by G. A. Henty
CHAPTER XVI.
THE SEARCH FOR DINAH.
"By the bye, Vincent," Mrs. Wingfield remarked next morning atbreakfast, "I have parted with Pearson."
"I am glad to hear it, mother. What! did you discover at last that hewas a scamp?"
"Several things that occurred shook my confidence in him, Vincent. Theaccounts were not at all satisfactory, and it happened quiteaccidentally that when I was talking one day with Mr. Robertson, who, asyou know, is a great speculator in tobacco, I said that I should grow nomore tobacco, as it really fetched nothing. He replied that it would bea pity to give it up, for so little was now cultivated that the pricewas rising, and the Orangery tobacco always fetched top prices. 'I thinkthe price I paid for your crop this year must at any rate have paid forthe labor--that is to say, paid for the keep of the slaves and somethingover.' He then mentioned the price he had given, which was certainly agood deal higher than I had imagined. I looked at my accounts nextmorning, and found that Pearson had only credited me with one-third ofthe amount he must have received, so I at once dismissed him. Indeed, Ihad been thinking of doing so some little time before, for money is soscarce and the price of produce so low that I felt I could not afford topay as much as I had been giving him."
"I am afraid I have been drawing rather heavily, mother," Vincent putin.
"I have plenty of money, Vincent. Since your father's death we have hadmuch less company than before, and I have not spent my income. Besides,I have a considerable sum invested in house property and othersecurities. But I have, of course, since the war began been subscribingtoward the expenses of the war--for the support of hospitals and so on.I thought at a time like this I ought to keep my expenses down to thelowest point, and to give the balance of my income to the State."
"How did Jonas take his dismissal, mother?"
"Not very pleasantly," Mrs. Wingfield replied, "especially when I toldhim that I had discovered he was robbing me. However, he knew betterthan to say much, for he has not been in good odor about here for sometime. After the fighting near here there were reports that he had beenin communication with the Yankees. He spoke to me about it at the time;but as it was a mere matter of rumor, originating, no doubt, from thefact that he was a Northern man by birth, I paid no attention to them."
"It is likely enough to be true," Vincent said. "I always distrusted thevehemence with which he took the Confederate side. How long ago did thishappen?"
"It is about a month since I dismissed him."
"So lately as that! Then I should not be at all surprised if he had somehand in carrying off Dinah. I know he was in communication with Jackson,for I once saw them together in the street, and I fancied at the timethat it was through him that Jackson learned that Dinah was here. It isan additional clew to inquire into, anyhow. Do you know what has becomeof him since he left you?"
"No; I have heard nothing at all about him, Vincent, from the day I gavehim a check for his pay in this room. Farrell, who was under him, is nowin charge of the Orangery. He may possibly know something of hismovements."
"I think Farrell is an honest fellow," Vincent said. "He was alwaysabout, doing his work quietly; never bullying or shouting at the hands,and yet seeing that they did their work properly. I will ride out andsee him at once."
As soon as breakfast was over Vincent started, and found Farrell in thefields with the hands.
"I am glad to see you back, sir," the man said heartily.
"Thank you, Farrell. I am glad to be back, and I am glad to find you inPearson's place. I never liked the fellow, and never trusted him."
"I did not like him myself, sir, though we always got on well enoughtogether. He knew his work and got as much out of the hands as anyonecould do; but I did not like his way with them. They hated him."
"Have you any idea where he went when he left here?"
"No, sir; he did not come back after he got his dismissal. He sent a manin a buggy with a note to me, asking me to send all his things over toRichmond. I expect he was afraid the news might get here as soon as hedid, and that the hands would give him an unpleasant reception, asindeed I expect they would have done."
"You don't know whether he has any friends anywhere in the Confederacyto whom he would be likely to go?"
