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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..af7053d --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #50470 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/50470) diff --git a/old/50470-8.txt b/old/50470-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 9a790ed..0000000 --- a/old/50470-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,4574 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Long Journey, by Elsie Singmaster - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Long Journey - -Author: Elsie Singmaster - -Release Date: November 17, 2015 [EBook #50470] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LONG JOURNEY *** - - - - -Produced by David Edwards, Les Galloway and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - By Elsie Singmaster - - - MARTIN LUTHER. THE STORY OF HIS LIFE. With frontispiece. - THE LONG JOURNEY. Frontispiece in color. - EMMELINE. Illustrated. - KATY GAUMER. Illustrated. - GETTYSBURG. Illustrated. - WHEN SARAH WENT TO SCHOOL. Illustrated. - WHEN SARAH SAVED THE DAY. Illustrated. - - HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY BOSTON AND NEW YORK - - - - -[Illustration: CONRAD RUBBED HIS EYES--HE LOOKED AGAIN (p. 52)] - - - - - THE LONG - JOURNEY - - BY - ELSIE SINGMASTER - - [Illustration] - - BOSTON AND NEW YORK - HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY - The Riverside Press Cambridge - 1917 - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1917, BY ELSIE SINGMASTER LEWARS - - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - - _Published February 1917_ - - - TO - WILLIAM BLACK LEWARS - A DESCENDANT - OF - JOHN CONRAD WEISER - AND HIS SON - CONRAD - - - - -CONTENTS - - - I. THE GROSS ANSPACH COW 1 - - II. DOWN THE RIVER 21 - - III. BLACKHEATH 40 - - IV. A ROYAL AUDIENCE 60 - - V. ACROSS THE SEA 79 - - VI. THE PIRATE SHIP 96 - - VII. THE HOME ASSIGNED 111 - -VIII. THE FLIGHT BEGINS 131 - - IX. THE DARK FOREST 149 - - X. JOURNEY'S END 169 - - - - -THE LONG JOURNEY - - - - -I - -THE GROSS ANSPACH COW - - -On the evening of the twenty-third of June, Conrad Weiser brought -home, as was his custom, the Gross Anspach cow. The fact was, in -itself, not remarkable, since it was Conrad's chief duty to take the -cow to pasture, to guard her all day long, to lead her from one little -patch of green grass to another, to see that she drank from one of -the springs on the hillside, and to feed her now and then a little -of the precious salt which he carried in his pocket. What made this -twenty-third of June remarkable was the fact that this was Conrad's -final journey from the pastures of Gross Anspach to Gross Anspach -village. - -Liesel, the property of Conrad's father, John Conrad, was Gross -Anspach's only cow. War and the occupation of a brutal soldiery had -stripped the village of its property, its household goods, its animals, -and, alas! of most of its young men. Gross Anspach had hidden itself in -woods and in holes in the ground, had lived like animals in dens. Upon -the mountainside wolves had devoured children. - -What war had left undone, famine and pestilence and fearful cold -had completed. The fruit trees had died, the vines were now merely -stiffened and rattling stalks, and, though it was June, the earth was -bare in many places. There were no young vines to plant, there was no -seed to sow, there were no horses to break the soil with the plough. - -Sometimes Conrad had company to the hillside pasture. He was thirteen -years old, a short, sturdy, blue-eyed boy, much older than his years, -as were most of the children in Gross Anspach. Above him in the family -were Catrina, who was married and had two little children of her own, -then Margareta, Magdalena, and Sabina, and below him were George -Frederick, Christopher, Barbara, and John Frederick. They all had blue -eyes and sturdy frames and they were all, except John Frederick, thin. -John Frederick was their darling and the only partaker in the family of -the bounty of Liesel. The fact that John Frederick had no mother seemed -more terrible than the lack of a mother for any of the other eight -children. - -When Margareta and Magdalena and Sabina and George Frederick and -Christopher and Barbara and John Frederick accompanied Conrad to -the hillside, they all started soberly, the older girls knitting as -they walked, Christopher and Barbara trotting hand in hand, and John -Frederick riding upon Conrad's back. They had little to say--there was -little to be said. When the prospect broadened, when they were able to -look out over the walls of their own valley across the wide landscape, -then spirits were lightened and tongues were loosed. Then they could -see other valleys and other hills and the desolation of their own no -longer filled their tired eyes. The little children ran about, the -older ones, still working busily, sat and talked. - -Their speech was German, the soft and beautiful German of the south. -Sometimes they spoke in whispers and with fearful glances of the -past and its terrors, and of the cruel French. Sometimes the older -girls whispered together of romantic dreams which could never come -true, of true lovers and a happy home for each. But most of all they -talked--amazing to relate--these little Germans of two hundred years -ago--of Indians! - -About Indians it was Conrad who had the most to say. Conrad was the -oldest boy; though so much younger than Margareta and Magdalena, he -could read easily while they could not read at all. While Conrad -talked, their thoughts traveled out of their poor valley, down the -great river, through strange cities to a mighty ship upon which they -should sail and sail until they reached a Paradise. Sometimes Conrad -walked up and down before them, his hands clasped behind his back, -sometimes he lay on the ground with his hands under his head. He talked -and talked and let himself be questioned in the lordly manner which -lads assume with their sisters. He carried with him always, buttoned -inside his thin clothes, a little book which he knew by heart. - -"Is it cold there?" asked Sabina wistfully. Sabina was the last to -recover from the fearful winter. - -Conrad leafed his little book. - -"I will read. 'The climate is everywhere subtle and penetrating. During -the winter'--here, Sabina,--'during the winter the sun has great -strength.'" - -"I do not know what 'subtle and penetrating' mean. Those great words -are beyond me." - -"They mean that the climate is good," explained Conrad, who did not -know exactly either. - -"Will we be hungry?" asked Sabina, still more wistfully. - -Conrad could hardly turn the leaves fast enough. His eyes sparkled, his -cheeks glowed. - -"Now listen, you foolish, frightened Sabina, listen! 'The country -produces all kinds of cereals, together with Indian corn of various -kinds. Peas, kitchen vegetables, pumpkins, melons, roots, hemp, flax, -hops, everything. Peaches and cherries'--Sabina, you have never -eaten peaches or cherries, but I have eaten one of each--'peaches -and cherries grow like weeds.' Here we have nothing, nothing! Our -grandfather was a magistrate, but we are almost beggars. My father -talks to me as he does not talk to you, Margareta and Magdalena and -Sabina and--" - -Margareta lifted her blue eyes from her knitting and tossed back her -yellow braids. - -"It is not very long since I spanked you well, Conrad," said she. - -At this all the children, even Conrad, smiled. Margareta made a little -motion as though she meant to rise and pursue her brother about the -high tableland, Conrad a little motion as though he dared her to a -chase. But the impulse passed, as all playful impulses passed in this -time of distress. - -"My father talks to me because I am almost a man," went on Conrad. "He -says that if we have another winter like the one which is past we will -all die as our mother--" Conrad could not complete his sentence. The -children did not cry, their hearts only ceased for a moment to beat as -Conrad's speech faltered. "He says there will not be enough animals and -birds left after that time to establish a new stock. He says that even -if the winter is mild, Gross Anspach cannot all live--even we few that -are left." - -"But I am afraid," said little Sabina. - -"Afraid of what?" - -"Of the river and the great sea." - -"Thousands have sailed down the river and many have crossed the sea, -Sabina." - -"I am most afraid of these strange red people." - -"I am not afraid of them," announced little Christopher. "Not more than -I am afraid of Liesel." - -Once more Conrad leafed his little book. It was no wonder that it -scarcely held together. - -"They are not bad people. They fish and hunt and plant crops. They go -farther and farther back into the woods as the white people come. I am -no more afraid of them than I am of Christopher." - -"But how are we to get there, brother?" asked Magdalena, who spoke -least among a family who spoke little. - -Conrad shut his book and tied it in its place under his coat. - -"That I do not know," said he impatiently. "But we will all see yet the -river and the great sea and the deep forests and the red people." - -"Old Redebach says--" No sooner had John Frederick began to speak than -his lips were covered by the hand of his brother. - -"Old Redebach cannot tell the truth. It is not in him. And he is afraid -of everything. Ten times he has told me that Liesel would be carried -off, that he has had a dream and has seen men watching her. Forty times -he has told me that Liesel would die of the cattle plague. There stands -Liesel fat and hearty. It is the schoolmaster who is to be believed in -this matter. He would start to-morrow if he could. I tell you"--Conrad -pointed toward the declining sun--"we are going, we are going, we are -going." - -Now, on the twenty-third of June, as Conrad, alone, guided the -obstinate way of Liesel through the dusk, the words of old Redebach -came back to him. Liesel had all the trying defects of a spoiled -and important character; believing herself to be the Queen of Gross -Anspach, she expected her subjects to follow where she led. She -proceeded deliberately into all sorts of black and shadowy places from -which Conrad did not dare to chase her roughly for fear of affecting -the precious store of milk, upon which John Frederick and other Gross -Anspach babies depended. - -Conrad recalled now, besides the warnings of old Redebach about present -dangers, certain fearful things which were printed in his little book. -The savages had learned from the whites to be deceitful, they were -frequently drunk, they would not be governed, they used their knives -and hatchets for hideous purposes. They were enormous creatures, who -increased their height by bunches of towering feathers fastened to -their topknots. They stole upon their victims with the quietness of -cats, they--was that a stealthy footstep which Conrad heard now to -the right of his path?--they celebrated their triumph with fearful -cries--what was that strange sound which he heard to his left? - -In spite of himself, Conrad hastened the steps of the unruly Liesel -through the twilight. - -The Weiser family lived in one of the few houses left in Gross Anspach. -It was not large, but to the villagers who had taken refuge after the -burning of their dwellings in stables and sheds, it seemed like a -palace. From its doorway shone now a faint light, at sight of which -Conrad felt ashamed of his fear. He heard the rattle of Margareta's -milk pail, and felt against his leg the warm, comfortable body of old -Wolf, the Weiser dog. - -"You are late," called Margareta, in an excited tone. "I have been -watching and watching and the children have been more than once to the -bottom of the hill." - -"What is the matter?" asked Conrad. - -"You will hear in good time," answered Margareta in a patronizing way. - -"Where is father?" - -"In the house." - -"If anything had happened he would tell me first," said Conrad. "I do -not believe he has told you anything." - -Behind the broad table in the kitchen sat John Conrad. He was the -younger Conrad grown old and gray with anxiety and grief. His clothes -were whole, but mended with amazing invention. His body was still -powerful and the fire of energy flashed from his eyes. As Conrad -entered, he raised a clenched fist and brought it down heavily upon the -table, which, solid as it was, shook under the impact. A stranger might -have thought that he was reproving the little row of children who sat -opposite him on a bench and who watched him with a fixed stare. But -John Conrad was a kind father; his excitement did not find its source -in anger with his children. Nor were the children frightened. Their -stare was one of admiration and awe rather than of fright. - -Seeing his father thus, Conrad asked no questions, though a dozen -trembled on his lips. He sat quietly down beside the other children -and lifted John Frederick to his lap. - -When Margareta came in from milking, the family had their supper of -black bread and a little weak broth. It was enough to keep life in -their bodies, but not very vigorous life. The children scarcely tasted -what they ate, so excited were they by their father's appearance, -and by the long and solemn prayer with which he prefaced the meal. -Presently Elisabeth Albern came for milk for her Eva, Michael Fuhrmann -for milk for his Balthasar, and George Reimer, the schoolmaster, for -milk for his little sister Salome. For this milk John Conrad took no -pay. He was poor, but his neighbors were far poorer; he regarded Liesel -neither as the annoying creature which Conrad considered her, nor as -the proud princess that she believed herself to be, but as a sacred -trust. If it were not for Liesel half of the poor little Gross Anspach -babies would not survive the summer. Even John Frederick was beginning -to eat the black bread and broth so that younger and more needy babies -might have his share of Liesel's milk. - -George Reimer spoke to John Conrad in a way which heightened the -children's excitement. - -"I will be here," said he. - -The children nudged one another. Their father was the leader in what -poor little affairs Gross Anspach might still be said to have, and he -sometimes assembled his neighbors so that they might encourage and -console one another. - -Such a meeting was now at hand. The older girls washed the bowls and -wooden plates and the cooking-pot and put them on the shelf, and -carried a sleepy John Frederick and a protesting Barbara from the -kitchen and laid them firmly and tenderly in their corner of the family -bedroom. When Conrad nodded to little Christopher that he should -follow, the older Weiser bade Christopher stay. - -"It is important that all my children who can should remember this -night." - -Before long the village men and a few of the women began to assemble. -They came quietly, with only the simplest of greetings, but eye meeting -eye said wonderful things. - -"John Conrad Weiser, you are our leader and friend." - -"Neighbors, you have been my stay in deep affliction." - -A woman with a baby in her arms bade John Conrad look and see how his -namesake was growing. - -"If it were not for you he would be gone like his father." - -Presently the children, giving up their places on the bench for places -on little stools or on the earthen floor, began to whisper to one -another and to point. From under the thin and ragged coat of George -Reimer, the schoolmaster, projected a flute. George's own flute had -been taken from him by the French soldiers, but in a few days a much -finer one had been found by the roadside, dropped, probably, because -the army could not carry all its own possessions in addition to those -which it had stolen. It might be said that Gross Anspach retained two -valuable articles, John Conrad Weiser's cow and George Reimer's flute. -Behind his father's back, Conrad pretended to play a tune upon the air. -At once the solemn assembly grew a little brighter. Last of all came -Catrina and her husband. - -At once John Conrad rose to pray. They still had God, these souls who -had little else, and upon Him John Conrad called, that He might bless -them in _a great endeavor_. At this, in spite of his better knowledge, -Conrad opened his eyes and fixed them upon Margareta until she opened -hers. Conrad clasped his hands tightly, scarcely able to breathe. - -"Friends,"--John Conrad had closed his prayer,--"I have asked you to -come here so that I might tell you of an important matter. It is not -necessary that in beginning what I have to say I should remind you of -our miseries and our griefs. You know them as well as I. You know that -this life cannot go on; that, presently, unless we do something for -ourselves, there will be none of us remaining. Our country is desolate. -The soldiers have harried us, the great cold has tortured us, famine -has almost made an end of us. We should not too bitterly sigh and -complain on account of what has come upon us. It may be that thus God -seeks to lead us to another and a better land. - -"I need not tell you, either, what land I have in mind. We have spoken -of it, we have seen it in our dreams, we have longed for it with all -our souls. There is fertile soil, there is temperate climate, there -is, above all, thank God! freedom and peace. There is no war there. -There--" John Conrad halted, tried again to speak and failed. - -"But we cannot get to that country!" cried the young woman with the -baby in her arms. - -There was a long pause. Deep breaths were drawn and a great sigh filled -the little room. - -"The way has been opened," announced John Conrad at last. "I and my -family will go to-morrow. Let those who will come with us lift their -hands." - -But no hands were lifted. The thought of deliverance was paralyzing. - -"Word has come that the gracious Queen of England will send us and -our long-suffering brethren to her colonies in the New World. I have -had a letter from our old neighbor the magistrate of Oberdorf. He is -in London, awaiting the sailing of the ships. He is well cared for; -charitable persons exert themselves for the afflicted people. Probably -by this time he is already far on his way." - -"But _to-morrow_, father!" cried Catrina. "Why start to-morrow?" - -"As well to-morrow as another day," answered John Conrad. "We have few -possessions and they are easily gathered together. To those of our -friends who will not come with us we could not express our affection -and our farewells in a hundred days. We will go on foot to the river -and make our way to the lowlands and thence to England. It is a long -and perilous journey, but it is not so perilous as to stay. I cannot -advise any one what to do. But for all those who come I will care as -though they were my own." - -"But Liesel!" cried the young woman with the baby in her arms. "We will -die without Liesel!" - -John Conrad smiled. - -"Liesel will stay in Gross Anspach. She will be the perpetual property -of the Gross Anspach babies." - -George Reimer spoke next. He sat with his arms folded across his -breast, within them his precious flute. Tears were in his eyes and in -his voice as he said:-- - -"_I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me._" - -The company broke up without music. There were those who must go home -to tell wives or mothers; there were those who wished to talk to John -Conrad in private. There was Catrina, with her husband, weeping and -distressed, who did not dare to trust her babies to the sea. She must -plan with her sisters the bundles which should be packed for each to -carry, the food which must be gathered to last as long as possible. To -her and her husband John Conrad forgave a large debt, and his kindness -and their inability to pay made the parting more heartbreaking. John -Conrad still had a little store of German gulden, long hoarded against -the coming day. - -When all was done and the children were asleep, John Conrad took his -oldest son by the hand and led him up the winding street between the -ruined houses to the little Lutheran church which had been saved in -the great destruction. The moon shone quietly upon it and the little -walled-in space behind it. Thither John Conrad led his son, and beside -a new-made grave they paused. - -"It is not good to dwell on grief when one lives in the world and has -still the work of half a lifetime," said he solemnly. "But there are -moments when it is right that we should yield ourselves to our sorrow. -The others will come here in the morning, but you and I will then have -no time for shedding tears. Your mother looked into the future. She -begged me to go when the time came, even though I must leave her here." - -"My lad,"--John Conrad laid his arm across the boy's shoulders,--"there -are many things I would say to you. You were, as you know, her darling. -But she knew your faults, that you are strong-headed and strong-willed. -As you are of all my children the quickest to learn, so are you the -least obedient and steady, the most impatient and impetuous. Your -mother prayed for you daily. Will you remember her counsels, lad?" - -To the yearning voice Conrad could make no answer. Arm in arm father -and son stood for a long time. Then, when the moon had sunk behind the -little church, Conrad felt himself led away. - -"Now, my son," admonished John Conrad, "weep no more, but set your face -forward." - - - - -II - -DOWN THE RIVER - - -The night of the twenty-third of June is a short night at best. When -one robs its beginning of four or five hours, there is little darkness -left. Bidding his son go to bed, John Conrad spent the night in -vigil. In spite of his reminder that this was not a time for grief, -he went again to the little church. From thence he climbed through -the ruined vineyards to the pastures on the hill where his father and -his grandfather had pastured their sheep and cattle. There he stood -long and looked about him, his mind traveling back to the happiness of -their peaceful lives, spent in sturdy labor and sweetened by the honor -which they had had among their fellows. Here were the roots of his own -life, deep in the soil--would God that he could stay where he had been -born! He was no longer young, responsibility and adversity had made him -old. Those rosy stories of the new land--might they not be as other -travelers' tales, concealing a reality worse than this fearful present -of hunger and fear? Five hundred miles of river, three thousand miles -of sea, and then an unsettled country! The same shapes of fear which -had fascinated and disturbed young Conrad seemed now to await his -father behind every tree and bush. - -Suddenly John Conrad heard a soft sound on the summer wind. George -Reimer, as restless as himself, was somewhere about with his dear -flute. John Conrad bent his ear to the direction from which the sound -came. It was a German hymn, "A Mighty Stronghold is Our God." John -Conrad lifted his head and with it his heart. George Reimer would be -with them and George Reimer's flute. Returning to his house, John -Conrad lay down for a little sleep before dawn. - -But George Reimer did not go to the new country. Upon the indescribable -confusion of the Weiser house the next morning, he came smiling. - -Into sheets and coverlets the Weisers had tied all their movable -possessions, the various articles making curious knobs and projections -on the great bundles. The family spinning-wheel must go--surely no -article was more necessary! This Conrad was to carry on his back. The -few cooking-pots which remained--these must be taken, though all else -were left behind. Wardrobes were small, sheets were few, pillows did -not exist. The feather beds could not be carried--these were given to -the neighbors. - -About hovered all Gross Anspach. Each person had brought a little -gift, a tiny trinket saved from the pillaging of the hamlet, a little -bouquet of the few garden flowers which had survived the cruel winter, -a loaf of bread or a package of dried beans for soup. Catrina, a baby -on each arm, wept loudly. Each baby had to be embraced many times by -its departing relatives and each departing relative had to be embraced -by all the village. Under foot, six tiny kittens risked their lives. -Old Redebach, tottering feebly about, quoted warning passages of -Scripture:-- - -"_As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth -from his place._" - -On the doorstep sat Wolf, his solemn eyes watching the scene in -amazement. Everywhere was confusion, everywhere was noise. - -For a few moments George Reimer watched quietly. - -"Neighbors!" cried he. "If you cannot help these friends, stand back! -Here, Conrad, I will tie that bundle. Here, John Frederick, I am to -be your horse as far as the river; see that you behave, or I will run -away. Sabina, I will keep your kittens if I have to catch the mice for -them myself." - -With one accord the Weisers turned upon him. - -"You are going with us, surely!" - -"Only to the river." His eyes sought those of John Conrad. "I cannot -go farther. My little sisters are too young, my father too feeble, my -mother is sick--I can neither take them nor leave them alone." - -"God will reward you," said John Conrad. "But it is a sore loss to us." - -In the end no one went beyond the river. From weeping Gross Anspach the -Weisers and a dozen accompanying friends separated themselves at seven -o'clock, the Weisers carrying nothing, the burdens on the shoulders -of their neighbors. At the heels of the procession walked Wolf. At -the summit of the first hill all looked back, save Conrad. The little -village lay smiling in the sun; to the pilgrims it seemed like Heaven. - -"I cannot go," cried Magdalena. - -"Oh, father, let us stay," begged Margareta. - -Before John Conrad could answer, a cheerful sound restored the courage -of the pilgrims and George Reimer's gay "Susy, dear Susy" set their -feet moving. - -At the village of Oberdorf there was a halt, while greetings were -exchanged, explanations made, and messages written down for friends -already in America. Among those to whom greetings were sent was the -magistrate who must be by this time safely across the sea. - -Here the Gross Anspachers, except the schoolmaster, turned back and the -Weisers shouldered their own bundles. It became clear now that there -were more bundles than persons and the fact occasioned much laughter -and readjustment. - -At night the Weisers slept by the wayside. The fare on the boat would -draw a large sum from John Conrad's store and not a penny could be -spent for lodging. Lulled by Reimer's flute, they slept comfortably, -and, roused by the same music, were off soon after daylight. - -At the river came the most difficult of partings. Here George Reimer -played a last lullaby and a final reveillé. A river boat, the Elspeth, -had anchored near by for the night and upon it the family took passage. -The goods were carried aboard and piled in the center of the deck and -John Conrad and his eight children followed. At once came a protest -from the captain. Old Wolf could not go, and Conrad was commanded to -lead him from the boat. Conrad forgot that he was thirteen years old, -forgot that he was the man of the family next to his father, forgot his -boasted superiority to Margareta and Magdalena and the rest, and threw -his arms round the old dog's neck. - -"I cannot leave you! I cannot leave you!" - -Then he felt himself lifted up and put aboard the gangplank. - -"There, Conrad, there! I will take care of him. I have given your -father something for you. Show yourself brave, dear lad!" - -Stumbling, Conrad boarded the boat. He saw the schoolmaster wave his -hand, he saw the green shores slip away, he heard his father's voice. - -"Your teacher gave me this for you, Conrad." - -"Oh, father!" cried Conrad. - -In his hand lay the schoolmaster's flute. - -"He said you were to practice diligently and to remember him." - -The message made Conrad weep the more. He threw himself down on the -pile of household goods and hid his face. - -When he looked up his father sat beside him. In his hand were two -books. He looked at his son anxiously. - -"Conrad, we are going among strange people. The first are the -Hollanders, with whom we can make ourselves understood. But of English -we know nothing. Now we will learn as well as we can, I and you. The -schoolmaster gave me an English Bible, in it we will study daily, -comparing it with our own." - -"What will we do about the language of the savages?" asked Conrad, -drying his tears. "How will we make ourselves understood by them?" - -"There will be time enough for that. It is probable that they compel -them to learn English. The savages are a long way off." - -For a few days John Conrad and his son studied diligently. There was -little else to do in the long hours which glided as quietly by as the -stream. The country about them was unbroken and flat; here there went -on a simple life like their own. Everywhere were to be seen in the -brown fields and the dead vineyards the ravages of the fearful winter. - -In return for a little help about the boat, the helmsman, who had -served on English ships, did his best to interpret the hardest words -for the students. To the surly captain they dared not speak. Once the -price for the journey was paid into his hand, he seemed to resent even -the sight of his passengers. Frequently he was not sober, and then the -helmsman helped the Weisers to keep out of his way. Unlike the rest -of his race, he could not endure the sound of music and Conrad and his -flute were objects of special dislike. More than once he threatened to -throw both into the river. - -When the boat stopped at the city of Speyer for a day and night, -studying and flute-practicing stopped entirely and, urged by the -friendly helmsman, the Weisers went on shore. Now for the first time -the children saw a large town; with eager expectation they stepped on -the wharf. But here, too, was ruin and desolation. The great buildings, -burned by the enemy who had devastated their own village, had not been -restored; the cathedral which towered above the ruins was itself but a -hollow shell. When they reached the next large town of Mannheim, they -did not leave the boat. With increasing longing they looked forward -across the ocean to the Paradise where the enemy had not been. - -Daily they were joined by other pilgrims who like themselves looked -forward with aching eyes to the distant country. The newcomers had -each his own story of persecution and famine, of cold and misery. With -them John Conrad talked, gathering from them all the information which -they had about the new country, comforting them as best he could, and -reading to them from Conrad's little book. To the directions they -listened earnestly, hearing over and over again that they must be -patient, quick to hear and slow to speak, that they must be diligent -and thrifty. About the dangers of the sea they talked a great deal and -were relieved to hear that a journey on an inland river was valuable as -preparation for a journey on the ocean. The little book advised also -that those who were about to take a journey by sea should practice on a -swing. - -Each day the captain was less and less able to navigate the ship. -Finally the helmsman took command, and while the captain lay in a -stupor, Conrad continued the forbidden flute-playing. Growing careless, -he was caught, and the captain, who could reach neither Conrad nor the -flute, kicked the family spinning-wheel into the river. The loss was -serious and it taught a bitter lesson. - -It was the twenty-fourth of June when the travelers left Gross Anspach; -a month later they were still far from the mouth of the river. Each -day passengers clamored on the banks, each day the number of ships in -the river increased, slow packet boats which did not go above Cologne -or Mainz, and faster boats which passed the heavily laden Elspeth -like birds. The river left the broad meadows for a narrow gorge with -precipitous banks upon which stood imposing castles. At sight of the -castles the children were overcome with awe. - -"There is Bingen, and its mouse tower, children," said John Conrad. - -"Not where the bishop was eaten!" cried Sabina. - -"Yes; and about here the treasure of the Niebelungen is buried." - -"If we could only find it!" sighed Conrad. - -"And there"--the helmsman pointed to ruined walls upon the cliff -side--"there a brave trumpeter defended his master's life. While his -master and others escaped, he blew bravely upon the walls to frighten -the enemy, and when they entered, there was no one left to kill but -him." - -The watching of Barbara and John Frederick in their trotting about the -crowded ship grew to be more and more of a task. The first person who -was pushed overboard was made much of, and the man who rescued him was -considered a hero. When many had fallen overboard and had been rescued -the passengers scarcely turned their heads. - -As day after day passed and August drew near its close, John Conrad -became more and more anxious. - -"It is time we were sailing from England," said he uneasily to Conrad. -"The journey has taken long, food has been higher than I thought, and -we have had to pay tariff a dozen times." - -Again and again he took from his pocket the letter of the magistrate of -Oberdorf. Of the chief of his fears he said nothing to Conrad. The good -Queen of England had offered transportation to the distressed Germans; -but had she realized, had any one anticipated that so vast a throng -would take her at her word? The river captains told of weeks and weeks -of such crowding of the lower river. Would there be ships enough to -carry them all to the New World? Would the Queen provide for them until -they could sail? - -Presently rumors of trouble increased John Conrad's fears. A passing -boat declared that the Germans were forbidden to enter Rotterdam, the -lowland city at which they would have to take ship for England. The -congestion had become serious. The citizens of Rotterdam announced that -their patience and their resources were exhausted; the Germans could no -longer wait there for English boats; they must return whence they had -come. - -At this announcement there was a loud outcry. Like the Weisers, the -other pilgrims had sold or had given away everything except the -property they carried with them; if they returned now, it would be to -greater misery than that which they had left. Go on they must. John -Conrad reminded them of the Lord in whom they trusted. The Queen had -promised and England was rich in resources. The Queen's charity was -not entirely disinterested; she expected the Germans to people her new -colonies. Nor did John Conrad believe that the Hollanders would see -them starve on the way to England. But even as he argued with himself, -his heart misgave him. He had seen persons starve, he had seen men and -women and children struck down by the swords of brutal soldiers. There -was nothing in the world, he believed, too terrible for heartless men -to do. - -As they drew nearer to Rotterdam, the anxiety of the helmsman was plain -to be seen. - -"I pay no attention to what passers-by say," he told John Conrad. "But -if you see any long, narrow boats, with the flag of Holland flying, -then it will be time to be frightened. They will have the power to make -us turn back." - -Each hour the rate of travel became slower and slower. There was -now no current whatever, and for many days the wind did not blow. -Finally, when, at nightfall, the Elspeth came into the harbor, John -Conrad breathed a deep sigh of relief. In the morning the travelers saw -next them at the wharf one of the long boats which the helmsman had -described, and heard that it was to start in an hour to warn all the -pilgrims to return to their homes. - -The passengers of the Elspeth were not allowed to enter the city, but -were bidden to wait on the wharf for English ships. Here their quarters -were almost as restricted as they had been on shipboard. In prompt -contradiction of the statement that their patience and their supplies -were exhausted, the kind Hollanders brought food to the guests who had -thrust themselves upon them. - -Now the helmsman came to bid his friends good-bye. John Conrad gave him -many blessings and the children cried bitterly and embraced him. - -"If he were only going with us, what fine times we should have on the -sea!" said Conrad. - -"He seems like our last friend," mourned Margareta. "Everything before -us is strange." - -"We thought George Reimer was our last friend," said John Conrad. -"Perhaps we shall find other friends as good." - -For four days, the Germans watched for a ship. When at last two English -vessels came into the harbor and they were taken aboard, the Weisers -had little food and less money. When John Conrad heard that no passage -was to be charged, he breathed another sigh of relief. - -"The good Queen will keep her promises," said he to his children. "The -worst of our troubles are over." - -But within an hour it seemed that the worst of their troubles had only -begun. The channel crossing was rough. From their fellow travelers -there was rising already a cry, which was to grow louder and louder -as the weeks and months went by--"Would that we had suffered those -miseries which we knew rather than tempt those which we did not know!" - -When the ship entered the smooth waters of the Thames River, the -Germans began to smile once more. About them were green fields. They -saw pleasant villages and broad stretches of cultivated land and deer -browsing under mighty trees. - -"If we might only stay here!" they sighed. - -John Conrad shook his head. - -"Here we should not find rest." - -Once more the Germans disembarked, wondering whether their stay on -shore would be long enough for a closer view of the fine churches and -palaces of London. Of so large a city as this even John Conrad had -never dreamed. - -"Shall we see the Queen?" asked Sabina in a whisper of her father. - -John Conrad smiled. - -"We might see her riding in her chariot." - -Then John Conrad grew sober. As they stood crowded together upon the -quay some young lads shouted at them roughly. The ears which expected -only kindness were shocked. - -"They say we are taking the bread from their mouths," repeated Conrad. -"They call us 'rascally' Germans." - -"There are rude folk everywhere," said John Conrad. - -He directed the children to take their bundles and follow a man who -seemed to have authority to conduct them to some place in which they -were to spend the night. - -The way thither proved to be long. Again and again it was necessary to -stop to rest or to give time for the short legs of the little children -to catch up. Again and again the heavy burdens were shifted about. They -traveled into the open country--a strange stopping place for those who -were so soon to continue their journey! They passed many men and women -who looked at them curiously. Presently they heard their own German -speech. - -"We will have to wait awhile, probably, for ships," said John Conrad to -his son. "Of course we could not expect to go on at once. We--" - -John Conrad stopped short and let his bundle slip to the ground. They -had come out upon a great space, which a few months before had been an -open heath. Now, as far as the eye could reach, stretched long lines -of tents. It was no temporary lodging, for here and there small frame -store buildings had been erected and there were long-used, dusty paths -between the tents. Men and women and children were going about, meals -were being prepared, there was everywhere the sound of voices. John -Conrad stood still in amazement. - -"What is this?" he asked. - -A single sharp voice answered from the doorway of a sutler's shop. - -"We are Germans, lured hither by promise of passage to America. Here we -wait. Here we have waited for months. Have you come, oh, fool, to wait -also?" - -It was not the rudeness of the answer which startled John Conrad, -nor the discouraging news which it announced, but the voice of the -speaker. For the speaker was none other than his friend the magistrate -of Oberdorf, supposed to be by now upon the high seas or in the new -country. - - - - -III - -BLACKHEATH - - -For a long moment Heinrich Albrecht, the magistrate of Oberdorf, and -John Conrad Weiser, his friend, looked at each other. John Conrad was -the first to speak, in a voice trembling with amazement and alarm. - -"Have you returned, Heinrich?" - -The magistrate burst into a loud laugh. He was a tall, thin man, of a -type to whom inaction is misery. - -"I have not been away. Here"--he waved his hand with a wide motion over -Blackheath--"here we lie, idle pensioners. Here we have been since -May, ever encouraged, ever deluded. Here idleness and evil customs are -corrupting our youth. Here we are dying." - -Now the full meaning of the crowded Rhine and the warning of the -Hollanders burst upon John Conrad. He looked at his children, at the -young girls, at the little boys, and finally at plump, smiling John -Frederick. He thrust his hand into his almost empty pocket, thinking -of the long journey back to Gross Anspach for which he had no money. -He thought of his high hopes of liberty and peace and independence. He -covered his face with his hands so that his children might not see his -tears. - -"I am here, father!" cried Conrad. "I am strong! I can work!" - -"They feed us," conceded the magistrate of Oberdorf. "And they have -given us some clothing and these tents. But cold weather will come and -we shall die." - -"Cold weather! We should be in the new country by cold weather! You -yourself wrote that you were about to sail, that you would sail on the -next day. There!" John Conrad drew from his bosom the tattered letter. -"I have stayed my soul upon it! I have set out on this journey upon -faith in it!" - -"I thought we should start. I was certain we should start. They say -there are no ships. They have begun to send some of us to Ireland." - -John Conrad shook his head. - -"This whole land is sick. Across the ocean only there is peace." - -"I can get a tent for you beside mine," offered Albrecht. "I have a -little influence with those in authority." - -Once more the Weisers shouldered their bundles. They crossed the wide -camp, greeted pleasantly here and there, but for the most part stared -at silently and contemptuously. Finally the magistrate acknowledged -grudgingly that the English people had been liberal and kind. - -"But they are growing tired. The common people say we are taking the -bread from their mouths." - -The farther the Weisers proceeded through the city of tents, the more -astonished they became. - -"The poor Germans have washed like the waves of the sea upon these -shores," said Albrecht. - -John Conrad shook his head in answer, having no more words with which -to express his astonishment. - -The Weisers made themselves as comfortable as possible in the tent -assigned them. They unpacked the bundles which they had expected to -unpack only in the new country, they received a portion of the generous -supply of food which was given out each morning and evening, and -then, like the thousands of their fellow countrymen, they waited, now -hopefully, now almost in despair, for some change in their condition. - -But no sign of change appeared. Day after day John Conrad and the -magistrate and the friends whom they made among the more intelligent -and thoughtful of the pilgrims met and talked and looked toward the -Blackheath Road for some messenger from the Queen. The young people -made acquaintance; the children played games and ran races up and down -the streets of the city of tents. Sometimes Conrad listened to his -elders and sometimes he played his flute for the children. - -Suddenly the weather changed. The outdoor life which had been pleasant -became more and more difficult to bear. The nights grew cold; the -Germans shivered in their poor clothes. Now, also, another and a more -serious danger threatened them. - -The cooking was done over open fires, and the Weisers went daily into -a forest a few miles away to gather sticks for their contribution to -the one nearest to them. One day a young Englishman, with an evil face, -spoke roughly to Margareta, who cowered back. He went nearer to her and -she screamed in terror. For an instant Conrad watched stupidly, then, -suddenly, his heart seemed to expand. He was, as his father had said, -strong-headed and strong-willed. - -"Let her be!" he shouted. - -The stranger laughed, and approached nearer still. They could not -understand what he said, nor did he have opportunity to continue what -he had begun to say. Before his hand touched the arm of Margareta, he -found himself upon the ground. Conrad was not tall, but he had strong -muscles; now from his safe position on the chest of the enemy he was -able to dictate terms of peace. - -"You get up and run as fast as you can down the road," he shouted. -"George Frederick, give me that big stick." - -Fortunately the Englishman had no friends at hand. He looked about -wildly, first at the Weisers, then toward the camp, and promptly did as -he was bid. As he went, he shouted a threat. - -"Your whole camp is to be wiped out," he yelled from a safe distance. -"Wait and you will see!" - -The hearts of the Germans, growing daily more alarmed, were no more -disturbed, meanwhile, than were the hearts of Queen Anne and her -ministers. While the unexpected thousands lay upon Blackheath, minister -consulted with minister, boards of trade met to discuss plans and to -give them up, and to discuss other plans and to adjourn and to meet -again. It was true that Queen Anne desired to settle her colony of New -York, true that the news of her desire had been spread abroad. But she -had not anticipated this great migration, like the locusts of Egypt for -numbers! Ships were lacking to transport them; suitable asylums were -lacking and the Germans themselves, fleeing like helpless children, -were not able to take care of themselves. - -Scores of wise and foolish suggestions were offered. The Germans were -to be sent to distant parishes, together with a bounty for each one. -But the parishes did not welcome them; those who were sent returned, -poorer, weaker, more helpless than before. There were hundreds of good -workmen among them, but even the English workman could scarcely earn -his bread. Let them go to Ireland, let them go to Wales, let them -return to Germany. - -And still, while the English talked, the Germans came. Finally, Her -Majesty's Council, meeting almost daily, reached a conclusion and -orders were given for the assembling of ships. Action was hastened by -an extraordinary incident in which Conrad and his father had a part. - -The heavy frosts had begun and there was not an hour when the Germans -did not ache with the cold. The quantity of food had become smaller, -the quality poorer than at first. But worse than cold or hunger was the -danger from the rising resentment of the Londoners, who demanded that -this great mass of foreigners be removed. - -Conrad, left to himself, with little to do, roamed about the city, -staring at its marvels, at strange London Bridge, crowded with shops -and houses which hung over the water, at mighty Saint Paul's Cathedral, -lifting its round dome, still beautifully white and clean, far above -the gabled city roofs, at the other new churches built since the great -fire, and at the soaring monument which commemorated the fire. He even -looked with awe and horror at the sad and terrible spot where had been -buried, in a deep pit, the victims of the great plague. - -Conrad's journeys were not always comfortable. English lads taunted -him, gayly dressed young men ordered him out of their path, the bearers -of sedan chairs thrust him rudely against the house walls. But still he -walked about, watching and listening. - -Presently he heard terrifying threats. The Londoners determined to -wait no longer to wreak their vengeance upon Blackheath. Conrad hurried -down the long road to make report to his father. - -"They mean to attack us with knives, father. They declare they will -have no mercy upon us!" - -"They would not dare," answered John Conrad. "We are under the -protection of the Queen." - -Nevertheless, John Conrad called together his friends, and together -they drew up a humble petition, praying that the English people -continue to look kindly upon them and to bestow bounty upon them. - -But the petition availed nothing. That very night, Conrad, lying in -his corner of the tent near the edge of the camp, heard the sound of -rough voices and heavy steps. Springing up, he looked out the door. On -the heath a large company had gathered, carrying knives and sickles -which gleamed in the moonlight. With a shout Conrad roused his family, -whose cries in turn roused the sleepers in the neighboring tents. The -attacking party was defeated, not so much by the resistance of the -Germans, few of whom had arms, as by a warning that the soldiers were -coming from London. The Germans were not seriously hurt, but the event -was ominous. - -Still the days grew shorter, and the dark nights longer, and the air -colder. Hundreds gathered round the fires, and among them John Conrad -counseled further patience and continued courage. Frequently he read -to them from Conrad's little book, at whose directions for life on the -ocean and in the new land there were now bitter smiles and long sighs. -They had ceased to think of the new country with its rich soil, its -mild climate, and its strange, interesting aborigines, except to envy -the Indian his indifference to the comforts of civilization. - -Upon the day of the first snow, Conrad went early into the city. He had -earned a penny a few days before by carrying some bales from a ship to -a warehouse, and he hoped to earn more. - -Until noon he walked about the streets. Again and again he was cursed -and threatened. The Londoners had not finished with the Germans in -spite of their temporary defeat. At noon he ate the piece of black -bread which he had put into his pocket, and then went into a cold -church to rest. Presently he fell asleep, and when he woke late in the -afternoon the church was almost dark. He was miles away from Blackheath -and he must set out promptly or the dangers of the way would be -doubled. The week before he had been caught in a fog and had spent the -night inside a garden gate on the ground. - -Leaving the church, he hurried on as fast as he could. It seemed to him -that another fog was rapidly gathering over the city. His long walks -and the insufficient food had made him weak, but it was better to start -on the homeward journey than to linger. He might fall into evil hands -and never see his father or brothers or sisters again. The words of old -Redebach in far-away Gross Anspach came back to him as he stepped out -from the church door into an open square,--"_As a bird that wandereth -from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place._" Perhaps -old Redebach was right! - -In the square, sedan chairs moved about, link boys waved their torches -and shouted, rough men jostled him. Presently his tears gathered and -began to fall. He lowered his head and plodded on down the street, -little dreaming that before him waited one of the strangest encounters, -not only in his life, but in the strange history of the world. - -Too tired and despairing to remember that traveling with bent head is -unsafe, struggling to keep back his tears, he ceased suddenly to feel -anything. He came full force against one of the new lamp-posts recently -set up, and was thrown backwards. - -When he