by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER VII
PREPARING FOR ACTIVE OPERATIONS
The discipline which Knox had administered to Captain Titus had takensome of the obstinacy out of him, and he was willing to march with theother prisoners. All of them had been engaged in the "Battle ofRiverlawn," as it was called, when the mob had been driven away from theplantation. They were placed between a couple of ranks of troopers, andno further attention was given to them till the company halted, a shortdistance from the mansion.
It was the camp for the night; and the horses were picketed, the tentspitched, and a cordon of sentinels stationed around the whole. Theprisoners were provided for as comfortably as the soldiers, and themajor had an opportunity to inquire into the situation. He had reachedthe point to which he had been ordered. The region in the vicinity ofthe railroad bridge had been examined by a large body of scouts, andnothing like an enemy had been discovered. A trio of negroes had beenseen, and they were always ready to tell all they knew to personswearing the national uniform.
There was no military force near the bridge. After Knox had sent back amessenger with the information obtained from Cato, that "a wholeregiment" was encamped at the right of the road, Major Lyon had sent acouple of trusty men to examine the locality. These soldiers had creptcautiously into the woods, and found the force indicated; but itconsisted of only a single company, as they could see by the light ofthe camp-fires. They had no tents, and most of the men were lying abouton the ground.
It was now evident that this was Captain Titus's company. They wereencamped near the railroad; but there were no bridges of any consequencenear them, and they had doubtless postponed the work of the expeditiontill the next morning. Though the major had never even heard the name ofMr. Barkland, the planter, his brother must have had some information inregard to him, or he would hardly have visited his mansion andattempted to extort money from him.
Major Lyon did not care to meet his brother, for his conduct had beenexplained to him, and he was in a bad frame of mind even for him; but heordered Knox to bring another of the party engaged in the outrage to histent. He had selected one who appeared to be a reasonable man, and hismanner was quite different from that of the captain. The major had seenhim before, but he knew nothing about him.
"Do you belong to the company encamped in the woods farther down theroad?" asked the major.
"How do you know there is any company there?" demanded the fellow, whoseemed to be somewhat surprised at the question.
"I ask questions, but I don't answer them," replied Major Lyon with asmile.
"That's jest my case," replied the Home Guardsman with a capacious grin."I don't tell all I know every day 'n the week."
"You don't know so much that you couldn't tell it as often as that,"added Captain Gordon, who was present at the interview, and thought themajor was more pleasant than the occasion required.
"But I know sunthin' you want to know," chuckled the man.
"Not at all; I know all about your company," said the major.
"Then what did you ask me if I belonged to it for?"
"Knox, this man thinks he knows too much, and you may take him away,"called the major to the sergeant, who stood at the door of the tent.
"Oh, I'm willin' t' answer you," grinned the fellow. "I belong to thatcompany."
"What were you doing up here, then?"
"Cap'n Titus thought the man that lives on this plantation had moremoney 'n he could manage, and he was willin' to help him take careon't."
"In other words, you intended to rob him."
"I didn't intend nothin' o' the sort. I obey the orders of the cap'n. Ifyou want to know anything more about it, you'll have to ask him."
"Is your company the only body of troops about here?" asked the major,to whom Knox had reported what Captain Titus said about "Texan cavalry."
"You'll have to ask the cap'n about that; for he didn't tell me all heknow'd."
It was evident that the man knew nothing of any importance, and thesergeant was directed to send him back to his quarters. At the entranceto the tent a visitor was waiting, who proved to be Mr. Barkland, and hewas promptly admitted. He expressed his obligations for the importantservice rendered to him, and commended the energy of the young man whohad been foremost in saving him from the fatal rope.
"These ruffians must have known that you had your money concealed in thehouse," suggested the major.
"I haven't any great amount in the house," replied Mr. Barkland. "I havea bank account in Louisville, and I had some money in the bank atMunfordville; but there are so many marauding parties about in thissection of the State, that I took out the little I had in the latter,and had it in the house."
"Hardly a safe place in these troublous times," added Major Lyon.
"Safer than that bank, I thought," said the planter, "I am a Union manbefore anything else just now; and I think some Secessionist connectedwith the bank spread the news about that I had withdrawn my money,--onlyabout thirty-five hundred dollars,--and the captain of this Home Guardhad heard it."
"That was unfortunate."
"It would have been for me if your company had not come along. Aboutdark half a dozen of them came to the house, and wanted to get somesupper, which I was willing to give them; for I never turn away any onewho wants something to eat. The captain wanted whiskey, and I gave it tohim; but it seemed to make him crazy, for he did not behave like agentleman."
"That is apt to be the effect of whiskey," added the major, who wasthinking of its results in the case of his brother.
"Then they told me I had money in the house, or the captain did; fornone of the rest of them said anything. I replied that I had no moneyfor them; and then the captain became abusive, and threatened me if Idid not give it up," continued the planter. "As I said, I am a Unionman, and I decided to let them hang me to a tree, as he threatened todo, rather than give up my money to a lot of traitors, who would use itto assist in pulling down the government I believe in. My wife anddaughter begged me to give up the money; but I was firm to the end, andeven when the rope was around my neck."
