CHAPTER XII. THE BUSHWHACKERS.

"By the way, Dan," Vincent said when the negro had finished his meal,

"we have not talked over that matter of my clothes. I can't imagine how

that letter saying that one of us was disguised as a minister and would

have a negro servant came to be written. Did you ever tell the people

you lodged with anything about the disguise?"

"No, sah, neber said one word to dem about it; dey know nothing

whatsoeber. De way me do wid your letter was dis. Me go outside town and

wait for long time. At last saw black fellow coming along. Me say to

him, 'Can you read?' and he said as he could. I said 'I got a letter, I

want to read him, I gib you a quarter to read him to me;' so he said

yes, and he read de letter. He a long time of making it out, because he

read print but not read writing well. He spell it out word by word, but

I don't tink he understand dat it come from prison, only dat it come

from some one who wanted some rope and a turn-screw. Me do just de same

way wid de second letter. As for de clothes, me buy dem dat day, make

dem up in bundle, and not go back to lodging at all. Me not know how any

one could know dat I buy dat minister clothes for you, sah. Me told de

storekeeper dat dey was for cousin of mine, who preach to de colored

folk, and dat I send him suit as present. Onless dat man follow me and

watch me all de time till we go off together, sah, me no see how de

debbil he guess about it."

"That's quite impossible, Dan; it never could have been that way. It is

very strange, for it would really seem that no one but you and I and the

other two officers could possibly know about it."

"Perhaps one of dem want to do you bad turn, massa, and write so as to

get you caught and shut up again."

Vincent started at the suggestion. Was it possible that Jackson could

have done him this bad turn after his having aided him to make his

escape It would be a villainous trick; but then he had always thought

him capable of villainous tricks, and it was only the fact that they

were thrown together in prison that had induced him to make up his

quarrel with him; but though Jackson had accepted his advances, it was

probable enough that he had retained his bad feeling against him, and

had determined, if possible, to have his revenge on the first

opportunity.

"The scoundrel," he said to himself, "after my getting him free, to

inform against me! Of course I have no proof of it, but I have not the

least doubt that it was him. If we ever meet again, Mr. Jackson, I will

have it out with you."

"You got two pistols, sah," Dan said presently. "How you get dem?"

"The lady of that house gave them to me, Dan; they are one for you and

one for me."

"Dis chile no want him, sah; not know what to do wid him. Go off and

shoot myself, for sure."

"Well, I don't suppose you would do much good with it, Dan. As I am a

good shot, perhaps I had better keep them both. You might load them for

me as I fire them."

"Berry well, sah; you show me how to load, me load."

Vincent showed Dan how to extricate the discharged cartridge-cases and

to put in fresh ones, and after a quarter of an hour's practice Dan was

able to do this with some speed.

"When we going on, sah?" he said as, having learned the lesson, he

handed the pistol back to Vincent.

"We are not going on until the evening, Dan. When it gets dark the lady

is going to take us to a place where there is a boat hidden, and we

shall then be able to cross the river."

"Den I will hab a sleep, sah. Noting like sleeping when there is a

chance."

"I believe you could sleep three-quarters of your time, Dan. However,

you may as well sleep now if you can, for there will be nothing to do

till night."

Vincent went back to the edge of the wood, and sat down where he could

command a view of the cottage. The country was for the most part covered

with wood, for it was but thinly inhabited except in the neighborhood of

the main roads. Few of the farmers had cleared more than half their

ground; many only a few acres. The patch, in which the house with its

little clump of trees stood nearly in the center, was of some forty or

fifty acres in extent, and though now rank with weeds, had evidently

been carefully cultivated, for all the stumps had been removed, and the

fence round it was of a stronger and neater character than that which

most of the cultivators deemed sufficient.

Presently he heard the sound of horses' feet in the forest behind him,

and he made his way back to a road which ran along a hundred yards from

the edge of the wood. He reached it before the horsemen came up, and lay

down in the underwood a few yards back. In a short time two horsemen

came along at a walking pace.

