That day passed quietly enough, with scouts going and coming to report
that the Indians' trail was plainly to be seen going along the north
bank of our little stream, as if they were making right away for their
own country, and after the scouts had gone as far as they dared, they
had returned with their good news. This was quickly debated in a little
council, and the result was a firm determination not to put any faith in
appearances, but to keep everything on a war footing, scouting carefully
so as not to be surprised by an enemy full of cunning and treachery; and
though there was some little demur amongst those whose houses and
plantations were farthest from the fort, all soon settled down to what
resolved itself during the next week into a pleasant kind of camping
out.
Rough tents were rigged up, and the different parties vied with each
other in their efforts to make their homes attractive. Fresh things
were brought in by the help of the slaves from the most outlying of the
houses, and when lights were lit in the evening the place looked pretty
in the extreme, so that more than once I found myself thinking that we
were to be the only sufferers from the Indian attack, and wondered, now
that the enemy had had so severe a lesson read them, how long it would
be before my father decided to go back and get our neighbours' help to
rebuild the house.
A fortnight glided by--fourteen days of uninterruptedly fine weather. I
had almost forgotten my injuries. Pomp had taken his wounded limb out
of the sling, and only remembered the injury when he tried to move his
hand, when he would utter a cry and begin softly rubbing the place.
Sarah too was recovering fast, and I knew no reason now why we should
still go on living such a military life, with the General and his
officers seeming to take delight in drilling, practising the men in the
use of their weapons, and setting guards by night, and sending out
scouts by day, with the gates closed rigorously at a certain time.
There was another thing done too, the idea being suggested by my
father--a lesson taught by our own misfortune--and this was that every
tub and cask that could be obtained in the settlement should be put
about in handy places, and kept well filled with water always, these
being supplemented by pails and buckets, which every one was bound to
set outside his place full of water every night, while the men were all
well practised in the extremely simple art of passing and refilling
buckets--so as to be ready in case of fire.
"There's some talk of giving up all this here playing at soldiers,
Master George," said Morgan to me one day.
"Is there?" I said, eagerly.
"Yes, and if you ar'n't tired of it, I am. Never so much as had a
chance to go out and scout like the others have."
"Well, I haven't either, nor Hannibal, nor Pomp."
"No, my lad; but if you don't tie down that jockey or chain him by the
leg, he'll be off one of these days. I'm always finding him sitting
a-top of the fence like a crow with his wing cut, thinking he wished he
could fly."
"Looking out for the Indians," I said.
"Not him, sir; he's thinking about games in the woods; hunting snakes,
catching 'gators, or killing 'coons. He's getting a nice howdacious
one, he is. If it wasn't for his black skin, you might think he was a
reg'lar boy."
"So he is," I said; "what difference does his skin make? I like old
Pomp."
"Well, sir," said Morgan, thoughtfully, "I like old Hannibal--old
Vanity, as you call him; but you know he is black."
"Of course."
"Very black, Master George. Why, I should say he's got the blackest
skin and the whitest teeth of any one I ever did see."
"And I dare say he thinks you've got the whitest skin and the blackest
teeth he ever saw."
"Now--now--now--now--Master George; gently there, if you please. My
skin's getting redder and browner every day, so as I don't half know
myself when I shaves; and as to my teeth, just wait till you've used
yours five-and-forty year, and had to eat such beef as I've had to eat
in the army, and you won't be quite so proud of them bits o' ivory of
yours, look you."
"Why don't you leave off saying `Look you,' Morgan? It's always `Look
you,' or `Teclare to cootness,' and it does sound so stupid."
"Not it, my lad," said Morgan, proudly. "It's that which shows I belong
to the Ancient British."
"Nonsense! You're a Welshman."
"Ah, you call me so, my lad, but I belong to the genuwyne old British
stock. You ask the captain if I don't. And as to my teeth, why, when
we was out with the army, I believe they used to buy all the old bulls,
and the older and harder they were the better they used to like 'em."
"Why?"
"Because they used to go the further. Ah, we did a lot of fighting on
it though, and I thought I'd come to the end of that sort of thing; but
it don't seem like it. Oh, how I do long to have a spade or a hoe in my
hand again. I say, Master George."
"Well?" I said, as I lay in the sun enjoying my returning strength, for
it came back fast.
"Think the master really means to go back and build up the house again?"
"Yes, I'm sure of it," I said.
"That's a good job, my lad, for it would be heartbreaking to know that
all we've done out there, planting fruit-trees and getting the place in
such nice trim, should be 'lowed to go back again to ruin, and grow over
into forest wilds, as it would in a year or two."
"Ah, that would be a pity, Morgan," I said, eagerly, as I thought of the
fruit-trees and the vines.
"I say, look here, Master George, I'm 'bout heart-broke over that
garden. I want to see what it's like. We all might go for a day and
torment some of them weeds, and keep things from getting worse, and see
what mischief the Indians did."
"Yes; I should like to go and see that," I said, thoughtfully.
"Should you, my lad? Then let's go."