Spake As a Dragon

by Larry Hunt

CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

  Swamp Fever

  The remainder of August and the first two weeks of September passes quickly. Walking into the house one afternoon Luke informs his mother, “I’m getting the wagon ready, pack whatever you think we will need, and I believe we can get started early Monday morning. Is that all right with you?”

  “No, it is not Luke.”

  “What? I thought you were anxious to get started?”

  “I am, but we’re not going in the wagon, it’s too slow and cumbersome, we’ll just take Blaze, your ole Big Red, a pack mule and a couple of extra horses.”

  “But Mother, the wagon will be much more comfortable for you.”

  “Luke Scarburg I can sit a horse as good as any man, better than most, so we will ride, we’ll make better time. I’ll load up the saddlebags and pack what we need on the mule, and we’re set.” Luke had learned long ago not to argue with his mother. First, she didn’t allow it, and second he would never win.

  Early Monday morning the dew was still on the grass, the whip-o-wills were beginning to echo their calls as Luke walks Blaze, Big Red, the mule and two other horses from the barn to the house. Malinda walks out; Luke has to do a double take. Is this his mother? Malinda is dressed for riding; she has a black Stetson tied underneath her chin, a leather vest, and a six-gun strapped to her waist. A full-length skirt reaches all the way to a black pair of high-heel cowboy boots. Her boots are adorned with jangling silver spurs. She carries a riding crop in her hand and with the other hand straightens the bandana around her neck as she approaches Blaze the horse she is to ride.

  “Say there hombre, what’d you do with my mother?” Luke said laughing.

  “Oh hush! And mount up on Big Red, we’ve got a long way to go.”

  The entire family gathers in the yard wishing them a safe trip as Luke and Malinda ride out of sight down the road and once again away from Scarlett. Catherine was convinced that she would be of more service staying at Scarlett besides she did not believe she could endure a long ride to Gettysburg on horseback.

  Riding up next to Luke Malinda asks how many miles could they travel in a day. Luke responds that he and Nate made between ten to fifteen miles, but they had to be careful of enemy soldiers and outlaws. He figures they will not have any trouble doing fifteen. “I think we can go through North Carolina into the western end of Virginia, go up the Shenandoah Valley to Maryland. Then Pennsylvania and Gettysburg will be just a hop-skip-and-jump from there.”

  For the first couple of weeks, the days and nights pass uneventful. It is the morning of the 17th day on the road. They have passing Roanoke, Virginia a day or so earlier. All day yesterday and most of the present day Malinda and Luke trudge through low, swampland. The footing is terrible and once or twice their horses stumble and dump them into the slimy, muddy water. To make matters even worse are the bugs and mosquitoes even at this late time of the year. At times, the mosquitoes are so thick they can actually hear them swarming. “Luke, how much farther do you suppose we have to travel in this dismal swamp? And for the life of me I can’t see how leaving the main road and cutting through this swamp was going to save us a few days journey.”

  “ I believe in a couple more miles we should be back on dry land, and Mother this will save us at least a week’s travel. ”

  “Luke!” cried Malinda, “Luke!”

  “I’m sorry Mother, but that is about the best I can do.”

  “No, Luke! Look ahead, up there on the left. Isn’t that a young girl?”

  Luke turns to Malinda and asks her to remain where she is. He will ride ahead and check out the situation saying, “This is a ploy highwaymen sometime use to draw unsuspecting wayfarers into a trap.” Luke rides ahead dismounts and begins to talk to the young woman.

  He motions Malinda to join them. The girl is hysterical and makes no sense with her screaming and incoherent talk. Malinda speaks to her softly, “Slow down young lady. We can’t understand what you are saying, slow down now and tell us what is happening.”

  They finally discover the girl is trying to get help for her mother, father, and brother. They are back at her cabin extremely sick. She says she is afraid they are dying. “Take us to your cabin,” says Malinda.

  A mile or so back in the woods they find an old cabin. From the looks of the animal skins hanging on some wooden poles outside Luke guesses, the man of the house must be a trapper.

  “Let me go in first, we don’t know what’s inside,” Luke says pulling the .44 Colt from its holster. Using its barrel he cautiously pushes open the door and the sunlight illuminates the interior of a small, disheartening room, smelling of dampness, mold, and death. Before the War Luke would have laughed at the thought of death having a smell, but now it is as recognizable to him as is the essence of the pine trees growing outside.

  “Hello? Hello, is anyone in here?”

  As his eyes become accustomed to the darkness, he can identify more details – he is standing next to a small pot-bellied stove, a little wooden table with three chairs is over in the corner. In the other corner, stands an old iron bedstead. He can make out the outline of three bodies on the bed covered with quilts.

  “Mother, you two stay outside. There are three bodies in the bed.”

  The young girl begins to whimper and cry.

  “Move aside Luke, let me have a look at them.”

  Speaking softly so the girl could not hear, “Mother, I believe they are all dead!”

  Disregarding Luke Malinda marches in and straight over to the bed. Luke is partially right; there are three people in the bed all right, but two of them are not dead. They are alive, barely. The third, a young boy in his early teens is indeed dead.

