Si Klegg, Book 6

by John McElroy

  CHAPTER X. THE BOYS HAVE A COUPLE OF LITTLE SKIRMISHES

  BUT FINALLY GET TO THE MILL.

  THE time and the surroundings were such as to bring the spirits of theboys to their lowest ebb.

  The gloomy, mysterious woods seemed a world's distance away from theirhomes, friends and assistance.

  The long, tiresome tramp, the violent rainstorm, which had soaked themto their skins, and apparently found its way to their hearts; the muddy,slippery road, with torrents rushing across it, the splashing, searchingrivulets from the boughs overhead, were all deeply depressing.

  The boys huddled together, as if to gain courage by closer contact.

  "Gracious, I never supposed they'd pull off a fight at night, wheneverybody was tired to death and soaked to a gruel," said Alf Russell ina shivery whisper.

  "They fought at Hohenlinden at night, and on the snow," answered MontyScruggs. "But snow's not so bad as rain, and, then, they didn't havethese awful woods. I'd feel much better if we was out in a clearingsomewhere."

  "Come into line to the left, there," commanded Si, in a low tone."Deploy, one pace apart. Shorty, take the left out there in the bushes.Don't make no noise, step carefully, and don't shoot till I do."

  "Keep near me, Pete, and you won't git lost," said Shorty, as he steppedoff into the brush.

  --"Must I shoot the same time you do, or wait till you shoot?" askedPete, who seemed less depressed by his surroundings than the others, andmainly eager to get a chance to shoot.

  "Don't watch me," cautioned Shorty. "Watch the fellers you are shootin'at, and try to hit 'em. Fire just as soon as you want to after you hearthe others."

  "I'll bet I'll hit a rebel if anybody does," said Pete with hopefulanimation.

  They tramped forward a few steps over the spongy ground, and through thedripping bushes.

  The musketry fire continued fitfully around the mill in the distance.

  They came to the summit of the little rise.

  "Hist--halt; lay down, quick," called the watchful Si, in a penetratingvoice. "They've loaded agin', and are about to shoot."

  He and Shorty were down on their faces as he spoke. The others obeyedmore slowly and clumsily. The rebel volley cut the limbs and bushesover their heads, and whistled viciously through the damp air and thedarkness.

  As little Pete dropped to the ground, his nervous finger touched thetrigger and his gun went off up in the air. The others took this as acue, and banged away as rapidly as they could get their muskets off.

  Only Si and Shorty, in dropping, had kept the lay of the ground in view,and without rising they deliberately aimed their pieces whither thevolley had come and fired. A suppressed yell of pain came from the otherside.

  "We salted one of 'em, anyway," chuckled Shorty, as he raised on hisknee to reload his gun.

  "Gosh all Chrismus," said Si, using his most formidable swear-word, forhe was very angry. "What was you brats shootin' at? Squirrels or angels?A rebel'd had to be 80 cubits high, like old Haman, for one o' you to'vehit him. Lots o' good o' your packin' around guns and cartridges, ifyou're goin' to waste your ammynition on the malaria in the clouds.Load agin, now, carefully, and when you shoot agin be sure to fetchsomething. I'll take my ramrod to the next boy that I ketch shootin'higher'n a man's head. This ain't no Fourth-o'-July business. Our job'ste kill them whangdoodles over there, and I want you to 'tend strictlyto that."

  The threat of a real boyish thrashing and the cool, matter-of-fact waythat Si and Shorty conducted themselves--precisely as if chopping treesor mowing a field--steadied the boys wonderfully.

  "They're about ready to shoot agin," Si spoke down the line, in apenetrating whisper. "Everybody hug the ground, and watch the flashes.Each feller git a good line on the flash straight in front of him, andlet the hound have a chunk o' lead just below his belt. If you're allreal good, and shoot just right, I'll take you on a rush right at themfellers, and we'll scatter what's left like a flock o' quail. Lay low.There it comes agin. Lay low."

  An irregular volley burnt out in the blackness beyond. The bullets sangaround much closer than before, and several of them struck near Si, onelanding in the leaves and moss directly in front of him, and throwing awet sprinkle in his face.

  "Like the parrot, I was talkin' too much and too loud," thought Si."They wuz all reachin' for me, and one feller made a mighty good lineshot. Le's see if I can't better him."

