CHAPTER FORTY TWO.
Morning at last, after the horrors of that eventful night. Every onelooked jaded and despondent; but as the sun rose, and the women andchildren were allowed to leave the confinement of the prison-likeblock-house to return to their larger tents and shelters, a good deal ofthe misery and discomfort was forgotten.
For as soon as it was day a couple of scouting parties issued from thegate and advanced cautiously through the plantations, tracing the courseof the Indians easily enough, and following it up to the forest.
The advance was made with the greatest precaution, the men stealing fromgarden to plantation, and from fence to fence, expecting to receivearrows at any moment, and with their fire-locks ready to reply to thefirst inimical shot.
But no arrow sped toward them as they scouted on past the ruined houses;and the men's countenances grew sadder as they passed the smoulderingheaps of ashes, and grasped their pieces more firmly, longing for anopportunity to punish the wretches who were destroying our homes.
My father took command of one of these scouting parties, and after alittle persuasion he gave me his consent that we two boys shouldaccompany it. He refused at first, but on my pointing out how keenPomp's sight and sense of hearing were, he reluctantly said yes, and wewent slowly on.
We stopped at each burned home we passed, to see how complete thedestruction was; and, though I said nothing to my father, I could nothelp comparing the piles of newly-charred wood, and ashes to what I hadseen at our own clearing.
It was exciting work as we went on, with our eyes fixed upon every spotlikely to afford shelter to an Indian. The men spread out, and workedround clump of trees or patch of cane. But no Indian was seen, and atlast we approached the forest.
Here Pomp was invaluable. He seemed to have no sense of fear, in spiteof the experiences he had gone through; and again and again he had to bechecked and kept from rushing among the trees, where the enemies mighthave been lying waiting in force.
He was not long in pointing out the place where the Indians had left theshelter of the forest, and soon after he found out another spot where itwas quite as plain that they had returned--evidently working in aregularly organised way; and at first sight, as we gazed down at thefootprints, one might have thought that only one man had passed, but myfather explained to me how one seemed to have stepped in another'strack, which had grown deeper and broader, till it was plainly markedwherever the soil was soft.
As soon as Pomp had pointed this out, he was for diving in among thedensely-clustered trees, which began directly cultivation ended, justbeyond where their fellows had been levelled and dragged away, leavingthe stumps in many cases standing out of the ground with the cropsbetween. But my father sternly called him back, and, satisfied that theenemy was not within touch, as proved by the fact that no arrow had spedtowards us, the word was passed along the widespread line from ourcentre to the extreme ends, and we retreated, leaving three videttesunder shelter in commanding positions, where they could at once see ifany Indian scouts left the edge of the forest, and so give the alarm.
As we marched back toward the fort through the plantations, which werealready displaying the effects of neglect, I asked my father if he didnot think it possible that the Indians might be watching us all thetime.
"They were watching Morgan and me that day when we killed therattlesnake," I said.
"It is quite possible," he replied, turning to me directly; "but wecould do no more. My orders were to search the ground, and make surethat no Indians were lurking in the plantations. I have done that. Tohave attempted to enter the forest with the few men under my orderswould have been to invite destruction without doing any good."
"Yes, I see, father," I replied.
"They may have been lying in hiding only a short distance in, but Iscarcely think so. The temptation to destroy from their lurking-places,whence they could shoot at us unseen, would have been too great."
By this time we had reached the gate, and we filed in for my father togo and make his report of what he had done to our commanding officer,while I went with Pomp to where Hannibal was playing the part of cook,and waiting our return.
"What's the matter?" I said to my companion, who was looking disturbedand sulky.
"Why come back?" he said. "Why not go shoot all um Injum, and--"
Pomp stopped short and gave a loud sniff.
He had smelt food, and nothing else had the smallest interest for himnow till his wants had been supplied.