came to himself, he heard but one sound, that of cruel -laughter. The amusement of the onlookers was the last drop in poor -Conrad's cup of grief. As he staggered to his feet, he said to himself -that he wished that the lamp-post had brought him to that death which -was approaching for him and his fellow countrymen. - -When the dizziness following his fall had passed and he was ready to -start on once more, he observed that the steps of the passers-by were -unusually hurried and that all led in the same direction. He looked -back to see the object toward which they were hastening. At the sight -which met his eyes he gave a startled cry. He was dreaming or he had -gone mad. - -This was England and London, this was the heart of the largest city -in the world. America, the longed-for, with its great forests and its -mighty hunters, lay far across the sea three thousand miles away. -But through the London fog, surrounded by a great crowd above whom -they towered, there came toward Conrad four giant creatures, with -bronze-colored skins, with deer-hide shoes, with headdresses of waving -feathers, and with scarlet blankets. Conrad rubbed his eyes; he looked -again. They came nearer and nearer, they seemed more and more majestic -and terrible. - -Then, suddenly, they vanished, as though the earth had swallowed -them. They could not have entered a house since there were no -dwelling-houses here, and the shops were closed. Risking a rebuff as -cruel as that from the lamp-post, Conrad grasped the arm of the man -nearest him and poured out a dozen excited questions. - -"These are Indians from the wilds of America," answered the stranger. - -"Why are they here? What does it mean? Could I speak to them? Where did -they go?" - -The stranger's patience was soon exhausted. After he had explained that -the savages had gone into the theater, he left Conrad to address his -questions to the empty air. - -For a moment Conrad stared at the spot from which the Indians had -vanished. If he only had money to pay his way into the theater also! -But he was penniless. The next best thing was to tell his father, as -soon as possible, of this incredible experience. Running heavily, he -crossed London Bridge and started out upon the Blackheath Road, saying -over and over to himself, "The Indians are here! The Indians are here!" - -So tired was he and so much confused by the strange sight which he had -seen that it was many hours before he reached his father's tent. He -imagined that the long journey had been made and that he was already in -the forests of the new country. At last an acquaintance, meeting him at -the edge of the camp, led him to John Conrad. - -"Here is your boy. He was about to walk straight into a fire." - -Fed and warmed, Conrad could only repeat over and over the magic -words, "The Indians are here!" His father thought he was delirious; -the children cried. For a long time after he had fallen into the heavy -sleep of exhaustion, his sisters watched him. - -At dawn, when he woke, he found himself stiff and sore and -inexpressibly tired. But his head was clear, and slowly the events -of the day before came back to him. The Indians were real; to-day he -would find them. If they had come from America there would be a way to -return. He would beg them on his knees to take him and his family with -them. Perhaps they had come in their own ships. - -Slipping from between his sleeping brothers, he lifted the flap of the -tent and stepped out into the cold morning air. He could not wait for -the family to rise; he would take his share of black bread and be gone. - -Then, again, Conrad cried out. Last night he had beheld the strangers -through the medium of a thickening mist and with eyes confused by his -fall. Now he saw them clearly in the bright morning light, here upon -Blackheath before his father's tent! The eagle feathers waved above -their heads; their scarlet mantles wrapped them round; they stole -quietly about on moccasined feet. - -For a long moment the Indians looked at Conrad and Conrad looked -back at them. It was as though they measured one another through an -eternity, the tall savages from across three thousand miles of sea and -the little lad from Gross Anspach. The lad's heart throbbed with awe -and wonder. What the savages thought it was difficult to say. They -made to one another strange guttural sounds which evidently served for -speech. It seemed to Conrad that they were about to turn away. It was -as though a heavenly visitor had descended only to depart. Conrad ran -forward and grasped the hand of one of the mighty creatures. - -"Oh, take us with you, father and Margareta and Magdalena and the -others and me! Take us with you! We will work and we will learn to -hunt. There is no home for us here. We suffer and die. We--" - -There was a commotion at the tent door and Conrad looked round. In the -doorway stood John Conrad, blinking, incredulous. - -"I saw them last night, father. I have asked them to take us with -them." Conrad began to make gestures. "Us, with you, far away to the -west!" It was a request easy to make clear. - -Again the savages uttered their strange guttural speech. They, in turn, -made motions to John Conrad and his son, that they should come with -them. Not for an instant did John Conrad hesitate. Upon this miraculous -encounter important things might depend. - -"Conrad," he began, "while I am gone--" - -"Oh, father, take me with you! I beg, take me with you!" - -"Run and find Albrecht then, my son, and ask him to look after the -children." - -Conrad was gone like the wind. Now the Weiser children and the -neighbors were staring with terrified eyes at the red men. They gave -a little scream when John Frederick toddled forward and fell over the -foot of one of the Indians and then held their breaths while he was -lifted high in the strong arms. John Conrad offered some of his small -supply of black bread and his strange guests grunted their pleased -acceptance. Then John Conrad and his son set out with the Indians to -make the rounds of the camp. - -What the savages thought of the assemblage of misery it was hard to -say. They walked briskly so that the two Weisers could scarcely keep -up with them; they pointed now to a sick child, now to some adult who -showed more clearly than the others the effects of cold and anxiety and -hunger. Often they motioned toward the west, a gesture which it seemed -to Conrad had a heavenly significance. - -When the circuit of the camp was complete, they made it plain to the -Weisers that they expected them to follow to the city, and father and -son, looking their vague hopes into one another's eyes, obeyed eagerly. - -Along the Blackheath Road they went, through Southwark and across -London Bridge--how many times had Conrad traveled the road in despair! -Presently, when, after they had crossed the Thames and were in the -city, a man would have jostled Conrad from his place beside the leader, -the Indian cried out fiercely, and the stranger dropped quickly back -into the long queue of men and boys who had gathered. Now the Indians -motioned to Conrad that he should walk behind the leader and his father -behind him. Thus strangely escorted, the two Germans went through the -streets. Conrad saw in the eyes of the boys whom they passed a look of -envy. The course of fate had changed! - -A few times John Conrad spoke to his son. - -"Are you afraid?" - -"Not I." - -"Pray God that this strange way may lead to the new land." - -"I will, father." - -With heads erect the chiefs went on as though they trod the leafy paths -of their own forests. Presently they came out upon the river-bank once -more, traveled upon it for a short distance, then turned aside. The -crowd about them had changed its character. Here were fine gentlemen -and ladies on foot and in richly decked sedan chairs. A gentleman -came forward with a sharp exclamation and pointed questioningly -at the Weisers. One of the Indians answered by gestures and a few -incomprehensible words, and the gentleman looked as though he were -considering some strange thing. When the Indians walked on without -waiting for his answer, Conrad began to be frightened. - -"Where will they take us, father?" - -John Conrad's voice trembled. - -"They are taking us into the Queen's palace," said he. - - - - -IV - -A ROYAL AUDIENCE - - -At the door of St. James's Palace all but a few of the throng which -followed the Indian chiefs and the Weisers were denied entrance. -The finely dressed gentleman who had spoken to the Indians, and who -evidently knew their own language, was allowed to pass under the stone -archway and into the court and thence into the palace itself. The -Indians still led the way, traveling quietly along through intricate -passages and tapestry-hung halls. Courtiers passed them with curious -stares. - -Still they kept the two Weisers behind the leader. Presently they -halted in a room where there was a fire blazing on the hearth and where -fine ladies laughed and talked. On the opposite side from the entrance -a thick curtain hung over a doorway. The leading chief walked directly -toward it and there paused, the procession behind him coming to a -stop. A little lady sitting by the fire accepted a challenge from her -companions to salute the strangers, and came across the floor, her high -heels tapping as she walked. - -"O great King of Rivers," said she to the foremost Indian, "who are -these your companions?" - -The Indian's answer was interpreted by the gayly dressed gentleman who -understood his tongue. - -"The King of Rivers says that these are his friends." - -"Thank you, Colonel Schuyler. Tell the King of Rivers that his friends -need a red blanket like his own and--" - -What else they needed Conrad and his father were not to hear. The -curtain before them was lifted, and from the other side a high, clear -voice announced,-- - -"The chiefs of the Mohawk Nation!" - -Moving as in a dream, their eyes dazzled and their hearts confused, -the two Weisers went on. They found themselves now in a still more -magnificent room. At its far end there was a group of gentlemen -surrounding a lady who sat in a throne-like chair. She was grave of -aspect and there was upon her face the indelible impression of grief. -On her white hands and her neck were sparkling jewels. The gentlemen -about her were wigged and powdered, and wore in their long sleeves -white lace ruffles which almost hid their hands. - -So astonished and confused was Conrad that his father had to command -him twice to make obeisance. - -"To your knees, boy! To your knees, Conrad! It is the Queen!" - -The Indians did not bend, but stood with arms folded under their -scarlet blankets, in their dark, shining eyes a look of friendly regard -for the little lady who was a ruler like themselves. The Queen looked -at the two Germans with curious but kindly astonishment. Neither John -Conrad nor his son was in court array, though the needles of Margareta -and Magdalena kept them fairly neat and whole. - -"Good Peter," said Queen Anne, "who are these?" - -The stranger who had interpreted for the Indians rose from his knees. - -"They are Germans from the camp on Blackheath, dear madam. Your friends -of the Mohawk Nation went early this morning to visit that great -settlement and have brought with them from there these folk, father -and son, to their appointment with the Queen. From this intention they -could not be stayed, but insist that they have a communication of -importance to make concerning these strangers." - -The Queen looked smilingly at her Indian friends and then at the two -Germans. - -"The condition of those helpless people is on our minds. Let our -friends of the Mohawk Nation speak." - -Surely the audience room had never heard a stranger sound than that -which now filled it! The tallest of the chiefs responded, speaking at -length, with many sweeping gestures. Conrad strained his ears--oh, -how longingly!--but could understand nothing. The chief seemed to be -speaking of some spot far away and also of the two Germans. One word -Conrad heard, he was certain, again and again, but he could not retain -its strange sound. - -When the Indian had finished, Colonel Schuyler began to translate his -words, imitating also his motions toward the west and his pointing to -the Weisers. - -"Your friend the King of Rivers has this to say, O Queen. He and his -companions of the Mohawk Nation have walked about to see the city -where so many hundreds of people live in so small a space. Far to the -south they have visited also the settlement of misery known as the -German camp. The distress of these people is terrible to them. It is -a dreadful thing to them that men should be so crowded together when -there is so much space in the world, so much land for planting corn and -so many wide forests for hunting. The King of Rivers recalls to you the -object of his long and perilous journey across the ocean in an unsteady -ship. He reminds you that he seeks for himself and his allied nations -protection against the growing power of his enemies, both Indian and -French. - -"Now he would offer for these poor Germans his country of -Schoharie"--there was the word which Conrad had heard again and -again!--"where there are fine streams for fishing and much land for -planting and hunting. There, when there is no war, men and women are -happiest of all the places on the earth. His people are faithful -people, keeping their word, and aiding and protecting unto death those -in whom they can trust. If you will send these afflicted people to -Schoharie, then together the Indians and the Germans can keep the peace -with the western Indians, and the French will not dare to attack them." - -The Indians nodded their heads solemnly as Colonel Schuyler finished. -They had entire confidence in him and trusted him to repeat their words -exactly. - -The Queen looked at the two humble figures before her. Their blue eyes -met hers with a great longing. - -"Speak!" said she. - -John Conrad took a step forward. His English was broken, but none the -less eloquent. - -"Oh, Madam, all they say of our misery is true. We are indeed desolate -and afflicted. We have been harried by the sword; we have perished by -cold and starvation. Your enemies the French are our enemies. At the -hands of our own princes we have perished for conscience' sake. We are -of your faith, O Queen!--those of us that are left. The good God in -heaven does not send his creatures into the world to be thus destroyed. -We seek not idleness and repose for our bodies, but labor for our -bodies and repose for our souls. We long as the hart pants after water -brooks for this new country. You have brought us thus far out of our -wilderness; send us now into this new land where there is peace! We -have nothing, nothing. We cannot pay except by our labor in a new -country. We ask bounty as we ask the bounty of Heaven, because we are -helpless. You have already marvelously befriended us. But for you we -should not be living at this day." - -The Queen turned to the gentleman who sat nearest to her. - -"He speaks well, my lord." - -"He speaks from the soul, Madam." - -Now the Queen conversed rapidly and in a low tone with Peter -Schuyler--too rapidly for the Weisers to understand. She mentioned one -Hunter of whom they knew nothing, and they waited uneasily, afraid that -their audience was at an end and that nothing had been accomplished. -When the doorkeeper came forward and led them away, leaving their -Indian friends behind, their hearts sank. They made obeisance to the -Queen and went slowly toward the door, not daring to speak. Then they -saw that Colonel Schuyler followed them. - -"This day one week at this hour the Queen will see you again. Can you -find your way thither?" - -"Oh, yes, my lord!" answered John Conrad. - -Outside the two met again curious glances, heard again amused comment. -But they regarded neither, scarcely indeed saw the smiles or heard the -laughter. Hope had once more taken up an abode in their weary hearts. - -Daily in the week which followed, Conrad made his way from Blackheath -to St. James's Palace, where he gazed at the stone archway and then -wandered farther hoping to see again the Indians. To the other -Germans the Weisers said nothing of their hopes. The Indians had led -them into the city and had there held conversation with them through -an interpreter,--beyond that fact they did not go. Their fellow -countrymen had been too often cruelly disappointed; until the blessed -possibilities of which the Weisers dreamed had become certainties, they -would say nothing. - -Yet hope in their own hearts rose higher and higher. Once more Conrad -read his little book, finding in his new acquaintances proof of all -that was said in praise of the Indian and contradiction of all that was -said in his disparagement. The word "Schoharie" he wrote down and said -over and over in his waking hours and in his dreams at night. - -He had formed a friendship with a lad of his own age, Peter Zenger by -name, who, with his ailing father, had suffered as the Weisers had -suffered and who had a similar longing for the new land. From Peter -during this week he held aloof, determined to tell his secret to no one. - -Conrad thought a great deal of his father and of the attentive way -in which the Queen and her court had listened to him. His father was -poor and he had miserable clothes, yet he had not trembled. Of all the -Germans no one, not even the magistrate of Oberdorf, who was so certain -of his own powers, could have done so well. - -On the morning of the appointment John Conrad and his son waited for an -hour outside the palace gateway. The unkindly feeling of the populace -toward the Germans had increased rather than diminished, and as they -walked up and down many persons spoke roughly to them. But again, -wrapped in their own anxious thoughts, they heard with indifference. - -Again the Queen sat in the throne-like chair with her gentlemen about -her, the same gentlemen so far as Conrad could see, except one who -now sat nearest to the Queen and to whom she was speaking when they -entered. They looked in vain for their friends of the Mohawk Nation. - -The Queen bade the Weisers sit side by side on a cushioned bench before -her while she continued her conversation with the newcomer whom she -called Hunter. Then she bade John Conrad tell again the story of his -misfortunes and she listened attentively, her eyes fastened upon him. - -John Conrad spoke eloquently, though brokenly, once more, and omitted -nothing. When in the midst of his account of persecution and misery, -one of the fine gentlemen would have stopped him, the Queen bade the -story go on. - -"It is good for us to hear these things. And your wife,--you say -nothing of her." - -Nor did John Conrad say anything. He tried, stammered, halted, tried -again, and failed once more. In a second one of the fine gentlemen, -Lord Marlborough, began to speak in his easy way. The Queen's face was -white, her lips twitched, and she smoothed nervously the black stuff of -which her dress was made. Lord Marlborough talked on and on until the -Queen herself interrupted him. - -"We have heard this sad tale before, but never so well told. It is our -intention to do all for these poor Germans that we can. In our colony -of New York we have already settled the first of those who have come to -us. There they dwell in happiness along the banks of Hudson's River and -have made for themselves comfortable villages. It is our intention to -establish others there in a similar way. - -"In return we ask certain labors. Our enemies are many. It is necessary -that we maintain for ourselves a large fleet upon the sea. Tar and -pitch we must buy in great quantities from Sweden and Russia--an -enormous and unnecessary expense. In our colony of New York, so says -its Governor Hunter, are thousands of acres of pine trees from which we -could distill, if we had the workmen, our own supplies. Do you think -the Germans could make tar?" - -"What others can do, we can do," answered John Conrad. "We are -not below the rest of the world in intelligence, though we are -in possessions. We have among us men of many crafts--husbandmen -and vine-dressers, masons and bakers and carpenters, herdsmen and -blacksmiths and tanners and millers and weavers. Oh, dear lady, if we -were but there!" - -"The grapes of the new land are said to be finer than the grapes of -France," said Lord Marlborough. "It would not be amiss if we could draw -from our own stores." - -Governor Hunter leaned forward eagerly. - -"It will be time to think of wine when Her Majesty's ships are well -caulked," said he impatiently. "The trees must be properly barked -two years before they are cut and burned. There will be no time for -vine-dressing. The project is as sure of success as the rising of the -sun. It cannot fail. Meanwhile, there will be work in other crafts also -as in all new settlements. It is understood that the Germans have here -an opportunity to repay some of the great expense to which we have been -put on their account." - -"We would not have it otherwise," cried John Conrad. "We are not -beggars, except as we beg for a chance to earn our bread. Would that -we might begin to-day to pay our great debt!" - -The Queen smiled. - -"We must have ships, and they are not easy to find in a sufficient -number at present to transport this host. But tell your friends to hold -themselves in readiness." - -Now Conrad breathed a long sigh. - -"The lad looks at me with a question in his eyes," said the Queen. -"What is it, boy?" - -"Will our new home be near these kind Indians?" asked Conrad, trembling. - -"Governor Hunter, what of this?" - -"There are Indians everywhere in plenty," said he. - -Colonel Schuyler rose, and John Conrad, feeling himself dismissed, rose -also. - -The Queen stopped them with a lifted hand. - -"About these same Indians, good Weiser. Our possessions lie along the -east coast of this great and unexplored country. To the north and to -the west, along the course of a vast river and the shores of large -inland bodies of water, the French have by guile got possession of the -land. Between live tribes of savages, upon whose friendship depends -enormous issues. Give thought to this, you and your friends. These -Indians who are here represent a great nation or confederation of -nations, skilled in the warfare of the forest. It is important that -they continue to be our friends. I am told that they do not regard -lightly deceit of any sort, and that their revenge upon the treacherous -is hideous beyond all describing. Now, fare you well." - -Again John Conrad tried to speak his gratitude, but could say no word. -He dropped to his knees once more, then rose and followed Colonel -Schuyler to the door. There Colonel Schuyler put a gold piece into his -hand. - -"For you and Magdalena and Margareta and John Frederick and the -others," said he. "The Queen's bounty." - -By noon of the next day, the German settlement was ready to take ship. -John Conrad, as he carried his remarkable announcement from tent to -tent and from fire to fire, gave warning that sailing might still be -delayed, that the ships were not yet in the harbor, that only a few -hundreds could be carried on each vessel, and that these hundreds would -be selected according to a method of which they knew nothing. - -But the Germans would not hear. They packed their belongings once more -into bundles, and depression gave place to good cheer, solemnity to -hilarity. Some let the fires before their tents go out and all spent -their small remaining sums of money for provisions to take on shipboard. - -Alas, bundles were unpacked, fires were relighted, and the food -purchased for the sea eaten on land long before the ships were in -harbor and the Germans on board. Some of the bundles were then packed -once more by other hands. Before the hour for sailing hundreds of -pilgrims, among them the disappointed magistrate of Oberdorf, had come -to the end of their journey. The Blackheath camp had become a camp of -death. - -In the weeks which now followed, John Conrad was summoned twice to the -palace, not to see the Queen or to meet his Indian benefactors, but -to have explained to him, as the chief representative of the Germans, -their duties in the new world. Once more the need of the English navy -for tar was made clear and the method for extracting it from the -pine trees carefully explained. Governor Hunter, who talked to John -Conrad at length, was quick of speech and temper, a man who brooked no -opposition and listened to few questions. - -To John Conrad was presented a contract for his signature and that of -other Germans, by which they were to promise to perform that which -the Queen required. With happy hearts they promised; with overflowing -gratitude they heard that they were to receive, after their debt to the -Government was paid, twenty-five dollars and forty acres of land. - -Finally, as Christmas Day drew near, good news came to Blackheath. -Ships would be provided for all, the first sailing on Christmas Day. -Assigned to the first ship were the Weisers and Conrad's friend Peter -Zenger and his father. The rabble of London gathered at the camp to see -the Germans start, but now their taunts fell on deaf ears. The new -country was just across the sea; peace and plenty were at hand. They -thought with sad regret of those who had started with them, but who -were no longer here to continue the journey. - -Though it was winter, the Germans thought little of the storms which -they would meet at sea. They were landsmen who knew nothing of the -fierce power of the ocean. If they remembered the roughness of the -Channel crossing, it was with the consoling reflection that the ocean -was there confined to narrow bounds, like the Rhine where its rapids -were so swift. It was true that Conrad's little book advised various -precautions against illness and misery. But they refused to think of -illness or misery. With their long journey so nearly ended, they could -endure both. - -Conrad brought out from its hiding-place George Reimer's flute and -discovered to his delight that Peter Zenger had a drum. Perhaps there -would be other instruments upon the ship and a band could be formed. - -To the eyes of Conrad and Peter the ship Lyon looked enormous as -it lay in the harbor, its mighty sails furled. From its sides there -projected four cannon, regarded by the two boys with terror and -delight. A sailor standing on the quay explained that they were to deal -with the French and with pirates. - -"Pirates!" repeated Conrad. "What are they?" - -"They are freebooters," explained Peter. "I have heard of them. They -attack any one whom they please and kill and rob." - -"Are we _sure_ to meet them?" asked Conrad. - -"They come out from the shore like wolves," answered the sailor. "But -with these cross dogs we can scare them off." - -But whether there were pirates or not, whether there were storms to -meet, or whether they were to sail in a continued calm, the Germans -must now get aboard. On Christmas morning the first four hundred -embarked upon the ship Lyon for another stage of the long journey. - - - - -V - -ACROSS THE SEA - - -So welcome had been the sight of the ship, so blessed the prospect of -being able to set out once more, that the Weisers and their friends -had no fault to find with the meager provision which had been made for -them. They trooped joyfully aboard, disposing themselves and their -goods as well as they could. It was true that what seemed to be a -large space shrank amazingly as the passengers found places for the -bundles and boxes which remained in their possession in spite of all -their misfortunes, but of lack of space they made light. Thus crowded -together they would not suffer so dreadfully from the cold as they had -in the open tents of Blackheath. Besides, the journey would soon be -over. Those who had misgivings as the shores of England dropped out of -sight, smiled to see Conrad and Peter gazing longingly from the boat's -prow toward the west. - -In comparison with the journey down the Rhine the journey across the -Atlantic is dull to most travelers. There are no interesting waitings -at landings, there are no towering castles, there are no flowery -meadows. But to the children on the ship Lyon there was no moment -without its entertainment. There was, to begin with, the never-ending -motion of the sea; there was, for the first few days, the almost hourly -sight of a distant sail. Presently they began to watch for the spouting -of whales and for the dipping and soaring of creatures which were half -bird, half fish. - -The voyage began in a long and unusual calm, so that the older folk -could sit comfortably on the deck in the sunshine and the children -could scamper about at their games. The captain and the crew were kind -and patient, as they needed to be to answer the numberless questions -about the ship and her rudder and her white sails and the wide sea upon -which she traveled. The mate had crossed the Atlantic Ocean four times -and had been many times to Marseilles: to the shivering girls and the -delighted boys he told a hundred tales of storms, of waves covering -the ship, of rigging locked in ice, of flights from pirates and of -battles with the French. - -"Shall we meet storms like that?" they asked, terrified, yet eager. - -"I've crossed when the sea was like a raging lion," answered the mate, -to please the boys; "and when she was like a smooth pond," he added, to -please the girls. - -Presently the mate rigged up a fishing-line with which the boys took -turns. Peter Zenger added an edible dolphin to the ship's food--that -was the first catch. Then, Conrad, feeling a powerful tug at his line, -was convinced that he had caught a whale, and screamed for help. - -"It will pull me over," he called. "Come quickly!" - -The sailor who came to his aid laughed. - -"You could have let go!" - -When they hauled in the catch it proved to be a shark, at whose -enormous mouth and hideous teeth the girls screamed. Thereafter they -scarcely looked over the side of the ship. - -Among themselves the older folk reviewed again and again their -persecutions, their griefs, and their hopes. To the younger men and -women John Conrad talked long and earnestly. - -"If all that we hear is true, children, this new land will be the -finest land in the world. There are fertile fields; there are great -forests and rivers, such as we know nothing of; there are rich ores. -Above all, there are young, eager hearts. I believe that there will -also be new governments, which will, please God, be different from -the old. In this new country every man should have a fair chance. I -am growing old, I shall not have much to do with the affairs of the -new country, but my children may. Let them remember their own history -and be always on the side of the oppressed. You may be divided from -one another. Our new friends may forsake us. You will have griefs and -sorrows like the rest of mankind. You must learn to find companionship -in yourselves and help from above. You must learn to be independent of -others, even of those who love you and whom you love." - -Daily Conrad and Peter practiced on their flute and drum. There were, -as they had hoped, other instruments on the ship and a band was -organized which played many lively tunes. Sometimes the boys were -allowed to help with the furling of a sail or the giving out of the -supply of food and water. They were shown by the friendly mate the -ship's store of arms and ammunition, a store which seemed to their -inexperienced eyes sufficient to meet a whole fleet of pirates. - -"If they would but come!" sighed Conrad and Peter to themselves. - -Presently John Conrad's watchful eyes saw a new expression in the eyes -of his oldest daughter. She sat often by herself, and when she joined -the general company one of the young men, Baer by name, was certain -to put himself as soon as possible by her side. John Conrad sighed, -scolded his son Conrad and Peter Zenger for their constant punning on -the young man's name, and then took his own medicine. - -"They must leave me one by one," said he to himself. "Magdalena will -doubtless soon be showing the same signs. Thank God, they can start -together in a land of peace and plenty!" - -Through January all went well with the pilgrims. Then Peter Zenger's -father succumbed to the disease with which he had been afflicted. The -end was sudden to no one but Peter, who would not be comforted. To him -John Conrad talked when the solemn burial was completed. - -"You believe in God and Heaven, dear child. Your father was worn and -weary and he is at rest until the last day. You are young with life -before you. You have your new country; to it you must devote yourself, -heart and soul. The good God closes all gates sometimes so that we may -see the more plainly the one through which He means we should go." - -With the death of Zenger the character of the journey changed. As the -calm of the early part of January had been extraordinary, so now were -the storms. There appeared one morning along the western horizon a low -bank of clouds which the children took at first, in wild enthusiasm, -for land. As the clouds rose higher and higher, the color of the sea -changed to a strange oily gray, and suddenly the ship began to rock -as though the waves were rising like the clouds. Now a great wind -whistled in the rigging with a sound different from any which the -passengers had heard. - -"What is it, father?" cried Sabina. "I am afraid." - -The Germans looked at one another ominously. - -For many days there was no sitting about the deck. No passenger was -allowed, indeed, to leave the hold of the ship. The vessel, which had -come to seem as solid as the earth, was tossed about like a cork. Again -and again waves covered it, again and again with sails closely furled -it fought for its life. The coverings of the hatchways were burst open -and the sea rushed in. Giving themselves up many times for lost, the -passengers tried to be as brave as they could. Those who could keep on -their feet did all that lay in their power for their companions, and -through the intolerable hours they prayed. When, once or twice during -the storm, the captain visited them, they took courage from him. - -"Conrad shall still catch a whale," said he in a voice which was -cheerful through all its weary hoarseness. "And Peter shall play his -drum, and the young maidens shall smile upon the young men." - -Finally the long storm died away. The passengers were startled to -realize that the Lyon shook and quivered no longer, that silence -had succeeded the dreadful creaking in the timbers and the fearful -whistling in the rigging, and that as the storm abated they had each -one fallen asleep. - -Now followed many days of cold, bright weather. Again the travelers -sought the deck and the sunshine. Peter Zenger was able to remind -Conrad one day, with a weak little smile, of the advice given by the -book of directions. - -"It would have taken a pretty lively swing to prepare us for such a -shaking," said he. - -In a day or two Peter lifted his drum and the band returned to its -practicing. At first they played solemn tunes; then, with returning -color to their cheeks, came fresh cheerfulness and courage. Even the -older folk joined cheerfully in "Susy, dear Susy." The sailors mended -the sails, the girls took out their knitting, and the children played -about on the deck. - -But the whole-hearted gayety of the early journey did not return. The -great storm had taken fearful toll, and there were already twenty -passengers less than there had been at the beginning. The crowding of -the ship had become a serious menace to health. There were a few sick -persons at whom the captain looked more anxiously than he had looked at -the angry clouds or the tempestuous sea. Not the least of the dangers -of the long journey were various diseases, contagious and deadly, -which, once started, could scarcely be checked. - -Now another terrible peril threatened the ship Lyon. The supply of food -brought by the passengers was entirely exhausted, and that furnished by -the ship was small in quantity and hardly edible. The drinking-water -had become foul, and through a leak in one of the wooden casks a large -quantity had been lost. Passengers and crew watched the sky for a -cloud. - -When at last the cloud appeared, it was accompanied again by the -terrible wind and the heaving sea of the great storm. Again the -passengers spent a week in the hold while the ship battled with a -tempest which broke the rudder. Their respect for the captain and the -stanch vessel which carried them grew to admiration and then to awe. - -"It is no wonder they call the ship 'she,'" said Conrad feebly. "One -would think it was alive. It is well named 'Lyon,' for it fights for us -like a lion." - -Again the passengers returned to the deck, more weak and miserable than -before. The supply of water gathered in the storm sank lower and lower -in the cask, the rations of salt pork and sea biscuit became daily -smaller. Finally a day dawned when the supply of water was gone and the -supply of food so low that starvation and death were imminent. John -Conrad went about from group to group telling of the glories of the -heavenly country to which their passage seemed now but the matter of a -short time. - -Then came help. A faint speck appeared upon the horizon. The children, -when they saw it, flew to the captain, who, they discovered, had been -watching it for an hour. It grew larger and larger, not into the shape -of a rain cloud, but into the shape of a vessel. Young Conrad guessed -the nature of the hope in the captain's eager eyes. - -"Might they have food and water for us?" The captain shook his head. - -"We cannot tell. They may be as badly off as we are." - -The ship came closer and closer, flying, they saw joyfully, the pennant -of England. The passengers grew silent and eyes burned and hearts -almost ceased to beat. Presently they were able to hear a shout across -the smooth sea. It was surely a friendly hail, and still the ship came -nearer and nearer. Then the travelers heard, almost unbelieving, the -blessed words:-- - -"We have potatoes and ground beans and dried venison from Her Majesty's -colony. Do you wish to buy?" - -"Yes," shouted the captain: "all you have." - -"We have water, also. Do you need any?" - -To this replied a hurrah from every throat on the ship Lyon. - -"Thank God! Thank God!" cried the poor Germans. - -In a short time the water casks were aboard and with them bags of -vegetables and meat. For several hours the ship stood near and the -sailors coming aboard the Lyon showed the Germans how to roast the -potatoes in an open fire on the deck. Never had food tasted so good and -water so delicious. It was a happy promise from the new country. - -But the ship which brought this welcome freight brought also bad news. -The freebooters along the coast were unusually active. The captain of -the Lyon must look well to his guns. Everywhere in the ports of the new -country one heard of ships boarded, of treasure taken, and of crew and -passengers murdered The more closely the vessel approached the shores -of America, the greater was the danger. - -The Germans looked at one another with despair. - -"We have suffered as much as we can bear!" cried some one. - -"We have no treasures," said John Conrad to the captain. "Why should -any one molest people so poor as we are?" - -"My ship would be a treasure for them," answered the captain. "For that -they would murder every soul on board." - -Daily the passengers were assembled and drilled. The crew was only -sufficient to sail the ship; for its defense the passengers would have -to be depended upon. They were instructed in the firing of the cannon -and informed about the methods of pirates in attacking a vessel. - -"I have stood them off before," said the captain, uneasily, to John -Conrad. "But I have always had more powder than I have now and a few -trained gunners. If they are once aboard, we shall have to fight like -tigers for our lives. They give no quarter." - -Now sabers and pistols were laid ready so that there might be no -confusion when the pirate ship was sighted. The women and children eyed -the weapons fearfully; the men tried to laugh at their alarm. No one -but the very youngest of the children slept the night through. - -But no pirate ship appeared. The air grew softer and warmer; all began -to breathe more freely and to look ahead, not for the ship of the dread -enemy, but for the land. Eyes of passengers and crew were weary of the -sea. - -"They are afraid of our cross dogs," said Conrad, half wishing, as the -danger faded, for a battle. - -"Perhaps some brave captain has swept them from the sea," said Peter. -"That would be a work I should like. I should board their ships as they -have boarded others and then I should give no quarter." - -At last, after the captain had declared the danger past, and had -jokingly bidden the boys keep constant eyes upon the west for the -promised land, the sailor on watch gave a loud cry:-- - -"Ship, ahoy!" - -At once the passengers crowded to the prow of the boat. The approaching -ship was a tiny speck, visible only to the sharpest eyes. For a long -time it seemed to remain stationary; then they realized that it was -steadily approaching. Children began to cry and mothers to hold them -closer and closer. - -"It is coming very fast, is it not?" said Conrad to the captain. - -"Pretty fast." - -"It is not necessarily a pirate ship," said John Conrad. "It may be a -friendly ship." - -"I believe it brings us good water and more food," said Sabina. - -"I am sure that I can see the English flag," said George Frederick. - -But the passengers were not allowed to linger long at the prow -speculating about the strange vessel. Suddenly hopes were dashed and -all speculations and prophecies interrupted by a sharp order from -the captain. Women and children were to go below and each man was to -take his place at once at the post assigned him. The ammunition--a -perilously small store--was divided. Conrad and Peter Zenger were the -youngest passengers who were allowed to stay on deck. They had been -included in the drills, but for them there was now neither gun nor -powder. They were given orders to keep out of the way of the crew and -the older men. If any of the defenders fell, they might take their -places. The two boys crouched down close to the mast, not venturing -to go below to put away the drum and flute upon which they had been -playing when the alarm was given. - -Nearer and nearer came the strange ship. It was not so large as the -Lyon, and it responded far more quickly to its helm. In the quickening -breeze from the west it advanced with great speed. It floated no -pennant--the wish of the Germans had been father to the thought. - -Now a sailor in the masthead of the Lyon sent out a friendly hail. -There was no answer. Again the sailor shouted. Still there was no -reply. The crew of the Lyon could see now plainly armed men upon the -deck of the stranger. The captain spoke in a whisper to the mate. - -"We have powder for two rounds. Not enough to keep them off for five -minutes. We--" - -The stranger seemed actually to leap ahead, and the captain's eyes -flashed. He raised his hands before his mouth like a trumpet. - -"Fire!" - -The two cannon which pointed toward the strange ship spit out a long -streak of flame, and the Lyon trembled with a terrific detonation. - -When the smoke cleared away, it was plainly to be seen that the pirates -were not frightened by the warning shots. The balls had fallen short, -and the pirate ship sailed on, as though to take quick advantage of the -time required to reload the cannon. It was now so near that the evil -faces could be clearly discerned upon its deck. - - - - -VI - -THE PIRATE SHIP - - -It was small wonder that the passengers on the Lyon were almost -paralyzed with terror. They were not soldiers, nor accustomed to taking -the part of soldiers, and they were not fighting upon a battlefield, -distant from their loved ones, but close to them where the danger -threatened alike themselves and all they held dear. The fact made them -at once more courageous and more terrified. - -It was known by all that powder was short and that the accuracy of the -next shot would probably decide their fate. Their hands grew more and -more awkward, their cheeks whiter. Conrad and Peter sprang to their -feet, seeing plainly the panic on the faces of the gunners who were -trying to reload the cannon, and upon the faces of the others who -stood, saber or pistol in hand, waiting for what seemed to be certain -destruction. One frightened soul fired his pistol prematurely, another -waved his saber wildly in the air. If the freebooters saw, they must -have anticipated an easy victory. - -"If we only had pistols!" cried Peter shrilly. - -The captain shouted fierce orders, and still the gunners fumbled at -their task. - -Now Conrad ran to the captain's side. A wild plan had suddenly occurred -to him. - -"We could play," cried he breathlessly, "Peter and I. There was a -trumpeter on a castle wall who played and played till--" - -"Play, then!" - -With trembling lips and hands the two boys began. The flute gave forth -a sharp piping, the drum tried to roar as fiercely as the cannon. There -was at first no tune, there was at first, indeed, only a mad discord. -And still the pirate ship came on. - -"Louder! Louder! Louder!" The boys did not know whether they had heard -or had imagined the command. They were playing "Susy, dear Susy," and -playing it like a jig. As though its sprightliness steadied them, arms -grew stronger, breath more even. The gunners heard, the infantry -heard, the women and children shivering in the hold heard, and best of -all the evil men on the pirate ship heard. The hands of the gunners -trembled a little less, the hands which held the pistols and sabers -grasped them more firmly, the women and children looked with a tiny bit -of hope into one another's eyes, and the pirates looked at one another -with astonishment. - -It may have been that the captain of the pirate ship did not care to -try conclusions with a force which could spare men to play the drum and -flute; it may have been that he could observe that the firing of the -second shot was the matter of only a second or two; or it may have been -that merely the lively defiance of "Susy, dear Susy," discouraged him. -At any rate, he altered the course of his vessel. When the second shot -sailed after him, he had darted out of range. - -At first the passengers of the Lyon stared as though a spell had been -put upon them. A moment ago they had been in danger of their lives; now -they were safe while the enemy sailed away. Some laughed aloud, others -wiped their eyes, and a sailor flung open the hatchway and shouted the -good news to the anxious hearts below. - -Though the distance between the Lyon and her enemy grew wider and wider -until presently the stranger had vanished over the horizon's edge, the -sailors kept watch until nightfall. - -But the passengers gave no thought now to an enemy. They saw, late in -the afternoon, a sailor lowering the sounding-line over the ship's -side. They had watched this process many times. But the earnestness -of the sailor and the eager watching of his companions gave it a new -significance. Into the group at the ship's edge young Conrad forced his -way. - -"How much?" said he. - -The sailors paid no attention and Conrad concluded to wait. Presently -the line was drawn in and the sailor announced to the captain in a loud -voice,-- - -"Thirty-five fathoms, sir." - -"That is shallow," said Conrad. "Is there any danger?" - -The sailors laughed. - -"There is danger of seeing land to-morrow," said one. - -To this no one made any reply for a long moment. Then another shout -arose like the one which had greeted the arrival of water and food. In -one moment the news had spread: in another, though the captain laughed, -the women were descending to pack boxes and to tie up the bundles in -the hold. - -But no one stayed long below the deck. Margareta and Magdalena with -one bundle packed climbed back to look toward the west. John Conrad's -expectation was being realized; there was now a young man by the side -of Magdalena also. The captain laughed at them for watching for land as -he laughed at them for packing. - -"To-morrow, my children, not to-day. You may look your eyes out to-day -and you will see nothing, and there will be plenty of time after we see -land for you to pack your clothes." - -Nevertheless, the Germans looked and looked, though, as the captain -prophesied, they saw nothing. But they would not leave their place -in the bow. Sitting together, they reviewed the journey and the more -distant past. They spoke of the Fatherland, of those left behind who -might some day follow them, like George Reimer, of those, like the -magistrate of Oberdorf, whom they should never see again, and of -those already on the way in other ships. They spoke also in quiet -voices of those who slept, like the mother of the Weisers, in quiet -graveyards. They spoke of bondage and liberty and of war and peace and -of a strange new freedom, of which there was in the hearts of a few a -dim conception, like the tiny seed of a mighty tree. They spoke with -gratitude of the good Queen and offered a prayer for her, and for other -friends, like the good helmsman on the river boat. They spoke of the -strange red people, and Conrad must find his little book and read once -more of their skill as hunters, of their devotion in friendship and of -their ferocity in war and in revenge. Longest of all they talked of the -King of Rivers and his companions. - -"It is my object to find them first of all," said Conrad. "I am sure -they are looking for us to come to the country which they gave us." - -Once again must Conrad and Peter and the rest of the band play their -old tunes, grave and gay, mournful and lively; once again must all join -in song. Twilight came and then the starry, summer night, and still the -pilgrims sat gazing toward the west. All night a few kept vigil. - -At daylight every one was on deck. The morning dawned in splendor, but -no one turned to watch the rising sun. At last, when the bright rays -illuminated the whole of earth and heaven, they saw through tears the -low shores of the promised land. - -But now that land was in sight, the Lyon was not able to get into -the harbor. Already as the passengers watched the shore a storm was -rising. It was not so severe as those which had gone before nor so -long continued, but it was far more alarming since the ship was now -in danger of being cast upon the reefs. It seemed for many days that -the passengers had endured all for naught. It was like being sent -back into mid-ocean to suffer once more all the fearful trials through -which they had lived. Again the captain grew wan and hollow-eyed, again -the travelers lived for days in the hold of the ship, again there was -sickness and death. Some of those who had seen the promised land saw -it no more, nor any earthly land. There was no concealing the fact -that those who were ill had ship fever, which was almost certain, in -the conditions in which the patients had to live, to be fatal. Little -John Frederick, the youngest of the Weisers, about whose health they -had long felt anxiety, grew worse, so that his brothers and sisters -could not look at him without tears. Still the pilgrims were patient -and kind, still they tried not to murmur at this new dispensation of -Providence. - -"Courage!" said John Conrad a dozen times a day, to himself, as well as -to his companions. "Many a good enterprise has failed because those who -undertook it could not endure quite to the end." - -The pilgrims were to have, alas, need for all the courage and patience -which they could summon. When a long swell succeeded the fierce -beating of the waves and the skies cleared, they sought the deck once -more, and hurried to the prow. There they stared at one another in -amazement and terror. The promised land at which they had looked with -such longing eyes had vanished. - -"What has become of it?" asked a bewildered company. - -"It is still exactly where it was," answered the captain. "It is we who -have changed our place." - -"When shall we see it again?" - -The captain reassured them with a cheerfulness which he did not feel. -The ship had been driven far out of its course; it would take many days -to win again a view of the low-lying shores. - -It was now June. Unless conditions in the new world were very different -from those in the old, the season for planting was almost passed: and -John Conrad's eagerness to be settled grew to anxiety. Whatever young -Conrad's book might say about the strength of the sun in America, it -was certain that the pilgrims must have a house and some stores of -food and fuel with which to meet the winter. Again they gazed toward -the west until, between the blinding glare of the sun on the smooth sea -and their own tears, they could see no more. - -But like all evils in the world the long journey came to an end. The -travelers had given up rising before dawn to watch the first beams of -the sun strike on the western shores, when one bright morning a shout -awoke them. - -"Land! Land! Land!" Though it needed but one call to rouse the -sleepers, the sailor called a dozen times, as though the joyful news -could not be too often proclaimed. - -The travelers crowded on deck; they saw the shore much nearer at hand -than it had been before, and green instead of a dull, indeterminate -color; they were surrounded by fluttering birds; they sniffed upon the -air a different odor, an odor of land and growing things. Then with one -accord their eyes sought the sky to see if once more a cloud threatened -them. - -But there was no cloud even so large as a man's hand, and the -dangerous reefs were passed safely. - -"But we are not moving!" cried young Conrad. "What is the matter?" - -The captain pointed ahead, and Conrad saw a long rowboat cutting the -water. - -"We can't go into the harbor without a pilot," said the captain. "Here -he comes." - -Indifferent to the fact that their belongings were, after all their -planning, not ready to be carried to the shore, the passengers hung -over the side of the ship. There was a loud hail from the little boat, -and an answering shout from the captain of the Lyon. - -Suddenly Conrad cried out and seized his father by the arm. - -"Look! Look!" - -"What is it, lad?" - -Then John Conrad saw for himself. The rowers were dark-skinned, -black-haired creatures whose great bare bodies gleamed in the sun. The -King of Rivers and his friends had been blanketed, but there was no -mistaking these for any but men of their race. - -"They are Indians," said Conrad, in awe. - -Now a rope ladder was flung over the side of the ship and the pilot -came aboard. He shook hands with the captain and the mate, and then -lifted from the hands of an Indian who had followed him a roughly woven -basket. - -"I always bring something for the birds," said he in a loud voice as he -uncovered it. - -For a moment both children and adults could only stare at him dumbly. -He was real, he came from America, and America had begun to seem like -the figment of a dream: his was a new face, and they had seen no new -faces for months. - -But when the children looked into his basket, they ran forward. Here -were cherries for mouths which had forgotten the taste of fruit; here -were strawberries for lips which had never touched strawberries. An old -woman began to weep. - -"Cherries like those in the gardens of Württemberg, God be thanked!" - -John Conrad looked at the pilot a little uneasily. - -"We cannot pay," said he. - -The pilot popped a strawberry into the mouth of John Frederick. - -"Tut, tut," said he, "you are in a land of plenty. To-morrow when I -come to take you in I will bring more." - -"To-morrow!" echoed a dozen voices. "Oh, sir, can we not go in to-day?" - -The pilot shook his head. - -"Not till to-morrow." - -"But the storm came before and drove us far away." - -"No storm will drive you away now." - -With sinking hearts the pilgrims saw the pilot descend again over the -side of the ship and enter his boat and row away. - -"I do not believe he will return," said one despairing soul. - -But in a few minutes the speaker and every one else on board had -begun to pack. Pots and dishes, pans and kettles, clothes, a few -spinning-wheels, the few treasured books--all were boxed or wrapped -or corded together. The Weisers, remembering gayly that they had once -made nine bundles for eight persons, made careful division of their -belongings. - -"The spinning-wheel is not here and dear Wolf is not here, but we have -everything else," said Margareta. - -"Including a tame bear," ventured Conrad, knowing that there would be -no boxing of ears to-day. - -To the laughing astonishment of the travelers, the pilot was on the -deck in the morning when they came up to greet the sun. He rallied them -upon their laziness and passed out another gift of fruit, and then took -command of the ship. To the keen disappointment of the boys the Indians -did not come on board, but were towed in their rowboat. - -Past the low shores of Long Island, nearer and nearer to the village of -New York moved the Lyon, more and more excited grew the pilgrims. - -"I can see houses!" - -"And smoke rising from chimneys!" - -"And men walking about!" - -"There is a wharf with people on it!" - -"We are here at last, at last!" - -Some one started a hymn and a single stanza was sung. Then voices -failed. - -John Conrad stood silently, his older children close to him and little -John Frederick in his arms. With them was Peter Zenger, his arm round -Conrad's neck. John Conrad saw the house and the people and the strange -shore, and the certainty of impending change swept over him. These--his -boys and girls--what would befall them? They were his now, but the new -land must divide them from him. Each must do his work. Already the -sound of voices drifted to him from this alien shore. He longed to put -into one sentence all his love and hope. With brimming eyes he looked -at his little flock for whom he had made the long journey, for whom he -had forgotten sadness and heartache. - -"Children," he said. "Margareta and Magdalena and Sabina and Conrad--" -John Conrad's voice faltered. In a moment he began once more with a new -message. "Children,--George and Christopher and Barbara and little John -and dear Peter,--here is now your Fatherland." - - - - -VII - -THE HOME ASSIGNED - - -Close together the Weisers stepped from the gangplank of the Lyon. -Their question as to what they were to do was soon solved by their -prompt shepherding from the wharf into small boats by the officers of -the port. - -"Where do we go?" asked John Conrad in astonishment. - -"There has been ship fever on the Lyon," answered some one. "You go to -Nuttall's Island." - -Like millions to follow them, the Germans soon gazed from Nuttall's -Island across the bay. They were given little houses to live in, and -as the magistrate of Oberdorf had greeted them on Blackheath, they -greeted presently their friends from the other ships. There were happy -reunions, there were stories of death and danger by sea, there was the -common hope of better things. - -When the cool winds of September began to blow and they were still -waiting to be released from what seemed like captivity, the Germans -became impatient and then frightened. They wished to set to work so -that they might the sooner finish their task of tar-making and begin -to labor on their own account. During the long journey boys and girls -had grown up; like Conrad, other boys longed for adventure, and -like Margareta, other young women wished to begin the establishment -of a home. Among the Germans there was suddenly a new spirit of -independence. Here was not the goal for which they had striven. - -"The Governor has not completed his arrangements," said John Conrad to -his impatient countrymen. - -"Then let us go to that Schoharie which the Indians gave us." Conrad -spoke for all the younger Germans. - -"We are bound to make tar," reminded John Conrad, who looked at his son -in amazement. - -Presently came Governor Hunter, who had crossed the ocean in one of -the last ships of the fleet. His visit, so eagerly expected, had a -sorrowful outcome. From one end of the settlement to the other he -walked and at the cabin of John Conrad he paused. - -"You are to go soon to Livingston Manor to begin your work. You are the -man who was in the Queen's audience room. I depend upon you to be a -good influence among your fellows." His bright gaze traveled from child -to child. "You have a large family." - -Before John Conrad could answer, young Conrad stepped from the doorway, -disregarding his father's frown. - -"Oh, sir, I wish we might go to Schoharie!" - -Governor Hunter looked at him coldly. - -"You will go where I send you." - -When the Governor had gone, his agent announced a startling command -which he had left. Among the Germans were too many children. In New -York and on Long Island were farmers and merchants who needed help. To -them the orphans and some other young lads must be apprenticed. - -"Not our children!" cried Magdalena. - -John Conrad shook his head ominously. He had counted his children over -before he left the ship,--was separation to come so soon? That evening -he admonished gentle Christopher and grave George Frederick tenderly -and solemnly. - -"We must submit to the Governor's will," said he. "My little lads know -what is right. To do right is all that is required of them." - -The next day boats anchored at Nuttall's Island and from them -stepped English and Dutch farmers and their wives. Upon the heads of -Christopher and George Frederick were laid a pair of plump hands. - -"These I would like," said a kind voice. - -The eager eyes of the Weiser family gazed through tears. - -"Both together?" asked John Conrad thickly. - -"Both together," answered the farmer's wife. "We have a good farm and -no children." When she saw that little Christopher cried, she put her -hand into the deep pocket in the skirt of her husband's coat and drew -out a bar of maple sugar, the only candy of the colonies. "I put -something in my pocket for my new children." Then she sat down on the -rough bench before the little door. "The boats will not go back for a -long time to come. In the mean time we will talk." - -Now more tears were shed, but they were not bitter tears. The English -of the Weisers was broken, but it sufficed to relate the sad history -of Gross Anspach, the kindness of George Reimer, the cruel cold on -Blackheath, and the dangers of the sea. When the time for parting came, -the Weisers trooped to the boats. Peter Zenger was to go also, with a -brisk printer, Bradford by name. Hands were waved until they could wave -no longer; then the Weisers turned back to their little hut. - -"Two are gone," said John Conrad, bewildered. "My dear children! My -dear children!" Then poor John Conrad burst once more into tears. - -When in November twelve hundred of the four thousand Germans who had -left Blackheath ascended the Hudson River, there was another grievous -parting. Margareta's young man had found work in New York, but until -he earned a little he and Margareta could not marry. One of the -Weisers, at least, looked back instead of forward as the heavily laden -boats made their slow way up the stream. Conrad wished to stay also and -find work, but neither the Governor's agent nor his father would give -him permission. The agent, Cast by name, was sharp of tongue, and with -him the young men had begun to dispute. Others like Conrad were strong -of will and hot of temper. In the long period of waiting, gratitude to -the English had somewhat faded. - -The arrival at the new home was dreary. Upon the stretch of forest -in which the settlement was to be made there was only the agent's -comfortable log house. It was late afternoon when the pilgrims were put -ashore. At sight of the unimproved and repellent spot they looked at -one another in dismay. - -"Is it for this that we have come so far?" - -John Conrad began again his old work of encouragement. - -"At last we have work to do. By night we must have some sort of -shelter." - -The next day substantial houses of logs began to rise among the tall -pine trees. John Conrad's suspicions about his second daughter proved -to be true. Quiet Magdalena and the young man upon whom she had smiled -announced that they, too, would build a house. - -Then, when houses were built and logs were burning in the great -chimneys, the Germans waited idly. Tar-making was not to begin, it -seemed, until spring. Again John Conrad counseled patience. - -"We are here, we cannot get away and, moreover, we have given our word. -We are fed and clothed. In the spring things will be better. We cannot -expect everything at once." - -Young Conrad answered sharply. - -"The men say that this land will never be good farming land, father. -After the pine trees are cut, we shall have nothing. I would find that -Schoharie which the Indians gave us. There is our home." - -John Conrad shook his head. - -"We must have patience," said he. - -Slowly the winter passed. In the cold of January little John Frederick, -so loved and cherished, died, and was the first of the colony to be -buried in the new land. - -"Now," said John Conrad, "it is our land, indeed." - -In April Magdalena was married by a clergyman who came from the older -German settlement across the river. The wedding was merry: even -Margareta, who had heard but once from her lover, put anxiety away and -smiled and danced the old-fashioned dances of Gross Anspach weddings. -When Magdalena had gone to the little log house with her husband, John -Conrad sat before his door. - -"She has done well. Now of nine, only four are left me." - -Once during the winter Conrad saw an Indian. The tall figure crossed -the end of a little glade and as fast as he could Conrad pursued it. -But the Indian had vanished; there was neither sound nor motion in the -still forest. Gradually, their lands taken from them, themselves often -ill-treated, the Indians were withdrawing from the neighborhood of the -settlements. - -In great excitement Conrad hurried to his father. - -"Father, I have seen an Indian. Let us ask him to guide us to -Schoharie!" - -"We are not permitted to go." - -"Let us go without permission. I can fight, father." - -Again John Conrad regarded his son with astonishment. - -"We have come for peace, not for war. God knows we have suffered enough -from war! Let me hear no more of such madness, Conrad, and sit no more -with the young men, but with your sisters." - -In the early spring tools were given out for the cutting of the pine -trees and slashes were made in the tough bark so that the sap might -gather. In two years the trees would be felled and burned in kilns. - -In the early summer came a new command. Over the great continent evil -forces were astir. Like the bent bow, the line of the French and their -allied Indians stretched from Montreal to New Orleans, its curve -including the Mississippi; like the string within stretched the English -line. There was conflict at Montreal where the Five Nations were true -to their English alliance, and thither the Germans were to go in three -companies. At once they forgot their wrongs and willingly they started, -John Conrad in command of a company. - -The Germans gave the Queen little help, not because they were not -willing and able, but because the short campaign was almost over. They -marched back as they had come, congratulating themselves upon the pay -they would receive for military service. At last they could buy a few -spinning-wheels and perhaps a horse and cow. - -But the Governor's agent laughed. - -"Does a man pay extra to his servants?" - -"You did not give us our due food while they were away!" cried young -Conrad. - -The agent shook his fist. - -"Return your arms and get back to your work!" - -When the arms were returned, a dozen guns were lacking. The older -Germans were clearly puzzled, but the guns could not be found. - -In a week the Governor came again to visit his colony. His shoulders -were bent and his countenance had changed. The good Queen was dead and -the support promised for his cherished enterprise of tar-making came -slowly from her successor. To the Governor appealed now the leading -men of the settlement. Perhaps it was the cruel contrast between his -magnificence and their rags which made him at first willing to listen -and to conciliate. - -As John Conrad had talked bravely and simply to the Queen, so he spoke -to the Governor. The oldest of the settlers shared by this time the -discontent of the young men. - -"It is almost a year since we came and we have done nothing for -ourselves. Even if we can make tar, we are not advanced because this -land is not farming land. We beg to be allowed to go to that country -which the Indians gave us, where we can have permanent homes. Is there -no pine there?" - -The Governor made no answer. - -"And we would have pay for our service as soldiers. We are very poor, -as you can see, and soldiering was not in our bargain." - -The Governor smiled as his agent had smiled. - -"You will serve yourself and your friends best by counseling -obedience," said he. "You cannot go away." - -When the Governor had gone, his agent walked down the street of the -settlement. In his path stood young Conrad, who forgot once more his -father's admonitions. - -"The Germans have guns, sir," said Conrad. - -Cast returned at once to his house. In a moment his servant was riding -rapidly along the river-bank to intercept the Governor at the next -settlement, twenty miles away. - -"I am charged with a message to Your Honor," he cried breathlessly at -sight of the Governor. "The German people are armed. Our lives are not -safe." - -The Governor sailed up the river once more. When he reached Livingston -Manor, it was dark and the Germans knew nothing of his coming nor of -the prompt departure of the agent's servant through the forest to the -north. The next afternoon they were called together. To their amazement -the Governor appeared. In a stern voice he read a contract to them. - -"But that is not our contract," protested a mystified John Conrad. -"We--" - -The Governor waved them from his presence. - -"It is your contract. Think over your situation and return to-morrow." - -That evening the older Germans talked earnestly in the Weiser house. -They agreed to ask again that they be permitted to leave and that they -be paid. But to resist they were helpless. Resistance, moreover, was -wrong. - -For a while Conrad listened; then he joined a score of young men who -waited for him outside in the shadow. - -"It is all for peace," said he. "I believe that Governor Hunter means -to entrap them." - -Quietly the young men slipped into the darker woods. Into a little -cave high above the river, Conrad crept on hands and knees. One by one -he passed out a dozen guns. Though the leader of the enterprise was the -youngest of all, his friends looked at him with admiration. In their -admiration Conrad forgot his own somewhat troublesome conscience. - -In the morning, John Conrad and his friends visited the Governor. They -had, they said, considered their situation, and they were not satisfied. - -The Governor looked over their heads in the direction of Albany. - -"We do not wish to be undutiful," explained John Conrad. "What we ask -is only justice. We did not promise to stay forever in a barren land." -John Conrad's voice trembled as it had trembled in Gross Anspach when -he spoke of the country which they had seen in their dreams. "We wish -to go to Schoharie." - -"Whether or not you 'wish to go to Schoharie,'" the Governor mocked -them like a child, "you are to stay here." Now the Governor stamped -his foot. "Here is your land, here you are to live and die!" - -The agent could not resist a temptation to add a word. - -"You should be shot for your impertinence!" - -Then the agent gave a wild scream. The punishment which he proposed so -angrily seemed likely to be carried into effect upon himself. Upon the -little house he saw an armed host approaching. Waiting for sound of -strife, the young men had come to the defense of their elders. - -"They will murder us!" screamed the agent. - -Young Conrad stepped inside the door. - -"We ask only--" Then Conrad paused. Neither the Governor nor the agent -was listening to what he was saying. Even the eyes of his father, which -had looked upon him with horrified amazement, were turned away. From -the young men behind him came a loud warning to run, and he turned -his head. Among the trees was a gleam of red and a glitter of steel. -The agent's servant had made a swift trip to the British garrison at -Albany. - -"Captain, collect these guns," commanded the Governor. Then he turned -to young Conrad. "Another stirring-up of rebellion and you will pay the -penalty of a rebel." - -Now the Germans gave up their arms and went back to their work. Some -of the trees were said to be fit for felling and a few kilns were -constructed. In these the pine knots were first to be burned. To the -task of gathering them the little children were appointed and Conrad -was made their superintendent. The work was humiliating and he obeyed -unwillingly. His father had said nothing to him of his rebellion, but -he knew that it was constantly in John Conrad's mind. The presence -of the red-coated soldiers, who treated the whole settlement like -dangerous criminals, was, John Conrad may have thought, reproach enough. - -Now another winter came and passed, a winter of idleness and discontent -for Conrad, of sadness for Margareta, and of great physical suffering -for all. The miserable substitutes for woolen clothes, the poor food, -the bitter cold weakened their bodies and depressed their minds. No -longer could Conrad enliven the camp with music, since his dear flute -had to be exchanged for food. The Governor's agent now played upon it, -but he played no German tunes. Barbara and Sabina grew as pale and thin -as their older sister, whose hopes of seeing her lover had almost died. -Once more as on shipboard John Conrad thought and spoke of the beauties -of the heavenly country. - -Presently John Conrad was served with an astonishing notice. The -Germans might go! Hearts leaped; there were cries of joy. Then the hand -which held the order began to tremble. - -"We may go south or east, but not north or west. To Schoharie we dare -not go. It is my opinion that this business of tar-making has failed. -It cannot be that they will turn us adrift and yet forbid us that which -is ours. God in heaven help us!" - -To the confused and terrified settlement came another fearful threat. -No longer, said the Governor, would he feed women or children who had -no men to repay him in labor. A few single men married at once their -young countrywomen who were without support. Among them was John Conrad. - -The summer passed in uncertainty. In September another notice came. -The business of tar-making was for the present ended. The Germans -would receive no more food, but must shift for themselves. With cruel -thoroughness they were now abandoned. - -"And we dare not go to Schoharie!" they cried. "Last week Kniskern -tried to get away and the soldiers brought him back. We--" - -Then upon the frightened assembly rushed young Conrad. - -"The soldiers are gone!" - -With one accord the council adjourned, running to the upper end of the -settlement. The camp-ground was deserted. - -Now it was proposed that the settlement should start as a body with the -dawn. At this poor Margareta burst into tears. In the wilderness her -young man could never find her. It had been some small comfort to feel -that at least he knew where she was. - -But Margareta was to have a little longer to watch and wait. Once more -the dissuading voice of John Conrad warned his companions. - -"My friends! We do not know where this land is. A few chosen men must -make their way thither in the two rude boats owned by the settlers, and -consult with the Indians and return. At Albany we might find a guide. -It is the only way." - -For hours the council sat in the Weiser house. It was agreed that seven -men should start in the morning. Conrad sat listening, his eyes looking -through the log walls, across the blue river, his heart longing to -see once more those great warriors, his friends. When the council had -adjourned, he caught his father by the arm. - -"Oh, father, let me go, too!" - -"We dare not take more than are necessary, lad." - -"I will be wise and patient, father." - -"You have yet to prove yourself to be so, Conrad." John Conrad looked -gravely into the beseeching eyes. "Your time of responsibility will -come, lad; see that you are ready for it." - - - - -VIII - -THE FLIGHT BEGINS - - -Though Conrad was not allowed to go to Schoharie with his father and -the other deputies, he was allowed to see them on their way. The -evening following the council at which their plans were made, the moon -rose late, a fact which suited their purposes. - -"We can slip away in the darkness, and still have the moon to light our -journey," said John Conrad. "It may be that they are watching us. There -will be two boats, and these must be brought back, since we may find a -shorter path through the forest when we return." - -Conrad's blue eyes lifted to his father's in appeal. - -"Let me go with you and bring the boats back. I can row well and I will -be very careful." - -John Conrad consulted with his friends. When they said "yes," Conrad -rushed to get ready. - -The journey to Albany consumed three days. Here and there, where the -banks of the river were low, the travelers saw fine farms which they -longed to possess. They did not dare to stop, however, to inspect the -land, since it seemed to them that they could hear on every breeze the -sound of pursuers, bidding them return to the slavery which was worse -than death. There were no villages and they passed but few boats. If -they were hailed, Conrad answered in the best English he could muster. - -Albany was only a small settlement, but here was stationed the garrison -of soldiers from which the company had been sent to subdue the Germans, -and therefore recognition and arrest were easily possible. The two -boats were beached late in the afternoon below the town, and here the -deputies hid until nightfall. - -When darkness came Conrad, rowing one boat and towing the other, -dropped quietly downstream with the current. In a thick wood to which -his father had pointed him on the upward journey, he stayed alone -during the warm September night. He was tired, but it was a long -time before he could go to sleep. He heard a gentle wind moving the -treetops; he heard a twig snap near by, as though some wild creature -were coming closer and closer with sinister intent. Several times he -sprang to his feet. When the dim landscape appeared unchanged and -without living inhabitants, he lay down once more. - -Still he could not sleep. His thoughts traveled to Livingston Manor -with its cruel disappointments, to the long ocean journey, to -Blackheath, even to Gross Anspach. What vague, splendid dreams he had -had of the future and of the new land! He had dreamed of becoming -rich and powerful and important, and all he had succeeded in doing -was gathering a few pine knots! Remembering that childish service, he -laughed bitterly. If his father had given him his way he might have -done better, but his father would not believe that he was a man. Then, -before more dreary thoughts came to depress him, he fell asleep, his -head pillowed on his arm, his weary body finding the hard ground a -downy bed. - -Early in the morning he continued his journey down the river, his -eyes watching carefully for enemies. But no emissaries of an angry -Governor came to meet him. The Germans were, it was plainly evident, -wholly abandoned to their misery. Past the tall cliffs, past the open -farmlands, where some day would be pleasant villages and towns, he -floated. He was hungry, but he had been hungry many times; he was -tired, but he did not mind weariness. - -At the settlement he found all as it had been. The soldiers had not -returned and the agent had vanished. A hundred plans were being made -for the journey into the wilderness. A few families announced that they -would not go. The Governor would not forsake them utterly; if he did, -they would rather seek for help among their fellow countrymen across -the river than trust themselves to the forest. - -In Albany, the deputies sought out quietly the German families whom -they knew and from their houses were able to make inquiries. That -there was an Indian settlement of Schoharie was certain. There were at -that time in Albany several Mohawk Indians from the neighborhood of -Schenectady, another Indian village, who could answer questions. With -one, whom the English called John Meyndert, the deputies talked before -the day was over. With grunts and nods he promised to be their guide -and interpreter, and in his canoe and the canoe of another Indian they -traveled to Schenectady, where, after a night's rest, they started -across a line of rough hills toward the southwest. - -Of the beauties of the September woods the seven deputies saw nothing. -With eyes fixed upon the man in front, each man walked doggedly and -stubbornly on, determined not to yield to the fatigue which the rapid -pace produced. Soft of tread and sure of foot John Meyndert stalked -ahead as silent as the tree trunks among which he moved. An occasional -"Ugh" when the slipping foot of one of the travelers threatened an -ugly fall, or a shake of the head when some one pointed to a fruit or -berry which looked as though it were edible, formed his share of the -conversation. - -At last, at noon of a pleasant day, Meyndert halted his long stride and -pointed downward. They had reached and crossed a rough elevation whose -loose stones made it almost impossible to climb. Now, wearily, the -deputies lifted their eyes toward Meyndert and followed his pointing -finger. - -It was John Conrad who cried out first. - -"Oh, see!" - -In a second the last of the party had come out on the little shelf of -rock to which Meyndert had led them. Peter Kniskern pointed with a -shaking hand. - -"Schoharie?" - -The Indian answered with a grin. - -Then, for a long time, no one spoke a word, and no one moved except to -wipe from his eyes the tears of which middle age had learned not to be -ashamed. - -The smiling valley lay before them, threaded through its broad plain -with the river now in flood. Here where they stood the banks rose -precipitously; yonder there was a more gradual ascent; but on every -side the broad valley was sheltered. The travelers looked their fill, -then one by one gave judgment in slow sentences. - -"Those are rich and fertile meadows." - -"See this fine spring below us!" - -"How quickly would fruit trees grow and vineyards cover the hillsides!" - -"It is like"--the voice sank to a whisper--"it is like the valleys of -Germany!" - -As they descended the steep hill, Meyndert pointed out the Indian -village at the far end of the valley. It was a time of year when -food was abundant and the villages were comfortable. As the visitors -approached, children dashed for cover in the neat wigwams set on each -side of a narrow street, and women, busy with baking or weaving, looked -up in amazement. Toward the tallest of the wigwams, Meyndert led his -company. In its doorway sat two Indians smoking, at sight of whom he -called a loud "Ho!" For a while the three talked together while the -Germans waited, aware from Meyndert's gestures that he was telling -their errand. Presently, in response to a shout, several Indian women -brought bearskins and deerskins from the wigwam and spread them down -under a great tree. Thither the Germans were led, and there they and -the three Indians sat down. - -At once Meyndert pointed to one of his hosts, enormous of body and -painted with snakes and arrows. He called him, as nearly as the Germans -could understand, "Quagnant." Quagnant came, so Meyndert indicated by -broken sentences and gestures, from a valley beyond. He was a chief -over the Indians in this valley as well as his own. He delivered now a -long speech, whose meaning Meyndert made fairly clear. He spoke very -formally and solemnly after the manner of the Indian people. He and his -friends would be glad to have the strangers come among them. He had -heard of the wonderful journey of the King of Rivers and other great -chiefs who were overlords in the Five Nations, but he did not know -what had befallen them or whether they had returned, since they lived -far, far to the west. He was sorry that these new brethren had been so -afflicted. Here they might have, if they wished, a peaceful haven. His -people would help them with food and skins and show them how to build -their houses. - -Having finished his speech to the happy Germans, Quagnant commanded -that a feast be made. Together all ate solemnly of Indian bread and -smoked meat, and took great whiffs from a long pipe lighted and passed -by Quagnant. Then, supplied with food for the journey and with light -hearts, the Germans started for Schenectady. - -From Schenectady to Albany the Indians took the travelers in their -canoes, then the Germans set out on foot, keeping as near the river -as possible. They had traveled for a day when they heard a shout, and -looking down saw two rowboats, one containing a passenger, the other -towed. With an answering shout they descended the rocky bank to the -shore. - -"I have been watching and watching," cried Conrad. "Have you been to -Schoharie? What did you find? Did you see our friends?" - -When a score of questions had tumbled out one after the other, the -deputies began to answer. Schoharie was beautiful and fertile beyond -all their dreams. The Indians were not only willing to let them have -the land, but offered to help them. They had seen nothing of the King -of Rivers, but had heard of him. - -"They have houses of bark in which they seem to be comfortable, but -better houses can easily be made." - -"They are satisfied with what they have; therefore Fate has no power -over them. If their property is destroyed, they have a great storehouse -to draw from for more." - -"They made a feast for us and gave us food." - -Conrad's blue eyes sought his father's. - -"When will we start?" - -For an instant John Conrad rowed in silence. His plans would not suit -Conrad, the lad who was so young and who thought himself so old, who -felt that so little time was still his, and who had a lifetime before -him. - -"Some will start at once, Conrad. But we will stay in Schenectady until -the winter is over. There I have made arrangements with John Meyndert -to keep us, and there we will try to earn a little." - -Conrad made no answer. He had already seen himself the first of the -pilgrims to burst into the quiet valley. - -"We shall find peace at last," went on John Conrad. "This Quagnant said -no one should molest us, that the land is ours." - -In a few days twenty families started for Schoharie. It was late -October and already there had been sharp frost. The journey must be -made slowly, since there were little children and ailing women in the -party. A few had boats for the first part of the way and the others -walked along the river-bank, the rustling leaves beneath their feet -giving warning of the winter which was rapidly approaching. Hope -minimized the dangers and smoothed the rough path. - -A little later the Weisers started for Schenectady. Magdalena, like -Catrina in Gross Anspach, feared the journey for her baby, and with her -husband crossed the river to the older German settlement on the other -side. Like Catrina, she wept bitterly. - -When bundles had been packed by a silent, pale Margareta, when John -Conrad had already lifted his pack to his shoulder, Fate, which had -played the Weisers many cruel tricks, became suddenly friendly. A -rowboat grounded on the little beach and a young man sprang out and -hailed John Conrad, who stared at him without answering. But the young -man did not wait for John Conrad's slow mental processes; he hurried -toward the pale girl who gazed as though she saw a ghost. A single -joyful "Margareta!" made clear to the settlement that Margareta's -prayers had been answered. - -Now the starting must be delayed another day. Across the river rowed -Conrad to bring Magdalena and her husband and the preacher back with -him; about the reunited lovers sat all the Germans. Young Baer had a -good place and he had built a little house. He had written many times, -though no letter had come from Margareta. - -"It was the wicked agent who kept the letters," said Margareta. "God be -thanked we are free from him!" - -Best of all, young Baer had seen Christopher and George Frederick who -lived not far away. - -"They are well cared for and happy, and they look for their sister. -Peter Zenger, who lives near by, watches for her also." - -At this all the tender-hearted Germans wept once more. The parting from -Margareta was lightened by the expectation that they would meet again. -Once more the star of hope shone brightly. - -In the lodge of John Meyndert the Weisers settled themselves in -November. It was not clean, but they could endure discomfort a little -longer. The chief difficulty was the drunkenness of Meyndert, who had -learned the white man's evil habit. - -From Meyndert John Conrad and his son tried, in the long, idle hours, -to learn the Indian language. They hunted eagerly for work in the -settlement, but there was no work to be had. With thankfulness John -Conrad accepted the offer of an Englishwoman to take Sabina into -service. The Indian lodge was not a suitable home for either her -or little Barbara. At restless, unhappy Conrad his father looked -uneasily. Even the village of Schenectady offered mischief to idle -hands. - -"You could teach the little children, lad," said he. - -"I want a man's work," answered Conrad sullenly. - -Then, as in the London fog, Conrad had a strange experience. - -There was fog, also, here by the Mohawk River, by which he walked -early one November morning. Again he went with head bent, kicking the -leaves and pebbles before him. Again he felt that stubborn head strike -an obstacle and himself fly backward. When, in amazement, he picked -himself up, he was confounded. There was no obstacle before him. There -was neither tree nor rock. Puzzled and alarmed, he turned toward the -settlement. Presently he looked back. By this time the mist had lifted, -and behind him he saw a gigantic Indian. Conrad stopped as though his -feet were weighted and the great body, wrapped in a bright new blanket, -bore down upon him. The Indian grunted his queer "Ho, Ho," and -motioned Conrad to lead the way. That he had no unkindly intention was -made clear by the smile which his little trick brought to his face. - -At the first flat rock to which they came he bade Conrad sit down. He -drew from the bundle which he carried on his shoulders a loaf of Indian -bread and broke off a large piece. - -"Eat," said he in the Mohawk language. "Who are you?" - -"I am John Conrad Weiser's son Conrad," answered Conrad, thankful for -each moment spent in learning the rudiments of John Meyndert's language. - -"To Weiser we gave a gift. Why does he not come to take it?" This was -the meaning of the next sentence as nearly as Conrad could guess. - -"He will come in the springtime." - -"And you?" The Indian looked earnestly into Conrad's blue eyes, as -though astonished at their vivid color. - -"Oh, _yes_!" cried Conrad. - -The Indian said no more, but rose and walked toward the settlement, -motioning Conrad to follow. His long stride soon left Conrad far behind -and Conrad started to run, to find a grinning Indian waiting for him -behind a tree, or calling to him from the rear. Presently, when the -Indian's ruse brought them face to face, Conrad pointed to himself. - -"I am Conrad," said he. "Who are you?" - -"Quagnant," was the answer. - -He it was who had given the Germans their hearty welcome! - -When they entered the settlement, Conrad would have liked to follow the -chief as he went from Indian house to Indian house, but he did not dare. - -To Meyndert's lodge Quagnant came late in the afternoon, and there -sat himself down on a pile of deerskins near the fire. He had come, -he said, to hold a conversation with the white chief. At a sign from -her husband, John Meyndert's squaw rose and went away, beckoning John -Conrad's family to follow. For an instant Conrad thought that he was to -remain. Then Quagnant, hitherto so kind, pointed to him, and Meyndert -bade him go also. Offended, Conrad did not return till hunger drove -him back after dark. - -Then the family, except John Conrad, were asleep; as Conrad lifted -the curtain of skins which hung across the door, his father rose from -beside the dying fire and led him outside. In the starlight he walked -up and down with his hand on his boy's shoulder. - -"Conrad, I have an offer to set before you. I have kept you with me, -both because I could not find any opening for you and because I could -not bear to let you go. This Indian Quagnant has asked me to let you -go with him to his village, there 'to learn to be a man,' as he puts -it. He means that they will teach you how to hunt and trap and how to -make a home in the wilderness. Would you like to enter on this strange -apprenticeship?" - -Conrad's full heart breathed a great sigh. - -"Yes, father." - -"You cannot come back until spring. The training in Indian ways may be -very irksome." - -"Not as irksome as idleness." - -For an hour father and son talked, entering once more upon the future -with a tender recalling of the past. Then they went to bed. - -In the misty morning Conrad started away, a little bundle on his back. -He kissed the sleeping Barbara, he put both arms about his father's -neck, then he followed the tall Indian who walked before him, silent, -mysterious, his tall figure dim in the fog. - -They crossed the wet meadow and walked for an hour by the stream-side, -then Quagnant turned into the forest. They ascended a rocky hill, they -followed a narrow valley, they climbed another hill. When the sun was -high in the sky, they ate a lunch of corn bread and dried fish from -Quagnant's pack. Then, already footsore and stiff, Conrad followed -doggedly the long stride which led farther and farther into the -wilderness. - - - - -IX - -THE DARK FOREST - - -At nightfall the travelers camped in the shelter of a huge boulder. -Quagnant made a fire by rubbing two sticks together; then he spread the -embers about and started other fires close to the face of the rock. -When they had burned themselves out, he bade Conrad lie down on the -warmed ground. Faintly aware that Quagnant went on with some other -device for making him comfortable, Conrad slept. - -In the morning he found that he lay in a tent formed by the boughs of -evergreens and that he was still comfortably warm. Quagnant had shot -a bird which he was roasting over the fire. When it was eaten and the -fire was tramped out, Quagnant shouldered his pack. He looked up at the -sky, shook his head, and started briskly away. - -Until noon Quagnant led the way across rough hills and through narrow -valleys. While they ate their lunch, the snow began to fall and -Quagnant grunted his annoyance. Soon the rocks were slippery and the -trail hard to find. There were other hills and other valleys and -another exhausted sleep at night. - -On the third day, Conrad was certain that he could not rise. Quagnant -helped him up and many times in the morning slackened his pace or -stopped entirely. In the afternoon he stopped short and bade Conrad -look ahead. They had come round the shoulder of a hill and were looking -into a broad valley. Here there had been no snow and the meadows were -green. Through the center of the valley ran a stream, broad and full -and smoothly flowing. - -"I see people!" cried Conrad. "They are building houses!" - -Suddenly Conrad's heart throbbed against his side. - -"Schoharie!" he cried. "Is this Schoharie?" - -Quagnant grinned. - -"Schoharie," he repeated. - -Conrad tried to wave his hand, but could make only a feeble motion. He -began to talk in a queer, uncertain way, and Quagnant, looking at him -uneasily, took him by the arm, and presently lifted him to his back. -On he went until at dusk he stepped into a path worn into a deep rut. -Ahead were lights and the sound of voices. - -When Conrad was allowed to slip from the broad back to a soft pile -of deerskins, he felt that all the comforts he had ever known were -combined in one delicious sensation. That Schoharie lay far behind -him he did not know: that the faces about him were dark, the voices -strange,--all were matters of indifference. He felt the rim of a warm -cup against his lips, then he fell asleep. - -The sun had been long in the sky when he woke. He was in an oblong -house of bark. Through a hole in the roof the sun streamed upon the -ashes of a fire. On the walls hung guns and bows and arrows and strange -long spears and about were piles of furs, on one of which lay a little -case of bark from which there issued the scream of a hungry baby. - -At once a young woman lifted the curtain at the door. Before taking -her baby, she looked at Conrad, and finding him awake, nodded and -smiled. In a moment she brought a wooden bowl filled with broth. Conrad -drained the bowl and lay back once more. - -When, late in the afternoon, he lifted the curtain, he found himself in -a village of bark houses. At the far end of the single street children -were playing, and from the ashes of a fire a woman was taking a loaf of -Indian bread. She gave a little call and at once other women appeared -and the children came closer. - -"Where is Quagnant?" asked Conrad. - -The women imitated the sighting of a gun and pointed to their mouths. -The children, dressed in little coats and leggings of leather, pointed -with amazement to Conrad's fair skin and then at their own dark cheeks. -Finally one came close to him. - -"Eyes-like-the-Sky," said he, and his companions repeated the strange -name. - -It was repeated again when the hunters returned with deer meat, and -there seemed to be general satisfaction with the discernment of the -little boy whose own name was Young Deer. - -At once the women prepared the feast. Portions of the meat were set -aside to be smoked; the rest was divided into slices and broiled. There -was no seasoning and the Indian bread was coarse, but the meal was -better than many which the guest had eaten. - -For a few days Conrad watched the play of the children, who showed -him haunts of beaver and woodchuck, and taught him to make and spin -a heart-shaped top of wood. With them he played Blind Man's Buff, in -which the bandage across his eyes was his own dullness of vision which -could not see the little figure lying among the leaves. He watched also -the women braiding their baskets and grinding earth into the paint for -the faces and bodies of their husbands. - -In the evening he sat with the Indians in Quagnant's house. At first -their speech was a strange jargon, but gradually the sounds stayed in -his mind and were associated with the objects to which they belonged. -The comfortable nights in the chief's wigwam and the good food put -color into his cheeks and flesh on his thin body. - -But idleness and luxury did not long endure. He had come to look upon -the deerskins which served him for a bed as his own. One night, when he -wished to lie down, they were gone. He asked for them and was laughed -at. - -"You have no deerskin," said Quagnant. - -In the morning Quagnant gave him a gun and led the way into the forest. -Three days later when they returned, Quagnant had two deerskins and -Conrad none. Again he slept on the ground and again he went with -Quagnant into the forest. On the third journey he shot a buck. - -For one night after the skin was dressed, he slept upon it in the -chief's house. At the next nightfall he found himself and his bed -thrust outside. The Indians laughed at his astonishment and every laugh -said, "Make a house for yourself!" - -With the advice and aid of the children, Conrad built himself a wigwam. -At once Quagnant demolished it. - -"Wind come--house gone. Eyes-like-the-Sky can do better." - -When his house was finished to Quagnant's satisfaction, Conrad had a -few days of peace. Then for a day he was allowed no food; then for two -days; then for three. He was taken to a distant point in the forest and -required to find his way home. One bitter day he was dropped into a -deep, icy pond in a near-by stream. - -As he understood more of the language, he listened earnestly to the -talk of the older Indians. Through all ran the consciousness of -danger,--distant, perhaps, but real. Sometimes messengers from other -tribes appeared suddenly in the village. Painted, armed, terrible, they -talked always of the bow and the string, the long line of the French -whom they called Onotio, and the shorter line of English whom they -called Onas. - -"Upon Onas Onotio will make war. When we walk in the forest we hear it -shouted by the trees. We will all ally ourselves with Onas." - -When there came to the village those who would exterminate all -pale-faces, Quagnant hurried Conrad out of the way. In January five -great chiefs came to visit Quagnant. Conrad gazed at them earnestly, -hoping to see the King of Rivers. They looked back at him scowling and -muttering, and Conrad retreated to his wigwam. - -The chiefs went to Quagnant's house, and before them the women placed -broiled venison and wild turkey. Afterwards long pipes were solemnly -smoked. Then Quagnant gave a command to Little Squaw into whose eyes -came a frightened look. Quagnant saw her hesitate. - -"Go!" he shouted. - -Hidden away in the cache of Quagnant, where there was now little -else, there were a few black bottles, paid to him in return for many -beautiful skins carried to Schenectady. Little Squaw fetched them as -she was bidden. - -In the middle of the night Conrad heard the sound of carousing and -looked out. The fire-water had done its evil work, and the Indians -sought some victim upon whom to spend their madness. There was a flash -of steel and past Conrad's head flew a sharp axe. Other weapons flashed -in the moonlight. Terrified, without blanket or other extra covering, -Conrad fled into the forest. - -Two days later in a blinding snowstorm he ventured to return. Whether -Quagnant remembered his behavior it was difficult to tell. His visitors -had gone, and he sat, sullen and miserable, beside the fire in the -wigwam, making no answer to the complaints of Little Squaw. - -"The cache is almost empty," said she. "All the summer I labored and -now you have given large presents to the Oneidas. I saw them go heavily -laden. Now we will have a great storm when no hunting can be done." - -The first day of the snowstorm Conrad spent in repairing the damage to -his wigwam. He