CHAPTER X
THE PORT
The three walked toward the Battery, and, while Tayoga attracted moreattention in New York than in Quebec, it was not undue. The city wasused to Indians, especially the Iroquois, and although comments weremade upon Tayoga's height and noble appearance there was nothingannoying.
Meanwhile the two youths were using their excellent eyes to thefull. Although the vivid imagination of Robert had foreseen a greatfuture for New York he did not dream how vast it would be. Yet allthings are relative, and the city even then looked large to him andfull of life, both size and activity having increased visibly sincehis last visit. Some of the streets were paved, or at least in part,and the houses, usually of red brick, often several stories in height,were comfortable and strong. Many of them had lawns and gardens as atAlbany, and the best were planted with rows of trees which wouldafford a fine shade in warm weather. Above the mercantile houses anddwellings rose the lofty spire of St. George's Chapel in NassauStreet, which had been completed less than three years before, andwhich secured Robert's admiration for its height and impressiveness.
The aspect of the whole town was a mixture of English and Dutch, butthey saw many sailors who were of neither race. Some were brown menwith rings in their ears, and they spoke languages that Robert did notunderstand. But he knew that they came from far southern seas and thatthey sailed among the tropic isles, looming large then in the world'sfancy, bringing with them a whiff of romance and mystery.
The sidewalks in many places were covered with boxes and bales broughtfrom all parts of the earth, and stalwart men were at work amongthem. The pulsing life and the air of prosperity pleased Robert. Hisnature responded to the town, as it had responded to the woods, andhis imagination, leaping ahead, saw a city many times greater than theone before his eyes, though it still stopped far short of the giganticreality that was to come to pass.
"It's not far now to Master Hardy's," said Willet cheerfully. "It'smany a day since I've seen trusty old Ben, and right glad I'll be tofeel the clasp of his hand again."
On his way Willet bought from a small boy in the street a copy each ofthe _Weekly Post-Boy_ and of the _Weekly Gazette_ and _Mercury_,folding them carefully and putting them in an inside pocket of hiscoat.
"I am one to value the news sheets," he said. "They don't telleverything, but they tell something and 'tis better to know somethingthan nothing. Just a bit farther, my lads, and we'll be at the stepsof honest Master Hardy. There, you can see where fortunes are made andlost, though we're a bit too late to see the dealers!"
He pointed to the Royal Exchange, a building used by the merchants atthe foot of Broad Street, a structure very unique in its plan. Itconsisted of an upper story resting upon arches, the lower part,therefore, being entirely open. Beneath these arches the merchants metand transacted business, and also in a room on the upper floor, wherethere were, too, a coffee house and a great room used for banquets,and the meetings of societies, the Royal Exchange being in truth thebeginning of many exchanges that now mark the financial center of theNew World.
"Perhaps we'll see the merchants there tomorrow," said Willet. "You'llnote the difference between New York and Quebec. The French capitalwas all military. You saw soldiers everywhere, but this is a town ofmerchants. Now which, think you, will prevail, the soldiers or themerchants?"
"I think that in the end the merchants will win," replied Robert.
"And so do I. Now we have come to the home of Master Hardy. See youthe big brick house with high stone steps? Well, that is his, and Irepeat that he is a good friend of mine, a good friend of old and oftoday. I heard that in Albany, which tells me we will find him herein his own place."
But the big brick house looked to Robert and Tayoga like a fortress,with its massive door and iron-barred windows, although friendly smokerose from a high chimney and made a warm line against the frosty blueair.
Willet walked briskly up the high stone steps and thundered on thedoor with a heavy brass knocker. The summons was quickly answered andthe door swung back, revealing a tall, thin, elderly man, neatlydressed in the fashion of the time. He had the manner of one whoserved, although he did not seem to be a servant. Robert judged atonce that he was an upper clerk who lived in the house, after thecustom of the day.
"Is Master Benjamin within, Jonathan?" asked Willet.
The tall man blinked and then stared at the hunter in astonishment.
"Is it in very truth you, Master Willet?" he exclaimed.
