[Ill.u.s.tration: THE FREE FIGHT. 169]
The combatants came together with the hearty zeal of men who had been looking for a fight for a straight month. The soldier beside Mr. Klegg s.n.a.t.c.hed up the umbrella and began laying about him. The crash was fearful. The backs of the seats were wrenched off, the carpetsack trodden under foot, the windows broken out, and finally Mr. Klegg found himself on the floor of the car under a ma.s.s of struggling, fighting, striking and kicking men.
The train came to a halt at a station. The guards on the platform rushed in, and by dint of a vigorous use of gun-b.u.t.ts and other persuasives, and more strong language than Mr. Klegg had ever heard before in all his life, succeeded in quieting the{171} disturbance and making the men take their seats. Mr. Klegg recovered his carpetsack, his comforter, mittens, hat and umbrella, and sat down again. He turned around and glared at the soldier by his side.
"If it warn"t for startin" another fight," he said to himself, "I"d punch his infernal head."
But the soldier had gone to sleep; he lolled his head over in Mr.
Klegg"s lap and snored loudly.
For two or three hours afterward the train rattled along without particular incident. Mr. Klegg recovered his composure, and got very much interested in the country through which they were pa.s.sing, and its farming possibilities. These did not strike him favorably, and he was more than ever convinced that the Wabash Valley was the garden spot of the world. Finally, the train stopped and backed on to a switch to allow another to pa.s.s.
An enterprising man had put up a shanty near the track, with a long shelf in front, upon which were displayed sandwiches, pies, boiled eggs, and other eatables. The men all rushed out of the car. Mr. Klegg had begun to feel hungry himself, and joined them.
"How much for that pie?" he asked, pointing to one.
"Half-a-dollar," answered the keeper. "Fifty cents for pies, 25 cents for sandwiches, 10 cents for a cup of coffee."
"Too blamed much," shouted a chorus of voices. "An infernal pirate come down here to skin the soldiers. Let"s clean him out."
Before Mr. Klegg fairly understood the words everything was s.n.a.t.c.hed up.
Those who did not get{172} hold of any of the viands began on the shed.
It was torn to pieces, the stove kicked over, the coffee spilled on the ground, and the eating-house keeper and his a.s.sistants scuttled away out of danger. The whistle sounded, they all rushed back into the cars, and Mr. Klegg had to stay his hunger with another chew of tobacco.
Again there was tolerable peace for several hours, broken at last by the sudden stoppage of the train out in the country, the sound of shots, and the yell of "Guerrillas! Guerrillas!"
Everybody bolted out of the cars. Those who had guns buckled on their cartridge-boxes, and formed in line, ready for orders. A squad of rebel cavalry had been trying to tear up the track, but were surprised by the unexpected appearance of the train. They had fallen back to the top of the hill, to see how many were aboard, and whether it looked profitable to make an attack. They were keeping up a desultory fire at long range.
Mr Klegg had seen a gun standing in the corner as he ran out. He picked it up and joined one of the squads. He was no coward, and if there had to be fighting, he was willing to do his share.
[Ill.u.s.tration: MR. KLEGG READY FOR ACTION. 172]
"Bully for you, old Hayseed," said the man who had wanted to whip any man in the right wing of the army. "You"re made of the right stuff, after all."
Others around him nodded approval, and Mr. Klegg was conscious that the social atmosphere was more pleasant for him.
The guerrillas finally decided to give the job up, and rode away, after yelling some "very uncomplimentary things about Yankee soldiers generally.
When Mr. Klegg returned to his seat he found his carpetsack, umbrella, mittens, and comforter gone. Likewise the man who had been riding with him. He waxed very wroth, and lifted up his voice to let them know it.
Several around began to guy him, but suddenly the man from Miller"s Brigade forced his way{174} through the crowd and asked:
"What"s the matter, "Squire?"
Mr. Klegg explained.
"Well, you"ve got to have every one of them things back again, if I"ve to lick every man on the train. I"ll not see an old man and as good a man as you are mistreated where I am. I"ve got a father my self."
