CHAPTER XIV.
JULIUS IN TROUBLE.
By the time the overseer was out of hearing sailor Jack came up,followed by two negroes, who carried blankets on their arms. They werethe ones who had been selected to watch the schooner during the night,and the first words they uttered in Marcy's hearing seemed to indicatethat they were not very well pleased with the duty that had been imposedupon them. Having learned from their companions that the Stars and Barswere to be hoisted at her peak on the following morning, they did notwant to have anything to do with her.
"I couldn't find Julius, but I heard of him," said Jack. "He is madclear through, and hopes some Union man will walk off with the _FairyBelle_ as soon as we rebels turn our backs upon her. I never knew him totalk as spitefully as I heard he did when he took his bundle back to thequarter. Now, boys, tow her out to her moorings and look out for hertill we come again. Good-night."
"But, Marse Jack, Ise mighty jubus about dis business; I is for a fac'.Sposen some of de Union men in de settlement----"
"Well, if any Union folks come here before morning, it will be becausesome of you black ones have posted them," interrupted Jack. "The peoplein this settlement know our business as well as we know it ourselves, orthink they do, and some of you boys are to blame for it."
"Now, Marse Jack----" began the negroes, with one voice.
"I am not accusing either one of you," exclaimed the sailor. "But if theshoe fits you, you can wear it. There's one among you who runs to acertain person with everything that is done in and about the house thathe can get hold of. I know who he is," Jack added, to Marcy's greatamazement, "and can put my hand on him in less than ten minutes. But I'mnot going to do it. I shall let somebody else punish him; and some darknight, when the ghosts come out of the church-yard and walk around thequarter----"
"Oh, Marse Jack," cried the frightened blacks throwing down theirblankets and moving closer to the boys for protection. "Don't say demunrespec'ful words. If you do, yo' boat sink wid you to-morrer, suah."
"Well, you know it to be a fact, don't you? At any rate I have oftenheard some of you say that white things do walk around of nights. I knowit, whether you do or not; and some night, when you are all asleep inthe quarter, and I am away on the water fighting for the flag I believein, something, I don't know just how it will look, will walk into acertain cabin down there and take a man out: and it will be a long timebefore you will hear of him again. You'll be astonished when you wake upthe next morning. But you two will be all right if you keep stilltongues in your head. If you don't, I'll not answer for theconsequences."
"But, Marse Jack----" began one of the negroes.
"I can't waste any more time with you," said the sailor impatiently."Haven't I told you that I don't know how the thing will look when itgets ready to go to work? I don't even know when it is coming; _but itis coming._ You may depend upon that. Now take the schooner out to hermoorings and keep an eye on her till morning."
The astonished Marcy, who did not understand the situation any betterthan the frightened blacks did, fully expected so hear them refuse duty;but Jack had so worked upon their feelings that they were afraid to doit. Out of pure mischief he had often done the same thing before, bytelling them of the wonderful adventures he had met at sea. He had seenlots of mermaids riding on the waves and dressing their hair with thecombs they had taken from the pockets of drowned sailors; had oftenlistened to the entrancing music of sirens, who, seated on submergedrocks in mid-ocean, had played their harps for all they were worth inthe hope of drawing his ship to destruction; and once the vessel onwhich he was sailing had a two weeks' race before it could get away fromthe whale that swallowed Jonah. This whale got hungry once every hundredthousand years; and whenever that happened he sunk the first ship hecame to and made a meal off the crew. But Jack himself always came offsafe by reason of the powers of a charm which he carried in hisditty-bag. This wonderful charm not only brought him good luck ineverything he undertook, but enabled him to give a wide berth to thosewho sought to do him harm, and to turn the tables upon them whenever hesaw fit to do so. Without saying another word in protest, the twonegroes stepped into the skiff and made ready to tow the schooner to hermoorings, while the boys faced about and started for the house.
"Jack, what in the name of sense are you up to now?" demanded Marcy,when he could speak without fear of being overheard.
By way of reply the sailor laughed heartily but silently, and poked hisbrother in the ribs with his finger.
"I know you have made the darkeys afraid of you by telling them yourridiculous stories, and I am ashamed to say that I have backed up allyou have said to them," continued Marcy. "But I don't see why youstuffed them up that way to-night. It wasn't true, of course."
"All sailors are strictly truthful," replied Jack. "But seriously,Marcy, I never told a straighter story than I told those blacks a whileago, when I warned them that some morning they would find a manmissing.
"Jack," said Marcy, suddenly, "what is it that has been taking you outof the house so much of nights during the last two weeks? Mother and Ihave often thought we would ask you, but have as often come to theconclusion that when you were ready to let us know, you would tell us."
