by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER XXXV
A BATTLE IN PROSPECT ON THE CREEK
So far as the overseer and the boys had been able to observe the crowdon Rapids Bridge, they were in much better condition for an assault thanwhen they came before. The right of the line was formed in ranks, allthey could see of the assailants, for they had just begun to cross theriver. They were armed with muskets, or something that looked like suchweapons.
Levi drove directly to the fort, where Major Lyon was telling those whohad not gone with him the result of the visit to the pond. There wereonly six recruits present, though a dozen had before been enlisted.These were all young men, generally the sons of the farmers of thevicinity, and doubtless adopted the political sentiments of theirfathers. They were of a better class than the ruffians morally.
"I did not expect to be besieged so soon, Major Lyon," said LieutenantGordon with a pleasant laugh, though he had never been in anything but askirmish so far.
"We shall hardly be besieged, Lieutenant, for I think it will be a fightas soon as they get near enough to begin it," replied the planter, whowas seated on a log, resting himself after the hard tramp he had hadafter the incendiaries. "But the enemy seem to be better prepared forbusiness than they were when they came before, for you say that all youcould see were armed with muskets."
"I could not see at the distance they were from us how well they werearmed," added the officer.
"About every family in these parts has one or more persons who dosomething at hunting in the woods and swamps, and I reckon it would behard to find a house without a fowling-piece or an old king's arm init," said Levi.
"They have all got guns of some sort," interposed Simeon Enbank, one ofthe recruits. "They have been drilling all the time for the last twodays in one of Dr. Falkirk's fields."
"I went over to look at them this morning, and the sight of them made meso mad that I came right over here and enlisted," added Robert Yowell.
"Good for you, Yowell!" exclaimed the officer. "Could you see what sortof guns they had?"
"I went in and looked at them; for they were not using them when I wasthere. They were in line, sort of taking steps, as they do in adancing-school," answered the recruit.
"But the arms?"
"They were all sorts and kinds, mostly fowling-pieces and oldflint-locks that might have been used in the Revolutionary War."
"But we are losing time," said Major Lyon impatiently. "If they hadreached the bridge when you saw them, they will be here very soon."
"We don't lose time while we are looking up the condition of the enemy.I believe you are all ready for an attack, and we can do nothing tillthey reach the other side of the creek. But we can talk while we work,"replied the officer. "I suppose these recruits will assist us in thedefence of the place?"
The six men all volunteered to perform the service required.
"There are a dozen more men over in the grove," said Ben Decker; "for Ihad a talk with them as I came along from the old road. They said theyexpected to stay here all day, and they brought their dinners withthem."
This was good news, and Deck was sent over after them. Major Lyon wentto the desk, and wrote a brief note to Colonel Belthorpe. He had alreadyordered all the horses that could be saddled, and Frank was sent todeliver the message the planter had written to Lyndhall. Decker wasprovided with a steed for his mission, and a wagon was sent for the mena little later.
The negroes who had been slightly drilled in the use of the arms wereordered to report at the fort, and all the hands on the place weresummoned from the fields, and held in readiness for anything required ofthem. The six recruits were drilled for a little while in the use of thebreech-loaders. At the same time Levi did what he could to instruct thenegroes, though nothing like a military organization could be attemptedin the brief space of time available for the purpose.
The twelve-pounders were loaded with canister this time; and Levi, withfour of the hands, was placed in charge of the fort. Deck and Artie Lyonwere sent down the creek to report the approach of the enemy, and foundthey had halted at the cross roads, evidently to prepare for the attack.The boys climbed a big tree to obtain a better view of the proceedingsof the ruffians, as they still called them, though they had reducedthemselves to something like an organization.
"THE BOYS CLIMBED A BIG TREE TO OBTAIN A BETTER VIEW."]
"There are a lot of wagons on the bridge," said Deck, who was the firstto discover them. "What do you suppose that means?"
"There are three mule teams," added Artie, who had taken a higher placein the tree than his brother. "I see now; the wagons are loaded withboats."
"That means that they intend to cross the creek," replied Deck. "Theyought to know this at the fort at once; and if you will study up thething while I am gone, Artie, I will run up and carry the information."
"That is a good scheme; go ahead with it as quick as you can."
Deck descended the tree with a haste which threatened the safety of thebones of his body, and ran with all the speed he could command to FortBedford.
Lieutenant Gordon was drilling the eighteen recruits, the number fromthe grove on the other side of the creek having arrived, and Levi wastraining the negroes in the rear of the fort. All the men had beensupplied with muskets and rounds of ammunition. No attention was givento facing, wheeling, or marching; for the use of the weapon was moreimportant than any other detail in the brief space of time available.
Deck reported to his father, who was observing the drill of theAfricans, and in the hearing of Levi. It was not a mere accident thatSquire Truman was seen approaching the fort from the bridge; for he hadobserved the movement among the ruffians in the village, and had seenthat the column was moving by a roundabout road in the direction of theRapids Bridge. He had no horse, but he had started at once on foot forRiverlawn, to apprise the planter of the danger that menaced him.
