Hardscrabble; or, the fall of Chicago Part 6

These latter were, briefly questioned whether they had seen anything, and great was the anxiety of all when it was known that they had also heard in the orchard but in a fainter manner, what had attracted the attention of Green and Philips in the garden.

"Why didn't you give the signal then, as directed?"

"Because," answered Ca.s.s, "We weren't quite sure about it, and feared the whistle might tell the Injins, if any were near, our whereabouts."

Scarce had this explanation been given, when the attention of all was arrested by a loud clear shout of the corporals' name, evidently uttered by Collins.

"Into the house--into the house," exclaimed the same voice. "The Injins are creeping up to you."

As these words came ringing upon the silence of the night the dull steps in rapid advance through the two enclosures were now distinctly heard, while the flash of a gun fired in their rear, lighted up the forms of three or four savages, gliding up to them by the pathway by which the corporal had come.

The danger was imminent, the necessity for securing the important position imperative, and without waiting for the order of their superior, or even uttering a word, the whole of the party, acting upon the caution of Collins, made a rush towards the front entrance of the house, which they gained at the very moment when the rattling of the snake-fences, and the total overthrow of the slight enclosure, announced that their enemies were thus near in pursuit.

Fortunately the door was wide open, so that they had all pa.s.sed in, when the Indians on either flank, as though by previous arrangement, poured in their cross fire, towards that common centre, without, however, striking anything but the logs.

Terrific and continuous yells succeeded, and well was it that, with cool prompt.i.tude, the corporal had sought, and found behind the door, where he knew they were usually kept, the strong bars, three in number, that secured the heavy panels, for as many of the Indians as could find room to act together, now applied their shoulders to the frame with such violence, that but for those timely safeguards, it must have yielded.

During more than five minutes they persevered in their efforts, the men waiting anxiously in att.i.tude of preparation for the result, when all at once they ceased, and their footsteps were heard cautiously retiring.

"Quick, look to the back-door, two of you," commanded the corporal in an eager, but low tone, "they are going round; there, if that is not secured we are lost."

Green and Philips sprang forward towards the point indicated, but the latter in his excitement stumbled heavily against something, and fell at his length upon the floor, exclaiming: "I've fallen over a dead man, and am half drowned in his blood."

His companion who had escaped this obstruction, had scarcely time to a.s.sure the corporal that the back door was already barred, a fact which he had discovered by dint of feeling, when the latch was first heard gently tried, then the door violently a.s.saulted. Another loud and angry yell from the Indians announced their disappointment, then several shots were fired at the door, and two or three b.a.l.l.s could be heard dropping and rolling upon the floor, after having pa.s.sed through the heavy planks.

"Safe enough now for a while, my lads," said the corporal exultingly, "and we can have, a little breathing time. Who's got the means of striking a light, that we may see where we are, and what we're about?"

"I have," answered Green, as taking a flint, steel, and tinder from his pocket, he, with a couple of strokes, ignited the latter, and approached the hearth, which the faint light from the burning "punk" enabled him to reach. The fire had long since gone out, but the crisp and blackened embers, soon grew under the care of the soldier into light sufficient to render objects in the apartment gradually more and more distinguishable.

While this process was going on, the rest, leaning on their muskets, were anxiously grouped around the spot where Philips had fallen. At first, only the outline of a man of large stature and proportions could be seen lying in a cramped position, as if produced by some strong convulsive agony, and then when the fire began to kindle and crackle, the dress could be distinguished, and then as the light grew brighter, the scalpless head, and then the marked and distorted features of the murdered master of the house, who lay in a pool of blood that slowly trickled along the crevices of the floor. His hands were firmly clenched upon the barrel of a rifle which had been broken off at the stock, that now lay a few yards beyond, while the features, sternly set in death, bore a mingled expression of defiance and resolution. A cut, as from a tomahawk had laid open his left temple, while on several parts of his body could be seen thick encrustations of blood that had exuded through the rent clothing, marking the seat of several stabs and gunshot wounds. It was evident that Mr. Heywood had not lost his life without a desperate, struggle, for independently of the testimony afforded by his broken rifle, which he seemed to have used with fierce determination, the heavy table had been overthrown, and the few articles of necessary furniture in the room evidently displaced.