thought of his father and his brothers and sisters, and -wondered once more, in deep depression, to what goal his wanderings -would bring him. At nightfall he ate the last of his food. - -It was still dark when he woke in the morning; at least no light came -through the chinks of the wigwam or through the opening at the top. -Stiff and sore, he turned and slept. When he woke again, he sprang up -and went to lift the curtain at the door. To his amazement he looked -into darkness. When he thrust out his hand he discovered that it was -not night which surrounded him, but a wall of snow, higher than the -wigwam. - -He was not at first alarmed. He had heard more than one story of -imprisonment for days while the great snows fell. The snow was porous, -and the wigwams, thus blanketed, were warm. He had, it was true, no -food, but he could go without food for a day or two. He was still not -thoroughly rested and he would sleep. - -He was wakened by what sounded like the report of a gun. His heart -failed. Perhaps Quagnant's friends had come back and were prepared to -finish the work which they had threatened! Again there came the sharp -explosion. Now Conrad remembered the cold nights of the great frost in -Gross Anspach when the trees had cracked like pistols. The snow must -have ceased to fall and rescue would soon come. - -In the morning his mind was not clear. He heard a whistling sound in -the top of the wigwam and saw a pale light filtering in. Deep drifts -must be forming. - -"It will be best to stay here," said he heavily. - -As the hours passed he fell into a stupor. The wind died, the light -of sunset showed for a few minutes in a yellow haze at the top of the -wigwam, and once more through the long night the trees cracked like -pistols. - -Quagnant and his squaw and their large brood got comfortably through -the three days of imprisonment. Quagnant grew mild and peaceable; he -told stories to the children and obeyed his wife. But when she ordered -him to go and dig Conrad out, he sent several young Indians in his -place. The recollection of the flying hatchet disturbed him. - -"I will drink no more fire-water," he promised himself solemnly. - -Run-as-the-Wind and Turkey Feather and Young Deer all worked diligently -with the hoes which they borrowed from their mothers. As they -approached the door of the wigwam they cried,-- - -"Eyes-like-the-Sky! Wake up! Wake up!" - -When there was no answer they worked faster. - -"Perhaps Eyes-like-the-Sky had no food!" - -"A bear might have devoured him as he slept!" - -"He is brave; he would kill the bear." - -When they had reached the door of the wigwam and still Conrad did not -answer, the rescuing party grew very quiet. Little Squaw was the first -to thrust her head through the hole which the boys made. - -"He lies here like the snow itself! Quick! some hot broth from -Quagnant's kettle!" - -With a wooden spoon she forced a few drops through Conrad's lips, then -a little more. Then she sent Turkey Feather to Quagnant. - -"Tell Quagnant a good bed is to be made by the fire. Tell him Little -Squaw sends him this and this." And Little Squaw picked up the hatchets -of Quagnant and his friends. - -That night the Mohawk village feasted again. Relieved by the ending of -the storm and the restoration of Conrad, the squaws forgot the alarming -emptiness of each family cache. - -The snow thawed little by little. When a crust formed, it was not thick -enough to bear the weight of the hunters. Food grew more scarce and the -usual two meals a day dwindled to one. Another heavy snow made hunting -impossible. More sullen grew the warriors, more angry the squaws, more -miserable the little children. - -After the second great snow a crust formed and Quagnant started at -once into the forest, taking Conrad with him. The two crossed the hill -which lay toward the west and followed the next valley to the north. -It was bitterly cold; insufficiently clad and weak from lack of food, -Conrad trudged along, his heart heavy, his mind dull. To him now the -new country was a trap in which all the Germans would be finally lost. -Quagnant did not speak except to give sullen orders. At nightfall the -two camped supperless and without shelter. There was now no warming of -a bed, since the wood lay deep under the snow. - -When the two took up their weary journey, it seemed to Conrad that -Quagnant tried deliberately to court death. He climbed another western -hill, and his voice became more gruff. Was it possible that he meant to -lead Conrad far away and desert him? Then there would be one less mouth -in the Indian village. - -The sun was high when they came to the top of the hill. Another valley -lay before them with a swift, dark stream flowing through its center. -Another hill rose opposite. Conrad wondered drearily whether his numb -feet must climb that also. - -"I wish that the end would come soon," said he bitterly. "I wish--" - -Walking heedlessly as he had walked on the Schenectady meadow, Conrad -came with a thump into the same obstacle. Before him Quagnant had -stopped rigid. Terrified, Conrad looked up. Quagnant was staring down -into the valley, where along the stream beside a deep pool a small herd -of deer nibbled the green laurel leaves. They were almost motionless -and they were within easy shot. - -Quagnant pulled the trigger and a deer dropped. His comrades lifted -their heads, but before they could dash away in terror another fell. -The flight of the remainder soon ended. Before them the stream plunged -over a precipice; on both sides the icy walls rose steeply. A third and -a fourth fell before Quagnant's accurate shots. There was a glow on his -dark cheeks, a fire in his black eyes. He took a step to one side and -pulled the trigger again. - -Then, in spite of the silence to which he had been trained, Quagnant -gave a fierce yell. He had gone a little too near the edge of the steep -slope. His feet slipped as the gun recoiled and he slid, making frantic -efforts to regain his footing. - -But his efforts were vain. With increasing speed he coasted down the -hillside, his course leading straight toward the rocky wall which -dropped abruptly for at least fifty feet. It was as though an insect -should slip down the side of a cup with sure drowning in the bottom. -Then, near the brink of the pool, a bush caught the pack on his -shoulders and held him suspended. - -Now Quagnant was silent. The deer thongs which bound the pack were -strong, but his body was heavy. He could see below him the black pool. -In its icy water he might keep himself afloat for a few seconds, but -to climb out would be impossible. Across the stream he could see the -bodies of the slain deer, food for all his people, and he could hear -the snow crust breaking as the others made their escape. Conrad, far -above him in safety, he could not see. - -Quagnant shut his eyes and listened to the gurgle of the water and -looked into his poor Indian soul. The logic of the case was simple. -He could not move without help, and Conrad would not help him. He had -abused the pale-face and the pale-face would certainly desert him. Even -if there were mercy in his heart, Conrad could not come down the hill -without risking his life nor return to the village for help before -Quagnant would die of cold. - -Then Quagnant heard above the gurgle of the water a strange sound as -though some one were following his wild flight. There was the sound -of sliding feet, then silence, then again the sound of sliding feet. -Presently began a sharp chip, chip, as though the ice were being struck -with a hatchet. Quagnant, with eyes still closed, began to address the -Great Spirit. - -"I pray that I may not be cut off from my present life, Great and Good -Spirit." - -Nearer and nearer came the sound of chipping; higher and higher rose -the hopes of Quagnant. It would be fearful, indeed, to slip over the -precipice with rescue at hand! But was it rescue? Quagnant remembered -again with sickening pain the sharp hatchet hurled at Conrad. It was -that very hatchet which Conrad held in his hand! - -Now Quagnant could feel each stroke on the ice. They were near his -head--he gave himself up. They had passed his head and were even with -his waist--he dared to breathe again. When the chipping had sounded for -a long time beside his foot, he felt a hand touch his foot and move it -to a hole in the ice in which it could find support. Thus aided, he -was able to lift his arms and draw himself up beside the little bush. -Near by, supporting himself by a tree, sat Conrad. - -With immobile countenance and without even his customary grunt, -Quagnant climbed the mountain in the tracks which Conrad had made. -After he had rested for a few minutes and had ceased to tremble, he -walked along the ridge until he found an easy descent to the stream -and to the carcases of the deer. He did not speak until he had dressed -a portion of the meat with his long knife and cooked it over a little -fire of driftwood which had been carried high on the bank where it had -been protected by thick laurel and hemlock shrubbery. This he would not -touch until Conrad had eaten. Then at last he spoke. - -"A cloud had come between us, Conrad, and the skies were dark. It is -past now forever and the skies are clear." - -Hiding in the stream, away from the sharp claws of panther or wildcat, -the meat which they could not carry, the two set out for home. The -next day the hunters brought in, not only Quagnant's kill, but three -more deer. That evening Conrad was invited to the feast of the grown -men and was given a long pipe. He did not like the strong tobacco, but -he did his best to smoke, aware that he had been paid a great honor. -At him Quagnant looked solemnly, both during the feast and afterwards -when they sat together by the fire. In Quagnant's mind was taking shape -a strange plan, at once brilliant and cunning. If Conrad could have -looked into the chief's mind and could have seen there, slowly forming, -the last episode in his strange apprenticeship, he might well have been -terrified. The meeting in the London fog was about to bear its fruit. - -At last the sullen winter was past and the trees began to bud and the -meadows to grow green. The women prepared their little patches of -ground for maize and potatoes, old canoes were mended and new canoes -were built, the young men began to court and the maidens to grow more -shy. When Conrad spoke of joining his father, who must be by this time -in Schoharie, Quagnant shook his head. - -"You have been with us through the cruel winter: you cannot leave when -the Great Spirit is making all things beautiful." - -Now dark forms glided through the forest once more, as though there -were perpetual patrol in its dim aisles. Messengers came to the -village, messengers were sent away. The Mohawks spoke of their country -as the Long House whose back was at the Hudson River and whose door was -Niagara. In the spring weather all the inhabitants were astir. - -One morning, at dawn, Conrad felt a touch on his shoulder and sprang up -as he had been trained. Quagnant stood before him, enormous in the pale -light. In his hand he held a new suit of doeskin and a bowl of the red -paint with which his tribe painted stars and turtles on their cheeks. -With a few strokes he decorated Conrad's tanned face. Together they ate -and upon the shoulder of each Little Squaw fastened a pack of food and -a blanket. - -"Where are we going?" asked Conrad. - -Quagnant made no answer except to motion Conrad to follow him through -the village. There, with his long stride, Quagnant took up the trail -toward the southwest. - - - - -X - -JOURNEY'S END - - -It would be difficult to tell which fared the worse during the long -winter, the Germans who had forced their way to the Schoharie Valley in -November, or those who remained, like John Conrad, in the settlements. -All were poor, all were ill-clad, all were insufficiently fed. The -cruel winter continued the weeding-out of the weak. At Schoharie the -Indians helped the newcomers according to their promise, and what food -and furs they could spare they gave cheerfully. - -In March, John Conrad and all those who had remained started to -Schoharie. There were indications of an early spring, and it was -important that crops should be sown. From Conrad nothing had been heard -and his father grew daily more anxious. Sabina, like Margareta and -Magdalena, had found a mate, and Barbara had taken her place with the -kind Englishwoman. - -No sooner had the journey begun than the last of the winter's storms -was upon the little party. Little children died and grown persons -suffered cruelly. Joined with their friends at Schoharie in the valley -of their dreams, the pilgrims waited, with what patience they could -summon, for spring. - -When, finally, the snow had melted for the last time and the meadows -were growing green and the willows were yellow along the river, the -hearts of the Germans rested at last. The lovely valley was lovelier -than their dreams. Log houses were built, farms were laid out, and with -their poor tools they prepared to create a German valley which should -bloom like the rose. - -Still no word of Conrad was to be had. He was in the village of -Quagnant to the west--that the Indians knew, but they could tell no -more. His father grew more and more anxious and unhappy. As he worked -the soil, he lifted his head to watch; when his day's work was done, he -walked into the forest toward the west. - -Meanwhile, as Conrad followed the long stride of Quagnant through -the budding forest, he remembered the weary journey in November from -Schenectady to the Indian village. Then he had nearly perished with -exhaustion; now he walked without weariness. Quagnant remembered also -and commented approvingly. - -"Eyes-like-the-Sky does not stumble or faint. He is a true Indian." - -"This is a smooth trail." - -In Indian fashion Quagnant made a comparison. - -"That was a smooth trail, but to Eyes-like-the-Sky it was unfamiliar. -The heart of the Indian seemed also strange to you, but now it is -plain." - -As the two sat by a little camp-fire in the cool evenings, Quagnant -looked solemnly at Conrad. They had now many companions; tall chiefs -wrapped in blankets and stalking solemnly, young men heavily armed and -thickly painted. The strangers stared at Conrad in amazement, their -keen eyes piercing the thick layer of paint with which his cheeks were -covered. When Conrad glanced back at them, they looked at his eyes -and shook their heads. They talked with Quagnant of the Long House, -of distant enemies whom they called the Lenape, and of other matters -which Conrad did not understand. It was clearly evident that Conrad's -presence startled and shocked them. - -Presently Quagnant grew communicative. One evening when he and Conrad -camped alone, he told him something of the affairs of the Indians. - -"The Five Nations are at peace, but they will not always be at peace. -Many important things are coming to pass, Conrad." - -It was in the middle of a bright May morning that Quagnant and his -companion reached the end of their journey. The trail led over the last -stream, through the last wood and thence to a great hill, upon whose -side lay a large Indian village. Here it was that the hundreds of small -human streams had converged; here the savages were gathered, it seemed -to Conrad, in an innumerable host. At sight of them, his heart throbbed -and his skin pricked with fright. Quagnant's face was hideous, and -here Quagnant was repeated hundreds of times. Quagnant's great body, -crowned with its bristling eagle feathers, was a bit terrifying even to -Conrad, and here was Quagnant's fierce strength multiplied by a great -army. There were Indians wrapped in blankets, Indians without covering, -Indians with hideous nose-rings, and here and there shamans or medicine -men with masks of animals, as though the very beasts of the forest had -come to join the council. - -When strength returned to Conrad's frightened heart, he breathed a -frantic prayer to be allowed to escape. For such a scene as this no -experience of his life had prepared him. But he dared not show a sign -of fear; he must walk on behind Quagnant, up the street of the village -between the gigantic creatures and before the black, beady, piercing -eyes. As Quagnant approached, he was hailed with many a loud "Ho, Ho." -The sound which followed him was different,--a low, disapproving murmur. - -Straight up the great hill led the feet of Quagnant; close to him -followed Conrad. At the summit of the hill the forest trees had been -cut in a wide circle and the ground had been beaten like a hard floor. -About the rim of the circle were placed tree-stumps and logs; in the -middle burned a fire, round which crouched shamans, more hideous than -the warriors. Beside them lay their drums of tightly stretched skin and -their rattles of turtle shell or gourd. They sat motionless, their eyes -upon the fire. - -Quagnant bade Conrad sit down at the edge of the woods, and himself -sat beside him. One by one Indians came to speak to him, to Conrad -a consoling sign of his importance. Longest of all he spoke with an -Oneida chief named Shikellamy. What they said Conrad could not hear, -but he could see that Shikellamy looked upon him kindly. - -"He has a great heart and a wise mind," said Quagnant as the chief went -away. "In council he makes our way clear." - -At noon the shamans beat their drums and shook their rattles, and at -once, breaking off conversation with one another or with the squaws -of the village, the Indians approached the council fire. Certain -ones, Quagnant and Shikellamy among them, took seats together on the -tree-stumps; the others sat on logs or on the ground. Outside the -circle stood scores of young men. Presently the shamans ceased to beat -their drums and shake their rattles and crouched again about the fire. - -Now followed a period of complete silence. The chiefs did not move; the -young warriors seemed scarcely to breathe; even from the village came -no sound of speech and no cry of child. - -Shikellamy was the first to rise. He spoke in a deep voice and was -listened to with breathless attention. - -"Brothers of the Long House, it is now many years since the great tree -was planted under whose young roots we buried our hatchets. Many moons -have risen and waned since we wove our wampum into one belt. Many -feasts have been eaten since the undying flame of our council fire was -lighted, and since Mohawk, Seneca, Onondaga, Oneida, and Cayuga became -brothers. The great tree will continue to grow, the sun and moon to -rise and the council fire to send out into the forest its clear light. -Our hatchets, buried in the ground, will rust before they are dug up. - -"We are now at peace with all men, and strangers seek our favor. Our -enemies fear us and we fear no one. - -"But, brothers of the Long House, there are matters to be considered. -Claims have been laid against us. Our young men, in the heat of anger -and inflamed by drink, have done here and there a little injury. The -tears of those whom they injured must be wiped away with presents. Each -wrong must be considered and we must make recompense without grudging. - -"These matters are, however, small. Our brother Onotio has something to -say to us. Our brother Onas has also something to say to us. Between -Onotio on the one side and Onas on the other, there is undying hatred, -whose cause is shut off from our eyes. We cannot remain friends both to -Onotio and to Onas, who draw nearer and nearer to one another through -the forests. Soon the two black clouds will meet, and the grass on the -warpath will be trodden down. - -"It is for the consideration of these matters that the council is -assembled." - -When Shikellamy had finished a loud uproar was made by the medicine -men. They rose and faced the east, then prostrated themselves again and -again. The Great Spirit was being invoked. - -Now with astonishing order the various businesses of which Shikellamy -had spoken were presented to the council and settled. The young Indians -who had quarreled with their neighbors were admonished and fined. -Young Eagle was to send five deerskins to dry the tears of the warrior -whose son he had injured; Short Arm was to send three blankets to the -widow of the man whom he had killed. Against these decisions there was -no protest. The code which the young men had disobeyed was clearly -understood and its penalties accepted without argument. - -When the relations of the allied nations to the French and English came -to be spoken of, there was a change in the spirit of the meeting. Now -all whispering ceased; every one sat motionless, listening with knitted -brows and bright, eager eyes. The council was informed minutely of the -affairs of the English colonies to the east and the French settlements -to the west. Conrad listened as eagerly as the rest, his terror lost in -amazement. - -"I am a swift runner," said Short Arm. "I went in three days to -Harris's Ferry. The children of Brother Onas are creeping, creeping -to the west and to the north. They are coming into the Long House. -They are grazing their cattle where our deer have grazed. They are our -enemies." - -"The pale-faces are in Schoharie," said a dark-faced, hideously painted -old chief. As he spoke he pointed at Conrad. "Not only are they given -lands, but they are taken into our wigwams. They are our enemies." - -From some one came a sneering laugh. Now Conrad was sure of what would -be his fate. Then, on the opposite side of the council fire, a tall -figure rose. Conrad's lips parted; he was about to cry out; then he -held his lips closely shut with his hand. - -"It is the King of Rivers! It is the King of Rivers!" - -"This talk about the children of Onas is nonsense. The children of -Onotio are more hateful. They come into the Long House from the north. -They think nothing of their promises. They have allied themselves with -our enemies; they are our enemies. There are no two words about them." - -Now Quagnant rose, and standing with folded arms looked about until -he had met every piercing eye. Last of all he sought the wide blue -ones at the edge of the forest. Like the other Indians, Quagnant spoke -eloquently. - -"Brothers, we are of the extended lodge. The Long House is no mere hut -like the dwelling of the Catawbas. We have made our enemies to flutter -like frightened young birds. At the Catawbas and the Lenape we laugh. - -"Now strangers seek to live with us in the Long House,--a great people, -pale of face, with new customs and long guns. Some are our friends, -some are our enemies. They have brought us good things and bad things. -With the guns they have brought we have become powerful, but with the -fire-water they have brought we have become mad. - -"We cannot tell which among these pale-faces are our friends. Their -words are not ours and their faces are not ours. They give little in -exchange for much. Our furs are to them no more valuable than a few -beads, our hunting-grounds no more than a few hatchets." - -"It is a good day's journey from the Susquehanna to the Black -Mountain," cried a voice. "This they have taken for a piece of bright -cloth and a glass in which to see one's face!" - -"Their traders lie to us!" cried another. - -The hideously painted old chief rose. - -"Year by year their ships come. They overrun our land, given by the -Great Spirit. They enter at the front of the Long House to shove us out -at the back; at the back, to push us out at the front. I counsel death -to all!" - -A great trembling seized upon Conrad. Then he saw that Quagnant still -stood, motionless, waiting to continue his speech. Quagnant would not -forget the icy bank and the deep pool! - -"Brothers," said Quagnant, "let us be orderly in council, not like -chattering birds. The words of Quagnant were not finished." - -At once silence was restored. - -"The various brothers have spoken," went on Quagnant. "Many have spoken -without thought. They desire war, without reflecting that the pale-face -has long guns also, without reflecting that ships will bring new -pale-faces. There is a pale-face to whom I have put many questions; he -tells me that they are across the sea like the leaves of the forest. To -talk of making war upon all is child's talk. - -"What we should do, brothers of the Long House, is to enter into -understanding with the pale-face, so that we may say, 'To this river -the land is yours, beyond is ours.' Then our mind will be clear to -them, then messengers can go to and fro and--" - -"They will not listen!" cried the old warrior. "They have laughed our -messengers in the face." - -Quagnant waited again until the old warrior had been frowned at by half -the assemblage. Quagnant approached now the carefully planned climax of -his address. - -"The pale-faces will not listen to us, it is true. They do not -understand us. But they will listen to another pale-face. I have had in -my wigwam a young pale-face. I have watched his behavior. He has done -things which will move the hearts of the brothers of the Long House -when I tell them. I will tell them at length. We have made of him an -Indian. He speaks our words. He--" - -Now the fierce old warrior would not be stayed. He sprang to his feet, -hatchet in hand. - -"He may well speak our words when he sits at our councils! Such a thing -has never been heard of in the Long House. Let him go away and go -quickly." - -Shikellamy crossed the open space toward Quagnant. - -"Let the young braves take him away," said he. - -At once Conrad found himself surrounded. Down the hillside he was led -and to the far end of a long meadow through which flowed a stream. - -There, when the curiosity of the young Indians about what was going on -in the council could be no longer resisted, he was left alone. He could -hear on the rising wind the sound of many voices and now a single voice -raised in impassioned speech. About him the shades of the spring night -were falling and a cold breath from the water chilled him through. -Hungry and tired, he sat with his hands clasped round his knees and -his cheek bent upon them. The forest seemed to press upon him. A more -terrible oppression came from the thought of the savage creatures on -the hillside, gathered from the wilderness, debating now whether to -deal with the whites in peace or to exterminate them with knife and -flame. - -He thought of his father's dreams of a great country where there should -be liberty and peace. With honesty and at the same time with firmness -must these children of the wilderness be met or dreams and their -dreamers would perish in a night. - -Presently a dark form stole toward him across the meadow. He heard a -strange singing unlike the voice of man or animal. He saw strange forms -approach; with faces masked and bodies wrapped in skins of deer and -panther and bear. He moved to the nearest tree and stood with his back -against it. He thought now no more of his father's dreams, or of God's -purpose of which his father talked, but prayed in his pious German way -that he might meet his death bravely. - -He found himself taken by the hand and led up the hill, the strange -forms following after. Through the Indian village where the women -stared from firelit doorways, and where over great fires meat was -cooking, to the center of the council he was taken, and there he was -placed alone beside the council fire. About sat the chiefs, behind -them in the shadowy circle the young men. Conrad stood still, his eyes -seeking Quagnant. If death should come, he hoped its messenger would be -a swift knife. The medicine men were behind him; it would be by their -hands that the blow would be struck. - -Shikellamy was the first to speak. Upon his magnificent body the -firelight danced. His immobile face told nothing of his heart, but it -seemed to Conrad that his voice was kind. - -"We have listened to the story of our brother Quagnant," said he. "We -believe that you are honest and true. We believe that you speak our -words. In order that we may bind ourselves to you and you to us"--now -Conrad's heart stood still--"in order that we may bind ourselves to -you and you to us, we make you a member of the Five Nations. We give -you our heart and you give us your heart. He who is our friend is -your friend. He who is our enemy is your enemy. We invite you to the -extended lodge, we bid you come to our feasts. We will give you in -token deerskins to make you clothes and shoes." - -Now there was a long pause. The rising wind moaned in the pine trees, -the fire leaped. Shikellamy crossed to the council fire and held out -his great hand. - -"We give you also in token a new name. 'Eyes-like-the-Sky' you are to -the children, but among men you are, 'He-holds-our-fate.'" - -Now the King of Rivers came forward. A true Indian, he gave no sign -that he recollected the camp of Blackheath and the strange encounter -which reached now its stranger consummation. - -"We are to see dark sights," said he. "I see wars, with Indians -creeping upon pale-faces and pale-faces upon Indians. I hear cries to -the Great Spirit. See that you, who are now our Tongue, are true to us. -Then the English will conquer the French and the land will have peace. -Between the Indian and the English is a bond. You are that bond." - -Now Shikellamy spoke again. - -"You will have a great name while you live, and after you die your -Indian brothers will visit the place where you lie. Your children will -say with pride, 'I am of the great He-holds-our-fate, his blood is -mine, I have his brave heart.' Will you be true to your brothers?" - -"I will be true to my brothers." - -Then, at the side of a beckoning Quagnant, Conrad sat down. - -"You have done well," said Quagnant. "Now the feast begins." - -Conrad made no answer. He saw the Long House, enormous, mysterious; he -saw the little fringe of white faces between it and the sea. He saw the -hopes and fears of the dwellers in the Long House and the hopes and -fears of the strangers. Both were in his own heart. - - * * * * * - -In June, John Conrad's eager, anxious eyes were satisfied. He still -walked each evening into the forest. There on a fallen tree he sat and -looked toward the west. One clear evening, he saw coming toward him an -erect, alert young Indian and sprang up to make the same eager inquiry -with which he greeted all Indians. Then he stood still. The Indian was -clad in doeskin, his hair was long, his feet were moccasined--but his -eyes were blue! - -"My son!" cried John Conrad. - -Hand in hand the two sat down on the fallen tree. - -"How are my brothers and sisters?" asked Conrad. - -"I have heard no ill news of them. Sabina is married, and Barbara has -taken her place with a kind mistress in Schenectady. Of all my dear -children you are left me, Conrad. What has befallen you?" - -Conrad talked steadily and quietly. He was different; his eyes were -steady, his figure erect, his voice deep. He told of the strange life, -of the harsh training, of the bitter suffering from hunger and cold. - -When he described the council, John Conrad shivered. - -"A thousand times I wished I had not let you go!" Then in the gathering -dusk his eyes sought his son's face. "What are you going to do now, -Conrad?" - -Conrad turned and smiled into the anxious eyes. - -"I am going to help you and I am going to teach the children their -letters. Father,"--Conrad looked back into the darkening woods,--"the -life among the Indians seems already like a dream; but there they are -waiting, a fearful menace to us all. Suppose that I should some day be -the one to keep the peace! Perhaps God has saved me for that through -much danger and perversity." - -John Conrad breathed a long sigh. He did not look into the future, but -into the past. - -"Your mother and I could not give our children riches and honor," said -he slowly. "We tried to give them faith in God and willingness to do -their simple duty. If you have learned those lessons from us or in the -forest among the Indians, you are at last a man. Your mother--" - -But John Conrad could not finish, needed not to finish. The hand within -his tightened and an arm was thrown across his bent shoulders. Together -the two sat silently, as they had stood long ago in Gross Anspach in -the moonlight by the little church. Their thoughts traveled together -from sister to sister and brother to brother, and finally back once -more across the sea. Then, at last, John Conrad spoke. - -"It has been a long journey and a weary one," said he, "but my -children will have a better chance than I in the world. There may be -other journeys before me, but tonight my heart is at rest." - - -THE END - - - - - The Riverside Press - CAMBRIDGE . MASSACHUSETTS - U . S . A - - - - -JUST DAVID - - By Eleanor H. Porter - - -"Just David" is one of those books that bear a message of courage and -inspiration straight to the heart of every reader. If you want to make -a lovable, life-long friend, get and read this story of the boy who -brought happiness to a whole village, and who will bring happiness to -you. - -"'Just David' will be read with gladness and gratitude by men and women -who need inspiration."--_Continent._ - -"'Just David' is delightful in every way; the best story in many -respects that Mrs. Porter has written."--_Zion's Herald._ - - -Illustrated in tint. $1.25 _net_. - -HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY - - - - -THE SONG OF THE LARK - - By Willa Sibert Cather - _Author of "O Pioneers!" and "Alexander's Bridge."_ - - -The story of a prima donna's life from childhood on a Western ranch to -international fame. - -"An uncommonly interesting novel. 'The Song of the Lark' is a book to -read and not to 'skip.' Its gripping power lies in the reaction of Thea -Kronborg's temperament upon the wise and courageous mother and also -upon the generous men who made her development possible.... Miss Cather -has created a flesh and blood woman."--_Boston Transcript._ - -"A story of something better than suggestiveness and charm--a thing -finished, sound and noble."--_The Nation._ - -"Many books have been written of which the chief character has been a -singer; there is something about a career behind the footlights that -is strangely alluring. None, however, has been more skillfully and -sympathetically written than 'The Song of the Lark.'"--_Louisville -Courier Journal._ - -"It has the artistic and literary merit of her earlier book, 'O -Pioneers!' but it is an immeasurably bigger and richer story."--_New -York Globe._ - - -$1.40 _net_. - - HOUGHTON BOSTON - MIFFLIN [Illustration: Logo] AND - COMPANY NEW YORK - - - - -"K" - -By Mary Roberts Rinehart - -_Author of "The Street of Seven Stars," etc._ - - -"A brilliant story of hospital wards and work, of nurses, of surgeons, -of discouragements, of successes, of poverty, of wealth, of love--in -short, of humanity."--_Cleveland Town Topics._ - -"This absorbing tale of mystery, love, and ambition is the climax of -Mrs. Rinehart's art."--_Kansas City Star._ - -"No fiction reader can afford to omit the pleasure of knowing -'K.'"--_Cleveland Plain Dealer._ - -"Intensely readable from the first page to the last."--_New York -Tribune._ - -"Mrs. Rinehart has never written a more engrossing story."--_Literary -Digest._ - - -Illustrated by Charles E. Chambers. $1.35 _net_. - - HOUGHTON BOSTON - MIFFLIN [Illustration: Logo] AND - COMPANY NEW YORK - - - - -THE VALLEY ROAD - - By Mary Hallock Foote - - -"A fine portrayal of the progress of a family with good old traditions -through more than two decades.... This work deserves praise for its -fine workmanship."--_Review of Reviews._ - -"One of the choice novels of the year.... A symmetrical, beautiful -story, with passages that fire imagination, that smite with pity, that -quicken with the stress of life's great moments. Surrounding it all, -and one with it, is the colorful Californian atmosphere."--_Milwaukee -Free Press._ - -"In 'The Valley Road' readers who have learned to watch for Mrs. -Foote's books will find all her best characteristics revealed.... All -her people are delightfully real."--_Louisville Courier Journal._ - -"The vivid character drawing, the insight into people's hearts -that is shown and the pictures of their lives combine to make a -fine and interesting portrayal of American life.... The story is -refreshing."--_Indianapolis Star._ - -"A healthy, whole-souled book, fresh and free, like her own dear -California."--_St. Louis Globe Democrat._ - - -$1.35 _net_. - - HOUGHTON BOSTON - MIFFLIN [Illustration: Logo] AND - COMPANY NEW YORK - - - - -DAVID PENSTEPHEN - - By Richard Pryce - _Author of "Christopher," etc., etc._ - - -"A novel of extraordinary insight into the soul of a woman and the -heart of a child.... Novelists like Mr. Pryce, with his sympathetic -comprehension of the mental processes in both women and children, as -well as in men, are all too rare. 'David Penstephen' is an unusual -story told in an unusual manner."--_Boston Transcript._ - -"'David Penstephen' is as searching a study of the influence of -environment upon character as one can find--a story that grows ever -more intensely interesting as it proceeds. One of the notable novels of -the year."--_New York Tribune._ - -"Far ahead of anything Mr. Pryce has yet done--even -'Christopher.'"--_New York Times._ - - -$1.35 _net_. - - HOUGHTON BOSTON - MIFFLIN [Illustration: Logo] AND - COMPANY NEW YORK - - - - -PENELOPE'S POSTSCRIPTS - - By Kate Douglas Wiggin - _Author of "Rebecca," "The Birds' Christmas Carol," etc._ - -The experiences of the ever-fascinating Penelope in Vienna, -Switzerland, Wales, Devon, and at home. - - -"In their delightfully humorous way, with their capital touches of -character-drawing, Penelope's travel books will enchant readers to-day -as much as they delighted those who read them more than a decade -ago."--_New York Tribune._ - -"In its lightness of touch, its gayety and humor, it reveals the -qualities that have endeared Mrs. Wiggin's work to such a host of -readers."--_New York World._ - -"Age cannot destroy, nor familiarity lessen, Penelope's power to -charm. In these, her 'postscripts,' that power is as potent as -ever."--_Philadelphia Press._ - -"All the charm of the author's previous books is present in this -one."--_New Orleans Times-Picayune._ - - -With frontispiece. $1.00 _net_. - - HOUGHTON BOSTON - MIFFLIN [Illustration: Logo] AND - COMPANY NEW YORK - - * * * * * - -Transcriber's Notes - -Obvious typographical errors have been silently corrected, all other -spelling, punctuation and accents are as in he original. - -Italics are represented thus _italic_. - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Long Journey, by Elsie Singmaster - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LONG JOURNEY *** - -***** This file should be named 50470-8.txt or 50470-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/4/7/50470/ - -Produced by David Edwards, Les Galloway and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Long Journey - -Author: Elsie Singmaster - -Release Date: November 17, 2015 [EBook #50470] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LONG JOURNEY *** - - - - -Produced by David Edwards, Les Galloway and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - - - -<div class="bbox spaced"> - <p class="center"><b><i>By Elsie Singmaster</i></b></p> -<hr class="small" /> - - <p class="hang small">MARTIN LUTHER. THE STORY OF HIS LIFE. With frontispiece.</p> - <p class="hang small">THE LONG JOURNEY. Frontispiece in color.</p> - <p class="hang small">EMMELINE. Illustrated.</p> - <p class="hang small">KATY GAUMER. Illustrated.</p> - <p class="hang small">GETTYSBURG. Illustrated.</p> - <p class="hang small">WHEN SARAH WENT TO SCHOOL. Illustrated.</p> - <p class="hang small">WHEN SARAH SAVED THE DAY. Illustrated.</p> - -<p class=" center small">HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY<br /> - <span class="smcap">Boston and New York</span></p> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="center spaced"><big>THE LONG JOURNEY</big></p> - - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/frontis.jpg" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"> CONRAD RUBBED HIS EYES—HE LOOKED AGAIN (p. 52)</div> -</div> - -<div class="tbox spaced"> -<h1>THE LONG<br /> - JOURNEY</h1> - -<p class="center space-below"><small>BY</small><br /> - <big>ELSIE SINGMASTER</big></p> - -<div class="figcenter" > -<img src="images/titlepage.jpg" alt="logo" /> -</div> - -<p class="center space-above"><small>BOSTON AND NEW YORK</small><br /> - HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY<br /> - <small><b><i>The Riverside Press Cambridge</i></b></small><br /> - <small>1917</small></p> -</div> - - - -<p class="center space-above xs">COPYRIGHT, 1917, BY ELSIE SINGMASTER LEWARS</p> - -<p class="center xs">ALL RIGHTS RESERVED</p> - -<p class="center space-below xs"><i>Published February 1917</i></p> - - - - -<p class="center space-above small">TO</p> - -<p class="center">WILLIAM BLACK LEWARS</p> - -<p class="center small">A DESCENDANT</p> - -<p class="center small">OF</p> - -<p class="center small">JOHN CONRAD WEISER</p> - -<p class="center small">AND HIS SON</p> - -<p class="center space-below small">CONRAD</p> - -<hr class="chap" /><div class="chapter"></div> - - - -<h2>CONTENTS</h2> - - - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#I">I</a>.</td><td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Gross Anspach Cow</span></td><td align="right">1</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#II">II</a>.</td><td align="left"><span class="smcap">Down the River</span></td><td align="right">21</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right"> <a href="#III">III</a>.</td><td align="left"><span class="smcap">Blackheath</span></td><td align="right">40</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#IV">IV</a>.</td><td align="left"><span class="smcap">A Royal Audience</span></td><td align="right">60</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#V">V</a>.</td><td align="left"><span class="smcap">Across the Sea</span></td><td align="right">79</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#VI">VI</a>.</td><td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Pirate Ship</span></td><td align="right">96</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right"> <a href="#VII">VII</a>.</td><td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Home assigned</span></td><td align="right">111</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#VIII">VIII</a>.</td><td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Flight begins</span></td><td align="right">131</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#IX">IX</a>.</td><td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Dark Forest</span></td><td align="right">149</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#X">X</a>.</td><td align="left"><span class="smcap">Journey's End</span></td><td align="right">169</td></tr> -</table></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[Pg 1]</a></span></p> - - -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<p class="half-title">THE<br /> -LONG JOURNEY</p> - - -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<h2><a name="I" id="I">I</a><br /> - -THE GROSS ANSPACH COW</h2> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">On</span> the evening of the twenty-third of -June, Conrad Weiser brought home, as -was his custom, the Gross Anspach cow. The -fact was, in itself, not remarkable, since it was -Conrad's chief duty to take the cow to pasture, -to guard her all day long, to lead her -from one little patch of green grass to another, -to see that she drank from one of the springs -on the hillside, and to feed her now and then -a little of the precious salt which he carried -in his pocket. What made this twenty-third -of June remarkable was the fact that this was -Conrad's final journey from the pastures of -Gross Anspach to Gross Anspach village.</p> - -<p>Liesel, the property of Conrad's father, -John Conrad, was Gross Anspach's only cow.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[Pg 2]</a></span> -War and the occupation of a brutal soldiery -had stripped the village of its property, its -household goods, its animals, and, alas! of -most of its young men. Gross Anspach had -hidden itself in woods and in holes in the -ground, had lived like animals in dens. Upon -the mountainside wolves had devoured children.</p> - -<p>What war had left undone, famine and -pestilence and fearful cold had completed. -The fruit trees had died, the vines were now -merely stiffened and rattling stalks, and, -though it was June, the earth was bare in -many places. There were no young vines to -plant, there was no seed to sow, there were -no horses to break the soil with the plough.</p> - -<p>Sometimes Conrad had company to the -hillside pasture. He was thirteen years old, -a short, sturdy, blue-eyed boy, much older -than his years, as were most of the children -in Gross Anspach. Above him in the family -were Catrina, who was married and had two -little children of her own, then Margareta, -Magdalena, and Sabina, and below him were -George Frederick, Christopher, Barbara, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span> -John Frederick. They all had blue eyes and -sturdy frames and they were all, except John -Frederick, thin. John Frederick was their -darling and the only partaker in the family -of the bounty of Liesel. The fact that John -Frederick had no mother seemed more terrible -than the lack of a mother for any of the other -eight children.</p> - -<p>When Margareta and Magdalena and -Sabina and George Frederick and Christopher -and Barbara and John Frederick accompanied -Conrad to the hillside, they all started -soberly, the older girls knitting as they -walked, Christopher and Barbara trotting -hand in hand, and John Frederick riding upon -Conrad's back. They had little to say—there -was little to be said. When the prospect -broadened, when they were able to look out -over the walls of their own valley across the -wide landscape, then spirits were lightened -and tongues were loosed. Then they could -see other valleys and other hills and the desolation -of their own no longer filled their tired -eyes. The little children ran about, the older -ones, still working busily, sat and talked.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</a></span></p> - -<p>Their speech was German, the soft and -beautiful German of the south. Sometimes -they spoke in whispers and with fearful -glances of the past and its terrors, and of the -cruel French. Sometimes the older girls -whispered together of romantic dreams which -could never come true, of true lovers and a -happy home for each. But most of all they -talked—amazing to relate—these little -Germans of two hundred years ago—of -Indians!</p> - -<p>About Indians it was Conrad who had the -most to say. Conrad was the oldest boy; -though so much younger than Margareta and -Magdalena, he could read easily while they -could not read at all. While Conrad talked, -their thoughts traveled out of their poor valley, -down the great river, through strange -cities to a mighty ship upon which they -should sail and sail until they reached a Paradise. -Sometimes Conrad walked up and down -before them, his hands clasped behind his -back, sometimes he lay on the ground with -his hands under his head. He talked and -talked and let himself be questioned in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span> -lordly manner which lads assume with their -sisters. He carried with him always, buttoned -inside his thin clothes, a little book which he -knew by heart.</p> - -<p>"Is it cold there?" asked Sabina wistfully. -Sabina was the last to recover from the fearful -winter.</p> - -<p>Conrad leafed his little book.</p> - -<p>"I will read. 'The climate is everywhere -subtle and penetrating. During the winter'—here, -Sabina,—'during the winter the -sun has great strength.'"</p> - -<p>"I do not know what 'subtle and penetrating' -mean. Those great words are beyond -me."</p> - -<p>"They mean that the climate is good," -explained Conrad, who did not know exactly -either.</p> - -<p>"Will we be hungry?" asked Sabina, still -more wistfully.</p> - -<p>Conrad could hardly turn the leaves fast -enough. His eyes sparkled, his cheeks glowed.</p> - -<p>"Now listen, you foolish, frightened Sabina, -listen! 'The country produces all kinds -of cereals, together with Indian corn of vari<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span>ous -kinds. Peas, kitchen vegetables, pumpkins, -melons, roots, hemp, flax, hops, everything. -Peaches and cherries'—Sabina, you -have never eaten peaches or cherries, but I -have eaten one of each—'peaches and cherries -grow like weeds.' Here we have nothing, -nothing! Our grandfather was a magistrate, -but we are almost beggars. My father -talks to me as he does not talk to you, Margareta -and Magdalena and Sabina and—"</p> - -<p>Margareta lifted her blue eyes from her -knitting and tossed back her yellow braids.</p> - -<p>"It is not very long since I spanked you -well, Conrad," said she.</p> - -<p>At this all the children, even Conrad, -smiled. Margareta made a little motion as -though she meant to rise and pursue her -brother about the high tableland, Conrad -a little motion as though he dared her to a -chase. But the impulse passed, as all playful -impulses passed in this time of distress.</p> - -<p>"My father talks to me because I am almost -a man," went on Conrad. "He says -that if we have another winter like the one -which is past we will all die as our mother—"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span> -Conrad could not complete his sentence. The -children did not cry, their hearts only ceased -for a moment to beat as Conrad's speech -faltered. "He says there will not be enough -animals and birds left after that time to establish -a new stock. He says that even if the -winter is mild, Gross Anspach cannot all live—even -we few that are left."</p> - -<p>"But I am afraid," said little Sabina.</p> - -<p>"Afraid of what?"</p> - -<p>"Of the river and the great sea."</p> - -<p>"Thousands have sailed down the river and -many have crossed the sea, Sabina."</p> - -<p>"I am most afraid of these strange red -people."</p> - -<p>"I am not afraid of them," announced little -Christopher. "Not more than I am afraid of -Liesel."</p> - -<p>Once more Conrad leafed his little book. It -was no wonder that it scarcely held together.</p> - -<p>"They are not bad people. They fish and -hunt and plant crops. They go farther and -farther back into the woods as the white -people come. I am no more afraid of them -than I am of Christopher."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</a></span></p> - -<p>"But how are we to get there, brother?" -asked Magdalena, who spoke least among a -family who spoke little.</p> - -<p>Conrad shut his book and tied it in its -place under his coat.</p> - -<p>"That I do not know," said he impatiently. -"But we will all see yet the river and the -great sea and the deep forests and the red -people."</p> - -<p>"Old Redebach says—" No sooner had -John Frederick began to speak than his lips -were covered by the hand of his brother.</p> - -<p>"Old Redebach cannot tell the truth. It -is not in him. And he is afraid of everything. -Ten times he has told me that Liesel would be -carried off, that he has had a dream and has -seen men watching her. Forty times he has -told me that Liesel would die of the cattle -plague. There stands Liesel fat and hearty. -It is the schoolmaster who is to be believed -in this matter. He would start to-morrow if -he could. I tell you"—Conrad pointed toward -the declining sun—"we are going, we -are going, we are going."