"None other. Come, Jonathan, you know my voice and my face and myfigure very well. You could not fail to recognize me anywhere. Socease your doubting. My young friends here are Robert Lennox, of whomyou know, and Tayoga, a coming chief of the Clan of the Bear, of thenation Onondaga, of the great League of the Hodenosaunee, known to youas the Six Nations. He's impatient of disposition and unless youanswer my question speedily I'll have him tomahawk you. Come now, isMaster Benjamin within?"
"He is, Mr. Willet. I had no intent to delay my answer, but you mustallow something to surprise."
"I grant you pardon," said the hunter whimsically. "Robert andTayoga, this is Master Jonathan Pillsbury, chief clerk and man ofaffairs for Master Benjamin Hardy. They are two old bachelors who livein the same house, and who get along well together, because they're sounlike. As for Master Jonathan, his heart is not as sour as his face,and you could come to a worse place than the shop of Benjamin andJonathan. Master Jonathan, you will take particular notice ofMr. Lennox. He is well grown and he appears intelligent, does he not?"
The old clerk blinked again, and then his appraising eyes swept overRobert.
"'Twould be hard to find a nobler youth," he said.
"I thought you would say so, and now lead us, without further delay,to Master Hardy."
"Who is it who demands to be led to me?" thundered a voice from therear of the house. "I seem to know that voice! Ah, it's Willet! Goodold Willet! Honest Dave, who wields the sharpest sword in NorthAmerica!"
A tall, heavy man lunged forward. "Lunged" was the word that describedit to Robert, and his impetuous motion was due to the sight of Willet,whom he grasped by both hands, shaking them with a vigor that wouldhave caused pain in one less powerful than the hunter, and as he shookthem he uttered exclamations, many of them bordering upon oaths andall of them pertaining to the sea.
Robert's eyes had grown used to the half light of the hall, and hetook particular notice of Master Benjamin Hardy who was destined tobecome an important figure in his life, although he did not then dreamof it. He saw a tall man of middle age, built very powerfully, hisface burnt almost the color of an Indian's by the winds and suns ofmany seas. But his hair was thick and long and the eyes shining in theface, made dark by the weather, were an intensely bright blue. Robert,upon whom impressions were so swift and vivid, reckoned that here wasone capable of great and fierce actions, and also with a heart thatcontained a large measure of kindness and generosity.
"Dave," said the tall man, who carried with him the atmosphere of thesea, "I feared that you might be dead in those forests you love sowell, killed and perhaps scalped by the Hurons or some other savagetribe. You've abundant hair, Dave, and you'd furnish an uncommonlyfine scalp."
"And I feared, Benjamin, that you'd been caught in some smugglingcruise near the Spanish Main, and had been put out of the way by theDons. You love gain too much, Ben, old friend, and you court risks toogreat for its sake."
Master Benjamin Hardy threw back his head and laughed deeply andheartily. The laugh seemed to Robert to roll up spontaneously from histhroat. He felt anew that here was a man whom he liked.
"Perchance 'tis the danger that draws me on," said Master Hardy. "Youand I are much alike, Dave. In the woods, if all that I hear be true,you dwell continually in the very shadow of danger, while I incur itonly at times. Moreover, I am come to the age of fifty years, the headis still on my shoulders, the breath is still in my body, and MasterJonathan, to whom figures are Biblical, says the balance on my booksis excelle
nt."
"You talk o'er much, Ben, old friend, but since it's the way ofseafaring men and 'tis cheerful it does not vex my ears. You beholdwith me, Tayoga, a youth of the best blood of the Onondaga nation, oneto whom you will be polite if you wish to please me, Benjamin, andMaster Robert Lennox, grown perhaps beyond your expectations."
Master Benjamin turned to Robert, and, as Master Jonathan had done,measured him from head to foot with those intensely bright blue eyesof his that missed nothing.
"Grown greatly and grown well," he said, "but not beyond myexpectations. In truth, one could predict a noble bough upon such astem. But you and I, Dave, having many years, grow garrulous andforget the impatience of youth. Come, lads, we'll go into thedrawing-room and, as supper was to have been served in half an hour,I'll have the portions doubled."
