CHAPTER X
INTO THE STORM
When darkness fell over the land the violence of the storm increased.The whistling of the wind and the swaying of the branches could be heardwithin the building.
"This is just what we want," whispered Dennis.
"Yes," replied Noel, though his fears were not allayed by the confidenceof his comrade. "You must wait a while, Dennis," he added.
"Indade, and I'll wait," replied the young Irishman. "We want to beshure that every wan is aslape before we begin."
As the hours passed and the fierceness of the storm increased, and thesound of the pelting raindrops was heard as they struck the sides of thebuilding, the monotony of it all served as an inducement for sleep. Itwas not long before the sounds which came from their fellow prisonersconvinced both the young soldiers that the men were sleeping soundly.The guard in the hallway was plainly within sight seated in a chairwhich was tipped back against the wall. A lighted candle was shining ineach end of the hall, and though the light was dim every movement of aperson near by could be plainly seen.
Fortunately the light of the candles did not fall directly upon theceiling in the room where the prisoners were confined.
"It must be eliven o'clock," whispered Dennis. "Don't you think so,Noel?"
"Yes."
"It's time for us to begin."
"Yes," again assented Noel.
"Kape still now, while I take off me shoes again. You'd better takeyours off, too."
"We'll want them if we ever get out of this place," suggested Noel.
"That's right. Shure we will. You'll have to pass them up to me after Ihave climbed into the loft."
Noel made no further protests, and Dennis at once prepared to carry outthe plan which he had so carefully devised.
Silently both young soldiers removed their shoes, and then, withoutdelaying a moment, as soon as Noel had braced himself against the sideof the wall, Dennis clambered to his shoulders and then waited a briefinstant to discover whether or not the guard was aware of any unusualactivities among his prisoners.
The silence was unbroken, and Dennis, as soon as he was convinced thatthe suspicions of their guard had not been aroused, slowly andcautiously began to slide back the opening into the loft.
More time was consumed in this endeavor than either of the boys hadexpected. Several times the door seemed to stick in its place, and onlyby the utmost care was the young Irishman able to push it past theobstacle without making any noise. At last, however, his effort wascrowned with success and a narrow opening above him was cleared.
To Noel, who was upholding his burden, the efforts of his friendappeared to be unduly prolonged. It seemed to him that he could notlonger maintain his position and that he must let Dennis fall to thefloor.
Aware, however, that such an action on his part would certainly arousethe guard, he braced himself once more and did his utmost to standsteadily in his place.
His relief was great when Dennis, firmly grasping with a hand each sideof the floor above him, quickly raised himself and crawled into theloft. Noel instantly stooped and taking the heavy shoes held themtoward the ceiling.
In the darkness it was with difficulty that Dennis at last was able tosee and seize them, and then, as soon as he had placed them carefully onthe floor of the loft, he reached down to grasp the uplifted hands ofNoel.
Securing a firm hold upon each of Noel's wrists, Dennis, bracinghimself, slowly and steadily lifted his companion. In a brief time Noelwas able to grasp the sides of the floor and thereby assist hiscompanion. The slightest noise might mean the death of either of theescaping soldiers, and yet, dire as was the peril, Noel's heart seemedsomehow almost to be numb at the time. He did not even consider thepossibility that confronted him. His main endeavor was to clamber intothe loft noiselessly and thereby avoid arousing the Confederate guard.
At last Noel was standing beside Dennis, and with the utmost caution thelatter at once pushed back the slide into its place.
The falling of the raindrops on the roof, which was directly above them,helped drown any noise that the guard might make below. The whistling ofthe wind as it swayed the branches of the near-by tree was weird. Eventhe beating of their hearts seemed to sound so loudly that each was ableto share in his companion's feelings.
Both young soldiers were listening intently for any disturbances thatmight be made in the room below them. A faint light entered the roomthrough the one window, which was near the tree. This, however, wassufficient, after the lapse of a few minutes, to enable both boys dimlyto discern the outlines of the room in which they were standing.
"Whist!" whispered Dennis. "They haven't heard us. 'T is a fine day forus."
