30 Hot Heads and Cool

These was no immediate military duty for me to perform, and I went to the little cabin which I occupied with Osseo, and staying there awhile, turned over in my mind the events of the day. The chief was gone in the forest upon some errand of his own, probably one of those scouting expeditions that he loved, and I was alone.

I had spoken to Jasper in hot blood when I made my boast that I would fight him to the end; but now, when I sat in silence and the heat was gone from my veins, I felt a sense of despair. Could I surmount such obstacles, and if I could, should I? Was I not right that day in Danville when I turned from the welcoming light in Rose Carew’s eyes? I wondered if I had become a worse man than I was then. But the absence of that welcoming light now, her very elusiveness, as I have said before, drew me on. It is an old tale that we want most that which we can not have, and crushing down all compunctions, I resolved to follow the course that I had chosen. Nevertheless, my deep depression continued, and although I would not have had it so if I could, I felt that it were better had I never seen her; then I might have continued my way in the woods, content with a life which, however different from the old, was not without its allurements. “Ah, Osseo,” I said, “you are the truest and most unselfish type that I have met. You alone have been faithful to me in the face of everything!”

I did not hear a step in the cabin, but felt a heavy hand upon my back, and a cheerful voice cried in my ear:

“John Lee giving himself over to a fit of the blue devils! I never saw you, lad, at such a business before. What ails you?”

It was Winchester, and I was most glad to see him. I could never look upon this Englishman’s honest, ruddy, and open face and not feel that I had another friend as trusty and stanch as Osseo himself. Although he could not but be familiar with the tale about me, he asked me for no syllable of defence, and never showed by either word or deed that he was so much as conscious of it.

Then he sat down and told me the gossip of the little town. The advance to Fort Greeneville would take place very soon, and it was now known to all that Miss Carew would go with the column, and for the matter of that Mrs. Winchester also would accompany us, as he expected to take her with him through the Indian country on his way to a British post near Lake Erie. He had no fear of the savages, the British being on excellent terms with them.

He talked so gaily and brightly, retailing the news of this little frontier town, that all my cares fled away like a mist before a fresh wind, and then, when he saw that I entered into his spirit of lightness, his own face took on a shade of gravity.

“I think I should warn you, Lee,” he said, “that your road is likely to grow a trifle rougher, and that, too, pretty soon.”

I divined at once that my good cousin was at work. Well, he did not delay with the task that he had set himself, and on the whole I was not sorry. When one is expecting a hard fight he does not like to linger.

“I heard that fellow Lawless say something about you as I came up here,” continued Winchester.

“And naturally you inferred, as I should have done in your place, that it was prompted by my cousin, Major Jasper Lee,” I said.

He was silent, not wishing to deny it.

“I have been fighting in one war or another since I was sixteen years old,” I said, “and I have no impulse to shirk it now.”

“Nor would I if I were you; the sooner an inevitable trouble is brought to an issue the better.” And then, with a sudden apparent change of the subject, “there is to be a gathering of officers to-night at the quarters of Captain Romney—General Wayne allows a little relaxation now and then, wisely, I think—and almost all the men whom you know will be there; some who are civilians, too, myself included. Romney told me to ask you in his name to come. You’ll do it, won’t you?”

I saw that he wished me to accept; I saw, too, that he expected my situation there to be made unpleasant, but would have me go despite it. This confirmed me in my determination, and I replied promptly in the affirmative.

“Then wait here, and I’ll come by about dusk for you,” he said.

I thanked him with a look for his friendly act, and in the afternoon when I went upon the parade ground to drill my little troop I felt a certain exultation at the sense of coming conflict.

When the time arrived I made a most rigorous toilet. In my early and callow years I may have been somewhat of a dandy, which I take to be a harmless vanity, it being better to err upon that side than rush to the other extreme, and to-night I felt a return of the old fastidiousness. I brushed my uniform, not a bad one in itself, with utmost care, and I tied a very full and flowing neck ribbon in a fancy knot at my throat. Then I saw that the sword at my belt made a correct angle with my body, and I was just putting on my buckskin gloves when Winchester entered.

“On my soul, Lee,” he cried, “you snuff out a civilian like myself as if I were a cheap tallow dip! May I indeed have the honour of going with you, or shall I remain here overpowered?”

“Shall I do?” I said, standing before him.

“Admirably. Faith, John, you are quite resplendent,” he replied, and hooking his arm in mine, after the fashion of our time, he led the way to Captain Romney’s quarters.

A friend of the worthy captain, an immigrant to Cincinnati, had built a large double house on one of the hills, and in the owner’s absence our prospective host had been permitted to take it as his camp, a privilege to be valued, as General Wayne himself did not have a better place in which to live.

