I.
"It looks as if it might rain this afternoon," remarked the lieutenantof artillery.
"So it does," the infantry captain assented. He glanced casually at thesky. When his eyes had lowered to the green-shadowed landscape beforehim, he said fretfully: "I wish those fellows out yonder would quitpelting at us. They've been at it since noon."
At the edge of a grove of maples, across wide fields, there occasionallyappeared little puffs of smoke of a dull hue in this gloom of sky whichexpressed an impending rain. The long wave of blue and steel in thefield moved uneasily at the eternal barking of the far-awaysharpshooters, and the men, leaning upon their rifles, stared at thegrove of maples. Once a private turned to borrow some tobacco from acomrade in the rear rank, but, with his hand still stretched out, hecontinued to twist his head and glance at the distant trees. He wasafraid the enemy would shoot him at a time when he was not looking.
Suddenly the artillery officer said, "See what's coming!"
Along the rear of the brigade of infantry a column of cavalry wassweeping at a hard gallop. A lieutenant, riding some yards to the rightof the column, bawled furiously at the four troopers just at the rear ofthe colours. They had lost distance and made a little gap, but at theshouts of the lieutenant they urged their horses forward. The bugler,careering along behind the captain of the troop, fought and tugged likea wrestler to keep his frantic animal from bolting far ahead of thecolumn.
On the springy turf the innumerable hoofs thundered in a swift storm ofsound. In the brown faces of the troopers their eyes were set like bitsof flashing steel.
The long line of the infantry regiments standing at ease underwent asudden movement at the rush of the passing squadron. The foot soldiersturned their heads to gaze at the torrent of horses and men.
The yellow folds of the flag fluttered back in silken, shuddering wavesas if it were a reluctant thing. Occasionally a giant spring of acharger would rear the firm and sturdy figure of a soldier suddenly headand shoulders above his comrades. Over the noise of the scudding hoofscould be heard the creaking of leather trappings, the jingle and clankof steel, and the tense, low-toned commands or appeals of the men totheir horses. And the horses were mad with the headlong sweep of thismovement. Powerful under jaws bent back and straightened so that thebits were clamped as rigidly as vices upon the teeth, and glisteningnecks arched in desperate resistance to the hands at the bridles.Swinging their heads in rage at the granite laws of their lives, whichcompelled even their angers and their ardours to chosen directions andchosen faces, their flight was as a flight of harnessed demons.
The captain's bay kept its pace at the head of the squadron with thelithe bounds of a thoroughbred, and this horse was proud as a chief atthe roaring trample of his fellows behind him. The captain's glance wascalmly upon the grove of maples whence the sharpshooters of the enemyhad been picking at the blue line. He seemed to be reflecting. Hestolidly rose and fell with the plunges of his horse in all theindifference of a deacon's figure seated plumply in church. And itoccurred to many of the watching infantry to wonder why this officercould remain imperturbable and reflective when his squadron wasthundering and swarming behind him like the rushing of a flood.
The column swung in a sabre-curve toward a break in a fence, and dashedinto a roadway. Once a little plank bridge was encountered, and thesound of the hoofs upon it was like the long roll of many drums. An oldcaptain in the infantry turned to his first lieutenant and made a remarkwhich was a compound of bitter disparagement of cavalry in general andsoldiery admiration of this particular troop.
Suddenly the bugle sounded, and the column halted with a joltingupheaval amid sharp, brief cries. A moment later the men had tumbledfrom their horses, and, carbines in hand, were running in a swarm towardthe grove of maples. In the road one of every four of the troopers wasstanding with braced legs, and pulling and hauling at the bridles offour frenzied horses.
The captain was running awkwardly in his boots. He held his sabre low sothat the point often threatened to catch in the turf. His yellow hairruffled out from under his faded cap. "Go in hard now!" he roared, in avoice of hoarse fury. His face was violently red.
The troopers threw themselves upon the grove like wolves upon a greatanimal. Along the whole front of woods there was the dry, crackling ofmusketry, with bitter, swift flashes and smoke that writhed like stungphantoms. The troopers yelled shrilly and spanged bullets low into thefoliage.
