In the morning the household resumed its normal tenor under the control of the butler who informed Daniel that he had sent for the undertaker to attend to the funeral arrangements.
“I do not know who will be the heir to Mrs Arbuthnot’s estate, Simmonds. Her lawyer will have to attend to the payment of the staff.” Daniel told the butler. “I shall be moving to my previous quarters. Should I be required for any reason I may be contacted through the office of the Presidency until I return to my post with the army.”
Daniel changed into his uniform and rode to the Presidency to ask for an interview with the President.
“Sir, I doubt me that he will come in this morning. It appears that Mister Davidson, his long-time friend and adviser, died last night. I imagine that he will be offering his condolences to Mrs Davidson.”
Daniel rode to the Davidson household and stood outside with the uniformed Presidential guard until at great length the President returned to his carriage.
Daniel stepped forward and presented himself to the President.
“Captain Beauregard, you display an enormous amount of indelicacy to be standing outside the door of a man that you killed.” The President said somewhat harshly.
“Sir, I am obliged to be here under orders from General Lee. If I may have a private word, please sir.”
“What, is the army in trouble? Perhaps you had better ride with me. Come on.”
Daniel sat opposite Jefferson Davis and told him the story of the large-print Bible and how he had established that an agent known as Absalom was passing information obtained from within the Presidency of the Confederation to the Federals.
“We must find this blackguard and bring him instantly to justice, sir.” The President declared.
“Sir, have you heard the full story of what happened last night when Mister Davison was killed?”
“I have had it reported to me in full by John Hammond the magistrate. He imputes no guilt to you, Captain.”
“What you do not know, sir, is why Mister Davidson came after me with two pistols.”
“Then pray proceed with that explanation.”
“Were you aware that Mister Davidson was an inveterate gambler and that he had been losing much more than he was earning?”
“Captain, I knew that he enjoyed playing poker but not that he had been losing heavily.”
“Last night, before I sat down at the poker table I was perusing the very impressive book collection in Mister Davidson’s study. Quite by accident I stepped behind his desk and there on the floor by his chair was a copy of the very special edition of the Bible of which I have been telling you. It was only then that I realized how the code name Absalom had been derived. Absalom was the son of King David.”
“Of course he was. I remember that story well, captain.”
“You see, sir: David-son was Absalom!”
“Oh my great God! Davidson? But the man has been my friend and adviser for years. It is not believable!”
“He was desperate for money, sir. After I had won a considerable sum from him he asked me to allow him until the end of the month to pay it. We had all been drinking and I am not a practiced drinker so I suppose I replied over-hastily in the negative saying that I would not offer accommodation to a traitor as I pointed to the Bible. I walked out of the room and he must have thought at that time that all was revealed. He came to the drawing room carrying a pistol in each hand and he stated aloud ‘Beauregard! You will never live to prove it!’. Possibly he thought that he could shoot me dead and then concoct a reason for his action. By doing so he would ensure that his secret was safe.”
“Captain, I can see why General Lee holds you in such high regard. I do not want you to mention this story to anyone. I shall put out the story that Davidson had been ailing for some time and have a medical doctor to state the opinion that he had a ‘brainstorm’ after losing more at poker than he could afford. I shall give him a state funeral and let the matter be closed for the sake of his widow. Is that acceptable to you?”
“Of course, sir, the fewer that know we had a traitor in our midst the better.”
Chapter Eighteen
Daniel rode back to General Lee with a heavy heart. He had not realized how much Jane had come to mean to him in the short time that he had known her.
He had attended her funeral as had most of her late husband’s family, one of whom, was the family lawyer. Jane had not drawn up a will and everything she had reverted to the family.
“Captain,” said the family lawyer. “Mrs Artbuthnot did not leave a will but she did tell me that she was in love with you and that she wished to make out a will in your favor. Unfortunately she never had the opportunity to dictate the will but she did give me this box and she said that she wanted you to have it. It used to belong to Major Arbuthnot. I have asked the familial heirs and they have no objections to me giving the box to you. So here it is. It is called a Chinese puzzle box and I have no idea how one opens it. From what Jane Arbuthnot said, I am not certain that she had ever been able to open it herself however she was confident that you would be able to work it out.”
Daniel took the box. It was about twelve inches long nine inches deep and nine inches wide. He was happy to have anything as a souvenir of Jane. He took it to his original lodgings and set it down on his bed. It was a beautiful piece of work, carved in aromatic sandalwood with flowers and birds cut into its surface with a delicacy that had to be seen to be believed. He shook the box but if it contained anything it was too well packed to rattle.
He had heard of such boxes. The idea was that the box would only slide open if he did two separate actions at the same time such as pressing at one point with one hand and dragging at another point with the other hand. The trick was to know which points and whether to press, pull or slide each point. The jointing was so perfectly done that it was impossible to guess which panel could be slid, or hinged or twisted to unlock it.
