"If I'm not mistaken there's a good store of grain in that village, which, as we can't take it away with us, we'll have to burn up so that the Frenchies and their friends won't have it to depend upon, and we might kill off a few of their cattle, too. They mustn't be allowed to live too well here or they'll be too anxious to stay."
The Rangers2 laughed at their leader's way of putting things, and replied that they were ready to do whatever he had in mind.
"Let us take a good look at the village, then, and see where it's best to begin," said the Major.
Breaking up into parties of ten, they advanced upon the village from different directions, and at sight of them the terrified inhabitants fled to their houses, in which they shut themselves without any thought of offering resistance.
"I hope we won't have to set the houses on fire," whispered Seth to Reuben as they drew near a rude dwelling4, which he judged sheltered women and children. "I don't mind how many barns we burn, but I don't want to have a hand in hurting the poor people."
"Oh, surely Major Rogers won't do anything to them!" Reuben exclaimed under his breath. "We're not Indians."
They had no need to be anxious upon this score, however, for the Major, while merciless enough in his methods where it seemed necessary to be so, had no thought of following the shocking example set by the French in their harrying5 of the borders. He waged war against men, not against women and children.
But as much damage as possible had to be done, so the torch was applied6 to the barns, and the cattle were killed in the yards, and when the Rangers departed they left that part of the village in flames.
"What can the garrison7 of the fort be about that they haven't come after us?" queried8 Reuben naturally enough, when at last they turned their faces homeward; but no one could answer him. Whatever was the reason, whether they imagined the invaders9 to be in much greater force than they were, or whether they had no stomach to try a brush with them in the forest, certainly the French kept within their own defences and allowed the daring Rangers to go away unchallenged and unscathed, leaving the burning village as a hint of what they would do to Crown Point itself at the first opportunity.
Just ten days after they had set out they were back at Fort William Henry, whose commander warmly praised their leader for the success of his undertaking10 and the exceedingly important information he had secured.
A period of quiet followed, during which the garrison made shift to while away the time with such sports as were possible in mid-winter. They had snow fights, and snowshoe races, and they practised shooting at a mark, and they had wrestling matches, and whatever other amusements could be devised for either outdoor or indoors.
Into all this Seth entered with keen zest11, and being so active and agile12 of both brain and body, rather more than held his own with the majority of his associates, which fact did not pass unnoticed by the all-observant Major, and no doubt had much to do with the pleasant surprise that he gave him when he sent for him one morning in March.
Seth found the Major in his room with a letter before him, from which he lifted his eyes to look him over with a searching glance that gave Seth a nervous feeling, and caused him to wonder in his mind what was on the carpet.
"Have you ever been to Boston, young man?" he was asked in a tone that afforded no hint of the purpose of the question.
"No, sir," replied Seth, "I have not."
"How would you like to go there?" was the next question.
Now to a frontier lad, who had never set foot in a city of any size, Boston naturally loomed13 very large and wonderful, and the idea of seeing it for himself could not be otherwise than highly attractive, so that it was without hesitation14 Seth answered:
"Why, very much indeed, sir. Do you want to send me there?"
"I don't want to send you, but I have some notion of taking you," the Major responded in his brusk way, and then went on to say that the letter in his hand was from General Shirley, Commander-in-Chief of the King's forces in North America, who was at Boston making preparations for the ensuing campaign, and had desired Major Rogers to wait upon him at Boston to receive his instructions.
Seth listened with eager ears. To have the trip to Boston, and there to see not only the famous city, but the great General, under whose command the war would be carried on, this certainly was an opportunity such as he had not dreamed of, and his heart beat quickly as he waited for the Major's definite instructions. When they came, they were characteristically brief and to the point.
"I'll take you with me," he said. "You can be of use to me. We'll start this afternoon. Get your things packed and be ready right after dinner."
In great glee Seth hurried off to tell the good news to Reuben, who warmly congratulated him upon his good luck, while he frankly15 expressed his envy.
"I've been wanting to go to Boston for ever so long too. I wonder when my chance will come," he said ruefully. "You seem always to get the good things first."
"Oh! your turn will come all right!" responded Seth, patting him on the back. "We'll go to Boston together some fine day, see if we don't."
The summons of Major Rogers to the presence of the Commander-in-Chief aroused much curiosity at the fort, and many were the conjectures16 as to what it meant, but if the veteran Ranger3 had any idea of his own he shrewdly kept it to himself.
They set out early in the afternoon, directing their course for Albany, on the Hudson River, and as the danger of being attacked by Indians in league with the French had to be considered, Major Rogers deemed it prudent17 to have ten of his Rangers accompany them that far, and then return to Fort William Henry.
To Seth, whose experience of the world was so slight, even Albany, then little more than a thriving town, was a revelation, and he would have been glad to spend some days there seeing the sights and getting acquainted with the people, but the Major was not the man to dally18 by the way. To him Albany was of slight consequence. Boston filled his mind, and if there had been any lightning express trains in that day as there are now connecting the two cities, he certainly would have taken the first one leaving the railway station.
But there was nothing better then than the lumbering19 stage coach, that jolted20 its slow way over the New Connecticut Road, as it was called, which wound its somewhat devious21 course from Albany to Boston.
