CHAPTER XIII. AN UNEXPECTED MEETING
BREAKING UP A DEN OF COPPERHEADS.
"COME, hustle these prisoners back into the car in which we were,"commanded the Lieutenant. "We'll leave it on the switch with a guard.Lock it up carefully, and one man'll be enough to guard it until we getback. Make haste, for we've no time to lose. Shorty."
"Corpril Elliott," Shorty corrected him, mindful of the presence ofSergeant Bob Ramsey.
"Yes; excuse me. Corporal Elliott, while we are attending to theprisoners you go on ahead and reconnoiter. You need not stop unless yousee fit until you are clear into the lodge. Give one low whistle if youwant us to stop, two to come ahead and three to go back."
It was a moonless night, and the broom-like tops of the close-growingbeeches made a dense darkness, into which Shorty plunged, but he couldreadily make out a well-beaten path, which he followed. Occasionallyhe could make out dark figures moving just ahead of him or crossing thepath.
"Goin' to be a full attendance at the services this evenin'," hemuttered to himself. "But the more the merrier. It'll insure agoodly number at the mourner's bench when we make the call for theunconverted."
Big and lumbering as Shorty sometimes seemed in his careless hours, nowildcat gliding through the brush was more noiseless-footed than he now.He kept on the darker side of the path, but not a twig seemed to crackor a leaf rustle under his heavy brogans. Twice he heard lumbering stepsin his rear, and he slipped behind the big trunk of a tree, and sawthe men pass almost within arm's length, but without a suspicion of hispresence.
"Well, for men workin' a dark-lantern job this is about the logiestcrowd I ever struck," he said rather disgustedly. "An elephant'd haveto step on 'em before they'd know he was around. They ain't hardly goodfun."
Presently he heard some rustling over to his right and caught the lowmurmur of a voice. He cautiously made his way in that direction untilhe made an opening, with a number of men sitting on a log, while otherswere standing, leaning on their guns.
"Probably a caucus outside to set up the pins before goin' into the fullmeetin'," he said to himself. "As I always like to be with the winnin'side, I guess I'll jest jine 'em."
He advanced boldly into the opening. At the sound of his approach themen looked up, and one of those leaning on his gun picked it up and cametoward him.
"You are out late," he whispered, when within speaking distance.
"Yes," answered Shorty. "And I was out late last night."
"Did you see a star?"
"I did."
"What star was it?"
"It was the Star of Bethlehem."
The first speaker had seemed to start at the sound of Shorty's voice,but he recovered himself, and saying, "You're right, my brother," putout his hand for the grip.
"'Taint right, neither," hissed Shorty. "Si Klegg, what are you doin'here?"
"Shorty!" ejaculated Si, joyfully, but still in a whisper. "I thought Iknowed your voice. Where in the world did you come from?"
"I'm here on business," answered Shorty. "I came up from Headquarters atJeffersonville. What brung you here?"
"O," said Si, "we've bin hearin' about this Copperhead lodge for sometime, and some of us boys who's home on furlough thought that we'd comedown here with the Deputy Provo and bust it up. We've bin plannin' ita week or two. All these that you see, there are soldiers. I've 15,includin' myself."
The boys hastily conferred together as to the plan of operations, andone man was hurried back to inform Lieut. Bigelow of the presence of theother squad.
"You seem to know most about this affair. Shorty," said Si. "You takecommand and make arrangements."
"Not for a minute. Si," protested Shorty. "You rank me and you mustcommand, and I want you to hold your own over Bob Ramsey, who will tryto rank you. Bob's a good boy, but he's rather too much stuck on hisstripes."
It was finally arranged that Si should move his squad out to near theedge of the path and wait for Lieut. Bigelow to come up, while Shortyshould go forward and reconnoiter.
Shorty walked along the path toward the lodge. Suddenly the large figureof a man loomed up before him, standing motionless, on guard, in theroad.
"You are out late, my friend," said he.
"Yes," answered Shorty.
"Did you see a star?"
"Yes."
"What was it?"
"The Star of Bethlehem."
"You are right, my brother," said the man, extending his hand for thegrip.
"This rotten star-and-brother rigmarole's making me sick," mutteredShorty, with a hasty glance to see that the man was alone, and graspinghis hand with a grip of iron, while with his left he clutched thesentry's throat. Before the man could utter a groan he wrenched himaround and started him back for Si. Arriving there he flung him underthe trees, saying in a loud whisper:
"First sucker o' this Spring's run. String him. Si."
Lieut. Bigelow had come up in the meanwhile with the other squad, andthey all moved cautiously forward to where they could get a dim sightof the lodge through the intervals between the trees. For a log house itwas quite a large building, and stood in the center of a small clearingwhich had been made to furnish logs for its erection. Faint gleams oflight came through the badly-chinked walls, and the hum of voices showedthat there was a large crowd gathered inside.
"There's likely to be from 100 to 150 in there," said the Lieutenant,after a moment's consideration. "We've got 27 or 28. We'll jump them,though, if they're a thousand. Corporal Elliott, you go forward and makeyour way inside, if you can, and see what they are doing. If you can getinside, stay 10 or 15 minutes, and come out and report. If you can't getout, or you think they are ripe for jumping, whistle, and we'll pile in.Sergeant Klegg, you hold your squad together and move down as near thedoor as you can without being seen and be ready for a rush. Find arail or a log to smash the door in if they try to hold it against us.Sergeant Ramsey, deploy your men quietly around to the rear there to cutoff retreat, but be ready to rally again and help Sergeant Klegg outif he strikes a big snag. You make the circuit of the house and postyourself where you can see what's going on, and signal your men.Everybody keep under the shadow of the trees and make no noise. Go on tothe house, Corporal."
