Don Gordon's Shooting-Box, Harry Castlemon [first ebook reader .TXT] 📗

“Halt!” shouted the sentry. “Corporal of the guard No. 1.”

“This is a regular game of ‘follow the leader,’ Gordon,” said Egan, looking back over his shoulder. “Are you good at that?”

“I used to be,” answered Don.

“They’ll be after us in less than no time,” continued the sergeant; “and as there are some splendid runners among the fellows, who will give us more than we want to do if they come up with us, our game must be to keep out of sight. We can’t run much further in this direction, for the river will stop us; so that the best thing we can do is——”

Here Egan turned like a flash and jumped as far as he could toward the middle of the creek. The water was deep enough to let him down out of sight, but he arose to the surface almost immediately, 216and struck out for the opposite shore. Don was astonished, but he did not hesitate an instant to “follow his leader.” Settling his cap firmly on his head, he dove from the bank, and swimming rapidly under the water, passed Egan, much to that young gentleman’s surprise, and came up a long way ahead of him. A few long, steady strokes carried them across the stream, and while they were climbing out by the aid of the bushes that hung over the water, voices and footsteps sounded from the bank they had just left, and presently ejaculations indicative of the greatest amazement came to their ears, followed by ringing peals of laughter.

“Ha! ha! ha! I say, you, Egan—ha! ha! ha! and Gordon—O, dear, O, dear! This will be the death of me, I just know—ha! ha! Halt!” was the command that was shouted at them from the other side of the creek; and looking over their shoulders they saw on the bank a party of their pursuers, some of whom stamped about and flourished their arms over their heads as if they were fighting off a swarm of bumble-bees, while the others rolled on the ground or stood in a crouching attitude, holding their hands 217firmly against their sides. They were all convulsed with laughter, and the corporal who commanded the squad, and who thought he had never before seen so ludicrous a sight as the deserters presented in their dripping uniforms, was so completely overcome with merriment that he could not speak again. He stood there on the bank shaking his head and slapping his knees until Egan and his companion disappeared in the woods.

“Well, Gordon, what do you think of the situation?” asked the sergeant, throwing himself flat on his back and holding his feet aloft so that the water could run out of his boots.

“I’m seeing lots of fun,” answered Don, wiping the tears from his eyes; for he had laughed as heartily as any of the corporal’s men. “But do you think we can get through?”

“We must get through,” replied the sergeant, earnestly. “If we should be caught and taken back after what we have done, the boys never would quit joking us. That corporal is a good fellow to keep out of the way of. He’s as sharp as any detective, as fleet as an antelope, and if he once gets a grip on a deserter’s collar, he don’t let 218up. He’s a bad one, and if he isn’t recalled, he will follow us all over the country.”

“If he is as persevering as that, what’s the reason he did not swim the creek in pursuit of us?” asked Don.

“He wouldn’t have made anything by it,” answered the sergeant, “and, besides, he wouldn’t care to go tramping about the country in his wet clothes. He will follow a better plan than that. He will cross at the bridge and go over to the main road and try to ambush us. You see if he don’t.”

Having wrung a little of the water out of their clothes, Don and his companion continued their flight, threading their way rapidly but cautiously through the thick woods; but before they had gone two hundred yards, the sergeant, who was acting as guide, stopped all on a sudden and pointed silently before him. Don looked and saw that they had barely escaped running into an ambuscade that had been prepared for them. Having crossed the creek at the bridge, CorporalCorporal Mack and his men had made the best of their way to the main road and were now hidden in the bushes on each side of it, awaiting the approach of the 219deserters. Don could see their uniform caps, and he counted a dozen of them in all.

“Mack knows that we are going to the show, and he will exert himself to the utmost to prevent it,” said the sergeant, after he and Don had made a wide detour and safely passed the ambuscade. “We must hurry on now, for we are not safe so long as we wear these uniforms.”

It would have been much easier walking in the main road, which was in plain sight of them, but the sergeant dared not follow it, for he and Don were in no condition, weighed down as they were by their wet clothing, to engage in a foot-race with the fleet and persevering corporal, who would be sure to see them the moment they came out of their concealment. So they kept to the bushes, and at the end of a quarter of an hour came to a halt in the rear of a snug little farm-house, which was the home of one Asa Peters, who had agreed, for a suitable consideration, to furnish them with disguises whenever they might stand in need of them. Asa was chopping wood in the back yard, and Egan had no difficulty in attracting his attention. Hearing his name pronounced in a cautious tone, Asa threw down his axe, and 220after looking all around to make sure that his movements were not observed, he climbed the fence and joined the deserters behind the smoke-house, where they had stopped for concealment. He was a stalwart young rustic with a red head, a peaked nose, and a freckled face—very homely, in short, but with a most exalted opinion of his personal appearance.

