Chapter 5
FORT STANWIX-AUGUST, 1777
Barry St. Leger's troops moved down through the Mohawk Valley with relatively little resistance. Behind them they left devastated farms and the dead. He was slightly behind his own schedule, but that was because of the Indians.
It was Chief Wahadanega who gave him the most trouble. Always before the Chief had been one of the most eager to pillage and plunder the countryside. Now the big Indian would not move at the start of a new day unless he consulted with the tribal wise men. As if that weren't enough, Wahadanega's actions were beginning to have an effect on the council of eight chiefs. They all seemed apprehensive, fearful of something.
Well, St. Leger thought, I've enough troubles without worrying about a bunch of savages. His Hessians were restless, too, and had been ever since the mysterious disappearance of Captain Hauptmann and Lieutenant Jocheim. They had been out on the Hessian barge with the American spies when, apparently, the barge had been struck by lightning. It had to be that, there really was no other explanation. burned. Still, though, no bodies had been recovered.
The big problem was that Johnny Burgoyne's troops were bogged down. It was as though the Americans had known they were coming, for the militiamen were as troublesome as the mosquitoes ... and a lot more damaging. Further reports indicated that Howe was having difficulties with ambuscades along the Hudson ... again just as if those blasted rebels had known his plans.
Well, tomorrow would see them at Fort Stanwix. Odd, the fort had been deserted for some time. Now his scouting reports told him that there was a small group of Americans there under the leadership of a militia colonel. They should be no trouble because the reports also stated they had no ammunition or supplies, were suffering even from lack of blankets and other necessities. A good show of the flag and they'd surrender. Especially when they saw the overwhelming force being deployed against them.
That night St. Leger and his men camped out on a plain about half a day's march from Fort Stanwix. It was a warm, clear night, and St. Leger and his fellow officers utilized it to sit outside. They were far enough from water that the mosquitoes were not quite so bad.
"I say," one of his junior officers said, pointing to the sky. "It's a falling star. Third I've seen."
"I've seen several of them," St. Leger yawned.
The surgeon took a deep draught of his pipe, then said, "It's the Pleiades meteorite shower. Every year in August ... lasts four or five days. When it's good, as it seems to be tonight, you can count twenty or thirty of them every ten minutes or so."
"Bloody savages are uncommonly quiet tonight," the junior officer said.
St. Leger looked thoughtful. "Yes. I noticed that. There's something wrong." He shrugged. "Tomorrow, we'll be at Fort Stanwix. That'll take their minds off whatever it is that's troubling them."
Overhead, a meteorite, green and white in its heavenly radiance, burned its brilliant way across the sky and turned the night to day. Down the hill by the Indian encampment, St. Leger thought he heard loud moans of dismay and fright.
"Blasted savages," he muttered.
Fort Stanwix was built to guard the portage between the Mohawk River and Wood Creek. There are two small hills on each side of it, with a large tree-covered mound-thought to be an old Indian burial ground-between the largest hill and the river.
The Fort was beginning to batten down now for the attack that was probably only hours away. Scouts had reported St. Leger's troops and Indians less than a day's march away. They had come equipped with light infantry units, field dragoons, artillery ... everything to fight a war.
Marinus Wille, the second in command had grave misgivings about the venture. There was no way they could stop the advance of that powerful war machine chewing up the countryside and excreting death. Still, though, he and his men knew they must take the stand. Perhaps-most probably-the war would end right here for most of them. He had sent a messenger for help to General Herkimer, but "Old Honikol" was still days away; the British would arrive tomorrow.
Marinus was up at dawn to check out everything. It was only then that he learned the Englishman, Burton, and his American wife had disappeared, along with their huge German friend. Odd group that, he thought, likeable ... but something very definitely odd about them. It was not until shortly after 9 a.m. that he received word from one of his scouts of the Englishman's strange activities.
"He what?" Marinus asked the frontiersman.
The man scratched his whiskers and spat. "Knew you wouldn't believe me. He's spreading macaw feathers out all over the place." He grinned. "Looks right purty, too."
"Mad. He must be mad."
"Wal, that ain't all of it. He's set up shop over there on the mound in the trees. Got the German and a boy who joined him digging holes and hanging up funny looking things. Took all of his supplies over there."
"Go tell him that I order him and his party back to the Fort. St. Leger will be here within the hour."
