"Better, my lad?"
I did not answer, but looked in my father's face, wondering what was the
matter--why I felt so deathly sick, as I lay back feeling water splashed
in my face, and seeing a black hand going and coming from somewhere at
my side.
"Come: try and hold up," said my father.
"Yes," I said. "What's the matter?"
"Nothing very serious for you, my lad. We have been playing at soldiers
in earnest, that's all, and you have been wounded."
"I, father--I? Ah yes, I remember," I said, essaying to sit up. "But I
did try hard to bear it."
"I know--I know, my lad. I didn't know you were hurt like that."
"But--but the Indians?" I said, struggling up, and then catching at my
father's hand, for I felt a burning pain run through my leg, and the
sick sensation returned.
"We have left them behind," he said, "and are out of their reach for the
present. Now sit still, and the faintness will go off. I must go to
the other boat."
I looked sharply round, and found that the wooded point was far behind,
and also that we were well out of our stream, and floating steadily down
the big river toward the settlement, whose flagstaff and houses stood
out in the sunshine on our left about a mile away. I saw too that a
rope had been made fast to the end of the other boat, and that we were
being towed, but by whom, or what was going on there, I could not see
for the great bundle in the white sheet which filled up the stern, and
was still bristling with arrows.
"Hold hard!" shouted my father, and our boat began to glide alongside of
the other. "Can you sit up, my lad?"
"Yes, father," I said.
"Pomp take car' of him, massa."
"Yes, but you are wounded too," said my father.
"Oh, dat nuffum," said the boy contemptuously.
My attention was riveted now on Sarah, whom I could see as the boats
were alongside lying crouched back in the bottom, looking deathly white
as Morgan knelt by her, holding a handkerchief pressed to her shoulder.
"Now let me come," said my father. "Are both your pieces loaded?"
"I have that charged, sir," he said aloud. Then I heard him whisper,
"You don't think she's very bad, do you, sir?"
My father made no reply, but took Morgan's place.
"Go and take an oar," he said then. "Help Hannibal; and try and get us
to the fort if you can. Yes," he continued, after shading his eyes with
his hand, "the flag is still flying; the Indians cannot be there yet."
"Boat coming," cried Pomp; and to our great delight, we saw a
well-manned boat shoot out from the shore, and begin to head in our
direction.
My father uttered a sigh of relief, and I heard him mutter "Thank God!"
as he proceeded to bandage the poor woman's shoulder as well as he
could; and in a momentary glance I saw that an arrow, with the shaft
sticking out, broken short off, was still in the wound.
I wondered why my father did not draw it out, but of course said
nothing, only sat gazing from the coming boat to the shore, which all
seemed peaceful and calm now, there being no sign of Indians or trace of
the trouble, save on board our boats.
Just then, as I was reviving more and more, and fully learning the fact
that I had received what might have proved a dangerous wound had not the
bleeding been stopped, a hail came from the approaching boat, which
proved to be Colonel Preston's.
"Anything the matter? What's all that firing about?" cried the colonel,
as his boat's way was checked.
"Indians!--attacked!" said my father, speaking excitedly as he waved his
hand toward his wounded; and then, "Don't lose a moment. Help us
ashore, and there must not be a soul out of the fort in half an hour's
time."
There was a disposition in Colonel Preston's manner to make light of the
matter, but the sight of the arrows bristling about the defences checked
him; and ordering a couple of men out of his own boat to help row ours,
he stayed with us to hear the narrative of our fight.
"They are good marksmen too," he said; and then, turning to my father, I
heard him whisper, "That woman--wound dangerous?"
"I am afraid so," my father replied. "She must have better attention
than I can give her."
I turned to gaze on the poor sufferer lying there close beneath the
bundle which she had insisted upon bringing--the great pile of soft
things which had been a protection to those with her, but had not saved
her from the Indians' arrow; and as I watched her I forgot my own pain
and suffering, and thought of how good and kind she had always been to
me in spite of her quaint, rather harsh ways; and the great hot tears
came into my eyes, to make things look dim and misty again, as I thought
of my father's words.