"Confound the old rattle-trap!" growled22 the short-tempered Major as the heavy coach swayed and pitched over the rough coach road. "I wish we had taken horse. We'd save time and have more comfort."
Seth, however, although he was too discreet23 to say so, did not at all agree with his chief. It was his first long ride in a stage coach, and it gratified a desire cherished from his earliest boyhood, and even if the vehicle was clumsy and the roads were rough, he was enjoying himself in no small degree.
From Albany to Springfield, thence to Brookfield, and so by Worcester and Marlborough the post road ran, but before reaching their destination in Boston they had an adventure which aptly illustrated24 the unwisdom of waking up the wrong passenger.
They travelled all night as well as all day, for the coach carried the mails, and about half-way between Worcester and Boston, on a particularly lonely spot, where the road lay along the bottom of a ravine, shut in by tree-clad hills, rising steeply on either side, the slow-going conveyance25 was suddenly brought to a full stop, in obedience26 to the command of two masked men on horseback, who covered the driver with their pistols as they sternly shouted:
"Stop! or we'll shoot you!"
Quite convinced that discretion27 was the better part of valor28, the driver promptly29 reined30 up his horses, whereupon the men, dismounting from theirs, said roughly to the alarmed passengers, most of whom had been awakened31 from a doze32:
"Come now, hand over your purses, and be quick about it!"
None of them had been more soundly asleep than Major Rogers, and on first awaking he did not at once grasp the situation, so that Seth whispered in his ear:
"It's robbers, sir; they want our money."
At this the veteran scout33 understood, and instantly set his quick wits to work to meet the emergency.
"Don't speak or move until I tell you," he whispered to Seth, "but get your pistol ready."
The Major then lay back in his seat again, as though paralyzed with terror.
Meanwhile the other passengers were fumbling34 in their pockets and getting out their purses, one of the highwaymen holding a lantern up in his left hand so as to make sure that all were obeying orders.
Warmly wrapped as everybody was, with their purses and watches in their innermost pockets, the process of getting at them could not be a very quick one, and the highwaymen swore fiercely at them because they were not so expeditious35 as they thought they might be.
Not one of them made any show of resistance. They seemed thoroughly36 cowed by the levelled pistols, and when their valuables had been extracted from the depths of their pockets, handed them over to the rascals37 as meekly38 as if it was quite the proper thing to do.
At last only Major Rogers and Seth were left, and the larger of the two highwaymen, who was evidently the leader, emphasizing the order with a full-flavored oath, shouted at them:
"Now then, you two, hand over your money, and be quick about it!"
Without stirring in his seat the Major whispered to Seth:
"I'll take the man with the lantern. You take the other."
And then suddenly rising, he pointed39 with his left hand beyond the robbers and called out joyfully40:
"There they are! They're just in time!"
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1
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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2
rangers
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| 护林者( ranger的名词复数 )； 突击队员 | |
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ranger
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| n.国家公园管理员，护林员；骑兵巡逻队员 | |
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4
dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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harrying
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| v.使苦恼( harry的现在分词 )；不断烦扰；一再袭击；侵扰 | |
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applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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7
garrison
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| n.卫戍部队；驻地，卫戍区；vt.派(兵)驻防 | |
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8
queried
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| v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问 | |
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invaders
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| 入侵者，侵略者，侵入物( invader的名词复数 ) | |
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undertaking
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| n.保证，许诺，事业 | |
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11
zest
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| n.乐趣；滋味，风味；兴趣 | |
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agile
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| adj.敏捷的，灵活的 | |
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13
loomed
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| v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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14
hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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15
frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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16
conjectures
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| 推测，猜想( conjecture的名词复数 ) | |
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prudent
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| adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的 | |
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dally
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| v.荒废(时日)，调情 | |
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lumbering
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| n.采伐林木 | |
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jolted
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| （使）摇动， （使）震惊( jolt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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devious
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| adj.不坦率的，狡猾的；迂回的，曲折的 | |
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22
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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23
discreet
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| adj.(言行)谨慎的；慎重的；有判断力的 | |
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24
illustrated
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| adj. 有插图的，列举的 动词illustrate的过去式和过去分词 | |
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25
conveyance
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| n.(不动产等的)转让，让与；转让证书；传送；运送；表达；（正）运输工具 | |
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obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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27
discretion
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| n.谨慎；随意处理 | |
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valor
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| n.勇气，英勇 | |
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promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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30
reined
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| 勒缰绳使（马）停步( rein的过去式和过去分词 )； 驾驭； 严格控制； 加强管理 | |
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31
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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32
doze
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| v.打瞌睡；n.打盹，假寐 | |
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33
scout
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| n.童子军，侦察员；v.侦察，搜索 | |
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fumbling
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| n. 摸索,漏接 v. 摸索,摸弄,笨拙的处理 | |
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35
expeditious
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| adj.迅速的，敏捷的 | |
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36
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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37
rascals
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| 流氓( rascal的名词复数 )； 无赖； （开玩笑说法）淘气的人（尤指小孩）； 恶作剧的人 | |
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38
meekly
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| adv.温顺地，逆来顺受地 | |
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39
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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40
joyfully
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| adv. 喜悦地, 高兴地 | |
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