Robert smiled.
"In Albany and New York alike," he said, "they welcome us to thetable."
"Which is the utmost test of hospitality," said Master Benjamin.
They went into a great drawing-room, the barred windows of whichlooked out upon a busy street, warehouses and counting houses andpassing sailors. Robert was conscious all the while that the brilliantblue eyes were examining him minutely. His old wonder about hisparentage, lost for a while in the press of war and exciting events,returned. He felt intuitively that Master Hardy, like Willet, knew whoand what he was, and he also felt with the same force that neitherwould reply to any question of his on the subject. So he kept hispeace and by and by his curiosity, as it always did, disappearedbefore immediate affairs.
The drawing-room was a noble apartment, with dark oaken beams, apolished oaken floor, upon which eastern rugs were spread, and heavytables of foreign woods. A small model of a sloop rested upon onetable and a model of a schooner on another. Here and there were greatcurving shells with interiors of pink and white, and upon the wallswere curious long, crooked knives of the Malay Islands. Everythingsavored of the sea. Again Robert's imagination leaped up. The blazinghues of distant tropic lands were in his eyes, and the odors ofstrange fruits and flowers were in his nostrils.
"Sit down, Dave," said Master Benjamin, "and you, too, Robert andTayoga. I suppose you did not come to New Amsterdam--how the nameclings!--merely to see me."
"That was one purpose, Benjamin," replied Willet, "but we had othersin mind too."
"To join the war, I surmise, and to get yourselves killed?"
"The first part of your reckoning is true, Benjamin, but not thesecond. We would go to the war, in which we have had some partalready, but not in order that we may be killed."
"You suffer from the common weakness. One entering war always thinksthat it's the other man and not he who will be killed. You're too oldfor that, David."
Willet laughed.
"No, Benjamin," he said, "I'm not too old for it, and I never willbe. It's the belief that carries us all through danger."
"Which way did you think of going in these warlike operations?"
"We shall join the force that comes out from England."
"The one that will march against Fort Duquesne?"
"Undoubtedly."
"I hear that it's to be commanded by a general named Braddock, EdwardBraddock. What do you know of him?"
"Nothing."
"But you do know, David, that regular army officers fare ill in thewoods as a rule. You've told me often that the savages are a trickylot, and, fighting in the forest in their own way, are hard to beat."
"You speak truth, Benjamin, and I'll not deny it, but there are manyof our men in the woods who know the ways of the Indians and of theFrench foresters. They should be the eyes and ears of GeneralBraddock's army."
"Well, maybe! maybe! David, but enough of war for the present. Onecannot talk about it forever. There are other things under thesun. You will let these lads see New Amsterdam, will you not? EvenTayoga can find something worth his notice in the greatest port of theNew World."
"Is any play being given here?" asked Robert.
"Aye, we're having plays almost nightly," replied Master Hardy, "andthey're being presented by some very good actors, too. Lewis Hallam,who came several years ago from Goodman's Fields Theater in England,and his wife, known on the stage as Mrs. Douglas, are offering thebest English plays in New York. Hallam is said to be extremely finein Richard III, in which tragedy he first appeared here, and he givesit tomorrow night."
"Then we're going," said Robert eagerly. "I would not miss it foranything."
"I had some thought of going myself, and if Dave hasn't changed, hehas a fine taste for the stage. I'll send for seats and we'll gotogether."
Willet's eyes sparkled.
"In truth I'll go, too, and right gladly," he said. "You and I,Benjamin, have seen the plays of Master Shakespeare together inLondon, and 'twill please me mightily to see one of them again withyou in New York. Jonathan, here, will be of our company, too, will henot?"
Master Pillsbury pursed his lips and his expression became severe.
"'Tis a frivolous way of passing the time," he said, "but it would bewell for one of serious mind to be present in order that he mightimpose a proper dignity upon those who lack it."
