By an Associate.
Continuing the narrative that began here.
“The honor is mine, General Fayette. I have heard much of your accomplishments in France.”
“Have you truly?” asked General La Fayette.
“Well, no. But I thought it would be a thing to say. Did it not sound well? We have arranged for you to make your headquarters in a small house nearby; not a palace, but commodious in its way.”
“Your consideration is very appreciated,” said La Fayette. “But tell me—is it that you have heard a sound, which one might describe as ‘yapping’?”
“Yapping? No, I don’t believe so.”
“Ah! It is good. I have fear that Sophie might have followed me from the France. One must be careful, you know.”
“A lady friend?” asked Washington.
“No! Sophie, she is caniche, yes? Poodle. My mortal enemy, though one sees her not.”
“And she lives to deepen your sorrows, to blast your victories, and to hound you to an early grave?”
“Yes! By blue, Washington, how is it that you knew?”
“My word, Fayette! I knew you were a great general the moment I saw you. All great military commanders (as I learned, sir, from one of the greatest of them all) are pursued throughout their careers by the forces of envy and malice, personified in malevolent invisible animals. I myself have been relentlessly dogged by the mule Irving.” Washington stooped down and shook General La Fayette’s hand warmly, and from that moment the two were the best of friends.
And then there appeared another officer from the clot of French soldiers, and it seemed that were was something familiar about him. But it was Washington who recognized him first.
“Lieutenant de Trop!” he called out in delight.
“It’s Colonel de Trop now,” the officer replied with a smile. “And my heavens, you are the same Washington I met at Fort Le Boeuf! But I believe you have grown somewhat taller.”
“I may have done, Colonel, but I have not outgrown my gratitude to you. You remember Mr. Gist, of course.”
I shook the colonel’s hand and exchanged polite greetings with him. Much later, when Washington and La Fayette had gone off together, I asked the colonel, “Is your name really de Trop?”
“General Washington,” he replied, “is a hero to every true Frenchman, and my name, sir, is whatever he wants it to be. And who is this very charming officer?” he asked, turning to Susanna.
“My wife Susanna,” I replied. “Susanna, this is Colonel, uh, de Trop, who was very courteous to us when Washington and I visited Fort Le Boeuf years ago.”
“Very pleased to meet you, sir,” Susanna said, offering her hand.
Instead of shaking her hand, the colonel raised it to his lips and kissed it. “Upon my faith, Mr. Gist, I should never have believed it if one had told it to me, but you Americans have made an improvement in gallantry of which we French had not even dreamed. What man would not beg to join your army if he might serve under such delightful officers?”
“Susanna is…unique,” I said.
“General Washington believes I am a man named Phillips,” Susanna explained. “And, as you say, my name is whatever he wants it to be.”
“And why, if I may be forgiven for asking, did you come into the army in the first place?” the colonel asked.
“It seemed to me, sir, that the military life would afford me more opportunities for indulging in my favorite pastime.”
“What is that, dear lady?” the colonel asked with a smile.
“Killing Redcoats,” she replied with a sweet smile of her own.
Before the colonel could make any answer to that, a loud voice came from behind him, rapidly approaching: “Mine God! This is what they an army call? It is not possible!”
“Oh,” said the colonel. “Mr. Gist, and, uh, Captain Phillips, this is a friend of General La Fayette’s, Baron von Steuben. Baron von Steuben, Captain Phillips and Mr. Gist.”
Ignoring the introduction, the Baron continued, “No uniforms of which to speak of, tents will he und also nill he distributed, no military exercises I see anywhere—this is the most ragged und tagged mess which I ever have seen! Und look you—negresses for officers!”
Susanna’s right hand was involuntarily closing into a fist. I gave her a warning glance, which was like giving a gentle word of admonition to an earthquake.
Fortunately Colonel de Trop intervened, desperately working to keep the conversation pleasant. “Baron von Steuben is a Prussian, and a great believer in military discipline.”
“Until today!” the Baron barked. “Now, mine God! I know not. Believe I even that military discipline exists? But yes, if my way I have, your American army disciplined shall be!”
“Oh,” I said. “Well…thank you.”
“Good luck,” Susanna added quietly.
In the morning Washington, Susanna, and I rose early and walked over to La Fayette’s headquarters, where we found him busy nailing a brass plaque to the door, a plaque on which was engraved,
“Ah! Washington, my friend!” he said as he continued hammering. “You will forgive me for completing this task, but I wished to lose no time. Gratitude is like the concombre, yes?”
“I know precisely what you mean!” Washington exclaimed in delight. “Ah, Fayette, we shall get along famously.”
Meanwhile Baron von Steuben had gone around the camp and roused a large number of sergeants at dawn, and was now drilling them in an open field, shouting insults that they only half-comprehended.
“That will not end well for Steuben,” Susanna remarked.
