WE GAIN A NEW RECRUIT
There could be no doubt regarding the complete emptiness of the
Reverend Ezekiel Cairnes, if the breakfast he devoured from our stock
of cold provisions was evidence. I have been commonly blessed with
robust appetite, yet where that man found space within his ribs to
store away all he ate in that hour remains a mystery. Nothing, except
total inability to address him in intelligible language, held De Noyan
quiet as our limited supply steadily diminished before the Puritan's
onslaught, and long before the latter heaved a sigh of profound
satisfaction the gallant soldier had fallen fast asleep. But Madame
remained in her place opposite, apparently fascinated by that vivid red
crop of hair, now thoroughly dried in the sun, and standing erect above
his odd, pear-shaped head. I had whispered in her ear what the fellow
claimed for himself, and being a most devout Catholic, and he the first
specimen of his class she had ever met, she studied him with no small
amount of curiosity and abhorrence.
I can clearly recall the picture, as these two, so widely different,
sat facing each other in silence, the golden sunshine checkered over
them through an arch of limbs, the broad river shining away to the
southward, and De Noyan resting upon his back, with face turned up
toward the clear blue sky. The woman, with her soft silken hair
smoothed back from the wide, white brow, her intelligent face lighted
by eyes of deepest brown, looking, what in truth she was, the
aristocratic daughter of a gentleman of France, one whose home had ever
been amid refinements of civilization, and whose surroundings those of
love and courtesy. Even there, in the heart of that wilderness, the
social training of years remained paramount, and she sat silent, toying
with untasted food, out of respect to this stranger guest. And he,
with shoulders so abnormally broad as to appear deformed, clad in sober
Puritan garb, ate serenely on, unconscious of her glances, making use
of both his huge hands in the operation, his little gimlet eyes
twinkling greedily, his head, oddly resembling a cone, blazing like a
fire whenever a ray of sun chanced to fall across it. I noticed he
occasionally stole shy glances at her, nor could I wonder, for, in
spite of fatigue and exposure, Madame remained a winsome sight, to do
the heart of any man good to look upon.
"The Lord God of Hosts be praised; ay! with harps, cymbals, and
instruments of many strings, will I give praise unto His holy name," he
exclaimed fervently, wiping his wide mouth upon his sleeve, while
casting a look of regret over the debris in his front. "Once again
hath He abundantly supplied His elect with that which upbuildeth and
giveth strength to the flesh. Now my bodily requirements have been
duly attended to, it behooves me to minister likewise unto the
spiritual, and then seek repose. Friends, will you not both join with
me at the throne of grace? It hath been said that I possess much
unction in prayer."
"No," I answered, not unwilling to be left alone with Eloise; "you are
welcome to put up petitions in our behalf, but this lady is not of your
faith, while as for myself, I have known little about such matters
since childhood. One thing, however,--if you propose making use of
that bull voice of yours, I advise that you select the farther
extremity of the island for the scene of your devotions, lest you
arouse the Chevalier."
He cast upon me a glance not altogether pleasant, but tramped off
through the bushes without reply, and for several moments we heard the
sturdy rise and fall of his earnest supplications, frequently
interspersed with hearty groans, as of one in all the agony of deep
remorse.
"'Tis an odd fish we've hooked out of the stream," I said, turning my
head toward the dismal sounds. "Yet he has strong arms, and may be of
considerable use, if he will consent to voyage with us."
"I scarcely know what to make of the man," Madame admitted candidly.
"He is unlike any I have ever met. Yet I think he may prove honest and
of good heart, although his exterior is far from attractive."
"And his appetite hardly suggestive of economy," I added.
The bright look I always loved to see leaped into her clear eyes.
"Have you faith his labor will offset his eating?" she replied,
laughing.
"Possibly not; yet it is not labor alone I would select him for. We
may have to fight before we attain a place of safety. For that purpose
I would rank this fellow highly. Never yet have I met a red-headed man
averse to a quarrel. Faith! by that token, this one should be worth a
company if we ever come to blows."
"But he is a priest, you told me, a preacher of the Protestants."
"Ay! and the better for it. I have heard my father say the Puritan
breed makes the stoutest men-at-arms; that nothing has been found to
stiffen a battle-line equal to a good text. Give this fellow a pike,
pit him against a boatload of Spanish papists, and, I 'll warrant, he
'll crack more heads than any two of us. Besides, he controls a
perfect tornado of a voice, fit to frighten the crew of a frigate on a
dark night."
She was sitting, her back pressed against a small tree, her hands
clasped lightly about one knee, with dark eves gazing afar where the
broad river danced away into the golden sheen.
"Geoffrey Benteen," she asked soberly, never glancing toward me, "is it
true you do not desire my return to New Orleans?"
"It is true."
"Would you honestly tell me why?" and she turned her eyes, looking
searchingly into mine.
"I have mentioned sufficient reasons," I ventured, resolutely facing
her, determined to speak frankly and abide the result. "All I need add
is, to my judgment it will prove better for you to remain with your
husband."
She glanced aside at him where he lay, the quick blood flushing her
clear cheek.
"You do not like him?" the question fell faltering from her lips.
"That I am not prepared to declare. He is changeable, somewhat
overbearing in speech, not as sober of mind as I am accustomed to find
men, yet it is not true I dislike him. I merely believe that he will
do better, be truer to his manhood, with you near him, than with you
absent."
"He is French," she explained gently, "by nature of birth different
from your race. Besides, he has led a life filled with the dissipation
of the town."
"True! for that reason I forbear judging his words and actions by any
standard of my own people. Yet this I cannot be blind to, Madame; he
is of quick temper, hasty in action, easily influenced by others, and
might become careless at times, and under strong temptation, unless
some moral firmness hold him in check. You alone possess the power to
become his good angel."