"I don't know about friends, sir; but I know he has told me he wasoverseer, or partner, or something of that sort, in a small station downin the swamps of South Carolina. I should think, from things he has letdrop, that the slaves must have had a bad time of it. I rather fancy hemade the place too hot for him, and had to leave; but that was only myimpression."
"In that case he may possibly have made his way back there," Vincentsaid. "I have particular reasons for wishing to find out. You don't knowanything about the name of the place?" The man shook his head.
"He never mentioned the name in my hearing."
"Well, I must try to find out; but I don't quite see how to set aboutit," Vincent said. "By the way, do you know where his clothes were sentto?"
"Yes; the man said that he was to take them to Harker's Hotel. It's asecond-rate hotel not far from the railway station."
"Thank you; that will help me. I know the house. It was formerly used byNorthern drummers and people of that sort."
After riding back to Richmond and putting up his horse, Vincent went tothe hotel there. Although but a second-rate hotel it was well filled,for people from all parts of the Confederacy resorted to Richmond, andhowever much trade suffered, the hotels of the town did a good business.He first went up to the clerk in a little office at the entrance.
"You had a man named Pearson," he said, "staying here a month ago. Willyou please tell me on what day he left?"
The clerk turned to the register, and said, after a minute'sexamination:
"He came on the 14th of November, and he left on the 20th."
This was two days after the date on which Dinah had been carried off.
In American hotels the halls are large and provided with seats, and areusually used as smoking and reading rooms by the male visitors to thehotel. At Harker's Hotel there was a small bar at the end of the hall,and a black waiter supplied the wants of the guests seated at thevarious little tables. Vincent seated himself at one of these andordered something to drink. As the negro placed it on the table he said:
"I will give you a dollar if you will answer a few questions."
"Very good, sah. Dat am a mighty easy to earn dollar."
"Do you remember, about a month ago, a man named Pearson being here?"
The negro shook his head.
"Me not know de names ob de gentlemen, sah. What was de man like?"
"He was tall and thin, with short hair and a gray goatee--a regularYankee."
"Me remember him, sah. Dar used to be plenty ob dat sort here. Don't seedem much now. Me remember de man, sah, quite well. Used to pass most ofde day here. Didn't seem to have nuffin to do."
"Was he always alone, or did he have many people here to see him?"
"Once dar war two men wid him, sah, sitting at dat table ober in decorner. Rough-looking fellows dey war. In old times people like datwouldn't come to a 'spectable hotel, but now eberyone got rough clothes,can't get no others, so one don't tink nuffin about it; but dose fellowswas rough-looking besides dar clothes. Didn't like dar looks nohow. Deyonly came here once. Dey was de only strangers that came to see him. Butonce Massa Jackson--me know him by sight--he came here and talk wid himfor a long time. Dey talk in low voice, and I noticed dey stoppedtalking when anyone sat down near dem."
"You don't know where he went to from here, I suppose?"
"No, sah; dat not my compartment. Perhaps de outside porter will know.Like enough he takes his tings in hand-truck to station. You like to seehim, sah?"
"Yes, I should like to have a minute's talk with him. Here is yourdollar."
The waiter rang a bell, and a minute later the outdoor porter presentedhimself.
"You recommember taking some tings to station for a tall man with graygoa
tee, Pomp?" the waiter asked. "It was more dan three weeks ago. Itink he went before it was light in de morning. Me seem to rememberdat."
The negro nodded.
"Me remember him bery well, sah. Tree heavy boxes and one bag, and heonly gave me a quarter dollar for taking dem to de station. Mighty meanman dat."
"Do you know what train he went by?"
"Yes, sah, it was de six o'clock train for de Souf."
"You can't find out where his luggage was checked for?"
"I can go down to station, sah, and see if I can find out. Some of demen thar may remember."
"Here is a dollar for yourself," Vincent said, "and another to give toany of the men who can give you the news. When you have found out comeand tell me. Here is my card and address."
"Bery well, sah. Next time me go up to station me find about it, forsure, if anyone remember dat fellow."
