by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER IX
AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE ENEMY'S SCOUTS
The baggage-train of the Guards had seen from a distance that the battlehad begun, and they had halted in the road. They still blocked the wayfor Deck and Artie; but they could no longer remain as spectators to theexciting scene which had just transpired, and had ridden down to thefield of action; but the fighting had ceased. The cavalrymen werepicking up their wounded; and Dr. Farnwright, the surgeon of thebattalion, was attending to their needs.
"Well, boys, this affair seems to be finished; and we made very shortwork of it," said Captain Truman, as they rode up to the spot where hewas observing the labors of the men.
"We have seen the whole of it, and now we are ready to return to ourcompany," replied Deck.
"The road is clear now, and there is nothing to prevent your return."
"The wagons of the enemy have halted in the road, and there seems to behalf-a-dozen men or more in charge of them," said Deck.
"I will send a squad to bring them in," replied the captain, as hecalled a sergeant near him, and directed him to take ten men and performthis duty. "You will go with Sergeant Langford, boys, and I think youwill be all right."
"Have you any message for the major, Captain?" asked Deck.
"You have seen the skirmish yourselves, and you can report it as it was.We were fired upon smartly for a time; but the muskets of the enemy wereof all sorts and kinds, and most of them good for nothing. We have eightmen wounded, two of them badly, and the rest slightly. Sergeant Langfordhas just reported to me that the enemy lost eight men killed, andfifteen wounded, some of them fatally. The rest of the command areprisoners."
Sergeant Langford appeared with his ten men, and the boys went with himon their return to their company. It was not yet sunrise, and theprincipal task of the morning had been accomplished; for the action hadlasted hardly more than a quarter of an hour. Lieutenant Blenks wascompelling the Guards to pick up and care for their own wounded, and tobury their dead. The men were sulky, and the cavalrymen were compelledto drive them to this duty.
"It was sharp work for a few minutes," said Langford to the boys, afterhe had called them to his side.
"It was; but the thing was very handsomely done," replied Deck. "I thinkthese ruffians have had quite enough of it."
"They are as sulky as a bear that has lost her cubs. They were notwilling to pick up their own dead and wounded, and wanted our boys to doit for them; but a few slaps with the flat of the sabres brought them tothe point," added the sergeant. "I suppose the work in this quarter isdone now."
"I think not. I doubt whether we have finished," replied Deck; but hesaid nothing about the Texan Rangers, for he did not feel at liberty touse the information he had obtained as a messenger.
The wagons of the enemy had halted where the men in charge of them couldsee what had happened at the bridge; but when the sergeant's squadapproached them, they brought their muskets to their shoulders, asthough they intended to defend their property.
"Unsling carbines!" called Langford to his men; and they promptly obeyedthe order.
But the baggage guard did not fire; for some one among them seemed tohave more sense than the others, and had interposed to prevent a uselesssacrifice of life. A dispute followed among them, and the sergeantadvanced upon them.
"No more jaw!" interposed Langford. "Start your mules, and go ahead!"
"Where are we going? We ain't no use over there now," said one of themen.
"You are no use anywhere! Start your teams!" added Langford, as heslapped the last speaker with the flat of his sabre. "Shove them along,boys!"
"We ain't goin' over there; we'll turn round and go back where we comefrom," added the spokesman of the party.
"Are you all idiots?" demanded Langford. "Your wagons are wanted over atthe bridge, and that is where you are going."
The troopers soon started the teams with a vigorous use of the flatsides of their sabres. The guardsmen were disposed to resist; but theywere vigorously pushed forward, and when a fellow hung back, he wasgently pricked with the point of the sharp weapons.
"I believe a good part of these ruffians are idiots, as Langfordsuggested," said Deck, as he and Artie rode forward. "They don't seem tounderstand that they are taking part in the war."
"That's so," replied Artie, laughing. "If they find they cannot destroythe bridge, all they have to do is to go back where they came from, andcall it square. But Langford has brought them to their senses."
A smart gallop of a few minutes brought the messengers in sight of themansion-house of the plantation. The first company was not where theyhad left it in the early morning; but they soon discovered a couple ofthe men, who seemed to be patrolling the south road.
"Where is the company, Yowell?" asked Deck, when they came withinspeaking distance.
"Behind the mansion. We were sent down to look for you," replied thesoldier. "Major Lyon was afraid something had happened to you."
"We are all right. Have you seen any of the enemy up this way?"
"Not a man of them. If you take this path it will bring you to thehouse, and you will find the major there."
The boys took the path indicated, and put their horses to their bestspeed. When they came to the house, they were greeted in the yard by theplanter and his family, and the ladies poured forth their gratitude toDeck for the service he had rendered the evening before. But the youngcavalryman could not stop to listen long to them.
"Where is Major Lyon?" he asked, looking about him.
"He is on the top of the house," replied Mr. Barkland.
"Come up here, both of you!" shouted the major from his elevatedposition.
