The Old Bell of Independence Or Philadelphia in 1776 Part 8

"f.a.gan was well punished for his outrages," remarked Wilson.

"It was the only way for the inhabitants to ensure their safety," said Smith.

THE TORY'S CONVERSION.

"By the bye," said Mr. Morton, "some events have just recurred to my mind, which interested me very much when I first heard of them, and which I think may strike you as being wonderful. I knew of many strange and unaccountable things that happened during the Revolution, but the conversion of Gil Lester from toryism capped the climax."

"Enlighten us upon the subject, by all means," remarked Mr. Jackson Harmar.

"Yes, that was a strange affair, Morton; tell 'em about it," added Higgins.

"There's a little love stuff mixed up with the story," said Morton, "but you will have to excuse that. I obtained the incidents from Lester himself, and I know he was always true to his word, whether that was right or wrong. Gilbert Lester, Vincent Murray, and their ladye-loves, lived up here in Pennsylvania, in the neighborhood of the Lehigh. One night a harvest ball was given at the house of farmer Williams. Vincent Murray and Mary Williams, the farmer's daughter, joined in the festivities, and, becoming tired of dancing in a hot room, they went out to walk along the banks of the Lehigh, and, of course, to talk over love matters.

"They had seated themselves on a fallen tree, and continued for a few moments to gaze in the mirrored Lehigh, as if their very thoughts might be reflected on its gla.s.sy surface. Visions of war and bloodshed were pa.s.sing before the fancy of the excited girl, and she breathed an inward prayer to heaven to protect her lover; when, casting her eyes upward, she suddenly exclaimed with startling energy:

"'Vincent, look at the sky!' Murray raised his head, and sprang instantly on his feet. 'Tell me,' continued Mary, 'am I dreaming, or am I mad! or do I actually see armies marching through the clouds?'

"Murray gazed steadfastly for a moment, and then exclaimed, 'It is the British, Mary--I see the red coats as plainly as I see you.'

"The young girl seemed transfixed to the spot, without the power of moving. 'Look there,' said she, pointing her finger upward--'there are horses, with officers on them, and a whole regiment of dragoons! Oh, are you not frightened?'

"'No,' replied her companion--but before he had time to proceed, she again exclaimed:

'There, there, Vincent! See the colors flying, and the drums, and trumpets, and cannon, I can almost hear them! What can it mean?'

'Don't be so terrified, Mary. It is my belief, that what we see is an intimation from G.o.d of the approaching war. The 'Lord of Hosts' has set his sign in the heavens. But come, let us run to the house. This is no time to dance--and they will not believe us, unless their own eyes behold the vision!'

"Before he had finished speaking, they were hastily retracing their steps to the scene of merriment; and in another moment the sound of the violin was hushed, and the feet of the dancers were still. With one accord, they all stood in the open air, and gazed with straining glances at the pageant in the heavens; and marked it with awe and wonder. A broad streak of light spread itself gradually over the sky, till the whole wide expanse was in one brilliant blaze of splendor. The clouds, decked in the richest and most gorgeous colors, presented a spectacle of grandeur and glory, as they continued to shape themselves into various forms of men, and horses, and armor, till a warlike and supernatural host was distinctly presented to the view. The dragoons, on their prancing horses; the riflemen and artillery, with their military ensigns and accoutrements; the infantry, and even the baggage-wagons in the rear, were all there to complete the imposing array. _It is no fiction_; many were eye-witnesses of that remarkable vision, which pa.s.sed on from the east, and disappeared in the west--and, from that evening, the sound of the violin was heard no more in those places, until the end of the Revolution.

"Mary Tracy hung upon the arm of her lover, and listened anxiously to his words, as he spoke to her in a low but decided tone." "That's very strange; but you have not told us how the young tory was converted,"

interrupted Mrs. Harmar.

"I am coming to that," replied Morton. "Vincent Murray and Mary Williams conversed together for some time. He told her he was going to leave his friends and join the American army. He said he thought the signs in the clouds were warning to all the friends of liberty to rush to the aid of our little struggling band; and that he intended to go to New York, and then seek out the best plan for enlistment. Before he bade his sweetheart farewell, he also told her he was resolved to do his best to convert Gilbert Lester from his tory principles. Now this was no easy task, as the two young men had often argued the question of rights, and Lester had shown that he was as firmly fixed to his creed as Murray was to his. Mary told him that she thought that the frowns or the smiles of Jane Hatfield alone could change his way of thinking. But, nevertheless, Murray resolved to try what he could do.

"The little group of dancers were all scattered in different directions.

Murray sought among the number for Gilbert Lester, and found him, at length, leaning in a thoughtful att.i.tude against the trunk of a huge sycamore tree, whose broad shadow fell upon the waters of the Lehigh. So profound was his reverie, that Murray touched his arm before he stirred from his position, or was aware of approaching footsteps.

"'Gilbert, shall I divine your thoughts?'

"'You, perhaps, think you could do so, but I doubt whether you would guess right.' "'Why, there can be but one subject, I should suppose, which could occupy the mind of any one who has seen what we have seen this evening.'

"'True; but there may be different interpretations put upon what is equally a mystery to us all.'

"'Well, I will not dispute that point with you,--but there is a _right_ and a _wrong_, notwithstanding. Now, tell me, what is your opinion?'

"'It will hardly coincide with yours, Vincent; for I fear we shall never agree in our ideas of the propriety and expediency of taking up arms against our sovereign. As to this pantomime of the clouds, I must confess it is beyond my comprehension; so, if your understanding has been enlightened by the exhibition, I beg you will have charity to extend the benefit.'