In the evening the negro called at the house and told Vincent that hehad ascertained that a man answering to his description, and havingluggage similar to that of Pearson, had had it checked to Florence inSouth Carolina.
Vincent now called Dan into his counsel and told him what he haddiscovered. The young negro had already given proof of such intelligencethat he felt sure his opinion would be of value.
"Dat all bery plain, sah," Dan said when Vincent finished his story. "Meno doubt dat old rascal Jackson give money to Pearson to carry off degal. Ob course he did it just to take revenge upon Tony. Pearson he gointo de plot, because, in de fust place, it vex Missy Wingfield and youbery much; in de second place, because Jackson gib him money; in dethird place, he get hold of negro slave worf a thousand dollar. Dat allquite clear. He not do it himself, but arrange wid oder fellows, and hestop quiet at de hotel for two days after she gone so dat no one can'spect his having hand in de affair."
"That is just how I make it out, Dan; and now he has gone off to jointhem."
Dan thought for some time.
"Perhaps dey join him thar, sah, perhaps not; perhaps him send himbaggage on there and get out somewhere on de road and meet dem."
"That is likely enough, Dan. No doubt Dinah was taken away in a cart orbuggy. As she left two days before he did, they may have gone from fortyto sixty miles along the road, or to some place where he may have joinedthem. The men who carried her off may either have come back or gone onwith him. If they wanted to go South they would go on; if they did not,he would probably have only hired them to carry her off and hand herover to him when he overtook them. I will look at the time-table and seewhere the train stops. It is a fast train I see," after consulting it."It stops at Petersburg, fifteen miles on, and at Hicks Ford, which isabout fifty miles. I should think the second place was most likely, asthe cart could easily have gone there in two days. Now, Dan, you hadbetter start to-morrow morning, and spend two days there, if necessary;find out, if you can, if on the 20th of last month anyone noticed avehicle of any kind, with two rough-looking men in it, and with,perhaps, a negro woman. She might not have been noticed, for she mayhave been lying tied up in the bottom of the cart, although it is morelikely they frightened her by threats into sitting up quiet with them.They are sure not to have stopped at any decent hotel, but will havegone to some small place, probably just outside the town.
"I will go with you to Mr. Renfrew the first thing in the morning andget him to draw up a paper testifying that you are engaged in lawfulbusiness, and are making inquiries with a view to discovering a crimewhich has been committed, and recommending you to the assistance of thepolice in any town you may go to. Then, if you go with that to the headconstable at Hicks Ford, he will tell you which are the places at whichsuch fellows as these would have been likely to put up for the night,and perhaps send a policeman with you to make inquiries. If you get anynews, telegraph to me at once. I will start by the six o'clock train onthe following morning. Do you be on the platform to meet me, and we canthen either go straight on to Florence, or, should there be anyoccasion, I will get out there; but I don't think that is likely.Pearson himself will to a certainty, sooner or later, go to Florence toget his luggage, and the only real advantage we shall get, if yourinquiries are successful, will be to find out for certain whether he isconcerned in the affair. We shall then only have to follow his tracesfrom Florence."
Two days later Mr. Renfrew received a telegram from the head constableat Hicks Ford:
"The two men with cart spent day here, 20th ult. Were joined that morning by another man--negro says Pearson. One man returned afternoon, Richmond. Pearson and the other drove off in buggy. A young negress and child were with them. Is there anything I can do?"
Mr. Renfrew telegraphed back to request that the men, who were kidnapingthe female slave, should if possible be traced, and the direction theytook ascertained. He then sent the message across to Vincent, who atonce went to his office.
