CHAPTER XI
NICK
The brief respite had so restored the strength of the young soldier thathe ran swiftly over the loose planks until he had gone several yardsfrom the place where he had stopped.
Compelled then to slacken his pace, he glanced anxiously about him as hemoved on through the unfamiliar country. The storm was still severe,though heavy, broken clouds now were to be seen in the darkened sky.
Noel was fleeing through a country with which he not only was notfamiliar, but which also provided many perils of its own. Fortunately,as he believed, there were few people whom he was likely to meet at sucha time and in a pouring rain. The thought of Stuart's cavalry, however,caused him to be doubly watchful, for he knew of the report thathorsemen had been thrown out to intercept any stragglers that might bestriving to make their way to the army of General McClellan.
An hour or more elapsed, and as yet Noel had not discovered any one onthe old roadway. Once when he had passed a humble cabin the barking ofthe dogs had caused him to hesitate. He was defenseless and was unawareof the sympathies of the inmates of the little house. The uncertainty,however, caused him to resume his flight, although he still was ignorantof his destination.
His chief thought was that, by placing the greatest possible distancebetween him and the enemies whom he had left behind him, he might thenbe able to obtain help or find a place in which he could hide throughoutthe day and resume his flight when night again came. Even in his alarmand perplexity, he smiled as he recalled the statement of Dennis, whenthe young Irishman had outlined his plan for escape, "that he didn'tknow where he was going, but he knew he wanted to go there mighty quick,and he wanted to go mighty bad."
The night now was almost gone. Noel was aware of this from the slightchange that appeared in the eastern sky. There was as yet no promise ofthe passing of the storm, though its violence had markedly decreased.
It was strange, the young soldier thought, that all through the hours ofhis flight he had not discovered any of his enemies. At that moment,however, Noel saw coming from a lane at the left of the road a man whowas carrying a burden in each hand. Around his neck hung a yoke thecords of which were attached to bundles.
It was too dark to enable Noel to determine whether or not the man was asoldier. He halted abruptly, and, prepared to flee instantly if occasionshould demand, eagerly watched the approaching stranger. As yet heapparently was unaware of the presence of Noel in the road. Suddenly,however, he glanced in the direction of the young soldier.
The man's alarm was so manifest at his discovery that under othercircumstances Noel would have laughed heartily. The light wassufficiently strong to enable him to see now that the man was not asoldier, and a moment later, when the stranger spoke, the youngsoldier's fears were relieved when it became manifest that he was anegro.
"Who dat? Who dat?" asked the colored man as he stopped abruptly.
"Where did you come from?" demanded Noel, striving to speak sternly.
"Yas, suh! Yas, suh!" replied the negro. "Is yo' all come from--"Whatever the place from which the negro thought he came, he did notcomplete his sentence, and consequently Noel was left in ignorance.
"Who lives here?" demanded Noel.
"Massa Hilton."
"Is he home?"
"No, suh. Yas, suh. I don' jest 'member whether he's home or not,"stammered the negro.
Noel's experiences with Long John had made him somewhat suspicious ofthe colored people of the region. He decided that he would be extremelycautious, and at once said, "In which direction are you going?"
"Yas, suh! Yas, suh!" replied the negro.
"Come on, then," said Noel. "I'm going in the same direction."
The colored man hesitated a moment, and then as he moved nearer he wasconvinced that he did not need to fear the young stranger and obedientlyjoined him.
As soon as they had advanced beyond the point in the road which hid thelittle house from their sight, Noel turned to his companion and said,"What are you doing--leaving home at this time of night?"
"I don' lib dar," replied the negro promptly. "I b'long to Massa Frost."
"Where does he live?"
"Fo' or five miles up yonder," replied the negro, pointing ahead of himas he spoke.
"What are you doing down here, and what are you leaving at this time inthe night for?"
"Is yo' all a Union sojer?" asked the negro abruptly.
"Do I look like it?"
"Yas, suh; though yo' clothes is so covered with mud I dess can't tell'xactly what you are."
"What would you say if I was?"
"I want to know whether yo' is or yo' isn't befo' I answers dat arquestion."
"All right," laughed Noel, who was convinced now that in no event shouldhe have to fear his colored companion.
The house had been safely passed and the negro apparently wasinoffensive and harmless. Noel was still watchful for the appearance ofany of Stuart's men, for whom he entertained a feeling of most wholesomerespect.
"What's your name?" he asked again as he turned to his companion.
"Yas, suh! Yas, suh!" replied the negro. "My name's Nick."
"Are you related to 'Nicodemus, a slave, of African birth,' and did youcall your friends to 'meet you down by the swamp and wake you up forthe great jubilee'?" The young soldier was speaking in apparentseriousness and his companion stopped abruptly and stared at the man whohad asked him these strange questions.
"No, suh," he said. "I never kno' nuthin' 'bout no swamp. Wha's dat yo'all is tellin' 'bout anyway?"
