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Some three day's journey from Williamsburg, there stood a settlement
which would puzzle an European traveller of our day to tell what it was.
It was neither house, barn, stable nor fort—but a compound of the whole, or
rather of many of them. It was called in the language of the country, “a
block house.” There was a strong picket fence running round an open
area, and round the inside of these, built in with the fort, were various houses
or shantees—some one story and some two; the latter having loop holes to
shoot through, and commanding the approach to that side of the pallisade.
Out side again, were some twenty straggling huts or cabins, which were all
occupied in day time, but closed at night, for the owners slept within the fort.

This was not the great frontier station, Germana, to which more than one
of our characters are now wending their way, but had originally been a
trading station for similar purposes. It was now a sort of half way house, a
convenient protection for travellers as well as the small planters and traders
around.

It was about dusk several days after the one alluded to in the last chapter,
when a traveller on foot with a bundle of clothes tied up in a handkerchief
and thrown over a stick which he carried upon his shoulder, arrived at the
settlement. He was weary and wayworn and his shoes covered with the
dust of the road. About his face there was a settled dejection, at the same
time a winning grace which would have commanded the sympathy of any
one not hardened by constantly rubbing against a cold and unfeeling world.
The women and children around the block house were driving in their cows
and sheep and poultry, for at night the open area was a sort of stock pen.
Hall, for it was none other than the late Tutor, took his bundle in his hand
and rested upon his cane, watching listlessly the while, the proceedings of
the women and children in their rural occupations.

“You need'nt wait for an invitation,” said one of the women—“the block
house is free to all travellers—the only thing is to get something to eat when
you are in there.”

“And will you not furnish me, my good woman, either for love or money?”

“Faith and with that bonny face of yours you may well ask, but I doubt you
have been a wild blade in your day, from that same cut across your cheek.”

“That, my good woman, was got in no private brawl.”

“It matters not to me if it was, you shall have your supper all the same.”

Hall was soon seated near one corner of a log fire, with his plate of
smoking viands on one end of a rude bench and himself on the other. From
the rapidity of his operations he was neither dainty nor fastidious in his appetite,
and what was still less romantic, he was very soon after leaning with his
head against the logs, and snoring away at a great rate. He had not long
been thus occupied, before a loud noise at the entrance announced other
arrivals, bearing which, he rose and lifted the rude seat upon which he had
been reclining to the farthest and darkest corner of the room, and again
seated himself, wrapped up in his cloak, that he might examine unobserved
the new comers. The same woman soon after entered, ushering in Capt.
Spotswood and the young Indian, followed by his servant bearing his portmanteau.
Every one about the place was soon afoot when it was ascertained that
the son of the Governor was within the block, and he consequently found no
difficulty in obtaining such accommodations as the place afforded. He walked
round the enclosure and examined into the condition of the place. He found
the lowest state of discipline prevailing, and since the erection of the fort at

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Germana, and the general peace with the Indians, that all precautionary
measures had been abandoned, and the place literally turned into a fold for
cattle, rather than a military post. One of the primary Indian schools was
also kept at this place, and this also he found in the most languishing condition.
For an hour he was engaged examining the orderly who had charge of
the establishment, and the master who had charge of the school, together
with such Rangers as were left, their horses, equipments, &c., in order to
ascertain if he could press any of them into the service of the expedition.
The horses he found to consist of some dozen wretched skeletons, which he
declared the ravens were only prevented from carrying off by their poverty.
The arms were very little better; the holsters of one soldier carried a single
pistol without a flint—another presented his sword rusty and without scabbard
or belt, and so on. John swore, that Falstaff's company were veteran soldiers
compared to this remnant of the Rangers of the district. While he was
laughing alternately over the ridiculous figure which they cut, and cursing
the orderly by whose neglect such a state of things had been brought about,
a gentleman and his servant rode into the enclosure, without let or hindrance.
“Ah, Lee,” said John as he recognized that young gentleman, as he came
full under the reflection of the pine torches which one of the wiry haired
urchins of the forest bore—“just from the capital?”

“No Captain Spotswood, I left the city several days ago, and come now
from another direction, but what have you here, is it possible your are marching
toward the frontier with such a troop as this!”

