The Pathfinder by James Fenimore Cooper (best book series to read TXT) 📕

“At this season of the year, sir,” the man returned, touching his hat, out of respect, to his new commander and Sergeant Dunham’s connection.

“The same thing, I take it, among the Thousand Islands? The wind will stand, of course, though we shall then have land on every side of us.”

“When we get farther east, sir, the wind will probably shift, for there can then be no particular land-breeze.”

“Ay, ay; so much for your fresh water! It has always some trick that is opposed to nature. Now, down among the West India Islands, one is just as certain of having a land-breeze as he is of having a sea-breeze. In that respect there is no difference, though it’s quite in rule it should be different up here on this bit of fresh water. Of course, my lad, you know all about these said Thousand Islands?”

“Lord bless you, Master Cap, nobody knows all about them or anything about them. They are a puzzle to the oldest sailor on the lake, and we don’t pretend to know even their names. For that matter, most of them have no more names than a child that dies before it is christened.”

“Are you a Roman Catholic?” demanded the Sergeant sharply.

“No, sir, nor anything else. I’m a generalizer about religion, never troubling that which don’t trouble me.”

“Hum! a generalizer; that is, no doubt, one of the new sects that afflict the country,” muttered Mr. Dunham, whose grandfather had been a New Jersey Quaker, his father a Presbyterian, and who had joined the Church of England himself after he entered the army.

“I take it, John — ” resumed Cap. “Your name is Jack, I believe?”

“No, sir; I am called Robert.”

“Ay, Robert, it’s very much the same thing, Jack or Bob; we use the two indifferently. I say, Bob, it’s good holding ground, is it, down at this same station for which we are bound?”

“Bless you, sir! I know no more about it than one of the Mohawks, or a soldier of the 55th.”

“Did you never anchor there?”

“Never, sir. Master Eau-douce always makes fast to the shore.”

“But in running in for the town, you kept the lead going, out of question, and must have tallowed as usual.”

“Tallow! — and town, too! Bless your heart, Master Cap! there is no more town than there is on your chin, and not half as much tallow!”

The Sergeant smiled grimly, but his brother-in-law did not detect this proof of humor.

“No church tower, nor light, nor fort, ha? There is a garrison, as you call it hereaway, at least?”

“Ask Sergeant Dunham, sir, if you wish to know that. All the garrison is on board the Scud.”

“But in running in, Bob, which of the channels do you think the best? the one you went last, or — or — or — ay, or the other?”

“I can’t say, sir; I know nothing of either.”

“You didn’t go to sleep, fellow, at the wheel, did you?”

“Not at the wheel, sir, but down in the fore-peak in my berth. Eau-douce sent us below, soldiers and all, with the exception of the pilot, and we know no more of the road than if we had never been over it. This he has always done in going in and coming out; and, for the life of me, I could tell you nothing of the channel, or the course, after we are once fairly up with the islands. No one knows anything of either but Jasper and the pilot.”

“Here is a circumstance for you, Sergeant,” said Cap, leading his brother-in-law a little aside; “there is no one on board to pump, for they all suck from ignorance at the first stroke of the brake. How the devil am I to find the way to this station for which we are bound?”

“Sure enough, brother Cap, your question is more easily put than answered. Is there no such thing as figuring it out by navigation? I thought you saltwater mariners were able to do as small a thing as that. I have often read of their discovering islands, surely.”

“That you have, brother, that you have; and this discovery would be the greatest of them all; for it would not only be discovering one island, but one island out of a thousand.”

“Still, the sailors of the lake have a method of finding the places they wish to go to.”

“If I have understood you, Sergeant, this station or blockhouse is particularly private.”

“It is, indeed, the utmost care having been taken to prevent a knowledge of its position from reaching the enemy.”

“And you expect me, a stranger on your lake, to find this place without chart, course, distance, latitude, longitude, or soundings, — ay, d– me, or tallow! Allow me to ask if you think a mariner runs by his nose, like one of Pathfinder’s hounds?”

“Well, brother, you may yet learn something by questioning the young man at the helm; I can hardly think that he is as ignorant as he pretends to be.”

“Hum! — this looks like another circumstance. For that matter, the case is getting to be so full of circumstances that one hardly knows how to foot up the evidence. But we will soon see how much the lad knows.”

Cap and the Sergeant now returned to their station near the helm, and the former renewed his inquiries.

“Do you happen to know what may be the latitude and longitude of this said island, my lad?” he asked.

“The what, sir?”

“Why, the latitude or longitude — one or both; I’m not particular which, as I merely inquire in order to see how they bring up young men on this bit of fresh water.”

