CHAPTER XV
THE STORM CLOUD GATHERS
Enoch scarce knew Bryce after his winter's absence. The younger boy hadfelt the responsibility of his position as head of the family pro temand although he had lost none of his cheeriness and love of action, hehad gained some cautiousness. His care for little Henry and the girlswas delightful and Mrs. Harding was undoubtedly proud of him. Althoughkept at home almost continually by his duties, Bryce had been able totrap enough beavers to buy the rifle which he had long wanted and on thefirst training day after the roads dried up in the spring, he went withEnoch to Bennington and was enrolled in Captain Baker's company.
And during this year of '74 the train bands became of more importancethan ever before. While in Boston and in other cities of the colonies,meetings were held in secret and companies of minute men were drilled bystealth, here in the Grants the Whigs trained openly, and the reason forit was known, too. The course of the foolish King and his ministers waswidening the breach between the mother country and the American coloniesuntil, when the Continental Congress met on September 5th of this year,royal authority was suspended almost everywhere but in the New YorkColony. Within its confines were the strongest and most influentialTories, while the Dutch, who made up a goodly share of the population,although becoming good patriots in the end and warmly supporting thestruggling nation which was born of that Congress, were phlegmatic ofnature and slow to rouse.
During these months so pregnant with coming trouble, the controversybetween the land jobbers and the Grants waned but little. The Yorkershad received so many sharp lessons, however, that they were careful toattack no settlers who were within reach of assistance from any body ofGreen Mountain Boys. And as Allen, Warner, and Cochran had many"hide-outs" in the hills, where they kept munitions of war and to whichthey summoned their followers by means which actually seemed to savor ofthe Black Art to their enemies, it was difficult for the Yorkers to knowwhere it was really safe to carry on their attacks against the peacefulgrantees. Being "viewed" became a most serious matter indeed, and many aluckless surveyor or other underling of the sheriff of Albany, carriedthe blue-seal of the Green Mountain Boys upon his person for monthsafter an unexpected meeting with those rangers of the forest.
But the Yorkers kept away from Benningford and the surrounding district.More farms had been taken up there by Hampshire grantees than in otherparts of the disputed ground and the reign of the Green Mountain Boyswas supreme. The Hardings had been very happy since the building of thenew house, and, as there had been a school established in the vicinity,the girls and Harry attended for six months in the year. Kate had grownto be a tall girl and looked like her mother, while Mary and Harry werebecoming of considerable use outside of, as well as in, the house.
Enoch and Bryce cleared a piece of woodland that year and late in thefall there was another stump-burning. 'Siah Bolderwood came down fromhis "farm" near Old Ti to join in the festivities; but several of theyoung people who had attended the stump-burning three years before werenot present. Robbie Baker was up north with his father, and LotBreckenridge had moved away from the vicinity of Bennington; Crow Wingdid not come to try his skill at wrestling with Enoch, so the latter satby with 'Siah as one of the judges, for he was older than the othercontestants. Lot's mother had married a man named Lewis who owned andworked a farm much nearer the Connecticut River, in the town ofWestminster, and after his return from their winter's trapping thespring before, Lot had gone across the mountains to work for hisstepfather.
Lot had always been his dearest friend and Enoch missed him sorely, andas he could not go trapping with him this winter, he agreed to visitWestminster for a fortnight or so, some time during the idle months. Itwas March when he started to cross the range and although the roads werestill full of snow, he went horseback. A sleigh was a luxury that fewBennington people owned, although Nuck might have hitched the oldwood-sled to Dobbin. He spent one night at a farmer's on the road, andwas welcomed at supper time the next evening at the Lewis house.
"Zuckers!" exclaimed Lot, running out to drag his friend off his horse,"I tell ye, I'm glad to see ye! And so'll marm be--if the young unsdon't bother her too much. There's three Lewis young uns, too, besidesthe baby, and I tell ye, they're a wild lot. I'd rayther tackle themwolves that you'n Crow Wing got mixed up with last winter. Seen theInjin since?"
"Not since I sent him home with more money than he had ever seen beforein his life," replied Enoch.
"Very foolish of you! We might have had some of his pelts just as well'snot."
"You don't mean that, Lot," said Enoch, who knew that young Breckenridgetalked a deal more recklessly than he really felt.
"Well, never mind all that," said Lot. "Tell me the news. What's goin'on 'tother side the mountings? Did ye know that lots more red-coats hadcome to Boston? And they say--leastways, a pedlar that come through heretold us so last week--that the Boston folks have got a lot of guns andammunition stored in the country towns and the minute men are drillingday and night. Do you s'pose there'll be war there, Nuck?"
"If the Massachusetts people feel like we do here in the Grants,there'll be fighting," said Enoch, his eyes flashing. "What d'yousuppose would happen if troops were quartered on us?"
