The sun had not yet risen, and few of the townspeople were astir,
when Kenneth and his faithful Zeb set forth upon their journey.
They rode slowly through the almost deserted streets, the master in
seemingly absent mood, quiet and thoughtful even to sadness, the
servant glancing briskly from side to side with a nod and grin for
each visible acquaintance with whom he felt himself upon terms of
something like equality.
"Good-bye, Tig; dis heyah niggah's off for Glen Forest," he shouted
as they passed the major's.
Tig, who was cutting wood in the kitchen door-yard, dropped his axe
to gaze after them in wondering incredulity.
"Oh, you go 'long wid yo' tomfoolin'," he muttered, as he stooped to
pick it up again, "'taint no sech ting; and the doctah ain't never
goin' so fur, 'tout sayin' good-bye to our folks; and Miss Nell she's
away whar he can't git at her. 'Spect I knows who's powerful fond of
her, and who tinks he's mighty sight nicer'n any ole Britisher."
They were early risers at the major's, and Mrs. Lamar having retired
the previous night several hours before her usual time, had slept off
her fatigue and found herself ready to begin the day earlier than was
her wont.
From her chamber window she, too, saw Kenneth and his attendant ride
by.
"Why, there goes Dr. Clendenin equipped as for a journey, valise,
saddle-bags and servant!" she exclaimed, addressing her husband who
was still in bed.
"Yes, he's off for Pennsylvania."
"For Pennsylvania, it's very sudden, isn't it?"
"Yes; he had bad news last night, sickness in the family I believe,
that hurried him off in great haste. He called to bid us good-bye,
but found no one but me.
"But you will be more surprised to hear that Lyttleton left town last
night in obedience to a summons from England. He, too, called and
left his adieus for you and Nell."
Mrs. Lamar faced round upon the major a face full of astonishment,
not wholly unmixed with disappointment and vexation.
"Gone!" she cried, "actually gone for good! I must say, Percy, that I
am completely out of patience with Nell."
"With Nell, pray what has she to do with it?"
"She has rejected him. I suspected it before; now I am sure of it.
News from England indeed!" and she turned away with a contemptuous
sniff.
"Possibly you are correct in your conjecture," the major remarked,
recovering from the surprise her words had given him; "but if she
has rejected Lyttleton, she had a perfect right to do so, and I am
inclined neither to blame her nor to regret her action."
"Why it would have been a splendid match, Percy, and such a chance as
she is not likely to see again."
"Not in my opinion. He seems to be wealthy, but I do not admire his
character. And it would have robbed me of my little sister, taking
her so far away that I could hardly hope to see her again in this
world. I should far rather see her the wife of Clendenin."
"I gave that up long ago," returned his wife in an impatient tone, as
she hastily left the room.
"I believe something has gone wrong between them; I wonder what it
can be," soliloquized the major while making his toilet, and at the
same time taking a mental retrospect of such of the interviews of
Nell and Dr. Clendenin as had come under his notice.
But having no proclivity for match-making, and no desire to be
relieved of the support of his young sister, whose presence in his
family he greatly enjoyed, he shortly dismissed the subject from his
thoughts.
Not so with Kenneth; as he passed the house he involuntarily glanced
toward the window of her room, half expecting to catch a glimpse of
the face dearest and loveliest to him of all on earth, then turned
away with an inward sigh, remembering sadly that each step forward
was taking him farther away from her.
Very much cast down he was for a time, having had in Hans's story to
Zeb, that his master was but going away temporarily for the purpose
of making suitable preparations for his approaching nuptials, what
seemed confirmation strong of the truth of Lyttleton's assertion
that he was Nell's accepted suitor. But ere long he was able to stay
himself upon his God, and casting all care for himself, and those
dearer than self, upon that almighty Friend, resumed his accustomed
cheerfulness and presently woke the echoes of the forest with a song
of praise; Zeb, riding a few paces behind, joining in with a hearty
goodwill.
They had left Chillicothe far in the rear and the nearest human
habitation was miles away.
They made a long day's journey and bivouacked that night under a
clump of trees on the edge of a prairie, and beside a little stream
of clear dancing water.
It was Clendenin's intention to be early in the saddle again, and
great was his disappointment on the following morning to find Romeo
so lame that a day's rest just where they were was an imperative
necessity.
