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Page 43
After his second glass, Elmsley, reminding the ensign
that he expected him as well as the punch-brewer to
breakfast with him in the morning at eight o'clock
precisely, took his departure for the guard room, for
the night.
CHAPTER VIII.
It was about seven o'clock on the morning succeeding the
occurrences detailed in the preceding chapters, that
Lieutenant Elmsley waited on the commanding officer, to
relate that the fishing boat was at length in sight.
These tidings were communicated as Captain Headley was
preparing to sit down to breakfast--a refreshment, to
which the fatigue of mind and body he had undergone during
the night had not a little disposed him. True, however,
to his character, he stayed not for the meal, but instantly
arose, and taking his telescope accompanied the subaltern
to the flagstaff battery, whence the best view of the
river was commanded.
"Any thing to report, Mr. Elmsley; but I presume not, or
it scarcely would have been necessary for me to ask the
question?"
"Nothing, sir, of any consequence," replied the lieutenant
after a moment's hesitation, "beyond a slight altercation
that took place between a drunken Pottawattamie and the
sergeant of the guard--but it was of a nature too.
trivial to disturb you about."
"What was it, Mr. Elmsley?" inquired his superior, abruptly
turning to him.
"The Indian who had probably been lying dead drunk during
the day within the Fort, and had evidently just awakened
from his sleep, was anxious to go to his encampment, but
the sergeant, strictly obeying the order he had received
from me, refused to open the gate, which seemed to annoy
the Indian very much. At that moment I came up. I knew
well of course that the order was not meant to extend
rigidly to our Indian friends, the great mass of whom
might be offended by the detention of one of their number,
and I desired the sergeant to pass him through. Was I
right, sir?"
"Perfectly, Mr. Elmsley; we must not offend those of the
Indian tribes that are disposed to be friendly toward
us, for no one knows how soon we may require their aid.
The official advices I have received not only from Detroit
but from Washington are of a nature to induce apprehension
of hostilities between Great Britain and the United
States; therefore, it would, as you justly observe, and
just now particularly, be extremely bad policy to offend
those whom it is so much our interest to conciliate.
Still you ought to have reported the circumstance to me,
and not acted on your own responsibility."
Lieutenant Elmsley bit his lip, and could scarcely control
a movement of impatience. "I am glad, however, sir," he
resumed after a pause, "that you find no fault with my
conduct; I confess I had some little uneasiness on that
score, for with you I felt that I had no right to assume
the responsibility, but I knew that you had retired to
your rooms, and I was unwilling to disturb you."
"You ought to have known, Mr. Elmsley, that where duty
is concerned I can never be disturbed. However, no matter.
What you did was correctly done; only in future, fail
not to make your report. The slightest unauthorized step
might be a false one, and that, under all the circumstances,
is to be avoided."
Whatever the subaltern thought of the seeming self-
sufficiency which had dictated the concluding part of
the lecture of the commanding officer, he made no further
observation, and both in silence pursued the remainder
of their short route to the bastion.
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