CHAPTER THIRTY ONE.
I believe my hands trembled, but I stood up firmly in the boat andcharged the heavy piece, making the ramrod leap, as I had been told,examined the priming, and then, in obedience to my father's sign, satdown.
Pomp had taken both oars, and was dipping them gently from time to time,to keep the boat's head straight, and after a long look up the reach, myfather sat down too.
"Let's see, George," he said, "we are about a mile above thelanding-place, and we must give Morgan plenty of time to get there, upto the house, and back. Hold up your gun, and let the Indians see it ifthey are watching, and I suppose they are. These bow-and-arrow peoplehave a very wholesome dread of powder."
"But suppose they keep creeping near us under shelter, father," I said,"and shoot?"
"They will in all probability miss; let's hope so, at all events. Come,my lad, you have a gun, and you must play soldier now. Will you liedown under shelter of the boat's side?"
"Soldiers don't lie down," I said firmly, though I wanted to do so verybadly indeed.
"Oh, yes, they do sometimes. We will as soon as it is necessary; butwhat I want to do now, my boy, is to gain time. If we row swiftly tothe landing-place, the Indians will come on rushing from tree to tree,and be upon us in a few minutes, for I presume they are in force."
I told him quickly how many we had seen.
"It is a mercy that you went and were taken, George," he said; "it hassaved our lives, no doubt. But as I was saying, we want to gain time,and while we sit here slowly drifting down, with these menacing gunspointing in their direction, they will advance very slowly, and keepunder cover. If it becomes necessary, I shall have the boat turned, andadvance to meet them."
"And then, father?"
"They will retire for a time, not being able to understand so bold anadvance, and think that an attack is about to be made upon them from theother side. We must keep them back, and it is to be done by preservinga bold front. They are cruel and treacherous, and can fight well whenthey think they are in strength over a weak adversary; but from what Ilearned of those who have had to do with them, they are as cowardly asthey are cruel. Look!"
I gazed sharply up the wooded bank of the river, but I could seenothing, and said so.
"No; they were gone directly. They were two spies who had stolen closerup. It means war in earnest now, I am afraid."
He changed his position a little, and examined his gun.
"Mass' goin' shoot dat gun?" said Pomp, excitedly, after watching andlistening with all his energy.
"Yes, my lad," said my father, smiling.
"Mass' won't shoot Pomp?"
"No. Attend to the oars, and keep the boat's head straight. Don'tspeak."
"No, massa. Oh, look, dat dah!"
Pomp's loud exclamation was due to the fact that an arrow came flyingfrom a low clump of bushes nearly two hundred yards away, its reed shaftglistening in the ruddy light, and its wings looking as if of fire, tillit dropped without a splash into the river, far away from where we sat.
"Now I should like to return their fire," said my father, "but I am verydoubtful about my gun doing any harm at this distance, so we must wait.Pull a little, boy, but very gently, so that they will hardly be able tosee that we are doing anything to get away."
Pomp dipped the oars, and I sat with my heart beating, waiting to seeanother arrow come, but for quite a minute there was no sign.
"Good practice for one beginning a frontier life, George," said myfather. "Sweep the bank well, and note the smallest movement of abough. You see there is no wind to move them now."
"I am watching, father," I said, "but I cannot see anything."
"Pomp see lil bit o' one," came from behind us.
"Where, boy?"
"Dah by dat big tree. See um arm. Going to shoot."
Almost as the words left the boy's lips, an arrow came spinning throughthe air, describing a good arc, and falling in a direct line with theboat, some twenty yards short.
"That's better," said my father, coolly resting his gun on the stern,and half lying down in the boat. "Hah! I could see that."
I had also seen what appeared to be a quick movement of the bushes ashort distance from the edge of the bank, a movement which seemed suchas would have been made by an animal dashing through.
The waving of the foliage stopped just by a great swamp oak, and uponthis tree I fancied that my father fixed his eye.
"Dah again," said Pomp, excitedly. "Going shoot um bow an' arrow."
_Bang_!
The boat rocked a little with the concussion, and as the smoke lifted, Isaw an arrow drop into the river a long way to our left.
