"Look," said the boy, pointing to the bottom of the valley, about five hundred feet below.
A fire burned there and they could discern men around it, with horses in the background.
"Yankees," said Billy. "Look at "em through the gla.s.ses."
Harry raised his gla.s.ses and took a long look. They had the full moonlight where they stood and the fire in the valley below was also a help. He saw that the camp was made by a strong cavalry force. Many of them were asleep in their blankets, but the others sat by the fire and seemed to be talking.
Then he pa.s.sed the gla.s.ses to Dalton, who also, after looking long and well, pa.s.sed them to Billy, as a right belonging to one who had been their real leader, and who shared equally with them their hardships and dangers.
"How large would you say that force is, George?" asked Harry.
"Three or four hundred men at least. There"s a great bunch of horses. I should judge, too, from the careless way they"ve camped, that they"ve no fear of being attacked. How many do you think they are, Billy?"
"Just about what you said, Cousin George. Are you going to attack them?"
Harry and Dalton laughed.
"No, Billy," replied Dalton. "You see we"re only three, and there must be at least three hundred down there."
"But we"ve been hearin" that Stonewall Jackson"s men never mind a hundred to one," said Billy, in an aggrieved tone. "We hear that"s just about what they like."
"No, Billy, my boy. We don"t fight a hundred to one. n.o.body does, unless it"s like Thermopylae and the Alamo."
"Then what are we going to do?" continued Billy in his disappointed tone.
"I think, Billy, that Harry and I are going to dismount, slip down the mountainside, see what we can see, hear what we can hear, and that you"ll stay here, holding and guarding the horses until we come back."
"I won"t!" exclaimed Billy in violent indignation. "I won"t, Cousin George. I"m going down the mountain with you an" Mr. Kenton."
"Now, Billy," said Dalton soothingly, "you"ve got a most important job here. You"re the reserve, and you also hold the means of flight. Suppose we"re pursued hotly, we couldn"t get away without the horses that you"ll hold for us. Suppose we should be taken. Then it"s for you to gallop back with the news that Shields" whole army will be in the pa.s.s in the morning, and under such circ.u.mstances, your mother would send you on to General Jackson with a message of such immense importance."
"That"s so," said Billy with conviction, in the face of so much eloquence and logic, "but I don"t want you fellows to be captured."
Dalton and Harry dismounting, gave the reins of their horses into the hands of Billy, and the small fingers clutched them tightly.
"Stay exactly where you are, Billy," said Harry. "We want to find you without trouble when we come back."
"I"ll be here," said Billy proudly.
Harry and Dalton began the descent through the bushes and trees. They had not the slightest doubt that this was the vanguard of the Northern army which they heard was ten thousand strong, and that this force was merely a vanguard for McDowell, who had nearly forty thousand men. But they knew too well to go back to Stonewall Jackson with mere surmise, however plausible.
"We"ve got to find out some way or other whether their army is certainly at hand," whispered Dalton.
Harry nodded, and said: "We must manage to overhear some of their talk, though it"s risky business."
"But that"s what we"re here for. They don"t seem to be very watchful, and as the woods and bushes are thick about "em we may get a chance."
They continued their slow and careful descent. Harry glanced back once through an opening in the bushes and saw little Billy, holding the reins of the three horses and gazing intently after them. He knew that among all the soldiers of Jackson"s army, no matter how full of valor and zeal they might be, there was not one who surpa.s.sed Billy in eagerness to serve.
They reached the bottom of the slope, and lay for a few minutes hidden among dense bushes. Both had been familiar with country life, they had hunted the "possum and the c.o.o.n many a dark night, and now their forest lore stood them in good stead. They made no sound as they pa.s.sed among the bushes and trailing vines, and they knew that they were quite secure in their covert, although they lay within a hundred yards of one of the fires.
Harry judged that most of the men whom they saw were city bred. It was an advantage that the South had over the North in a mighty war, waged in a country covered then mostly with forest and cut by innumerable rivers and creeks, that her sons were familiar with such conditions, while many of those of the North, used to life in the cities, were at a loss, when the great campaigns took them into the wilderness.
Both he and Dalton, relying upon this knowledge, crept a little closer, but they stopped and lay very close, when they saw a man advancing to a hillock, carrying under his arm a bundle which they took to be rockets.
"Signals," whispered Dalton. "You just watch, Harry, and you"ll see "em answered from the eastward."
