by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER XXII
THE FIRST SHOT FROM FORT BEDFORD
Levi Bedford had made all possible haste to reach the fort, and the boyshad not lingered far behind him, though they could not help giving someof their attention to the enemy on the other side of the creek. Theruffians remained at the position they had taken; and certainly they hadmade no progress in the accomplishment of the purpose which had broughtthem to the vicinity of Riverlawn. Probably if the darkness had notconcealed the artillery party, those with guns would have fired at them.
"Now, boys, the first order of Colonel Belthorpe was to build a fire,and we will attend to that," said the overseer, as he led the way to therear of the stone building.
"Of course I obey orders," added Artie, "but I don't believe much in thefire. As soon as it blazes up it will give the ruffians light enough tosee us. Some of them have guns, and they will fire at us then."
"What do you suppose these stone walls are for, Artie?" asked Levi withhis usual smile.
"They were put up to keep the ice cool originally," replied Artie.
"Then they ought to keep us cool," said the overseer. "When the man witha big mouth opened it, the dentist told him he had opened it wideenough, for he proposed to stand outside. But we don't propose to standoutside, but inside, as soon as we have lighted the fire."
"But we have to see what the ruffians are about on the other side of thecreek; for you are not to fire a shot unless they attempt to build araft," suggested Artie.
"We can look through the port-holes, can't we?" asked Deck. "If theybuild a raft they will make a fire the first thing they do, and we cansee what they are doing."
"We shall find a way to ascertain what they are doing," added Levi, ashe led the way to obtain more armfuls of the broken boards; and theywere the remains of the cases in which the arms and ammunition had beenpacked.
The wood was piled up a couple of rods from the fort, though a little atone side, so as not to obstruct the view of the party. Only a portion ofthe fuel was used, and the rest saved to replenish the fire. The matchwas applied, and in a short time the blaze mounted above the pile, andlighted the surrounding region.
"Now, boys, if you feel as though you might get a bullet through yourheads, you can go into the fort, and you will be safe there," said Levi.
"Are you not going in, Levi?"
"I am when the occasion requires; but I want to see what they are aboutover there," replied the overseer.
As he was in no haste to put the stone walls between himself and apossible shot, the pride of the boys would not permit them to do so, andit became a sort of contention to see who would be the first to seekshelter.
"The Seceshers are firing at our people!" exclaimed Deck, quite excitedas he realized that hostilities had actually begun.
"The ruffians are firing, each on his own hook, for there is no orderamong them," added Levi, as he heard several shots.
The plantation force could now be just seen, marching down the road, bythe light of the enemy's torches. The random shots from the ruffianswere continued, and it was evident that each man was his own commander.
"Colonel Belthorpe will not stand that sort of thing for any greatlength of time," Levi remarked, as his eyes and ears gave him furtherinformation in regard to the situation on the other side.
"They say chance shots sometimes do the most mischief, or I have read itin some story," said Deck. "I hope one of them will not hit father."
"Of course any one of us is liable to be hit while this game is goingon. Perhaps you had better go into the fort, for this fire will soonattract the enemy's attention," suggested the overseer.
"When you get ready to go in we will go in with you," replied Artie.
"There is no need of exposing all three of us to the changes of a shot."
"Then one of us boys will stay out, for you are nearly twice as big aseither one of us, and therefore twice as likely to get hit," laughedDeck.
"There!" exclaimed Levi, without noticing the remark, "now there will bemusic in the air!"
"What is it? I don't hear anything," added Deck.
"Don't you see that the colonel has halted his force? Now they haveformed a line across the road," continued the overseer, as he closelywatched the movements on the other side of the creek.
The fort party were silent with expectation and anxiety, and then theyheard the orders of the commander, which ended in a volley from thefifteen breech-loaders. The birch torches still lighted up the ground,and the observers saw two men fall. This discharge produced a panic inthe rabble, and they fled from the road to the shelter of a grove thatlay beyond. From the fort it could be seen that a few of the ruffians,with guns in their hands, had taken refuge behind the trunks of thelarge trees, where they were reloading their pieces.
"That's Indian fighting," said Levi. "Our men, from their position,can't see these skulkers, who will have a good chance to pick off someof them at their leisure. We must attend to this matter."
The overseer elevated his rifle, and took deliberate aim at one of theruffians behind a big tree, and fired. He saw his man fall. Deck andArtie followed his example, though they could not see any singleindividuals at whom they might direct their aim. They all continued tofire till the chambers of their weapons were empty.
"I don't believe we hit anybody with those last shots; for as soon as myman dropped and the others could see where the shot came from, they ranaway or moved to the other side of the tree," said Levi, as he carefullyobserved the situation.
The retreat of the main body of the ruffians, taking the torches withthem, left the scene in darkness. The number and direction of the lastdischarges assured those who had sought the shelter of the trees thatthey were flanked. Nothing could be seen in the gloom of the grove; and,as no more shots came from that quarter, it was supposed that theskulkers had retreated to the main body.
"There's a light down the creek, Levi!" exclaimed Deck, as a blazeflashed up at a point nearly opposite the boat-pier.