"I don't think I hit him," said my father; "but I disarranged his aim,and it will check him for a bit."
His words proved correct, for though he stood up in the boat tore-charge his piece, and offered a striking object for the Indian'sarrows, none came; and as we floated on and on, it began to seem as ifthe one shot had been enough to scare the enemy. I said so, but myfather shook his head.
"No such good fortune, my boy."
"What are you going to do, father?" I said, after some minutes'watching, and thinking how strange it was that my calm, quiet father,who was so fond of his studies and his garden, should in a time ofemergency like this prove himself to be a firm soldier, ready to fightor scheme against our dangerous foes.
"Escape to the settlement if we can get safely away."
"But--"
I stopped short.
"Well?" he said.
"I was thinking about the house and garden, the furniture and books, andall our treasures."
"Doomed, I'm afraid, George," he said with a sigh. "We must think aboutsaving our lives. We can build up the house again."
"Build it up again, father?"
"Yes, if it is burnt, and replace our books; but we cannot restore life,my boy. Besides, all these things that we shall lose are not worthgrieving over. There, I think we have waited long enough now to givethem time, and we are near the landing-place. Pull steadily now, boy,right for the posts."
Pomp obeyed, and the boat glided on, swept round a wooded point, and thelanding-place with its overhanging trees was in sight.
"Are they there?" said my father, sharply.
"I can't see them, father."
A sharp stamp with his foot on the thwart of the boat told of theexcitement he felt, and made me realise more than ever the peril we werein.
"Pull, boy--pull!" he said.
I sat down in front of Pomp, laid my gun across the thwarts, and placingmy hands on the oars, helped with a good thrust at every tug, sendingthe boat well along, so that in a couple of minutes more we were at thelanding-place, where I leaped out, and secured the boat by passing therope through a ring-bolt.
"Don't fasten it tightly," said my father; "leave it so that you canslip it at a moment's notice. No, no, boy, sit still ready to row."
Pomp, who was about to spring out, plumped down again, his brow wrinkledup, and his twinkling dark eyes watching my father, of whom he stood interrible awe.
"They ought to have been here; they ought to have been here," said myfather, unfastening the other boat, and making a loop of the rope thatcould be just hung over one of the posts, besides bringing the boatclose in.
"I cannot go, George," he said sharply. "This is our only means ofescape, and it would be like throwing it away: they ought to have beenhere."
"Pomp hear um come," cried the boy eagerly; and we both listened, butfor a few moments I could make out nothing.
Then as my father was eagerly scanning the edge of the river, gun inhand, on the look-out for the first approach of the Indians, I heard_plod_--_plod_--_plod_--_plod_, and directly after Morgan came intosight laden with the guns and ammunition, followed by Hannibal with abox on his shoulder; and lastly there was Sarah, red-faced and panting,as she bore a large white bundle that looked like a feather-bed tied upin a sheet.
"What madness!" cri
ed my father, angrily stamping his foot. "Quick,Morgan! Quick!"
Morgan broke into a trot, and soon reached us, rapidly placed his loadin the boat, and took up one of the pieces.
"How could you waste time by letting that woman come loaded in thisridiculous way?"
"She would bring them, sir; she wouldn't come without."
"No," said Sarah, who came up completely breathless, "I wasn't goingto."
"Into the boat," cried my father, "if you value your life!"
Hannibal was already in with his box, and my father tried to drag thebundle from Sarah, but she held on with such tenacity that she wasforced in bundle and all.
Hannibal placed the huge white sphere in the stern, where it rose uphigh and projected far over the sides. Then, in obedience to myfather's orders, he seized the oars and sat down.
"Quick, Morgan!" said my father; "be ready to fire steadily as you canif I give the order. Stop!" he cried quickly, as a sudden thoughtstruck him; "pass that box into this boat. There, across the stern, asyou have placed that bundle."
The boats were drawn together, and the transfer was made, while my handsgrew wet with perspiration as I scanned the edge of the forest, fancyingI could hear the breaking and rustling of twigs and leaves.
