CHAPTER VII
A NIGHT ATTACK
Not often did the Harding children enjoy such a day as that of thestump-burning. Life was very real indeed to pioneer folks, although thefact that every family in the community had to work hard left noloophole for complaint on any side. There were no very poor people then,and there were no immensely rich. It is only by comparison that humanbeings become discontented with their lot.
The widow's children had to work little harder than their neighbors.Their mother labored with them in the fields, as well as paying fullattention to her household duties. She could swing an axe with most menin the township, and was no mean shot with the rifle. She led the cornhoeing and taught the older boys to do those things which were needfulabout the farm. The crops during this summer prospered well, and afterclearing up and barreling the ashes made during the stump-burning, Enochand Bryce ploughed and harrowed the new piece along the creek's edge.They sowed it to winter grain and hung "scare-crows" all about the fieldto keep the wild birds from pulling up the tender shoots when theyappeared above the mold.
Besides leading her children in the work of the farm, Mistress Hardingpaid more attention to their education than most parents of thesettlement could. There was a school in Bennington during the wintermonths; but it was too far away for any of the Hardings to attend. Butthe widow had been a school-teacher before her marriage and she hadbrought some books with her from her old home. So part of almost everyday she taught her children. The girls and little Harry, who was justlearning his letters and "a-b, abs," studied during the daytime; but theolder boys did their lessons by the light of the candle dips, or lyingon the hearth before the dancing fire. Both summer and winter thesestudies were kept up and therefore Enoch and his brothers and sisterswere rather farther advanced in learning than the other children of thescattered community.
To this study Enoch took rather kindly; but to Bryce, who possessed moreof his father's roving disposition, the school hour was distasteful.Bryce, too, complained more than a little because he was not allowed togo to Bennington on training days. He was growing rapidly and was wellnigh as big as his brother, and he felt that he should be counted amember of the military company.
This drilling in the manual of arms had become a very serious matter tothe Grants people. The Green Mountain Boys, which nickname had beforethe end of the summer become fixed upon the bands, were divided intofour companies of which Seth Warner, 'Member Baker, Robert Cochran andGideon Warner were the captains. Ethan Allen was elected colonelcommanding by acclamation and plans were made to watch over many of theoutlying districts liable to be troubled most frequently by the Yorkers.With all his impulsiveness, Allen was long-headed and something of astrategist; yet he leaned to some extent upon Captain Warner's goodsense. Warner was a man of much finer mould than the chief of the GreenMountain Boys, was well educated and had a personal following of his ownin the Grants, second only to Allen's. But there was never any jealousybetween them. Allen's was a nature too frank and generous to harbor sucha despicable feeling, while Warner was too deeply interested in thecause to do so.
Nuck Harding was a proud boy indeed, for he was nigh the youngest amongthose who drilled. Such raiding as was done by the Green Mountain Boysthat year was the work of small parties under Allen, Warner, or Cochran,and no general engagement occurred between the Grants settlers and theNew York authorities, so Nuck saw no real service. At home, however, heand Bryce frequently talked over what they would do if Simon Halpenshould visit them. That he had been scouting about the farm on the dayof Sheriff Ten Eyck's fiasco at James Breckenridge's place, the olderboy was sure. He was certain that the man he had seen beside thecampfire in the wood, and whom Crow Wing seemed to befriend, was theYorker who, twice before, had tried to drive the Hardings from theirhome. But neither the man nor the Indian youth appeared in theneighborhood as the summer waned and the autumn harvests approached.
Nevertheless, after harvest, when the farm work was well cleared up, theboys put into practice a plan which, after much thought they hadevolved. Many a frontier home of that, and an earlier day, had connectedwith it an underground passage, or room which, although usually devotedto the simple storage of potatoes and roots, could in time of need beused as a refuge for the family. Of an Indian attack there was littledanger; but they did not know to what length the Yorkers might go whenonce they did appear. Nuck believed Simon Halpen to be a man withoutcompassion or mercy, and that the house might be attacked and burnedover their heads.
So, while still the frost held off, they constructed beneath thefireplace a deep stonewalled apartment nearly eight feet square--largeenough to hold the entire family if need should come. When finished theentrance was gained by raising a large flat stone which was a part ofthe hearth. But the winter came without any alarm to the Hardings, anddrew its slow length across the green hills and valleys like some albinomonster of prehistoric times. The firs were snow-crowned and the whitemantle lay deep in the hollows. Bryce and Enoch added generously to thefamily larder by the fruit of their hunting-trips, for there was plentyof time for such sport now. They had learned to weave snow-shoes inIndian fashion, too, and Bolderwood taught Enoch to tan and "work" thedeer hides so well that their mother was able to use the pliable leatherfor moccasins for the family. "Boughten" shoes they had; but they werekept for best, for the money to purchase them with came hard indeed tothe widow.
Not until the sap began to flow from the maples was winter countedbroken. Robbie Baker rode over about the middle of March and begged sohard that Mrs. Harding allowed Enoch to return with him to help at theBaker's "sugaring." There were plenty of fine maples near the Bakerhouse and Nuck was promised a share of the refined sugar. There was noneed of a hut at the sugar orchard, for they slept at Baker's house, andonly a shelter was built over the great kettle in which the sap wasboiled. Captain Baker made the incisions in the generous trees, andfitted the troughs; but Robbie and Nuck collected the sap and broughtit, bucket by bucket, to the fire which Mrs. Baker tended. It was hardwork but there was some fun connected with it, too, and Nuck enjoyed hisweek's visit--or would have done so had it not been for the incidentwith which the outing closed.
