CHAPTER XVIII
RODNEY RIDES WITH DISPATCHES
Rodney had been at home but a short time when he realized thatimportant events had occurred in his absence.
"Mother," he said one day, "it looks as though the king will have tosend over a new governor in place of Lord Dunmore, or there'll betrouble. You know, Colonel Lewis and his men were mad enough to fightboth him and the Indians because, instead of punishing the Indians, hemade peace with 'em. I hear he had trouble before he left Virginia onthe expedition over the mountains, and is having it now."
"Yes, he dissolved the Assembly because, out of sympathy with Boston,it appointed a fast day. England, you know, closed the port of Boston.The year before Governor Dunmore dissolved the Assembly because itexpressed sympathy with Massachusetts. I fear he is too arbitrary."
"Well, they do as they have a mind to after all. Last year, Iunderstand, Mr. Jefferson and Colonel Washington and others met at theold Raleigh Tavern and arranged to have correspondence with all thecolonies so they could all act together if necessary."
"Yes, they also met there five years ago and resolved not to importgoods from England, and, before they went home last June, they met atthe same place and planned for the Colonial Congress they held inPhiladelphia last September. I believe these meetings were in what iscalled the Apollo room. I remember dancing there when I was a girl. Itis a large room with a big fireplace at one end. I expect the king'sears would tingle if he could hear all the angry words that have beenspoken against tyranny in that room. Oh, I don't know what it all willcome to. There must be faults on both sides. I think Patrick Henry istoo impetuous for a safe leader. I've been told that he believes thecolonies should declare themselves independent of England. That wouldmean a terrible war. I do hope we may escape such a calamity."
The king had heard of the words spoken in the Apollo room of the oldtavern. Governor Dunmore, an irritable, haughty Scotch nobleman, withlittle respect for the people, also had heard enough to fill his heartwith rage. He sent the legislators, many of whom had ridden many milesto the capital at Williamsburg, back home with his disapproval. Hewould teach them submission!
On their part, the people had no thought of submission. Wherever theymet there was a sound as of angry bees.
"I think our people must have much of right on their side, or such menas Colonel Washington, who is an aristocrat with much to lose and veryconservative, 'tis said, would not favour what is being done inopposition to the British ministry," said Mrs. Allison. Rodney, whileseeing the matter largely through his mother's eyes, neverthelessrecalled the words he had heard fall from the lips of the roughfrontiersmen. He knew that they were ready to fight, indeed many ofthem eager for a conflict, confident that they, who could clear theland, build homes in the wilderness and defend them against theIndians, could likewise defy the tyranny of King George. The boybecame restless. He wanted to participate in the agitation which wasnoticeable on all sides, indeed the air seemed charged with it.
There was little work to be done on the farm during the winter.Hearing that Mr. Jefferson was then at his home, Rodney decided tovisit Monticello. There he met with a warm greeting, though a shade ofdisappointment was in his face when he learned that the great man hadbeen so busy he had not followed the fortunes of the Allison family,and did not even know that Mr. Allison had fallen at the battle ofPoint Pleasant. For the first time Rodney now doubted whether afterall the man who had paid off the mortgage, and thwarted Denham, wasreally an agent of Mr. Jefferson. Finally, an opportunity came forassuring himself. His host was admiring Nat when Rodney said: "Thecolt is in fine condition, handsomer than ever. I nearly lost him.Denham wanted him and, when he started to foreclose, he tookpossession of Nat."
"Denham foreclosed? Have you then lost the home? I wish I had known ofit, I might have prevented that."
"Some kind friend learned of it and paid the mortgage; neither mothernor I know who it was. I thought he might have been your agent."
"I am glad you think I would have assisted had I known, but this isthe first I have heard of the matter. You see I have been very busyand away from home much, and not in a way to hear. I'm very glad youwere rescued from the clutches of Denham."
"He seemed determined to have both the place and the horse. BothThello and Mam offered to sell themselves, even suggested that toDenham, but he told them he didn't want any old, worn out niggers onhis hands. I'm glad I wasn't there," and the lad's eyes blazed withindignation as he thought of the old miser's greed.
"Denham is said to be as ardent a Tory as he dares to be," remarkedMr. Jefferson, as though to himself. Then, turning to the boy, helooked into his face, and Rodney felt as though his inmost thoughtswere being read.
That he stood the test well appeared in the next words of Jefferson.
"I believe your experience with the Indians has greatly matured you.How old are you?"
"I am well on to sixteen, sir."
"In other words," replied his host with a smile, "you are fifteen withardent hope of soon being sixteen, and I'll warrant extremely desirousof active and honourable employment. The colt, too, looks as though hewanted to exercise his faculties as well."
