by Perry Comer
The woman seemed to breathe and relax. “It be late sir, we not be receiving visitors,” she said.
Hardy said firmly, “It is late in the day, but I would see your mistress. I will wait here for you to fetch her but if you will not I will enter the house.”
Indecision was etched across the woman’s face.
“Tell her that we’ve been fighting the Seminoles,” Hardy added.
She nodded and said, “Yes sir,” and said to the girl, “Hettie you don’t move, you hear?” She then turned away.
Hettie answered meekly, “yes mam”.
A minute passed and a man appeared behind Hettie. He was no taller than the girl and was balding with white hair around the ears. He held a musket. A younger version stepped beside him and also held a musket. Hardy remained as he was.
The older man said in a deep voice, “Step aside Hettie, let the gentleman enter.”
Hettie moved and Hardy turned to Vargas, “Wait here.”
“Aye, sir,” Vargas answered and smiled at the girl.
Hardy removed his hat and stepped past Hettie. The older man led the way through the hall and the younger man followed Hardy. They came to a room on the right of the hallway and the man entered. “Lieutenant Hardy, madam,” the older man said.
The room was large and furnished with a green velvet sofa, three matching wingback chairs. The drapes on the windows were a heavy green and gold floral. Hardy was impressed.
The woman appeared to be in her forties, she was short and thick, with conferred black hair. “Lieutenant Hardy, I am Misses Alton Ramsey and this is my house. As you already know, my husband is away. He will be returning within the hour.”
“I beg your pardon Misses Ramsey for the intrusion, We are returning to Saint Marys, you possibly saw us passing two days ago. On our return we were set upon by Seminoles and were forced to fight. I would not have intruded upon your house were it not that I am in need of aid. I’ve two wounded men, could you provide me with bandages and hot water?”
“Is that all?” she asked.
“Yes, madam, that is all I seek. Just bandages and hot water,” Hardy said.
The woman measured the request, she seemed to relax and said, “That I can not refuse, but more than that I can not do. When my husband returns he may extend you the hospitality of the house.”
She turned to the older servant, “Nelson see to it!”
“Yes, mam,” Nelson answered.
“Show the gentlemen out,” she said curtly.
“Yes, mam,” Nelson answered and to Hardy said, “This way please, sir.”
Hardy followed Nelson back along the hallway to the back door. Neither spoke and Eli kept step. Once onto the porch, Nelson closed the door. Vargas stared questionable at Hardy.
“We will make camp,” Hardy said.
Hardy chose to camp beside a low stone wall that separated the servants quarters from the house. It was the best defensive position and would lend quick access to the house if needed. Vargas fetched wood from the woodpile and began building a fire.
Nelson appeared carrying his musket and accompanied by Eli, the older black woman and Hettie. “This here be Jewel, she gonna tend to them men of yours that got shot,” Nelson said.
Jewel carried a small bundle of white cloth and Hettie carried a basket in one hand and a kettle in the other.
“Aye, and thank you,” Hardy said.
Vargas had the fire started and it lit the camp.
“Lieutenant Brooks, come closer to the fire so this lady can tend your wound,” Hardy said.
“Aye, sir,” Brooks answered and with Horne’s help, rose from where he sat on the wall.
“My, oh, my!” Jewel exclaimed. She lightly probed the wound; it was puffy around the edges. “Gonna have to clean it, gonna hurt like the blazes,” she said to Brooks.
He did not answer.
“Hettie hand me that kettle,” Jewel said to the girl. Hettie handed over the kettle.
“Gonna be hot but ain’t gonna scald you,” she said to Brooks and started pouring the hot water over the wound. Brooks stiffened all over and bit his lip. Jewel then began to wipe at the wound with a clean cloth. “Thar it tis!” She claimed and bent low to see better then straightened. “Bit of your britches stuck in thar, I got to get it out,” she said and drew a small slender knife from her apron pocket. “Hettie come down here and help me,” Jewel said without looking away from the wound.
Hettie knelt beside Jewel, her young face twisted in revulsion.
