The Leatherstocking Tales II

by James Fenimore Cooper

  “Still, the sailors of the lake, have a method of finding the places they wish to go to.”

  “If I have understood you, serjeant, this station, or block house, is particularly private?”

  “It is indeed; the utmost care having been taken to prevent a knowledge of its position, from reaching the enemy.”

  “And you expect me, a stranger on your lake, to find this place without chart, course, distance, latitude, longitude, or soundings—ay, d____e, or tallow! Allow me to ask if you think a mariner runs by his nose, like one of Pathfinder’s hounds?”

  “Well, brother, you may yet learn something by questioning the young man at the helm; I can hardly think that he is as ignorant as he pretends to be.”

  “Hum—this looks like another circumstance! For that matter, the case is getting to be so full of circumstances, that one hardly knows how to foot up the evidence. But we will soon see how much the lad knows.”

  Cap and the serjeant now returned to their station near the helm, and the former renewed his inquiries.

  “Do you happen to know what may be the latitude and longitude of this said island, my lad?” he asked.

  “The what, sir?”

  “Why the latitude or the longitude; one or both; I’m not particular which, as I merely inquire in order to see how they bring up young men on this bit of fresh water.”

  “I’m not particular about either, myself, sir, and so I do not happen to know what you mean.”

  “Not what I mean!—You know what latitude is?”

  “Not I, sir,” returned the man, hesitating, “though I believe it is French, for the Upper Lakes.”

  “Whe-e-e-w,” whistled Cap, drawing out his breath, like the broken stop of an organ—“Latitude, French for upper lakes! Harkee, young man; do you know what longitude means?”

  “I believe I do, sir—that is five feet six, the regulation height for soldiers in the King’s service.”

  “There’s the longitude found out for you, serjeant, in the rattling of a brace block! You have some notion about a degree, and minutes, and seconds, I hope?”

  “Yes sir, degree means my betters, and minutes and seconds, are for the short or long log-lines. We all know these things, as well as the salt-water people.”

  “D____e, Brother Dunham, if I think even Faith can get along on this lake, much as they say it can do with mountains. I’m sure character is in no security. Well, my lad, you understand the azimuth, and measuring distances, and how to box the compass.”

  “As for the first, sir, I can’t say I do. The distances we all know, as we measure them from point to point, and as for boxing the compass, I will turn my back to no admiral in His Majesty’s fleet. Nothe-nothe and by east, nothe-nothe east, nothe east and by nothe, nothe east; nothe east and by east, east nothe east, east and by nothe, east;—”

  “That will do—that will do. You’ll bring about a shift of wind, if you go on in this manner. I see very plainly, serjeant,” walking away again, and dropping his voice, “we’ve nothing to hope for, from that chap. I’ll stand on two hours longer, on this tack, when we’ll heave-to and get the soundings; after which we will be governed by circumstances.”

  To this the serjeant, who, to coin a word, was very much of an idiosyncratist, made no objections, and, as the wind grew lighter, as usual with the advance of night, and there were no immediate obstacles to the navigation, he made a bed of a sail, on deck, and was soon lost in the sound sleep of a soldier. Cap continued to walk the deck, for he was one whose iron frame set fatigue at defiance, and not once that night did he close his eyes.

  It was broad day-light when Serjeant Dunham awoke, and the exclamation of surprise that escaped him, as he rose to his feet, and began to look about him, was stronger than it was usual for one so drilled to suffer to be heard. He found the weather entirely changed, the view bounded by driving mist, that limited the visible horizon to a circle of about a mile in diameter, the lake raging and covered with foam, and the Scud lying to. A brief conversation with his brother-in-law, let him into the secrets of all these sudden changes.

  According to the account of Master Cap, the wind had died away to a calm, about midnight, or just as he was thinking of heaving to, to sound, for islands ahead were beginning to be seen. At one A.M. it began to blow from the north east, accompanied by a drizzle, and he stood off to the northward and westward, knowing that the coast of New York lay in the opposite direction. At half past one, he stowed the staysail, reefed the mainsail, and took the bonnet off the jib. At two, he was compelled to get a second reef aft, and by half past two, he had put a balance reef in the sail, and was lying to.

