Books: Hardscrabble
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John Richardson >> Hardscrabble
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"Where! what?" asked Weston, coming up to his side.
In the darkness before them, there was a deeper darkness
that bore the indistinct appearance of a human form,
lying in a stooping posture close to the trunk of the
tree.
A vague presentiment of the truth flashed upon the mind
of the Virginian, who enjoining silence on his companion,
advanced close to the object, and laid his hand upon it.
There could be no longer a doubt. The blanket coat, and
woollen sash, which he first touched, and then the shoe
pack, told him in unmistakable language that it was Le
Noir, the Canadian owner of the dog. He shook him, and
twice, in a low voice called him by name. But there was
no answer, while the body stiff and motionless, fully
revealed the fate of the unfortunate man.
Meanwhile, Loup Garou, which had followed, squatted
himself at the head, which was hanging over the front of
what they knew, from its handles and the peculiar odor,
exhaling from it, to be a wheel-barrow filled with manure,
and then commenced licking--moaning at the same time in
a low and broken whine.
"What can the dog mean by that?" whispered Weston.
"Don't you hear him licking his dead master's face, and
telling his sorrow in his own way," answered the corporal
as, in order to assure himself, he dropped his hand to
the mouth of the dog; but no sooner had he done so, than
he drew it suddenly back with a shudder of disgust and
hastily wiped it, clammy with the blood that yet trickled
from the scalped head of the murdered man.
A low whistle was here given on the left, and a few yards
above, that startled the Virginian, for it was the signal
agreed upon if anything suspicious, should be noticed by
the other parties. He promptly answered it in a different
call, and in another minute Green and Philips had joined
him. "What have you seen?" he inquired, not regarding
the exclamation of surprise of the new comers, at the
unexpected sight before them.
"We've seen nothin' its so dark," answered Green, "but
unless the cattle have got into the garden, there's
somethin' else movin' there. Philips and I listened after
we heard the dog howl the first time, for we could hear
as if somethin' like steps were stopped suddenly when he
moaned the second time we listened again, and thought
the same thing."
"They couldn't be cattle," added Philips, "for the cattle
are all kept on the other side."
"Only the young stock, and them as ain't used about the
farm," remarked Weston.
"Well, but what kind of steps were they?" eagerly questioned
the corporal, whose, imagination was filled not more with
the danger that seemed to be near them, than with the
censure of himself he feared he should incur, on his
return to the fort, for having subjected the party to
risk. "Surely you can tell between the tread of cattle
and the steps of men."
"I should say they, weren't the steps of cattle; they
were too light for that. Though they couldn't help crushin'
the dry sticks and rubbish they couldn't help seein'
lyin' in the way. Don't you think so Philips?"
"I did, corporal, and so sure did I guess them to be no
cattle that it was me that whistled."
"Then there's no use in going farther," remarked the
Virginian gravely. "Even if we get to the house, we
can't see anything in it for the darkness, and the poor
fellow shows plain enough that it's to use looking out
to save Mr. Heywood or Ephraim Giles. Come, my lads, we
must get back to the boat, and down stream as quick and
as quiet as we can."
Giving his own low whistle of recall, he was answered
from the opposite direction, and in a few minutes Cass
and Jackson made their appearance.
These latter were, briefly questioned whether they had
seen anything, and great was the anxiety of all when it
was known that they had also heard in the orchard but in
a fainter manner, what had attracted the attention of
Green and Philips in the garden.
"Why didn't you give the signal then, as directed?"
"Because," answered Cass, "We weren't quite sure about
it, and feared the whistle might tell the Injins, if any
were near, our whereabouts."
Scarce had this explanation been given, when the attention
of all was arrested by a loud clear shout of the corporals'
name, evidently uttered by Collins.
"Into the house--into the house," exclaimed the same
voice. "The Injins are creeping up to you."
As these words came ringing upon the silence of the night
the dull steps in rapid advance through the two enclosures
were now distinctly heard, while the flash of a gun fired
in their rear, lighted up the forms of three or four
savages, gliding up to them by the pathway by which the
corporal had come.
The danger was imminent, the necessity for securing the
important position imperative, and without waiting for
the order of their superior, or even uttering a word,
the whole of the party, acting upon the caution of Collins,
made a rush towards the front entrance of the house,
which they gained at the very moment when the rattling
of the snake-fences, and the total overthrow of the slight
enclosure, announced that their enemies were thus near
in pursuit.
