Books: With Lee in Virginia; A Story Of The American Civil War

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The girl mechanically obeyed. The minute she put down the glass
her eye fell upon Vincent, who was standing near the door.

"Oh! I remember now!" she said, starting up. "Those men were
here and they were going to shoot me. One-two-and then he fired,
and it seemed that I fell dead. Am I not wounded?"

"He never fired at all, Miss Kingston; he will never fire again. I
shot him as he said 'two,' and no doubt the shock of the sudden
shot caused you to faint dead away. You fell the same instant that
he did."

"But where are the others?" the girl said with a shudder. "How
imprudent of you to come here! I hoped you had seen them coming
toward the house."

"I did see them, Miss Kingston, and that was the reason I came. I
was afraid they might try rough measures to learn from you where
I was hidden. I arrived at the window just as the scoundrel was
pointing his pistol toward you, and then there was no time to give
myself up, and I had nothing to do for it but to put a bullet through
his head in order to save you. Then I opened fire upon the rest,
and my boy drove off their horses. They were seized with a panic
and bolted, thinking they were surrounded. Of course I kept up my
fire, and there are four of them in the next room besides their
captain. And now, if you please, I will get you, in the first place,
to bind my arm tightly across my chest, for one of their bullets hit
me the left shoulder, and has, I fancy, broken it."

The girl gave an exclamation of dismay.

Do not be alarmed, Miss Kingston; a broken shoulder is not a very
serious matter, only I would rather it had not happened just at the
present moment; there are more important affairs in hand. The
question is, What is to become of you? It is quite impossible that
you should stay here after what has happened. Those scoundrels
are sure to come back again."

"What am I to do, Chloe?" The girl asked in perplexity. "I am sure
we cannot stay here. We must find our way through the woods to
Nashville, and I must try and get something to do there."

"There is another way, Miss Kingston, if you like to try it," Vincent
said. "Of course it would be toilsome and unpleasant, but I do not
think it would be dangerous, for even if we got caught there would
be no fear of your receiving any injury from the Federal troops.
My proposal is that you and Chloe should go with us. If we get
safely through the Federal lines I will escort you to Georgia and
place you with your friends there."

The girl looked doubtful for a moment, and then she shook her
bead.

"I could not think of that, sir. It would be difficult enough for you
to get through the enemy by yourselves It would add terribly to
your danger to have us with you."

"I do not think so," Vincent replied. "Two men would be sure to
be questioned and suspected, but a party like ours would be far less
likely to excite suspicion. Every foot we get south we shall find
ourselves more and more among people who are friendly to us, and
although they might he afraid to give shelter to men, they would
not refuse to take women in. I really think, Miss Kingston, that
this plan is the best. In the first place it would be a dangerous
journey for you through the woods to Nashville and if you fall into
the hands of any of those ruffians who have been here you may
expect no mercy. At Nashville you will have great difficulty in
obtaining employment of any kind aud even suppose you went
further north your position as a friendless girl would be a most
painful one. As to your staying here that is plainly out of the
question. I think that there is no time to lose in making a decision.
Those fellows may go to the camp at the bridge, give their account
of the atlair, declare they have been attacked by a party of
Confederate sympathizers, and return here with a troop of horse."

"What do you say, Chloe?" Lucy asked.

"I'se ready to go wid you whereber you like, Miss Lucy; hut I do
tiuk dat in times like dis dat a young gal is best wid her own folk.
It may be hard work getting across, but as to danger dar can't he
much more danger than dar has been in stopping along here, so it
seems to me best to do as dis young officer says."

"Very well, then, I will, sir. We will go under your protection, and
will give you as little trouble as we can. We will be ready in five
minutes. Now, Chloe, let us put a few things together. The fewer
the better. Just a small bundle which we can carrv in our hands."

In a few minutes they returned to the room, Chloe carrying a large
basket, and looking somewhat ruffled.

Chloe is a little upset," the girl said, smiling, " because I won't put
my best things on; and the leaving her Sun-day gown behind is a
sore trouble to her."

"No wonder, sah," Chloo said, "why dey say dat thar am no pretty
dresses in de 'Federacy, and dat blue gown wid red spots is just as
good as new, and it am downright awful to tink dat dose fellows
will come back and take it."