"Here dey come," said Pomp, huskily, just as my father exclaimed, "Castoff!" and the boats were thrust out into the stream.
It was only just in time, for as our boat was being thrust away with theoar there was a fierce yell, and a score of savages rushed out of theedge of the forest, ran rapidly over the bushy ground between, and thetwo first sprang into the shallow water, one of them seizing an oar, theother coming further out, and catching at the boat's side with one hand,striking at my father with an axe at the same time.
I felt as if the blow had struck me, so keen was the agony I endured;but relief came on the instant, for the axe edge was warded off by thebarrel of the piece my father held, and before the savage could strikeagain he received the butt of the piece full in his forehead, anddropped back into the water.
Meanwhile the other savage was trying to tear the oar from Pomp's grasp,and he would have succeeded had not the boy drawn the knife he had stuckin his waist, and given the Indian quickly a sharp cut across the hands,making him yell and loosen his hold.
The others were so near that we must have been captured had it not beenfor the sharp stream which had caught the boat, and was bearing us away.
In the second boat another struggle had taken place, three of theIndians, as I saw at my second glance, making for it; but they fared nobetter than their companions. Hannibal had already pushed off, and wasstanding up with one oar in his hand. This he swept round as if it werea huge two-handed sword, and one Indian went down at once; the secondcaught and clung to the oar, and he too struck at Hannibal with his axe;but the great black caught the handle, gave it a wrench round, tore itfrom the man's grasp, and I closed my eyes for a moment as I saw whatwas about to follow. When I opened them again the Indian was floatingin the river, and a companion was drawing him to land, while another washelping the Indian who had attacked Morgan, and was struck down by ablow with the gun-barrel.
The boats were now moving fast, and as I saw the Indians all therebending their bows, my father shouted "Fire!" Our three pieces went offnearly simultaneously with a tremendous roar, and when the smoke rose Isaw three men on the ground by our landing-place, and the others in fullflight for the forest. I stared at these three in horror, when, to mysurprise, they leaped up and ran after their companions. But threeothers lay where their comrades had dragged them half drowned, andstunned by the blows they had received. Those who got up and ran wereno doubt knocked down by their companions in their flight and dismay,for I do not think our fire did them any harm. But I was brought tomyself by a sharp command to reload.
"Quick! Crouch down!" said my father; and as he spoke a shower ofarrows whistled by, fortunately without doing hurt. "Morgan," continuedmy father, "make a breastwork of that bundle; it will protect you.Hannibal, row straight out, so as to get that bundle between you and theenemy."
The great black's response was a pull or two with one oar, while, inobedience to my father's instructions, Pomp did the same; and I now sawthe good of the box placed across the stern, behind which we twosheltered, and kept up as rapid a fire as we could, doing but littleharm, for the Indians were well sheltered among the trees, and rarelyshowed more than a hand and arm with one side of the face, the rest ofthe body being always hidden behind the trunk of some great tree. Butour shots did good to this extent, for whenever the enemy made adetermined rush, as if to reach a spot opposite to where the boatsglided down stream, a little volley invariably sent them back to cover.
Still by darting from tree to tree, or crawling under the thick bushes,they kept close in our wake, and poor Sarah's encumbrances provedinvaluable, the box and huge bundle forming excellent shelter, frombehind which we could fire, saving the woman too as she lay right in thebottom of the boat; for the arrows came fast--_whizz, whizz, whizz_, nowsticking in the box with a hollow sounding rap, or into the big bundlein the other boat with a dull, thudding sound, till both box and bundleactually bristled with the missiles.
"Keep your head down, my boy," my father kept saying to me. "Only lookup when you are going to fire."
This was good advice, but I did not see that he took it to himself, andI kept feeling a curious shrinking sensation as some better-aimed arrowthan usual struck the box close to his head.
And so we went slowly on, my father dividing his time between loading,firing, and directing Pomp and Hannibal how to row, so as to keep theboats one behind the other, and diagonally across the stream, so thatour sheltering defences might be presented square to the enemy, whofollowed us along the bank.
