Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-04-28
CHAPTER K.

vas HoI Always 10 DrlnS MIN nearer 10 the
girl he loved. That sad day, when he made
sure that no one in Marietta had heard Of
any Titcomb party, or expected them, he
had gone back in poor enough spirits to his
pack-saddles, his homesick friend Glen
denim, to Captain Zapoly and to General
Harmar's hospitality. After dinner GEN.
eral Harmar showed to him the orders
which he had brought. In substance, they
directed Harmar to withdraw all the eff
fcient force he could from Fort Harmar,
and thus to strengthen the new post at Fort
Washington. He was at the same time left
to his own discretion as to a movement
in force against the Shawnees. General
Knox still hoped, and the President hoped,
that the Indian chiefs would see the folly of
war with the United States, and that be-
fore the arrival of the dispatches they might
be peacefully engaged in the easy business
of housing their summer crops of corn. But
General Harmar said what Curwen had
already learned in substance at Marietta,
that they were more insolent than ever.
His own wish had been to do all but dis
mantle the fort in which they were and to
make arrangements for campaign. Now
that he had full permission he should do
this Immediately
$50, if you gentlemen have seen all you
want Of the Campus Msrtius," he said, in
conclusion" 'syou need not take comb
nor biscuit nor cartridge from your
boat. You may 60 on board at gunfre to-
morrow morning and work your way down
to Fort Washington. And tell them to
look out for me and to be sure 1 do not
pass them in the night" And at his own
little joke be laughed heartily.
Curwen Joined ruefully in the laugh;
Zapoly Joined more heartily, without the
slightest understanding of what the joke
was. Such is the necessity, alas, of those
who are forced to converse in languages
they do not understand. To poor Harry,
who had come by zig-zag route more than
1000 miles to see the women he loved, it
was wretched blow which fell in the an
nouncement that he was to go 200 more di-
rectly away from the only hope he had of
seeing her. But he knew too we'll the
place of young officer. indeed, he was gov
erned too much by the feeling of respect to
on any vigorous protest. All he could say
was that he would go as soon as the General
thought best, but that he had carelessly
made some arrangements in the new city,
and that he must send his servant over to
cancel them. So unused was he to life in
camps, that he was amazed when the good
natured General replied:
"Cancel them? Don't think of cancelling
them. We are not so hard pressed as that.
Oh, no, Lieutenant, day more or less is
nothing-I mean day of your arrival-for,
4o oil fba choD ~ kra L 1o-o
for fortnight or more. and, as Bob Kidd
said when they hanged him, there will be
no fun till come. Oh, no, my dear young
friend, we are in no such hurry as that.
Only, as your boat is all ready, and have
nothing half so swift as she, thought you
had better take my commands to st. Clair
yonder. Wednesday, Friday-when you
will-only take care do not pass you on
flood some day. 1 can tell you that when
there is a fresh feet of arks makes speed
which would have frightened Shem and
Japheth."
And he laughed good-naturedly again.
Harry Curwen was frightened at his own |
success. He did not dare presume upon it.
He said, modestly, that he would take care
no one passed him on the way, and retired |
early to his room, which had been assigned |
to him and Zapoly. Here he summoned |
Clendenin, and gave him orders for the |
next day.
And the next day he and Clendenin |
crossed to the new town again, and then, in |
a canoe, worked their way up to see some
Boyntons from Newbury, who, it was
thought might know something of the |
Titcombs. But they, while they knew of |
people of that name in Newbury, had not
had tidings of their removal. In similar
fruitless search the next day was spent |
And on the fourth day, from mere pride,
the young officer had to give up this in
quirv which he could not explain either to
Harmar, to Zapoly, or to Clendenin, and as
soon as his awkward squad was released |
from the school OF the soldier in the morn
Ing he ordered them on board the barge
and took up the voyage, now so odious to
him, TO the fort, newly-established, where
we now see the city of Cincinnati.
And now he was to spend months there |
on duties wholly new to him, among COM
panions every one of whom would have
been study, were the young man one of
the critical or of the speculative kind.
Kentucky militiamen came from time to
time. At least they succeeded in eating
Uncle Sans rations, though the officers on
Uncle Sans regular line looked very
doubtfully on their performances. Queerly |
enough, they had none OF the skill of the
rife for which the ideal Kentuckian was
even then famous Zapoly, who watched
their manual of arms, declared that they
did not know one end of a gun from the
other.
The famous paek-saddles, to the construc-
tion of which Curwen had given so much time
in Pennsylvania proved to be absurdly large
when the Indian horses were brought in up
on which they were to be used. ''They are
big enough for elephants" said the officer
who received them, and poor Curwen had to
stand chaff untold, because he had carelessly
revealed his own share in their manufac-
ture. He brought his own Yankee skill to
bear, however, in the plans for reconstruct
ing them, and was author of an ingenius
method of reflling them, which made them
useful with the little tackles" which were
to carry them. Indeed, everybody, except
the poor martinez Zapoly, put his hand to
40 things day. 81 clean my boots, wash
my shirts, sew on my buttons, drill men,
/ scold them, praise them, / pack biscuits,
1 approve bills for hay, fish for catfish,
salt pork, hoop casks, I write dispatches,
1 sit on courtrmartials, I do everything
which becomes a man, from staggering !
around as if / was commander round to
concesling the hole in my hat BY an extra
large cockade" Thus wrote Curwen to
young Crowinshield, a college friend whom
he had left at home.
At last even the fastidious Harmar
agreed that they were ready to march. High
time it seemed to Harry, to Zapoly, and
most of the young officers. Women came
in daily to the fort, with their children, from
cabins not 80 miles away, frightened by
tales of other cabins burned and other wo-
men murdered. From beyond this line of
settlements, or OF places proposed as settle
1. |