"It is time to do something," said the major, after he had welcomed theyoung lawyer. "The ruffians have a wagon-train loaded with boats intheir rear, as my son has just informed me. We will adjourn to the fortand call in the lieutenant."
The information was imparted to the officer, and he joined the others inthe fort.
"They intend to make it easy work for us to repel them," said thelieutenant with a smile.
"You are the only military man among us just now, Lieutenant, and Iplace you in command of all the forces," added Major Lyon. "Levi hadsome experience in the artillery many years ago."
"I don't aspire to any command," added the overseer. "I will obey ordersas a private; and that is all I ever was in the artillery."
"But I shall do something better for you," replied Captain Gordon, asthey began to call him from this time. "You are a good soldier, Mr.Bedford, and I shall make an officer of you at once. You will limber upyour two guns, and haul them down to the boathouse. Have you anygunners?"
"Plenty of them, Captain; for I have trained enough of the hands tohandle a full battery," answered Levi.
The planter had ordered both horses and wagons to be assembled in therear of Fort Bedford, in readiness for any emergency. A pair of horseswere promptly harnessed to each gun by the enthusiastic negroes whom theoverseer had trained for battery service, and the artillery was soon onits way to the anticipated field of action. A supply of ammunition wassent down by a wagon.
The major and the squire mounted a couple of steeds, and rode to thefront of the fort, a horse having been sent for the use of the newcommander. The recruits were standing in line, leaning on their weapons;but they seemed to be engaged in a lively conversation. As thelieutenant approached, Jim Keene, one of the recruits, stepped forwardwith an awkward attempt to be polite, and addressed the officer:--
"Captain Gordon, we are not going into the army with niggers," said hein a very decided tone. "We ain't going to drop down to the level ofniggers, and we want to take our names off that paper."
"Not a single negro has been enlisted, and will not be," replied CaptainGordon.
"But there is a squad of niggers marching down to the creek with musketsin their hands," added Keene, pointing to the detachment that followedthe guns, with Levi at their head, mounted on his favorite colt.
"If we had a sufficient force of white men here, we should not call inthe negroes as fighting men," interposed Major Lyon. "That Home Guardthat has just crossed the bridge over the river consists of over ahundred men, and this time they are armed with guns. We can muster onlytwenty-four white men at present to beat them off. The other night wecalled upon the hands to help defend the place because no others were tobe had; and to some extent the same is true to-day. My house has beenset on fire, and that mob are coming to burn my buildings and capture mywife and daughters. If the white man won't fight for me, the negrowill!"
"That alters the case," replied Keene. "We didn't understand it before,and we will fight for you, one and all;" and all the other recruitsshouted their acquiescence with one voice.
"No negroes will be enlisted for the army, for there are no orders tothat effect," added Captain Gordon.
"That's enough!" exclaimed Enbank. "We will stand by Major Lyon as longas there is a Secesher in sight."
"And you will find the negroes as stiff under fire as any white manought to be," said Major Lyon, as he galloped down to the boathouse,followed by Squire Truman.
Artie, up in the tree, had kept his eyes wide open, but there wasnothing more to be seen. Deck returned to him, and took his place nearhim. The enemy was still halted at the cross roads. The wagon-train hadcome up with the main body, and stopped in the road at the side of thecreek. Whoever directed the movements of the column had evidentlyblundered, for the assailants did not appear to know what to do next.
"There is only one boat on each wagon, which is drawn by two mules,"said Artie in the tree.
"They must have expected to get the boats into the water before theywere discovered," added Deck. "Perhaps they would have done so if we hadnot happened to see them crossing the bridge when we were coming upafter the hunt for the firebugs."
"There comes our artillery," continued Artie, as Levi's section of abattery galloped down the descent from the fort.
At this moment a bullet from the enemy struck a branch of the tree justabove Artie's head. The boys had been discovered; and some one, with abetter weapon than most of those with which the guards were armed, hadfired upon them.
"Get behind the trunk, Artie!" shouted Deck, a position he had securedbefore. "Now use your musket, my boy!"
They were near enough at their lofty position to make out individuals atthe cross roads, which were distant hardly more than double the width ofthe creek. Deck had seen one man, who wore a semi-uniform, that took avery active part in the movement. Having assured himself that thisperson was not his uncle, the enterprising young soldier took carefulaim at him, and fired. Artie discharged his piece a moment later.
"I hit the man in uniform!" exclaimed Deck, with no little exultation."A man is tying up one of his arms."
Major Lyon heard the shot, and shouted to the boys to come to theboathouse; and they obeyed the order, keeping the trunks of the treesbetween themselves and the enemy as far as possible. They were no longerneeded in the tree, for the ruffian band could be plainly seen from theboathouse, which was at a safe distance from the enemy.