
 dictions upon my poor head, till I sank on the floor. 
 
 "'O "Dominie! Dominie! have pity have mercy on my 
 poor misguided boy,' was the cry of my mother. ' My 
 kind-hearted Petrus, my first-born, the image of his father 
 gore, and none left to me now, but this my poor wanderer ;' 
 and he'-e she fell into my arms, and cried only as a mother 
 can. 
 
 " Gaby,' said the Dominie, after a few moment's pause,
 
 THE PLEASURES OF SUSPENSE. 
 
 'you are too long here, unless you be seeking the gallows. 
 As sure as there is a rope in Mark Snyder's barn, if he 
 catches you within the town of Sopus, you will have to swing 
 for it. Up, and be off with you.' 
 
 " After that I met him, and told him all about you, and 
 succeeded in interesting him in your afiairs. So that you are 
 here, and your friend away yonder." 
 
 " Well," said Bertram, " he must have drank deep into the 
 spirit of his religion, when he can so help the outcast, and for- 
 give such injuries as we put on his people. God grant that 
 the time may yet arrive, when I may do something that 
 will show I am still a man and a gentleman." 
 
 In this way the two went on slowly, till they reached to 
 the head of a narrow valley, up which the road ran, when they 
 came suddenly upon Hoogenhuisen, still smoking and in nuns. 
 
 " What !" exclaimed they, both at once, " more misery from 
 war." 
 
 " O, God !" said Bertram, " this solitary case makes us 
 feel more than if we walked through a sacked city. Domes- 
 tic happiness in a single family we can understand, and feel a 
 sympathy with. How many happy hours have been spent 
 around that hearthstone !" 
 
 " Yes," said Gabriel, who was transported in grief. 
 " Happy hours indeed have been spent around the fireside of 
 Martin Schuyler. I would not have believed, had I not seen 
 it, that any one could be so cruel as to level this home to tho 
 ground. Black ruins ! There is the kettle that old Anshela 
 kept as bright as a button, half melted. The cellar always 
 so well filled, now a chaos with charred barrels and broken 
 pottery, and " 
 
 Gabriel's heart filled full at the sight ; and mounting up 
 on the rock opposite, he sat down on a shelf to indulge his 
 grief, mingled as that was with burning tears of remorse 
 let us hope of repentance, in some degree. So long did lie 
 seem inclined to sit, that Bertram found it necessary to re- 
 mind him that the day was advancing, and he knew best how 
 fiir they had to go, and what must be done. 
 
 Gabriel said, " It is time we were gone ; but these ruins 
 tell us that Brandt and his crew, and I am ashamed to say 
 our friends, are not far off, and are likely lurking about here. 
 Both parties may now be within cry. Let us then," said the 
 guide, " prepare ourselves for friend or foe." 
 
 With that they both proceeded up the Clove road, Gabriel 
 intending to cross at a point opposite to the falls of the
 
 270 THE DUTCH DOMINIE, 
 
 Kautarskill and there to lie in ambush till the appointed 
 time for action came. Somehow, both the young men had a 
 kind of presentiment, that the centre of attraction was there. 
 No doubt it arose from two ideas floating in their minds, 
 Margaret's well-known romantic spirit, and next the dis- 
 position of the Indian to seek some prominent scene in. 
 nature, as a mark for himself. To that celebrated place they 
 now eagerly bent their steps. Here an occurrence took 
 place which interrupted their progress, and but for their 
 courage and experience would have put a stop to their ex 
 pedition forever. 
 
 CHAPTER VH. 
 
 A PANTHER OE A CATAMOUNT. 
 
 " The brave, 
 None but the brave deserve the fair." 
 
 DRY.PEX. 
 
 GABRIEL, sunk in reverie over the ruins of Hoogenhuisen, 
 left the responsibility of the sentry-box to his companion, 
 whose senses were growing keener every moment to the 
 sounds, and new objects rising around him. He was sure that 
 some wild animal must be in the neighborhood; but not 
 caring to disturb his guide, he merely felt more awake, and 
 continued more watchful. The sounds were becoming louder 
 and louder, till at last one fearful roar roused up Gabriel, 
 who exclaimed as he started to his feet : " A catamount ! 
 run for that rock." And they both sprang to one that was 
 near, and balanced on the hill side so nicely, that two men in 
 era-nest, with a stout oaken lever could have turned it over, and 
 seut it rolk'ng down the gorge into the stream. Here they 
 both ran, and on the lower side intrenched themselves, 
 waiting for their enemy, who being above them on the side 
 hill, came down upon them with tremendous fury. Their 
 case seemed desperate, since all the advantage of superior 
 position was on the side of the animal. Retreat was now 
 impossible, and their fortress Avas insufficient should he 
 choose to besiege them by merely keeping watch. But they 
 were not men to yield without a struggle. Bertram had 
 seen the real tiger slain, when there was a host against him*
 
 A PANTHER OB A CATAMOUNT. 271 
 
 Gabriel was a hunter from his youth, but this was the first time 
 he had met the catamount, along with a single companion. 
 
 On the creature came, leaping from height to height, and 
 evidently bent upon taking his next spring to the top of their 
 defence, which bent over them slightly, and was only about 
 five feet high on the upper side. 
 
 " "We must fire together," said Bertram, naturally taking 
 the command, "if we would make sure, and then spring 
 up on the rock just as he leaps from it." 
 
 Gabriel, who had now forgotten all his grief, and thrown 
 aside all his Dutch sluggishness, replied: "Then, captain, 
 give him your shot in his burning eyes, while I aim for his 
 heart." 
 
 " Have your knife ready," was the quick answer of Ber- 
 tram. 
 
 " Tighten your belt, captain," said Gabe, as he drew up 
 his own buckle one hole more, pulling his rough cap tight 
 over his ears, and looking where he might take hold of the 
 stones, in case he must spring to the top of the rock. The 
 sailor was not behind in his preparations, and stood ready. 
 
 In the meantime the animal watched his foes, lashing his 
 tail from side to side. When, crouching, he gave his 
 threatened spring, landing fairly on the rock, where he 
 received the contents of two pistols, which only made him 
 more furious with pain. He gave a roar that was heard as 
 high as the Dog's Pool, where Angelica sat smoking her pipe, 
 till she rose in her terror and mewed the wildcat's mew that 
 alarmed Elsie. 
 
 The two skillful men had retreated to each end of the 
 rock, so that their enemy's attention was divided and 
 puzzled. Falling down gracefully on his haunches, lio 
 seemed to plan carefully his next attack, and Bertram must 
 be the object of it, for the faces of man and beast were 
 within four feet of each other. The man's eyes penetrating 
 so deeply into the animal's that they blinked under the power 
 of intellect. 
 
 " Keep close to the rock, and more to your right," was 
 the cry of the other man ; " he will leap soon ; let it be as 
 far down as possible." And the warning was scarcely given 
 and taken, when, with another roar, the spring sent the cata- 
 mount down so far that by the time he recovered himself, 
 the two men were on the upper side of the defence, waiting 
 for their foe. The advantage was now all on their side, and 
 the discomfited creature, as if ashamed, turned his head
 
 272 THE DUTCH DOMFNTB. 
 
 away a moment, half inclined to retreat. It was then that 
 the bark of Rover from above attracted his notice, and 
 roused him to his feet, evidently with the determination of 
 renewing the attack, but with more caution, for taking a 
 circuit, he moved up the side of the ravine, as if to regain 
 his former vantage-ground. The two men were debating 
 whether it would be best to allow him to come on to their 
 rear ; and like all divided commands, the council might have 
 proved fatal. 
 
 " You may stand here if you please," said Gabriel ; " but 
 I am for that tree. I hate to have an enemy above me ;" 
 and with that he sprung up and sat on a branch which over- 
 hung the very rock on which his companion was ensconced. 
 The animal, from this very motion made by his enemy, had 
 put himself into a rapid pace, and was ready again to take a 
 new spring as before. Down he came cautiously, when 
 both fired, and their shots told; but, raging with pain, he 
 sprang upon the rock, over which Bertram slid, but only to 
 encounter his foe, which was in close quarters with him at 
 once. Out came Bertram's sharp knife, which played havock 
 with the beast ; still the result might have been doubtful, 
 had not Gabriel come down and finished the battle, by a ball 
 which he planted in the ear, so well given that the cata- 
 mount turned himself on his side, and gave his last gasp. 
 
 The two adventurers, wiping the sweat from their faces, 
 mingled as it was with blood, sat down on the rock, survey- 
 ing their fallen enemy with pride and gratitude. 
 
 " A panther," said Bertram, at length, " and nearly as 
 large as the Bengal tiger we shot at Bombay, in the East, 
 when there were fifty of us in at the death. What powerful 
 limbs he has ; and these horrible claws ; see where he has 
 torn the flesh from my arm here." 
 
 "Not a panther, sir, as you may see by these black rings on 
 his tail. A catamount, if you please; but so far as the fierce- 
 ness and the power of the creature goes, there is but little dif- 
 ference. The painter is sometimes seen in these mountains : 
 but of the difference, old Frederika Sax could discourse with 
 you a whole day, and not be tired then." 
 
 " My poor carcass, Gabriel, my boy, would be quite as soro 
 after the description as it is now. See how these holes bleed ; 
 come, tear off a piece of my shirt here, and act the surgeon on 
 me, lest I bleed to death." 
 
 This being done after the most approved hunter's art, the 
 busy Gabriel commenced immediately skinning the dead ani-
 
 A PANTHER OK A CATAMOUNT. 2'< 
 
 mal. To the question put, " Of what use is it ? for yon cannot- 
 use the skin here, and you would not burden yourself by car- 
 rying it away." 
 
 Gabriel replied coolly : " You see, sir, it will serve two pur- 
 poses, and more besides. It will prove good luck when we 
 show these claws, and obtain bounty when we fetch those 
 ears home. They are good money anywhere while fresh ; 
 and the man who has killed a catamount, as that tail will 
 show, is not to be despised on these mountains. He will 
 respect himself, and others will respect him " 
 
 All these reasons were given while the process of denuding 
 the animal of his hide was going on. After it was done, the 
 operator took the skin on his arm, and climbed up a high 
 tree, where he stretched it out on the trunk, so that it might 
 dry without wrinkles. 
 
 These events took place within a few miles of the Dog 
 Pool, where the three women, in whom we are interested, had 
 their hiding-place ; but in these wild regions, a thousand men 
 moving singly through the thickets, would be like ships in 
 a dense mist at sea, within hail of each other, but in ignorance 
 of being near any one. A mile more to the westward would 
 have led the two men to the very spot on which their minds 
 were bent. 
 
 Weary and worn with the fatigue of their late contest, 
 they sat down on the verge of the ravine, and commenced 
 eating the fragments of their supplies, which Gabriel had 
 carefully gathered up at the close of their morning meal in 
 the barn, draining at the same time the last drop of Hollands 
 from the square bottle. 
 
 " Squeeze the sides of it," said the humorous guide, as he 
 saw his companion holding up the vessel, so that the drops 
 fell into his mouth. " There is more where that came from, 
 though we are not likely to taste it till we earn it ; and if 
 my ears don't betray me, we shall have more work of the 
 same kind before an hour passes. Hark !" 
 
 The attention of Bertram was called to what his guide 
 was saying, when a roar went up through the Clove in the 
 mountain, which chilled his blood, and made him start to 1m 
 feet as if he had boen shot. 
 
 " The mate of our dead enemy," was the answer to his 
 fears. " She has found him out, and the skin is not so warm 
 as it was lust winter. Well, it sounds mournful, and there is 
 a sort of humanity in that scream." 
 
 " I declare," said the other, " I wish that she could bare 
 
 12
 
 274 THE DUTCH DOMIXIE. 
 
 found the living body rather than the dead carcass; sorrow, 
 eveij in an animal, overcomes one. It is nature." 
 
 " Up," said the eager Gabriel, " for there she comes at full 
 speed ; let us to the top of the lull here, and have at least the 
 advantage of high ground. Load as you run, and see that 
 the priming be good. We will need all our wits." 
 
 Doing as he bade, he put Bertram up first ; and walking 
 almost backward himself, he watched the shaking among the 
 bushes, looking out at the same time for some point which 
 might, in case of need, be a place of defence. The old rock 
 was now in his mind, but for lack of that, he was resolving 
 to climb the first tree which afforded a favorable harbor ; 
 and had communicated his plan to Bertram, when another 
 roar told them that the creature was upon their wake. She 
 had scented their track and was hastening toward them. 
 
 " Spring to that pine-tree," was the cry of Gabriel, and at 
 the same time, he took to the one close by himself'. When 
 nearly half way up, they looked back with more security to the 
 path up which they had come. Listening with great eager- 
 ness, their late experience told them that something was irri- 
 tating the animal below them. She was giving forth low, 
 dull growls, like those heard by themselves just before their 
 late foe prepared to spring on them. In a moment more the 
 report of a well-loaded gun came up to them in full vo- 
 lume, accompanied by a yell which told that the ball had en- 
 tered some vital part, though lite was far from being extinct. 
 Before Bertram had time to speak a word, he saw that 
 Gabriel had slipped down from his perch, and was already on 
 his way to the scene of action ; and in duty bound he must 
 of course follow his captain. Like all men accustomed to 
 danger, the mere prospect of seeing fair play was enough to 
 entice them to the place. 
 
 When Gabriel arrived, he saw at a glance how matters 
 stood: a single man was in close combat with an enraged 
 animal ; and the beast had decidedly the best of it, for the 
 man lay on his back, and was grasping the throat of the cata- 
 mount, her tongue pressed from her mouth, discharging foam, 
 mixed with blood on the prostrate man's face, blinding him 
 completely. So closely and stiflly were the combatants clasped 
 that neither could th^ man rise nor the beast extricate itself. 
 The two forelegs of the one were held down by the arms of 
 the other so near, that when the claws of the beast would have 
 been raised, the strength of the man was put forth with such 
 vigor in pulling the neck down, that all efforts were an yet
 
 A PANTHEB OK A CATAMOUNT. 275 
 
 vain \vith ihe foi-e feet ; and by lifting Ms knees to the belly of 
 the beast, the hind paws were fixed in the ground below, so 
 that they did no injury. 
 
 Such a state of things could not have continued long, and 
 considering that the animal was severely wounded, it is pro- 
 bable that it would have yielded had his grim captor 
 strength left like what he still showed, to hold out ; but the 
 smallest change might have proved fatal where nothing re- 
 mained but the bare human nails, against such cJaws and 
 sinews. 
 
 " Hold on," was the cry of Gabriel, the momenr he came 
 near ; "hold on, and I will put my pistol to her ear." 
 
 "To her heart, to her heart," shouted the man, (i she will 
 choke me with blood." 
 
 Quick as thought Bertram took the opposite side of Ga- 
 briel, and putting his pistol to her heart, while Gabriel applied 
 his at nearly the same time, the great creature, with a scream 
 almost human, fell over on her side, leaving the imprisoned 
 man alone at full length. 
 
 " Are you hurt ?" was the first question put to the rescued 
 victim. Rising up, he shook himself, as if he were not sure 
 that he was the same man who had been lying under a cata- 
 mount a minute before. 
 
 " L do not feel any way injured," was the answer of the 
 man, in the full mock dress of an Indian ; " but I think I 
 must be, after such a struggle. I forgot to thank you gen- 
 tlemen, for your timely help. My throat would now have 
 been in her vicious jaws but for you ; for I could not have 
 held out three minutes more." 
 
 All this time the stranger was panting for breath, and try- 
 ing to stand on his feet. His face was covered with mud, 
 and streaked with slaver, so that it would have defied his 
 mother to have known him. Bertram had run and filled the 
 bottle with water, putting it into the hand of the stran- 
 ger ; Gabriel was at the same time wiping his face with his 
 handkerchief, used as a sponge. Both were doing all they 
 could to restore the rescued man to calmness, arid his 
 strength. After these necessary things were done, they sat 
 down to survey their fallen foe, and hear the account of the 
 beginning of this combat. 
 
 " It appears to me," said Gabriel, " that notwithstand- 
 ing your evident disguise, your voice and eyes are in my 
 memory, like some old tune that I have heard snatches of in 
 my young days. I am averse to ask you for a name in
 
 276 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 these times, but our late battle has put us all three on one 
 side." 
 
 " And you might command me just now, since you are 
 two to one." 
 
 " Any man," said Bertram, " who can fight a catamount is 
 not to be despised even when laid on his back." 
 
 " I have recognized you from the first moment you came 
 in my sight," said the stranger. " You are Gabriel Smith, 
 and my name is Teunis Roe." 
 
 "Ha !" said Gabriel, "who could have thought it; and yet 
 I might have known that the son of his father would be on 
 the side of the king ; for I see that you are wearing one of 
 his liveries." 
 
 This did not sound very agreeable to the other, but he 
 merely replied, " I have heard that Gabriel Smith had on the 
 king's livery for a year past ; how comes it that he has 
 dofl'ed it in these hills which are all under his majesty's 
 power ?" 
 
 "Reasons for all things, and you are the very man that can 
 help in this matter, Teunis Roe ; and as I knew you before to 
 be honest, and now to be brave, I could wish to lay you 
 under a bond of honor. We would ask of you a favor." 
 
 " What you may command as a right, since I am indebted 
 to you for my life." 
 
 This led at once to a careful history of the reasons of 
 Gabriel being there with Bertram, a stranger, on these rnoun 
 tains, and it is easy to imagine the mutual surprise of all the 
 three, when the whole story which both parties told was 
 communicated. Bertram of course was the most astonished 
 the most enraptured, and the most affected with fear lest a. r . 
 their labor should be lost. 
 
 " So near and yet we cannot find them ! Oh, if we had but 
 a few days to ourselves, we could hunt them. One thing we 
 should be thankful for: she has escaped that villain Kiska- 
 taam." 
 
 " He is now hunting for them, and perhaps before you are 
 aware of it, he will be at your back, aiming his gun at your 
 ear. It is time that we got under cover. I have seen that 
 inake this morning already, and I have not been able to leave 
 the camp once, but he has been at rny heels. Let us go up 
 nearer to the Kauterskill Falls." 
 
 " Have you made up your mind as to which side you will 
 take when the Indians are carrying off the prisoners," said 
 Gabriel to the mock Indian: "for you know we can claim
 
 A PANTHER OR A CATAMOUNT. 277 
 
 being cm the same side with Brandt and carry off our prize 
 in the teeth of Kiskataam ?" 
 
 " That is if the man called Colonel Clifford do not succeed 
 in putting in a stronger claim and have a stronger hand in it 
 than two men like you, in the dress of the common colonists, 
 are likely to have with the Mohawk." 
 
 " Colonel Clifford !" both called out at once. " He here ! 
 then our cause is hopeless, unless we can obtain her by force 
 or stratagem ; which do you suppose to be the most feasi- 
 ble ?" 
 
 " When I was met by that fearful animal," said Tennis, " I 
 was on my way to consult a man of more wisdom than I 
 have myself; though till this morning, I was better able to 
 judge of hunting through these mountains than a stranger 
 possibly could be ; but I now am at my wits' end, and am 
 willing to be led by any one in this matter. Perhaps I ought 
 to have gone to him beforehand ; still it may not be too late." 
 
 " Who is this person, Teunis, that you are now about to 
 counsel with, if I may ask, for if we are going to take the 
 same work in hand, it will be proper that we act together, 
 intelligently." 
 
 " Let me here," said Teunis, " tell you candidly that my 
 life and happiness are alike bound up in the deliverance of 
 Elsie Schuyler, and if the young lady be the same as I have 
 seen, your interests are mine ; and so far you must trust my 
 word. I have a plan which was in my mind before we 
 met. It can be carried out all the better by three. Hear 
 this, and tell me your mind. The party on the rock I believe 
 are waiting for more prisoners, whom they expect. Some 
 say it is the Dominie of Kaatskill. My own notion is, that 
 it is nobody else but your Lady Margaret ; and to-morrow 
 there is to be a regular surrounding of the hills as far west 
 as possible ; now if I can get up a party of surprise it will 
 either send Brandt off, when Elsie will come out of her hid- 
 ing-place, or jt may become a rescuing party, should they 
 succeed in discovering the spot where I am quite sure she 
 keeps her charge." 
 
 " And what did you wish from the friend below ?" said 
 the over-cautious Gabriel. 
 
 " I wanted encouragement : for my judgment has become 
 scattered. Between this false dress, my father's wishes and 
 my own likings and dislildngs, I am like a dog that has lost 
 its scent, ready to be whistled off by any straggler on the 
 road that will call him master."
 
 278 TH'S DTTTCH DOMINIE, 
 
 " Unless you have confidence in the man, do not go neai 
 him. Your plan is excellent, and for your encouragement 
 let me tell you," said Gabriel, "that one of our party is down 
 at the Dominie's at present, soliciting his advice and aid." 
 
 " You mean a king's man like yourself, in disguise ?" 
 
 " Yes, the brother of the young lady, and he carries docu- 
 ments with him of such a kind as will insure his reception." 
 
 " And a warm reception it will be, as I am a living man. 
 Your friend's neck is not worth a bushel of beans in Dominie 
 Schuneman's hands, unless it be on the authority of General 
 Washington himself. It would not surprise me if he be hang- 
 ing like a scarecrow to the first tree he finds outside of the 
 church." 
 
 " He would not dare to do such a thing in the king's domi- 
 nions, and in the face of the authority he carries." 
 
 " My dear sir, you are an Englishman, and very loyal, no 
 doubt ; but our Dominie has more power in his parish than all 
 the kings in Christendom ; but come, we have not a moment's 
 time to lose." 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 FUN, FKOLIC AND FOLLY, FINISHED SOBERLY. 
 
 " Socrates, the great moralist, was so famous for wit and humor, that the Athenians 
 fave him the name of The Droll." MODERN PLUTARCH. 
 
 CLARENCE CLINTON, after parting from Bertram and Gab- 
 riel, made quick progress on his faithful nag. There was good 
 cause for the animal's haste his mate was on the same road 
 that night before him. Old Cornelius TVynkoop's negro 
 Ebo, was a dissolute fellow of his race, spending three nights 
 in the week, besides Sunday, in some dissipation. He never 
 went far without a good horse, and though it might be to a 
 distance, he was sure to return before his master had shaken 
 the ashes out of his first pipe ; Kaarney's negroes were free 
 livers, but were not the only set that lived a free life. Thoir 
 masters and their sons do all the marketing, and the pro- 
 viding, and the visiting, during the winter, upstairs while 
 the blacks do the eating and the drinking down in the cellai 
 kitchen. The frolicking is done by both classes, at their
 
 FUN, FROLIC AND FOLLY FINISHED SOBEKLY. 279 
 
 several haunts, near the villages, where might have been 
 seen a swinging sign-board with the words " Cakes and 
 Beer sold here," painted in the rudest shaped letters, as 
 if patterned after an African's jaws and heels. Some crone 
 of the real ebony color Iceeps the house for a white man not 
 far off. Generally she is his own slave, of more than usual 
 shrewdness, who presides in full freedom for the night, while 
 he in the morning comes round from the big house for the 
 avails of the carousal. There the negro dances, and the 
 rough weddings are held ; and under the rose the sons of 
 the white men take great interest in these kiltocoys. 
 
 Ebo, Wynkoop's right-hand man, loved a horse, as all his 
 race do, and mounted on black or brown, he forgot every- 
 thing for the time. He treated the span impartially, taking 
 them always out time about. The horses were brothers, and 
 never parted from each other but they were glad to meet 
 again. This instinct led them always to run to the same 
 point when they could get free, and the wild Ebo had been 
 found out before now in this very way, and traced to the very 
 place he was most averse at being found in. 
 
 As Clarence rode along in the middle of the night, to his 
 great surprise and sudden alarm, his horse set up a loud 
 neighing and whinnying, which made all the fields around 
 vocal. At short intervals, these calls were responded to, by 
 others of the same kind, which increased in number and 
 loudness in proportion as he advanced. All at once he was 
 brought up standing at the door of a low cabin, where voices 
 and screams went up, as if a hundred witches were dinning 
 the air and performing their eldritch rites. " Black spirits 
 and white, red spirits and grey," all seemed mingling to- 
 gether. 
 
 After gratifying his curiosity a moment by looking through 
 the low window, he prepared to go forward ; but to his mor- 
 tification his horse would not move a foot, but sent forth one 
 of his loudest neighs, that provoked the rider to vengeance, 
 which caused the animal to make all the more noise, till it at 
 last arrested the attention of the company within for an in- 
 stant. One of the dancers caine to the window, and seeing 
 nothing, called to the fiddler, " Csease, play up ;" and the old 
 fellow within gave his bow a double stroke, that skirled on 
 the strings till the screams of the company camf again in full 
 force. Clarence descended and looked in moio closely, in- 
 tending to lead his horse past ; and such a sight lie never 
 beheld before. There were at least forty of the genuine
 
 280 THE DUTCH 1/OMTN1E 
 
 Guinea negroes, of purest jet, enjoying themselves in the 
 most outlandish sports. The dance was a cross between the 
 wild African jig and the low Dutch hornpipe. 
 
 The astonished Clarence looked on, not knowing what to 
 make of the scene. He had witnessed many wild outbreaks 
 in his lifetime, but never anything like this : not even in theatri- 
 cal displays. 
 
 When they had fairly run themselves down, they fell on 
 the floor, rolling and screaming over each other, till they ap- 
 peared actually like so many large black hogs, with a few 
 white ones among them, roused in their pen, when some- 
 thing has disturbed them. Gradually they slackened down to 
 a lowered key, but not less din. That was kept up in the 
 way we may suppose the cellars of Babel were found in some 
 night soon after the confusion of tongues took place ; for not 
 a word could be distinctly distinguished till some one cried 
 oat sangaree, and all rose, male and female, holding their 
 tongues still, and their mouths open, as if they had discovered 
 for the first time that they were choking, and could not 
 speak another word but sangaree, till they took a swallow. 
 It was during this pause in the state of affairs, that Black 
 and Brown gave each other an impatient neigh, that went to 
 the quick ear of all the delinquent negroes, who had horses 
 there. Some one who had been out of doors ran in with the 
 astonishing intelligence, crying, "Ebo ! Robbin, your massa, 
 come ; ole Kaarney at the door." 
 
 Quick as a flash, the black rogue ran to the door, and see- 
 ing the horse that Clarence held he knew his shape and his 
 neigh in an instant he prepared his back for the whip ; but, 
 in the meantime, he would try some scheme, what, he could 
 not tell ; but running up in the dark, to where Clarence stood, 
 he screamed out, "Massa, massa, forgive ma 'passes, as Dom- 
 inie says, in our Fader. Me come down to Phcebe Cauter- 
 walikin, but didn't mean to come ; forgive me ma dets." 
 
 Clarence saw that he was under some mistake, and quietly 
 said so ; asking Ebo if he would help him to take this skittish 
 animal past the door, for he was in a great haste to get on. 
 
 By this time Ebo had opened his eyes, and had seen Ms 
 error in regard to the man, but was still sure about the beasu ; 
 and suddenly changing his tone, he called out : 
 
 " Ha ! Cowboy stolen massa hoss. Goot ; the tief founa 
 out dis time. Fox fal ente de trap himselv. He ! he ! he !" 
 
 And his mirth returned with something additional to pay 
 for the fear he had incurred. All the company had felt tho
 
 FUN, FKOLIC AND FOLLY, FINISHED SOBERLY. 28"i 
 
 alann for the negro is of the gregarious tribes, the moment 
 that one suffers, all the crowd suffer with him ; and so let 
 one dance, and all join through complete sympathy. Quiet- 
 ness had reigned till Ebo called out, " Cowboy," when a shout 
 came out of the house, as the whole party, male and female, 
 surrounded the man and horse. Old Aunt Phoebe, side by 
 side with her grey fiddler, were there ready to seize the bridle 
 of Brown, and chase the thief away with the broomstick. 
 
 Clarence, in the midst of this black nation, found himself 
 in a complete hornet's nest and dilemma. To tell them who 
 he was would be folly, and to go back would be to frustrate 
 his whole plan. His first thought was to leave the horse in 
 the hands of those who claimed it, and go forward afoot. As 
 he proposed this, he soon found that Ebo was in as great a 
 quandary as himself; Old Kaarney would demand of him how 
 he happened to be there, to make the discovery, and he kne.v 
 that the bringing back of Brown would not save his own carcass 
 from the lash ; so that between the doubt of the stranger 
 and the doubt of the negro, there was rising an uncertain 
 state of things. Old Phoebe, who was in reality the leader 
 of the whole party, out the knot in the right place, when she 
 called out : 
 
 " Take 'em to de Squire. To de Squire Burhause !" To 
 this proposition all responded with the heartiest good will, 
 and as Clarence found out that the Squire was not far off, he 
 hoped to prove to his satisfaction that he was neither Cow- 
 boy 110 r horse thief. In the meantime, he felt a little mean at 
 the suspicion he necessarily lay under, and resolved to keep out 
 of the presence of a white man if possible. 
 
 At the time when all were about to start for the Squire, a 
 young lithe negro came up, blowing and puffing with impor- 
 tance, saying, as his breath would allow him, " the bulls ! the 
 black bulls ! Bob an' Peet." 
 
 Hooree ! hooree ! was the sound that went forth on all 
 sides. The young fellow had been sent off to drive two bulls, 
 that were kept at opposite sides of Judge Abiel's farm, into 
 the same lot, where they were sure to fight, with a force 
 and a fury which could not fail to be prodigiously interesting 
 to the blacks. With their characteristic thoughtlessness of 
 all but the present, nothing was worth looking at except the 
 expected sport. Ebo, however, took hold of Brown's bridle, 
 and led him down through the rail fence into the field, think- 
 ing, of course, that his late rider would follow, which he did 
 with apparent good will. The two mad creatures were coin-
 
 232 THE DUTCH DOMIXIE. 
 
 ing toward each other from opposite sides of the field, foam- 
 ing and pawing the ground as they drew near. They bent 
 their heads, then rushed together with all their fury, meeting 
 in the centre, when their skulls cracked, as if two rocks had 
 come to one place, flung by the hands of giants. Retiring 
 tailwise, they flew forward again with still greater force and 
 anger than before, continuing these repeated attacks, till the 
 one and then the other grew weak with the effort. When 
 fastening their horns, they pushed, as one of the ruling spirits 
 said, when asked 
 
 " What would de Domeley say, Tom ?" 
 
 " Dey push like the bulls of Bashan." 
 
 The great interest which Clarence took in the battle was 
 in the human blacks, whose excitement was beyond bounds 
 as the fun proceeded. Young and old, male and female, were 
 in one perpetual movement. At every new onset they 
 screamed and laughed, clapping their hands, holding by each 
 other, and then falling down, seeming more like persons pos- 
 sessed with harmless noisy spirits, than even black mortals. 
 Rising, they wrestled, falling down together with the most 
 frantic yells, in which there was no malice nor misery, but 
 outbursts of mere animal feeling, like what young colts and 
 even old horses will at times give out, when the harness is 
 slipped off in the field. Ebo, who by this time had forgot- 
 ten all about Black or Brown, and was seen in all parts of the 
 field kicking up his heels, turning the wildcat, with every 
 other conceivable and inconceivable antic movement, came 
 across old Phoebe, not seeming to know the difference 
 between her great fat carcass and her daughter Jenny's, and 
 taking her around the waist with his arm, she gave him a 
 smart stroke on the cheek, telling him not " to 'salt the Mis- 
 sus of King's Road Hotel." Turning in his pain to old Caese, 
 he hugged him with right good will, who, nothing loth, hug- 
 ged him back again ; till, getting loose from the strong arms 
 of the brute, he seized his bow in earnest, playing up what 
 he intended to be "Hail! Columbia," but ending in "Rule 
 Britannia ;" a tune of more familiarity with him in olden 
 times, and one that they all liked better from its associa- 
 tions. 
 
 In the midst of this horse fun, Clarence stepped to the 
 rear, and leaving the horse tied to the fence, he took the road 
 afoot, plainly perceiving that he would reach his destination 
 loouer in this way than roundabout by the Squire's. 
 
 On the road he was overtaken, to his great mortification,
 
 FUN, FROLIC AND FOLLY, FINISHED SOBERLY. 
 
 by three of the late frolickers, on horseback, and ordered to 
 stop, or be " shot through the small ob de back." 
 
 Perceiving that his retreat had been discovered, soon after 
 his secret movement had taken place, there was nothing left 
 for him but to submit, in hope of escaping through the inter- 
 vention of the Squire, to whom they said he must go for 
 stealing that horse. After parleying with the riders a few 
 minutes, their brains got puzzled by the question Clarence 
 put to the spokesman of the party : 
 
 " Where is the horse that any one saw me steal ? Pro- 
 duce the animal." 
 
 Here was something they had not calculated upon, for the 
 fact in the case was, that Ebo had seized hold of the bridle, 
 and was by this time far on the way back to the stable where 
 he belonged : consequently no evidence of horse-stealing 
 being on the ground, the fellows felt themselves utterly at a 
 loss now when the prisoner was in their hands. 
 
 " What duv Domilie Tom say to dis in de law before de 
 Squire ?" 
 
 The person of whom this was asked scratched his wocliy 
 pate with great gravity, and said: 
 
 " Dis be de true law ; the body must be found vere de mur- 
 der be." 
 
 By this nine other actors had entered on the stage. A 
 company, consisting of at least sixty of rank and file, making 
 an attempt at looking like soldiers, led on by a large brawny 
 negro, who gave the word of command, " halt !" which took 
 place after a while, but not till the leader vociferated sav- 
 agely, and struck at the company till they screamed, as the 
 colored race only can scream when a frolic is going through. 
 Clarence all the while stood wondering what might be the 
 end. of this, when a new actor appeared upon the stage, in 
 the person of a singularly dressed masque, that simply said, 
 " this is my prisoner. Be gone ;" and taking Clarence by the 
 arm, led him off a short distance, saying at parting : " Keep 
 the main road and make haste, for the day dawns soon after 
 cock-crowing."
 
 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 A DUTCH DOMINIE AT HOME. 
 
 " Thus to relieve the wretched was his pride, 
 And e'en his failings leaned to virtue's side ; 
 But in his duty, prompt at every call, 
 He watched, and wept, and prayed alike for alL" 
 
 GOLDSMITH. 
 
 CLAKENCE, walking on in the grey light, followed the well- 
 beaten road, thinking of what he had witnessed with surprise. 
 What chiefly affected him Avas the voice of the mysterious com- 
 mander. He had heard it before, but where was all out of 
 his mind. The events of the past forty-eight hours, together 
 with the entire novelty of the scenery around him, were 
 enough to efface any sensible impression ever made upon his 
 memory; still the sound of the call, uttered in the dark 
 morning, by this stranger, haunted his imagination all the way 
 he went ; and had he lain down to sleep, he felt that the 
 sounds would still ring on in his ears. He had heard the chap- 
 lain say, when preaching on the words, " The voice is Jacob's 
 voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau," that deceivers 
 can disguise themselves in all things but their voice. Who 
 is this ? Time may discover. 
 
 Day was beginning to dawn as our adventurer came in 
 sight of the stone church that stood in the centre of a neat 
 yard on the roadside. A small village was scattered around 
 a mill. The murmur of a waterfall mingled with the dashing 
 sounds of the wheel. There also stood the smithy, and tho 
 tavern, fashioned after those of the low countries in Europe. 
 The fields showed a better cultivation than Clarence ex- 
 pected in a new country. He did not know that the whole 
 region was more than a century old. A plain of considerable 
 extent, running from the south as far north as the eye couicl 
 see, was well dotted with dwellings, surrounded by orchards 
 and barns ; while the hills here and there had bare places on 
 their sides, showing that improvement went on, promising 
 fine results in time. 
 
 Clarence came up to the door of the church, surveying 
 it with deep interest, as it reminded him much of what he had 
 Been in the Low Countries of Europe. It was built of stone.
 
 A DUTCH DOMINIE AT HOME. 285 
 
 and covered with the same red tile so common in Holland. 
 Posts were placed all along the road, with rings in them, for 
 fastening teams ; and a few sheds stood at the rear of the 
 church for such as had more care for their carriages than the 
 majority. The small belfry rose out from the middle of the 
 square roof; and Clarence saw that a bell of some size hung 
 in it, which, no doubt, had been the gift of some pious Dutch- 
 man of the past, whose monument stood in the graveyard 
 near by. There the traveller went first, and read in the grey 
 of the morning, the names of the forefathers of the place, 
 showing that they mainly had been of true Holland origin 
 with less of the Huguenot blood than he had seen in some 
 other places. Van Bergen, Van Kleek, Van Duesen, Van 
 Vechten were most numerous. What surprised Clarence 
 was the mixture of both English and Scotch, especially of the 
 latter, in a place so far remote from the thoroughfares of the 
 world. 
 
 "These Dutch," he muttered to himself, "I believe are 
 found everywhere except where hunger and starvation are 
 known ; and there, too, are the highlanders from Scotland, 
 that hungry country. You cannot starve them out." 
 
 Here were Salisbury and Grant, McPherson and New- 
 kirk, all met in this tine amphitheatre, surrounded with high 
 hills, that were washed yearly of their best soil to fatten 
 these lands below, and these, in time, became fit to support 
 an immense population, already flocking into it from so many 
 countries. Here, too, was the temple, where all worshipped 
 their Maker, blessing Him for the lands where their tents 
 were pitched in this life. There are the graves, where pious 
 friends come to shed a tear of grateful remembrance, and of 
 holy hope. 
 
 With such reflections, the candid young Englishman spent 
 the half hour that preceded the sunrise, when he was told to 
 expect a meeting with the greatest man of the place. Stand- 
 ing as he did, at the door of the church, he looked to the 
 east, and saw a stone house in the midst of a small orchard, 
 and the whole surroundings showed uncommon thrift and 
 neatness. 
 
 " That is the parson's house," said Clarence to himself, 
 " no doubt, and there is the man of God himself; the in- 
 structor, the guide, the friend, and the truo patriot ; I won- 
 der if he be at all like the one I have just left! I marvel il 
 cur clergymen in old England would fight and preach for 
 their country and their peopLe, as these men are doing here !"
 
 280 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 The Domiuie Schuneman, of Kaatskill, with whom we are 
 already somewhat acquainted, was walking slowly from his 
 house to his barn, surveying things to the right and left, that 
 he might have all put in order. For having been absent 
 on public business for his people, he had of course neglected 
 his own affairs, and as he lived more from his farm than on a 
 salary, it was necessary for him to watch on all sides. Cla- 
 rence, in order to give the reverend gentleman time to mark 
 his presence, had walked deliberately across the way from 
 the church door ; but as the parsonage stood on the highway 
 to the city of Albany, every passer by was seen, and scanned 
 carefully in those times of excitement. The Dominie 
 had seen the stranger, and was watching his movements 
 with the " tail of his eye," as he continued to throw out 
 handfuls of Indian corn to his poultry, of which he had a 
 numerous flock, including a herd of turkeys, that would 
 have fed an army in a strait. 
 
 " Good* morning," was the salutation of the stranger, to 
 which the pastor courteously responded by a slight touch of 
 the cap, that came close to his head, falling in flaps over the 
 ears, after the manner of John Calvin, as seen in pictures oi 
 that great man. Indeed it was intended to pattern after that 
 of the Polemical Republicans, of whom Dominie Schunne- 
 man was a profound admirer, equally of his *' five points," 
 and his political creed. 
 
 Clarence, folding his arms, turned his face toward the 
 mountain, which was beginning to reflect the sun, and said, 
 as if he did not care for an answer, " I wonder if the old 
 vro\v will doff her nightcap soon." 
 
 " Young stranger," was the quick reply of the poultry 
 feeder, " it is not for such as you to dictate to her greatness 
 before breakfast." 
 
 Clarence smiled assent, well pleased with the open sesame 
 he had applied with such success, at the first trial ; and, as 
 if to ingratiate himself still further into the good graces of 
 the \\ v orthy before him, he continued to speak on. 
 
 " Mother Mountain is like all her sex, somewhat freakish 
 in her moods ; such a firm bottom would promise more con 
 stancy of temper." 
 
 The answer to this was somewhat ambiguous, and warned 
 the young man against presuming too far, and so soon. His* 
 intention was seen through, and was repelled in the outset ; 
 lest there might be a setting back afterward, of an unplea- 
 sant nature.
 
 A DUTCH DOMINIE AT HOME. iibi 
 
 " When an old vrow, young stranger, prepares for a stormy 
 journey, she takes off her nightcap at sunrise, and inexpe- 
 rience thinks all is fair weather ; but wisdom knows, that in 
 her good nature at home, she allows her petticoats to hang 
 loose. When you see the top of the mountain clear, and the 
 clouds lying on the sides, look out for a passionate burst be- 
 fore night." 
 
 Here the philosopher dropped his weather-wise cap, and 
 calling out in a sharp, rough tone, " Tom ! Tom ! You vaga- 
 bond, come with me into the stable." Looking behind, Cla- 
 rence saw the one he called for, in rather a dubious aspect, 
 looking askance upon the stranger, as if he was more afraid 
 of him than of his master. 
 
 "What is the matter with you? What makes you look 
 so drowsy ? Ha, what is here ! What makes Dick all over 
 in a muck of sweat ? Who has had him out of the stable 
 in the night ? Some black skin will pay for this before sun- 
 down." 
 
 The negro turned up the white of his eyes toward Cla- 
 rence, who now recognized one of the frolickers of the pre- 
 ceding night rather morning and the one that seemed to 
 rival his old Inquisitor Ebo, in the cantraps of the " King's 
 Road Hotel." They cast significant glances toward each 
 other. Tom evidently saying " a shut mouth catches no 
 flies. Let us be friends." The negro went abouc his busi- 
 ness in anything but a comfortable mood, seeing a, witness of 
 his folly in such familiar intercourse with his master ; and at 
 the same time he was planning in his mind how he might be 
 able to counteract the evil effects of anything against him- 
 self, by sonrething equally disastrous to the stranger. Work- 
 ing himself into the firm belief that Clarence had already re- 
 vealed all, he resolved to pay him back with interest. 
 
 Dominie Schuneman, whose company we expect to keep 
 the greater part of the time through which this history ex- 
 tends, was a man of large and wide influence in his time. He 
 belonged to one of the oldest families that came from Hol- 
 land at an early day, and which had risen to some wealth and 
 a good position. Of their ancestors, he was one who would 
 not boast. When his wife, who rather looked up to the 
 aristocracy, would begin to trace back, he would curtly say : 
 
 " The less of that Maria, the better. My name is Schun- 
 neman ; and you are Dutch enough to know that that i? 
 skinner ; another word for plain butcher. A Yankeee would 
 call it Skin-flint."
 
 288 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 But the parents of our friend were able to send their son 
 back to the Vaderland, where, at Leyden, he obtained a 
 liberal education, and was ordained to the Gospel ministry, 
 which he had exercised with great fidelity in this place, 
 Kaatskill, since his return to his native country. His parislf 
 extended from Caatsban to near Albany, taking in all the 
 mountain districts; so that he was as well known by the 
 public now, as any man in the province, and knew as well 
 what was going on in it. as if he were an officer of the State. 
 Trained in the Calvinistic theology, which renders men firm 
 in principle ; drinking in the love of liberty for which Hol- 
 land has been famous, and believing, in the Presbyterian or- 
 der of church government, which calls no man muster, he 
 was prepared to pray and fight against the devil and the 
 king. His ardent temperament made him a fierce foe, and a 
 firm friend, while his superior learning raised him above all 
 the laymen in his region ; and his office gave him a power 
 which he was not slack to use, on his own responsibility. 
 He was a fair representative of the majority of his class ; 
 both in their good and doubtful qualities. The whole 
 colony of New York was in the hands of these Dominies, 
 and it is praise enough to their memories, that that por- 
 tion of the new States came out of that great struggle as 
 honorably as Massachusetts, whose speeches ring like the 
 bell of old South, in Boston, " Praise be to me 1 praise be 
 to me !" 
 
 Clarence taking the hint given him by Gabriel at parting, 
 followed the _ Dominie into the house, and when the break- 
 fast was announced, sat down to the table as if he were one 
 of the family. A large platter of fricasseed chickens, mixed 
 with slices of pork, stood in the centre of the bountiful 
 board, surrounded by other dishes, heaped with cold meats of 
 different kinds. Venison and bear's meat, and hillocks of bread 
 and bowls of milk abounded. The children swallowed gallons 
 of a kind of porridge called buttermilk pap ; and all the grown 
 folks seemed greedy of something called apple butter. After 
 grace, said in Dutch, the master of the feast said, " Set to, 
 help yourselves, and your neighbors will like you the bet- 
 ter," and suiting the action to the word, he planted his fork 
 in the leg of the fattest fowl, and transferred it to his own 
 plate of wood, of which material were all the vessels at the 
 table. His guest understood the hint, and did justice to the 
 viands of which he really stood in want, not having tasted 
 anything since his imprisonment at Snyder's, except a piece
 
 A DUTCH DOMINIE AT HOMK. 289 
 
 of apple pie, that fat Phoebe had thrust into his fist as he 
 went down to see the bull-fight. 
 
 There was but little said during the meal, and that in a 
 language which Clarence could not fully understand. Still 
 he knew more than they gave him credit for. Having re- 
 sided himself for some time in the Low Countries, he had 
 picked up enough of the language to enable him to follow 
 out the meaning of certain questions and answers given, 
 in the purer style, which an educated man always uses in 
 his family. The wife here was a large, gallant-looking wo- 
 man, with a chin that defied all competition, and her speech 
 was with authority, not excepting the Dominie himself. 
 She sat high like a queen ; of finely rounded form. Her 
 complexion was pure white and red, but her look was harder 
 than one would expect, in a place so remote from the pub- 
 lic eye. It might be the times which made her severe ; but 
 it struck Clarence that she was too masculine to be motherly, 
 and was more likely to be feared than loved by the people 
 of the parish. Her husband always addressed her under 
 the title 'Yfvrow, which the stranger soon found was as much 
 her official name as Dominie was his, which she never failed 
 to give him, fulfilling to the letter the spiritual injunction 
 and example of Sarah, who called Abraham Lord (Do- 
 minus). A swarm of children were round the table -not 
 like olive plants, but more like Dutch cabbage's, so round 
 in their bodies ; and what struck Clarence as remarkable, 
 they all had the Latin terminations to their names, Jo- 
 hannes, Wilhelmus, Martinus. If his ideas of the ancient 
 classics underwent a change, as he looked into the faces of 
 these young colonists, his opinions of the future race, taking 
 these young rebels as a sample, were, that they would yet 
 make a noise in the world. 
 
 Breakfast over, the householder, with the handle of his 
 knife, struck the cherry-table three times, when a large ebony 
 wench entered, placing a heavy clasped Bible before him ; 
 when in marched such a drove of old and young negroes, 
 that it seemed more a market-house than a single family 
 Where they found lodging and procured food, it was difficult 
 to guess. The whites present took possession of the seats, :\t 
 of right; while all the blacks squatted down on the floor, 
 becoming as still as midnight, while the father and the piies** 
 read from the sacred book in English ; for though it was tlu 
 Dutch translation, he gave it in the other tongue freely, r.o 
 he went along. He read the forty-sixth Psalm, aud wild, M 
 
 13
 
 90 THE DUTCH DOMTNIE. 
 
 he closed the book, "this was the favorite portion of Luther, 
 in the times of his trouble. These are times of trouble in 
 which we live. We need the same comfort and defence. 
 Let us seek those from God. He then offered up fervent 
 petitions in the two languages spoken around him. There 
 was some comfort for all in what he said. Clarence observed 
 that the common cause of the country was not overlooked. 
 Defence against all enemies from within and from without ; 
 nor was the "guest and the stranger" passed by, when the 
 wish was expressed that this " youth of fair countenance and 
 of pleasant speech might be prospered on his way, if he had 
 an honest heart and an upright purpose." After prayer, 
 there was a general rush for the door; the young fry, white 
 and black, alike eager to be off, and away from restraint ; 
 while the older and the confidential lingered behind for a 
 word of recognition, or for orders concerning the duties of 
 the day before them. The Dominie was evidently a man of 
 large business, from the commands he issued and the ques- 
 tions he asked. Nor were these ah 1 about farming or parish 
 work ; some referred to public business, but spoken in a low 
 tone, which told the guest that he had not yet obtained the 
 confidence of the family, nor of its head. 
 
 The last who went to the door was Tom, who, knowing 
 that all was not right, waited behind, like a good soldier 
 defending his rear against his enemy. 
 
 "You were out at Phoebe's last night, you rascal, and 
 had Dick with you," was the pointed accusation of the 
 master. 
 
 " Lor, massa, who tol' you ? Me covered up de big book, 
 and me tought it could no speak in de dark." 
 
 " I can see in the dark, you rapscallion, that you are. 
 Get your back bared. Ten stripes with the raw hide will 
 save Dick another race to Phoebe's." 
 
 Tom. cast his jacket at once, at the same time turning 
 round on his master, saying, " Your spook see dis gentleman 
 here too at Aunt Phoebe's ?" 
 
 Clarence, who had not been an unconcerned spectator of 
 the whole scene, became now an eager listener, since ho 
 knew the cause of this present trouble better than he cared 
 about. 
 
 " What do you mean '?" said the enraged master. " Do 
 you think such a gentleman as this seems to be, would stop 
 at such a bedlam as you have just conie from ?" 
 
 There was a sharpness in the tone and a look of the eye in
 
 A DUTCH DOMINIE AT HOME. 29] 
 
 tne interrogator that made Clarence start, and wl ich sent a 
 look of fury into the eye of the culprit, who evidently wished 
 to involve the young man in the same trouble with himself; 
 so rising from his seat, he held out the letter which had been 
 given to him, and was stepping forward, when he was met 
 by the reverend gentleman half way, who, with great dignity 
 of manner, held out his hand, saying : 
 
 "You have some commands for me, I suppose, sir ? Excuse 
 me while I dispose of this business;" and with that, he 
 informed the impudent Tom that he might look out for the 
 full payment of what was owing to him, before he went to 
 bed, unless something occurred that would make atonement 
 for the doings of last night. " Look out." And taking the 
 whip he held in his hand, he gave it a swing, which made the 
 snapper spring, so that Tom made a pair of clean heels for 
 once in his life. 
 
 " Sit down, sir," said the good master. " I see that this 
 letter is from my worthy brother of Sopus. Dreadful times 
 these ; wicked devils, these red-coats. Unprovoked outrage. 
 It would give them no more than they deserve, if every one 
 engaged in that act were hung over these houses on a grid- 
 iron. Yesterday, too, setting that good man's house on fire. 
 Poor Martin Schuyler. Savages, all of them. Gentlemen ! 
 Devils !" 
 
 Ah 1 this sent forth in fierce objurgations, as he read the 
 letter, which, for aught Clarence knew, was telling the pas- 
 sionate Dominie how he had been engaged during the night 
 of the Sopus raid. From the interjectional sounds that came 
 out, it was plain that the Dominie was in no good mood. 
 He had more of the magistrate in his look than the minister 
 of religion. Rising, he said with severe authority, " Your 
 business will require consideration ; and as there are a great 
 many things to be done to-day, we will dispense with youi 
 presence till we have more time." 
 
 With this, he opened the door, when they were met in the 
 hah 1 by one of his parishioners, inquiring if the Dominie 
 had made " up the salve for Aunt Nelly's foot/' It was 
 handed to him in a small box. Clarence saw inscribed on it : 
 "To be well rubbed in; and this will cure with God's 
 blessing." 
 
 " A droll mixture," said the young Englishman. " This 
 man is a minister, master, magistrate, doctor, and if I may 
 judge by my being sent to him, he is captain of theKaatskiil 
 "hig militia. But I doubt very much if he serves me and 
 
 iud 
 Wh
 
 292 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 ray cause. Like his salve, I must be well rubbed ; and the 
 cure will come with God's blessing all chance. My notion 
 is, to bribe some one as a guide, and flee to the mountains, 
 trusting myself to Brandt, claiming his aid as an officer in 
 the king's service." 
 
 With these half-formed plans in his mind, he left the 
 presence of the Dominie, wandering he knew not whither, 
 but every now and then recurring to the idea, of escaping to 
 the hills. But it was not long before he perceived that that 
 would be a difficult matter, for it did not seem to him that 
 he was for one moment out of the sight of Tom, or of some 
 one else that he had seen with Tom. At last the thought 
 darted across his mind, "I am watched. They suspect me, 
 arid that vagabond is the spy."
 
 BOOK III. 
 
 BURGOYNE'S FAILURE; 
 
 BKINO 
 
 THE REVELATION OF SECRET CAUSES 
 UNNOTICED BY THE GREAT HISTORIANS OF THE TIME.
 
 BOOK III. 
 
 THE real object of Vaughan's expedition to the north was, 
 If possible, to form a junction with Burgoyne, who was now 
 hard beset at Saratoga. All that was known of that daring 
 commander's movements at the south, made the king's friends 
 despair of his success. The communication between these two 
 extreme points of operation was entirely cut off; and he Avho 
 was willing to become the forlorn hope of the army, was 
 regarded by the one side as a spy and by the other as a hero. 
 Messenger after messenger was thus dispatched and caught, 
 and still another went for help as their fate still remained in 
 suspense, till it led in some instances to desperation. He 
 was ready at length for any deceit or scheme, bearing the 
 least semblance of feasibility. Once succeed in getting his 
 spies below Albany, with the river on one side and the 
 mountains on the other, and what was to hinder their commu- 
 nicating either with Brandt or with Vaughan in time to let 
 Sir Henry Clinton know his position and obtain his aid. 
 Having recently come ah 1 the way from Canada, a journey 
 over the Kaatsbergs, keeping back by the Round Top, 
 seemed to him an easy thing: nor were there wanting gallant 
 men willing to undertake the risk, at the command of such a 
 chief. How far their judgment was well informed or how 
 well people of the country met these plans, must be left to 
 our history.
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 A PRISONER IN DISGUISE, BEFORE A TRIBUNAL IN DISGUISE, 
 
 " Boddilcins, Master Page, though I be old and of the peace, if I see a swoid out, my 
 fingers itch to make one ; though we are justices and doctors and churcnmen, Master 
 Page, we have some salt of our youth in us : we are the sons of women, Master 
 Page." JUSTICE SHALLOW. 
 
 CLARENCE CLINTON, whom we left in a state of uncertainty, 
 politely bowed out of doors, and yet not at freedom, felt it 
 hard thus to submit. He fretted himself wishing a thousand 
 times that he had insisted on being taken up at once to the 
 camp of Brandt. That being now impossible, he at length 
 resolved to follow the current of events. So, composing his 
 feelings as he best could, he set about diverting his mind by 
 observing what was new to him. 
 