"'You are always for ridiculing my impressions, Gilbert; but you cannot change my belief that our cause is a rightful one, and that it will, with the help of the Almighty, ultimately prevail.'

"'What, against such a host as we have just seen imaged out in the sky?'

"'The Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save,' replied Murray.

"'But,' continued his friend, 'if a real army, coming over the sea to do battle for the king, has been represented by that ghostly mult.i.tude which pa.s.sed before our view, you will find the number too strong for this fanciful faith of yours, in the help of an invisible arm.'

"'It is a faith, however, which I am not yet disposed to yield,--the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong.' "'I will acknowledge,' said Lester, interrupting him, 'that you have the advantage of me in quoting Scripture--but depend upon it, the _practical_ advantages of the British over the rebel army will soon overturn your theory.'

"'No such thing, Gilbert. I tell you that the zeal, fort.i.tude, undaunted courage, and invincible resolution, which encompa.s.s our little band of patriots, will prove a s.h.i.+eld of strength that will make every single man of them equal to at least a dozen British soldiers. And having once risen up in defence of their rights, they will persevere to the last extremity before they will submit to the disgraceful terms of a despotic government. It grieves me that _you_ should be among the tories. Come, I entreat you, and share in the glory of the triumph which I am persuaded will eventually be ours.'

"'Then you really do believe, Murray, that G.o.d will work a modern miracle in favor of America! My dear friend, I wish you would abandon this vain chimera of your imagination, and let common sense and reason convince you of the folly of this mad rebellion.'

"'And what then? Should I sit down in cowardly inaction, while others are sacrificing their lives in the struggle? No--that shall never be said of Vincent Murray! My resolution is taken; I will rise or fall with my country!'

"'And perhaps the next time we meet,' said Lester, 'it may be on the field of battle.'

"'G.o.d forbid! But should it even be the case, Gilbert, I should know no friend among my country's enemies. Farewell--you will think better of this subject; and remember, that no one but a _Republican_ will ever win Jane Hatfield,' said Murray.

"The young men wrung each other's hands, and each went his way."

"Murray thought he would put in the last remark by way of strengthening the effect of the vision in the clouds, I suppose," remarked Mr. Jackson Harmar.

"Yes; the promise of the hand of a lovely girl has a great influence on the opinions of a young man," replied Morton. "But in this case, if you will wait till my story is through, you will see that Jane Hatfield had but little to do with Lester's conversion. The next morning after the occurrence of the wonderful phantom in the clouds, Murray left his home, and soon after enlisted in the army under General Montgomery. He was in the unlucky expedition against Quebec.

"After the death of Montgomery, and the uniting of the different detachments under Arnold, as their head, Murray, to his marvellous astonishment, encountered his friend Gilbert Lester among the Pennsylvania riflemen, under Captain Morgan. By some strange accident, and each being ignorant of the proximity of the other, they had not met before the attack on Quebec. Great, therefore, was Murray's surprise and pleasure; for, since the evening of their last conversation on the banks of the Lehigh, he had no opportunity of learning whether there had been any change in the political sentiments of his friend. With the utmost fervor of delight he grasped his hand as he exclaimed: "'I rejoice to see you,--but, my dear friend, what is the meaning of this meeting? And how, in the name of wonder, came you here?'

"'Why, it is truly a wonder to myself, Murray,' replied Lester, 'that I ever got here; or that any of us, who pa.s.sed through that frightful wilderness, are now alive to tell the story.'

"'The wilderness! I should like to know how you contrived to get into the wilderness from the place where I last saw you?' said Murray.

"'I remember,' said Gilbert, laughing; 'you left me looking at the clouds on the banks of the Lehigh; and, perhaps, you imagine that I was taken up into them, and dropped down in that horrible place as a punishment for my _toryism!_'

"'And if that was not the case, pray throw a little light on the mystery.'

"'Have patience, then, and let me tell my story my own way. The getting into the labyrinth was a trifle in comparison to the getting out.

Believe me, the tales of romance are nothing to the tremendous horrors of that march. Why do you look incredulous?'

"'You know your love of the marvellous, Gilbert--but go on; only don't out-Herod Herod in your description.'

"'There is no danger of that--no description can come up to the truth. I looked upon that whole army in the desert as destined to make their next general parade in the heavens--and fancied you would see our poor, unhappy apparitions gliding through the sky; and, perhaps, exclaim, 'Poor Gilbert; he died in the good cause at last. It seems, however, that the necessity is spared of my making so pathetic an apostrophe. You had the good fortune to escape.'

'It was little less than a miracle that we did so, I a.s.sure you,'

replied Gilbert.

'Your preservation, then, should be a more convincing proof to your mind, that the Lord is on our side, and will not forsake us in this unequal strife.'

'Ah,' replied Lester, 'you may beat me in _faith_, Vincent, but I will contend that I have beaten you in _works_. Had you waded, as we did, through those hideous bogs, which a poor Irishman, whose bones we left on the way, declared, 'bate all the bogs of Ireland!' you would have said the Israelites in the wilderness had a happy time of it, compared to us. Why, we were drowned, and starved, and frozen, till we had nearly given up all hope of the honor of being shot.'

'But you forget that I am still in ignorance of the preceding causes, which produced the revolution in your sentiments, and consequently influenced your actions after I left the farm,' said Murray, interrupting him.