Fortunately the door was wide open, so that they had all
passed in, when the Indians on either flank, as though
by previous arrangement, poured in their cross fire,
towards that common centre, without, however, striking
anything but the logs.
Terrific and continuous yells succeeded, and well was it
that, with cool promptitude, the corporal had sought,
and found behind the door, where he knew they were usually
kept, the strong bars, three in number, that secured the
heavy panels, for as many of the Indians as could find
room to act together, now applied their shoulders to the
frame with such violence, that but for those timely
safeguards, it must have yielded. During more than five
minutes they persevered in their efforts, the men waiting
anxiously in attitude of preparation for the result, when
all at once they ceased, and their footsteps were heard
cautiously retiring.
"Quick, look to the back-door, two of you," commanded
the corporal in an eager, but low tone, "they are going
round; there, if that is not secured we are lost."
Green and Philips sprang forward towards the point
indicated, but the latter in his excitement stumbled
heavily against something, and fell at his length upon
the floor, exclaiming: "I've fallen over a dead man, and
am half drowned in his blood."
His companion who had escaped this obstruction, had
scarcely time to assure the corporal that the back door
was already barred, a fact which he had discovered by
dint of feeling, when the latch was first heard gently
tried, then the door violently assaulted. Another loud
and angry yell from the Indians announced their
disappointment, then several shots were fired at the
door, and two or three balls could be heard dropping and
rolling upon the floor, after having passed through the
heavy planks.
"Safe enough now for a while, my lads," said the corporal
exultingly, "and we can have, a little breathing time.
Who's got the means of striking a light, that we may see
where we are, and what we're about?"
"I have," answered Green, as taking a flint, steel, and
tinder from his pocket, he, with a couple of strokes,
ignited the latter, and approached the hearth, which the
faint light from the burning "punk" enabled him to reach.
The fire had long since gone out, but the crisp and
blackened embers, soon grew under the care of the soldier
into light sufficient to render objects in the apartment
gradually more and more distinguishable.
While this process was going on, the rest, leaning on
their muskets, were anxiously grouped around the spot
where Philips had fallen. At first, only the outline of
a man of large stature and proportions could be seen
lying in a cramped position, as if produced by some strong
convulsive agony, and then when the fire began to kindle
and crackle, the dress could be distinguished, and then
as the light grew brighter, the scalpless head, and then
the marked and distorted features of the murdered master
of the house, who lay in a pool of blood that slowly
trickled along the crevices of the floor. His hands were
firmly clenched upon the barrel of a rifle which had been
broken off at the stock, that now lay a few yards beyond,
while the features, sternly set in death, bore a mingled
expression of defiance and resolution. A cut, as from a
tomahawk had laid open his left temple, while on several
parts of his body could be seen thick encrustations of
blood that had exuded through the rent clothing, marking
the seat of several stabs and gunshot wounds. It was
evident that Mr. Heywood had not lost his life without
a desperate, struggle, for independently of the testimony
afforded by his broken rifle, which he seemed to have
used with fierce determination, the heavy table had been
overthrown, and the few articles of necessary furniture
in the room evidently displaced.
"What a tale, this, to carry back," gravely remarked
Weston. "I wouldn't take the corporal's stripes to-morrow,
and be the first man to tell Miss Heywood of it."
"Supposing we get back at all," said Cass. "Though we're
safe enough for the present, I've no notion these devils
will let us off go soon."
"There's no great danger now," interrupted the corporal.
"I defy them, if they're not stronger than we saw them
this morning, to get into the house, with six good
firelocks to defend it."
"But they may set fire to it, and burn us out," persevered
the apprehensive man with the hooked nose and the peaked
chin; "I've heard of those things before."
"Burn your granny out, Nutcrackers; look at them logs
well, and say if it would'nt take hell-fire itself to
burn 'em through in a month, but corporal, had'nt we
better divide the ammunition. We don't know, as Cass
says, what the imps are about, and what trouble they may
give us yet."
"Right, Green, there's nothing like being on the sure
side, and so, my lads look to the pouches. Weston, there's
a candle in that stone bottle on the shelf--light it,
and put it on the table as soon as you have got that on
its legs again."
