by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER XXIX
DE BANYAN AT WORK
"How do you feel, my dear boy?" asked Captain de Banyan as soon as thedoctor had left the room.
Somers, by the skilful applications of the physician, had been restoredto consciousness, and had listened with astonishment, not unmingled withalarm, to the last part of the conversation between his friend and theirhost.
"I feel a little better, captain; at any rate, I am more comfortable,"replied Somers.
"I am glad to hear it. I have been terribly worried about you."
"I think I shall do well enough. But what shall I say for myself?"
"Say nothing, Somers--not a word. Don't commit yourself to anything."
"What have you told him?"
"Nothing; and I don't intend to tell him anything. He is a jolly oldfellow, who thinks he is very eccentric, and takes pride in beingconsidered so. When I was in the Crimea----"
"Never mind the Crimea now," interrupted Somers with a languid smile.
"I was only going to say that I understand the old doctor first-rate, andcan manage him as easily as I could an old plow-horse. Keep still,Somers; don't let on, under any circumstances. Leave me to do all thetalking."
"But the cavalry are after us now."
"Never mind; the doctor will take care of them."
"They will recognize our horses, if they don't know us."
"No matter if they do."
Somers thought it was matter; and he could not see for the life of himhow De Banyan was to get out of such a scrape as this; for it was aninfinitely worse one than his own experience on the Williamsburg road. Hecould only hope for the best, expecting nothing but disaster.
"Good! Bully for the doctor!" exclaimed De Banyan as the sounds of anexcited controversy at the side door reached the ears of the patient andhis friend. "He is doing just what I expected him to do."
"Pray, what did you expect him to do?" asked Somers, who could not seewhat a rebel surgeon could be expected to do under the circumstances,besides delivering them up to the military authorities.
"I expect him to protect us to the utmost of his ability; and, in myopinion, he has quite as much influence as any other man in Petersburg.When you see a man like Dr. Scoville, you may depend upon it he is apower in the community where he lives. He knows it as well as any otherperson. Let the doctor alone, and he will manage the matter as skilfullyas he dressed your wounded arm."
Whatever confidence Captain de Banyan had in the will and the ability ofDr. Scoville to protect them, he was curious to hear what the soldiersand what the doctor had to say. He was not quite willing to be seen bythe rebel soldiers; so he passed quickly into the entry, and took aposition where he could hear without being observed.
"Do you know who I am, you villain?" demanded the doctor, in tones sofull of rage, that the troopers ought to have been annihilated, though itappears that they were not.
"I don't care who you are; I want the men that came here an hour ago,"replied one of the troopers.
"If Jeff Davis himself came for them, he couldn't have them!" roared Dr.Scoville.
"I tell you, sir, one of them is a deserter, and the other is a Yankee."
"I don't care what they are. Report my answer to the provost-marshal;tell him Dr. Scoville will be responsible for the safety of the men."
"I won't report any such answer to him."
"If a man of you attempts to enter my house, I'll shoot him!" replied thedoctor, taking a rifle from a nail in the entry.
"Very well, sir; if you can shoot any better than we can, you may begin,"said the soldier. "But, as sure as you fire, you are a dead man."
"And those of you whom I don't shoot will be hung as soon as you reportthe death of Dr. Scoville at headquarters."
Whatever the soldiers thought, they were not willing to assume theresponsibility of shooting a man like the doctor, whose splendid mansionwas a guaranty of his wealth and high standing, and whose strong wordsassured them that he was a man of influence. Even the possibility ofbeing hanged in such a cause was not agreeable to contemplate; and thedoctor carried the day against his assailants.
"I don't want to shoot you, Dr. Scoville; but I shall put a guard overyour house, and wait for further orders," said the soldier, who appearedto be a sergeant.
"Do anything you please; but don't you enter my house. Every man, womanand child here is under my protection," replied the doctor, as herestored the rifle to its original position; and the troopers retiredfrom the door.
Captain de Banyan withdrew from the hall, and joined Somers in thesitting-room, where he was immediately followed by the doctor. Thesituation did not look very hopeful, even to a man of such desperatefortunes as the bold Tennessean. The house was surrounded by rebelsoldiers, and a report of the case would probably be made to theprovost-marshal; therefore it was not at all likely that the doughtydoctor could long remain contumacious.
"So, my mysterious friend, you are a Confederate deserter, are you?" saidthe doctor, as he placed himself in front of the captain, thrust hishands deep down into the pockets of his pants, and stared at his guestwith all the vigor of an active and piercing eye.
