The Continental Dragoon

by Robert Neilson Stephens

  CHAPTER XIV.

  THE BROKEN SWORD.

  The sound wrought a transformation in Colden. His face lighted up withmalevolent joy.

  "You love too late!" he cried, to Elizabeth. "My men are there! Theyshall take him to New York a prisoner, at last!"

  "But not delivered up by me, thank God!" replied Elizabeth, whilePeyton rose quickly from his chair, and Colden reeled like a drunkenman to the window.

  She went behind Peyton, and, with the edge of the broken sword, hackedrather than cut through one of the outer windings that bound hiswrists together, whereupon she speedily uncoiled the rope.

  "You were my prisoner. I set you free!" she said, dropped the rope tothe floor, and handed him the broken sword.

  He took the weapon in his right hand, and imprisoned Elizabeth withhis left arm.

  "I'm more your prisoner now than ever!" he said. "You've cut thesebonds. Will you put others on me?"

  "Sometime,--if we can save your life!" she answered.

  Both turned their eyes towards Colden.

  The Tory officer had drawn his sword, and was motioning, in greatexcitement, to his soldiers outside.

  "This way, men!" he shouted. "To the front door! Damn the louts! Can'tthey understand?" He beat upon the window with his sword, knocking outpanes of glass. "Come through that door, I say! Quick, curse you,there's a prisoner here, with a price for his taking! Ay, that's it!Some one in the hall there, open the front door to my men!"

  The sound now came of knocks bestowed on the outside door, and ofSam's heavy tread on the hall floor.

  "Williams! Sam!" shouted Elizabeth. "Don't let them in!"

  The heavy tread was heard to stop short. The knocking on the outerdoor was resumed.

  "Let them in, I say," roared Colden, too proud to go himself to thedoor. "I command it, in the name of the King!"

  "Obey your mistress," cried Peyton, to those in the hall. "I commandit, in the name of Congress!"

  Colden was silent for a moment, then suddenly threw open the windowand called out, "This way, men! Quick!"

  And he drew pistol, and stood ready with steel and ball to guard thewindow by which his men were to enter. A new, wild ferocity was on hisface, a new, nervous hardness in his body, as if the latent resolutionand strength which a prudent man keeps for a great contest, on whichhis all may depend, were at last aroused. In such a mood, the man who,governed by interest, may have seemed a coward all his life becomesfor the once supremely formidable. At last he thinks the stake worththe play, at last the prize is worth the risk, and because it is so hewill play and risk to the end, hazarding all, not yielding while hebreathes. Having opened the theme which alone, of all themes, shalltransform his irresolution into action, he will, Hamlet like, "fightupon this theme until" his "eyelids will no longer wag." So was Coldenaroused, transfigured, as he stood doubly armed by the window, waitingfor his men to clamber in.

  "What shall we do, dear?" said Elizabeth.

  "Fight!" replied Peyton, tightening at the same time his right palmaround his broken sword, and his left around the hand she had let himtake,--for she had moved from the embrace of his arm.

  "Ay, there are only two of them," she said, as two burly formsappeared in the open window, one behind the other.

  "There will be three of us, you'll find!" cried Colden. "This timeI'll take a hand, if need be."

  "You must not stay here," said Peyton to Elizabeth, quickly. "Thingswill be flying loose in a moment!"

  "I won't leave you!" said she.

  "Go! I beg you, go!" he said, releasing her hand, and stepping back.

  Meanwhile, Colden's men bounded in through the window. Rough, sturdyfellows were they, who landed heavily on the parlor floor, and blinkedat the light, drawing the while the breeches of their short musketsfrom beneath their coats. Their hats and shoulders were coated withsnow.

  "Take that rebel alive, if you can!" ordered Colden. "He's meant tohang! Stun him with your musket-butts!"

  The men quickly reversed their weapons, and strode heavily towardsHarry. To their surprise, before they could bring down their muskets,which required both hands of each to hold, Harry dashed forwardbetween them, thinking to cut down Colden with his broken sword,possess himself of the latter's pistol, shoot one of the soldiers, andmeet the other on less unequal terms. He saw a possibility of hisleaping through the open window and fleeing on one of the soldiers'horses, but the idea was accompanied by the thought that Elizabethmight be made to suffer for his escape. Her safety now depended on hisgetting the mastery over his three would-be captors. So, ere the twoastonished fellows could turn, Harry had leaped within sword's reachof his doubly armed enemy.

