by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER XV
THE ESTABLISHMENT OF FORT BEDFORD
The two young voyagers of the night sprang to their feet on the pile ofcases which filled the body of the gundalow, and looked about them. Itwas still dark, and they could not make out anything when just rousedfrom their slumber.
"What are we stopping here for, father? Has anything broken?" askedDeck, discovering Mr. Lyon near him.
"Nothing but your slumbers, my son," replied the planter. "Haven't yougot your eyes open yet? Can't you see that you have got home?"
"I believe I have been asleep," added Artie, rubbing his eyes.
"I know you have, my boy; for I spread your overcoats over you bothbefore we reached the big bend, and I know you were sleeping as soundlyas a pair of babies then. You must have slept an hour and a half," thefather explained. "I am glad you had some sleep, for we have more workto do before we can go to bed."
"I can see the bridge now," added Deck.
"And there is the house," said Artie.
The negroes were all wide awake by this time, and Levi had gone to themansion for the key to the ice-house. Mr. Lyon lighted all of thelanterns, and sent the boys to the stone building with them, followinghimself soon after. The overseer came with the key, and it was openedwith some difficulty. The ice with which it had been filled in thewinter had been exhausted, and it contained nothing but rubbish. Thehands were called, and the interior was soon cleaned out.
Though Levi had not closed his eyes during the night, and had been busyall the time, he was wide awake, and proceeded to drive things as he haddone at the cavern. It was decided to move the cannons first, after abroad gang plank had been made of the material in the boat. A heavycart-stake was procured, which was thrust into the first of the pieces,with room enough for three of the hands to get hold of it. Another wasplaced under the cascabel, which was supported by General and Dummy,with Rosebud at the jaws.
The gun was easily handled with this force, and the men walked brisklyto the new arsenal. Three wheelbarrows were brought from the tool-houseby the planter and the boys while Levi was superintending the removal ofthe cannons. Three wheelers were selected by the overseer, two placed inthe gundalow to load the barrows, and one at the ice-house. In less thanan hour, and when the daylight was appearing in the east, the job wasfinished.
"Now, boys, you can sleep all the rest of the day," said Mr. Lyons, andLevi sent the hands to their quarters.
"We haven't seen any men on the watch," said Levi, while he was placingsome boards over the windows of the building, "but there may have beensome on the lookout for all that."
"If they were in the road near the big bend, where you thought theywould be, if anywhere, they could not have walked to the cavern in timeto find us there, for we made quick work of loading the boat," added theplanter.
"If there were any men there, they may have observed us; but they couldnot get round here to see what was done with the cases if they did,"replied Levi. "They may possibly have recognized the Magnolia: and thatis the only clew they could have obtained of the operations in thisaffair."
"It is time to go to bed, and I am inclined to think we shall do somesleeping to-day," added the planter, as he led the way to the mansion.
Levi was not willing to leave anything to chance; and before he went tohis room in the house he had called up two of the servants andestablished a patrol along the bank of the creek from the bridge to theboathouse, with orders to call him if any persons were seen prowlingabout the vicinity.
All the operations of the night had been conducted with the most prudentregard to secrecy. Doubtless Levi Bedford knew more about the residentsof the county than Noah Lyon, and probably more about Titus as he wasand had been during the last few years. The disappearance of the armsand ammunition would make a tremendous sensation among the Southernsympathizers, though most of them were not yet aware of the existence ofsuch a store of munitions in the vicinity; for the knowledge of them hadprobably been confined to the members of Titus's company of Home Guards.Even if the wrath and excitement occasioned by the loss of the warmaterial was limited to these ruffians, there were enough of them to doa vast amount of mischief in the county.
The interview on the bridge with his brother had opened wide the eyes ofNoah; but he had always lived in a peaceful community, and his overseerunderstood the situation better than he did. Levi had taken everyprecaution against the possible assaults of the "bushwackers," as hecalled the gang with whom the Northern "doughface" had cast his lot atthe breaking out of the troubles in the State. The boys slept soundlytill nearly noon, and the planter till the middle of the forenoon; butLevi appeared as usual at breakfast, having slept but about three hours.
Mr. Lyon had told his wife something about the events of the night, andassured her that the arms were safe in the ice-house, and nothing wassaid at the table about the proceedings of the party, though Levi was asgood-natured as usual, and talked about other things. As soon as he hadfinished his morning meal with a most excellent appetite, he hastened tothe ice-house with the key in his hand. The field-hands had gone totheir work, and all was quiet about the place.
The ice-house was near the creek, about half-way between the bridge andthe boathouse, close to the stream. The door of it faced the water, andthere was a small square window in either end. Levi walked around thebuilding two or three times, closely examining the structure. Then hestopped at the door and cast his eyes all around him, especially at thelay of the land on the other side of the creek. He was not a militaryengineer any more than his employer; but he was a man of ideas, and hewas evidently preparing for events in the future which he foresaw, andwhich the disturbed condition of the State rendered more than possible.
When he had completed his survey he unlocked the door of the building.The cases were all just as they had been piled up in the early morning.He bestowed only a glance at them, and then began a study of the twowindows, from which he removed the boards that prevented any one fromseeing what the building contained. Then he gave his attention to thedoors, which were double, the thickness of the wall apart. He wasevidently making a plan in his mind for some alterations to thestructure; but he was alone, and of course he said nothing.
