Mass' George: A Boy's Adventures in the Old Savannah

by George Manville Fenn

  CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR.

  It was a miserable scene upon which I gazed, in spite of its being abright clear morning; but as I grasped where I was, and shook off thedrowsy confusion, there was a feeling of thankfulness in my heart, forthe dark night had passed away, and we had not been attacked by theIndians.

  But the moment I had felt more cheerful, down came a depressing cloud,as I remembered our row for life, our narrow escape, and the reflectionof the fire I had seen.

  "Poor old house!" I sighed to myself, for it was so terrible that thebeautiful little home should have been utterly destroyed; and it allseemed to come up before me with its high-pitched gable ends, the roughpine porch, the lead-paned windows that came over from England; and as Isaw it all in imagination once more, I fancied how the passion-flowersand other creepers must have looked crisping and curling up as theflames reached them; and what with my miserable thoughts, the stiffnessI felt from my previous day's exertions, and the pain from my littlewound, if ever I had felt horribly depressed, I did then.

  "Mass' George hungly?" said a familiar voice; and there was Pomp'scontented face before me, as he came up hugging to him some slices ofbread.

  "No," I said, ill-humouredly, "I can't eat; my leg hurts me so."

  "Pomp can," he said; "and him hand hurt too. Missie Morgan want to seeMass' George."

  I took one of the pieces of bread Pomp gave me, and began to eatmechanically as I walked across the enclosure by the various littlegroups of settlers and their families, to where my father was busy withthe other officers superintending the construction of a barricadeoutside the gate, so as to divide the Indians in case of an attack, andforce them to come up to the entrance one by one.

  "Ah, my boy," said my father, quickly, "how is the leg?"

  "Hurts," I said, in an ill-used tone.

  "Naturally," he cried with a laugh. "There, don't be down-hearted abouta little pain. I came and had a look at you, but you were asleep.There, do you see how we are getting ready for your Indian friends? Wehope to give them such a severe lesson that they will leave us alone infuture."

  "Then you think they will attack us, father?" I said. "Some one justnow told me that all was quiet, and that the Indians had gone."

  "That is the very reason why I think they will attack us, my boy, andthe sooner the better, George. It must come, and I should like them toget their sharp lesson and go; for I want to hang this up for anornament or to turn it into a pruning-hook."

  He touched his sword as he spoke, and turned to Morgan, who came up.

  "How is she?"

  "Doctor says she's very feverish, sir, but he thinks she is going on allright."

  "I am very, very sorry, Morgan," said my father, sadly. "I feel as if Iwere to blame for bringing you people out to this wilderness."

  "I teclare to cootness, sir," began Morgan, in a high-pitched Welshfashion; but he checked himself and smiled. "There, sir, don't you talklike that. Wilderness? Why, it's a pleasure to do a bit of gardeninghere. See what rich deep soil it is, and how the things rush up intogrowth."

  "Very poor consolation for your wife, Morgan," said my father, dryly."All that does not make her wound the more bearable."

  "Bah! Nonsense, sir! She don't mind. Why, as she said to me just now,she wouldn't have got a wound from an Indian's arrow if she had stoppedat home, but the knife might have slipped, and she might have cutherself, or upset a pot of boiling water over her, or failed down thecellar steps and broken a dish and run a piece into her side."

  "Well, that's good philosophy, Morgan, and very comforting to me. Whatdo you say, George, are you sorry you came?"

  "No, father, not at all," I replied, for unwittingly I had finished thebig slice of bread, and felt all the better for the food. "I only wishI were a man, and could fight."

  "Don't wish that, my lad," he said quickly. "There is nothing moreglorious in life than being a boy. But there, I have no time to wastein preaching to you about that," he said, laughing. "It would be labourthrown away. No boy can believe it. He has to grow into a man, andlook back: then he does. There, don't worry yourself till your leg isbetter, but do any little thing to be useful, and if an attack is made,keep with Morgan. You can load."

