"It is a
commendable prudence, and must not be delayed. I take upon me the
responsibleness of commanding that all proper care be had in defence of
the weaker subjects of the Crown who are here collected. Are our roadsters
well replenished, Hallam? Duty, as thou sayest, is an imperative master;
it recalls us more into the heart of the Colony. I would it might shortly
point the way to Europe!" he muttered as he reached the ground. "Go,
fellows; see to our beasts, and let them be speedily prepared for
departure."
The attendants, though men of sufficient spirit in open war, and when it
was to be exercised in a fashion to which they were accustomed, had, like
other mortals, a wholesome deference for unknown and terrific-looking
danger. It is a well-known truth, and one that has been proved by the
experience of two centuries, that while the European soldier has ever been
readiest to have recourse to the assistance of the terrible warrior of the
American forest, he has, in nearly every instance, when retaliation or
accident has made him the object instead of the spectator of the ruthless
nature of his warfare, betrayed the most salutary, and frequently the most
abject and ludicrous apprehension of the prowess of his ally.
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