CHAPTER II
AHORSE WITH SHERBURNE
Harry was glad that General Jackson had detailed him for this task.He missed his comrades of the staff, but Sherburne was a host in himself,and he was greatly attached to him. He rode a good horse and therewas pleasure in galloping with these men over the rolling country, andbreathing the crisp and vital air of autumn.
They soon left the forest, and rode along a narrow road between fields.Their spirits rose continually. It was a singular fact that the Army ofNorthern Virginia was not depressed by Antietam. It had been a bitterdisappointment to the Southern people, who expected to see Lee takeBaltimore and Philadelphia, but the army itself was full of pride overits achievement in beating off numbers so much superior.
It was for these reasons that Sherburne and those who rode with him feltpride and elation. They had seen the ranks of the army fill up again.Lee had retreated across the Potomac after Antietam with less than fortythousand men. Now he had more than seventy thousand, and Sherburne andHarry felt certain that instead of waiting to be attacked by McClellanhe himself would go forth to attack.
Harry had seldom seen a day more beautiful. That long hot, dry summerhad been followed by a fine autumn, the most glorious of all seasons inNorth America, when the air has snap and life enough in it to make theold young again.
He was familiar now with the rolling country into which they rode afterleaving the forest. Off in one direction lay the fields on which theyhad fought the First and Second Manassas, and off in another, behind theloom of the blue mountains, he had ridden with Stonewall Jackson on thatmarvelous campaign which seemed to Harry without an equal.
But the land about them was deserted now. There were no harvests in thefields. No smoke rose from the deserted farm houses. This soil hadbeen trodden over and over again by great armies, and it would be a longtime before it called again for the plough. The stone fences stood,as solid as ever, but those of wood had been used for fuel by thesoldiers.
They watered their horses at a clear creek, and then Sherburne and Harry,from the summit of a low hill, scanned the country with their glasses.
They saw no human being. There was the rolling country, brown now withautumn, and the clear, cool streams flowing through almost every valley,but so far as man was concerned the scene was one of desolation.
"I should think that McClellan would have mounted scouts some distancethis side of the Potomac," said Sherburne. "Certainly, if he weremaking the crossing, as our reports say, he would send them ahead."
"We're sure to strike 'em before we reach the river," said Harry.
"I think with you that we'll see 'em, but it's our business to avoid'em. We're sent forth to see and not to fight. But if General Stuartcould ride away up into Pennsylvania, make a complete circuit around theUnion army and come back without loss, then we ought to be successfulwith our own task, which is an easier one."
Harry smiled.
"I never knew you to fail, Captain. I consider your task as donealready."
"Thanks, Harry. You're a noble optimist. If we fail, it will not befor lack of trying. Forward, my lads, and we'll reach the Potomac sometime to-night."
They rode on through the same silence and desolation. They had no doubtthat eyes watched them from groves and fence corners, keeping cautiouslyout of the way, because it was sometimes difficult now to tell Federalsfrom Confederates. But it did not matter to Sherburne. He kept astraight course for the Potomac, at least half of his men knowingthoroughly every foot of the way.
"What time can we reach the river and the place at which they sayMcClellan is going to cross?" asked Harry.
"By midnight anyway," replied Sherburne. "Of course, we'll have to slowdown as we draw near, or we may run square into an ambush. Do you seethat grove about two miles ahead? We'll go into that first, rest ourhorses, and take some food."
It was a fine oak grove, covering about an acre, with no undergrowth anda fair amount of grass, still green under the shade, on which the horsescould graze. The trunks of the trees also were close enough together tohide them from anyone else who was not very near. Here the men ate coldfood from their haversacks and let their horses nibble the grass for ahalf hour.
They emerged refreshed and resumed their course toward the Potomac.In the very height of the afternoon blaze they saw a horseman on thecrest of a hill, watching them intently through glasses. Sherburneinstantly raised his own glasses to his eyes.
"A Yankee scout," he said. "He sees us and knows us for what we are,but he doesn't know what we're about."
"But he's trying to guess," said Harry, who was also using glasses."I can't see his face well enough to tell, but I know that in his placeI'd be guessing."
"As we don't want him hanging on to our heels and watching us, I thinkwe'd better charge him."
"Have the whole troop turn aside and chase him?"
"No; Harry, you and I and eight men will do it. Marlowe, take the restof the company straight along the road at an easy gait. But keep wellbehind the hedge that you see ahead."