I'm afraid--and yet I do not know that I ought to speak like that of aset of savages who were thirsting for our blood--several of the Indianswent down severely wounded, not from my firing, but from that of Morgan,for I saw them stagger and fall three times over after his shots. Whathappened after my father's I could not see, for we were close together,and the smoke obscured everything.
For fully ten minutes this duel between lead and arrow went on, but noone on our side was hurt, though we had some very narrow escapes. Ifelt one arrow give quite a twitch at my hair as it passed close to mytemple, and another went through my father's hat. In the other boat tooMorgan kept answering to our inquiries, and telling us that all wasright, only that some of the arrows had come, as he termed it, "preciousnigh, look you."
"We shall not shake them off," said my father, "till we reach the mouthand get into the big river, when I hope our firing will be heard and putthem on their guard at the settlement. So don't spare your shots whenwe get well out. They will be doing double duty--scaring the enemy andwarning our friends. That's right, Pompey, my lad, pull steadily."
"Iss, massa, pull berry 'tead'ly," said the boy, grinning.
"As soon as we get a little farther we will relieve you, my lad; andthen, George," he said, turning to me, "we must row hard for thesettlement, unless," he added, sadly, "the enemy are before us, andthen--Hah!"
I started at the moment when my father uttered that ejaculation, for anarrow dropped between us, and stuck quivering in the thwart, standingnearly upright, as if it had fallen from the clouds.
"They have altered their tactics," said my father. "Look there."
Another arrow fell with a faint _plop_ into the river close to the edgeof the boat. "They find our breastwork too much for them," said myfather; "and they are shooting up right over us, so as to try and hit usthat way."
"Oh! Oh! Oh!" came in wild yells of pain from Pomp, as I heard a dullthud just behind me; and turning sharply, there was the boy dancingabout in his agony, and tugging to free his hand from an arrow which hadfallen and gone right through, pinning it to one of the oars.
"Stop! Don't struggle, boy," cried my father, laying his gun across thebox.
"But um hurt dreffle,
massa. Oh, Mass' George, lookye here--lookyedah."
The boat was drifting now, and turning slowly side on to the shore, whenmy father made a sign, and I left my gun lying across the box and creptinto Pomp's place, while my father seized the boy's hand, held ittightly, detached the arrow with a tug from where it stuck in the oar,and then as I began to row he pulled Pomp down into the bottom of theboat, the boy sobbing with the pain.
_Whizz_! An arrow made me duck my head, and I don't know how I looked,but I felt as if I must have turned pale.
"Pull your right, George; pull your right," said my father, coolly."Now, Pomp, my boy, let me look. Come, be a man."
My father took his hand, and the boy jumped and uttered a cry of pain,but he evidently mastered himself, and rising to his knees, he resignedhimself to my father, but doubled his other fist and shook it in thedirection of the shore as he shouted fiercely--
"Ah, you wait bit, great big coward--great big ugly Injum tief. Youwait bit--Pomp and um fader get hold you, gib you de 'tick. Hab youflog--hab you--Oh! Oh, Mass' Capen, done, done," he cried piteously,changing his tone and appealing to my father, as he saw him take out andopen his great gardening knife, which was as sharp as a razor.
"Be quiet," said my father; "I will not hurt you much."
"No, no," whimpered Pomp. "Mass' George, ask massa not cut arm off.Cut off lil toe, Massa Capen; cut off um foot. What poor lil nigger dowif ony one arm?"
"Be quiet, you cowardly little rascal," said my father, smiling, as withone sharp cut he took off the head of the arrow, and then easily drewthe shaft back from where it had passed right through Pomp's black hand.
As soon as he saw the arrow-head cut off, and understood what my fathermeant, Pomp knelt there as coolly as could be.
"Hurt much?" said my father, pressing his finger and thumb on the woundat the back and palm of the boy's hand.
"Um tickle, sah: dat all. Pomp tought you cut um arm off. Hi! Youdah," he shouted excitedly; "you wait till Pomp get lil bit of rag roundum hand, you see how I serb you. Yah! You big coward Injum tief."