I told her to give the man a chance.
“I am giving him a chance,” she replied. “I am giving him a chance to get a blackened eye from them instead of me.”
Later, as we were pulling Baron von Steuben out of the barrel of sauerkraut into which he had been thrust upside-down, Parson Weems suggested a small wager: which would kill the Baron first—the enlisted men or Susanna? I told him I did not believe in gambling, at which he reminded me that he wore the collar, not I. I in turn reminded him that Steuben would also have me to deal with if he offered any insult to Susanna, and therefore his wager did not take all the possibilities into account; but Weems replied, “No, Gist; for we both know, begging your pardon, that no insult to Susanna goes unavenged long enough for you to intervene.” To all this the Baron said nothing; but as soon as he was cleaned up, he was out drilling some enlisted men again, which I thought showed admirable patience.
Our supper that evening was delayed until Baron von Steuben had cleaned himself up after being pulled out of the latrine; but once we were all seated, we ate better than we had done in quite some time. The French had brought not only soldiers, but money as well, and it was remarkable how quickly supplies appeared for sale when it was known that there were golden louis to be had, as well as the Spanish milled dollars we had brought from Virginia. La Fayette, whose disposition was naturally generous, made sure the American soldiers ate as well as the French did. Cries of “Long live Fayette!” could be heard all over the camp. I was glad to see the men so happy, and I was also glad to share in the excellent claret which La Fayette had brought with him. Washington made sure, for his part, to bring out his finest Madeira. Soon a friendly dispute arose, with La Fayette contending for the superiority of French claret, and Washington taking the part of Madeira, while Steuben advanced the claims of the hock from the valley of the Moselle. After much discussion among the three of them, Washington proposed a toast to “Germany, France, and Madeira, which have labored so fruitfully to give us pleasure.” And then he continued:
“If it will not offend you, gentlemen, I should like to tell you a story, which was related to me by my late brother Lawrence; for it has no little bearing on the matter under discussion. Once, so it is said, there were three merchants: a seller of hock, a seller of claret, and a seller of Madeira; and as they traveled they happened to meet along the road. As their businesses were so similar, they naturally conceived friendly feelings one for another; and when evening came, they stopped together at the same inn.
“In this inn, they naturally fell to discussing the relative merits of their merchandise; and the innkeeper overhearing their conversation, that worthy gentleman approached them, saying, ‘Sirs, I have heard your dispute over which wine is the best, and I would have you know, gentlemen, that it is a question to which I alone possess the answer; for in that cask in the corner of the room, sirs, is the best wine in the world.’
“ ‘By all means,’ said the claret merchant, ‘let us try a sample of this wine; if it is truly the best in the world, we will not stick at the price.’
“ ‘I may not open the cask,’ the innkeeper replied, ‘for I have given my solemn word; nor have I ever tasted the wine myself.’
“ ‘But, good heavens, man, how can you say it is the best wine in the world,’ asked the merchant of Madeira, ‘if you have never even tasted it?’
“ ‘Ah,’ said the innkeeper, ‘it is because of the circumstances under which I received the cask; and when I have once narrated them to you, I am so certain that you will agree that this is the best wine in the world, that I will wager you your night’s accommodations on it. These circumstances, sirs, I will now relate.
“ ‘When I was some years younger, my father left me this inn, which to speak in very truth was not so much of an inheritance; for it was not as much frequented in those days, and many nights would pass when nary a traveler appeared. It was on one of those nights, when I had gone to bed already—for it was a night of intermittent but ferocious storms, and such a night as no wise traveler would choose for his journey,—it was on such a night, I say, that I was awakened by a pounding on the front door. Dressing hastily, I took a candle in my hand and descended the stairs, where the pounding still continued. As soon as I opened the door, a hooded figure dashed in past me and took a position in the parlor by the last dying embers of the fire. I closed the door and followed; but you may well imagine my surprise when the hood was thrown back to reveal the most beautiful face I have ever beheld in my life. It was a young woman, no more than one-and-twenty, with an ivory complexion brought into relief by cheeks flushed with carmine, and a cascade of loose hair as red as flame.
“ ‘ “Madam,” said I, “how may I be of assistance?”
“ ‘ “If you would be so good as to start the fire again, I should be most grateful,” she replied; “and then, sir, I have great need of a worthy man to whom I can entrust the priceless treasure that sits on the wagon outside.”
“ ‘ “If it be within my power to assist you,” I assured her, “you shall be assisted.”
“ ‘ “But I must first determine whether it is in your power,” said she. “When you have made the fire, I shall tell you my conditions.”
“ ‘It was the work of a moment to lay more logs and kindling on the fire and fan it into a roaring flame. As soon as the heat filled the room, the lady let her cloak fall; and if my eyes had been ravished before, you may be sure that I could barely speak now: for the lady was dressed, not for traveling, but for a grand ball, with innumerable jewels, the chief of which was a pendant that hung into her bosom and terminated in the most prodigious carbuncle I have ever seen, or ever heard tell of.