"What a tale, this, to carry back," gravely remarked Weston. "I wouldn't take the corporal's stripes to-morrow, and be the first man to tell Miss Heywood of it."

"Supposing we get back at all," said Ca.s.s. "Though we're safe enough for the present, I've no notion these devils will let us off go soon."

"There's no great danger now," interrupted the corporal. "I defy them, if they're not stronger than we saw them this morning, to get into the house, with six good firelocks to defend it."

"But they may set fire to it, and burn us out," persevered the apprehensive man with the hooked nose and the peaked chin; "I've heard of those things before."

"Burn your granny out, Nutcrackers; look at them logs well, and say if it would'nt take h.e.l.l-fire itself to burn 'em through in a month, but corporal, had'nt we better divide the ammunition. We don't know, as Ca.s.s says, what the imps are about, and what trouble they may give us yet."

"Right, Green, there's nothing like being on the sure side, and so, my lads look to the pouches. Weston, there's a candle in that stone bottle on the shelf--light it, and put it on the table as soon as you have got that on its legs again."

The examination was soon made. Each small cartouch box, expressly made for light excursions, contained, with the exception of the single cartridge which Collins had fired, the usual allowance of fifteen rounds. Two of these however--those of Green and Philips--had been so saturated by long immersion in the water, that they were wholly unserviceable. They were therefore emptied and dried, and the deficiency supplied from the pouches of their comrades, thus leaving about a dozen charges to each man.

"A small stock of ammunition, this, I guess, to stand a long siege on an empty belly," drawled forth Ca.s.s.

"Just like you--always croakin'," sneered Green, "and always thinking of your belly. Why man, you've more ammunition there, I take it, than ever you'll fire away in your life."

"And if we haven't enough," said the corporal, going to, and taking down and shaking a powder horn, which hung suspended from the wall, that had evidently been overlooked by the Indians, "here are a dozen more charges at least, and the b.a.l.l.s of the cartridges have not, I take it, lost their power to drill a hole into a fellow because they've been considerably well ducked. But hark! what noise is that--listen!"

A low, grating sound, as of some heavy body rubbing against the ground, was now audible at short intervals, to seemed to proceed from the southern gable--but not a voice was heard. From the moment when they had uttered their cry of disappointment, on finding the back entrance secured, the Indians had preserved the utmost silence.

Suddenly a yell, pealed from the direction of the river, caused them for the first time to revert to the exposed position of the unfortunate Collins.

"Poor fellow," said Green, dashing away a tear. "I wish he was with us.

Somehow or other, I feel as if we should all have a better chance in a fight, were that lad in the middle of it."

"We shall never see him more!" gravely observed the Virginian; "That shot fired just after he warned us, did his business, depend upon it, and if that one didn't, it is not likely the blood-hounds would let him off after robbing them of their prey: no, no, poor Collins has lost his life in saving us."

Again the yell was repeated, and from the same quarter. The corporal sprang to the ladder which communicated with the loft, and having placed it under the window on the front, hastily ascended and looked out, for no one had hitherto thought of closing an opening, from which no danger was, seemingly, to be apprehended.

The darkness which had been so excessive at the moment of their entrance, had greatly diminished--so much so, that he could trace the forms of two or three of the warriors who were stooping low, apparently engaged with some object lying on the very bank of the river.

"Scalping and mutilating the poor fellow, no doubt," he muttered fiercely to himself, "but here goes to revenge him!"

Forgetting his usual prudence, he, in the strong excitement of the moment, drew up the b.u.t.t of his musket to his shoulder, and as well as his cramped position would permit, covered one of the savages, but while in the very act of pulling the trigger, they all fell prostrate, and the bullet whizzed harmlessly over them. In the next instant a ball, aimed at himself, and fired from another quarter, pa.s.sed through the window, grazing the shoulder slightly bitten by Loup Garou, and lodged in the opposite logs of the room. A third loud yell followed as the corporal drew in his head and disappeared from the window. The Indians evidently thought he had been hit, and thus gave utterance to their triumph.

