CHAPTER V.
A Run for Life.
Archie was as light of foot as an antelope, and fear lent him wings. Inobedience to his cousin's instructions, he ran up the river, directinghis course through a thick woods, jumping over logs and making his waythrough the bushes with a rapidity that surprised himself. The rebel whohad discovered him followed for a short distance, but finding that hewas losing ground, he stopped and fired his revolver in the direction hesupposed Archie had gone; but the bullets went wide of the mark, and thelatter, who now regarded his escape as a thing beyond a doubt, laughedwhen he thought how cleverly he had accomplished the object of theexpedition.
Having reached a safe distance from the house, he stopped and listened.He distinctly heard the crackling of flames, and presently a brightlight shone over the trees. The building was fairly in a blaze. He was,however, allowed scarcely a moment to congratulate himself, for theyells of the guerrillas plainly told him that they had discovered thefire, and were commencing pursuit. Archie again set out, intent onreaching clear ground as soon as possible, for he knew that no planwould be left untried to capture him. His situation was still any thingbut a pleasant one, but he was sanguine of reaching the vessel insafety, until a long-drawn-out bay came echoing through the woods, anddrove the blood back upon his heart. The rebels were following him witha blood-hound!
For a moment Archie staggered as though he had been struck a severe blowby some unseen hand, but quickly realizing the fact that his safetydepended upon his own exertions and the use he made of the next fewmoments, he speedily recovered his presence of mind, and hastilysecuring his revolvers, which, up to this time, he had carried in thepockets of his pea-jacket, he pulled off that garment, and throwing iton the ground, started off at the top of his speed.
Being thus relieved of a great incumbrance, he made headway rapidly,but, fast as he ran, he heard that dreadful sound coming nearer, mingledwith loud yells of triumph from the pursuing rebels He had, withsurprise and indignation, listened to Frank's description of his runfrom Shreveport, when he and his companions had been pursued withblood-hounds, little imagining that he would ever be placed in a similarsituation.
And how did it happen that he had not aroused the hound while he wasabout the house? Had he moved so silently that the animal had not heardhim, or had he been in the building with the men? This question Archiecould not answer. But one thing was certain, and that was that the houndwas, at that very moment, on his trail, and unless he soon reached theriver his capture was beyond a doubt. He, however, had no fears of beingoverpowered by the hound. He fully realized the fact that he would soonbe overtaken, and had resolved to shoot the animal the moment he madehis appearance.
The yells of the rebels grew fainter, and Archie knew he was gaining onthem. This gave him encouragement. In fact, since the hound had openedon his trail, after the first momentary feeling of terror had vanished,he had retained his coolness in a remarkable degree, and had countedover his chances for capture and escape with surprising deliberation forone who had never before been placed in so exciting and dangerous asituation. We have seen that he felt fear. Had it been otherwise he musthave possessed nerves of steel, or have been utterly destitute of thepower of reasoning; but that fear did not so completely overpower him asit had but a short time before, when he lay behind the bush, andlistened to the guerrilla's plan for the capture of the Boxer and hercrew. On the contrary, it nerved him to make the greatest exertions toeffect his escape.
In a few moments, to his great joy, he emerged from the woods andentered an open field, across which he ran with redoubled speed.Directly in front of him was another belt of timber, and beyond that laythe river, which, if he could reach, he would be safe. The baying of thehound had continued to grow louder and louder, and, when Archie hadaccomplished perhaps half the distance across the field, a crashing inthe bushes and an impatient bark announced, in language too plain to bemisunderstood, that the hound had discovered him.
In an instant he stopped, faced about, and drew one of his revolvers.Stooping down close to the ground, he finally discovered the hound,which approached with loud yelps, that were answered by triumphantcheers from the pursuing rebels. Waiting until the animal was so closeto him that he presented a fair mark, Archie raised his revolver andfired. The hound bounded into the air, and, after a few struggles, laymotionless on the ground. Scarcely waiting to witness the effect of theshot, the young officer sprang to his feet, and again started for theriver. The yells of the rebels--who had heard the shot, and knew, fromthe silence that followed, that the hound was dead--again arose fierceand loud; but Archie, knowing that his pursuers had now lost the powerof following him with certainty, considered the worst part of the dangeras past.
But he had to deal with those who could not be easily deceived. ColonelHarrison, knowing that the only chance for escape was by the river, hadlined the banks with men, and, as Archie neared the woods, a voicedirectly in front of him called out:
"It's all up now, Yank! Drop that shootin'-iron, or you're a gonesucker!"
Archie's heart fairly came up into his mouth. He had little expected tofind an enemy in that quarter, but, without waiting an instant, heturned and ran up the river again, hoping that he might soon be able toget above the sentinels. The rebel, hearing the sound of his footsteps,and knowing that he was retreating, shouted:
"Halt, Yank! halt! or I'll shoot--blamed if I don't!"