  “I can’t say but the boat behaves well, Serjeant,” the old sailor added, “but it blows forty two pounders! I had no idea there were any such currents of air, up here on this bit of fresh water, though I care not the knotting of a yarn for it, as your lake has now somewhat of a natural look, and—” spitting from his mouth, with distaste, a dash of the spray that had just wetted his face, “and if this d____d water, had a savor of salt about it, one might be comfortable.”

  “How long have you been heading in this direction, Brother Cap?” enquired the prudent soldier. “And at what rate may we be going through the water?”

  “Why two or three hours, mayhap, and she went like a horse for the first pair of them. Oh! we’ve a fine offing, now, for, to own the truth, little relishing the neighborhood of them said islands, although they are to windward, I took the helm myself, and run her off free, for some league or two. We are well to leeward of them, I’ll engage. I say to leeward, for, though one might wish to be well to windward of one island, or even half a dozen, when it comes to a thousand, the better way is to give it up at once, and to slide down under their lee, as fast as possible. No—no—there they are, up yonder in the drizzle, and there they may stay, for any thing Charles Cap cares!”

  “As the north shore lies only some five or six leagues from us, Brother, and I know there is a large bay, in that quarter, might it not be well to consult some of the crew concerning our position, if indeed we do not call up, Jasper Eau douce, and tell him to carry us back to Oswego? It is quite impossible we should ever reach the station with this wind directly in our teeth.”

  “There are several serious professional reasons, serjeant, against all your propositions. In the first place, an admission of ignorance on the part of a commander, would destroy discipline—No matter, brother, I understand your shake of the head, but nothing capsizes discipline so much, as to confess ignorance. I once knew a master of a vessel who went a week on a wrong course, rather than allow he had made a mistake, and it was surprising how much he rose in the opinions of his people, just because they could not understand him.”

  “That may do on salt water, Brother Cap, but it will hardly do on fresh. Rather than wreck my command on the Canada shore, I shall feel it a duty to take Jasper out of arrest.”

  “And make a haven in Frontenac! No, serjeant, the Scud is in good hands, and will now learn something of seamanship. We have a fine offing, and no one but a madman would think of going upon a coast in a gale like this. I shall ware every watch, and then we shall be safe against all dangers, but those of the drift, which in a light low craft like this, without top hamper, will be next to nothing. Leave it all to me, serjeant, and I pledge you the character of Charles Cap, that all will go well.”

  Serjeant Dunham was fain to yield. He had great confidence in his connection’s professional skill, and hoped that he would take such care of the cutter as would amply justify his good opinion. On the other hand, as distrust like love, “grows by what it feeds on,” he entertained so much apprehension of treachery, that he was quite willing any one but Jasper should, just then, have the control of the fate of the whole party. Truth, moreover, compels us to admit another motive. The particular duty on which he was now sent, should have been confided to a commissioned officer, of right, and Major Duncan had excited a good deal of discontent among the subalterns of the
garrison, by having confided it to one of the Serjeant’s humble station. To return, without having even reached the point of destination, therefore, the latter felt would be a failure from which he was not likely soon to recover, and the measure would at once be the means of placing a superior in his shoes.

  Chapter XVI

  “Thou glorious mirror, where the Almighty’s form

  Glasses itself in tempests; in all time,

  Calm or convulsed—in breeze, or gale, or storm,

  Icing the pole, or in the torrid clime

  Dark heaving;—boundless, endless and sublime—

  The image of Eternity; the throne

  Of the Invisible; even from out thy slime

  The monsters of the deep are made; each zone

  Obeys thee; thou goest forth, dread, fathomless, alone.”

  —Byron, Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, IV.CLXXXIII.

  * * *

  AS THE DAY ADVANCED, the portion of the inmates of the vessel that had the liberty of doing so, appeared on deck. As yet the sea was not very high, from which it was inferred that the cutter was still under the lee of the islands, but it was apparent to all who understood the lake, that they were about to experience one of the heavy autumnal gales of that region. Land was nowhere visible, and the horizon, on every side, exhibited that gloomy void, which lends to all views on vast bodies of water, the sublimity of mystery. The swells, or as landsmen term them, the waves, were short and curling, breaking of necessity sooner than the longer seas of the ocean, while the element itself, instead of presenting that beautiful hue, which rivals the deep tint of the southern sky, looked green and angry, though wanting in the lustre that is derived from the rays of the sun.