"There's that grating sound again," remarked Weston.

All now listened, and heard much more distinctly than before the peculiar sound. Then followed a scratching and b.u.mping of something heavy against the end of the house.

"I have it," said the Virginian. "They've dragged the ladder from the barn, and are trying to fix it under the bedroom window. Ca.s.s, do you and Philips go in and see what they're doing. But close the door after you that they may not pick you off by the light."

The door was cautiously opened and again shut as soon as the men had entered. They looked up at the window, which, in the darkness that prevailed around, was distinctly enough visible, but although open, nothing met their glance of a nature to startle them, nor could any movement be heard without.

"Hold my firelock," whispered Ca.s.s to his companion, "while I try and get a look out. I know poor Le Noir's bed is directly under the window, and I don't think THAT is too high, if I stand on the pillow."

He now cautiously groped his way to the bed, on ascending which, being a tall man, he found the top of his head to be on a level with the sill of the window. This was not sufficient for his purpose, and he sought to elevate himself still more. In attempting, with this view, to place himself on the head-board, he missed his footing, and fell with some force between the head of the bed, and the rode log wall. To his dismay, he found that his feet had rested not upon the hard floor of the apartment, but upon something soft and yielding, which his imagination, strongly excited by the events of the day, led him unhesitatingly to conclude, was the flesh of a human body.

"A light corporal--a light!" he shouted, regardless of every thing, but his desire to release himself from his present situation. "Bring a light. Here's a fellow, who has got hold of me by the leg!"

"Take your musket then and bayonet him," said Philips, coolly, as he pushed towards the struggling man the b.u.t.t end of his firelock, which at length reached his hands. At the same time, Corporal Nixon, rendered equally imprudent by the suddenness of the demand for his presence, entered, followed by Weston, bearing the candle.

CHAPTER VI.

Nothing can, we conceive, be in worse taste in a fict.i.tious narrative, than the wanton introduction of the ludicrous upon the solemn, but when in an historical tale these extremes do occur, fidelity forbids the suppression of the one, lest it should mar the effect of the other. Such is the necessity under which we find ourselves.

The first act of the corporal, on seeing how matters stood, was to pull back the bedstead behind which Ca.s.s was imprisoned, so as wholly to uncover him and his a.s.sailant, but the surprise of all may be imagined, when, instead of an Indian, with whom they believed him to be struggling, they beheld an immense turkey-c.o.c.k, well known to them all, which was partly under the foot of the soldier--partly in a boarded drain or reservoir which pa.s.sed from the apartment into a large hog trough, that lay along the wall and daily received the refuse of the various meals. The bird, furious with pain, was burying its beak into the leg of the soldier, while he, with the b.u.t.t end of his musket aloft, and the bayonet depressed, offered the most burlesque representation of St. George preparing to give his mortal thrust to the dragon.

In spite of the danger by which they were beset, it was impossible for the men to restrain the indulgence of their humor at this singular sight, nor was the disposition at all checked, when they saw the bayonet descend and actually transfix the intruder to the floor-causing him to droop his head, and thus free Ca.s.s from his furious attacks.

"If that's the way you kill your enemies, Nutcrackers, we promise to eat them up for you--as many as you like," and as he spoke, Green advanced and seized the dying bird by the throat; but as he pulled it suddenly away, a dark human hand was observed to relinquish its hold of the feet, and rapidly disappear.

The mirth of the men was now succeeded by a seriousness befitting the occasion, for it was clear to all that this occurrence, absurd as it was, had been the means of betraying a new plan of the enemy to get into the house. If the drain was large enough to admit of the pa.s.sage of the bird--always remarkable for its size--it was highly possible that some of the more slightly formed Indians, might force their way through it also. They had evidently tried to see if it could be done--the turkey-c.o.c.k having been put forward as a "feeler," and the necessity of either closing the avenue, or weakening their strength by keeping a man constantly on the watch, was now obvious.

"Find something to stop up that hole with Ca.s.s," ordered the corporal.