And he _did_ shoot, and Archie heard the bullet as it sung throughthe air behind him.
The rebel, without stopping to load his gun, started in pursuit; butArchie, who was running for his life, soon left him behind. As thelatter ran he heard shots fired on all sides of him, showing that he wascompletely surrounded.
Escape seemed utterly impossible; and fearing that he might run into thevery midst of the guerrillas when he least expected it, he threw himselfbehind a log in the edge of the woods, and awaited the issue of eventswith feelings that can not be described. He now had little hope of beingable to elude his pursuers, who, he was certain, would keep the riverclosely guarded until daylight, when they would soon discover hishiding-place. He could not go on without fear of running against some ofhis enemies, in the dark, and to remain where he was, appeared equallydangerous. But of one thing he was certain--and as the thought passedthrough his mind, he clutched his revolvers desperately--and that was,if he was captured, it would require more than one man to do it.
Presently he heard footsteps approaching, and two rebels came up. One ofthem he knew, by his voice, was the very man who had just fired at him.
"I know he went this yere way," said he.
"Wal, hold on a minit," said the other, panting loudly; "let's rest aleetle--I'm nigh gin out;" and he seated himself so close to Archiethat, had it been daylight, he would certainly have been discovered.
"I'll be dog-gone," said the one who had first spoken, "ef this 'erenight's work don't beat all natur'. Them ar Yanks ain't no fools, dog efthey ar!"
"Who'd a thought it?" returned his companion. "Them ar two fellers comeout here an' burn a house with more'n three hundred men in it? Dog-gone!But how did that other feller get away?"
"Oh, he had a boat," answered the other, "an he got thar afore we couldketch him. He's on board his gun-boat afore this time. I jest ketched aglimpse of him as he was goin' down the bank. He had Damon by the neck,an' he was makin' him walk turkey, now I tell yer."
"Damon ketched!" ejaculated his companion. "An' what's come on thekernel's mail?"
"Gone up--the hul on it! Damon's got the bracelets on by this time. Butcome, let's go on."
All this while the rebels had been coming up, and Archie could hear themin the woods, on all sides of him, yelling and swearing, like demons. Hehad one source of consolation, however--his cousin was safe; and,judging by the rebels' conversation, he had not gone back to the vesselempty-handed.
Archie lay for some time listening to the movements of the rebels,almost afraid to breathe lest it should be overheard, when
he wassuddenly startled by a stunning report, which was followed by a hissingand shrieking in the air; a bright light shone in his eyes for aninstant, and the next, the woods echoed with the bursting of a shell.The guerrillas had scarcely time to recover from their astonishment whenthere came another, and another, each one followed by groans and criesof anguish that made the young officer shudder.
Frank Nelson had gained the Boxer in safety, and although surprised andalarmed at the absence of Archie--who, he thought, would make the bestof his way back to the vessel when left to himself--he knew by theyelling of the rebels, and the pistol-shots that were occasionallyheard, that they had not yet captured him. The noise of the chaseplainly told the Boxer's crew that the fugitive was making the best ofhis way up the river, and Frank had opened fire on the rebels to create,if possible, a diversion in his cousin's favor. His shells were thrownwith fatal accuracy, and the guerrillas, taken completely by surprise,and having no levee to protect them, beat a hasty retreat.
Although threatened by a new danger, Archie was so overjoyed that hecould scarcely refrain from shouting, and as soon as he was satisfiedthat his pursuers were out of hearing, he crawled from his concealmentand ran toward the river. The shells still kept dropping into the woodsat regular intervals, making music most pleasant to Archie's ears, forhe knew that as long as the fire was continued, his chances for escapewere increased. But in his eagerness he never thought of the men who hadbeen posted on the bank, and as he dashed through the woods, severalshots were fired at him by the rebels concealed in the bushes. But hereached the water in safety, and struck out for the vessel. A few randomshots were fired at him, which Archie heard as they whistled past him;but his good fortune had not deserted him, and he again escaped unhurt.The reports of the guns on board the Boxer pointed out the direction inwhich he was to go, and in a quarter of an hour he was withinhailing-distance of the vessel. The splashing he made in the water soonattracted the attention of the sentry on the forecastle, who, havingbeen instructed by Frank, had kept a good look-out. A rope was thrown toArchie, who was pulled on board the vessel in a state of completeexhaustion.
Frank was soon informed of the safe return of his cousin, and Archie,almost too weak to speak plainly, was carried to his room, where, afterbeing divested of his wet clothes, he was put to bed, and left in asound sleep. The next morning, however, he appeared in the mess-room, aslively as ever, and none the worse for his long run; while Frank, whobegan to suffer from his wound, was confined to his bed.
The latter listened to his cousin's narration of the part he had bornein the expedition, and in admiration of Archie's bravery, forgot thelecture he had intended to administer. The officers, who had notexpected such an exhibition of courage in one whose cheek had blanchedat the whistle of a rebel bullet, were astonished, and it is needless tosay that no more jokes were indulged in at the expense of the "greenpaymaster."