"I call this a fool's errand altogether," one of them said in a

grumbling tone. "We don't know that they have headed this way; and if

they have, we might search these woods for a month without finding

them."

"That's so," the other said; "but Mullens has set his heart on it, and

we must try for another day or two. My idea is that when the fellow

heard what sort of a chap Mullens was, he took the hack train that night

and went up north again."

Vincent heard no more, but it was enough to show him that a sharp hunt

was being kept up for him; and although he had no fear of being caught

in the woods, he was well pleased at the thought that he would soon be

across the water and beyond the reach of his enemy. He went back again

to the edge of the clearing and resumed his watch. It was just getting

dusk, and he was about to join Dan when he saw a party of twelve men

ride out from the other side of the wood and make toward the house.

Filled with a vague alarm that possibly some one might have caught sight

of him and his follower on the previous day, and might, on being

questioned by the searchers, have given them a clew as to the direction

in which they were going, Vincent hurried to the spot where he left Dan.

The negro jumped up as he approached.

"Me awake long time, sah. Began to wonder where you had got to."

"Take your stick and come along, Dan, as fast as you can."

Without another word Vincent led the way along the edge of the wood to

the point where the clump of trees at the back of the house hid it from

his view.

"Now, Dan, stoop low and get across to those trees."

Greatly astonished at what was happening, but having implicit faith in

his master, Dan followed without a question.

It was but ten minutes since Vincent had seen the horsemen, but the

darkness had closed in rapidly, and he had little fear of his approach

being seen. He made his way through the trees, and crept up to the

house, and then kept close along it until he reached the front. There

stood the horses, with the bridles thrown over their neck. The riders

were all inside the house.

"Look here, Dan," he whispered, "you keep here perfectly quiet until I

join you again or you hear a pistol-shot. If you do hear a shot, rush at

the horses with your stick and drive them off at full gallop. Drive them

right into the woods if you can and then lie quiet there till you hear

me whistle for you. If you don't hear my whistle you will know that

something has happened to me, and then you must make your way home as

well as you can."

"Oh, Master Vincent," Dan began; but Vincent stopped him.

"It's no use talking, Dan; you must do as I order you. I hope all will

be well; but it must be done anyhow."

"Let me come and load your pistol and fight with you, sah."

"You can do more good by stampeding the horses, Dan. Perhaps, after all,

there will be no trouble."

So saying, leaving Dan with the tears running down his cheeks, Vincent

went to the back of the house and tried the door there. It was fastened.

Then he went to the other side; and here, the light streaming through

the window, which was open, and the sound of loud voices, showed him the

room where the party were. He crept cautiously up and looked in. Mullens

was standing facing Lucy Kingston; the rest of the men were standing

behind him. The girl was as pale as death, but was quiet and composed.

"Now," Mullens said, "I ask you for the last time. You have admitted

that a man has been here to-day, and that you gave him food. You say he

is not in the house; and as we have searched it pretty thoroughly, we

know that's right enough. You say you don't know where he is, and that

may be true enough in a sense; but I have asked you whether he is coming

back again, and you won't answer me. I just give you three seconds;" and

he held out his arm with a pistol in it. "One!" As the word "Two" left

his lips, a pistol cracked, and Mullens fell back with a bullet in his

forehead.

At the same time Vincent shouted at the top of his voice, "Come on,

lads; wipe 'em out altogether. Don't let one of them escape." As he

spoke he discharged his pistol rapidly into the midst of the men, who

were for the moment too taken by surprise to move, and every shot took

effect upon them. At the same moment there was a great shouting outside,

and the trampling of horses' feet. One or two of the men hastily

returned Vincent's fire, but the rest made a violent rush to the door.

Several fell over the bodies of their comrades, and Vincent had emptied

one of his revolvers and fired three shots with the second before the

last of those able to escape did so. Five bodies remained on the floor.

