Within an hour after the emigrants had set out, the sky, which had
previously been clear and radiant, began to be overcast with clouds,
dropping occasional rains, which Roland scarcely observed with regret,
their effect on the sultry atmosphere being highly agreeable and
refreshing. They continued thus to fall at intervals until nine o'clock;
when Roland, as he sat on the porch debating with Bruce the probabilities
of their continuance, was roused by a shout from the outer village; and
looking up, he beheld, to his great delight, Richard Bruce, the second
son of his host, a lad of sixteen, ride into the enclosure, leading in
triumph his recovered charger.
"Thar's the brute, strannger!" said he, with uncommon glee: "he war too
hard a horse for Ralph's riding; and, I reckon, if he hadn't been, you
wouldn't have had him so easy, for he's a peeler at a run, trot, or
gallop, he is, I tell you! It's bad luck for Stackpole to be flung by man
and beast two days hand-running,--first by Bloody Nathan, then by a
stolen crittur!"
"And whar _is_ the brute, Stackpole? and what have you done with him?"
demanded Bruce.
"Thar, father, you're too hard for me," replied the youth; "but I'll tell
you all I know on it. You needn't look at his legs, Captain, for they're
all as sound as hickory: the crittur's a bit worried with his morning's
work; but that's nothing to speak on."
The lad's story was soon told. The track of the horse-thief had been
followed through the woods; and it was soon seen, from its irregularity,
that he had made an unlucky selection of beasts, both being so restive
and rebellious, that, it was obvious, he had found it no easy matter to
urge them along. A place was found where he appeared to have been thrown
by the turbulent Briareus, which he seemed afterwards to have pursued,
mounted on the pony, in the vain hope of retaking the mettlesome charger,
until persuaded of his inability, or afraid, from the direction in which
the animal had fled, of being led back again to the settlement. His
track, after abandoning the chase, was as plain as that left by the
war-horse, and was followed by the main body of pursuers, while Richard
and two or three others, taking the latter, had the good fortune to find
and recover the animal as he was solacing himself, after his morning
adventures, in a grassy wood, scarce two miles from the Station. What had
become of Stackpole the lad knew not, but had no doubt, as he added, with
a knowing look, "that Lynch's boys would soon give a good account of him;
for Major Smalleye war as mad as a beaten b'ar about the two-y'ar-old
pony."
"Well," said the father, "I reckon the brute will deserve all he may come
by; and thar's no use in mourning him. Thar's as good Injun-fighters as
he, left in Kentucky, thar's the comfort; and thar's no denying, men will
be much easier about their horses."
With this consoling assurance, in which Roland saw implied the visitation
of the deadliest vengeance on the head of the offender, Bruce proceeded
to congratulate him on the recovery of Brown Briareus, and to intimate
his readiness, after the animal had been allowed a little rest, which it
evidently needed, to marshal his band of young men, and conduct him on
his way after the exiles. But fate willed that the friendly intention
should never be put into execution, and that the young soldier should go
forth on his pilgrimage unattended and unprotected.
Within the space of half an hour, the clouds, which seemed previously to
have discharged all their moisture, collected into a dense canopy,
darkening the whole heaven, and rumbling with thunder, that became every
moment louder and heavier. Then came gusts of wind, groaning through the
forest, rattling among the dead limbs of the girdled trees, and whistling
over the palisades of the fort. These were succeeded by louder peals of
thunder, and vivid flashes of lightning, which continued and increased,
until the tempest, for such it was, burst in fury, discharging deluges of
rain, that fell with unintermitting violence until an hour or more after
mid-day.
This was a circumstance which, as it necessarily deferred the moment of
his setting out, caused Forrester a little uneasiness; but he soon came
to believe he had reason to congratulate himself on its occurrence, since
it was scarce possible the band would continue their journey in such a
storm; and, indeed, Bruce was of opinion that the day's march would be
ended on the banks of the river,--one of the principal forks of the
Salt,--but little more than ten miles from his Station; where, if the
exiles were wise, they would pitch their camp, waiting for the subsidence
of the waters. This was a point that Roland might be expected to reach in
a ride of three or four hours at most; which consideration not only
satisfied him under the delay, but almost made him resolve to defer his
setting-out until the following morning, that his kinswoman might have
the advantage of sleeping a second time under the shelter of a roof,
rather than be compelled to exchange it for the chill and humid forest.