"You say that I am; but I adhere to my original resolution, to saynothing at present," replied De Banyan, returning the gaze of the doctoras earnestly as it was given.
"If you were Abe Lincoln himself, you are safe in my house," said thedoctor after a long pause. "But I wish you to understand clearly andprecisely what I mean. I am not the man to shield a deserter or a Yankeefrom the penalty due to his crimes. You came into my house with a woundedman. I am an Arab on the subject of hospitality. Whoever comes into myhouse is my guest; and I never betrayed a man who trusted in me."
"Thank you, doctor."
"You needn't thank me, for I despise you from the deepest depths of myheart; and in due time you will fall into the hands of the militaryauthorities, but not in my house."
"Thank you, Dr. Scoville. I appreciate your hospitality, and despise youas much as you do me," answered De Banyan.
"Despise me! How dare you----"
"Oh! I dare do anything; and I beg leave to inform you that neithermyself nor my friend will fall into the hands of the soldiers, either inyour house or outside of it. You can set your mind entirely at ease onthat subject."
"I am tempted for once to violate even my own law of hospitality."
"As you please, doctor; that matter is for you to consider, not for me.But I beg you to understand precisely what I say. I am very thankful toyou for your kindness; and I assure you that whatever you do and say, Ishall remember your hospitality with the most grateful emotions. I speakfor myself and for my friend."
Dr. Scoville seemed to be very much perplexed, as the captain evidentlyintended he should be; and, turning abruptly from the deserter, he pacedthe room, rapidly and in silence, for several minutes. De Banyan sat downby the side of Somers, and said a great many comforting things to him,which, in his weak and suffering condition, were as grateful as a woman'ssmile at the couch of pain.
Breakfast was ready, and with the utmost politeness the doctor conductedhis guest to the table, while one of the black women was ordered tosupply the wants of the patient on the sofa. During the meal, not a wordwas said about the war, or the peculiar circumstances under which thepatient and his friend had come to the house. The captain discoursedabout the wars in other lands, and it is more than probable that heexercised the credulity of the doctor to the utmost. Both the host andthe guest were affable to the last degree; for the choleric physician wasconscious that he had more than a match in the other.
After breakfast, Somers was conducted to the guest-chamber on the secondfloor of the mansion. He was as tenderly cared for by the doctor and theservants as though he had been an honored friend, instead of a huntedenemy. In the course of the forenoon, Dr. Scoville received a visit fromthe provost-marshal, attended by half a company of cavalry. Of course,the captain was exceedingly curious to know the result of this interview,which was conducted i
n the most courteous manner; and he was so impoliteas to play the part of a listener. The officer was informed that CaptainSheffield had been dangerously wounded by the fugitives; but theeccentric physician positively refused to have his guests taken from hishouse, assuring the provost-marshal that he would be responsible fortheir safe-keeping, and offered to board a dozen men who should beemployed in guarding them. The officer protested in gentlemanly termsagainst such a course; but it was evident that the doctor was thegreatest man in Petersburg, and must have his own way.
The result of the conference was, that the provost-marshal yielded thepoint, and a sentinel was placed at the door of Somers's chamber, towhich the captain had retreated. The officer visited the room, and fullyidentified his prisoner, between whom and himself a sharp conversationensued, much to the amusement of the doctor. The captain was assured thatin due time, he should swing, which pleasant information he received withbecoming good nature, promising to be present when the exciting eventshould take place. The provost-marshal retired, satisfied with theprecautions he had taken.
For the following three days, the sentinel at the door, with a loadedmusket in his hand, kept guard over his prisoners. Somers had improvedrapidly, though by the advice of his managing friend, he pretended to bemuch worse than he really was. Dr. Scoville, though he still kept hisword and maintained his position with regard to the prisoners,continually "thorned" the captain with a prospect of the gallows, whichhe declared was his certain doom. De Banyan still preserved hisequanimity, and still declared that he should never be hanged.
"What do you intend to do?" asked Somers on the third day of hisconfinement, after the doctor had taunted his guest with more than usualseverity.
"I haven't the least idea, my dear boy," replied the captain with a grimsmile. "So far, I have no plans. When you are able to move, Somers, wewill see what can be done."
"I can move now; you need not delay a single hour on my account. I am allright but my arm."
De Banyan was by no means as cheerful as he appeared to be. He wastroubled, and paced the room with uneasy tread; but, the moment thedoctor entered the room, he was as gay as a Broadway beau. Somers hadvainly attempted to persuade him to make his own escape, and leave him tohis fate; but the brave fellow steadily refused to desert him under anycircumstances that could possibly present themselves.
