DISAPPEARANCE OF LITTLE NELL
As was natural Dave and Henry journeyed side by side. They moved
directly behind Mrs. Morris and little Nell, who brought up in the rear
of the litter on which Joseph Morris rested, and the horses under the
control of Rodney. Dave's father was not with the party, nor was trusty
Sam Barringford, both having joined the party of rangers who formed the
advance guard.
Following the instructions given them the pioneers and their families
moved through the great forest as silently as possible, only the
occasional groan of a wounded one, or the cry of some little child
breaking the stillness. The route was past the rocks bordering one of
the watercourses previously mentioned and then along what in those days
was called the Old Buffalo Trail,--a well-beaten path along which in
years gone by countless buffaloes had passed in their migrations to the
east and return. The buffaloes were now fast disappearing from this
territory, as are to-day the deer, wolves, and other wild animals which
were likewise numerous.
It was a trying time, for the ears of all were ever on the alert to
catch the first sign of an approaching enemy. Onward went Dave and Henry
with their guns ready for instant use. Rodney guided the horses with the
greatest of care, yet there were many jolts to the litter which more
than once caused Joseph Morris to utter a groan he could not suppress.
It was calculated that if nothing out of the ordinary occurred the party
would be able to reach Winchester in three days, but if the Indians
followed them up and attacked them the journey would take much longer,
for they would have to make a stand behind whatever breastworks they
could manage to erect, and there remain until the coast was clear or the
enemy drove them forth. There was also the ever-present possibility that
the Indians would wipe out the expedition entirely, a possibility that
made many of the married men shudder, as they thought of their wives and
defenseless children.
"We can consider ourselves lucky if we reach Winchester without any more
hair-raising," observed Henry, as they trudged along.
"Right you are," replied Dave. "The Indians seem worked up to the last
degree. They'll trap us if they possibly can."
"There is one thing in our favor, Dave. Captain Tanner is as good a
scout as you'll find in these parts, and with such men with him as
Barringford and your father he won't fall into any trap unless it's a
mighty slick one."
"To think that Jean Bevoir should be in this neighborhood with his
thieving traders," went on Dave, after a pause. "I declare I wish he had
fallen instead of one of those Indians we brought down. He isn't as good
as some of the Iroquois, to my way of thinking."
"He'll get what he deserves one of these days, Dave. He has cheated so
many redskins that some of them will lay for him some night, and that
will be the end of him and his band. But I must admit, I can't
understand how any redskins can follow the leadership of such a rascal,
who gives them liquor only in order to rob them of their hard-earned
pelts."
Two miles had been covered when there came a shot from the front,
followed by three others. Immediately the pioneers and their families
gathered behind a semi-circle of rocks and brush which happened to be
near. Several Indians had shown themselves to the scouts, but as soon as
one was shot the others fled. The whole party remained on guard half an
hour longer, but none of the enemy returned, and the onward march was
resumed.
Late that night Dave heard that two more white men had joined the
expedition and not long after this he caught sight of Uriah Risley. He
ran up to meet the Englishman, and Henry did the same.
"My wife, where is she?" asked Uriah Risley, of Henry. "Tell me
quickly!"
"I can't tell you," answered Henry.
"But you were with her--so Dave told me."
"I was with her. But some Indians came and attacked us, and I told her
to run and hide in the woods. Then the Indians came at me and I was
struck down, and that was all I knew until long afterward when I found
myself strapped to the back of a horse and traveling with a band of
redskins." And Henry gave the particulars of the encounter, and of how
Sam Barringford had afterward come to his rescue.
"Do you think my wife got away into the woods?"
"I really can't say. I know she ran off as well as her hurt ankle would
let her, but it may be that some of the Indians went after her. I had my
hands so full I couldn't look," concluded Henry.
Uriah Risley was pale and haggard and said he had not slept for two
nights, nor had he had a regular meal for forty-eight hours. He had been
to the vicinity of his burnt cabin and had followed up Henry's trail as
best he could for several miles, but nowhere had he found a trace of his
wife.
"I fear she is either dead or in the hands of those murderous redskins,"
he groaned, his eyes growing suspiciously moist. "Poor dear Caddy! She
never could get used to this life either! It was a sorry day when we
didn't remain in England, or in Annapolis." And he turned away to hide
his emotion. Several came and offered him food and a portion of this he
ate mechanically. Sleep, although he needed it badly, was out of the
question.
Strange to say no Indian attack occurred during the following day, and
that night found the expedition well on its way to Winchester. Some of
the pioneers were of the opinion that the enemy had retreated westward,
satisfied with the damage done and the booty obtained, but at this Sam
Barringford, Captain Tanner, and a number of other old frontiersmen
shook their heads.
"The Injun's at his worst when he's layin' low," was the way Barringford
expressed himself. "We've got to keep our eyes peeled or fust thing you
know we'll all wake up skulped."