 It was evident from the unusually large number of people 
 seen in so small a village, that something of importance was 
 about taking place. Following the current, he was landed 
 at the church door, where was a motley assemblage ; such 
 as he never supposed existed in this Province. He always 
 knew that in a colony, there must be brought together a 
 peculiar people, different from those of the mother country ; 
 but he had not dreamed of meeting such a foreign looking 
 race, except in some country entirely different from old Eng- 
 land. Looking at them merely on the outside, his impres- 
 sions were partial ; for he found a fairer representation of the 
 Saxon race, than he at first saw. Here the substratum was 
 indeed Dutch, as their speech proved, and also their dress. 
 Some New Englanders, lank and sharp in features, were 
 standing in the midst of little groups to whom they were 
 holding forth upon the affairs of the country at large, and 
 others of them discussing some particular point of policy, 
 when direct reference was made to the late attack upon their 
 neighbors; and what was best to be done both for their de- 
 fence and for vengeance. 
 
 What surprised Clarence most of all, was the mixture of 
 those naturally belonging to the country with both English 
 
 13* :
 
 298 THE DUTCH DOMINIK. 
 
 and Scottish born subjects of King George. This, which be- 
 came to his inquiring mind matter of great interest, was fol- 
 lowed up ; and he learned from different sources, that one rea- 
 son of there being so many classes, arose from the fact that after 
 the old French war the regiment of Scotch, which was dis- 
 banded at Albany, remained for the most part in the colony ; 
 and that a company of them, under Captain Salisbury, settled 
 on these flats, retaining their habits and their dress : for in 
 the assemblage met that day, Clarence saw the Highland 
 philibeg, that garb of old Gaul, which is so picturesque in 
 the neighborhood of hills, and recalling all the romantic asso- 
 ciations of the ancient class of Caledonia, he could imagine 
 himself near the Grampian hills.* 
 
 While this gathering was to our adventurer the subject 
 alike of study and wonder, he noticed a face among them 
 like one that he had seen in a dream. He puzzled his mind 
 trying to recall some name that he might attach to it, but 
 in vain. He viewed it in every possible light in profile and 
 direct ; and while in each fresh light glimpses satisfied him 
 that he had known the man in some other place, he still was 
 at a loss to give him a locality in past history. Tall, thin 
 and wan in his appearance, it was evident that he was not in 
 the spot to which he belonged. His dress was buckskin 
 below and a small cloak thrown over his shoulders which 
 nearly hid a coat of homespun grey. He stood high in his 
 stout shoes, under a cap of bearskin ; to which was added a 
 beard that seemed to be but a part of the same animal's fur, 
 cut from its neck. As his eye wandered around the crowd 
 as if searching for some one, it fastened at last on Clarence, so 
 searchingly that the young man found the blood rising to his 
 eyes ; and he was about to go forward and demand an explana- 
 tion, when he was called aside with a slight tap on the shoulder 
 by one that he knew to be an officer in his majesty's service ; 
 but who had been taken prisoner six months before in an at- 
 tack upon Fort Washington. The greeting on both sides was 
 warm but silent, for both saw at once the necessity of prudence. 
 
 " Clinton," said the officer, " why in the name of all thai is 
 good, are you here ?" 
 
 " May I not ask of you the same thing ?" said Clarence, 
 " You seem to be in the bear's den, and so near the mouth, 
 one might think escape was desirable." 
 
 " Oh," said the other, " I am here on my parole of honor 
 
 * The late Wilhelmus Sehuneman, Esq., gave tho author this description.
 
 A PRISONKK IN DISGUISE. 299 
 
 and must run my chances of exchange. There are ten of us 
 here among these boors.* 
 
 " Pray," said Clarence, " is that one of your set there with 
 the rough cap ? Look cautiously around, for he is watching 
 us, and his eyes seem as if they would search me through. 
 I am sure he is an Englishman, and I am confident of having 
 seen him somewhere in my travels." 
 
 Clarence's companion, by changing his place, fixed his eye 
 on the unknown, but declared that though he must know 
 that pale face well, yet he had never seen him before in 
 this region ; and he could only conjecture that he must be 
 some one in disguise looking around him for sport, like 
 others present. This was said to draw out the stranger he 
 was talking to ; but Clarence merely said he had business, 
 which he was afraid gentlemen on their parole durst not 
 undertake, saying at the same time, in a whisper, " we are 
 watched, and must separate for the present." 
 
 "Well, we must of course; but," said the other, "I will 
 gather our friends together, and we will keep ourselves on the 
 alert lest anything befall you. Let MARGAKET be our word ;" 
 and with that the two parted to different sides of the Assembly. 
 
 Clarence thought it best to mix with the colonists ; and 
 stepping up to one who had the look of an Englishman, 
 though dressed in the fashion of the common people of the 
 country, he saluted him so that it became a sufficient intro 
 duction. 
 
 *' Is something of importance about to be transacted here 
 to-day ?" was the young Englishman's first inquiry. 
 
 "Yes, sir," was the courteous reply. " One of Burgoyne's 
 messengers has been caught on the road from Albany, on her 
 way to Sir Henry Clinton, whose vessel is now at the mouth 
 of the creek." 
 
 " It is a lady then ?" said the inquirer, with some pertur- 
 bation of mind that almost betrayed him. 
 
 " It is a woman at any rate ; as to her being a lady is 
 another thing. We are not accustomed to calling spies 
 iadies." This was said with a sneer, not to be mistaken ; and 
 for a hint from his new acquaintance. 
 
 " She is to be tried," he continued, "just now before the 
 Consistory. She is a young woman, and very beautiful ; 
 above the common manners, and, perhaps, a lady. But here 
 comes the Dominie, who will worm out her secret. You 
 
 * This is given on the same authority.
 
 300 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 asked, I think, if this was a court to try such cases. No, 
 not in law, but though the Dominie be no squire himself, he 
 always sits on the bench ; for he knows more than all the 
 squires between Sopus and Albany, and rules them by his 
 little finger, and a nod of his cocked hat. 
 
 Clarence had not asked for this information, for he under- 
 stood it from experience, and was prepared to hear sentiments 
 like these from one who spoke more like an Englishman than 
 a Dutchman, though he was evidently a colonist. 
 
 " I perceive that you are an Englishman," said Clarence, 
 " and are smiling at the power of this court to try a spy, as 
 you say the lady is ?" 
 
 " No, sir, not English bom. My father, after the fighting 
 at Lake George, in the French war, gave up his commis- 
 sion and received a large tract of land on which he settled, 
 along with his company. "We are most of us the sons of 
 those men. The Scotch are clannish, and so you perceive a 
 great many of that nation, though the greater part of them 
 were so loyal that they could not live where the king's 
 power did not extend, and have removed to Canada. Those 
 here now are most of them true to their country, though they 
 stiffly keep to their religion and their dress ; eating oatmeal, 
 and living in houses on the earthen floor, where they drink 
 oceans of whisky, to ' keep the cauld out of their banes.' " 
 
 " Ah !" said Clarence, " those men with the kilt and the 
 hose. A fine country for highlanders." 
 
 *' Tell me here," said the colonist, " who you are, as you 
 seem to be an entire stranger ?" a new thought having 
 entered his mind. He looked right into the eyes of Clarence 
 for an answer. 
 
 " I have a case before the reverend Consistory," was the 
 ready reply, " and I am waiting till they meet. Are not 
 those the members who have entered in at present ?" With 
 that Clarence went in with the rest, and took a seat in a 
 large square pew that was made to contain a whole family, 
 from the full bottomed vrow, down to the round dumpling 
 of the large dozen, common in those good old times, when 
 children were like pumpkins round about the house. His 
 new acquaintance, whose name he found was Salisbury, sat 
 next to him, and was all alive to the business of the occasion. 
 Suspicion of Clarence's business had induced him to take this 
 seat, as if he meant to watch him. Nor was Clarence 
 unaware of the suspicion. 
 
 The Consistory was called to order by the Dominie, \v ho
 
 A PKISONEK IN DISGUISE. 301 
 
 sat as president. He offered prayer longer than might be 
 necessary. Patriotic sentiments prevailed, the recent devas- 
 tation was referred to, and the abduction of two members, 
 worthy of their place, was mourned over, and petitions 
 offered on their behalf. Sympathy for the distressed drew 
 out sobs and tears from the multitude, and a fierce sighing, 
 like a surging wind, ran through the whole house when the 
 good man, in the style of one that chants pathetically, 
 exclaimed, " Our country is desolate, our cities are burned 
 with fire, our land strangers devour, and is overthrown by 
 strangers, and the daughter of Zion is left like a cottage in 
 a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a 
 besieged city." 
 
 It seemed to the intruder that every eye in the congre- 
 gation was turned to the place where he sat, so that he felt 
 a secret wish of sinking down into the ground out of sight. 
 It was truly the case that the Dominie had an earthly mo- 
 tive in this prayer. He took heaven by violence so that this 
 British soldier might carry back a good report. This, said 
 the man of faith to himself, will do more to make our ene- 
 mies quail than a discharge of artillery. 
 
 "Call te prisoner," said the officer who sat beside the 
 reverend man that he might be benefited by his counsel. It 
 was a semi-sacred, semi-civil court. Indeed, the squire was 
 one of the Consistory, as the pastor always took good care 
 that he should have his hand felt in all his parish. Nor did 
 this mongrel court appear so much out of character to 
 Clarence, who had seen the clergy of England sitting at 
 quarter sessions in their canonicals, trying the poacher and 
 the vagrant. The suspense of the stranger who had heard 
 of a woman being arrested, who was described as beautiful, 
 and of superior breeding, when he saw the prisoner brought 
 In, was great, but he was soon relieved from his fears when 
 the lady, who was unknown to him, stepped forward freely, 
 and made her obeisance to the chief man on the bench. The 
 Dominie wore his three-cornered hat, a flowing wig of three 
 *tories, newly powdered, and long white bands that lay upon 
 his capacious chest, so that he was an awful spectacle in the 
 eyes of his parishioners, and of the whole African population ; 
 but the lady was nothing daunted by the sight. 
 
 " Who he you ? Vat be your name ? Eride vere do you 
 come fraem ?" said Squire Van Bergen, who was a roal peace- 
 ful common-sense looking man of fifty-five, or about that age. 
 
 "You ought to know who I are, and should have sotno
 
 #02 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 knowledge of where I am from before you venture to inter 
 rupt travellers on the king's road." 
 
 This was said by the lady with some tartness, as if she 
 really felt herself to be the injured party. She stopped short 
 in her speech, and watched the effect of her reply upon her 
 inquisitor ; whose brains were confounded by the hardihood 
 of the woman whom he expected would have soon sunk un- 
 der the question he put to her. But the Dominie whispered 
 something in the ear of the legal functionary, when he again 
 woke up, saying : 
 
 " Mataam, de country vants vatching, ende you were trav- 
 ellin' py yourself, and you must tell vere you pe come fraim ; 
 ende veder you pe goin', elz ve vill put you in de close up 
 once." 
 
 There was meaning in these words ; and though they were 
 said with one leg thrown over the other, and the arms rest- 
 ing on the knees, yet they were firmly said, and the prisoner 
 saw too well, that it would be vain attempting to carry these 
 men by storm. So putting on her sweetest manner, she 
 said in the softest tones, " You surely do not suppose that a 
 lady could in any way endanger a country where there are 
 so many brave men to defend it?" and with that she gave a 
 look around her, on the faces of the spectators, who were 
 really flattered by her allusions to their courage. The lady 
 showed to Clarence great moral energy ; and she was evi- 
 dently wound up to the highest pitch of excitement ; and as 
 her eye for an instant rested on that of Clarence, he almost 
 forgot himself, and felt ready to throw prudence to the 
 winds, and plant himself by her side as her defender. He 
 was recalled to sense by the squire asking: 
 
 " Mataam, vere you de pearer of public dispatches dat you 
 must pe alone on de vay ?" 
 
 "You do not mean," said the prisoner, " that the good 
 people in this Christian land, with such good men for their 
 pastors, are such savages that a lady cannot go alone where 
 she pleases ?" 
 
 She said this looking straight into the Dominie's face, as if 
 he was the one to answer that question which involved his 
 calling and responsibility. Nor was she disappointed, for 
 that earnest man was only waiting for the chance of taking 
 up the case himself, since he saw plainly that the woman was 
 too much for his honest elder, the squire. 
 
 " There are savages in the land," said the Dominie, " but 
 they do the bloody work of their own master "
 
 A PRISONER IN DISGUISE. 303 
 
 " You mean," said she, artfully misconstruing his allusion, 
 " that I have nothing to fear from the inhabitants of thia 
 place." 
 
 " Nothing if your own intentions be good. We are more 
 afraid of serpents than we are of savages. There are both 
 around at this time." 
 
 " I have heard, reverend sir, for so I esteem you, that the 
 fierce Mohawk has been near, but surely you do not perceive 
 in me any resemblance to that monster?" 
 
 " There are painted Jezebels, more cruel than Brandt, 
 madam. But we have no time to parley. Are you the bearer 
 of any message to our enemy now on the river ? Answer if 
 you be, that we may get through with your business at once." 
 
 This was said with a sternness which could not be set 
 aside, and which had the effect of rousing up the feelings of 
 the assembly to a nervous intensity, so that a pin dropped 
 could have been heard as she answered : 
 
 " How should I be the bearer of a message in a country 
 watched by a thousand eyes at every step ? If your gal- 
 lantry be equal to your appearance as a gentleman and a 
 Christian minister, you will order my immediate release." 
 
 " Madam," said the dignified man, as he rose in his seat, 
 " your evasion and your appeal to our chivalry will not avail 
 with us. Do you know aught of this cup ? 
 
 At this, a silver cup of rare workmanship was produced, 
 and placed before the prisoner ; when a slight shade of red 
 which showed her chagrin more than any shame, passed 
 over her fine but rather bold countenance ; but recovering 
 herself, she said, " Supposing that I do know, you surely do 
 not expect me to say anything that would criminate myself." 
 
 " Dat's de law," said the squire, edging in a word ; " budt 
 once vere did you hidedis cup lastnicht before de lads found 
 tee ?" 
 
 At this point in the investigation a young man stepped up 
 to the Dominie, whispering in his ear, and at the same time 
 putting a small parcel into his hand. This was immediately 
 produced, and turned out to be a large silver hunting watch, 
 with a silver face, to which a gold chain and seals of several 
 kinds were attached. This rare timepiece excited universal 
 attention, ana diverted the minds of the spectators from the 
 lady. Clarence took occasion to mark the movements of her 
 lips and the corners of her mouth, which, notwithstanding 
 her resolute will, showed her mortification. She lifted a 
 wooden cup filled with water, that she had asked for soon 
 after sne came in, and took a sip of it, find this she did the
 
 304 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 whole time, showing that her coolness was more affected than 
 real. 
 
 " Stan' up, Hanchy," said the squire, " ende tak' your oat' 
 dat tee vill tell de trut', de whole trut' at de day of judg- 
 ment." 
 
 " Vere did you find de vatch here once ?" was the first 
 question. 
 
 " Near the place where we found the silver cup." 
 
 " Ende de vere vas dat ?" 
 
 " Where we found this woman." 
 
 " Ende vere did you find de voman ?" 
 
 *' I told you all about it this morning," said the great lout, 
 who did not understand the object for which he was brought 
 there. The Dominie, who was provoked beyond all endu- 
 rance, rose in his seat, storming at the wimess in such a way 
 as would have driven all the brains out of ten dolts like him ; 
 and ordered him to tell his story as he had told it to him that 
 morning. " And see that you stand on both your legs at 
 once, and keep your nose there from snifting like old Egbert 
 Bogardus' yellow mare hi the spring grass." 
 
 His story was a long rigmarole, amounting to a few facts. 
 He and another of the same squad had been out sparking, 
 when they overtook on their way home something that they 
 took at first sight to be a SPOOK, sitting by the road-side. It 
 turned out to be this woman. She made inquiry after some 
 one, whom the Dominie forbade him to name. They sus- 
 pected her to be of the Tory side, from the person she in- 
 quired after. Pretending to take her where she wished to 
 go, they took her to a genuine Whig's house, and left her. 
 Thinking that she had fallen among her own class, she 
 directed them where they would find a small bundle, which, 
 instead of taking back to her, they put into the hand of the 
 squire, who in duty bound consulted the chief man, and 
 hence this investigation. 
 
 " This," said the Dominie, " is a valuable timepiece. I 
 ee here marked on the inside of it a name that n; one in 
 this colony, of the true blood, has any cause for loving 
 
 4 Bl'RGOYXE.' " * 
 
 At the announcement of this name, which the Domini* 
 said was engraven on the inside of the case, a general bu/z ran 
 through the house, which went, mrther into the heart of 
 the prisoner than anything that had occurred hitherto, a* 
 she evidently feared that the crowd would take the law 
 
 * Such a timepiece, marked " Burgoyne," and a cup, as here described, 
 oame to light about twentv voars ao-o. D. 11
 
 A. PRISONER IST DISGUISE. 305 
 
 into their hands, and make quick work with her at the duck- 
 ing tub ; for the name of Burgoyne was as famous for looso 
 morals as for the owner's enmity to the colonists ; and in a 
 place where a vile woman was a baser object than a vile 
 man, Jezebel would be as likely to suffer some penalty as 
 King Ahab. 
 
 Silence was shouted by the Dominie. " Have you no 
 manners, nor regard for law, that you look like a set of bar- 
 barians, about to eat a woman up alive ? A precious bite 
 you would have in your mouths, rolling it like a sweet morsel 
 under your tongue. Dick Overbagh, you great gomeiil, 
 take your seat." 
 
 Quiet being restored, the examination of the watch was 
 continued. The case was opened and shut twenty times, the 
 woman's eye following every movement. He stopped, shut 
 it up again, weighed it on his fingers, drawing the seals 
 through his hand, as if satisfied; and seemingly was about to 
 hand it back to the late possessor. Clarence had marked 
 her features during movements, and saw evidently her eager- 
 ness to be through with the whole. When the Dominie 
 made as if he would hand it back to her, he perceived such a 
 sudden gleam of pleasure that he was sure it meant relief; 
 for lie drew his hand back, saying, " We will give it one more 
 trial." Clarence really thought it cruel in the man to torture 
 her by this tantalizing movement, for the blood rushed sud- 
 denly to her heart, through this unexpected disappointment ; 
 and she sat down, holding her hands so that her chin might 
 rest upon them, as if saying, " I will see the worst of it, and 
 defy you." 
 
 The Lcj-uen student had not dug for Hebrew roots in vain. 
 To the search he went again, knowing now surely in his own 
 mind that something was here, and of value. He went over 
 the whole surface with his thumb nail, pressed upon every 
 place he suspected ; when at last he did touch a spring, which 
 revealed a double case, within which there lay carefully a 
 small bit of paper, bearing the words : 
 
 " De ape decidere." 
 
 " Read this," he said, with a smile. " What does this 
 mean ?" 
 
 " Nay, nay, Dominie ; that is for you to read and explain, 
 who are the only man of learning here." This seemed to be 
 said by all, for no one would have said less of a student from 
 Leydeu, and a Dominie.
 
 S06 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 " * We have lost all hope.' God grant that it may be so," 
 was the fervent saying of the reverend man, as he translated 
 the inscription on the secret missive. 
 
 " What is meant by that, Dominie ?" was called ou' by 
 twenty voices at once. 
 
 " I think it means that Bur" Before he could return 
 
 an answer, a rush of men to the door bewildered the Domi- 
 nie, and all around him, so that they did not, for a few mo- 
 ments, know Avhere they stood. So sudden and great was 
 the alarm, some thought one thing, and some another, but it 
 was evident that the greater part supposed that Brandt was 
 surrounding the house. The pastor here showed his true 
 courage. Raising his voice like a trumpet in the place 
 where he was sure to be heard with effect ; he cried out : 
 
 " Shut the door, and bolt it there, Jack Pearce. Stand 
 firm. Salisbury, here, leap out of that window, and rouse 
 our friends. Now, men, stand to your arms. Here, Captain 
 Hallenbeck, take your place and muster your men." 
 
 The Dominie was first in war as in everything else ; nor was 
 he behind in the true argument, for sitting down, he delibe- 
 rately took out a pair of large horse pistols, and examined them 
 with the eye of one who knew how to use them. The whole 
 Consistory were equally well armed, while the men in the 
 seats were lifting up guns that were lying safe and inno- 
 cently beneath their pews, and began shaking fresh powder 
 into their pans out of their hunting-horns with something of 
 the zest of those who watch a deer lick. 
 
 " Look well to your flints," was the order from the desk ; 
 " and when you see the first signal of danger, lie down till 
 we know where our enemy is standing. Spare your fire till 
 you mark your man. Some of you climb up to the belfry 
 and snap off the leaders." 
 
 Here the squire, who had descended from the bench and 
 was sitting humbly on a lower seat, remarked loud enough 
 for the rest to hear : 
 
 "The Dominie might hev some pity on himself, ende 
 hide his head in eene koormaat." 
 
 " Nay, nay ; the bullet has not been cast that will take ms 
 down, squire ; I have as much fat on rny ribs as will hide a 
 dozen pigeons' eggs. Come up beside me here, and let us 
 remember how our two brethren of the Consistory are up in 
 the mountain there, prisoners of that heathen Brandt. Oh, 
 how I would like to tell him, and his Master George, that 
 sent him, ' en met welke mate gij meet zul u jvedergemeten
 
 A PRISONER IN DISGUISE. ' 307 
 
 worden.' For the benefit of these who do not know our good 
 Dutch" and here the speaker glanced toward the eyes of 
 Clarence let me give it in English : ' With what measure 
 you mete, it shall be measured unto you again.' " 
 
 By this time the cause of the uproar was made known. 
 A report was spreading through the crowd out of doors, of 
 Burgoyne's defeat at Saratoga ; and as a multitude are never 
 too particular in trying the evidence of good or bad news, 
 they shouted so loud that the report was believed. 
 
 " Open the doors," cried the Dominie. " Three cheers for 
 General Gates ! three times three for Washington ! Now lor 
 thanksgiving to the Captain of Salvation." 
 
 la an instant that uproarious crowd were still as a Sabbath 
 assembly, bending their uncovered heads, and following the 
 voice of their spiritual guide, as he led them to the footstool 
 of the Great Deliverer. It was an impressive sight, only to 
 be seen on remarkable occasions, when the souls of earnest 
 men are wound up f-o the highest pitch to meet a danger, 
 and then suddenly to be throAvn back within themselves, to 
 record a deliverance. The prayer of that day seomed to 
 Clarence more like inspiration than anything he had ever 
 heard. All that pssed had taken them so completely by 
 storm, that even h % , from the other side, could not refrain 
 from joining in the rapture. 
 
 After they begar to recover themselves from their ecstasy, 
 one and another o*" them asked, "Where is the woman ?" 
 " Where is the prisoner ?" " Vere is de lady ?'' said the old 
 Squire ; " I putt down mien head at de Dominie's prayer, 
 and ven it over sb* vas avay." Such was the tale they ail 
 told. 
 
 " Jake Van Deu?*r, look after the prisoner," said the real 
 president of the day } "and now the Consistory is adjourned 
 till after dinner." 
 
 With that all left, evidently pleased with tho doings 
 of the morning, but exoecting still more before the day 
 was over. A signal tron the leader of the day bi ought 
 Clarence to his side, whe b* was told to be on h.i/.ct at the 
 hour appointed. 
 
 " As your case requires boih 9*crecy and dispatch, you will 
 see that nothing comes from vou, informing any oae of our 
 meeting. An hour after noon, at the mrsonage." 
 
 The emphasis put upon the word sflvw.y, told painfully on 
 the ear of the young man ; but he had no r**ourcu left but to 
 stand it through to the end.
 
 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 CHAPTER H. 
 
 A MASQUERADE. 
 
 M There is drollery under the blackest face ; 
 Has not a sackcloth cloud a silver lining ?" 
 
 THE ELDER BUBTOK. 
 
 OUR young adventurer went out from the presence of tha 
 Dominie, chewing the cud of bitterness. He felt ready for 
 anything that might open for him a way of escape. He was 
 becoming sure that the meshes of a plot were drawing around 
 him. 
 
 "This man," said he to himself, " parson or judge, is a fit 
 executioner for that mock governor, who has handed me 
 over, through the other parson below ; and I am fool enough 
 to wait here till he has time to put the rope around my 
 neck." 
 
 Here he looked up to the mountain, and saw the smoke 
 that rose from the Indian's camp, where he was sure of being 
 well received ; but how was he to make his escape without 
 exciting suspicion ? In his quandary he began to whistle, 
 when a man passing him, whispered : " that air is out of date 
 in this region." It was " God Save the King," a tune that 
 had become treason on the west side of the Atlantic. So 
 Clarence, the brave soldier, stopped his breath as if he had 
 been shot by the same air-pistol which was tired at George 
 III, himself on his way to Parliament. 
 
 Strolling on, his eye was attracted to a strange-looking 
 dwarf, who moved before him in the manner of the China 
 images of the London tea-shops, steadily forward, yet shak- 
 ing at every step, as if it must be the last before a fall. So 
 interested did his study of the creature before him beco:n;', 
 that his attention was completely riveted. We can guess 
 what his astonishment was, when on his right hand, tirst, 
 there rose a sharp whisper, "Follow him," then on the left 
 hand, a still sharper call, " Follow him, he has something to 
 tell you." Clarence could not help looking on both sides 
 for the speakers, but there were none on either. But led on 
 as he felt inclined, he stepped after the dwarf to a bridge ; 
 when coming up over the right hand guard, a voice dis-
 
 A MASQUERADE. 
 
 tinctly said : " Captain Clinton !" Running to that side, tha 
 amazed passenger looked, seeing nothing, nor any one. Per- 
 suaded, however, that there was a connection between the 
 invisible whisperer and this visible imp, he through curiosity 
 followed on till he came to a small tavern, standing by a mill, 
 surrounded by a few houses, built of red and yellow brick. 
 The inn had a low stoop, which ran along its front, on which 
 were forms for the lazy and the lame. A group of rnotlef 
 gossip-mongers were all around, made up of white, black, 
 yellow, and other dingy colors. Dame Krouse kept the be?' 
 of " Hollands imported," as she said on her sign-board 
 though her negro Tim, a great braggart, declared that h 
 was a " better brewer than the bogs of Dutch Irm' 'duced." 
 
 The different groups of men were engaged when Clarence 
 came up to the tavern door, according to their tastes. The 
 grave and grey men Avere discussing the late trial, and others 
 were playing at quoits, and pitch the stone ; while the boya 
 were running at tag and leap-frog. It was a busy place 
 considering the size of the small hamlet. Somehow a report 
 had gone through the country, that an affair of moment de- 
 manded the presence of all who were able-bodied, and with 
 the instinct of animal nature, they came where the carcass 
 was. Sopus had been burned; Brandt was on the moun- 
 tain ; and Burgoyne had been captured, and something must 
 be done at home to prove their interest in the public weal ; 
 even the young fry of the place were ranged under a captain 
 of their own size as soldiers, following the sound of an old 
 frying-pan, which a thick-set bare-headed negro, of the class 
 simpleton, was beating with a club, in imitation of a bass 
 drum. 
 
 Our adventurer stepped on to the piazza of the tavern, 
 and mixed with the men who were engaged in discussing the 
 affair of the church meeting. It was plain enough that a 
 difference of opinion existed outside the Consistory, notwith- 
 standing the apparent acquiescence in-doors, concerning the 
 precognition of the woman's case, that morning ; nor was 
 the Dominie without his share of censure. The public mind, 
 always severe at the time when treason is ripe, and when 
 fear has the ascendency, was loud against the woman who 
 carried such unmistakable evidence with her of being a spy, 
 and of holding communication between Burgoyne's army 
 and that of Clinton. 
 
 "Did na ye see the face o' the limmer when the minister 
 put the question to her ? she spoke up as Lardy as you like,
 
 310 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 Na, I thoclit that the gude man himself was a wee bit 
 bewitched, else he would na been sae easily bamboo/led wi' 
 the pawky quean." 
 
 This was said by a brawny Scotchman, who held in 
 his hand a pewter cup, filled with the strongest kind of cider- 
 brandy, which he sucked up with a zest that showed his 
 experience. 
 
 " Such stuff as that is gude enough to wet one's wizzan in 
 this country, where you canna get better ; but, man, it' I had 
 but a coggie of Glenlivat, how it would mak' me fidge wi' 
 fainness. But anent, that action o' the minister's, he should 
 b.ae sent the jade to Albany." 
 
 " Donald Grant, you are always finding fault with the 
 powers that be ; and even the Dominie cannot escape your 
 rasping tongue." 
 
 This was said sharply by a small man, dressed in silver 
 grey, that fitted close to his body, and though worn bare, 
 was carefully brushed. His look and his maaners bore evi- 
 dence of his New England origin, and his pedantic speech 
 spoke him to be of the pedagogue order, a class of men that 
 have done much to leaven the west side of the Hudson with 
 the love of learning, and who had, notwithstanding the repug- 
 nance of the Dutch to all the Yankee brood, found their 
 way among them as peddlers, pedagogues and singing- 
 masters. 
 
 " Noo, maister," said Donald, " you would tell me that 
 men in authority should be respected, and my nrither, ;tye said 
 that ministers were black craws, to shoot at ; and there's 
 yoursel', for instance, in your schule, have a gude right to 
 use the taws in makin' your words be enforced, but if you 
 wranged my callant there, I would lick your hide out here, 
 till you were black and blue. Noo, as the Dominie himsc'l' 
 says, you can mak' the application of this discourse at your 
 leisure." 
 
 " I am not going to contend with you, Grant, when club- 
 law is the rule; but law is law, and must be obeyed. T!ie 
 men that administer the law must be sustained, else where 
 are we going to but down-stream ? and for my part I do not 
 value a man more than a tenpeuny whittler, who does not 
 stand by the law. There now, something is going on among 
 that black generation. I muse look after these imps of 
 Satan." 
 
 " Mind, maister, I'll not let you interfere with a wee bit 
 fun, for I like it o'er weel mysel'. You are king in you!
 
 A MASQUERADE. 311 
 
 ain dominion, but here you are nae mair than a common 
 man." 
 
 " Dat's true, Grant," said a rough-looking native, with aa 
 many capes on his coat as there are plies on a tulip, and 
 whose whole exterior was homespun in a figurative and 
 literal sense ; " budt de same ting cannot pe said ov do 
 Dominie, who is a great man every place he goes." 
 
 " Oh, you need na mak the man mair than mortel, Myndert 
 Overpaugh. Set him down on a rock, with a spoon in his 
 hau', and he will find as little to sup as the smallest o' us all." 
 Grant was determined to find fault, and his spirit was up 
 after he had drank a second cup of the cider-brandy. 
 
 " That's a fact, Grant, the Dominie can brag well enough 
 on the bench yonder, when he has got all the congregation to 
 carry out his will; but I would like to see him in the 
 woods alone, and see if he would be so strong as he pre- 
 tends." 
 
 " Now," said Grant, " I will not let any man say a word 
 against the gude man in his absence, mair especially against 
 his courage. He is a stoure bodie, and there, nae later thaii 
 last Saturday nicht, that ne'er-do-well Bob Eltinge and his 
 crony the smith, were determined to shoot the gude man, 
 between this and Coxsackie. They hid themselves behind a 
 tree in the woods, and lay wi' their guns ready primed ; but 
 the minute that they saw the white o' the Dominie's een, 
 they fell down like shot doves, and let him pass. That proves, 
 Bromie, whatever you may say to the contraer, that nae 
 man should lift his ban' against the Lord's anointed." 
 
 By this time the party had entered the mill, and were 
 mounting to the loft, to which Clarence had ascended by the 
 rear, unquestioned. Sacks of gram lay around the large 
 apartment, and on these sat a crowd of different kinds of 
 people, who were enjoying greatly some sport going on at 
 the upper end of the gallery. Bags of the wheat had been 
 thrown together, so as to form a platform above the main 
 floor. On these were nine other sacks, which served as 
 seats, where were sitting as many blacks, dressed in their 
 masters' clothes, which they had borrowed without leave. 
 The middle seat had on it one dressed in the true outer garb 
 of the Dominie. His cocked hat, but crushed in at the sides, 
 his coat, but rusty, and a large towel tied around the neck, 
 fell down over his breast, in square ends, to imitate the 
 Geneva bands. Four on the right hand, and as many en the 
 left, represented the deacons and elders, while io <,l
 
 312 TUK DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 stood a young negro, dressed in woman's clothes. A faded 
 silk gown, with a high bonnet held up, so as to look like the 
 high knots of hair fashionable among high-born ladies. 
 
 " The black devils that they are," said the man of books. 
 " What a faculty they have lor imitation. Making fun they 
 are of serious things. I must teach them Connecticut man- 
 ners ;" and here he was about to act the part of select man. 
 when Grant spoke out : 
 
 " You'll do nae sic thing as stop the masqueraud. Let 
 them get their sport out. My certie, but they play it weel. 
 Noo be quiet." 
 
 The mock Dominie called out in tones meant as imitation 
 of the real voice : 
 
 " Dis Consist' ry come to order. Squia, perceed." 
 
 The man called the "Squia" had on spectacles like his 
 model, and pen and ink before him, as if prepared to take 
 notes. 
 
 "That's intended for mockery of the Consistory," said the 
 teacher, " and shows how the public mind is exercised upon 
 that trial of the woman. ,Hear the sham Squire, how he 
 questions the female lady, that had the cup in her sack." 
 
 " Ha ! but see how the black gipsy tosses her head there, 
 imitating the white liminer in the kirk, that we saw. Her 
 curls swing finely. See how thae blackamoors jump at the 
 sicht. It's perfect pleasure to them. But, man, what a noise 
 they mak'. I could hear it frae Cladich to Loch Awe on a 
 Halloween nicht." Here Grant was getting disgusted with 
 the capers, and stepping forward himself into the midst of the 
 den, he lifted up a stout fellow by the nape of the neck and 
 the seat of his tubbs, and gave him a few slaps with his big 
 hand, that made music of a kind that brought order out of 
 confusion, as he said, " If we are to hae sport, let us have it, 
 and nae maer o' deviltry." 
 
 Here the president called out at the top of his voice, 
 " Silends ! perceed to furder bis'ness." 
 
 " Call in de oder prisoner," said the mock Squire. A 
 oung, lithe negro was here brought forward, charged with 
 stealing a horse from Nellius Wyncoop, being a spy, and as 
 guilty of forgery. 
 
 " What can be the meaning o' that ?" said Grant. 
 "Naithing o' sic kind has come up that the public kens 
 about." 
 
 " That is, you have not heard about it, you mean. Every- 
 thing is not told to Donald Grant that happens in the court
 
 A MASQUERADE. 313 
 
 of justices, or it would not be a secret very long after ha 
 got it." 
 
 " What do you mean with your jibes and your hints ?" 
 said Grant. " If you don't tell me all you ken about that 
 business, I'll serve you as I did that black dog there a minute 
 since." 
 
 And with that the rough Scotchman was about taking 
 the cross-grip, when the man of letters sputtered out, " Let 
 me alone, and I'll tell you all I know ; and listen yourself for 
 the conclusion of the whole matter." Here a full account 
 was given in loud whispers of the appearance Clarence had 
 made that morning, and of the trial that was to comb off that 
 afternoon. " See that Tom there, the Dominie's chief man, 
 sitting in the middle. He has access to all his master's 
 secret drawers, and generally can tell beforehand what 
 disposal the reverend man intends' to make of his cases." 
 
 Clarence, who heard all the account given to Grant, looked 
 to the prisoner, and saw a fac-simile of himself in size and 
 dress, to the very patch on the knee, pointed out before. 
 There was no more, fun in the play to him. A strange con- 
 fusion of ideas was curdling up in his brain, like what he had 
 often experienced in a dream. He took hold of his own arm, 
 to be certain of his own identity. It seemed like phantas- 
 magoria. He was recalled to his case by the mock Dominie 
 crying out : 
 
 " My freen and Bruder Doll nebber steal Nellius Wyn- 
 koop's horse. Me know nothink of dis letter; youd a spy, 
 to be hanged at te cart tail." 
 
 Here the masque at the bar, cried out, me no spy, but trua 
 man, seeking my sistern. 
 
 Here was such a clapping of hands and screeching, that it 
 seemed Bedlam let loose. All the dominoes on the sacks 
 joined in the fun, forgetful of their mock dignity. Quiet be- 
 ing restored, the call was given to bring in the witnesses. 
 When Caese, the old fiddler, stepped forward, and gave a 
 rambling account of the frolic at Phoebe's Hotel, and of do 
 man who came and spoiled de dance, in de middle of de line 
 tune, by de triggering of Nelly Wynkoop's horse. 
 
 "Wat says de prisoner to dat?" was the president's demand 
 
 *' O your reberence, me on de way to de mountains to seek 
 ma sistern." 
 
 These words became the password to sport, all through 
 the proceedings, and never failed to make the rafters ring 
 with the echoes of uproarious laughter. 
 
 14
 
 3J 4- THE DUTCH DOMINIK. 
 
 "Please zur," said the black squire, in mock gravity, "vata 
 dat in cle breast pocket ? Coustavel, help de prisoner to take 
 out dose putty tings." 
 
 Here a stout fellow put his hand into the bosom of the 
 accused, who screamed out, " Don't take dese tings away frob 
 me, dey are for ma sistern !" 
 
 " Treason ! treason !" was shrieked out, as a pair of large 
 horse pistols were laid upon the table. Those who did not 
 know were actually taken by surprise, at the sight and 
 sound, while those who did know, believed that the case 
 which this foreshadowed was more serious than it had 
 hitherto seemed ; and the cry of " treason ! treason ! to the 
 gallows with the spy," rang longer and louder than mere- 
 sport called for in a masquerade trial. Had Clarence been 
 seized at that instant, he would have felt less surprise than 
 he did at the farce itself.' Indeed, he half expected some- 
 thing to happen, and was preparing his thoughts for the 
 worst. Here was an evident thrust at him. His object was 
 known. He was regarded by the lowest grade here as either 
 knave or fool. Au attempt was making to excite public 
 opinion against him. " Let me try and escape," he inwardly 
 said to himself. 
 
 The farce was about to proceed, when who should stalk in 
 but the great man himself, with a long whip, that he could use 
 at ten yards' distance. Making it crack at the snapper like 
 a pistol, there was such a scampering ainong white and black, 
 as might well have employed the pencil of llogarth, who has 
 given us the Village School in an uproar. Loud natural 
 squeals came from ah 1 sides, as the scourge took effect upon 
 the hips of the retreating crew, who crowded out like a drove 
 of hogs through a narrow gate, making the hindermost suf- 
 fer for the pins of the foremost, while the Dominie sung out : 
 " I'll learn you to make the venerable Consistorial Court of 
 th$ Protestant Reformed Dutch Church of Holland, in these 
 United States of America, now independent, the subject of 
 fun. You blasphemous crew that you are ! I never knew 
 where Pandemonium was before now. You black imps, to 
 mount up to the clouds playing your cantraps. Take that." 
 And here another, and another full swing of the stout pastor's 
 arm made the court and the audience tumble out in mixed 
 com'usion, that soon exhausted the wrath of the avenger. 
 Coming upon the fellow that had played the part of the fe- 
 male spy, all dressed up in a full suit of the 'Yfvrow's own 
 wardrobe, curls, high-heeled shoes and all, he roared out in
 
 A MASQUERADE. 315 
 
 loud laughter, that shook his big sides and stopped his whip 
 hand. 
 
 The couple that stood beside Clarence had found their way 
 out first, being close by the door. Grant coming up at the 
 back of Clarence, gave him a hard clap with his open hand 
 on the back, thinking that he was one of themselves, and 
 saying :_ 
 
 " Frein', what do yon think o' that kind of play actoring? 
 I beg your paurdon, I thought it was our neighbour Charlie 
 Forbes, the English oificer. I never saw twa backs sae like. 
 But nae offence I hope," said the garrulous Scot, putting his 
 arm into that of Clarence, as if he had known him all the 
 days of his life. 
 
 " Maister," continued the talking man, " I was just speerin 
 at our frein' here, what he thought o' that fun in the loft 
 there." 
 
 " There is something about to go on here at the parson- 
 age, that will explain all we have seen in that darkness 
 there," was the knowing reply of the pedagogue, who prided 
 himself on being acquainted with everything before it took 
 place. 
 
 " Oh, aye," said Grant. " You mean that we have been 
 looking on the shadow, and that the substance is not far oif." 
 
 " Or to speak more classically, we have been observing 
 comedy, and now for tragedy," was the pedantic language oi 
 the man of letters. 
 
 "As to its being mair classical," said Grant, " I'm thinldn' 
 Norman McKenzie, the schoolmaster of Aberfeldy, would 
 say the scriptural figures were the maist classical of the two ; 
 but that's neither here nor there, at present. I am ready to 
 argue that question wi you next Sabbath day, atween preach- 
 ing ; in the meantime, see if you can get me in to hear that 
 tragedy you speak of, since I have seen the comedy up in the 
 loft yonder." 
 
 Here the two followed the stream of persons who were 
 making their way to the parsonage, with an evident earnest- 
 ness, that showed their interest in what was about to tako 
 place.
 
 316 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 CHAPTER HI. 
 
 AWHEEL WITHIN A WHEEL. 
 
 " So spake the seraph Abdiel, faithful found 
 Among the faithless, faithful only he." 
 
 MlLTOH. 
 
 CLABENCE, in no better mood of mind after what he had 
 witnessed, wandered away out of hearing, so that he might 
 consider what would be best for him to do, surrounded as he 
 was by suspicion. The chief man here had his eye upon 
 him, the clowns squinted at him, and the common blacks 
 were making him their jest. Were he only certain of getting 
 away, he would run all risks of escaping to the mountains. 
 Where were these king's officers? Their parole did not 
 prevent them from helping others, though it bound them 
 by their honor to remain here till exchanged : " I shall seek 
 them out," said the almost desperate young man ; " I have just 
 come from seeing my own shadow on the gallows-tree ; I would 
 be a fool to run my neck into the noose after the plain warn- 
 ings given in some im r sterious way." 
 
 Continuing these reveries, his eye rested on the same strange 
 dwarf that he had followed into the loft. This time the singu- 
 lar creature made more attempt at arresting the notice of the 
 stranger youth, who now became interested in the motions 
 made to him. They had both got on the same bridge, when 
 the call " Captain Clinton," coming from the right, drew 
 Clarence there to look with haste, and with some perturba- 
 tion. Seeing no one, he still remained intently fixed, with his 
 bead bent over, when the voice was on the other side calling 
 " Captain Clinton, follow." 
 
 Clarence, thinking that some mischief was intended, hastily 
 ran forward seizing the dwarf, who merely looked up in the 
 lace of the captain with a dull smile, that meant nothing 
 good or evil. Clarence was ashamed of himself when he 
 saw that he had been rough to a poor deformed negro, whose 
 face showed him to be an idiot. Dropping the arra he held, 
 he merely said to himself, " I wish I knew who calls me," 
 when the same voice on both sides called out : 
 
 *' Follow him as a brave man may."
 
 A WHEEL WITHIN A WHEEL. 317 
 
 Seeing that something was meant, he pointed to the dwarf, 
 who went on, Clarence in his wake. Turning suddenly round 
 as if going down to the creek to fish, for the dwarf carried 
 a hickory pole, which might serve him either for a fishing-rod 
 or a staff of defence, he led the way as Clarence followed. 
 After walking, and sometimes crawling through a low piece of 
 ground covered with hazel bushes, they reached a hut built of 
 mud, and thatched with straw, entirely different from anything 
 that Clarence had ever seen on this continent. The walls 
 stood nearly four square, and rose a foot higher than a 
 common man's height, with here and there a stick of timber 
 set in to prevent the clay from settling. The roof rose 
 slanting to the ridge-pole, and after having been wattled with 
 willows was stuffed with oat straw, over which was laid a 
 covering of grassy turf, cut in squares from the meadow. 
 Clarence thought upon the clachen of Cladich in the Scottish 
 highlands, where he had been with a detachment of his regi- 
 ment, keeping the old adherents of the gallant Pretender in 
 check. There was the same " midden" before the door, the 
 kailyard at the end of the house, with the place for the crum- 
 my cow at the back window. " This," said the English youth 
 to himself, " looks like the Scottish Highlands indeed." 
 
 But his surprise was still greater, when, after his guide 
 pointed to the low door, which stood open, he was met 
 by an old man in the very " garb of the Gael." The kilt 
 coming down to the knee, met below by the cross striped 
 hose, tight to the leg above the braion, having round tufts 
 which covered the buckles of the garters. The shoes were 
 of the kind called brogues wooden soles, and vamps of uji- 
 tanned leather. The upper part of the man's dress had a mix- 
 ture of the Scottish and the Dutch in them. The cloth of the 
 coat was woven loose like a coarse blanket, and stained with 
 the juice of the butternut, abundant in the region. An old 
 soldier's stock was round the grim wearer's nock, and it only 
 required the eye of a soldier to observe, in the upright 
 form, the respectful bearing and the firm footing of the 
 stranger, one who had marched through many countries, and 
 was not to be startled, even now, by the sound of a trnmpei 
 He stood over five feet ten; but, from his strength of limb 
 and width of chest, he seemed to be of shorter stature ; and 
 though he evidently had put on his best attire, there was ;\ 
 roughness in his appearance, which would have made the 
 tame citizen give him the path without further dispute. 
 
 On the entrance of Clarence, he put one hand by his
 
 818 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 and ilie other to his cap, which the young officer understood 
 at oiice. Returning the salutation with evident pleasure, as 
 he looked on the face of the stout old man, smiling, as he 
 said with surprise when he saw on the breast of him before 
 him a silver medal bearing the name of the wearer, and of 
 " PLASSY," and of " ABRAHAM PLAINS." 
 
 <: Sergeant McDonald, 71st regt., Glasgow Highlanders. 
 How is this that I meet one of the brave heroes who fought 
 and conquered with Wolfe on the Plains of Abraham ?" was 
 the eager inquiry of Clarence. 
 
 " I am still a true subject of his Britannic Majesty, and will 
 continue to wear his colors while this head stands highei 
 than the earth ; and when in rny grave, I have sworn my auld 
 son Oscar to come every Sunday morning, when he must lay 
 this medal aboon my heart, where it hangs now. On the 
 fourth of June, his Majesty's birth-day, they will fire a feu 
 dejoie near my auld ear." 
 
 " Whist ! whist!" was whispered from a corner on the 
 other side of the room, where sat an old woman who was 
 busily engaged twisting a thread by a spindle, that hung 
 between her finger and her thumb, though evidently ill at 
 ease, as she listened to the outpouring of her husband's 
 loyalty. 
 
 " Janet," continued the old soldier, " is wearing her life out, 
 'feared lest thae Whigs come in some day and put a string 
 round my neck; and sorry am I to say, there are some of the 
 ance gallant 71st that would help them. But, sit down, till 
 we hear the word, advance." 
 
 Clarence took a seat on a stool which stood 0:1 three feet, 
 cut out of a rough block, which was the pattern of all the 
 stools in the place. The visitor had time to examine the hut, 
 and mark its resemblance to what he supposed had never 
 crossed the Atlantic. The floor was the bare earth, hardened 
 by the feet of the tenants. Round the centre was all the 
 rude furniture, for there was the fire-place, bnilt of 
 ro'igh stones, like an ancient altar for sacrifice. It stood 
 about three feet high, and measured double that in breadth. 
 On tne sides were the vessels for cooking, while over tho 
 centre, where the fire burned, hung from a long chain the 
 pot in which the dinner for that day was simmering, and 
 sending out an agreeable flavor. Clarence looked for the 
 iihimney, but saw none. The smoke found its way upward, 
 seekin/v the open air through those crevices which were left 
 by cha.ace in the simple roof.
 
 A WHEEL WITHIN A WHEEL. 319 
 
 " Come this way. he calls :" were the words of the old 
 Highlander, and Clarence was pointed to a steep ladder in tha 
 rear of the hut. The adventurer had gone too far to hesi- 
 tate, so, mounting up, he found a door which opened at his 
 touch, swinging back again, so that he was shut completely in. 
 
 " By George, I'm caught again," were his first words, when 
 he looked round, him, seeing no one ; but he had hardly uttered 
 the exclamation before another person entered from the 
 opening below, who sprung forward seizing the hand already 
 stretched out, while both were speaking at once " Clinton ! 
 Crawford !" looking into each other's faces to be sure of not 
 being mistaken. Clarence, the most surprised, from being 
 wholly ignorant of the other being near, stood dumb, while 
 the other said : 
 
 " I knew you at a glance, whenever I set my eyes upon 
 you. My fear was that you, on recognizing my face, would 
 betray yourself and me at one and the same time." 
 
 " Where did you see me to-day ? I have been but in on a 
 place all this morning, and there you could not be without 
 my discovering your fair skin among a thousand of these 
 yellow boors." 
 
 " By George, as you said, Clinton, it was my fair skin and 
 sweet voice that have carried me through that ordeal. I must 
 be a good looking lass when I could deceive that shrewd 
 parson, with his black keen eye, and yourself." 
 
 " Is it possible, Crawford, that you acted the lady in that 
 mongrel court, just now ? Well, you have had a near escape 
 with your head in the lion's mouth, and still on your own 
 shoulders. We always in fan called you Lady Crawford, 
 but " 
 
 " No more of that, Clinton ; you know well that it does 
 not sound too pleasantly to my ears. Nothing but the des- 
 perate condition of Burgoyne and his brave fellows, could 
 have tempted me to this, and now that it has failed in part, 
 W3 must try and remedy the evil in the best way we can. 
 We want your counsel." 
 
 " My counsel," was the desponding reply of Clarence, 
 " may be of some good to others, as theirs may be to me ; 
 but the desperate state of my own affairs engrosses my sou 1 
 so much, that you could not get two connected ideas from 
 me, though this part of the globe were to sink and Burgoyne 
 with it. 
 
 " You astonish me," said Crawford, who was one of those 
 men of deep enthusiasm, whose countenance spoke more oi"
 
 320 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 levity than of earnestness ; " I supposed that honor and 
 glory, connected with your country, sat highest on the throne 
 of your breast." 
 
 " These sentiments," said Clarence, in more haste than he 
 intended, "are the supreme influences of m^ life; but after 
 passing through the scenes of this week al/eady past, they 
 have been counteracted in a gr^at degree by other sentiments 
 no less powerful." 
 
 "Pray what may these be that tell so strongly on Clinton's 
 mind '?" was the rather bitter question of the other youth, 
 who was evidently galling under some inward source of pain. 
 
 " Humanity for mankind in general, and affection for my 
 sister Margaret in particular," said Clarence, with a firmness 
 which cooled his companion down to something like patience. 
 
 " Your sister ! Miss Clinton ! What of her ? It can't be 
 possible that the report going round here is true, that she 
 has been abducted from the ship, and that Colonel Clifford is 
 at the bottom of the treason ?" 
 
 It was now the time for the other to express his astonish- 
 ment, as to the way in which this rumor had got abroad, 
 and of what reliance was to be placed in it. After telling 
 and rehearsing all that was current, and which Crawford had 
 heard from different sources, it appeared that letters had 
 been dropped around the camp, at Saratoga, pointing evi- 
 dently to this very event as about taking place. They were 
 written as from one of Clifford's intimate acquaintances ; 
 describing the plan and the probable consequences. Clifford 
 and Burgoyne being bosom friends, and of a kindred feeling 
 in pursuits of an evil kind, the secret letter did not excite any 
 seriousness in the gay, lewd camp of the English general. 
 It was different with another communication, which reached 
 the camp of the commanding officer, no one knew how, 
 when a plan of march was kiid down so distinctly, for any 
 bold adventurer, that it awakened in Crawford the desire of 
 accomplishing what was absolutely essential, in order that 
 the northern army should be saved a communication with 
 the army of the South, under Sir Henry Clinton. A map 
 which marked out two distinct routes was inclosed, giving 
 decided preference to the route over the mountains, when the 
 messenger would come under the protection of Brandt, who 
 was engaged to be there at this time ; " and " what sounded 
 strangely and suspiciously to Burgoyne " Colonel Clifford 
 would be on the mountain, along with the Great Mohawk, to 
 lend his aid."
 
 A WHEEL WITHIN A WHEEL. 21 
 
 " You have seen," said Crawford, " how the most practi- 
 cable of these routes has been closed against me, but I am 
 determined now to attempt the other. Our brother officers 
 here on parole have encouraged me, and I am just waiting 
 for your counsel in this matter. All the information sent to 
 the general by that unknown hand has been confirmed since 
 I came here. To-day a stranger, who could not possioly 
 know me, has pointed out the dangers and the advantages of 
 the enterprise; that my mind is made up. Your account of 
 your sister, Miss Clinton's abduction, corroborates the whole, 
 making it, you perceive, to be your duty, from alfection, to 
 ioin me." 
 
 " And you would add," said Clarence, already half per- 
 suaded, " that honor and glory will go hand in hand. Before I 
 can say yes to your proposal, I must see my way out of this 
 confounded noose that I feel around my throat. I have 
 .earned caution as well as some others^ where so many eyes 
 are watching me." 
 
 " Why, my noble fellow," Crawford interposed warmly, 
 " if the hangman be so near, are you such a fool as to wait till 
 he puts the hemp on in a workmanlike manner? Sergeant 
 McDonald below here has promised to guide me over the 
 hills by midnight. He would take another under his care for 
 the love of his king and country." 
 
 These arguments sank deep into the mind of the anxious 
 brother when he reflected upon the necessity of promptitude 
 in pursuit of his sister ; and he all but said yes to the demand 
 made upon his energy, when there was a slight tap at their 
 door, which proved to be a call from Dame McDonald for 
 the gentlemen to " take pot luck for their dinner." 
 
 " I dare not venture below," said Crawford ; " but, Clinton, 
 come back immediately after you have made the acquaintance- 
 ship of the gentlemen on parole. Some of them you know 
 already. They waste out life here, and you will do thorn 
 good in just showing your face among them." 
 
 Clarence descended the way he came up, and soon found 
 himself seated at a deal table without cloth, but white, being 
 evidently scoured for the occasion. The old woman, dressed 
 in what was known as dru.irget, had a clean toy on her head, 
 which bore the marks of a carefully put on cap, in which the 
 wearer was confident she looked well. The skirt of the gown 
 was drawn through the pocket-hole to prevent its dragging 
 on the floor, which, from its length of train, it would have 
 done. She did not sit down herself, but served the coni|.any
 
 322 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 Wooden plates, hollowed out of basswood, were ranged 
 round the table ; into these a ladleful of the broth, which 
 stood cooling in the tripod pot, was emptied ; and the invita- 
 tion given, " sit down, sir, and mak yourself at hame. 
 Janet has been busy preparing some sheep's-head kail to put 
 me in mind o' Kemnore." 
 
