XXXVI
HOW I RODE POST ON THE KING'S BUSINESS
If a look might be a leven-stroke to do a man to death, I warrant you mylady's flashing eyes would have crisped me to a cinder where I stoodfumbling with one hand behind me for the latch of the slammed door.Scorn, indignation, outraged maiden modesty, all these thrust at me likeair-drawn daggers; and it needed not her, "Fie, for shame, CaptainIreton!--and you would call yourself a gentleman!" to set me afire withprinklings of abashment.
What could I say or do? The accursed door-latch would not find itself tolet me fly; and as for excusings, I could not tell her that her ownfather had thrust me thus upon her. Yet, had she let me be, I hope Ishould have had the wit to find the door fastening and the grace to runaway; in truth, I had the latch in hand when she lashed out at me again,and my tingling shame began to give place to that master-devil ofpassion which is never more than half whipped into subjection in thebest of us.
"How are you better than the man you warned me of?" she cried. Andthen, in a tempest of grief: "Oh! you would not leave me the respect Ibore you; you must even rob me of that to fling it down and trample itunder foot!"
Figure to yourselves, my dears, that I was wholly blameless in thisunhappy breaking and entering, and so, mayhap, you may find excuse forme. For now, though I could have gone, I would not. Her glorious beauty,heightened beyond compare by the passionate outburst, held mespellbound. And at my ear the master-devil whispered: She is your weddedwife; yours for better or worse, till death part you. Who has a betterright to look upon her thus?
So it was that the love-madness came upon me again, and that thinveneering wherewith the Christian centuries have so painfully overlaidthe natural man in us was cracked and riven, and the barbarian whichlies but skin-deep underneath bestirred himself and winked and blinkedhimself awake in giant might, as did the primal man when he rose up tolook about him for his mate.
Before I knew what I would do, I was beside her, and honor, or what maystand therefor betwixt a man and his friend, was flung away. But when Iwould have crushed her sweetness in my arms she went upon her knees tome.... Ah, God! she knelt to me as she had knelt to that other would-beravisher and begged me for mine own honor's sake to bethink me of what Iwould do.
"Oh, Monsieur John! be merciful as you are strong!" she pleaded. "Thinkwhat it will mean to you, and how you will loathe me and yourself aswell when this madness is overpast! Oh, go; go quickly, lest I, too,forget--"
And so it was that I found sudden strength to turn and leave herkneeling there; turned to grope blindly for the door with all the painsof hell aflame within me.
For now I had put honor under foot; now I knew that I had truly earnedher scorn and loathing. I could no longer plead that I was the puppet offate flung against my will between this maiden and my dear lad. I wasthe wilful offender; false to my love, false to my friend, a recreant toevery oath wherewith I had bound myself to be true and loyal to thesetwo.
With such a flaming sword to drive me forth, I stumbled from the room,thinking only how I should quickest rid me of myself. Hastening to mygarret sleeping-place I buckled on my sword, found my shako, and wentstraight to my Lord's bed-chamber. My rap at the door went unanswered,and a broad-shouldered young fellow in a lieutenant's uniform, loungingon a settle in the clock landing of the stair, told me Lord Cornwalliswas gone out.
I was face to face with this young lieutenant before I recognized him;being so bent upon haste I should have passed him on the landing withouta second glance had he not risen to grip me by the shoulders.
"By the Lord Harry!" he cried, "is it thus you pass an old friendwithout a word, Captain Ireton?"
'Twas my good death-watch; that Lieutenant Tybee of the light-horse whohad sunk the British officer in the man in that trying night at ApplebyHundred. I returned his hearty greeting as well as I might, and wouldhave explained my present state and standing but that I was loath to lieto him. But as to this, he saved me the shame of it.
"I could have sworn you were no rebel, Captain Ireton; indeed, I madebold to say as much to our colonel, after it was all over. I told him asoft word or two would have won you back to your old service. You see Iknew better than the others what lay beneath all your madnesses thatnight."
"You knew somewhat, but not all," I said; and thereupon, lest he shouldinvolve me deeper and detain me longer when I was athirst to be gone, Ihastened to ask where I might hope to find his Lordship and ColonelTarleton.
"'Tis the hour for parade; you will find them at the camp," he replied.And then, out of the honest English heart of him: "Have you made yourpeace, Captain? Do you need a friend to go with you?"
I said I had been granted a hearing by Lord Cornwallis but a littlewhile before; that by my Lord's appointment I was now a sort of honoraryaide-de-camp.
"Good!" said the lieutenant, gripping my hand in a way to make me wincefor the lie-in-effect hidden in the simple statement of fact. Then heroared at the soldier standing guard at the house door below: "A mountfor Captain Ireton--and be swift about it!"
He held me in talk till the horse was fetched, happily doing most of thetalking himself, and when I was in the saddle gave me a heartyGod-speed. Being so sick with self-despisings, I fear I made but a poorreturn for all this good comradeship; but at the time I could think ofnothing but the hell that flamed within me, and of how I could soonestquench the fires of it.
