Wacousta: A Tale of the Pontiac Conspiracy--Volume 1

ction of a stranger within its walls. The circumstance at this moment was particularly remarkable; for the period was so fearful and pregnant with events of danger, the fort being assailed on

d, with a determination prompted equally by indignation and despair. This sentiment of union, existing even between men and officers of different corps, was, with occasional exceptions, of course doubly strengthened among those who fought under the same colours, and acknowledged the same head; and, as it often happened in Canada, during this interesting period, that a single regiment was distributed into two or three fortresses, each so far removed from the other that communication could with the utmost facility be cut off, the anxiety and uncertainty of these detachments became proportioned to the danger with which they knew themselves to be more immediately beset. The gar

of the times, and a perfect knowledge of all the misery that must accrue to them in the event of their provoking the Indians into acts of open hostility, the prudent governor took such precautions as were deemed efficient to defeat any treacherous attempt at violation of the tacit treaty on the part of the natives. The officers never ventured out, unless escorted by a portion of their men, who, although appearing to be dispersed among the warriors, still kept sufficiently together to be enabled, in a moment of emergency, to affo

m the policy already named: nay, it was absolutely essential to the future interests of England that the Indians should be won over by acts of confidence and kindness; and so little disposition had hitherto been manifested by t

mselves. In this emergency the prudence and forethought of the governor of Detroit were eminently conspicuous; for, having long foreseen the possibility of such a crisis, he had caused a plentiful supply of all that was necessary to the subsistence and defence of the garrison to be provided at an earlier period, so that, if foiled in their attempts at stratagem, there was little chance that the Indians would speedily reduce them by famine. To guard against the former, a vigilant watch was constantly kept by the garrison both day and night, while the sentinels, doubled in number, were constantly on the alert. Strict attention, moreover, was paid to such parts of th

d among them. The first intimation of this fact was given by the violent ringing of an alarm bell; a rope communicating with which was suspended in the Governor's apartments, for the purpose of arousing the slumbering soldiers in any case of pressing emergency. Soon afterwards the Governor himself was seen to issue from

here?-follow-pursue him quickly-l

ho, stationed in front of his apartments, had, on the first sound of alarm from the porte

f the men, startled, yet bringing his arms

anger-the fellow who

ommenced, your honour," observed the second sentin

must have seen him. He passed this way, and could not have e

an and boy in your honour's rigimint this twilve years, not even the fitch of a man has passed me this blissed night.

attempt at exculpation was a br

and of their chief, resumed the limited walk allotted to them; crossing each other at regular intervals

rsons proclaimed them to be of the guard; while in the lofty barracks, numerous lights flashing to and fro, and moving with rapidity, attested the alacrity with which the troops off duty were equipping themselves for some service of more than ordinary interest. So nois

ard would have answered his purpose equally well. Besides, so much time had been suffered to elapse, that the stranger might have escaped; and if so, how many might be disposed to ridicule his alarm, and consider it as emanating from an imagination disturbed by sleep, rather than caused by the actual presence of one endowed like themselves with the faculties of speech and motion. For a moment he hesitated whether he should not countermand the summons to arms which had been so precipitately given; but when he recollected the harrowing threat that had been breathed in his ear by

ckwater to come t

s a short, thick-set, and elderly officer made

an enemy, who has managed to procure admittance among us: let every nook and cranny, every empty cask, be examined fort

rom his brows, though the night was unusually chilly for the season of t

usly; "let it suffice that he has been in this very room,

ingular! How could the savage contrive to obt

he men, and let diligent search be made every where; and rec

e to cease, and that he was now addressed in the language of authority by his superior, who expected a direct and prompt compliance with hi

then in a low but distinct voice stated the cause of alarm; and, having communicated the orders of the Governor, finished by recommending to each the exercise of the most scrutinising

s by the officers themselves, and distributed between the sentinels already posted there, in such numbers, and at such distances,

