CHAPTER XIII
AT THE HEAD WATERS OF BAR CREEK
It was quite dark when the Magnolia went out from the pier, though itwas a starlight night. The crew pulled very well, for the colonel hadtaken no little pride in the appearance of his boat on the river. Beforehis health was impaired he occasionally went to the county town bywater; for it was on a branch of the river, and was full thirty milesdistant by the winding streams.
The crew were powerful men, and had had plenty of practice in formeryears. But the present planter preferred the vehicles, drawn by finehorses, and the boys used the smaller boats, so the Magnolia had notbeen manned under the new order of things. Under the vigorous stroke ofthe negroes she soon passed under the bridge, and headed up the creek.
"We are fairly started, and this boat seems to be making at least fivemiles an hour," said the planter, when he had fully recovered hisbreath.
"More than that, I should say, Major Lyon. I don't believe the hands cankeep up this gait all the way; but we shall get to the sink aboutmidnight," replied Levi.
"I don't know that there is anything to apprehend in the way of danger,"added Mr. Lyon.
"I don't know whether there is or not; but I put my revolver and a boxof cartridges into my pocket."
"I never owned a pistol of any kind, and have hardly fired a gun since Iwas a boy; but in the storeroom out of the library I found some verynice weapons,--a double-barrelled rifle and a fowling-piece."
"The colonel had two revolvers; and they must be somewhere about thelibrary. A few years ago some horse-thieves were in this vicinity, andwe kept a watch on the place every night for a couple of weeks," saidLevi.
"If Uncle Titus put five thousand dollars into these guns and pistols, Ishould think he would be apt to keep a watch over them," suggested Deck.
"A watch would not amount to anything unless he put as many as half adozen men on it," answered Levi. "But I think he depends upon thesecrecy of his movements and the safety of the cavern for the securityof the arms. He put the things away in the night, and I don't believeanybody ever goes over the spring road in the darkness. If he put awatch anywhere he would station it on that road at the place where theyshifted the boxes from the wagon to the flatboat. But I reckon we cantake care of the watch if there is any there."
"But the road is about a quarter of a mile from the creek," said Deck.
"All of that; and we may pass the place without much of any noise, andno one on the road would be likely to hear us," replied Levi.
"I don't think the watch, if there is one, will give us any trouble, forif they hear us, we can keep out of their way; and I don't think theywould have any boat in the creek," added the planter. "Your revolverwill keep them at a proper distance when we reach the cavern."
"I found a shingling hatchet in the boathouse, and I brought that alongwith me," said Artie.
"Are you going to fight with that?" asked Deck.
"Not exactly that; but we couldn't open one of the boxes this afternoonfor the want of a tool, and we can do so with this hatchet; then weshall have all the muskets, revolvers, and cartridges we can use,"replied Artie.
"That is a good scheme, my boy," added Levi approvingly. "But I don'tbelieve we shall have to do any fighting. If the conspirators have set awatch, it must be in the road; and I reckon we shall clean out thecavern before they can get there."
"We won't fight any battles before we get there," interposed theplanter. "We have always been peaceable people, but I suppose we mustget used to fighting, for we are going to have a terrible war; and Idon't believe in Mr. Seward's prediction that it will all be over in ahundred days. I am ready to become a soldier, Levi, and so are the boys,in defence of the Union."
"I suppose I ought to do the same," added the overseer; "but I had notthought of it."
"You are fifty years old, and you will not be called upon to go into thearmy, Levi," replied Mr. Lyon.
"But I am ready to do my share of the fighting; and if I am over fifty,I reckon I am as tough and hearty as any of them that will shoulder amusket," said the overseer; and those near him could hear his chuckle,though they could not see his smile.
"I hope you will not go to the war, my friend," continued Mr. Lyon in avery serious tone. "I am only forty-two, and I believe it is not only myduty to send my boys into the army, but to go myself. I have thought agreat deal of this subject within the last month, though I haven't saidmuch. I believe a man's first duty is to his family, and I should hateto go off into the army, and leave my wife and the girls here; for Ibelieve whoever stays in Barcreek will see some fighting here."
"And see some before a great while," added Levi. "Everything is boilinground here, and it will boil over before long. These Secession ruffiansare not going to keep the peace much longer. They are itching to beginthe work of driving the Union men into their cub pasture."
"That is my own opinion; and that is my only dread in joining the army.But I have comforted myself with the belief that Levi Bedford was overfifty, and he would remain on the plantation and take care of myfamily."
"I am very much obliged to you, Major Lyon, for the confidence you putin me, and I can assure you it shall not be abused," returned themanager, with more gravity in his tone and manner than usual. "If bystaying here I can keep three good Union soldiers in the field, perhapsthat will be doing my fair share of the work."
"We will talk this matter at another time, Levi; and I will only say Icould not have found a man more to my mind to take charge of theplantation and the women-folks if I had hunted for him all over thenation."
"That's handsome, Major; and you may wager your life and all you have inthe world that I will never go back on you or your family," protestedthe overseer warmly.
"We understand each other perfectly, Levi. But there is a more pressingquestion than that before the house just now," said Mr. Lyon, as he tookLevi's offered hand, and gave it an earnest grasp. "What are we to dowith all these arms and ammunition when we get them down to Riverlawn?"