  But Colden was now as alert as rigid, and he opposed his officer'ssword against Peyton's broken cavalry blade, guarding himself withunexpected swiftness, and giving back, for Harry's sweeping stroke, athrust which only the quickest and most dexterous movement turnedaside from entering the Virginian's lungs. As Harry stepped back foran instant out of his adversary's reach, the Tory raised his pistol.At the same moment the two soldiers, having turned about, rushed onPeyton from behind. He heard them coming, and half turned to facethem. Their movement had for him one fortunate circumstance. It keptColden from shooting, for his bullet might have struck one of his ownmen.

  Now Elizabeth had not been idle. At the moment when Harry had steppedback from her and bade her go, she had run to the door of the easthall, and called Williams and Sam. While Peyton had been engagingColden near the window, the steward and the negro had entered theparlor, and she had excitedly ordered them to Peyton's aid. Williamsstill had the duck-gun, Sam the pistol. Thus it occurred that, asPeyton half turned from Colden towards the two soldiers, theselast-named saw Williams and Sam rush in between them and their prey.Before Williams could bring his duck-gun to bear, he was struck downsenseless by one of the musket blows first intended for Peyton.Another blow, and from another musket, had been aimed at Sam's woollyhead, but the negro had put up his left hand and caught the descendingweapon, and at the same time had discharged his pistol at the weapon'sholder. But Williams, in falling, had knocked against the darky, andso disturbed his aim, and the ball flew wide. The man who had broughtdown Williams now struck Sam a terrible blow with the musket-club, onthe temple, and the negro dropped like a felled ox.

  During this brief passage, Peyton had returned to close quarters withColden. The latter, who had lowered his pistol when his men had lastapproached Peyton, and who had resumed the contest of swords unequalin size and kind, now raised the pistol a second time. But it wascaught by the hands of Elizabeth, who had run around to his left, andwho now, suddenly endowed with the strength of a tigress, wrenched itfrom him as she had wrenched the broken sword earlier in the evening.She tried to discharge the pistol at one of the two soldiers, as they,relieved of the brief interposition of Williams and Sam, were againtaking position to bring down their muskets on Peyton's head while hecontinued at sword-work with Colden. But the pistol snapped withoutgoing off, whereupon Elizabeth hurled it in the face of the man atwhom she had aimed. The blow disconcerted him so that his musket fellwide of Peyton, who at the same instant, having seen from the cornerof his eye how he was menaced, leaped backward from under the otherdescending musket. Then, taking advantage of the moment when themuskets were down, he ran to the music seat before the spinet, andmounted upon it, thinking rightly that the infuriated major wouldfollow him, and that he might the better execute a certain manoeuvrefrom the vantage of height. Colden indeed rushed after him, and thrustat him, Peyton sweeping the thrusts aside with pendulum-like swings ofhis own short weapon. His thought was to send the point that menacedhim so astray that he might leap forward and cleave his enemy with adownward stroke before the Tory could recover his guard. But Coldenpressed him so speedily that he was at last fain to step up from themusic seat to the spinet, landing first on the keyboard, which sentout a frightened discord as he alighted on it. Finding the keys anuncertain footing, he took another step, and stood on the body of t
heinstrument, so that Colden would be at the disadvantage of thrustingupwards. But Colden, seeming to tire a little after a few suchthrusts, called to his men:

  "Shoot the dog in the legs!"

  Both men aimed at once. Elizabeth screamed. Peyton leaped down fromhis height to the little space behind the spinet projection, where hehad hidden a week before. Here he found himself well placed, for herehe could be approached on one side only,--unless his adversariesshould follow his example and come at him from the top of the spinet.

  Colden attacked him with sword, at the open side, and shouted to hismen:

  "One of you get on the spinet. The other crawl under. We have himnow."

  Still guarding himself from his enemy's thrusts, Peyton heard one ofthe men leap from the music seat to the spinet, and the other advancecreeping, doubtless with gun before him, under the instrument. Peytonsank to his knees, placed his shoulder under the back edge of thespinet's projection, and, warding off a downward movement of Colden'ssword, turned the instrument over on its side, checking the creepingman under it, and throwing the other fellow to the floor some feetaway. As the spinet fell, one of its legs, rising swiftly into theair, knocked Colden's blade upward, and the Tory leaped back lestPeyton might avail himself of the opening. But the spinet-leg itselfhindered Peyton from doing so. Colden rushed forward again, thrustingas he did so. Peyton leaped aside, made a swift half-turn, and landeda stroke on Colden's sword-hand, making the Tory cry out and drop thesword. Harry put his foot on it and cried:

  "You're at my mercy! Beg quarter!"