"Sir, I am very anxious for employment. There is not much I can do athome this winter. Indeed, the little place will barely affordexistence and I need to earn money."
"What I have in mind will demand discretion and judgment beyond youryears, as well as fidelity to a trust. Of your fidelity I have noquestion, and am inclined to believe that, with your intelligenceand the experience you have had, you will be able to meet therequirements."
"Won't you give me a chance, Mr. Jefferson?" There was pleading in theboy's eyes and in the tone of his voice.
"Rodney, I will, with your mother's permission. You explain to her,but tell no one else, that the work will consist in carrying messagesto different parts of the colony. Supervision of the work being doneby the various committees of safety, and quick and reliablecommunication between the men taking the lead in this business,require such service as you will be expected to perform. Nat looks asthough he might be depended on for the quickness, and to you must beleft the discretion. You must have eyes as well as ears and use bothmore than the tongue. The employment will not be without slightdanger, for, after a time, our opponents will inevitably discoverwhat you are doing. Then, in the present unsettled state of things,the long rides, some of the time at night, will demand courage andprudence."
"I'm sure mother will consent. There certainly won't be the dangerthere was living among the Indians."
The man smiled. "I doubt if your mother would consent to expose you tothose conditions again. I will write to her and you may be the bearerof the message and plead your cause."
With the letter finally in his pocket, and Nat making use of a freerein to gallop like the wind, Rodney Allison felt as though he wereentering upon a new world with much more of sunshine and hope than fora long time he had known. The following week he began his duties bysetting out for Mount Vernon with a message for Colonel Washington,and another for Richard Henry Lee, who, also, had been a delegate tothe first Colonial Congress.
Angus saw that something was afoot and was displeased at Rodney fornot taking him into his confidence. "Where now, Rodney?" he said, ashe sauntered into the Allison yard, where his friend was bidding hismother good-bye.
"I've got to take quite a long ride on one of Mr. Jefferson's businessmatters; I don't quite know how far it will take me."
"You go prepared for trouble," replied Angus with a nod at the buttsof two horse-pistols which could be seen under the flaps of theholsters.
"Those are some father had with the saddle," replied Rodney.
Angus winked and said no more, though it was evident he would like tohave done so.
"Well, good-bye, Angus, and good-bye, mother. Don't expect me backtill I get here," said Rodney, vaulting into the saddle and ridingaway at a furious gallop, his head up and shoulders thrown back and asfull of a sense of his own importanc
e as is permitted to a modest lad,such as Rodney Allison really was.
Before him lay long stretches of miserable roads, clogged with snow ormud, a bleak landscape, not to mention many inconveniences which thetravellers through that region were then obliged to endure. But allthings come to an end and so, one crisp morning, the lad reined Nedinto the road leading to Mount Vernon.
Now, those of us who visit the place feel that we approach the shrineof our country. To Rodney it was a visit to one of the finestplantations in all the Old Dominion, and its owner was one of the mostinfluential citizens as well as one of the wealthiest. The generalappearance of the place that morning was much as one now finds it,save for the evidences then seen of the little army of negroes whoworked on the plantation. The smoke curled lazily up into the frostyair; the majestic Potomac flowed past between bleak banks on which thefirst green of spring had not shown itself. A kinky haired colouredboy was promptly on hand to hold the horse, and another met him at thedoor.
"Talk as little as possible and see everything," was his mother'sparting advice, and he thought of it as he looked about him. On allsides were evidences of thrift and he felt the atmosphere of home.
How Washington loomed before the lad's eyes on entering the room! Notthat he was unduly long of limb, for, though a giant in stature, hewas perfectly proportioned; but he seemed to fill the room with hispresence. Rodney had wondered how he would compare with the man he soardently admired, but he could find no point of resemblance betweenthe man who greeted him and the host of Monticello, save in thecourteous, kindly manner of both. The boy's first thought was of themasterful manner of the man before him, yet those calm, blue-grayeyes, looking out from under the heavy brows, did not embarrass him.
This is the man who Ahneota believed was guarded by the Great Spirit,was the thought which flashed through his mind as Washington extendedhis hand in greeting, the man who had dared take Governor Dinwiddie'smessage into the enemy's country, who had saved the remnants ofBraddock's panic-stricken troops amid a hail of bullets. How couldsuch a massive figure have escaped, with men falling all around him?