Giving the reins of their bridles to the orderly, who was there with thecommander's horse, Mr. Barkland showed them the way to a platform on theroof of the mansion, from which a full view of the surrounding countrywas obtained; only the railroad bridge was shut out by a hill.
"What makes you so late, boys?" asked the major, as they presentedthemselves before him.
"The baggage-train of the enemy stopped in the road, with half-a-dozenmen in charge of it, so that we could not pass it without a fight,"replied Deck.
"Has anything been done at the bridge?" asked the commander anxiously.
"Yes, sir; the battle has been fought and won, and the whole company ofHome Guards are prisoners," replied Deck, giving the entire story all ina heap.
"That is good news, though I expected no other result. What was ourloss?"
"None killed; eight wounded, two of them seriously, the others slightly.The enemy's loss is eight killed and fifteen wounded, some of themfatally," replied Deck, who had studied over the report of the fight hewas to make; and then he proceeded to give the details of the affair.
This was in the beginning of the war, and before any battle of magnitudehad been fought, so that the action at the railroad bridge seemed to bea considerable affair. The major listened with deep interest to all theparticulars. Doubtless he was pleased with the report of the result;but he frequently raised the field-glass in his hands to his eyes as helistened, and it was evident that he was more concerned in regard to theapproach of the enemy from the south.
He put several questions to the boys, which were answered by both ofthem, and fully informed himself in regard to the situation at thebridge, which was about three miles distant from the mansion.
"You will both return to the bridge; give my order to Captain Truman toleave a sufficient force on the ground to guard the prisoners, todispose of the dead and wounded, and then to join me at this place withall the men that can be spared," said the major.
The boys saluted him, and hastened to obey the order. In a few minutesthey were galloping over the road again. On their way down the stairsthey met Captain Gordon on his way to the roof. He had been therecruiting officer sent by the commanding general of the department toorganize the first company, and the major had used all his influence toelect him to the office he filled himself. He had declined
the position,for he thought it better that the planter of Riverlawn should fill thatplace. He had an apartment at the major's mansion, and they had been onthe most intimate terms from the beginning.
"I have posted Lieutenant Belthorpe behind the hill," said CaptainGordon, as he saluted his superior officer. "I have given him fullinstructions."
"I have just sent for Captain Truman and as many of the second companyas can be spared," replied Major Lyon. "They have beaten Captain Titus'scommand, and captured the whole of them."
"Can you make out any movement of the enemy to the south of us, MajorLyon?" asked the captain.
"Nothing yet. Everything is in readiness, I suppose, to carry out ourplan."
"Everything; and the men are in fine spirits."
"The only thing I fear is that the Rangers will take the other road tothe bridge," suggested the major.
"But that would make the distance at least two miles farther," repliedCaptain Gordon. "Can it be possible that the commander of the Rangershas obtained information of our presence here, and of the result of theaffair at the bridge?"
"I think not; and yet it is possible, for not many in command could beso neglectful of all reasonable precautions as Captain Titus was."
"If they come this way, we are all ready for them. I have scouts out tothe eastward of our position, who will report to us the passage of anyforce by the east road, as they call it here," continued the captain."The Texans are not early risers, or we should have seen them by thistime. I will return to my company, and await further orders."
The boys understood the necessity of haste, and in less than fifteenminutes their foaming steeds brought them into the presence of CaptainTruman, to whom they delivered their message. He had already reducedeverything to a condition of order. The wounded had been removed to adeserted shanty, probably used by the railroad workmen, and theprisoners were surrounded by a guard of twenty men. All was quiet on theground, and the captain was glad to receive the order brought by themessengers.
Lieutenant Blenks had already been placed in command of the camp, andthe captain gave the order for Lieutenant Gadbury to have his men inmarching order at once; and twenty men from the second platoon wereadded to their number. But Deck and Artie did not wait for this body tomove, but started at once on their return; for they were anxious to bepresent in any engagement that might take place. They had littlecompassion for their horses, fond as they were of them, and dashed downthe road at their best speed.
"Hi!" exclaimed Artie, as they reached the cross-road.
"What is it, Artie?" asked Deck, who was looking to the right.
"Don't you see? There are a couple of mounted men wearing the gray!"exclaimed Artie with energy.
"What are they?" asked Deck.
"What are they? It is as plain as a stone wall to a blind man after hehas stumbled over it, that they are the Texans who are expected overhere."
"Are there only two of them?" asked Deck facetiously. "Your head islevel, Artie, and they are a couple of scouts who are feeling the wayfor a bigger body further back."
"One of the Texans tumbled from his horse."]
Just at that moment a bullet whistled between the two boys; for thescouts could have no difficulty in making out the uniform of the twomessengers. Both of them unslung their carbines; and, withoutconsidering what consequences might ensue, both of them fired, Artiedelivering the first shot. One of the Texans tumbled from his horse, andDeck aimed at the other; but he was less fortunate in his discharge, forthe remaining man still clung to his horse. Raising his carbine, hefired.
"I am hit," said Deck, as he held up his left arm.
The man who had delivered his fire wheeled his horse as soon as he haddone so, and galloped back by the way he came.