Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1899-05-09


confided to the captain my fears of Gen.
Sullivan's safety, and told him what had
learned of Clinton's intended movement to
the relief of Pigot, hoping he would be able
to transmit warning to the American
general in time to prevent surprise.
Thus suddenly relieved of care, we sailed
away under mainsail, foresail and jib, and
had made theremainder of the voyage with
out incident. 1t was with emotions al
most boyish and uncomfortable that
marked the mingled reds, yellows and blues
of the great clay foreland of Gay head, doub-
ly brilliant in the light of the westering sun.
BY then our consort was well to the north
west, but now feared neither the British
nor the devil, for, if closely pursued by the
former, l should have run the Phantom
ashore and taken to the woods, even though
it broke my heart to do it.
But no further necessity for heroic action
presented itself, and we slipped into the
haven of Holmes Hole and dropped the only
anchor we had left, creating futter among
the inhabitants of the hamlet, who were
nightly alarmed at seeing schooner bear
ing no flag sail up within gunshot of the
shore and round to as though for broad
Tested, but perhaps it was an inward sense
quake at the mysterious action of the Phan.
tom, for barely a fortnight was to elapse
ere Grey, the Hand of Iron," sailed up as
l had done, and under the guns of the fleet
demanded the usual tribute of blood and an
unusual one of forage.
But now, saving few fishermen drawn
up on the beach, there was not a craft in the
/ harbor. The peace of the evening, the
quiet beauty of the green land, and the feel
ing of safety fell on my spirits like a bene-
diction after an impressive sermon, and
breathed as one breathes on waking from the
horrors of nightmare. War and danger had
vanished as had vanished the storm clouds
Of the day before, and, indeed, SO far as
the events of the past few days had affected
me, they had been but as nightmare or
as had been the storm to the land, leaving
but few marks to tell of its fearful reality.
In week had recovered from the ter
rible strain to which / had been subjected,
noticing only that my head had taken on
few white threads had never seen be-
fore, but my nerves, which had been my
mainstay through life, were neither ioosened
nor frayed by the desperate tune circum-
| stance had thrummed upon them.
| ! had suddenly shot from an era of con-
| fict to one of peace, thought, nor did
dream should be aroused again, unless
| voluntarily took the field. l became a
| hero, too, nor was my notoriety cheap one.
From Edgartown to the heights of Gays
| head the fame of my achievements spread,
! even the half-breed Indians, whose ground
lay about the latter point, being unstinted
in their sober congratulations to the "Bg
Thorn" as was called by them.
| Seafarers and those drawing their sub.
sistence from the sea are stolid to apparent
Indifference as to the fortune, be it good OF
bad fate deals out to them. They become
Injured to the fckleness of the great element
which is at once threat and mainstay,
and the rack of uncertainty on which they
are stretched for most of their lives makes
wild demonstration impossible, be their joys
mighty or their griefs deep.
And so, when appeared before my moth
er, who, as | feared, had given me over as
! dead, there was no violence of emotion;
only a stunned, ghost-seeing look OIL her
| white face as entered her presence and
opened my arms to her, and the single ar.
ticulate cry of My son! my son!" as she fell
| into them. 1t was but little more from my
sister, who had been brought up in the
same stoical school, and by the time my long
story had been told, much as am telling it
here, the quiet round of daily life had been
regained, the sick and wounded transferred
to the small house overlooking the sound,
and the doctor, full of protestations as to his
good intentions, and yet surly withal, in
stalled medical attendant.
After my arrival my earliest business was
to clear up my mind of two responsibilities
weighing thereon: the first to get word to
Gen. Sullivan of the intended move of Sir
Henry Clinton, as I feared that by some
! slip my first message through the Jenny's
captain might have miscarried; the second,
to have the Phantom's cargo delivered at
New London
The news of the arrival of Howe and the
departure from Newport of the French to
fight him had already reached the Vine
yard, but | was not deceived by this into
thinking that Clinton had worked ahead of
his expressed intention of relieving Pigot in
the course of two weeks. 1t would be TOO
unlike the man to act with such promptness,
and there had been no force landed to sue
cor the beleaguered royalsts. Lord Howes
maneuver had been move to open the
gates for reinforcement, and it had been
successful. The doughty British general to
whom had offered personal violence would
hardly have altered his plans because they
had been breathed into the ear of one who,
according to report, had never escaped to
transmit warning, and who now presum.
ably lay dead at the bottom of the ocean.
With his mistress he doubtless felt vii
famous satisfaction on hearing that the
Phantom, with Beverly Ames on board, had
not followed the Sprite into New York,
but had foundered in the great storm. l
to this day wonder as to their thoughts re-
garding Gertrude King (who to them had
entirely disappeared). To the man she
must have been sword of Damocles, which
dropped at time when he had gotten to
live in the fancicd security of believing it
would never fall
If my conjectures regarding Clinton's
movements We're rieht. |. had something