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Page 15
"People have different opinions of that man's conduct," said Kinnison.
"For my part, I think he was a poor-spirited man, if not a coward."
"I think so too," said Davenport. "Although his court-martial acquitted
him, General Washington, and other officers showed such dissatisfaction,
that he resigned his commission."
"Never mind the shirk," said Pitts: "tell us how the men of the right
grit made out."
"Well," said Davenport, "after Colonel Arnold had arranged his plans, he
hurried forwards with sixty men, intending to proceed as soon as
possible to the inhabitants on the Chaudi�re and send back provisions to
the main body. When we started again, the rain had changed to snow,
which fell two inches deep. Ice formed on the surface of the water
through which we were forced to wade and drag the boats. You may talk
about suffering at Valley Forge, but I tell you it was no kind of
circumstance to what we men endured. We were cold, hungry and tired all
the time, and yet we couldn't rest, for fear of starvation in the
wilderness. I always think my living through it all was owing to
O'Brien's care and his trying to keep me in good spirits. Poor fellow!
he met his death at Quebec. I'll never forget him. The man who could
forget such service at such a time would be a blot upon the name of
humanity." Davenport paused, as if indulging mournful memory, and then
proceeded. "Near the source of the Dead River, we had to pass through a
string of small lakes, choked with drift-wood and rocks. So it seemed as
if we met greater difficulty at every step of our advance. At last we
reached the four-mile carrying place, from the Dead River to the stream
that leads into Lake Megantic. We took the batteaux out of the water and
dragged and carried them over the highlands till we reached the little
stream, which conducted us by a very crooked course into Lake Megantic.
I began to think our toils and dangers would soon be over, and of course
worked with a light heart. At the Lake, we found Lieutenant Steel and
the exploring party which had been sent forward to explore and clear the
path at the portages. The night after our party entered the Lake, we
encamped on the eastern shore, where a large Indian wigwam that appeared
as if it had been used for a council, served to shelter us from the cold
winds. Colonel Arnold ordered Hanchet and fifty men to march by land
along the shore of Chaudi�re River, and he, himself, embarked with
Captain Oswald, Lieutenants Steel and Church and thirteen men,
determined to proceed as soon as possible to the French inhabitants, and
send back provisions to the army. This was the only plan to save the men
from starvation. You see the Chaudi�re is a rough rapid river, the water
in some places boiling and foaming over a rocky bottom. The baggage had
to be lashed to the boats. Arnold's party fell among the rapids. Three
of the boats were overset, dashed to pieces against the rocks and their
contents swallowed up by the waves. Six men struggled for some time in
the water, but were saved. That accident turned out to be a lucky one,
for no sooner had the men dried their clothes and re-embarked, than one
of them, who had gone forward, cried out 'a fall ahead,' and thus the
whole party was saved from destruction. Soon after we entered the
Chaudi�re we worked round several falls and kept clear of the rapids for
a while; but it couldn't last. We lost boats here and there, till we
hadn't enough to carry the men and what baggage we had with us, and so
we took to the land, and began our march through the woods along the
banks of the river. Now a kind of suffering began, which we hadn't
dreamed of when we started, but which we had been expecting before we
lost our boats. We had to drag ourselves along, over rocks and ravines
and through thick underwood, with starvation staring us in the face. I
had never been a hearty feeder, and could bear the want of provisions
better than those in good health and who had accustomed themselves to
cramming. But poor Johnson fainted several times on the march, and
O'Brien suffered more than he would tell. Every thing eatable was at
length entirely used. Several dogs, generally favourites of their
owners, had been killed and entirely devoured, even to the entrails.
O'Brien, Johnson and myself boiled our moccasins, to see if any
nourishment could be drawn from the deer-skin. But the skins were dry.
It seemed as if we were doomed to starvation. No game of any kind
appeared, and even the eatable roots were not to be found. I remember
seeing a party of men, Johnson among them, discover a well-known root in
the sand and rush for it as if it had been a diamond. The man who got it
devoured it instantly, though at any other time it would have made him
sick."
"I wonder how those men would have acted if they had met such a loaded
table as this in the woods," said Hand.
"Acted!" said Davenport. "Like wolves, whose bellies had been pinched
with hunger for a week. You may judge from what I tell you. As we were
marching slowly through the woods, a set of ragged skeletons, the
foremost of the party caught sight of some Canadians and Indians coming
towards us, with great packages and bundles which we knew were the
provisions sent by Colonel Arnold. There was a perfect yell of joy, and
the whole party rushed towards them. But Major Bigelow and his officers
kept the men off from the food, at the sword's point. The food was then
distributed in very small quantities to each man. How it disappeared! I
venture to say that ten minutes after the men received their shares,
they had devoured them all. The Canadians and Indians were ordered to
keep enough provisions for the other troops, who were fed as they came
up. At last we caught sight of the French settlement of Sertigan, where
Colonel Arnold had arrived some days before. The people came out to
receive us; but they wondered at us as if we were more than men. They
offered us plenty of food and clothing, and took care of the sick.
Within four or five days, the whole army was collected by small parties
at Sertigan."
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