The chill air of the evening began to revive Si and Shorty. Si"s brain responded long before any of his muscles. At first it seemed the vaguest and most shadowy of dreams. There was a dim consciousness of lying somewhere. Where it was, how he came there, what was going on around he had not the slightest idea nor desire to know. There was just the feeling of being there, without any sensation of comfort or discomfort, wish or longing.
One by one, and very slowly, other nerves awoke. He became conscious that there was a sharp stone or knot under his head, which hurt, and he tried to move it, but queerly his head would not move, and then he found that neither would his hands. This was faintly puzzling, as things are in dreams. Then his throat became on fire with thirst, and somehow there came a dream of the deliciously cool well on the farm at home, the bucket covered with green moss swinging over it, the splash of cool water when it was lowered, the trough by the side, where they used to pour water for the fowls to drink, the muddy spot around, where water plants grew on the splashings and drippings. Then were visions of the eternal, parching thirst of the d.a.m.ned, which he had often heard preachers describe, and he was conscious of a faint curiosity as to whether he had died and waked up in the home of the lost.
Still not a muscle waked up to obey his will, and he seemed indifferent whether it did or not. Then he forgot everything again, until presently his burning throat recalled his consciousness.
He felt the cold, bracing air in his nostrils, and slowly, very slowly at first, he began to hear and understand the sounds around him. The shriek of a wounded comrade carried past, whose leg had been shattered, first sounded like the hum of bees, and finally translated itself into something like its true meaning, but he had no comprehension or sympathy for its misery.
He tried to make some sound himself, but his tongue was as hypnotized as his other muscles, and refused to obey his will. Yet at the moment he did not seem to care much. His wishes were as numb as his tendons and sinews. He became shadowly conscious of his comrades gathering around him, picking him up, carrying him back up the hill, and laying him down again. This relieved the sharp pain from the stone under his head; but when they laid him down again his head fell too low. He heard the murmur of their voices, and felt their hands searching his pockets for cartridges.
Consciousness began returning more swiftly, though the muscles were yet paralyzed. He could feel to the tips of his fingers, yet he could not move them. He began to understand the words spoken about him, and comprehend their meaning. The first sentence that filtered its way to his brain was Lieut. Bowersox"s order to the regiment:
"The orders are to fall back quietly. We"ll follow the 1st Oshkosh, on our right. As soon as it is well down the hill we"ll move by the right flank, and fall in behind it. Our wagon is right at the bottom of the hill. Those that are not able to march will start now, and get in it.
It will move right after the regiment. Don"t anybody say a word of this above his breath. The rebels are listening sharply for our movements. We dare not even cheer, for fear they"ll find out how few are left of us.
All of you keep a lookout, and follow right after me when I start, for I won"t give any order."
Then all his consciousness seemed to wake up at once into an agony of fear of being left behind to fall into the hands of the rebels. He made a desperate effort to call out, but his tongue seemed dry and useless as a cornhusk in his parched mouth, and his throat too burning hot to perform its office. Nor could he lift a finger nor move a toe.
He found room for anger at Shorty that he did not look him up, and satisfy himself as to his condition, and Lieut. Bowersox and the rest seemed selfishly thoughtful of their own safety and neglectful of his.
He listened in agony to the regiment on the right marching off, to the cautions and admonitions given those who were carrying off the badly-wounded, and then to Lieut. Bowersox starting off with the right of the 200th Ind.
Then he heard little Abel Waite say:
"I know that Si Klegg has some things on him that his folks" d like to have. I know where they live. I"m goin" to git "em, and send "em to "em."
"Make haste, then, young feller," he heard Wat Burnham growl. "Don"t let the rebels ketch yer. We"re movin" now."
He heard Abel Waite"s steps running toward him, and felt his hands thrust into his blouse pocket over his breast. Then the boy said with a start of surprise:
"Why, he"s alive yet. Come here, Wat."
Wat and the Irishmen hastened to him. He felt
Wat"s hand laid on his breast, and then held over his mouth.
""E"s certainly warm yet. Hand "e breathes."
Shorty made a violent effort, and summoned enough strength to reach over and touch the Englishman"s foot.
"The tall feller"s alive, too," said Wat.
"We must take "em along with us," said Abel Waite excitedly.
"Yes, but "ow?" growled the Englishman. "Don"t speak so loud, you young brat. Do you want to hopen hup that "ell"s kitchen hagin?"
"The Liftinant"s far down the hill wid the regiment," said Barney McGrath. "There"s no toime to sind for him. Here, lit"s pick thim up an"
carry thim down to the wagon."
He put his hand under Si"s shoulder. The others did the same, Wat lifting Shorty"s feet.
