Archie in a Predicament.
As soon as the young officers had reached the top of the bank, they
paused to take their bearings, and to select some landmark that would
enable them to easily find the boat again. Away off in the darkness they
saw the twinkling of a light, which they knew was in the house which the
guerrillas were using as their head-quarters.
"Now, Archie," said Frank, "take a good look at this big tree here"
(pointing to the object in question) "so that you will know it again.
The boat lies in the river exactly in a line with that tree. Now, if you
should be separated from me and discovered, make straight for the
cutter. But if you are cut off from it, run up the river until you get a
little above where the vessel lies, and then jump in and swim out to
her. Do you understand?"
"Yes," replied Archie.
"Be careful of your weapons," continued his cousin, "and keep them dry
and ready for instant use. Don't be captured--whatever you do, don't be
captured!"
"I'll look out for that," answered Archie "But, Frank," he continued,
"why did you tell the men to pull back to the vessel if we should be cut
off from the river? I should think that would be just the time you would
want them to remain."
"Why," replied Frank, "the very first thing the rebels would think of,
if we were discovered, would be to capture our boat, and while part of
them were after us, the others would run to the river and gobble up
boat, crew, and all. Then they would know that we were still on shore,
and would scour the country to find us. But if the boat goes off to the
vessel, the rebels will be more than half inclined to believe that we
have gone off too, and, consequently, will not take the pains to hunt us
which they would do if they _knew_ we were still on shore. But let
us be moving; we've no time to waste."
Frank started toward the house, carefully picking his way over the wet,
slippery ground, now and then pausing to listen, and to reconnoiter as
well as the darkness would permit, and finally stopped scarcely a
stone's throw from the building. Not a guerrilla had they seen. Not
dreaming that the "yankee gun-boatmen" would have the audacity to attack
them when they knew the rebels were so far superior in numbers, the
latter had neglected to post sentries, and Frank was satisfied that
their approach had not been discovered.
"Now, Archie," said he, as they drew up behind a tree for concealment,
"you stay here, and I'll see if I can set fire to that house."
"There are people in it," said his cousin; "I just saw a man pass by
that window where the light is."
"Then they must look out for themselves," answered Frank. "That's what
we have to do when they shoot into our cabin. Now, you stay here, and if
you hear any shooting, run for the boat."
"What will _you_ do?" asked Archie.
"Oh, I'll take care of myself. Good-bye."
As Frank spoke he moved silently toward the house, and was soon out of
sight.
"Now," soliloquized Archie, "I am to stay here, am I? That's what I was
ordered to do, but I don't know whether I'll obey or not. It is evident
Frank left me here to keep me out of harm's way. Perhaps he thinks that
because I have never smelt powder, I am a coward; but I'll show him that
I am not."
So saying, Archie stepped out from behind his tree, and walked slowly
toward the house. When he arrived opposite the window from which the
light shone, he stopped and looked in. He did not, however, go up close
to the window, or he certainly would have been seen; but he remained
standing at a respectful distance, so that he would have some chance for
escape, in case he should be discovered.
The sight that met his gaze would have been sufficient to deter most men
from attempting to burn the house. The room was filled with men, some of
whom were lying on the floor on their blankets, others sitting around
the table, and one or two were walking about the apartment. In the
corner stood their arms, ready to be seized at a moment's warning. And
this was but one of the rooms; perhaps the whole house was filled with
guerrillas.
"My eye!" said Archie to himself, "what a hornet's nest would be raised
about our ears, if we should be discovered."
His heart beat faster than usual, as he moved back from the window, and
walked silently around to the other side of the house. Here also was a
window, from which a light shone, and as, like the other, it was
destitute of a curtain, every thing that went on within could be plainly
seen by Archie, who took his station behind some bushes that stood at a
little distance from the house. The room had three occupants, whom
Archie at once set down as officers. One of them carried his arm in a
sling. He was a tall, powerful-looking man, and Archie recognized in him
the daring rider of the white horse--the chief of the guerrillas.
"I wonder what the old chap would say if he knew I was about," thought
Archie--"I, who gave him that wound. I'd be booked for Shreveport,
certain."
He was interrupted in his meditations by the movements of the officers,
who arose and approached the door, bringing their chairs with them. The
storm had ceased, and as there was no longer any necessity of remaining
in the house, the rebels were, no doubt, moving to cooler quarters.
Archie at once thought of retreating; but the thought had scarcely
passed through his mind, when the door opened, the rebels walked out on
the portico, and seating themselves in their chairs, deposited their
feet on the railing; while the young officer stretched himself out
behind the bush, heartily wishing that he could sink into the ground out
of sight.
"A very warm evening, colonel," said one of the rebels, fanning himself
with his hat.
"Very," answered the guerrilla chief, gently moving his wounded arm,
little dreaming that the one who gave him that wound was at that very
moment lying behind the bushes into which he had just thrown the stump
of his cigar. "It's very warm. I wish I had that rascally Yank that shot
me," he added, "this wound is very painful."
Archie upon hearing this was almost afraid that the beating of his
heart, which thumped against his ribs with a noise that frightened him,
would certainly reveal to the rebels the fact that the "rascally Yank"
was then in their immediate vicinity.
"But, if our plans work," continued the colonel, "in less than a week
from this time they will all be on the way to Shreveport."
"May I ask, colonel," said the one who had not yet spoken, "how soon
those boats will be ready?"
"Major Jackson reports that they will be finished by to-morrow night,
and it will take all of one day to run them down the creek to the
river."
"Then by Thursday evening," said the one who had first spoken, "we may
be ready to make the attempt."
"Yes, if the night is favorable."
"But, colonel, all these gun-boats are supplied with hot water, and
that, you know, is the worst kind of an enemy to fight. Men will run
from that who wouldn't flinch before cold steel."
