The Rock of Chickamauga by Joseph A. Altsheler (best love novels of all time txt) 📖
- Author: Joseph A. Altsheler
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his left. But Dick, who was learning to be very wary, dodged it and came
back so swiftly that Woodville was caught and beaten to his knees.
But the son of the house of Bellevue was still so agile that he was
able to recover his feet and spring away. Dick saw, however, that he was
panting heavily. The blow had taken a considerable part of his remaining
strength. He also saw that his antagonist was regarding him with a
curious eye.
"You fight well, Yank," said Woodville, "although I ought not to call
you Yank, but rather a traitor, as you're a Kentuckian. Still, I've
put my marks on you. You're bleeding a lot and you'd be a sight if it
weren't for this cleansing rain."
"I've been putting the map of Kentucky on your own face. You don't look
as much like Mississippi as you did. You'll take notice too that you
didn't burn the house. If you'll glance up the side of this ravine
you'll see just a little dying smoke. Eight hundred soldiers put it out
in short order."
Woodville's face flushed, and his eyes for the first time since the
beginning of the encounter shone with an angry gleam. But the wrathful
fire quickly died.
"On the whole, I'm not sorry," he said. "It was an impulse that made me
do it. Our army will come and drive you away, and our house will be our
own again."
"That's putting it fairly. What's the use of burning such a fine place
as Bellevue? Still, we want you. Our colonel has many questions to ask
you."
"You can't take me."
Dick judged that the crucial moment had now come. Woodville was
breathing much more heavily than he was, and seemed to be near
exhaustion. Dick darted boldly in, received a swinging right and left on
either jaw that cut his cheeks and made the blood flow. But he sent his
right to Woodville's chin and the young Mississippian without a sound
dropped to the ground, lying relaxed and flat upon his back, his white
face, streaked with red, upturned to the rain.
He was so still that Dick was seized with fear lest he had killed him.
He liked this boy who had fought him so well and, grasping him by both
shoulders, he shook him hard. But when he loosed him Woodville fell back
flat and inert.
Dick heard the waters of a brook trickling down the ravine, and,
snatching off his cap, he ran to it. He filled the cap and returned just
in time to see Woodville leap lightly to his feet and disappear with the
speed of a deer among the bushes.
CHAPTER II. FORREST
Dick dashed after the fugitive, but he had disappeared utterly, and the
dense bushes impeded the pursuer. He was hot and angry that he had been
deluded so cleverly, but then came the consolation that, after all, he
had won in the fistic encounter with an antagonist worthy of anybody.
And after this came a second thought that caused him to halt abruptly.
He and Woodville had fought it out fairly. Their fists had printed upon
the faces of each other the stamp of a mutual liking. Why should he
strive to take young Woodville before Colonel Winchester? Nothing was
to be gained by it, and, as the Mississippian was in civilian's garb, he
might incur the punishment of a spy. He realized in a flash that, since
he had vindicated his own prowess, he was glad of Woodville's escape.
He turned and walked thoughtfully back up the ravine. Very little noise
came from the house and the thin spires of smoke had disappeared. He
knew now that the fires had been put out with ease, thanks to his
quick warning. Before starting he had recovered both his own pistol and
Woodville's, and he was particularly glad to find the latter because
it would be proof of his story, if proof were needed. The rain had not
ceased nor had the heavy darkness lifted, but the looming shadow of the
big house was sufficient guide. He found the place where he had slipped
down the bank and the torn bushes and grass showed that he had made a
fine trail. He pulled himself back up by the bushes and reentered the
garden, where he was halted at once by two watchful sentries.
"Lieutenant Richard Mason of Colonel Winchester's staff," he said,
"returning from the pursuit of a fugitive."
The men knew him and they said promptly:
"Pass Lieutenant Mason."
But despite the dark they stared at him very curiously, and when he
walked on toward the piazza one of them muttered to the other:
"I guess he must have overtook that fugitive he was chasin'."
Dick walked up the steps upon the piazza, where some one had lighted a
small lamp, near which stood Colonel Winchester and his staff.
"Here's Dick!" exclaimed Warner in a tone of great relief.
"And we thought we had lost him," said Colonel Winchester, gladness
showing in his voice. Then he added: "My God, Dick, what have you been
doing to yourself?"
"Yes, what kind of a transformation is this?" added a major. "You've
certainly come back with a face very different from the one with which
you left us!"
Dick turned fiery red. He suddenly became conscious that he had a left
ear of enormous size, purple and swollen, that his left eye was closing
fast, that the blood was dripping from cuts on either cheek, that the
blood had flowed down the middle of his forehead and had formed a little
stalactite on the end of his nose, that his chin had been gashed in five
places by a strong fist, and that he had contributed his share to the
bloodshed of the war.
"If I didn't know these were modern times," said Warner, "I'd say that
he had just emerged from a sanguinary encounter bare-handed in the Roman
arena with a leopard."
Dick glared at him.
"It was you who gave the alarm of fire, was it not?" asked Colonel
Winchester.
"Yes, sir. I saw the man who set the fires and I pursued him through the
garden and into the ravine that runs behind it."
