CHAPTER XVII
FAITH AGAIN VISITS THE FORT
The night after hearing that Louise had gone Faith felt more nearlyhomesick than at any time since her arrival at her aunt's house.Everything seemed to remind her of her friend. Even "Lady Amy" madeher remember that Louise had never owned a doll of her own.
"And I had meant to give Louise one of my strings of blue beads justas soon as I had asked Aunt Prissy," she thought, regretfully, holdingup the pretty beads, and recalling how much Louise had admired them.
"Aunt Prissy," she called, running down the stairs and into thesitting-room, "may I not give Louise one of my bead necklaces?"
Aunt Prissy looked up in amazement.
"But how can you, Faithie, dear? We do not know where she is," sheanswered.
"We shall know some time. Of course we shall. And when we do, may I? Imeant to ask you the day of the quilting," said Faith.
"Of course you may, child. I was sure that you would want to whenEsther sent the beads. I only hope you may have a chance to give themto Louise at an early day," responded Aunt Prissy.
This decision proved a comfort to Faith. As the weeks went by, and nonews of the shoemaker and his little daughter was received, she wouldoften look at the string of blue beads which she meant to give herfriend. "I wish I had given them to her on my birthday," she thoughtregretfully, "but she shall have them some time," for Faith was quitesure that it could not be very long before Louise would find a way tolet them know where she was.
March came, "stirring the fire" vigorously from the day of itsarrival. The ice in the lake broke up rapidly, the snow melted, and bythe middle of the month Faith began to expect her father. NathanBeaman, in his clumsy boat, had crossed from Shoreham a number oftimes. He often teasingly reminded Faith of her plan to ask EthanAllen to come and take possession of Fort Ticonderoga.
"You'd better hurry. The British will be sending men down from Canadaby early summer, and then 'twill be of no use for the Green MountainBoys to try to capture the fort," he said.
"How do you always know so much about what the English are going todo?" asked Faith.
The children were all in the shop. Nathan was helping Donald in theconstruction of a small boat, and Faith and the two younger boys hadbeen filling a basket with chips and shavings to carry into the house.
"Can't help knowing," answered Nathan. "I hear the men at the forttalking about all their fine plans to own all this country every timeI go there."
"Nathan," and Faith lowered her voice so that the other children wouldnot hear, "you know I promised not to tell about the door at thefort?"
Nathan nodded; he was looking at her sharply, and half feared that shewas about to tell him that she had broken the promise.
"Well, of course I shan't tell. But if my telling some American wouldhelp send the soldiers away, mayn't I tell then?" and Faith's face wasvery serious as she waited for his response.
"Yes. I meant you weren't to tell Louise Trent, or those Young girls,"said Nathan. "And don't tell any one unless you are sure it will be ofsome use. You see I may tell, if it comes to that."
Faith drew a long breath. "Thank you, Nathan," she said, in so seriousa tone that the boy laughed aloud.
"You are as grave about that old fort as my father and the Shorehammen are. You ought to hear my father tell about the big fight here in1758. He was a young man then, and the French held the fort, and theEnglish were after it."
Donald had stopped his work, and he and Hugh were listening eagerly."Tell us, tell us about it," said Donald.
"Father says there'll never be anything like it again. All theColonies sent men, and Lord Howe brought thousands of Englishsoldiers. England was our friend then," said Nathan. "They hadthousands of boats, and rafts to carry their big guns. They had bigflags, and music; and they didn't lurk or skulk about. Their boatscame right down the lake in fine shape; they landed, and marchedtoward the fort. But the French were ready for them, and beat themback. However, the next year the English and Americans drove theFrench out."
"I guess the English are brave," Donald ventured, returning to hiswork.
"Of course they are. Why, we're all English ourselves," declaredNathan, "and that's why we won't stand being treated so unfairly. Wecan't stand it."
"I'm not English. I'm an American," said Faith; "and when theAmericans take Ticonderoga that will be American too."
"That's the way to talk, little maid," said a gruff voice, and thechildren turned quickly toward the door.
"I didn't mean to listen," and a tall man, dressed in deerskin jacketand trousers, with moccasins, and wearing a fur cap, stepped into theshop, resting his musket against the wall near the door. "Shouldn'thave dared come in if I had not heard I was in good company," he saidlaughingly, his sharp eyes looking carefully about the shop.
Nathan, with a half-muttered word of good-bye to the children, hadstarted toward the door; but the newcomer's hand grasped his arm.
"Wait a minute!" he said, swinging the boy about. "I'm not so sureabout letting you start off so smart. You may head straight for thefort, for all I know. What's your name?"
Nathan stood silent. His face flushed, but he looked the newcomersteadily in the face.
"Let go of Nathan!" said Donald sturdily, clutching at the man's arm,and kicking at his legs. "This isn't your shop. You let go of him."
"I guess I'd better," laughed the man, taking a firm hold of Donaldand looking at both his captives in evident amusement. "Well, PhilipScott, what sort of a hornet's nest have you here?" he called out, andFaith turned around to see her Uncle Philip standing in the doorway."I'll not let go these men until you promise to defend me," continuedthe stranger.
