INTO THE STORM
When darkness fell over the land the violence of the storm increased.
The whistling of the wind and the swaying of the branches could be heard
within the building.
"This is just what we want," whispered Dennis.
"Yes," replied Noel, though his fears were not allayed by the confidence
of his comrade. "You must wait a while, Dennis," he added.
"Indade, and I'll wait," replied the young Irishman. "We want to be
shure that every wan is aslape before we begin."
As the hours passed and the fierceness of the storm increased, and the
sound of the pelting raindrops was heard as they struck the sides of the
building, the monotony of it all served as an inducement for sleep. It
was not long before the sounds which came from their fellow prisoners
convinced both the young soldiers that the men were sleeping soundly.
The guard in the hallway was plainly within sight seated in a chair
which was tipped back against the wall. A lighted candle was shining in
each end of the hall, and though the light was dim every movement of a
person near by could be plainly seen.
Fortunately the light of the candles did not fall directly upon the
ceiling in the room where the prisoners were confined.
"It must be eliven o'clock," whispered Dennis. "Don't you think so,
Noel?"
"Yes."
"It's time for us to begin."
"Yes," again assented Noel.
"Kape still now, while I take off me shoes again. You'd better take
yours off, too."
"We'll want them if we ever get out of this place," suggested Noel.
"That's right. Shure we will. You'll have to pass them up to me after I
have climbed into the loft."
Noel made no further protests, and Dennis at once prepared to carry out
the plan which he had so carefully devised.
Silently both young soldiers removed their shoes, and then, without
delaying a moment, as soon as Noel had braced himself against the side
of the wall, Dennis clambered to his shoulders and then waited a brief
instant to discover whether or not the guard was aware of any unusual
activities among his prisoners.
The silence was unbroken, and Dennis, as soon as he was convinced that
the suspicions of their guard had not been aroused, slowly and
cautiously began to slide back the opening into the loft.
More time was consumed in this endeavor than either of the boys had
expected. Several times the door seemed to stick in its place, and only
by the utmost care was the young Irishman able to push it past the
obstacle without making any noise. At last, however, his effort was
crowned with success and a narrow opening above him was cleared.
To Noel, who was upholding his burden, the efforts of his friend
appeared to be unduly prolonged. It seemed to him that he could not
longer maintain his position and that he must let Dennis fall to the
floor.
Aware, however, that such an action on his part would certainly arouse
the guard, he braced himself once more and did his utmost to stand
steadily in his place.
His relief was great when Dennis, firmly grasping with a hand each side
of the floor above him, quickly raised himself and crawled into the
loft. Noel instantly stooped and taking the heavy shoes held them
toward the ceiling.
In the darkness it was with difficulty that Dennis at last was able to
see and seize them, and then, as soon as he had placed them carefully on
the floor of the loft, he reached down to grasp the uplifted hands of
Noel.
Securing a firm hold upon each of Noel's wrists, Dennis, bracing
himself, slowly and steadily lifted his companion. In a brief time Noel
was able to grasp the sides of the floor and thereby assist his
companion. The slightest noise might mean the death of either of the
escaping soldiers, and yet, dire as was the peril, Noel's heart seemed
somehow almost to be numb at the time. He did not even consider the
possibility that confronted him. His main endeavor was to clamber into
the loft noiselessly and thereby avoid arousing the Confederate guard.
At last Noel was standing beside Dennis, and with the utmost caution the
latter at once pushed back the slide into its place.
The falling of the raindrops on the roof, which was directly above them,
helped drown any noise that the guard might make below. The whistling of
the wind as it swayed the branches of the near-by tree was weird. Even
the beating of their hearts seemed to sound so loudly that each was able
to share in his companion's feelings.
Both young soldiers were listening intently for any disturbances that
might be made in the room below them. A faint light entered the room
through the one window, which was near the tree. This, however, was
sufficient, after the lapse of a few minutes, to enable both boys dimly
to discern the outlines of the room in which they were standing.
"Whist!" whispered Dennis. "They haven't heard us. 'T is a fine day for
us."
