CHAPTER FORTY EIGHT.
I passed the early part of that night now seated in the darkness by myfather, now stealing away when I believed him to be asleep, and joiningMorgan, who was acting as one of the sentries, and had kept Pomp by hisside so as to make use of his keen young eyes, which seemed to seefarther through the darkness of the night than those of any one else inthe camp.
And as I stood at Morgan's side I could not help thinking of the greatchange that had taken place. Only a few hours before the fort wascrackling and blazing, huge logs splitting with a loud report, andwreaths of fire and smoke circling up into the lurid sky, while allwithin the enclosure was lit up, and glistened and glowed in the intenselight. Now all was gloom, depression, and darkness--a darkness so thickthat it seemed to me as if the Indians had only to come gently up andselect the place to climb over and then carry all before them.
I was tired and despondent, and that made me take, I suppose, so drearya view of my position, as I waited for the enemy's advance. And yet Ithink my despondency was warranted, for I felt that if the Indiansattacked they would carry everything before them; and if they did Icould not doubt the determination of Morgan and his companions. Andthere I found myself standing beside the man who was ready to put alight to the powder and send everything into chaos--for that he would doit in the emergency I felt sure.
I had been backwards and forwards several times, and was standing atlast gazing over the fence in silence, trying to convince myself thatsome objects I saw in the distance were bushes and not Indians, whenPomp suddenly yawned very loudly.
"Hush!" whispered Morgan, sternly.
"Pomp can't help um. So dreffle tire."
"Then keep a sharp look-out, and try if you can't see the Indians."
"Pomp did, but eye got blunt now. Why not go look for Injum?"
"I wish the General would let the boy go," whispered Morgan. "He mightbe able to get in some news."
"Pomp nebber see noting here. May Pomp go, Mass' George?"
"Of course you can't, boy," said Morgan, shortly. "Go and ask thecommanding officer, and see what he'd say to you."
Pomp yawned, put his arms over the edge of the fence, after getting hisfeet into a couple of notches, and drawing himself up and resting hischin upon his fists, he stared out into the darkness.
"Here de Injum," he said; and a thrill ran through me as I followed theboy's pointing finger, but could see nothing.
"Can you, Morgan?"
"See? No!" he said, pettishly; "but you'd better go and give warning,sir."
I hurried off, and found Colonel Preston with the General, who receivedmy news, and word was passed round to the various sentries, while thecolonel made for the reserves in the centre of the enclosure, where inutter silence every man seized his piece, and stood ready to march tothe point threatened, while I guided the General to where Morgan wasstationed.
"No, sir. Not seen anything, nor heard a sound," said the latter, onbeing questioned. "It was this boy who saw them."
"Yes, ober dah," said Pomp, pointing.
"Can you see them now?"
"No, sah. All gone."
This was unsatisfactory, but the General seemed to have perfect faith inthe boy's declaration, and a long exciting watch followed.
The Indians' habits had grown so familiar that every eye and ear was onthe strain, and finger upon trigger, as tree, shrub, and grassy clumpwas expected momentarily to develop into a foe. The secretive nature ofthese people made our position at times more painful and exciting, as weknew that at any moment they might come close to us in the darkness, andalmost before the alarm could be given, dash up to the palisade andbegin climbing over.
But the weary hours crept on without any fresh sign, and the opinionbegan to spread that it was a false alarm, while Pomp was so pressedwith questions that he slunk away into the darkness.
I followed him though, just making him out by his light, white cottonclothes, and saw him at last throw himself down on his face; but hestarted up into a crouching position, ready to bound away as I came upto him.
"No good, Mass' George," he said, angrily. "I 'tupid lil nigger, anddone know nuff talk. Nebber see no Injum; nebber see nobody. Keep asksay--`Are you suah?' `Are you suah?' Pomp going run away and lib in detree. Nobody b'leeve Pomp."
