XLII.
_PROMETHEUS UNBOUND._
Five minutes later Penn and Virginia arrived. Penn ran eagerly for hismusket. At the same time, looking about the cave, he was surprised tosee only the old clergyman sitting by the fire, and Prometheus recliningby his rock.
"Where is Salina? Where is Toby?"
"Toby has just left his charge to see what discovery Salina has madeoutside. She went out previously and thought she saw soldiers."
At that moment Toby came running in.
"Dar's some men way down by the ravine! O, sar! I's bery glad you'scome, sar!"
Having announced the discovery, and greeted Penn and Virginia, he wentto look at his prisoner. He had been absent from him but a minute: hefound him lying as he had left him, and did not reflect, simple oldsoul, how much may be secretly accomplished by a desperate villain inthat brief space of time.
Penn took Pomp's glass, climbed along the rocky shelf, peered over thethickets, and saw on the bank of the ravine, where Salina pointed themout to him, several men. They were some distance below Gad's Leap (as henamed the place where the spy met his death), and seemed to be occupiedin extinguishing a fire. He levelled the glass. The recent burning ofthe trees and undergrowth had cleared the field for its operation. Hiseye sparkled as he lowered it.
"I recognize one of our friends in a new uniform!"--handing the glass toSalina.
Returning to the cave, he added, in Virginia's ear,--
"Augustus Bythewood!"
The bright young brow contracted: "Not coming here?"
"I trust not. Yet his proximity means mischief. Pomp will beinterested!"
He took his torch and gun. There was no time for adieus. In a moment hewas gone. There was one who had been waiting with anxious eyes andhandcuffed hands to see him go.
Meanwhile Mr. Villars had called Toby to him, and said, in a lowvoice,--
"Is all right with your prisoner?"
"O, yes; he am bery quiet, 'pears like."
"You must look out for him. He is crafty. I feel that all is not right.When you were out, I thought I heard something like the sawing ortearing of a cord. Look to him, Toby."
"O, yes, sar, I shall!" And the confident old negro approached the rock.
There lay the rope about the base of it, still firmly tied on the sideopposite the prisoner. And there crouched he, in the same posture ofdurance as before, except that now he had his legs well under him. Hishandcuffed hands lay on the rope.
"Right glad ter see ye convanescent, sar!"
Toby was bending over, examining his captive with a grin ofsatisfaction; when the latter, in a weak voice, made a humble request.
"I wish you would put on my cap."
"Wiv all de pleasure in de wuld, sar."
The cap had been thrown off purposely. Unsuspecting old Toby! The pistolwas in his pocket. He stooped to pick up the cap and place it onSprowl's head; when, like a jumping devil in a box when the cover istouched, up leaped Lysander on his legs, knocking him down with thehandcuffs, and springing over him.
Before the old man was fully aware of what had happened, and long beforehe had regained his feet, Lysander was in the thickets. In his hurry hethrust his wife remorselessly from the ledge before him, and flung herrudely down upon the sharp boughs and stones, as he sped by her. ThereToby found her, when he came too late with his pistol. Her hands werecut; but she did not care for her hands. Ingratitude wounds more cruellythan sharp-edged rocks.
Penn had judged correctly in two particulars. Deslow had turned traitor.And the personage in the new uniform down by the ravine wasLieutenant-Colonel Bythewood.
Deslow had gone straight to head-quarters after quitting Withers theprevious night, given himself up, taken the oath of allegiance to theconfederacy, and engaged to join the army or provide a substitute. As ifthis were not enough, he had also been required to expose the secretretreat of his late companions. To this, we know not whetherreluctantly, he had consented; and it was this act of treachery that hadbrought Silas Ropes to the sink, and Bythewood to the ravine.
Advantage had been taken of the fog in the morning to march back again,up the mountain, the men who had marched down, baffled and inglorious,after the wild-goose chase Carl led them the night before. Bythewoodcommanded the expedition at his own request, being particularlyinterested in two persons it was designed to capture--Virginia and Pomp.It is supposed that he took a sinister interest in Penn also.
But Bythewood was not anxious to deprive Ropes of his laurels; andperhaps he felt himself to be too fine a gentleman to mix in a vulgarfight. He accordingly sent Ropes forward to surprise the patriots at thesink, while he moved with a small force cautiously up towards Gad'sLeap, with two objects in view. One was, to make some discovery, ifpossible, with regard to the missing Lysander; the other, to interceptthe retreat of the fugitives, should they be driven from the cavethrough the opening unknown to Deslow, but which he believed to be inthis direction.
The firing on the right apprised Augustus that the attack had commenced.This was the signal for him to advance boldly up from the ravine, andestablish himself on an elevation commanding a view of the slopes. Herehe had been discovered very opportunely by Salina, who was seeking somepretext for calling Toby from his prisoner. In the shade of some bushesthat had escaped the fire, he sat comfortably smoking his cigar on oneend of a log, which was smoking on its own account at the other end.
"Put out that fire, some of you," said Augustus.
This was scarcely done, when suddenly a man came leaping down the slope,holding his hands together in a very singular manner. Bythewood startedto his feet.
"Deuce take me!" said he, "if it ain't Lysander! But what's the matterwith his hands, sergeant?"
"Looks to me as though he had bracelets on," replied the experiencedsergeant.
Some men were despatched to meet and bring the captain in. The sergeantfound a key in his pocket to unlock the handcuffs. Then Lysander toldthe story of his capture, which, though modified to suit himself,excited Bythewood's derision. This stung the proud captain, who, to washthe stain from his honor, proposed to take a squad of men and surprisethe cave.
Fired by the prospect of seeing Virginia in his power, Augustus had butone important order to give: "Bring your prisoners to me here!"