It was while he was balancing this thought in his mind, and watching with
a gladdened eye the first flash of sunshine, breaking through the parted
clouds, that a shout, louder than that which had proclaimed the recovery
of his steed, but of a wild and mournful character, arose from the outer
village, and a horseman, covered with mud, reeking with rain, and reeling
in the saddle with fatigue and exhaustion, rode into the fort, followed
by a crowd of men, women, and children, all testifying, by their looks
and exclamations, that he was the bearer of alarming news. And such
indeed he was, as was shown by the first words he answered in reply to
Bruce's demand "what was the matter?"
"There are a thousand Indians," he said, "Shawnees, Delawares, Wyandots,
Miamies,--all the tribes of the North,--laying siege to Bryant's Station,
and perhaps at this moment they are burning and murdering at Lexington.
Men, Colonel Bruce! send us all your men, without a moment's delay; and
send off for Logan and his forces: despatch some one who can ride, for I
can sit a horse no longer."
"Whar's Dick Bruce?" cried the Kentuckian; and the son answering, he
continued, "Mount the roan Long-legs, you brute, and ride to St. Asaph's
in no time. Tell Cunnel Logan what you h'ar; and add, that before he can
draw girth, I shall be, with every fighting-man in my fort, on the north
side of Kentucky. Ride, you brute, ride for your life; and do you take
car' _you_ come along with the Cunnel; for it's time you war trying your
hand at an Injun top-knot. Ride, you brute, ride!"
"Wah--wah--wah--wah!" whooped the boy, like a young Indian, flying to
obey the order, and exulting in the expectation of combat.
"Sound horn, you Samuel Sharp!" cried the father. "You, Ben Jones, and
some more of you, ride out and rouse the settlement; and, some of you,
hunt up Tom Bruce and the Regulators: it war a pity they hanged Ralph
Stackpole; for he fights Injuns like a wolverine. Tell all them that
ar'n't ready to start to follow at a hard gallop, and join me at the ford
of Kentucky; and them that can't join me thar, let them follow to
Lexington; and them that don't find me thar, let them follow to Bryant's,
or to any-whar whar thar's Injuns! Hurrah, you brutes! whar's your guns
and your horses? your knives and your tomahawks? If thar's a thousand
Injuns, or the half of 'em, thar's meat for all of you. Whar's Ikey
Jones, the fifer? Let's have Yankee-Doodle and the Rogue's March for, by
the etarnal Old Scratch, all them white men that ar'n't a-horse-back in
twenty-five minutes, are rogues worse than red Injuns!--Hurrah for
Kentucky!"
The spirit of the worthy officer of militia infused animation into
all bosoms; and, in an instant, the settlement, late so peaceful,
resounded with the hum and uproar of warlike preparation. Horses were
caught and saddled, rifles pulled from their perches, knives sharpened,
ammunition-pouches and provender-bags filled, and every other step taken
necessary to the simple equipment of a border army, called to action in
an emergency so sudden and urgent.
In the meanwhile, the intelligence was not without its effects on
Roland Forrester, who, seeing himself so unexpectedly deprived of the
promised escort,--for he could scarce think, under such circumstances,
of withdrawing a single man from the force called to a duty so
important,--perceived the necessity of employing his own resources to
effect escape from a position which he now felt to be embarrassing. He
regretted, for the first time, his separation from the band of emigrants,
and became doubly anxious to follow them: for, if it were true that so
large a force of Indians was really in the District, there was every
reason to suppose they would, according to their known system of warfare,
divide into small parties, and scatter over the whole country, infesting
every road and path; and he knew not how soon some of them might be found
following on the heels of the messenger. He took advantage of the first
symptom of returning serenity on the part of his host, to acquaint him
with his resolution to set out immediately, the rains having ceased, and
the clouds broken up and almost vanished.
