the next morning dawned bright and tranquil. the fragrance of pine woods and broad meadows filled the air, and practically all the inhabitants of machias gathered about the wharves to watch for the polly and unity to come sailing into harbor.
the provisions the sloops were bringing were greatly needed; but when mr. weston had told the men of the settlement that the sloops were being convoyed by a british war vessel their alarm and consternation can be imagined. mrs. horton and lucia were about the only ones absent from the wharf when, silently and without a cheer of welcome, the polly and unity, and the boat flying the hated english flag came to anchor.
captain jones came ashore, greeting his old-time friends cordially, and explaining that the presence of the gunboat was only to protect him from attacks by british cruisers. but his explanation179 was received in silence. the memory of the recent battle in lexington was fresh in the people’s hearts, and much as they needed the provisions on the sloops they were ready to do without them unless captains horton and jones could assure their fellow-townsmen of their loyalty and send the british gunboat from the harbor.
finally he received consent to land his goods, and commenced trading with the people as usual, while the margaretta, the british gunboat, lay at anchor off white’s point, some distance below the town.
mrs. lyon received many packages from her boston relatives, and there were two dolls for melvina, the ones of which luretta had spoken on the day when she and anna had led melvina to the shore to show her a “clam’s nest.”
rebecca’s gold beads, intended for her birthday, were safely delivered; and beside the beads was a pair of silk mitts for both rebby and anna. to rebby this seemed a very wonderful thing, and she felt it almost a reward for carrying back those lucia had given her.
mrs. horton now kept lucia closely at home. anna and luretta were invited to spend an afternoon180 with melvina, and become acquainted with the new dolls, and melvina urged luretta to bring trit, resolving to dress up the rabbit as she and anna had done before.
rebecca was more aware of the troubled condition of the settlement than were these younger girls. paul foster told her that his uncle benjamin, a bold and energetic man who had served in the old french war, said that the machias men ought to capture the british gunboat, and take the sloops, making their captains and crews prisoners. rebby listened eagerly.
“but we couldn’t capture them, paul; i heard father say there was but little powder and shot in the settlement,” she said.
“we’d get ’em,” declared paul. “if jones and horton think they are going to load up their sloops with lumber for british barracks in boston they’ll see trouble.”
“and parson lyon is not to preach at the liberty pole,” said rebby a little thoughtfully.
paul made no response to this. he had come up to the westons’ on an errand for his mother, and was now eager to get back to the wharves where the sloops were being unloaded.
“if the britisher fires on our liberty pole181 they’ll hear a sermon all right,” he called back as he ran down the path.
it was difficult for rebby to attend to the simple duties that her mother required of her. whenever her father entered the house she watched his face anxiously, half-expecting him to say that the machias men were ready to capture the gunboat before it could attack the town. when anna came home eager to describe melvina’s new dolls, and to tell of dressing up trit, and that london atus, coming into the room where the little girls were playing and seeing the rabbit wearing a white skirt and bonnet, had turned and run out muttering something about “witches,” rebby listened, but with little interest.
“danna,” she said, as soon as the sisters were alone, “do you suppose you and i could find the way to chandler’s river?”
“of course we could,” anna declared. “don’t you remember that father showed us where the trail began, marked by ‘spotted’ trees?”
“yes, i remember. listen, anna; there is hardly any powder or shot in machias; if there were the men could protect the liberty pole.”
“yes, yes,” anna responded quickly. “i182 heard parson lyon telling captain o’brien that all the men ought to be ready to defend the settlement.”
“oh, anna! there are quantities of powder stored at chandler’s mills. why couldn’t we go after it?” rebby whispered. “then indeed we would be helping, and perhaps ’twould save the liberty pole.”
“would father let us?” anna asked doubtfully.
“don’t you see? we must go after it without telling anyone; then when we bring it back the men can drive off or capture the gunboat,” rebecca explained.
“i think father ought to know,” persisted anna, so that at last rebby said no more, after anna had promised not to repeat rebby’s plan to anyone.
but rebby slept but little that night. if the gunboat fired on the town she felt it would be her fault for having kept lucia’s secret to herself; and yet she dared not break a promise. in some way rebby felt that she must do something to make right her foolish act in helping lucia set the liberty tree adrift.
the next day captain jones began his183 preparations to load the sloops with lumber for boston, and the machias men, doubtful of the captain’s loyalty, determined that the sloops should not return to boston. rebby and anna were in the lumber yard filling a basket with chips, when a number of men talking of this decision passed them.
“if we only had more powder and shot,” said one; “but we cannot spare a single man to go to chandler’s river after supplies.”
