D'Ri and I: A Tale of Daring Deeds in the Second War with the British.: Being the Memoirs of Colonel Ramon Bell, U.S.A.Bacheller, Irving
History
D'Ri and I: A Tale of Daring Deeds in the Second War with the British.: Being the Memoirs of Colonel Ramon Bell, U.S.A.
Bacheller, Irving
United States -- History -- War of 1812 -- Fiction
When I decided to go it was near midnight, The mission was not all
to my taste, but the reward was handsome and the letter of Lord
Ronley reassuring. I knew I could do it, and dressed as soon as
possible and walked to the Lone Oak, a sergeant escorting. There,
as I expected, the big soldier known as D'ri was waiting, his canoe
in a wagon that stood near. We all mounted the seat, driving
pell-mell on a rough road to Tibbals Point, on the southwest corner
of Wolf Island. A hard journey it was, and near two o'clock, I
should say, before we put our canoe in the water. Then the man
D'ri helped me to an easy seat in the bow and shoved off. A full
moon, yellow as gold, hung low in the northwest. The water was
calm, and we cut across "the moon way," that funnelled off to the
shores of Canada.
"It is one ver' gran' night," I said in my dialect of the rude
Canuck; for I did not wish him, or any one, to know me. War is
war, but, surely, such adventures are not the thing for a woman.
"Yis, mahm," he answered, pushing hard with the paddle. "Yer a
friend o' the cap'n, ain't ye--Ray Bell?"
"Ze captain? Ah, oui, m'sieu'," I said. "One ver' brave man,
ain't it?"
"Yis, mahm," said he, soberly and with emphasis. "He 's more 'n a
dozen brave men, thet's whut he is. He's a joemightyful cuss.
Ain't nuthin' he can't dew--spryer 'n a painter, stouter 'n a
moose, an' treemenjous with a sword."
The moon sank low, peering through distant tree-columns, and went
out of sight. Long stubs of dead pine loomed in the dim, golden
afterglow, their stark limbs arching high in the heavens--like
mullions in a great Gothic window.
"When we git nigh shore over yender," said my companion, "don't
believe we better hev a grea' deal t' say. I ain't a-goin' t' be
tuk--by a jugful--not ef I can help it. Got me 'n a tight place
one night here 'n Canady."
"Ah, m'sieu', in Canada! How did you get out of it?" I queried.
"Slipped out," said he, shaking the canoe with suppressed laughter.
"Jes' luk a streak o' greased lig-htnin'," he added presently.
"The captain he seems ver' anxious for me to mak' great hurry," I
remarked.
"No wonder; it's his lady-love he 's efter--faster 'n a weasel t'
see 'er," said he, snickering.
"Good-looking?" I queried.
"Han'some es a pictur'," said he, soberly.
In a moment he dragged his paddle, listening.
"Thet air's th' shore over yender," he whispered. "Don't say a
word now. I 'll put ye right on the p'int o' rocks. Creep 'long
careful till ye git t' th' road, then turn t' th' left, the cap'n
tol' me."
When I stepped ashore my dress caught the gunwale and upset our
canoe. The good man rolled noisily into the water, and rose
dripping. I tried to help him.
"Don't bother me--none," he whispered testily, as if out of
patience, while he righted the canoe.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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