"Oh, we must take the Yanks by surprise, of course. The boats will hold
fifty men each, and we must drop down the river so that we will land one
on each side of the vessel. If the night is dark--and we shall not make
the attempt unless it is--we can get within pistol-shot of her before we
are discovered, and by the time their men get fairly out of bed she's
ours. Hark! what noise was that?"
The rebels listened for a moment, and one of them replied:
"I didn't hear any thing."
"Well, _I_ did," returned the colonel, "and it sounded very much
like some one shouting for help. I'm certain I heard it."
Archie, who lay in his concealment, trembling like a leaf, was also
confident that _he_ had heard something that sounded like a call
for assistance. What if it was Frank in danger, and shouting to the
cutter's crew for help? The thought to Archie was a terrible one, and he
forgot the dangers of his own situation, and thought only of his cousin.
But if Frank was in trouble, why did he not give the signal to the
cutter's crew? Archie waited and listened for it, but did not hear it
given.
While these thoughts were passing through his mind, the rebels sat on
the portico listening, and at length the colonel said:
"I know I hear something now, but it is the tramping of a horse. I
suppose it is Tibbs, coming with the mail."
The colonel's surmise proved to be correct, for in a few moments a man
rode up, and dismounting so close to Archie that the latter could have
touched him, tied his horse to the very bush which formed his
concealment; then, throwing a pair of well-filled saddle-bags across his
shoulder, he ran up the steps, saying:
"Good evening, gentlemen. What! colonel, are you wounded?" he added, on
seeing the rebel's bandaged arm.
"Yes; this makes four times I have been shot while in the service. But
how is the mail?"
"Rather heavy," answered the man. "If you have any letters to go, you
will have to furnish another bag--these are full."
"All right," said the colonel; then raising his voice, he called out,
"Bob! Bob! Where is that black rascal?"
"Heyar, sar," answered a voice, and presently a negro came around the
corner of the house, and removing his tattered hat, stood waiting for
orders.
"Bob," said the colonel, "tell Stiles that the mail is all ready to go
across the river."
_Stiles!_ How Frank would have started could he have heard that
name! He would have known then, had he not before been aware of the
fact, that he was again among _Colonel Harrison's Louisiana
Wild-cats_.
The negro, in obedience to his orders, disappeared, but soon returned,
with the intelligence that Stiles was not to be found.
"Not to be found," echoed the colonel; "that's twice he has failed me.
But this mail must not be delayed. Tell Damon I want to see him."
The negro again disappeared, and in a few moments came back with a
soldier, to whom the colonel said:
"Damon, here's a mail that must go across the river to-night. Can you
pull an oar?"
"Yas," replied the man.
"Then get some one to go with you, and start at once. The skiff, you
know, is in the creek, just above where that Yankee gun-boat lies."
"Yas," answered the man again, as he took the mail-bags which the
colonel handed him.
"This one," continued the rebel, pointing to a small canvas bag which
one of his officers had just brought out of the house--"this one
contains my mail--all official documents, to go to Richmond. Be careful
of it. Don't let the Yankees get hold of you."
"No," replied the soldier, as he shouldered the mail and disappeared.
The conversation that followed, of which Archie heard every word, served
to convince him that, although the rebels kept up a bold front, and
appeared sanguine of success in their attempts to destroy the
Government, yet among themselves they acknowledged their cause to be
utterly hopeless unless some bold stroke could be made to "dishearten
the Yankees."
In spite of Archie's dangerous situation, which had tried his nerves
severely, he listened to every word that was uttered, and even became
interested in what the rebels were saying. Now and then he was called to
a sense of his situation by the movements of the horse, which, being
restive, came very near stepping on him as he pranced about.
Damon had been gone about half an hour, and the colonel had just
commenced explaining to the man who had brought the mail the manner in
which the capture of the Boxer was to be effected, when suddenly the
report of a pistol startled every one on the portico. A moment afterward
came another, which was followed by a yell of agony.
"What's that?" exclaimed the colonel, springing from his chair in alarm.
"Are we attacked? Get out there, every mother's son of you!" he
continued, as the men, having been aroused by the noise, came pouring
out of the rooms in which they were quartered. "Every man able to draw a
saber get out there! Run for the river! That's where the reports
sounded, and if there are any boats there capture them. That will keep
the Yankees on shore, and we can hunt them up at our leisure!"
The men ran out of the house and started for the river at the top of
their speed, at the same time yelling with all the strength of their
lungs, while the colonel and his officers ran into their room, and
hastily seizing such weapons as came first to their hands, followed
after. To describe Archie's feelings, as he lay there behind that bush
and listened to the sounds of pursuit, were impossible. The noise the
rebels made seemed to bewilder him completely, for he lay on the ground
several moments, it seemed to him, without the power to move hand or
foot.
Suddenly the thought struck him that now was the time to accomplish the
object of the expedition. The house was deserted, and the yells, which
grew fainter and fainter, told him that the rebels were getting further
away. Yes, it was now or never. In an instant, Archie's courage and
power of action returned. Springing to his feet, he ran to the end of
the portico, on which were piled several bales of hay and bundles of
fodder, which the rebels no doubt intended for their horses. But Archie
determined that they should be put to a different use, for he quickly
drew from his pocket two large bottles filled with coal oil, which he
threw over the hay. He then applied a match, and in an instant it was in
a blaze. He waited a moment to see it fairly started, and then sprang
off the portico. As he passed the door, he heard an ejaculation of
surprise, followed by the report of a pistol, and the noise of a bullet
as it whizzed past his head. It frightened him, and at the same time
acted upon him as the crack of a whip does upon a spirited horse; for
when the rebel who fired the shot had reached the portico, Archie had
disappeared in the darkness.