MILDRED MEETS AN AGREEABLE ADVENTURE.
We left Mildred securely lodged with her new and kind-hearted friends,
under the hospitable roof of the farmer, hard by the Yadkin. The reader
has, doubtless, found reason in the course of this narrative to marvel
much that a lady so delicately nurtured should, with so stout a spirit
and with such singular devotion, have tempted so many dangers, and
exposed herself to such unwonted hardships, for the sake of the man she
loved. Perhaps, I might be able to clear up this matter, by referring to
the extraordinary conjuncture of circumstances that surrounded her. It
was no secret that she fervently, and with her whole heart,--yea even
with a fanatical worship,--loved the man she sought. Her affection had
been nursed in solitude, and, like a central fire, glowed with a fervid
heat, unobserved at first, silent and steady: and by degrees her
enthusiasm spread its coloring over the passion, and raised it into a
fanciful but solemn self-dedication. This warmth of feeling might still
have been witnessed only within her family precinct, had it not been
that, at a most critical moment, when her father's absence from the Dove
Cote left her without other resource than her own unaided counsel, she
was made acquainted that her lover's life was in imminent peril, and
that a word from her might perhaps avert his doom. We have seen with
what anxious alacrity she set forth in that emergency upon her
pilgrimage of duty; and how, as she became familiar with hardship and
danger, her constancy and resolution still took a higher tone, growing
more vigorous even with the impediments that lay across her path. This
may seem strange to our peace-bred dames,--and little congruous with
that feminine reserve and shrinkingness which we are wont to praise: but
war, distress, and disaster work miracles in the female bosom, and
render that virtuous and seemly, which ease and safety might repel.
Nature is a wise and cunning charmer, and, in affliction, makes that
forwardness not unlovely, which in tranquil and happy times she would
visit with her censure. If these considerations do not suffice to
explain the present movements of my heroine, I must beg my reader to
have patience to the end, when, peradventure, he will find a still
better reason.
When morning came, Mildred was up with the first blush of light. Her
thoughts had dwelt with a busy restlessness upon the late intelligence,
and she had slept only in short and disturbed intervals. She was
impatient to be again upon the road.
Accordingly, as soon as the preparations for their journey could be
made, our party, now increased by the addition of Musgrove and his
daughter, set forward on their travel towards Burk Court House.
This journey was protracted through several days. The disturbed state of
the country, produced by the active hostilities which were now renewed,
made it prudent for our wayfarers frequently to halt amongst the
friendly inhabitants of the region through which they travelled, in
order to obtain information, or wait for the passage of troops whose
presence might have caused embarrassment.
The considerate kindness of Allen Musgrove, and the unwearied attentions
of Mary, who, softened by her own griefs, evinced a more touching
sympathy for the sufferings of Mildred, every day increased the
friendship which their present companionship had engendered, and greatly
beguiled the road of its tediousness and discomfort.
The journey, however, was not without its difficulties, nor altogether
destitute of occurrences of interest to this history. The upper
districts of North Carolina present to the eye a very beautiful country,
diversified by mountain and valley, and gifted in general with a rich
soil. Considerable portions of this region were consequently occupied
and put into cultivation at an early period of the history of the
province; and, at the era of the revolution, were noted as the most
desirable positions for the support of the southern armies. This
circumstance had drawn the war to that quarter, and had induced a
frequent struggle to retain a footing there, by each party who came into
possession of it. Such a state of things had now, as we have before
remarked, embarrassed the progress of our friends, and had even
compelled them to diverge largely from the direct route of their
journey.
It happened, a few days after leaving the Yadkin, that the hour of
sunset found our little troop pursuing a road through the deep and
gloomy forest, which, for several miles past, had been unrelieved by any
appearance of human habitation. Neither Horse Shoe nor Allen Musgrove
possessed any acquaintance with the region, beyond the knowledge that
they were upon what was called the upper or mountain road that extended
from Virginia entirely through this section of North Carolina; and that
they could not be much more than fifteen or twenty miles north of Burk
Court House. Where they should rest during the night that was now at
hand, was a matter that depended entirely upon chance; and stimulated by
the hope of encountering some woodland cabin, they persevered in riding
forward, even when the fading twilight had so obscured their path as to
make it a matter of some circumspection to pick their way. Thus the
night stole upon them almost unawares.
There is nothing so melancholy as the deep and lonely forest at night;
and why it should be so I will not stop to inquire, but that melancholy,
it seems to me, is enhanced by the chilliness of the autumnal evening.