The examination was soon made. Each small cartouch box,
expressly made for light excursions, contained, with the
exception of the single cartridge which Collins had fired,
the usual allowance of fifteen rounds. Two of these
however--those of Green and Philips--had been so saturated
by long immersion in the water, that they were wholly
unserviceable. They were therefore emptied and dried,
and the deficiency supplied from the pouches of their
comrades, thus leaving about a dozen charges to each man.
"A small stock of ammunition, this, I guess, to stand a
long siege on an empty belly," drawled forth Cass.
"Just like you--always croakin'," sneered Green, "and
always thinking of your belly. Why man, you've more
ammunition there, I take it, than ever you'll fire away
in your life."
"And if we haven't enough," said the corporal, going to,
and taking down and shaking a powder horn, which hung
suspended from the wall, that had evidently been overlooked
by the Indians, "here are a dozen more charges at least,
and the balls of the cartridges have not, I take it, lost
their power to drill a hole into a fellow because they've
been considerably well ducked. But hark! what noise is
that--listen!"
A low, grating sound, as of some heavy body rubbing
against the ground, was now audible at short intervals,
to seemed to proceed from the southern gable--but not a
voice was heard. From the moment when they had uttered
their cry of disappointment, on finding the back entrance
secured, the Indians had preserved the utmost silence.
Suddenly a yell, pealed from the direction of the river,
caused them for the first time to revert to the exposed
position of the unfortunate Collins.
"Poor fellow," said Green, dashing away a tear. "I wish
he was with us. Somehow or other, I feel as if we should
all have a better chance in a fight, were that lad in
the middle of it."
"We shall never see him more!" gravely observed the
Virginian; "That shot fired just after he warned us, did
his business, depend upon it, and if that one didn't, it
is not likely the blood-hounds would let him off after
robbing them of their prey: no, no, poor Collins has lost
his life in saving us."
Again the yell was repeated, and from the same quarter.
The corporal sprang to the ladder which communicated with
the loft, and having placed it under the window on the
front, hastily ascended and looked out, for no one had
hitherto thought of closing an opening, from which no
danger was, seemingly, to be apprehended.
The darkness which had been so excessive at the moment
of their entrance, had greatly diminished--so much so,
that he could trace the forms of two or three of the
warriors who were stooping low, apparently engaged with
some object lying on the very bank of the river.
"Scalping and mutilating the poor fellow, no doubt," he
muttered fiercely to himself, "but here goes to revenge
him!"
Forgetting his usual prudence, he, in the strong excitement
of the moment, drew up the butt of his musket to his
shoulder, and as well as his cramped position would
permit, covered one of the savages, but while in the very
act of pulling the trigger, they all fell prostrate, and
the bullet whizzed harmlessly over them. In the next
instant a ball, aimed at himself, and fired from another
quarter, passed through the window, grazing the shoulder
slightly bitten by Loup Garou, and lodged in the opposite
logs of the room. A third loud yell followed as the
corporal drew in his head and disappeared from the window.
The Indians evidently thought he had been hit, and thus
gave utterance to their triumph.
"There's that grating sound again," remarked Weston.
All now listened, and heard much more distinctly than
before the peculiar sound. Then followed a scratching
and bumping of something heavy against the end of the
house.
"I have it," said the Virginian. "They've dragged the
ladder from the barn, and are trying to fix it under the
bedroom window. Cass, do you and Philips go in and see
what they're doing. But close the door after you that
they may not pick you off by the light."
The door was cautiously opened and again shut as soon as
the men had entered. They looked up at the window, which,
in the darkness that prevailed around, was distinctly
enough visible, but although open, nothing met their
glance of a nature to startle them, nor could any movement
be heard without.
"Hold my firelock," whispered Cass to his companion,
"while I try and get a look out. I know poor Le Noir's
bed is directly under the window, and I don't think THAT
is too high, if I stand on the pillow."
He now cautiously groped his way to the bed, on ascending
which, being a tall man, he found the top of his head to
be on a level with the sill of the window. This was not
sufficient for his purpose, and he sought to elevate
himself still more. In attempting, with this view, to
place himself on the head-board, he missed his footing,
and fell with some force between the head of the bed,
and the rode log wall. To his dismay, he found that his
feet had rested not upon the hard floor of the apartment,
but upon something soft and yielding, which his imagination,
strongly excited by the events of the day, led him
unhesitatingly to conclude, was the flesh of a human
body.