A sharp look-out was kept, and the colonel and his men armed themselves
with some of the pieces we had in the boats; but the Indians were in the
forest right at the back of the settlement, and had not kept along the
bank when we reached the great river.
Quite a little crowd was awaiting our coming at the wharf, and as soon
as the news spread, the excitement was tremendous; but almost before
poor Sarah had been carried up to the great block-house, and I had
limped there, resting on Hannibal, a bugle had, rung out, and having
been drilled by the General in case of such emergency, men, women, and
children, followed by the black slaves, ran scurrying to the
entrance-gates, carrying such little household treasures as they could
snatch up in the hurry.
As the women and children took refuge inside the strong palisades, the
able-bodied men formed up ready outside, all well-armed; and looking a
thoroughly determined set, as they were marched in, guard set, and
ammunition served out.
The military training of many of the settlers stood them in good stead,
while the General, who the last time I saw him was superintending his
slaves in the cotton-field, was hurrying about now giving his orders;
and in an amazingly short time scouts were sent out, arrangements were
made for barricading the gates, and every musket that could be procured
was stood ready to battle with the savage foe.
Colonel Preston and my father were, I soon saw, the General's right-hand
men, and each had his particular duty to do, my father's being the
defence of the gates, just outside which I was standing in spite of my
wound, Pomp being close at hand, ready, with several other of the black
boys, to fetch ammunition, to carry messages, and, with the guarding
force outside the gates at the present, being sent to first one and then
another of the abandoned houses, to bring out valued articles, such as
could be hurriedly saved.
I was in a good deal of pain, but everything was so exciting that I
could not find it in my heart to go into the great barrack-like wooden
fort in the centre of the palisaded enclosure, but stood watching the
preparations, and thinking how rapidly the settlement had increased
since we came.
One thing I heard over and over again, and that was the people bemoaning
their fate at having to leave their comfortable houses just as
everything had been made homely and nice, to be pillaged and burned by
the Indians.
"And they'll pillage and burn our place," I thought, "perhaps the
first." And I was thinking bitterly of all this, and that we had far
more right to complain than the rest, when Pomp came strutting up with
his arm in the loose sling, of which he seemed to be very proud.
He stopped short as he came quickly up, having been summoned away a few
minutes before; and now he pointed at me, and turned to a quiet,
keen-looking youngish man, who wore a sword, but had his pockets stuffed
full of bandages and bottles, for I heard them chink.
"Dat Mass' George, sah," he cried.
"Ah, that's right. Your father wished me to examine your wound."
"Are you a doctor?" I said eagerly.
"Well, yes--a surgeon."
"Come with me, then," I cried. "There's some one who was wounded in one
of our boats."
"The woman? Yes, I have seen her and attended to her. Now then, quick,
my lad. Lean on me, and let's see about you."
I limped beside him to the part of the block-house set apart for such
troubles, and after giving me no little pain, he said--
"There, you can sit somewhere and load guns. You will not hurt now."
"It's not dangerous then?" I said.
"Not at all; but if it had not been sharply attended to by your father
you would have bled to death."
"And how is our Sarah?" I said, eagerly.
"If you mean Captain Bruton's housekeeper, she is badly wounded, but I
have removed the arrow-head, and I think she will do. I suppose you are
Master George?"
"Yes."
"Then as soon as you can you must go and see the poor woman. She was
talking constantly of you, and begged me to send you if we met."
I thanked him, and left him emptying his pockets of strips of linen,
threads, a box of something that made me think about pistols in the case
at home, and then of some bottles, all of which he laid about in the
most orderly manner, and I left him with a shudder, as I thought of what
they were for.
As soon as I got outside I was accosted by Pomp, who came up to me,
saying--
"Leg quite well now?"
"No; nor likely to be, Pomp."
"Mass' George better wear um in fling like Pomp arm. Missie Sarah want
Mass' George."