“ ‘ “And now, sir,” said she, “you have the right to know who I am, and why I must demand that you be worthy of my trust; for the favor I have to ask of you may seem a slight thing, but I had rather lose my life than entrust my treasure to anyone unworthy. When you know the facts of the case, sir, you will understand what I mean.
“ ‘ “My father, sir, was a gentleman who, if he was not worthy to be denominated rich, was at least comfortable in life, save that he had lost the one comfort for which he would have exchanged all the others; that is, his wife, my mother, who died when I was but an infant. He always showed the most tender regard for me, and (you will pardon a tear or two) he made sure that I lacked nothing which could tend to my happiness.
“ ‘ “Nevertheless, as his only daughter, I was perforce much alone, and as I grew into a young woman, I was much addicted to long walks in the country round about our house. On one of those perambulations I met a young man walking the other way; we talked; we parted with the intention of meeting again on the morrow; and that night, sir, I thought of nothing but Christian (for Christian was the name of this young man), and in the morning counted the hours till I should meet him again. I shall be brief: we met each day after that, and the more I saw of him, the more my heart yearned for him. Nor did he appear to be without feeling for me; a thousand times he seemed on the verge of speaking his heart, and a thousand times stopped himself, until at last I could forbear no longer, and spoke to him boldly:
“ ‘ “ ‘If you have somewhat to say to me, Christian,’ said I, ‘let not doubt stand in your way; for believe me, my disposition is such that I would hear whatever you would say most willingly.’
“ ‘ “At this he sighed piteously and replied, ‘Alas, dear Eleanor, would that I could speak what is in my heart; but if I were to do so, it would mean death to one who in no wise deserves to die.’
“ ‘ “ ‘What can you mean by that?’ I asked. ‘Have you a wife already? For if you have, I conjure you to return to her at once and—’
“ ‘ “ ‘I have no wife,’ he said, interrupting me, ‘but what I have is far more of an impediment: indeed, I should not scruple to call it a curse.’
“ ‘ “ ‘No curse,’ said I, ‘is without hope, so long as we trust in God and despair not.’
“ ‘ “ ‘My curse, however,’ said he, ‘is so nearly hopeless that despair is but reason; for it can be broken in only one way, and that a very unlikely one. Yet until the curse is broken, the very night I take a wife, an innocent man must die the most ignominious of deaths.’
“ ‘ “I own that my heart sank at these words, but I persisted in believing that no curse could be without its remedy. ‘How can this be?’ I asked. ‘Is there nothing within your power,—or—or mine,—which would lift this terrible curse from your head?’
“ ‘ “ ‘Whether it be within your power I shall leave you to judge,’ said he, ‘when you have heard my tale, which is one of the most marvelous, and yet one of the most tragic, ever told by mortal lips.
“ ‘ “ ‘I was the youngest son of a gentleman who, though he possessed many virtues, had a weakness for cards, so that he had squandered most of his fortune by the time I reached my majority. Having no other prospects, I determined to go to sea, and found a place aboard a ship owned by a prosperous wine-merchant. The duties were hard, but I was capable, and had fate not made other plans for me, I might still be a sailor today.
“ ‘ “ ‘On my very first voyage, however, a tempest arose from the west, and buffeted our poor ship so severely that we were constrained to toss our cargo over the rail. When it came to the last cask, however, the merchant was so reluctant to part with it that he and the captain began a struggle that might had terminated with the death of one of them, had Nature herself not intervened by giving the boat such a toss at that moment that the barrel flew overboard on its own. At this the merchant was so wildly distraught that he began tearing his hair and shouting at the sailors to leap after the cask; and, finding no one willing to do so, he rushed against me, and, before I knew what he was about, had thrust me overboard. I struggled in the water and called for help, but in vain; the ship and I were so rapidly parted that no one could even contemplate my rescue. The cask, however, was floating close at hand, and I was able to haul myself up on it and ride out the tempest in that manner.
“ ‘ “ ‘For two days I floated on that cask, which I dared not pierce for fear of sinking it. A merciful Providence, after the tempest, sent me occasional light rains, which, forming puddles on the top of the cask, gave me sufficient fresh water to drink. On the third day, I spotted an island, and to my inexpressible joy the wind and current carried me straight to the sandy shore, where I was deposited gently by the lapping waves.