"Your appearance indicates that you overtook him."
Dick flushed again.
"I did, sir," he replied. "I know I'm no beauty at present, but neither
is he."
"It looks as if it had been a matter of fists?"
"It was, sir. Both of us fired our pistols, but missed. Then we threw
our weapons to one side and clashed. It was a hard and long fight, sir.
He hit like a pile driver, and he was as active as a deer. But I was
lucky enough to knock him out at last."
"Then why does your face look like a huge piece of pickled beef?" asked
the incorrigible Warner mischievously.
"You wait and I'll make yours look the same!" retorted Dick.
"Shut up," said Colonel Winchester. "If I catch you two fighting I may
have you both shot as an example."
Dick and Warner grinned good-naturedly at each other. They knew that
Colonel Winchester did not dream of carrying out such a threat, and they
knew also that they had no intention of fighting.
"And after you knocked him out what happened?" asked the colonel.
Dick looked sheepish.
"He lay so still I was afraid he was dead," he replied. "I ran down to
a brook, filled my cap with water, and returned with it in the hope
of reviving him. I got there just in time to see him vanishing in the
bushes. Pursuit was hopeless."
"He was clever," said the Colonel. "Have you any idea who he was?"
"He told me. He was Victor Woodville, the son of Colonel John Woodville,
C.S.A., the owner of this house."
"Ah!" said Colonel Winchester, and then after a moment's thought he
added: "It's just as well he escaped. I should not have known what to do
with him. But we have you, Dick, to thank for giving the alarm. Now, go
inside and change to some dry clothes, if you have any in your baggage,
and if not dry yourself before a fire they're going to build in the
kitchen."
"Will you pardon me for speaking of something, sir?"
"Certainly. Go ahead."
"I think the appearance of young Woodville here indicates the nearness
of Forrest or some other strong cavalry force."
"You're right, Dick, my officers and I are agreed upon it. I have
doubled the watch, but now get yourself to that fire and then to sleep."
Dick obeyed gladly enough. The night had turned raw and chill, and the
cold water dripped from his clothes as he walked. But first he produced
Woodville's pistol and handed it to Colonel Winchester.
"There's my antagonist's pistol, sir," he said. "You'll see his initials
on it."
"Yes, here they are," said Colonel Winchester: "'V.W., C.S.A.' It's a
fine weapon, but it's yours, Dick, as you captured it."
Dick took it and went to the kitchen, where the big fire had just begun
to blaze. He was lucky enough to be the possessor of an extra uniform,
and before he changed into it--they slept with their clothes on--he
roasted himself before those glorious coals. Then, as he was putting on
the fresh uniform, Warner and Pennington appeared.
"What would you recommend as best for the patient, Doctor," said Warner
gravely to Pennington.
"I think such a distinguished surgeon as you will agree with me that his
wounds should first be washed and bathed thoroughly in cold water."
"And after that a plentiful application of soothing liniment."
"Yes, Doctor. That is the best we can do with the simple medicines we
have, but it especially behooves us to reduce the size of that left ear,
or some of the boys will say that we have a case of elephantiasis on our
hands."
"While you're reducing the size of it you might also reduce the pain in
it," said Dick.
"We will," said Pennington; "we've got some fine horse liniment here.
I brought it all the way from Nebraska with me, and if it's good for
horses it ought to be good for prize fighters, too. That was surely a
hefty chap who fought you. If you didn't have his pistol as proof I'd
say that he gave you a durned good licking. Isn't this a pretty cut down
the right cheek bone, George?"
"Undoubtedly, but nothing can take away the glory of that left ear.
Why, if Dick could only work his ears he could fan himself with it
beautifully. When I meet that Woodville boy I'm going to congratulate
him. He was certainly handy with his fists."
"Go on, fellows," said Dick, good-naturedly. "In a week I won't have a
wound or a sign of a scar. Then I'll remember what you've said to me and
I'll lick you both, one after the other."
"Patient is growing delirious, don't you think so, Doctor?" said Warner
to Pennington.
"Beyond a doubt. Violent talk is always proof of it. Better put him to
bed. Spread his two blankets before the fire, and he can sleep there,
while every particle of cold and stiffness is being roasted out of him."
"You boys are very good to me," said Dick gratefully.
"It's done merely in the hope that your gratitude will keep you from
giving us the licking you promised," said Pennington.
Then they left him and Dick slept soundly until he was awakened the next
day by Warner. The fire was out, the rain had ceased long since and the
sun was shining brilliantly.
"Hop up, Dick," said Warner briskly. "Breakfast's ready. Owing to your
wound we let you sleep until the last moment. Come now, take the foaming
coffee and the luscious bacon, and we'll be off, leaving Bellevue again
to its masters, if they will come and claim it."
"Has anything happened in the night?"
"Nothing since you ran your face against a pile driver, but Sergeant
Daniel Whitley, who reads the signs of earth and air and wood and water,
thinks that something is going to happen."
"Is it Forrest?"
"Don't know, but it's somebody or something. As soon as we can
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