A busy day was spent in perfecting our means of defence against theenemy we dreaded now the most. Blankets were laid ready by twos, andmen were drilled in the use to which they were to be put if theblock-house was fired. For they were to be rapidly spread here andthere and deluged with water, scouting parties being sent out to each ofthe uninjured homes in turn to collect any tubs or barrels that had beenoverlooked before.
The men worked well, and a cheer was sent up whenever some barrel wasrolled in from one of the farther dwellings and carried up to theblock-house roof, and filled ready. But at last there was nothing moreto be done in this direction, and we rested from our labours.
So great had been the stress of the previous night, that the men wereordered to lie down to sleep in turns, so as to be prepared for a freshalarm; but it was a long time before I could close my eyes as I layunder the canvas.
I was weary, of course, but too weary, and though I closed my eyestightly, and said I would go to sleep, there was always something tobattle against it. At one time, just as I fancied I was dozing off,there was the sound of footsteps and a burst of laughter from some ofthe children, who raced about in the hot sunshine untroubled by thedangers that threatened.
As I lay listening, and recognising the sport in which they wereengaged, I could not help wishing that I was a child, and not mixed upwith all these terrors just as if I were a man.
"If we could only be at peace again!" I thought; and I lay wakeful,still thinking of the garden, the growing fruit, the humming-birds thatwhirred about like great insects among the flowers, and emitted a brightflash every now and then as the sun glanced from their scale-likefeathers.
Then I pictured the orioles too, that pale yellow one with the blackback and wings, and the gay orange and black fellow I so often saw amongthe trees. "How beautiful it all used to be!" I sighed. "Why can'tthe Indians leave us alone?"
At last I grew drowsy, and lay dreamily fancying it was a hot, stillnight at home with the window open, and the cry of the whip-poor-will--that curious night-jar--coming from out of the trees of the swamp farbeyond the stream where the alligators bellowed and the frogs kept uptheir monotonous, croaking roar.
_Buzz_--_oooz_--_oooz_!
"Bother the flies!"
I was wide-awake with the sun glaring on the canvas, and a great flybanging against it, knocking and butting its head and wings, when allthe time there was the wide opening through which it had come ready forit to fly out.
"Ugh! You stupid thing," I muttered, pettishly, as I lay watching ithardly awake, thinking I would get up and catch it, or try to drive itout; but feeling that if I did I should only kill it or damage it sothat its life would be a misery to it, make myself hotter than I was,and perhaps not get rid of the fly after all.
"Well," I cried, pettishly, "that's too bad!"
For there was a fresh buzzing. Another fly had dashed in, and the twowere playing a duet that was maddening to my overwrought senses.
"Now, what can be the use of flies?" I said, pettishly. "They areinsufferable: buzzing, teasing, and stinging, making the whole placemiserable."
I was in such an overstrung state from want of rest and excitement thatI found myself thinking all kinds of nonsense, but there was somecommon-sense mixed up with it, like a few grains of oats amongst a greatdeal of the rough tares in which they grew, and I began to look at thestate of affairs from the other point of view, as I watched those twoflies darting here and there in zigzag, or sailing round and round, toevery now
and then encounter with a louder buzz, and dart off again.And in spite of my vexation, I found myself studying them, and thinkingthat small as they were their strength was immense. Compared to mine itwas astounding. I walked a few miles and I was weary, but here werethey apparently never tiring, darting here and there with their wingsvibrating at such an astounding rate that they were invisible._Whizz_--_whuzz_--_dash_!--here, there, and everywhere withlightning-like rapidity.
"It's wonderful," I said at last, and I thought how strange it was thatI had never thought of such a thing before.
"Now I dare say," I found myself saying, "they think that we are asgreat a nuisance as we think them, for putting up a rough canvas tentlike this, and catching them so that they cannot get out. Stuff! Idon't believe flies can think, or else they would be able to find theway out again."
_Buzz_--_buzz_! _buzz_--_buzz_!
A regular heavy, regular long-drawn breathing that grew louder now aftera rustling sound, and I knew at once that it was Pomp who had turnedround, got into an uncomfortable position, and was now drawing hisbreath in a way that closely resembled a snore.
