A Legend of the Chesapeake - The Adventure And The Rescue File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Charmaine Riley Holley. Arkivemom@aol.com USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations. _________________________________________________________________________ A Legend of the Chesapeake by John P. Kennedy article from "Southern Literary Messenger, A Magazine Devoted To Literature, Science and Art" VolXXIV-11 March, 1857. The Adventure And The Rescue (continued) As soon as the party had left the shallop upon their first arrival at Mr. Wormeley's, the wily Master Skreene discovered that he had business at a landing further up the river, and there he took his vessel - Wormely's being altogether too suspicious a place for him to be seen - and now, when Mrs. Talbot had returned to Wormeley's, Roger's business above, of course, was finished, and he dropped down again opposite the house on Monday evening, and the next morning took the Cornet and the lady on board. Having done this he drew out into the river. This brings us to Tuesday, the 10th of February. As soon as Mrs. Talbot was once more embarked in the shallop, Murray and Riley (I give Master Skreene's own account of the facts, as I find it in his testimony subsequently taken before the Council) made a pretext to go on shore, taking one of the men with them. They were going to look for a cousin of this man - so they told Skreene, - and besides that, intended to go to a tavern to buy a bottle of rum: all of which Skreene gives the council to understand he verily believed to be the real object of their visit. The truth was, that as soon as Murray and Riley and their companion had reached the shore, they were mounted on horseback, and galloped away in the direction of Gloucester prison. From the moment they disappeared on this gallop until their return, we have no account of what they did. But after this party was gone, Mrs. Talbot takes command, and, with a view to more privacy, orders Roger to anchor near the opposite shore of the river, in the concealment of a small inlet on the northern side. Skreene says he did this at her request, because she expressed a wish to taste some of the oysters from that side of the river, which he, with his usual facility, believed to be the only reason for getting into this unobserved harbor, and, to gratify her, he did as she desired. The day went by slowly to the lady on the water. Cold February, a little sloop, and the bleak roadstead at the mouth of the Rappahannock, brought but few comforts to the anxious wife, who sat muffled upon that unstable deck, watching the opposite shore, whilst the ceaseless splash of the waves breaking upon her ear, numbered the minutes that marked the still more weary day. She watched for the party who had galloped into the pine forest towards Gloucester, and for that cousin of whom Murray spoke to Master Skreene. But if the time dragged heavily with her, it flew with the Cornet and his companions. We cannot tell when the twenty miles to Gloucester were thrown behind them, but we know that the whole forty miles of going and coming were accomplished by sun-rise the next morning. For the deposition tells us that Roger Skreene had become very impatient at the absence of his passengers - at least so he swears to the Council - and he began to think, just after the sun was up, that, as they had not returned, they must have got into a revel at the tavern, and forgotten themselves, which made him think of re-crossing the river, and of going ashore to beat them up - when lo! all of a sudden, he spied a boat coming round the point within which he lay. And here arises a pleasant little dramatic scene, of some interest to our story. Mrs. Talbot had been up at the dawn and watched upon the deck, straining her sight, until she could see no more for tears; and, at length, unable to endure her emotion longer, had withdrawn to the cabin. Presently Skreene came hurrying down to tell her that the boat was coming, and, what surprised him there were four persons in it. 'Who is this fourth man' - he asked her with his habitual simplicity - 'and how are we to get him back to the shore again?' - a very natural question for Roger to ask after all that had passed in his presence! Mrs. Talbot sprang to her feet - her eyes sparking, as she exclaimed, with a cheery voice - 'Oh, his cousin has come!' and immediately ran upon the deck to await the approching party. There were pleasant, smiling faces all around, as the four men came over the sloop side; and, although the testimony is silent as the fact, there might have been some kissing on the occasion. The new comer was in a rough dress, and had the exteriour of a servant; and our skipper says, in his testimony, "that Mrs. Talbot spoke to him in the Irish language." Very volubly, I have no doubt, and that much was said that was never translated. When they came to a pause in this conversation, she told Skreene, by way of interpretation, "he need not be uneasy about the stranger's going on shore, nor delay any longer, as this person had made up his mind to go with them to Maryland." So the boat was made fast, the anchor weighed, the sails set, and the little sloop bent to the breeze and kissed the wave, as she rounded the headland and stood up the bay, with Col. George Talbot encircling with his arm his faithful wife, and with the gallant Murray sitting at his side. They had now an additonal reason for caution against search - so Murray ordered the skipper to shape his course over to the Eastern Shore, and to keep in between the islands and the main. This is a broad circuit outside of their course, but Roger is promised a reward by Mrs. Talbot to compensate him for his loss of time, and the skipper is very willing. They had fetched a compass, as the Scripture phrase is , to the shore of Dorcet county, and steered inside of Hooper's Island, into the mouth of Hungary river. Here it was a part of the scheme to dismiss the faithful Roger from further service. With this view they landed on the Island, and went to Mr. Hooper's house, where they procured a supply of provision, and, immediately afterwards, reimbarked - having clean forgotten Roger, until they were once more under full sail up the bay, and too far advanced to turn back. The deserted skipper bore his disappointment like a Christian, and being asked, on Hungary River, by a friend who met him there, and who gave his testimony before the Council, "What brought him there?" he replied " he had been left on the island by Madam Talbot." And to another - "Where Madam Talbot was," - he answered "she had gone up the bay to her own house." Then to a third question - "How he expected his pay?" he said, "He was to have it of Col. Darnell and Major Sowell; and that Madam Talbot had promised him a hogshead of tobacco extra, for putting ashore at Hooper's Island." The last question was, "What news of Talbot?" and Roger's answer - "He had not been within twenty mile of him; neither did he know anything about the Colonel; but on further discourse , he let fall that "he knew the Colonel never would come to a trial," - "that he knew this, but neither man, woman nor child, should know it, but those who knew it already." So Col. George Talbot is out of the hands of the proud Lord Effingham, and up the Bay with his wife and friends; and is buffeting the wintry head winds in a long voyage to the Elk river, which, in due time he reaches in safety. The End I wish that there were more and that we were not missing out the bit of what happened at the rescue but I am glad to have what we have. I wish all history was taught this way and I hope that more people will incorporate this type of history into their own geneology. I also hope that all of you enjoyed this glimpse into time as much as I did. Slán agus beannacht - Charmaine Riley Holley