 Clarence had seen, when he was standing by the lire, the 
 nose of some animal pushing itself up among the vegetables 
 in the pot like a black hippopotamus among the reeds of the 
 Nile ; but he did not expect to make his dinner of the mess. 
 However, now like a good soldier, he sat down with a ready 
 appetite for whatever was coming, asking no questions. To 
 his agreeable surprise, the soup was white as milk, though 
 the head it might be of a ram from its size was there in a 
 large platter, on the centre, without the horns, and the wool 
 singed ail off. Garden stuffs of all kinds, known, and some 
 only known to Janet, had been boiled for two full hours, 
 with the head among them ; so that it would have defied a 
 French cook to tell the prevailing flavor of what McDonald 
 called this dish of HOTCH POTCH. Barley bread, unleavened, 
 baked- upon a griddle, thin and tough as leather, was eaten to 
 this soup; when at the close Janet put down a square bottle 
 and a basket of oatmeal cakes alongside of a skini-milk 
 cheese ; all of which were intended as a dessert. The ser- 
 geant lifted a small dish made of narrow pieces of wood of 
 different colors, hooped round, so that it seemed a Lilliputian 
 milk tub. Into that he poured the contents of the bottle, 
 drinking it off at a single draught, after he had, with great 
 solemnity, given the If ing, God bless him, as a toast. Cla- 
 rence had the same put before him : and so it went round the 
 table. The rest who were there seemed to be men who 
 merely listened and looked. When it came to Janet's turn to 
 drink, there was evidently something more expected of her 
 than a bare toast. Putting on the table a crystal goblet, 
 which, from, the manner of her unrolling it, she deemed 
 sacred, liquor was poured into it till it stood on the lip. 
 Taking an egg in her hand, she broke it so that the yolk 
 spread through the contents of the glass. Through this com- 
 pound she looked with a curious eye, as if expecting to see 
 something uncommon in the distance. Tasting of the mix- 
 ture freely, she leaned her head on her knees, singing a Gae- 
 lic song, rocking herself, as she sang for a few minutes, 
 during which the company sat in the profoundewt silence, 
 wailing on the will of the actor. When she lilied her head,
 
 A WHEEL WITHIN A WHEEL. 323 
 
 it was to take the goblet again in her hand, which she shook 
 sharply, and gazing intently, she laid it down as if in fear at 
 first ; but lifting it up, one of those dark smiles came aci oss 
 her wrinkled features, which recalls to the traveller's mind a 
 gleam of sunshine on a Scottish sky. 
 
 Tell us what you see, wife, and let us go," said the ser- 
 geant, evidently under the enchantment of the occasion. 
 " We want the truth, Janet ; but the journey must bo 
 taken, weal or woe. What does the Brownie say ?" 
 
 Janet, in a moaning tone, sang, " Smoke, fury and blood 
 all the first." 
 
 " We are ready and prepared for them. You mean that 
 the end will be successful. Let us go, said McDonald, " and 
 see the gentlemen ;" and with that he led the way through 
 the low door of the mud cabin, taking the path that led up 
 the side of the creek. 
 
 On the way Clarence learned from McDonald that there 
 were several families like himself, who were living among 
 the farmers, and some had risen to be good landholders 
 themselves. The most of them, however, were imprudent. 
 and useless to the community, and to themselves. They 
 were divided like the country on the question of the present 
 war, and " you may," said the sergeant, " as weel break a 
 woodie wi' a windle strae as change a Hielan man, when he 
 wants to gang either up or doon stream." 
 
 The two had arrived at the door of a large stone barn 
 that was snugly fenced round, and the yard swept and 
 orderly, showing that the hand of a soldier had been in use 
 here for some time. The door was opened by McDonald, 
 who entered, leading Clarence, hat in hand. The company, 
 as if expecting the visit, rose at once, and came forward with 
 the dignity and the frankness of gentlemen and soldiers. The 
 welcome was hearty and full of feeling. Already all had been 
 made aware of the name and of the rank which belonged to 
 the visitor. Of the object in his mind no one knew anything, 
 nor was one of the ten gentlemen at liberty to ask him till ha 
 might reveal it himself. Of course they supposed public 
 business alone could induce any one to venture into such a 
 dangerous vicinity. Still as they had heard of overtures 
 being made to leading Whigs throughout, it did not sound 
 strange when one of them, with a knowing look, whispered, 
 " Sir Harry is cousin to the rebel General Clinton, and his 
 brother the governor, and the governor knows that these 
 Dominies are great men among the Duich boors."
 
 324: THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 And so the mission of Clarence Clinton was guessed at 
 without being sought out. The opportunity was now sought 
 after by all to make themselves agreeable, while the young 
 soldier, feeling sympathy for them as a brother officer, in the 
 same noble profession, put forth all his character in their 
 presence, with promises of aid whenever he would return to 
 head-quarters. Some of the number were old acquaintances, 
 and the greeting between them was cordial. The strangers 
 were no less pleased with a visit from one who was so sure 
 to report of their privations undergone on behalf of his 
 majesty. Hope of promotion revived as they looked to the 
 future. 
 
 Clarence cast his eye round the place where they were 
 met, and learned from them, that though they chose to assem- 
 ble here they were by no means confined to any location. 
 Some were lodged in the little village, and others in the 
 families of the farmers. For some days past they had been 
 engaged preparing for a hunting excursion to the mountains. 
 A pair of catamounts had been seen, and all who wore 
 inclined had the chance of putting forth their energies. 
 
 "I see," said Clarence, "you have all the means pro- 
 vided," as he glanced round the place and saw the guns, the 
 lances, and the other articles of a huntsman's armory. " You 
 are allowed great freedom when these are put into your 
 possession, and time given. I hope you have ample range 
 and verge enough." 
 
 " Of that, sir, we have nothing to complain. We have 
 been away twenty-four hours at a time, and have travelled to 
 the borders of civilization. Some of us on a journey of 
 pleasure, others on a tour of research, and I myself have 
 been to consult the wizard of the spook's den, as the people 
 called it when I went first. We are waiting for a message 
 from him to go on this hunting campaign. He promised to 
 send us a special warning, so that we might be there in 
 time ; and if I am not mistaken, there comes the witch's imp 
 at this moment. 
 
 Clarence looked toward the entrance to which Captain 
 Willoughby pointed, who from his rank, as well as for his 
 superior intelligence, was regarded as chief, when he saw 
 the same misshappen dwarf move toward them, holding a 
 letter in his hand, which he gave to the officer who ex- 
 pected it. 
 
 " That will do, Unga," said the captain. " You may sit 
 down till I send you with my reply;" and the creatura
 
 A WHEEL WITHIN A WHEEL. 325 
 
 stepped h\gh and low as he moved to a settle near the wall 
 where he stretched himself on his back, with his cap over his 
 face. 
 
 " Just as I said," were Willoughby's first words. " The 
 hunt comes off to-morrow, and if we wish to see it we must 
 join the party by sunrise at the Round Top, keeping round 
 
 by But see here is a map of the region. Sergeant 
 
 McDonald, see this and tell us if it be practicable. We mu?i 
 not trust ourselves in the hand of a spaemau." 
 
 The sergeant took the sketch, looking at it with the deep- 
 est interest, while all the gentlemen stood around him wait- 
 ing for his verdict, which he gave briefly. 
 
 " You maun tak to the west o' that round hill, then climb 
 the mountain as weel as you can, and when at the tap keep 
 west by south, till you come to a waterfall that lies at the 
 head of a deep glen, running to the east. The man that 
 drew that is the same as he who drew another I have seen 
 this morning." 
 
 " What do you draw from both, my worthy sergeant ?" 
 was th'j familiar question of the one in command. 
 
 Before an answer could be given, a voice, which seemed to 
 sound on the outside of the building, called out, " Clarence 
 Clinton !" That gentleman looked suddenly in the direction, 
 all eyes turning in the same way, when the same voice, but 
 louder, called from the other side : 
 
 " Captain Clarence Clinton, the Consistory of the Pro- 
 testant Reformed Dutch Church demand your presence 
 at this moment." 
 
 This, which was said slowly, excited some amusement 
 among the young men who ran out for the purpose of seizing 
 the impudent fool, who would so speak. But no one being 
 seen, a singular tremor came over men who would have stood 
 at another time in the face of death. Clarence, who had 
 seen enough of that court of late to despise it, in his present 
 condition took McDonald with him aside, making an appoint- 
 ment to meet him and Crawford in case he found it possible 
 to free himself of the presence of spies. To them he ascribed 
 the voices he had heard all that morning. 
 
 Bidding his brother officers a pleasant adieu, and a succcsa- 
 ful time on the mountain, he hastily left for the parsonage, 
 where that strange court was to be held, despising it in his 
 soul, and yet forced to appear.
 
 326 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 JUDGMENT AND MERCY KISSED. 
 
 "B! "Roger informed me that Moll White was dead, and that about a month after h- 
 dath the wind was so very high that it blew down one of his bams. ' But for my part, 
 gaid t: e knight, ' I do not think that the old woman had anything to do with it.' " 
 
 ADDISO3. 
 
 THE young Englishman entered the Dominie's house with 
 a thousand revolving feelings in his bosom. The ridicule 
 thrown upon his errand in the loft by those guissards had 
 more effect upon him than all the arguments of his friend 
 Crawford. In fact, the announcement of the meeting by that 
 mysterious voice, made him, brave as he was, and in a cause 
 which God must own as holy, step with less confidence 
 than before he left the parsonage. The main entrance was 
 full, as were all the rooms. Nothing of privacy seemed to 
 be here. As Clarence pressed through, he was brushed 
 against by some who said, " Remember, a straight story." 
 He had got that advice before, and the words roused up his 
 energies, which had been sinking. He said to himself: 
 
 " I have friends, and will hold up my head in the midst 
 of all." 
 
 The inner door was opened by Tom, who was already at 
 his post, looking demure or roguish as the one side or 
 the other of the company would be best suited. He gave a 
 roguish leer on Clarence, that was met by one of lire, which 
 men accustomed to command are sure to have at disposal, 
 and which no real slave is ever able to meet without being 
 withered by it. The impudent fello w cowered under the glance 
 of his superior at once, nor ever after looked him hi the face. 
 
 " Massa Domilie in de C'nsistory. Gen'hn'n please to sit 
 down till he be called for." 
 
 This was said to show the power of the master and to 
 impress the attendant- Englishman with awe. 
 
 " Tell your master, sirrah," said Clarence, with sternness, 
 'that Mr. Clarence Clinton is here and desires admittance 
 immediately." 
 
 The effect of this command upon Tom, as well as upon all 
 those who were waiting, was quite evident. The negro carno 
 back bowing his best salaam, saying:
 
 JUDGMENT AND MERCY EIS8ED. 22? 
 
 " Massa Clary vill walk in." 
 
 The moment the door inside was shut and Tom ju the 
 outside, the rogue gave a wink to the spectators, which 
 nearly upset their gravity. This little bit of acting between 
 the false and the true was too interesting not to excite atten- 
 tion ; and caused more than common anxivty concerning what 
 was going on. The dominoes in the loft, conducted as these 
 were known to be by the Dominie's private secretary, prepared 
 the minds of the public for a real case of treason ; and the man- 
 ner and the name of the stranger were gradually producing 
 that intensity of feeling which always follows secrecy and 
 hints ; so that pretty loud murmuring was beginning to show 
 itself by those who were debarred admittance to the tribu- 
 nal. The design of Tom was working out. He had vowed 
 revenge on Clarence for what he supposed him guilty of- 
 informing his master of his late peccadillo ; and so he Avas 
 accomplishing the end. 
 
 The prisoner, for now he was so in reality, found the court 
 in session. He, by this time, was becoming acquainted with 
 Consistorial forms of investigation, and knew already the 
 strong and the weak places, of which he was determined to 
 avail himself. There was the chief man in his canonicals in 
 the centre, and the same Anthony Van Bergen in the three- 
 fold capacity of elder, squire and clerk. 
 
 "Mr. Clarence I think your name is ?" said the questioner. 
 
 " Clarence Clinton, at your service," was the answer. At 
 the same time he stepped forward, and half demanded the 
 authority of this court to put him through an investigation. 
 He saw plainly that it was a mongrel court, which did not 
 differ much in his esteem from the mockery in the mill. 
 For one moment his mind was so confused that he almost 
 imagined himself standing before the other cocked-hat on tiie 
 wheat-sack. 
 
 " You are charged here, sir, with stealing a horse from 
 Cornelius Wynkoop." 
 
 " I deny the charge," said the prisoner, with great warmth, 
 and almost starting forward to punish the insulter. 
 
 " Call the witnesses," was the cry of the Squire ; when ilio 
 door opened, and in stepped the same old negro ; teUmg 
 exactly the same story, though with less palaver. 
 
 " Vat says de prisoner to dat?" said the squire, glancing 
 aside to his chief. 
 
 "I say," was the reply, " that all the old mr.n savs is true; 
 but it does not show that I stole the animal. If the
 
 328 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 gentleman will look at the letter I put in his hand this 
 morning, from a worthy brother of his own, it will account 
 for what is here produced as evidence." 
 
 " My dear sir," said the Dominie., " I have reason to be- 
 lieve that the letter you produced to me is a forgery. I am 
 quite sure that my good friend and brother, whose name is 
 here, never entered a barn at midnight, to take even the loan 
 of a horse, for for " he hesitated to say the other word, but 
 it come out " in short, for a spy. " 
 
 At this word the accused felt as if nature was giving way. 
 The scene in the mill was all present with him, but there 
 was no laughter here. These were earnest men, looking 
 cold and determined. 
 
 " You be a spy," said the Squire, " and vill be thrown off 
 at de cart tail." 
 
 By this time the door was open. Tom had purposely 
 left it so, and a crowd gathered up close to Avhere the 
 accused young man stood, whose faces did not show any 
 sympathy with him. Remembering what he had been warm d 
 against, and feeling that if the worst came upon him at the 
 last, he would suffer more in feeling afterward that he had 
 told untruth, than the fear of death could bring, he resolved 
 to give a full account of the whole, omitting only the fact 
 of his being at the Sopus burning. 
 
 He began by saying in a hesitating tone, for he actually felt 
 the influence of the farce still : "I came to these mountains 
 in search of >uy sister." He continued giving a brief and 
 touching account of her romantic character, of how she had 
 been abducted, and of where he believed her to be, and con- 
 cluded by paving, that if he must die in the manner threat- 
 ened, he WAuld die a true man, and no spy. For the moment, 
 they believed him to be under some hallucination, and they 
 were sewnbly touched with his account. The grave 
 Dominies' features were relaxed into uncertainty, while 
 Grant was wiping his eyes, as he said to the pedagogue tha 
 " fule has made me greet." Tom, who stood behind his 
 master's chair, and had fixed his mouth for the general guf- 
 faw at the usual watchword, hid his teeth, wondering that 
 " white folks neher 'joyed any funny ting at all." 
 
 When all had recovered themselves sufficiently for busi- 
 ness, the Dominie said, " Young man, your story is too 
 unlikely to be believed anywhere ; and even though we did 
 receive it as true, there are others to whom we are accounta- 
 ble who would laugh at our easy faith in these times, \vh< j a
 
 JUDGMENT AND MKRCY KISSED. 329 
 
 the name you give is so obnoxious through all this lano 
 to-day." 
 
 These allusions moved the spirit of the young British 
 soldier, and raising himself up rather haughtily, he answered : 
 " If you are amenable, then, to higher authority, I prefer to 
 be tried by a regular court of the country." 
 
 This was unfortunate, since it insinuated the want of due 
 authority in the court where the present judge was al \vays 
 the law, and sometimes the executor. Drawing himself out 
 of his large hair, he rose to his feet, saying with a force and a 
 loudness which might have suited the church where they 
 had been, that morning : 
 
 " You must understand, Mr. Clarence Clinton, this is not 
 the mill loft ; nor is this Consistory of the Protestant Re- 
 formed Dutch Church of Holland, in these United States of 
 North America, a set of mountebanks, but has had its ex- 
 istence ever since the sitting of the Synod of Dort ; and be it 
 known, that they have sufficient power to try you, or any- 
 one else, of the king's slaves, that falls providentially into 
 their hands. A mongrel court indeed ! You are thinking 
 of those blasphemous grimacera, who dared to mock me and 
 my court, almost before my face ; some of them will have to 
 take forty stripes save one." 
 
 During this speech, every man, white and black, was quiet, 
 as a mouse. The sly fellow behind the chair looked down 
 and pretended to wipe his eyes. 
 
 Just at this point, when all seemed to be going against 
 the accused, to make the matter still worse for him, some one 
 suggested that the prisoner be searched for arms. Now 
 Clarence, remembering again the scene at the mill, saw that 
 he was lost indeed, and immediately produced his pistols, 
 laying them on the table before them, saying : 
 
 " You may be sure, gentlemen, that no wise man on a 
 mission like what I say I am upon, would dispense with the 
 use of arms ; and here they are, at the disposal of the leg:vl 
 power." 
 
 " We have the legal and the moral authority together in 
 this house," said the president, with more than his usual 
 severity; "and as there is great doubt concerning you, 
 there is no help for us but to keep you in custody till these 
 doubts be cleared up." 
 
 Clarence bowed low; when some one at-his elbow whispered, 
 " produce your sealed packet." This recalled to his mind 
 what, he would then have forgotten, the letter he recehvJ
 
 330 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 just as he mounted the horse. Putting his hand hastily in \ is 
 bosom, he took out a small package addressed, " To those in 
 authority, given by the hand of Clarence C ." 
 
 The Dominie cast his eye over the superscription, and 
 saying hastily, " I am at least, we are the men here in 
 authority," and breaking the seal, he read to himself, all the 
 time changing color ; looking first to the outside, then agaii: 
 on the inside, while his eye every now and then was turned 
 on the face of the prisoner. At last he drew the Squire and 
 other two into a corner for consultation. 
 
 During all this time every one was still as death. Some- 
 thing real was now before their eyes, and a denournent was 
 about to take place as was evident from the whole demeanor 
 of the chief men. Even Clarence was ignorant of the con- 
 tents of the package, and was in as great a quandary as the 
 spectators. At last the court again took their seats, when 
 the Dominie, not being willing to trust his aid in this busi- 
 ness, took up speech himself. 
 
 " We have come to the conclusion, sir, that this is another 
 forgery, only it is of a more heinous nature than that already 
 committed by you. The other was only the name of an 
 obscure minister of the Gospel as great a sin in the sight of 
 God as could be committed ; but this, in addition, is a sin 
 against the highest authority in this State. The name of 
 George Clinton, the chief magistrate, in which he is pur- 
 ported to say, ' allow the bearer, Clarence Clinton, to pass 
 and repass unmolested.' Now our decision is, that yovi be 
 retained here till evidence can be produced from head- 
 quarters of the genuineness of this document ; or till you 
 give such security as will satisfy this court." 
 
 Clarence replied : " After what you have declared, no af- 
 firmation of mine will avail. Of the manner in which the 
 first letter was got I know something ; but how the Gover- 
 nor of this State, as you call him, should have given me that 
 letter, I am ignorant ; and as there is no one here who wil! 
 be security for a stranger lying under such charges as you 
 prefer, I must be resigned to my fate." 
 
 At this point of interest, a slight movement was observed 
 in one corner of the room ; and after the Dominie had said, 
 " Then you have no cautioner to give us," there stepped u;> to 
 the table by the side of Clarence, the tall bearded m:m h<? 
 had seen in the crowd that morning, dressed in a still inoiv 
 fantastic manner ; and throwing down a small card on i : c 
 table, before which the Dominie sat, he demanded : u if lisas
 
 JUDGMENT AND MERCY KISSED. 33] 
 
 would be sufficient assurance for the accused." The person 
 to whom this was addressed, rose in a moment, gave a 
 glance at the paper, and as he handed it back, said, bowing 
 m the most respectful manner, " Your own word would be 
 enough;" and turning to Clarence, remarked, " you are at 
 liberty, sir." 
 
 Clarence, before whom all this was acted, looked round 
 for the man who had changed the whole, from darkness to 
 light so suddenly ; but he was gone, and turning to the chair 
 again, he said : 
 
 " Reverend sir, did I understand you aright ? Am I at 
 liberty ?" 
 
 The president repeated his words in the most respectful 
 manner ; leaving Clarence and tiie whole auditory in far 
 greater wonder than he did when he entered the mill, whip 
 in hand, to chastise those negro actors. He seemed to those 
 who knew him, as if he were the one who underwent the 
 scrutiny of a pair of eyes, more penetrating than his own ; 
 and that toward the late prisoner he became obsequious. A 
 kind of amazement held ail in silence, waiting for something, 
 they knew not what, whan a stir among the crowd at the 
 door attracted the eyes of the court. The children in the 
 yard below were screaming through feir, and even the in- 
 expe lenced men grew a little pale when a tall young man 
 entered dressed in the costume of the mock Indians of the 
 region. It was evident that he was meeting but a doubtful 
 reception. The men around were seen handling their hid- 
 den weapons, for all expected a tribe of Mohawks certainly 
 to follow. 
 
 " No occasion for alarm," said the intruder. " I am a 
 messenger of peace and one of your own friends, though for 
 the present obliged for good reasons to wear this disguise. 
 I am now on an errand of deliverance." The president on 
 his feet answered : 
 
 " Teunis Roe, when we see tne garb of the cruel Brandt 
 stained with blood, you can hardly expect that the man who 
 wears it should receive a friendly welcome." 
 
 "That is true, Dominie, bat you preach, yourself, 'judge 
 not according to appearance.' Safer to meat an angel in the 
 garment of Satan, than Satan in that of an angel of light, I 
 am alone. Hear me and then judge," said Teunis, for it was 
 our friend the young Boerman of the flats who spoke. 
 
 " You have given us a new rendering of that scripture, 
 and something like a new doctrine upon it; but see that you
 
 332 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 do not wrest it to your own destruction. But what hav* 
 you to say about that fire raising ?nd midnight marauder ; 
 that heathen and scalper that has i/orn up the nests of our 
 best folks, and left so many weeping and wailing below on 
 the Vlatts, while he, like the hawk, sits up there looking do\vi 
 into their yards." 
 
 " Do not fear that I am not come to help the bloody rew, 
 so be at rest." 
 
 " Teunis," said the roused Dominie, " we never knew fear. 
 * C A good conscience is always brave." 
 
 " No one," said the youth, " ever questioned the Dominie's 
 courage ; and it is for that reason I am here at the risk of 
 my life ; and if you will hear my story you will not be long 
 sitting there on your soft chairs while your brethren of the 
 grand Consistory are up yonder chained to the rock." 
 
 " Hearken to Teunis Roe," said the Dominie, striking his 
 large fist down on the table with a force that made Tom 
 jump a loot high, and put all the rest into silence. 
 
 " My tale is soon told," said Teunis. " You know that 
 Elder Abiel, and Martin Schuyler are in the hands of the 
 Philistines ; and Brandt says he is only waiting till he gets 
 a few more, and the Dominie himself, and then he will go off 
 with them to see the great falls of Ni-a-a-gaara." 
 
 "And by old St. Nicholas," said the brave soldier of 
 the cross and of the State, " I will meet the red sinner half 
 way, that he may see how the Lord will deliver me out of 
 the mouth of the bear, and out of the paw of the lion. Go on, 
 Teunie, and let us hear the rest of that fine tale. Here, Tom, 
 you blaspheming rascal, that mocked me behind my back, 
 bring me the tobacco pouch and pipes for us ah 1 ." 
 
 In a short time every mouth was puffing out smoke till the 
 whole room was so thick with vapor, t.iat " a piece of it," 
 Clarence afterward wrote, " could have been cut- out and sent 
 as a specimen of a Dutchman's breath." 
 
 The sum of Teunis' story was, that he was sent with a 
 message from the captives to the Consistory, desiring assi-t- 
 ance. Showing how it was not only possible, but highly 
 probable, for a few men to surprise the Indians and th-3 
 Tories on the next day, as it was their intention to divide 
 off into companies, so that the whole woods ard caves rou.i'l 
 the region might be scoured for some prisoners that had es- 
 caped. In the course of the narrative which Teunis gave, H 
 leaked out that Elsie Schuyler was one of these fugitives, and 
 that alcng with her was a young lady, who had been t.il^uu
 
 .JUDGMENT AND MEECT KISSEU. 333 
 
 to the mountains. No one could tell how. It would, never- 
 theless, be a great act of humanity, to save two such 
 young and beautiful girls from such a spoiling set of murder- 
 ers, as these Indians were. 
 
 " O ! yaw, yaw ! Teunis, you have got a kindness for every 
 piece of humanity ; and for all woman kind in general ; but 
 for Elsie in a bpecial degree. Well, no harm in that ; I could 
 teK a tale myself, if the ' 'Yfvrow ' were here. Let that 
 pass, and tell us something more about that other young 
 girl : I see a pair of eyes in that corner there looking at you 
 as if they would draw you into them. Here, Mr. Clarence, 
 or whatever else they call you, here is some corroborative 
 proof of your unlikely tale. What say you, neighbors, to a 
 young man going off to the mountains to seek his sister ?" 
 and the Dominie laughed at the joke now, and all joined Tom 
 with the rest, turning the court- room into a house of mirth. 
 
 In the meantime, Clarence had taken out Teunis by him- 
 self, making all the inquiries which affectionate earnestness 
 could suggest. For already he was persuaded, that it could 
 be none other than Margaret. The answers he received 
 went all to confirm him in the suspicion he had formed the 
 moment that Teunis had said there were two young women, 
 and one of them a stranger. It was something to know she 
 was out of the Hands of the destroyer, but the dangers which 
 still surrounded her made him all the more eager to be off, 
 which he and Teunis were determined upon, whatever might 
 be the conclusion of the present reverend conclave. 
 
 The discussions now were informal, and turned upon the 
 best way of accomplishing the desired object. As in nil bodies 
 of men, there was a division of opinion. The Dominie headed 
 one side and old Mat Van Deusen the other. The latter had 
 objections to everything, and every plan. He appeared to' 
 have no heart in the matter. Clarence made up his mind 
 that here was one of those secret friends of the king, who 
 inwardly wished Brandt to get off with his captives. Could 
 the young Englishman only have had the ear of the Dutch- 
 man a few minutes, he thought, an argument might be pro- 
 duced, that would prove powerful and efficient. As things 
 appeared, nothing was likely to be done by such slow men ; 
 and of divided counsel. 
 
 Silence prevailed, and even darkness brooded over the 
 place ; scarcely a face could be distinctly seen, for the smoke 
 that rose from every mouth. All took the cue from the chief 
 man, and he was rapt up in his own thoughts ; ami mighi
 
 334 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 be following after some knotty text, or deep doctrine, while 
 his counsellors were quite as silent, and their countenances 
 more meaningless. But at this juncture the door was flung 
 wide open with haste, and in stepped Grant the Scotchman. 
 out of breath. His first words were : 
 
 " Minister, you and your session there, sit greatly at your 
 ease, when the work of treason is going on round you." 
 
 " What now, Hugh Grant," said the Dominie, taking the 
 long pipe from his mouth, holding it ready for the blast. 
 " We have seen you on fire before," and with that he con- 
 tinued on with his smoking. 
 
 " Weel, weel," said Grant, " maybe you'll lock the stable, 
 when the steed is stown ; but I'll shake myself clear of the 
 sin at ony rate. I'm tauld that a' those ofiishers o' the king, 
 are awa' on a bunt to the tap o' Ben I mean HOUR' Tap, 
 and that that wild Tory sergeant McDonald, has gune with 
 them ; taken a young lad dressed in the philabeg aboon the 
 knee ; and it is thocht by the maist of folks to be nae one else 
 than her that was actin' the lady here before you this morn- 
 ing. She, or he is carrying dispatches to the sooth by that 
 way, since the road by the river is closed." 
 
 Before Grant was through, not a pipe but was held be- 
 tween the finger and the thumb of its owner. The president 
 had removed his, and was rolling up the tobacco bag with 
 care, evidently working himself up into a state of excitement, 
 before he would venture to express his determination. Even 
 old Mat Van Deusen looked mad, at the course things were 
 taking ; and was the first to say, " It is time for us to act." 
 The decision was becoming every moment more forcible, 
 though as yet nothing was spoken, or a movement from the 
 place where they sat. Clarence, all excitement and afraid 
 lest something might come out concerning his knowledge of 
 the -eal state of things, was planning within himself how he 
 might leave without incurring the suspicion of those, who 
 unquestionably knew more than was expressed.
 
 MARCHING TO THE MOUNTAINS. 335 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 FTTH MARSHALLING AND MARCHING OF THE MIGHTY TO THE 
 MOUNTAINS. 
 
 " The more haste the less speed 
 Said the tailor to the long threed." 
 
 SCOTTISH PBOTKRB. 
 
 DOMINIE SCHTTNEMAN had a favorite maxim, which he 
 put into practice most faithfully, as Cecil said to Queen 
 Elizabeth, " Let us take time, that we may make the better 
 haste." He made ail sit down or stand quiet in their places, 
 and knowing him well, they obeyed instinctively. He gave 
 the cast to his face which it always took just before he spoke. 
 They listened to what they knew was coming. 
 
 " Providence points us to duty. As Vader Abraham was 
 sent to the slaughter of the kings, who came upon the plain, 
 he brought back all the goods, and also again his brother 
 Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and much people. 
 ' Tom, bring me the big Bible, till I read how David, that 
 good soldier and saint, did, when they came and told him that 
 the Amalekites had invaded the south, and smitten Ziglag. 
 and burned it with fire.' You will find it in the twenty, 
 ninth chapter of the first book of Samuel." And he read it 
 through with the coolest deliberation, greatly to the annoy- 
 ance of the two impatient young men, who had no resource 
 but to wait patiently. 
 
 But after reading this long text, he commenced his exhor- 
 tation. " Brethren, can we sit still, and our friends all in 
 the wolfs den ? Good hunters all of you, fathers and sons. 
 Were a painter to come out, or a Avhole army of wildcats to 
 run down these hills, would not the whole congregation 
 men, women and kinderen go off, even on a Sunday after- 
 noon, to kill them ; and there now is that wolf Kiskataaru, 
 and his cubs, fixing their teeth on the cheek of Elsie Scliiiy- 
 ler she that every young man in the parish would run off 
 his legs to get for a wife ; and there you are lotting her fecht 
 it out herself. I say the youth that relieves her out of bond- 
 age shall have her." 
 
 This was met by a cheer that made the stone house ri..;.'.
 
 836 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 " Who will go up with me to Rammothgilead to battle ?" 
 
 " We will all go," was the answer ; " only lead us out, and 
 we will follow the one that bears the ark." 
 
 " Oh, yes," said old Mat Van Deusen, slily, " put the 
 Dominie in the front. He is a good mark. They will be 
 sure to hit him." 
 
 " Shame upon you, Mat," said the Dominie, shaking at the 
 deacon his big fist ; "you have no more courage than your 
 black dog Morgan. You, a Christian soldier that I have 
 been exercising so long in the canons of the church! Hal 
 ha ! deacon, there is for you," and he shook Mat by the 
 shoulder till he made his teeth chatter, when he declared 
 that it was through perfect fear. 
 
 " Now who is ready? Let us all to work," said the pastor, 
 rising himself. 
 
 "I am ready," said Torn, lifting up the clasped Bible, 
 when his master's back was turned, as if it were a stone to 
 fling at the head of an enemy, when the Dominie suddenly 
 wheeled to see the fun, which Fie perceived must be going on 
 behind him; the comical fellow jumped to the door at 
 three steps, saying to those near him, " O, lor' ! forty stripes 
 for supper, and one spoonful less." 
 
 " Mr. Clarence, this matter concerns you as much as any 
 of us ; but I do not see how you can fight against the king's 
 servants conscientiously." This was said in a whisper. 
 
 " Oh," said Clarence, " I will serve humanity and affec- 
 tion first, and the king will receive his share afterward." 
 
 "Alas! alas! sir, these sentiments are sadly forgotten in 
 these days of blood and rapine. Human nature is a miserable 
 piece of inconsistency. It turns out the widow and the 
 orphan into the wilderness, to die of nakedness and hunger, 
 or worse ; and one of Eve's other daughters is reft away in 
 no worse manner, ami we will fly through fire and water to 
 deliver that single one." 
 
 Clarence was left to muse over these true sayings, while 
 the Dominie called out after those around the house, who 
 seemed to wait upon his orders. 
 
 " Leftenant Grant and Captain Salisbury, drum up your 
 volunteers, and meet, all well armed, an hour hence, in the 
 church, with provisions in your knapsacks for three days at 
 least ; and see that your men be like Gideon's choice troops, 
 not greedy of drink." 
 
 A general dispersion of all here took place preparatory to 
 a march to the mountains that night. No one was more
 
 MARCHING TO THE MOUNTAINS. 33T 
 
 active than old Mat Van Deusen, who gave his horse to a 
 young stripling at the gate, telling him to " ride along the 
 whole road to Coxsackie, and be back in time, after warning 
 every man, though old Bet should fall in the ditch at the 
 close of the race, and you beside her." In this way the dif- 
 ferent roads were resounding with horses' hoof* ; and there 
 was not that day a heavy-bottomed Dutchman along the 
 Kaatskill flats. Once under way, they swept the air 
 like a weU ballasted sloop, in a fair wind, through the 
 water. 
 
 Teunis and Clarence took to each other through common 
 troubles, so that before an hour had passed, they were sworn 
 friends, and bound to do their utmost for the deliverance of 
 those who were dearer to them than life. Their fears were, 
 that the little army now mustering would be too late ; and 
 every moment's delay rendered them more impatient to ba 
 off and up the mountain's side. 
 
 In a shorter time than Clarence could have thought it 
 possible for any but regular troops to have assembled, he saw 
 that the yard and road around the church were crowded 
 with men and horses, when out from the midst of them came 
 the Dominie's man, bowing and sniggering, as he said, 
 "Massa Domilie 'sire de compaly of de gentlemen in de 
 C'nsistry room." 
 
 Having gone through with his message, and walking back, 
 he sidled up to Teunis, saying : 
 
 " Massa Teunie hab on de Iiigin cloades ; come frob Brandt's 
 fireplace, eh ?" 
 
 " I have been up there," was the dry reply of Teunis, 
 " and I am going back again. Has the nigger any message 
 to Cuff?" This was intended to sound the fellow, whom 
 he suspected and intended to circumvent. 
 
 " Tom vud like good deal to see Cuffee, ma goot frien' ; de 
 great African king in his own Ian'. He now valk beside de 
 great Ingin Mohawk king, and, no more 'fraid ob ole' Beal 
 and tick vip. Ha ! ha ! Cuffee dat licked de ole boy in do 
 dark." 
 
 "Now Tom, what would your master say if he heard that 
 you wanted to see Cuff? He would suspect that you wanted 
 to do the same thing to him ; cudgel him and then sell him 
 to the Indians." 
 
 Tom looked from under his cap to see if the land was all 
 clear, and thinking that he spoke only to the real kingsman, 
 he said under his breath : 
 
 15
 
 38 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 " O lor'! vont he roar ven de Mohawk skins him." 
 
 Torn, walked off, leaving the two young men remarking to 
 each other, " Slavery, whatever may be said of it, has two 
 sides. There are very few of these men in black skins, 
 who would rejoice at the captivity of their masters, but there 
 are some who would deliver them up. " The Cuff he speaks 
 of, lias just betrayed one of the best of men.'' 
 
 They entered among the secret friands, who were sitting 
 in council. The Dominie, as usual, took up the speech, and 
 addressed them saying : " We have sent for you both, that 
 we may have the benefit of your information, and of your ex- 
 perience. Teuiiis, we shall hear you on the first ; and you, 
 sir, Clarence, on the second ; and as you are both interested 
 in this matter personally, we have a pledge that you will be 
 sincere." 
 
 The young colonist told them all he knew of the numbers, 
 the intentions, and the plans of the party above. How many 
 real Indians there were, and how many disguised Tories. 
 " So far as I can guess, they have private instructions to re- 
 main on the flat rock, till they do all that can be done to 
 secure one prisoner of great importance, a young lady of 
 high note, who has made her escape, and is hidden away in 
 the clefts of the rocks. An officer of the British army is 
 there, and exercises a great influence over the Mohawk ; so 
 that he seems to do just as he directs. How long this may 
 remain, no one can conjecture; but to-morrow is to be the 
 great and general hunt ; what is called by the Indian a ring. 
 One is to start from the camp now fixed, and spread three 
 miles wide, each man to be within hearing of two ; one be- 
 fore and another behind. Then turning till all meet at the 
 Kauterskill Falls. If unsuccessful they are to spread again, 
 as wide, coming round to the dog-pool; then rest tor 
 the day, and perhaps give up the chase. That is all I know. 
 My advice is to track their circle and deliver their prisoners, 
 raising the alarm so effectually, that they will retreat sud- 
 denly, and they will leave all they have got behind." 
 
 Clarence, when asked, declined to answer, through deli- 
 cacy, but really through inexperience in such modes of war- 
 fare. But he stated his willingness sincerely to follow any 
 leader who might be appointed in an expedition that would 
 deliver those two prisoners out of the hands of those cruel 
 foes. 
 
 " Captain Van Vechten, we will hear your opinion con- 
 cerning the best way of delivering the birds out of the snare
 
 MARCHING TO THE MOUNTAINS. 339 
 
 of the fowler." The president here addressed a stout, slow- 
 looking man, who had not said a word that any one heard 
 that day. He opened his eyes like some one that is just 
 wakening out of a slumber ; and instead of speaking he 
 rolled out his tongue in something of the same way that a 
 turtle puts out its head, when boys place a hot coal upon its 
 back, moving its point from side to side. All knew his 
 weakness, or perhaps his strength ; for though he was slow 
 he was sure to act, and sure to speak to the point. 
 
 " "We are going to the mountains you say, to fight the In- 
 dians. Let one half of our men be dressed in the disguise 
 that Teunis wears, so that our party will mix with Brandt's, 
 in the circle, and let the other half be a reserve to attack 
 their main camp, when we will find no difficulty in carrying 
 off the booty. That is all." 
 
 " Now, Grant, let us hear you^" was the chiefs word to 
 that curious worthy; "see if you can keep that Scotch blood 
 of yours cool. I declare I have more trouble with these hasty 
 highlanders, than with all the rest of my parish." 
 
 This was said in a jocular vein, but the real intention 
 leaked through, and Grant understood these hints sufficiently 
 well to bridle his tongue in part. 
 
 " 'Deed, minister, I own that I am a wee thought hasty, 
 when troubled wi' such a hot spur as Sandy McLeod, or 
 Billy Salisbury here ; but mind you, that it's no the rattlin* 
 filly that gangs o'er the brae first, and that smooth water runs 
 deep, and the deil at the bottom o't sometimes. But minis- 
 ter though you be, I'll tell you this at ance, that neither I, 
 nor any one of my company will ever put on false faces, like 
 a set of silly hug-ma-na guissards ; Jesuits, naething else ; 
 wha would pretend to be friends in the morning, then turn 
 round before night and stick a gully-knife in a man's wame. 
 I'm for being up and at it at ance, having a fair fecht and din 
 we't. A true Indian is a real gentleman, we' a brown face 
 o' his ain ; but a man putting a feather in his cap, and mark- 
 ing his cheeks wi* a bit o' burnt cork, and calling himself * 
 Mohawk chief, I despise him with a perfect scunner." 
 
 " What say ye, Willy Salisbury, man ?" 
 
 The person addressed had a mischievous pleasure of tor- 
 menting the Scotchman, and though they were great friends, 
 and on all important occasions usually agreed, could not resist 
 the temptation of saying in reply: 
 
 " Grant has a great distaste to the Indian dress, but, 
 the Highlanders are only of the same breed of the \viiJ
 
 310 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 men. Burgoyne called the BLACK WATCH, the English 
 savages." 
 
 " Haud your tongue," said Grant, in his good-natured 
 fury, " you Sassenach, if yo do not want me to put this whit- 
 tle up to the heft in your buttock. The kilt, let me tell you, 
 as the minister said to me, is the garb of old Gaul, and that 
 was the pride of old Rome. When your forefathers came 
 doon to Scotland trying to enslave us, as they are trying to 
 put the collar on the neck o' this kintra, they had just to look 
 at the kilt, and aff they skilped as if a dirk was in their 
 doup." 
 
 " O, yes !" said the tormentor, " that was at the race of 
 Colloden ; my father was there, and he declared that it was 
 the finest thing he ever saw." 
 
 " Except," said Grant, in something of hearty bitterness, 
 " the race o' Prestonpans, where the English horsemen were 
 the first to bring the news to Ernbro that they were beaten 
 by these kilted men, armed wi' hooks an' scythes." 
 
 "I think you are even now," said the Dominie, who knew 
 Grant too well not to see that his blood was rising. " We 
 must come to business. Let Captain Van Vechten have the 
 charge of his plan, as every one can carry out their own 
 sohemes best. Captain Salisbury, you will take charge of the 
 main body, and let Grant have the reserve. We will start all 
 together an hour after sundown ; going by the north side of 
 Ho and Top ; and be sure that not a whisper of this be dropped 
 outside, for that wily snake has got his ears laid low to the 
 ground already, and might take us in a lone place before we 
 knew what was the matter. Let our Indian captain send his 
 single scouts in all directions, to prevent surprises. Our 
 rendezvous at an hour before sunrise, a mile above Hermit's 
 Hollow, on the side of the North Mountain.'' 
 
 " Losh keeo us," said Grant, " he is nae doubt going douu 
 to see that Warlock body in the glen. He is a fearless crea- 
 ture that Dominie, minister of ours. That's the way o' the 
 inini&ters in the highlans ; they are acquaint with a' the 
 witches in the kiutra side." 
 
 By this time the volunteers were all come in, mostly very 
 young men, and those past middle life, as the able-bodied of 
 the population were away in the army. A large draught 
 had been made but recently for the army of the north, to fol- 
 low up the victory of Saratoga, now crowned with complete 
 SUCC3SS in the subjugation of Burgoyne. Had it been a 
 Inuring excursion, they on the ground that day could not
 
 MARCHING TO THE MOUNTAINS. S4? 
 
 have entered into the frolic with more zest and spirit. All 
 present had been out night after night many times before 
 this, chasing the bear and the panther. Scarcely a youth pre 
 sent but had killed some of the kinds common in the region, 
 and was familiar with danger. Even the blacks, who are a 
 stout, athletic race, many of them the genuine " Guinea nig- 
 ger," and all of them but one or two removes from the 
 original African, were eager for the frolic ; and some of 
 them, for secret reasons, were jumping with joy. 
 
 " Boys," the Dominie cried, at the full pitch of his voice, 
 " before we march let us seek the counsel of the Lord." To 
 this no objection was expressed, either in word or by look. 
 The good man's heart was brimful of devotion, so that he 
 poured out his soul with all the fervency of a saint now in 
 English and then in Dutch, and sometimes mixing the two 
 
 O ' O 
 
 languages in the same sentence ; all hearts were melted into 
 one stream. He alluded to the cloud that hung over the 
 tabernacle in the wilderness, and to the safe guidance which 
 the army of Israel had when tha ark was in the van. " And 
 now be not angry with us, O Lord, while we venture up 
 into the mount. Let it not prove to us as the mountains of 
 Gilboa did to Saul and Jonathan ; for if thou goest not with 
 us we cannot go up in peace." Breaking out into a trans- 
 port, he forgot his English, or, perhaps, he meant to rouse 
 up the hearts of his sluggish people through the tongue they 
 loved best to hear ; he prayed, " De lieflykheit des Heeren 
 onzas G-odts zy, ons en bevestigt gy het werk onzen handen 
 over ons ; ja het werk onzer handen bevestigt dat." Amen. 
 
 " Translate that last sentence to me," said Clarence, who 
 was entranced by the earnestness of the petitioner ; " it must 
 be good, it was uttered with such spirit, and the effect of it 
 is seen all around. I am not without some of the influence 
 myself, though I am almost ignorant of the meaning." 
 
 " It is good," said Teunis ; " but the Dominie has a hand- 
 some way of saying these things, which adds to their effect. 
 The words at the close were, " Let the beauty of the Lord 
 our God be upon us, and establish thou the work of our hands 
 upon us ; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it." 
 
 " There comes the ' Yfvrow ! there comes the 'Yfvrow !" 
 was sounded all through the company. " We will hear 
 something now." 
 
 " You seem to be in a hurry," was the salutation of Mat Van 
 Deusen to the lady of the parsonage. " You put me in mind 
 of the big East Indiaman that my father says he saw, he.vv y
 
 342 THE DUTCH DOMINTE. 
 
 loaded, coming down the Scheldt, on her outward bound 
 voyage." 
 
 " Hurry, indeed, as you say, Mat Van Deusen, when a 
 woman's life is to be left exposed to savages, and worse men 
 Dominie Schuneman, where are you going ?" said the jolly 
 'Yfvrow, " leaving me here in charge of a whole parish, white 
 and black, and " 
 
 " These young darlings at your heels," was the filling up 
 which the husband gave to the sentence begun by the careful 
 wife. He knew that she would oppose his going, and had hid- 
 den it from her to the last moment ; and now that he was all 
 ready he had no objections to her bidding him good-bye, 
 while all the family followed for the same purpose. 
 
 " Where are you going, Dominie ?" she renewed her ques- 
 tion, with a softer look. Her fine, full face glowed like a 
 morning sun, and her tall, rather heavy form, in the excite- 
 ment of the moment, had life throughout the whole, which 
 gave it elasticity and motion, quick and graceful. The 
 Dominie stood entranced, but not in the least hesitating, as 
 she said energetically, " You will get your neck broken on 
 some of these night expeditions ; you will not escape the lead 
 always that the wicked man has run for you. Can you not 
 leave such work to them that should do it, and mind the 
 business that properly belongs to you." 
 
 " 'Yfvrow, 'Yfvrow ! my work is to do good for God and to 
 my country, as did the high priest of old, who buckled the 
 sword of Goliah on the patriotic David, and blessed him, 
 sending him forth to battle." 
 
 " Yaw, yaw ! but he did not go himself, but stayed at 
 home, attending upon his work in the tabernacle." 
 
 " You have forgotten, 'Yfvrow, that he went before, carry- 
 ing the ark in the sight of the people." 
 
 " Dominie Schuneman," said the softened but proud wife, 
 " we have not all been at Leyden, so I cannot argue with you 
 in that style ; but affection pleads in me more powerfully 
 than learning." 
 
 As the tear glistened in the eye of the wife and the mother, 
 and there was not a man there who would have ventured to 
 call the Dominie a coward had he remained at home but the 
 man of God was made of sterner stuff than to yield up at 
 such a juncture he said : 
 
 "All that you say is true, Maria; but there are other 
 parents in the world besides us. There is Martinus and 
 Anshela Schuyler crying after their dochter Elsie the niece
 
 MARCHING TO THE MOUNTAINS. 343 
 
 of oui good friend the general ; and she i:s away into cap- 
 tivity somewhere iu the mountains : and what would we say 
 if our little dawty there was in the same place, and no one 
 willing to risk a gun-shot for her life." 
 
 The good 'Yvfrow smiled, and looking through her tears, 
 asked if he intended " to let all these men go off hungry to 
 the hills ?" 
 
 In a few minutes all the servants of the house were seen out 
 on the road, loaded with all sorts of eatables and drinkables. 
 These were spread out on the horse blocks, on the pews in- 
 side the church, and even on the flat gravestones outside. 
 The parting meal was made up of ham and eggs, sausages 
 and roiiches. Breads of all kinds of Hour, and cakes without 
 number ; ole cake, Johny cake, crawley cake, fritter cake, and 
 buckwheat cake ; with more of Dutch names than would be 
 safe for any man to speak of. Grant said "these Dutch 
 words always stretched his jaw so that he would as soon read 
 the tenth chapter of Nehemiah, when he was hungry, as try 
 to learn to speak them ; unless," he added, " this wife o' the 
 minister should be my schule master ; for verily she is a per- 
 fect Abigail, wi' her loaves and her wine, and her hundred 
 kinds o' cakes ; but there is a kind she has na got yet, and 
 that was ait cake : and as for the Dominie himself, he aye be- 
 lieved that there must be some Scotch blind in his veins, he 
 was sic a sensible body." 
 
 The good dame having got over her fears, went from place 
 to place, urging upon them all to eat ; flinging down at the 
 same time a slice of rye bread on this place, and a piece of pork 
 on that ; and not passing one by, unless she showed her kind- 
 uess practically. A good word she had for all. When she 
 came to Teunis, she urged him to eat, and be sure and tell 
 Elsie that she would expect her to come down and spend 
 a week with her at the parsonage, till the Hoogenhuisc'ii was 
 built again. Turning to Clarence, she put on the dignity 
 of a duchess, hoping he would soon find his sister ; and as 
 this was an easy route to return by, it would be good to 
 spend a night by the way after her fright. At the tirno sl-e 
 was saying this to him, she was pouring out a glass of her 
 best Hollands for his particular use. 
 
 " You will find us, sir," she said, " plain, true hearted folk, 
 who know both how to treat a friend and a. foe." 
 
 Clarence drank her health standing, with his hat in band ; 
 wishing that " never worse than the present might bo seen by 
 him or his iriends on any side of the sea."
 
 344 THE DUTCH DOMTME. 
 
 All were now ready to march agreeably to the order laid 
 down. The Dominie and about ten of the ancients of the 
 town were in the saddle. Tom, that sh'ppery dog, had charge 
 of what might be called a sumpter horse, since on its back 
 was a large bag of all kinds of necessaries ; and his master's 
 cloak, which the careful 'Yfvrow had ordered to be strapped 
 behind, so that he might have it ready for immediate use, 
 Coming up close to his stirrup iron, she said : 
 
 " Now, Dominie, see that you take good care of yourself, 
 and tie this round your mouth to keep out the night air and 
 the cauld dews ; and mind me and the kinderen ; as she 
 looked up in his face more softly than she would have 
 done an hour before. 
 
 "Get away with you, now, Maria," as he held down his 
 head to her cheek ; " you know that I am never cold ; my 
 feet are always out of bed at night. My head, you tell me, 
 often is too hot ; but you know, Maria, dearest, my heart is 
 never cold ; and for you and the kinderen it is always glow- 
 ing warm." 
 
 Here the equally warm-hearted wife lifted her head a little 
 nearer to the saddle girths, as the good man said, in his usual 
 half jesting way, when he wished to be familiar and fond : 
 
 " Indeed, wife, I think were I laid in the clay there, my 
 heart would throb back to you, were you to put your hand 
 on the turf." 
 
 A tear sparkled in the 'Yfvrow's eye ; and as the men had 
 moved off a little way, she embraced her lord most heartily ; 
 as he rode away from her sight, saying, " the Lord be with 
 thee."
 
 BOOK IV. 
 THE FAILURE OF BRANDT; 
 
 SHOWING 
 
 THE STRENGTH OF INDIAN AMBITION AND REVENGE, 
 
 AND 
 HOW THEY WERE FRUSTRATED.
 
 BOOK IV. 
 
 THE Mohawk chief ostensibly sought to obtain a diversion 
 in favor of Burgoyne, but that was not his main design. 
 He was proud of being the hereditary king of the Six 
 Nations, cherishing the name and the fame of Hendrick, 
 who fought for that title with a forecast and a vigor worthy 
 of any ancient hero. The honor bestowed upon Hendrick by 
 Queen Anne, along with other Indian chiefs, had made him 
 mad after more honors ; and as he had but one rival worthy 
 of the rank, he resolved to contend openly with E-tau-o-quam 
 in his place on the Hudson, at the mouth of the Kaatskill, 
 which he had done twenty years before, coming off victo- 
 riously. 
 
 The tradition of that great event was cherished with vene- 
 ration by the Mohawk nation, and induced them willingly, 
 to make the attack upon the same point now, in full confi- 
 dence of gaining honor from their Great Father, over the 
 big waters, as heretofore. The vast West was at the com- 
 mand of some one, daring enough to seize the power, and who 
 so able and willing as Brandt ? The impossibility of uniting 
 the king's armies of the North and the South, presented a 
 most favorable chance for cutting the rebels in two, and thus 
 leaving them like a serpent that lies on a path intercepting a 
 march, to wriggle out life. To obtain joint possession of
 
 34:8 BOOK IV. 
 
 Wantonia tne island at the mouth of the Kaatskill was the 
 purpose of the Mohawk. Divided, the American patriots must 
 yield, or be greatly weakened by the forces brought against 
 them at all points. To execute this scheme, Butler, the 
 notorious Englishman, and his brother, had made themselves 
 favorites with the Indian tribes, from their sheer desire for blood 
 and rapine, resembling more the appetite of a panther than 
 the generous enmity of a civilized foe. Willing to carry out 
 their hatred at all sacrifices, they gave up the honor of com- 
 manding, into the hands of the Mohawk, who, in return for 
 these honors, which gratified his ambition and his pride, lent 
 them his influence and his braves, who proved themselves 
 but too willing to follow wherever Butler led. Hence we 
 have the massacre Wyoming to record, which was to have 
 been followed, in due time, by similar attacks all along the 
 lines, till it would be impossible to raise men who would be 
 willing to follow Washington or Gates, leaving their dis- 
 tricts open to the attack of these cruel assassins of women 
 and children. 
 
 This savage force, which was becoming every day more 
 formidable, had a wide territory on which to exercise their 
 designs undisturbed. No wise general in the present state 
 of the frontiers, would dare to venture an army into a dense 
 wilderness where no support could be obtained, and all 
 retreat cut off from their base of operations. It seems to 
 be a maxim with military men, that the possessor of the 
 heights has the command of the country. A salutary fear 
 prevented all the officers in command from an attempt to 
 dislodge an enemy seemingly intrenched behind the strongest 
 wall nature herself could raise. 
 
 It was, therefore, all the more remarkable, that the at-
 
 BOOK rv. 349 
 
 tempt of the Dominie to drive Brandt and his allies back 
 from the verge of the precipice, should be undertaken by 
 one ignorant of such an old and unrepealed rule of war. 
 Perhaps the very ignorance of a non-official man, possessed 
 of good common sense, may have been the very cause of his 
 seeming temerity. Had any of the superior men at arms 
 come along and shaken their heads in doubt of success, 
 it is likely that the good Dominie Schuneman would have 
 hesitated; but having been many times after wolves 
 among these heights, he always found that if he could suc- 
 ceed in mounting up still higher, there was small cause of 
 fear, when the hunter was brave and well armed. The time 
 may come when this daring common sense shall take the 
 place of that theoretical caution which lets an enemy 
 remain undisturbed, provided he is in possession of a hill- 
 side. The historian, in faithfully narrating this first blow at 
 the barbarians on the mountains, may show to the high 
 authorities of the land, how the key to the vast and un- 
 known West can be applied again successfully, in opening 
 that rocky barrier which shuts the whole world out, and yet 
 leaves the savage a means of escape.
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 HUNTING THE LION AND HIS TAWNY WHELPS. 
 
