Spake As a Dragon

by Larry Edward Hunt

  “Ah, Mattie Ann,” said Stephen, “what are you talking about, you mean real silver and gold?”

  “Now listen up! Mama told me and Lizzie one day that when that big fight took place at the Mill, y’all know, the time Pappy Scarburg was hung, Mama you tell them the story about them heavy wagons and such.”

  “I’ll concede to the story man – Robert you tell them about the Battle of Scarburg Mill. You know more about it than anyone.”

  “Now don’t y’all get too hasty, Mattie Ann I believe you might be on to something. Granny Scarburg told me that story a hundred times: During the Revolutionary War and the Battle of Scarburg Mill, there was a Rebel Captain by the name of John Coker. He and his men were part of a South Carolina Ranger Regiment that had been escorting and guarding a couple of heavily loaded wagons from Dahlonega, Georgia to General George Washington. Granny said during the fight the Captain burned the two wagons and he and his men escaped into the woods.”

  Stephen, now interested, jumped in, “What was in the wagons that the Captain had been guarding?”

  “Granny never said, but I always had a feeling she knew, but just would not tell what the wagons contained.”

  Luke threw his hat into the conversation, “Father! What if the wagons were carrying gold!”

  “While I was imprisoned at Point Lookout I met a man who became my good friend, his name was Benjamin Dunway and he was from Dahlonega, Georgia. He said the only thing worth hauling out of his hometown was gold from the local mines. Mattie Ann is right – that verse is telling us about gold, real honest to goodness gold!

  “Good, now we’re on the right path – anyone else have any ideas? Look at the Bible verse again, someone must surely see what Grandfather was trying to tell us.”

  Matthew responded, “Father what is the name of Pappy’s church?”

  “Grandfather John’s church? Well, they just called it the Meetinghouse, no wait! The House of the Lord, that’s what the old folks used to call it! I’ll be darned, I see what you’re getting at Matthew, ‘gold was found in the house of the LORD,’ that’s what Grandfather is saying! So, the meaning of the verse is beginning to be revealed, we should look in the Quaker Meetinghouse to find the gold.”

  “Father, aren’t you leaving something out?” Asked Luke.

  “No, I don’t think so, we know where we might find the treasure – in the Meetinghouse.”

  “Look at the rest of the verse, it says the ‘gold’ was found in the house of the Lord, but the ‘treasures’ are in the ‘king’s house’.”

  “Of course! The King’s House – Scarlettsville’s Masonic Lodge Number One was called ‘The King’s House’ back in Pappy John’s day. You all have solved Grandfather’s mystery. We will find the gold in the Church and the Masonic Hall.”

  Luke joins the conversation, “I believe that might be the meaning of 2K186, but Father, how do we get inside those two places and start looking. I do not think the members will be too eager to allow us to go in and start tearing the floorboards up. I’ll almost have to see that gold to believe it anyway.”

  “You’re right Luke. I will go into town and talk to the elders of the church and the officials of the Masonic Lodge. I think when I fully explain what they have to gain, they will be enthusiastic to oblige, and in fact, they might even help us search.”

  Malinda had been listening quietly to the entire conversation that was taking place, finally, she spoke, “Robert you and the boys are forgetting one little fact – even if you all have the Bible verse figured out correctly we do not own that gold.”

  “What are you saying Mother, sure it will be ours, we will have found it!” Said Luke.

  “No Son, it will not be yours, it belongs to the government of the United States, remember this was hidden, if something was indeed hidden, during the Revolutionary War. That Patriot Captain Coker was guarding those two heavy-laden wagons on his way to deliver whatever was in them to General Washington.”

  “But Mother...”

  “No buts, the gold, if any is found must be returned to the Treasury of the United States.”

  Luke and Matthew still wanted to argue, “The United States, they are the enemy, give the enemy our gold? Mother this is not right!”