“there, anna!” exclaimed rebby. “did you hear what those men said? do you not see that we can help as much as a real soldier? we can go to chandler’s river. we must.”
“perhaps father would give us permission if we asked him,” anna persisted. but rebecca shook her head at this suggestion; she dared not risk the chance of a refusal.
“we ought to go at once,” she said earnestly. “’twill be a long tramp, and the gunboat may come up the harbor and threaten the settlement any day. do say you will go, anna.”
rebby knew that anna’s knowledge of the forest, her strength and courage, would be all that could enable her to undertake the task. without anna she feared that she might fail in184 finding her way, and never reach chandler’s river.
“think, danna! the gunboat will shoot down our liberty pole! perhaps burn the church and our houses, and they may carry off our father a prisoner! ’tis what they try to do whenever americans resist; and if the machias men have powder and shot they’ll not let the gunboat come near. and we can get the powder and save the settlement. oh, danna——”
rebby’s petition ended in a wail.
and now anna was as eager to start as rebby herself. the thought of her father being taken a prisoner and that she and rebby could prevent so great a misfortune made her no longer hesitate.
“we will start to-morrow morning, early,” she said. “we must make sure that our moccasins are in good shape, rebby; and we must take some corn-bread, for ’twill be a good journey. how early can we start, rebby?”
“before sunrise, surely,” responded rebby, “and i will write on a strip of birch-bark what we are going to do, and pin it to father’s hat. then they will not worry about us.”
“worry! why, father will think it a brave185 deed,” declared anna. “i wish we had started this morning.”
that day seemed very long to the sisters. they made their preparations carefully for the next day’s journey, and at an early hour went to bed, so that they might awaken in good season.
the next morning dawned clear. before the sun was up anna was wide awake, and at her whispered “rebby,” her sister’s eyes opened quickly, and they slipped quietly out of bed. in a few moments they were fully dressed for their tramp through the forest. very cautiously they made their way down the stairs. the house was silent. neither mr. nor mrs. weston heard the faintest sound to disturb their slumbers.
on the piece of smooth birch-bark that rebby had made ready on the previous day, with a bit of charcoal from the fireplace she wrote:
“dear mother and dear father: anna and i are going to chandler’s river to bring home powder and shot for machias men to use to save the settlement. we will be home to-morrow. your loving rebby and danna.”
they slipped this under the deerskin thong that was twisted about mr. weston’s hat, opened the kitchen door gently, and moved noiselessly186 along in the shadow of the house, then ran swiftly up the path, and in a short time were out of sight of the houses of the settlement.
“now we must walk slowly for a time,” cautioned anna, remembering her father’s warnings against hurrying at the beginning of a tramp. “we must go on steadily for a time, and rest before we begin to feel tired. that is the way indians do, and father says it is why they can travel day after day and not be exhausted.”
rebby looked at her little sister admiringly. in woodland lore she realized that danna was much wiser than herself, and she was quite ready to be guided by her.
when mrs. weston called the girls the next morning and received no response she was not greatly surprised, as they often slept a little later than their parents. “the extra sleep will do them no harm,” she said smilingly, as she and mr. weston sat down to the breakfast table; therefore rebby and danna were well on their way before their father took his hat from its accustomed place and discovered the strip of birch-bark with its surprising message.
mr. weston read the note, and stood for a moment silent, thinking what could be done.187 his first impulse was to hasten after his girls and bring them safely home. then came the thought of the peril of the settlement. at any moment he might be called upon to help in its defense. every man would be needed. he recalled danna’s strength and fearlessness, and her knowledge of the forest, and rebby’s quiet good judgment. if there were dangers he believed his girls could meet them fearlessly. then, too, what a blessing it would be to have them bring home a store of powder and shot. it would mean the salvation of the settlement. mr. weston began to feel very proud of his little daughters and to feel sure they would return safely.
“what is the trouble with your hat, father?” questioned his wife. “you stand looking at it as if it had some message for you.”
“indeed it has,” mr. weston replied smilingly. “it tells me that we have two of the bravest girls in america. listen,” and he read rebby’s note aloud.
“’tis a deed to make us proud,” he said, “and ’twill give new courage to every man in the settlement to know that a supply of powder will be here to-morrow.”
but it was a long and anxious day for mrs.188 weston. she knew the perils of the forest, and her thoughts centered about lurking bears that might spring out upon rebby and danna as they went through the wilderness. she endeavored to find comfort by remembering that their errand was for the cause of justice and freedom, and that a love stronger than her own was about them.