Marlowe was his second in command, and taking the lead he continued withthe troop.
Marlowe rode behind one of the hedges, where they were hidden from thelone horseman on the hill, and Sherburne and Harry and the eight menfollowed. While they were yet hidden, Sherburne and his chosen bandsuddenly detached themselves from the others at a break in the hedge andgalloped toward the horseman who was still standing on the hill, gazingintently toward the point where he had last seen the troop riding.
Sherburne, Harry and the privates rode at a gallop across the field,straight for the Union sentinel. He did not see them until they hadcovered nearly half the distance, and then with aggravating slownesshe turned and rode over the opposite side of the hill. Harry had beenwatching him intently, and when he had come much nearer the figureseemed familiar to him. At first he could not recall it to mind,but a moment or two later he turned excitedly to Sherburne.
"I know that man, although I've never seen him before in a uniform,"he said. "I met him when President Davis was inaugurated at Montgomeryand I saw him again at Washington. His name is Shepard, the mostskillful and daring of all the Union spies."
"I've heard you speak of that fellow before," said Sherburne, "and sincewe've put him to flight, I think we'd better stop. Ten to one, if wefollow him over the brow of the hill, he'll lead us into an ambush."
"I think you're right, Captain, and it's likely, too, that he'll comeback soon with a heavy cavalry detachment. I've no doubt that thousandsof Union horsemen are this side of the river."
Sherburne was impressed by Harry's words, and the little detachment,returning at a gallop, joined the main troop, which was now close to aconsiderable stretch of forest.
"Ah, there they are!" exclaimed Harry, looking back at the hill on whichhe had seen the lone horseman.
A powerful body of cavalry showed for a moment against the sun, whichwas burning low and red in the west. The background was so intense andvivid that the horsemen did not form a mass, but every figure stooddetached, a black outline against the sky. Harry judged that they wereat least a thousand in number.
"Too strong a force for us to meet," said Sherburne. "They mustoutnumber us five to one, and since they've had practice the Northerncavalry has improved a lot. It must be a part of the big force thatmade the scout toward our lines. Good thing the forest is just ahead."
"And a good thing, too, that night is not far off."
"Right, my boy, we need 'em both, the forest and the dark. The Unioncavalry is going to pursue us, and I don't mean to turn back. GeneralJackson sent us to find about McClellan's crossing, and we've got to doit."
"I wouldn't dare go back to Old Jack without the information we're sentto get."
"Nor I. Hurry up the men, Marlowe. We've got to lose the Union cavalryin the forest somehow."
The men urged their horses forward at a gallop and quickly reached thetrees. But when Harry looked back he
saw the thousand in blue abouta mile away, coming at a pace equal to their own. He felt muchapprehension. The road through the forest led straight before them,but the trail of two hundred horses could not be hidden even by night.They could turn into the forest and elude their pursuers, but, asSherburne said, that meant abandoning their errand, and no one in allthe group thought of such a thing.
Sherburne increased the pace a little now, while he tried to think ofsome way out. Harry rode by his side in silence, and he, too, wasseeking a solution. Through the trees, now nearly leafless, they sawthe blue line still coming, and the perplexities of the brave youngcaptain grew fast.
But the night was coming down, and suddenly the long, lean figure of aman on the long, lean figure of a horse shot from the trees on theirright and drew up by the side of Sherburne and Harry.
"Lankford, sir, Jim Lankford is my name," he said to Sherburne, touchingone finger to his forehead in a queer kind of salute.
Harry saw that the man had a thin, clean-shaven face with a strong noseand chin.
"I 'low you're runnin' away from the Yankees," said Lankford toSherburne.
Sherburne flushed, but no anger showed in his voice as he replied:
"You're right, but we run for two reasons. They're five to our one,and we have business elsewhere that mustn't be interrupted by fighting."
"First reason is enough. A man who fights five to one is five timesa fool. I'm a good Johnny Reb myself, though I keep off the fightin'lines. I live back there in a house among the trees, just off the road.You'd have seen it when you passed by, if you hadn't been in such ahurry. Just settin' down to take a smoke when Mandy, my wife, tells meshe hears the feet of many horses thunderin' on the road. In a momentI hear 'em, too. Run to the front porch, and see Confederate cavalrycoming at a gallop, followed by a big Yankee force. Mandy and me didn'tlike the sight, and we agree that I take a hand. Now I'm takin' it."