  “Boys, the United States was the enemy, but we are not fighting them anymore – we are now all citizens of the United States, remember your father’s excellent speech at the dedication under the old oak? I think he made it crystal clear - we must all once again become Americans.”

  “Your mother is right, this gold is not ours it does truly belong to the government as bad as I hate to admit. If we find anything it will have to go back to the original owners. When I meet with the officials of the church and Masonic Lodge, I will explain this fact to them also.”

  THE MEETING

  The day was hot. Late July is always hot in that part of South Carolina in mid-summer; the air was filled with dust from the grinding of the corn. Six men had gathered in the office of Scarburg Mill. Three of the gentlemen were Elders of the Scarlettsville Meeting House and the other three were officers of Masonic Lodge Number One.

  Elder Lindley raised a question, to no one in particular, “Why do thee reason Master Robert would invite the Elders of the Meetinghouse and the Officers of the Masonic Lodge to assemble ourselves in this dusty place?”

  “You are right Elder Lindley,” announced Robert entering the room. “Let us remove ourselves to the area underneath the old oak out in the Mill yard. It will be cooler and the air fresher out by Mink Creek. There I will explain my reason for having interrupted your day to come talk with me.”

  The men found resting places around a couple of the wooden tables left from the 4th of July festivities. Robert following behind as the men became comfortable, “I know you are asking why I have invited you here today? I will dispense from the formality of small talk and get right to the point. I have reason to believe that something valuable might possibly be hidden in your church and your masonic lodge,” he said waving his arm about the men’s heads.

  The chief officer of the Lodge Lonnie Turney asks, “Robert are you saying the valuable item is hidden both in the church and in our Lodge, how can this be possible.”

  “I see what you mean Worshipful Master Turney, I think I misspoke. I did not mean to imply that the ‘something valuable’ was singular; I believe it to have a plural implication. I have deduced that this will be found in you gentlemen’s church,” he said speaking to the Elders, “and also in your Lodge Lonnie.”

  “In both our places, what could be valuable hidden in both their church and our Lodge?” Ask the Worshipful Master.

  “Gold! Gentlemen if you do not have any pressing appointments for the next hour or so I have a very interesting story to tell.” They did not and he talked to them for about an hour and one-half. When he finished, the men sat speechlessly.

  Robert can see the look amazement on the faces of the men sitting around the two tables, especially the Superintendent of Works for the Lodge. He is the official who keeps the inventory, and is responsible for the material possessions of the Lodge. It is his responsibility to see that the Lodge is properly prepared before the ceremonies and that everything is safely locked away at the end of the evening. In Lodge Number One, the Superintendent is James Earl Brown. James looks at Robert, “I’ve been a member of Lodge One for nearly fifty years, and Superintendent for nearly twenty, Robert I know every crook and cranny of our Lodge and every item within – there is no gold in our Lodge!”

  Elder Lindley parroted almost the same refrain about the Meetinghouse. He said his Grandfather along with Jacob Ingram constructed the House of the Lord and he could say without a shadow of a doubt there wasn’t any gold to be found in that old building either.

  “I believe both of you think you are correct, but I also believe that gold is in your two buildings. Will you help find it? That is the only way we are going to know for sure.”

  THE SEARCH

  Nine a.m. the n
ext morning a group of about thirty men congregated in front of the Meetinghouse. Robert stepped upon the small entryway porch and addressed the searchers, “Men we thank you for coming this morning. In a few minutes, we will enter the good folks of Scarlettsville’s Meetinghouse. Remember this is in fact ‘the House of the Lord’ and we do not want to tear this wonderful old building apart. Your duty is to look at places within the building where things might be hidden – look at the boards, do they fit properly, what about the nails? Are they original, or have they been replaced? Check the planks for saw marks, do they seem original or do some appear different? Some of you go into the loft and check, a couple more crawl into the belfry and see what is up there, I guess no one has been up there in years. Whatever we are looking for is not going to be easy to find, but I believe with all my heart it is here, we just have to find it. Good luck, now let’s get to work.”