  But the man who had been thrown from the top of the spinet nowreturned to the attack, coming around that end of the upset instrumentwhich was opposite the end where Colden had menaced Harry. Seeing thisnew adversary, Harry retreated past Colden, in order to put himself inposition. The soldier hastened after him, with upraised musket. Atthis moment, Peyton saw himself confronted by Elizabeth, who pulledopen the door of the south hall. He stopped short to avoid runningagainst her.

  "Save yourself!" she cried, and pushed him through the open doorway,flinging the door shut upon him, a movement which the pursuingsoldier, stayed for a moment by collision with Colden, was not in timeto prevent. Harry heard the key move in the lock, and knew thatElizabeth had turned it, and that he was safe in the south hall, witha minute of vantage which he might employ as he would.

  Elizabeth withdrew the key from the locked door, just as the pursuingsoldier arrived at that door. The man, in his excitement, violentlytried to open the door. Colden, who was wrapping a handkerchief aroundhis wounded hand, shouted to the man:

  "You fool, she has the key! Take it from her!"

  "You shall kill me first!" she cried, and ran from the man towards theopen window, stepping over the prostrate bodies of Sam and Williams asshe went.

  "After her! She'll throw it into the snow!" cried Colden.

  This much Harry heard through the door, and heard also the heavy treadof the soldier's feet in pursuit of the girl. His mind imaged forth amomentary picture of the fellow's rough hands laid on the delicatearms of Elizabeth, of her body clasped by the man in a struggle, herwhite skin reddened by his grasp. The spectacle, imaginary and lastingbut an instant, maddened Peyton beyond endurance, made him a giant, aHercules. He threw himself against the door repeatedly, plied foot andbody in heavy blows. Meanwhile Elizabeth had reached the window, andthrown the key far out on the snow-heaped lawn. She had no sooner doneso than the man laid his clutch on her arm.

  "Fly, Peyton, for God's sake! For my sake!" she shouted.

  "You shall pay for aiding the enemy, if he does!" cried Colden. "Don'tlet her escape, Thompson!"

  At that instant the locked door gave way, and in burst Harry, havingbroken, to save Elizabeth from a rude contact, the barrier she hadclosed to save his life. That life, which he had once saved bycallously assailing her heart, he now risked, that her body might notsuffer the touch of an ungentle hand. So swift and sudden was hisentrance, that he had crossed the room, and floored Elizabeth'scaptor, with a deep gash down the side of the head, ere Colden made astep towards him.

  The man who had been under the fallen spinet had now extricatedhimself, and regained his feet, and he and Colden rushed on Peyton atonce. Elated by having so speedily wrought Elizabeth's release, andreduced the number of his able adversaries to two, Peyton bethoughthimself of a new plan. He fled through the deep doorway to the easthall, and took position on the staircase. He turned just in time toparry Colden's sword, which the major had picked up and made shift tohold in his wrapped-up, wounded hand. Harry saw that an opportunestroke might send the sword from his enemy's numb and weakening grasp,and his heart swelled with anticipated triumph, until he heardColden's hoarse cry:

  "Shoot him, James, while I keep him occupied!"

  This order was now the more practicable from Harry's being on thestairs, above Colden, a great part of his body exposed to an aim thatcould not endanger his antagonist. Breathing heavily, his eyes afirewith hatred, Colden repeated his attacks, while Harry saw the other'smusket raised, the barrel looking him in the eyes. He leaped a stephigher, swung his broken sword against the pendent chandelier,knocked the only burning candle from its socket, and threw the hallinto darkness. A moment later the gun went off, giving an instant'sred flame, a loud crack, and a smell of gunpowder smoke. Harry heard aswift singing near his right ear, and knew that he was untouched.