Benjamin Hardy burst into a roar of laughter. Robert had never knownany one else to laugh so deeply and with such obvious spontaneity andenjoyment. His lips curled up at each end, his eyes rolled back andthen fairly danced with mirth, and his cheeks shook. It wascontagious. Not only did Master Benjamin laugh, but the others had tolaugh, not excluding Master Jonathan, who emitted a dry cackle asbecame one of his habit and appearance.
"Do you know, Dave, old friend," said Hardy, "that our good Jonathanis really the most wicked of us all? I go upon the sea on thesecruises, which you call smuggling, and what not, and of which hespeaks censoriously, but if they do not show a large enough profit onhis books he rates me most severely, and charges me with a lack ofenterprise. And now he would fain go to the play to see that weobserve the proper decorum there. My lads, you couldn't keep thesour-visaged old hypocrite from it."
Master Jonathan permitted himself a vinegary smile, but made no otherreply, and, a Dutch serving girl announcing that supper was ready,Master Hardy led them into the dining-room, where a generous repastwas spread. But the room itself continued and accentuated the likenessof a ship. The windows were great portholes, and two large swinginglamps furnished the light. Pictures of naval worthies and of seaactions lined the walls. Two or three of the battle scenes were quitespirited, and Robert regarded them with interest.
"Have you fought in any of those encounters, Mr. Hardy?" he asked.
Willet laid a reproving hand upon his shoulder.
"'Twas a natural question of yours, Robert," he said, "but 'tis thefashion here and 'tis courtesy, too, never to ask Benjamin about hispast life. Then he has no embarrassing questions to answer."
Robert reddened and Hardy broke again into that deep, spontaneouslaughter which, in time, compelled all the others to laugh too andwith genuine enjoyment.
"Don't believe all that David tells you, Robert, my brave macaroni,"he said. "I may not answer your questions, but faith they'll neverprove embarrassing. Bear in mind, lad, that our trade beingrestricted by the mother country and English subjects in this land nothaving the same freedom as English subjects in England, we must resortto secrecy and stratagem to obtain what our fellow subjects on theother side of the ocean may obtain openly. And when you grow older,Master Robert, you will find that it's ever so in the world. Those towhom force bars the way will resort to wiles and stratagems to achievetheir ends. The fox has the cunning that the bear lacks, because hehasn't the bear's strength. Lads, you two will sit together on thisside of the table, Jonathan, you take the side next to the portholes,and David, you and I will preside at the ends. Benjamin, David andJonathan, it has quite a Biblical sound, and at least the friendshipamong the three of us, despite the sourness of Master Pillsbury, withwhich I bear as best I can, is equal to that of David andJonathan. Now, lads, fall on and see which of you can ke
ep pace withme, for I am a mighty trencherman."
"Meanwhile tell us what is passing here," said Willet.
In the course of the supper Hardy talked freely of events in New York,where a great division of councils still prevailed. Shirley, thewarlike and energetic governor of Massachusetts, had urged De Lancy,the governor of New York, to join in an expedition against the Frenchin Canada, but there had been no agreement. Later, a number of theroyal governors expected to meet at Williamsburg in Virginia withDinwiddie, the governor of that province.
"At present there are plans for four enterprises, every one of anaspiring nature," he said. "One expedition is to reduce Nova Scotiaentirely, another, under Governor Shirley of Massachusetts, is toattack the French at Fort Niagara, Sir William Johnson with militiaand Mohawks is to head a third against Crown Point. The fourth, whichI take to be the most important, is to be led by General Braddockagainst Fort Duquesne, its object being the recovery of the Ohiocountry. I cannot vouch for it, but such plans, I hear, will bepresented at the conference of the governors at Williamsburg."
"As we mean to go to Williamsburg ourselves," said Willet, "we'll seewhat fortune General Braddock may have. But now, for the sake of thegood lads, we'll speak of lighter subjects. Where is the play ofRichard III to be given, Benjamin?"