  In an hour or so the Meetinghouse looks like a plague of rats has overrun the building. Men are on their knees poking and prodding every board and plank some are even on their stomachs looking closely to see if they could discern any imperfections in the surfaces.

  At the noon hour, the women folk bring an assortment of victuals for the workingmen to eat. Robert takes this opportune time to question each and every man – no one has seen anything out of the ordinary. “Let’s give it another few hours and if nothing is found we will call it a day. Again I thank each and every one of you who has volunteered their time and efforts.”

  At five p.m. Robert assembles the workers, “Men you have tried your hardest to find the gold I thought was hidden within these walls, I’m beginning to believe I interpreted my Grandfather’s Bible verse incorrectly. Before we break for the day does anyone have anything they wish to say, or did anyone find or see anything they thought might be out of the ordinary.

  Young Billy Baird speaks, “Mr. Scarburg, I know I have not lived here in Scarlettsville all my life, but I thought it strange that me and John here,” he said pointing, “ when we went into the bell tower we found the ropes to the bells rotten and decomposed beyond use. It appears the bells haven’t been used in years.”

  “Yee are correct young Billy,” answers Elder Lindley, “those old bells have never been used since the Battle of Scarburg Mill back in 1771. That’s over eighty years the bells have remained silent.”

  “Why? Asks Billy.

  Elder Lindley looks confused, “I don’t actually know young Billy, I have always supposed it was to honor John Scarburg and his two sons William and Isaac. I personally have never heard the bell’s ring myself.”

  “That’s is okay Billy, you did an excellent job today, all of you did. Tomorrow we meet again at 9 a.m. in front of the Masonic Lodge, and we will go through the same procedure with it. Get a good nights rest and come back tomorrow fresh for a good search.”

  That night at supper the whole family is seated around the table. Malinda says to Robert, “Don’t be so dejected, you will find something in the Masonic Lodge. Now eat, you will need your strength tomorrow.”

  “I just can’t understand it Luke, I thought we had figured out the mystery of Pappy John’s Bible. Where did we go wrong?” He said with his elbows on the table and his head buried in his hands.

  “Mother is right Father, we will find the gold tomorrow – have faith.”

  FRUITLESS SEARCH

  The next morning Robert is up before sunrise sipping coffee on the front porch. He thinks of the previous day – the men were right - the church is not that big and there really is no place to hide something, especially a lot of gold bars. He keeps remembering back to what his friend Ben had told him – a bar of gold weighs over 27 pounds each. A wagonload of that would take up a pretty good chunk of space. The church just isn’t big enough.

  A few minutes before 9 a.m. he rides Blaze up to the hitching post in front of Masonic House Number One. As he steps from the saddle to the ground he thinks, ‘How could we have been so wrong? All the clues were right there in the 2nd Chapter of Kings, Chapter 16 and Verse 8.’

  The men are milling around the front of the Lodge, but today only about twenty show up. Ten decide Robert is crazy and did not want to waste their time. Yesterday the men were eager to get started looking for the gold – they thought within a few hours they would have their hands on bars and bars of shiny gold. It isn’t to be so today the men were simply going through the motion, after searching the church they are sure nothing is in the Lodge either.

  The noonday meal comes and goes without any information being discovered on the gold. At 5 p.m. as happened yesterday Robert asks if anyone had found anything – the answer was still no. Did anyone have a word or a comment – again no one speaks. Robert stands and calls everyone into a semi-circle around him, “Men, I am sorry! I could have sworn the gold would have been in the church and in the Lodge – I was wrong! You all have done a good job, but I guess looking on the bright side Malinda, my wife, had already decreed the gold was to be returned to the Treasury of the United States, so not finding it is not a big loss to us, but I am sorry your sincere efforts did not produce any results.”

  After supper, Robert and Luke sit on the porch. Robert is in a melancholy mood; he does not want to talk. Luke presses the issue, “Father, I have a question to ask.” He asks as he rubs Kentuck’s head.