 " As when some huntsman with a flying spear 
 From the blind thickets wounds a stately deer, 
 Down his cleft side, while fresh the blood distills, 
 He bounds aloft and scuds t'rom hills to hills, 
 Till life's warm vapor issuing from the wound, 
 Wild mountain wolves the fainting beast surround." 
 
 POPS. 
 
 ALL being ready, the rude soldiers moved away under the 
 command of their several leaders, a motley and irregular 
 band, at sight of which the well trained and practised smiled. 
 They were like a fleet of Newcastle colliers putting to sea, 
 roaring, tugging, screaming at the full pitch of their, lungs, 
 each one in the others' way. The man-of-war's man, fresh 
 from Portsmouth, would turn the quid in his mouth, drawing 
 up the wide trowsers, as he swore an oath at these landlub- 
 bers pretending to be jack tars. But after waiting a short 
 time, he sees them all out to sea and on their vogage. 
 
 Every one of this straggling crew, had an individual mind, 
 and every one watched the movements of the Dominie, who 
 at length rode up with fury that he might take the lead in 
 the cavalcade. 
 
 " There he goes noo at last," said the impatient Grant, 
 " like another Abrauhaum, going after the slaughter of the 
 kings ; and literally true is it as the Scriptur says, wi' his 
 armed servants, three hundred and aughteen, pursuing them 
 even unto Dan." 
 
 " Do you think," said Salisbury, " that he will bring back 
 Ids brother L<9t and his goods and the women also." 
 
 " Nae saying, nae saying," was Grant's sincere answer, " he 
 is a bauld creature that Dominie, and a stout body till the 
 bargain." 
 
 Teunis and Clarence were considered as independent vo- 
 lunteers, and went together with more thougbtfulness than 
 pervaded the company in general, who had not so much at 
 
 851
 
 352 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 stake. Even the reverend leader joked ; Tom whistled what 
 he durst not speak out, and until they got within the line of 
 the enemy, expressed their feelings as they deemed best. 
 After they reached the foot of the mountain, they were 
 ordered to speak less and in a quieter tone. By and by the 
 Dominie told them their march must be in silence. 
 
 " Down in dc belly, spose," Tom said he knew " 'hem nig- 
 ger did dat ; could make himself tink two nigger in him at 
 onon ; one down cellar noder up stair." 
 
 " llold your peace, you scoundrel ; now, when I think of it, 
 the forty stripes must come oif soon, else we shall have the 
 mountain echoes resounding with your pig squealing." 
 
 " Lor' massa, me can't help telling Brandt w'ere massa am 
 if him gib forty save vone dis night ; best 'spense wid de 
 forty and gib de one." 
 
 *' And a good one let it be then," said the Dominie, as he 
 unexpectedly struck over the shoulders of the unsuspecting 
 Tom ; who roared out so lustily that there was some tear of 
 wakening up the wild human and bestial. 
 
 Clarence and Teunis had made up their minds to go for- 
 ward and reconnoitre the state of affairs ; and there seemed 
 to be no immediate objections to that course. But Grant, 
 to whom they broke their mind, did not exactly relish the 
 movement on the part of two untried men, still wearing the 
 livery of the king. He did not exactly suspect them of 
 treachery, but he deemed it best to be cautious. He said, as 
 if incidentally : 
 
 " You will run great risk, callants, only twa o' you among 
 so many Tory Indians. If they catch you they will roast 
 you like a red herring." 
 
 "We have planned all that, you see," said Teunis. "I have 
 got on their dress already, and I can easily get a disguise for 
 my friend here. We intend joining them, so that we may 
 be near the girls, should their place of refuge be discovered." 
 
 "' Wull to cooper, gang to cooper,' as they say in Fife ; but 
 I wouldna disguise my face for all the lasses that ever lilted 
 a strathspey. An Indian garb is a mean looking thing at the 
 best, and I cannot help suspecting the man that puts it on. 
 You maun just excuse me for sayin' what I do say." 
 
 Teunis, who did get flushed in the face at the insinuation, 
 put in here a word concerning his fidelity, and he was con- 
 ning a speech in accordance with his fiery look, which would 
 certainly have produced trouble, as the hasty Scot only 
 wanted the chance of giving expression to his doubts, when
 
 HUNTING THE LION AND HIS TAWNY WHELPS. 353 
 
 Clarence with great address, turned the mind of Grant into 
 his favorite theme by asking : 
 
 " How that valley down below there would compare with 
 the sceneiy of Scotland. You have been up here, of course, 
 in the day time, and can judge." 
 
 " Oh, aye, sir, I have been up here hunting wi' the lads 
 that are prisoners down in the toon ; and to be honest, I 
 think the size of the country tak's away from the feeling of 
 pleasure I used to hae, when I looked down frae a Scottish 
 mountain." 
 
 " But does not that make the sublimity all the more, if 
 there be a sufficient variety of hill and dale, wood and water, 
 interspersed. And then, surely the forest rising up as this 
 does to the very top, must be more beautiful at all tunes of 
 the year than the bare furze on the Scottish mountains." 
 
 " Heather sir, heather is the word. There is music in the 
 very soond o' the word, and as to the sight, I have seen nae- 
 thing here thnt can stand a comparison with the bloom o' the 
 heather. Oh no, sir ; they have nae sangs about the woods 
 up here, nor the streams. I never heard a lassie in this 
 whole land singing the sma'est lilt about the hills and bur- 
 nies in all this Ian'. Man, if you gang up Ben Cruachan, or 
 down the dale o' Aberfeldy, you would think all nature 
 vocal." 
 
 " True, true ; but then the Scotch are a singing race of peo- 
 ple, and they have had such a noble history, it makes the 
 natives glud." 
 
 " That's a' true, and finely said," was the answer of the 
 flattered Scot, " frae you that's an Englishman ; for nae 
 doubt, you hae been in Scotland, hunting in the Highlands. 
 If you have stood on the tap o' Ben Ledi, you have seen 
 another sight than what you will see the morn at sunrise 
 here ; and you will see eneuch here to make your een glance, 
 I'll allow." 
 
 "Keeping out of view the associations of the Scottish 
 scenery, where to your mind lies the difference between 
 them ?" asked his new acquaintance, who was anxious to keep 
 the good opinion of Grant, who would be a formidable enemy 
 if enraged, or even were he to remain prejudiced, as he was 
 evidently against him and Teunis. 
 
 " I think, sir, that the chief difference between wh.at we 
 see here, and that of a Scottish mountain and glen, with all 
 the rest that surround them, lies in the fact that you can take 
 in all Ben Lomond and the loch bclo\v, with the island.''
 
 354 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 out, down to Dumbarton, and on to Tintock tap, at ae glance ; 
 and it's all grand. But, here man, everything is on sic a great 
 scale, that I canna comprehend it. My head gets so dizzy 
 that I feel as if a' my thoughts had turned into bumble bees. 
 Just this minute, as I'm looking down in the dark, rny brain 
 is maer like a bike before it hives aff than anything else. Do 
 you no feel something like it yourself, sir ?" 
 
 " I confess, Grant, that my head is turned after all I have 
 seen and heard this day," said the young man, anxious to 
 keep the lieutenant from the subject of Teunis' departure, 
 as he perceived his new friend negotiatiag the matter with 
 the chiefs ; " but if I may guess from what you say, there 
 must be a fine uncultivated field for the future poet in that 
 very greatness and mistiness, which meet in the far off 
 horizon, where the other mountain tops just peer through 
 the clouds. And that noble river, running through the centre 
 where the forests are ever living and moving." 
 
 " You are very eloquent on what you have never seen yet ; 
 out even your description does not come up half to it; and as 
 you say yoursel', it will require some poet like Allan Ramsay 
 to sing about it. At any rate, it will be a lang while before 
 this can compare wi' the hills o' Caledonia. Daunie McGre- 
 gor there will tell you, that the hill o' Kenmore, where the 
 Yerl of Breadalbane has his house, is as like the Garden o* 
 Eden as this mountain is like that where Noah's ark rested 
 after the flood. Indeed, I doutna but the auld carle when 
 he looked frae his craw's nest out o'er the plains of Shinar, as 
 the folks here do, when they look out on that valley where 
 the sun shines noo, said that will be a bonny country when 
 it is a* peopled, and growing o'er wi' corn, and the river Hud- 
 son there speckled wi' sails. But man, whan that takes place, 
 we will a' be lying beneath the yird; and what the better 
 am I ?" 
 
 Grant would, with a willing listener, as nis present auditor 
 proved to be, have gone on till the morning in the same strain ; 
 but Clarence, perceiving that Teunis had succeeded in con- 
 vincing the Dominie of the excellence of his plan, allowed 
 him to give his own report, and all the leaders were called 
 together, that there might be a proper understanding in the 
 morning. 
 
 " We must fix upon a signal" said the Dominie, " for we have 
 a wily serpent to deal with, and we cannot guard ourselves 
 too well. What shall the word be ?" 
 
 " Tho sword of the Lord and of Schuneman," shouted out
 
 HUNTIXG THE LION AND HIS TAWNY WHELPS. 355 
 
 the enthusiastic Grant, as if he had made a discovery of per- 
 petual motion and was afraid it might slip back down hift 
 throat before he could give it out. " The sword of the Lord 
 and of Sch uneman," he repeated, to be sure that he heard it 
 himself. They were about to give a cheer, but restraining, 
 themselves said " Amen : so let it be." 
 
 And so the two young men left, careful to bid Grant the 
 most cordial good bye. 
 
 " ISToo," said that worthy, after they were gone, " it's my 
 opinion that we have not shown muckle sense in that. What 
 would you say if the whole o' that telling of theirs was just a 
 scheme to get up here, where we canna help us'? Ane of 
 them is a king's man, we are sure, and the other to my 
 mind is a great deal worse. Baith o' them are in disguise : 
 and a man who will put on a false face for ane thing will do 
 it for anither. It would not surprise me to fin' ourselves cor- 
 bie's meat before the mornin'." 
 
 Some of the young men were so impressed with this speech 
 of Grant, that they offered to ride forward and bring the two 
 scouts back. But this was overruled by the general opinion 
 of their honesty. Indeed, Grant himself did not believe all 
 r 3 said, for he added : 
 
 " I took quite a liking to that chiel Clarence frae the first ; 
 he tauld such a straught story, and for ane, I am ready to 
 fecht for him, and for his sister when it comes to blows." 
 
 Teunis, having Clarence in charge, felt all the responsibility 
 of a man, on whom the success of a great enterprise depends ; 
 but so far from sinking under the burden, that he grew 
 stronger, able to endure anything, or to accomplish the most 
 difficult undertaking. He was casting about in his mind the 
 different ways which it might be best for him to pursue, when 
 quick as a flash he fixed on the most perilous being none 
 else than that through which Elsie had led Miss Clinton two 
 nights before this. 
 
 The two young men climbed a tree, so as to'get a full view. 
 The sky was lurid, and the din that rose from the camp of 
 Brandt and his allies was ominous of coining war. This, 
 however, was a proof of unconsciousness concerning an ene- 
 my approaching. Clarence looked down, with the eye 
 of a romantic youth, as well as of a soldier ; and as he saw 
 the fires ranged in a half circle, cut by a deep, dark gulf at 
 the distance, he imagined a thousand things of which he had 
 read and dreamed of the red man. 
 
 Round each fire, men were seen moving like thn blnc!<
 
 356 THE DUTCH DOMINIE, 
 
 spirits of pandemonium. The few days they had been there 
 had quieted the rude, and made the intelligent more reflec- 
 tive; still there were songs and coarse jests going on, which 
 made the woods ring with their noise. 
 
 " Is that high ground we see there on the south ?" said 
 Clarence, after a pause. 
 
 " Yes, sir," said Teunis, in a whisper, for he knew that 
 sentinels were near. " Your soldierly eye is laying out the 
 battle for to-morrow, but the Mohawk has not left himself 
 without a way of retreat." 
 
 " Well for him," said the other, now also under his breath, 
 " for, I declare, it makes my nerves tingle to see how easily 
 the whole might be surprised, and put to flight. But how I 
 should like to see all these dusky warriors start up at the 
 sound of the trumpet." 
 
 " The war-whoop you mean, sir ; but it makes the Dutch 
 blood in my veins curdle when I see these fiends, not soldiers, 
 hiding themselves till the time comes for them to shoot out 
 their fiery tongues." 
 
 " You are right, friend Teunis ; as Hook down, my memory 
 helps me to words that suit the scene before us well : ' It was 
 a place for the habitations of carnal sinners. The winds, full 
 of stiffened voices, buffeted their souls, forever whirling them 
 away to and fro, dashing them, the one against the other.' 
 There is a crowd driven in a body like dark stars by a sul- 
 phureous blast." 
 
 Teunis, who never had heard of Dante, and was in no mood 
 for imaginary description, said in low tones, as if afraid the 
 Mohawk might hear him, " You may distinguish Brandt's 
 tent by its standing in front of all the rest ; can you see 
 figures moving ?'' 
 
 " I do,'* said the young scholarly soldier, replying in the 
 words of the same poet ; " ' 'Tis hell, thick smoke carved into 
 images black, yet lustrous ; shapes of dignity, they dwell 
 apart.' " 
 
 The two young men, descending from the tree, prepared 
 for the morrow. Already Clarence had determined on join 
 ing the army of the Mohawk, as the surest way of keeping 
 the dishonorable Clifford in view. But before he could do 
 that effectually, he must change the dress he had on, and 
 obtain, if possible, one of those disguises which Teunis and 
 others had assumed. He communicated his purpose to^ hit 
 companion, who, though he feared the result, saw in it a 
 boldness, which would if anything, insure it success. At
 
 THE HEAD IN THE LION's MOUTH. 357 
 
 the worst he could reveal himself, and thus claic* the protec- 
 tion of the Mohawk. 
 
 "You may obtain this," said Teunis, when Clarence 
 inquired for the disguise, " for the king's clink. There are 
 plenty of such garments to be had down there." 
 
 "Well, go, and I will remain here for a time; my blood 
 boils and I need sleep to cool my brain ; I shall lie down 
 here for an hour or two." 
 
 " Not there," said Teunis ; " but come with me wid you 
 shall have the bed that your sister and Elsie had on the night 
 I have told you of." 
 
 " None better than that where I can dream ot her nd of 
 home." 
 
 With that, Teunis led his companion to the place of repose 
 already described, which he spread with branches and a fur 
 robe he had at hand, and advised Clarence not to stir till the 
 word of the party was given before sunrise. 
 
 They parted with this understanding. 
 
 CHAPTER IL 
 
 THE HEAD IN THE LION'S MOUTH. 
 
 " Honesty Is current coin ; uprightness is fine silver ; probity, gold without alloy ; bet 
 integrity is gold, tried and purified." 
 
 OLD DIVIXE. 
 
 OUR young Dutchman, left once more alone to his own 
 thoughts, was feeling every moment more heavily upon him 
 the pressure of his responsibility. Everything appeared to 
 depend upon his prudence and his boldness. The young 
 soldier he had just parted with trusted him ; the two he had 
 seen in the morning at the falls, were waiting his return at 
 sunrise ; to-morrow the Dominie had pledged himself on 
 Tennis's behalf; the mysterious being in the hollow was ex- 
 pecting a visit from him at midnight ; Martin, father of 
 Elsie-, Bad begun to tnist him ; and above all these reasons, was 
 the consideration that Elsie herself had made his fidelity to this 
 good cause the price of her heart to him. Never did ho 
 teel till this moment that so much depended upon his faithful- 
 ness and wisdom. Under all of these obligations he did not 
 staggei. ili.s foat pressed the ground more firmly at i;vi>> v
 
 358 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 step, while he moved cautiously, where he knew the sen- 
 tinels were posted ; courageously going forward, he resolved 
 at once to present himself at the camp, and thus ascertain 
 for himself the exact state of things, and of the plan for 
 to-morrow. Veering a little to the right, he heard voices, 
 which made him turn from the path into the bushes, where 
 he lay down. Putting his ear to the ground, he quietly 
 waited for the return of the party that he knew were near. 
 There were two of them, who came back slowly, like men 
 who had sauntered aside for free conversation. 
 
 " I will cover you from all blame, as your superior. Act- 
 ing under me, you only fulfill his inajesty's orders. Have I 
 not shown you the letter of the general, to burn and take all 
 the prisoners, and to do nothing by halves?" 
 
 " Mohawk is his own chief," was the proud answer of the 
 other; "Indians cannot see the mark of the goose's wing. 
 They love the scalping-knife better. Braves cannot be tickled 
 with a feather." 
 
 " Captain Brandt," was the hasty reply of the first speaker, 
 w does not doubt my honor." There seemed as if there was 
 some handling of a sword-hilt here at this time. " Have not 
 I left my command at Fort Niagara, at the word of one of 
 your red race ? I have met you here to aid in conducting 
 these prisoners back through the wilderness. Surely that is 
 evidence of my sincerity, and of my interest in the success of 
 this enterprise. And now, just when it is about to be 
 crowned with complete success, you threaten to leave." 
 
 By this time the two men had become so much in earnest 
 in their conversation that they stood facing each other quite 
 opposite to the spot where Teunis lay quiet: for well he 
 knew that his life depended on his keeping in his breath. 
 Yet he trembled lest the beating of his puise at the wrist 
 would disturb the dry leaves on which he lay. 
 
 " Clifford was a great soldier when he fought the Whigs 
 on the sand-fields of the Dutchmen. Clifford has all the 
 fort of Ni-a-a-ga-ra in his great hand ; but the king's great 
 soldiers have soft hearts when, pale squaws come between 
 their fiery eyes and the moon." 
 
 There was a sly irony in ail this ; all the more provoking 
 that it could not be met by an honorable blow. 
 
 " Cheeks that smile like the young morning, bring tears 
 into great eyes," was the still aggravating tone of the same 
 speaker. At last the other man broke out into fury unre- 
 strained.
 
 THE READ IN THE LlOIf' MOUTH. 359 
 
 "I tell you what, "brave Mohawk, that, pale squaw must 
 Do mine, and if I can buy your help in bringing her into the 
 camp before you leave, there is nothing that the Great King 
 has put into my hand which Brandt may not command." 
 
 " The Mohawk cannot be bought with fair words ; and if 
 he could, his braves are turning their faces to the north star, 
 where their squaws are husking corn, and their papooses 
 singing in their swings." 
 
 ' Well, I must be content and let you all go," was the infu- 
 riated answer. " But I remain till I gain my reward. Good 
 tjrod," said the speaker called Clifford, " am I to be baffled 
 by a sentimental miss, and that Dutch dumpling which Kis- 
 kataam says has her in charge. No, I'll scour these woods 
 till my toes are w r orn to stumps, or blistered as they have 
 been under a Bengal sun, before I yield to this piece of 
 painted flesh." 
 
 All this time the speaker was stamping with violent rage 
 on the ground as if he could bring up relief from the nether 
 regions. His comrade for the time was quietly standing till 
 the storm would vent itself; which, like all such gusts, was 
 soon over ; and the man who was calling up spirits from the 
 vasty deep, gave it up by saying : 
 
 " I can at least control Kiskataam and his foil by the glit- 
 tering metal." 
 
 " Ugh !" was the short interjection of the Indian, " Kiska- 
 taam's good hunter for himself. A fawn will leap and play 
 well in his wigwam on the silver water of Ka-na-we-ho]-:i." 
 
 The white man, at this home thrust, which he evidently 
 felt in the tenderest part, could not express himself, but 
 gave out that choking utterance which a man gives when 
 his breath fails him. " I know," said he at last, " that the 
 serpent has tried to crawl into my nest, and all my fear is 
 that he knows too well of the hiding-place where Miss 
 Clinton is kept ; and that he only waits to weary us out. 
 But I will die first." 
 
 " Miss Clinton ! Miss Clinton," was echoed by the Mo- 
 hawk. " Who is this fawn that the great soldier calls Miss 
 Ciinton ? The great Englishman called her Fawn." 
 
 " Who should she be but the papoose of that rank Whig 
 Ciinton, one of the rebel generals ? That is prize enough to 
 wait a week for ;" and here he bent his mouth to the ear of 
 the Indian the last word heard was " ransom." 
 
 "The Mohawks do not make w;ir on pale-faced squawa 
 \Vo leave wheu the next sum rises."
 
 360 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 With tbat til '? two went on toward the camp; and as 
 Teunis followed he heard Clifford chiding his companion for 
 his tender hearLednes.s. "Mohawk is a woman. I have a 
 stronger heart than any of you. Delicate women whose 
 veils were never lifted to man, have begged from me and I 
 have turned away. The valley of the Ganges, wider than 
 the one below, groaning with misery, and putrid with death, 
 did not move me. Under my windows I saw the river 
 Hoogly rolling with corpses ; the streets of Calcutta blocked 
 with the dying. The living not strong enough to scare 
 away the jackals and the vultures from the scarcely dead 
 bodies." 
 
 All of this was said to impress the Mohawk with the folly 
 of being tender hearted ; to which he merely replied with 
 his significant " ugh !" and 
 
 " Clifford is a great soldier ; the Mohawk shall go after 
 the next day is past." 
 
 " Go and be " as he turned right round, leaving the 
 
 Mohawk to enter the camp alone, while he plunged into 
 the bushes aside, as if he wished to hide himself from the 
 stars. Teunis only heard " curse him ! curse her," repeated 
 till he lost the sound and the sight alike. 
 
 The listener justified himself in hearkening to what ousrht 
 to be counteracted if possible, more especially as he hod 
 obtained valuable information for the risk he had run. So 
 making his way as quietly as he could, without appearing to 
 steal in, he found out his brother Anthony's tent, who was 
 there having a command. When they parted in the morning 
 they had an understanding between them that Teunis should 
 make a call at home as he passed, just to see how things 
 " kaam on, and help for an hour or so." Anthony was not 
 in the tent when his brother entered, so addressing one who 
 was always known by the shortest part of his name : 
 
 " You here yet, Phil ? I feared that by this time you 
 would be all away to Niaagaara." 
 
 "Nay, nay," said the other pettishly, " dat big soger, has 
 de ooren ov de Indian o'er near his mouth. Budt end vere 
 hast tou been, Teunie ? bad talk here." 
 
 " What now, Phil ?" said the new comer, with well- 
 feigned astonishment. " Where is Broder Anthony ?" 
 
 That kind hearted youth who loved Teunis better than hi? 
 own life, and who felt all the anxiety of an earnest soul for 
 him, had been out watching for the wanderer, so that he 
 ow^ht put him on his guard. Coming merely into the tent
 
 THE HEAD IN THE LION'S MOUTH. 361 
 
 door, he gave a signal which brought Teunis out into tha 
 dark, where they stood out of sight and hearing. 
 
 " Teunie," said Anthony, in a low husky voice, " thee had 
 best gae home and watch te old folks." 
 
 " What now ?" said the no less anxious brother. " What 
 have I done that I cannot be with you at the great 
 hunt ?" 
 
 "We have not time," was the answer, "to speak of nil. 
 Whispers have been going through the camp all day. 
 Awee ! awee ! for fayther, if the half of this be true, he 
 will shoot you though he die of grief afterward." 
 
 Teunis would have entered into his own defence warmly, 
 but the other stopped him, putting his arm into that of 
 Teunis, leading him round, so as to reach the higher point 
 at the south of the camp, where they had the opportunity 
 of seeing all that was going on beloAV. Anthony told his 
 brother to watch the movements of two or three men whom 
 he pointed out. The three figures Teunis soon discerned to 
 be Kiskataam, Shandaagan and Dan De-la-mater, a well- 
 known desperate fellow, who aspired to the hand of Elsie 
 Schuyler, and was thus the decided enemy of Teunis. 
 
 " Can you guess what all that means ?" was the question 
 put to the transfixed Teunis. " They are searching the 
 tent ; if you had been there till this time, your arms would 
 have been tied behind your back. Or a ball through 
 somebody before that could have been done. Anthony, 
 I killed a catamount this morning, and I am not likely to 
 let any villain, as all these are, put a cord round my wrists 
 without a struggle." 
 
 " I have heard of two catamounts being killed, and am 
 proud that my brother had the power and the skill to kill 
 one of these monsters ; but mind you, Teunis, that there are 
 worse creatures than catamounts." 
 
 " True, as I see down there. But, Anthony, were as many 
 of these wild beasts to be collected, as there are men below, 
 they would sleep quieter and devour less ; and I have been. 
 thinking that an animal with a red coat is more savage than 
 one with a dun-colored one. The feet of the human beast 
 are swifter to seek blood." 
 
 "Let that alone just now; you better leave before the} 
 surround the camp, and rouse up these Mohawk duivels, :m<l 
 you will find them to be a drove of catamounts. We are 
 going out to-morrow to hunt up two Whig women, and yon 
 in o-uess who one of them is." 
 
 16
 
 362 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 For that reason I must remain and prc tect her against 
 harm." 
 
 " You cannot aid her in the smallest mite. After what I 
 saw at the burning of Hoogenhuisen, I am sure that you will 
 be less able to stand the onset, when the flower of that 
 place is laid on the ground, and trampled upon by ruffians." 
 
 "I would send a ball through the man that dares to put a 
 foul finger on that flower of my heart." 
 
 " Neither Dan Del-de-la-mater nor Shandaagan will keep 
 away the less that you look gloom at them. ' Two men and 
 an Indian for one woman, and she a Whig's dochter, must be 
 in these times too many for you." 
 
 The tear was rising in the eye of the anxious lover, so 
 that it glistened in the light of the bright fire, and trickled 
 down upon the hand of the kind-hearted Anthony so as to 
 startle him into earnestness. 
 
 "In the name of God, Teunis Roe, go ; they will get a 
 glimpse of that face in the light of the fire, and a ball will 
 come from some one of these pieces, that never errs. Your 
 eyes are glancing like a deer's at the river side, when pine 
 knots are blazing in the boat. You have shot them in the 
 eene yourself; go, I beseech you." 
 
 Almost overcome, Teunis began, " And you will be " 
 
 "Oh, Teunis, I know what you would say ; and I swear to 
 you, that Whig as Elsie is, and the real dochter of a true 
 Whig, that I will protect her with my life, for your sake. 
 Go, Teunie go, and mother's God be with you." 
 
 " Swear again, and I will go ; swear that you will not let 
 them tie her, nor let Dan put one hand on her, and whisper 
 in her ear that you do all for the sake of your wandering 
 brother Teunie." 
 
 With that the down-hearted youth stepped over the face 
 of the cliiF by a natural ladder that he had frequently used 
 before, and was no more in danger of missing his foot than 
 by that of his father's barn, so that he was soon out of 
 the reach of those sluith hounds who were already on h's 
 track. A vain pursuit amidst those rugged rocks and fallea 
 trees. 
 
 Directing his steps northward to where the Dominie's 
 party was lodged, he fell now into their hands from necessity 
 While the sympathies of his better nature were always with 
 the Whigs, it is doubtful if he would have declared so soon 
 for them, but from affection first, and now through necessity. 
 Treading his way, as a hunter only knows how, among loose
 
 THE AFRICAN COURT-MARTIAL. 363 
 
 rocks and underbrush, thick as an East Indian jungle, with not 
 a few of the dangers found in Bengal, from American tigers, 
 Tennis moved with his knife in one hand, and his horse-pistol 
 iii the other, looking on all sides for enemies. But he had 
 no choice but of escaping thus, nor had he any fear of being 
 waylaid, except as some cunning hunter from above might 
 have descended from the opposite side of the rock, and was 
 lying in wait for his passing by. He disturbed not a few of 
 the wildcats of the place, as he knew from their hissing and 
 spitting sound, which would have been mistaken for serpents 
 by a less acute sense. His aim was now the spook's den, but 
 ere he could reach that he must come 'across the camp of the 
 Dominie, where he could not rest in security till the appointed 
 time for meeting the spook arrived. So keeping the north 
 star in his eye, he moved on like the sailor, tacking as he 
 found a favorable breeze. Turning round a jutting rock, 
 avoiding some chasm, or leaping a fallen trunk, he never 
 once lost sight of the point of his attraction. 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 THE AFRICAN COURT-MARTIAL. 
 
 " Commend me to Nature, spiced over by the hand of Art ; the one provides hunger, 
 and the other sauce; so that between Nature and Art, you sit smacking your lips.' 
 
 OLD G'OOKEBY BOOK. 
 
 OUR night walker, uncertain concerning the character of 
 the sounds he heard, dropped himself quietly and suddenly 
 to the ground, where he put his ear, hoping to be able to dis 
 tiiiGfiiish the voices which gave them forth. 
 
 " Some frolickers," F9i') Teunis, " who have found the 
 camp above too quiet. Maybe some Indians on an inde- 
 pendent excursion Both must be avoided by me to-night. 
 I can neither joui the ere, nor be seen by the other. Ha!" 
 haid the listener, *' theso are niggers ; what can they be at 
 here, and at this lime of night ? But why need I wonder, 
 they are just like all vormin; they follow the white man, 
 and mock his ways. Why not? They have as good a right 
 to their fun and fight as we have to oars." 
 
 Climbing up on the point of a jutting rock, he saw n fire
 
 864: THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 kindled in a hollow place, which he knew must be near to tha 
 cloven rock, where he had himself' often rested, and which 
 was a standing mark to all. Many a cup of good Holland 
 nad been drunk there by the hunting parties, who were sure 
 to gather round it after their surroundings, and at night to 
 make it their pillow before a rousing fire. The Dominie, 
 after one of those frolics, which had gone to excess, came 
 down on the sinners in a thundering discourse, in which he 
 called this the steen des aanstoots the stone of stumbling ; 
 and by that it was known among his folks, till one day the 
 good man himself came across a party handing the cuppe 
 round, and seeing him coming they obtained one of pure water 
 running through the rock, and gave it to him. He tasted it, 
 drinking it off with a loud smack of his lips, at the last say- 
 ing, " Deszen Mozusst eenrots !" and it is called Moses Rock 
 unto this day. 
 
 Cautiously Teunis crept forward till he was near enough to 
 distinguish the shrill tenor of the negro, with the deeper basa 
 of some white men ; then a loud chorus of laughter, which 
 went from the giggle to the guffaw. Determined to find out 
 who these roysterers were, he sought as close a standing 
 place as he could find, without being seen himself. Keeping 
 well up to the westward, he came down, almost crawling, as 
 if swimming on his back, feet foremost, to the side of the 
 rock, which he had between him and the assemblage below 
 Rising up, he looked over and saw such a scene as gipsy life 
 can only present. A large fire burning brightly in the 
 centre, sent out a heat which made the party turn round 
 as brown hams hung on a spit would turn were they possessed 
 of feeling, and waiting for a regular roasting all over, and 
 through to the bone. Here were all colors, from the jet black, 
 glistening with sweat, to the bronze, that changed as the fancy 
 was tickled, on to the whity-brown of those called white 
 people. 
 
 Teunis knew them all as the slaves belonging to the 
 farmers of the district ; chiefly the same ones he had seen in 
 die den two nights ago, attending their superstitious orgies. 
 Cuffee, the African king, as he maintained himsolf to be ; 
 Caese, with hia fiddle; Jerry of Kaatsban; and Tom, the 
 Dominie's man. These were usually the leaders in all mis- 
 chief around, and though very stringent laws existed in the 
 colonies concerning slaves meeting after nightfall, they were 
 easily eluded by such cunning fellows, who, like thieves. 
 knew more of the laws than the average of justices. Strong
 
 THE AFRICAN COTJKT-MAKTIAL. 365 
 
 in mind naturally, and not degraded yet by long bondage, 
 experience had made them acute in matters where their 
 enjoyments were in danger, or their gratifications curtailed. 
 
 To Tennis they now seemed to be engaged holding a 
 court, whether in mockery or in earnest, he had some 
 difficulty in determining. Cuffee was the presiding spirit, as 
 he usually was in all affairs of the kind. His sincere belief, 
 or his assumption, gave him airs which he was not slow to 
 put on, and being of a robust person, and possessed of great 
 shrewdness, he generaUy enforced the law by physical 
 force. 
 
 Tom was the only one who disputed his authority, and 
 this he did, first, because the king was a heathen ; and 
 second, he himself being a Christian, should "hab authorities;" 
 and third, the Dominie's man affected a little of the Dominie 
 himself. From his place and puffed up pride, he had begun 
 to assume it, and latterly he really believed he had had a call 
 to preach. 
 
 At the time Teunis discovered these blacks, Cuffee was 
 acting as judge, trying a young negro, whom the secret spec- 
 tator at once knew; and he soon saw that this was not mere 
 sport, but that Cuffee and his followers, presuming upon their 
 relation to the big Indian, were acting for King George, in 
 due legal form, which, to one who was a mere spectator, 
 might have afforded amusement ; but to Teunis, who had 
 nbw wakened up to the danger of his own playmate, was 
 no joking matter. He determined to watch and prevent 
 mischief. 
 
 Tom acted as public prosecutor, and Jerry, the slave of 
 Cornelius Wynkoop, was to defend the accused. 
 
 " Constable, cry de court," said the judge, with great 
 gravity, when old Caesar stepped forward in front of the 
 raised bench, and mumbled over, " oh yeez, oh yeez," and 
 left the rest in an unknown tongue. 
 
 A ludicrous imitation of a white man's trial here followed, 
 which would defy the pen or pencil of genius to portray in 
 its true colors. What was of more importance to our 
 hero, the scenes were indicative to him of how the public 
 mind was beginning to regard his own present position. 
 Leendert, who was the son of Dora, and of the same age 
 with himself, had, like all negroes brought up side by 
 side with a master's son, walked in the steps of Teunis, till 
 it had become his own nature to do whatever his young 
 master did. He was showing signs of disloyalty now, jwl
 
 366 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 those of his grade had detected his tendencies. In the 
 trial he was passing through, Teunis saw his own self fore- 
 shadowed. 
 
 A charge was formally made of leaving the service of 
 King George, and taking part with the "revels." A jury 
 was chosen, and exact specifications laid down to be proven. 
 In all of which Teunis heard but his own case repeated. 
 The pleadings on both sides were ludicrous indeed, but it 
 seemed that the actors were in earnest. 
 
 "Bring in de prisoner guilty of treason," said the mock 
 judge, " and den shoot him." 
 
 Teunis was here about to take part, and prevent what 
 appeared to be the actual intention of the cool rascal, whose 
 words seemed as positively spoken as if he were sitting in an 
 Albany court, among his white peers ; when suddenly, out 
 of the darkness behind, old Dora emerged, to the great terror 
 of all, including the chief actor himself. Rising, he made a 
 low bow, saying : 
 
 "King Cuffee glad to see Queen Dora wid the Gree 
 Gree." 
 
 Dora paid no attention to the salaam made to her presence, 
 but turning her eye into a clear crystal cup she held in her 
 hand, she muttered some words of incantation ; then lifting 
 her face to the judge, said in her most solemn style : 
 
 " King Gongalloo hang on de gallows dree." 
 
 Cuffee had already ordered the prisoner's arms to be 
 unloosed ; and then he called out : 
 
 " Court 'journed till abter suppa." 
 
 " 'Men, so let it be," said Tom, who was man of all work 
 at home and abroad. 
 
 A long pole, laid from two branches, sustained two pots of 
 the biggest size in use, which were simmering over a fire 
 of hot coals, filled to the brim. The acting cook, a full- 
 bodied wench, was looking in now and then, stirring the 
 contents, and scenting the savory steam, that entered even 
 Teunis' nostrils, making Ids mouth to water; for he had 
 not eaten a warm supper since the night of Tobias Myers' 
 husking-bee. Besides being really hungry, he knesv well 
 enough that the purveyors of this feast had found the best in 
 the land. He forgot the robbing of hen-roosts, and nearly 
 in his eagerness for food, yielded up his prudence. It was 
 evidently in the mind of Cuffee, that young Massa Teunis had 
 been guilty of double-dealing, and would be punished when 
 caught. With all these willing hands about hira, a Jargei
 
 THE AFRICAN COURT-MARTIAL. 367 
 
 prize than Leendert would be acceptable. There were, 
 besides, some persons present, whose backs were toward him, 
 and as yet he had not heard their voices above a common 
 tone. 
 
 The festival table was the ground, raised as if a ditch had 
 been dug round a knoll, into which the feet might be stowed 
 away, and the edge of the bank used as seats. Many of them 
 chose the flat places, squatting down on whatever was below 
 them. There were at least fifty or sixty persons of the 
 black population, with at least a dozen young whites sons 
 of the farmers, whos$ low tastes led them to seek such frolics, 
 where the animal propensities could be gratified unrestrained. 
 One individual kept himself hidden, notwithstanding that he 
 lay on the ground, just below where Tennis was perched on 
 the branch above. The spy in the tree had his fears that 
 it might be known to the groundling that some one was in 
 the loft. 
 
 The supper dishes were large sugar troughs, usually left in 
 the woods for the spring opening, now washed clean in the 
 water near by, and convenient for the revellers. Into these 
 the contents of the boilers were poured meat and potatoes in 
 heaps. In the centre stood a monstrous dish of fricasseed 
 chickens, mixed with sausages. The fowls " 'greed veil wid 
 von anoder," Dido said, " dat had been fechten cocks in de 
 inornin'." 
 
 "An de duck swim in de gravy veil as in de pond wid de 
 oder unda dem vings," was the intended wit of old Caesar, 
 who gave some extra scrapes upon his fiddle, as he saw his 
 favorite dish. 
 
 But the attraction of the take were two full trenchers of 
 what is known as souse ; a well-grown pig's flesh, fat, and 
 corn-fed, cut up into small pieces and stewed, all together, 
 till it became soft and rich. Dido was in her glory when she 
 saw that come up, slightly browned in the skin and tender 
 to the touch. 
 
 " Dere a mess for de king, and de Dominie besides might 
 say grace as long as turkey's neck dat runs to him's tail be- 
 hincL" 
 
 And to hungry men, seldom has a finer repast been 
 spread. All sat round as they chose. Forks there were in 
 plenty. A twig cut from the bush beside them, with a stump 
 for handle, and the bark peeled, was equal to the best silver 
 in the governor's basket of plate. That stuck in at random, 
 never failed to bring up the game that gratmtl the eater
 
 368 THE DUTCH DOMINTK. 
 
 Bread came out from corners as white as Dame Dyce could 
 produce to her New York company, in her fine stone man- 
 sion, by the Kaatsldll creek ; and to crown all, there was cold 
 slaugh, and hot slaugh, which was forked into their mouths 
 as if they were stowing away heaps of manure into a deep 
 cellar way. 
 
 " Ho ! ho ! ho !" roared out Cuffee, as he fished out a huge 
 piece which he saw would be his last bit from that platter, 
 " me got de gobla crop ; dat goes for to hollo orda !" 
 
 " He ! he ! he !" responded one of the young wenches ; 
 " King Cuffee got de goose's throat. Goose make good 
 squia." 
 
 Here the faithful Phoebe produced her liquor jug, well 
 filled with strong waters of some kind, that had the usual 
 effect upon human brains. All kinds of frolicking com- 
 menced, and some of a nature that could not be described 
 without defiling my page. Savage nature came out in its most 
 loathsome forms, such as we read of in histories of paganism 
 at its feasts. Looking down upon them, Teunis saw the 
 rolling and. tumbling as if it had been the wriggling of black 
 snakes, in a round pit. 
 
 During the noise, our night-walker had climbed to the 
 outmost part of the branch. He was eager upon finding out 
 who was lying beneath him on the ground, and had just suc- 
 ceeded to his horror, when Cuffee cried out : 
 
 "Now for de trile of de Ingen Shandaagan, for falling in'd 
 love wid Martin's Elshie Clerk will read de law." 
 
 Here Tom, who had heard it many times, gravely re- 
 peated the colonial statute : " De durd Sessions of de fit* As- 
 sembly Queen Anne. Be it 'nacted by de Gobernor, Coun- 
 cil, and Assembly, in case any slave or Ingen, kiss, or marry, 
 or coui't free man's daughter " 
 
 Here the Indian, who took all this more in earnest than 
 was intended, and who had worked himself up, under the in- 
 fluence of love, liquor, and mortification, rose just under the 
 nose of Teunis, and gave the war-whoop of his tribe, so lus- 
 tily, and so long, with his face turned toward the mountain, 
 that the echoes of his voice returned as if a thousand demons 
 had responded to him. Every man, white and black, started 
 to his feet and fled as if the Mohawks had come into their 
 midst with gleaming tomahawks. Nor was the commotiou 
 abated by Teunis, who, eager to see the whole from his perch, 
 had gone so far forward on the branch that it swung, so that 
 he lost his balance and dropped right among them, fronting
 
 THE AFRICAN COURT- MARTIAL. 369 
 
 the infuriated Indian, who became cool in a moment, when he 
 saw the very man he cared less to see than any other, before 
 him, as if demanding satisfaction for the injury with which 
 he had just been charged. 
 
 " Ugh," said the red man, as a grim smile crossed his face, 
 *' the young bear can climb trees for sweet apples." 
 
 " And sometimes he gets sour apples for his pains," was 
 the tart answer of the excited Teunis. The fact alluded to 
 in the mock charge of this black court, Avas evidently lander- 
 fttoocl by those eavesdroppers at home and abroad. He had 
 suspected all along that the intention of Kiskataam was to 
 remove the young English lady to the West, and the reward 
 of Shandaagan was to be his own beloved. Putting all he 
 knew in one, he was persuaded within himself, that the 
 hiding-place of the young woman was known to these wily 
 men. But there was no time to settle that question to-night, 
 so turning away from his enemy, he stepped up to the souse 
 dish, and putting a fresh fork into the mess, he proceeded to 
 eat a hearty supper from the abundant fragments which 
 remained. By the time he was through, the leading spirits of 
 the late scene had disappeared, afraid of being informed upon. 
 They knew the law well, and Tom hi his mock fun had re- 
 minded them that 
 
 " It sail no' be lawful for more as tree niggers to meet 
 together in von place, 'cept at kirke door on Sunday, upon 
 do penalty of been whipt upon de naked back, wid forta 
 lashes by de public whipper, Yankee Dorian, the horse- 
 doctor." 
 
 The fear of this was constantly before the eyes of the 
 slaves, and even Cuffee did not care to be seen by a man of 
 Tennis' character. Tom, however, came back, assuming to 
 be loyal, and willing to excuse himself for being present with 
 a crew of black rebels. 
 
 " The Dominie would look wild to see you here, Tom," 
 said Teunis. 
 
 " And vilder to see us two," said Tom, as he winked a 
 sly wink. " VK vatched dem ;" putting weight on the plu- 
 ral word WE.
 
 370 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 B E V E N G E IS SWEET. 
 
 " Come, dainty witch ; see, there's my palm ; 
 
 Read if you can ; I dare to hear. 
 Witch. Yet the hand trembles, and feels 
 
 Clammy, like the wall of a shut up tomb." 
 
 ALLAN RAMS AT. 
 
 TEUNIS and Tom made their way to the camp, where 
 Grant kept guard. Among the first questions asked of the 
 brawny Scotchman was, " where's the Dominie ?" 
 
 " He's gane doun the glen to that warlock bodie. They 
 are baith ow're weel acquaint with the diel. He is, nae 
 doot, sitten atween .them." 
 
 " Has he been long away ?" was the next question put. 
 
 " Oh, yes ; but when twa sic meet, nae sayin' when they 
 will part : but for mysel', I would as sune hae a crack with 
 auld Sawney as we' ane o' his bairns." 
 
 " Oh !" said a new comer, whom Teunis had not seen in 
 the party that day, " you are mistaken, Grant ; the hermit 
 is not one of your Scotch witches, but a respectable spook as 
 can be found hi a Christian land, where it takes all kinds of 
 people to make the right kind of a world." 
 
 " May be, sir," said the Scotchman, who turned to Teunis 
 and asked with evident feeling, "where did you leave that 
 tine Englisher, Clarence ? has he heard ony thing o' his sis- 
 ter ? his heart was sae in his mouth when he spoke about 
 her that I began to suspect she might be a bit tenderer than 
 a sister. There is nae accounting for such things. Bluid is 
 aye thicker than water." 
 
 " I am going down the hill, Mr. Grant," said Teunis ; " and 
 I would hint to you that there are Indians about, who have 
 ears that hear a great way oif ; and their noses can smell 
 tobacco smoke a mile away ; and you can see the fires of 
 Brandt's party are not much beyond that distance." 
 
 " You are quite richt, sir, and I maun awa roun' all the out- 
 posts and see after things. I have heard my father, honest 
 man, say, that when he was out in the forty-five, thnt lie smelt 
 King George's poother irau Loch Awe to Fort George. Good
 
 REVENGE IS SWEET. 371 
 
 nicht with you ; I'll see you in the mornin', and we'll hae a 
 crack aboot these things." 
 
 " A beautiful night it is, Grant ; but it may he an awful 
 morning," said Teunis, his mind running in a mournful direc- 
 tion. 
 
 " Yes, man, that is a bonny sky. It is grand to stand up 
 here and view that crown in the heavens. It sends me awa 
 back again, where I herded sheep on the braes of Balquidder ; 
 when I used to watch these very stars, as they gaed round 
 like clock-work, tellen me the time o' night. Man, hoo hap- 
 py I been sometimes rolled in my plaid ; and thinkin' whiles 
 on the great Creator, and whiles on Susy McLaren. Poor 
 thing, she was ta'en awa fra me, far aboon those stars ; and 
 I am here this very night, on ither kind o' bills, herden 
 Indians ; kittle kind of sheep, and no' a lamb among them, 
 if we leave out that puir lad's sister." 
 
 " Yes," said Teunis, touched with this fit of tenderness on 
 the side of Grant ; " there is another besides her that I am 
 interested in ; and she is not my sister." 
 
 " Aye, man, I suspected as much as that ; I'm an aulder 
 man than you, but my heart is no altogether so cauld btit I 
 can feel for you, when I think on Susy McLaren. There's my 
 han', Teunie, and depend on't, if Hughie Grant can help you 
 or yours out o' trouble, he'll do it wi' right gude pleasure. 
 Noo, awa wi' you to the glen." 
 
 Teunis left, nor was he long in reaching the foot of the hill, 
 which he had travelled frequently ; and he went now with 
 more confidence because of his appointment with the mys- 
 terious being: still, putting his hand into his bosom, he 
 pulled out the black pebble stone ; touching the spring, so thai 
 he might be ready should danger corne in his way. In spite 
 of his convictions, his feelings dwelt on the superstitious afc 
 the time ; and as he drew nearer to the door, the quicker Ida 
 heart beat in his breast. 
 
 " I would not consult this witch of a creature were the 
 Dominie not near me," he said to himself. "I must, how- 
 ever, wait till the two part from each other." 
 
 He came up to the door of the shanty and saw the flicker- 
 ing light between the crevices of the logs, that had been laid 
 up of old, by some trapper or trader, who had built them 
 for shelter while he gathered his peltries from the Indians 
 during a winter's hunting and trading campaign. It per red 
 now another purpose, and long had had the reputation of. 
 being the GEKST HOUSES. Teunie knowing that a wind w
 
 372 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 was open at tne rear, stepped cautiously round, that he might 
 first ascertain the state of things within. Putting his ear to 
 the opening, which was covered by the skin of some animal, 
 he heard voices in earnest conversation. There was a small 
 slit which allowed him to see or hear, but not at the same mo- 
 ment of time. His first effort at seeing was to obtain a per- 
 fect look of the cabin ; so, fixing his eye on the fire, which 
 had been newly supplied with pine knots and cones, he 
 watched till the blaze broke through, when he saw three sides 
 of the den. Two of these were covered with skins of differ- 
 ent kinds of animals, inhabitants of the region ; some of them 
 undressed ; but the most of them tanned after the Indian man- 
 ner of preparing furs. These served as clothing for the person 
 of the inhabitant out of do.ors, and for the bed of the restless 
 solitary at night. Guns ana pistols of different patterns, with 
 other hunting apparatus, were suspended on deer's antlers, 
 which were the hooks for all things that were hung up. 
 Above the place where the couch was made, a naked sword 
 gleamed as if alive when new fuel sent forth flame. The 
 scabbard depended on another hook hard by, and was orna- 
 mented with some precious metal. Besides those necessary 
 articles of furniture, there were things of which the observer 
 could not see the use so easily. A large paper globe was sus- 
 pended from the roof, covered with figures of beasts and 
 birds, serpents and men. On the wall on the left side, were 
 pictures, which, so far as Tennis could distinguish, were more 
 of demoniacal than of human shape. 
 
 These observations were made at a glance, for the mind 
 of the slow Dutchman was now excited to the highest pitch, 
 and comprehended in a minute what an hour could not have 
 unfolded to him at another time. As we may suppose, it was 
 the living human figures which chiefly arrested his attention. 
 There were two men, one on each side of the fire. The Do- 
 mini , he knew, and only observed that he was in his most 
 dignified posture. If possible, more so than when he sat in 
 the President's chair in the Consistory. He had never 
 seen him before with a face in which intelligence and good- 
 ness struggled so much for the ascendency. His usual humor 
 lay hidden away in the deep lines that surrounded his eyes, 
 and his mouth ; and yet while he sat gravely, like a man who 
 was conscious of his place and power, he yielded a deference 
 to the man before him, which Tennis had never hitherto seen 
 him do. But this was the first superior he had ever seen in 
 the presence of the greatest man on the Kaatskills. The other
 
 KEVENGE IS SWEET 373 
 
 ID n was of tall and upright carriage, with a head like one 
 tl> it was accustomed to command. His face closely shaven, 
 ardneck bare, he seemed more like one sitting in a city man- 
 sion, than the rough unshaven creature that interrupted him 
 on his way two days ago. The obeisance given him by the 
 Dominie who called no man master showed him to be oi 
 some distinction. Perhaps a messenger from the Provincial 
 authorities, proffering help ; or, after all, he might indeed be a 
 real wizard able to change his appearance like Satan himself. 
 
 At that instant a change from one position to another gave 
 Teunis a chance of seeing him more closely, when he almost 
 called out "that is none else than Captain Whittesley 
 that caused so much commotion in Sopus, the other day.'* 
 Teunis had read in the Arabian Nights' entertainment, of per- 
 sons going through such transformations, but he had ever 
 believed it to be but a fable ; and he almost trembled when 
 he remembered how Granny Hoffman had said, with her 
 long skinny linger lifted up, " Teunie, Teunie, never looken 
 on ole duivel wid hisn young face." 
 
 It was while Teunis was conning over this warning, that 
 the object of his scrutiny turned his eyes in the direction of 
 the place Avhere he was standing so intently, that the hidden 
 spectator's blood ran chill. Rising from his seat by the fire, 
 he took down his pistols, and coming directly to the window 
 where Teunis stood, he thrust his hand so quickly that the 
 looker in had just time to squat on the ground, and let the 
 inmate fire over his head, one pistol after another, followed 
 by a similar discharge of guns, that it seemed as if the cloves 
 and the gulf were sending back their reverberations which 
 increased in loudness as the several pieces were fired off'. 
 The state of Teunis's nervous system made him believe that 
 the artillery he heard must be something more than earthly ; 
 and had he been threatened with a muzzle at his ear, he 
 would have sunk dead on the ground, so feeble were his 
 knees when he attempted to rise. Recovering from his fear, 
 he heard the voices again within, and ventured to look once 
 more. This time the skin was left a little aside, so that lie 
 could hear and see at the same time. The stranger was re- 
 loading the pieces, bestowing great care upon the manner as 
 well as upon the matter in hand. 
 
 " You are very precise and attentive to these Boanerges. 
 Do you suppose that they will speak their thunder any louder, 
 or with more effect," said the Dominie, who was evidently
 
 374- THE DUTCH DOMTXIE. 
 
 asking not for information, for he knew as well as others, but 
 because he was leading a conversation. 
 
 "Reverendissimo Domino, know you not that a little more 
 or a little less powder would either fail to carry, or scatter 
 the shot without doing the execution ; I am confident that 
 Leyden taught you that loud thunder is not lightning." 
 
 " True sir, but I find that thunder frightens more people 
 than the lightning ; and when you have more powder in the 
 flask than shot in the pouch, what is to be done but let fly, 
 &nd you may chance to liit." 
 
 " Thrown away, Reverendissimo Domino, know this, that 
 a little more or less would fail, as I said ; so look here, ihis 
 thimbleful is worth more than a homful. Your piece may 
 chance to kick you over hi the I beg pardon pulpit. I 
 give you this illustration from Leyden." 
 
 " You would say,'' said the reverend expounder, " that 
 short sermons, short prayers, spoken cool and quiet, to saint 
 and sinner are best. But tell me if you ever in the heat of 
 battle thought on the thimbleful. Nature is then above all 
 rules." 
 
 " Reverendissimo Domino, nature in war, work or wor- 
 ship, is but wisdom, requiring the true expression, whether 
 it is to be given, by Captain or Doctor Theologi. Be in ear- 
 nest. The hea'rt, your reverence ; the heart in the right place, 
 and. then fire away wisely." 
 
 " Old Cromwell's advice, * trust in Providence, and keep 
 your powder dry.' Just as I said, honorable captain, 
 nature is above all rules; and a few grains of powder more 
 or less is not thought of. Thimblefuls in the heat of battle, 
 sounds like folly.'* 
 
 *' Ah ! but Reverendissimo Domino, we measure the powder 
 before the battle begins," was the deliberate words of the 
 man loading the piece ; who as deliberately took out a few 
 grams from the thimbleful. 
 
 " As we soldiers of King Immanuel should do," was the- 
 quiet reply of the reverend man, "I accept the good advice 
 1 have seen many a good sermon lost, by scattering the 
 points : just as I did myself in a flock of pigeons when my 
 piece was overloaded. To drop figure, I see that you are iu 
 earnest there, preparing for battle. If so, please to inform 
 me, captain." 
 
 " Remember," was the quick reply of the other, " that you 
 we not at liberty to use that title here nor elsewhere above
 
 EEVENGE 18 SWEET. 375 
 
 /our breath. After to-morrow I hope to throw aside all dis- 
 guise, but I must first have revenge. The face of a dying 
 mortal follows me everywhere, crying revenge! For "that 
 have I yielded up king, country and rank. Thanks to the 
 Almighty, he has heard my prayer, and brought my enemy 
 close to me. Now hear me, O God, again, and let him not 
 elude my hand the hand of justice a second time, as he did 
 once before." 
 