"Mr. Hallam has obtained a great room in a house that is the propertyof Rip Van Dam in Nassau Street. He has fitted it up in the fashionof a stage, and his plays are always attended by a great concourse ofladies and gentlemen. Boston and Philadelphia say New York is lightand frivolous, but I suspect that something of jealousy lies at thecore of the charge. We of New Amsterdam--again the name leaps to mylips--have a certain freedom in our outlook upon life, a freedom whichI think produces strength and not weakness. Manners are not morals,but I grow heavy and it does not become a seafaring man to bedidactic. What is it, Piet?"
The door of the dining-room opened, admitting a serving man whoproduced a letter.
"It comes by the Boston post," he said, handing it to Master Hardy.
"Then it must have an importance which will not admit delay in thereading," said Master Hardy. "Your pardon, friends, while I peruseit."
He read it carefully, read it again with the same care, and then hisresonant laughter boomed forth with such volume and in such continuitythat he was compelled to take a huge red handkerchief and wipe thetears from his eyes.
"What is it, Benjamin, that amuses you so vastly?" asked Willet.
"A brave epistle from one of my captains, James Dunbar, a valiant manand a great mariner. In command of the schooner, _Good Hope_, he wassailing from the Barbados with a cargo of rum and sugar for Boston,which furnishes a most excellent market for both, when he wasoverhauled by the French privateer, _Rocroi_."
"What do you find to laugh at in the loss of a good ship and a finecargo?"
"Did I say they were lost? Nay, David, I said nothing of the kind. Youdon't know Dunbar, and you don't know the _Good Hope_, which carries abrass twelve-pounder and fifteen men as valiant as Dunbar himself. Hereturned the attack of the _Rocroi_ with such amazing skill andfierceness that he was able to board her and take her, with only threeof his men wounded and they not badly. Moreover, they found on boardthe privateer a large store of gold, which becomes our prize ofwar. And Dunbar and his men shall have a fair share of it, too. Howsurprised the Frenchies must have been when Dunbar and his sailorsswarmed aboard."
"'Tis almost our only victory," said Willet, "and I'm right glad,Benjamin, it has fallen to the lot of one of your ships to win it."
The long supper which was in truth a dinner was finished atlast. Hardy made good his boast, proving that he was a mightytrencherman. Pillsbury pressed him closest, and the others, althoughthey did well, lingered at some distance in the rear. Afterward theywalked in the town, observing its varied life, and at a late hourreturned to Hardy's house which he called a mansion.
Robert and Tayoga were assigned to a room on the second floor, andyoung Lennox again noted the numerous evidences of opulence. Thefurniture was mostly of carved mahogany, and every room containedarticles of value from distant lands.
"Tayoga," said Robert, "what do you think of it all?"
"I think that the man Hardy is shrewd, Dagaeoga, shrewd like one ofour sachems, and that he has an interest in you, greater than he wouldlet you see. Do you remember him, Lennox?"
"No, I can't recall him, Tayoga. I've heard Dave speak of him manytimes, but whenever we were in New York before he was away, and we didnot even come to his house. But he and Dave are friends of manyyears. I think that long ago they must have been much together."
"Truly there is some mystery here, but it can wait. In its propertime the unknown becomes the known."
"So it does, Tayoga, and I shall not vex my mind about thematter. Just now, what I wish most of all is sleep."
"I wish it too, Lennox."
But Robert did not sleep well, his nerves being attuned more highlythan he had realized. Some of the talk that had passed between Willetand Hardy related obviously to himself, and in the quiet of the roomit came back to him. He had not slept more than an hour when he awoke,and, being unable to go to sleep again, sat up in bed. Tayoga was deepin slumber, and Robert finally left the bed and went to the window,the shutter of which was not closed. It was a curious, round window,like a huge porthole, but the glass was clear and he had a good viewof the street. He saw one or two sailors swaying rather more than thecustomary motion of a ship, pass by, and then a watchman carrying aclub in one hand and a lantern in the other, and blowing his frostybreath upon his thick brown beard, indicating that the night althoughbright was very cold.
He looked through the glass at least a half hour, and then turned backto the bed, but found himself less inclined than ever tosleep. Throwing his coat over his shoulders, he opened the unlockeddoor and went into the hall, intending to walk back and forth alittle, believing that the easy exercise would induce desire forsleep.