He stroked the satin smooth wood for a while thinking of Jane’s sensual body as he did so and he inhaled the exotic smell of sandalwood. He checked it for signs of previous operations of its mechanisms but no hint of skin oil or marks of past movements showed on the surface of the unblemished box. It was certainly of considerable age.
In the end he fell asleep with the box on his pillow and awoke, still fully dressed, with the morning sun shining onto his face.
He sat up and looked about him. For a moment he did not remember where he was. Then all the unhappiness of the past few days came flooding back to him. He decided that he had better get back up to the front. Facing flying bullets seemed somehow preferable to sitting in Richmond and remembering what he had lost.
He repacked everything he owned including the sandalwood box and set out to find General Lee and the army.
He did not hurry unduly but allowed Star to set his own pace as he did his best not to think about Jane but rather to recall Arabella Fairfield and Melissa Bridges. He wondered if Melissa had returned to her finishing school in London and if she still thought she had an understanding with him which she expected to become permanent.
He was still riding gently and dreaming of women when he heard two shots that appeared to come from the road ahead of him. He became immediately alert and drew his pistol, checking to see that it was loaded and ready before he nudged Star into his long loping walk. He rounded the bend ahead and found that he was looking down on what appeared to be a holdup.
Daniel took out his telescope and focused in on the group below.
Two men in ragged clothing were pointing guns at a group of people standing with hands held high in front of a large barrow. The three males with elevated hands were wearing pillbox hats and long plaits running down their backs. They were Chinese. Another similarly dressed man was lying in the dust while two boys tended to him.
Daniel drew his Whitfield rifle
from its scabbard and loaded it. He could not shoot accurately while riding so he dismounted. He took careful aim at the gunman that was kicking one of the boys and fired. The distance was over five hundred yards so it was a long shot and he had aimed for the bulk of the torso. He felt gratified when his target reeled and toppled over. He re-loaded his rifle, remounted and galloped down toward the group in the valley below him.
The remaining attacker was armed with a pistol. He knew enough not to waste ammunition with shots over that distance but he moved behind the barrow and waited for Daniel to get within pistol range. Daniel pulled up well beyond the pistol’s capabilities. He dismounted and found a tree on which to rest the barrel of the rifle as he aimed.
“Come out with your hands up or I will shoot you dead!” Daniel called to the gunman.
By way of answer the man reached over quickly and grabbed one of the five boys and clapped his gun to the child’s head.
“You throw down your rifle or this one gets a bullet through the brain.”
The range was under a hundred yards but the gunman’s body and legs were protected by the barrow and most of his upper half was protected by the body and head of the child. Only one eye and part of the gunman’s face was showing behind the child’s head but the elbow holding the pistol was protruding beyond the protection of the barrow.
Daniel held his breath aimed and fired, blowing away the gunman’s elbow. The man lost all interest in anything but the pain in his elbow as Daniel approached the barrow and discovered to his surprise that the ‘boys’ he had seen from the distance were not young boys at all but girls dressed in the pajama-like trousers and loose tops that the Chinese peasants seem to favor.
The eldest man in the group came forward and bowed to him.
“Many thanks for help given, illustrious general. Evil men wanted food and women. Also desire money but have none.”
“I am not a general, sir, I am merely a captain but I am happy to have been of assistance.” Daniel noticed that the women were tending to the shattered right arm of the gunman.
“It is gratifying to see that you hold no animosity against your attacker, sir. What have your people given him, he has stopped screaming?”
“Opium, honored sir. We are opium traders.”
“What is opium?”
“It is gift of Poppy flower, honored sir. Use for pain and dreams. This is why have no money to offer you, honored sir. Buy much opium for sell to many Chinese in America.”
“May I see this opium?”
They showed him the dark grey blocks of the dried resin.
“How do you administer it?”
“Chinese smoke this, like tobacco, for pain swallow small pellet. Very powerful. Too much smoking, no eat, no drink, want only opium. Soon die.”
“I would like to buy some of the pellets. How much are they?” Daniel could see a good use for them in battle.
“Five for one dollar, honored sir.”
Daniel handed him ten dollars. “Please let me have fifty pellets.”
The old Chinaman looked at the ten Confederate dollar bill.
“Honored sir, Confederate money, no good only gold or Yankee dollar okay but for you, honored sir, no charge.” He handed over a small ceramic jar filled with irregular balls of the opium and steadfastly refused payment in any of the currencies he had mentioned.
Daniel stayed with them for a meal prepared at the roadside on a small portable brazier with rice, vegetables and tiny flakes of meat eaten out of small bowls using chopsticks.
Daniel had never before eaten with chopsticks and he amused the Chinese hugely with his clumsy attempts to master this alien method of eating. One of the girls patiently showed him how it was done and by the end of the meal he was beginning to manage the chopsticks badly.