She bowed her head, her gaze again far off upon the river, the
deepening surge of color rising upon either cheek.
"You cannot be angry," I continued gravely, after pausing vainly for a
reply. "Surely I have said no more than you already knew, and I spoke
merely in answer to your questioning."
"No, I am not angry. But it is not a pleasant reflection underlying
the things mentioned, and I cannot assert your judgment of the
Chevalier false. Still I would press you further. Is this your only
reason for desiring me to remain?"
"You wish me to answer frankly?"
"Otherwise I should not ask."
I felt the quick flush mount even to my hair, yet gripped my breath,
making effort to respond boldly.
"I had other reason. To deny it would be merely uttering a lie to no
purpose. Madame de Noyan, we are not strangers--we could never be
after that night when we parted beneath the olives of Monsieur
Beaujen's garden. You are wife to a chevalier of France; I, a homeless
adventurer. Yet I have no higher ambition than to prove of service to
you. Whatever I have accomplished has been entirely for your sake, not
for his. Now we are together, the daily opportunity to serve you is
mine; here I can work for you, perchance die for you, should such
sacrifice promise you happiness. But if you decide to go back yonder,
directly into danger as desperate as any confronting us to the
northward, then I must determine for myself where I can serve you best.
Knowing my heart as you must, you can easily judge whether I would
plunge deeper into the wilderness with your husband, or return to New
Orleans with you. There is a sentence in the Bible about the
impossibility of serving two masters, hence I trust I may not be
compelled to choose between, until the hour when you are both safe."
She listened silently, and I almost feared I had ventured upon too
plain speaking. Yet now, as she turned again toward me, her eyes were
moist with tears.
"You are a strange man, Geoffrey Benteen," she said gently, and, I know
not how, yet both her hands found way to mine. "I scarcely comprehend
your nature, or gauge your purposes--you are so unlike all others I
have known. Yet this I am assured; you are of honest heart, and I
trust you wholly."
"You will not return to the town?"
"I abide with you, and with my husband." Her voice faltered to that
last word, yet she spoke it bravely.
"It will be better so," I assented. "Better for us all."
We slept late, undisturbed, in secure retreat among the trees, the vast
river chanting its endless song on either side of us. During the
evening meal, partaken of amid the gathering shadows of twilight, our
newly discovered friend again evidenced his power as a trencherman.
"_Sacre_!" ejaculated De Noyan in dismay. "I supposed his breakfast
was intended to last the week. We shall need a fleet of boats to
provision the fellow if he keep us company long. How is it, friend
Benteen, are we to enjoy the pleasure of associating with this human
alligator, or do we now part company?"
"That is not yet determined," I replied, smiling at the look of
consternation with which he regarded him. "I will sound the man on the
subject, while he appears in good humor."
I crossed the narrow plat of grass to where our guest sat facing the
remains of his late feast, a look of satisfaction visible upon his
withered countenance.
"My good friend," he exclaimed, observing my approach, "there seems an
over-preponderance of spices in this cured meat; otherwise it meets my
cordial approbation, although your Southern cookery has a peculiarly
greasy flavor to one of my taste in food."
"I failed to observe your refraining from any on account of that
objection," I retorted, deeply amused by his words. "But if you are
completely satisfied, you may be willing to turn a moment to matters of
business, and inform us what you propose doing. In brief, will you
resume your voyage, or is it your desire to cast your lot with us?"
He meditatively stroked the thin red stubble adorning his chin,
contemplating me steadily.
"Doth that which assisteth to nourish and sustain the inner man bid
fair to hold out?" he finally questioned in a tone of anxiety. "I have
need of sufficient food, both temporal and spiritual, and would not
lightly assume any burden of suffering, unless it appear clearly as the
will of God."
"I know not how long we can withstand such onslaughts as those you have
already made," I returned honestly. "We are fairly well provisioned
for present needs, and when farther up the river will feel free to seek
fresh game."
"Ah! you have guns in the party? You will shoot deer--deer!" He
smacked his thin lips greedily. "A nice, fat, juicy steak would not go
bad even now. 'Tis strange how the mind runneth upon such carnal
matters--it remindeth us the flesh is weak. Deer--'tis best turned
upon a spit, with live coats not quite touching it. I would one might
wander before your gun this very night. Young man, did I not hear you
name the destination of your party as the Ohio?"
"I so stated."
"Then let me warn you, friend," he crossed his legs more comfortably,
resting back at ease, "that what you propose may not prove so easy as
you dream. The Amalekites and heathen, together with the worshippers
of Baal, are everywhere along the upper waters. By the memory of Old
Noll, I have seen more black-faced papists in the past two weeks than I
ever before laid eyes on."
"You do not enjoy the prospect of a fight?"
"Nay; it is not that, friend. I am, indeed, a preacher of
righteousness, a man of peace, yet I might, upon occasion, strike right
lustily for the Lord and Gideon. I am not altogether unaccustomed to
feeling carnal weapons of strife, but with yonder fair specimen of
womanhood in our care, I should not deem it best to force a struggle,
provided passage might be secured through other means."
"Have you some plan?"
"Nay; it has not been revealed unto me, although I besought it of the
Lord with great earnestness after the morning meal. I will again
wrestle in prayer before the throne, and no doubt it shall all be made
plain in due season, if we faint not."
"I take it, then, you propose forming one of our company?"
"Such seemeth the will of the Lord," he responded soberly, "and I ever
hearken unto His voice. Thou didst state there would be plenty of
food, so I abide with you."