As they were still seven to one against him, Vincent ran to the corner

of the house, prepared to shoot them as they came round; but the

ruffians were too scared to think of anything but escape, and they could

be heard running and shouting across the fields.

Vincent ran into the house. He had seen Lucy Kingston fall prostrate at

the same instant as the ruffian facing her. Strung up to the highest

tension, and expecting in another second to be shot, the crack of

Vincent's pistol had brought her down as surely as the bullet of Mullens

would have done. Even in the excitement of firing, Vincent felt thankful

when he saw her fall, and knew that she was safe from the bullets flying

about. When he entered the room he found the old negress lying beside

her, and thought at first that she had fallen in the fray. He found that

she was not only alive, but unhurt, having, the instant she saw her

young mistress fall, thrown herself upon her to protect her from harm.

"Am dey all gone, sah?" she asked, as Vincent somewhat roughly pulled

her off the girl's body.

"They have all gone, Chloe; but I do not know how soon they may be back

again. Get your mistress round as soon as you can. I am sure that she

has only fainted, for she fell the instant I fired, before another

pistol had gone off."

Leaving the old woman to bring Miss Kingston round, he reloaded his

pistols and went to the door. In a few minutes the sound of horses

galloping was heard.

"Halt, or I fire!" he shouted.

"Don't shoot, sah! Don't shoot! It am me!" and Dan rode up, holding a

second horse by the bridle. "I thought I might as well get two ob dem,

so I jump on de back ob one and get hold ob anoder bridle while I was

waiting to hear your pistol fire. Den de moment I heard dat I set de

oders off, and chased dem to de corner where de gate was where dey came

in at, and along de road for half a mile; dey so frightened dey not stop

for a long time to come. Den I turn into de wood and went through de

trees, so as not to meet dem fellows, and lifted two of de bars of the

fence, and here I am. You are not hurt, massa?"

"My left arm is broken, I think, Dan; but that is of no consequence. I

have shot five of these fellows--their leader among them--and I expect

three of the others have got a bullet somewhere or other in them. There

was such a crowd round the door that I don't think one shot missed. It

was well I thought of stampeding the horses; that gave them a greater

fright than my pistols. No doubt they thought that there was a party of

our bushwhackers upon them. Now, Dan, you keep watch, and let me know if

you see any signs of their returning. I think they are too shaken up to

want any more fighting; but as there are seven of them, and they may

guess there are only two or three of us, it is possible they may try

again."

"Me don't tink dey try any more, sah. Anyhow, I look out sharp." So

saying, Dan, fastening up one of the horses, rode the other in a circle

round and round the house and little plantation, so that it would not be

possible for any one to cross the clearing without being seen. Vincent

returned to the house, and found Miss Kingston just recovering

consciousness. She sat upon the ground in a confused way.

"What has happened, nurse?"

"Never mind at present, dearie. Juss you keep yourself quiet, and drink

a little water."

The girl mechanically obeyed. The minute she put down the glass her eye

fell upon Vincent, who was standing near the door.

"Oh! I remember now!" she said, starting up. "Those men were here and

they were going to shoot me. One--two--and then he fired, and it seemed

that I fell dead. Am I not wounded?"

"He never fired at all, Miss Kingston; he will never fire again. I shot

him as he said 'two,' and no doubt the shock of the sudden shot caused

you to faint dead away. You fell the same instant that he did."

"But where are the others?" the girl said with a shudder. "How imprudent

of you to come here! I hoped you had seen them coming toward the house."

"I did see them, Miss Kingston, and that was the reason I came. I was

afraid they might try rough measures to learn from you where I was

hidden. I arrived at the window just as the scoundrel was pointing his

pistol toward you, and then there was no time to give myself up, and I

had nothing to do for it but to put a bullet through his head in order

to save you. Then I opened fire upon the rest, and my boy drove off

their horses. They were seized with a panic and bolted, thinking they

were surrounded. Of course I kept up my fire, and there are four of them

in the next room besides their captain. And now, if you please, I will

get you, in the first place, to bind my arm tightly across my chest, for

one of their bullets hit me in the left shoulder, and has, I fancy,

broken it."