He was surprised to find a thread of light in the dusk of the hall, ata time when he was quite sure everybody in the house except himselfwas buried in slumber, and when he traced it he found it came fromanother room farther down. It was, upon the instant, his belief thatrobbers had entered. In a port like New York, where all nations come,there must be reckless and desperate men who would hesitate at no riskor crime.
He moved cautiously along the hall, until he reached the door fromwhich the light shone. It was open about six inches, not allowing alook into the room except at the imminent risk of discovery, but byplacing his ear at the sill he would be able to hear the footsteps ofmen if they were moving within. The sound of voices instead came tohim, and as he listened he was able to note that it was two mentalking in low tones. Undoubtedly they were robbers, who were commonin all great towns in those days, and this must be a chamber in whichMaster Hardy kept many valuables. Doubtless they were assured thateverybody was deep in slumber, or they would be more cautious.
Driven by an intense curiosity, Robert edged his head a little fartherforward, and was able to look into the room, where, to his intenseamazement, he saw no robbers at all, but Willet and Master Hardyseated at a small table opposite each other, with a candle, accountbooks and papers between. Hardy had been reading a paper, and stoppingat intervals to talk about it with the hunter.
"As you see, David," he said, "the list of the ships is three largerthan it was five years ago. One was lost to the Barbary corsairs,another was wrecked on the coast of the Brazils, but we have five newones."
"You have done well, Benjamin, but I knew you would," said the hunter.
"With the help of Jonathan. Don't forget him, David. In name he is myhead clerk, and he pretends to serve me, but at times I think he is mymaster. A shrewd Massachusetts man, David, uncommonly shrewd, andloyal too."
"And the lands, Benjamin?"
"They're in abeyance, and are likely to be for some years, their titledepending upon the course of events which are now in train."
"And they're
uncertain, Benjamin, as uncertain as the winds. But giveme your honest opinion of the lad, Benjamin. Have I done well withhim?"
"None could have done better. He's an eagle, David. I marked himwell. Spirit, imagination, force; youth and honesty looking out of hiseyes. But have you no fears, David, that you will get him killed inthe wars?"
"I could not keep him from going to them if I would, Benjamin. Theremy power stops. You old sailors have superstitions or beliefs, and I,a landsman, have a conviction, too. The invisible prophets tell methat he will not be killed."
"I don't laugh at such things, David. The greatness and loneliness ofthe sea does breed superstition in mariners. I know there is no suchthing as the supernatural, and yet I am swayed at times by theunknown."
"At least I will watch over him as best I can, and he has uncommonskill in taking care of himself."
Robert's will triumphed over a curiosity that was intense and burning,and he turned away. He knew they were speaking of him, and he seemedto be connected with great affairs. It was enough to stir the mostapathetic youth, and he was just the opposite. It required the utmostexertion of a very strong mind to pull himself from the door and thento drag his unwilling feet along the hall. Matter was in completerebellion and mind was compelled to win its triumph, unaided, but winit did and kept the victory.
He reached his own room and softly closed the door behind him. Tayogawas still sleeping soundly. Robert went again to the window. His eyeswere turned toward the street, but he did not see anything there,because he was looking inward. The talk of Willet and Hardy came backto him. He could say it over, every word, and none could deny that itwas charged with significance. But he knew intuitively that neither ofthem would answer a single one of his questions, and he must wait fortime and circumstance to disclose the truth. Nor could he bear to tellthem that he had been listening at the door, despite the fact that ithad been brought about by accident, and that he had come away, when hemight have heard more.
Having resigned himself to necessity, he went back to bed and now,youth triumphing over excitement, he soon slept. The next morning,directly after breakfast, the three elders and the two lads went tothe Royal Exchange, where there was soon a great concourse ofmerchants, clerks and seafaring men. Master Hardy was received withgreat respect, and many congratulations were given to him, when hetold the story of the _Good Hope_ and Captain Dunbar. In one of therooms above the pillars he met another captain of his who had arrivedthe day before at New York itself.