The imagination peoples the impenetrable depths of the wood with
spectres, which the gibbering and shrill reptiles that inhabit these
recesses seem to invest with a voice; the earth beneath the feet,
carpeted with "the raven down of darkness," has an indefinite surface
that causes the traveller to think of pitfalls and sudden banks, and
fearful quagmires; and the grey light of the glow-worm, or the cold
gleam of the rotten timber, shine up through the gloom, like some
witch-taper from a haunted ground. Then, high above the head, the sombre
forms of the trees nod in the night-wind, and the stars,--ineffectual to
guide us on our way--are seen only in short and rapid glimpses through
the foliage; all these things affect the mind with sadness, but the
chattering of the teeth and the cold creep of the blood, rendered
sluggish by a frosty atmosphere, make it still more sad.
Mildred and Mary Musgrove experienced a full share of these imaginings,
as they now rode in the dark, side by side; and, peradventure, an
occasional expression of impatience might have been heard, in whispers,
between them. By degrees this feeling extended to Henry, and, in due
course of time, seemed also to have reached the sergeant and the miller;
for these two, as if suddenly struck with the necessity of making some
provision for the night, now came to a halt, with a view to inquire into
the comfort of the weaker members of the troop, and to deliberate on
what was best to be done. To make a fire, erect a tent, and resort to
the contents of their havresacks for supper, were the only expedients
which their situation afforded; and as these arrangements were but the
customary incidents of travel, in the times to which we refer, they were
now resolved upon with but little sense of inconvenience or hardship. It
was proper, however, that the party should encamp in some position where
they might have water, and, with that object, they continued to move
forward until they should find themselves in the neighborhood of a
running stream--an event that, from the nature of the country, was soon
likely to occur.
"There can be no moon to-night," said the sergeant, as they rode along
in quest of their lodging-place, "yet yonder light would look as if she
was rising. No, it can't be, for it is westward, as I judge, Allen."
"It is westward," replied Musgrove, looking towards a faint light which
brought the profile of the tree-tops into relief against the horizon.
"There must be fire in the woods."
The party rode on, all eyes being directed to the phenomenon pointed out
by Horse Shoe. The light grew broader, and flung a lurid beam towards
the zenith; and, as the travellers still came nearer, the radiance
increased, and illuminated the summit of a hill, which, it was now
apparent, lay between them and the light.
"We must rest here for a while," said the sergeant, reining up his horse
in a dark and narrow ravine; "the fire is just across this hill in
front. It would be wise to reconnoitre a little; there may be travellers
camping on the t'other side, or troops for aught we know; or it may be
an old fire left by the last persons who passed. You, Allen Musgrove,
stay here with the women, and I will ride forward to look into the
matter."
Henry accompanied the sergeant, and they both galloped up the hill. When
they came to the top, a rich and strange prospect broke upon their
sight. Some three or four hundred yards in advance, at the foot of the
long slope of the hill, a huge volume of flame was discovered enveloping
the entire trunk of a tall pine, and blazing forth with sudden flashes
amongst the withered foliage. The radiance cast around from this
gigantic torch penetrated the neighboring forest, and lit up the trees
with a lustre more dazzling than that of day; whilst the strong shades
brought into such immediate proximity with the sharp, red light, as it
glanced upon every upright stem or trunk, gave a new and grotesque
outline to the familiar objects of the wood. The glare fell upon the
sward of the forest, and towards the rear upon a sheet of water, which
showed the conflagration to have been kindled on the bank of some river.
Not less conspicuous than the local features of the scene were the
figures of a considerable party of soldiers passing to and fro in idle
disarray through the region of the light, and a short distance from them
a number of horses attached to the branches of the neighboring trees.
Horse Shoe and his young companion stood gazing for some moments upon
the spectacle, the sergeant in silent conjecture and perplexed
thoughtfulness as to the character of the persons below, Henry intent
only upon the novel and picturesque beauty of the view.
The light shone directly up the road, and fell upon the persons of our
two friends, a circumstance to which the sergeant seemed to give no
heed, until Henry pointed out to him a horseman, from the direction of
the fire, who was now advancing towards them.
"Sergeant, turn back into the shade," cried Henry; "that man is coming
after us."
"Keep your ground," replied Horse Shoe; "he has no ill-will to us. He
wears the dress of an honest man and a good soldier."
"Who goes there?" called out the horseman, as he now came within
speaking distance. "Stand and tell me who you are!"
