CHAPTER IV. DICK'S MISSION
The night came down warm and heavy. Spring was far advanced in thatSouthern region, and foliage and grass were already rich and heavy.Dick, from his dozing position beside a camp fire, saw a great mass oftall grass and green bushes beyond which lay the deep waters of a stillcreek or bayou. The air, although thick and close, conduced to rest andthe peace that reigned after the battle was soothing to his soul.
His friends, the two lads, who were knitted to him by so many hardshipsand dangers shared, were sound asleep, and he could see their tannedfaces when the light of the flickering fires fell upon them. Goodold Warner! Good old Pennington! The comradeship of war knitted youthtogether with ties that never could be broken.
He moved into an easier position. He lay upon the soft turf and he haddoubled his blanket under his head as a pillow. At first the droningnoises of camp or preparation had come from afar, but soon they ceasedand now the frogs down by the sluggish waters began to croak.
It was a musical sound, one that he had heard often in his native state,and, singularly enough, the lad drew encouragement from it. "Be of goodcheer! Be of good cheer! Trust in the future! Trust in the future!" saidall those voices down among the swamps and reeds. And then Dick saidto himself: "I will trust and I will have hope!" He remembered his lastglimpse of Grant's short, strong figure and the confidence that this maninspired in him. He, with tens of thousands of others, Abraham Lincolnat their head, had been looking for a man, they had looked long and invain for such a man, but Dick was beginning to believe that they hadfound him at last.
It would take much of a man to stand before the genius of Lee, but itmight be Grant. Dick's faith in the star of his country, shattered sooften for the moment, began to rise that night and never sank again.
He fell asleep to the homely music of the frogs among the reeds, andslept without stir until nearly dawn.
Just as the first strip of gray showed in the east Colonel Winchesterwalked toward the spot where Dick and his comrades lay. The colonel hadnot slept that night. His fine face was worn and thin, but the blue eyeswere alight with strength and energy. He had just left a conference ofhigh officers, and he came upon a mission. He reached the three lads,and looked down at them with a sort of pity. He knew that it was hisduty to awake them at once and send them upon a perilous errand, butthey were so young, and they had already been through so much that hehesitated.
He put his hand upon Dick's shoulder and shook him. But it took morethan one shake to awaken the lad, and it was fully a minute before heopened his eyes and sat up. Dick conscious but partly and rubbing hissleepy eyes, asked:
"What is it? Are we to go into battle again? Yes, sir! Yes, sir! I'mready!"
"Not that, Dick, but I've orders for you."
Dick now awoke completely and saw that it was Colonel Winchester. Hesprang to his feet and saluted.
"We'll wake up Warner and Pennington next," said the colonel, "becausethey go also on the kind of duty to which you're assigned."
"I'm glad of that," said Dick warmly.
Warner and Pennington were aroused with difficulty, but, as soon asthey realized that Colonel Winchester was before them and that they wereselected for a grave duty, they became at once keen and alert.
"Lads," said the colonel briefly, "you've all felt that we're now led bya great commander. But energy and daring on the part of a leader demandenergy and daring on the part of his men. General Grant is about toundertake a great enterprise, one that demands the concentration of histroops. I want you, Warner, to go to General Sherman with this dispatch,and here is one for you, Pennington, to take to General Banks."
He paused a moment and Dick asked:
"Am I to be left out?"
Colonel Winchester smiled.
He liked this eagerness on the part of his boys, and yet there wassadness in his smile, too. Young lieutenants who rode forth on errandsoften failed to come back.
"You're included, Dick," he said, "and I think that yours is the mostperilous mission of them all. Pennington, you and Warner can be makingready and I'll tell Dick what he's to do."
The Vermonter and the Nebraskan hurried away and Colonel Winchester,taking Dick by the arm, walked with him beyond the circle of firelight.
"Dick," he said gently, "they asked me to choose the one in my commandwhom I thought most fit for this duty to be done, and I've selected you,although I'm sending you into a great peril."
Dick flushed with pride at the trust. Youth blinded him at present toits perils.
"Thank you, sir," he said simply.
"You will recall Major Hertford, who was with us in Kentucky before theShiloh days?"
"I could not forget him, sir. One of our most gallant officers."
"You speak truly. He is one of our bravest, and also one of our ablest.I speak of him as Major Hertford, but he has lately been promoted to therank of colonel, and he is operating toward the East with a large bodyof cavalry, partly in conjunction with Grierson, who saved us at theford."
"And you want me to reach him, sir!"
"You've divined it. He is near Jackson, the capital of this state, and,incidentally, you're to discover as much as you can about Jackson andthe Confederate dispositions in that direction. We wish Hertford to joinGeneral Grant's advance, which will presently move toward Jackson, andwe rely upon you to find him."
