Читать книгу Corporal 'Lige's Recruit: A Story of Crown Point and Ticonderoga - Otis James - Страница 3

Surely this camping by themselves was exceedingly pleasant, Isaac thought, as the old soldier took upon himself the duties of cook, leaving his recruit with nothing to do save watch him as he worked.

On the previous night they had slept in the midst of a noisy throng who chattered and made merry until an exceedingly late hour, thus preventing the more weary from sleeping, and everywhere in the air, hanging like clouds, was the dust raised by the feet of so many men.

Now these two were in the seclusion of the woods, with a carpet of grass for a bed; the rippling brook to lull them to slumber, and nothing more noisy than the insect life everywhere around to disturb their slumbers.

Corporal ’Lige was in a rare good humor. He prepared an appetizing meal, although his materials were none of the best, and when it had been eaten, seated himself by Isaac’s side with pipe in his mouth, ready and willing to spin yarns of his previous experience as a soldier.

The boy was an eager listener; but after a certain time even the tones of the old soldier’s voice were not sufficient to banish the sleep elves, and his eyes closed in unconsciousness just when his comrade had arrived at the most exciting portion of his narrative.

“Perhaps I shan’t be so willin’ the next time you want to hear what I’ve seen in this world,” Corporal ’Lige said testily when he observed that his audience was asleep, and then, knocking the ashes carefully from his pipe, he lay down by the side of his small companion.

It seemed to Isaac that he had hardly more than closed his eyes in unconsciousness when he was aroused by the pressure of some heavy substance upon his hand, and looking up quickly he saw, in the dim light, three men standing over the corporal.

The foot of one of these strangers was upon the boy’s hand, as if he did not think Isaac of sufficient importance either to warrant his taking him prisoner, or to so much as step aside that he might be spared pain.

Before hearing a single word, Isaac understood that these late-comers were no friends of the corporal’s, and he endured the pain in silence, hoping that by so doing he might escape observation.

It was hardly probable the strangers failed to see him, for he had been lying within a few feet of his companion; but that he was not the object of their regard could be readily understood.

The man who had thus pinned the boy to the earth by his heel wore moccasins rather than boots, otherwise Isaac would have received severe injury, and as it was, the corporal’s recruit suffered considerable pain before the foot was finally removed; but yet made no sound.

So far as he could judge by the conversation, these strangers must have been in camp some time before he was awakened, for when he first opened his eyes they were in the midst of an unpleasant conversation with the old soldier, such as had evidently been carried on for some moments.

“If he don’t choose to tell, string him up to a tree,” one of the party cried impatiently at the moment Isaac first became conscious that matters were not running smoothly in this private encampment. “A dead rebel is of more good than a live one, and we have no time to lose.”

“Hang me, if that’s what you’re hankerin’ for!” Corporal ’Lige cried in a voice that sounded thick and choked as if a heavy pressure was upon his throat. “Even though I knew more concernin’ this ’ere expedition than I do, not a word should I speak.”

“We’ll soon see whether you’re so willing to dance on nothing,” the first speaker cried vindictively, and then came noises as if the man was making ready to carry his threat into execution.

“Give him another chance,” one of the Tories suggested. “Let the old fool tell us all he knows of Allen’s plans, an’ we’ll leave him none the worse for our coming.”

“I know nothing!” the corporal cried in a rage. “Do you reckon the colonel would lay out his campaign before me?”

“It is said he did so before you left Pittsfield.”

“Whoever says that is a liar; but even though he had made the fullest explanations, I would not reveal the plans to you. You must think I’m a mighty poor kind of a soldier if I don’t know how to die rather than play the traitor.”

“You’ll soon have a chance of proving what you can do!” the third man cried angrily, and then it was he stepped forward, leaving Isaac free to do as he thought best.

That these three Tories were bent on hanging the old soldier, or at least so nearly doing so as to frighten him into disclosing all he knew regarding Colonel Allen’s plans, there could be no question, and young Rice, trembling with fear though he was, had no other thought than as to how it might be possible for him to aid his comrade.

It did not seem probable the men were ignorant regarding the boy’s presence, and the only explanation which can be made as to why they failed to secure him is that he was so nearly a child as to appear of but little consequence. They evidently had no thought that he could in any way thwart their purpose, and, therefore, no heed was given to him.

It can readily be imagined that Isaac did not waste much time in speculations as to why he was allowed to remain at liberty.

Now was come the moment when he might repay some portion of the debt he believed he owed Corporal ’Lige, and the only anxiety in his mind was lest he should not do it in proper military fashion.

He could not even so much as guess what a genuine soldier would do under the same circumstances; but he had a very good idea as to how a boy might extricate himself from such a difficulty, and lost no time in beginning the work.

