登陆注册
15324900000057

第57章

The Ambuscade.

This heavy-headed revel, east and west, Makes us traduced and taxed of other nations;They clepe us drunkards, and with swinish frase Soul our addition: and indeed it takes From our achievements, though performed at hight, The pith and marrow of our attribute.--Hamlet.

The day spent with Aunt Debby had been of the greatest benefit to Harry Glen.Since his parting with Rachel Bond, there had been going on in his spirit a fermentation like that with which good wine discharges itself of its grossness and impurities, and becomes clear and fine.In this process had vanished the absorbing selfishness of a much-indulged only son, and teh supercilious egotism which came as an almost necessary result of his college curriculum.This spiritual ripening received its perfecting color and bloom from the serene exaltation of Aunt Debby's soul.So filled was she with lofty devotion to the cause, so complete her faith in its holiness, and so unquestioning her belief that it was every one's simple duty to brave all dangers for it, and die if need be without a murmur, that contact with her would have inspired with pure patriotic ardor a nature much less ready for such leavening than Harry's.

As Dr.Denslow had surmised, his faults were mainly superficial, and underneath them was a firm gristle of manhood, which would speedily harden into bone.With the experience he had been having, days would mature this as rapidly as ordinary years.He was himself hardly aware of the transformation, but only felt, as his physical exhaustion disappeared, a new eagerness to participate in the great work of the war.He was gratified to know a little later that this was no transient feeling.In the course of the evening Jim Fortner came back in, with Kent Edwards and Abe Bolton.After they had all satisfied their hunger, Fortner informed Harry and Aunt Debby that the enemy had fallen back to London, from which point he was sending out wagons into the surrounding country, to gather up food, forage, arms, clothing, ammunition, etc., with the double object of depriving the Union men of them, and adding the same to the Rebel resources.A long train had also been sent out to the Goose Creek Salt Works--twenty-five miles northeast of London--to bring away a lot of salt stored there, of which the Rebels had even more need than of food.

Fortner proposed to go out in the morning, and endeavor to capture some of these wagons.It seemed altogether probably that a few might be caught in such a position that their guards could be killed or driven off.

All readily agreed to this plan, Aunt Debby leading off by volunteering to ride ahead on her mare, as a scout.

Harry suddenly remembered that he was weaponless."What shall Ido for a gun?" he asked, anxiously.

"I declar, I done forgot all 'bout gittin' ye a gun," said Fortner with real concern."My mind was disturbed by other things," he added with a suspicion of a grin at Edwards and Bolton; but they were leaning back in their chairs fast asleep.Apple jack, fatigue and a hearty supper together made a narcotic too potent to resist.

Fortner rose, spread a few blankets on the floor, added a sack of bran for a pillow, and with some difficulty induced the two sleepers to lie down and take their slumbers in a more natural position.

"I'll find ye a gun," said Aunt Debby, as this operation was finished, and walking to a farther corner of the room, she came back bearing in her hand a rifle very similar to the one Fortner carried.

"Thar," she said, setting the delicately-curved brazen heel down upon the hearth, and holding the muzzle at arm's length while she gazed at the gun with the admiration one can not help feeling for a magnificent weapon, "is ez true a rifle ez ever a man put to his shoulder.Ef I didn't b'lave ye ter be ez true ez steel ye shouldn't tech hit, fur hit b'longed ter the truest man in this livin' world.""Hit wuz her husband's," explained Fortner, as her lips met firmly, as if choking down bitter memories.

"I'm givin' hit ter ye ter use ez he'd a-used hit ef he war a-livin',"she said, steadying her tones with a perceptible effort."I'm glad thet my hands can put inter yours the means ter avenge him."Harry tried in vain to make an appropriate response.

"I'll clean hit up for ye," she said to Harry, as she saw Fortner beginning to furbish up his own rifle for the next day's duties.

That she was no stranger to the work was shown by the skill with which she addressed herself to it.Nothing that a Kentucky mountaineer does has more of the aspect of a labor of love, than his caring for a find rifle, and any of them would have been put to shame by the deftness of Aunt Debby's supple hands.Removing the leathern hood which protected the lock, she carefully rubbed off the hammer and nipple with a wisp of soft fine tow, and picked out the tube with a needle.Wrapping another bit of tow around the end of a wiping-stick, she moistened it slightly in her mouth, and carefully swabbed out of the inside of the barrel every suspicion of dust and dirt.Each of the winding rifles was made clean and free along its whole course.Then the tow swab was lightly touched with sweet, unsalted goose-fat, that it might spread a rust-preventing film over the interior surface.She burnished the silver and brass ornaments, and rubbed the polished stock until it shone.When not a suspicion of soil or dirt remained any where, the delicate double triggers were examined and set so that they would yield at the stroke of a hair, a tuft of lightly-oiled tow was placed over the nipple and another closed the muzzle.