The town, which I had not seen since early summer, was but littlechanged by the British occupation, save in the livening of it by thenear-at-hand camp of an armed host. Being but a halt-point _en route_ inthe northward march, it was not fortified; indeed, for the matter ofthat, the camp proper was a little way without the town, as I have said.
I rode slowly across the common, skirting the commissary's quarters andmaking mental notes of all I saw; this from soldier habit solely, for atthe time I had little thought of living on to make a spy's use of them.Arrived at the parade ground, I found my Lord galloping through thelines on inspection, and so I must draw rein in the background and waitmy opportunity.
The pause gave space for some eye-sweep of the scene, and all thesoldier blood in me was stirred by the sight, the first I had had inmany a day, of a well-ordered army, fit, disciplined, machine-drilledto move like the parts of a wondrous mechanism.
At the back of Lord Cornwallis and his galloping suite, Tarleton'sfamous light-horse legion was drawn up; and fronting it was theinfantry, rank on rank, the glittering bayonets slanting in the Octobersunlight as the regiments moved into place, or standing in rigid grovesof steel at the command to halt and port arms.
What was there in all our poor raw land to stand against thiswell-trained host, armed--as we were not--with the deadly bayonet, andmoving as one man at the word of command? Not the bravest home guard ormilitia troop, I thought; and this seeing of what he had had to front onthe field of Camden made me think less scornfully of Horatio Gates.
Riding presently around the field to be the nearer to the general whenmy time should come, I missed the mark completely. It so chanced that asthe parade was ended my Lord and his suite were at the extreme right;and when the regiments broke ranks I was forced to skirt the entire campto come into the road. By this time those I sought were gone into thetown, so I must needs turn about and follow, with the thing I had to saystill unspoken.
I need not drag you back and forth with me on the search I made to findLord Cornwallis again. 'Tis enough to say that after missing him hereand there, I ran him to earth at the court house, where, it was toldme, my Lord was sitting in council with his staff officers.
Thinking it worse than useless to try to force my way into the councilchamber, I waited in the raff of soldiery without, cursing the delaywhich gave my despairing resolution time to cool. When I had closed thedoor of my dear lady's chamber behind me I was resolved to fling myselfupon that fate which needed but a word from me to make my calling andelection to a gibbet swift and sure. Had I found my Lord Cornwallis inhis bed-room the word would have been
spoken; but now the iron ofresolution cooled in spite of me.
'Twas not that I was less willing to pay the price of expiation; thatmust be done in any case. But I had seen the enemy, and all the soldierin me rebelled at the thought of dying like a noosed bullock in theshambles. Could I but strike that one good blow.
The old court house of our greater Mecklenburg was such as some of youmay remember; a stout wooden building raised upon brick pillars to leavea story underneath. In the time of the British occupation this lowerstory served as a market house, and the public entrance to the courtroom above was reached by steps on the outside. In my boyhood days thisouter stair was the only one; but now in wandering aimlessly through themarket-place beneath I found another flight in a corner; the "jurystair," they called it, since it provided the means of egress from thejury box above.
The sight of this inner stair set me plotting. Could I make use of it tocome unseen into the council chamber of Lord Cornwallis and hisofficers?
The market-place was well thronged with venders and soldier buyers; thepatriotic Mecklenburgers were not averse to the turning of an honestpenny upon the needs of their oppressors, as it seemed. I watched mychance, and when there were no prying eyes to mark it, made the dash upthe steps.
Happily for the success of the adventure there was an angle in thenarrow stair to hide me whilst I lifted the trap door in the court-roomfloor a scant half-inch and got my bearings. As I had hoped, the trapopened behind the jury box, and I was able to raise it cautiously and soto draw myself up into the room above, unseen and unheard.
A peep around the corner of the high jury stalls showed me my Lord andhis suite gathered about the lawyers' table in front of the bar. Of thestaff I recognized only Stedman, the commissary-general; Tarleton,looking something the worse for his late illness; Major Hanger, hissecond in command, and the young Irishman, Lord Rawdon.
At the moment of my espial, Cornwallis was speaking, and I drew back tolisten, well enough content to be in earshot. For if my good angel hadtimed my coming I could not have arrived at a more opportune moment.
"What we have to consider now is how best to reach Ferguson with anexpress instantly," his Lordship was saying. "This rising of theover-mountain men is likely to prove a serious matter--not only for themajor, but for the king's cause in the two provinces. Lacking positiveorders to the contrary, Ferguson will fight--we all know that; and if heshould be defeated 'twill hopelessly undo his work among the borderloyalists and set us back another twelvemonth."
"Then your Lordship will order him to come in with what he has?" said avoice which I knew for Colonel Tarleton's.
"Instanter, had I a sure man to send."
"Pshaw! I can find you a hundred amongst the late royalist recruits."'Twas young Lord Rawdon who said this.
"Damn them!" said his Lordship shortly; "I would sooner trust this newaide of mine. He comes straight from the major and can find his way backagain."