 These last words were uttered with exceeding bitterness 
 and while the loading went on. There was a deep determi- 
 ation expressed as the wadding was rammed in, that seemed 
 to say : " now let it belch forth fire and blood." There was a 
 pause in the conversation here as if the operator was afraid 
 to trust his feelings in words, and the Dominie was too pru- 
 dent to attempt making way for the torrent that he saw lay 
 behind. When he spoke, it was cautiously ; but venturing, 
 he said : 
 
 " Revenge, my dear sir, is a fiery demon ; and I have mar- 
 velled if that be not the reason why he deals so much in 
 powder and ball." 
 
 " Reverendissimo Domino, there you are wrong again. A 
 pistol is a gentleman, and a musket is a hero. If they fall 
 into malicious hands the fault is with the demon that uses 
 them. It is the stiletto and the poison bowl that act the 
 coward. That pistol in my hands is the executioner of jus- 
 tice ; and all I want is to have such a good judge as yourself 
 to see that justice is done without malice. It shall be dealt 
 out as the Almighty apportions it to the sinner, when he 
 sends down his thunderbolts : God's firearms have no malice 
 in their execution." 
 
 " Noble sir, hear what that God says * vengeance is mine.' 
 It is too sweet a morse!, the heathen said, for a mortal man. 
 The sinner should be dealt with according to his sin ; but we 
 must wait Goi's time." 
 
 " Reverendissimo ministro verbi Dei. ' He that sheddetr 
 man's blood by man shall his blood be shed.' Wait God's 
 time! O Heaven! have I not wailed thy time, and thanks 
 
 to thy great name, it has now come. You will say tins your- 
 self Reverendissimo Domino, when I have rehearsed my his- 
 tory of wrongs in your ear, and my vows." 
 
 " Most honorable sir, you have hinted these things to me 
 before, and I am anxious to be able to vindicate your honor, 
 when you are gone, for you say that you must go." 
 
 " "When my duty is performed, and that will be when my
 
 376 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 vow is fulfilled. But mark, Reverendisimo Domino, how that 
 Providence, in which you believe, and which I am now 
 forced to believe in, has brought the sinner to the place of 
 his end." 
 
 " But have I not heard something of a decoy being used 
 to bring on here him that you call your enemy ? If so, then 
 more than Providence has had a hand in the matter." 
 
 " Ha ! and that has been revealed too ; some minds, and 
 those of the greatest number, are sieves, letting all through 
 them. The red race have as open mouths as their neighbors. 
 But tell me, reverend sir, if Providence does not use ah 1 sorts 
 of instrumentalities ?" 
 
 " Yes, and he also controls them, when he sees that they 
 would go too far ; I have seen a fool set a mill going, and he 
 could not stop it ; and I once saw one open the sluice out of 
 sport, when the water broke through with a force that swept 
 him away. It is a dangerous thing, this helping Provi- 
 dence." 
 
 " It is having a good course yet ; to-morrow will decide the 
 whole well, and you will say Amen." 
 
 " God grant that it may ; but unless the man who holds 
 the strings of the puppet-show, understand the machine well, 
 he may bring up the wrong figure, at the wrong time, and 
 spoil the whole game. A wiser one than he must direct." 
 
 " Reverendissimo Domino, be patient and you will see this 
 special Providence here, as you would say, now: did you 
 know all that your God has put into my hand, you would 
 yourself urge me on to make my mark in the right time and 
 place. I must execute justice ! Woe be to me if I full ill not 
 this mission. I see the sword at this moment ; I have seen it 
 every night for the last year, as I lay on that skin, suspended 
 over his head : and hear me, by the God of justice, I will have 
 revenge." 
 
 " Perhaps you will succeed," the Dominie here interposed 
 " but does it accord with our notions of right, and propriety 
 that the injured should become both judge arid executioner." 
 
 This argument, which went farther than the roused rca- 
 soner wished, goaded him, so that he almost screamed out in 
 madness : " No man may come between me and my victim. 
 I am appointed of heaven. I have prayed, planned, dreamed 
 of this hour, and tracked him like a sleuth hound ; how I 
 have lam on that bed thinking of nothing else, till I fell 
 asleep, and the morning found me dreaming that I had him 
 oy the throat. I have bought the service of menials ami
 
 REVENGE IS SWEET. 377 
 
 flattered the vanity of fools ; made myself appear to the vul- 
 gar a simpleton, a wizard, everything, that I might see this 
 day, and now to let him go into the hands of those who 
 will deal daintily with him, calling it justice, lawful justice. 
 Ha! ha! ha!" ' 
 
 Here the speaker rose from his seat like a maniac, smiting 
 "his hands on his forehead, and laughing again, till the echoes 
 out of doors mocked the hoarse sounds within. 
 
 During a pause in this transport, the Dominie put in a few 
 words, saying : " Then you have not a high opinion of Sir 
 Henry's sense of justice." 
 
 " Why should I have a high notion of his honor ? This 
 man was my bosom friend ; I took him into the sanctuary of 
 my heart, and of my home. He betrayed me ; defiled her 
 soul, which was as pure as the driven snow which I have 
 seen coming into my hut here. Yet she died in my arms, 
 praying to me for my forgiveness. Freely did I pardon her ; 
 but I swore on my knees, with her still warm hand in mine, 
 and her eyelids unclosed, that the villain who had caused 
 this should have the full punishment. That oath is recorded 
 in heaven, and was carried thither by her whom the villain 
 had ruined. But where is the law on man's statute book to 
 punish the guilty seducer? Can any tribunal restore to me 
 my pure Augusta, or give me back my peace of mind ; my 
 home ; my joyous heart ! Where is the equivalent on earth I 
 Men taunted me by pointing me to the code of honor. 
 Honor with Satan ! honor with the man who had already 
 violated all honor ! But still I offered him the justice of a 
 soldier, and of a gentleman. He sneered at' me. When I 
 appealed to that same Sir Henry, he affected to feel for me, 
 but he had his favorite removed, where I could not find him. 
 He promoted him instead of disgracing him. and then I swore 
 that they all should know and feel my justice," 
 
 " And yet you know that mercy is the darling attribute 01 
 God," was the quiet insinuation of the good man present, anx- 
 ious to allay the passion of the agitated solitary, who was 
 hiding his face a minute, till waking up he said : 
 
 " I know all that, and it is well for the Almighty, who ran 
 allow himself to wait, since time is nothing with him ; lie lias 
 eternity to operate in, but we mortals must be quick when 
 the time comes. 
 
 " And yet," said the reverend visitor, " you have hew very 
 patient in your purpose, and have taken a long time." 
 
 "Yes," and this was said with a deep sigh, as if it invoKi-d
 
 378 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 i coufession of guilt. I left my own colors, burning with 
 revenge, threw myself into the ranks of you rebels, whose 
 cause was nothing to me, as compared with my own ; the 
 authority of Washington, which you saw to-day, I purchased 
 by pertinacity of purpose. I left the world, came here, when 
 I. found that this hut lay near to the road which leads to the 
 west. I bought the service of Kiskataam, who has decoyed 
 the villain hither. I bought the same Kiskataam that he 
 might carry off another, that shall be nameless. The black, 
 the white, you are all now helping to develop my plot." 
 
 " And is this the secret," said the astonished pastor, " of 
 the Hermit's residence in this wild region ? his walks by 
 night, and of his journeyings and disguises by day ? For 
 this he has made up with the Jew and Christian, the deist, 
 and the pagan. His mixing with witches and saints ; his in- 
 fluence over the old men, and the young maidens ; all, that 
 he may be revenged on one that has injured him! , Verily I 
 shall be humbled after this, when I think of the zeal of re- 
 venge revenge on one man." 
 
 a On two men, holy parson : the one that did the injury, 
 and the one who sheltered the sinner. Bnth shall see what 
 you Oalvinists call a special Providence. God has aided me 
 in my pursuit. What say you ?" 
 
 " I could believe all you say," said the calm auditor, smil- 
 ing, " were it an unbiased interpreter that preached it ; but 
 our wishes make us partial commentators, and hence law has 
 been established as the moderator between the offender and 
 the offended." 
 
 " As the colonies should wait for the king's law, and not 
 have recourse to arms," was the quick retort of the recluse. 
 
 " Most honorable captain, the people waited till the law 
 was lost sight of in despotic tyranny ; and we fell back upon 
 our natural rights." 
 
 " You help me, reverend sir ; I waited till I saw there was 
 no law for me, and I have now fallen back on my rights as a 
 man, and it if not possible for you to overlook the advantage 
 that is thus thrown into my hand. 
 
 " I own," said the Dominie, "you make out a good case 
 for yourself, and on that very account, I am the more suspi- 
 cious of the end in view. We are apt to be well pleased 
 with our own creations, and call them the work of God when 
 it suits us. 
 
 " But Reverendissimo Domino, hear. There are on the flat 
 rock above us a band of marauders, and thev have in their
 
 REVENGE IS SWEET. 379 
 
 hands some of your own friends. They are waiting for 
 others. That noble-hearted girl, Elsie, is one of them, and 
 the daughter of Clinton is the other. You heard the story 
 to-day ; now tell me did 1 bring that young lady here ? Have 
 I detained Brandt so long that the brother has had time to 
 come and help in the rescue? If this will teach Clinton that 
 he ought to have done justice to rae, that the hand of God 
 has followed him, and found him in his own family, so that 
 the very man who injured my honor, is the destroyer of his 
 own peace, shall not the punishment of the double-dyed vil- 
 lain lead to the deliverance of your friends, to the restoration 
 of the innocent girls, and to the fulfillment of my vow, and 
 be a warning to the guilty ever afterward ?" 
 
 "Amen," was the hearty response of the vanquished 
 Dominie, whose feelings were all the time on the side of the 
 speaker. Pipes and tobacco were now produced, where 
 amidst the thick fumes of smoke, the theologian was eager 
 to resume the argument on special Providence in the abstract. 
 His antagonist fought shy, not from any inability, as was 
 evident, but he was now too much in earnest to attend to 
 a mere display of intellectual gladiatorship. 
 
 " I am pleased, sir, to see that our discussions held before, 
 have had some effect upon your belief, and that those vile 
 Anninian doctrines are abandoned." 
 
 " Venerable sir," was the half jocular reply of the other, 
 " I am too young a convert to be congratulated on my con- 
 version. You have just now warned me against allowing 
 my wishes to control my faith." 
 
 " Yes, honorable captain, but you have too much philoso- 
 phy, and logical acumen, not to perceive the force of that 
 canon of the national Synod of the Reformed Church, held 
 at Dordrecht, not" 
 
 "Oh, yes, reverend sir, that was a great convention; I have 
 it now before my mind. You lent me the book, and I have 
 profited by it ; but you will not refuse a cup of this good 
 liquor, for dry argument ought to have the throat well 
 moistened, else we are apt to stick too long at the hard 
 points." 
 
 During these passes of intellectual debate, the stranger 
 had put Ids hand into his capacious coat pocket, and pro- 
 duced a square bottle, which he shook kindly, before he 
 poured out part of its contents into a wooden cup ; holding 
 it out. to the Dominic-, as he made those remarks, in a quiet, 
 pleasant manner. The minister, without stopping his dis-
 
 380 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 course, took the offered beverage, and with his pipe reeking 
 -n his left hand, he lifted the cup half way to his mouth, 
 looking in the face of his entertainer, continuing to say : 
 
 " That canon is as I have said to you before " 
 
 " Yes, sir, drink ;" interrupted the other. " I know it 
 all by heart, I have been, as you shall hear, a most diligent 
 catechumen. ' As God himself is most wise, unchangeable, 
 omniscient, and omnipotent, so the election made by him can 
 neither be interrupted nor changed, recalled nor annulled ; 
 neither can the elect be cast away, nor their number dimin- 
 ished.' That is the article. What think you of the liquor ?" 
 
 " Honorable sir, that came out of Elder Abiel's cellar. I 
 was there on the night he returned from Jamaica. He 
 took home a barrel of the same kind ; which, some- 
 how, has run dry very quick. I have always blamed that 
 scoundrel Tom. But, concerning that canon correctly re- 
 peated, verbatim ; and what is better, you have expressed 
 your belief in it." 
 
 " Reverendissimo Domino, your good health, and success to 
 our enterprise. Your amen lingers in my ear yet, like rich 
 music. But do you not think that the authority of that 
 Synod of Doit, was greatly impaired in its force by the strong 
 minority in favor of Arminius ?" 
 
 "There was a majority on the right side," said tin 
 Dominie, warmly, as he emptied the second cup, "ana 
 there was Calvin, a host in himself." 
 
 " So, rtverend sir, you test truth by numbers ; and the 
 quality of the man that heads them. Where would it lie 
 now with you on one side, and your humble servant on the 
 other?" 
 
 Solomon declares that in a multitude of counsellors, 
 there is safety." 
 
 " Then, Reverendissimo Domino, the heathen and the 
 papists are safe." 
 
 " Honorable sir, you know that the staff of an army is 
 the smallest part, yet they fight the battle." 
 
 " Just as King George wanted to rule by his staff, and the 
 many would not allow it." 
 
 The Dominie was getting warm inside and out ; when 
 his teaser said to him, "here is a subject that concerns u.s 
 more just now than the Heidelburg catechism." 
 
 A large skin was spread on the wall, the fur inside. The 
 unknown captain began to chalk out a plan upon the surface, 
 explaining as he went alcng the combinations necessary for
 
 REVENGE IS SWEET. 381 
 
 future operations. These were too intricate for Tennis to 
 comprehend. What he could gather was enough to con" 
 vince him that the Dominie and the hermit did not agree. 
 
 "Your plan, noble captain, is all made with one over- 
 whelming thought in your mind the punishment of your 
 personal enemy ; we cannot sacrifice the good of the whole 
 for that single point, however intensely you may feel con- 
 cerning your end. Your scheme has too much of theatrical 
 trick and plot ahout it to prove in all points successful 
 You are desirous that your enemy be made to bite the 
 dust in the eyes of an audience, whose very presence shall 
 humble him. We have public good in view, even though 
 your intended victim should escape the fate he justly deserves 
 at your hands." 
 
 The Dominie's auditor was calmed by a thrust which had 
 s much reason in it, but persisted hi saying that the arrange- 
 ment of the several parties was complete, that it could not 
 possibly fail of both humbling the guilty and effecting the 
 public good. 
 
 " You may be disappointed in what you expect. Let me 
 say what I think. You have woven your net with such 
 exceeding great skill that I am now afraid that the boldness 
 of the Mohawk and the desperate villainy of the English 
 colonel will break it ; when you may find that the wise 
 have been caught in their own craftiness. You have heard 
 our plan of attack, noble captain, and if you can take part in 
 either division we can make room for you." 
 
 At this point in the discussion, the captain, as he was 
 called, stepped forward and wrote with his chalk some liguivs 
 Teunis could not at his distance decipher, but which made 
 the Dominie start, and then give a glance round. This 
 brought the conversation gradually to a close, as if intended 
 to deceive some one within earshot. 
 
 " When do you expect the hermit home ?" was the casual 
 question of the Dominie. " He keeps late hours in these 
 regions." 
 
 ''All hours, reverend sir, are alike to him; and as he 
 would not relish more company than suits him, we had better 
 march up hill to the camp." 
 
 This Tennis only regarded as a ruse, for he saw the glance 
 and the look which was cast at the window, and that ho 
 might not be caught eavesdropping, he slipped back into the 
 darkness for a few minutes, intending to call at the door as 
 soon as prudence would permit.
 
 382 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE RESTLESS SPIRIT. 
 
 " Is not this it hi which my lord drinketh ? Wherein indeed he diviueth. And the cap 
 VM found in Benjamin'n sack." 
 
 GENESIS. 
 
 TEUNTS wandered down the hollow for at least forty rods. 
 lie sought to cool his brain, which was burning with what 
 he had witnessed, and he wished to collect his thoughts 
 before he ventured into the presence of the man of whom 
 the whole country were in wonder concerning. As he 
 turned his face back toward the cabin door, he was suddenly 
 seized from behind by two men, who pi'oved to be the 
 Indians Kiskataam and his follower, who had been seeking 
 for this 'chance since he was in his brother Anthony's tent. 
 One of them closed upon his arms, while the other put a hopple 
 round his ankle, thus preventing him from resisting or run- 
 ning. A cloth bound over his mouth prevented his call 
 for help. By signs not to be mistaken he was directed to 
 pass the hermit's door ; when Tennis perceived that fear of 
 the inmate held his captors in check. All at once the words 
 of the recluse came into his mind, " In trouble sound this 
 whistle." Suddenly drawing his hand out of the bandage, 
 he seized the pebble, and gave a shrill call, that made the 
 vfilds resound. The Indians, surprised, found the terrible 
 man before their face ere they were aware of it, with old 
 Dora and the dwarf in the rear. Torches of pitch pine 
 showed the state of affairs to the relief of the captive. The 
 captors, finding themselves so unexpectedly caught, fled, 
 leaving their prisoner in the hands of his deliverers. Great 
 was the joy of old Dora over her favorite white boy, and the 
 virtue of the black pebble, and as they entered within the 
 abode of mystery, many a strange motion was made by the 
 black enchantress before the wizard. 
 
 Teunis, when he recovered himself, was in the presence of 
 the man whom he had seen before. The man with the long 
 beard, the high cap, the robe of figured blue, the bent body, 
 with a staff in his hand of at least seven feet in length. The 
 captain, with whom the Dominie had been debating, was not 
 there. A superstitious feeling swelled through the young* 
 man's breast like the tide at full moon. His first impulse 
 was to run after the Dominie and the captain, but that WHS
 
 THE RESTLESS SPIRIT. 383 
 
 impossible with Dora there at the door, and the dwarf at 
 her side, while the hermit sat before the ruddy lire, stroking 
 his heard and pointing Teunis to a seat. 
 
 "Dora may go on her errand," said the grim man, "and 
 let her be sure that she leaves one of these sets of garments 
 at the bear's cave, and the other at the south side of the big 
 falls." 
 
 The old creature came forward at that, and laid down the 
 crystal cup which Teunis had seen in her hand before, on 
 the tripod in the centre of the room ; she was careful to 
 have it stand immediately beneath a lamp which hung from 
 the roof, and Teunis just observed for the first tune that the 
 lamp was the same in size, in pattern, as well as material, 
 with the mysterious cup. 
 
 " Teunis Roe," said the Solitary soon after the door was 
 shut, " you are in trouble ; you are seeking those you cannot 
 find. Your mind is divided, and how can any one obtain 
 what his thoughts are not fixed upon 1 What seek you 
 here at this hour of the night, when the very ravens, the 
 wild-cats, and the panthers are all in beds, and no one prowl- 
 ing round but the tigers of humanity ?" 
 
 " If I may venture to speak," said the young man, 
 trembling from head to foot at first, but gradually recover- 
 ing himself, " the man who asks of me what I am seeking, 
 knows more of my affairs than I do myself; and so I ask at 
 once where is Elsie Schuyler ? Is she in bondage ?" 
 
 " These are questions which every one has not the right to 
 put ; nor have all the right to intrude upon the privacy of 
 that noble hearted damsel. I may not answer in words. 
 Look into that cup. Lift it in your hand ; it is the cup of 
 the famous Begu of Moorshedabad that he called Alina- 
 gore, the gate of God ; and his spirit is ever present when 
 the like minded gaze within its sacred walls." 
 
 Teunis, sincerely afraid that he was dealing with the devil, 
 and yet anxious to have an answer to his question, felt a 
 wavering in his mind at first, but his reverence for the necro- 
 mancer had diminished somewhat since he saw that Dora 
 and he had some participation in the same things. Hud ho 
 known less of Dora, he would have had more fear of tho 
 recluse, but having been behind the scenes with her in part, 
 he had but a partial hold on his imagination. Still, to make 
 himself safe against all the power of the evil one, he sai<i tin- 
 Creed secretly to himself, with the grace before moat in min- 
 takc for another prayer he was inwardly gathering up. T\r,
 
 384 THE DUTCH DOMINIE- 
 
 sides and bottom of the cup were bright and shining, and 
 seemed, or really did, send forth the pictures of living beings, 
 who were seen moving around in the midst of scenes wild 
 and beautiful. The gazer looked till his head swam in con- 
 fusion, eagerly looking, yet not distinctly comprehending the 
 objects before him. He was about to return the goblet 
 when a side glance at one of the figures discovered to him 
 the well-known outline of Elsie ; and then of Angelica's pro- 
 file, and even Rover came before him at last ; with another 
 form, he could not distinguish sufficiently plain. The natu- 
 ral scene in which they were grouped was familiar to his eye ; 
 but the more doors unlocked in the halls of his memory, 
 the more confused he became. This was all the more tor- 
 menting, for it seemed that Elsie looked right into his face, 
 and was holding up her hand in an imploring attitude. 
 
 " For the love of God," said Tennis in a transport of 
 passion, "tell me where that place is. that I may run and 
 help her for whom I would give my life at any moment. I 
 see that she is in danger, and every instant is worth a world 
 to me.'* 
 
 " Shake the gate of God, and it will open if your spirit 
 be in harmony with truth and justice ; we know already 
 that love is in the ascendant ; but it is the symmetrical soul 
 alone which angels admire, and for whom they will unfold the 
 doors of paradise." 
 
 During this brief homily the cup-bearer had shaken it, and 
 was gazing intently down into the bottom where he saw 
 figures of men in crowds, as if fiercely contending. Figures 
 which he could have taken to be those of persons whom he 
 knew and feared; but all was so dark and interesting to him 
 that he durst not define too closely, though he could not help 
 catching glimmering hints. He w r as satisfied that the myste- 
 rious man before him knew more than he did himself; and that 
 the shadows he was showing him were intended to excite in 
 him feelings of curiosity, which maddened him rather than 
 gratified his desire. 
 
 " You mock me, whatever you be, wizard, witch or spook," 
 said Teunis, flinging down the goblet with a ring that 
 startled himself more than it did the necromancer. " You 
 show me that Elsie Schuyler is in danger and leave me in 
 the dark. No good man could be so cruel." 
 
 " Shake the cup not in wrath, for anger never gained 
 heart, hand or heaven," said the gloomy recluse, half smiling 
 at the violence of the youth.
 
 THE RESTLESS SPIRIT. 885 
 
 Tennis looked again, and after patience he saw a gay 
 group surrounding a pair equally gay. All was sunshine. 
 In the distance was a church, where offerings of praise went 
 up from the assembly, and to the right was a ship in full sail 
 with streamers flying in the wind ; the grandeur of nature, 
 spread out before the eye seemed to be hallowed with the 
 incense of heaven. The scene on the opposite side was one 
 of death ar a of blood. But scarcely had the curious gazer 
 looked ui derstandingly on the pictures than the hunting 
 watch of che hermit struck ONE, and then, as if by real magic, 
 the divining cup was dark and meaningless. 
 
 Teuuis started at the sight of vacancy, and shook the gob< 
 let furiously in the hope of restoring the .vision. 
 
 " Only three times, young man, and never after the short 
 hour. The spirit has returned to his place." 
 
 " Good sir," said Teunis, now anxious to see more, " let 
 me but finish the vision. I have come for counsel, and must 
 know the place I am standing upon, before I can act." 
 
 " You must act, young man, without knowing all things. 
 We have but* glimpses of realities in this world. Faith must 
 guide us through darkness. You have seen enough to warn 
 you of duty. Heaven leaves us no choice of duties. There 
 is danger near the one you love. Be on the alert, and the 
 time to act is at hand. There is blood on the road to lite. 
 To-morrow at noon, by the Dog Pool, and let your new 
 friends be with you, for we shall have a sacrifice there, send- 
 ing up a fragrance and a smoko that shall be seen from the 
 bay of Manhattan to the shores of Erie." 
 
 With these words, the strange man held out a cup of the 
 good Santa Cruz, which Teunis might have shrunk from re- 
 ceiving from the hand of a wizard, had he not lately heard 
 its praises given, and its pith proved by the man whose 
 word he had never once questioned ; so without a scruple he 
 drank the whole. He left the cabin in much the same kind 
 of feeling which a somnambulist has when he rises out of bed 
 into dense darkness, and yet knows the way he means to 
 fake. He mounted up the hill, thinking of what he had seen 
 and heard, and scarcely knew where he was till he stumbled 
 upon the sentinel, who demanded fiercely, " Who goes there ?" 
 He was too young a soldier not to be surprised; so his tongue 
 hung fire, for he had forgotten the countersign, when an- 
 other voice roared out, " Fire, you careless idiot, at once." 
 This roused the intruder's intellect, who stammered, rnoro 
 dead than alive, "The Sword of Gideon and of Behnnemau.' 
 
 17
 
 SS6 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 " Ha ! ho ! that's enough, my dainty callant ;" foi it was 
 Grant the Scotchman that spoke. "You have na learned 
 your carritch o'er weel. But we'll forgive you this time. It 
 would na been gude for you had a ball been put through 
 your wame, this cauld night, just because Schunaman's name 
 was na found in the Book o' Judges. But where the deil 
 hae you been a' this time ? You've had a lang claver with 
 that warlock hi the house. It brings me in min' of Saul con- 
 sulting with the witch of Endor, before the ba-.tle on the 
 mountains of Gilboa. I hope maer luck may come of it. It'-s 
 no canny, laddie, and I'm sorry that the minister should 
 show you sic an example. But gang awa, and lie down on 
 your bed, you are quite dazed, I see. There is my plaid, take 
 it and row it round you. It is a wee wet, you feel ; but that's 
 the way we do in the Highlands dip it in a spring, wring 
 it out, and it will keep the cauld keen wind frae penetrating 
 your banes. Mair especially as I fin' from your breath that 
 you have got a gude dram. A kind witch or ghaist he 
 maun be ; I wish he would come up this way. Now there 
 you may lie like King Charlie himself, when he was chased 
 like a partrick on the mountains." 
 
 Teunis was too tired to resist the attention of the kind 
 Gael, and he slept almost before his head fell on his moss 
 pillow, so that before his nurse left him he was heard snoring 
 soundly. Turning away, Grant said to himself, " Ou aye 
 puir chiel', his head doon, his house is theekit." 
 
 Silence reigned over all the hills. Every voice wa^ stilled. 
 Man and beast were alike gone to rest. Already, the early 
 frosts had silenced the insect tribes, and the two carcases slain 
 that morning, had attracted the prowling races to the south- 
 ward of the two camps. A distant growl or yell might be 
 heard as if quarrelling for a dainty bit, or a summons from a 
 new arrival to prepare for a surrender. oVIan had lain down 
 to recruit his weary body, and regain more energy of passion, 
 now exhausted by the toil, the suspense, the anxiety, or the 
 frolic of the previous day. 
 
 One only acted the part of sentinel-general, and seemed to 
 move like a ghost in unrest, as he went from cliff to cliff; 
 through hollows and brakes, as if these were as familiar to 
 him as his native home. It was the strange and gloomy 
 recluse who had in his time paced the banks of the Thames, 
 and the banks of the Seine. He had fought under Cave in 
 Bengal, and had traversed the jungle where the Hoogley 
 rolled on its yellow sands. And now he had become tamiliar
 
 THE BE8TLE88 SPIRIT. 387 
 
 with scenes of a more rugged and impressive character, in 
 harmony with his desperate nature, made more intense from 
 the passion of revenge, which he had nursed in secret dis- 
 cipline, for two whole years. He found relief in these lonely 
 wilds during the midnight hours, till every tree and spring 
 had become an acquaintance, whose company he had courted 
 with ardent affection. One great overwhelming passion 
 glowed within his spirit ; and but for the prospect of gaining 
 gratification, his brain must have burned out all his reason, 
 and his heart become crisped like the foliage of the trees, when 
 the heavens are brass, and the hills iron. 
 
 On this night it was impossible for him to sleep, and could 
 any eye but a spirit's have followed him, he might be seen 
 walking in his close fur helmet, a leather doublet tight to his 
 body, with breeches and boots of the same material, while in 
 a broad belt round his waist were hiding those weapons 
 which he ever had with him, though the only visible arm of 
 defence was the long hickory pole, shod with sharp steel at 
 the point, but containing in the head a strong dagger, which 
 started from its place by the touch of a spring at the middle, 
 rendering Avhat seemed but a peaceful hermit's staff, on a sud- 
 den a lance, fit for the hand of a knight-errant. From hia 
 cell to the north of the Dominie's camp, he traversed slowly, 
 till he came in the rear of Brandt's forces, taking a narrow and 
 perfect view of the whole from the South Mountain. Passing 
 down the streams and trails, where only the wil/i beast runs, 
 he came to the main falls, and gave a passing glance at the 
 pool, where were hidden the objects of that search, on which 
 were so many minds at that instant intent and dreaming. 
 Before daylight he returned, saying in brief soliloquy, "how 
 easy it would be for me to deliver those captives by the road 
 I have taken myself, and the words of that honest man still 
 echo in my ear. ' It is dangerous to help Providence.' He 
 would say nothing should take the place of positive duty. 
 Relieve now, and trust the rest. But the punishment must 
 be measured out in the presence of all. The report must be 
 carried back, where it will tell. Sir Henry Clinton must be 
 made to see that he has but narrowly escaped the vengeance 
 he has proudly invoked. Yes, said the excited exile, striking 
 his staff on the rock, it shall be heard of in the army, that the 
 villain has been made to bite the dust. And in London too, 
 shall it be said that the heir of Brantwood had power k-l't to 
 punish his enemies though they hide themselves in the lair of 
 the panther."
 
 5-58 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 Returning to his cabin, lie threw himself or the skins which 
 lay on the settle, that served for seat and for bed.. His voice 
 died away in prayer that God might give his hand etr^ngth 
 for justice, and bitterly weeping, he cried, " thou mire Spir**,, 
 whose bosom was soiled by the slimy serpent, thou who hea^** 
 my vow of vengeance, come and behold justice inetea out- ?.- 
 thy dishonor." 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE LAST INDIAN BATTLE ON THE EIVER HUDSON, 1760.* 
 
 " And Gush begat Nimrod : he was a mighty hunter before the Lord." 
 
 BIBLK. 
 
 THE fretfulness of Brandt with his braves was becoming 
 every hour more apparent. The hope of succeeding in di- 
 verting the colonists from watching the passage between 
 the north and south was almost fled. But the pride of the 
 Mohawk was mortified when he thought of retreating back 
 into the wilds, where he knew that he must be buried in ob- 
 scurity. Could he only get a foothold on the Great Rver, 
 making the mountain his base, he might be of some import- 
 ance in the eye of the great king of England. 
 
 Upon this weakness of the Indian, Clifford was directing 
 all his skill, holding out the hope before him of being able, 
 after a few days, to descend and make a lodgment on those 
 very islands which they could distinguish from their camp at 
 the mouth of the Kaatskill Creek. Not that he deemed such 
 an attempt wise, or likely to be successful, but anything 
 which might detain the Mohawk here for a few days longer 
 was deemed by him to be lawful. 
 
 The little army of red and painted men were preparing for 
 the grand hunt that was to come ofi' that day ; and while the 
 braves were so engaged the leaders stood out upon the verge 
 of the cliff, watching the mist as it rolled away at the sight 
 of the sun. 
 
 " I have heard," said Clifford, as if incidentally, " of a great 
 battle being fought for the kingship of the Six Nations, on 
 those two islands below these, between your ancestor Hend- 
 
 * Colonel Stone refers to this battle, and quotes frcm a manuscript 
 history by one Smith of Schoharie.
 
 THE LAST Wma.* 8ATTLE ON THE HUDSON. 389 
 
 rick and Etau-o-quam, tho Mohican ; does the great Mohawl 
 hear me ?" 
 
 " Thayendanegea wa^ there," replied the chief proudly, 
 "with King Hendrick, when no bigger than an eagle's 
 height. There this wound was made : the first time blood 
 came at the point of a spear.'' 
 
 At this, the chief made Mb shoulder bare, that the wound 
 might appear. Clifford was ^ainng his end without an effort, 
 and as if casually, said. 
 
 " Some of you old Dutchmen mas*, remember that battle ; 
 it is not over twenty years since." 
 
 Several spoke here at once, saying t):at they were present 
 as spectators; but all allowed the Elder Abie! had the most 
 to do with it, being acquainted well with the Mohican chief's, 
 
 "Well," said Clifford, "we have an hour to spare, let us 
 hear the account ; I am sure it must please the Mohawk 
 chief the present king of the Six Nations to listen to a white 
 man telling of the bravery of Hendrick, who fought for thy 
 crown, which Brandt now wears so nobly. It would be a 
 pity to leave those beautiful islands down there in the hands 
 of the rebels, when another battle would secure them to the 
 rightful owner." 
 
 The Elder Abiel, thus pressed into the service, could not 
 escape from the task of narrating what he had seen. The 
 subject was familiar to him ; and as his audience were evi- 
 dently all interested, he began as follows : 
 
 THE ELDER ABIEL'S STORY. 
 
 " The ground of that war between the Mohawks and the 
 Mohicans, was the crown of the Six Nations. Hendrick had 
 been in England and felt that the title went a great way 
 there. So had Etau-o-quam, but he was of a more exalted 
 mind, in religion and was less ambitious of distinction, lie 
 was stirred up, however, by his son Newabina and by the 
 neople of New England, who wished to cripple the power of 
 Sir William Johnson in the West. Hindering Hendrick they 
 hindered Johnson ; so they secretly set the one chief against 
 the other. There had been much mauoeuvering all ovei', of 
 which we heard a little. 
 
 "The chief village of the Mohicans was down there. 
 There are remains of it still to be seen, but it was one.' i 
 thriving place, the centre of a large population. Etau-o-quaiu 
 had hin wigwam on the Haup-pee-naus, a hi^h bluff at tho
 
 390 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 angle of the creek. He was an old man, very lofty and 
 proud of having seen Queen Anne, who gave him and some 
 other chiefs royal robes. Dominie Schuneman says the 
 whole account is in a book called the Spectator. Colonel 
 Clifford no doubt has read it ?" 
 
 "Yes," said the soldier, growing sincerely interested, I 
 remember seeing the Indian Kings at Drury Lane Theatre, 
 just as Addison describes them. Go on." 
 
 " The first notice which .we had of the coming war was 
 through one Drake, who was on a trading excursion; as lie 
 pretended, but who really came hither from Stockbridge 
 with a message from these wise men of the east, to the great 
 chief Etau-o-quam. 
 
 " That chief had gone out leaning upon the arm of his son, 
 Newabina ; himself a noble specimen of the red mau. 
 Dressed in the regalia he had received in London : he felt a 
 presentiment of his end being near and he longed to look 
 once more upon the lofty mountains. Rising to his full 
 height, he held out his hands, as if to embrace the towering 
 height. Knowing every change which High Peak puts on, 
 he perceived that a new aspect was assumed, indicative to 
 him of a change for himself. 
 
 " ' The sun sets amidst the mist,' said he. ' There is blood 
 mingling with the streams ; I hear the music of war, I must 
 fall with my mantle around me. Let me be gathered into 
 Asinath, the tomb of my fathers. But first must I drink of 
 the spring that runs close by their graves. Thereof I drank 
 in youth ; to that I ran first, on returning from the house of 
 the great queen. I shall come from the hunting-grounds of 
 the west to drink of that clear fountain.' 
 
 " It was on returning from this sacred pilgrimage, that the 
 man Drake met him ; putting into his hand a small package, 
 which was not opened then, and though the curious trader 
 felt anxious to draw the chief into conversation, he got no re- 
 ply, which somewhat annoyed the inquisitor. Falling in, how- 
 ever, with an old acquaintance, who had come hither from 
 Ulster, the travelling merchant found good quarters Avith 
 Johannes Du Bois,* where he was sitting quietly after sapper, 
 toiling what he knew, that he might get knowledge back \vilh 
 interest; or as he said himself, he put a little water into the 
 pump so that he might pump all he wanted out of the cistern. 
 
 * John Du Bois, a son of the one mentioned, who died at the advanced 
 age of 93, had a distinct recollection of this battle, and described it v'vMlv
 
 THE LAST INDIAN BATTLE ON THE HUDSON. 391 
 
 " ' I guess, Mr. Du Bois,' said the trader, ' you can read 
 Ingen ?' 
 
 " The Dutchman, who was a man of silence and was at that 
 time enjoying his pipe, merely nodded his head. 
 
 "'Well,' continued Drake, 'tell me the meaning of a 
 muskrat darting at an otter?' 
 
 " Du Bois here took his pipe from his mouth and sprang 
 to his feet with a leap that startled the peddler up to the same 
 position, where they stood facing each other, before either 
 found a tongue. Du Bois spoke tirst. 
 
 " ' Where have you seen that sight ?' 
 
 " ' I did not say I saw it, I only asked what it meant.' for 
 his conscience told him he had been guilty of violating the 
 trust put in his honor. 
 
 " ' You will know what that means before long,' if I be a 
 true prophet. The great Mohawk has sent his challenge, or 
 else our chief here has got word of the coming he has been ex- 
 pecting for a month past. The muskrat is the Mohawk's totem, 
 and the other is for the river chietl You can read the rest.' 
 
 " ' Or, as a Philadelphia lawyer would say, their signmanual. 
 But do you suppose that old chief will fight ?' 
 
 " ' Do you think he will die,' said Du Bois, ' He will fight 
 as sure as death ; and there, I declare they are singing the 
 war-song now. Nay, see how the fires are burning all over 
 the country.' 
 
 " ' Yaw ! yaw !' said Gertrude, the wife of Du Bois, ' there, 
 the lights are blazing on the Hau-pee-naus.' She said this as she 
 lifted her babe in her arms, running in terror to the door, that 
 she might hear as well as see : She called as she looked back : 
 
 " ' Tiiey are singing psalms to their God. Their squa\vs are 
 loudest." 
 
 " * Rather to the devil,' said Drake, whose puritanic blood 
 rose at the thought of these red-skins and their cruelty. 
 
 ",The house of Du Bois was on the banks of the stream 
 that comes down fr jm these little lakes, and was situated about 
 half a mile from its mouth. It was a strongly built stone struc- 
 ture, after the Huguenot fashion, one large room with cham- 
 bers overhead. It could be turned into a fort in time of 
 need; but before Du Bois would determine on his course, ho 
 deemed it best to take a quiet survey of the camp. Ac- 
 cordingly he walked out along with Drake, who was no 
 Coward, though a peddler. They climbed up a hill, that 
 stood between the house and the Hau-pee-naus, when: they 
 sa\v the beacon burning all along the base of the mount. -.in.
 
 39S* THE DUTCH DOMINIE, 
 
 Du bi ;g understood the warning, and made up his mind it 
 would be best to move his family inland, and turned back 
 with that intent. 
 
 " ' Gitty,' said he, ' is a brave creature, but there is no say- 
 ing what these bloody beings might do when their wrath is up. $ 
 
 " ' I guess,' said Drake, ' I now understand the meaning 
 of those dark hints that Priest Wheelock threw out about 
 wars and rumors of war, last Sunday.' 
 
 " There was but little sleep for any of us," continued the 
 Elder Abiel, " in that region all that night. We on the Vlatts 
 soon heard the yells of the roused warriors, and though the 
 Mohicans were our friends, an Indian in a rage is a very un- 
 pleasant companion. I started in the middle of the night, raid 
 took my stand on that kekute from which you see the smoke 
 rising now, where I met a number of my acquaintances, and 
 we looked down on the red circle, where the old chief stood in 
 the midst, dressed as I have told you. He was dancing as a 
 young chieftain mingles in the crowd. All night there was a 
 ceaseless stream of their squaws and papooses passing on to 
 Castilberg, where it was supposed the weaker portion of the 
 population would be safe. Still these were not unarmed, nor 
 unprepared, for Etau-o-quam himself was there in command. 
 While on the outside of their village, to the south, a strong 
 party were secreted under the command of the chief Newa- 
 v iua, and a third division was on the little island at the mouth 
 of the creek. It was in a measure to be a pitched battle, and 
 scouts were sent out by both armies as early as the twilight, 
 with orders to penetrate as far as possible, and divine their 
 modes of attack and. of defence. Those of the Mohican did 
 not require to go far till they met the Mohawk fleet, on its 
 way down, making for the larger island out in the river, where 
 they all disembarked. However, this was for the purpose of 
 deceiving the enemy on the main land. Hendrick had re- 
 ceived accounts from his spies, of how the foe was posted, 
 and determined to surprise him in all his three points. lu 
 this he showed a lack of that wisdom he had learned when 
 afterward at Saratoga. When Sir William Johnson was bent 
 upon dividing his forces, Hendrick, his Indian ally, took three 
 sticks, giving one after another to the Englishman, bidding 
 him break them ; and taking three more, he handed them to 
 him at once, and asked, of him to do the same thing. The 
 symbol was understood and the advice taken with success. 
 Hendrick had learned something of the art of war in this 
 little battle, where he nearly lost all by dividing his ii>r;-e>
 
 THE LAST INDIAN BATTLE ON THE HUDSON. 393 
 
 "A heavy fog lay upon the river all night, which prevented 
 the attack from taking place as early as was the Mohawk's 
 intention ; still he sent out one party from the upper end of 
 Ussaman Island,* who were to follow a small stream on the 
 west side of the river that comes down through the rising 
 ground which you see t* the north of the Kaatskill Creek, 
 about two miles distant up the river. Scouts had already, 
 through the dark, crawled forward one before the other, at 
 certain distances, so as to be heard by one another through 
 signs preconcerted ; so that the Avhole devoted camp was en- 
 encircled, and the ground fully understood before morning 
 dawned. Every ear in the beleaguered fort was awake, and 
 scarcely a whisper was heard, for all waited for the onset. It 
 did come upon all three forts at once. Hendrick sailing down 
 the east side of the river early in the fog, led his main body 
 from a few miles below, up through the woods, where they 
 lay coiled like so many serpents on the ground, till they heard 
 the war-cry from Castilberg, when up the great chief Hend- 
 rick started, giving the whoop to his braves, then rushed upon 
 the camp of Newabina, which was there to meet the onset 
 with a vigor and a spirit which made the Mohawk fall back 
 crt'st-fallen for a time. But for the renown and power of 
 their leader, all would have been lost. As it was, they had 
 to take to the trees and the gullies, where they crouched, :mu 
 watched the movements of their enemy, whose spirit being 
 flushed with the success of their defence, were more thaii 
 ready to expose themselves to the eyes of the marksmen on 
 the other side, and consequently lost several of their best 
 warriors through extra zeal and courage. 
 
 " The attack on Castilberg was simultaneous with that on 
 the Hau-pee-naus village by Hendrick, whose intention wa. 
 to surround the island, where he supposed the main body of 
 the Mohicans were lodged, and thus cut oft' their retreat, so 
 tiiat they would be entirely massacred ; for little Abraham, 
 llendrick's brother, was hovering around the island Wan- 
 tona with a fleet of canoes, ready at a signal from the land, to 
 enter upon his part of the battle. We have seen how ihc 
 attack upon Newabina's force was repulsed, and th;it upon 
 the castle did not come off any better. The old chief Etau- 
 <j-quam, took the command, and felt the blood cf his youth riso 
 to fury. Like the old war-horse that the gooil book tells UN 
 about, bis neck was clothed with thunder. He smelled ilu- 
 
 * Now Rodgers. D. M. 
 17*
 
 394 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 battle afar off; and said Ha-ha. Rushing from the gateway 
 of the fortress, he shouted his war-cry, so cleai and strong, 
 that his people below who heard it regarded it as the sure 
 omen of victory. His scarlet robe still on him, but bound 
 round his loins with a bear-skin belt, and his crown tied 
 under his chin, he swung his famous tomahawk, till he fixed 
 his aim, then flung it with a force and a skill into the skull 
 of the leader of the assailants, which felled him at once to 
 the ground. Rushing forward on the prostrate foe, he had 
 his hair at once in his hand, and his scalping-knife at its 
 dread work, so that he succeeded in tearing the trophy from 
 the head o~ his enemy, but was struck down himself by a 
 blow that laid him on the ground, from which he was borne 
 oil* by his people, and placed within the fort, upon his bed of 
 skins. His example had its effect upon all, friend and foe. 
 The Mohawks were beaten back as far as the mill which 
 stands tliere to the east of Castilberg, where they took re- 
 fuge. The force in the castle was not strong enough to 
 storm them, nor was it intended that this party should act 
 except on the defensive. They returned to watch over the 
 old king of the rivers, who had evidently struck his last 
 blow. Body and soul were alike yielding up, and preparing 
 himself tor his departure to the hunting-grounds of his 
 fathers, he sent a message to Xewabina, commanding hii 
 presence when Henri rick was repulsed. 
 
 "That brave chief was restraining his own followers, and at 
 the same time watching the movements of the Mohawk. He 
 had most to fear from the pent-up ardor of his braves, who 
 were eager to rush out and become the assailants ; but he 
 satisfied them by encouraging individual prowess, while the 
 main body were spectators of the fierce play. If a MohaAvk 
 was seen to skip from tree to tree, coming all the time 
 nearer, Newabina would encourage some volunteer to rush 
 over the defence around his camp,, and scalp the skulking 
 enemy. An instance of this kind kept the two parties at 
 bay for a time. One of Hendrick's braves was observed by 
 the Mohican chief himself to hide behind a largo, oak ; and 
 from that to take aim, so truly, that his shots told upon seve- 
 ral of the best men of the army. The patience of Newabina 
 was exhausted, and without any previous sign he rushed 
 with such unexpected fury upon the hiding Mohawk, that he 
 nearly stumbled over the foe; when with one blo\v of hi.-; 
 battle-axe he prostrated him to the ground. With his lin- 
 gers twisted in the hair of his enemy, he was preparing to
 
 THE LAST INDIAN BATTLE ON THE HUDSON. 395 
 
 finish his work, when the keen eye of Hendrick saw the 
 advantage, who was soon on his way to take the combat 
 on himself; but being heavy and stiffer than he had been, he 
 measured his distance so that his tomahawk fell short of its 
 mark, and quivered in the oak behind where the Mohican 
 stood with the dripping scalp hi his left hand, and his knife 
 in the other, ready to plunge it into his great enemy, when 
 he came up. Prudence restrained both of these wily chiefs 
 from single combat. The crisis had not yet come. 
 
 "Like all Indian battles where they were so evenly matched, 
 this combat continued for several hours, and but few lives 
 were lost. Defeated in their cunning at surprisal, the Mo- 
 hawks fell back. So far as the battle had gone, the Mohicans 
 were the victors. Aware of the approach of the Mohawks, 
 they had been ranged in fine order in the form of a half moon, 
 behind an intricate brush fence, which had been in use before 
 ihiF in a former contest, and had then proved its worth. 
 j hfty h id improved it, and made it unpenetrable to half naked 
 rr.enl Every attempt at breaking through only hurt the 
 assailants, and just at the time when Hendrick's braves were 
 becoming discouraged, he received word of the failure on 
 Castilberg, which made him decide at once on a retreat ; as, 
 in proportion to his loss, would be the gain of his enemy. 
 .ihling every moment lest he should be attacked in his 
 r ;ik by the forces of the hill, he retired by degrees, fight- 
 ing all the way. His retreat was masterly of its kind, and 
 new to his pursuers, so that they were puzzled; losing 
 ground rather than gaming new laurels, Hendrick put his 
 men that bore fire-arms into three files, running parallel to 
 each other, when they moved backward, but as the two out- 
 side ranks discharged their pieces they ran, leaving the 
 middle rank to defend, as long as possibles when they al.M> 
 fired, running immediately and passing their fellows, who l>y 
 this time had loaded, and were ready for defending, firing and 
 running, so that by the time they had reached the pl-u-n 
 where their canoes lay off in the liver, the Mohicans had nut 
 come up, nor did they see what was going on of the em- 
 barkation till the last file were leaping into the water, i-p to 
 their middle, and swimming out to their companions, leaving 
 their pursuers shouting defiance, and yet feeling that it wao 
 but a partial victory. 
 
 " Little Abraham's attempt upon the island Wantona * was 
 
 * The present Catskill landing is a small island connected with the main1::rl 
 n an artificial neck. The whole point was covered with sycamore tn-cv<
 
 396 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 not more successful than the other two attacks. Indeed, from 
 the first it was more a feint than intended to be serious ; though 
 from the natural fury of the Indian character, it became soon 
 too bloody to stop at the command of a leader less than 
 Hendrick himself. Having strict orders not to leave their 
 canoes at the risk of losing thorn since upon them lay the 
 safety of the whole expedition, in case of a defeat on the 
 main land this third division did not venture far into the 
 sycamore woods, which served so well as a means of de- 
 fence to the party lodged within ; still, some of the more 
 venturous rushed over that boundary, and were cut off 
 from the main body, falling into the hands of the Mohicans, 
 who were hidden among the bushes, lying flat upon their 
 faces till they saw their chance. Abraham drew his braves 
 off without attempting a rescue, which he saw was vain, 
 and had the mortification of seeing a few of his best men 
 killed before his eyes with horrible cruelty. Retiring im- 
 mediately to the Ussaman island, he sent down the canoes to 
 aid his brother in his retreat. 
 
 " 1ST ewabina, considering the battle over, ran immediately to 
 Castilberg, where the old king, Etau-o-quarn, was lying ready 
 for his son, and looking forward to the hunting-grounds of his 
 fathers. H'o found him content. The fierce Mohawk, his only 
 rival, had been beaten back ; and now, contrary to his ex- 
 pressed wish of the previous day, he commanded that his rega- 
 lia, regarded by him with so much pride, should be taken off 
 from him, and his son put into the kingship, while his eyes 
 were yet clear to behold him. Over forty years had he worn it. 
 From the time he had received it in London from the Great 
 Queen over the big waters, he had worn it on all festive occa- 
 sions, whether in war or in peace. He made Xewabina kneel 
 at his couch; putting his withered hand across his brow 
 thrice, he took the feathery crown and put it on the head of 
 the elected king, giving him at the same time the silver- 
 mounted tomahawk: the symbols of power to rule, and of 
 power to execute. Bidding him walk three times before 
 him through the tent, he called him once more near, wheu 
 he muttered something like an invocation; then, laying 
 himself back, he never spoke more. On the same even- 
 ing, just as tho sun was bidding the world adieu, the moun- 
 tains and the sky, resplendent with the radiance of his beams, 
 ihey laid the old chief in his last bed at the foot of that hill. 
 Any one Avill tell you, should you venture there, where the 
 s' graves are made. From that Castiiberg his grave is
 
 1BE LAST INDIAN BATTLE ON THE HUDSON. 
 
 seen w:th this mountain stream placidly winding round it : tho 
 Hsiu-pee-naus lies to the south a little way ; while the great 
 river over which he reigned so long, still winds on with ma- 
 jestic flow. I have stood on that rising ground at sunset, 
 looking to the mountains above, on which there lay palaces, 
 castles, islands, and smooth blue lakes, of spiritual beauty ; 
 and have at times envied the men who imagined those near 
 glories to be the grounds and the streams to which Etau-o- 
 Guam had gone, the last king of the rivers. 
 
 " Newabina, dressed in the royal attire of his sire, camo 
 down among his people, who received him with shouts, for 
 they deemed that his crown was fairly won ; but the chief, 
 the moment he stood on the Hau-pee-naus, and looked out 
 upon the water, perceived that his new honor was not to be 
 retained without a struggle. The crafty Mohawk had a plan 
 from' the first, which he intended to put in force, but which 
 he kept to himself. In the meantime he was seen strength- 
 ening his camp on one of those small fields where the Mohi- 
 cans had from time immemorial raised the fragrant weed.* 
 Pie affected no secrecy of his intention to remain and watch 
 his chance for another onslaught ; and though he saw his 
 enemy on the east shore and on the west side reconnoitering 
 his camp, he made no attempt at driving them away. As 
 night came on, the death song for the fallen braves rang out 
 over the waters, and was echoed from the shores, sometimes 
 m low, plaintive tones, and at intervals with wild shrieks, which 
 made the blood curdle in the veins of those of us who were 
 listening upon Overpaugh's kekute ; that, you see, as I said 
 already, smoking there at this moment. 
 
 " But from that we went down to the high land that over- 
 looks the river, where a band of us stood at night. The two 
 islands seemed in the dark like two terrible creatures glaring 
 upon each other with their thousand eyes ; as if looking into 
 the hearts they wished to penetrate. Yells of defiance went 
 forth amidst the songs of lamentation, while from Castilherg 
 was heard a more mournful sound, as the women shrieked 
 over the grave of the departed sachem. We were becom- 
 ing every hour more numerous, and had formed ourselves into 
 a bund of defence in case of any murderous attack from the 
 Mohawks, should they prove victorious. Their blood up, any 
 scalp would become valuable. We chose Du Bois as our cap- 
 tain^ and were drilling under his command, while we wero 
 
 * Ussarnan tobacco.
 
 398 THE DUTCH DO3IINIE. 
 
 marking the movements of both parties below on the two 
 islands. 
 
 " All night the spies of both sides were busy around. Fear- 
 lessly did they venture within the rival camps ; crawling like 
 snakes along the ground, after rising on the banks as otters 
 lift their backs, letting the water drip from their sides ; 
 when, after having obtained all they wanted, creeping 
 back, they would dash into the stream with as loud a 
 plunge as they could make, giving a laugh of triumph as 
 they swam into the current ; or of contempt, at the negli- 
 gence of their foes. One of these daring devils was caught 
 on the shallows, and though he fought like a panther, now 
 holding on as with a grip of steel, and then slipping out of 
 their hands as an eel escapes, he was finally conquered, and 
 condemned upon the spot to a cruel death. By some mutual 
 sign of their own, the Mohawks were made aware of the fate 
 of their brave spy ; for, standing abreast on the banks of 
 their own island, they saw the fire kindling that was intended 
 for his torture. It was on a little knoll upon the verge of the 
 creek, which could be seen from all the camps: from Castil- 
 berg, Hau-pee-naus, Wantona, Ussaman, and our hill we saw 
 the tragedy, and heard the shouts of cruel victory that rang 
 around us from the Mohicans ; while the companions of the 
 wretched victim sang his death song aloud and clear, so that 
 his spirit entered the halls of his fathers by the music that he 
 had loved best all his life. 
 
 " This last occurrence inspirited the followers of & ewabina 
 so highly, that he resolved to attack the Mohawks instead of 
 waiting for Hendrick on the next day. He kept his counsel 
 to himself till the last moment, confiding only in his pale- 
 faced friend Du Bois, who endeavored to dissuade him from 
 it by every argument he could bring. 
 