</p> - -<p>Now, on the twenty-third of June, as Con<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span>rad, -alone, guided the obstinate way of Liesel -through the dusk, the words of old Redebach -came back to him. Liesel had all the -trying defects of a spoiled and important -character; believing herself to be the Queen -of Gross Anspach, she expected her subjects -to follow where she led. She proceeded deliberately -into all sorts of black and shadowy -places from which Conrad did not dare -to chase her roughly for fear of affecting the -precious store of milk, upon which John -Frederick and other Gross Anspach babies -depended.</p> - -<p>Conrad recalled now, besides the warnings -of old Redebach about present dangers, certain -fearful things which were printed in his -little book. The savages had learned from -the whites to be deceitful, they were frequently -drunk, they would not be governed, -they used their knives and hatchets for hideous -purposes. They were enormous creatures, -who increased their height by bunches -of towering feathers fastened to their topknots. -They stole upon their victims with -the quietness of cats, they—was that a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span> -stealthy footstep which Conrad heard now to -the right of his path?—they celebrated their -triumph with fearful cries—what was that -strange sound which he heard to his left?</p> - -<p>In spite of himself, Conrad hastened the -steps of the unruly Liesel through the twilight.</p> - -<p>The Weiser family lived in one of the few -houses left in Gross Anspach. It was not -large, but to the villagers who had taken -refuge after the burning of their dwellings in -stables and sheds, it seemed like a palace. -From its doorway shone now a faint light, -at sight of which Conrad felt ashamed of his -fear. He heard the rattle of Margareta's -milk pail, and felt against his leg the warm, -comfortable body of old Wolf, the Weiser -dog.</p> - -<p>"You are late," called Margareta, in an -excited tone. "I have been watching and -watching and the children have been more -than once to the bottom of the hill."</p> - -<p>"What is the matter?" asked Conrad.</p> - -<p>"You will hear in good time," answered -Margareta in a patronizing way.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Where is father?"</p> - -<p>"In the house."</p> - -<p>"If anything had happened he would tell -me first," said Conrad. "I do not believe he -has told you anything."</p> - -<p>Behind the broad table in the kitchen sat -John Conrad. He was the younger Conrad -grown old and gray with anxiety and grief. -His clothes were whole, but mended with -amazing invention. His body was still powerful -and the fire of energy flashed from his -eyes. As Conrad entered, he raised a clenched -fist and brought it down heavily upon the -table, which, solid as it was, shook under the -impact. A stranger might have thought that -he was reproving the little row of children -who sat opposite him on a bench and who -watched him with a fixed stare. But John -Conrad was a kind father; his excitement did -not find its source in anger with his children. -Nor were the children frightened. Their stare -was one of admiration and awe rather than -of fright.</p> - -<p>Seeing his father thus, Conrad asked no -questions, though a dozen trembled on his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span> -lips. He sat quietly down beside the other -children and lifted John Frederick to his -lap.</p> - -<p>When Margareta came in from milking, -the family had their supper of black bread -and a little weak broth. It was enough to -keep life in their bodies, but not very vigorous -life. The children scarcely tasted what -they ate, so excited were they by their father's -appearance, and by the long and solemn -prayer with which he prefaced the meal. -Presently Elisabeth Albern came for milk -for her Eva, Michael Fuhrmann for milk for -his Balthasar, and George Reimer, the schoolmaster, -for milk for his little sister Salome. -For this milk John Conrad took no pay. He -was poor, but his neighbors were far poorer; -he regarded Liesel neither as the annoying -creature which Conrad considered her, nor as -the proud princess that she believed herself -to be, but as a sacred trust. If it were not for -Liesel half of the poor little Gross Anspach -babies would not survive the summer. Even -John Frederick was beginning to eat the -black bread and broth so that younger and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span> -more needy babies might have his share of -Liesel's milk.</p> - -<p>George Reimer spoke to John Conrad in a -way which heightened the children's excitement.</p> - -<p>"I will be here," said he.</p> - -<p>The children nudged one another. Their -father was the leader in what poor little affairs -Gross Anspach might still be said to -have, and he sometimes assembled his neighbors -so that they might encourage and console -one another.</p> - -<p>Such a meeting was now at hand. The -older girls washed the bowls and wooden -plates and the cooking-pot and put them on -the shelf, and carried a sleepy John Frederick -and a protesting Barbara from the kitchen -and laid them firmly and tenderly in their -corner of the family bedroom. When Conrad -nodded to little Christopher that he should -follow, the older Weiser bade Christopher -stay.</p> - -<p>"It is important that all my children who -can should remember this night."</p> - -<p>Before long the village men and a few of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span> -the women began to assemble. They came -quietly, with only the simplest of greetings, -but eye meeting eye said wonderful things.</p> - -<p>"John Conrad Weiser, you are our leader -and friend."</p> - -<p>"Neighbors, you have been my stay in -deep affliction."</p> - -<p>A woman with a baby in her arms bade -John Conrad look and see how his namesake -was growing.</p> - -<p>"If it were not for you he would be gone -like his father."</p> - -<p>Presently the children, giving up their -places on the bench for places on little stools -or on the earthen floor, began to whisper to -one another and to point. From under the -thin and ragged coat of George Reimer, the -schoolmaster, projected a flute. George's own -flute had been taken from him by the French -soldiers, but in a few days a much finer one -had been found by the roadside, dropped, -probably, because the army could not carry -all its own possessions in addition to those -which it had stolen. It might be said that -Gross Anspach retained two valuable articles,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span> -John Conrad Weiser's cow and George Reimer's -flute. Behind his father's back, Conrad -pretended to play a tune upon the air. At -once the solemn assembly grew a little -brighter. Last of all came Catrina and her -husband.</p> - -<p>At once John Conrad rose to pray. They -still had God, these souls who had little else, -and upon Him John Conrad called, that He -might bless them in <i>a great endeavor</i>. At this, -in spite of his better knowledge, Conrad -opened his eyes and fixed them upon Margareta -until she opened hers. Conrad clasped -his hands tightly, scarcely able to breathe.</p> - -<p>"Friends,"—John Conrad had closed his -prayer,—"I have asked you to come here so -that I might tell you of an important matter. -It is not necessary that in beginning what I -have to say I should remind you of our miseries -and our griefs. You know them as well -as I. You know that this life cannot go on; -that, presently, unless we do something for -ourselves, there will be none of us remaining. -Our country is desolate. The soldiers have -harried us, the great cold has tortured us,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span> -famine has almost made an end of us. We -should not too bitterly sigh and complain on -account of what has come upon us. It may be -that thus God seeks to lead us to another and -a better land.</p> - -<p>"I need not tell you, either, what land I -have in mind. We have spoken of it, we have -seen it in our dreams, we have longed for it -with all our souls. There is fertile soil, there is -temperate climate, there is, above all, thank -God! freedom and peace. There is no war -there. There—" John Conrad halted, tried -again to speak and failed.</p> - -<p>"But we cannot get to that country!" cried -the young woman with the baby in her arms.</p> - -<p>There was a long pause. Deep breaths -were drawn and a great sigh filled the little -room.</p> - -<p>"The way has been opened," announced -John Conrad at last. "I and my family will -go to-morrow. Let those who will come with -us lift their hands."</p> - -<p>But no hands were lifted. The thought of -deliverance was paralyzing.</p> - -<p>"Word has come that the gracious Queen<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span> -of England will send us and our long-suffering -brethren to her colonies in the New World. I -have had a letter from our old neighbor the -magistrate of Oberdorf. He is in London, -awaiting the sailing of the ships. He is well -cared for; charitable persons exert themselves -for the afflicted people. Probably by this -time he is already far on his way."</p> - -<p>"But <i>to-morrow</i>, father!" cried Catrina. -"Why start to-morrow?"</p> - -<p>"As well to-morrow as another day," answered -John Conrad. "We have few possessions -and they are easily gathered together. -To those of our friends who will not come -with us we could not express our affection and -our farewells in a hundred days. We will go -on foot to the river and make our way to the -lowlands and thence to England. It is a long -and perilous journey, but it is not so perilous -as to stay. I cannot advise any one what to -do. But for all those who come I will care as -though they were my own."</p> - -<p>"But Liesel!" cried the young woman with -the baby in her arms. "We will die without -Liesel!"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span></p> - -<p>John Conrad smiled.</p> - -<p>"Liesel will stay in Gross Anspach. She -will be the perpetual property of the Gross -Anspach babies."</p> - -<p>George Reimer spoke next. He sat with his -arms folded across his breast, within them his -precious flute. Tears were in his eyes and in -his voice as he said:—</p> - -<p>"<i>I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh -upon me.</i>"</p> - -<p>The company broke up without music. -There were those who must go home to tell -wives or mothers; there were those who -wished to talk to John Conrad in private. -There was Catrina, with her husband, weeping -and distressed, who did not dare to trust -her babies to the sea. She must plan with her -sisters the bundles which should be packed -for each to carry, the food which must be -gathered to last as long as possible. To her -and her husband John Conrad forgave a large -debt, and his kindness and their inability to -pay made the parting more heartbreaking. -John Conrad still had a little store of German -gulden, long hoarded against the coming day.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span></p> - -<p>When all was done and the children were -asleep, John Conrad took his oldest son by -the hand and led him up the winding street -between the ruined houses to the little Lutheran -church which had been saved in the -great destruction. The moon shone quietly -upon it and the little walled-in space behind -it. Thither John Conrad led his son, and -beside a new-made grave they paused.</p> - -<p>"It is not good to dwell on grief when one -lives in the world and has still the work of half -a lifetime," said he solemnly. "But there are -moments when it is right that we should yield -ourselves to our sorrow. The others will come -here in the morning, but you and I will then -have no time for shedding tears. Your mother -looked into the future. She begged me to go -when the time came, even though I must -leave her here."</p> - -<p>"My lad,"—John Conrad laid his arm -across the boy's shoulders,—"there are many -things I would say to you. You were, as you -know, her darling. But she knew your faults, -that you are strong-headed and strong-willed. -As you are of all my children the quickest to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span> -learn, so are you the least obedient and steady, -the most impatient and impetuous. Your -mother prayed for you daily. Will you remember -her counsels, lad?"</p> - -<p>To the yearning voice Conrad could make -no answer. Arm in arm father and son stood -for a long time. Then, when the moon had -sunk behind the little church, Conrad felt -himself led away.</p> - -<p>"Now, my son," admonished John Conrad, -"weep no more, but set your face forward."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span></p> - - -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<h2><a name="II" id="II">II</a><br /> - -DOWN THE RIVER</h2> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">The</span> night of the twenty-third of June is -a short night at best. When one robs its -beginning of four or five hours, there is little -darkness left. Bidding his son go to bed, John -Conrad spent the night in vigil. In spite of -his reminder that this was not a time for grief, -he went again to the little church. From -thence he climbed through the ruined vineyards -to the pastures on the hill where his -father and his grandfather had pastured their -sheep and cattle. There he stood long and -looked about him, his mind traveling back to -the happiness of their peaceful lives, spent -in sturdy labor and sweetened by the honor -which they had had among their fellows. -Here were the roots of his own life, deep in the -soil—would God that he could stay where he -had been born! He was no longer young, responsibility -and adversity had made him old. -Those rosy stories of the new land—might<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span> -they not be as other travelers' tales, concealing -a reality worse than this fearful present of -hunger and fear? Five hundred miles of river, -three thousand miles of sea, and then an unsettled -country! The same shapes of fear -which had fascinated and disturbed young -Conrad seemed now to await his father behind -every tree and bush.</p> - -<p>Suddenly John Conrad heard a soft sound -on the summer wind. George Reimer, as restless -as himself, was somewhere about with his -dear flute. John Conrad bent his ear to the -direction from which the sound came. It was -a German hymn, "A Mighty Stronghold is -Our God." John Conrad lifted his head and -with it his heart. George Reimer would be -with them and George Reimer's flute. Returning -to his house, John Conrad lay down -for a little sleep before dawn.</p> - -<p>But George Reimer did not go to the new -country. Upon the indescribable confusion of -the Weiser house the next morning, he came -smiling.</p> - -<p>Into sheets and coverlets the Weisers had -tied all their movable possessions, the various<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span> -articles making curious knobs and projections -on the great bundles. The family spinning-wheel -must go—surely no article was more -necessary! This Conrad was to carry on his -back. The few cooking-pots which remained—these -must be taken, though all else were -left behind. Wardrobes were small, sheets -were few, pillows did not exist. The feather -beds could not be carried—these were given -to the neighbors.</p> - -<p>About hovered all Gross Anspach. Each -person had brought a little gift, a tiny trinket -saved from the pillaging of the hamlet, a little -bouquet of the few garden flowers which had -survived the cruel winter, a loaf of bread or -a package of dried beans for soup. Catrina, a -baby on each arm, wept loudly. Each baby -had to be embraced many times by its departing -relatives and each departing relative had -to be embraced by all the village. Under foot, -six tiny kittens risked their lives. Old Redebach, -tottering feebly about, quoted warning -passages of Scripture:—</p> - -<p>"<i>As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is -a man that wandereth from his place.</i>"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span></p> - -<p>On the doorstep sat Wolf, his solemn eyes -watching the scene in amazement. Everywhere -was confusion, everywhere was noise.</p> - -<p>For a few moments George Reimer watched -quietly.</p> - -<p>"Neighbors!" cried he. "If you cannot -help these friends, stand back! Here, Conrad, -I will tie that bundle. Here, John Frederick, I -am to be your horse as far as the river; see -that you behave, or I will run away. Sabina, -I will keep your kittens if I have to catch the -mice for them myself."</p> - -<p>With one accord the Weisers turned upon -him.</p> - -<p>"You are going with us, surely!"</p> - -<p>"Only to the river." His eyes sought those -of John Conrad. "I cannot go farther. My -little sisters are too young, my father too -feeble, my mother is sick—I can neither take -them nor leave them alone."</p> - -<p>"God will reward you," said John Conrad. -"But it is a sore loss to us."</p> - -<p>In the end no one went beyond the river. -From weeping Gross Anspach the Weisers -and a dozen accompanying friends separated<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span> -themselves at seven o'clock, the Weisers carrying -nothing, the burdens on the shoulders -of their neighbors. At the heels of the procession -walked Wolf. At the summit of the first -hill all looked back, save Conrad. The little -village lay smiling in the sun; to the pilgrims -it seemed like Heaven.</p> - -<p>"I cannot go," cried Magdalena.</p> - -<p>"Oh, father, let us stay," begged Margareta.</p> - -<p>Before John Conrad could answer, a cheerful -sound restored the courage of the pilgrims -and George Reimer's gay "Susy, dear Susy" -set their feet moving.</p> - -<p>At the village of Oberdorf there was a halt, -while greetings were exchanged, explanations -made, and messages written down for friends -already in America. Among those to whom -greetings were sent was the magistrate who -must be by this time safely across the sea.</p> - -<p>Here the Gross Anspachers, except the -schoolmaster, turned back and the Weisers -shouldered their own bundles. It became clear -now that there were more bundles than persons -and the fact occasioned much laughter -and readjustment.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span></p> - -<p>At night the Weisers slept by the wayside. -The fare on the boat would draw a large sum -from John Conrad's store and not a penny -could be spent for lodging. Lulled by Reimer's -flute, they slept comfortably, and, roused by -the same music, were off soon after daylight.</p> - -<p>At the river came the most difficult of partings. -Here George Reimer played a last -lullaby and a final reveillé. A river boat, -the Elspeth, had anchored near by for the -night and upon it the family took passage. -The goods were carried aboard and piled in -the center of the deck and John Conrad and -his eight children followed. At once came a -protest from the captain. Old Wolf could not -go, and Conrad was commanded to lead him -from the boat. Conrad forgot that he was -thirteen years old, forgot that he was the man -of the family next to his father, forgot his -boasted superiority to Margareta and Magdalena -and the rest, and threw his arms round -the old dog's neck.</p> - -<p>"I cannot leave you! I cannot leave you!"</p> - -<p>Then he felt himself lifted up and put -aboard the gangplank.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span></p> - -<p>"There, Conrad, there! I will take care of -him. I have given your father something for -you. Show yourself brave, dear lad!"</p> - -<p>Stumbling, Conrad boarded the boat. He -saw the schoolmaster wave his hand, he saw -the green shores slip away, he heard his -father's voice.</p> - -<p>"Your teacher gave me this for you, -Conrad."</p> - -<p>"Oh, father!" cried Conrad.</p> - -<p>In his hand lay the schoolmaster's flute.</p> - -<p>"He said you were to practice diligently -and to remember him."</p> - -<p>The message made Conrad weep the more. -He threw himself down on the pile of household -goods and hid his face.</p> - -<p>When he looked up his father sat beside -him. In his hand were two books. He looked -at his son anxiously.</p> - -<p>"Conrad, we are going among strange -people. The first are the Hollanders, with -whom we can make ourselves understood. -But of English we know nothing. Now we -will learn as well as we can, I and you. The -schoolmaster gave me an English Bible, in it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span> -we will study daily, comparing it with our -own."</p> - -<p>"What will we do about the language of -the savages?" asked Conrad, drying his tears. -"How will we make ourselves understood by -them?"</p> - -<p>"There will be time enough for that. It is -probable that they compel them to learn -English. The savages are a long way off."</p> - -<p>For a few days John Conrad and his son -studied diligently. There was little else to do -in the long hours which glided as quietly by -as the stream. The country about them was -unbroken and flat; here there went on a -simple life like their own. Everywhere were -to be seen in the brown fields and the dead -vineyards the ravages of the fearful winter.</p> - -<p>In return for a little help about the boat, -the helmsman, who had served on English -ships, did his best to interpret the hardest -words for the students. To the surly captain -they dared not speak. Once the price for the -journey was paid into his hand, he seemed to -resent even the sight of his passengers. Frequently -he was not sober, and then the helms<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span>man -helped the Weisers to keep out of his -way. Unlike the rest of his race, he could -not endure the sound of music and Conrad -and his flute were objects of special dislike. -More than once he threatened to throw both -into the river.</p> - -<p>When the boat stopped at the city of -Speyer for a day and night, studying and -flute-practicing stopped entirely and, urged -by the friendly helmsman, the Weisers went -on shore. Now for the first time the children -saw a large town; with eager expectation -they stepped on the wharf. But here, too, -was ruin and desolation. The great buildings, -burned by the enemy who had devastated -their own village, had not been restored; -the cathedral which towered above the ruins -was itself but a hollow shell. When they -reached the next large town of Mannheim, -they did not leave the boat. With increasing -longing they looked forward across the ocean -to the Paradise where the enemy had not -been.</p> - -<p>Daily they were joined by other pilgrims -who like themselves looked forward with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span> -aching eyes to the distant country. The newcomers -had each his own story of persecution -and famine, of cold and misery. With them -John Conrad talked, gathering from them all -the information which they had about the -new country, comforting them as best he -could, and reading to them from Conrad's -little book. To the directions they listened -earnestly, hearing over and over again that -they must be patient, quick to hear and slow -to speak, that they must be diligent and -thrifty. About the dangers of the sea they -talked a great deal and were relieved to hear -that a journey on an inland river was valuable -as preparation for a journey on the ocean. -The little book advised also that those who -were about to take a journey by sea should -practice on a swing.</p> - -<p>Each day the captain was less and less able -to navigate the ship. Finally the helmsman -took command, and while the captain lay -in a stupor, Conrad continued the forbidden -flute-playing. Growing careless, he was -caught, and the captain, who could reach -neither Conrad nor the flute, kicked the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span> -family spinning-wheel into the river. The -loss was serious and it taught a bitter lesson.</p> - -<p>It was the twenty-fourth of June when the -travelers left Gross Anspach; a month later -they were still far from the mouth of the -river. Each day passengers clamored on the -banks, each day the number of ships in the -river increased, slow packet boats which did -not go above Cologne or Mainz, and faster -boats which passed the heavily laden Elspeth -like birds. The river left the broad meadows -for a narrow gorge with precipitous banks -upon which stood imposing castles. At sight -of the castles the children were overcome with -awe.</p> - -<p>"There is Bingen, and its mouse tower, -children," said John Conrad.</p> - -<p>"Not where the bishop was eaten!" cried -Sabina.</p> - -<p>"Yes; and about here the treasure of the -Niebelungen is buried."</p> - -<p>"If we could only find it!" sighed Conrad.</p> - -<p>"And there"—the helmsman pointed to -ruined walls upon the cliff side—"there a -brave trumpeter defended his master's life.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span> -While his master and others escaped, he blew -bravely upon the walls to frighten the enemy, -and when they entered, there was no one left -to kill but him."</p> - -<p>The watching of Barbara and John Frederick -in their trotting about the crowded ship -grew to be more and more of a task. The -first person who was pushed overboard was -made much of, and the man who rescued him -was considered a hero. When many had -fallen overboard and had been rescued the -passengers scarcely turned their heads.</p> - -<p>As day after day passed and August drew -near its close, John Conrad became more and -more anxious.</p> - -<p>"It is time we were sailing from England," -said he uneasily to Conrad. "The journey -has taken long, food has been higher than I -thought, and we have had to pay tariff a -dozen times."</p> - -<p>Again and again he took from his pocket -the letter of the magistrate of Oberdorf. Of -the chief of his fears he said nothing to Conrad. -The good Queen of England had offered -transportation to the distressed Germans;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span> -but had she realized, had any one anticipated -that so vast a throng would take her at her -word? The river captains told of weeks and -weeks of such crowding of the lower river. -Would there be ships enough to carry them -all to the New World? Would the Queen -provide for them until they could sail?</p> - -<p>Presently rumors of trouble increased John -Conrad's fears. A passing boat declared that -the Germans were forbidden to enter Rotterdam, -the lowland city at which they would -have to take ship for England. The congestion -had become serious. The citizens of -Rotterdam announced that their patience -and their resources were exhausted; the Germans -could no longer wait there for English -boats; they must return whence they had -come.</p> - -<p>At this announcement there was a loud -outcry. Like the Weisers, the other pilgrims -had sold or had given away everything except -the property they carried with them; if they -returned now, it would be to greater misery -than that which they had left. Go on they -must. John Conrad reminded them of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span> -Lord in whom they trusted. The Queen had -promised and England was rich in resources. -The Queen's charity was not entirely disinterested; -she expected the Germans to people -her new colonies. Nor did John Conrad -believe that the Hollanders would see them -starve on the way to England. But even as -he argued with himself, his heart misgave -him. He had seen persons starve, he had seen -men and women and children struck down -by the swords of brutal soldiers. There was -nothing in the world, he believed, too terrible -for heartless men to do.</p> - -<p>As they drew nearer to Rotterdam, the -anxiety of the helmsman was plain to be -seen.</p> - -<p>"I pay no attention to what passers-by -say," he told John Conrad. "But if you see -any long, narrow boats, with the flag of Holland -flying, then it will be time to be frightened. -They will have the power to make us -turn back."</p> - -<p>Each hour the rate of travel became slower -and slower. There was now no current whatever, -and for many days the wind did not<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span> -blow. Finally, when, at nightfall, the Elspeth -came into the harbor, John Conrad -breathed a deep sigh of relief. In the morning -the travelers saw next them at the wharf one -of the long boats which the helmsman had -described, and heard that it was to start in an -hour to warn all the pilgrims to return to -their homes.</p> - -<p>The passengers of the Elspeth were not -allowed to enter the city, but were bidden to -wait on the wharf for English ships. Here -their quarters were almost as restricted as -they had been on shipboard. In prompt contradiction -of the statement that their patience -and their supplies were exhausted, the kind -Hollanders brought food to the guests who -had thrust themselves upon them.</p> - -<p>Now the helmsman came to bid his friends -good-bye. John Conrad gave him many -blessings and the children cried bitterly and -embraced him.</p> - -<p>"If he were only going with us, what fine -times we should have on the sea!" said Conrad.</p> - -<p>"He seems like our last friend," mourned -Margareta. "Everything before us is strange."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span></p> - -<p>"We thought George Reimer was our last -friend," said John Conrad. "Perhaps we -shall find other friends as good."</p> - -<p>For four days, the Germans watched for a -ship. When at last two English vessels came -into the harbor and they were taken aboard, -the Weisers had little food and less money. -When John Conrad heard that no passage -was to be charged, he breathed another sigh -of relief.</p> - -<p>"The good Queen will keep her promises," -said he to his children. "The worst of our -troubles are over."</p> - -<p>But within an hour it seemed that the worst -of their troubles had only begun. The channel -crossing was rough. From their fellow -travelers there was rising already a cry, which -was to grow louder and louder as the weeks -and months went by—"Would that we had -suffered those miseries which we knew rather -than tempt those which we did not know!"</p> - -<p>When the ship entered the smooth waters -of the Thames River, the Germans began to -smile once more. About them were green -fields. They saw pleasant villages and broad<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span> -stretches of cultivated land and deer browsing -under mighty trees.</p> - -<p>"If we might only stay here!" they sighed.</p> - -<p>John Conrad shook his head.</p> - -<p>"Here we should not find rest."</p> - -<p>Once more the Germans disembarked, wondering -whether their stay on shore would be -long enough for a closer view of the fine -churches and palaces of London. Of so large -a city as this even John Conrad had never -dreamed.</p> - -<p>"Shall we see the Queen?" asked Sabina in -a whisper of her father.</p> - -<p>John Conrad smiled.</p> - -<p>"We might see her riding in her chariot."</p> - -<p>Then John Conrad grew sober. As they -stood crowded together upon the quay some -young lads shouted at them roughly. The ears -which expected only kindness were shocked.</p> - -<p>"They say we are taking the bread from -their mouths," repeated Conrad. "They call -us 'rascally' Germans."</p> - -<p>"There are rude folk everywhere," said -John Conrad.</p> - -<p>He directed the children to take their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span> -bundles and follow a man who seemed to have -authority to conduct them to some place in -which they were to spend the night.</p> - -<p>The way thither proved to be long. Again -and again it was necessary to stop to rest or -to give time for the short legs of the little -children to catch up. Again and again the -heavy burdens were shifted about. They -traveled into the open country—a strange -stopping place for those who were so soon to -continue their journey! They passed many -men and women who looked at them curiously. -Presently they heard their own German -speech.</p> - -<p>"We will have to wait awhile, probably, -for ships," said John Conrad to his son. "Of -course we could not expect to go on at once. -We—"</p> - -<p>John Conrad stopped short and let his -bundle slip to the ground. They had come -out upon a great space, which a few months -before had been an open heath. Now, as far -as the eye could reach, stretched long lines of -tents. It was no temporary lodging, for here -and there small frame store buildings had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span> -been erected and there were long-used, dusty -paths between the tents. Men and women -and children were going about, meals were -being prepared, there was everywhere the -sound of voices. John Conrad stood still in -amazement.</p> - -<p>"What is this?" he asked.</p> - -<p>A single sharp voice answered from the -doorway of a sutler's shop.</p> - -<p>"We are Germans, lured hither by promise -of passage to America. Here we wait. Here -we have waited for months. Have you come, -oh, fool, to wait also?"</p> - -<p>It was not the rudeness of the answer which -startled John Conrad, nor the discouraging -news which it announced, but the voice of the -speaker. For the speaker was none other than -his friend the magistrate of Oberdorf, supposed -to be by now upon the high seas or in -the new country.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span></p> - - -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<h2><a name="III" id="III">III</a><br /> - -BLACKHEATH</h2> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">For</span> a long moment Heinrich Albrecht, -the magistrate of Oberdorf, and John -Conrad Weiser, his friend, looked at each -other. John Conrad was the first to speak, -in a voice trembling with amazement and -alarm.</p> - -<p>"Have you returned, Heinrich?"</p> - -<p>The magistrate burst into a loud laugh. -He was a tall, thin man, of a type to whom -inaction is misery.</p> - -<p>"I have not been away. Here"—he -waved his hand with a wide motion over -Blackheath—"here we lie, idle pensioners. -Here we have been since May, ever encouraged, -ever deluded. Here idleness and evil -customs are corrupting our youth. Here we -are dying."</p> - -<p>Now the full meaning of the crowded -Rhine and the warning of the Hollanders -burst upon John Conrad. He looked at his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span> -children, at the young girls, at the little boys, -and finally at plump, smiling John Frederick. -He thrust his hand into his almost empty -pocket, thinking of the long journey back to -Gross Anspach for which he had no money. -He thought of his high hopes of liberty and -peace and independence. He covered his face -with his hands so that his children might not -see his tears.</p> - -<p>"I am here, father!" cried Conrad. "I am -strong! I can work!"</p> - -<p>"They feed us," conceded the magistrate -of Oberdorf. "And they have given us some -clothing and these tents. But cold weather -will come and we shall die."</p> - -<p>"Cold weather! We should be in the new -country by cold weather! You yourself -wrote that you were about to sail, that you -would sail on the next day. There!" John -Conrad drew from his bosom the tattered -letter. "I have stayed my soul upon it! I -have set out on this journey upon faith in -it!"</p> - -<p>"I thought we should start. I was certain -we should start. They say there are no ships.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span> -They have begun to send some of us to Ireland."</p> - -<p>John Conrad shook his head.</p> - -<p>"This whole land is sick. Across the ocean -only there is peace."</p> - -<p>"I can get a tent for you beside mine," -offered Albrecht. "I have a little influence -with those in authority."</p> - -<p>Once more the Weisers shouldered their -bundles. They crossed the wide camp, -greeted pleasantly here and there, but for the -most part stared at silently and contemptuously. -Finally the magistrate acknowledged -grudgingly that the English people had been -liberal and kind.</p> - -<p>"But they are growing tired. The common -people say we are taking the bread from -their mouths."</p> - -<p>The farther the Weisers proceeded through -the city of tents, the more astonished they -became.</p> - -<p>"The poor Germans have washed like the -waves of the sea upon these shores," said -Albrecht.</p> - -<p>John Conrad shook his head in answer,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span> -having no more words with which to express -his astonishment.</p> - -<p>The Weisers made themselves as comfortable -as possible in the tent assigned them. -They unpacked the bundles which they had -expected to unpack only in the new country, -they received a portion of the generous supply -of food which was given out each morning -and evening, and then, like the thousands -of their fellow countrymen, they waited, now -hopefully, now almost in despair, for some -change in their condition.</p> - -<p>But no sign of change appeared. Day after -day John Conrad and the magistrate and the -friends whom they made among the more -intelligent and thoughtful of the pilgrims met -and talked and looked toward the Blackheath -Road for some messenger from the -Queen. The young people made acquaintance; -the children played games and ran races -up and down the streets of the city of tents. -Sometimes Conrad listened to his elders and -sometimes he played his flute for the children.</p> - -<p>Suddenly the weather changed. The outdoor -life which had been pleasant became<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span> -more and more difficult to bear. The nights -grew cold; the Germans shivered in their poor -clothes. Now, also, another and a more serious -danger threatened them.</p> - -<p>The cooking was done over open fires, and -the Weisers went daily into a forest a few -miles away to gather sticks for their contribution -to the one nearest to them. One day a -young Englishman, with an evil face, spoke -roughly to Margareta, who cowered back. -He went nearer to her and she screamed -in terror. For an instant Conrad watched -stupidly, then, suddenly, his heart seemed -to expand. He was, as his father had said, -strong-headed and strong-willed.</p> - -<p>"Let her be!" he shouted.</p> - -<p>The stranger laughed, and approached -nearer still. They could not understand what -he said, nor did he have opportunity to continue -what he had begun to say. Before his -hand touched the arm of Margareta, he found -himself upon the ground. Conrad was not -tall, but he had strong muscles; now from his -safe position on the chest of the enemy he -was able to dictate terms of peace.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span></p> - -<p>"You get up and run as fast as you can -down the road," he shouted. "George Frederick, -give me that big stick."</p> - -<p>Fortunately the Englishman had no friends -at hand. He looked about wildly, first at -the Weisers, then toward the camp, and -promptly did as he was bid. As he went, he -shouted a threat.</p> - -<p>"Your whole camp is to be wiped out," he -yelled from a safe distance. "Wait and you -will see!"</p> - -<p>The hearts of the Germans, growing daily -more alarmed, were no more disturbed, -meanwhile, than were the hearts of Queen -Anne and her ministers. While the unexpected -thousands lay upon Blackheath, minister -consulted with minister, boards of trade -met to discuss plans and to give them up, -and to discuss other plans and to adjourn -and to meet again. It was true that Queen -Anne desired to settle her colony of New -York, true that the news of her desire had -been spread abroad. But she had not anticipated -this great migration, like the locusts of -Egypt for numbers! Ships were lacking to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span> -transport them; suitable asylums were lacking -and the Germans themselves, fleeing like -helpless children, were not able to take care -of themselves.</p> - -<p>Scores of wise and foolish suggestions were -offered. The Germans were to be sent to distant -parishes, together with a bounty for -each one. But the parishes did not welcome -them; those who were sent returned, poorer, -weaker, more helpless than before. There -were hundreds of good workmen among them, -but even the English workman could scarcely -earn his bread. Let them go to Ireland, let -them go to Wales, let them return to Germany.</p> - -<p>And still, while the English talked, the -Germans came. Finally, Her Majesty's -Council, meeting almost daily, reached a -conclusion and orders were given for the -assembling of ships. Action was hastened by -an extraordinary incident in which Conrad -and his father had a part.</p> - -<p>The heavy frosts had begun and there was -not an hour when the Germans did not ache -with the cold. The quantity of food had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span> -become smaller, the quality poorer than at -first. But worse than cold or hunger was the -danger from the rising resentment of the -Londoners, who demanded that this great -mass of foreigners be removed.</p> - -<p>Conrad, left to himself, with little to do, -roamed about the city, staring at its marvels, -at strange London Bridge, crowded -with shops and houses which hung over the -water, at mighty Saint Paul's Cathedral, lifting -its round dome, still beautifully white -and clean, far above the gabled city roofs, at -the other new churches built since the great -fire, and at the soaring monument which -commemorated the fire. He even looked with -awe and horror at the sad and terrible spot -where had been buried, in a deep pit, the -victims of the great plague.</p> - -<p>Conrad's journeys were not always comfortable. -English lads taunted him, gayly -dressed young men ordered him out of their -path, the bearers of sedan chairs thrust him -rudely against the house walls. But still he -walked about, watching and listening.</p> - -<p>Presently he heard terrifying threats. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span> -Londoners determined to wait no longer to -wreak their vengeance upon Blackheath. -Conrad hurried down the long road to make -report to his father.</p> - -<p>"They mean to attack us with knives, -father. They declare they will have no -mercy upon us!"</p> - -<p>"They would not dare," answered John -Conrad. "We are under the protection of the -Queen."</p> - -<p>Nevertheless, John Conrad called together -his friends, and together they drew up a humble -petition, praying that the English people -continue to look kindly upon them and to -bestow bounty upon them.</p> - -<p>But the petition availed nothing. That -very night, Conrad, lying in his corner of -the tent near the edge of the camp, heard -the sound of rough voices and heavy steps. -Springing up, he looked out the door. On the -heath a large company had gathered, carrying -knives and sickles which gleamed in the -moonlight. With a shout Conrad roused his -family, whose cries in turn roused the sleepers -in the neighboring tents. The attacking<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span> -party was defeated, not so much by the resistance -of the Germans, few of whom had -arms, as by a warning that the soldiers were -coming from London. The Germans were -not seriously hurt, but the event was ominous.</p> - -<p>Still the days grew shorter, and the dark -nights longer, and the air colder. Hundreds -gathered round the fires, and among them -John Conrad counseled further patience and -continued courage. Frequently he read to -them from Conrad's little book, at whose -directions for life on the ocean and in the new -land there were now bitter smiles and long -sighs. They had ceased to think of the new -country with its rich soil, its mild climate, and -its strange, interesting aborigines, except to -envy the Indian his indifference to the comforts -of civilization.</p> - -<p>Upon the day of the first snow, Conrad -went early into the city. He had earned a -penny a few days before by carrying some -bales from a ship to a warehouse, and he -hoped to earn more.</p> - -<p>Until noon he walked about the streets.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span> -Again and again he was cursed and threatened. -The Londoners had not finished with -the Germans in spite of their temporary defeat. -At noon he ate the piece of black bread -which he had put into his pocket, and then -went into a cold church to rest. Presently he -fell asleep, and when he woke late in the afternoon -the church was almost dark. He was -miles away from Blackheath and he must -set out promptly or the dangers of the way -would be doubled. The week before he had -been caught in a fog and had spent the night -inside a garden gate on the ground.</p> - -<p>Leaving the church, he hurried on as fast -as he could. It seemed to him that another -fog was rapidly gathering over the city. His -long walks and the insufficient food had made -him weak, but it was better to start on the -homeward journey than to linger. He might -fall into evil hands and never see his father or -brothers or sisters again. The words of old -Redebach in far-away Gross Anspach came -back to him as he stepped out from the church -door into an open square,—"<i>As a bird that -wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wan<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span>dereth -from his place.</i>" Perhaps old Redebach -was right!</p> - -<p>In the square, sedan chairs moved about, -link boys waved their torches and shouted, -rough men jostled him. Presently his tears -gathered and began to fall. He lowered his -head and plodded on down the street, little -dreaming that before him waited one of the -strangest encounters, not only in his life, but -in the strange history of the world.</p> - -<p>Too tired and despairing to remember that -traveling with bent head is unsafe, struggling -to keep back his tears, he ceased suddenly to -feel anything. He came full force against one -of the new lamp-posts recently set up, and -was thrown backwards.</p> - -<p>When he came to himself, he heard but one -sound, that of cruel laughter. The amusement -of the onlookers was the last drop in -poor Conrad's cup of grief. As he staggered -to his feet, he said to himself that he wished -that the lamp-post had brought him to that -death which was approaching for him and his -fellow countrymen.</p> - -<p>When the dizziness following his fall had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span> -passed and he was ready to start on once -more, he observed that the steps of the passers-by -were unusually hurried and that all -led in the same direction. He looked back to -see the object toward which they were hastening. -At the sight which met his eyes he -gave a startled cry. He was dreaming or he -had gone mad.</p> - -<p>This was England and London, this was -the heart of the largest city in the world. -America, the longed-for, with its great forests -and its mighty hunters, lay far across the sea -three thousand miles away. But through the -London fog, surrounded by a great crowd -above whom they towered, there came toward -Conrad four giant creatures, with bronze-colored -skins, with deer-hide shoes, with -headdresses of waving feathers, and with -scarlet blankets. Conrad rubbed his eyes; he -looked again. They came nearer and nearer, -they seemed more and more majestic and -terrible.</p> - -<p>Then, suddenly, they vanished, as though -the earth had swallowed them. They could -not have entered a house since there were no<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span> -dwelling-houses here, and the shops were -closed. Risking a rebuff as cruel as that from -the lamp-post, Conrad grasped the arm of the -man nearest him and poured out a dozen -excited questions.</p> - -<p>"These are Indians from the wilds of -America," answered the stranger.</p> - -<p>"Why are they here? What does it mean? -Could I speak to them? Where did they go?"</p> - -<p>The stranger's patience was soon exhausted. -After he had explained that the -savages had gone into the theater, he left -Conrad to address his questions to the empty -air.</p> - -<p>For a moment Conrad stared at the spot -from which the Indians had vanished. If he -only had money to pay his way into the theater -also! But he was penniless. The next -best thing was to tell his father, as soon as -possible, of this incredible experience. Running -heavily, he crossed London Bridge and -started out upon the Blackheath Road, saying -over and over to himself, "The Indians -are here! The Indians are here!"</p> - -<p>So tired was he and so much confused by<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span> -the strange sight which he had seen that it -was many hours before he reached his father's -tent. He imagined that the long journey had -been made and that he was already in the -forests of the new country. At last an acquaintance, -meeting him at the edge of the -camp, led him to John Conrad.</p> - -<p>"Here is your boy. He was about to walk -straight into a fire."</p> - -<p>Fed and warmed, Conrad could only repeat -over and over the magic words, "The Indians -are here!" His father thought he was delirious; -the children cried. For a long time after -he had fallen into the heavy sleep of exhaustion, -his sisters watched him.</p> - -<p>At dawn, when he woke, he found himself -stiff and sore and inexpressibly tired. But his -head was clear, and slowly the events of the -day before came back to him. The Indians -were real; to-day he would find them. If they -had come from America there would be a way -to return. He would beg them on his knees to -take him and his family with them. Perhaps -they had come in their own ships.</p> - -<p>Slipping from between his sleeping brothers,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span> -he lifted the flap of the tent and stepped -out into the cold morning air. He could not -wait for the family to rise; he would take his -share of black bread and be gone.</p> - -<p>Then, again, Conrad cried out. Last night -he had beheld the strangers through the -medium of a thickening mist and with eyes -confused by his fall. Now he saw them clearly -in the bright morning light, here upon Blackheath -before his father's tent! The eagle -feathers waved above their heads; their scarlet -mantles wrapped them round; they stole -quietly about on moccasined feet.</p> - -<p>For a long moment the Indians looked at -Conrad and Conrad looked back at them. It -was as though they measured one another -through an eternity, the tall savages from -across three thousand miles of sea and the -little lad from Gross Anspach. The lad's -heart throbbed with awe and wonder. What -the savages thought it was difficult to say. -They made to one another strange guttural -sounds which evidently served for speech. It -seemed to Conrad that they were about to -turn away. It was as though a heavenly visi<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span>tor -had descended only to depart. Conrad -ran forward and grasped the hand of one of -the mighty creatures.</p> - -<p>"Oh, take us with you, father and Margareta -and Magdalena and the others and -me! Take us with you! We will work and we -will learn to hunt. There is no home for us -here. We suffer and die. We—"</p> - -<p>There was a commotion at the tent door -and Conrad looked round. In the doorway -stood John Conrad, blinking, incredulous.