"Now," the lawyer said, "you must do nothing rashly in this business,Vincent. They are at the best of times a pretty rough lot at the edge ofthese Carolina swamps, and at present things are likely to be worse thanusual. If you were to go alone on such an errand you would almostcertainly be shot. In the first place these fellows would not give up avaluable slave without a struggle; and, in the next place, they havecommitted a very serious crime. Therefore it is absolutely necessarythat you should go armed with legal powers and backed by the force ofthe law. In the first place, I will draw up an affidavit and sign itmyself, to the effect that a female slave, the property of VincentWingfield, has, with her male child, been kidnaped and stolen by JonasPearson and others, acting in association with him, and that we havereason to know that she has been conveyed into South Carolina. This Iwill get witnessed by a justice of the peace, and will then take it upto the State House. There I will get the usual official request to theGovernor of South Carolina to issue orders that the aid of the law shallbe given to you in recovering the said Dinah Moore and her child, andarresting her abductors. You will obtain an order to this effect fromthe Governor, and armed with it you will, as soon as you havediscovered where the woman is, call upon the sheriff of the county toaid you in recovering her and in arresting Pearson and his associates."
"Thank you, sir. That will certainly be the best way. I run plenty ofrisks in doing my duty as an officer of the State, and I have no desirewhatever to throw my life away at the hands of ruffians such as Pearsonand his allies."
Two hours later Vincent received from Mr. Renfrew the official letter tothe Governor of South Carolina, and at six o'clock next morning startedfor Florence. On the platform of the station at Hicks Ford Dan waswaiting for him.
"Jump into the car at the end, Dan; I will come to you there, and youcan tell me all the news. We are going straight on to Columbia. Now,Dan," Vincent went on when he joined him--for in no part of the UnitedStates were negroes allowed to travel in any but the cars set apart forthem--"what is your news? The chief constable telegraphed that they had,as we expected, been joined by Pearson here."
"Yes, sah, dey war here for sure. When I got here I go straight to deconstable and tell him dat I was in search of two men who had kidnapedCaptain Wingfield's slave. De head constable he Richmond man, and obcourse knew all about de family; so he take de matter up at once andsend constable wid me to seberal places whar it likely dat the fellowshad put up, but we couldn't find nuffin about dem. Den next morning wego out again to village four mile out of de town on de north road, anddare we found sure 'nough dat two men, wid negro wench and chile, hadstopped dere. She seem bery unhappy and cry all de time. De men say deybought her at Richmond, and show de constable of de village de paper datdey had bought female slabe Sally Moore and her chile. De constablespeak to woman, but she seem frightened out of her life and no sayanyting. Dey drive off wid her early in de morning. Den make inquiriesagain at de town and at de station. We find dat a man like Pearson getout. He had only little hand-bag with him. He ask one of de men at destation which was de way to de norf road. Den we find dat one of deconstables hab seen a horse and cart
wid two men in it, with negro womanand child. One of de men look like Yankee--dat what make him take noticeof it. We 'spose dat oder man went back to Richmond again."
"That is all right, Dan, and you have done capitally. Now at Florence wewill take up the hunt. It is a long way down there; and if they driveall the way, as I hope they will, it will take them a fortnight, so thatwe shall have gained a good deal of time on them. The people at thestation are sure to remember the three boxes that lay there for so longwithout being claimed. Of course they may have driven only till they gotfairly out of reach. Then they may either have sold the horse and cart,or the fellow Pearson has with him may have driven it back. But I shouldthink they would most likely sell it. In that case they would not bemore than a week from the time they left Richmond to the time they tooktrain again for the South. However, whether they have got a fortnight orthree weeks' start of us will not make much difference. With thedescription we can give of Pearson, and the fact that there was anegress and child, and those three boxes, we ought to be able to tracehim."
It was twelve at night when the train arrived at Florence. As nothingcould be done until next morning, Vincent went to an hotel. As soon asthe railway officials were likely to be at their offices he was at thestation again. The tip of a dollar secured the attention of the man inthe baggage room.