Lights were flashing from the windows of the house, and as we approached we heard the clatter of joyous voices, some of which were raised already to an unusual pitch. I should say here that our border armies always brought with them the virtues and vices of the East. We were then, as the nature of our lives made us, often a fiery and violent race. Officers were quick to resent real or fancied insults, and the finger flew quickly to haft or trigger. The duello, practised in all the polite world, travelled with the army into this immeasurable wilderness. General Wayne himself, with all his sternness, could not prevent it, and I remember that upon this very campaign two young officers scarce in their twenties quarrelled over a trifle, and fought with such fury that both were slain. Nor was this a solitary example. So I knew that if any trouble were to arise at the gathering I should be expected to make good my point of view with sword or pistol. I was not loath, and my hand unconsciously slipped to the handle of the weapon that hung by my side. The “feel” of it was good.

Captain Romney gave us welcome, my reception not differing from Winchester’s, and I judged that the captain was willing to accept me as one of his brother officers without either coldness or undue warmth, with which I was content.

The two rooms of the cabin were filled with men, and Romney had made a brave and not altogether unsuccessful effort to reproduce Eastern splendour, or what seemed splendour in comparison with the border. He had decorated the place rather handsomely with furs and skins, spreading the larger out as rugs, and there were wine and cards for all who chose to drink or play, and if I knew my own time and race, most would choose both. Soldiers ever take their customs with them.

I saw Jasper in a corner laughing and talking in the most expansive manner, and near him his satellite Lawless, his face already flushed with wine. Not far away was Captain Hardy, and scattered about were nearly all the younger officers of our army. It was just such a scene as I had witnessed more than once in the days of the Revolution after the French came over to join us. But here the wilderness setting gave a different effect.

When time and place are suitable, one quickly resumes old habits which circumstance has compelled him to drop, and soon I was playing bezique at a table as carelessly as if it were not a dozen years since I had sat at the game. We played in one room and we talked in another. I was never a gambler by nature, merely hazarding a few shillings and pence for the sake of social feeling; and presently, when my wagers left me as I was at the beginning, I quit the table and went into the room where conversation was going forward. The older officers had gathered there, and were telling stories of their experiences, to which I was soon asked to contribute. There was an ancient tale of an escape of mine from the savages well known along the border, and growing unduly, perhaps, as it passed from one to another, which I was called upon to relate. Just as I finished the story a great burst of laughter came from the next room, where everybody was visible to us, the wide door between standing open.

We naturally looked up to see the cause of this laughter, which was followed by perfect silence, interrupted in a moment or two by the high-pitched voice of Lawless, whose face had grown redder under the influence of the cards and more liquor. The expression of his eyes indicated his arrival at the degree of intoxication which breeds utter recklessness, but the attention given him proved that what he was saying was not without interest.

“Believe me, gentlemen, it is most preposterous, but it is true,” he said. “I swear it, and if my oath be not sufficient I can produce witnesses. Such presumption I never heard of before, but it only proves how shameless the fellow is. He was drummed out of the old Continental army for treason—cold-blooded treason. I have seen a copy of the records myself. How he escaped the rope I don’t know, but they let him come out here in the woods to live with the bears and the Indians. Now, this fellow, as he enters the settlements, happens to clap eyes on one of our maidens from the East, a girl beautiful, rich, and among the best born. Instead of keeping his proper distance and admiring her from it as any dog might, he immediately pays court to her and sticks to her like an army to a besieged city—’pon honour I’m telling you the facts—and I think the fellow ought to be driven back into the woods with the lash across his bare back, ’pon honour I do.”

Lawless was a fool; moreover, he was drunk, and he was prompted by a far more cunning man, or he never would have made this speech.

There was a dead silence, and everybody began to look at me, for of course my story was known to all, and Lawless’s meaning was too plain. It was broken a moment later by the clear voice of Jasper, asking:

“Are you quite sure of all that you say, Lawless? Have you yourself witnessed it, or is it a story that has been told to you by others?”

“My own eyes have given me the proof and yours have done the same for you,” said the reckless youngster.

Again the ominous silence of expectation ensued, and now there was not a pair of eyes in the room, unless Lawless’s be excepted, not bent on me. I saw that I could not linger in my reply, as the identity of Lawless’s “villain” was too obvious; it was well for me to begin at once, but I felt a deep regret that Rose Carew should be mentioned, as there could be no doubt about the identity of the girl whom Lawless meant any more than there could be about mine.