  He drew down in his sights as carefully as he could in the darkness, andpulled the trigger. As the smoke thinned out a little he thought he sawsomething beyond which indicated a man staggering and falling.

  This time the boys seemed to be firing effectively. There was acommotion in the woods beyond, and the sound of groans on the damp air.

  "Raise up!" shouted Si. "Forward! Forward! Jump 'em. Jump 'em beforethey kin load agin!"

  Loading his gun with the practiced ease of a veteran as he rushedforward, Si led his squad directly against the position of the rebels.Part of the rebels had promptly run away, as they heard Si orderthe charge, but part boldly stood their ground, and were nervouslyreloading, or fixing bayonets, as the squad came crashing through thebrush. One of the rebels fired a hasty, ineffectual shot, and by itslight Shorty saw the nervous little Pete, who had torn off his cumberinghaversack, letting his hat go with it, slip between him and Si, and gaina pace in advance.

  "Git back, you little rat," said Shorty, reaching out a long arm,catching the boy by the collar, and yanking him back. "Git behind me andstay there."

  The flash revealed another rebel fumbling for a cap. Shorty's gun camedown, and the rebel fell, shot through the shoulder. The rebel leader,a long haired, lathy man, with the quickness of a wildcat, sprang at Siwith his bayonet fixed. Heavy-footed and deliberate as Si usuallywas, when the electricity of a fight was in him there was no lack ofcelerity. He caught the rebel's bayonet on his musket-barrel and wardedit off so completely that the rebel shot by him in the impetus of hisown rush. As he passed Si delivered a stunning blow on the back of hishead with his gun-barrel.

  "That zouave drill was a mighty good thing, after all," thought Si, ashe turned from his prostrate foe to the others.

  While this was going on, the boys were imitating Shorty's example,getting their guns loaded, and banging away as fast as they did so intothe rebels, who went down under the shots, or ran off, leaving one oftheir number, a tall, lank mountaineer, who seemed beside himself withrage. He had grasped his empty gun by the stock, and was swinging itaround his head, yelling fierce insults and defiance to the whole raceo' Yankees.

  "Come on, you infernal pack o' white-livered, nigger-stealin',house-robbin', hell-desarvin' hypocrites," he shouted. "I kin lick thehull bilin' o' yo'uns. This is my wounded pardner here, and yo'uns can'thave neither me nor him till yo'uns down me, which y' can't do. Come on,y' pigeon-livered cowards."

  The boys who had pressed lip near him, shrank back a little, out ofpossible range of that violently brandished musket, and began loadingtheir guns.

  Shorty had stopped for an instant to turn over into an easier positionthe rebel he had shot.

  Si paced up. His gun was loaded, and he could have easily brought therebel down. But the rebel's devotion to his partner touched him.

  DON'T ANYBODY SHOOT. 119]

  "Don't shoot, boys," he commanded; "leave me to 'tend to him. Say,Johnny," he addressed the rebel, in a placatory way, "don't make a foolo' yourself. Come down, we've got you, dead. Drop that gun."

  "Go to brimstone blazes," shouted the rebel. "If yo'uns have got me, whydon't y' take me. I kin lick the hull caboodle o' y' sneakin' mulatters.Come on, why don't y'?"

  "Give him a wad, Si," said Shorty, reloading his own gun. "We haint notime to lose. They need us over there."

  "No, don't anybody shoot," commanded Si; "he's just crazy about hispartner. He's too brave a man to kill. Say, Johnny, have a little sense.We haint goin' to hurt your partner, nor you, if you'll behave. Dropthat gun at once, and surrender."

  "Go to blazes," retor
ted the rebel, swinging his gun more wildly thanever. "Yo'uns is all liars. No dependence kin be placed on y'. If y'want me, come and git me."'

  Shorty had begun to think the thing somewhat humorous. "Lookhere, Johnny," said he, "wouldn't you like a big chaw o' navyterbacker--bright plug. Genuine Yankee plug? Swingin' that ere gun thatway is awful tiresome."

  "Eh--What's that?" said the rebel, startled by the new proposition andits coolness.

  "I say, don't you want a big chaw o' terbacker? You must need it. Ialways do after I've bin workin' hard. Drop your gun, and have one withme. We're Injiannians, and we don't mean no harm to your partner, nor toyou. We'll take care o' him, if he's hurt. Here, cut your own chaw."