Tarleton laughed. "I fear we shall never agree upon him, my Lord. I knownot how he has made his peace with you, but I do assure you he is asgreat a rascal as ever went unhung. 'Tis true, as you say, I did not gointo the particulars; but were Captain Stuart or Sir Francis Falconnethere, either of them would convince your Lordship in a twinkling."
There was silence for a little space following the colonel'sdenunciation of me, and then my Lord broke it to say: "I may not be socredulous as you think, Colonel. Rebel spy or true-blue loyalist, he issafe enough for the present. In the meantime in this matter of reachingFerguson we may make good use of him."
"In what manner, your Lordship?" asked one whose voice I did notrecognize.
"He has come straight from Major Ferguson, as I say; and, loyalist orrebel, he can find his way back to Gilbert Town."
"But you'll never be trusting him with despatches!" said Lord Rawdon.
"There is no need to trust him. He can be given the despatches with somehint of their purport, and of how much the king's cause will profit bytheir safe delivery."
Again a silence fell upon the group around the lawyers' table, and thensome one--'twas Major Hanger, as I thought--said: "'Tis an unread riddlefor me as yet, my Lord."
Cornwallis laughed. "Where are your wits this morning, gentlemen? If hebe loyal and true, the despatches will go safe enough. If, on the otherhand, he be a rebel and a spy, he will doubtless tamper with them; butin that case he will none the less ride straight enough to MajorFerguson's headquarters in the West."
"H'm; your Lordship is still too deep for me," said Tarleton's second incommand. "If he be a rebel and a spy, why, in God's name, should hecarry your Lordship's letters to any but some rag-tag colonel of his ownkidney?"
My Lord laughed again. "Truly, Major, you should go to a dame's schooland learn diplomacy. If we tell him beforehand what our object is, howcould any rebel of them all defeat it more surely than by going toFerguson with a garbled message that would make him stand and fight alosing battle?"
"But, my Lord--the risk!" cut in the commissary-general.
"There need be none. An hour after he sets out we shall send a mounteddetail after him with an Indian tracker to nose out his trail. Thelieutenant in command will carry duplicate despatches. At the worst,Ireton will guide these followers to Ferguson's rendezvous; and, so faras we know, he is the only man who knows exactly where to find themajor."
I had heard enough. Under cover of the chorus of bravos raised by LordCornwallis's explication of his plot within a plot, I lifted thetrap-door and made my exit as noiselessly as I had come.
Guessing that no time would be lost in putting the plan into action, Imade haste to be found inquiring hither and yon for thecommander-in-chief when my Lord and his suite came down the outer stair;and when we were met I was quickly told of my assignment to courierduty.
"Make your preparations to take the road within the hour, and report tome at Friend Stair's," said my Lord, most affably. "We shall put yournew-found loyalty to the test, Captain Ireton, by entrusting you with amost important mission. Go with the commissary-general and he will findyou your mount and equipment."
Thus dismissed, I went with Stedman, and was accorded a more gentlemanlywelcome than my overhearings had given me leave to expect.
On the way to the horse paddock the commissary-general told me of hisplan to write a history of the campaign; a bit of confidence which setme laughing inwardly and wondering if he would put one John Ireton,sometime of the Scots Blues, and late captain in her Apostolic Majesty'sHussars, between the covers of his book. 'Tis small wonder that he didnot. I have since had the pleasure of reading his history of the greatwar, and I find it curiously lacking in those incidents which did notredound to the honor and glory of the king's cause and army in thefield.
Not to digress, however, my makeshift mount was soon exchanged for abetter; I was allowed to draw what I would of accoutrements andprovender from the king's stores; and so, to cut it short, I waspresently at the door of my Lord's headquarters fully equipped and readyfor the road.
I did hope in those last few moments that I might have a chance toexchange a word with my dear lady; might ask her forgiveness, or,failing so much grace of her, might at least have another sight of hersweet face.
But even this poor boon was denied me. I was scarce out of the saddlewhen an aide came to conduct me to the general, and I saw no one in thehouse save my Lord himself.
As you would guess, my instructions conformed exactly to the planoutlined by Lord Cornwallis in the council. I was entrusted with asealed packet for delivery to Major Ferguson, and, for safety's sake, asmy Lord explained, I was given the meat of the message to deliververbally should the need arise. Ferguson was to be ordered to come ininstantly by forced marches, if necessary, and he was on no account torisk a battle with the over-mountain men.
You may be sure, my dears, that I scarce drew breath till I was a-horseand out of the town and galloping hard on the road to that ford ofMaster Macgowan's which afterward became famous in our history under themisspelling
"Cowan's Ford." 'Twas too good to be true that I should bethrust thus into the very gaping mouth of opportunity, and now and againI would feel the packet buttoned tight beneath my hussar jacket to makesure 'twas not a dream to vanish at a touch.
In the mad joy of it the spirit of prophecy came upon me, and I saw asif the thing were done, how at last I held the fate of the patriot causein all our west country in the hollow of my hand.
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