CHAPTER XX
THE STACK OF STRAW
The little sutler was unarmed, but his companion carried a rifle, whichNoel had no difficulty in concluding was of unusual excellence. Graspingthe weapon in his hand, the man instantly stood leaning forward preparedfor the appearance of an enemy from the place from which the unexpectedsound had come.
The action caused Noel at once to draw farther back from the window,although he still was watching the movements of his enemies outside. Theexpression of consternation that appeared on their faces, as well as themanifest fear of Levi, at another time would have caused the youngsoldier to laugh heartily. As it was, however, unarmed, and wearied bythe labors of the preceding night, and facing one, at least, who wouldnot hesitate to use his rifle, there was no expression of mirth on theyoung soldier's face.
"Vat's dat?" Noel heard Levi demand of his companion. The expression ofalarm on the face of the little sutler became more marked and heglanced fearfully about him as if the sound might be repeated from someother direction.
"Why don't yo' all go into the shanty and find out what it is?" drawledLevi's companion.
"I haven't any gun."
"Well, I shan't let yo' have mine. I should not dare to trust myself aminute here with my gun in your hands. Bad enough to be shot by theYanks, but if I should be hit by one who is neither fish, fowl, nor goodred herring, I think I would feel worse about it."
"You go and see who vas in dere."
"I'm a-goin' to," said the man in a low voice. "That's just what I'mthinkin' of. I reckon yo'll find it's some nigger who's crawled in thereand gone to sleep."
As if in answer to the implied question there came at that moment fromthe hut a sound not unlike the sneeze which had preceded it. This time,however, the report was suddenly broken as if the guilty party hadstifled the rising sounds.
Terrified as Noel was by the action over which he had no control, theyoung soldier nevertheless peered quickly from the corner of the windowat his enemies, whose consternation, he saw, was much more marked atthe repetition.
Both men were keenly observant of the little building, and it wasmanifest now that Levi's companion was no longer hesitating.
Advancing boldly several yards nearer the little building he stopped andin a loud voice said, "Who's in there? Come out and show yourself!"
"WHO'S IN THERE?"]
As no response was given his hail, the man waited a brief time and thenrepeated his summons.
"Come along out o' that! It will be easier for yo' now than it will beif I come in there toe get yo'. It's either fo' yo' toe come outyo'self, or be dragged out by some one else."
Noel was preparing to obey the command when to his surprise he wassuddenly aware that both men outside were no longer looking toward thebuilding, but were eagerly watching somebody or something down the road.Almost instinctively the young soldier followed their action, and hisfears were increased when he saw approaching from the distance a body oftroops. It was impossible, from the place where he was watching, todetermine whether the men belonged to the Confederate army or to hisown. There were several horses in the band, but whether or not it wasa cavalry troop that he saw he was unable to determine.
The men were approaching steadily, and Noel, aware that the attention ofLevi and his comrade had been diverted, at least for the moment,suddenly darted through the little door, and without once glancingbehind him, at full speed started to cross the open field in the rear ofthe hut.
He knew he would not long be hidden from the view of the men, but everyyard he gained not merely provided an additional incentive for effort,but increased his possibility of escaping.
Without once glancing behind him Noel ran at his utmost speed, leapingover the low rail fence as he came to the border of the field and thenheading directly for a stack of straw which stood in the middle of theneighboring field.
As he drew near the weather-beaten pile of straw and glanced behind him,it seemed to him that some of the men had started in pursuit.
He was, however, not positive, but his fears were sufficient to causehim to run quickly to the opposite side of the stack and when he wasonce more beyond the vision of his enemies he hastily climbed the heapwhich was not more than fifteen feet in height.
The task was difficult because it was well-nigh impossible for him togain any firm foothold, but at last he succeeded and did not cease hisendeavors until he had gained the summit of the pile. Once there hehastily tore the straw apart, which to his surprise was somewhat loose,and burrowing into the depths soon made a hiding-place large enough toreceive him.
