A Lieutenant at Eighteen Part 42

"I can't help that; I won't feed any more runaways. Leave the house this minute, or I will call my servants to eject you!" stormed the lady.

"Call 'em, marm," replied Life, taking one of the pair of revolvers he carried from his pocket, and placing it at the side of his plate, Deck following his example.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "THE UNWELCOME VISITORS POINTED THEIR WEAPONS." _Page 461._]

The lady deemed it prudent to retire; but four stout negroes appeared at the door. The unwelcome visitors pointed their weapons at them, and they fled at the sight of them. The two black women became very tractable, and the wanderers ate their fill of ham and eggs, supplemented with waffles. Deck left his thanks and two dollars for the lady of the house, and they retired. They went to the stable next, where they found four horses. They took from the harness-room a couple of plain saddles and bridles, with which they prepared the two best horses for their own use. Mounting them, they hastened up the road on the bank of the creek.

CHAPTER x.x.xVI

SCOUTING IN THE ENEMY'S COUNTRY

Colonel Bickford was evidently a gentleman of taste, for he had selected a beautiful locality for his residence; but the scouts had not yet learned whether he was a Unionist or a Confederate. They were still in Kentucky, though not more than ten miles from the Tennessee line.

When they had ridden a couple of miles, they met half a dozen negroes, with fis.h.i.+ng-rods on their shoulders.

"Going a-fis.h.i.+ng?" asked Deck, as he reined in his steed.

"Yes, sar. De sodjers done took all de meat in de country, and all de corn. n.i.g.g.e.rs can't git not'in t'eat 'cept out ob de creeks," replied the foremost of the party, who was a light mulatto.

"Who lives in the house a mile or two down the stream?" continued Deck.

"Cun'l Bickford."

"Oh, yes; he is a Union man," added Deck.

"No, sar!" exclaimed the mulatto vigorously. "Cun'l ob a Tennessee regiment. Whar you git his coach hosses?"

"I'll tell you about that next summer; but we only borrowed them for a couple of days. He is badly wounded I heard."

"Yes, sar; fotched home on a stretcher from Monticello, whar he com'd wid de army."

"Why didn't he come down to Newberry along with the army?" asked Life, who knew precisely where he was when Monticello was mentioned.

"De army don't come dis way, dey foller de road by de Souf Forks."

"Where do they go then?"

"Dunno, Mars'r; dey don't tell whar de go," replied the mulatto, shaking his head.

This man seemed to be intelligent, and know more about the region than most of the negroes. Deck bade them good-by, and resumed his march.

"I dunno's we need go any furder," said Life, after they had gone a few rods.

"I hope we shall be able to obtain more reliable information than from the reports of these darkeys," replied Deck, who was in favor of doing the work thoroughly.

"Jest as you say, Lieutenant; but if they had come down this way we'd 'a' seen some stragglers," answered the Kentuckian. "I reckon I know just whar they are gwine, 'cause I've been over the road myself.

They'll foller the South Fork, and strike Jamestown, Fentress County, and from there make for Gainsborough, where they can git steamboats to tote them to Nashville."

"There is a village ahead," said Deck.

"That is Newberry" (as it was then called).

They went into the place, and found a grocery store and post-office.

They halted near it, and spent some time in a consultation. At Jamestown they could determine with certainty where the army was going.

It was a little over twenty miles, while the road the army had taken was quite thirty, though the roads were better by the latter route.

Deck promptly decided to proceed to Jamestown. They deemed it advisable to avoid the towns, especially Albany, the capital of the county; and it seemed to be necessary to provide themselves with a quant.i.ty of food, for they might not be able to procure a dinner or a supper as readily as they had a breakfast.

They dismounted, and entered the store. They found the postmaster half asleep behind his counter; and when Deck inquired if he had anything to eat, he replied in a very sulky manner that he had nothing. He had been robbed of about everything he had that was eatable by runaway soldiers like themselves, who had deserted from the army.

"Haven't you got anything?" persisted Deck.

"Not a thing; a dozen of you runaways came here last night, and took everything I had, and never paid me a cent for what they carried off, and threatened to shoot me if I made a row about it. I can't afford to keep store for sech fellers," protested the man, with intense disgust.

"But I have a little money, and I am willing to pay for whatever we obtain," added the lieutenant.

The storekeeper raised his head sharply, and appeared to be wide awake at these words.

"Don't you think you could raise something for us?" asked Deck.

"Provisions is mighty skeece down here, for the army has picked up everything they could find; and we are as poor as starved turkeys."

"Well, if you hain't got nothin', of course we can't git nothin',"

added Life.

"If you're gwine to pay for what you have, I might raise somethin' for you," said the storekeeper. "I bought two mighty handsome chickens yesterday, and had to give a dollar apiece for 'em. My wife roasted 'em last night, and hid 'em away for our own use. If you don't mind payin'

two dollars apiece for 'em, you shall have 'em."

"All right; bring them along," answered Deck.

The man left the store, and was absent about ten minutes, when he returned with the chickens. They were quite large, and were a toothsome morsel for hungry men. Deck then called for a dollar's worth of crackers, which the storekeeper had to bring from their hiding-place outside the building. General Woodbine had provided him with five gold half-eagles, which the lieutenant had concealed in as many different places about his own and Life's person, and a few dollars' worth of silver.

Deck paid in gold for the provisions. The postmaster, who looked like a happy man since he saw the precious coin, wrapped the chickens in papers, putting a little package of salt with each; and the wanderers stuffed them into their capacious pockets, finding also s.p.a.ce enough for the crackers.

"We are all right now," said Deck, as they left the shop, and hastened to the tree where they had left their horses.

"We sha'n't starve, nohow," replied Life.

When they came in sight of the horses, they discovered with surprise and chagrin four men, evidently deserters from the Confederate army, two of whom were untying the bridles of the animals. One of them had succeeded in doing so, and was about to mount the steed.

"What are you about thar?" demanded Life, as he stalked towards the man who had a foot in the stirrup.

The deserter stopped for an instant, and then leaped on the horse.

"I reckon we need those hosses more'n you uns do," replied the fellow coolly and impudently.

"I reckon you won't have 'em," replied Life. Reaching up his long right arm, and grasping the man by the throat, he dragged him from the animal in the twinkling of an eye, pitching him on the ground as though he had been a piece of carrion; and he lay there looking at the stalwart form of the Kentuckian, not much inclined to close with him.