This time he was in the large majority. All of McCook"s men were with him. A general hunt was inst.i.tuted through the train, and one by one his possessions were recovered and brought back to him.
"Thankee, gentlemen; thankee very kindly. Will any o" you gentlemen have a chaw of terbaker? It"s all I have to offer you, but it"s good."
When the train pulled into Nashville that night a very tired old farmer got off and inquired:
"How much farther is it to Murfreesboro"?"
"About 25 miles," someone answered.
"I"m awful glad to hear it. If it was 30 miles I don"t believe I could stand it."
CHAPTER XV. DEACON KLEGG"S ARRIVAL IS MISTAKEN
FOR A KNIGHT OF THE GOLDEN CIRCLE.
"THINGS don"t look so tumultuous-like on this train," said Mr. Klegg, with a sigh of satisfaction, as he seated himself in the car for Murfreesboro" and deposited his valuables by his side. "I know that boys will be boys, and I like to see them have fun just as well as any other man, but I must say that they made things on that other train a little too lively for a middle-aged Deacon of the Baptist Church."
A broad-shouldered Provost-Sergeant walked through the car, with an air of authority, and gave orders to several who were seated in it.
"Must be the Constable, or Sheriff, or Town Marshal," mused Mr. Klegg.
"I hope he"ll stay on the train till we reach Murfreesboro", and keep order."
Mr. Klegg was right. The irregularities and disorders of the "rear"
ended at Nashville. There the strict discipline of the "front"
began under the iron sway of the Provost-Marshal, whose guards were everywhere, particularly at the depots and on the cars. The occupants of the car were as orderly as the boys at a country school when the master is on his throne, with his eyes about him.
It was a bright day, and the country roundabout{176} of surpa.s.sing interest to the Indiana farmer. He saw the domed, stately capitol of Tennessee crowning the highest hill, and lording a glorious landscape of hill and valley, through which the c.u.mberland River flowed in majestic sweeps, like a broad girdle of sparkling silver. Then came the frowning forts, with beetling banks of blood-red clay, with terror-striking black guns, with rugged palisades, and a porcupine bristle of abatis. Sentries with gleaming muskets paced their high parapets. Every mile, as far as he could see, was full of objects of engrossing interest.
He became so absorbed in the feast of his eyes that he did not observe that a middle-aged, clean shaven man in a suit of dusty black had sat down beside him, and was studying him with attention.
"How do you do, my friend?" said he at length, putting out his hand.
Mr. Klegg turned with a start, and instinctively put out his hand.
"Howdy," he said, with a tone of little encouragement, for he would much rather have continued watching the country than indulge in purposeless conversation. The stranger grasped his hand warmly, and pressed his thumb upon the first joint of Mr. Klegg"s, and caught his little finger in a peculiar way. Deacon Klegg had been initiated into the Odd Fellows, and he dimly recognized this as a "grip," but he could not a.s.sociate it for the moment with any of the degrees of the brotherhood of the Three Links.
"Were you out late last night," said the stranger in a low, deeply-impressive tone.{177}
"Not pertickerlerly," answered Deacon Klegg, turning to catch a view of the stockade at La Vergne, where the 1st Mich. Eng. had made such a gallant defense. "I"d a mighty bothersome day, and was purty well tuckered out. I found a good place to sleep, and I turned in rather airly. Say," continued he, pointing to the wreckage of battle, "the boys seem to have poked it to "em purty lively out there."
"It was a very sharp fight," returned the other; "but for once our friend Wheeler made a mistake, and lost heavily. Down the road farther you"ll see evidences of his more successful work in some miles of burnt wagons."
"Bad man, that Gen. Wheeler," said the Deacon, looking steadfastly out of the window.
The stranger looked a little disappointed, but he rallied, and presently gave the second grand hailing sign of the Knights of the Golden Circle, in the same low, impressive tone:
"Did you see a star last night?"