The girl gave an exclamation of dismay.

"Do not be alarmed, Miss Kingston; a broken shoulder is not a very

serious matter, only I would rather it had not happened just at the

present moment; there are more important affairs in hand. The question

is, What is to become of you? It is quite impossible that you should

stay here after what has happened. Those scoundrels are sure to come

back again."

"What am I to do, Chloe?" the girl asked in perplexity. "I am sure we

cannot stay here. We must find our way through the woods to Nashville,

and I must try and get something to do there."

"There is another way, Miss Kingston, if you like to try it," Vincent

said. "Of course it would be toilsome and unpleasant, but I do not think

it would be dangerous, for even if we got caught there would be no fear

of your receiving any injury from the Federal troops. My proposal is

that you and Chloe should go with us. If we get safely through the

Federal lines I will escort you to Georgia and place you with your

friends there."

The girl looked doubtful for a moment, and then she shook her head.

"I could not think of that, sir. It would be difficult enough for you to

get through the enemy by yourselves It would add terribly to your danger

to have us with you."

"I do not think so," Vincent replied. "Two men would be sure to be

questioned and suspected, but a party like ours would be far less likely

to excite suspicion. Every foot we get south we shall find ourselves

more and more among people who are friendly to us, and although they

might be afraid to give shelter to men, they would not refuse to take

women in. I really think, Miss Kingston, that this plan is the best. In

the first place it would be a dangerous journey for you through the

woods to Nashville and if you fall into the hands of any of those

ruffians who have been here you may expect no mercy. At Nashville you

will have great difficulty in obtaining employment of any kind and even

suppose you went further north your position as a friendless girl would

be a most painful one. As to your staying here that is plainly out of

the question. I think that there is no time to lose in making a

decision. Those fellows may go to the camp at the bridge, give their

account of the affair, declare they have been attacked by a party of

Confederate sympathizers, and return here with a troop of horse."

"What do you say, Chloe?" Lucy asked.

"I'se ready to go wid you whereber you like, Miss Lucy; but I do tink

dat in times like dis dat a young gal is best wid her own folk. It may

be hard work getting across, but as to danger dar can't be much more

danger than dar has been in stopping along here, so it seems to me best

to do as dis young officer says."

"Very well, then, I will, sir. We will go under your protection, and

will give you as little trouble as we can. We will be ready in five

minutes. Now, Chloe, let us put a few things together. The fewer the

better. Just a small bundle which we can carry in our hands."

In a few minutes they returned to the room, Chloe carrying a large

basket, and looking somewhat ruffled.

"Chloe is a little upset," the girl said, smiling, "because I won't put

my best things on; and the leaving her Sunday gown behind is a sore

trouble to her."

"No wonder, sah," Chloe said, "why dey say dat thar am no pretty dresses

in de 'Federacy, and dat blue gown wid red spots is just as good as new,

and it am downright awful to tink dat dose fellows will come back and

take it."

"Never mind, Chloe," Vincent said, smiling. "No doubt we are short of

pretty dresses in the South, but I dare say we shall be able to find you

something that will be almost as good. But we must not stand talking.

You are sure you have got everything of value, Miss Kingston?"

"I have got my purse," she said, "and Chloe has got some food. I don't

think there is anything else worth taking in the house."

"Very well, we will be off," Vincent said, leading the way to the door.

A minute later Dan rode past, and Vincent called him and told him they

were going to start.

"Shall we take de horses, sah?"

"No, Dan. We are going to carry out our original plan of crossing the

river in a boat, and I think the horses would be rather in our way than

not. But you had better not leave them here. Take them to the farther

side of the clearing and get them through the fence into the forest,

then strike across as quickly as you can and join us where we were

stopping to-day. Miss Kingston and her servant are going with us. They

cannot stay here after what has taken place."

