Thus saying, he turned his horse to the north and rode swiftly away. He had gone some distance when he suddenly drew rein. "Great guns!" he exclaimed. "I have forgotten Bruno. He will stay by that blanket until he starves."
He reined in his horse and sat a moment in deep thought. "It"s no use,"
he sighed. "It"s full five miles. I can never go back and make Monticello in time. Poor Bruno! I won"t let him suffer for more than a day or two."
His mind made up, Harry rode on at as swift a pace as his horse could stand. Residents along the road gazed in wonder as Harry dashed past.
Most of them took him for a guerrilla fleeing from his foes, and looked in vain for blue-coated pursuers. A number hailed him and two or three sent a ball after him on receiving no answer.
When about half way to Monticello three rough-looking men blocked the road, demanding his name and the reason of his haste.
"I"m carrying the news to the boys," he explained. "Porter captured Palmyra this morning."
"Yo" un don"t say. But who air yo" un carryin" the news to?"
"To Sam Dodds. Porter wanted him to rally all the boys he could and join him at Whaley"s Mill."
This was a guess by Harry. He only knew Dodds was a leader among the guerrillas in that section of the country.
"That"s a lie. Sam Dodds is with Porter and--" The guerrilla never got further. Harry"s revolver cracked and the fellow rolled from his horse.
Bending low over his horse"s neck, Harry was off like a shot.
For a moment the other two guerrillas were dazed by the unlooked-for attack, then drawing their revolvers sent ball after ball after Harry, who, as they fired, felt a sharp pain in his left arm, but he only urged his horse to greater speed.
One of the guerrillas sprang from his horse and went to his fallen companion. "Dead as a doornail," he exclaimed. "Shot through the heart.
Jack, let"s after that boy. I reckon one of us winged him, for I saw him winch. We "uns can come back and see to poor Collins heah, after we catch him. I reckon that young devil was the famous boy scout of the Merrill Hoss. I"ve heard Porter say he"d give a thousand dollars for him dead or alive."
Without further parley, leaving their dead companion lying in the road, the two guerrillas mounted their horses and started in pursuit. Harry by this time had gained a good lead, but the guerrillas" horses were fresh, and they gained on him rapidly. As dark as it now looked for Harry, his being pursued proved to be his salvation, for he had not gone more than two miles when six guerrillas blocked the road.
"Halt and give an account of yo"self!" they cried.
Without checking his horse, Harry shouted, "Yanks! Yanks!"
The guerrillas saw the cloud of dust raised by Harry"s pursuers and wheeling their horses fled with him. Harry now had company he did not relish, but not for long. Coming to a cross road which led into a wood they turned into it crying out to Harry to do the same, but to their amazement he kept right on.
"Reckon he"s so skeered he didn"t notice," said one.
"Hold," said another, "thar"s only two comin" an" they don"t look like Yanks. If they be, we "uns can tend to them."
Drawing their weapons they waited for the two to come up, when they found they were two of their own gang. Explanations were made and there were curses loud and deep.
"We "uns air losing time," cried one of the first two. "The feller"s hoss must be badly winded. We "uns can catch him."
The leader of the six shook his head. "No," he exclaimed, with an oath, "it"s all off. Thar is a scouting party of Yanks up the road. They chased us. That"s the reason we "uns are down heah. That feller will fall in with them before we "uns can ketch him."
So, much to their chagrin, the guerrillas gave up the chase and went to attend to their dead comrade.
About five miles from Monticello Harry overtook the scouting party, now on their way back to that city. Taking Harry for a guerrilla, they ordered him to surrender, which he did very willingly.
Harry was white with dust, blood was dripping from his left hand and his horse, white with foam, stood trembling.
The lieutenant in charge of the party rode up. "Well, young man," he began, then stopped and gazed in wonder.
"Good Heavens!" he exclaimed. "It"s Harry Semans. Harry, what"s up?"
"Porter is on the warpath. He has captured Palmyra," gasped Harry.
The news was astounding.
"When?" cried the lieutenant.
"This morning. But I have no time to talk. Give me a fresh horse. I must see McNeil."
"But your hand, my boy. Let me send one of the boys with the news."
"No, no!" cried Harry. "I must see McNeil. The wound is nothing. It is nothing but a scratch."
Harry took a horse from one of the troop, and accompanied by the lieutenant and three men rode post-haste for Monticello, leaving the troop to come more leisurely.
General McNeil was greatly surprised by the news. He had supposed Porter"s band to be entirely dispersed.
"You say the garrison did not surrender?" asked McNeil.
"No, but Porter plundered the town and took every Union man in the place prisoner. From what I could see he paroled all, or most of them."
"G.o.d help Andrew Allsman if they captured him," exclaimed McNeil; "but if Porter dares--" The General said no more, but his jaws came together with a snap.
Harry now told the whole story and ended with: "General, they are to rendezvous at Whaley"s Mill. You can catch them if you act promptly.
It"s not much farther to Whaley"s Mill from here than it is from Palmyra; and Porter has no idea you can get there nearly as quickly as he."
McNeil lost no time. Fortunately there was a battalion of the Merrill Horse at Monticello, and he could muster five hundred men for the pursuit.
"I wish you could be with us," said the General to Harry.
"I certainly shall be," answered Harry.
"But your wound, and thirty-six hours without sleep or rest," said the General.
"My wound is nothing," said Harry, "but that reminds me it has not been dressed, and that I am nearly famished, but I will be ready as soon as you are."
"Only cut deep enough to make it bleed freely," said the surgeon, as he dressed Harry"s arm. "You will be all right in a week."
"I"m all right now, except a lame arm and an empty stomach," laughed Harry, "and I will attend to the stomach now."
It was not long before McNeil, at the head of five hundred stout troopers, was on his way to Whaley"s Mill, every man eager for the conflict. But as Harry rode there came to him the thought of Bruno. His first impulse was to turn back and ride for Palmyra, but he knew how dangerous it would be, and then he felt his duty was to continue with McNeil. It would not make more than a day"s difference, and if he started alone, the probabilities were he would never get to Palmyra, so with a heavy heart he rode on.
All through the night they rode. Porter, never dreaming McNeil could reach him so quickly, went into camp at Whaley"s Mill to await supplies and reinforcements.
The next day McNeil was on him like a thunderbolt. Never was there a surprise more complete. Many of the guerrillas cut the halters of their horses and without saddles or bridles galloped furiously away.
Frequently two men were seen on one horse, digging in their heels and urging him to the utmost speed.