My father rapidly drew his handkerchief from his pocket, tore a pieceoff, divided it in two, and making the two pieces into little pads,applied one each to the back and front of the boy's hand before bindingthem securely there.
As soon as this was done, Pomp looked up at him with his eyes sparklingand showing his teeth.
"Pomp not mind a bit," he said. "Here, Mass' George, come here an'shoot um. Let Pomp hab de oars."
"No," said my father. "Sit down there in the bottom of the boat. Hah!"
He seized his gun and fired; then caught up mine, waited till the smokehad risen a little, and fired again, a shot coming almost at the samemoment from the other boat.
It was quite time, for the Indians, encouraged by the cessation of thefiring, and seeing that some one was wounded, were coming on wellabreast of us. But the first shot warned them, and the two whichfollowed sent them once more back under cover, leaving one of theirnumber, to Pomp's great delight, motionless among the canes.
"Ha, ha!" he laughed; "you cotch it dis time, sah. How you like feel deshot, eh? You no 'tick arrow froo poor lil nigger hand again, you no--Oh, Mass' George, look dah!"
For the prostrate man suddenly rolled over, half rose, darted amongstthe canes, and we could see by his movements that he was rapidly gettingahead. Then another and another darted to him, and to our misery we sawthat they were making for a wooded point a couple of hundred yardsahead.
"Mean to take us between two fires," said my father, who was coollyreloading, in spite of the arrows which kept on dropping down in andabout the boat as the Indians sent them right up in the air.
"Morgan!" shouted my father.
"Yes, sir."
"Turn your fire in the other direction, and drive those fellows out ofthat clump of trees on the point."
"Yes, sir."
The next minute there was a sharp report, and then another.
"That's right, boy," said my father to Pomp, who was eagerly watchinghim reloading, and handing the ammunition. "Why, George--Ah, that arrowwas near; did it hurt you?"
"Only scratched me, father," I said, as I winced a little, for one ofthe Indians' missiles had fallen, ploughed my leg a little, and pinnedthe fold of my breeches to the thwart on which I sat.
Pomp crept to my side and pulled out the arrow, examining the hole inthe thwart, and saying merrily--
"I no 'tink you want lil bit rag round you, sah."
"No, Pomp; go back and help to load."
_Bang_--_bang_! Was heard again from the foremost boat; but arrows camenow fast from the wooded point we were approaching.
"How does Morgan manage to load so quickly?" said my father, who kept ontalking calmly, as I believe now to encourage us.
"I think Morgan is--I mean I think Sarah is loading for him," I replied,rather confusedly, as the trees and the wooded bank began to grow mistyand dim.
"Ah, very likely. Great--"
The one word came in a very different tone of voice, as a wild shriekrang out from the foremost boat, followed by a momentary silence.
"What is it?" said my father, sternly.
His demand was almost accompanied by a couple more shots in closesuccession.
"One down, sir," said Morgan, coolly; but his voice sounded to medistant and strange.
"Pull hard, George, my lad--your right. We must give that point as widea berth as we can."
I obeyed as well as I could, and half wondered at the singing noise inmy ears.
_Bang_! Came from the foremost boat, and I seemed to know that Morganhad no one to load for him now, and that poor Sarah had uttered thatshriek we had heard. Then I saw that my father was resting his gun onthe foremost part of the boat, and he too fired at the woody point, fromwhich arrow after arrow came in quick succession.
And still I rowed hard, with the perspiration streaming down to soak me.
_Whizz_--_thud_--_whizz_--_whizz_, and an angry ejaculation from myfather; I did not know why, nor yet why Pomp uttered a shrillejaculation, for I was pulling with all my might like one in a dream. Ifelt once as if I should like to look back and see how near we were tothe point that I knew must be close at hand; but everything was gettingdark, and a horrible sensation of sickness was coming on. Then thesharp report of my father's piece made me start and pull harder, as Ithought, and I tried to look toward the shore, where a wild yelling hadarisen; but Pomp's words uttered close to me took my attention, and in adreamy way I supposed that another Indian had been killed.
Then the boy spoke again in a low whimpering way--
"Massa--massa--look at de blood. Oh, Mass' George! Mass' George!"