“You pour the water girl, do it slow so I can see what be thar,” Jewel ordered the girl.
Hettie obeyed and poured water. Jewel used her thumb and forefinger to spread the wound and then deftly flicked a bit of white cloth out of the wound. “And amen!” she said.
“Get me the honey, child,” she said to Hettie.
“Yes’um,” Hettie said and turned for the basket. She extracted a small honey-pot.
Jewel took the pot, opened the lid and began ladling honey over the wound. Her eyes met Brooks, “gonna make it heal up quick, nothing better than honey,” she said. Setting aside the honey, she began wrapping the leg. “Now you don’t bother this for two days, keep it dry and it be right as rain on the third,” she said.
“Thank you mam,” Brooks said and smiled. “Feels better already.”
“Bring that other man, I ain’t wanting to be here all night,” Jewel demanded.
Horne and Vargas brought Coffin to the fire and laid him on his stomach.
Coffin didn’t object.
“Get his clothes off him, I can’t do nothing till then,” Jewel said.
Vargas, being the nearest, rolled Coffin over and began removing Coffin’s tunic and then his shirt. The bloodied shirt was stuck to Coffin’s skin and Vargas pulled at it gently until it came loose.
“Roll him back over,” Jewel commanded and Vargas did so. The makeshift bandage was blood-soaked and stuck to the wound. “Hand me the kettle,” Jewel ordered and Hettie handed her the kettle. Jewel then soaked the bandage and tugged at it until it came free. She continued to pour water to cleanse the wound. “It’s a bad one, but I’ve seen worse,” she said. Her hands probed the wound as she examined it and declared, “man be blessed, didn’t go deep as it could have, kind of sideways tween them ribs.” She continued to clean and when she was satisfied she said, “hand me my needle and thread.”
Hettie obeyed, “here mam,” she said and half-smiled.
Jewel pinched the wound closed with one hand and began to sew. She was quick. “Hand me the pot,” she ordered and Hettie handed the honey to her.
Jewel looked up to Hardy, “He’ll mend pretty quick, got a tough hide on him.” Then she began ladling honey over the wound. When she finished she said, “them stitches will rot right out in bout a week. What don’t rot he can pull out. I ain’t gonna put no bandage on it, got to let that puss seep out. I’d say he done bleed too much and that’s why he ain’t stirring. He be his self tomorrow.”
Hardy smiled and said, “His self, will do me.”
Jewel stood. Hardy reached into his pocket and pulled out his purse.
“Naw, sir, I can’t take no money. Misses will have me whipped, she will,” Jewel said.
Hardy frowned and said, “I am in your debt dear lady.”
Jewel smiled a tight smile. “Pick up them things girl and get on in the house,” she said to Hettie.
A light rain began to fall just after midnight and Hardy ordered the men to the stable. They were delighted to make beds of hay and the night was filled with snoring. Hardy had slept two hours before the rain began and chose to remain awake.
The rain ended somewhere around two and the sentries changed. The night was quiet except for the snoring and the call of night birds. Hardy began feeling drowsy and needed to relieve himself so he walked over to the stable door. He saw Danner suddenly rise from his sentry post. In an instant, Danner darted toward the stable in a crouched run; he jumped a small rail fence and came to th
e stable door. Hardy checked his watch, it was just after five, and they would be coming.
Winded and sucking in a gulp of air, Danner stated, “I smelled tobacco.”
“Aye, making their preparations,” Hardy observed. “Wake the men, I’ll watch.”
“Aye, sir,” Danner answered and began waking men.
Hardy saw no movement and was thankful for the telltale smoke of a fool. It gave him a slight advantage; he could prepare for a fight. Running, he had decided, was not an option. The renegades would sack the house for having given aid to him. He would not allow them to do so.
Brooks limped over to Hardy and asked, “Are they coming?”
“Aye, how is the leg?” Hardy questioned.
“Stiff and sore but better, I’ll manage.”