Instead of proceeding directly to the cave, Lysander used strategy. Heknew that if his movements were observed, and their object suspected,Virginia would have ample time to escape with her father and old Tobyinto the interior caverns, where it might be extremely difficult todiscover them. He accordingly started in the direction of the sink, asif with intent to reenforce the soldiers fighting there; then, droppingsuddenly into a hollow, he made a short turn to the left, and advancedswiftly, under cover of rocks and bushes, towards the ledge thatconcealed the cave.
* * * * *
"How _could_ you let him go, Toby!" cried Virginia, filled withconsternation at the prisoner's escape. For she saw all the mischievousconsequences that were likely to follow in the track of that fatalerror: Cudjo's secret, so long faithfully kept, now in evil hourbetrayed; the cave attacked and captured, and the brave men fighting atthe sink, believing their retreat secure, taken suddenly in the rear;and so disaster, if not death, resulting to her father, to Penn, to all.
The anguish of her tones pierced the poor old negro's soul.
"Dunno', missis, no more'n you do! 'Pears like he done gnawed off derope wiv his teef!" For Lysander, having used the knife, had hidden itunder the skins on which he sat.
Then Salina spoke, and denounced herself. After all the pains she hadtaken to conceal her agency in Sprowl's escape,--inconsistent,impetuous, filled with rage against herself and him,--she exclaimed,--
"I did it! Here is the knife I gave him!"
Virginia stood white and dumb, looking at her sister. Toby could onlytear his old white wool and groan.
"Salina," said her father, solemnly, "you have done a very treacherousand wicked thing! I pity yo
u!"
Severest reproaches could not have stung her as these words, and theterrified look of her sister, stung the proud and sensitive Salina.
"I have done a damnable thing! I know it. Do you ask what made me? Thedevil made me. I knew it was the devil at the time; but I did it."
"O, what shall we do, father?" said Virginia.
"There is nothing you can do, my daughter, unless you can reach ourfriends and warn them."
"O," she said, in despair, "there is not a lamp or a torch! All havebeen taken!"
"And it is well! It would take you at least an hour to go and return;and that man--" Mr. Villars would never, if he could help it, speakLysander's name--"will be here again before that time, if he is coming."
"He is not coming," said Salina. "He swore to me that he would not takeadvantage of his escape to betray or injure any of you. He will keep hisoath. If he does not----"
She paused. There was a long, painful silence; the old man musing,Virginia wringing her hands, Toby keeping watch outside.
"Listen!" said Salina. "I am a woman. But I will defend this place. Iwill stand there, and not a man shall enter till I am dead. As for you,Jinny, take _him_, and go. You can hide somewhere in the caves. Leave meand Toby. I will not ask you to forgive me; but perhaps some time youwill think differently of me from what you do now."
"Sister!" said Virginia, with emotion, "I do forgive you! God willforgive you too; for he knows better than we do how unhappy you havebeen, and that you could not, perhaps, have done differently from whatyou have done."
Salina was touched. She threw her arms about Virginia's neck.
"O, I have been a bad, selfish girl! I have made both you and fathervery unhappy; and you have been only too kind to me always! Now leave mealone--go! I hope I shall not trouble you much longer."
She brushed back her hair from her large white forehead, and smiled astrange and vacant smile. Virginia saw that her wish was to die.
"Sister," she said gently, "we will all stay together, if you stay. Wemust not give up this place! Our friends are lost--we are lost--if wegive it up! Perhaps we can do something. Indeed, I think we can! If weonly had arms! Women have used arms before now!"
Toby entered. "Dey ain't comin' dis yer way, nohow! Dey's gwine off tode norf, hull passel on 'em."
"Give me that pistol, Toby," said Salina. "You can use Cudjo's axe, ifwe are attacked. Place it where you can reach it, and then return toyour lookout. Don't be deceived; but warn us at once if there isdanger."
"My children," said the old man, "come near to me! I would I could lookupon you once; for I feel that a separation is near. Deardaughters!"--he took a hand of each,--"if I am to leave you, grieve notfor me; but love one another. Love one another. To you, Salina, moreespecially, I say this; for though I know that deep down in your heartthere is a fountain of affection, you are apt to repress your bestfeelings, and to cherish uncharitable thoughts. For your own good, O, donot do so any more! Believe in God. Be a child of God. Then nomisfortune can happen to you. My children, there is no great misfortune,other than this--to lose our faith in God, and our love for one another.I do not fear bodily harm, for that is comparatively nothing. For manyyears I have been blind; yet have I been blest with sight; for night andday I have seen God. And as there is a more precious sight than that ofthe eyes, so there is a more precious life than this of the body. Thelife of the spirit is love and faith. Let me know that you have this,and I shall no longer fear for you. You will be happy, wherever you are.Why is it I feel such trust that Virginia will be provided for? Salina,let your heart be like hers, and I shall no longer fear for you!"
"I wish it was! I wish it was!" said Salina, pouring out the anguish ofher heart in those words. "But I cannot make it so. I cannot be good! Iam--Salina! Is there fatality in a name?"
"I know the infirmity of your natural disposition, my child. I know,too, what circumstances have done to embitter it. Our heavenly Fatherwill take all that into account. Yet there is no one who has not withinhimself faults and temptations to contend with. Many have far greaterthan yours to combat, and yet they conquer gloriously. I cannot saymore. My children, the hour has come which is to decide much for us all.Remember my legacy to you,--Have Faith and Love."
They knelt before him. He laid his hands upon their heads, and in abrief and fervent prayer blessed them. Both were sobbing. Tears ran downhis cheeks also; but his countenance was bright in its upliftedserenity, wearing a strange expression of grandeur and of joy.