"Oh, you tiresome wretch!" I muttered. "How dare you go and sleepsoundly when I am so tired out that I can't?"
At last in utter despair I rose, pulled off my loose coat so as only toretain shirt and breeches, bathed my face in a bucket just outside, andcould not resist the temptation to sprinkle a few drops on Pomp's faceas he lay there fast asleep in the shade. But they had not theslightest effect, and I crept into our rough tent again, smoothed theblanket, and lay down and closed my eyes once more, while the two flieswere joined by another, and the buzzing was louder than ever.
"Go on," I said; "I don't care. One can't go to sleep in the daytime,but one can rest one's legs;" and as I said this pettishly I knew it wasnot true, for Pomp's heavy breathing came plainly through the canvas toprove how thoroughly I was in the wrong.
So giving up all idea of going to sleep, I lay there on my back, lookingup at the fabric of the canvas, through which every now and then therewas a faint ray of sunshine so fine that a needle-point would have beenlarge in comparison. Then I began to think about my father, and what adeal of care and anxiety he seemed to have; how sad he generally was;and I set his grave manner down to the real cause--my mother's death.
Then I began to think of how hot it was, and that as near as I couldguess it must be two hours after noon. Then about how pleasant it wouldbe to begin rebuilding our house, and how long it would take, and aboutHannibal and Pomp, and what a gentleman the former seemed to be bynature in his stern, quiet way; always willing to do anything for us,and watching me whenever he saw me, to know if there was anything Iwanted; and so big, and strong, and brave.
Then I thought of our terrible experience under the great cypress tree,and at one time it was very horrible, but directly after not at all so.
"It seems very terrible to kill any one, but Han knew that if he did notkill them they would kill us, and I do believe he would sooner be killedhimself than let any one hurt either father or me. And what a rumlittle fellow Pomp is," I thought; "and how he gives up directlyHannibal says anything in his language.
"I wonder what his language is! One can't call it black language,because it isn't black--only what black people speak. I wonder whetherI could learn it. Seems to be all _ing_, and _ung_, and _ang_, and_ng_, without any letters before it. I'll make Hannibal teach me tospeak like he does. He would if I asked him. S'pose I should have tolearn it without books, and one couldn't write it, and--Oh, dear me!How hot, and tired, and thirsty I am!
"I wish Pomp wouldn't buzz so.
"No, I mean I wish the flies wouldn't snore so.
"No; I mean the Indians--the--"
I started up, and looked round confusedly, to see the flies darting hereand there, and buzzing more loudly than ever, while Pomp had settledinto a decided snore. It was hotter than before, and great drops stoodon my face, and tickled as they ran together and made greater drops.The children too were still playing about, and laughing merrily, and Iwent on thinking that the flies must be teasing Pomp very much, and thatthose children would laugh and play if the Indians came and buzzed roundthe tent; and that one which had settled on the canvas just over my headdidn't frighten them by swelling out so big, and opening and shuttinghis great jaws with such a loud snap. What a number of fish he must eatin a day, and how I should have liked to watch him when he beat thewater with his tail, so as to stun the fish and make them easy to catch!
"And so that's where you live, is it, my fine fellow? Pomp and I willcome with a stick, and thrust it down the hole, and make you bite, anddrag you out. We should want a rope ready to put round your neck, andanother to tie your jaws, and one of us would have to slip it on prettyquickly before you spread your wings and began to fly round the tent,and began talking in that ridiculous way. Whoever heard of an alligatorimitating Morgan, and trying to deceive me like that, just as we weregoing to catch him on the canvas where it was so tight? Eh! What say?Why don't you bellow? What!--no, I shan't. He is very comfortablehere, and--Ah!"
That alligator had crept over into the tent, planted its foot upon mychest, and was moving it heavily, as it said out of the darkness inMorgan's voice--
"Oh, Master George, do wake up, my lad, and come! Be quick, pray!"