This captain, a New England man, Eliphalet Simmons, had brought hisschooner from the Mediterranean, and he told in a manner as brief anddry as his own log how he had outsailed one Barbary corsair by day,and by changing his course had tricked another in the night. But thevoyage had been most profitable, and Master Jonathan duly entered theamount of gain in an account book, with a reward of ten pounds toCaptain Simmons, five pounds to the first mate, three pounds to thesecond mate, and one pound to every member of the crew for theirbravery and seamanship.
Captain Simmons' thanks were as brief and dry as his report, butRobert saw his eyes glisten, and knew that he was not lacking ingratitude. After the business was settled and the rewards adjustedthey adjourned to a coffee house near Hanover Square where very goodMadeira was brought and served to the men, Robert and Tayogadeclining. Then Benjamin, David and Jonathan drank to the health ofEliphalet, while the two lads, the white and the red, devoted theirattention to the others in the coffee house, of whom there were atleast a dozen.
One who sat at a table very near was already examining Tayoga with thegreatest curiosity. He wore the uniform of an English secondlieutenant, very trim, and very red, he had an exceeding ruddiness ofcountenance, he was tall and well built, and he was only a year or twoolder than Robert. His curiosity obviously had been aroused by theappearance of Tayoga in the full costume of an Iroquois. It wasequally evident to Robert that he was an Englishman, a member of theroyal forces then in New York. Americans still called themselvesEnglishmen and Robert instantly had a feeling of kinship for the youngofficer who had a frank and good face.
The English youth's hat was lying upon the table beside him, and agust of wind blowing it upon the floor, rolled it toward Robert, whopicked it up and tendered it to its owner.
"Thanks," said the officer. "'Twas careless of me."
"By no means," said Robert. "The wind blows when it pleases, and youwere taken by surprise."
The Englishman smiled, showing very white and even teeth.
"I haven't been very long in New York," he said, "but I find it apolite and vastly interesting town. My name is Grosvenor, AlfredGrosvenor, and I'm a second lieutenant in the regiment of ColonelBrandon, that arrived but recently from England."
Master Hardy looked up and passed an investigating eye over the youngEnglishman.
"You're related to one of the ducal families of England," he said,"but your own immediate branch of it has no overplus of wealth. Still,your blood is reckoned highly noble in England, and you have anexcellent standing in your regiment, both as an officer and a man."
Young Grosvenor's ruddy face became ruddier.
"How do you happen to know so much about me?" he asked. But there wasno offense in his tone.
Hardy smiled, and Pillsbury, pursing his thin lips, measured Grosvenorwith his eyes.
"I make it my business," replied Hardy, "to discover who the peopleare who come to New York. I'm a seafaring man and a merchant and Ifind profit in it. It's true, in especial, since the war has begun,and New York begins to fill with the military. Many of these sprightlyyoung officers will be wishing to borrow money from me before long,and it will be well for me to know their prospects of repayment."
The twinkle in his eye belied the irony of his words, and thelieutenant laughed.
"And since you're alone," continued the merchant, "we ask you to joinus, and will be happy if you accept. This is Mr. Robert Lennox, ofvery good blood too, and this is Tayoga, of the Clan of the Bear, ofthe nation Onondaga, of the great League of the Hodenosaunee, who,among his own people has a rank corresponding to a prince of the bloodamong yours, and who, if you value such things, is entitled thereforeto precedence over all of us, including yourself. Mr. David Willet,Mr. Jonathan Pillsbury and Mr. Benjamin Hardy, who is myself,complete the catalogue."
He spoke in a tone half whimsical, half earnest, but the youngEnglishman, who evidently had a friendly and inquiring mind, receivedit in the best spirit and gladly joined them. He was soon deep in theconversation, but his greatest interest was for Tayoga, from whom hecould seldom take his eyes. It was evident to Robert that he hadexpected to find only a savage in an Indian, and the delicate mannersand perfect English of the Onondaga filled him with surprise.