I rose to my feet—I was glad that so many were looking on—and I walked to the table beside which Lawless sat. I do not boast when I say that I was quite cool, because I had prepared myself for such scenes.

“Mr. Lawless,” I said, “you are a fool when you are sober, and you are a greater one when you are drunk, which you are now. You have attempted to insult me—not for the first time, be it said—and I have tried to avoid it, but I suppose that I shall have to kill you as a warning to those who are pushing you on.”

I looked at Jasper here, and his face did not change; but I saw his fingers twitch.

“I did not call your name, Captain Lee,” said Lawless, “but since the cap is such a fine fit for you, on your head it must sit. But I will not fight you. I have not yet sunk so low that I can cross swords with a condemned traitor.”

“Perhaps then the Long Knife whose mouth is full of vain words will fight me” said a voice over my shoulder.

There was a start of surprise from everybody. Osseo had entered so quietly, and the attention of all was so thoroughly concentrated upon Lawless and me, that his presence was not noted until he spoke.

“The Long Knife is not a great man among his own people,” resumed Osseo. “He is but that”—and he snapped his fingers—“and Osseo is a chief; he has looked upon danger as the Long Knife looks upon the face of a fair girl, and the ways of the white man are not his ways, but he will fight the Boy-of-big-words as he chooses, because he loves Lee, by whose side he has fought many good fights, with whom he has shared his last venison, and whom he knows to be such a man that the Boy-of-big-words can never be his equal, though he live more years than the oldest chief in all the woods.”

Osseo spoke with the sententiousness of the Indian, standing perfectly erect, his tall form towering over all and his coal-black eyes passing defiantly around the circle. I saw that the chiefs words had made a deep impression. The Indian does not practise the duel in our set and formal fashion, and such an offer, coming in such a way, surprised the officers and pleased the more reckless.

“A duel with swords or pistols between an Indian chief and a lieutenant! ’twill be worth seeing,” I heard one mutter.

But Captain Romney interfered, and I did not know until afterward that Winchester had been talking to him while Osseo was speaking.

“Yours is a noble offer, chief,” he said, “and does credit to your friendship; but if there is to be a duel, Lieutenant Lawless must meet Captain Lee.”

“But consider what Captain Lee is!” exclaimed Jasper, seeing the plan to disgrace me suddenly go wrong. “How can Lawless meet him?”

“I am the host here,” said Captain Romney with dignity, “and I have already consulted with those who know the code. Lieutenant Lawless must meet Captain Lee, if the latter wishes it. All of us know of the charge against Captain Lee—a charge that unhappily ended in conviction; and yet there are many who still do not believe him guilty—I among the number, I am proud to say. Neither does our commander-in-chief. At any rate, Captain Lee is one of General Wayne’s most trusted officers; as such no one can insult him and refuse him satisfaction.”

A murmur of approval arose from more than half of those present, and I was deeply grateful to them. It seemed that wanton fate, the sport of which I had been so long, was determined now to make some amends.

“Do you insist that Lieutenant Lawless meet you?” asked Captain Romney of me.

“I do,” I replied.

Lawless was silent. I think that the effect of his liquor was wearing off, and he turned ashy pale. He gave Jasper a furious glance, and then turned whiter than ever. He knew perfectly well that he was no match for me with any weapon, and either he must avoid the meeting with all the implication of cowardice or leave his life in my hands.

“General Wayne forbids duelling, but it is not my affair,” resumed Captain Romney. “I have nothing more to do with it.”

Then he turned away to a game of cards, and we knew very well that while he would make no preparations for the duel he would likewise be no tale-bearer.

“I fancy that the nicely prepared scheme of somebody has come to grief,” said Winchester to me a little later. He, too, so I saw, had divined Jasper’s plan, and I surmised that he was not without a hand in the spoiling of it.

While I had friends I also had enemies, and the company seemed to divide over me, making me an issue, a circumstance which I found very unpleasant, but which for the present I could not avoid. Lawless was playing cards noisily in the next room, and laughing frequently with an air of the most reckless gaiety. But his mask was transparent; his nerves were upset, and he plainly saw death before him. However, I had no intention of sparing his feelings; he had insulted me too grievously to be let off lightly; moreover, he was the willing tool in a plot, and I deemed it right that he should suffer such mental agonies. Jasper spoke only when he was compelled to do so, but he could not refrain from biting his lip, and I enjoyed his anxiety.

I stayed an hour or more after the quarrel, and then, when I felt that I could leave without forfeiting my self-respect, I said my adieux and departed. I sat at the window of our little cabin, it now being after midnight. Osseo, who came in later, also sat down near the window. By the clear moonlight I saw that he was smiling to himself, and I waited patiently until he should condescend to explain.