"How do you intend to help us?"
"I'm gettin' to that. I saddled my big horse quick as lightnin',and takin' a runnin' jump out of the woods, landed beside you. Now,listen, Captain; I reckon you're on some sort of scoutin' trip, andwant to go on toward the river."
"You reckon right."
"About a mile further on we dip into a little valley. A creek, wide butshallow and with a bed all rocks, takes up most of the width of thatvalley. It goes nearly to the north, and at last reaches the Potomac.A half mile from the crossin' ahead it runs through steep, high banksthat come right down to its edges, but the creek bottom is smooth enoughfor the horses. I 'low I make myself plain enough, don't I, Mr. Captain?"
"You do, Mr. Lankford, and you're an angel in homespun. Without you wecould never do what we want to do. Lead the way to that blessed creek.We don't want any of the Yankee vanguard to see us when we turn andfollow its stream."
"We can make it easy. They might guess that we're ridin' in the waterto hide our tracks, but the bottom is so rocky they won't know whetherwe've gone up or down the stream. And if they guessed the right way,and followed it, they'd be likely to turn back at the cliffs, anyhow."
They urged their horses now to the uttermost, and Harry soon saw thewaters of the creek shining through the darkness. Everything wasfalling out as Lankford had said. The pursuit was unseen and unheardbehind them, but they knew it was there.
"Slow now, boys," said Sherburne, as they rode into the stream. "Wedon't want to make too much noise splashing the water. Are there manyboulders in here, Mr. Lankford?"
"Not enough to hurt."
"Then you lead the way. The men can come four abreast."
The water was about a foot deep, and despite their care eight hundredhoofs made a considerable splashing, but the creek soon turned arounda hill and led on through dense forest. Sherburne and Harry weresatisfied that no Union horseman had either seen or heard them, and theyfollowed Lankford with absolute confidence. Now and then the hoofs of astumbling horse would grind on the stones, but there was no other noisesave the steady marching of two hundred men through water.
The things that Lankford had asserted continued to come true. The creekpresently flowed between banks fifty feet high, rocky and steep as awall. But the stone bed of the creek was almost as smooth as a floor,and they stopped here a while to rest and let their horses drink.
The enclosing walls were not more than fifty or sixty feet across thetop and it was very dark in the gorge. Harry saw overhead a slice ofdusky sky, lit by only a few stars, but it was pitchy black where hesat on his horse, and listened to his contented gurglings as he drank.He could merely make out the outlines of his comrades, but he knew thatSherburne was on one side of him and Lankford on the other. He couldnot hear the slightest sound of pursuit, and he was convinced that theUnion cavalry had lost their trail. So was Sherburne.
"We owe you a big debt, Mr. Lankford," said the captain.
"I've tried to serve my side," said Lankford, "though, as I told you,I'm not goin' on the firin' line. It's not worth while for all of usto get killed. Later on this country will need some people who are notdead."
"You're right about that, Mr. Lankford," said Sherburne, with a littlelaugh, "and you, for one, although you haven't gone on the firing lines,have earned the right to live. You've done us a great service, sir."
"I reckon I have," said Lankford with calm egotism, "but it wasnecessary for me to do it. I've got an inquirin' mind, I have, and alsoa calculatin' one. When I saw your little troop comin', an' then thatbig troop of the Yankees comin' on behind, I knowed that you neededhelp. I knowed that this creek run down a gorge, and that I could leadyou into the gorge and escape pursuit. I figgered, too, that you wereon your way to see about McClellan crossin' the Potomac, an' I figgerednext that you meant to keep straight on, no matter what happened.So I'm goin' to lead you out of the gorge, and some miles further aheadyou'll come to the Potomac, where I guess you can use your own eyes andsee all you want to see."
"The horses are all right now and I think we'd better be moving,Mr. Lankford."
They started, but did not go faster than a walk while they were in thegorge. Harry's eyes had grown somewhat used to the darkness, and hecould make out the rocky walls, crested with trees, the higher branchesof which seemed almost to meet over the chasm.
It was a weird passage, but time and place did not oppress Harry.He felt instead a certain surge of the spirits. They had thrown offthe pursuit--there could be no doubt of it--and the first step in theirmission was accomplished. They were now in the midst of action, actionthrilling and of the highest importance, and his soul rose to the issue.