"Yes, some one does," I said, as I sat down beside him in the darkness;and for the first time I noticed that we were close to the tarpaulin andcanvas spread over the powder-kegs.
"No. Nobody b'leeve Pomp. Um wish Injum come and kill um."
"No, you don't," I said; "because you know I believe you, and have oftenseen that you have wonderful eyes."
"Eh? Mass' George tink Pomp got wunful eye?"
"Yes; you can see twice as well in the dark as I can."
"No; Mass' George tink Pomp 'tupid lil nigger; no good 'tall. Pomp gorun away."
"I shall call you a stupid little nigger if you talk like that," I said."Don't be foolish. I hope the Indians will not come any more, and thatwe shall soon go back home."
"Injum coming; Pomp see um. Dey hide; lie flat down on um 'tummuck so;and creep and crawl um."
He illustrated his meaning, but crouched down by me again directly.
"Dat on'y Pomp fun," he whispered. "Pomp nebber run away from Mass'George, and ah!--look dah!"
He pointed away into the darkness so earnestly that I stared in thatdirection, but for some little time I could see nothing. Then, all atonce, I made out a figure which came cautiously toward where we sat, butturned off and went round to the opposite side of the heap out of oursight, and it was evident that we were not seen.
I was going to speak, but just as the words were on my lips I recognisedMorgan, who must have just been relieved; and as I fully grasped nowwhere we were, I turned cold as ice, and a peculiar feeling of moisturecame in the palms of my hands.
I wanted to speak, but I could not; I wanted to cry to him hoarsely, butno words would come; and if ever poor fellow suffered from nightmarewhen he was quite awake, it was I in those terrible moments, duringwhich there was a peculiar rustling, then a loud cracking sound, as ifsomething was being wrenched open and broken, and the tarpaulin wasagitated and shaken.
My ears were strained to listen to what came next, and that would be, Ifelt sure, the clicking of a flint and steel; but the sounds did notcome, and just as I was at last feeling as if I could bear all this nolonger, there was a sound of the tarpaulin falling on the earth, andMorgan came softly round and close by again without seeing us, while Icrouched there ready to faint, and fully expecting every moment to beswept away by a terrific explosion.
"What Mass' Morgan want?" said Pomp at last, as a sudden thought struckme, and mastering the feeling of paralysis which had held me there, Imade a dash round to the other side to tear away the slow match whichthe man must have started, and which would, I supposed, burn for a fewmoments and then start a train.
To my surprise I could see no sparkling fuse nor smell smoke, butconcluding that it must be under the tarpaulin, I raised the edge withtrembling hands, when Pomp said quietly--
"Dat powder, Mass' George; Pomp know. Mass' Morgan come fess lot more;and oh! What lot tumble all about."
His quick eyes had made out that which was invisible to mine; and, afterstooping, he held a handful before me.
I drew a breath full of relief. I knew now. He had not come to firethe fuse, but to tear open one of the kegs and let a portion of thepowder lie loose, so that whoever came to do the terrible deed wouldonly have to discharge his firelock down amongst it, when a spark wouldexplode the whole.
"Only to be quite ready," I thought, as the desire for life thrilledthrough my veins.
"Pomp 'crape it up and put in Mass' George pocket," said Pomp; and thenwe both stood away, for there was a flash and the sharp report of a gun.
"Pomp did see Injum, Mass' George," said the boy; "and here dey come."
Another shot, and another, and my heart seemed to leap as I felt that
Morgan's plan might not be long before execution after all, if theIndians made a desperate assault.
One minute before, the great enclosure was perfectly still, now it wasall excitement; orders rang out; there was the tramp of armed men, asthey hurried toward the spot from whence the firing had come.
Then came a shot from quite the opposite side, fresh orders wereshouted, and there was a tramp of feet in that direction, the enemyevidently attacking in two places at once so as to divide our littleforce.
Flash after flash now cut the darkness to right and left, and we bothstood listening to the quick orders and the curious ringing sound madeby the ramrods as the men reloaded.