  Lest Colden's sword, thrust at random, might find him in the dark,Harry instantly bestrode the stair-rail, and dropped, outside thebalustrade, to the floor of the hall. He grasped his half-sword inboth hands, so as to put his whole weight behind it, and made a lungein the direction of a muttered curse. The curse gave way to a roar ofpain and rage, and Colden's second follower dropped, spurting blood inthe darkness, his shoulder gashed horribly by the blunt end ofPeyton's imperfect weapon. Harry now ran back to the parlor, to dealwith Colden in the light, the latter's greater length of weapon givinga greater searching-power in the darkness. In the parlor Elizabethstood waiting in suspense. Sam was sitting on the floor and staringstupidly at Williams, who was now awake and rubbing his head, and theTory first fallen was still senseless. Harry had no sooner taken thisscene in at a glance, than Colden was upon him.

  The major's eyes seemed to stand out like blazing carbuncles from theface of some deity of rage.

  "G--d d----n your soul!" he screamed, and thrust. The point wentstraight, and Elizabeth, seeing it protrude through the back ofHarry's coat, near the left side of his body, uttered a low cry, andsank half-fainting to her knees. Colden shouted with triumphantlaughter. "Die, you dog! And when you burn in hell, remember I sentyou there!"

  But the evil joy suddenly faded out of Colden's face, for HarryPeyton, smiling, took a forward step, grasped near the hilt the swordthat seemed to be sheathed in his own body, forced it from Colden'shand, and then drew it slowly from its lodgment. No blood discoloredit, and none oozed from Harry's body.

  The Virginian's quick movement to escape the thrust had left only apart of his loose-fitting coat exposed, and Colden's sword had passedthrough it, leaving him unhurt. Colden's momentary appearance ofvictory had been the means of actual defeat.

  The Tory major saw his cup of revenge dashed from his lips, sawhimself deprived of sword and sweetheart, neither chance left ofliving nor motive left for life. His rage collapsed; his hate burstlike a bubble.

  "Kill me," he said, quietly, to Peyton.

  His look, innocent of any thought to draw compassion, quite disarmedHarry, who stood for a moment with moistening eyes and a kind ofwelling-up at the throat, then said, in a rather unsteady voice:

  "No, sir! God knows I've taken enough from you," and he looked atElizabeth, who had risen and was standing near him. Softened by thetriumphant outcome for her love, she, too, was suddenly sensible ofthe defeated man's unhappiness, and her eyes applauded and thankedHarry.

  "You've taken what I never had," said Colden, with a chastened kind ofbitterness, "yet without which the life you give me
back isworthless."

  "Make it worth something with this," and Peyton held Colden's swordout to him.

  "What! You will trust me with it?" said Colden, amazed and incredulous,taking the sword, but holding it limply.

  "Certainly, sir!"

  Colden was motionless a moment, then placed his arm high against thedoorway, and buried his face against his arm, to hide the outlet ofwhat various emotions were set loose by his enemy's display of pityand trust.

  Harry gently drew Elizabeth to him and kissed her. Yielding, sheplaced her arms around his neck, and held him for a moment in anembrace of her own offering. Then she withdrew from his clasp, andwhen Colden again faced them she had resumed that invisible veil whichno man, not even the beloved, might pass through till she bade him.

  "You will find me worthy of your trust, sir," said Colden, brokenly,yet with a mixture of manly humility and honorable pride.[10]

  "I am so sure of that," said Harry, "that I confide to your care for atime what is dearest to me in the world. I ask you to accompany MissPhilipse to her home in New York, when it may suit her convenience,and to see that she suffer nothing for what has occurred here thisnight."

  "You are a generous enemy, sir," said Colden, his eyes moisteningagain. "One man in ten thousand would have done me the honor, thekindness, of that request!"

  "Why," said Harry, taking his enemy's hand, as if in token offarewell, "whatever be the ways of the knaves, respectable andotherwise, who are so cautious against tricks like their own, thankGod it's not so rotten a world that a gentleman may not trust agentleman, when he is sure he has found one!"

  Turning to Elizabeth, he said: "I beg you will leave this house atdawn, if you can. Williams and Sam, there, will be little the worsefor their knocks, and can look after the fellows on the floor."

  "And you," she replied, "must go at once. You must not further riskyour life by a moment's waiting. Cuff shall saddle Cato for you. Isha'n't rest till I feel that you are far on your way."

  He approached as if again to kiss her, but she held out her hand tostay him. He took the hand, bent over it, pressed it to his lips.

  "But,--" he said, in a tone as low as a whisper, "when--"

  "When the war is over," she answered, softly, "let Cato bring youback."