"Three boxes and a black bag came on here a month ago, you say, and layhere certainly four or five days--perhaps a good deal longer. Of courseI remember them. Stood up in that corner there. They had been checkedright through. I will look at the books and see what day they went. Idon't remember what sort of men fetched them away. Maybe I was busy atthe time, and my mate gave them out. However, I will look first and seewhen they went. What day do you say they got here?"
"They came by the train that left Richmond at six o'clock on the morningof the 20th."
"Then they got in late that night or early next morning. Ah, the trainwas on time that day, and got in at half-past nine at night. Here theyare--three boxes and a bag, numbered 15,020, went out on the 28th. Yes,that's right enough. Now I will just ask my mate if he remembers abouttheir going out."
The other man was called. Oh, yes! he remembered quite well the threeboxes standing in the corner. They went out some time in the afternoon.It was just after the train came in from Richmond. He noticed the manthat asked for them. He got him to help carry out the boxes and put theminto a cart. Yes, he remembered there was another man with him, and anegress with a child. He wondered at the time what they were up to, butsupposed it was all right. Yes, he didn't mind trying to find out whohad hired out a cart for the job. Dare say he could find out byto-morrow--at any rate he would try. Five dollars was worth earning,anyway.
Having put the matter in train, Vincent, leaving Dan at Florence, wentdown at once to Charleston. Here, after twenty-four hours' delay, heobtained a warrant for the arrest of Jonas Pearson and others on thecharge of kidnaping, and then returned to Florence. He found that therailway man had failed in obtaining any information as to the cart, andconcluded it must have come in from the country on purpose to meet thetrain.
"At any rate," Vincent said, "it must be within a pretty limited rangeof country. The railway makes a bend from Wilmington to this place andthen down to Charleston, so this is really the nearest station to only asmall extent of country."
"That's so," the railway man said. He had heard from Dan a good dealabout the case, and had got thoroughly interested in it. "Either Marionor Kingstree would be nearer, one way or the other, to most of theswamp country. So it can't be as far as Conwayborough on the north, orGeorgetown on the south, and it must lie somewhere between Jeffries'Creek and Lynch's Creek; anyhow it would be in Marion County--that'spretty nigh sure. So, if I were you, I would take rail back to MarionCourthouse, and see the sheriff there and have a talk over the matterwith him. You haven't got much to go upon, because this man you areafter has been away from here a good many years and won't be known;besides, likely enough he went by some other name down here. Anyhow, thesheriff can put you up to the roads and the best way of going about thejob."
"I think that would be the best way," Vincent said. "We shall be able tosee the county map, too, and to learn all the geography of the place."
"You have got your six-shooters with you, I suppose, because you arelikely as not to have to use them?"
"Yes, we have each got a Colt; and as I have had a good deal ofpractice, it would be awkward for Pearson if he gives me occasion to useit."
"After what I hear of the matter," the man said, "I should say your bestplan is just to shoot him at sight. It's what would serve him right. Youbet there will be no fuss over it. It will save you a lot of troubleanyway."
Vincent laughed.
"My advice is good," the man went on earnestly. "They are a rough lotdown there, and hang together. You will have to do it sudden, whateveryou do, or you will get the hull neighborhood up agin you."
On reaching Marion Courthouse they sought out the sheriff, produced thewarrant signed by the State authority, and explained the wholecircumstances.
"I am ready to aid you in any way I can," the sheriff said when heconcluded; "but the question is, where has the fellow got to? You see hemay be anywhere in this tract," and he pointed out a circle on the mapof the county that hung against the wall. "That is about fifty mileacross, and a pretty nasty spot, I can tell you. There are wide swampson both sides of the creek, and rice grounds and all sorts. There aintabove three or four villages altogether, but there may be two or threehundred little plantations scattered about, some big and some little. Wehaven't got anything to guide us in the slightest; not a thing, as I cansee."
"The man who was working under Pearson, when he was with us, told me hehad got the notion that he had had to leave on account of some troublehere. Possibly that might afford a clew."
"It might do so," the sheriff said. "When did he come to you?"