"Never mind, CliIe," Vincent said, smiling. "No doubt we are
short of pretty dresses in the South, but I dare say we shall be able
to find you something that will be almost as good. But we must
not stand talking. You are sure you have got everything of value,
Miss Kingston?"

"I have got my purse," she said, "and Chloe has got some food. I
don't think there is anything else worth taking in the house."

"Very well, we will be off," Vincent said, leading the way to the
door.

A minute later Dan rode past, and Vincent called him and told him
they were going to start.

"Shall we take do horses, sah?"

"No, Dan. We are going to carry out our original plan of crossing
the river in a boat, and I think the horses would be rather in our
way than not. But you had better not leave them here. Take them
to the farther side of the clearing and get them through the fence
into the forest, then strike across as quickly as you can and join us
where we were stopping to-day. Miss Kingston and her servant are
going with us. They cannot stay here after what has taken place."

Dan at once rode off with the two horses, and the others walked
across to the edge of the clearing and waited until he rejoined
them.

"Now, Miss Kingston, you must be our guide at present."

"We must cross the road first," the girl said. "Nearly opposite to
where we are there is a little path through the wood leading
straight down to the river. The boat lies only a short distance from
it."

The path was a narrow one, and it was very dark under the trees.

"Mind how you go," Vincent said as the girl stepped lightly on
ahead. "You might get a heavy fall if you caught your foot on a
root."

She instantly moderated her pace. "I know the path well, but it
was thoughtless of me to walk so fast. I forgot you did not know
it, and if you were to stumble you might hurt your arm terribly.
How does it feel now?"

"It certainly hurts a bit," Vincent replied in a cheerful tone; "but
now it is strapped tightly to me it cannot move much. Please do
not worry about me."

"Ah!" she said, "I cannot forget how you got it-how you attacked
twelve men to save me!"

"Still less can I forget, Miss Kingston, how you, a young girl,
confronted death rather than say a word that would place me in
their power."

"That was quite different, Mr. Wingfield. My own honor was
pledged not to betray you, who had trusted me."

"Well, we will cry quits for the present, Miss Kingston; or, rather,
we will be content to remain for the present in each other's debt."

A quarter of an hour's walking brought them to the river.

"Now," Lucy said, "we must make our way about ten yards through
these bushes to the right."

With some difficulty they passed through the thick screen of
bushes, the girl still leading the way.

"Here it is," she said; "I have my hand upon it." Vincent was soon
beside her, and the negroes quickly joined them.

"There are no oars in the boat," Vincent said, feeling along the
seat.

"Oh! I forgot! They are stowed away behind the bushes on the
right; they were taken out, so that if the Yankees found the boat it
would be of no use to them."

Dan made his way through the bushes, and soon found the oars.
Then uniting their strength they pushed the boat through the high
rushes that screened it from the river.

"It is afloat," Vincent said. "Now, Dan, take your place in the
bow."

I will row, Mr. Wingfleld. I am a very good hand at it. So please
take your seat with Chloe in the stern."

"Dan can take one oar, anyhow," Vincent replied; "but I will let
you row instead of me. I am afraid I should make a poor hand of it
with only one arm."

The boat pushed quietly out. The river was about a hundred yards
wide at this point. They had taken but a few strokes when Vincent
said:

"You must row hard, Miss Kingston, or we shall have to swim for
it. The water is coming through the seams fast."

The girl and Dan exerted themselves to the utmost; but, short as
was the passage, the boat was full almost to the gunwale before
they reached the opposite bank, the heat of the sun having caused
the planks to open during the months it had been lying ashore.

"This is a wet beginning," Lucy Kingston said laugh as she tried to
wring the water out of the lower part of her dress. "Here, Chloe;
you wring me and I will wring you."

"Now, Dan, get hold of that head-rope," Vincent said; "haul her up
little by little as the water runs out over the stern."

"I should not trouble about the boat, Mr. Wingfield; it is not likely
we shall ever want it again."

"I was not thinking of the boat; I was thinking of ourselves. If it
should happen to be noticed at the next bridge as it drifted down, it
would at once suggest to any one on the lookout for us that we had
crossed the river; whereas, if we get it among the bushes here, they
will believe that we are hidden in the woods or have headed back
to the north, and we shall be a long way across the line, I hope,
before they give up searching for us in the woods on the other
side."