</p> - -<p>"I saw them last night, father. I have -asked them to take us with them." Conrad -began to make gestures. "Us, with you, far -away to the west!" It was a request easy to -make clear.</p> - -<p>Again the savages uttered their strange -guttural speech. They, in turn, made motions -to John Conrad and his son, that they should -come with them. Not for an instant did John -Conrad hesitate. Upon this miraculous encounter -important things might depend.</p> - -<p>"Conrad," he began, "while I am gone—"</p> - -<p>"Oh, father, take me with you! I beg, take -me with you!"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Run and find Albrecht then, my son, and -ask him to look after the children."</p> - -<p>Conrad was gone like the wind. Now the -Weiser children and the neighbors were staring -with terrified eyes at the red men. They -gave a little scream when John Frederick toddled -forward and fell over the foot of one of -the Indians and then held their breaths while -he was lifted high in the strong arms. John -Conrad offered some of his small supply of -black bread and his strange guests grunted -their pleased acceptance. Then John Conrad -and his son set out with the Indians to make -the rounds of the camp.</p> - -<p>What the savages thought of the assemblage -of misery it was hard to say. They -walked briskly so that the two Weisers could -scarcely keep up with them; they pointed -now to a sick child, now to some adult who -showed more clearly than the others the effects -of cold and anxiety and hunger. Often -they motioned toward the west, a gesture -which it seemed to Conrad had a heavenly -significance.</p> - -<p>When the circuit of the camp was com<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span>plete, -they made it plain to the Weisers that -they expected them to follow to the city, and -father and son, looking their vague hopes into -one another's eyes, obeyed eagerly.</p> - -<p>Along the Blackheath Road they went, -through Southwark and across London -Bridge—how many times had Conrad traveled -the road in despair! Presently, when, -after they had crossed the Thames and were -in the city, a man would have jostled Conrad -from his place beside the leader, the Indian -cried out fiercely, and the stranger dropped -quickly back into the long queue of men and -boys who had gathered. Now the Indians motioned -to Conrad that he should walk behind -the leader and his father behind him. Thus -strangely escorted, the two Germans went -through the streets. Conrad saw in the eyes -of the boys whom they passed a look of envy. -The course of fate had changed!</p> - -<p>A few times John Conrad spoke to his son.</p> - -<p>"Are you afraid?"</p> - -<p>"Not I."</p> - -<p>"Pray God that this strange way may lead -to the new land."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span></p> - -<p>"I will, father."</p> - -<p>With heads erect the chiefs went on as -though they trod the leafy paths of their own -forests. Presently they came out upon the -river-bank once more, traveled upon it for a -short distance, then turned aside. The crowd -about them had changed its character. Here -were fine gentlemen and ladies on foot and in -richly decked sedan chairs. A gentleman came -forward with a sharp exclamation and pointed -questioningly at the Weisers. One of the -Indians answered by gestures and a few incomprehensible -words, and the gentleman -looked as though he were considering some -strange thing. When the Indians walked on -without waiting for his answer, Conrad began -to be frightened.</p> - -<p>"Where will they take us, father?"</p> - -<p>John Conrad's voice trembled.</p> - -<p>"They are taking us into the Queen's palace," -said he.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span></p> - - -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<h2><a name="IV" id="IV">IV</a><br /> - -A ROYAL AUDIENCE</h2> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">At</span> the door of St. James's Palace all but -a few of the throng which followed the -Indian chiefs and the Weisers were denied -entrance. The finely dressed gentleman who -had spoken to the Indians, and who evidently -knew their own language, was allowed to pass -under the stone archway and into the court -and thence into the palace itself. The Indians -still led the way, traveling quietly along -through intricate passages and tapestry-hung -halls. Courtiers passed them with curious -stares.</p> - -<p>Still they kept the two Weisers behind the -leader. Presently they halted in a room where -there was a fire blazing on the hearth and -where fine ladies laughed and talked. On the -opposite side from the entrance a thick curtain -hung over a doorway. The leading chief -walked directly toward it and there paused, -the procession behind him coming to a stop.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span> -A little lady sitting by the fire accepted a -challenge from her companions to salute the -strangers, and came across the floor, her high -heels tapping as she walked.</p> - -<p>"O great King of Rivers," said she to the -foremost Indian, "who are these your companions?"</p> - -<p>The Indian's answer was interpreted by the -gayly dressed gentleman who understood his -tongue.</p> - -<p>"The King of Rivers says that these are his -friends."</p> - -<p>"Thank you, Colonel Schuyler. Tell the -King of Rivers that his friends need a red -blanket like his own and—"</p> - -<p>What else they needed Conrad and his -father were not to hear. The curtain before -them was lifted, and from the other side a -high, clear voice announced,—</p> - -<p>"The chiefs of the Mohawk Nation!"</p> - -<p>Moving as in a dream, their eyes dazzled -and their hearts confused, the two Weisers -went on. They found themselves now in a -still more magnificent room. At its far end -there was a group of gentlemen surrounding<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span> -a lady who sat in a throne-like chair. She -was grave of aspect and there was upon her -face the indelible impression of grief. On her -white hands and her neck were sparkling -jewels. The gentlemen about her were wigged -and powdered, and wore in their long sleeves -white lace ruffles which almost hid their -hands.</p> - -<p>So astonished and confused was Conrad -that his father had to command him twice -to make obeisance.</p> - -<p>"To your knees, boy! To your knees, -Conrad! It is the Queen!"</p> - -<p>The Indians did not bend, but stood with -arms folded under their scarlet blankets, in -their dark, shining eyes a look of friendly regard -for the little lady who was a ruler like -themselves. The Queen looked at the two -Germans with curious but kindly astonishment. -Neither John Conrad nor his son was -in court array, though the needles of Margareta -and Magdalena kept them fairly neat -and whole.</p> - -<p>"Good Peter," said Queen Anne, "who are -these?"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span></p> - -<p>The stranger who had interpreted for the -Indians rose from his knees.</p> - -<p>"They are Germans from the camp on -Blackheath, dear madam. Your friends of the -Mohawk Nation went early this morning to -visit that great settlement and have brought -with them from there these folk, father and -son, to their appointment with the Queen. -From this intention they could not be stayed, -but insist that they have a communication of -importance to make concerning these strangers."</p> - -<p>The Queen looked smilingly at her Indian -friends and then at the two Germans.</p> - -<p>"The condition of those helpless people is -on our minds. Let our friends of the Mohawk -Nation speak."</p> - -<p>Surely the audience room had never heard -a stranger sound than that which now filled -it! The tallest of the chiefs responded, speaking -at length, with many sweeping gestures. -Conrad strained his ears—oh, how longingly!—but -could understand nothing. The -chief seemed to be speaking of some spot far -away and also of the two Germans. One<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span> -word Conrad heard, he was certain, again and -again, but he could not retain its strange -sound.</p> - -<p>When the Indian had finished, Colonel -Schuyler began to translate his words, imitating -also his motions toward the west and his -pointing to the Weisers.</p> - -<p>"Your friend the King of Rivers has this -to say, O Queen. He and his companions of -the Mohawk Nation have walked about to -see the city where so many hundreds of people -live in so small a space. Far to the south -they have visited also the settlement of misery -known as the German camp. The distress -of these people is terrible to them. It is a -dreadful thing to them that men should be so -crowded together when there is so much space -in the world, so much land for planting corn -and so many wide forests for hunting. The -King of Rivers recalls to you the object of his -long and perilous journey across the ocean -in an unsteady ship. He reminds you that -he seeks for himself and his allied nations -protection against the growing power of his -enemies, both Indian and French.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Now he would offer for these poor Germans -his country of Schoharie"—there was -the word which Conrad had heard again and -again!—"where there are fine streams for -fishing and much land for planting and hunting. -There, when there is no war, men and -women are happiest of all the places on the -earth. His people are faithful people, keeping -their word, and aiding and protecting -unto death those in whom they can trust. If -you will send these afflicted people to Schoharie, -then together the Indians and the Germans -can keep the peace with the western -Indians, and the French will not dare to attack -them."</p> - -<p>The Indians nodded their heads solemnly -as Colonel Schuyler finished. They had entire -confidence in him and trusted him to -repeat their words exactly.</p> - -<p>The Queen looked at the two humble figures -before her. Their blue eyes met hers -with a great longing.</p> - -<p>"Speak!" said she.</p> - -<p>John Conrad took a step forward. His English -was broken, but none the less eloquent.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Oh, Madam, all they say of our misery is -true. We are indeed desolate and afflicted. -We have been harried by the sword; we have -perished by cold and starvation. Your enemies -the French are our enemies. At the -hands of our own princes we have perished -for conscience' sake. We are of your faith, -O Queen!—those of us that are left. The -good God in heaven does not send his creatures -into the world to be thus destroyed. We -seek not idleness and repose for our bodies, -but labor for our bodies and repose for our -souls. We long as the hart pants after water -brooks for this new country. You have -brought us thus far out of our wilderness; -send us now into this new land where there is -peace! We have nothing, nothing. We cannot -pay except by our labor in a new country. -We ask bounty as we ask the bounty of -Heaven, because we are helpless. You have -already marvelously befriended us. But for -you we should not be living at this day."</p> - -<p>The Queen turned to the gentleman who -sat nearest to her.</p> - -<p>"He speaks well, my lord."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span></p> - -<p>"He speaks from the soul, Madam."</p> - -<p>Now the Queen conversed rapidly and in a -low tone with Peter Schuyler—too rapidly -for the Weisers to understand. She mentioned -one Hunter of whom they knew nothing, -and they waited uneasily, afraid that -their audience was at an end and that nothing -had been accomplished. When the doorkeeper -came forward and led them away, -leaving their Indian friends behind, their -hearts sank. They made obeisance to the -Queen and went slowly toward the door, not -daring to speak. Then they saw that Colonel -Schuyler followed them.</p> - -<p>"This day one week at this hour the Queen -will see you again. Can you find your way -thither?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, yes, my lord!" answered John Conrad.</p> - -<p>Outside the two met again curious glances, -heard again amused comment. But they regarded -neither, scarcely indeed saw the smiles -or heard the laughter. Hope had once more -taken up an abode in their weary hearts.</p> - -<p>Daily in the week which followed, Conrad<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span> -made his way from Blackheath to St. James's -Palace, where he gazed at the stone archway -and then wandered farther hoping to see -again the Indians. To the other Germans the -Weisers said nothing of their hopes. The Indians -had led them into the city and had -there held conversation with them through -an interpreter,—beyond that fact they did -not go. Their fellow countrymen had been -too often cruelly disappointed; until the -blessed possibilities of which the Weisers -dreamed had become certainties, they would -say nothing.</p> - -<p>Yet hope in their own hearts rose higher -and higher. Once more Conrad read his little -book, finding in his new acquaintances proof -of all that was said in praise of the Indian -and contradiction of all that was said in his -disparagement. The word "Schoharie" he -wrote down and said over and over in his -waking hours and in his dreams at night.</p> - -<p>He had formed a friendship with a lad of -his own age, Peter Zenger by name, who, with -his ailing father, had suffered as the Weisers -had suffered and who had a similar longing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span> -for the new land. From Peter during this -week he held aloof, determined to tell his -secret to no one.</p> - -<p>Conrad thought a great deal of his father -and of the attentive way in which the Queen -and her court had listened to him. His father -was poor and he had miserable clothes, yet he -had not trembled. Of all the Germans no one, -not even the magistrate of Oberdorf, who -was so certain of his own powers, could have -done so well.</p> - -<p>On the morning of the appointment John -Conrad and his son waited for an hour outside -the palace gateway. The unkindly feeling -of the populace toward the Germans had -increased rather than diminished, and as they -walked up and down many persons spoke -roughly to them. But again, wrapped in -their own anxious thoughts, they heard with -indifference.</p> - -<p>Again the Queen sat in the throne-like -chair with her gentlemen about her, the same -gentlemen so far as Conrad could see, except -one who now sat nearest to the Queen and to -whom she was speaking when they entered.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span> -They looked in vain for their friends of the -Mohawk Nation.</p> - -<p>The Queen bade the Weisers sit side by -side on a cushioned bench before her while -she continued her conversation with the newcomer -whom she called Hunter. Then she -bade John Conrad tell again the story of his -misfortunes and she listened attentively, her -eyes fastened upon him.</p> - -<p>John Conrad spoke eloquently, though -brokenly, once more, and omitted nothing. -When in the midst of his account of persecution -and misery, one of the fine gentlemen -would have stopped him, the Queen bade the -story go on.</p> - -<p>"It is good for us to hear these things. And -your wife,—you say nothing of her."</p> - -<p>Nor did John Conrad say anything. He -tried, stammered, halted, tried again, and -failed once more. In a second one of the -fine gentlemen, Lord Marlborough, began to -speak in his easy way. The Queen's face was -white, her lips twitched, and she smoothed -nervously the black stuff of which her dress -was made. Lord Marlborough talked on<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span> -and on until the Queen herself interrupted -him.</p> - -<p>"We have heard this sad tale before, but -never so well told. It is our intention to do all -for these poor Germans that we can. In our -colony of New York we have already settled -the first of those who have come to us. There -they dwell in happiness along the banks of -Hudson's River and have made for themselves -comfortable villages. It is our intention to -establish others there in a similar way.</p> - -<p>"In return we ask certain labors. Our enemies -are many. It is necessary that we maintain -for ourselves a large fleet upon the sea. -Tar and pitch we must buy in great quantities -from Sweden and Russia—an enormous -and unnecessary expense. In our colony of -New York, so says its Governor Hunter, are -thousands of acres of pine trees from which -we could distill, if we had the workmen, our -own supplies. Do you think the Germans -could make tar?"</p> - -<p>"What others can do, we can do," answered -John Conrad. "We are not below the -rest of the world in intelligence, though we are<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span> -in possessions. We have among us men of -many crafts—husbandmen and vine-dressers, -masons and bakers and carpenters, herdsmen -and blacksmiths and tanners and millers -and weavers. Oh, dear lady, if we were but -there!"</p> - -<p>"The grapes of the new land are said to be -finer than the grapes of France," said Lord -Marlborough. "It would not be amiss if we -could draw from our own stores."</p> - -<p>Governor Hunter leaned forward eagerly.</p> - -<p>"It will be time to think of wine when Her -Majesty's ships are well caulked," said he -impatiently. "The trees must be properly -barked two years before they are cut and -burned. There will be no time for vine-dressing. -The project is as sure of success as the -rising of the sun. It cannot fail. Meanwhile, -there will be work in other crafts also as in -all new settlements. It is understood that -the Germans have here an opportunity to -repay some of the great expense to which we -have been put on their account."</p> - -<p>"We would not have it otherwise," cried -John Conrad. "We are not beggars, except<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span> -as we beg for a chance to earn our bread. -Would that we might begin to-day to pay our -great debt!"</p> - -<p>The Queen smiled.</p> - -<p>"We must have ships, and they are not -easy to find in a sufficient number at present -to transport this host. But tell your friends -to hold themselves in readiness."</p> - -<p>Now Conrad breathed a long sigh.</p> - -<p>"The lad looks at me with a question in -his eyes," said the Queen. "What is it, boy?"</p> - -<p>"Will our new home be near these kind -Indians?" asked Conrad, trembling.</p> - -<p>"Governor Hunter, what of this?"</p> - -<p>"There are Indians everywhere in plenty," -said he.</p> - -<p>Colonel Schuyler rose, and John Conrad, -feeling himself dismissed, rose also.</p> - -<p>The Queen stopped them with a lifted -hand.</p> - -<p>"About these same Indians, good Weiser. -Our possessions lie along the east coast of this -great and unexplored country. To the north -and to the west, along the course of a vast -river and the shores of large inland bodies of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span> -water, the French have by guile got possession -of the land. Between live tribes of savages, -upon whose friendship depends enormous -issues. Give thought to this, you and -your friends. These Indians who are here -represent a great nation or confederation of -nations, skilled in the warfare of the forest. -It is important that they continue to be our -friends. I am told that they do not regard -lightly deceit of any sort, and that their revenge -upon the treacherous is hideous beyond -all describing. Now, fare you well."</p> - -<p>Again John Conrad tried to speak his -gratitude, but could say no word. He dropped -to his knees once more, then rose and followed -Colonel Schuyler to the door. There Colonel -Schuyler put a gold piece into his hand.</p> - -<p>"For you and Magdalena and Margareta -and John Frederick and the others," said he. -"The Queen's bounty."</p> - -<p>By noon of the next day, the German settlement -was ready to take ship. John Conrad, -as he carried his remarkable announcement -from tent to tent and from fire to fire, gave -warning that sailing might still be delayed,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span> -that the ships were not yet in the harbor, -that only a few hundreds could be carried on -each vessel, and that these hundreds would -be selected according to a method of which -they knew nothing.</p> - -<p>But the Germans would not hear. They -packed their belongings once more into -bundles, and depression gave place to good -cheer, solemnity to hilarity. Some let the -fires before their tents go out and all spent -their small remaining sums of money for -provisions to take on shipboard.</p> - -<p>Alas, bundles were unpacked, fires were -relighted, and the food purchased for the sea -eaten on land long before the ships were in -harbor and the Germans on board. Some of -the bundles were then packed once more by -other hands. Before the hour for sailing hundreds -of pilgrims, among them the disappointed -magistrate of Oberdorf, had come -to the end of their journey. The Blackheath -camp had become a camp of death.</p> - -<p>In the weeks which now followed, John -Conrad was summoned twice to the palace, -not to see the Queen or to meet his Indian<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span> -benefactors, but to have explained to him, -as the chief representative of the Germans, -their duties in the new world. Once more the -need of the English navy for tar was made -clear and the method for extracting it from -the pine trees carefully explained. Governor -Hunter, who talked to John Conrad at -length, was quick of speech and temper, a -man who brooked no opposition and listened -to few questions.</p> - -<p>To John Conrad was presented a contract -for his signature and that of other Germans, -by which they were to promise to perform -that which the Queen required. With happy -hearts they promised; with overflowing gratitude -they heard that they were to receive, -after their debt to the Government was paid, -twenty-five dollars and forty acres of land.</p> - -<p>Finally, as Christmas Day drew near, good -news came to Blackheath. Ships would be -provided for all, the first sailing on Christmas -Day. Assigned to the first ship were the -Weisers and Conrad's friend Peter Zenger -and his father. The rabble of London gathered -at the camp to see the Germans start,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span> -but now their taunts fell on deaf ears. The -new country was just across the sea; peace -and plenty were at hand. They thought with -sad regret of those who had started with -them, but who were no longer here to continue -the journey.</p> - -<p>Though it was winter, the Germans thought -little of the storms which they would meet -at sea. They were landsmen who knew nothing -of the fierce power of the ocean. If they -remembered the roughness of the Channel -crossing, it was with the consoling reflection -that the ocean was there confined to narrow -bounds, like the Rhine where its rapids were -so swift. It was true that Conrad's little book -advised various precautions against illness -and misery. But they refused to think of illness -or misery. With their long journey so -nearly ended, they could endure both.</p> - -<p>Conrad brought out from its hiding-place -George Reimer's flute and discovered to his -delight that Peter Zenger had a drum. Perhaps -there would be other instruments upon -the ship and a band could be formed.</p> - -<p>To the eyes of Conrad and Peter the ship<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span> -Lyon looked enormous as it lay in the harbor, -its mighty sails furled. From its sides there -projected four cannon, regarded by the two -boys with terror and delight. A sailor standing -on the quay explained that they were to -deal with the French and with pirates.</p> - -<p>"Pirates!" repeated Conrad. "What are -they?"</p> - -<p>"They are freebooters," explained Peter. -"I have heard of them. They attack any one -whom they please and kill and rob."</p> - -<p>"Are we <i>sure</i> to meet them?" asked Conrad.</p> - -<p>"They come out from the shore like -wolves," answered the sailor. "But with -these cross dogs we can scare them off."</p> - -<p>But whether there were pirates or not, -whether there were storms to meet, or -whether they were to sail in a continued calm, -the Germans must now get aboard. On Christmas -morning the first four hundred embarked -upon the ship Lyon for another stage of the -long journey.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span></p> - - -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<h2><a name="V" id="V">V</a><br /> - -ACROSS THE SEA</h2> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">So</span> welcome had been the sight of the ship, -so blessed the prospect of being able to -set out once more, that the Weisers and -their friends had no fault to find with the -meager provision which had been made for -them. They trooped joyfully aboard, disposing -themselves and their goods as well as -they could. It was true that what seemed to -be a large space shrank amazingly as the passengers -found places for the bundles and -boxes which remained in their possession in -spite of all their misfortunes, but of lack of -space they made light. Thus crowded together -they would not suffer so dreadfully -from the cold as they had in the open tents -of Blackheath. Besides, the journey would -soon be over. Those who had misgivings as -the shores of England dropped out of sight, -smiled to see Conrad and Peter gazing longingly -from the boat's prow toward the west.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span></p> - -<p>In comparison with the journey down the -Rhine the journey across the Atlantic is dull -to most travelers. There are no interesting -waitings at landings, there are no towering -castles, there are no flowery meadows. But -to the children on the ship Lyon there was -no moment without its entertainment. There -was, to begin with, the never-ending motion -of the sea; there was, for the first few days, -the almost hourly sight of a distant sail. -Presently they began to watch for the spouting -of whales and for the dipping and soaring -of creatures which were half bird, half fish.</p> - -<p>The voyage began in a long and unusual -calm, so that the older folk could sit comfortably -on the deck in the sunshine and the children -could scamper about at their games. -The captain and the crew were kind and patient, -as they needed to be to answer the -numberless questions about the ship and her -rudder and her white sails and the wide sea -upon which she traveled. The mate had -crossed the Atlantic Ocean four times and -had been many times to Marseilles: to the -shivering girls and the delighted boys he told<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span> -a hundred tales of storms, of waves covering -the ship, of rigging locked in ice, of flights -from pirates and of battles with the French.</p> - -<p>"Shall we meet storms like that?" they -asked, terrified, yet eager.</p> - -<p>"I've crossed when the sea was like a raging -lion," answered the mate, to please the -boys; "and when she was like a smooth pond," -he added, to please the girls.</p> - -<p>Presently the mate rigged up a fishing-line -with which the boys took turns. Peter Zenger -added an edible dolphin to the ship's food—that -was the first catch. Then, Conrad, feeling -a powerful tug at his line, was convinced that -he had caught a whale, and screamed for help.</p> - -<p>"It will pull me over," he called. "Come -quickly!"</p> - -<p>The sailor who came to his aid laughed.</p> - -<p>"You could have let go!"</p> - -<p>When they hauled in the catch it proved to -be a shark, at whose enormous mouth and -hideous teeth the girls screamed. Thereafter -they scarcely looked over the side of the ship.</p> - -<p>Among themselves the older folk reviewed -again and again their persecutions, their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span> -griefs, and their hopes. To the younger men -and women John Conrad talked long and -earnestly.</p> - -<p>"If all that we hear is true, children, this -new land will be the finest land in the world. -There are fertile fields; there are great forests -and rivers, such as we know nothing of; there -are rich ores. Above all, there are young, -eager hearts. I believe that there will also be -new governments, which will, please God, be -different from the old. In this new country -every man should have a fair chance. I am -growing old, I shall not have much to do with -the affairs of the new country, but my children -may. Let them remember their own -history and be always on the side of the oppressed. -You may be divided from one another. -Our new friends may forsake us. You -will have griefs and sorrows like the rest of -mankind. You must learn to find companionship -in yourselves and help from above. You -must learn to be independent of others, even -of those who love you and whom you love."</p> - -<p>Daily Conrad and Peter practiced on their -flute and drum. There were, as they had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span> -hoped, other instruments on the ship and -a band was organized which played many -lively tunes. Sometimes the boys were allowed -to help with the furling of a sail or the -giving out of the supply of food and water. -They were shown by the friendly mate the -ship's store of arms and ammunition, a store -which seemed to their inexperienced eyes -sufficient to meet a whole fleet of pirates.</p> - -<p>"If they would but come!" sighed Conrad -and Peter to themselves.</p> - -<p>Presently John Conrad's watchful eyes saw -a new expression in the eyes of his oldest -daughter. She sat often by herself, and when -she joined the general company one of the -young men, Baer by name, was certain to put -himself as soon as possible by her side. John -Conrad sighed, scolded his son Conrad and -Peter Zenger for their constant punning on -the young man's name, and then took his own -medicine.</p> - -<p>"They must leave me one by one," said he -to himself. "Magdalena will doubtless soon be -showing the same signs. Thank God, they can -start together in a land of peace and plenty!"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span></p> - -<p>Through January all went well with the -pilgrims. Then Peter Zenger's father succumbed -to the disease with which he had been -afflicted. The end was sudden to no one but -Peter, who would not be comforted. To him -John Conrad talked when the solemn burial -was completed.</p> - -<p>"You believe in God and Heaven, dear -child. Your father was worn and weary and -he is at rest until the last day. You are young -with life before you. You have your new -country; to it you must devote yourself, heart -and soul. The good God closes all gates sometimes -so that we may see the more plainly the -one through which He means we should go."</p> - -<p>With the death of Zenger the character of -the journey changed. As the calm of the early -part of January had been extraordinary, so -now were the storms. There appeared one -morning along the western horizon a low -bank of clouds which the children took at -first, in wild enthusiasm, for land. As the -clouds rose higher and higher, the color of -the sea changed to a strange oily gray, and -suddenly the ship began to rock as though<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span> -the waves were rising like the clouds. Now -a great wind whistled in the rigging with a -sound different from any which the passengers -had heard.</p> - -<p>"What is it, father?" cried Sabina. "I am -afraid."</p> - -<p>The Germans looked at one another ominously.</p> - -<p>For many days there was no sitting about -the deck. No passenger was allowed, indeed, -to leave the hold of the ship. The vessel, -which had come to seem as solid as the earth, -was tossed about like a cork. Again and -again waves covered it, again and again with -sails closely furled it fought for its life. The -coverings of the hatchways were burst open -and the sea rushed in. Giving themselves up -many times for lost, the passengers tried to be -as brave as they could. Those who could keep -on their feet did all that lay in their power for -their companions, and through the intolerable -hours they prayed. When, once or twice during -the storm, the captain visited them, they -took courage from him.</p> - -<p>"Conrad shall still catch a whale," said he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span> -in a voice which was cheerful through all -its weary hoarseness. "And Peter shall play -his drum, and the young maidens shall smile -upon the young men."</p> - -<p>Finally the long storm died away. The -passengers were startled to realize that the -Lyon shook and quivered no longer, that -silence had succeeded the dreadful creaking -in the timbers and the fearful whistling in the -rigging, and that as the storm abated they -had each one fallen asleep.</p> - -<p>Now followed many days of cold, bright -weather. Again the travelers sought the deck -and the sunshine. Peter Zenger was able to -remind Conrad one day, with a weak little -smile, of the advice given by the book of -directions.</p> - -<p>"It would have taken a pretty lively swing -to prepare us for such a shaking," said he.</p> - -<p>In a day or two Peter lifted his drum and -the band returned to its practicing. At -first they played solemn tunes; then, with -returning color to their cheeks, came fresh -cheerfulness and courage. Even the older -folk joined cheerfully in "Susy, dear Susy."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span> -The sailors mended the sails, the girls took -out their knitting, and the children played -about on the deck.</p> - -<p>But the whole-hearted gayety of the early -journey did not return. The great storm had -taken fearful toll, and there were already -twenty passengers less than there had been -at the beginning. The crowding of the ship -had become a serious menace to health. There -were a few sick persons at whom the captain -looked more anxiously than he had looked at -the angry clouds or the tempestuous sea. -Not the least of the dangers of the long journey -were various diseases, contagious and -deadly, which, once started, could scarcely -be checked.</p> - -<p>Now another terrible peril threatened the -ship Lyon. The supply of food brought by -the passengers was entirely exhausted, and -that furnished by the ship was small in quantity -and hardly edible. The drinking-water -had become foul, and through a leak in one -of the wooden casks a large quantity had been -lost. Passengers and crew watched the sky -for a cloud.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span></p> - -<p>When at last the cloud appeared, it was -accompanied again by the terrible wind and -the heaving sea of the great storm. Again the -passengers spent a week in the hold while -the ship battled with a tempest which broke -the rudder. Their respect for the captain and -the stanch vessel which carried them grew to -admiration and then to awe.</p> - -<p>"It is no wonder they call the ship 'she,'" -said Conrad feebly. "One would think it was -alive. It is well named 'Lyon,' for it fights -for us like a lion."</p> - -<p>Again the passengers returned to the deck, -more weak and miserable than before. The -supply of water gathered in the storm sank -lower and lower in the cask, the rations of -salt pork and sea biscuit became daily -smaller. Finally a day dawned when the -supply of water was gone and the supply of -food so low that starvation and death were -imminent. John Conrad went about from -group to group telling of the glories of the -heavenly country to which their passage -seemed now but the matter of a short -time.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span></p> - -<p>Then came help. A faint speck appeared -upon the horizon. The children, when they -saw it, flew to the captain, who, they discovered, -had been watching it for an hour. It -grew larger and larger, not into the shape -of a rain cloud, but into the shape of a vessel. -Young Conrad guessed the nature of the -hope in the captain's eager eyes.</p> - -<p>"Might they have food and water for us?" -The captain shook his head.</p> - -<p>"We cannot tell. They may be as badly -off as we are."</p> - -<p>The ship came closer and closer, flying, -they saw joyfully, the pennant of England. -The passengers grew silent and eyes burned -and hearts almost ceased to beat. Presently -they were able to hear a shout across the -smooth sea. It was surely a friendly hail, -and still the ship came nearer and nearer. -Then the travelers heard, almost unbelieving, -the blessed words:—</p> - -<p>"We have potatoes and ground beans and -dried venison from Her Majesty's colony. -Do you wish to buy?"</p> - -<p>"Yes," shouted the captain: "all you have."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span></p> - -<p>"We have water, also. Do you need any?"</p> - -<p>To this replied a hurrah from every throat -on the ship Lyon.</p> - -<p>"Thank God! Thank God!" cried the poor -Germans.</p> - -<p>In a short time the water casks were aboard -and with them bags of vegetables and meat. -For several hours the ship stood near and the -sailors coming aboard the Lyon showed the -Germans how to roast the potatoes in an -open fire on the deck. Never had food tasted -so good and water so delicious. It was a -happy promise from the new country.</p> - -<p>But the ship which brought this welcome -freight brought also bad news. The freebooters -along the coast were unusually active. -The captain of the Lyon must look well to his -guns. Everywhere in the ports of the new -country one heard of ships boarded, of treasure -taken, and of crew and passengers murdered -The more closely the vessel approached -the shores of America, the greater was the -danger.</p> - -<p>The Germans looked at one another with -despair.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span></p> - -<p>"We have suffered as much as we can -bear!" cried some one.</p> - -<p>"We have no treasures," said John Conrad -to the captain. "Why should any one -molest people so poor as we are?"</p> - -<p>"My ship would be a treasure for them," -answered the captain. "For that they would -murder every soul on board."</p> - -<p>Daily the passengers were assembled and -drilled. The crew was only sufficient to sail -the ship; for its defense the passengers would -have to be depended upon. They were instructed -in the firing of the cannon and informed -about the methods of pirates in attacking -a vessel.</p> - -<p>"I have stood them off before," said the -captain, uneasily, to John Conrad. "But I -have always had more powder than I have -now and a few trained gunners. If they are -once aboard, we shall have to fight like tigers -for our lives. They give no quarter."</p> - -<p>Now sabers and pistols were laid ready so -that there might be no confusion when the -pirate ship was sighted. The women and children -eyed the weapons fearfully; the men<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span> -tried to laugh at their alarm. No one but the -very youngest of the children slept the night -through.</p> - -<p>But no pirate ship appeared. The air grew -softer and warmer; all began to breathe more -freely and to look ahead, not for the ship -of the dread enemy, but for the land. Eyes -of passengers and crew were weary of the -sea.</p> - -<p>"They are afraid of our cross dogs," said -Conrad, half wishing, as the danger faded, for -a battle.</p> - -<p>"Perhaps some brave captain has swept -them from the sea," said Peter. "That would -be a work I should like. I should board their -ships as they have boarded others and then I -should give no quarter."</p> - -<p>At last, after the captain had declared the -danger past, and had jokingly bidden the boys -keep constant eyes upon the west for the -promised land, the sailor on watch gave a -loud cry:—</p> - -<p>"Ship, ahoy!"</p> - -<p>At once the passengers crowded to the -prow of the boat. The approaching ship was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span> -a tiny speck, visible only to the sharpest eyes. -For a long time it seemed to remain stationary; -then they realized that it was steadily -approaching. Children began to cry and -mothers to hold them closer and closer.</p> - -<p>"It is coming very fast, is it not?" said -Conrad to the captain.</p> - -<p>"Pretty fast."</p> - -<p>"It is not necessarily a pirate ship," said -John Conrad. "It may be a friendly -ship."</p> - -<p>"I believe it brings us good water and more -food," said Sabina.</p> - -<p>"I am sure that I can see the English -flag," said George Frederick.</p> - -<p>But the passengers were not allowed to -linger long at the prow speculating about the -strange vessel. Suddenly hopes were dashed -and all speculations and prophecies interrupted -by a sharp order from the captain. -Women and children were to go below and -each man was to take his place at once at the -post assigned him. The ammunition—a -perilously small store—was divided. Conrad -and Peter Zenger were the youngest pas<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span>sengers -who were allowed to stay on deck. -They had been included in the drills, but for -them there was now neither gun nor powder. -They were given orders to keep out of the way -of the crew and the older men. If any of the -defenders fell, they might take their places. -The two boys crouched down close to the -mast, not venturing to go below to put away -the drum and flute upon which they had been -playing when the alarm was given.</p> - -<p>Nearer and nearer came the strange ship. -It was not so large as the Lyon, and it responded -far more quickly to its helm. In the -quickening breeze from the west it advanced -with great speed. It floated no pennant—the -wish of the Germans had been father to -the thought.</p> - -<p>Now a sailor in the masthead of the Lyon -sent out a friendly hail. There was no answer. -Again the sailor shouted. Still there -was no reply. The crew of the Lyon could -see now plainly armed men upon the deck of -the stranger. The captain spoke in a whisper -to the mate.</p> - -<p>"We have powder for two rounds. Not<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span> -enough to keep them off for five minutes. -We—"</p> - -<p>The stranger seemed actually to leap -ahead, and the captain's eyes flashed. He -raised his hands before his mouth like a -trumpet.</p> - -<p>"Fire!"</p> - -<p>The two cannon which pointed toward the -strange ship spit out a long streak of flame, -and the Lyon trembled with a terrific detonation.</p> - -<p>When the smoke cleared away, it was -plainly to be seen that the pirates were not -frightened by the warning shots. The balls -had fallen short, and the pirate ship sailed -on, as though to take quick advantage of the -time required to reload the cannon. It was -now so near that the evil faces could be -clearly discerned upon its deck.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span></p> - - -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<h2><a name="VI" id="VI">VI</a><br /> - -THE PIRATE SHIP</h2> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">It</span> was small wonder that the passengers on -the Lyon were almost paralyzed with terror. -They were not soldiers, nor accustomed -to taking the part of soldiers, and they were -not fighting upon a battlefield, distant from -their loved ones, but close to them where the -danger threatened alike themselves and all -they held dear. The fact made them at once -more courageous and more terrified.</p> - -<p>It was known by all that powder was short -and that the accuracy of the next shot would -probably decide their fate. Their hands grew -more and more awkward, their cheeks whiter. -Conrad and Peter sprang to their feet, seeing -plainly the panic on the faces of the gunners -who were trying to reload the cannon, and -upon the faces of the others who stood, saber -or pistol in hand, waiting for what seemed to -be certain destruction. One frightened soul -fired his pistol prematurely, another waved<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span> -his saber wildly in the air. If the freebooters -saw, they must have anticipated an easy -victory.</p> - -<p>"If we only had pistols!" cried Peter -shrilly.</p> - -<p>The captain shouted fierce orders, and still -the gunners fumbled at their task.</p> - -<p>Now Conrad ran to the captain's side. A -wild plan had suddenly occurred to him.</p> - -<p>"We could play," cried he breathlessly, -"Peter and I. There was a trumpeter on a -castle wall who played and played till—"</p> - -<p>"Play, then!"</p> - -<p>With trembling lips and hands the two -boys began. The flute gave forth a sharp -piping, the drum tried to roar as fiercely as -the cannon. There was at first no tune, there -was at first, indeed, only a mad discord. And -still the pirate ship came on.</p> - -<p>"Louder! Louder! Louder!" The boys did -not know whether they had heard or had -imagined the command. They were playing -"Susy, dear Susy," and playing it like a jig. -As though its sprightliness steadied them, -arms grew stronger, breath more even. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span> -gunners heard, the infantry heard, the women -and children shivering in the hold heard, -and best of all the evil men on the pirate -ship heard. The hands of the gunners trembled -a little less, the hands which held the -pistols and sabers grasped them more firmly, -the women and children looked with a tiny -bit of hope into one another's eyes, and the -pirates looked at one another with astonishment.</p> - -<p>It may have been that the captain of the -pirate ship did not care to try conclusions -with a force which could spare men to play -the drum and flute; it may have been that he -could observe that the firing of the second -shot was the matter of only a second or two; -or it may have been that merely the lively -defiance of "Susy, dear Susy," discouraged -him. At any rate, he altered the course of his -vessel. When the second shot sailed after -him, he had darted out of range.</p> - -<p>At first the passengers of the Lyon stared -as though a spell had been put upon them. -A moment ago they had been in danger of -their lives; now they were safe while the en<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span>emy -sailed away. Some laughed aloud, others -wiped their eyes, and a sailor flung open the -hatchway and shouted the good news to the -anxious hearts below.</p> - -<p>Though the distance between the Lyon -and her enemy grew wider and wider until -presently the stranger had vanished over the -horizon's edge, the sailors kept watch until -nightfall.</p> - -<p>But the passengers gave no thought now to -an enemy. They saw, late in the afternoon, -a sailor lowering the sounding-line over the -ship's side. They had watched this process -many times. But the earnestness of the sailor -and the eager watching of his companions -gave it a new significance. Into the group at -the ship's edge young Conrad forced his way.</p> - -<p>"How much?" said he.</p> - -<p>The sailors paid no attention and Conrad -concluded to wait. Presently the line was -drawn in and the sailor announced to the -captain in a loud voice,—</p> - -<p>"Thirty-five fathoms, sir."</p> - -<p>"That is shallow," said Conrad. "Is there -any danger?"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span></p> - -<p>The sailors laughed.</p> - -<p>"There is danger of seeing land to-morrow," -said one.</p> - -<p>To this no one made any reply for a long -moment. Then another shout arose like the -one which had greeted the arrival of water -and food. In one moment the news -had spread: in another, though the captain -laughed, the women were descending to pack -boxes and to tie up the bundles in the hold.</p> - -<p>But no one stayed long below the deck. -Margareta and Magdalena with one bundle -packed climbed back to look toward the west. -John Conrad's expectation was being realized; -there was now a young man by the side of -Magdalena also. The captain laughed at -them for watching for land as he laughed at -them for packing.</p> - -<p>"To-morrow, my children, not to-day. -You may look your eyes out to-day and you -will see nothing, and there will be plenty of -time after we see land for you to pack your -clothes."</p> - -<p>Nevertheless, the Germans looked and -looked, though, as the captain prophesied,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span> -they saw nothing. But they would not leave -their place in the bow. Sitting together, they -reviewed the journey and the more distant -past. They spoke of the Fatherland, of those -left behind who might some day follow them, -like George Reimer, of those, like the magistrate -of Oberdorf, whom they should never -see again, and of those already on the way in -other ships. They spoke also in quiet voices -of those who slept, like the mother of the -Weisers, in quiet graveyards. They spoke of -bondage and liberty and of war and peace and -of a strange new freedom, of which there was -in the hearts of a few a dim conception, like -the tiny seed of a mighty tree. They spoke -with gratitude of the good Queen and offered -a prayer for her, and for other friends, like -the good helmsman on the river boat. They -spoke of the strange red people, and Conrad -must find his little book and read once more -of their skill as hunters, of their devotion in -friendship and of their ferocity in war and in -revenge. Longest of all they talked of the -King of Rivers and his companions.</p> - -<p>"It is my object to find them first of all,"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span> -said Conrad. "I am sure they are looking -for us to come to the country which they gave -us."</p> - -<p>Once again must Conrad and Peter and the -rest of the band play their old tunes, grave -and gay, mournful and lively; once again -must all join in song. Twilight came and then -the starry, summer night, and still the pilgrims -sat gazing toward the west. All night a -few kept vigil.</p> - -<p>At daylight every one was on deck. The -morning dawned in splendor, but no one -turned to watch the rising sun. At last, when -the bright rays illuminated the whole of earth -and heaven, they saw through tears the low -shores of the promised land.</p> - -<p>But now that land was in sight, the Lyon -was not able to get into the harbor. Already -as the passengers watched the shore a storm -was rising. It was not so severe as those -which had gone before nor so long continued, -but it was far more alarming since the ship -was now in danger of being cast upon the -reefs. It seemed for many days that the passengers -had endured all for naught. It was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span> -like being sent back into mid-ocean to suffer -once more all the fearful trials through which -they had lived. Again the captain grew wan -and hollow-eyed, again the travelers lived for -days in the hold of the ship, again there was -sickness and death. Some of those who had -seen the promised land saw it no more, nor -any earthly land. There was no concealing -the fact that those who were ill had ship -fever, which was almost certain, in the conditions -in which the patients had to live, to -be fatal. Little John Frederick, the youngest -of the Weisers, about whose health they -had long felt anxiety, grew worse, so that his -brothers and sisters could not look at him -without tears. Still the pilgrims were patient -and kind, still they tried not to murmur at -this new dispensation of Providence.