"I'll do it, if he's to be found at all," said Dick fervently.
"I knew it, but, Dick, you're to go in your uniform. I'll not have youexecuted as a spy in case you're taken. Nor are you to carry any writtenmessage to Colonel Hertford. He knows you well, and he'll accept yourword at once as truth. Now, this is a ride that will call for woodcraftas well as soldiership."
"I start at once, do I not, sir?"
"You do. Warner and Pennington are ready now, and your own horse iswaiting for you. Here is a small map which I have reason to believe isaccurate, at least fairly so, although few of our men know much of thiscountry. But use it, lad, as best you can."
It was a sheet of thick fibrous paper about six inches square and, aftera hasty glance at it, Dick folded it up carefully and put it in hispocket. Warner and Pennington appeared then, mounted and armed and readyto tell him good-bye. He and Colonel Winchester watched them a momentor two as they rode away, and then an orderly appeared with Dick'sown horse, a fine bay, saddled, bridled, saddlebags filled with food,pistols in holsters, and a breech-loading rifle strapped to the saddle.
"I've made your equipment the best I could," said Colonel Winchester,"and after you start, lad, you must use your own judgment."
He wrung the hand of the boy, for whom his affection was genuine anddeep, and Dick sprang into the saddle.
"Good-bye, colonel," he said, "I thank you for this trust, and I won'tfail."
It was not a boast. It was courage speaking from the heart of youth and,as Dick rode out of the camp on his good horse, he considered himselfequal to any task. He felt an enormous pride because he was chosen forsuch an important and perilous mission, and he summoned every faculty tomeet its hardships and dangers.
He had the password, and the sentinels wished him good luck. So did themen who were gathering firewood. One, a small, weazened fellow, gave himan envious look.
"Wish I was going riding with you," he said. "It's fine in the woodsnow."
Dick laughed through sheer exuberance of spirits.
"Maybe it is and maybe it isn't," he said. "Perhaps the forest is filledwith rebel sharpshooters."
"If you ride toward Jackson you're likely to strike Confederate bands."
"I didn't say where I'm going, but you may be certain I'll keep a watchfor those bands wherever I may be."
The little man was uncommonly strong nevertheless, as he carried on hisshoulder a heavy log which he threw down by one of the fires, but Dick,absorbed in his journey, forgot the desire of the soldier to be ridingthrough the forest too.
He soon left the camp behind. He looked back at it only once, and beheldthe lumino
us glow of the campfires. Then the forest shut it out and herode on through a region almost abandoned by its people owing to theconverging armies. He did not yet look at his map, because he knew thathe would soon come into the main road to Jackson. It would be sufficientto determine his course then.
Dick was not familiar with the farther South, which was a very differentregion from his own Kentucky. His home was a region of firm land, hillsand clear streams, but here the ground lay low, the soil was soft andthe waters dark and sluggish. But his instincts as a woodsman werefortified by much youthful training, and he felt that he could find theway.
It gave him now great joy to leave the army and ride away through thedeep woods. He was tired of battle and the sight of wounds and death.The noises of the camp were painful to his ear, and in the forest hefound peace.
He was absolutely alone in his world, and glad of it. The woods were inall the depth and richness of a Southern spring. Vast masses of greenfoliage billowed away to right and left. Great festoons of moss hungfrom the oaks, and trailing vines wrapped many of the trees almost totheir tops. Wild flowers, pink, yellow and blue, unknown by name toDick, bloomed in the open spaces.
The air of early morning was crisp with the breath of life. He had comeupon a low ridge of hard ground, away from the vast current and low,sodden shores of the Mississippi. Here was a clean atmosphere, and theforest, the forest everywhere. A mockingbird, perched on a bough almostover his head, began to pour forth his liquid song, and from another faraway came the same song like an echo. Dick looked up but he could notsee the bird among the branches. Nevertheless he waved his hand towardthe place from which the melody came and gave a little trill in reply.Then he said aloud:
"It's a happy omen that you give me. I march away to the sound ofinnocent music."
Then he increased his speed a little and rode without stopping until hecame to the main road to Jackson. There he examined his map upon whichwere marked many rivers, creeks, lagoons and bayous, with extensiveshaded areas meaning forests. In the southeastern corner of the map wasJackson, close to which he meant to go.
He rode on at a fair pace, keeping an extremely careful watch ahead andon either side of the road. He meant to turn aside soon into the woods,but for the present he thought himself safe in the road--it was notlikely that Southern raiders would come so near to the Union camp.