  The soldiers were soon satisfied with the prospect, and, one by one, they disappeared, until none were left on deck but the crew, the Serjeant, Cap, Pathfinder, the Quarter Master, and Mabel. There was a shade on the brow of the latter, who had been made acquainted with the real state of things, and who had fruitlessly ventured an appeal in favor of Jasper’s restoration to the command. A night’s rest and a night’s reflection appeared also to have confirmed the Pathfinder in his opinion of the young man’s innocence, and he, too, had made a warm appeal in behalf of his friend, though with the same want of success.

  Several hours passed away, the wind gradually getting to be heavier, and the sea rising, until the motion of the cutter compelled Mabel and the Quarter Master to retreat, also. Cap wore several times, and it was now evident that the Scud was drifting into the broader and deeper parts of the lake, the seas raging down upon her in a way that none but a vessel of superior mould and build could have long ridden, and withstood. All this, however, gave Cap no uneasiness, but like the hunter that pricks his ears at the sound of the horn, or the war horse that paws and snorts with pleasure at the roll of the drum, the whole scene awakened all that was man within him, and instead of the captious, supercilious and dogmatic critic, quarrelling with trifles and exaggerating immaterial things, he began to exhibit the qualities of the hardy and experienced seaman, that he truly was. The hands soon imbibed a respect for his skill, and, though they wondered at the disappearance of their old commander and the pilot, for which no reason had been publicly given, they soon yielded an implicit and cheerful obedience to the new one.

  “This bit of fresh water, after all, Brother Dunham, has some spirit, I find,” cried Cap, about noon, rubbing his hands in pure satisfaction at finding himself once more wrestling with the elements. “The wind seems to be an honest old-fashioned gale, and the seas have a fanciful resemblance to those of the Gulph Stream. I like this, serjeant, I like this; and shall get to respect your lake, if it hold out twenty four hours, longer, in the fashion, in which it has begun.”

  “Land ho!” shouted the man who was stationed on the forecastle.

  Cap hurried forward, and there, sure enough, the land was visible through the drizzle, at the distance of about half a mile, the cutter heading directly towards it. The first impulse of the old seaman was to give an order to, “stand by to ware off shore,” but the cool headed soldier, restrained him.

  “By going a little nearer,” said the serjeant, “some of us may recognize the place. Most of us know the American shore, in this part of the lake, and it will be something gained to learn our position.”

  “Very true—very true; if, indeed, there is any chance of that, we will hold on. What is this, off here, a little on our weather bow?—It looks like a low head-land.”

  “The garrison, by Jove!” exclaimed the other, whose trained eye sooner recognized the military outlines, than the less instructed senses of his connection.

  The Serjeant was not mistaken. There was the fort sure enough, though it looked dim and indistinct through the fine rain, as if it were seen in the dusk of evening, or the haze of morning. The low, sodded and verdant ramparts, the sombre palisades, now darker than ever with water, the roof of a house or two, the tall, solitary flag-staff, with its halyards blown steadily out, into a curve that appeared traced in immovable lines in the air, were all soon to be seen, though no sign of animated life could be discovered. Even the sentinel was housed, and, at first, it was believed that no eye would detect the presence of their own vessel. But the unceasing vigilance of a border garrison did not slumber. One of the look outs probably made the interesting discovery, a man or two were seen on some elevated stands, and then the entire ramparts, next the lake, were dotted with human beings.

  The whole scene was one in which sublimity was singularly relieved by the picturesque. The raging of the tempest had a character of duration, that rendered it easy to imagine it might be a permanent feature of the spot. The roar of the wind was without intermission, and the raging water answered to its dull but grand strains, with hissing spray, a menacing wash, and sullen surges. The drizzle made a medium for the eye which closely resembled that of a thin mist, softening and rendering mysterious the images it revealed, while the genial feeling that is apt to accompany a gale of wind on water, contributed to aid the milder influences of the moment. The dark, interminable forest hove up out of the obscurity, grand, sombre and impressive, while the solitary, peculiar and picturesque glimpses of life that were caught in and about the fort, formed a refuge for the eye to retreat to, when oppressed with the more imposing objects of nature.

