THE ESTABLISHMENT OF FORT BEDFORD
The two young voyagers of the night sprang to their feet on the pile of
cases which filled the body of the gundalow, and looked about them. It
was still dark, and they could not make out anything when just roused
from their slumber.
"What are we stopping here for, father? Has anything broken?" asked
Deck, discovering Mr. Lyon near him.
"Nothing but your slumbers, my son," replied the planter. "Haven't you
got your eyes open yet? Can't you see that you have got home?"
"I believe I have been asleep," added Artie, rubbing his eyes.
"I know you have, my boy; for I spread your overcoats over you both
before we reached the big bend, and I know you were sleeping as soundly
as a pair of babies then. You must have slept an hour and a half," the
father explained. "I am glad you had some sleep, for we have more work
to do before we can go to bed."
"I can see the bridge now," added Deck.
"And there is the house," said Artie.
The negroes were all wide awake by this time, and Levi had gone to the
mansion for the key to the ice-house. Mr. Lyon lighted all of the
lanterns, and sent the boys to the stone building with them, following
himself soon after. The overseer came with the key, and it was opened
with some difficulty. The ice with which it had been filled in the
winter had been exhausted, and it contained nothing but rubbish. The
hands were called, and the interior was soon cleaned out.
Though Levi had not closed his eyes during the night, and had been busy
all the time, he was wide awake, and proceeded to drive things as he had
done at the cavern. It was decided to move the cannons first, after a
broad gang plank had been made of the material in the boat. A heavy
cart-stake was procured, which was thrust into the first of the pieces,
with room enough for three of the hands to get hold of it. Another was
placed under the cascabel, which was supported by General and Dummy,
with Rosebud at the jaws.
The gun was easily handled with this force, and the men walked briskly
to the new arsenal. Three wheelbarrows were brought from the tool-house
by the planter and the boys while Levi was superintending the removal of
the cannons. Three wheelers were selected by the overseer, two placed in
the gundalow to load the barrows, and one at the ice-house. In less than
an hour, and when the daylight was appearing in the east, the job was
finished.
"Now, boys, you can sleep all the rest of the day," said Mr. Lyons, and
Levi sent the hands to their quarters.
"We haven't seen any men on the watch," said Levi, while he was placing
some boards over the windows of the building, "but there may have been
some on the lookout for all that."
"If they were in the road near the big bend, where you thought they
would be, if anywhere, they could not have walked to the cavern in time
to find us there, for we made quick work of loading the boat," added the
planter.
"If there were any men there, they may have observed us; but they could
not get round here to see what was done with the cases if they did,"
replied Levi. "They may possibly have recognized the Magnolia: and that
is the only clew they could have obtained of the operations in this
affair."
"It is time to go to bed, and I am inclined to think we shall do some
sleeping to-day," added the planter, as he led the way to the mansion.
Levi was not willing to leave anything to chance; and before he went to
his room in the house he had called up two of the servants and
established a patrol along the bank of the creek from the bridge to the
boathouse, with orders to call him if any persons were seen prowling
about the vicinity.
All the operations of the night had been conducted with the most prudent
regard to secrecy. Doubtless Levi Bedford knew more about the residents
of the county than Noah Lyon, and probably more about Titus as he was
and had been during the last few years. The disappearance of the arms
and ammunition would make a tremendous sensation among the Southern
sympathizers, though most of them were not yet aware of the existence of
such a store of munitions in the vicinity; for the knowledge of them had
probably been confined to the members of Titus's company of Home Guards.
Even if the wrath and excitement occasioned by the loss of the war
material was limited to these ruffians, there were enough of them to do
a vast amount of mischief in the county.
The interview on the bridge with his brother had opened wide the eyes of
Noah; but he had always lived in a peaceful community, and his overseer
understood the situation better than he did. Levi had taken every
precaution against the possible assaults of the "bushwackers," as he
called the gang with whom the Northern "doughface" had cast his lot at
the breaking out of the troubles in the State. The boys slept soundly
till nearly noon, and the planter till the middle of the forenoon; but
Levi appeared as usual at breakfast, having slept but about three hours.
Mr. Lyon had told his wife something about the events of the night, and
assured her that the arms were safe in the ice-house, and nothing was
said at the table about the proceedings of the party, though Levi was as
good-natured as usual, and talked about other things. As soon as he had
finished his morning meal with a most excellent appetite, he hastened to
the ice-house with the key in his hand. The field-hands had gone to
their work, and all was quiet about the place.
The ice-house was near the creek, about half-way between the bridge and
the boathouse, close to the stream. The door of it faced the water, and
there was a small square window in either end. Levi walked around the
building two or three times, closely examining the structure. Then he
stopped at the door and cast his eyes all around him, especially at the
lay of the land on the other side of the creek. He was not a military
engineer any more than his employer; but he was a man of ideas, and he
was evidently preparing for events in the future which he foresaw, and
which the disturbed condition of the State rendered more than possible.
When he had completed his survey he unlocked the door of the building.
The cases were all just as they had been piled up in the early morning.
He bestowed only a glance at them, and then began a study of the two
windows, from which he removed the boards that prevented any one from
seeing what the building contained. Then he gave his attention to the
doors, which were double, the thickness of the wall apart. He was
evidently making a plan in his mind for some alterations to the
structure; but he was alone, and of course he said nothing.