"You are safe, Phelps," responded Mr. Scott, coming forward and, asNathan and Donald were released, giving the stranger a cordialwelcome. Nathan vanished without a word, but on Mr. Scott's sayingthat he was the son of Mr. Beaman of Shoreham, the stranger wasreassured. It was evident he did not wish his arrival to become knownat the fort.
Faith heard the stranger say that he had come from Hartford, and thathe would cross to the New Hampshire Grants as soon as he could safelydo so.
"I'd like to look in at Fort Ticonderoga if I could without thesoldiers knowing it," she heard him say, and her uncle replied that itwould be impossible.
Faith was sure that this stranger was on some errand to the GreenMountain Boys, for he spoke of Remember Baker, and Seth Warner.
"I'd like to take Colonel Allen a plan of the fort," she heard himsay, as she helped Aunt Prissy prepare an early dinner for theirvisitor.
Faith wished that she was grown up. Then, she was sure, she would dareto tell this stranger of the way up the cliff to the unguardedentrance. "He could go up this evening, and then he could tell ColonelAllen all about it," she thought, and before dinner was over she hadresolved to find a way to tell him. But after a talk with Mr. Scottthe visitor had declared he must get a few hours sleep. He said thathe had been on the trail since very early that morning, and must beoff again soon after sunset.
"Run in the sitting-room, Faithie, and fix a cushion for Mr. Phelps,"said Aunt Prissy, and the little girl started obediently.
"I'll tell him now," she resolved, and as the tall man followed hershe said quickly: "I know how you can get into the fort and no one seeyou. It's a secret. I'll show you. But Uncle Phil won't let me if youtell him."
"I'll not tell him. You are a brave child. Tell me quickly," respondedthe tall stranger.
"There's a canoe under the big willow at the bottom of the field----"began Faith, but he interrupted.
"Yes! Yes! I know. I am to cross the lake in it. But how can I getinto the fort?"
"I could show you. I can't tell you," answered Faith.
"Then 'tis of small use. Harm might come to you, child," he answered,stretching himself out on the long settle with a tired sigh.
Faith went slowly back to the kitchen. Here was the very chance shehad so long hoped for, and this stranger would not let her at
tempt it.
All that afternoon Faith was very quiet. She walked across the fieldsto the shore and looked at the big willow tree where the canoe wasconcealed. She looked off toward Mount Defiance, and Mount Hope,rising clearly against the sky, as if standing sentinels for FortTiconderoga.
"I'll try, anyway," she said to herself, as she turned toward home.
After supper she went early up-stairs. But she did not undress. Sheknew that her uncle would not go to the lake shore with his visitor,for that might attract the attention of some hunter or fisherman. Itwould not be long before Mr. Phelps would start. There was no time tolose. She put on her fur cap, and a knit jacket, and then peered outof the window. The sky was clear, and the moon made it almost as lightas day. The sound of the falls came clearly through the quiet air.
"He could find his way up the cliff as plainly as if it weredaylight," thought Faith, as she turned from the window.
She opened her door and closed it silently behind her. Her cousinswere in bed, her uncle and aunt in the sitting-room with theirvisitor. Faith would have to pass the sitting-room door and go throughthe kitchen; the slightest noise would betray her. She had put onher moccasins, the ones Kashaqua had given her, and she steppedcautiously, without a sound. In a few moments she was safelyout-of-doors and running across the field. She crouched down in thecanoe and waited.
Faith did not hear or see the stranger as he came toward theshore--not until he grasped the canoe to push it into the water.
"King of Britain!" he whispered under his breath, when Faith spoke hisname. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm going to show you the way into the fort. Yes! 'Twill take notmore than an hour or two. Then you can leave me here. 'Twill do me noharm, and you will tell Colonel Allen about the fort," said Faith, ina whisper.
The man slid the canoe into the water. "You are well-named, Faith," heresponded. "Well, 'tis a chance, and no man will harm a little maid,"and with a stroke of his paddle he sent the canoe clear of the willowsand headed toward the fort.
"Keep close to the shore," whispered Faith, peering anxiously ahead.
Several hours later Faith stepped from the canoe, and said a whisperedgood-bye to the stranger, and watched the canoe dart off straighttoward Shoreham. He had scaled the cliff, while Faith kept the canoeclose under the alder bushes, entered the door of the fort, andskilfully made his way about the fortifications, determining the rightplace for an attack and assuring himself that the fortress containedvaluable stores.
As Faith stepped from the canoe the man tried to thank her.
"Some day your Uncle Scott will hear of this, and be proud indeed ofso brave a child," he said, "and I shall tell Colonel Allen your name,and of your courage. Be sure of that. You have helped the Americancause more than a regiment of soldiers."
Faith said over his words as she made her way across the fields. Sherecalled her first visit to the fort. "I'm glad those girls ran offthat day," she thought, as she gently tried the back door. It wassecurely fastened. A low warning growl from "Scotchie" made her fearto lift a window. He would arouse the household. She stood on thesteps, shivering a little in the sharp March wind. "I must get inwithout making a noise," she thought. But she could think of no way toaccomplish it.
In spite of her silence "Scotchie" realized that some one was outside.He barked, growled, and once or twice threw himself against the door.Then suddenly his growls stopped, and, before Faith had time to move,the kitchen door opened slightly and she heard her uncle say, "Who'sthere?" and knew that, musket in hand, he was awaiting her answer.