For two months Frank held his position as executive officer of theBoxer, during which time the vessel was twice inspected by the admiral.He now had little to do beyond the regular routine of ship duties, forthe guerrilla-station had been broken up by the burning of theplantation-house, and vessels were seldom fired into on the Boxer'sbeat. But this was not to continue long, for, one day, the dispatch-boatbrought orders for him to report on board the Michigan--which lay at themouth of Red River--as executive officer of that vessel.
This was still another advancement, for the Michigan was an iron-clad,mounted fourteen guns, and had a crew of one hundred and seventy men.But Frank would have preferred to remain in his present position. Afterconsiderable hard work, he had brought the Boxer's crew into anadmirable state of discipline; every thing about decks went off assmoothly as could be desired, and besides, Archie was on board, and hedid not wish to leave him. But he never hesitated to obey his orders,and as soon as he had packed his trunk, and taken leave of hismessmates, he went on board the dispatch-boat, and in a few days arrivedat his new vessel.
The captain of the Michigan had written to the admiral, requesting thata "first-class, experienced officer" might be sent him for an executive,but when Frank presented himself and produced his orders, that gentlemanwas astonished. After regarding the young officer sharply for a moment,he said:
"The admiral, no doubt, knows his own business, but let me tell you,young man, that you have no easy task before you."
He no doubt thought that a person of Frank's years was utterly incapableof filling so responsible a position. The latter, with his usualmodesty, replied that he would endeavor to do his duty, and after he hadseen his baggage taken care of, he went into the wardroom, where hefound a young officer seated at the table reading. He arose as Frankentered, and thrusting out his hand, greeted him with--
"I'm glad to meet you again, Mr. Nelson, and among friends, too."
It was George Le Dell, the escaped prisoner, whom he had met during hismemorable flight from Shreveport. Frank had not seen him, nor even heardof him, since he had left him on board the Ticonderoga; but here he was,"among the defenders of the Old Flag" again, in fulfillment of thepromise he had made his rebel father, in the letter which Frank had readto his fellow fugitives in the woods, where they had halted for the day.He was not changed--his face still wore that sorrowful expression--andFrank found that he rarely took part in the conversation around themess-table. He was an excellent officer, the especial favorite of thecaptain, and beloved by all his messmates, who, very far from suspectingthe cause of his quiet demeanor, called him "Silence."
Frank heartily returned his cordial greeting, and the two friends talkedfor a long time of scenes through which they had passedtogether--subjects still fresh in their memories--until the entrance ofan officer put a stop to the conversation. Frank understood, by this,that he was the only one of the ship's company who knew any thing ofGeorge's past history.
The change from the cool, comfortable quarters of the Boxer to the hotwardroom of the ironclad was not an agreeable one; but Frank was not theone to complain, and he entered upon his duties with his accustomedcheerfulness and alacrity. He was allowed very little rest. The captainof the Michigan--which was the flag-ship of the third division of thesquadron--was a regular officer, who believed in always keeping the menbusy at something, and Frank was obliged to be on his feet from morninguntil night. The decks were scrubbed every day, the bright work aboutthe guns and engines cleaned, the small boats washed out, and then camequarters, and drilling with muskets or broad-swords. After this, ifthere was nothing else to be done, the outside of the vessel wasscrubbed, or the chimneys repainted. In short, the Michigan was thepattern of neatness, and her crew, being constantly drilled, knewexactly what was required of them, and were ready for any emergency.
For several months little occurred to relieve the monotony of ship-lifebeyond making regular trips from one end of their beat to the other; butwhen spring opened, gun-boats and transports, loaded with soldiers,began to assemble, and preparations were made for the Red Riverexpedition. At length every thing was ready, and one pleasant morningthe gun-boats weighed their anchors and led the way up the river.
Frank stood on deck as the vessels steamed along, and could not helpdrawing a contrast between his present position and the one in which hewas placed when he first saw Red River. Then, he and his companions werefugitives from a rebel prison; they had been tracked by bloodhounds, andfollowed by men at whose hands, if retaken, they could expect nothingbut death. He remembered how his heart bounded with joy on the morningwhen he and his associates, in their leaky dug-out, had arrived in sightof the Mississippi. Then, he was ragged, hatless, and almost shoeless,weary with watching, and living in constant fear of recapture. Now, hewas among friends, the Old Flag waved above him, and he was the secondin command of one of the finest vessels in the squadron.
The passage up the river was without incident worthy of note, and in ashort time they arrived at the obstructions which the rebels had placedin the river nine miles below Fort De Russy. A vast amount of time andlabor had been expend
ed upon these obstructions, but they were speedilycleared away, and the fleet passed on. They had expected a stubbornresistance at the fort, but it had been captured by the army after ashort engagement, and the gun-boats kept on to Alexandria.