 " The attack was what Hendrick anticipated. He kept his 
 tires burning, tied his blankets to the trees, spreading them 
 so as to surround his camp, making the whole outside to 
 have the appearance of a secure and comfortable sleeping 
 ground. He seemed careless ; letting the spies of his enemy 
 come as near as they pleased, so that they might bear a\v;:y 
 reports of the state of things as they appeared from the out- 
 side. Newabina made a voyage himself to the islands, so as 
 to make all sure, and came back satisfied that the Mohawks 
 had gone to sleep. 
 
 " We all stood upon the hill, ignorant of what was to hap- 
 pen next; only that we were warned by i)u Bois against uis-
 
 THE LAST INDIAN BATTLE ON THE HUDSON. 399 
 
 banding for the night. We were all hunters, and ready to 
 fight for our hearthstones, with as good heart as we ever 
 hunted a hungry wolf. Quietly we sat on the hill, saying 
 little. The peddler in our midst talking as if he did all the 
 work. He dilated on the causes and the consequence of this 
 battle, with the same assurance as he would have discussed a 
 yard of serge. 
 
 " ' These Mohawks are a wicked set, and will just do what- 
 ever Colonel Johnson tells them to. If he has bid them kill 
 off the white folks here, be sure of their doing it.' 
 
 4 Why should Colonel Jansen do dat ting ?' said one old far- 
 mer of more benevolence than knowledge of the world. 
 
 " ' Just that he may rule the colonies,' was the peddler's 
 answer, ' and Parson Wheelock says that all men should make 
 laws for themselves. That kings were made for the people, and 
 not the people for the kings. That's no treason. Johnson 
 is the critter of King George, and Hendrick is the critter of 
 Johnson.' 
 
 " ' Ende vay is de Mohican de creature of?' said the old 
 Boerman. 
 
 " ' Why,' said the peddler, ' everybody in Connecticut 
 knows that the old Sachem was on the side of the people, 
 and we expect that the young capt'n will cast his braves into 
 the scales against the crew that want to rule the colonies. 
 What do you say to that, Mister Du Bois ?' 
 
 " The person addressed had disappeared from our com- 
 pany, and was in close counsel with Newabina. ' Hendrick 
 has one eye open. He sees the otter in the rivers. The 
 muskrat will dart upon him in the dark,' was the warning of 
 the Dutchman. 
 
 " ' The Elk is afraid of the water after the sun is down,' 
 said the Indian to his careful counsellor, with some bitterneso 
 in his speech, and as if reproachfully. 
 
 " Du Bois felt hurt, and replied, ' I have no fear of doing 
 what I promised ; but the pale-face has bis eyes without 
 blood, and can see clear. Can the brave chief see now ? and 
 with that he threw a bandana silk handkerchief over the red 
 man's face. Taking it oft', he said, ' we will meet on the 
 island :is I said.' f 
 
 " This referred to a diversion which somijef the boldest 
 of us intended to make in behalf of their neighbors, the Mo- 
 hicans, at the upper end of the island, when the fight would 
 be at the hottest, just sufficient to alarm the Mohawks, ;mJ 
 oive their enemies a better chance. ' I Lave s-jcn," s:.
 
 400 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 captain to us, ' that a sudden start was better than a delib- 
 erate volley.' 
 
 " Hendrick did sleep with one eye open, for he knew all that 
 *'as going on. His spies were intelligent and penetrated the 
 design of their enemy in time to warn him of their approach. 
 Crawling out of his camp, he and his braves lay among 
 ths bushes outside, scarcely breathing, with their weapons 
 ready. Newabina came on, quietly at every step, till within 
 a few yards of the place, when they rushed, yelling their 
 war whoop, striking through the screen upon the ground 
 where they supposed the Mohawks lay. Not a sound met 
 their ear, but a silence which stunned them more than if a 
 thousand voices had responded, since they expected such 
 a meeting. As with one consent they ceased themselves, 
 looking round for an enemy, when all at once the hidden 
 foes started up, firing and hurling their weapons so truly 
 from the dark where they stood, upon those within the fence, 
 whose faces were plainly seen in the light that blazed ; so 
 that every shot and stroke told fearfully, bringing down a 
 Mohican. 
 
 " Hendrick saw that now was his time, and springing from 
 his hiding-place, he hurled his heavy weapon of war in the direc- 
 tion of his foe, so that it sank into his left shoulder. A mo- 
 ment more and the Mohican confronted him. The tomahawk 
 of Newabina whizzed through the air, but it was a random 
 blow, and missed its aim. His eyes were filled with the 
 light of the fire, and could not discern objects in the dark 
 around them. It was the same with the whole of that devoted 
 band. They were shot down like deer, that come to the 
 waters in the night. When they came out they could not see 
 where to run. 
 
 " The two chiefs stood facing each other. The Mohawk had 
 a sound body but it was old and stiff. The Mohican had the 
 advantage in years, but now he was disabled, so that they 
 might be called equal. They measured each other with the 
 look of fierce revenge. Knife in hand, they were about rush 
 ing at one another, when the party under Du Bois landed, 
 causing great alarm to the Mohawks, who were wholly in the' 
 dark concerning the new enemies, their numbers, or their 
 plans; only they felt certain it could be no friends of theirs. 
 We had no other wish but to prevent further effusion of 
 blood, and had loaded with blank cartridge ; but our volley 
 told sufficiently to produce the greatest confusion. The pre- 
 serving of their boats was their first care ; and these little
 
 THE LAST INDIAN BATTLE ON THE HUDSON. 401 
 
 Abraham immediately put out into the river, where he waited 
 tor the fugitives, who, leaping in their terror into the water, 
 swam tpward the fleet, upsetting some of the canoes in their 
 haste. By this time the Mohicans were recovering from their 
 fright, having discovered their new strength, and were return- 
 ing in great force and spirit, when there was no foe to en- 
 counter. One after another of the Mohawks had retreat <M! 
 through the bushes, and all being aw r are of the place where 
 their fleet was moored, had run in that direction. Some of 
 them, however, missed their way, swimming to the different 
 shores, and either made their escape by running homeward 
 or hid in the brakes, till they found a chance. One poor 
 wretch was taken a few miles on his way, and brought back 
 to suffer all the cruelty which a red man can inflict so skill- 
 fully. Though I saw it, I have no wish to describe it. An 
 uidian is a fiend when he becomes an enemy. 
 
 " Hendrick, taken equally with surprise, hesitated to venture 
 upon Newabina sufficiently long to allow his foe to spring 
 forward on him, but he met his match in that large and 
 strong w r arrior. They clasped one another so firmly that 
 their weapons were harmless. Rolling over one another it 
 was difficult to guess winch would have proved victorious. 
 One that knew them both, would have decided for the Mo- 
 hican, but since his wound he had lost blood, and was 
 becoming all the time weaker. One turn more in this state 
 and his right arm fell helpless by his side. His time h:i<l 
 seemingly come, for his enemy was above him. The knii'e 
 was at his neck, when Du Bois sprang forward and arrested 
 the hnnd. Hendrick rose to his feet as if to meet a new foe, 
 when Drake, with a comical air, called out, " i arrest you iu 
 the name of King George for disturbing the peace of this 
 Province." The Mohawk scowled one of his black frowns ; 
 and seeing Newabina helpless, he turned and toolc to the 
 canoe that waited for him, and left the field, in Avhich he 
 had gained few laurels, though he had succeeded in render- 
 ing his way to the kingship certain to himself and to his 
 successors. 
 
 " The young king of the rivers was buried in the same robe 
 in which his father had arrayed him. They took nothing 
 off from him. He reigned but a single day; and that was 
 the last of that noble race who wore a crown." 
 
 The Elder Abiel having finished his narrative, turned to 
 see the preparations for the hunting of the fugitives, :n.d 
 perceived that all was ready. A small party Here to remain
 
 402 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 keeping sentry over the prisoners already collected, himself 
 with the rest. He sighed as he gazed back upon the plain 
 below. 
 
 Brandt, well pleased with the history given of his ancestor, 
 smiled as he said : 
 
 " Big Boerman's tongue straight as a hawk's bill : goes to 
 many sides, but picks the real bird from the branch it was 
 pointed to at the first." 
 
 Clifford saw that the Mohawk aimed at the islands and 
 would continue in sight of them while he had hope of gain- 
 ing a footing there. He felt satisfied with his little plot of 
 having the history of Hendrick told over by a white man. 
 The pride of Brandt was excited, and so Avas that of all the 
 Mohawks present. At any moment they would have 
 descended at once, sparing none in their effort at maintain- 
 ing the name and the fame of their nation. Their chief 
 brought the whole band around him, making one of those 
 nervous speeches to them, pointing down to the river, which 
 at the close was followed by a war song and a dance that 
 made the blood of even the tamest white man there tingle 
 with emotion. A word of Brandt's, and death to all. 
 
 The band of men formed round into a solid circle, hav- 
 ing the chief in the centre, then untwined itself by two 
 threads that went off at almost opposite points, turning 
 gradually westward. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 A HUMAN WHIKLPOO L. 
 
 " Het beest, dat gij gazien hebt, was en is neit ; en het zal opkomen uit den afground 
 sn ten verderve gaan." OPENBARING. 
 
 Translated thus from the Dutch : 
 
 " The beast that them sawest was, and is not ; and shall ascend out of the bottomlest pit 
 Mid go into perdition." REVELATION. 
 
 TETTNIS rose that morning, and without bidding any one 
 good bye went directly in search of Clarence Clinton, whom 
 he left to sleep in the bear's den. Surprised and alarmed at 
 finding the cave empty, lie made the best of his way to th-i 
 point of meeting widi the other two youi,g men at tl<
 
 A HUMAN WHIRLPOOL. 403 
 
 Kaaterskill Falls. His knowledge of the route soon brought 
 him to the place of rendezvous, but he saw nothing of them. 
 When he arrived at the falls where he had left Bertram and 
 Gabriel, he had lost ah 1 hope of finding Clarence. Bertram 
 was clear for going at once and claiming the protection 
 of Brandt, and to this Teunis was acceding, when Gabriel, 
 more cool by nature, and less interested in feeling, threw in 
 objections which caused the other two to hesitate. As cap- 
 lain, elected by themselves, he had the right to command, and 
 he was worthy of the place. 
 
 "You cannot," he said, "think calmly on this subject. 
 Were Peggy Troumpier where any of your joes is, my mind 
 would not be in a fit state for planning, whatever it might 
 be for fighting in the right time." 
 
 Bertram as well as Gabriel, had been putting on their 
 Indian garments, found by them when they wakened that 
 morning. Some friend was watching over them in the dark, 
 and this gave them all three new courage. Beside the tree 
 where these were laid, lay a paper containing something 
 which Bertram soon discovered to be in Latin, but which he 
 would have preferred much more if it had been in common 
 English. 
 
 "This fairy, or brownie, as the Scotch would call their good 
 friends, surely thought we must have dictionaries on trees 
 when he left this for us. Here it is : ' Media autem dtc 
 clamor factus est : Ecce sponsus venit:' exile in occur&em 
 ejus.' 'And at midday there was a cry made, behold tha 
 bridegroom cometh : go ye forth to meet him.' " 
 
 " Is that a correct translation, you Bible-reading men ?" 
 said Gabriel. 
 
 " All but one word, I should think," said Teunis, who per- 
 ceived the meaning of all this; guessing from what he saw 
 through the night where these things came from. "You 
 have put the word midday in for midnight" 
 
 "Let me see," said the lieutenant :" it is midday here 
 underlined, and is intended to be so. Let us note tins. Let 
 noon be our countersign and look out for the midday. 
 
 After hearing a full report from Teunis, they made up 
 their minds to remain at the place where they were, as the most 
 likely to serve their purpose. If the marauders succeeded iu 
 recapturing Margaret, they would bring thoir victim here, as 
 the first place of gathering ; so the three took position.-; where 
 they would see, and be themselves hidden. The solitude, to 
 minds like theirs under the most painful suspt n.se> was as
 
 401- THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 much as they could bear. The ever running water below, 
 and the constant fall from above, affecting the two senses, 
 hearing and sight, with the same monotonous din ; and the 
 same succession of airy spirits coming constantly through the 
 narrow passage, and then leaping over into the cloud formed 
 by their predecessors, produced a strange loneliness in their 
 watching. And yet as no man feels himself alone if a child 
 be playing around him, so these men when they saw that 
 playful stream tripping down to the brink and then step- 
 ping off with ease, felt that they had communion with the spirit 
 of the region. Thrown back into the recesses of their own 
 nature, they fell into that dreamy reverie which the soul of 
 the thoughtful loves to cherish at times, and with profit. 
 
 " This is more than I bargained for," was the expression 
 of Bertram, " when I left in the good ship Vulture. I ex- 
 pected to see a wild country along the shores of the river, 
 but not to see nature in her wildest dress. I wonder if that 
 Elsie, whom you describe as possessed of such good sense, 
 Mr. Teunis, would have romance enough in her soul to take 
 Miss Clinton to see this precious gem -of these mountajas." 
 
 "Miss Clinton," said Gabriel, " by the time she got tliis 
 length, would have something else to* think of. If she be a 
 woman like the rest of them, stream;* of water fell over her 
 cheeks." 
 
 " You are likely speaking the truth, <so far my captain, but 
 there are some souls which never !<>se their sense of the 
 beautiful and the grand, and Margaret Clinton is one of that 
 kind: were ehe on the way to eternal exile, that silvery gos- 
 samer would, at least for a moment, relieve her painful feel- 
 ings." 
 
 " Maybe," said the plain matter of fact Gabriel. " First 
 impressions are always the most effective, and I own that 
 my lady Margaret is the very one to see wonders, where I 
 would not see aught but common things. I have been here 
 when I felt the influence of the scene more than at present." 
 " Still, captain, you cannot help admiring the grandeur of 
 the whole amphitheatre, as your eye ranges round in search of 
 some single object on which to rest till you fix it en that watery 
 spirit which springs from the shelving platform into the capa- 
 cious hall beneath. Indeed, when I look again, I can imagine 
 bu many winged spirits sent forth from the Father of Spirits, 
 meeting again below, as in airy sport ; first in that tlwk zx>;s- 
 terious gulf, from which they recoil as from a phu^e of n^- 
 to rise where the sunbeams light '.tvo-v I'l.'.i-s
 
 A HUMAN WHIRLPOOL. 405 
 
 forming the whole into a glorious crown fit for the heads of 
 seraphim." 
 
 " You forget the possibility of Miss Clinton being hidden 
 in that place down there, which 'you would compare to the 
 mouth of the pit." 
 
 "I have imagined that to be possible," said Bertram, 
 " and I am sailor enough to descend into the hold, or into 
 the sea itself, for pearls such as she." 
 
 " That language is too deep, and too high for a common 
 Dutchman like your captain. Perhaps Teunis, who I see i.s 
 in a brown study, may answer you according to that kind of 
 fully ; but I will tell you what I once saw here. It was in 
 the winter. A fine hunting morning, the snow all crusted 
 over, so that it could bear man or beast. A little flurry had 
 fallen during the night ; just enough for the fox to leave his 
 mark behind him. We had a hard run, but we earthed him, 
 near the foot of the hill over there. As the work for that 
 day was over, and we were on the lookout for anything in 
 which we might pass the time, we followed the advice of old 
 Frederick Saxe, the bear-hunter, and went down to see the 
 falls frozen. Tin's produced much sport with the young 
 folks, who were inclined to poke fun at the old hunter. But 
 knowing him to be a man of original expressions, I led the 
 way that we might see a wonder. We came up from that 
 deep gully below there, and arrived suddenly upon the sight 
 of an object before which we all stood for a few minutes 
 speechless, quite at a loss to understand its nature. They had 
 all but myself been here before, and exclaimed, ' what is that ? 
 It has grown since I was here in the summer.' It was a high 
 tower reaching from the bottom, up to the tip of that rock 
 you see jutting out there, pure white, intermingled with glit- 
 tering crystals. The stillness of the grave was around us. 
 Some one whispered in my ear, ' the year is dead and that is 
 its monument, raised by the frost king.' Imagine just now 
 that not a sound is reaching your ear all that din stopped, 
 and the murmuring altogether lulled, so that you could hear 
 the beating of your own heart against your ribs." 
 
 " You don't mean to say," was Bertram's interested inter 
 ruption, " that the stream was all gone ? That might be in the 
 summer, but the winter's freezing does not dry up the wh-Me." 
 
 " No, r continued the other, "the water ran as bi'f' >!>, 
 up there; but was neither seen, nor heard after it left the 
 ledge." 
 
 ' That's a very droll story you tell, Mr. Captain, and may Ix;
 
 4-06 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 good enough for the marines ; but an old salt as I sm, has 
 spun too many yarns to believe that the water would not 
 fall in the winter as it this moment, making din enough to 
 deafen the old, or young bear-hunter." , 
 
 " Wait till you hear the whole. Suppose that from the 
 place we are now sitting, over to the other side of that 
 amphitheatre, as you call it, a round thick tower were built of 
 glass, hollow in the centre, rising up and up, till it came to 
 that shelf from which the water now runs ; where would 
 the drops go ?" 
 
 " Why through the glass tower of course," was Bertram's 
 quick expression ; " but what has your comparison to do with 
 your description ?" 
 
 "Everything, Mr. Lieutenant, for there would be no mur- 
 muring sound of water as there is now ; nor thundering roar 
 as 1 have heard after a heavy storm, when that stream, so 
 small, and so tame, sprung like an angry beast till it cleared 
 the whole platform, and fell into the outer basin yonder, two 
 hundred and twenty feet." 
 
 " Yes, captain, but your enthusiasm has made you forget 
 your glass tower, which, as you describe, must have been a 
 large bottle, bottomless ; taking in the whole stream at the 
 neck, and letting it run down its sides, so that it passed 
 through below." 
 
 "Just so, and better told than I could tell it. It was full 
 eighty feet in diameter at the base, and one hundred and 
 eighty feet high, pure as snow, till it rose to the neck, when 
 it became clear as rock crystal with the whole stream 
 entering, and passing through it, plainly to the observer." 
 
 " Certainly, that was a wonderful object, and oqual to any 
 of the peaks of frost that I have ever seen or heard of. Does 
 it rise so every winter ?" 
 
 " Xo, sir ; old Fred said that he had hunted among the 
 hills forty years, and had seen it only complete once before. 
 A half bottle may be frequently seen, like what comes after 
 a drunken frolic, but the perfect full-blown vessel, out of 
 nature's glass-house, comes but once in a lifetime." 
 
 " I hope you had something warm to drink, captain, for 
 cold water coming through a bottle of frost, may be good in 
 a hot summer day, but in the months of February and 
 March, it is another thing." 
 
 " We had plenty of the hot stuff, sir ; and it was dearly 
 paid for too, with broken heads and bones nearly cracked 
 A little more and I would not be here to tell the tale."
 
 A HUMAN WHIRLPOOL. 407 
 
 * Let us hear that yarn with the rest, for after what you 
 have told, I am ready to believe anything." 
 
 " As you please," said Gabriel, with perfect nonchalance. 
 " After we had freely drank of Santa Cruz rum, our brains 
 began to swim, and some of us did not know whether we 
 stood upon our heads or our heels. I was ready for anything, 
 either to scale the tower from below, or slide down from 
 above. They laughed at me till my pride was touched, and 
 through recklessness I began to climb. The rough sides of 
 the gigantic thing allowed me a footing, so that I did get 
 upon one of the turrets, twenty feet from the ground, where 
 I stood looking round me. The sight had not lost anything 
 from my strange position. All round under these rocks 
 were huge pillars of ice, formed by the water which had 
 searched through between the seams." 
 
 " I have seen the like," interrupted Bertram, " in salt mines, 
 and in deep caverns, where statlagmites, built in the course 
 of ages, rise to the high roofs, as if chiselled by the hand of 
 art. Go on, captain, I beg pardon." 
 
 "No, sir, thank you, I wanted just such a description to 
 elp me through. At the time I stood there, it appeared 
 .ore like a crystal theatre of display, and I have since fre- 
 quently wished that lights of a sufficient size and number, 
 jould have been introduced for the sake of showing the ell'ect 
 of illumination in such a place." 
 
 "Oh, you must read when you can," said Bertram, who 
 could not restrain his speech to the end of the description, 
 " the account of the Empress of Russia's ice palace. You 
 will see that the thing you wish has been tried with full suc- 
 cess, lately, and after you have got through with that, turn 
 to the ' Arabian Nights,' and you will see the power of Alad- 
 din's lamp." 
 
 " Well, sir, there I stood on the turret, admiring my own 
 daring as much as the wonders around me, when Jim Crap- 
 sar, that imp of Satan, thoughtlessly cried out, * Three 
 cheers for Gabe.' The three cheers were never given; one 
 was enough. Such a commotion has never been listened to 
 by me, though I have been where a few cannons were let off 
 at my ear, as you know. It seemed as if that single c 
 would never stop. Crack, crack, crack, went off the pil- 
 lars, all round falling in pieces as big as a cannon, and others 
 like the trunk of a tree; as to the small lumps tm-y 
 were like a shower of grape-shot, mixed with forty point- 
 ers. It sounded and appeared more like the last day \\\M
 
 408 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 any battle I have been in. A company of more terrified 
 beings I have never looked at in actual danger, with no way 
 of retreat. It was begun in sport, but it closed in real earn- 
 est. As for myself I was really in the safest place, being in 
 the centre looking on the shower, and its consequences. 
 But to this day, I feel the shaking of that mass beneath 
 me. If the three cheers had been given, down the whole 
 fabric would have come, and I, below the fragments, would 
 have been crushed." 
 
 " That indeed would have been a tale worth telling at a 
 hunter's fireside for ever after. Buried in an avalanche, and 
 swept away by the stream, when the spring floods oarae. 
 Not quite equal to the Alpine traveller who is lying now, 
 in just such a glen as this ; nor will he be found till the last 
 great fire thaws him out. Anything more, Gabriel, about , 
 that wonderful bottle ? one glass more, if you please." 
 
 " We left in double quick time, for a look at the bottle 
 from above. It lost nothing in eifect, but it was of another 
 character. I have looked up and down since, but mostly 
 when the sun shone bright in June. The d;iy I refer to in 
 winter showed the different colors of the rainbow reflected. 
 It was in reality, a frozen rainbow." 
 
 " Ha ! better than before, captain ! Do you not see one 
 now giving us the promise of a fortunate day ?" 
 
 " When the sun shines out that w r ill follow of course, and 
 you may go there to that step, and have it round your head 
 if you choose such an ornament. There are more wonders 
 here amidst the Kaatsbergs, than the king knows of." 
 
 " True, Captain Gabriel, the king has not a bottle in all 
 his cellar like that which you held in your arms ; and that is 
 one reason why his majesty wishes to keep this fine country 
 of yours among his other treasures." 
 
 Teunis, somewhat piqued at the merriment of the young 
 Englishman, turned to him, saying : " The half of the won 
 ders of this spot has not been told you. Come here in the 
 heat of summer, and after a fall of rain, you will, if you look 
 up from below, see an entire rainbow a complete circle ; 
 and though you laugh, I will tell it, that I have seen my face 
 as distinctly in the centre, as I have ever seen it in the round 
 looking-glass that Madam Dyce has in her biggest west, 
 room. What do you say to that, sir ?" 
 
 " I say his majesty has not such a mirror in Windsor 
 Castle, and it is doubtful if he has it anywhere in his domi- 
 nions, but hero. I do not question what you say, you l>avu
 
 A HUMAN WHIRLPOOL. 409 
 
 seen ; but I would require Sir Isaac Newton to explain the 
 philosophy of it ; and yet, when I remember the camera ob- 
 scuro, I dare not doubt, though I must laugh a little at both 
 you colonists, holding up the beauties of your country." 
 
 " Well, laugh away, but I have stood hours looking up 
 into that wonderful glass, where sometimes I would see a 
 single face, sometimes one other; then as the sun would 
 shine out differently through clouds, there would be faces all 
 around the circle, changing their position every moment 
 like a mystic wheel revolving, till the head below grew so 
 dizzy, that I have believed them ^ to be faces looking down 
 upon me from the upper world, only they were not always 
 of the most pleasant kind.' 
 
 " Ah, this is the spot," said Gabriel, " I have heard of 
 when I was a lad, where they went to speak to the vapory 
 spook, and get their fortunes told ; I wish I had come before 
 now." 
 
 " Gabriel," continued Teunis, " this is no laughing matter ; 
 I have known some who laughed after they came on the 
 wrong side of their face." 
 
 " Hush ! hush ! low down," said Teunis, as he prostrated 
 himself to the ground, " there are runners afoot, I hear their 
 voices calling to one another in the woods, and around us." 
 
 The three young men fell to the earth with their heads 
 toward the gorge ; nor did they lie long in that position till 
 they discovered persons on the opposite side descending into 
 the bottom of the gulf. There were several ; some of these 
 were in the garb of Indians, others were dressed in the 
 common woollen cloth worn in that region, dyed with the juice 
 of the butternut, resembling brick-dust, as much as any- 
 thing known out of Jersey. They increased rapidly in 
 numbers as the circle grew smaller, according to appoint- 
 ment. 
 
 " Those persons in front are not real Indians," said Teunis, 
 " I know from their looking so much before them, as if they 
 were curiously investigating a piece of art. I warrant the 
 real Mohawk sees more than they do, ont of the side of his 
 face, and from under his eyebrows." 
 
 " And I would take those in front to be entire strangers, 
 they look so astonished," was the remark of Galu-iel. "I 
 did not expect to see any but the real hunters up here." 
 
 All this time Bertram was examining the different arrivals 
 with his pocket glass, and had the range of the 'party in 
 tro"fc. Something in the outline of one of them awakened a
 
 410 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 dormant feeling in bis soul, which made him keep that figure 
 close in view, till at last, he cried out, " Clarence ! by 
 George, as I am a Ihing man!" and he was about to rise 
 and halloo, when the man on each side of him held, him 
 down, pointing to the numbers which were coming in from 
 the same side on which they lay watching. 
 
 " Take the glass and see," as he put the instrument into 
 the hand of the captain. 
 
 A long, earnest gaze, and Gabriel agreed that it resembled 
 Clarence much in manner, but the dresses were all so much 
 alike, it was impossible to distinguish them individually. 
 
 " But turn your attention to what chiefly concerns you 
 both ; do you see any females among them ? Look into 
 every knot of persons, and watch all new comers." 
 
 " Yes," said Teunis, " for if there be none with them, it is 
 time we were off to the next rendezvous, the pool that I told 
 you of, and which we must reach by noon. Behold at mid- 
 day !" 
 
 " You think that the cry is to come in that quarter then ?" 
 was the sly question of Gabriel, who, being less interested in 
 his feelings was the more inclined to jest a little with his 
 companions. " Let us take matters coolly for the present, 
 and mark the motions of the our friends below. See how they 
 pour down like so many bloodhounds to the death. Their 
 hunt has made them eager for more prey." 
 
 The wide hollow now seemed alive with the crowd. At 
 that distance it was impossible to distinguish the parties, they 
 were so much alike. Some sat on the rocks, others hung on 
 the sides by branches and roots of trees, while a few of 
 the madcap race were chasing one another under the shelving 
 platform, and attempting to climb up the sides of the steep 
 rock, to the danger of their necks. A main body was 
 grouped into a circle, who stood as if waiting for orders. 
 Apart from these, and in deep conversation, were about twenty 
 individuals, whom Gabriel declared must be the commanders 
 of the expedition, engaged in counsel. He continued : 
 
 " What a difference between that little spot at this mo- 
 ment, and what it was when we rose this morning. Then 
 God and nature reigned, now devils incarnate are before 
 us." 
 
 " Yes," said Bertram, " could we only see your tower of 
 ice there in the centre, and boiling lava round it, and these 
 fiends lying rolling naked in the pit, tumbling fi-om the cold 
 tower into the hot furnace, and "
 
 A HUMAN WHIRLPOOL. 411 
 
 " Please to stop, sir ; that's more than my nerves can stand ; 
 it puts me in mind of our Dominie's description of the bot 
 tomless pit." 
 
 " Another, as great as your great man the Dominie, has 
 helped me to that description. While you were telling me 
 of those cheerings which shook icicles on you in showers, I 
 was reminded of how an Italian poet describes hell, where 
 * naked spirits lay down, or huddled sat ; trying to throw 
 from them the flakes of fire which came like snow. The devils 
 called out to other devils, thrusting the scul back into the 
 boiling pitch ; and looking up, Dante saw them walking on a 
 mount of ice, their teeth chattering, and eyes locked up with 
 frozen tears." 
 
 " Enough of that horrible poet's words. Down, down 
 lower with your heads ; we are observed," was Gabriel's quick 
 whisper, which his comrades obeyed by a sudden prostration 
 of the face to the turf. " Rather quick to be successful, 
 friends. There is a figure on the opposite side of the gul 
 standing so erect, and so still behind a tree, that I am at a loss 
 to know whether it be friend or foe. Tennis, you look now. 
 The objects round here are all familiar to you." 
 
 Teunis did as he was commanded, when he saw the form 
 and face of the Hermit, plainly gazing down into the pit, 
 with the intenseness of one that watches from a tower, on the 
 movements of an enemy. As he did not turn his eye away 
 for an instant, Teunis whispered. 
 
 " Lift your heads slowly, and look. The hunters are pre- 
 paring for a new start." 
 
 It was as he said ; orders had been given for mustering. 
 The whole body stood in two columns. At the word of 
 command each moved off at a light angle from the other, 
 straight as an arrow, up the opposite sides of the ravine, and 
 as the one remaining at the* head of several ranks stood still, 
 till the one who had just left was at least ten rods distant, it 
 took some time before thtf last two were gone. When thesa 
 were out of sight, the three young men looked where their 
 fellow watcher had stood, but he was gone also. 
 
 "The coast is clear now," said Gabriel, "and Teunis, you 
 must be our guide. My advice is to pass straight through t'hut 
 circle, which these hunters are making. It must be three 
 hours before they complete their search." 
 
 " Yes, and an hour more. Let us follow the stream as the 
 Bafest and the nearest, though it be the roughest road in tho 
 world ; and who knows but we may find the timid F:i\vu
 
 i!2 THK DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 and her protector in some of the caves formed by the eddy 
 ing waters." 
 
 They descended carefully, looking at every step around 
 them, lest any spy might be left behind. For well tney all 
 knew that Brandt was a wily foe, not to be circumvented but 
 by superior wiles. 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 THE WINGS OF A CHEEUB. 
 
 :ked by th 
 ?" 
 them all" 
 
 THE hunted fugitives, whose place of refuge was as yet un- 
 discovered by their enemies, were making the best of their 
 condition under the ruling mind of Elsie. The barking of 
 Rover, whose quick ear had heard the growl of the angry 
 catamount a mile off, had produced alarm in the minds of all 
 three ; more especially as this was followed by the reports of 
 fire-arms and the shouts of men engaged in a combat. Gra- 
 dually as their fears subsided, they had time and opportunity 
 of considering the peril and security of their present position. 
 Elsie had reasons of her own for remaining where they had 
 already slept so soundly ; and the confidence with which she 
 expressed herself had the effect of preserving the other two 
 from painful uneasiness. Margaret, whose experience of the 
 world was more than Angelica's, felt as if Elsie must know 
 more of the means of escape than she expressed. Possessed 
 of an elastic spirit, she bounded up the moment the smallest 
 release was given. 
 
 A trifling occurrence in itself here took place, which gave 
 variety and interest to their solitary condition. Rover, who 
 had suddenly disappeared without leave of absence, was 
 heard by the quick ear of Elsie to give one of his pleased and 
 familiar barks, which he always gave to herself when lie wel- 
 comed her home. This would have occasioned no alarm ; 
 but for her present circumstances, when she belie red that 
 that sly snake of an Indian, Shandaagan, was in Jie hi:h,
 
 THE WINGS OF A CI1EKUB. 413 
 
 seeking after them, and that Rover had always a hankering 
 fondness after the keen hunter. Hushing her companions tc 
 silence, and pointing them to their bed as the securest and 
 most retired place of safety, she crawled oft' in the direction 
 from which she was most likely to perceive the cause of 
 alarm. Her surprise was increased by hearing the tinkling 
 of a small bell that she felt more than distinguished to be one 
 familiar to her ear. A moment more, and what was her 
 amazement to find her own pet lamb, which had been driven 
 away on the day of the conflagration to the hills, and now 
 had found his way high up in search of food. The quick ear of 
 Rover first discerned the tinkling of his playmate's music ; and 
 at the instant their mistress discovered them, they were fond- 
 ling each other in perfect animal rapture. The dog, by his 
 superior sagacity, was manoBuvering so that he might bring 
 the lamb where he knew a welcome awaited him ; and the in- 
 nocent little fellow seemed to know that friends were near : 
 for he was following Rover, butting with his head, as if impa- 
 tient of his gambols. Elsie stood up and gave the usual sig- 
 nal for Dickey's meal, when he rushed to her side with 
 meek confidence, bleating his wishes and his pleasure, as she 
 stroked him with her hand, and spoke Dutch : " Arme Lam- 
 meskie, schoone Lammeshie" Poor lamb, beautiful lamb. 
 
 This new arrival was hailed with delight, and especially by 
 the kind-hearted Angelica, who wept now when she spoke of 
 her poverty as so great that she was not able to give pooi 
 Dickey his pan of milk. From that she naturally went off in 
 a deep lamentation over the probable fate of Red and IJrin- 
 d!e, and the mooly cow, wandering over the hills, with no 
 one to milk them. 
 
 This trifling occurrence served to pass the day, giving em- 
 ployment in part to the good Angelica, and even diverting 1 lie 
 mind of Margaret from herself; so that before night came on 
 she had almost recovered her buoyancy of spirit in the com- 
 munion she found with nature ; into which she entered rap- 
 turously, as every new and fresh object rose before her. 
 Her education had all tended to foster these sentiments with- 
 in her, so that her mind was not untutored for any time, but 
 was prepared for all circumstances, and so trained, that the 
 present scenes rose up before her like dreams of t lie past r:ither 
 than like unfamiliar pictures requiring minute investigation. 
 
 "I believe, Elsie," said the lofty-minded girl, "that , mm,' 
 have lived here before in some lime of my previous existence , 
 for everything I see is associated in my mind \\ ith some beaut?
 
 414 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 ful tmng of the past. Elsie, did you ever think upon the lite 
 we came from in the past ?" 
 
 " No, no, my dear Miss Clinton, I have had enough to 
 think of hi the present, and any spare thoughts are given to 
 the life to come. This is the first time I have ever heard of 
 a past life." 
 
 " Excuse my foolish talking, Elsie. I have read about it 
 in some old book, and I sometimes dream of things which I 
 may have seen. Your standing just now, with your brown 
 October garments on, and your hand holding the lamb by 
 his string, is just as plain to me as if I had ween you a hun< 
 dred times before, my shepherdess. I am not surprised at 
 all, as I would certainly be if something of the kind had not 
 happened." 
 
 " If that be true, then," said Elsie, smiling, " being a queen 
 is no new thing to you, for it sits well upon you. It would 
 not suit us girls in this land, who are putting the crowns of 
 majesty alongside of witches' brooms, and other trinkets of 
 the kind. Let it be as you will. You are queen, and I 
 am your shepherdess, while this play lasts, which I hope 
 will not be long. We must go soon to our bed. Let ua 
 gather all around, and speak of the good before we lie 
 down in our nest." 
 
 Night came with more pleasure than it had done for a 
 week past with Margaret. The scenes of danger were be- 
 coming common, and the presence of Elsie every moment 
 more endearing. So rapidly and earnestly had her thoughts 
 grasped the circumstances of her own case, and combined 
 them with those ot her companion, that they seemed as if 
 linked in one bond for life and for death. She had known 
 her a long while, for all the time they had been together 
 they had lived in every sensation of their sentient nature, 
 and in every thought of their rational being. With pious 
 feelings and subdued affections, she lay down on the humble 
 couch prepared for her by the tender-hearted mother, who 
 saw the two young maidens laid beside each other as she 
 tucked in the warm coverlets around them, saying, in homely 
 phrase, what Elsie had said to her : 
 
 "Arme Lammeshie, schoone Lammeshie, de genade zij 
 <met se." 
 
 " What is that your good mother wishes for us ? She is 
 always thinking of us more than of herself. My trust is so 
 strong when she is near me, I am confident her God hears 
 prayer.?'
 
 THE WINGS OF A CHERUB. 415 
 
 " She is calling us poor lambs, beautiful lambs, and spying 
 grace over us." 
 
 The leaves of autumn, dry and in abundance, formed their 
 soft bed, and sent forth a fragrant smell. Rover nestled in 
 cosily at their feet on one side, and Dickey lay down as 
 softly at the other. The stream came down, murmuring 
 melancholy music above them, and was answered in the din 
 of the waterfall beneath. Lulled to sleep, they lay in more 
 composure than princesses, who, after a night of dissipation, 
 have musical instruments of all sorts played near their pil- 
 low. Our damsels, though hunted by wicked and barbarous 
 men, were not haunted by the spectres which glide around 
 the pillow of the evil conscience never at ease, be it on a 
 bed of flint or a couch of roses. 
 
 Night passed without interruption of any kind. Pleasant 
 dreams even flitted through the brain of the hunted women. 
 They lay down under no absorbing sinful emotions, and 
 were therefore more calm in mind when sleep overtook them. 
 In the morning, when Margaret awoke and found that her 
 ever faithful Elsie was not beside her, she threw her arms 
 around as a child does in search of its nurse. So dependent 
 was she, that she felt more like an infant than the daughter 
 of a soldier, who had taught his children the necessity of 
 self-reliance upon all occasions. But these were new scenes 
 to the English girl, and there was not time yet, nor room 
 allowed, to give scope to the real character she possessed. 
 Turning round, she saw there was no one at her side, so sit- 
 ting up, she called : 
 
 " Elsie, dear Elsie, where are you ? Come and tell me 
 that all is well. Oh ! what .shall become of me, now that 
 my only friend is gone." 
 
 Angelica was also absent at that moment, but soon 
 returned, wringing her hands in a transport of anxiety lest, 
 something terrible had befallen her daughter. 
 
 14 Wat can I do for my dochter. Martin gout-, my honscn 
 burned, the cows ande sheeps, ande niggers, alle agone. A\\ve ! 
 awee ! Elshie, Elshie, vere are you dat you never come once." 
 
 It was now that the spirit of the deserted Margaret came 
 out in its true energy. Rousing herself up at the sound of 
 distress, she forgot her own troubles, and wrapping around 
 her the blanket she had worn as a mantle the previous day. 
 She bathed her glowing temples in the fresh running stream 
 as it passed clear over the rock. When fully equipped, :-\ u 
 ran back to the disconsolate mother, saying:
 
 4:16 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 " I am going off to look for Elsie, and I will not return til! 
 I find her. Sit down and watch till we come back." 
 
 The astonished Angelica was startled by the ardor of 
 the delicate stranger, and looking up in her face, saw that 
 she was sincere in her resolution ; but at the same time she 
 knew that the attempt must be vain, and certain to result in 
 the capture or death of one so feeble and inexperienced. 
 
 "Nay, nay," said the affectionate mother, " tee cannot do 
 Any such ting as dat, we shall go down de clove road to- 
 geder and meet Elsie coming up. If she be in de hands of 
 de vile Shandaagan, we may help her, tree of us 'gainst von ; 
 but feeble ting dat tou be, vat can tee do ?" 
 
 " O mother," said the excited girl, " have you not seen 
 Low a pigeon will swell out and speak boldly in its own lan- 
 guage when an enemy comes to its nest. Let us go." 
 
 As the two feeble creatures were about to start, they 
 knew not whither, they chanced to look over the precipice, 
 when far down they saw two figures in the bed of the 
 stream ; one of them could hardly be distinguished as human, 
 only that it stood erect, and was lifting up its arms to the 
 very point on which they themselves both stood. The 
 other figure Margaret soon perceived was Elsie, who had 
 already parted from her unknown companion and was on her 
 way back, with great haste, as if she saw the uneasiness 
 which her absence was causing. These things occurring at 
 the momeiy, of their departure, made them pause sufficiently 
 long for their friend and protector to reach them in time to 
 set their minds at rest. 
 
 " Wat's dat down dere among de bushes ?" was the earn- 
 est query of the mother to her daughter just as she put her 
 head above the ledge. 
 
 "Never mind mammy, here is a pipe and tobacco and 
 some fresh dry punk for your tinder-box. The steel is in the 
 red pouch at your side." 
 
 A pipe and fresh tobacco were just what Angelica needed 
 at that instant, for collecting her scattered senses ; and so 
 her mind was diverted from the vision that rose in the mist 
 of the glen, to the eyes of the amazed and disturbed woman. 
 Margaret would fain have continued the inquiry, but per- 
 ceiving the unwillingness of her friend to enter upon the sub- 
 ject, she, with the tact oi good breeding, set about helping 
 Elsie to spread out the meal that she had brought back with 
 her upon the fiat stone, which had hitherto served them as a 
 table.
 
 THE WINGS OF A CHF.RUB. 417 
 
 " What a fine breakfast you have brought us ; beantiful 
 white bread and milk ; warm milk just from the cow. What 
 I used to steal out and get in our dairy at home in England. 
 Here I am drinking it on the side of these very mountains 
 that Hendrick Hudson saw when he came up the Great 
 River." 
 
 " Yaw mammy," said Elsie, addressing the old lady, ' it is the 
 milk of old Blackie. I met her mooing on the side of the 
 hill, for some one to milk her, and when she saw me, you 
 would have cried to see how she ran to me.'* 
 
 The good Angelica was wiping her eyes at the account her 
 daughter gave her ; but the prudent girl went on so rapidly, 
 that there was no room to ask questions, and it evidently ap- 
 peared to the quick-eyed Margaret, that there were things 
 behind which the caterer did not wish to tell. Her high spirits 
 and quick motions had a sympathetic effect upon the others, 
 so that by the time the mother's second pipe was over and tlm 
 repast partaken of, there was even cheerfulness felt and shown 
 by all. Rover had eaten up the crumbs and was watching a 
 chance to dip his tongue into the hole where Dickey's milk 
 was poured. Elsie was carefully gathering up the remains 
 of the meal and putting them away in case of a dearth of 
 food ; while the reflecting Margaret was lost in reverie as she 
 recalled the strange being she had seen that morning with 
 her guardian ; of whom it was evident she must remain in 
 ignorance for the present. She however ventured to ask a 
 question, as they all sat looking down through the interven- 
 ing glade. "Is there no path down through the ravine 
 there," said she, deferentially, "that we might follow and 
 come to the river where this water is now going ? My dear 
 Elsie, it is surely better to risk some danger, than be pent up 
 here in this high fortification and perish. I have heard sol- 
 diers say, that it was a maxim in war, that to remain and never 
 show yourself was the sign of defeat, and sure to end in that 
 at last." 
 
 " Ah, my lady," said Elsie, " you forget that the weak must 
 have walls of defence, and what the wildcats up hero have 
 not in strength is given them in cunning and claws. Despair 
 never effects any noble purpose. Let us wait another day 
 up here in the sunshine, before we risk our lives down hi the 
 dark valley." 
 
 " All that sounds very philosophical in words, but I would 
 be willing to veuture into the dark, and get my feet br ilsod 
 for the least chance of escape." 
 
 1C*
 
 4:18 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 "A hundred Indians are lying across that road at this mo 
 ment," said Elsie, with her hand pointed downward, " and 
 every one of them has the scent of the Spanish blood-hound 
 that I have heard my uncle tell about. Do you think, Miss Clin- 
 ton, that you could swim to an island, when the tide is sweep- 
 ing everything out into the sea? could a hunted deer break 
 through a closing rank of men and dogs, watching for him 
 in the thicket ? I saw one, a beautiful creature, chased by a 
 hundred hunters, and he took to the ice. The men and dogs 
 on the banks pursuing him, but he bounded forward at such 
 a speed, that I clapped my hands in perfect joy at the pros- 
 pect of his escape, when a cunning hunter, who had lain 
 down in the bushes, lifted his gun and gave him a fatal 
 shot." 
 
 " You mean," said Margaret, with a sigh, " that I am a 
 hunted deer, and that there is no hope for my escape ?" 
 
 " No hope for you down through that path; by and by 
 there may be. Go down at this moment, and you will be like 
 a fish going into a fyke." 
 
 " And what is a fyke ?" said the interested young lady, 
 always wakened up by any new sound or scene. 
 
 "A net wide at one end like this clove, but closed at the 
 other, and narrow, so that the fish cannot turn." 
 
 " That gives me but little hope, my friend, my protector, 
 my adviser ; but it seems after all, that you are not without 
 some hope. May be you would prefer me to mount the hill, 
 and seek a refuge on High Peak as you call it. I am ready to 
 go with you to any place." 
 
 " Come, Miss Clinton," said Elsie, anxious to divert the 
 mind of her ward from her present condition ; let us go out 
 into the sunshine and finish that queen's robe we commenced 
 yesterday. I have some thread that we can use in binding 
 these leaves together, as Mother Eve did in her forlorn state. 
 We are better off than she was in the Garden of Eden." 
 
 " I am sure," said Margaret, smiling at the conceit of her 
 friend, " she had not more brilliant colors than we have in 
 our paradise ; though on the whole, I think her outward con- 
 dition was a little better than ours to the feet." 
 
 " My lady, it is not the soft or hard walks which 
 make the difference. Let us make the most of our place, 
 and be the noblest of beings on the mountain." 
 
 In this way the two maidens passed the early part of that 
 day. Elsie made a crown of the laurel, and set in it three 
 feathers of sumach, which rendered it quite imperial. The
 
 THE WINGS OF A CHEBUB. 419 
 
 sceptre was a peeled staff, surrounded with red and yellow 
 leaves, tufted at the top with a deep purple knot. A wreath 
 made of the same material, several yards in length, which 
 when tied at the ends was thrown over the right shoulder, 
 and biased so as to come on the left side, where the sword 
 of state hung, made of shingle wood which they found float- 
 ing down the stream. The lozenged, blanket variegated with 
 red and blue, had a hole cut in the centre, through which 
 Margaret's head went, and having also outlets for her arms, 
 it hung easily, not to say gracefully, upon her stately, aristo- 
 cratic form ; so that she really moved among these scenes 
 more like the queen of the mountain in October, than this 
 description would justify. 
 
 " Ha," said the enthusiastic lady, as she surveyed herself, 
 laughing so that her face seemed like the sun struggling 
 through the mists ; " how the Duchess of Mourtelhome would 
 envy me, were she to see me walking into the birthday mas- 
 querade. I will keep the pattern of this until I need it ;" 
 and with that she gave a few steps in the fashion of majesty, 
 so that her companion laughed back, and with assumed obeis- 
 ance bent the knee before her, while her queenship held out 
 her hand to be kissed. 
 
 They had not got over the novelty of this nmusenient 
 when they were attracted by a scream of eagles above them 
 in the clouds, that were slowly resting on the mountain tops, 
 where they sometimes lie for days like a fleecy turban round 
 the head of an East Indian King. 
 
 " See," said Elsie, who was the first to speak, though not 
 the first to perceive, " there is an eagle resting on that white 
 cloud. He is calling to his mate for he sees where he may 
 find her a dainty bit." 
 
 " Hush !" said Margaret, " let him rest there till I see him 
 a little more. His voice is that of true love. Let us listen 
 How calmly he sits up there undisturbed ; his head is above 
 the mist ; and he only seeks glimpses of the earth. The 
 hand of the fowler cannot reach him. Like the warhorse of 
 Job, he mocketh at fear, and is not atirighted. He smelleth 
 the battle afar oflf." 
 
 " Y es, Miss Clinton, he scents his dinner, and not very far oft 
 either, if I may judge from the growling of a wolf that I heai 
 below us, with the quarrelling of other creatures. The shots 
 we heard yesterday left carcasses lying there, and bo*,h leasts 
 and birds soon find out the place.*' 
 
 " I become terrified at your telling me these thing! a-
 
 420 
 
 look below ; but I feel strong looking up to t'uat majestic 
 creature. Have you seen him ever before ?" 
 
 " Oh, dear lady, he has his home up there in High Peak, 
 from spring till the winter comes near, when his mate and 
 he, with the young ones which they have raised during the 
 summer, go away to some wanner climate. The Dominie 
 says they will not stop till they reach the Andes. They know 
 the seasons better than any old man in the country ; and can 
 find a dinner where the cunningest fox in the Mils has hid- 
 den it. The Dominie preached us a fine sermon not long 1 
 since from the Dutch text, * wan alwaar het doode ligchaam 
 zal zijn, daar zullen de arenden vergaderd worden.' It is 
 about the carcass gathering the eagles. And it was terrible 
 to hear the good man lifting up his hand, saying, ' wherever 
 there is a carcass, there is a bird to tear it open. 
 Vengeance follows the guilty like instinct ; cross the sea. 
 ascend the mountain, dive into the whirlpool, there is the 
 eagle hovering over him ready to alight upon him. No 
 sooner is the wicked act performed than the fatal flap of the 
 wing follows. But I see you are up in the clouds just now, 
 and I must wait till you come down." 
 
 " Oh, yes, excuse me, Elsie, for not listening to you. How 
 grandly he moves. Like a ship far out at sea with sails 
 unfurled. I could trust myself on his wings, and be free. 
 He would lay me down at my mother's side. What is that 
 you said about the Dominie and the eagle ?" 
 
 "Doth the eagle mount at thy command, and make her 
 nest on high ? From thence she s^eketh her prey ; and her 
 eyes behold afar off." So Elsie quoted, adding : " the Dominie 
 says that ' the Creator who gave power to the eagle can give 
 freedom to the country.' " 
 
 " Ah very true, dear Elsie, but the eagle has been the sign 
 of tyranny as frequently as of freedom ; and he is a cruel, 
 bloody bird, though he be a true king up there, and every 
 where. I wish from my soul I were on his wings. See he 
 narrows his circles, and there he seems to sit unmoved upon 
 the air." 
 
 " Wait, my Lady Margaret, and you will see him alighting 
 soon. His eye is fixed on some object below ; and he will 
 dart down like an arrow upon it." 
 
 Elsie was mistaken in her conjecture, for while the kingly 
 bird did come down it was to alight on a tree that stood on 
 the south side of the ravine, where he sat pluming himself 
 nith evident pride, stretching out his high nec-k. over the
 
 THE WINGS OF A CHERUB. 421 
 
 precipice. The two spectators watched him for an hour till 
 their eyes grew tired. Margaret's especially, melted into 
 tears at his movements, so natural, graceful, and at the same 
 time evincing such power. Elsie, who had not the same 
 interest in the bird, made while she sat a wreath for herself, 
 and was in the act of throwing it over her head when i 
 scream from her mother, and a howl of distress from Rover, 
 made her run to the rescue ; Margaret following with equa' 
 speed. When they arrived at the spot where Angelica was 
 confusion spread on all sides, of what nature, neither of the 
 two damsels could tell. There was tne mother, the chief 
 figure, in the foreground, with Rover ant) Dickey at her right 
 and left, but the most confounding thing of the whole was 
 to see the eagle in front, striking and flapping his wings 
 with the utmost fury at all three ; and but for the prompt 
 arrival of new forces, he must have come off the conqueror. 
 The history of the battle, when they came to t<;ll it in 
 order, was this. The eagle had seen from his eyrie, the lamb 
 playing around the platform, and made up his mind to carrj 
 him off captive ; but like a cautious soldier, he determined on 
 stratagem rather than upon attack in face of the enemy ; so 
 sitting down before the fortress, he resolved to bide his time. 
 At one spring, and as quietly as a cat, he descended, putting 
 his talons into Dickey's wool, and was in the act of lifting 
 him up. when Rover, with true courage and se'f-sacrifice, ran 
 to the help of his playfellow, seizing the eagle by the wing, 
 and holding him to the ground. The brave bird, nothing 
 daunted, let go the lamb, and turned on the dog with beak 
 and talons, which made him yell, and try to get off in re- 
 treat, which the enemy had no mind to allow ; still keeping at 
 him, since the woolly victim had fled. By this time the 
 eagle deemed that dog-meat was better than none, so lie 
 was in the act of lifting up poor Rover in the air when 
 Angelica arrived on the battle-ground ; and seeing her favo- 
 rite struggling to be free, she rushed forward, scixing Rover 
 by the tail. The eagle soon found that able as he was to lift 
 either of the two four-footed creatures, it was more than he 
 had bargained for, >vhen a heavy Dutch vrow hud taken forc- 
 ible possession of the tail end of his prey. It was at this part 
 of the contest that Elsie arrived, who, finding that the wea- 
 pons of the enemy were so sharp that they drew blood at every 
 btrokc, made an effort to seize him at once by the neck, which 
 she, by a dexterous turn, caught in her hand, choking him so 
 that his beak becnme helpless. Here Margaret came of i with
 
 4-22 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 one of Angelica's thick quilted petticoats, which she threw 
 arom*d him, while the old lady, with great presence of mind, 
 took the garters from her own legs, and bound those of the dis- 
 discomfited bird of Jove, so that he became nearly as helpless 
 as one of her own gobblers, on his way to the Dominie's for 
 his Christmas dinner. Conquered, though still defiant, he lav 
 on his side, casting fiery glances at his vanquishers, who, from 
 the fright and the battle, were in a state of great excitement. 
 
 " What shall we now do with him ?" was the question 
 which came simultaneously from the conquerors. Margaret 
 was for setting him free at once, remembering her own im- 
 prisonment. 
 
 " I cannot," said she in her enthusiasm, " see such a bold and 
 noble creature in chains. You may not have read of a great 
 man like your own Washington, but I must say it, of one who 
 delivered his country from vassalage, William Tell, who was 
 celebrated for his mnrkmanship, so that he could, sever an 
 apple with his arrow at a hundred paces' distance. When 
 out on his native hills, he saw an eagle wheeling in aerial 
 circles above his head. With the instinctive ambition of a 
 huntsman, he put the bolt upon the string, which all knew 
 would have brought the king of birds down to the earth, but 
 in a moment he let the weapon full from his hand, shouting, 
 * Liberty ! liberty !' " 
 
 Angelica, who had none of that kind of sentiment in her 
 composition, was for chopping off his head at once, like any 
 common hawk's found in a barn-yard trap. 
 
 " Te wicked tief dat he is ; noting betters serve him dan 
 drink and lap lamb's bloed ; wid my mind izijn hoofd wil- 
 lende be gebragt in een' schotel like Johannes den Dooper." 
 
