登陆注册
15324900000008

第8章

A Race.

"Some have greatness thrust upon them." -- Twelfth Night.

The unexpected volley probably disturbed private Jacob Alspaugh's mind more than that of any other man in the regiment.It produced there an effect akin to the sensation of nauseous emetic in his stomach.

He had long enjoyed the enviable distinction of being the "best man" among combative youths of Sardis, and his zeal and invariable success in the fistic tournaments which form so large a part of the interest in life of a certain class of young men in villages, had led his townsmen to entertain extravagant hopes as to his achievements in the field.

But, like most of his class, his courage was purely physical, and a low order of that type.He was bold in those encounters where he knew that his superior strength and agility rendered small the chances of his receiving any serious bodily harm, but of that high pride and mounting spirit which lead to soldierly deeds he had none.

The sight of the dying men on each side shriveled his heart with a deadly panic.

"O, Kent," he groaned, "Lemme go, and let's git out o' here.This's just awful, and it'll be ten times wuss in another minnit.Let's git behind that big rock there, as quick as the Lord'll let us."He turned to pull away from Kent's detaining hand, when he heard Captain Bennett's order to the regiment to charge, and the hand relaxed its hold.Jake faced to the front again and saw Kent and Abe Bolton, and the rest of the boys rush forward, leaving him and a score of other weak-kneed irresolutes standing alone behind.

Again he thought he would seek the refuge of the rock, but at that moment the Union line swept up to the Rebels, scattering them as a wave does dry sand.

Jake's mental motions were reasonably rapid.Now he was not long in realizing that all the danger was past, and that he had an opportunity of gaining credit cheaply.He acted promptly.Fixing his bayonet, he gave a fearful yell and started forward on a run for the position which the regiment had gained.

He was soon in the lead of the pursuers, and appeared, by his later zeal, to be making amends for his earlier tardiness.As he ran ahead he shouted savagely:

"Run down the hellions! Shoot 'em! Stab 'em! Bay'net 'em! Don't let one of 'em git away."There is an excitement in a man-chase that is not even approached by any other kind of hunting, and Jake soon became fairly intoxicated with it.

He quickly overtook one or two of the slower-paced Rebels, who surrendered quietly, and were handed by him over to the other boys as they came up, and conducted by them to the rear.

Becoming more excited he sped on, entirely unmindful of how far he was outstripping his comrades.

A hundred yards ahead of him was a tall, gaunt Virginian, clad in butternut-colored jeans of queer cut and pattern, and a great bell-crowned hat of rough, gray beaver.Though his gait was shambling and his huge splay feet rose and fell in the most awkward way, he went over the ground with a swiftness that made it rather doubtful whether Jake was gaining on him at all.But the latter was encouraged by the sings of his chase's distress.First the bell-crowned hat flew off and rolled behind, and Jake could not resist the temptation to give it a kick which sent it spinning into a clump of honeysuckles.

Then the Rebel flung off a haversack, whose flapping interfered with his speed, and this was followed by a clumsily-constructed cedar canteen.The thought flashed into Jake's mind that this was probably filled with the much-vaunted peach-brandy of that section;and as ardent sprits were one of his weaknesses, the temptation to stop and pick up the canteen was very strong, but he conquered it and hurried on after his prey.Next followed the fugitive's belt, loaded down with an antique cartridge-box, a savage knife made from a rasp and handled with buckhorn, and a fierce-looking horse-pistol with a flint-lock.

"I seemed to be bustin' up a moosyum o' revolutionary relics," said Jake afterward, in describing the incident."The feller dropped keepsakes from his forefathers like a bird moltin' its feathers on a windy day.I begun to think that if I kep up the chase purty soon he'd begin to shed Continental money and knee-britches."The fugitive turned off to the right into a narrow path that wound through the laurel thickets.Jake followed with all the energy that remained in him, confident that a short distance more would bring him so close to his game that he could force his surrender by a threat of bayoneting.He caught up to within a rod of the Rebel, and was already foreshortening his gun for a lunge in case of refusal to surrender on demand, when he was amazed to see the Rebel whirl around, level his gun at him, and order HIS surrender.

Jake was so astonished that he stumbled, fell forward and dropped his gun.As he raised his eyes he saw three or four other Rebels step out from behind a rock, and level their guns upon him with an expression of bloodthirstiness that seemed simply fiendish.

Then it flashed upon him how far away he was from all his comrades, and that the labyrinth of laurel made them even more remote.With this realization came the involuntary groan:

"O, Lordy! it's all up with me.I'm a goner, sure!"His courage did not ooze out of his fingers, like the historic Bob Acres's; it vanished like gas from a rent balloon.He clasped his hands and tried to think of some prayer.

"Now I lay me," he murmured.

"Shan't we shoot the varmint?" said one of the Rebels, with a motion of his gun in harmony with that idea.

"O, mister--mister--GOOD mister, DON'T! PLEASE don't! I swear Ididn't mean to do no harm to you."

"Wall, ye acted monty quare fur a man that didn't mean no harm,"said the pursued man, regaining his breath with some difficulty.