It was a strange and perplexing dispensation of Providence; yet
recognizing it as such, he resolutely put aside the first feeling of
impatience as he remembered how sorely he was needed at Glen Forest;
how the dear ones would be looking and longing for his coming. There
must be some good reason for this apparently unfortunate detention,
so he submitted to it with resignation and passed the day not
unpleasantly or unprofitably in reading; it was his habit to carry
a pocket volume with him while travelling, or wandering through the
adjacent wood.
They were able to move on the next day, but only slowly, as the horse
had not fully recovered; and while halting for an hour's rest at
noon, they were, to their great delight, overtaken by the other party
from Chillicothe.
It consisted of three merchants, Messrs. Grey, Collins and Jones, and
a stalwart backwoodsman and hunter, Tom Johnson by name.
They also were much pleased at the meeting, which they had desired
but hardly hoped for, though they had set out a day earlier than had
been expected, the merchants hastening their preparations when they
found that by so doing they would secure the company of the hunter,
who for fearlessness, strength, and skill in the use of fire-arms,
was a host in himself.
Each merchant carried his money in his saddle-bags, and the whole
party were well armed.
Greeting Clendenin with a glad, "Hello!" they hastily dismounted,
secured their horses, and joined him, producing from their
saddle-bags such store of choice provisions as made Zeb's eyes dance
with delight, for the lad was in his way quite an epicure.
The sight of the goodly array of weapons of defence, and stout arms
to wield them, gave him scarcely less pleasure, for Zeb's courage was
not always at fever heat.
"Golly, massa doctah!" he exclaimed, showing a double row of white
and even teeth, "I 'spec's we needn't be 'fraid no robbahs now. Gib
um jessie ef dey comes roun' us."
"Best not to be too jubilant, Zeb," said his master; "you and I may
have to fall behind because of Romeo's lameness."
"No, no, never fear," said the others, "we are not going to forsake
you, doc, now that we have joined company."
They did not linger long over their meal and were soon in the saddle
again, riding sometimes two abreast, at others in single file, but
always near enough for exchange of talk.
Kenneth bore his own burden bravely, was quite his usual cheerful,
genial self, and no one suspected what a load of sorrow and anxiety
was pressing upon him.
They journeyed on without mishap or adventure, and late in the
afternoon came to a two story log dwelling standing a little back
from the road, or rather trail, for it was nothing more.
There was nothing attractive about the aspect of the house or its
surroundings, but the sun was near his setting, the next human
habitation was in all probability ten or fifteen miles further on,
and the way to it lay through a dense forest where, doubtless,
panthers, bears and wolves abounded.
A moment's consultation led to the decision that they would pass the
night here if they could get lodging in the house.
An elderly woman of slatternly appearance, hair unkempt, clothing
torn and soiled, had come to the door.
"What's wanted?" she asked in a harsh voice.
"Shelter for the night for men and beasts," returned Clendenin, who
had been unanimously chosen leader of the party.
"Well, I dunno 'bout it, I haven't no man about, but if ye'll 'tend
to yer beasts yerselves, yer can stay."
They agreed to the conditions. She pointed out the stable, and they
led their horses thither, curried and fed them, remarking to each
other, meanwhile, that they did not like the woman's looks; she had a
bad countenance.
She had gone back into the house, and as she moved here and there
about her work, muttered discontentedly to herself,
"There's too many o' 'em. Bill, he won't like it. But I wonder if the
right one's among 'em. Wish I knowed."
Hearing their voices outside again, she stepped to the door.
"Ye'll be a wantin' supper, won't ye?"
"Yes, let us have it as soon as you can, for we're tired and hungry."
"She mout put some pizen in de wittles, massa doctah, don't you
tink?" whispered Zeb, close at Kenneth's ear, and shuddering as he
spoke.
"If you think so, it might be as well to watch her," was the quiet
half-amused answer.
"Dat I will, sah!" and Zeb bustled in and sat himself down between
the table and the wide chimney, where he could have a full view of
all the preparations for the coming meal.
The woman scowled at him and broadly hinted that he was in the way,
but Zeb was obtuse and would not take a hint.
He watched her narrowly as she mixed corn-bread and put it to bake,
as she made the rye coffee, and fried the ham and eggs. It would have
been impossible for her to put a single ingredient into any of these
without his knowledge.
Nor did he relax his scrutiny until he had eaten his own supper,
after seeing the gentlemen safely through theirs.
"She mout put sumpin into de cups wen she pours de coffee," he had
said to himself.
It did not escape him that she listened with a sort of concealed
eagerness to every word that was said by her guests, and that she
started slightly and looked earnestly at Dr. Clendenin the first time
he was addressed by name in her hearing.