The firing was not rapid, our men seeming to have had instructions to bevery careful and only fire when they saw a good chance; but it was keptup steadily, and it was evident that the Indians had not succeeded ingaining a footing as yet.
"Let's run and tell my father what's going on," I said. "He'll be soanxious."
I made for the tent, with Pomp following, and found my father standingat the entrance, supporting himself on Hannibal's arm.
"Ah, George, my boy," he said, excitedly. "It's hard not to be able tohelp. Who is at the front?"
"At the front?" I said, wonderingly.
"Yes. Is any one protecting the palisade between the two pointsattacked? Go and see how many are there; and if few, tell ColonelPreston to draw the General's attention to the fact. If there arepeople there, ask his forgiveness for my interference. It is solelyfrom anxiety for our safety."
I ran off, followed by Pomp, and soon found Colonel Preston and gave himmy father's message, as he was leading some more men to where the firingwas fiercest.
"Yes, yes, of course," he said, angrily. "It is not likely it has beenforgotten."
I drew back at his words, and felt that I should like the General tohave heard my father's message; and just then I came upon Morganrunning, loaded with ammunition, to the other side.
"Where is the General?" I asked.
"Over here, lad, where I'm going. Don't stop me."
But I did stop him to tell him my father's words.
"Of course it is!" replied Morgan, as sharply as the Colonel had spoken.And I have often thought about it since--that such a slip should havebeen made by two gentlemen, both of whom had had great experience inmilitary matters. But, of course, in the excitement of the doubleadvance, and with so few men at their call, it was easy to think ofnothing but repelling that attack, the more especially as there were menposted all round.
My answers were so unsatisfactory for taking back to where my fatherwas, that I determined to go over to the part in question, and see howit was for myself.
As I hurried on, my course lay round the heap of ashes and burnt woodwhich had formed the block-house; and curiously weird it all seemed tobe, with the flashes and heavy reports of the pieces to right, and left,mingled with the savage yells of the attacking Indians, who, as far as Icould tell, seemed to be striving to beat back our men from the fence.
It was darker than ever as I got round the remains of the fort, andknowing that the ground there was free from impediment, I was in the actof breaking into a trot, when there was a curious stifled sound infront--a noise as of an axe falling on wood; and my companion sprang atme and dragged me back.
"Mass' George," he whispered, "Injum dah. Come ober big fence."
I was too late, and yet not too late to give warning.
"Run and tell Colonel Preston," I said in a whisper. "Quick."
Pomp was too well accustomed to obey to hesitate, and he ran off in onedirection round the ruins to where the colonel was defending thepalisade, while I darted off in the other, rushed right up to where theGeneral was standing calmly enough giving directions.
As I reached him I heard him utter the word, "Forward!" and about twentymen moving round, and were evidently going up to the part from which Ihad come.
My news resulted in their recall, and that of the men defending thepalisade, orders being given to fall back toward the rough defence madein the centre of the enclosure, which we reached in safety, just as wefound that Colonel Preston's men were falling back towards us, firing asthey came, but toward the direction from which the new dangerthreatened.
The way in which the defence had been planned stood us in good steadnow, for as our party was halted, waiting for the colonel's men, a loudyelling came from behind the block-house ruins, and the rapid beat offeet told plainly enough that a large body of the enemy had clambered inand were coming on.
Any want of promptitude would have resulted in the Indians gettingbetween our two little forces; but a sharp order was given, and a volleyrattled out--the flashing of the pieces showing in a dimly-seen line thefierce faces of our enemies, who appeared to be thrown into confusion,but who still came on, when a second volley was poured into them, andthat was followed by one from the Colonel's men, the last checking themso effectually that we had time to get well behind the breastwork andreload.
I say we, though I was unarmed, but still I had played my part; and assoon as I could get through the men crowded behind our last defence, Ihurried to where my father was anxiously awaiting my return, and thereport which I had to make.