Shorty left the cover of the trees and walked directly toward the frontdoor. No one appeared or halted him until he pushed the front door open.Then a man who seemed more intent on what was going on inside than thenew arrival, bent his head over to catch the farrago about the star, andput out his hand for the grip.
"Come on in, but don't make a noise," he whispered. "They're givin' theobligation, and I want to hear it."
Shorty stood beside him for a moment, and then watched his opportunity,and pressed by him, to where he could see into the room. It was entirelydark except for the light of a single candle, shaded so that its raysfell upon a rude altar in the center of the room, draped with a rebelflag. Upon this lay a naked sword, skull and cross-bones. Behind thealtar stood a masked man, draped in a long shroud, who was mouthing ina sepulchral tone the obligation to several men kneeling in front of thealtar. The dim light faintly revealed other masked and shrouded figuresstationed at various places about the room and looming above the seatedaudience.
"You solemnly swear," droned the chief actor, "to resist to the deathevery attempt to place the nigger above the white man and destroy theGovernment of our fathers."
"We do," responded those kneeling at the altar.
"Let it be so recorded," said a sepulchral voice from the otherextremity of the room. A gong sounded dismally and a glare of lurid redlight filled the room.
"Regler Sons o' Malty biziniss, like I seen in St. Looyey," commentedShorty to himself. "Masks, shrouds, red fire and gong, all the same. Butwhere've I heard that croakin' voice before?"
"You solemnly promise and swear," resumed the sepulchral tones of thechief actor, "to do all in your power to restore the Constitution andlaws of this country to what were established by the fathers and resistthe effo
rts of nigger-loving Abolitionists and evil-minded fanatics tosubvert them."
"We do," responded the kneeling men.
Again the grewsome gong sounded, the red fire glared forth and thehollow voice announced that it was so recorded.
"I'll bet six bits to a picayune," said Shorty to himself, "that I knowthe rooster who's doin' them high priest antics. Where'd I hear hisvoice before?"
"And, finally, brethren," resumed the chief actor, "do you solemnlypromise and swear to cheerfully obey all orders given you by officersregularly appointed over you according to the rules and regulations ofthis great order and military discipline?"
There was a little hesitation about this, but the kneeling ones werenudged and whispered to, and finally responded:
"We do."
Again it was funereally announced to the accompaniment of flashes of redfire and the gong that it was duly recorded.
"Great Jehosephat, if it ain't old Billings himself that's doin' thatheavy tragedy act," said Shorty, slapping himself on the thigh. "Theold dregs o' the bottomless pit! Is there any deviltry that he won't gitinto?"
His decision was confirmed a minute or two later, when, after some morefanfarronade the initiation ended, the officers removed their masks andshrouds, and the candles in the sconces around the room were relighted.Billings took his seat on the platform at the end of the room farthestfrom the door, picked up the gavel and rapped for order.
"Now, brethren," said he, "having witnessed the solemn initiation ofseveral brave, true men into our rapidly-swelling ranks and welcomedthem as real patriots who have united with us to resist to the bitterend the cruel tyrannies of the Abolition despot at Washington--thevulgar railsplitter of the Sangamon, who is filling this once happy landwith the graves of his victims, we will proceed to the regular businessfor which we have assembled. I regret that our gallant Captain hasnot yet arrived with the supply of arms and ammunition that he went toJeffersonville to secure. I thought I heard the whistle of the trainsome time ago, and have been expecting him every minute. He may be hereyet."
"Not if that guard at the switch 'tends to his little business, hewon't," Shorty chuckled to himself.
"When he gets here," continued Billings, "we shall have enough weaponsto finish our outfit, and give every member, including them initiatedtonight, a good, serviceable arm, as effective as any in the hands ofour enemies. We shall then be in shape to carry out the several projectswhich we have before discussed and planned. We shall be ready to strikeat any moment. When we do strike success is sure. The Southern armies,which have so long bravely battled for the Constitution and the lawsand white men's rights, are again advancing from every point. Everymail brings me glad good news of the organization of our brave friendsthroughout this State and Illinois. They're impatient to begin. Thefirst shot fired will be the signal for an uprising that'll sweep overthe land like a prairie fire and--"
He stopped abruptly, contracted his brows, and gazed fixedly at Shorty.
"Brother Walker," said Billings, "there's a tall man settin' closeby the door that I seem to've seen before, and yit I don't exactlyrecognize. Please hold that candle nigh his face till I can see it moreplainly."
Shorty happened to be looking at another man that minute, and did not atfirst catch the drift of Billings's remarks. When he did, he hesitatedan instant whether to whistle or try to get out. Before he could decide,Eph Glick, whom he had raided at Jeffersonville, struck him a heavy blowon the side of his head and yelled:
"He's a traitor! He's a spy! Kill the infernal, egg-suckin' hound!"
There was a rush of infuriated men, which carried Shorty over and madehim the object of a storm of blows and kicks. So many piled on him atonce that they struck and kicked one another in their confusion. Thedoor was torn out, and its pieces fell with the tumble of cursing,striking, kicking men that rolled outside.
Si rushed forward with his squad, and in an instant they were knockingright and left with their gun-barrels. So many fell on top of Shortythat he was unable to rise and extricate himself.
Not exactly comprehending what was going on, but thinking that the timefor them to act had come, the four boys to whom Si had given the dutyof making the rush with the log to break down the door, came bolting up,shouting to their comrades:
"Open out, there, for us."
"THE PRISONERS HAD TOO MUCH SOLICITUDE ABOUT THEIRGARMENTS TO THINK OF ANYTHING ELSE." 185]