He had no doubt that some great movement, possibly like that of theSecond Manassas, hung upon their mission, and Lee and Jackson might betogether at that very moment, planning the mighty enterprise which wouldbe shaped according to their news.
They emerged from the gorge and rode up a low, sloping bank which gaveback but little sound to the tread of the horses, and here Lankford saidthat he would leave them. Sherburne reached over his gauntleted handand gave him a powerful grasp.
"We won't forget this service, Mr. Lankford," he said.
"I ain't goin' to let you forget it. Keep straight ahead an' you'llstrike a cross-country road in 'bout a quarter of a mile. It leads youto the Potomac, an' I reckon from now on you'll have to take care ofyourselves."
Lankford melted away in the darkness as he rode back up the gorge,and the troop went on at a good pace across a country, half field,half forest. They came to a road which was smooth and hard, andincreased their speed. They soon reached a region which several oftheir horsemen knew, and, as the night lightened a little, they rodefast toward the Potomac.
Harry looked at his watch and saw that it was not much past midnight.They would have ample opportunity for observation before morning.A half hour later they discerned dim lights ahead and they knew thatthe Potomac could not be far away.
They drew to one side in a bit of forest, and Sherburne again detachedhimself, Harry and e
ight others from the troop, which he left as beforeunder the command of Marlowe.
"Wait here in the wood for us," he said to his second in command."We should be back by dawn. Of course, if any force of the enemythreatens you, you'll have to do what seems best, and we'll ride backto General Jackson alone."
The ten went on a bit farther, using extreme care lest they run into aNorthern picket. Fortunately the fringe of wood, in which they foundshelter, continued to a point near the river, and as they went forwardquietly they saw many lights. They heard also a great tumult, a mixtureof many noises, the rumbling of cannon and wagon wheels, the crackingof drivers' whips by the hundreds and hundreds, the sounds of driversswearing many oaths, but swearing together and in an unbroken stream.
They rode to the crest of the hill, where they were well hidden amongoaks and beeches, and there the whole scene burst upon them. Thelate moon had brightened, and many stars had come out as if for theirespecial benefit. They saw the broad stream of the Potomac shining likesilver and spanned by a bridge of boats, on which a great force, horse,foot, artillery, and wagons, was crossing.
"That's McClellan's army," said Harry.
"And coming into Virginia," said Sherburne. "Well, we can't help theirentering the state, but we can make it a very uncomfortable restingplace for them."
"How many men do you suppose they have?"
"A hundred thousand here at the least, and others must be crossingelsewhere. But don't you worry, Harry. We've got seventy thousand menof our own, and Lee and Jackson, who, as you have been told before,are equal to a hundred thousand more. McClellan will march out againfaster than he has marched in."
"Still, he's shown more capacity than the other Union generals in theEast, and his soldiers are devoted to him."
"But he isn't swift, Harry. While he's thinking, Lee and Jackson havethought and are acting. Queer, isn't it, that a young general should beslow, and older ones so much swifter. Why, General Lee must be nearlyold enough to be General McClellan's father."
"It's so, Captain, but those men are crossing fast. Listen how thecannon wheels rumble! And I know that a thousand whips are crackingat once. They'll all be on our soil to-morrow."
"So they will, but long before that time we'll be back at GeneralJackson's tent with the news of their coming."
"If nothing gets in the way. Do you remember that man whom we saw onthe hill watching, the one who I said was Shepard, the ablest and mostdaring of all their spies?"
"I haven't forgotten him."
"This man Shepard, Captain, is one of the most dangerous of all ourenemies. The Union could much more easily spare one of its generalsthan Shepard. He's omniscient. He's a lineal descendant of Argus,and has all the old man's hundred eyes, with a few extra ones added inconvenient places. He's a witch doctor, medicine man, and other thingsbeside. I believe he's followed us, that some way he's picked up ourtrail somewhere. He may have been hanging on the rear of the troop whenwe came through the gorge."
"Nonsense, Harry, you're turning the man into a supernatural being."
"That's just the way I feel about him."
"Then, if that's the case, we'd better be clearing out as fast as wecan. We've seen enough, anyhow. We'll go straight back to the companyand ride hard for the camp."
They reached the troop, which was waiting silently under the commandof the faithful Marlowe. But before they could gallop back toward thesouth, the loud, clear call of a trumpet came from a point near by,and it was followed quickly by the beat of many hoofs.