Dan at once rode off with the two horses, and the others walked across

to the edge of the clearing and waited until he rejoined them.

"Now, Miss Kingston, you must be our guide at present."

"We must cross the road first," the girl said. "Nearly opposite to where

we are there is a little path through the wood leading straight down to

the river. The boat lies only a short distance from it."

The path was a narrow one, and it was very dark under the trees.

"Mind how you go," Vincent said as the girl stepped lightly on ahead.

"You might get a heavy fall if you caught your foot on a root."

She instantly moderated her pace. "I know the path well, but it was

thoughtless of me to walk so fast. I forgot you did not know it, and if

you were to stumble you might hurt your arm terribly. How does it feel

now?"

"It certainly hurts a bit," Vincent replied in a cheerful tone; "but now

it is strapped tightly to me it cannot move much. Please do not worry

about me."

"Ah!" she said, "I cannot forget how you got it--how you attacked twelve

men to save me!"

"Still less can I forget, Miss Kingston, how you, a young girl,

confronted death rather than say a word that would place me in their

power."

"That was quite different, Mr. Wingfield. My own honor was pledged not

to betray you, who had trusted me."

"Well, we will cry quits for the present, Miss Kingston; or, rather, we

will be content to remain for the present in each other's debt."

A quarter of an hour's walking brought them to the river.

"Now," Lucy said, "we must make our way about ten yards through these

bushes to the right."

With some difficulty they passed through the thick screen of bushes, the

girl still leading the way.

"Here it is," she said; "I have my hand upon it." Vincent was soon

beside her, and the negroes quickly joined them.

"There are no oars in the boat," Vincent said, feeling along the seat.

"Oh! I forgot! They are stowed away behind the bushes on the right; they

were taken out, so that if the Yankees found the boat it would be of no

use to them."

Dan made his way through the bushes, and soon found the oars. Then

uniting their strength they pushed the boat through the high rushes that

screened it from the river.

"It is afloat," Vincent said. "Now, Dan, take your place in the bow."

"I will row, Mr. Wingfield. I am a very good hand at it. So please take

your seat with Chloe in the stern."

"Dan can take one oar, anyhow," Vincent replied; "but I will let you row

instead of me. I am afraid I should make a poor hand of it with only one

arm."

The boat pushed quietly out. The river was about a hundred yards wide at

this point. They had taken but a few strokes when Vincent said:

"You must row hard, Miss Kingston, or we shall have to swim for it. The

water is coming through the seams fast."

The girl and Dan exerted themselves to the utmost; but, short as was the

passage, the boat was full almost to the gunwale before they reached the

opposite bank, the heat of the sun having caused the planks to open

during the months it had been lying ashore.

"This is a wet beginning," Lucy Kingston said laugh as she tried to

wring the water out of the lower part of her dress. "Here, Chloe; you

wring me and I will wring you."

"Now, Dan, get hold of that head-rope," Vincent said; "haul her up

little by little as the water runs out over the stern."

"I should not trouble about the boat, Mr. Wingfield; it is not likely we

shall ever want it again."

"I was not thinking of the boat; I was thinking of ourselves. If it

should happen to be noticed at the next bridge as it drifted down, it

would at once suggest to any one on the lookout for us that we had

crossed the river; whereas, if we get it among the bushes here, they

will believe that we are hidden in the woods or have headed back to the

north, and we shall be a long way across the line, I hope, before they

give up searching for us in the woods on the other side."

"Yes; I didn't think of that. We will help you with the rope."

The boat was very heavy, now that it was full of water. Inch by inch it

was pulled up, until the water was all out except near the stern. Dan

and Vincent then turned it bottom upward, and it was soon hauled up

among the bushes.

"Now, Miss Kingston, which do you think is our best course? I know

nothing whatever of the geography here."