"I'm goin' to Boston if there's a fight," declared his friend. "Mr.Lewis says I can. He's a nice man--marm's second husband--and he'sstrong for the Grants, too. He's got a Hampshire title. But there's lotsof Tories around here. The court's goin' to sit next week an' there'llbe trouble then, mark my word. Lots of the cases these Tories havehatched up against our people are goin' to be tried, an' the Whigs ain'tgoin' to stand it. Judge Chandler ain't so bad a man; but Judge Sabinand the others are dead set ag'in all our folks. They say the sheriffhas sworn in a big lot of deperties. Mebbe you'll see some fun beforeyou go back to Bennington, Nuck."
As Lot's idea of "fun" was pretty sure to be a scrimmage of some kind,it can be easily seen how strained the relations were then between theWhigs and the Tory court of the district. Whereas Tories and Whigs hadlived at peace before, now they became bitter in controversy and evenfamilies were divided upon the questions of the hour.
Enoch found Lot's stepfather to be a very quiet, pleasant man, who madeit a point to be at harmony with all his neighbors, yet whose personalfeelings and opinions as a Whig were well known. Lot delighted in beingwhere the older men of the community discussed the trend of publicaffairs and it was due to him that Enoch, the second night after hisarrival, gained some little notoriety in Westminster by an encounter hehad at the Royal Inn, kept by one John Norton.
The tap-room and parlors of the inn were occupied every evening at thistime by the men of Westminster, and by certain visitors who had, forsome days, been gathering for the meeting of the General Court. And allthese visitors were not attorneys, or plaintiffs and defendants in theseveral cases which would come up for hearing before their Worships thejustices. The sheriff was already at Westminster and there were morearmed men about the town than had ever been seen there before at onetime. Until the closing hour earnest discussions were carried on in theinn, for although the Royal, or "Norton's house" as it was called, wasthe headquarters of the Tories, many Whigs frequented it, too.Naturally, the young men and half-grown boys wished to listen on theoutskirts of these groups, and Lot Breckenridge was desirous of hearingall that went on. Enoch went with him to the inn rather against hiswill. Mistress Harding did not approve of such places for youths andEnoch had not grown so old or so big as to wish to disobey his mother,or even to believe that she was less able to guide him than she hadformerly been.
The inn was well filled, indeed, that night and Master Norton wasbustling about from group to group, dropping a word here and anotherthere, determined to keep all his guests pleased as maybe; for despitehis Tory principles, the innkeeper was first for his own pocket andwould not antagonize any man knowingly. Mine Host was particularlyattentive to a party of ten or a dozen gentlemen who, having eaten, nowsat grouped before one of the fires engaged in earn
est, and somewhatnoisy, conversation. The figure of the sheriff was the centre of thisgroup.
Lot and Enoch stood with other young men within ear-shot and heard manyremarks which plainly showed the affiliation of the sheriff and hisfriends to the Tory cause; and the party had dined so well that theywere not particularly careful to modulate their voices so that others inthe vicinity who might be of a different mind, should not overhear them.The sheriff was a pompous man who, when he spoke, commanded theattention of all about him. The dignity of his office rode him hard andhis companions deferred to him almost servilely, for at that day such anofficer was held in great reverence, especially by the King's adherents.
"These malcontents who would question the right of the King to governthem, should be punished, every man Jack of them!" the sheriff declared,looking about fiercely at his auditors. "I care not who they are, norhow high they stand. That Dr. Warren and Mr. Otis of Boston aregentlemen of education and position I grant ye; but they should feel theheavy hand of the law nevertheless--yes, sir! And some of these fellowswho have gone to Philadelphia and are making such a rumpus there--theyshould be taught their place!"
"That they should, Master Sheriff!" cried one of his supporters.
"The King's men treated that Otis just right some months back," growledanother--a man who sat back in the shadow of the high mantel and wore acloak, the high collar of which half muffled his face. At the speech ofthis one Enoch, who had been dragging at the sleeve of his companion toget him away, ceased this and pushed forward himself. Something in thetone of the last speaker's voice had attracted his attention and hestrove to see his features.
"They should be whipped--every man Jack of them!" cried the sheriff,repeating his favorite expression.
"Better let Ethan Allen and his boys beech-seal them, eh, Sir Sheriff?"cried some Whig on the outskirts of the group, and a laugh was raisedamong those of like feeling.
"We shall settle that villain Allen--we shall settle him, sir!" declaredthe sheriff, angrily. "The Honorable Court will punish these fellows whoretain their lands without proper authority from the King and ourGovernor. There will be an overturn in these Grants ere long--mark myword, sir!"
"The dogs should be driven back to Massachusetts and Connecticut--wherethey came from," growled the man with the cloak.
"That's true!" exclaimed several of the group.