  “They see us,” said the Serjeant, “and think we have returned on account of the gale, and have fallen to leeward of the port. Yes, there is Major Duncan himself, on the north eastern bastion; I know him by his height, and by the officers around him!”

  “Serjeant, it would be worth standing a little jeering, if we could fetch into the river, and come safely to an anchor! In that case, too, we might land this Master Oh! the deuce, and purify the boat.”

  “It would indeed, but poor sailor as I am, I well know it cannot be done. Nothing that sails the lake can turn to windward against this gale, and there is no anchorage outside, in weather like this.”

  “I know it—I see it—serjeant, and pleasant as is that sight to you landsmen, we must leave it. For myself, I am never so happy, in heavy weather, as when I am certain that the land is behind me.”

  The Scud had now forged so near in, that it became indispensable to lay her head off shore, again, and the necessary orders were given. The storm stay-sail was set forward, the gaff lowered, the helm put up, and the light craft, that seemed to sport with the elements like a duck, fell off a little, drew ahead swiftly, obeyed her rudder, and was soon flying away on the top of the surges, dead before the gale. While making this rapid flight, though the land still remained in view, on her larboard beam, the fort, and the groups of anxious spectators on its ramparts were swallowed up in the mist. Then followed the evolutions necessary to bring the head of the cutter up to the wind, when she again began to wallow her weary way towards the north shore.

  Hours now passed, before any further change was made, the wind increasing in force, until even the dogmatical Cap fairly admitted it was blowing a
thorough gale of wind. About sunset the Scud wore again, to keep her off the north shore, during the hours of darkness; and at midnight her temporary master, who by questioning the crew in an indirect manner had obtained some general knowledge of the size and shape of the lake, believed himself to be about midway between the two shores. The height and length of the seas, aided this impression, and it must be added that Cap, by this time, began to feel a respect for fresh water, that twenty four hours earlier he would have derided as impossible. Just as the night turned, the fury of the wind became so great, that he found it impossible to bear up against it, the water falling on the deck of the little craft in such masses as to cause her to shake to the centre, and, though a vessel of singularly lively qualities, to threaten to bury her beneath its weight. The people of the Scud averred that never before had they been out in such a tempest, which was true, for possessing a perfect knowledge of all the rivers and head-lands and havens, Jasper would have carried the cutter in shore, long ere this, and placed her in safety, in some secure anchorage. But, Cap still disdained to consult the young master, who continued below, determining to act like a mariner of the broad ocean.

  It was one in the morning, when the storm staysail was again got on the Scud, the head of the mainsail lowered, and the cutter put before the wind. Although the canvass now exposed was merely a rag in surface, the little craft nobly justified the use of the name she bore. For eight hours did she scud, in truth, and it was almost with the velocity of the gulls that wheeled wildly over her in the tempest, apparently afraid to alight in the boiling caldron of the lake. The dawn of day brought little change, for no other horizon became visible, than the narrow circle of drizzling sky and water, already described, in which it seemed as if the elements were rioting in chaotic confusion. During this time the crew and passengers of the cutter were of necessity passive. Jasper and the pilot remained below, but, the motion of the vessel having become easier, nearly all the rest were on deck. The morning meal had been taken in silence, and eye met eye, as if their owners asked each other, in dumb show, what was to be the end of this strife in the elements. Cap, however, was perfectly composed, and his face brightened, his step grew firmer, and his whole air more assured, as the storm increased, making larger demands on his professional skill, and personal spirit. He stood on the forecastle, his arms crossed, balancing his body with a seaman’s instinct, while his eyes watched the caps of the seas, as they broke and glanced past the reeling cutter, itself in such swift motion, as if they were the scud flying athwart the sky. At this sublime instant one of the hands gave the unexpected cry of “a sail!”