 " Mammy, that is not like you. His head on a charger, 
 like that of John the Baptist ! You may live through this 
 day, and see the prophecy fulfilled to the ' woman was given 
 the two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the 
 wilderness, into her place where she was nourished for a 
 time from the face of the serpent.' I could read that in 
 Dutch to you, mammy, for you believe the old Dutch is the 
 true language of Canaan. Let us teach the robler a lesson, 
 and keep him a short time, and make some sport with him." 
 
 u As the Philistines did with Samson," said Margaret, 
 rather pettishly, because her will had not been carried out. 
 But Elsie, perceiving that he would serve to pass the time, lilted 
 him carefully, and- mounting into the fork of a tree which 
 fvp-v oi tht* v^rge of the shelf, fastened him there. Coming
 
 THE AMPHITHEATRE. 4:23 
 
 down, she left him ruffling up his plumage, spreading his wings, 
 full six feet from tip to tip, while his head stood erect three 
 feet high ; but the spring of his limbs was lost, and he sank 
 with noble pride a prisoner, still threatening defiance on his 
 keepers. Margaret was in raptures at the sight, and forgot 
 for the moment her sorrow, exclaiming as she clapped her 
 hands : 
 
 " What a tale to tell if I ever return to England, that I 
 helped to capture the king of birds." 
 
 " It is a good omen, my lady," was Elsie's response, " that 
 you will conquer your hard fate. The tyrant seeking to 
 devour the innocent lamb is overcome." 
 
 " Yaw, yaw," said Angelica, " ande de vecht ande pre- 
 vailed not, neder was hiins found any more in den hemel." 
 
 "Many thanks to you both, my kind friends, for your 
 words of hope. " God Almighty grant it may be so." 
 
 " Yaw, yaw," said the pious mother, catching always at 
 good things ; " de Domilie says dat Satan in Gabriel's wings 
 can be tumbled into des afgrons dat is de bottomless pit, 
 by a worden of prayer." 
 
 " You see, Miss Clinton, that the signs are favorable this 
 morning, and there is no need of your doing any rash act till 
 the hour of desperation arrives, and then it will be time 
 enough for us to do up to our ability." 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE AMPHITHEATRE. 
 
 I've seen myself with these two eyes, 
 
 Far grander scenes than Caesar saw in Rome, 
 
 Or champion joined in wiien the skied 
 
 Sent back the shouts upon him with the prize ; 
 
 I saw that scene, and felt that power at home." 
 
 WKSTKRN TRAV 
 
 THEIR great exploit with the eagle furnished subjects of 
 sufficient interest to engage the minds of all three for a whole 
 day, and thus fill up the time which Elsie was so desirous of 
 occupying, so that the mind of her charge might tor the pi 
 be diverted from herself. Margaret was the eagle's tir. 
 one. Neither Elsie nor her mother durst come near to l.im 
 without meeting his fiery glances, which he sent out like
 
 424 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 flame. The young enthusiast was enraptured ; t iking plea- 
 sure in feeding him, and even ventured to stroke down the 
 plumage of his neck. Climbing up on the tree beside him 
 became one of her new lessons in mountain gymnastics ; so 
 that she came at length to swing on the brandies that over- 
 hung the glen with delight rather than with fear. 
 
 The sun had by this time ascended nearly to the meridian, 
 when Elsie spread their table once more, and insisted upon 
 their partaking with her of a dinner she had kept for them, 
 in the basket, from the morning's repast. There was broiled 
 ohicken and roasted venison, with plenty of home-made 
 bread. The mountain air and the hard light had given them 
 a keen appetite, so that the meal was relished by all three 
 women and their three companions, dog, lamb, and eagle 
 each feeding her own charge. Elsie had one more surprise 
 for them ; a small bottle of the purest port wine, which 
 cheered the hearts of all. 
 
 " One might believe, my dear Elsie, that the eagles of 
 Elijah have been supplying your basket this morning ; and 
 if so, we have made an ungrateful return in capturing one of 
 our friends there." 
 
 " My clear lady, we cannot always tell how our commonest 
 blessings reach us ; and jit is best for us not to know all in 
 one day," 
 
 " Eat as de Dominie says, asking none questions for de 
 stomach's sake, vat is set before tee." Having said this, the 
 old mother looked round for Rover ; but though she called 
 to him in her kindest and most pursuasive tone, he did not 
 answer. Elsie showed most excitement of the three ; start- 
 ing to her feet as if she waited for some apparition. If so, it 
 was not certainly the one that came up ; for on a sudden Ro- 
 ver came in sight, followed by that unworthy dog, Shandaa- 
 gan, who took his stand upon a rocky point above the plat- 
 form where they stood. The caitiff grinned a scornful smile, 
 as he tried to look into the faces of the disconcerted women, 
 who knew too well that he was but the shadow of another 
 whom they both hated and dreaded still more than himself. 
 As they feared, Kiskataam came in sight a minute after- 
 ward, uttering his usual ugh ! of grim gratification at the 
 success of his hunt. 
 
 Margaret gave a shudder of mingled fear and disgust, re- 
 calling in feeling, as in memory, the torments she had endured 
 since she had been kidnapped from the ship. After looking 
 aside, as if she expected yet another besides these two, sin;
 
 THE AMPHITHEATRE. 425 
 
 turned her back to the dizzy precipice, standing as near to it 
 as safety would allow ; her face lighted up with a courage 
 and defiance which made the human tiger turn his eyes away, 
 conscious of his weakness in the presence of virtue. To re- 
 lieve his growing embarrassment, he ventured to address the 
 young lady, more to keep his own courage up than in any 
 nope of daunting her determination. 
 
 " Will the Fawn run no\v, or wait to be eaten up by the 
 big teeth of the red wolf? His feet are on the trail of the 
 weak Fawn. He will be down in the length of ten arrows. 
 Let the Fawn run now with the Indian. He will carry her to 
 the big canoe down there, and put her beside the great 
 soldier and his squaw." 
 
 This artful speech, delivered in the softest tones, and with 
 his finger pointing down the clove to where the river is almost 
 seen, was well calculated to make an impression on a young 
 female, imprisoned among strange scenes, and trembling still 
 nore in the prospect of being captured by one that she 
 aated with a perfect hatred. Had any other man on earth 
 offered her the same convoy, she would have accepted of it 
 but she had proved his hypocrisy already, and was not a 
 moment in deciding against the proffered help. Elsie, who 
 had been watching the movements of her countenance with 
 the keenest scrutiny, was prepared to thwart the sinister 
 purpose, had there been any wavering on the part of her ward. 
 But the hesitation, if any, was but for a moment ; for the face 
 of the captive assumed the most ineffable scorn, which the 
 wily serpent interpreted without requiring verbal expression, 
 which provoked the savage more than a torrent of words. 
 These feeble women, even the simple Angelica, had put on a 
 calmness which confounded their enemy, and rendered him 
 almost mad ; all the more because he expected to hear the 
 voice of Clifford in the rear every moment. Whatever, there- 
 fore, he had to do for himself, must be done quickly. Per- 
 ceiving that Elsie was the prime mover of Miss Clinton's 
 action, he tried that string, gently at first, as if conscious of 
 the tenderness beneath. Knowing from past experience that 
 the least scratch of an unsheathed claw would bring upon 
 him a storm, before which lie must retire, he partly ad- 
 dressed both the young women, as he said, in his most 
 emiling way : 
 
 " The Boerman's young Wildcat will go with the * awn. 
 Shandaagan is good Indian hunter." 
 
 ELsie had not the self-restraint of Miss Clinton Havms
 
 426 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 always full freedom at home, her speech was ever the ready 
 utterance of her feelings, and now that her contempt for the 
 mean red-skin was so deep, it was all she could say to bid 
 him 
 
 " Go off to Stony Clove, where the squaws are lying 
 hungry beside their pappooses. whimpering for their double- 
 tongued daddies." 
 
 A flash of savage passion crossed the face of the smooth 
 deceiver, when he leaped dow& on the step beneath, along 
 with his attendant, coming up close to the very spot where 
 the three females were standing, with their faces toward 
 their enemies. Elsie was all alert, and whispering to her 
 mother to keep an eye on one savage, she took the chief 
 to herself. In the front of Miss Clinton she kept Kiskataam 
 at bay. On the other hand, Shandaagan was pressing forward 
 with the evident intention of pushing the old lady aside, so 
 that he might aid his master in securing Elsie, Avho was the 
 one most to be dreaded. But Angelica had not stood so 
 long unprepared, for with a stone in her strong hand, she 
 struck the skull of the Indian such an unexpected blow that he 
 reeled, and all but fell. A moment more, and his tomahawk 
 Would have done its work on her head, when Rover seized 
 the calf of his leg from behind, giving it a bite which would 
 have made a white man scream ; this gave the old lady a 
 chance with another stone to strike the hand that held the 
 weapon of death, when he let it fall just at her feet. She 
 picked it up so aptly that the coward sprang back, and 
 wreaked his vengeance by a kick on the dog's ribs, which 
 added to the music of the day. 
 
 In the meantime, the Indian chief was pressing hard upon. 
 Elsie, whose courage was rising equal to the emergency, as 
 she prepared for the worst, though it was not the intention 
 of the wily foe to do more than frighten her into compliance, 
 since he could not wheedle them into his charge. a said 
 fiercely : 
 
 " Does the Wildcat seek a lead nut through her brown 
 hair," as he pointed the muzzle of his gun in the direction of 
 the brave girl's breast, who, not in the least daunted, to the 
 evident surprise of the enemy, drew from her bosom, where 
 it lay concealed, a beautiful silver-mounted pistol, armed 
 with a small dagger, that flew out at the touch of a spring. 
 
 " Does the bloody Catamount want a ball through his false 
 neart? Let him come one step nearer and there are tw<? 
 veauy for him."
 
 THE AMPHITHEATRE. 42? 
 
 Foiled alike in his attempt at flattering and frightening 
 these feeble women, he was put to his wit's end, and was 
 evidently intent upon something desperate, when, to his 
 increased mortification, the chief actor in this wicked drama 
 stepped suddenly upon the stage. Standing upon the bank 
 that ran across the ravine at a higher point, Clifford looked 
 down upon the whole party with an interest and a hesitation 
 which a wicked man, still possessed of some honor, may be 
 supposed to have when he sees the victim of his desire, and 
 when his conscience tells him that h^ is sinking in his own 
 esteem. He stood pausing and preparing himself, not un- 
 like the eagle before it descended on the lamb, hating the act, 
 yet forced by insatiable appetite to devour. To none of the 
 parties was the arrival of Clifford more unwelcome than to 
 to Kiskataam. His intentions had been, up to this moment, 
 to carry off Miss Clinton. He would have taken her back 
 into the wilderness if possible ; but rather than not be 
 revenged on the Englishman, he would have set her down 
 safe in the ship from whence he abducted her. Sick of the 
 bargain he had made with the unprincipled rake, he had been 
 nursing his vengeance ever since their quarrel on the night 
 of his arrival ; but now all his selfish schemes were blown 
 aside, and he must deliver up the prize to the one who had 
 bought him. Grinding his teeth with rage and disappoint- 
 ment, he had no alternative but to smother his wrath, and 
 seem to yield, by showing an extra zeal for the master's 
 interest, so that even the simple Angelica said : 
 
 " De Yudas petray his maister for ane kiss." 
 
 " Miss Clinton, I have found you at last, and after an 
 eternity of anxiety," were the first words of the cold, pas- 
 sionate hypocrite. "You have the cunning of the fox with 
 the beauty of the fawn, so well do you hide, and so fleetly 
 and gracefully do you move." 
 
 With these words, he bowed so like one paying deference 
 to beauty and innocence, that none save the most knowing 
 in the art of the spoiler could have guessed that aught lay 
 beneath the surface but the purest stream of sincerity. To 
 his bow the lady gave no further heed than to look toward 
 him, watching his smallest motion. 
 
 " Miss Clinton," said the artful villain, coming nearer aiM 
 standing quite over the place where the others wciv 
 grouped, for all were waiting his motion ; " you look it* 
 that dress as if you were prepared to come with me to the 
 place where nature is exhibited on her greatest scale, anO
 
 428 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 when I have you there, standing in the island that divides 
 the tumbling waters, a poet would call you the genius of 
 Niagara." 
 
 Margaret had been so absorbed in the events of the morn- 
 ing, up to this moment, that her fantastic attire was the least 
 of her thoughts, but being now reminded of that, and cast- 
 ing a rapid glance over her person, a slight blush tinged her 
 cheek as she reflected on her folly in the midst of her dis- 
 tress, but this was no time to be affected by trifles; impor- 
 tant realities called for action, and for endurance ; now she 
 could neither be flattered nor frightened out of her chaste 
 dignity, by the man who had tried before this to fascinate her, 
 as the snake draws the helpless bird into his jaws. 
 
 " Miss Clinton," repeated the artful seducer, " you never 
 in the days of your greatest beauty, in the brilliant assem- 
 blies we have attended together, looked half so queenly as 
 now, standing amidst all that rugged grandeur around you, 
 and yourself so seemly in the trappings of that holy nature 
 you love so well. Could you but see the great lakes of the 
 North and of the West, your spirit would expand to a 
 breadth which you are as yet a stranger to." 
 
 "Defile not the pure air around you with such flattery. 
 Your breath is hateful to me ; I hate the pure things you 
 put your praise upon ; I have become tame, and tired of my 
 childish romance, since it has cost me so dearly already. My 
 liberty has been bartered for it, and before night falls, my 
 life may be the sacrifice. But, thank God, my virtue still 
 remains and " 
 
 u May not," interrupted the smooth sinner, " virtue and 
 love dwell together in a cottage, while romance would ride 
 out in company on play-days ? I remember some such sen- 
 timent sung, in a home we wot of. Our own Shenstone, 
 yp-u know, sings : 
 
 " ' I have found out a gift for my fair, 
 
 I have found where the wood pigeons breed.' " 
 
 " No more !" said the impatient lady ; "you have touched 
 the wrong chord ; I will sing the real truth, as Shenstono 
 sung 
 
 " ' 'Tia his with mock passions to glow, 
 "Pis his with smooth tales to unfold ; 
 How her face is as white as the snow, 
 And her bosom be sure is as cold. 1 " 
 
 With that he leaped down on to the same platform where
 
 THE AMPHITHEATRE. 429 
 
 the three fugitives and the two Indians were already stand- 
 ing. Margaret stood in the centre, her autumnal crown on 
 her head, the wreath round her person, in a diagonal direction, 
 and her blanket robe bound at the waist by another wreatli 
 of willow twigs, that conlined it, so that she moved without 
 tripping on the skirts. As she saw Clifford approaching her, 
 she exclaimed, with more force than could be expected of 
 her : 
 
 " Stand back wretched man ; God has still provided me 
 with a retreat, that I may escape from your hands." 
 
 " God himself cannot save you now, Miss Clinton. See on 
 either side of you my two faithful servants, the brave Indian 
 chief Kiskataam, and the cunning Shandaagan, and behind 
 you is the roaring fall. You see that that .Providence you 
 epeak of has delivered you into my hand. Surrender at will 
 is your true courage now, and you may make your own terms. 
 Margaret, in yielding to your fate, you conquer your con- 
 queror." 
 
 With these half earnest words said in a serio-light man- 
 ner, the bad man took a step nearer, partly bending himself 
 forward, taking off his cap as in deference to the presence of 
 a queen ; while the whole group presented a picture worthy 
 of a painter's eye. It was well that a pause was taking 
 place, since it gave time for the working of those passions 
 within, which ever gain force as they are restrained, and the 
 time given allowed Elsie an opportunity of reflecting on the 
 critical position of her fdend. Her bosom heaved, as the 
 veins of her neck swelled, her whole frame expanded a 
 size which seemed above common, and yet there was a sym- 
 metry of proportion which tilled the mind more than the 
 eye. 
 
 " Stand back, caitiff!" was the frantic exclamation of Miss 
 Clinton, to the still approaching Clifford. " Stand back ! Soi- 
 dier though you be, you are a coward in attacking women, 
 and I will not trust myself in your hand. I have at least 
 cue chance of escape." 
 
 With this she sprung up into the tree at her back, climb- 
 in"' to the branch on which Aurelius stood, welcoming her 
 \vfth his curved neck, and spreading wings as if he invited 
 her to her chariot; she sat out on the branch swinging 
 over the deep gulf, making the heads of all but herself 
 dizzy. 
 
 " For God's sake, Miss Clinton, do not tempt Providence
 
 4:30 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 in that way; come down and I swear by my honor, that 
 you may go where you please rather than have your blood 
 on my hands." 
 
 " I will not trust a man whose cheek grows pale at the 
 sight of death, and calling himself a soldier ; fir.vt mocking 
 God, and the next moment invoking his name, then swearing 
 by an honor that has been tarnished by ingratitude and 
 violated friendship." 
 
 The blood came back to the face of Clifford at these 
 reproaches. He was mad, and knew not how to wreak his 
 vengeance, or on whom. He felt himself weak in the pre- 
 sence of such daring as he saw. Besides, the scene before 
 him, wild and romantic, had a charm which captivated his 
 cultivated, and experienced eye. Margaret was dressed in 
 her queenly robes, and unconscious of her beauty at the 
 moment. Her face flushed, her hair hanging loose on her 
 shoulders, she stood balancing herself on the branch with one 
 hand on the proud eagle's neck, and the other ready to 
 loosen the string that bound him to the tree. Clifford, at 
 the moment, would have given all he caDed his own to 
 have had the lady at his command, whose spirit so proudly 
 defied him. 
 
 " Clifford," she called out in transport, " you see that the 
 God you mocked has provided for me a way of escape ; I am 
 not without a friend since I can rise on this noble creature's 
 wings." 
 
 " For the love of God, Miss Clinton, do not think of trust- 
 ing yourself thereon. I swear on my knee that you may do 
 as you please, only come down." 
 
 " I will trust the eagle before I will an ungrateful and dis- 
 honorable man misnamed soldier and unworthy of his flag. 
 I feel safe. I am not the first that has been thrust upon a 
 pinnacle, and who came down safe in angels' charge." 
 
 All this time the noble Aurelius was excited to the highest 
 degree, by the loud speaking and the gestures of the differ- 
 ent parties He felt the sympathy of human passion, in which 
 he joined so fiercely that he kept the soldier in check, by his 
 fluttering and his screaming. It would have been more than 
 a strong man durst have done to venture without arms neiii" 
 to him. Without measuring the full strength, skill and 
 rapidity of such an enemy, Clifford made a spring at the 
 eagle, hoping to bring him down, and thus cool the ardor of 
 his mistress, but before he could seize his feet the proud
 
 THK AMPHITHEATRE. 431 
 
 creature, quick as thought, struck the intruder's cheek with 
 his beak below the eye, for which he aimed, and sent liira 
 back with a force and a pain which brought both blood and 
 tears, as he stood the object of secret ridicule and contempt. 
 His rage and bad passions were now up, and pausing a mo- 
 ment so as to gather force, he said : 
 
 ' Miss Clinton, I have no time to parley, and since you 
 will not yield yourself to me, your protector must pay the 
 penalty of insulting one of his majesty's servants." 
 _ With that he levelled his pistol with the intention of put- 
 ting a ball through the bird's wing. Quick as a flash, Elsie 
 stepped forward, and struck the muzzle aside, when the shot 
 fell harmless in the gulf below. The hot-brained soldier, 
 now in a transport of fury, looked like a demon on the brave 
 Dutch girl, whom he had hardly noticed before, and who now 
 stood his glance unappalled, as he demanded, " Who dares 
 to interfere with my game ?" 
 
 " No soldier of King George shall insult the sign of my 
 country in my presence," was the prompt answer. 
 
 " Ah," said the mortified man, " and have we got a young 
 rebel Whig up here in the mountains, and beyond the line* 
 too ; come bold chief, let us bind these rebellious arms and 
 carry her along with old Abiel and Schuyle/ to Fort 
 Niagara. She will serve as maid of honor to the queen 
 when there : I see she wears her livery already." 
 
 During the excitement of these few minutes, the three 
 men had closed round the beleagured women, and seemed 
 about to make the final charge. Angelica had another stone 
 prepared for her foe in one hand and the glittering toma, 
 hawk in the other. Elsie had her finger at the trigger of her 
 pistol and Margaret's courage was wound up to the highest 
 pitch, so that she seemed to court the chance of taking her 
 aerial voyage rather than to fear it. If she had fear, it w."S 
 of that kind which would have made her blood circulate 
 more freely, as when stepping into the parachute of a bal- 
 loon, in which she had perfect confidence. With eye and 
 hand firm, her dress carefully freed from the twigs of 
 the tree, she was ready for the final spring the instant ner 
 enemy was within a yard of her person ; when a voice 
 startled all as if it came out of the rocks : 
 
 " Clifford ! coward 1 stand back and face your sworn 
 enemy." 
 
 The apparition was not calculated to allay the sudden 
 alarm of the parties ; though it was a human Ibrrn thai yt<;d
 
 432 THE DUTCH DOMINIE, 
 
 before them and a human voice that spoke to them. It was 
 human, but dressed in bear-skins, with a high crowned hat of 
 the same material ; the face, rough with hair, seemed as if 
 the same animal had provided the man with a beard from his 
 jaws. Standing erect on the north side of the shelf, the fig- 
 ure confronted the three men, who stood waiting for the next 
 movement. The Indians fell back to the upper side, while 
 Clifford moved to the south extremity of the platform con- 
 fronting his new foe. The stream of water, shallow at the 
 time, ran between them ; while the females standing with their 
 backs to the precipice, were about equal distance from the 
 two men, who were already eying each other as malignant 
 enemies ever do, when suddenly brought face to face. As 
 soon as Clifford sufficiently recovered himself, he demanded 
 haughtily: 
 
 " Who dares to insult a king's officer on duty or to inter- 
 fere with the king's business in any way ? or what menial in 
 an idiot's garb has the temerity to call Colonel Clifford a 
 coward." 
 
 " His duty ! the villain's duty ! ha ! ha, ha !" 
 
 The laugh froze the blood of even the stolid Indians, who 
 looked on as if they had been turned to stone. " Your duty 
 to employ a savage to decoy an enthusiastic, artless maiden 
 into your toils ! The child of your best friend, the man who 
 defended your black name from eternal disgrace. Yoiir 
 duty ! to hunt after women as tigers arc circled round ! 
 Duty!" and the figure laughed again in scorn, until it seemed 
 as if the echoes were the responding of the fiends from, the 
 pit of damnation. So voluble and full were the answers from 
 up the clove that Clifford, though accustomed to scenes of 
 danger, shrank from the voices that called upon his con- 
 science to reply and defend himself against those supersti 
 tions which were unmanning him. 
 
 " Fool that I am," he burst out, " to be foiled of my pur- 
 pose by a madman, spook, or wizard ; I have heard of you 
 before. This is too much, and a dose of powder and lead 
 must silence your gibberish. See if you are witch enough 
 to catch that in your skull cap." 
 
 And with that there was a flash and a report. The ball 
 pierced the high hat of the strange being, bringing it to the 
 rock ; and when the smoke passed away, the soldier was wait- 
 ing to see the effect of his fire, when to his utter amazement 
 the rough robe of the figure had also dropped off, even to 
 his beard, and there, instead of a maniac, stood an officer of
 
 THE AMPHITHEATBE. 433 
 
 his majesty's 13th regiment of foot, in his unjress, fully 
 armed and equipped for battle ; all except that his head was 
 bare. Great beads of perspiration broke out on the brow of 
 Clifford, while his lower jaw fell as if smitten by death, and 
 his lips involuntarily muttered " Calderwood." 
 
 " Thank you, Clifford, for that shot," were the first words 
 of the unveiled man. " See, here is a better mark for you. 
 Aim at this star, won by your side on the banks of the 
 Hoogly. Aim at it, for it lies on the heart you have already 
 riven asunder. Two full years ago, I warned you of the 
 coming day of vengeance. It has arrived. There is a just 
 God in the heavens." 
 
 At this part of the action, going on in that lately solitary 
 chamber of nature, the different parties who had been col- 
 lecting from ah 1 sides, were arriving, so as to surround the 
 little, but perfect water-fall. The ledge of the rock served 
 as a stage on which the main actors stood, while all around, 
 at different points, were the spectators. Down the stream, 
 and looking upward, were the mock Indians, gaping in aston- 
 ishment. The Mohawks stood on the sides of the gulf like 
 statues of bronze, gazing on the marvellous scene. The 
 officers on parole who were in pursuit of game, came in from 
 above. While Cuffee and his crew were perched like crows 
 on the higL trees outside of all. They were rooks in a gal- 
 lery of nature. 
 
 The now unveiled and chief actor gave a glance of grirn 
 satisfaction around him, saying, " One of us must die. Surely, 
 the brave Clifford, whose praises have been sungby the belies 
 of St. James, will not show the white feather ! i ou coward 1 
 you seducer, you ingrate, can you not be provoked ; can the 
 blood of the proud Clifford not start at the epithet coward !" 
 
 The petrified and quivering sinner at this leaped as it' he 
 had been stung, and looking up, he cried with a husky voice, 
 " It shall never be said of Clifford that he feared death at the 
 hand of any man : I am ready." 
 
 The two combatants stood at the extremes of that stage ; 
 the Indians on one side, and the women on the other, so that 
 the balls must pass between them. Elsie grasped her pistol 
 tighter, for she had a terrible purpose in her mind, in the 
 event of one falling. Margaret bent forward from her seat, 
 so steadily, that her plumes did not quiver ; but the pious 
 Angelica hid her face in earnest prayer, as she thought of an 
 immortal soul passing in blood to the presence of tho Great 
 Jud"-e. The red men dilated their eyes to the utmost, but 
 
 19
 
 &34r THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 stood in an evident transport of expectation that showed an 
 inward pleasure, whatever might be the result. 
 
 The deadly weapons were raised : a flash and a report, and 
 a fall. It was the conscience-stricken Clifford. Calderwood 
 ran forward with his sword drawn, for he feared the treachery 
 of the deceiver ; but he soon found that it was needless, ibr 
 the ball had struck the right arm below the shoulder, shatter- 
 ing the bone. 
 
 " I bargained for nothing less than life," said the enraged 
 Calderwood. Confess to be a liar or die. The steel is at 
 your throat." 
 
 " Never ! never !" was the bitter reply of the vanquished 
 but still unhumbled man. The foot of the victor was on his 
 breast, and the weapon ready for the last plunge, when it 
 was thrust aside by a powerful arm from behind. It was 
 Brandt, attracted by the reports of the pistols, and just in 
 time to save the life of his companion in arms. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 FAWN'S LEAP. 
 
 " For my part I would rather kiss the lips I love, than dance with all the graces of 
 Greece, after bathing themselves in the spring of Parnassus. Flesh and blood for me, 
 with an angel in the inside." STEKNE'S TBAVKLS. 
 
 WHILE the grand tragedy recorded in the last chapter was 
 acting, the spectators, as if spell-bound, stood waiting the 
 issue. A common feeling of horror and surpiise pervaded 
 all, It was one of those seasons when the mind grasps 
 the whole at a glance, the daring, the danger and the sub- 
 limity of the position which the young lady had taken, and 
 where she sat with such grace and majesty. The other 
 figures in the foreground were ranged according to their 
 place. But the fear entertained by all, lest the fatal leap 
 might be taken, overwhelmed every other emotion. 
 
 Every one was relieved and drew a deep breath when the 
 danger was past. The villainous pursuer had fallen, nnd 
 they had time to follow out the doings of the rest. The 
 most prominent were four men dressed in the assumed Indian
 
 FAWN'S LEAP. 435 
 
 garb : one of them without any previous warning, seized tho 
 vile Kiskataam with a vigor and skill that nearly overcame 
 him at once. But that traitor was no common enemy. The 
 savage saw that the cup of death was put to his lips and he 
 resolved to sell his life dear, and then enter the council hall 
 of his fathers in company. So, measuring the gulf toward 
 which he was rolling in the death grip of Bertram, he deter- 
 mined to draw over the young Englishman with him if he 
 must fall himself. Seeing that the lady from her seat had 
 now recognized her lover, he gave a fiendish smile of delight 
 at the agony she was undergoing. It seemed impossible 
 to elude the fate which the Indian aimed at, and which Ber- 
 tram in his eagerness to punish, did not see. Like a young 
 lion twisted around by a serpent, the sailor felt the coil about 
 his body, but with a sailor's skill, springing suddenly upon 
 his feet, he brought up the red man, who received as sud- 
 denly the grip and throw of a practised wrestler, bringing 
 him to the hard rock with a crash that made him feel as it* 
 every bone in his body was broken : before he had time to 
 recover his scattered senses he was bound hand and foot, and 
 left lying on his back with a stoical indifference, waiting for 
 his fate, which he saw was now sealed. 
 
 During these fierce combats the minds of both Margaret 
 and Elsie were wrought up to the highest tension. A 
 double beat of the heart indeed was felt by both as the four 
 young men leaped on the stage of action, disguised in thvir 
 Indian garb ; for then they really deemed their time had 
 come ; but the quick eye of Elsie soon discovered that Tvu- 
 nis was present, and she knew instinctively that he h;:d 
 brought friends with him. 
 
 " Courage, my lady," was her piercing whisper, " deliver- 
 ance has come at last ; but let us stand still till the battle is 
 over and render help if we can." 
 
 And there they remained fixed till Kiskataam \v.-n 
 conquered. Clarence had rushed forward to the tree on 
 which his now agitated sister stood, pale, as death. The 
 blood ran to her heart, as she fell nearly fainting hi her 
 brother's arms. Teunis showed no sluggishness now, for 
 leaping to the side of Elsie, he grasped her round the ^aist 
 as if afraid of her being taken from him, imprinting a kiss 
 that was not unheard, amidst even tiiat tumult, and which she 
 returned as warmly ; but it was followed by :is hard a slap of 
 the hand on the cheek of her lover which made it glow a 
 whole ho ir afterward.
 
 436 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 " A pretty kindereen you are, Teunis, to leave two nelp 
 Jess Avomen folks upon the hills." 
 
 '* Elshie ! Elshie !" said the overwhelmed Angelica. " Ye 
 kenen nae dat de kind lad was liken to go out of himself on 
 de day dat he lost tee on de hill ; sae hold ty peace, and be 
 tankfull for all our mercies." 
 
 During this little byplay, which even in the times of the 
 greatest commotion will be played out, Bertram and Clar- 
 ence were bending over Margaret, who, soon recovering 
 from the shock of this sudden deliverance, opened her eyes, 
 fearfully looking into the face of Bertram, lest all might be a 
 deception. The latter dropped a few warm tears such as a 
 heroic heart will send forth when love returns fond glances 
 as it did here. The kiss of affection was freely given to both 
 brother and love.r. 
 
 The guilty Clifford sat where he saw the whole. Writh- 
 ing in his pride and remorse, wounded and defeated, he 
 turned himself away from the sight, gnashing his teeth with 
 rage and pain like what we may suppose Satan to have felt 
 when he saw our first parents in the midst of their happi- 
 ness. 
 
 There was a lull in the tempest, and the late busy actors 
 were enjoying the benefit of the quiet, waiting for the com- 
 mand of some master ; no one exactly knew whom, for as 
 yet they had been thrown together as by chance. An under- 
 hand movement there must have been, which had succeeded 
 it is true, but the very skillfulness of the operator had nearly 
 undone the whole. An hour sooner or later would have 
 changed the face of things. The dangerous experiment there- 
 fore of allowing the denodment to come out in a public dis- 
 play, was more worthy of a playwright than of a Avise man, 
 who never waits for a better chance, when he has an almost 
 certain issue. The man who arranged the plot might have 
 delivered these fugitive Avornen a day sooner, but having 
 ulterior views of revenge, he tempted that Providence, who, 
 notwithstanding his rash folly, croAvned his scheme with suc- 
 cess. 
 
 CalderAvood, as he was now known to all, Avas in earnest 
 council with Brandt, whose mind Avas evidently yielding to 
 what was presented to him. A piece of parchment, such as 
 bears the commission of an officer in the army of Great 
 Britain, Avas held out to the Mohawk, while the other hand, 
 with earnest gesticulations, Avas pointing to the several parties 
 within sight, as if he were expounding to the mind of the
 
 FAWN'S LEAP. 43 <* 
 
 puzzled Indian some point of difficulty. All at once the face 
 of the red man shot forth a fierce light. He saw that he had 
 been imposed upon, and coming forward to the place where 
 Margaret sat, still arrayed in her queenly robes, he smiled 
 and looked from her to the eagle that perched above her on 
 the tree. Gazing on the bird, he folded his arms, absorbed 
 in thought ; then cast a glance at his own form, which a 
 reader of nature would have interpreted to mean, "We are 
 the true children of the Great Spirit." 
 
 " Does the Fawn wish her bird to cross the big water 
 when she goes to the green fields of the great Father 
 George ?" This was said evidently with the intention of 
 drawing out something else than a bare answer about the 
 eagle. * 
 
 " No, Great Chief; the bird shall be set at liberty when I 
 go from here, if my will be law ; I love England, and he 
 loves his mountain home. He is screaming for his mate ; I 
 have found," she was almost saying mine ; but stopping in 
 the midst of the sentence, she sprang again into the tree, and 
 bidding Elsie look, she loosened the string that bound the legs 
 of Aurelius, stroked his noble neck down with her hand, while 
 he returned her fondness by rising to his full height. Feel- 
 ing himself at liberty, he rose on his wings, as they spread at 
 their full length. For a moment he hung over the deep I'm, 
 then slowly rising, he soared away to his mountain home. 
 
 As he ascended, and until he was nearly out of sight, not 
 a word was spoken by any one, when the Mohawk turned on 
 Margaret the look of perfect approbation, saying : 
 
 " The Fawn shall be Brandt's sister, for her love to his 
 brother, in setting him at liberty ; she will wear this, and be 
 cne of the Mohawk wise squaws." With that, as she descended, 
 ne put a silver pin in her blanket robe, having a shell at- 
 attached to it. He moved back to where Calderwood waited 
 for him, and as he passed the place where Clifford sat, he 
 gave him one of those looks of contempt which only an In- 
 lian can put on. 
 
 " The tongue of the big warrior folds in two," said he. 
 
 The Fawn is the kid of the king's Clinton." 
 
 By this time the true and the disguised Indians had come 
 in, and were lying all around, waiting the will of their ohiet 
 The hunt was past, and had ended so entirely different from 
 the expectations of all, that their minds were in wonder at 
 what should next come up, when suddenly the chief Mohawk 
 started to his feet, and all his tribe seemed to have nsi.-n :U
 
 4-88 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 the same moment. Their quick ears had discerned then 
 own war-whoop swelling over the hills and the glens, till it 
 reached them. Then came the repeated reports of fire-arms, 
 declaring that a skirmish was taking place not far off, which 
 demanded the presence of the leader. Brandt, without 
 further warning, shouted his war-cry, followed by the united 
 voices of his men around him, till the rocks and the dells 
 sent back the sounds doubled, and redoubled, as if the de- 
 parted spirits of ten thousand warriors were raised from 
 their slumbers by the call, to repeat the music they loved so 
 well, once more amidst the scenes of former glory. 
 
 In a moment Brandt had cut the bark that bound Kiska- 
 taam's ankles and wrists ; ordering him to his feet, he put 
 him under a guard of his own men, who drove him off before 
 them at full speed. Then pointing Clifford to the westward, 
 he said, or seemed to say, there is now your only chance of 
 escape ; the bad man did not hesitate, for though fainting 
 through loss of blood, and suffering from the spiculce of 
 the bone in the flesh, he was forced into motion. Leaving 
 the former companions of his proud days more like a pri- 
 soner than a colonel of his majesty's troops, and the com- 
 mander of Fort Niagara. He had no alternative but to go, 
 for the looks of acorn and contempt that met him withered 
 his soul ; yet still, with the proud step of the soldier, he 
 walked off with the Mohawk. 
 
 After the coast was clear, and none were left except the 
 Clintons and their attendants, they looked round on one 
 another, as if a feeling of forsakenness had come over them, 
 and that some one was expected to take the command. 
 
 " Where is our captain, Gabriel ?" was the cry of more 
 than one. That faithful follower had singled out, as the 
 special object of his vengeance, the mean caitiff, Shan- 
 daagan, whose fear had early in the fray got the mastery of 
 his desires. While the attention of the company were en- 
 gaged by the conflict between the sailor and the chief, the 
 parasite minion slunk away behind the scenes, taking the bed 
 of the stream as his road of retreat. Gabriel, who perceived 
 his motions, and knew him of old, pursued after him in hot 
 Uaste. The Indian, who knew the path better than the pale 
 face, and who had not endured quite so much fatigue as the 
 other, was soon out of sight, leaving the crest-fallen Sopuso- 
 nian without a laurel to carry away of this great victory. 
 
 " We are about moving," said Bertram, " and tvere be 
 ginning to fear that the cannibals had eaten you up. ' Better
 
 A BRIDGE OF GOLD FOE AN ENEMY*S RETREAT. 439 
 
 the end of a feast than the beginning of a fight.' You know 
 the glutton's proverb." 
 
 " Yes, sir, but not the maxim that rules you, judging from 
 the hearty good will with which you encountered that red 
 rascal. But hark ! there is the Dominie and his congregated 
 troops, on the rear of the Mohawk. Gracious heaven, there 
 must be hot work there, if guns speak the truth to-day." 
 
 "I am off," said Teunis, "to help the Dominie. He 
 helped me and mine, and Martin Schuyler is one of the 
 captives." 
 
 " I will lose an arm in his defence," said Clarence. " Brave 
 soul that he is, with all his oddity." 
 
 "And I am with you," said Gabriel. "Let the sailor 
 navigate the ship now. Carry your passengers to port, 
 Elsie will be your pilot ; and let us all meet, if we can settle 
 this affair, at the Flat Rock, before sundown." 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 A BRIDGE OF GOLD FOR AN ENEMY'S RETREAT. 
 
 * A wolf peeping into a hut where a company were regaling themselves with a Joint of 
 Button, exclaimed : ' Lord, what a clamour these men would have raised had they 
 caught me at such a banquet.' " jEsop. 
 
 THE plan adopted by the Dominie's party had been scrupu- 
 lously carried 'out, and at the same time so secretly, that not 
 a rumor of their approach had reached the camp of the Mo- 
 hawks. Their reverend leader had two objects in his inind : 
 Firstly, as he would have said himself, to prevent any com- 
 munication between the North and the South through 
 Brandt's aid. It was reported that the lady spy was a young 
 man in woman's apparel, who had succeeded in making his 
 escape by the way of the Round Top. Every member of the 
 Consistory present said " he must be prevented." " The he 
 jade," said the roused pastor; " we must skin her this time." 
 
 " Ay.-, aye, minister," said Grant ; " skin for skin, as the 
 Scripture says ; and fegs, sir, your name is Skinniman ; but 
 it's no easy putten saut on a mouse's tail." 
 
 *' We must keep the rascal from getting on board the ship: 
 and secondly, my brethren, deliverance of the captives. If
 
 440 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 we can drive the savages back, well and good after that ; let 
 us try." 
 
 There were some who insinuated concerning the officers on 
 parole, as if they were on a pretended hunt ; but the Domi- 
 nie would not allow a word to be spoken against their honor ; 
 and when any one whispered suspicion of Clarence, the good 
 man got so angry that all were glad to hold their peace ex- 
 cept Mat Van Deusen, who wanted to know more of those 
 " paper things that had such power." 
 
 As to Clarence, who did not appear till the close of the 
 chase, there was- before him a daring course, which he did 
 not hesitate to pursue. He entered into the circle that morn- 
 ing, resolved to follow the chief robber, and either thwart 
 him or die. The attention of Clifford was early arrested to the 
 movements of his mysterious countryman. 'The experienced 
 soldierly air of the youth, who held his head up so firmly, and 
 the manner in which he stepped from stone to turf, put him on 
 the alert. Perhaps the features of Clarence might recall an 
 image discovered by his conscience of late in his dreams: 
 a face which he was impelled to follow, though it spoke of 
 vengeance. Once he was upon the point of demanding of 
 Clarence who he was, and why he followed, him, when some 
 call in the chase diverted him from his present aim. \Vlirn 
 the hunters made their first stop, the two did not meet in the 
 bed of the cascade. During the second part of the chase, 
 Clarence was not so successful in keeping Clifford in view. 
 That wily sinner had more persons to watch than one. The> 
 two Indians, Kiskataam and his foil, had made a sudden tr.rn 
 around the corner of a rock, and being suspicious of treachery 
 during these two days past, Clifford followed them at full 
 speed, coming up to them just in time to take the captive out 
 of their hands, and to meet his own reward. When Clifford 
 and Clarence did meet, it was to scowl that fierce frown, 
 which proud men, whether victors or defeated, send out upon 
 each other, when hate burns freely, but which passed over 
 Clarence's face the moment he saw his sister safely out of the 
 traitor's hands. 
 
 The division under Van Vechten fell back, so as to release 
 t-e captives taken off by force from the Vlatts, while that 
 under Salisbury drew away to the west, so as to intercept the 
 Mohawk on his retreat. The moment he perceived the 
 treachery of Clifford, and found out that Miss Clinton, whom 
 they had been waiting for so long, was not the daughter of 
 the rebel Clint.on, but of the great soldier, his men WC.TO
 
 A BRIDGE OF GOLD FOR AN ENEMY'S RETREAT. 441 
 
 ordered to the west through Katrina Montour's country. 
 The red men, impatient of delay, were already on the road, 
 and their chief only remaining behind that his mind might be 
 fully satisfied, when the war-whoop of his tribe was sounded 
 with the nona retreat. 
 
 Salisbury, who had posted his men on the side of a rising 
 ground, which looked to the southwest, lay down, quietly 
 waiting the van of the enemy. The orders were, " do not 
 rise till the party has passed at least half through ; then take 
 huii in the flank. Keep your ears open for the word." 
 
 The Dominie, who came up to this party, after surveying 
 their position, insisted that the space before them gave the 
 Indians too good a chance for keeping clear of the ambus- 
 cade, and that they would be discovered before the main 
 body came forward. " I am for giving the scoundrels a 
 bridge of gold to retreat by, but not quite so wide as that." 
 The reverend pastor was right. Some impatient, undis- 
 ciplined militia-man gave aloud call to a comrade just as the 
 Indians were turning the angle of the hill, when a pause was 
 ordered, and a wide sweep taken ; skulking among the trees 
 and by the knolls, Salisbury ordered one volley, but the bul- 
 lets fell short of the aim. The rest was a scattering fight, 
 with the exception of a show of battle ; but when Brandt him- 
 self came up, the skirmish was a mere frolic. The moment 
 that chief appeared, the blood of the Dominie rose so that 
 it took all the force of the company to restrain him. 
 
 " Let me alone if you will not help. Don't you see the 
 heathen tiger there, how he stalks before us, with as much 
 assurance as Goliath did with his greaves of brass and his 
 weaver's beam. Let me give him one stone at least, I tell you, 
 from the back of that tree on the other side of the valley. I 
 may bring him down and revenge the country for the blood 
 he has shed at Cherry Valley and Wyoming." 
 
 ** Yes, but Dominie, he will send that tomahawk oi liis 
 through your skull before you load again ; and you are t,oo 
 heavy to run fast." This was said by the captain, \\itii a 
 sly wink to the rest. 
 
 " Stop there, you bloody pagan, till I get one shot at you," 
 shouted out the earnest man ; and with that he let fly, but 
 his mark had a tree between him and the muzzle bei'ore the 
 trigger was drawn. Well was it for him, for the aroused 
 minister was a good shot, and the ball sank into the trunk oi 
 the tree. Brandt, to show that he did not despise tin- black 
 t?oat and cocked hat, came out suddenly and returned th.j 
 
 Ifl*
 
 442 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 fire, ) that the bullet whizzed over the mark, but without 
 injury. 
 
 " Come out from that, you skulking red-skinned mur- 
 derer," the Dominie roared out at the full pitch of his voice, 
 " and let me have as good a chance, and see if you ever 
 reach the Mohawk flats again." 
 
 By this time the Indians had succeeded in finding theii 
 way by the bed of the stream that runs by the foot of the 
 hill, and it would have been folly to follow, more especially 
 as all the prisoners, with the exception of Elder Abiel and 
 his son, had been recaptured by the reserve under the com- 
 mand of Grant. That eccentric mortal, on the watch for a 
 chance to distinguish himself, came upon the enemy's rear at 
 the time of the surprise produced by the sudden appearance 
 of Salisbury, and carried off Martin Schuyler, with others, in 
 triumph. The guard set over the captives were some of 
 their disguised neighbors, who, justly dreading the wrath 
 which would come on them, now that their cause was lost, 
 ran in double quick time away from vengeance. 
 
 " Tak care o' thae puir captives there," Grant roared out, 
 " a deel's dozen o' you ; let the rest o' you follow me after 
 thae fause guissards, deceitful loons that they are. Were I 
 but within ten yards o' them, if I would na pepper their 
 doups for them 'Dredge their drodem,' as my granny, 
 honest woman, used to say." 
 
 All this time the big brawny fellow was running at the 
 head of his party, uttering all kinds of speeches against the 
 heads and hearts of the renegades before him, till he got as 
 near to some of them as was safe for himself, he being actu- 
 ally alone, when there were half a dozen of the terrified false 
 faces turned upon him in desperation. For the time he for- 
 got that a mean fox, when earthed in his hole, will snarl and 
 bite the largest mastiff. One figure, who turned out to be 
 the town tailor, wheeling round in terror, plunged a knife into 
 the fleshy part of the Scotchman's arm, and nearly succeeded 
 in giving Grant his last lesson. 
 
 '" You miserable neer-do-weel," said Grant, " is that the 
 way you meet your neebors in the woods that have come 
 sae far, and at sic expense, to see you ?" 
 
 So taking the frightened artist by the nape of the neck 
 and the seat of his breeches, he shook him with a force 
 which made his teeth chatter and his eyes to start out ol 
 their sockets. , 
 
 " Tak that, you limpin limb o' hungry humanity, and se
 
 A BRIDGE OF GOLD FOE AN ENEMY'S RETREAT. 443 
 
 if yon can learn to behave yoursel at hame instead of hero, 
 she wen your campsie grey claith." And with that ho 
 renewed the shake, till the tailor, in an ague fit of horror that 
 Tiade every hair stand on end, screamed out : 
 
 " Mercy, mercy, Hughie Grant ; let me go, and I'll he as 
 true a Whig as ever breathed, all my life long." 
 
 " Mercy, indeed," said the other, " after you've tried to 
 put that whittle up to the heft in my brisket bane. You see 
 by that bluid rinnin there what your bodkin has done, you 
 fause loon. I'll tear the garment aff you, as Ahijah did the 
 son o' Jeroboam, and send you hame to clip the tails aff 
 lice." 
 
 And with that he put his great fingers up to the throat of 
 the tailor, stripping him from head to heel of all his Indian 
 garb, then taking whatever steel was in the dress, he left him 
 to buckle on what was left of it, while he ran in search of 
 other renegades. 
 
 But it was every man for himself there on that day. The 
 place was favorable for hiding, arid the few that were caught 
 were punished on the spot, if worth punishment, or suffered 
 to run out of the way, lest they should know them and be 
 obliged to notice who they were. Some followed in the trail 
 of Brandt, afraid to return. 
 
 On Grant's going back to his party, he met the Elder 
 Abiel, together with his son, walking westward at full speed, 
 as if retreating. The Scotchman, confounded at the sight, 
 came up to them, saying, in his broadest style of speech : 
 
 " Whare the warl are you gaun noo, Mr. Abiel ? One 
 might think you had got eneuch o' the hill, by this time, to 
 mak' you turn your face the ither way." 
 
 " I am running after Brandt," said the old man, sorrow- 
 fully. " I am afraid I shall not get up to him. David, here, 
 will follow me, though he is not obliged to go. See if you 
 can get him to return back with you. We can be both ill 
 spared from home in these times." 
 
 " What does this mean ?" the Scotchman cried out, 
 scarcely comprehending what he heard. " Are you gaen ley *1 
 Tell me, Dauvit, for you seem to have some sense left." 1 
 
 Abiel's son, to whom this appeal was made, sai 1, iu a 
 grouty way, that the whole company had had the chance of 
 escaping that morning, had it not been for his father. 
 
 "When I awakened," said lie, "the Mohawks were asleep 
 every man of them, their arms all stacked against a tree. I 
 whispered, now is our time, when dad just raised his
 
 444 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 looking round, and, as he lay down, said, he wo aid not do 
 that for all King George's dominions. Some nice freak of 
 what he calls honor. For all that, where he goes I go, 
 though it should be to the gallows." 
 
 " David," said the Elder, " do not speak in that way, else 
 I will command you to return. Here is the Dominie coming, 
 I will leave it to him." 
 
 That earnest leader of the camp of Israel had, after his 
 own personal combat with the big Mohawk, all but forced 
 Salisbury and his party back from pursuing the enemy. 
 Though his own blood was so hot that he was ready to meet 
 Brandt, or anything else on the open field, he was too cautious 
 a man not to see the folly and the danger of attempting to in- 
 tercept or pursue an Indian army, under such a leader, far 
 into the wilds. For with all this prudence, he had no small 
 idea of his own knowledge of military affairs, derived from 
 an extensive reading in ancient and modern history, which lie 
 was apt to quote a little too freely, and in the drcum- 
 tances of the times laughably. 
 
 He was laying down the laws of war to Salisbury in his 
 loudest tones, with his usually violent gestures ; the latter 
 impatiently listening to what he thought he knew better than 
 the reverend soldier. As they both came along side by side, 
 they were seen by the others who were waiting for them. 
 The Dominie, in no hurry now, riding as he was, a favorite 
 hobby, came on striding over the narrow bridle path for he 
 was what jockeys call, a wide traveller stopping every tenth 
 step, putting his broad body in the irritated captain's way, 
 who had been robbed of a share in the laurels won. 
 
 "Kou see, Billy, you were nearly caught in the woods like 
 Absalom : you and your men would have been cats' meat to 
 these savages. You see, Billy, when the Trojans and the 
 Greeks fought with each other, the one had the goddess of 
 wisdom, Minerva, on their side, and the other, Mars. Had I 
 gone with you, then it would have had these two, and we 
 might, with God's help, as I always write on all my prescrip- 
 tions, have prevailed. But, Billy, I could not do anything 
 without your arm; nor could you do without my counsel." 
 
 " That may all be true, Dominie," said the person lectured ; 
 " but when a man is taunted with cowardice, be is willing to 
 throw all ou the chance of proving his courage." 
 
 " Poh ! is it there where the pain lies ? You are no coward 
 man, if that will please you ; and that you have not had Ulys- 
 ses by your side, is not your fault. You are Hector
 
 A BBIDGE OF GOLD FOE AN ENEMY'S BET BEAT 445 
 
 only had you but chosen that narrow passage on this side 
 of where you planted your men, you could have riddled those 
 red skins, so that they would have fiillen like the soldiers of 
 Xerxes at the straits of Thermopylffi ; and we would have 
 hailed you like another Leonidas this day, bearing you back 
 on our shields in triumph. That would have been something 
 to be proud of. But what have we here ? My own honest- 
 brother, Elder Abiel, once more free ! God be praised, that 
 our war has not been in vain. We shall have a day of thanks- 
 giving for this blessing, were it for nothing else. My right 
 arm is restored to me." 
 
 " Nae sae fast, minister," said Grant ; " the Elder says that 
 he is on his way to Neaugra. He's neither to haud nor 
 to bind, willy illy." 
 
 "What is the meaning of this?" was the really anxious 
 inquiry of the Dominie, who feared that the mind of his 
 friend had suffered in his captivity. " Surely you cannot bo 
 so taken up with a heathen's company, that you should prefer 
 it to the fellowship of the saints." 
 
 The Elder only shook his head, for his heart was full. 
 David, his son, took it up by saying that his " father had 
 taken it into his head, that he was bound in honor to Brandt, 
 for some kindness he had shown to him, and he was now on 
 the road to offer himself up." 
 
 " Let us hear," was the alarmed Dominie's words, " what 
 is that point of honor that makes you so sensitive ; for it must 
 be very clear and strong before I will consent to such a loss 
 as Garret Abiel. Our labor and our blood must not be thrown 
 away in vain " 
 
 Grant, who had been impatiently waiting for a chance to 
 put in a word, hastened here to say, " that's true, minister ; I 
 am for carrying the Elder back. We are strong enough, a' hands 
 of us, and though we read in the second book of Samuel, 
 the twentieth chapter, and the aughteenth verse, if I'm n:i 
 mistaon, that they were wont to speak in old times, saying 
 ' they will surely ask counsel of Abel,' and so they ended the 
 matter ; I'm thinkin' it was na this Elder Abiel, for they wi-ru 
 not sae foolish as to put themsels into the hands of the Plu'l- 
 istines." 
 
 The Dominie who stood perfectly confounded at the posi- 
 tion, of the Elder's affairs, looked Grant .in the face all ili- 
 time he spoke, seemingly thinking on something else, and 
 not conscious of anything that was said by the Scot, i*t the
 
 446 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 close drew a long breath, repeating his own words, " all out 
 labor in vain, and what a loss !" 
 
 "Yes, minister, I've just been reflecten," said Grant, " that 
 this wee fecht o' ours is waur to us than the battle o' the 
 Shirra muir was ; whare a neebur o' my toon lost his farther 
 and his mither, and a gude braid swourd that was worth 
 them baith. What think you o' that ?" 
 
 The good man smiled. In other circumstances he would 
 have laughed aloud ; but turning to the Elder, he desired a 
 full account of his pledge given to the Mohawk ; which when 
 he he.'iri, he sighed and said : 
 
 "I am sorry ; and I am rejoiced. We must part for th< 
 present. Such honor is not seen but in the true-hearted ; and 
 God shall reward it. Proud am I this day. Your example 
 will weigh heavier than the hills ; and what is best of all, GUI 
 good Dutch Church is represented in you this day, and the 
 fame thereof will go far among the Gentiles even unto the 
 ends of the earth." 
 
 The Elder here held out his hand firmly, which die Domi- 
 nie grasped, taking off his hat as all did, feeling that an act 
 of devotion was to follow ; for the good pastor poured out 
 a most fervent prayer, ending with the apostolic benediction 
 in Dutch : De genade onzes Heeren Jesus Christus zij met 
 uwen geest ! Amen." 
 
 " Now, David, see that you watch over your old father ; 
 and watch every chance for escape. Don't forget your cate- 
 chism, and the canons. There is a copy for you ; have it all 
 on your tongue's end, when you come back ; and you can 
 read the marriage service now and then, and I'll join Susy 
 Myers and you together. Keep up a good spirit." 
 
 " Oh, yes," said Grant, w r ho was always ready, " a stoot 
 heart to a stay brae ; faint heart never gained fair lady." 
 