“You’ll have to, I estimate our odds are greater than two to one. They’d not attack were the odds even.”
“Orders, sir?”
“Take five men to the other end of the stone wall, I believe some are circling around and will come at us from that direction once the others in the wood try to sneak up on us. They’ll not come by the road; too much open ground and they know they’ll be seen. I’m certain that once we fire, they will rush us.”
“Do you think they know we are in the stable?”
“Aye, they know, pick your men and go.”
“Aye, sir,” Brooks said and began calling names.
Hardy turned to the men gathered behind him, “Corporal Jones you and the others lie here in this doorway. Fix bayonets, and have pistols at the ready.”
They men obeyed and lay down in the doorway. Hardy stood behind them; “They’ll be coming from that wood and you’ll not see them until they’re almost on us. When you are sure, call out and fire. They will then come on the run, stay down and take your time. If they don’t break and run, we’ll retreat to the house.”
He drew the two long pistols from his belt. The first shot did not come from the men before him but from the wall. Several more shots followed it.
“Steady!” Hardy called to the men lying in the stable door.
There was a wild war whoop followed by more whoops and shouts and suddenly not more than twenty yards from the stable men rose up and charged. They carried a mix of weapons, most with muskets, but others with either long knives or lances. Hardy did not order the men to fire; they each picked their targets from right to left as he had taught them.
Four men went down, still the others charged onward. Hardy’s men picked pistols aimed and fired dropped four more. The attackers faltered, Hardy’s men dropped their empty pistols and picked up loaded ones. They fired, another man screamed and another went down. The few that remained faltered again and began backing away.
“Reload!” Hardy shouted.
The men bent to their tasks.
From the stone wall there was considerable yelling and screaming. More shots rang out.
“Jones take charge here!” Hardy ordered and ran for the back of the stable. He rounded the side of the building on the run with the four barreled pistols in hand.
There was another shot from the wall and Hardy saw two bodies lying on the ground, neither were his men. A head poked above the wall and Hardy recognized Brooks. He slowed to a walk and asked, “How is it Mister Brooks?”
“Drove em’ off sir!” Brooks answered. “Killed two and the other four ran.”
Hardy asked, “Have you wounded?”
Brooks stood and answered, “One sir, Watts, I’ve not seen to him as yet.”
“Dead sir, bastard with a lance done for him. Hardly got to know him,” Ellis said.
“Aye,” Hardy said. “We’ll see to his burial when it’s light.”
“Shall we withdraw?” Brooks asked.
Hardy considered the question and answered, “No, reload and remain here. I don’t think they will try us again, but then they might. I am returning to the stable.”
“All reloaded,” Jones reported.
“Have we wounded?” Hardy asked.
Jones grinned and said, “Aye, one boot.” He held up his left foot, “Bout took off my big one, he did!”
“You’d not missed it,” Hardy said.
From behind Hardy, Coffin said, “Pity it weren’t his tongue. We’d none miss that!”
Hardy turned; Coffin was sitting up, his back propped against a post with a pistol in his lap.
“How is it with you?” Hardy asked.
Coffin shook his head, “Still not good but I’ve seen worse.”
Hardy stepped between the men at the stable door and surveyed the open ground. The sun was about to rise; he counted five men down. “Jones how many do you suppose were in the attack?”
“A dozen, maybe fourteen,” Jones answered.
“Aye, that was my estimate,” Hardy agreed.
“What of Mister Brooks and the lads?” Coffin asked.
“Watts is dead, no one wounded. They killed two and drove off four,” Hardy said.
Coffin made to stand, his wound caused him to groan and he gave up the effort. He blew a breath and said, “Not up to snuff, maybe by tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow I hope to be in Saint Marys. We can’t linger here, I would guess they’ve ten fit men remaining. Once they tend their wounded they may try us again,” Hardy said.
“Perhaps,” Coffin said. “But then, maybe, they had enough and have no reason to try again. I mean with the wagon blowed all to hell and back, they have no cause to chase us.”