"Wait," said Noel.
"No, I'm not goin' to wait," retorted Dennis. "What we want to do is to
lave at once. The more we wait, the longer we'll have to stay. Every
minute here means a month in Libby Prison."
The window was closed, but one of the small panes was broken, and
without much difficulty the boys succeeded in removing the sash.
A heavy downpour of rain and a fresh shriek from the storm served to
cause both boys to pause once more and listen for further sounds of
discovery from the room below. Apparently, however, their escape had
not as yet been discovered, and eagerly both prepared to descend by the
way of the tree to the ground.
In order to gain a more secure foothold and at the same time avoid
making any noise, each of the boys had tied his shoes together and hung
them about his neck.
Dennis first peered out of the window, and when he withdrew his head he
whispered to Noel, "I cannot see the guard anywhere. I guess the
Johnnies don't like the rain and have gone in out of the wet."
Noel was too excited to respond to the suggestion and eagerly said, "Go
on, Dennis! Go ahead! Don't wait a minute."
"Here I go, then!" said Dennis, as, leaning from the window, he grasped
the extended branches of the tree which reached to within a few inches
of the side of the house.
Noel breathlessly watched his companion, at the same time seeking to
discover whether the descent of Dennis was known to any one below. The
young soldier had no conception of the minutes that passed, but it
seemed to him a long time before the young Irishman at last disappeared
from sight, evidently having successfully gained the ground.
Without hesitating longer, Noel instantly prepared to follow. As he
seized the extended branch his hands for a moment slipped, and it was
only with difficulty that he retained his hold and prevented himself
from falling to the ground. The branch creaked ominously and the alarm
of the young soldier was increased by his fear that it would fail to
sustain him. Noel was strong and nimble, however, and soon secured a
firmer grip, and convinced that his departure from the building as yet
had not been discovered, he rapidly made his way to the ground, and then
without delaying a moment ran swiftly in the direction of the barn.
All the time he was fearful of a shot from the guard in or about the
house. Perhaps fear gave him additional speed. At all events, in a brief
time he gained the shelter he was seeking, and at once, keeping well
within the lee of the barn, peered anxiously at the place from which he
had fled.
The noise of the storm was the only sound to be heard. The faint light
that was shining from the window of the hall where the guard had been
stationed was the only bright spot in the midst of the surrounding
darkness. There were no indications of pursuit and no sound which
indicated that his flight had become known.
But where was Dennis? For the first time Noel became aware that he and
his friend had not made any plans as to their meeting in case both were
successful in escaping from the house.
Eagerly the boy looked all about him, but there was no sign of his
friendly comrade. For a moment Noel was undecided. Should he remain
where he was and wait the possible coming of Dennis? Or should he at
once depart from the place, now that he had succeeded in gaining the
shelter of the barn, and strive to make his way as best he might to the
road which joined the one that led through the swamp?
Noel Curtis was too highly wrought up to hesitate long. Safely making
his way toward the opposite side of the barn, he then started swiftly in
the direction in which the longed-for road was to be found. He had only
a faint recollection of the direction, however, and the night was too
dark to enable him to discover any familiar signs.
Before he had fled twenty yards he was drenched with the downpour. That
fact, however, was of minor consequence, and in his eagerness, although
he frequently was slipping and sliding as his feet failed to gain a firm
foothold in the slippery mud, it was not long before Noel found himself
at the place he was seeking. He had believed that no guard would be
stationed there in such a night. Not only was the storm so violent as to
make it well-nigh impossible for a man and his horse to remain outside,
but the darkness would enable any Northern soldiers who might have
crossed the corduroy road to escape the vision of the waiting
Confederate.
Noel's surprise and pleasure were great when he discovered that the road
over which he was running was a plank road. When he had fled about one
hundred yards, almost breathless he halted to discover whether or not
there were any signs of pursuit.
Convinced that his escape as yet was unknown, the lad seated himself on
a plank in a small bridge and donned the shoes which he had been
carrying about his neck. Then he resumed his flight through the driving
storm.