"Wait," said Noel.
"No, I'm not goin' to wait," retorted Dennis. "What we want to do is tolave at once. The more we wait, the longer we'll have to stay. Everyminute here means a month in Libby Prison."
The window was closed, but one of the small panes was broken, andwithout much difficulty the boys succeeded in removing the sash.
A heavy downpour of rain and a fresh shriek from the storm served tocause both boys to pause once more and listen for further sounds ofdiscovery from the room below. Apparently, however, their escape hadnot as yet been discovered, and eagerly both prepared to descend by theway of the tree to the ground.
In order to gain a more secure foothold and at the same time avoidmaking any noise, each of the boys had tied his shoes together and hungthem about his neck.
Dennis first peered out of the window, and when he withdrew his head hewhispered to Noel, "I cannot see the guard anywhere. I guess theJohnnies don't like the rain and have gone in out of the wet."
Noel was too excited to respond to the suggestion and eagerly said, "Goon, Dennis! Go ahead! Don't wait a minute."
"Here I go, then!" said Dennis, as, leaning from the window, he graspedthe extended branches of the tree which reached to within a few inchesof the side of the house.
Noel breathlessly watched his companion, at the same time seeking todiscover whether the descent of Dennis was known to any one below. Theyoung soldier had no conception of the minutes that passed, but itseemed to him a long time before the young Irishman at last disappearedfrom sight, evidently having successfully gained the ground.
Without hesitating longer, Noel instantly prepared to follow. As heseized the extended branch his hands for a moment slipped, and it wasonly with difficulty that he retained his hold and prevented himselffrom falling to the ground. The branch creaked ominously and the alarmof the young soldier was increased by his fear that it would fail tosustain him. Noel was strong and nimble, however, and soon secured afirmer grip, and convinced that his departure from the building as yethad not been discovered, he rapidly made his way to the ground, and thenwithout delaying a moment ran swiftly in the direction of the barn.
All the time he was fearful of a shot from the guard in or about thehouse. Perhaps fear gave him additional speed. At all events, in a brieftime he gained the shelter he was seeking, and at once, keeping wellwithin the lee of the barn, peered anxiously at the place from which hehad fled.
The noise of the storm was the only sound to be heard. The faint lightthat was shining from the window of the hall where the guard had beenstationed was the only bright spot in the midst of the surroundingdarkness. There were no indications of pursuit and no sound whichindicated that his flight had become known.
But where was Dennis? For the first time Noel became aware that he andhis friend had not made any plans as to their meeting in case both weresuccessful in escaping from the house.
Eagerly the boy looked all about him, but there was no sign of hisfriendly comrade. For a moment Noel was undecided. Should he remainwhere he was and wait the possible coming of Dennis? Or should he atonce depart from the place, now that he had succeeded in gaining theshelter of the barn, and strive to make his way as best he might to theroad which joined the one that led through the swamp?
Noel Curtis was too hi
ghly wrought up to hesitate long. Safely makinghis way toward the opposite side of the barn, he then started swiftly inthe direction in which the longed-for road was to be found. He had onlya faint recollection of the direction, however, and the night was toodark to enable him to discover any familiar signs.
Before he had fled twenty yards he was drenched with the downpour. Thatfact, however, was of minor consequence, and in his eagerness, althoughhe frequently was slipping and sliding as his feet failed to gain a firmfoothold in the slippery mud, it was not long before Noel found himselfat the place he was seeking. He had believed that no guard would bestationed there in such a night. Not only was the storm so violent as tomake it well-nigh impossible for a man and his horse to remain outside,but the darkness would enable any Northern soldiers who might havecrossed the corduroy road to escape the vision of the waitingConfederate.
Noel's surprise and pleasure were great when he discovered that the roadover which he was running was a plank road. When he had fled about onehundred yards, almost breathless he halted to discover whether or notthere were any signs of pursuit.
Convinced that his escape as yet was unknown, the lad seated himself ona plank in a small bridge and donned the shoes which he had beencarrying about his neck. Then he resumed his flight through the drivingstorm.