"Halt, there, you Yanks, and surrender," said a stern voice just behind Wat.
Wat looked back over his shoulder and saw a single adventurous rebel who, divining what was going on, had slipped forward in the darkness, with his gun leveled on the squad bearing Si. Wat realized instantly that the rebel must be suppressed with out alarm to others that might be behind him. He dropped Shorty"s foot, and with a backward sweep of his mighty right took the rebel in the stomach with such force as to double him up. The next instant Wat had his throat in his terrific grip, and tried to tear the windpipe from him. Then he flung the rebel forward down the hill, gathered up Shorty"s feet again, and gave the command:
"Hall right. Go a"ead, boys, quick has you can."
With great difficulty they made their way over the wreckage of battle down the hill toward where they expected to find the regimental wagon.
But it had received all that it could hold of its ghastly freight and moved off.
They were is despair for a few minutes, until Abel Waite discovered an abandoned wagon near by, with one mule still hitched to it. Next they found a wounded artillery horse which had been turned loose from his battery. He was. .h.i.tched in, and Si and Shorty were laid on the layer of ammunition-boxes which still covered the bottom of the bed.
"Who"ll drive the b.l.o.o.d.y team?" growled Wat. "Hi never druv a "oss hin my life. "Ere, Barney, you get hin the saddle."
"Not Oi," answered Barney. "Oi niver could droive ayven a pig, on the brightest day that shone. Oi"ll not fool wid a couple av strange horses, a wagon-load av foire an" brimstone, an" a brace av dead men, in the midst av Aygytian darkness. Not Oi."
"Here, I kin drive two horses, anyway," said Abel Waite, climbing into the saddle. "I"ve done that much on the farm."
They pushed off into the road marked by the dark line of troops moving silently toward McFarland"s Gap, and after some contest with other drivers secured a place behind one of the regiments of their brigade.
A couple of miles ahead Forrest"s cavalry was making a noisy dispute of the army"s retreat, the woods were on fire, and the fences on either side of the road were blazing.
The long line was halted in anxious expectation for a little while, as the storm of battle rose, and the men looked into each other"s faces with sickening apprehension, for it seemed much like defeat and capture.
Then loud cheers, taken up clear down the line", rose as Turchin"s Brigade, by a swift bayonet charge, swept away all opposition, scattered the rebels to the shelter of the woods, and reopened the way. But the rebels still continued to fire long distance shots at the road as outlined by the burn ing fences.
[Ill.u.s.tration: THE DEAD BEING COLLECTED AFTER THE BATTLE. 220]
Though one of his team was wounded, Abel Waite had little difficulty in keeping his place in column until the burning lane was reached. The regiment ahead had gone through on the double-quick, and teams as fast as they could be lashed.
"What"ll we do now?" he called out to the others in his boyish treble.
"I can"t git these plugs out of a walk. If we go ahead the fire"ll bust the ammunition, and send us all sky-huntin". If we stop here them rebels "ll git us, sure."
"Go a"ead, Habe," growled Wat, after a moment"s thought. "We can"t "elp you, but we"ll stay wi" you. Hif she busts, she busts, hand that"s hall there"ll be hof hit hor hof us. We"ll stick by the wagon, though, till she busts, hand then n.o.buddy but the crows "ll hever find hany hof hus.
Go a"ead, you b.l.o.o.d.y brat."
"Cut me one o" them young hickories for a gad," said Abel, pointing to the brush by the side of the road, "and I"ll git as good time out o"
these poor brutes as they kin make, if I skin "em alive."
Abel lashed his animals with all the strength of his young arm, and succeeded in keeping them in something like a trot. The men ran alongside, and fought the fire as well as they were able. Several times the wagon-cover caught fire from the intense heat, but it was at once beaten out by hats and blouses, and blouses were laid over the holes to protect them against the sparks.
They succeeded at last in getting through the fire-bordered road without an explosion, but they were all so exhausted that they could not move another step until they rested. The poor horse lay down and refused to get up.
Wat and Abel looked in to see how Si and Shorty had fared. The jolting of the wagon and the cold night air had at first revived them so that they could speak. Then they swooned again from the effects of the heat and the stifling smoke, and were speech less and motionless when Wat and Abel looked in.
"We"ve "ad hall hour trouble for nothink," said Wat disconsolately, as he felt them over. "The "eat and smoke"s killed "em."
"Not by a durned sight," slowly gasped Shorty. "Seen sicker dogs"n this git well. Nearly dead for a drink o" water, though. Then I"ll be all right."
Abel s.n.a.t.c.hed a canteen, ran to a branch a little way off, filled it, and returning, put it to Shorty"s lips.