The officer on the summit of the hillock sent up three rockets, which curved beautifully against the blue heavens, then sank and died. Far to the eastward they saw three similar lights flame and die.
"How far away would you say those answering rockets were?" whispered Harry.
"It"s hard to say about distances in the moonlight, but they may be three or four miles. I take it, Harry, that they are sent up by the Northern main force."
"So do I, but we"ve got to get actual evidence in words, or we"ve got to see this army. I"m afraid to go back to General Jackson with anything less. Now, we won"t have time to go through the Gap, see the army and get back to the general before things begin to happen, so we"ve got to stick it out here, until we get what we want."
"True words, Harry, and we must risk going a little nearer. See that line of bushes running along there in the dark? It will cover us, and we"re bound to take the chance. We must agree, too, Harry, that if we"re discovered, neither must stop in an attempt to save the other. If one reaches Jackson it will be all right."
"Of course, George. We"ll run for it with all our might, and if it"s only one it"s to be the better runner."
They lay almost flat on their stomachs, and pa.s.sing through the gra.s.s, reached the line of bushes. Here they could rise from such an uncomfortable position, and stooping they came within fifty yards of the first fire, where they saw very clearly the men who were not asleep, and who yet moved about. Most of them were not yet sunburned, and Harry judged at once that they had come from the mills and workshops of New York or New England. As far as he could see they had no pickets, and he inferred their belief that no enemy was nearer than Jackson"s army, at least thirty miles away. Perhaps the little band of hors.e.m.e.n who had knocked at Mrs. Pomeroy"s door had brought them the information.
They lay there nearly an hour, not thinking of the danger, but consumed with impatience. Officers pa.s.sed near them talking, but they could catch only sc.r.a.ps, not enough for their purpose. A set of signals was sent up again and was answered duly from the same point to the east of the Gap. But after long waiting, they were rewarded. Few of the officers or men ever went far from the fires. They seemed to be at a loss in the dark and silent wilderness which was absolute confirmation to Harry that they were city dwellers.
Two officers, captains or majors, stopped within twenty feet of the crouching scouts, and gazed for a long time through the Gap toward the west into the valley, at the northern end of which Jackson and his army lay.
"I tell you, Curtis," one of them said at last, "that if we get through the Gap to-morrow and Fremont and the others also come up, Jackson can"t possibly get away. We"ll have him and his whole force in a trap and with three or four to one in our favor, it will be all over."
"It"s true, if it comes out as you say, Penfield," said the other, "but there are several "ifs," and as we have reason to know, it"s hard to put your hand on Jackson. Why, when we thought he was lost in the mountains he came out of them like an avalanche, and some of our best troops were buried under that avalanche."
"You"re too much of a pessimist, Curtis. We"ve learned a lot in the last few days. As sure as you and I stand here the fox will be trapped. Why, he"s trapped already. We"ll be through the Gap here with ten thousand men in the morning, squarely in Jackson"s rear. To-morrow we"ll have fifty or sixty thousand good troops between him and Richmond and Johnston. His army will be taken or destroyed, and the Confederacy will be split asunder. McClellan will be in Richmond with an overwhelming force, and within a month the war will be practically over."
"There"s no doubt of that, if we catch Jackson, and it certainly looks as if the trap were closing down upon him. In defeating Banks and then following him to the Potomac he has ruined himself and his cause."
Harry felt a deadly fear gripping at his heart. What these men were saying was probably true. Every fact supported their claim. The tough and enduring North, ready to sustain any number of defeats and yet win, was pouring forward her troops with a devotion that would have wrung tears from a stone. And she was destined to do it again and again through dark and weary years.
The two men walked further away, still talking, but Harry and Dalton could no longer hear what they were saying. The rockets soared again in the pa.s.s, and were answered in the east, but now nearer, and the two knew that it was not worth while to linger any longer. They knew the vital fact that ten thousand men were advancing through the pa.s.s, and that all the rest was superfluity. And time had a value beyond price to their cause.
CHAPTER XII. THE CLOSING CIRCLE
"George," said Harry, "we must chance it now and get back to the horses. We"ve got to reach General Jackson before the Northern army is through the pa.s.s."
"You lead," said Dalton. "I don"t think we"ll have any danger except when we are in that strip of gra.s.s between these bushes and the woods."