Fortunately for the party one of the advance guard had brought down a
deer and another had bagged a number of birds with some fine shot. The
birds were made into a stew for the sick and wounded and the venison
was cut up and divided all around. The expedition was in the midst of a
wide timber belt, at a spot where there was a small clearing. Here, in a
hollow, a camp-fire was lit and the meat cooked and stew made, and while
one half of the able-bodied pioneers and soldiers remained on guard the
other half had their first full meal since leaving the fort. Then the
guard was changed and the other half satisfied the cravings of the inner
man, after which sentinels were posted and the camp settled down to see
if it could not obtain a much-needed night's rest.
Mrs. Morris and the others were gratified to see that while Joseph
Morris's wound pained him not a little it did not break out afresh and
gave every promise of healing rapidly when once the sufferer should
reach a place where he could have a couple of weeks' quiet. Before
retiring with little Nell the wife washed and re-bound the wound and
gave her husband all the nourishment he cared to take.
Dave was on guard during the first half of the night, with his father on
the next post not a hundred feet away. The night was dark and a low wind
was rising which betokened a storm. All else was quiet and the camp-fire
was allowed to burn low until only a few embers were left.
"It looks as if the Indians had really given it up," said Dave, as he
and his father met on their walks up and down the two posts.
"Don't be too sure," answered James Morris. "At this very minute they
may be preparing to rush in and overwhelm us. I won't believe we are
safe until we come in sight of Winchester."
"Is the fort there in good shape?"
"Fairly good, although Colonel Washington is going to strengthen it all
he can. The trouble is, Washington is having trouble with Governor
Dinwiddie. The governor thinks he knows it all and won't give the
colonel half the soldiers or equipments that are needed. He doesn't seem
to realize that if Winchester should fall all the English settlers would
be driven back over the Blue Ridge and would lose everything they
possess in this locality."
When it came time to turn in Dave was glad enough to throw himself down
and go to sleep, with nothing more than a thin blanket to cover him. His
father lay beside him, with Joseph Morris, Mrs. Morris and Rodney and
little Nell not far off.
How long he slept Dave did not know, but when he awoke it was with a
start and a cough. There was a fierce shouting and shooting going on and
the forest seemed full of smoke and fire. Hardly had he gained his feet
when an arrow whizzed past his head burying itself in the tree trunk
behind him.
"The attack is on!" came from James Morris, who was already up. "They
have fired the woods on two sides of the camp and they are laying for us
on the other two sides. I'm afraid it is going to be a fight to the
finish."
There was no time to say more for the confusion on every hand was great.
The shouting and shooting continued, and in the midst of this Captain
Tanner ran around, followed by Lieutenant Baldwick, giving orders to the
men and advising the women and children what to do. To the uproar was
added the mad prancing around of some of the horses, who sniffed the
smoke, and the screams of the frightened children, some clinging to the
skirts of their mothers and others running about looking for their
parents, who had become lost to them in the general mix-up.
"Stay with your aunt and uncle, Dave," said James Morris. "They'll need
you. I'll go out with the soldiers," and in a second he was bounding
away, to learn how bad the situation really was, and what might be done
to remedy it.
What happened during the next hour seemed to the boy, afterward, more
like some horrible dream than a reality. The war-whoops of the Indians
continued to ring out on the night air, punctuated by numerous shots and
yells from the wounded, while the fire in the forest grew brighter and
brighter, driving the sick, wounded, and the helpless before it. Rodney
and the others tried to get Joseph Morris back on the litter, but before
this could be done both horses bolted away in the darkness, one
upsetting Mrs. Morris and bruising her shoulder severely. Then Henry and
Dave locked hands chair-fashion and started to carry the sufferer
between them, only to stumble over some tree roots and go sprawling
headlong. In the meantime Mrs. Morris looked around her, to discover
that little Nell was missing.
"Nell! Nell!" she screamed. "Come here! Nell!"
"Isn't she with you, mother?" came quickly from Rodney.
"No. But she was here a moment ago. Nell! Nell!"
No answer came back to this cry, and now both Mrs. Morris and Rodney ran
hither and thither in search of the little girl. Little could be seen,
for the smoke was so thick it fairly blinded them.
As quickly as possible Dave and Henry arose and picked up Mr. Morris.
The fall had hurt the sufferer's wound and he had to groan in spite of
his efforts to choke back the sounds.
"Never--mind m-m--me!" he gasped. "Sa--save th--the others!" And then he
fainted dead away.
"Your mother is calling for Nell!" cried Dave. "Here, Henry, put him on
my back. I'll carry him somehow, and then you can go back to her." And
after an effort Dave mastered his load and staggered on, in the
direction already taken by a number of others. He was now more careful
where he placed his feet and thus kept from going down again, although
the load made him pant and exert himself far beyond his youthful
strength. On and on he went, over rocks and tearing through low
brushwood. An arrow went by his shoulder but he paid no attention. He
heard more shots, and once a blaze of fire seemed to flash up almost in
front of him. But he was not struck, and ten minutes later he felt that
he had in some marvelous manner left the battleground behind him. He
plunged into a hollow filled with wet grass and went down up to his
knees. Unable to carry his load further he allowed his uncle's body to
slip down beside him, and there he rested, trying his best to get back
his breath and wondering what would happen next.