</p> - -<p>"Courage!" said John Conrad a dozen -times a day, to himself, as well as to his companions. -"Many a good enterprise has failed -because those who undertook it could not -endure quite to the end."</p> - -<p>The pilgrims were to have, alas, need for all -the courage and patience which they could<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</a></span> -summon. When a long swell succeeded the -fierce beating of the waves and the skies -cleared, they sought the deck once more, and -hurried to the prow. There they stared at one -another in amazement and terror. The promised -land at which they had looked with such -longing eyes had vanished.</p> - -<p>"What has become of it?" asked a bewildered -company.</p> - -<p>"It is still exactly where it was," answered -the captain. "It is we who have changed our -place."</p> - -<p>"When shall we see it again?"</p> - -<p>The captain reassured them with a cheerfulness -which he did not feel. The ship had -been driven far out of its course; it would -take many days to win again a view of the -low-lying shores.</p> - -<p>It was now June. Unless conditions in the -new world were very different from those in -the old, the season for planting was almost -passed: and John Conrad's eagerness to be -settled grew to anxiety. Whatever young -Conrad's book might say about the strength -of the sun in America, it was certain that the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span> -pilgrims must have a house and some stores -of food and fuel with which to meet the winter. -Again they gazed toward the west until, -between the blinding glare of the sun on the -smooth sea and their own tears, they could -see no more.</p> - -<p>But like all evils in the world the long journey -came to an end. The travelers had given -up rising before dawn to watch the first beams -of the sun strike on the western shores, when -one bright morning a shout awoke them.</p> - -<p>"Land! Land! Land!" Though it needed -but one call to rouse the sleepers, the sailor -called a dozen times, as though the joyful -news could not be too often proclaimed.</p> - -<p>The travelers crowded on deck; they saw -the shore much nearer at hand than it had -been before, and green instead of a dull, indeterminate -color; they were surrounded by -fluttering birds; they sniffed upon the air -a different odor, an odor of land and growing -things. Then with one accord their eyes -sought the sky to see if once more a cloud -threatened them.</p> - -<p>But there was no cloud even so large as a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</a></span> -man's hand, and the dangerous reefs were -passed safely.</p> - -<p>"But we are not moving!" cried young -Conrad. "What is the matter?"</p> - -<p>The captain pointed ahead, and Conrad -saw a long rowboat cutting the water.</p> - -<p>"We can't go into the harbor without a -pilot," said the captain. "Here he comes."</p> - -<p>Indifferent to the fact that their belongings -were, after all their planning, not ready to be -carried to the shore, the passengers hung over -the side of the ship. There was a loud hail -from the little boat, and an answering shout -from the captain of the Lyon.</p> - -<p>Suddenly Conrad cried out and seized his -father by the arm.</p> - -<p>"Look! Look!"</p> - -<p>"What is it, lad?"</p> - -<p>Then John Conrad saw for himself. The -rowers were dark-skinned, black-haired creatures -whose great bare bodies gleamed in the -sun. The King of Rivers and his friends had -been blanketed, but there was no mistaking -these for any but men of their race.</p> - -<p>"They are Indians," said Conrad, in awe.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</a></span></p> - -<p>Now a rope ladder was flung over the side -of the ship and the pilot came aboard. He -shook hands with the captain and the mate, -and then lifted from the hands of an Indian -who had followed him a roughly woven basket.</p> - -<p>"I always bring something for the birds," -said he in a loud voice as he uncovered it.</p> - -<p>For a moment both children and adults -could only stare at him dumbly. He was -real, he came from America, and America had -begun to seem like the figment of a dream: -his was a new face, and they had seen no new -faces for months.</p> - -<p>But when the children looked into his basket, -they ran forward. Here were cherries -for mouths which had forgotten the taste of -fruit; here were strawberries for lips which -had never touched strawberries. An old woman -began to weep.</p> - -<p>"Cherries like those in the gardens of -Württemberg, God be thanked!"</p> - -<p>John Conrad looked at the pilot a little -uneasily.</p> - -<p>"We cannot pay," said he.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</a></span></p> - -<p>The pilot popped a strawberry into the -mouth of John Frederick.</p> - -<p>"Tut, tut," said he, "you are in a land of -plenty. To-morrow when I come to take you -in I will bring more."</p> - -<p>"To-morrow!" echoed a dozen voices. -"Oh, sir, can we not go in to-day?"</p> - -<p>The pilot shook his head.</p> - -<p>"Not till to-morrow."</p> - -<p>"But the storm came before and drove us -far away."</p> - -<p>"No storm will drive you away now."</p> - -<p>With sinking hearts the pilgrims saw the -pilot descend again over the side of the ship -and enter his boat and row away.</p> - -<p>"I do not believe he will return," said one -despairing soul.</p> - -<p>But in a few minutes the speaker and every -one else on board had begun to pack. Pots -and dishes, pans and kettles, clothes, a few -spinning-wheels, the few treasured books—all -were boxed or wrapped or corded together. -The Weisers, remembering gayly that they -had once made nine bundles for eight persons, -made careful division of their belongings.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</a></span></p> - -<p>"The spinning-wheel is not here and dear -Wolf is not here, but we have everything -else," said Margareta.</p> - -<p>"Including a tame bear," ventured Conrad, -knowing that there would be no boxing -of ears to-day.</p> - -<p>To the laughing astonishment of the travelers, -the pilot was on the deck in the morning -when they came up to greet the sun. He rallied -them upon their laziness and passed out -another gift of fruit, and then took command -of the ship. To the keen disappointment of -the boys the Indians did not come on board, -but were towed in their rowboat.</p> - -<p>Past the low shores of Long Island, nearer -and nearer to the village of New York moved -the Lyon, more and more excited grew the -pilgrims.</p> - -<p>"I can see houses!"</p> - -<p>"And smoke rising from chimneys!"</p> - -<p>"And men walking about!"</p> - -<p>"There is a wharf with people on it!"</p> - -<p>"We are here at last, at last!"</p> - -<p>Some one started a hymn and a single stanza -was sung. Then voices failed.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</a></span></p> - -<p>John Conrad stood silently, his older children -close to him and little John Frederick in -his arms. With them was Peter Zenger, his -arm round Conrad's neck. John Conrad saw -the house and the people and the strange -shore, and the certainty of impending change -swept over him. These—his boys and girls—what -would befall them? They were his -now, but the new land must divide them from -him. Each must do his work. Already the -sound of voices drifted to him from this alien -shore. He longed to put into one sentence all -his love and hope. With brimming eyes he -looked at his little flock for whom he had -made the long journey, for whom he had forgotten -sadness and heartache.</p> - -<p>"Children," he said. "Margareta and -Magdalena and Sabina and Conrad—" -John Conrad's voice faltered. In a moment -he began once more with a new message. -"Children,—George and Christopher and -Barbara and little John and dear Peter,—here -is now your Fatherland."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</a></span></p> - - -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<h2><a name="VII" id="VII">VII</a><br /> - -THE HOME ASSIGNED</h2> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">Close</span> together the Weisers stepped from -the gangplank of the Lyon. Their question -as to what they were to do was soon -solved by their prompt shepherding from the -wharf into small boats by the officers of the -port.</p> - -<p>"Where do we go?" asked John Conrad -in astonishment.</p> - -<p>"There has been ship fever on the Lyon," -answered some one. "You go to Nuttall's -Island."</p> - -<p>Like millions to follow them, the Germans -soon gazed from Nuttall's Island across the -bay. They were given little houses to live -in, and as the magistrate of Oberdorf had -greeted them on Blackheath, they greeted -presently their friends from the other ships. -There were happy reunions, there were stories -of death and danger by sea, there was the -common hope of better things.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</a></span></p> - -<p>When the cool winds of September began -to blow and they were still waiting to be released -from what seemed like captivity, the -Germans became impatient and then frightened. -They wished to set to work so that they -might the sooner finish their task of tar-making -and begin to labor on their own account. -During the long journey boys and girls had -grown up; like Conrad, other boys longed for -adventure, and like Margareta, other young -women wished to begin the establishment of -a home. Among the Germans there was suddenly -a new spirit of independence. Here was -not the goal for which they had striven.</p> - -<p>"The Governor has not completed his arrangements," -said John Conrad to his impatient -countrymen.</p> - -<p>"Then let us go to that Schoharie which -the Indians gave us." Conrad spoke for all -the younger Germans.</p> - -<p>"We are bound to make tar," reminded -John Conrad, who looked at his son in amazement.</p> - -<p>Presently came Governor Hunter, who had -crossed the ocean in one of the last ships of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</a></span> -the fleet. His visit, so eagerly expected, had -a sorrowful outcome. From one end of the -settlement to the other he walked and at the -cabin of John Conrad he paused.</p> - -<p>"You are to go soon to Livingston Manor -to begin your work. You are the man who -was in the Queen's audience room. I depend -upon you to be a good influence among your -fellows." His bright gaze traveled from -child to child. "You have a large family."</p> - -<p>Before John Conrad could answer, young -Conrad stepped from the doorway, disregarding -his father's frown.</p> - -<p>"Oh, sir, I wish we might go to Schoharie!"</p> - -<p>Governor Hunter looked at him coldly.</p> - -<p>"You will go where I send you."</p> - -<p>When the Governor had gone, his agent -announced a startling command which he -had left. Among the Germans were too many -children. In New York and on Long Island -were farmers and merchants who needed -help. To them the orphans and some other -young lads must be apprenticed.</p> - -<p>"Not our children!" cried Magdalena.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</a></span></p> - -<p>John Conrad shook his head ominously. -He had counted his children over before he -left the ship,—was separation to come so -soon? That evening he admonished gentle -Christopher and grave George Frederick -tenderly and solemnly.</p> - -<p>"We must submit to the Governor's will," -said he. "My little lads know what is right. -To do right is all that is required of them."</p> - -<p>The next day boats anchored at Nuttall's -Island and from them stepped English and -Dutch farmers and their wives. Upon the -heads of Christopher and George Frederick -were laid a pair of plump hands.</p> - -<p>"These I would like," said a kind voice.</p> - -<p>The eager eyes of the Weiser family gazed -through tears.</p> - -<p>"Both together?" asked John Conrad -thickly.</p> - -<p>"Both together," answered the farmer's -wife. "We have a good farm and no children." -When she saw that little Christopher -cried, she put her hand into the deep pocket -in the skirt of her husband's coat and drew -out a bar of maple sugar, the only candy of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</a></span> -the colonies. "I put something in my pocket -for my new children." Then she sat down on -the rough bench before the little door. "The -boats will not go back for a long time to -come. In the mean time we will talk."</p> - -<p>Now more tears were shed, but they were -not bitter tears. The English of the Weisers -was broken, but it sufficed to relate the sad -history of Gross Anspach, the kindness of -George Reimer, the cruel cold on Blackheath, -and the dangers of the sea. When the time -for parting came, the Weisers trooped to the -boats. Peter Zenger was to go also, with a -brisk printer, Bradford by name. Hands were -waved until they could wave no longer; then -the Weisers turned back to their little hut.</p> - -<p>"Two are gone," said John Conrad, bewildered. -"My dear children! My dear -children!" Then poor John Conrad burst -once more into tears.</p> - -<p>When in November twelve hundred of the -four thousand Germans who had left Blackheath -ascended the Hudson River, there was -another grievous parting. Margareta's young -man had found work in New York, but until<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</a></span> -he earned a little he and Margareta could not -marry. One of the Weisers, at least, looked -back instead of forward as the heavily laden -boats made their slow way up the stream. -Conrad wished to stay also and find work, -but neither the Governor's agent nor his -father would give him permission. The -agent, Cast by name, was sharp of tongue, -and with him the young men had begun to -dispute. Others like Conrad were strong of -will and hot of temper. In the long period of -waiting, gratitude to the English had somewhat -faded.</p> - -<p>The arrival at the new home was dreary. -Upon the stretch of forest in which the settlement -was to be made there was only the -agent's comfortable log house. It was late -afternoon when the pilgrims were put ashore. -At sight of the unimproved and repellent -spot they looked at one another in dismay.</p> - -<p>"Is it for this that we have come so far?"</p> - -<p>John Conrad began again his old work of -encouragement.</p> - -<p>"At last we have work to do. By night we -must have some sort of shelter."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</a></span></p> - -<p>The next day substantial houses of logs began -to rise among the tall pine trees. John -Conrad's suspicions about his second daughter -proved to be true. Quiet Magdalena and -the young man upon whom she had smiled -announced that they, too, would build a -house.</p> - -<p>Then, when houses were built and logs were -burning in the great chimneys, the Germans -waited idly. Tar-making was not to begin, -it seemed, until spring. Again John Conrad -counseled patience.</p> - -<p>"We are here, we cannot get away and, -moreover, we have given our word. We are -fed and clothed. In the spring things will -be better. We cannot expect everything at -once."</p> - -<p>Young Conrad answered sharply.</p> - -<p>"The men say that this land will never be -good farming land, father. After the pine -trees are cut, we shall have nothing. I would -find that Schoharie which the Indians gave -us. There is our home."</p> - -<p>John Conrad shook his head.</p> - -<p>"We must have patience," said he.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span></p> - -<p>Slowly the winter passed. In the cold of -January little John Frederick, so loved and -cherished, died, and was the first of the colony -to be buried in the new land.</p> - -<p>"Now," said John Conrad, "it is our land, -indeed."</p> - -<p>In April Magdalena was married by a -clergyman who came from the older German -settlement across the river. The wedding -was merry: even Margareta, who had heard -but once from her lover, put anxiety away -and smiled and danced the old-fashioned -dances of Gross Anspach weddings. When -Magdalena had gone to the little log house -with her husband, John Conrad sat before his -door.</p> - -<p>"She has done well. Now of nine, only four -are left me."</p> - -<p>Once during the winter Conrad saw an -Indian. The tall figure crossed the end of a -little glade and as fast as he could Conrad -pursued it. But the Indian had vanished; -there was neither sound nor motion in the -still forest. Gradually, their lands taken from -them, themselves often ill-treated, the Indians<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span> -were withdrawing from the neighborhood of -the settlements.</p> - -<p>In great excitement Conrad hurried to his -father.</p> - -<p>"Father, I have seen an Indian. Let us -ask him to guide us to Schoharie!"</p> - -<p>"We are not permitted to go."</p> - -<p>"Let us go without permission. I can -fight, father."</p> - -<p>Again John Conrad regarded his son with -astonishment.</p> - -<p>"We have come for peace, not for war. -God knows we have suffered enough from -war! Let me hear no more of such madness, -Conrad, and sit no more with the young men, -but with your sisters."</p> - -<p>In the early spring tools were given out for -the cutting of the pine trees and slashes were -made in the tough bark so that the sap might -gather. In two years the trees would be felled -and burned in kilns.</p> - -<p>In the early summer came a new command. -Over the great continent evil forces were -astir. Like the bent bow, the line of the -French and their allied Indians stretched<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</a></span> -from Montreal to New Orleans, its curve -including the Mississippi; like the string -within stretched the English line. There was -conflict at Montreal where the Five Nations -were true to their English alliance, and -thither the Germans were to go in three companies. -At once they forgot their wrongs and -willingly they started, John Conrad in command -of a company.</p> - -<p>The Germans gave the Queen little help, -not because they were not willing and able, -but because the short campaign was almost -over. They marched back as they had come, -congratulating themselves upon the pay they -would receive for military service. At last -they could buy a few spinning-wheels and -perhaps a horse and cow.</p> - -<p>But the Governor's agent laughed.</p> - -<p>"Does a man pay extra to his servants?"</p> - -<p>"You did not give us our due food while -they were away!" cried young Conrad.</p> - -<p>The agent shook his fist.</p> - -<p>"Return your arms and get back to your -work!"</p> - -<p>When the arms were returned, a dozen<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</a></span> -guns were lacking. The older Germans were -clearly puzzled, but the guns could not be -found.</p> - -<p>In a week the Governor came again to visit -his colony. His shoulders were bent and his -countenance had changed. The good Queen -was dead and the support promised for his -cherished enterprise of tar-making came -slowly from her successor. To the Governor -appealed now the leading men of the settlement. -Perhaps it was the cruel contrast between -his magnificence and their rags which -made him at first willing to listen and to conciliate.</p> - -<p>As John Conrad had talked bravely and -simply to the Queen, so he spoke to the Governor. -The oldest of the settlers shared by -this time the discontent of the young men.</p> - -<p>"It is almost a year since we came and we -have done nothing for ourselves. Even if we -can make tar, we are not advanced because -this land is not farming land. We beg to be -allowed to go to that country which the Indians -gave us, where we can have permanent -homes. Is there no pine there?"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</a></span></p> - -<p>The Governor made no answer.</p> - -<p>"And we would have pay for our service -as soldiers. We are very poor, as you can -see, and soldiering was not in our bargain."</p> - -<p>The Governor smiled as his agent had -smiled.</p> - -<p>"You will serve yourself and your friends -best by counseling obedience," said he. "You -cannot go away."</p> - -<p>When the Governor had gone, his agent -walked down the street of the settlement. In -his path stood young Conrad, who forgot -once more his father's admonitions.</p> - -<p>"The Germans have guns, sir," said Conrad.</p> - -<p>Cast returned at once to his house. In a -moment his servant was riding rapidly along -the river-bank to intercept the Governor at -the next settlement, twenty miles away.</p> - -<p>"I am charged with a message to Your -Honor," he cried breathlessly at sight of the -Governor. "The German people are armed. -Our lives are not safe."</p> - -<p>The Governor sailed up the river once -more. When he reached Livingston Manor, it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</a></span> -was dark and the Germans knew nothing of -his coming nor of the prompt departure of -the agent's servant through the forest to the -north. The next afternoon they were called -together. To their amazement the Governor -appeared. In a stern voice he read a contract -to them.</p> - -<p>"But that is not our contract," protested -a mystified John Conrad. "We—"</p> - -<p>The Governor waved them from his presence.</p> - -<p>"It is your contract. Think over your -situation and return to-morrow."</p> - -<p>That evening the older Germans talked -earnestly in the Weiser house. They agreed -to ask again that they be permitted to leave -and that they be paid. But to resist they -were helpless. Resistance, moreover, was -wrong.</p> - -<p>For a while Conrad listened; then he joined -a score of young men who waited for him outside -in the shadow.</p> - -<p>"It is all for peace," said he. "I believe that -Governor Hunter means to entrap them."</p> - -<p>Quietly the young men slipped into the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</a></span> -darker woods. Into a little cave high above -the river, Conrad crept on hands and knees. -One by one he passed out a dozen guns. -Though the leader of the enterprise was the -youngest of all, his friends looked at him -with admiration. In their admiration Conrad -forgot his own somewhat troublesome conscience.</p> - -<p>In the morning, John Conrad and his -friends visited the Governor. They had, they -said, considered their situation, and they were -not satisfied.</p> - -<p>The Governor looked over their heads in -the direction of Albany.</p> - -<p>"We do not wish to be undutiful," explained -John Conrad. "What we ask is only -justice. We did not promise to stay forever -in a barren land." John Conrad's voice -trembled as it had trembled in Gross Anspach -when he spoke of the country which they had -seen in their dreams. "We wish to go to -Schoharie."</p> - -<p>"Whether or not you 'wish to go to Schoharie,'" -the Governor mocked them like a -child, "you are to stay here." Now the Gov<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</a></span>ernor -stamped his foot. "Here is your land, -here you are to live and die!"</p> - -<p>The agent could not resist a temptation to -add a word.</p> - -<p>"You should be shot for your impertinence!"</p> - -<p>Then the agent gave a wild scream. The -punishment which he proposed so angrily -seemed likely to be carried into effect upon -himself. Upon the little house he saw an -armed host approaching. Waiting for sound -of strife, the young men had come to the defense -of their elders.</p> - -<p>"They will murder us!" screamed the -agent.</p> - -<p>Young Conrad stepped inside the door.</p> - -<p>"We ask only—" Then Conrad paused. -Neither the Governor nor the agent was -listening to what he was saying. Even the -eyes of his father, which had looked upon -him with horrified amazement, were turned -away. From the young men behind him came -a loud warning to run, and he turned his -head. Among the trees was a gleam of red -and a glitter of steel. The agent's servant had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</a></span> -made a swift trip to the British garrison at -Albany.</p> - -<p>"Captain, collect these guns," commanded -the Governor. Then he turned to young Conrad. -"Another stirring-up of rebellion and -you will pay the penalty of a rebel."</p> - -<p>Now the Germans gave up their arms and -went back to their work. Some of the trees -were said to be fit for felling and a few kilns -were constructed. In these the pine knots -were first to be burned. To the task of gathering -them the little children were appointed -and Conrad was made their superintendent. -The work was humiliating and he obeyed unwillingly. -His father had said nothing to him -of his rebellion, but he knew that it was constantly -in John Conrad's mind. The presence -of the red-coated soldiers, who treated the -whole settlement like dangerous criminals, -was, John Conrad may have thought, reproach -enough.</p> - -<p>Now another winter came and passed, a -winter of idleness and discontent for Conrad, -of sadness for Margareta, and of great physical -suffering for all. The miserable substi<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</a></span>tutes -for woolen clothes, the poor food, the -bitter cold weakened their bodies and depressed -their minds. No longer could Conrad -enliven the camp with music, since his -dear flute had to be exchanged for food. The -Governor's agent now played upon it, but he -played no German tunes. Barbara and Sabina -grew as pale and thin as their older sister, -whose hopes of seeing her lover had almost -died. Once more as on shipboard John Conrad -thought and spoke of the beauties of the -heavenly country.</p> - -<p>Presently John Conrad was served with an -astonishing notice. The Germans might go! -Hearts leaped; there were cries of joy. Then -the hand which held the order began to -tremble.</p> - -<p>"We may go south or east, but not north -or west. To Schoharie we dare not go. It is -my opinion that this business of tar-making -has failed. It cannot be that they will turn -us adrift and yet forbid us that which is ours. -God in heaven help us!"</p> - -<p>To the confused and terrified settlement -came another fearful threat. No longer, said<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</a></span> -the Governor, would he feed women or children -who had no men to repay him in labor. -A few single men married at once their young -countrywomen who were without support. -Among them was John Conrad.</p> - -<p>The summer passed in uncertainty. In -September another notice came. The business -of tar-making was for the present ended. -The Germans would receive no more food, -but must shift for themselves. With cruel -thoroughness they were now abandoned.</p> - -<p>"And we dare not go to Schoharie!" they -cried. "Last week Kniskern tried to get -away and the soldiers brought him back. -We—"</p> - -<p>Then upon the frightened assembly rushed -young Conrad.</p> - -<p>"The soldiers are gone!"</p> - -<p>With one accord the council adjourned, -running to the upper end of the settlement. -The camp-ground was deserted.</p> - -<p>Now it was proposed that the settlement -should start as a body with the dawn. At -this poor Margareta burst into tears. In the -wilderness her young man could never find<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</a></span> -her. It had been some small comfort to feel -that at least he knew where she was.</p> - -<p>But Margareta was to have a little longer -to watch and wait. Once more the dissuading -voice of John Conrad warned his companions.</p> - -<p>"My friends! We do not know where this -land is. A few chosen men must make their -way thither in the two rude boats owned by -the settlers, and consult with the Indians and -return. At Albany we might find a guide. It -is the only way."</p> - -<p>For hours the council sat in the Weiser -house. It was agreed that seven men should -start in the morning. Conrad sat listening, -his eyes looking through the log walls, across -the blue river, his heart longing to see once -more those great warriors, his friends. When -the council had adjourned, he caught his -father by the arm.</p> - -<p>"Oh, father, let me go, too!"</p> - -<p>"We dare not take more than are necessary, -lad."</p> - -<p>"I will be wise and patient, father."</p> - -<p>"You have yet to prove yourself to be so,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span> -Conrad." John Conrad looked gravely into -the beseeching eyes. "Your time of responsibility -will come, lad; see that you are ready -for it."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</a></span></p> - - -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<h2><a name="VIII" id="VIII">VIII</a><br /> - -THE FLIGHT BEGINS</h2> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">Though</span> Conrad was not allowed to go -to Schoharie with his father and the -other deputies, he was allowed to see them on -their way. The evening following the council -at which their plans were made, the moon -rose late, a fact which suited their purposes.</p> - -<p>"We can slip away in the darkness, and -still have the moon to light our journey," said -John Conrad. "It may be that they are -watching us. There will be two boats, and -these must be brought back, since we may -find a shorter path through the forest when -we return."</p> - -<p>Conrad's blue eyes lifted to his father's in -appeal.</p> - -<p>"Let me go with you and bring the boats -back. I can row well and I will be very careful."</p> - -<p>John Conrad consulted with his friends.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</a></span> -When they said "yes," Conrad rushed to get -ready.</p> - -<p>The journey to Albany consumed three -days. Here and there, where the banks of the -river were low, the travelers saw fine farms -which they longed to possess. They did not -dare to stop, however, to inspect the land, -since it seemed to them that they could hear -on every breeze the sound of pursuers, bidding -them return to the slavery which was -worse than death. There were no villages and -they passed but few boats. If they were -hailed, Conrad answered in the best English -he could muster.</p> - -<p>Albany was only a small settlement, but -here was stationed the garrison of soldiers -from which the company had been sent to -subdue the Germans, and therefore recognition -and arrest were easily possible. The -two boats were beached late in the afternoon -below the town, and here the deputies hid -until nightfall.</p> - -<p>When darkness came Conrad, rowing one -boat and towing the other, dropped quietly -downstream with the current. In a thick<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</a></span> -wood to which his father had pointed him on -the upward journey, he stayed alone during -the warm September night. He was tired, but -it was a long time before he could go to sleep. -He heard a gentle wind moving the treetops; -he heard a twig snap near by, as though some -wild creature were coming closer and closer -with sinister intent. Several times he sprang -to his feet. When the dim landscape appeared -unchanged and without living inhabitants, he -lay down once more.</p> - -<p>Still he could not sleep. His thoughts -traveled to Livingston Manor with its cruel -disappointments, to the long ocean journey, -to Blackheath, even to Gross Anspach. What -vague, splendid dreams he had had of the -future and of the new land! He had dreamed -of becoming rich and powerful and important, -and all he had succeeded in doing was gathering -a few pine knots! Remembering that -childish service, he laughed bitterly. If his -father had given him his way he might have -done better, but his father would not believe -that he was a man. Then, before more dreary -thoughts came to depress him, he fell asleep,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</a></span> -his head pillowed on his arm, his weary body -finding the hard ground a downy bed.</p> - -<p>Early in the morning he continued his journey -down the river, his eyes watching carefully -for enemies. But no emissaries of an -angry Governor came to meet him. The Germans -were, it was plainly evident, wholly -abandoned to their misery. Past the tall cliffs, -past the open farmlands, where some day -would be pleasant villages and towns, he -floated. He was hungry, but he had been -hungry many times; he was tired, but he did -not mind weariness.</p> - -<p>At the settlement he found all as it had -been. The soldiers had not returned and the -agent had vanished. A hundred plans were -being made for the journey into the wilderness. -A few families announced that they -would not go. The Governor would not forsake -them utterly; if he did, they would rather -seek for help among their fellow countrymen -across the river than trust themselves to the -forest.</p> - -<p>In Albany, the deputies sought out quietly -the German families whom they knew and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</a></span> -from their houses were able to make inquiries. -That there was an Indian settlement of Schoharie -was certain. There were at that time -in Albany several Mohawk Indians from the -neighborhood of Schenectady, another Indian -village, who could answer questions. With -one, whom the English called John Meyndert, -the deputies talked before the day was over. -With grunts and nods he promised to be their -guide and interpreter, and in his canoe and -the canoe of another Indian they traveled to -Schenectady, where, after a night's rest, they -started across a line of rough hills toward the -southwest.</p> - -<p>Of the beauties of the September woods the -seven deputies saw nothing. With eyes fixed -upon the man in front, each man walked doggedly -and stubbornly on, determined not to -yield to the fatigue which the rapid pace produced. -Soft of tread and sure of foot John -Meyndert stalked ahead as silent as the tree -trunks among which he moved. An occasional -"Ugh" when the slipping foot of one of the -travelers threatened an ugly fall, or a shake of -the head when some one pointed to a fruit or<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</a></span> -berry which looked as though it were edible, -formed his share of the conversation.</p> - -<p>At last, at noon of a pleasant day, Meyndert -halted his long stride and pointed downward. -They had reached and crossed a rough -elevation whose loose stones made it almost -impossible to climb. Now, wearily, the deputies -lifted their eyes toward Meyndert and -followed his pointing finger.</p> - -<p>It was John Conrad who cried out first.</p> - -<p>"Oh, see!"</p> - -<p>In a second the last of the party had come -out on the little shelf of rock to which Meyndert -had led them. Peter Kniskern pointed -with a shaking hand.</p> - -<p>"Schoharie?"</p> - -<p>The Indian answered with a grin.</p> - -<p>Then, for a long time, no one spoke a word, -and no one moved except to wipe from his -eyes the tears of which middle age had learned -not to be ashamed.</p> - -<p>The smiling valley lay before them, -threaded through its broad plain with the -river now in flood. Here where they stood -the banks rose precipitously; yonder there<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</a></span> -was a more gradual ascent; but on every side -the broad valley was sheltered. The travelers -looked their fill, then one by one gave judgment -in slow sentences.</p> - -<p>"Those are rich and fertile meadows."</p> - -<p>"See this fine spring below us!"</p> - -<p>"How quickly would fruit trees grow and -vineyards cover the hillsides!"</p> - -<p>"It is like"—the voice sank to a whisper—"it -is like the valleys of Germany!"</p> - -<p>As they descended the steep hill, Meyndert -pointed out the Indian village at the far end -of the valley. It was a time of year when food -was abundant and the villages were comfortable. -As the visitors approached, children -dashed for cover in the neat wigwams set on -each side of a narrow street, and women, busy -with baking or weaving, looked up in amazement. -Toward the tallest of the wigwams, -Meyndert led his company. In its doorway -sat two Indians smoking, at sight of whom he -called a loud "Ho!" For a while the three -talked together while the Germans waited, -aware from Meyndert's gestures that he was -telling their errand. Presently, in response to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</a></span> -a shout, several Indian women brought bearskins -and deerskins from the wigwam and -spread them down under a great tree. Thither -the Germans were led, and there they and the -three Indians sat down.</p> - -<p>At once Meyndert pointed to one of his -hosts, enormous of body and painted with -snakes and arrows. He called him, as nearly -as the Germans could understand, "Quagnant." -Quagnant came, so Meyndert indicated -by broken sentences and gestures, from -a valley beyond. He was a chief over the -Indians in this valley as well as his own. He -delivered now a long speech, whose meaning -Meyndert made fairly clear. He spoke very -formally and solemnly after the manner of the -Indian people. He and his friends would be -glad to have the strangers come among them. -He had heard of the wonderful journey of the -King of Rivers and other great chiefs who were -overlords in the Five Nations, but he did not -know what had befallen them or whether they -had returned, since they lived far, far to the -west. He was sorry that these new brethren -had been so afflicted. Here they might have,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</a></span> -if they wished, a peaceful haven. His people -would help them with food and skins and -show them how to build their houses.</p> - -<p>Having finished his speech to the happy -Germans, Quagnant commanded that a feast -be made. Together all ate solemnly of Indian -bread and smoked meat, and took great -whiffs from a long pipe lighted and passed by -Quagnant. Then, supplied with food for the -journey and with light hearts, the Germans -started for Schenectady.</p> - -<p>From Schenectady to Albany the Indians -took the travelers in their canoes, then the -Germans set out on foot, keeping as near the -river as possible. They had traveled for a day -when they heard a shout, and looking down -saw two rowboats, one containing a passenger, -the other towed. With an answering -shout they descended the rocky bank to the -shore.</p> - -<p>"I have been watching and watching," -cried Conrad. "Have you been to Schoharie? -What did you find? Did you see our friends?"</p> - -<p>When a score of questions had tumbled out -one after the other, the deputies began to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</a></span> -answer. Schoharie was beautiful and fertile -beyond all their dreams. The Indians were -not only willing to let them have the land, but -offered to help them. They had seen nothing -of the King of Rivers, but had heard of -him.</p> - -<p>"They have houses of bark in which they -seem to be comfortable, but better houses can -easily be made."</p> - -<p>"They are satisfied with what they have; -therefore Fate has no power over them. If -their property is destroyed, they have a great -storehouse to draw from for more."</p> - -<p>"They made a feast for us and gave us -food."</p> - -<p>Conrad's blue eyes sought his father's.</p> - -<p>"When will we start?"</p> - -<p>For an instant John Conrad rowed in silence. -His plans would not suit Conrad, the -lad who was so young and who thought himself -so old, who felt that so little time was -still his, and who had a lifetime before him.</p> - -<p>"Some will start at once, Conrad. But we -will stay in Schenectady until the winter is -over. There I have made arrangements with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</a></span> -John Meyndert to keep us, and there we will -try to earn a little."</p> - -<p>Conrad made no answer. He had already -seen himself the first of the pilgrims to burst -into the quiet valley.</p> - -<p>"We shall find peace at last," went on John -Conrad. "This Quagnant said no one should -molest us, that the land is ours."</p> - -<p>In a few days twenty families started for -Schoharie. It was late October and already -there had been sharp frost. The journey must -be made slowly, since there were little children -and ailing women in the party. A few -had boats for the first part of the way and the -others walked along the river-bank, the rustling -leaves beneath their feet giving warning -of the winter which was rapidly approaching. -Hope minimized the dangers and smoothed -the rough path.</p> - -<p>A little later the Weisers started for Schenectady. -Magdalena, like Catrina in Gross -Anspach, feared the journey for her baby, and -with her husband crossed the river to the -older German settlement on the other side. -Like Catrina, she wept bitterly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</a></span></p> - -<p>When bundles had been packed by a silent, -pale Margareta, when John Conrad had already -lifted his pack to his shoulder, Fate, -which had played the Weisers many cruel -tricks, became suddenly friendly. A rowboat -grounded on the little beach and a young -man sprang out and hailed John Conrad, who -stared at him without answering. But the -young man did not wait for John Conrad's -slow mental processes; he hurried toward the -pale girl who gazed as though she saw a ghost. -A single joyful "Margareta!" made clear to -the settlement that Margareta's prayers had -been answered.</p> - -<p>Now the starting must be delayed another -day. Across the river rowed Conrad to bring -Magdalena and her husband and the preacher -back with him; about the reunited lovers sat -all the Germans. Young Baer had a good -place and he had built a little house. He had -written many times, though no letter had -come from Margareta.</p> - -<p>"It was the wicked agent who kept the -letters," said Margareta. "God be thanked -we are free from him!"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</a></span></p> - -<p>Best of all, young Baer had seen Christopher -and George Frederick who lived not far -away.</p> - -<p>"They are well cared for and happy, and -they look for their sister. Peter Zenger, who -lives near by, watches for her also."</p> - -<p>At this all the tender-hearted Germans -wept once more. The parting from Margareta -was lightened by the expectation that -they would meet again. Once more the star -of hope shone brightly.</p> - -<p>In the lodge of John Meyndert the Weisers -settled themselves in November. It was not -clean, but they could endure discomfort a -little longer. The chief difficulty was the -drunkenness of Meyndert, who had learned -the white man's evil habit.</p> - -<p>From Meyndert John Conrad and his son -tried, in the long, idle hours, to learn the -Indian language. They hunted eagerly for -work in the settlement, but there was no work -to be had. With thankfulness John Conrad -accepted the offer of an Englishwoman to -take Sabina into service. The Indian lodge -was not a suitable home for either her or little<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</a></span> -Barbara. At restless, unhappy Conrad his -father looked uneasily. Even the village of -Schenectady offered mischief to idle hands.</p> - -<p>"You could teach the little children, lad," -said he.</p> - -<p>"I want a man's work," answered Conrad -sullenly.</p> - -<p>Then, as in the London fog, Conrad had a -strange experience.</p> - -<p>There was fog, also, here by the Mohawk -River, by which he walked early one November -morning. Again he went with head bent, -kicking the leaves and pebbles before him. -Again he felt that stubborn head strike an -obstacle and himself fly backward. When, -in amazement, he picked himself up, he was -confounded. There was no obstacle before -him. There was neither tree nor rock. Puzzled -and alarmed, he turned toward the settlement. -Presently he looked back. By this -time the mist had lifted, and behind him he -saw a gigantic Indian. Conrad stopped as -though his feet were weighted and the great -body, wrapped in a bright new blanket, bore -down upon him. The Indian grunted his queer<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[Pg 145]</a></span> -"Ho, Ho," and motioned Conrad to lead the -way. That he had no unkindly intention was -made clear by the smile which his little trick -brought to his face.</p> - -<p>At the first flat rock to which they came he -bade Conrad sit down. He drew from the -bundle which he carried on his shoulders a -loaf of Indian bread and broke off a large -piece.</p> - -<p>"Eat," said he in the Mohawk language. -"Who are you?"</p> - -<p>"I am John Conrad Weiser's son Conrad," -answered Conrad, thankful for each moment -spent in learning the rudiments of John Meyndert's -language.</p> - -<p>"To Weiser we gave a gift. Why does he -not come to take it?" This was the meaning -of the next sentence as nearly as Conrad could -guess.</p> - -<p>"He will come in the springtime."</p> - -<p>"And you?" The Indian looked earnestly -into Conrad's blue eyes, as though astonished -at their vivid color.</p> - -<p>"Oh, <i>yes</i>!" cried Conrad.</p> - -<p>The Indian said no more, but rose and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</a></span> -walked toward the settlement, motioning -Conrad to follow. His long stride soon left -Conrad far behind and Conrad started to run, -to find a grinning Indian waiting for him behind -a tree, or calling to him from the rear. -Presently, when the Indian's ruse brought -them face to face, Conrad pointed to himself.</p> - -<p>"I am Conrad," said he. "Who are you?"</p> - -<p>"Quagnant," was the answer.</p> - -<p>He it was who had given the Germans their -hearty welcome!</p> - -<p>When they entered the settlement, Conrad -would have liked to follow the chief as he -went from Indian house to Indian house, but -he did not dare.</p> - -<p>To Meyndert's lodge Quagnant came late -in the afternoon, and there sat himself down -on a pile of deerskins near the fire. He had -come, he said, to hold a conversation with the -white chief. At a sign from her husband, John -Meyndert's squaw rose and went away, beckoning -John Conrad's family to follow. For -an instant Conrad thought that he was to -remain. Then Quagnant, hitherto so kind, -pointed to him, and Meyndert bade him go<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[Pg 147]</a></span> -also. Offended, Conrad did not return till -hunger drove him back after dark.</p> - -<p>Then the family, except John Conrad, were -asleep; as Conrad lifted the curtain of skins -which hung across the door, his father rose -from beside the dying fire and led him outside. -In the starlight he walked up and down -with his hand on his boy's shoulder.</p> - -<p>"Conrad, I have an offer to set before -you. I have kept you with me, both because -I could not find any opening for you and -because I could not bear to let you go. This -Indian Quagnant has asked me to let you go -with him to his village, there 'to learn to be a -man,' as he puts it. He means that they will -teach you how to hunt and trap and how -to make a home in the wilderness. Would -you like to enter on this strange apprenticeship?"</p> - -<p>Conrad's full heart breathed a great sigh.</p> - -<p>"Yes, father."</p> - -<p>"You cannot come back until spring. The -training in Indian ways may be very irksome."</p> - -<p>"Not as irksome as idleness."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[Pg 148]</a></span></p> - -<p>For an hour father and son talked, entering -once more upon the future with a tender recalling -of the past. Then they went to bed.</p> - -<p>In the misty morning Conrad started away, -a little bundle on his back. He kissed the -sleeping Barbara, he put both arms about -his father's neck, then he followed the tall -Indian who walked before him, silent, mysterious, -his tall figure dim in the fog.</p> - -<p>They crossed the wet meadow and walked -for an hour by the stream-side, then Quagnant -turned into the forest. They ascended -a rocky hill, they followed a narrow valley, -they climbed another hill. When the sun was -high in the sky, they ate a lunch of corn bread -and dried fish from Quagnant's pack. Then, -already footsore and stiff, Conrad followed -doggedly the long stride which led farther and -farther into the wilderness.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[Pg 149]</a></span></p> - - -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<h2><a name="IX" id="IX">IX</a><br /> - -THE DARK FOREST</h2> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">At</span> nightfall the travelers camped in the -shelter of a huge boulder. Quagnant -made a fire by rubbing two sticks together; -then he spread the embers about and started -other fires close to the face of the rock. When -they had burned themselves out, he bade -Conrad lie down on the warmed ground. -Faintly aware that Quagnant went on with -some other device for making him comfortable, -Conrad slept.</p> - -<p>In the morning he found that he lay in a tent -formed by the boughs of evergreens and that -he was still comfortably warm. Quagnant -had shot a bird which he was roasting over -the fire. When it was eaten and the fire was -tramped out, Quagnant shouldered his pack. -He looked up at the sky, shook his head, and -started briskly away.</p> - -<p>Until noon Quagnant led the way across -rough hills and through narrow valleys.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</a></span> -While they ate their lunch, the snow began -to fall and Quagnant grunted his annoyance. -Soon the rocks were slippery and the trail -hard to find. There were other hills and other -valleys and another exhausted sleep at night.</p> - -<p>On the third day, Conrad was certain that -he could not rise. Quagnant helped him up -and many times in the morning slackened -his pace or stopped entirely. In the afternoon -he stopped short and bade Conrad look -ahead. They had come round the shoulder of -a hill and were looking into a broad valley. -Here there had been no snow and the meadows -were green. Through the center of the -valley ran a stream, broad and full and -smoothly flowing.</p> - -<p>"I see people!" cried Conrad. "They are -building houses!"</p> - -<p>Suddenly Conrad's heart throbbed against -his side.</p> - -<p>"Schoharie!" he cried. "Is this Schoharie?"</p> - -<p>Quagnant grinned.</p> - -<p>"Schoharie," he repeated.</p> - -<p>Conrad tried to wave his hand, but could<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[Pg 151]</a></span> -make only a feeble motion. He began to talk -in a queer, uncertain way, and Quagnant, -looking at him uneasily, took him by the -arm, and presently lifted him to his back. On -he went until at dusk he stepped into a path -worn into a deep rut. Ahead were lights and -the sound of voices.</p> - -<p>When Conrad was allowed to slip from the -broad back to a soft pile of deerskins, he felt -that all the comforts he had ever known were -combined in one delicious sensation. That -Schoharie lay far behind him he did not -know: that the faces about him were dark, -the voices strange,—all were matters of -indifference. He felt the rim of a warm cup -against his lips, then he fell asleep.</p> - -<p>The sun had been long in the sky when he -woke. He was in an oblong house of bark. -Through a hole in the roof the sun streamed -upon the ashes of a fire. On the walls hung -guns and bows and arrows and strange long -spears and about were piles of furs, on one of -which lay a little case of bark from which -there issued the scream of a hungry baby.</p> - -<p>At once a young woman lifted the curtain<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[Pg 152]</a></span> -at the door. Before taking her baby, she -looked at Conrad, and finding him awake, -nodded and smiled. In a moment she brought -a wooden bowl filled with broth. Conrad -drained the bowl and lay back once more.