[Ill.u.s.tration: "IT WON"T GO OFF AGAIN UNTIL YOU LOAD IT."]
"I"m only sorry I missed my aim," replied Buck. "You have a revolver in your hand, and you can shoot me as soon as you please."
"Shooting is too good for a ruffian like you. If I had a rope I would hang you to one of the beams of your own shanty," replied Levi, as he grasped the ruffian by the collar of his coat.
"Oh, I"ll lend you a rope if you will come to the house," replied the obliging ruffian. "But hold your hand! You hurt me! You can see for yourself that I am wounded. One of Lyon"s cubs put a ball through my shoulder last night."
"It"s a pity he did not put it through your brains, if you"ve got anything of that sort in the top of your head," added Levi, as he proceeded to lead his prisoner to his wagon.
"You hurt me, Bedford!" pleaded Buck. "If you want to hang me, I"ll help you do the job in proper fashion; but you needn"t torture me before you do it. When we lynch a fellow we don"t do that."
Levi released his hold upon the prisoner.
"My aim is better than yours; walk to my wagon, and if you attempt to run away, I won"t kill you, but I will put two or three b.a.l.l.s through your legs, so that it won"t be convenient for you to run," said he, as he drove the villain before him towards the road.
"What are you go"n" to do with me, Bedford?" asked Buck.
"That"s my business," replied Levi.
"Well, I think it rayther consarns me too."
"If you live long enough you will find out in time. Now get into the wagon."
"Are you go"n" to take me down to Lyon"s place?" asked Buck, looking his captor in the face as they stopped at the side of the vehicle.
"Get in quick, or I may hurt you again!" said Levi impatiently. "You won"t get killed by a ball from my shooter, but you may have another wound."
Probably the ruffian preferred shooting to hanging, and the remark of the overseer did not please him. If he had told his whole story, he would have said that he had been unable to sleep on account of the wound in his shoulder, and for that reason he had been up early enough to see Levi drive past his shanty with Squire Truman. The suffering made him angry, stimulated his desire for revenge; and he had tried to put the overseer out of the way.
He pretended to be more afraid of wounds than of death; and with the a.s.sistance of Levi he climbed into the wagon, taking his place on the front seat as directed. His captor put the gun he had brought with him into the wagon, and then seated himself beside his prisoner. The spirited horses went off at a lively pace, and Buck immediately complained that the motion increased his pain.
"That wasn"t a bad scheme of yours to get possession of Colonel Belthorpe"s girls, Buck. You meant to trade them off for the arms, I suppose," said Levi, as he reduced the pace of his horses to a walk; for he desired, if he could, to obtain some information from his prisoner.
"That was just it, Bedford; and if that cub of Lyon"s hadn"t interfered, we should have had the arms before this time," replied Buck, with both a chuckle and a groan.
"Why didn"t you try it on Major Lyon"s girls first, for that would have brought the matter nearer home?"
"That"s just what we meant to do," replied Buck, with refreshing confidence in his custodian. "That was my plan; but Cap"n t.i.tus was obstinate, and wouldn"t hear to me. He ain"t much of a cap"n; and I"d had the arms and the rest o" the things if he had left it to me."
"What was your plan, Buck?" asked Levi quietly.
"That"s tellin"; we may try it on some other time, if I live long enough. Our folks are fightin" this thing on principle, and we ain"t go"n" to see the good old State of Kaintuck turned over to the Abolitionists."
"What do you mean by Abolitionists, Buck?"
"Such fellers as Lyon, Cosgrove, Belthorpe."
"They are all slaveholders."
"They"re all Lincolnites, and gave arms to their n.i.g.g.e.rs to shoot down white Kaintuckians last night," replied Buck bitterly.
"Only when a mob of ruffians came down upon them to burn their property and carry off their daughters!" added Levi. "They are Union men, and they will stand by the old flag as long as there is anything left of them."
"The Union"s busted!"
"Not much! Why don"t you enlist in the Confederate army, and carry out your principles? You are a cowardly ruffian, Buck!"
"We can do more good to the cause by stoppin" here, Bedford; and when I git command of that Home Guard, as I shall afore long, I"ll clean out the Abolitionists in less"n a week," said Buck boastfully.
"If you live long enough," suggested Levi.
"If I don"t I"m willin" to be a martyr to the good cause!" protested the reprobate.
As before suspected by Levi and his employer, "that Home Guard" was composed of the ruffians who had been the a.s.sailants the night before.