 The two companions parted here, the Abiels with a white 
 handkerchief on the top of a pole as a flag of truce in case 
 of accidents on the way to the camp of the Indians, and the 
 Dominie to the Flat Rock, where ail were gathering prepara- 
 tory to thpir descent down the mountain side. Already the 
 chief persons were assembled, and waiting the decision ot 
 some controlling power. Bertram arid Clarence, agrecablj 
 to their intentions at the outset of their adventure, had 
 with the assistance of Gabriel kindled three fires, south of 
 the pine orchard, as the signal of success to the ship that 
 lay along the si ^re waiting. Just at the moment when thw
 
 A BRIDGE OF GOLD FOR AN ENEMY'S ItETREAT. 441 
 
 Dominie had reached the verge of the cliff and looked to. 
 ward the inoon there came forth the reverberations of can 
 non thrice repeated, as answers to the flame that rose from 
 their fires. Then came up as many Roman candles, burning 
 clear, and shooting out sparks brilliant as star dust. These 
 attracted the different classes to whom the sight of fireworks 
 was a new thing. 
 
 By and by, when all supposed these rejoicings over for the 
 time, lights of different colors were seen to spread fron 
 prow to stern of the ship, till she seemed to stand out upon 
 the darkened sky, a fiery image of some terrible being, 
 ready to mount on wings. They who were ignorant of how 
 all that was produced stood in amazement, not unmixed with 
 terror. The name of that vessel was one that created fuar 
 all along the river ; and recent occurrences had not served 
 to allay these fears. The Clintons, however, saw in that 
 brilliant object, the signal of joyful enthusiasm in which th.3 
 whole ship's crew united as one man. 
 
 " I can hear," said Bertram, " their hearty cheers ; I am 
 sure of it. The voices of four hundred men can be heard 
 that short distance. There again." 
 
 "You imagine, Cousin Bertram," was Clarence's cooler 
 word. " You may as well say that you see them ; but by 
 George I do see them crowding the deck. There, take the 
 glass and see for yourself." 
 
 " I see no men," said the sailor, who looked with a sea- 
 man's eye; "but there,.! see our initials hung out hi ilaiu- 
 ing characters, B. M. C." 
 
 The other companies viewed the illuminated vessel with 
 different feelings, and it would not serve any good purpose 
 to record these in detail. The Dominie was impatient to 
 be gone, as the next day was the Sabbath, and he must be 
 at his post. As many as chose to encamp for the night, had 
 the opportunity, as the booths erected by Brandt's army 
 still stood, and the embers still smoldered on the lire-places, 
 where they had been burning during the week. 
 
 "But for my part," said the stout-hearted minister, "I 
 would rather be in my own roost beside my careful hen, 
 than lie here under the stars high above my head, where the 
 hawk and the eagle have their nest so near me. Let [toots 
 say what they please of such sublimities." 
 
 Grant as usual put his word in, saying: "Aw might f-up 
 pose when they hear you preach, that the higher up u<-.n
 
 448 THE DUTCH DOMES1E. 
 
 the nearer to that terrible crystal, the better for the health 
 o' the spirit. That's to say \vhen you get into your taim- 
 drurus." 
 
 " All true, Grant, and proper enough to be said at the 
 right time, but I hope," and here the good man's voice 
 quivered a little, " I hope I may die in my nest ; I have no 
 wish just at this moment to mount to heaven from this foot- 
 stool. You captains must lead the men home according to 
 your best wisdom. I shall leave my nag here for the use of 
 the yoimg lady ; I can get one at the bottom of the hill 
 from Hanshee Goetchius." 
 
 With this the Dominie left. Tom had been sent away an 
 hour before with orders to go straight to the parsonage, so 
 that all might be in readiness there for strangers. Another 
 messenger had been sent secretly to the ship so that nothing 
 remained but to finish what had so far made such good 
 progress. 
 
 " Where did you leave your master, you cowardly scoun- 
 drel," was the first salutation of the anxious Yfvrow, " that 
 you have come skulking home like a fox that has lost its tail 
 in a trap ?" 
 
 " Leab massa I" was Tom's astonished answer. " Me 
 neber leab massa ; him leab Tom shooting de big Indian and 
 King Cufiee. He ! he ! he ! 
 
 Whether it was Tom or the Dominie that shot Brandt, 
 she could not make out to this day ; but this did not prevent 
 her ordering a couple of sheep, and fowls in proportion, to 
 be killed, so that she might be prepared for a company, 
 "like another Abigail," as Grant said. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 TEAKS A >~ D SMILES. 
 
 The joy of grief." 
 
 OSSIAS. 
 
 TOWARDS midnight, under the guidance of Teunis, the 
 whole party found their way to the parsonage. On the road, 
 old Martin, in the gratitude of his heart, yielded to the plea
 
 TEAKS AND SMILES. 449 
 
 of the Tory's son ; and Elsie, in the warmth of her long-cher- 
 ished afiection, consented to be a bride on the next day. "It 
 would," she said, " make Miss Clinton so happy before they 
 parted." 
 
 Agreeably to the command of the Dominie, the two maid- 
 ens were put under the charge of the 'Yfvrow, who, with 
 true maternal prudence, merely kissed them both, bidding 
 them good-night in the sleeping chamber to wnich she con- 
 veyed them. Their sleep was that of youth and health, :iik-r 
 undergoing perils on the heights, perils in depths, and perils 
 in the wilderness. Weary and overcome with their exertion 
 of body and of mind, they had sunk into a deep slumber, 
 which continued till the sun was far up in the heavens. Mar- 
 garet dreamed all night of the dangers and of the deliverances 
 of the past week : the one class ot' images mingling so with 
 the other, it would have been difficult to have disentwined 
 them. A prominent figure in the foreground was an eagle 
 that grew in her sight large as a ship ; its wings spreading out 
 till they became sails, by which the vessel moved fleetly on 
 the waves, as she had seen a sea-gull playing in a storm. On 
 the head of the glorious creature was a brilliant jewel 
 that glowed like a crown of bright flame. All round the 
 points of the wings were lamps that hung like lambent fringes, 
 and were so soft, that though she had taken a seat between 
 these wings, the fire did not scorch her in the least, as the 
 eagle sailed down the broad river, with Bertram on one 
 side and Clarence on the other; guiding their ship as they 
 might a chariot of fire on the land, which went as she willed. 
 It was sometimes land, and then water. All at once the ves- 
 sel, winged as it was, hung over the gulf below the Falls, 
 where they had found refuge. The spars seemed so fine. :ui<l 
 the hull so transparent, that the appearance was more ma-.ricul 
 than real. The ropes were threads of yellow light, and the 
 waving ensign, a sheet of red flame, as the ground, on wl:'n-li 
 were intermingled the lion of England among united slurs. 
 At that instant, in her sleep, she heard a cry, and saw lu-r 
 cruel enemy near her on the height above. Here she leaped 
 into the airy ship, and sailed away above the clouds, wl;< -n 
 the joyful sailors fired off their artillery, giving out cheers of 
 gladness and continued huzzus. 
 
 At this moment the enraptured maiden awoke ; nor was it 
 all a dream. Some of th youthful crew outside, noisy in liu-ii 
 mirth, Sabbath though it was, were celebrating the event* 
 which gave the eHer portion of the population such pleasure.
 
 450 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 They had succeeded in firing off a small canon, which of 
 itself was a great feat, and worthy of their vocal music. The 
 two young women, recovering their scattered senses, looked 
 in each other's faces and smiled. Margaret calmly kissed 
 her friend, as tears filled the eyes of both tears of gratitude 
 to God and of love for one another. 
 
 " We are here and safe," said Elsie ; " let us thank 
 the Great Deliverer, and be ready for whatever else may 
 come." 
 
 "And next to him who has delivered me, I owe all to my 
 dear Elsie, who took her life in her hand for me, a stranger, 
 and the daughter of one who is the " 
 
 " Say no more of that, Miss Clinton ; there is a Providence 
 which overrules all these events ; and now that tlmy are 
 transpired, I would not have them in a different form than 
 they are at this moment, though it may sound strange to 
 you." 
 
 " Some good thing is about to happen then to my own 
 Elsie." 
 
 "Yes, Miss Clinton, Teunis will be mine. An event 1 
 never expected to see ; my father is reconciled to him, and I 
 atnas happy as a young maiden can be. All has come out of 
 your captivity, so that I am as much released as you can be." 
 Here Elsie hid her face on Margaret's bosom. 
 
 " That is your own good heart speaking that has cheered 
 me so long : for it seems so long since we became known to 
 each other, that it sounds strange to me to hear my brother 
 say we must be at the ship to-morrow." 
 
 " Yes," said the thoughtful Elsie ; " you return to your 
 home, and I remain at mine ; and our experience of trouble 
 will not be lost, if we both fill our places the better that we 
 have been at school up among the mountains. But, hark, 
 there is the horn of warning to rise. There is more to be 
 done this day than you have dreamed of; nor could you guess 
 though you were to try ail day." 
 
 The countenance of Elsie, while it retained its usual quiet 
 soberness, was more cheerful than it had been for some time ; 
 showing that pleasant thoughts were passing over the zenith 
 of her heaven ; and yet there was no levity nor trifling in her 
 demeanor. Her conversation was as lively more lively tVan 
 ever, but intermixed \vith sage maxims which she h.id 
 heard and stored up in the past ; and while the experience 
 of the high-bred English maiden was gained in a far dif- 
 ferent school, yet the ivbults to both at this hour were not
 
 TEAKS AND SMILES. 451 
 
 anlike ; showing that virtue is eternal and unchangeable ; im- 
 pressed upon the soul within, and not upon the body 
 without. 
 
 " But," continued Elsie, " you must not suppose that my 
 heart is any lighter, though I smile in your face this morn 
 ing: like the keystone of an arch, I am firmer and stronger 
 the heavier my responsibilities are becoming ! Ha ! but here 
 is something that will interest us." 
 
 With these words the country girl drew out into the mid- 
 dle of the floor a strong hairy trunk, studded with brass 
 nails, and bound with iron, such as English travellers take 
 with them to foreign countries. Margaret soon expressed 
 her surprise ; for it was the very chest which she herself had 
 carefully packed with what she intended to wear on this 
 journey to Ulster. Her wonderment was how it could pos- 
 sibly be on that floor, when she left it last Sabbath morning 
 in her little cabin. Had she been told by her old Scotch 
 nurse that some kind fairy had brought it hither, she was 
 likely to have believed her. The truth must be told here. 
 Bertram had secretly made a journey to the ship during the 
 night ; and this among other matters was a result of his inter- 
 view with his uncle and aunt. The day was to be spent in 
 this inland village, where in gratitude to the good man who 
 had aided them so efficiently, and in pure friendship for Elsie, 
 Miss Clinton was to be allowed to remain. The <L 
 which the chest contained were sent, so that she might aj- 
 pear worthy of her name and place in society. Other gar- 
 ments lay there folded, which were intended for the daugii- 
 te* of Martin Schuyler, who, as the relative of the noble m:i;i 
 at Albany, felt as dignified as a queen, and must be arrayr 1 
 that day " in as handsome a manner as becomes her stand- 
 ing." So the proud 'Yfvrow said to her careful ^touse be- 
 fore she went to bed that night. 
 
 The two damsels were soo:i into the mysteries of dressing. 
 Elsie had worn the gown she had on, the night she It/it 
 Hoogenhuisen, and Margaret had not thought alter being 
 caught in her parti-colored blanket, of dungiug it for 
 another. Once afterward at a masquerade in Fortheringame 
 Castle, England, did she appear as an Indian Queen. The 
 blanket was kept among the choicest treasures of her gay 
 wardrobe. 
 
 At the breakfast table both the visitors were welcomed 
 by their host and hostess; the lady giving fh-m the 
 warm embrace of a mother, while the Dominie \viti dignity
 
 i52 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 and paternal voice bade them welcome, handing them at the 
 same time to chairs by his sMe. 
 
 Margaret felt the blood tingling through her veins as she 
 sat down reflecting that she was now in the presence of the 
 man whom she had learned to respect, by what she had 
 heard of him. With all her experience of the world and of 
 different companies, she was not without anxiety as to the 
 result of this interview with one whose sentiments she knew 
 must be of a high order. Forethought was unnecessary here, 
 as all was done in decency and order. 
 
 " You have at least been fortunate in one thing, my lady : 
 in your late excursion in seeing our mountain at this season, 
 for it is the only object of interest we have to show a 
 stranger. We think it beyond all other hills." 
 
 " I have been unfortunate, my dear sir, in not being in a fit 
 frame to enjoy it, as I would have done had fear not pre- 
 vailed over my admiration; still I shall take impressions with 
 me so deep that they never can be worn out." 
 
 " Yes, my lady, in misfortune we receive such impressions. 
 Had you sailed over the highest peak in one of those newly 
 invented air boats, that the French are trying, your voyji e 
 would be sooner forgotten, than if vou walked everv step up 
 to High Peak." 
 
 " So moralists say," was Margaret's reply. " Still a balloon 
 wcuid have been welcomed yesterday morning, and could I 
 have made one I would have ventured in it.''' 
 
 "And fallen, lady, down the precipices where your crushed 
 body would have been lying now. God's ways are not our 
 ways, neither are his thoughts our thoughts, for as the heav- 
 ens are higher than the earth, so are his ways above ail those 
 inventions that human wisdom would try." 
 
 At this point Tom put down the large clasped book on 
 the table, while at his heels there came in the whole house- 
 hold of this holy patriarch, taking their seats according to 
 their rank. The ninety-second psalm was read, followed by 
 a brief exposition and a prayer, solemn, earnest and direct. 
 The household, the country and the church, were all remem- 
 bered. What chiefly affected Margaret was the touching re- 
 ference made to herself; showing that he who spoke for 
 chtfm, knew all about her and felt for her as a kind father 
 does for a wandering child. As he rose in fervor he became 
 more pointed and his voice quivered as he supplicated. " Di- 
 vine compassion on the head of her, who had been chased 
 like a young roe, among the hills, and who had been followed
 
 TEARS AXD SMILES. 453 
 
 after by a love strong as death. Now, O Lord ! may her 
 eyes this day see Plim who is fairer than the children of 
 men, who standeth behind our wall ; who looketh at the win- 
 dows, showing himself through the lattice, saying, * rise up 
 my love, my fair one and come away. For lo the winter is 
 past, the rain is over and gone : the flowers appear on the 
 earth, the time of singing of birds is come and the voice of 
 the turtle is heard in the land. Let this daughter of the 
 stranger, comely and delicate, be surrounded by the shep- 
 herds and their flocks in token of her future peace ; even as 
 the young lions have roared upon her yesterday ; then shall 
 she be like the young roe upon the mountain of spices," 
 
 At the close of this prayer, made eloquent by the occasion 
 and the words of inspired devotion, every eye was suffused in 
 tears. The good man himself went 'to look out at the win- 
 dow, and blew his nose with a blast that would have 
 wakened a sleeping Samsom, in his cradle, but whio?\ was 
 not observed at this time, by any one, as they we^ too 
 much engaged like himself in hiding their feelings. Just at 
 that instant a drum was beat loud and furious, an<* with 
 something of an attempt at music which made Mi*-garet 
 start up to her feet in some alarm. The Dominie sn>*led as 
 he said : 
 
 " Lady, I thought a soldier's daughter would not frr the 
 sound that calls to battle ; but that is the warning of i>eace, 
 not of war. We have not got a bell yet, such as they have 
 in London and Amsterdam, so we take what we hav<, and 
 we never want. The drum does for both armies; the soMiers 
 of the cross and the defenders of the state. But here <xmes 
 the 'Yfvrow with the call for breakfast." 
 
 They sat down to a breakfast similar to that of which Cla- 
 rence partook ; only ladies being present now, and on of 
 reputed high rank, the mistress of the house was ambitious 
 to do her best. Indeed, if there was any fault to be found, it 
 was the over-attention she bestowed on her chief guest ; 
 which led her, sometimes, sharply to remind her spouse of his 
 duty and of even his behavior at table. There was grpct 
 abundance, too much and it lay on as white a linen doth 
 as ever was spread. The dishes were of the finest cliina, and 
 the urn of silver; with corresponding plate of the heaviest 
 kind. Proud enough \vas the, dignified housewife, when *h< 
 saw -Margaret glancing quietly down into the saucer, at fig- 
 ures there drawn, and then holding up the tiny cup in lu r 
 del'.cate hand, admiring its shape and transparency.
 
 454 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 " Take another cup, Miss Clinton, of the Bohea. It came 
 directly from China, in my uncle's ship, just ten years since. 
 My uncle was a great skipper in his day, and died very 
 WEALTHY.'' 
 
 A heavy emphasis was laid on the word, and she rose in 
 her chair a few inches, though that was hardly needed, for 
 Bhe would have matched the Duchess of Walkinghame in 
 size, in dignity, and even in ease of manners, as Margaret 
 declared afterward. 
 
 " So you do drink the taxed tea after all, 'Yfvrow," said 
 the Dominie, with a sly look to that end of the table. 
 
 " It is none of your aifairs, Dominie Schuneman," retorted 
 his wife, good-naturedly. " We can keep our secrets as well 
 as the best Whig in the country, though we be not officered 
 by Dominies that scour the hills and woods shooting Indians, 
 and standing to be shot at like tied turkeys on a Christmas 
 day." 
 
 This little byplay was a quiet hit at the careless husband's 
 exposing himself to the fire of the Mohawk chief, of which 
 she had heard, though he was keeping the whole a secret. 
 He did not feel any sting in the arrow shot, so smiling in 
 self-complacency, he rose, saying : 
 
 " Elsie, my lameshie, you will be ready when I call you. 
 and do not tremble at the sound of your own name." 
 
 " I may tremble, Dominie, but be short, for you know 
 that we have had hard work to go through these few day? 
 past." 
 
 " True, Elsie, lass," continued the pastor, " but the form 
 must be gone through religiously. The dochter of Martin 
 Schuyler must be an example to others." 
 
 At the appointed time, Bertram arid Teunis Roe came to 
 the parsonage for the young ladies, who were dressed, and 
 waited upon one another with sisterly affection. The occa- 
 sion, and the day, had brought the minds of all into delight- 
 ful harmony and sober cheerfulness. 
 
 The Dominie, who went out after breakfast, did not return 
 for an hour, when he seemed a little flustered, which arrested 
 the eye of his careful wife, who immediately put the ques- 
 tion : 
 
 " What has happened now ?" 
 
 " Oh, nothing but that imp of Satanus and his belly 
 tongue. I believe he will make all my folks seek unto 
 familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep and mutter." 
 
 "Do you mean Unga?" said the quick-witted woman.
 
 TEARS AND SMILES. 455 
 
 " Domirie, like priest like people. What wizard was seen 
 yesternight ?" 
 
 The Dominie left her, looking at her with a warning eye. 
 After a little while he came out, ready to enter the sacred 
 place : his cocked hat on, with his Geneva bands hanging 
 low on his breast ; except these, not a spot of white upon 
 him. Over all was his ample cloak, made of thick worsted 
 stuff, imported from Holland, and sold by Abrain Van Est, 
 at Coenties Slip, Manhattan, now New York. 
 
 The 'Yfvrow, who was herself superbly dressed, made her 
 spouse turn round till she examined him thrice over, con- 
 tinuing her critical investigations till he grew out of pa- 
 tience, and broke away from her hands in assumed fury. 
 
 " Nay, nay, Dominie, you must allow me to straighten 
 out that wrinkle in your coat-tail, careless man that you are. 
 Can you not lift it aside when you sit down ? It is the 
 'Yfrow will get all the blame. Dame Brinkeroff will say, 
 
 '"Did you see the Dominie's bands ? They were as yel- 
 low as a duck's foot.' 
 
 " ' Yaw, yaw,' Mammy Demond will squeal out ; ' and his 
 wig was mairs like tow on my rock than good hair.' " 
 
 " Never mind the clashing jades," said the well pleased 
 and happy Dominie. "I'll have them all before the Consis- 
 tory for their slander. You're the best wife in the colony.'* 
 And with that he stole a kiss, as if in perfect exuberance of 
 pleasure. 
 
 " Fie, fie, Dominie ! and before ladies, too," said the no 
 less happy wife, " and we going to the kerke. If old Mat 
 Van Deusen hears of this there Avill be some noise." 
 
 With that all marched out to the church. The Dominie, 
 as of right, led the way, having Miss Clinton on his arm.
 
 456 THE DUTCH DOMINIR 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 THE IMMORTAL SOUL. 
 
 u Pore religion, and undefiled before God and the Father." 
 
 ST. J. 
 
 " I'm not in sportive humor now ; tell me, and dally not.'* 
 
 SnAKSPHABB. 
 
 IT was one of those beautiful sabbath mornings, which 
 occur at the close of the fall of the year, that resemble the 
 face of a devout matron, just before the winter of her life 
 commences ; who, still conscious of the happy life she has 
 passed, surrounded by her children, who revel in the fruits 
 she has gathered for them, looks with devout gratitude to 
 -God, as sensible also of worldly delight. The sunshine of 
 youth not only lingered round the hills, but rested richly on 
 the valley. The people were evidently at rest in their minds, 
 and as the clear cock-crow wakened the echoes, voices of 
 
 E raise were prolonged so sweetly that they reverberated 
 om stream and knoll, till all sounded in blessed unison. 
 
 After the stirring events of the past week, a large congre- 
 gation were assembling. The majority came for worship, 
 but many to obtain the news of how the good cause was 
 prospering. Where every one contributed his part, each 
 carried away a full account, to be told over at home, to those 
 who could not come to the common gathering place. 
 
 The strangers present, guests of the Dominie, sat in his 
 large square pew, along with the 'Yfvrow and her little fiocic. 
 As they looked up to the desk, and saw the pastor in his 
 full Geneva cloak and bands, admiration filled their minds. 
 Spreading out his hands, he said : 
 
 " The Lord bless you, and keep you ; the Lord make his 
 face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you. The Lord 
 lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace : Amen." 
 
 He read the commandments in a slow, solemn voice ; vary- 
 ing his tone as he went through each, so that the ear of his 
 auditors might receive the separate precept by itself, and 
 ponder upon it with prayer, and in meekness. 
 
 Here he sat down, when the clerk, who .was placed in a 
 smaller pulpit below the high desk, rose and gave out a
 
 THE IMMORTAL SOUL. 457 
 
 psalm, which he led in a tone between singing and chanting. 
 Horridly grating to refined ears ; but the people were pleased 
 and paid to Zach Goetchius twenty shillings, and ten cheepeus 
 of corn for serving as Presentor. Zach also read the lessons 
 from Scripture. The prayers were in part from a liturgy in 
 the Dutch language, and in part extemporaneous English ; 
 which the transient worshippers supposed was in deference to 
 them, as well as for their edification. 
 
 The same might have been said of the sermon. It was in- 
 tended by the preacher, when he began, to be in English, but 
 as he grew warm, he branched off into the vernacular tongue. 
 This more especially when he wished to give something very 
 terse or hitting, or which might be disagreeable to his now 
 auditors ; for he wished them to carry away a good impression. 
 His side strokes were the spiciest. Bertram, who had been 
 in Holland, gave these afterward to his friends. He, more- 
 over, declared that the style of speech was as pure as the 
 doctors of Leyden used. 
 
 The text which was pronounced in a clear deliberate voice, 
 had the effect of quickening the ears of the assembly, who 
 leaned forward to catch every word ; and from the stillness 
 which succeeded the announcement, as well as the curiosity 
 on their countenances, they seemed to say, " What can the 
 Dominie have to say from that ?" 
 
 " I knew a man in Christ, above fourteen years ago 
 whether in the body I cannot tell ; or whether out of the 
 body I cannot tell ; God knoweth such an one caught up to 
 
 the third heaven and heard unspeakable 
 
 words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter." 
 
 He began, " I knew a man yesterday who was up on the 
 mountain, and as near to the third heaven as any man in this 
 region can be ; and from Paul's experience, and that of this 
 other man, we deduce the sound doctrine that the GREAT 
 
 SPIRIT COMMUNICATES WITH THE SOUL OF HIS CREATURES, 
 THROUGH NATURE AND GRACE; AND CONSEQUENTLY YOU 
 HAVE SPIRITUAL AND IMMORTAL SOULS, AS WELL AS YOU HAVy 
 DECAYING BODIES. 
 
 " Keep that doctrine before your view, all through ; for 
 though I will say a vast deal before I be done, it is all on this 
 foundation." 
 
 At this point the preacher went minutely into the history 
 and the meaning of his text ; telling his hearers that it was a 
 page taken out of the private journal of Paul's autobiography : 
 " We could wish he had left more of the same kind ; ba: wo 
 
 20
 
 458 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 snail see the other parts when we get to heaven. It would 
 seem that fourteen years before this time, and twelve years 
 after lie met the Lord by the way to Damascus, when the 
 Apostle was in the prime of life, and after having had large 
 experience of holy visions, he had this one, that transcended 
 them all in matchless glory ; and which even he, great as he 
 was in the use of words, could not express." 
 
 " Others as well as Paul have had visions. There was Eze- 
 kiel, who was caught away from the banks of Chebar by a 
 lock of his hair, and placed at the door of the temple of Jeru 
 salem: there again was the Exile of Patmos; and with hu- 
 mility be it spoken, there was I myself on the mountain 
 when I felt like one transported out of the body, as I looked 
 out upon the river, the woods, the fields, and the mountains 
 far off on all sides ; so that though I have come to declare 
 my feelings before you, I find them to be unspeakable ; at this 
 moment I am sincerely sorry that I have chosen this subject. 
 O Divine Spirit ! thou who taught Paul to speak right words, 
 indite for thy feeble servant, and make his tongue like the 
 pen of a ready writer." 
 
 At the close of this introduction he paused, blowing his 
 nose, looking round, at the same time, to see that all were 
 in their places and quiet, and then in a formal, pointed, and 
 emphatic manner, gave out his first point : 
 
 " God communicates with the human soul above nature, 
 and in an inconceivable way." 
 
 There followed this annunciation of his main point, a long 
 rambling talk, in which it was plainly seen to the initiated 
 in extempore speaking, that he was struggling through the 
 mist. 
 
 " I am not," said he, " a Paul, mind you ; I am not super- 
 naturally endowed. But, after all, Paul was human, and he 
 could have sympathized with me up there, as I am humbly 
 sure I could have felt with him further up. He had a sense 
 of the beautifully divine, as I have now of the divinely 
 beautiful. Such a speechless delight is in us all. We feel 
 more than we can comprehend ; we understand more than 
 we can tell. When I W Q . mi on the side of the mountain, I 
 could not help looking; down oai tko different men whom 
 knew dwelt here below. I said, there is one, and he never 
 sees anything beyond ais line fence. When be looks out on 
 the stream that runs f nyongk his farm, he wishes it were a s\ii' 
 stream ; another is a] >/--?, calculating on the loads of bay .it 
 will cut from that mwirr** * cue moiv *w a&oefc sfaeeo
 
 THE IMMORTAL SOUL 459 
 
 and it is of the -wool and the mutton he is thinking. These men 
 are but a little way removed above the brutes they feed. If 
 I had them up here I would say, ' Were God to give me the 
 power, brother Paulus, brother Johannus, brother Jacobus, 
 brother Petrus, receive thy sight, and be filled with tlio 
 Holy Geest.' And I am sure that I would enjoy the sur- 
 prise which all of these brothers would show when the 
 scales, made of milledoleors, of wheat, of flesh, and of blacks, 
 would fall from their eyes : and the glorious kiverlid would 
 be spread out, and their eyes made clear enough to see it, 
 with all its colors and patches of wood with its border of 
 blue sky, and its centre of meadow-land, through which the 
 silken stream runs so pure that it reminds one of the stream 
 that maketh glad the city of the Lord after a storm has 
 shaken the earth. 
 
 "Brethren," said the good man, now becoming more 
 earnest, " your eyes must be unsealed if you would sec with 
 the spirit, and see with the understanding also. You could 
 not penetrate the thick mist of a fall morning, but you could 
 believe that snugly resting under it there are happy homes, 
 and that above it there is clear sunshine. Roll away the 
 cloud, and all is beautiful and sublime. The beauty was there 
 all the time. So the spirit of faith can see the throne of God, 
 arid the dwellings of the blessed, unchangeably the same in 
 their everlasting radiance. 
 
 " Some of you cannot understand these things. How can 
 you, having never seen them ? You are blinded by your 
 milledoleors, and your grain, and your blacks. But shall my 
 horse Dick, that was up there with me, and looked out snut- 
 fing at the fresh grass below, say that there was nothing down 
 there but grass, when your dog Watch wags his tail at the 
 sight of a hare ? Or shall horse and dog say there is nothing 
 more than they see, when Paulus and the rest see the line 
 farms in the Bught ? And how dare Jacobus and his 
 friends, who see nothing but farm-land, presume to say that 
 the gentleman sitting there in my pew did not sec beauties 
 beneath all these visible things? * And, finally, shall th 
 tleman in my pew deny but I had a more penetrating \i--\\- 
 of God below these fancied things, which made him leap with 
 rapture? I am sure, after these things, you will allow that 
 St. Paul, even in the body, might hear sounds unspeakable 
 in the third heavens." 
 
 Here the venerable pastor paused, wiping his face with his 
 Indian bandana, of which he was a little vain, as one; might
 
 460 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 judge from the manner in which lie spread it out, lifting it 
 softly in his big hand before he pushed it down into his 
 big pocket. By that time he was into the mysteries of 
 thought, and was launching out into the scriptural doctrine 
 of divine communications with the soul out of the body. 
 He quoted liberally from Scripture, placing himself on safe 
 ground. 
 
 " But, my brethren, do we not see, and feel, and guess at 
 things, after seeing a great sight like what I saw, even when 
 we cannot put the ends together ? I went out in my body 
 over a bridge that hung across the gulf, till I could not move 
 another step ; and then I looked down till my eyes dazzled, 
 and then my spirit crossed still beyond, till even my spirit 
 sank, having no ground to stand upon. Who shall hold me 
 up ? There must be an arch broken. Where is the power 
 to rebuild it ? My imagination is away off my dreams show 
 me a country I am afraid to enter when I am awake. I am, 
 while in my study, sometimes eager to see my Maker. I cry, 
 Oh, that I knew where I might find him. Behold, I go for- 
 ward, but he is not there ; and backward, but I cannot per- 
 ceive him. Why is all this ? I am a sinner ; but there may 
 be in me some fragments of a broken sense, which, like 
 the pieces of the 'Yivrow's looking-glass that Betty let fall, 
 still showed bits of her black face. Like some great men 
 I have read of, she tried to join the parts, but after she 
 had done her best, it was a fractured mirror, reflecting only 
 glimpses of light. Who shall mend this broken spirit- 
 ual glass ? That glass of the 'Yfvrow must be melted over 
 and renewed. God can renew the spirit of the mind. lie 
 can build up the broken arch, over which the spirit can pass 
 safe and sound, so that the eye, not satisfied with seeing, 
 nor the ear with hearing, may behold the face of the Maker, 
 and the man become fit to hold fellowship with Him. Oh, 
 ye men, put the milledoleors from off your eyes, your houses 
 and your lands, your orchards and your cider-presses, with 
 all : and ye vrows must get your spiritual looking-glasses 
 mended, and made bright as your silver, else you will never 
 see on the other side of your milk-pans." 
 
 The faithful pastor found it necessary to make these 
 familiar illustrations of a very abstract subject, and it was 
 doubtful even then if he made it plain to the limited under- 
 standing of his regular hearers. But on this occasion he 
 knew that he had some of the elite before him, and he was 
 not unwilling to show them that he had learned something
 
 THE IMMORTAL SOUL. 461 
 
 at Ley den. Still, some of the old women there could not 
 help saving, with admiration, " What a wonderful man our 
 Dominie is !" 
 
 He went on : " You know, brethren, there is a difference in 
 tastes ; there is Tim has a taste for good eating, and there is 
 Egbert has a taste for a fine book, and there is Wilhelmus lias 
 
 taste for praying. When they told me that the cloud 
 at Pine Orchard showed the faces and the figures of thoso 
 who looked into it, I could not help thinking how differently 
 these three men would come from seeing it. The glutton 
 would start like a beast away from it and feed the next hour ; 
 the man of mind would be for giving reasons from the nature 
 of things ; but the good man and the true, would look 
 through all, and see that hand which turned the wheel be- 
 hind. What of the three men the glutton, the thinker and 
 the praying soul ? The first man is but an animal, the second 
 is a reasonable creature, but the last is a spiritual being al- 
 lied to the Great Spirit. 
 
 To me, men and brethren, those sights and sounds are fore- 
 tastes of the heavenly and of the divine. They are full of 
 meaning, eye hath not seen it, neither haih ear heard it. 
 It is not possible to utter it. They are unlike any other 
 blessedness here in this world. Yet they are not beyond 
 human experience as Paul testifies, as I can testify ; and aa 
 some of these old mothers there can assure you who are in 
 doubt. The mountain top, to the man whose vision is purified, 
 is another round in the ladder, down on which the angels 
 descend in their visits to us, and up which we may UM-. i.d 
 in our visits to them; hearken van nu aan zult gij den hi nu-1 
 zien geopend, ende engelen Gods opklinnnende en nederda!- 
 ende op dein zoon des menschen. Oh, dear me ! what am I 
 saying now ? 1 forgot," said the fervent preacher, "but the 
 English is, Verily, verily I say unto you, hen-alter ye .shall see 
 heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descend- 
 ing upon the Son of Man." 
 
 A lashionable congregation would have felt that tin) a 
 enough had been spent, but tlu^c people were accustomed 
 to sit their full two and three hours patiently, sleeping or 
 looking through vacancy, to be roused up as their past" 
 up himself. This day he was in the happiest mood, and hav 
 ing an appreciating audience he gave tliem full measure, lie 
 drew a long breath, and gave out another mail, point \\hich 
 he said was deduced from the preceding : that rina ii>c soul 
 could hold communication with the Maker cither in (/>c
 
 462 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 through nature, or out of the body, through pure spirit it 
 
 followed THAT THE SOUL WAS ITSELF SPIRITUAL AXD IAI- 
 MORTAL. 
 
 He dwelt at least ten minutes here in giving scriptural 
 proof of this, which could not fail having good effect on the 
 honest believers before him. But getting his> eye on the 
 strangers again, he launched away upon the abstract, in what 
 he meant to be forcible eloquence. Said he, "Listen to the 
 word of Paul in one place ' Father of Spirits. We are his 
 children still; he begot our souls. Do you uot feel that 
 you are his children ? I felt it yesterday as I stood gazing 
 down into the deep profound, where I could see nothing, 
 save the unknown ; and as I mused, I thought what if I 
 should step out into that space ; where should I fall ? On 
 the bosom of my God, my Father ! We who have been at 
 sea, looking from the stern with eyes fixed on the vessel's 
 track till we lost ourselves, have felt it. There never was a 
 horizon yet that we did not wish to fly beyond ! What are 
 these longings but the conflicts kept up between the earthly 
 and the heavenly ; what but the instincts of the child long- 
 ing for the bosom, from which it has been rudely torn by 
 some foul tyrant the returning fragments of a broken 
 dream of yore the strains of a broken harp-string recalled 
 to the ear of memory, where they have long lain discon- 
 nected through violence ?" 
 
 Here the preacher entered with great force and unction 
 into the power, which the Gospel has, of healing this breach 
 between the child and the parent. " The first Adam lost his 
 place and we in him, but the second Adam is the son of God 
 and we are renewed in him. The spiritual flame expired, is 
 now rekindled and burns as it is replenished from that foun- 
 tain." 
 
 The discourse was drawing to a close, and the preacher, 
 like a strong racer, was gathering himself up for his final 
 spring. "It is," said he, "fearfully true of many here that 
 they have had no interest in all that I have said this day. I 
 can read it in your faces. Had all of you been up beside me, 
 where I felt myself rising as on eagle's wings, some here that 
 I n'ot of, would have said : ' I wish I were in my own barn, 
 over a good roast turkey :' and one or two here I see, are 
 thinking now of the pot of silver hidden in the garden. Oh, 
 you are a carnally-minded crew, and would not be happy 
 had you all these things at once. You need not smile ye 
 youngsters there ; as for you, my young colts may serve as
 
 examples of the uneasy restlessness of your hearts, when they 
 leap out of the clover into the sorrel. Can you tell me the 
 cause of all this changeableness ? Your souls are spiritual, 
 and long for communion out of the body ; and cannot be fed 
 on good dinners, nor grow on a thousand acres of the best 
 land in the world. 
 
 "You have been expecting something else heic this morn- 
 ing. I want to show you that there is another and a greater 
 cause, than even our country's cause. I saw when I com- 
 menced, that your ears were cocked up to hear of battles ; 
 but there is a great battle to be fought by every one for him- 
 self; when the last enemy appears on the field, and by the 
 way of preparing you to meet him effectually, so as to come 
 off conqueror, I have lifted you up into the THIRD HEAVENS. 
 You expected me to tell you of the wonderful advantage we 
 have gained in the north, and I have been thinking, ' want 
 wat baat het een mensch zoo hij de gehule wereld gewint, 
 en lijdt schade zijner zeile. Of wat zal een mensch geven, tot 
 lossing van zijne zeile.' You that understand English only 
 will find it in Mathew xvi., 26 :' What shall it profit a 
 man if he gain the whole world and lose his soul.' My 
 heart is full of sorrow when I think on these things. Let us 
 ring: 
 
 " Oh, were I like a feathered dove, 
 Soou would I stretch my wings, 
 And fly, and make a long r. move, 
 from all these resiles* things. 
 
 " Let me to some wild desert go ; 
 
 And find a peaceful home, 
 Where storms of malice never blow j 
 Temptations never come."
 
 461 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 " l-HE CONSUMMATION DEVOUTLY TO BE WISHED." 
 
 " Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter." 
 
 SOLOMOS. 
 
 THUS the usual services were concluded, the congregation 
 preparing to make a rush for the door, and were standing up, 
 the men with hands on their hats, and the women adjusting 
 their trains, paying but little attention to the desk, expect- 
 ing only the well-known words of benediction, when to the 
 amazement of all, young and old, the Dominie said in a firm, 
 clear voice: 
 
 " The congregation will be seated while the solemn and 
 interesting ceremony of marriage is being performed. The 
 parties Avill stand up and present themselves before the 
 altar." 
 
 Here Teunis Roe and Elsie Schuyler took the specified 
 place. Bertram at the same time taking the place assigned 
 by custom to the groom's man, and Margaret that of the 
 bridesmaid. Martinus Schuyler moved slowly out of the 
 Consistory's pew, to the side where his daughter stood ; the 
 mocher, attempting to do the same, was prevented through 
 her emotion, so that she merely leaned forward in her pew, 
 in the act of inward prayer. 
 
 All of these arrangements were completed before the 
 assembly had wakened out of their astonishment. When 
 they did perceive them, whispers might be hea;d among the 
 elder portions : "The Whig has yielded at last to the young 
 Tory." The young men were liiding their mortification by 
 winks and smiles, while one louder than the others gave ut- 
 terance to his feelings: "She was always a haughty heifer 1 , 
 Teunis will have his own task in breaking her in." 
 
 Grant, who sat in the front of the gallery enjoying the 
 whole scene, for Teunis had become, after what had lately 
 taken place, a great favorite with the Scot, here felt mad at 
 the ill-concealed envy he saw around him and had che greatest 
 difficulty in holding himself within due bounds, whispered 
 aloud :
 
 "THE CONSUMMATION DEVOUTLY TO BE WISHED." 465 
 
 " Sit doon, you haverils that you are. Do you no see trua 
 love gettin' its reward ?" 
 
 " A hemp neckcloth would be more like the young trai- 
 tor's wizzen," some one here bitterly said. 
 
 " Whist ! whist ! I tell you," said Grant, still louder, " or 
 I'll fling your yellow carcage over the laft there." 
 
 By this time the minister had opened at the place in hia 
 book where the "form for the confirmation of marriage be- 
 fore the church " is contained, and began in a full, firm voice 
 to read. Being himself a great admirer of that ancient 
 liturgy, he believed that all his people must be, so he never 
 omitted aught of the good service. As he said in the morn- 
 ing so he showed at noon : " Martin Schuyler's daughter 
 must not be slighted." 
 
 The good man's heart was so full that it surged over, so 
 that there were no trifiers there by the time he lifted his 
 hands over the newly married pair, giving them truly his 
 blessing. 
 
 Nevertheless that all, male and female, were affected even 
 to tears, Elsie's bridal attire did not escape the scrutiny of 
 those watery eyes. Had it been such as they knew her to 
 possess, and that in which they had seen her before, there 
 would have been but little said ; but since it was well known 
 that Hoogenhuisen was in ashes, it became at once a ques- 
 tion with a hundred mothers and maidens, " where have all 
 these fine silks and laces come from ?" 
 
 That was a secret known but to the 'YfVrow. The moment 
 she became acquainted with the intentions of the young 
 people, her wits were set to work without even consulting 
 the bride herself, who had no other prospect than that of 
 appearing at the altar in very common attire. Lizzie 
 Schuyler, the daughter of the general, and the affianced 
 spouse of the gallant Hamilton, being at the very time on a 
 visit to her aunt, at the Manor of Livingston, close by, was 
 the very person to supply all deficiencies. The hint was 
 enough for the busy 'Yfvrow. A messenger brought back a 
 choice of dresses, such as would have ducked a queen. Elsie 
 felt somewhat displeased at the officiousness of her well- 
 meaning hostess ; but her present circumstances compelled 
 her to comply. Of course all the parish were ignorant of 
 the good genii that had furnished these ornaments ; but 
 they were none the less objects of marvel to every one 
 present, possessed or not possessed of the critical skill of the 
 milliner. 
 
 20*
 
 466 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 " An' vere did Anshela's dochter get all tese fine tinjrs, 
 budten ?" said Peggy van Steenberg to a visitor then in the 
 country for her health, as some said; others because New 
 York red-coats were too enticing ; " vere did tese vain tings 
 kaam into dis Ian' ?" 
 
 "You up here in the country have not seen all the fini 
 things in the world, though you may have the highest moun- 
 tains at your elbow," was the half-jesting reply of the New 
 York damsel. 
 
 " Vy have'n ve grand tings ? Is'n de 'Yfvrow a great voman 
 once, an her uncle de Skipper? Budt dere vas de gown 
 like sky, on de summer afternoon ; beneat it, de vite petti- 
 coat, clean as de snow packed wid de rain ven de vrost 
 comes and make de glitter." 
 
 " Oh, Peggy, let me tell you, that is all the fashion now ; a 
 celestial blue satin gown, and a white satin petticoat shows all 
 below. Did you not see how they were trimmed with stripes 
 of the same color up the edges ?" 
 
 " Yaw, yaw ; but de corsets vas vat myne eyes beheld ; 
 yallow and crossed wid de blue stripes. Budt do tell me all 
 about dere head. Awee ! awee ! how Elsie did look on 
 her." 
 
 " Oh," said the initiated lady, " the head-dress was a pottf 
 of gauze, made like a globe ; and you saw how the hair was 
 curled, so that it fell in ringlets down each side of her neck." 
 
 " Awee ! awee ! vat a time it must tak'n for ou to tell it 
 so : now, vat about de neck ?" 
 
 " Oh, the neck 1 She had on her a thin gauze handkerchief, 
 that looks like the snow on a frosty morning. You saw that 
 it hung full, at the edges trimmed with the richest Brussels 
 lace." 
 
 " Awee ! awee !" was all that Peggy couLl say, in perfect 
 admiration ; but whether at the wonderful dress or at the 
 wonderful eloquence of her companion, could not be dis- 
 tinctly known. However, not being tired of what she 
 affected to deplore, she listened with increased admiration to 
 the city lady, who went on to tell her the meaning of those 
 mysteries which Margaret had on. 
 
 "You saw that other lady. She is English, I know, from the 
 rose on her cheek and the blue in her eye. How beautifully 
 she rose up and stood. Your country lass has a fine figure, 
 no doubt ; and the gown fitted her very well, only an inch 
 too tight all over ; but, then, that other one is slender and 
 quick in her movements without seeming to know it."
 
 "THE CONSUMMATION DEVOUTLY TO BE WISHED." 467 
 
 " Elshie Schuyler," said Peggy, " can stan' wid de best ; 
 vat of de oder one's gown ?" 
 
 " Oh, that's what they call a perriot, mude of grey Indian 
 taffeta. You saw it had dark stripes of the same color, with 
 two collars the one yellow and the other white ; both of 
 them trimmed with blue silk fringe." 
 
 They went on in this way, and we must let them, and 
 return back to the church, which was not dismissed wis :; 
 these two came out. At the close of the service alluded to, 
 a note was put into the hand of the Dominie, as he was about 
 to dismiss the people, which ran thus : 
 
 " REV. SIR : 
 
 " If there be no impediment in the way, we wish to engage 
 your services at present, for the same purpose as our friends 
 now made happy by you. 
 B " BERTRAM CLINTON. 
 
 " P. S. We prefer being married with a ring." 
 
 The good man smiled assent, saying, with a -cunning eye, 
 as he looked around : 
 
 "Another marriage service to be gone through; all who 
 are tired may now leave." 
 
 He knew very well that curiosity was at too high a pitch to 
 allow any one to go out, but he sat down, more for the pur- 
 pose of considering within himself than for anything el*e. 
 
 " Let the parties desirous of entering the holy state of 
 matrimony come forward." Here Bertram and Margaret 
 stood up, with Teunis and Elsie on either side, supported by 
 Clarence. At tne same instant, and while the arrangements 
 were going forward, there stepped up through the middle 
 aisle a man and woman, muffled in large cloaks, taking a place 
 behind the bridegroom and bride. The house had U-eu so 
 crowded, no one had observed them till that moment, and all 
 were taken so with surprise that every pulse ceased. The 
 Dominie almost stumbled at the beginning of the service. 
 
 However, he proceeded as before, with the additional pait 
 of the ring, which being out of the line of a Dutch minister, wa 
 bandied somewhat awkwardly by him ; but remembering what 
 he had seen in England, he was not entirely ignorant. 
 
 The closing prayer was this time improvi.-cd. Tin- <_'<">d 
 man's heart was too full to follow any form, and throwin. 
 soul into his words, he uttered himself, so that tears fell lV"!ii 
 v yes unused to weeping.
 
 468 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 " O Lord God of our fathers, bless these parties, in theii 
 basket and in their store, in their soul and in their body. 
 Make them, a blessing to the church, to the world, and to 
 each other. May every thread of roughening earthliness be 
 disentwined from the connecting bond ; so that between 
 themselves it may be soft as divine love, and yet strong and 
 inseverable as that which unites the saints to one Lord ; in one 
 faith, in one baptism, and one marriage, till all four be pre- 
 sented, without spot or wrinkle, in the presence of God, at 
 the marriage supper of the Lamb in the New Jerusalem, where 
 love and righteousness only reign. Amen." 
 
 The AMEX was responded to in a clear, fall voice by the 
 stranger, who stood up behind the parties along with a 
 female muffled in a veil that fell low to her waist. The sound 
 of the Amen startled the whole house, not excepting the 
 Dominie himself; for it rung like the word of command, 
 heard at the head of a regiment. And by the time the audi- 
 ence had recovered from their amazement, the new bride had 
 turned and flung herself into the open arms of the unknown 
 woman, merely saying MOTHER : but so piercingly that it 
 thrilled through the soul, as if Nature herself spoke by human 
 lips. Margaret's transport was so great that all began to fear 
 for the eifect of that joy. The cup became suddenly full 
 and surged over, so that she became for the time uncon- 
 scious of happiness or of grief. 
 
 The stranger, vigorous and resolute, in a moment lifted 
 the fragile creature, pale as a lily, in his arms, walking 
 through the aisle with a step that clanged on the floor, mak- 
 ing every one hold his breath, till he reached the door, where 
 a vehicle stood ready, into which he put the unconscious 
 bride, mounting himself with a bound up to the seat, saying 
 at the same time, " drive briskly." Two other wagons drove 
 away the rest of the party, including Tennis and Elsie. The 
 swooning and over happy Margaret soon recovered her joyous 
 smiling lace, so that by the time they came in sight of the 
 river and the ship, she was weeping anew, in thought of part- 
 ing from her dear deliverer. They took a warm embrace and 
 then another, waving adieus till the vessel was out of sight. 
 
 The explanation of these sudden transformations is easy 
 by him that understandeth. When Tennis tola rhe 'Yfvrou' 
 of his good luck with Martin, and of their inteuuons for tag 
 morning, that careful lady said : 
 
 " Who will be your bridesman ? Do you think the you; 15 
 lady would stand with Elsie ?"
 
 "THE CONSHMMATION DEVOUTLY TO BE WISHED." 469 
 
 There were difficulties unforeseen by the young Dutchman, 
 bat his counsellor was equal to the occasion, so rising up she 
 said: 
 
 *' Go your ways, and engage the young gentleman for 
 your side, I will see the other side supported." 
 
 This hint was taken by Teunis, who made Clarence his 
 friend. The thought darted through the young heroic bro- 
 ther's mind, " Why not make both parties happy, so finish 
 ing what has been worked for so hard by Bertram ?" 
 
 It only required his earnest voice and warm heart, to plead 
 for his cousin, and the thing was done. He told the whole 
 story of Elsie's self-sacrificing devotion to Margaret, so that 
 nothing could be refused to her or to her friends. 
 
 I promised, said the knight to Bertram, on the eve of 
 that miserable attack, that if Margaret could be recovered, 
 their hands should be joined. I shall keep my word of 
 honor; only Georgiana we must go up in disguise. Tins 
 pass from our cousin George Clinton, will carry us safely 
 through. 
 
 And as the Dominie said afterward, " he came, and saw, 
 and yielded." 
 
 A short time after the events recorded in the preceding 
 history had transpired, and before the wonder was entirely 
 past, the Dominie was sitting in his study when Tom entered, 
 followed by Unga, the deformed child of Dora. He stood 
 in the middle of the room puffing out his breath, while his 
 head rose up, and as it fell he drew in the surrounding :iir, 
 so that the spectator could imagine that he saw a swirl, like 
 a small whirlpool, around the strange creature. 
 
 " What now, you limb of Sathanus," said the student of 
 Leyden, lifting up his eyes from a large Latin folio that he 
 was amusing himself with. " What news from the realms 
 of darkness ?" 
 
 " Pleas youd reberence," said Tom in a very low manner, 
 "Unga hab someting frob de high'd legions to 'municato 
 frob <ie prince ob de air an' powers." 
 
 " ' Prince of the power of the air.' You fool, quote the 
 Scripture correctly and go out with you, for I see that you 
 want to know all about Unga's message, but begone." 
 
 Unga's head rose a few inches higher, and was followed 
 by an eldritch scream, out of doors, that made the minister* 
 irian run to see what was the cause. In the meantime th< 
 Dwarf put ft package into the hand of the Dominie, Bhtin& 
 uown himself as if he were at home. The loiter ran th\i-- :
 
 470 THE DUTCH DOMINIE. 
 
 " REVEEENMSSIMO DOMINO: When we last met in iny 
 retreat, we parted scarcely agreeing in our opinions concern- 
 ing that particular Providence which you Calvinists believe 
 in. Occurrences which have lately taken place, have gone to 
 convince me, whatever Calvin would say were he in your 
 place, that no plan ever is carried through agreeably to that 
 laid down by its architect. Were I going to preach to you, 
 as you have held forth to me, it would be from the words 
 of our immortal bard, a man, though you may not allow it, 
 equal to Calvin : 
 
 " ' There's a Divinity that shapes our ends, 
 Rough hew them as we may.' 
 
 " I have been marking out my timber, and hewing it liko 
 the great King Solomon in the wilderness, deeming all the 
 time that my fabric was coming to perfection, when to my 
 amazement I found that the tools I was using rose up against 
 me, and have carried out a purpose not of my own inven- 
 tion. 
 
 " You have pronounced me to be a double-sided man ; and 
 if appearances were to be your ground of judgment, I am 
 many sided ; but in the face of all those signs, I have had ono 
 ruling passion REVENGE." 
 
 " 1 tell you now freely I sought to be revenged on Sir 
 Henry Clinton, because he favored my enemy ; but my de- 
 sign on him was only a step toward the depth of my purpose 
 the deep damnation of Clifford. 
 
 " I have lived these two years past for nothing else. I 
 found my way to the presence of Washington, obtained a 
 commission in the secret service, took up my quarters at the 
 loot of your mountain, on the lines between the contending 
 armies ; assumed characters that were obnoxious to me ; wiz- 
 ard, spook, hermit ; anything that would further my fell pur- 
 pose- REVENGE. All kinds of persons Wtie taken into my 
 service ; forgetful as I became, that every man and womar, 
 as well as I, had a mind of their own, and a purpose of their 
 own to carry out ; which could not in all parts harmonise 
 with mine. Yet I went on planning, as if they were passive 
 instruments, molded after my wisdom and for my ends. 
 
 " I found out my mistake ; that villain Kiskataam, whom 1 
 employed to decoy Clifford here, by offering to abduct the 
 knight's daughter, had vengeance of his own, that he sought 
 to visit on the head of Sir Henry Clinton j and while car: 711 g
 
 "THE CONSUMMATION DEVOUTLY TO BE WISHED." 471 
 
 that out, another passion for her took possession of his bosom, 
 disappointing me of my expectations of retaining her under 
 my guardianship, as a punishment upon her father and future 
 surety for myself. 
 
 " Nor did I succeed bettei through my agent Elsie; one of 
 another and of a nobler nature. By degrees she was winning 
 upon my own affections, and I shall not now avow all that 
 was in my heart concerning her. One thing I was certain 
 of for the time, when I found that Miss Clinton had fallen 
 into her hand, that all was at my disposal ; but the high- 
 minded mountain maid was too direct in her purpose to be 
 led into any labyrinth of mine. What you were pleased to 
 designate as 'theatrical' could r.ot be understood by her in 
 her exceeding truthfulness; and I was prevented from taking 
 possession of the person of Miss Clinton entirely through her 
 determination of purpose. All came within an ace of an 
 utter failure. I have just escaped being caught in my own 
 craftiness, and the villain Clifford has only received a part 
 of his punishment. 
 
 "REVENGE burns still in my breast, and must till the vow 
 recorded in heaven be fulfilled. I am off, prowling like the 
 wolf, round Fort Niagara; and woe to my victim, should he 
 leave that place of refuge. His blood only can cool thui 
 malignant fire that burns, burns for REVENGE. 
 
 "I am, Reverendissimo Domino, 
 
 " Your admirer, 
 
 s. c.
 
 40 
 
 '*; . 
 
 *,.