Noel's next effort was to tear away the straw which prevented him fromobtaining a view of the field over which he had fled, and when he hadsucceeded in obtaining a peep-hole he saw that his fears were confirmedand that some of the men were approaching from the road.
It was impossible for the troubled boy to know whether the approachingmen were searching for him or were planning to pass his hiding-placewithout giving him any heed. The men were coming in an orderly manner,holding well together, and there were many things to make the excitedyoung soldier hope that he was not the object of their search.
Tremblingly he watched the men as they came nearer and nearer, and whenat last a part of the body halted and began an inspection of thestraw-stack in which he was hiding, his alarm became great.
In the midst of these men he saw the little sutler, Levi, who waspointing excitedly, first, back toward the road from which they hadcome, and then toward the intervening distance between the place wherehe was standing and a house far away.
In response to his appeals a hasty search of the straw-stack was made,the soldiers moving in opposite directions until they had encircled theplace. An investigation then was made around the bottom of the pile,apparently no one thinking of looking to the top where the young soldierwas concealed. It was evident that the men were in haste and in spite ofNoel's fear he was hopeful that they would not remain long.
His expectation was fulfilled, for, after the soldiers had circled thestack and some of their number had tried to discover any possiblehiding-places around the base of the pile, the leader shouted, "Come on,boys! We must not waste any more time here. We shan't get to the Gapbefo' every Yank has surrendered."
Noel was afraid to lift his head far above the place where he wasconcealed. Nevertheless, when he heard the sounds of the hoofs of thedeparting horses, he did venture to look out on the scene before him.
In a body the soldiers were speeding swiftly across the interveningfield without once glancing behind them. So interested was Noel in thesight that the presence of the little sutler, for the moment, wasforgotten. Levi was not with the soldiers, and when Noel once more drewdown into his place of concealment his thoughts were chiefly concernedwith the departing enemy.
For a time the young soldier remained quietly in his hiding-place,peering out through the peep-hole he had formed between the straws. Hewas watching the road near the place where the little hut in which hehad hidden was standing. All the time he was fearful of the coming ofmore men.
His fears were not without foundation, for within a few minutes anotherband was seen approaching.
Tremblingly the boy watched them as they rode swiftly down the road, butas they did not halt at the fork a feeling of intense relief swept overhis heart. It was manifest now that the men who had investigated thestraw-stack had turned aside from the regular course which the mainbody was following.
The thought caused Noel once more to look in the direction in which themen had disappeared. He was unable to discover their presence, however,even the distant house toward which they had been speeding now being toall appearances as harmless as the little cabin in which he had soughtrefuge.
As we know, Noel's coat was gone and the remaining parts of his uniformhad been so discolored by his flight along the muddy roads that he wasnot without hope that even if he were discovered his clothing would notbetray him. The boy was hungry and intensely thirsty. His mouth wasparched,
and at the time it almost seemed to him that he could endurehis torment no longer.
The nearest place where he was likely to obtain relief was the farmhousein the distance toward which the investigating party had fled. Noelconvinced himself that he would incur no risk if he should follow in thesame direction, for doubtless the soldiers would not remain about theplace; at least, their conversation implied that they were in haste toarrive at some "Gap." The location of any such place was entirelyunknown to him.
After he had waited several minutes more, Noel finally decided that hecould endure his sufferings no longer. His eyes, ears, and nose seemedto be filled with the dust that had accumulated for months in theneglected stack. His muscles were cramped and sore from remaining solong in one position, as he had not dared to move, for fear of causingsome of the straw to slide from its place.
At last he decided that he would attempt to find relief at the far-awayhouse. Slowly and cautiously he climbed from the hole in the stack,frequently pausing to look up and then down the road and make sure thathis actions were not observed. As soon as he was convinced that the roadwas free from his enemies he quickly slipped over the side. As he struckthe ground an exclamation escaped him when his fall was broken by thebody of a man directly beneath him.