CHAPTER LX.
Arrival of a Strange Sail.- Agitation at Astoria.- Warlike Offer of Comcomly. - Astoria
Taken Possession of by the British. - Indignation of Comcomly at the Conduct of His
Son-in-Law.
0N the morning of the 30th of November, a sail was descried doubling Cape
Disappointment. It came to anchor in Baker's Bay, and proved to be a ship of war. Of
what nation? was now the anxious inquiry. If English, why did it come alone? where
was the merchant vessel that was to have accompanied it? If American, what was to
become of the newly acquired possession of the Northwest Company?
In this dilemma, M'Tavish, in all haste, loaded two barges with all the packages of furs
bearing the mark of the Northwest Company, and made off for Tongue Point, three
miles up the river. There he was to await a preconcerted signal from M'Dougal, on
ascertaining the character of the ship. If it should prove American, M'Tavish would have
a fair start, and could bear off his rich cargo to the interior. It is singular that this prompt
mode of conveying valuable, but easily transportable effects beyond the reach of a
hostile ship should not have suggested itself while the property belonged to Mr. Astor.
In the meantime, M'Dougal, who still remained nominal chief at the fort, launched a
canoe, manned by men recently in the employ of the American Fur Company, and
steered for the ship. On the way, he instructed his men to pass themselves for
Americans or Englishmen, according to the exigencies of the case.
The vessel proved to be the British sloop of war Raccoon, of twenty-six guns, and one
hundred and twenty men, commanded by Captain Black. According to the account of
that officer, the frigate Phoebe, and two sloops of war Cherub and Raccoon, had sailed
in convoy of the Isaac Todd from Rio Janeiro. On board of the Phoebe, Mr. John
M'Donald, a partner of the Northwest Company, embarked as passenger, to profit by
the anticipated catastrophe at Astoria. The convoy was separated by stress of weather
off Cape Horn. The three ships of war came together again at the island of Juan
Fernandez, their appointed rendezvous, but waited in vain for the Isaac Todd.
In the meantime, intelligence was received of the mischief that Commodore Porter was
doing among the British whale ships. Commodore Hillyer immediately set sail in quest
of him with the Phoebe and the Cherub, transferring Mr. M'Donald to the Raccoon, and
ordered that vessel to proceed to the Columbia.
The officers of the Raccoon were in high spirits. The agents of the Northwest Company,
in instigating the expedition, had talked of immense booty to be made by the fortunate
captors of Astoria. Mr. M'Donald had kept up the excitement during the voyage, so that
not a midshipman but revelled in dreams of ample prize-money, nor a lieutenant that
would have sold his chance for a thousand pounds. Their disappointment, therefore,
may easily be conceived, when they learned that their warlike attack upon Astoria had
been forestalled by a snug commercial arrangement; that their anticipated booty had
become British property in the regular course of traffic, and that all this had been
effected by the very Company which had been instrumental in getting them sent on
what they now stigmatized as a fool's errand. They felt as if they had been duped and
made tools of, by a set of shrewd men of traffic, who had employed them to crack the
nut, while they carried off the kernel. In a word, M'Dougal found himself so ungraciously
received by his countrymen on board of the ship, that he was glad to cut short his visit,
and return to shore. He was busy at the fort, making preparations for the reception of
the captain of the Raccoon, when his one-eyed Indian father-in-law made his
appearance, with a train of Chinook warriors, all painted and equipped in warlike style.
Old Comcomly had beheld, with dismay, the arrival of a "big war canoe" displaying the
British flag. The shrewd old savage had become something of a politician in the course
of his daily visits at the fort. He knew of the war existing between the nations, but knew
nothing of the arrangement between M'Dougal and M'Tavish. He trembled, therefore,
for the power of his white son-in-law, and the new-fledged grandeur of his daughter,
and assembled his warriors in all haste. "King George," said he, "has sent his great
canoe to destroy the fort, and make slaves of all the inhabitants. Shall we suffer it? The
Americans are the first white men that have fixed themselves in the land. They have
treated us like brothers. Their great chief has taken my daughter to be his squaw: we
are, therefore, as one people."
His warriors all determined to stand by the Americans to the last, and to this effect they
came painted and armed for battle. Comcomly made a spirited war-speech to his son-in-law. He offered to kill every one of King George's men that should attempt to land. It
was an easy matter. The ship could not approach within six miles of the fort; the crew
could only land in boats. The woods reached to the water's edge; in these, he and his
warriors would conceal themselves, and shoot down the enemy as fast as they put foot
on shore.
M'Dougal was, doubtless, properly sensible of this parental devotion on the part of his
savage father-in-law, and perhaps a little rebuked by the game spirit, so opposite to his
own. He assured Comcomly, however, that his solicitude for the safety of himself and
the princess was superfluous; as, though the ship belonged to King George, her crew
would not injure the Americans, or their Indian allies. He advised him and his warriors,
therefore, to lay aside their weapons and war shirts, wash off the paint from their faces
and bodies, and appear like clean and civil savages, to receive the strangers
courteously.
Comcomly was sorely puzzled at this advice, which accorded so little with his Indian
notions of receiving a hostile nation, and it was only after repeated and positive
assurances of the amicable intentions of the strangers that he was induced to lower his
fighting tone. He said something to his warriors explanatory of this singular posture of
affairs, and in vindication, perhaps, of the pacific temper of his son-in-law. They all
gave a shrug and an Indian grunt of acquiescence, and went off sulkily to their village,
to lay aside their weapons for the present.
The proper arrangements being made for the reception of Captain Black, that officer
caused his ship's boats to be manned, and landed with befitting state at Astoria. From
the talk that had been made by the Northwest Company of the strength of the place,
and the armament they had required to assist in its reduction, he expected to find a
fortress of some importance. When he beheld nothing but stockades and bastions,
calculated for defense against naked savages, he felt an emotion of indignant surprise,
mingled with something of the ludicrous. "Is this the fort," cried he, "about which I have
heard so much talking? D-n me, but I'd batter it down in two hours with a four pounder!"
When he learned, however, the amount of rich furs that had been passed into the
hands of the Northwesters, he was outrageous, and insisted that an inventory should
be taken of all the property purchased of the Americans, "with a view to ulterior
measures in England, for the recovery of the value from the Northwest Company."
As he grew cool, however, he gave over all idea of preferring such a claim, and
reconciled himself, as well as he could, to the idea of having been forestalled by his
bargaining coadjutors.
On the 12th of December, the fate of Astoria was consummated by a regular
ceremonial. Captain Black, attended by his officers, entered the fort, caused the British
standard to be erected, broke a bottle of wine and declared, in a loud voice, that he
took possession of the establishment and of the country, in the name of his Britannic
Majesty, changing the name of Astoria to that of Fort George.
The Indian warriors, who had offered their services to repel the strangers, were present
on this occasion. It was explained to them as being a friendly arrangement and transfer,
but they shook their heads grimly, and considered it an act of subjugation of their
ancient allies. They regretted that they had complied with M'Dougal's wishes, in laying
aside their arms, and remarked, that, however the Americans might conceal the fact,
they were undoubtedly all slaves; nor could they be persuaded of the contrary, until
they beheld the Raccoon depart without taking away any prisoners.
As to Comcomly, he no longer prided himself upon his white son-in-law, but, whenever
he was asked about him, shook his head, and replied, that his daughter had made a
mistake, and, instead of getting a great warrior for a husband, had married herself to a
squaw.