His feeling of peace deepened. He was so far away now that no warlikesound could reach him. Instead the song of the mockingbird pursuedhim. Dick, full of youth and life, began to whistle the tune with thesongster, and his horse perhaps soothed too by the rhythm broke into thegentle pace which is so easy for the rider.
It was early dawn, and the west was not yet wholly light. The east wasfull of gold, but the silver lingered on the opposite horizon, andthe hot sun of Mississippi did not yet shed its rays over the earth.Instead, a cool breeze blew on Dick's face, and the quick blood wasstill leaping in his veins. The road dipped down and he came to a brook,which was clear despite its proximity to the mighty yellow trench of theMississippi.
He let his horse drink freely, and, while he drank, he surveyed thecountry as well as he could. On his left he saw through a fringe ofwoods a field of young corn and showing dimly beyond it a small house.Unbroken forest stretched away on his right, but in field as well asforest there was no sign of a human being.
He studied his map again, noting the great number of water courses,which in the spring season were likely to be at the flood, and, forthe first time, he realized the extreme difficulty of his mission.Mississippi was in the very heart of the Confederacy. He could notexpect any sympathetic farmers to help him or show him the way. Morelikely as he advanced toward Jackson he would find the country swarmingwith the friends of the Confederacy, and to pass through them woulddemand the last resource of skill and courage. Perhaps it would havebeen wiser had he put on citizens clothes and taken his chances as aspy! He did not know that Colonel Winchester would have ordered thedisguise had the one who rode on this most perilous mission been anyother than he.
The realization brought with it extreme caution. Growing up in a countrywhich was still mainly in forest, not differing much from its primitivecondition, save for the absence of Indians and big game, he had learnedto be at home in the woods, and now he turned from the path, ridingamong the trees.
He kept a course some distance from the road, where he was shelteredby the deep foliage and could yet see what was passing along the mainartery of travel. The ground at times was spongy, making traveling hard,and twice his horse swam deep creeks. He would have turned into the roadat these points but the bridges were broken down and he had no otherchoice.
The morning waned, and the coolness departed. The sun hung overhead,blazing hot, and the air in the forest grew dense and heavy. He wouldhave been glad to turn back into the road, in the hope of finding abreeze in the open space, but caution still kept him in the forest.He soon saw two men in brown jeans riding mules, farmers perhaps, butcarrying rifles on their shoulders, and, drawing his horse behind a bigtree, he waited until they passed.
They rode on unseeing and he resumed his journey, to stop an hour laterand eat cold food, while he permitted his horse to graze in an opening.He had seen only three houses, one a large colonial mansion, with thesmoke rising from several chimneys, and the others small log structuresinhabited by poor farmers, but nobody was at work in the fields.
When he resumed the journey he was thankful that he had kept to thewoods as a body of Confederate cavalry, coming out of a path from thenorth, turned into the main road and advanced at a good pace towardJackson. They seemed to be in good spirits, as he could hear themtalking and laughing, but he was glad when they were out of sight asthese Southerners had keen eyes and a pair of them might have discernedhim in the brush.
He went deeper into the woods and made another long study of his map. Itseemed to him now that he knew every hill and lagoon and road and path,and he resolved to ride a straight course through the forest. Therewas a point, distinctly marked north of Jackson, where he was to findHertford if he arrived in time, or to wait for him if he got there aheadof time, and he believed that with the aid of the map he could reach itthrough the woods.
He rode now by the sun and he saw neither path nor fields. He was in thedeep wilderness once more. The mockingbirds sang around him again andthrough the rifts in the leaves he saw the sailing hawks seeking theirprey. Three huge owls sitting in a row on a bough slept undisturbedwhile he passed. He took it as an omen that the wilderness was deserted,and his confidence was strong.
But the firm ground ceased and he rode through a region of swamps. Thehoofs of his horse splashed through mud and water. Now and then a snakedrew away its slimy length and Dick shuddered. He could not help it.Snakes, even the harmless, always gave him shivers.
The wilderness now had an evil beauty. The vegetation was almosttropical in its luxuriance, but Dick liked better the tender green ofhis more northern state. Great beds of sunflowers nodded in the lightbreeze. Vast masses of vines and creepers pulled down the trees, andon many of the vines deep red roses were blooming. Then came areasof solemn live oaks and gloomy cypresses, where no mockingbirds weresinging.
He rode for half a mile along a deep lagoon or bayou, he did not knowwhich, and saw hawks swoop down and draw fish from its dark surface.The whole scene was ugly and cruel, and he was glad when he left it andentered the woods again. Once he thought he heard the mellow voice of anegro singing, but that was the only sound, save the flitting of smallwild animals through the undergrowth.