"A light corporal--a light!" he shouted, regardless of
every thing, but his desire to release himself from his
present situation. "Bring a light. Here's a fellow, who
has got hold of me by the leg!"
"Take your musket then and bayonet him," said Philips,
coolly, as he pushed towards the struggling man the butt
end of his firelock, which at length reached his hands.
At the same time, Corporal Nixon, rendered equally
imprudent by the suddenness of the demand for his presence,
entered, followed by Weston, bearing the candle.
CHAPTER VI.
Nothing can, we conceive, be in worse taste in a fictitious
narrative, than the wanton introduction of the ludicrous
upon the solemn, but when in an historical tale these
extremes do occur, fidelity forbids the suppression of
the one, lest it should mar the effect of the other. Such
is the necessity under which we find ourselves.
The first act of the corporal, on seeing how matters
stood, was to pull back the bedstead behind which Cass
was imprisoned, so as wholly to uncover him and his
assailant, but the surprise of all may be imagined, when,
instead of an Indian, with whom they believed him to be
struggling, they beheld an immense turkey-cock, well
known to them all, which was partly under the foot of
the soldier--partly in a boarded drain or reservoir which
passed from the apartment into a large hog trough, that
lay along the wall and daily received the refuse of the
various meals. The bird, furious with pain, was burying
its beak into the leg of the soldier, while he, with the
butt end of his musket aloft, and the bayonet depressed,
offered the most burlesque representation of St. George
preparing to give his mortal thrust to the dragon.
In spite of the danger by which they were beset, it was
impossible for the men to restrain the indulgence of
their humor at this singular sight, nor was the disposition
at all checked, when they saw the bayonet descend and
actually transfix the intruder to the floor-causing him
to droop his head, and thus free Cass from his furious
attacks.
"If that's the way you kill your enemies, Nutcrackers,
we promise to eat them up for you--as many as you like,"
and as he spoke, Green advanced and seized the dying bird
by the throat; but as he pulled it suddenly away, a dark
human hand was observed to relinquish its hold of the
feet, and rapidly disappear.
The mirth of the men was now succeeded by a seriousness
befitting the occasion, for it was clear to all that this
occurrence, absurd as it was, had been the means of
betraying a new plan of the enemy to get into the house.
If the drain was large enough to admit of the passage of
the bird--always remarkable for its size--it was highly
possible that some of the more slightly formed Indians,
might force their way through it also. They had evidently
tried to see if it could be done--the turkey-cock having
been put forward as a "feeler," and the necessity of
either closing the avenue, or weakening their strength
by keeping a man constantly on the watch, was now obvious.
"Find something to stop up that hole with Cass," ordered
the corporal.
"I can see nothing," replied the other, after a few
moments search, unless we stop it with the bedding."
"A wise plan that. The Injins would soon set fire to it,
and if they didn't burn us out, they would soon smoke us
out. Either would suit their purpose."
"Let him stuff it with his head, corporal," interposed
Green, "I'm sure that's thick enough for a plug."
"Perhaps there's a head in it already," suggested Philips,
"there was a hand just now--the other may have followed."
"By jingo I'll try," returned Green, "I'd give a week's
grog to be able to prick a feller with this playthin'"
So saying, he knelt upon the floor, and holding his musket
in a horizontal position, a few inches above it, he gave
a furious thrust into the aperture. To his astonishment,
for notwithstanding his half bravado, he had not seriously
anticipated such a result, he found the advance of his
weapon slightly arrested by a yielding body, and even had
not a sharp cry of pain from the other extremity of the
trough, satisfied him of the fact, the peculiar sensation
he experienced as the steel overcame the resistance was
sufficient to convince Green, little accustomed even as he
had been to bayonet men, that the bayonet had entered into
some soft part of the human body.
To the cry of the wounded man, succeeded a savage and
threatening yell from the united band, and now re-commenced
the grating sound which had two or three times before
excited the conjectures of the besieged.