  "Yes, I can load," I said to myself, as I limped off with Pomp followingme, looking very proud of his hand being in a sling, and we went intothe part of the block-house where poor Sarah was lying.

  As I crossed the enclosure I seemed to understand now why it had beencontrived as it was to form an outer defence, which, if taken, onlymeant that the enemy had a more formidable place to attack, for theblock-house seemed to my inexperienced eyes to be impregnable.

  As I quietly entered the place, I encountered the doctor.

  "Ha!" he said; "come to see me?"

  I explained that I had come to see our housekeeper.

  "Asleep," he said. "Don't disturb her. Let's have a look at yourwound."

  He drew me into his rough room, and gave me no little pain as herebandaged my leg, Pomp standing by and looking on.

  "Oh, that's all right, my lad," said the doctor. "Smarts, of course,but you'll soon mend up. Very different if it had gone into your chest.Now, Ebony, let's look at your hand."

  "Pomp, sah," said the boy with dignity, "not Eb'ny."

  "Oh, well then, Pomp. Now then. How's the hand?"

  "On'y got lil hole in um, sah. Hurt lil bit. Oh! Hurt big bit, you dodat."

  "Yes, I suppose so," said the doctor, examining and rebandaging thewound. "There, that will soon be well if you do not use it. Well,young Bruton, so they burnt you out, did they, last night?"

  "Yes," I said, bitterly.

  "Oh, never mind. You heard what was said. Well, let's go and see whatthey are doing. We're non-combatants, eh?"

  We walked out into the open square, after the young doctor hadadmonished the black woman who had been appointed the first nurse to bewatchful and attentive to her patient.

  There was something going on down by the gate, and I forgot all aboutthe pain in my leg as I accompanied the doctor there, continuing mybreakfast on the second slice of bread Pomp handed to me.

  We soon learned what caused the bustle. A strong party of well-armedscouts was out in the direction of the forest, which lay some distanceback from the block-house now, as clearing after clearing had been made,and turned into plantations; and these scouts, with a second line insupport, were ready to give the alarm and arrest the first attack, theirorders being to fall back slowly to the gate, so that ample time wouldbe given at the alarm of the first shot for the busy party now beingsent out to retreat and get under cover. For now that every one wassafe, it had been decided to try and bring in, as far as waspracticable, the most valuable things from the nearest houses.

  I was not long in mounting to a good place inside the great palisade,where I could command a view of what was going on, and soon saw that acouple of lines of men had been made with military precision, extendingfrom the gate to the General's house, which had been voted the first tobe cleared; and between these lines, under the command of ColonelPreston, a strong body of the slaves--men only at first, but as the workwent on women too--were soon going and coming, bearing the most valuableof the household chattels, and these were so stacked in the centre ofthe enclosure that they would be safe so long as the palisade kept theenemy at bay, and would afterwards act as a line of defence.

  In little over half an hour another house was treated in the same way,and all through that day the work went on, till a goodly stack of thebest of the things had been brought in, along with stores of provisions,that in the first hurry had been left behind. As this went on thepeople who had been sick at heart and despondent began to look morehopeful, and family after family had their goods arranged so that theywere able to make comfortable bivouacs out in the middle of the square;but these were all arranged under the orders of the General and hisofficers, so as to form places of defence, to which the defenders of thepalisade could flee and be un
der cover, the whole of the new barricadebeing arranged so that a way was left leading up to the main entrance ofthe block-house.

  I grasped all this from my position of looker-on, Pomp never leaving myside, and asking questions which I tried to answer, so that he couldunderstand.

  And he did comprehend too, much better than I should have expected, fortoward evening, after the day had passed, with the scouts relieved twiceover without having seen the slightest token of Indians being near, allat once he said to me--

  "When Injum come an' shoot an' get over de big fence, all dat make greatbig fire."