"I haven't had much time to think of that; but I had an idea come acrossmy head as I was running from the house down to the boat-pier. I passedby the ice-house, and it jumped into my noddle that it would make a goodarsenal; but I haven't worked up the idea yet," replied the manager.
"That is a happy thought!" exclaimed the planter. "It never occurred tome. It is in just the right place; for my brother has given me warningthat I was in danger of being mobbed as an abolitionist, and thatnothing but his influence has prevented it from being done before."
"It is hard work for me to believe that doughface is a brother of yoursand the late colonel; but if he dared to show his face in it, he wouldbe the first man to get up such a demonstration. Excuse me, Major, if Iam talking too plainly," said Levi, who had little patience with, ortoleration for, Titus Lyon. "He may send his company of Home Guards overto clean out the mansion, but he won't come himself, for he is a poisonsnake."
"Perhaps you know my brother as he has developed himself in thislocality better than I do, though he has even shown his fangs, under amask, to me; but I shall keep the peace with him," replied Mr. Lyon verysadly.
"If he attempts anything of that sort, or any other border-ruffians do,I believe we can make them wish they had stayed at home," said Levistoutly.
"We can make the ice-house into a fortress for the protection of themansion," continued the planter. "It is near the creek, and commands thebridge and the road leading to it, which is the only practicableapproach to the mansion. The swamp half a mile back of the house liesbetween the spring road and the creek, and extends all the way to thehills, not less than ten miles by water; and no body of men can getthrough that way."
Though he had had no military experience, Noah Lyon talked like an armyengineer. He was a man of very decided general ability, and he readilycomprehended the situation so far as his plantation was concerned. Theice-house was about twenty-five feet square. It was built of stone underthe direction of Colonel Lyon, who had his own views, tho
ugh they werenot always scientific. To preserve the ice, which did not consist ofgreat solid blocks as in New Hampshire, he believed that thick wallswere necessary, and he had put two feet of solid masonry into them. Theice was generally not more than two inches thick in this latitude,though an exceptionally hard winter sometimes made it four. It waspacked in solid, and then permitted to freeze by leaving the door andtwo windows open during the freezing weather.
"Stop rowing," said Levi, when they came to a bend five miles above thebridge. "Now rest yourselves for five minutes, boys."
"Don't need no rest, mars'r," said General, as he drew his arm over hisforehead, from which the perspiration was dropping on the handle of hisoar. "We done pulled dis boat twenty mile widout stoppin' once."
"A little rest will do you no harm, for you will be kept at work tillmorning," replied Levi.
"Whar we gwine, mars'r?" asked General.
"About five miles farther," replied the overseer evasively. "Have youbrought your jackets or coats with you, boys?"
They had brought them. Levi had read of muffled oars, and he orderedeach of the rowers to wind the garment not in use around the loom of hisoar where it rested in the rowlock. They obeyed in silence, and no oneasked any question; for this reason they would have made good sailors,for they must obey without asking the reason for the command. They hadbeen well trained by the overseer.
"Now, not one of you must speak a loud word, or make any noise,"continued Levi, when he had seen that the oars were all properlymuffled. "You must excuse me, Major, if I request all in this part ofthe boat to keep still also; for we are coming to the nearest point tothe spring road. If there is any one on watch there, we will fool him ifwe can."
"All right, Levi; we will keep as still as mice in a pantry."
"Pull away again, boys," he added, to the disgust of General, who wantedhim to give his orders in "ship-shop" fashion.
The negroes obeyed the command just as well as though it had been"ship-shop;" and the Magnolia went ahead with renewed speed after therest. A little later the overseer ordered them to pull more slowly andwith less noise, for the oars could be heard in spite of the muffling.But they could not be heard at half the distance to the spring road, andno challenge came to them from that or any other direction.
"Now you may put your muscle into your oars, boys," said the overseerwhen the boat came to a bend which had carried it away farther from theroad.
The men bent to their oars again, and the Magnolia flew over the darkwater. Dark as it was, the pilot had no difficulty in keeping the boatin the middle of the creek. At the end of about an hour from theresting-place, Levi ordered the men to pull slowly again, for the boatwas approaching its destination. The planter lighted a match and lookedat his watch.
"Hold on, here, boys!" called the overseer. "We have gone too far, forhere is the mouth of the brook, and I reckon the flatboat is under thatheap of stuff;" and he pointed to a mound of branches by the shore ofthe inlet. "I reckon we want the lanterns now, Major Lyon. Did you lightone of them?"
"No; I only looked at my watch. We are in good time, for it wants aquarter of twelve," replied the planter. "Get out the lanterns, boys,and we will light them."
Levi worked the boat into the little inlet, and alongside of the mound.The flatboat was found under it, precisely as Artie had described it inthe library. Four of the hands were sent to the top of it, and orderedto clear away the branches, which they did by throwing them on shore andinto the water. The gundalow was baled out, and then its painter wasmade fast to the stern of the Magnolia. Deck and Artie were sent ashorewith one of the lanterns, and directed to find the sink.
The Magnolia towed the flatboat down the creek till Deck hailed her fromthe landing-place where they had gone ashore in the afternoon. By alittle after midnight the gundalow was moored at a convenient point forloading it.