CHAPTER XIV
THE SUTLER AS A GUIDE
"Vat you do here?" inquired Levi suspiciously as the two departed downthe road.
"That's just what I was going to ask you."
"You see. You see for yourself," repeated the sutler, pointing as hespoke to the pack which he was carrying upon his back.
"What have you in that pack?"
"Somedings to sell."
"What?"
"Many dings."
"I shouldn't think you would have anybody to sell these things to, nowthat both armies are so near."
"It is von beeg drouble," said Levi, shaking his head. "Dere vas nochance. Eferybody cares not for mine laces--"
"'Laces!' I should think this would be the last place in the world whereyou could sell such things as that," broke in Noel. "What do people downhere want of laces, especially when they are likely to be caught betweenthe two armies any time?"
"I lose money efery day," said Levi, disconsolately.
"Why do you stay, then?" demanded Noel. "If you cannot make any money,you certainly don't stay here for pleasure, do you?"
"But," protested Levi, spreading both hands as he spoke, "a man has tolive, ain't it?"
"Levi, I believe you have lots of money," said Noel soberly.
"Nein! No! Not von penny."
"Then how can you live if you are losing money every day? You must havesomething on which to draw."
"But I must live," protested Levi. "I must get some money. Perhaps Idon't got it to-day, maybe I gets it to-morrow."
"Where have you been, Levi, since you left camp?"
"I haf been just vere you sees me. I haf been to efery house, but nobodybuys mine laces. I dinks vot I haf to go North pretty soon. Nobody herehas any money."
"Have you seen anything of Stuart's cavalry?"
The quick side glance which Levi gave him, although the eyes of thelittle Jew were instantly turned away again, was not lost upon Noel.Always suspicious of the little sutler, he had now become sure thatthere were more than suspicions upon which his fears rested.
"Who vas Stuart's cavalry?"
Noel laughed, but did not reply to the question.
"Haf you seen somedings of dot Irishmans?" inquired the peddler.
"What Irishman?"
"Dot young Irishmans vot tormented me. He upsets mine tent. He makes derpoys turn over mine trunks. He steals vot is mine, vot is mine!"
The fierce anger of the little Jew was almost pathetic, and despite hisdeclaration, Noel was aware that much justice, perhaps, was in hiscomplaint, in spite of the fact that he had charged the boys of theregiment exorbitant prices for his poor and cheap supplies.
"Do you mean Dennis O'Hara?" asked Noel quickly.
"Dat vas it. Dat vas his name,--Dennis. Haf you seen him maybe?"
"No, I haven't. Have you?"
"How should I see him?" inquired Levi. "I haf leave der camp. I hafnodings more to do mit der soldiers. I goes now from house to house."
"Have you seen him?" again asked Noel.
"I'm telling you," protested the sutler. "I don't go vere de Yankeesoldiers be."
"If you don't look out the Yankee soldiers will come where you are."
Noel spoke indifferently, but he was keenly watching the face of hiscompanion. The quick, shifting glance which Levi instantly gave himsomehow served to strengthen the conviction in the heart of the youngsoldier that the little peddler was playing a suspicious if not a doublepart.
"You didn't tell me," he said, "whether or not you have seen DennisO'Hara anywhere."
"I vould like mooch to see him. I vould like to see him mit a ropearound his neck. I vould like to be der von to pull on der rope. I villdo so to him," he added in his excitement, as he stretched forth bothhands and pulled vigorously upon an imaginary rope.
"Here, where are you going?" demanded Noel abruptly, as his companionturned from the road to enter a lane which led toward a house partlyconcealed by magnolia trees far back from the road.
"To der house," answered Levi. "To der beeg house."
"Why are you going in there?"
"I vill sell somedings."
"It doesn't look as if anybody is home," suggested Noel.
The young soldier was striving to lead his companion on and draw fromhim information which he suspected the little Jew possessed. As he spokehe was keenly observant of the house and grounds, but as yet had notseen any signs of life about the place.
"Der vas only vimmins dere."
"How do you know?"
"Because I vas dere de oder day. Dey vas tolt me dey vill buy somedingsven I comes back. So now I'm comes back and I shall sell somedings."
"You say there are no men there?"
"Der men vas all gone mid der army."
"Which army?"
"How should I know?" demanded the peddler irritably. "I sells to dervimmin."
"Do you want me to go with you?"
"Yes. You come. It vill interest der vimmins. You come mit me and I villgo on mit you and show you der way to Frederick City."
Noel was unarmed, but he saw no reason to doubt the words of hiscompanion. If the place was deserted by the men he would be in nodanger, and, on the other hand, he might be able to obtain some food,even if the women were sympathizers with the Southern cause. He wasaware that from many such people the sight of a man clad in the uniformof the Union army was not likely to bring a cordial response. On theother hand, he was unknown, and it might be that he could obtain foodand supplies that would help him through the day. He was confident thatif he went much farther on his way, he might have experiences that wouldcompel him to remain in hiding part of the time.
Slowly the two young men approached the great house. The house itselfwas not so large, but the expression was one which was applied to manyhomes, perhaps to distinguish the dwelling-place of the master from thequarters of the negroes.