  My father's words about the great enemy we had to fear came back to meat this, and it was with a curiously uncomfortable feeling that I leftmy look-out place for the second time to go and partake of the food thathad been prepared.

  For the garrison of the fort were rapidly settling down to make the bestof their position, and all was being done as to the serving out of foodwith military precision, the General having drilled his followers in thepast, so that they might be prepared for such an emergency as this; andit was quite wonderful how soon the confusion and disorder of the firsthours had changed to regular ways.

  And now the night would soon be here--a time looked forward to with thegreatest of anxiety by all.

  The scouts were called in by sound of bugle, and at sundown the gateswere barricaded, and sentries placed all round our defences. Fires wereput out, and as darkness fell, and the customary chorus of the reptilesarose from the forest and distant swamps, a curious feeling of awe cameover me where I sat watching by my father, who, after a long and arduousday's work was sleeping heavily, Morgan close at hand, with Pomp andHannibal too.

  I could not sleep, for there was a dull, gnawing pain in my wound; andso I sat in discomfort and misery, thinking that though the sentrieswere all on the watch, the place would not be so safe now that my fatherwas asleep.

  The moon was hidden, but the stars shone down brightly, and I sat back,leaning against Sarah's big bundle, in which some of the arrows werestill sticking, gazing up at the spangled heavens, listening to thebull-frogs, and thinking how far off they sounded as compared to when Ihad heard them at home.

  I was listening and wondering whether the Indians would come, when Iheard a rustling sound close by, and directly after a low muttering.But I did not pay any heed, thinking that Morgan or one of the blackshad turned in his sleep; but the noise came again and again, and thenthere was a loud ejaculation, and directly after I heard a familiarvoice exclaim--

  "Bodder de ole han'! Oh, how um do hurt!"

  "Can't you sleep, Pomp?" I whispered, as I crept softly to his side.

  "Dat you, Mass' George?"

  "Yes; I say, can't you sleep?"

  "Yes, Mass' George. Pomp can't sleep ebber so, but dis 'tupid han'won't let um."

  "Does it hurt?"

  "Yes. Big hot fly in um keep goin' froo. Pomp goin' take off de rag."

  "No, no; let it be; it will soon be better. Go to sleep."

  "Han' say no go sleep. Let's go an' try find de coon."

  "No, no; we are not at home now. We can't go out of the fort."

  "Out ob de fort?"

  "Well, outside of the big fence."

  Pomp gave a little laugh.

  "Why, Pomp go over easy 'nuff."

  "But it's against orders," I said. "Here, I can't sleep either. Let'sgo and have a talk to the sentries."

  Pomp jumped up at once, and without waking the others, we walked slowlyto the gate, where one of the sentries challenged us and let us go on,after recognising me, the man saying with a laugh--

  "That anybody with you, sir?"

  "Yes," I said; "our boy Pompey."

  "Oh! Shouldn't hardly have thought it. Looks like a bit o' the blacknight out for a walk in a pair o' white cotton drawers."

  "Him laugh at Pomp," said the boy, as we went on.

  "Yes; it was only his fun."

  "But what um mean 'bout de dark night in cottum drawer?"

  "Oh, nothing. Nonsense!"

  "Yes, nonsense; Pomp know better. Night can't wear cottum drawer. All'tuff."

  "Hush! Don't talk so loud."

  "Den why say dat, an' make fun ob poor lil nigger? I know dat man.Wait bit; I make fun ob him, an' Mass' George an' me laugh den."

  "Will you be quiet, Pomp?"

  "Yes; Pomp be ebber so quiet. Wait till laugh at him."

  "Who goes there?" came from just ahead, out of the darkness.

  "Mass' George an' me," said Pomp, promptly.

  I hastened to give the word, and we were allowed to pass on, to bechallenged again and again, till we reached the part of the palisade onthe farther side of the block-house.

  Here the sentry proved to be one of the men who had rowed out to us inColonel Preston's boat; and as he asked about my wound and Pomp's hand,we stopped by him where upon the raised platform he stood, firelock inhand, gazing over the great fence toward the forest.