"I think it was when I was six or seven years old. That would be abouttwelve or thirteen years ago; but, of course, he may not have comedirect to us after leaving here."
"We can look, anyway," the sheriff said, and, opening a chest, he tookout a number of volumes containing the records of his predecessors."Twelve years ago! Well, this is the volume. Now, Captain Wingfield, Ihave got some other business in hand that will take me a couple ofhours. I will leave you out this volume and the one before it and theone after it, and if you like to go through them you may come across thedescription of some man that agrees with that of the man you are insearch of."
It took Vincent two hours and a half to go through the volume, but hemet with no description answering to that of Pearson.
"I will go through the first six months of the next year," he said tohimself, taking up that volume, "and the last six months of the yearbefore."
The second volume yielded no better result, and he then turned back tothe first of the three books. Beginning in July, he read steadily onuntil he came to December. Scarcely had he begun the record of thatmonth when he uttered an exclamation of satisfaction.
"December the 2d.--Information laid against a gang at Porter's station,near Lynch's Creek. Charged with several robberies and murders indifferent parts of the country. Long been suspected of having stills inthe swamps. Gang consists of four besides Porter himself. Names of gang,Jack Haverley, Jim Corben, and John and James Porter. Ordered out posseto start to-morrow."
"December 5th.--Returned from Porter's Station. Surprised the gang. Theyresisted. Haverley, Corben, and Jas. Porter shot. John Porter escaped,and took to the swamp. Four of posse wounded; one, William Hannay,killed. Circulated description of John Porter through the country. Talland lean; when fifteen years old shot a man in a brawl, and went North.Has been absent thirteen years. Assumed the appearance of a Northern manand speaks with the Yankee twang. Father was absent at the time ofattack. Captured three hours after. Declares he knows nothing aboutdoings of the gang. Haverley and Corben were friends of his sons. Cameand went when they liked. Will be tried
on the 15th."
On the 16th there was another entry:
"William Porter sentenced to three years' imprisonment for givingshelter to a gang of robbers. Evidence wanting to show he took anyactual part in their crimes."
The sheriff had been in and out several times during the five hours thatVincent's search had taken up. When he returned again Vincent pointedout the entry he had found.
"I should not be at all surprised if that's our man," the sheriff said."I know old Porter well, for he is still alive and bears a pretty badreputation still, though we have never been able to bring him to book. Iremember all the circumstances of that affair, for I served upon theposse. While Porter was in prison his house was kept for him by amarried daughter and her husband. There was a strong suspicion that theman was one of the gang too, but we couldn't prove it. They have livedthere ever since. They have got five or six field hands, and are said tobe well off. We have no doubt they have got a still somewhere in theswamps, but we have never been able to find it. I will send a man offto-morrow to make inquiries whether any stranger has arrived therelately. Of course, Pearson will not have kept that name, and he will nothave appeared as John Porter, for he would be arrested on a freshwarrant at once for his share in that former business. I think, CaptainWingfield, you had better register at the hotel here under some othername. I don't suppose that he has any fear of being tracked here; stillit is just possible his father may have got somebody here and atFlorence to keep their eyes open and let him know if there are anyinquiries being made by strangers about a missing negress. One cannot betoo careful. If he got the least hint, his son and the woman would behidden away in the swamps before we could get there, and there would beno saying when we could find him."
Vincent took the sheriff's advice, and entered his name in the hotelbooks as Mr. Vincent. Late in the evening the sheriff came round to him.
"I have just sent summonses to six men. I would rather have had two orthree more, but young men are very scarce around here now; and as withyou and myself that brings it up to eight that ought to be sufficient,as these fellows will have no time to summon any of their friends totheir assistance. Have you a rifle, Captain Wingfield?"
"No; I have a brace of revolvers."
"They are useful enough for close work," the sheriff said, "but if theysee us coming, and barricade their house and open fire upon us, you willwant something that carries further than a revolver. I can lend you arifle as well as a horse, if you will accept them."