The three men were so busily engaged trying to frighten the corporal into telling them what he might know of Colonel Allen’s forces as not to heed the noise Isaac made when he rolled himself toward the bushes in that direction where the two muskets had been set up against a tree under the foliage in such manner that they might not be affected by the dew.

It was impossible for him to say exactly what these intruders were doing to Corporal ’Lige, but, from the noises, he judged they had first made a prisoner of the old man by seizing him around the throat, perhaps while he was yet asleep, and now there was every indication that they were making ready to carry out the threat of hanging.

“Give him another chance to tell what he knows,” one of the men cried, and immediately afterward the old soldier replied:

“String me up if you will, for there’s no need of waiting any longer with the idea that I’m goin’ to give you any information, even if I have it.”

“Then up with him!” the man who had first spoken shouted, and Isaac, without looking in that direction, heard the confused noises which told him the enemy were trying to raise the old man to his feet.

By this time the boy had his hand on one of the muskets, and his first impulse was to discharge it full at the intruders; but before he could act, the thought came that there were two shots at his disposal, and he ought to so plan as to make both of them count. He believed it was necessary to work with the utmost speed, lest these three Tories should have hung the corporal before he was ready to interfere, and yet a certain number of seconds were absolutely necessary before he could carry out that plan which had suddenly come into his mind.

With both muskets under his arm he crept cautiously a few paces onward until screened by the foliage, and then raising one of the weapons, took deliberate aim at the nearest enemy.

There was no thought in his mind that he was thus compassing the death of a human being. He only knew his comrade’s life was in danger, and that a well-directed shot might save him.

The three men had by this time gotten a rope around Corporal ’Lige’s neck, and, finding that it was difficult to raise the old man to his feet, were throwing the halter over the limb of the nearest tree as a method of saving labor.

One of the Tories, he who appeared to be the elder, and who was directing the movements of the others, stood a few paces from his comrades, and, taking deliberate aim at him, Isaac shouted:

“Throw down your weapons, and surrender, or you are dead men!”

The words had but just been spoken when he discharged the musket, and a scream of pain from the living target told that the bullet had sped true to its mark.

The two men who were as yet unarmed dropped the rope they were holding and sprang toward their weapons, which had been left on the ground near by; but before they could reach them, Isaac had emptied a second musket, and another cry of pain rang out.

“Throw down your weapons and surrender, or you are dead men!” he shouted again, and at this the third Tory, who must have believed there was more than one man in the thicket, took to his heels in alarm, while Corporal ’Lige, who had received no worse injury than a severe choking, seized upon the three muskets which were lying close beside him.

Even now, when two of the intruders were wounded and the third running for dear life, Isaac was doubtful as to whether he should show himself.

He remained in concealment, while the corporal gazed around him in surprise for a dozen seconds or more, and gave no token of his whereabouts until the old man shouted:

“Hello, friends! Show yourselves!”

“Is it all right?” Isaac asked timidly, and in a tone which was little better than a squeak. “Is it all right, corporal?”

“Come in here, Isaac Rice. Can it be it was you who fired those shots?”

The raw recruit came forward almost timidly, and Corporal ’Lige, shifting the three muskets he had taken possession of over on to his left arm, seized the boy by the hand.

“I’ve done a good bit of soldierin’ in my day, lad; seen surprises, an’ ambushes, an’ attacks of a similar kind without number; but never did I know of anything that was done with more neatness an’ dispatch than this same job of yours, which has saved my neck from bein’ stretched. I’m proud of you, lad!”

Isaac was overwhelmed by this praise, yet not to such an extent but that there was a great fear in his mind lest he had taken a human life, and he asked anxiously:

“Do you suppose I hurt either of them seriously, Corporal ’Lige?” and he pointed to where the wounded men lay.

“It is to be hoped you killed ’em both, so that we may be spared any further trouble with the vermin,” and not until then did the corporal condescend to give any attention to those enemies who had been so sadly worsted by a boy.

Just at this moment the wounded Tories suffered more in mind than in body, for they now understood who had made the attack upon them, and it can readily be fancied that both were ashamed at having been thus defeated in their purpose by one whom they had considered of so little importance that no effort was made to deprive him of his liberty when they surprised the encampment.

It was with the most intense relief that young Rice heard the corporal’s report, which was to the effect that he who had acted as leader of the party had a severe but apparently not exceedingly dangerous wound in the shoulder, while his comrade was suffering from a bullet-hole in the leg.

“They’re disabled, lad, but not killed, an’ the first bit of soldierin’ that you have been called on to do is like to give great credit with such as Colonel Allen and Colonel Easton. Tell me how you happened to think of overcoming them in this shape?”

“I didn’t think of it,” the boy replied. “It seemed to me you were like to be hanged and I only did what was in my power.”