Harry started, and when he reached the gra.s.s threw himself almost flat on his face again, crawling forward with extreme caution. Dalton, close behind him, imitated his comrade. The high gra.s.s merely rippled as they pa.s.sed and the anxious Northern officers walking back and forth were not well enough versed in woodcraft to read from any sign that an enemy was near.
Once Dalton struck his knee against a small bush and caused its leaves to rustle. A wary and experienced scout would have noticed the slight, though new noise, and Harry and Dalton, stopping, lay perfectly still. But the officers walked to and fro, undisturbed, and the two boys resumed their creeping flight.
When they reached the forest, they rose gladly from their knees, and ran up the slope, still bearing in mind that time was now the most pressing of all things. They whistled softly as they neared the little plateau, and Billy"s low answering whistle came back. They hurried up the last reach of the slope, and there he was, the eyes shining in his eager face, the three bridles clutched tightly in his small right hand.
"Did you get what you wanted?" he asked in a whisper.
"We did, Billy," answered Harry.
"I saw "em sendin" up shootin" stars an" other shootin" stars way off to the east answerin", an" I didn"t know what it meant."
"It was their vanguard in the Gap, talking to their army several miles to the eastward. But we lay in the bushes, Billy, and we heard what their officers said. All that you heard was true. Ten thousand Yankees will be through the pa.s.s in the morning, and Stonewall Jackson will have great cause to be grateful to William Pomeroy, aged twelve."
The boy"s eyes fairly glowed, but he was a man of action.
"Then I guess that we"ve got to jump on our horses and ride lickety split down the valley to give warnin" to General Jackson," he said.
Harry knew what was pa.s.sing in the boy"s mind, that he would go with them all the way to Jackson, and he did not have the heart to say anything to the contrary just then. But Dalton replied: "Right you are, Billy. We ride now as if the woods were burning behind us."
Billy was first in the saddle and led the way. The horses had gained a good rest, while Harry and Dalton were stalking the troopers in the valley, and, after they had made the descent of the slope, they swung into a long easy gallop across the level.
The little lad still kept his place in front. Neither of the others would have deprived him of this honor which he deserved so well. He sat erect, swinging with his horse, and he showed no sign of weariness. They took no precautions now to evade a possible meeting with the enemy. What they needed was haste, haste, always haste. They must risk everything to carry the news to Jackson. A mere half hour might mean the difference between salvation and destruction.
Harry felt the great tension of the moment. The words of the Northern officers had made him understand what he already suspected. The whole fate of the Confederacy would waver in the balance on the morrow. If Jackson were surrounded and overpowered, the South would lose its right arm. Then the armies that engulfed him would join McClellan and pour forward in an overwhelming host on Richmond.
Their hoofbeats rang in a steady beat on the road, as they went forward on that long easy gallop which made the miles drop swiftly behind them. The skies brightened, and the great stars danced in a solid sheet of blue. They were in the gently rolling country, and occasionally they pa.s.sed a farmhouse. Now and then, a watchful dog barked at them, but they soon left him and his bark behind.
Harry noticed that Billy"s figure was beginning to waver slightly, and he knew that weariness and the lack of sleep were at last gaining the mastery over his daring young spirit. It gave him relief, as it solved a problem that had been worrying him. He rode up by the side of Billy, but he said nothing. The boy"s eyelids were heavy and the youthful figure was wavering, but it was in no danger of falling. Billy could have ridden his horse sound asleep.
Harry presently saw the roof of Mrs. Pomeroy"s house showing among the trees.
"It"s less than half a mile to your house, Billy," he said.
"But I"m not going to stop there. I"m goin" on with you to General Jackson, an" I"m goin" to help him fight the Yankees."
Harry was silent, but when they galloped up to the Pomeroy house, Billy was nearly asleep.
The door sprang open as they approached, and the figure of the stalwart woman appeared. Harry knew that she had been watching there every minute since they left. He was touched by the dramatic spirit of the moment, and he said: "Mrs. Pomeroy, we bring back to you the most gallant soldier in Stonewall Jackson"s army of the Valley of Virginia. He led us straight to the Gap where we were able to learn the enemy"s movements, a knowledge which may save the Confederacy from speedy destruction. We bring him back to you, safe and unharmed, and sleeping soundly in his saddle."
He lifted Billy from the saddle and put him in his mother"s arms.
