AN UNEXPECTED SET-BACK
Deck Lyon was mounted on his famous horse Ceph, so nicknamed after the
even more famous charger ridden in ancient days by Alexander the Great.
The young major had trained Ceph from ponyhood, and rider and beast
understood each other perfectly. On more than one occasion Ceph had
performed in a truly wonderful fashion on the battlefield, and once,
when being promoted, Deck had declared that the honor of the occasion
rested with his equine comrade and not himself.
As the small body of whites and negroes moved onward in the direction of
the Belthorpe plantation, Deck took the lead, with Artie and the
faithful Levi close behind him. In the rear came the armed slaves riding
in two ranks of three men each. The men could hardly be termed soldiers,
yet during the time that Noah Lyon had been away from Riverlawn the
overseer had drilled them thoroughly, both in horsemanship and in
carbine practice, and they were, consequently, a long way removed from
raw recruits. Moreover, upon the occasion of the attack upon Riverlawn,
they had been under fire and had not flinched, so it was known that they
could be depended upon even in a hazardous emergency.
Even without such a fine bit of horseflesh under him, Deck would have
been anxious to go to the front. The note received by Levi filled him
with alarm, and in his mind all sorts of troublesome thoughts ran riot.
The Belthorpe sisters were at home alone, two of Morgan's guerillas were
in possession of Lyndhall, and a whole company were soon expected. What
indignities might not the sisters suffer, not to say anything of the
confiscation and ruin of Mr. Belthorpe's property?
"This is certainly rough on Kate," observed Artie, as he advanced to his
cousin's side. "We ought to have Captain Gadbury with us--for Margie's
sake."
"If only those ruffians don't attempt to carry Margie and Kate off,"
half groaned the major, biting the lip upon which a faint mustache was
beginning to show. "I suppose the major would be at Lyndhall, only
father didn't think it wise to let so many officers off at one time.
Levi, what did the negro who delivered the note have to say?"
"Nothing."
"Not a word?" queried Artie.
"Absolutely not a word--and for the best reason in the world: he was
deaf and dumb," and the overseer smiled broadly. "I tried to question
him, but he only shook his head and pointed to his tongue."
"Humph! I didn't know there was a deaf and dumb negro around Lyndhall,"
mused Deck. "Forward, boys, we mustn't lag!" he shouted to the ranks in
the rear.
"We's comin', Mars'r, jest as fast as we kin come!" answered the servant
called General, who was the "high private" of the occasion. "Come, don't
yo' go fo' to drap behind, Clinker!" he cried out to the heaviest man of
the crowd, the blacksmith and horseshoer at Riverlawn.
"Ain't drappin' behind," growled Clinker. "I'll git to Lyndhall afore
yo' do, yo' don't look out," and away he galloped after Deck and the
others.
The day was frosty but clear, an ideal one for a ride, and mile after
mile was passed, between the now almost barren fields, and through long
groves of leafless trees. The horses from Riverlawn had always been
boasted of as being the best in that section of the country, and now
they were proving their worth.
The mansion home of the Belthorpes stood near the road, with the
plantation extending to both sides and to the rear. At a distance up the
highway upon which Major Deck and the others were travelling was a grove
of walnut trees, and as soon as this grove was reached the young
commander of the forces called a halt.
"We don't want to run into an ambush," he explained to Levi and Artie.
"For all we know to the contrary, that whole company of guerillas may be
in possession of Lyndhall, and if they have got wind of the fact that
word has been sent out for assistance, it may go hard with us, if we are
caught napping. I'll go on a scout, and if the coast is clear I'll come
back and tell you. If I get into trouble a couple of pistol shots will
notify you."
To carry out his object, the major dismounted and turned Ceph over to
one of the servants. Then, examining his pistol to see that it was in
proper condition for use, he struck out boldly, along a path which ran
through the walnuts and came up over a lawn fringed by magnolias, to the
south of the mansion.
Deck did not slacken his pace until the magnolias were reached. Here,
from an opening, he looked toward the house. Not a soul was in sight,
and pistol in hand, he crept along the line of trees until he was within
fifty feet of a side veranda.
At this moment the door to the veranda opened and a girl stepped out,
clad in a house dress, with a cape thrown around her shoulders and a
worsted shawl caught over her head in bonnet fashion. Deck did not have
to look twice to convince himself that the girl was Kate Belthorpe.
"Kate!" he cried, softly and half involuntarily. "Kate!"
The girl, hearing his voice, stopped short and stared around her in
amazement. Then, as he waved his hand to her, she ran down the steps of
the veranda, and reaching him, almost embraced him.
"Oh, Deck! Why I--I didn't know you were coming here!" she stammered,
with a blush. "Are you home on a furlough?"
"Yes--fortunately, Kate," he answered, remembering that they had kissed
before, yet hardly daring to do so now--since, to him at least, his
intentions were becoming serious. "I--I trust they haven't harmed you
and Margie any? Where are the ruffians? Have the whole company arrived
yet?"
The girl started and stared at him. "Why, Deck, what are you talking
about? I know nothing of any ruffians."
The major was nearly dumfounded by this announcement. "You don't know?"
he queried slowly. "Then what does this mean? Levi Bedford received it
less than three hours ago."
It took but a moment for Kate Belthorpe to master the contents of the
note. "I don't know what it means," she said. "I don't believe Margie
ever wrote it. Come in, she is in the sitting room, writing a letter to
brother Tom."
With his mind in a whirl the young major followed Kate into Lyndhall
mansion. Margie was found as described, and was equally astonished to
see him. The situation was explained, and she glanced at the note.
