by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER XXIV
THE ENCOUNTER WITH THE RUFFIANS
Deck Lyon rushed furiously down the lane which connected the two roadsat this point. It was dark, and it was in vain that he tried tounderstand the situation from anything he could see. He was sure thatthe main body of the ruffians were not in the cross-cut, for there wasnot room enough for them. He had to depend chiefly upon his ears forinformation, for the trees on one side of the passage obscured his way.
The first sound that attracted his attention as he advanced, above thegeneral din, was a half-suppressed scream quite near him. The lane wasso rough that he was obliged to move more slowly than when he had leftthe wagon, and he halted when he heard the cry. A moment later hediscovered a man bearing a form in his arms, whose cries he wasevidently trying to suppress with one of his hands placed over hermouth.
An opening in the grove enabled him to see so much, and to note theposition of the ruffian. With his revolver in his hand he rushedforward; and, finding himself behind the assailant of the female, hethrew himself upon him, and grasped him by the throat with both hands.He had done some of this kind of work at the schoolhouse in the evening,and the experience was useful to him.
He compelled the villain to release his hold upon his prisoner in orderto defend himself. Deck wrenched and twisted him in an effort to throwhim down, but his arms were not strong enough to accomplish his purpose,and he called upon Mose to assist him. The faithful servant was close byhim; and perhaps he was desirous of striking a literal blow in defenceof his young master, for he delivered one squarely on the head of theruffian which knocked him six feet from the spot.
At this moment, and just as the captor of the lady went over backwardsinto a hole by the side of the cart-path, a bright light was flashedupon the scene, and Deck could see where he was and where the ruffian hehad encountered was. When Clinker had secured the horses at the end ofthe lane, he realized the necessity of more light on the subject beforethe party; for though he heard much he saw little.
Taking a quantity of the hay from the wagon, he hastened to the scene ofthe conflict just as Deck had closed with the ruffian who was bearingthe lady away. Putting it on the ground, he lighted it with a match, andthen heaped on sticks and hits of board and plank scattered about bythose who had loaded stone in the passage. The blaze revealed the entiresituation to Deck and his companions, and it made a weird picture.
"Good, Clinker!" shouted Deck, as he saw the blacksmith standing withhis musket in his hand, busy doing what he had undertaken. "Keep thefire up!"
The ruffian whom Mose, who was not much inferior to General and Dummy inbulk and strength, had knocked both literally and slangily "in a hole,"lay perfectly still. Some five rods ahead of him Deck discovered a roadwagon in the lane. Two horses were harnessed to it, and at the head ofeach of them was a ruffian, doing his best to restrain the spiritedanimals, frightened by the cries and the movements of the assailants.Behind the wagon were two white men engaged in a terrible struggle withhalf a dozen of the soldiers of the ruffian army. They were getting theworst of it, though they fought with desperate energy.
From their appearance and the fact that they were defending themselves,it was plain enough to Deck that they were in charge of the two females.They were unarmed, though one of them had procured a piece of board, andwas doing good service with it. Just beyond the scene of the fight stoodBuck Lagger, holding a female by the arm. She evidently realized thatresistance was useless, and she had ceased to struggle or scream.
"Now follow me, boys!" shouted Deck. "You had better walk over to thefire, miss," he added to the young lady redeemed from the hands of theruffian. "Clinker will see that no harm comes to you."
The six men who had followed the young man in advance of them, marchedclose to him, with their muskets in readiness for use. Deck could notorder them to fire, for they were as likely to hit friends as enemies;but he rushed to the scene of the conflict, where the two white men hadjust been forced back by the marauders.
"Both fall back this way, gentlemen!" called the young leader.
Major Gadbury and Tom Belthorpe, as the colonel had given the names ofthose who attended his two daughters to the party, could not helprealizing that assistance was at hand, though they saw only a stout boyand half a dozen negroes, and they promptly detached themselves fromtheir assailants, and retreated behind the wagon.
"Now fire at them, one at a time!" shouted Deck, when it was safe to doso.
Mose was nearest to him, and instantly discharged his musket at theforemost assailants of the gentlemen. One of them dropped to the ground.The ruffians had not bargained for this sort of discipline, and theyfled on the instant; for they had heard Deck's order, and saw that therewere more bullets where the first one came from. They ran into thewoods, and disappeared behind the trunks of the great trees.
"Don't fire again, but follow me!" said Deck, as he started at his bestspeed towards the spot where Buck Lagger stood with his prisoner.
This ruffian perceived the defeat of his party, and he attempted toforce the lady in the direction taken by his infamous comrades. He ledthe way, dragging his prisoner after him; but she resisted now, hangingback so that he could not move at anything more than a snail's pace. Shescreamed again, and Major Gadbury and Tom Belthorpe started to assisther.
Deck had accomplished half the distance to the ruffian when he saw thatthe strength of the lady was failing her, and Buck was advancing morerapidly. He raised his revolver, and, aiming the weapon with allpossible care, he fired. Clinker had kept the fire blazing freely, andhe had plenty of light. The ruffian released his hold upon his prisoner,and swung his right hand over to his left shoulder. Deck believed hisbullet had struck him there, though he continued his retreat to thewood.
"I am sorry you didn't kill him!" exclaimed one of the two gentlemen, asthey halted at Deck's side.
"I had to be careful not to hit the lady," replied Deck. "But we havedriven them off. Now, boys, in line!" shouted the young leader to hismen. "Face the woods!"
"I HAD TO BE CAREFUL NOT TO HIT THE LADY."]