“White man great fool,” he said presently. “He drinks much fire-water before he goes to fight his enemy; Indian fight his enemy, take his scalp, and then drink fire-water.”

“So Lawless drank more after I left, did he?” I asked.

“Much! much!” said Osseo with great emphasis, and he raised his hand to his lips five or six times. “But white man again big fool; if young Indian wishes to prove he is brave, he does not attack the greatest warrior he can find. No, Manito has given him too much wisdom; he fights another young brave and passes the chiefs by until he is a great warrior himself. White man be as wise as Indian some day, and get what you call civilization.”

He smiled at me in a quite superior way.

“I am sorry that I can’t fight Boy-of-big-words,” he resumed. “His scalp look well hanging here. Will not Lee give me the chance?”

He fingered his belt meditatively, as if Lawless’s long auburn locks were already swinging there. But I knew that it was only a jest, as Osseo had long since given up the practice of scalping.

The news that a duel was to be fought caused a stir in the settlement the next morning. Everybody seemed to know it, except the commander-in-chief and his higher officers. I believed that the affair was likely to hurt me greatly in General Wayne’s esteem, and would appear almost as a breach of faith, but I had no choice save to meet Lawless; stern methods were now needed.

I kept as closely to my cabin as possible that morning in order to avoid trouble, and shortly before noon, when I was alone, Osseo having gone to the camp, there came a light knock on the door. I called, “Enter!” and Rose Carew stepped over the threshold.

She gave me no time for surprise or inquiry, but exclaimed at once:

“You are to fight a duel, Captain Lee?”

I noticed that her face was flushed and her eyes glittering, showing excitement. But I bowed in answer to her question.

“You fight with Lieutenant Lawless?”

Again I bowed.

“I ask you not to fight this duel. You have done much for me; will you not do this also?”

I was surprised at her deep interest, her evident apprehension, and I sought a reason for it. Could it be that she cared for that red-haired chucklehead? He seemed a poor choice for such a woman, and yet I knew that the most brilliant women often choose the most ridiculous men with whom to fall in love. I looked straight into her eyes, but she did not notice my gaze, standing there, nervous and eager, awaiting my answer. Then it was true, she did care for Lawless. I had felt the most profound contempt for him, but now I honoured him with my hate.

“I can not make you the promise you wish, Miss Carew,” I said, shaking my head. “My position here would be untenable if I did not meet Lieutenant Lawless.”

“That is true,” she said with sudden comprehension, and then she looked down and wrinkled her eyebrows as if in thought. When she looked up again her expression had changed entirely, as only a woman’s can in so brief a time. She gave me a most intoxicating smile, and I, though knowing well that she was smoothing the way to ask something else, and though calling her under my breath the boldest of little deceivers, smiled back. I was angry at her while I smiled.

“Now you are yourself, the brave hunter who saved me, the best-natured man in the world,” she said with a little laugh.

“But I am not good-tempered at all,” I protested. “On the contrary, I am morose and obstinate.”

“Oh, no, you are not; you may give yourself a bad name, but others refuse to accept it. You can not hide behind such a false reputation in order to refuse me what I ask.”

She smiled upon me again, and so bewilderingly that I felt myself without the heart to refuse her. I was a fool, although knowing it.

“If you fight with Lieutenant Lawless you will not kill him. Will you not make me such a promise?” she asked.

Now, it had never been my intent to slay Lawless, but when she asked me that question I felt a sudden desire to run my sword through him. A woman must be blind indeed, or excessively brilliant, to love such a man. But I would make her show her feelings more plainly.

“You wish very much that I should spare him?” I said.

“I do indeed.”

“Then his life is most dear to you?”

Her eyes met mine firmly.

“Do you think you have the right to ask me such a question, Captain Lee?” she said.

I was somewhat confused, but I replied:

“Ah, well, it seemed to me that you should not have a monopoly of asking.”

She laughed.

“Your point is fairly made,” she said, “but you will promise, will you not, Captain Lee, to let Lieutenant Lawless escape with his life?”

“It has never been my intent to take his life,” I replied, not willing for her to think that I had yielded to her intercession alone.

“Then you do give me the promise!” she cried, ignoring my meaning, and she looked so joyful that my heart smote me for the feeling of hatred that I bore toward Lawless. I was about to say more, but she hurried from the house.

I watched her light figure descending the hill, and then I reflected seriously on our conversation. My blood was cool now, and I became convinced that she could not really care for Lawless in the way I had feared. It must be Jasper, wishing to save his tool, who had sent her. He was the man, and my belief did not improve my feeling toward him.

►   ▲