Rodney delivered his message and received a reply, was introducedto Mrs. Washington and given refreshments and departed rejoicingthat his new work was affording him such pleasant experiences. Whatsatisfaction it must be, he thought, to be so rich, have such afine home and be respected by all one's neighbours. If he had such aplantation as this he would hunt and fish to his heart's content,and Lisbeth Danesford would be proud to introduce him to hercousins from London, and he would not condescend to notice themeither, unless they were different from Mogridge, the insolentfellow! What had become of him? Anyhow, though the "Chevalier"finally had gotten the money, there was the satisfaction of winningit from Mogridge. Ah! Rodney, you were not experienced in thetricks of gambling or you would have known that, but for the"Chevalier" watching them, Mogridge and his "pal" would have strippedyou of every farthing.
Rodney had read the letter Lisbeth had written from London. He wasglad she was finding the nobility, the lords and dukes, not to mentionduchesses, such uninteresting people, and that she longed forVirginia. Had she come home? It would be but little out of his way toride around past "The Hall." No, he would not call, for he would notwish to meet the squire after the shabby manner in which he hadtreated them. Possibly he might meet Lisbeth on the road. She was amighty fine girl, and, if she did get him into that scrape withRoscome's bull, she had gotten him out. From the girl his thoughtsreverted to the man he had just left.
The boy recalled that firm mouth, the grave dignity, and the somethingabout his personality which had said to the lad as to others: "You cantrust me." Rodney Allison was never afterward to doubt GeorgeWashington. The next year, when it was said Washington had declaredthat if necessary he would raise a thousand men at his own expense andmarch them to Boston, Rodney exclaimed, "He'll do it, too!" WhenBoston was evacuated he said, "I knew it." When Washington, in theface of all sorts of difficulties, led his scattering forces inmasterly retreat before the victorious British, Rodney was to say,"He's doing all that man can do." But this is getting ahead of thestory, for young Allison is now on his way to the home of RichardHenry Lee, who later was to propose independence in the ContinentalCongress, when to do so might mean loss of not only his property buthis life as well, for King George would have liked to make an exampleof at least a few prominent "traitors," could he have got them in hisclutches.
The meeting with Mr. Lee was for Rodney another pleasant experience; afine man, and what an agreeable voice he had! Then the lad turnedNat's head toward home, well pleased with the success that so far hadattended his journey.
Two days of travelling brought him to the neighbourhood of his oldhome. He was aware of a dull ache in his throat as he rode by theschool house. It seemed as if he saw his father bowed over the rudebench within. In the distance he caught a glimpse of "The Hall." Therewas a feeling of homesickness with it all, and he would have given allthat his scant purse contained to see Lisbeth and have her know thathe had become a person of some importance. Wouldn't the squire rave ifhe knew the errands he had in charge. Ah, but those stiff-neckedTories would have to yield!
As he rode past "The Hall" he looked long at the house. The squiregalloped up behind and passed him with a stare and a salute, notrecognizing him.
"I wonder he didn't remember Nat," thought Rodney, and it wassurprising because the squire was a great admirer of a good horse andknew the "points" of all the best in the county.
A little farther along lived the Roscomes. There he was sure offinding a place to spend the night. It was then about four in theafternoon. He would have time to get his supper and then ride up onthe hill for one more look at the familiar view.
The Roscomes, father and son, owned but a small plantation, but theirhospitality was princely and it was with difficulty he got away forthe hill.
Hitching Nat in a grove at the foot, he climbed to the top just inseason to see the sunset and the extended view, which had been sofamiliar to him, so that he felt well repaid. On his way back, and ashe was unhitching the horse, he heard voices in the road which rannear the grove.
"I say, me 'earty, I've about enough o' this dirty country. I'd liketo put me two legs across the back of a fine 'orse, an' I'd ask noquestions of the owner."
"Right ye are, Bill. At the speed we're walkin' we'll git to Occoquanabout midsummer, I'm thinkin'."
"They've 'orses in plenty 'ereabout to go with their muddy roads.They'd not miss a couple, though they think more of a 'orse than theydo of a nigger, I'm told."
"We'd have two an' ask no questions, but they've both dogs andniggers, an' one or both always sleeps in the stable."
"I tell ye wot, d'ye mind the lad and girl go riding by when we waseatin' a bite beside the road, along back?"
"I did an' thought ridin' would do me a sight more good than them."
"They wouldn't 'ave no guns an' would be easy to scare. Suppose if wemeet 'em we give 'em the 'int an' not wait for an answer?"
"We'd have the whole country at our heels."
"An' there wouldn't be a 'orse in the lot could overtake us or me eyeknows not a good one."
Rodney looked to the priming of his pistols, then mounted Nat andfollowed slowly after the men.