"The next town is Mount Pleasant; that is where the Williamsport road

passes the railway. If we keep south we shall strike the railway, and

that will take us to Mount Pleasant. After that the road goes on to

Florence, on the Tennessee River. The only place that I know of on the

road is Lawrenceburg. That is about forty miles from here, and I have

heard that the Yankees are on the line from there right and left. I

believe our troops are at Florence; but I am not sure about that,

because both parties are constantly shifting their position, and I hear

very little, as you may suppose, of what is being done. Anyhow, I think

we cannot do better than go on until we strike the railway, keep along

by that till we get within a short distance of Mount Pleasant, and then

cross it. After that we can decide whether we will travel by the road or

keep on through the woods. But we cannot find our way through the woods

at night; we should lose ourselves before we had gone twenty yards."

"I am afraid we should, Miss Kingston."

"Please call me Lucy," the girl interrupted. "I am never called anything

else, and I am sure this is not a time for ceremony."

"I think that it will be better; and will you please call me Vin. It is

much shorter and pleasanter using our first names; and as we must pass

for brother and sister if we get among the Yankees, it is better to get

accustomed to it. I quite agree with you that it will be too dark to

find our way through the woods unless we can discover a path.

"Dan and I will see if we can find one. If we can, I think it will be

better to go on a little way at any rate, so as to get our feet warm and

let our clothes dry a little."

"They will not dry to-night," Lucy said. "It is so damp in the woods

that even if our clothes were dry now they would be wet before morning."

"I did not think of that. Yes, in that case I do not see that we should

gain anything by going farther; we will push on for two or three hundred

yards, if we can, and then we can light a fire without there being any

chance of it being seen from the other side."

"That would be comfortable, Mr.--I mean Vin," the girl agreed. "That is,

if you are quite sure that it would be safe. I would rather be wet all

night than that we should run any risks."

"I am sure if we can get a couple of hundred yards into this thick wood

the fire would not be seen through it," Vincent said; "of course I do

not mean to make a great bonfire which would light up the forest."

For half an hour they forced their way through the bushes, and then

Vincent said he was sure that they had come far enough. Finding a small

open space, Dan, and Lucy, and the negress set to work collecting leaves

and dry sticks. Vincent had still in his pocket the newspaper he had

bought in the streets of Nashville, and he always carried lights. A

piece of the paper was crumpled up and lighted, a few of the driest

leaves they could find dropped upon it, then a few twigs, until at last

a good fire was burning.

"I think that is enough for the present," Vincent said. "We will keep on

adding wood as fast as it burns down, so as to get a great pile of

embers, and keep two or three good big logs burning all night."

He then gave directions to Dan, who cut a long stick and fastened it to

two saplings, one of which grew just in front of the fire. Then he set

to work and cut off branches, and laid them sloping against it, and soon

had an arbor constructed of sufficient thickness to keep off the night

dews.

"I think you will be snug in there," Vincent said when he had finished.

"The heat of the fire will keep you dry and warm, and if you lie with

your heads the other way I think your things will be dry by the morning.

Dan and I will lie down by the other side of the fire. We are both

accustomed to sleep in the open air, and have done so for months."

"Thank you very much," she said. "Our things are drying already, and I

am as warm as a toast; but, indeed, you need not trouble about us. We

brought these warm shawls with us on purpose for night-work in the

forest. Now, I think we will try the contents of the basket Dan has been

carrying."

The basket, which was a good-sized one, was opened. Chloe had before

starting put all the provisions in the house into it, and it contained

three loaves, five or six pounds of bacon, a canister of tea and

loaf-sugar, a small kettle, and two pint mugs, besides a number of odds

and ends. The kettle Dan had, by Chloe's direction, filled with water

before leaving the river, and this was soon placed among the glowing

embers.

"But you have brought no teapot, Chloe."

"Dar was not no room for it, Miss Lucy. We can make tea berry well in de

kettle."

"So we can. I forgot that. We shall do capitally."

The kettle was not long in boiling. Chloe produced some spoons and

knives and forks from the basket.