As he drew near, Noel saw in the rear of the house the quarters of theservants. There were little huts that had been whitewashed, and aboutthe place were several little pickaninnies, whose presence indicatedthat some of the blacks at least were at home.
The approach of the boys was apparently unobserved, and even when theyfollowed the winding pathway toward the rear of the house no one greetedthem.
Suddenly, however, Noel stopped, and looked in consternation at thesight before him. Tied to the hitching-rail in the rear of the house hesaw a half-dozen horses.
Every horse was saddled and bridled, and in an instant Noel was awarethat he had come upon a small band of cavalry.
Startled as he was by his discovery he instantly stopped and, afterlistening intently, turned back over the road which he and Levi hadcome. As he did so, Levi suddenly dropped his pack and seizing the youngsoldier by his coat began to shout in his loudest tones.
Frightened by the unexpected attack, Noel struck desperately at histormentor, and did his utmost to free himself. The little Jew, however,apparently unmindful of the blows, clung desperately to his coat, andbefore Noel was able to escape he saw a half-dozen men run out of thehouse and start swiftly toward him.
One glance was sufficient to convince the desperate boy that he was inthe presence of some of the rebel cavalry. The men were armed, while hehimself was powerless to make any defense.
"What's this, Levi?" demanded the leader.
"Who is this man with you? Didn't I tell you not to let any one comehere?"
"Dis man is von Union soldier. He helps tear mine tent. He vas von vatsteals mine goots. He vas bad. I dinks dat you vill be glad to haf aYankee soldier here, maybe?"
"We'll take all the Yanks we can lay our hands upon," said the man witha laugh.
It was plain that he was relieved by the discovery that there was onlyone soldier near and he only a boy. The impression, however, produced onNoel's mind by the action of the man was that there were Union soldiersnot far away. And yet, he thought bitterly, what advantage would that beto him now? He was here, helpless to defend himself and rea
lly aprisoner in the hands of the rebel cavalry. There were momentary visionsof Libby Prison, which he knew was the destination of most of the Unionsoldiers taken by the Confederates in their recent campaigns.
The leader now turned to one of his men and good-naturedly said, "Tom,we don't want to take this fellow into the house. I am afraid he wouldscare the babies. I'll leave him out here with you. Don't let him getaway from you."
It was useless to protest, and Noel obediently followed his guard as heled the way to the rear of the house near the place where the horseswere tied. The young soldier looked hastily about him to discover whathad become of the little sutler, but could not see him anywhere. Levimust have entered the house, he concluded.
Noel's thoughts were bitter as he recalled how easily he had beentrapped. The sutler, without doubt, was in the employ of theConfederates. Whether or not he had been, at the time when he held hisplace in the Union camp at Harper's Ferry, Noel had no means of knowing;but it was plain that he himself had been led by his guide into a placefrom which apparently there was no escape.
When the soldiers reentered the house Noel seated himself on the groundwith his back against the post that upheld the rail to which three ofthe horses were tied. In spite of his fear he looked with interest atthe mounts of the men. Every horse manifestly was fleet-footed, and inbetter condition than one naturally would expect such horses to be atsuch a time.
Little black faces began to appear, as the pickaninnies, led on by theircuriosity, slowly and cautiously advanced from their quarters todiscover for themselves what the meaning of the excitement was. Atanother time Noel would have been interested, but now he gave slightheed to his approaching visitors.
About fifteen feet from the place where he was seated there was a row ofbeehives. The warmth of the September day had caused the busy littlecreatures to resume their labors of the summer.
The sight of them recalled to the mind of the troubled boy the beehivesnear his father's house and his thoughts naturally wandered from bees tothe people who were in the far-away home. He wondered if Frank had yetreturned to the army. He had been assigned to a different corps, and itmight be that he already was with McClellan. Would he see him atFrederick City? The question received its own answer when Noel glancedabout him and saw the guard and the horses waiting for their riders.There was slight prospect that he would see his brother very soon. LibbyPrison doubtless was to be his destination.
A half-hour had elapsed since Noel's arrival, and in spite of his fearthe droning of the bees sounded so monotonously in his ears that itwould not have been difficult for him to close his eyes and fall asleep.
Abruptly he sat erect and, facing his guard said, "How long are thesemen going to be here?"
"I reckon yo' 'll have to ask the lieutenant, sir."
"How long have they been here?"
"I can't just say, sir."
"Do you know where they are going?"
"No, sir, I don't."
"Do you know what they will do with me?"
"I reckon I might suspect, sir. There have been a right sma't lot ofYanks who have had free transpo'tation to Richmond. I reckon there willbe some mo', and it may be yo' will have a chance to ride along withthem, sir. It won't cost you a cent, sir. No, sir, not one cent."
"Do you belong to Stuart's cavalry?" asked Noel.
"I wonder what's the matter with the Yanks. They seem to be so full ofquestions that the minute one of them opens his mouth they begin to popout the way corn pops in a popper."
Noel abruptly ceased his questioning, but, as he glanced once more aboutthe quarters, suddenly a scheme suggested itself to him, by which hemight be able to escape from his captors. If the plan was to be tried,he must act at once, he decided, and, striving not to arouse thesuspicions of the guard, he slowly arose.