"That's where the logs lay," added the overseer. "The squad that wassent down the bank of the stream has got to work at last."
"Perhaps they have been at work for the last half hour," suggestedArtie. "They didn't need any light to enable them to roll the logs intothe creek and build a raft."
"Quite right, my boy; you have hit the nail on the head. By the light ofthe fire I can now see the raft, though they haven't finished it,"replied Levi.
"Hadn't we better fire at them?" asked Deck.
"You might as well fire at the moon, my boys," returned the overseer."You haven't had much practice with these breech-loaders, and youcouldn't hit anything at the distance they are from us."
"But where is our army?" asked Artie rather facetiously.
"Colonel Belthorpe don't seem to be following up the enemy," repliedLevi. "Perhaps, as the ruffians are retreating, he is satisfied to letthem go home and dream over their work of this evening. The torches ofthe main body of the enemy seem to be going out, and very likely theirstock of birch bark is all gone. They are about half-way between ourforce and the raft."
"They are within rifle-shot of us, anyhow," suggested Deck. "We mightgive them a little more waking up."
"Don't be too enthusiastic, Mr. Lyon. We don't win it to kill any moreof them than is absolutely necessary," said the overseer rather moreseriously than usual. "They have the raft in the water, and we will goin the fort and see what can be done for them."
Neither of the boys knew anything about artillery tactics, or of theprocess of loading a field-piece, and Levi proceeded to instruct them.
The creek bent a little to the south as it approached the river, and thechief gunner directed one of the pieces at the western embrasure, sothat it covered the fire built near the logs. The inside of the openingwas bevelled, so that he could bring the cannon to bear upon theobjective point. It was then drawn in, and the charge, with a solidshot, was rammed home by the boys.
The cannon was run out again at the embrasure, and Lev
i pointed it,mindful of the instructions of the colonel commanding, so that themissile would go over the men at work on the raft.
"Now you may go outside, and see what you can see," continued Levi. "Idon't mean to hit the men there, or even the raft; but I want you tonotice what effect the shot produces upon the ruffians at the work."
"All right, Levi; sing out when you are going to pull the lock-string,"replied Deck as he followed Artie out of the fort.
"Ready! Fire!" shouted the overseer when time enough for them to take aposition had elapsed.
The discharge of the cannon gave forth a tremendous report, and the boysheard the whizzing of the shot as it flew like a flash through the air.The retreating army of the ruffians suddenly halted without any ordersfrom Captain Titus or any one else as the echo of the report struck upontheir ears. Doubtless they were astonished; but they were in darkness,for the last of the torches had gone out, and it could only be seen thatthey had halted as abruptly as though the shot from the piece had mowedits way through the mob.
The shot, as intended, passed over the heads of the men at work on theraft, and struck into a tree on the other side of the road, causing aheavy branch to fall to the ground. The raft-builders suddenly took totheir heels, and disappeared in the grove.
"Did it hit anything, boys?" asked Levi, coming out of the fort.
"Nothing but a big tree beyond the road, and a large branch fell to theground," replied Deck.
"I had an idea that you had been fooling us at first, Levi," addedArtie, "and had fired at the main body, for they stopped as short asthough the cannon ball had gone through the crowd. All the men at workon the raft knocked off instantly, and ran away as though the shot werechasing them."
"I reckon we needn't fire another shot, for the ruffians won't go nearthat raft again," added Levi. "I fired over their heads, as I told you Ishould, and nobody was hurt by that shot. I dropped one man behind thattree, and that is all the mischief I have done."
"Are you sorry for that one?" asked Deck.
"I am sorry for him, but not that I hit him, for he might have killedtwo or three of our people from his hiding-place behind the tree. Idon't believe in killing anybody as long as it can possibly be avoided;but the ruffians began the shooting, and they are responsible for theconsequences. At least half a dozen Union men have been killed in thiscounty by those ruffians, or those like them; and your father might havebeen swinging from a big tree by this time if we hadn't taken the bullby the horns. No, I am not sorry for anything I have done!"
"And the house would have been burnt down, and mother and the girlssubjected to the insults of these miscreants," added Artie; and allthree of them were much moved as they contemplated the possibilitiesbefore them.
"Can you see anything of our people over there, Deck?" asked Levi.
"Not a thing; it is too dark."
"I don't believe there will be anything more to do at the fort to-night,though the affair may not be over yet," continued Levi, after he hadanxiously peered through the gloom to discover the rest of the defendersof Riverlawn. "I want you, Deck, to go up to the bridge, and down thecreek road, and ascertain what our people are doing. You may report toColonel Belthorpe that we have driven off the builders of the raft, andthat the main body of the ruffians have fallen back from the road intothe grove."
"All right, Levi," replied Deck, who was very glad to be appointed tosuch a mission; and, with his breech-loader on his shoulder, he marchedin the direction indicated at a lively pace, though he was so tired andsleepy that it required a determined effort to enable him to keep on hisfeet, for it was now two o'clock in the morning.
When he reached the bridge he found there, to his intense astonishment,a dozen horses, some of them with saddles and bridles on, and otherswith bridles, and blankets in place of saddles. They were in charge ofFrank the coachman, with Woolly and Mose to assist him.