"I see him! It's Shepard," exclaimed Harry excitedly.
He had beheld what was almost the ghost of a horseman galloping amongthe trees, followed in an instant by the more solid rush of the cavalry.
It was evident to both Sherburne and Harry that the Federal pickets andoutriders had acquired much skill and alertness, and they urged thetroop to its greatest speed. Even if they should be able to defeattheir immediate pursuers, it was no place for them to engage in battle,as the enemy could soon come up in thousands.
As they galloped down the road they heard bullets kicking up the dustbehind, and the sound made them go faster. But they were still out ofrange and the pursuit did not make any gain in the next few minutes.But Harry, looking back, saw that the Union cavalry was hanging ongrimly, and he surmised also that other forces might appear soon ontheir flanks.
"We've got to use every effort," he said to Sherburne.
"That's apparent. You were right about your man Shepard, Harry.He has certainly inherited all the eyes of his ancestor, Argus, andabout three times as many besides. He's omniscient, right enough."
"Are they gaining?"
"Not yet. But they will, as fresh pursuers come up on the flank.Some of us must fall or be taken, but then at least one of us must getback to Old Jack with the news. So we're bound to scatter. When wereach that patch of woods on the left running down to the road, you'reto leave us, gallop into it and make your way back through the gorge.I'll throw off the other messengers as we go on."
"Must I be the first to go?"
"Yes, you're under my orders now, and I think you the most trustworthy.Now, Harry, off with you, and remember that luck is with him who triesthe hardest."
They were within the dark shade of the trees and Harry turned at agallop among them, guiding his horse between the trunks, pausing amoment further on to hear the pursuit thunder by, and then resuminghis race for the gorge.
He continued to ride at a great pace, meeting no enemy, and at lastreached the creek. He was a good observer and he was confident that hecould ride back up it without trouble. He feared nothing but Shepard.A single horseman in the darkness could throw off any pursuit by cavalry,but the terrible spy might turn at once to the creek and the gorge.He had the consolation, though, of knowing that Shepard could not followhim and all the others at the same time.
Harry paused a moment at the water's edge and listened for the soundsof pursuit. None came. Then he plunged boldly in and rode againstthe stream, passing into the depths of the gorge. It was darker now,being near to that darkest hour before the dawn, and the slit of skyabove was somber.
But he rode on at a good walk until he was about half way through thegorge. Then he heard sounds above, and drawing his horse in by thecliff he stopped and waited. Voices came down to him, and once or twicehe caught the partial silhouette of a horse against the dark sky.
He felt quite sure that it was a body of Union cavalry ridingpractically at random--if they were led by Shepard they would havecome up the gorge itself.
Presently something splashed heavily in the water near him. A stone hadbeen rolled over the brink. He drew his horse and himself more closelyagainst the wall. Another stone fell near and a laugh came from above.Evidently the lads in blue had pushed the stones over merely to hear thesplash, because Harry ceased to hear the voices and he was quite surethat they had ridden away.
He waited a little while for precaution, and then resumed his owncareful journey through the gorge. Just as the dawn was breaking heemerged from the stream and entered the forest. It was a cold dawn,that of late October, white with frost, and Harry shivered. There wasstill food in his knapsack, and he ate hungrily as he rode through thedeserted country, and wondered what had become of Shepard and the others.
It was not yet full day. The grass was still white with frost. Theearly wind, blowing out of the north, brought an increased chill.The food Harry had eaten defended him somewhat against the cold, but hisbody had been weakened by so much riding and loss of sleep that he foundit wise to unroll his blanket and wrap it around his shoulders and chest.
He was, perhaps, affected by the cold and anxiety, but the countryseemed singularly lonesome and depressing. Sweeping the whole circle ofthe horizon with his glasses, he saw several farm houses, but no smokewas rising from their chimneys. Silent and cold, they added to his ownfeeling of desolation. He wondered what had become of his comrades.Perhaps Sherburne had been taken, or kille
d. He was not one tosurrender, even to overwhelming numbers, without a fight.
But he would go on. Drawing the blanket more tightly around his body,he turned into the narrow road by which he had come, and urged his horseinto that easy Southern gait known as a pace. He would have been gladto go faster, but he was too wise to push a horse that had already beentraveling twenty hours.
