An Undivided Union

by Oliver Optic

  CHAPTER XXIX

  MAJOR LYON REJECTS A PROPOSAL

  The man who had thus suddenly deprived Major Deck Lyon of his weapon wasthe same who had been escaping through the brush. He had dropped intothe water just as Deck and Artie reached the cove, and a small hollowunder the rock had enabled him to keep his head above water and hear theconversation which passed between the two brothers.

  It must be confessed that the major was not dreaming of an attack atsuch close quarters, and the pistol left his hand easily. Before hecould recover from his astonishment over the changed nature of affairs,he found the barrel of the weapon pointed straight for his breast.

  "Hands up there, and keep your mouth shut," was the low but determinedcommand. "I imagine I am master of the situation."

  "Who are you?" asked Deck, as calmly as he could, at the same timerevolving in his mind the chances of turning the tables in his favor.

  "I am only asking questions, not answering them," replied the man inblack, and Deck now noted that his cleanly shaven face was a trulyintelligent one. "Can you see that other fellow?"

  "No."

  "Then step into the water."

  "Into the water?" queried Deck, in perplexity.

  "Yes, and do not make any noise if you value your life, Major."

  There was no help for it, and the major stepped from the brushwood intothe stream. He was up to his knees.

  "Come a little closer, but not too close," went on the man in black."Can you swim?"

  "Why do you ask that question?"

  "I told you before, Major, that I was simply asking questions, notanswering them," said the Confederate spy, for such the fellow reallywas. "I repeat, can you swim?"

  "A little."

  "Can you swim across this stream?"

  "Perhaps I can."

  "I am going to give you an opportunity to try. Wade out ahead of me, andtoward that point where three trees appear to shoot from one trunk,"directed the spy, with a wave of his unoccupied hand forward.

  "So you expect to take me along with you," said Deck, steadily. "I mayflatly refuse."

  "If you refuse, you'll never tell anybody, Major, for I will take yourlife where you stand," answered the spy, as coolly as though he wasspeaking of the weather or some equally commonplace topic.

  The young major did not doubt but that he would keep his word. Thefellow evidently knew his business, and in coming into the Union camp hehad taken his life into his hands. Probably he had before this shedhuman life in the same cold-blooded manner. To him the game of war was ascience, and the end justified any means.

  "Do you think I will make a valuable prisoner?"

  "I see you are bound to ask questions. I am equally determined not toanswer them. Will you swim or not?"

  "I will swim," answered Deck, but his heart sank as he uttered thewords. Oh, if only Artie was at hand to put a bullet through thisenemy's head. He wanted to look back, but that steady gaze from thespy's keen black eyes deterred him.

  In two minutes the little cove was left behind, and Unionist andConfederate found themselves breasting the swiftly flowing waters ofChickamauga Creek. Evidently the spy knew the creek well, for hardly hadthey covered ten yards of the distance than Deck's feet struck on a sandbar, and he found himself wading along in water not above his waist.

  "Take my advice and keep down as low as possible," said the spy, keepingin his rear. "A head in this creek to-day is like a head at DonnybrookFair, anybody will hit it if it is possible to do so."

  "I believe you there," answered Deck, and moved along with just hismouth above the surface. "It's mighty slippery walking," he continued.

  "Which means that you will slip and escape if you can, Major. Don't tryit, for it will be your corpse that floats to yonder falls," was thereply, which made Deck's flesh creep. The spy was certainly the mostcold-blooded fellow for such a proceeding he had ever encountered.

  Deck wanted to look back, and as a slight splash announced that hisfollower had taken a misstep, he did so, taking in the shore at onesearching glance. Nobody appeared within his range of vision, and againhis heart went down into his boots. Evidently he was booked for aConfederate prison as fast as the spy could get him there.

  About three-quarters of the distance to the opposite shore was passed,and Deck was losing all hope, when a distant pistol shot rang out,coming from behind them. Artie had discovered two heads and an armbobbing above water, and his field-glasses had apprised him of the truesituation. He had fired on the spy, but the bullet flew several incheswide of its mark.

  "Call to that fellow to stop shooting, or it will mean your death,"ordered the spy, and Deck now understood why the Confederate haddesired him to bear him company over the stream.

  As the major had no desire to be shot, he promptly called to Artie.Whether or not his brother understood him clearly he could not tell, butno more shots followed. In a few minutes, both the spy and Deck were ina safe place, behind a heavy clump of bushes.

  "Halt!" came the command, from not far away, and a Confederate picketappeared, holding his gun ready for use. He was ragged and dusty, butready for business, as his determined face showed. "Have you thecountersign?"

  "I have that of three days ago," answered the spy, and advancing, hegave it, and also brought forth a slip of paper which the picketexamined with interest. The corporal of the guard was called, and hetook both of the newcomers in charge.

  An examination in a tent pitched some distance back from the streamevidently proved satisfactory to several officers present, and the spywas allowed to proceed on his way, and much to Deck's astonishment hewas asked to come along.

  "Are you going to take me to the prisoner's camp?" asked Deck, as theywalked away.

  "We will talk about that later, Major. By the way, what is your name?"

  "Major Dexter Lyon."

  "Well, Major Lyon, I presume you do not relish being a prisoner?"

  "Hardly, Captain Brentford."

  "I see you caught my name up to the tent. It saves me the trouble ofintroducing myself. I am Captain Brentford, of General Bragg's staff."

  "I presume you gained considerable information while inside the Unionlines," went on Deck, curiously.