  “No, no I do not want to talk more about the fruitless search of the church and lodge.”

  “Father what I need to ask is about the Lodge, but not the search for the gold. Today William, Isaac, Stephen, Thomas Henry and I were assigned to search outside around the rock foundation checking for possible hidden storage areas.”

  “Are you trying to say you and the children found something?”

  “No, no we didn’t, but the boys were checking out the old cannon sitting in front of the Lodge, you know, that was the one fired on the 4th. Well, the boys asked a question I could not answer. They wanted to know what a cannon ball weighed? I tried to tell them we were in the infantry, not the artillery, so I did not know the weight. Do you know?”

  At first Robert just sits there appearing as thought he has not heard the question, “The weight of a cannon ball huh? That is a twelve pounder sitting out front of the Lodge, so I suppose the balls weigh twelve pounds each.”

  “Father, does the Army make different weights of twelve pound cannonballs.”

  “Luke did you just hear what you said? Why do you suppose they call them twelve pounders?”

  “Oh yeah, that was kind of silly wasn’t it, but those cannonballs weigh much more than twelve pounds. The boys tried to pick one up and they were just barely able to move it. Oh well, it’s not important, I think I’m going in and get ready for bed.”

  Robert sat by himself with only Kentuck for company on the porch. Kentuck lay at his feet sleeping. He watches the moonrise over the pond and trees toward the east thinking about the past two days: why does the church have bells, but never use them. Why would the members of the Meetinghouse stop ringing their bells right after the Battle of Scarburg Mill? As a tribute to Pappy John, that makes no sense. Quakers are pacifists, silencing the bells would be a tribute to the battle they would not do that. And what’s with the twelve-pound cannonballs not weighing twelve pounds? Suddenly it struck him like a bolt of lightning!

  Running back into the house, he hollered, “Luke! Luke go saddle the horses, we’ve got things to do!”

  “Father it’s late,” complained Luke. “Why would you want to go somewhere at this hour?”

  “Come on hurry! We’re going back to the Meetinghouse and the Lodge.”

  ANOTHER LOOK

  Robert is sliding from his saddle before Blaze has come to a full stop at the hitching post in front of Elder Lindley’s house. Robert left Scarlett at a full gallop with Luke doing his best trying to keep up, yelling, “Father, slowdown! It’s dark!”

  Robert slightly turns his head and responds, “Come on Son, times wasting, try to stay up with me.”

  Half running Rober
t is up the steps and across the porch pounding on the Elder’s door, ‘Thump, thump, thump,’ Robert pounds with his gloved hand.

  A light appears in the house as someone inside yells, “Who’s there?”

  “Sorry, Elder Lindley, it is Robert Scarburg. May I talk with you?”

  Opening the door slowly, Elder Lindley peeps out to see if indeed it is Robert. Verifying for himself, he opens the door. “Sir, what could ye be seeking with me at this late hour?”

  “Get dressed Elder, come with us to the Meetinghouse. I have an idea about the gold.”

  “Brother Scarburg is this not a matter that could be delayed till the morrow?”

  “Yes, of course, but please Elder Lindley grant me just this one request and let us get into the Meetinghouse tonight.”

  Walking up the walk to the front door of the Quaker’s house of worship Elder Lindley says to Robert, “Sir, I know not what ye expect to find that the men did not find during thou initial search.”

  Opening the large oak entrance door, the Elder lights a kerosene lamp in the foyer and hands it to Robert. “Luke,” said Robert, “I want you to take this lamp, climb into the belfry and closely examine the Meetinghouse’s bells.”

  “Okay Father, but examine them how? What am I looking for?”

  “If the clapper is still within the bells take hold of one of the wheels that are attached to the bell, turn it by hand, if you can. The clapper should bang against the inside of the bell. One of two things I will hear standing here underneath the belfry – a sweet ring of the original brass bell or something else.”