Levi drove to the fort, where a guard of a dozen negroes, under the command of General, had been placed over the arms and ammunition. The prisoner was taken from the wagon, and permitted to lie on one of the beds which had been brought from the mansion the night before for the use of the defenders of the plantation. General and his men were charged to shoot the captive if he attempted to escape.
CHAPTER x.x.xI
DR. FALKIRK VISITS RIVERLAWN
Levi Bedford, in spite of his threats to hang his prisoner, was a kind-hearted man, and he did what he could for the comfort of Buck Lagger. He had often been called upon to prescribe for the sick or injured among the hands on the plantation. He examined the wound of the ruffian; but it was beyond his skill, and he did not attempt to treat the patient.
During the absence of the expedition for the defence of Lyndhall he had done what he could for those who had been wounded on the creek road; but he was not an expert in the treatment of gunshot wounds. There was little he could do for them; and early in the morning he had sent Frank to procure the attendance of Dr. Falkirk, who resided near the village.
He had been called to a case on a plantation several miles from Barcreek. He had not returned when Levi went to his bed.
Major Lyon and the boys had taken to their beds as soon as the guests departed, and the overseer was in condition to follow their example. The premises were well guarded along the creek, and two men with breech-loaders in their hands were in charge of the wounded prisoner. In the mansion Mrs. Lyon and her daughters, who had been up most of the night, for they could not sleep while the major and his sons were in danger, had gone to bed to obtain needed rest.
Even the hands who had been on service the whole or a part of the eventful night were asleep, and the guard at Fort Bedford had been relieved. Levi slept soundly on the bed he had taken within the works, in spite of the groans mingled with curses of the wounded ruffian. There was no white person awake on the plantation to wonder what was to be the outcome of the events of the night. Doubtless Colonel Cosgrove and Squire Truman were also sleeping off the fatigues of the night. The aggressive ruffians had fled to their several homes, defeated, exhausted, and disgusted with the result of their labors in the cause of Secession. There was a calm after the storm.
Dr. Falkirk appeared about the middle of the forenoon. He was of Scotch descent; but his father had settled in New Orleans, and the son became as violent a "fire-eater" as though he had been the possessor of half a thousand slaves. He had made a fortune in the practice of his profession, and had purchased a plantation in Kentucky, on the outskirts of Barcreek, where he intended to end his days in peace and quiet. But some of his investments had been unfortunate, and he had been compelled to resume practice.
His skill as a physician and surgeon had brought to him an abundant practice, though his patients were widely scattered, and he was obliged to pa.s.s much of his time in his gig. When the troubles of the nation began, he developed into a Secessionist of the most ultra stripe. He was a highly educated man and a fluent speaker in public and private. In the Lyceum of the village he and Squire Truman were often pitted against each other, and one was quite as outspoken as the other.
But Dr. Falkirk was faithful to his patients, poor or rich, and without regard to their creed or politics. Though his fortune had been impaired, he was still in comfortable circ.u.mstances, and never refused to visit any sick person to whom he was called, with no regard to color or the expectation of payment for his services. In fact, he was the beau-ideal of a good physician, and held the honor of his profession above every other consideration.
The men on patrol at the bridge conducted the doctor to the fort as soon as he appeared, in obedience to the orders of the overseer. When he reached Fort Bedford he manifested no little astonishment at the appearance of the old ice-house, with its four embrasures, through which the twelve-pounders could be seen. The negroes with breech-loaders in their hands were a disgusting exhibition to him, and he turned up his nose, though he made no remark.
The sentinel at the door politely ushered him into the presence of his patient. Without asking any questions in regard to the manner in which the sufferer had received his wound, Dr. Falkirk proceeded to examine him. Buck Lagger was still in great pain, and had kept up a continual groaning all the forenoon. The doctor immediately gave him a couple of little pills, intended to ease the pain. The skilful surgeon discovered that a bullet was embedded in the shoulder, and he took from the handbag the instruments for its extraction.
Then he called upon a couple of the guards to a.s.sist him. There were but two sentinels in charge of the fort, who were faithfully marching up and down outside the door. But they paid no attention to the call of the doctor. Each of them seemed to be impressed with the idea that the protection of the plantation and the lives of all the family depended upon him, and that it would be treason for them to leave their posts.
"Can"t you hear me, you black rascals?" demanded the surgeon in a loud tone. "Come here, one of you!"
"Can"t leabe de post, Mars"r Doctor," replied one of the men.