"Ah I yell away you devils; that's all the good you'll
get," exclaimed Green, exulting at his success; "but
don't take so tight a grip of my bayonet. I say, Philips,
lend us a hand, if I shan't lose my musket with that
fellow strugglin' like a speared Mascalinga."
Both now pulled at the firelock, with all their strength.
Suddenly the resistance ceased, and they fell sideways
on the floor, bringing the musket with them, but without
the bayonet. At the same moment a shot was fired into
the aperture, and the ball whizzing by the ear of Philips,
and passing through Green's right leg, lodged in the
partition beyond.
"Stand aside, men," shouted the corporal, "stand from
before that hole, or we shall be marks in this light for
the skulking villains,"
Jackson, who had been dispatched for one of the small
round hickory logs that lay piled up in a corner near
the chimney, now approached with on that was just large
enough to fit tightly in the aperture. All seized it,
and taking the precaution to keep their legs out of
danger, jammed one end into the mouth of the drain, adding
afterwards a few heavy blows from the axes of Le Noir
and Ephraim Giles, which had been found in a corner of
the room.
"Now then," said the Virginian, after having examined
the small window of the bed room, and securely fastened
the shutter--"we've not much more to fear. They're two
to one its true, but I defy them to do us much harm before
daylight, when, I take it they'll be off, if not sooner."
"Well, then, corporal," suggested Green, "I vote that as
we're pretty safe, and have yet that piece of plunder,
we set to work and cook it, for I'm devilish hungry, and
so I think we must all be, seeing as how we hain't had
a regular meal the whole day, besides if we rummage the
place, we may chance to light upon somethin' else. I see
the varmint have carried off the nice row of venison hams
that used to hang up round the chimney, but there may
be somethin' in the loft."
"No bad thought that of yours, Green," answered the
corporal, "Cass, you killed the bird, you must pluck it
and grill it."
"That's what I call taking it sensibly," said the latter
leaning his musket against the wall, and dragging the
heavy turkey to the kitchen-corner, where seated on the
very chair on which poor Mr. Heywood had smoked his last
pipe, he commenced plucking out the feathers by handfuls.
"Let fasting without, and feasting within be the word;
but its mortal dry eating that great he turkey, without
something to wash it down. I say, Philips, you are a good
hand at foraging--don't you think you could find out a
little of the Wabash there," and he pointed to the loft.
Philips approached the ladder with the intention of making
a search, but the Virginian checked him.
"Stop a moment," he said, "until I have had another look
out in front." Thus saying he cautiously ascended to his
former position, the view from which was much less
indistinct than before. The obscurity had, in a great
degree, passed away, so much so, that all objects within
the area formed by the enclosures of the garden and the
orchard were thrown into perceptible relief. His first
thought was to cast his glance upon the water, hoping,
he scarcely knew why, that something might be seen of
the skiff which had contained the unfortunate Collins.
Disappointed in that quarter, his eye next turned upon
the walnut tree, the white blossoms of which had dropped
around and upon the spot, where lay the body of the
ill-fated Le Noir, at whose head was still squatted, as
when he had left him, his faithful dog. There was much
in this trait of devotion on the part of the animal which
could not fail to awaken sympathy even in the roughest
heart, and although the corporal was not particularly
sentimental, he could not but be deeply touched by the
contrast forced upon him, between the moaning animal and
the wild lust for blood which reigned in the hearts of
their unprovoked assailants. His first impulse was to
call approvingly to the dog, but the next moment's
reflection on the folly of such a proceeding stifled the
impulse. Then his attention was called not only to the
perfect immunity from further outrage of the victim and
his follower, but to the profound silence, and absence
of danger which seemed to exist in that quarter. That
the Indians had not departed, although they had not been
heard since the yell that followed the cry produced by
the thrust from Green's bayonet, he felt confident, and
it now seemed to him that they must be directing their
efforts against some other part of the building.
No sooner had he admitted this last belief, than he again
descended, and raising the ladder himself, bore it
noiselessly to the spot whence it had been removed, then
ordering the candle to be extinguished, and the embers
to be drawn together, so as to deaden the light of the
fire, he with Green and Weston crept up the ladder, Cass
being left to complete the preparation of the turkey the
best way he could, while Philips and Jackson, posted at
the back and front doors, listened attentively for the
slightest sound of danger, which being heard, they were
at once to warn the party above.
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