"A-chasin' me down with thet ar prod on yer gun, an' a-threatenin'

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 特工狂妃:黑腹三小姐

    特工狂妃:黑腹三小姐

    暂时没有想好,等着的差不多,再写简介嘻嘻
  • 萌妃快到碗里来

    萌妃快到碗里来

    她是太平间里的一个小散仙,终日下凡唬妖,只为逃离天宫的拘束。他是九重天的霸道上仙,无所事事,调戏小仙女,与天帝作对,只为排解九重天的苦闷无趣。本该永世无所交集的他们擦出了火花,甚至发生了热恋。然而,她因调皮,不听他言而误入凡尘,投胎相府。……………………………………………………………………………………他让她纵行于九重天,他说“天是你的,任你游”她反挑眉,扑倒他怀中“你是我的,也任我吃!!!!”……结果,她身上布满草莓,“那得看谁吃了谁。”(本文小孽心,大宠爱⊙﹏⊙)
  • 万艳谷

    万艳谷

    万艳谷是女人的乌托邦,女主角莫夕颜在这里长大,听多了”世间男儿尽是负心人”的故事。当家园被毁,走上复仇之路的她,将如何面对世间的种种?爱情,是虚幻的错觉,还是实实在在的幸福?
  • 都市猎鬼传

    都市猎鬼传

    人死了之后便产生了魂,当魂拥有了执念不愿离开人界就成了鬼。鬼,轻者祸乱人身使人体虚弱生病,重者戾气四溢为祸一方。所以,自古以来人与鬼就产生了尖锐的矛盾。于是,道士这一职业便孕育而生。但随着科技的不断发展,传统道士的身影逐渐从人们的视野中消失。取而代之的是一种新兴职业——猎鬼人。他们以传统道法为基,现代科技为辅。法术与科技手段层出不穷,不断与世间恶鬼相周旋。而猎鬼又不是一般的捉鬼过程,期间凶险万分稍不注意就有生命危险,所以猎鬼人是少之又少。以下便是猎鬼人的猎鬼经历,希望给各位看官留下一点茶余饭后的谈资,让世人知晓猎鬼这一行当。
  • 蝴蝶玦:传闻中的公主

    蝴蝶玦:传闻中的公主

    祁、卫、楚三国鼎立,其中祁国最富有,卫国兵力最强盛,楚国预言最厉害,楚国皇室自建国以来就没有诞生过公主,传说第一位公主会给世界带来和平,卫国跟祁国纷纷求亲。“你确定要换脸吗?”“确定,换吧。”“从今以后,世上将不再有龙延霆,只有高羽轩,你得为祁国皇室跟楚国高家所有人而活。”“南宫梦阳从今天起便是楚梦阳,你得担得起你公主的身份。“政治,权谋,预言,爱情,超强男配阵容:有卫国五皇子,祁国皇上,流山奇派的守护神。可是她却说:”有你的地方,才是我向往的地方。”看落魄皇子复仇之路。
  • 符逆九域

    符逆九域

    六千年前,符箓宗大大小小三百余处宗府在一夜之间惨遭灭门。符箓宗开派宗师巫祝,九域唯一的一位九品符师,耗尽全身血符拼死封住濒临死亡儿子巫毅。六千年后,符箓宗已是烟消云散,巫毅借尸还魂却发现他的师兄赵翎尘和未婚妻林菀儿已统御九界,帝号“明德天宗”。这一世而来,他定要报这灭门血仇,“待我修行有成之时,便是你们魂消魄丧之日。”
  • 道家经典智慧故事全集

    道家经典智慧故事全集

    道教是地地道道的汉民族的心灵救治良方.是漂泊无依的灵魂的精神家园。本书通过选取道家最为经典的故事.呈现丰富的道家智慧,揭示人生的种种奥秘,引领读者在最短时问里更新为人处事观念.助你走上成功道路.开创全新人生。
  • 德兰大陆圣战

    德兰大陆圣战

    在遥远的德兰大陆,一直存在着两股势力,圣族和魔族,而圣王和魔王之千百年间的战斗,一直在继续。。。直到
  • 可爱女孩的爱情之旅

    可爱女孩的爱情之旅

    她是顾晴集团的千金沫雨晴,她长得漂亮,可爱,是个心地善良的好女孩,她为了躲避她的仰慕者而转到了另一所学校,在那所学校她隐瞒了自己的真实身份,还用了个假名字——墨羽晴,但她还是很快成了学校的校花。但在入学第一天她就遇到了学校的“恶魔”他是安氏集团的少爷安亦晨,他长得帅,是女孩子心目中的王子,他是学校出了名的“恶魔”,是个流氓,很花心,但遇到了沫雨晴后,他变得专情了
  • 魂匣大陆

    魂匣大陆

    希望大陆魂匣为主!!魂匣分为兵器类和生物类兵器类:刀枪棍棒为我所用生物类:飞禽走兽封我为主这是一个不一样的的世界,一个疯狂的世界。