The rebels had seen them, however, and giving vent to their terrible yell, they dashed in pursuit.
"Surrender," cried the leader as they drew near the hapless pair.
"Surrender!"
"Never!" cried d.i.c.k, furiously urging his horse to greater speed. A shower of bullets fell about them. The horse stumbled and then swayed heavily.
d.i.c.k leaped from the animal"s back and swung Jeanne to the ground just as the poor brute fell. Throwing his arms about his sister the boy faced the men defiantly.
"You are our prisoner, Yank," yelled the leader as they surrounded them.
"My sister," came from the lad"s lips. His face was very pale and a despairing look came into his eyes. He tottered and fell as he spoke.
"d.i.c.k!" shrieked Jeanne, frantically flinging herself beside him. "d.i.c.k, d.i.c.k!"
"Wounded," was the terse remark of the Captain as he made a brief examination. "By George, but he showed pluck to face us as he did! Look here, boys."
Turning back the lad"s shirt he showed a gaping wound in his chest. With a cry of agony at the sight, the world turned dark to Jeanne, and she fell prostrate across the form of her brother.
CHAPTER XXIV
VICKSBURG
When Jeanne recovered consciousness she knew by the rumbling and roaring that she was on board a train. The riding was very rough, and hardly realizing where she was she began to feel about her for the cushions, weakly wondering where the lights were. It came to her with a sudden shock as her fingers touched nothing but wood that she was lying p.r.o.ne upon the floor of some sort of a car with not even a blanket under her.
The knowledge brought back the full remembrance of what had happened, and she sat up quickly and tried to peer about her.
"d.i.c.k," she called. "d.i.c.k!"
A low moan was the answer. Guided by the sound Jeanne groped her way in its direction, and soon came in contact with the prostrate form of the boy.
"d.i.c.k," she cried again. "d.i.c.k, is it you?"
"Jeanne," came the reply, in weak tones, "are you safe? I called but you did not answer. I did not know you were here. What has happened? Were you asleep?"
"I think I must have fainted, d.i.c.k," answered Jeanne, as steadily as she could, for the thought of d.i.c.k"s wound sickened her, and she was still weak from her swoon. "But I am all right. How do you feel, brother? Are you suffering much pain?"
"It is terrible," groaned the boy. "It wouldn"t be so bad if it wasn"t for the jolting."
"It must be dreadful," said Jeanne, with aching heart. "Let me see if I can"t help that a little."
She crawled close to his side, and seating herself with the side of the car for a brace, gently lifted his head and shoulders into her lap.
"Is that better?" she asked, as d.i.c.k settled back heavily.
"Yes, dear; but I am afraid that it will be hard on you."
"Oh, no! It makes me feel so much better to be able to do something for you. It breaks my heart to have you suffer. Didn"t those people do anything for you?"
"The surgeon dressed my wound when they reached the station. Then they threw me into this box car. I felt worse because I didn"t know what had become of you."
"Now you must rest," said Jeanne, holding him tenderly against her. "We are still together, d.i.c.k. You must sleep if you can."
And so through all the long dark night the girl held her wounded brother, and strove to break the jolting of the rough car. Her arms ached from their burden, and her limbs were numb, but she breathed no word of discomfort.
Sometimes d.i.c.k would fall into a fitful sleep in which he murmured feverishly and then he would awake with a start, but Jeanne was always awake to soothe him and to quiet his wandering fancy.
At last the long hours of darkness pa.s.sed, as the longest and darkest must, and the sun rose lightening up even the gloomy box car with its rays. Pale and wan d.i.c.k looked in the morning light and Jeanne"s heart was very full as she gazed at him.
"What would mother say if she could see him?" she thought. "Oh, if she were only here to take care of him! But she can"t be and I must do my best. G.o.d help me!"
About nine o"clock the train slowed down and presently pulled into a station. After a long time the doors of the car opened and some Confederate soldiers appeared.
"All out for Vicksburg," called one facetiously.
"Shut up!" said another. "Don"t you see that the boy is wounded and the girl doesn"t look any better than he does."
"What are you going to do with him?" cried Jeanne in alarm as two of the men lifted d.i.c.k up.
"Take him to the provost marshal and then to the hospital. He is our prisoner, you know."
"Then you must take me right along with him," said Jeanne, decidedly, rising stiffly. "I suppose I am a prisoner too."
"I rather reckon so," was the dry reply.
Jeanne said no more but followed closely after the man as d.i.c.k was carried into the station. The depot was thronged with soldiers waiting to go out to the batteries. She obtained her first glimpse of the "Gibraltar of the South" as she drove through its streets by d.i.c.k"s side, in an ambulance.
The city presented a fine appearance situated as it was on the wooded summits of the Walnut Hills. From these elevations the flat alluvial country around could be seen in every direction, which with its forests of oaks and cottonwood interspersed with extensive plantations, formed a picture of great panoramic beauty. The main portion of the city lay near the water front and above it the hills were crowned with elegant private residences, and made conspicuous by the high walls of the public buildings. The court-house, a large structure of light gray limestone, crowned the summit of one of the hills and was one of the first objects to catch the eye. The streets rose from the river with an abrupt difficult ascent and were cut through the bluffs and hills directly to the edge of the levee.
With something approaching awe Jeanne gazed at the formidable batteries which had been erected to dispute the advance of the Federals. The most of them were near the lower end of the town as if the greatest danger were to be apprehended from that point. One tier was near the top of the bluff, another about halfway down from the summit to the water. A single row of water batteries was located near the brink of the river to repel all attacks made at close range. The batteries on the hills causing more trouble to the Unionists than those lower down as none of the Federal guns could be elevated sufficiently to reach them while their shot could be made to plunge through the decks and disable whatever boats or vessels came within their range. As Jeanne gazed on these formidable defenses she could not but wonder how the transport had escaped destruction.
The provost marshal was reached at last and d.i.c.k"s name and regiment were duly registered. Then the provost turned to Jeanne.
"I don"t know what to do with you," he said. "What were you doing?"
"d.i.c.k and I were trying to reach the Mississippi River hoping that we might get home," said Jeanne.
"Were you carrying anything beyond the lines?"
"No, sir."
"How came you within our lines?" persisted the officer, attracted by her youth and innocence, yet determined to probe the affair to the bottom.
"I came from New Orleans," said Jeanne. "I was visiting my uncle. When they left the city they took me with them but left me at a deserted plantation. I started back to New Orleans but fell in with Colonel Peyton"s camp and he was bringing me to Jackson where he said that he would send me to our side. I met d.i.c.k and so went with him because he is my brother."
"But what was d.i.c.k doing here?" queried the man. "What business has a Union soldier in this part of the country?"