In a low voice Noel began to sing the song which was familiar even inhis far-away home on the St. Lawrence,--
"Nicodemus, the slave, was of African birth, And he died years ago very old. Wake me up was his plea--"
"Yas, suh," said the negro, "but it's not dis yere Nick. Dat's some oderNick. I know milliums of darkies named Nick."
"Nick," demanded Noel abruptly, "do you know any men around here who arefriends of the Union?"
"Yas, suh. I sho'ly does," replied the negro, so promptly that the youngsoldier at once decided that he might rely upon his friendship.
"Are any of the men at home now?"
"Yas, suh. Yas, suh. Massa Hilton, back yonder; I reckon he mought be erUnion man."
"Is your master?"
"Yas, suh. Massa Hilton's brother Sam, he's fo' de South. I reckon italmost comes to blows when dey talks about de war."
"Isn't either of them in the army?"
"Yas, suh; Massa Sam Hilton, he's in de 'fed'ate a'my."
"But this Mr. Hilton who lives back in the house we passed, he's not asoldier, you say?"
"No, suh. No, suh."
"You're sure he's a good friend of the Union men?"
"He sho'ly am."
"Then I'm going back there," said Noel, stopping as he spoke and turningabruptly about.
Nick in surprise also stopped and looked at his companion. "Is yo' all aUnion sojer?"
"I am, and I want to go where I can find somebody who will be good to mefor a day or two. You say you're sure Mr. Hilton will be glad to seeme?"
"I can't jes' say as how he will be glad to see yo'," replied the negro,shaking his head slowly.
"But you said he would," interrupted Noel.
"No, suh; 'scuse me. What I done say was dat he would be good to yo'. Idon' know as Massa Hilton will be _glad_ to see a Union sojer des'now."
"Why not?"
"Dar's some special reasons what I don't recomember," replied Nick,speaking in such a manner that Noel's suspicions again were aroused.
"But you say he's a Union man?"
"Yas, suh. Yas, suh, he sure am."
"Why won't he be glad to see me?"
"I done tell yo', suh, des' now dat dere's all dis yere trouble what amgoin' on. I reckon dey isn't nobody what's glad to have a sojer come tohis house des' now."
"Oh, I see," said Noel slowly; "but if I do come he will take care of mefor a day or two? Then I'm going back there.
What have you got in yourbundle, Nick?"
"Nothin' much. Des' some stuff what Massa Frost done tol' me fo' toe gitat Massa Hilton's."
"Why do you call for it in the night? Why don't you go out in thedaytime?"
"I'se feared some of the sojers mought see me if I start after sunup--"
"You're more afraid they will take away from you what you have in thosebundles."
"Dere ain't nuthin' in dis yere bundle. I mus' be goin' on," Nick addedexcitedly. "I mus' git toe Massa Frost's befo' sunup."
"Well, good luck to you," laughed Noel. "I hope you won't fall in withany of Stuart's cavalry, and I hope a good deal more that I shan't, butI'm going back to that house."
The young soldier was aware that he was incurring great risk in hisventure, but he was wet and weary, and it had been long since he hadtasted food. He might be hidden about the place somewhere and fed for aday or two, when matters might so shape themselves that he would be ableto join the main army of McClellan, which he knew could not be very faraway.
Acting at once upon his decision, Noel rapidly retraced his steps andsoon arrived at a place from which he was able to see the house and thefew low outbuildings that were in the rear. He stopped a moment andlistened intently. The rain had almost stopped, though the air was heavywith mist. Not a sound broke the silence.
Cautiously approaching the house, Noel turned from the roadside andstarted toward the building. He was watchful, for not only was thereperil from men who might be within, but also from the huge dogs whichhe knew were common in the region.
When at last he approached the grounds of the house he stopped once moreand again listened intently. Still the silence was unbroken and therewas no appearance of danger.
He decided to go to the door, which he believed would be in the rear ofthe house and that opened into the kitchen. Perhaps he might there finda shelter or some place of refuge which would protect him in a measurefrom the night. If such a place should be found, he planned to waitthere until daylight before making his presence known to the inmates ofthe house.
To his great delight Noel discovered a lean-to or shed in the rear ofthe house. The floor was of brick, and though it was too dark to enablehim to see what was inside, the fact that no dogs had challenged hiscoming encouraged him to enter. Stepping inside, he turned to look oncemore out into the night and make certain that his movements had not beenseen.
The young soldier was startled when, appearing around the corner of oneof the low buildings, he saw a man, who in the dim light seemed to loomhead and shoulders above the height of an ordinary human being. At firstNoel almost believed that it was the negro, Long John, by whom he hadbeen led into the trap set by the Confederate soldiers. Certainly theman was as tall as the negro, but there was something in his movementswhich convinced the watching boy after a brief interval that this manwas not colored.
Suddenly it occurred to him that the proprietor of the place, the man ofwhom Nick had spoken as "Massa Hilton," might be the one who wasapproaching, though why he should be out of the house at such a time andin such a night the lad could not understand. Boldly advancing from hishiding-place, Noel approached the startled stranger, and in a low voicehailed him.