ithin their beat, detection must have been inevitable. The first question was put to the sentinel stationed at the gate of the fort, at which point the whole of the officers of the garrison were, with one or two exceptions, now assembled. The man at first evinced a good deal of confusion; but this might arise from the singular fact of the alarm that had been given, and the equally singular circumstance of his being thus closely interrogated by the collective body o

of the party who now traversed the rampart to the right; "but confound me if I would not rather be a barber's apprentice in London, upon nothing, and find myself, than continue

ture of miseries thus solemnly enumerated by his subaltern;-"how much, in truth, are you to be pitied, who have so recently basked in all the sunshine of enjoyment at home. For our parts, we ha

alarm bell was sounded in my ears, that I had made up my mind fully to resign or exchange the instant I could do so with credit to m

whose spleen might well be accounted for in his rank of "Ensign" Delme. "Methinks there can be litt

ered to the name of Lieutenant Murphy; "for it isn't now, while we are surrounded and bedivile

and effeminacy of manner, was of a high and resolute spirit. "Do either of you fancy that I want courage to

opinions of those who look forward to promotion; and as for Delme-do you not see the drift of his observation? Should you retire, as you have threatened, of course another lieutenant will be appoi

ards each other as well by fellowship in pleasure as companionship in danger, this vile and debasing principle-this insatiable desire for personal advancement-is c

ek to disguise the truth from themselves, was too forcible to find contradiction from the secret monitor within. And yet of those assembled there was not one, perhaps, who would not, in the hour o

n their circuit, was carried on in an audible whisper, which the close approximation of the parti

ratify Mr. Delme by any such exhibition as that of a scalpless head; but, if such be his hope, I trust that the hour which sees m

of war, in the shape of a tommyhawk, knocks him over, still there can be no rason why we shouldn't stip into his shoes the viry nixt instant; and it's that, we all know, that we fight for. And the divil a bitter chance any man of us all has of promotion thin yoursilf, Captin: for it'll be mighty strange if our fat Ma

on more general than it would otherwise have been. Seriously, I should be sorry if any thing happened to our worthy Major, who, with all his bustling and grotesque manner, is as good an officer and as brave a soldier

other's death as a means of our own more immediate personal advancement. With you, therefore, I repeat, perish all my hopes of promotion, if it is only to be obtained over the corpses of my companions! A

y that the speaker was far from approving the expression of such selfish anticipations at a moment like the prese

sted in their line of circuit, and were within a few yards of the immediate rear of the fortress, when a sharp "Hist!"

fter a few seconds of silence, in which he had v

ng that no one answered, "I di

asked Sir Everard and De H

n. But see, here are the remainder of th

de of their companions, all of whom were straining their necks and

ain Blessington in the same low whisper, and ad

t, Sambo, who has just riveted our attention, by declaring tha

y rejoined Blessingto

rection of the common. The night was clear and starry, yet the dark shadow of the broad belt of fores

rt to his friend, who stood next him: "lo

ter an anxious gaze of a minute, "b

ghtly moving immediately in a line w

edly and indistinctly, that I know not whether it be not merely an illusion of my imaginati

for a trial of his vulnerabil

ifficult of approach. He then, unbidden, and as if tutored to the task, placed himself in a stiff upright position in front of his master, with every nerve and muscle braced to the most i

-him go directly,-S

ed by the cocking of the rifle of their companion fell on their ears, they bent their gaze upon t

,-him quite up," aga

istant woods ceased to reverberate the spirit-stirring echoes, when the anxious group of officers were surprised and startled by a sudden flash, the report of a second rifle from the common, and the whizzing of a bullet past their

impatience. "Sambo, you young scoundrel, it was all your fault,-you moved your shoulder as I pulled the trigger. Thank Heaven, however, the aim of

a lodgment in my breast. God bless ye all, my boys; may your fates be more lucky than mine!" While he yet spoke, Lieutenant Murphy sank in