  "Air yo'uns from Injianny?" said the rebel, bringing his gun down to aless menacing attitude. "I've done got two brothers in Injianny, and Ihear they'uns 've done inlisted in Yankee rijiments. Mebbe yo'uns know'em."

  "Mebbe we do," said Shorty, handing him a long plug and his knife. "Butwe hain't time to talk it over now. We'll do that in the mornin', whenbusiness ain't so pressin'. Le' me hold your gun while you cut yourterbacker."

  "Now, look here," said Si, "time's jumpin', and we must talk quick. Ifwe parole you, will you stay here, and take care o' your partner and theothers, and be here in the mornin', when we send for you?"

  "You won't send for me, if yo'uns is a-gwine on ter fout we'uns up atthe mill. We'uns chaw yo'uns up, or run y' outen the country."

  "We'll take care o' that," said Si sharply. "Will you promise on yourhonor to stay with these men, and take care o' them till daylight, if wedon't come sooner?"

  "Sartin,--'pon honor," answered the rebel, with his mouth full oftobacco.

  "All right, then. Load at will. Load! Forward!--March!" commanded Si.

  Si moved on cautiously, for he feared that the runaways had told thoseattacking the mill about his advance, and would bring them all down uponhim. The dying down of the firing about the mill confirmed this opinion.He warned his boys to make as little noise as possible, and went aheadof them some distance, to reconnoiter, slipping along the side of theroad, under the shadow of the trees. He arranged a system of signalswith Shorty, by which one click of his gunlock meant halt, and two tocome ahead. Presently he came in sight of the broad race which ran tothe mill. The starlight was sufficient to show its width and its banks,with the logs lying along, which had been cut when it was dug. A bridgecrossed the race for the road to the mill. Beyond the ground rosesharply, and looking at the crest against the sky, he could see therebels, one by one, file over, and come down to where they could crouchbehind the logs and ambuscade the bridge.

  Si clicked his gunlock, and waited till he had counted 25 rebelsgathered there, which seemed to be all, as no more appeared. Then heslipped back to Shorty, and hurriedly explained the situation.

  The boys listened with sinking hearts. More than three times as manyrebels as they themselves numbered, and perhaps fiercer and strongerthan those they had already encountered.

  The elation of their recent victory subsided. Again the woods becameominously dark and gloomy, the soaking dampness very depressing. Theyhuddled together to brace each other up.

  "Si," said Shorty, "didn't you say that it was a squad o' the MaumeeMuskrats in the mill, and that we wuz goin' to relieve 'em."

  "Yes, and the Orderly said that railroad 'Mick'--Hennessey--was theSarjint in command."

  "O, that bog-trottin' old section boss, that hairy-handed artist with thelong shovel, is there, is he with his crucifix and his prayers to theSaints. That's all right. He's bin stormin' and swearin' ever sincethe fight begun; because he's bin obliged to stay inside and shoot,and instid of making a grand rush and settling things, accordingto Donnybrook Fair rules. I tell you what you do. You work the boyscarefully down through the brush toward the race, and git 'em intoposition in easy range of the rebels, covering 'em behind logs. I'lltake a circuit around to the left, and git over to the hill, behind therebels, and near enough the mill for Hennessey to hear me. Then I'llfire a shot and yell for Hennessey. He knows my voice, and he'll bringhis men out like a pack o' hornets. Then you let into the rebels fromyour side. They can't git across the race at you, and we'll have 'emwhere we kin whipsaw 'em."

  "Shorty," said Si admiringly, "Gen. Grant 'll hear o' you some day, andthen Co. Q will lose its brightest star, but the army'll gain a greatGeneral."

  "I know it; I know it," said Shorty, modestly; "but don't stop to talkabout it now. I think I've got the lay o' the mill in mind. I'll justcut around that way. Don't shoot till you hear me."

  Si quietly deployed his boys to the left of the road, and workedthem through the brush until they came to the crest overlooking themill-race. They took readily to this sort of work. They had all huntedrabbits over the hills of southern Indiana, and they came into positionso softly that the rebels beyond did not suspect their presence.

  Then came a long wait for the signal from Shorty. The rebels seemed toget tired first. Presently they could be seen moving around, and Si hadhard work restraining his squad from shooting at the tempting marks.Then the rebels began talking, at first in murmurs, and then louder.There seemed to be a division of opinion among them. Those who had beenrun back were sure that the Yankee were coming on to the relief of theircomrades in the mill. The others thought that their comrades had run theother away just as fast.