"And a very wise conclusion it was," answered Jack. "By leaving meentirely alone, you have thrown no obstacles in my way."
"But if you were working up anything, why didn't you take me into yourconfidence?" said Marcy reproachfully.
"Because one can hide his movements better than two. Besides, I did notsee my way clearly, and I didn't want to raise any false hopes. But Ithink the thing is cut and dried now, and as sure as you live," here hesunk his voice to a whisper, "there'll be the biggest kind of a rumpusin the quarter some morning; and if mother happens to be awake, she willwonder why she doesn't hear the horn."
"Why won't she hear it?"
"For the very good reason that there will be no one there who has aright to blow it."
"_Jack!_" Marcy almost gasped.
"Well, you wait and see if I don't know what I am talking about,"replied the sailor.
"Where will Hanson be on that particular morning?"
"I can't tell. I only know that he will be gone, that he will not belikely to trouble you and mother any more, for a while at least, andthat the whole thing will be so very mysterious that such fellows asShelby and Allison will be frightened out of their boots; and, Marcy,"added Jack, speaking in a still lower whisper, "you needn't go back tothe _Hattie_ if you don't want to."
"Jack, I wish you would tell me just what you mean," said Marcyimpatiently.
"All right. Give me a chance and I will. But, in the first place, whatwas Bose barking at while I was gone? He acted as though he was gettingready to bite something or somebody. Was it Hanson?"
"That's just who it was," replied Marcy.
"And did Bose hold him until you had opportunity to speak to him!"continued Jack. "All right. That was what I left him for. I don't carenow what Hanson told you, for I don't suppose there was a word of truthin it; but what did you think when you spoke to him?"
"I said to myself that one eavesdropper had been brought to light, andthat the next thing would be to find out who it is that carries news tohim from the house," replied Marcy.
"Exactly. Well, there's no one that carries news, but there is a littlenig who used to take him a pack of lies every day," replied Jack, "and Iknow who it is. That was what I meant when I told those two darkeysawhile ago that I could put my hand on the talebearer in less than tenminutes. It's Julius."
"Jack, you are certainly dreaming," exclaimed Marcy, growing more andmore amazed.
"If you should try to take my measure on the ground right here, youmight find that I am tolerably wide awake," replied the sailor, with alaugh. "I have had several talks with the overseer, all unbeknown to youand mother, and by taking it for granted that he was a good rebel, Icaught him off his guard a time or two (but that wasn't a hard thin
g todo), and learned, to my surprise, that somebody was keeping him verywell _mis_informed regarding the doings in the house. Of course thatexcited my curiosity, and after thinking the matter over I took Juliusby the neck one day when I happened to catch him alone, and frightenedthe secret out of him."
And this was the secret, which Jack told in as few words as possible,for he knew that his mother was anxiously awaiting his return. Juliuswas one of the few servants who were allowed the freedom of the house;but, like many others of his race, he was somewhat given to layingviolent hands upon things that did not belong to him. He was rarelydetected, and when he was he generally succeeded in lying out of it, andof course this made him bolder; so when he saw Mrs. Gray's valuablebreastpin lying exposed on her dressing-table, he slipped it into hispocket, made his way from the house without being seen, and went behindone of the cabins to admire it. But, as bad luck would have it, theoverseer, who never did things openly and above board as other folks dothem, came "snooping" along the lane and caught him in the act.
"What's that you've got there?" he demanded.
"Wha--what thing, Marse Hanson?" stammered Julius.
"That thing you're putting in your pocket," replied the overseer. "Handit out, or I'll wear this rawhide into slivers on your black hide."
"Look a yer, Marse Hanson," exclaimed Julius. "My missus don't 'low nowhite trash of a oberseer to whop de house servants. I tell you dat."And before the words were fairly out of his mouth the little darkey tookto his heels and ran like a deer.
"All right," shouted Hanson. "Run away if you want to, and I will go tothe missus and tell her that you've got something of hers--some of hergold things. You won't lie me down, either, like you done the last time,for I seen you have 'em."
This dreadful threat reached the ears of the thief and stopped hisflight. He turned about and faced the overseer.
"And then do you know what the Missus will say to me?" the latter wenton. "She'll say, 'Mister Hanson, take this boy to the field and put himto work. He ain't fitten to stay about the house.' And when I get youinto the field," he added, shaking his riding-whip at the culprit,"won't I see that you handle them hoes lively? I reckon not. Come hereand give me that, I tell you."
"You'll lick me if I come back," said Julius.