The scout rode out of the fort, and returned just as the first of the British cannons came out of the trees about a mile away. "He says to thank the commandant, but he has business to attend to. He'll return just as soon as the Indians leave."
"Then the poor bloody fool will be there forever. All right, let him be. We have work to do." He pointed over to the right where the forest closed in to within 500 yards of the fort's north wing. "The Indians will come out of there."
"The daft one was putting down macaw feathers for them there."
"Look sharp," the officer called out to his men as he saw the band of about 150 screaming Indians ride out of the woods. "Don't waste ammunition. Wait until you have a shot!"
Both the scout and the officer both exclaimed in surprise at the same moment as they saw the avalanche of painted savages reining up and milling about in confusion....
The commanding officer of the expedition was confused too ... and furious as he watched the debacle. "What the devil's gotten into them?" St. Leger asked angrily. "Look at them. Now they're turning around and coming back. Send that blasted Wahadanega to me ... immediately."
Five minutes later a stubborn Indian chief stood before the Colonel. "All right, Wahadanega. What is all this rubbish?"
The Indian drew himself up to his full height. "It is an omen. We go no further. We have been given two warnings."
"Warnings? Omens?"
"I have been to the land of the dead," Wahadanega said in a firm voice. "I talked to the dead myself. There will be warnings. The first warning was that we would come to a valley of broken rainbows. The second that the skies would fall. And the third that the hills will open and the dead return to destroy us."
He clapped his hand to one of his warriors who walked apprehensively forward and held out several brilliantly colored macaw feathers. "These are the broken rainbows we were warned of."
"Rubbish," St. Leger said contemptuously. "Those are nothing but parrot feathers. The feathers of a bird."
Wahadanega shook his head emphatically. "There are no birds of these colors. No, we have been warned. And last night the skies began to fall...."
A bead of sweat had broken out on St. Leger's forehead. The bloody fools actually believed this nonsense. Somehow he had to convince them.
"Look, Chief. I have great powers as well. I shall protect your tribe from harm."
"We have been warned. I have spoken to the dead."
"I tell you that my powers will protect you. You say a hill will open up and the dead return to destroy you ... it can't. I won't let it."
The Indians shuddered and backed away. Hurriedly St. Leger added, "Let me at least test my magic. Stay here tonight. I shall make big magic. I shall see that a hill does not open up. I promise you."
Wahadanega looked from St. Leger to another chief, then the two Indians put their head together and whispered and nodded, although with some obvious misgivings.
"Well?" the colonel demanded.
"You will try your powers. If they do not work, we will leave. I have spoken to the dead and ... "
"Yes ... yes," the British commanding officer interrupted. "Well, you'll see. My power will work. No hills will open up. No dead will return."
Silently the savages padded away. St. Leger and his surgeon watched them go. "Can you imagine that rubbish? Can you believe anyone would believe that drivel?"
The surgeon grinned. "You're in luck about one thing, Barry. They won't be able to see the skies falling again tonight. I think it's going to rain." He looked up toward the west where the clouds were already beginning to build up. "With a little luck, the hills won't open up either."
Alex, Billy, Elizabeth, and Robin had worked furiously all day long. Even the mighty Alex was trembling and ready to drop from exhaustion when the last tube of phosphorus and sulphur had been put in place.
Robin glanced up at the skies and shook his head. "It's got to hold off another hour. If it rains now, all of this has been for naught."
It was rapidly darkening now as night and the storm approached. The western horizon glowed intermittently with lightning that was still far away and behind the clouds. It was coming closer, however, and it was by one such glow that Robin finally inspected the three people in front of him. Billy was dressed in Lieutenant Jocheim's bloody uniform. Elizabeth was using cranberry juice and flour to make a realistic wound in his head. Axel had just finished burying the tomahawk in a piece of wood and was strapping the wood to his neck. By the flicker of lightning it appeared horribly real, for he had also put into two gold buttons into his eye sockets and it looked as though his yellow sightless eyes were staring from the deepest part of hell.
Robin waited patiently as Elizabeth made a cranberry wound in his neck, and then he said, "We're ready ... except for you, darling."
"Must I, Robin?"
"That's how he saw you last ... naked, wearing only boots."
Quickly then, without further argument, she stripped, and her golden body looked like that of a goddess's when next the lightning flickered. It was much closer now, and it lit up the entire fort. Beyond, out on the plain, they could see the pickets marking St. Leger's perimeter.