He appeared to have reached his conclusion. Closing and locking theouter door, he walked over to the boathouse, at the pier of which theMagnolia had been secured by the boatmen as soon as the work of thenight was completed. Here again he stopped and made a survey of theneighboring swamp, which separated the lawn from the bank of the Green.Then he went over to the bank of the river, and followed it down stream.
At this point a bend of the river above forced the water of the streamover near the opposite shore, while half-way across from the bank onwhich he stood, the waters from the river and the creek had washed inthe mud so that it formed a bar on a bed of rocks, and the descent hereproduced the rapids. The water for half a mile was considerably troubledwhen the streams were full, while it was deep enough on the other sideto permit the passage of the steamboats that plied on the river.
Levi continued his walk in the road, with Green River on one side and onthe other the swamp which bordered the creek to a point near its source.The swamp was impassable on foot or by boat. It was better than a wallin the rear of the mansion, and the marauders of Titus Lyon could notapproach from that direction. Farther along was a broad lagoon or pond,connected by a wide and sluggish inlet with Bar Creek. This could becrossed with a boat; but the approach to it from the spring road overthe low ground was difficult and dangerous.
The overseer knew the whole region very well; but when he had viewed itagain in the light of impending contingencies, he seemed to be entirelysatisfied with the situation, for his chronic smile was on his roundface, though no one was there to see it. He went to the shop, whichformed part of the carriage-house, and began a survey of the lumber onhand there. A couple of three-inch oak planks were pulled out from thepile. He measured and marked them with a piece of chalk, and then leftthe shop.
; Among the plantation hands were carpenters, masons, painters, and othermechanics, more or less skilful, though none of them had regularlylearned a trade. Some of them had become quite expert in the use oftools, and could do a very respectable job, especially the carpenters.Levi was himself a "jack-of-all-trades," and he had trained some of themto the best of his ability.
When he came out of the shop he sent Frank the coachman to call thethree carpenters, who worked in the field most of the time. The colonelhad given these men names to suit himself, and they were proud of theircognomens. "Shavings" was the most skilful of them, and was the "boss"at any job to be done. "Gouge" and "Bitts" were only fair workmen, butthey did very well under the direction of their foreman.
When they came, Levi ordered Shavings to make two doors of thethree-inch planks, and described what he wanted very minutely. At thesame time the two door-frames were ordered, and the mechanics went towork with a will, and without asking to what use the doors were to beapplied.
By this time the planter came out from his late breakfast, and theoverseer reported to him what he had been doing the last three hours.They visited the shop where the negro mechanics were sawing out theplanks for the doors, and then went to the stables, where Frank remainedon duty all the time when not out with one of the teams; and then one ofthe grooms took his place.
"How many horses are there on the place now, Frank?" asked the planter.
"Thirty-five in all, Major," answered the coachman.
"Are they all fit for service?" inquired the owner.
"No, sir; six of them are breeding mares, and nine are colts, two andthree years old. We have fifteen horses and mares four years old andmore, for sale, and I reckoned you would sell them about this time."
"That's all, Frank," added the planter as he left the stable.
"I don't know what you are driving at, Major Lyon, but we havetwenty-seven horses over three years old, and fit for service, thoughthe three year olds are rather young yet for hard work," said Levi, asthey walked towards the ice-house.
"I have held my tongue about as long as necessary; but now all thesesores in the State seem to be coming to a head, and I will tell you,between ourselves, that I have an idea of raising a company of Unioncavalry to offset the Home Guards of this county," replied Mr. Lyon.
"That's a glorious idea!" exclaimed Levi with tremendous enthusiasm. "Iwish I was ten years younger, and weighed thirty pounds less, for Ishould like to swing a sabre in that company."
"But you are to look out for the plantation and take care of my familywhile I am away, Levi. You can ride a colt better than any of us; butyour work is here, and you may be called upon to do as much fighting asany of us," said Mr. Lyon.
"I will do my duty wherever you put me, Major; but I should rather enjoya whack at those border ruffians who are making the whole county hotwith outrages. Last night they burned out a Union man two miles abovethe village."
"The time for action is close at hand," added Mr. Lyon, as they came tothe ice-house. "There have been talk and threats enough. My brother hastold me that I am liable to be hung on one of the big trees after a mobhas burned the house; but I think we are ready for such a gathering ashe suggests. We may hear something about it to-night in the meeting atthe Big Bend schoolhouse."
"I have looked the ice-house over this morning, and I have made up mymind what ought to be done," said Levi; and he proceeded to state hisplan for turning the stone structure into a sort of fort. "I haveordered the doors already, and if you say the word, Major, I will makethree or four embrasures in the walls for the two field-pieces; and wemust have a magazine for the ammunition."
"I approve your plan; go ahead and do the work as you think best. Youcan use all the hands you need; and from this moment the ice-house willbe known as Fort Bedford," replied Mr. Lyons.
"Thank you, Major, and I will endeavor to make the fortress worthy of abetter name," returned Levi, as he hastened to the stable to send forthe men he wanted.
