Brother Against Brother Part 23

"What have they stopped there for, Colonel Belthorpe?" asked Major Lyon.

"They can see your fort by this time, and the lights have attracted their attention," replied the military gentleman. "They can see that you are ready for them, and perhaps they will not deem it advisable to come any farther."

"I hope they will not," added the owner of Riverlawn.

The aggressive force remained a long time at this spot. In the stillness of the night the sounds which came up the creek indicated that a dispute was in progress in the ranks of the enemy. It looked as though the ruffians were divided among themselves in regard to the prudence of advancing any farther. If t.i.tus Lyon was there, he could readily see that the stone ice-house had undergone some change. The brilliant light within it flashed out through the open door in the rear, and through the three embrasures in sight.

"Major Lyon, do those rascals know that you took possession of the military stores, or do they only guess at it?" asked Colonel Cosgrove.

"They know the arms they stored in a sink-hole cavern are gone, and they appeared at the meeting to know that I had caused their removal; but I have no idea how or where they obtained their information," replied the planter; and while they were waiting the approach of the ruffians, he gave a full account of the discovery and removal of the ammunition.

"They don't know that three extra white men are with you, and I don't think they would believe you would arm your servants, or that they would be good for anything if you did so," added Colonel Belthorpe. "Perhaps it would be a good idea to return to the fort and send a twelve-pound shot over the heads of that crowd."

"It would let them know that we have the cannon, if nothing more," said Colonel Cosgrove.

"You are a lawyer, Colonel; can't Captain t.i.tus recover these arms by process of law?" inquired the other colonel.

"There is no law in this part of the State at the present time. Men have been murdered within a few miles of this spot, and no notice has been taken of the fact. Those arms were brought here for the use of the Home Guards, which is the same as saying that they are for the use of the Secessionists. The law won't touch the arms," replied the legal gentleman very deliberately.

"They have settled their dispute, whatever it was, and the ruffians are moving again," said Levi. "It is too late to send a twelve-pound shot over their heads, and if there is to be any fight, it will be at the bridge."

"You are right," replied Colonel Belthorpe, after a long look at the enemy; for as the road where they were was parallel to his line of vision, it was difficult to determine whether they were moving or not.

"Let them come; and while they are doing so we will have a little drill of the forces."

He formed the six white men in one line, and the fifteen negroes in another, though some of the latter were only a shade or two darker than the former. Levi Bedford soon proved that he was familiar with the manual, and he was sent to drill the dark section of the army. But the exercise was confined to loading and firing. The men were drawn up in line across the bridge, and instructed as far as "shoulder arms," and then the drill officer explained how they were to conduct themselves.

"The ruffians are getting pretty near, Colonel," suggested Major Lyon.

"We are all ready for them," replied he.

The men were then placed at "Order arms," and permitted to watch the approach of the enemy. Their torches, which had probably been made in a birch grove on the other side of the river, and must have been occasionally renewed with material brought for the purpose, blazed brightly, and lighted up the road, so that they could be plainly seen.

"There are at least a hundred of them," said the officer in command.

"And some of them have muskets," added Colonel Cosgrove.

"It looks as though some one or more of us might be shot," continued Major Lyon. "If there is any man here, black or white, who wants to leave and find a safer place than this may be in a few minutes, he is at liberty to do so. I don't want any man to render unwilling service on my account; and you can make peace with that gang by giving me and my boys up to them."

"Never! Never! Never!" yelled every one of the servants.

"Mars'r Lyon foreber!" shouted General.

"Glory to G.o.d! We all die for Mars'r Lyon!" cried Dummy the preacher.

"Now all hands give three cheers!" interposed Colonel Belthorpe; and they were given as vigorously as on the deck of a man-of-war. "That will convince the enemy that we are wide awake, and don't mean to run away."

"I reckon that squad is just a little astonished about this time," said Levi.

For this reason, or some other, the enemy suddenly made a halt, and the tumult of many voices came up the road. If Captain t.i.tus was in command of the enemy, his force was not reduced to anything like discipline.

From the sounds there appeared to be many commanders, each of whom wanted to have his own way. The defenders of the mansion waited full a quarter of an hour before the tumult subsided, indicating that some point had been carried, though enough of the shouts of the stormy ruffians indicated that they were in favor of going ahead and making the attack. It was plain to the listeners that some of the gang had cooler heads, and knew what prudence meant.

Presently four men were seen marching up the road towards the bridge, the two at the flanks carrying flaming torches, as if to illuminate a white flag borne on a pole, which had possibly cost some member of the troop his white shirt. The two in the middle were evidently the officers, or amba.s.sadors, of the ruffians. They came up to their end of the bridge, and halted there.

CHAPTER XXI

THE BEGINNING OF HOSTILITIES

The representatives of the ruffians had halted about fifty feet from the line of the defenders of Riverlawn, and they could be distinctly seen.

It was Buck Lagger who flaunted the flag of truce, and by his side stood t.i.tus Lyon. The other two were simply torch-bearers. There the party stood, and there they seemed to be inclined to stand for an indefinite period of time. They could see the line of the defenders extended across the bridge, and the torches lent enough of their light to the scene to enable Captain t.i.tus to discover that the men were all provided with muskets, though they probably could not make out the character of the weapons.

"This is all nonsense!" exclaimed Colonel Belthorpe, apparently disgusted with this peaceable display on the part of the enemy.

"Captain t.i.tus wishes only to repeat the demand for the return of the arms," added Colonel Cosgrove. "But we can't spare them just yet."

"That is their ostensible purpose, but the real one is to see whether or not we are in condition to receive them," suggested Major Lyon.

"But I am not inclined to wait all night merely to be looked at,"

continued the commander of the forces impatiently.

"I think you had better speak to them, for they can hear you well enough at this distance," said Major Lyon.

"I am more inclined to march over the bridge and drive them away than to parley all night with them about nothing," replied Colonel Belthorpe.

"In military matters I believe in vigorous action."

"According to the customs of civilized warfare we should respect a flag of truce, though we believe it is only an expedient to gain time," added Colonel Cosgrove.

"What do you want?" demanded the commander, adopting the suggestion of the planter of Riverlawn.

"We want to settle this business, and I want to see Major Lyon," replied Captain t.i.tus.

"Come to the middle of the bridge, and he will meet you," shouted the officer in command.

t.i.tus advanced with his three supporters, marching very slowly.

"I suppose I must see him," said Major Lyon, who would evidently have been glad to be spared the interview.

"Three of us will go with you, and make an even thing of it," added Colonel Belthorpe, as Noah Lyon stopped forward to discharge his disagreeable duty.

The commander placed Colonel Cosgrove on one side of him and Squire Truman on the other, taking position in front of them himself. He saw the planter of the estate did not like to meet his brother.

"Major Lyon, I think you had better let me do the talking, for the situation must be very annoying to you," suggested the leader.

"I shall be very glad to have you do so, Colonel," answered the planter.

"I am extremely sorry that my own brother is the leader of the ruffians, and I did not expect to see him engaged in such a work. He warned me yesterday that my place might be burned, and that I might be hung to one of the big trees, though he had prevented such an outrage so far."