was de cap'en. He tun in, and bring his guns to bear on de
shore, and under deir cover de soldiers and de bluejackets landed. Dere
was a high hill, wid de fort full of French soldiers on de top of it.
`Dere, my brave fellow, we have to go up dere,' said de Kunnel. De
seamen was commanded by Cap'en Robert Faulkner. He bery brave man. I
could just tall you how many brave tings he did; how he lash de bowsprit
of de enemy to his own mainmast, and neber let her go till he took her,
and den was shot through de heart in de hour of victory. Well, de
gen'ral say to us--`Now, boys, we don't want firing, but just let de
enemy feel de cold steel. Dey don't like dat. Soldiers, use bagonets.
Bluejackets, use your pikes and cutlashes.' `Ay, ay, sir,' we shout;
and den up de hill we go--up! up! De faster we go de better for us, for
de French bullets come down peppering pretty sharp. We just near de
top, and de enemy begin to look bery blue, when I see de Kunnel's right
arm drop--he was only a cap'en den--his sword fell from his hand, but he
seize it wid de oder hand, and wave it above his head, shouting, `On,
boys, on.' We reach de fort: de Frenchmen fire wid de guns, and poke at
us wid de pikes, and swear at us wid deir mouds, and grapeshot and
musket-balls come rattling down about our heads; but dat no stop us; and
on we went till we got into de fort, and trou de gates, and den de
Frenchmen, who had fought bery well, but could fight no more, rushed
away. Just den I see de Kunnel look bery pale, just like one nigger
when he frightened, and he goed round and round, and would hab fallen,
but Clump caught him in de arms, and den Clump put him on de ground, and
shouted for de doctor, and ran and got some water, and de doctors came
and splashed water in de Kunnel's face, and he oped his eyes, and he
say, `Tank you, Clump.' Yes, de Kunnel, dis ole nigger's massa, tank
him on de field of battle. When de dear Massa got better, he one day
take de coat and say to me, `Here, Clump, you and I went up dat hill,
and it's a mercy we eber came down again. It's my belief if you hadn't
got de water dat day to throw in my face, I should never have come round
again; and so, Clump, here, take dis coat, I'll gub tur you to r'member
dis fite.' And now dese gemmen laff at deir gran'pa's coat! but black
Clump, ole nigger, _lub_ it! Yaas, he'll lub it till he's 'posited in
de bowels ob de arth."
The remembrance of my grandfather and that prou
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