CHAPTER XXIX.
THE ALARM--THE MANUSCRIPT.
The fountain gleamed beneath the beams of the Southern moon, gentleripples stirred the waves on the lake below, and the soft breezes waftedsweetest perfumes through the splendid gardens of Colonel Mortimer.Spring had come--Spring more than beautiful in this tropical clime.
Months had passed since last we saw Colonel Tompkins and his beautifuljailer, who now stand side by side by the splashing fountain. To himthese months had seemed like a dream of heaven.
Never did he believe that such surpassing happiness could fall to thelot of any human being. Even now, at times, it did not seem real. Whenhe paused to reflect, he thought it must be some delightful dream, thatwould pass and take with it all the brightness of life. Could there beon the face of this earth a being so lovely; a mansion, a village, acountry so perfectly delightful? Was it not some wild imagination ofsome artist, that had turned his brain?
No, it was all real. Olivia was not paint and canvas, but flesh andblood; a living reality, though face and form were so beautiful; hervoice was sweetest music, and her soul pure as her perfect face. Youngas she was, Olivia had had many suitors, but the pale young officer fromVirginia, with his handsome, melancholy face, had won her heart. Perhapsit was pity that first stirred her soul--pity for the poor prisoner sofar from home and friends; pity for his former sufferings, andadmiration for his brave record.
He had apparently succeeded in overcoming the mood that had held himsilent and abashed in her presence, for now, as they stand in the palemoonlight and listen to the murmuring fountain, which seems, like theirown hearts, to overflow for very gladness, the arm of the young colonelin blue clasps the yielding form of his jailer, and it is he who speaks,and she who listens in silence.
Darkness fell over the lake as they lingered. A light moved over thedark waters. The lovers saw it not. Another light and yet anotherappeared, first mere luminous points or stars, but gradually growing insize as they approached. No one, certainly not the inhabitants of Bay'sEnd, would have dreamed of a floating battery of steamers crossing thatshallow lake.
For days the Union forces had been busy damming up all the outlets ofthe lake, and the water had been gradually rising, occasioningconsiderable comment among the inhabitants.
Slowly the lights glided over the dark face of the waters. As they camenearer, they grew in size, and beneath them were defined the hulk ofthree monster gunboats, sweeping up towards the village. The sentry gavethe alarm.
Simultaneously with the alarm came a great blinding flash from one ofthe monsters of the water; then a ball of fire circled through the air,and an explosion shook the village to its centre. Another, another, andanother shell, hurled from the gunboats, came curving through the airand exploded in the streets of the village.
Abner cast a quick glance around, seeking some place of safety for theterrified Olivia. The stone fence that bounded the grounds seemed tooffer the most inviting retreat at present. Scarcely had he placed thefrightened girl on the opposite side of the wall than a shell explodedin the fountain, tearing the water nymphs to pieces and scatteringfragments far and wide; then a solid shot struck the mansion.
At this moment a rocket shot up skyward, leaving a long red tail, fromthe palmetto and orange groves at the north of the village, and wildcheers went up from a land force on that side. The bombardment from thegunboats ceased.
"What is it, what is it?" cried the terrified girl.
"Don't be frightened," answered Abner. "You will be quite safe here."
"But what is that awful noise? Is the lake blowing up? Is an earthquakecoming?"
"No, it is gunboats bombarding the town."
"Then, let us hasten to the house. We shall be killed here," she cried.
"No, no, Olivia, that would not do," he answered, "for they will makethe house an especial mark, it being the largest building in thevillage. Here is the safest place we can find for the present."
The wild yells of land troops, as they advanced on the village, againrose on the air.
The poor girl looked questionably at her companion, speechless withterror.
"They are soldiers, who have come around by land, and are advancing onthe village."
"Oh, let me go! I must go home, I must go to my father!"
She struggled wildly in Abner's grasp, for he held her fast.
"Just listen to me one moment, Olivia," he entreated. "Can you not trustme? I tell you truly that the most dangerous place in town is at yourfather's house. Already a cannon ball has struck it, and if the presentsortie is repulsed the cannonade will be instantly resumed, and it willbe battered down."
"But my father is there!"
"No, he is in the village, forming his men to meet the attack. This isthe only place of safety for you. They will scarcely throw any shellsover here, and the fight will be on the other hill."
Bay's End was in a state of confusion. Colonel Mortimer was aroused bythe first cannon shot, and was making ready for the attack. The longroll of the drum and the trumpets sounded, and the half-dressedConfederates fell hastily into line. Colonel Mortimer had the threefield pieces in his camp turned on the gunboats, and they belched forthfire and smoke at the monsters, making the very earth shake. But theirmost deadly foe now was the land force, which was coming down in a solidcolumn.
From behind the stone wall Abner could see the old Confederate colonelleading his men to meet them.
The Union forces advanced up the hill with fixed bayonets.
"Fire!" cried Colonel Mortimer.
A roar of fire-arms shook the air, and for a moment caused the advancingline to waver. The fire had but little effect, however. One or two ofthe soldiers fell, but most of the leaden hail swept over their heads.
"Forward!" commanded a voice among that line of dark blue coats, andthey rushed up the hill.
"Fire!" came Colonel Mortimer's command again.