"Yes; I didn't think of that. We will help you with the rope."

The boat was very heavy, now that it was full of water. Inch by
inch it was pulled up, until the water was all out except near the
stern. Dan and Vincent then turned it bottom upward, and it was
soon hauled up among the bushes.

"Now, Miss Kingston, which do you think is our best course? I
know nothing whatever of the geography here."

"The next town is Mount Pleasant; that is where the Williamsport
road passes the railway. If we keep south we shall strike the
railway, and that will take us to Mount Pleasant. After that the
road goes on to Florence, on the Tennessee River. The only place
that I know of on the road is Lawrenceburg. That is about forty
miles from here, and I have heard that the Yankees are on the line
from there right and left. I believe our troops are at Florence; but I
am not sure about that, because both parties are constantly shifting
their position, and I hear very little, as you may suppose, of what is
being done. Anyhow, I think we cannot do better than go on until
we strike the railway, keep along by that till we get within a short
distance of Mount Pleasant, and then cross it. After that we can
decide whether we will travel by the road or keep on through the
woods. But we cannot find our way through the woods at night;
we should lose ourselves before we had gone twenty yards."

"I am afraid we should, Miss Kingston."

"Please call me Lucy," the girl interrupted. "I am never called
anything else, and I am sure this is not a time for ceremony."

"I think that it will be better; and will you please call me Vin. It is
much shorter and pleasanter using our first names; and as we must
pass for brother and sister if we get among the Yankees, it is better
to get accustomed to it. I quite agree with you that it will be too
dark to find our way through the woods unless we can discover a
path.

Dan and I will see if we can find one. If we can, I think it will be
better to go on a little way at any rate, so as to get our feet warm
and let our clothes dry a little."

"They will not dry to-night," Lucy said. "It is so damp in the
woods that even if our clothes were dry now they would be wet
before morning."

"I did not thihk of that. Yes, in that case I do not see that we
should gain anything by going farther; we will push on for two or
three hundred yards, if we can, and then we can light a fire without
there being any chance of it being seen from the other side."

"That would be comfortable, Mr.-I mean Vin," the girl agreed.
"That is, if you are quite sure that it would be safe. I would rather
be wet all night than that we should run any risks."

"I am sure if we can get a couple of hundred yards into this thick
wood the fire would not be seen through it," Vincent said; "of
course I do not mean to make a great bonfire which would light up
the forest."

For half an hour they forced their way through the bushes, and then
Vincent said he was sure that they had come far enough. Finding a
small open space, Dan, and Lucy, and the negress set to work
collecting leaves and dry sticks. Vincent had still in his pocket the
newspaper he had bought in the streets of Nashville, and he always
carried lights. A piece of the paper was crumpled up and lighted, a
few of the driest leaves they could find dropped upon it, then a few
twigs, until at last a good fire was burning.

"I think that is enough for the present," Vincent said. we will keep
on adding wood as fast as it burns down, so as to get a great pile of
embers, and keep two or three good big logs burning all night."

He then gave directions to Dan, who out a long stick and fastened
it to two saplings, one of which grew just in front of the fire. Then
he set to work and cut off branches, and laid them sloping against
it, and soon had an arbor constructed of sufficient thickness to
keep off the night dews.

"I think you will be snug in there," Vincent said when he bad
finished. "The heat of the fire will keep you dry and warm, and if
you lie with your heads the other way I think your things will he
dry by the morning. Dan and I will lie down by the other side of
the fire. We are both accustomed to sleep in the open air, and
have done so for months."

"Thank you very much," she said. "Our things are drying already,
and I am as warm as a toast; but, indeed, you need not trouble
about us. We brought these warm shawls with us on purpose for
night-work in the forest. Now, I think we will try the contents of
the basket Dan has been carrying."

The basket, which was a good-sized one, was opened. Chloe had
before starting put all the provisions in the house into it, and it
contained three loaves, five or six pounds of bacon, a canister of
tea and loaf-sugar, a small kettle, and two pint mugs, besides a
number of odds and ends. The kettle Dan had, by Chloe's
direction, filled with water before leaving the river, and this was
soon placed among the glowing embers.

"But you have brought no teapot, Chloe."