“ ‘ “ ‘Having thanked the Almighty for delivering me from the grasp of the sea, I took a look at my surroundings. The beach was bordered by a forest of palms and tropical trees, which I hoped might yield some sort of fruit; and indeed so it proved. So delighted was I by my discovery that I must have spent half an hour picking the grape-like berries of a species of palm before I noticed that, in the distance, I could hear the sound of rushing water—not the sea, but a steady sound from the interior of the island. Following the sound, I made my way through the verdant forest, until I came upon a scene that took my breath away; for there was a cascade of water at least a hundred feet high, and beside it a ruined temple festooned with barbarous but skillful carvings. Having drunk my fill of the clear water, I turned my attention to the exotic beauty of the temple, which was somewhat overgrown with vines, but still intact enough that the artistic taste of the architect and sculptors was evident. Monkeys chattered at me from the roof, and birds called from the trees, but there was no evidence that any man had set foot here within recent memory.
“ ‘ “ ‘Enough of the roof was left that it seemed to me the temple would make an admirable shelter for the night. I entered, and found myself between two rows of columns, each column covered with intricate reliefs, and the whole interior drawing the eye to a statue of a woman or goddess at the other end. The woman was represented as seated, and even in that position the statue was at least fifteen feet high; it was of remarkable beauty; but what captivated me most was the way the eyes appeared to glow with a deep red light. As I approached more nearly, I perceived that the apparent glow was the glinting of two prodigious carbuncles which served the statue for eyes.
“ ‘ “ ‘I am not by nature a greedy man, but it seemed to me that two such jewels in a temple long abandoned were doing no one any good, and therefore might as well belong to me as to anyone else. I approached the statue, scattering a troop of monkeys, and began to climb it; and I was just stretching forth my hand to grasp the carbuncle in the left eye when a voice right beside me spoke:
“ ‘ “ ‘ “ ’Tis not for mortal hands to touch the eye of the goddess!”
“ ‘ “ ‘I looked, but saw only a monkey sitting on the shoulder of the statue. “Who spoke?” I asked, and you may be sure that I was quite astonished when the monkey replied,
“ ‘ “ ‘ “I spoke—I, the guardian of the temple.”
“ ‘ “ ‘ “But you are a monkey,” said I, lowering myself to sit on the knee of the statue. “How is it that you speak, and in my own tongue?”
“ ‘ “ ‘ “That,” replied the monkey, “is my curse, and my blessing, and I cannot explain more, unless I tell you my history.”
“ ‘ “ ‘ “Nothing would delight me more,” said I; “for until now I believed myself alone on this island.”
“ ‘ “ ‘ “Then I shall be happy to tell you,” said the monkey, sitting on the other knee of the statue. “I was not always a monkey. I was born a man like you, and in the course of time became the priest of this temple. I performed my duties, I believe, most assiduously; and the temple prospered under my care, until one day three men came to the island from far away, and stopped at my temple, evidently with the intention of persuading me to purchase something from them.
“ ‘ “ ‘ “ ‘I,’ said the first, ‘am a seller of hock, which is without a doubt the finest wine in the world.’
“ ‘ “ ‘ “ ‘Begging your pardon, sir,’ said the second, ‘but I contend that the claret of the blessed land of Bordeaux, which I have the honor to sell, surpasses all other wines whatsoever.’
“ ‘ “ ‘ “ ‘Neither of them,’ said the third, ‘can hold a candle to my Madeira.’ ” ’ ” ’
“And that, gentlemen, is the story my brother Lawrence told me,” Washington concluded.
There was silence in the room for half a minute, and then Parson Weems demanded, “What? Where is the rest of it? What of the priest who turned into a monkey?”
“And the curse of the man who must die an ignominious death?” added Susanna.
“And the beautiful red-haired lady?”
“With the prodigious carbuncle pendant?”
“And the ball gown on a stormy night?”
“And her love for the cursed young man?”
“And the innkeeper who must prove himself worthy?”
“And the cask of the best wine in the world?”
“Which he can know is the best without tasting it?”
“And the three men who wagered their night’s lodging?”
“That was the way the story always ended when Lawrence told it,” said Washington. “I remember specifically because that was always where his wife came in and said, ‘Lawrence! Are you filling little Georgie’s head with that nonsense again? You know what my Uncle Henry said about those stories. He said, “I met a man once who started to tell a story that went like this: ‘Once there—’ ” ’ ”
“No!” cried Susanna. Then, seeing that all eyes had turned to her, she added, “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”
The arrival of the French changed the balance of the war considerably. The British evacuated Philadelphia almost immediately, and French fleets gave the British navy no end of trouble on the seas. Furthermore, the discipline introduced by Baron von Steuben had a salutary effect on our army. By coordinating their efforts to drop the Baron down wells, tar and feather him, &c., the men learned to work together as a unit.
For three more years the fortunes of war favored first one side and then the other, but it was becoming more and more difficult for the British to hold any temporary gains they had made. Eventually, when the news came that Cornwallis had landed his army in Virginia, it seemed that the time had come for a decisive stroke.
To be continued in Chapter X. Or you can order the whole book now and spare yourself the wait.