"No, I won't tech hide nor hair of ye. Honor bright."
"And won't ye tell de Missus, nuther?"
"Well, that depends on whether I do or not," replied Hanson evasively."If you'll mind every word I say to you and jump the minute you hear theword, I won't tell her. Come here, now."
Not being able just then to discover any other way out of the scrape,Julius tremblingly obeyed. When the overseer took the stolen pin in hishands his eyes seemed ready to start from their sockets.
"Do you know what you've went and done, you thieving nigger?" he said,in a mysterious whisper. "What do you reckon these yer things isscattered round 'mongst this gold?"
"Glass, ain't they?" faltered Julius.
"Glass, you fule! They're diamonds. They cost more'n a hundred thousanddollars, and that's more'n a dozen such niggers as you is worth," saidHanson, who was not very well versed in figures.
This incident happened at the beginning of the troubles between theNorth and South, and about the time that everybody was supposed to be"taking sides." All the people in that part of the country, with but asingle exception, had declared for secession (whether they were sincereor not remains to be seen), and that single exception was Mrs. Gray, whocould not be coaxed, cajoled, or surprised into saying a word in favorof one side or the other. Of course this did not suit the red-hot rebelsin the vicinity, and as they could not find out anything themselves,they bribed Hanson to try his luck; but he was at fault, too. Thetrouble with him was, he did not live in the great house, but close tothe quarter, which was nearly half a mile away; he had nothing whateverto do with the house servants; and he was pretty certain that those hefound opportunity to question, did not always take the trouble to tellhim the truth. He must have a reliable ally in the house--some one whowas in a position to hear and see everything that was said and done bythe inmates, who must not, of course, be given reason for believing thatthey were watched. Until this episode of the breastpin occurred, Hansondid not know how he was going to get such an ally; but he thought he hadfound him now.
"I'll keep these yer diamonds till I find out whether or not you aregoing to do Jest like I tell you," said the overseer, putting thejewelry into his pocket.
"But, Marse Hanson," protested the darkey, "it ain't right for you tokeep dat thing."
"Now listen at you," said the overseer angrily. "Wasn't you going tosteal it? I ain't. I'm only going to hold fast to it a little while tosee if you are going to do like I tell you. If you do, the Missus willget her pin back, and she won't never know who took it; but if youdon't, I'll have you in the field where I can find you every time Iretch for you. Now listen. I reckon you know that Mister Marcy is cominghome from school one of those days, don't you? Well, when he comes, Iwant you to find out if he's Union or secesh. What's the Missusanyway?"
"She's jes' the same that you be," replied Julius.
"Look here, nigger," said the overseer, in savage tones, "that won't godown. You're Union, ain't you?"
"Oh, yes sar. Ise Union if you is."
Hanson raised his whip and Julius dodged like a flash.
"'Tain't what I want, and you know it well enough," the man shouted. "Iwant to know for a fact--for a fact, mind you--what them folks up to thegreat house is; which side they leans to, Union or Confederate. And ifyou don't come down to my house this very night after dark with somenews of some kind, I'll take these yer diamonds straight to the Missusand tell her where I got 'em. You know what I mean, so cl'ar yourself."
Glad to escape the whip with which the overseer constantly threatenedhim while he was talking, Julius lost no time in making his way to thegreat house; but he did not go near Mrs. Gray till she summoned him intoher presence to ask him if he had been in her room that day. Of coursehe hadn't been upstairs at all, not even to "tote up de wash-watah, kasedat was de gals' work and not his'n."
"I never heard that mother lost a breastpin," said Marcy, when Jack hadgot this far with his narrative. "Did she find it again? Did Hanson giveit up?"
Instead of replying in words, Jack took hold of a small cord thatencircled his neck, and pulled his ditty-bag from beneath the bosom ofhis flannel shirt. This he opened with great deliberation, taking fromit a small vial and a package wrapped in a piece of newspaper.
"What have those things to do with mother's breastpin?" demanded Marcy."What's in that bottle?"
"That vial contains my charm; and a most potent one it is," said thesailor gravely.
"If you don't quit your nonsense and come to the point, I will leave youand go into the house," said Marcy angrily.
"I'll bet you won't. This thing is getting interesting now, and it willnot be long before it will be more so," answered Jack. "Look at that!"
He had been unwrapping the newspaper while he was talking, and Marcy wasstruck dumb with astonishment when he saw him bring the lost breastpinto light.
"Jack," he faltered, "where did you get it?"