"Dar was not no room for it, Miss Lucy. We can make tea berry
well in do kettle."

"So we can. I forgot that. We shall do capitally."

The kettle was not long in boiling. Chloe produced some spoons
and knives and forks from the basket.

"Spoons and forks are luxuries, Chloe," Vincent said laughing.
"We could have managed without them."

"Yes, sah; but me not going to leave massa' s silver for dose
villains to find."

Lucy laughed. "At any rate, Chloe, we can turn the silver into
money if we run short. Now the kettle is boiling."

It was taken off the fire, and Lucy poured some tea into it from the
canister, and then proceeded to cut up the bread. A number of
slices of bacon had already been cut off, and a stick thrust through
them, and Dan, who was squatted at the other side of the fire
holding it over the flames, now pronounced them to be ready. The
bread served as plates, and the party were soon engaged upon their
meal, laughing and talking over it as if it had been an ordinary
picnic in the woods, though at times Vincent's face contracted
from the sharp twitching of pain in his shoulder. Vincent and Lucy
first drank their tea, and the mugs were then handed to Dan and
Chlce.

"This is great fun," Lucy said. "If it goes on like it all through our
journey we shall have no need to grumble. Shall we Chloe?"

"If you don't grumble, Miss Lucy, you may be quite sure dat Chloe
will not. But we hab not begun our journey at present; and I spec
dat we shall find it pretty hard work before we get to de end. But
nebber mind dat; anyting is better dan being all by ourselves in dat
house. Terrible sponsibility dat."

"It was lonely," the girl said, "and I am glad we are away from it
whatever happens. What a day this has been. Who could have
dreamed when I got up in the morning that all this would take
place before night. It seems almost like a dream, and I can hardly
believe"-and here she stopped with a little shiver as she thought of
the scene she had passed though with the band of bushwhackers.

"I would not think anything at all about it," Vincent said. "And
now I should recommend your turning in, and getting to sleep as
soon as you can. We will be off at daybreak, and it is just twelve
o'clock now."

Five minutes later Lucy and her old nurse were snugly ensconced
in their little bower, while Vincent and Dan stretched themselves
at full length on the other side of the fire. In spite of the pain in
his shoulder Vincent dozed off occasionally, butt he was heartily
glad when he saw the first gleam of light in the sky. He woke ban.

"Dan, do you take the kettle down to the river and fill it. We had
better have some breakfast before we make our start. If you can't
find your way back, whistle and I will answer you."

Dan, however, had no occasion to give the signal. It took him
little more than five minutes to traverse the distance that had
occupied them half an hour in the thick darkness, and Vincent was
quite surprised when he reappeared again with the kettle. Not
until it was boiling, and the bacon was ready, did Vincent raise his
voice and call Lucy and the nurse.

"This is reversing the order of things altogether," the girl said as
she came out and saw breakfast already prepared. "I shall not
allow it another time, I can tell you."

"We are old campaigners, you see," Vincent said, "and accustomed
to early movements. Now please let us waste no time, as the
sooner we are off the better."

In a quarter of an hour breakfast was eaten and the basket packed,
and they were on their way. Now the bright, glowing light in the
east was sufficient guide to them as to the direction they should
take, and setting their face to the south they started through the
forest. In a quarter of an hour they came upon a little stream
running through the wood, and here Vincent suggested that Lucy
might like a wash, a suggestion which was gratefully accepted. He
and Dan went a short distance down the streamlet, and Vincent
bathed his face and head.

"Dan, I will get you to undo this bandage and get off my coat; then
I will make a pad of my handkerchief and dip it in the water and
you can lay it on my shoulder, and then help me on again with my
coat. My arm is getting horribly painful."

Vincent's right arm was accordingly drawn through the sleeve and
the coat turned down so as to enable Dan to lay the wet pad on the
shoulder.

"It has not bled much," Vincent said, looking down at it.

"No, sah, not much blood on de shirt."

"Pull the coat down as far as the elbow, Dan, and bathe it for a
bit."

Using his cap as a baler, Dan bathed the arm for ten minutes, then
the wet pad was placed in position, and with some difficulty the
coat got on again. The arm was then bandaged across the chest,
and they returned to the women, who were beginning to wonder at
the delay.

CHAPTEP XIIL LAID UP.