The two gunmen had two badly-kept horses tied up inside the trees and Chinese happily took possession of them and the weapons the men had wielded.
Daniel directed them to deliver the wounded man to the sheriff in nearest town and the dead man was dragged deeper into the woods and left there.
Daniel brought out his ‘Chinese puzzle’ box and asked for help in opening it but after much discussion and a certain amount of trial and much error, they confessed bafflement and returned the box to him unopened.
After a pleasant sojourn with his new-found friends, he wished them well and continued on his journey.
He had not ridden but a couple of miles when he noticed that someone was following on behind him. He took the next bend and then waited to see what would transpire.
A few minutes later a Chinese man came running at a remarkable pace considering that Daniel had already covered so much distance.
“Why do you follow me?” Daniel demanded to know of the young man.
“Honored sir, I have come to serve you and to learn the way of life of the Americans.”
“But I do not need a servant. You must return to your family.”
“Honored sir, I cannot do that for I should lose face to be sent back. You have saved the lives of me and my family and now you are obliged to take care of us.”
“You speak very good English. Where did you learn it?”
“In the Christian Missionary School in Canton, where I learned to read and write in English, honored sir.”
“Why do you wish to be my servant?”
“Honored sir, I could stay in my family and learn only the ways of my ancestors but I have come to America to discover the ways of the Americans. As you are obligated to take care of us, I am here to place myself at your service. My father has given his approval.”
“What is your name?”
“My name is Shek Jak but my Christian name is John, honored sir.”
“What do they call you at home, Shek or John?”
“Honored sir, Shek is my father’s name; at home I am called Jak but in America I shall be called John.”
Daniel laughed. “Did you know that the nickname for people named John in America is Jack? So if I call you by your Chinese name it will be the same as calling you by your Christian name.”
“Honored sir I do not understand; what is this ‘nickname’?”
“A nickname is a short name that American people give to their friends especially if their Christian name is a long one. For example my Christian name is Daniel and my friends call me Dan.”
“Honored sir, I do not understand this. John is a very short name why is the nickname also a very short name?”
“John itself is a shortened form of the original name of Jonathan, now all those called either Jonathan or John are nicknamed Jack.”
“Honored sir, it does not make sense to me.”
“Do not worry about it, Jack. Customs that arise over centuries do not often make sense. Jack, if you are to be with me there are certain customs you must learn. You must always call me Captain. I am in the army and there are many men more important than am I so you must treat everyone you meet with great honor.”
“Captain, that is what my father taught me. He said that I must treat all that I meet with great honor and that will reflect upon me and make me an honorable man.”
Jack had not grown up learning to ride horses, so Daniel hoisted him up behind him and told him to hold on tight. Fortunately, Star’s walking gait was both quick and comfortable and they managed to get through the day.
Daniel showed Jack how he wanted each camp to be set up but he left the Chinaman to cook as he preferred.
“Captain,“ Jack said dramatically. “There is no rice!”
Daniel showed him how to cook potatoes and make sourdough biscuits but promised that rice would be obtained at the earliest opportunity.
“Captain, this American food is very strange. You eat too much meat. It is not good for the body.”
On
the following day they came to a town where Daniel purchased a small cart and a pony to draw it. He filled the cart with provisions and cooking implements as requested by Jack. He also made enquiries as to the location of Lee’s army and received precise directions since it was not too far distant.
Chapter Nineteen
After settling Jack with his cart and provisions in his allocated tent, Daniel rode up to Headquarters to ask for an interview with General Lee. He was asked to return the following morning and so he somewhat reluctantly reported to Major Anson.
“Ah, the golden boy returns!” Anson proclaimed as he presented himself. “Where in hell have you been all this time?”
“On a mission for General Lee, sir, surely you knew that?”
“Of course, I did. I know everything that goes on around here, Captain. For instance, I know that you have brought a stinking Chinaman into the camp without obtaining prior permission. How in hell did you get him through the gate?”
“I showed the duty officer my pass from General Lee, sir.”
“What pass was that?” Anson demanded to know.
Daniel handed him the document which said:
“This letter attests that Captain Daniel Beauregard is acting for me on a mission of utmost importance to the Confederacy. I hereby request that all persons loyal to the Confederacy should give him all and any assistance he may request. Signed Robert Edward Lee.”
The document was issued under the seal of the Confederacy.
“This is a blatant forgery, Captain. Why it gives you the right to do any damn thing that you please. I am taking this to the General. When he sees this you will be cashiered!”
Daniel smiled. “I shall be seeing him tomorrow morning, Major. Perhaps you might like to show it to him then?”
“Tomorrow? I shall take it to him right now!”
“He is holding a meeting with all general officers right now, otherwise I would already be with him.”
“You young whippersnappers think that you can do anything you please in this man’s army, well I am going to show you that you cannot.” Anson stormed out of the tent and climbed the rise to where General Lee’s office tent stood.
The Texican Way Page 14
