The sound of my voice awakened my companions, who fancied that the house was attacked by thieves.
As the blacks, notwithstanding my threats, seemed inclined to be off, I jumped out of the window, which was of no great height from the ground, followed by Sinnet and Tom. The n.i.g.g.e.rs fancied, I believe, that we were spirits of another world, as we appeared in our night-shirts, which were fluttering in the breeze, and came back trembling and humble enough. We made them show us the window of Mr Talboys" room, as we could not get into the house. Shouting loudly, we awoke him, and I then told him what I had heard.
"You have acted judiciously, young gentleman, whether there is anything in it or not; but I"ll be dressed directly, and come out to hear what account the black boys have to give. Take care they don"t run off in the meantime."
Presently I heard a bolt withdraw; the door opened, and Mr Talboys made his appearance, a red night-cap on his head and wrapped in a flowered dressing-gown, a candle in one hand, and a thick whip in the other.
"I must examine these fellows," he said as he came out. "They"re less liable to prevaricate if they see the whip. Come, now, young gentlemen, you may wish to put on your garments, and while you do so I"ll hear what my negroes have to say."
As he was speaking, however, Chaffey came out of our room, bringing our breeches, having first got into his own, lest, as he said, the ladies might inconveniently make their appearance.
"What"s this you were talking about, Cato?" asked Mr Talboys, looking sternly at the blacks, who stood trembling before him.
"Caesar c.u.m just now, and say dat Cudjoe, with great number ob n.i.g.g.e.rs, just come down from de mountains, and dey march dis way with muskets, and bayonets, and big swords, and spears, and swear dey kill all de whites dey c.u.m across."
I saw Mr Talboys start.
"How did you hear this, Caesar?" he asked.
"Please, ma.s.sa, I out last night, to help bury Mammy Quacca, who die in de morning, when my brother Sambo c.u.m in and say he almost caught by Cudjoe"s fellows, and hear dem swear dat dey c.u.m to kill all de white people, and before long he tink dey c.u.m dis way to Belmont." (That was the name of Mr Talboys" place.)
"Cudjoe! Who are you talking about? The fellow has been dead these thirty years or more," said our host.
"Dey say him Cudjoe. Perhaps him come to life again," answered Caesar, as if he fully believed such an event probable. "Or maybe him "Tree Fingered Jack.""
"Three Fingered Jack" was a negro leader who about that time made himself notorious.
"Possibly some fellow has a.s.sumed the name of the old Maroon leader," I observed.
Mr Talboys, after further questioning the blacks, again turned to us, and remarked, "I"m afraid there"s some truth in what these negroes say.
At all events, it would be wise to be prepared." He spoke in a cool tone, not a bit fl.u.s.tered.
"I"m very sorry to have brought you into a position which may not prove to be very agreeable," he continued; "but I know, young gentlemen, that I can rely on your a.s.sistance."
Of course we could give but one answer.
"The first thing to be done is to barricade the house, and I"ll get you to do that, with Caesar to a.s.sist you," he said. "Keep an eye on the boy, lest he should run away, while I send off Cato to give notice to my neighbours, who will probably a.s.semble here, as this house can be more easily defended than theirs. I will myself summon my overseer and clerks. I, of course, shall also despatch messengers to Kingston for a.s.sistance, and we may hope to hold out till the troops arrive. The rebels expect to take us by surprise, and to murder us without resistance, as they have the whites in other districts. I must, however, tell my wife and daughters, or they may be alarmed should they suddenly discover what is going on."
We heard a good deal of talking in Mrs Talboys" room, and then the master of the house came out, with a brace of pistols in his belt, and a sword in his hand.
"The ladies are quite prepared, and will give you all the help they can," he said. "They"ll show you where the arms and ammunition are kept."
Having finished dressing, we set to work, under Caesar"s directions, to put up shutters, and to strengthen the doors with planks and stout pieces of timber, which we found in a yard, apparently prepared for the purpose. We were soon joined by Mrs Talboys and Miss Lucy, who both appeared equal to the emergency. Having shown us where the arms and ammunition were kept, they a.s.sisted to carry planks and to hold the boards up while we nailed them on. Miss Lucy had a hearty laugh at the grimaces made by Chaffey when he happened to hit his finger instead of the nail he was driving in. We worked away as busily as bees, and before Mr Talboys returned had already secured most of the doors and the lower windows. They were all loopholed, so that on whatever side our enemies might a.s.sault the house, a warm reception would be given them. We were still working away when Mr Talboys appeared.
"Our friends will soon be here," he said. "We shall muster nearly a dozen muskets, and I hope that with them we may be able to keep the rebels at bay; though, if they"re disposed for mischief, they may ravage our plantations with impunity."
The overseer and clerks, each armed to the teeth, soon afterwards came in, and our preparations for defence went on still more rapidly. It was now midnight, but as yet none of the neighbours had arrived; and we formed but a small garrison to defend so small a building from the host of foes who might attack it.
"Me go out and see whether n.i.g.g.e.rs come?" said Caesar.
"No, no; you stay in the house, and help fight," answered his master, who hadn"t forgot the black"s purpose of running away and leaving us to our fate.