"Billy"s a hero, Cousin Eliza," said Dalton. "Few full-grown men have done as important deeds in their whole lives as he has done to-night. When he awakens he"ll be angry because he didn"t go with us, but you tell him we"ll see that he"s a duly enrolled member of General Jackson"s army. Stonewall Jackson never forgets such deeds as his."
"It"s a proud woman I am to-night," said Mrs. Pomeroy. "Good-bye, Cousin George, and you, too, Mr. Kenton. I can see that you"re in a hurry to be off, and you ought to be. I want to see both of you in my house again in better days."
She went inside, carrying the exhausted and sleeping boy in her arms, and Harry and Dalton galloped away side by side.
"How"s your horse, Harry?" asked Dalton.
"Fine. Smooth as silk! How"s yours?"
"The machinery moves without a jar. I may be stiff and sore myself, but I"m so anxious to get to General Jackson that I haven"t time to think about it."
"Same here. Suppose we speed "em up a little more."
They came into the turnpike, and now the horses lengthened out their stride as they fled northward. It was yet some time until dawn, but the two young riders took the cold food from their knapsacks and ate as they galloped on. It was well that they had good horses, staunch and true, as they were pushing them hard now.
Harry looked toward the west, where the dark slope of Little North Mountain closed in the valley from that side, and he felt a shiver which he knew did not come from the night air. He knew that a powerful Northern force was off there somewhere, and he wondered what it was doing. But he and Dalton had done their duty. They had uncovered one hostile force, and doubtless other men who rode in the night for Jackson would attend to the rest.
Both Harry and Dalton had been continuously in the saddle for many hours now, but they did not notice their weariness. They were still upborne by a great anxiety and a great exaltation, too. Feeling to the full the imminence and immensity of the crisis, they were bending themselves heart and soul to prevent it, and no thought of weariness could enter their minds. Each was another Billy, only on a larger and older scale.
Later on, the moon and all the stars slipped away, and it became very dark. Harry felt that it was merely a preliminary to the dawn, and he asked Dalton if he did not think so, too.
"It"s too dark for me to see the face of my watch," said Dalton, "but I know you"re right, Harry. I can just feel the coming of the dawn. It"s some quality in the air. I think it grows a little colder than it has been in the other hours of the night."
"I can feel the wind freshening on my face. It nips a bit for a May morning."
They slackened speed a little, wishing to save their horses for a final burst, and stopped once or twice for a second or two to listen for the sound of other hoofbeats than their own. But they heard none.
"If the Yankee armies are already on the turnpike they"re not near us. That"s sure," said Dalton.
"Do you know how many men they have?"
"Some of the spies brought in what the general believed to be pretty straight reports. The rumors said that Shields was advancing to Mana.s.sas Gap with ten thousand men, and from what we heard we know that is true. A second detachment, also ten thousand strong, from McDowell"s army is coming toward Front Royal, and McDowell has twenty thousand men east of the Blue Ridge. What the forces to the west are I don"t know but the enemy in face of the general himself on the Potomac must now number at least ten thousand."
Harry whistled.
"And at the best we can"t muster more than fifteen thousand fit to carry arms!" he exclaimed.
Dalton leaned over in the dark, and touched his comrade on the shoulder.
"Harry," he said, "don"t forget Old Jack. Where Little Sorrel leads there is always an army of forty thousand men. I"m not setting myself up to be very religious, but it"s safe to say that he was praying to-night, and when Old Jack prays, look out."
"Yes, if anybody can lead us out of this trap it will be Old Jack," said Harry. "Look, there"s the dawn coming over the Blue Ridge, George."
A faint tint of gray was appearing on the loftiest crests of the Blue Ridge. It could scarcely be called light yet, but it was a sign to the two that the darkness there would soon melt away. Gradually the gray shredded off and then the ridges were tipped with silver which soon turned to gold. Dawn rushed down over the valley and the pleasant forests and fields sprang into light.
Then they heard hoofbeats behind them coming fast. The experienced ears of both told them that it was only a single horseman who came, and, drawing their pistols, they turned their horses across the road. When the rider saw the two threatening figures he stopped, but in a moment he rode on again. They were in gray and so was he.
"Why, it"s Chris Aubrey of the general"s own staff!" exclaimed Dalton. "Don"t you know him, Harry?"
"Of course I do. Aubrey, we"re friends. It"s Dalton and Kenton."
Aubrey dashed his hands across his eyes, as if he were clearing a mist from them. He was worn and weary, and his look bore a singular resemblance to that of despair.