Harry did not yet feel secure by any means. The lads of the South,where the cities were few and small, had been used from childhood to thehorse. They had become at once cavalry of the highest order; but thelads of the North were learning, too. He had no doubt that bands ofNorthern horsemen were now ranging the country to the very verge of thecamps of Jackson and Lee.
The belief became a certainty when a score of riders in blue appeared ona hill behind him. One of their number blew a musical note on a trumpet,and then all of them, with a shout, urged their horses in pursuit ofHarry, who felt as if it were for all the world a fox chase, withhimself as the fox.
He knew that his danger was great, but he resolved to triumph over it.He must get through to Jackson with the news that the Army of thePotomac was in Virginia. Others from Sherburne's troop might arrivewith the same news, but he did not know it. It was not his place toreckon on the possible achievements of others. So far as this errandwas concerned, and so far as he was now concerned, there was nobody inthe world but himself. Swiftly he reckoned the chances.
He changed the pace of his horse into an easy gallop and sped along theroad. But the horse did not have sufficient reserve of strength toincrease his speed and maintain the increase. He knew without lookingback that the Union riders were gaining, and he continued to mature hisplan.
Harry was now cool and deliberate. It was possible that a Confederatetroop scouting in that direction might save him, but it was far froma certainty, and he could not take it into his calculations. He wasnow riding between two cornfields in which all the corn had been cut,but he saw forest on the right, about a half mile ahead.
He believed that his salvation lay in that forest. He hoped that itstretched far toward the right. He had never seen a finer forest,a more magnificent forest, one that looked more sheltering, and thenearer he came to it the better it looked.
He did not glance back, but he felt sure that the blue horsemen muststill be gaining. Then came that mellow, hunting note of the trumpet,much nearer than before. Harry felt a thrill of anger. He remainedthe fox, and they remained the hunters. He could feel the good horsepanting beneath him, and white foam was on his mouth.
Harry began to fear now that he would be overtaken before he could reachthe trees. He glanced at the fields. If it had been only a few weeksearlier he might have sprung from his horse and have escaped in thethick and standing corn, but now he would be an easy target. He mustgain the forest somehow. He said over and over to himself, "I mustreach it! I must reach it! I must reach it!"
Now he heard the crack of rifles. Bullets whizzed past. They no longerkicked up the dust behind him, but on the side, and even in front.Men began to shout to him, and he heard certain words that meantsurrender. Chance had kept the bullets away from him so far, but thesame chance might turn them upon him at any moment. It was a risk thathe must take.
The shouts grew louder. The rapid thudding of hoofs behind him beat onhis ears in that minute of excitement like thunder. Nearer and nearercame the forest. The rifles behind him were now crashing faster.It seemed to him that he could almost smell their smoke, and stillneither he nor his horse was hit. After making all due allowance forbadness of aim at a gallop, it was almost a miracle, and he drew newcourage from the fact.
He passed the cornfields and with a sharp jerk of the reins turned hisweary horse into the woods on the right. The forest was thick with aconsiderable growth of underbrush, but Harry was a skillful and daringrider, and he guided his horse so expertly that in a few moments he washidden from the view of the cavalry. But he knew that it could notcontinue so long. They would spread out, driving everything in frontof them as they advanced. He was still the fox and they were still thehunters. Yet he had gained something. For a fugitive the forest wasbetter than the open.
He maintained his direction toward Jackson's camp. His horse leaped agully and he barely escaped being swept off on the farther side by thebough of a tree. Then some of his pursuers caught sight of him again,and a half dozen shots were fired. He was not touched, but he felt hishorse shiver and he knew at once that the good, true animal had beenhit. A few leaps more and the living machinery beneath him began to jarheavily.
Another thick clump of undergrowth hid him at that moment from thecavalrymen, and he did the only thing that was left to him. Throwingone leg over the saddle, he leaped clear and darted away. Before he hadgone a dozen steps he heard his horse fall heavily, and he sighed for atrue and faithful servant and comrade gone forever.
He heard the shouts of the Union horsemen who had overtaken the fallenhorse, but not the rider. Then the shouts ceased, and for a littlewhile there was no thud of hoofs. Evidently they were puzzled. Theyhad no use for a dead horse, but they wanted his rider, and they did notknow which way he had gone. Harry knew, however, that they would soonspread out to a yet greater extent, and being able to go much faster onhorseback than he could on foot, they would have a certain advantage.