“Oh, no, not so bad as that either”—and he laughed immoderately at the
idea—“I was only inspecting the condition of the garrison, to see how many
troops I could muster into my father's tramontane army. You see he has litle
dependence in this quarter—ten equestrian skeletons—twelve Rangers, with
ragged uniforms—one stupid orderly, (or disorderly,)—five rusty sabres—three
pistol barrels—and saddles which it would puzzle a philosopher to tell which
would win the victory—they, by cutting the horses in two, or the horses by
cutting them in two. If the enemies of the expedition could only have
paraded this troop upon the Capitol green, while the subject was under
discussion, they would have turned the whole thing into ridicule.” Here
both the young gentlemen and even the soldiers and servants went off into a
merry fit of laughter, in the midst of which the torch light review was
adjourned, and the two young gentlemen retired to the same room into which
we have already introduced previous arrivals. John cast a hasty glance round
the apartment, in order to whisper a few words into the ear of his page, but
it was entirely empty, with the exception of Lee and himself. He saw that
the sleeping traveller had vanished as well as the person whom he sought,
but the circumstance made no impression, and he remarked not upon it—
apparently satisfied that his young protegee had discretion enough to keep out
of sight of those by whom they were known.

Hall had quietly withdrawn, upon perceiving through the logs of the hut,
the new additions to the party. He remained in the shadow of one of the
buildings, until he saw the two young men fairly seated at their rude supper,
and then without any guide or conductor, entered what appeared to be one of
the most remote and retired buildings of the establishment, and threw himself
down upon some straw already spread upon the floor, and worn out with
fatigue and exhaustion of mind and body, fell into one of those profound slumbers
which only those know who inure their bodies to labor and fatigue.
Rude as his couch was, he had accidentally stumbled into the best chamber in
the establishment, and that one appropriated as the sleeping apartment of the
stranger and wayfarer. One by one the other travellers found their way into
the same apartment. Each one as he entered rolled his cloak about him and
threw himself upon the straw without inquiry as to his bedfellows. Few even

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of the gentry at the time of which we write, but had roughed it, after a
similar fashion, whenever business or pleasure led them toward the frontier,
and though this was by no means on the extreme borders of civilization, yet
the settlements were becoming few and far between, and even these were
mostly upon the low lands of the rivers. Upon nearly every public road,
there was to he found at convenient distances, these military posts, and the
traveller through the wilderness did not inquire in the morning before setting
out, how many miles to such a tavern, but if it is possible to arrive at such
and such a block house before night. His provisions for the noon meal, and
often for the day and night, he carried with him.

After all the male portion of our travellers were snugly stowed away upon
their straw pallets, and more than one of them giving loud evidence of the
sincerity with which they worshipped at the shrine of the drowsy God—
Wingina, with the stealthy tread of a cat, entered the same apartment.
Spotswood had secretly sought a few words with her ere he retired to rest, and
positively ordered the arrangements differently, and the poor, care-worn creature
had indeed endeavored to find repose elsewhere, but an undefinable dread of
coming evil, which her superstitious nature could neither withstand nor resist,
prevented her from sleeping so far away from the only protector which she
had in this world, and she surreptitiously entered as we have seen. She
paused at the threshold, to listen to the deep breathing and loud snoring of the
sleepers to assure herself that they all slept ere she laid herself down to follow
their example. A blanket nailed across the entrance, supplied the place of a
a door, and neither sentry nor guard was stationed there, or at the great
entrance of the block-house, though she had heard Capt. Spotswood positively
order the sergeant, that a corporal's guard should do alternate duty at the
gate. She had gone the rounds herself, and if any sentry pretended to guard
the great entrance, he slept too soundly to be disturbed by her light tread.
She walked among the sleepers and stooped to examine their countenances
by the star light, until she could find the one she sought.

The first one she examined was Hall, and she gazed upon his face and
hastily withdrew to the one who slept next—it was the one she sought. Long
and earnestly she gazed upon the sleeping countenance of him she loved, by
the doubtful light afforded. She crouched down beside him, and watched
over his slumbers for some time, occasionally, however, her eye roaming over
the other sleepers. Becoming accustomed to the darkness of the place, she
soon discovered the various positions of the parties. Lee slept on the other
side of Spotswood, from that occupied by Hall, but at a greater distance; and
further still, towards the door, lay the two servants. Folding a cloak about her
person, which Spotswood had furnished her for the purpose, she laid herself
down immediately across the door way so that should she even fall asleep, she
might be the first aroused by any one moving, and thus escape before it was
clearly daylight. She, too, was worn out by the fatigues of the long and
weary days' journey and though for a while wakeful with her foreboding fancies,
nature, or rather matter, obtained the mastery over mind, and she slept as
sound as the rest.