“I say, Asa,” said Egan, hurriedly. “We want those clothes now. Is there any way for us to get into the house without being seen?”

Asa leaned against the smoke-house and twirled his thumbs, but said nothing.

“What’s the matter?” asked Egan, in some alarm. “You are not going back from your word, are you? You agreed to furnish each of us with a suit of your clothes for a dollar apiece, and we expect you to live up to your bargain.”

“Wal,” drawled Asa.“ You see—Sally, she——”

He blushed and hesitated.

“Well, go on; what about Sally?” asked Don, impatiently. “She doesn’t want to borrow your clothes, does she?”

“Eh? No,” said Asa, indignantly. “But she 221wants to go to the show, an’ how am I goin’ to take her when I aint got no duds to go in? That’s what’s been a botherin’ me. An’, you see, if I don’t take her, ’Bijah Sawin will.”

“Well, let ’Bijah have her,” said Don.

“Not by a long shot.”

Asa glared savagely at Don as he said this, and brought his fist down into his open palm with a sounding whack. The idea of allowing a rival to walk off with his sweetheart was not to be entertained for a moment. Don looked blank; but Egan, who had had dealings with Asa before, thought he knew a sure road to his heart.

“Now, Asa,” said he, coaxingly, “listen to me for a moment. I know that Sally is a beauty (Egan had never seen the girl in his life), but there are plenty of others in the world who are just as handsome, and a dashing, good-looking young fellow like yourself can always take his pick.”

Asa stroked the yellow down on his chin and grinned complacently.

“Besides, we’ll make it worth your while to stick to your bargain,” continued Egan, closely watching the effect of his words. “We will 222give you a dollar extra for the use of your clothes.”

Asa opened his eyes and looked interested.

“We mean by that, a dollar extra for the use of each suit,” put in Don. “And if you want it, we will pay you half the money in advance.”

It was evident from the expression on the face of Asa Peters that there was a severe conflict going on in his mind—a conflict between his love of money and his deep-rooted affection for Sally; but avarice conquered at last, and without saying a word Asa climbed the fence and led the way toward the house, followed by the deserters, who exchanged many a wink, and laughed silently at the boy who was willing to give up his sweetheart for two dollars.

Asa led the deserters up the back stairs and into his room, whose front window, which was open, looked out upon the road. While he was taking from his trunk his cherished wearing apparel, the judicious selection of which had occasioned him infinite trouble and perplexity, Don glanced out at the window and saw Corporal Mack and his men approaching.

“I declare, Egan,” said he, “we’re cornered.”

223“O, no,” said the latter, who was making all haste to get out of his wet uniform. “Mack doesn’t know that we are here, and even if he suspected it, he has no right to search the house.”

Having placed his best suits of clothes in orderly array upon the bed (the deep sighs he uttered while he was thus engaged proved that Sally was not yet wholly forgotten), Asa seated himself on his trunk and looked out of the window, while Don and his companion proceeded to put on their disguises. And disguises they proved to be in every sense of the word. It is doubtful if even the sharp eyes of Corporal Mack could have penetrated them. The boys looked for all the world like a couple of green country fellows who were out for a holiday; and when Don, after disarranging his hair, and assuming an expression of countenance that would have done credit to Mark Twain’s “Inspired Idiot,” walked across the floor after the manner of a plantation darkey, Egan, who never could control himself when he wanted to laugh, rolled on the bed convulsed with merriment. Nothing but the near approach of Corporal Mack and his men kept him from shouting at the top of his voice.

224“Look here, Gordon,” said he, as soon as he could speak. “No more of that. You will give us away, sure. Mack is a Southern boy, and he knows the negro style of progression as well as you do. So mind what you are about.”

Just then the clear tones of Corporal Mack sounded under the window. “Hallo, Asa,” said he. “Seen any of our boys around here lately?”

“Wal, yes,” drawled Asa, in reply. “I seed a power of ’em yesterday.”

“Have you seen any of them to-day?”

“Wal, yes; but I seed a right smart sprinklin’ of ’em yesterday.”

“Don’t say that again, Asa,” whispered Egan, excitedly. “If you do you will let the cat out of the bag, sure. That boy is sharper than a steel trap, and you must be careful how you talk to him.him.”

“You say you have seen some of our boys to-day,” continued the corporal. “Were their names Egan and Gordon? I thought so. Well, where are they now?”

“I don’t rightly know jest where they be,” answered Asa; and he didn’t either, for his 225back was turned toward the two boys in question.

“I see very plainly that there is nothing to be gained by questioning you,” said the corporal, whose suspicions had been aroused. “You know where those two fellows are, and when you see them again you may tell them that we are going to the show, too.”

Asa said he would, and the corporal and his squad moved off.

“What did I tell you?” exclaimed Egan. “Didn’t I say that if he wasn’t recalled, he would follow us all over the country? Now, let’s be moving. We’ll