“You two boys make a likely pair. Ye both really do credit to my judgment in pickin’ ye out. How long ye been here, Don?”
“Only a few days. You’ve heard about Stark and the battle at Bennington, of course?”
“We certain have. He gave those Hessians a sound drubbing if reports are correct. He was at Trenton, you know. Was disgruntled, because he didn’t get the promotion he wanted, an’ went home.”
“Lucky he did. He was just the man needed to do that job at Bennington. I went as messenger to Portsmouth and heard John Langdon, the speaker of the New Hampshire assembly, pledge his property to fit out Stark. That’s the kind of statesmen to have.”
“A durned sight better than the majority of those in Congress. Whar is yer Uncle Dick, at home worryin’ about ye?”
Donald laughed, and then his face grew serious as 224 he said, “No. He joined Stark and I’m the one who is worrying about him.”
“General Arnold played a good trick on St. Leger, when he sent that decoy messenger to him with the cock-and-bull story about the reinforcements marching to Fort Stanwix bein’ thicker than the leaves on the trees,” remarked Zeb.
“And wasn’t that a glorious fight poor old Herkimer’s men made against the Tories and Brandt’s Indians? That must have been terrible, a regular hand-to-hand struggle. Yes, Arnold is here and many think he should have the command.”
“And I’m one o’ the number,” said Zeb, stoutly. “That man has more courage an’ energy than the whole Continental Congress. Look at the way he fought in the Canadian campaign! They tell me, though the British defeated the fleet of boats he built to oppose ’em on the lake, that no man ever led a braver struggle against greater odds and got away without bein’ captured. He was ready to resign before this Burgoyne campaign, an’ I wouldn’t hev blamed him. He doesn’t know how to git along without making enemies, for, when he has anything to do, he goes at it hammer and tongs no matter whose toes he treads on, but he gets it done, by hook or by crook.”
“You know, Zeb, that somehow I never had great liking for him, but he certainly is a brave, resourceful leader. I think he’s the most ambitious man in the service.”