He appeared to have reached his conclusion. Closing and locking the
outer door, he walked over to the boathouse, at the pier of which the
Magnolia had been secured by the boatmen as soon as the work of the
night was completed. Here again he stopped and made a survey of the
neighboring swamp, which separated the lawn from the bank of the Green.
Then he went over to the bank of the river, and followed it down stream.
At this point a bend of the river above forced the water of the stream
over near the opposite shore, while half-way across from the bank on
which he stood, the waters from the river and the creek had washed in
the mud so that it formed a bar on a bed of rocks, and the descent here
produced the rapids. The water for half a mile was considerably troubled
when the streams were full, while it was deep enough on the other side
to permit the passage of the steamboats that plied on the river.
Levi continued his walk in the road, with Green River on one side and on
the other the swamp which bordered the creek to a point near its source.
The swamp was impassable on foot or by boat. It was better than a wall
in the rear of the mansion, and the marauders of Titus Lyon could not
approach from that direction. Farther along was a broad lagoon or pond,
connected by a wide and sluggish inlet with Bar Creek. This could be
crossed with a boat; but the approach to it from the spring road over
the low ground was difficult and dangerous.
The overseer knew the whole region very well; but when he had viewed it
again in the light of impending contingencies, he seemed to be entirely
satisfied with the situation, for his chronic smile was on his round
face, though no one was there to see it. He went to the shop, which
formed part of the carriage-house, and began a survey of the lumber on
hand there. A couple of three-inch oak planks were pulled out from the
pile. He measured and marked them with a piece of chalk, and then left
the shop.
Among the plantation hands were carpenters, masons, painters, and other
mechanics, more or less skilful, though none of them had regularly
learned a trade. Some of them had become quite expert in the use of
tools, and could do a very respectable job, especially the carpenters.
Levi was himself a "jack-of-all-trades," and he had trained some of them
to the best of his ability.
When he came out of the shop he sent Frank the coachman to call the
three carpenters, who worked in the field most of the time. The colonel
had given these men names to suit himself, and they were proud of their
cognomens. "Shavings" was the most skilful of them, and was the "boss"
at any job to be done. "Gouge" and "Bitts" were only fair workmen, but
they did very well under the direction of their foreman.
When they came, Levi ordered Shavings to make two doors of the
three-inch planks, and described what he wanted very minutely. At the
same time the two door-frames were ordered, and the mechanics went to
work with a will, and without asking to what use the doors were to be
applied.
By this time the planter came out from his late breakfast, and the
overseer reported to him what he had been doing the last three hours.
They visited the shop where the negro mechanics were sawing out the
planks for the doors, and then went to the stables, where Frank remained
on duty all the time when not out with one of the teams; and then one of
the grooms took his place.
"How many horses are there on the place now, Frank?" asked the planter.
"Thirty-five in all, Major," answered the coachman.
"Are they all fit for service?" inquired the owner.
"No, sir; six of them are breeding mares, and nine are colts, two and
three years old. We have fifteen horses and mares four years old and
more, for sale, and I reckoned you would sell them about this time."
"That's all, Frank," added the planter as he left the stable.
"I don't know what you are driving at, Major Lyon, but we have
twenty-seven horses over three years old, and fit for service, though
the three year olds are rather young yet for hard work," said Levi, as
they walked towards the ice-house.
"I have held my tongue about as long as necessary; but now all these
sores in the State seem to be coming to a head, and I will tell you,
between ourselves, that I have an idea of raising a company of Union
cavalry to offset the Home Guards of this county," replied Mr. Lyon.
"That's a glorious idea!" exclaimed Levi with tremendous enthusiasm. "I
wish I was ten years younger, and weighed thirty pounds less, for I
should like to swing a sabre in that company."
"But you are to look out for the plantation and take care of my family
while I am away, Levi. You can ride a colt better than any of us; but
your work is here, and you may be called upon to do as much fighting as
any of us," said Mr. Lyon.
"I will do my duty wherever you put me, Major; but I should rather enjoy
a whack at those border ruffians who are making the whole county hot
with outrages. Last night they burned out a Union man two miles above
the village."
"The time for action is close at hand," added Mr. Lyon, as they came to
the ice-house. "There have been talk and threats enough. My brother has
told me that I am liable to be hung on one of the big trees after a mob
has burned the house; but I think we are ready for such a gathering as
he suggests. We may hear something about it to-night in the meeting at
the Big Bend schoolhouse."
"I have looked the ice-house over this morning, and I have made up my
mind what ought to be done," said Levi; and he proceeded to state his
plan for turning the stone structure into a sort of fort. "I have
ordered the doors already, and if you say the word, Major, I will make
three or four embrasures in the walls for the two field-pieces; and we
must have a magazine for the ammunition."
"I approve your plan; go ahead and do the work as you think best. You
can use all the hands you need; and from this moment the ice-house will
be known as Fort Bedford," replied Mr. Lyons.
"Thank you, Major, and I will endeavor to make the fortress worthy of a
better name," returned Levi, as he hastened to the stable to send for
the men he wanted.