"All right, everyone," Robin said softly. "You all know what to do."
He watched as they positioned themselves prone on the ground in the cleared circles half way down the hill. He picked up his spark box and put the flint at ready beside the trail of gunpowder that lead from his own circle down to each of the other circles.
He waited until he saw an Indian pony picking its way between the mound and the fort.
It was one of the scouts. When he knew the Indian was close enough, Robin picked up his navy megaphone and called out in an eerie voice, "Wahadanega ... Waaa ... haaa ... daaa ... nega ... Wahadanega...."he didn't complete the third call before the horseman was galloping full tilt toward the Indian encampment in the trees. Robin heard shouting and screams from the encampment, then several Indian riders were coming slowly toward the mound. They stopped about a hundred yards away. A sudden brilliant flash of lightning revealed that one of them was Wahadanega. Robin lifted his megaphone.
"Wahadanega," the spectral voice called. "You do not listen to the voice of the dead ... now you and your people must return with us to the land of the dead unless you depart this place. Behold our third and final warning. The hill shall open and the dead return...."
Robin dropped his speaking horn and struck the flint. There was a whoosh of blue-fire that travelled in a circle, then continued to grow until it was two, then three, and four circles. Robin could hear the startled yells below the hill, and there was the sound of a bugle in the Fort. Then the phosphorus caught and each circle grew brighter than the sunniest day, and with this light the sulphur began burning, casting yellow palls of heavy smoke as though the ground had opened and the fires of hell could be seen....
"Now," Robin called softly. "Now."
Slowly, the four figures rose up from the ground....
And Chief Wahadanega on the plain below felt his bowels turn to water as he saw the hill open and the dead return.
He heard the frightened murmur of his braves and of his Mohawk friend, Chief Genoda. "It is them," Wahadanega said, his voice full of fear. "It is truly the dead woman, the spy, the Hessian Lieutenant, and the big man who carries my tomahawk in his neck." Even as he said it, he saw one of his braves wheel his horse and gallop madly away from the apparition. When he looked back toward the dead, the swirling yellow smoke made him sure that they were slowly reaching out for him....
His horse reared in panic as it sensed its master's fear. When the pony's hooves came down they slashed across the flank of Chief Genaoda's horse. Suddenly, in pandemonium, they turned and, screaming, rode back to their campfires as if all the forces of hell were after them....
In the fort, a sleepy commandant who had rolled out of bed with the bugle call, was dressing down a stammering guard.
"But I tell you, sir. I did see it. A naked woman. And three men all covered with blood on the hillside over there. And some Indians who fled from the same sight. One of the men had a tomahawk in his neck...."
"Let me smell your breath, corporal."
There was a blinding flash of lightning that struck the trees near the Indian camp, and the screaming there grew in intensity. Another lightning bolt in almost the same place, and in the moment of illumination, it looked as every Indian in St. Leger's forces were riding helter-skelter away from the place.
On the hill the four people watched the flight of the Indians. Elizabeth hugged her husband and whispered in awe, "You did it."
Axel slapped Billy on the back. "Look at them go. The devil's after them."
The first rain drop hit Elizabeth's naked flesh and it was only then that she realized she still had no clothes on. Quickly she started dressing, bending over to pick up her skirt. The lightning flickered and Robin could see the shadowy cleft up between her legs. He moved up behind and put his arms around her, cupping her soft warm breasts in the palms of his hands.
"I think," he said, biting her ear, "that this calls for a celebration."
Billy tried to dig his heels into the ground when Axel pulled him by the arm and whispered, "Let's go."
"I don't want to go," the youth said, stubbornly. "I want to stay here with them.'' The lightning flickered again and he saw then what was happening. He grinned. "Oh yeh ... well, Axel ... well, let's go."
Down below them, the entire encampment was in an uproar. Someone in the Hessian camp had fired a gun toward the Indians who were whooping it up, screaming, and yelling. From the Fort, a cannon belched out a flaming cannon ball toward the Hessians, and Axel distinctly heard a voice yelling from behind the parapets, "Go to sleep you heathens."
"It sounds," the big German said, "as if is going to be one hell of a night." He looked behind him just as the lightning blazed again, and grinned broadly as he saw Robin and Elizabeth writhing on the grass. "One hell of a night!"