"The charm brought it. Hold on, now," exclaimed Jack, when his brotherturned away with an ejaculation indicative of the greatest annoyance andvexation. "It helped bring it, and a little common sense, backed by aninsight into darkey nature, did the rest. Now, don't break in on me anymore. Mother will begin to wonder what's keeping us."
When Julius came to ponder the matter, he found that he was in the worstscrape of his life. A house servant considered it an everlastingdisgrace to be sent to the field, and Julius thought he would about assoon die or take to the swamps, one being as bad as the other in hisestimation. But there was one thing that could be said in his favor: Hewas loyal to every member of the family in whose service his father andmother had grown gray. Although he could not possibly tell the truth,and found it hard to keep his nimble fingers off other
people'sproperty, the tortures of the whipping post, if there had been such athing on the plantation, could not have wrung from Julius a word or ahint that could be used to their injury. He didn't like to work, but heknew he would have to if he was not ready with "some news of some kind"that very night. But what could he do when there wasn't any news? In hisextremity he bent his steps toward the barn where old Morris was busywashing the carriage.
"Say," he began.
"Look here, nigger," replied Morris, straightening up as quickly as ajack in the box, "who you calling 'Say'? If you can't put a Mister to myname, cl'ar yourself and don't bother me no more."
"Say, Mistah Morris," repeated Julius, taking another start.
"That's better," said the coachman approvingly. "What was you going todeserve?"
"Say, Mistah Morris, we uns is all Union, ain't we?"
"Jest listen at the chile. G'long, honey. What you know 'boutpoliticians? Course we is all Union; all except the overseer, and heain't fitten to live. Run along, now."
Julius was quite willing to obey, for he had learned all he wanted toknow. If Hanson was a rebel, it followed, as a matter of course, that itwould afford him satisfaction to learn that the inmates of the greathouse were rebels also; accordingly when the time came for him to makehis report, he was on hand and eager to unburden himself. The overseer,who was waiting for him, took him into a room and carefully locked thedoor behind him. This not only made the darkey feel a little uneasy, butit stimulated his inventive faculties as well.
"What do you know?" Hanson inquired, taking his pipe from the mantelover the fireplace. "Have you heard anything?"
"Well--I--yes, sar," stammered Julius, as if he did not know how tobegin. "I--oh, yes, sar. Is you Union?"
"Of course I am," replied Hanson. "Every white man is."
"Den you ain't got no call to have truck wid de Missus. If she find outdat you is Union, she chuck you off'n de place quick's a cat kin bat hereye. She don't like Linkum. I hearn her say so dis bery day."
"Are you telling me the truth?" asked Hanson, looking sharply at thedarkey, who met his gaze without flinching.
"If I ain't telling you de fac's ob de case, you kin w'ar dat rawhide o'your'n out on me quick's you please," said the boy, earnestly. "If you'sUnion you best dig out, kase de Missus put de secesh on you suah," addedJulius, hoping that the man would act upon the suggestion and leavebefore morning.
"But I don't want to give the Missus warning till I know that she's gotmoney enough to pay me."
"Oh, yes, sar; she got plenty ob money," declared Julius, whereuponHanson began pricking up his ears. "I seen her have as much as a dollahdis bery day. I seen it wid my own two eyes."
"A dollar," sneered the overseer. "She owes me more'n that, and she'sgot more'n that. She's got a bushel basketful hid away somewhere; andJulius, if you will find out where it is, and tell me and nobody else, Iwill give you a piece of money just like that."
As he said this he put his hand into his pocket and brought out atwenty-dollar gold piece--a portion of the liberal sum Colonel Shelbyhad given him for spying upon the family whose bread he ate. Juliusdeclared, with much earnestness, that he didn't believe Mrs. Gray hadconcealed any money, but if she had he could find it out if anybodycould, and he would bring the news straight to the overseer.
When his supposed ally took his departure Hanson was obliged to confessto himself that he did not know any more about Mrs. Gray and the moneyshe was thought to have in the house than he did before. And we may addthat he never did learn anything through the boy Julius. That astutedarkey was altogether too smart for the overseer, and brought him onlysuch news as he thought the man wanted to hear; and more than half ofthat had not a word of truth in it. In the first place his only thoughtand desire was to keep the overseer from telling his mistress that hestole the breastpin; but as Hanson became more communicative and stoodless on his guard, and the boy's eyes were opened to the startling factthat Mrs. Gray had an enemy in the overseer, he threw the fear ofpunishment to the winds, and set himself at work to defeat all the man'splans. How he managed to keep his secret was a mystery, for never beforehad the negro been known to hold his tongue. But he kept it, and kept itwell until sailor Jack frightened it out of him.