"What shall we call you, mother?" asked the hunter, lighting his pipe
at her fire for an after supper smoke.
"'Taint perticlar, ye can just call me that, if ye like," she
returned dryly.
"You don't live here alone," he remarked, glancing at a coat hanging
on the wall. "Where's your man now?"
"Off a huntin'. Where's your woman?"
"Don't know, hain't found her yet," he laughed, taking the pipe
between his lips and sauntering to the door, outside of which his
companions were grouped.
The air there was slightly damp and chill, but far preferable to
that within, which reeked with a mixture of smells of stale tobacco,
garlic, boiled cabbage and filth combined.
It was growing dark.
The woman lighted a candle and set it on the table, muttering half
aloud, as Zeb rose and pushed back his chair:
"I'm glad you're done at last."
Then she bustled about putting the food away and washing her dishes.
Johnson finished his pipe and proposed retiring to bed, as they
wanted to make an early start in the morning.
A general assent was given and the woman was asked to show them where
they were to sleep.
She vouchsafed no answer in words, but taking from the mantel a
saucer filled with grease, in which a bit of rag was floating, she
set it on the table, lighted one end of the rag, picked up the
candle, and motioning them to follow her, ascended a step-ladder to
the story above; letting fall drops of melted tallow here and there
as she went.
Reaching the top of the ladder, they found themselves in an outer
room that had the appearance of being used as a depository for every
sort of rubbish.
Crossing this, their conductress opened a door leading into a smaller
apartment, communicating, by an inner door, with still another.
There was a bed in each and a few other articles of furniture, all of
the roughest kind. Dirty and untidy in the extreme, the rooms were by
no means inviting to our travellers, but it was Hobson's choice, and
they found no fault to the hostess.
"You white folks kin sleep in them two beds," she said, with a wave
of her hand toward first one and then the other, "and the nigger, he
kin lop down outside on them horse blankets, if he likes."
And setting the candle down on top of a chest of drawers, she stalked
away without another word.
"Massa doctah, and all you gentlemens, please sahs, lemme stay in
heyah," pleaded Zeb in an undertone of affright. "Dat woman she look
at me down stairs 'sif she like to stick dat carvin' knife right froo
me."
No one answered at the moment; they were all sending suspicious
glances about the two rooms, and Zeb quietly closed and secured the
door.
"Ki! massas, jus' look a heyah!" he cried in an excited whisper, and
pointing with his finger.
"What is it?" they asked, turning to look.
Zeb sprang for the candle, and bringing it close showed a small hole
in the door.
"A bullet hole, sure as you live," exclaimed Grey, who was nearest.
"And exactly opposite the bed," added Jones, stepping to it and
beginning to throw back the covers.
In an instant they were all at his side, and there was a universal,
half suppressed exclamation of horror and dismay, as a hard straw
mattress, much stained with blood, was exposed to their view by the
flickering light of the candle, which Zeb in his intense excitement
had nearly dropped.
They looked at those tell-tale stains and then into each other's
faces. A trifle pale at first most of them were, but calm and
courageous.
Clendenin was the first to speak.
"We have evidently fallen into a den of thieves and murderers, but by
the help of the Lord we shall escape their snares."
"Yes, we'll trust in God, boys, and keep our powder dry," said Grey.
"And Heaven send us a more peaceful end than some poor wretch has
found," added Collins, pointing with a sympathetic sigh to the gory
evidences.
"We must keep a sharp lookout, for we may depend that thar hunter'll
return to his wife's embraces afore mornin'," remarked Johnson,
grimly.
They at once set about making a thorough examination of the rooms,
but found nothing more to arouse uneasiness, except the fact that the
window of one opened out upon the roof of a shed, by means of which
it was easily accessible from the ground.
Then their plans were quickly laid. They would all occupy that one
room, and take turns in watching, two at a time; thus giving to each
about two-thirds of the night for rest and sleep.
The arms were examined and every man's weapon laid close at his hand,
ready for instant use.
These preparations completed, Grey turned to Kenneth, saying softly:
"Doc, we seem pretty well able to defend ourselves in case of attack,
but it wouldn't hurt to ask help from a higher Power."
"No," said Kenneth, kneeling down, the others doing the same; then,
in a few appropriate, low-breathed words, he asked his Father to have
them in his kind care and keeping, and if it was His will grant them
safety without the shedding of blood.