Vincent accepted the offer with thanks. The next morning at daylight hewent round to the sheriff's house, where six determined-looking men,belonging to the town or neighboring farms, were assembled. Slinging therifle that the sheriff handed him across his back, Vincent at oncemounted, and the party set off at a brisk trot.
"My man came back half an hour ago," the sheriff said to Vincent as theyrode along. "He found out that a man answering to your descriptionarrived with another at Porter's about a fortnight ago, and is stayingthere still. Whether they brought a negress with them or not no oneseems to have noticed. However, there is not a shadow of doubt that itis our man, and I shall be heartily glad to lay hold of him; for abrother of mine was badly wounded in that last affair, and though helived some years afterward he was never the same man again. So I have apersonal interest in it, you see."
"How far is it to Porter's?"
"About thirty-five miles. We shall get there about two o'clock, Ireckon. We are all pretty well mounted and can keep at this pace, with abreak or two, till we get there. I propose that we dismount when we getwithin half a mile of the place. We will try and get hold of someone whoknows the country well, and get him to lead three of us round throughthe edge of the swamp to the back of the house. It stands within fiftyyards of the swamp. I have no doubt they put it there so that they mightescape if pressed, and also to prevent their being observed goingbackward and forward to that still of theirs."
This plan was followed out. A negro lad was found who, on the promise ofa couple of dollars, agreed to act as guide. Three of the party werethen told off to follow him, and the rest, after waiting for half anhour to allow them to make the detour, mounted their horses and rodedown at a gallop to the house. When they were within a short distance ofit they heard a shout, and a man who was lounging near the door raninside. Almost instantly they saw the shutters swing back across thewindows, and when they drew up, fifty yards from the door, the barrelsof four rifles were pushed out through slits in the shutters.
The sheriff held up his hand. "William Porter, I want a word with you."
A shutter in an upper room opened, and an elderly man appeared with arifle in his hand.
"William Porter," the sheriff said, "I have a warrant for the arrest oftwo men now in your house on the charge of kidnaping a female slave, theproperty of Captain Wingfield here. I have no proof that you had anyshare in the matter, or that you were aware that the slave was nothonestly obtained. In the second place, I have a warrant for the arrestof your son John Porter, now in your house and passing, recently, underthe name of Jonas Pearson, on the charge of resisting and killing theofficers of the law on the 5th of December, 1851. I counsel you to handover these men to me without resistance. You know what happened whenyour sons defied the law before, and what will happen now if you refusecompliance."
"Yah!" the old man shouted. "Do you suppose we are going to give in tofive men? Not if we know it. Now, I warn you, move yourself off while Ilet you; else you will get a bullet in you before I count three."
"Very well, then. You must take the consequences," the sheriff replied,and at once called the party to fall back.
"We must dismount," he said in answer to Vincent's look of surprise."They would riddle us here on horseback in the open. Besides, we mustdismount to break in the door."
They rode back a quarter of a mile, and then dismounted. The sherifftook two heavy axes that hung from his saddle, and handed them to two ofthe men.
"I reckon we shall have trouble," he said. "However, I hope we shan'thave to use these. My idea is to crawl up through the cornfield until weare within shooting distance, and then to open fire at the loopholes.They have never taken the trouble to grub up the stumps, and each manmust look out for shelter. I want to make it so hot for them that theywill try to bolt to the swamp, and in that case they will be covered bythe men there. I told them not to fire until they got quite close; sothey ought to dispose of three of them, and as they have got pistolsthey will be able to master the others; besides, when we hear firingbehind, we shall jump up and make a rush round. Do you, sir, and JamesWilkins here, stop in front. Two of them might make a rush out behind,and the others, when they have drawn us off, bolt in front."