"YOU MUST see a surgeon whatever the risk," Lucy said when the
others joined them, for now that it was light she could se" by the
paleness of Vincent's face, and the drawn expression of the mouth,
how much he had suffered.

"You have made so light of your wound that we have not thought
of it half as much as we ought to do, and you must have thought
me terribly heartless to be laughing and talking when you were in
such pain. But it will never do to go on like this; it is quite
impossible for you to he traveling so far without having your
shoulder properly attended to."

"I should certainly be glad to have it looked to," Vincent replied.
"I don't know whether the bullet's there or if it has made its way
out, and if that could be seen to, and some splints or something of
that sort put on to keep things in their right place, no doubt I
should be easier; hut I don't see how it is to he managed. At any
rate, for the present we must go on, and I would much rather that
you said nothing about it. There it is, and fretting over it won't do
it any good, while if you talk of other things I may forget it
sometimes."

In two hours they came upon the railway, whose course lay
diagonally across that they were taking. They followed it until
they caught sight of the houses of Mount Pleasant, some two miles
away, and then crossed it. After walking some distance farther
they came upon a small clearing with a log-hut, containing
apparently three or four rooms, in the center.

"We had better skirt round this," Vincent suggested.

"No," Lucy said in a determined voice. "I have made up my mind I
would go to the first place we came to and see whether anything
can be done for you. I can see you are in such pain you can hardly
walk, and it will be quite impossible for you to go much further.
They are sure to be Confederates at heart here, and even if they
will not take us in, there is no fear of their betraying us; at any rate
we must risk it."

Vincent began to remonstrate, but without paying any attention to
him the girl left the shelter of the trees and walked straight toward
the hon so. The others followed her. Vincent had opposed her
suggestion, but he had for some time acknowledged to himself that
he could not go much further. lie had been trying to think what
had best be done, and had concluded that it would be safest to
arrange with some farmer to board Lucy and her nurse for a time,
while he himself with Dan went a bit further; and then, if they
could get no one to take them in, would camp up in the woods and
rest. He decided that in a day or two if no improvement took place
in his wound he would give himself up to the Federals at Mount
Pleasant, as he would there be able to get his wound attended to.

"I don't think there is any one in the house," Lucy said, looking
back over her shoulder; "there is no smoke coming from the
chimney, and the shutters are closed, and besides the whole place
looks neglected."

Upon reaching the door of the house it was evident that it had been
deserted. Lucy had now assumed the command.

"Dan," she said, "there is no shutter to the window of that upper
room. You must manage to climb up there and get in at that
window, and then open the door to us."

"All right, missie, me manage dat," Dan said cheerfully. Looking
about he soon found a long pole which would answer his purpose,
placed the end of this against the window, and climbed up. It was
not more than twelve feet above the ground. He broke one of the
windows, and inserting his hand undid the fastening and climbed
in at the window. A minute later they heard a grating sound, and
then the lock shot back under the application of his knife, and the
door swung open.

"That will do nicely," Lucy said, entering. "We will take
possession. If the owners happen to come back we can pay them
for the use of the place."

The furniture had been removed with the exception of a few of the
heavy articles, arid Chloe and Lucy at once set to work, and with
bunches of long grass swept out one of the rooms. Dan cut a
quantity of grass and piled it upon an old bedstead that stood in the
corner, and Lucy smoothed it down.

"Now, sir," she said peremptorily to Vincent, "you will lie down
and keep yourself quiet, but first of all I will cut your coat off."

One of the table-knives soon effected the work, and the coat was
rolled up as a pillow. Dan removed his boots, and Vincent, who
was now beyond even remonstrating, laid himself down on his
cool bed.

"Now, Chloe," Miss Kingston said when they had left Vincent's
room, "I will leave him to your care. I am sure that you must be
thoroughly tired, for I don't suppose you have walked so many
miles since you were a girl."

"I is tired, missie; but I am ready to do anyting you want."

"I only want you to attend to him, Chloe. First of all you had
better make some tea. You know what is a good thing to give for a
fever, and if you can find anything in the garden to make a drink of
that sort, do; but I hope he will doze off for some time. When you
have done, you had better get this place tidy a little; it is in a
terrible litter. Evidently no one has been in since they moved out."

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