"I would fain confess," he said at length, "that America is not what Iexpected to find. I did not know that it contained princes who couldput some of our own to shame."
He bowed to Tayoga, who smiled and replied:
"What small merit I may possess is due to the training of my people."
"Do you expect early service, Lieutenant Grosvenor?" Mr. Hardy asked.
"Not immediate--I think I may say so much," replied the Englishman,"but I understand that our regiment will be with the first force thattakes the field, that of General Braddock. 'Tis well known that weintend to march against Fort Duquesne, an expedition that should beeasy. A powerful army like General Braddock's can brush aside anynumber of forest rovers."
Robert and Willet exchanged glances, but the face of Tayoga remained amask.
"It's not well to take the French and Indians too lightly," saidMr. Hardy with gravity.
"But wandering bands can't face cannon and the bayonet."
"They don't have to face 'em. They lie hid on your flank and cut youdown, while your fire and steel waste themselves on the uncomplainingforest."
They were words which were destined to come back to Robert some daywith extraordinary force, but for the present they were a meregeneralization that did not stay long in h
is mind.
"Our leaders will take all the needful precautions," said youngGrosvenor with confidence.
Mr. Hardy did not insist, but spoke of the play they expected towitness that evening, suggesting to Lieutenant Grosvenor if he hadleave, that he go with them, an invitation that was accepted promptlyand with warmth. The liking between him and Robert, while of suddenbirth, was destined to be strong and permanent. There was muchsimilarity of temperament. Grosvenor also was imaginative andcurious. His mind invariably projected itself into the future, and hewas eager to know. He had come to America, inquiring, withoutprejudices, wishing to find the good rather than the bad, and heesteemed it a great stroke of fortune that he should make so early theacquaintance of two such remarkable youths as Robert and Tayoga. Thethree men with them were scarcely less interesting, and he knew thatin their company at the play they would talk to him of strange newthings. He would be exploring a world hidden from him hitherto, andnothing could have appealed to him more.
"You landed a week ago," said Hardy.
"Truly, sir," laughed Grosvenor, "you seem to know not only who I am,but what I do."
"And then, as you've had a certain amount of military duty, although'tis not excessive, you've had little chance to see this mostimportant town of ours. Can you not join this company of mine at myhouse for supper, and then we'll all go together to the play? I'llobtain your seat for you."
"With great pleasure, sir," replied Grosvenor. "'Twill be easy for meto secure the needed leave, and I'll be at your house withpromptness."
He departed presently for his quarters, and the three men also wentaway together on an errand of business, leaving Robert and Tayoga togo whithersoever they pleased and it pleased them to wander along theshores of the port. Young Lennox was impressed more than ever by thegreat quantity of shipping, and the extreme activity of the town. Thewar with France, so far from interfering with this activity, had butincreased it.
Privateering was a great pursuit of the day, all nations deeming itlegal and worthy in war, and bold and enterprising merchants likeMr. Hardy never failed to take advantage of it. The weekly news sheetsthat Willet had bought contained lists of vessels captured already,and Robert's hasty glances showed him that at least sixty or seventyhad been taken by the privateers out of New York. Most of the prizeshad been in the West India trade, although some had been captured faraway near the coast of Africa, and nearly all had been loaded richly.
They saw several of the privateers in port, armed powerfully, and asthey were usually built for speed, Robert admired their gracefullines. He felt anew the difference between military Quebec andcommercial New York. Quebec was prepared to send forth forces fordestruction, but, here, life-giving commerce flowed in and flowed outagain through arteries continually increasing in number andpower. Once again came to him the thought that the merchant more thanthe soldier was the builder of a great nation. The impression madeupon him was all the more vivid because New York, even in the middleof the eighteenth century, when it was in its infancy, surprised eventravelers from Europe with its manifold activities and intense energy.
After a day, long but of extraordinary interest, they returned to thehouse of Mr. Hardy, where Grosvenor joined them in half an hour, andthen, after another abundant supper, they all went to the play.
The Shadow of the North: A Story of Old New York and a Lost Campaign Page 11