"Aye, and the time approaches when it may be done," cried the sheriff.
"But what think you Ethan Allen, Seth Warner, 'Member, and the rest ofthe boys will be doing, Sir Sheriff?" demanded the same Whig who hadbefore spoken.
"They'll be clapped into Albany jail--that's what will become of them!"declared the sheriff.
"And a right good place for them," said he of the cloak. Enoch was stillmaneuvring to get a sight of this man, but the shadow of the high mantelwas cast across his face. All the boy could see was the gleam of hiseyes as he turned with an angry gesture toward the audience. "Theboldness of these outlaws is astonishing."
"That Allen appears to have many followers," suggested a mild manneredman beside the sheriff.
"He is a bully; they fear him!" declared the former speaker, vigorously.
"How is that, John Norton?" cried the Whig, who evidently was a bold manto so flout the sheriff and his friends. "You know Colonel Allenpersonally. Should you call him a bully and say that he governs men byfear?"
"Not I!" exclaimed the innkeeper. "And saving your presence, sheriff, itwould be a man of some stomach who would dare say that to Ethan Allen'sface. As for these same Green Mountain Boys, it is not fear that keepsthem together."
"I tell you they are a set of masterless villains!" cried the dark man,turning angrily about so that at last the collar of his cloak fell back."They should be driven out of the colony and their houses burned to theground----"
Suddenly he stopped. His harsh voice died to a whisper and hisastonished companions looked at him in amazement. For a moment he seemedto have been frozen in his chair, and their eyes following his glancefell upon the white and angry face of Enoch Harding who had pushedthrough the ring of listeners. "And it is you who would set the torch totheir homes!" exclaimed the youth, his voice shaking. "You already haveone count of the kind against you, and if you ever come to Benningtonagain there'll be more than a beech-sealing awaiting you--you villain!"
Some of the crew sprang up in astonishment, and some in anger. "Who isthat bold rascal, landlord?" demanded the sheriff. "Bring him here."
But Lot had fairly dragged the angry Enoch to the door and now pushedhim out of the inn. "What's the matter with you, Nuck?" he demanded."D'you want to get us all into trouble?"
"That's Simon Halpen!" exclaimed Enoch, panting with excitement. "I'dhave flown at his throat in another moment."
"Zuckers!" exclaimed Lot. "The feller that burned down your marm'shouse? Don't blame ye for bein' mad. But ye don't wanter stir up a fusshere. Our game is ter lay low and let the Tories start the row ifthey're minded to. You'll see. Mr. Lewis an' some others is goin' to seethe judges to-morrow an' try to keep the court from sittin'. They'llsure be trouble if the Tories bring our people before the court. Wecan't git no fair trial, so we won't be tried at all."
Enoch was very silent on the way back to Lot's house. The shock ofseeing Simon Halpen again after all this time, had stirred the youthgreatly. Despite the fact that the villain was so far away from theWalloomscoik, and would probably not dare go near Bennington, Enochcould not help feeling troubled by the circumstance of his presencewithin the borders of the Grants. And he was glad that 'Siah Bolderwoodhad promised to remain at or near the Hardings' home while he, Enoch,was at Westminster.
Under Lot's advice the two boys said nothing of the little scene at theinn and the next morning Mr. Lewis went with other stable men of thetown to call upon the justices who would preside at the court when itmet. The feeling between Whigs and Tories was so strong that allpeace-loving men feared bloodshed. At the first blow a terrible civilwar might begin--a war in which neighbor would engage with neighbor andthe community be utterly ruined. And if the court sat and tried thecases against those settlers who refused to purchase New York titles totheir lands, or to leave their homes at the order of the sheriff and hisdeputies, the battle would begin. Nobody could doubt that.
Despite the fact that the offices were held by the Tories, the Whigswere greatly in the majority. And this majority declared the will of thepeople should be upheld, and that will was that no court should situntil matters quieted down and the heat had gone out of the politicalveins of the community. They presented this matter strongly to thejudges and warned them of what might be expected if the court undertookto sit at Westminster. Although staunch Tories, the judges wereimpressed by what was told them by the committee; Justice Chandler,indeed, gave his word that nothing should be done toward convening thecourt until time had been given the people to cool down. It waspromised, too, that the sheriff and his men should not be given a freehand in the town.
With these assurances from Judge Chandler the committee of Whigsreturned. To make sure that the sheriff, who with his men were spendingevery day and night at the Royal Inn, did not seize the court-house indefiance of the people's will, the Whigs sent a guard to that buildingon the evening of the 13th--the day before that set for the convening ofthe court. This guard, however, was armed only with clubs, and was setto keep the troublesome factions of both parties in order, and wasrecruited from among the better affected families of the town. LotBreckenridge and Enoch were allowed by Mr. Lewis to join thesevolunteers.