Several shots were fired at the party as they made their way across tothe end of the field, where the tall stalks of maize were stillstanding, though the corn had been gathered weeks before. As soon asthey reached the shelter they separated, each crawling through the maizeuntil they arrived within fifty yards of the house. There were, as thesheriff had said, many stumps still standing, and each ensconced himselfbehind one of these, and began to reply to the fire that the defenderskept up whenever they saw a movement among the cornstalks.
At such a distance the shutters were but of slight advantage to thedefenders of the house; for the assailants were all good shots, and theloopholes afforded excellent targets at such a distance. After a fewshots had been fired from the house the fire of the defenders ceased,the men within not daring to protrude the rifles through the loopholes,as every such appearance was instantly followed by a couple of shotsfrom the corn patch.
"Give me one of those axes," the sheriff said. "Now, Withers, do youmake a rush with me to the door. Get your rifle loaded before you start,and have your revolver handy in your belt. Now, Captain Wingfield, doyou and the other two keep a sharp lookout at the loopholes, and seethat they don't get a shot at us as we run. Now, Withers!" and thesheriff ran forward. Two rifles were protruded through the loopholes.Vincent and his co
mpanions fired at once. One of the rifles gave asharp jerk and disappeared, the other was fired, and Withers dropped hisax, but still ran forward. The sheriff began an onslaught at the door,his companion's right arm being useless. A minute later the sharp crackof rifles was heard in the rear, and the sheriff and two men rushed inthat direction, while Vincent and the other lay watching the door.Scarcely had the sheriff's party disappeared round the house when thedoor was thrown open, and Pearson ran out at full speed. Vincent leapedto his feet.
"Surrender," he said, "or you are a dead man!"
Jonas paused for a moment with a loud imprecation, and then, leveling arevolver, fired. Vincent felt a moment's pain in the cheek, but beforehe could level his rifle his companion fired, and Pearson fell forwarddead. A minute later the sheriff and his party ran round.
"Have you got him?" he asked.
"He will give no more trouble, sheriff," the young man who fired said."I fancy I had him plum between the eyes. How about the others?"
"Dick Matheson is killed; he got two bullets in his body. The other manis badly wounded. There are no signs of old Porter."
They now advanced to the door, which stood open. As the sheriff enteredthere was a sharp report, and he fell back, shot through the heart. Therest made a rush forward. Another shot was fired, but this missed them,and before it could be repeated they had wrested the pistol from thehand of Matheson's wife. She was firmly secured, and they then enteredthe kitchen, where, crouched upon the floor, lay seven or eight negromen and women in an agony of terror. Vincent's question, "Dinah, whereare you?" was answered by a scream of delight; and Dinah, who had beencovering her child with her body, leaped to her feet.
"It's all right, Dinah," Vincent said; "but stay here, we haven'tfinished this business yet."
"I fancy the old man's upstairs," one of the men said. "It was hisrifle, I reckon, that disappeared when we fired."
It was as he expected. Porter was found dead behind the loophole, abullet having passed through his brain. The deputy sheriff, who was withthe party, now took the command. A cart and horse were found in anout-building; in these the wounded man, who was one of those who hadtaken part in the abduction of Dinah, was placed, together with thefemale prisoner and the dead body of the sheriff. The negroes were toldto follow; and the horses having been fetched, the party mounted androde off to the next village, five miles on their way back. Here theyhalted for the night, and the next day they went on to MarionCourthouse, Vincent hiring a cart for the conveyance of Dinah and theother women. It was settled that Vincent's attendance at the trial ofthe two prisoners would not be necessary, as the man would be tried forarmed resistance to the law, and the woman for murdering the sheriff.The facts could be proved by other witnesses, and as there could be nodoubt about obtaining convictions, it would be unnecessary to try thecharge against the man for kidnaping. Next day, accordingly, Vincentstarted with Dinah and Dan for Richmond. Two months afterward he saw inthe paper that Jane Matheson had been sentenced to imprisonment forlife, the man to fourteen years.