"Lord, captain," said the Kentuckian, "I hoped you would have been for
taking a brush with us; and it war my idea to send a messenger after your
party, in hopes your men would join us in the rusty. Whar will they have
such another chance? A thousand Injuns ready cut and dried for killing!
Lord, what a fool I war for not setting more store by that tale of Nathan
Slaughter's! I never knowed the brute to lie in such a case; for, as he
is always ramping about the woods, he's as good as a paid scout.
Howsomever, the crittur did'nt speak on his own knowledge; and that
infarnal Stackpole was just ripe from the North side. But, I say,
captain, if your men will fight, just tote 'em back, stow away the women
behind the logs here, and march your guns after me; and, if thar's half
the number of red niggurs they speak of to be found, you shall see an
affa'r of a skrimmage that will be good for your wholesome,--you will, by
the etarnal!"
"If the men are of that mind," said Roland, gallantly, "I am not the one
to balk them. I will, at least, see whither their inclinations tend; and
that the matter may the sooner be decided, I will set out without delay."
"And we who war to escort you, captain," said the Kentuckian, with some
embarrassment: "you're a soldier, captain, and you see the case!"
"I do; I have no desire to weaken your force; and, I trust, no protection
is needed."
"Not an iota; the road is as safe as the furrow of a Virginnee
corn-field,--at least till you strike the lower Forks; and _thar_ I've
heard of no rampaging since last summer: I'll indamnify you against all
loss and mischief,--I will, if it war on my salvation!"
"If you could but spare me a single guide," said Forrester.
"Whar's the use, captain? The road is as broad and el'ar as a turnpike in
the Old Dominion; it leads you, chock up, right on the Upper Ford, whar
thar's safe passage at any moment: but, I reckon, the rains will make it
look a little wrathy a while, and so fetch your people to a stand-still.
But it's a pot soon full and soon empty, and it will be low enough in the
morning."
"The Upper Ford?" said Roland, his dream, for so he esteemed it,
recurring to his mind: "is there then a Lower Ford?"
"Ay," replied Bruce; "but thar's no passing it in the freshes; and
besides, the place has a bad name. It war thar old John Ashburn pitched
his Station, in '78; but the savages made murdering work of him, taking
every scalp in the company; and so it makes one sad-like to pass thar,
and the more partickelarly that it's all natteral fine ground for an
ambush. You'll see the road, when you're six mile deep in the forest,
turning off to the right, under a shivered beech-tree. You are then four
miles from the river, or tharabouts, and just that distance, I reckon,
from your company. No, captain," he repeated, "the road is wide and open,
and a guide war mere lumber on your hands."
This was a point, however, on which the young soldier, doubly
solicitous on his kinswoman's account, to avoid mistake, was not so
easily satisfied: seeing which, the Kentuckian yielded to his
importunity,--perhaps somewhat ashamed of suffering his guests to depart
entirely alone,--and began to cast about him for some suitable person who
could be prevailed upon to exchange the privilege of fighting Indians for
the inglorious duty of conducting wayfarers through the forest. This was
no easy task, and it was not until he assumed his military authority, as
commander of all the enrolled militia-men in his district, empowered to
make such disposition of his forces as he thought fit, that he succeeded
in compelling the service of one of his reluctant followers, under whose
guidance Roland and his little party soon after set out. Their farewells
were briefly said, the urgent nature of his duties leaving the hospitable
Bruce little opportunity for superfluous speech. He followed them,
however, to the bottom of the hill, grasped Roland by the hand; and doing
the same thing by Edith, as if his conscience smote him for dismissing
her with so little ceremony and such insufficient attendance, he swore
that if any evil happened to her on the road, he would rest neither night
nor day until he had repaired it, or lost his scalp in the effort.
With this characteristic and somewhat ominous farewell, he took his
leave; and the cousins, with their guide and faithful servant, spurred
onwards at a brisk pace, until the open fields of the settlement were
exchanged for the deep and gloomy woodlands.