"It is a forgery, and is not even in my hand-writing, Deck," she said
quickly. "There is some underhanded work here."
"Yes, and I know what it is!" cried Deck. "That note was penned with the
intention of getting Levi and the negroes away from Riverlawn. My
father's place may even now be suffering an attack. I must get home
without an instant's delay!"
"Oh, I trust you are mistaken, Deck!" murmured Kate, her beautiful eyes
filling with tears. "What will your mother and your sisters do?"
"Heaven alone knows, Kate," he answered, his voice growing curiously
husky. "Artie and I were going home when we met Levi and six of the
slaves on the road. Four or five other slaves were to follow, so it is
safe to say that out of about fifteen men who can use firearms
two-thirds are now away from Riverlawn and awaiting me in the walnut
grove just below here. Good-by!" and he held out his hand.
"Good-by, and take care of yourself!" burst in Margie, and gave him a
warm brotherly kiss. Seeing this, Kate did not hold back, and Deck sped
from the mansion with the warm contact of her sweet lips still haunting
him.
But now was no time for sentiment, however delightful it might prove,
and the young major burst into the grove all out of breath with running.
"Quick, to Riverlawn!" he shouted, as he leaped again into the saddle.
"We have not a moment to lose! The note was a decoy, to get Levi and the
others to leave our house. Pray Heaven we may reach there before mother
and the others are subjected to insult, or before any damage is done!"
"A decoy!" gasped Levi Bedford. He could scarcely believe his ears.
"Then that negro was not dumb, I'll wager! Boys," he turned to the
slaves, "did any of you see that fellow who brought Mrs. Lyon the note
this morning?"
"'Deed I did, sah!" came from Clinker.
"So did I, sah," put in Woolly, another of the body.
"Did either of you hear him speak?"
Clinker shook his head. Woolly, however, smiled shrewdly. "I dun racken
I did, Mars'r Bedford, when he crossed de creek bridge. But I dunno wot
he said, fo' I was a right smart step off."
"It doesn't matter what he said," replied Levi. He turned to Deck. "You
are right. I have been badly fooled, and don't deserve to hold the
position with which your father entrusted me--that of taking care of his
family and his property."
"Don't blame yourself, Levi," Deck hastened to say, seeing how bad the
overseer felt. "You did what you thought was right, and what I should
have done under the circumstances. The best we can do is to get over the
ground just as lively as we can, and if you know of any short cuts to
take, so much the better."
They were already going ahead at full speed, Deck and Levi in the lead
and Artie and the negroes following as rapidly as possible. "I was
thinking, we might take the trail through Charwell meadow--the ground is
stiff enough to hold horseflesh," observed the manager of Riverlawn.
"But that may make us miss the four or five fellows who were to follow
us, and if anything is wrong at Riverlawn, we may want all the help we
can gather."
"How much will the Charwell trail shorten the ride?"
"A good mile and three-quarters, possibly two miles, if the ground at
the lower end is hard."
"Then let us take that short cut, all but Clinker, who can take the
regular road and turn back the second detachment as soon as it comes
up," answered the young major, unconsciously speaking in military terms,
as was now his usual habit.
"Good! You've got a long head--just as you always had!" cried Levi, and
in a minute more Clinker was instructed into the new order of things.
Shortly after this the others left the road and took to a well-defined
trail running through a woods and then across the meadow previously
described. At the end of the meadow the party came out upon the road
running almost parallel with the creek, but at a considerable distance
above the spot where the bridge to Colonel Lyon's domain was located.
"Halt!" cried Deck, as the horsemen reached the edge of the clearing.
"Don't show yourselves until I give the order."
"I think Levi and I ought to go forward with you, Deck," interposed
Artie, who was thinking of his sister, as well as of his Aunt Ruth and
his Cousin Hope.
"Well, you can go; but we must be careful not to expose ourselves to the
enemy," was the ready reply of the major, who had unconsciously taken
command of the expedition.
"Supposing we separate," went on Artie. "One can go up to the bridge,
one down to where the logs are usually tied up, and one over to the
bend. That will give us three points of observation."
"Right you are, Artie. General Thomas couldn't have planned it better,"
answered Deck. "I'll go to the bridge, and you can go down to the logs.
Levi, is there a raft handy?"
"There is, just above the logs, and there is a canoe up at the bend. We
used it day before yesterday, when Faraway and I went over and came back
by the bridge."
"Then it will be an easy matter for us to make an advance all along the
line. What of Fort Bedford?" continued the major, referring to the
ice-house which, during the early troubles at Riverlawn, had been
turned into an arsenal. The so-styled fort was built along the creek,
almost opposite the point where the logs and the raft rested.
"It's still there, but it contains little outside of a few guns and two
boxes of ammunition."
"I was thinking, if those rascals are here, and the worst comes to the
worst, it will be a good thing if we can take possession of the fort,
and use it in defending my mother and the girls and ourselves."
"If the coast is clear, I'll move for the fort without delay," said
Artie. "One man can hold that place, if the doors and the portholes are
properly secured."
"That's so, but don't do anything rash, Artie," said Deck, gravely.
"Remember what Ripley said--those guerillas of Morgan's are the worst
cut-throats Kentucky has ever seen."
"Artie might wait until I can help him," suggested Levi. "If the fort
isn't occupied now, it won't take long to get the boys over to it in the
canoe and with a small raft in tow."
And so it was arranged that the young captain should wait on the
movements of the overseer, and this decided, the three set off on their
various missions.