</p> - -<p>When, late in the afternoon, he lifted the -curtain, he found himself in a village of bark -houses. At the far end of the single street -children were playing, and from the ashes of -a fire a woman was taking a loaf of Indian -bread. She gave a little call and at once other -women appeared and the children came -closer.</p> - -<p>"Where is Quagnant?" asked Conrad.</p> - -<p>The women imitated the sighting of a gun -and pointed to their mouths. The children, -dressed in little coats and leggings of leather, -pointed with amazement to Conrad's fair skin -and then at their own dark cheeks. Finally -one came close to him.</p> - -<p>"Eyes-like-the-Sky," said he, and his companions -repeated the strange name.</p> - -<p>It was repeated again when the hunters -returned with deer meat, and there seemed to -be general satisfaction with the discernment<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[Pg 153]</a></span> -of the little boy whose own name was Young -Deer.</p> - -<p>At once the women prepared the feast. -Portions of the meat were set aside to be -smoked; the rest was divided into slices and -broiled. There was no seasoning and the Indian -bread was coarse, but the meal was better -than many which the guest had eaten.</p> - -<p>For a few days Conrad watched the play -of the children, who showed him haunts of -beaver and woodchuck, and taught him to -make and spin a heart-shaped top of wood. -With them he played Blind Man's Buff, in -which the bandage across his eyes was his -own dullness of vision which could not see -the little figure lying among the leaves. He -watched also the women braiding their baskets -and grinding earth into the paint for the -faces and bodies of their husbands.</p> - -<p>In the evening he sat with the Indians in -Quagnant's house. At first their speech was -a strange jargon, but gradually the sounds -stayed in his mind and were associated with -the objects to which they belonged. The -comfortable nights in the chief's wigwam and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</a></span> -the good food put color into his cheeks and -flesh on his thin body.</p> - -<p>But idleness and luxury did not long endure. -He had come to look upon the deerskins -which served him for a bed as his own. -One night, when he wished to lie down, they -were gone. He asked for them and was -laughed at.</p> - -<p>"You have no deerskin," said Quagnant.</p> - -<p>In the morning Quagnant gave him a gun -and led the way into the forest. Three days -later when they returned, Quagnant had two -deerskins and Conrad none. Again he slept -on the ground and again he went with Quagnant -into the forest. On the third journey he -shot a buck.</p> - -<p>For one night after the skin was dressed, he -slept upon it in the chief's house. At the next -nightfall he found himself and his bed thrust -outside. The Indians laughed at his astonishment -and every laugh said, "Make a house -for yourself!"</p> - -<p>With the advice and aid of the children, -Conrad built himself a wigwam. At once -Quagnant demolished it.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[Pg 155]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Wind come—house gone. Eyes-like-the-Sky -can do better."</p> - -<p>When his house was finished to Quagnant's -satisfaction, Conrad had a few days of peace. -Then for a day he was allowed no food; then -for two days; then for three. He was taken -to a distant point in the forest and required -to find his way home. One bitter day he was -dropped into a deep, icy pond in a near-by -stream.</p> - -<p>As he understood more of the language, he -listened earnestly to the talk of the older -Indians. Through all ran the consciousness -of danger,—distant, perhaps, but real. -Sometimes messengers from other tribes appeared -suddenly in the village. Painted, -armed, terrible, they talked always of the bow -and the string, the long line of the French -whom they called Onotio, and the shorter line -of English whom they called Onas.</p> - -<p>"Upon Onas Onotio will make war. When -we walk in the forest we hear it shouted by -the trees. We will all ally ourselves with -Onas."</p> - -<p>When there came to the village those who<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[Pg 156]</a></span> -would exterminate all pale-faces, Quagnant -hurried Conrad out of the way. In January -five great chiefs came to visit Quagnant. -Conrad gazed at them earnestly, hoping to -see the King of Rivers. They looked back at -him scowling and muttering, and Conrad retreated -to his wigwam.</p> - -<p>The chiefs went to Quagnant's house, and -before them the women placed broiled venison -and wild turkey. Afterwards long pipes -were solemnly smoked. Then Quagnant gave -a command to Little Squaw into whose eyes -came a frightened look. Quagnant saw her -hesitate.</p> - -<p>"Go!" he shouted.</p> - -<p>Hidden away in the cache of Quagnant, -where there was now little else, there were a -few black bottles, paid to him in return for -many beautiful skins carried to Schenectady. -Little Squaw fetched them as she was -bidden.</p> - -<p>In the middle of the night Conrad heard the -sound of carousing and looked out. The fire-water -had done its evil work, and the Indians -sought some victim upon whom to spend their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</a></span> -madness. There was a flash of steel and past -Conrad's head flew a sharp axe. Other weapons -flashed in the moonlight. Terrified, without -blanket or other extra covering, Conrad -fled into the forest.</p> - -<p>Two days later in a blinding snowstorm he -ventured to return. Whether Quagnant remembered -his behavior it was difficult to tell. -His visitors had gone, and he sat, sullen and -miserable, beside the fire in the wigwam, making -no answer to the complaints of Little -Squaw.</p> - -<p>"The cache is almost empty," said she. -"All the summer I labored and now you have -given large presents to the Oneidas. I saw -them go heavily laden. Now we will have a -great storm when no hunting can be done."</p> - -<p>The first day of the snowstorm Conrad -spent in repairing the damage to his wigwam. -He thought of his father and his brothers and -sisters, and wondered once more, in deep depression, -to what goal his wanderings would -bring him. At nightfall he ate the last of his -food.</p> - -<p>It was still dark when he woke in the morn<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[Pg 158]</a></span>ing; -at least no light came through the chinks -of the wigwam or through the opening at the -top. Stiff and sore, he turned and slept. When -he woke again, he sprang up and went to lift -the curtain at the door. To his amazement -he looked into darkness. When he thrust out -his hand he discovered that it was not night -which surrounded him, but a wall of snow, -higher than the wigwam.</p> - -<p>He was not at first alarmed. He had heard -more than one story of imprisonment for days -while the great snows fell. The snow was -porous, and the wigwams, thus blanketed, -were warm. He had, it was true, no food, but -he could go without food for a day or two. -He was still not thoroughly rested and he -would sleep.</p> - -<p>He was wakened by what sounded like the -report of a gun. His heart failed. Perhaps -Quagnant's friends had come back and were -prepared to finish the work which they had -threatened! Again there came the sharp explosion. -Now Conrad remembered the cold -nights of the great frost in Gross Anspach -when the trees had cracked like pistols. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</a></span> -snow must have ceased to fall and rescue -would soon come.</p> - -<p>In the morning his mind was not clear. He -heard a whistling sound in the top of the wigwam -and saw a pale light filtering in. Deep -drifts must be forming.</p> - -<p>"It will be best to stay here," said he -heavily.</p> - -<p>As the hours passed he fell into a stupor. -The wind died, the light of sunset showed for -a few minutes in a yellow haze at the top of -the wigwam, and once more through the long -night the trees cracked like pistols.</p> - -<p>Quagnant and his squaw and their large -brood got comfortably through the three days -of imprisonment. Quagnant grew mild and -peaceable; he told stories to the children and -obeyed his wife. But when she ordered him to -go and dig Conrad out, he sent several young -Indians in his place. The recollection of the -flying hatchet disturbed him.</p> - -<p>"I will drink no more fire-water," he promised -himself solemnly.</p> - -<p>Run-as-the-Wind and Turkey Feather and -Young Deer all worked diligently with the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[Pg 160]</a></span> -hoes which they borrowed from their mothers. -As they approached the door of the wigwam -they cried,—</p> - -<p>"Eyes-like-the-Sky! Wake up! Wake up!"</p> - -<p>When there was no answer they worked -faster.</p> - -<p>"Perhaps Eyes-like-the-Sky had no food!"</p> - -<p>"A bear might have devoured him as he -slept!"</p> - -<p>"He is brave; he would kill the bear."</p> - -<p>When they had reached the door of the -wigwam and still Conrad did not answer, the -rescuing party grew very quiet. Little Squaw -was the first to thrust her head through the -hole which the boys made.</p> - -<p>"He lies here like the snow itself! Quick! -some hot broth from Quagnant's kettle!"</p> - -<p>With a wooden spoon she forced a few -drops through Conrad's lips, then a little -more. Then she sent Turkey Feather to -Quagnant.</p> - -<p>"Tell Quagnant a good bed is to be made -by the fire. Tell him Little Squaw sends him -this and this." And Little Squaw picked up -the hatchets of Quagnant and his friends.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[Pg 161]</a></span></p> - -<p>That night the Mohawk village feasted -again. Relieved by the ending of the storm -and the restoration of Conrad, the squaws -forgot the alarming emptiness of each family -cache.</p> - -<p>The snow thawed little by little. When a -crust formed, it was not thick enough to bear -the weight of the hunters. Food grew more -scarce and the usual two meals a day dwindled -to one. Another heavy snow made hunting -impossible. More sullen grew the warriors, -more angry the squaws, more miserable -the little children.</p> - -<p>After the second great snow a crust formed -and Quagnant started at once into the forest, -taking Conrad with him. The two crossed the -hill which lay toward the west and followed -the next valley to the north. It was bitterly -cold; insufficiently clad and weak from lack -of food, Conrad trudged along, his heart -heavy, his mind dull. To him now the new -country was a trap in which all the Germans -would be finally lost. Quagnant did not -speak except to give sullen orders. At nightfall -the two camped supperless and without<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[Pg 162]</a></span> -shelter. There was now no warming of a bed, -since the wood lay deep under the snow.</p> - -<p>When the two took up their weary journey, -it seemed to Conrad that Quagnant tried -deliberately to court death. He climbed another -western hill, and his voice became more -gruff. Was it possible that he meant to lead -Conrad far away and desert him? Then there -would be one less mouth in the Indian village.</p> - -<p>The sun was high when they came to the -top of the hill. Another valley lay before -them with a swift, dark stream flowing through -its center. Another hill rose opposite. Conrad -wondered drearily whether his numb feet -must climb that also.</p> - -<p>"I wish that the end would come soon," -said he bitterly. "I wish—"</p> - -<p>Walking heedlessly as he had walked on -the Schenectady meadow, Conrad came with -a thump into the same obstacle. Before him -Quagnant had stopped rigid. Terrified, Conrad -looked up. Quagnant was staring down -into the valley, where along the stream beside -a deep pool a small herd of deer nibbled the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</a></span> -green laurel leaves. They were almost motionless -and they were within easy shot.</p> - -<p>Quagnant pulled the trigger and a deer -dropped. His comrades lifted their heads, -but before they could dash away in terror -another fell. The flight of the remainder soon -ended. Before them the stream plunged over -a precipice; on both sides the icy walls rose -steeply. A third and a fourth fell before -Quagnant's accurate shots. There was a glow -on his dark cheeks, a fire in his black eyes. -He took a step to one side and pulled the -trigger again.</p> - -<p>Then, in spite of the silence to which he -had been trained, Quagnant gave a fierce yell. -He had gone a little too near the edge of the -steep slope. His feet slipped as the gun recoiled -and he slid, making frantic efforts to -regain his footing.</p> - -<p>But his efforts were vain. With increasing -speed he coasted down the hillside, his course -leading straight toward the rocky wall which -dropped abruptly for at least fifty feet. It -was as though an insect should slip down the -side of a cup with sure drowning in the bot<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</a></span>tom. -Then, near the brink of the pool, a bush -caught the pack on his shoulders and held him -suspended.</p> - -<p>Now Quagnant was silent. The deer thongs -which bound the pack were strong, but his -body was heavy. He could see below him the -black pool. In its icy water he might keep -himself afloat for a few seconds, but to climb -out would be impossible. Across the stream -he could see the bodies of the slain deer, food -for all his people, and he could hear the snow -crust breaking as the others made their -escape. Conrad, far above him in safety, he -could not see.</p> - -<p>Quagnant shut his eyes and listened to the -gurgle of the water and looked into his poor -Indian soul. The logic of the case was simple. -He could not move without help, and Conrad -would not help him. He had abused the pale-face -and the pale-face would certainly desert -him. Even if there were mercy in his heart, -Conrad could not come down the hill without -risking his life nor return to the village for -help before Quagnant would die of cold.</p> - -<p>Then Quagnant heard above the gurgle of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[Pg 165]</a></span> -the water a strange sound as though some one -were following his wild flight. There was the -sound of sliding feet, then silence, then again -the sound of sliding feet. Presently began a -sharp chip, chip, as though the ice were being -struck with a hatchet. Quagnant, with eyes -still closed, began to address the Great Spirit.</p> - -<p>"I pray that I may not be cut off from my -present life, Great and Good Spirit."</p> - -<p>Nearer and nearer came the sound of chipping; -higher and higher rose the hopes of -Quagnant. It would be fearful, indeed, to slip -over the precipice with rescue at hand! But -was it rescue? Quagnant remembered again -with sickening pain the sharp hatchet hurled -at Conrad. It was that very hatchet which -Conrad held in his hand!</p> - -<p>Now Quagnant could feel each stroke on -the ice. They were near his head—he gave -himself up. They had passed his head and -were even with his waist—he dared to -breathe again. When the chipping had -sounded for a long time beside his foot, he felt -a hand touch his foot and move it to a hole -in the ice in which it could find support. Thus<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[Pg 166]</a></span> -aided, he was able to lift his arms and draw -himself up beside the little bush. Near by, -supporting himself by a tree, sat Conrad.</p> - -<p>With immobile countenance and without -even his customary grunt, Quagnant climbed -the mountain in the tracks which Conrad had -made. After he had rested for a few minutes -and had ceased to tremble, he walked along -the ridge until he found an easy descent to -the stream and to the carcases of the deer. He -did not speak until he had dressed a portion -of the meat with his long knife and cooked -it over a little fire of driftwood which had -been carried high on the bank where it had -been protected by thick laurel and hemlock -shrubbery. This he would not touch until -Conrad had eaten. Then at last he spoke.</p> - -<p>"A cloud had come between us, Conrad, -and the skies were dark. It is past now forever -and the skies are clear."</p> - -<p>Hiding in the stream, away from the sharp -claws of panther or wildcat, the meat which -they could not carry, the two set out for home. -The next day the hunters brought in, not only -Quagnant's kill, but three more deer. That<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[Pg 167]</a></span> -evening Conrad was invited to the feast of the -grown men and was given a long pipe. He did -not like the strong tobacco, but he did his -best to smoke, aware that he had been paid -a great honor. At him Quagnant looked -solemnly, both during the feast and afterwards -when they sat together by the fire. In -Quagnant's mind was taking shape a strange -plan, at once brilliant and cunning. If Conrad -could have looked into the chief's mind and -could have seen there, slowly forming, the -last episode in his strange apprenticeship, he -might well have been terrified. The meeting -in the London fog was about to bear its fruit.</p> - -<p>At last the sullen winter was past and -the trees began to bud and the meadows to -grow green. The women prepared their little -patches of ground for maize and potatoes, -old canoes were mended and new canoes were -built, the young men began to court and the -maidens to grow more shy. When Conrad -spoke of joining his father, who must be by -this time in Schoharie, Quagnant shook his -head.</p> - -<p>"You have been with us through the cruel<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[Pg 168]</a></span> -winter: you cannot leave when the Great -Spirit is making all things beautiful."</p> - -<p>Now dark forms glided through the forest -once more, as though there were perpetual -patrol in its dim aisles. Messengers came to -the village, messengers were sent away. The -Mohawks spoke of their country as the Long -House whose back was at the Hudson River -and whose door was Niagara. In the spring -weather all the inhabitants were astir.</p> - -<p>One morning, at dawn, Conrad felt a touch -on his shoulder and sprang up as he had been -trained. Quagnant stood before him, enormous -in the pale light. In his hand he held -a new suit of doeskin and a bowl of the red -paint with which his tribe painted stars and -turtles on their cheeks. With a few strokes he -decorated Conrad's tanned face. Together -they ate and upon the shoulder of each Little -Squaw fastened a pack of food and a blanket.</p> - -<p>"Where are we going?" asked Conrad.</p> - -<p>Quagnant made no answer except to motion -Conrad to follow him through the village. -There, with his long stride, Quagnant -took up the trail toward the southwest.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</a></span></p> - - -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<h2><a name="X" id="X">X</a><br /> - -JOURNEY'S END</h2> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">It</span> would be difficult to tell which fared the -worse during the long winter, the Germans -who had forced their way to the Schoharie -Valley in November, or those who remained, -like John Conrad, in the settlements. All were -poor, all were ill-clad, all were insufficiently -fed. The cruel winter continued the weeding-out -of the weak. At Schoharie the Indians -helped the newcomers according to their -promise, and what food and furs they could -spare they gave cheerfully.</p> - -<p>In March, John Conrad and all those who -had remained started to Schoharie. There -were indications of an early spring, and it was -important that crops should be sown. From -Conrad nothing had been heard and his father -grew daily more anxious. Sabina, like Margareta -and Magdalena, had found a mate, and -Barbara had taken her place with the kind -Englishwoman.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</a></span></p> - -<p>No sooner had the journey begun than the -last of the winter's storms was upon the -little party. Little children died and grown -persons suffered cruelly. Joined with their -friends at Schoharie in the valley of their -dreams, the pilgrims waited, with what patience -they could summon, for spring.</p> - -<p>When, finally, the snow had melted for the -last time and the meadows were growing -green and the willows were yellow along the -river, the hearts of the Germans rested at -last. The lovely valley was lovelier than their -dreams. Log houses were built, farms were -laid out, and with their poor tools they -prepared to create a German valley which -should bloom like the rose.</p> - -<p>Still no word of Conrad was to be had. He -was in the village of Quagnant to the west—that -the Indians knew, but they could tell no -more. His father grew more and more anxious -and unhappy. As he worked the soil, he -lifted his head to watch; when his day's work -was done, he walked into the forest toward -the west.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, as Conrad followed the long<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</a></span> -stride of Quagnant through the budding -forest, he remembered the weary journey in -November from Schenectady to the Indian -village. Then he had nearly perished with -exhaustion; now he walked without weariness. -Quagnant remembered also and commented -approvingly.</p> - -<p>"Eyes-like-the-Sky does not stumble or -faint. He is a true Indian."</p> - -<p>"This is a smooth trail."</p> - -<p>In Indian fashion Quagnant made a comparison.</p> - -<p>"That was a smooth trail, but to Eyes-like-the-Sky -it was unfamiliar. The heart of the -Indian seemed also strange to you, but now -it is plain."</p> - -<p>As the two sat by a little camp-fire in the -cool evenings, Quagnant looked solemnly at -Conrad. They had now many companions; -tall chiefs wrapped in blankets and stalking -solemnly, young men heavily armed and -thickly painted. The strangers stared at Conrad -in amazement, their keen eyes piercing -the thick layer of paint with which his cheeks -were covered. When Conrad glanced back at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[Pg 172]</a></span> -them, they looked at his eyes and shook -their heads. They talked with Quagnant of -the Long House, of distant enemies whom -they called the Lenape, and of other matters -which Conrad did not understand. It was -clearly evident that Conrad's presence startled -and shocked them.</p> - -<p>Presently Quagnant grew communicative. -One evening when he and Conrad camped -alone, he told him something of the affairs of -the Indians.</p> - -<p>"The Five Nations are at peace, but they -will not always be at peace. Many important -things are coming to pass, Conrad."</p> - -<p>It was in the middle of a bright May morning -that Quagnant and his companion reached -the end of their journey. The trail led over -the last stream, through the last wood and -thence to a great hill, upon whose side lay a -large Indian village. Here it was that the -hundreds of small human streams had converged; -here the savages were gathered, it -seemed to Conrad, in an innumerable host. -At sight of them, his heart throbbed and his -skin pricked with fright. Quagnant's face<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</a></span> -was hideous, and here Quagnant was repeated -hundreds of times. Quagnant's great body, -crowned with its bristling eagle feathers, was -a bit terrifying even to Conrad, and here was -Quagnant's fierce strength multiplied by a -great army. There were Indians wrapped in -blankets, Indians without covering, Indians -with hideous nose-rings, and here and there -shamans or medicine men with masks of animals, -as though the very beasts of the forest -had come to join the council.</p> - -<p>When strength returned to Conrad's frightened -heart, he breathed a frantic prayer to be -allowed to escape. For such a scene as this no -experience of his life had prepared him. But -he dared not show a sign of fear; he must walk -on behind Quagnant, up the street of the -village between the gigantic creatures and -before the black, beady, piercing eyes. As -Quagnant approached, he was hailed with -many a loud "Ho, Ho." The sound which -followed him was different,—a low, disapproving -murmur.</p> - -<p>Straight up the great hill led the feet of -Quagnant; close to him followed Conrad. At<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[Pg 174]</a></span> -the summit of the hill the forest trees had -been cut in a wide circle and the ground had -been beaten like a hard floor. About the rim -of the circle were placed tree-stumps and -logs; in the middle burned a fire, round which -crouched shamans, more hideous than the -warriors. Beside them lay their drums of -tightly stretched skin and their rattles of -turtle shell or gourd. They sat motionless, -their eyes upon the fire.</p> - -<p>Quagnant bade Conrad sit down at the -edge of the woods, and himself sat beside -him. One by one Indians came to speak to -him, to Conrad a consoling sign of his importance. -Longest of all he spoke with an -Oneida chief named Shikellamy. What they -said Conrad could not hear, but he could see -that Shikellamy looked upon him kindly.</p> - -<p>"He has a great heart and a wise mind," -said Quagnant as the chief went away. "In -council he makes our way clear."</p> - -<p>At noon the shamans beat their drums and -shook their rattles, and at once, breaking off -conversation with one another or with the -squaws of the village, the Indians approached<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[Pg 175]</a></span> -the council fire. Certain ones, Quagnant and -Shikellamy among them, took seats together -on the tree-stumps; the others sat on logs or -on the ground. Outside the circle stood scores -of young men. Presently the shamans ceased -to beat their drums and shake their rattles -and crouched again about the fire.</p> - -<p>Now followed a period of complete silence. -The chiefs did not move; the young warriors -seemed scarcely to breathe; even from the -village came no sound of speech and no cry -of child.</p> - -<p>Shikellamy was the first to rise. He spoke -in a deep voice and was listened to with -breathless attention.</p> - -<p>"Brothers of the Long House, it is now -many years since the great tree was planted -under whose young roots we buried our -hatchets. Many moons have risen and waned -since we wove our wampum into one belt. -Many feasts have been eaten since the undying -flame of our council fire was lighted, and -since Mohawk, Seneca, Onondaga, Oneida, -and Cayuga became brothers. The great tree -will continue to grow, the sun and moon to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[Pg 176]</a></span> -rise and the council fire to send out into the -forest its clear light. Our hatchets, buried in -the ground, will rust before they are dug -up.</p> - -<p>"We are now at peace with all men, and -strangers seek our favor. Our enemies fear us -and we fear no one.</p> - -<p>"But, brothers of the Long House, there -are matters to be considered. Claims have -been laid against us. Our young men, in the -heat of anger and inflamed by drink, have -done here and there a little injury. The tears -of those whom they injured must be wiped -away with presents. Each wrong must be -considered and we must make recompense -without grudging.</p> - -<p>"These matters are, however, small. Our -brother Onotio has something to say to us. -Our brother Onas has also something to say -to us. Between Onotio on the one side and -Onas on the other, there is undying hatred, -whose cause is shut off from our eyes. We -cannot remain friends both to Onotio and to -Onas, who draw nearer and nearer to one another -through the forests. Soon the two black<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[Pg 177]</a></span> -clouds will meet, and the grass on the warpath -will be trodden down.</p> - -<p>"It is for the consideration of these matters -that the council is assembled."</p> - -<p>When Shikellamy had finished a loud uproar -was made by the medicine men. They -rose and faced the east, then prostrated themselves -again and again. The Great Spirit was -being invoked.</p> - -<p>Now with astonishing order the various -businesses of which Shikellamy had spoken -were presented to the council and settled. -The young Indians who had quarreled with -their neighbors were admonished and fined. -Young Eagle was to send five deerskins to dry -the tears of the warrior whose son he had -injured; Short Arm was to send three blankets -to the widow of the man whom he had killed. -Against these decisions there was no protest. -The code which the young men had disobeyed -was clearly understood and its penalties accepted -without argument.</p> - -<p>When the relations of the allied nations to -the French and English came to be spoken of, -there was a change in the spirit of the meet<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[Pg 178]</a></span>ing. -Now all whispering ceased; every one -sat motionless, listening with knitted brows -and bright, eager eyes. The council was informed -minutely of the affairs of the English -colonies to the east and the French settlements -to the west. Conrad listened as eagerly -as the rest, his terror lost in amazement.</p> - -<p>"I am a swift runner," said Short Arm. -"I went in three days to Harris's Ferry. The -children of Brother Onas are creeping, creeping -to the west and to the north. They are -coming into the Long House. They are grazing -their cattle where our deer have grazed. -They are our enemies."</p> - -<p>"The pale-faces are in Schoharie," said a -dark-faced, hideously painted old chief. As -he spoke he pointed at Conrad. "Not only -are they given lands, but they are taken into -our wigwams. They are our enemies."</p> - -<p>From some one came a sneering laugh. -Now Conrad was sure of what would be his -fate. Then, on the opposite side of the council -fire, a tall figure rose. Conrad's lips parted; -he was about to cry out; then he held his lips -closely shut with his hand.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[Pg 179]</a></span></p> - -<p>"It is the King of Rivers! It is the King of -Rivers!"</p> - -<p>"This talk about the children of Onas is -nonsense. The children of Onotio are more -hateful. They come into the Long House -from the north. They think nothing of their -promises. They have allied themselves with -our enemies; they are our enemies. There are -no two words about them."</p> - -<p>Now Quagnant rose, and standing with -folded arms looked about until he had met -every piercing eye. Last of all he sought -the wide blue ones at the edge of the forest. -Like the other Indians, Quagnant spoke eloquently.</p> - -<p>"Brothers, we are of the extended lodge. -The Long House is no mere hut like the -dwelling of the Catawbas. We have made -our enemies to flutter like frightened young -birds. At the Catawbas and the Lenape we -laugh.</p> - -<p>"Now strangers seek to live with us in the -Long House,—a great people, pale of face, -with new customs and long guns. Some are -our friends, some are our enemies. They have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[Pg 180]</a></span> -brought us good things and bad things. With -the guns they have brought we have become -powerful, but with the fire-water they have -brought we have become mad.</p> - -<p>"We cannot tell which among these pale-faces -are our friends. Their words are not -ours and their faces are not ours. They give -little in exchange for much. Our furs are to -them no more valuable than a few beads, our -hunting-grounds no more than a few hatchets."</p> - -<p>"It is a good day's journey from the Susquehanna -to the Black Mountain," cried a -voice. "This they have taken for a piece of -bright cloth and a glass in which to see one's -face!"</p> - -<p>"Their traders lie to us!" cried another.</p> - -<p>The hideously painted old chief rose.</p> - -<p>"Year by year their ships come. They -overrun our land, given by the Great Spirit. -They enter at the front of the Long House to -shove us out at the back; at the back, to push -us out at the front. I counsel death to all!"</p> - -<p>A great trembling seized upon Conrad. -Then he saw that Quagnant still stood, mo<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[Pg 181]</a></span>tionless, -waiting to continue his speech. Quagnant -would not forget the icy bank and the -deep pool!</p> - -<p>"Brothers," said Quagnant, "let us be orderly -in council, not like chattering birds. -The words of Quagnant were not finished."</p> - -<p>At once silence was restored.</p> - -<p>"The various brothers have spoken," went -on Quagnant. "Many have spoken without -thought. They desire war, without reflecting -that the pale-face has long guns also, without -reflecting that ships will bring new pale-faces. -There is a pale-face to whom I have put many -questions; he tells me that they are across the -sea like the leaves of the forest. To talk of -making war upon all is child's talk.</p> - -<p>"What we should do, brothers of the Long -House, is to enter into understanding with -the pale-face, so that we may say, 'To this -river the land is yours, beyond is ours.' Then -our mind will be clear to them, then messengers -can go to and fro and—"</p> - -<p>"They will not listen!" cried the old warrior. -"They have laughed our messengers in -the face."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[Pg 182]</a></span></p> - -<p>Quagnant waited again until the old warrior -had been frowned at by half the assemblage. -Quagnant approached now the carefully -planned climax of his address.</p> - -<p>"The pale-faces will not listen to us, it is -true. They do not understand us. But they -will listen to another pale-face. I have had -in my wigwam a young pale-face. I have -watched his behavior. He has done things -which will move the hearts of the brothers of -the Long House when I tell them. I will tell -them at length. We have made of him an -Indian. He speaks our words. He—"</p> - -<p>Now the fierce old warrior would not be -stayed. He sprang to his feet, hatchet in -hand.</p> - -<p>"He may well speak our words when he -sits at our councils! Such a thing has never -been heard of in the Long House. Let him go -away and go quickly."</p> - -<p>Shikellamy crossed the open space toward -Quagnant.</p> - -<p>"Let the young braves take him away," -said he.</p> - -<p>At once Conrad found himself surrounded.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[Pg 183]</a></span> -Down the hillside he was led and to the far -end of a long meadow through which flowed a -stream.</p> - -<p>There, when the curiosity of the young Indians -about what was going on in the council -could be no longer resisted, he was left alone. -He could hear on the rising wind the sound -of many voices and now a single voice raised -in impassioned speech. About him the shades -of the spring night were falling and a cold -breath from the water chilled him through. -Hungry and tired, he sat with his hands -clasped round his knees and his cheek bent -upon them. The forest seemed to press upon -him. A more terrible oppression came from -the thought of the savage creatures on the hillside, -gathered from the wilderness, debating -now whether to deal with the whites in peace -or to exterminate them with knife and flame.</p> - -<p>He thought of his father's dreams of a great -country where there should be liberty and -peace. With honesty and at the same time -with firmness must these children of the wilderness -be met or dreams and their dreamers -would perish in a night.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[Pg 184]</a></span></p> - -<p>Presently a dark form stole toward him -across the meadow. He heard a strange singing -unlike the voice of man or animal. He saw -strange forms approach; with faces masked and -bodies wrapped in skins of deer and panther -and bear. He moved to the nearest tree and -stood with his back against it. He thought -now no more of his father's dreams, or of God's -purpose of which his father talked, but prayed -in his pious German way that he might meet -his death bravely.</p> - -<p>He found himself taken by the hand and -led up the hill, the strange forms following -after. Through the Indian village where the -women stared from firelit doorways, and -where over great fires meat was cooking, to -the center of the council he was taken, and -there he was placed alone beside the council -fire. About sat the chiefs, behind them in the -shadowy circle the young men. Conrad stood -still, his eyes seeking Quagnant. If death -should come, he hoped its messenger would be -a swift knife. The medicine men were behind -him; it would be by their hands that the blow -would be struck.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[Pg 185]</a></span></p> - -<p>Shikellamy was the first to speak. Upon -his magnificent body the firelight danced. -His immobile face told nothing of his heart, -but it seemed to Conrad that his voice was -kind.</p> - -<p>"We have listened to the story of our -brother Quagnant," said he. "We believe -that you are honest and true. We believe -that you speak our words. In order that we -may bind ourselves to you and you to us"—now -Conrad's heart stood still—"in order -that we may bind ourselves to you and you to -us, we make you a member of the Five Nations. -We give you our heart and you give -us your heart. He who is our friend is your -friend. He who is our enemy is your enemy. -We invite you to the extended lodge, we bid -you come to our feasts. We will give you in -token deerskins to make you clothes and -shoes."</p> - -<p>Now there was a long pause. The rising -wind moaned in the pine trees, the fire -leaped. Shikellamy crossed to the council fire -and held out his great hand.</p> - -<p>"We give you also in token a new name.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[Pg 186]</a></span> -'Eyes-like-the-Sky' you are to the children, -but among men you are, 'He-holds-our-fate.'"</p> - -<p>Now the King of Rivers came forward. A -true Indian, he gave no sign that he recollected -the camp of Blackheath and the -strange encounter which reached now its -stranger consummation.</p> - -<p>"We are to see dark sights," said he. "I -see wars, with Indians creeping upon pale-faces -and pale-faces upon Indians. I hear -cries to the Great Spirit. See that you, who -are now our Tongue, are true to us. Then the -English will conquer the French and the land -will have peace. Between the Indian and the -English is a bond. You are that bond."</p> - -<p>Now Shikellamy spoke again.</p> - -<p>"You will have a great name while you -live, and after you die your Indian brothers -will visit the place where you lie. Your children -will say with pride, 'I am of the great -He-holds-our-fate, his blood is mine, I have -his brave heart.' Will you be true to your -brothers?"</p> - -<p>"I will be true to my brothers."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[Pg 187]</a></span></p> - -<p>Then, at the side of a beckoning Quagnant, -Conrad sat down.</p> - -<p>"You have done well," said Quagnant. -"Now the feast begins."</p> - -<p>Conrad made no answer. He saw the Long -House, enormous, mysterious; he saw the -little fringe of white faces between it and the -sea. He saw the hopes and fears of the dwellers -in the Long House and the hopes and -fears of the strangers. Both were in his own -heart.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>In June, John Conrad's eager, anxious eyes -were satisfied. He still walked each evening -into the forest. There on a fallen tree he sat -and looked toward the west. One clear evening, -he saw coming toward him an erect, -alert young Indian and sprang up to make the -same eager inquiry with which he greeted all -Indians. Then he stood still. The Indian was -clad in doeskin, his hair was long, his feet -were moccasined—but his eyes were blue!</p> - -<p>"My son!" cried John Conrad.</p> - -<p>Hand in hand the two sat down on the -fallen tree.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[Pg 188]</a></span></p> - -<p>"How are my brothers and sisters?" asked -Conrad.</p> - -<p>"I have heard no ill news of them. Sabina -is married, and Barbara has taken her place -with a kind mistress in Schenectady. Of all -my dear children you are left me, Conrad. -What has befallen you?"</p> - -<p>Conrad talked steadily and quietly. He -was different; his eyes were steady, his figure -erect, his voice deep. He told of the strange -life, of the harsh training, of the bitter suffering -from hunger and cold.</p> - -<p>When he described the council, John Conrad -shivered.</p> - -<p>"A thousand times I wished I had not let -you go!" Then in the gathering dusk his eyes -sought his son's face. "What are you going -to do now, Conrad?"</p> - -<p>Conrad turned and smiled into the anxious -eyes.</p> - -<p>"I am going to help you and I am going to -teach the children their letters. Father,"—Conrad -looked back into the darkening woods,—"the -life among the Indians seems already -like a dream; but there they are waiting, a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[Pg 189]</a></span> -fearful menace to us all. Suppose that I -should some day be the one to keep the peace! -Perhaps God has saved me for that through -much danger and perversity."</p> - -<p>John Conrad breathed a long sigh. He -did not look into the future, but into the -past.</p> - -<p>"Your mother and I could not give our -children riches and honor," said he slowly. -"We tried to give them faith in God and willingness -to do their simple duty. If you have -learned those lessons from us or in the forest -among the Indians, you are at last a man. -Your mother—"</p> - -<p>But John Conrad could not finish, needed -not to finish. The hand within his tightened -and an arm was thrown across his bent -shoulders. Together the two sat silently, as -they had stood long ago in Gross Anspach in -the moonlight by the little church. Their -thoughts traveled together from sister to sister -and brother to brother, and finally back -once more across the sea. Then, at last, John -Conrad spoke.</p> - -<p>"It has been a long journey and a weary<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[Pg 190]</a></span> -one," said he, "but my children will have a -better chance than I in the world. There -may be other journeys before me, but tonight -my heart is at rest."</p> - - -<p class="center space-above">THE END</p> - - - - -<p class="center small"> -<i><b>The Riverside Press</b></i><br /> -CAMBRIDGE . MASSACHUSETTS<br /> -U . S . A -</p> - -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<h3 class="invisible">Book Catalogue</h3> -<div class="box space-above"> -<p><span class ="xl">JUST DAVID</span></p> -<hr class="full" /> -<p class="right large"> -By Eleanor H. Porter -</p></div> - - -<p>"Just David" is one of those books that bear a -message of courage and inspiration straight to the -heart of every reader. If you want to make a lovable, -life-long friend, get and read this story of the boy -who brought happiness to a whole village, and who -will bring happiness to you.</p> - -<p>"'Just David' will be read with gladness and gratitude -by men and women who need inspiration."—<i>Continent.</i></p> - -<p>"'Just David' is delightful in every way; the best -story in many respects that Mrs. Porter has written."—<i>Zion's -Herald.</i></p> - -<div class="box2"> -<p class="center small">Illustrated in tint. $1.25 <i>net</i>.</p></div> - -<p class="center large">HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY</p> - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<div class="box space-above"> -<p><span class ="xl">THE SONG OF THE LARK</span></p> -<hr class="full" /> -<p class="right large"> -By Willa Sibert Cather<br /> -<i><span class="xxs">Author of "O Pioneers!" and "Alexander's Bridge."</span></i> -</p></div> - - -<p>The story of a prima donna's life from childhood on a -Western ranch to international fame.</p> - -<p>"An uncommonly interesting novel. 'The Song of the -Lark' is a book to read and not to 'skip.' Its gripping -power lies in the reaction of Thea Kronborg's temperament -upon the wise and courageous mother and also upon the generous -men who made her development possible.... Miss -Cather has created a flesh and blood woman."—<i>Boston Transcript.</i></p> - -<p>"A story of something better than suggestiveness and -charm—a thing finished, sound and noble."—<i>The Nation.</i></p> - -<p>"Many books have been written of which the chief character -has been a singer; there is something about a career -behind the footlights that is strangely alluring. None, however, -has been more skillfully and sympathetically written -than 'The Song of the Lark.'"—<i>Louisville Courier Journal.</i></p> - -<p>"It has the artistic and literary merit of her earlier book, -'O Pioneers!' but it is an immeasurably bigger and richer -story."—<i>New York Globe.</i></p> - -<div class="box2"> -<p class="center small">$1.40 <i>net</i>.</p></div> - - -<div class="table-ad"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="center">HOUGHTON<br />MIFFLIN<br />COMPANY</td> -<td><img src="images/ad1.jpg" alt="logo" /></td><td align="center">BOSTON<br />AND<br />NEW YORK</td></tr> -</table></div> - - - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<div class="box space-above"> -<p class ="center xl">"K"</p> -<hr class="full" /> -<p class="center large">By Mary Roberts Rinehart<br /> - -<i><span class="xxs">Author of "The Street of Seven Stars," etc.</span></i></p> -</div> - -<p>"A brilliant story of hospital wards and work, of nurses, -of surgeons, of discouragements, of successes, of poverty, -of wealth, of love—in short, of humanity."—<i>Cleveland -Town Topics.</i></p> - -<p>"This absorbing tale of mystery, love, and ambition is -the climax of Mrs. Rinehart's art."—<i>Kansas City Star.</i></p> - -<p>"No fiction reader can afford to omit the pleasure of -knowing 'K.'"—<i>Cleveland Plain Dealer.</i></p> - -<p>"Intensely readable from the first page to the last."—<i>New -York Tribune.</i></p> - -<p>"Mrs. Rinehart has never written a more engrossing -story."—<i>Literary Digest.</i></p> - -<div class="box2"> -<p class="center small">Illustrated by Charles E. Chambers. $1.35 <i>net</i>.</p> -</div> - -<div class="table-ad"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="center">HOUGHTON<br />MIFFLIN<br />COMPANY</td> -<td><img src="images/ad1.jpg" alt="logo" /></td><td align="center">BOSTON<br />AND<br />NEW YORK</td></tr> -</table></div> - - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<div class="box space-above"> -<p><span class ="xl">THE VALLEY ROAD</span></p> -<hr class="full" /> -<p class="right large"> -By Mary Hallock Foote -</p></div> - - -<p>"A fine portrayal of the progress of a family with good -old traditions through more than two decades.... This -work deserves praise for its fine workmanship."—<i>Review -of Reviews.</i></p> - -<p>"One of the choice novels of the year.... A symmetrical, -beautiful story, with passages that fire imagination, -that smite with pity, that quicken with the stress of life's -great moments. Surrounding it all, and one with it, is the -colorful Californian atmosphere."—<i>Milwaukee Free Press.</i></p> - -<p>"In 'The Valley Road' readers who have learned to -watch for Mrs. Foote's books will find all her best characteristics -revealed.... All her people are delightfully real."—<i>Louisville -Courier Journal.</i></p> - -<p>"The vivid character drawing, the insight into people's -hearts that is shown and the pictures of their lives combine -to make a fine and interesting portrayal of American -life.... The story is refreshing."—<i>Indianapolis Star.</i></p> - -<p>"A healthy, whole-souled book, fresh and free, like her -own dear California."—<i>St. Louis Globe Democrat.</i></p> - -<div class="box2"> -<p class="center small">$1.35 <i>net</i>.</p></div> - -<div class="table-ad"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="center">HOUGHTON<br />MIFFLIN<br />COMPANY</td> -<td><img src="images/ad1.jpg" alt="logo" /></td><td align="center">BOSTON<br />AND<br />NEW YORK</td></tr> -</table></div> - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<div class="box space-above"> -<p><span class ="xl">DAVID PENSTEPHEN</span></p> -<hr class="full" /> -<p class="right large"> -By Richard Pryce<br /> -<i><span class="xxs">Author of "Christopher," etc., etc.</span></i> -</p></div> - - -<p>"A novel of extraordinary insight into the soul of a -woman and the heart of a child.... Novelists like Mr. -Pryce, with his sympathetic comprehension of the mental -processes in both women and children, as well as in men, -are all too rare. 'David Penstephen' is an unusual story -told in an unusual manner."—<i>Boston Transcript.</i></p> - -<p>"'David Penstephen' is as searching a study of the influence -of environment upon character as one can find—a -story that grows ever more intensely interesting as it -proceeds. One of the notable novels of the year."—<i>New -York Tribune.</i></p> - -<p>"Far ahead of anything Mr. Pryce has yet done—even -'Christopher.'"—<i>New York Times.</i></p> - -<div class="box2"> -<p class="center small">$1.35 <i>net</i>.</p></div> - -<div class="table-ad"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="center">HOUGHTON<br />MIFFLIN<br />COMPANY</td> -<td><img src="images/ad1.jpg" alt="logo" /></td><td align="center">BOSTON<br />AND<br />NEW YORK</td></tr> -</table></div> - - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<div class="box space-above"> -<p><span class ="xl">PENELOPE'S POSTSCRIPTS</span></p> -<hr class="full" /> -<p class="right large"> -By Kate Douglas Wiggin<br /> -<i><span class="xxs">Author of "Rebecca," "The Birds' Christmas Carol," etc.</span></i> -</p></div> -<p>The experiences of the ever-fascinating Penelope -in Vienna, Switzerland, Wales, Devon, and at home.</p> - - -<p>"In their delightfully humorous way, with their capital -touches of character-drawing, Penelope's travel books will -enchant readers to-day as much as they delighted those -who read them more than a decade ago."—<i>New -York Tribune.</i></p> - -<p>"In its lightness of touch, its gayety and humor, it reveals -the qualities that have endeared Mrs. Wiggin's work -to such a host of readers."—<i>New York World.</i></p> - -<p>"Age cannot destroy, nor familiarity lessen, Penelope's -power to charm. In these, her 'postscripts,' that power is -as potent as ever."—<i>Philadelphia Press.</i></p> - -<p>"All the charm of the author's previous books is present -in this one."—<i>New Orleans Times-Picayune.</i></p> - -<div class="box2"> -<p class="center small">With frontispiece. $1.00 <i>net</i>.</p></div> - -<div class="table-ad"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="center">HOUGHTON<br />MIFFLIN<br />COMPANY</td> -<td><img src="images/ad1.jpg" alt="logo" /></td><td align="center">BOSTON<br />AND<br />NEW YORK</td></tr> -</table></div> - -<div class="transnote"> - -<h3>Transcriber's Notes</h3> - -<p>Obvious typographical errors have been silently corrected, all other -spelling, punctuation and accents are as in he original.</p> -</div> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Long Journey, by Elsie Singmaster - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LONG JOURNEY *** - -***** This file should be named 50470-h.htm or 50470-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/4/7/50470/ - -Produced by David Edwards, Les Galloway and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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