Through the winter the people of the Grants had lived almost entirely atpeace with their troublesome neighbors over the border. But there werecertain active spirits among the Yorkers who were waiting only for thecoming of spring to continue their persecutions. Because of the raids bythe leaders of the Green Mountain Boys, there were warrants out forseveral, and Captain Baker was one of these who was wanted by the Albanyauthorities. The infamous John Munro who had accepted the office ofJustice of the Peace from the New York party, gathered ten or twelvechoice spirits on the night of March 22d, and feeling the security ofnumbers approached the home of the Grants' remarkable marksman, his mindfixed firmly upon the reward that had been offered for the apprehensionof "the outlaw, Baker."
The Green Mountain Boy was not a man to be attacked without dueconsideration, and the Yorkers came to the house in the dead of night,breaking in without warning, and capturing Captain Baker in his bed.Even thus handicapped Baker fought with desperation and, overpowered bynumbers and cruelly wounded, only gave over the struggle when he sawthat the Yorkers were beating his wife and son as well.
"I surrender to ye, ye dogs!" he cried. "But let the woman and childalone," and at that they ceased to belabor Mrs. Baker and Robbie and setabout removing the captive as expeditiously as possible. Robbie had beenasleep in the loft with his guest when the attack was made and had rundown the ladder to get at the guns; but this last was impossible.Enoch's rifle was likewise down-stairs and he was unable to help hisfriends; but instead of showing himself to the enemy he lifted a cornerof the bark roof and crept outside. It was dark, and although there wasa watch kept without the house, he was not observed and managed to reachthe ground by climbing down the corner logs.
By this time Captain Baker was a prisoner. They allowed him to partlydress and then securing him with thongs, brought him f
orth and threw himinto a sledge which was in waiting. Their haste was obvious. Even in thenight, and at this distance from any succor, the cowardly justice andhis friends feared that members of the Green Mountain company would bearoused, and they had no wish to face Baker's comrades. Their idea wasto get him across the Hudson and to Albany as swiftly as possible.
But Enoch, though unable to render his friends any assistance in thefight, had not been idle. Keeping the house between him and the Yorkersat the door, he reached the stable. Mrs. Baker's voice rose above thegeneral din, begging the Yorkers to spare her husband--to at least allowher to bind up the wound in his head before they took him away. But theymerely laughed at her request. It made Enoch grit his teeth in rage, andpulling open the door of the stable he quickly entered and flung thecaptain's saddle upon the horse. Buckling the girth tightly he backedthe steed out of the hovel and was astride it before the enemy observedhim.
With a smart slap on the creature's flank Nuck sent the horse tearingdown the road to Bennington and was almost out of rifle shot before theYorkers realized his escape and the meaning of it. Several shotsfollowed him, so reckless were the justice's companions, but there wasno pursuit. Instead, the villains tumbled into the sledge and upon thebacks of their own steeds, and amid the cries of the woman and Robbie,took the way to the Twenty-Mile Line and Albany. The prisoner's wife andson scarcely realized what Nuck's escape meant; it looked as though theguest had fled when peril threatened the helpless family. But Nuck verywell knew what he was about.
It was still several hours before dawn, but the moon brilliantlyillumined the forest road and as the way was fairly well beaten, Nuckset the horse at his fastest pace. He knew that he could find men atBennington--particularly at the Green Mountain Inn--who would considerno hardship too great to assist the captured settler. Many of RememberBaker's own company of Green Mountain Boys would be in town and StephenFay, the host, would be able to tell him where to find these menquickly. It was a long ride to the Hudson and the hope of overtaking theYorkers and their prisoner spurred the boy on.
On and on flew the horse and rider until at last the scattered houses ofthe hamlet came into view. The settlement lay lifeless under the coldwinter sky; not a spiral of smoke rose from the broad-topped chimneys,for the fires in every house were banked during the night, and it wastoo early for the spryest kitchen-maid to be astir. The horse thunderedup to the door of the Catamount Inn and Nuck's wild halloa brought anight-capped head to the window instantly--that of the innkeeper.
"What might be the news, neighbor?" he demanded.
"Captain Baker has been carried off by the Yorkers!" shouted Nuck, andhis words were heard by other night-capped heads at other windows aboutthe inn. "'Squire Munro and some others came and got him out of bed.They've driven off toward the Line."
"'Member Baker's captured!" The word was taken up by a dozen voices andthe settlers dressed hurriedly and ran forth from their houses.Meanwhile Master Fay had aroused certain men who happened to be in hishostelry, as well as the stablemen in the yard. There was a great bustleabout the inn. "Boy!" cried the innkeeper to Nuck, who still bestrodeCaptain Baker's horse, "do you go and call Isaac Clark and Joe Safford.They'll have their horses handy--and good horses, too, I'll be bound.Tell them to come here with saddle and rifle."
These two men lived at the other end of the village. Nuck routed themout and in fifteen minutes was back with them at the inn. By that timequite a crowd had collected and ten men beside Nuck were found to bemounted and ready to set forth after the Yorkers. Each was a tried GreenMountain Boy and eager to take satisfaction for the attack upon theirleader. Ten men were considered ample to attack the Yorkers, and with apromise to the bystanders to recapture 'Member Baker, even though theyfollowed him to Albany, the cavalcade galloped away from the GreenMountain Inn, Enoch riding in their train.