"Friends to the hunting-shirt and buck-tail," replied Robinson.
"I am glad to hear you say so," rejoined the scout, as he advanced still
nearer. "Where from, and in what direction do you travel?"
"That should be William Scoresby's voice of the Amherst Rangers,"
shouted Henry, with animation; "as I live, it is the very man!"
"Who have we here!" returned the horseman. "Henry Lindsay! our deputy
corporal! Why, man, where did you spring from?" he added, in a tone of
joyful surprise, as he offered Henry his hand.
"Ho, sister Mildred--Mr. Musgrove!" exclaimed Henry, calling out at the
top of his voice to his friends, who were waiting behind for
intelligence. "Come up--come up! Here's good luck!"
And with a continued vociferation, he galloped back until he met his
sister, and conducted her to the top of the hill, whence, following the
guidance of William Scoresby, the party descended to the bivouac of the
Amherst Rangers.
Henry eagerly sought out Stephen Foster, and, having brought him into
the presence of Mildred, received from him a narrative of the course of
events which had led to this fortunate meeting.
The Rangers had marched from Virginia a few days after Mildred had left
the Dove Cote. They had fallen in with Gates's shattered army at
Hillsborough, where, after tarrying almost a fortnight, they were
furnished an opportunity to take some active share in the operations of
the day by the enterprise of Shelby against Ferguson, the knowledge of
which had reached them at Gates's head-quarters, whither a messenger
from Shelby had come to ask for aid. The Rangers had accordingly
volunteered for this service, and, with the permission of the general,
were now on their way towards Burk Court House, there hoping to receive
intelligence that would enable them to join the allies.
They had for some miles been marching along the same road taken by our
travellers, not more than two hours ahead of them; and having reached
the Catawba near sundown, had determined to encamp there for the night.
The soldiers, unaccustomed to exact discipline, had, in sport, set fire
to a tall pine which some accident of the storm had killed, and produced
the conflagration that had lighted Horse Shoe and his charge to the
scene of the present meeting.
It may be imagined that this incident afforded great satisfaction to
Mildred and her party, who were thus brought into connexion with a
numerous body of friends, with whom they determined henceforth to pursue
their journey. The first good result of this encounter was immediately
experienced in the comfortable though rude accommodation which the
prompt and united efforts of the Rangers supplied to Mildred and her
friend, Mary Musgrove, in enabling them to pass a night of sound and
healthful sleep.
On the following day, the Rangers and their new companions arrived at
Burk Court House. They were here made acquainted with the fact that the
mountain troops were at this time moving towards Gilbert-town. They
accordingly, after a night's rest, resumed their march, and by a
toilsome journey through a rugged mountain district, succeeded on the
third evening in reaching the little village which had but a short time
since been the head-quarters of Ferguson and the spot of Arthur Butler's
captivity.
They were now in advance of Campbell and his mountaineers; and, in
waiting for these troops, they were afforded leisure to recruit
themselves from the effects of their late fatigues. Good quarters were
obtained for Mildred and her companions. She required repose, and
profited by the present opportunity to enjoy it.
The village at this moment was full of troops. Brandon and Lacy, with
their followers, whom we have referred to in the last chapter, were
already there, in daily expectation of the arrival of the confederates;
and amongst these men, Sergeant Robinson and his companion, the miller,
found the means of relieving the tediousness of delay, to say nothing of
Henry, who had now become so decidedly martial in his inclinations, that
the camp was to him a scene of never-fading interest.
In two days Campbell's army entered the village, after a march of which
we have already given a sketch to our reader. It was a duty of early
concern, on the part of Allen Musgrove and the sergeant, to apprise him
of the presence of Mildred and her brother, and to communicate to him
the singular purpose of her mission. The effect of this was a visit by
Campbell, Shelby, and Williams, to the lady on the evening of their
arrival. The two latter of these officers had already been personally
active in the behalf of Arthur Butler, and all felt the liveliest
interest in his fortunes. The singular relation in which Mildred seemed
to stand to the captive officer and the extraordinary zeal which her
present mission betrayed in his cause, drew forth a warm sympathy from
the generous soldiers around her, and there was even a tincture of the
romance of chivalry in the fervor with which, on the present visit, they
pledged themselves to her service. With the delicacy that always belongs
to honorable and brave hearts, they refrained from inquiry into the
special inducements which could so earnestly enlist the lady in the
service of their fellow-soldier, and sedulously strove to raise her
spirits into a cheerful and happy tone by the hopes they were able to
inspire.