“I’m not particular about either myself, sir, and so I do not happen to know what you mean.”

“Not what I mean! You know what latitude is?”

“Not I, sir!” returned the man, hesitating. “Though I believe it is French for the upper lakes.”

“Whe-e-e-w-!” whistled Cap, drawing out his breath like the broken stop of an organ; “latitude, French for upper lakes! Hark’e, young man, do you know what longitude means?”

“I believe I do, sir; that is, five feet six, the regulation height for soldiers in the king’s service.”

“There’s the longitude found out for you, Sergeant, in the rattling of a brace-block! You have some notion about a degree, and minutes and seconds, I hope?”

“Yes, sir; degree means my betters; and minutes and seconds are for the short or long log-lines. We all know these things as well as the saltwater people.”

“D– me, brother Dunham, if I think even Faith can get along on this lake, much as they say it can do with mountains. Well, my lad, you understand the azimuth, and measuring distances, and how to box the compass.”

“As for the first, sir, I can’t say I do. The distances we all know, as we measure them from point to point; and as for boxing the compass, I will turn my back to no admiral in his Majesty’s fleet. Nothe, nothe and by east, nothe, nothe-east, nothe-east and by nothe, nothe-east, nothe-east and by east, east-nothe-east, east and by nothe-east — “

“That will do, that will do. You’ll bring about a shift of wind if you go on in this manner. I see very plainly, Sergeant,” walking away again, and dropping his voice, “we’ve nothing to hope for from that chap. I’ll stand on two hours longer on this tack, when we’ll heave-to and get the soundings, after which we will be governed by circumstances.”

To this the Sergeant made no objections; and as the wind grew lighter, as usual with the advance of night, and there were no immediate obstacles to the navigation, he made a bed of a sail on deck, and was soon lost in the sound sleep of a soldier. Cap continued to walk the deck, for he was one whose iron frame set fatigue at defiance, and not once that night did he close his eyes.

It was broad daylight when Sergeant Dunham awoke, and the exclamation of surprise that escaped him, as he rose to his feet and began to look about him, was stronger than it was usual for one so drilled to suffer to be heard. He found the weather entirely changed, the view bounded by driving mist that limited the visible horizon to a circle of about a mile in diameter, the lake raging and covered with foam, and the Scud lying-to. A brief conversation with his brother-in-law let him into the secrets of all these sudden changes.

According to the account of Master Cap, the wind had died away to a calm about midnight, or just as he was thinking of heaving-to, to sound, for islands ahead were beginning to be seen. At one A.M. it began to blow from the north-east, accompanied by a drizzle, and he stood off to the northward and westward, knowing that the coast of New York lay in the opposite direction. At half-past one he stowed the flying-jib, reefed the mainsail, and took the bonnet off the jib. At two he was compelled to get a second reef aft; and by half-past two he had put a balance-reef in the sail, and was lying-to.

“I can’t say but the boat behaves well, Sergeant,” the old sailor added, “but it blows forty-two pounders. I had no idea there were any such currents of air up here on this bit of fresh water, though I care not the knotting of a yarn for it, as your lake has now somewhat of a natural look; and if this d–-d water had a savor of salt about it, one might be comfortable.”

“How long have you been heading in this direction, brother Cap?” inquired the prudent soldier; “and at what rate may we be going through the water?”

“Why, two or three hours, mayhap, and she went like a horse for the first pair of them. Oh, we’ve a fine offing now! for, to own the truth, little relishing the neighborhood of them said islands, although they are to windward, I took the helm myself, and run her off free for some league or two. We are well to leeward of them, I’ll engage - I say to leeward; for though one might wish to be well to windward of one island, or even half a dozen, when it comes to a thousand, the better way is to give it up at once, and to slide down under their lee as fast as possible. No, no; there they are up yonder in the dingle; and there they may stay, for anything Charles Cap cares.”

“As the north shore lies only some five or six leagues from us, brother, and I know there is a large bay in that quarter, might it not be well to consult some of the crew concerning our position, if, indeed, we do not call up Jasper Eau-douce, and tell him to carry us back to Oswego? For it is quite impossible we should ever reach the station with this wind directly in our teeth.”

“There are several serious professional reasons, Sergeant, against all your propositions. In the first place, an admission of ignorance on the part of a commander would destroy discipline. No matter, brother; I understand your shake of the head, but nothing capsizes discipline so much as to confess ignorance. I once knew a master of a vessel who went a week on a wrong course rather than allow he had made a mistake; and it was surprising how much he rose in the opinions of his people, just because they could not understand him.”

“That may do on salt water, brother