Blood on the Frontier

(Source)

Ensign Charles Mayberry stepped outside of the fort's stockade, as he did so he brushed imaginary specks of dust and lint off of his uniform coat. It was a coat he was very proud of and he wore it every chance he got. Now that war seemed imminent, that was all of the time.

Mayberry had done well in New England. He had been a successful trader in Boston but had grown tired of the town and longed to see the frontier. When the governor of New Hampshire issued a proclamation indicating that that colony intended to raise a number of independent infantry companies for service on the frontier, Mayberry had hurried to Portsmouth, the capital of that colony, with a letter of introduction from a business acquaintance who knew the governor.

He had been disappointed in having to settle for a commission as an ensign, in light of his absolute lack of military experience, but the man appointed as captain, one Samuel Jenkins, was a decent enough fellow and he and Mayberry got along quite well. Which is what had led to Mayberry being dispatched along with twenty-five men to this outpost on the Cannitticutt River. Jenkins trusted the younger man more because of his business acumen than for any military qualities he might possess. Mayberry's success in business marked him as an organized man, careful with his assets. Good qualities in a soldier.

"Sergeant Adams, please accompany me down to the river." Mayberry had called out to his sergeant because he was still somewhat nervous about being out here in the open. Rumors of Abenaki war parties were rife and Mayberry thought that having the sergeant and his flintlock along would perhaps deter any nearby natives long enough for him to survey the land along the river. The sergeant came out of the stockade just as Mayberry was lighting his pipe.

"Certainly Sir, not much to worry about right now I think, but better safe than sorry me Mum always said."

Josiah Adams had been a soldier in a regular regiment of foot before coming to New England. He had been mustered out during one of Parliament's attempts to save money by cutting the size of the army. With no prospects in England, he had decided to try his chances in the New World.

He had worked as a dockhand in Portsmouth for a time but he tired of that and when the governor issued a call for experienced men, he jumped at the chance. Based on his experience he had been made a sergeant right away, which was an increase in pay as well. Service on the frontier didn't worry him, he'd faced French regulars in battle, how tough could these natives be?

Black Deer turned to his companion and gestured for him to bring up the rest of the war party. Spotted Wolf nodded and slid back into the brush. He had seen the same thing the party's leader had noted. Two of the English were outside of the protection of the small fort and they had left the gate open!

The war band of the Goasiak¹ numbered twenty-five warriors, they took up positions at the forest's edge, one party by the river, a second party in the forest to the left, and waited for the signal from Black Deer to begin their attack. As the men watched, the two Englishmen began walking to the river. One was smoking a pipe, the other, an older man, had a firestick but held it casually, as if he wasn't expecting trouble.

Black Deer decided to start the action himself, he drew his bow and sighted on the man with the firestick. The man in the fancy coat smoking a pipe had no weapon, so he would die second.

On a whim, Mayberry stopped and turned to his sergeant, "Sergeant Adams, have the men fall out, I wish to exercise them."

"Sir?"

"Don't you agree that the men would benefit from extra firing drills?"

Adams raised his hat and said, "Very good Sir!" then turned on his heel and moved towards the fort, bellowing for the company to muster.

Just after Adams began his move to the fort, an arrow stabbed into the turf at the sergeant's heel. He didn't notice it immediately but Mayberry did. He drew a pistol from his sash, checked that it was primed and cocked it.

The war party hesitated, they had expected to dash from cover when they saw an Englishman fall, that didn't happen, most didn't even see the arrow in the ground near the soldier's foot. They did see the Englishman with the fancy coat pull something from that coat. They watched him fiddle with it, none were familiar with pistols, then watched as the man extended his arm, pointing his hand towards the river and their leader's party. They were stunned when they saw flame and smoke issue from the end of the man's outstretched hand. What sorcery was this?

As Mayberry saw the natives towards the river, he saw one man with a bow, drawing an arrow as he watched. Can't have that, he thought, then he extended his arm. aimed, and pulled the trigger. He owned a very fine set of duelling pistols, specially made for him on the Continent. They were very accurate and he loved to practice with them. That practice paid off this day.

Black Deer felt as if he had been punched in the lower part of his chest, very hard. It caused him to drop the arrow he had been about to place on his bow. The two warriors nearest to him were staring at him in alarm. They had seen the Englishman point his hand and then had seen flames and smoke issue from that hand. The Englishman in the fancy coat had a firestick for an arm, that's all they could assume.

Spotted Wolf watched in shock as Black Deer fell to one knee, blood was pouring from the wound in his chest. "Take him to last night's camp," he told two of the men.

As Spotted Wolf looked up, there were more Englishmen near the fort, they all had firesticks. It was time to run or to attack.

Spotted Wolf was a cautious man, he didn't understand what he had just seen, he was also somewhat terrified. A man with a firestick for an arm, what strange creatures these Englishmen were!

"All of you, back to the camp!" As they began to move off, a volley from the Englishmen passed overhead, the hissing of the balls made the men move that much faster. Spotted Wolf called out to the others in the forest, "Fly, back to the camp!"

Mayberry was tempted to fire his second pistol at the backs of the fleeing Indians, but decided against it. The captain had cautioned him about getting involved in actual fighting, "Remember old boy, you're there to lead the men and direct their efforts. Fighting is such a pedestrian activity don't you know? Best leave that to the soldiery. We use our brains to fight!"

As Adams bellowed for the company to reload, Mayberry saw another party of Indians break from cover to his right, they too seemed to be fleeing. He thought for a moment, then said, "Right Sergeant! Let's get the lads back into the fort before the savages give it another try!"

Spotted Wolf was beside himself. They had tried their best to keep Black Deer alive but he had succumbed to his wound shortly after arriving back at their previous night's campsite. A number of the men wanted to go back to the fort and attack the English who had killed their leader. Spotted Wolf knew that that would only lead to more dead warriors.

"I have a better idea." Spotted Wolf knew of a small English settlement just up the river. There were no soldiers there.

"We must prepare Black Deer for his journey to the spirit world." Spotted Wolf announced.

"Here? In this desolate place?" One of the men protested.

"No, there is a grove of white pine just to the east of here. We shall bury him there. It is fitting, after all, are we not the people of the white pines? After that, we go to the English settlement up the river. We shall kill the men and take the women and children captive. Tomorrow we paint ourselves black, to remember our war chief."

War had come to the frontier once more.

¹ Also known to the Europeans as the Cowasuck.

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