The six men came into line very promptly, though the movement wouldhardly have been satisfactory to a drill officer.
"Ready!" he continued. "Aim! Fire!"
That was about the extent of the recruits' knowledge of the drill; butthey fired their weapons, and each of them sent two more shots after thefirst as the command was given. One of the gentlemen suggested that noneof the ruffians were hit by the volley, and Deck explained that the lastdischarges were for their moral effect, though not in these words.
"I don't know you, sir, but we are under ten thousand obligations to youfor this timely assistance," said the gentleman who remained with Deck,for the other had hastened to the lady Buck had abandoned.
"My name is Dexter Lyon," replied the young defender. "What is yours?"
"Tom Belthorpe," returned the other, who appeared to be something overtwenty years of age. "We have been to a party with the girls at RockLodge, and were on our way home."
"Then you are the son of Colonel Belthorpe. Who is the other gentleman?"
"That is Major Gadbury, who is spending a week at my father'splantation," replied Tom, rubbing his head and some of his limbs, for hewas rather the worse for the wear in his conflict with the ruffians, asthe other gentleman conducted the terrified lady to the spot.
"I never was so frightened in all my life," gasped the lady, as theystopped in front of Deck.
"It is all over now, and I would not mind any more about it," added theMajor cheerfully, though he was considerably battered after the fightthrough which he had passed.
"This is Mr. Dexter Lyon, Major, the son of our neighbor," said Tom,presenting the leader of the colored battalion, though Deck was somewhatabashed at the formality, and to hear himself "mistered" was a newexperience to him.
"I am glad to know you, Captain Lyon," replied the Major, grasping hishand and wringing it till the boy winced. "You have rendered us nobleand brave service, an
d we shall all be grateful to you as long as welive. This is Miss Margie Belthorpe."
"I am delighted to see you, Mr. Lyon!" exclaimed the young lady, who wasonly nineteen years old, as she sprang to the hero of the night, graspedhis hand, and then kissed him as though he had been a baby.
Deck was seventeen years old, and rather large of his age, as well assomewhat forward for his years; and he felt as though he had tumbledinto a sugar-bowl at that moment. The blaze of Clinker's fire lighted uphis blushing face, and possibly he was sorry there were no more ruffiansat hand for him to shoot if such was to be his reward. He forgot that hewas tired and sleepy in the pleasurable excitement which followed theencounter.
"If you please, we will go over to the fire where the other lady iswaiting for you," said he, as he started for the point indicated. "Fallin behind and follow us, boys," he added to the recruits.
"I have never happened to meet any negroes in arms before," said TomBelthorpe, as he walked along with Deck. "But they seem to be ready forbusiness."
"They are indeed; and these boys are as brave as any white men couldbe," added Deck, loud enough for the subject of his remark to hear it.
The two ruffians who had been left at the heads of the horses had fledinto the woods as soon as they saw that the assault was repulsed, andthe animals had become restive. Clinker had rushed over to secure them,and he had quieted them down so they were quite reasonable by this time.The young lady committed to his charge had followed him.
"This is my sister, Miss Kate Belthorpe," said Margie, when the partyreached the spot.
"Oh, I am so glad you came when you did, Mr.----"
"Dexter Lyon," added Tom.
"Mr. Lyon; and you were as brave as a lion!" exclaimed Kate, as she tookthe hand of Deck; and either because she had witnessed the reception hersister had given the hero, or as an inspiration of her own, she promptlykissed him on both cheeks, and Deck felt as though he had fallen into abarrel of sugar. "You grappled with that villain, just as though you hadbeen as big as he was, and held on to him till one of your boys knockedhim into the hole with his fist. You are a brave fellow, and I shallremember you as long as I live."
"And 'none but the brave deserve the fair,'" added Major Gadbury.
"How did you happen to get into this scrape, Mr. Belthorpe?" asked Deck.
"We were all invited to a party at Rock Lodge, and we went. The governorcouldn't go, for he insisted upon attending a Union meeting at the BigBend schoolhouse," replied Tom. "But he promised to call for us on hisway home, for he drove us to the Lodge himself. Most of the guests leftby midnight, but father did not come, and we could not walk home. But atthree o'clock Captain Carms volunteered to send us home when we becameimpatient."
"My father and I went to that meeting, and so did some of these ruffiansthat committed this outrage," added Deck.
"But these scoundrels are not Union men," objected Tom.
"But some of them were there, all the same, and some of them got putout. But it is a long story, and we had better be moving before we tellit."
The ladies agreed to this last proposition, for they were in eveningdresses, and the chill air of the night made them shiver. The driver ofCaptain Carms's wagon had come out of the quarry, whither he hadretreated, as soon as the danger was passed, and his team was ready toproceed. Deck sent Clinker for his wagon, and he drew it up at the endof the cross-cut.
The ladies were assisted to their seats again, while the two gentlementook the seat in front of them. Miss Kate insisted that Deck should ridewith them, for she wanted to hear the story about the meeting. More thanthis, she insisted that he should sit on the back seat between hersister and herself. Margie did not object, and the major and Tom onlylaughed. Deck had his doubts about his ability to tell his story in themidst of such delightful surroundings.
The team started, and at the corner Deck directed Clinker to followclosely after him. But his story was interesting and exciting, and hedid not suffer from cold or embarrassment during his recital. When hehad disposed of the Union meeting, he described the battle fought atRiverlawn, and the preparations which had been made for the onslaught,including the discovery and removal of the arms and ammunition. He hadhardly finished before the wagon stopped at the plantation of ColonelBelthorpe.