A Dream of Empire; Or, The House of BlennerhassettVenable, William Henry
General
A Dream of Empire; Or, The House of Blennerhassett
Venable, William Henry
Blennerhassett, Harman, 1765-1831 -- Fiction
The loquacity of the French doctor seemed accelerated by the motion of
the boat and the breezy freedom of its deck. Unlike most of his Gallic
brethren who left their native land to come to America in 1790, he was
in sympathy with the Revolution, and had rejoiced at the falling of
the Bastile. By chance a copy of the Marseillaise Hymn had reached
him, and snatches of this he would sing, keeping time to the music
with his own springing steps as he marched up and down. The cry of
"_Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite_," often broke from his lips. When
Burr opened to him part of the plausible scheme against Mexico he
eagerly volunteered to join any expedition gotten up in the name of
freedom. He proffered his services as surgeon, and asked with amusing
simplicity what would be the emoluments.
"_Sacre!_" exclaimed he. "_Il faut vivre!_ Let us destroy ze
Spaniard. _Vive l'amerique! Vive le General Bur-r-r! Vive Eloy
Deville!_"
The tedious passage from Gallipolis to Cincinnati required almost a
week's time. On the last day of the voyage, soon after breakfast,
while Burr and Deville were enjoying the morning sunshine and
discussing the French Revolution, Arlington heard a knock on the door
of his room, in which he sat writing a letter.
"Come in," he shouted, hurrying to pen down the sentence that was in
his mind. The door opened, and Burke Pierce thrust his head and
shoulders into the room. Arlington glanced up from his writing and saw
a flushed face and a pair of bloodshot eyes.
"You know what you called me up at Gallipolis?"
"Yes--dog."
"I'm a dog, eh? a filthy cur?"
The Virginian made an impatient gesture and dipped his quill into the
ink. The drunken boatman after a moment's pause said:
"I want you out here in the kitchen."
Arlington paid no attention to the insolent speech, but went on with
his letter writing.
Pierce, without closing the door, stepped back into the narrow
quarters in which Sheldrake did the cooking, and a minute later
reappeared with two long butcher knives, which he flung down on the
table, in front of Arlington.
"Take your choice."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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