"Cato, you go out towards Silver Springs, and learn, if you can, the whereabouts of the rebels. Call at Edghill on your way, and tell Mr Marchant and his family to hurry on here, and that we"ll do our best to protect them."
"Yes, ma.s.sa," answered Cato, who, for a black, was a man of few words, and was evidently a trustworthy fellow.
Caesar looked somewhat disappointed. I suspect that if he had found the rebels approaching, we should not have seen his face again. We were kept fully employed improving the fortifications. Mr Talboys, who was full of resources, devised three platforms, which were run from the upper windows above the doorway, with holes in them through which hot water or stones, or other missiles, could be dropped on the heads of the a.s.sailants. We had also means of access to the roof, so that if it were set on fire, we might extinguish the flames.
Still the enemy didn"t appear, nor did Cato return to bring us information. Had we been idle, the suspense might have been more trying; but as we were actively engaged, we scarcely thought of what might possibly happen. At last Cato"s voice was heard shouting--
"Ma.s.sa Marchant and de piccaninnies come, but de rebels c.u.m too, and dis n.i.g.g.e.r not know which get in first."
"We must go and help our friends then. Who"ll accompany me?" asked Mr Talboys.
"I will, sir," said I.
"And I," said Tom Pim. And our other two messmates said the same.
The overseer seemed inclined to stop and defend the house. We immediately set out, Mr Talboys leading the way, and we keeping close to him. The night was dark, and we might easily have missed our road.
After going some distance he stopped for a moment to listen. There came through the night air the tramp of feet, and the hum of voices, though apparently a long way off.
"What can have become of Marchant?" exclaimed Mr Talboys, after we had gone some way further.
"Here I am," said a person who stepped out into the middle of the road with a child in his arms. "My wife was tired, and our children declared they could go no further without resting, and except our two nurse girls, all the slaves have run away."
"They might have rested too long," said Mr Talboys. "Come, Mrs Marchant, I"ll help you; and these young gentlemen will a.s.sist the children."
We discovered the family group seated on a bank; and each of us taking charge of one of the children, we followed Mr Talboys back towards Belmont as fast as our legs could move. He strode along at a great rate, for the sounds, which before had been indistinct, now grew louder and louder, and we knew that the enemy could not be far off. That they were marching towards Belmont there could be no doubt. Mrs Marchant gave a shriek of alarm every now and then, and the children cried with terror. We tried to soothe them, but it was no easy matter to do so as we ran along.
"Try and keep the children quiet," said Mr Talboys in a suppressed tone, "or the blacks will hear us. Push on, young gentlemen; I"ll bring up the rear and defend you."
"I"ll stay with you," I said; for it struck me that Chaffey might easily carry the child I had charge of, and so I handed it to him.
"And I"ll stay also," said Tom, giving his charge to Sinnet, who, with one of the black girls, was dragging another along. Mr Marchant had enough to do to support his wife and carry another of their progeny.
The house was already in sight, but we could hear the tramp of the insurgents" feet coming nearer and nearer, though we could not tell whether we ourselves were yet seen. Mr Marchant and his family hurried on, probably sorry that they had not made more speed at first. We had our pistols ready, a brace each, in our belts, and our swords by our sides, should we come to a close encounter; but the blacks had, we concluded, firearms, and might shoot us down, should they see us, at a distance. I could not but admire the cool gallantry of Mr Talboys, with so much at stake, yet willing to risk his own life in the defence of those he had promised to protect. He stood for nearly a minute to enable his friend"s family to get ahead. The ground rose gradually towards the house, and we could now distinguish a dark ma.s.s coming across the open s.p.a.ce in the plain below.
"Now we"ll move on," said Mr Talboys; and we proceeded deliberately towards the house.
"They must have got in now," he added shortly afterwards, speaking as before in a suppressed tone.
It was time indeed for us to be hurrying on, for as we looked round, a party of blacks, forming the advance guard, and whom we had not previously seen, suddenly appeared, not fifty paces off. They saw us at the same time, and with loud yells came rushing up the slope.
"On, lads, as fast as your legs can carry you," cried Mr Talboys, and, facing round, he fired his musket into the middle of them. Whether any one fell we did not stop to see, but ran towards the house. The blacks followed, hoping to overtake us, and fortunately not stopping to fire.
Mr Marchant and his family were only just then entering the house.
They had got safe in, and we were about to follow when a shower of bullets came whistling round our heads and rattling against the walls.
We sprang in, Mr Talboys following. No time was lost in closing the door and putting up the barricades. We had scarcely finished when a second volley was fired, showing that the rebels were in earnest, and meant, if they could do so, to destroy the inmates of the house. Still, finding that we had escaped them, instead of dashing on, they kept at a respectful distance, under such cover as the hedges and palings afforded them. As the bullets pinged against the shutters and walls the children began to cry, and Mrs Marchant and her black damsels to shriek out.
Mrs Talboys and Lucy remained perfectly quiet, doing their best to calm the fears of their guests.
"We have a strong house and brave defenders, and we need not be afraid of the rebels," said the former in a quiet tone.