The captain was remarkably still for him, after Somers had convinced himthat he was able to move. He paced the room as before; but his eyes wereglancing uneasily at the floor, the ceiling, and the walls of theapartment. The work had commenced in his mind; and Somers watched hismovements with interest, yet without hope. On one side of the fire-placein the room there was a door, which was locked, but which evidentlyopened into a closet.
Before this door, De Banyan suddenly came to a dead halt. He examined itwith the utmost care; and then with a fork from the breakfast thingswhich had not been removed, he commenced operations upon the lock. One ofthe prongs of the fork was broken off between two bricks in thefire-place, and the other bent; so that the instrument formed a very goodpick-lock. The door was opened without the expenditure of much time orpatience; and the captain proceeded to explore the interior of thecloset, after instructing his fellow-prisoner to give him timely warningof any movement on the part of the sentinel.
Somers did not see the captain again for half an hour, but when he cameout he looked as though he had endured the tortures of a month ofsuspense; but, with a ghastly smile, he told his companion that the hourfor action had come.
"What do you mean, captain?" demanded Somers.
"Let us use haste; we shall have more time to talk to-morrow, when we getback to the camp on the other side of the James River. Are you very surethat you can stand the fatigue of a long walk?"
"I know I can."
"Then come with me; but a particle of noise will be fatal to us."
De Banyan led the way to the closet; but, before he entered himself, hetied together the two sheets of the bed, and made one end fast to one ofthe bed-posts, near a window at the end of the house, which he openedwithout noise. Dropping the sheet out, he retreated to the closet, andwith the pick-lock secured the door. They were in darkness now, andseating themselves on the floor, with palpitating hearts they waited theissue. For more than an hour they waited the expected alarm. They couldoccasionally hear a movement on the part of the sentinel in the entry;but he probably thought it was foolish to be very vigilant over a man sosick as Somers. But the demonstration came at last; and the prisoners,sweltering in the confined air of the closet, listened with breathlessinterest to the shouts of the soldiers outside, and to the rapid steps ofthose within the mansion.
The doctor and the sentinel entered the chamber so lately occupied by theprisoners. The former swore in no measured terms at the faithlessness ofthe sentry at the door, and at the stupidity of those who guarded thehouse outside. But they seemed to have no doubt as to the manner of theescape.
There was the open window, and the rope made of the bed-linen, which DeBanyan had pulled with his hands till it had the appearance of havingsustained a great weight. Dr. Scoville did not even try the door of thecloset; and the anxious listeners soon had the pleasure of hearing thesounds of horses' hoofs, as the cavalry rode off to engage in the searchfor the fugitives.
Everything about the house soon subsided into the most profound quiet,and it was evident that the doctor and all the soldiers were engaged inthe search. After this solemn stillness had continued for a time, theyheard the voices of the servants in the chamber. They talked about theescape, and all of them expressed a hope that "poor young massa would getout ob de way." Here was an opportunity for an alliance, offensive anddefensive, which the prudent captain could not reject. Carefully openingthe door, he presented himself to the astonished negroes. Withconsiderable difficulty, he hushed their noisy exclamations, and openedthe case so eloquently, that all three of them readily promised to helpthe fugitives in making their escape. They grinned with delight when theycomprehended the trick by which the doctor and the soldiers had been puton the wrong scent.
With their assistance, the fugitives left the house, and made their wayto the stable, where Alick, the man who had waited upon them in the room,raised a plank in the floor, and introduced them to secure but not verycomfortable quarters under the building. There was no cellar under thestable, and the space which they occupied was not more than two feet inheight; but what it lacked in this direction, it made up in length andwidth.
When the fugitives were fairly installed in their new hiding-place, Alicksat down on the floor, and told them all he knew about the events whichhad transpired since their absence had been discovered. He brought theman abundant supply of food and drink, and promised to provide them withhorses as soon as it was dark. It was nearly night before the doctorreturned; and while attending to his horse, Alick asked him somequestions about the chase. He was not very communicative, for, of course,the pursuit had been unsuccessful; but the ingenious black wormed somefacts out of him in regard to the events of the day, which enabled him tobe of great assistance to the fugitives.
The doctor had hardly gone into the house before Alick commenced hispreparations for departure; and three horses instead of two were inreadiness when Somers and the captain emerged from their covert. Alickwas to be one of the party; and by the fields in the rear of the housethey commenced their perilous journey.