He had lost his blanket from his shoulders, but he still had his pistol,and he kept one hand on the butt, resolved not to be taken. He heardthe horsemen crashing here and there among the bushes and calling to oneanother. He knew that they pursued him so persistently because theybelieved him to be one who had spied upon their army and it would be ofgreat value to them that he be taken or slain.
He might have turned and run back toward the Potomac, doubling on hisown track, as it were, a trick which would have deluded the Unioncavalry, but his resolution held firm not only to escape, but also toreach Jackson with his news.
He stood at least a minute behind some thick bushes, and it was aprecious minute to his panting lungs. The fresh air flowed in again andstrength returned. His pulses leaped once more with courage and resolve,and he plunged anew into the deep wood. If he could only reach apart of the forest that was much roughened by outcroppings of rock orgulleyed by rains, he felt that his chance of escape would almost turninto a certainty. He presently came to one such gulley or ravine,and as he crossed it he felt that he had made a distinct gain. Thehorsemen would secure a passage lower down or higher up, but it gavehim an advantage of two hundred yards at least.
Part of the gain he utilized for another rest, lying down this timebehind a rocky ridge until he heard the cavalrymen calling to oneanother. Then he rose and ran forward again, slipping as quietly as hecould among the trees and bushes. He still had the feeling of being thefox, with the hounds hot on his trail, but he was no longer making arandom rush. He had become skillful and cunning like the real fox.
He knew that the horsemen were not trailers. They could not follow himby his footsteps on the hard ground, and he took full advantage of it.Yet they utilized their numbers and pursued in a long line. Once,two of them would have galloped directly upon him, but just before theycame in sight he threw himself flat in a shallow gully and pulled overhis body a mass of fallen leaves.
The two men rode within ten yards of him. Had they not been so eagerthey would have seen him, as his body was but partly covered. But theylooked only in front, thinking that the fugitive was still running aheadof them through the forest, and galloped on.
As soon as they were out of sight Harry rose and followed. He deemed itbest to keep directly in their track, because then no one was likely tocome up behind him, and if they turned, he could turn, too.
He heard the two men crashing on ahead and once or twice he caughtglimpses of them. Then he knew by the sounds of the hoofs that theywere separating, and he followed the one who was bearing to the left,keeping a wary watch from side to side, lest others overhaul him.
In thos
e moments of danger and daring enterprise the spirit of Harry'sgreat ancestor descended upon him again. This flight through the forestand hiding among bushes and gulleys was more like the early days of theborder than those of the great civil war in which he was now a youngsoldier.
Instincts and perceptions, atrophied by civilization, suddenly sprangup. He seemed to be able to read every sound. Not a whisper in theforest escaped his understanding, and this sudden flame of a great earlylife put into him new thoughts and a new intelligence.
Now a plan, astonishing in its boldness, formed itself in his mind.He saw through openings in the trees that the forest did not extend muchfarther, and he also saw not far ahead of him the single horseman whomhe was following. The man had slowed down and was looking about as ifpuzzled. He rode a powerful horse that seemed but little wearied by thepursuit.
Harry picked up a long fragment of a fallen bough, and he ran towardthe horseman, springing from the shelter of one tree trunk to that ofanother with all the deftness of a primitive Wyandot. He was almostupon the rider before the man turned with a startled exclamation.
Then Harry struck, and his was no light hand. The end of the stickmet the man's head, and without a sound he rolled unconscious from thesaddle. It was a tribute to Harry's humanity that he caught him andbroke his fall. A single glance at his face as he lay upon the groundshowed that he had no serious hurt, being merely stunned.
Then Harry grasped the bridle and sprang into the saddle that he hademptied, urging the horse directly through the opening toward thecleared ground. He relied with absolute faith upon his new mount andthe temporary ignorance of the others that his horse had changed riders.
As he passed out of the forest he leaned low in the saddle to keep thecolor of his clothing from being seen too soon, and speaking encouragingwords in his horse's ears, raced toward the south. He heard shoutsbehind him, but no shots, and he knew that the cavalrymen still believedhim to be their own man following some new sign.
He was at least a half mile away before they discovered the difference.Perhaps some one had found their wounded comrade in the forest, or theman himself, reviving quickly, had told the tale.
In any event Harry heard a distant shout of anger and surprise. Chancehad favored him in giving him another splendid horse, and now, as herode like the wind, the waning pursuit sank out of sight behind him.
The Star of Gettysburg: A Story of Southern High Tide Page 3