  "I tell you, hit's no use to wait for they'uns no longer," said onestrong voice. "Them Yankees is runnin' back to their camps as fast asthey'uns's legs 'll carry they'uns. If yo'uns 'd had any sand, and stoodyer ground, you'd 'a seed 'em. But yo' yaller hammers allers git theager when ever a cap's busted, and run yer rabbit-gizzards out."

  "Y're a liar," hotly responded another voice. "Thar was more'n 50 o'them Yankees, if thar was a man. We fit 'em awful, before we give away,and they'd killed Burt Dolson and Bob Whittyker, and I don't know howmany more. They come bulgin' right on toward the mill, arter they'dreformed. I know hit, bekase Eph and me staid and watched 'em, and shotat 'em, till we thought hit best to run back and warn ye."

  "Ye wuz in a powerful hurry to warn us," sneered the other. "Well,thar's no Yankees over thar, and none haint a-comin' till daylight. I'veketched all the ager and rhematiz here that I'm a-gwine ter. Le's goback and salivate them fellers in the mill, and set fire to it."

  This seemed to be the prevailing sentiment, and Si began to fear thatthey would all go, and might intercept Shorty. He was on the point ofordering the boys to fire, and attract their attention, when Shorty'srifle rang out, and the next instant came a roar from Shorty's powerfullungs, with each word clear and distinct:

  "Hennessy--you--red--mouthed--Mick--come out. The 200th Injiannyis--here. Come out--with a rush--you--imported spalpeen--andjump--'em--in--the--rear!"

  "Now, boys," commanded Si, "keep cool, pick your man, and fire low. I'mgoin' to take the feller that's bin doin' the big talkin'."

  Each of the boys had already picked his man, and was eagerly waiting theword. Their fire threw their enemies into confusion, and as theirguns rattled, the barricaded doors of the mill were thrown open,and Hennessey rushed out with a wild Irish "hurroo." The rebelsincontinently fled, without an attempt at resistance.

  After it was ascertained that every unhurt rebel was running for dearlife to get away, after Hennessey and his squad had gathered up thewounded and carried them into the mill, and after the boys had yelledthemselves hoarse over their victory gained with such unexpectedease, they suddenly remembered that they were so tired that they couldscarcely drag one foot after another, and hungrier than young wolves atthe end of a hard Winter.

  "Gewhillikins," murmured Jim Humphreys, "I wonder when we're going tohave supper. I'm as holler as a stovepipe."

  "You've got your suppers in your haversacks," said Si. "We'll go intothe mill and build a fire and make some coffee and fry some meat."

  "In my haversack," said Jim ruefully, after they had entered the mill,and he had run his hand into his forgotten haversack, and withdrawn itcovered wit
h a viscid greasy mush. "My haversack's full o' water, that'ssoaked everything else in it to a gruel."

  "So's mine; so's mine," echoed the rest, as they examined.

  "Confound it," said Si' wrathfully, as he looked into one afteranother. "Didn't none o' you have sense enough to fasten down the coverscarefully, so's to keep the water out? Here it is--salt and sugar andcoffee, bread and greasy pork all in one nasty mess. I declare, youdon't seem to have the sense you wuz born with. You've bin breakin'yourselves down luggin' around 10 or 15 pounds o' water, besides spilin'your rations."

  "Probably Sarjint Hennessey has some rations that he kin give us,"suggested Shorty, who was genuinely sorry for the poor boys.

  "Dade I haint--not a smidgeon," answered Hennessey. "We ixpicted ye'sto git here this forenoon and relieve us, and we et up ivery spoonfulof our grub for breakfast, so's to lighten us for a quick march backto camp. They've not bin runnin' in the mill for several days, and'vecarted off ivery bit of the male they ground. We're nigh starvedoursilves, but we've had a lovely little foight, and we forgive ye'sfor not coming airlier. Oi wouldn't 've missed that last rush on thimdivil's for a month's double rations."

  "Well," said Si, encouragingly, "we'll have to make mine and Shorty'srations go around as well as they kin, among all of you. Fish the meatout o' your haversacks, boys, and wash the dope off it. It ain't spiled,anyway. We kin each of us have a little to eat tonight, and we'll trustto Providence for termorrer."