Not more than a dozen guns responded. All had been emptied in the firstvolley, and the enemy was now almost upon them.
"Stand firm!" cried the brave old colonel, waving his sword in the air."Don't give way an inch! Shoot them down as they come!"
Drawing his revolver, he commenced firing at the line, and several ofhis officers followed his example. His men, taking courage, began toreload. The Union forces halted and poured a raking fire into theConfederate ranks. Men fell to the left and to the right of the oldcolonel, but he was as yet unhurt. About two hundred of his men, havingreloaded, poured a destructive fire on the approaching lines, whichmade them recoil for a moment; but, rallying, they advanced up the hillagain and poured three volleys in quick succession into the ranks underthe brave old colonel, which settled the fortunes of the day, or nightrather, though the moon shone almost as bright as day.
The Confederates fled, pursued by the glittering bayonets of their foes.Colonel Mortimer, with a mere handful of his bravest men, fell backtowards his mansion. A detachment of soldiers pursued them and hemmedthem in.
"Oh, my father, my father! he will be killed!" cried Olivia, as she sawthe soldiers leaping the wall and surrounding the house. She broke awayfrom Abner's restraining hand and ran towards the place, where the twoopposing forces had met with clashing and thrusting of bayonets. Abnerfollowed her, but no bird was more fleet than she, as she skimmed overgarden and lawn and disappeared behind the house, from whence came thesound of defiant voices and the discharge of fire-arms, but she heededthem not.
When Abner reached the scene of struggle, he found that Colonel Mortimerhad been thrown to the ground, and a bayonet glittered at his breast;then he saw a small, white hand thrust the bayonet aside, and Oliviathrew herself between the soldier and the prostrate man. Abner sprang tothe side of Colonel Mortimer and thrust back the astonished soldier.
"Colonel Mortimer surrenders as a prisoner of war," he cried, in hisfirm, ringing tones.
"Hold on!" cried the soldier, looking at the newcomer, "I be hanged ifhere ain't our old colonel. Hurrah, boys, here's Colonel
Tompkins!" andthe excited soldier, who was no other than Corporal Grimm, took off hiscap, and gave three cheers, that were joined in by a hundred more men,who had gathered round.
The village was in possession of the Union forces, and nearly all ofColonel Mortimer's command were prisoners.
It was Abner's own regiment which had stormed the village.
"Well, well, I do declare," said Corporal Grimm, "this finding thecolonel is a little romantic, and with a purty girl, too! It reminds meof an incident in my experience with General Preston. Sergeant Swords,did I ever tell you my experience with General Preston?" and Grimm tookthe long suffering sergeant aside to relate it.
When Abner had told the story of the colonel's kindness toward him, thevictors' politeness and kindness towards the old Confederate amplyrepaid him for the manner in which he had treated their colonel.
Abner was informed by Major Fleming that he was to take immediatecommand of the regiment.
He instantly ordered Colonel Mortimer paroled and given the freedom ofthe camp. He whispered to the beautiful, dark-eyed daughter that sheneed have no fear on her father's account, that he commanded the men,who held him prisoner. She clung to him and asked so sweetly for him tospare her papa that, had he been a monster, he could not have refused.
The night passed away, and daylight dawned before the dead and woundedhad been gathered up. Some lay stark and stiff in some gully, ravine, orbehind some trees, among the bushes and between the rocks, and itrequired time to find them.
The next morning a courier reached Abner, with an urgent message from awounded man, who was dying and wished to see him.
"Who is he?" asked Abner.
"A steward of one of the sutlers, who came on this expedition as cook.He was a colored fellow," answered the messenger.
A look of intense interest came over Abner's face.
"Where is he?" he demanded.
"Follow me and I will show you," said the messenger.
Leaving the affairs, that were engaging his attention, to the managementof Major Fleming, Colonel Tompkins hurried away. In one of the lowlyhuts of the village he found Yellow Steve, the strange negro, lying on apallet. He had been wounded by a musket ball in the breast, and his lifewas fast ebbing away. He had but a few hours to live at most, for thewound was such the surgeon pronounced recovery impossible.
"I am dying, colonel," said the negro, "but I thank God that I haveseen you at last to give you this." He put his hand in the breast-pocketof his blouse and drew forth a sealed package. "I could not have diedwithout giving you this. I have hunted for you everywhere since you werecaptured. I have been in almost every camp in the South. I should havebeen satisfied to give it to your brother Oleah, had he not shown thesame haughty spirit of one who has been the cause of his own ruin aswell as mine."
Abner noticed that the packet had been much worn, as if it had beencarried a long time in some one's pocket. It was addressed, in a veryplain but evidently unknown hand, to himself.
"You will understand," said the negro, "the seal is not to be broken,nor the contents examined, until I am dead. I want no one, least of allyou, to know my dark secret while there is yet life within this poorbody. I have suffered enough during my miserable existence withouthaving your curses heaped upon my dying head."
Abner assured him that the packet should not be opened while he lived,and left, promising to return.
His multifarious duties demanded his attention, and when he returned tothe hut _Yellow Steve was dead_.
It was late that night when Abner found time to return to hishead-quarters. He drew his chair close to a lighted lamp, and, breakingthe seal of the packet, he drew forth the manuscript and read.
Brother Against Brother; or, The Tompkins Mystery. Page 30