"Spoons and forks are luxuries, Chloe," Vincent said laughing. "We could

have managed without them."

"Yes, sah; but me not going to leave massa's silver for dose villains to

find."

Lucy laughed. "At any rate, Chloe, we can turn the silver into money if

we run short. Now the kettle is boiling."

It was taken off the fire, and Lucy poured some tea into it from the

canister, and then proceeded to cut up the bread. A number of slices of

bacon had already been cut off, and a stick thrust through them, and

Dan, who was squatted at the other side of the fire holding it over the

flames, now pronounced them to be ready. The bread served as plates, and

the party were soon engaged upon their meal, laughing and talking over

it as if it had been an ordinary picnic in the woods, though at times

Vincent's face contracted from the sharp twitching of pain in his

shoulder. Vincent and Lucy first drank their tea, and the mugs were then

handed to Dan and Chloe.

"This is great fun," Lucy said. "If it goes on like it all through our

journey we shall have no need to grumble. Shall we Chloe?"

"If you don't grumble, Miss Lucy, you may be quite sure dat Chloe will

not. But we hab not begun our journey at present; and I spec dat we

shall find it pretty hard work before we get to de end. But neber mind

dat; anyting is better dan being all by ourselves in dat house. Terrible

sponsibility dat."

"It was lonely," the girl said, "and I am glad we are away from it

whatever happens. What a day this has been. Who could have dreamed when

I got up in the morning that all this would take place before night. It

seems almost like a dream, and I can hardly believe"--and here she

stopped with a little shiver as she thought of the scene she had passed

through with the band of bushwhackers.

"I would not think anything at all about it," Vincent said. "And now I

should recommend your turning in, and getting to sleep as soon as you

can. We will be off at daybreak, and it is just twelve o'clock now."

Five minutes later Lucy and her old nurse were snugly ensconced in their

little bower, while Vincent and Dan stretched themselves at full length

on the other side of the fire. In spite of the pain in his shoulder

Vincent dozed off occasionally, but he was heartily glad when he saw the

first gleam of light in the sky. He woke Dan.

"Dan, do you take the kettle down to the river and fill it. We had

better have some breakfast before we make our start. If you can't find

your way back, whistle and I will answer you."

Dan, however, had no occasion to give the signal. It took him little

more than five minutes to traverse the distance that had occupied them

half an hour in the thick darkness, and Vincent was quite surprised when

he reappeared again with the kettle. Not until it was boiling, and the

bacon was ready, did Vincent raise his voice and call Lucy and the

nurse.

"This is reversing the order of things altogether," the girl said as she

came out and saw breakfast already prepared. "I shall not allow it

another time, I can tell you."

"We are old campaigners, you see," Vincent said, "and accustomed to

early movements. Now please let us waste no time, as the sooner we are

off the better."

In a quarter of an hour breakfast was eaten and the basket packed, and

they were on their way. Now the bright, glowing light in the east was

sufficient guide to them as to the direction they should take, and

setting their face to the south they started through the forest. In a

quarter of an hour they came upon a little stream running through the

wood, and here Vincent suggested that Lucy might like a wash, a

suggestion which was gratefully accepted. He and Dan went a short

distance down the streamlet, and Vincent bathed his face and head.

"Dan, I will get you to undo this bandage and get off my coat; then I

will make a pad of my handkerchief and dip it in the water and you can

lay it on my shoulder, and then help me on again with my coat. My arm is

getting horribly painful."

Vincent's right arm was accordingly drawn through the sleeve and the

coat turned down so as to enable Dan to lay the wet pad on the shoulder.

"It has not bled much," Vincent said, looking down at it.

"No, sah, not much blood on de shirt."

"Pull the coat down as far as the elbow, Dan, and bathe it for a bit."

Using his cap as a bailer, Dan bathed the arm for ten minutes, then the

wet pad was placed in position, and with some difficulty the coat got on

again. The arm was then bandaged across the chest, and they returned to

the women, who were beginning to wonder at the delay.