"Your fate would not have been an uncommon one with Union men,unhappily," added the major.
"Could I see the young man that was foremost in saving me? I wish toexpress my personal gratitude to him for the service; for he was a bravefellow, and managed the affair well, or he would have failed. Theruffians were six to three; but the young man hit in the right placeevery time."
"Who was he, Knox?" asked the major of the sergeant, who had listened tothe narrative while standing at the entrance of the tent.
"It was Deck, Major," replied Knox, with a smile on his wiry face.
"Send for him."
Deck soon appeared in the tent; and the planter grasped his hand,pouring out his thanks for what he had done. He desired to take him tohis mansion, that his wife and daughter might have an opportunity toexpress their obligations to him; but Deck declined to go.
"Now, Mr. Barkland, do you know of any other body of troops in thisvicinity?" asked the major, changing the subject of the conversation.
"Nothing within my own knowledge, Major Lyon," replied the planter."Captain Tites and his men"--
"Captain who?" interposed the major.
"Captain Tites; that is what the others called him, or, at least, thename sounded like that."
"Very well, Mr. Barkland, go on," replied the chief of the squadron.
"They did not speak out very plainly; but they alluded to a body ofTexan Rangers, as they called them, as though they were somewhere inthis vicinity," the planter proceeded.
"That captain spoke of them since we took him," said Knox.
"I was just coming up to headquarters to report some informationobtained by Sergeant Decker at the road," interposed Deck. "He stoppeda negro on horse-back, who was going for a doctor. He said there was acompany of cavalry, or more of them, camped about three miles on theroad to Greensburg. He knew nothing at all about them."
"It looks as though there was a c
onsiderable force in this vicinity,"added the major.
"I have given you all the information in my power, Major Lyon, and Iwill return to my house. If I can be of any service to you, call uponme," said Mr. Barkland, as he took the hand of the commander.
He left the tent, and Deck soon followed him, leaving the major andCaptain Gordon alone. On the table in the centre of the tent was a map,which these two officers had been consulting when the guardsman wasbrought in. On it the major had made several crosses with a red pencil,indicating the location of the railroad bridge, which was believed to bethe objective point of Captain Titus's company, the camp of this force,the mansion of the planter; and now he made another at the supposedlocation of the cavalry camp of the enemy.
"There is a prospect of some fighting in this vicinity by to-morrow,"said Captain Gordon, as he looked at the crosses on the map.
"Colonel Cosgrove rode over to Riverlawn yesterday to inform me thatCaptain Titus's company had left the day before, at an early hour in themorning, marching on the railroad. He had just obtained some news, whichhe considered reliable, to the effect that an order had come up for thedestruction of the railroad bridges," added Major Lyon, as he put hispencil point on the road. "It was understood in Bowling Green thatGeneral Buell was about to send troops to the southward, and this is anattempt to break up the means of transportation by rail."
"If there are any Texan Rangers about here, they must have been sentfrom some other point," said Captain Gordon. "But we know where theenemy are, and that is half the battle under present circumstances. Thecavalry and the infantry of the enemy are at least five miles apart."
"Captain Truman has the infantry where he can put his hands on them inthe morning. His orders are to send Lieutenant Gadbury to the fartherside of the railroad, with half his company, and station the other halfbehind this knoll, so that neither of them can be seen from the mainroad, and to have both forces in position before daylight in themorning. Neither force is to attack till the enemy begin operations uponthe railroad."
"I wondered that you did not bag the whole of this company of HomeGuards while they were in camp," added the captain.
"Under the name by which we know them, I am not quite sure of theirstatus; and I prefer to have them make a beginning, which will provethem to be the enemies of the government," replied the major. "I gaveTruman the most explicit orders, and I have no doubt he will do hiswhole duty. It is a part of my purpose to have the whole of CaptainTitus's company captured."
The major put a good deal of stress on the name by which his brother hadbeen called, for he evidently did not like to pronounce his real name.
"I think your plan of action will readily bring about such a result."
"I put a low estimate upon the fighting character of the enemy in frontof Truman; but I have stood up before them, though I believe they arebetter armed now than when they attempted to capture Riverlawn andLyndhall. Your company will be held in reserve for the Texans, if thereprove to be any."
"I have no doubt, after all I have heard, that the information in regardto them is correct," added the captain. "It appears from their localitythat they are likely to come to the railroad by the road which passesMr. Barkland's mansion."
The major and the captain arranged a plan for the reception of theRangers, and then stretched themselves on their camp-bed, to obtain alittle sleep before the exciting events which were expected the nextday. At about midnight the sentinel awoke them, saying that the planterdesired to see the commander. He was admitted, and reported that two menhad just been to his house to inquire for "Captain Tites." One of them,he said, was Lieutenant Lagger, in command of the company in the absenceof the captain.
Major Lyon turned over and went to sleep again, satisfied that BuckLagger would begin operations in the morning.