  "So your hurts wouldn't let you sleep, eh?" he said. "Well, we must paythe Indians off for it if they come nigh; but it's my belief that theywon't."

  Then he fell to questioning me in a low tone about my adventures, and Ihad to tell him how Pomp and I escaped.

  "I should have liked to have been with you, my lad," he said. "I'm notfond of fighting; had too much along with Colonel Preston; but I shouldhave liked to have been with you when the arrows were flying."

  "I wish you had been," I said.

  "Do you? Well, come, I like that; it sounds friendly. Yes, I wish I'dbeen there. The cowards, shooting at people who've been soldiers, butwho want to settle down into peaceable folk, and wouldn't interfere withthem a bit. I only wish they'd come; I don't think they'd want to comeany more."

  "That's what my father says," I observed. "He thinks the Indians want agood lesson."

  "So they do, my lad, so they do. Let's take, for instance, your place,which they burned down last night. Now what for, but out of sheer nastymischief! There's plenty of room for them, and there's plenty of roomfor us. If they think they're going to frighten us away they'remistaken. They don't know what Englishmen are, do they, little nigger?"

  "How Pomp know what de Injum tink?" said the boy, promptly.

  The man turned to me and gave me a nudge, as he laughingly continued, inthe whisper in which the conversation was carried on--

  "Ah, well, they don't know, but if they'd come, I think we should teachthem, for every one here's fighting for his home, without thinking aboutthose who are fighting for their wives and children as well. You don'tunderstand that yet, squire."

  "I think I do," I said. "I suppose a man would fight for his wife andchildren in the same way as I would try and fight for my father."

  "Well, suppose it is about the same. You'll have to fight some day,perhaps."

  "Mass' George fight dreffle," put in Pomp. "Shoot lot of Injum."

  "Nonsense, Pomp!" I said, hurriedly.

  "Not nonsense. Pomp see um tummle down when. Mass' George shoot um."

  "Why, you didn't fire on the Indians, did you, squire?" said the man.

  "Lot o' times," said Pomp, quickly.

  The man let his firelock go into the hollow of his left arm, and heshook my hand warmly, as Pomp stood staring over the fence into thedarkness.

  "I like that," he said, as I felt very uncomfortable and shrinking."But then I might have known it. Your father and Colonel Preston didn'thit it very well together, but the colonel always said your father was avery brave officer, quiet as he seemed--and like father, like son. Feelchilly?"

  "No," I said.

  "Well, it isn't cold, but after being so hot all day it feels a bitdifferent. Heigho! I shouldn't at all mind having a good sleep. Onegets tired of watching for nothing."

  "Sit down and have a sleep," I said. "I'll hold your gun and keepguard."

  "Will you, my lad?" he said, eagerly.

  "Yes; I can't sleep, and I'll wake you directly if there is anythingw
rong."

  "Come, that's friendly," said the man. "I like that, and I'd giveanything for an hour's sleep. Catch hold; I'll lie down here. You'llbe sure and call me?"

  "You may trust me."

  "Bah!" cried the man in an ill-used tone, and snatching back hisfirelock, "that's done it."

  "What is the matter?" I said, wonderingly.

  "You said you may trust me."

  "Yes; I did."

  "That did it. It's just what I said to the colonel when he asked me ifI could keep on sentry without going to sleep."

  "But you would not go to sleep without leaving some one else to watch."

  "No," he said, sternly, "and I won't skulk. I've been digging andplanting so long that I've forgotten my soldiering. No, sir, a man whogoes to sleep at his post when facing the enemy ought to be shot, and,"he added with emphasis, "he deserves it."

  "Here um come, Mass' George," whispered Pomp just at that moment.

  "What--to relieve guard?" I said, quickly, as I thought of the sentry'smistake.

  "No, Mass' George, de Injum."