For a moment, when near the woods, the line almost halted. The menstruggled and fought for a time like swimmers encountering a powerfulcurrent. Then with a supreme effort they went on again. They dashedmadly at the grove, whose foliage from the high light of the field wasas inscrutable as a wall.
Then suddenly each detail of the calm trees became apparent, and with afew more frantic leaps the men were in the cool gloom of the woods.There was a heavy odour as from burned paper. Wisps of gray smoke woundupward. The men halted and, grimy, perspiring, and puffing, theysearched the recesses of the woods with eager, fierce glances. Figurescould be seen flitting afar off. A dozen carbines rattled at them in anangry volley.
During this pause the captain strode along the line, his face lit with abroad smile of contentment. "When he sends this crowd to do anything, Iguess he'll find we do it pretty sharp," he said to the grinninglieutenant.
"Say, they didn't stand that rush a minute, did they?" said thesubaltern. Both officers were profoundly dusty in their uniforms, andtheir faces were soiled like those of two urchins.
Out in the grass behind them were three tumbled and silent forms.
Presently the line moved forward again. The men went from tree to treelike hunters stalking game. Some at the left of the line firedoccasionally, and those at the right gazed curiously in that direction.The men still breathed heavily from their scramble across the field.
Of a sudden a trooper halted and said: "Hello! there's a house!" Everyone paused. The men turned to look at their leader.
The captain stretched his neck and swung his head from side to side. "ByGeorge, it is a house!" he said.
Through the wealth of leaves there vaguely loomed the form of a large,white house. These troopers, brown-faced from many days of campaigning,each feature of them telling of their placid confidence and courage,were stopped abruptly by the appearance of this house. There was somesubtle suggestion--some tale of an unknown thing--which watched themfrom they knew not what part of it.
A rail fence girded a wide lawn of tangled grass. Seven pines stoodalong a drive-way which led from two distant posts of a vanished gate.The blue-clothed troopers moved forward until they stood at the fencepeering over it.
The captain put one hand on the top rail and seemed to be about to climbthe fence, when suddenly he hesitated, and said in a low voice, "Watson,what do you think of it?"
The lieutenant stared at the house. "Derned if I know!" he replied.
The captain pondered. It happened that the whole company had turned agaze of profound awe and doubt upon this edifice which confronted them.The men were very silent.
At last the captain swore and said: "We are certainly a pack of fools.Derned old deserted house halting a company of Union cavalry, and makingus gape like babies!"
"Yes, but there's something--something----" insisted the subaltern in ahalf stammer.
"Well, if there's 'something--something' in there, I'll get it out,"said the captain. "Send Sharpe clean around to the other side with abouttwelve men, so we will sure bag your 'something--something,' and I'lltake a few of the boys and find out what's in the d----d old thing!"
He chose the nearest eight men for his "storming party," as thelieutenant called it. After he had waited some minutes for the others toget into position, he said "Come ahead" to his eight men, and climbedthe fence.
The brighter light of the tangled lawn made him suddenly feeltremendously apparent, and he wondered if there could be some mysticthing in the house which was regarding this approach. His men trudgedsilently at his back.
They stared at the windows and lost themselves indeep speculations as to the probability of there being, perhaps, eyesbehind the blinds--malignant eyes, piercing eyes.
Suddenly a corporal in the party gave vent to a startled exclamation,and half threw his carbine into position. The captain turned quickly,and the corporal said: "I saw an arm move the blinds. An arm with a graysleeve!"
"Don't be a fool, Jones, now!" said the captain sharply.
"I swear t'----" began the corporal, but the captain silenced him.
When they arrived at the front of the house, the troopers paused, whilethe captain went softly up the front steps. He stood before the largefront door and studied it. Some crickets chirped in the long grass, andthe nearest pine could be heard in its endless sighs. One of theprivates moved uneasily, and his foot crunched the gravel. Suddenly thecaptain swore angrily and kicked the door with a loud crash. It flewopen.