Hardy turned from the door. He had been thinking similar thoughts but the nagging truth was that these men fought to drive out those they considered invaders. Their hopes of establishing a new nation would be short-lived if they allowed the United States to interfere. No, they would not turn back.
He said to Coffin, “They have cause and they’ll come at us again.”
A ball smacked into the door to Hardy’s right followed by the bark of a rifle. Hardy quickly turned but saw no one.
“I believe that is the answer to your question,” Hardy said.
“A rifle,” Coffin said.
“Aye, we best take care, that man is not likely to miss again,” Hardy said.
“Sir, are we to stay here?” Jones asked.
“No, we will make our way back to Saint Marys as quickly as possible. I am going to see Misses Ramsey. You get the men ready to travel. Sergeant Coffin can have the ox to himself,” Hardy said.
Nelson came to the door; he carried his musket.
“I would see your mistress,” Hardy said.
Nelson looked Hardy up and down. “She not want to see you, she said if you come to tell you to leave.”
Hardy replied, “We are leaving. We have one man dead and would like to bury him. Can you show me where to dig the grave?”
“Ain’t gonna be burying nobody here. Mistress said to take your dead, she not want them on her plantation. Same for them you killed.”
Hardy nodded, “I understand, we will bury our man elsewhere. The others, I’ll leave to rot or you to bury. And, I’ll give you this warning, those men will return and when they do they will ransack this house. Some are Seminoles, some were blacks and some were whites, all renegades! I advise you to hitch up the carriage and the wagon and leave before they return. It would be best if you went ahead of us so if they come after us we can keep them from you. Tell your mistress or not, it will be on your head.” He turned toward the steps.
“Mister Hardy,” Misses Ramsey called.
He stopped and turned, “Madam?”
She held a small pistol. “How many renegades?”
“There were about twenty, we killed five.”
“Blacks and Indians?”
“Yes madam, blacks and Indians with a few whites. I believe them to be bent on creating their own state. If you oppose that, then you will be their enemy. Has Mister Ramsey spoken out of his intentions?”
“He has and prefers that East Florida be annexed to Georgia.”
“Is he to return this day
?”
“I do not know, he left three days ago and took ten slaves with him to fight the Indians at Twelve Mile Swamp.”
“Then madam, I do suggest you send Nelson and Eli to hitch up your animals and go before us. I will delay my leaving until you are away.”
“But my house!”
“Madam do you value your house more than your life? I can tell you that your husband would rather return and find the house burned and you alive than the house burned and you dead!”
Horror filled her eyes.
“I’ve not time to wait madam, and I’ll not wait your answer, my men are preparing to leave as we speak. Good day Misses Ramsey.”
Hardy hurried down the steps. At the bottom he called, “Mister Brooks, bury Watts where he lies and mark the grave! We will be away when you’ve accomplished the task!”
“Aye, sir!” Brooks shouted back.
Corporal Jones and Danner stood at the stable door keeping watch while the others helped Coffin onto the ox and repacked the ass. The sun was just over the horizon and peeking between the trees. It was full on daylight and past time to be leaving.
“Sir, what about them bodies?” Jones asked.
Without hesitation, Hardy said, “Leave them to rot, they are not our concern. Whoever commands them will have to sort them out. I’d wager they are still in the wood and making plans to get at us.”
Eli and Nelson entered the stable; they went to the two horses and the mule. “We to hitch the wagon and the carriage,” Nelson said.
“A wise decision,” Hardy said and added, “We will wait until you have finished.”
“What of the second horse?” Hardy asked Eli.
“I’m to tie her to the carriage,” Eli answered.
“I’ve a use for her, I’ll take her,” Hardy said and reached for the bridle.
Eli did not object.
“Hambright, find a saddle and put Sergeant Coffin aboard!” Hardy ordered and added, “We need not be slowed by the ox.”
“Aye, sir!” Hambright answered and took the bridle from Hardy.
“Brooks entered the rear of the stable, “Sir we’ve buried Watts.”
“Aye, we’ll come,” Hardy answered.