  “Luke, run out to my horse and look in the saddlebags. Bring me the bottle of quinine pills. These folks have typhoid!”

  “Oh, that’s bad, we had plenty of fellers with that ‘swamp fever’ in the Army. Most of ’em didn’t make it though.”

  “Well, Luke this girl’s folks are going to live if you and I have anything to say about it. First, we need to get some fresh air in this cabin, and get it cleaned up.” Turning to the girl, “What’s your name Miss?”

  “Ma’am I’m Susan, Susan Anthony, but before we start cleaning do you have anything to eat. I haven’t eaten in two days!”

  “Land sakes child, where have you been?”

  I have been gone for two weeks visiting my aunt Lucy Stone, we’ve been working on woman’s suffrage at the Women’s Right Convention. When I returned I found them this way, I didn’t know what to do. I thought Mama, Pa and Johnny were all dead! I searched, but there is no food in the cabin.”

  “Susan I have some hardtack and bacon in my saddlebag that was leftover from breakfast. Luke go get this girl something to eat.”

  Malinda explains to Luke they must first get the mother and father’s body temperature down. They are burning up with fever. They wet the bed sheets with water and open all the windows and the door. She says they must be force-fed water and juices; it is imperative they have liquids to counteract dehydration. However, they must boil the water, and their hands must be washed thoroughly before drinking or eating. Poor hygiene and sorry sanitary practices contribute to the spread of typhoid.

  While Malinda and Susan tend to Susan’s Ma and Pa, Luke prepares a grave outside near the edge of the woods and puts young Johnny in the ground.

  A couple of days pass and the Anthony’s appear to be improving, at least their fevers do not seem as high as before. Malinda and Luke have searched for berries along the swamp, crushed a few apples and pears found in a sparse orchard for the juice. The juices have helped considerably.

  A week goes by, and Mrs. Anthony is strong enough to sit up in bed. She cannot stop telling Malinda and Luke had much she appreciates all they have done. She knows she and her husband are alive because of the good heartedness of the Scarburgs. She tells them there is no way she can repay their kindness; although, she is heartsick for the loss of her son John
ny.

  Another week passes and Mr. Joseph Anthony is up and sitting on the side of the bed. He is strong enough to drink liquids without being spoon-fed. One afternoon Luke and Joe sit on the porch, and the talk turns to the War, especially Gettysburg. Luke tells about the bayoneting of his father at the Hornet’s Nest, and of his part in Pickett’s Charge on that final day at Gettysburg. He explains the loss of his brother Matthew as they tried to climb the split-rail fence on the Emmitsburg Road. Reminiscing, Luke said it was funny, but he could still see Matthew’s blond hair as he fell to the ground.

  Joseph, a Yankee was also at Gettysburg, he tells Luke after the battle his unit, the 69th Pennsylvania, was detailed to check the dead and tend the wounded on the battlefield. His particular unit C Company drew the assignment in the vicinity of the Emmitsburg Road in particular the area around the rail fence.

  He remembered a young lad with blonde hair with a bullet shattered left leg. At the time, he thought the wounded Rebel was dead, but he noticed a slight movement. A vast number of townspeople from Gettysburg came out on the battlefield and assisted both the Rebs and Union alike. He said they picked up this wounded Confederate and began to place him into a Union ambulance. He resisted, he would not go, and he kept asking for something; finally, they realized he wanted the black feather sticking in his cap. They retrieved his cap from the ground with its black ostrich plume, and he seemed satisfied, they then sped him away.

  “Joe! Joe are you sure this boy had blond hair and had a black feather in his hat? Tell me Joe, are you sure?”

  “Of course, I remember it distinctly. It seemed strange at the time. Why is he so interesting to you Luke?”

  Without answering Luke yells, “Mother! Mother, did you hear that, Joe’s Pennsylvania unit was assigned to administer to the wounded at Gettysburg – he remembers Matthew! Matthew was alive at the time the battle was over.”

  For the next couple of weeks, Malinda and Luke live at the cabin with the Anthonys until their health improves and they are out of danger. One morning bright and early Luke says to Joe, “Joe it has been a pleasure meeting you. I truly appreciate your concern for our wounded at Gettysburg, the information on brother Matthew is invaluable, but we must continue on our journey.”

  “No sir, I am the one who should be thankful. Just grateful for you and your mother, and the time you spent getting us back on our feet. I especially thank you for seeing to it that my son Johnny had a decent Christian burial. I am sorry we had to be enemies at that terrible place – Gettysburg.”

  “The War is over now Joe – we are no longer enemies, but friends.”

  Mounting their horses, Luke looks at Susan, “Miss Susan you remind me a lot of my mother. She is a headstrong woman who believes a woman is as good as a man, and in a lot of cases – better. Susan, you both are right. Mother once told me that some day women would get to vote – Miss Susan if anyone can get women that vote I’ll be darned if I don’t think it will be you! I wish you well in that endeavor.”

  The so longs and good lucks are passed about as Malinda and Luke head their horses once again for Pennsylvania. Turning in his saddle looking back and waving to Susan as they ride away Luke comments, “Mother, now there’s a young woman that you’ll hear things from one of these days!”