He came, mid-afternoon, to a river, which he made his horse swim boldlyand then entered forest that seemed more dense than ever. But the groundhere was firmer and he was glad of a chance to rest both himself and hismount. He dismounted, tethered the horse and stretched his own limbs,weary from riding.
It was a pretty little glade, surrounded by high forest, fitted for restand peace, but his horse reared suddenly and tried to break loose. Therewas a heavy crashing in the u
ndergrowth and a deer, wild with alarm,darting within a dozen feet of Dick, disappeared in the forest, runningmadly.
He knew there were many deer in the Mississippi woods, but he wasobservant and the flight aroused his attention. His first thought thathe and his horse had scared the deer could not be true, because it hadcome from a point directly behind and had rushed past them. Then itsalarm must have been caused by some other human being near by in theforest or by a panther. His theory inclined to the human being.
Dick was troubled. The more he thought of the incident the less he likedit. He made no effort to hide from himself the dangers that surroundedhim in the land of the enemy, and remounting he rode briskly forward. Asthe ground was firm and the forest was free enough from undergrowth topermit of speed he finally broke into a gallop which he maintained for ahalf-hour.
He struck marsh again and was a long time in passing through it. Butwhen he was a half-mile on the other side he drew into a dense clusterof bushes and waited. He could not get the flight of the deer out ofhis mind, and knowing that it was well in the wilderness to obeypremonitions he watched more closely.
Dick sat on his horse behind the bush a full five minutes, and presentlyhe became conscious that his heart was pounding heavily. He exerted hiswill and called himself foolish, but in vain. The flight of the deerpersisted in his mind. It was a warning that somebody else was in thewoods not far behind him, and, while he waited, he saw a shadow amongthe trees.
It was only a shadow, but it was like the figure of a man. A singleglimpse and he was gone. The stranger, whoever he was, had darted backin the undergrowth. Dick waited another five minutes, but the shadow didnot reappear. He felt a measure of relief because all doubts were gonenow. He was sure that he was followed, but by whom?
He knew that his danger had increased manifold. Some Southern scout orskirmisher had discovered his presence and, in such a quest, the trailerhad the advantage of the trailed. Yet he did not hesitate. He knew hisgeneral direction and, shifting the pistols from the saddle-holsters tohis belt he again urged his horse forward.
When they came to good ground he walked, leading his mount, as theanimal was much exhausted by the effort the marshes needed. But wheneverthe undergrowth grew dense he stopped to look and listen. He did not seethe shadow and he heard nothing save the ordinary sounds of the woods,but either instinct or imagination told him that the stranger stillfollowed.
The sun was far down the westward slope, but it was still very hotin the woods. There was no breeze. Not a leaf, nor a blade of grassstirred. Dick heard his heart still pounding. The unseen pursuit--he hadno doubt it was there--was becoming a terrible strain upon his nerves.The perspiration ran down his face, and he sought with angry eyes for asight of the fellow who presumed to hang upon his tracks.
He began to wonder what he would do when the night came. There would beno rest, no sleep for him, even in the darkness. Twice he curved fromhis course and hid in the undergrowth to see his pursuer come up, butthere was nothing. Then he reasoned with himself. He had not really seenthe flitting figure of a man. It was merely the effect of an alarmedimagination, and he told himself to ride straight on, looking ahead, notback. But reason again yielded to instinct and he curved once more intothe deep forest, where the tangle of vines and undergrowth also was sothick that it would take a keen eye to find him.
Dick looked back along the path which he had come and he was confidentthat he saw some of the tall bushes shake a little. It could not bewind, because the air was absolutely still, and soon he was convincedthat his instinct had been right all the time. Fancy had played him notrick and the shadow that he had seen was a human figure.
He felt with all the force of conviction that he was in great danger,but he did not know what to do. So he did nothing, but sat quietly onhis horse among the bushes. The heat was intense there and innumerableflies, gnats, and mosquitoes assailed him. The mosquitoes were so fiercethat they drew blood from his face a half-dozen times.
Alone in the heat of the deep marshy wilderness he felt fear more thanin battle. Danger threatened here in a mysterious, invisible fashion andhe could only wait.
He saw a bush move again, but much nearer, and then came the crack ofa rifle. If his horse, alarmed perhaps, had not thrown up his headsuddenly, and received the bullet himself the lad's career would haveended there.
The horse made a convulsive leap, then staggered for a few seconds,giving his rider time to spring clear, and fell among the bushes.Dick dropped down behind him and quickly unstrapped the rifle from thesaddle, meaning to use the animal's body as a breastwork against renewedattack.