  "I did gain a good deal, but not as much as one would wish. Your fellowsare pretty close-mouthed. I must give them credit for it. I wish I couldsay as much for our gallant boys of the South."

  "I don't suppose it will do me any good to ask where you have been."

  "Oh, I won't mind telling you, now we are over here. I have been up tothe Widow Glenn's house."

  "To General Rosecrans' headquarters!" gasped Deck, in consternation.

  "I see it almost overwhelms you to think a Southern spy could get closeto Union headquarters. A clever trick did it--a trick I learned when Iwas in the detective bureau at Washington."

  "You impersonated one of our officers?"

  "Exactly. The poor fellow was dead, and I donned his coat and hat, fixedup my face to suit, and took his place for ten hours. It was tough onthe dead officer, but he will never make a kick."

  "I believe you killed him," said Deck, bluntly.

  A frown crossed the face of Captain Brentford. "We will let that pass,Major Lyon; it will do no good for us to say things which areunpleasant. I want you to look at something else."

  "Look at something else?"

  "Your own personal position. Do you realize the nasty situation you arein?"

  "Having heard of the horrors of your Southern prisons, I think I do."

  "It is my duty to hand you over to the officers at the prisoners' camp,a mile or so from here."

  "I suppose you will do your duty."

  "To make a prisoner of such a young and promising fellow as yourselfseems a great pity."

  "I am willing to take what comes, as the fortunes of war," replied Deck,who did not propose to be led into showing the white feather, especiallyin front of such a coldly polished rascal as Captain Brentford appearedto be.

  "Are you willing t
o be sent to prison, to languish there until the closeof this struggle?"

  "I am willing to submit to that which I cannot alter."

  "Ah, that is more like it." Captain Brentford looked around, to see thatnobody was in sight. "Major Lyon, I am tired, let us sit under yondertree for a few minutes and rest."

  "I don't care much to rest in these wet clothes. I may take cold."

  "You are no wetter than myself. I think it may pay you to take the restI propose."

  "If you order a rest, I cannot do anything but obey, Captain Brentford,"concluded Deck, and walked to the spot indicated.

  At the tent where they had stopped, his coat had been wrung out for himand his boots emptied, so he was not so badly off as might be supposed,although far from as comfortable as he would have been had his garmentsbeen dry. He was now totally unarmed, even his sabre, extra pistol, andpocket knife having been taken from him. In addition to this his handshad been tied loosely together behind his back.

  There was a large, flat rock under the tree designated, and Deckdeposited himself on this, in the shelter of the slight breeze that wasblowing. The captain took up a position opposite, so that he had asquare view of his prisoner's face.

  "Major Lyon, I think I am safe in making you a proposal," he began,after a moment's pause.

  "What sort of a proposal, Captain Brentford?"

  "I think you would rather recross the creek and join your command thango ahead to where I am to take you."

  "That goes without saying."

  "Exactly. And that being so, supposing we try to come to terms."

  "I must confess I don't understand you," said Deck, much puzzled by hiscaptor's words.

  "It is too bad that I must speak plainer. You wish to return to theUnion lines. Very well, what is it worth to you?"

  "Worth to me?"

  "That is what I said. I am a plain-spoken man, and to me a spade is aspade and not an instrument for upturning the soil."

  "But I don't understand you, Captain Brentford. If you mean what is itworth in money, let me state that I am not worth ten dollars, all told,at the present moment."

  "I know exactly what you have in your pocket, a five dollar goldpieceand four dollars in United States scrip that won't be worth anythingafter the Confederacy gets done with the North."

  "Then what are you driving at?"

  "You have something else about you which might prove of far more valueto me than money."

  "And that is--" began Deck, hesitatingly.

  "Information. Now do you understand?"

  The cat was out of the bag, and the major drew a long breath. At thesame time a look of deep scorn came into his loyal eyes.

  "So you wish me to buy my liberty through what information I may be ableto give you concerning the Union troops and their proposed movements?"he said slowly.

  "I did not put it that way."

  "You suggested it, then."

  "We will let it stand at that." Captain Brentford's face took on a sharplook. "What do you say to it?"

  "I say, Captain Brentford, that you are a scoundrel to suggest such athing to me."

  "A scoundrel!"

  "Yes, a scoundrel. Perhaps, were you placed as I am placed, you wouldbarter your very soul to gain your liberty; I am made of differentstuff--and I thank God for it!" answered Deck, with all the fervor ofhis patriotic heart.

  "Don't get on a high horse, Major, it will do you no good."

  "I mean what I say, and I shall stick to it. Try your best, you'll getno military information out of me."

  "You forget that your very life is in my hands."

  "I forget nothing," Deck replied, but a cold chill crept down hisbackbone, as he looked into those black eyes, now blazing like those ofa snake. "I do not doubt but that you would kill me, as you killed thatofficer at General Rosecrans' headquarters, if you saw fit to do so."

  "I would kill you if I thought it in the line of my duty. I was sentforth by General Bragg to obtain certain information, and to obtain itat any cost. I propose to obey orders. As a major in the Union cavalryyou must know certain things, and you have got to tell me--or take theconsequences. We will finish this business before we stir another step,"answered Captain Brentford, and again took up his pistol, which he hadallowed to drop into his lap.

  For the instant Deck knew not how to reply. A nameless dread tookpossession of him, as he realized how helpless he was, unarmed, and withhis hands tied behind him. He looked up the road, and just then thesounds of rapid hoof-strokes reached his ears.