"Thar," said Aunt Deby, setting the gun back against the logs, "is a rifle that'll allers do hits duty, ef the man a-holt of hit does his.Let's see how the ammunition is."The powder horn was found to be well filled with powder, and the box with caps, but there were only a few bullets.

同类推荐
  • 尊隐

    尊隐

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 医原

    医原

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • This Side of Paradise

    This Side of Paradise

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 医方证治汇编歌诀

    医方证治汇编歌诀

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 科利奥兰纳斯

    科利奥兰纳斯

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 快士传

    快士传

    《快士传》是将才子佳人、神仙鬼怪及其他各种内容杂揉融合,并且同作品的“快”的风格互为表里,它不是一味地进行道学的说教,而是将其与曲折离奇的情节结合起来,以吸引读者的兴趣,充分体现了平话的特色。
  • 火影之道无名

    火影之道无名

    不知是穿越还是重生,来到了这个时空。不论是热情洋溢的鸣人,温柔腼腆的雏田,还是美丽诱人的小樱都真实生活时,一切是否会变得不一样呢?主角表示:只要不打扰我晒太阳,随便哪里都好。
  • 韩娱之现在是少女时代

    韩娱之现在是少女时代

    百合小说,不喜误入“郑秀妍,你是我的!阿拉?”安在溪揉揉郑秀妍的头发,难得的霸道。“mo呀,你是我的才对!”郑秀妍傲娇地拍开某人的手。“在溪姐夫,我姐要是不听话就狠狠地揍她好了,我不会心疼的。”长期生活在压迫之下的郑秀晶小朋友坏笑着提议。“呀!郑秀晶,零花钱又不想要了是不是!”“hing!反正我有姐夫!“
  • 双木单夕

    双木单夕

    一场奇怪的相遇,注定了一世的孤单。梦境、美男、蛇王、......究竟是上世的纠缠?还是......
  • 见鬼神探

    见鬼神探

    人死后会比生前轻去21克,有人说这就是证明灵魂的证据,但更多人却是嗤之以鼻,以通过各种科学的说法不断的反驳。不过别人说什么,他却是不理会,因为在他的眼中,这所谓的21克已经以特殊的方式出现在了他的面前...
  • 时代爱情

    时代爱情

    女主在友情和爱情中徘徊,到底是不被接受的同性之爱还是一见钟情的爱情又或者是…现实往往是无奈痛苦的,世界不会因为少了你而改变,但时间确是最好的良药。如果不曾深爱那么就此别过吧。
  • 太玄长生经

    太玄长生经

    奇书《太玄长生经》出世,传闻修炼后长生不死。萧太生总是在天上,简奚仲的剑一直很风流。他们一个要拿到《太玄长生经》,一个要毁了《太玄长生经》。他们是兄弟。
  • 魔神觉醒之路

    魔神觉醒之路

    一个不论是人还是鬼都惧怕的生物——魔神。但是他为了阴阳两界的和平,他用所有的能量封印的八大鬼王和他们手下的鬼王军团。并帮助地府关押了九尾狐和僵尸之祖僵王以及女鬼王还有无数的鬼魂。最后因为能量的流失,他重新进入了轮回。但他却因为一个人和一个鬼,他今生唯一想守护的人和鬼,而重新觉醒,一步一步地回复能量,再一次变成魔神,从而掀起了一场腥风血雨……
  • 琴侠传

    琴侠传

    唐朝末年,风云变幻,内忧外患,群雄并起,逐鹿中原,谁主沉浮?江湖传言:琴心剑胆陆凌萧,一曲悲歌断人魂。一个身负血海深仇的少年,如何在群雄割据的时代,巍然屹立?国仇家恨,又该何去何从?
  • 通凡

    通凡

    渔村淳朴少年,坠入都市泥潭,遇恩师,学奇艺,复还乡,报恩仇。得良配,觅新生,踏不平,悟真神,穿越千年羁绊,重回往世巅峰。