His fear, the kind of fear that the bravest feel, had been driven awayby rage. The killing of his innocent horse, although the bullet wasintended for him, angered him as much as if he had received a woundhimself. The spirit of his ancestor, the shrewd and wary Indian fighter,descended upon him again, and, lying upon his stomach behind the horse,with the rifle ready he was anxious for the attack to come.
Dick was firmly convinced that he had but a single enemy. Otherwise hewould have been attacked in force earlier, and more than one shot wouldhave been fired. But the report of the rifle was succeeded by deepsilence. The forest was absolutely still, not a breath of wind stirring.His enemy remained invisible, but the besieged youth was confident thathe was lying quiet, awaiting another chance. Dick, still hot with anger,would wait too.
But other enemies were far more reckless than the hidden marksman. Theswarm of gnats, flies, and mosquitoes assailed him again and he couldhave cried out in pain. His only consolation lay in the fact that theother man might be suffering just as much.
He was aware that his enemy might try a circling movement in order toreach him on the flank or from behind, but he believed that his earwould be keen enough to detect him if he came near. Moreover he lay ina slight dip with the body of the horse in front of him, and it wouldrequire an uncommon sharpshooter to reach him with a bullet. If he couldonly stand those terrible mosquitoes an hour he felt that he might getaway, because then the night would be at hand.
He saw with immense relief that the sun was already very low. Theheat, gathered in the woods, was at its worst, and over his head themosquitoes buzzed and buzzed incessantly. It seemed to him a horriblesort of irony that he might presently be forced from his shelter bymosquitoes and be killed in flight to another refuge.
But he was endowed with great patience and tenacity and he clung to hisshelter, relying rather upon ear than eye to note the approach of anenemy. Meanwhile the sun sank down to the rim of the wood, and thetwilight thickened rapidly in the east. Then a shot was fired from thepoint from which the first had come. Dick heard the bullet singing overhis head, but it gave him satisfaction because he was able to locate hisenemy.
He sought no return fire, but lay in the dip, wary and patient. The sunsank beyond the rim, the western sky flamed blood red for a few moments,and then the Southern night swept down so suddenly that it seemed tocome with violence. Dick believed that his escape was now at hand, buthe still showed an infinite patience.
He did not stir from his place until the night was almost black, andthen, carrying his weapons and the saddlebag of provisions, he creptamong the thickets.
When he stood up he found himself stiff from lying long in a crampedposition. His face burned from the bites of the mosquitoes, which stillhung in swarms about him, and he felt dizzy.
But Dick remembered his mission, and his resolve to perform it was notshaken a particle. He had lost his horse, but he could walk. Perhaps hischance of success would be greater on foot in such a dangerous country.
He advanced now with extreme caution, feeling the way carefully andtesting the ground before he put his foot down solidly. Still trustingto his ears he stopped now and then, and listened for some sound fromhis enemy in pursuit. But nothing came, and soon he became quite surethat he had shaken him off. He was merely a dot in the wilderness in thedark, and, feeling secure now, he pressed forward with more speed.
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bsp; He was hoping to get to a piece of firm, high ground, where he mightsecure a measure of protection from those terrible mosquitoes whichstill buzzed angrily about his head. In an hour chance favored him, ashe reached a low ridge much rockier than usual in that region. He wouldhave built a little smudge fire to protect himself from the mosquitoes,but it would be sure to draw the lurking sharpshooter, and instead hefound a nook in the ridge, under the low boughs of a great oak. Thenhe took a light blanket which he carried tied to his saddlebags, andwrapped it around his neck and face, covering everything but his mouthand eyes.
He sank into the nook with his back against the turf, and the recliningposition was wonderfully easy. The mosquitoes, apparently finding thepoints of exposure too small, left him alone and went away. His facestill burned from numerous stings, but he forgot it in present comfort.There was food in the saddlebags, and he ate enough for his needs. Thenhe laid the saddlebags beside him and the rifle across his knees andstared out into the darkness.
He felt a great relief after his extreme danger and long exertions.It was both physical and mental, and sitting there alone in a sunkenwilderness he was nevertheless happy. Believing that the mosquitoeswould not come back, he wrapped the blanket about his whole body by andby, and pulled his cap down over his eyes.
Dick had no plans for the night. He did not know whether he intended toremain there long or not, but nature settled doubts for him. His headdrooped, and soon he slept as easily and peacefully as if he had been athome at Pendleton in his own bed.
Then the wilderness blotted him out for the time. The little wildanimals scurried through the grass or ran up trees. In the far distancean owl hooted solemnly at nothing, and he slept the mighty sleep ofexhaustion.