He took me to where the poor woman lay, very white and exhausted, but
she brightened up as soon as she saw me approach, and the black nurse
who was attending to her drew back.
"Ah, Sarah," I exclaimed, as I went to her side, "I am sorry to see you
like this."
She paid no heed to my words of condolence, but caught me by the wrist.
"Where is that box?" she said eagerly.
"The box? The one Hannibal carried down?"
"Yes; where is it?"
"I don't know," I said.
"What? You don't know? Oh, Master George!"
"It was brought up from the boat, and put in the enclosure somewhere."
"Thank goodness," she said with a sigh.
"And the bundle?" she suddenly exclaimed.
"Ought you to worry about such things now?" I asked. "What does it
matter?"
"Matter?" she gasped.
"Yes. Do you know your waiting to get those things made us nearly
caught by the Indians?"
"If it did, they saved you all from being shot by them as I was with
that dreadful arrow."
"Well--yes, they did keep off the arrows; but if you had been quicker we
should not have been shot at. You shouldn't have stopped to worry about
your clothes. My father would have paid for more."
"And me so weak and ill, Master George, and you to reproach me like
that," she said, with the tears brimming over on to her cheeks.
"Nonsense!" I said, taking her hand, to feel her cling to mine
affectionately. "I was not reproaching you, and we are all safe, and
nothing to mind."
"Nothing to mind? Ah, my dear, think of what our poor house will be
like when we get back."
"I don't think I will," I said dryly; but she did not heed, and went
on--
"It was bad enough after that dreadful flood. What will it be now? And
so much pride as I took in it, and such a home as it had become. And
then, my dear, for you to go and think that I should keep those two
waiting while I got together things of my own."
"Well, you know you did," I said, laughing.
"For shame, Master George! That box has got everything in that I knew
you would like to save."
"Oh, Sarah!"
"And in that bundle is all the best of the linen, and right in the
middle, your poor dear father's uniform."
I did not know which to do--to laugh at the poor woman for her kindly
but mistaken thoughts, or to feel affected, so I did neither, but
pressed her hand gently, told her she must sleep, and rose to go; but
she clung to my hand.
"You'll take care, and not go into danger," she said. "You have been
hurt enough."
"I'll try not," I said, as she still clung to my hand, looking wistfully
at me. I seemed to understand what she meant, stooped over and kissed
her, and made her cry.
"Poor old nurse!" I said to myself as I limped out, and across the
enclosure, where the people were gathered in knots discussing the
possibility of an attack. In one part all the blacks were together--the
women and the younger boys; in another part the ladies with their
children; while on the rough platforms erected at the corners of the
great palisade sentries were stationed, keeping a vigilant look-out; and
I now saw that to every white man there were two armed blacks, and I
could not help thinking that we should all be massacred if the blacks
sided with the savages against those who had made them their slaves.
At one of these corners I saw that our Hannibal was placed, his great
bulk and height making him stand out prominently from his companions;
and feebly enough, and with no little pain, I went towards him, thinking
very little of my injury in my boyish excitement, though had I been
older, and more given to thought, I suppose I should have lain up at
once in the temporary hospital.
I signed to Hannibal to come to me, and the gentleman mounting guard
with him giving permission, I took him aside.
"Well, Han," I said, as he smiled at me in his quiet, grave way, "you've
got a gun, and are going to fight then?"
"Yes, Mass' George, going to fight."
"And will the other people fight too?"
"Yes; all going to fight," he said. "Capen say must fight for us,
Hannibal, and Hannibal going to fight for capen and Mass' George."
"But--" I checked myself, for it seemed to come to me like a flash that
it would be foolish to ask the question I intended about the blacks
being faithful. "It would be like putting it into their heads to be
false," I said to myself; and then, as the great fellow looked at me
inquiringly, I continued aloud--
"Try and protect my father if you can, Han."
He gave me a quick look, and the tears stood in his eyes.
"Han die for capen and Mass' George," he said.
At that moment there was a bustle and excitement at the gate, and I
tried as quickly as my injury would allow to join the group who were
hurrying that way.